It all started with a wallet. Sitting in a store, surrounded by others just like it, seemingly ordinary in every way, shape, and form. It became unique when a woman picked it up, admiring the feeling of the black leather in her hands. She'd been trying to find a gift for her daughter's birthday, somehow ending up here; standing in front of a wall of leather bags and accessories. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself, taking it towards the counter.
The wallet got packed in a box with and cream bow and placed into the lady's bag. It's strange to think that this all started with a wallet. The last gift from a mother to her daughter.
Marlo sat at the window, watching the droplets of rain race each other down the window. She hadn't seen her mom in over a week, and she was starting to get concerned; her mind racing with the possibilities of her mother lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Maybe she had given up on her, leaving her to sink further into insanity, forever surrounded by the stark white walls that had become her prison.
It was 6:05 am when she awoke from her frequent nightmares, her sleep medicine wearing off and her insomnia wrapping it's cold fingers around her mind, preventing her from falling back to sleep. So, she opted instead to sit by her barred window, watching the rain hit the window through the fogged glass.
7:00; Morning checks. The moment the nurse's fist connects to Marlo's door in a knock, she stands up and begins to get ready for breakfast. Her mind is focused on the unexplained break in her mother's visitation. Her body fell into autopilot mode, going through her daily movements of brushing her hair and teeth, making her bed and putting on a clean gray sweatshirt.
She almost didn't notice when her friend, Jack, took his place next to her in the cafeteria. "Did you see the news?" he asks quietly, gesturing up to the blank screen across the room. She shakes her head in a reply, looking up at him from her eggs and bacon that she had been pushing around her plate. His eyes are twinkling with excitement and the familiar crazed look, he gets when he sees things.
"That TV has been broken for the last 4 months, Jack," Marlo grumbled, too exhausted to play along with his fantasies. He quickly taps his head with his middle finger, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.
"It's all in here, dollface," He whispered to her, quickly sitting upright as one of the nurses walked past our table, sparing a single glance and a soft smile their way. Once he'd left, Jack hunched over closer to her with a smirk playing on his mouth, glancing around the room to make sure no one heard him. "They found the human flag."
"Who?"
"You know," Jack hissed at Marlo, glancing at her. "Star Spangled Man with a plan."
"You mean Captain America?" She stated her voice taking on a flat tone, he nodded enthusiastically. "That's ridiculous. Come on, he's been dead for like 70 years."
"Doll, listen," he said, adjusting himself in his spot on the bench so that he was fully facing me and held his hands out. "When have I ever been wrong about this sort of thing?"
He crossed his arms smugly waiting for a reply, she rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I can't really cross-check it, can I?" She grumbled, stabbing a piece of egg with her fork.
Before Jack could reply, a man in a suit approached our table. "Marlo Rockwell?" He asked, a blank look on his face. Marlo glanced at Jack, who nudged her, a mixture of concern and hope on his face. She looked back at the man in front of her, "Yes?"
"Come with me, please."
