Sheknows the damage has been done. She knows it’s too late. The both do. But shesays it anyway. Again and again.

“Don’tlook. Don’t… it’s not…”

“It’sme,” Amoretta says quietly. Her arms don’t go up around Lucrecia’s shoulderslike they should. Like they would, in any other situation. Because Amoretta washer protector, Amoretta was her safety, when Lucrecia thought of home it wasAmoretta’s face she saw. Amoretta—was real…goddamnit all.

“No. No it’s not. You’re you. You’re—” She doesn’t have to look to knowAmoretta’s face hasn’t turned away from the bloody glass. She knows the othergirl is still staring at it like it’s both her savior, her validation, confirmationof everything wrong in her life and…it’s her end.

Amorettashifts just enough so that her next sigh is against Lucie’s ear. It’s resignationand Lucie has never hated a sound that’s come out of her mouth more.

“Itexplains… everything. Lucie…” Something is shifting. She can feel it as thetension seeps out of Amoretta’s shoulders. The fight. It’s leaving her. “LucieI’m not real. I’ve never been. I’m—”

Pleasestop. Please. Pleasepleasepleaseplease…!

There’sa glow coming off her skin now. Something not unlike the image from the glassbut… so much worse. They both know what it is before Amoretta can finish herthought.

“…Andof course… now I just… go back to you, don’t I?” She slowly reaches up to grabLucie’s shoulders and push her away, look her in the eyes one last time.

Luciedoesn’t want it. Lucie wants her warmth. Lucie wants her laugh. Lucie wants towatch her twirl into the café and be brazen and careless—Lucie wants Amorettato glow but absolutely not like this.

Andshe doesn’t want to look her in the eyes now. She doesn’t want to watch thatcolor flood out of her, drained by this disgusting glow that’s trying to willLucie to say goodbye.

“Fightit Ama.” She says quickly, her voice a little strained, choked in her throat.

Amorettadoesn’t falter, like staring into that glass has filled her mind with all theknowledge in the world to know what is and what must be and this… apparently,must be: “No.”

“Fightit,” She says again, she grasps at Amroretta’s arms, her hands still grippingher shoulder, “You’re so much more than a childish thought why can’t you just—stay—”

Amorettasighs again, deeply, her entire body sagging as she shuts her eyes and pressesher forehead to Lucie’s, “I will stay. I’ll always be with you Lucie. It’s… I’mnot a real person. This is how it should have been.”

Theglow is dying out now, the pressure on Lucie’s shoulder is loosening, Amoretta’spractically going transparent before her eyes and Lucie hates every second ofit.

“Ididn’t fall in love with a fakeperson.”

Amoretta’seyes shoot open.

Luciefeels something cracking. Straining. Something is filling her chest and she’snot sure if its desperation or if it’s Amoretta’s very spirit.

Shethinks it’s desperation.

“Ididn’t make you up. I could never—you are so much more—”

“Youlove me?” Her voice is a ghosts.

Lucieknows she’s crying though she can’t feel the wetness on her cheeks because herbody is buzzing, trying to take Amoretta in. Failing. How can she? Amoretta is too much. Too much spirit, too much history. Herexistence can’t just be wiped away!

“Y-yeah…”Lucie bites her lip and feels absolutely miserable. This was never somethingshe was supposed to say out loud. Never.

“You’rein love with an evolved form of yourself, what a narcissist.”  The ghost practically giggles. Lucie might hateher for just a few seconds at that, because she is so, so, tired of listening to Amoretta talk herself into nothing like that.

“Youknow that’s not it! I’m nothing like you. You’re brave and strong and you’re thekindest person I’ve ever met and—”

“I’myou.”

“NO,you are NOT!”

Itsnaps. Lucie doesn’t know what. But it does.

Thetwo of them stand in the darkness of this cursed room beside that heinousmirror and Lucie feels the pressure on her shoulders just a bit stronger than before.She looks up into Amoretta’s eyes and finds them the deepest orange she’s everseen them.

“Youknow…” Amoretta started with just the faintest smile on her face. It’s a bitstrange on her face now, twists something uncomfortable in Lucie’s gut. There’sa voice she doesn’t recognize in theback of her mind whispering something she can’t make out but it sounds sourgent… “Maybe you’re right…”  

Amorettareleases her shoulder and wipes a stream of tears off Lucie’s left cheek,tilting her head ever so slightly with an alarmingly soft expression on herface. Lucie feels it in the way her chest tightens because that was a lookLucie had desperately wished Amoretta would grant her over their years of heirfriendship but—but Amoretta’s heart had always belonged to someone else.

Herlooking at her like this now…

“H-havewe stopped it? Are you—are you safe?” Lucie tries hopefully, glancing over herfriend looking for a hair out of place or a patch of skin that might be a littletoo translucent.

Butno. She’s fine.

Thevoice screams but Lucie is adept atignoring them now.

“Ithink I am…” Amoretta giggles and Lucie thinks for a moment she sees littleblack butterflies fluff out of her hair as she does. Her shadows are playingtricks on her, clearly…

Butthen Amoretta leans forward very suddenly, her lips catching Lucie’s and makingthe young witch squeak in alarm. She presses in hard and Lucie feels thattwisting in her gut get worse coupled with the sharp pain in her chest. Herlips are soft but so cold…

It’squick and careless and Lucie doesn’tfeel right at all.

Somethingis wrong.

“Yeah.I think I’m safe. But you’re not. ” She smiles again, so brightly it shouldhave made Lucie’s heart soar just like it used to. But now all she sees is redsilk and shadows and—

Amorettaturns her around and drapes her arms over her shoulders, forcing her to starestraight into the mirror that so sealed her fate once already.

Thereflection now shows the woman from her nightmares standing behind her wearingAmoretta’s smile. And there’s a hole in her own chest.

“Look what you did~” Amoretta—no,the boogie woman—laughs one more time before disappearing into the blackness.