Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

William is anxious, he’s frightened. Lila is confident, she’s amused.

Surveilling your surroundings, you're on a transport bus towards “Conundrum prison”. This is what we get for our crimes after all. Soon the buildings pass and all you see is a field. Looking in the field, you see a dog prancing around in the grass, trying to chase down a pigeon; clearly a losing battle. You smile at it.

Taking your eyes off the glass, you glance around at the others inside the chatty bus. They are all male; most trying not to show weakness, but you can tell. It's evident in their eyes. It fuels you. Very few don’t have that same glint inside their eyes. It makes you wonder how many times they have been here before.

A shaking inmate accidentally makes eye contact with you, locking eyes. He looked quite young to be here, his eyes having that same look of child-like innocents you see in your little William. You smile at them. Their eyes widen as they look to the floor in intimidation, reminding you of a startled puppy.

Turning towards the window again, you feel a light tap on your shoulder. In annoyance, you turn back around.

“Hey, do you like lemon soda?”

You look suspicious of them, but a part of you wants to spark in conversation. Observing him you see he has a dark face with a shaved head with a slight stubble. His expression shows friendliness but caution. Underneath his white sleeve, it shows a glimpse of a tattoo on his built frame, but it is a bit hard to see. He reminds you of a more friendly, older Mike.

Not wanting to make enemies, you say in a friendly manner, “Yes, I do. How could you guess?”

That caused him to shrug. He seems quite nonchalant for someone who got caught committing a hateful crime. Maybe his confidence is a facade.

“I dunno, just a hunch. You think they have lemon soda in there?”

“I sure hope so.” You chuckle awkwardly. He chuckles with you.

“First time?” You assume he’s talking about prison.

“..Yeah. You?”

He laughs like the question is a joke, “No, no, not my first time.”

You then blurt out, “What’s your name?”

“Mike.”

You looked shocked. This looked weird. “What a coincidence. I have a friend back at home named Mike too,” you say with excitement, sitting up straighter in your seat. Your face then morphs into a look of grief and guilt, remembering the events that took place. He looks at you weirdly. He doesn’t ask you for your name.

It was silent till the prison. You can’t help but wonder what exactly provoked the silence.

As the bus pulled in, you saw the massive structure of concrete, steel, and spools of fencing and razor wire, which confirmed this was a prison and we weren’t getting out of it anytime soon.

The guards then unlocked the gate and the bus continued into the parking lot. They called out names one by one. Peeking out you saw those same people get shoved into the wall to get patted down. It gave you a panicked feeling knowing you will have to experience it as well, but also an angry feeling knowing this was just a sadistic ritual of dominance.

You get called and as expected the same thing happens to you. Their hands all over you give you a feeling of disgust. Then a strip search happens and.. You're not going to go into detail.

You get given a gray bin of your personal items you have brought. You didn’t bring any items that weren’t allowed so nothing was taken. Everyone had to change into issued prison clothes and shoes. It was tacky, but comfortable for the most part. You were grateful.

Your fingerprints get stamped, photographs get taken, obtaining an identification card, and the standard prison bedroll and the lacking personal hygiene stuff.

“And why is that?” They were talking about the reason for the murders of Tanya Kennedy and Martha Jennings. You didn’t expect him to ask you this quickly.

“Well,” you decide to put on an act, “I-I never wanted any of this to happen! They were the ones that took it too far. I know it was wrong but I had no choice!” You started to fidget, letting a bit of Williams emotions take over.

“Uh-huh, and how did they take it too far?”

“Everyone in school would bully me, calling me a freak and weirdo, pulling my hair, tripping me – stuff like that. But Martha would spread just terrible untrue rumors about me – a-and about Tanya! A-and Tanya would take her anger from these rumors out on me, till the point it was utterly unbearable!” You feel anxiety from telling this lie. The bright light hanging from the ceiling isn’t helping.

“Okay okay, I don’t need your stupid little sob story. I get it. It’s not your fault.” He seemed to be sympathetic towards your story. Maybe he was bullied before too.

You're annoyed he interrupted your story telling. “Thank you, sir,” you let out an odd looking smile.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“Go to that building and give the guard your ID card.” The guard instructs, failing to elaborate more. You are alone now with the people on the bus gone. They are either in line to be interviewed or already made it into their jail dormitory.

You continue to make your way across the field without a chaperon. It's a long - almost peaceful - walk so you take a look around. Multiple structures with multiple floors of criminals. This is your new home. It's not like we ever had a home to begin with. You tilt your head up to look at the blue sky. You stare at the sun for a few seconds too long. It's so bright. Everything has been easy so far.

Your building is Unit 1A. Picking up your ID card, you read it to see where your room is. Your cell number is 28. Simple to remember. You put the card back in the bin of supplies and push open the doors of Unit 1A with your upper arm. Your most certain this is Unit 1A, seeing how its the first building to the right of the field and in the general direction the guard pointed at. You see another inmate hanging around the entrance, picking their horrid fingernails. He doesn't even acknowledge you.

Treading towards him, you decide to make sure, “Excuse me, is this Unit 1A?”

He seemed like a cocky fellow due to the abnormal height and body mass his appearance has. It makes you want to put this fool in his place. Little William wasn’t short, but he was a whole head taller, craning our head upwards just to see his eyes. His face looked like an ugly middle aged man with a bald head. He seems to be familiar with these parts.

He takes one glance up and down at you. It’s making William feel insecure, but Lila likes the attention. Immediately, he spits in a gruff voice, “Nope.” He pulls his full attention back to his nails.

He’s obviously lying. You give a creepy smile back. “Oh I see, thank you.” You continue to walk forward, farther into the building. A few steps in, you hear the same voice.

“Hey newbie, whats your name?”

You choose to respond as you continue down into the hallway and up the stairs, making the hallway echo with each footsteps.

“The name is Lila.”

Chapter Text

Turning the metal knob and pushing the heavy steel door open, Lila comes across an empty room. Looks like they are meeting their cellmate later. 

In the room there is a 2 story bunk bed, one bare as can be and the other a neat, clean bed. It doesn’t look comfortable in the slightest but they’ve been through worse. Plus the sheets on the bottom bunk hides the flat, hard mattress underneath so William can just imagine it's a warm fluffy bed instead. 

It's also evident that it doesn’t have any rails to stop anyone from falling off.

On the other side of the bunkbeds there is a toilet and a sink. There are also 2 lockers and some hangers that seem to be hanging a gray tinted white towel. 

As expected of a jail cell. The entire room is basically made up of metal and old cloth. 

The sounds of screaming somehow get suddenly louder. Seems like there might be a fight happening. The sounds of jail remind William of a chatty gym locker room. It always made William feel trapped and surrounded. It was just so unbelievably loud and overwhelming for him. 

He always hated gym class because of it. That’s why Lila loves it. 

When she was walking to the cell Lila could feel the eyes on her. William would always have the same amount of stares in school but with different intentions. 

They would look at him with disgust and hate--being stared at like a lone dog that was kicked out of their own pack-- but here they look at him with amusement. A new, small guy keeping his head low walking to his cell. He looks like and is a pushover. 

In here is a circus for animals that are being punished for something that can’t be solved by a simple time out. William doesn’t look like the type that’s supposed to be here. 

Dainty shoes clicking across the ground, Lila makes her way to the bunk. It's apparent that the bottom bunk is already taken; made nicely with a wrinkled, used sheet and blankets. 

It seems their roommate likes the bottom bunk more. 

Whatever.

But Christ, William was shorter than Lila thought. The bunk bed was almost his height. 

Placing the bin on top of the bare mattress, under the chatty noises Lila hears a shake of a knob and creek of a door. 

Looks like their cell mate has arrived. 

Turning around Lila comes across a guy who looks like a friendly face. Everything reminds her of a golden retriever, (a loyal dog who follows orders) with his dirty blonde hair, muscular figure, and expressive eye; his other one was closed with a scar over top.  It looks fairly old. 

“Hey, you must be my new bunkie. Names Leo but people call me ‘bullseye’.” He pointed to his obvious scar to explain it. 

“Wanna coke? I’ll go fetch ya some food soon. Looks like you could need it bunkie.” Lila silently takes it from his hands, maintaining eye contact. 

His brightness is grossing her out. The guy's hands are massive compared to William's bony fingers. It makes Lila feel small. Disgusting. 

Instead of making a rash decision without thinking, she says a simple, “Thanks,” with an attempted small smile. It looks sinister, not sincere. Lila can’t help it and doesn't care too. Leo is unfazed by it and he seems to not care as well. She opens the can easily with a snap, despite William's short fingernails.

“The top bed is mine right?” She checked, gesturing towards it. 

“Yes! If you wanted the bottom one sorry, but it’s mine,” his apology wasn’t sincere. “While you set up your stuff, I’m going to get you food roomie! I won’t take too long,” he promised, turning around to grab the doorknob. Lila doesn’t bother saying anything. 

The door already closed long ago. 

The time he came back, the bed was already made. A bit messy but Lila doesn’t care. She was the one that made it after all. William wouldn’t mind anyways. 

“I’m back! I wasn’t that long was I?” His hand was occupied with a metal tray.

“Not at all.”

Lila stands in the middle of the room waiting. Leo doesn’t question this obtuse action and takes a few struts towards her and extends his arm for her to grab the tray. She is growing frustrated at his cheerful reactions. 

All human food is unappealing to Lila but she supposes William could use it. She doesn’t really eat when in Williams' body anyways.

Both trays look to have some chicken, some rice, a roll of bread, some other disgusting dark green slop, and a carton of white milk. There is also a plastic fork mashed into the chicken to keep it from moving around too much.

It reminds William of the school lunches the cafeteria would serve. His mother would always pack his own lunch, saying how the food was inhumane and unhealthy. He would always insisted that he enjoyed her lunch and refused to eat the school one.

She grabs the extended tray with another creepy smile. Leo sits down on his own bunk, sighing. Lila continues to stand. 

“You can sit down, you know?” He says, thumbing up to her bed.

 Lila decides to oblige. She steps up the metal ladder and sits on the ledge of the bed, crossing her legs for a more comfortable seat. 

“So tell me about yourself, uhm-“ 

“William.” 

“Nice to meet you, William! So, like I said, tell me about yourself, William.”

“Well, I really like lemon soda and I broke my knee when I was in kindergarten.” Lila stated, mimicking him.

“Oh, what a coincidence! I also broke my knee..”

Their conversation finished once Lila was finished eating. This sad excuse of a meal was her first human meal she's had in a while. She was never curious about human food; she had her own kind of food to feed off of anyways. It would always tasted alright no matter what kind of food she ate, but it would never satisfy her hunger. 

“GATE BREAK!!” A loud voice interrupted their one-sided conversation. 

“Oh, it's that time already? Time flies huh? Welp.” He gets up from his lying position and sits up, hopping off the bed and arches his back to stretch. 

“Well, follow me."

Lila found out how much Leo was a chatter mouth of a person. Lila could not get a moment of peace because he would go on and on and on. She would have liked an opportunity to come up with an answer to a question that would catch Leo off guard but he never gave William a chance to talk. A part of her seemed content to just walk and listen.

They were walking on those big tracks on a soccer or football field in the yard. It was ‘rec time’ he claimed and everyone had to either get out and go into the yard or go back to their cells. 

As they walked together, he talked about his life stories and other pointless things. Lila would just hear his words, kinda ignoring him. She was amused by his stories about the hardships he experienced but seeing how happy he was, it got disappointing. His information wasn’t useful either. She didn’t want to deal with this guy anymore. 

“So my dog d-“

She interrupted his speech, “I'm going to go over there.” Without hearing his response she started walking to the side of the track. 

When it was dinner time, Lila was snooping around and mapping out the prison. She’s searching for a specific location that she’s been to a few too many times. 

In the cells, she knew she wouldn’t find anything by looking up so she never bothered searching. Plus, a fight is the least of her goals at the moment. 

In the yard, she knows that there is a field, court, gym, hobby craft, and social area, as she was looking around earlier when she departed from Leo. She finds nothing. 

In the center, Lila finds the cafeteria, storage rooms, shower, and G.U.A.R.D rooms. It’s not what she's looking for. 

That was what she thought until an unfamiliar door appeared in her peripheral vision. No one was guarding it or even glancing at it. Everywhere else she searched had at least someone keeping watch like a guard dog. 

This is how she knows she found it. 

A closer inspection of said door, it had a small metal sign. 

‘Boiler Room’

Without wasting any time, the door opened with a silent protest and upon entering, a familiar face greeted her. 

“The boiler room is off limits, bud. Just kidding, Hello Lila. What brings you down here? It’s been a while after all.” 

“Get out of my way, old man. I’ve lost my patience to deal with you.” An annoyed expression immediately shot up the moment she heard his voice. 

“Jeez, what got you so worked up, Lila? I was only asking you a question.” He chuckles. “If you are seeking him, he has been waiting for you for a while now. Listen for his holler. Just stand beside each door and listen..”

Lila walks past the faceless man—Mr. Frank— and listens for the tune. Lila walks in different halls, different areas listening for the source of the divine melody. Sounding closer and closer with each right turn and farther with each wrong one. 

Eventually, she walks into the room with what she was expecting. 

CLOSE YOUR EYES

Lilas straight face doesn’t falter, closing her eyes, listening to the monster before her. She knows the consequences of disobeying. 

This monster goes by many names; the empress, the lady in the boiler, or, if you solved the mystery, a representation of William's mother.

Lila opens her eyes to see herself standing in front of a spiraling, tall staircase. She walks forward and up the everlasting twisty steps. It’s a quiet and slow moment, ascending up the stairs. Awaiting for what is about to come at the top. 

Lila finally found what she was ultimately searching for. This machine. This wheel.

“Lila.. What a pleasant surprise..” The working machine spoke in a melodic tune and echoing dings. 

“Hello, William. How about we make a deal? ” Lila says, smiling her usual smile. 

The machine—William—allowed her to continue. “You can have your stupid control back, but you have to promise me that you won’t get rid of me.” She easily molds her expression to an angry one. “Like last time."

"Don't get too cocky William. You may have gotten rid of me once but you can't forget me forever.” 

“Is this just one of your tricks, Lila?..” 

William has his rights to be suspicious. The last time she ever spoke to him she claimed he was never going to get his body back and to stop trying. So what exactly changed? What is her new goal?

It sounded too good to be true. Knowing Lila, she has a trick up her sleeve, using this deal for her own benefits. After all, the one making the deal always has the upper hand. 

“I wish, but fortunately I’m feeling a bit nice today,” she says to raise suspicion. 

Lila is most definitely is up to something. William doesn’t want to believe it’s possible for her to be nice.

But, this is also Williams only opportunity to get his body back. To finally be in control again and not just a puppet or a vessel. He has to do it. This is his only chance.

“I.. I promise, Lila.”

“Good choice, Will. I’ll see you soon.” She grins, grabbing the wheel off of the machine, stopping its power source.

It’s time to sleep. Both cellmates are laying down on their chosen bed. 

Lila doesn't get tired, but William does.

“Just so you know bunkie, I snore really loud. That’s why most of my previous roommates leave this cell to request a new one.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m a heavy sleeper.” She reassured.

“Oh, thank god! You see, all the other bunkie I’ve had before you..”

Lila closes her eyes.

Chapter Text

You walk through the curtains. 

You are in front of a projection of Lila. Turning around you see an old looking apparatus that is the source of the image. Strange, apart from projecting, it looks like it’s also somehow receiving its own image. 

…

Seems like its reels are detachable.

Taking out her reel, you replace it with Williams' own. It’s now a projection of William. But, you have Lilas reel. You place it on top of Williams reel, as if you're storing it for later. 

The two reels look reversible now. Like they are one piece. One reel.

Walking the opposite way of the projection, you see a boat on the side of a river. Getting into the boat, you start to paddle. Noticing the oars design, it has a crescent moon with a cross underneath. It's oddly enchanting. 

You hear rings of dulcet tones and with the hushed scenery, it's almost pleasantly peaceful.

Sailing down the river, you come across the body of William in his usual attire walking away into the forest. You know it’s now William in possession—not you, not Lila.

Hearing obnoxious static, you look forward once more and see what looks like 2 towers sharing electricity with each other. With each paddle, your vision gets whiter and whiter until..

Wake up. 

William wakes up with a gasp, sitting up quick like awaking from a bad dream. 

But.. it wasn't a bad dream that made him wake up. He just knows something woke him up, but being drowsy from sleep, he didn’t have a clue. He could have assumed it was Leo’s snores, but something was.. different. 

His eyes were darting around the dark room frantically, to spot what exactly was off—sink, toilet, locker, hooks, window, door—but everything looked normal. His face was making a natural terrified expression without thinking—eyes wide with an open-mouthed frown. 

He glanced down, and he saw his hands gripping wildly at the sheets, unconsciously. 

All of this was weird of Lila. 

She wouldn’t be doing these things–gripping the sheets or waking up in the middle of the night seemingly confused–so why can he see this? He knows this isn’t a dream because he can’t dream, since he is a mere wheel in a machine. It's almost like he was controlling these actions. 

Then he remembers. He remembers Lila’s conversation with him. He remembers Lila’s deal. 

Picking up his own trembling hand, he grips and ungrips it with his own consciousness. He does this a couple more times in a rhythmic motion, like he's hypnotized by this baby action. 

He can’t believe it.

He’s back. Lila didn’t lie. But.. Why? Why would she make that deal? Why would she tell the truth? Why would she.. let him back in?

He doesn’t really feel like sleeping anymore. 

Leo produces a really loud snore that startles William, breaking him out of his plaguing thoughts. 

It was ironically quiet just then. 

Then, he has this urge to write in his diary. He's too overwhelmed with his thoughts. He needs to write his thoughts down. Something Lila can see.

He grabs the edge of the mattress and uses his arm strength to pull him to scoot him towards the edge of the bed. Maybe a little too hard because he and one of his blankets comes falling off the bed with a surprised yelp and a muted thud. It seems he doesn’t know how to control his strength yet. 

He tumbled forward, hitting his back flat on the ground. 

“Ow..” he hissed, as he was lying on his back, the blanket covering his face. It wasn’t a big fall as the bunk wasn’t that high, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He lays there shell-shocked on the cold floor. His own heartbeat is loud in his own ears. 

As much as he would have loved to lie there on the smooth, chilled surface, he had to get up. 

Heavy breathing, he tries to sit up with his arms through the pain. They shake uncomfortably under pressure, but eventually, he is sitting on the hard floor; the blanket falling to his lap. Noticing nobody's snoring anymore, he hears rustling from behind him.

“Hey..” Leo slurs. “You okay, man? What happened?” 

William feels bad for waking him up. “Y..yeah, yeah I am. You don’t need to worry. I..I’m fine.” He reassures him with a shaky, ugly smile. Upon hearing this reassurance, Leo immediately goes back to sleep, producing a loud snore once again.

Great. Now he has to be aware of not just his facial expressions, but his actions, too. 

Williams' next step is to stand. He tries and fails, falling back into his sitting position. He tries again and this time, he accomplishes it. He starts by taking one step in front of the other, shaking like a newborn kitten with each movement. 

He eventually gets to his locker, gaining more stability with practice. He grabs his lock, practically leaning on it to help loosen the weight on his legs, and tries to remember his code. 

He remembers it was 624 from when Lila struggled to put the numbers in. It’s dark in his cell, so he has to squint at the small numbers to adjust. He turned at the digits and unlocked it with a pull. He threaded it out of the hole and opened his rusty locker. 

Peering inside, the only thing was his diary. Lila selectively put his diary inside while Leo was getting food. 

Now that he thinks about it, why did she want his diary? She had no use for it. She never understood why William would write in a measly diary. How long was she planning for this? 

Wobbling towards the bed with only a lock in his hand, he bends down beside the bunk bed and grabs the gray bin with both hands off the floor. He shuffles back to his locker for the last time. He grabs his diary and places it on top of the locker. He hurriedly jams everything in and shuts the locker quickly, emanating a loud slam, and jumbles the numbers and locks it. 

Walking back to his bed in a hurry, still slightly limping from the pain, he climbs up the ladder. He crawls to the middle of his bed and sits with his back against the wall. The diary in his lap, he unlocks it with the code 3816. 

The moment he flipped to the second page, he noticed a part of the page was torn. He can’t seem to remember what he wrote, but it must be something Lila didn’t want the officers to see. 

Flipping two more pages, he realized most of the pages were completely torn off. Again, he can’t seem to remember what he wrote. 

Flipping two more pages, he sees something that he doesn’t remember writing. 

The day recorded was December 3. “Today is the day. Today is the day.” The writing repeated itself twice.

That was the day she killed Martha. Martha.. 

Was Lila planning to kill Martha that day? But why? 

William didn’t understand why Lila would write this. It can’t be that she wanted to kill Martha. She showed no intent until she started to spread rumors. So.. the day for what? 

On the page over, there is a perfectly drawn crescent and a cross. The Lilith symbol. 

Just what is she implying..?

He doesn’t want to keep thinking of questions that Lila will never answer. He flips to the next page that is thankfully empty. He takes hold of the pen that is attached to the side of his diary and starts to write.

March 19 

NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE.

Why would she give me control back? 

She definitely has something planned.

Why would she give me this much freedom?

I just don’t understand why. 

Why. why. why.why.whywhywhy

Lila, don't do anything too dangerous. 

PLEASE.

And why would Lila write “Todays the day?”

What happened on December 3rd??

Please.

He closes his notebook gently and places it on the side of him, along with his pen. He brings his knee up and hides his face behind his arms, tucking his chin to his chest. Then everything all comes crashing down.

Once he's established into a well secure ball, a well-deserved sob bubbles its way out of him. Tears were streaming down his face as he rocked back and forth. Not a sound being produced. He was always a silent crier and at this moment; he was thankful for it. 

He doesn’t want to cry–doesn’t want to feed Lila anymore–but he couldn’t stop himself. He knows he couldn’t get rid of her at this point, anyway. He thought that maybe if he turned himself in, it would put a stop to Lilas' acts and fool Lilas' plans, but of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. It was foolish of William to ever think so. 

He wakes up to a hurting back, puffy eyes, and sounds of yelling in his ears. He doesn’t remember when he fell asleep. 

He needs to stand up. But he doesn’t think he has the energy for it. He gets up anyway. 

Slowly stepping down the ladder and barefoot onto the cold floor. It gives him a shock, but not nearly enough to wake him up. 

He walks over to the sink and turns on the water to wash his face. Cupping the cold water, he brings it up and rubs it onto his face. He repeats this until he can open his eyes fully. It doesn’t help the puffiness, but at least he doesn’t feel as shitty anymore. 

After he stretches his back and limbs like a cat, groaning from the relief and slight pain. He feels a little better now. 

Now that he can see properly, he realizes Leo wasn’t here—the bed was empty and made. If he was, he would probably be chatting away already. 

He wonders what time it is. He turns to the window, only to see the sky is a clear bright blue. He assumes it’s somewhere in the afternoon.

He needs to brush his teeth. 

He walks back over to the sink only to see a toothbrush nowhere in sight. He takes a few steps back over to his locker and unlocks it. Opening the door, a few things fall out—soap, razor, and toothbrush. He crammed everything in there last night in distress, after all. He grabs everything except his toothbrush off the floor and stuffs them back into the locker. That’s when he sees his diary, sitting inside in the center of his mess. It’s a wonder how it never fell out. He didn’t remember ever putting his diary in there. So how did..

“GATE BREAK!!”

He jumps, frozen in place like a cat being caught in the act. He quickly grabs his toothbrush and toothpaste off the floor and places it on top of the locker for later. He rushes out the door, afraid of what would happen if he’s late—I mean, if he even could be late.

William was tired. He was sitting on the grass—all the benches were occupied—with his head hanging low. He was finally reflecting on his life and everything that has happened. The murders, the interrogations, the heartbreak, the trials, and his last and final destination, prison, and the worst part is he deserves to serve every second in this place. 

He doesn’t want Lila to keep harming people, so he moves her to prison. Or maybe she moved him to prison. 

At least she doesn’t have to harm the innocents and now she can toy with deranged lunatics. 

He deserves to rot in prison after all he's caused. It wasn’t his fault, and he knows it, but he was still willing to kill Tanya out of desperation. He has to accept that a part of him was involved. 

He was staring at the ground empty headed, watching the ants and roaches scurry around him. A few even crawled up his arm. It was sort of therapeutic for William. After panicking and crying all his emotions out, he feels empty. 

Then suddenly, he heard a meow near him. It was the loudest out of all the voices. It perked his attention instantly, and he snapped his head to look to where the sound came from. 

To his surprise, he sees an orange tabby cat tiptoeing over to him with the bluest, wide eyes. Seeing this cat filled him with the most amount of joy since he got back to his body. 

He tried to give it a smile to look friendly, but it just looked downright awkwardly menacing. The cat paid no mind to it and walked over to William. It’s like it knew he didn’t mean it. 

It put its front legs on top of Williams' own, staring straight into his eyes. William lifts his hand slowly to pet the cat. He never was able to touch a cat—he was never allowed. The fur was surprisingly soft in this rough environment. William didn’t know how to pet a cat, so he awkwardly stroked its head with his fingertips lightly, scared that he might hurt it. 

“What are you doing here?” He whispered softly. “You don’t deserve to be in a place like this..”

The cat moved further towards William and lay in his lap. It was peaceful, listening to the cat as it purred while he clumsily petted the head and body of it. The loud sounds of a prison were now background noise compared to the cat. 

Then it started to wiggle around. It seemed like it wanted to get up. He gently grabbed it and lifted it up by the belly with shaky muscles to place it down on the grass. 

As he placed the cat down, he was about to wave a small goodbye to it when a prison shoe replaced where the cat was originally. 

His eyes widened as he witnessed the tabby getting kicked on the side like a football and being flung across the court. It was so sudden; he froze. He didn't even hear the footsteps of the man coming closer. 

Then he felt pressure on the side of his face and suddenly his cheek was on the dirt, pain flooding his senses as he felt something drip down his face. He instinctively curled into a ball, just like when he would get bullied. It was loud. He doesn’t want to look at the bullies. 

But.. he has to make sure the cat is okay. He inches his head up and faces the one person beating him up. His vision was blurry, but it looked like he had black hair and a lean body, judging from his quick punches and small body.

He wonders what this persons motive. Did Lila do something?

The guy’s grin widened at the raw expression of pain and fear on William's face. It looked like the bully opened his mouth to say something, but with the blood rushing out of him, the blunt pain, the people crowding around, and the beating of his heart, he couldn’t understand what he was saying. He didn’t like this attention. 

William angled his head more up to attempt to see if the cat was okay. He saw another crowd of people surrounding an area on the track where he assumed the cat was kicked. 

The last thing he saw was a familiar figure pushing through the people with guards behind him. Too bad he already passed out. 

Chapter Text

William wakes up or gains consciousness. Blinking the drowsiness away, he could see a white-tiled ceiling with a square of light staring straight at him. The ceiling reminds him of a hospital. 

Glancing to his right, he sees another person who is passed out with an iv tube in his arm, lying peacefully on top of the pristine white mattress. Turns out he is in a hospital. Looking past, he sees a window. The sky was a deep orange from where he was seeing. It seems the sun is setting. 

Staring back at the ceiling, he wonders why. He remembers something of a bully, but everything is blurry. 

He feels heavy. He wants to get up. He tries to move his arm, but it rubs against the fabric and it causes a sharp pain in protest. He gasps and freezes from this sudden sting. After resting for a few moments to make the pain subside, he tries to move his hand farther. Taking pauses with each centimeter, it gets a bit easier, and he eventually gets his arm out. 

The goal is to get up. 

He tried to push himself up without his arms touching the sheets, but realized he didn’t have enough core strength to achieve this. He had no other choice but to endure it to get what he wanted. Using elbow and his arm, he quickly uses all his remaining strength to get into a sitting position, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth to distract himself. He bends his legs to get more comfortable, but it causes an even sharper pain due to the amount of fabric rubbing everywhere. He falls back into the hard mattress, giving up. It felt like fire across his whole body. It feels like hell. He can’t move without pain. It hurts. 

But he shouldn’t be whining. He has much more things to worry about. 

 “Oh, you're up. Bruises are painful, aint it?” The nurse asked as she was walking up to him. Turns out what is limiting him are bruises. She was a brunette with bangs in the front and a ponytail in the back. Lavender glasses on her face as she was wearing blue medical gloves with a white lab coat protecting her. 

William misses his black coat. It was his favorite part of his usual attire, but he guesses he can kiss that coat goodbye because he wasn't seeing it anytime soon. It was thin and old that wouldn't even keep him warm, but he grew attached to it for no reason. Every day, he would wear the same outfit and he doesn’t truly know why. He had other clothes, but he would only wear a black coat with an invisible white shirt underneath to give him the warmth that his coat never did. Whether he was at home or out at his job or school or a party.., he would have on that same jacket with the same straight, loose, white pants. It’s like he's had it all his life. 

William nods. 

“Makes sense. You got several bruises; one on your cheek, some on your arms and legs, a few on your mid-axillary, and a bruised spine—which seems like an older bruise,” she was reading off her clipboard. “And also a black eye plus a dislocated shoulder, but that one was a simple fix–well, simple for you. Not too many problems because someone notified the guards. But since the guards are all slow as fuck, he still managed to get a few good hits on ya,” she chuckles. “Good thing he didn’t aim for your head. Looks like the guy was too much of a scaredy cat to cause too much harm, so I suppose you're lucky.” She grabs a blue ice pack from her coat pocket. “Take this ice pack and you'll be fine.”

She handed him an ice pack for him to reach. He slowly extends his vulnerable hand and obtains it. “Thank you..” William mumbles. He was a bit shy. He awkwardly held it in his hand, careful to prevent any pain from happening.

“Any reason why that newbie beat up a newbie like you up?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

“I.. I’m not sure.” 

“Uh huh, sure.”

“Anyway, how'd you round up in here? You look like you're barely past the legal age and you look a bit too innocent. But hey, I’ve learned that looks are always fucking deceiving.” The nurse sneered.

“I..”

She was waiting for his answer. She looked like the gossip type. William smiled nervously. This looked weird. 

“Accidentally killed someone.”

“Oh really? Shocking. If you can kill someone, why didn’t you act in self defense to the guy?” She was indicating the person who beat him up. “That guy was a fucking pussy.”

“I..it was an accident. I didn’t mean to..” William was talking about the murders. He looked nervous. She didn’t look convinced. 

“Yeah, and that's what all you people say.” She rolled her eyes. “Wake up. You’re stuck in prison, buddy. Probably for a long while because you ‘accidentally’ murdered someone.” She looked bored now.

“W..wait.. what about the cat?”

“Hm?” 

“T..the cat? Do you know what happened to it? The one that got k..kicked?”

“Hm.. What do you think?”

“T..that it’s alive?”

“Sure, it ran away while suffering from a severe head concussion and loss of blood.” She said it sarcastically. William didn’t pick it up. 

“Oh.. I see,” he smiles warmly. “Thank you.” 

She could tell he believed her. “yup. It's dinner time now. You should eat. Your regular clothes are over there. Just change in that bathroom over there and get out of here.”

“Okay..” William doesn't move.

…

“Um.. Could you.. Move the blanket please..” He murmurs, almost embarrassed. 

She gave him a monotone face as she stood up and quickly lifted his blanket up, sure to not cause any more pain. Seems like she has more sympathy than he thought. He caught a quick glance of his body and saw he was in a hospital gown with ugly purple bruises all over his arms. He was almost scared to see the rest of the damage.

He stood up. Pain immediately traveled all over his legs and back as he stood. He needed to walk it off since it seems the nurse isn’t gonna help me anymore than she already has and he wasn’t going to ask her. William wishes he wasn’t so shy and really thank her for all the help she's done for him. He puts on his shoes and starts shuffling a few steps to the chair where his clothes are. He grabs all his clothes, bunching them in his hand and hobbles towards the bathroom. The door clicks with a lock.

“Maybe he wasn’t lying.” She smirked in amusement. 

William didn’t want to eat in the cafeteria, but Leo did. 

“What an asshole.”

“Y..yeah..”

“Causing fights and violence without any reason?? That guy just wants to get power and thinks it’s obtained by fighting the weak. No offense, of course.”

He is rambling again. It was hard to hear what exactly he was saying over the yelling and shouting. Leo seems a bit more cautious of him, but still trusts him. 

William was slowly chewing his slice of bread, not having much of an appetite, as he listened to the muffles of Leo’s ranting. He suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned his head. 

William looks up and sees an unfamiliar guy smiling at him. He's wary of him. He comes closer to his ear.

“2 days ago, when you first came here. I saw you.” William was puzzled, but his heart still started to beat and his hands started to sweat. Like he got caught in a lie for something he didn’t do. The guy leaned back, staring at him intensely to see his reaction with a friendly smile. William didn’t have a clue on what this guy was implying.

“I.. W..what do you mean?” 

“Don’t act stupid. I’ve been watching you ever since I saw you go into that little room right over there.” He accused, pointing over to it. William turned his head to see what he was pointing at. Through the crowds of people, there was no denying it. He was talking about the boiler room. 

William's eyes widened slightly. He was taken aback. How did he know? Lila would have made sure no one was watching. So how did he know? He immediately snapped his head back to look at the guy in shock. The man raised his eyebrow at him. He avoided eye contact.

“Hey, leave him alone, asshole. Go pick on someone else.” William couldn’t bring himself to have his attention on Leo. He was afraid this guy would try something if he directed his eyes completely. The guy ignored Leo anyway.

“Uh. I.. I don’t know what you're talking about.. um..” he lied, his face betraying him. William didn’t know what to say. He was caught. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He didn't know what Lila wanted. The guy was grinning at the genuine fear on his face, like he found this guy's terrible, naughty secret. 

William went to go say something, but nothing was said. He tried to turn away, but nothing was moving how he wanted. Lila was in control. He couldn’t do anything. 

A sly smile snaked onto her face. “If you want to know so bad, then why don't I show you? But it’s a secret between you and me.” She winked, putting a finger on her lips. 

“Ooo~ how mysterious.” He gleamed, while clapping his hands together delightedly. This guy didn’t seem to notice the change up. Maybe he just didn’t question it. What an ignorant dog. She just wanted to make his cocky, arrogant smile to fucking disappear. Her grin widened at the thought. 

Lila's face defaults once her thoughts finished. She gets up from where William was sitting; the guy steps back, and Lila steps out from the cafeteria table. 

Leo looks up at them both, worried for William, but one of his friends interrupts his attention. It looked urgent. 

“Follow me.” She starts to walk towards the door. Walking past the other rows of tables and groups of people, no one bothered to look their way. 

Once in front of the boiler room, she grabs the handle and slowly turns it. The guy looks around to make sure no one is watching, like he knows what's awaiting him. If he really knew, he wouldn’t have even glanced at this very door. She waits, holding the door wide open to let him in first, following right behind, as the door shuts with a rusty click. 

“Hello Lila. Oh, and I see you brought a friend with you. How surprising.”

“Yes, I’m just showing him around. Get out of the way.” Her expression turns sour. 

“Be careful of the one who hides in the boilers.” Lila walked past him. 

“Yeah, yeah. You say that every time, old man. You don’t need to anymore. They aren’t here anymore.” She rolls her eyes at him. 

She continues forward, and the guy follows like a loyal dog. As they walked through the maze of the boiler room, the clicks of the shoes sole on the concrete, this guy just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. She was having a hard time hearing the music. Nevertheless, she was the one who designed this maze. 

“Why does that guy know you? He allows you to enter here as you please? Who's the lady in the boilers? Is she someone you know, too? Who’s not here anymore? Did you kill them?” This dog kept sticking its nose into places where it’s not supposed to be.

They were walking side by side slowly. Lila took graceful, quiet steps, hands behind her back, while he took lazy, dragging steps. 

“You don’t need to worry about it.” Lila gives a small, threatening smile.

“Also, your name is Lila? I think I’ve heard that name around.. But, aren’t you a guy?” That bald man was spreading her name around, it seems. 

“Sure, you could say that.” 

“So, is that your name or not? Is it your nickname or something?”

“Who knows?”

“You know, and I wanna know.” 

“I mean I could be Lila. That old man could be Lila. You could even be Lila. Or I could be just a figment of your imagination. A Tulpa of some sort or another part of you, you haven’t met before.” 

“What the hell are you on about? What’s a Tulpa?” He looks annoyed at Lila for not giving him an answer he's pleased with.

“Are you confused?” Lila mocked him.

“Yes. If you won’t tell me, I’ll tell the guards you're in here trespassing. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.” The guy was looking down on her, trying to be intimidating. Lila could see in his eyes, he was just a scared little puppy.

“Heh. Go ahead.”

“You think you scare me? You’ll be punished. You’ll be sent to isolation.” He was making insignificant threats. Even if he told, that little tattling could ruin his reputation. Plus, she can just say that he trespassed as well. The old man is her alibi. 

“These little threats don’t scare me. You're only making them because I’m scaring you.” Lila’s eyes broaden and her smile stretches more. Her eye contact never falters.

“You son of a bitch.” His expression is becoming more unhinged. His eyes were vulnerable and his mouth produced a shaky grin, like he was the one who was caught now. 

“But, fine. If you want closure so bad I’ll tell you. You can only ask one question, though.” It gave the man false hope. He was less nervous now. He thought he had the upper hand from this measly question. He smirked.

“One question is all I need.” He grinned, thinking he was going to get the answer that would satisfy him. He was getting cocky again. 

“Who’s Lila?”

Lila smiles. The lady in the boiler has arrived. “She’s back again..” Her smile stretched wider, closing her eyes the moment she heard the indicating sound.

CLOSE YOUR EYES

With Lila’s back toward the prisoner, he was staring at it with shock. It was nothing like he’s ever seen before. He couldn’t take his eyes off of it.

“Wha.. What is..” 

Lila’s smile gets more genuine with each whimper, feeding off the sound of his fear and shock. “You were just so curious so.. FEAST YOUR EYES.”

“W..wait..”

After a few loud seconds of both the empress and the prisoner screaming, it comes quiet. She opens her eyes. Looking around, she sees the guy was nowhere in sight and the empress’s physical body gone. 

“Well, are you satiated.. now?”

“Oh Lila. You are such a naughty, naughty girl. I do not desire to feed for now.” 

“I do see you finally gave him control. Keep watch of him, Lila. After all, he can be a very naughty boy, just  like  you.”

“I will.”

“Your endeavors always amuse me, Lila. But now it’s time for us to cease.”

“Behave my dear William.”

William crumpled with a thud, wheezing as he fell on his knees. It's a shock to William. He wasn't expecting to switch back. His bruised body aches and trembles under pressure. He wonders how Lila can so easily walk it off. He shifts his body to a more comfortable and less painful position by the wall, using it as leverage. He lifts his legs and chooses not to hug them due to his bruises.

This was normal for him. It didn’t make him think otherwise. Lila killed another person. She’s done this a million other times, so he didn’t understand why he was so bothered now. Maybe it’s the scary realization that he is used to it. He didn’t even try to close his eyes when she did it. Lila used his body to murder so many times, he was used to not being capable of doing anything. All he could do was watch.

He has always imagined getting rid of Lila and living a normal, ignorant life, but he's in jail. He can’t do anything. This was his final destination. With this realization, he feels hopeless and lost.

“Please, Lila.. Why do you keep making me do these things.. Please, just stop..” he entreats.

With his futile request, he finally lifts his head up to looks up into the emptiness of the boiler room. It felt oddly safe. But it only left him with one question. 

Who is the lady in the boiler?

Then he heard a clunk of something falling to the ground nearby and footsteps following after. His head snaps up. It sounded like plastic. Nobody should be here. He quickly gets up off the floor despite his body's protests and drags his feet to the door, hissing from every step he takes. 

Once he steps out of the room, he sees a piece of paper on the floor that he's sure was never there before. Someone was here. Someone was watching him. He bends down and picks it up. He observed it. It had a sequence of numbers–”647937”. He places it in his pants pocket without a thought and continues to tread on. 

The fabric was rubbing on his forearms and, with each step, his baggy pants were hitting against his legs. He is grateful the clothes were loose and comfy, but every motion he does it keeps shifting slightly. Lila left his ice pack on the table. He hopes Leo took it. 

Taking twists and turns blindly with nothing to guide him to his goal, he expectedly gets lost. He didn’t have a clue where the person went. He never studied the layout of the boiler room, since he never thought he had to. Lila would always get him in and get him out, and that would be it. The only other time he was in the boilers before Lila was when his mother died.. Now, because of his mindless decision, he needs to figure a way out blindly. 

It seemed he was walking around for eternity with no luck. It was like it was a corn maze, lost without a mother to help him. His body ached and throbbing everywhere. He was on the brink of collapsing. How has he not found the exit yet? He has taken every path he wasn't familiar with but it seemed there was no end. He blinked.

He was now in a white space. There was no ground, but he was standing. He was hurt, but without pain. Things were flying around him, but never touched him. It gave the illusion of wind, but nothing was moving. The strange guy was standing in front of him with the same orange attire William was wearing. He was back.

“Wha.. I..it's you again. Who are you? What is this?”

“ YOU ARE NOT ME, BUT I AM YOU. ” 

“N..no, but.. You can’t be me. I’m.. I don’t believe..”

Chapter Text

William wakes up, feeling heavy and drowsy. Everything aches like he just ran an excruciating mile and fell asleep immediately after from utter exhaustion. He was still burdened with sleep and kept his eyes shut.

Second passed by until he realized he couldn’t fall asleep, the uncomfortable position and the sounds of shouting were unbearable. He groans audibly and lazily turns over to his side to shift into a more comfortable position. It immediately causes unexpected pain that sparked up his spine and to his limbs. Nothing was soft in prison—the coarse blanket shifted on his clothes and arms, causing gruff pressure on his skin.

Right bruises.

He whines from the pain and annoyance, angrily tossing his blanket to the wall, hearing it feather back onto the bedsheet. The sounds of noise aren't helping him either.

The affliction shooting his sleepiness far away; he has the opportunity to think logically—how did he get here? He isn’t supposed to be here as he was supposed to be in the boiler rooms. It doesn’t make sense.

He remembers walking for what seemed like hours in that endless maze and.. the stranger in front of him. He didn’t want to think about what he could have meant, but his mind was already racing.

“I am you, but you are not me.” How could he be there at the party if his statement was true? How was he there at the murder of Tanya? Tanya could see the stranger. He could see everything happening, but it was like he wasn’t there. So how could the stranger be him? The stranger also didn’t hesitate to kill her, following Lila’s orders. The stranger couldn’t be him. It doesn’t make sense. But Lila also doesn’t make sense. Did Lila bring him here?

His attention diverts suddenly to his teeth. He doesn’t want to get up, but he feels icky. He hasn’t had the chance to brush his teeth at all since he's gotten into this shithole, so his teeth feel dirty and uncomfortable. His mom would always scold him when he would refuse to brush his teeth. He feels naughty. This gives him the motivation to get up.

He grabs the back of his thighs and uses momentum to swing himself up into a sitting stance. He turns to place his legs over the ladder and climbs down. Placing his feet on the floor, he grabs his shoes from underneath the bed with his feet and puts them on.

He lazily walks over to the sink, like a habit, and comes to realize his toothbrush isn’t there.

“Obviously.” He mutters under his breath.

He walks over to his locker and unlocks it. He glances around and spots a Ziploc bag underneath his other hygienic products and diary. (when did that get there?) Opening the ziplock bag, he grabs his toothbrush and toothpaste, leaving the floss in the bag. William goes back to the sink.

Despite his old feeling, he feels lighter at the moment. This is the first time in a while he is doing what he wants. He had a lot of things to worry about at the moment, but his mind was blank and he was in a feeling of bliss getting back to his own routine. Tuning out the familiar shouts, he started to hum a piece of music that he has been dying to get out of his head ever since Lila took over.

He turns on the faucet and wets his toothbrush. He unscrews the cap of his toothpaste and puts a fair amount on.

Going up to look into the mirror, he sees a painted wall without his reflection. There is no mirror. He looks around the room to see no mirror. He doesn’t remember ever seeing one since he’s gotten here.

It should make sense there wouldn’t be any mirrors to prevent violence; he should have expected this, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to accept it. He won’t be able to do his daily practices anymore.

He can’t see his face. He can’t see what expression he’s making at the moment. He suddenly can’t tell. His face contorted into a fully panicked face—eyes blown wide and jaw slacked to a heavy frown—but William can’t see his ugly expression. He needs to calm down, but he can’t.

“What am I going to do..” Without a mirror, he can’t practice his facial expressions. Without practice, he won't be able to control his expressions. Without his expressions, he will be a freak again.

Prison is like school–rumors, bullies, food, judgment–except you just can’t leave to escape. His whole life, he will be a freak. He always was. That's how it ends every time.

“N-no.. I..”

“REC TIME UP AND AT EM.” William jumps at the sudden holler. He snaps out of his thoughts and sees himself looking straight down at the drain, gripping the sides of the sink with a knuckle white grip with his toothbrush slammed on the side of the metal sink in the palm of his hand. The quick beating of his heart combined with drops of sweat dripping into the sink and heavy breathing, he stares at the toothbrush with stunned shock. He quickly comes back to his senses and rinses it, placing it back in the bag, and hurries out the heavy door.

William finds an indoor area to hide in. He finds a couch chair in the corner of the room and doesn’t question it. He decides to occupy the chair. The two people currently talking in front of it don’t notice him.

“Bro, you remember the dada dog?”

“Don't mention those fucking racists sons of bitches. You know what they did.”

“I heard from a guard that a fraternity burned down. I think it was called something like the Lauren fraternity? It was a cult that used memes like the dada dog for evil.”

“Why are you even telling me this?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Once I heard the name, it gave me the chills. I never get chills.” He sighs. “Maybe I just need someone to vent to. You know, after everything those people did to innocent people like..”

“I know. I know. Honestly, I too am relieved those guys burned a painful death. Apparently, burning is the most painful way to die, you know?”

“Really? Then I hope they are all burning in hell right now. I wish I killed them myself with my own hands.”

“It would have been an honor too good for our hands.”

Both of them cackle at that.

“Hello there, Lila. Didn’t your mommy ever tell you it’s not okay to eavesdrop?” An unexpected voice whispers, too close to his ears for comfort. He turns his head and sees the bald guy smiling at him once he catches his attention. He walks in front of him, blocking the two people. William has no choice but to stare back at him. Having so much height over him, it makes William feel a bit trapped.

“U-uhm.. Hi?”

“Anyways, how have your first few days in prison been?” He shows a toothy grin to William.

“Um.. Okay, I guess..?” He didn’t know what this guy wanted from him.

“Just okay?”

“Y-yeah..?”

“I can tell. Do you want me to murder whoever did that to you?” He gestures to a bruise on his arm. His tone drastically shifts to the cold expression he was first met with by him.

“W-what??”

“Maybe I shouldn’t say murder. How about I.. make them pass away?”

“Wha.. I.. N-no! No, p-please don’t.”

“You know you stand out from other people.”

“Oh..” William whispers with a slight frown. He must have noticed his odd facial expressions. It’s not surprising.

“No, no, it’s not a bad thing. You probably already know, but I’ve been spreading your name around.”

“Wh..what?”

“Yeah.. I’ve taken interest in you, Lila. Ever since-”

“SHINY, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE IT'S YOUR TURN!” He immediately looks annoyed and turns his shiny bald head to William.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP I’M TALKING TO SOMEONE. Jeez.. Anyways where were-”

But William already ran out the door when he had a chance. The guy–Shiny–gave him a bad feeling. Had Lila already infected this guy's mind?

William was already long gone, running out into the court to get far away from the man.

As his priority was to get away from the bald man, he didn't even realize the attention he was getting. Nobody in school would usually bat an eye when he would run from people; they didn't care. But here everyone is bored and has the eyes of a hawk. People were staring at him with curiousity.

He slowed down with heavy steps on the grass. He probably had an ugly face on, too. He didn't want to be outside again, as that wasn't his plan, but he was already there and he didn't want to bring any more eyes on him.

He sat on the grass by the wall of a building and leaned onto it, slightly hoping the cat would come back.

He failed to realize there was a guy leaning on the wall next to him, eyeing him down as well. William was overwhelmed, so he formed himself into a ball again, bringing his legs up and tucking his head down. He always felt a bit more safe if he couldn’t see what was in front of him. He then felt a graze on his shoulder, and it startled him. He was afraid the bald guy could be the holder of the tap. He slowly peeked out and saw an unexpected face directly in front of him.

“Oh, sorry, man. I, um, didn't mean to scare you.” A deep voice produced from the guy, Mike. He was smiling a friendly smile to not scare him away.

“Um.. it’s okay, Mike,” William mumbled. He remembers him on the bus since they were seat buddies. He wasn’t sure what Mike wanted from him. From their last conversation, he’s sure it’s not good.

Mike stands up and fishes a cylindrical object out of his pocket.

“Here.” He offered him a lemon soda can.

This unexpected gesture shocks William. He was touched that Mike remembered his favorite drink or just took a lucky guess. He happily extends his hands out to obtain the drink out of politeness. “T-thank you.” William makes an awkward smile. He is now more self conscious about his face, yet he can’t seem to make the smile he wants. Mike smiles back, like he understands.

William had never really been given something other than insults and dead things, so he didn’t really know what to do. Was he supposed to give a gift back? He wasn’t too sure. He felt a bit bad as he knew nothing about the guy, but he supposes it’s not his own fault.

William wonders why he is doing such a kind gesture. He is a bit suspicious of him. Even so, he snaps open the tap and takes a small sip, having both hands on the can, enjoying the cool, wet feeling it has on his skin. He smiles internally at the taste he hasn’t had in so long, and maybe because he was very dehydrated.

“You’ve stirred up quite the gossip already, huh? I’ve heard your name is Lila.” It seems Mike went back to leaning on the wall telling by his voice being on the side of him. William just stares out at the field, watching mindlessly at the athletic people.

“How do you know it’s me?”

“They’ve described you as a black, curly haired, short teenage boy. I mean, not many people have that description in prison, so I can only assume it’s you.”

“That makes sense.”

“So Lila-”

“My name is William. Not Lila..”

“Hm, I see. Sorry I didn’t ask for your name on the bus earlier, Will.” William wants to ask what caused the silence, but he stays quiet.

“Well, I’ve heard many things about you. Or maybe you have an identical twin or something because they clearly got names mixed up.”

Rumors. It’s always a rumor. Lila hates rats.

“W-what have they been saying?” William's face is turning into a dreadful frown, eyes wider than normal and a mouth turning downwards with each passing word.

“Eh, nothing too crazy. Just that Lila is not who he seems, but that’s just how I’ve heard it. Things in here spread fast. It’s bad you’ve already gotten a rumor about yourself.”

Lila only told her name to one person in here. It’s no surprise it’s spread all over the place. William doesn’t like the hateful attention, but Lila survives off of it. He supposes that the made up rumor isn’t that far off from the truth to an outsider.

“Just watch out, man. You might be the target of violence around here. These people may want to challenge you and test if it’s true. I see they have already got to you.” He chuckles a bit.

“…thank you for telling me.” William's frown turns into a small smile at Mike's worry.

“Anyway, how did a young guy like you get into the clink?”

William doesn’t know if he can trust the guy. He seems nice, but he’s learned that looks are all an act. That doesn’t mean William doesn’t want to trust him, but he can’t. He can’t trust anyone, especially in prison. Trusting people has never led to anything good.

“Um..” William is obviously uncomfortable and Mike takes notice.

“Ah, you don’t have to tell me. I wouldn’t trust myself either.”

William doesn’t want to tell him the truth. He wants him to be his friend and see him any differently, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to get close. He’s afraid of what might happen. What Lila may do.

“Uh.. Do you have a nickname?”

“Ah yes. They call me Vulture.”

“Wow, how'd you manage to claim that title?”

“Eh, sorry, can't tell you.”

“It’s okay. We all have our secrets.”

They chatted about random things, and Mike gave William some tips he could use in prison. William was enjoying his presence.

But, in the back of his mind, he felt culpable. He knows this is a different Mike, yet whenever he hears his name, he can't help but feel bad for the things he did. He probably ruined his life yet he's here chatting and appreciating this other Mike. The more he speaks, the more guilt comes forward into his mind.

“Also rest in piece to the cat. It’s in a better place now.” Mike pats his shoulder out of sympathy as William processes his words.

“The cat.. is dead..?” Williams' face shifts into disbelief.

“...You didn’t know?”

“N-no.. I.. B-but she.. I’m..”

“REC TIMES OVER! BACK INSIDE.”

William jumps at the sudden call.

“U-uhm.. I-I have to go.. Sorry.” William runs off like a scared cat.

“Hey, I’m going to the store. Wanna come?” Leo says as he was about to twist the knob to open the door.

“There's a store?” William was sitting with his legs dangling from the side of his bunk. From his question, Leo turns around to face William.

“Well, it's called a commissary, but that's too long to say. I call it store because that is what it is.” He gestures with quotation marks.

“What can you buy there?” William asks with childish curiosity.

“Food, drinks, hygiene, and other things. Like a store. I basically live off that shit.”

“Then.. How do you pay for it?”

“With money, duh. How else?”

“You can have money in prison?” William can’t imagine letting criminals just have money in their pockets in prison.

“It isn’t what you're thinking of. Not paper kind, but account kind. You know?”

“But.. I don't have that?”

“Nobody is putting money on your books?” Leo stares at him in disbelief.

“My mom is dead so.. no.”

“Wow, how unlucky you are,” He says with pity. “Well, I mean you could trade things for commissary or just have a sad time without it.” William never really needed anything. He could always live without most things as he had better self control than most.

“I'll be fine without it.”

Leo shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

For some reason, William can't sleep. He finally was able to brush his teeth, so he feels much better. The loud noises of Leo's snores are scaring him and he is ready to go to sleep, but he just can’t. He didn’t even have an appetite at supper, so he can also hear include the moaning grumbles of his stomach.

Then he sees a light appear in the corner of his eye. He turns his head to see the source of what could be making this light suddenly summon in the cell's darkness. His face contorted into panic and was aghast at the sight.

“Hello, my dear William.” Lila smiles corruptly. She’s floating in the corner, staring straight into William's eyes, drinking in the sight of fear. William scrambles up into a sitting position–ignoring the pain–and hides his face into the crooks of his limbs.

“G-go away.. Please. I’m begging you. Just l-leave me alone..” William pleads into the ghastly air. “W-why did you even give me back control..? I’m.. I-I don’t understand.. A-and you have to tell me. Were you the one who killed the cat? I.. Why? …” He weeps. “Why did you decide to choose me?. I should have never listened to you that day. … I can easily get you out of my mind; you thrive under all the attention. So why can't you let me leave? PLEASE.”

In the opposite corner, Lila was getting closer. She always has.

“Haha. Please, stop with these useless questions. I already told you, I can’t leave you.” Lies. “To an outsider, we are interchangeable. Like the swapping of toothbrushes or reels in a movie projector. You can’t run from the Prince’s choice, Will.” All lies. “You know, we are more similar than you think. If you haven’t already figured it out, the stranger is you–the true you. The you right now is only but a mask to hide what is hidden. It was you who wanted to kill Tanya.. And you succeeded. It is you that deserves to be here.” Nothing but lies.

“S-stop. Y-you’re lying.. I know you are. I didn’t want her to die.. Those weren’t my actions.”

“Haha. Oh, my sweet William.. I’m only enlightening you. Why do you think everyone you love ends up dead in the end? Your mother, Tanya, Martha, that stupid cat. It’s all because of you." She's taunting him. "With that being said, you don’t have anybody anymore; you never did. And if you get rid of me you will be alone. You know you can’t survive without me in this zoo. It doesn't matter if you want to get rid of me. The void is only a temporary place to cease memories. They don’t disappear forever, but instead only for a moment, until you are reminded of it again. Accept it, William."

“N-no.. I don't believe you. I.. I got rid of you once and w-without Tanya I forget you for good.”

“Deny all you want, Will. You will only bring pain to others. Nothing will change the fact that you are nothing more than the stranger. As you are nothing more than a facade to hide the truth underneath.” What a hypocrite.

“I.. But I know I'm the real me. Y-you're just trying to deceive me just like last time.”

“Fine. If you want to know the truth so badly, Will, I'll tell you. You were nothing but a puppet your whole life. It's laughable to see you continue to convince yourself that you ever were in control. You were only created to be a vessel.” She scoffs. “Your story ended long ago.”

Chapter Text

When William wakes up he is woken by Leo. It’s been a day since Lila was here and he has hardly been out of his room since. Not to eat or drink. Only for head count. He wasn't sure if he could handle any social interactions–with his mind all over the place yet blank at the same time, he doesn’t have much control over his expressions.

He can’t even control his expressions..

Truthfully, he doesn’t believe Lila, because why would he? All she’s done was lie since the moment she infected his mind. But it still made him upset.

“Psst. Hey, come to the showers with me. You're making this cell smell more rancid than what’s out there. You can’t be stinking in here.”

William whines at the thought of getting up. He is definitely not a morning person. His limbs feel like stone and his head is foggy as he slowly gains consciousness. He wants to decline but then his reason overcomes his want.

“Oh, sorry.. N-no.. I’ll come.” He whispers sluggishly, innocently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He hasn’t showered at all since he came here and he had taken notice. He doesn’t want any more trouble for the other people in here.

“Alright, go get your stuff bunkie.” Leo says, with a skip in his step. It seems like he’s a morning person. William tiredly lifts himself up with his arms and sits up still with his eyes closed, getting a few more seconds of rest. He finally gets his eyes to cooperate and blinks slowly, crawling to the ladder to climb down.

He puts on his shower shoes and stumbles to his locker, unlocking it. He grabs his soap from his locker and closes it, making sure to lock it, and stumbles over to the toes of the bunk and grabs his towel and spare clothing from his gray bin on the floor.

Leo is patiently waiting, leaning on the door to keep it open for him, already having his stuff in his hands. He doesn’t want to keep him waiting any longer, so he jogs quickly out the door. Leo gets up and leads the way–the door shutting behind him.

While walking, William convinced himself to have hope that there would be some kind of reflection he could use in the bathroom. They probably wouldn’t allow it in the cell rooms, but there would be for sure a mirror in the shower room. Even though his logic didn’t make much sense, he refused to think otherwise.

It was so early in the morning that hardly any people were out in the corridors. It’s nice and quiet due to the small amount of sleepy people awake at the moment. Leo is oddly silent as they walk side by side down the halls and down the stairs. If William was fully awake then, he might feel a bit awkward, but he didn’t care at the moment, appreciating the rare silence between the two of them.

William thinks of this early outing as like a sleepover for some odd reason. The comfort of waking up early with a friend just gives him a feeling of incredible sleepiness, but giddiness at the same time. He’s never had or been to one before due to his mother never allowing him, but he imagines this is exactly how it feels. It kinda feels like he’s having a sleepover at school as well since it’s pitch black outside and the lights were so bright, bringing out the silent atmosphere. He smiled sweetly at his imagination.

His thoughts come to an abrupt stop as an unexpected yawn bubbles out of him, causing him to cover his agape mouth as he flutters his tears away.

He wonders if he locked his locker before coming out here.

Once they step foot on the 1st floor, he finally opens his mouth.

“Bunkie, did you hear that guy went missing? Oh, wait you probably don’t know who I’m even talking about.” Leo facepalmed internally, shaking his head and chuckling to himself about his small mistake. “You know, the guy that talked to you like 2 days ago? The one with the blonde hair and rich kid vibes?”

William can’t remember what his face looked like. “Oh, yeah.”

“Yeah, anyways, so, they set up this huge search party, but nobody had a clue on where he went. He just disappeared like a fucking magician. I wish I had that talent to get out of this hell hole.” Upon hearing this news, William wants to make a scared face, but keeps a neutral face on. How did the cameras not see him?

“Also, that guy that fucking tackled you on the first day got sent to the hole if you haven’t heard. He had it coming.”

“Hehe, yeah..” William awkwardly agrees, grateful the subject changed.

“By the way.. truthfully, I’m not one for rumors–surprising, I know–but this one is just spreading like wildfire. It’s crazy! I just have to tell you. I think it’s about this person named Lila or something? I don't know, but it’s crazy how a newbie could have that rumor about them already! From the bullies to the sheeps. Crazy.” Williams' smile becomes more unhinged the more Leo goes on. “It seems they are quite small too from what I heard. Maybe with dark, curly hair with a pathetic statue, too?” He knows there have been rumors about him from Mike —Vulture— but he’s scared. Scared for what Lila’s planning. If she’s even planning any of this at all.

“Oh, sorry to cut it short, but we are here.”

William notes that the showers are on the first floor at the final door. He can remember where it is by going straight to the left from the stairwell.

Leo steps forward first and opens the baby blue door for William once again.

Once the door is wide open, he can hear a stream of water hitting the ground, echoing faintly off the narrow walls. Someone must be in there. He politely thanks Leo with an attempted small smile and walks a few small steps inside. William stands near the entrance awkwardly, looking around the place.

It was a dimly lit place decorated with disgustingly yellow tiles with a light brownish yellow hue on the flooring. Without realizing it his face stretches into disgust at the sight. Focusing back to where it is important, there are separate stalls covered with dull, dirty blue shower curtains. He sighs in relief and gratitude. More of his dignity can still be kept in this inhumane environment.

Leo silently opens the second of the stalls and walks in, closing it behind him. It seems the person that was the first in here was occupying the first stall. William copies Leo, but chooses the one on the far right. Like when he's choosing which urinal to go to in an empty public bathroom.

While he’s walking there, he observes everything hoping to find his reflection somewhere on top these revolting walls.

In those few seconds of getting to the end, he lost all hope in ever finding a mirror to save him. As the steps progressed, the more his hope did, falling off the edge of a cliff in despair the moment he got to the end.

William enters the stall and closes the curtains. He sheds off all this clothing and hangs his towel and clean and dirty clothes on top of the metal bar holding up the curtain. He makes sure to put the clean and dirty in two separate piles.

Once he turned on the water, he immediately felt chilled. It was ice cold; just what he wanted. He didn’t want to think about his predicament. Since he’s gotten here he always tried to avoid thinking of now and the future, only dwelling on the familiar past.

The water drops felt like bullets of tiny needles on top of his bruises. His bruises don't hurt as much as he thought they would. It wasn’t enough to have him in agony, but it was painful enough to have it pull his focus towards it.

It’s too bad he can’t stay for long. Mike told him the showers–you can’t hog it. The minimum is 5 mins max if there is a line. Even if there isn’t a line it's better safe than sorry William supposes.

It was hard to wash fast as he would always flinch at every rub of his bruises and the soapy bar kept wanting to slip out of his wet hands. He almost dropped it a few times and he’s thankful he didn’t. The floors look so unsanitary the riddle of “if the soap drops on the floor would the floor become clean or would the soap become dirty,” would have a clear answer. He messily scrubbed the bar of soap in his hair, pushing hard to get the roots.

As he showers he can't help but feel anxious. William never had a good perception of time. He may think of 5 days as 5 minutes or 5 minutes as 5 hours if he doesn’t have something to indicate what the time is. So, he hurriedly washes out his hair and any excess suds on his body, turns off the water, grabs the towel and dries himself off well.

He can’t lie but he feels a bit exposed. He knows nobody is watching him, that nobody can watch him, but he can’t help, but feel insecure. He glanced down at himself—at everything that’s exposed. He knows he’s gotten a little more skinnier since he’s gotten here. He doesn’t have the access to eat as much as he wants when he wants. He was used to not eating much as he had to work his own job and waste a few bucks on cans of beer occasionally, but at least he could choose what to buy and eat freely before.

He realizes he shouldn’t be thinking of this–he doesn’t have much time–and shakes his head out of his thoughts, flinging water on the sides of the stall. He has bigger problems to think of anyways. He grabs the first clothing on top of his stack he’s made and it turns out to be a shirt. He pulls it over his head and wasting no more time, he grabs the next thing.

His pants were a bit hard to get on, because of his shoes, but he had no true problems as he had great balance. He just lifts one foot out of his shoe and sticks it through one leg of his pants and repeats. Once he is fully dressed and appropriate he steps out.

William always feels better after showers.Sometimes William wouldn’t shower for days at a time. It would always be an enjoyment when he finally works up the energy or time to do so.

Leo is at the other end of the hall by the door already fully clothed.

He collects all his things before jogging over to him.

William walks back to his cell with his soap bar still in his hand, dripping awkwardly down his arm.

“I don’t like how you ran away from our last little meeting, Lila~” Someone whispers into William's ear. It makes him flinch away from the noise, squeaking in surprise.

Leo offered to go to breakfast since he was already awake and productive. He couldn’t decline his offer. He was feeling a bit hungry after all.

“But- I’ll forgive you.. if you do something for me.” He pointed to himself.

“I.. uh..”

Williams' expression calms. “I don’t need your pointless forgiveness.” Lila spat.

“Feisty today, huh~ But, you're going to get my forgiveness whether you like it or not. So, I’m going to use my favor now, Lila~” Before Lila can argue back, he speaks once more.

“Let’s continue our little talk we were having when you so rudely interrupted.” Lila was getting annoyed by this shameless mutt. What a hypocrite.

“Okay.. But, if we continue it then.. you're all out of favors. Gone. Are you sure you want to use it on something as insignificant as that? I mean you could ask for anything. That’s what the purpose of favors are.

“I just want to talk with you some more. Is that so much to ask, Lila?” He frowned. He looked pathetic.

“Are you that obsessed with me?”

“I’ll do anything for you, Lila.”

“Anything you say.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.. then, stop talking to me.” He was taken aback by this request. This was not something his tiny brain could have expected.

“B-but-”

“Now.”

He looked detached, heartbroken. “Okay..” He frowns, giving the worst attempt at puppy eyes humanly possible.

He can tell it didn’t work due to Lilas unimpressed expression. His frown deepens and he turns around and walks away slowly through the noisy cafeteria.

What a scared little dog. Lila chuckles to herself. She continues to stare until the dog is out of the scene.

“..Your Lila?” She forgot this dog was here.

“Yes, I am.”

“Huh, so YOUR Lila?” He gestures at Williams' whole stance.

“I don’t like repeating myself.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry.”

Lila gave him back control in that instance. William almost faceplants into his tray of food, but saves himself at the last second. He doesn’t think he can ever get used to gaining control back. It’s like waking up while sleepwalking or a movie changing reels unexpectedly. William awkwardly goes back to eating the food he almost fell into, picking up the plastic fork with his shaky hands.

He thinks of that guy as a younger Strupnev. He almost feels pity for the guy. He’s gotten sucked into Lila’s deceiving charm. His posture changed. His back became more slouched, his eyes has that innocence to it,

“Oh, welcome back, William.”

“Clarke, you have a visitor.”

“Wha- Wh-who..?” This came as a shock to William. Who would ever want to visit him for all the things he’s done? Everyone in his small town probably knows his name by now.. They probably just came to yell at him. He deserves it and is willing to accept all that is thrown at him.

“She says that you call her Ms. Hutchins? Does that ring a bell? Would you like to see her?”

Williams' saddened expression slowly morphs into a shocked one.

“What?!”

William doesn’t want Ms Hutchins to see him like this. Since he got in here he didn’t think about her at all. William imagined she would not care about this teenage boy in his apartment that killed and stuffed the body in the trash. He doesn’t want to face her. She’ll be so upset with him. He is ashamed of all the things he did. (William blames himself for everything and everyone. He isn’t the type to only put the blame on Lila and only Lila) He doesn’t want to look at her. Without mirrors Ms Hutchins will think of him as a freak. He doesn’t even know how to greet her anymore. He will only bring more pain to her and himself. He doesn’t- no he can’t do it. He can’t. He can’t.

Williams' breath starts getting faster and heavier. His eyes darted all over the place. He’s starting to tremble and sunk to the floor in a crouched position.

Then he starts to get up. Like everything was normal. His breath was back to normal. His eyes were normal. His face was normal.

“Yes, I would like to see her.”

The guard just stares at Lila for a moment with questioning eyes.

“O-kay then.. come along now.” Lila smiles. She follows without a word.

As they walked out of the Unit buildings and onto the field, the guard decided he couldn’t keep his muzzle on. “So what are ya in for, tiny?”

“First degree murders.” Lila didn’t hesitate.

“Oh wow. How many people did you kill?”

“Two.”

“Nice, how did you do it?”

“Choking. I had some.. help on the first one.”

“Interesting.”

It was a peachy silence the rest of the way.

“Hello, sweetie..” Ms. Hutchins is sitting in front of him, protected by a clear sheet. It was old and scratched.

She looks at him through the glass not with disgust, but with sadness and betrayal. Lila can still see sympathy in her eyes. Disgusting. How can she still like this kid when he murdered two people?

Williams' face wants to morph into a nervous expression but smiles as a replacement. This looked weird.

“Hello, Ms. Hutchins.”

Her mouth turns down and her eyes furrow into a pained frown. “How are you doing in there, sweetie?”

“Hm.. what do you think, Ms. Hutchins?”

There is a tense silence while Ms Hutchins thinks of a response. It’s not as noisy as she expected as the air was flooded with a tense atmosphere from the awkward silence and whispers. She can practically feed off the despair in the air. She expected yelling or fighting when inmates get visitors but it’s the exact opposite. Maybe on another day.

“I.. I don’t think you're yourself. I know you're a sweet boy, William. I know that. You wouldn’t do this without a reason..”

“Oh, but Ms Hutchins; there is no reason. I just did this for fun. For the thrill of it. To watch as their distressed faces turn desperate as I choke them to death. Watch as they breathe the last drops of air as I crush their windpipe.”

“…” Ms. Hutchins looks uncomfortable.

“..I don’t believe you. Whoever you are, that replaced the sweet boy I’ve always known. I’ve had my suspicions since that same morning they found the body. This isn’t you.”

How can she know?! It’s impossible. She’s only in denial.

“Haha. You're acting like I’ve been possessed, Ms. Hutchins. This was always me. I killed them.”

“I know you had your issues with tulpas and drugs, but this is a problem my dear. Ol’ Ms Hutchins always has an ear for you..” Her trying to be playful tone falls flat as Lila doesn’t react.

“I.. know you have trouble with your emotions William, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any. You're safe with me to spout your problems, instead of taking it out on people who don’t deserve it..” She's obviously thinking about Tanya. “Listen I’m not on your side, what you did was inhumane and terrible, but I just want to get you the help you need William.”

Lila just stares at her, deadpanning. Ms Hutchins stares back.

“Do you have a mirror by any chance?”

“..I do, why?”

“Show me my reflection.”

Ms Hutchins looks threatened for a moment before scrambling in her small hand purse, until she pulls out a small spherical pink disk. She pries it open with her old fingers and it turns out to be some form of makeup tray, included with a small mirror on the roof of it. She moves it so the mirror is facing Lila. She can feel William perk up from seeing his reflection. Lila smirks into it, seeing William's reflection copy.

“See, I don’t look any different and I don’t act any different. Before, it was a facade. This is the real me.” Lila smiled, confidently. “I think you're the crazy one here Ms Hutchins.” Lila chuckles.

Ms Hutchins seems to deflate at those words. It’s evident she doesn’t want to believe her sweet little William would become this. Is this. But Lila is getting under her skin, just like she did with William; fooling her like always.

“You're going down a bad path William. I just don’t want you to keep going until it’s too late.” She says sternly. “You can still turn back, dear.. We can get through this together..”

Lila rolls her eyes. She knows she’s just pulling things out her ass at this point. This was William's destiny; the reason why he was even created was to be her own innocent puppet. Every single ending has happened already and was made to happen.

“You never fail to make me laugh, Ms Hutchins. Your kindness is your weakness. Your empathy is pathetic. Trying to be the hero in this fake little ending.”

“I guess you got too old for boring ol’ Ms Hutchins, huh?” She chuckles weakly. She’s silent for a moment; opening her mouth but hesitating to say the words.

“… I miss you, William. I know there's nothing I can do.. but I’ll be here if you need it.. Ms. Hutchins is always just one call away.” She wrinkles her eyes and turns her lips into a mournful smile. “… I’ll be going now.” She’s trying to hide the tears in her eyes by this sudden goodbye. Lila is just soaking in the pain, smiling and waving at her.

Ms. Hutchins starts to collect her stuff— putting her mirror back into her purse and adjusting it onto her shoulder. “Now, take care of yourself, sweetie..” She was about to stand when William blurted out.

“Thank you, Ms Hutchins..” William smiles sweetly at her, teary eyed.

She stares at him with wide eyes for a few seconds, before smiling a hopeful smile back at him.

“Of course, sweetie.”

Chapter Text

William has been awake, tossing and turning in bed for what seemed like hours. He couldn’t go back to sleep since he went to bed early yesterday. He didn’t want to think about what happened the previous day. But now he’s forced to be sucked into his own horrible thoughts, only his diary to rant to.

As he was flipping to an empty page, he saw a small piece of yellow paper in the crevasse of one of the pages. It was the code from the mystery man from the boilers. He remembers he stuffed it in there as soon as he remembered it was in his pocket. He can’t help but wonder who saw and how much they truly saw.

Shaking the thoughts out of his mind as he had too much on his plate at the moment. He needs to focus on his current task: flip to an empty page. Flipping a couple more pages, he finds a clean, fresh page. Clicking his pen, he starts to write.

March 24

Lila do you know who that person in the
boiler was? It's pointless to ask but I just
need to know. Also Lila, you can’t control
me whenever you want. And you can’t
toss me into the problems you make for
fun either. Stop making me clean up your
mess. Ms Hutchins is a nice lady. She didn’t
deserve that. Lila.. why do you continue to
stay with me? What did I do to deserve this?
I can survive here by myself, you know.

Suddenly, he hears a bang, presumably from the door and closes the book shut, startled. He recognizes Leo’s footsteps. At the comfort of his home, he could always write freely with no one to interrupt him, but now he has a roommate. He can’t see his diary.

William looks over to him and recognizes something green in his hand. Leo doesn’t seem to see this as weird and smiles at him.

“Here’s some chips I traded! I don’t need it so you can have it.” He winds his arm low and tosses William the object suddenly. It startles him—throwing his arms up to catch it on instinct. His hands don’t close quick enough and it causes a hit straight to the face.

Leo laughs at him for that. Oddly, it didn’t feel insulting. Listening to him laugh causes him to crack a natural smile and start laughing with him. As Leo’s laughing dies down, he copies.

He wipes away tears from his eyes. “You have terrible hand eye coordination. You should work on that.” He suddenly gasps. “What if you play basketball with me! That would be so fun.”

“Uh, no thanks. I don’t do well with sports..”

“It’s just for fun—you don’t have to be good. Don’t worry, I won’t let the other people bully you for it. They ain’t that scary, anyways.”

“..I’ll think about it. Thank you for the chips though.” William attempts to smile; it doesn’t work out. Leo grins widely back.

“Of course, bunkie! Happy to help.”

He wants to give back to Leo but he can’t. He has nothing to give him. He knows he can’t pay him back and there's nothing he can do about it but he still feels terrible. Leo has done so much for him (aka the bare minimum) and he can’t do anything back.

He opens it with a tug and starts munching to show his appreciation.

“It’s almost breakfast . You should come with me. Last time at breakfast you were so entertaining!”

William wasn’t sure how in any way it was entertaining.

“It’s okay. I’m not that hungry anyways.” He doesn’t want Lila to do anything stupid again.

“You take me for an idiot?”

“No I don’t.”

“You're a liar, you know that? Anyone would be hungry after not eating a lick for like a whole day. I see you munching on those chips. And, you hardly even eat normally. Honestly even if you did eat 3 meals a day, you’ll still won’t get enough calories.” He expressed his displeasure with vague, angry hand motions. “Kinda shocking you still have a bit of energy, bunkie.” He crosses his arms.

They both know William can’t say no at this point, “..okay. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, good! Glad we got to an agreement. Bring your bag of chips.”

He tears a crumb of bread off and tosses it next to a pigeon. It startled the pigeon but then it gobbled it up moments later. While Leo wasn’t looking he tossed a few more pieces of bread onto the floor. He wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t hungry so he was more than willing to offer his bread to a better cause. It looked happy so William just started to feed it more and more.

Leo was just chatting off his ear like usual. He was too engrossed into his own story to even glance at William. Whenever he told his stories, he noticed he would just be in his own mind saying it to thin air. William could literally get up to get a fork or murder someone and Leo would still continue. William also noticed that when he would be story telling his hands would barely move yet when he would converse normally he would be much more expressive. It’s odd.

The bird happily munched on the multiplying crumbs of food. It gave William a sense of happiness.

He was always more fond of animals than he was with other humans. It’s not that he didn't like humans, just that animals were a little easier to empathize with.

He can’t imagine ever disturbing an animal just for one’s own short sick pleasure.

He shouldn’t have let Lila get to him..

He shouldn’t have killed that dog.

“I’m sorry.. But I have to do this. I don’t have a choice,” William whispered.

He was in his apartment to make the clean up easier. He was in the kitchen to make the clean up faster.

The whines and cries of distress barks is all he hears. It’s writhing in agony underneath him. It’s a struggle to hold it down. He can feel Lila’s amusement. He hopes Ms. Hutchin can’t hear anything.

William shakily lifted the knife to its throat, hesitating momentarily. The dog's whimpers and whines are all in his ears—infecting his brain. He squeezes his eyes shut and slices the dog's throat open. The distressed sounds silenced and he could feel the blood running down into his hands.

he had done it. He did it. The dog was dead. His grip loosened and the kitchen knife dropped on top the now bloody floor, echoing in the silent building. He drops the dog and it falls into his lap with a limp smack. Blood is staining his white pants but he doesn’t care at the moment. He killed something.

“P-please forgive me..” He sobbed.

He tilted his neck down, into the matted fur. He pets the dog's head, as if trying to comfort it or maybe just trying to comfort himself. His tears silently soak into the blood red fur.

Then, a loud shout is heard above the voices.

“HEY! Asshole.” William flinches from the loud noise and shifts his body and turns his head around. Maybe it was directed at him.

“You talking shit about my gang?”

“What? I never said shit about you or your fucking gang!”

“Oh yeah, you cocky retard?! That’s not what I heard, you son of a bitch!” Then an echoing thwack can be heard as William witnesses a punch from the man. Everyone is seemingly ignoring what is happening. William is the only one watching. Even Leo is still just chatting away paying no mind to it.

Right. This is a prison.

The other guy retaliated. They start screaming incoherent noises of violence and anger. Some other guys joined in. He could hear everything, yet nothing. He could hear the fight, Leo’s story, the scraping of the forks against the trays, the screams, the hits–just everything. Everything is too bright.

He mindlessly watches as one of them hits one in the face, giving them a bloody nose. It causes more anger.

“Hey, you okay man?” Leo noticed, he wasn’t paying attention. William snaps out of this trance and turns his head forward.

He can’t respond. He wants to say he’s fine, he’s just overstimulated, but he just can’t say anything. He nods instead. Leo takes it and continues talking.

As Leo starts talking again, William focuses on his voice. Although he can’t process any of the information he’s sprouting, listening to him speaking about something that gives him happiness is able to keep him from being overwhelmed.

He didn’t realize when the noises stopped.

“I heard there was a crazy fight that happened. Must have been scary for you, huh?”

“Heh, yeah. Scary how that can happen so suddenly..”

Mike hums in agreement.

They were in the same spot they met last time–Mike leaning on the wall and William sitting on the grass.

“I just hope it doesn’t happen to me..” William can't imagine what people think of him in here because of the reputation Lila gave him. They probably think he's a freak like everybody at school. Prison is a lot like school he realized. The people, the food, the rumors. Except, you can't escape so easily.

“It wont. Don’t worry.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Just trust me.”

William knows that he's not supposed to trust strangers, but.. He can't help it. “..okay. I trust you.”

“Anyways, your bruises, alright?”

“They have faded a little. It’s not so excruciating anymore.”

"That's good to hear.But, my condolences about the cat.. I thought you knew.”

“It’s okay, Mike. It’s not your fault..”

“Hey, but what happened to your bruised eye, you know? I remember he punched you in the eye and while they were carrying you on the stretcher, one started forming. So I don't understand how you heal faster than your other ones? You have a parasite in you or something?"

"Wha..?"

"Ah, nevermind. That was a joke. Not a Marvel kid, huh?"

"O-oh, no. Unfortunately not.."

"Your mom never let you watch any of the movies or something?"

"Well, my mom never allowed me to watch television growing up."

"You still living with your mom?"

"No, she died a few years ago. I've been living alone since. Well, before I got in here."

"Oh, I'm sorry man."

"It's okay."

"May I ask how she died?"

"Well, there was something wrong with the boilers so she went down to fix it and an accident occurred.."

"Damn.. is that why you went into the boiler room earlier?"

"H-huh? Y-you saw..?" Williams eyes widened and he slowly lifted his head up to look at Mike. Mike was staring back at him.

Nobody should have saw. Every time Lila does something terrible, she never gets caught. Why would she get caught now? How did he see?

"I won't snitch, but you literally did it out in the open. The boiler room is literally in the cafeteria. Quite bold of you, honestly."

“..I.. I have to go.. Uhm.. Sorry. B-bye.” He immediately gets up and dashes back inside.

At dinner, he decided to come back out. He is starving and it’s starting to become unbearable even for him. He knows Leo is right, but he never really had an appetite since he came here.

Looking around he didn't see his bird friend anywhere. The fight must’ve scared it off. 

“Mind if I sit here Lila~ I’ve brought some friends too.” He puts his food down next to him and smiles. William looks over with dread. There were 5 people standing next to Shiny, all looking at him with ill intent. He didn't want to socialize with anyone for the rest of the day. Leo said he had to go do something and he thought to eat quickly and he would be fine, but no. This was a mistake. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“…” William was terrified, displayed a little by his expression.

“Hey Shiny, are you sure you got the right guy?”

“Yes. Don’t be rude.”

“Yeah, are you sure? These rumors don’t match his personality. I can tell.”

“You better not be fucking with us, Shiny.”

“Now why would I do that?” He turned to look at William, getting close to his space. “Say your Lila,” he commands in a deep voice.

“…” William was shaking from the pressure. He didn’t know what to say. This is making him want to curl up into a ball and hide.

“This must be just a fucking joke to you, huh Shiny?”

“I’m really not lying to you. Come on say it. Don’t embarrass me infront of them~”

“…”

“Are you fucking kidding me man. Let’s get out of here!”

“This lying, bastard.”

“We will get back at you.”

“N-no wait! I’m telling the truth guys!” He bangs his fist onto the table. “Great, now they're going to spread rumors about me.” Shiny turns to look at Lila, his expression filled with anger. William is staring back in true fear. He was the one to blame after all. The more he glares holes into William, the more his face slowly calms down until he is only looking at him with softness.

“Aww~ I can’t get mad at you Lila. You're the only one I need, anyways~” He starts eating the green beans off his tray.

Once he finishes he says, “You're quiet today, Lila. What’s wrong?,” asking it with a pleading pout. He doesn’t fit that expression with his wrinkly skin and sharp features.

“…”

“Fine. You don’t want to talk. I came all the way here just for you not to say anything. You wound me Lila~” He frowns.

“...”

“Here, you can have my food, Lila! I haven't even eaten the fish sandwich yet! I’ll give you anything if you talk to me~” He slowly slides his food over to him. He shakes his head. He doesn’t want his food anyways. The dinner consists of a bland fish sandwich, disgusting green beans, stale bread, a sliced orange, and a carton of white milk. Nothing got William excited for a second serving. “Why are you so mean? Why don’t you want to talk to me!”

He knows better not to give him the satisfaction. It’s better to drive everyone away, then give them hope of a decent human being.

“I’ll just make you talk then Lila. I’ll rip out your vocal cord just to hear your voice one last time~ Just joking, of course!”

He's getting too desperate. William knows what can happen when one gets desperate.

“Are you not eating because you don’t have a fork? I can go get you one, Lila.” This can be his escape. He turns his head towards Shiny–his eyes widening and mouth smiling from the attention–nodding. “I’ll be right back Lila!” He stands up, out of the bench. Before he walks to the kitchen, he turns around and says as a warning, “You better not run away.”

Despite the threat, he books it when he knows Shiny isn't looking. He makes sure to not leave his tray, cleaning up after himself.

Chapter Text

William stirs awake naturally. He blinks hastily and turns over onto stomach. He is still half asleep so he closes his eyes again and drifts back into his dreamless slumber, when a loud bang is heard, seemingly next door. It scares William as he jolts up, arching his back and carries himself with his arms, while he looks around frantically. Seeing how nothing was wrong or his problem, he falls back onto the bed as he hears the creek of the metal door to his cell gets displayed. 

“Jeez, that noise scared me.. Yo, bunkie. I have a job for you.” 

William pretends to be asleep, ignoring him to try and fall asleep once again. He’s too hazed to deal with Leo.

“I know you’re awake.” William curses in his head as he was caught red handed. He silently rolls over and sits himself up, bending his legs slightly. Since he came back into his own body, he has been way more sleepy. Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep Lila does or to prevent social interactions. He never could sleep easily before. He would stay up with his thoughts about his peers and practice in the mirror or write in his diary until he felt sleepy. 

“I’m sorry.” He hopes it’s nothing too hard. He doesn’t know what Leo wants him to do, if he couldn’t do it himself. 

Rubbing his eyes, he looks to where Leo is. His eyes darted straight to the door since that was where he came in from but from his peripheral vision, he recognized his blonde hair and his sharp face. His hair was noticeably bright in this muted cell. Leo was leaning right onto his bunk, staring at William. When did he get there? His large hands lie on top of the bed sheets—like a dog. 

He was tall, William realized. The bunk was forehead height for himself while Leo’s whole head and neck was able to see above the bunk. Truthfully, William was shorter than most–shorter than his male classmates, shorter than his coworkers, he wasn't that much taller than the girls either. It was embarrassing, but he’s glad nobody would make fun of him for it. But he was still considerably skinny. His mother would always nag him about how fat he could become, especially because he was shorter than most so that led to her not feeding him sometimes.

“The job is not that hard, but I think with your personality, it would be a piece of cake.”

“What is it?” He asks with a straight face. His words displayed a slightly tired undertone. 

“All you have to do is hand out bottles in the chow hall. Come on, tell you about it on the way.” William then comes to a realization that he was talking about an actual job. He doesn’t want to leave the comfort of his sheets, but follows obediently.

“It doesn’t pay much but you have a lot on your plate so I thought to get you a simple job.” 

Walking down the hall was noisy. It made William want to cover his ears. But he didn’t. He wanted to peek inside the cells to figure out what made the bang. But he didn’t. 

“Do you have a job?” He asked with curiosity, turning his head to look at him.

“Oh, yes, I do. I’m just responsible for the tools from the outside shed. I have to guard and count every time.” Leo had this visual exasperated face on as he explained the sets of tools there were on his fingers. ”Ugh, it’s just so annoying. Nobody even has the balls to try and steal anyways. Don’t even know why don’t they don’t hire a guard for it. That’s the fucking reason why they are named that.” 

“Well, it seems you don’t enjoy it very much.” William tries to stretch his mouth into a smile. It looks strained and awkward.

“Eh, I don’t enjoy working—who even enjoys working? but, it’s easy and it gives me a lot of free time to—you know,” he shows an action of assumably shooting a ball into the net. “So I guess I wouldn’t like to have it any other way.” He shrugs. “Did you have a job before?” 

His old job would distract him from his sad life. He would actually be a functioning human of society when he would work. His facial expressions would get him in a bit of trouble sometimes with both the customers and his employees, but he did enjoy his job occasionally, as he needed some kind of positive social interaction to function. He wonders what his coworkers think of him now. They were probably happy he was gone so they would have more customers as William would always scare them off with his face.

“Yeah, I mean since I don’t have parents I had to make money somehow, right?” William said with a chuckle.

Leo rolled his eyes at his own stupidity, “Oh yeah, whoops. That was stupid of me to ask.” 

“It’s okay. What got you into basketball?”

“I just had an interest in it I guess. It’s what most athletic guys choose to do anyways. Very basic of me.” He made a mouth with his hands and mocked himself. Then it became quiet between the two of them. William felt it was awkward and worried about what Leo was thinking of. It felt like a heavy weight of awkwardness on him and felt the need to get rid of it. It was odd–William always enjoyed the silence better than the noise yet he enjoyed social interactions with people he enjoyed. As William opened his mouth to break the silence, Leo spoke once again. 

“Who’s Lila?” William didn’t expect this question, as he blinked a few too many times processing the question. Leo looked shocked at himself the moment he said it. Like he didn’t mean to ask it. It wasn’t meant to leave the wide open cage of his mouth. 

Once William started speaking, he averted his eyes to face forward, watching his step as he walked down the stairwell.

“Lila.. I.. I don’t know. It feels like the answer is at the edge of my mind, but.. I have no clue.” He admits with childlike honesty. “She.. is whatever you make of her. Almost like a Tulpa in a way but.. she’s not. Y-you shouldn’t question it anyways. She only exists if you let her into a current state of existence–feeding off attention. You should forget while you still can. It was my mistake for trusting her anyway..” His mouth downturns a little from the thought. He can’t escape anymore. He isn’t able to forget after everything. No matter how hard he tries. She is far too powerful now. She is out of his control. He looks down at his hands, searching into his palms for an answer, but nothing comes. Leo says nothing.

They continue to the kitchen, Leo acts like he heard nothing. “Hey! I brought my cellie.” The guy's eyes landed on him. It was evident that he was an older man. He was wearing a white apron and a hairnet. William guesses that he’s the chef. He tries to give a smile, but it falls flat. 

“Oh, hey. You're Mr. Clarke, yeah?”

“Uh, yes.” He nods.

“Okay. Alright Bullseye, you can just show him around the kitchen I guess. And tell him what to do.”

Everything in the kitchen was made of metal. It was almost blinding. William can see a clean sink filled with soapy water with a few dishes submerged. 

“I hear you.” He thumbs up and turns back to William. “So here is the kitchen – obviously.” He lifts his hand to point to the cafeteria, “The bottles are outside, but I suppose I gotta show you around still.” He shrugs. “The only thing you have to worry about is to not give them more than one bottle of water. Oh! Be sure to serve me my water when I get lunch.” He grins. William silently nods, staring off at a paper on the wall saying something about being good and changing for the better. 

William then heard a high pitched scream, “OH MY GOD. WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT?!” 

He immediately turns his head to look at Leo who still was screaming bloody terror. “W-what happened?”

“BULLSEYE STOP SCREAMING. YOU’RE CAUSING MY EARS TO RING. God.” He hears the older man grumble.

“A RAT. KILL IT.” He looked down and saw a tiny little rat scurrying around. It then ran towards Leo, causing the huge man to scream at the small animal in bloody terror. Leo ran and grabbed the biggest knife he saw. He held it close to him. William doesn’t dare to doubt he wouldn’t do it. “Don’t kill it. I'll just sweep it out with a broom.” 

“Just get it out! I would much rather not get more blood on my hands than I already do.”

William ends up sweeping it into a dustpan and quickly tossing it out to freedom while Leo cradles in the corner in terror. He doesn’t feel that hungry anymore. 

“Hey, you're the famous Lila, correct?” He says a bit sheepishly. 

He was handing out water bottles to the people who asked him. Truthfully this job could easily be done by a machine, but he’s appreciative Leo went out of his way to do this for him.

This random person was almost the same size as William. He had these circle glasses that made his eyes look huge. He was looking away from his eyes — avoiding eye contact. Then, William realized something. He was the person on the bus with him. The one that was quiet and shaky. The one Lila looked at.

“No, I’m William.” He says monotoned, expression blank. He was a bit scared and wondered what this guy wanted from him.

The guy becomes confused. He examines his face closely, squinting his eyes searching for something to use against him. 

He seems to deflate at his conclusion — mouth down turned as his head lowers. “B-but he told me..” He whispered.

“Who told you?”

“Uh.. this guy with a bald head. Shiny if I recall correctly..”

“Oh.” Of course it was Shiny. Only Shiny has met Lila before. 

“Hm.. Do you have an identical twin or something?”

“N-no?” 

“Hmm.. So you don’t have any idea who Lila is? Never heard?” He questioned almost accusingly. 

“No. Um, I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work..” William took gradual steps back — he was still a bit unsure what this guy wanted. 

This posture changed as if he discovered something, “You're lying aren't you. I know a liar when I see one. You’re fucking lying to me! YOU ARE LILA. That's probably why you looked at me like that on the bus!” He stated, pointing at him with his finger and his eyes.

“N-no, I’m not! Why do you want her anyways?”

He grabs his fork from his tray and swings it at William in the face causing it to bore into his skin. William cries out in pain from the pressure, unsure if he was bleeding or not. His reaction only fuels the fire as he was about to scratch him again, when he abruptly stops midway.

“..Her?”

“Hey buddy, you're holding up the line. What’s your problem with him?” 

With watery eyes William looks up to see Leo speaking to the guy. He looked at him with malicious intent.

“Well, t-this guy is a fucking liar! He was saying he doesn’t know Lila. Everyone in this fucking place has at least heard of the name! It’s the most popular rumor for goodness sake! Even the people who just came here today have probably heard of Lila! He can’t be that fucking oblivious. That's why!” 

“It's not worth getting worked up over this for.” 

“Are you saying I’m psychotic? This guy has the guts to lie to me like I’m the crazy one. You're just trying to provoke me. Well, since you want to protect him like a loyal dog, how about I treat you like one!” The guy seems pressured and angered with all the watchers around him – saying things he knows he doesn’t mean. He swings the weak plastic fork at Leo and he leans back to dodge it. William sees some guys stand up from their cafeteria seats in distress and anger. 

William takes this as his que to leave as Leo goes to attack him. He stands up and runs out of there, the looks of passersby eyes driving into his skull. 

“Why did you tell him?” Lila almost seems a bit concerned - almost afraid.

“He asked, Lila. Friends are supposed to be truthful.” William gives her a pointed look. William never thought she could get afraid, but he isn't really surprised anymore after everything.

“You say that he's your friend yet you ran away like a scared cat the second he stepped in. That’s not very friend like~ He's hopefully getting his skull bashed in as we speak."

"..." He peeks out from his makeshift ball to see Lila looking down at him, grinning like a Cheshire cat. This causes him to be even more agitated.

"You are that desperate to have friends for once that you decide to spill everything, huh? You're in prison. This shouldn’t be the time for “friends”.” He knows he never had friends. Even Tanya would mock him behind his back or in front of his face. But, he still innocently believed that they cared about him. 

“Yeah, well, you aren’t much of a friend so I had to make my own.” William pouted, hiding his face further into his knees. 

“But, I’m better than all those people. That's why that copycat died after all," She says with venom. "These people in prison don’t want to be your friends. These people are like dogs - animals that use people for their own selfish benefits."

William responds with nothing, not wanting to agree or disagree.

"Why would anyone ever want to befriend someone like you. They are leading you on like everyone else. Nobody has friends in prison, only acquaintances. Get used to it. You’ll never have friends. Only me." She says smugly, trying to convince William its true. ”You know, you couldn’t last a day in prison without me, after all.”

“No.. I don't believe you. I’m.. I don't understand why you would spread that terrible rumor. Make it stop, Lila! Please.”

“I only created it. Likewise, that rumor isn’t that far from the truth. Like you told Leo. He probably thinks you're a freak. Someone with multiple personalities.” 

“No.. No, Leo wouldn’t do that.” William trusts Leo. He's convinced that he is his friend. Nobody would be that nice to him if they weren't..

“Yeah? And how would you know?” She lifted her eyebrow at him and places her hands behind her back.

“Because, he was nice to me..” William childishly admits.

“Really, William?" She looks at him unamused, "I didn't know your trust issues were this low. It's a cruel world out there, filled with monsters who pick you apart and hide their disgust with a simple mask. Just because someone is nice to you doesn’t mean they aren’t lying. Haven't you already learn this?" 

"Please.. Just stop, Lila.."

"Fine, if you want to be like that Will." And she disappeared like usual.

Chapter Text

William wouldn’t dare to sleep since then. He was trapped in his lonely prison cell, feeling sick in his stomach. He was just sitting on his bed in his usual huddled position, thinking about the incident. He wondered what would have happened if he never ran away. If he wasn’t a coward. It wasn’t that he thought Leo was weak, he was in prison for a reason and he’s jacked, yet it's scary. Who knows what could have happened. This world has already shown how unpredictable it can be.

William didn’t know why he was so worked up over this. It wasn’t like Lila.. killed him or anything. He just never wanted Leo to get roped into his problems; he didn’t deserve any of this. But, that was to be expected. Lila is not a being you could say no to or stop forever. He couldn’t help, but held himself culpable for what happened.

He doesn’t know why Leo was so.. defensive for him. It seems that he already suspects Lila to be something that’s not William, but he still stuck with him regardless. It shouldn’t surprise him, but William isn’t used to this acceptance. He wonders how much Leo knows. How much Lila let him know. Does he just think of him as psychotic? Is he just.. fooling him?

Even if he was, he doesn't want him to leave him. How was William going to survive in prison without him? He knows it’s selfish to think of this, but he’s just so afraid. He doesn’t want to resort to Lila for help.

A part of him kinda doesn’t want Leo to forgive him. Maybe, hopefully, this was Leo’s last straw. He had to fight because of him. It was Williams' fault that it all happened. Even if it might hurt for William, he has already survived this long.

He should’ve known better than to trust Leo. To trust Tanya.. To trust Lila.

He just sat in an empty cell, waiting inside his mind. It felt oddly lonely. He would think of it as peaceful usually but like any living creature, he craves human interaction. It was weird since he’s had so many interactions with strangers since he got here yet he still feels lonely. It continues to eat at him until he can satisfy it. He knows it almost always ends terribly, but he just can’t stop eating.

He didn't know when he fell asleep. He tried so hard to stay awake, torturing his mind and body. He knows it’s been at least a day since he refused to succumb to his desires; not eating, not drinking, and definitely not sleeping. He didn’t really know why he decided to. To punish himself? To not miss the second Leo steps through the door to ask for forgiveness? To not seem like a fucking jerk sleeping without a care after what he went through for William? It was honestly pathetic.

He awoke to the guards calling for rec. He got up and brushed his teeth, opening his locker and closing it. While he was staring at the wall, mindlessly cleaning his teeth, something felt missing, but he didn’t question it, leaving it to his own paranoia. His movements were sloppy but almost robotic as he did his morning routine like normal (without the mirror practices). He forgot why he was here. What he was doing. All he knew was that he was so tired.

He went out and sat on the grass, leaning on the wall. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off. He blinked once someone tapped his shoulder and moved his head slowly to be meeted with a familiar face looking down upon him.

“Hi Lila~ Are you sleepy? Do you want to take a nap on me?” Shiny patted his bulky shoulder.

With a sleep deprived mind, he wanted to take the offer, but changed his mind in the end, looking neutral while shaking his head. He then put his head down onto his knees and closed his eyes. He didn’t even bother trying to fix his face. He doesn’t even know why he’s so tired.

“B-but, Lila~ That's no fun. Why don’t you wanna? Are you that disgusted by me?!” He said, pouting.

“Holy shit ew, quit that ugly fucking look on your face. It really doesn’t suit you.” A guy with an unfamiliar voice gagged to Shiny.

“Shut the fuck up. Go away.” His tone changed fast into aggravation. “Can’t you see you're bothering Lila? Fucking prick..”

A new voice cut in, “Sorry I’m going to have to take him from you Shiny.” There was a long pause. William’s curiosity wanted him to lift his head.

“No, no. G-go ahead, Vulture.. Please do what you want.” He said with a strained voice as if he was being forced.

“Yup.”

It was silent for a few moments. People still chattering in the background, grass swaying from the wind,

“Well.. You wouldn't want to disrupt.. Lila from his sleep do you?”

“No! Of course not! I would never.”

“Well? Then go. You're being loud and clearly disrupting him.”

Shiny gasps at the accusation. “I’m sorry Lila! Please forgive me! I’ll be going now!”

Mike chuckles in amusement. William hears rustling beside him and a sigh being initiated next to him.

“Hey, you okay? I saw what happened yesterday. Is this about that?”

He blinked at Mike confused, trying to process the situation. “That..?”

“Uh, yeah? You don’t remember what happened yesterday at the chow hall?”

Then, he suddenly remembered. The thing he was so worried about. The sole reason why he was so tired in the first place.

“Did.. did anything happen to Leo? Is he okay..?”

“Bullseye? He’s fine. He’s just on his last breath at the moment.” Mike snickers.

His eyes widened at the words. “Wh.. I..” William didn’t know what to do with his face. To try and laugh, cry, smile, anything. Another person died all because of him. It was all his fault. It was always his fault.

Noticing William's evident distress, he immediately starts to clarify. “Uh.. It was a joke, man! Don’t take it literally. He’s fine as far as I know.” He pats William on the back awkwardly. “I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood. I didn’t know you would take it so seriously.” He smiles at him to calm his nerves. “Most usually catches on to my sarcasm.” He adds.

“So, he’s okay..?”

“Yeah, he’s alive.”

William exhales a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I.. Sorry, I’m not good with sarcasm.” He admits, looking at him sheepishly.

“Don't apologize, it was my bad.”

William smiles at him. Mike was such a nice person.

“So, you're in my unit?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“How come I don’t see you, like ever?”

He shrugs nonchalantly, smirking slightly. “Who knows.”

“Do they call you Vulture, because you have good eyesight?” He asked curiously.

“Nah. My fam said something about the name symbolizing something. I didn’t really understand, but it just stuck. Even all the way to prison.” He chuckled. William laughed a bit too. He turned his head to look at Mike to find his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth turned down.

“Hey.. did you happen to see a set of numbers on a sticky note did you? In the boiler rooms, I mean.”

The boiler room subject. He knew this was coming eventually, but wanted to ignore the inevitable. Every time he opens his dairy, he gets reminded of it. Of the lady in the boilers. Of the person Lila led to their demise. His stomach churns at the thought of it. Now that he's in this situation, he doesn't know what to say or do. He didn’t bother dwelling on it and now it's coming back to choke him. Before he knows it he pulls a terribly disgusted face.

“I have it.. I-I can go get it for you if you want.” William starts to get up. He wants to avoid the conversation as soon as it starts.

“Before you go," Mike stops him, "what were you doing in the boilers?” His eyes felt like daggers trying to pierce his vulnerable skin.

“N-Nothing.. I-I..” His throat was closing up. He didn’t know what to say. To tell the truth or say an excuse. But, the truth would feel like an excuse. It was a lose-lose situation.

His face softened, “I’m worried about you. If you want to cry without anyone around then I know a good place.”

“Why are you worried about someone like me?” William didn't understand why he would be so caring about a nobody who killed someone and has a dangerous creature feasting off of everything bad in the world. Why would he follow someone into an off limit area just to make sure he was safe?

“Don’t you change the subject. Why did you go in there?” Mike raised his eyebrows and looked at him expectedly.

“I.. There’s a lady in the boilers.” He heard Lila talk about her a few times. He doesn’t understand what she is, but it’s the only excuse he could think of.

“Really. Just for a girl? Man, you are young. Surely, she isn’t the one that let you in there right?”

“It isn’t.. I’m going to get your note.” He quickly dashed up and fast walked inside to get it. He got to his locker and imputed the code, only to come across.. Nothing. There was no diary. With a slightly raising heartbeat, he went to check the bed. Maybe he forgot to put it back. He looked at the sheets and.. nothing. Maybe it was just under the uncomfortable blanket. He quickly pushed the blanket to the side only to reveal.. nothing.

It was gone.. He doesn't know what to do when he gets back. He doesn’t want Mike to be suspicious of him and even more upset at him. Just where did it go? He can’t let anyone see it.

He checked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be seen. This doesn’t make sense. Did someone.. steal it. No, maybe he just didn’t check well enough. William spent the next 10 mins throwing things around and looking, searching through every nook and cranny he could. He looked in his empty locker, on his bed, under the bed, even around Leo’s stuff. He was desperate to find his diary.

While he was looking around on Leo’s bed, he heard the door creak open and snapped his head around.

Leo mumbled something angrily under his breath, not noticing William.

Gasping, William sat there frozen, wide eyed. He didn’t have the words to express how happy he was.

Leo’s eyes darted around the room before landing on William.

“Did you touch my stuff?” He asked, lifting his eyebrow. He looked pissed.

William immediately got up off the bed and stood ridged. “I..I didn't mean.. I was looking for my diary.” William stammered quickly.

“That’s no excuse. You can’t touch people’s stuff in here!” He snapped. “That’s not cool.” He looked down on him, squinting his eyes.

“I’m sorry..” He tried to smile to comfort him.

“You think I would believe your apology with that smirk on your face?! That’s low.” He snarled. It felt like a slap in the face.

“I..” William looked distraught.

He huffed. “Just.. don’t do it again.” He said sternly, walking past him to lay on his bed. He probably doesn’t want to be bothered by him again. He steps out the door to find Mike again.

“M-my diary is gone..” William mumbled to Mike. He was standing meekly beside Mike, feeling too ashamed to sit down.

William was feeling a lot of emotions. Dejection, confusion, fatigue, fear, hurt. He was overwhelmed, yet he had to keep pushing forward.

He turned his head around and looked up, “What?” Mike spoke, confused, moving to stand up as well.

He couldn't look at him in the eyes. “I.. um.. Y-your note was in my diary and i-it’s gone.” Williams' voice was shaky admitting this to Mike. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to be yelled at.

“Ah, shit. Scumbags really tried to steal stuff from you.” He grumbled. “Even after all those rumors.” He muttered, scratching his head. He sighed. “Aight, well what did the diary look like?”

William looked at him in surprise, taken aback by his everlasting kindness, “I-It was black with a 4 digit padlock on the front of it.. P-please.. Please, help me look for it..”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out.” He then started fishing in his pants pocket. “Here, a lemon soda. Maybe, this could help calm your nerves.” He extending his hand out towards William.

William blinked twice at this gesture. He never thought anyone would ever sacrifice a lemon soda for him. “T-thank.. Thank you, Mike..” He lifted his hands to grab the can of his favorite beverage.

“No problem, Will.”

“Mr Clarke, you have a visitor!”

He was walking back to his cell once rec was over once he heard his name being called, the lemon soda still unopened in his orange pocket.

Is it Ms. Hutchins again?

He follows the guy like always. It’s the same guy from last time he notices.

“Choking, huh? Why would you want to choose that method? Anything to get off your chest?” He looked at William with closed eyes and a smile. It was odd how he remembered what Lila said. Maybe he had good memory.

“I.. Don’t want to talk about it.” William said while looking down at the dying grass beneath his feet.

He seemed a bit taken aback at this change of demeanor. He raised an eyebrow at him.

“You got a personality disorder or something?”

“I.. N-no, I don't.”

“Hmm.” He stopped talking. It was awkward silence the rest of the way there.

He stepped inside like last time. He was a bit nervous. What would Ms Hutchins want? He doesn’t want her to be hurt. It was expected she would visit again, but he was afraid Lila would say things to Ms Hutchins again.

That being said.. where is Lila? Surely she would have popped up when he was at his lowest point. She always loved to see him when he was his weakest. This was odd. William just hopes she staying out of trouble.

He sighed and walked through the door. His eyes were glued to the floor; he didn’t want to look at his visitor yet. He eventually got to the only available seat and sat down, eyes never looking up.

“Head up, kid.” A familiar voice broke through the heavy silence. He looked up immediately, face covered in shock, only to confirm his suspicion. It was the two police officers that had interrogated Lila about the murder of Tanya.

“I.. Why are you here?” He asked nervously. He hardly spoke to them before. Lila has, but not him. He doesn’t know what to say.

“Some things don’t make sense and I want you to help me understand. It’s okay. We can get you out of here if you just talk.” Officer Hutchins says in a soft tone, his face trying to look as sympathetic as possible. He was still playing the good cop.

“No.. I can't be let out. You don’t understand..”

“Well, you can help us understand by explaining your situation. Explain your point of view in detail so we can understand and help you.” Officer Fisher says in the same, condescending tone. He wasn’t playing the bad cop anymore.

He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to see them. His heart was pounding at the thought of telling them. He wanted to tell them everything, but he couldn’t. He feels a migraine coming along. Their faces are becoming a bit blurry.

Officer Hutchins glance at Officer Fisher before speaking, “Now, you mentioned something about the Lawrence Fraternity before. Does it have to do with that?”

He hesitated, yet eventually opened his mouth. “I.. Y…“ Then a sudden wave of agony courses through his body, causing him to stop mid sentence, instead tensing his jaw shut. His dizziness became so much more evident. He feels so light headed. A display of nausea crashes through him. Williams' body starts to tilt quickly and he passes out before he hits the ground.

Chapter Text

Williams' brain drifted into consciousness, feeling a pillow underneath his cheek and a fluffy, warm blanket covering him. He grasped the pillow beneath him, pressing his face into it, emanating a soft hum. He felt at home.

It was relaxed laying on top of the soft surface. It was much softer than the prison beds he got to use.

Prison.

His eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head, using his arms as leverage. His vision went white once exposed to the change in light. Blinking twice, he glanced around; he saw a sleeping figure lying peacefully next to him. His eyes widened as he just stared at the person. She was beautiful laying in the sun's morning glow, her head slightly tilted towards William.

“Tanya..” He smiled softly at the sight of her sleeping figure, chest rising and down. It was bright outside this time. It was morning.

Now that he was looking closer at her, she really did look like Lila. He can’t even remember what Tanya looked like anymore. But she wasn’t. She was far too misunderstood to be something not human.

But he couldn’t help but wonder why. Just why does Lila look like Tanya? This couldn’t have been a coincidence.

He reached out slowly towards her face and caressed her cheek. He suddenly remembered something Tanya said while they were at the party. The day they met. The day he remembered.

“I feel like Ive seen you too. Like in a dream, or something.”

It was odd. How she didn’t even question his words. How she changed the subject immediately after. Why didn’t he question it when it was mentioned?

Once he remembered Tanya’s peculiar words, her face started to change. William didn’t notice at first, not until Lila opened her eyes. He was alarmed and froze in place. Her body didn’t move, only her eyes. He couldn’t move like he was a deer in the headlights. Like she was Medusa turning him into stone.

The eyes completed Lila’s look. Her gaze staring cunningly back into his worried eyes, into his soul.

The room went dark. He couldn’t see anything other than her eyes. He sucked in a breath, throat closing up. He pulled back his hand with a gasp, as if it burned.

“G-get away!” He wanted to shout as he scrambled backwards, but nothing came out of his gaping mouth.

He couldn’t take his eyes off, like he was hypnotized.

“No..” He started scooting backwards, “no.. no..” He kept pushing and pushing and pushing until eventually, he fell off the bed, forcing his body to stop staring.

Lila’s eyes still followed his terrified stare as he fell off, not moving an inch. He was falling. He was falling into a dark pit. No. A void, he felt was a better word. The underside of the bed getting smaller and smaller. The sight of the room's light getting farther and farther. Until it was all dark. He couldn’t see anything anymore. He was alone. Afraid. But he could still feel her gaze.

His heart started beating faster when he realized he was still falling, deeper and deeper into the seemingly dark abyss. It didn’t seem like there was a ground. He would have preferred if there was, dying on impact instead of being subjected to free falling for all of eternity, but what could he do?

He closed his eyes and huddled into a ball, trying to hide himself as he fell deeper and deeper into the black abyss.

Is this what Lila felt like?

Suddenly, something compelled him to open his eyes. Once he lifted his head, all he saw was eyes looking at him. All different kinds. Ones looked familiar, but others didn’t. He stared, and they all stared back. He felt exposed, like they knew all of his dirty, naughty secrets.

He felt like crying, but something wouldn’t let him. He wanted them all to stop looking at him. He felt compelled to speak, even though he didn’t want to.

“Tanya.. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He said it until it didn’t feel like a phrase anymore. He said it until he didn’t even know what he was sorry about. He just couldn’t stop falling. “Please.. I’m so sorry.”

William awoke with a gasp, a sharp pain blooming across his face. He was staring at the ground; his arms and knees holding him up.

“W-what the fu- “ another blunt force came crashing down on his back, his stomach hitting the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs. His face slammed into the ground, tilting his head to the side just in time for his nose to be spared. His back hurt like hell; the cold tiles doing nothing to help. It only helped him wake up to this terrible reality.

The bruising pain on his spine; the feeling of needing to throw up because of his stomach being crushed moments prior; the pounding headache; his throbbing cheek; the obnoxious ringing in his ears; his fatigue from being awoken; the cooling concrete tiles he was currently squished against. This sudden overload overwhelmed William, closing his eyes.

He laid defeated in a battle he didn’t engage in.

Ignoring the deafening ringing in his ears, William could vaguely hear shouts and cheers of people around him, only adding to his everlasting confusion.

“Bitch! This ain’t your fucking fight! Bug off.”

He felt like passing out. He didn’t know what was happening. How did any of this happened? He doesn’t sleepwalk; he’s certain of that. Nor short term memory loss either. How did he get here? Why does he have no recollection of much needed memories?

“Calm down, Biggo. I know he provoked you, but violence doesn’t solve all your problems. Plus.. I think he learned his lesson already.”

Everything was too loud. He couldn't focus on anything other than his beating heart and the pounding pain coursing through his nerves; the dialogue only being a distant memory. He couldn’t care enough to put any thought into what they were talking about.

His mind was racing, yet blank at the same time. He felt like he had to move, but maybe that was just his adrenaline speaking for him. His objective was to get up.

“He was the one being cocky! I ain’t even do anything. I was thinking on fucking jumping him later to come teach him a lesson, but I knew bitch was all talk no game. Boy better be thankful.”

With shaky arms, William quickly got up despite his protesting injuries. He had to hide before his attacker or guards noticed. He briskly looked around to only see everyone staring at him.

Staring. His eyes widened slightly.

Watching. His head was turning, but wherever he looked, they were there.

Surrounding. The eyes.

He shook his head as a wet dog would to dry himself from his mind. He can’t let these thoughts consume him now. He doesn’t want to be in anymore pain.

He walked towards the crowd and everyone parted from him like Moses did to the red sea; like he was the deadly plague and one touch could kill them. Everyone looked at him like he was the embodiment of the end of the world.

He couldn’t hide in the crowd like he wanted to. The crowd made it even more obvious to where he was. He looked behind and towards the man that assumably punched him and saw that it was Mike talking to supposedly ‘biggo’. Now that he saw his face, the guy kinda looked familiar..

He was looking at him.

Wide and fierce eyes stared back at his terrified and confused eyes. He had fire in them just like how Mike did when mentioning Tanya. He couldn’t look away out of fear.

William felt like a deer in the headlights.

But once he saw a guard coming in, he knew he had to leave. He didn’t want to go to the hole. Trying to act normal, he slowly walked back to his cell, controlling his face to stay its default expression.

The guy's punch was hard. He felt his jaw loose from it. A bruise on the side of the face was probably going to form.

The prisoner's stomp was even more relentless. His back flared up with burning agony every time his thin shirt scratched his lower back. He could feel the unbearable pain in his spine, feeling the need to crack his back like he would normally when he has back pain. This time, however, his back pain wasn’t caused by poor posture.

His adrenaline was wearing off. He should go back to his room to check if he has any other injuries. He feels his head hurting, but that could just be from the bright lights and loud noises.

In his cell, he begins to look at his arms to check for any injuries. There was a noticeable red mark across his wrist, contrasting with his pale skin, along with a few others across both his forearms. He stared at it purplexed, not recalling him ever getting hit there.

Since he doesn’t have a mirror, he can’t check the stinging patch on his back he itches to see. He pulls up his thin, baggy pants and checks his legs. Nothing. His legs have gotten noticeably more hairy since he hasn’t been shaving, along with his arms.

William wishes to get out of here. He doesn’t belong here, but it seemed the world had other plans for him.

He checks his arms one last time just to check for more, but he notices something. A familiar feeling is drawing him towards his hands. He stares at them for a while, feeling a sense of dread coming over him the longer he stares.

It’s Lila.

The one thing he forgot. The thing that should have been obvious since the beginning. The only being who can become “him” and direct him with her own hands, making him dirtier in the process.

She was the only explanation.

There is nobody else who could have caused this much chaos, putting himself in the dark. There was so much he didn’t know. She could have done anything while in control and now he is now responsible for her wrongdoings.

He should have known she was lying. Of course, she would leave him with all her dirty work. He should have expected this.

But why can’t he remember anything?

His heart was pounding in his ears. It hurt. He couldn’t breathe. He was trembling and he couldn’t stop. He was gulping down air like his life depended on it, yet nothing helped. His hands he was still staring at clawed at his chest with desperation.

Even when she was in control, he could always watch from the sidelines. He was forced too. Just watching his own body do terrible things while he had to just observe; basically kicked out of his own body acting as a host. No matter how many times he begged her to stop, it never mattered. It only fueled her more. It was her body now. He was only a ghost wandering around, viewing yet powerless.

He moves his hands to grip the sink to find some grounding.

Lila said she was going to take care of everything.. Was that also a lie just to get his trust? He's so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He can’t breathe. Why can’t he breathe? He's gonna die. This is how he’s gonna die. This is the end of the road for him and he’s gonna die in a pathetic way. Maybe this was the best for him. Being free from his life of misery. But.. he's afraid. He’s gonna die. He doesn’t want to die. Is there no happy ending for him? Why is this happening to him? He can’t breathe.

He truly is just a muse for Lila, feeding her with the help of his stupid ignorance. There is nothing he can do. Always has been nothing.

Tears start to flow out of his eyes as his vision starts to blur. His breathing becomes more erratic and quick. He’s going to die.

Is someone choking him?

Using his shaky hands to grab at his neck, only to find nothing. Nobody was choking him. He was going to die. Maybe.. it’s for the best if that will get rid of Lila. That’s what he wants to believe.

William cried harder. He steps backwards, looking drunk as he stumbles to the wall. He wishes he were drunk. He would rather wake up to a terrible hangover, realizing that all of this was just a bad dream. Waking up to Tanya and Martha, still alive. Waking up to Lila being nothing but a monster from his imagination.

He crashes the front of his head on the wall, producing a loud thud. It stung, but his mind was momentarily at ease. William smiled, his pain momentarily soothed.

Sliding his forehead down the wall, he gets into a sitting fetal position, careful of his back. He sobs quietly into his legs. His mother never liked when he would cry loudly and he doesn’t think anyone in here wants to hear his ugly sobbing. He sits like that like a statue until his breathing is back to normal, feeling safe in his own arms.

He’s tired. His heart hurts.

Now that William was placid, his brain started working again, despite how badly William wanted to rest. His body was tired, but it seemed his brain was still going. The only thing William could think of was Lila.

He needed to figure this out. What did he do before he was rudely awoken with a punch? He thought for a while. He remembers waking up and going to rec. Then.. Mike talked to him about something? He couldn’t remember anything else, so he just assumed that was all he did. And after.. he got called for.. to talk to the two officers he got interviewed by before. That was when he.. passed out! If he wasn’t tired, he would have done a happy dance for his achievement at remembering something.

So he passed out and then what? He just woke up to someone beating the life out of him? There must be something else. He was unconscious. She can only take over when he thinks of her. So how did she do..

Then he remembered his dream. He remembered the eyes; the falling; Lila; Tanya.. It’s only vague, but he remembers. It must have been because he dreamt of Lila, making an image of her in his slumber.

She could have done anything with his body. Who knows how long he’s been passed out. If he wasn’t too tired to do anything, he would most definitely break down again at this remembrance.

“Lila.” William's hoarse voice called out to nobody. His tear dried cheeks felt stiff to the unfamiliar movement of his mouth. His puffy eyes blinked rapidly, squinting due to exhaustion. His expression was neutral and tired. Despite this, he called out again, “Lila.” Only to be drowned out by the commotion outside. He knows he will not get a response, but it doesn’t hurt to try (it does), “Lila, please.” He knows Lila likes it when she’s in control and to be truthful, William doesn’t want to be in control anymore. So where is she? Why is she ignoring him? He wants answers. He needs answers.

What is he supposed to do now?

“You okay, dude?” Mike asked, sitting next to a dazed William staring at the floor, his leg still bent to his chest.

When did he get here? William lifted his head towards Mike and looked at him through his swollen eyes.

“Here’s a lemon soda to help you get your mind back here. Alright? You can put the soda to your eyes as well. The cold helps calm the swelling.”

William wordlessly takes the soda and quickly follows what Mike said to show his appreciation. The change in temperature makes him flinch for a moment before sighing in relief at this sensation. Rubbing it on his closed eyelids for a while, he brings it down to crack it open weakly and takes a small sip.

“What did you do, Will?” Mike asked softly, as if he was a rabid dog about to bite any minute. William fidgets with the lemon soda in his hand.

He didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t know what he did. Is he talking about something Lila did? Maybe he could finally get some kind of answer this way. It was his only choice.

“What did I do?” He asked with genuine confusion; his rough voice and tired expression failing to express that.

Mike slants his eyes and furrows his brows. “In the fight, you have no idea what could have caused it?”

This displeased change in tone shocked William. Was he angry with him? But, he gave him a soda so it can't be..

Mike sighed in his absent response. “I saw you say things towards him before the fight. Like you both were standing next to each other in the common room and having a conversation you started. You acted like an agitator, William. Does that ring any bells?”

So Lila was talking to that guy beforehand? Why would Lila want to piss him off? Was this just a part of her plan? Did she want to wake William up?

It was tense and awkward for William. He never liked confrontation. It was fretful about what they could say, and one wrong facial expression could ruin everything for him.

He didn’t know what to say, but his face moved on its own. “I really don’t know. Heh..” his subconscious tried to laugh to get rid of the tense atmosphere.

“Now is not the time for laughing, William.” He could tell Mike was getting more aggravated by his furthering furrowed eyebrows and his twitching eye. He doesn’t know what face he’s making anymore, but he’s sure it wasn’t happy anymore.

“Why did you aggravate him?” He had a threatening expression, making his voice deeper.

“I didn’t mean to-"

“What do you mean ‘you didn’t mean to’?!” He barked. “I literally saw you bothering him, William. You should know it’s rude to bother someone. Shouldn’t your ma have taught you that?” He crossed his arms while looking at him intensely.

He didn’t know how to act in this situation to save himself. “I-I didn’t know..”

“It’s fucking common sense, William. It’s clear he did not want to hear whatever came out of your mouth. I know you're young, but that does not excuse how you act.” He looked bitter. “You’re an adult. Act like one.” He snapped.

“Now that I’m thinking about it, you must have said something to trigger him. Just what did you say, exactly?” He looked at him like he was expecting a right answer, raising his left eyebrow.

“I-I..”

What should he say?! His heart is beating in his chest. He needs to lie. He wouldn’t believe him if he told him the whole truth. Yet his mouth already seemed to make up its own mind.

“Hm?”

“I just asked him how his day was..” William mumbled, looking away in unnoticeable shame. Great, that’s such a great lie. He’ll definitely believe that bullshit. He hopes his expression is at least believable. William doesn't even remember what expressions he’s supposed to be making anymore.

Mike looked at him like a teacher when he said the wrong answer, piqued.

“Oh yeah, you askin him how great his day was?! You also askin him what his favorite food was? Oh, or maybe you askin him what he was doing tomorrow!” He gave a sarcastic little laugh before going back to his annoyed expression. “Cut the crap, William. Newsflash if you didn’t know, you're in prison. That’s how yous people get jumped in here.”

William frowned a little in response, clenching his teeth. He didn’t want to get reminded a second time today. “I know..”

Mike sighed, like a disappointed parent. It caused him to shrink even more into himself out of instinct.

It felt so quiet in the cell. There was a crowd of roaring voices outside, yet it still felt quiet for some odd reason. It was only him and Mike in here. He looked towards the bed and the answer popped up in his brain.

“Do you know where Leo is?” He whispered.

“… shouldn’t you know?” Mike looked at him with confusion, with a hint of suspicion in his squinted eyes.

“Um..”

Before he could utter a word Mike interrupted, “Wait wait wait, how the hell do you not know?”

If Lila was here, he would actually know. “Could you please just tell me what happened to him?” Mike seemed to be getting more suspicious of him.

“He got sent to the hole. An accusation happened where the guards think he stole a weapon, but I know he didn’t do it.” He glanced at him weirdly. “Poor guy’s probably gonna be stuck there for a while.” He mumbled the last part, probably for himself. “Ring a bell now?”

In response, he shakily nodded his head, obviously ashamed of telling a lie. He didn’t know what face he was making, but he could tell Mike didn’t believe him from his expression intensifying; his eyebrows tense in anger, eyes squinted in suspicion, and his mouth tilted in disgust.

“Why do people call you Lila?”

That question catches him off guard. “W-what?”

“I’ve been wondering for a while. Like I know, your real name is William Clarke, but everyone calls you Lila. Like since you first came here. Hell even I tried to call you Lila until you corrected me. Why?” He looked at him expectedly. Like a mother who knows their child did something wrong and is just waiting for them to admit it. Like a predator waiting to jump a prey, luring it in with implications.

At least he’s being nice about it.

“Um.. I just.. like the name.” He internally cringed at himself for saying that. He hated the person attached to that very name.

Mike smiled a fabricated grin. “Uh, huh? Yeah, you like it?” William knows Mike knows he’s lying. He’s relieved that he’s not yelling at him or fighting because of it and just accepting it. He cares.

“And where did you first hear that name from?” He asked, along with a crooked smirk.

William couldn’t keep lying to Mike. He felt like he was drowning in guilt. He felt dirty with disgrace and shame. Lila was never to be trusted. William doesn’t want to become like her.

He took a deep breath and shakily exhaled. “A fraternity I was in..”

Mike looked baffled. “..Fraternity?”

“Y-yeah.. I was part of a fraternity. It’s gone now though..”

“What was it called?”

“The Lawrence fraternity. I was only a low status.. it wasn’t anything bad, but they were like my real second family.”

“Something wrong with your real family?”

He paused for a second and looked at the can before answering. “Well, my dad left when I was young, but my mom actually died when I was 15 in a boiler accident.. I’ll admit she was a bit overprotective, but that’s how she showed she cared about me.”

He looked at him full of pity. It looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. “I’m for your loss.. Is that why you always eat at the chow hall?”

“Huh?” William asked, clueless on what led to this question.

“Cause you don’t got anybody putting money on your books.”

“Oh, yeah. It’s kinda funny because my mom would always pack me home lunch since she hated me eating cafeteria food so much, but now I can only eat cafeteria food.”

“How ironic.” He gave a warm smile to William.

“Uh, that being said. Could you.. come with me to dinner, please?” William meekly asked. He tried to attempt a large smile, but with his energy, he’s not sure how it turned out.

He was tired and hungry, but he didn’t want to run into any more trouble.

“I can't, I'm sorry.” Mike said, at least looking a little remorseful.

He's scared to venture outside his cell. Scared of the nameless things Lila has done. He doesn’t want Biggo to come back for a second round or any of his friends, but he has to eat. He’s starving to the point it’s painful. “Just please.. I can’t go out there by myself...” he begged.

He sighs, “Alright. Fine. But I won’t stay with you the whole time. Plus, I already ate my fill.”

He wanted him to stay, but he knew this was the best he was gonna get.

“Thank you, Mike.”

“Yup. And please shower, you're starting to get bo and that is not acceptable here.

They sit at the table with their trays. William picking at the food slowly. On their way to the cafeteria, it seems he lost his appetite.

A hand that fell on his shoulder suddenly surprised him, causing him to look up cautiously.

“Wassup brah. How’s it with everything? Still lickin people in poker?”

He looked at the guy's face in accidental disgust. He is someone who has a tan skin color, a curly black beard and bald with a noticeable tattoo with patterns flowing down on his left forearm. He had a lazy smile standing tall against William, who was sitting, his built frame looking even more threatening.

Who was this guy? Poker?

“No? Ah, man, that must suck big time. Guess your luck doesn’t last forever.” The man said empathetically, patting his back, causing a small ache on his fresh bruise. William closed his eyes and hissed weakly in response.

“Aye, is that ono?” He asked, moving his hand in front of his face to point at his tray of food. He’s got a loud voice, like he’s calmly shouting when he talks.

William looked at the food slowly, trying to understand if he had misheard him or something. “Huh?”

“I’ve never eaten that kind food before. Is that ono?”

Ono? What? Is that some kind of food? William looked back and forth at his food and back at the guy.

Without realizing, William’s eyebrows furrowed and his eyes thinned, making him look accidentally angry when, in reality, he was just really confused. “What is that?”

“Ah, I forget sometime that you people aren’t local. Sorry, dude. I don’t want to cause trouble. What I mean is, is that food good?”

“O-oh, uh yes, I think it’s good..” William says, sounding unsure of himself. The only reason he thinks it tastes good is because he hasn’t eaten in so long. He doesn’t want to piss off the guy if it wasn’t as good as he was expecting.

“I should get some then myself. See you later.” He walked away towards the empty line of people waiting to get their tray.

The moment he left, someone appeared next to him. “Nice fight out there Lila,” Shiny boasted. “You really made him believe you were weak, so he won’t expect you when you come after him.”

“…”

“You're more different than I thought, Lila. Your mysterious charm never fails to lure me in~ With your weak looking frame, yet strong demeanor makes me enchanted by you! You know you could join my lunch table now that-“

“I can’t believe prisons don’t even have choke meals! Ho, this is practically the same amount I would have in my middle school days.” He sits down across from William with a distinct frown on his face. “At least I could get seconds in school! They told me no when I asked.” The loud man focuses his field of vision towards the side of him. “Ain’t even broke da mouth kind of food. Why they being stingy?” He grumbled to himself.

Looking up from his disappointing assortment of food, he noticed company. “Hey Shiny, what chu doing here, guy? Harassing this poor boy again?”

Shiny looked offended by this (very true) statement, turning angry towards the man. “What do you mean harassing?! I’m not harassing you, right Lila?” Shiny turned to him with a threatening glare, as if saying the wrong answer could get him a beating.

“Um.. no?”

He turned back, delighted and smug. “See. And I should be asking you that. Why are you talking to Lila, newbie?”

“Why can I not talk to him? He ain’t your dog.”

“Lila ain’t yours either, mutt. So I suggest you fuck off.”

“You like scrap, ah? Cuz we can scrap.”

William turned back to his tray and quickly ate his last pieces of bread, not wanting to see a fight happen or to get involved in that matter. He quickly stands up, picking up his dish and rushing toward the trash. He pushes the food that he didn’t eat in there and stacks the tray on top of the trash can.

“H-hi Lila..” he heard someone call out near him. Turning around, he sees a guy who was smiling nervously. He was a short guy, maybe the same height as him, with thick glasses, jet black scraggly hair and a few freckles here and there. He looked a bit familiar, but that could be because of his exhaustion.

Why did Lila have to say her name to the whole world? He never wished his nickname here to be Lila..

Hesitating, he eventually ushered out a small, “Hi?”

“Um..” he nervously twisted his fingers. “Did you know that guy over there?” William followed his finger to see him pointing to Mike, who was leaning on a wall chatting with someone, presumably a friend, from how he was smiling.

“Allegedly, he’s actually here for first degree manslaughter. Manslaughter!” He whispered loudly to William. His eyes widened in shock at this accusation about Mike.

He was a.. murder? The same person who would give him lemon sodas and guidance about anything William asked about was someone who killed someone..? Well, maybe he had a good reason; William himself isn’t innocent either. He wanted to believe it, but the nagging question pushed through to the front of his thoughts. Is he just as bad as Lila?

“I can’t believe there’s a murderer in our unit! I can’t believe they locked him up in this medium prison instead of a maximum. Didn’t they know he’s a threat?! Shouldn’t they have known he was just acting to get into this prison?” He ranted, blindly talking to someone with the same crime.

“I-I just don’t feel safe.. I just had to tell someone.. You will keep me safe, right Lila?” he looked up pleadingly, with the widest eyes and the smallest frown, grabbing the end of his bright orange sleeve with his fingers lightly.

William doesn’t know what to say. He was horrified and honestly a bit confused as well. The reason he got into this prison, even with such a violent offense, was because of how Lila acted. He almost got a death sentence, but it seemed Lila had other plans. She was mellow and helpful to those around her, even participated in rehabilitation programs, ending him in a medium prison. Everyone also feared maximum would turn William into an actual psychopath due to how young he was and how he seemed to still exhibit empathy.

A medium prison was Lila’s goal to get into; doing everything she could to get in, like this was her dream school.

William was starting to think that maybe maximum would have been better for him. For everyone.

Overloaded with this brief information, all he could usher out was a small, “oh.. um. I.. I have to go. Bye.” And William moved his arm to get rid of his grip on his sleeve and started moving back to his cell.

He was scared. What would happen if his crime got out? He was lucky that nobody forced him to say his crime yet. If that got out, how would people look at him? This guy was snitching about Mike's crime, seemingly out of nowhere. How fast would it spread if he were exposed?