The way you smiled. The way you held her hand.

The way she held your hand. It was enough to drown in---that envy I felt.

She gave me such a nasty look today; I think she noticed how I kept staring.

Staring at you...

With a greedy look in her eyes, she grinned, her teeth insultingly white as they glared at me. She likes to fawn over you, like a trophy. You don't mind, do you? Of course not.

I decided to go take a break outside, which meant, the only outside Superjail really had. (It's hard to explain, Superjail has a weird reality within it.)

Have you ever felt like life was fake? I looked at the immense sky---so big it broke my soul, and at clouds that looked like dirty fingerprints, cascading slowly until the white was a dirty black, like an artist in a 'good mood turned bad' painted it, birds zooming like bullets across the white of it. I wanted a cigarette bad, hell, I would have taken anything anyone would have given me at that point.

That thought gave me chills. I had reverted to being addicted to unhappiness, and at that moment, I felt ---

As fake as that sky.

--

I was wondering how you and her met, and--it was kind of funny, heh, I mean, you two were pretty funny about it when you told me. You both kept interrupting each other and laughing and---

You snort when you laugh too hard, you know.

When I heard that---I felt a tug inside---and I wanted to keep you all to myself.

And while I was smiling at the absurd story, smiling at your unabashed snort---inside---I was red hot---musty---and I couldn't really catch my breath.

You stopped for a moment to catch your own breath, slapping your knee as you coughed, probably from laughing so much---

And you looked at me. I felt something between us suddenly, and whether I was crazy or not, it was something oddly true, but fleeting. My self-control extinguished and suddenly I felt dizzy, hot tears roll over my clammy skin, and I hated myself for not getting out of there sooner.

I angrily wiped the hot salt away, coughing a little. I didn't know I'd cry, for god sakes.

Your brow raised and you looked concerned. "Ja-Jared, are you okay? You don't look too hot." You said in a focused accent, out of place from the previous scenery.

I was about to nod until I heard, "Does he ever?" Faryn said in a quiet sarcasm, your eyes looking at me, then her. You chuckled lightly, and I couldn't tell if you were laughing at me, or just because a joke is a joke. I don't know.

It seemed a little forced.

But then you stopped as I wiped the accumulating sweat on my face, wheezing, everything about this moment intensifying inside of me. I wanted to die, I really did.

"He looks like shit." Your voice was small. Or maybe I felt small.

Tipping on the balls of my feet... I leaned against the nearest wall.

"No worse than that mannish security guard does." Faryn practically growled, still in monotone, a little smile hidden on those lips.

I brightened a little at that---no way in HELL you would let that one fly.

You did a double take, and your eyes lowered into little slits. "You did nauught just say that about Alice." I could see something close to anger swelling in your wiggling fingers. Then---she touched your neck with a single sleek touch, and somehow, everything seemed okay again.

What the hell?

"Oh, Warden, you do know I was just messing with you." I saw her trailing her other fingers along your thigh-------and I almost puked by that tone---it was seductive...horrible.

You sighed and pulled her closer.

And then the most horrific thing happened---I saw it.

Not 'it' as in Alice--- I saw her as it really was.

It was just a glimpse, but it was more than enough to make a horrible dream become a real life nightmare...

The Twins.

She's one of the Twins.

My knees buckled as I fell over in a daze; still fresh in my mind, that smile of his. And when I woke up, I was in Superjail's sick ward.

I just knew it!

I knew it was the Twins!

God damn it!

--

The sickness reeks in every wall and crevice of Superjail.

I feel it.

I smell it, a sickly, tainted ooze.

It's not colorful---it's not at all, in any way, who you are and what everything used to be.

That thing is draining you.

At the 'Super' Sick Ward, you looked worried, and I was glad you were alone. I would be in a coma if she had come along.

"Ya know, Jarred, if you died, I would have no idea where to start on that tax evasion thing." You clicked your tongue and leaned close to my face comically. "It'd be pretty sad. You know, me with money."

....I obviously didn't say anything, but you were off, not yourself. I should have realized that...that...you just weren't you at this point. And not just from this incident....

I looked at you funny for a second, a little freaked from the comment of money and death, and though it felt close to hitting home, I shrugged. I felt an urgency, like this was a rare moment to talk to him like this, in private, and nothing could or should distract me. "Uh, sir, I need to talk to you--"

"Is it about the bunny shrine?" Your eyes blew up like miniature fire crackers as you said it, your tongue licking the side of your lip.

"Na-no sir, it's about...about..." I couldn't. He eyed me, interested, and I gave in. I was caving, and I knew I had to tell him.

"That woman is not who you think she is! She's one of the Twins! Its the Twins!" I said frantically, wanting to reach over and pull him toward me, not wanting to see his face. "I don't know their plan, but I know--I know--"

"You know whhhat?" A hiss.

A chuckle. Low. Monotone.

"That you love me?" I shrank back--screaming silently. This wasn't the Warden--this wasn't you at all. It looked like you, sure, but it wasn't.

"Ha-how do you kno--"

"You are easy to read." Your bright features melted into one of the Twins. The other one popped out of no where, making my bones melt and my voice still.

"Yes. Very easy." The other one said with a wry expression.

"You will not,"

"Tell the Warden anything." They were smiling identical grins, voices in tune, toneless and strange.

"Or we will tell him." They said together. "Everything."

"We know about you."

I found my voice, and it surprised me how strong it was.

"What do you want with him!"

They exchanged looks and grinned.

Then--they disappeared.

--

The sickness reeks everywhere.

I am going to talk to him--I don't care what the Twins say.

But I have to be careful.

If I don't--

I may just disappear.