Folie á Deux

Chapter 4

The blade entered the man's heart with a sickening squelch.

She watched as the life left his bloodshot eyes and left nothing but a cold sheen over his sweaty skin, a reminder that this body used to be a person and not just a slab of  meat on the dirty concrete.

Neo twisted the blade one last time before pulling it out, watching as the blood shone in the moonlight.

'Good job.' Said the woman behind her. She put a hand on her shoulder. Neo smiled and sheathed her blade.

'Thank you.'

 

Neo awoke with a start, her heart pounding. Her breathing was rapid and the covers clung to her as she sat up. She pushed them off. The tears came fast, rolling down her cheeks and stinging her eyes.

Another dream, another victim she didn't want to remember.

Wiping her eyes, she stood up, her knees shaking as she made her way to the window. She pushed it open as far as it would go, gulping down the cold air as soon as it reached her. She hadn't had one of these dreams for weeks now. She thought she was getting better. Neo leaned on the windowsill, pressing her hot forehead to the cool glass. The attack yesterday must have triggered it.

Unexpectedly, she thought of Yang.

What did she think of her now that she saw her instability? Somebody must have told her what she'd done, why she was here. Neo could tell Yang was the curious type. She wouldn't have rested until somebody told her about her past. She must hate Neo now.

Neo felt another wave of sadness hit her as she realised that Yang wouldn't be coming back.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on why she was feeling this way. Why was she attached to a stranger? Perhaps it was because she was the only one who didn't give up on her after the first ten minutes. Perhaps it was the way Yang didn't jump when she looked her in the eye. She'd had nurses who'd refused to look in her general direction. Yang wasn't like that.

The girl sniffed and slid down to the floor, hugging her knees. Somehow when she thought about Yang the blade and the blood and the murder seemed further away.

She hoped Yang would come back.

*

"Bright and early today, Yang?"

"You know it."

Yang ignored the way Pyrrha looked at her. She probably knew what was going on. Pyrrha handed her the register and watched as she wrote her name down, neither of them saying a word until Yang looked up at her as she put the pen down on the counter.

"Aren't you gonna tell me I'm being an idiot?" She asked, watching as Pyrrha slowly shook her head.

"I'm sure you know what you're doing."

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

"No problem, Yang."

They both smiled. Then Yang began her walk to 13C just like yesterday, but this time armed with two packets of Skittles skilfully hidden in her pockets. When she passed Ren, she gave him a wave and a good morning, which he returned. He didn't try to stop her as she walked down to Neo's room and knocked on the door.

After waiting for a moment, she walked in, smiling.

Neo was sitting on the bed, her legs drawn up underneath her. A large knitted jumper lay baggily around her small frame, and a box of tissues was next to her.