Low Rent Whore

She Of Strong Will

Her head was pounding, even the ticking of the clock seemed to aggravate her headache. She'd taken pills upon pills, one to prevent pregnancy, others to combat various diseases and others still to lessen the pain. She had thought it would never end. Headstrong as she was, Katriona had never felt so worthless in her life.. and that was coming from someone who grew up in the Projects. It took a moment for Amanda's next question to register, 'What were you doing last night?'

"We were flirting.. She pulled me on the dance floor, we danced, I bought her a drink and we called it a night. Redhead, I think.. I-I really don't remember much about the man Amanda.. It's all a little blurry, I'm sorry."

She'd been sitting here for fifteen minutes, uncomfortably so, trying (and failing) to remember anything about the night prior. So far all she could get were glimpses of the woman's face. She'd been pretty, average height with soft red hair. Her smile was what Kat kept seeing, that damn smile. According to Olivia, the man she'd been seen with the previous night had been talking to her and poor Kat was really trying to piece that conversation together in her mind.. nothing. Katriona had one best friend in this world and she was right beside her holding her hand.

"That's alright.. your memory will come back in pieces and that's normal. Can you tell me anything about the place? Was it busy?"

"Very.. not unusual honestly. It's really hard to find LGBT bars around so we all tend to flock to NI"

NI being the nickname the locals had given the place, that much Amanda could gather on her own.

"Alright. What about the people? Did anyone seem-"

"Look, Amanda! I-I can't remember alright?! I wasn't paying attention to anyone but her. I give my full attention when I'm interested in someone, I'm sorry!"

Amanda normally would take offense to being spoken to in such a hostile manner but then wasn't the defensive nature that Kat displayed the same one she'd given off when she came to New York eight years ago after Patton raped her? She felt it and she sympathized with it, though even as she said these next words she didn't fully believe she could make them happen.

"I'm sorry.. we don't have to do this now. I'm sure you're tired and just want to go home. I'll get the nurse."

Amanda's comment was innocent enough but one look at Kat and Lakira sensed something off, she glanced at Kat just as she spoke.

"Oh god.. home."

Baynard Rustin Houses
Gowanus, Brooklyn
Saturday, April 25th

"Katriona? Yeah, she's usually good about coming home on time. Sometimes we sit on the steps and wait for her, she's always got snacks or a story. She never showed last night.. Is-Is she okay?"

The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen, it was clear that Kat was the backbone of this part of the Projects. It was clear that she was loved around here. This was her territory, her home.

"She's hurt.. and the best way you can help her right now is to think of anyone who would want to hurt her."

Captain Benson forced herself to swallow the disgust that immediately followed her words, thinking of Kat that way hurt.

"She's the big sister around here, had the opportunity and the means to leave but never did. She stuck around for us.. I don't know of anyone in the world who would want to hurt her"

The other girls echoed her statement, none seemed to know of anyone who'd target Kat. Except..

"There was a man down that way."