Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

this fic will be from the perspectives of Betty and Lili.

Prologue.

Betty.

 The images flit through my thought process like a video on fast forward. I see myself, or rather her. She is smiling at her reflection in the car mirror. Her blonde hair blows capriciously in the cool breeze, whipping in her face. I can almost feel it. Almost feel the goosebumps running along her arms, prickling across her flesh. There is no sound. Though her bright smile is enough. She's happy. Her lips mouth along to song lyrics that I don't know. Singing. I remind myself. It's called singing. Sitting next to her is a boy with dark hair falling in bright green eyes. My heart, or rather hers flutters when she catches his eye, his wide grin. He wears a long sleeve white shirt. His collar is wonky, and there's a camera around his neck. He's holding it, snapping pictures of the golden sunset in the LA sky. Her smile is contagious but I don't have a mouth to mimic it. I don't have a body to throw my arms up and scream into the wind like her. Unlike me, she is free.

The boy turns to her and says something. His words are too complicated. I try and study them, try and grasp what he's saying. But the images flicker on, her memories attacking my mind. I didn't ask for it. They just came, like a swarm of locusts. I don't even know I am. I have no name. I've only just woken up, though I don't know how long for. There's no concept time where I am. All I remember is my life beginning, confused and disoriented in the dark. Yet I already know what a camera is. I know what a sunset is. I know that the tangerine blur bathing the boy, enveloping his entire body, is sunlight. Beautiful sunlight. And he is beautiful. I can feel her pounding heart, her fluttering stomach every time his lips stretch into a wide, gleaming smile. I don't know who the girl is, or the boy. All I know is that she's part of me. She's the reason why I woke up. Why I suddenly exist.

There are two others in the back seat. A girl with golden skin with dark shiny hair under a baseball cap and a sweet smile as she sits cross legged, drumming on her knees to a beat I can't hear. She’s laughing too, her eyes are bright and colorful as she nods her head to the music. All I want is to hear them. I want to hear their laughter, I want to hear the melody thrumming through her as she lets loose, letting her body sway, her head rock as the wind continues to spiral her hair into a frenzy, blowing it in her eyes.

There’s a guy sitting next to the raven haired girl. His feet are up on the seat, a map spread out on his knees. His hair is a vicious shade of red, strands of it sagging in deep brown eyes. His head is tipped back mid-laugh and the girl connected to me loves it. She loves his laugh. It makes her heart sing. They all seem to be singing along to something. Except from the kid with the camera, who continues to take photos. His finger expertly presses down on the button. He turns around to the guy in the back seat and pulls a face. The red haired boy flashes a grin back.

I don’t know who they are. But I know they’re important. I watch them for a while. I feel relaxed. There’s a warm feeling enveloping me as I feel the sensations hitting her. I feel the sunlight gracing her skin, I feel the rubber steering wheel gripped in her hands as she taps out a beat. Everything is so pretty. So bright. I long for this. I want to be bathed in light too. Not trapped in infinity darkness. Though the images don't last forever. I feel it like a jolt, my ghost limbs startling. Before I know it, the scenery changes from crystalline blue sky, rough concrete of the rocky road ahead cutting into the cliffs of sunny Los Angeles to…darkness . It's just the dark. I can't see. I can't see anything.

No. I remind myself. She can't see.

I don't have a body to feel panic, but I feel hers. I feel it rooted inside of her, setting off all of her emotions at once. I can't see or feel the smile on her face anymore. I can only feel her pain, her fear. The warm sunlight glowing against her skin is no more. Instead it's the cold. It's mind numbing ice enveloping her, dragging her into oblivion. I try to cry out to her, ask if she’s okay. But I don't have a throat to conjure words. I don't have lips to cry with. So I'm forced to sit in darkness, in the void I’ve woken up inside. All at once it's like a wire connecting the two of us has been severed. The sensation is like drowning. Above the surface, I feel her agony and terror. Though I'm dragged down by the vapid current, torn away from her so all I feel then is...nothing.

There's still no sound. I feel like I've been sucked into a vacuum. But I do start to slowly regain what she’s physically feeling. It's like I'm there with her. She's sitting on cold concrete and her legs are aching, her arms are numb. She can't feel them. They're pinned to her back. They hurt so much. She hurts so much. Where she is...it's closed in. So tiny. So small. I want to know her name, so I can scream it at the top of my non existent lungs. But I can't. So I wait for sound. I wait for a voice. I wait for her voice. But it doesn't come. What does come, however, is what shatters me from the inside and rags me from the purgatory in my mind. I'm trying to move, trying to cry, because I know she's in trouble. I know her friends are in trouble. But what stops me, startling me into wakefulness, is a sudden noise that rips into me, into my newly woven mind. I feel it scorching against my skull and tearing into every thought process I have.

It's her. I realize. It's the sunshine haired girl who I thought was on mute. But she's not. It's her scream that rattles my mind, sending my bedraggled thoughts into a tumultuous tsunami inside my head. I try and block it out, but I don't have hands to press against my ears. I don't have a voice to override it with my own. Though amidst her scream, something awakens inside me and I suddenly know her name, as if it had just been plunged through my skull. Her name is pretty, like her sunshine hair. Like her beautiful friends.

Lili.

CHAPTER 1 - BOBCAT.

 ~

 “Sweetie, can you hear me?”

The voice splinters through my mind, dragging me back to some kind of consciousness. Her voice is soft and sweet, almost a gentle caress as she coaxes me from the dark. It's hard at first. I don't want to let go. I guess I got used to it. Sitting in the dark with no concept of time. I just existed. Without a body, without a voice. All I had were my own thoughts.

The further I drift into reality, the low hum of nothing, of the void I'd been trapped in for so long. It subsides. Making way for a high pitched bleep!  Which scathes my ears. I feel something already- my first emotion. I'd been waiting to feel it for so long. I wanted to feel happiness. Like her. I wanted to experience sadness and anger. Though all I feel is an edge. I feel it cutting through, grabbing hold of my tongue, a sharp spark willing my lips to utter the word stop . I wanted to yell at it. I wanted to tear into the mechanics and rip out the stupid noise once and for all. Yes. That was anger. Irritation. The word appears in my mind, as if it works like a personal dictionary. Just like the knowledge of the camera, of the sunlight and the sunset in my mind. I already know what the aggravating bleeping noise is. It's a hospital monitor.

“Hm. She's awake. She just seems to be having trouble opening her eyes.”

The woman’s voice once again cracks through the mental barrier I had built around myself. “Honey, would you mind opening your eyes?”

No . I think stubbornly. How can I open my eyes when I'm no one? I don't have a name. I only have hers, wedged in my memory as if it was planted there on purpose. Lili . Her name puts a bad taste in my mouth. Though admittedly, it does feel good to have a mouth. I gingerly run my tongue over my teeth and feel a spark of excitement. I finally have my own teeth, my own mouth. I have a voice. Though I'm almost sure it'll be dry and cracked, since it hadn't been used yet. My throat feels like...like sandpaper. It's parched. I swallow hard, and wince. I feel more in touch with reality once I actively use my body in some way. I hear a sharp intake of breath, which must be the woman. She sounds excited. “She's waking up.”

Opening my eyes is hard. I feel like they're glued shut. Though I can suddenly feel my limbs attached to my body. I can feel my arms lying beside me. I can feel my head cushioned in soft pillows. Come on. I willed my eyes, daring them to open. I want to see the light. I want to see another face that wasn't hers, or her friends. I'd only seen them twice, yet I can't get their faces out of my head. Whoever Lili was, she was in danger.

That realization in itself is enough to prise my eyes open. I'm greeted to not one but two faces staring down at me. The light is blinding, peeking through my lashes as I gingerly open them wider and wider until I'm staring at two young women grinning down at me. One is blonde, the other brunette. I can only stare back at them, willing my throat to croak out some kind of English. Except I'm frozen. Instead of looking at the women that appear to be nurses, I take in my surroundings. I'm In a dimly lit room with clinical white walls and floor tiles. Hospital . I think. I find my gaze looking down myself, even if my lower half is covered by thick bedding. I see bulges beneath the blankets. My legs.

“She's looks just like her.” One of the nurses says softly, and I turn my attention back to them. They're still staring at me, and I start to feel…. uneasy . I swirl the word around in my head and decide that's exactly how I felt. I try and move, but my body aches. I instinctively bring up my hand to run it through my hair, and find myself staring at it. My hands . They look like hers. Like Lili’s. Like the ones gripping the steering wheel in my vision of her.  Before I can stop myself, I'm grabbing fistfuls of my hair so I can see it. My heart stutters. It's the same color. The same sunshine color. The same wispy curls. No way. I think, wanting to giggle. Laughing . But right now I can't. I'm choked up. Could I see Lili’s memories because I am her?

But Lili had a life. I didn't. I had been officially alive for 3 minutes and counting. I must have looked confused, because the blonde  nurse shook her head, tutting a little. “I understand how confused you must be right now.” She said lightly. “But fear not! We’ll do our best to explain.”

I only nod. The blonde nurse folds her arms across her chest while the brunette checks my vitals and fiddled with a thin rectangular device in her hands. Tablet .

“Okay, honey. How about we give you a name?” The nurse asks, her tone is genuine enthusiasm, and I found myself smiling softly. She grins back and points at a name tag pinned to her light blue scrubs. “I'm nurse Deaton by the way.”

I smile again. I don't really want to talk yet. Nurse Deaton glances down at her own tablet and clicks her tongue. “ Betty.” She says, her gaze flickering to me for confirmation. “How does Betty Cooper sound?” Before I can answer, or least do my best to answer, she's frowning. “Or how about Elizabeth?”

I shrug. I liked Betty. The nurse smiles at me, and I wonder if she has a daughter of her own. “Sorry about this,” she rolls her eyes. Sarcasm . The word flutters into my mind, and I happily welcome it. “The name does mean something!” She said brightly, and then she winks. “It's quite a story.”

“Naming the poor kids after the Archie characters?” The brunette nurse scoffs. She's still frowning at her tablet. “It's crazy if you ask me. All of our Replica’s are named after famous names in literature, like George Orwell and Emily Bronte and we name these kids after a bunch of old comic book characters."

“Liza.” Nurse Deaton’s tone hardens. “Don't you have duties on ward 4?”

The brunette nurse, or “Liza” nods with a shrug, before exiting my room.

Nurse Deaton sighs. She must have caught my look of confusion. “Okay, Betty,” she says softly. “I'm going to try and explain this as thorough as possible. Don't worry if you don't understand.” She laughs a little. “You wouldn't be the first one.”

I try to smile, though my stomach is in knots. Do I really want to know why I'm here? Even if the question had plagued me since I woke up in the darkness?

“Okay, so Betty. You are what we call an AP.” Nurse Deaton smiles reassuringly. “We call it an Artificial print. You are an Artificial print of Lili Reinhart, after we..” she trails off, trying to word it. I guess she was going to think of a word that wasn't; “Clone.” Which automatically popped into my head the second she said “AP.”

“I guess you could call it a copy? You're a copy of Lili.” The nurse said.

That explained her memories plaguing my thoughts and why I feel so close to her. I have her body, her hair, her expression. I'm sure if I looked into a mirror and tried her smile, I'd see her grinning back at me. I stare at the nurse, and suddenly I can't help it. The words are flowing through my cracked lips before I can stop them.

“Am I human?” I ask softly. My heart is in my throat. Is that what I am? Am I just a copy of her ? Why did they need me?

Nurse Deaton’s expression crumples for a second, before she nods. “Betty, of course you are!” She clears her throat. “You were born like any other human being. You have your own thoughts, your own personality,” she smiles. “You just look like Miss Reinhart.” I nod slowly. I open my mouth to ask if the vision’s are normal, if they're part of the connection that Lili and I share.

“Of course you're no ordinary human, Betty.” She continues excitedly. “Your mind was…how should I say this?” She cocks her head. “It was... tweaked, so you'll have the knowledge a normal twenty year old should have.”

Okay, that made sense. Why my brain is suddenly bursting with new words and definitions that I can understand perfectly.

“Where is she now?” I ask, a bit louder. When the nurse frowns, I clear my throat. “Lili, I mean.” I say. I think about seeing her sitting in the cold, screaming into the dark. She was nowhere.

Once again, the nurse’s expression falls. “We can get to that later, dear.” She looks like she forces a smile. “For now, would you like to see her?” I understand her automatically. She means Lili.

Before I can answer, she's shoving  her tablet in my face. I stare down at the screen, and my heart falters when I see the image stuck in the middle of the screen. It's hard to avoid them. It's the boy with dark hair and green eyes, the redheaded grinning kid and the sweet smiled raven haired girl. They're posing for a photo, and Lili is in the middle. They're all pulling faces, their arms wrapped around each other. Nurse Deaton chuckles.

“This is why we named you Betty,” she murmured. “Lili, Cole, KJ and Camila were nicknamed after the Archie gang, since they resembled them so much.” She said. Her pastel colored fingernail glides over to each of their faces. “See?” She giggles. “KJ and his red hair practically screams a modern Archie.”

KJ. I think. The redhead had a name. They all did. New names overriding the names of the missing stars.

I stare down at the photo as she goes through each of them. “Camila and Lili are the perfect Betty and Veronica.” She says, before she strokes her nail against the smiling face of the dark haired boy. “As for Cole, I think the resemblance to Jughead is almost uncanny.” I smile along with her, though my heart hurts. I can't stand looking at their smiling faces knowing something bad has happened to them.

Nurse Deaton glances at me. “Ah, of course.” She murmurs. Her expression darkens. “Well, I'm sure you're a smart girl, honey. You must know that we awaken replicas when something…” she trails off again. “...bad happens to the original copy.” I must look horrified because she shakes her head. “Oh no, no! Lili isn't dead!” Her smile is far too big to be genuine. Nurse Deaton plants her hands on her hips. “Betty, what I'm about to tell you is confidential. Do you understand? There are only a small amount of people who know the truth.”

Well that sounded ominous. Though I don't say that out loud. I force a smile. “I understand.” I say softly, and the nurse nodded. She looks noticeably shaken.

“Betty. Last week Lili Reinhart went missing. But not just her. Camila, KJ and Cole have also disappeared.” She bit her lip. “The thing is- Lili is a famous singer and songwriter. KJ and Cole are young Hollywood stars, and Camila is a model. These kids are incredibly famous, and we do not want to panic the public. We thought ahead when the kids were getting themselves into trouble-” she paused. “They were in a car collision last year. At that point their manager’s were desperate for a fail safe. They wanted to make sure, if they were to ever be hurt in an accident, or get into substance abuse, there would be copies of them ready to take over their life.”

I'm already putting things together in my mind. They wanted me to be Lili. While she was locked in a cellar somewhere, crying out for help, they wanted me to carry on her life of stardom.

“What about Lili?” I ask, panicking. They can't just- leave her?  Though the nurse smiles reassuringly. “Don't worry, Betty. Dr. Wilder will explain everything.”

But I still want to know so much more!  Do I tell Nurse Deaton about what I saw? Though before I can even consider it, she's helping me sit up. “Okay, Betty!” She grins. Though it's not genuine anymore. As soon as Lili was mentioned her mood had gone sour. “How about we get you to the meeting room? We have lots to get through, sweetheart.”

I frown. “Meeting room?” I parrot, while the nurse gently coaxes me out of bed so I'm awkwardly sitting on the edge, my bare feet dangling. I pull at the hospital gown hanging off my thin frame. The material slides between my fingers.

“Well of course!” The nurse says. “You four are going to be mimicking the lives of a quartet of best friends. We need to get you meeting them ASAP.” She says happily, and my chest clenches. I don't want to meet them. Because they're not going to be Camila, Cole and KJ. They're just like me; cheap, carbon copies.

Yet somehow… I feel as if I have to see them.

~~

Dr. Wilder was tall, with short blonde hair and glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He greeted me with a smile and a nod as Nurse Deaton escorted me into the room. It looked to be a children’s library. There were bookcases everywhere with colorful covers sporting each shelf. The floor was covered in a colorful carpet, and there were bean bags everywhere. It wasn't exactly the best place to sit four teenagers. At least I think I'm a teenager. How old was Lil again? Twenty? Didn't that still count as a young person?

There was a small table, already occupied by three kids wearing the same hospital gowns as mine and my heart skipped a beat when I realized they were Lili Reinhart’s friends. Well. Like me, they were cheap knock off versions of them. They were the ones I saw both in my vision and the photograph Nurse Deaton showed me. The second I walked in, all eyes turned to me. And I in turn stared at them, my stomach twisting. There was a girl with olive skin and dark hair playing with her nails, meticulously scanning them. She raised her eyebrow at me, a smirk playing on her lips. Camila. She was the perfect copy of the missing girl. Right down to her smile. I freeze in the doorway as I take them all in. The redhead is hard to miss. KJ. He peers at me through that intense red hair that had wavered in the wind in Lili's vision. He has the boy's brown eyes that drink me in curiously. He smiles softly, and I can't resist one back. It's weird seeing them, after knowing what happened to their originals. That somewhere with Lili, these kids were hurting too. They were lost.

“Betty, there's no reason to be afraid.” Dr. Wilder clears his throat. But I am afraid. I take a few steps forward, but my chest is aching, my stomach is twisting and turning. The third kid is who I first saw in Lili’s memory, sitting next to her. He has the same olive skin and raven hair falling in deep set green eyes. He looks at me, his lips curled slightly. Impossible. His expression is the exact one I saw plastered on the boy’s face in Lili’s vision. Amusement. He's studying me, trying to find Lili in me. I want to scoff at him. Good luck finding her.

I hurry to the table and take a seat next to the raven haired girl, and Dr. Wilder claps his hands together. “Alright!” He says with a grin. “Introductions.” He gestured to the four of us, who couldn't have looked more awkward. I stared down at my lap, my cheeks burning. So this was what it was like to be nervous. This was a feeling I could live without. I hated the twist and turning of my gut, as if my body was lurching it back and forth. When none of us spoke, Dr. Wilder sighed. “Alright, how about you tell each other your names? Break the ice a little?”

The raven haired girl lifted her head, eager to speak. “I'm Veronica Lodge.” She smiled at each of us. “I'm the AP of Camila Mendes.” She said that last part a little quieter, her bright eyes dimming slightly.

“Archie Andrews.” The redhead speaks up with a small boyish smile. “Uh-” he drags his hand through his thick red locks and his face crumples, the realization passes over his face, why exactly he's here.  “I'm the AP of KJ Apa.”

“Just your names for now.” Dr. Wilder cuts in, with an irritated look. “You don't have to mention your AP’s, guys.”

Though the raven haired boy didn't seem to get the memo. He looked up and  flashes us with a shy smile. “Jughead Jones,” he says. “The official Artificial Print of the one and only Cole Sprouse.” His tone is twisted with sarcasm, and I love it.

Archie smirks at that, and Veronica giggles under her breath. I fight a smile, though there's definitely one on my face when Jughead glances at me, almost as if to see if I found it amusing. I only roll my eyes at him through strands of my hair that fall in front of my face. It's my turn. The three of them turn to me, curiously. I shrug and smile. “I'm Betty Cooper.” I say, loving the way the name felt coming out of my mouth. Finally I had an identity. I was no longer a faceless lost soul in the dark. I wonder if the others see visions of their originals. Can Jughead hear Cole like I can hear Lili? Can Archie hear KJ?

“And…?” Jughead catches my eye, spurring me on, his lips twisted into a grin. I recognize it. Lili’s vision. The camera hanging from his neck as he grinned at her. There had been something in his eyes. Something my naive mind wasn't yet aware of. His smile gave Lili butterflies. I had felt them fluttering in her gut. Now what exactly was that feeling?

“Cole!” I swear I hear her in my mind, her silent whisper crying out to him. I want to try and grab on to her voice, push myself into her mind. But I can’t. There's a mental block. I can only hear her faded voice.

“It's okay, it's- it's alright!” She sounds panicked, her breath coming out in gasps. She's like an echo. “We’re gonna...get out of here...okay?”

“Betty?” Dr. Wilder snaps me out of it.

Veronica and Archie are looking at me too, just like Jughead. None of them seemed to have notice my temporary lapse into my mind. The three of them were smiling at me mischievously, silently pushing me to piss off Dr. Wilder even more. Even if it was some kind of joint rebellion, it was the start of something. The start of something our counterparts had. Except all that's on my mind is Lili. I can feel her. I can feel how cold she is. I can feel her heart slamming against her rib cage. It's like I'm with her.

The thought strikes me out of nowhere. This wasn't a memory. This was what was happening to Lili and the others right now.

“I'm-” I choke on the words, and this time Archie, Jughead and Veronica don't smile. Instead they adapt the same sympathetic frown. But I force out the words anyway. “I'm the Artificial print of Lili Reinhart.”

Dr. Wilder doesn't say anything for a long moment and it's in that time I realize that I need to keep Lili’s visions to myself.

“Okay, now that you know each other. Let's get down to business.” Dr. Wilder seems to come out fruition and has a friendly smile. “So, if you guys are going to become KJ, Camila, Cole and Lili. You're going to have to learn how to act like them.” He chuckles. “You have a few hours, I'm afraid. Their manager’s are in high demand. Though I'm confident you will each learn quickly.”

He hands each of us a small black device. I stare at mine stupidly before gingerly pressing the circular button. iPhone. My mind provides the name, and within seconds I'm entering Lili’s pass-code and then flicking through each app. Her lock screen is a black and white image of herself. Modelling. My mind murmurs.

I find myself tapping on her photos and marveling at them. There are images of the twilight sky, of the sunrise and sunset. There's plates of colorful food and animals in extravagant locations. As I scroll down, I catch glimpses of Lili with the others. Most of them were the four of them either eating, laughing or pulling faces. My heart sinks a little.

I go into her texts to try and find any kind of clue to what happened to her, but to my surprise, her phone has been wiped of messages. That can't be right…

I try other apps. Instagram, Snapchat and Messenger. Lili’s Instagram looked to be how she had left it. Her last photo posted was her wrapping her arms around Camila, as the two stood next to a range-rover. “Traveling!” The caption read. It had nearly 50,000 likes and 7,456 comments.

I check the Facebook application next, and this time her messages are there. So where are her texts? I scroll through them, keeping an eye out for anything that looked suspicious. Though nothing looked out of the ordinary. I tap on her most recent messages from “Case.”

06/07/2017 - Lil, I really need to talk to you, okay? Are you busy?

Lili hadn't replied. Which was strange. The text had been sent on the 6th June, and when I glance at the current date, it's the 16th. Which meant he sent the text before Lili and the others went missing. I tried to scroll up, scanning for more messages, but the phone wouldn't let me.

“These are the phones that they left at home before they went missing.” Dr. Wilder explains. “Bare in mind that the only people who know about you, as well as their disappearances, are their manager’s and my colleagues and I.”

“What?” Jughead frowns, looking up from Cole’s phone. “Are you trying to say not even their families know?” His lip is curled in disgust. Dr. Wilder nods. “I'm afraid so, Mr Jones. “As far as anyone else is concerned, they have been on a road trip,” he frowned. “We found their car wrecked on the side of the road. All of the doors were open, including the boot.” His voice went a little shaky, and my heart dropped into my stomach. “It's highly likely that they were taken against their will.”

“Was there a struggle?” Archie asks curiously. He's staring down at KJ’s phone, his expression crumpled.

Dr. Wilder nods. “Yes, Mr Andrews. There appeared to be a struggle,” he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Police leading the private investigation found…” He sighed, massaging his chin. “They found dragging marks.”

Dragging marks? I feel sick. I glance at Jughead. He’s gone pale.

“Wait,” Archie speaks up. “Are there not any...any suspects?” His voice breaks, and I turn my gaze to him. He has the same puppy-dog eyes as KJ.

Dr. Wilder shakes his head. “They were off the grid, so it's hard to tell. But we have our best people at work. We’ll find them.” He smiles at us. “Your job, meanwhile, is to delve into their personal lives and try and find anything strange or suspicious.”

There's an awkward silence while we try and comprehend his words. At least I do.

Dr. Wilder continues. “Anyway…” He retrieves an armful of files and drops them onto the table. “ This,” he gestures to the pile. “Is everything you need to know about your originals.” He picks up a piece of paper. “Whether it's their favorite food, the amount of times they tweet- or their close friends.” He handed me a piece of paper. When I glanced down at it, there was a list of names. “Those are all of Lili’s friends, whether they're childhood friends, from college, or other kids in the business.” Dr. Wilder says. I glance up to see him looking at me. His piercing blue eyes are hard to ignore. He gestures for me to look back at the paper. “The top names are the ones you need to keep an eye on. So, Casey Cott, Madeline Petch, and so on.”

Dr. Wilder continues, dishing out file after file. I grab them, skim reading each one. I sift through home addresses, phone numbers and emails, until something catches my eye. There's a sheet of paper with a photograph of Jughead- Cole - clipped onto it. There's a profile, with his name, numbers, social media accounts, and a highlighted word at top of the document that sent my heart into my throat. BOYFRIEND. It was written in bold, and I definitely wasn't seeing things.

Lili and Cole were together. The words hit me one by one as I tried to make sense of the word. Partner. Significant other.

 Love. I can't help think. Though love was just a new word in my vocabulary.

It made sense in her vision. The way he was looking at her. I glance up from the document and find Dr. Wilder smirking at me. “Ah, I should have mentioned that Lili and Cole are in a relationship,” he nodded to me and then Jughead. “So, you guys are going to have to play the perfect couple.”

I must look either confused, disgusted, annoyed, or a mixture of all three. Because Dr. Wilder chuckles. “In the public eye, I mean. Behind closed doors you can hate each other all you like.” Jughead doesn't look up from Cole's files. Though I notice his cheeks have blossomed a noticeable pink. I feel my cheeks heat up too. Embarrassment. My mind helpfully reminds me. Blushing.

I get it. I want to seethe at my mind. I concentrate on another file to try and take my mind off that bombshell. I'm barely human. How the hell am I supposed to act like I’m in a relationship? I feel my stomach twist as I scan through pages and pages of info on Lili. I can't believe I'm looking through all of this. As soon as I'm out of here, I'm not living Lili’s glitzy life. I'm finding her and the others. How can I just take over her life? I'm a completely different person to her. I just look like Lili. I can't be her.

“Times up!” Dr. Wilder says after a while of the four of us sitting in silence, reading through the lives of our Replicas. “You guys should be fully briefed on how to act. I'm afraid it's time to go into the real world.” He smiles at us. “Good luck.”

I look up from a bunch of screenshots of texts from Casey Cott, and Dr. Wilder is grinning. “Okay, do you guys think you're ready?” He asks hopefully. He smiles brightly, and I catch Jughead rolling his eyes; Do we have a choice? He mouthed.

I don't have time to answer, or try and explain Lili’s visions. Before I know it, I’m being whisked away and thrown into a room and dumped in a chair in front of a mirror. I stay silent as people buzz around me, pulling and yanking at my hair, while others color my face in. Makeup. I try hard not to blink as a young girl stands in front of me and gently applied mascara, followed by lipstick and eye-shadow.

They're turning me into Lili. While the real Lili is lost somewhere. She could be dead for all I know. I haven't seen or heard her since the meeting with Dr. Wilder and the AP’s.

I'm told to pull on some fancy jeans and t shirt with boots, before a baseball cap is dumped on my head. After a while of being pampered and tweaked, so I don’t look dead inside, I’m finally done. Apparently I needed to smile more. I stare into the mirror and try and find Lili in my expression. I have her blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail, strands of it dancing across my forehead. I'm in a green parka and someone dumped a rucksack on my back. I look exactly like I'd come back from a road trip. When I'm rushed outside, there's no sign of the others. The building in front of me is huge. I lose my breath when I stare up at it. It's made completely of glass. The cool breeze feels amazing against my skin, and I revel in the feeling.

Where even am I?  frown at the architecture. It didn't look like a hospital...

“Betty, Lili’s manager is coming to see you tomorrow morning.” Nurse Deaton says, before giving me a tight hug. She holds me far too tight and sniffles into my shoulder. “You'll be okay, alright sweetie?”

Why was she crying?

But once again there's no time for questions. By the time I'm ushered into a cab, it's pitch black. Nurse Deaton hastily gives the driver Lili’s address. When the cab sets off, I lean back in the warm seats, thankful for the blissful quiet. The streets of LA whizz past, raindrops sliding down the windows. I didn't get a chance to admire the outdoor world because of Dr. Wilder yelling nonsense in my face, telling me what to do and not to do.

I reach into my pocket, and feel Lili’s phone. It still feels so wrong holding it, as if it's mine. The screen lights up with a message, and my heart jumps into my throat when I stare down at it.

NOW: Cole: Testing. Does this work?

It was Jughead. Of course it was. I let out a shaky breath and start to tap a message out: it was simple, since Jughead was still pretty much a stranger to me. Unlike Cole to Lili. Who were this huge famous couple.

Hey. I replied. The message felt blunt. So I quickly add: This might seem weird, but can you hear Cole in your head?

No, he’ll think I'm crazy. I delete the text and just leave him a simple: Hey. The phone vibrates in my hand a few seconds after I send it, and another text illuminates the screen;

Now: Cole: You're a talker aren't you?

What's he talking about? I wrote one word!

I stare at the screen for a moment, trying to figure out what Jughead means. Though it hits me suddenly, and I feel ridiculous. He's being playful. Teasing. Sarcastic.

I don't bother replying to him and slide the phone back into my pocket. The cab driver is nodding along to a song with a jumpy beat. I love the way the melody seeps into me. “How’re you tonight, love?”  The cab driver asks kindly, as he weaves us through busy LA traffic. All I can see is the red blur of car lights glinting in the haze. No wonder Lili lived here. Los Angeles was beautiful. The City Of Angels. My mind provides, and I can't resist a grin as I peer out of the window. I almost forget the cabbie’s question. “I'm okay,” I answer with a smile his way. “I’m just really tired.”

He nods in acknowledgment. “Been traveling?” He asked. He must have been referring to the rucksack dumped on the seat next to me. My gut twists for half a second. Lili’s last Instagram post. I can't help swallowing, and nod. This time my smile is forced. Though the cabbie doesn't seem to notice. “My daughter listens to your music,” He chuckles. “She can't get enough of your new album.”  More forced smiling and nodding. “I'm…” I pause, and my tongue is tied. “I'm glad she likes it!” I say as enthusiastically as I can. Lili's phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, thankful for the distraction. There's a new text. Though it's not Jughead. This time it just says DR. W.

Dr. Wilder. I tap it and read the message. It's only a few lines. Some of it is good luck wishes, but the majority is orders on how to control Lili’s social media accounts.

REMEMBER: Make sure you update her Instagram story tonight. It can be any time. Make sure it's either food, a selfie (picture of your face) or makeup.

I don’t reply to him. I get it. I switch the phone off, annoyed at its constant vibrating. Lili was damn popular. How am I supposed to act like Lili in front of her family? Why wasn’t there a briefing on how to act in front of her mom and dad? My stomach squeezes as I shove the phone back into the pocket of my parka and I spent the rest of the cab-ride trying to get a hold of Lili’s mind. She’s in there somewhere. I shut my eyes, will away any distractions and stare into darkness. Though it’s fruitless. I can’t reach her. I try repeatedly, seeking out the connection that held us together. I heard her earlier... I heard her! So why can’t I hear her now? I end up giving myself a headache. An uncomfortable feeling  blossom’s across my forehead and I bite my tongue. Pain . It was my first time feeling pain, and it sucked. The cab driver notices in his mirror. “Headache?”

“Mm.” I manage, casting my gaze to my lap. The cabbie chuckles. “Have a nice warm drink when you get inside and watch some Netflix.”  He says. I nod with a smile. Netflix. I’d seen that word in Lili’s file a lot. Netflix was a streaming service for television shows and films. I could do with that.

When the cab finally pulls up outside Lili’s house, I thank the driver and jump out, hauling the rucksack with me. I take a second, just standing there and staring at the house in front of me. It’s a huge brick structure with two balconies at the front and a driveway leading to a huge garage no doubt filled with cars. I take a breath and drag myself up the driveway, taking my time. I loved the way my shoes scuffed against the concrete. My hair is in my face and it's still raining, but I revel in the cool breeze brushing across my face. There's a large glass sliding door, and I pull out the key-card Dr. Wilder handed me before I jumped in the cab. “All you need to do is flash the card in front of the door,"  He'd explained. I follow his instructions and watch the doors glide open automatically.

Now that's cool. I step into Lili’s house, marveling at the decoration. There's fairy lights strung all over the walls twinkling. I seem to be in the kitchen. It's your average living area. There's a cooker, refrigerator and a breakfast bar. I spot a bowl of what looks like soggy cereal still on the counter, and I can't help wandering over. The food must have been left a while. There was a funny smell curling in my nostrils and when I got a proper look in the bowl, there was mold sprouting from what looked like Reese Puffs. Her favorite cereal.

I startle when there's a loud crash, and my heart stops. Someone was here?! Before I can think logically, I'm dumping the rucksack on the marble flooring, and making my way towards a door leading to what looked like a living room. My breath is stuck in my throat as I inch closer to the door. “Hello?” My voice breaks, and I feel like hitting myself. What if whoever took Lili has come for me?

“Lili?” A male voice sounds out, sounding just as startled as me. I freeze, racking my brains for the name's of Lili’s male friends.

Who was she close to again? Though I don’t have time to think. I steel myself and push myself through the fancy door leading to the living area, and find myself staring at a boy I recognize from Lili’s files. Lili’s living room looks cosy as hell. There’s a flat-screen TV and a huge leather couch. The floor is wooden, and I cringe when my converse slide on it.

Casey. I know it’s him from the grainy images in his file. He had looked a lot more...clean in his photographs.

Though the dark scruffy hair is a dead giveaway. He’s wearing a blue shirt that’s crumpled and covered in stains, and jeans. He’s kneeling in front of a pile of papers that look... important. The second he sees me, he gathers them all up and holds them to his chest.  Already this guy is screaming Suspicious. “ Lili!” He sounds flustered and when he looks up at me, his cheeks are bright red. “What are you doing here?” He tries to laugh it off, but he's trying to hide his obvious shock and confusion. I can only stare at the bunch of papers in his arms. He clutches them as if holding a newborn child. What was he hiding?

I can’t speak. My throat is too dry. This was my first proper interaction pretending to be Lili. She's supposed to be laid back and smiley. So I fashion my mouth into a lazy smile, and fold my arms. “I just got back.” I answer, and Casey frowns at me. He doesn't look convinced. The kid looks like he hasn't slept in weeks.

“Really?” Casey cocks an eyebrow. He looks wary, almost afraid. He takes a slow and subtle step backward. “I thought you weren't getting back till tomorrow?”

I shrug. Play it cool. “Does it really matter?” I giggle, but he doesn't smile back. So I fix him with a smirk. “Are you going to tell me why you're here?”

Casey looks uncomfortable. “You said I could use the house if I got locked out.” He muttered. Liar. I think. Thank god I don't say it out loud. Instead, I nod in understanding. There’s a knock at the door, and Casey stares at me, raising his eyebrows when I freeze. “Are you gonna answer that?”

I want to ask him about the papers in his arms. Though I only nod with a smile. “Back in a sec!” I say cheerily. Though to my irritation he follows me to the door. I’m surprised to see Archie, Jughead and Veronica standing outside. My heart skips a little. They've changed into their AP attire. Veronica is wearing Camila’s classic baseball cap, and a denim jacket while Archie is wearing a black beanie, and an orange sweater. Jughead wears a casual checker shirt and jeans. He's fiddling with a loose curl of his raven hair, a sweet smile on his lips.

I smile brightly at them, hoping Lili greets them like that, and slide open the door, letting them walk in. Jughead automatically pulls me into a hug, and I'm confused for a second, until I remember we’re supposed to be dating. I squeeze him back, giggling lightly as if Lili would. “Are you okay?” He murmurs in my ear. I'm not sure if he's playing Cole, or his question is genuine. I pull away and smile softly at him, before kicking into my Lili facade. “What are you guys doing here?” I grin at the three of them. Veronica is admiring her fingernails, while Archie frowns at Casey, and the papers still pressed to his chest.

Jughead shrugs and flings his arms around me. “Friday night is pizza night, remember?” He shoots me a smirk, and I can see past his fake expression. He's actually asking me if I remembered the information on Lili. He'd been stealing glances at me earlier when I was reading through her papers. He was right. Every Friday was pizza night. I nod with a smile, and I'm about to peck him on the cheek, or act flirtatious, though Casey lets out a loud, spluttered laugh that puts me on edge. Jughead turns to him, frowning.

“Okay, cut the shit!” Casey yells, and my stomach twists, my breath catching in my throat when he reaches into the waistband of his jeans and pulls out - a gun. Jughead grabs me and drags me backwards and Archie and Veronica stumble back with us.

"Casey?" I manage to cry out.

He only glares at me. “They were right.” He murmurs, his hands are shaking. "My god, they- they were fucking right!" 

Veronica is clutching Archie's arm. "Who was right?" She demands.

Casey only glances at me. “Bobcat.” He says softly, his gaze then flicks to each of us, as if searching for something. I frown at him in confusion. “Bobcat?” I whisper, though that seems to aggravate him even more, and his index finger comes dangerously close to the trigger.

Archie throws up his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, man!” He chuckles nervously, though I can tell he's terrified. “What's going on Casey?” He tries to take a step forward, a reassuring notion. But Casey lets out a hiss, and waves the gun at the boy. “Don't come..." He lets out a shaky breath. "Don't come any closer, I mean it!”

The four of us stay frozen. It's funny. I've never felt proper fear before. Though I feel it now, the goosebumps running across my arms, the shivers down my spine. It’s frightening and beautiful all at once. “I'm only going to ask this once,” Casey says softly. He takes a deep breath and Archie nods. “Okay bro,” He murmurs. I overheard him muttering to Jughead that KJ said “Bro” too much. It was all over his texts to his friends and family. There were even videos of him saying it. The redhead nodded his head. "What is it?"

 Casey's eyes narrowed. “Before they went on their road trip they told me they didn't feel safe, like..” He trails off. “Like someone was watching them.” his voice breaks. He scratches the back of his head with his gun, and I sense genuine emotion in his expression. He’s terrified. “And I..” He gasps out, stumbling on his words. "I didn't fucking listen to them!” He lets out a sharp laugh. “I thought they were losing their goddamn minds!” Them. My chest aches. I notice Archie and Veronica stiffen. Somehow, he knows we're not them.

“Casey.” Jughead murmurs, but the boy shakes his head violently. “No, no shut up!” He yells. “What's the word?” He demands. Tears are slowly trickling down his cheeks, and his breathing is haggard.  “I...I say Bobcat, and you say…” Once again, he waits for one of us to supply the rest. But we don't. Because we're not his friends.

They had a secret code with Casey.

Which means they knew they were going to get taken. Once again, shivers slowly prickle down my spine. Lili knew she was going to be taken, and had tried to warn Casey. Tried to tell him something was wrong. But clearly, Casey had thought she and the others were nuts. A thought strikes me.

Did Lili know about the Artificial Printing? Did she know about us?

Archie clears his throat. “Casey,” he says sternly. I have to admit it. He's a good actor. His face is scrunched up with confusion, though there are hints of amusement glinting in his eyes.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

Though Casey ignores him. His teeth are gritted. “Prove to me you're them,” He says softly, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "Alright?" He waves his gun manically. "Prove to me this isn't some Body-snatcher's shit!" His glare is piercing, and I feel a wash of emotions come over me. Part of me wants to punch him in the face, and the rest of me wants to give the kid a hug. I'm lost for words, and what to do. Only Lili and the others know the secret word. Something tells me if we don't speak soon, Casey will pull the trigger.

"Well?" Casey spits, prompting us.  We exchange helpless looks. His expression is frenzied, his eyes wide.   “I say Bobcat, you say…”

Chapter Text

LILI.

The first memory is blurry. I can see the world from my perspective. I see the book resting on my knees. I remember this. A few weeks before the weird letters, the feeling of being watched, and slowly losing my sanity. This was before This Mortal Coil was just a book, and not a code-word devised by Cole. Just in case something happened to us. Just in case we were taken.

Why am I seeing this? Why is my brain showing me this?

Nevertheless, I still can’t stop myself peering at the memory. It was one of the rare times I had to myself. It had been raining outside so I’d settled down with a good book. The memory isn’t exactly exciting. It’s just me...reading. Though I find a strange comfort in it. I can pretend for just a second, that I’m not in this nightmare, that I’m curled up at home with a book, and not here. Whenever here is. The words on the pages are blurred. Though I expect it. After all, this is just a print of my memory. It’s not perfect.

Though it’s funny. I can’t see the blocky font scrawled across the pages of my book. Though I can hear every intricate raindrop sliding down the glass doors behind me. I can feel the warmth of my house cradling my exhausted body. I’d give anything for that warmth right now.

“Lili?” Casey’s voice shocks me slightly. I’m trapped in my own mind, a sort of limbo while my physical body suffers. But memory-me isn’t surprised by his habit of just walking in uninvited. I was used to it. He liked to barge in without knocking. I’d kill him if he wasn’t my best friend. He ambles over, a cigarette dangling from his lips. I’d lost count how many times I’ve told him to stop with the disgusting habit. Though to him, it’s a “metaphor” I just told him he sounded like a cliche YA book. I’m pretty sure that’s where he got it from.

“Door was open.” Casey murmurs, and I remember rolling my eyes. Casey wasn’t exactly simpatico with his parents, ever since coming out. Though it wasn’t like they weren’t going to find out. He’d been snapped by the paparazzi, locking lips with an anonymous hunk.

Casey hangs over my shoulder. His dark hair is a greasy mess, and he’s wearing the same blue shirt he’d been wearing for three days in a row. I guess when his parents refused to accept him, he went off the deep end. The tip of his cigarette is unlit. I can still remember the overwhelming stink of body door masked with way too much Axe spray. He thinks I don’t notice. But I do. We’ve all noticed. KJ suggested a councillor. Though Case is stubborn. He’d rather see how just how far he can fall, until he’s hit rock bottom. Casey’s parents were still trapped in the 90’s. They went by “old values” which meant Casey was greeted to a locked door every time he returned home. I’d make it clear that he was always welcome. Though on that particular day when I was recovering from a shitty headache that had been plaguing me all morning, and a good book had finally took me by surprise. Casey’s presence was irritating me to say the least. Especially when he was pretending to smoke a cig. “Whatcha reading?” He’d asked curiously, peering at my book. I’d lifted my gaze and pointedly frowned at him, just to make it clear to him that he was being an irritating little shit. I’d spent the last week doing model shoots, attending fancy dinners with Cole and the others, and I finally had some time to myself. I love Casey, but sometimes I wish he’d consider getting his own apartment. I know he has the money.

“A book.” I reply, an edge to my tone. I’d really been getting into it. Casey makes a sound of acknowledgement. “Oh?” He reaches out and plucks the book from my lap before I can yank it back. “This Mortal Coil.” Casey reads out, before flashing me a lazy grin. “Let me guess. Young adult dystopian?” I can’t resist his charm. “Maybe.” I smile a bit, and he chuckles. “Why am I not surprised?” Before I can make sense of the memory, I’m pulled from it, as if being physically yanked like an elastic band. This time I’m greeted to another memory. This one is more recent. Automatically, I sense a darker atmosphere. It’s like there’s a black cloud shrouded over me, as if it was foreshadowing my fate. This time, I’m holding the same book, and my eyes are on Cole, who’s leaning against the wall of my living room with his arms folded. He’s chewing his lip, his gaze distant. KJ is cross legged on the floor and he’s staring into space, his dark brown eyes focused on something otherworldly. He’s the youngest out of all of us. He’s just turned nineteen. KJ is usually the life of the room. His smile and laugh can usually brighten my mood. Though his expression is blank. There’s no smile. No glint in his eyes. He’s just staring into oblivion.

Camila is standing next to me. She’s quiet too. This is straight after the last letter, I realize. When the four of us realised we were in deep shit. That the letters weren’t a joke. I remember how tense we were. How scared and worried and paranoid we had become. It didn’t help that we were constantly tired. That we had to cover perpetual eyebags with layers of foundation. The three of them had been sleeping at mine for the last few days, as we tried to figure out what was going on- who was after us. Every creak of a door hinge would set us on edge. Every time my phone rang, my heartbeat thrummed in my ears. We had been spread out on my rug in front of a roaring fire, trying to find some kind of connection to each letter, when Casey came bumbling in. Cole had quickly stuffed the letters into the old mahogany cabinet near the door.

Casey sits on the leather couch with his legs crossed, his expression a mix between amused and freaked out. We had just told l him about our...dilemma. It was my idea. I wanted Casey to know. Mads and Ashleigh would probably refer us to a psychologist or something. I thought Casey would be more open minded. More understanding. I was wrong.

“Followed?” He finally said, and I’d turned my attention to him, away from Cole who was nibbling as a piece of skin hanging from his lip. I’d been watching him for a while. He’d been quiet, and was either messing around with the stray curl of his dark hair hanging in his eyes, or frowning at the floor. “Followed by whom?” Casey smirks at me. “Is this a joke?” He giggles a little. “You guys think you’re being stalked?”

KJ snaps out of it and frowns. “This isn’t funny, Casey.” He mutters, his expression is dark. Cole nods and straightens up. “We need a code.” He murmurs. “Just in case…” He trails off, continuing to gnaw at the skin on his lip. Casey rolls his eyes. “ Just in case what? You’re taken by the Illuminati?” He laughs. But he looks completely serious. “Are you guys on drugs?”

KJ scoffs and drags his hand through his hair. “You won’t be saying that when something bad happens to us.” He mutters, and Casey lets out an exasperated breath, finally snapping. “You’re paranoid!” He yells, making Camila jump. She sends me a look. “I told you he wouldn’t believe us.” she mumbles. Camila hadn’t bothered with makeup and her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head. I can bet she hadn’t slept. None of us have. Just like Cole and KJ, she’s pale. Casey’s looking at us as if we’ve lost the plot. I’m scared we have. I’m still holding the book. “We can come up with some kind of code, using phrases in the book.” I smile softly at Casey, who rolls his eyes. I’d been pretty loud about how much I loved This Mortal Coil and had highlighted to him who my favorite character was. Cole already knew. “Bobcat.” He murmurs. “How about, “I say Bobcat.”

Whe none of us reply, He sighs. “Casey will only know it’s really us, if we recite the name of the book back to him.”

“If it’s really you?” Casey hisses in disbelief. “What are you saying?” His gaze flickers between us, awaiting an answer. Cole lets out a frustrated breath and KJ looks helpless.

I didn’t want to tell him about the letters, or how...strange we had been feeling over the last few days. It was like we were getting weaker and weaker. We couldn’t understand it. Was it some kind of illness we had all collectively contracted? No, I know that now. But at the time I was terrified. I thought we had been poisoned. I figured I’d just fuel his fire and he’d make more sceptical remarks. I glanced at Cole, and he shook his head slowly. Don’t tell him.

“Are you guys hearing yourselves?” Casey hissed, rising to his feet. “Look, you’re not in some massive Hollywood movie trying to escape the bad guys, okay? You’re here. In LA.” Casey’s tone softens. He shrugs a little. “I mean I guess LA can fuck with your head a bit, but being stuck in some kind of delusion that you have your own personal stalkers? Have you ever thought for a moment, that maybe it’s just some fans trying to get a selfie?”

KJ tipped his head back and groaned. “It’s not a delusion.” He mumbled back. Clearly the kid wanted to yell, but like me, like the rest of us, he was drained of energy. “And its not fans? Can’t you understand?” He hisses. “Someone’s after us!”

Casey nodded slowly, as if KJ was a kid acting out. “Kage, I didn’t expect all this weird shit from you.” His gaze slides to Cole, who frowns. He looks like he’s going to protest, but he shuts his mouth. “Look, you don’t have to believe us.” He told Casey, his tone is cold. “But can you at least memorize the code?” I thought Casey would laugh and roll his eyes. But he only nodded with a sigh. “Sure. If I suddenly become paranoid that you guys are...I dunno, alien beings from another planet, I’ll make sure to ask you straight out.” He was still being sarcastic. But I could tell he was worried. Though not for the same reasons as us. He hadn’t seen the letters which had started with each of us receiving a note with one word printed in the middle; REPLICA. He thought we were nuts. Cuckoo. That the fame had gone to our heads. He didn’t believe us.

Casey caught my eye and shook his head with a smile. He sighs. “You’ve got creative imaginations, I’ll give you that.”

~

The memory is over, just like that and my thoughts are muddled, tumbling around my mind, as skittish as my quaking limbs. I’m only aware of three things. The first is that I’m sure my body is going to go into hyperthermic shock. The second, is that I have no idea how we ended up here. The memories are fuzzy in my skull, as if they had been purposely picked out one by one. The third; we’re going to die. I’ve tried to deny it, tried to force myself to think of the worst. But Camila hasn’t moved in so long. I haven’t heard her shaky breathing. I’m positive KJ went under a while ago, and Cole? I can only hope he’s still alive. Is this what that was all leading up to? Is this was ‘REPLICA’ was?

I’m so cold. My skin feels like a blanket of ice. I can’t feel my fingers or my toes. They’ve probably dropped off. Maybe I’m hallucinating, because I can hear myself in my mind. She’s like an ache, a tinny reverberation of my own voice in the back of my head. I try and get warm, but it’s impossible. I can’t even sponge from the warmth provided by my sweater anymore. I fall into slumber every now and then, mentally begging all of this to be a nightmare. Last time I woke up, still curled into myself like a child. I’d automatically felt the violation of my sweater being ripped away, leaving me in my bra and jeans. Since then it had been a battle to stay awake, stay alive. Because sooner or later I’m going to succumb to the cold like the others. I’m going...oh god, I’m going to die.

My face is pressed against concrete slabs of flooring grazing against my cheeks. I’m too tired to try and move my head. When I try, my hair scrapes across the ground, strands of it glittering in my vision. There is no heat. There’s just the cold. I’m curled into a ball. Which is the only way to conserve body heat. The ground is stone cold concrete which feels like a bed of nails. I’ve tried stretching out my legs numerous times, but it’s like they’re not just bound by the tough rope that restricts my wrists and ankles, binding them together. I feel like everything inside me has been drained. I’m an empty shell lying on the damn floor, with only the bitter cold and the voice in my head for company. Though it’s… it’s me. I’m not going crazy, I l know it! I heard her. She’s...she’s real.

Whoever she is. She’s found a way into my head, into my subconscious. If I really try hard and block out the cold, block out my trembling body and KJ’s chattering teeth from somewhere around me, in the oblivion we’ve been trapped in. I can feel her. I can feel her warmth, feel the energy streaming through her veins. I can feel every emotion she has. I feel the panic spike in her stomach, the warm butterflies dancing in her gut. But right now, it’s fear. She’s terrified of something or someone. I try and barge into her mind, but it’s like smashing head-first into a brick wall. I don’t know why she’s here, or how she’s in my mind with my voice. But if she’s real, she’s my only way of getting out of here. My only way of saving the others and dragging them out of this hell hole.

Except I’m weak. Im so… I’m so fucking weak. I can barely lift my hand or pathetically shuffle a leg, attempting to get Cole’s attention. He lies on his side with his back to me, his arms pinned behind his back like mine. Though he’s only a shadow...a shadow that hasn’t move in a while. I feel my heart quicken, my chest ache. Though that’s it. There’s no real reaction for the fear eating me up inside. It’s like my body is refusing to respond to anything I feel. I want to cry, but my tears are like droplets of ice on my cheeks. I try and move, try to dislodge my body from its curled position. Except it doesn’t move, and I feel paralyzed. Trapped in my own body. My lips are locked tight. My arms roughly entwined behind my back. I haven’t felt them in a while. Maybe they’ve dropped off like my toes. The rope is so tight, I can feel the lacerations on my wrists. It’s agony.

I can’t speak. But even if I could, I can’t utter a word. The only coherent speech I’ve managed since we were brought here was a muffled cry for help, my teeth scathing the dusty concrete floor as I screamed. But nobody can hear me, except the others who are here with me, curled into themselves, too cold and too weak to speak. Sometimes I feel Cole’s leg brush mine and I want so badly to lift myself up and see if he’s okay. But it’s so dark. All I can hear is his laboured breaths. I lay in silence for a moment, squeezing my eyes shut. I just want to sleep. The thought is appealing, yet terrifying. Will I wake up? Or will I freeze to death? My eyes are so heavy.

“Cole?” I whimper into cracked concrete. I’m surprised I can speak when my throat is like sandpaper, my tongue feeling swollen. Though it’s still speech. Even if it is a mouse whisper.

He doesn’t reply and my heart skyrockets. Though the rest of my body stays numb. Motionless. I’m not even trembling from the cold anymore. My body is stiff. “Cole!” I try again, this time more forceful. Still nothing. I hold my breath, trying to stifle the sobs building in my chest. “It’s...it’s alright!” I gasp for oxygen, sucking in lungfuls of icy air. “We’re gonna get out of here, okay?”

“Mmm,” Cole finally murmurs softly, and then he scoffs into the floor. Which of course is his way of saying; Get a grip, Lil. We’re gonna die. He doesn’t say anything else. But he’s alive. Oh god, he’s...he’s alive. With that knowledge, I finally let my eyelids flutter shut and burrow into myself.

I idle in the darkness for some time, waiting to be pulled to everlasting nothing. Though I start to see and sense voices and shadowy figures in my mind. Voices that I recognise. It’s my voice spoken from someone else’s lips. “Casey?” she cries out. I sense her fear once more. It lingers inside of her, setting her nerve endings on fire. It takes a while for her words to hit me. Why and how was Casey with her? I want to cry out for him, but just like her, the other-me, Casey was out of reach.

I hear the crackle of TV static in my head once more, as if a connection was stabilizing. If that’s her, maybe I can call out to her? Maybe I can try. 

I close my eyes, trying to focus on her. If I can hear her, and feel her, maybe I can reach a bit of the scene around her, and, maybe, Casey. I try listening, trying to hear him, but whenever her distant, muffled voice comes through, the intervals between are silent. I can't hear him.

But, luckily, I can hear her. I can actually her her. She’s real. I’m not- I’m not crazy. Her voice is amidst static and what sounds like the love-child of a dentist drill and a car alarm. Though I can still hear bits of her choppy voice. My voice.

" - cat?" her voice says, confused. It sounds like she's parroting, repeating back something she doesn't understand. Like someone else has said it to her.

It clicks. Bobcat. The codeword. Casey was doing exactly what I thought he wouldn’t do. I thought he was sceptical. I thought he didn’t believe us.

I say Bobcat, you say…

This mortal coil. I think, feverishly.

The book. The code word.

I whisper it out, wishing someone would hear me. I want the others to make a sound. I need to know they’re alive.

A wave of cold and tiredness sweeps over me and I struggle to keep myself awake. My body shivers involuntarily, a whimper leaves my lips, and I realise I can't hear anymore. I can barely keep my eyes open. No, I must persist. I'm too scared to fall under. The pull of it is immense and it frightens me. This doesn’t feel right - have we been drugged?

It would make sense. I feel disassociated from reality. Like my body isn’t even my own. Like I’m a wandering lost soul.

Keep awake, I remind myself. I try moving, working any muscle I can think of, but it's like I'm numb: my body barely moves. Behind my back, I manage to twitch my wrists, and something cold hits my bare back. Something extra cold. I move it more. It's hard - solid - and freezing, like a block of ice against my skin. No matter how hard I wriggle, I can't dislodge it. It's like… it's stuck to my wrist. Maybe that's why I'm so cold - because this thing is attached to me.

This mortal coil, I think. Then I think it again, louder. This mortal coil! I yell. I’m far more alert now. Both by Casey’s voice, like an echo, and the thing that seems to be stuck- attached to my wrist. I don’t remember having any bracelets. Though I’m 100% sure that’s what it is. It’s a metallic bracelet glued to my wrist.

“Guys?” I whimper. My voice is stronger. Somehow. I’m met by deathly silence. Panic fills me, and I violently jerk my body, managing to roll myself onto my stomach, and just as I thought...something clinks on the ground. The bracelet. I lay on my front, strangled breaths escaping my lips. I need to get it off. But how? I can’t- I can’t move!

Cole is mute. I can’t even hear his shaky breathing any more, or his occasional shuffled movements across the floor. The shh noises he’d sometimes make as he tried to adjust his restrained body to be some kind of comfortable, was the only sound keeping me sane. Though it’s just silent now. There’s only my soft sobs. He’s asleep. I tell myself, repeating it, so it has validation. So I don’t think the worst.

He’s asleep.

He must be asleep.

“Help!” I croak. My voice is a pathetic whine. I need...I need help!

“Hello?” I whisper to her. The girl with my voice. Who is somehow walking around in my body. I suck in a breath and cry out as loud as I can. “Can...can you hear me?!” I feel my own voice reverberate against my skull. There’s a crackle of feedback in my head, like TV static. But I don’t stop. I try again, screaming out for her, screaming to Casey. She has to hear me. If we’re connected in some way and I can feel and hear her, she must be able to sense me. I try one last time, before my body flops to the rough concrete like dead weight. I cry out in my head, screeching like a banshee and mentally willing her to hear my voice.

“PLEASE HELP ME!”

~

BETTY

I’m looking at Jughead for help, desperate for him to come up with some kind of plan, when I hear it, and my heart stammers. I’d been so sure that Lili’s voice was an apparition, an echo. That she was dead somewhere and I was sensing her last lingering thoughts. But I heard it! Lili's faint voice, in the back of my mind, followed by a crackle of noise that makes me wince. But her voice is there, and it’s real, slamming into my thoughts.

"This mortal coil." First, it’s soft. It’s a tinny whimper I can only just hear. Though before I can try and register it properly, it’s louder, more panicked. Her voice is weak and breathy. “This...This Mortal Coil.”

And then, as if her cry had been delayed, it came through loud and clear, shattering my thoughts. “PLEASE HELP ME!”

Lili. She’s terrified. I can feel her mentally clawing at the barrier between us, trying to bypass it, trying to get into my head.

“Well?” Casey hisses.

I frown, snapping out of it. Lili’s cry is still echoing at the back of my mind. Casey is still glaring at me, the gun pointed directly at my head. Archie and Veronica are frozen, their hands still entwined. Jughead is standing far too close. I wonder if they heard their original’s too. I swirl Lili’s words around my mouth. It must be the other half of the code word.

This Mortal Coil. What did that even mean? 

Stay with me. I mentally cry out to her, but I can feel her fading already. I try and get a mental grasp of her presence, and my heart jumps into my throat when I hear her startled gasp for breath in my mind, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of ice, of bitter cold washing over me. I have to bite my lip to stop myself crying out.

“Who- who are you?!” She hisses. I try and ignore her, but I can suddenly feel exactly where she is. I can sense the bitter cold wrapped around her, suffocating her lungs, dragging the breath from her throat. I force myself to dismiss it for now and spew a question of my own; “Lili, where are you?” I yell out in my head.

I don’t expect her to reply, but it comes fast, distorted and crackling. “I- I don’t know!” She sobs. “Please, you have to help me! I don’t know where I am!”

Lili is hysterical. She’s trying to move, trying to desperately force her limbs to submit. But they’re dead weights. I feel her helplessness. For a second, just a small minuscule second, I glimpse the pitch dark through blurry vision, as if a second mind is pushing through. It’s like staring into a television screen. I see slumped shapes on the floor. Identical brick walls. Lili. I’m seeing through her eyes. I glimpse a shape lying a few meters away, and my stomach twists.

Jughead. Though no. It’s not Jughead. It’s his original. It’s Cole. I can’t see him, or rather Lili can’t see him properly, because of the dark. She’s scared she’s lost him.

“Sorry, but am I interrupting something?” Casey’s voice snaps into my subconscious, pulling me out of Lili’s mind and I hit reality once again. He’s still expecting the code-word. I take a deep breath. “It’s This Mortal Coil.” I say softly, and then once more, confidently.

Bobcat… Lili moans softly. She’s still here. She’s still holding on.

Archie looks startled for a second, before he nods. “That’s right.” He murmurs, lowering his arms. “What Lili said.”

Casey freezes. His eyes go wide, and the gun slips from his shaky grasp, landing with a quiet thud on the carpet. Though at the exact same time, the second Casey’s magnum lands on the floor, the crackling static in my head is suddenly gone, and I can no longer sense her. Her fear twisting my gut was gone, her icy skin prickled with goose flesh. She’s slipped away, slipped from my mind. Lili’s gone, and I’m alone. No, no, come back! I yell at her with my mind. But I’m just screaming at the carnivorous hole she had left in my head.

Without thinking, I’m yelling out loud. The words pop from my lips like word vomit and I can’t stop them.

“Lili?” I whimper, forgetting the promise I’d made with Nurse Deaton and Dr. Wilder. Jughead grabs my arm, his expression frenzied, his eyes wide. What are you doing?! He screams with his eyes. The other two have turned to me, looking startled. Casey scrunches up his face. “Did you just...refer to yourself in the third person?” Before I can react, he’s ducking and grabbing the gun, but Archie bounds forwards and snatches it off him.

“Can you chill out?’ The redhead hisses, holding the gun out of Casey’s reach. I expect the dark haired boy to freak out, but he just stares at me, his eyes wide. He frowns, mystified. "Lili?" he says, softer. Then again, more forcefully. But his voice is shaking. "What's going on?"

I don’t answer him for a second, and try again. “Lili?!”

No, I can't hear anything. She’s gone.

"Lili?" A hand lands on my shoulder and I flinch. Not my name. I shoot my head round - it's Jughead. He looks worried, genuinely worried. "What was that?"

My mouth falls open, trying to form the words to say. But what can I say?

"Okay, What’s going on?" Casey urges rather than asks. He sputters out a laugh. “Tell me."

He tries to grab the gun from Archie, twisting around and reaching for it. Though Archie keeps a firm grip and only rolls his eyes at the boy. The words I’d been wanting to tell Casey from the beginning appear in my mouth before I can organise them.

I ache for Lili. To know she’s okay.

"I don't know either.” I admit. “believe me, I've been wondering the same thing since I was woken up." Casey frowns, mouthing woken up. I take a deep breath. Jughead's hand squeezes mine. His eyes are exceptionally worried - what are you doing? I think they're asking me. I bring my hand to his and take it off my shoulder, realising my hand is shaking."We're not them." I say it so abruptly that I surprise even myself.

“Lili, what are you doing?” Veronica murmurs, her tone steely. I can tell she’s itching to hiss, Betty. My real name.

“Let her talk.” Jughead murmurs, shrugging. “If Casey wants to know the truth, tell him.”

Casey looks dumbstruck. “Truth?” He whispers. “What truth?” His gaze is on me. “Lili, please tell me what’s going on.”

"I'm not Lili.” I say softly. Casey’s eyes crinkle with confusion, and before I can stop myself, I’m telling him everything.

“Casey, I’m not Lili, and they aren’t Camila, KJ or Cole.” He opens his mouth to protest. But Archie gets there first.

"We're… we're APs.” He says. “Artificial Prints. We're like copies… clones… of them, created and brought here to temporarily stand in their places until they're found."

“The real Lili and company are missing.” Jughead adds. That when Casey cracks. He manages to reclaim his gun from Archie, who’s caught off guard. He swings it back in my face, but I know he won’t pull the trigger. He won’t shoot his best friend.

“Is this a sick joke?!” He demands. Though I can tell part of him believes it.

Jughead scoffs. “Yes, this is all part of our elaborate plan to scare the hell out of you.” He rolls his eyes and taps his temple. “Sarcasm is Cole’s best attribute.”

Casey's grip on the gun is loose. His expression is of pure shock and disbelief. I can imagine - it must be hard, processing a thing like this, especially when you're worked up enough to be holding a gun. Then his grip tightens, his expression hardening. "What have you done with them?" His hand is shaking. "Where are they? Tell me!"

"We don't know!" I cry back. "No one does. They were taken, against their will - they're probably being held somewhere." I bite my lip when his expression crumples. "I want to find them, too,” I insist.

I glance over to Jughead. He doesn't look happy. But he nods for me to continue.

“I don’t understand.” Casey says. Then, after a beat, he hisses; “Prove it.”

I struggle with explaining. "We're not exactly human," I go on. "I'm not sure what we are. Some kind of AI intelligence dumped inside of a human body that’s been created to look exactly like your friends.” Casey scowls, but he doesn’t say anything. This time Veronica cuts in.

“Information is given to us by our own minds. We memorised their lives - family, friends, social media - in around ten minutes. We can prove it,” she says lightly. “give us a sum, any sum. One number times by another."

Casey is silent for a while. His expression doesn't change - it's constantly dumbfounded, or blank. Lili? I try again, in this temporary moment of of calm.

Where are you?!

"Seven hundred and thirty-eight times twenty-nine," Casey blurts out.

"Twenty-one thousand, four hundred and two." Archie's face is smug. Show off. "Try something harder."

Casey hesitates. “Five thousand, four hundred and… and ninety-nine, divided by seventy-two."

"Seventy-six point three seven five - " Veronica this time.

"Times...times twelve!" Casey shrieks.

"Nine hundred and sixteen point five," Jughead answers, looking unfazed. "Betty." I turn to him, taken off guard by being called by my own name. "Times that by three hundred and forty-eight thousand, nine hundred and sixty-two."

“Wait, Betty?” Casey parrots. Jughead’s lip curls into a smirk. “Yes. Betty. That’s her name.”

I nod at him. Casey shakes his head, chuckling. He drags his hand through his hair in distress. Though I can’t help it. The urge to answer such an easy mathematical sum hits me. "Three hundred and nineteen million, eight hundred and twenty-three thousand, six hundred and seventy-three."

The gun drops out of Casey’s hand once again. “That’s not…” He clears his throat. “That’s not proving it. Anyone can..” his voice quakes. “Anyone can work out math in their head.”

“True.” Archie murmurs. He tugs the sleeve of his sweater up his arm. “How about now?” His voice is soft. Calming. He’s not teasing or boasting. He’s trying to break it to Casey gently. 

I’m not sure what he’s showing Casey. When I lean forward and glimpse the pale skin of his arm, I catch what looks like black ink letters printed just below his elbow; PRTY OF GENTECH.

Property of Gentech. I don’t like that word. Property. Like we belonged to them.

Jughead’s eyes widen. “Whoa, since when did we have a tat?” He rags up his sleeve, peering at his own tan arm. Sure enough, there’s the same black print.

I don’t bother looking at my own. Casey’s gaze is fixated on Archie’s arm. Finally he looks away, his lips pursed. Determined to prove us wrong. “I’m- I’m calling Mads.”

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out his phone, though Jughead is already grabbing it off him. “Can you just listen for a second?!” He hisses. Though his voice is drowned out by a loud crack! and Jughead frowns and looked down. Casey’s phone is a crushed in his hand. Jughead has completely obliterated it between his fists.

“I didn’t…” Jughead chuckles nervously. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

I wait for Casey to freak out again. But he only let out a slow breath, before slowly taking the remnants of his phone from Jughead’s outstretched hand. The phone didn’t even look like a phone anymore. It was instead twisted into a claw shape, the screen shattered. “How?” Casey said softly, and then he laughed in disbelief. “How the hell is this even- even real?!”

I open my mouth to answer, but he continues. Less hysterical. “What, so what you’re saying is they were right and did get abducted by some evil organisation?”

Jughead’s forehead creases. “Evil organisation?” He repeats. “Why, what did they tell you?”

Casey folds his arms. “Why should I tell you? You’re just…” He struggles. “Freaky robot versions of them.” He lets out a sigh. “How can you even exist? You look just like them!”

“I’m flattered.” Veronica mutters. Her hands are planted on her hips. “Seriously, Casey. What did they tell you?”

The boy frowns. “I didn’t listen to them,” He murmurs, his eyes darkening. “They said they were being stalked?”

Stalked? I feel my blood run cold. That’s why they gave him the code.

“Stalked?” Jughead says. “Stalked by who?”

Casey opens his mouth to reply, but at the corner of my eye, I catch Archie’s face falling. He looks like he’s about to say something, his lips parting.

Though before he can, his scared brown eyes are rolling back into his head. “Jug-“ I start to say, but he’s already rushing to grab the redhead, as Archie went limp, as if his puppet strings had been severed and he fell forwards, directly into Jughead’s arms.

Lili

The first thing I’m aware of when I wake up, is something warm draped over me. I curl into myself, still shivering. The thick cloud of disorienting fog still holds my mind and body hostage. But there’s something- a blanket? Covering my bare back and shoulders. The soft cotton pressed against my skin makes my heart sing. Though I want to scream into the floor I’m still lying on. I had spoken to her. The other me, and before I could ask what was happening, why I was here suffering and she was there, I had been plucked back into my new reality. Freezing cold oblivion slowly and surely killing me.

There’s something nagging at me. A voice a million miles away, trying to get through. Though it’s not her. It’s not the girl with my voice. It’s here. It’s right next to me.

“Lili!” The more I bleed back into reality, the clearer the voice is. It’s familiar, and I snap out of it for a few seconds. That’s when I realise there’s not just my shaky breathing. I hear his, hitched with sobs. And then the numbness in my wrists subsides. I feel his fingers grazing over my skin, picking at something. His frustrated breaths as his sweaty fingers keep slipping. “Lili,” He chokes. KJ. But..he hadn’t moved in so long. I thought he was...

But he’s..he’s free? He can move? Confusion swirls in my mind. I’m so sure all four of us had been trapped in the same state.

“Lili, can you hear me?” He hisses, gently rolling me on to my back. I open my eyes, straining them. I’m so weak. So tired. But I can just about make out a figure kneeling over me. His hands are clasping my bound arms. Though they’re not bound anymore. 

“Give us a sec.” He murmurs, his voice panicky. His fingernails are clawing at something on my wrist. What was he doing?

“Just hold on, okay?” His breaths come out fast. “I’ve almost got it.”

Almost got what? 

Chapter Text

hi! im considering continuing this! i found an old doc with half of the next bit written! so if ya'll would like more, let me know! it's a little old, but I'd love to continue it :D also im gonna edit the latest chapter. There's a bunch of mistakes that are physically hurting me to look at lmao, god dammit.