I see the girl in a heap on the ground crying and turn toward her, hopin' everything's alright. Not sure what it is that tips me off; she moves, or makes a sound, and I just know it's V. Somethin's really wrong, and the bottom falls out of my stomach. Breaking into a jog, I reach her in a dozen steps and practically fall down next to her, a hand on her back, my heart going a mile a minute. "What happened?" I ask, my voice a lot more breathless than I'd like, but not exactly somethin' I can help right now.
Veronica could count on her hands the number of times she'd cried in the last three years, but losing Lilly again is too much; it was impossible to relieve the crushing weight in her chest. Speaking around the lump in her throat was hard enough without the sudden sting of knowing someone could see her like this. So it took a few moments for her to be able to lift her head, blinking hard enough to see Weevil, and a few more before she could open her mouth to speak, struggling to think of some way of turning this into a joke. But she couldn't. There was nothing funny about it. "Lilly," she said urgently. "She's gone."
Wallace wasn't doing anything special for the day. He had woken up, had breakfast, shot some hoops - same old, same old, but not in a bad way. In fact, for the most part, the day hadn't been bad at all.
It was getting dark soon, though, and he was headed back to the compound, not wanting to get caught outside without a flashlight. He didn't see Veronica at first, but he did hear the quiet sniffling, which made him stop in his tracks. He scanned around before his gaze fell on her, and he knew, just knew, something horrible had happened.
He couldn't remember the last time he seen her cry.
"Veronica?" he called out, moving to kneel by her side. He hesitated before gingerly touching her shoulder. "Hey, V, what's going on?"
Veronica reached up to wipe the tears roughly away with the back of her hand, her mouth a line, shoulders hunched. She didn't look up, didn't turn to let him see the way she looked now, just let out a slow, shuddering sigh. Her breath caught, she lowered her head a little further. "Lilly's gone," she said, voice still unsteady.
Gone. Wallace remembered when Dick disappeared, and yet he still never thought someone else he knew would disappear too. Especially not Lilly - not after Veronica got her back. That was just damn cruel.
He knew better not to ask if she was sure. If anyone could find someone, it was Veronica. He didn't doubt she had exhausted every place she could look.
"Shit," he breathed out. "I'm so sorry, V. When did she...?"
"I don't know," she said, too quickly, stumbling over the last syllable. "I woke up and..." Veronica licked her lip, then bit it, shaking her head slowly. "I looked everywhere." Now she just wanted to sleep, the weight of tears making even her eyes tired - sleep and pretend it hadn't happened and wake up to find it wasn't true.
Mac may have not personally faced any disappearances since she'd come here, but she did know about them. The room had seemed unbalanced to her, but she'd gotten dressed and gone on with her day, not really thinking much of it.
She'd gone to explore the island some more, and probably gotten herself lost in the process, because she had no idea where she was. Which was why she was sort of surprised to see Veronica sitting against a nearby tree.
"Veronica?" she ventured. She looked sort of...wrecked. And because Mac was hardly a stupid person, she put two and two together.
It was stupid, the kind of things that ran through her mind in situations like these - like how, yesterday, she'd spent her time with other people, not Lilly, or how she couldn't remember the last time she'd cried, not clearly. Over a year, maybe, back when her dad had come home to tell her Meg had died. Suddenly Lilly was gone, dead all over again. And the worst part was that she'd hated it here all along.
And she knew, for a fact, Mac had never seen her like this before, tear tracks on her cheeks. Sniffing once, she wiped what was left of her tears roughly from her eyes and looked up at Mac. "Hey," she said quietly. Her mouth stayed open a moment and she took a deep breath before she spoke again. "So it's just a room for two again, then."
Mac bit her lip, not answering, not sure anything she could say would be much help. She wasn't really good with this, the saying thing, so instead she moved to sit down beside Veronica, close enough that the other girl could feel she was there, but not too close to crowd her.
This wasn't fair. Maybe she hadn't known Lilly so well, but this was Veronica's best friend. It wasn't fair to take her away from her twice.
It was enough right then to have Mac there - just to know someone was next to her for the moment. Saying things was completely optional; the silence might even have been better in that moment, knowing there was no need to speak when she couldn't anyway. Not really.
Veronica swallowed hard, eyes closed, and took a long, shallow breath. Slowly her head lowered yet further toward her knees, her arms hooked around her legs now, then came up again as she took another, deeper breath. She wanted to say something, to tell Pam the truth or a joke, but neither one came out. Instead she just sat there, blinking to clear her eyes. Even without tears in them right now, her vision still felt blurry.
"Lilly's gone." Saying it made the pit in her stomach deepen, made it true, but Veronica couldn't help letting the words loose, almost defiant. She had to face it, had to be strong. That didn't mean it didn't sting.
The fact that Sam couldn't find her in her room had kicked him into high-gear, going right into protection mode and scaling through the trees in a highly effective searching pattern, and when he did find her, it was one moment of shock, staring worriedly at her.
The next moment, he was there with her, hands gently stroking her arms. "Hey," he exhaled. "Veronica, come on. Come with me?"
Veronica's breath shook as she looked up at him, nodding without moving to go anywhere. She was tired, her muscles frozen, and she just wanted to sleep - or to wake up. Instead she just sat there, wanting to move closer to him and unable to get her arms to uncurl from around her legs. She felt so small, so young, and when she closed her eyes, she saw Lilly, stretched out and bloodied, on the ground. And then the tears were welling up in her eyes again and she turned her head away. "Lilly's - Lilly's gone... It took Lilly away..."
Sam gently eased down and did what Dean had done for him when he'd been paralyzed, staring up at Jess on the ceiling. He eased down on one knee and tugged her closer, a hand stroking her hair. "Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked softly. "I'm so sorry, Veronica. I really am." But sitting here wasn't good. He needed to get her somewhere a bit more comfortable.
Leaning against him, Veronica nodded again. She didn't really want to move, but even through the grief, she was aware the sun was setting. Being out in the jungle at night wasn't the best idea. They should go, they should move, but all she knew was that the last place she wanted to be was in her room. "Somewhere's good," she said quietly, aiming for casual even now.
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It was getting dark soon, though, and he was headed back to the compound, not wanting to get caught outside without a flashlight. He didn't see Veronica at first, but he did hear the quiet sniffling, which made him stop in his tracks. He scanned around before his gaze fell on her, and he knew, just knew, something horrible had happened.
He couldn't remember the last time he seen her cry.
"Veronica?" he called out, moving to kneel by her side. He hesitated before gingerly touching her shoulder. "Hey, V, what's going on?"
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He knew better not to ask if she was sure. If anyone could find someone, it was Veronica. He didn't doubt she had exhausted every place she could look.
"Shit," he breathed out. "I'm so sorry, V. When did she...?"
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She'd gone to explore the island some more, and probably gotten herself lost in the process, because she had no idea where she was. Which was why she was sort of surprised to see Veronica sitting against a nearby tree.
"Veronica?" she ventured. She looked sort of...wrecked. And because Mac was hardly a stupid person, she put two and two together.
Oh.
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And she knew, for a fact, Mac had never seen her like this before, tear tracks on her cheeks. Sniffing once, she wiped what was left of her tears roughly from her eyes and looked up at Mac. "Hey," she said quietly. Her mouth stayed open a moment and she took a deep breath before she spoke again. "So it's just a room for two again, then."
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This wasn't fair. Maybe she hadn't known Lilly so well, but this was Veronica's best friend. It wasn't fair to take her away from her twice.
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What was unusual about today was that she'd practically stumbled upon Veronica curled up underneath a tree.
"Veronica?" Her voice was worried as she knelt down next to her.
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"Veronica?"
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The next moment, he was there with her, hands gently stroking her arms. "Hey," he exhaled. "Veronica, come on. Come with me?"
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