Let The Madness Begin

Chapter 35

Cliff's POV

Monica pressed a finger to her lips shushing me, then she waved a hand telling to come close. I don't know why but I situated myself next to her body on the floor.

"Monica?" I called her name gently but she gave me no response and kept singing to the mutilated stuffed animal.

"Hey? Are you okay?" I was ignored once more.

"Did you know that when you die in your sleep, it actually means a new beginning in your life?" Monica spoke suddenly as she caressed the toy. I gave her no response and waited for her to continue.

"I feel like I've experienced death so many times in my life that it doesn't feel new anymore." I kept my gaze on her, Monica suddenly became still.

"Cliff, I don't think I belong here anymore..." She faced me with a scrutinized face, tears streaming down her face, her mucus running down from her nose.

"What are you talking about?" I was so confused.

She wailed and bawled, Monica was sobbing and weeping so much it was hard to comprehend her speech. She held on to the toy as she let her tears soak on the plush, it was a pitiful sight to see.

"I'm not me anymore. I don't think I can keep running away from my reality, it's too painful for me." Monica was able to dim it down and speak carefully.

I reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, she was shaking so badly. From her shoulder, to her neck until my hand gently landed on her cheek, I looked in to Jordan's eyes. I pray to God that I can see Monica's eyes again but I know it will be impossible. She seemed to have realized this and slapped my hand away and jumped back away from me.

"Stop! I'm not the same Monica anymore Cliff! I'm fucked up! And this fucking shit will never ever be normal." She yelled at me, her fists clenching so hard that her hand started bleeding.

My eyes never strayed away from her quivering self, this is the most vulnerable I've seen of Monica. She's absolutely shaken up. And I want to help her but I know for a fact and based on experience, that she won't listen.

"Do you know how I became normal again?" I spoke so suddenly making her look at my now standing position.

"It's you. It was all because of you." I admitted, taking a step closer to her.

"Remember back when we had to stay in that hotel? I told you that you make me sane and you keep me grounded? You still do." Every time I spoke, I took a step towards her until we were only inches away from each other.

"These past months, I've longed to see you everyday. I missed you. You cared for me when the whole world was pushing me away." I caressed her cheek with both my hands as tears streamed down from her eyes.

"From the moment I saw you at the institute, I felt attracted to you, I knew you were hiding something and when I found out what it was, it attracted me even more to you." I gently kissed her forehead.

"You may not be the same Monica. You may be Monica inside Jordan's body, but you're still the Monica that saw me as a person instead of an animal. And because of that I love you." I saw her eyes widen at my sudden confession, she seemed to be as shock as I am at what I said.

"I've been denying it at first, but now I know. It's because I love you, you're the greatest medicine I recieved. You're the only medicine that worked, you're my love." I kissed every single part of her face, from her nose, to her eyes, to her cheeks, I kissed them all.

She out fresh tears at my confession, she was shocked and happy at the same time. I can see it in her eyes, Monica's expressing all sort of emotion on her eyes. She sobbed and sighed out, she tried to hide her face away from me but I held her still, preventing her from turning away from me.

"How can you make sure that your feelings won't change? That you'll still love me even if I do revert back to the other me? How can I be sure that you'll stay?" She asked hesitantly, her voice shaking.

"You can never have any assurance that I'll stay with you. But I promise with all my heart, that you'll be the only one in my heart." I admitted.

Monica was silent for several minutes, her eyes hollow and expressionless, then she began laughing maniacally. I kept my straight face and looked at her with all seriousness that I can. She was laughing as she was crying, she was slowly losing her mind.

"You love me?! I don't fucking believe you!" Monica yelled furiously at me, she was obviously enraged now.

She punched me in the nose, making me break away from her to hold my now severely bleeding nose with a single hand. I wiped away all the excess blood leaking down but to no avail. She was crying again now, Monica was shocked by her actions and tried to step away from me.

"I-I'm sorry!" She apologized shakingly.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not." I looked straight in her eyes as she said those words to me.

"Cliff, I'll just keep hurting you. And father and Danielle and everybody around me." She riddled ever so slowly.

"What are you trying to say?" I feared her answer but held my composure.

"Cliff, please take me back." Monica begged.

I knew from there where she wanted to go, and that's something I will never do, no matter how much she begs and asks me.

"No. I won't." I said firmly.

"Cliff, please! Maybe if I'm there, I'll have chance to-" She insited.

"Stop Monica!" I saw her visibly flinch, "Those people are the reason why you became like this in the first place! Why would you want to go back?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It's somewhere I can finally belong."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!" She yelled back.

"Being out here in the real world will never be the same for me. While you and my family live your lives, I'm here in this house, stuck for the rest of my life." She explained, her eyes gazing on her feet.

"Monica, if you go there, you'll still suffer."

"At least it's the type of suffering that I can surely handle." She made up her mind, I'm positive I can't stop her now so I have no choice.

"Fine, I'll take you to that scummy asylum," her eyes lighted up at my words, it was very much obvious she was happy. "But. On one condition."

"What?"

"I'm coming with you." I smirked at her appalled reaction.

"But you're not crazy anymore."

"And so are you." I stepped closer to her once more, "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am."

Her eyes softened briefly, she leaned close to me and gave me a kiss on my lips. I reciprocated the action and we had our lips locked for a full minutes. But we had to break away due to the lack of breathe.

"Let's go?" I asked.

"Let's go."