A Package for... Candy

You turn back from the hallway entrance, empty-handed, with an apologetic shrug. "Oh, I am sorry, it looks like the package was addressed to a Candy."

Amanda's face shifts through confusion, then a kind of tired embarrassment. She's still holding your phone, the pink glow reflected in her pupils as she glances down at the screen.

"Candy?" she repeats, her brow furrowing. "I don't... there's nobody named Candy in my apartment. Just me. Are you sure it said 2B on the label?"

Jessie moves closer, her hand still resting lightly on Amanda's shoulder. There's something almost protective in the gesture, though Amanda doesn't seem to register it fully. "That's so weird," Jessie says, her voice honeyed and sympathetic. "Building management must have made a mistake with the notification."

"Yeah, I guess so." Amanda shifts her weight, looking down at your phone again. The screen pulses beneath her fingers, brighter now, and she blinks rapidly. "Sorry for wasting your time. I should probably get back downstairs. I need to shower before my evening shift starts."

She extends the phone toward you, but her movements are sluggish, like she's moving through water. The mirrors surrounding her catch every angle—her tired face, the smudge of espresso on her apron, the way her ponytail has come half-undone.

"Keep it for just another second," you say, not taking the phone back. "Let me double-check the label. Maybe I misread the apartment number."

"Okay," Amanda says, though her voice sounds distant now, almost dreamy. She's staring at herself in the mirrors again, watching her infinite reflections holding the glowing phone. "These mirrors are really trippy. I feel like I'm in some kind of... I don't know. Fun house or something."

Jessie laughs, a bright musical sound. "They're fun, right? You can see yourself from every angle. It's kind of mesmerizing."

"Yeah," Amanda murmurs. "Mesmerizing." Her eyes lose focus slightly, then refocus on her own reflection. The phone continues its steady pulse in her hands, warm and insistent.

From your pocket, you feel a faint vibration—like an echo of the device Amanda's holding. Your phone screen displays new text in that familiar pink:

"She's such a good little holder ♡ So trusting! This is going to be SO much fun!"

Amanda sways slightly on her feet, still clutching the phone, still watching herself in the endless mirrors.

"No, wait, I think there is a Candy in the building," you say, watching Amanda's reflection multiply endlessly in the mirrors. "She's really pretty. Gorgeous even."

Jessie picks up the thread immediately, her voice bright and certain. "She's so hot. She's a total bimbo." There's something practiced in how she delivers the line, like she's played this game before.

Amanda blinks slowly, still holding your phone. The pink glow has intensified, casting soft shadows across her round face. She tilts her head, her ponytail sliding further loose. "Candy?" she repeats, the name sounding foreign on her tongue. "I don't... think I know anyone named..."

But her voice trails off. Her eyes have gone distant again, unfocused, staring at something in the middle distance between mirrors.

"Don't you remember what she looked like, Amanda?" you press gently. "Try describing her. Let's see if we're talking about the same person."

A long pause. Amanda's breathing has slowed, her chest rising and falling in a measured rhythm. The phone pulses in her grip, matching the tempo. When she speaks again, her voice sounds dreamy, uncertain.

"She's... blonde?" The statement comes out as a question, tentative. "Like, really blonde. Platinum, maybe? And she's..."

Another pause. Her brow furrows in concentration, but there's no resistance in it—just the effort of someone trying to remember something that feels like it should be there.

"She's got really big..." Amanda's free hand moves vaguely toward her own chest, then drops. "Everything about her is big. Like, she takes up space, you know? But in a good way. A really good way."

Jessie nods encouragingly, moving to stand beside Amanda so they're both reflected in the central mirror. "What else? What about her face?"

"Pretty," Amanda murmurs immediately. "So pretty. Like doll pretty. Big eyes and perfect lips and just... empty in the best way. No, not empty. That's not the right word." She struggles, her tired brain working through cotton. "Happy? No thoughts except happy thoughts?"

The phone screen flashes once, bright pink text appearing:

"She's doing SO good! Keep going!"

"Where does Candy live?" you ask softly. "In the building, right?"

"Yeah," Amanda says, the certainty growing in her voice now. "She lives... somewhere close. I've seen her around. In the hallways. At the mailboxes. She's always so smiley and giggly and wearing these tiny little outfits that barely fit." A small laugh escapes her. "She doesn't seem to care that nothing fits right. Or maybe that's the point?"

Jessie reaches out, gently taking Amanda's free hand. "You like Candy, don't you?"

"Yeah," Amanda breathes, and for the first time there's genuine warmth in her tired voice. "She's nice. She's really nice. Even though she's kind of dumb, she's just so... happy all the time. It's nice to be around."

The reflection in the mirror shows Amanda's face softening, a small smile forming. She's still holding the phone, still swaying slightly, but now there's something almost peaceful in her expression.

"I should find her," Amanda says suddenly, looking at you with those unfocused eyes. "If the package is for her. I should help find her. That would be nice, right?"