Figment, Part 7

Normality Can't Get More Normal Than In A Library

Or : Stampy Stampy

By Hedonism

Synopsis : Rebecca has kept her best friend with her since childhood, despite knowing full well that this friend is just an imaginary one she never had the heart to forget with maturity. Putting up with this minor psychological trait, she got on with life. Until she was attacked by two vicious gangs, and the friend she knew damn well was just made up turned out to be quite real, and capable of giving her ass-kicking transformation powers.

Her part time job as saviour complete, Rebecca rescues one final thing, her clothes from the car park, and clocks in for her more mundane career as a Library Assistant.

* * * * * * * * * *

Rebecca was in no mood for starting her shift. Physically, she felt the same as she did three hours ago. But her mind was all over the place. Now she knew what people looked like when they were dead. She had walked through a burning building, waded through fire and smoke, and nearly died at the throat of a monster.

: I'm should have called in sick, Figment, : she imagined saying to her friend. Talking to Figment was as easy as thinking. Indeed it was pretty much the same thing. She made her thoughts sound appropriately weary.

: But she gave you a lift in this morning. There's not much you can go down with between then and now. :

: Nasty case of world weariness? :

Rebecca sloped through the main doors. , and Magpie looked up immediately. Predictably, she motioned the girl over. Oddly, she had a slight smile. Maybe she had some nasty punishment planned. It's amazing what you can inflict with library-type, boring jobs that _had_ to be done sooner or later.

"You're two hours late, Bruce! Ahhh… I mean, Rebecca. What happened?"

Characteristically, Sarah fragrantly ignored the 'Silence' Library rule. Only the newcomers bothered to look around.

"Sorry, Sarah," said Rebecca quietly. "Family thing."

Magpie was grinning at a private joke that seemed to be screaming to become public.

"Okay, Clark… Rebecca… Look, this… family thing… can we chat about it, in the back?"

"Ahhh…"

Even with Figment's help, she doubted she'd be able to concoct a good enough covering story. Magpie was smart and savvy.

Sarah got Isha the other assistant to take over the counter and they withdrew into the tea room. Magpie played with the stamper, a shiny one. Anything silvery had an almost magical property in the woman's presence, ending up sooner or later in her grasp or her handbag. Rebecca imagined the woman had a giant nest at home populated by all manner of shinys. Given the woman's possible insanity, this was a serious thought.

"Rebs… I dropped you off in a pretty bad part of town. Is there something you want to tell me?"

: Uh ohh. :

: It's okay, she can't possibly know! :

"I don't get what you mean."

"You weren't there to… buy anything?"

: Phew. :

"What? You mean drugs or something?"

You couldn't help Magpie for worrying about that. She had once told Rebs that her parents blamed their child's odd behaviour and kleptomania on a coke habit. Magpie's defence was, why would she want to be on that stuff? She was a bird!

"Yeah."

"Of course not!"

Sarah sighed. She put down the stamper.

"That's okay. I believe you. But only because I saw you metamorphose into a scaly monster and get busy on something big and furry."

The line sounded quite practiced. Sarah wasn't the sort to use metamorphose in any sentence.

Rebecca laughed, though not under her own control. She was too shocked, so Hedonism had to take over her body and cover things. "Now who's on drugs?" she giggled. She had Figment's hissy accent.

Magpie chortled in a good-natured fashion, even as she said, "I stopped the car as you left. I really was worried about what you were up to. So I followed you into the car park."

"But I scanned…"

Figment shut up quickly and swapped back to talking in her mind only. Too damn late again, thought Rebecca.

: You've managed it for years. Will you _stay_ in my bloody mind?! :

: I scanned the place! I'd have found her! :

Rebecca regained control of her mouth.

"I don't get what you're talking about! I went straight home!"

Sarah shrugged.

"It's not like I don't believe what I saw, and I ain't taping this chat, so you may as well come clean. I saw you change and take on that thing, Critter Man. I hid in a car so you wouldn't see or hear me. Lucky for me you didn't take the fight near where I was hidden."

"What are you talking about!?" screamed Rebecca. She knew she had put too much emotion in her voice, it sounded too shrill to be genuine.

: I can't get make her forget. It's too deeply buried, her willpower's too strong! :

"So what I need to know now, Rebecca, is this: Are you one of those people that say," then she smiled grimly and put on a hissing sound that was uncannily like Hedonism's sibilation. "'Now you know my secret, you must die!'"

"I still don't know what you're - "

"Rebecca!" she shouted, her face and tone now angry and anxious. "I want to know if you're going to kill me!"

Rebecca fell silent. So did her phantom voice.

"No… I'm not going to kill you."

"Of course not!" she said again, sibilating lightly due to these words coming from Figment.

Magpie smiled again and wiped her forehead.

"I hoped so. Look, I don't care that you're this lizard woman thing. You're okay, and you're my friend. I would've pretended I didn't even know! But… I need something…"

Rebecca stayed silent. Figment groaned as if she knew what the punchline was.

"What do you need?"

"You can transform yourself… I'm a magpie, I don't care what anyone says. But I'm shaped like a human. I need that changed. I need you to change that. I need you to change me."

By Hedonism