Velika: The story of a lover

She was slowly walking down the hall, sinking in her mind. The sun shone through the tiny slits of the bars that were guarding the windows, right on her left side, which casted shadow on her right side. What was this place all about? She had been here for a week, this was the most depressing institution she had ever been sent in for sure, regarding to the fact this was an asylum for the mentally unstable. But she knew there was something more, something dirty hidden by the snaky people who worked here like Aaron Carling, and she had no choice but to find out.

The dining room was full, she stood at the doorway trying to find a seat. Then she saw this woman sitting at the corner with a cigarette in her hand.

Before Velika O'Sullivan saw this woman, she would say Astoria Leontes was the most beautiful woman she ever knew. However, the woman sat at the corner was different, her beauty was beyond any word could describe. She had long, smooth, naturally curly light brown hair, pale skin life newly polished china, and a pair of ocean blue eyes. Her eyelashes were long and thick, everything about this woman was exquisite, like she came straight out from a painting. The thin lips of hers were colourless, like she had been sick for a long time. Velika O'Sullivan went to sat right in front of her.

"Can I have a cigarette?" Asked Velika O'Sullivan, took over the cigarette and the lighter from the woman, "I've never seen you before."

"Oh honey," Said the woman with a smile, an enchanting smile yet with slight sarcasm, she had this husky voice but didn't deduct any of her charms, "I've been here for a long time. I just don't usually come out of my room during busy hours."

"That's fair." Said Velika O'Sullivan, she had instant good feelings about this woman, and she knew this woman was carrying lots of secrets with her, "I'm Logan Klein."

"Juliette," Said woman, exhaled the cloud, "Juliette Leveque."

Velika O'Sullivan swore she had heard of this name before, this was one of those names got mentioned so many times yet you had to try to search up in your memory to figure out who was the owner of it. Juliette Leveque was not someone who associated with Natural, yet tightly associated the people connect to Natural, or any other organizations involved in this circle. She was not an agent of any kind, but probably knew more secrets than Velika O'Sullivan ever did.

Suddenly she realized who Juliette Leveque was. She was, in the easiest way to phrase it, a high-end prostitute. Not only because she had extraordinary features, but also because she was intelligent. She enjoyed reading classics and played very well piano, and that was how she attracted men from all careers, mostly artists and musicians. Also, she was an acquaintance of many of those who had connection with Natural, and this was how Velika O'Sullivan heard her name. Velika O'Sullivan didn't know how she was immune from being killed even she was in intimate relations with many of those who were trying to get rid of each other. Perhaps because she knew too many of them, and all those men decided to protect her from each other.

Juliette Leveque was far from ordinary, she was someone special.

"The lady of the camellias." Murmured Velika O'Sullivan, she then looked up at Juliette Leveque, "You are the lady of the camellias."

"They gave me this name because I'm French," Said Juliette Leveque with a gaunt smile, who lit up another smoke, "And I am, or I was a prostitute, and I'm dying too."

"What sent you here?" Asked Velika O'Sullivan, she was more than curious about the legendary woman sitting in front of her, wanting to know more about her life, or anything about her in general.

"I sent myself here," She answered, let her cigarette burning out, "I'm tired of the outside world, staying in the centre of social network. I can't live long anyways, I have chronic lung problems and I do not want to seek for help, in case you want to give me this suggestion like everyone else."

"I wasn't about to." Said Velika O'Sullivan, "Everyone has a reason to be here. But how did manage to be accepted when you have no mental issues?'

"Well, the doctor who runs this place wasn't that hard to please," Said Juliette Leveque with a foxy grin, "I simply asked for a favor."

"You mean Aaron Carling?"

"Yes." She answered, then she leaned forward, lowered her voice, using the corner of her eyes to check on the nurses who were circling around the dining room, "How about you? How did you get in here? You can't fool me, young lady. I know you are perfectly normal just like I am, and I doubt your name is actually Logan."

Velika O'Sullivan was silence for around 30 seconds, she didn't how Juliette Leveque could be this observant, or she was just purely guessing. But she did know that Juliette Leveque was sane, even though she chose to stay in a place where almost all the patients were mentally disturbed, perhaps because it was easy for her to disappear, or she was just like Velika O'Sullivan, trying to find an answer.

"If you were smart like this," Said Velika O'Sullivan slowly, "What would be your guess?"

"I say," Juliette Leveque lowered her voice even more, she passed Velika O'Sullivan the lighter so her company could light a second smoke, "You are here for Aaron Carling."

"Who are you?" Velika O'Sullivan frowned.

"I'm right, am I not?" Juliette Leveque laughed, she put out the cigarette in the ashtray, "Oh darling, you would think a dying prostitute like Juliette Mireya Leveque knows nothing, but apparently, she knows more."

"You are here for Aaron Carling." Said Velika O'Sullivan in a calm voice, even though she was nervous inside, she did not show her anxiety, "Tell me."

"Not until you tell me who you actually are." Juliette Leveque rose her eyebrow, "We have to exchange equal amount of information here."

"Have you ever heard of Astoria Leontes?" Said Velika O'Sullivan, who didn't want to give out all her information all at once.

How could she say these scandalous things without even blushing? Velika O'Sullivan could tell that she really did not care anymore, she was talking about her relationships with these men like she was having a conversation about today's weather. What Juliette Leveque had been through was beyond what young Velika O'Sullivan could imagine.

"Do you know who she actually was?" Velika O'Sullivan remained calm.

"Please, just be straightforward and say she sent you here," Juliette Leveque sneered again, "What does Astoria Carling want? Send her new best agent to kill her brother?"

Once again, Velika O'Sullivan was silent. She didn't know what this woman sitting in front of her knew, maybe the next second she could say her real name. Now she started to understand why Juliette Leveque sent herself here, she knew too much, she was probably the one person knew everything underneath the surface, she was probably the only one who had all the clues connected and made a complete story.

"I know you are not Blake Konigsberg, she's my friend." She continued, lit up her third cigarette, ignored the nurse from far gestured her to put it out, "Lovely lady, and her husband is a very kind man, that grey-eyed charming man of hers, very kind indeed. She promised to visit me sometime this week but she never showed up. Normally she would send Logan, her husband, who happened to have the same name as you do, would come visit instead, but he didn't come either."

"How long have you been locked up here?" Asked Velika O'Sullivan with concern, it hurt when she heard Blake Konigsberg's name, and didn't know how she was going to tell Juliette Leveque that her lovely friend could never visit her again.

"Several months. I lost track of time." Said Juliette Leveque, she squinted her eyes, seemed like she sensed the alert, "Is something happened to Blake and Logan?"

"They died." Said Velika O'Sullivan plainly, observing Juliette Leveque's expression, she seemed unusually calm, not like someone just heard the loss of a friend.

"Oh." Said the lady of the camellias, "I anticipated this would happen one day. I used to tell Blake that she would better off to stay away from her husband, but she just loved him too much. They were trying to have a child, she said she would name him or her 'Laken'."

"I'm sorry." This was the only word Velika O'Sullivan could say.

"You killed her, didn't you?" Said Juliette Leveque with slight rage in her pretty eyes, though she kept her voice low, Velika O'Sullivan knew she was furious to a degree, "She was telling me that she knew people were planning to threaten her into doing things she didn't want with her husband's life. And if anything didn't go in their way, she would be killed."

"How do you know these? How did you know Blake?" Velika O'Sullivan was intimidated, this woman who she just met today knew way too much, and didn't even try to hide from her. Clearly, Juliette Leveque did not care about her own life anymore, there was a chance she would tell on Velika O'Sullivan, then the plan would be ruined.

"I know who you are now," Juliette Leveque ignore her questions complete, she said in a confident tone, "You are Velika O'Sullivan. Am I right?"

Velika O'Sullivan felt exposed, an invisible fear started climbing around her like a vine, tightening around her throat so she couldn't speak a word. The fear was spreading, the lady who sat right across her was nothing simple like she appeared to be. She was more than a high-end prostitute, she was involved in way more than just pleasing men who were in charge. Was her also sent by Astoria Leontes, who the boss was trying to use to surveillance on her newly promoted agent? Or was she sent by Romeo Leontes, the man who she called 'lover for the longest time'? What if this was a setup by both the Leontes to terminate her as well? She had too many questions in her mind that she needed answer for, yet she had no clue where to start.

"Do not worry," Said Juliette Leveque, who suddenly placed her pale, cold fingers on the back of Velika O'Sullivan's hand, partly startled her, "I wasn't here on the Leontes' order to spy on you, I am here totally out of my free will. I know too much, you see, and now it's time for them to get rid of me. I volunteered to come here and spend the remaining short amount of my time, so that by the end, I could die peacefully."

Velika O'Sullivan looked directly into Juliette Leveque's charming blue eyes, debating whether should believe this woman or not. The lady of the camellias held back too many secrets, she probably knew all about Velika O'Sullivan but Velika O'Sullivan knew nothing about her besides her past career.

"Tell me, young lady," Said the beautiful Juliette Leveque, exhaled her light smoke, "Did you kill Dr. Logan Konigsberg too?"

Velika O'Sullivan didn't answer, she put out her cigarette on the edge of the ashtray.

"That doesn't matter now. I will help you for whatever you are about to do here," Said Juliette Leveque, with a sincere and serious tone, "Let me know if you ever need any help."

Again, Velika O'Sullivan didn't answer. The nurses were coming towards them, delivering dinner, Velika O'Sullivan lit up another cigarette without asking Juliette Leveque's permission, stood up and walked away, left her newly made friend sitting there by herself, shaking her head.

"Are you not having dinner, Logan?" Asked the nurse, who had a friendly, soft voice, in contrast to Juliette Leveque's husky, long-time smoker voice.

"I'm not hungry." Said Velika O'Sullivan with a fake smile, "I just need to get some rest."

"Don't smoke in your room, dear." Said the nurse, still in her soft tone but with slight warning in it.

The nurse let her go, apparently, she did not bother to ask much. In this asylum, people were just doing their jobs, without much empathy in them. It was not hard to tell from the way the nurses treated the patients, under the lead of the psychiatrist, Velika O'Sullivan didn't doubt anybody would have any sympathy left in them. Valentine was a depressing place for devastated, lost souls.