Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunnies are a Lie

[Dollface]

    “FuckmyLIFE.”

    The mashed words leaves  Kelli in a pained grunt as she stumbles from the mirror, the satisfaction at being able to properly swear lost in the numb haze enveloping her mind. The fun marshmallow transition between realms had instead felt as though she were fighting her way through a thorny hedge, prickling and scratching. Staggering to her bed and dropping onto its edge, she drops her head into her hands, struggling to make sense of the epic level mindfuckery that had just transpired.

    “It hurts.”

    Cringing over her crossed knees, she holds her middle against the knifing emotional pain. The swirling reality shift from her previous understanding to the revelations mere moments before leaving her dizzy with confusion.

    Nathan had a brother. Kind of. A twin he absorbed, which isn’t that unusual. But a soul… the soul stayed inside him? How - okay, how doesn’t matter. The sheer amount of weird shit I’ve seen should make anything believable.

    “I can’t believe he…”

    He did it. He started a revolution that caused the Reign of Terror, about 40k died. 40k is awesome if it’s Warhammer, people dying not really so much. But he - he made his brother do it. He knew, he KNEW! HOW COULD HE DO THIS, HE KNEW!

Hands instinctively rising to either side of her head, clawed fingers tangling in her pink curls. Her nails dig into her scalp, clutching herself to contain the scream of heartbreak for the soul a long-forgotten child.

    “...Why?”

    I could ask them, but I can’t. I can’t right now. His brother. He knew it was his brother, and he did this. Now he has a body, and I - dude. The fuck do I do with this? How do I feel this? He denied his brother, a soul he knew was his brother, every positive thing. He made his brother watch as a powerless bystander while he enjoyed everything life has to offer. All the love. A picnic on a sunny day. Giggling. Tickle fights. Videogames. Hugs. Kisses. Making love… nothing. He doesn’t know anything about joy. Nathan did this. He did all of this.

    “He lied to me. He lied to me again. He promised… and he lied.”

    A surge of emotional pain threatening to tear her own soul asunder, Kelli slams her eyes shut and squares her shoulders rather than collapsing in agony. A subliminal vibration quickly builds to an audible hum, a rose gold aura caressing over Kelli’s skin. The effects dissipate and she opens her eyes, no less haunted despite the mental portcullis now in place. Glassy eyes travel around her room, her vacant stare fixating on a small pink camcorder. The glass sharpens, the watery lucidity of pained, feverish eyes focusing with intent. Rising, her arms fall to her sides, two steps bringing her to the vanity table.

    Face too pale, eyes too sunken… I feel like I’m on the wrong side of the mirror.

    Quietly considering this as a genuine possibility, she nevertheless picks up an Urban Decay palette full of shimmering brights. Dabbing a brush in with a practiced hand, she closes one eye to begin her repairs. Twenty-five minutes and eight products later, an artfully painted Dollface sets the camera on a tripod, pointing it towards the lounge area of her room.

    A wry smirk in place, Kelli swipes the app in her phone to activate the bluetooth camcorder. Her eyes a deep forest green, she winks coquettishly.

    “I know what you’re thinking - I’m up against Grimm! For the #1 contendership of the World title! This is a big deal, I shouldn’t be here chatting, I should be training! Well, you know me… can’t disappoint my public!”

    She crosses her arms across her middle, shaking her head sadly.

    “Lemme be honest with you guys - I’m havin’ a bad one. I don’t mean like a bad day where you stub your toe, dump hot coffee all over your crotch, and take a header into your fireplace. Which is on.”

    She lifts her head and grins brightly at the camera, the genuine joy she radiates dismayingly absent.

    “No, I mean a really bad day. The kind that starts out kind of crap, then more crap happens, then MORE crap happens, and just when you think something really bothering you and totally fucking up your sex life is about to be resolved, it turns into a pile of crap with the face of Jabba the Hutt.”

    One huge inhale later, she continues.

    “Okay, so. Grimm’s episode of Masterpiece Theater didn’t fucking help. Taking everything I love about myself, turning it into a joke. An object lesson triple dipped in pretentious allegory. I get it, okay, I ain’t exactly the poster child for sobriety, responsibility, or giveafuckability.”

    The smile hardens.

    “But I’ll tell you who the fuck I am. I’m Dollface, otherwise known as Kelli Bad-Bitch Starr, and I’m gonna rock the fuckin’ house. I’m not gonna stand here and try to convince you that Grimm can’t beat me. I’m not gonna stand here and venerate him, either. We all know he’s a competitor of legend in PCW. We all know he helped strong arm the fed for a little over a year as the Black Hand with - with Sadistic.”

    As though the mention of Billy Sadistic were enough to spur her into motion, she paces in front of the camera with tight, tense movements.

    “We all know what Grimm can do. Yeah, I’ve beaten him, but he’s kinda right… a lot of it comes down to luck. Being in the right place at the right time, and whooping ass while you’re there coz otherwise you kinda can’t win. Well, not unless you’re up against Buck Brochamp.”

    She perches on the edge of the chair, one long, shapely leg crossing over the other.

    “If Grimm wants that World Championship belt, again, he’s gonna have to fight for it just like everyone else. He’s won it a number of times that’s either record in PCW or will be soon. I haven’t won it yet, but I can tell you what I’ve won: literally everything the fuck else PCW offers. I’ve held the Genesis, Underground, North American, International, and held the Tag Team belts as Psychedelica from their reactivation to they were retired again.”

    A thoughtful look crosses her face, gleaming white teeth tugging at her Dan Fierce fuschia lip.

    “That’s a pretty respectable portfolio, you know. I mean, not the most impressive PCW has ever seen, but pretty good. Not to mention I’m the first chick to amass that many belts, and if I win the World… well. There’s your answer. You wanna know why I stomped my way back up to the World title picture?”

    She leans in, grin back in place, a wild sort of cheerful on her face.

    “Gotta collect ‘em all, baby.”