TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR:
IMPLIED/REFERENCED SEXUAL ASSAULT
SELF-HARM
SCARS
CHILD ABUSE
".....Fiore?"
Fiore froze in shock and panicked, her brain going into fight or flight mode. she wasn't exactly expecting someone to pop out from behind a wall. Especially not HIM.
She stood up quickly, taking few steps away from Alec, her gaze glued onto him, worried that if she looked away he would attack her or hurt her. She knew that it was probably a irrational fear, but she still wanted to be cautious.
Fiore knew damn well what an adult who hated her could do. The scars all over her body, hidden by her clothes, and the bite mark on her neck where proof of that.
"I promise I won't hurt you Fiore, you don't have to be afraid of me but... I...what....what happened??? Why do you have so many wounds???"
She still didn't speak. She knew her voice was hoarse and shaky from crying, the skin under her eyes, stained with tears, was an obvious indicator of that.
Fiore brought her hands up to her hoodie strings and awkwardly fiddled with them, a nervous habit she had, she found the situation a little awkward and overwhelming. She started to bite her lower lip aswell.
Alec noticed her nervous behavior and froze up, he wasn't actually sure of what to do in this situation. And he wasn't sure how to react.
He thought for a moment. He sort of hated Fiore for what she had done to him, but he couldn't just leave an abused child outside in an alleyway.
He knew he could call the police, but they would probably return her to her abusive parents, who Alec assumed where the reason for Fiore's wounds.
Alec knew he didn't have a lot of other options, so he decided to try something else.
"Well... Even if you won't tell me what happened... I could take you back to my house and patch up your wounds, I have some bandages. And I don't think I can just leave you out here..."
Fiore considered this. She knew she needed help and if even one person would offer her help she should accept it immediately and without question, but that had gotten her into a lot of bad situations in the past.
She entertained the idea of running straight past him and hiding somewhere until he gave up and left, but she knew he would just catch up to her and grab her. Besides, it's not like she could run with all these wounds on her legs.
Noticing her going frozen and thinking, Alec held out a hand to her, thinking that if he made it appear he had made the choice for her, she would just go along with it.
Fiore just stared blankly at his hand, lost in thought. She sighed and reluctantly took his hand.
Alec gave her a gentle smile and started to walk away, back to the sidewalk Alec had taken this way.
Letting go of Alec's hand and walking next to him, Fiore thought again. She considered that thought she had previously had of running away, but she knew it would never work. So she reluctantly continued to walk with Alec.
On the other hand, Alec was mentally panicking a bit. What else are you supposed to do when you find an abused child that you had sworn to hate on the street???
He was thinking about things Fiore would need when they got to Alec's house. Bandages? Yes. Rubbing alcohol? It would sting, but yes. Probably water and food, she must have been out on the streets for at least a day or two, so she must be hungry.
Fiore thought this was a bad idea. What if he killed her in her sleep? Unlikely, that was a stupid thought. She mentally scolded herself. She winced in pain with every few steps, the wounds all over her legs causing her quite a bit of pain and discomfort as she walked.
She winced again and stopped biting her lower lip, tasting a hint of blood from biting it too long. She mentally scolded herself again for that. She needed to get rid of that habit.
She had been staring at the ground, lost in thought, when Alec spoke up again.
"Do... Do you think you can tell me what happened, now?"
Fiore thought back, wondering if she should, she wanted to. She wanted to vent to someone and be able to cry. But she couldn't. She couldn't show Alec that she was weak in that way. He would take advantage of that, right? Yes, Fiore decided, he would.
Deciding not to tell Alec anything, Fiore stayed silent. Dont let anyone know how bad you hurt. Don't let them know what you where truly feeling. Don't let them know that their hurtful words did hurt you. Don't show any feelings and you don't show any weakness. That was what had kept Fiore alive for so long, although she decided it wouldn't exactly be a bad thing if she wasn't alive anymore.
She knew this way of thinking was morbid, and she shouldn't be thinking like that, but it was true. Atleast, to her.
Alec noticed her silence and decided not to press her more. Maybe if he didn't, she would eventually tell him. He moved to the sidewalk that lead directly to where his house was.
The two walked in silence before Alec stopped Infront of his house. "Well, here we are. Uhm... I'll grab some bandages for your wounds and some water? Does that sound ok?"
Fiore considered it. Some proper bandages on her wounds would be nice, and she also thought that some water and an actual place to sleep would be nice.
She stayed silent for another few seconds, Alec started to worry she would stay silent again and wouldn't say anything. But he was surprised when she actually did speak.
"......thank you, Alec." The girl spoke, her voice shaky.
Development, Alec thought. This is a good start. He smiled at her.
