She sneaked a looked at the man and immediately felt relief. The man was still bent over, helping her pick up the money from the sidewalk but he wasn't Ladislas. The man's hair was lighter and his body smaller. He lifted his head and offered her a small smile.
"Some people can be real jerks," she said and dropped the money in her cup.
The guy was considered pretty enough and had a sweet smile and he was kind enough to help her. But all she could feel at the moment was dispassion. She felt foolish for a second for thinking Ladislas found her again. She scowled at the man, who quickly got up and hurried away from her with a confused and scared look on his face.
It wasn't his fault that he bore a slight resemblance to the professor, and he had only been trying to help her. And how had she repaid his kindness? By glaring angrily at him and making him scared of her.
She sighed heavily and started to gather her belonging. She might as well head back to the shelter. She was tired and ready to retreat. It was only late in the afternoon but she didn't care. She needed a good dream that night. Maybe this time, they would go to a restaurant and get a proper meal in her dream.
As she headed for the shelter with her head bowed down, she wondered what she would have done if the kind man from earlier had turned out to be Ladislas. She probably would have left her things and made a run for the hills. Even if she met him again, it wouldn't make a difference. Nothing had changed since the morning she left him, and nothing ever would.
'Don't you dare show weakness,' she reminded herself.
She pulled herself together and put her mask back on. She looked indifferent and cold as she walked to the shelter. Aunt G was sitting on her bed when she returned and Anna gave her a wave of her hand.
"Hey kiddo, how'd you do?" she asked.
She shrugged to show her that she had done alright. She hadn't turned on the charm and therefore, she hadn't made much money.
"I got a sandwich for you," G said and held it out.
Anna's mouth salivated the second the other said it and her stomach growled. She gave G a puzzled look.
"Some church folks were here earlier and they had plenty with them. I am full," she said and held it out to Anna.
Anna nodded as a thank you and gave a genuine smile. She quickly ate while G talked. That was how it was always was with them. G would rarely ask Anna questions, and Anna would just listen to him spill about all the gossip on the streets.
G was in her late fifties, and how she had ended up homeless was a classic take. She had been injured at her job, and since he hadn't been able to afford the hospital bills, she ended up losing her house. She was laid off from her job because of the crashing economy.
That day, G was telling Anna about how a couple of girls on the streets had mysteriously gone missing. Anna heard the stories with rapt attention, noting the places and the eyewitnesses mentioned. She knew exactly where the girls had gone.
Anna rolled out her sleeping bag and settled in for the night. She opened her backpack and pulled out a small knickknack she had taken from Ladislas' home and held it up to her face.
"Say, that is a fancy hairband," G commented.
Anna nodded and put it back inside her backpack again. She might as well start wearing it now that her hair had grown out quite a bit, but the thought of having something of his on her body appalled her. She knew it belonged to him and was insignificant for him, but it still felt like a memento for her.
"Where did you get it?" she asked curiously.
G seemed to be a good woman and she would probably never betray Anna, but Anna didn't like variables. Still, she pulled out a notepad and pencil.
"You are writing now?" G asked.
She needed a cover story, so why not. She nodded and shrugged, pretending it was no big deal. She had refused to communicate since she came to the streets. She didn't want to talk to anyone, so.
Anna handed G the note she had just written.
"You picked it up from the streets?" she asked, clearly flabbergasted by my revelation. "But you never pick stuff up."
Anna shrugged and smiled.
"Why don't you put it on then? You have been acting all mysterious since you disappeared for a night. Everyone on the street knows you were unaccounted for and you came back the next morning like nothing had happened. You were out in the blizzard and survived without gear?" she asked curiously. When I looked at her blankly, she continued. "Word on the street is you spent the night at a guy's house," she commented, flabbergasted.
She raised her brow in surprise. This was the kind of news she needed to hear. Someone had seen her being taken away by Ladislas. From the little play of words, she could also guess that said person had followed them to Ladislas' house. Most people in this city… Ninety-nine percent that is, lived in apartments. So, calling it a house was telling.
Anna put on a look of confusion and scribbled on the paper quickly.
[Where did you hear such a impossible story?]
G looked sheepish. "It is a bit implausible, huh?" she said quietly. "Some random guy gave you food and a place to stay at night?" She scoffed. "But why would anyone do that? I mean… I would understand if it was some kind of church freak like—" she stopped.