Jay ducks his head, eyes focused firmly on the wet tile. "'S not something that really just...comes up."
There's a low, choked laugh from below them, from the body in the tub. "That's the easy part."
It lifts up the mask it tore from the scarred skin of its face, the plastic cracked and warped but still whole. "Now, this? It's in there, whether you like it or not. You've either got to...accept it, or you'll just...just be stuck here. Running in circles, like you've always been."
With some effort, it lifts its head, looking Jay right in the eye. It's uncomfortable, near-painful. "But here's the thing, bird-brain. You're still not normal, even without the mask. No matter what Mommy and Daddy told you, no matter what you told yourself, you're not fine. You've never been normal in your life, and I know you noticed, because I'm you."
It has to take a few moments to catch its breath before barreling on. "Do you really think a normal guy would've done what you did? You've always been like this, but you choked down everything you ever loved, everything you ever cared about, until you could justify it." Its voice squeaks into a raspy falsetto. "'I'm not obsessed. I'm just doing what has to be done. This is the first thing I've ever done that means something.' Did you ever consider, just once, that this is the first time you ever just embraced it?"
Jay doesn't say anything. He just stands there, burning alive under the steam, and doesn't say anything.
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There's a low, choked laugh from below them, from the body in the tub. "That's the easy part."
It lifts up the mask it tore from the scarred skin of its face, the plastic cracked and warped but still whole. "Now, this? It's in there, whether you like it or not. You've either got to...accept it, or you'll just...just be stuck here. Running in circles, like you've always been."
With some effort, it lifts its head, looking Jay right in the eye. It's uncomfortable, near-painful. "But here's the thing, bird-brain. You're still not normal, even without the mask. No matter what Mommy and Daddy told you, no matter what you told yourself, you're not fine. You've never been normal in your life, and I know you noticed, because I'm you."
It has to take a few moments to catch its breath before barreling on. "Do you really think a normal guy would've done what you did? You've always been like this, but you choked down everything you ever loved, everything you ever cared about, until you could justify it." Its voice squeaks into a raspy falsetto. "'I'm not obsessed. I'm just doing what has to be done. This is the first thing I've ever done that means something.' Did you ever consider, just once, that this is the first time you ever just embraced it?"
Jay doesn't say anything. He just stands there, burning alive under the steam, and doesn't say anything.