GO AHEAD & CRY, LITTLE GIRL.

lucia caetano, xiv, medical center ❝ i've been sleepwalking, been wondering all night. trying to take what's lost & broke & make it r i g h t. i've been sleepwalking, too close to the fire, but it's the o n l y place that i can hold you tight, in this burning house. ❞

[amorevoles-blog]

( lachrymcses. )

HE CAN’T BELIEVE THIS. his feet move quickly , urgently , through the halls of the medical center , each step agonizing as he realizes one thing : he gave up. the optimist , the hopeful man , had stopped believing in her. he said he believed he’d find her again , but stopped looking altogether. now , as he stood outside her door , he’s riddled with guilt. he wonders if he’s any better than their father – abandonment runs in the family , after all. 

for a moment , he simply stands , fear running through him. what if , he wonders , she’s given up on him too ? what if she hates him now , for not finding her sooner ? his anxiety nearly forces him to turn around and walk out , too weak to deal with the repercussions. instead he braces himself , shoulders tight as he raises a hand to the door. a knock is offered , but he doesn’t wait for a response before swinging open the door.

“ lucia ? ”

     the footsteps drew closer and stopped. SILENCE ate away at her, unease filling her body as she began to worry. it was easy to forget that people were dangerous, that not all humans will fall for the sunshine disguise that she forced herself to put up. WORRY left her mind in a daze of ‘ what if’s ’ that laid out before her. each step was just another question, another brooding anxiety. & suddenly the door SWANG open, with very little warning. it caught her off guard, the small jump of her body and wide-eyed gaze being enough indication that lucia was TERRIFIED above all else. 

     lucia sat there, as still as a deer in the headlights, and slowly, the memories began to take over. paint-stained fingers, bedtime stories, and hugs that lasted forever. she would recognize his face and his voice from ANYWHERE. and how could she not ? he was her brother, after all. 

     ❝ luca ? ❞ she questioned, the name getting caught in her throat like a FORBIDDEN prayer. 

[amorevoles-blog]

( wariest. )

open !

loud and desperate whimpering rang in his ears. devrim turned his head to find the source of the noise, eyes catching a glimpse of movement— a creature, its black coat almost camouflage against the charred debris of an abandoned house. its foot had been wedged between fragments of stone and rubble. 

he edged toward it, footsteps light and slow as not to scare it away. but the thing — a puppy? — growled as he got closer. devrim bent down in an attempt to look less threatening. “hey,” he said, voice soft and low. “don’t be scared. i’m not gonna hurt you.” seating himself on the concrete, devrim pulled the rubble away lightly as not to do any more damage to the dog’s leg. once it was free, the dog — a girl, he realized — limped toward him, large eyes staring back, almost appreciative, almost… smiling. he smiled back. gentle hands picked her up and let her sit on his lap. the dog propped herself up, standing on her hind legs and, while resting its good paw on his chest, licked him on the cheek. in an instant, devrim came to a firm conclusion: he would sooner DIE than let anyone hurt this dog. 

petting the top of her head, he said, “i can fix you. or at least, i know people who can.” ashley and rain wouldn’t mind, would they? it was just a broken leg. both of them dealt with much worse on a daily basis. “you’re safe with me.” but the dog J E R K E D her head to the side, growling low behind bared teeth. devrim turned his head as she barked louder, his eyes catching sight of a fellow survivor’s silhouette.

     lucia was not silent in her movements. she did the best she could, but more often than not, she fell short. especially with the limping—that was definitely something that she couldn’t simply brush off. every step she took was hard labor, pins and needles that left her feeling NUMB. it made travel difficult, and because of that, she never strayed too far. no, not unless she had somewhere to stay should something go terribly wrong. the icy air hit her skin FURIOUSLY, and she could feel her teeth chatter as he body tried to generate some heat. she had several jackets on, but it really wasn’t enough. not when the nights came faster and the temperature dropped to unbearable degrees. however, she managed just as she ALWAYS did. 

     the young girl turned the corner of the street, eyes searching over what remained of the city—a desolate, eerie silence that soon became filled with the whimpers of SOMETHING. it wasn’t long before the source became known, and lucia’s gaze settled on a man and a dog. terror raced through her as the dog grew low to the ground, hairs between their shoulder and on their neck standing straight up. with their teeth bared, lucia feared an ATTACK. she had never been around many dogs before—only robocop—and that dog had never looked at her with such aggression before. 

     stumbling back, lucia BARELY caught herself, preventing what would have been a rather nasty fall. not knowing how to react to such a THREAT, lucia simply stood there, frozen in silence and hands slowly raising in the air as if that would somehow communicate to the dog that she wasn’t a threat to their life. ❝ PLEASE, don’t let the dog attack me, ❞ she begged the other softly, blue orbs wide with fear.

[amorevoles-blog]

( adhyas. )

❝    I  REMEMBER  YOU.    ❞     she  had  seen  the  young  girl's  face  here  and  there,    flitting  about  camp  from  time  to  time.     adhya  had  never  turned  her  away  then,    and  she  didn't  intend  to  do  so  now.     perhaps  she  was  RUTHLESS  at  times,    perhaps  hurting  others  didn't  keep  her  up  at  night.     but  she  had  never  been  unduly  cruel.     least  of  all  to  a  child.     and  if  the  girl  could  put  her  skills  as  a  healer  to  use  during  her  time  there,    SO  MUCH  THE  BETTER.

SHE  STRAIGHTENED  UP,    drawing  her  coat  a  little  closer,    until  the  dark  wool  hugged  her  frame.     ❝    that  won't  be  necessary.     an  abandoned  house  might  not  be  much  warmer  than  being  out  here  in  the  open,    anyway.    YOU  CAN  STAY  HERE  FOR  THE  NIGHT.    ❞     she  beckoned  the  girl  up  onto  the  porch  with  a  nod  of  her  head,    the  smile  on  her  lips  widening  by  a  few  degrees.     ❝    come  on  up.     DINNER  WILL  BE  READY  SOON.    ❞

     the strength of her smile grew stronger as the woman spoke—ADHYA HAD REMEMBERED HER. it wasn’t every day that she heard those words, and it made her happy to hear. she had always feared being the FORGOTTEN child, the girl who never lived up to her own name’s meaning. it was a far stretch to equate this to meaning something, but in the mind of a young girl, it made sense. ❝ oh, thank you so much ! ❞ she let out a breath of relief, deep and CALMING. 

     lucia didn’t have to be told twice, and as soon as adhya invited her to go inside, she was climbing up the steps with ENTHUSIASM. she wasn’t nearly as scary as she looked, and that was a great surprise to the younger girl. ❝ i love your coat, ❞ lucia commented as she stopped before the woman, eyes looking up at her TENTATIVELY. she had always been a fan of fashion and had detailed memories of looking through fashion magazines, admiring the high-end things she could never afford or even fit. ❝ so do you need help with anything medical ? i’m still working on improving MAJOR things like surgical needs, but i’m pretty good with basic first aid. ❞

[olearypoetry]

[meanwhilepoetry]

She bears pain better than most and that’s why people do not think she is struggling. They do not recognise she is hurting each time her lungs inhale and exhale, how every breath feels like a dozen stab wounds.

Nikita Gill (via meanwhilepoetry)

[malina-weissman]

malinaweissman 💭

[amorevoles-blog]

( @nodustollcns )

     Despite the fact that Lucia didn’t no Callum too well, something about him reminded her of SAFETY, and she wanted to thank him for it. She had seen all the work he put into restoring the outskirts of their camp to its former glory— sweat and dirt covering his skin from digging—and she wanted to do SOMETHING about it. So, she spent her free time contemplating everything she could do, canceling out and adding options as she did so. Eventually, she settled on something simple, something she was familiar with. 

     Lucia had risked her life gathering the ingredients, and she compromised with logic to find an ALMOST perfect mixture. Homemade applesauce replaced butter and white sugar replaced brown sugar. Using prior knowledge of food, Lucia had managed to create her own version of chocolate chip cookies, and she was PROUD of that. She had topped the surprise off by locating clean Tupperware and decorated it with his name doodled in marker. It was a simple gesture, but it was there. Slowly, Lucia wandered around the building, eyes wide open and SEARCHING for any sign of Callum. Within about thirty minutes, she had found him. The tall figure was something that she had never once been something she feared. ❝ Callum ! ❞ Lucia said excitedly. ❝ I have something for you. ❞ She held the box behind her back, hoping to maintain some mystery. 

[amorevoles-blog]

( adhyas. )

THIS  HAD  ONCE   BEEN  the  business  office  of  the  cheyenne  country  club.     an  elegant  looking  building,    almost  resembling  a  farm  house     ———     large  bay  windows,    a  wraparound  porch.     time  had  not  changed  it  much.     only  faded  the  paint,    and  drastically  reduced  the  number  of  rich  retirees  golfing  on  the  grounds.     the  sun  was  beginning  to  set  when  adhya  emerged,    stepping  through  french  doors  and  onto  the  porch;    footfalls  silent  even  though  her  boots  had  heels.     breath  PUFFED  IN  LACY  WISPS  from  her  nose,    warm  air  frosted  over  with  every  exhale.     she  leaned  against  the  porch  railing,    poised  as  a  dancer  at  the  barre.     arms  crossed,    weight  rested  upon  her  elbows.     a  breeze  toyed  in  the  dark  waves  of  her  hair,   setting  it  to  ruffling  about  her  face.     the  wind  almost  caused  her  to  shiver,    but  she  was  bundled  into  the  warmth  of  a  long  black  coat.     and  then  her  eyes  fell  on  the  survivor  in  the  yard  below  her,    and  full  lips  quirked  into  the  ghost  of  a  smile.

❝     ————     LOOKING  TO  GET  OUT  OF  THE  COLD?  ❞

     the medical center was FARTHER than one might think. if you’ve been in cheyenne long enough, you begin to learn the shortcuts to each place, the alleyways that remained untouched because of the TRAPS that littered them. lucia counted herself among those who knew the city well, her memory serving her well enough to calculate how long it would take to reach her TRUE camp: about eleven minutes in a car, but almost an hour on foot—and with her unsteady and sore leg, an hour could easily turn into two. she didn’t have the time to do that, not with the sun coming down so early in the day. lucia simply had no other choice but to wander into one of the few camps she felt somewhat SAFE in. she stood before the woman, timid as ever. ❝ yes, ma’am. i’m a healer at the medical center, but i don’t think i can make it back there on time, ❞ she explained, biting her lip. ❝ if you let me stay for the night i can help you all out—but i can also leave if you want me to. i know of a house a few miles down the road that i used to sleep in BEFORE the medical center. ❞ in most cases, there were no puppy-dog eyes necessary. despite the harsh world, most were still compassionate towards children. still, she gave a fragile smile just in case. 

[amorevoles-blog]

( @caetcno )

     lucia sat, nestled away in a bedroom nearby the medical center, the sting of vodka against open flesh allowed her to remember one simple thing: THIS WAS REAL. all of it—the death, the sadness, the pain. it was all real, and nothing would change that. sometimes she needed that reminder, but in this moment, it only DISTRACTED from the footsteps that grew louder. lucia’s fingers patted the wound dry with a cloth that was only clean in enough—her mind relying more on HOPE than realism with it. as the footsteps grew LOUDER it was harder to ignore. with a frown, she abandoned her work as her own personal healer and she reached for her trusty gun. with any LUCK, whoever entered would leave once they realized how empty the house seemed, and she could escape without hurting anyone in the process. though, the chances of that seemed LOW, so she aimed her gun at the door, eyes narrowing with FOCUS. 

[amorevoles-blog]

( @ofhcstility​. )

     CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT—it was a phrase she had learned early on while slender fingers probed away at a past that she now wished she could forget. As the years passed, she hadn’t found that the phrase held any less meaning. Especially NOW. Lucia was a clever girl—always had been—but she was not the exception to the idea that nobody was perfect. A step in the wrong direction would prove this to be true. She hadn’t tested the grounds as a wise friend once told her to, instead, she opted for RISK. Gaze falling to her hands as she walked forward, her steps were heavy. Just an inch or two to the left WOULD have made all the difference in the world, but Lucia’s clumsy and careless nature allowed her to make that SIMPLE mistake. 

     Within a matter of seconds, Lucia was transported into a new world filled with dirt, leaves, rocks, and roots lining the walls—SOMEONE had dug a hole as a trap and concealed it well enough for Lucia to not notice. The ground hadn’t hurt her too badly, and she was lucky enough to only sustain minor scrapes. It was the IMPACT that sent a shock throughout her body, hitting the tendons in her knee with enough force to leave it PULSATING with pain. Shouting for help felt dangerous to her, so she remained there in silence, the OCCASIONAL whimper escaping her. 

[amorevoles-blog]

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