See The Forest For The Trees

The building sunk into the horizon as the trolley lurched forwards. The girl clutched the handrail tighter as the streetcar continued down the track, her fears fading alongside the growing distance. Alhelí released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"How did I think I could survive in this city?" She mumbled. "I'm not familiar with the chaos here; I can't fight; I don't have—" she paused for a moment, her voice faltering, "—an ackra; I never stood a chance."

She was deadweight; a wallflower confined to the vase, a stranger in the garden. Everyone was so capable, and then there was her: a simple girl from a nowhere town where nothing ever happened. Being thrown into this hectic city— this killer city— was too much; she wilted under the pressure as the others thrived. It was their natural environment, and she was an intruder.

"What did Frederic say? Keep up or this city will eat you alive...?" Her grip relaxed as the trolley continued its trek to the station. She'd be back home soon.

Back to normal.

Back to—

"Back to boring," Alhelí grumbled, disappointment lacing her words.

Sure, everyone in that office was... eccentric; sometimes it was difficult to work with such colorful characters. But, she found comfort in them. They were misfits, and Alhelí fit into that abnormal puzzle. She'd be lying if she said she hated all her time in the city...

Pippin and Millie were kind, always offering a smile or a helping hand; Stefan was an awkward mess she bonded with; Frederic was a stickler— a force that made working unbearable sometimes— but he had a big heart; Quipper was the light at the end of the tunnel, they always made her feel better after a tough mission; Esfir— stoic and terrifying at times— acted like an older sister.

They dealt with her, putting up with her panicked fretting and ignorance of both the city and field of work she had accidentally wound up in. They made her feel welcomed.

For once, she found somewhere that felt like home; a constant that she could come back to every night. The city gave her a place where she belonged, and it was slowly disappearing as the trolley continued downtown.

Alhelí inhaled sharply.

"Am... am I really going to leave this...? Leave them? After what they've done for me...?" They provided her with something she had always yearned for, yet here she was, letting her trepidation control her once again.

"N-no," she stuttered, gripping her suitcase. Her eyes met the horizon, watching as the tip of the building— her building— vanished.

"No," Alhelí firmly repeated.

She leaped off the trolley, stumbling up the street.

The building became clearer as she neared, and she found a strange reassurance in the familiar sight. Alhelí smiled.

She found a home in that building, with the people inside. If she just waited a little longer, she was sure she'd find the courage she needed to continue helping them.

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Word Count: 500