AMITY

CHAPTER 3

T/W - SUICIDE, ABUSE
FLASHBACK

January 31st 1909

It had been two weeks since Amity had met Coral by the beach. She had not seen the young girl since then.

She had shared her heart with the young girl, told her everything she had not told anyone else since she came to this part of the city.

All the disgusting, all the gore, all the shame, all the guilt and all the fear. She had told her as much as she could in that short time that they had. Coral had done the same.

She had held Coral as she had finally started crying and had soothed her like she would a little sister if she had one. They had had to leave as the sky started clearing up and both needed to get to their jobs.

Happy birthday to them.

That day, two weeks after Amity had last and first seen the younger girl, she was walking through the town square, back to her place of work, after going out with one of the customers who did not like staying at the workplace when she heard a commotion ahead of her.

She looked and she saw a mane of long blonde her I someone's hand. The owner of the hair, had their head hanging down and was not making any endeavours to get out of the grip that held onto her so tightly that it no doubt felt like the hair was being pulled out of the girl's skull.

The hand gripping unto the hair of the girl belonged to a man. He looked to be in his late forties with a round and large face and a balding head. The girl that the hair belonged to though- how could Amity not recognise her.

Even with her head bowed down, even though they had only spoken in the dark night with no other light than that of the moon, how could Amity not recognise her.

It was Coral.

Amity could not muffle the pain-filled gasp that escaped from her lips.
The head lifted and blue eyes stared at her.

Amity knew Coral recognized her. Even if on the night they had met Amity had not been wearing the veil beneath her eyes

But so, did the man. He looked at her with a sneer and raised an eyebrow like he was daring her to say something. "Do you have something to say, lass?" he asked with the same ugly look on his face.

Amity looked at Coral and the younger girl did her best to shake her head, to tell Amity that she should not speak on her behalf.

Her eyes spoke all those words that she could not utter out, in fear of extra punishment.

And as much as Amity's heart filled with repugnance, with hatred and loathing as bile rose from her chest to her throat, she knew she could not step in, lest the young girl faced something worse.

They were poor women in a city this big. There would be no one on their side if they got into any trouble. They had to take whatever treatment that was given to them withy nothing less than a smile and gratitude.

Amity looked down and then looked back at the poor girl. Her eyes were pleading with Amity to not say anything. To leave. So that both could live.

So, Amity gave the girl the most encouraging nod she could afford but still be subtle and turned to leave. As she walked off, she bit her tongue. She bit it so hard and so long that she began to bleed, and she still did not stop then.

The fact that she was not able to do anything but walk off was enough reason to punish herself and the part of her body that had done nothing about the situation.