Adopted By Hadestown

Gone, I'm Gone

Courtney honestly didn't know what hit her. Her eyes still shut closed, she tried to feel what was around her, or what was running through her mind. Her arms were fine, legs all fine... Her breathing was soft and slow, and that's when she realised.

"Ow!" She yelped as she took a deep breath in to steady herself, having no idea this would injure her even more. She felt all the parts of herself, pressing gently on areas she knew weren't affected, like her arms, just in case. This pain at her side was growing with every breath, and Courtney was coming to understand that she really needed help. No phone, no one she knew around here...

She was all alone.

Squabbles of the busy adults continued to scurry around her, but she continued, changing her cries too, "Help! Please help!" Her laments were doing no good. No one would pay her any attention... The fact she was 10 years old and whining in an alleyway wasn't helping. Her eyes began to water as a million thoughts raced. Would I have been safer at home?! No, Mama's so cruel! But who is out here? All the adults are big and scary...

Courtney rubbed at her eyes, everything growing so much louder in volume. She couldn't tell what kind of time was passing, faces weren't recognisable, the rubbish next to her reeked with such a strong, unearthly scent... She was blinking back tears, knowing that heavy, deep breathing wouldn't be of any use.

"HELP ME!"

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Eva sighed and pulled her black coat tighter around her as the wind blew. This ended up being a personal choice rather than a character choice. A big break after a Hadestown matinee show was often met with a beverage run, with each of the main cast and sometimes The Workers making their way down to Starbucks. This time it was the survival-oriented girl playing Eurydice. Her black hair came down just resting above her shoulders, face curled into a smile. Boy, the pavement was so busy today...

Out of nowhere, a high pitched voice sent shivers down Eva's spine. "HELP ME!" The voice exclaimed, and the actress immediately knew better than to walk on by. Her eyes darted back and forth, between the people, her shoes and the direction of the sound until she finally ended up in an alleyway.

Gazing down was... Not exactly what she expected. A small, small girl, crying and hugging herself. The brown hair that topped her head was almost like her own, and her head was hungover which meant Eva couldn't see her face. She knelt to her level and instantly felt a pang of something. It was her empathy that gave her this signal. This girl was hurting, crying, probably shaken inside and out. Who knows of her situation?

"Are you alright?" Eva took the girl's hand which caused her to stir and look up. Her lip began to quiver as the child tried to form the words.

She shook her head violently, "Everything hurts..." The girl closed her eyes and began to cry even more, and Eva wanted to pull her into a hug but noticed the way the girl flinched as she tried to embrace her.

"I'm going to call the hospital right now, ok? You're going to be safe... What's your name?" Eva pulled out her phone and flicked her hair back behind her ears, then pressed her phone close to her.