Categories > Original > Drama > The Girls
Years ago.
"What do you want?" asked Iie.
"Nothing. I don't want anything. Without her, we might as well all be dead. Without her, we already are," said Ilu.
"We got along without her in the before-time," said Iie.
"I do not remember the before-time. You don't really remember it either," said Ilu.
"It was different then," said Iie.
"In the before-time, she was not dead; she simply had not come to us yet. Now her death is a pall on this place. Her blood is on the furniture," said Ilu.
"Des is our leader now," said Iie.
"Des is barren," said Ilu.
"She is the only one of us who still has an active Key," said Iie.
"No; I have my brother still," said Ilu.
"You could say that," said Iie.
"The Keys are worthless now anyways," said Ilu.
"Des says they were always worthless," said Iie.
"Yet she still holds hers," said Ilu.
"As we still hold ours, though they are inactive. They are difficult to toss aside and impossible to completely destroy," said Iie.
"Then they are worse than worthless. They are burdens," said Ilu.
"It is truth," said Iie.
"She did toss three of her four Keys aside before she died," said Ilu.
"Two were given to me. One is a molten ruin on the floor," said Iie.
"And the last still clings to her wrist, seeming to torment her even in death," said Ilu.
"So what is the expiration date on a promise?" said Iie.
"It is death. The dead cannot keep promises. In death, she cannot even cry over the trust that was shattered," said Ilu.
"You will cry for her," said Iie.
"Only a little. I concern myself with my own Keys, not the broken thing that was hers," said Ilu.
"Is it so, Ilu?" asked Iie.
"Yes; I cannot feel it...not properly. It feels generic to me. The true memory of the Key when it was active belongs to her, and she is dead," said Ilu.
"You will speak to your brother of this," said Iie.
"In his own fashion of older times, yes," said Ilu.
"Des has spoken to her brother as well," said Iie.
"She is ice inside, as we all are, yet she has her brother still, as I have mine," said Ilu.
"Would that I could speak to my own brother! Or to my other. But my Keys represent only memories," said Iie.
"And would that I could speak to my other, but the butterfly is quite incommunicado," said Ilu.
"We have nothing. None of us do," said Iie.
"Everyone leaves me stranded. Forgotten. Abandoned. Left behind..." said Ilu.
One year later.
"What happened?" asked Iie.
"I don't remember," said Ilu.
"Tell me what you can," said Iie.
Ilu struggled with her words. "I...I remember saying that I have taken something valuable to me and made it cheap, given it away to strangers. But...I can't remember why it was valuable."
"You do not remember?" questioned Iie.
"Does it matter?" asked Ilu. Blank and cold.
"I think it might be the only thing that matters," said Iie.
"There is only darkness down that road," said Ilu.
"But not traveling that road...it's killing you, isn't it?" said Iie.
"Yes," said Ilu simply.
"If you are dying, we are all dying," said Iie.
"The princess is already dead. What matters?" asked Ilu. No emotion.
"Des might," said Iie.
"Des is no better than us," said Ilu.
"She has walked through fire to preserve her Key. No evil could tear her apart from it," said Iie.
"She will leave it. Has to leave it, if we're dying. Should leave it," said Ilu.
"You may not be able to save us even if you wanted to. But it is in your hands. We will follow whichever way you go. We must," said Iie.
"I'm just tired. So tired. I have nothing left to give. Nothing," said Ilu.
Present.
Iie held her head in her hands. "I remember...I remember it all...why now, why now?"
Des said, "You had a conversation with Ilu before she died...before her brother killed her...it was years ago...it was right after the princess had just died..."
"I know, I know..."
"The princess couldn't cry because she was dead...Ilu said she would cry for her...but she didn't," said Des.
"She couldn't remember why she was sad...I couldn't remember...none of us could," said Iie.
"It's time, Iie. It's time to cry for her."
"I know," said Iie. She walked out into the garden. Des followed. Iie knelt at a barren patch of dirt. There used to be a rose there. And she cried. "I miss you, my dearest friend."
Later.
Iie said, "I'm so tired, Deseret," using the other girl's full first name.
"I know, dearest," said Des. "Go to sleep."
"Can't," said Iie. "Too much to do."
Des said, "Shh, s'okay. You can't right now. You have to rest."
"But you'll be all alone," said Iie.
"I am all the time alone. Go to sleep," said Des.
Des picked her up and carried her over to her chair. Iie was already drifting away from consciousness. Des sat back down in her own chair. She wore dark glasses, so you couldn't see her eyes. She gripped the pendant around her neck, but looked at her jade bracelet as the light caught it.
"What do you want?" asked Iie.
"Nothing. I don't want anything. Without her, we might as well all be dead. Without her, we already are," said Ilu.
"We got along without her in the before-time," said Iie.
"I do not remember the before-time. You don't really remember it either," said Ilu.
"It was different then," said Iie.
"In the before-time, she was not dead; she simply had not come to us yet. Now her death is a pall on this place. Her blood is on the furniture," said Ilu.
"Des is our leader now," said Iie.
"Des is barren," said Ilu.
"She is the only one of us who still has an active Key," said Iie.
"No; I have my brother still," said Ilu.
"You could say that," said Iie.
"The Keys are worthless now anyways," said Ilu.
"Des says they were always worthless," said Iie.
"Yet she still holds hers," said Ilu.
"As we still hold ours, though they are inactive. They are difficult to toss aside and impossible to completely destroy," said Iie.
"Then they are worse than worthless. They are burdens," said Ilu.
"It is truth," said Iie.
"She did toss three of her four Keys aside before she died," said Ilu.
"Two were given to me. One is a molten ruin on the floor," said Iie.
"And the last still clings to her wrist, seeming to torment her even in death," said Ilu.
"So what is the expiration date on a promise?" said Iie.
"It is death. The dead cannot keep promises. In death, she cannot even cry over the trust that was shattered," said Ilu.
"You will cry for her," said Iie.
"Only a little. I concern myself with my own Keys, not the broken thing that was hers," said Ilu.
"Is it so, Ilu?" asked Iie.
"Yes; I cannot feel it...not properly. It feels generic to me. The true memory of the Key when it was active belongs to her, and she is dead," said Ilu.
"You will speak to your brother of this," said Iie.
"In his own fashion of older times, yes," said Ilu.
"Des has spoken to her brother as well," said Iie.
"She is ice inside, as we all are, yet she has her brother still, as I have mine," said Ilu.
"Would that I could speak to my own brother! Or to my other. But my Keys represent only memories," said Iie.
"And would that I could speak to my other, but the butterfly is quite incommunicado," said Ilu.
"We have nothing. None of us do," said Iie.
"Everyone leaves me stranded. Forgotten. Abandoned. Left behind..." said Ilu.
One year later.
"What happened?" asked Iie.
"I don't remember," said Ilu.
"Tell me what you can," said Iie.
Ilu struggled with her words. "I...I remember saying that I have taken something valuable to me and made it cheap, given it away to strangers. But...I can't remember why it was valuable."
"You do not remember?" questioned Iie.
"Does it matter?" asked Ilu. Blank and cold.
"I think it might be the only thing that matters," said Iie.
"There is only darkness down that road," said Ilu.
"But not traveling that road...it's killing you, isn't it?" said Iie.
"Yes," said Ilu simply.
"If you are dying, we are all dying," said Iie.
"The princess is already dead. What matters?" asked Ilu. No emotion.
"Des might," said Iie.
"Des is no better than us," said Ilu.
"She has walked through fire to preserve her Key. No evil could tear her apart from it," said Iie.
"She will leave it. Has to leave it, if we're dying. Should leave it," said Ilu.
"You may not be able to save us even if you wanted to. But it is in your hands. We will follow whichever way you go. We must," said Iie.
"I'm just tired. So tired. I have nothing left to give. Nothing," said Ilu.
Present.
Iie held her head in her hands. "I remember...I remember it all...why now, why now?"
Des said, "You had a conversation with Ilu before she died...before her brother killed her...it was years ago...it was right after the princess had just died..."
"I know, I know..."
"The princess couldn't cry because she was dead...Ilu said she would cry for her...but she didn't," said Des.
"She couldn't remember why she was sad...I couldn't remember...none of us could," said Iie.
"It's time, Iie. It's time to cry for her."
"I know," said Iie. She walked out into the garden. Des followed. Iie knelt at a barren patch of dirt. There used to be a rose there. And she cried. "I miss you, my dearest friend."
Later.
Iie said, "I'm so tired, Deseret," using the other girl's full first name.
"I know, dearest," said Des. "Go to sleep."
"Can't," said Iie. "Too much to do."
Des said, "Shh, s'okay. You can't right now. You have to rest."
"But you'll be all alone," said Iie.
"I am all the time alone. Go to sleep," said Des.
Des picked her up and carried her over to her chair. Iie was already drifting away from consciousness. Des sat back down in her own chair. She wore dark glasses, so you couldn't see her eyes. She gripped the pendant around her neck, but looked at her jade bracelet as the light caught it.
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