Blood Sisters

“Please, Amy. You don’t have to do this” 

The hero’s desperate plea was whispered, but the emotion contained in that single whisper was potent enough to make the villain pause.

She turned her head slightly, addressing the tied up, broken hero behind her

“You of all people should know better, Julia,” the villain took a deep breath before she slammed her hand down on the big button, “This is the only thing I have to do.”

~~~~

“Hey, let’s be blood sisters!” Julia’s eyes were bright, excited at the prospect of the gory-sounding adventure.

Amy pondered, one of her eyebrows raising- a talent that always made Julia jealous.

“What does that mean? It sounds like it would hurt,” she finally declared.

“No, chicken, it won’t hurt. We each make a cut then rub them together, and boom,” Julia spread her arms wide, “we’re blood sisters forever.”

“But, won’t cutting ourselves hurt?”

“Only if you’re a chicken,” Julia used the taunt the way all seven-year-olds did- as the ultimate insult.

Amy’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m no chicken!”

“Great!” Julia’s grin spread wide, the Cheshire cat turned human.

~~~~

“Can you come pick me up please?” Amy’s voice was but a mouse’s whisper, breaking and rough. 

“Of course,” Julia’s answer was out of her mouth almost before Amy finished talking, “where are you?”

Ten minutes later, Julia’s mom’s car came screeching into the parking lot of the gas station halfway between her and Amy’s house.

Much too used to this, Julia took in the bruises, especially prominent on her friend’s pale skin. Her first words were, “Do you need the hospital?”

At the shake of Amy’s head, Julia nodded grimly and started driving.

~~~

“I’m-”

“Don’t you dare apologize to me, Amy Marie Smith. I refuse to let you blame yourself for your parents’ actions,” Julia’s voice was angry, but Amy knew it wasn’t directed at her. 

“You are the smartest, kindest, most amazing person I’ve ever known, and you always have been, since the very first day we met. It’s bad enough that you have to deal with all this utter bullshit, I won’t let you feel responsible for it, too.”

Amy’s already watering grey eyes spilled over at Julia’s words, and she wrapped her skinny arms as tightly as she could around her best friend. 

“Thank you, Jules. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.”

~~~

“I don’t know how you do it,” Amy shook her head, eyes wide, “You’re a genius!”

Julia smiled, making the last small adjustments to Amy’s hair.

“I know, and now you have to take pictures with me, since I did such a good job.”

The girls walked down the stairs together, spinning around and posing in their dresses. Once Julia’s parents were satisfied with the amount of pictures they had, they ushered the girls to the car.

“Have fun!” Julia’s mom waved.

“But not too much fun” her dad added, winking.

Amy and Julia both rolled their eyes, driving toward the town hall where prom was being held.

~~~

Amy sat alone in her dorm, looking at the pictures she and Julia took at prom their senior year. She idly rubbed the scar along her palm as she did whenever she thought about her old friend. Their dresses were both long, but that’s about where the similarities ended. Amy had on an emerald green gown that flowed to the ground and complemented her curling blonde hair. Julia had a shimmering grey gown that hugged her athletic form and looked striking against her lifeguard’s tan. They were both wearing sneakers, a fact that both exasperated and amused Julia’s mother. Amy remembered how they had laughed in the dressing rooms of the thrift store where they had gone shopping, giggling over the dresses the old grandma dresses. And once they found ones they liked, they marveled over how cheap they were, feeling smug that they got beautiful, unique dresses for cheaper than anyone else would.

~~~

“Hey, Julia! It’s been so long! I was actually just looking at our prom pictures the other day,” Amy pressed the phone against her ear, ecstatic to be talking to her friend again.

“Yeah, it’s been way too long since we last talked,” Julia agreed, “What do you say we go out for lunch over break? I’ll be home in two weeks, when does your school get out?”

“Oh, actually I won’t be going home after break. I got a job offer in Maine, and I’ll be starting right after I graduate.”

“Oh. Well, congrats! What are you going to be doing?”

“Just some engineering work.”

~~~

Amy surveyed the news clippings pinned all over her corkboard, hands on her hips and a faint smile playing about her lips.

“My job is going great! I enjoy doing it, and the pay is great, too!” She gushed to Julia through the device in her ear, turning from the board to face her newest invention.

~~~

“Look, Julia,” Amy said, pacing around the cavernous room, “I love you, always have and always will, but just know that I’ve been working on this for too long to stop now. You couldn’t understand, okay? Your life, although not perfect, was still a good life. You have a good family, and you’re a good person. And I’ll always love you for making me think that I could be good too, but that’s just not how it works for me. Who knows, maybe after all of this, I’ll disappear, spend the rest of my life trying to atone for the innocent lives. But these guilty ones need to be punished. Think about it, Jules! I am doing a favor to all those children! They’ll never have to be scared that their parents will hurt them again! They can be free from all the pain and fear. The world owes them this much. And if the government won’t do anything to get rid of those abusers, then I will.” Her grey eyes took in the face that used to be the only thing tethering her to life, wordlessly pleading for Julia to understand and forgive.

Julia’s green eyes didn’t waver from the face that was her closest confidante, her best friend for so long, even as the tears blurred her vision and she couldn’t make out Amy’s features anymore. Her voice was hoarse and quiet when she replied.

“I know that you think this is the only way, but,” she paused, taking a hitching breath, “Please, Amy. You don’t have to do this.”

Amy turned away, trying to hide the tears now threatening to spill over.

“You of all people should have understood, Julia. This is the only thing I have to do.”