Clinging. Sobbing.

Hug hug hug.

(This was so stupid of her, she can't get away with having nice things, she knows that, all it does is get her hurt. And now here she is, about to get hurt. Again. Because she was stupid. She should get it over with, waiting will just make it hurt more, come on -)

Her real name is Denice Dimas. She ran away from White Willow Youth Asylum. She doesn't talk because she can't talk.

(Cling cling cling cling cling.)

"That's okay," says Winona, petting her hair, "that's okay, you don't have to talk, what you do instead works fine."

That's not, like, all, it's just the big thing.

"There's also the thing with using your hands. It's not stopping you from getting any significant nutrients, it's fine."

And the thing where she doesn't look at people. And the thing where she doesn't move right. And all the ways she's broken because they broke her, and all the things she gave up because it was that or get broken worse.

(Yeah that clinging is not letting up at all.)

Winona hugs her really tightly.

"You're fine. How you are is fine."

No, it's not.

If she'd never been there maybe but she's so scared of everything, now, she hates it. She hates that they get to keep doing this to her even though she got away.

"- okay. That isn't what I meant exactly, but - okay." Hug.

Yeah. Hug.

She doesn't wanna go back.

"We're not going to send you back."

Okay. (Cling.)

Winona holds her and doesn't say anything else.

Eventually Julie comes in and sits on Denice's other side.

She tenses up a little.

"Hey. Should I go?" Julie says.

She doesn't want to say it again, that was scary.

"Do you want me to tell her for you? Maybe later?" Winona asks.

Now? Please?

"She ran from the youth asylum. She can't speak. She's - traumatized, basically, because of how she was treated there, and very frightened."

There is a pause and then Julie says, "Well, the traditional answer's not gonna work, I suppose."

She goes to look at Julie to see if she can figure out what that means, but that would involve unclinging. She makes a questioning noise, instead.

"- Traditionally people who are traumatized go to therapy but that probably doesn't work if you're traumatized about therapists."

From the distressed noise and redoubled clinging and trembling, that's a yes.

Winona hugs her and murmurs nonsense into her hair.

(They can't make her can't make her can't make her. She reminds herself of that and calms herself down.)

And they're not going to try anyway?