Hello my lovely peeps! I was listening to the song Concrete Angel a few weeks ago while working on a previous story idea, and I just kind of combined those ideas into one. This chapter is pretty short and mostly plain, but I promise that this is just the beginning. Have a great day!
I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.
It was dismissal time at Noah's school and for once, both Olivia and Peter managed to get the afternoon off. It was a beautiful day, for winter that is, and their plan was to head to the park, play catch, get some pizza, and go home. It was the beginning of a peaceful weekend, which Olivia desperately needed.
The scene was the same as everyday. Children flooded the courtyard, searching for their parent or guardian while the teachers attempted to keep everything nice and orderly. Parents stood in small groups, chatting while they waited for their child to make it through the crowd. It wasn't the best set up, but it certainly the worst that Olivia had seen.
"Mom!" Noah called, running into her arms. "Hi my sweet boy!" She hugged him tightly, spotting a new face over his shoulder. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Olivia expected her to meet up with an adult after weaving through students, but instead she got herself through to the sidewalk.
"Hey Noah, who is that girl?" Olivia asked, watching as she crossed the street by herself.
"That's Nora. She's in my class. She only started last week. I've never actually heard her talk" Noah rattled off. "Nobody plays with her at recess. I tried to but she just kinda stared at me".
Olivia nodded, keeping her eye on the girl. It seemed as though walking alone was normal for her, and that alone was a red flag. "Do you know Nora's last name?"
"Thomas. No! No, it's Thompson".
"Did something happen to her dress today?" Olivia pressed, noticing the tears along the hem.
"No, she wore that same dress yesterday, and the day before". So far, she walks herself home, wears the same dress for multiple days, and wasn't wearing a coat, despite the fact that it was winter. It was a decently warm day for winter, but still. Nora's hair was dirty and knotted, and it looked like she had cut her hair herself. It hurt Olivia's heart to think that anyone could leave their kid in this state. Olivia had seen it hundreds of times, but she never anticipated it be one of Noah's classmates. She should follow her, right?
"Hey guys!" Peter called as he crossed the street to get to his girlfriend and best buddy. "You guys ready for some catch?"
"Yeah!" Noah cheered, squealing when Peter hoisted him up on his shoulders.
"Actually, can I meet you guys there in a bit? There's this thing that I have to do quickly and it'd be more convenient to do it now…" She lied, still keeping her eyes on the child. Peter noticed that something was off, but decided to leave it be for now. He knew when Olivia was focused on something, there was no point in trying to shift her attention.
"Sure. Be careful".
He kissed her on the cheek, rolling his eyes when she didn't even respond. "Let's go Noah".
Olivia began to speed walk after the girl, trying not to draw too much attention by running. The little girl dove into an alley and Olivia's stomach lurched.
Screw it. She thought, picking up the pace to catch up with the girl. As she rounded the corner she saw the child trying to open a door, but it was locked. Trying not to scare her, she slowed down and unclipped her badge.
"Hi sweetie. I'm a police officer. Can you tell me your name?" She ask she crouched down and let the girl hold her badge.
"Mommy told me not to talk to the police" She said as she handed the badge back. Olivia finally noticed the dark purple bruise on the girl's arm. It didn't look like an accident. "I have to get home".
"It's ok, I'm also your friend Noah's mommy. Do you walk by yourself everyday?"
Nora did just as Noah had said, staring into her eyes without saying a word.
"I have to go".
Olivia wanted to follow her, but there was something in the girls eyes that begged her to leave. Despite what every fiber of her being wanted to do, she turned around and walked away.
This was far from over.
"Nice of you to join us" Peter teased, wrapping his arms around her as she sat down next to him on the bench. "Did you handle your thing?"
She nodded. She wanted to get his opinion on this, just not in front of Noah. "We'll talk about it later". The park was particularly busy that day, which made sense since it was the warmest day in weeks. Noah was playing on the jungle gym with a friend from school while she and Peter sat on the bench watching intently. The boys had planned on playing catch, but once Noah saw Ryan, that was thrown out the window.
Peter rubbed her shoulder, and for a moment she found herself wondering how all of this was fair. Here she was, having a peaceful afternoon with her boyfriend and son, while who knows what was happening to that little girl.
"Actually it can't wait" She said after a moment. Noah was far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear them anyway. "There's this girl in Noah's class...I think she's being abused".
Peter's hand stilled. "Who?"
"Her name is Nora, she's new. He told me that she's being wearing the same dress for three days and she's walking herself home".
"Maybe she's just clinging onto that dress because it makes her feel comfortable in a new place?" He theorized.
Olivia pondered it for a moment. "I mean, maybe, but she also has this huge bruise on her arm and when I tried to talk to her-"
"You already tried to talk to her?"
Olivia nodded. "I couldn't help myself. She said that her mom told her not to talk to the cops".
The look on Peter's face told her that he was thinking the same thing as her, which was a blessing and a curse. He shook his head at the thought.
He fully supported her, and wanted to do everything in his power to help this girl."Where do we go from here?"