Chapter 8

“Scilla, can you- can you take control, I need to-“ I don’t even have to finish my sentence before Scilla’s consciousness slips in front of mine, and she wraps her arms around us in a hug again. “It’s ok Jess, I understand,” she whispers, giving me the time I need to process this all.

I’m going to need a lot of time.

“Um. So. Hi, I’m Scilla. It’s nice to meet you?” She says awkwardly, reaching out to shake Lucinda’s hand. Lucinda looks confused, but shakes Scilla’s hand nevertheless.

“So…you heard all that? And you’re- what, a completely different person? Are you dead too?” Lucinda asks, leaning forwards and staring into Scilla’s eyes. Scilla leans back a little, shaking her head, pressing a cool hand to her slightly warm cheeks.

“Um, yes, I heard it. I was just…behind Jess’s consciousness, if that makes sense. But I’m not dead - although I probably would be if Jess hadn’t fused our souls together,” Scilla explains, standing up from the bench and stretching like a cat.

“Can we keep talking in the supermarket? We need to get some food - the plan is to run away from home today,” Scilla says, turning towards the shop. Lucinda nods instantly, clearly still curious about the whole death and soul fusion thing.

“You’re running away from home? Why?” Lucinda asks, taking Scilla’s hand in hers in an effort to slow Scilla down - unlike me, she has a tendency to power walk.

Or maybe Lucinda just wanted to hold Scilla’s hand.

“Well…we’re not safe there. Basically there’s Grim Reapers who are out to collect evil spirits, and because Jess technically killed someone, he’s an evil spirit now. Even though he’s the least evil person I’ve ever met. So we can’t risk running into another Grim Reaper, or my ex boyfriend.”

Lucinda seems to be keeping up semi well with the whole explanation of spirits and reapers, so that’s good at least. Their conversation is a nice distraction for me, anyway.

“I get the Grim Reaper stuff, oddly, but what’s so bad about your ex?” She asks, and Scilla turns to her, her expression completely dead-pan. “He beats the shit out of me, or at least he did until Jess did some cool spirit-y black smoke stuff and scared him off. But I’m kind of expecting him to come back at some point.”

Lucinda suddenly pulls Scilla back into another hug, stroking her back gently. It’s soothing, to be held by someone else like this.

Scilla slowly hugs her back, before sighing and stepping away. “Yeah so anyway, we can’t flee the city because there’s only a certain radius from where Jess died that he can go, so the plan is to just leave this general part of town. We have a kitten and everything, and I’m going to get a different job, and save up enough money so that I can get a degree in nursing or whatever, and then I’m going to become a doctor and my life will finally feel like it’s starting,” she says excitedly, her hope strong enough that I can feel it in my own soul.

I have to give Scilla a good life. I wanted to make sure that my parents couldn’t hurt anyone else, and it seems like I sort of already did that - one upside to being a murderer at least, I guess. But now, my full focus is on Scilla. I have to give Scilla a good life.

Scilla and Myrtle are my everything. And maybe…maybe if Lucinda is willing to be my friend, then I can help protect her too.

I’ll do anything to protect those I love.

—————

Lucinda and Scilla don’t stop talking the whole time they do their food shopping, and then Lucinda comes back home with us to meet Myrtle. She instantly hugs the kitten, giving her chin scratches and cooing about what a beautiful baby she is.

And then my heart sinks into my fucking stomach.

A horrible, disgusting feeling passes over me, and I instinctively shiver, causing Scilla to shiver as well. “What’s wrong, Jess?” She asks, running her fingers over the goosebumps rising on her arms. Lucinda stands up, placing Myrtle gently back down on her little bed.

“Something revolting is here. Another spirit, I think. But I can’t be sure- I haven’t come across another before. But I think- I think that’s what this is. But we have to go, right now,” I explain hurriedly, my hands shaking so much that Scilla’s shake, a reflection of my anxiety in physical form.

“Alright. Time to go,” Scilla says, grabbing the bag of shopping as Lucinda picks up Myrtle. “Come to mine - it’s semi close but far enough away that it should give us some time to hide from the Grim Reapers and evil spirits or whatever,” Lucinda suggests.

Instantly taking her up on that idea, we grab everything we can, which is not a lot - we can come back for the rest later though - and immediately head out of the door. 

And that’s when I notice it.

“Scilla…didn’t your ex leave his car here, that night? And it was here when we got back with Lucinda, so…why is it gone now?”

Scilla lets out a small sob, and quickens her pace as we follow Lucinda away from the house. “Do you think it was him?” She asks, tears bristling in her eyes. Lucinda bumps her shoulder against Scilla’s, offering her as comforting a smile as she can manage right now.

“I don’t know. He’s just a normal human, so I don’t see why he would feel like an evil spirit, but I’m pretty sure that what I felt was a spirit.”

“Maybe he’s been possessed. You found my soul based on how I felt, so maybe…if he was really angry - which he always is - maybe he attracted a spirit?” Scilla suggests, and my heart sinks further.

“Fuck. If that’s true, then- then it’s probably my fault he’s possessed. And I don’t feel sorry for that piece of shit, but I do feel sorry if he’s got a vendetta against us…” I fade off, the thought of Scilla being in danger because of me being too painful to think about.

“Jess, I know what you’re thinking right now, and please believe me when I say that my life would be so much worse if we hadn’t met. So, please. Just…don’t blame yourself for things that you can’t control, especially when they aren’t even your fault.”

Sighing, I nod, biting my lips together. “Alright. Let’s just- focus on Lucinda and Myrtle.”

Lucinda is probably so confused - she won’t have heard any of what I said, but will have heard what Scilla was saying. So…at least she’s been kind and understanding thus far.

“We’re here,” Lucinda says after a few more minutes of walking in silence. Fishing a key out of her pocket, Lucinda unlocks the door to her apartment, holding the door open for Scilla and me. 

“What happened to your parents, by the way? After you escaped, did you go back to them?” Scilla asks, placing her bags on the floor and taking Myrtle from Lucinda gratefully.

“I did, but…they didn’t really understand. I was so fucked up, for such a long time - still am, obviously - and they just expected me to be fine because the Sanders were dead and I was free,” Lucinda says sadly, running a hand through her hair and rubbing at the scar along her throat. “I couldn’t stay living with them, and now I’m at the stage where I can barely even talk to them.”

Scilla gently places Myrtle down, watching as the kitten scampers off to go attack Lucinda’s sofa with her claws, before Scilla turns her attention back to the other woman. She steps forwards, hugging the girl gently, and mirroring what Lucinda did for Scilla earlier - stroking up and down her back in a soothing manner.

“I’m so sorry. That they didn’t understand, and that you can’t talk to them. You must miss them a great deal,” Scilla says softly, giving Lucinda a small squeeze. “But, trust me, Lucinda. There will always be people who care and do understand. You have Jess and I now, and although Jess doesn’t remember everything, and I didn’t go through what you did - we still understand. And we’re still here for you. And we always will be. You’ve met us now, so…you’re kind of stuck with us. Forever.”

Lucinda lets out a small sob, clinging to Scilla and crying all over her shoulder. But Scilla wouldn’t let go of her, even if the world threatened to come crashing down around them.