Chapter Text
“Police dropped her off about an hour ago,” Pearl told Peridot, flipping through the pages of the woman's file. “We don’t know her whole story, the police are still investigating. Her name is Lapis Lazuli, she’s a victim of a kidnapping. She was kept in a room of mirrors for about six months, poor girl.”
Peridot looked at the young woman in the hospital bed. Her tan skin was ashy due to the months she spent without sunlight. Her long unkempt hair spread around her like the dark sea during a sunset. These features did not belong to a siren of the ocean, but to a mere human Lapis Lazuli.
Pearl had a tendency to ramble, and as her coworker, Peridot was skilled at tuning her out. She was hired as an IT intern two months ago with the help of Nurse Pearl, who she knew as a family friend. “So, we need you to be her roommate!” Pearl said somewhat enthusiastically. Peridot did not understand what was so exciting about this statement.
“Um… What did you say?”
“Peridot, I was just saying that we couldn’t find any immediate family for Ms.Lazuli. I can’t take her because I have to take care of Steven.” At the mention of his name, Pearl clutched the clipboard of Lapis’ files close to her chest. There was something to unpack there that Peridot wanted to avoid at all costs. “There’s no one I trust at the hospital more than you.” How flattering. Through her work with Nurse Pearl, Peridot has noticed she likes to dump work on her. Although this was a human being, and not some medical files that needed organizing.
Peridot turned back to the sleeping woman, rubbing her chin in thought. She wasn’t too concerned with financially supporting another being, as long as her internship held up. Her apartment also had a spare bedroom, which she was currently using as an office but could be tidied up. “I guess I could take her in,” Peridot voiced, which she immediately noted to herself might have been a bit impulsive. She didn’t know this woman at all.
“Great!” Pearl said, patting the intern on the shoulder and giving her a wide smile. She turned back to the files in her hand. “Oh, and we gave her a pregnancy test today, turns out she’s positive. She’ll need therapy twice a week and routine doctor visits.” She said that almost like she forgot. Peridot almost let out a groan, but decided that was a bit insensitive. She signed up for this, but of course, Pearl had to set her up. “So I just need to take care of a pregnant woman who was tortured for half a year until she’s ready to be on her own?”
“Well, yes, but w-we don’t really know what’s going to happen…” Pearl tried to reason, “Maybe she’ll want to stay as your roommate, or maybe her family will turn up… Consider the circumstances if you don’t take her in! You’re making this a lot easier for her.”
The intern sighed. She was so preoccupied with her own situation that she forgot to consider the alternative for Lapis.
“Now, the medication we gave her should be wearing off in a few minutes. I’ll go pack up her medications and get her some clean clothes. She’ll be ready to go home after that, ok? I’ll be right back.” Pearl dropped the files back into the case in front of Lapis’ hospital bed, then quickly walked out of the room. When she was out of eyesight, Peridot stuck out her tongue at her.
Removing her glasses, Peridot slumped into the nearest chair and rubbed her face. Her fridge was empty except for a jar of grape jelly, so she’d have to get groceries. When she got home, she’d have to move all her tech out of her office and into her room.
While in her state of dissociation, Peridot didn’t realize that the young woman had woken up, and her blue eyes were fixed right on her. Removing her hands from her face, their eyes locked. The fluorescent lighting of the hospital shined off Lapis Lazuli’s hair, almost giving her a halo. Peridot could swear she could hear the waves of the ocean.
—
“You don’t talk a lot,” was all the blonde could muster on their way to her apartment. Her hands glided across the steering wheel as they rounded a corner.
Lapis rested her head on the window of the passenger seat. This car looked like it came from the dump, she could feel the engine rumbling through her forehead. Who knew such a stereotypical nerd would drive this rust bucket. Lapis hoped she didn’t live in a barn too.
To her surprise, they turned into the parking lot of an apartment building. Lapis guessed that it was about fourteen floors tall.
Peridot offered to help Lapis out of the car. She accepted the offer with a sour face. The woman was self righteous at heart, but she was also incredibly weak and exhausted. When the police found her in the room of mirrors, she did not leave without a fight. She wasn’t sure if they were going to hurt her like her kidnappers.
“Hey, is it ok if you sleep in my office room?” Noticing Lapis dissociating, it was better to make random conversation than ask if she’s ok. Peridot could guess that she was the farthest thing from being “ok” than she ever had been in her entire life. “I also don’t have any food at home, so um… Maybe we can make a shopping list together?” Peridot asked, slightly looking up at the taller woman. Even with her platform sandals, Peridot was a good four inches shorter than Lapis.
Lapis didn’t give any indication as to if she wanted to make a shopping list or not. She watched the intern with her blue eyes. She was giving Lapis this goofy smile, maybe to make her feel more comfortable. It worked, but Lapis gave no indication of it.
The elevator doors opened on floor ten. Peridot led the way to her apartment at the end of the hall, and when she opened the door it led straight into the kitchen. Against the wall on the right was a tiny shelf of shoes, all a variety of platformed styles. Lapis noted a pair of holographic boots, obviously well loved. She noticed that Peridot must either love instant food or not know how to cook, because empty cups of microwave kraft mac n cheese and instant ramen were in the sink. She noted that later on she would rinse them out and recycle them.
“Sorry about the mess, I didn’t think I’d get a new roommate today…” Peridot gave out a small anxious laugh. She quickly picked up various tools and tech left out on the kitchen table. Lapis could imagine the intern working on a circuit board over a bowl of steaming ramen. It pleasantly reminded her of when she would read books while she ate. It seemed so long ago. Would she ever feel like that again? She hadn’t realized that Peridot began emptying the room that was once her office. Vintage box TVs, old video game consoles, keyboards, and so much more were piled on every surface in the room.
“Don’t worry about all this, I’ll move it!” Peridot was already running back and forth, removing tech from what was now Lapis’ bedroom into her own room.
Walking into her new room, Lapis noticed that the twin sized bed already had blue sheets made on it. It was pushed in the corner of the room next to a big window that opened up to the street. There was a closet and a dresser, average bedroom furnishings. A mirror leaned up against the wall. Walking up to it, she noticed her reflection. The mirror room was always dimly lit, so she could barely make out her appearance.
Slowly, the mirror seemed to wobble and warp, almost like waves. What had they done to her body? Why was she so easily broken by her captors? Before her kidnapping, she remembered her body being muscular and lean, the light of the sun bounced off her brown skin. Her heart was beating and her legs began to sway. She slowly lowered herself to the floor and curled her body as tight as she could. Maybe if she squeezed her body hard enough she could get smaller and smaller until she became a nonexistent speck of dust.