{Needles and Bliss} [Caitlan]

Irony at its most perverse, calculating, and sadistic, that's all she was. It seemed that her weakness was the backbone of the skeleton of her personality. For what seemed like the millionth time, her eyes were drowning in the tears she desperately tried to repress. It was to no avail, however, and they flowed gently, staining her cheeks with misery and regret. As a matter of fact, at that  particular moment, Allie despised herself down to her very atoms. Suffice it to say that her night had been effectively ruined by one catastrophic event. This happened more frequently than she would've liked to admit, of course.

Allie had been in very high spirits earlier that evening. While she had been working in her father's veterinary office, she had had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a rather impressive young woman of around eighteen, nineteen. Allie hadn't been quite sure, but the girl was charismatic, with a personality that seemingly defied gravity itself in its buoyancy. The girl had had these silky, midnight black locks with waves that would make the ocean sick with envy, and shimmering green eyes that Allie could lose herself in. 

What was more, the object of Allie's ephemeral affection had appeared to take a fancy to her, as well. In fact, it was this girl that suggested the two meet up again after Allie's day was over with. So of course, not one to disappoint, Allie had agreed, and had spent an interesting couple hours with her new companion. It turned out they had much in common, and everything was going incredibly well. That is, until Allie made a monumental blunder, of course. But what else was new? She was used  to screwing things up.

Not like this, though. Fate would have it that this girl, who seemed more compatible with Allie than anyone else  she had met of late, was completely and utterly heterosexual; and foolishly, Allie had kissed her, hoping the passion would be mutual. It was not. The girl stared at Allie coldly. "What exactly are you doing, creep?" "I-I…um…" Not being able to coherently form words, she couldn't manage anything but bashful stuttering, and the girl promptly requested that Allie occupy another geographical locale. Upon being told to go away, she'd done so swiftly, embarrassed beyond all comprehension.

Honestly, she'd brought it upon herself, hadn't she? The swift rejection, the cruel words, the shattered heart? They say hearts reflect their owners quite well, like a mirror into the psyche. Well, Allie had just bought herself seven years of cursed luck. As she walked the streets of District Five, her emotions finally caught up with her all at once, and she reacted poorly. She started crying, fed up with her homosexuality bringing her nothing but pain. I wish I was fleeting, like a shadow, she thought, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe then this kind of thing wouldn't keep bringing me down.

She couldn't get that girl off of her mind, which didn't help. But it wasn't as if willpower would've prevented that, because after all, it wasn't her fault. The girl had made an impact on her, albeit a negative one. Allie ran her fingers through her vivid blue hair, a nervous habit. She exhaled deeply and wiped her eyes, telling herself that feeling sorry for herself would mend absolutely nothing. That was when she happened upon the sprawled figure of a young woman collapsed on the ground, a street lamp giving her a spotlight.

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District Five's hospital was an enigmatic, fluorescent dreamland. It was an almost ethereal place, it long white halls seemingly giving off a gentle glow. Or perhaps Allie was just exhausted, and in dire need of sleep. She had diligently waited for a couple of hours, waiting for the doctor to come to her bearing news of the girl's well-being. Allie didn't know this perfect stranger, but of course her conscience would not allow her to leave the poor girl with absolutely nobody. That kind of callousness was reserved for those who were beneath humanity. Nobody could possibly be that cruel, or at least, that was what she liked to believe. 

Unable to contain her nervous energy, Allie took to pacing back and forth to diffuse the tension she felt lingering in the air around her. It was almost suffocating. The clock kept ticking incessantly, drawing ever nearer to around one-thirty in the morning. A very defeated Allie was rewarded for her patience by the presence of the doctor, who finally came up to her. "She'll be alright," he informed her, taking note of her evident concern, looking rather haggard himself. "Her stomach has been pumped, but she should be okay soon." "What happened to her?" "Drugs got to her," he replied gruffly. "It's a shame at  her age, but it looked like she was so intoxicated that she passed out."

Being permitted to enter the girl's room, Allie quietly took a seat, not wanting to wake her . After spotting her unconscious in the streets, with some help from a burly good Samaritan, Allie had been able to bring her here for medical treatment. Deeply disturbing was the though that surely other passerby had seen her, and yet they'd done absolutely nothing. She presumed that they'd written off the damsel in distress as nothing more than another drug addict, not worth the rescue efforts, but Allie felt differently. Ordinary acts of kindness were always called for, as fas as she could see, and it pained her to see that this was notion that others clearly lacked.