Secrets | TMR | One

6:6

It is almost four in the morning by time Nick goes to check on Adeline.

He would have done it sooner, hell, there were many a moment where he nearly did. But then he remembered about the rest of the them. The boys who had fallen into a state of panic, who found themselves stood around, unable to help from the lack of oil in their joints, their hearts so broken that they could physically feel the pain coursing through their bodies, their brains so completely and utterly frazzled that they feel as though their skulls may be empty.

They all needed him, and so, he stayed.

For hours.

Keeping an eye on the ones that did nothing but cry. Putting every ounce of strength into his arms while he assisted a few of the others with digging up a grave. Used more of that energy into carrying George to said grave, and then helping pile all the dirt back down over his dead body.

By the time it was all over, the leader was exhausted.

But despite the fact that he had played such an important part in the burial of George, Nick's brain had still not quite locked on to the fact that the boy was gone.

In Nick's mind, George was tucked away in Alby's room, fast asleep and completely oblivious to everything that was happening in the Glade. The young boy would awake in the morning, get himself up and ready for another day of pretending he was working, when in actual fact, he would be doing nothing but annoy all the boys, ignoring Nick each time he lightly scolded him and Adeline for playing another prank on an unsuspecting Glader.

In Nick's mind, all would be well in the morning.

The leader longs for that to be the case, but, even though the entire ordeal as not yet registered, Nick knows that his thoughts are now just a false reality.

A coping mechanism, until his brain can no longer shield itself from the inevitable.

As soon as he had ensured that every boy was safely tucked away in the confides of the Homestead, where he had insisted they all sleep tonight, he finally resides himself to the fact that he must check on Adeline.

Of course, Nick would be lying if he were to say he was not even a little bit anxious to be in the company of the girl. He is all to aware of her somewhat... volatile behavior, and he feels entirely apprehensive about approaching her, for he has not the faintest idea of how she will react when she sees him.

It has been a total of six hours since George passed, and five hours since he last saw the girl.

But in that small hour he was by her side, Nick watched as she acted out every stage of grief. From laying on the grass in a puddle of George's blood and her tears, to throwing every single item she could reach at Dan, to clutching on to the leader so tightly he could feel the oxygen being squeezed out of him, to telling him how much she hated him and storming - hobbling - away to the bathroom.

Where she has been since.

Nick stood outside the entrance to the bathroom for what felt like an eternity. Just staring at the door, caught on the tightrope between wanting to give her space, and needing to make sure she was alright.

Eventually, he draws his hand up, pressing his palm gently on the door and slowly pushing it open. The hinges crack and creak, piercing his eardrums, making him visibly wince as the sound travels past his head and out into the open air of the Glade. His face scrunches, and his body turns slightly, hoping and praying that it will not awaken any of the sleeping boys.

Lord knows they all need the rest.

The leader takes a timid step into the small space, his eyes trailing past every toilet cubicle, noting that none of the doors are closed, until his vision finally lands on the room at the end. Taking a moment to inhale a deep breath, Nick begins slowly walking towards the end of the room until reaching the wooden barrier that separates Adeline from him.