TW: NEEDLES

Selene couldn't be imagining things.

She heard an extra set of footsteps echo every time she walked. Sometimes she saw Bement coming out of strange places. Levana sent her strange glances at dinner, almost looks of triumph. But for the life of her, Selene couldn't think of what Levana had won. What Selene had given her.

This couldn't just be paranoia. Something must be going on; Selene had never felt like this before, that she was being watched in her own chambers, that Levana had taken a sudden interest in all of Selene's thaumaturges. Selene had always had a gut, and it had never failed her, not ever. She'd avoided death and murder a million times over by feelings, by chills, by cleverness and calculations that she didn't think Levana knew she had- but what was her gut telling her now?

On the way back to her chambers from a dinner party one evening, frivolous socialites still lingering in the main halls of the palace, Selene had seen a man she recognised from the medical wing be let into Thaumaturge Bement's room with a briefcase in hand, dressed in civilian clothes and a discreet cap. Selene knew him as a high-level research official and practitioner, but what medical business did he have with Bement, who had no ailments and no history of illness? It wasn't helping that Levana was suddenly trying to spend time with Selene, engaging her in amiable chats and conversations that Selene had no intention of taking part in. Levana once invited Selene to a walk around the garden, which she refused. Why was her darling aunt so interested in her now? Had she stopped her assassination attempts? Or was she pulling Selene close enough to stab her in the back? To avert her attention? To make a final power play?

As Selene's injuries had healed, she began to spend much more time than she would have ever admitted to anyone, especially Winter, in the palace menagerie. It had been made for Selene as a gift from her mother when she was very young, and she'd avoided it all her life except for a brief stroll now and then. Winter always used to want to play beside the animal cages and watch them, but Selene had watched her grow out of her fascination with the animals quickly as she became more down-to-earth. Less whimsical. Now, she knew Winter couldn't stand the menagerie, and just as Selene was starting to enjoy sitting and throwing sticks for the white wolf in the cage opposite the sad, empty one.

Enjoy it, for God's sake. The thought made Selene want to laugh. She'd never before been able to see past her mother's face in the walls and the cages. It was her mother's opulence and frivolity that had constructed this zoo and it was her Selene saw in every brick of the place. Thinking of Channary building this little lush world for Selene made her want to cry. Her mother's blind love and stupid monstrosity had become a warring paradox inside Selene. Her mother was so trusting. Too trusting.

But she had been trusting of her daughter, who had turned out even more of a monster than her. Selene had never tried to turn men into wolves. She had never infected an entire planet with a cruel disease. But she had murdered in cold blood the woman who did it. Not because she hated her mother's acts as queen, but because of horrible, horrible selfish reasons. Reasons that Selene couldn't confront to this day. Reasons that she could never look in the eye.

Ryu, the wolf, returned a stick over the edge of the cage confinement and waited for Selene to pick it up again. He'd become so domestic, and it hadn't taken long at all for him to become acclimated to Selene as he had to his new habitat. It was almost pathetic. Selene stared sullenly at him.

Footsteps echoed about the empty menagerie path, and Selene corrected her posture and unfolded her legs from underneath her bottom, sitting as a queen should. She watched rigidly, nerves flaring with paranoia and distrust, and relaxed a little when long white sleeves and bushy hair turned the corner.

"Oh, it's just you," Selene sighed and sent Winter recoiling in surprise. Selene slouched back against her bench and threw the stick for Ryu again, who leaped and ran for it.

"Selene," Winter said, drawing to a halt. "What are you doing in here? I thought you hated the menagerie."

Selene glanced at Winter out of the corner of her eye. "I thought you hated the menagerie."

Winter was silent for a few second, watching Ryu drop the stick back over the edge of the cage, and she bent down to pick it up. She sat down beside Selene. "You have to promise not to tell anyone." She glanced at Selene who, intrigued, held up a pinky.

Winter coiled her arm back and threw the stick over the enclosures fence, letting Ryu leap a solid three feet for it. "Father used to take me on walks here. He loved the animals. I was obsessed with them when we were small, of course, but he found a weird solace in just sitting and being with the beasts. I was too hyper to ever listen, and now I wish I had." She fell back against the back of the bench and listed her head. "I wish I understood him. Sometimes I come here and try."

Selene shifted her weight, sitting cross-legged on the bench. "My head thaumaturge, cavorting regularly with the animals of the menagerie? What a scandal. I'm glad you made me promise not to tell."

"Selene, you don't understand." Winter gazed up at the ceiling. "They still think you're a nepotist, and that I don't deserve this position. I'm trying to prove to them that I do. That I am skilled enough."

Selene glowered, flexing the steel of her hand and looking up at Winter. "Who's 'they'? Who says these things? I'd like to know."

Winter shifted uncomfortably."Well- they all talk. The other thaumaturges. And they think I don't care for them, and they don't care for me. And, well-" Winter sighed. "Look, I don't want to throw anyone under the bus. What about you? What are you doing here?"

Selene didn't like the change of subject, but Winter looked more uncomfortable than she'd seen her in a long time. "I just always avoided this place because Channary built it, you know. It's not really tangible, but every time I'm here- it's like I can feel her. And it..." Selene almost choked on her words, and turned her face away. "It eats little bits of me away. Not just this place. Mother."

Winter reached out and took Selene's hand. Selene stared at it in surprise.

"You did what you had to do, Selene." Winter's voice was soft. Nothing like the voice she used as a thaumaturge, a cold tempest.

Selene lowered her eyes. "But did I?"

"Your mother did more harm than good to Luna. She was a reproachable queen."

Selene glanced up at Winter. "That's what I tell myself every day," she whispered, her words quiet and solemn, surrounded by the faint caws of birds and footsteps of beasts, "but that's not why I killed her. And now I'm becoming just as bad."

Winter furrowed her brow, squeezing Selene's hand. "Selene?"

Selene took a deep breath. "Do you know who my father is, Winter?"

The other girl shook her head slowly.

"You wouldn't," Selene murmured, looking away and shutting her eyes tight against that feeling again. Eyes on her. Eyes everywhere. "You know, this is a bad idea."

Selene squeezed Winter's hand once before releasing it, drawing herself to her feet. "I'm going to bed," Selene said, smoothing out her wrinkled skirts. "Please tell them to excuse me at dinner."

Winter was silent, stunned, behind Selene as she walked away. Winter remained on the bench long after Selene had left the menagerie. She called out her name once, as if she could bring her friend back with a single word, as if it could fix Selene from whatever was ailing her. Whatever she refused to tell Winter. Whatever had changed Selene on Earth, made her never look Winter in the eye, made her flighty and harder to predict than she'd ever been before.

Winter wanted to do something, but her mind was blanker than a slate as she bunched up her robe in her fists and released it repeatedly. She was supposed to know what to do, wasn't she? In times like this? Whatever happened, she knew that she would never forgive herself if something, anything, happened to Selene.

•

Selene walked slowly at first, her slippered footsteps soft on the marble and wood floors. But the farther she drew from the main palace, the faster she walked, her dress swishing obnoxiously and a headache boring into her skull, leaving nothing but a dread in her chest. A dread that could not go away. Selene glanced behind her. She stumbled over her own feet. She ran into a pillar, and then she ran.

Selene could not explain it if she tried. She could not explain the cold sweat, the paranoia, her senses overloaded, her brain being drained of colour. She could only feel the panic as she ran, trying to find safety, trying to ignore the footsteps she could hear behind her. Trying to push Levana's triumphant face out of her mind. Trying to make sense of the blur.

In what seemed like a lifetime, Selene ran into her chambers and slammed the door behind her, sliding down it against the wall, and breathing slowly as her pumping blood returned to normal, and the panic drained out of her senses. She kicked her shoes across the room and closed her eyes.

She was being watched in the menagerie. She was sure of it. It wasn't Winter, and it wasn't the cameras. She was being listened to. She was being observed. She knew it. She could feel it boring into her head. She could feel it in an itch on her shoulder, on her ear. A tingling at the tips of her bones. Selene's breathing returned to something steady and her heartbeat slowed, and she slowed herself down. She was in her chambers. Anything would try to hurt her in here, she could control it. She always could.

A knock echoed against her door and reverberated through her body. Selene's eyes flew open and she tensed like a spring ready to pounce.

"Go away," she called, clutching her hands in fists. "Go away."

There was silence, and then another knock. "Selene?" came a familiar voice, muffled from behind the door and laced with concern and sweetness. Selene used the doorknob to lever herself to her bare feet, and then cracked open the door.

"Winter-" Selene started, annoyed and shaken, before the door was slammed open and Selene stumbled away from it, her eyes widening. The image of Winter flickered before her and shattered as Bement stepped in and shut the door behind her with her foot, grabbing Selene's arm. Her nails dug into Selene's tanned skin, and her smile was curled and wicked. How, oh how, could Selene have been so stupid?

"My illustrious queen," Bement said, spitting out the words as if she hated the sound of them, "do you need anything? Anything at all?"

It was then that she plunged a syringe into Selene's arm.

Selene shrieked and tried to pry Bement's fingers from her skin as she pressed the contents of the syringe into Selene's bloodstream, the needle cold and hostile as she tried to pull it out. She made a desperate grab for Bement's mind, but found herself locked out. A familiar presence was already lounging among Bement's thoughts and intentions, doing nothing but occupy. Consume. Keep Selene out.

Bement ripped the syringe from Selene's arm and let her collapse to the ground, clawing at the carpet in panic as her thaumaturge stepped over to her and leaned down next to her. Selene's vision turned murky white and her breathing became laboured. She gasped for breath, for a heartbeat, and Bement's face came into her view. Selene felt Levana's presence in her mind. The worst part? Levana did nothing. This was all Bement.

"You're not looking very well, my Queen. Might I get you a cold compress? A cup of tea?" Bement cooed before drawing herself to her feet and backing away, slow at first, then quicker. Out the room, shutting the door tight behind her. Selene curled her nails into the carpet and began to sob as pain washed over her mind, slowly at first, and then intensely, as if it were years of pent-up torture awaiting her. She curled up into a ball and cried out, her arms going numb and her cheeks going raw with tears. Her eyes were murky and drowning in their own tears, her body coursing with pain. With every single function slowly being given over to her head.

But suddenly, the pain stopped.

And that's when the walls began to bleed.