Like Glass

Chapter 2

There was a thought in Isabella's mind as she walked down the street that maybe she should have brought her phone so she could find where she was aiming to go a bit easier, as she had been wandering longer than expected, but she knew leaving it behind was the right thing to do. The bug out bag on her back that she had seen women in similar situations discussing online and the oversized hoodie she was wearing to disguise herself were all she needed. If she had brought her phone, Michael or someone else from her family would be able to track her location, find where she was going and stop her.

Possibly worse.

She didn't allow herself to think about it too long as she looked up from underneath the hood and saw the rainbow house ahead of her.

The sign out front confirmed that she had, in fact, remembered correctly from those times she had been forced to come here and protest the house's existence. "Teen & Young Adult Safe House (Run by the LGBT+ community of  Oklahoma)"

By some stroke of luck, none of the local churches were outside protesting and screaming at the house as she approached. She sighed in relief at this, but was still tense as she followed the sign on the door asking people who were not employees, volunteers, or tenants to ring the doorbell and wait for someone in the office to let them inside. And although it only took a few minutes, at most, for someone to answer, Isabella forced her eyes to stay fixed on the red door in front of her, even as she got this terrifying feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was being watched or that she had been followed. Someone who knew her had definitely seen and recognized her on the walk here! They were watching and waiting for the door to open, to use her to hurt people or drag her away from the small porch at the last moment!

Her hands balled into fists and she felt the fear turned into a lump in her throat. Was this a mistake? Was she endangering people? What if her old friend didn't even work here anymore? Or if she turned her away because she'd seen her reluctantly holding those awful protest signs? Maybe she should just leave, maybe Michael wouldn't be so bad after all. Things happen, and if everyone else around her said he was a good man then she was just doing something wrong and needed to correct herself like he said. He wasn't so bad, probably the best she could get really. What was she even thinking, leaving like this?

"Hello?" Isabella's panicked thoughts were broken by a kind voice greeting her through the now open door.

A tear fell at the smiling face of an elderly woman, and in that moment, that solitary moment of warmth she felt radiating from the woman, the worry that she made the wrong decision washed away. "I need help."

Still smiling but now with eyes filled with concern, the elderly woman gestured for her to come inside. "Come on in, then, dear, and we can talk about it." She gently shut the door behind Isabella and continued giving her a smile as the redhead lowered her hood and looked around the entrance of the narrow but large house. "You seem a bit old for the services we offer here, but we can help put you in contact with a better place for your age." She led Isabella down a hall to an office with three desks. "For now, though, we can talk."

Isabella nodded and put the backpack down next to the chair the old woman pointed toward. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if here or the women's shelter would be a good place to go." She had considered the shelter in the past but had overheard people from her church talk about how the husbands managed to track their wives there easily if they "wrongly" decided to leave.

Even as she said this, the old woman's smile did not falter, and just seemed to grow kinder. "It is okay, dear. I think I am right in assuming there is an...issue with your husband then?" When she nodded, the old woman said, "I am proud of you for having the courage to leave. Even getting this far is a good first step."

The tears came back again and Isabella hung her head. She didn't feel courageous, not in that moment anyway, she still felt lost and unsure of what to do or even who to trust. "Why, um," she cleared her throat to try and keep from sobbing, "why are you smiling so much?" A distraction would keep her from melting down already, surely.

"People who come here need warmth and comfort," the woman explained, "I try to provide that as best I can even upon first meeting." When Isabella looked at her again, she continued, "My name is Miriam. What is yours, dear?"

"Isabella," she introduced slowly. "I, um," she wiped her eyes, trying to keep her composure for the nice woman in front of her, "I am part of the Southern Baptist church that comes out here and protests." Should she have admitted that? Oh God, she was going to get kicked out!

"Which one?" Miriam remained calm, her smile dropped for a moment at the mention of the protests but quickly came back.

Isabella blinked. It never occurred to her to be more specific in admitting that. Usually people heard "Southern Baptist" and that was all that needed. "Um, the one across town..." She took a deep breath. "When they find out I ran from my husband and came here, it won't matter. I will be the newest gossip piece." She fell silent for a long moment after that, hating that she knew that that was exactly all she would be by the next time everyone gathered for church.

In the silence, Miriam asked, "May I ask why you thought to come here? Is there, perhaps, another reason other than just escaping your husband?"

Before, Isabella could answer that, two more people, a tall man with blue hair and a dark-skinned woman in leather walked in and went to the other two desks.

"I'm just saying, Jada, no protesters today," the man said with a smile, "so it must be a holiday."

Jada rolled her eyes as she removed her coat. "Or hopefully they're finally bored with us?"

"No way, we're too much fun."

Finally the two looked at Isabella, Jada's eyes widening at the sight of her. "Izzy?"

Silently, Isabella nodded and stood, unsure of what to say for a few moments before landing on, "You were right."

In response, Jada could only hug Isabella tight and tell her she was sorry that she was, much the confusion of her coworkers.