Lucy sat with all her worldly possessions at her feet and those who
would judge her in front of her.
"So you're Lucy?"
"Yes."
"Sophie's told us quite a bit about you," the woman said. "The gist of it being: there are problems in your family, and you want to stay here for a while."
"Yeah," Lucy mumbled, grateful that she didn't have to go into detail.
"You can," the man replied.
"Thank you!"
"See?" Sophie cut in, "told you."
"There are some rules, though." Lucy tensed. "Pretty much this: you're over eighteen, so in this house don't do anything illegal. Remember that other people sleep, so watch how much noise you make at night. That's all."
"Really?" Lucy asked, immediately surprised at the lack of rules.
"Sure. Now, if you get into trouble purposely, we aren't going to help you. You know the law, and if you break it and get caught, that's your own problem. But you're young and if you need help, we'll help you."
Lucy continued to be shocked. There weren't a lot of rules, which was strange enough, but they were offering help-and not conditional help based on going to a certain church, or being "an acceptable" way, but just because she might need it.
Lucy found that having her world turned on its ear wasn't nearly as unpleasant an experience as she'd always believed. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you-"
Sophie's mother held up a hand, "You don't have to. You help someone else later in time, and your debt is passed on to them. You're not supposed to pay us back."
"Come on," Sophie gestured. "I'll help you get settled."
The room was small, but even so, "For me?"
"Sure," Sophie shrugged. "Seriously though, yes."
"Why are your parents doing this for me?"
"Partly because I asked them to. Mostly because you're a good kid who's having some problems. I must admit, during high school you weren't my favorite person, but you've grown on me."
"Wait. Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because while you were very nice and fairly smart, you acted like a flighty, boy-crazy ditz. And I told my parents that. But I also told them how you've changed. I'm sorry, I thought you should know."
Lucy wanted to be hurt, but remembering how she'd been even half a year ago, it was hard to get up justifiable anger. 'But I've changed,' she told herself. 'I've changed beyond all recognition. That's why I'm here now.' She breathed out. "I wasn't so confused as I am now, hm?"
Sophie smiled. "You persisted in being someone besides yourself. So do most people our age."
"You don't."
"Ahh, but I am a special case. I've a Wordsworth sonnet on my mirror, Shakespeare in my head, and a broadsword by my bed. I am not, by any definition of the world, normal."
In the silence that followed, Sophie looked at her watch, " 'ell. If we don't hurry, we'll be late for work.
The two girls hurried off.
+ + + +
It was a few days after that that Sgt. Michaels first met Lucy at the library. "Do you want to talk to me?" he asked.
"I've nothing to say."
"Your parents have filed a missing persons report on you."
"And now that you know I'm not missing, you can unfile it."
"They're worried about you. Don't you want to talk to them?" he asked.
"My mother offered me an unspoken ultimatum, quit my job, abandon my friends, or leave. I left. I have nothing to say to them. I am eighteen, and not on the streets. I have committed no crime," Lucy dared Sgt. Michaels.
"What's been going on at your house?"
"I doubt you'd believe me, even if I chose to tell you, which I don't."
"You won't go back to your house?"
"As I told you, I am eighteen, Sgt. Michaels. It is not my house anymore."
Looking at her oddly, he left.
+ + + +
Simon showed up after that. "Before you say anything, just let me give you this."
Lucy took the envelope and felt its weight. "You can't afford to give me this!"
"Consider it a gift, courtesy of the Bank of Simon," he said.
"Don't you need it? For anything?"
"I've been saving for my own escape for years. I can give a little for once. I can't just.I feel like I need to pay a price for the silence we all keep."
"So I'm a price?"
"No! Well, yes, I mean.you're my sister, and obviously far saner than most our family. So I'm doing this for you. Blood's thicker than water and all that."
"Thank you," was all she could say.
"Don't bother. It's the least I could do."
"Will you do something for me?"
"It depends," he said with the caution born of someone part of their family.
"Look out for Sam and David for me."
"The twins? Why?"
"Because it's too late to save Ruthie and they can't save themselves like we can."
"I see. The sins of the fathers?"
"Yes," Lucy said gratified. Simon turned to go, "Wait," Lucy hugged her brother, like she hadn't since she was thirteen.
The next day, Lucy began the legal process for changing her name. Her past, her blood, and much of herself were still tied irrevocably to her family. Her future, though, was her own. It always had been, she was forced to admit, but she'd never known that before.
"So you're Lucy?"
"Yes."
"Sophie's told us quite a bit about you," the woman said. "The gist of it being: there are problems in your family, and you want to stay here for a while."
"Yeah," Lucy mumbled, grateful that she didn't have to go into detail.
"You can," the man replied.
"Thank you!"
"See?" Sophie cut in, "told you."
"There are some rules, though." Lucy tensed. "Pretty much this: you're over eighteen, so in this house don't do anything illegal. Remember that other people sleep, so watch how much noise you make at night. That's all."
"Really?" Lucy asked, immediately surprised at the lack of rules.
"Sure. Now, if you get into trouble purposely, we aren't going to help you. You know the law, and if you break it and get caught, that's your own problem. But you're young and if you need help, we'll help you."
Lucy continued to be shocked. There weren't a lot of rules, which was strange enough, but they were offering help-and not conditional help based on going to a certain church, or being "an acceptable" way, but just because she might need it.
Lucy found that having her world turned on its ear wasn't nearly as unpleasant an experience as she'd always believed. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you-"
Sophie's mother held up a hand, "You don't have to. You help someone else later in time, and your debt is passed on to them. You're not supposed to pay us back."
"Come on," Sophie gestured. "I'll help you get settled."
The room was small, but even so, "For me?"
"Sure," Sophie shrugged. "Seriously though, yes."
"Why are your parents doing this for me?"
"Partly because I asked them to. Mostly because you're a good kid who's having some problems. I must admit, during high school you weren't my favorite person, but you've grown on me."
"Wait. Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because while you were very nice and fairly smart, you acted like a flighty, boy-crazy ditz. And I told my parents that. But I also told them how you've changed. I'm sorry, I thought you should know."
Lucy wanted to be hurt, but remembering how she'd been even half a year ago, it was hard to get up justifiable anger. 'But I've changed,' she told herself. 'I've changed beyond all recognition. That's why I'm here now.' She breathed out. "I wasn't so confused as I am now, hm?"
Sophie smiled. "You persisted in being someone besides yourself. So do most people our age."
"You don't."
"Ahh, but I am a special case. I've a Wordsworth sonnet on my mirror, Shakespeare in my head, and a broadsword by my bed. I am not, by any definition of the world, normal."
In the silence that followed, Sophie looked at her watch, " 'ell. If we don't hurry, we'll be late for work.
The two girls hurried off.
+ + + +
It was a few days after that that Sgt. Michaels first met Lucy at the library. "Do you want to talk to me?" he asked.
"I've nothing to say."
"Your parents have filed a missing persons report on you."
"And now that you know I'm not missing, you can unfile it."
"They're worried about you. Don't you want to talk to them?" he asked.
"My mother offered me an unspoken ultimatum, quit my job, abandon my friends, or leave. I left. I have nothing to say to them. I am eighteen, and not on the streets. I have committed no crime," Lucy dared Sgt. Michaels.
"What's been going on at your house?"
"I doubt you'd believe me, even if I chose to tell you, which I don't."
"You won't go back to your house?"
"As I told you, I am eighteen, Sgt. Michaels. It is not my house anymore."
Looking at her oddly, he left.
+ + + +
Simon showed up after that. "Before you say anything, just let me give you this."
Lucy took the envelope and felt its weight. "You can't afford to give me this!"
"Consider it a gift, courtesy of the Bank of Simon," he said.
"Don't you need it? For anything?"
"I've been saving for my own escape for years. I can give a little for once. I can't just.I feel like I need to pay a price for the silence we all keep."
"So I'm a price?"
"No! Well, yes, I mean.you're my sister, and obviously far saner than most our family. So I'm doing this for you. Blood's thicker than water and all that."
"Thank you," was all she could say.
"Don't bother. It's the least I could do."
"Will you do something for me?"
"It depends," he said with the caution born of someone part of their family.
"Look out for Sam and David for me."
"The twins? Why?"
"Because it's too late to save Ruthie and they can't save themselves like we can."
"I see. The sins of the fathers?"
"Yes," Lucy said gratified. Simon turned to go, "Wait," Lucy hugged her brother, like she hadn't since she was thirteen.
The next day, Lucy began the legal process for changing her name. Her past, her blood, and much of herself were still tied irrevocably to her family. Her future, though, was her own. It always had been, she was forced to admit, but she'd never known that before.