FoS- Chapter Three- On The Fire Escape

Chapter Three-On the Fire Escape

*SHAWN'S POV*



I took off my long, brown-haired, wig and set it on the head of the mannequin and looked in the mirror. The heavy scar tissue created a weird shape, and looked even weirder with my short black hair growing around it. I reached up and touched my head where there were scar tissue. I closed my eyes and pulled my hand down. Even though this giant scar has been on my head since before I can even remember, it still hurt.

I looked it the mirror as I grabbed a make-up remover and started to wipe of my cover-up and lip gloss. I then looked at my eyes and carefully wiped them as well. Once I opened my eyes again, I could see that I didn't get it all, creating a shadow under my eyes, almost as if I hadn't slept for days. There were also red, puffy, bags from me crying earlier

Ugly.

It was a word I often thought as I looked at myself. As I started thinking these negative things, Sue's kind words started to run threw my head.

"Dammit!" I yelled, then covered my mouth, remembering that my father was sleeping on the couch, drunk of his ass.

Worthless.

His word for me ran threw my head. I looked at the black wig I used for the first time, last night. "How am I supposed to fight her..." I thought to myself. Suddenly rage built up inside of me and I hit my mirror. It made a load breaking sound as it shattered. My knuckles instantly hurt, as I saw blood start to fill the new cuts.

Broken.

I was already missing one arm, and now I'm hurting the other. I walked into the bathroom to get the bandages. When I picked them up, I realized that I wouldn't be able to put them on myself. I squeezed my fist, tears, once again, forming behind my lids.

Retarded.

"Why... Why... Why..." I repeated to myself. "Why me..." I said as I cried, tears falling in my cuts, causing more pain. "Ow..." I whispered as tears and blood ran down my arm. I looked in the mirror once again.

"Who are you?"

In the mirror looking back at me, was Black Swan. I didn't understand the question she had asked. I looked at the mirror puzzled.

"Who are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who are you? This isn't the Shawn that I was born from."

"Huh?"

"The Shawn I was born from isn't this weak."

"But I-"

"But nothing!" I stared at her angered expression. "The Shawn I know wouldn't sit the crying over little cuts."

"I can't get the band aids..." I trailed off looking at the tattoo on her fake right arm.

"Go and get it, then come back." I nodded and went to grab the fake arm.

I lifted my carpet a little and pulled open the secret door and grabbed my fake arm and attached it to my shoulder and chest. Then I grabbed the head band with thought receptors and put on, I then proceeded to connect the two, as soon as the arm powered on, I moved my fingers and knew it was functioning right. Good thing that gunshot to it last night didn't damage it, it did create a little dent though. I can't believe she was carrying a gun since she's never killed anyone yet.

I walked back to the bathroom where Black Swan was waiting for me.I got down and started putting bandages on my knuckles.

"Now what are you crying over?" I looked her, the memory of crying showing in my mind. "And don't even say you weren't, I know already that you were."

"Then you should already know the answer to that question"

"But we both know that it helps to talk to someone, and I've been the only one here for you." I looked at my counter part, then looked down at the cuts on my knuckles. I pulled in my knees and curled up to them.

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of her, Sue."

"No, its not Sue, its what Sue is doing."

"What is Sue doing?"

"What're you really scared of?"

"Love."

"Love?"

"I don't want to fall in love."

"Why?"

"My heart won't be able to take betrayal anymore. And I can't take losing anyone else."

"Who do you love?"

"Sue.

"You think you love Sue?"

"I know I do. Even if it was only our first conversation." She seemed to look at me angry.

"Even if she is Swan Lake?"

"That's another reason I'm scared." I looked into her black eyes. "I hate Swan Lake with all my heart, and still, I can't hate Sue."

"They are one in the same."

"That would make us the same, and neither of us accept that." She looked into my eyes weirdly, like she was angry with me, but I had a point. "Sue speaks different, and always exceeded my expectations."

"So just a little kindness will make you have a change of heart?"

"Huh?"

"How about we make a deal?"

"What kind?"

"How about you keep doing your own thing with Sue, while keep on hating Swan Lake. We aren't the same person after all." I thought about it for a second. "You want to be an actor right, just think of it as the greatest role you'll ever have." I just looked at Black Swan surprised. "Well," she said confidently, "do we have a deal?" She said putting her hand on the mirror. I looked at it for a second, the details of the white glove as it was pressed against the mirror, the fishnet bending with her arms, and finally, the black swan tattoo I painted on the fake arm. She is real.

"Deal." I said, pressing my real hand against the window before she faded away and I saw my pitiful reflection again. "Eww." I said in a sarcastic tone. "I look horrible, better go get ready for the show." I said before grabbing my black swan tattoo and whispered a 'thank you' before I went to get ready.







*SWAN LAKE'S POV*



Today I wouldn't be able to "check-in" to the hotel, because, as I guessed, the police have guards all around it. Instead, I would just have to take the hassle of grapple hooking over, it's amazing what you can buy online.

I checked to see if my door was locked before I made my way to the window, when suddenly, my phone rang.

"Hmm?" It was Shawn, that beautiful girl from the pond, but who knew she'd actually call me. "Dammit I don't have time..." I said looking at the phone, then the window, then the phone. "Hello?" I said as I clicked the accept call button on my phone.

"Hey, it's me Shawn, did I wake you?" Her voice came threw the phone in the sweetest tone.

"No, it's alright, I'm just binge-watching some TV shows." I hated to lie to her, even if we had just met today, I think it was love at first sight.

"Oh, sorry for interrupting you."

"No, no, its quite alright, however, you'll have to make it quick because I'm running low on minutes." She went silent for a moment, then replied.

"I just wanted to ask you if you could come to the pond again tomorrow?" After she said that, I heard some kind of a muffle, like someone saying dammit, but I choose to ignore it.

"What time?"

"Same time, I guess."

"Sure, why not, I'll be there." I said trying to end the conversation.

"Okay, thank you Sue, I'm glad you said yes." The way she said that pulled on my heart, and made me want to sit here and talk for hours, but I looked out at the window once more. "Dammit" I thought to myself.

"Okay, I'm glad you asked, I didn't think you'd actually call." She went silent for a second once more.

"Okay bye." She said rushed, sounding embarrassed. Soooooo cuuute! "Aww man that was adorable." I said before snapping back to reality. "Got to make to the broach before Black Swan gets there."







*BLACK SWAN'S POV*



"Oh, sorry for interrupting you." I said sympathetically into the phone like Shawn would.

"No, no, it quite alright, however, you'll have to make it quick because I'm running low on minutes." Liar, I bet she's about to try and steal the broach. But what do I say, know, I had a plan, but what was it.

"I just wanted to ask you if you could come to the pond again tomorrow?" I thought about what I said before pulling the phone away and saying dammit. I didn't really want to go and see Sue again, I'm suppose to hate her and I... No, I'm Black Swan right now, I don't even care for Sue, I'm just trying to get information on when she's doing and when she'll strike.

"What time."

"Same time I guess." I guess I'll just look at caller history and figure out what time.

"Sure, why not, I'll be there." She said, sounding rushed, like she was trying to end the conversation.

"Okay, thank you Sue, I'm glad you said yes." I said feeling really cheesy, even after I was finished saying it.

"Okay, I'm glad you asked, I didn't think you'd actually call." I sat there for a moment. My mind had gone blank and suddenly, my heart beat was as loud as jackhammer. Why was Sue able to make me feel like this, I haven't even known her for twenty four hours. Honestly, I don't think I've talked to anyone like a friend for eight years. I suddenly caught my painted tattoo with the corner of my eye and remembered what I was supposed to be doing. I had to stop this conversation to stay with it.

"Alright bye." I said then hung up. I just looked at the phone embarrassed by how stupid I sounded. "Dammit, why did I sound like a teenage girl in love?" I saw myself in my black phone screen and saw that I was blushing. "Probably because I am a teenager in love..." I said before shaking my head. "No Shawn, go away, let Black Swan take over and deal with Swan Lake." I looked outside the hotel room and looked to the building where the broach was being held.

"You had better hurry Swan Lake," I said in a sarcastic tone, "just try and steal the broach again, I want to be able to kick your ass one more time before the police take you away."







*SWAN LAKE'S POV*



I looked at the building, next to the hotel the broach was in, and started to scale it. It wasn't as easy as it looks, but its only a little harder than climbing the rope in gym class. Well, that was easy to me.

I was on the darker side of the building with my cape thrown over my shoulder and my hood up so I wouldn't attract too much attention. I was about two stories up when I got a bad feeling in my stomach, I couldn't tell what it was, but I didn't like it. Regardless, I kept on climbing.

Soon, I hit fire escape stairs and started walking up those, as quietly as I could with them being a little unstable and rusty. It was faster than scaling the building, and safer since someone scaling a building is just "a little" more suspicious than someone using fire escape stairs.

My cape trailed behind me as I ran up the stairs, soon, I started to get stuck on little pieces of metal sticking up from the old railings. I stopped to gather up my cape when I heard a fire escape window open. I spun around to hit the person, but stopped seeing a child of around six standing there.

Her eyes were a light blue and seemed to glow in the moon's dim light. She had short, blonde, messy pigtails. Little brown freckles dotted her face.

"Hello..." I said quietly, but she just continued to stare at me. Even though she was just a little girl, I was frozen by her stare. I dropped my cape, and I watched as her eyes followed the cape as it fell. She looked strait back up at my eyes.

"An angel?" She said confused. I flinched at the comment, remembering days from when I was a child. "Hmm?"

"Um, uh, no, I'm not." She frowned at my answer and looked me up and down again.

"What are you?" Her question puzzled me, what did she mean, can't she tell that I'm a human? I soon remembered the fictional creatures I had created to ease the pain around me back then. I thought for a second, then created an answer.

"I am a swan, my child. My name is Swan Lake, and who're you?"

"Ivy. Why are you here?"

"Well, you see, this other swan, Black Swan, stole something from me, I'm going to go and get it back."

"Wow." She said smiling now.

"Now this is a top secret mission, so you can't tell anyone about this, sweet child." I said like I was in a storybook.

"No one?"

"No one at all, or Black Swan's friends will come and get me. Got it?" She nodded and acted like she was zipping her mouth shut.

"No one at all." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Thank you so much Ivy, now I must be going."

"What?" She said, immediately saddened. "Why?" She said, tears forming in her eyes. "You just got here..." She said crying.

"Oh no, no, no, don't cry!" I said in a panicked whisper. "I'll come back." Blurted out before I could think of a logical answer. I immediately regretted it.

"When?" She asked, still crying, but a little softer.

"Um, how about a week?"

"A week," she said crying a little harder, "I can't wait a week!" She half yelled. I wish she would just shut up, but I couldn't just leave for some reason. Why is it that I can't evade cops without any difficulty, but this child and my new vigilante, Black Swan, stop me in my tracks.

"But it has to be a week. If not, Black Swan will know, I've taken my precious item back, and send her friends." She looked at me for a second, before holding out her pinkie.

"Promise?" I stared at the raised pinkie as a face from my past appeared in my head, and suddenly, that pinkie and the little girl it was attached to seemed vile and corrupted. I felt like I was going to barf. I took a step back, and hit the railing. I looked down at the city below, then back at the girl, but instead of Ivy sitting there, it was "her". Suddenly, jumping looked like such a good idea, but then, something unexpected happened.

Something hit the fire escape a little farther than I was. Both of our heads turned to look as Black Swan stood up. In her hand was a small piece of metal.







*BLACK SWAN'S POV*



I could hear crying from below me and slowly crept towards the fire escape. It turns out it was a little girl, and the one who caused it, Swan Lake. "So now she's making kids cry?" I thought to myself, but changed my mind when I started to hear the conversation.

"You just got here..." The little girl wept. I watched as Swan Lake start to panic, it made me giggle, how cute.

"Oh no, no, no, don't cry!" She panicked, waving her arms about. "I'll come back." She said rushed. Did she really mean that? Wouldn't that be kind of dangerous considering her position?

"When?" She asked, still crying, but a little softer. I watched as Swan Lake panicked for a second.

"Um, how about a week?" She must've said that because she thinks the cops won't have such a watchful eye then. Why did she come anyway, this is an extremely dangerous situation for her? That broach must be paying her rent of something. Either that, or she really hates to lose.

"A week," she said crying a little harder, "I can't wait a week!" She half yelled. Swan Lake panicked once again. What's with her, she's knocked out cops in seconds flat, yet she can't take a six year old?

"But it has to be a week. If not, Black Swan will know, I've taken my precious item back, and send her friends." What? Did she just say my name? What is she talking about? There's no way that she told this kid what's going on right? No, she must've told her a story or something, or she wouldn't be sitting her still. The girl held out her pinkie to her.

"Promise?" It looked innocent, and I thought that Swan Lake was going to take it, but something weird happened.

Swan Lake's eyes widened and she backed up a little, as if the child was holding a knife. She backed up until she hit the guard rail, a terrified look on her face, I wonder why? She suddenly looked over the edge. I knew that look. She wanted to jump. But why? Why would she jump just from a pinkie promise.

I had no time to think, and instinct took over. I grabbed a spare piece of metal that was about the size of the broach, and jumped over to the railing below. I hit it with a large thud, and they both looked as I stood.

"Great, what do I say now?" I thought to myself. "I don't even know the story Swan Lake told her, dammit!"

"Swan, is that her, Black Swan?" The little girl asked pointing, no longer holding up her pinkie. Swan Lake looked at me confused, then realized what the girl had said.

"Um, yes that's her." She said, regaining confidence as her sentence continued. I started throwing the little piece of metal in the air, and catching.

"And is that your precious item!" The child said excited. Swan Lake nodded.

"Yes it is Ivy." I wiggled my finger as if I was telling her to come here, then ran.

"Go after here Swan Lake!"

"Ivy!" I heard a parent say. I froze and looked down to Swan Lake, she just waved at Ivy.

"See you around!" She said before running after me. I made sure she saw me hop through the window of my hotel room. I ran and waited behind a mirror, while she had her way in and shut the window.

I peeked around the corner as she looked for me. Once she got close to the mirror, I started to follow her like a shadow, to see what she'd do. She walked around a bit before heading for the door. I tapped on her shoulder then jumped back. She flinched hard and spun around with a fist, luckily I moved in time.

"Black Swan." She said in a voice that sounded like she was trying to be cool while recovering from her flinch. I nodded at her. She seemed confused by this guesture. "Why did you help me back there?" She asked confused, I stayed silent, not wanting her to know my voice. "And why aren't attacking me or calling the cops?" I stayed silent once more. I shook my head. "That's right, you said you weren't working with the cops when you returned the broach." I got down in a fighting stance at the mention of the broach but she just snickered. "Oh don't worry, I don't plan on stealing it after your little act of heroism. Besides, I only came back because I wanted to see you again." I froze at the comment and felt myself blush, luckily, I had this face mask. "What did you use for the broach in that little stunt anyways?" I threw the little piece of metal, when she caught and examined it, I figured out that it was a broken off piece of guard rail. "Well ain't you smart." She said sarcastically. She then looked at me, complete seriousness in her eyes. "Thank you for that, Black Swan. I know you probably won't answer, but why're you doing this?" I flinched at the question, and I know she saw it. I lunged at her knocking her to the ground. I put my hands around her neck.

"That's right." I thought to myself. "I hate this women!" I started to squeezed harder. She started panting and scrambled to get me off her. In her flailing, she hit the bend of the elbow in my fake arm, and it got all wonky. I got off of her before she would notice. I tried to move my fingers, but it just barely twitched. I grabbed my arm like it was injured, pretending that the gunshot yesterday actually injured me. She started coughing.

"Damn!" She said looking at me angrily, before her face mask slipped, and I could see that it most definately was Sue. She gasped and tried to pull it while I ran for the door. Once she was situated, she looked at me panicked. I opened the door and looked back at her. "You saw..." I decided that I'd reply to this statement. I replied like I did whenever I wanted to play with people's minds.

"Heh." Just a short laugh, not one that would expose me, nor was it even a real laugh. But to the one receiving it, it usually meant that soon, it would be the end for them. I watched as Swan Lake's face depressed when she heard this. I slowly shut the door behind me, he terrified face sickening me.

I made it to the janitors closet and changed out of my stuff. I changed into a janitors outfit as I heard Swan Lake burst out of the room, I exited right on time to have her bump into me and knock me down. She looked down, and seemed to freeze, I acted like I was frozen in fear as well. Black Swan may be able to take Swan Lake, but Shawn was just a citizen who's heard about Swan Lake on the news. That's when I let her have it.

"Help!" I screamed like I was frightened. She just made a run for it back out to the guard rail, where soon there would be cops, question Ivy's mother. There was only one last thing to do.

I crawled up against the wall and secretly grabbed a remote hidden in my coat pocket. I clicked the button and heard the camera's from this hallway turn back on, right in time to see me, a cripple, leaning against the wall, after being knocked down by the terrible Swan Lake.