"Well, here we are, Sally. The moment of truth. Still sure you want to go in?"
"I don't know. I'm kind of nervous, now."
"Relax. I'm sure Holly will look after us."
"Holly?"
"My... friend."
The girl grinned at her reticence. "What about you?" she said, with a nudge. "Are you nervous?"
Caroline blushed. "A little."
"Been a long time, huh?"
"A very long time."
"Was she hot?"
"Sally!"
"Just asking."
"...Yes, she was."
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"You know, Sally, you have the filthiest laugh I've ever heard."
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Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Trixie had told her to rest her weight on the footpeg, but the footpeg was too far away. She could reach it, just, by twisting her leg awkwardly, getting the ball of her foot to it, but she couldn't take any pressure. She twisted her head, painfully, to glance at the other two. Trixie was motionless, carved of stone, practically a statue, her muscles moving silently beneath her skin. Amy was writhing, her face set in intense concentration, as if she'd worked out a routine of her own. Neither of them seemed to be suffering the way she was. She flexed her ankle to gain some relief, and felt a bolt of pain shoot up her leg. Fuck.
It couldn't go on. She was already beginning to feel dangerously delirious, the pounding of the music and the heat of the lights screwing with her senses. How long have I been up here? She knew it could only be minutes, but pain was the ultimate time dilation device, turning minutes into hours, hours into days, two weeks into a lifetime. She wanted to go to the happy place, but the steady chanting of the crowd wouldn't let her. She couldn't risk it. If she let herself drift, the voices would take her to the other place. The place in the woods. The endless rhythm of their voices, unified by hate, by pleasure in her pain.
These people are not those people. She told herself. They think this is a game. They asked me if I'd do it. But still she tried not to listen to what they were saying, because if it was what she thought it was, she knew that she'd start to cry.
I can't do this.
Yes, you can.
Sally? Is that you?
I'm coming home soon, Jadey. Very soon. And then what a time we'll have, you and me. Together. Just like the old days.
I'd like that, Sal. I'd like that so much.
But first you have something you need to do.
I can't. I'm not strong enough.
Yes, you are.
But it hurts! It hurts so much! I can't win this!
But you don't need to win, do you?
But-
You just need to find out the truth.
And she slipped. The full weight of her body came down on her arms, wrenching her shoulder from its socket, her feet dangling helplessly far from the peg. The scream cut through the music like a gunshot, the chant disintegrating into a babble of confusion and consternation.
"Marla!" Holly broke away from her chaperones, racing towards the stage. "Marla! Get her down, for God's sake!"
But Marla didn't move, she simply stood there, the calm at the eye of the storm. "She hasn't said the safeword," she murmured.
"The..?" Holly gaped at her. "Never mind the fucking safeword! Get her down!"
Marla turned reluctantly to give the order, but she didn't need to. A blur of long legs and leather flew past them towards the corner of the stage. "Get her down!" Tori screeched at the pulley operators. "Get her down now!" The figures glanced at Marla for guidance, but Tori had her shoe in her hand, stiletto heel at the ready, a look of fury in her eyes, and the two women turned to their task and began to lower the crosses.
The journey down was agonizingly slow, every jolt of the chains bringing a fresh wave of pain through Jade's dislocated shoulder, and with it a wince across Tori's face. Before the hoist had fully lowered, Tori was already tearing at the shackles, and for a moment it seemed as though she might do more harm than good, that Jade would fall before she had her feet on the ground. The buckle came free just as she landed, and she fell forward into the other girls arms.
"The medic," Jade croaked. "Get me to the medic."
Tori ducked under Jade's good arm, lifting it across her shoulder, and together they made their way through the madding crowd. The white-coated figure of the medic appeared and tried to help, but Tori shooed her away. She didn't want help - she'd carried Jade to bed after the Club, Jade had carried her down the same steps to the hospital. They carried each other, that was how it was. But she could feel tears coming. What had Jade said that night? You stupid little girl. How could you? Jade seemed to sense the anger. "I'm sorry," she managed. "I tried to-"
"Shut up."
"But-"
"I said, shut up!" Tori hissed. "I swear to God, Jade, if you do this again, if you pull one more stupid stunt like this, I'll kill you."
"Gee, thanks."
"This isn't funny, Jade! Do you have any idea how frightened I was?"
"It wasn't my fault!" Jade protested. There was a sharp intake of breath as her shoulder grated in its socket. "They fucked up."
"Of course it was your fault! I begged you not to... What do you mean, they fucked up?"
"The peg wasn't where it was supposed to be," Jade said. "I could hardly reach it. I slipped."
"They..?" Tori was horrified. "They were supposed to measure it! Right, that's it. That is so it," she said, angrily. "We are going to sue this place until the roof falls in. I'll get my mom to..." The body in her arms seemed to shake. "Jade?"
"Your mom?" Jade was laughing with a rasping wheeze. "Your mom's not going to do anything."
"She will!"
"She won't, Tori." She managed a glance back to where Marla and Holly were still arguing under the watchful eye of the security guards. "She's in too deep."
"Then I'll get my dad to do it."
"Tori, please," Jade said. "I'm in agony here. Can we just-"
"In here." The voice of the medic cut in, brusquely, and they realized she'd been following. Somewhere behind them the other two were being released and checked over, craning their necks over the crowd to see if she was all right. The medic directed them into the dressing room.
"Sit."
Jade sat, Tori perched anxiously next to her. The medic ran a hand over Jade's shoulder, critically. "It's dislocated."
"I know that, Braniac," Jade said, gritting her teeth. "What are you going to do about... aaaargh!"
With one hard shove the medic popped the joint back into its socket. "Now it's not."
"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" Jade squealed. "You bitch!"
"There'll be some discomfort," the medic said, without a trace of sarcasm.
"Too fucking right there'll be... Oh, Jesus, that hurts!" She looked up, eyes red and burning. "Give it to me."
"What?"
"You know what. Give it to me!"
The medic hesitated. She'd had conflicting orders regarding this one. But Marla's wrath was worse than Holly's, and the girl in front of her was in genuine pain. She reached into her pocket, Jade's eyes following, and pulled out a small glass bottle and a syringe. She looked to Tori, as though it was her decision, but Tori only shrugged helplessly, unable to contradict. The medic pushed the syringe into the bottle, and drew out a clear liquid.
Jade watched. Her plan hadn't really taken her any further than this. She'd imagined that maybe she'd be able to grab the bottle and make a run for it, escape in the confusion, but that wasn't going to happen. She wouldn't make it ten feet even if she had Tori on side to help - they'd never be able to overpower this woman, not with her arm like this, and even if they did there was still a Club full of security out there.
Holly hadn't wanted her to do this. Holly had panicked at the thought. Why? Because there's something wrong. Something bad that could happen. What? An overdose? The medic would know what they were doing.
So something else. She closed her eyes briefly. There was only one way to find out. She offered up a small prayer, then realized it was useless. If God hadn't stepped in for the original show, he certainly wasn't going to show up for this crappy little remake.
The medic was still waiting for her arm. She held out the injured one. It hurt, but she'd rather have her good arm free. Because now she had a plan.
The seconds drew out as she watched the medic press the needle to the vein. There were no niceties, no dab of anesthetic, no soothing words, just placid concentration. It slipped beneath the skin, its pinprick of pain a drop in the ocean. And then the plunger began its slow journey downwards.
Just enough. Just enough to know. Then she'd knock it away, fake a fit, faint at the sight of blood, anything. It would cause enough confusion that there was a chance, just a chance, that she could make a...
I'm sorry, Jadey. I'm so sorry.
Sal? What the-
But that's not going to happen.
And then she felt it, like the distant roar of a tidal wave, the howling wind, the pressure that heralds the storm, and she knew with a terrible certainty the she wasn't going to be faking anything. Not now. Something was racing toward her, something bad, something that was riding the river of poison in her veins, streaking up through her body, something that wouldn't stop until it tore her apart. Oh God, no...
"Tori..."
But Tori wasn't going to stop it. Nothing was going to stop it. The darkness was coming.
How could you, Sal? How could you?
You know. You've always known.
She reached out, clawing at her arm, the needle wrenching out from under the skin, blood spattering against the white coat of the terrified medic. Tori sprang forward, knocking the woman aside, but there was nothing she could do as Jade began to convulse violently, rolling from the bench to the ground, hands grasping feverishly across the polished wooden floor. The medic began to shout for help but Jade knew it was too late, even as her vision began to blur. There was just time for her to see Holly crash into the room, her mouth a horrified 'O', just time for her fingers to make one last frantic grasp towards what she sought, just time for her to see Tori's face, white with fear, before she felt herself slipping away, her eyes rolling back into her head, a last gasp of sorry on her lips.
And she was gone.
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...the beating of wings...
