Chapter 3

Helena sat in her room with only the light from the window keeping her company. Myka had been giving her concerned looks all evening after what happened at the warehouse. She didn't mention her break down to anyone, but had been waiting to catch Helena alone to talk to her about it. Helena had been actively avoiding her and after dinner she locked herself up in her room. She ignored the light rapping on her door until it finally died away. She guessed Myka had given up and gone to bed.

Helena was falling apart at the seams. The face of her decomposing daughter plagued her every time she closed her eyes. She felt hot tears stream down her face and ran her fingers through her raven hair. Lightening flashed outside, illuminating her entire room.

"Miss Wells."

Helena's head snapped up and her hand flew to her mouth. Sitting on the edge of her bed was a man with three long slashes across the side of his face. She knew this man. In the back of her mind she knew she was the cause of his horrid scars.

Recognition finally clicked in her mind. "You were there… you were there with Christina. I killed you!" Helena covered her face with her hands willing the man to disappear.

"I was the first, Miss Wells. The first you killed quickly, when your rage got the better of you. I was the lucky one, dead within minutes. The other's weren't so fortunate…" The man's voice was calm and steady as he talked about his death, like he was having a conversation with an old friend.

Helena closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands, but the sound of his voice seeped through, echoing in her head. "No! Go away! Go away!" She shouted, trying to drown out the noise.

There was a loud knocking coming from her door. "Helena? Are you alright? Helena please let me in!"

The scarred man smirked. "It looks like we will have to continue this conversation another time." He bowed and faded into the darkness as the door swung open.

Myka burst through the open doorway, holding a ring of keys in her hand. "Helena, I heard shouting and I…." She paused when she saw Helena huddled in the corner barely holding it together. Her voice softened as she approached her. "Helena? What's wrong?" She knelt in front of the broken woman and gently pulled Helena's hands away from her face.

Her cheeks were stained with tears and she was barely able to form a complete sentence. Myka could see the fear emanating from Helena's eyes, pleading for her to understand, to help her. "It's… It's nothing. Go back to bed, I just want to be alone." She lied. Actually she wanted the exact opposite and she hoped Myka would see the pleading in her eyes for her to stay.

Myka blinked, unsure what to do. Finally she grasped Helena's hands in hers and pulled her to her feet. "Hey…" She wiped the tears from her cheek with her thumb. "Come with me I want to show you something…"

Helena followed, the nervous lump in her throat slowly fading away. Myka still held her hand, leading her down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was well past midnight and everyone else had already gone to bed. She motioned for Helena to take a seat in one of the stools by the island and began pulling various packages out of the cupboard and piling them on the counter.

Helena let out a staggered breath, finally calming down enough to speak. "What are you doing?"

Myka smiled as she opened the cereal box marked Cocoa Puffs. "Midnight snack." She stated simply. She popped a few of the chocolaty treats in her mouth, savoring the taste.

Helena's eyebrows raised in confusion. "May I ask why?"

Myka sighed. "Because something is going on and even if you won't tell me, I'm not going to leave you alone when you are upset. Midnight snacks always make me feel better when I am upset." Then she added quickly. "Don't tell Pete."

Even with everything that had happened Myka knew how to bring a smile to her lips. "What's that expression… oh yes. Scout's honor."

"Learn that from Claudia?" Myka stifled a laugh and tossed one of the packs of Twinkies in Helena's direction.

She caught it in one hand and tore it open, eyeing the spongy dessert with interest. She took a hesitant bite and smiled. "This is very good. What's it called?"

"A Twinkie."

"…Twinkie. Interesting." Helena glanced at the treat again before taking another bite.

They sat in silence for a few minutes eating whatever sugary substance was laid out in front of them. Myka was the first to speak. "You know you can talk to me about anything." She said the words carefully, putting as much meaning behind them as she could, hoping Helena would open up.

"Myka… I know and I trust you. I… I just think I need to deal with this on my own." She played with a green jelly bean on the counter, nudging it with her finger.

Myka frowned and nodded. She nibbled on what was her third Twizzler in silence.


Helena woke to the smell of vanilla and a mess brown curls greeted her vision. She blinked for a few seconds before remembering where she was. Myka's room. Myka's bed. And the brunette curls in front of her belonged to her sleeping partner. She sat up quickly, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She had been asleep in Myka's bed with her and they had been spooning. Helena tried to process this information and how it was making her feel. Butterflies rolled around in her stomach.

Myka stirred beside her and rolled over, blinking in the sunlight. "Hey…" her voice was thick with sleep. "Good morning." She smiled, unknowingly making Helena's pulse flutter beneath her skin. Myka noticed Helena's nervous glances and spoke first. "Last night we moved up to my room to talk and you were so tired and you kind of passed out. I didn't have the heart to wake you… I hope that was alright?"

"No. I mean that is fine I was just… Never mind." Helena cheeks burned pink. She quickly changed the subject. "I'm sorry about my hysteria last night. I didn't mean to keep you up so late."

"It's okay. It's Saturday anyway, our day to sleep in." Myka stretched and rolled over to her side of the bed. "How about some coffee?"

Helena smiled. "Sounds perfect."


"But Artie!" Claudia whined as she followed her mentor through the living room into the kitchen.

"No buts Claudia!" Artie slapped a large pile of manila folders on the counter. "Today you do paper work." He smirked as Claudia groaned at the giant pile.

She glanced at Helena and Myka who were quietly sipping coffee around the island, pleading for some kind of escape. "But Artie…"

"No arguments. We are behind in our filing and a little bit of paper work isn't going to kill you." Artie grabbed one of the croissants Leena had left on a plate in the center of the countertop.

Claudia grabbed the pile of folders and marched out of the room before yelling back. "You know we wouldn't have this problem if we didn't live in the Stone Age!"

Artie winced when he heard a door slam above him. "She'll forgive me… eventually."

Myka smirked at her boss, sipping more of the scalding liquid in her hand.

Helena wasn't paying attention to the childish banter going on around her. Instead she was staring out the window through the small gap in the curtains to sliver of grass and trees that bled through. She jumped as a black figure glided past the window and beckoned her outside. There was a clatter as she almost dropped her coffee cup on the tile. Myka and Artie's cheerful banter paused, each of them giving her quizzical looks.

"Excuse me. I just need to get some fresh air." Helena scurried around Myka and headed towards the front door.

Helena walked into the crisp morning air and felt a chill as she trudged barefoot through the dew ridden grass. She had the red scarf Myka had bought her wrapped around her shoulders, keeping the chill at bay. She paused, noticing the dark figure leaning against one of the trees on the far side of the yard. He smiled, sending shivers up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold, and turned, treading deeper into the woods. She took a deep breath, calming herself. She needed to face him. She needed to find out what was happening to her. She took another breath and pushed herself forward, following her nightmare into the forest.