~Chapter 45~
"So what now?" I softly whispered out, the silence for the past fifteen minutes wearing down my shoulders like a physical weight.
Aria and Frank had been quiet since they revealed the staggering amount of money they owed, each lost in their own thoughts.
I tried to break the silence, again with my low stamring voice. "Can’t we just maybe run, escape this city and hide in another? Yeah, let’s do that, hmm." I pushed myself up, bumping Aria gently so she would look at .
Aria’s eyes t mine, her expression was so damned sad, filled with resignation. "We can’t," she pushed her legs into her chest hugging them.
"They have eyes and ears, everywhere. Even if we hid inside a rock, they’re bound to sniff us out. We tried before, and we didn’t succeed, anyway. So, nope, out of options."
Frank stirred,opening one eye slowly. "Aria’s right. We’ve tried running before. It didn’t work. They always find us."
I felt a cold dread creeping up my spine. If running wasn’t an option, then what was? I looked at Aria and Frank, searching for any glimr of hope. But all I saw was despair.
"What do we do, then? We can’t just sit here and wait for them to co for us."
Aria’s eyes dropped, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she mumbled, "We have half a million at the mont." Her words shocked to my core.
Half a million dollars? They had that amount already? That was a significant chunk of the debt they owed.
I stared at Frank before looking back at aria and, chirped. "That’s good, why didn’t you give it to them?" I asked, confused at their antic of not giving them the money.
"Because we still need the money." Aria said, ridiculously and I frowned.
Frustration cursing through , my voice rised in response. "Still need the money, Aria? We’re talking about our lives here! That debt collector didn’t seem like the kind of person who would hesitate to hurt us if we don’t pay up."
Aria’s face twisted in a both pain and resolve. "I know, Katya. Believe , I know. But we can’t just give them everything we have. We need so of that money for...other things."
Her words trailed off, leaving wondering what those "other things" could be. But those other things couldn’t possibly better than our lives and I pressed.
"I’m talking about lives here!" Aria cuts off, glaring hard at .
"And that’s what I’m talking about too," she exclaid, standing up from the ground.
She stood up abrupt and restless, as she marched over to the coffee table, snatching up the cigarette pack and a lighter, her fingers shaking slightly as she lit one up.
Aria began to pace back and forth across the room, the smoke from her cigarette swirling around her.
I watched her with growing confusion. "Aria, I don’t understand," I whispered slowly, my eyes fixed on her agitated form.
Aria’s pacing slowed, and she turned to face , her face holding so much emotions, that I couldn’t quite pinpoint....anger.. frustrated or totally done.
"Our mom is sick, seriously sick," she said, dragging in the cigarette. "That’s why we got into this huge debt. We needed the money to pay for her treatnt, and we still need more to fully cover her bills."
Aria took a long drag on her cigarette, exhaling. "It’s not like we won’t pay," she added, defensive. "Just not now. And like I said, it’s none of your problems, Katya. You shouldn’t have gotten into this, and I’m sorry."
Frank’s eyes flicked open again, and he watched his twin before looking at "We’re deeply sorry, Katya," he added, weak but sincere.
"It’s alright," I said softly but I ant it. I had already resigned myself to the fact that my life was going to be cut short, one way or another.
Maybe it was fate, or maybe it was just the hand I had been dealt. Either way, I had learned to accept it.
But despite that, a spark of hope lights up inside . Maybe, just maybe, I could find sothing or soone to make this miserable existence worthwhile before I went. And maybe, just maybe, Aria and Frank could be that sothing.
I looked at them, searching for any sign of deception or manipulation, of they were playing with . But all I saw was desperation, fear, and a deep-seated sadness.
The reason for their debt, it turned out, was not so frivolous vice or reckless spending spree, like I had intentionally thought but It was sothing much more relatable, much more human.
They had been desperate to save their mother’s life, and they had taken a risk to do it.
And I knew, in that mont, that I had already forgiven them for the beating I had taken at the hands of those n.
I nodded slowly, processing this new information. "So what now?" I asked them, my voice a little stronger now. "You both have a job, right?"
Aria and Frank nodded in unison but their face was grim "We do. But we don’t earn enough to survive daily, talk less of paying a debt. We’re barely scraping by as it is." Frank answered.
I bit back a sarcastic comnt, tempted to point out the irony that they couldn’t afford to live, but sohow managed to scrape together enough money for cigarettes and beer.
The air in their apartnt was thick with the acrid sll of smoke and stale beer, a constant reminder of their addiction.
It was clear that Aria and Frank were heavily addicted, and it showed in the way they moved, the way they spoke, and the way they lived...I shouldn’t be judging but it was the way i saw them.
Aria continued to pace, the cigarette dangling from her lips as she exhaled a stream of smoke. It was still early in the morning, and who the hell smoked this early. Didn’t they need coffee, or breakfast, or sothing? The thought of their sick mother flashed through .
But I pushed aside my curiosity about their mother’s illness, not wanting to pry into sothing so personal. Instead, I focused on the pressing issue at hand. "How many days till next month?" I asked.
Aria’s pacing creased and she turned to face , her eyes clouded with worry. "Two weeks," she said, barely above audible, scratching her arm harshly, getting all worried at her behavior.
"We have just two weeks to get the money ready, and it’s impossible." Frank, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up with resignation.
"We’ll never make it," he said, shaking his head.
Aria lit up another cigarette, her hands shaking slightly as she handed it to Frank. He took it with a nod of thanks, his eyes locking onto the cigarette as if it were a lifeline.
Their constant reliance on cigarettes and beer was starting to get to , the sll and sight of it grating on my nerves.
This wasn’t healthy, I tried pushing this aside alongside my frustration, focusing on the more pressing issue at hand. "I should find a job too," I said out loud.
I needed a job, not just to help with the debt, but to survive. And maybe, just maybe, with this extra inco, we could scrape together enough to pay for their mom’s dical bills.
"You don’t have too." Aria opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off.
"I need to," I interjected, looking at my weak arms. "Even if there wasn’t this debt, I would still need a job to survive. I’m not exactly swimming in cash, you know."
Aria sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She nodded slowly, "Alright then. But not right now." She moved towards , her hands reaching out to help up from the couch.
"Right now, you’re injured badly. Let’s try patching ourselves up before we head out." I winced as I stood, my body aching from the beating I had taken. But I gritted my teeth, pushing myself through the pain.
Frank slowly helped himself to his feet, wincing in pain as he cradled his dislocated arm.
We all trudged off to our respective rooms, exhausted and battered. Aria and I headed to her room, the small space cramped but sohow comforting.
Aria slipped out of the room, leaving alone for a mont. I took the opportunity to look around, taking in the limited furnishings and the few personal touches that made the space feel like hers.
She returned with a bowl of water and a small cloth, setting them down on the bedside table.
"Not much, I know," she said, nodding towards the bowl. "We don’t have a steady water supply, but this should do for now."
I accepted the offering gratefully, mories flooding back of the countless tis I’d had to make do with similarly ager resources when I was trapped in my abusive father’s ho.
Cleaning up as best I could, wincing as I gently washed my wounded face and body.
Aria rummaged through her small closet, erging with a handful of clothes that looked like they might fit .
Gratefully taking them from her, I began to dress up and Aria quickly dressed up too.
We nodded at eachother before we headed back out into the main room.
Frank was already sitting on the couch, his dislocated arm wrapped in a makeshift bandage.
He looked up as we entered as aria called out to him, "Let’s go."
Frank nodded, slowly getting to his feet. I could see the pain etched on his face at moving his arm aroun, but he didn’t complain.
My head and body still ached but ti to find a job to survive this hell.
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