Rafferty might never have gotten out of bed if it weren't for Blaspheme.

She showed up on the third day. Rafferty was curled up on one side, face buried in her pillow, and she'd barely heard her friend come in. Blaspheme sat down without saying a word, leaned over, and kissed her gently, just behind her eye.

She got up and walked to the shelf across from Rafferty's bed, and when Rafferty realized what she was doing, there was a brief moment of panic.

No. No, not my music. You'll ruin it forever.

Rafferty started to protest, but Blaspheme had already put on one of the records. It was a sad song, slow and melancholy, and somehow, that was ok.

Blaspheme sat back down on the bed, and tugged Rafferty's arm. Rafferty resisted at first, but then let Blaspheme pull her until she was sitting up. She rested her head on Blaspheme's shoulder, and when the music swelled, she started to cry.

She was pretty sure she was messing up Blaspheme's outfit, blubbering right into it the way she was, but Blaspheme didn't say anything, even though she was wearing a black and gold sleeveless vest that Rafferty knew she loved.

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When the song was over, Blaspheme got up, and put on another one. This one was more upbeat, and Blaspheme starting swaying to the music, then put her arms in the air and really began to dance.

Rafferty had always thought Blaspheme was a better dancer than she was, and she admired the way she used her lithe body to effortlessly keep the beat. Eventually, Blaspheme reached out her hand, and Rafferty surprised herself by taking it.

Blaspheme placed her palms on Rafferty's hips to get her moving, then backed away and started dancing again. Rafferty opened her mouth to say that she didn't feel like dancing, but Blaspheme just closed her eyes and kept up with the music. Rafferty didn't move much at first, mostly swayed back and forth while watching Blaspheme, but it was still more activity than she'd managed in three days.

The music stopped, and Rafferty tried to talk to Blaspheme. Tried to say that Blaspheme didn't even like Katrin, thought that Katrin was manipulating her, and—-

Blaspheme put her finger over Rafferty's lips.

"She was your friend, and you're mine," Blaspheme said.

There was another song, even peppier than the last, and pretty soon they were both dancing like idiots, and when the lead singer screamed, Rafferty screamed too.

Rafferty should have known. On her first day at the Abbey, when she didn't know anyone, it was Blaspheme, who they were still calling Sara back then, that was the first one to sit and talk with her. Later, after an accident in the Box, when there was concern that Rafferty was 'too rough' as a training partner, and Rafferty was worried she might even get kicked out, Blaspheme sparred with her every day until the other girls came around. "Just don't break my nose," was all she ever said.

Blaspheme, who could make things so difficult in the best of times, would always be there for you at the worst.

Eventually, the girls stood in a quiet room and looked at each other. Their eyes were wet, but they were smiling.

It's not that things were good. Good was a long way away. But they were a little better.

And that was something.