Trigger warning.
8:35 AM
24 year old Violet slid her stack of papers from in front of her, to the side so she could pull the keyboard down and finish typing an email to her boss.
She had worked in the North tower of the World Trade Center for almost two weeks now and already had so much work to do so early in the morning, but she couldn't miss the opportunity to have such a high paying job for her and Clementine.
Clementine. She's married to Clementine.
Violet got zoned out thinking about her for a solid five minutes and when she snapped back into reality, she found herself looking out the large window in the office her and a few others worked in. It was an extremely clear day and she had no doubt in her mind that Clementine was taking a walk around their neighborhood.
Her office was on floor 74 of the building so she had a really beautiful view of the city.
Once she got out of her trance, she began typing again, looking at the clock and realized she spent ten minutes zoned out thinking about her beautiful wife and the gorgeous view outside her window.
Not even after a Minute she zoned out again. The girl swore she had ADHD, and Clementine caused it. She chuckled at the thought before her small smile turned into pure fear and confusion.
8:46 AM
The entire building shook and rattled and papers shifted off of desks and fellow workers looked around confused.
"The hell was that?" Violet asked, standing from her desk and turning to her workers who did the same thing. As if right on cue, another worker ran into their doorway and VERY briefly explained what was happening.
"THE BUILDINGS ON FIRE!"
Immediately the hallway filled with panicked workers and people trying to look for help, a few dialing on their phones.
Violet being Violet, she got everyone else out of that office before her, and by that point she could feel the Heat radiating from above her. She left the office last, making sure to bring her phone in case she needed to call Clementine, or if Clementine called her.
The hallway began to fill with black smoke, but that didn't stop Violet, she very quickly checked every office to make sure no one was left in here. "is anyone else in here?!" she called out before listening for an answer, she never got one, which she took as a good sign. That means people were getting out. Then she followed the crowd down the hallway towards the stair case.
There was so many people, and she was on the 74th floor. The traffic of people was stopped and the room was filling with smoke fast.
She knew she probably wasn't going to make it out.
She pulled out her phone and clicked on the all so familiar contact name, and hit call.
•••
8:50 AM
Clementine rested on her couch after going on a run in the beautiful New York sunshine. Her bottle of water and phone sat next to her.
She closed her eyes, resting them for a second, taking in the silence in her living room before her phone rang.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She picked up her phone and saw who was calling and her heart fluttered and she smiled as she hit the answer button.
"hey baby. What's up?" she said as she placed her phone against her ear.
"Clementine, Where are you?!" Violet asked, she first wanted to know if Clem was safe before telling her anything else.
"at our house, are you okay? What's wrong?" Clementine asked, noticing the panic in her wife's voice.
"stay indoors, okay?" Violet said, in a calmer voice, trying not to make Clementine panic, but it's too late for that.
"Violet, what is going on?!" Clementine demanded an answer, but before she got it, there was a rapid knock on the door. Before Clementine could even get close to the door, Louis busted in with a scared look on his face as well.
"Clem! I was listening to the radio and I got here as soon as I could!" He said.
"is that Louis?!" Violet asked, kinda relieved to hear his voice through the phone.
"Yeah." Clem said and Louis took the phone from her.
"Are you okay?!" Was the first thing he said into the phone. Clementine couldn't hear what Violet was responding to it but it definitely was longer than a 'yeah, I'm good.' so Clementine proceeded to panic more.
"Turn on the news." Louis said to Clementine and she grabs the remote and does so.
"put her on speaker." Clementine said and found the channel. Louis clicked a button on her phone and Violet could now be heard through the phone.
Once the channel came on, there was an immediate report, and Clementine listened carefully to the news lady.
"People of New York City are in a panic trying to exit the city as a Plane just flew into the upper floors of the North tower of the World Trade Center." Clementine's breathing deepened as the took in the information. She picked up her phone again and her voice broke as she spoke into it.
"...Violet..." Clementine barely choked out.
"Clementine. I love y-"
9:03 AM
She was cut off by another loud boom which this time, Clementine could see, her eyes not leaving the live TV as another plane plunged straight into the South tower.
"Oh my god..." Louis whispered and Clementine covered her mouth and tears began to fall from her honey brown eyes.
"Clementine? You there?" Violet asked, trying to raise her voice over the panicked crowd around her, and trying to breathe through the light smoke. Clementine tried to speak but nothing could come out, so Louis took over and took the phone from her.
"Yeah, Vi, we're here." he said, trying not to sound scared, but in reality, he was terrified. He might lose his best friend today.
"...I love you... Both of you...So much." Violet's voice broke and Louis's did too when he responded.
"we- we love you too. Do what you can to get out of there alive, you hear me? Don't do anything stupid that might get you killed. Just... Come home."
The call cut out after that. Static, then out.
"Violet? Violet!" He got no answer. He set the phone down on the table and moved closer to Clementine to attempt to comfort the girl. After a few minutes of hugging her, letting her cry into his shoulder and chest, he spoke up.
"grab your stuff." he pulled away and Clementine wiped her eyes.
"w-why?" She asked, picking up her phone again, and Louis grabbed his keys.
"we're going over there."
•••
9:50 AM
Due to traffic, it took a lot longer than usual to get to the city, Clementine wanted to get closer, but Louis said it was a bad idea. All the information still hadn't clicked into her brain yet.
They were a few blocks away and had a clear view of the burning towers. Louis tried getting a hold of Violet on the phone again, but once again, nothing.
They sat in the car, listening to the news on the radio talking about how this wasn't an accident and they were being attacked. All the planes in the United States had to be landed immediately.
They also filled in on news that another plane hit the Pentagon and another one flew into a field in Pennsylvania.
"Jesus." Louis whispered.
"I- I need to get closer." Clementine said, her voice low and raspy.
"Clementine, I told you that's not a good idea. You could get hurt." Louis explained again.
"I don't care.." Clementine said and opened the car door.
"Clementine. Clem. CLEM!" He tried getting her attention, but she already made up her mind and got out of the car and started walking. "dammit." Louis muttered and got out too. He wasn't going to leave her alone. Especially not now.
They got a few blocks closer until both towers were in complete view point.
"okay, that's close enough." Louis said, hoping she wouldn't go any closer, which she didn't. The streets were filled with pedestrians trying to flee the city, and firefighters were at the base of the towers trying to do something about this.
9:59 AM
Clementine's gaze focused on the crowd, waiting on Violet to appear. She never did.
A loud crumble sounded through the streets and the panic got louder around them as the South tower slowly dissipated into rubble, and smoke was thrown into the streets.
The two were silent in shock but Louis had his arm protectively around Clementine to one: keep her safe, and two: keep her from running any closer.
•••
The crowd finally started moving at a decent pace down the stairs for a while down to the 40th floor when there was what felt like an earthquake around them. The stairwell had no windows so a bunch of people around Violet were thinking that their tower was going down and they braced themselves. But Violet kept on pushing and fighting her way down the stairs. She had to get there. She was going to try with everything she had to get out of that tower.
More people started moving again, making things go by faster. Alarms were blaring all around them and they were so close to the ground they could hear the fire trucks.
10:15AM
Floor 10
10:20AM
Floor 5
10:25AM
Floor 1
Violet had finally reached the bottom of the building. Her eyes were fogged over, blurry, and red and she was coughing because of the smoke and her hair was sticking to her face due to the heat and sweat, but firefighters escorted them out very quickly and Violet exited the building. Moving as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast considering her condition being on the 74th floor.
She got out of there, now she just needed to get OUT of there.
She limped down the street, following the crowd of running people and families watching to see if their loved ones had made it out.
Violet has ringing in her ears and she wasn't sure if she would make it out of the smoke that flooded into the streets from the south tower, but she sure tried. Her hearing was so bad that she couldn't hear the crackling of the North tower beginning to collapse now about 70 feet from her.
•••
10:28 AM
Clementine wwatched carefully as the North tower began to collapse, her heart did the same.
"No. No no no no no. No!" She panicked and the tower began to go down. Clementine dropped to her knees as the rest of the tower descended and smoke flew into the street once more. "NOOOOO!" She yelled in agony and pain and covered her face in her hands. Louis lowered to her level and tears slipped from his eyes as well. They couldn't believe what was happening. Clementine couldn't believe that just last night her and Violet were happy and healthy and life was perfect. Now here Clem is only 10 hours later, fearing that she just lost all that. All her happy nights, all her cute dates, all the jokes they'd crack with Louis... Her wife.
All gone.
They sat there for that felt like forever. The smoke cleared, a few other buildings fell from the debris, people were still in a panic, and Clementine was still crying and in shock on the ground, her brain finally processing everything.
Over the sounds of the fire trucks and ambulances flowing down the street, a familiar voice was heard in Clementine's ears, and it was literally calling her name in between coughs.
"Clementine..." The voice let out a nasty cough. Clem's head shot up and through what was left of the smoke, she saw a glimpse of blonde hair emerging from it.
"VIOLET!" Clementine stood and ran as fast as she could, pushing through a few people, to her wife who was clearly struggling to walk, talk, and breathe. She had her hands on her knees and was knocked over when Clementine collided into her, knocking both of them to a sitting position, Louis following close after. "oh my god! I thought I lost you!"
"I thought I... Told you... To stay... Indoors." Violet said, slowly regaining her breath.
"Come on. You really think I would stay away if your life was in danger?" Clementine laughed and gripped her hand. Violet then turned her gaze to Louis and let out a weak smile.
"Lou.." She choked out. louis smiled and leaned in to hug her.
"I'm so fucking glad you're okay... Not even a terrorist attack could keep you away." Louis joked.
"is that.. What happened? I haven't been... filled in." Violet asked, turning back to Clementine.
"Yeah. They were planes. The first one that hit your tower hit just around 30 floors above you... Louis, can you flag down an open ambulance? She needs to be checked out."
"I'm fine." Violet coughed and tried to stand up, but couldn't.
"No, you're not. Stay there, I'll get one." Louis said, and ran off.
It was quiet between the two girls before Violet spoke up again.
"are you hurt?" She asked. Clementine smiled but shook her head.
"physically, no. Emotionally traumatized... Yes... I've never been more scared in my life." Clementine said.
"oh I think we can bet on that." Violet joked, but coughed when she tried to laugh. "...I wanna go home." Violets smile dropped, and Clementine's followed.
"Me too, baby. You will. We just need you to be checked out in the hospital for a few days and then you'll be home safe again."
Violet looked up to Clementine, and then looked around, biting her lip. And Clementine knows exactly what's wrong, and her heart dropped.
"Can... Can you see?" Clementine asked in pure concern.
"it's just... Really blurry. Just... Don't let go of me, okay?" Violet gripped Clem's hand tighter and Clementine shook her head.
"never."
Minuted later, an ambulance arrived with a stretcher, and Clementine was forced to let her go after they got her on it, but promised her she'd meet her at the hospital.
•••
September 11, 2019
"And that, kids, is how strong your mommy is." Clementine told the story again-like she does every year- to her 13 year old little girl and 10 year old son.
Violet walked in the door, coming home from working at a school as a counselor. Being a person who deals with anxiety and PTSD, she figured it'd be a good job to have.
She walked in and set everything on the kitchen Counter. She adjusted the patch over her right eye that was permanently damaged from the smoke and debris, and kinda unsettling to look at, well, she thinks so. Clementine keeps telling her she still looks perfect eighteen years after the incident.
"Babe, I'm home." She called to the living room. Her two blonde haired kids ran into the kitchen with Clementine slowly following. "hey kiddos." Violet smiles and hugs her two kids, then her wife. "hey Princess." she kissed her softly until the kids ran off to play, their short attention spans not letting them stick around for long, and Violet kissed her again, deeper This time and Clementine giggled and lightly moaned.
"how was work?" Clementine asked once they pulled away, expecting the same answer she got every year on this day, and she got it.
"scary." Violet responded and her gaze fell.
"I know... I told the kids the story again. They asked me to actually."
"hm. Nothing like telling to story of how I almost died and they almost never had a home because it was my decision to have kids in the first place." Violet said sarcastically.
"I think you mean, nothing like telling the story of my biggest relief ever when I found you alive, and how strong you were and how you recovered so quickly." Clementine corrected.
"quickly?" Violet pointed to her patch. "eighteen years... And the rest of my life... Is recovering quickly?" Violet joked.
"You know that I meant." Clementine leans in for another kiss and smiles into it. "welcome home."
AN
WOW THAT TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE. Okay so, this day has always been a day that I've wanted to know more about, so in order to do this, I had to research a lot. I wrote this to show that I care about what happened and that I acknowledge things like this, and sometimes the best way for me to do that is through writing.
-Max