Everything proceeded as
Lloyd expected. Stars appeared and began
to orbit Mrs. Overdose’s body, moving in silent order as a mask started to take
form. So far, everything is as it was with Miss Walters, Lloyd thought as
he leaned forward. Certainly a far cry from the incident with Miss O’ Leary. But I wonder what sort of shape her mask will
take?
He didn’t have to wait
long for an answer. It appeared outside
a wisp of gray gas, and bordered by rigid chains: a mole. Or some kind of rodent, at least; Lloyd only
vaguely knew the hairy face and long nose, but could make a good guess based on
the hidden -- if not absent -- eyes. Not the most expected of animals for a woman
such as this, but who am I to judge?
He stroked his chin. Doubtless I would have something along the
lines of a wiry peacock.
His brow started to
tense. But I’ll need to be careful, now more than ever. Not only is Mrs. Overdose at risk in this
world, but apparently I am as well. If
I’m to succeed, I’ll need to shrug off her scathing words -- because if I
don’t, it’s likely that I’ll end up in a worse situation than this one.
Right then. Nothing for me to
worry about.
Mrs. Overdose raised an
eyebrow. “So are we gonna do this
sometime this year? I’m not gettin’ any
younger.”
“Of course. Let’s begin immediately.” Lloyd glanced down at the desk, working
hastily to devise a plan of attack.
Should he let her speak freely?
Press her on certain points? Or
have her repeat lines to get a reaction?
All of them seemed like fair choices at that moment, and at the very
least he had a number of options. “Mrs.
Overdose -- or should I say, Mrs. Delgado --”
“Overdose is fine.”
“Of course. Well…I was just thinking to myself that for
all our misadventures together, I can’t say I know you particularly well. So if at all possible, I thought you could
use this opportunity to introduce yourself.
Tell me a little more about you, as a means to fill in your biographical
details, should the need arise -- or merely to begin forming a bond between
actor and director.”
That got a reaction out
of her; almost immediately, she cocked her head and sneered. “You drag me here lookin’ to add me to your
little group, but you didn’t bother doing a background check? I didn’t know you were in such a rush to get
one of your kidneys scooped out with a spatula.”
“People do that?”
“…Remind me why I’m
here again?”
“So you can --”
“That was
rhetorical.” She massaged her
temple. “Damn, I need some beer, or a
cigarette, or something.”
“You’ll get none of your
vice-laden products here. This is an
incubator of love -- and the sooner you cooperate, the better off you’ll
be.” He raised one of the sheets, and
tapped the back of his hand against it.
“Now then, why don’t you read a bit from your script? Doubtless it would help your case.”
“Well, if it’ll get me
outta here faster…” Mrs. Overdose
started eyeing her script, her eyes darting left and right at a rapid clip.
Hmmm…as I recall, this is the third time that one of these “actors” has
shown up with a script in hand, Lloyd thought. But
this is actually the first time I’ve actually had them read from the script at
large. Now then, what can I expect from
this turn of events? A revelation of her
past? A clue to her deepest
motivations? Perhaps desires that her
conscious self might never have kno-
“It’s blank,” said Mrs.
Overdose. She held up the pages. “It’s completely blank.”
Lloyd snapped out of
his pondering, and stared with wide eyes at the stage. “B-blank?!
But how could that be?”
“I dunno, but it is.”
“But surely you came in
here with a filled-in script; how could you have --?”
“I don’t know, but all
the words are gone.” She rolled up the
script and started shaking it at Lloyd, threatening to bop him with it like a
misbehaving terrier. “Look, I dunno what
kind of crap you’re tryin’ to pull with all this acting junk, but all this is
starting to piss me off. Give me one
good reason why I should work with you and not turn you into a sack of broken
bones.”
“Because this can help
you in a way that money never could.”
“How?”
“Because it’s the power
of love.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear
me. I said how?”
Lloyd leaned back in
his chair and folded his arms. “Love
will triumph over all. So long as we
people, guided by its amorous force gather together, we can bring about a
revolution the likes of which the world has never seen.” He scratched his ear. “I would have figured that was common
knowledge.”
“You still haven’t
answered the question. How? What’s your master plan?” She started looking around the room. “Let’s say I end up becoming an actor for
you. Then what? You got other actors? Got a play all lined up? Got a producer? A place for your show, props, music, the
works? You even know if people will show
up? Because, honestly? I am REALLY startin’ to doubt your
credibility, kid.” She waved a hand
through the air. “Ooooh, loooooooooove will fix everything! We don’t need money or support or common
sense, because we have loooooooooooove!”
“I may not have all the
details planned out, but I still have an ultimate goal in mind. And that is --”
“Impossible just
because you have good feelings. Can’t
you offer anything better? Can’t you
give me any proof that this thing isn’t a waste of time?”
“I can -- of course I
can!” Lloyd shouted, seizing the desk’s edges in a tightening grip. “This venture…no, I can offer you a new way
of life, a new vision! Happiness beyond
anything you’ve ever known before!”
“Then I’ll ask you
again. How?”
Lloyd immediately
opened his mouth to give an answer, but relented; he held his mouth open for a
few seconds before snapping it shut, and slinking back into his seat. This is
getting us nowhere. It’s just as Gaston
said; if I can’t bridge the gap between the two of us, then this entire
sequence is pointless. She’s a practical
woman that deals in concrete evidence and finances. I need more than just passionate pleas to woo
her -- and I need it now.
He formed a slight
grimace; he could hear his heartbeat growing steadily louder, and with it came
a disruptive chill. Her words are affecting me once more.
If I let this continue, she’ll deal another savage blow to my heart --
and from there, I’m one step closer to my expiration. But what do I do? What can I offer her? I don’t have anything nearly as palpable as
she’d prefer. He glanced down at the
desk. I don’t think anything she’s said in the past is nearly enough to start
a counter-offensive; the details about her have all been well-hidden and
maintained.
So what? What do I do now? He started to gnaw on his thumb. Think,
Lloyd, think! You can’t let her get the
best of you!
“Hey. Kid.”
Lloyd looked back at
the stage; Mrs. Overdose hadn’t bothered to bail on him, but judging by her
furrowing brow he didn’t have much time left.
“Why’re you doin’ that?”
“It’s just what I do
when I’m particularly incensed,” Lloyd answered -- though to his dismay, he’d
gnawed on his thumb much harder than usual.
“When I’m deep in thought, sometimes I --”
“I know what that
really means. And I wanna know why you’d
do it.”
“Ah -- I…well, I
suppose it’s just a tic of mine.”
“Why? Why can’t you just be normal?” She looked through the room almost
absentmindedly, as if bored by the conversation, the boy, and perhaps even the
room itself. “I’ve seen stick figures
that are more realistic than you -- and in more ways than one. And I’m pretty sure they’re all a lot more
pleasant than you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it,
kid. The purple hair. The fancy speech. The lovey-dovey talk. Everything about you makes me ache all
over. You’re an eyesore, you’re noisy,
you’re givin’ me a headache, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to soak my legs
after all this pointless standin’ around.
And you’re seriously out to win me over with all your dumbass
antics? You want me, or anyone else to
take you seriously when you can’t even answer the simplest questions?” She pressed a palm against her temple, and
started digging her fingers into her scalp.
“I’m pretty sure this is obvious, but I’ll go ahead and say it. I hate you, and the sooner you get outta my
sight, the better off we’ll both be.
I’ll be free to make some money, and you can go love your way into a
ditch or something.”
Lloyd clenched his
teeth, and clutched his chest -- but even with the cold sweat forming on his
face, he leaned forward in stark defiance.
“Lying is an ugly thing, Mrs. Overdose; hardly befitting of the fairer
sex. And even if what you said was true,
I still have every intention of converting you --”
“You’re missing the
point, kid…or should I call you Romeo?”
Lloyd reeled again --
and this time, he didn’t bounce back.
“You’re unreal. You’ve dialed up the quirkiness to where it’s
way beyond cute -- it’s just sad. And
that’s all you really are deep down: a sad, delusional kid that’s about to act
his way to an early grave.” She let
loose a short but biting laugh.
“Love. Please. You’re forgettin’ one tiny little fact, kid:
nobody could ever love you.”
Lloyd didn’t have an
answer to that. And even if he did, he
couldn’t say a word; it felt as if he’d been slashed by a broadsword, and run
through for good measure. He doubled over
and drove his fingers into his chest, momentarily fearing that he might tear
through the skin. He did so out of
reflex, and out of a desperate need to soothe the sudden spasm -- though why
he’d grab his chest instead of the afflicted area remained a mystery, even to him.
The heart-shaped jewel
reappeared in a burst of light, but only for a moment. Just long enough to crack even more, and
resound to announce its impending destruction.
“Kgggh! D-damn…!”
Lloyd started to stagger and stumble, and his vision jumped between a
blurred mess and pitch-blackness. “What
on earth…?!”
“You don’t look so
good, kid,” Mrs. Overdose announced, still as cool as ever in spite of watching
Lloyd struggle to stay on his feet.
“What’s wrong? Things get a
little too real for you?”
“I…I can still…!”
But the gunwoman merely
shook her head. “You’re all talk. And if that doesn’t work, then just what are
you good for, huh?” She crossed her
arms, and cocked her head upwards, giving Lloyd an even more derisive stare
than before. “Why don’t you go to
sleep? Stay in dream land where you
belong -- and leave reality to the adults.”
If Lloyd could have
made an objection, he would have. But he
couldn’t. Because before he could even
think of getting a word out, he tumbled face-first onto the desk. And that was where he stayed.
Without a word. Without a motion. Without a breath.
TO BE HEARTINUED…
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