Hungry Eyes

by DMMeeble

Life is perfect for Blackwell Academy student and aspiring photographer Victoria Chase. Well, except for the fact that her would-be girlfriend wandered off to hop on a bus like a total weirdo and refuses to answer her texts. And even better, Victoria even has her very own, honest-to-God (heh) stalker… one "Creepy" Kate Marsh. So yeah, life is great! Just... great.

10. Falling

October 11th, 2013 - ?

When Victoria awakens, it is not the seamless, peaceful transition from sleep in which her eyes flutter open to be greeted by the gentle promise of a new day.

Nor is it the abrupt, violent smashing through the barrier of consciousness as the alarm by her bedside screams her awake, or she screams herself awake to escape the clutches of yet another vaguely remembered nightmare about cold rain and blood splattered on grass and concrete.

No, this feels more like being trapped in a void of inky blackness at the bottom of an endlessly deep, endlessly dark well. One that is at once foreign and horrifyingly familiar: she can't be sure if she just arrived or if she has been trapped down here for years.

She has to get out, but there are no stars in the sky above to show her the way. Maybe there is no sky. Maybe there is no way out at all.

But she thrashes and flails for something to grab onto, some handhold she can use to climb upward. Because there's something terrible in the murky, stagnant waters below. Something darker than the inky blackness that envelops her. Something slithering, and hungry, and wrong.

!

Suddenly, Victoria feels more than hears something calling out to her from elsewhere in the void, and she spins and twists and casts her gaze every which way to try to find it. But the tiny hope that surged within her dies away when all she sees around her is yet more darkness, when her cries for help are only met with echoes of her own voice. That is when despair truly begins to set in.

Maybe… maybe this is where she belongs.

!

But she feels that mysterious call once more, stronger this time, strong enough to physically turn her head to the side, to yank her gaze upward. And there, floating somewhere high above the murky waters that come up to her waist is a tiny, ephemeral luminescence, like a will-o'-the-wisp of swirling colors, all shades of brown and gold.

As she looks at this ghostly, delicate light, it seems to grow brighter even as it moves in closer, pulsing rhythmically to match the beat of Victoria's own heart. With each pulse a wispy little tendril lashes out, and as her eyes follow the movement, she realizes that it is illuminating something solid… gently prodding her to look upon a wall of sooty earth and ebony brick. As she approaches, Victoria realizes that the wall towers high overhead, well beyond the bounds of the light that seems to be guiding her.

Victoria reaches out with shaking hands, and whimpers with relief when she finds that one is able to dig into this hard soil before her, and the other finds purchase between two of those black bricks. Then, her brow furrowing with determination, Victoria climbs. She keeps her eyes on that delicate glimmer as it rises ahead of her to light her way up, always just out of her reach.

But Victoria begins to realize that something isn't right as she climbs higher and higher. Her guiding light is battered and buffeted as if by unseen winds, shrinking and dissolving as though the darkness itself is seeking to devour it to prevent her escape. She keens out a grief-stricken wail at the sight of it growing dimmer and dimmer with each pulse.

Knowing it is mere moments from fading away entirely, Victoria makes a choice: heaving with all her might, she releases her grasp and leaps, shouting defiantly into the surrounding darkness as she claps her hands around that delicate radiance.

Victoria pulls that fragile little light close to her chest, curling herself protectively around it to shield it from the hungering void. And she is falling, falling, falling… but she doesn't care anymore. She would rather stay down here forever than allow something so beautiful to fade from this world.

Part of her has always known that she would end up down here anyway… that it's no less than she deserv-

'No!' A voice cries out in her mind, at once gentle and fierce, comforting and resolute.

With a mighty surge, the flickering light glows warm and bright in her hands, banishing the chill from her flesh as it leaks from between her fingers. It envelops her. It suffuses her. It…

'I won't let you… I won't…'

… The light won't let her fall.

Like a phoenix that light is rising once again, more radiant than ever, burning away every shadow it touches. Feeling a renewed sense of vigor, Victoria grasps at that wall and heaves, and claws, and fights her way upward. Aided by the updraft of her gleaming guardian, she climbs harder and faster than she ever thought possible.

And the light is everywhere now. It's everywhere, and so bright it makes her weep from the sheer beauty of it.

It is a warm flame, guiding her to shelter from the bitter storm.

It is the stars, shining bright and vibrant against the night sky, infinite in their possibilities.

It is the morning sun, golden and brilliant, carrying with it the promise of a new day... A good day.

It is a pair of eyes, hazel with tiny flecks of gold, ever-glimmering with kindness and love. Eyes that always, always manage to find her whenever she seeks them out with her own.

…

Victoria reaches for the light.

---

Girls' Dormitory - Victoria's Room

.

..

...

Victoria's senses come back to her in slow, inexorable waves.

The first is taste, which right now is a god-awful combination of sleeping with her mouth partially open, last night's cigarettes, alcohol and… yep, great, now a hint of bile is getting thrown into mix by a brief constricting of her throat and esophageal muscles.

It's a bit like what you'd expect licking an ashtray you fished out of a liquor store toilet bowl might be like. Unpleasant, but not at all surprising for the night after a Vortex Club party.

Victoria can hear the pounding of her own heart in her ears, still racing from that bizarre dream that is even now fading from her foggy mind, followed by gentle, rhythmic breathing. Beyond that is the melodic chirping of the songbirds that have been nesting in the tree that stands near her window.

This is much more pleasant. Hearing is really bringing its A-game here, so taste better quit fucking around if it wants to make the cut.

A whiff of stale smoke is in the air, likely from last night's clothes. Victoria can also detect the scent of soap mingled with dry sweat, along with a hint of… is that lavender?

...

It's definitely not Victoria's scent. Is that a perfume or…?

Wait.

Waaaaaaaaaiiiiiit.

Back up.

...

That rhythmic breathing she mentioned before isn't Victoria's, is it?

It feels like her thoughts are being filtered through a bowl of mushy oatmeal, but she's beginning to become aware of the fact that her forehead is nestled up against a thin, tacky fabric with a layer of ridges… like sequins. The fabric is covering something soft, and pillow-y, and warm, and… and moving.

The movement of this unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting, makeshift cushion is gently rocking her head back and forth... precisely in time with that foreign breathing. And by now she has come to realize that her left hand is sandwiched between the curve of a sequin-clad hip and the weight of the smooth-skinned, delicate little wrist that lies gently atop it.

...

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. Someone's definitely in her bed.

...

She tries to lift her head but HOLY SHIT that was a bad idea, as the motion sends waves of pain cascading through it. And with the pain comes a nauseating feeling like her brain is sloshing and bouncing around as though it's come unmoored inside her skull. So she resumes her position against the soft chest of whoever this is, because at least the gentle rocking motion isn't making her feel like someone is pounding her mind with a sledgehammer.

On some level Victoria feels like she should be more alarmed about this situation than she is, but she just feels so warm, and comfortable, and... and safe right now. Maybe it's the lingering effects of that dream she was having, but whatever it is she kinda doesn't want to let that feeling go just yet. And anyway, it's not like it's the first time she's gotten trashed and ended up in bed with a friend or even a stranger the next morning, and she knows herself well enough to know it probably won't be the last.

...

She's not sure how long she lies there, luxuriating in her bedmate's soothing breathing as it threatens to lull her back to sleep. But as nice as that feels, curiosity is starting to get the better of her. Victoria's becoming increasingly driven now to figure out who she's sharing a bed with… though again not out of a sense of panic or anything. She mostly just wants to know exactly how embarrassed she's going to end up feeling about this later.

The only remaining sense Victoria can use to solve this mystery is sight, but she's been putting that one off all this time because she knows it's going to fucking suck. The room is too bright, and even the dim reddish late-morning sunlight managing to penetrate her closed eyelids is making her head throb. She really should invest in some blackout curtains for mornings like this.

Still, all she's doing is delaying the inevitable. So... here goes.

Maybe it won't hurt as bad as she's thinking... right?

...

Victoria hesitantly cracks open her left eye by a few millimeters.

!FUCK!

It hurts worse than she thought it would. So much worse, Jesus Christ. It's like the liquid her brain has been sloshing around with is gasoline, which has now been set ablaze by even that sliver of burning light that managed to make it through her lids. She can hear a miserable little whining noise coming from somewhere in the room, and before long she begins to realize that it's coming from her own mouth.

Her pain-filled moan stops of its own accord, however, when the arm that was pinning down her wrist a moment ago wraps around her shoulder, pulling Victoria tighter into that extremely pleasant bosom. The steady pace of the breathing doesn't change, so she can only assume whoever it belongs to is still fast asleep.

It takes Victoria a while longer before agony has subsided enough that she is ready to try again. As tempted as she is to remain wrapped in this peaceful, fleshy dimness for the rest of her life, Victoria figures that eventually she will have to at least get to the point where she can open her eyes again... if she's serious about pursuing a photography career anyway.

Several long minutes of slowly increasing her aperture by minute degrees later, peppered with numerous bouts of blinking away the stinging tears that result from daylight's brazen assault, Victoria finally feels like she has reached a point where she can attempt to look around the room without praying for death. Small victories and all that… but at least she can now get back to the task at hand.

Her forehead is still pressed firmly into her bedmate's chest, still being gently rocked by those slow, steady breaths… in… out… in… out. And though it does limit her field of vision quite a bit, she has at least gleaned a few useful tidbits of information.

The dress is black, and shiny, and sequined, and, uh… pretty hot, revealing a tantalizing stretch of creamy white thigh starting from about an inch or so shy of the midway point. That alone rules out Taylor or Courtney, the two girls in her life who would be on the lowest end of the embarrassment spectrum (since even straight friends don't count when enough Vodka's involved, naturally.) It also doesn't match Dana from what Victoria remembers of last night's outfit... which at least proves that even smashed!Vic has some standards.

She can strike a few more names from the list based on skin tone and body type, which is helpful, but… there were a shitload of people at that party. Kids she didn't know well. Girls from different grades. Hell, for a party of that caliber she wouldn't have been surprised if at least a few of the students there were from different schools entirely.

There's… there's really nothing left to do but move her head, Victoria guesses. She sighs resignedly at the thought, both in anticipation of the hangover induced pain, and a bit of wistfulness that a sensation so… so nice has to come to an end. Still, Victoria does allow herself to enjoy a few more seconds of that steady, tide-like flow. Ok, maybe a few more than a few, but eventually she begins the laborious process of looking up.

She starts by gently rolling her head back on her right arm, obviously having abandoned her silk pillow in favor for a couple much more appealing ones at some point during the night. Having managed that small feat, she begins to tilt her face upward, ignoring the starbursts of agony that explode in her head while doing her best to suppress the pained, The Grudge-style rattle that threatens to rise up in her throat as she does.

Victoria blearily studies the pretty face that seems to be basking in innocent, peaceful slumber just a few inches from her own. The girl is intensely familiar, though a few tiny details are throwing Victoria off: the spots of blush on the pale, perfect skin of her cheeks; the remnants of dusky gold eyeshadow; the sheer length of her dark-honey colored hair, if the locks that have managed to snake their way over her shoulder to pool about the pillow in front of her neck are any indication.

But it's the lips that finally give it away. Full, cherry red, delightfully curved lips. Lips that Victoria has studied countless times over the past month, memorizing the way they move when she talks, or smiles. The way they glisten when she nervously licks them just before answering a teacher's question, or depress inward when she bites them in that tantalizing way she does. Lips that even now part slightly and contort deliciously as their owner makes a happy little murmur in her sleep.

Lips that can only belong to her.

Victoria's heart clenches in her chest, her surprise driving at least some of the pounding agony right out of her mind.

She's in bed with Kate Marsh.

---

Victoria momentarily forgets to breathe as her mind starts racing.

Did… Did I have a drunken hook-up with Kate Marsh last night?!

Not that sleeping with Kate is that far out of the realm of possibility or anything... Victoria will admit that she's lusted after the mysteriously alluring girl for the better part of this past month, lust that hasn't been diminished by the girl's recent crazy-pants behavior or Victoria's own conflicted feelings toward her. And the way Kate looked at her in the shower room last night with those achingly needful hazel eyes certainly indicated that the feeling was still mutual enough that she doubted Kate would turn down a booty call. The tea and cookies on her doorstep were proof enough that Victoria's little "we're not friends or anything else" speech didn't damper the girl's resolve one iota.

And… she can tell Kate that she doesn't want her 'til the cows come home, but Victoria knows it's not true. She knows how much of a struggle it was last night not to have just taken her right then and there. She also knows how those eyes from her dream… Kate's eyes… made her feel. Warm. Comfortable. Safe.

So... In a way, this was kind of inevitable, right? With Victoria's impulse control issues, it's a miracle she held out this long. No big deal, right?

…

An image of Kate humming in concentration while posting something on the hallway notice board flashes through her mind. A flyer, one that reads:

ABSTINENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

Victoria's mouth goes dry, her breath catching in her throat.

Did... Did she booty call and drunkenly deflower Kate Marsh last night?

No way. No way no way no way no fucking way!

This is a big deal, isn't it? Like, the biggest fucking deal of all for someone like Kate Marsh, who is basically the human equivalent of one of those penguins who mates one time and imprints for life or whatever!

Isn't... isn't that part of why she's been trying to push Katie away so hard all this time? So that she could find someone worth sharing that kind of thing with? Someone who didn't have partners in the double digits before her eighteenth birthday? Someone better than Victoria fucking Chase?

Tears begin to sting her eyes all over again.

Someone who could at least fucking remember doing it?

Victoria's not sure what makes her feel worse: the thought that she may have fucked up something clearly so special to Kate; or that she seemingly has no memory of it at all.

Kate releases a deep, contented sigh, and this close Victoria can feel it gently caress her face and tickle the hairs of her nose, an earthy, vaguely tea-like scent filling her nostrils.

What the hell, how is even her morning breath so nice?!

Victoria closes her eyes and starts counting down from one hundred, doing her best to control her breathing. She's getting ahead of herself here, isn't she? All she knows right now is she woke up in bed next to Kate. Maybe she's not the villainous thief of Kate's maidenhood after all.

Maybe... maybe she just followed through on what she was thinking before she entered the party, about knocking on her door and asking for a good snuggle/cry.

Just… slow down, Vic. Take stock of your surroundings… and maybe the pieces will fall into place.

Shifting around under the blanket a bit, Victoria confirms that she still has on her clothes from last night. So... that's a good sign. And Kate still has her dress on and is on top of the blanket to boot, so that's another point in favor of the girl's virtue remaining intact.

On the other hand, Kate could just be a hot sleeper who felt the need to dig out of the covers after Victoria wickedly defiled her. And unless she's got a chastity belt hidden under that teasingly short dress, it likely wouldn't have slowed Victoria down at all. This isn't her first rodeo by a long shot, and she has put in work with former partners under far more restrictive conditions.

Victoria opens her eyes again to look around for anything that might conclusively set her mind at ease.

…

What she sees really doesn't help. Like, at all.

The first thing she notices is the towel that has pooled on the blanket between Kate's legs and her own. One that Victoria discovers to be damp to the touch when she (reluctantly) removes her hand from Kate's hip to inspect it.

what

Then there's her couch, you know, that heavy mother-fucker that took two movers to wrangle into her room? That has been pushed halfway across the room.

WHAT

But the real coup de grâce, the one that kills off any hope that what passed between them was some chaste, innocent cuddling, is the realization that Kate is holding something in the hand that even now remains wrapped around her shoulder. Something cylindrical and metallic and...

Is... is that an AIR HORN!?

...

What kind of freaky ass shit did we get into last night?!

Yeah ok so Victoria is definitely freaking the fuck out right now. C'mon, being a virgin-killer is one thing... but turning said virgin into some kind of sodden, feng shui-practicing, air horn-wielding sex maniac after one presumably glorious night is beyond the pale, even for her!

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

"What the fuck?!"

Victoria didn't intend to exclaim that last 'what the fuck' out loud, but it happens. And it has three immediate consequences… each less pleasant than the last.

First, Kate's eyes shoot open, the hazel orbs going wide with confusion, shock, and no small amount of fear as they lock onto Victoria's panicked globes.

Next, Kate seems to try to sit up, look around the room, and leap to her feet all at the same time, ultimately resulting in the poor girl rolling off the bed to crash hard onto the floor.

And finally, somewhere between that fall and the unceremonious landing that follows… Kate's hand clenches tightly around the air horn's trigger.

* PWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMP *

---

If anyone out there has ever wondered what the loudest, most annoying sound on Earth might be, Victoria has an answer for you. It's the PWAMP of a fucking industrial strength air horn fired in the middle of a 12' by 8' dorm room, followed by the EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE of your eardrums slowly liquifying for the next several minutes, right before they leak right out of your goddamn skull.

Victoria is sitting up in her bed with her hands clamped tightly over her ears, and her head is SCREAMING in agony, and Victoria's pretty sure she's screaming out every expletive she knows in multiple languages. But she can't hear anything over the overwhelming, incessant ringing.

Her vision is blurring from the pain, but Victoria can just barely make out Kate, standing a couple feet away from the bed now with her saucer-wide eyes locked on the door and holding that absolute bastard of an air horn with both hands in front of her like it's a gun or something. And oh, holy Christ is she about to do it AGAIN?

Victoria leans as far as she can over the edge of the bed to flail for the girl's arm, and if she could hear anything but EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE right now she's pretty sure it would be her own voice telling Kate she better goddamn not or she'll get stabbed in the fucking face.

She's not sure whether Kate hears her threats or see her frantic waving, but thankfully something makes her come to her senses. Dropping the evil device that could only have been crafted by the hands of the devil himself onto the floor, Kate slumps down onto her knees and begins rubbing at her own ears with an expression pained enough to match Victoria's own.

As her tinnitus begins to fade, Victoria slowly becomes aware of a loud banging from the direction of her door, followed by a voice so nasal and bitchy it could only be coming from an extremely annoyed Brooke Scott.

It goes something like: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee the fuck up some of us are trying to sleep it off in here!"

Every BANG on that door feels like a nail being driven through Victoria's skull, and it doesn't seem like her neighbor is going to let up until she gets some kind of response. Sliding down to sit on the floor with her back to the bed, Victoria fires back:

"Fuh—Fuck off Scott! It's none of your goddamn business ok? You do know putting that ratchet-ass streak in your hair over the summer isn't a substitute for actually developing a personality, right?"

This earns her an indignant screech and another brain-splitting BANG on the door, but at least Brooke seems to be moving away now as she yells "Oh my GOD why do you ALWAYS have to be such a FUCKING BITCH?!"

…

Victoria rubs at her eyes in an effort to will the throbbing in her skull away before peeking at Kate, who is resting on her knees with her face pressed up against the back of Victoria's chair, moaning out a low "owwwwwwwwwwww" as she removes her right hand from her ear.

"What the fuuuuuuuuuuck, Kate?" Victoria groans.

Kate cracks her eyes open to meet Victoria's gaze, and a look of embarrassed contrition passes over her face.

"I- I'm sorry, I was startled and I fell out of bed and… and… and I accidentally tooted the air horn…"

"No shit, I was fucking there too, you know?" Victoria snaps, only barely managing not to let out a maddened cackle at how hilariously inadequate the word "tooted" is for what just went down.

"Where the hell did you get that thing anyway, a goddamn train depot?"

"Oh! Umm… I bought it from—"

"It was rhetorical…" Victoria whines with an annoyed sigh.

A silence passes between them, with Kate eying Victoria nervously while the latter studies the former cautiously, neither seeming to be sure what to make of each other at the moment.

Victoria knows she should normally be freaking out at Kate right now, demanding to know what the hell happened last night, or falsely accusing her of using some kind of freaky voodoo-Jesus magic to trick her into bed, before forcibly kicking the girl out of her room. She knows that, but… the sight of those hazel eyes, every fleck of gold exactly as it was in that strange dream of hers, stops that train of thought before it starts. She can't deny that it's making her heart flutter a bit.

And, as exasperated as she is, Victoria can't help but stare at the rest of Kate with growing fascination. With the smudged make-up highlighting those delicate Kate Marsh features, her un-bunned hair spilling down her spine and ending in a few sassy little curls, and that dress now riding so high up her thighs she almost feels the need to look away to preserve the girl's modesty, Kate looks like something right out of one of Victoria's wet dreams.

The longer she stares, the surer she is that it's not remembering whatever they did that truly is bothering her most of all.

A million questions spring into Victoria's mind, jockeying and fighting to earn the honor of being asked first… but they all fly out of her head when the girl finally lifts her face off Victoria's chair enough to reveal the ugly bluish-purple bruise that covers the left side of her jaw and seems to be crawling its way up her cheek.

Victoria gasps at the sight of it, involuntarily leaning forward to reach out a tentative hand toward her face.

Kate leans her swollen cheek into Victoria's hand, and she can feel the angry heat of it pulsing under her fingers. Despite the wince of pain it causes, she can see the girl's expressive hazel eyes soften at her touch.

"Oh my God, Kate…" Victoria breathes, the concern inside her in a pitched battle with righteous, indignant anger at the sight of her wound. "What the hell happened… who did this?"

Whoever it is… I'll kill them. I swear to God, I'll…

But fear wells up within her as the expression on Kate's face shifts to one of… sadness. Fear. And concern of her own… but not for herself, for Victoria.

"Victoria…" she starts, seemingly struggling for the words to say. "Victoria… how much do you remember from last night?"

Victoria begins shaking her head, increasingly frightened by the look in those hazel eyes as Kate scoots forward to kneel on the floor right in front of her. Those eyes are full of compassion, and kindness, and worry. They're eyes that tell Victoria she's about to hear something she really doesn't want to.

She… she hadn't thought about Max all morning, is strangely enough the thought that runs through her head while the girl pauses for several long, agonizing moments. For that brief, blissful moment in time while lying in bed next to Kate, she had forgotten about all the drama and bullshit of the past couple days. Feeling that warmth next to her, she'd actually started to feel like she was slowly piecing herself back together.

But finally, Kate says the three words that blow Victoria's whole fucking world right up again.

"… It was Nathan."

---

Kate reaches out to gently take her hands, and Victoria can see the swelling, the bruises, and the tiny little cuts on Kate's knuckles. It makes her sad and angry at the same time to see those delicate little hands, artist's hands, marred in such a fashion. It feels like an unforgivable sin to bring harm to tools meant for the creation of beauty.

Victoria continues shaking her head as Kate soothingly rubs the back of her hands with her thumbs, silently begging the girl not to say it, not to make it real. To please just let them go back to a few minutes ago when all she felt was comfort and warmth, the feel of Kate's breathing, her hip underneath Victoria's hand, and the scattered remnants of a beautiful dream. She would just hold on tight and pretend she was asleep and pray Kate was too polite to wake her by breaking free of her embrace.

But that moment is gone now, Victoria fucked it up in spectacular fashion, just like she does with everything else in her life. And no amount of wishing can take her back there… no sane universe would trust an eighteen-year-old high school student with that kind of power.

And so, with nothing but compassion, and kindness, and understanding in her clear hazel eyes, Kate tells Victoria exactly what she doesn't want to hear. About Nathan following her into the locker room, with Kate close behind. Him unlocking the back entrance to take her out of the building unnoticed, and dragging her to his truck. Victoria struggling to get free of him when she saw Kate. The way Kate attacked him and hit him and hit him and him. How she is afraid she might have killed him if he hadn't managed to knock her down in a moment of distraction.

Victoria wants to deny it, is desperate to deny it. She can feel the panic and anxiety swirling through her mind, like turbines spinning faster and faster and faster and faster until a nuclear meltdown is imminent. She tries to block Kate out, floundering and lashing out with every alternative she can think of to explain away the fact that her best fucking friend in the world tried to kidnap her, and… what? Hurt her? Rape her?

But each time Victoria reaches the brink of losing control of her emotions, Kate brings her back. Grounds her with a soft touch. Calms her with her patient, reassuring voice. Reaches out to caress her cheek, drawing Victoria's gaze back to those knowing, caring eyes.

And as her story unfolds, Victoria recalls scattered, blurry flashes of last night in her mind's eye: the smell of Nathan's cologne. The feeling of being dragged somewhere, somewhere she didn't want to go. Fear. Kate descending upon them like the wrath of God, her face a mask of fury.

'LET HER GO!'

She wants so desperately to disbelieve Kate. But God help her, she can't.

Not just because of how she felt waking up beside her this morning… Peaceful. Relaxed. Safe.

And not just because those big, beautiful, expressive eyes don't hold anything back, don't try to hide anything from her… just as Victoria has found time and again that she can't hide anything from them, either.

But the real clencher, the thing she can't really deny or explain away, is the memory of how weird Nate was acting when he made that drink for her last night, the one she drank a few minutes before suddenly blacking out. And how much that reminds her of a certain incident from a few years back… a failed attempt by Victoria to drug Rachel Amber in an effort to steal the starring role in a school play. One that had ended up with Victoria herself passed out in the wet lawn of the school courtyard.

Now she understands why she has felt so much more than just hungover all morning. The drink from a few years ago had been spiked with muscle relaxers, and Victoria felt like she'd been run over by a truck when she woke up.

This? This feels a hundred times worse.

Nathan fucking dosed her.

Another soft squeeze from those tiny, damaged hands and a sweet smile pulls Victoria out of yet another spiral. She didn't even realize she'd been on the verge of hyperventilating before Kate stopped her.

"Victoria… do you remember protecting me last night?" Kate asks, her eyes practically shining with affection and admiration.

"When Nathan hit me, he went to get something out of his truck... and... and I couldn't see what it was, but I was so scared he was going to hurt you. I tried to move but I couldn't..." Tears start to slip down Kate's cheeks, the terror she felt at that moment last night evident on her face even now.

"I thought I was about to die… and that there wouldn't be anyone to keep you safe. But then you laid down over top of me, and you stated right at him… and told him to take you instead."

Victoria sniffles as she goggles at Kate, the girl's words sounding at once entirely unbelievable and hauntingly familiar.

Victoria pulls that fragile little light close to her chest, curling herself protectively around it to shield it from the hungering void. And she is falling, falling, falling… but she doesn't care anymore. She would rather stay down here forever than allow something so beautiful to fade from this world.

"That... that really doesn't sound like me..." she finally mumbles, embarrassed.

"But you did… you did… Oh God, Victoria, you were so brave..." Kate gushes, shining that beaming smile at Victoria… the one that melts her heart every time.

But Victoria turns away again, unable to bear that adoration, to see her look at Victoria like she's some kind of hero or whatever, when she feels like anything but. Kate's the hero here, not her.

She feels like this whole goddamn week has been tearing her down, piece by piece. Her sense of security that everything in her life was moving along strictly according to her meticulous plans? Shattered by Max's sudden disappearance. Her self-worth, both as a lover and someone worthy of being loved? Gutted by their subsequent break-up. Her confidence as an artist, or at least the thin outer shell that she manages to display to the outside world? Crumbled by an endless string of rejection letters from galleries, and Jefferson's look of sneering disapproval at her pathetic attempt to sway the Everyday Heroes contest in her favor.

But this? Accepting the fact that her best friend drugged her? That he was going to do God knows what to her if Kate hadn't been there to stop him? And that the girl nearly got herself killed in the process? Of all the shitty things that have happened lately, this fucking breaks her.

With her face in her hands Victoria releases a wail full of betrayal and grief into her palms, one that goes on and on until she's not sure whether she's going to lose her voice or her fucking mind first. When she feels Kate slide in beside her against the bed and put a consoling arm around her, Victoria doesn't hesitate to turn and cry into the girl's shoulder instead, soaking in every solace-filled whisper, every soft stroke of her hair from those delicate, injured fingers. Those small acts of kindness may be the only things keeping her sane, as it feels like her very soul is pouring out of her body right along with her bitter tears.

---

For the next several minutes, Victoria alternates between sobbing in Kate's arms, rubbing at her temples in an effort to fight off the splitting pain in her head, and gratefully accepting the long-haired girl's pampering as she bustles about the room… fetching her water. Aspirin. Tidying up. Even managing to move the couch a foot or two away from the door, before Victoria catches her and waves her off.

However, Victoria does notice that something… heavy seems to be weighing on the girl's mind. She sees it in the troubled, conflicted looks the girl shoots her from time to time, always replacing it with that sweet smile whenever Victoria turns to meet her eyes. And though Kate's eyes always seem to glimmer with compassion for Victoria, she can't help but catch the brief flashes of guilt in them. She can't help but wonder what on Earth the girl would possibly have to feel guilty about… but she doesn't pry. She figures she owes Kate that much, at least.

Finally, Victoria sniffles hard in a vain effort to clear her airways at the tail end of another long crying jag, before accepting the tissues Kate offers with another murmur of gratitude.

"How… how did you know?" She asks as she wipes at her mouth and nose, wincing at the ugly mass of tears and mucus the tissues come away with.

Kate awkwardly looks from Victoria's mouth to the tissue and back again, her expression one of vicarious embarrassment that all but says 'Uhh because you have snot all over your face, you dumb cunt?'

Or whatever the Kate Marsh equivalent of that would be.

"I meant about the party, goober." Victoria snarks, smirking a bit in an effort to take any sting out of her words. "In the locker room that day… you said I was in danger. That I shouldn't go to the party. And then last night in the showers… how did you know?"

Kate flushes and contemplates her shoes for a few moments before answering.

"It… it won't make a whole lot of sense."

Victoria sniggers at that. "Well… it's not like anything else in my life makes any goddamn sense right now, so… try me, I guess?"

"I… I had a dream, a couple of weeks ago." Kate finally says, hesitantly. Carefully… like she's trying to hold something back. "In the dream I saw a lot of… strange things. But I also saw you sitting on the floor just like this, crying, and… and there was a shadow looming over you, like something or someone bad was coming for you. And then there was a bunch of people dancing around the pool, and then…"

More tears slip down her cheeks as her voice grows strained, and Victoria reaches over to sneak her right hand under Kate's left. The girl squeezes the offered hand tightly before continuing.

"And then I saw you… you were lying on the floor somewhere, surrounded by all this bright light, and your hands and feet were tied together, and… and you looked right at me. You begged me to save you." Kate covers her mouth with her free hand as the sob she's been holding back escapes at last.

Victoria gently strokes Kate's swollen hand with her thumb, just staring at the girl while she tries to compose herself. She doesn't know what to say, doesn't know what to believe, but… it's obvious from the look of pain and fear in those hazel eyes that this is something she's been struggling with. It breaks Victoria's heart to think that she's been carrying this burden all alone for weeks… and it makes her feel like shit, too. Because it didn't have to be that way.

"That day…" Kate croaks, and clears her throat before carrying on. "That day before I found you in the locker room, I saw a poster about the party at the swimming pool, and… and I just knew my dream was real. It was happening, and you were in danger, and… I panicked. I just couldn't help myself, I had to find you, to protect you…"

Victoria knows she shouldn't believe any of this. It's crazy, and she's not the kind of person to buy into visions and seances and all that woo-woo shit. And even if Kate's dream did turn out to have some truth to it, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

But on the other hand… this broken clock just saved my fucking life, so maybe that should earn her a little bit of faith, no?

"I'm-I'm sorry, Victoria. I know my behavior has been… inappropriate, lately. I just didn't know what to do. I was so scared, all the time, that something bad was going to happen. All I could think was to stay as close to you as I could. To try to protect you. I swore that I would even…"

A look of horror crosses Kate's face, as though she just realized that she nearly said much more than she meant to. Victoria doesn't push, she just continues to rub Kate's hand while waiting to see if she's going to continue. When it seems like she won't, Victoria runs a hand through her short, matted hair and sighs.

"It's… whatever. You don't have to apologize to me, you saved my sorry ass. I'm the one who should be apologizing... for not believing you, for making you go through all this by yourself, for… for freaking out like I did that day. For all the hateful shit I've said and done to you this past month."

But Kate is shaking her head. "No, Victoria… it's okay. You're safe now, that's all that matters to me."

She giggles sheepishly, before adding "If I were in your shoes, I'm sure I wouldn't believe me either."

Victoria's laugh is more sardonic than sheepish. "Yeah… but I bet you wouldn't have pushed me into a locker over it either. You'd have probably sat me down to talk it out over tea and cookies."

Kate playfully pushes at Victoria's shoulder for that, but her grin says 'Yep, I probably would.'

An awkward silence falls between them, then, stretching on for a few minutes before Kate finally breaks it... that same troubled, guilty look flashing in her eyes before she turns to look away as she speaks.

"Is… Is there anything else you remember, about last night? F-from after we got back to the room…?"

Something about the conflicted tone of Kate's voice, like she's both hopeful and full of dread at the same time, and the way she refuses to meet her eyes as she asks the question makes Victoria look up sharply to search Kate's profile for a few moments. It's clear that Kate is struggling with whatever she's asking about, but the suddenly reticent girl doesn't seem like she's going to give her anything more to go on than that. Victoria squeezes her eyes tightly shut and concentrates as hard as she can manage, but aside from the scattered frames of Kate fighting Nathan and the dream of being trapped in the well, it's like the rest of the night is nothing more than an impenetrable black void.

Still… Victoria feels like she's missing something. Something important.

"I don't… I think Nate might have given me something that fucked with my head. If I… if I said or did anything weird, I… I didn't mean it. It wasn't me…" And now Victoria is crying again, but she doesn't know why.

Christ, what the fuck did she do last night?

Kate still won't look at her, and Victoria is starting to panic.

"Please, Katie… what did I do? Did I hurt you? Fuck, I'm so sorry…"

When Kate finally does turn to face her, she's smiling through her tears. "No, Victoria, you didn't do anything wrong, I promise…" Her smile widens as she reaches up to brush at the green-eyed girl's damp cheeks.

"I think… I think you were just having a really wonderful dream."

But Victoria doesn't believe her. Kate's smiling, but why do her eyes look like that, full of relief and sorrow and wistfulness all at the same time? Why can't she shake the feeling that, for the first time, the always earnest, forthright girl is hiding something from her?

Kate's hands remain on her cheeks as she continues. "And being close to you last night… I think that's what I needed, too. And now… and now I can move on."

Victoria freezes.

Move on…?

"What… what do you mean?" She asks, but she can already tell she doesn't want to know the answer.

There's a sadness in Kate's eyes, now. The kind of sadness that reminds Victoria of a good thing coming to an end. But… at the same time, she also looks as though a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

"I… made a promise to someone. A very important one, but I couldn't keep it while I knew you were in danger. I had to make sure you were safe first, but now… now I can fulfil that promise."

What the fuck does that mean? What kind of promise would she have to wait on me to…

Victoria's heart drops as she remembers that day on the roof a couple weeks back.

'I'm sorry, Kate. I can't be what you want me to be. I hope you find someone who can…'

Kate made a promise to someone else, and now she's moving on.

To someone better than me.

Victoria clenches her jaw tightly shut, pursing her lips and looking away as Kate leans forward to give her a sweet, chaste little kiss on the cheek. Victoria can feel heat on her skin, almost as though if she reached up she could feel the burning imprint that those red lips left behind.

…

This is what she wanted, right? It's what she told Kate and herself, over and over again. For Kate to find someone else, someone better. She did everything she could to make that happen, pushing the dogged girl away at every turn. And now that it's finally happening, now that Kate's finally done with her?

Now she finally realizes just how much she doesn't want it, after all.

Sometimes Victoria can't even believe how much of a selfish bitch she is. She can't even begin to understand how Kate put up with her for this long.

She wants to grab Kate's hand as she stands up, but she doesn't.

She wants to stop her as she moves to the door, but she doesn't do that either.

Kate opens the door, but hesitates before going through it, giving Victoria the barest sliver of hope. She doesn't turn around when she speaks again in a quiet, gentle voice.

"Victoria… I need you to remember, that none of this is your fault. This is something I have to do for me. I know you think you've hurt me, but… I can honestly say that this past month has been the happiest of my life."

She takes a step into the doorway.

"Kate…!" Victoria calls after her, and the girl freezes. She's still facing the hall as she waits to hear what Victoria has to say.

Don't go.

Come back.

Wait for me.

Victoria wants to say all of those things, and more… but she can't.

Because Kate made a promise to someone else.

Because she's finally free of the yoke around her neck that is Victoria Chase.

But mostly… because despite all the bluster, all the outward self-confidence, all the false bravado… at her heart, Victoria has always been a coward when it comes to the things that truly matter.

"You… you look really good." She sniffles. "Kind of amazing, actually… you really should let your hair down more often."

Kate finally does turn, and her hazel eyes are shimmering with pride, and affection, and unshed tears. And the smile she gives Victoria makes the room suddenly seem twice as bright.

"Thank you... I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that." She pauses one final time, and the look she gives Victoria is so kind, and honest, and pure.

"You're going to have an amazing life, Victoria Chase. I just know it. Don't… don't you forget about me, okay?"

And then the door closes behind her, and Victoria feels like the room is suddenly plunged into darkness.

…

She remembers the very first words she heard on that fateful morning she met Kate for the first time, as her stereo eased her into the waking world.

'Sky is light…'

'You caught the light…'

Victoria did catch that light. She had caught it from the moment they saw each other out in the hallway, with Kate standing there in her cute sweatshirt and mom-jeans, and Victoria sans make-up, hair frizzy, and wholly unprepared to meet a cute girl. But all this time, she refused to let herself see it. She took every excuse, every opportunity to hide from the truth… to run from it. And now?

Now she finally managed to let it slip right through her fingers.

---

Sometime later, after that door closes behind Kate, and Victoria can hear the girl milling about in her own room for a few minutes before lightly padding further down the hall, Victoria finds herself reaching for a nearby drawer. Inside she finds a stack of photos, and shuffles through them with shaking hands until she finds one in particular.

It's of her and Nathan, glaring at the camera with their tongues out and their hands raised with two fingers upright to form the shape of horns.

Hail fucking Satan.

Victoria can feel her teeth grind as she stares into Nathan's brown eyes, her hand shaking even harder than before. She wants to cry at the thought of what Nate tried to do with her, but she's fresh out of tears. She wants to mourn the loss of her best fucking friend in the world, but she can't with the image of Kate's injuries so fresh in her mind. She wants to hide under her sheets and pretend this whole damn week never happened… but it did, and nothing she can do will change that.

All that's left is rage.

Rage at the friend who betrayed her. Who drugged her. Who tried to hurt her. Who DID hurt Kate.

But mostly? She feels rage toward the other person in the picture. His enabler. The "friend" who turned a blind eye to his every excess, who did everything in her power to make sure he never faced a single consequence of his own actions. His partner in crime, the Queen to his King.

"Fuck you." She whispers, tearing the photo in half before shredding Nate's side into tiny pieces.

She's done with this shit.

"Fuck you!" Victoria repeats louder, shredding her own half as well, before ripping apart the rest of the photos in hand for good measure.

So fucking done.

Victoria turns her glare to the collection of selfies taking up space on the wall next to her door, and stalks over to them. The duck-faces. The smirks. The coquettish grins. Monuments to her vanity, every last one. She should burn them all. She settles for ripping them off the wall and tearing each one in two.

I can't have even ONE good thing in my life.

"I hate you!" she growls at the pile when she's done.

Not one GODDAMN thing!

On a roll now, she rushes over to her bed, above which three over-sized prints are tacked to the wall between strands of LED rope lights. Victoria Chase, the aspiring photographer, destined to take the art world by storm… and which of her thousands of shots take up this place of prominence in her room? Which of her many models get that illustrious honor?

Why, herself, of course.

Each shot was meant to make herself look sultry. Alluring. Seductive.

All she can see looking at them now is cold. Aloof. Soulless.

"I hate you!"

Victoria grips the photo of herself in boy shorts and tears it straight down the middle, leaving the outer edges still tacked to the wall.

"I hate you!"

The bikini shot at the beach follows the first to the floor.

"I hate you!"

The print of Victoria in the white tube top and black skirt goes next.

She's seething, her blood is boiling, when she rounds on her final target… none other than Victoria Chase herself, staring back at her from her standing mirror across the room. But she doesn't see the hungover, puffy-eyed, bed-headed Victoria whose face is a mask of fury right now in that mirror. Instead, she sees the expertly made-up, impeccably dressed, perfectly coiffed Victoria with the 'above-it-all' sneer. The socialite. The heir to the Chase family name.

Reaching behind her, Victoria's hand lands on the glow-in-the-dark figurine on her bookshelf, but after a moment's thought gives it a reprieve. Agent Blueberry didn't do a damn thing to deserve this. Instead she grabs a hardcover book: RE-COLLECTION: Images by Mark Jefferson. That'll do.

With a mighty heave, she hurls the heavy book right at that smug, sneering face.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" She screeches.

The mirror shatters with a loud CRASH into a cloud of tiny glass shards.

If Brooke Scott has a problem with the noise now, she sure as hell doesn't say shit.

"I hate you… I hate you so fucking much…" she sobs as she sinks to the floor with her back against the bookshelf. She hates the insecurity. The egotism. The fear. The constant need for attention and approval.

Victoria Chase hates herself because she knows that the only obstacle to having even one good thing in her life is herself. The only thing preventing her from being the kind of person she would like to be, the kind of person who is worthy of loving someone and being loved in return, is herself.

So, dumbfuck, I'm glad we can finally agree on something, but…

I guess the question is, what the fuck are you going to actually DO about it?

…

Jiminy Vicket had been suspiciously quiet, on today of all days. Victoria figures she doesn't need her conscience to tell her shit she's more than willing to scream aloud. But… the bitch has a point.

What am I going to do? Wallow like I always do? But what fucking good has that done for me so far?

Kill myself? That's probably Bitch-toria's vote, but I'll be damned if I'm going to shit all over Kate saving my life like that. Besides, I can't die before I hunt down Nathan's bitch ass and have his fucking balls for breakfast.

So, what the hell is left?

…

What… what do I WANT, more than anything else right now?

She knows the answer.

Victoria clenches her jaw tightly, eyes narrowing and hands clenching into fists as she stares a hole through the door. There is one thing that she doesn't hate quite as much as the rest… her determination. Her absolute drive to pursue a particular goal, doing whatever she must, using every dirty trick in the book if necessary, to achieve it.

She clings tightly to that part of herself as she grabs her phone. The time reads 11:23, which explains why the air horn incident didn't cause more of a commotion… most of the dorm is probably attending their first classes of the day.

Victoria unlocks the device and starts scrolling for one contact in particular. She fights to suppress the rush of shame she feels at realizing the number is still blocked, at seeing all the missed calls from last night when she un-blocks it. She'll have time to kick her own ass for that later, right now she needs to focus on getting shit done.

She taps out a message lightning fast, unable to resist the urge to smirk at the sheer symmetry of it.

---

Vic - Kate… can we talk?

It's really important. – 10/11 11:23 AM

---

Promise or no promise, if Kate thinks she can follow Victoria around like a crazy little puppy dog for a damn month and smile at her and bite her lip at her and make eyes at her and make her feel things and save her damn life… and then decide to just dip out of it like it's no big deal? Well that bitch has another thing coming.

A phone chimes through the wall a few feet away from her. From Kate's room.

Part of her knows she should sit back. Wait for a response. Let Kate talk to her on her terms.

But that part of her can go fuck itself. Whoever Kate made a promise to can go fuck themselves too. Victoria is playing to win, and winners don't wait for anything to be handed to them.

She slams the door behind her as she stalks out of her room.

---

Girls' Dormitory: 2nd Floor Hallway

Victoria plants herself firmly in front of Kate's door. She already checked the showers and bathroom to make sure Kate wasn't in there first, and since she highly doubts Miss Christian America 2013 is planning to go to class dressed like an extra on Soul Train, Victoria figures her room is the only other place she could be right now. The fact that she hasn't received a text back probably isn't a good sign for Kate actually wanting to talk at the moment, but that's ok… all Victoria needs for her to do is listen.

"MARSH!" Victoria calls, giving the girl's door three loud BANGs before catching herself.

WHOA Christ Vic, maybe take it down a notch or twelve?!

"Shit! Uhh… force of habit, sorry… I'm gonna start over, ok?"

Victoria takes a deep breath and gives the door three polite knocks this time before trying again.

"… Kate? It's ok if you don't want to talk to me right now. I wouldn't blame you if you don't, because… I know I'm kind of a mess, ok? I'm like the Queen of Mixed Signals or whatever… especially when it comes to you. To be fair my life has kinda been a fucking train wreck for a long time now, and I have a hard time dealing with shit when everything isn't going exactly according to plan. And I mean... I think we both can agree that there's no fucking way someone like me could ever in a million years plan for someone like you, am I right?"

She gently lays her palm on the door, wondering what the possibility of Kate doing the same on the other side might be.

"The thing is… you might not have noticed, because I hide it pretty well, but… I really don't like myself very much. I know right, you're probably like, seriously? Victoria Chase has everything, what's not to like? But… it's all meaningless. Stupid fucking pointless bullshit. None of it makes me happy, and when I finally find something that does… I get scared. And I run away from it because I'm so afraid that I'm going to fuck it all up, and that I won't be able to handle it when I do."

Victoria knows she's rambling a bit, but she's actually pretty happy with how this is turning out. Which makes her really hope Kate is actually in there because she's almost positive she won't be able to remember all this a second time.

"I don't… I don't know what I want, ok? But… one thing I do know is that I really need a friend like you in my life. And not just because you saved me last night… I've been needing it for a while, but just couldn't bring myself to admit it 'til now. And I know you made a promise to someone… and if that means you can't deal with my ass anymore, I understand. But I realized just now that probably the only way I could hate myself even more than normal… is if I didn't at least try."

There's still no response, which is making Victoria feel kind of worried. Kind of sick, actually, now that she thinks about it.

"Katie? Please, just… talk to me. I just… I really don't want to leave it like—"

'Please don't leave me again, Katie. Please… Please don't go…'

Victoria's stomach lurches hard, and she sags into the door. WHAT… the FUCK… was that?

It was her voice, she can feel the words on her own mouth, but she doesn't remember saying them. Was that… from last night? Is that what Katie—

A kiss, desperate and yearning. Soft lips, wet tongue. The taste of cherries mingled with salty tears.

It was Kate. Victoria was kissing Kate, but… she wasn't herself. It didn't feel like herself. It felt like… some other Victoria. One that knows why she feels so guilty and grief-stricken when she looks at Kate sometimes.

One that knows how much of a miracle it is for Kate to smile at someone like her with eyes so full of... of...

Victoria's throat constricts in an effort to stave off the bile rushing up from her stomach. She slaps her hand weakly against the door. "Kate…? Katie… I think... something's wron—"

'I'd—I'd give anything to take it all back! It… it should have been me up there, not you.'

Something's definitely wrong. Aside from the fact that she might be in the middle of a psychotic break, Victoria's head is swimming, she can barely stand, and she's pretty sure she's about to puke. She stumbles toward the bathroom, which thankfully is right next door to Kate's, and hurriedly starts the tap on the first sink she comes across. Sticking her head down into the bowl, she thirstily slurps at the cool water in an effort to control her urge to vomit.

After a few big gulps, she thinks it might be working. Her stomach is settling a bit, the room isn't spinning so bad. Maybe it was just a passing—

Victoria freezes, her eyes going wide at the almost imperceptible wet noise coming from directly above and in front of her. Her eyes are drawn to a splash of red on the mirror… one that seems to be spreading.

She stands up straight and stumbles backward a few steps, her face going white with horror as she realizes what she's seeing. It's… it's lipstick. Red lipstick. Victoria's shade, forming letters on the mirror as though being written by an invisible hand.

KATESVID.C-

Victoria turns and flees into the stall behind her, both to get away from that freaky ass mirror and because the bile is now uncontrollably surging up her throat. She slams down to her knees on the tile floor, gripping the toilet bowl tightly with both hands.

WHAT THE UNHOLY FUCK IS EVEN HA—

WhatsupKateSchoolThatsitThatvideoofyouclubbingdidntlook likehomeworkVictoriathatwasntmeOhmyGodRightDontbeshy Ithinkitsawesomeyousetatonguerecordonvideo. You're going to be sorry someday. OhboohooImsorryyoureaviralslutImsureshehadfunLookslikeitIknowNathanhookedherupAndyouknowhehasthegoodshitPreachitsistaAnywayLetsleavethelinktoKatesvideosoeverybodygetsachancetoseeherinactionYouaresuchanevilbeeatchIloveit.

Victoria violently expels the contents of her stomach at the same time that these... these fucking voices forcefully infiltrate her mind. She can hear Taylor, and herself, and… and Kate, but it's all going so fast she can barely-

AnybodyseenKateMarshIthinkeverybodyhasseenKateMarshbynowShesnotfeelinggood SoundslikeyouregigglingaboutavideogoneviralYosomecrazyshitisgoingdownatthegirlsdorm CheckitDidyouseethatIsthisforrealBitchflippedoutIdidntthinkshewasthatmessedup OhmyGodWhoisthatupthereOhnoIsthatKateThatchickisrightontheledgeIfshejumpsshe mightnotdieYesshewillDon'tComedownGetdownPoorKateThatfuckingviralvideo.

KATIE !

Water and bile and the remnants of alcohol-soaked cookies splatter wetly into the bowl from the force of another mighty heave. But Victoria doesn't look down at what's coming out of her... because it feels evil. Because, for some reason, she's afraid that if she does look, she might see something black and slithering and hungry and wrong mingled in.

There are so many voices now clamoring inside her head…. Alyssa and Jefferson and Dana and Courtney and everyone, and they're all screaming, and her voice is screaming along with them, and she wants to fucking scream for real but she can't do anything except retch as—

I'd like to dedicate this prize to the memory of Kate Marsh...

She was the real "everyday hero" of Blackwell...

Her throat convulses around another hot wave of vomit, and it just goes on and on and on, forcing its way out her mouth and through her nose. And there's no way, there's just no way she could have this much left by now, but it just keeps coming. It feels like she's purging all the anger, fear, envy, and hatred that she's stored up inside of her all these years in a steady stream, her neck muscles bulging and some of the blood vessels in her eyes popping from the strain of it.

…

Finally, after what seems like an eternity… it stops. Victoria remains hovering over the bowl for several seconds, her whole body shaking and her eyes tightly shut as she waits for another wave to hit. When it doesn't, she raises her hand up to her nose to blow the remaining stinging, raunchy fluid out one nostril, and then the other. She flushes the toilet with a weak slap while standing on quaking legs, but doesn't open her eyes again until after she's escaped the stall and stumbled back over to the sinks once again, using the still running water to rinse and gargle and spit the foul taste from her mouth.

Hesitantly, Victoria peeks up at the mirror, and nearly cries out in relief when she sees that the phantom lipstick is gone. The voices in her head are gone now too, leaving her in blissful silence… but the panic and anxiety they brought along with them remains as strong as ever. She wants to tell herself that she's just losing it a bit, that the stress of the past couple days is finally getting to her, but… it just felt so real. It felt like she was there, wherever there was, with all those people shouting right into her ear.

Holding herself upright with her arms on either side of the sink, Victoria concentrates on what she can remember of the words that flew through her mind. She still can't make out everything those voices were saying… It was all going too fast, with one voice overlapping the other at times. But she caught enough to understand that it was mostly about Kate, and herself, and some kind of video, and…

Victoria freezes again, her eyes slowly rising upward to the ceiling almost of their own accord.

'It… it should have been me up there, not you.'

… and the roof.

Kate's words from a few minutes ago come rushing back to her, and Victoria suddenly sees them through new eyes. Horrified eyes.

'And now… and now I can move on.'

'I need you to remember, that none of this is your fault. This is something I have to do for me.'

'You're going to have an amazing life, Victoria Chase. I just know it. Don't… don't you forget about me, okay?'

Victoria's mouth goes dry as her heart begins to race once more. She knew it, when Kate was in her room asking about what she remembered, saying that it was time to move on. She knew she was missing something, something important. She was a fucking idiot for not hearing it before in the words Kate was using… as always, she was making it all about herself.

Kate was saying good-bye, but not to Victoria. She was saying good-bye to everything.

No… no no no no no NO NO NO NO! FUCK THAT!

Victoria shakes her head furiously, fear and anger crashing and merging together into fiery resolve. She'll be God damned if she's going to let Kate hurt herself, not after everything the girl has done for her. She absolutely refuses to let that happen.

Flinging the bathroom door open, Victoria sprints for the stairwell.

I won't let you… I won't…!

… She won't let Kate fall.

---

Girls' Dormitory - Rooftop

Victoria is breathless, her shoeless feet - clad only in the dirty, running tights she's been wearing since the night before - are bruised and bleeding in places as she charges up the last few hard stone steps to reach the roof access door. She doesn't care about the pain. She doesn't feel it at all. Only one thought repeats in her head like a mantra. Like a prayer.

Please don't let me be too late. Please…

When she at last pushes open the door and stumbles out onto the roof, her heart skips with relief. Kate Marsh stands about ten feet away, halfway between Victoria and the ledge, the wind whipping and tugging at her long, dirty-blonde locks. Her back is turned, head bowed and arms folded in front of her like she's holding her hands together in prayer.

She's here. Oh, thank Christ, she's still here.

For a split-second Victoria can't decide if she should call out to her or run to her, but just that quick, the choice is taken out of her hands. Because the moment her green eyes landed on Kate's back, the girl's body tenses up… her hair flailing to the side as she whips her head around to look over her shoulder.

When Kate's hazel eyes meet Victoria's, they go wide with surprise, recognition… and terror.

"Ka—"

Before the word is even out of her mouth, Kate turns and scrambles towards the roof's edge.

Victoria moves to chase her, to catch her before she can make it to the ledge, but after a single step the blood-slicked stocking on her right foot slips on the smooth tile, sending her crashing hard onto her hands and knees. All she can do is uselessly reach for the girl as she cries out "KATIE!", sure that she's about to watch the girl disappear from her life forever.

But somehow, by some miracle… Kate stops. At the sound of Victoria's voice shouting her name, she stops just three feet from the ledge. She's still facing away, but she isn't moving forward. Victoria will take that any day of the week.

Victoria winces as she unsteadily rises to her feet. She doesn't know why Kate is trying to do this… all she knows is that she has to stop her. She tries to summon the perfect words to coax the girl safely away from that ledge, but the panic has made her mind go blank.

Don't fuck this up, Vic! Say something. ANYTHING.

She says the first thing that pops into her head.

"So… what, are you trying to say the kiss was THAT bad?"

Victoria groans inwardly as soon as the words leave her mouth.

SOMETHING BETTER THAN THAT!

At the very least it causes Kate to turn, spinning around on her heel as she raises a hand to her lips, her face the very picture of shock.

"The… the kiss…?" She asks, breathlessly. Her eyes are wide with confusion, and trepidation and… and maybe some tiny sliver of hope. At least Victoria hopes that's what she sees, anyway.

"Y-yeah," she gulps, trying to ignore the fact that she is internally FREAKING THE FUCK OUT right now.

"I admit I don't remember it too well… but it seemed like a pretty good one to me. At the very least no one I've kissed in the past has ever lost their will to live, so…"

Kate's jaw drops open, her mouth working wordlessly for a few moments. When she does speak her voice is incredulous as she cries out "Are… Are you making fun of me right now!?"

"No! Shit, I'm sorry ok!" Victoria takes a hesitant step forward, but stops immediately when the motion causes Kate to step back. Instead she holds up her hands in placating fashion.

"I'm just really fucking nervous right now and I don't know what to say and… and I really just wanted to make you laugh…"

Kate's eyes soften only by the barest fraction, so Victoria tries a different tack.

"Look… I won't pretend I have any idea what's going on, but… whatever's bothering you, I swear we can fix it. Whatever it is, it isn't worth leaving your family, or your cute little bunny, or…"

Or me.

That does make the girl laugh, but it's a bitter one and very not like Kate Marsh. She rolls her eyes, raising a stiff hand to swiftly wipe away a pair of tears. There's a bite in her voice when she huffs "My family? Yeah, right. If my Mom or Aunt Marsh knew I was going to parties dressed like a… a… like this," she motions to her dress "… and kissing girls they'd probably push me off the roof themselves."

Anger flares up in Victoria at the sound of that, and she responds in the only way she knows how.

"Then… then FUCK your Mom!" Victoria growls. Kate jumps a bit at this, though whether it's the words she said or the ire with which she said them, Victoria's not sure.

"Fuck your Aunt too! If they can't get over the fact that you're a lesbian then you don't fucking need them!"

Kate looks down at her shoes, blushing furiously while she mumbles "I… I don't know for sure if I'm a… a…"

"Or bi! Or… or Katy Perry or whatever! Point is, the people in your life who really matter will accept you for who you are. What about those sweet little girls you showed me? I bet they want their big sister to be alive no matter who she kisses."

That definitely gives Kate pause, and Victoria can see the shame in her eyes at not having considered their feelings. When the girl glances away, Victoria takes another small step closer.

"Your friends too... I know Stella and Alyssa and Warren would miss you. And... And I would too. You missed it just now but I was trying to tell you through your door just how much I want... How much I need someone like you in my life."

Kate smiles that sweet, sad little smile, her tears flowing freely now.

"You... really did? You're not just saying that?"

Victoria nods, not even bothering to fight the pair of tears that are now slipping down her own cheeks. Seriously, how much saline can one body even have?

"I did..." she chuckles ruefully while wiping her face. "It was a pretty damn good speech too. The debate team can kiss my ass. Look, Kate... I know I'm a dipshit who can't see what's right in front of her face until it's too late, but... I think I'm finally getting there. So, please don't leave me here to wonder how different things would be if I stayed here with you last night... or in Mrs. Hoida's class... Or if I just went on that stupid fucking tea date with you. I don't... I don't think I can handle that."

Kate brings her hands up to her mouth as though she's fighting back a sob, and Victoria can clearly see that she wants to stay. She does. But... why are her eyes still so sad? Why doesn't she just come to her?

Victoria takes another step forward... but Kate steps back again, heart-stoppingly close to the ledge now. The girl could just about touch it if she reached out behind her.

"I can't..." Kate shakes her head, her voice weak and strained with emotion. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. It's... it's what God wants."

Victoria's jaw hangs open, her mouth working silently until she manages to find her words again.

"Kate... No... that's… that's bullshit! You're just... confused right now, ok? I know from experience how depression can trick you into thinking..."

"BUT IT'S TRUE!" Kate nearly shrieks, and seeing such anger for the first time from a girl so normally meek would have been enough to make Victoria jump back a few paces if she didn't steadfastly refuse to give up any ground right now.

"I've dreamt about this since I was thirteen years old! The same kind of dreams that showed me you were in danger... you can't tell me that wasn't real!"

"KATIE just listen to me!" Victoria pleads. She would drop to her knees and beg if she wasn't so terrified that she might have to sprint for the girl at any moment.

"Just... Just think about it, alright? In these dreams, did God or whatever actually tell you 'Hey Kate, I'd really like it if you'd kill yourself, kthxbye'?"

Victoria regrets the glibness of her words almost immediately upon seeing Kate's eyes narrow, and something akin to disappointment crossing her face for the first time she's aware of.

Now, Victoria is no stranger to being the source of disappointment. She's seen Jefferson give her and her work that look often enough, and it's pretty much her natural state of being when it comes to her relationship with her parents. Hell, she's been disappointed with herself at least once a day, if not more, for as long as she can remember.

But to see it in Kate's eyes sucks a thousand times worse.

"This... this is all a big freaking joke to you, isn't it?"

"No, Kate, I—"

"Just 'Creepy' Kate Marsh being dramatic again, right?"

"Please just—"

"Even after…" Kate sniffles miserably. "Even after I—"

"I FUCKING BELIEVE YOU, OK?!"

Victoria didn't mean to allow as much bite into her voice as she did, but she is so far out of her depth here. She doesn't know what she's supposed to say, how to act. Victoria doesn't know if the girl needs a therapist or an exorcist more right now. She feels like Kate is drowning, and she's diving headfirst into the water to save her but she didn't think to bring a life vest, and by the way Victoria never learned to swim either.

Thankfully her outburst managed to shock Kate into silence for a few seconds, some of the resentment at having her faith question draining from her face. So, Victoria presses on.

"Christ! Trust me, I know how much of a heinous bitch I've been to you... I fucking hate myself for it! And if you hate me too... I understand. I deserve it."

A look of anguish passes over Kate, as she stammers "N-no, Vic-Victoria I c-could never-"

But Victoria steamrolls right over her, terrified of letting go of the advantage while she has it.

"I believe you because… I've been dealing with shit I can't explain, too. That's… that's how I knew to come up here. And that's why I think you're wrong..."

It's Kate's turn to work her mouth wordlessly for a few moments. "I don't… I don't understand…"

"I don't either, Katie… but the voices I've been hearing in my head? They were talking about you. They're always about you. So, either we're both going schizo, or… or God or the universe or whatever sent me up here to stop you. To save you… like you saved me."

"But what if YOU'RE wrong?" Kate cries, the turmoil flowing and billowing out of her like a sea of boiling water. "What If this is a test of faith… What if I fail AGAIN and something terrible happens to you… Victoria, I CAN'T take that chance, I CAN'T!"

If something happens to… me?

All the lightbulbs in the fucking lightbulb factory go off at once.

Of course, Of fucking course it's about her. It didn't make sense why she was so committed to the idea of killing herself, why Victoria was having so much trouble getting through to her after everything they've shared, everything they've been through. Somehow, Kate believes she's responsible for Nathan trying to hurt her. Kate believes that if she doesn't die, Victoria will.

SHIT!

Even in Kate's dreams Victoria somehow manages to find a way to make her want to hurt herself.

No. NO. FUCK THAT. FUCK—

"Then… FUCK God!" Victoria shouts, not even bothering to keep the fury in check any longer. Kate's face goes white.

"If He really is that much of a sadistic fucking asshole then He can GO FUCK HIMSELF. And if He has a problem with that, He can come down here and say it to my FUCKING FACE so I can smack His bitch-ass down myself for doing this to you!"

If Kate was shocked before, she's absolutely dumbfounded now. Victoria can almost see the Blue Screen of Death floating around behind her eyes. ' :( Your Katie ran into a problem and needs to restart.'

Victoria can barely catch her breath. Her heart is racing, and she's broken out into a cold sweat from the panic coursing through her veins. If she hadn't already puked her guts out earlier, she'd probably be projectile vomiting from here all the way to Kate's shoes.

She knows that if there was ever a time to convince Kate to step away from that ledge, it's now. But she doesn't know how. How the hell is she supposed to talk someone out of a religious belief they've held onto so strongly for years? Victoria's not a therapist OR an exorcist. She's not qualified for this shit.

What the fuck am I supposed to DO?!

…

Do what you do best, dipshit.

You're a ruthless fucking bitch. Find a weakness…

… and exploit it.

So, what's Kate's weakness? What's the one thing she thinks about? Cares about?

What she obsesses over so much that she can't play violin. Can't study. Can't sleep.

…

Me.

If Kate thinks she can sacrifice herself for her worthless ass, Victoria sure as shit isn't gonna make it easy on her.

Victoria's eyes harden. Her jaw sets. Her lips compress into thin white lines.

"You know, Katie… I'm still really fucking pissed at you" she practically growls.

This draws the dirty blonde out of her stupor, her face beginning to reflect some of the panic that Victoria feels.

"Wh… why?" Kate stutters, her voice anxious, confused.

Just the way Victoria wants her.

Time for the low fucking blow.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Victoria glowers, pausing just long enough to angrily wipe the tears from her own eyes. "You were there, at the party, all glammed up… watching me all goddamn night…"

Emeralds sharp enough to cut glass meet soft, shimmering hazel as Victoria channels every ounce of sadness and grief over the month what could have been into her voice.

"… and you didn't even ask me for one dance?"

…

It takes a few beats for the girl's mind to catch up to Victoria's words. But when it does, Kate's face crumples.

"I wanted to…!" She wails, her face a mess of pain and tears and the remnants of last night's make-up.

"I wanted to so much…!"

Victoria's chin quivers, her tears flowing to match Kate's own. She desperately holds onto the last shreds of anger within her as she holds her right hand out to Kate, fingers splayed invitingly. Challengingly.

"Then prove it."

Kate's gaze drops to the empty space between them, her eyes filled with terror as though she expects the roof tiles to turn into boiling lava at any second.

"I can't…" she pleads. "I can't…"

Victoria is close enough that she could probably close the distance and grab hold of Kate if she is quick enough. And she'll do it, if she has too… even if it means she goes over the ledge with her. But Victoria really wants Kate to make this choice. Needs Kate to make this choice.

The choice to stay with her.

Victoria's breath starts to hitch, drawing Kate's eyes back to her own. Only through sheer force of will does she manage to control her emotions well enough to speak.

"You… you said you'd n-never leave me. You promised. Was… was that all a lie?"

"No…!" Kate moans. "No, I don't want to—"

"THEN FUCKING PROVE IT!" Victoria sobs.

She doesn't know exactly what she wants from this crazy, brave, weird, tenacious, damaged, ferocious, beautiful girl in front of her. Her head's too fucked up from trauma and break-ups and druggings and betrayal to think that far ahead.

All Victoria knows for sure is that she doesn't want her to go.

She holds her left hand out to match her right as though inviting Kate into an embrace. And though her lips are trembling and her eyes are shining with tears, Victoria smiles. It's a rare smile that hides behind no armor. No walls. No bullshit. It's a smile that tells Kate how happy she'd make her if only she chooses to stay by her side.

Victoria stops breathing, her heart stops beating, as Kate holds both hands to her mouth, her entire body quivering as she shifts her anguished, hopeful stare from Victoria to the roof tiles and back again.

…

Finally, Kate closes her eyes… and takes one hesitant, shaky step forward.

When her foot lands solidly on the tile in front of her, her eyes shoot back open. And suddenly, there's no more conflict within them. No more fear. All that blazes within those mesmerizing hazel eyes are relief, devotion, and joy. The joy of bearing witness to a miracle. The joy of a dream come true.

Kate unleashes a sobbing cry of pure exultation as she runs to Victoria, burying her face in the taller girl's neck as she practically flings herself into her arms. The force of their bodies colliding spins them around, nearly threatening to topple the both of them over.

But Victoria keeps her balance.

Victoria holds on tight.

Victoria doesn't let Kate fall.

---

God only knows how long Kate and Victoria stood on that rooftop, bawling into each other's necks as they clung tightly to one another. Each moving their hands over the other's back as though desperate to make sure that they're really there. That Victoria isn't a figment of Kate's imagination. That Kate is fucking alive.

At some point Victoria's legs gave out and she sagged to her knees, not caring that she pulled Kate down with her because she sure as shit wasn't about to let her go. Her voice was a unique mixture of anger, relief, and elation as she growls into the girl's ear.

"You can't fucking do that… don't you ever scare me like that again…"

"I won't…" Kate sobs. "I won't... I promise…"

They blubber at each other, there on their knees under the midday sun, matting each other's hair and shoulders with a lovely mixture of snot and tears. Victoria alternating between threatening Kate and telling her everything will be ok. Kate swearing she'll stay, that she won't leave her.

Victoria is sure they would look like a couple of blithering lunatics to anyone who might pop up here for a smoke, but she doesn't care. The whole of Arcadia Bay can line up to kiss her fine ass if they want: Kate is ok. They're both alive... and after the week they've had, that's saying a whole fucking lot.

Now that they've reached a point where their wails and frantic words have cooled into sniffles and questioning glances, Victoria finally disengages to stand up, futilely brushing at her increasingly filthy clothes in the process. Still on her knees, Kate looks up at her with a mixture of awe and trepidation. Like she can't believe this is really happening. Like she has no idea what comes next.

Victoria doesn't either. But there is one thing she'd really like to do, so she figures they can start there. Offering her hand to Kate once more, she raises an eyebrow then asks:

"So… how about that dance?"

Kate blushes furiously, looking down at her own disheveled clothing at the same time she reaches up to touch at her face as though feeling for her make-up.

"Whuh… y-you mean here? Now?" she asks, suddenly nervous.

Victoria smiles down at her. "Yeah… I mean we're both still dressed for the party, right? And you did say you'd prove you wanted to, so… why wait?"

Kate's hands grip tightly to the hem of her dress as she frets "B-but… there's no music…"

Victoria smirks and pulls out her phone, waggling it demonstratively.

"Oh, maybe the news hasn't made it all the way to Amish country yet, but they make these magic boxes now called "cellphones". They let you watch movies and play music whenever you want! Hell, I've even got Pornhub on this bad boy!"

Kate's blush deepens as she bites her lip, but when she meets Victoria's gaze, her hazel eyes are so full of insecurity and self-doubt that it makes the short-haired blonde's heart ache. Victoria knows those feelings all too well.

"You… really want to?" Kate asks. "W-with me?"

Victoria doesn't flinch from those eyes when she sincerely answers "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather dance with right now."

Kate's resulting smile is small, and sweet, and tremulous. Another tear runs down her cheek as she finally takes Victoria's hand, eagerness winning out over her nerves.

After helping her up, Victoria scrolls through her playlist in search of the perfect song. When her eyes settle on one, she can't help but grin deviously while pressing play.

Kate's brow furrows in confusion as the fast-paced, thumping base starts to blare through the phone speakers. Her eyes narrow suspiciously, however, when the vocals kick in.

'I like big butts and I cannot lie'

'You other brothers can't deny…'

The girl gives Victoria an eye roll, tilting her head with her mouth stretching into a half-frown as though silently asking 'Really?'

"Whaaaat?" Victoria asks, mock-innocently. "My anaconda really don't want none unless…"

"I think I've changed my mind." Kate huffs with mock annoyance as she starts strolling back toward the ledge.

"WHOA, the fuck?! I'm stopping it, ok, calm down!" Victoria jams at her phone, before giving the girl an irritated pout.

"God damn, you've never heard the phrase, 'too soon?'"

Kate grins sheepishly as she turns, giggling and practically skipping back over.

Victoria shakes her head as she scrolls, grumbling. "Ugh, what the hell am I getting myself into? I don't think I know how to deal with a Kate Marsh who's got jokes."

Finally selecting a song, for real this time, Victoria bends down to set her phone on the ground as a soft piano melody begins to play. But when she meets Kate's gaze once again, her breath catches in her throat at the look of honest, intense yearning in the girl's eyes.

She… she still doesn't understand what she ever did to deserve being stared at like that, especially by Kate. Her pulse quickens as her own nerves begin to kick in, and she has to suppress the urge to look away. Victoria has hidden to protect feelings, both Kate's and her own, for so long… for too long. Whatever this is… she doesn't want to hide from it anymore.

'Time is gonna take my mind'

'And carry it far away where I can fly...'

Victoria's uncharacteristically hesitant grin is met by Kate's shy smile as the green-eyed blond holds out an inviting hand.

Kate's hand trembles as her fingers interlace with Victoria's. The shorter girl puts her other hand on Victoria's shoulder, while her partner rests hers on Kate's sequined hip. Slowly they begin to sway side to side, in perfect time to the hauntingly bittersweet music.

Standing this close, feeling the warmth radiating off the tiny girl in front of her, Victoria is finally beginning to understand what some of her favorite fanfics mean when they describe things like 'the world falling away around them'. On some level, she understands that they're still standing on the very roof where Kate was going to try to end her life. That the trauma of what she's gone through this week with Max and especially Nathan is still there, will still need to be dealt with. But looking into Kate's eyes, those fucking gleaming hazel eyes… none of it seems to matter.

'But I put my arms around you... around you

and I hope that I can do no wrong'

Victoria let's go of Kate's hand to pull her in closer as they spin in slow circles, both of her own hands meeting at the small of the girl's back. Kate's gaze never leaves her for a moment… she barely even blinks as she searches Victoria's green eyes with her own.

Finally, Kate raises up on her feet a little so that she can rest her head on Victoria's shoulder. She can feel the girl trembling in her arms as she asks in a voice so quiet it can barely qualify as a whisper:

"What… what does this mean…? For… for us…"

The fragile hope in Kate's voice summons tears to Victoria's eyes yet again, and she rests her cheek in the girl's hair while contemplating her question.

"I… I don't know. Not for sure…" she answers honestly, and she can feel a slight tensing in her dance partner's shoulders at the words. Victoria swallows hard, before she continues.

"I'm scared… I'm always scared, but I think what scares me the most is the thought of actually finding something real. Because… I'm afraid that I'll mess it up. That I'll hurt you. And that losing it would be worse than never having it at all."

'My eyes are on you... they're on you

And I hope that you won't hurt me'

She pulls away enough to prompt Kate to look up at her again, and Victoria reaches up to brush a long strand of honey-colored hair from the girl's face. "But… I don't want to be scared anymore. I… I want to see where this goes."

Kate bites her lip as she nods, the sunlight glistening off her damp cheeks.

Victoria's chin quivers, her voice creaking as she stares into those eyes. "You've been so patient with me… I… I hope you don't mind waiting just a little longer for me to figure things out."

"Oh, Victoria…" Kate whispers through her tears, reaching up to caress her cheek with those delicate little fingers. "I would wait my whole life for you."

The sound that draws from Victoria's mouth is somewhere between a laugh and a happy little sob. Smiling tenderly, she grabs Kate's hand and raises it over head, prompting the girl to give her a spin. Kate laughs delightedly as she complies, her hair fluttering in the breeze as she turns. When she makes her way back into Victoria's arms, the smile Kate gives her is so wide, so brilliant, that for a moment it seems as though the birds are singing just for the two of them. It seems that the light of the midday sun that shines down upon them is suddenly softer, warmer... enveloping the girls and their surroundings in an almost magical glow.

It's the kind of moment that Victoria, both the photographer and the romantic, would die to capture. But even more than that, it's the kind of rare, shining moment when she honestly feels happy to be alive.

"I'm sorry…" Victoria breathes. "I feel like I've wasted so much time already…"

"It's okay, Victoria…" Kate speaks her name so reverently it almost sounds like a prayer. "We have all the time in the world."

'My eyes... they're on you...'

Victoria thought she'd missed her chance during that fateful golden hour two days prior, when all her carefully laid plans to win Max's heart abruptly came to naught. But here on this rooftop, with her skin soaking up the heat that radiates off the small girl in her arms, with the intoxicating aroma of sweat and lavender filling her nostrils and making her head spin, Victoria begins to realize that maybe her perfect moment is not about a particular time of day, or a meticulously executed plot. That Victoria's golden hour is all about finding the right person... and, perhaps, that person has been right in front of her all along.

'They're on you...'

And as they dance, Victoria can feel herself getting lost in those gorgeous hazel eyes… the eyes from Victoria's dream. They're eyes that burn like a gentle flame, offering shelter from the raging storm that is Victoria's life. Eyes that twinkle like the stars, mysterious and infinite in the possibilities they offer. Eyes that shine like the morning sun, offering the gentle promise of a new day. A good day…

'They're on... you...'

And while the music from her phone serenades them, while Kate clings tightly to her, while Victoria lets herself get lost in those eyes… she knows she's ready. Ready for whatever that new day may bring.

'My eyes...'

---

A/N: If you would like to check out some lovely artwork of this ending scene, head over to the same chapter on AO3! I will link/embed it here if I ever figure out how. :p