𝕀ℕ𝔽𝕀ℕ𝕀𝕋𝕐

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚

Ｅａｒｌｙ １９２１

Delilah sat on the bench in the bay window, as she had been for months now; It had been established that this was her spot and no one else was allowed to occupy it at any time of the day. Her dull blue eyes stared out the window with longing and her chest felt heavy yet empty at the same time.

It had been around four months since the disappearance of Mary Alice and Booker. Four months since Delilah's only ray of sunshine kissed upon her skin and brightened her day. Four months of surviving Hell all by herself. Four months since she had woken up one morning to find a note hastily written to her.

Delilah-

I'll never be able to express how sorry I am for what I'm about to do to you.

I had a vision and I have to do everything in my power to prevent it from happening and that means doing a very selfish thing. I wish I could tell you what I saw, but it will only put you in danger, and it's for that very reason that I have to leave. I hope you'll understand, or at the very least, you'll be able to forgive me.

I promise you, Delilah Brooks, one day I will be back for you. I will do everything in my power to find you and get you out of the Hell on Earth, this is not a goodbye; This is a see you later.

Please, don't give up hope, no matter how long it may be and always remember that there's sunshine after every rainstorm.

Sincerely, Alice.

It had become Delilah's sole prize possession that she kept tucked in her breast pocket during the day and under her pillow at night. It brought her comfort and pain at the same time. It was nice to have Mary Alice so close to her heart, but at the same time every beat felt so painful.

She had changed since the disappearance of her only true friend in the asylum. She was hurt and filled to the brim with betrayal; So much so that it manifested itself in the form of anger and hostility. She know longer interacted with any of the other patients and she had spent so much time in isolation from lashing out at the staff that her once sun-kissed skin from the Louisiana summers was now gone and she was left a few shades lighter. She was never seen with a smile anymore and dark bags had permanently settled beneath her eyes.

Over time, however, the anger left and so did the willpower. She was left in a severe state of depression that her doctors were now trying to treat on top of her homosexuality; This meant more treatments, which meant more pain— both physical and emotional. Delilah tried to keep Mary Alice's advice in her mind, but how long did the girl really expect her to hold out? She wasn't like Mary Alice, she couldn't see the sunshine in the torrential downpour and her embers of hope were in danger of being extinguished.

She heard footsteps approach her area and she didn't even turn to acknowledge them. "Miss Brooks, it's your turn in the bakery this week."

Delilah slowly broke her gaze away from the window and saw that it was the nurse who had been keeping a close eye on her since Mary Alice left. She was one of the only nice ones in the facility and while Delilah was never friendly to her, she never lashed out at her, verbally or physically. Perhaps the woman felt pity for her, and that was why she was being nice. Delilah didn't know, but for now, Annette was her sliver of sunshine that was peeking out behind the dark clouds.