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Chapter Five - The First Supper

CHAPTER 5

The leaves crushed beneath Hazel's boots as she walked on the damp ground. The woods were beautiful this time of day as the sky shaded lavender. Sparkles of tiny stars blinked above. Watching her silently as she strolled to the food hall.

The light flooded from the building in the middle of the compound. Hazel stepped into a well-lit large room. The area was plain and medium-sized that hosted a large space. Two long wooden tables were arranged in the middle, filled with women and men seated on long benches. Everybody seemed to have arrived already. Laughter and conversation floated about. Hazel was nervous. Her arms gripped tightly across her jacket. She was naturally shy, and this was a slight struggle for her. Her eyes roamed the unfamiliar crowd, searching for Iggy.

"Hey!" Iggy called out from the middle of the second table. She fluttered her hand at Hazel, beckoning her.

She sighed in relief and moved towards Iggy. A few people stared at her as she passed by. Their probing looks made her more awkward. An outsider stepping into their domain. She quickened her pace.

She found Iggy seated with a group of women.

"Sit next to me." Iggy patted on the space beside her.

Hazel squeezed in between Iggy and a red-haired woman seated on her left. The woman scooted over to give extra space for Hazel. Barbeque filtered up Hazel's nose, making her stomach grumble. Her gaze stuck on the food settled on the table. Loaf pans crammed with glazed meatloaf and large bowls of mashed potatoes lined each one, with baskets of fresh dinner rolls.

"Hi, you must be Hazel." The red-haired greeted in an airy voice. She flipped her fingers through her curls and gave a flirty smirk. "I'm Robyn."

Hazel shook her head. Her hunger getting the best of her. "Nice to meet you." Hazel said with a shy smile.

Two girls sat opposite Hazel and Iggy. A woman with pale skin and raven black hair ate a mouthful of mashed potatoes. She chewed discreetly as her dark eyes watched Hazel. The girl with the two low ponytails she met as Claudette earlier sat beside the pale girl. Claudette's arm nudged her in the ribs, and she jerked, almost coughing up her food.

"This is Mara." Claudette rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, she's a grump."

Mara continued to dig a fork into her meatloaf, still studying Hazel. Hazel smiled weakly in return. "Hey." She greeted. But Mara continued to chew.

"Congratulations!" Iggy chuckled. "You just met your roommates. They're quite a bunch!"

Hazel smiled. "I'm really excited to meet you guys," she said. Claudette and Robyn returned her smile. However, Hazel was still under Mara's scrutiny.

"I gave the girls a brief update of our encounter this morning." Iggy explained.

"So, you really have nowhere to go?" Claudette asked.

Hazel shook her head. "Nope, I'm kinda living in between hotels right now."

Claudette nodded. "That's rough."

"You have no idea." Hazel sighed.

"Why aren't you eating? Please, you don't need permission." Iggy passed her a plate. "We share everything here. What's mine is yours and yours mine." She smiled.

Hazel took the plate gratefully.

"Sharing is an understatement." Robyn winked salaciously. She licked her bottom lip and caressed her red curls again. She wore a miniskirt with a green top. Her red curls falling effortlessly around her. Mara, seated opposite, looked sullen. She wore all grey. A tracksuit pants and vest. Her eyes still watched Hazel, who'd grabbed two dinner rolls.