Black as Day (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 12- My... what?

Delicious scents wafted past my nose as I breathed in deeply. Bacon, sausages, and a personal favourite of mine- marshmallow cereal. All of it was lined up on a breakfast bar. My eyes on the food, I made my way towards it, Tallah beside me.

After Tallah had gotten me out of bed, she'd shown me around the fourth floor, which was all residential. Instead of taking the main elevator, like I had last time, she'd taken a flight of stairs down, then through twisting halls until we'd somehow gotten to the cafeteria. By the time we'd arrived here, I'd lost all sense of direction.

We crossed the room, stepping around scattered tables and chairs. The seating area was an odd mixture of tables with benches, couches, and everything in between. I think I even spotted a couple of bar stools. 

"Where is everyone?" I asked Tallah. A small laugh escaped her lips.

"You'll see." I frowned at her. That sounded a bit ominous, but all other thoughts left my head as my stomach growled even more.

Stepping up to the bar, I was overwhelmed with choices. I literally hadn't had anything to eat since I'd woken up in the facility. Hadn't I? I didn't feel as hungry as I should have for a girl who hadn't eaten in five-four?- days.

"Tallah." I said, picking up a tray. "How long was I in the hospital?"

"Two days," she answered, picking up a tray of her own.

I quickly did the math in my head. I'd been locked up in the facility for one night, and been in surgery for two. After that I'd found Nima, and talked to the bosses, as well as visiting the guards and meeting Cal. That had taken up most of the night and then I'd spent the day sleeping alone, before Tallah had come to get me up. Which made it... four days since I'd awoken in the facility, four days without food.

My stomach rumbled ferociously. I remembered when Nima had taken me into her rooms, and I'd seen myself in the mirror. I suppressed a shudder when an image of the many scars lining my back flashed in my mind. You could clearly see how gaunt I'd looked, my ribs and hips poking out grotesquely. I could only imagine how I looked now, eyes still puffy with sleep, rumpled clothes, and bandages around my hands from where I'd sliced them open on the fence.

I quickly piled more food onto my plate. I didn't want to look like a skeleton for much longer. Stacking piles of pancakes and sausage, I also grabbed a bowl of fruit and a bowl of my favourite cereal. I was only stopped by my food crusade by Tallah, who's bright laughter rang through the cafeteria. I turned to her, slightly defensive.

"What?" I muttered.

"Nothing!" She exclaimed, grabbing an apple. "I was just thinking that if this is how hungry you are now, you're going to eat us out of house and home later!"

'Uh, but I haven't had food in four days." I pointed out quietly, still somewhat shy.

"No, silly, this is just you eating off the meds. They used supplements on you when you were in the hospital to keep you from starving. And we assume that when you were in the facility, you were being fed some sort of nutrients pill. They're still testing your blood now."

I frowned, then grabbed a mug of coffee. Obviously the facility hadn't done a very good job. I looked like death itself! With plates and bowls piled in my arms, I looked around for a table. They were all empty, so I headed for the nearest chair. Tallah quickly stepped up behind me, then gently pulled me across the room to sit in the middle. I sat, a little startled at the sudden motion.

"But- if what you say is true, that I've been getting the nutrition that I need, then why am I so hungry?"

Tallah sat down across from me and bit into her apple. "Well-" she held up a finger, chewing. "It might be because your stomach's lack of actual, physical food to digest might be tricking your system into thinking that you are hungry. Or, maybe you're finally-"