Rule Number 9: Be Forgettable (Sin!)

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Well, that had gone better than expected! Nonie managed to make twenty three dollars and forty eight cents on begging alone today. She didn't even need to go around stealing from unwatched purses! Instead she happily clutched her money can to her chest, smiling ecstatically as she headed home. She could probably buy some food, or maybe save up for some supplies. The possibilities were looking pretty good. The sun was setting soon, but Nonie didn't worry. She knew practically all her fellow homeless wanders, so they all held a sort of truce. It was the gangs she had to watch for. Even as she basically skipped in joy, her eyes scanned the street's thinning population of walkers for any signs of gang members. They get awfully violent during the night, that was for sure. She could often hear the gunshots and barbs traded between the groups as she hide in her home: an abandoned building apparently forgotten by some company. It should've been torn down, but no one got around to it. And for all the years it was Nonie's home, no one was planning to knock it down any time soon anyways. It was the perfect place to hide and relax. Nonie sighed silently, glancing up at the sky. She couldn't wait to get home. Hopefully no trouble would find her tonight.

But one never knew.

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As Nonie walked home, it was peaceful and quiet, but sadly, before she could reach her "home" there was a sound of pain in the distance, not to far off though. It was coming from right near her home. There were mulitpule different homeless people murmuring in different groups, which was very unusual. The homeless comunity was normally very quiet and only small chatter amongst one or two people at a time. One older woman who had been a friend of Nonies staggered up in her old haunhed over sort of way. She gazed up proudly at Nonie,"how'd it go today?" She asked, wanting to lighten the mood before she told the girl the news for today.

Behind the woman was a young girl, looking almost about 17 years old. Her body looked thin and frail amd her skin was sickenly pale. Her eyes were shut and she was in such a position where it looked like she had been thrown from a car. Her face was scratched amd he clothers where tattered, ripped, cut, and matted in dirt. She was almost perfectly still, appearing dead. But the very slight rise and fall of her chest proved she was alive, but only barely hanging on. Her hair was an odd purply pink sort of color and her lips had turned slightly blue from the cold that had sweapt in as the day dragged on. Blood matted different parts of her clothes and skin where you could see clear cuts and horrif bruises. Nobody went near the body, and so far, the woman hadn't shown any signs in wanting to speak of it.

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Nonie brightened up instantly when she saw the familiar and friendly face. Her smiles were probably her best feature. "Wonderful!" She said, but then he smile faded as she realized something was off. "What's wrong?" She asked, glancing behind the woman. Her eyes widened as she noticed he girl, and she ran over, kneeling beside her. "Oh my god! What happened?!" Nonie questioned, holding her can to her chest in one hand while her other reached out to touch the girl, but hesitated and returned it to the can. Nonie looked up at the old woman with worry in her eyes. The girl looked like she was in horrible shape. And homeless or no, the girl couldn't be left to just die on the streets

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Hhe woman jumped to try and stop her,"No! nonie Don't touch her she's part of one of those gamgs we dont know what will happen!" The woman exclaimed. She didnt want Nonie to get mixed up in the gangs, and nobody else wanted to get mixed up to, so they left the young girl there, close to death, hanging on by only a string, and it was growing weaker and weaker by the moment.

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At that, Nonie's eyes widened and see bit her bottom lip, worrying it with her teeth as she gazed upon the fallen girl. It was a gang member. One of the very people she constantly tried to avoid. But she was dying! Nonie couldn't leave her out here on the streets to die! But if she helped, she could get roped into all the troubles. But it wasn't right to leave her dying. "I'll..." Nonie began, her voice shakes. She gulped and continued more determinedly, but still with a tone of nervousness in her voice. "I'll help her. If we let her die here, her gang will come looking. I'll help her and then send her off." Nonie decided, putting her money can into one of the deep pockets of her jacket before picking the girl up, princess-cradle style, and heading for her home. There were a few bandages in her first aid kit, and Nonie managed to steal some painkillers a while back. That should help

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The woman was disappointed with Nonie, she understood where she was coming from but she didn't want to get roped in with the gangs. It was true that things might be upset and kill them all if somebody didn't help the girl. But the chances were slim and the woman didn't like that. So with her old staggerig walk and narrowed eyes she walked away, sighing sadly.

The girl was very light and thin, and when Nonie lifted her limp body a small groan of pain lifted from her discolored lips. The warmth from Nonies body helped her and as they walked to the house of Nonie her lips became pink again, a beautiful shade.

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Nonie smiled sheepishly at the old woman, knowing how displeased she was. But she didn't want to risk everyone's lives because of the wrath of one of the gangs. The trip back to her "home" was blessedly short, though Nonie paused at the hole where she had to enter. The girl seemed to be getting better, but Nonie didn't want to rick jostling her too much. "Um... Can I get some help her?" She called out, into the hole in the boards. There was a moment of silence before shuffling noises came from the other side and a head popped out. When Nonie found the place, she allowed some of the other homeless to stay with her. It wasn't fair to keep such a treasure all to herself, especially during winter. "I need to get this girl in, and she's really hurt." Nonie explained. Wordlessly, the head nodded and disappeared into the hole, outstretched arms replacing it. Being extremely careful, Nonie moved the girl into the other's arms, and they managed to fit her it.

Nonie crawled in after and took the girl back from the homeless man holding her, nodding her thanks before heading up the stairs, carefully avoiding some of the people sleeping on the floor. Nonie's "room" was a large treasure trove of blankets, boxes, and a number of other junk. Since she found the place, she was allowed her very own room without needing to share. Feeling how cold the girl resting in her arms was, Nonie put her down amidst all her blankets, covering her up. She stood over the girl for a moment awkwardly, before remembering. Right, bandages and painkillers. Nonie walked off to find the materials she needed, rummaging around all her stuff after carefully depositing her money into a chest hidden beneath a number of random items

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She stayed silent through the walk there and while she was being moved into the house. She couldnt move, she felt traped inside her own mind and it made her sick. She didnt know what way was up, what was down what was left and right, her whole head felt like a ball being kicked around by kids in a circle. They never could kick it the exact same way every time so she was a jumble of pain and confusion. Della's eyes where rapidlymoving beneath her pale lids, the skin all over her body either matted with blood or, from the loss of blood, extremely pale.

A small girl, not nessicarilly much younger than Nonie knocked on the door,"Nonie! Nonie" she called , waiting for her friend to open thw door. The girl, Clarissa, arrived aboutthree years after Nonie and she was raised by the old woman who was like everyones grand mother.

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"Come on in, Clarrisa! I'm a bit busy though!" Nonie called, finally finding the first air and ripping out some bandages. She found the painkillers next to the kit and scooped those up as well, hurrying over to the girl. But then she realized how much blood was covering the girl and clenched her jaw, putting the painkillers and bandaids down next to the girl before finally a small towel and soaking it with one of the fresh water bottles kept neatly in the corner. An infection would be fatal, because Nonie had nothing to treat it with. She took the bottle with her, and knelt beside the girl. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before gentle shaking the girl to see if she was awake. "Hey, I need you to take something. Can you hear me?" Nonie asked quietly, hovering over the bruised girl

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Clarissa skipped in and gasped once she saw the girl,"oh my Nonie what has happened?" She asked curiously, gazing over at the girl with worry clear on her features. She ran to Nonies side watching her unpack the bandages,"Nonie tell me now!" She snapped following her from bandages to girl to wet towel to girl, wishing and hoping Nonie wasn't in trouble. Clarissa pulled her shawl tighter around her thin body. She knelt at the girls side, trying to find all the wounds,"Nonie I think they were torturing this girl shes got cuts that range from shallow to deep and bruises that are really bad, she doesn't look like she has been fed in months and if so only enough to keep her barely alive" Clarissa shower her.

After a little bit of yelling for her to wake up and shaking, her eye s slightly opened and she let out a pained moan, but they didn't stay open for long. Clarissa ran out and grabbed one of her 'in case of emergency' bottles of water. She brought it up and poured a little into a small broken glass they had found and dripped it down onto her lips, watching as the girl unconsciously drank the water. "I saw this on one of those TV's outside the store" she said slightly excited that she got to use what she had learned.

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Nonie looked at her with amusement before looking back down at the girl, gently teasing the girl's mouth open and putting one of the painkillers in. "Swallow this, ok? It will lessen the pain." She promised. "Clarrisa, make sure she swallows, ok? I'm going to start cleaning her wounds." With that being said, Nonie grabbed the wet towel and moved the girl's clothes up to gain easier access to the cuts. What she saw made Nonie grimace. The girl really did look like she had been tortured. Gulping slightly at the daunting sight of all the girl's wounds and bruises, Nonie pressed the wet cloth as gently against the girl as she could manage while still being able to clean off the blood. As she did, Nonie kept stopping to occasionally pour fresh water on the cloth to clean it a little, so she wasn't just smearing the girl's blood around.

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Clarissa nodded to the command and rubbed her throat until the girl swallowed the pill. She sighed softly and continued to let small amounts drip down her throat, keeping it slow until it was all gone. She looked over to what Nonie was doing and giggled,"shes got big boobs" Clarissa, always imature, giggled happily. She chuckled and nudged Nonie gently,"so are you a face a** or boobs kinda chick," she giggled again. Clarissa wasn't super curious unless it came to sex and pain. She was a wierd little one but everone loved her.

Soon after her wounds had been dressed and she had finished the water she moved slightly, causing plain and her to make a small tsh sound before letting her eyes flutter open. Both eyes where a dazzling ocean blue color but one had no pupil, not to normal but it was also a little paler, indicating she was blind in the one eyes.

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Nonie, who was just finishing up the last of the bandages, looked at the girl with wide eyes, startled slightly by the girl's return to consciousness. She only gave a laugh at Clarissa's boob comment, but she didn't respond to the girl's question. "Hey now! Be careful! You've got a lot of wounds." Nonie warned her. She was silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say, before she spoke again. "What... Um... What's your name? Can you tell me that?" She asked, unsure of the girl's ability to speak now that she woke up.

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Clarissa jumped and scrambled behind Nonie at the girls awakening, not wanting to get hurt or anything, as if cuts could rub off on another.

Della muttered to herself, looking down at her frail, badly wounded body.. She then looked up at the two girls and blinked, her blind eye having a delay. "Della, my name is Della, where am I? She asled in return. She could barely feel her body, the numbness causing her to groan uncomfortable.

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Nonie looked back at Clarissa, smiling reassuringly at her before looking back at Della, not feeling the reassurance she tried to convey to the other girl. "Um... You're in an abandoned building. you were lying outside on the street, and I... I brought you here to patch you up." Nonie explained. "Can you remember what happened?" She questioned, saying everything a bit cautiously, but also as soothingly as she could possible. There was no telling what this girl's personality was like when she was fully operational

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She whimpered slightly,"it hurts" she said putting a hand on her chest where her heart was struggling to pump blood through her veins. She gritted her teeth slightly before gazing at the girl, her gaze sad and held so much pain and suffering,"I remember every second, thats the problem" she said softly.

Clarissa noticed the emotion in her eyes and sympathized, moving closer and taking the unfamiliar girls hand. Whispering to Nonie to tel her,"tell her she doesn't have to tell us, some things just need to be kept inside, and ask if she is hungry, I have some left over bread in the other room.

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Nonie glanced back at Clarissa and then back to Della. It was good advice, and remembering seemed to fill the hurt girl with dread and sadness. Nodding faintly in agreement, Nonie returned he attention to he girl. "Never mind. Don't worry about that now. Are you hungry? Clarissa here has some extra food she could share. Oh... And my name is Nonie by the way." Nonie said after a pause. Was it wise to tell the girl her name? She was leaving the moment she got better, right? It's not like she'd remember Nonie anyways

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Della stayed down, gazing over at Clarissa and let a smile soften her broken freatures,"only if its surplus,"she said happily,"I wish I had my wallet, I could maybe compensate for some of this, when I'm better I'll help you" she said softly. Della tried to push herself up on her elbows but failed miserably. She winced and fell back down.

Clarissa smiled and jumped away, darting off to get her food with a big smile.

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Nonie raised an eyebrow at Della, but couldn't quite fight off the faint smile that curled her lips. Boy was this girl stubborn. "Hold on a second." She said, scooting her way closer to Della. She gently slide one arm behind her back and then lifted up her torso. Della was pretty light, and Nonie was surprisingly strong. With her other hand, she bunched up a few of the other blankets and put them beneath the girl before laying her back down on them. This way she was sitting somewhat upright with support, so she wouldn't be hurt. "Better?" Nonie inquired

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Della sighed, determined to get to a sitting position. When Nonie told her to wait she nodded slightly then watched as she scooted closer. After nonie had proped her up on a few blankets she smiled,"thank you, I guess I need to build up a little more strength" she chuckled uneasily.

Clarissa slid back into the room with a small piece of bread, a roll of some sort. She hid behind Nonie and handed the roll to Della, smiling like a child.