No, she was leaving. She couldn’t leave, not another person. Something cool brushed across her forehead; it felt tender and caring; a gesture that she hadn’t felt in quite some time. Her eyes stung again as tears collected at the corners, and her throat seemed to close up. The shadowed figure moved further away, and Irene finally burst from her position in the alley to run after her. “Please don’t leave me here!” She pleaded, reaching out to seize — something.

Her hand closed around a soft object, something that felt like crumpled cloth in her hand. It was the only thing she’d been able to get, so she held on tight. She wanted to pull back, to resist, but she could only hold on.

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