Mama I Need a Sign

Who: Maddy
Where: St. Peter's Cathedral
When: Afternoon

Maddy had left Dodge's apartment while he was still sleeping. It had been awkward for her and she was glad that Dodge wasn't up to see her scramble around for her gloves and coat. She had left him her drawings, the way he had taken care of them earlier a possible indicator that he'd perhaps want them.

It was an absolutely terrible day, drizzly and icy cold. Maddy had her coat buttoned up tight as she hurried down the streets, dodging through alleys and taking shortcuts where she could before arriving at her destination.

St. Peter's Cathedral.

It had been years since she'd step foot inside of the beautiful sanctuary. The nuns liked to take her to Sunday mass and Maddy knew that if she could sing, they'd make her the angel of their choir. Maddy didn't take the front door, wanting to remain unnoticed for as long as possible, instead darting through one of the side service doors.

It didn't seem like it from the outside, but the cathedral was warm inside, aided by the warm glow of the candles and colorful stained glass. The golds and the bronzes and the silvers glittered everywhere. Maddy carefully peaked out into the main hall. There were a couple of people seated in the pews throughout the church. Maddy didn't want to join them though.

Quietly, she skirted around a statue of the Blessed Virgin and into an alcove, hidden somewhat by the large stone pillars and statues. Dozens and dozens of candles were lined up in careful rows underneath a stained glass window picturing an angel that Maddy didn't know.

Slowly, Maddy walked forward and took one of the thin wooden skewers and lit two candles, murmuring an 'I love you' as she lit a candle for her parents. Looking at the candles, she bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Unsure of where to start.

"I still can't find Jack," she whispered. "I was going to go into the tunnels to look for him but Dodge did instead and I screwed up, Mama. I told Dodge he couldn't stop me. That I was gonna go down there no matter what so he locked me up. Sorta. Don't know how to make it up to him." It had been a… strange moment that they had when he returned. Maddy still wasn't sure what to think about it. She wasn't sure she wanted to. It took her mind away from her mission.

Her mission to find Jack.

"I just don't know where to look any more. I mean… if he was out here, he would've come lookin' for me, right? What if he's hurt though? What if he's sick or something." Come to think of it, she hadn't looked at the hospitals lately. Both of them.

Maddy started to cry suddenly, tired and drained and feeling so completely helpless. She was quiet, she was so careful to be quiet but she cried just the same.

"Mama, I need you to help me. Tell me what to do. Anything. Mama, just help me."