After an hour, Emily peered very quietly into Lily's room, looking at her in bed. She expected to see her open her eyes at any moment, but it seemed she was peacefully asleep.

It was now or never.

Emily thought about it too much during that hour she was waiting for. She had the opportunity to repent, step back, just run away, and never return. But she couldn't live knowing that girl was still loose somewhere, knowing that no matter how far she went, no matter how safe she felt, she could never really put enough distance and walls between them to effectively keep her away. It was an extreme situation, and that merited an extreme measure.

The social worker took from her vehicle the gasoline she had got to burn the body. She grabbed the handle of Lily's door with a thick rope, tying it tightly to a pillar to prevent it from opening. Also, she placed a chair, a table, and everything she found, in front of the door to create another barricade, but now to prevent it from coming out. Perhaps she could enter wherever she went with her demonic powers or whatever they were, but we would see if she was able to leave as well.

She feared that the noise would end by waking her, but in all that time, everything remained silent; the pills had taken effect. She then began to spray the gasoline throughout the house, placing the main emphasis on the door and the barricade in front of it. She dipped the hall, the walls, and the floor, everything for which the gallon reached. The construction was somewhat old, mostly of wood as they were almost no longer made. Just a little and it would surely burn like a beautiful hell that would make that thing feel like home.

Once the gas ran out, and without the slightest remorse, Emily lit a match and dropped it on the dark trail she had left on the ground. The fuel ignited in a blink of an eye, covering almost immediately all the areas moistened with it, and causing a beautiful bonfire to form in front of Lily's door.

She walked then into the living room and sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened. The flames gradually began to spread, so for anyone, it would not be an appropriate time to stop and meditate on her possibilities, but she did so. And really, what were the options? She was seriously considering staying there and perishing along with the entire house. One way or another that would be the end of everything: her career, her life, her freedom. All the children she had helped, all the families she had protected, all the hard work she had done to pursue her mission... all that would be overshadowed by that act, which however heroic it might sound in her head, the other people would be unable to understand. It would be just another madwoman who had lost her mind, and had dragged an innocent girl into that madness; that is why she would be remembered, and that would be what they would put in their epitaph. By staying there, at least there would be no more questioning, more problems, or the uncomfortable and strenuous need to deal with all that. Everything would end quickly and clean. And if there were a heaven, possibly there they would receive she well. They would even give her a medal, or wings, or whatever they gave to people who sacrificed for doing good.

But then she turned a little to her sense and looked at her big fishbowl and the only dark-colored fish that still swam in it, ignorant of the large flames that surrounded him. Fred, a small gift from Doug, and the single fish she had left to occupy that ample space. She promised herself many times to buy him new friends, but she never did it; she always let it pass. Would it be absurd to want to leave that place just for a fish? Maybe... but it was at least one last living being she could save, before falling into the abyss of being a crazy kid's killer.

Emily took Fred in a smaller fishbowl and left the house before it was impossible to do. She barely placed her feet on the sidewalk, when she heard the painful creak behind her, and the sound of windows breaking through the heat. She advanced a little more, and then stopped in the middle of the street to see how her beloved house, to which she had deposited so much love and dreams, was consumed.

Their neighbors did not take long to see what was happening, and the firemen and the police joined them shortly after. Even with all the commotion, she still didn't move from her place, watching the flames move on to almost completely cover the building. A fireman approached her, and she could see far away that he was speaking to her, but she was unable to understand anything that came from his lips. It was clearer to hear the sound of the creaking wood, and the sirens of the firemen and police officers echoing in the background, than the words of that man in a yellow suit.

"Ma'am, is anyone else inside? Yes or no?" The firefighter repeated, perhaps for the sixth time, and only until then Emily reacted and turned to see him. And when she turned around... there she saw her, among the crowd, a few steps away from her. It was Lily, in a red coat, looking with a smile at the house burning.

Emily's breath cut, and she almost dropped Fred's fishbowl. She said nothing, nor reacted in any way, even when Lily turned to see her back. The fireman moved away, perhaps to support his companions, and at that moment Lily walked calmly towards her, with her hands inside the coat's pockets. She got closer and closer, and with each step, it became more and more real.

"That was mean..." the kid murmured playfully as she passed in front of her, and then stood by her side, holding her hand to watch the show together. Emily, however, totally lost track of time, space, or herself for all the minutes, and later hours, that followed.

How was that possible? She had seen her drinking the tea, had seen her lying on the bed, and had felt her forehead when she kissed her for a good night. She had seen her asleep an hour later, had locked her in the room, and had even stayed there almost until the end. How had that happened? How did she come out and without any scratch?

It took time, but then she understood: she couldn't believe in anything she saw, heard, or felt while she was present. Maybe Lily was never in the room; she never drank the tea or even never was inside the house. She never threw her files on the floor, placed those pictures, maybe Wayne didn't call her, and she never turned on the television or made popcorns. Maybe all that time the girl was just out there, standing watching the house, laughing at her, and enjoying how she made her crazier. Emily could have passed in front of her with the gallon of gasoline in her hand, and not see a single hair of her.

There was no way to know what was real and what wasn't, no more. The reality was what Lily wanted it to be, and no more...

- - - -

Emily entrusted Fred to a little girl who lived in two houses of her own, and who had always insisted that she should give it to her when her mother sometimes left her in her care. Lily never liked Fred anyway and hoped that at least she wouldn't do anything to him if she did that.

It was early in the morning when firefighters extinguished the fire. The police took their testimony, one that was quite brief and not much informative. Even so, and although they indirectly suggested that they suspected that someone had caused the fire, she did not detect any indication that they thought it was her. Would Lily have something to do with it? Did she make them see or notice anything that would guarantee they didn't suspect her? And if so, why do it? What interest may she had in her not being arrested? Wasn't she done with her yet? Did she still want to continue torturing her a little more?

It was already impossible for her to distinguish who around her was being manipulated by Lily, and who not.

In the end, the police asked Emily and Lily to wait in the car. They were there alone for half an hour, and although occasionally Lily mentioned something to start a talk, none directly related to what had just happened, Emily never answered, not even half a word. An officer approached them after that half-hour and stood right next to Emily's window. She wished that he asked her to get out of the car, put her hands behind her back, and tell her the classic Miranda Warning while he handcuffs her hands. Just like movies: "Emily Jenkins, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. Have the rights previously mentioned been clear to you? "

"Yes official, stupidly clear. Just get me away from that girl, for whatever you want..."

However, that small and harmless desire was not granted.

"You follow us downtown to the station," the officer said in a friendly tone. "We'll find someplace for you to stay, don't worry."

Emily didn't answer anything, despite having heard it very well. She was still, with her hands fixed on the steering wheel, and staring straight ahead.

"Miss? You okay?" The officer spoke to her again, but Emily was still staring straight ahead, blank. Lily looked at her, confused, from the passenger seat.

The cop was going to speak to her again, but Emily managed to react earlier than that.

"I'm fine," she muttered abruptly. "Thanks, officer."

The policeman returned to his patrol and started the march. Emily drove behind them, almost automatically, totally gone.

That was all, right? That had been the purpose of all that, wasn't it? Show her how useless it was even thinking about doing something against that monster; show her that she would always be one step ahead. There was nothing left but to surrender, to become another living zombie-like, just as the Sullivan's, to survive day after day waiting for the moment when she would no longer be useful or fun, like an old toy. She will be longing for even a second in which the kid got distracted enough, so she could stab her neck from behind; a second that could never come.

"Maybe we can find a hotel with a swimming pool," Lily commented once they were already on the highway. She looked out the window thoughtfully. When she received no response from the driver, she turned to see her again. "Don't be scared, Emily. My mother said that when God closes a door, He opens a window."

God? Was she really talking about God...?

"I already told you, remember? This is a new opportunity to start over. A better life, in a better place. Maybe in Miami."

And then Emily remembered the adoptive family, the one with whom Nancy planned to take her that Friday. What would happen, then? Would she no longer be necessary? Would she go and leave her alone? Or did she plan to stay with her for longer? And if it was that last... what did she plan to do to achieve such a thing?

A new conviction invaded her. She still couldn't give up; there was still one last opportunity.

Emily quickly turned the steering wheel, abruptly taking an exit, and completely deviating from the police patrols' route.

"Where are we going?" Asked Lily, surprised.

"You said I should surprise you," Emily replied sharply without taking her eyes off the road.

Lily smiled calmly, staring at her from her seat.

"I know what you're thinking, but it won't work. So it would be better to go to the station as those kind cops requested you."

Emily did not answer.

Lily then raised her feet to the seat and hugged her legs against her while still looking at her.

"She hated herself, and she hated you," Lily snapped suddenly, and that made a fissure in Emily's armor. "They said it was an accident, but you knew it wasn't. That's why you never had any kids of your own."

Emily turned suddenly to her, stunned by what she heard. The kid smiled satisfied.

"That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? That part of you that's her; that is like your mother. Are you going to do the same thing she did to you?"

How did she know she was thinking about her mother? How did she know what happened at that time? Did she investigate it? Did she find out? Or had just read her mind?

"What are you?" Emily questioned with horror. Lily simply smiled even more, and looked out the window again, but then Emily slammed on the accelerator, causing the car to quicken in a second. The girl's body stuck for a moment against her seat.

"Slow down," Lily whispered, more like an order than a suggestion.

"What the hell are you?!"

"You're upset, you shouldn't be driving in that state."

Upset? She was going to show her how upset she was. She stepped the accelerator deeper and began to zigzag fiercely, dodging the vehicles. Lily's eyes widened in amazement, though not too much.

"Is this how you want things to be?" the kid whispered with notorious tranquility. A sudden rain began to fall; Emily was so distracted that she didn't even wonder if the sky was cloudy or not, she only activated windshield wipers so she could see on her way. "As you want. Apparently, you're more like her than you thought..."

That single mention caused Emily to divert her attention a second from the road to the passenger seat... which was completely empty.

"What?" She murmured stunned. Where had she gone? Or... Maybe she was never there? No, yes, she was. She was playing with her mind again, confusing her with...

"Mom!" Emily heard a voice scream loudly, the voice of a girl, but it wasn't Lily's. It came from the back seat of the vehicle. "Mom, slow down! You're scaring me. Go slowly, please!"

She glanced through the rearview mirror towards the back of the vehicle... and what he saw froze her blood. There was a girl with a round face and long blond hair, looking dead in fear to front, with her eyes on the edge of tears. She recognized that girl, knew who she was. She was herself, sitting in the back seat of her mother's vehicle, while she was behind the wheel. And when she turned the mirror to her, she saw her mother's eyes, loaded with makeup and the same carelessness, looking at her through the reflection.

The memory was materializing before her. That day, when her mother completely lost control and began driving as deranged by a highway quite similar to that. She didn't care if Emily was in the backseat: she wanted to die. And now there she was repeating the same act.

The idea paralyzed her for a few seconds. She kept driving as she could, until a truck appeared on the road, a big truck with the lights on, lighting up their faces. Everything was like that day. She could remember it in great detail. The lights approaching, the sound of the truck's horn warning of the impending head-on crash, the sound of rain hitting the windows, and the lost and exorbitant look of her mother, fixed on the target, heading straight to it. Only until the last moment, at an instant of colliding, a small flash of lucidity made her mother turn the steering wheel violently and get them out of reach. They didn't hit the truck but against the retaining wall. The front of the car shattered, the airbags exploded, and Emily felt her small body shake in the inside of the vehicle. She had to wear a collar for several weeks, longer than the time she was on her mother's side after that.

Would she do the same? Would she divert at the last minute to dodge the truck? Or would she go straight against it, hoping the crash was enough to kill the creature that accompanied her on board?

"Stop, mom!" Yelled her young version in the backseat.

"It's not real," she told herself softly.

"Yes, it is! Mom!"

"Is not true! It's not real!"

No deviations, no dodging, and no crashes. Emily wouldn't let that demon manipulate her mind any longer. She wouldn't let her make her doubt what was real and what wasn't. She had control of her mind, not she.

Emily treaded thoroughly and headed straight against the truck. In her subconscious, she could hear the metal creak, accompanied by her own bones breaking apart. But neither happened; an instant after the truck lights completely dazzled her, they went through it as placidly as a cloud of smoke, and then it vanished. Not only the truck left, but also the rain; their wipers were moving from one side to another at a constant pace, but they didn't clean anything, because their windshield was totally dry.

Her first reaction was to laugh; it wasn't for relief or for fun, or any emotion that Emily could name at that time. She slowed down the speed a bit and automatically turned off the cleaners to stop moving. Only then did she look back at the seat to her right; Lily was back, or instead never gone. And perhaps for the first time since she met her, she managed to see a real emotion on the kid's face, something that could not be faked, not at that level: terror. Lilith Sullivan was terrified, like a small and helpless girl.

"Are you scared now?" The social worker questioned her, with power in her tone. Lily turned to see her without escaping her condition. "Because I'm not..."

Again, a violent turn of the steering wheel which caused Lily to shake in her seat. Emily stepped on the accelerator once more, and when she thought about it, they had already hit a mesh fence, knocking it down by the impact. They had entered in a dock area on the banks of the Willamette River, the same Willamette River to which she now headed straight and in a tailspin.

"Wait!" Lily yelled, feeling desperate. "Things are not as you think!"

"I don't want to hear anything from you!"

"My parents didn't know what they were saying! I am not a monster or a demon! I'm just a girl! A girl different from the others!"

"Shut up!"

"Don't make a madness like your mother do!"

"I said, shut up!"

"Emily!"

Lily released her seat belt and closed her eyes tightly; that was the last thing Emily saw from her from the corner of her eye, before the vehicle flew through the air for a few seconds, and then rushed into the cold water of the river. The impact against the water was abrupt. Both shook and slammed their heads against the board. Emily was stunned, but in all her confusion, she seemed to see that Lily had been unconscious. The car slowly descended, and the water began to seep into the interior. Maybe she still had a chance.

Emily quickly let go of her seat belt and immediately got out of the vehicle. At that moment, however, she felt Lily's hand take her tightly between her fingers. The girl slowly separated her face from the glove compartment and turned to see her with a look full of evil, and a confident smile. She had a deep cut on his forehead, and from it, a thread of blood gushed down her face.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," Emily murmured harshly.

"That doesn't matter," Lily replied in turn with a cold tone.

Both began to struggle, and the vehicle swayed from side to side along with their movements. Emily managed to break free of Lily's grip, and then she took her, and with almost superhuman strength that she wasn't even aware she possessed, pushed her toward the back of the vehicle, where the water had leaked the most. She took Lily hard and dipped her with both hands under the water. Lily kicked and shouted, a heartbreaking shriek that once again didn't hear human.

Suddenly, from the water emerged a long arm, thick and white skin, with sharp claws on the fingers, which managed to tear her face. Emily could feel her hands still holding Lily's body underwater, but among all the hustle and bustle she no longer saw her, but the huge body of a white being, with deep black eyes, sharp fangs, no hair or any other easy feature that it could even pretend was a human being.

"It's not real... it's not real..." She repeated herself while still keeping her submerged, despite all her fight.

When the car was almost full of water, she had to release it, and as she could return to her seat and open her door a second before her head was submerged. Emily rushed out of the vehicle and swam with all the forces that still remained to the surface. It was perhaps the most challenging thing she had done in her life, physically speaking. She felt like a force was pulling her down and that her body was not advancing a bit. Her air was running out, but she could see the sunlight, already in those moments outside, seeping through the surface. Emily kept waving her legs and hands, rising while her old vehicle continued to sink, with that horrifying creature inside.

In the last part of her road to the surface, she believed that she would not succeed. That she would run out of energy, faint, and would descend to the bottom of the river as well. And maybe that wouldn't have been so bad. Wasn't she willing to die a few hours ago? Wasn't she prepared to burn herself in her own house? Maybe... But anyway she would make one last attempt, one final push, one last effort; and this one paid off. When her head came out of the water, she took a deep breath, as if it were the first time she did it in her life. She coughed hard, and with both hands removed the wet hair from her face. Then she hurried to the shore and climbing an old somewhat faded staircase.

She was frozen and extremely exhausted. When she reached the end of the stairs, she had to sit on the ground, resisting her impulse to simply throw herself right there. As she could, turned to the water again, watching several bubbles formed on the surface, surely created by the interior air of the vehicle. She stared at these bubbles, waiting at any moment to see Lily emerge, or that demonic creature she had transformed into. But neither happened; the bubbles subsided, and the water stayed once again, calm.

Emily laughed once more; now, it was for relief and happiness. She had won... and just then she was able to believe such a thing. Her breathing and her heartbeat were one thousand per hour. She wanted to cry, to laugh, maybe to run and kiss the first stranger she crossed with. She could hear the sirens approaching in the distance. Surely she would be arrested, or at least interrogated for all that. She would need a good lawyer, who at most could get her to be declared ill of her faculties, and sent to a psychiatric center, as well as the Sullivan's. But it didn't matter, it didn't matter anymore...

"What a nice happy ending," someone suddenly said behind her, leaving her totally petrified, and erasing her smile at once. Slowly, Emily turned and there she saw her, standing a couple of meters from her, completely dry, with her hands hidden in the pockets of her red coat, and a smile from ear to ear in her lips. "Too bad it's a complete lie..."

Any trace of reason, any hint of lucidity that had been left in Emily, became shattered entirely at that moment. She felt that everything around her was torn apart like a mirror, and floated around like thousands of pieces of glass, reflecting the space at different angles. She was not even able to pronounce any word. And, what would she have said in any case? Maybe drop a disbeliever "What?" a desperate "No!" Maybe?

It really didn't matter, it didn't matter anymore...

Emily felt suddenly how a large and strong hand took her right arm. A second was added, taking her from the left, and a third arm circled her neck. She was knocked down without being able to resist the slightest resistance, and her body hit the cold water again.

"No, no!" It was the only thing that was left to speak, but she could hardly hear it. She kicked and waved her arms, trying to stay on the surface, but those strong and long arms still held her, and then they added even more than took her from the legs, from the torso, from the face... she could feel their long fingers all over her body, and her claws tearing her clothes and skin.

With her gaze lost in the already distant shore, Emily managed to see how Lily advanced until she could look at her from above, again with that smile of false innocence.

"I really liked you, Emily," the girl began to murmur sadly, or at least something that tried to resemble it. Despite the distance, Emily could hear her clearly in her head. "You were different from my parents or the other adults I've met. I really thought we could both be happy; have everything we want and go anywhere, without anyone opposing us. And all you had to do was love me, like a real mother. But no, you had to listen to my father and try to be a heroine. And where did that bring you?"

A sharp mocking laugh escaped from her lips, and it echoed even after she fell silent.

"And now... you will sink."

Emily had no chance to pronounce or even think of any last word. All hands pulled her down, plunging her entirely into the water, and into complete and absolute darkness...

- - - -

While Emily's mind sank, a group of dockworkers managed to get Lily out of the vehicle, once it hit bottom. The little girl in a red coat was barely conscious; she managed to spit some water and cough, but then fainted, only occasionally opening her eyes. But Emily didn't react. Even when the paramedics arrived and treated her, they failed to make her give any signal of response. However, she was still alive.

They quickly put her on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and a thermal blanket to take away the cold. They did the same with Lily, although luckily she did respond when paramedics spoke to her. The girl managed to look around while they boarded her to the ambulance. The press and the police were already there. The reporters were interviewing the workers who had seen the "accident" and saved them. As it was possible, Lily turned her neck long enough to see the other ambulance, to which they climbed into the unconscious Emily.

The mask on his face might not allow to notice it at all, but she couldn't prevent smile at that moment.

"Bye-bye, Emily..." She murmured coarsely and tiredly. Then, she allowed herself to close her eyes and rest. She slept all the way to the hospital.

END OF CHAPTER 11

Author's Notes:

-This whole chapter was a summary of the film Case 39 of 2009, adding some personal interpretations and addition that modifies the original ending. For the purposes of this story, that film was happening parallel to the rest narrated so far (as Doug's call in Chapter 07 implied). The following chapters will continue from this point, so these could be considered as a direct sequel of the film, and several references about what happened in it will appear.

-Emily and Lily are the original protagonists of Case 39, without any change in their appearance, age, or personality.

-I believe this chapter encompasses the essential point about Case 39's plot. However, I still recommend, if possible, to keep an eye to the film, but it is not mandatory.