Bad Girl

June, 1945, New York

    Later that night after dinner, he couldn't sleep because he was worried sick about Ermen. Was she okay? Where is she? What kind of job does she have? Does she have enough to eat and drink? Suddenly, the worst-case scenarios floated to his brain and stayed there. What if she enlisted as a military nurse and was killed in action or became a prisoner of war? What if she's homeless and/or living in extreme poverty? What if she's dead and buried in an unmarked grave? He would never forgive himself and his family if he could never see her again.

    The very next day, he decided to go look for her. Although his wooden leg and crutch that he wasn't used to made moving about very difficult, he was determined to comb through every street in the city to bring her home. He also felt that he let her down and that he now had a responsibility to keep her safe. He failed her during wartime when he never inquired about her situation in letters, now he had an opportunity to care for her. The thought that his sister was dead was something he brushed upon from time-to-time but knew he had to mentally prepare for if it ever came to that. His first line of business was to go to the nearest police station to report her missing. He received the same response his parents received a few years ago. As she was an adult who willingly left her home, there was nothing they could do. The State viewed it as a decision she could do and that they would only intervene if he had solid evidence or suspicions that she was in danger. Sadly, Daniel Sousa had nothing of the sorts and left the station feeling rejected.

On the way home, one of policemen named Paolo Zuccari caught up to him and said: "I'm so sorry that I can't do anything about your sister. I received your parent's report a few years ago."

"Mr., what did they say?"

He replied: "That your sister, Ermenjart Marie Sousa, left home after a argument. I honestly don't think she's in the city anymore."

Daniel said: "I see. Thank you for this. I just want her to be safe."

    He then went to see her old friends and asked whether they still see or talk to her. Sadly, they all replied that they don't except for one girl, her best friend named Gabrielle Balfe. She claimed she receives letters from her every month but she was sworn to secrecy on her address. No matter what Daniel said or did, she never budged and even threatened to call police if he didn't get off from her house. Although he felt he hit a brick wall, he was somewhat relieved knowing her sister was alive. Armed with her picture, he started to go to all the piers and airports of the city to ask the personnel whether they saw her. Almost every one of them said they couldn't recall and every time they said it, he was secretly crushed on the inside. Was she that plain and small to be unnoticed if she left the city? Did she even leave the city? What if she left by car?

    He quickly decided to test his theory that she enlisted in the military or civilian wartime organizations by going to his friends in Fort Hamilton. Although he was medically discharged, he still knew a lot of guys who were still active-duty military soldiers and hoped they would help him. Bringing her picture and birth certificate, he proceeded to go to the barracks. Fortunately, no one bothered him because he just looked like a newly-injured soldier getting his personal items. The wooden leg was painful and the crutch still bothered him a lot but he was past caring. On the way to his friends, he kept stopping himself from crying and was blaming himself. Why did he not ask for her when he wrote home during war? What kind of a brother was he? If she was dead, he had no one to blame but himself. Although he wasn't very religious, he started to beg God to keep her safe and sound.

One of his friends decided to take her picture and birth certificate and see through their files. He came back two hours later and said: "I'm so sorry. There's no records of an 'Ermenjart Marie Sousa' who enlisted in the military?"

Daniel replied: "Are you sure? Even in intelligence units or the Women's Corps?"

He shook his said and said: "There are really none. I'm sorry that I couldn't find your sister. I hope she's safe too."

    He came home feeling dejected and depressed. What kind of a brother was he that he couldn't find his sister? What kind of a brother even allowed his sister to just disappear without a trace? What if he could never find and see her again. He felt that everything was his fault. At home during dinnertime, he was restless and kept staring off into space. His parents noticed and asked if he was okay but he lied and attributed it to his failed job search. It was also hard for him to stop blowing up at them. He felt they were as responsible as him as to why his sister wasn't around. If they gave her more choices, she would be here and he wouldn't be facing this kind of problem.

November, 1948, Los Angeles, California

    A lot has changed for Daniel Sousa in the past two years. He got a job as a SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve) agent, solved a ton of cases, met Peggy Carter, moved to the West Coast to become chief and is now dating said Peggy Carter. Although he was happy with how his life is going, he still had a few loose ends he hoped to solve. One of these was his beloved sister and her whereabouts. Even if he became too busy to use SSR resources to locate her, he still hoped and prayed he'd see her again. One of the things he grew out of was blaming himself for her disappearance. As grew older and wiser, he learned that he had no fault in it and this this was all on his parents. They pushed her to her limit and hid the fact that she was gone to him. They also disowned her and this was a reason he grew very distant to them. He started to decide to have his own apartment in New York and didn't even tell them when he accepted the offer to go to L.A. to become SSR Chief.

One sunny November day, Daniel was acting weird and out of sorts. Even Peggy noticed it so she headed to his office to ask: "Chief Sousa, are you alright? Even during your meeting awhile ago, I've noticed you're acting strange and out-of-sorts."

He replied: "Agent Carter, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

She wasn't convinced and said: "Daniel, are you ill? What's going on?"

He sighed and said: "Today is my sister Ermen's 24th birthday."

She smiled and said: "And what's wrong? You're acting sad today."

He looked straight at her: "She escaped from home when she was 18 and I never saw her again. I don't even know whether she's alive or dead."

"Daniel, you never told me about her."

"It hurts to talk about her. And I feel bad I still can't find her even using SSR resources."

Peggy then sat on his lap and stared straight at him: "I'll help find her. She will be found."