Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

44. To keep: it together

Vanessa's POV
I calmly picked up Rue's phone, just a millisecond after it was put there.
I eyed the screen in front of my face, a video flashing in front of me. My face expression went from nothing to heartbroken.
I looked from Rue, to the platform, and back to Rue.
"I knew about it. I don't wanna talk about it"
Lin nodded, without even knowing what I saw in front of me.

>> Ey, Rue, is this you?

I looked up, reading the name of the contact. Carson.

Oh, Carson, you're an angel.

Always looking out for her.

To the text there was a video attached, taken from someone's Twitter, which on the other hand was taken from YouTube.

I carefully let the video begin playing in front of my eyes, the frames quickly changing into another. People behind the camera, laughing. People in front of the camera, hurting. Hurting in both ways. Hurting someone, and someone being hurt.

The scene seemed to be at a party, the lights were dimmed and loud music from far away - maybe from another room right by, or above - the bass banging through the speakers.

I put my hand up to my forehead, and let my head rest on it as my elbow was holding my arm up against the table. My act of stress and worry.

"Hah, Ansel, get her!", a voice behind the camera yelled, filming towards the window where you could see a few houses, but the majority that caught my attention was the amount of fireworks in the sky - splashes of bright lights and colours, lighting up the neighbourhood. New Years Eve or July the 4th. Someone, who I just assumed would be Ansel, attacked the young and small girl with blonde streaks in her hair in front of the window. She was pressed up against the window, lights flashing in her terrified eyes - didn't scream, she'd only say no repetitively, almost so it couldn't be heard. Exactly as loud so the phone that it all was filmed on would pick it up. Even in the darkness, you could see what was going on. More people moved into frame, some faces was visible, some not. Some dancing, some not. Some singing along, some not. Despite all the emotions - I needed to look past my feelings. The punches, laughs, chatter and music blasting and taking over her quiet no's.
"Ruthleigh, happy new year...", the guy - Ansel - said, making the people around laugh, including himself.

<< No, must be someone else🤷‍♀️

I shut the phone down, almost dropping it into my tea - which didn't, as I placed it next to it.. I didn't want to see the remaining 5 seconds. The black screen didn't make me forget what I'd just witnessed.
I looked up, only to find that Rue wasn't standing there anymore.
"...niñita", I said, standing up - walking in the direction of Rue's room, not a word said to Lin. Yet - I think he understood.
Right now, all I could think of was her. How someone so helpless, so defenceless, always was the victim.
I knocked on the door four times, because I knew that she liked to be warned before someone walked in - even though it was half-way opened. I didn't want her to worry.
Rue sat in the window, looking over the city. Her arms was bandaged up to her elbow, a detail neither me or Lin had added.
She was tapping, and nor couldn't I notice any other routine that was going on.
"Hi", I smoothly broke the silence after scanning her body language, as I would remember the sight of this past morning.
"I don't want to talk about it", she stated, making it rather clear by looking away from me.
"I know, I know, niñita...", I said repetitively."I have this case right now. The case includes this girl, she's been and is going through some bad things at the moment", I continued. "And I just now realised that the hardest thing for the girl, whom I love as my own daughter, is that I'm taking the case"
Rue was a quiet person. She didn't say much, and when she did - you never knew what was coming. Unpredictable, you might say.
You always had to puzzle the pieces together by yourself, hoping to not have lost a piece.
She looked out of the window again. You could see all of the lights, and the cars driving over the bridge.
I walked over to her, and sat down in the other corner of the window - opposite her.
"I'm dropping it"
Rue started fiddling with her hands and tapped on the glass, as she slowly looked up at me only to whisper.
"Thank you"