Chapter 13
"There goes my part-time job. I'm fucked." Nicky squinted up at the sky, making a sour face.
Standing next to her friend, Alex smiled as she watched Piper flying into the dusky, pinkish sky. They had been gathering in the back of the South Mansion. At an alarming speed, the sight of Piper and her 'passenger' quickly became a dark spot in the sky. Alex was proud of Piper. Only a few days after that night they had flown together, Piper had learned quickly, and was now able to steady her levitation. News travelled fast, and several residents had already approached Piper for short trips. To Piper's surprise, Ms. Claudette had been one of the first to ask. Apparently, an old friend of Claudette had fallen ill, and requested a meeting.
"Hungry? It's almost dinnertime," Nicky said, reluctantly glancing at Alex.
"I'm starving, really. They've been serving only corn soups for the past three days. Nothing else. Budget cuts. It says a lot when I say I'm hungry." Alex turned away, meaning to head back to the dorm, but Nicky pulled her arm back.
"Hey, uh… I was just thinking that maybe we could go get something to eat. My treat."
Alex paused for a second, studying her friend's face. "Is everything ok?"
Nicky groaned as she ran her hands through her big, blonde hair. "It's Morello."
"Again?"
"Yeah, again!" Nicky threw her hands up in the air.
"She's gonna come around. She always does." Alex chuckled, but stopped when her friend didn't smile back. It was unusual for Nicky; her confident, badass attitude was completely gone.
"I think she's serious this time. She… she said that he proposed." Nicky bit her bottom lip. "It's really over."
Nicky sounded so small, and it struck Alex hard. She had never seen her friend so vulnerable like this. Even though Nicky had always talked of how casual her affair with Lorna was, Alex knew that her friend truly loved the woman. "I… I just don't know what to do, Vause. It's not like I didn't know this was going to happen, but I just don't know how to deal with it. Not now." When tears began to well up Nicky's eyes, Alex stepped closer and put an arm around her shoulder.
"C'mere." Alex rubbed Nicky's arm. For some reason, the situation reminded her of Piper. No matter how passionate things had once been between them, she knew deep in her heart that Piper would always choose Larry, or the better selections out there. She was just a bad choice, and she couldn't blame Piper for it. Hell, Alex wouldn't choose 'Alex Vause' either. And, to be honest, Alex didn't know how to deal with it when Piper left. She had resorted to years of drugs, and a life of merciless hunts and kills, following orders like a robot, just to numb her pain.
Alex sighed. She shouldn't leave the island unless it was an urgency, but seeing the distress in Nicky's eyes just killed her. "Queens Comfort?"
Nicky looked up, frowning. "You just love that place. Any lovely waitresses I don't know about?"
"Come on, let's go." Alex smiled. Of course, she loved the restaurant. It was where Piper used to go get their breakfast when they were still together.
After sending Ms. Claudette off, Piper landed in the dark alley just a few blocks away from her apartment. Windswept hair, she hunched in the shadow, careful not to attract attention from passersby in the streets. She had so much fun flying that she had almost forgotten that flying outside of Litchfield was prohibited for good reasons, one of them being ordinary people would definitely freak out if they saw it.
Reaching her apartment, Piper buzzed the doorbell a few times, excitement filling her. The door swung open a moment later with a stunned Larry. Piper grinned from ear to ear and swooped into his reluctant arms.
"Piper? What are you doing here? H—how did you get here? They let you out?" Larry eventually hugged her back. His embrace became stronger, almost desperate to let go.
Piper pulled back, smiling. "Nope. I flew here on my own. They don't know about this. Don't tell your dad."
Larry frowned before pulling his girlfriend inside, and closed the door. "You what?"
Piper walked around smoothly, touching the table and chairs, the walls and curtains. She missed her place so much. The smell. The warmth. The magazines in the bathroom. The couch and TV. The familiarity of it all. She had thought that she had done fine in Litchfield—that perhaps she truly belonged there, but being back in here again just overwhelmed her. It suffocated her to think now of the moment she must leave again.
Piper sat down on the couch, smiling almost to herself. "I can fly now, Larry. I channeled levitation, and flew from the island! It's been only a few days, but I'm getting really good at it. I can fly to anywhere now! Oh, wait, maybe not continental flight just yet. But isn't this great!?"
The expression on Larry's face was somewhere between awe and confusion. He just stood with his dark eyes wide, his arms hugged across his chest. He was in his usual, navy-colored sweater. His curly hair was thick and short just like last time they saw each other. Everything looked the same, smelt the same, but the only thing that had changed was her.
Then Piper realized how awkward it must be for Larry to hear her talk about his fiancée flying as if it was a normality. It was nothing remotely normal. "I'm sorry. I know it's just weird. I'm now officially one of those freaks. You didn't sign up for this." She sighed, tucking the blonde strands behind her ears.
Larry stared at her, but she wasn't sure if it was sympathy or resentment. She had never seen him so detached like this before.
"Is something wrong?" Piper asked.
"Is it that easy for you to let me go?"
Piper gaped. "What?"
"Have you realized that we haven't talked for eight days now? And when we finally met, all you talked about is your powers." Larry's jaw clamped tight.
Piper shot up from the couch and walked up to him, guilt rising in her chest. "Of course, I was so worried that you disappeared, Larry! That's why I'm here. Howard hasn't been at Litchfield either. I had no way to contact you. What's going on? Why didn't you pick up the phones? Where have you been?"
Larry briefly looked away before meeting her pleading gaze again. "I'm always here, Piper. It's you, who's been gone."
"That's not fair. You think I want to live there? That I enjoy my time there? With my freedom limited? Power trainings that can actually harm people physically? Have you seen what Litchfield looks like—"
"Yes, you like it there, especially when you have Alex with you." Larry walked away to stand next to the window instead.
Piper froze.
"I found out when I asked dad to release you for a day for us to get married. Now I know why you've been hesitant to marry me."
"That's not true!" Piper followed him to the window, but dared not touching him. Panic and dread filled her. "I… I just wasn't ready. It has nothing to do with Alex."
Larry stared at her hard. "You never mentioned that she was there. You kept it hidden from me. If I hadn't talked to dad—"
"Because it's not important! She..." Piper suddenly found her voice dry, her breath caught in her throat. She knew exactly what to say, what to do to make him forgive her. She knew just how to convince him, but she wasn't sure if she could convince herself at all. Sighing, she took a step closer to him, trusting that her voice was steady and calm. "Yes, Alex is there. But we weren't even on good terms—"
"But you are now?"
"Larry, I need allies in there. Those people are fucking scary! They're violent and aggressive people with superpowers. They live on that island for very good reasons. You should have seen them fight. They wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you crossed them."
"And Alex will help you?"
Piper inwardly groaned, blood shooting up to her head. "Did you even listen to me? Are you not worried at all for my safety?"
Larry laughed bitterly. "Safe? With Alex? Have you forgotten what you told me how she treated you? She lied to you. She used you. And when you tried to leave, what did she do? Piper, have you forgotten? That woman is mad! And you gotta be even madder to still want to be friends with her!"
Piper briefly shut her eyes. "I know how this sounds."
"It sounds crazy!" Larry threw his hands up in exasperation.
"It is crazy! It's fucking crazy to find out that I can move a fucking cruise ship at will! It's fucking crazy to find out that I can actually fly like a fucking superman! I... I attacked Alex on the first day I met her. I physically harmed someone, Larry. Out of anger. Hate. I could have killed her then... I almost did." Piper took a shaky breath in. "I'm losing my mind in there. I don't even know who I am anymore. Sometimes I felt that it's where I belong, but other times I just hated it there. I've missed my life. I do want it back. You're the only reminder of my normal life. Please, don't push me away."
After a long moment, Larry sighed, and his gaze softened. "I can't pretend to know what you're going through, because I'll never be one of you. But I don't think you've done anything wrong. Alex wronged you. Whatever you did to her, you shouldn't have to feel guilty about it. She's a wicked woman, you said so yourself. Why can't you find other friends in there? The one that's more trustworthy than that."
"She did it to protect me." Piper looked down.
Larry stopped, utterly speechless. "I'm sorry? Now, you're saying that she was protecting you? Before you left for Litchfield, Alex was the sole reason that has ruined our lives. What really happened in there, Piper? Did you two... Do you love her?"
"Love? I never thought—" Piper stalled, suddenly unsure of what to say. She hadn't the time to ask the question herself. What had happened? She could think of a million reasons to hate Alex, but every time her heart fluttered with just one look from her. For four years that they were apart, she kept believing that Alex was a lie, a scheme to corrupt her, and there had been no real love between them. The belief was the only thing to keep herself from going back to Alex. However, recent events had convinced her otherwise that perhaps Alex did love her at some point—that whatever they had was real. And the thought of the possibility alone let her heart take flight. She could fly so high into sky just because she thought that Alex loved her. It was that easy. It felt almost inevitable.
"Yes, I do." Piper listened her croaky whisper. She couldn't even recognize her own voice. It didn't sound like her. It didn't sound like someone in love. She sounded frightened. She was afraid that she was doing the wrong thing, feeling for the wrong person yet again. Here, she was, throwing away the years she had tried to leave behind. It had been all for nothing. Despite all that had happened, she had not learned a fucking thing.
On the cold night, Alex stood along the sidewalk, gazing up at the window on the second floor of Piper's apartment. The curtains were open, revealing the well-lit room inside. She had tracked down this address by following Cal's girlfriend. She must admit that she was surprised how far Piper had taken to avoid her. Perhaps, it was really over between them.
It had been a month since the car accident. Alex had returned home to find her apartment half empty. Piper had already packed her things and left. She had tried calling her, texting her, but had received no response. Fahri had seemed to believe the fake death, but Alex had known that it was only a matter of time before the syndicate would find out, if Piper remained in the states. Even though things seemed dire between them now, Alex had been hopeful that she could still somehow convince Piper to escape to Istanbul. This time, she would promise to leave with her, but there were things needed to be done before it could actually happen.
Alex was in a worn, denim jacket, a black t-shirt underneath and a pair of faded jeans. She ran a hand through her thick, raven hair as she watched the scene unfolded inside the apartment. It was, indeed, too late. Piper was moving about the room, her lips connected to the tall, dark-haired man, whose face Alex recognized as Dr. Madison, Alex's own doctor. It had been only a month, but Piper had already moved on. Alex's chest weighed like a ton of bricks, and her legs were chained to the spot. But she kept watching. She refused to look away—to give in. If it wasn't for herself, then it was for Piper.
Alex exhaled a puff of smoke before tossing the cigarette butt down, crushing it with her heel. She crossed the street to Piper's apartment. She rang the bell once and waited. Surprisingly, it took only a few seconds for the door to swing open. Her hair a little messy, Piper froze by the doorway as she realized who the visitor was. Alex was puzzled even more that Piper had been so eager to answer the door, a distraction to the intimate session she was in, that the blonde didn't even bother to look through the peephole.
"How did you find me?" Piper's voice came hoarse.
"We need to talk." Alex kept her face straight, her voice calm. She succeeded.
Piper tightened her white robe, keeping her gaze anywhere but on Alex. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Don't do this, Pipes. I've had my reasons. I don't think that you've realized how serious the situation is," Alex replied coolly, but her fists balled in her jacket pockets as Dr. Madison was rushing down the stairs.
"Piper, who is it?" Dr. Madison came stop behind Piper. "Alex? What are you doing here? Are you all right? Is everything—"
"Everything's cool. I just need to talk to her." Alex cut him off. She was able to keep her calm only because she realized that he had no idea of her history with Piper. She had always been the invisible woman. After a year together, Piper had made sure that her family knew nothing about Alex. Perhaps, it was the way it was supposed to be. Perhaps, she was being too sentimental tonight. The longer Alex stayed with Piper, the weaker she had become. She didn't like it, and a part of her screamed for it to end now. Yes, she would end it, but there was one last thing she needed to do to ensure Piper's safety.
After a moment of stupor, Piper began to shake her head, hugging her arms. "No, there's nothing to talk about. I'm tired. It's been… a long day." She mumbled almost to herself before turning briefly at Alex. "Please, leave. If you really need to, text me tomorrow—"
Alex pulled her hand out of the pocket and grabbed Piper's arm. She was startled to find that the blonde was literally shaking. Was it the chilly air? Was it the deadly situation that scared Piper? Or was it the pain she had caused Piper? Alex's grip on her woman was firm, but she knew that it was far from how secured Piper truly felt. She was hurting Piper. She was the pain.
"It'll just take a few minutes, Doc. I'll return her as soon as possible," Alex said, pulling Piper away from the doorway. Fleetingly, she caught the angry blue gaze. The hurt was palpable, and it was just painful to see. Return her? Alex had no intention to return Piper or give her up. She didn't know how she was able to say those words, but she just did. Those nights alone on the hospital bed. The pain she had to endure after the car crash. The way she breathed—the way she thought and behaved had become her self-defense mechanisms. As her mind raged back through the painful moments, anger fumed in her heart. It took Piper only a month to move on to the next, new thing, while Alex was still licking her physical and mental wounds. Blinded by rage, she tightened her grip on the blonde, dragging her and pulling her along the street. She could no longer tell who was hurting who.
Everything became a blur, bruised and livid. Alex didn't know how they got there, crawling and yelling on the rooftop of the building opposite Piper's apartment. It must have been Piper trying to run away. It must have been what Alex had planned. Eventually, Alex winced as the pain from her wound started to register in her mind. She grunted as she released Piper, throwing the blonde against the concrete edge of the roof.
"How… how many times I have to repeat myself? I'm doing this for you, Pipes. It's all for you!" Alex breathed, one hand clutching over her chest. She found it painful to breathe each moment passed, and it infuriated her even more that she couldn't make Piper understand. Their time had run out. It was over between them, that much she was sure, yet she still couldn't say exactly what she truly felt.
"For me? You fucking lied to me, Alex! Everything is a lie! I don't want to hear from you anymore. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore!" Piper crawled away. The collar of her robe slightly slid down her slim, bony shoulders. Her bare knees reddened from the struggles against the concrete floor. Tears brimmed her eyes as she fiercely turned to Alex. "Get away from me! Leave me alone!"
Alex felt like her lungs had taken in a stab, but she ignored it. She approached Piper again and grabbed her arm, harshly pulling her up. "You have to leave, or they'd find out. You must think of your family, not just what you want."
Piper punched and kicked with all her might, trying to lose Alex's grip. "It's all your fault! I wouldn't be here, and my family would be safe, if only you stayed away! But you didn't. So, fuck you! Now, leave me the fuck alone!"
"I didn't make you this way. You were born this way! You can't deny what… what you truly are. You… have to understand," Alex panted, her hold on Piper weakened. The last thing she wanted was to be seen as weak, but she failed miserably when her knees buckled. She bent on the ground, her hand over her chest wound. She felt the soaked portion on her t-shirt, realizing that it had started bleeding again.
Panicking, Piper took the opportunity and ran, but Alex clumsily got up and seized her arm in time, spinning her around. "Let me go!"
Standing face to face now, Alex stared into the blue eyes. They used to soothe her, but now her heart just burnt in hate. Piper was screaming, but Alex was relentless. All she saw now was Piper leaving, moving on with someone else. All she saw was Piper wanting to be someone—something that she was not. All she saw was Piper hating everything that Alex was.
"You haven't been listening," Alex said, her voice cold. "Your family needs you to make it right."
"Like you fucking care! I know the real you now, and I'm not scared of you!" Piper struggled as she was dragged backwards. Alex was inhumanly strong, considering her recent wounds from the crash.
"I'm doing this for you. If I can't make you leave, then it has to be done. There will be the time when you have to fight them, so your powers are needed to be awakened." Despite the pain, Alex tightened her grasp on Piper. They moved through the wintry wind. They moved through their hate and rage—through their heartbreak and pain. They could see the disaster coming but they just didn't know how to avoid. Alex knew that there would be no going back. There would be no fixing this, but she had to do it.
"Just fucking stay away from me!" Piper scolded, her face reddened.
Alex swallowed all the pains she felt, pulling Piper so close to her that their faces almost clashed. "I will, when you can protect yourself!"
"Leave me—" Piper pushed at her former lover, and unexpectedly Alex's hold on her loosened.
Alex fell to her knees, bending in pain, when Piper found herself falling over the edge, only sharp, cold air underneath her.
Blue eyes wide in horror, Piper screamed at the top of her lungs. She then squeezed her eyes shut as she fell off the eight-story building. Countless thoughts and memories shuffled madly in the few seconds that she had left before her life would be over. Out of nowhere, she could hear her mother's exact words, reprimanding her years ago when she had tried to expose her father's affair. She recalled how ecstatic she was to learn that she had been accepted into Smith. She could still feel the touch on Alex's bare skin as she caressed the woman's face when she was asleep. Their needy kisses. Their rushed whispers and tight embraces. Their kisses in pain. Their screams in anger. Their fears of knowing that there was no chance to turn this around. Piper howled as the train wreck of million thoughts crashing into her all at once.
Then, everything stopped.
Piper could no longer hear the cars below. Not even the sound of wind. For a moment, she felt as though she had been capsulized, immobile in a space and time nonexistent in the real world. A second began to feel forever. Her body had gone rigid. Her hair hanging down like golden curtains, her robe had stopped flailing against the wind, but draping down the horizontal position of her body. She opened her eyes again to find herself about a meter above the pavement, her body floating in midair. She had no absolutely no idea what was going on, why or how it happened. She could no longer cry out. Her voice was gone. Hot tears streamed down her face and pooled over the asphalt. She began to shake, and then dropped on the ground. The landing didn't hurt all that much, but her heart had already broken into a million pieces.
Leaning against the wall, Piper looked out at the busy street just outside her apartment. She loved seeing people moving about, going on with their businesses. She loved the liveliness of it, the sounds of laughter and chatter, the clicks of the heels, the unnecessary honking. It reminded her of the days of her ordinary life that she knew she would never have again. She recalled the night Alex had triggered her powers—the first time she flew. It was out of instinct. Out of pure fright. But she spent a few years after the incident in fury and suppression, refusing to believe what she truly was, trying to forget who she had loved—who had cruelly thrown her down this road. Only after Cal's incident that she finally surrendered and tried to understand her full potentials at Litchfield. She had now come in full circle again, learning of the sole reason to take flight: to save the ones she loved.
Piper took a deep breath in before turning to look at her fiancé in the eyes. "Yes, I love her," she whispered. It sounded strange even to her ears. It sounded foolish and crazy. But if years of regrets had failed to erase it from her heart, maybe it was time she must confront it instead of running away.
There was a long moment of silence between them, and even the noises outside couldn't fill the emptiness anymore. Larry took a step back, straightened up as he looked at her. His gaze was dark, clouded by remorse and resentment. She had never seen him this way, but then she had never expected herself to come to this point either.
"You know that we can never fix this," Larry said with finality.
Piper heeded his remark. She, too, was scared at the turning point, but there was nothing that could stop her now. "I know."
"Try this. The cheese here is so good." Alex looked through the menu as if she needed to. She knew Queens Comfort menu like the back of her hand. Piper would know what to order for her, and Alex her.
Nicky chewed the toothpick, leaning back in her seat. "Just order anything. I can eat a cow now."
"Wanna order some takeout for Lorna, too?"
"Why would I do that for the bitch?" Nicky growled.
"You always do that."
Nicky rolled her eyes. "That was before she decided to run off with him. Exclusively forever. Let her starve."
Alex chortled. She then waved for the waitress, having the orders on her mind already. But what caught her attention beside the young, ginger-haired waitress moving towards their table was the harsh swing of the front door. Two men in black entered. They were tall, dark men. They turned around, searching for something—someone. Instinctively, Alex knew just what they were here for. She shot up from her seat, while Nicky looked bewildered, the toothpick fallen from her lips. Her right fist felt like fire as she mustered up the energy. Her skin was burning. It hurt every time, yet it felt so natural. It scorched her bones, her blood boiling. The first bolt of lightning shot from Alex's right hand and went straight at the first man's heart. Her aim was precise and vicious, and the man was sent backwards, crashing against the wall. Smell of burnt skin radiated through the restaurant. Other customers shrieked as they got up from their tables and stampeded towards the door.
The second lightning bolt struck down at the second man, but he quickly rolled behind the nearest counter, narrowly escaping.
Fuck. Alex inwardly grumbled. She had been too lenient, and Kubra's men had found her.
"Vause!" Nicky shouted.
Alex hadn't the moment to care what her friend was doing. Another bolt of lightning struck the counter, splitting it in half. The smell of burning wood filled the entire diner. Alex struck again at the body bending behind the counter, electrocuting him right at the spot.
"Vause! Watch out—"
All of a sudden, Alex felt a nasty jolt at her left shoulder. The force was strong enough to spin her off balance, and she fell onto her side. Her heart was beating hard and fast, so much so that it hurt against her chest. She commanded herself to get up, but her body disobeyed.
Nicky rushed to Alex, trying to pull her up. "What the fuck is happening here!? I'm getting us out—"
Her glasses fallen off, Alex squinted up at her friend when Nicky's grasp on her suddenly loosened. Nicky tumbled backwards, and almost softly she slouched down on the floor, a hand on her chest. A patch of crimson slowly emerged on Nicky's sweater.
"Nic—" Alex scrambled up to her feet, but a blast shot down through the roof, and debris fell between them. Alex had to back away to avoid the wreckages. "Nic… Nicky!" She coughed in the fume of dust.
"She's over there! Next to the counter!" A shout came through the front door.
Turning to the source of voice, Alex only had a murky view of a group of men rushing into the diner. There were about five or six of them, but she hadn't the time to properly count. Her right hand forwards, she immediately struck a lightning bolt into the ground, leaving a deep trench in its destructive wake. The force sent a few men to the walls, the others thrown out through the windows. Two more lightning bolts struck the thick trees along the sidewalk, breaking them in halves. The logs fell upon the black cars parking outside, crushing down the roofs. Several men scrambled out of the ruined vehicles, yelling to one another for covers.
Alex involuntarily bent at the growing pain on her shoulder. For now, it seemed that she had kept them at bay, but how many more were out there? She had let her guard down, and it changed the whole game. She had ended up endangering both her friend and her own life. Frustrated, she turned around, trying to find Nicky in the smoky diner.
"Nicky!" Alex spotted her friend and rushed towards her direction. However, she was suddenly pulled away from her path. A rough, metallic hand had gripped her injured shoulder, thrusting her back against the nearest wall. She choked for air, twisting at the growing pressure on her shoulder. Her feet kicking above the ground, she looked up to see a body of steel before her. Its deadly grip told her that this disastrous night wasn't about to end quickly.
"Va… Vause—" Nicky called out between her bloodied coughs.
Alex gripped the metallic hand around her neck, kicking at the attacker. "Go… now, Nicky!"
Nicky's eyes were filled with horror as she tried to sit up. She could barely keep her eyes open. "But—"
"NOW!" Alex shouted as a blast of lightning came through the roof outlet, striking viciously at the steel figure in front of her. Smell of burn fumed as dust clouded the entire diner. Alex felt the rugged hand leaving her neck, and she collapsed onto the floor, coughing hard. When she looked up again, she was content that Nicky had already disappeared. However, her attacker was nowhere to be found. She carefully got up. Green eyes searching in the dark, hazy diner. Lights from the street shone in through the broken windows and walls, but the dust greatly limited her already poor vision. It became so quiet, but she knew that it wasn't over yet. Far from it.
Breathing hard, Alex straightened up as much as she could, readying herself. She stared straight at the doorway, counting the millisecond for another attack. Warm blood trickled down her arm, mingling with the hot, blue, electric currents around her trembling fist.
Ms. Claudette stared at Piper. "You look awful. What happened?"
Standing along the busy street, Piper looked away from her 'passenger', quietly annoyed. "How was your meeting with him?"
"Good. He'll recover in a few months. Old age. How was your meeting with him?"
Piper took in a deep breath. "Uh, well… Nothing interesting. We—we broke up. No more wedding."
Ms. Claudette paused for a moment. "For someone like Vause? Are you sure?"
"No, it's for me. I..." Piper stopped, and then sighed. "I just want to be true to myself. I need it."
"That's a start." Ms. Claudette nodded approvingly. With long sleeves and gloved hands, she put her arm around Piper's shoulder. "Shall we go then?"
It was a little hard to fly in the dark. The wind was harsh and freezing at night, and Piper only smiled at the scarf around her neck. Alex had told her to wear one before the flight, worried that Piper might catch a cold from flying at night. As she cherished the warmth around her neck, she couldn't wait to get back and see Alex again, even if it was just a brief 'good night'.
It took Piper about twenty-five minutes to fly across the sea. Landing safely in the back of the infirmary, Piper took a few glances around, making sure no one had seen them. Last thing she wanted was to get into trouble with authority, especially how Healy had been watching her intensely lately. There was always something odd about that man. His stares. The way he looked at her up and down. And the fact that he hated lesbians with a passion deeply disturbed her.
"Well, thank you, Chapman. I will make sure to find the book you've been looking for as the payment." Ms. Claudette adjusted her jacket and tightened her gloves. Then, she offered a small smile for Piper, which in itself was a rare occurrence.
Piper couldn't help but smile back. It was the first smile she could make after losing Larry. She had thrown her safety net away—her future, but somehow she couldn't feel upset enough. It almost felt like a relief, a newfound freedom. The unknown path scared her very much. She had not an absolute idea how Alex felt towards her now, or how serious Alex was with Jessica, yet she took the plunge and broke it off from Larry. It had to be the bravest, yet stupidest thing she had ever done.
Quietly, they walked around the building and reached the entrance of the infirmary.
Piper stopped first. "Good night, Ms. Claudette."
"Ms. Claudette! Ms. Claudette, help!" It was Daya rushing through the doorway. Her face was sweaty, and her blue gown and gloves were bloodied. The sight sent a chill down Piper's spine.
Ms. Claudette turned to the nurse, a deep frown on her face. "What is it?"
"Nichols has been shot! She's just returned less than half an hour ago. We stopped the bleeding, but she's going into cardiac arrest," Daya tried to explain with the calmest voice she could muster.
Piper froze, her blood running cold. Last time she had seen them, Nicky was with Alex. It would not surprise her if they had gone somewhere together after Piper left. "Is… Alex with her? Is she all right?" she whispered, her voice coarse and dry.
Ms. Claudette rushed into the infirmary, grunting. "What a mess!"
Daya took a short moment to turn to Piper and said, "I don't know. Nichols returned alone." Then, she disappeared into the building as well.
Piper stood in the front yard, her head reeling from all the possibilities running through her head. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Judging from Alex's situation with her old faction, Piper couldn't understand why the brunette took the risk to leave the island. Her clenched fists trembled in anger at the turn of the event. She was mad at Alex's recklessness. She was mad at herself for leaving Alex alone, again, for failing to be there to protect her.
It took Piper a while before she could pull herself together and entered the infirmary. She walked down the dark corridor, listening to the distant yelling from the emergency room. Her heart ached as her body numbed. She stopped by the ER and peeked inside. The sight of Nicky lying unconscious on the bed, blood everywhere, shook Piper to the core. She worried for Nicky, but at the same time her stomach sank at the most terrible thought that kept thundering in her mind.
Alex.