cw: PTSD
[name_f]Marjorie[/name_f] [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Friar [23] is the witness who found [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] while out for her morning run. At first she was convinced that she was dreaming, or that Halloween had come early. Through her panic she managed to call the authorities of the girlās presence. Initially she believed [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] to be dead so she stood back as to not tamper with a potential crime scene. After looking closer though she saw the teenās ribs moving faintly and didnāt hesitate to get down on the grass and sit beside her. Since she lacked any medical knowledge and believed that the young girl might die before help arrived she wanted to attempt to comfort her in case these were her final moments. She gently moved the hair out of her face, being careful of the wounds on her face, and spoke to her softly while holding her hand. Though she was unsure of the outcome of the situation she found herself calmly repeating āItās gonna be okay.ā and āIāve got you.ā over and over until she realized that there were police officers and EMTs in front of her who then guided her away from the scene.
She watched frozen as they took [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] away into the ambulance, never being religious in her whole life until she prayed that day. The police took her to the station so she could calm down and give a statement, as well as contacting the family members she lives with, her fiancĆ© and her mother. After a long day she was allowed to go home, advised to see a therapist as well. Since then she has been seeing a professional twice a week to work through what she had seen. Sheās an avid runner and canāt go more than a day without getting out and getting a few miles down, however since coming across the badly beaten teen she canāt even look at her sneakers without getting a pit in her stomach. To fill her time now sheās been keeping up with the case online and is hopeful that a resolution can come to give her, and Evangelineās family, some closure.
It feels strange to be so traumatized from an event that didnāt effect her nearly as badly as it had those who were actually involved, but as her therapist has reminded her ātrauma is relativeā and she shouldnāt discount her own experience just because someone might have it worse.
She also would love to someday meet [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] again. She knows that she wonāt remember her, but thinks seeing her healing might help her with her own journey. Though only if sheās ready to see guests. Until then sheās been trying to begin to enjoy her old passions again, starting with a nice slow walk around the block.