Frida woke up to a bright, sunny morning. Laz was still deep asleep beside her, and she stared at him.
This time, she didn’t have to hurriedly wake him up to run home.
It was nice to just be next to him, to feel safe with him by her side.
She shifted closer to him and closed her eyes. If she could preserve any moment forever, it would be this one, because being here, in this moment, was peace.
But soon, sleep pulled her into its troubled, grasping darkness. She struggled and kicked against the bed as it slowly pulled her in, sinking her deep into the sheets.
They closed over her face, suffocating her, sucking out her air.
"Welcome," said a voice. It was her voice... only she hadn’t spoken a word.
She opened her eyes, and sitting opposite her was herself. Only it wasn’t her.
Her legs were crossed confidently, her chin held high, her eyes darker than hers. Although they had the exact same face, this was an entirely different person.
She was surrounded by darkness, and her smile was cruel as she said, "Hello, Frida."
Frida gulped, sitting nervously in a chair that seemed to have appeared beneath her. She fidgeted with her fingers. "What’s the matter?" she asked, her shoulders straight, her voice trembling.
"You said you’d like to meet me." The other Frida spoke impatiently, shaking one of her crossed legs. "Well, here I am. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Frida sat up, her heart pounding in her throat. "W-who are you?"
The exact replica of her frowned so darkly that her face turned foreign. She unfolded her arms and uncrossed her legs, revealing chains that bound her to the surrounding darkness.
"Do you dare ask who I am?" she asked bitterly.
She lifted her hands, and the chains rattled. "Are you trying to tell me you don’t know who I am?" she screamed.
Frida’s eyes filled with tears as she noticed bodies lying around them in pools of blood.
"Are you trying to tell me you don’t remember what they did to me?" The other Frida screamed, and thunder rumbled, though the sky was devoid of clouds.
Frida swallowed hard. "I know," she whispered.
"Of course you do," the other hissed. "I’m the little girl they trapped with him in that room. I’m the part of you they created when they locked us in darkness for a month with nothing but red notes to cling to. I’m the part they abused, the part they broke."
Her mascara streaked as she laughed darkly. "I’m the damaged soul you buried in that grave." She pointed to a grave now illuminated by an eerie light. The same grave Frida and Laz had buried together.
She laughed darkly, mascara running down her face.
"I’m the part of you they hurt to no end. I’m the trauma you’ve imprisoned in here."
Frida’s chest heaved as the memories surfaced. The horrors she had buried were etched into her mind, a name written boldly on the grave: Shelly.
"What? Did you think we would forget? That you’d move on and forget all they did to you?" Shelly screamed.
"That you’d forget all the people you killed?"
"I didn’t mean to kill anyone!" Frida screamed back, her voice cracking with despair.
Shelly threw her head back, laughing maniacally. "You didn’t... but I did."
The memories hit Frida like a tidal wave. She sobbed, covering her face with trembling hands.
"You can’t hide from me, Frida," Shelly snarled. "I’m the one who remembers. The one who bears the scars. The one who killed for us."
"Enough, Shelly!" Frida shouted through her tears. "Enough!"
"You’re a coward!" Shelly screamed, her voice dripping with venom. "I hate you!"
Frida stumbled to her feet, her chair clattering back. "Listen to me," she said, pointing a trembling finger at Shelly. "Don’t you dare try to ruin my life!"Frida flinched but stood her ground, her voice trembling as she said, "Fine. Hate me if you want. But I’m trying to build a future for us. A life beyond the blood and pain. I won’t let you destroy it."
Shelly leaned forward, her chains rattling with every movement. "A future?" she mocked. "Is that the lie you tell yourself? That you’re going to save lives? You’re a killer, Frida."
"No," Frida said, shaking her head
"It will be my life soon," Shelly retorted.
Frida paused, her breath catching. "What do you mean?"
Shelly smirked. "You heard me. You think you can be happy with Laz while I’m trapped here, in your body?"
Frida’s knees nearly buckled. "What have you done?" she whispered.
"I brought Laz here. Everything that’s happened so far has gone according to my plan."
Shelly’s voice dripped with triumph as fragments of red notes flashed through Frida’s mind.
I think someone saw me in the library.
Someone is following me.
I think there’s more than one sender of the red notes.
Frida gasped, covering her mouth. "You... Y-you... How could you?"
"Yes," Shelly confirmed. "I’ve been the presence you’ve been sensing. I sent the second red note so you’d confront Laz."
The second note: You want it bad!
The words rang in Frida’s head making her dizzy.
Shelly leaned forward, her chains rattling. "I’ve been piecing your memories back together. With every piece, the chains started breaking..."
One of the chains on her arm snapped loudly, crashing to the ground.
Frida’s voice trembled. "What do you want?"
Shelly grinned, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Three things. Revenge. Laz. And for you to disappear."
Frida’s breath hitched. "And if I don’t?"
Shelly’s laugh was cold, her face darkening with rage. "I’m very possessive, Frida. I don’t share, not my body, not my heart, not my man. If you don’t listen... I will force you to disappear."
She lowered her voice deep with threat as she said "And I will kill Laz."
Frida staggered back. "You’re insane."
Shelly’s expression twisted with cruelty. "I will do whatever it takes to protect what’s mine."
Shelly lunged at Frida, but chains sprang from the darkness, dragging her back.
"You’ll let that monster hurt him because you’re a coward!" Shelly spat. "You let everyone around you get hurt because you’re a coward."
Frida fell to her knees, gasping. "You... you killed Conner," she choked out.
Shelly’s eyes burned darker than the void around them. "Yes," she hissed.
The ground began to swallow Frida.
"Yes, I killed that bastard" Shelly laughed hysterically as the darkness enveloped Frida completely.
"He deserved to die." Shellys voice came out like a million voices in one.
Frida jolted awake, gasping and falling out of bed.
Her trembling hands reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. She chugged it down, her heartbeat hammering in her ears.
Her hands shook as she stood, her eyes darting to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back, unmoving.
"It was just a dream," she told herself, forcing a shaky smile.
But as she turned to leave the room, she failed to notice that her reflection didn’t follow.