Smoke is Thicker than Air

Chapter Two

Ms. Josephine's POV~
I watched Angelo leave my study in a hurry. Sighing I looked down at the beautiful creature in my arms. Cradling it's head I began to stroke its scales.
"You know, I don't really like being present in this body. Jacquelyn always was better with handling these issues." I tell Blade.
I can hear you, you know. Jackie's calm voice whispered to the forefront of my mind.
      Unbothered I sigh, "I was meant to be heard Jacs now tell me again why, do I have to be out here talking about things that I don't want to talk about little one?"
Because I deserve a break every once in a while... don't you agree sister? I could hear her smirk through the words.
      She's really getting on my last nerve right now.... "Hm, wrong answer try again..." I spoke maliciously.
Okay okay fine, the reason why I don't want to talk to anyone right now is because I've been getting weird feelings... from our father. She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
     One minute went by.
     Then two....
"I beg your pardon" I was seething.
     "You mean to tell me little one that our sorry excuse of a father is up?" I couldn't help but smile.
       I gripped the arm rest of my seat harder than necessary causing it to crack under the pressure some wood pieces slicing into my skin. Unbothered, I lift up my bloody hand and drop the wood chips on the ground near Blade.
       "God when was the last time we've had a challenge like this?" I brought my hands up to my temples trying to calm down my impending laughter of the situation.
         If you haven't guessed by now my 'sisters and I are two thirds of our three way split personality. We have a third 'sister," but she rarely cares for anything that we do unless she gets to cause an explosion or research shit.
I'm Josephine, the mature one of use three. I mostly deal with level headed decisions that Jackie is too idiotic or dramatic to take care of.
Jackie or Jacquelyn as our mother called her  is the most rambunctious one of all of us. She likes to quote on quote "play, with her food." She is medically diagnosed as bipolar so she can act all cute and adorable one minute then go bat-shït crazy on you the next. That's probably why she likes to deal with the human components of our operation. Being a mobster or don requires a lot of fear on your opponents part so hearing about a creepy little girl that knows her way around an arsenal helps move things along.
          And lastly Joana she is the smart, moody and reserved one. She doesn't make appearances unless she is absolutely needed. She messes with computers, experiments, and all that scientific crap she can somehow work out mentally without the need of our body. Being educated on different strains of cannabis or which poisons are undetected by security comes in handy every once in a while. Most people don't know about her being our 'extra sister' so she's mostly our little secret.
             Finally deciding to get up I made my way over to my fathers portrait hanging on the wall above the fire place.
            Gripping the warn down frame I tilted the lions head to the right until I heard the small click of the door shift into place.
            A wind took over the room running ramped through every nook and cranny, pushing over paper and knocking down books, smothering the candles, and dropping the temperature. The fire was quickly put out, it's smoky wisps of hair curling around my body asking to be relit. The ground shook a little as the mantelpiece lifted off the side walls giving way to the old vault door resting behind it, I placed my hand on the key pad waiting for that similar needle to pierce my skin draining me of the little blood it
needs to open up. Reminding me how much of my fathers deranged blood was actually coursing through my veins. I silently willed the needle to take more draining me completely of my essence but sadly it only stopped at 5 ml.
           Pushing open the vault I made my way through the old water pipe covered in moss and century old fungi.
          Coming towards the light I found my home. A room only known to the heads of the Riviera family. Our play room.
           You see in every generation of our family, the leader is distinguished by their split personality disorder acquired at a young age. And to keep these personalities in check so that they don't over power one or the other they must be "psychologically" contained, so to speak. But since we can't wrestle each other to the ground due to our one body my greatest great grandfather found a way to preserve each of our own minds in a chamber. This mental chamber sucks out any excess energy we have so that our personalities won't conquer each other. It's only ever happened to a handful of our ancestors, they become so loony that not even the worst psychiatric ward had enough patients or money to take care of them. This ultimately caused them to be "put down" by other members for the family.
          Finally getting through all the security locks I make my way around the metal table lined with thick leather straps to the control desk on the opposite wall. Switching the machine from idle to start you could feel the atmosphere shift to a buzzy sensation when the tips of your hair stand up while webs of electricity dance over every piece of technology, trying to escape.
           Climbing onto the table I took each of the bindings and wrapped them around myself like I've done multiple times before.
           Putting a piece of leather in my mouth I strapped my wrists to the table allowing the last two belts to be put on mechanically by my AI.
          Looking towards the celling I see the timer reach zero.
         Suddenly the familiar current starts tearing through my body burning everything it touches. My back arches trying to get as much skin off the table as I can to stop the pain. My teeth rip through the leather belt grinding my enamels together trying to break something, anything.
           An hour goes by and my treatment is finally done. I can't hear either one of Jacquelyn or Joana in my thoughts. I sign tiredly.
Finally peace...
          I fall asleep, my body still strapped to the metal table. I relished in the cool steel grazing my skin. The aftermath sparks tickling my body as I fell into a silent abyss.

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Doneee. It's officially 2:30 am and I'm a happy camper.
- Toodles ya noodles (;