A/N: Let's ignore the fact that I have been unconsciously listening to the Dexter soundtrack while writing this (most of it is very very sad indeed).
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(She is the subduer of gods and men alike, and even Zeus himself…)
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Anna took a huge bite out of a hamburger the size of her head. She chewed sloppily, smiling at the warm, heavy food filling her tummy. "Hmm. Sweet, sweet cholesterol."
Kate blew on her cup of hot chocolate, sticking her tongue out at her friend and co-worker. She gave the window by their side a nervous glance, seeing the sky darken by the second. The two girls have worked a late evening shift and decided to find a new restaurant for exciting food to have for dinner.
The blonde blew a loose strand of hair from in front of her eyes. It seemed that while she thought 'exciting food' was a plate of messy extra spicy spaghetti in an Italian Restaurant that received five stars in the most recent food magazine review, Anna decided to drag her to the nearest fast food joint.
"You eat like a pig."
Anna raised a middle finger in response.
Kate blew a raspberry at her before nervously fidgeting in her seat. She tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear before deciding to pull it all into a tight ponytail, looking around for people listening. When she decided they were sufficiently isolated she turned back to Anna, licking her lips.
"Have you been watching the News recently?"
Anna's eyes flickered to her lower right before she shrugged, taking another bite of her burger, making a show of chewing slowly and noisily. When she noticed Kate's glare she swallowed the painfully big bite, her shoulders rising before falling lower than before. "No. Why?"
Kate's jaw dropped before she recollected herself, leaning so far on the table, Anna jumped back. "Haven't you heard about the Wara Ningyo doll murders? There has only been two of them but the Police have confirmed they are treating the case as serial killings!"
The Wara Ningyo doll murders? She could have sworn one of the newspapers referred to it as 'The Serial Locked Room Cases' instead. Perhaps the media was weaving between the two.
Anna pursed her lips, finishing her burger off and chewing the last bites before she spoke next. "I don't watch television as religiously as you do," she retorted. "Besides, it could be a copy-cat killing."
The blonde frowned, sitting back in her chair and shaking her head, dismissing the theory. "Unlikely. My Uncle is an officer and he said it's impossible for it to be a copy-cat. The details matched perfectly.
"You should pay more attention to the recent events," she said, shaking an index finger at her friend disapprovingly. She pursed her lips, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed, a sign she was in deep thought. "Those murders are terrifying. And especially the scene of that second murder – that poor little girl!" She took her cup in her hands, taking a sip before releasing a sigh.
Anna waved her hand dismissively but when Kate looked down at the hot liquid in between her palms she frowned, swallowing the lump in her chest. Lying came unnecessarily natural to her after years of doing so but that didn't make it any easier on her conscious. When her friend looked back up, Anna offered her a comforting smile. "It's alright. I'm sure they will catch him."
Kate rested her chin on her palm, furring her eyebrows. "Uncle Rob is stressing out. He is not supposed to discuss the case details but he can't help it – the murders have the entire homicide department on their toes. And those dolls; aren't they depicted in the Japanese culture as being used for curses?"
Yes.
Anna shrugged, taking a sip of her tea. "No idea."
Kate smiled sadly, her eyes watering before she wiped the tear away before it could fall. "But you're right," she said more to herself than Anna. "The monster behind this will be caught."
Anna nodded. "He sure will."
Kate scratched at the back of her neck, the corner of her lips down despite her trying to stay positive. "I just can't imagine what kind of a man would do this."
"Yeah," Anna's voice trailed off, her eyes trained on her mug, the steam emitting from the tea warming her face. "It's hard to-"
She choked suddenly, her eyes wide and she clutched at her mouth. She stood, knocking over her mug of tea as she violently bumped the table – Kate barely managing to keep her hot chocolate from spilling – rushing towards the direction of the bathroom.
Kate remained turned in her seat, a worried look on her face. Two tense minutes passed before her friend returned, whipping at her mouth and shuffling her feet. She frowned as Anna slumped back in her seat, her eyes even more disappointed when she saw that her drink has been spilled.
The blonde gave her friend a lopsided smile. "If I didn't know that your sex life is as non-existent as mine, I would have made some joke about getting knocked up."
Anna rolled her eyes, running a hand through her hair, wincing at the raw taste at the back of her throat. "You're not funny!" She groaned, the urge to vomit returning and she closed her eyes, resting her face in her hands. "Damn it, that burger didn't taste so nice coming back up."
The woman across from her raised her eyebrows. "Oh? You never usually complain about my jokes!" She gasped mockingly, her fingers to her lips. "Does that mean your sex life does exist? My God, Anna! I had my suspicions about Tom but I didn't realise he was such a smooth talker."
Anna's cheek flared and she slumped in her seat, sulking, and crossed her arms. "Shut up, Kate!" She shook the mental images that her friend's words created out of her head.
Kate grinned before the smile was replaced by a concerned expression. "In all seriousness: is everything okay?"
Anna massaged her temples, nodding, her voice raspy. "Yes, yes, everything's fine."
The blonde pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not convinced. You almost fainted at work today too."
Her friend rolled her eyes.
Kate bit her lip. "Twice," she clarified. Anna looked at her, her eyes taunting, as if asking whether the statement is supposed to mean anything. The blonde rolled her eyes, downing the last of her hot chocolate and placing the mug down gently. "Please," she pleaded, slowly meeting her friend's eyes. "I'm worried about you."
Anna scratched at her eyebrow, bringing her thumb to her lips. "I was being serious!" She tried to smile at Kate to convince her, but her lips resembled more of a grimace. "It's just…"
The woman parallel to her laid her hands on the table between them, lacing her fingers. "We're not moving until you tell me."
Anna rolled her eyes, groaning. "There is nothing to tell!" She pulled at her coat's sleeve, resting her chin on her palms, a bored look washing over her features. She wasn't about to admit to her that she's been barely sleeping and not being able to keep down most of what she ate and feeling like her blood ran ice cold in her veins, her head ringing. It must have simply been the stress from all the recent activities. "Honestly. I must have eaten something funny, that's all."
"Every single day?" Kate leaned forwards, her eyes squinting. "Are you sure you ain't pregnant?"
Her friend yelped, clasping her hands over her ears. "Yes, I'm sure! Stop that!"
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Anna fumbled with her keys in the dark, cheering in success when she finally managed to unlock the door to her apartment. She stepped inside, adjusting the heavy paper bags in her hands, waving goodbye to the taxi before she shut the door. She squinted through the dark, searching for the light switch. When her fingers grasped it, she flicked it on, sighing when even the worn beanbags in front of the television were symmetrical.
Beyond had moved the furniture around again.
She reached on her tiptoes, putting the ring of keys on the hook above the door frame before cuddling the bags full of groceries in her arms, wobbling towards the kitchen. She placed them on the counter, scanning the apartment for any sign of Beyond.
She found him in a twisted roll of blankets.
She couldn't help but smile, though she wiped it off her face as soon as it came, frowning as to why she would be happy at the sight of him.
She hated him.
She nodded, as if to convince herself before moving towards him and squatting in front of her bed, shaking him by the shoulder. She turned him around, surprised at the expression on his face.
Anna's lips twitched. "Are you actually moping?"
The black haired man sniffed, wrapping the pink sheet tighter around him. "We're out of strawberry jam."
Oh.
Anna sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Sorry, I forgot to get some."
Beyond grumbled, pulling the blankets over his head.
The brunette crossed her arms, sitting down on the ground with her legs curled beneath her. "Well how was I supposed to know you will eat the five jars you had left while I was at work?"
He didn't respond. Instead he cursed her under his breath, turning his back to her.
"Hey!" she protested, shaking his shoulder. "Dude, I need the bed this time! I've been laying on those beanbags for the last three days. I can't sleep!"
Beyond smirked. "Tough luck," he said, his voice muffled by the blankets.
Anna gaped before glaring, standing to her feet and crossing her arms. "You wanna play rough?" she demanded. "Okay!" She wriggled herself into the spot between the man and the wall, placing her feet against his side. She took in a deep breath and with one swift thrust of her legs she kicked him off.
A loud thud echoed throughout the apartment, Beyond wincing when he painfully hit the floor. He slowly freed his head from the blankets, staring at Anna with wide eyes. "You actually pushed me out of the bed," he whispered, as if the act was an impossible occurrence.
Anna nodded, crossing her legs beneath her, her head held high. She outstretched her hand towards him. "Now give me back my blankets!"
Beyond raised his head defiantly, stumbling to his feet. He stared down at Anna with a sinister smile. "I will," he freed his hand, raising a thumb to his lips, "If you tell me about Justin."
Anna's face transformed, a wary look in her eyes. Her voice shook and her eyes looked anywhere but him. "What are you on about?"
The man in front of her sneered, leaning over her until his bangs tickled her nose and she jumped back, feeling cornered when her back hit the wall. She frowned, uncomfortable at his close proximity.
"Justin Quinn. Tell me about what happened to him."
Anna gulped loudly, her lips trembling, her eyes scanning his dark t-shirt, noticing he had washed it while she was gone. "I don't talk about him. Nobody talks about him."
He shook his head, his voice stern. "Tell me," he repeated slowly, as if giving command to a child.
Anna's eyes flared and her lips curled back in a snarl. "I said I don't talk about him!"
Beyond raised an eyebrow at the outburst, straightening up and staring her down with a frown. She glared at him with so much intensity he wouldn't have been surprised if his head caught fire. She pulled on the collar of her t-shirt, her gaze wavering, looking down at her hands.
"He died."
"No," Beyond leaned towards her again, his teeth shining. "You murdered him."
Anna shook her head wildly. "No I didn't!" she protested, shaking her hands in front of her as if she could wave away the accusation. "It was an accident. Him and Tracy both! There was a story in the papers and everything!"
The man in front of her adjusted the blanket until it pooled around his shoulders and he paced back and forth in front of the bed, his eyes focused on the ceiling. "It was a rather curious story."
Her form shook as she brought her knees to her chest, hugging her legs. She shut her eyes, burying her head in her jeans. "Please stop talking."
Beyond didn't listen, instead tilting his head to the side. Anna tightened the hold on her legs, wishing she could collapse within herself and not have to face him or his words. He grinned, enjoying her trembling form in the corner of his eyes, satisfaction pulsing through him as he stripped away her mental defences like the layers of an onion, one by one.
He opened his mouth, the words skilfully rolling off his tongue, malicious and mocking. "Ah, yes. The tragic accident which shocked the little girl into having a mental breakdown. Poor child, so innocent, how many tears has she shed since that night?" He gave a Shakespearean pose, holding an imaginary skull in his right hand, outstretched towards the window.
"Please," Anna's voice was garbled and she sniffed, hiccuping. "Please stop."
Beyond tilted his head, his eyes focused on the clear streams running down her cheeks as she slowly raised her head, attempting to glare at the blurry shape in front of her.
She was crying?
"I'm sorry!"
Beyond raised an eyebrow, crouching in front of her. He held a hand to his ear, his head leaned towards her. "I beg your pardon, I missed that."
Anna shook her head, sniffling and wiping at her eyes with her sleeves and frowning when her vision didn't clear. She planted her lips on her knees, gulping. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen! I had no choice!"
It took Beyond a moment to realise she wasn't apologising to him, she wasn't even seeing him. Her eyes gazed past his form, a frown on her face, her pupils unfocused, darting as if during REM sleep stage. Her ramblings soon reduced to mumblings too quiet and garbled for him to make clear words out and he ran a hand through his hair.
"I see," he mumbled with bored pity coating his words as he sat down, turning and resting against the edge of the bed, letting his head hit the mattress. "Seems like I was right all along."
The gentle and uneven sobs coming from the girl behind him were oddly comforting. He closed his eyes, his breathing slowing down to a regular pace.
Anna paid him no attention. She pulled at her hair, violently whipping her eyes with her bony knees, groaning silently. She felt like hours have passed before she managed to stop her body from tossing on the bed and calmed, a heavy weight on her chest.
It was the first time in months that she had cried herself to sleep.
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Anna smiled in content, the little plastic fan device cooling her down just the right amount. She rode shotgun, her bare legs propped on the car's dashboard, toe nails painted a bright pink.
To her left, a tall and tanned teenager hummed happily at the hip hop song on the radio, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm to the beat. He smiled at Anna at his side, his eyes lingering on the smile on her face before he turned to look over his shoulder at the other girl there, wearing a red t-shirt and a denim skirt, blonde roots showing through her otherwise pale pink hair.
The teenager's eyes widened when she noticed him staring and she yelped, grabbing onto her seatbelt, glaring at the boy in front of her. "Keep your eyes on the road!"
He barked a laugh but turned around as told, his eyes on the sandy stretch of road in front of them.
Anna's eyebrows knitted together as if she remembered something important. She turned to the girl brooding in the back seat and gave her a smile. "Tracy, did you pack the tent?"
The addressed girl rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Of course I packed it, who do you think I am?"
The car jolted to the left, the sudden movement which would have thrown her to the right if she wasn't wearing the safety belt. "Bloody hell, tell him to drive like a normal human being, or he will lose his recently acquired driver's license about which he is oh so proud of!"
The brunette shook her head, smirking as she turned around in her seat and focused on the window by her side, the small gap between the glass and the window frame letting in a cool breeze that ruffled her long hair around her and obscured her vision.
The car swerved sideways again, Anna dropping the plastic device and cursing, immediately looking for it by her feet.
"Justin Quinn, I swear to God-"
"Oh shut up, old bat!"
Anna cackled at Justin's outburst, the two sharing a sideways look and a smirk. She picked up the little fan, deciding to turn it off and throw it behind her. It soared past Tracy and into the car booth behind the back seats.
"Old bat?" Tracy screeched at the insult, horrified, ignoring the device that almost hit her in the face. She kicked at Justin's chair, shaking her small fist at him. "You are six months older than I!"
Justin shook his head to get his hair away from his eyes, smiling to himself, enjoying when Anna laughed. He stared at Tracy through the rear view mirror with a bored look in his eyes, unable to keep his lips from tugging upwards. "I honestly don't understand why you're over-reacting."
Tracy pouted, looking out through a window at the passing landscape. "I am not over-reacting, you're driving like a madman."
Anna smiled before her lips tugged downwards. Despite Tracy saying she packed the tent she still felt like there was something important they forgot.
Then it hit her. She turned to Tracy over her shoulder, asking, "How about the sleeping bags?" Her eyes flickered between the pink haired girl and the driver. "Did anybody pack those?"
A tense moment of silence passed before it was broken with yells, each of them rolling their eyes, shouting and complaining at the other two.
"Where the hell are we going to sleep?"
"Oh come on, it's not all bad is it? We can always sleep in the car!"
"Kind of defeats the purpose of bringing a tent, Quinn."
"Hey, don't be a smartass, will you?"
"What the hell, man? Why didn't you pack the sleeping bags?" Tracy accused, her ears matching the colour of her hair.
"Oh give me, a break!" Justin threw his hands in the air, glowering at her over his shoulder while the girl at his side repeatedly told him to keep his head on the road. "I packed the car, didn't I?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "You didn't pack the car, you're driving the car."
The trio continued to argue heatedly all the way to the lake and once Justin pulled over underneath a shady tree, Tracy undid her seatbelt and jumped out of the car the moment he stilled the engine, her arms crossed and her grey eyes flashing with anger.
Anna sighed and met Justin's eyes, raising an eyebrow before both of them burst out laughing. To their side Tracy rolled her eyes, walking towards the lake and flipped her hair over her shoulder. But she smiled never the less, shaking her head at the idiocy of her two friends. She reached the edge of the lake and immediately threw off her sandals and sat down dipping her feet in the cold water.
She turned half way to look back at the car before cupping her hand around her mouth and yelling at the top of my lungs. "I call dibs on the back seat! You two can sleep in the wild!"
Her two friends joined Tracy soon after, Justin waiting for the two girls to sit down before he ran towards the lake and jumped in, sending a tidal wave towards the pair.
"You little shit!" Tracy gasped out, looking down at her wet clothes in horror. She slowly looked up at the guy, a murderous glint in her eyes before she jumped into the lake after him, screaming. "I am going to kill you!"
Anna giggled, looking down at her blue dungarees and the black t-shirt underneath it, glad she didn't end up wearing the white dress she had half a mind to. She leaned back to rest on her elbows, swinging her legs in the cool water, grinning at the scene of her two friends fighting, wishing she had a bucket of popcorn.
"They look so happy don't they?"
Anna jumped, looking to the side, frowning when she saw a black haired man to her side. He stood with his shoulders hunched, and a thumb to his lips. His wide eyes flickered to her and he smiled sinisterly.
"People's emotions are so easy to fake," he mused. "Your closest friends can turn against you just like that-"
He clicked his fingers, interrupting himself. Anna looked behind her to where Justin has parked his car, not noticing any other vehicles. She tilted her head towards the stranger, curious. Did he walk all the way out here?
He didn't seem to notice her confusion; instead he resumed talking, his eyes flickering to where her friends were fighting. "You can never truly know what a person is thinking. "
She raised an eyebrow, turning her gaze back to the lake.
Her friends were gone. The slightly murky water replaced by a sea of blood.
Anna screamed, pulling her legs out of the water and scrambling to her feet, pulling a face at the red liquid covering her legs. She panicked, throwing the stranger an annoyed look before turning back to the lake, her eyes searching for her friends.
The stranger wasn't fazed. He simply rolled his eyes, turning on his heel. "Not very good friends, are they, leaving you on your own?"
Anna ignored him, yelling at the top of her lungs for her friends. "Justin? Tracy?"
The black haired man smiled over his shoulder as he walked away, waving. "I told you so."
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Anna woke with a start, her breath caught in her throat. A long minute passed before she realised she was awake and the twisted scene in front of her was gone. A question immediately danced in her head: why on earth did she dream Beyond was there?
She groaned, curling into a foetal position, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles and pulling her blanket closer around her.
She blinked.
A blanket?
She turned, stopping when she came face to face with Beyond.
He looked peaceful, perhaps even endearing with his lips slightly open, the make up slightly smudged under the eyes, on his position on the ground, resting against the bed.
Her eyebrows rose before she frowned. Did he sleep like that? She shrugged, yawning before shuffling a little closer, unconsciously drawing comfort from his presence. His chest moved peacefully, the steady rhythm slowly lowering her eyelids.
The sun shining through the window glared on them a second later and Anna groaned, shying away from the light. Beyond shifted at the noise, bringing his legs closer to his chest but remaining asleep. The girl beside him buried her head in his shoulder, throwing a corner of her blanket over both of their heads. She smiled contently into the darkness, the dark memory evaporating from her mind.
It wasn't her fault. She tried to convince herself that.
It wasn't her fault.