Hello, dear readers! I present to you continuation of my fanfic :D
English is not my native language, but I tried to make the translation high-quality and enjoyable to read. If you notice any mistakes, I will be happy to hear about them and correct them.
Also, my native language uses different rules of direct and indirect speech than English, but I softened the edges as much as possible. I hope this will not prevent you from reading my work :D
Enjoy your reading!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Loud House or any of its characters. They belong to their rightfull owner. All characters in this fanfic are 16 years of age or older, and the events take place after the main series.
Look for a reference to another great cartoon fandom, friends. Look for...
What is freedom? For some, freedom means independence from others; for others, it is the ability to pursue their passions and have a loving family; and for some, it is immense wealth and untold riches. Of course, this is all freedom, but it is subjective freedom. And what is freedom in the general sense of the word? Oddly enough, the answer will be very simple – life. Yeah, life itself is the purest form of freedom. The opportunity to breathe fresh air, look at this world, feel it with your skin. Isn't it wonderful?
– No, it is not wonderful, – a hoarse voice was heard.
Luan Loud was teetering on the edge of life and death when she suddenly heard a suspiciously familiar voice. There is impenetrable darkness around, nothing can be seen, so only hearing can help here. But, even listening to the darkness, nothing comes out. The sounds do not come together, but seem to hover chaotically in her head, making up only an indistinct noise and hammering at her mind.
– Am I... still alive? – Luan asked timidly, to which she received a caustic and exhaustive answer:
– How should I know? I am you, have you forgotten?
Of course, now everything fell into place. Luan almost instantly understood why this voice seemed incredibly familiar to her. A grimace of horror surfaced on the girl's face, and although it was impossible to see, her teeth betrayed fear and chattered treacherously.
– Oh no... It's you...
– Well, finally, – the void said mockingly, its voice echoing in Luan's head.
– But h-h-how... you dis-disappeared...
Suddenly a small light lit up in the endless darkness and Luan saw a dark silhouette. She immediately recognized the mime's outline and tried to jump back, but only at that moment did she realize that she was hanging in the air. There was no floor beneath her, no ceiling visible above, and there was nothing around at all except for a frightening and gloomy darkness. Only a small patch of light illuminated the figure of the villainous girl, who did not even move.
– Yeah, I thought you were smarter, and that you could be relied on. Did you seriously think that you got rid of me? Poor girl...
The mime's ghost approached Luan, who was ready to die of fear. A bloody hand touched the joker's tender cheek, leaving a bright mark on it, and empty black eyes looked straight into her soul.
– It's simple: as long as you exist, I exist. We are inseparable, sister, – the mime whispered and instantly appeared behind the trembling Luan, – I am in your head, you can't kick me out of there. But you can't live without me.
Laughing loudly, the mime's figure with the only source of any light began to move away from Luan, who was overcome by a terrible cold and shiver. For a second, the silhouette stopped and looked back at the poor girl.
– And what's the point of lying – you could never live without me, – the ghost snorted before turning away and continuing on his way in an unknown direction.
– This is a lie! I've managed without you my whole life! And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here! – Luan screamed unexpectedly for herself.
The mime suddenly stopped and looked back at the girl. Apparently, she didn't expect such abruptness, and she was even a little surprised by such a reaction at first. However, after a couple of seconds, the villainess's figure raised an eyebrow and smirked.
– Really? You managed without me? And that's why you're now floating in the dark with a complete lack of understanding of your condition and your limbs cut up, right? – the voice of the dark silhouette sounded, pointing at Luan's hands. They were mercilessly mutilated, deep and long wounds seemed very fresh as if they had been left a couple of minutes ago, and there were copious traces of blood on the hands themselves.
– You made me do this! This is all because of you! I'll get out of here, and you'll disappear from my head forever!
– And why are you so sure that you'll get out of here? – the mime asked curiously, sharply approaching Luan and asking questions almost directly into her face. – Now you're trapped, and nothing here depends on you. You don't even know if they're trying to save you, if your family took you to the hospital or if they left you to die in the bathroom, – the mime pressed the girl.
The last words cut into Luan's head hard, they began to rush from side to side, not calming down. The girl did not want to think about it, but it was harder to say than to do. And really – what if they just left her lying in the bathroom, where they found her? What if no one thought to help the joker? "No, no, it's not true, it's not like that!" – Luan screamed inside herself, but calming down and believing it was much more difficult than it seemed.
– You can think whatever you want, it's useless, – the mime's voice sounded, already calmed down, – here and now you are as helpless as I am.
Slowly but surely, panic gripped the girl, there was nowhere to hide, it was impossible to escape, it was impossible to close herself off from thoughts either. It seemed that the darkness would swallow the unfortunate comedian any second, the flow of thoughts would break off and everything would end...
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
"What... what is that s-s-sound?" – Luan thought, gradually realizing what was happening.
A sudden pain in her chest made the girl curl up and twist her face into a terrifying grimace. If she hadn't been floating in the void, her legs would have definitely buckled, and her body would have collapsed to the floor and flowed helplessly.
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*
– That's the sound of the heart monitor, you idiot, – the figure of the dark part of Luan's consciousness drawled, once again emerging from the impenetrable darkness. – And, on the one hand, this is good news for you - you're clearly in the hospital and your family hasn't abandoned you to die. Now for the bad news – judging by the sound, a straight line is now showing on the screen of this wonderful device, and your body is shaking as if you were in the center of a hurricane, – the mime continued, carefully examining the twisted Luan.
The half-dead joker writhed in pain, tried to scream, but nothing worked – the frightening darkness muffled all sounds, and Luan could scream with great difficulty.
– Hmmm, they really are trying to revive you. Interesting, very interesting, – the dark figure did not calm down. – Well, I'm curious to see if they can do something.
The darkness around began to flicker with bright flashes, the pain in Luan's chest sometimes subsided, then rolled in again with new force, and her deep consciousness began to disappear.
– I will live... I will be able to get out... and I will get rid of you, bitch, – Luan babbled before completely dissolving into space from powerlessness.
– How self-critical, sister. Have you completely forgotten that I am you? – the dark silhouette laughed. – Soon everything will become clear – will we live together or was it not in vain that I convinced you of your worthlessness. And believe me – if you survive, then everything you care about will change.
The mime's figure lit up with a bright white light, his hands flared up with a blue flame, and his eyes lit up with yellow spotlights.
– Until then, I'll be watching you. I'll be watching you.
The last thing Luan heard pierced her to the very bones. Consciousness completely dissolved, at the very last moment she saw that very silhouette with burning eyes and hands, after which everything stopped. It seemed that it stopped forever.
…
…
…
*Beep*
…
The ringing silence, occasionally broken by the beeping of devices and sensors, lay like a heavy burden on the ears of the girl lying in the ward. It seemed like the sounds of the equipment were quiet, and the silence lately was generally a gift, but now everything was different. The silent atmosphere was comparable to a bunch of jackhammers working right next to the bed. It was as if her skull was being drilled with a drill, her whole body ached, and her eyes did not want to open. "Am I... a-alive?" – Luan asked herself, but there was no answer. Her eyelids treacherously did not rise, and her body did not want to move. "I have to wake up. I have to open my eyes," – the voice of reason sounded more confident, but this did not add strength. Having collected her thoughts, Luan slowly opened her eyes, which were immediately hit by a bright white light, and her head began to buzz with renewed vigor. Her hands twitched slightly from such pain, and Luan, clenching her teeth and hissing through them, languidly exhaled, closing her eyelids again. "Ouch, why does it hurt so much," – was the only thing Luan could think before her thoughts were interrupted by an unknown voice.
– Luan? Are you awake?
The girl's heart skipped a few beats, her body trembled with fear, and that terrible voice rang in her head. "No, no, no! Just not her, please!" – Luan thought feverishly, afraid to open her eyes. In this state, the last thing she wanted was to fight her inner monster again. Having calmed down a little, the girl opened her eyes again, and the fear instantly went away – through the light of the lamps, she recognized the outlines of a hospital room in which there was only her and an unfamiliar guy in a crystal white robe.
– Luan, are you okay? How do you feel? – asked the stranger, approaching the bed and slowly examining the figure on it.
– I'm... okay. Fine. More or less, – the girl babbled quietly. – And who are you? And how do you know my name?
The guy smiled slightly, as if he was prepared for such questions, and pointed his finger at the badge attached to the breast pocket of his robe.
– My name is Benjamin Stein, and I am your attending physician's assistant for the duration of your stay at our hospital. You can just call me Benny, – the guy finished his introduction with some ease.
– Okay, th-thank you, – Luan said, carefully looking at her new acquaintance and trying to understand whether she could trust him or whether this was another joke of her mind.
The guy looked nice and very tired. His thick brown hair was a little disheveled, and under his robe was a white and blue shirt with a neat collar. Suddenly he looked at the bedside table, as if he remembered something, walked up to it and picked up a few pieces of paper and a tablet with some medical documents and reports. After quickly studying them, he spoke again:
– Your condition has almost stabilized, but you are still very weak, and your body needs a lot of time to recover, – said Benny, moving his gaze from the papers in his hands to Luan and back. – I will monitor you and your well-being until you fully recover. But we still need to discuss something, Luan. Something very important that I could not find out while you were unconscious. We will talk, I will pass everything on to your attending doctor, and we will work with you together, – the guy said quietly and cautiously, putting all the papers and documents back on the table.
– B-Benny... can I ask a question? – Luan asked timidly.
– Yeah, of course, what are you interested in?
– My family... are they h-here? – Luan whispered, cowering in place.
The boy in the doctor's coat had expected such a question, but was still a little thrown off. After looking into the girl's dark eyes for a few seconds, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
– It's the middle of the night, Luan, so no, they're not here now. But they've been here for several days almost non-stop and they really asked me to call them when you come to your senses. That's what I'll do, but after I talk to you. It's much more important now, believe me.
Tears came to Luan's eyes – whether they were tears of joy or tears of shame was unclear, but it didn't matter now. The main thing was that she woke up, that her family hadn't abandoned her. And she still hadn't heard the voices in her head since she woke up. Maybe the worst was behind her? Nobody knows. Only one thing is clear – now she's going to have a difficult and painful conversation with Benny. There's a lot to find out, a lot to tell.
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
Only the heart monitor next to the bed quietly beeped, reminding that just recently it had shown a straight line.
"Hmm, interesting. Well, the game has begun."
Hello again everyone :D
Unexpected, huh? Now a simple and tragic fanfic has a plot. I think I have enough fantasy and imagination to finish it :D
I hope many noticed the reference to another WONDERFUL cartoon series, whoever found it - cookies for him🍪🍪🍪
I will wait for your comments and reviews!
See you in our Loud House!