Salvage

Seven - Part 1

November 13th, 2015

It is 0300, and W6 just woke up screaming. She kept insisting there was another girl like her, trapped with bad guys, and she needs help. W6 is once more insisting that the girl is talking to her, in her head. It must have been just a memory. The entire facility has been shut down.

Something about her face, though. She's had bad dreams before, but never like this. I can't go back to sleep, thinking about it. I will have a meeting with J tomorrow.

Someone was talking. A high pitched whine filled her ears, and it grew louder and louder until abruptly, her vision cleared. Adam's hands were gripping her shoulders, shaking her. His voice was quiet but urgent, his body close.

She took a deep breath, looking up and blinking quickly. One thought managed to crystallize in her mind, and the words came out before she could stop herself. "That... freaking... jerk!"

"What? Who?" Adam came into focus now, jaw clenched and eyes intent on her.

"Michael." Aurora spat out the word, her mind clicking into gear, now racing, picking up speed as her eyes continued flicking over the words, committing them to memory.

"Explain." 

She crumpled it in her fist. "My landlord is evicting me."

Adam was silent for a long moment. "How soon?"

"Five days." Aurora's voice grew hoarse when she said it out loud. She was going to be homeless. Five days? There was no freaking way she could find a new apartment by then. Would having an eviction on her record make it impossible to find somewhere else to stay?

Adam was talking again. She frowned and tried to focus through the loud whine of her buzzing thoughts. "...Doesn't seem legal. I can't really believe he would kick you out, if you had nowhere to go. Can't you talk to him?"

"Talk to him." Aurora gave a dry, humorless laugh. "No. He's insane. He's been making my life miserable for months, but I put up with it because this place is so cheap and convenient. And this is what I get." 

"It says you violated your lease by bringing animals in?" Without Aurora noticing, Adam had snatched up the ball of soggy paper and smoothed it out. He hunched over it, squinting to read the smeared words. "Does he mean Vader? Are you getting kicked out because of my dog?"

"No." Aurora grimaced and took the paper back from him. "It isn't your fault, don't think like that. He's just a control freak pervert, this is all about him, okay?"

"Pervert? What do you mean?" Adam began leading her over to the low, ragged couch and guided her down to a sitting position. "Has he been harassing you?"

"No, not... Not harassing." Aurora shifted, her cheeks burning. She didn't want to confess that he'd gone through her stuff. Her friends, hell, probably even Adam who she'd just met, would insist she go to the cops. She had no idea what that might entail. Now that she was getting kicked out, people might just think it was her trying to lash out in revenge. "He's just kind of a creeper."

"Okay. If you're sure." Adam was staring at her. "Can I get you anything?"

"No. I'm fine. I'll just have to find another place. In the next five days. I've done harder things."

"It took us two months to find our place." Adam was shaking his head as she spoke, and reached up to place a hand on her shoulder. It warmed through her shirt and jacket. "You should stay with us."

"No way. Thank you, but I couldn't do that. I just met you. I'm sorry to be doing this in front of you. I know you're stuck here, because of the rain."