Clementine sat on the opposite end of the table. They waited patiently for their meals to be served. AJ sat next to her, coloring on the kids menu color sheet. While Clem stared down at the missing body part on her hand.
She tried moving it, still feeling every muscle flex on her missing finger. But she can feel it! She couldn't think about anything else for the moment. Only observing what was not there, only to imagine the phantom movement of the finger. Her thoughts running wild, full of anger and fear and discomfort.
Her emotions going through the roof. She feels like she can cry at the sight of only having the nine fingers instead of ten. She feels like throwing shit or punching things because of what that man did to her. She also feels like she can laugh, oddly enough. She can laugh at the weakness of the man who would abuse her, make her weak. She felt stronger now, more than she's ever felt in a long time.
"So what happened?" The girl said opposite from her, breaking the ice. Clementine breaking her eye contact from her hand and onto the redhead. Her eyes full of worry and curiosity. Her gaze looking between the two siblings, checking the bruises that shown on each of their faces. A worry filling deep inside her, a worry for her new friend she had just met.
"I... it's a long story." Clementine tells her with a sigh. Her face dropping, looking at the redhead. She sent Clem a smile of assurance. The warm smile reaching the brunette and letting out a small smile back to her.
The girl beside her hasn't removed her gaze off of the boy's drawings. AJ drew plenty of pictures and was showing Violet what he can draw. She was fascinated to see that the boy was a very good artist. After listening to the light conversation that the two had made, she looked into the honey eyes of the brunette. A look that wandered the brunette and lined the girl perfectly from head to toe.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, kicking herself in the leg quite literally for her obvious question. Looking at the broken girl in front of her and the bruises that covered the left side of her face.
Clementine eyed the blonde thoroughly. Holding her hands together and placing them over the tabletop. Ready to tell them the full story. As she did so she found the couple in front of her widen there eyes. Seeing the shock course their own bodies. They stared directly at the injured hand.
Once Clementine figured out what they had been staring at the whole time, she removed her hands off the desk. Feeling embarrassed by her missing finger and moved them back under the table. She cleared her throat and looked the green-eyed girl hard. Dragged in by the nature if her beauty. Almost forgetting what she was about to say before looking back at Brody's, still surprised face.
"When I went to grab AJ, I got jumped. It's no big deal, it happens all the time in my old neighborhood. People die there more than anywhere I've ever seen, and I've been everywhere." She explained, lying to the redhead through her teeth. Seeing the girl shake her head to that statement. Looking at the blonde before facing Clementine with a displeased face.
"There's more to it than that. I can see that, Clem. You can talk to us, you know that." She pried, looking at the brunette curiously. Her worry excelling quickly with the dishonest answer of the brunette.
Clementine looked at Brody surprisingly. Watching the girl observe her, looking down every detail she made. Eyeing the girl with caring eyes, telling her that she can help. Clementine looks back at Violet who had her face dropped, looking at the brunette with a long face. Trying to decipher the young girl she met recently.
"Okay. Fine. It was my ex-husband. He used to abuse me when we were married. But when I returned, he took a visit and beat me." She explained on the verge of tears. Her silent cries reached out for them. The redhead quickly getting out of her seat to sit with the brunette. Engulfing her in a warm hug. She felt saddened by the sight of the damaged girl but was upheld to comfort her.
"It's okay, Clem. Don't worry about it. Your okay now." She assured, rubbing her back in circles for mild comfort. The brunette sniffled and gave a warm smile as the food came in and was served to the table. She looked at Brody and motioned her to sit back in her seat. She began to eat her breakfast slowly.
"So, we were thinking of putting missing poster signs around the town. We're trying to focus on finding Minerva." Brody said, inviting the blonde to the task. "Hell we might even bring the news over to the city."
"Yeah, I'd like that." She said with a mouthful of food. She nodded at the invitation. "I mean, she deserves a search party, right? For what she's done for us, ya know." Violet added after swallowing her breakfast. She looked toward the redhead who wore a smile and nodded. Brody then turned to Clementine with a questioning face. Practically inviting her with a single stare, not even having to say a word.
The brunette looked at the redhead for a split second. Shaking her head mildly before looking back at her dismembered finger. Trying to picture the finger still there in her view. But instead the redness of the stitching was her only sight. Only able to feel the full thing with every pull of a muscle.
"Okay, take all the time you need Clem. It's been a rough weekend for you." Brody told her and then after placed her attention back on the woman chowing down on her food like a wild animal whose been stranded in foreign ground. Cringing at the sauce and grease that slid down from her mouth to the bottom of her chin.
Violet hastily eating her food, every bite tasting better than the last. She continued feasting until she had a clean plate. Only realizing how fast she was eating by the pair of amber eyes next to her. The redhead looking in disgust of the swiftness of her meal.
"Sorry. I probably look like a hog right now." She said, wiping her chin with the sleeve of her light jacket. Taking a quick sip of her coffee and looking down at her watch. Squinting her eyes to read the hands position, wishing she got a digital watch instead of her analog one on her wrist. After reading the time her eyes widened briefly before she pushed passed Brody to leave the restaurant table.
"I have to go. Shit, I'm late! See you two later." And she sped off like that, leaving Brody with Clementine and AJ alone. The brunette maintaining the pained stare at her hands before looking up to say bye to the blonde, only to uptake the same gaze a few moments later.
Clementine couldn't begin to figure out what she did wrong. What was her life mistake? She wondered for so long. Was it dating Gabe? Was it marrying him? Or was it letting him push her to the limit of their divorce? This had her thinking, was this all inevitable or was it punishment for her actions. She didn't know and she didn't want to either.
"Watcha colorin' there AJ?" Brody asked as she peeked at his drawing curiously. Her smile warm and kind to comfort the boy. But the boy also thought about the previous day. He couldn't understand how someone who used to call him family would hurt Clementine and him. He was hurt, not only physically, but emotionally too.
The silence giving Brody a sense of uselessness. Sighing heavily as she tapped her foot to wait on the check for their food. Scrolling through her phone boredly. She found a social media post about the missing people and shut her phone off with frustration.
The sorrow of her missing friend coming back to haunt her. Thinking how tough it truly was on Sophie or Tenn. Or even her parents let alone that they were still speaking with Minnie. She wasn't sure what she felt. Only that she was sad that she'd lost her friend, but she also was slightly relieved. The tension in the group was really high up until she was gone.
"Your check, Ma'am." The waitress said, handing over the small black checkbook to the redhead. Brody taking it into her hands and signing the receipt inside of the checkbook. She paid for her side of the meal and looked at the troubled brunette in front of her. She remembered a time when she was this troubled and hoped for someone's attention.
"Clem?" She said soft and caring. Seeing how the brunette broke her gaze from her broken and and placed it onto herself. Seeing the desperate look that gave away half of her life's saddeness.
"Hm?" Clem hummed. Not in the right enough mood to speak to the girl but was hoping for her to take a few minutes to speak to her. Make her feel good and help her forget the events of yesterday.
"I hope that you feel better. Also don't feel scared to talk to me when you don't feel well. We're friends now and I'll be here for you. Violet will be here for you. All of us are here, okay? I'll see you later." She said, paying for Clems side of the meal before closing the check altogether. "Here, my treat." She said as she paid the waitress and got up to leave.
As she made way for the door she looked back at the desolate girl at the table. Seeing the sad eyes make contact with her for a moment before looking back at her own self. Brody sighed heavily before walking out of the restaurant doors. Leaving the brunette and her brother to dine by themselves with their food paid for.
-
Violet ran into the rusty building quickly with heavy breaths. Looking at the time on her watch, giving a sharp inhale at the time. She looked around before punching her card into the machine, showing the blonde that she had came late today.
"Hey, you made it! I was getting the feeling you weren't coming to work today." Sophie said as she lifted her hammer in the air. Looking at her wide green eyes before handing her some nails. "Here, you can hold these so I can nail down the boards."
Violet held the nails so that Sophie can hammer down the boards. The sound of chizels and hammers around her, giving the blonde a mild headache. The workers around her all in their own projects. Everyone with their hardhats and their goggles for work.
"Ms Adlon! Come see me please." Her boss, William Carver demanded. He was a very old man with a raspy voice. Very strict and had crazed bloodshot eyes. He wasn't someone you wanted on your bad side.
Violet placed the nails down next to Sophie and walked in the direction of Mr. Carver. She knew what it was about and she wouldn't blame him for firing her. She was always coming to work late, and now she was finally ready to deal with the consequences.
She took a seat by Mr. Carver's desk and began to fidget her legs. Waiting for the inevitable and for the big man to fire her. She never liked her job but she didn't want to leave. It was the easiest job she had and she wouldn't know what to do after this. Only able to look at William as he closed the blinds in his small office and took a seat in his swivel chair.
He looked Violet up and down with hard eyes. They looked rough and were hard to read. He was wealthy but never wore nice clothes. Mr. Carver looked at Violet and inhaled as he glanced down at the files on front of him on the desk. Sighing at the documents laid out on the desk.
"Ms. Adlon, it seems you've been late quite a few times these past months." He said looking up from the file copies into the scared green eyes. Watching as she tensed up at those words and took another breath. "But you are one of the most hard working individuals in my facility." He told her.
Violet exhaled and began to breathe again. She didn't noticed she was holding her breathe until she was breathing at a normal rate again. She looked down at her trembling legs and calmed down to face the boss man.
"So, I'm off the hook?" She asked, her heart skipping a beat at the realization that she sounded immature for the job. But that quickly washes over at the genuine smile that Carver gave her. Seeing his teeth for the first time.
"I've taken a liking to you Ms. Adlon." He said with a chuckle.
"Okay?" Vi said questioningly.
"You are on top of your coworkers and your background is... interesting. But how would you like to get a promotion?" He said, holding his smile widely.
Violet raised her brows and widened her eyes. A smile tugging on her lips as she screamed in joy. She was glad that she wasn't kicked onto the curb. She couldnt feel worthless and bum off of her rich friend all day, she needed a purpose. This is it.
"Really?"
"Yup. Supervisor position is now yours. Congrats!" Carver said as he handed a new worker's badge to the blonde. Watching as she took a breath before thanking the man and walking out of the office. Making her way to her work partner at their station.
"Sophie, your never gonna believe what happened!"