As Katherine took the woman in her arms, she noticed that the woman was shaking madly. She had thought the woman was ready for the consequences when she climbed there, but Katherine was obviously wrong. The woman was not expressionless. On the contrary, she was terrified.
"Are you all right?" Katherine asked while trying to control her breathing. She relaxed her arms so she could see the woman's face, but the woman suddenly grabbed her collar with both hands and pressed her head against Katherine’s shoulder. Without realizing it, her hands moved before her mind and she slowly wrapped her arms around the woman again. There was a strong smell of alcohol coming from her, which explained the beer cans, but surprisingly, it was not enough to cover the flowery scent of her hair.
After a while, the woman calmed down. She was still sobbing from time to time, but she was no longer crying out as if in severe pain. She loosened her grip at Katherine's collar and pulled her head away from the girl’s shoulder. Katherine loosened her arms so the woman could move.
Katherine examined the woman's slender, smooth fingers as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Unlike Katherine's relatively large and wounded hands, the woman's hands were extremely elegant.
Suddenly, the woman realized that she was sitting on someone's lap. With her eyes wide open, she looked at Katherine in surprise and a little panic. Katherine raised her eyebrows and broke the silence, “Umm… Hi?”
The woman stood up quickly. She tried to keep her balance and fixed her dress. Katherine got up too and brushed the dust off her. The woman was rubbing her wrist with her back facing Katherine. She was so embarrassed to face the stranger standing behind her. Then, she startled by the jacket draped over her shoulders. She turned her back to face Katherine.
The girl's straight black hair fell over her shoulders. Her eyes were shades of dark brown. "It's a bit chilly tonight, isn't it?" the girl smiled. This smile, which the woman would normally describe as annoying, somehow comforted her. Or maybe it was because she was drunk.
Katherine held out her hand as the woman gazed at her suspiciously, “My name is Katherine. Oh- Wait…” Katherine realized that her hand, which gripped the safety bar, was shattered and bloodied. She raised her other hand to the woman. “Sorry… Here. Nice to meet you.”
Some of the woman's suspicion faded, giving way to worry. The woman approached, took Katherine's injured hand and lifted it. As she spoke, Katherine realized that even her voice was elegant.
“Why did you do this?”
“Which one?”
“Why did you pull me? I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“You are quite realistic, miss. Asking me to release you while you are hanging on top of a hill.”
The woman raised her head, then her almost crying, frustrated gaze met Katherine's, “Do you think I went there to enjoy the view?”
After a short silence, the woman changed the topic, “Your hand is bleeding.”
Katherine replied immediately as she stared at the woman's bleeding head, “It’s fine. Does your wrist hurt? Your head too..."
“It is not something to worry.” Her heartbreaking tone caused another pain to ripple through Katherine's chest. This one was stronger; she couldn't even swallow for a second. Her lips moved without her consent.
"It is." Katherine said without a doubt.
The woman looked up at Katherine, surprised. Pain ran through her throat and her eyes began to shine. She blinked immediately, trying to wipe away the tears. She licked and moistened her lips.
“Elizabeth.”
“Hmm?”
“My name. It’s Elizabeth.”
“Oh! Nice to meet you…”
A strong wind swept up the scattered leaves, which made Elizabeth shiver. She took off the jacket Katherine had given to her and handed it back, "Here, take it.”
“It’s okay, you can keep it.”
“I shouldn’t. Just take it back.”
“Your dress looks thin, you will catch a cold walking around like that.”
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“I'm not. I'm just rational.”
Elizabeth exhaled. “Okay… Thank you. Both for this and-” She couldn’t finish her sentence. She tried to finish it, but it was almost like her brain was preventing her from thinking about it. What was she going to say? What happened? Did she… Did she just try to-
“It’s fine.” Katherine’s voice was calm, accompanied by a smooth smile. “Your head is bleeding. We should go to a hospital. There is one nearby-”
“No!” Elizabeth screamed without noticing, almost like a reflex. She raised both her hands suddenly, as if she was trying to stop Katherine.
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