Quin was awake into the earliest hours of the night, enduring the muffled moans of her fated making the biggest mistake of her life. It would be so easy to walk in and stop them, but there would be no helping her murderous rage the moment she laid eyes on that whore. And anyway, this would be the last mistake Norma would ever make. For her plan to go off without a hitch, Quin needed everyone to be fast asleep...

SO WOULD YOU STOP FUCKING EACH OTHER ALREADY!?

Seriously, it was nearing 3 AM, and yet every time Quin thought they had finally succumbed to exhaustion, they started up again. She was completely past her limit, looking around the guest room for the object that could inflict the most pain if used as a weapon when at long last... silence.

Taking an additional half hour to clear her mind and ensure they truly were finished with each other this time, Quin sprung into action. First, she gathered her equipment, moving down the stairs as stealthily as possible to ensure no one was awake on the ground floor. Satisfied the way was clear, she loaded her things into her van, but unloaded a particular bottle of chemicals along with a set of cloths...

Quin turned the knob to Norma's room painfully slowly, anticipating the resistance of the lock. To her chagrin, they hadn't even bothered with it. This made things far easier, but their brazenness brought about a whole new wave of murderous intent to try to ignore, which only grew more difficult when she finally saw the two half-naked in Norma's bed by moonlight.

I can't kill her I can't kill her I can't kill her-

Quin repeated this to herself as she prepared the cloth, applying the chloroform with her gloved hands. Norma was already asleep, so there was no need to worry about knocking her out - Quin just didn't want her waking up during extraction. As tempting as it was to give Luna the same treatment and render her completely helpless, it would be best to leave as little incriminating evidence behind as possible... unfortunately.

This would be the hardest part. She pulled Norma away from Luna's arms as naturally as possible, as though she were just turning away, praying that Luna would turn over herself. She did not.

Son of a bitch! You would make this harder than it needs to be! Why would I expect anything different!?

Quin was ready to prepare more chloroform at a moment's notice, but was really hoping to avoid it. It was traceable, for one thing, but leaving someone unattended after being exposed was dangerous.

Not that I would care if she swallowed her own tongue and died, but I need as much time before the investigations start as possible.

They played tug-of-war with Norma's limp body for a while.

I know I'm small, but Luna's unconscious for god's sake!! Let her go, dammit! 

Luna's grip loosened all at once, nearly causing Norma to collapse on top of Quin. Shooting one last, scalding look at the vexing albino, Quin shouldered Norma and with great effort carried her down the stairs, heart hammering in her chest. This wasn't guilt. It was excitement.

Good riddance, right? It'll take time to adjust, sure, but in the end, you won't miss them. How could you, when you have me?

Quin finally reached her vehicle, strapping Norma face down into the buckled bed she'd set up in the back. Plastic wrap lined the floor beneath it. When she woke up the chemicals would wreak havoc on her, with decidedly messy results. A small price to pay for her freedom.

"Oh Norma, finally! We've waited so long, haven't we? So much pointless perpetuation of our existences without each other. But today! Today marks the beginning of our life together! Eternal bliss, here we come!"

---

Down the block, at the parking lot of a nearby convenience store...

Ring...

"Yeah?"

"We got movement, boss! Someone got loaded onto the van, only it didn't look like they was awake or nothin', and now it's peelin' outta here!"

"God damn it! I know you're all directionally challenged, but at least try to remember which way they went, got it?"

"G-got it! Anythin' else we can do?"

"Nah, none of you numbskulls have wheels. Just keep an eye on the situation until I get there..."

Click.

"What'd boss say?"

"She's pissed, man. Whoever did this is in for a world of hurt when the boss gets her hands on 'em..."

---

Something was wrong.

Luna wasn't conscious yet, but from the depths of her soul, she knew it.

Her arms grasped blindly across the bed, the pillow she had been clutching an incredibly poor substitute for Norma.

The realization that she was gone woke Luna immediately.

She might just be in the bathroom..?

Luna entertained the idea for a few seconds, but dismissed it immediately after. There was no ignoring this overwhelming sense that Norma was gone entirely.

Throwing the blankets off and slipping her dress back on, Luna hurried out of the room, looking for any light source that might suggest where Norma was - But there was only darkness there to greet her.

No, no, no no no no, not after I finally resolved myself to stay with her. Where is she? WHERE IS SHE!?

When Luna found the main floor as dark and still as the one above, she realized. There was only one answer, of course. Norma had come to her senses.

I completely let myself go... bared the entirety of my love for her at once. I clawed her back, bit her neck. I... I think I can still taste her blood! I showed myself to her in full, inside and out... and she saw the horrific creature within. Of course she ran.

"So, this is where you were."

A mature voice, void of emotion. The warden.

"How...? Y-you can't be here!!"

"No? And why "can't" I? Do you truly think I only exist at that desk, waiting for you to come in for your punishment?"

Even in the darkness her amused glare cut into Luna as surely as any blade ever had. The warden rose from her seat at the living room couch, walking towards Luna at a completely measured pace. Luna didn't dare look at her, but the warden lifted her chin to force the matter.

"My dear girl, my disgusting monster. There is no where you can go that I cannot follow."

Luna knew she was right. How stupid it was to think she could ever be free, that there was a chance she could avoid collateral damage in her bid for escape.

"So, this is what you broke curfew for? To run off with some girl, to pretend to be 'normal' for a night? Don't make me laugh. She doesn't even know what you've done and she's already run from you as fast as her legs could carry her the very first chance she got."

Luna already knew it all to be true, but she crumpled to her knees anyway. Who can stand against despair?

"Ahh, to see you broken so quickly, my charge... This girl must have meant a lot to you, hmm? But alas, she's walked out on you, and I got to watch your last hope extinguish right in front of my eyes. Very well, I've decided. Starting immediately, you may return to your usual punishment. There is a knife in the kitchen. Be a dear and fetch it before I change my mind..."

There was no thought anymore, only the warden's command. Luna did as instructed, finding a serrated blade that would take it's sweet time digging into the skin.

Her legs couldn't handle any more strain without giving out for good, so she thought to saw through the parts of her that had brought her such bliss only hours prior.

With my darling gone, I'll never need them again...

The warden watched on impassively as Luna mentally prepared herself. She leaned in eagerly as Luna brought the blade's teeth against her most vulnerable flesh - then she disappeared entirely as a flash of light from outside woke Luna from her trance.

A beat up old jalopy was parked haphazardly outside, and a tall woman with a red ponytail was shining a flashlight into the windows of Norma's house.

What...?

Luna shook away the self-loathing that had consumed her a moment ago and approached the windows stealthily, holding the knife behind her back.

Looks like she's the only one out there... Not openly carrying a weapon, either.

Deeming it nothing she couldn't handle, Luna unlocked the door and stepped outside.

"Who the fuck are you!?" the woman demanded. "If you're an accomplice, talk and maybe I'll be merciful."

"Accomplice...? Are you saying Norma was taken against her will!?"

The taller woman stared Luna down, her golden eyes burning through her, but Luna stared right back in defiance. Eventually the two relaxed their stances.

"You came from her house and seriously didn't know? Someone loaded her into a huge white van parked outside and drove off with her!"

Before she had even finished speaking Luna flew up the stairs, trying to open the door to the guest room. It was locked. It only took her two attempts to slam the door open.

The room was completely empty, and Quin was nowhere to be found.

"Just what is going on!?" Norma's father burst out of his room, hastily dressed in a housecoat.

"It's Norma!!" Luna cried, her tears flowing endlessly. "She's been abducted!"