A few hours ago the two were bloodied up, traumatized, and stuck in the middle of nowhere. They still were, now, but there's a roof over their heads and shopping baskets in their hands, the sheer relief of freedom overpowering the absurdity of the situation.
The cashier looked at them weirdly when they walked in. Pulled them aside, asked if they should call the police. 'Not yet,' she had said, while they picked over the colorfully printed bandannas in a wicker bin. ''We're safe. Had an accident. Ruth-' she gestured towards the car- 'Was just helping us. And also, it's my gift, it, uh, is gross.''
So the cashier didn't call. (She would've, if it were her.)
Melodie looked into the basket. Oversized overpriced tourist hoodie with some cards on it (how close are they to Vegas?), undersized overpriced jeans with poker chips on it (even worse,) a Don't California My Nevada Tshirt (acceptable,) sketchy makeup kit, astrology bandanna (for her neck, shit, that collar was so irritating,) small slushie (cherry,) Spongebob band-aids, chewing gum (watermelon,) three white chocolate bars, fried pork rinds, gummy bears (haribo,) 5 hour energy (tea flavor, she never tried it before,) aspirin, notebook, pencil, bread, mosquito spray, baby wipes, sunscreen, comb, hand cream (honey lavender,) hand sanitizer (strawberry,) chapstick (vanilla,) mouthwash (wintermint,) deodorant ('ocean mist',) travel kit with a bunch of little bottles and a toothbrush, a lottery ticket (because she was sure she used up all of her bad luck in her life,) and, tentatively, after a small argument with Nora, a novelty switchblade (with a fish shaped handle,) just to have the sense of security while it's in her hand, because even in the first sign of civilization for hours she still felt like there's someone out to get her, and she's been so defenseless for so long that this felt good, felt empowering, worries be damned.
Ruth looked on, her beady eyes indecipherable. It was either pity or horror. At their situation? Her wallet? Melodie wasn't sure, she was too drunk on the feeling of not fearing for her life anymore.
ROAD TRIP!!! :) :) :) YAY
Two girls and a grandma in a car
Moderator: SOTF Supers Staff
This was…
Uh.
Huh.
Not too long ago, they were in Battle Royale. Then they were stuck in the desert, and then…
Ruth found them.
Did Nora deserve it? Melodie did, but she wasn’t sure about herself. Her body still shook, she still saw Joel and Orion in the back of her head. She was…
Alive.
That’s why she poisoned Orion, didn’t she?
She wanted to be alive.
And yet, here she was, holding a cola slushie in one hand and a shopping basket in the other. Nora had taken Ruth’s scarf and wrapped it around her mouth. She’d told Ruth about her, uh, problem, and she gave her it to make sure she was safe. It was funny how quickly she was going back to the regular safety precautions. Not only did she find some extra bandannas, but she had some cleaning supplies she found, which would make hygiene easier. Shampoo, soap, body wash, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, a toothbrush-toothpaste kit (which came with a plastic cover for both, nice), some chapstick (again, need to be careful with that), some shady-looking makeup, some jeans, a travel silverware kit, and, uh…
The shirts here were weird. What does ‘Don’t California my Nevada’ mean? Why so much poker? Was it the same reason why there was a small cluster of slot machines hidden in a corner of the store? Nora had grabbed a brown one that had a picture of Nevada on it with the text ‘Battle Born’, which was still weird, but it wasn’t like the one that had pictures of all the bees of Nevada. It made her think of… uh…
Anyways.
Nora had gotten some snacks, too. Some bottles of Gatorade, bags of raisins and nuts, and beef jerky. She was eyeing the pork rinds, but she realized it might potentially be kind of rude to eat them with Ruth nearby. She did pick them up, after all. Melodie did get some, but still. She tossed in a bran muffin and dried fruit, but she indulged a little bit and got cheesy popcorn and hand pies. She’d share, but… well, she needed her own food and supplies for obvious reasons.
Was Ruth okay with them taking this much? Nora did argue a bit with Melodie over the knife, but she felt more comfortable with it, she guessed.
Nora set her things down next to Melodie’s and rubbed her wrist. Closed her eyes.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled to herself.
She was fine.
Uh.
Huh.
Not too long ago, they were in Battle Royale. Then they were stuck in the desert, and then…
Ruth found them.
Did Nora deserve it? Melodie did, but she wasn’t sure about herself. Her body still shook, she still saw Joel and Orion in the back of her head. She was…
Alive.
That’s why she poisoned Orion, didn’t she?
She wanted to be alive.
And yet, here she was, holding a cola slushie in one hand and a shopping basket in the other. Nora had taken Ruth’s scarf and wrapped it around her mouth. She’d told Ruth about her, uh, problem, and she gave her it to make sure she was safe. It was funny how quickly she was going back to the regular safety precautions. Not only did she find some extra bandannas, but she had some cleaning supplies she found, which would make hygiene easier. Shampoo, soap, body wash, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, a toothbrush-toothpaste kit (which came with a plastic cover for both, nice), some chapstick (again, need to be careful with that), some shady-looking makeup, some jeans, a travel silverware kit, and, uh…
The shirts here were weird. What does ‘Don’t California my Nevada’ mean? Why so much poker? Was it the same reason why there was a small cluster of slot machines hidden in a corner of the store? Nora had grabbed a brown one that had a picture of Nevada on it with the text ‘Battle Born’, which was still weird, but it wasn’t like the one that had pictures of all the bees of Nevada. It made her think of… uh…
Anyways.
Nora had gotten some snacks, too. Some bottles of Gatorade, bags of raisins and nuts, and beef jerky. She was eyeing the pork rinds, but she realized it might potentially be kind of rude to eat them with Ruth nearby. She did pick them up, after all. Melodie did get some, but still. She tossed in a bran muffin and dried fruit, but she indulged a little bit and got cheesy popcorn and hand pies. She’d share, but… well, she needed her own food and supplies for obvious reasons.
Was Ruth okay with them taking this much? Nora did argue a bit with Melodie over the knife, but she felt more comfortable with it, she guessed.
Nora set her things down next to Melodie’s and rubbed her wrist. Closed her eyes.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled to herself.
She was fine.
Melodie felt really, really sorry about the bill they racked up for the old lady. She felt sorry for a lot of other things, too, but it was easier to process this. ''Hey,'' she turned to Nora, ''Let's go get cleaned up.''
Christ, she was hungry. And scared. And she didn’t know where to go. She didn’t want to go to the police. Part of her was terrified to even go home. So she wanted to stay at a hotel or something for a little bit, and sit by the front desk looking over all the people and remind herself of civilization again. She wanted to surround herself with humans and the music from the speakers and material things. When the door to the bathroom stall closes and she's separated from Nora and Ruth, she's going to break down in there. She needed somebody.
But, first things first, she also had to change.
''Uh, so,'' she said to the cashier, a teenaged, maybe twenty-something guy who really deserved a raise, ''Do you have bathrooms? Like, preferably with stalls?'' She tried slapping her hand down to make a point, maybe draw his attention, but instead she simply winced at the pain.
Because man, she's really down for getting clean, and she really, really would feel bad arguing with Nora over it.
Also because she wanted to cry alone without being embarrassing in front of her.
''Uh… yeah, sure. Here, you need the keys.''
''Thanks.''
The two stared at each other, and she wonders what the other teen was feeling right now- an otherwise uneventful workweek, broken up by these two bloodied teenagers. Some sort of envy ran through her at that thought- like, she could've been normal and happy and boring. If only she got off that damn bus .If only they picked anyone else. It wasn't fair that she had to live through this, that she has the burden of being a survivor, that the furries were able to do this in the first place. It wasn't fair that she did nothing to ever warrant or deserve this, and it happened to her anyways, inexplicably, sweeping her up like a torrent and leaving her shattered and bruised as life moves on around her. Why did she survive? Why did Nora survive? Was the other girl thinking the same thing?
Melodie broke eye contact when she felt flesh crawling up her arms.
''I'm sorry,'' she said, ''I was just… spacing off. It's my gift, uh, like, the whole meat and blood thing.''
Then, to Nora,
''We should, um… We should go.''
Christ, she was hungry. And scared. And she didn’t know where to go. She didn’t want to go to the police. Part of her was terrified to even go home. So she wanted to stay at a hotel or something for a little bit, and sit by the front desk looking over all the people and remind herself of civilization again. She wanted to surround herself with humans and the music from the speakers and material things. When the door to the bathroom stall closes and she's separated from Nora and Ruth, she's going to break down in there. She needed somebody.
But, first things first, she also had to change.
''Uh, so,'' she said to the cashier, a teenaged, maybe twenty-something guy who really deserved a raise, ''Do you have bathrooms? Like, preferably with stalls?'' She tried slapping her hand down to make a point, maybe draw his attention, but instead she simply winced at the pain.
Because man, she's really down for getting clean, and she really, really would feel bad arguing with Nora over it.
Also because she wanted to cry alone without being embarrassing in front of her.
''Uh… yeah, sure. Here, you need the keys.''
''Thanks.''
The two stared at each other, and she wonders what the other teen was feeling right now- an otherwise uneventful workweek, broken up by these two bloodied teenagers. Some sort of envy ran through her at that thought- like, she could've been normal and happy and boring. If only she got off that damn bus .If only they picked anyone else. It wasn't fair that she had to live through this, that she has the burden of being a survivor, that the furries were able to do this in the first place. It wasn't fair that she did nothing to ever warrant or deserve this, and it happened to her anyways, inexplicably, sweeping her up like a torrent and leaving her shattered and bruised as life moves on around her. Why did she survive? Why did Nora survive? Was the other girl thinking the same thing?
Melodie broke eye contact when she felt flesh crawling up her arms.
''I'm sorry,'' she said, ''I was just… spacing off. It's my gift, uh, like, the whole meat and blood thing.''
Then, to Nora,
''We should, um… We should go.''
Nora nodded. Then looked down at the floor for a second. Then–
Looked at Melodie.
She wanted to say something. But she wasn’t sure what.
About Orion? About what they went through? About Ruth? About what they bought? About… about…
Nora wanted to cry.
Maybe she just needed to lay down. Pretend that what happened was just a weird dream. Pretend that her brain didn’t pull back to water bottles and walking alone in the desert and her laughter and screams flooding a compound.
And… then…
What next?
And then, meat crawled up Melodie’s arms.
“Melodie-” she said quietly but cut herself off.
But they both knew they had to leave. Get cleaned up. Move forward.
A few minutes later, Nora stared into the mirror. A bit longer than she realized.
What stared back was a girl with tired eyes and bruises along her arms. She’d cleaned herself up as best she could and put on the ‘Battle Born’ shirt and the jeans, and Ruth’s scarf was still covering her mouth, but she still didn’t recognize herself. Sure, her hair was clean again, there were no more stains, but… but…
Nora snapped out of it and picked up the concealer a little too swiftly. She looked towards the door. It was locked, but she kept imagining someone bursting in and catching them off guard. Nora closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. Her stomach felt uneasy. It was just them there, but she still wasn’t sure if they could be barged in on. There were two stalls they could hide in, but would they climb under?
She pushed it aside and slammed the concealer down. Gripped the side of the sink. Checked in on Melodie.
“Hey, Melodie…? Uh. How are you doing?” she called out.
Looked at Melodie.
She wanted to say something. But she wasn’t sure what.
About Orion? About what they went through? About Ruth? About what they bought? About… about…
Nora wanted to cry.
Maybe she just needed to lay down. Pretend that what happened was just a weird dream. Pretend that her brain didn’t pull back to water bottles and walking alone in the desert and her laughter and screams flooding a compound.
And… then…
What next?
And then, meat crawled up Melodie’s arms.
“Melodie-” she said quietly but cut herself off.
But they both knew they had to leave. Get cleaned up. Move forward.
A few minutes later, Nora stared into the mirror. A bit longer than she realized.
What stared back was a girl with tired eyes and bruises along her arms. She’d cleaned herself up as best she could and put on the ‘Battle Born’ shirt and the jeans, and Ruth’s scarf was still covering her mouth, but she still didn’t recognize herself. Sure, her hair was clean again, there were no more stains, but… but…
Nora snapped out of it and picked up the concealer a little too swiftly. She looked towards the door. It was locked, but she kept imagining someone bursting in and catching them off guard. Nora closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. Her stomach felt uneasy. It was just them there, but she still wasn’t sure if they could be barged in on. There were two stalls they could hide in, but would they climb under?
She pushed it aside and slammed the concealer down. Gripped the side of the sink. Checked in on Melodie.
“Hey, Melodie…? Uh. How are you doing?” she called out.
“Uh, horribly?”
It was only after she said that that she realized maybe Nora was looking for something like reassurance, like comfort. And maybe she made it worse?
She looked down at her body as she put her shirt on. She used wet wipes and toilet paper to clean herself up, but there’s still grime on the nooks and crannies. She smelled like rot and chemical lemon.
More lemon than rot, now. She made sure of that.
There were a few pieces of metal that she had to yank out of her abdomen, blood that needed to be cleaned. But it felt like her body was rejecting her, like she didn’t belong in it. It was her’s, of course, but it was like a house renovated- the structure was the same, but the details were different.
She opened the door.
“I mean… I’m doing better than I have been for the last… week. But still…”
What came out didn’t really look like herself.
Her mind could’ve been thousands of miles away, remotely piloting herself.
“So, uh, I’m going to cut my hair. Are you… I kinda wanna use my switchblade. Are you comfortable with that?”
It was only after she said that that she realized maybe Nora was looking for something like reassurance, like comfort. And maybe she made it worse?
She looked down at her body as she put her shirt on. She used wet wipes and toilet paper to clean herself up, but there’s still grime on the nooks and crannies. She smelled like rot and chemical lemon.
More lemon than rot, now. She made sure of that.
There were a few pieces of metal that she had to yank out of her abdomen, blood that needed to be cleaned. But it felt like her body was rejecting her, like she didn’t belong in it. It was her’s, of course, but it was like a house renovated- the structure was the same, but the details were different.
She opened the door.
“I mean… I’m doing better than I have been for the last… week. But still…”
What came out didn’t really look like herself.
Her mind could’ve been thousands of miles away, remotely piloting herself.
“So, uh, I’m going to cut my hair. Are you… I kinda wanna use my switchblade. Are you comfortable with that?”
“Ah… right…”
Nora idly picked up some powder foundation. Frowned. Her hands were still shaking. She tried to compose herself a bit more.
She turned around and looked Melodie over.
“So… uh… might be dangerous. Like… you could h-hurt yourself that way!”
Nora imagined Melodie bleeding out onto the floor from a slit throat. Sometimes her imagination still got the best of her. All the ways someone could die from her spit, all the ways someone could injure themselves…
It’d always been like that. It only got worse.
“Sorry… it’s just… do you think Ruth… uh… has something better?”
Admittedly, it was possibly cool in concept. She vaguely remembered things like that happening in fiction, but, well, fiction was different than reality.
Nora idly picked up some powder foundation. Frowned. Her hands were still shaking. She tried to compose herself a bit more.
She turned around and looked Melodie over.
“So… uh… might be dangerous. Like… you could h-hurt yourself that way!”
Nora imagined Melodie bleeding out onto the floor from a slit throat. Sometimes her imagination still got the best of her. All the ways someone could die from her spit, all the ways someone could injure themselves…
It’d always been like that. It only got worse.
“Sorry… it’s just… do you think Ruth… uh… has something better?”
Admittedly, it was possibly cool in concept. She vaguely remembered things like that happening in fiction, but, well, fiction was different than reality.
“I… Sure.”
Melodie reached for the lotion first.
She always hated its feeling on her skin. It was disgusting in a way that she couldn’t really describe to anyone. But that also meant she had the luxury of worrying about these small things again, so she smiled despite herself.
“Yeah,” she muttered, “Didn’t make it this far for death-by-haircut.”
The foundation was a shade off, but maybe that was because she didn’t use any sunscreen during her Worst Field Trip In The History Of All Field Trips, and so she imagined she was a nice shade of lobster.
Another small thing that she could afford to worry about.
Suddenly, all of these things just rushed in at once. The tag on her jeans. The itchiness on her hair and her skin. Her body odor. Her period was coming soon. Her parents would think that she’s dead. Did her friends online even remember her? Did they even know? Did they even care? What if she gets back and everything gets back to normal again? Because she didn’t want that. Some part of her wanted people to fuss over her, to worry, to ask her questions, because that meant that they cared.
Melodie looked over at Nora and realized that she was shaking just as fast, and the dam broke. This time, she knew the tears were coming. She fought them off.
Melodie reached for the lotion first.
She always hated its feeling on her skin. It was disgusting in a way that she couldn’t really describe to anyone. But that also meant she had the luxury of worrying about these small things again, so she smiled despite herself.
“Yeah,” she muttered, “Didn’t make it this far for death-by-haircut.”
The foundation was a shade off, but maybe that was because she didn’t use any sunscreen during her Worst Field Trip In The History Of All Field Trips, and so she imagined she was a nice shade of lobster.
Another small thing that she could afford to worry about.
Suddenly, all of these things just rushed in at once. The tag on her jeans. The itchiness on her hair and her skin. Her body odor. Her period was coming soon. Her parents would think that she’s dead. Did her friends online even remember her? Did they even know? Did they even care? What if she gets back and everything gets back to normal again? Because she didn’t want that. Some part of her wanted people to fuss over her, to worry, to ask her questions, because that meant that they cared.
Melodie looked over at Nora and realized that she was shaking just as fast, and the dam broke. This time, she knew the tears were coming. She fought them off.
Nora’s eyes widened. She looked to the side for a few seconds.
She wasn’t good at comforting people.
Back home, in the support group, they talked about something called a ‘trigger’. Sometimes something, even the most innocuous thing, could set someone off because of past experience. Someone had a trigger around avocado and would refuse any dishes with it and would change the subject when it came up. This wasn’t just a normal food preference, but they’d get legitimately upset like it was a personal insult. It eventually turned out their body couldn’t digest a lot of things due to their physiology, and their parents would try to force them to eat, with avocado being a common food that they couldn’t digest but were coerced into eating anyways. So, they couldn’t even look at it in any form, or else they’d get sick at the thought.
She reached up to touch Melodie on the shoulder.
“Hey…”
She wondered if she had pressed something, or if she was overwhelmed in some other way. Did she… see something similar? Or was she just realizing they were–
Nora felt tears build up.
She wasn’t good at comforting people, nor at managing her own emotions.
The dam broke too.
She wasn’t good at comforting people.
Back home, in the support group, they talked about something called a ‘trigger’. Sometimes something, even the most innocuous thing, could set someone off because of past experience. Someone had a trigger around avocado and would refuse any dishes with it and would change the subject when it came up. This wasn’t just a normal food preference, but they’d get legitimately upset like it was a personal insult. It eventually turned out their body couldn’t digest a lot of things due to their physiology, and their parents would try to force them to eat, with avocado being a common food that they couldn’t digest but were coerced into eating anyways. So, they couldn’t even look at it in any form, or else they’d get sick at the thought.
She reached up to touch Melodie on the shoulder.
“Hey…”
She wondered if she had pressed something, or if she was overwhelmed in some other way. Did she… see something similar? Or was she just realizing they were–
Nora felt tears build up.
She wasn’t good at comforting people, nor at managing her own emotions.
The dam broke too.
For a small, but infinite moment, they just cried. Together, almost synchronized.
She wanted to hide it, at first, wanted to go into a stall and try not to ruin the whole place, try not to freak Nora out with her gift, try not to mess everything up, try… she was trying so, so hard right now to be fine. Why wasn’t she fine? This wasn’t fair.
Somewhere along the line, her hand found Nora’s.
She wanted to hide it, at first, wanted to go into a stall and try not to ruin the whole place, try not to freak Nora out with her gift, try not to mess everything up, try… she was trying so, so hard right now to be fine. Why wasn’t she fine? This wasn’t fair.
Somewhere along the line, her hand found Nora’s.
And Nora… Nora let her hand find hers.
Things were fine. Maybe they’d be fine. Maybe they wouldn’t, and she was lying. But maybe…
After she wiped her eyes, Nora breathed.
“Ruth… she’s probably waiting for us.”
Things were fine. Maybe they’d be fine. Maybe they wouldn’t, and she was lying. But maybe…
After she wiped her eyes, Nora breathed.
“Ruth… she’s probably waiting for us.”
Let her wait, she wanted to say, selfishly. I want to be here a little longer crying with you. I want solidarity. I want to be hidden from the outside world.
Instead, she said, ''My makeup is ruined.''
Such a stupid, trivial thing. Such a wonder it is that she's worrying about it again.
''I can do it in the car, though.''
Melodie tried to smile, and it was a while since she actually smiled in a way that meant she was happy instead of slightly less sad, actually, but it slid kind of easily on her face even though she was still kind of crying and sniffling a little bit.
''Whoever has to clean this up,'' she gestured to the tumor clogged sink in some bastardized attempt at lightening the mood, ''I pi- sorry, sniffles, pity them.''
Instead, she said, ''My makeup is ruined.''
Such a stupid, trivial thing. Such a wonder it is that she's worrying about it again.
''I can do it in the car, though.''
Melodie tried to smile, and it was a while since she actually smiled in a way that meant she was happy instead of slightly less sad, actually, but it slid kind of easily on her face even though she was still kind of crying and sniffling a little bit.
''Whoever has to clean this up,'' she gestured to the tumor clogged sink in some bastardized attempt at lightening the mood, ''I pi- sorry, sniffles, pity them.''
Despite everything, Nora laughed a little. It was such a cliche, trivial line to say your makeup was ruined, and yet… and yet… it paled in comparison.
“Uh…” she said, thinking.
Nora sniffled. Her makeup was probably ruined, too.
“We could quickly tell the staff what happened, or…?”
Nora’s legs felt a little weak. All that running, all that lack of water, all that stress, all that poor nutrition, all that not getting as much of her usual treatment… she was feeling better, but her limbs were aching and she felt a little like she needed to sit down soon. Maybe they could clean a little, but realistically, Nora might need to take care of herself fir-
…
She stopped smiling.
She’d been selfish before. Orion and Joel and Lucine got the brunt of that. She spaced for a second, before speaking again.
“Uh, right. I was wondering if we could make an attempt, but… uh… might be a better idea to tell them?”
“Uh…” she said, thinking.
Nora sniffled. Her makeup was probably ruined, too.
“We could quickly tell the staff what happened, or…?”
Nora’s legs felt a little weak. All that running, all that lack of water, all that stress, all that poor nutrition, all that not getting as much of her usual treatment… she was feeling better, but her limbs were aching and she felt a little like she needed to sit down soon. Maybe they could clean a little, but realistically, Nora might need to take care of herself fir-
…
She stopped smiling.
She’d been selfish before. Orion and Joel and Lucine got the brunt of that. She spaced for a second, before speaking again.
“Uh, right. I was wondering if we could make an attempt, but… uh… might be a better idea to tell them?”
''Yeah,'' she said. ''But they might hold us up, like, hrrr grrr you did property damage.''
Hopefully they won't. Mostly because she really wanted to avoid the cops and also because she really didn't have the energy to be confrontational right now. If anybody made her scared or worried she might actually stab them. Not really. But still.
Hopefully they won't. Mostly because she really wanted to avoid the cops and also because she really didn't have the energy to be confrontational right now. If anybody made her scared or worried she might actually stab them. Not really. But still.
“Ah… ah…”
That’s true. They might get angry, and make a scene, and then maybe call the police if they were that upset. And that might make things even worse. She had no idea what the police would say already. Maybe they’d question them. Maybe they’d ask her about what she did, or where she’d been, or what she knew about everyone else.
Her heart started beating.
And then they’d find out about Orion. And then…
Nora hadn’t thought about life after, not when she did it. It only crossed her mind now. She could be considered a criminal, whether one that hasn’t been caught yet or one that’s going to be arrested. If the cops came, they could punish her, and she’d have to talk to her family, and probably Orion’s family, and then…
And then…
She was worrying too much.
They’d just get angry and annoyed, right?
“Maybe… uh, we should go back to Ruth,” she said, gulping a little.
That’s true. They might get angry, and make a scene, and then maybe call the police if they were that upset. And that might make things even worse. She had no idea what the police would say already. Maybe they’d question them. Maybe they’d ask her about what she did, or where she’d been, or what she knew about everyone else.
Her heart started beating.
And then they’d find out about Orion. And then…
Nora hadn’t thought about life after, not when she did it. It only crossed her mind now. She could be considered a criminal, whether one that hasn’t been caught yet or one that’s going to be arrested. If the cops came, they could punish her, and she’d have to talk to her family, and probably Orion’s family, and then…
And then…
She was worrying too much.
They’d just get angry and annoyed, right?
“Maybe… uh, we should go back to Ruth,” she said, gulping a little.
''Yeah,'' Melodie muttered, ''Let's, um… yeah, let's go. I'm hungry.''
She looked at the sink one last time. Her hands smelled like citrus and melon after she washed them, and they were a little shaky, but only because the tremors from her body were still being wrung out after she sobbed. God, Nora must think she was a wreck. And she'd be right, actually.
Five things you can see, she remembered, Four things you can feel…
She won't break down again next time, not like this. Or she'll die trying, at least.
She looked at the sink one last time. Her hands smelled like citrus and melon after she washed them, and they were a little shaky, but only because the tremors from her body were still being wrung out after she sobbed. God, Nora must think she was a wreck. And she'd be right, actually.
Five things you can see, she remembered, Four things you can feel…
She won't break down again next time, not like this. Or she'll die trying, at least.