Hidden Secrets - Motherland: Fort Salem

#6 - 175th won't cut it

To say Abigail was pissed after seeing the daily rankings is an understatement. 

"175." She looks at the board in disbelief, checking it again with her finger to make sure her eyes aren't playing tricks on her. "This isn't gonna go like this." Before Tally could even speak Abigail is already storming through the doors leading to the dining hall. 

"Oh, that's rough." Tally turns to see Carmen looking over the rankings behind her, she gives Tally a sympathetic look.

"We're ranked higher than a Bellweather!" Carmen nudges Veronica and flashes a nervous smile before ushering her unit through the same doors Abigail went through moments before. Tally releases a sigh and follows suit. 

Raelle sits pushing her food around the tray with her fork, after her scolding from Anacostia over her 'little walk' she didn't feel like eating. She didn't realise how much of a daydream she was in until felt the growing stomps of what felt like a bull bulldozing their way through the dining hall making a direct line for her, great here we go Raelle thought.

"Where were you today? We were worried." A false sympathy coats Abigail's tone but her face gives away her true anger. 

Raelle doesn't look up, "Didn't feel good." 

"Oh, no. Anything I can do?" 

"Doubt it. Your mom ever tell you anything about Greenville." Greenville? Raelle's sudden topic change and mood swings was giving Abigail whiplash, why was she bringing up her mom? "Last spring? Seem to remember my mom saying it was a mess." Abigail notes the anger creeping up in Raelle's voice, anger at her? What has she done? She's the one dragging her unit down not Abigail.

"They're all a mess. She said Greenville was no different." 

"Interesting." Whilst the two seem to have some weird momentary stare-off Carmen watches from across the hall with her unit.

"Trouble in paradise?" Veronica snorts at the scene entertaining her lunch. Carmen turns back to her food taking a mouthful.

"Abigail's a control freak. It seems she's met her match." Grace nods at Carmen's statement but then throws her a quizzing look, 

"You and Abigail close?" 

Carmen nods finishing the food in her mouth, "family friends, basically grew up together. We both summer in Maryland. We'd train together sometimes, family events, dinners y'know that kind of stuff." She explains.

"We both summer in Maryland." Veronica can't hold her laughter as she mocks Carmen, Carmen can't hold the chuckle that escapes her mouth. She's glad her unit isn't like Abigail's, she's not one for drama. 

Tensions continue to run high on the other side of the dining hall, Raelle and Abigail now in each others faces.

"We had training all day. None of this is elective. Your absence was noted." Abigail spits the statements at Raelle, recalling their ranking on the board and Raelle's response only fuels the flames, 

"Call the commander-in-chief." Raelle has gone back to swirling her fork in her food, avoiding Abigail's gaze but Abigail will not have this. She lowers her to Raelle's seated position so the girl can see her,

"Look, I know this is a lot for you." Abigail's tone makes Raelle snap her head up to look at the girl, she's talking to her as though she is a child, Tally finally joining the situation, doesn't like the direction its going in and can see everyone starring at her unit. 

"Guys?" But they ignore her. 

"But it is just the beginning." Raelle's head tilts at Abigail's words, she doesn't like the way Abigail talks down to her, if she wasn't worried about getting into more shit with Anacostia she'd push back at the pretentious Bellweather. 

"Please? Let's all take a breath." Tally is practically begging them to stop but instead it seems to divert Abigail's rage onto her instead, 

"Look, this is not a vacation Tally!" The outburst draws in everyones attention, the whole dining hall is watching the trio, "It's life or death our there!" 

A chair is pushed back at Raelle stands up, positioning herself to look tall as she now stands face-to-face, glaring at Abigail, "You think I don't know that?" Her newfound confident deflates as soon as Abigail speaks,

"Then act like it." Despite Raelle's attempts Abigail is still taller than her and looks down on the blonde, this annoys her slightly, it makes her feel small despite the rage she's feeling. "We're supposed to have each other's backs. I will not have you holding me back, or Tally for that matter." That hurt Raelle, she knows what Abigail says has a hint of truth but that doesn't overthrow the injustice she feels around Fort Salem and for what happened to her mom. But that's not her units faults... yet they are suffering because of it. 

"This is embarrassing." Grace's face holds an expression best described as 'cringe' towards the scene unfolding in front of them all. "Please, we can never be like that." Her follow unit members quickly nod their heads in agreement. Looking back towards the Bellweather unit Carmen looks at the proximity between Abigail and the blonde.

"Abigail said one of her unit members was causing her trouble, guessing it's her." 

"You mean the rebellious looking blonde with the hot side-braids." Veronica practically chews into her bottom lip as she watches the altercation. 

"Precisely." Veronica shifts her gazes to smirk at Carmen's somewhat flirtatious statement. 

Seeing Abigail defend Tally causes a tinge of jealousy to flash within Raelle but she quickly pushes it away, she's not here to hold hands and become sisters with everybody and she needs to remember that. She shakes her head, shaking away her thoughts, ready to snap back with a quick remark towards the scowling woman in front of her. Raelle goes to speak but never gets the chance as a loud shout interrupts the dramatic scene the trio had created.

"Hey!" 

Everyone's attention is quickly diverts to the TV. On it plays a live news report, a large boat in the middle of the ocean flashes across the screen as the male news reporter begins his commentary. 

"...another attack from the Spree. This time in the North Atlantic where all passengers on a commercial cruise liner have jumped to their deaths today. As with the mall attack, the Spree have claimed responsibility." 

The atmosphere in the dining hall changes to a different kind of tension, not one that entertains its bystanders. The Spree attacks are getting more frequent and more gruesome, this scares and worries them all, even someone as presumably dismissive as Raelle Collar who stands saddened as the news report goes on in further horrific detail about the events of the attack. Who could do something like this?

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Wow, two chapters in one night? Ahahaha Hope you enjoy :)

I also just saw that this story is 3rd out of 101 stories in 'motherland', pretty cool :)