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Don’t you dare! Leave them alone!
Willow tried to scream. She fought. Punching and kicking. Running in circles. Control wasn’t hers. It was His. Her jaw tightened and her nostrils flared as she thought back to the street in Alsera. He’d ambushed her. In Tilly Creek, He’d forced her hand in order to save Toni, and now He’s collecting the debt. Timing it perfectly to get His way.
The smoky tendrils wrapped around her. Blinding. Silencing. Deafening. When she awoke, she was here. A dark, endless space inside her mind. Forced to watch Him puppet her. Seeing herself act happy to go to a place she’d been dreading for Cycles. Had decided to forget about. Bound to watch herself go there anyway.
This puppet had done things she never would. Killed an animal cruelly to get what it needed. Was awful to Cricket. To Siggy. Pushed everyone away but Toni. A clear objective to keep Toni safe and reach Moonwater. Now here they all were, and all the true Willow could do was watch.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she ran through the blackness around her. Crying out. Pleading. Praying to any other god who maybe might hear her. When suddenly there it was. A way out. One simple piece of fruit that would free her from this prison.
Eat it. Just eat it. Don’t toy with them. Just eat it, you bitch!
Cursing and yelling into the nothingness. No one could hear her. The puppet so focused on its goal that it not only became dismissive but callous. Spiteful and bitter to anyone who didn’t share its goal. Its vision. That’s when the words rolled out of its mouth.
No! He is the Jarl! He earned it! He’s grown and become better than you will ever be!
Willow’s words echoed around her. Taunting her as the NotWillow tore her friend down. Purposefully trying to break both Siggy and Cricket. He did this. His desire to isolate her for His endgame through the puppet in anyway He saw fit.
Eat it. Just eat it! It’s right there in your hand! One stupid bite!
The words faded as she fell to her knees watching the pear shrivel up and drop to the floor. Her heart nearly came up her throat as tears streamed from her eyes. The imposter Willow continued to berate and belittle her friends. Her love. The sound came through garbled and hollow. As though underwater, Willow could still hear it talking, but nothing registered to her.
The real Willow broken and battered. Exhausted from trying to break free. Forced to watch all the puppet did. Unable to alter it. Stop it. Would she ever be free to fix this? Could she make up for it? How much worse would it get until then? If she even could regain control, would they let her try to reconcile? Even if they did, would she ever forgive herself? Could she?