Authors note: Thanks to everyone reading this who's stuck with the series so far. I'm working on releasing new chapters more frequently. Your support is what keeps me writing. This story does make reference to events that transpired in Platinum Chef: Part IX by Chefness. By all means, please check out her work and leave comment. That said, I've made sure to cover any relevant information here, so you won't feel like I'm only telling half a story.

Lastly, please leave a comment or review. I enjoy hearing everyone's feedback, positive or negative (though try to keep it constructive, please) and if you leave an email or some other means to contact, I enjoy catching up personally with each person who enjoys my work to take their feedback onboard for the next chapter.

 

Chapter one:

 

I've told you about perfection, haven't I? All of this...everything I've done was because I've done nothing but strive for perfection all my life. I had convinced myself that being perfect was not only attainable, but, it had already been achieved by Faye Valentine. But really... perfection?? I have to tell you the truth: In this world, nothing perfect exists. It may be a cliché, but it's the truth. That's why I pursue the concept of perfection: It's infatuation.

The truth is I despise perfection. If something is truly perfect...that's it. There is no room for imagination or improvement. Perfection is a dead end. The very notion implies stagnation. That is the real reason I've agonized over the attempt to achieve perfection. It's who I am. It's the cornerstone of my every action, a whole reason for living! The only thing that has kept me going is the determination to exceed my grasp, trying to hold onto something that in the end, may in fact be unreachable. Always strive to be better than anything that came before you, but not perfect!

To see someone else attain it as easily as Faye did, without even trying? Well...there's only so much a guy can take.

Bobbie sat across me looking aghast, frantically pawing at her body in disbelief, a body which didn't belong to her. It was Faye's body. Somehow, just by touching me, she had been affected...something about the power that Lust had instilled within me, had overwhelmed her in that moment of physical contact. Changed her. And now, for the second time in my life, I was looking at a person who had stolen what was rightfully mine.

"Oh god, Nick! What happened? I'm...I'm Faye!" Her voice was borderline hysterical, panicked and confused by her sudden metamorphosis. Her ill fitting clothes tugged and dug into her newfound curves tightly, causing her to whimper in pain and frustration with a new, unfamiliar voice.

All I could do was stare at her, my mind overflowing with turmoil and emotion. How was this possible? I knew earlier I'd done something to Taylor, but I had assumed that was somehow due to my proximity...or worse still, the intensity of my arousal that had somehow begun to affect him. But this? All she did was touch me.

"I...I can see that." I stuttered, somewhat lost for words. I honestly couldn't decide wether to laugh or cry at this point. Screaming did feel like an option.

Bobbie clutched her head, stumbling backward as she toppled the chair behind her.   "Oh god...this can't be happening, it just...can't."

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" I stood up from the table, staring at her in dismay.

"Then how the hell do you explain this?" Bobbie gestured to herself once more, in case the fact she'd transformed into my best friend had somehow become lost on me.   

I looked at her pleadingly. "I don't know, okay? I didn't ask for this."

Bobbie took a deep breath, which sounded ragged as she tried to regain her composure. She was trying to re-assert the calm, compassionate side of herself, which had been jettisoned in favour of hysteria in light of recent events. "I know, it's not you."

A twinge of hope crept into my voice. "You do?"

She nodded, swallowing hard as she fought to come to grips with what had just happened. "Of course. You didn't want to look the way you do, any more than I do now."

No, I wanted to look the way -you- do now. "Yeah. Lust, right?"

”Right."

I felt some of the tension begin to fade from the air between us, as I slumped my shoulders in resignation. "Yeah, I know. God, what a bitch."

"I guess she's not satisfied with trying to ruin just your life."

I was staring off into space, juxtaposing the events of the last few minutes with Taylor last night. "Do you think...this would have happened to Taylor as well? Y'know...if I'd gone through with it?"

"I'm not sure." She seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment. "But I doubt it. Creating an army of clones seems a little unimaginative for Lust from what I've heard."

"Then why you?"

Bobbie had that same look again; the one where you could tell she wasn't giving me the whole story. It was even more infuriating when it was plastered across Faye's face. "I don't know."

"You're lying." I muttered tersely.

She pursed her lips together. "No, I'm not.'

God, I wanted to push the issue to badly. This whole time I could tell she'd been holding out on me. Bobbie knew something about what was happening, I could tell that much. But given what had just transpired, I was hardly in a position to demand answers. If I leant on her any harder, she'd either break down or blow up. Neither was an option I was really willing to test.

I'd lost my opportunity, at least for now. "...fine."

She smiled weakly, looking for a way to change the subject. "I don't suppose if I touched you again, I'd change back?"

"Beats me." I let out a sigh. "But you're welcome to try."

Bobbie slunk up behind me and tentatively touched my back again. Nothing. No shivers, no weird tingles or sensations, nothing. She tried again and again, but without any effect. Eventually she was forced to abandon the idea, realising that whatever strange feedback had affected her wasn't about to do an encore.

"Great." Bobbie said, sounding thoroughly defeated, looking down at her newly transformed self.   "I'm stuck like this."

"Welcome to the club."

"You don't have a bakery to look after." She said, glowering at me through a curtain of green and black hair. "Or a boyfriend. Or roommate who's going to wonder where you've disappeared to."  

"Hey, my life isn't exactly sugar and rainbows like this either!" I snapped.

"Yeah? Well at least you got what you wanted."

I gave her an incredulous look. "You think I wanted to look like the Japanese Jessica Rabbit?"

She folded her arms, looking noticeably frustrated as she had to adjust for her increased bust. "You wanted to look like Faye, right? You're not far off."

"You look exactly like her!" I shot back. "Everybody gets the one thing that I can't have!"

"Well I sure as hell never asked to look like this, I can promise you that."

I slapped a palm against my forehead, feeling tears welling in my eyes. "God, I wish I'd just died back when I slit my wrists."

My words hung in the air for what felt like hours, as the gravity of the situation asserted itself on us both. Bobbie knew she'd crossed a line, the kind you don't test unless you're sure there's no going back. She bit her lip, any trace of anger starting to fade from her features as she looked at me like a mother would their injured child. "I'm sorry. I...I just got caught up in the moment. You were right before, you know."

I looked at her from the corner of my eyes, unwilling to turn my head. "What, that I should have just died?"

She hesitated for a moment, but seemed to force herself to follow through. "No, not at all. I meant you were right about me. I was lying before. About me looking like Faye. I know why...or at least, I think I do."

Her revelation was enough to draw me out of my shell. I turned to her, wiping the stray tears from my eyes. "Okay, so spill it out."

She smiled faintly, like she wasn't sure if I'd get mad for trying to lighten the mood. "Give a lift back to your place so we can explain this whole mess to Faye. I'll tell you on the way."

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So it turns out that Bobbie knew roughly five billion times more than she'd been letting on. See, back when she'd stayed with us in the past, there was a period of a few weeks where both Faye and Bobbie were acting really screwy and...you know what? Fuck it. TL:DR version is that they got switched. Literally switched bodies, Freaky Friday style. So yeah, turns out Bobbie has a lot of experience with having Faye's body, because she -was Faye- for several weeks. Think I'm making this up? God, I wish I was, but it helps explain why all this messed up stuff is happening. Least that explains her link to Faye. I guess touching me bought that out in her.

Anyways, that whole mess got sorted out somehow (she kind of glossed over that particular detail) and everyone was back where they should be. She left. We got on with our lives right up to the point where I killed myself. That brings us up on current events.

Anyways, it's important to be able to keep track of those kind of details, especially when you open the door to your house, to find your roommate staring face to face with her own doppelganger.

I'll give Faye credit, really. After the way she completely lost it when I first appeared as a girl, I was half-expecting her to make a break for the sharp, pointy objects. Given that it wasn't just Bobbie, but another girl she'd never seen bearing all the trademarks of Lust's handiwork, I was expecting a meltdown that would require a retreat of no less than a five mile safe distance.

Granted, both those ideas probably ran a good race and had votes counted, but strangely neither was the victor. Instead her gaze levelled out, and her face settled on a deadpan expression as she looked at me, then to her twin.

"I didn't know Lust was making house calls. What's your friend's name...Egregious? Tacky?"

By this stage, I've done enough introductions that the act itself was descending into farce. "I'm Nikki. This is Bobbie."

Bobbie smiled wordlessly, giving her twin a nervous look.

"You're kidding." She replied flatly. Clearly the novelty of Lust's transformations was wearing thin on her as well.

"I wish." I let out a pained sigh. "Can you let us in? I can explain on the doorstep, but I have a feeling one of us is going to make a scene."

Faye took a moment before weighing up her options, one of which probably involved multiple homicides, before stepping aside to let us in. I slipped inside, thankful to be home once again. Bobbie quickly followed as Faye shut the door behind us. "Talk fast."

"It's really me, okay?" I help up my hand, showing her the one feature about myself that Lust hadn't changed: The ring on my finger that had been given me.

Faye gave me a sour look, but seemed to buy it. "Okay, and what about her?"

Bobbie fidgeted awkwardly. "Something's happened to Nick. Lust did something to her which made her look like the way she does now. And when I tried touch her...well, you can guess the rest."

"Oh yeah? If you're Bobbie, what's the best kind of milk to use in buttercream icing?"

Bobbie smiled, meeting her gaze. "Nothing. You use butter, eggwhites and shortening."

"Fuck me sideways." She looked at the two of us like children who had just spilt Kool-Aid all over the carpet.

"You think I'm trying to do this?" I looked at her helplessly. "If I could take all of this back, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Faye shot me a dirty look. "Well you can't, now can you?"

"Hey!" I felt myself getting agitated. "Not my fault. Blame Lust, okay?"

"Oh, how could I forget? Here I thought she was dead and you just had to go and prove otherwise."

"I knew she wasn't dead." Bobbbie admitted quietly.

"Are you serious?" Faye look at her incredulously.

Bobbie wriggled uncomfortably. "Back when we switched."

"Thanks for letting me in on that, by the way."

Faye's jaw dropped "And you told her about that!?"

She gave Faye an innocent look. "What else was I supposed to do? I had to explain all of this somehow."

"Did you mention that you were the one who mercy-fucked the virginity out of her and not me?"

I shot Bobbie a look that could punch a hole through the sun. "That was you? I thought it was Faye!"

"As if." Faye muttered.

I scowled at her. "If you'd told me about Lust in the first place, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

Bobbie curled her fists at her sides, whole body tensing up. When she spoke, her voice had enough pitch and intensity that it bordered on screaming. "Quit it!"

Both Faye and I stopped in out tracks, staring at the busty Asian girl. She took a deep breath, regaining a modicum of decorum. "Knock it off, alright? We've all done -something- wrong. I get it. We've screwed up. Let's move on and deal with the problem at hand rather than waste time finger-pointing."

Faye looked away, scowling lightly. "Fine."

"Ditto."

"Good." She paced herself, letting us take a moment to calm down before continuing. "Because in case you can't tell, there's a couple of very serious problems we need to take care of."

Faye looked at me dubiously. "Okay, what's your deal. Did you ask to be turned into Miss December?"

"I told you, I didn't ask for this." I replied icily. "This was her idea of quid-pro-quo. Apparently she wants me to be a 'Lillith' which is some kind of succubus or something. Sex vampire? I dunno...point is, she wants me absorb energy like a conduit."

"Meaning....?"

I slumped my shoulders in resignation. "Meaning she wants me to fuck. And she gave me an oversexed body just to make sure I couldn't back down."

Faye slapped a palm against her forehead like it might somehow fight off an impending migraine. "Okay...and what about you, Neo-Faye?"

Bobbie shrugged her shoulders. "I already told you: One touch and the change hit me like a ton of bricks. I seem to be in the same body I had when we switched. At least, it seems that way with the green streak in my hair."

Faye groaned softly, still not removing her hand. "Anything else?"

"Well..." She bit her lip, hesitating. "I have the tattoo on my back, y'know...the Kanji?"

I remembered Lust mentioning that when I saw her last in the showers: The mark of a Lilith was a ring. The mark of a Thrall was a tattoo. Suddenly, the other shoe dropped as memories started to play out right before my eyes. Faye dancing on the table at the party...I caught a glimpse of a glowing tattoo on the small of her back. It was the same tattoo I saw on Bobbie when she turned into Faye's twin back at the bakery.

They were both marked as Thralls.

Worse still...they were both marked as Thralls, and it was because of me. My touch, my proximity...something about me and the power Lust gave me causes the mark to manifest in other people. It almost happened to Taylor back in his dorm room. But at least that was incomplete...but now Faye and Bobbie, both of them were marked. Which meant it wouldn't be long before they started to feel similar urges to what I had experienced.

-------------------------------------------------

Bobbie was resolute that she should not be far from me for the time being. Her argument was that since I didn't know how I'd caused her to turn into Faye's twin, I might be able to undo the damage just as inadvertently. Naturally Faye objected rather vehemently at the thought of her doppelganger crashing here, but Bobbie eventually talked Faye in to letting her stay.  

I sat at the kitchen bench, idly stirring my glass of iced coffee as I wondered just what I'd done to get myself caught up in such a crazy situation. The ring on my finger seemed to sparkle as if answering my question, which only made me groan softly, wishing the earth would just swallow me up.

If there was an Olympics for fucking things up, I'd still find a way to get disqualified.

There was a sound of a door opening in the hallway, and Faye wandered out of her bedroom...wait, was it Faye? I squinted a little trying to discern which of the new twins I was looking at.

Faye rolled her eyes, pointing a slender finger to her fringe. "Pink streaks, remember? Bobbie has the green from when she was cavorting around snowfields."

"Sorry." I muttered, looking back at my drink. "This is just all different kinds of confusing."

"Don't even get me started."

I took a sip, trying to take a little solace in the sweet, creamy texture. "Yeah, I guess."

Faye let out a deep, long sigh as she leant against the bench. "Look...I'm still mad at you for this, bu-"

"I told you I don't know how I did it!" I looked at her pleadingly. "She just touched me and it happened!"

Faye looked at me earnestly. "You gonna let me finish?"

I tried to relax, nodding slowly. "Yeah....sorry."

"As I was saying, I'm still mad at you -but- I know it's not your fault."

"That's not fair!" I pleaded. "How can you be mad if you know what I did to her wasn't my fault?"

Faye frowned slightly. "What, that? I'm not mad at you for that. It's fucked up, don't get me wrong. I mean...like, really deeply fucked up, but I'm dealing. I think."

"Then what are you mad at me for?"

She looked at me with disbelief "You ran away and went to everyone but me when this happened! I thought we were supposed to be friends?"

"We are friends." I said quietly. "It's just...I was scared. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know how you'd react."

"What'd you think I was going to do, throw you out?"

"Last time this happened you almost stabbed me."

Faye hesitated for a moment. "Okay, that's a valid point."

I slumped my shoulders, trying to fight back the tears welling up in my eyes. The surge of emotion mixed with the simmering arousal that seemed to permeate my body was like oil on water. "I don't want to lose you. You're everything to me."

Afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, causing long blades of orange light to stretch across the room. Faye moved closer, slipping her arm across my shoulder as she pulled me into an embrace. "Everything I did back then, I did to protect you. From what happened to me, from Lust. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" I struggled to think of what she meant.

"I should have trusted you." She kept her eyes on mine, never blinking or wavering. "You're strong enough to carry the burden of what I was going though. I'm just sorry it had to happen to you before I could see it."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at her, shocked by her honesty and kindness. Gone were the barriers of sharp wit and aggression, giving me a glimpse of the girl I got to see far too rarely: Kind, honest and loyal almost to a fault. It's the side she keeps hidden from the world, and I felt that we were poorer for not seeing it more often.

I bit my lip, trying to smile despite the sadness in my eyes. "So...we both fucked up, huh?"

"Weeeeeell...." She rolled her eyes, giving me a smile that could light up half a city. "...I'd say you're definitely a bigger fuckup than I am. There's really no comparison. But if you want to try and put us in the same category, I guess I can allow it."

I wiped the tears from my eyes, trying to regain a little composure even as I struggled not to laugh. "Bitch."

"Right back atcha." She chided, drawing her arm back from me, leaving a lingering warmth.

I stared back at my drink, the glass neither half full or empty. "You ever stop to wonder if anyone else has to put up with this kind of garbage?"

"Stuff like what?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno. Turning into girls. Twins. Sex demons. Body switching. This can't be normal for most guys in college."

"Normal? God, I hope not." Faye rolled her eyes.

"Then how do you deal with it?"

"I used to just bury that stuff, y'know?" Faye leant against the countertop beside me, staring into space. "Just stuff it all deep down inside me and try to seal it away for good. But that never helped anyone, let alone me. I think that's what helped bring Lust to the surface in the first place."

God, she sounded like me with all my gender issues. Always being forced to hide, to keep them secreted away from other people.

"So what do you do?" I asked her quietly.

She shot me a cocky grin. "Tackle 'em head on. I knock down doors. I kick down walls. And if anyone tells me I can't do it? I take all my fears, insecurities, worries...turn them sideways, and cram them straight up their ass."

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head slowly as bangs of soft black hair fell into my eyes. "I wish I could say I'm surprised."

"I'd be disappointed if you were." She smiled wickedly. "I work hard to cultivate an image."

"Guess I should work on that as well, huh?"

Faye looked me over with a critical eye. "I dunno, you might have trouble convincing anyone to take you seriously with tits the size of yours."

I cringed inwardly, but her bait was just too tempting to pass up. "What? You're like an F cup, remember?"

"I dunno..." She teased. "...I think you might be a G. Maybe a double G. Is that a thing? We should check."

I clenched my teeth, cheeks burning with humiliation. "Oh, you want to get naked again and compare boobs?"

Her eyes sparkled, glinting radiant purple in the fading light. "If you're lucky, I just might."

 

Chapter two:

 

Most people have an alarm clock when they wake up. Or at least, they used to anyways. Now everybody just uses their phones or whatever. Point is, they want to get woken up at a specific time, no earlier or later. I didn't get that today.

Instead I was dragged...no, ripped. Torn from the blissful world of dreams by the sounds of lustful moans radiating through the walls that separated my bedroom from Faye's. The muffled cries slowly grew in intensity and fervour, reaching a crescendo....before falling silent. I blinked wearily, eyes slowly adjusting to the light streaming in through the window against my feather duvet. What the hell was that? Was that Faye's voice in the throes of carnal bliss?

I sat up slowly, contemplating the thought as I swept a lock of blonde hair from my eyes with irritat- wait. Blonde hair?

Throwing back the covers, I clambered out of bed and dashed out to the bathroom. Hands grasping, the basin, I stared into the vanity mirror. But where I saw a sexpot Asian woman last night, I saw the same, blonde, cute teenage face that I'd started this ordeal with. You'd think this would be just a mild relief for me, something that would at least take a load off my mind.

But it was way more than that. I felt my heart leap with delight! After my time stuck with a body that was always an inch away from losing control, I was back to being just a normal, cute girl-next-door type. In that one, blissful moment, I couldn't have been happier. I hugged myself around the waist, smile spread across my face as I felt my small breasts squish together beneath the oversized t-shirt I'd worn to bed.

I almost skipped down the hallway, tapping on Faye's door. "Faye! I'm back to normal! Err...wait, I mean girl-normal. You know what I mean."

I heard a scuffle of commotion behind the door, but no sign of any occupant.   Moments later, I heard her voice sounding a little distracted. "Really? Okay, cool. That's great. I'll be out in a sec,"

I stretched lazily, walking down the hallway into the living area. The panties I'd stretched to fit over my swollen derriá¨re were now loose on my hips, threatening to fall off if I tried to move too energetically. But I didn't care in the slightest, I was already in too good a mood. Why? Because being stuck as an oversexed nympho had taught me a valuable lesson: Faye's body is amazing, don't get me wrong. But I should have been happier with what I had to start with. Always wanting more, the drive to seek perfection had gotten me into this mess. So for once, I should just keep my mouth shut, my legs closed, and be happy with what I've got right now.

I looked about the living room, expecting to find Bobbie sprawled out on a sofa. Given that whatever Lust had done to me had obviously run it's course, I figured the same must be true for Bobbie as well. But strangely, I couldn't find any sign of her, or the belongings she'd bought with her when she insisted on being no more than several feet from me at any given time.

Time slowed down, and suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place. Honestly, this was a mystery so simple even the Scooby gang could have solved it: The cries of ecstasy? The awkward greeting? Bobbie had spent the night sleeping in Faye's room.

Awkward.

Well, awkward since I'm pretty sure Bobbie has a boyfriend. And I'm positive that Faye has a girlfriend.

I was looking at the same glass I'd left on the countertop from last night when I heard the crack of Faye's door opening. Faye appeared from the hallway, her lower half clad in a pair of black satin panties, her top half covered by a tight, red babydoll shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra beneath it, which made the tip of her nipples clearly visible though the fabric.

"Uh, morning?" I offered hesitantly.

"Morning. You look good." She smiled pleasantly.

"You too..." I watched her dubiously as she walked past me toward the fridge, Thrall tattoo peeking out from the hemline of her shirt. Even if Bobbie was back to normal like me, I noted that certainly hadn't changed.

She opened up a carton of orange juice, taking a swig straight from the mouth of it. "Something wrong?"

"Uh, no...I just thought Bobbie was staying here. I couldn't see her stuff in the living room."

Faye hesitated for a moment, setting down the carton. "She slept in my room last night."

"Are you crazy?!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. "How could you do that?"

"What?" She looked away innocently, but the guilt in her eyes told a different story.

"How could you sleep with her? Aside from making yourself the poster-girl for narcissism, you have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh." A look of realization dawned on her. "You mean...you heard us?"

"There are dwarves living in the Underdark who heard you."

A long, drawn-out sigh slipped past her full lips. "It's not what you think."

"Oh really?" I shot back.

She folded her arms beneath her breasts. "You wouldn't understand."

"Then explain it to me until I do."

"It's because we're marked." Came an identical voice from the other side of the room. I jerked my head around to see Bobbie, who was still trapped in Faye's luscious form walking into the living room. She was dressed in Faye's underwear; her curvy body only hidden by lacy black panties and a matching bra that cradled her large breasts. Clearly she'd been raiding Faye's wardrobe.

"You mean the Thrall mark?" I asked, already knowing the answer to my own question.

She nodded, standing on the other side of the counter. "Yeah, the tattoo we both have on our back. Faye's never had one before, because Lust wasn't able to mark her when they first met. But I've had one before."

I looked at Faye, who was just nodding as Bobbie spoke. "So what happened this morning was...?"

She bit her lip, looking sideways as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It means that we kinda start craving...stimulation. And sometimes we try to satisfy that craving in our sleep without realizing it."

"Oh, right. God killing kittens." I muttered. This was happening a little faster than I expected.   "Geez, I thought having morning wood as a guy was bad enough."

"It's definitely not on the same level."

"If it's worth anything, I totally believe you." Which was actually true. My memories of what had happened with Taylor were still very fresh in my mind.

"Much appreciated." Faye remarked, going back to serving herself a bowl of cereal. "Any particular reason for that, given you were about to give me the Spanish inquisition treatment?"

I shot her a dark look. "Trust, remember? Strength to bear the burden and all that?"

"Sorry." She gave me a sheepish look.

I snatched the cereal pack away from her as Bobbie watched, not wanting to get between us. "Besides, I had enough urges like that when I was a busty Asian Playmate."

"Which begs the question of why you're back to being normal, and we're not." Bobbie observed cautiously.

"Like everything else that's happened over the last few days, I do not have the slightest idea why."

"You've still got the ring." Faye mentioned between mouthfuls of cocoa puffs.

I held up a slender hand, noting the pink ring still wrapped tightly around my finger. I'd been so excited earlier that I'd forgotten to check. "Yeah, I guess you can't have everything, huh. Maybe Lust just figured I'd learnt my lesson?"

"Hah." Faye laughed scornfully. "You sure that blonde hair isn't making you a bimbo?"

"Shut up." I muttered darkly.

Bobbie evidently decided it was time to play peacekeeper again. "Let's not turn on each other, okay? We've got enough problems between us without adding to the pile."

Faye considered testing that theory, but decided against it. "Right."

I let out a sigh, shrugging my shoulders. "I don't know what else I can do. If I changed back all my myself, there's a chance you both might as well."

"I hope so." Bobbie remarked. "I can lay low for a few days, but after that people are going to start wondering where I've been, and why I'm not working at Cheepskates."

"You can fill in some of my modelling jobs." Faye remarked sarcastically.

"What did I just get through saying?"

"Okay, okay. No fighting. Got it."

I looked at the twin beauties and silently wondered how they ever managed to remain friends. Even if they now looked identical, their personalities couldn't be much more different. If this was a Disney movie, being twins would be fates way of making them see they're not so different beneath the surface. Thankfully it's not a Disney movie, because that would make me Lindsay Lohan.

"Okay, so we just wait it out, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders, pouring milk into my bowl. "That the general consensus?"

"Seconded." Bobbie sighed reluctantly.

"Motion passed." Faye nodded in agreement. "It's not like I have it as bad as you two. If you're prepared to stick it out, I guess I don't have much right to complain."

-------------------------------------------------

So we planned it out from there, trying to think of the best strategy to deal with the situation at hand. School wasn't due to start up until tomorrow, which meant we still had a little breathing room to get on top of things. I wasn't obligated to even go to school, but Faye figured I should at least try it out. After all, if Faye's experience was anything to go by, I'd need to establish a new life for myself. And high school dropout isn't going to get me much further than flipping burgers in this economy. Of course, I could just cook up a fake diploma as well, but I figure the more real credentials I have, the less likely people are to be questioning the fake ones.

I opened the door to my Camero, sliding into the drivers seat. As a girl, the big hunk of steel felt even more monolithic, and I'd had to adjust the seat as far as I could just to be able to drive it properly. I started the engine, feeling it roar to life as I backed out of the driveway and hit the open road. Wind whipped through my blonde locks as I cruised through the open streets of Delacroix, the whole experience feeling strangely liberating.

It's hard to really say why, I guess. Buddhists believe that the ego is the cause of all great suffering in the world. That it burns a hole in our hearts that can never be filled. The same had been true for me as well: I'd spent my whole life focused on what I didn't have, what I'd been denied by the flip of a coin at birth. And even when I'd been given what I wanted most, my life's dream of pure femininity, it still hadn't been enough. I wanted more. I wanted perfection.

I nearly lost my mind when I saw Bobbie attain what I'd struggled with for years in a heartbeat. I thought in that moment, I might lose my mind. How is that fair? Was it Lust's doing, trying to turn the screws so tight that I might break completely? She'd been given perfection and just like Faye, didn't appreciate it the slightest bit.

But that's the crux of the matter. It dawned on me; like an eerie moment of clarity when I looked at myself in the mirror this morning. I was never going to appreciate it either.

Who was I kidding, really? If I had woken up this morning in Faye's body, would it have really been so different? Of course not. I'd still be mad that I only looked like her.

I didn't have her friends.

Her life.

Her thoughts.

Her soul.

That's the truth I was faced with when I spoke to her yesterday, and admitted that I couldn't bear the thought of losing her. I can never be her. Trying to be just like her has given me more problems than I ever dreamt possible: It nearly cost me my life, and it's caused two innocent people to be caught up in the mess I've created.

And for what? I'm a girl. One hundred percent, bona-fide female. Rather than focusing on the perfection that I don't deserve, I should be using this gift to create the perfection I've always wanted. No more waiting for handouts. No more illusions of entitlement. I'm going to use what I've been given to forge my own path, my own road. That will be the perfection I pursue from now on.

I glanced at the ring on my finger, glowing faintly as it always seemed to with a life of it's own, even as it caught the rays of the sun. We might be Lust's servants for now, but a queen can be toppled from her throne. Even Ozymandias couldn't halt the march of time.  

I touched the brakes, coming to a stop parked along a busy street. With everything that had transpired over the last few days, I felt like my whole life had been turned inside out. I'd been jumping from one foot to another, just trying not to get overwhelmed by the chaos that seemed to follow in my wake. I needed a dose of normality. Something that I could depend on to just make me feel a little more...me.

Experience Point was one of those independent gaming stores that was threatening to be crushed under the heel of Gamestop or digital distribution any day now. They'd managed to survive by diversifying into selling geek apparel, figures, statues, merchandise and retro games. The place was run by Richard, a British (let's try not to hold that against him) guy whom I was good friends with. He usually gave me discounts on stuff and let me hang out when I was bored, which doesn't actually do me a bit of good now since there's no way he's going to recognise me. Still, no reason I can't start from scratch, right?

I stepped inside the modern, clean shopfront, finding my nostrils greeted by the plastic smell of fresh packaging and air-conditioning. There were a couple of other patrons browsing the shelves, and Richard was behind the counter sorting stock. Still, something just felt right...like you can take the guy out of the gender, but you can't take the geek out of the girl.

I walked through aisles slowly, scanning the shelves for anything that might catch my eye. See, a lot of guys like multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield. I can respect that, but they hold no interest for me. I've always been a girl at heart, even if that wasn't reflected physically. And games like that feel like the ultimate in machismo. I've been trying to escape things that radiate masculinity, not embrace them. Besides, there are games that require more skill and finesse than your garden variety FPS...

To me, fighting games like Street Fighter and Marvel vs Capcom are the pinnacle of competitive multiplayer. Why? Because there's no luck involved. When you play an FPS, no matter how skilled you are, there's always an element of luck. Someone might throw a grenade blindly into a room that kills you. They might have just the right weapon. They might spawn camp. They might have a friend show up at the right moment. There's always that wild card element.

But for a fighting purist, there is no luck. It's just you against your opponent. Nowhere to hide, no tools they're not aware of. No sneak attacks or ambushes. It's just skill against skill. Framedata vs framedata. The game runs at sixty frames per second. A punch a has five frames of startup, eight active frames and four recovery. Therefore I know exactly how long it will take every time. You calculate endlessly, weighing up your options, your tools and your resources, all in a fraction of a second. Blitz chess wishes it could be this fast.

"And here I thought you were a Barbie - Horse Adventure kind of girl."

I looked behind me with an air of irritation, but was pleasantly surprised to find Chase standing a few feet away, smiling impishly. His blonde hair was still looking unkempt, though it matched the wifebeater and jeans that clung to his lean frame.

"I don't know, might me a little advanced for me." I shot back.

He shrugged, moving a little closer. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. How you holding up after the other day?"

The other day? Oh, right...the party. Jesus...with everything that's happened since then, somehow the topic of attempted rape had actually moved down on my list of priorities.

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks." I shuddered a little as my mind was cast back to the events of the party only two nights ago. "Things have just been hectic. How are things on your end?"

He clenched his teeth in frustration just enough to notice. "Not as good as I would have hoped. Talked to coach about it, and he's promised to reprimand the players. But I think that's about as far as it's going to go."

"Great, so....nothing then?"

"I put the fear of god into them, so they won't try it again with you." He paused for a moment. "Sorry, I guess that's not much consolation."

I put down the game I was looking at, and started browsing again. "Not really, no."

He looked a little anxious, stepping into line beside me. "Lemme make it up to you, at least."

"What, are you going to break their dicks off or something?"

He looked away awkwardly. "No...I was more thinking that I could take you out somewhere. Try and make up for the shitty evening."

I rolled my eyes, speaking in a syrupy tone. "Oh, that's so sweet. I had no idea you were so sensitive and thoughtful!"

"Hey, I'm trying to help here." He protested.

"You always try to use dinner and a movie as hush money?"

"I'm on your side, remember?" He folded his arms, shifting his weight to one foot. "You want to go to the cops, be my guest. But I told you, this is nothing new for them. They'll just say you're making up stories to ruin the reputation of the towns best football team. That you were drunk, you let things go too far and you regretted it later."

I gave him a disgusted look. "So I'm just supposed to shut up, enjoy a fancy dinner and play arm-candy for a night?"

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "You're going to make it so there's nothing I can say here that's right, aren't you?"

I pursed my lips, realizing the truth of the matter: I was taking out my frustrations on him, despite the fact that he really was trying to be the good guy, albeit in a self-serving kind of way. Besides, despite my apprehension, going out with a guy might be kinda fun...even if my male ego was struggling to accept the reality of such a concept, the rest of me was secretly thrilled by the idea.

But on the other hand, I wasn't going to make it easy. "Fine. Play me at Street Fighter. First to five."

He gave me a haphazard look. "I do not have the slightest idea of how to play that game."

"Thought you said I was a Barbie kind of girl?"

"True..." He hesitated. "...fine, alright. You're on."

"Hey Richard, can we get a hookup going over here?" I pointed to one of the display consoles that was currently running demos for the customers. "I've got a scrub to body."

Richard gave me a quizzical look, and I realized that he still had no idea who I am. "Uh...sorry, not sure I get what you mean."

Chase cut in. "Come on dude. Do me a solid? If I win I get to take her to dinner."

Unlike me, it seemed that Richard knew Chase, at least on basic terms. "Fine. But you two better buy something."

A few minutes later, we had Street Fighter running on the store display. Normally I played with a custom arcade stick, but this time I was going to have to settle for game pads. The patrons of the store gathered around as we selected our characters. I picked the evil and sadistic Juri, while he settled on the noble warrior Ryu. As soon as the first round began, the difference in skill was obvious: He fumbled about jumping randomly, mashing buttons in the hope he might make something happen. I on the other hand, was quick, clean, methodical and thorough. Bread and butter combos flowed, links left his character teetering on the brink of stun, and one round after another fell for me. With each loss, hype in the crowd built exponentially. They went from quiet whispers to shouts of adulation, pouring salt on Chase's wounds as he began to sweat visibly.  

In a few short minutes, the contest was over: He'd been decimated, five games to one. Would have been five zero, but I tossed in a mercy round. Always K.O. with kindness, I say.

"Holy shit, you can really play." Richard remarked, as Chase tried to pick up the pieces of his dignity in silence.

I shrugged my shoulders like it was no big deal, lapping up the attention flowing from Richard and the other patrons. "Yeah, I've got skills."

His smile grew a little wider. "Want a job?"

I felt a ripple of surprise move through me. "A job, are you serious?"

"Sure. I've had an opening for a few days." He said, gesturing to a HELP WANTED sign printed on the sales counter. "Last sales guy quit, and I've been looking to fill his place. Got a ton of resumes from high school kids I can't be bothered to sort through."

"What makes you think I'd do better than any of them?"

Chase scoffed. "A girl who can play video games? That's a rare bird."

Richard smiled awkwardly. "Not quite the way I'd put it, but that's one way to say it."

I bit my lip, suddenly realizing that everyone in the store was looking at me expectantly. The truth was that I could probably use the job. Most of my money came from freelance graphic work between college classes. But since that was off the table..."Okay, let me give it some thought."

Richard handed me a business card with his details on it. I looked at it for a moment, before sliding it into my pocket. "Thanks."

The crowd of young men began to disperse, and I tried to settle the butterflies in my stomach as I looked to Chase. He smiled sheepishly, setting down his controller. "Guess that means I don't get to take you out after all?"

I grinned like he owed me owed me money, and started walking toward the door. "I just said you had to play me. I never said anything about winning."

 

Chapter three:

 

I knew there would be trouble the moment I returned home. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a pessimist...despite what the last few days might have led you to believe. It was more due to the fact that Rachael's car was parked in the driveway. Rachael was Faye's steady girlfriend of the last two or so years, and unlike most people, she actually knew about Faye's past and history as a man. So that wasn't an issue.

Rather, I suspected the fact that there were two Faye's occupying the hose she lived in that might prove far more contentious.

Opening the front door, I was prepared for a lot of things: Screaming. Fainting. Hot dog eating contest (I like to cast a wide net), but I have to confess the sight that greeted me wasn't on my list. I stepped inside to see Rachael; a blonde girl in her late teens not unlike myself, slug Bobbie with enough force to send her toppling over the back of the sofa.

"Rach!" Faye protested. "What the hell?!"

Rachael levelled a finger at Faye. "Oh no, you don't get to tell me what to do. She deserved that. You know it, I know it, and she -definitely- knows it."

I stared in silence, watching as the athletic young woman grabbed her handbag and stormed right past me. "Forget you two. I'm out."

Faye dashed after her, pleading with her to stay. "You know this wasn't my fault, I already told you..."

The two of them disappeared into the front yard, and their voices trailed off for several seconds beyond that. Naturally, part of me was more than a little curious to see what had transpired, but I knew better than to try and intervene. Instead I moved over to where the Faye with green streaked hair lay behind the couch, nursing her jaw.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" I knelt down beside Bobbie, helping her to her feet. "She really laid you out there."

Bobbie rubbed her jaw absently. "Yeah, I think so...Girl has a punch like Ivan Drago."

"Want to tell me what that was about?"

Bobbie let out a reluctant sigh. "She showed up unannounced, looking to surprise Faye with some movie tickets she'd won. Obviously when she saw both of us, a little bit of explanation was required."

I gave her a quizzical look. "Rachael put you on your ass because you look like Faye?"

Bobbie looked away nervously. "That....and a few other things. Stuff that happened a while ago during the switch. I felt like I needed to fess up."

I smiled faintly. "No good deed goes unpunished, huh?"

"I could have timed it a little better. In hindsight I might have laid it on a little thick, given our current problems."

I turned my gaze back on the door. "Guess that explains why Faye's in damage control."

Bobbie leant against the sofa, folding her arms as she followed my gaze. "Like she said, it's not exactly like any of us asked for this."

"Except me." I said quietly, suddenly feeling like once again, everything was my fault.

"You asked for it, but not like this." She offered thoughtfully. "If you'd know everything that was going to happen...?"

"I'd have told Lust to get fucked?"

"Exactly." She smiled faintly. "So don't beat yourself up...or at least too much, anyway. Your hands aren't as dirty as you think."

I raised an eyebrow. "So where exactly does that leave us?"

Bobbie craned her neck, working out a couple of loud popping sounds. "I need to bake something."

"Seriously?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing..." I shrugged my shoulders. "...Just seems a weird way to cope: Disregard assault, acquire baked goods."

"Shut up." She said with an air of irritation as she walked toward the kitchen. Girl had been Faye less than a day and she already had Faye's token dismissal down pat.   "Are you going to help me or not?"

I gave her a confused look. "Uh, me? Yeah, sure. I guess."

Bobbie walked to the kitchen and began digging through the cupboards, pulling out bowls and mixing utensils as she moved from one to the next. I hung back, not at all sure what I could do help given that she seemed to be a girl on a mission.

I eventually spoke up. "You want some ice for your jaw?"

"No thanks. Might be sore for a day or two, but I think I'll manage." Eggs, flour, and an assortment of other ingredients grew like an army on the counter as Bobbie continued her impromptu scavenger hunt.  

I looked away, lowering my voice in case Faye might somehow hear, despite the fact she was probably halfway down the street arguing with Rachael. "So what's it feel like?"

"Getting sucker punched? Can't say I'm a fan."

I narrowed my eyes, unsure if she was being deliberately obtuse, or it was something practiced. "No, I mean being Faye."

She stopped long enough to look down at herself. "It's nice, I guess."

I looked at her curiously. "That's all?"

"You're really hung up on her, aren't you?"

My mind was cast back to yesterday's conversation in the bakery, telling her how everything that had happened was born out of the need to claim my so-called destiny that she'd stolen.

"Not really. I mean, not anymore at least."

She looked at me with an air of uncertainty. "Are you sure? Just yesterday you'd have stepped on nuns for a shot at being her."

I leant back against the counter, nodding my head as she began mixing ingredients in one of the larger bowls. "I guess...I just decided not to worry about it any more. I mean, I'm a girl; isn't that enough?"

"God, I hope so." She smiled mischievously. "I don't think I can take any more insanity. Feel like the crazy train hasn't stopped since you came to visit."

"Yeah...sorry about that."

"I told you not to worry about it." She said offhandedly.

I shook my head slowly. "But you're a thrall as well."

A long hiss slid between her teeth. "...yeah. I've had to deal with that before."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Honestly?" She kept stirring the ingredients, throwing in a cup of milk duds. "I don't know. This feels different to the last time. It's not as intense...but I think it's slowly building up as time progresses."

Shards of ice froze in my gut. "So it's going to get worse?"

"Maybe. Like I said, it's hard to say after just a day."

I clenched my teeth lightly. "Jesus. So what does it do? I mean, Lust kind of mentioned it in passing, just that you were marked as a servant."

"Well, you know about the libido..." She smiled darkly. "...but the rest? Hard to explain, really. It's like...like you have total freedom. Every chain that society has ever wrapped around you is broken. Want? Take. Horny? Sex. Nothing matters except following your own desires and seeing where they take you. That's why it's so dangerous: Being a Thrall doesn't make you a bad girl. It just makes you -want- to be a bad girl."

I swallowed hard. Just like the night with Taylor...the only thing that had kept me from acting on my desires was the fact that I'd been so terrified of sex to begin with. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved it was Bobbie in that situation now, and not me.

"Have you told Faye?"

Bobbie nodded, as she began scooping out the brown mush from the bowl, setting it on a greased baking tray. "A little, enough to explain why she woke up moaning like a porn star."

I quirked an eyebrow. "What about the rest?"

Bobbie darted her eyes toward the door. "I think she has enough on her plate right now. I'll tell her when the time is right."

If I had a week, I couldn't explain everything wrong with that idea. "And in the meantime?"

She slid the tray into the oven, closed it, and set the dials as it hummed to life. "Now? We can relax while the cookies bake. There's nothing my cookies can't fix."

-------------------------------------------------

When Faye eventually returned nearly an hour later, she was exhausted. Normally, Rachael was the doting girlfriend to Faye's more aggressive, headstrong personality. So for her to draw a line in the sand like this, must have meant that she was -really- pissed off this time. I gave Faye a concerned look as she collapsed onto the sofa with all the dramatic flair she could muster, clearly looking for a little sympathy from the audience.

"So how'd everything go?"

Faye groaned, trying to get comfortable as she wriggled her ample derriá¨re against the sofa. "Awful. She's going to tell Zoe everything that's happened, so I can't wait to go through that a second time."

I spoke deliberately, making sure she understood what I was driving at. "But she did forgive you, right?"

"Eventually." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "Christ, I hope there's angry make up sex in this for me somewhere."

Given how Faye wasn't completely aware of what the tattoo on her back represented, the mention of sex made me a little uneasy. I took another bite from one of Bobbie's cookies, savouring the smooth, sweet taste.   "I hope you two work it out."

Faye sighed a little and sat up, snatching a cookie off the plate Bobbie had set on the coffee table. "She'll be fine. Just needs some time to cool off, I think."

Bobbie was sitting in an armchair next to Faye, tapping away on a Xbox controller as she stared intently at the television. "You think that's bad? Wait until I have to tell my boyfriend about all this."

"You're going to tell Tim?" I gave her a haphazard look.

Bobbie reluctantly paused the game, turning around to face me. "I don't know. If we find a way to undo this really quickly? Maybe not. But he's already been texting me, asking why I'm not at the bakery."

"Crap." I whispered. "Can't keep him away, huh?"

Bobbie shook her head. "Nope. and besides, I have the same dilemma with my roomie as well. I can keep them placated for now, but a few more days and I'm going to owe them an explanation as to where I've disappeared to."

I ran a hand through my hair, trailing fingers through long, golden locks. "So what can we do then? I'm open to suggestions."

Faye chewed on her cookie thoughtfully. "We help you find a way to fix all of this?"

"How?" I looked at her helplessly. "I keep telling you I don't know what I did to change either of you in the first place."

Bobbie held up a hand. "Hold on a second, that's not a bad idea."

"Oh, so now you're ganging up on me?"

"It's not like that." Bobbie gave me a stern look. "Faye has a point, just think about it: We know Lust has done something special to you. It's why you're a Lilith and we're Thralls."

I nodded my head apprehensively. "Okay, with you so far."

"And we also know you were affecting Taylor somehow. You said there was the beginnings of a Thrall mark on his back."

"Maybe." I said defensively. "It could have just been a rash."

Faye finished wolfing down her first cookie, and eagerly went to work on her second. "What if it wasn't?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay, well maybe I did have that effect? I still don't know how I did it."

"So it's instinctive?"

I tried to picture if that might be the case. "I guess? Maybe....I still don't know a whole lot about this ring or what it does to me."

Faye smirked darkly. "We know what it made you look like."

"Not cool." I muttered, scowling at her as she finished another cookie.

"You want to go easy on those?" Bobbie gave her a cautious look. "I made them for everyone."

"Excess weight goes straight to your tits, right Faye?" I ventured sarcastically.

She remained unfazed. "At least then you'll have a way to tell us apart."

"Let's stay on topic, shall we?" Bobbie said, trying to calm us both down. "We should instea..d fo...cus ont he pr..o...."

Her words trailed off, fading into white noise as I felt the whole world grow dimmer around me. Lights were swallowed up by darkness, sensations faded into nothingness. This wasn't like before when I'd felt Lust's voice in my head. It wasn't even like when she distorted the world around me, paying a personal visit to torment me for my mistakes. The world itself vanished around me as I was sent plummeting into an endless void. I was being torn away from myself, cast into a place where I was nothing more than a spectator. An observer who could only watch as someone else took control of my body. Someone who spoke with my voice, touched with my hands. I was trapped, sealed away in a cage as where not a single soul could hear me scream for release. No one except for....

------------------ Lust------------------

I opened my eyes slowly, making sure to drink in every sight they came to rest upon. Time in the world of the living is a fleeting thing, and it's been far too long since I had an opportunity to feel the breath of air on my skin, or the taste of food on my lips. After all, what's the point in living if you can't savour the little things?

"We should instead focus on the problems at hand, right? Bobbie looked at me expectantly.

I smiled, baring my teeth like a predator. This part is always the most fun, the moment of confused innocence when they haven't yet realized there's a wolf amongst the sheep.

"I'd say you're out of your depth. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Oh, that confused look on her face. It's priceless. How I'd like nothing better than to play her like a violin before cutting the strings...

"Wait, what?" She furrowed her brow. "I don't know what you mean."

I gazed at her with unflinching resolve. "You wore my mark not so long ago. Did you really think I had forgotten? That I wouldn't return to claim what belongs to me?"

I'll give Faye credit: She worked it out a shade faster than Bobbie did. But she always was my favourite. I've had so many failures in the past, she was the first in centuries to show any real promise as a Thrall.

"You bitch." She hissed between clenched teeth. "You're not Nikki at all, are you?"

I looked at her innocently. "What was your first clue?"

She didn't hesitate even for a moment. Even though I was controlling her best friends lovely little body. Nothing mattered except satisfying the explosion of hatred and contempt that poured from her heart like a volcano. She lunged at me, hands twisted into claws that would wrap about my neck and choke the life from this mortal vessel if given half a chance.

That wasn't a chance I was prepared to give her. I flicked my wrist, forming a simple gesture required almost no energy at all. But the effect was immediate and drastic: The mark on her back flared to life, and instantly her legs gave out from under her as she toppled to the floor into a moaning, writhing heap.

"Oh my god..." Bobbie stared at her twin with a mix of shock and strange curiosity. "..what did you do?"

I smiled tightly. "My name is Lust, after all."

She backed away a touch, eyes not leaving Faye who was groaning softly in a state of purely addled desire, hands roaming about her body without an inch of shame or modestly. "Don't you think that's a little much?"

I shook my head slowly. "You don't get a say in the matter. You're all my property."

Fear grew in her eyes as the implications of what I said began to sink in. "No way..."

"You should be grateful I didn't do more." I felt my tongue play across my lips. "It's hard to step on ants without crushing them."

"What do you want from us?" She looked at me with eyes filled with desperation and dismay. "Haven't you done enough already?"

I moved closer to her, causing her to retreat backwards another step, away from the near orgasmic moans and cries emanating from Faye's besieged form, which was tearing desperately at her clothes in an attempt to strip them off.   "What I want is very simple: I want to be free. To escape from Limbo and never go back. That is what I was promised, I am simply collecting on a debt owed to me."

"Nick...she let you take her over? She agreed to that?" She was aghast now, fear motivating her every action and response.

My lips twisted into a vicious smile. "You'd be very surprised what you can agree to when you're about to die."

Her eyes darted back to Faye, before swallowing nervously. "But what about Faye and I?"

"Oh, that's the best part." I kept my eyes locked with her, never flinching. Never blinking. "You're both Thralls, bound to my service. I made the mistake of giving Faye too much freedom once, I won't make the mistake again. You'll both do exactly as I say, when I say it. You will not deviate from my service. You will not question your obligation. If I see so much a glimmer of rebellion from any of you, I will destroy your lives in ways you haven't even thought possible. And I'll make you love every second if it. "

"Oh god..." She whispered.

"God?" My face was inches from hers, baring my teeth. "There is no god that can save you, no favours from other Aspects to call in. You belong to me, body and soul. Do you understand?"

She nodded wordlessly.

I drew back slightly, letting my aggressive demeanour fall away as a smile settled once more on my face. "Good. Because I have a lot to accomplish, and not much time to do it in."

The cries of ecstasy radiating from Faye permeated the air between us. I pursed my lips, contemplating her fate for a moment. Using energy in this state was dangerous, and I'd already used too much getting my point across to Faye and Bobbie. However, I had to admit that it wouldn't make her particularly useful for what I had planned ahead. Begrudgingly, I made another small gesture with my left hand, and like flipping a switch, her moans of passion quickly died away, leaving her panting softly, naked body covered in a sheen of sweat.  

"Thank you..." Bobbie said quietly, eyes settling on Faye, who seemed to be equal parts of exhausted and confused.

I nodded slowly. "That was a gesture of good faith. If you behave yourselves and do as I tell you, I promise that not only will I release you when this is over, but I'll treat you so well, you may not even want me to."

Bobbie hesitated, clearly sensing how carefully I'd chosen my words. I could respect that if it wasn't so irritating. "You were talking about us. What happens to Nick?"

I narrowed my eyes, making sure she heard the edge cutting through my pleasant tone. "I'd spend more time worrying about myself if I were you."

"But...you're just going to take her over?"

Clearly another lesson is needed here. "Don't make me repeat mys-"

Just then, I felt his presence slither past the edge of my awareness. It was cold, dark and utterly overwhelming, like the pit of a frozen abyss. I thought I had more time. I thought....no, this was my fault. He's been searching for me ceaselessly, bound and determined to find me no matter how long it took. Using my energy was like lighting up a beacon, drawing him to me through the void. I had only a handful of seconds, a minute at best to make my escape before he knew exactly where I was.

And there would be no more hiding once he found me.

I clenched my teeth, cursing under my breath. "Damn, what do you know? It looks like I'm out of time."

Bobbie gave me a confused look, even as I began to loosen my grip on Nikki's mind. I smiled faintly, watching as darkness began to close in around the edges of my vision. "Still, I wouldn't want you to forget: You're mine. All of you. And I'll be back soon enough to finish what I've started here."

"You're leaving, just like that?" She looked as though she was afraid to hope what she said was true.

"That's right." I nodded. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you. Watching. Waiting. Holding my breath."

She stared at me, lips trembling slightly. The darkness had almost consumed my vision, and it would be only moments before I slipped back into Limbo and went into hiding again, leaving Nikki free to control her body once more.   "Just one more piece of advice before I go..."

"And that is?"

"...you think I'm doing this to hurt you? Torment you? I'm saving you. Once Fear finds you, you'll wish you were as dead as Nikki was back on the bathroom floor."