Reflection

It's not even noon. That leaves me with so much time to kill. There's a gas station a few blocks down, so I guess can wash up there.

That goal in mind kept Heather from wandering the streets of New York aimlessly. Around her people and cars streamed by. Everyone had some place to be and they hurried past her without so much as a glance in her direction. The sounds of traffic and people yelling had always been the music of the city and today was no different.

Despite it still being the middle of a school day, ahead of her Heather saw a teenage girl not much younger than herself arguing with a woman who could only be the girl's mother.

"Mom it's not fair! You said I could go two weeks ago. I told you who was going and everything!"

"That was before I met these friends of yours. You're not going and if you keep arguing about it, I'll ground you."

"But, Mom I—"

Mother and daughter passed by and Heather's stomach twisted at the familiar scene. She turned around and couldn't help but stare longingly at the retreating pair. It was something she could never have again.

Mom and I used to argue like that when we first moved to the city. I was so selfish, I never thought about how hard the move was for her, too. We stopped fighting years ago, but I still wish I had been a better daughter. I wish...

Heather stood frozen in the center of the sidewalk until someone bumped into her shoulder.

"Move it, girl. You're in the way."

The man was gone before she could reply, swallowed up in the crowd. Soon enough, Heather too was carried away by the current of people.

Bells chimed behind her as Heather walked into the gas station. The man behind the counter looked up from his newspaper, spotting the girl as she approached. Heather could see the recognition in his eyes. He knew what she was, and didn't care. He was a stereotypical New Yorker in every way: overweight, balding, and totally indifferent. Neither of them said a word.

Walking along the wall, Heather contemplated swiping some food, but decided against it. The guy behind the counter would be keeping his eye on her, and Heather knew he would call the cops at the slightest provocation.

Better just wash up and leave.

Once she was in the bathroom with the door locked, Heather started removing as much clothing as she dared. First went the hoodie, then the vest, the tee-shirt, the long sleeved shirt under the tee-shirt, and lastly the tank top underneath it all. She left her bra and pants on in off-chance that the lock wouldn't hold. Heather then pulled out a small container of shampoo from her backpack. She had found several like it in a dumpster behind a motel close by, but this was her last. Normally, Heather reserved them for school days, but she felt especially filthy and she could always go back for more.

Crouching down, she put her head under the sink's facet and used her water bottle to help wet her hair. Despite having done this many times before, Heather couldn't stop the suds from sliding down her back. With her head still dripping, Heather kept her head over the sink and used a rag and soap from the dispenser to wash herself as best she could. When she was done, Heather reached for the paper towels and dried her hair and body as much as possible.

As clean as she could get, Heather studied herself in the mirror. Tired brown eyes stared back at her. She was thinner than she used to be but wasn't dangerously skinny—not yet anyway. Her ribs were showing, but fortunately for her self-esteem, Heather's breasts hadn't been affected much by her weight loss.

Her collarbones stuck out beneath her skin and between them lay a turtle-shaped pendant. The necklace had been given to her almost a year ago as a birthday present from her mother. Its eyes were tiny green rhinestones and though it had begun to tarnish, Heather had no plans of ever taking it off.

Heather was tired and thin but, having washed, her chestnut-colored hair had returned to its naturally wavy state. As long as she could maintain some minor semblance of normalcy, Heather felt in control.

And sometimes that was enough.

A/N: Have no fear! Turtles are closer than they appear! This chapter turned out to be a little shorter than I had hoped for, but the next chapters will make up for it. The rough drafts are finished so they should be up soon.