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learnthewayAlice slipped her cloth bag over her shoulder and headed for the door of the public library where she worked. She had turned to say goodnight to one of the guards as he saw her out, and when she turned around again she noticed a familiar blond sitting on the steps. A small smile came on her lips and she walked over.
"So-Sophia-sews.." she called lightly.
Sophia turned around to glance up at her, but the girl's smile wasn't very convincing. Alice knelt down and put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "Hi, Allie," Sophia sighed.
"You look heavy tonight."
"I feel pretty damn heavy," she admitted.
"C'mon." Alice squeezed her shoulder. "We'll walk, we'll talk, and I'll take you home and feed you. Don't you ever eat? You're a rail." Sophia let Alice pull her to her feet, and the two headed down the steps to the Manhattan sidewalk. "You've been painting," she remarked, tapping her finger to a spot of paint on the younger girl's cheek.
"I haven't left the apartment in three days," Sophia admitted.
Alice sighed. "What about work?"
"I have to go in tomorrow and beg not to be fired I guess."
"Soph."
"I know, I know. I just...it was a harsh few days. I really did try, but..."
"I know, sweetheart. I'm not...I just worry, okay?"
"I know you do," the girl nodded. "I'll be okay though."
"Has Uncle Cam called you?"
Sophia snorted and shook her head. "I don't want to talk to him."
"Yes you do."
"Please. Don't." Sophia gave her cousin a look. "He's not worth it."
"He's your father."
"He's a bastard. He's not the only one who has lost someone."
"You know it's not that simple..."
Sophia stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. "Why are you defending him? He's my fucking father. He's supposed to-" Her eyes closed and she shook her head. "Forget it."
Alice walked back and set her hands to Sophia's arms and looked her straight in the eye. "I love you, So. I'm on your side. Okay?"
"Okay."
"I'm not defending your dad, I'm only saying that none of us can know what he's gone through. Just like he can't understand what you've gone through."
Sophia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I just...hate him."
Alice wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her close. "Come on, come home with me. I'll feed you and you can tell me what you painted today."
***
Alice tucked her cousin into her bed and pulled the covers over her. It hadn't taken any arguing to convince Sophia to stay the night with her, and she was glad for it. Her young cousin was stubborn and defiant at the best of times, but Alice never had any trouble with her.
She sighed and went out to the kitchen to clean up the remnants of dinner.
Alice often wished she could do more for Sophia, or do something at all. Most of the time she just felt helpless. She could only relate and give her advice so far. She had lost her own mother at a much younger age than Sophia, but she and her father had managed to pull through together. She hated to think how easily their lives could have been swapped.
Diana Jacobs and Kathryn Murphy had been sisters. They both fell in love, got married, and had little girls. They also were both Angels of Healing, and their Callings had taken them. Diana died when Alice was just a little girl, and her father was left to raise her. Back before Alice knew much about the world, and before she had her wings. Alice had never been sheltered from the real world. She couldn't remember a time where she didn't know what her parents were. Her parents never wanted her to fear the world, or herself.
When her Calling did come at sixteen, she wasn't afraid. She embraced it. She embraced it and loved it as a piece of her mother that she still got to cling on to. An Angel of Knowledge, and she was given the one thing her mother had given her a love for; books. She ached, because she wanted her mom to be there with her, but she didn't hate what she was. She couldn't.
It hurt Alice to see how hard the life was on her cousin and her uncle. She knew they were both in pain, and she wished she could take it away, but she knew she couldn't. They had both been through too much. They had been through things she could never imagine. And it was almost eerie how similar Diana and Kathryn's lives had shaped up to be, and how easily Alice could have been in Sophia's shoes.
She turned off the sink water with a sigh and smoothed her wet hand over her forehead. She didn't know how to help her cousin. She didn't have the answers that Sophia needed, and she didn't have a cure. All she had was herself, and hope that it could be enough.
With everything that she was, Alice was her mother's daughter. She lived brightly, loved brightly, and cared brightly. Something deep down told her that she was made that way for a purpose, and she wanted to see to that she lived up to it.
She turned out the lights and padded back to the bedroom, then climbed into bed beside Sophia and wrapped a protective arm around her. “Goodnight, So,” she murmured into the darkness. “Don't let the bedbugs bite.”
"So-Sophia-sews.." she called lightly.
Sophia turned around to glance up at her, but the girl's smile wasn't very convincing. Alice knelt down and put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "Hi, Allie," Sophia sighed.
"You look heavy tonight."
"I feel pretty damn heavy," she admitted.
"C'mon." Alice squeezed her shoulder. "We'll walk, we'll talk, and I'll take you home and feed you. Don't you ever eat? You're a rail." Sophia let Alice pull her to her feet, and the two headed down the steps to the Manhattan sidewalk. "You've been painting," she remarked, tapping her finger to a spot of paint on the younger girl's cheek.
"I haven't left the apartment in three days," Sophia admitted.
Alice sighed. "What about work?"
"I have to go in tomorrow and beg not to be fired I guess."
"Soph."
"I know, I know. I just...it was a harsh few days. I really did try, but..."
"I know, sweetheart. I'm not...I just worry, okay?"
"I know you do," the girl nodded. "I'll be okay though."
"Has Uncle Cam called you?"
Sophia snorted and shook her head. "I don't want to talk to him."
"Yes you do."
"Please. Don't." Sophia gave her cousin a look. "He's not worth it."
"He's your father."
"He's a bastard. He's not the only one who has lost someone."
"You know it's not that simple..."
Sophia stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. "Why are you defending him? He's my fucking father. He's supposed to-" Her eyes closed and she shook her head. "Forget it."
Alice walked back and set her hands to Sophia's arms and looked her straight in the eye. "I love you, So. I'm on your side. Okay?"
"Okay."
"I'm not defending your dad, I'm only saying that none of us can know what he's gone through. Just like he can't understand what you've gone through."
Sophia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I just...hate him."
Alice wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her close. "Come on, come home with me. I'll feed you and you can tell me what you painted today."
***
Alice tucked her cousin into her bed and pulled the covers over her. It hadn't taken any arguing to convince Sophia to stay the night with her, and she was glad for it. Her young cousin was stubborn and defiant at the best of times, but Alice never had any trouble with her.
She sighed and went out to the kitchen to clean up the remnants of dinner.
Alice often wished she could do more for Sophia, or do something at all. Most of the time she just felt helpless. She could only relate and give her advice so far. She had lost her own mother at a much younger age than Sophia, but she and her father had managed to pull through together. She hated to think how easily their lives could have been swapped.
Diana Jacobs and Kathryn Murphy had been sisters. They both fell in love, got married, and had little girls. They also were both Angels of Healing, and their Callings had taken them. Diana died when Alice was just a little girl, and her father was left to raise her. Back before Alice knew much about the world, and before she had her wings. Alice had never been sheltered from the real world. She couldn't remember a time where she didn't know what her parents were. Her parents never wanted her to fear the world, or herself.
When her Calling did come at sixteen, she wasn't afraid. She embraced it. She embraced it and loved it as a piece of her mother that she still got to cling on to. An Angel of Knowledge, and she was given the one thing her mother had given her a love for; books. She ached, because she wanted her mom to be there with her, but she didn't hate what she was. She couldn't.
It hurt Alice to see how hard the life was on her cousin and her uncle. She knew they were both in pain, and she wished she could take it away, but she knew she couldn't. They had both been through too much. They had been through things she could never imagine. And it was almost eerie how similar Diana and Kathryn's lives had shaped up to be, and how easily Alice could have been in Sophia's shoes.
She turned off the sink water with a sigh and smoothed her wet hand over her forehead. She didn't know how to help her cousin. She didn't have the answers that Sophia needed, and she didn't have a cure. All she had was herself, and hope that it could be enough.
With everything that she was, Alice was her mother's daughter. She lived brightly, loved brightly, and cared brightly. Something deep down told her that she was made that way for a purpose, and she wanted to see to that she lived up to it.
She turned out the lights and padded back to the bedroom, then climbed into bed beside Sophia and wrapped a protective arm around her. “Goodnight, So,” she murmured into the darkness. “Don't let the bedbugs bite.”
