The Rabbit Hole

The Rabbit Hole: Chapter 10 By Trixie Adara Edited by ALewdEditor

** Warning, some of the scenes in this chapter are graphic and can be triggering. If you want to avoid them, skip over everything in italics. They are not vital for the plot. **

Penny

Nurse wraps the bandage around Penny's head, stopping the bleeding. She sings a sweet song to comfort her patient, something about butterflies. Penny must have been good. Nurse never sings sweet songs, her voice is sharp and close, far too close with the blade in it. But her voice is warm and running down the side of her head. It's sticky: drip, drip, dripping down her neck and into her mind.

Nurse wipes it up and wraps Penny's head tight, making sure nothing gets loose. Everything needs to stay still before Penny's treatment. If she is a good girl, if she stops doing dirty things, she can get a treat. But as a long as she wants to be so filthy, Nurse will have to clean her.

When Penny opens her eyes, the apartment is gone. Instead, she's in a hospital room on a huge bed, impossibly huge, and she's strapped to it. Her feet are in stirrups, strapped to their cold metal. Her arms are lovingly wrapped in straps, each tied to the metal bars on the side of the bed. To her right, Nurse is finishing her bandages and humming her song.

Penny's first thought is to cry out for her parents. They should pick her up. She's awake now, so she can finally go home. She'll be good this time; she promises. She always promises. She can't keep this up, all this treatment and research. She wants to go home, to be wrapped up in her sister's arms and to fall asleep.

Instead, Nurse walks around in front of Penny. She's done singing, and now she has the Smile. The Smile means Penny's been bad. It means Penny needs to be punished. It means there will be Pain.

Nurse climbs on top of the hospital bed, on her knees, upright, and Penny sees it: the strap-on. It's bright red with tiny grooves and ribs up and down it. At the tip and base it flares out with tiny points. It looks alien and hideous. Nurse laughs as Penny's eyes go wide. She swings her hips back and forth, making the strap-on "dance."

Penny tries to squirm at first. There's no point. She can't move. She can barely think straight. Her brain feels puffy. Her face is swollen. She cries out to Nadia, but nobody answers. She cries for Joanna, for Harold, for anyone, but there is just the sound of Nurse laughing as she mounts Penny. Only Pain answers.

A month ago Penny woke up in a hospital with all the people she cared about taken from her. She had no toys, no doctor, and no Nadia. Penny only remembered a few bits from that night. She couldn't fall asleep so she sat in her bedroom, reading. She heard someone moving in her apartment and went to take care of it, then she felt pain and nothingness. She barely remembered the paramedics coming into her apartment or the ride in the ambulance to the hospital. Her first real memory was Harold meeting her in her hospital room.

She was lucky he got to her first. He watched the security camera footage and destroyed the rest. He knew that Nadia had taken Dr. Tuminaro and ran, but he didn't know why. The police were told it was Nadia, who they described as Penny's co-worker and girlfriend. They didn't say anything about the doctor to the police, and they didn't seem to know he was ever there. Harold had cleaned the scene before the police could investigate; he was thorough and invaluable. Penny was overwhelmingly thankful for him.

She spent a week in the hospital. She made them go through all the tests they could do to make sure there was no brain damage or lingering problems. She was fine. There was swelling and a concussion but not much else. The biggest concern for Penny was her powers, but they were intact. She was able to get the best doctors and treatment in the hospital with ease. She charged the lead detectives with a zealous obsession for finding Nadia while asking no questions whatsoever about Penny's unconventional lifestyle.

The worst part about the hospital were all the time with her thoughts. She couldn't make things happen. She wanted to be out in the world, hunting down Nadia and Joanna. She wanted her property back, but she couldn't do anything like this. Harold and the detectives began their search, but Nadia had been careful to hide her tracks.

Penny needed to find her. She needed answers. She gave Nadia everything she wanted. Nadia wanted a trance, and she got a trance. Nadia wanted justice, and she got justice. Nadia wanted to worship a goddess, and Penny became a goddess. They were all so happy there, all three of them. They were just about to bring Joe back to his bimbo body, to destroy him completely. Penny had special plans for that evening. She was going to taste Nadia's pussy for the first time, to make her Dolly cum with her own tongue.

But now ...

Now there was the rage. Penny had to know how it was possible for Nadia to escape. She wasn't on her medication anymore. She didn't have the acquired resistance from the doctor. She shouldn't have been able to escape. If Nadia could, who else was immune to Penny's power? What other limitations did she have?

Back in her apartment, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," ordered Penny. The air shimmered around her as though in heat. Harold flew open the door and ran in as though avoiding an axe-murderer. Penny sighed. Since her accident, she was having trouble controlling the intensity of her commands.

"What?" she snapped.

"Do you want anything to eat?" ask Harold. The balding butler hadn't forgiven himself for failing Penny when she needed him most, for not being there to keep Nadia or secure the doctor, for not being the one to call the hospital. He blamed himself entirely for Nadia's betrayal and Penny's pain.

"No."

"You really should eat something."

"I'm not hungry." Penny rolled over on the bed, turning away from Harold.

"You haven't had anything in days."

"I'm fine."

"Penny, please. Let me take care of you. Otherwise, I'll have to call the doctor and see -"

"Get out!" shouted Penny as she bolted up in bed. "Get away from me! Leave me alone. I want you to leave me the fuck alone!"

The room shook from the rage in Penny's voice. A painting fell off the wall, and the look of horror initially on Harold's face quickly melted into one of peace and acceptance. Without hesitation, he turned around and walked away from Penny's bedroom.

Penny sat, panting, seething while she stared where Harold had just stood, as though still glaring him down. She listened carefully and heard the sound of the front door slamming as Harold obeyed her words perfectly.

"Fuck," sighed Penny as she sagged back into the bed. "Perfect. Just perfect. One less person, right Penny? Good job. They're all gone. You chase them away. That's what happens. No one can stand to be near you, to look at you. Somehow too little, too complicated, and too fucked up for any of them.

Penny rolled back onto her side in bed and felt her eyes well up. She played it over and over in her mind. As much as she wanted, she couldn't see it in any way that it wasn't her fault. Nadia was scared of her. She should be. Joe hated her. He should. How many others were there? Penny saw their faces in her mind. Skeptics at her shows. People who booed her. Rivals. Those jealous. Those scared. All of them throughout her life flashing over and over before her mind until they were the face of her mother. The face of her siblings. All of them wanted her to go, to be separate from the rest of the world.

Penny wiped the tears from her eyes and turned off the lights in her room. There, in the darkness, she wept and waited for the peace of sleep to take her away. It never came.

When Penny woke, she was hungry. At first, she sat up and called for Harold. She called him on the phone when he never came. Penny remembered what she said to him but kept calling anyways. He never answered.

Penny stumbled out of her bedroom for the first time in days. She wandered into her kitchen and began searching for something to eat. There was plenty of food, but none of it was ready to eat. Harold prepared everything fresh for her, and as she stared at rows of fresh fruit and vegetables, she felt her stomach rumble. How many carrots would she need to eat to feel full?

Too many. Too fucking many.

Penny took out her new phone and dialed the front desk. Jasper, the manager of the building, answered.

"Yes, Miss Lane?"

"Order me a pizza," she commanded.

There was a long pause. "Would you like the number for a pizza place? I can recommend one."

Penny's brow furrowed. Why didn't he obey? "Um, yes. Please."

Jasper gave her the number, and she dialed.

"Tony's Pizza Palace, is this for pickup or delivery?" asked a nasally and bored voice.

"Send a pizza to 1000 Union Avenue," commanded Penny, putting as much as her power as she dared into the command.

"Uh, right," sighed the voice. So this is for delivery?"

"Um, yes. Right. Delivery."

Penny then went through the tedious effort of placing her order: cheese, light sauce, thin crust. But the whole time she was focused on why her powers weren't working. They worked on Harold. They worked on him too well but not Jasper or the brat at the pizza place.

Penny had plenty of time to work through it while she waited. The pizza was late -- over twenty minutes. Penny was hungry, and the wait wasn't helping her mood. She had phrased the sentence as a command. Her tone was firm. Maybe she needed to see who she was commanding? No. She didn't see Harold when she sent him away. Was it the phone? Was there something wrong with a speaker? She supposed she couldn't leave a recording of a command and it affect people. Otherwise, random videos of her more recent performances would put any listener into trance or force them to follow her across the country to obey her.

As her mood soured, Penny resolved herself to test this out. For her, a problem was exactly what she needed. She couldn't find Naida, and she couldn't force her to return, but she could experiment. She could do research. At that, she excelled, and the task was the perfect diversion. Besides, any experimentation would be considered a mild punishment for making Penny wait almost an hour for her food.

Penny got dressed while she waited in what she considered comfortable clothing: a tight black turtleneck, sharp white leather pencil skirt, Wolford pantyhouse, and cobalt blue heels. She put her hair up in a loose ponytail and added slight makeup. She didn't know how far she would be taking the experiment, but it always helped to be prepared to leave the house in case inspiration struck during a session.

Penny silently thanked god when Jasper buzzed her apartment, telling her that her pizza had arrived. She asked Jasper to send it up with the delivery person. She paced back and forth, straightening her skirt. She found herself praying it was a woman. She couldn't imagine what she'd command a man to do right now other than leave her alone, but a woman could be a comfort. She could be an ear if she couldn't be anything else useful.

The door to the penthouse buzzed, and Penny opened it immediately. There, holding a box of pizza, was a young girl clearly in her twenties. She looked nervous and overwhelmed by the building; her eyes widened in view of the penthouse, and they only widened more as she took in Penny in front of it. She was a slight thing, Asian, with pale skin but captivating features. Much of her form was hidden by her uniform polo and oversized jacket but Penny could tell by her slacks that her body was tight and curved in all the right places. Her hair was short and styled in a slight bob of dark and straight black hair. She smiled awkwardly, and immediately Penny was reminded of Nadia. She had a similar build, similar hairstyle, but more importantly, she had the same adorable and nervous energy.

Penny stood there, holding the door open, taken aback at the echo of her old toy. She had half expected Nadia to randomly show back up, especially at the hospital, and to apologize for everything that happened. She imagined Nadia would have some perfectly logical explanation, and she would take her back under her control and things would go back to normal. But Nadia wasn't going to return. Instead, there was this slight girl, this innocent victim, this shadow of Nadia. She would have to do.

"Come in," commanded Penny. She felt the air shake around her, and immediately, the nervous expression fell from the delivery girl's face. Wordless, she walked past Penny and into the apartment. Penny smiled and closed the door behind her prey.

"Put the pizza on the counter."

The girl obeyed.

Penny felt a thrill run through her. To have things go the way she planned, exactly the way she planned and without the slightest deviation, was better for her soul than she could have imagined. Penny followed her into the kitchen and lifted the top of the pizza box. It didn't look hot, but even when pizza was bad, it was good.

"What's your name?" asked Penny.

"Kim," answered the girl.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Penny. Why were you late?"

"I had trouble finding this place."

"It's a very tall building with an easy address."

"I get, uh, get lost easily."

"I think I should get some reward for my patience, don't you?"

"Uh ..." Kim shifted her weight back and forth.

"You think I should get a reward for my patience," rephrased Penny. The air warped around Kim, and the new thought took hold in her mind. "You feel terrible for being so late, for being so stupid. You will make it up to me."

Kim's awkwardness transformed into a look of shame. Her eyes went to the floor. Her hands held each other penitently over her lap. She tilted her head forward, properly chastised and eager to make reconciliation.

"I'm sorry, Miss," she whispered. "I didn't mean to be so late. Please forgive me."

Penny smiled. "It's okay, Kimmy. Strip for me."

Without hesitation, Kim began swaying her hips back and forth. She was following some inaudible music, dancing to the rhythm as she unzipped her huge jacket, lowering her ass to the floor and pulsing her hips from side to side. As she rose, she tossed her jacket off to the side and across the apartment.

Amused, Penny took the box of pizza and walked into the dining room. She set it down on the table and grabbed a slice. The advantage to it being late was that it wasn't too hot to eat immediately. She sat in a chair and turned to watch her new toy dance for her. She was amused with Kim's interpretation of the command. Sometimes a target's brain saw words differently than Penny did. Penny thought of stripping as taking off her clothes. Kim clearly thought of stripping as being a stipper. Penny didn't mind the pleasant surprise in the slightest.

Thankfully, the huge polo with "Tony's Pizza Palace" written across it was removed next. Underneath, Kim wore a dangerously plain white bra. It was entirely practical and boring, covering her moderate breasts. Kim began to use the counter, lowering herself and then popping her ass as she rose back up.

Penny found the pantomime a bit ridiculous and quickly took out her phone. She looked up "stripper music" and let it play throughout the entire apartment, giving Kim something to dance to rather than whatever nonsense was playing in her mind.

Next, Kim took off her clunky non-slip shoes. She took her time with her pants, which Penny appreciated. Kim had long legs, almost like a ballerina. Her ass was firm and round, and her pants fit her perfectly. Kim unbuttoned them but continued to dance. She unzipped them but continued to dance. She peeled them down over hips but continued to dance. She inched them slowly down her thighs and only took them off completely when they approached her knees. Her panties were as simple and as white as her bra.

Penny continued to eat her pizza while Kim danced. She found it hard to get entirely into the moment. Kim was pretty, that much was clear, but there wasn't the thrill she normally felt to exercise her power or to completely own someone's mind. There was nothing erotic for Penny this time. She had proved that her power still worked, but she was wasting time. She needed to learn why it didn't work on Jasper.

"Stop," commanded Penny.

Kim became still. Her arms fell limply to her side. She was still in her bra and panties, on display for a complete stranger. That thought - at least - amused Penny.

"Take out your cell phone." Penny rose and handed Kim her cell phone after the girl took her phone out of her pants pocket. Penny punched her number into Kim's phone, called herself, and then handed the phone back to Kim.

"Go into the other room." Penny pointed down towards the hallway at the other end of the open floor plan. "You will get a call from me, answer it. Do not come back until I tell you to."

Kim obeyed without question. Penny followed behind her, making sure she knew exactly where to go. She put her in her office and closed the door. Then, she went to the other side of the hallway and closed the door. She took out her phone and dialed.

"Hello?" answered Kim.

"Moan loudly."

"Excuse me?"

Penny opened the door to the hallway and walked to the outside of her office. She hung up the call with Kim and said loudly through the door, "Moan loudly."

"Uuhunh!" grunted Kim from the other side of the door. "Ohhh, yes," she moaned.

"Stop," commanded Penny, and Kim obeyed.

Penny walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She took out her phone and opened the voice memo app. She recorded a simple command: "Return to Penny naked." She double checked that it played properly and walked back to her office. She opened the door and handed her phone to Kim.

"In thirty seconds, play that recording."

Kim took the phone, and Penny left the room. Penny walked quickly to the far side of the apartment, closing doors behind her. She counted the seconds in her head, and when she hit thirty, she turned around and waited to see Kim emerge naked.

After five minutes, she knew it hadn't worked. She wasn't upset. It was good to know the limitations of her power. They had to hear her voice, not a recording of her voice, but her actual voice. That was fine. She didn't want recordings of her accidently controlling people. She especially didn't want people recording her in order to control other people. This was fine. It was safe -- controlled.

Penny went back to her office and brought Kim with her into the kitchen. "Take off your bra and panties," she commanded as they walked. Kim obeyed without hesitation.

When Penny reached the kitchen, she turned around and was shocked by what she saw. Kim had both of her nipples pierced with bars through them. Her pussy was shaved, and over her pussy was a tattoo which had previously been entirely covered by her boring panties. It was in a language Penny didn't know, but it was highlighted by the clitoral piercing Kim had beneath it.

"What does your tattoo say?" asked Penny.

"It says `palace' in Korean."

"Is that your palace?" asked Penny with a smirk.

"Yes."

Penny looked up to meet Kim's eyes. Her tone was blank as she answered. Penny had expected either a hint of shame or a dash of pride, but Kim expressed neither. It was almost Dolly. Almost, but not quite. There was a pride in Dolly's void. Even in her emptiness, there was the submission. She wanted to be blank, but Kim here didn't want this. It was forced upon her. She didn't beg to be controlled; she was taken by Penny. Penny was the bully now.

She felt the sting of rage and shame at the same time. This girl wasn't Nadia, as much as Penny wished she was. She was innocent, a victim, and Penny had taken her off the street. Had she done that to Nadia? To Joanna? Was she any better than the people she punished? Nadia looked now, at the blank expression, at the absolute lack of personhood she created in Kim, and she hated it. She didn't control Kim. She controlled the absence of Kim. She controlled the absolute lack of Kim. She controlled nothingness, and she controlled nothing.

She controlled nothing.

"Sit, please," asked Penny.

Kim obeyed robotically. She moved and joined Penny at the kitchen table, naked as she was. She sat with her legs close together, her hands in her lap. Her face was blank, boring, bland, empty, and pointless.

"You can smile," said Penny.

Kim did nothing.

"Smile," commanded Penny.

Kim obeyed, building a fake and robotic smile carefully out of Penny's words.

"Dammit," sighed Penny. "Stop. Just ..." Penny sighed and ran her hand through her hair, not realizing it was in a ponytail. She froze, her hand on her head. What the hell was she doing? Is this the life she wanted? Is this the person she wanted to be?

"Just be normal," commanded Penny.

"Yes, Miss."

"Don't call me that. Be normal, okay? Like I have no control over you. Okay?"

Something washed over Kim's face. She blinked several times. Then her eyes widened and stood up, scrambling backwards and away from Penny.

"Stop," commanded Penny, afraid Kim would run out of the apartment, naked and screaming.

Kim obeyed but the fear never left her face.

"Please, I want you to be honest, okay?"

"Okay."

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes."

"What can I do to make you less afraid?"

Kim was silent for a long time, looking around the room and avoiding Penny's eyes. Then, she said, "let me put my clothes on?"

"You may put your clothes on," said Penny.

Kim obeyed. Penny turned the pizza box to face her guest. "Are you hungry?"

Kim took a slice wordlessly, and sat back down from Penny. With her mouth full of food she said, "are you kidnapping me?"

"No," said Penny. "I promise. I won't do anything you don't want. Okay?"

"I didn't want to take my clothes off."

"And now you have them back on."

Kim smirked. "I guess."

"I promise that no harm will come to you."

"Okay," said Kim. She sat silently and ate her pizza, not making eye contact with Penny.

"All you have to do is sit and enjoy my company." The air shimmered around Penny.

"Yes, ma'am," intoned Kim. All expression left her face.

"Dammit," sighed Penny again. "Make my control leave you."

"Okay."

"Do you ..." Penny sighed. "Just ... do you want to stay and enjoy my company? Answer truthfully." The air shook again around the girl.

"No. I'm scared. I want to go home."

"Shit." Penny stood up violently. Kim stood up with her, scrambling backwards and towards the door. She was afraid. Her look of fear struck Penny in the face. Was this Nadia's look when she ran away? Is this what they all look like behind their masks, behind the thin wall of Penny's control?

Penny strode towards Kim, but she ran backwards, running for the door. Everyone ran. Everyone left. That's why Penny needed the power. People either ran, or they hurt her. The power kept her safe. It kept others safe. She kept the bullies away from people, but more importantly, she kept those she loved nearby. What if she could have done that for her sister? She could have kept them together. Made them happy. She didn't need less power. She needed more.

"Stop," commanded Penny.

Kim became still.

"Take off your clothes."

Kim obeyed.

"With those piercings and that tattoo, I bet you're not as afraid as you let on."

Kim said nothing.

"Were you turned on by my control? Answer me."

"Yes," admitted Kim.

"Was your palace wet?" asked Penny with a smirk.

"Yes."

"You liked it." The air shuddered.

"Yes."

"You wanted it." The air thrummed.

"Yes."

"Come and sit."

Kim obeyed, and back to the table they went. Penny was still clothed, her shoulder thrown back, with her confidence returning. Kim was in her place: naked, wet, and empty.

"Tell me, what is your darkest fantasy?" asked Penny.

"To be exposed for the slut I am."

Penny actually laughed. "Oh really? Are you a bad girl?"

"Yes."

"What kind of slut are you?" asked Penny.

"I go to clubs. I go on stage. I let people tie me up. Then I let the guests touch me. Men touch me. Women touch me. Everyone touches me."

"And you like that?"

"Yes."

"They get to see your palace and your piercings?"

"Yes," intoned Kim. She was barely there, barely a person. Penny didn't care now. She had to remove the false Kim to find the real one. Somewhere, deep down, was the real Kim that was too afraid to be herself. She was like Nadia, and Penny would help her.

"But other people don't know," said Penny. "Who doesn't know?"

"My parents think I'm a virgin."

"But you want to exposed, is that right?"

"Yes."

"You can't go back. You know that, right?"

"Yes."

"You still want that?" asked Penny.

"Yes."

"Good girl. Stand."

Kim obeyed, and Penny mirrored her.

"Follow me." Penny went to the window of her penthouse. It was huge, showing the entire cityscape in all directions. "Bend over, lean up against the glass."

Kim obeyed, putting her hands on the glass, bending over, and spreading her legs for Penny. Penny reached down and felt between Kim's legs. The girl was soaked.

"You like an audience?" asked Penny.

"Yes, ma'am."

Penny dialed her phone. She got Jasper on the phone and complained about how dirty her windows were. When were the window washers coming? They were on a lower floor currently. Penny insisted that her windows were filthy. She needed them cleaned immediately. Jasper refused until Penny went downstairs and commanded him directly. She made sure he would never question a request from her again. By the time she was back upstairs, the windows were being clean by two men, both of whom were doing their best to avoid looking at Kim. She was still bent over, unmoved, on display for them and for Penny.

She was blank, her face a reminder of her nothingness, but at least she was obedient and here. That's what mattered.

Penny walked past her and into The Rabbit Hole. She found the dildo Joe had practiced on and brought it back into the kitchen. She went behind Kim. The young girl was swaying side to side on her toes, obviously in a frustrated state.

"You like them watching you."

"Yes."

"Let's give them a show."

"Yes, ma'am."

Penny plunged the dildo into Kim's pussy. "Fuck yourself," she commanded. Kim kept one hand on the window and used the other to plunge the dildo in and out of her pussy. At this point, the window washers stopped pretending to avoid eye contact. They openly gawked now. One took out his phone to take a picture, but Penny glared daggers at him. Had he done it, Penny would have a new Joanna by the end of the week.

Penny took Kim's phone, pacing around her toy while the cute asian fucked herself in front of three strangers. Penny took pictures of Kim, bent over and fucking herself. She took pictures of the men watching Kim fuck herself. She took pictures of Kim's piercings, Kim's face, and Kim's tattoo. She took a video recording it, making sure to capture the entire scene. She wanted absolute certainty. Kim should have no way to deny this later.

"I'm going to send this video to your parents," said Penny.

"Oh god," moaned Kim.

"When I do, you will cum. Then, you will write down you number and show it to these men watching you. Whenever they want to use your body, for the rest of their lives, you will let them as long as you film it and send it to your parents afterwards. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Penny lowered the phone to Kim's eyesight and pressed send on the text to Kim's parents. The bar filled as the video loaded, but once it had officially sent, Kim arched her back and came. She fell to her knees, still pumping herself, moaning and screaming while she came. The window washers laughed, but Penny saw the tents in their pants. Once Kim had recovered, she obeyed and wrote down her phone number, showing it to the men. She motioned for them to call her, and they nodded enthusiastically. Then, Kim collapsed to the ground, her chest heaving. Penny watched her carefully. What would she do without another command? Would she get up and leave? Would she obey again? Or would she wait forever, broken until she had Penny's words? She was adorable. She was eager. She had the streak of sluttiness in her like Nadia, but Penny could see it in her eyes. She wanted to leave. It was her darkest fantasy, but not everyone wants their fantasies to come true. Not everyone has the courage that Nadia does to make their perversions a reality. No. This amused Penny, but she was not turned on. She was not happier. This was a waste of time. All of this was a waste. "Leave me," commanded Penny. "You may take your clothes. Lie to your employers." Kim obeyed mid-sentence. Wordlessly, she grabbed her clothes and put them on. "Also, tell Jasper you've never been paid that way before by a woman." Penny smirked. That ought to at least turn Kim on one last time.

Penny walked through the rest of the day in a daze. She slowly ate the cold pizza, but left most of it in the refrigerator. If she was lucky, it could last her a few days. That would mean more solitude for Penny, which was its own kind of hell. Though perhaps, solitude might be what Penny deserved.

There was a moment, a flicker of hope, when she thought she had done it. She thought she had gotten over Nadia. There was a look on Kim's face, the way her body responded, and Penny dared to hope that she would recover, that she would find meaning again. But then Kim's pointless blankness returned. She was trapped, and Penny was her captor. There was no escaping it.

As a girl, Penny loved stories from mythology. She liked to hear about gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, quests and adventures. She wanted to be like them, to live some kind of epic life for noble and good purposes. She thought she was like Perseus, but it turned out she was more like Medusa. She made statues of people. She killed them and was left to her loneliness. Ultimately, true self-reflection would be her destruction.

Or perhaps she was the Minotaur: a punishment to her parents, a freak of nature, rejected from birth and trapped away from everyone else in the Labyrinth. That was how she felt now, wandering the corridors of her mind endlessly. One day a hero would come and slay her. It would be called justice, though the only crime the Minotaur ever committed was being born.

Penny thought about drinking, but drinking brought back the memories, and the only thing worse than this would be to remember the hospital and Nurse. This was like hell. The hospital was actual hell. No, there was no solace for her but in sleep, and sleep would not come easily.

Late that night, in the early hours of the morning, Penny's phone rang. She was in her bedroom, in absolute darkness, curled up and trying everything she could think of to fall back asleep. She groped in the dark and found her phone. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" she answered.

There was silence on the other end.

"Who is this?" asked Penny.

Silence.

"Speak," commanded Penny.

Silence.

Penny hung up and rolled over. She got a new phone after Nadia stole hers. She put no contacts in it except for Harold, but it had the same number. That could have been anyone.

The phone rang again. Penny sighed and rolled over. It was the same number.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Penny?" came a soft voice.

"Who is this?"

Silence.

"Who is this?" repeated Penny.

"It's me."

"Nadia?"

"Mhmm."

Penny sat up in bed and turned on the light.

"Return to me," she commanded. "Come back right now." The room shook with the sound of her voice. "Come back to my apartment." The lamp on her nightstand shuddered. "Tell me where you are. Tell me your exact location." A painting fell off one of the walls in the apartment. Penny waited, her chest heaving, but there was only silence from the other line.

"I can't," said Nadia.

"What do you want then? Why are you calling me?"

"I wanted to hear your voice."

"Why did you leave? Why can't you come back?"

"I can't talk about that. I should go."

"Wait, no," said Penny. She panicked. She needed Nadia to talk as much as possible. She couldn't scare her off. "You don't have to tell me anything."

"You sure?"

"Yes," said Penny. She leaned back into her bed and relaxed. "I just want to hear your voice too."

"Have you been unable to sleep?" asked Nadia.

"Without you, yes."

"Do you want me to talk to you until you fall asleep?"

"More than anything."

"Okay," said Nadia. "Let me tell you about my day."

Penny turned off the light and rolled to her side, getting comfortable with the phone on speaker, and listened to the sound of Nadia's voice. She quickly fell asleep.

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