Blistering cold nights slowly turned toward frozen weeks spent seeking shelter in the distant areas of a large city. By now the young woman found herself swallowed up by the bones of an abandoned freight station. The same worry raised it's head underneath over casted grey clouds as she started another day of searching for better ways to survive. It didn't help that she never had an opportunity to learn things useful in the world, but made it worse, as she still couldn't speak the same language.
Yet she'd managed to stay alive this long. The young woman sighs as she pulls a black worn out beanie over her long red curls and tightens her old work gloves. There's not much she can do aside from work through whatever challenges laid ahead. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, remembering how easily reckless she'd once been.
The moment passes on an ice cold breeze drifting through the broken stone. Her arms instinctively wrap themselves around her willowy frame, until she's almost burrowing into the heavy brown coat. With arms folded she begins walking the same route as days before in search of an empty space to haul up and make money. Everyone out here had some form of rouse or hustle in order to acquire temporary escape and she was no different. Even with the language barrier she managed to sing in the streets and make enough to last a few weeks if she as careful. The young woman moved swiftly through freshly powdered snow, but soon she found herself facing a dilemma, as she turned the corner and found two police officers, forcing an elderly homeless man to his knees. She turned the other way, as they ripped the male's already tattered jackets off his body, and bite down hard on her partially frozen tongue.
She stayed turned around until she heard the familiar sound of polished steel-toed shoes walking the other way. This is the price they had to pay for being street vermin. Cautiously, as if she's trying not to draw unwanted attention, the young woman approaches, and immediately peels off the heavy brown coat from her body. She wraps the stiff material around the man and helps him climb to his feet. The man looks up and gives her a warm smile that she happily returns. His brown eyes are sad and weary yet a fire still dances in them that she somehow recognizes.
Her grip remains on the man's arm even after he managed to find his bearings. He had yet to find wherever it was his shoes had gone but for now he needed to get out of the snow. The young woman began tugging gently on his arm and pointing in the direction of a warmer looking place; slowly she began to grow impatient and the tugging became less gentle as she frantically murmured beneath her breath,
"If you stay out here like this, you will catch a cold. We are homeless so no one will help and you will die."
As she speaks a memory begins to play out behind her eyes and she's plagued by an extreme feeling of pain and betrayal. A year ago she was standing out in the cold fighting with someone who had promised to always be there; she sees his dark brown eyes and cold smirk as clearly as if he's standing right in front of her. The young woman shakes her head and the memory subsides. She hadn't known back then where she'd be with only a few mistakes left.
The young woman pushes her emotions aside and turns back toward helping someone else survive; as she does she realizes the man found his shoes and is attempting to put them on standing up. A soft laugh escapes her cold lips as she steps forward to offer a shoulder to lean on.