Aftermath, Central Park, 1960
Jack held Sally’s hand walking through the trees, keeping her from skipping off on her own like a balloon slipping out of his grasp. How many girls had he saved? A few dozen? That was just the first time down. He’d gone back to Rapture to find more of them to save, but some parts were just inaccessible to him. He knew he should be happy with the ones he was able to save, but the conscience he had yet no one knew why prevented him from forgetting about them.
The rest had found good homes, there was no shortage of socialites and people with good hearts eager to take in children who had been “Experimented on in a Nazi Base off the coast of South America,” or so the story went that Jack and Tenenbaum had given the FBI and was shortly thereafter leaked to the press. But a few insisted on staying with him. Sally, Mascha, Anna, Camille, and Mary all lived with him; their neighbor Elaine McDonagh had a girl of her own, Sophie. Sally originally was taken in by a kind Irish couple who were unable to conceive but Sally wanted to leave because their voices reminded her of “The Bad Man.” Jack didn’t have to ask which one. The couple had taken in three other girls with Sally, saying it was their Catholic duty, so the loss wasn’t so great.
She trusted Jack though, as did the others. They didn’t want a different parent. Or parents, as the case was, since Brigid had moved in with them, working downtown in a genetics lab that was all too pleased to have someone of her talent. She would sometimes ask the girls if they remembered what it was like. The thought of what she did to them would forever haunt her, but the girls had forgiven her, even if they didn’t fully understand what was done. The next, and much harder step was forgiving herself.
Jack was in his own head when he felt Sally stop skipping along and start pulling. Jack tightened his grip instinctually but her skinny little fingers slipped out of his grasp. “Sally!” he called after her as she dashed towards a fountain.
With his Sportsboost and other Adam enhancements it wasn’t hard to catch up to her, so Jack decided to let her stretch her legs and use up some of her energy in the run. Much to his embarrasment though, Sally did not go to the fountain, but to hug a woman standing in front of it, humming to herself. Jack recognised the song, La Vie En Rose. Sally sang it often despite not knowing a word of French herself.
The woman seemed startled by Sally, the girl’s weed-like growth putting her head just above the woman’s hip. She had dark hair which was cut in a modern fashion, falling to her shoulders and curling at the ends, which complemented and pale skin. She had a slender waist and a narrow frame, standing perhaps a head shorter than Jack.
“Sally! I’m so sorry, Ma'am, she’s–”
“Sally…?” The woman spoke only a little louder than a whisper of disbelief. There was something in her voice which made her sound almost familiar with the girl.
“I’m so sorry about her, I don’t know why she did that.” He repeated, finally grabbing her attention as she stroked Sally’s light blonde hair. Jack felt his breath taken away as she looked at him. She had no makeup on but still her skin seemed to shine, plush lips parted in surprise as she saw him, positioned below a small, pointed nose. What really ensnared him were her wide, bright blue eyes set like living sapphires above her prominent cheekbones.
Jack suddenly felt very small in front of her, remembering how his blond hair was a mess and how he’d forgotten to shave for the past few days, not to mention he’d worn the same shirt for two days and the same pants for three. Color rose to his own angular cheeks as he blinked his blue green eyes, the only movement in his petrified body.
“Jack?” She asked him a little louder than she’d said Sally’s name.
It took him a long moment for his voice to come back and his tongue to turn back from numb cotton.
“You know–” He stopped and cleared his throat so his voice wasn’t a dry wheeze. “You know me?”
Now it was her turn to blush. “No, I mean, not yet. I’m sorry. ” Her hand was still petting Sally’s hair as she clung to the woman’s side.
“Maybe we should start over,” Jack smiled and offered her his hand. “I’m Jack.” She sighed and smiled as she gently moved Sally away took his hand.
“I know.” She shook his hand, and he felt something cold and metallic against his palm. As she pulled her hand back, he saw a thimble over a short pinky finger.
“I’m Elizabeth.”
nohaijiachi