Despite Rin's wishes, Rudy followed the girl with a stinging cheek and a heavy heart as she walked through the city, the rain falling from the sky soaking the pair. She wanted to be left alone, yet, Rudy had one image stuck in her mind that she couldn't shake. She was worried that her actions would have dire consequences and part of her followed her because she cared about Rin and enjoyed their fake relationship despite her heart not containing any love for her. However, another part of her did it to cover her conscience. From what? Well, that she didn't exactly understand. But she kept her eyes glued to the girl, her soaked hair glued to the back of her neck, every so often, Rin would scoop up the little hair she had on the back of her neck and push it to her left shoulder, yet it always found it's way back to the centre. Rudy's feet ached with desperation as her long strides turned into pained hobbles, wincing every time she took a step.
Rin knew the other was behind her. Both their hearts were intertwined to her and she could feel the rhythmic beat of her own perplexion at the thought of the girl behind her. An emotion like none other she had felt since her mother's death coursed through her veins. Whatever it was withheld her from turning around and speaking to the other. When she was distracted from her thoughts, the scenery of the enriched area of Ambersage- the fancy cars, businessmen in their suits- quickly deteriorated into roads filled with scraps, smog floating into the sky from buildings and missing posters on every corner. Her heart ached in her chest growing more bruised with each step Rudy took forward.
Eventually, the girl stopped, letting out a trembling sigh, her tense posture relaxing. "Scared I'm gonna kill myself?" she merely croaked, catching the attention of the woman standing behind her, "Is that what they told you? Or is it because you saw the scars on my thighs?"
"I don't want you to do something silly," Rudy responded, her tone shunned by regret.
"I showed you every single part of me," Rin whispered, "my weaknesses- my vulnerability did nothing but make me feel like a burden to you. I didn't need a babysitter and I don't now."
"You're acting like I never learned anything about you when we were seeing each other," Rudy told, this time her voice growing louder, "like it or not Rin, I know you and I know you very fucking well. I know you're going to hurt yourself if I leave you alone and-"
"No blade could ever cut as deep as you, Rudy."
Her tone shattered as she spoke, the shrillness of her brittle voice merely able to proceed as she sniffled. Rudy couldn't do anything but stare at the broken girl before her. "You've hurt me more than I could ever hurt myself," Rin confirmed.
"I can make it better if you give me a chance," Rudy told, Rin shaking her head, slowly beginning to approach the girl.
"Every single time I wanted to add another scar, I'd think about you and about what you had meant to me. I created... I created this picture in my head and I told myself that if I were to die, at least I'd have someone who would miss me," she whispered, "you're mourning me right now because of the mistakes that you made." Using her hands she wiped away the tears,
"You're making it out like you have no other people to turn to- you do. Why are you putting all this shit on me?" Rudy snapped, staring at the girl, "I'm trying to make it better,"
"Well, you're making it worse!" Rin yelled, "you can assume that I have people and I have friends, but if you knew me as well as you said you do, then you'd realise that I don't. Celina hates my fucking guts and she's only there because she feels bad for me! I'm nothing but her charity case and as it turns out, I'm a charity case to you as well,"
"So what are you going to do about it then, huh? We're on the verge of becoming rich and you're going to throw the contract with the Adams away?" Rudy asked, "you can hate me all you want, I get it, I'm a bad person but I tried to make it right and I couldn't! You need the money from this contract, Rin. You can get a better home- somewhere safer that Richmond and-"
"Stop acting like you care!"
"But I do," Rudy spoke, her tone cracking with desperation, "I'm sorry- I should've told you sooner but I don't love you and I couldn't bring myself to say it to you when I know it's not true,"
"But you've said it plenty of times before," Rin whispered, "you're full of shit. Now go home, Rudy," she demanded, turning away from the girl before stopping, "and tell Briar she can shove the contract up her ass. I'm not doing this anymore- I'm sick of being treated as some sort of puppet, I'm a human fucking being." added the woman. Rudy exhaled as she watched the figure of the girl grow further and further away until she was completely hidden in the darkness of the night.
Holding a hand to her forehead, puffing her cheeks out, she let out a scream of frustration. Stomping her feet on the ground as though she was a child who didn't get its way, her tears mixed in with the rain. As the December wind blew cold, she trembled, hugging herself as she proceeded to walk in the opposite direction, her head bowed. Her face grew hot as she thought about what had happened previous, seeing Briar standing with a smug smirk on her face. In the dead of the night, her shriek bounced off of the walls within Richmond, clenching her fists.
Slamming the door to her apartment, Rudy rushed in, closing the door behind her. Leaning up against it, she let out a pitiful weep as she slowly slid down to the ground. Pressed up against the door, she shivered in her cold apartment. Bringing her legs up to her lower stomach, wrapping her arms around herself. "She just wanted to make it worse," she murmured. Positioned like a frightened child, she proceeded to weep all the tears her sopping heart could hold, ridding every single vein of emotion. Numb fingertips grasped at the edge of her drench sweater, attempting to pull it from over her head. Yet, the sweater simply refused to be removed, Rin complying not having the will to fight against it. Sliding further down the door with her hands to the side, she stared completely off into the distance. Everything felt cold. Yet, she wasn't sure as to whether or not that chill was from her soaked clothing or just from within her. Laying still, she continued to slip further until her head rested against the wooden floor of her apartment and her tired eyes closed.
"Mama!" Cried a young girl as she rushed into the smoothie bar. Turning her head, a silver-haired woman turned her head, seeing the young girl running up to her. Crouching down to her level, she was tackled in a warm hug, a smile meeting with her aged features. "You'll never believe what happened! I saw the prettiest girl ever!" she exclaimed in her mothers hold, pulling her head from off of the woman's shoulder, placing her tiny hands on them. Moving her hand under her daughter's chin, she smiled warmly,
"Huh, did you now?" she questioned, the blue-haired little girl quickly nodding her head,
"Yup! She had the coolest hair ever, it was all braided and she had the colour red in her braids. She smiled at me while I was drawing on the pavement," she informed, "and- and she-"
"Stop it," Rin whispered. Through the window of the smoothie bar, her fingerprints made the glass as it fogged from her breath. Muffled voices continued from the inside whilst the girl stared.
"It hurts the most when you see them again for the first time, does it not?" From behind her came a man, his face looking somewhat similar to the girl. "When you see the face you longed for years and then when you finally get to see them, it's never in light," he added. Sticking his hands inside the pockets of his pants, he edged closer and closer to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Ice cold.
A sickly pale complexion took over his features as she stood beside the girl, staring through the glass. Rin didn't dare breath, the presence of the man emitting an unfamiliar aura. "Why do you choose to speak about your mother but not her death?"
"She committed suicide," Rin whispered to the man standing beside her, "she took her own life and... I found her," she added. Lips forming into a thin line,
"I tried to take my life once," he spoke, "woke right back up after in a pool of my own blood." His words carried a bitter undertone as a heavy sigh passed his lips. "I told myself that one day I'd do the one thing that I was so scared of. I sense me and you are not so different," he affirmed, Rin furrowing her eyebrows, turning to face the man. Purple hair upon his head, hollowed cheekbones carving the structure of his face, "I sense you're scared of the end," he admitted, "well... I can feel it," he rephrased, "if I gave you the chance to relive this moment forever, you would take it. Death would remain a stranger,"
"At this point, I don't care about my fear," Rin hoarsely croaked, the man taking his hand from off of the girl's shoulder, "am I dreaming of you?"
"Where would the fun be if I told you the truth?" asked the man, "do you recognise me?"
"Leon," was all the woman spoke, "the purple hair gives it away,"
"I suppose I should try my hand on whatever that thing is that makes your hair a different colour," the man told.
"You betrayed Francis," the girl whispered, "it's written in the books. He did nothing to you and you did everything to him." Leon chuckled loudly, tipping his head backwards,
"How could I betray the man I became?"
"You fucking blew it!" Rudy screamed down the phone, "you ruined the entire fucking plan and she's- she's gonna do something bad to herself, I can already sense it, she's going to do something and it's all your fault,"
"I'm tired of hearing your shit, go and take it up with someone who cares Rudy. If anyone asks, she's still signing that contract, she's just... ill," Briar shrugged, shoving a spoonful of noodles into her mouth, wincing as she swallowed. "Where the fuck did you get that strength from? You're lucky I didn't fire you there and then," Briar grumbled. A bright grin formed on Rudy's face.
"I'm going to throw every single tantrum I can until you left me out of this deal. I refuse to cover for you when she's going to kill herself for what we've done!"
"Well, she failed once, what's one more to the attempts? I've never known someone to try and commit suicide and come third place with a bronze medal!" She laughed. Rudy held her breath,
"Y- You knew that she tried to kill herself?" Rin asked quietly, Briar humming,
"Mhm, practically everyone did! You really need to keep up with the news, Rudy-kins. She attempted after she walked into her mother hanging like a swing in the local park. Why do you think she takes them pills?"
"I- I never asked."
"They're to stop her from going all loopy. Keep her grounded on Earth. I wouldn't worry too much about her trying to off herself, trust me, as long as she stays on the pills, she'll survive," the blonde-haired smiled, "she'll come around. I'll send Rueben over, I'm sure she'll feel better having a shoulder to cry on,"
"That creep?" Rudy snarled,
"Well, it's either him or no one because we're clearly the last person who she wants to see!"
Rising from off of the ground, her neck riddled with an uncomforting stiffness, Rin sat for a moment. A bad taste in her mouth as the sun gently shone through her open window. Forcing herself from off of the ground, she scratched the side of her head, toddling into the kitchen. Fishing her phone out of her pocket, sniffling as she stared down at it whilst sighing, putting on the morning news. Walking to the side of her sink, she grabbed the bottle of pills she had kept there, unscrewing the lid. Turning to the sink, she poured the contents in, turning the tap on. Whilst she was there in person, her gaze remained blank as she grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge. Standing there with the door open, she continued to stare. Yet, in the distance, she heard the words 'missing' call out to her from the device. Closing the door, she rushed up to her phone, the bottle of water in her hand falling to the ground when she saw a familiar face on her phone screen.
"27-Year-old Cherrie Broad has been reported missing by her fiance, William Carmen this morning. It has been known that recently, there has been controversy involving the Adams Co. yet, this disappearance is leading people to question as to whether or not the fashion brand has anything to do with the disappearance of the other missing models. This morning, the company issued a formal statement, 'upon the disappearance of Cherrie Broad, the Adams Co. has requested that the general public report any signs of her within the country. She was undeserving of this targeting and they will not stop until they find her.' If you see any sign of this woman in your local area, please call the authorities. Thank you."
Gasping, the girl turned her phone off. For the first time with all these cases, she recognised the woman who had gone missing. Recalling back to Rudy's bar where she had seen the braided-haired woman have a conversation with the maroon-haired at the bar. For a moment she caught her mind wandering off, pondering whether or not the woman who had ripped her to shreds had heard about one of her friends going missing, yet, the thought evolved as she reminisced about the girl. A scowl formed on her face as her eyes grew teary from the thought of Rudy. She attempted to shake it off as she swiped off of the news app, going to her messages, ignoring the flood she had received from Rudy and Briar, going straight to Lewis' name.
Rin: I heard what happened about Cherrie, I'm really sorry. I didn't know her but I can imagine she was your friend. If you need anything, talk to me about it.