block me out | station 19

V

The sunlight streamed through the partially opened blinds, eliciting a groan from the doctor as her eyes fluttered open. She stretched her arms above her head and turned to her right, finding her wife's beautiful face. Maya was usually an early riser, even on her days off, so Carina was a little puzzled to see her still sleeping with soft snores escaping her mouth. She brought her hands to the blonde's hair, stroking it gently, not wanting to wake her.

After spending a blissful ten minutes admiring her wife, the Italian decided it was time to start the day. Perhaps it was the clock reading 9 am or maybe the grumbling in her stomach that reminded her of hunger. It could have been both.  She headed to the kitchen, pulling her hair up into a messy bun, unaware of the restless fourteen-year-old occupying one of the guest rooms.

Vada had spent the entire night tossing and turning on the bedroom floor, unable to find a comfortable position to sleep. Her mind refused to quiet down, so she eventually gave up on the idea of getting any rest. She felt anxious about being in the women's home and was eager to leave, knowing that staying only meant one thing— Mrs. Anderson. She had weighed her options during the night and had come to the conclusion that hoping for a better placement wasn't worth it. There weren't nice placements for girls like her, and she was well aware of that, so running away seemed like the best choice.

The teen grabbed a change of clothes from her backpack and headed to the bathroom. Her clothes were far from clean; she had attempted to wash them in Mr. Ramos's bathtub, using hand soap and water, but they still had numerous stains on them. She rinsed her face with water and brushed her teeth, grateful that her toothbrush still worked relatively well despite its age. Mrs. Anderson had given it to her one day after picking her up from a foster home where she had to leave everything behind, thankfully, everything except her backpack. From that moment on, she kept all her belongings in there. She couldn't afford to lose any more stuff.

Once she finished getting ready, she packed the remaining items into her backpack and quietly made her way out of the room, trying not to attract any attention. She wasn't sure what time it was or if she was even allowed to leave the room. As she turned toward the kitchen, she spotted Carina cooking, causing her to freeze and curse under her breath. Either it was later than she had anticipated, or the Italian enjoyed waking up extremely early in the mornings. Glancing around, she caught sight of the clock in the living room, which read 9:23, confirming her initial suspicion.

Seeing that the doctor was occupied, Vada thought that if she remained silent, she could make it to the front door and escape the clutches of Mrs. Anderson. So that's precisely what she did. Without looking back, she quietly made her way from the hallway to the front door, purposefully avoiding the open archway that connected the kitchen to the hallway.

"Ahem," she heard a cough as her hand came in contact with the doorknob, causing the girl to squeeze her eyes shut. "Care to explain?" Carina said, her hand blocking the teen from opening the door.

"Dr. DeLuca, wasn't it?" Vada trailed off, turning around and putting on a fake smile. She hoped that by being polite, the woman would let her leave.

"I see your memory is intact," the doctor winked teasingly.

Carina was perplexed by the sudden presence of the fourteen-year-old that she hadn't seen in two weeks. She found it strange to find her in their home on a Thursday morning, attempting to sneak out no less. She suspected that Maya had something to do with it, considering the firefighter had given the girl her number. So, until her wife woke up and explained the situation, she would not be letting Vada out of her sight.

"You see, doctor. I was just leaving," the girl hurriedly replied, causing the Italian's eyebrows to raise with a skeptical look on her face. "So, if you don't mind." Vada tried to open the door, but once again, Carina's hand prevented it, earning a frustrated huff from the teenager.