Emma nearly fainted when she saw Lucy drenched in blood. Holding the basket in one hand while the other was holding that of a unconscious child. The nun wasted no time in checking the young lass and Lucy for any injuries. Emma let out a sigh of relief when she found none but it was quickly replaced with confusion as she turns back to Lucy.
"How did this happen? Why are you smeared in blood? Did you get into a fight?" Emma asked as Lucy avoided her gaze. "There... a lot has happened. I... I can explain later, but... can we..." Lucy uncomfortably shifted from her position as Emma nodded back.
"Ah, yes yes! We'll take care of her. For now, please clean yourself sister Lucy. You look...well you look like you needed it." Lucy nodded in reply as she surrendered the little girl to Emma before going to where the river was.
֍
Lucy stared at the river before her as her hands trembled slightly. The blood in her hands were thick as well as sticky as she stared at it for a moment. The crimson shade that permeated in her hands felt so filthy that Lucy did not hesitate plunging her hands into the cold river.
The cooling and refreshing water seems to wash away the heat. Like metal that was being submerged after being heated for hours on end, Lucy enjoyed the feeling for a moment before beginning to clean herself.
She thoroughly wash her hands against the river despite the gnawing cold it brings. As she was about to clean other parts of her body, Lucy eyes widens in shock as the blood in her hands were still there, still... red. She stared blankly at them for a moment before grimacing.
Lucy submerged her hands once more, washing them more thoroughly this time. To her horror, however, the blood was still there. The grime, the heat, the filth... it was still there. Her surprise turned into panic as she submerged them once more, scrubbing every bit and cranny that she felt her skin being torn apart.
Did you think you can change? Lucy wildly turns around as a voice whispers softly in her ears. She looked again and again but found no one as she returned to scrubbing her hands fiercely. Did you think you could break free from these chains? Lucy snapped back yet again, trying to find the source of the voice to no avail.
Where are you looking at? I'm right here. Lucy could feel her blood run cold as she submerged her hands once more, desperately trying to remove the blood in her hands. No no, it can't be. T-this can't be happening. Why are you here?? The terrified maiden thought as her panic turned into desperation.
"Why won't it clean?" Lucy hissed as she relentlessly tries to wash off the blood. No matter how hard she tries, however, the blood simply won't go away. "Why won't it clean?!" Lucy panicked as a cold laughter seemed to echo within her mind.
Of course it won't be clean, you filthy murderer. "No!" Lucy exclaimed as she only tries to scrubbed the dirty hands harder. The blood of the innocents are in your hands "I didn't mean to do it. I...I... it was an accident!" Lucy desperately replied as her breathing begins to go haggard.
Memories of her old life begins to sprang up once more.The broken bodies, the burning houses, the taste of iron, and... and the crushing weight of her failure. All were still fresh in her mind as if it was yesterday. "It was an accident! I-I swear it was a-"
You are wrong Emma. The voice whispered as Lucy was forced to remember that name. Try as you might be, you can never run away from it. After all- "N-no." you are a murderer. "No no no! That's not true! That is not true! I'm not a... I-I'm not a... no you have to believe me, I am not a..." murderer "Sister Lucy?" Lucy snapped back to reality as she wildly turns around again, finding someone else behind her this time.
"Sister...Rose?" Lucy silently whispered as if trying to confirm whether she was real or not. "!!! Sister Lucy what is wrong with your hands?!" Rose exclaimed as Lucy only realizes now the stinging pain from her hands.
When she turned to look at them, Lucy was surprised to see scratches all over her hands. It was as if a wild animal were clawing its way towards her bone. "Let me see it!" Rose exclaimed as she hurriedly examined Lucy's hands before mending them back slowly with her healing.
The emerald glow stings her hands as it reknits the teared-up skin to its original places. "I-I am fine sister-" "No you are not. Just hold still." Rose did not allow any excuse Lucy was about to explain as she continues to mend her wound.
"There, that should do for a while." Rose said as Lucy pulled back her now smooth and healed hands from her grip. "...Thank you..." Lucy weakly replied as she hurriedly tries to flee away from Rose. "What about that?" Rose said as she pointed down her still soiled clothes.
Lucy seemed to forget about her clothing for a moment as Rose snatched her hands while in her confused state. "You can't go back being dirty like that. Here let me help you." Rose said as she tries to remove Lucy's button.
"I-I can do it on my own." Lucy replied in embarrassment as she firmly gripped her clothes in place. Rose stared Lucy for a moment before replying softly. "Lucy, I am only trying to help you. You still have a hard time in those clothes yes? Please, just let me help you." Rose softly whispered as she tries to calm down Lucy.
Lucy shook her head firmly as she gathered her words to reply. "I can do it on my own." Rose stared at her eyes for a moment before sadly smiling. "Very well then. I'll just bring spare clothes for you." Rose softly whispered as she left Lucy in the river alone.
֍
Lucy softly knocked on the clinic's door where she had been just 1 month prior. "Come in." A soft whisper replied her knocking as she calmly took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. "Sister Emma." Lucy whispered as Emma nodded with a tired smile.
"How is she?" Lucy whispered as Emma turned back towards the little girl who was sleeping comfortably now in a fresh and clean set of spare clothes. "She's... honestly I am surprised how she manages to live on despite these bruises.
It will take some time, but it will be only a matter of time before she can stand back on her feet." Emma softly replied as she turned back to Lucy. A cold sweat escaped from her brow as Emma's eyes says it all. "Please, take a sit sister Lucy. No need to stand still over there" Lucy complied without a word as she nervously sinks down on the chair.
"Do you happen to know her name?" Emma asked as she gently brushed the hair of the sleeping child. "So-sorry. I couldn't get her name." Emma silently nodded back in reply as she continues to caress the girl's hair so lovingly.
"I see. That is sadly unfortunate." Emma muttered as she turned back to Lucy. "But... I believe we have other pressing matters to attend to." Emma said as her gaze returned back to Lucy. It wasn't stern nor was it gentle, but it made Lucy squirm more than she liked to admit.
Silence enveloped the two as Emma's watchful eyes did not allow Lucy to escape. "...Would you mind to tell me now Lucy?" Emma soft but firmly asked as Lucy gulped down her throat before speaking. "...There was... an accident on my way back..." Lucy explained.
"I... accidentally made a wrong turn and found this child here... was being dragged by someone she does not know." Emma's eyes widen as Lucy continues. "I... I could not simply abandoned her and... and broke off into a fight." Lucy steeled herself as she whispered the next words.
"I somehow manages to surprise the guy and knocked him out cold. I did not know what else to do so I just took her hand and ran back to this place and figure it out from there." Lucy explained as her heart was beginning to beat loudly.
Despite managing to explain the entire situation without missing a beat, Lucy feared her lie could be seen from Emma's eyes as she simply looked down on the floor and did not meet her eyes. "Is that what really happened?" Lucy inwardly flinched as she slowly nodded.
"Yes" Lucy replied. "Sister Lucy." Lucy flinched as a hand clasped above hers. "Look me in the eyes and say it again." Lucy could feel her skin crawl in trepidation as she forcefully meet her gaze. Emma's soft amethyst eyes pulsed softly as if it was pulling her in.
The sense of calm and trust emitting from those eyes made Lucy want to confess. To admit what really happened, but the fear being driven out proved to be far stronger than her will of honesty as she nodded back in reply. "I... I didn't want to hurt him. H-he... he gave me no choice." Another lie was made, but Lucy could not care less as the alternative was far more terrifying.
Emma smiled softly at Lucy as she pat's her shoulder. "You've done well Lucy, it must been hard right? I'm proud of you." Lucy could not bear to reply as she only nodded back. The guilt of these lies weighs heavily on Lucy as she could no longer turn back and confess.
The two sits down in silence once more as the day slowly passes. In those peaceful and quite times, Emma was proud beyond words as to how Lucy manages to save the child whilst Lucy could only feel self-loathing growing ever stronger inside her.
"Well, I still have a lot of things to do for today. Sister Lucy, would you please look after the girl in the meantime?" Lucy nodded in reply as Emma smiled for the last time. As the door slowly shuts to a close, a heavy sigh escaped from her mouth.
"Haa..." Lucy sighed as she stared at the door for a little while longer. The cold breeze blew gently across the window as Lucy contemplated heavily on the lies she had just committed. I should not have done it. Lucy silently thought.
I should have tell the truth... I should have not lied... Lucy thought as she slowly gaze down her hands. The blood was gone now, but Lucy could still vividly recall the dried and sticky feeling it has. The feeling of impurity.
Lucy silently shook her head as she turned to check on the girl's condition. To her surprise, the little girl was already up and was simply staring at her. Lucy almost shouted in surprise when she noticed those hostile eyes as she quickly regains her composure.
"...How are you feeling?" Lucy carefully asked as the girl simply stared back in reply. There were a lot of things rampaging inside those eyes. Emotions that could burst forth with just the right word as she continues to stare at Lucy.
"...W-would you like some water?" Lucy asked as when she noticed her dried lips. The little girl's brow furrow for a moment before nodding back in reply. Lucy grabbed the nearest pitcher she could find and poured down a glass of cold water for Iva.
"...Here..." Lucy said as she hands the glass of water, but the little girl simply stared at it. Lucy blinked for a moment before putting the glass on the small desk besides her bed. As soon as Lucy retracted her hand, the little girl snatched the cup quickly before greedily drowning its contents.
Lucy simply stared in silence as the little girl finished the glass as quickly as she can before asking for seconds. Lucy complied without a word as she poured down a second serving for the little girl to drink. The young lass soon drowned the cup as soon as it was replenished.
"...Are you feeling better now?" Lucy carefully asked as the girl simply went back to her silent stare. The silence was maintained to what feels like an hour. The two neither tore their gazes away from one another, waiting for the other to relent first.
This continued for some time before the girl finally broke the silence and spoke out first. "...Why did you lie?" She asked as Lucy's eyes widen for a moment. "You... you were awake back then?" Lucy asked. The little did not replied as she only waited back for an answer.
An encroaching fear begins to well up inside Lucy as she gathered her words to make a proper reply. "...I don't think it was necessary to tell sister Emma what happened. She-" "Y-you killed d-dad." The little girl hissed, throwing Lucy into a panic.
"I d-didn't mean it. I-It was an accident." Lucy said as she tries to come up with an excuse... but she found nothing. "T-then you could have done w-what you did to me. Y-you could have knocked him out." Iva whimpered as she glared at Lucy.
"S-so why... why did you have to kill him? Why did you..." The girl trailed off as the memory of her dead father flashed for a moment. She could not keep the emotions any longer. Despite being matured for her age, she was still a child. "H-he was going to sell you..." The little girl looked back as Lucy muttered weakly.
"I heard it all. What he plans to do. I only wanted to save y-you." The little girl blinked before her small face twists into an agonizing glare. "I-I c-could have convince him. You c-could have convince him." The girl cried out in denial as Lucy retreated back.
The little girl glared silently for a moment longer before breaking down all over again. She silently weeps, occasionally making sharp breaths and cries when she fails to contain her sorrow. Lucy could only stare down in regret as her heart was being punctured by needles whenever the little girl sharply breathes or cries.
Lucy did not dare to comfort the little girl when she was the one who had caused her this pain. As much as she wants to, Lucy could do nothing but sit back in silence. "...I should tell her..." The little girl suddenly whispered as she sharply turned to face Lucy.
"... I should tell that lady what you've done..." Lucy eyes widen in fear as her words were choke in the middle of her throat. "Wha-what are you-" "I should tell her what you really did in the alley." The little girl spoke the words with so much contempt as Lucy begins to turn pallid in fear.
"...I-if you do that... if you do that, you will not be able to take revenge against me." Lucy explained. ...Pathetic.... I... I... Kalva be damn, I can't believe this. She is just a child damn you. Why are you dragging her to your level? She deserves better than you!
The little girl flinched slightly. There was a slight hesitance in her action, but it soon disappeared amidst the blinding hate she had on Lucy. "I don't care. Y-you took what I only have... it's only fair." Plain and simple, yet it causes far more damages than Lucy would have ever thought.
Panic spreads within Lucy as her eyes trembled for a moment. "W-wait! J-just wait a second! L-let's just-" "And why should I?" The girl smiled sinisterly. "It's only fair isn't it?" The little girl continued as Lucy's hands trembled. W-wait no!
"I will tell everyone I meet." P-please w-wait. "Everyone who will listen to me, I will let them know." No stop. S-stop it. J-just wait. Wait damn you! "I will tell them what you have done. Yes, it's only-!" The little girl's eyes widen in fear as Lucy's trembling hand squeezes tightly on her throat. The lass tried to break free from her grip, but to no avail as her small hands barely puts any resistance.
"I said wait!" Lucy whispered, almost shouting as her voice were intertwine with hysteria and horror. Her eyes shook so much with panic that it made her look insane. "Urk..." Lucy blinked out of her delirium when she noticed the little girl kicking back in fright.
Lucy immediately let go of her hold, mortified to the act she had just done. The lass immediately backed away as far as she can from Lucy as she opened her mouth to scream. "Wait!" Lucy proved faster however as she covered her mouth before she could shout.
The little girl kicked furiously at Lucy. She kicked and punched as if her life depended on it. Her eyes screamed fear and hatred at Lucy, but more so in fear as she could instinctively tell she was going to die. Lucy did not let go however as she let out a frightful whisper.
"You can do what you want, kill me if you must but please I'm begging you. Don't tell the others." Her voice was filled with so much fear and terror that the girl seemed to forget what just happened. She was so confused to the dread containing in Lucy's voice when she could easily silence her.
"I...I...I-I don't want to be abandon again." Lucy tearfully begged as her hands trembled. "P-please c-child! D-do anything y-you want to me. I-I'll accept it! Anything a-at all, but p-please... please don't tell them... I... I don't w-want to be alone again...
A-anything but t-that! P-please just anything else, anything else! I'll d-do anything else b-but that..." Lucy whispered desperately as her pupils ran wildly in her eyes. The thought of being alone again was enough to break her mind.
Lucy did not know when or how, but she had grown so much attached to Emma and the others in such a short time that she feared being alone again. The warmth they had shown, even the laughter of the children's who were still afraid of her was enough to give light to her once cold body.
For the first time in years, Lucy felt alive once more. The gnawing hollowness barely appeared, the nightmare she frequently has are now few and rare in between. It was not perfect, but Lucy did not want to let go of it. She could not let go what small measure of peace she manages to find in her broken world.
֍
Iva did not know what to say. She really has no idea what to say as it was her first time witnessing someone begging so desperately at her. Iva did not like to beg. She really hated lowering her head in forgiveness when she has done nothing wrong.
Iva never really liked begging as it does nothing but simply continues the beating, but now the roles were reversed, Iva felt a deep sense of pity for her. She did not like Lucy, in fact she hated her. She had taken away her father in cold blood.
Abusing as he may be, he was still her father. Though it was for a short time, Iva truly did felt her father's love. It was for such a short time, but Iva could still remember the warmth her father give when he was still sober. Lucy on the other hand did not.
Iva did not know how, but she could instinctively tell how similar yet so different they were. Seeing Lucy begging so desperately in her hands, Iva could not help but feel pity for her. Hated her, yes but she could not help but also pity her for she had never once tasted what Iva had.
Iva reluctantly nodded her head slowly as light seems to shine in Lucy's eyes. Lucy grabbed her small hands and held it close to her forehead. "T-thank you... t-thank you..." Lucy silently continues to cry in relief as Iva begins to grow irritated. You killed dad but why are you so happy??
Iva shook her hand free as she glared at the confused Lucy. "D-don't be mistaken. I still hate you... I will make you pay someday..." Iva hissed as Lucy slowly comes back to her senses and nods in understanding.
"If you understand then get out. I don't want to see your face... it looked so ugly..." Iva decided to settle with that for the day. She really planned to kill her one day... but for now, this will do. Lucy stood dumbly for a moment before nodding back in reply.
"T-thank you ." Lucy whispered as she moved towards the door. "Iva." Lucy turned to see the small girl glaring hatefully at her. "I have a name, It's Iva." Lucy blinked again as she give a small smile. "Thank you Iva." Lucy whispers as the door behind her shuts.