Sometimes
Fred wonders why Lilah does it. Fred would lock the door so Wesley
couldn't stumble in on them. But maybe Lilah does it on purpose, to
make sure Wesley would walk in and catch them. Fred's not too sure,
Lilah's so complicated.
Fred is constantly defining herself
in terms of Lilah. Does she have the beauty and grace Lilah has? Does
she kiss like her? Does Wesley imagine Lilah's full curvaceous body
under his when they're making love? She has to know the answers,
has to know why Lilah holds such allure for him. That's why Wesley
stumbles in on Fred seated on top of a desk, legs spread, eyes
squeezed shut, with Lilah kneeling in front of her.
Well, now
she knows why Lilah is so tempting; Wesley's not the only one
lusting after those long legs and perfectly smooth white skin, wet
kisses and full red lips, delicate fingers and smoky brown eyes. The
power Lilah has to conquer and keep captive one's soul...
But
no matter how much Wesley lusts for Lilah, Fred is confident he will
never actually do anything with her; she is confident in their pure
love. Fred wickedly enjoys the surprised look on his face when he
sees them together; Lilah is good at keeping secrets.
She
wonders why Lilah bothers with her, her rival and annoyance. Fred
would never take her enemy to her bosom the way Lilah has. Maybe
Lilah does it to keep a close eye on her, maybe try to lure her away
from Wesley- but Lilah hasn't seemed so interested in Wesley
lately, so maybe she's just watching her.
She watches Lilah
carefully, tries to mimic her seductive walk, the way she tosses her
hair and scares people with her smiles. She considers all of Lilah's
actions and strategies. Lilah dominates by virtue of her presence and
persuasiveness, her readiness to kill someone if they don't give
her what she wants. Low cut shirts also help. And if Fred tries to
copy her a little bit, she thinks it's working.
So now
Fred's trying her hardest to be just like Lilah. She pastes on the
face every morning and cements her features into evil smiles. Her
taste in clothing changes, as does her attitude in life. She
practices in her office, at home in front of the mirror, and with
Wesley.
A week after Wesley has caught them, Fred goes to his
apartment in a business suit and pumps. She flips her styled hair
over her shoulder and smiles seductively at him. Wesley won't look
at her; the shock still hasn't worn off. You're trying to be her,
aren't you? he tells her, aghast. Do you have any idea what you're
doing?
Isn't this what you want? she questions him. Don't
you want me for love and her for sex? Why not combine them?
Fred
replays this conversation in her head over and over, wondering what
he means, why he slams the door against her and locks it tight. In
Lilah's arms she confesses what she did, and asks her why he locked
the door. Lilah shrugs and tells her that Wesley didn't like it
that much when she dressed up either. He prefers the hard, cold truth
to a cozy warm lie, she tells her. Then Lilah slowly smiles, and that
smile haunts Fred for a long time.
A few days later she makes her
way to Lilah's apartment. Wesley still won't talk to her and it's
disheartening, so she comes to Lilah for comfort.
The front
door is unlocked, which is odd. Fred usually knocks and waits for
Lilah to open it and raise her eyebrow quirkily at her. Fred's
still trying to mimic that properly.
She slowly pushes the
door open, but decides against calling for Lilah. Lilah is never
surprised by anything, but Fred wants to try anyway.
Why would
she leave the door open? Fred wonders as she pulls off her jacket and
tosses it on the couch. She runs her fingers through her hair and
prepares to surprise Lilah. But it is she who is surprised. Through
the half-open bedroom door she can see Lilah, naked, loose hair
streaming down her bare back, sitting on top of someone. Then a
hand reaches up to pull her down, and she can see Wesley greedily
kissing Lilah.
The horror washes over Fred and she wobbles out
of the room on shaky legs. Wesley and Lilah... But she's been
trying to be like Lilah, why would Wesley prefer her? She's Fred,
Wesley loves her, and Lilah hasn't seemed so interested in Wesley
for some time now...But now it all makes too much sense: Wesley's
horror at her attempt to copy Lilah, Lilah's wry comment that Wesley
always prefers reality to lies... Lilah never stopped wanting Wesley
and now she has him.
Lilah is too clever, Fred realizes. Lilah
knows everything that has been going on, what Fred has been doing and
why, has been subtly encouraging it, and is now letting Fred know
that she knew everything, and that Fred has lost. This is why Lilah
leaves her doors unlocked, because she has won.
Fred can feel
the fury running through her veins with her blood. What would Lilah
do had she walked in on such a scene? Would Lilah stand silent and
quietly watch her lovers stealing each other away from her? No; Fred
is certain of this. Lilah would never let them get away with such an
affair.
Fred doesn't wonder anymore; she knows what Lilah
would do. Calmer now, she searches for Lilah's purse, for the gun
that she knows Lilah keeps there. Armed with the gun, she goes back
to the bedroom and noiselessly pushes the door open.
But Lilah
hears her and raises her head. She looks straight at Fred, luscious
lips curved into a smirk, until Wesley pulls her back down to him.
Fred keeps that smirk in mind, then pulls the trigger until the gun
is empty.
Their bodies are still intertwined in a lover's
embrace, the blood splattering the white sheets twisted around their
legs, bullet holes marring Lilah's soft skin and Wesley's lean
chest. Fred walks over and feels their pulses just to make sure
they're dead.
But Lilah's not completely dead. Fred
doesn't have to try being her anymore, because she is Lilah now.
She's the one standing next to the bed with the gun and casually
surveying the bodies with a nonchalant look. She's the one who
drops the gun without a second glance, and walks out of the
room.
She's the one who leaves the front door unlocked.
