Chapter 41
Here I Go Impossible Again
Looking thoroughly unimpressed, Juno leaned on one arm and with half-lidded eyes stared at the mortal before her.
"Well? What is it that you want? I'm beginning to think that you don't grasp the concept of how busy I am." Coarsely throwing her words at Lydia, she impatiently tapped a finger on the worn desk.
The tapping resounded within the small office just like the feelings of guilt did within Lydia's soul. It made the mortal want to crawl into a hole. Pushing past her fears, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she cleared her throat.
"I… I need to talk to you about what I should do now." Although her voice was meek, she knew that Juno could clearly hear every word. "What options do I have if I have any at all? I'm at a total loss."
The audible sound of annoyance from her caseworker nearly made her look away.
"Pertaining to what exactly? Are you really that shocked that he lied to you? Or is it how you were foolish enough to believe him? I think that you know perfectly well what you should do." Juno's office chair creaked as she readjusted.
Lydia flinched at the dagger like words, but a rustling heralded the appearance of papers on the desk in front of her.
"Just sign this form and we will start the divorce proceedings." There was no sympathy in her voice when Juno pushed a pen in her direction, but to Juno's surprise, Lydia snapped her head in her direction.
"No! I can't! I don't know… oh Gods, I don't know if I want a divorce! I just need to think… I need to know what I can do… do I, do I have any other options?" Clasping her hands to her chest she lurched forward. "I'm so scared, Juno! I'm terrified of what he's capable of. I just know that he's going to hurt me again! He's too powerful. He's going to kill!"
Shaking her head, Juno rolled her eyes. "So, what's new with that?"
"You're my caseworker! Can't you do anything for me?" Lydia cried, begging for mercy. "Please! I don't know what is going to happen. I'm so scared that he will find where I'm staying. I don't even know how to protect myself."
A contemplative look fell over the caseworker's aged face. Sitting back in her chair, Juno was silent for a moment before a different paper switched places with the one that was in front of her.
"Read this over and if you agree, then sign at the bottom. I'm obligated to tell you about this other option."
Lydia lifted the paper and began to read before stopping after the first sentence.
"Transference of power?" She looked to Juno and struggled to understand.
"I suppose that you're a good candidate for this option and it would benefit us as well." Juno tapped her overworked and wrinkled finger upon the form.
"Why? What do you or I gain from this?" Shakily inhaling, Lydia's nervous energy belied any brave front in her words.
Juno pursed her lips and leaned forward. In a hushed but curt tone, she addressed the woman's question.
"What do you gain? Complete control of his magic. What do we gain?" She scoffed. "You don't even know the half of what we've had to endure because of him."
Before Lydia could say a word, she was cut off as Juno continued.
"That sneaky bastard knows how to do everything by the book. For centuries he was untouchable because of it. We only caught him because of a lucky break, even then, we couldn't get rid of him. If it wasn't for that witch's curse, we would have been plagued or even destroyed by his chaos."
Lydia bit at her lip while her stomach muscles quivered as she took it in.
"Now you've gone and upset him and it's only a matter of time before he rages again. Unless he gets what he wants, it will not end well." Juno sighed deeply out of frustration before clenching her jaw.
"What if I go back to him and not sign this form? Do you think that would placate him? Gods… I don't…" Lydia didn't want to think about it, but she had to do something. She had to save her world and the people she cared about… even if it meant doing what she didn't want to do.
"Stop him?" Juno balked, "Take a wild guess as to what he did when the last girl refused him. Have you ever heard of Roanoke? No amount of begging for forgiveness could stop his rage."
The mortal's face paled.
"So, you can't prevent or stop him at all?" Lydia's voice was barely audible. It was nearly too much for her currently addled and worn brain.
"No, because of the power within him, we are unable to tether nor prevent him from anything unless he breaks the current contract that you both are under! We can not stop him without your help. He knows better than anyone what the terms and limitations are and he's sure as hell not going to willingly break the contract."
"But, what if he kills? Doesn't that break any of your laws?" Lydia tried to reason.
"If he continues to kill in your realm, our hands are tied because of the jurisdiction limitations pertaining to the contract. Even if we were able, he's currently too powerful for our containment department… thanks to you." Juno's biting words were not lost on her and injured her ego further.
Tears began to well up at the pain and guilt of what she had unleashed upon the world, but Juno snatched her thoughts away with what she said next.
"Oh, knock it off!" She barked, "Save your tears for someone who cares. One way or another, you have a responsibility to uphold and a shit-show to clean up. You were supposed to control him with your half of the magic, but you failed miserably. Sign this contract and you will receive sole custody. You can consider this your lucky day."
"Wait… half? I had half? How come I didn't know about that?" Lydia's head reeled with questions. "How did this happen? Why don't I have any magic now?"
"As I told you a while ago; You are his lock and key. The marriage finalized it in your contract. He would be free, but the magic should have been split evenly. Clearly that didn't happen. Obviously, Mr. Juice omitted these details to you. So that created an unbalanced power struggle.
In that contract, you solidified that you were his one and only fetter in nearly any dimension." Juno leaned forward to try to clarify but it was apparent that Lydia still didn't fully understand.
Groaning, she continued with a tone of utter frustration.
"The reason why you'll be able to take Mr. Juice's powers is because your marriage contract had made both of you "one entity" so to speak. You were to be his lightning rod and were supposed to ground him. Do you understand now?"
Silently nodding, Lydia held her breath.
"Now, Miss Deetz, to answer how and why you don't have powers: As per the contract, his misuse of the magic's distribution was not for us to fix, that is, unless it had directly affected the laws of the dimensional realms. It was not our responsibility to make you understand it. It was your failure by trusting him instead of reading the whole contract."
Instead of feeling insulted, Lydia's memories went back to the night when Beetlejuice's powers were returned in that magnificent but terrifying lightning storm. Now it made sense why the lightning had been so focused on her; she was supposed to be hit with it and Beetlejuice wasn't protecting her from it. No, he had stolen her half of the magic while pretending to be her hero.
This realization reformed her shattered will but now she was left with a multitude of unanswered questions.
Lifting the new contract, Lydia stared at the paper.
"If I choose to sign this…" Uncertainty and trepidation held onto her tightly. "What will happen to him?"
"What do you care?" Juno leaned back in her creaking chair.
"I…" At a loss, she didn't know why but she still did. "I, I just want to know what will happen."
"He will become a bound spirit without any magical powers whatsoever; unlike his last curse, which allowed him some partial magic within the restrained and allotted perimeter."
Juno subtly rocked in her chair, watching the worry form upon Lydia's brow.
"Do you know if it will be painful for me?" Lydia bit her thumb and weighed the multitude of outcomes that she could imagine.
"That is unknown. After all, this has never been done with a mortal before…" Juno gave a noncommittal shrug as she pulled out a cigarette from a small but beautiful silver case. "but what other options do you have?"
While tapping her cigarette upon the delicately filigreed stash, she did not miss the meager nod in agreeance. Satisfied, she lit it up and took a few puffs.
Lifting the parchment again Lydia began to read through it as she struggled to stifle a cough. The cigarette smoke was thick, snaking around the small office, and it stung in her poor irritated throat that was raw from her earlier crying.
Even through the stinging smog, she carefully tried her best to comprehend the wording and looked for any catch. The form read like legal jargon and she endeavored on, but she couldn't take any chances. Too much was on the line and Juno seemed keen to push it on her, which of course made her all the more wary of it. There were a few paragraphs that she had to reread a couple times and even then she resigned and asked Juno for clarification.
Some time had passed before she lowered the form and set it upon the desk, prompting Juno's eyes to lift from the paperwork that she was busy toiling on. The caseworker waited for Lydia to finally make her decision.
"So, how soon would this start to happen? Do I get the magic instantly after signing?" Lydia inhaled deeply but steeled herself.
"Typically, the transference could take a couple days before the energy is fully absorbed. Then again, it could be today or a month from now because this case is unprecedented. There is no saying what it will be like for a breather like you." Juno took a long drag and then blew it out, seemingly indifferent to her dilemma.
Lifting the pen, Lydia held doubt about everything. Nothing felt right. It was like she was living in the wrong timeline and the Chaos Theory's butterfly must have flapped bizarrely, that's if it hadn't been eaten by a fish. In this life, she was left with the short end of the stick but surely the other 'hers" had it easier than she.
How can you tell when you're making the right decision when the choices are so hard?
Fear shook her from within and she wished that she had more time, but she knew that Beetlejuice wouldn't afford her that luxury. She was on borrowed time.
A cold sweat formed on her upper lip as she began to pant from all of the unknown. It was then that she felt a whisper fade into her heart as Allen's advice began to repeat in her head.
Closing her eyes, she willed the chaos to be still and began to organize her thoughts. A narrative played out in her mind's eye, envisioning what Allen might have said to each uncertainty that she presented to him. His gentle voice, even if it was imagined, helped ground her until she was satisfied with the decision that she had carefully selected. With her resolution firm, she exhaled.
Juno watched as Lydia signed the form with determination before it was slid back in return.
As she began to file it, Lydia interrupted the processing.
"Can I ask you something?"
Juno sat up with the slightest hint of surprise.
"What is it?" She asked cautiously.
"All of this…" Lydia gestured to the desk and piles of paperwork, "It's never made any sense to me; why in the world did you allow me to sign that contract when I was a child? None of these terrible things would have happened if you had stopped me. I mean, realistically, how could a child have any understanding of what the full repercussions of any of this could be?! With all the centuries that you've been around, this just feels… negligent."
As each word was spoken, Lydia tried to not let her growing anger out. Unsure of what would be taking things too far, especially with the one who held her future in the balance, she still pressed on because she needed to know. Lydia analyzed her as she prepared for the worse, instead once again her caseworker took a long pull from her cigarette. To her surprise, Juno smiled and while it was not a full-on one, it was nonetheless still a smile.
"Now that IS a good question isn't it?" Juno pointed the unashed cigarette in her direction. "Look, kid, you've probably seen only a fraction of what he could do with that magic."
"You mean like you explained earlier?" Tilting her head, Lydia probed.
"No. Worse. You have never had the pleasure to see the destruction and chaos that has been left in the wake of his rage. This isn't some kiddie-show. If you had known what he was capable of in the past, then you wouldn't have trusted him so easily. He kills without remorse. He's made dynasties fall, all because of a small slight to his ego."
Lydia felt a lump begin to painfully form in her throat. The image of the lighthearted fool that she knew as a child was nothing but an illusion. If she hadn't seen that glimmer of evil in his eyes, she wouldn't have believed it and would have defended his name until the last shots were fired.
"So, tell me, why do you think we allowed it?" Juno inquired as she ashed her cigarette.
"Honestly, I don't know." Lydia replied at a total loss.
"Here's the thing, originally, we were going to reject his contract request. It's like you said, negligent; a contract between a young mortal and someone like him?! It was unheard of and ludicrous." Juno closed the filing cabinet that was ajar before turning back to rest her elbows on the desk. "Then, after a much-heated deliberation, something dawned on us; any contract with a child in charge would only end in failure. The whims of a simple mortal girl would be as fickle as he. Now that worked in our best interest! If that contract was broken, then he would be banished and that would solve our need for him to be contained. So, we set up a contract so incredibly easy for you to end at any time. The chances that he would get his power back were exponentially low. So low that we felt that it was worth the risk."
Juno's expression faded as smoke wafted out of her neck.
"Never did we expect that the contract would have been fulfilled. We had gravely underestimated both of you. I should've known that he would've not been above manipulating a child."
Her sobering words struck Lydia like a boulder.
She was used.
Everyone had used her like she was someone's pawn from the very beginning!
Before her thoughts were carried further, they were once more interrupted by Juno.
"Is there any more business that needs to be addressed? If not, you can leave." Her curt demeanor was harsh, but Lydia tried to understand her point of view. Still, it didn't make it any easier on her.
"Actually, yes. There's one more thing."
Stepping out of the portal and into Allen's apartment, Lydia's bare feet softly landed on the wood floor.
As the portal silently disappeared behind her, she let out a long sigh and was left feeling totally exhausted.
"Allen?" She called out to the room, but when she turned around, she found him passed out on the couch.
Glancing at the time, she discovered that she had been gone for nearly five hours. Time really was different in the Neitherworld. To her, it was what? Maybe an hour.
The weight of all that had transpired fell upon her shoulders, causing them to droop. This was all too much. She had been hoping to discuss her meeting with him in the hopes that he could have given her more clarity with the whole mess.
Deep in thought, she sat on the edge of the coffee table next to him while she took in her situation. He was sleeping deeply, on top of the pile of blankets while still in his day clothes.
He must've been exhausted too. I suppose he was waiting for me.
Why was he being so nice to her?
Unsure of what to believe anymore, she analyzed his face. With everything out in the open, it was apparent that everyone was out to use her. So, what could he possibly want or gain? There was no motive or behavior that she could see adding up. He didn't need her money. Did he want sex? A relationship? No, he didn't remotely act interested in her in a romantic way. In fact, he made it clear that he didn't even like to touch her.
The sound of his watch beeping loudly interrupted the silence in the room. Groggily sitting up, he turned it off. Just as he was about to lay back down, his tired eyes focused on her form. Bolting up in the seat, he gifted her his full attention.
"Lydia. I wasn't sure if you were coming back. I thought maybe you'd go…" he stopped before finishing that sentence, unsure if it were wise to mention her home for fear of upsetting her.
"Is it still ok for me to be here?" Lydia lost confidence in his previous offer while simultaneously she began to feel more vulnerable. Rubbing her arm gently, she looked away to the dimly lit kitchen.
"Of course, it is. It's just… I didn't know what was going to happen and you were gone for so long. Uh, anyways, how'd it go?" He stretched his arms to the ceiling while trying to rid himself of the sleepiness that he was still fighting.
"It went, uh, surprisingly not terrible but… I don't know where to begin." She hooked her fingers together and wasn't sure of her own thoughts on the whole thing quite yet. There was so much to absorb.
"Not terrible is good." Allen nodded as his eyes grew heavy before he looked at his watch again.
Noticing that, she took it as a cue that he was still too tired to talk.
"Uh, ok. I guess, um, I'll be going to bed." Standing up, she took a step but paused to push her bangs behind her ears while her brain began filling with a boatload of thoughts and nothing at all. The quietness of his apartment only helped aid the wanderings of her mind.
Allen was about to lay down again but stopped to observe her. For a while, she stood motionless before her fingers began to fidget together as she bit her lip. Sitting up fully, he quietly cleared his throat to get her attention.
Aimlessly looking back, she jolted when she saw his eyes lock on hers.
"Is there maybe something more that you want to talk about? I'm happy to listen." Allen calmly probed when she didn't say anything.
Blinking, she lowered her head and nervously spoke.
"So, uh, I'm going to be changing in the next few days."
"What do you mean? In what way?"
"Like, I'm probably not going to be the same person anymore. Actually, I really don't know what's going to happen or let alone when!" She grabbed her sides into a self-hug and anxiously laughed. The fear of the unknown began to grow while simultaneously terrifying her. Oh, gods, what did I agree to?!
"What's going on?" Suddenly he was more awake when he heard the fear in her voice.
"To put it simply, I'll be taking his magic." She gripped her sides a little tighter. Her fingernails dragged over the cotton fleece before the began to dig into her skin. It was a little reminder that she was still alive and there in that moment. This wasn't a dream, or in her case, a nightmare.
"Wait, how? I don't understand." He rubbed his forehead in an attempt to clear his tired and clouded mind.
Scooting to the edge of the couch cushion, he actively listened. While she appreciated the gesture, it didn't help ease what was inside.
"When I married him, I didn't know that his magic was supposed to be split between us. He never said a word about it. No, he was careful to prevent me from having any of the magic too. Do you know what he told me? He said he saved me and that, that the magic… it would hurt me. It was Just another one of his lies!" Bringing her thumb up to her lips she began to shake. Her chapped lips caught on her nails as she traced them back and forth.
Her legs wanted to give out from under her. Sitting by his side, she looked to him and saw that she had his full attention. His gaze felt too intense, so she diverted her eyes before continuing.
"Because I'm being threatened, they feel that I... I should have all of the power now." She began to rock a little in any attempt to find comfort. This self-hug wasn't working. She needed someone to tell her that everything would be ok, but no one could. No one truthfully knew what was going to happen.
Glancing back, Allen appeared to be in thought. How was he so composed; so calm after hearing these impossible things? His serenity pulled her in, and she longed for a hug. She needed support from someone that she trusted with this but, she couldn't burden him anymore.
Touching him would probably make him further dislike her and the risk for a small token of comfort was too great. This wasn't his to deal with. This is my mess. In fact, I'm probably making his life worse.
As everything sunk in deeper, she slumped over her lap, feeling hopeless. What was going to happen to her? What did she do? Did she make another bad decision? That was apparently her forte, wasn't it? Maybe the process would kill her. That would solve all the problems. Wouldn't it?
"So, you said that they don't know what will happen? Didn't they give you any more information?" She heard him as he adjusted himself a little further from her on the couch.
Between her legs, she despairingly stared at the wood floor. She was exhausted. No, it was more than that. Is there something beyond exhausted? If so, it was that. In fact, even speaking was getting tiring.
"Noooo, they have no clue because no mortal has done this before."
While he had heard her reply, all he could see was a mess of black hair and her back.
"Then what information do we know? Just so that we can be clear about the facts." Again, his calm voice helped but still couldn't quell that fear.
Slowly she lifted her head, but her face was still concealed below her thick locks.
"That in the next few days..." she mumbled flatly. "Well, they don't even know that! It could be sooner, or it could be later! Ugh. That I'll be absorbing all of the magic and he will have nothing."
"For how long will you have this power? I'm going to assume there was a new contract. If so, what did it specify?" Perhaps, cutting the facts into manageable bites made it less overwhelming and easier on her. She had too much on her shoulders and it could certainly make anyone spiral out of control.
"The contract..." Without lifting her head any further, she manifested the binding parchment and held it out to him. That feather-light piece of paper felt like it had the weight of a thousand stones.
Carefully receiving it, he stood up to turn on a light before he began to read through the contract.
"This reads like..." He paused to analyze it further.
Before he had realized it, he had stopped talking as he absorbed its entirety. Subsequently devouring each paragraph and carefully placed word, things were now clear. After all, forms like this had always been a breeze for him.
It wasn't long before he had read it thoroughly and then a couple more times just to cover all his bases. There was no way that he wanted to miss anything just in case there was some hidden clause or caveat.
Lowering the paper, he now beheld that Lydia had completely deflated in front of him. Still laying over her lap, her arms draped to the floor and he wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep.
Sluggishly her head lifted when the room became completely quiet. Finally, her hair exposed part of her face and it was then that he saw her eyes begging for any good news.
"Well?"
"Well, it's as you said. When the time comes, you'll be absorbing his powers, and they're not liable for what may or may not happen. As such, you'll be wholly responsible for any damage and repercussions. Since it's unknown what may happen when the exchange takes place, it includes that you have been made fully aware of and agreed to this contract even in the event of an accidental death. Furthermore, if that happens, they will not be responsible for nor compensate you in the afterlife." Scanning the paper over again, he gave a small nod before looking back to her. By then she was sitting up and listening with rapt ears.
"Once you gain the power, it will be yours until the event of your death or if you are deemed unfit by the court. They did put an asterisk by it and said to reference the addendum. What's this about? Where's the addendum?" He pointed to the spot in the paper and looked over to her. She had a sudden realization and then materialized another form.
"I'm sorry. I totally forgot about this!" Quickly she handed it over and he began to read it through.
"Oh! This is good! Did you come up with this?" He smiled while continuing to read on.
"Yes," she nodded, "but Juno helped me write out all that legal stuff." She wanted to hope that things would work out and that the addition was indeed good, but she didn't want to jinx it with any positive thoughts. After all, that's when things usually went sour for her. She waited for him to finish and give feedback before she would give in to any of that kind of thought.
"I'm proud of you. I think you did the right thing. Everything seems to be covered and I don't see any hitches in the logic." He finally lowered the paper and gave her a look of reassurance.
"You, you really think so?" She began to let that seed of hope germinate. Maybe this would work...
"Yes. So, was the addendum approved and finalized as well?" In reply, she gave a quick nod before he smiled at the parchment in his hands.
She held her breath, scared that the moment was untrue, as a warmth began to fill her cheeks while she watched him read through the paper again. When he was done, he handed it back and she quickly returned it to the ether.
"Now we must keep a close watch on you and speaking of, I'd also like to keep an eye on your arm too. I believe that it may be fractured. Unfortunately, I'm working for the next few days, but I'll see if I can get any of them off. Though, I don't think I will be able to due to the influx of patients. I do not want you to be alone when the time comes and the transference happens, especially if there's an emergency." Leaning forward, his hand hovered over her knee for a moment before pulling it back. Instead, he plucked up her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
A sob of relief exploded out of her as she grabbed his hand in return and pressed it to her forehead. She didn't know what she would have done without his clear-headed thinking. She was a mess, a disaster, and would have done more damage and things she'd forever regret if it wasn't for him.
As he assisted her to her feet, there was no preventing her silent tears that continued to flow. How she yearned to hug him. She needed to thank him but a simple thanks wouldn't be enough for all that he had done for her tonight. Instead, she stood whimpering, trying her best to figure out what she should do now. There was a cacophony of thoughts in her head, and they were fighting for dominance until they collectively turned into a slurry.
Letting go, he stepped away to give a decent amount of space between them.
"Why don't you get some rest. I'm sure you're exhausted."
"You're right... again. Thank you. Good night, Allen." She stared in the direction of the bedroom. It was then that she was beginning to feel floaty and she knew that wasn't a good sign. Her ears muffled as she understood that the stress had finally caught up to her and it was ready to knock her out.
"Good night Lydia." She barely heard him reply as she shuffled down the hallway.
"Oh! Lydia, wait." He quickly jogged over to her.
Turning around she secretly prayed that he was about to give her a big hug. She really needed one! She felt disconnected from everything and earlier when his hand was in hers, it had felt like a heavy homemade quilt on the chilliest of nights.
"I nearly forgot to tell you that I'm probably not going to be home when you wake up. I will need to leave here at 4 and there's no telling when I'll be back, even if I'm scheduled to leave at 5pm. I will keep my phone on me, so if you need anything, anything at all, just give me a call. OK? I'll write my number down by the home phone over here. If you feel ANY inkling of something being off, call me and I will immediately come right back to you." He gestured to the phone that sat at the end of the U-shaped kitchen counter. She stared at it blankly before looking back to him.
"Oh, ok. Thank you." While she did receive a bit of relief from his instructions, she couldn't muster any joy from it. That wasn't what she needed and through everything that she had gone through, her poor soul felt like a lead weight. Wobbling in her spot for a moment, her feet didn't want to move.
"Is there something wrong? Are you feeling it already?" He bent down slightly to examine her sad eyes.
She blinked and she was filled with guilt for wanting to be selfish.
"No... can I... Uh.. can I... Oh, never mind. It's nothing." She stopped, dropping her head downward. She was so selfish.
At a snail's pace, she turned around and began to walk down the hall once more, but she didn't get far before he stopped her.
"Hey, Lydia, I'm here for you. I'm your friend and if there's anything I can do, don't be afraid to ask. I need to know that you will feel comfortable asking me for anything. I don't want you to suffer needlessly. I only want to help you heal." His eyes implored her, and she could have sworn that he meant it.
Maybe she was wrong for doubting him? She didn't know what the truth was. How could she trust anyone anymore? No, she couldn't. While she craved to take him up on his offer, she would be reserving judgement until he proved otherwise. Eventually he would show his true colors. Everyone did.
"So, what was it that you were going to ask me?" Again, he bent down to meet her gaze.
Focused, she resolved that she'd try. She would attempt to not be jaded but it was probably too late for her.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to. And, and, and don't do it just to please me. If you really don't want it, I will never ask this of you again. Ok?" She could feel her muscles tighten as she spoke. She was being impossibly stupid again.
"What is it? I won't know unless you tell me. You know I don't have any of my abilities anymore." His hand gently set upon her shoulder, but she could hear the smile in his voice.
"Can I have a hug?" As quick as she spat out the words, she clenched her eyes shut in preparation for the impending rejection.
There were no words in response, just the quiet sounds within the space. Holding her breath, she could feel the hot tears well up beneath her lids. It felt like ages before she got an answer.
Warm arms wrapped around her tiny frame as he pulled her forward and silently embraced her.
The physical contact broke down her barriers as new tears gushed, and sobs burst forth like loud little coughs. She gripped the back of his shirt, like she would be ripped away, as she pushed her face further in to the hug. Releasing the frustration and fear with her cries, her body spasmed as she did so. Still, his comforting arms didn't abandon her like she thought they would. They snugly held her until she felt strong enough to withdraw and stand on her own. Only then did he release her.
No words were exchanged before she retreated to prepare for sleep.
It wasn't long before she lowered her head onto the soft white pillow in the large empty bed. With one last sigh, she passed out.
It was, thankfully, a dreamless night.
