Post by jd on Nov 4, 2007 21:02:02 GMT -5
Alleyway - Streets of Detroit
<*>Fall was coming. It was evident with the change of weather. What used to be a scorching inferno just a few short weeks ago, maybe as much as a month and a half, was steadily dropping into a more cool, yet still warm, environment. Enough as to where people could afford to leave their air conditioners off for most of the day if they saw fit. FCW had fallen, well, had begun its fall. Its descent into Hell as some were calling it. Others didn't see it as such. Others saw it as going down as one of the greatest promotions that surfaced, if only but for a short year. Some people on the roster had left at the news of a declining paycheck, most likely to seek employment elsewhere.
Jamie... Jamie was still on the roster, she just didn't make it to the new arena. She had an attack. Her mind attacked her. Screamed at her. She passed out in an alleyway. Now she stayed in that alleyway, curled up in a corner. Fearful of herself. However, she was slowly coming to grips with herself, returning to how she was. She ventured out of the alley more and more with each passing day, but for the most part, it was her home... for now. The clothes on her body the only possessions that she had at the moment. A rugged and ripped Chimaira tee shirt, shame because it was new, and a pair of faded jeans. Her sneakers couldn't really be called that anymore as they were rugged and torn, but they still kept her feet warm with the aide of her socks. Was she scared of this place and the inhabitants? No, she wasn't, only of herself.
She missed everybody. Raiyven. Essence. And of course she missed Lilith. She cared for them just as she had cared for Elijah. She missed him too. Had these people tried to find her? Probably did. But of course, they would have no clue where to look, so, it was a futile effort in the end. She would see her friends, her family, again. She was sure of that. But until then, she'd just keep them in her mind and close to her heart. She hugged her knees tightly with her arms as she laid her head against them. Closing her eyes, she sat there in the silence of the alleyway, hearing cars go back and forth on the freeway and even hearing the very faint foot steps of someone light in weight. If she were an animal, her ears would have surely twitched at the new sound. She rose her head gently up off of her knees and opened here eyes, staring out towards the sound of the noise. Someone was walking towards her. A girl. No more than eight years old.<*>
"What are you doing in here? Its dangerous you know..."
"This is where I live."
"Here? I've been here for days, weeks even, and I've never seen you."
"I've been away. In an orphanage. But this is my home. I ran away."
"You... live here? By yourself?"
"Yep. Mommy and Daddy were both killed by some people. Bad people. I was left alone. Where I used to live isn't far from here, but, other people are there now. I can't stay there no more."
<*>Jamie tilted her head. She had grown sick and tired of the alleyway and street life in general and this little girl before her seemed to enjoy it. Or perhaps she had to learn to enjoy it? She was in an orphanage but ran from it to be back on the streets. Jamie's mind couldn't process why the child would do that, not unless she had been living on the streets just that long. The young girl made her way closer to Jamie and sat down next to her. Jamie looked over to her. The girl wasn't afraid of her. She smelled no fear from her, nor did she see it. That was rare, especially for a child.<*>
"How long have you been on the streets?"
"A long time. Since I was five. I'm seven and a half now."
"Almost three years, huh?"
"Yep."
"Is it hard?"
"Sometimes. Being a kid and all makes it kind of tough sometimes... but some of the older kids around the city teach me stuff. Like how to take stuff from people without them knowing."
"I see. So, you can pick pocket? Money? Jewelry? What do you eat?"
"I eat anything. Whatever that is thrown into the garbage by people or tossed out by restaurants. Sometimes, being a kid living on the streets, I get free food from vendors, but its not all the time. What about you? How do you eat, lady?"
"I take things by force... Like I always have. But that'll only get me so far... until I wind up in a jail cell."
"How come you don't have a job?"
"I... do, technically. I'm a wrestler for Full Contact Wrestling, its just... Its going out of business, you see, so, I'm more or less out of a job."
"Can't you get a new one?"
"Unfortunately... Fighting is all I know how to do. So, wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts... all of that is in my work environment. I'm not good with numbers too much, so, I wouldn't be good on a cash register or anything else that involves numbers. I wouldn't be good in any other job either..."
"Oh... I'm not good with numbers either."
<*>Jamie looked to the child momentarily before looking away, back out to the entrance to the alleyway. Wondering if she would receive anymore visitors other than this child. It was possible but unlikely. At least to her it was. She let out a sigh before looking back to the child.<*>
"Don't you have a family to live with miss?"
"I... don't know where my family is. I guess I'm like you. Alone. Again."
"You're not alone, 'cause I'm right here."
"...Eh... I suppose that is true... but... it isn't forever. Only a passing moment."
"At least we'll be warm tonight when it gets cold."
"...Yeah..."
<*>Jamie forced a smile. It was true. She was alone again. This child was just a passing memory. She'd be forgotten in the next few days as Jamie or the child would leave and would forget one another. That's the way it is on the harsh streets right? The little girl looked up to her and smiled in return. Her's was genuine. A real smile.<*>
"...Hey... Have you ever thought about staying at the orphanage? At least there you'd have a bed and eventually someone would adopt you and take you into their care. Give you a bed, warm meals... Love..."
"...I've thought about it. But it wouldn't be the same as Mommy and Daddy."
"At least you'd be safe."
"Until something happened or they got tired of me and sent me back. I've seen it happen with other kids."
"...Maybe you'd get lucky and they'd love you so much they wouldn't."
"That's a real big maybe."
<*>Why the Hell was she so concerned with this child? It definitely wasn't like her at all to take concern for anyone, other than the people she cared about. She'd only known this child for a little more than ten minutes and was beginning to worry about her. What was it she was feeling for the child? Compassion? She growled slightly. To herself, not at the child.<*>
"So... you'd rather stay on the streets?"
"Pretty much."
"Tch..."
<*>Jamie pressed her hands against the gravel harshly as she pushed herself up off of the cold ground and took a few steps forward, looking to her right, she slammed the side of her fist into the brick wall. She knew it most likely had scrapped her skin and caused her to bleed but that was the least of her concerns.<*>
"That's stupid! You have a God damn chance to get off the street and have a family! And you'd rather not go for it for fear of rejection and being sent back? Because it wouldn't be the same as how it was with your mother and father? ...At least you'd have someone who did love you as you are..."
<*>The girl jumped slightly as the words screamed from Jamie. She didn't get scared, but surprised. Jamie growled once again. She saw herself in the child, an outcast, but not because she was forced to, but because she chose to. She saw it as stupid. She was sure the people who adopted the young girl would love her for who she was, not like her own parents did her.<*>
"At... least your new parents would love you in the same way your real parents did. Not like mine."
"...Not like yours?"
"My mother and father hated me because there was--is--something wrong with me. In my mind... They always sought help for me. But they started fighting a hell of a lot more once they heard the news of my little condition. Of course, even as young as I was, I knew it was caused by me... Tch..."
"...Miss?"
<*>Jamie let out a sigh before turning to the girl and extending her hand towards her. Looking down at the girl. She felt compassion for the girl. Not just because she saw herself in the girl. There was another reason. Yet Jamie could not quite place it.<*>
"...If you wont go back to the orphanage. Then come with me at least? I'll keep you safe."
<*>The little girl's eyes lit up as she scrambled to her feet and ran towards Jamie, right past the hand and burying her head against her stomach. Jamie took a step back, unprepared for such an action. The girl was hugging her and nuzzling her head into her stomach furiously.<*>
"I'll... I'll take that as a yes."
<*>A smile formed on Jamie's face, a true smile, not a forced one as she place her hand on the girls head for a moment. Soon, the little girl's hand was in Jamie's. They began to walk out of the alleyway when Jamie looked down to her.<*>
"My name's Jamie by the way. What's yours?"
"Sarah."
"Sarah, huh?"
"Yep."
<*>Jamie smiled once again before turning to face Sarah briefly, scooping her up in her arms, holding her in her arms she walked out of the alleyway. A new life with the young girl? It seemed like a plan to Jamie. At least the young girl would be safe in life with her as her mother-like figure. Sarah wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck as she laid her small head against her shoulder as they walked on. Neither one of them would be alone again. And they weren't. A tournament arose in FCW. Jamie made sure to check into that, and Sarah went with her. On September 28th she competed in the first rounds of the tournament and won. It was a rough match, but she did it.
September 29th rolled around and she was physically drained from the first match, she didn't recover from it all that well, she slipped, and lost. Her opponent was a tough one either way, so, it could have gone exactly that: either way. The tournament meant nothing to Jamie, she just wanted to compete. After that match? Her and Sarah vanished without a trace.<*>
Jamie... Jamie was still on the roster, she just didn't make it to the new arena. She had an attack. Her mind attacked her. Screamed at her. She passed out in an alleyway. Now she stayed in that alleyway, curled up in a corner. Fearful of herself. However, she was slowly coming to grips with herself, returning to how she was. She ventured out of the alley more and more with each passing day, but for the most part, it was her home... for now. The clothes on her body the only possessions that she had at the moment. A rugged and ripped Chimaira tee shirt, shame because it was new, and a pair of faded jeans. Her sneakers couldn't really be called that anymore as they were rugged and torn, but they still kept her feet warm with the aide of her socks. Was she scared of this place and the inhabitants? No, she wasn't, only of herself.
She missed everybody. Raiyven. Essence. And of course she missed Lilith. She cared for them just as she had cared for Elijah. She missed him too. Had these people tried to find her? Probably did. But of course, they would have no clue where to look, so, it was a futile effort in the end. She would see her friends, her family, again. She was sure of that. But until then, she'd just keep them in her mind and close to her heart. She hugged her knees tightly with her arms as she laid her head against them. Closing her eyes, she sat there in the silence of the alleyway, hearing cars go back and forth on the freeway and even hearing the very faint foot steps of someone light in weight. If she were an animal, her ears would have surely twitched at the new sound. She rose her head gently up off of her knees and opened here eyes, staring out towards the sound of the noise. Someone was walking towards her. A girl. No more than eight years old.<*>
"What are you doing in here? Its dangerous you know..."
"This is where I live."
"Here? I've been here for days, weeks even, and I've never seen you."
"I've been away. In an orphanage. But this is my home. I ran away."
"You... live here? By yourself?"
"Yep. Mommy and Daddy were both killed by some people. Bad people. I was left alone. Where I used to live isn't far from here, but, other people are there now. I can't stay there no more."
<*>Jamie tilted her head. She had grown sick and tired of the alleyway and street life in general and this little girl before her seemed to enjoy it. Or perhaps she had to learn to enjoy it? She was in an orphanage but ran from it to be back on the streets. Jamie's mind couldn't process why the child would do that, not unless she had been living on the streets just that long. The young girl made her way closer to Jamie and sat down next to her. Jamie looked over to her. The girl wasn't afraid of her. She smelled no fear from her, nor did she see it. That was rare, especially for a child.<*>
"How long have you been on the streets?"
"A long time. Since I was five. I'm seven and a half now."
"Almost three years, huh?"
"Yep."
"Is it hard?"
"Sometimes. Being a kid and all makes it kind of tough sometimes... but some of the older kids around the city teach me stuff. Like how to take stuff from people without them knowing."
"I see. So, you can pick pocket? Money? Jewelry? What do you eat?"
"I eat anything. Whatever that is thrown into the garbage by people or tossed out by restaurants. Sometimes, being a kid living on the streets, I get free food from vendors, but its not all the time. What about you? How do you eat, lady?"
"I take things by force... Like I always have. But that'll only get me so far... until I wind up in a jail cell."
"How come you don't have a job?"
"I... do, technically. I'm a wrestler for Full Contact Wrestling, its just... Its going out of business, you see, so, I'm more or less out of a job."
"Can't you get a new one?"
"Unfortunately... Fighting is all I know how to do. So, wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts... all of that is in my work environment. I'm not good with numbers too much, so, I wouldn't be good on a cash register or anything else that involves numbers. I wouldn't be good in any other job either..."
"Oh... I'm not good with numbers either."
<*>Jamie looked to the child momentarily before looking away, back out to the entrance to the alleyway. Wondering if she would receive anymore visitors other than this child. It was possible but unlikely. At least to her it was. She let out a sigh before looking back to the child.<*>
"Don't you have a family to live with miss?"
"I... don't know where my family is. I guess I'm like you. Alone. Again."
"You're not alone, 'cause I'm right here."
"...Eh... I suppose that is true... but... it isn't forever. Only a passing moment."
"At least we'll be warm tonight when it gets cold."
"...Yeah..."
<*>Jamie forced a smile. It was true. She was alone again. This child was just a passing memory. She'd be forgotten in the next few days as Jamie or the child would leave and would forget one another. That's the way it is on the harsh streets right? The little girl looked up to her and smiled in return. Her's was genuine. A real smile.<*>
"...Hey... Have you ever thought about staying at the orphanage? At least there you'd have a bed and eventually someone would adopt you and take you into their care. Give you a bed, warm meals... Love..."
"...I've thought about it. But it wouldn't be the same as Mommy and Daddy."
"At least you'd be safe."
"Until something happened or they got tired of me and sent me back. I've seen it happen with other kids."
"...Maybe you'd get lucky and they'd love you so much they wouldn't."
"That's a real big maybe."
<*>Why the Hell was she so concerned with this child? It definitely wasn't like her at all to take concern for anyone, other than the people she cared about. She'd only known this child for a little more than ten minutes and was beginning to worry about her. What was it she was feeling for the child? Compassion? She growled slightly. To herself, not at the child.<*>
"So... you'd rather stay on the streets?"
"Pretty much."
"Tch..."
<*>Jamie pressed her hands against the gravel harshly as she pushed herself up off of the cold ground and took a few steps forward, looking to her right, she slammed the side of her fist into the brick wall. She knew it most likely had scrapped her skin and caused her to bleed but that was the least of her concerns.<*>
"That's stupid! You have a God damn chance to get off the street and have a family! And you'd rather not go for it for fear of rejection and being sent back? Because it wouldn't be the same as how it was with your mother and father? ...At least you'd have someone who did love you as you are..."
<*>The girl jumped slightly as the words screamed from Jamie. She didn't get scared, but surprised. Jamie growled once again. She saw herself in the child, an outcast, but not because she was forced to, but because she chose to. She saw it as stupid. She was sure the people who adopted the young girl would love her for who she was, not like her own parents did her.<*>
"At... least your new parents would love you in the same way your real parents did. Not like mine."
"...Not like yours?"
"My mother and father hated me because there was--is--something wrong with me. In my mind... They always sought help for me. But they started fighting a hell of a lot more once they heard the news of my little condition. Of course, even as young as I was, I knew it was caused by me... Tch..."
"...Miss?"
<*>Jamie let out a sigh before turning to the girl and extending her hand towards her. Looking down at the girl. She felt compassion for the girl. Not just because she saw herself in the girl. There was another reason. Yet Jamie could not quite place it.<*>
"...If you wont go back to the orphanage. Then come with me at least? I'll keep you safe."
<*>The little girl's eyes lit up as she scrambled to her feet and ran towards Jamie, right past the hand and burying her head against her stomach. Jamie took a step back, unprepared for such an action. The girl was hugging her and nuzzling her head into her stomach furiously.<*>
"I'll... I'll take that as a yes."
<*>A smile formed on Jamie's face, a true smile, not a forced one as she place her hand on the girls head for a moment. Soon, the little girl's hand was in Jamie's. They began to walk out of the alleyway when Jamie looked down to her.<*>
"My name's Jamie by the way. What's yours?"
"Sarah."
"Sarah, huh?"
"Yep."
<*>Jamie smiled once again before turning to face Sarah briefly, scooping her up in her arms, holding her in her arms she walked out of the alleyway. A new life with the young girl? It seemed like a plan to Jamie. At least the young girl would be safe in life with her as her mother-like figure. Sarah wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck as she laid her small head against her shoulder as they walked on. Neither one of them would be alone again. And they weren't. A tournament arose in FCW. Jamie made sure to check into that, and Sarah went with her. On September 28th she competed in the first rounds of the tournament and won. It was a rough match, but she did it.
September 29th rolled around and she was physically drained from the first match, she didn't recover from it all that well, she slipped, and lost. Her opponent was a tough one either way, so, it could have gone exactly that: either way. The tournament meant nothing to Jamie, she just wanted to compete. After that match? Her and Sarah vanished without a trace.<*>
//To Be Continued\\