work in progress

Kim again

"So "said Kim briskly," you two ran off on Maeve because of her addiction to heroin? "
"Well," Cait ventured slowly," we did not leave because of the smack it was something about Maeve. She met the prince and, and," she paused." then she became another person. We had promised each other never to touch hard drugs but it wasn't about that. It was the Prince, she just willingly turned into his THING!"
" He was prostituting her?" Kim asked , frowning. "Oh gods no," Cait expostulated. "She was more like his acolyte, no his object. I think she worshipped him but it wasn't that, she just was his person. She talked only to him, did what he said, thought what he thought. We had lost her". (she died, Cait said to herself but that was not something you said out loud, especially not when your friend was actually dying, it seemed distasteful somehow).

"She fell in love and you could not handle it?" Kim suggested. "I don't think it was love, "Cait said firmly. Kim waved her hand." Love whatever, anyway you two went off and started living elsewhere, got regular jobs and began saving to go away together to Spain?"
Cait nodded." It sounds harsh but we had all wanted to go to Spain originally. We hated London now so we decided to just go for it"
. Kim shrugged. "Quite. You saw her a few more times before you left?"
Cait nodded "She did not seem to recognise us. We thought the Prince had brainwashed her."
"YOU thought you were close to Niamh?"
"I was," Cait objected.
" You had been close to Maeve not long ago."
" She wasn't Maeve now", Cait objected, "she was Ramona."
Kim put down her folder, "You all had nicknames, I thought. Were you not called Talina or something?."
Cait grinned at her," Corinna" she said "and Niamh was sweet Marie"
Kim nodded, bored. "These are all names from Bob Dylan songs" Cait offered hopefully. "Yes yes" said Kim," Blowing in the wind, Woodstock, flower power, I get it, cute."
Cait frowned at her, "Bob Dylan wasn't at Woodstock."
" Oh God" said Kim, "is this important?"

Well it wasn't. Cait could see that now. "the nicknames were just a joke," she explained, "just in the beginning. We needed somewhere to stay but we were scared to give our real names because after all we were teenage runaways. the thing is they just sort of stuck. We were seventeen after all and it seemed funny."

"How long were you in London for? "Kim asked, picking up her notebook and grabbing a pen. "Try to focus, Cait we are trying to find Niamh, not your lost youth."