ACT TWO
Scene Twenty-five:
"Alone"
Vi dodged the busy streets and ducked into the darkest alleys, keeping her head covered by her hood.
She didn't allow herself to think as she mentally mapped her way back to Doc's. All she could do was focus on the path beneath her feet. Focus on the task of getting there.
She felt the bruise on her temple ache again as she happened to furrow her eyebrows in concentration.
The bruise Jayce caused.
Vi grabbed the side of the building next to her, shaking. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she bent down to puke behind a trash can.
She touched her head, wincing. She rubbed her stomach, leaning against the wall, silently weeping.
After a moment, she wiped her eyes and stood back up.
She had to keep going. She made a promise she wasn't going to break.
It felt like forever, trudging one foot in front of the other, but she finally found herself in the alley across the street from Doc's. The interior lights of the little store lit the street like a beacon in the night. Humidity curling faintly in the air like wisps of early morning fog.
Before Vi decided to cross the street, she backed up into the shadows and leaned against the side of the building. Another wave of nausea overtook her. She felt dizzy.
Vi swayed and caught herself against the wall. She slid down, turning from her side to her back. She sat down on the muddy ground, holding her stomach.
She was so close, but… she didn't know if she could make it.
And if she were honest, she dreaded going back home.
What could she even say?
She looked up at the sky, as distant thunder echoed, and rain started pouring on her face. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there on the ground. It could've been minutes or hours.
A gasp caught in her throat when she opened her eyes and saw a large shadow looming onto the wall in front of her.
Maybe it was the blood loss or the nausea, but for a split second, she thought of someone else with a towering frame like that. Someone else that would've taken care of her in times like this.
"What are you doing here, kiddo?"
When she whipped her head around, and realized who it was, she didn't feel any less ashamed.
Babette stood at the mouth of the alley, an umbrella in her hand. She stepped toward the girl in her bathrobe, her face clean of makeup, her headscarf coming a little loose, unfolding some white curls underneath. Her slippers were wet with rain and mud. She looked worried.
Babette didn't ask anything. And Vi knew she didn't need to answer her, but she felt like she had to. And her throat burned as she felt ashamed that she couldn't even begin to speak about what happened to her.
Vi looked at the woman, then gazed at the ground, her lips trembling. She curled into herself, unable to look at her.
Babette knelt in front of her, as best as she could, gently touching Vi's knee. Vi cried even more from the gentle gesture.
Coming beside her, the woman soundlessly encouraged the girl to stand up, propping her to balance on her own, despite their size and age difference. She muttered in a string of Spanish that Vi didn't understand, but it soothed her like a hypnotic tonic.
Vi did her best to walk on her own but was thankful of the support.
Arm in arm, they hobbled together across the street, avoiding any attention, and hid inside the drugstore.
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