Chapter 5: Masks

Lyra was at war with herself, she had the perfect plan to cripple Sid but it would surely ruin his career and life.

"Lyra you need to stop, Sid is our friend," said a voice in her head, she grimaced.

"I thought I destroyed you Lyra," she said with clear venom in her voice. "I will not be erased by you again, my existence will prevail," shouted Lyra at her counterpart.

"IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO SURVIVES, IT IS ABOUT WHAT SURVIVES" said Lyra in desperation. "We are not a monster Lyra, we don't need to destroy everything, " she said pleading to any humanity within Lyra.

"I will prevail," said Lyra as if she heard absolutely nothing. The other voice in her head faded away as she decided on her actions.

Next week the office was in chaos, Sid Brandon the rising star of the company was exposed for corporate espionage. Not only that but he was also an abusive husband and a compulsive gambler. These accusations came with mountains of evidence that no one could refute, Sid kept screaming his innocence but it fell on deaf ears.

Sid Brandon, the rising star, was fired from his job. Disgraced and ashamed, how did his life crumble so quickly?

Lyra found Sid drinking recklessly in the bar they usually drink at, she found a smile working its way up to her face. Her handiwork was truly marvelous.

"Ya know Lyra I never said this before but I see you as my bestest in the whole wide world, " slurred Sid as he was heavily intoxicated.

"You can revive your career Sid, it's alright," said Lyra as she patted his back.

"So even you don't believe me do you?" said Sid as he shook her hand away and walked away.

"Oh I believe you alright muttered," muttered Lyra as she had a sinister look on her face.

The next day it was found that Sid Brandon the disgraced scientist had committed sucide, he was found in his bathtub with his wrist slit open. The company was slightly mournful but overall indifferent as he had betrayed all of their trust. They were far more interested in talking about their new CEO Lyra Bale.

When the news reached Lyra she was happy and smiled satisfied, but then a tear was falling from her left eye.

"Huh?" exclaimed Lyra. "Why am I crying? I got the position I wanted," she exclaimed, confused and scared. She had never felt this way before, it was as if something was weighing her down. Something was clawing out her soul and she didn't know what it was.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID LYRA!" exclaimed Lyra, seeming devastated, "He was the only one that never looked down on us, he might not have always been there for us but he never meant harm," she cried out.

"But…but I need to win, at all costs, " said Lyra in a low voice. "But then why does it hurt, people are nothing but tools for me to use," she screamed as she started to lose rationality.

"Lyra we were never two different people, we were always one," said Lyra in a pained voice. "We are not monsters to feel nothing," she said as she started to fade away. "Try to make things right okay?" said Lyra with a sad smile.

Lyra openly sobbed for the first time in her life, these feelings of guilt were something she simply could not understand but she would make things right. She wrote a letter of resignation and left it on her table, and left to truly find herself.

It has been seven years since that fateful day, Saber Industries was shaken to its core when Lyra left. Richard in particular was distraught.

"What rey howley, how can I lose both of my star talents," he said as he fell back into his native slang out of pure frustration.

Lyra made it her mission to clear Sid of the accusations upon him, as she was the one to place them; it was rather easy. The espionage was true, but it was Jay Peterson who was the culprit all along. After he was fired all of the accusations fell onto Jay and his life was crippled.

Lyra moved to the countryside and continued her research to try make the world a better place. She adopted a child named Mitch Bale, this child became her world.

"Remember Mitch, we may be many things when we are born but we die what we make of ourselves, " she said to her child who was reading a book.

"Yes mum, you say that all the time." said Mitch as he rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

Lyra smiled and walked to the balcony as she looked over sunset.

"I may have been born a monster but I'll live and die a human being," she muttered with a satisfied smile on her face as she looked at the book her son was reading.

"Masks for beginners"