The Harlequin's Curse

      Endless emptiness and dead silence. Luan had gotten used to this atmosphere, it no longer scared her or made her heart speed up and her whole body tremble. On the contrary, it had now become a signature style for her "realistic part", and it meant only one thing – a mime would soon appear with her next trick, which would definitely tickle the girl's nerves and cause severe pain. But now… something strange was happening. No mime, no horrors, not even any fire shows. This situation was making Luan nervous, she was turning her head and darting her eyes everywhere, trying to find the villainess or hear her approach. But nothing. Absolutely nothing was visible or audible. As if her whole life had suddenly ended and turned into a black endless darkness, stretching in all directions. Right now she felt uneasy, very creepy and cold, scared…     Suddenly Luan felt a solid surface under her feet. She looked down and saw that she was standing on a colorfully painted carpet with a familiar black and white figure on it. While she was coming to her senses and trying to understand what was happening here, walls and various objects appeared out of nowhere – elegant lamps, tables and chairs, and even a large piano appeared in the corner, next to which an equally massive harp and several bookcases immediately materialized. In a few seconds, a truly huge and richly furnished room with a high ceiling and subdued lighting appeared around Luan. And if it weren't for the confusion, she would have definitely admired such beauty. But now she was scared and didn't understand where she was and what was happening around her.     – Welcome, Luan, – a voice sounded behind the girl, causing the latter to scream in surprise. The guest of this beautiful creation turned around and saw a familiar outline – the figure of the mime was sitting in a soft chair, which was half-turned, and holding a glass with a red liquid inside. If it weren't for the dark bottle on the table next to her, Luan would have thought that it was someone's blood. Even possibly her own.     – Don't be afraid, it's just good red wine, – the mime continued, taking a small sip, after which he grinned, – although I wouldn't mind some blood either.     – What... where am I? W-what are you up to? – Luan asked in a trembling voice, trying to find with her eyes any deadly trap that could be prepared for her.     – Absolutely nothing scary or dangerous, so you don't have to look for anything on the ceiling, walls, and you don't even have to look at the floor, – the hostess answered in a calm voice, taking another sip.     – Wait, how... How did you know? – Loudly squealed Luan, trying not to lose her remaining composure.     – We are in my kingdom, don't forget. Maybe you should sit down? I just want to chat with you. The mime snapped his fingers, and a fireplace flared up in front of her, illuminating an equally soft chair on the other side of the fire, with a table with an unopened bottle nearby. From the outside, everything looks very comfortable, but you can't just trust this creature – who knows what's in the head of a psychopath.     – I'd rather stand, I'm not tired – Luan snapped back boldly, after which she heard a drawn-out groan.     – You making it so much harder than it needs to be, – the mime said quietly and snapped his fingers again. A bluish glow engulfed Luan's body, constraining all her movements, and carried her towards the free chair. The immobilized girl was quite frightened, but because of the surprise, and not at all because she was actually floating in the air again. Having landed on the soft furniture, she heard the cork fly out of the shiny bottle on the table, and the burgundy wine began to pour into an elegant glass.     – Now that's a different matter, – the black and white figure said calmly, enjoying the tart aroma of the drink. – Don't be shy, you'll like it. Not your favorite tequila, but still. The already filled glass soared into the air and approached Luan, who hesitated a little, but still accepted this gift. Sniffing the drink, she felt nothing but a pleasant grape aroma. After thinking for a few seconds, the girl nevertheless took a small sip – surprisingly, it was really very tasty, even refreshing. But it was too early to relax, so the guest glanced sideways at the neighboring chair.     – What... do you... want? – she asked with fear in her voice, without taking her eyes off the person opposite.     – I told you – I just want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, – the mime answered and immediately became thoughtful. – Hmm, "have a heart-to-heart talk" sounds very strange when you and I live in the same body, but you get my point.     – I live in my body, and you..., – Luan began quietly but confidently, trying to hide her raging fear, – ...you are just an unfunny joke of my mind, and nothing more.     – Call me whatever you want – a joke of the mind, a figment of the imagination, maybe even a ghost, but it won't change anything. The whole point is that I was right before, I'm right now and I'll be right in the future, – the hostess grinned, enjoying the exquisite drink again. – You yourself noticed how Miss Resentment reacts to your words – everything is more or less fine, but as soon as his name flies out of your mouth, she immediately shows her true self. Isn't that so? Luan instantly froze, hearing this reasoning. "Oh, damn, not that", she thought and tried to evade the answer:     – I don't understand who you're talking about, what kind of "Miss Resentment"? Whose "his name" is that? A dead silence hung in the cozy room, which was suddenly interrupted by a deafening explosion of a glass. The shards fell to the floor with a clang, and the unfinished wine spread across the floor, painting it in dark red spots. The mime's palm, holding the glass, began to bleed, which mixed with the spilled alcohol and rushed in thin streams throughout her hand.     – Don't even think about playing dumb, Luan, – the dark figure began intimidatingly, closing his eyes. – You apparently still haven't understood – I want to be friends with you. But if I can't..., then we will fight for this body. And believe me – you don't want this war. And now... The mime ran her hand over palm, tightening all the wounds, and snapped her fingers again. Luan's body froze in place, as if all the muscles were glued tightly together, and her chair burst into an acid-blue scorching flame. She was motionless and silent, only her crazy eyes darted from side to side, trying to find their salvation. The flames in the fireplace went out, all the already dim lights finally went out, and only a scary figure in the pitch darkness was approaching the burning furniture.     – It's time for you to wake up, darling. So don't be afraid, you won't burn, – the mime's words were heard through the crackling flames. The mouth was not visible, only glowing eyes, which made it even more frightening and creepy. – But remember my words – either friendship or war. Friendship will give freedom to your feelings, make you happier than ever, and most importantly – your cherished dream will become reality. And war... however, it's better for you not to know what abyss it will push you into. Until next time, my dear puppet... These words sounded as if somewhere inside, as if every cell of the body heard these menacing phrases. The chair had long since been charred, and now the girl's skin was beginning to smolder, blackening with each passing second and becoming covered in ever larger stains of blood. The agony didn't last long, and the last thing Luan saw was the flames destroying her and two huge yellow spotlights looking straight into her soul. All the colors suddenly mixed, her gaze became cloudy, and her eyes closed on their own. Only the devilish laughter sounded over and over again everywhere, echoing throughout the depths of her consciousness...

***

    Bright sunlight hit her quickly wide-open and frightened eyes, a sharp gulp of air was heard in the room. The pupils narrowed and ran across the white ceiling in an attempt to make out at least something. In the first seconds, Luan didn't fully understand what was happening and where she was, but then came both memories and realization – she woke up, and she woke up in Lincoln's room. If it weren't for the weakness in her hands and the still-growing fear, the girl would have hit herself on the forehead – she completely forgot that yesterday evening all her stuff had already been moved to her younger brother's room, and the albino himself, having taken the most important and valuable things, went to the far room of the corridor, temporarily acquiring a rather noisy neighbor. It's hard to argue with the fact that there are simply no other options for solving this tricky problem, but Luan was clearly not delighted with such a change. All the children in this house were hundreds of times jealous of the fact that their brother lived in, albeit a small, but his own separate room, and now a traumatized joker had settled in this cozy corner. But for her this wasn't a joyful event at all, and now this very corner was not cozy and heavenly at all. Oh no, now it was simply burning with the brightest fire, causing incredible pain, all the things around seemed to scream in agony. And it wasn't at all about the room or loneliness. It was all much deeper and more interesting, and Luan definitely didn't want to think about it again this early in the morning, so after massaging her temples and quickly coming to her senses, she carefully got out of bed and looked at the boxes of things that had recently arrived. Lots of clothes and props, whole stacks of trinkets, so many pleasant memories... and endless pain.     Her gaze fell on a small envelope, covered in glitter, with the inscription "Fav Fam" gracefully written on its front side. Luan immediately understood what was inside, and her soul simultaneously became both warm and treacherously cold. Slowly taking and opening the snow-white envelope, she saw a whole stack of various photographs inside – here are the twins playing and frolicking in the yard, on the next card Lori posing with a golf club on some field, and on one photo the joker herself is running after Leni and scaring her with a toy spider, which the fashionista is terrified of. All this should evoke some kind of familiar emotions, warm nostalgia and a feeling of... happiness? Yes, definitely. But among all these cards there is one completely unremarkable photo at first glance, which is crushing and quickly kills all the joy. There are three teenagers standing in front of the school – Luan and Luna on either side, and they hugging Lincoln between them. And everyone is laughing. And everyone is happy and having fun. The flash of the camera forever captured the smile on their young faces. Inside, a familiar feeling of contempt for everything alive, except for one person, flared up. "What happened to us? Is this all my fault? Do I really want so much?" – Luan thought to herself, looking at the photo and trying not to cry.     – It's not your fault that you want this. But you don't do anything to get it, – a voice was heard behind the girl, which made her jump in place and turn around sharply – there was no one behind her. Suddenly, the room heard again:     – You just need to admit it. And then... then you will get everything you want. Luan began to quickly look around and rummage around the corners, but besides her, there was no one at all in the room. Her eyes darted from one object to another in fear, and her heart noticeably accelerated its beating. As soon as the girl calmed down a little, several squeaks were heard, which scared her again. Clutching her heart, she looked at the nightstand next to the bed and breathed a sigh of relief – there was a small clock on it, which squeaked so unpleasantly. "What? Is it 8:30 already? Time to get ready, I don't want to be late for the first session", – Luan quickly realized and, putting on her fur slippers, carefully opened the door with the hope that everyone was still asleep. And it was so lucky for her that there aren't a single sound in the hallway, so she quietly slipped out of the room and slipped into the bathroom as quietly as possible, starting her long and by no means easy preparation for today.  

***

    The morning flew by rather unnoticed and calmly, which was what the almost only early bird of this morning really wanted. A delicious breakfast, blissful silence, beautiful weather – everything was just wonderful. Except for the approaching therapy, of course, that was definitely not enjoyable. Luan went outside and headed towards the van where her parents were already sitting, and as soon as she was inside, she was immediately enveloped by genuine feelings of anxiety and fear.     – Are you okay, honey? – asked her father, noticing the distorted grimace on his daughter's face.     – Yes, yes, I'm f-fine, – the girl quickly answered, slightly turning away. – We can set off. Lynn Sr. nodded weakly and started the engine, opening his window at the same time – after all, the weather was really hot. Just a couple of minutes later, they were already driving along a quiet road, and Luan began to look out the window. Houses, rarely appearing people, a couple of figures of dancing mimes, a beautiful meadow with flowers… wait, what? The girl opened her eyes wide and looked back frantically – there was no one there, only a green lawn and a lonely tree next to someone's house. "Stop following me!" – Luan shouted somewhere inside herself, into the depths of her consciousness, from the abyss of which came a short and clear answer: "I will be while you fight me". The girl decided not to look out the window anymore and just sit quietly, immersed in her thoughts. It was difficult to think about anything else, so she didn't even notice how the van stopped in the parking lot of a place already familiar to her – the main city hospital. A huge building comparable in size to a shopping center or even an airport, hundreds of people come in and out every hour and it all runs like clockwork. Without stops and days off, without breaks and a second of waiting, the best doctors of the state save the lives of many people every day. "And will they save yours, huh?"     And then... everything is a blur. Now Luan has already gone outside, some strange stars are twinkling around, the sky is shimmering with a multi-colored palette, and everything around goes out. A couple more twinkles, and she is already entering a huge building, standing near the reception, walking along a long and seemingly endless corridor, and finally a large white door appears in front of her. The newly returned patient raised her head and saw a sign on the door with a terrifying inscription – "You can't escape, dear puppet". Luan immediately understood whose doing this was and only blinked slightly and shook her head, but when she looked up again, she became truly scared – the inscription really changed, now there was an exhaustive phrase: "People like you are not helped, people like you are buried without flowers". Her teeth clenched in horror, her cheekbones tensed, and the girl recoiled from the office, stumbled, and almost fell backwards. Panic gripped her body, her breathing became ragged, and her eyes darted frantically across the tile floor. Raising her head again, Luan saw nothing but a short and laconic phrase – "Psychotherapy Room #13".     – Damn you, what luck..., – she cursed quietly and angrily, looking around. There was no one around, not a single sound, as if the entire building had instantly become empty and turned into an abandoned clinic for unwanted and crazy people. And she didn't want to be here alone at all. Without thinking long and waiting for another horror, Luan stepped forward, knocked and slowly opened the door.     – Can I come in? – she asked timidly, looking inside, and immediately noticed a familiar figure with brown hair standing in a white coat. – Benny?     – What? Oh, hi, Luan, you're here already! – the guy said, turning around, giving the girl a friendly smile. – Of course you can, come in and make yourself comfortable. The girl quickly nodded and slipped into the office, immediately feeling like an abnormal patient who was now being treated at a mental hospital. Seeing two soft chairs in front of her, she hurried to sit down on the closest one and try to calm down. And she clearly failed.     – You're tense, – Benny noticed, coming closer and sitting down opposite her, – don't be afraid. There's nothing to worry about, you and I will just talk about everything that has happened.     – I'll... try, – Luan answered honestly, trying to somehow hide her excitement.     – So... How was your return home? – the brown-haired boy asked, opening a small notebook. "Well yeah, it was worth expecting that everything would start with such a question", – the girl thought, mentally rewinding the events of the past day – on the one hand, everything was very good, one might even say wonderful, but on the other... clearly not everything went smoothly.     – Well... if overall..., then it's fine, – Luan answered confusedly, looking away. – In some ways, it's even good.     – Hmm, really? – Benny asked with interest, lowering his eyes to the notebook for a second. – Can you tell me more?     – Yes, o-of course. Everything was... something like this..., – the girl said abruptly through her nut-colored curls, starting her rather long story. She told about feelings she had on the way home, how her family greeted her, she even told about the completely unexpected hugs from Lola and Lucy. Luan tried not to miss anything, although it was hard and a little awkward for her to talk about all this. Despite the fact that coming home mostly brought joy and a smile, it was not without negativity, and this was very pressing. The count of time was completely lost, and the words became more and more frank, but sooner or later everything comes to an end. Sweet speeches also tend to end.     – I guess that's all, – Luan summed up, tucking the curls that had fallen from her temples behind her ears and smiling slightly – this emotional monologue really helped her.     – Okay, I'm glad to hear it, – Benny said with a response smile and looked at his small notebook again. – But let me clarify something. The girl tensed up, but didn't show it, and quickly nodded.     – There is really a lot of positivity in your story, and that's great, – the brown-haired man began with a thoughtful look. – But as far as I remember, there are eleven children in your family, and you only mentioned nine of them in your story, you are the tenth. Luan immediately understood where this conversation was heading and noticeably became sad.     – Who didn't make it into your cheerful fairy tale? – Benny asked, looking straight into the coffee-colored eyes of his patient, as if he already knew the answer to his own question. "There's no point in lying, right?"     – Luna... she's my older sister, – Luan answered quietly, the brown-haired man only nodded his head, as if he knew and understood everything, – and she... suffered the most because of me.     – What do you mean?     – Luna is... broken and depressed after what happened. She thinks that I betrayed the family. And she... she's r-right... She spent a few minutes for telling about the most unpleasant memory of the previous day, and that was enough. Tears accumulated in the corners of her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks in thin streams, and there was no trace left of the former joyful smile. The girl lowered her head down, allowing her recently pulled back hair to fall again and almost completely cover her face. Everything around her began to flicker, and there was an unpleasant hum in her ears. An avalanche of emotions covered her with head and began to pull her somewhere down, to the bottom. And in all this darkness, Luan felt a light touch on her shoulder. She raised her tear-stained eyes and saw Benny already standing nearby, looking at her with sympathy.     – That's not true, Luan, – he said calmly. – You didn't betray your family, you're just going through a difficult period in your life right now. And no one from your family wishes you harm, believe me. Not even Luna, despite her words and emotions. She loves you, but she doesn't know how best to convey this to you, how best to share her experiences. Benny spoke very convincingly, but for Luan it still sounded like an excuse and did little to calm her down. His hand, roughened from sorting through hundreds of papers and documents, gently lay on her neatly combed hazel hair and began to stroke it soothingly.     – There is no need to blame yourself or hold a grudge against your family, – the brown-haired boy continued. – Now the main thing is to regain each other's trust and show your love for the family. And everything will be fine. Luan plunged into her thoughts and stared blankly at the floor. Benny was right... right in everything. "But why can't I just accept this...?" – the girl thought before turning off her brain for at least a couple of minutes and throwing herself into the his arms.     – I really want this, Benny. I really want to take everything back, – Luan squealed, sobbing. – I'm just afraid that they won't understand me, won't accept me... "DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM!" – a voice thundered in my head, the echo of which hit the temples and made the light brown strands of hair bury themselves even deeper in hugs, just to drown out this pain. Quiet sniffles continued to be heard in the room for a few more minutes, and Benny just stood there and hugged the patient back.     – I understand you, Luan. Everything will be fine, – the brown-haired finally said and looked at the tear-stained face. – It got better when you talked it out, didn't it? The girl just nodded quietly and pulled away, wiping away her dried tears. She really did feel much better.     – Yes... yes, I really do feel better. Thank you very much.     – You're welcome, – Benny answered with a smile, putting the notebook on the table and returning to the chair opposite. – I think it's enough for the first time. You told about very good things, but we also touched on negative emotions. You're doing great, Luan, well done. A slight smile began to appear through her tear-stained eyes. It was nice to hear, even very nice. But still... something was bothering her. Something she still couldn't tell about.     – When I've completely figured out our session for today, I'll call you and invite you to the next one, – Benny said, glancing briefly at the table with papers. – Agreed?     – Yeah, of course. Then... I'll go, – Luan mumbled uncertainly and opened the door, looking at her doctor one last time. – Thank you again. The white-coat boy only waved his hand at her, after which the patient got out of the psychological prison and found herself in the corridor. Finally, she could close her eyes and think about something alone. "It... wasn't as bad as I thought. But I still haven't told the most important thing..." "He must never find out about it, because after that he'll lock you up in a mental hospital", – a muffled voice sounded, but Luan didn't even bother looking for its source – she knew perfectly well where it was coming from. Taking a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes wide and bared her teeth, as if she was preparing for a long and difficult fight.     – That's up to me to decide, – the girl hissed confidently into the void and slowly walked down the long corridor towards the exit. The echo of her footsteps rang out throughout the entire corridor, which seemed completely endless. Not a single doctor, not a single patient, not a single soul – there was no one at all.

There was a matte sign on the door of the office Luan had just left.

The inscription read: "Psychotherapy Room #12".