Chapter Text
vi had gotten out of prison about a week ago. and it was going about as well as you’d expect.
she had found a dingy apartment, a shitty job in a shitty bar downtown, and had this weird thing called a… mobile phone?
she only had it because she had asked someone on the street where the nearest payphone was, and they had laughed and asked her “don’t you have a phone?“ and in response to her confusion and confession that she did not, in fact, have a whole ass phone sitting in her pocket, he had pointed her in the direction of the nearest “phone shop “ and told her to buy one.
and now she had one. and had no clue how to use it, or why she impulsively decided to sacrifice a whole weeks meals to get it.
a lot had apparently changed in ten years. she hadn’t even thought about it. the world was so different and it terrified her. this weird little device in her hands terrified her. the world terrified her. you’d think she would be glad to be out of the hellhole that was stillwater prison, and she was. it was just... a lot.
and, on top of it all, she had a meeting with some officer that was meant to “help ease her transition back into society“ or whatever the fuck. to her, it just sounded like a way to monitor her. it sounded like bullshit.
but she knew that there would be consequences if she didn’t go, and so she stuffed her beat up old wallet and house keys into her trouser pocket and set off to the world outside her apartment.
the police station wasn’t too far from where her apartment was, and it only took her about ten minutes to walk there.
good, if she had to do a long ass journey every week for an appointment she didn’t want, someone would end up with their face caved in.
the police station was busy, and loud. and it brought back memories that vi didn’t care to be thinking about at any point in time, ever.
as she walked up to the front desk she was greeted by the annoyingly wide smile of a small woman with a ginger bob. she looked annoying as fuck. did vi know a single thing about her? no. would she still bet money that this assumption was correct? yes.
as the woman started speaking, asking vi what she needed, she had to hold in a giggle at her high squeaky voice. She was so right. This woman was so annoying.
“so… what was it that you needed“
“I’m here to meet an officer? I’m vi“
“oh yes, vi! you’ll be meeting with caitlyn, I’ll just go and let her know you’re here-“
the annoying red head got up to walk deeper into the office space, but vi wasn’t paying attention anymore.
that name. that stupid fucking name.
it couldn’t have been her. no way. no fucking way she was still here after all these years.
caitlyn… the teenage love of her life, the girl who she used to sneak around behind the gym at school with, the girl vi wrote love letters for that she knew would be thrown away for fear of being discovered, the girl who “couldn’t be seen with someone like vi“ but would happily kiss her for hours on end, only pausing to look around and make sure no one could see them.
the same fucking girl that went off to the police academy, and came back with a permanent scowl on her face and a cold, unforgiving glare. the same girl who watched vi get arrested, who helped get her arrested, knowing she wasn’t guilty of any crime.
oh, someone needs to hold her back or this bitch was not going to make it out of the building alive.
vi was so lost in thought she diddnt even notice the blue haired woman walking towards her, a look of shock and apprehension written all over her face.
vi clenched her fists as caitlyn grew closer and closer, thinking of how to get away with punching a police officer in the middle of a precinct.
“hello, again“ caitlyn said, now stopped a few feet from vi. close enough for a conversation, but far enough so that vi didn’t pose any real threat.
“why the fuck did it have to be you? of all the officers in this building, why you? did you ask specifically? are you doing this so you can make sure you’ve ruined my life as much as possible?!“
caitlyns frown deepened “I don’t want this either. I have no clue why they chose me. I’m sure it’s randomized.“ she sighed, turning and beginning to walk away “come on, we can get this over with as quickly as possible“
the silence in the room was tangible.
caitlyn was shuffling through a pile of papers on her desk, while vi sat on the chair opposite fiddling with her hands.
caitlyn coughed. loudly.
“so, we’re meeting today to-“
“I need to find my sister“
caitlyn looked up, an annoyed look on her face at being interrupted so rudely “what?“
“I-“ vi sighed, looking down “you and I both know that I’m not gonna get anything out of these meetings that I won’t get out of just living my life normally. I need to find powder, to know what happened to her, I have no clue where to start but you’re a police officer and have access to records and whatever and honestly, i would rather I spend any time that I’m forced to spend with you doing something productive, because if I have to look at your face for an hour every week while listening to you talk about something I don’t give a shit about one of us is walking out of this room in a coffin.”
caitlyn sighed, clearly refraining from responding with a snarky comment. she paused for a moment longer before responding with “.. I’ll help.“
vi looked up at caitlyn, confused “huh? did you just listen to a single word I said?”
caitlyn scoffed “yes, I did. but I think you misunderstand how much I actually hate you” she made a point to look up and stare into vis eyes for an uncomfortably long amount of time “and I also agree that these meetings are pointless. and.. I remember how much you cared for powder. and I know I can help“
vi stared at her for a few moments, mouth agape, considering what to say. she looked down, furrowing her brows in thought.
she looked back up, once again making eye contact “thank you.”
caitlyn gathered her papers up, clearing her throat. “I won’t be able to find anything today.
but I’ll look in the week, and I’ll tell you what I’ve found next time we meet“ she paused, sighing “but we have a whole-“ she paused again, checking her watch “fifty seven minutes left here and we need to do something, so I think we should at least try to do what you’re here to do“
vi considered this for a moment, before silently nodding.
she still hated caitlyn, and she was sure caitlyn still hated her (despite what she had said), but after that conversation she had lost the kind of burning hate that made her feel ready to attack her at any given chance, and that thought made her just slightly less annoyed to be here.
-
vi woke up with the taste of bile in her mouth.
it had been a week since her first meeting with caitlyn, which meant today was the day she would have to see her again. the thought of it made her feel so many emotions she felt like her insides were twisted together. she felt sick. with excitement to know if caitlyn had found anything about powder, to maybe be finally reuniting with her sister. apprehension at the idea that powder would be different. so diffrent she might even hate vi. and that ever present hatred at the idea she had to speak to the woman who had ruined her life, who had betrayed her.
she just wanted the world to swallow her whole.
she rolled over to her side, grabbing her phone off her nightstand and turning off her alarm.
she had snoozed it far too many times to count, and now the meeting was in three minutes. she sighed, not even having the energy to bother being panicked.
if anything the idea of wasting caitlyns time and making her pissed off brightened vis mood just a little bit.
she managed to make it out of her oh so comfy and oh so warm bed, and shuffled to her kitchen to find something resembling breakfast.
right as she started opening a random granola bar she found in the corner of one of her cupboards, she felt her phone buzz inside her pocket.
sighing, she pulled it out and opened it, seeing that it was now a minute scince her appointment was meant to start.
before she could contemplate it any further though, her eyes drifted down to the notification she had gotten. it was a message from caitlyn. huh. she had forgotten she had given her her number.
“hi violet, are you coming to your appointment? I have found powders file. also, I feel I need to remind you you are legally required to attend these meetings.
please reply asap,
caitlyn“
a smile tugged at vis lips. caitlyn was always so annoyingly punctual.
she looked back up at the granola bar, assessing it for any signs of mold, before deciding it was ok and taking as big of a bite as possible.
-
the police station was as stuffy and noisy and awful as always.
vi was awkwardly stood next to the reception desk with her hands balled into fists in her pockets. the seat behind it was now empty, the annoying receptionist having left to fetch caitlyn.
she wasnt used to being this shy. she was normally confident, she wasn’t used to staring down at her shoes and avoiding all eye contact at all costs, trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible.
it was this fucking police station. it just reminded her of being fifteen again. desperately clinging on to powder as the social workers were trying to drag her away and the police officers were wresting vi off her to put her in handcuffs and take her to her own personal hell. claggor and milos screams still ringing in her ears. ash still stuck to her and powders clothes. powders hair that they had dyed blue just a few months ago now almost black from how much ash was in it.
“vi? you ok?”
caitlyn, now only a few inches away from her.
when the fuck had she gotten here?
“yeah. I’m fine. fuck off” vi pushed past her and started walking down the corridor towards caitlyns office.
once she found her way there, and Caitlyn had followed her in and shut the door behind her, she felt like she could finally breathe again.
she fucking hated the police station. caitlyns office was much nicer though, it was cozier than the rest of the station. vi liked what she had done with the decor (though she would never admit that out loud).
vi watched as caitlyn sat opposite her, on the other side of the desk, and as she sat down she noticed a manila envelope placed neatly in the middle of said desk.
powders file.
everything vi had missed for the last ten years.
fuck.