irenedances:
The woman twisted her hands together nervously. She wasn’t lost. She was never lost. Lost was a thing that happened when you had someplace to be and weren’t there. No. After Rapture started crumbling she had lost all someplaces to be. So she couldn’t ever be lost. Not lost. No.
But this little girl must be. It wasn’t right. For a child to be out alone. What if someone mistook her for a Little Sister (as the blond herself had done moments before).
"I’m not lost. No. Are you sweetheart? Where’re your parents?"
The southern drawl came out clipped in places. Stopped unexpectedly as though Irene no longer was certain what a real sentence sounded like. As though she’d not spoken in years. Only screamed herself hoarse.
Irene knelt, smiling as sweetly as her scared and somewhat twisted face would allow.
"Do ya need my help?
Something about this woman attracted Louisa immediately. A primal instinct that told her that this stranger was okay. That she was safe. From what she was seeking safety, the little girl hadn't a clue, though her current environment looked wholly unfriendly. The lack of shining columns and plush carpets astounded her.
When did it all change? Maybe she was in a nightmare world. Maybe this lady was here to rescue her from the bleak and alien surroundings. Maybe Louisa really was the one who was lost.
"The bad man came and took my daddy away," she explained simply, yet sadly. How long ago did that even happen? Louisa tried to grasp the memory better, but it was too hazy. She remembered the man; the man in white who hurt her daddy and made him disappear. The man who caused her to forget how to gather...
There was no mention of a mother. That memory too was fuzzy, but with a hint of something foul that lurked just beyond what her mind could comprehend.
"You don't know the bad man do you?"