True Reconciliation

"I want my life!" Elle shrieked madly, digging the knife a bit deeper into Carmilla's neck. "She took it from me! She stole everything from me! My life! My world! My family! My faith! My hope! My joy! My chance to be free and to be somebody! She took all of it without remorse and now you expect me to forgive her? Look! She killed 100s of girls and has found a happy end with you while I and them have rotted away in a Hell we didn't deserve for decades! How can you possibly agree with it!?"

"We don't, Elle, we don't," Laura spoke gently, using a totally different tone than Elle had. "We don't think it's fair but that's why we're here. We came for true reconciliation," she said, taking a step closer to Carmilla. Despite her calm outward appearance, the fear for Carmilla was clear when one looked into her brown eyes. "We came here to set you free. All of you!"

"True reconciliation ?! No you didn't! We all know that's a total farce! A LIE!" Elle roared. "You only came here to save Carmilla! You came here to save yourself! If this revamping hadn't happened, would you have come at all?" the ghost demanded in a fury. The question was directed at both Laura and Carmilla, but neither had an answer. Elle gave a twisted cry of triumph. "You call yourselves heroes and claim that you have come to set us free! But even if these other foolish girls believe you, I don't! I see the truth! I know you came only for yourselves. Oh Carmilla, you are still as selfish as you ever were! But no more! Your reign of terror must end!"

Elle thrust the knife forward, but just a hair before the blade did more than nick to the ex-vampire's exposed neck, an arrow shot Elle's shoulder. While the ghost girl collapsed to ground in shock and pain, Carmilla pushed forward and fell into the relieved arms of Laura.

"That's enough of that," the shooter grunted. It was Mel, a dark grin on her face as she lowered her crossbow. Elle looked at her in outraged disbelief. "Oh come on!" Mel sneered. "Did you really think we'd let you kill lady McFangs? No. I may not like her either, but I dislike you even more. You want your life back, we get it. But life isn't all about you and sometimes you lose things you just can't get back and even if it's not your fault, you have to get over it."

"Isn't all about me?! Can't get back?! Get over it?!" Elle was livid, getting louder with every word despite the arrow sticking from her shoulder. "Of course it's not all about me! If it was, I'd be free by now! And yes I can get it back! Carmilla pays my fee the same way I paid hers! She traded my life for hers! It's only fair that she returns the favor! And I am absolutely not going to get over it! You didn't just get over Carmilla revamping!"

"Listen! Elle! Please!" Laura interjected before Mel could reply.

"No! Not you! You had the chance to go, but you sacrificed it! You have everything I so desperately want and you just threw it away!" Elle wailed. "No more! I will not listen to you ever again! You've already had your chance but you've used it up!"

"No! No! NO! Just stop it! Stop for five seconds and think!" Laura screamed over Elle. "Carmilla is here now! She's the sacrificial ceremony! You have her right where you want her! She's trying for true reconciliation What are you so mad about?! You won!"

Laura was so loud the whole room silenced and even Elle looked humbled by her pure rage and ferocity.

"I see that," the ghost girl said, voice far softer and more composed now. "But if she goes through with this ceremony, I lose my life," she paused to look longingly at the glowing green brooch. "I want to live first and she hasn't paid enough yet. If this ceremony happens, that life will be gone and I will too," she said. For a moment, the others could see the frightened child that Elle truly was. As evil as she had been, every action she made was out of fear and a desire for something that was technically owed to her and had genuinely been stolen from her.