Did I ever find out what Max’s “errands” were? Heh. I did, alright. And it made for even better blackmail. After spotting her on a certain side of time and putting a little time into research, I pinpointed right where she was going. In that area, there was a lab of people running social experiments, which was where I suspected she was going to work.
So I did what any snoop would do. Apply there with a letter saying Max recommended the job and that I was interested.
Less than a week later, I received a letter back from a Lucas DuCarmont saying he would be happy to hire me and to try and improve my spelling before starting work. The spelling comment pissed me off, but besides that, everything went to plan.
I showed up a few weeks later and ohoho! What a surprise! Max hadn’t only been there for work! No, she was a cheater. With none other than the man who replied to my letter. How did I know? I disrupted one of their sessions, of course!
A boy named Dallas greeted me when I got there, and much to his distaste, he claimed Max and Lucas were being trashy in the main office. With pleasure, I sent Fluffy over. He snuck under the door and scared the shit out of both of them. I was a bit disappointed they didn’t come running out of there naked, but they were clearly close to it. Aw well.
We had our little argument but eventually came to a deal. I was set up to be her work partner, but with power over her. Did you actually think I applied to work? HA. A true lady does not work. Max would be doing 90% of the work. As for my end of the deal, I promised to keep quiet as long as she did what I said. She wasn’t happy about agreeing to it, but like a true predator, I backed my prey into a corner and she had no other options.
* * * * *
Time went on, and I got to know the other members of the lab. Besides Max, there was Lucas, Dallas, Rex, the twins, and Bailey. Lucas was the head of the whole operation, with Dallas being his right-hand man and apprentice. Bailey was an intern who came all the way from Ireland. The twins, Skip & Sophie, were orphans from Korea, who were extremely annoying because they never shut up. Like… Ever. Rex was one of the ones who helped Lucas with experiments, and who had a friend named Debbie who often brought biscuits for the team. That’s the basic rundown of the team. Every one of them was vastly different and it would take forever to describe them all in more detail than that.
Not particularly interested in what was going on around me, I hardly knew what they were doing other than the basic goal of the whole team: study and analyze mental illnesses. Something else about testing if certain chemicals changed things or how they lived day-to-day life and blah, blah, blah, you get the idea. A few of the team members were intentional or accidental results of experimenting. Why do you think the twins never shut up? The only one I pitied was Bailey. She was such a sweet young lady who worked hard to get work done for everyone. Unfortunately, a moment of jealousy from Dallas caused her to lose the luxury of a good sleep schedule. Severe insomnia impacted her day-to-day life. Even though she smiled through it all, I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Beauty sleep was important and here she was, functioning without it.
Judging by what happened to the twins and Bailey, one could safely come to the conclusion that these experiments bordered on being deemed illegal. From an outside perspective, it didn’t seem it, but the ones who entered would only figure that out later. Most patients left unharmed… but some did not. Some went down a very dark road that even I wouldn’t talk about.
As expected, the town began to talk after a few months of the lab in full work. An investigation stemmed from these suspicions, leading to Lucas finally being caught. Being a man of loyalty, he refused to give the names of the rest of us. Not even his mistress. Oh, how I wished he had.
* * * * *
About a month later, I ended up telling Reginald about Max and Lucas’ affair together. I sprinkled a little bit of exaggeration in there because I knew Reginald would be a bit too soft and would probably forgive her. Of course, after what I told him, he was absolutely furious. I felt so much satisfaction from exposing that cheating bitch.
“Reginald!” Max cried trying to chase my brother up the stairs. “Reginald, listen to me, I-”
“I DON’T NEED YOUR EXCUSES!” he shouted furiously. Oh yes, I loved this show. I was standing smugly at the doorway, where that poor excuse of a man, Adam was too. Idiot was just cowering while this prime drama unfolded.
“Are you really going to trust your sister over-”
“Did you do it?!” Reginald demanded. “Have you been adulterous?”
“…”
“Ugh,” he said, getting to the top of the stairs. “I thought I was your only love!”
“Reginald, it’s…”
“How complicated is it, Maxine?! What miraculous explanation could you have except for that I was gone during the day and you felt lonely?”
“…”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Reginald!” Max cried, grabbing his arm.
“Get off of me, woman!”
Reginald pushed her off of him, maybe a bit harder than he meant to, and I think Max’s surprised and terrified face is permanent in my mind now. Adam covered his mouth as I watched Max fly down the stairs, not even touching any of them before hitting the bottom.
Crack
That’s what we all heard on impact. Reginald looked down the stairs, terrified ; Adam looked ready to cry; I felt frozen. Max wasn’t moving, and her neck was bent at an unnatural angle… Adam screamed at the top of his lungs next to me.
“No… No!” Reginald cried, rushing down the stairs and holding her. “Maxine… Maxine, talk to me. Maxine!”
“She’s dead, brother,” I said coldly. I shouldn't have said anything. I really shouldn't have. I was so fucking stupid for that.
“Get out,” he growled.
“Please, get a hold of-”
“GET OUT!” he bellowed. My confidence drained away, and was replaced with fear. I, like usual, covered the fear with anger.
“Don’t blame me! I was just exposing that unfaithful cow for what she was!”
“GET OUT AND DON’T COME BACK!” he shouted.
Reginald pushed me out the door and slammed the front door so hard that the hinge partially cracked. I was about to go back in, but I could hear crying from both Adam and my brother. I decided that I’d had enough fun for the day and started walking back home. A very small part of me did feel bad, but I was too numb to things that happened around me to care. The whole time, I thought she had what was coming to her. He yelled at me later to no end about how I shouldn’t have said anything to him, and how I killed her. I felt a bit bad, yeah… but he’s the one who shoved her! And after what she did, she deserved it… right? He cut me completely out of his life despite my trying to explain it all.
* * * * *
I showed up to Max’s funeral in the brightest and flashiest snow-white dress dress I could find. I don’t know why I had to wear it. I don’t even know why I showed up in the first place. Everyone blamed me for what happened to her, and the moment I walked in, they were giving me all the wrong looks. I told myself they were just jealous though. They couldn’t handle me. I was going to stay quiet at her funeral, I really was. I wanted attention yes, but I wasn’t about to ruin it for my brother honestly. Max was still an ex friend, my first friend, and I thought I was better than belittling an ex friend's death. But then I saw how much care they put into her funeral, and how much they talked about loving her, and anger bubbled inside of me. I knew that people would probably be spitting on my grave because of how I acted, and I couldn’t stand them honoring her so much. I said… some things, and Adam started crying his crossdressing eyes out. Someone couldn’t take it anymore.
“Get out of here, you cow!” someone yelled at me. I whipped around to try and catch who said it, but couldn’t find them. My face turned red, and I opened my mouth against Fluffy’s obvious protests to hold me back.
“You want to know the real cow here?!” I shrieked, pointing a finger at Adam crying on his fiance’s shoulder. “That thing! He’s a man in a dress!! He goes home every night and binges his stomach out on that disgusting stash of his!! And you’re calling ME the cow?!”
I looked around, and everyone’s eyes were on me. Reginald looked ready to throw me out with his own two hands. All my other siblings looked mortified. Elizabeth’s eyes were full of disappointment and looked ready to cry. My own face fell just in time for my parents to weave through the people to me.
“HOW DARE YOU?!” shouted Mum. “HOW DARE YOU DISHONOR YOUR SISTER, WHO DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS?! HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE PEOPLE WHO GRIEVE FOR HER?!”
“She was not my sister!” I hissed back. “I should’ve had her sold off years-”
“ENOUGH!” Dad howled. “WE DID EVERYTHING TO RAISE YOU WELL, BUT YOU’VE ONLY BEEN A SPOILED BRAT!”
“Maybe I am spoiled! But at least I’m the only one thinking clearly enough to know that man shouldn’t be parading around in a dress like he has a pair of breasts on his chest!”
“SHE IS A LADY! AND A BETTER ONE THAN YOU EVER WERE!”
“SHOULD I PROVE YOU WRONG?” I yelled back, putting on a smile with gritted teeth. “BECAUSE I WON’T HESITATE TO SHOW YOU ALL WHAT HE REALLY IS!”
Adam’s lover held him close, and Reginald stepped between us to block my way. I wasn’t going to do anything myself anyway. I gave Fluffy some signals, and he slithered discreetly down my body and towards the dressed man. I shot a cold glare at him.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” growled Reginals with balled fists. “Lay a finger on her, and I’ll make sure you’re in the ground next. And nobody’s going to show up to yours.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” I said with a satisfied smile.
Fluffy wrapped around Adam’s ankles and took him to the ground. I saw Fluffy slither around his legs, but stopped. I knew he was reconsidering what I was trying to make him do. I started to think about it too; was I going too far? He was about to slither away before a shoe came down right on his midsection, and my eyes widened and blood froze.
“NO!” I cried, trying to shove people out of the way. “GET AWAY FROM MY BABY!! DON’T HURT HIM!!”
I tried to shove through the people, but I was too weak, and there were actually some people trying to hold me back! Grabbing my wrists and shoulders!
“STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!!” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. They were killing my best friend! My only friend! The only person to understand me! Those monsters were killing him and making me watch!
I finally elbowed a few people in the face, bloodying my arm and dress a bit. I didn’t care though. Without a second thought, I ran to Fluffy and coddled him in my arms. He had been beaten so badly that he was barely alive… I was sobbing over him.
“Baby, Fluffy, baby… show me you’re ok… please…”
My voice was pinched and pained, my chest tight, and I was shaking. From his place on my shoulder, he slowly slithered up to my head and flicked his little tongue against my ear. I gave a small laugh through my choked cries. I knew even through this, nobody would feel any bit of pity for me.
“Beatrice, take your snake and leave,” Father said coldly. “And don’t come back.”
For once in my life, I listened to him. I ran home, praying for Fluffy to be alive. He had been the only one there for me for as long as I could remember… If he died, I don’t know if I could carry on. At that moment, I didn’t care about the dirt or blood on my dress, or what anyone said anymore. He was all I had in this world.
When we got home, I immediately gave him a bath and cleaned him, bandaging him when I made sure everything was good. I checked the damage, and by a miracle there were only a few puncture wounds. I wrapped him in a blanket, and the two of us were on the couch together. I refused to let him out of my arms.
“Nobody’s ever going to hurt you like that again…” I soothed. “Never again…”
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