Barren Crossroads

Cut Your Teeth

her hands and scrubbed them roughly against her skin, scratching and rubbing until her skin was pink and a little raw, but there were no more stains.

Kaelie didn't know how long she'd have in the shower, and so she tilted her head back and pulled at her hair until she could claw her fingers through it without resistance. That was probably as good as she was going to get. She steeled herself as she turned to plunge her face into the water.

It burned and stung as the water cut through the grime on her face and sliced against the torn, swollen, and infected skin around her eye lid. She hissed, and bit at her bottom lip savagely, and then took her shaking fingers to her face. She wiped and rubbed as harshly as she dared until the skin was no longer crusted in pus and blood and felt smoother under her finger tips.

Once she was done she stepped out. She dried off in a rush and tried not to focus too long on the scars that littered her body. Everyone had them, after all. She climbed into the clothes, soft, but almost too much on her sensitive skin, and then tried to squeeze some more water from her hair. She combed it through with her fingers again and then shrugged.

Kaelie supposed it was no longer important to be vain about her appearance. The darkest parts of her mourned its loss still.

She left the room, and went back to the door, only slightly shocked to find Rick waiting there for her on the porch. "Sorry, I took too long," she said softly, and she was still trying to project the same quiet softness, the innocence that she'd so heavily prized in Sarah.

"It's fine. Let me take you to get some food. You'll have to stay in this house tonight, but tomorrow we will meet, and we can talk. We can see what we can do to help each other," he said calmly, like he hadn't held her captive for at least a day already.

When they stopped a few minutes later, it was in front of another small house, though this one was a lot less run down and didn't set her teeth on edge. "Where are my things?" she asked. It wasn't like she'd had much, but it had been everything while she'd trekked for weeks and it felt like her only true tether to reality without Jace or the others

Rick chuckled, a rich sound, and though it should have been relaxing, Kaelie felt the buzzing of anxiety on her like a physical weight, like thousands of small cameras were staring right at her. Rick turned back and seemed to notice immediately. He sighed. "Relax. I held them here while we were watching you. Like I said, we had to make sure you weren't a Hunter. I have your bag. I even left the food in it."

Kaelie nodded, but the tension didn't leave her, it turned her back into a steel rod, and her neck was stiff. "I don't have much. I can't offer much, but I can share some of the food I was able to find. If I am allowed to stay for a few days, or you decide to help me further, I will be glad to work where needed."

It was the right thing to say. The right thing to do even, and half of Kaelie really meant it. Even if she didn't always understand, she always knew the right thing, and whenever she did manage to do something good, or save someone, the way that Michael or Sarah or Lilith would smile at her like she'd won them something made her chest fill with light. She wanted to. But the other parts of her didn't understand why it mattered. Why go to the trouble, if the most efficient solution was right there?

"I'm sure we will work something out," he said.

He held the door open until she stepped passed him and then shut it with a sharp click. "Pantry is this way. Not much, but we'll get you a meal. And some medicine."

He rounded the corner to a kindly older man with wire rimmed glasses and a white beard. "Clancey, this is Sarah," he said and Kaelie nodded at him, like she was shy. Somehow, he reminded her of Jace's little food pantry girl- Amy was it? That had always looked at him with a certain mix of worship and adoration that had made her laugh, back when she wasn't in control.