Sleeping With the Dashwood Boys

F O U R

F O U R  |  H O M E L E S S

        THERE WAS NOT one soul in sight as Natalia walked briskly down the street. She had left the Dashwood mansion hours ago after talking a bit more with Vincent and saying her goodbyes to Susan. The nurse hugged her tightly for what seemed like hours and despite her not wanting to, Natalia missed her. She actually longed for another hug, especially now that it has started pouring.  

        Vincent had gone over some legal work, informing her that the police were likely to ask to go over what happened again. When she had asked about the truck driver, Vincent went stiff, saying that there was no one in the truck either. The police were still investigating the accident, still searching for both the driver of the truck and the driver of the car. 

         It all felt like a lifetime ago.

        She runs her hands up and down her arms, attempting to warm herself as the rain drenches her. Vincent had offered for her to stay the night if she needed but she refused, too stubborn and frankly to ashamed to admit she had no where to go. She couldn't remember if she had a home and she never mentioned anything about her memory to anyone. Natalia didn't know why she refused to mention it, all she knew was that it felt like instinct. Something about them made her want to keep that detail to herself. Whether it was a stupid mistake, she didn't know.

        Natalia frowns once she turns into a certain street. She looks down the length of it trying to remember why it felt familiar. Her feet move on their own, weaving through the streets until some construction work comes into view at the end of the street. The downpour had intensified during the time it took for her to reach the spot, forcing her to walk as close to the shops as possible to shelter herself from the rain. 

        She could tell this street was forgotten by the abundance of newspaper that covered the windows of every shop. Rubbish was scattered around, graffiti covered most surfaces and the few shops that weren't covered by paper were empty, their windows cracked.

        Natalia makes her way down the length of the street, cautiously looking over her shoulder every once in a while. As she nears the spot where something was being built, a drenched yellow page grabs her attention. Natalia leaves the sidewalk and places a hand against her temple to prevent the rain from going into her eyes. As the smeared words on the paper become clear, Natalia realizes it's an eviction notice. 

        The memories of an abandoned building flood into her mind in snippets and she soon realizes that the abandoned building which she called home, used to be right here, in front of her where something else is being built. She had convinced herself she was homeless because she couldn't remember much but now, looking at the uncompleted construction work...

        Natalia drops to her knees.

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        Natalia Gomez prayed for what felt like hours but were mere minutes. She wasn't the religious type and she didn't know who to call out to, who to ask for help so she prayed to several, even going as far as flicking a pebble she found nearby into a reasonably large puddle, pretending it was a foundation and that the pebble was a coin. 

        The downpour slowly settled into a light shower but she didn't care, she was lost in her thoughts anyway. The moon was due to sleep in a few hours and the wind had calmed. Natalia had still not seen one person on this side of town. Shoulders slumped, her feet walk mindlessly until she reaches a park. 

        Natalia uncrosses her arms to pluck a flower from its stem before quickly jogging to a bench nearby. She sighs as she sits down, knees against chest to conceal as much as the warmth she could. Slightly sheltered by a tree, Natalia wraps her arms around her knees, curling herself into a tight ball.

       Her body shivers as she tries to distract herself, think about anything except the cold. Natalia breathes through her mouth to feel the warmth of her breath against her skin. She takes deep breaths, hoping that calming herself will make her feel better. 

        Too deep in her thoughts, Natalia doesn't notice the commotion down the edge of the park. Rushed footsteps are drowned by the rain and it is only when a deafening crack of thunder reaches her ears that she springs up from the bench, heart pounding.

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        Natalia Gomez had never moved faster in her life. Her body sprung into action, swiftly climbing the tree that sheltered her from the rain. She was well alert as she perched herself onto the tallest branch, the tree's crown completely incasing her figure.

        ''You shouldn't have fucked up MᶜKenzie,'' a raspy voice muses from a several yards down the street. Natalia squeezes her eyes shut at the sound of a sinister laugh, arms firmly locked around a vertical branch. A figure swiftly jumps the fence of the park, his feet landing in a puddle before he kicks off in her direction.

        ''You're even more of a coward than I originally thought,'' the voice calls out before tsking in disapproval, ''didn't even check if your friend was alive before running in the other direction...''

        The hooded figure suddenly stops before the bench below, looking back at where he came from. From what the street light nearby illuminated, Natalia could only make out a sharp jawline beneath the hood. She follows his gaze through the leaves around her, a chill slicing through her as she realizes she indeed heard a gunshot.

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Treat yourself to a bit of brownie and pizza x