Hope is a Prison

At the very top of a skyscraper, three girls lay on their backs, watching the darkness of the sky. A helicopter passes them by, the flutter of its spinning blades fading in and out within a few seconds. The air was cold, as it is for an elevation beyond the clouds, but the girls didn't mind. They remained still, embracing their own warmth.

"Shouldn't we head back inside now?" Judan asked. "It's getting late. Misses De Leux will begin to worry."

"But we haven't spotted a star yet!" Alexandria shot up and said.

"We're not gonna see a star."

"I was promised a star!"

"Oh, brother... When you grow up, Alex, you'll come to understand why we can't ever see a star in this city. Spoiler alert, it's depressing."

"Eh?! W-why?"

Nelia let out a chuckle as she sat up. She planted a hand on Alexandria's head, ruffling her hair with a gentle smile.

"Judan, stop feeding negativity to little Alex," she said. "We need to give her space so she can grow and learn on her own."

"S-sorry, Nel..."

"It's okay. And don't worry, Alex. I swear, I saw a star here in this exact spot the other night. If we stay for long enough, I'm sure we'll see it."

"Okay, Nel! I trust you."

"Hehe. Thank you."

They rested their head back on the ground, meticulously scanning the sky for anything amidst the darkness. There was a periodic flash, but they knew it was just the searchlight from a nearby theater.

"How was training today, Alex?" Nelia asked.

"It was fun!" Alexandria replied. "The Eos squad sparred with each other."

"Oh~ The Calypso squad does that pretty often too. Who came out on top?"

"Me, of course!"

"Haha! Good job. I expected nothing less from you."

"Hey, hey! Do you think if I work hard enough, I can join the Calypso squad one day? Then we'll be together just like now!"

"Haha, what?" Judan laughed. "You really think you can handle it, Alex? We go on a lot~ of dangerous missions."

"I can handle it! As long as Nel is the captain, right?"

Nelia giggled softly. "I think you're putting too much faith in me."

Her eyes flickered when she saw a subtle flash of light in the sky. She tilted her head up full of hope. And there, she saw it. Piercing through the sky's blank canvas was a tiny glimmer of light—a star.

"Alex! Alex!" Nelia exclaimed. "Look! Right there!"

"Where?! Where?!"

As soon as her eyes locked onto the dim light in the sky, her face brightened just as much as a real star.

"Wha~! It's a star!" she exclaimed. "Judy! It's a real star!"

"I see it, Alex. Isn't it so beautiful? Savor this moment, cuz we're never gonna see it again."

"Eh?! Why not?!"

"Judy..." Nelia mumbled.

"Hehe, sorry."

The mirror shattered. As the broken shards clattered to the ground, Frankenstein stumbled back. Her fists clenched tightly, and her body trembled.

She turned her head around to witness a laboratory devastated by her tantrum. Chemical vials and broken glass littered the ground, staining it with colors that melted into the ground.

"Savor this moment, huh...?" she grunted. "We're never gonna see it again, huh? Damn right, we weren't!"

Frankenstein knocked over the vial rack on a nearby countertop, adding to the already messy floor. With gritted teeth, she threw her hands on the same countertop, breathing heavily and erratically.

"How dare you fill me with these memories knowing full well what you were planning...? To abandon me and die, leaving me all by myself. I thought we were friends. I thought we were gonna take care of each other. That's what you said, Nel. No... No, no, no—that won't do. You have to take responsibility for your sins. You..."

Her eyes curled sinisterly.

"You have to die now. No, wait... You're already dead, Nel. You already left, but... Hah... Ahahaha! But Judy is still here, isn't she?! Seven years! After seven fucking years, she decides to finally show up! That's right... Oh, why didn't I think of that? You were also there, Judy. You were there when Nel... took my squad from me. If I can't kill her, then I'll just have to settle with you! And when I'm done, I'll kill the rest of your little squad. And then... You'll know exactly what I felt at that moment! You'll know—!"

Suddenly, she paused. Her eyes widened, and just for a single moment, she saw something that wasn't there.

"J-Judy...?" she gasped. "Is that... you?"

She stepped over and reached her hand out at nothing.

"You came... You didn't leave me! I knew you wouldn't. I always believed that you would come back for me. I..."

She froze when she realized all the harsh words she had said just moments before.

"Judy... I... I didn't mean it. That's not really what I wanted to do. How could I hurt you? I'd never... Please, believe me. I would never... ever hurt you."

Her body went still, but this time, her vision cleared up. The image of Judan disappeared, and everything she had just said came flooding back to her.

"...Haha... Ahahaha~" she giggled menacingly. "Oh gosh. Have I finally gone mad? No... Because of you two, I've always been mad. I just needed a little push to get there, and boy-oh-boy, did you two really~ push me. Hey, Nel... Are you watching me? What do you think? I'm even talking to myself right now. Are you proud of me? Go on, Nel. Tell me."

However, no one replied, but she remained vigilant. A part of her hoped that Nelia would storm through those lab doors to scold her and go into one of her rants, but of course, she never did. And once again, Frankenstein was left with the harsh reality that she was alone.

"Hah... That's so~ like you," she muttered.

Frankenstein marched off, slamming the door open on her way out.

"Judy, Judy, Judy... Where are you now, I wonder? Hiding? Waiting? Just like you've been doing for the past seven years... without a shred of thought about me. That's fine, though. I'm not mad. In fact, that'd be ideal... because I know that if I were to see you right now... I'd want to tear you apart."