Fear (Gone 5)

Penny fetched a bottle from her kitchen. It was half-full of whatever vile liquid Howard brewed. It smelled like a dead animal, but Turk took a long, long drink.

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; “Want to make out?” Turk asked.

She slinked toward him, unconsciously mimicking the things she’d seen Dahlia and Rose do.

Turk made a face. “Not like that. Not like you.”

Penny felt it like slap in the face.

“Like you were the other time. You know, in my head. Make it like the other time.”

“Oh, like that,” she said flatly. Penny had the power to send horrifying visions. But she also had the power to create beautiful illusions. They were one and the same. It was one of the ways she had driven Cigar over the edge. She’d found a picture of his mother and made him see her…

Now, for Turk, she made a vision of Diana.

And a while later she spoke, using the vision of Diana still to say, “Turk, the time has come.”

“Mmm?”

“Caine humiliated me,” Penny said with Diana’s voice.

“What?”

“He’s the only one who can stop me,” Penny said. “He’s the only one who can humiliate me like that.”

Turk was dumb but not that dumb. He pushed her away.

She became herself again.

“One of these days he’ll kill you, Turk,” Penny said. “Remember what he did to your friend Lance?” She drew a long arc in the air and punctuated it with a “Splat!”

Turk looked nervously around. “Yeah, I remember; that’s why I am totally loyal to the king. He’s the king and I don’t mess with him.”

Penny smiled. “No, you just fantasize about his girlfriend.”

Turk’s eyes widened. He swallowed anxiously. “Yeah, well, what about you?”

Penny shrugged.

“Anyway, she’s not even his girlfriend anymore,” Turk said.

She stayed silent, waiting, knowing he was so very weak, so very fearful.

“What are you even talking about, Penny?” Turk cried. “You’re crazy.”

Penny laughed. “We’re all crazy, Turk. The only difference is I know I’m crazy. I know all about me. You know why? Because sitting there with my legs broken and wanting to scream every single minute, eating the scraps Diana brought me, that kind of clears out your mind and you start seeing things the way they are.”

“I’m out of here,” Turk yelled, and jumped up. He made it two feet before Caine was standing right in his path. Turk stepped back, one leg collapsing, barely caught himself from falling.

The Caine illusion disappeared.

“Just let me go, Penny,” Turk said shakily. “I’ll never tell anyone. Just let me go. You and Caine … whatever, okay?”

“I think you’ll end up doing what I want you to do,” Penny said. “I’m done being ignored and I’m all done being humiliated.”

“I’m not going to kill Caine. No matter what you say.”