Chapter 16 A Friend
Amelia
The sounds of the city surrounded me. Cars. Music. Voices. All of it was overwhelming, making it impossible to navigate by sound like I usually did.
I didn't know where Marco's bar ended or how dangerous the neighbourhood began. Didn't know which direction led to safety and which led to more trouble.
Someone walked past—close enough that I could smell cigarette smoke.
"Excuse me," I called out. "Could you help me? I'm lost and—"
Footsteps kept walking. They either hadn't heard or didn't care.
I tried again with the next person who passed.
"Please, I need help—"
"Get away from me," a woman's voice snapped.
I stood there, alone in the darkness that was no different from the light to me, and felt tears burn in my eyes.
I was back where I'd started. Homeless. Alone. Vulnerable.
Only this time, I was hurt.
And I had no idea how to survive this.
JADE
"You think she'll be okay?" Ashley asked, peering out the window at the street below.
"Who cares?" I said, examining my nails. "She shouldn't have been here in the first place."
"But Marco's going to be pissed."
"Marco's not going to know. We'll tell him she just left. The workload was too much for her to handle, and she decided to quit." I shrugged. "He'll buy it. She was always weak anyway."
"What if Nina finds out?"
"Nina's not going to be back until late. By then, little Amelia will be long gone. She probably crawled back to wherever she originally came from.
"And if she tells Marco what really happened?"
"Who's he going to believe? A blind girl who couldn't cut it? Or six of us with the same story?" I smiled. "She's gone. And good riddance."
Behind me, I heard one of the other girls murmur something uncertain.
"Any problem?" I asked sharply.
"No," she said quickly. "No problem."
"Good. Now let's get ready for tonight. We've got customers coming in an hour."
I walked away from the window, away from wherever that pathetic blind girl had ended up.
She was someone else's problem now.
AMELIA
I don't know how long I stood there.
Time felt strange when you were terrified. Could have been ten minutes. The time could have spanned an hour.
My hands hurt. My face hurt. Everything hurt.
I needed to move. Needed to find somewhere safe before full darkness hit.
But where?
I took a few careful steps forward, my cane sweeping. Hit something metal—a parking meter?
I kept going. I thought I had turned a corner.
There were voices ahead. Male. Multiple.
"—said he'd have the money by tonight."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we send a message."
I froze. Those weren't helpful pedestrian voices. Those were dangerous voices.
I started to back up. Slowly. Quietly.
My cane hit a bottle. It rolled, making noise.
The voices stopped.
"Someone there?"
I didn't breathe.
Footsteps approaching.
"Hey. You."
I turned and tried to move faster. My cane caught on something. I stumbled.
Hands grabbed my arm.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
I tried to pull away. "Please, I'm just trying to—"
"You lost, sweetheart?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I'll just go—"
"Not so fast." His grip tightened. "You look like you've had a rough night. Someone hurt you?"
I didn't answer.
"Maybe we can help. For a price."
"I don't have any money."
"That's okay. There are other ways to pay."
Fear shot through me, sharp and cold.
I swung my cane. Hard. Heard it connect with something. The grip on my arm released.
"Fuck! She hit me!"
I ran.
Blind, disoriented, and in pain, I ran.
I heard angry voices behind me. Footsteps giving chase.
I didn't know where I was going. Just away. Anywhere away.
My cane hit a wall. I turned and kept running.
A car horn blared. Too close. I veered away from the sound.
The footsteps behind me were getting closer.
I wasn't going to make it.
I was going to end up hurt or worse in an alley somewhere, and no one would know. No one would care.
Someone, I thought desperately. Please. Someone help me.
But there was no one.
I was alone.
Just like I'd always been.
AMELIA
I couldn't run anymore.
My lungs burnt. My legs felt like they might give out. The footsteps behind me were getting closer.
I turned a corner—at least I thought it was a corner—and my shoulder slammed into something hard. A wall. A pole. I couldn't tell.
Pain exploded through my already injured body.
I stumbled, trying to stay upright, trying to keep moving.
"Got you now!"
A hand grabbed the back of my dress.
I screamed.
"Hey!" A new voice. Female. And very sharp. "Get away from her!"
"Mind your business, lady."
"I said get away from her. Now."
"Or what?"
"Or I call the cops. I've got my phone right here, and I'm already dialling."
A pause. Then muttered curses.
"Not worth it," one of the men said.
"Whatever. Crazy bitch probably doesn't even have money anyway."
The hand released my dress. Footsteps retreated.
I stood there gasping, shaking, hardly able to believe they'd actually left.
"Hey, are you okay?" The woman's voice again, closer now. Concerned. "Did they hurt you?"
"I—I'm—" I couldn't get the words out.
"You're bleeding. Your hands—and your face. What happened?"
"I need to—I have to—" Where? Where did I need to go? I had nowhere.
"Okay, let's calm down. Can you tell me your name?"
"Amelia," I managed.
"I'm Elena. Ellie. You need help. Do you have somewhere to go? Someone I can call?"
I shook my head. "No one."
"Okay. Okay, that's okay." Her hand touched my arm gently. "Can you walk? My apartment's just a block away. Let me get you off the street, get you cleaned up, and we'll figure this out."
"I don't—I don't know you."
"I know. But those guys might come back, and you're hurt, and—" She paused. "Look, I'm not trying to kidnap you or anything. I'm just a waitress who gets off shift at seven and doesn't like seeing people get attacked on my walk home. If you want, we can stay out here and wait for the cops, but honestly? The cops in this neighbourhood don't give a shit. Your call."
My mind was spinning. I didn't know her. She could be lying. Could be leading me into something worse.
But what choice did I have?
"Okay," I whispered.
"Great. Can you walk, or do you need help?"
"I can walk. Just... slowly."
"That's fine. Here, hold onto my arm. I'll guide you."
I felt her arm slip through mine, steadying me. She matched her pace to mine as we started moving.
"You're blind," she said after a moment. This was not a question. Just an observation.
"Yes."
"And someone beat you up and left you out here?"
"It's complicated."
"I bet it is." She guided me around something—a trash can, maybe. "One block. We're almost there."
We walked in silence for a few minutes. Every step hurt, but Elena's presence was solid. Reliable. She didn't rush me, didn't ask more questions, and just kept me steady.
"Okay, here's my building," she said finally. "Three steps up. Can you manage?"
I nodded and let her guide me up the steps.