Carmen had been more than happy to give her spare room away in the apartment she shared with two other people to the Hearts newest recruit, of course she had talked it over with her two room mates at first. Explaining that a new girl had started where she worked and needed a place to stay, though she never gave them too much detail of her job, she doubted it would go down well with them if they learned that their room mate was a recruit for one of New York’s biggest gangs. Carmen hadn’t lied to them, not completely, she had just told them half-truths about Sam— blending the truth and her imagination together until she had concocted a believable lie about the redhead, just like she used to do in elementary school when her classmates would ask her about her parents. Carmen would tell them all kinds of lies, some believable and some completely and utterly far-fetched which would lead to the other children to call her a liar and tell her she couldn’t play with them at recess anymore. Carmen’s web of lies got better, grew more believable as she progressed into middle-school. She wore her lies like a layer of armour, shielding her from the harsh and painful reality of her life. “ Are you okay, Carmen? ” The teachers would ask, brows furrowed with concern.
“ I’m fine, ” Carmen lied, repeating it like a mantra.
When the door knocked, echoing through her loft conversion, Carmen was at the door in a flash, anticipation gnawing at her stomach as she unbolted the large, steel door; sliding it open to reveal the redhead carrying two bags on her shoulder, their trainer stood behind her flashing Carmen a smile in greeting. “ Hey, Roomie! ” Carmen announced cheerily, stepping aside and venturing further back into her apartment, already assuming that Samantha and the other woman would follow. Carmen wasn’t sure what Samantha would think about her new apartment, unaware of what kind of living situation the girl had held before arriving at Hearts HQ. It was a large, spacious Loft with exposed brick walls and pipes running up the walls and along the ceiling. When Carmen had received her first paycheck, looking for an apartment was the first thing she did. She never wanted for much, she never needed luxury or glamour— just somewhere with running hot water and a place to lay her head at night. Where she could spend a full night sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night, surrounded by pigeons pecking at the bag she clutched to her chest for food.
“ What do you think? ” She asked, sweeping her arm out widely, “ Have a look around. Or if you prefer I can give you the tour. I’m probably not as good at selling it as the estate agent was but Phil Dunphey would be proud. ” She’d recently been introduced to Modern Family by Ashley, and now she was binge watching it on his Netflix account.
This isn’t a permanent thing, she repeated internally. The phrase taking up more space and leaving less room for doubt as she moved through the space. She recognized Carmen from headquarters, and training sessions. But if you’d asked her if she imagined they’d ever be sharing a space, Sam would have given a dismissive shrug in place of response. She was a nice girl from what she’d seen, not the type you’d expect to end up in a gang. Though, most could probably say the same about her as well.
❝ It’s nice. ❞ Sam said, her eyes following the pipelines around the room. But the words sound disingenuous and cook cutter, despite their sincerity. She did like the apartment, it’s industrial vibe reminding her of the city around them and how much she loved it. It just, didn’t show in the way Sam moved like around like a invader on foreign land. Once, there had been a vase that her bag brushed by and it shattered when she tried to correct her stance. She barely lasted the week before they were rid of her.
In spite of it, her steps were heavy, they searched for the loosest floorboard and the familiar groan that usually followed. In the room it had been beneath a faux fur rug, and she’d hidden most of her money under it for safekeeping. ❝ Is there a fire escape? ❞ She asked back over her shoulder at Carmen as she moved about. It was a shot in the dark, the building probably had one but the chance it was attached to a room that wasn’t occupied was slim. A girl could dream though.
Sam peered around, spotting a few items she was almost positive didn’t belong to Carmen in the space. ❝ Do they know? ❞ Voice falling into a softer tone just in case, but the question seemed not as targeted at just Carmen this time. Instead leaving equal room for either woman to answer her question. She didn’t know what prompted the question, maybe some logical part of her brain new that despite how desensitized to it she was that this wasn’t everyone’s reality. It couldn’t be, who would they steal from?
