Even on difficult days...OC x Joel Miller

•Two•

2033:

Imogen sat on the windowsill of her apartment watching people flutter about below her. The splintering wooden frame held the panes of glass loosely in place, one hard shove would send them plummeting to the street below. A radio buzzed static atop a table scattered with papers against the wall adjacent to her bed. A knock on her door caused Imogen to pick up a small hunting knife that was laid on the side next to the door, she wasn't expecting company. Opening the door at speed made the woman on the other side jump. 

It was Marlene with a teenage girl in tow. Imogen flattened her eyebrows giving her an unimpressed look as she folded her arms across her chest. "If you're here to try and get me to train another teenage delinquent for your rebellion I don't want to hear it." She spoke in a very matter of fact way, she wasn't angry nor could she be persuaded. She was dead set in what she had said. Marlene laughed "Well hello to you too." causing her eyes to crease " I'm afraid I'm asking a lot more than that this time" her brows pushed upwards and together already pleading with Imogen before she'd even asked the question.

Imogen stepped aside allowing Marlene and the girl inside. The girl, although not shy, was quiet and barely moving as if trying to avoid attention. Marlene started speaking while Imogen scrutinised the girl,  not paying much notice to the ramblings "she got bitten" Imogen's head snapped round her knife raised instinctively.

"What the fuck do you mean she got bitten? Marlene get her out of here now" her knife was pointed to the door they had just walked through.

"Three weeks ago Imogen, it hasn't grown. She hasn't even had so much as a twitch. She's our shot at a cure, a way out of this world. Don't you want that?" Imogen's teeth rubbed together at the statement, she had fallen for that hope before there was no way she was going to risk her life for this firefly bullshit again.

"What do I have to do with it? I'm not a scientist am I." Imogen knew she was being a dick but Marlene had wasted enough of her time with this silly little rebellion of hers.

"I want you to join a few of my fireflies and take her to the capitol building, there is a group there that will take her the rest of the way. I need you to go, I know she'll get there with you." Marlene had closed the distance between them placing her hand on Imogen's arm "If I didn't think you could do it I wouldn't ask" Marlene had always made her speeches personal to get what she wanted. Imogen no longer fell for her softly spoken words and her inspirational speeches.

Imogen's tongue rubbed against her teeth in frustration. She bargained with Marlene for supplies and weapons in exchange for the transport of the girl. Shortly after Marlene left leaving the girl behind saying she would come back and collect them in a short while. When Imogen had protested Marlene leaving the bitten girl behind she had told her it was to keep Ellie safe.

The girl stood uncomfortably in the centre of the small open plan living area of the apartment. Although Imogen had been harsh to Marlene she had nothing against this young girl and didn't want her to be more anxious than she needed to be. "How old are you?" Imogen had roughly guessed about 13ish but figured a bit of small talk would help settle the girls nerves. The girl had shaggy brown hair that must've laid between her shoulder blades when untied, green eyes and a lightly freckled face.

Imogen invited Ellie to sit down on her tattered sofa chatting about random things like if you could have any animal in the world what would it be, Ellie had given about 5 different animals all with their own pros and cons. She was an intelligent girl who knew how to read a person to some extent, she knew how to survive which would make Imogen's job a hell of a lot easier. Ellie grew fidgety the more hours passed without Marlene's return, several attempts were made to try and distract Ellie but before long she was pacing up and down waiting by the window briefly for any sign of her.

Imogen heard a creaking on the stairs and once again grabbed hold of her knife, there was more than one set of footsteps heading their way.

"Imogen open the door" Marlene's voice sounded from the hall. Opening the door just enough to peer out Imogen saw Marlene being helped by a man and a woman as she struggled to hold herself. Letting out a sigh she swung the door open as she turned away to pull the small table that sat in front of her sofa out of the way so Marlene could have easy access. Trotting through to her kitchen she raided the cupboards for something to dress the wound on Marlene. She could hear Ellie chattering on nervously, then she heard a familiar voice "kid, you need to take five steps back and let me deal with this" his tone was harsh and flat. Turning her head to the open doorway of the kitchen holding her mouth slightly a gape in disbelief; Imogen thought she was mistaken and that she hadn't heard the voice of Joel Fucking Miller in her apartment. She nipped her lips in between her thumb and index finger before leaping up with her supplies in hand to patch up Marlene.

She shoved past Joel straight to Marlene's side pealing up her top and instructing Ellie to grab the water in the pot on the stove that had been boiled for something earlier that day but abandoned. Imogen cleaned the wound to the best of her ability and had gotten the bleeding under control.

Finally she turned to face Joel. Both of the wearing the same stoney expression as if they had no history and had perhaps merely met twice before. Marlene knowing the two broke the silence and explained that a recent attack had given her no other choice but to pick the pair of smugglers stood in front of her to help get Ellie to the capitol building. Joel's expression changed to discontentment as he studied Ellie. Although irritated by Marlene's choice, Imogen showed it only through an eyebrow twitch at the mention of who the pair were to Ellie. Tess and Imogen had crossed paths before when Imogen had briefly been smuggling apples of all things into the QZ. She admired Tess, she was a strong minded and skilled woman and Imogen liked her for it.

As Tess and Joel head out to grab some things and check the offer made to them by Marlene Imogen asks "where shall we meet you?" Wondering if they were to just wait in the apartment or head somewhere else. Tess was already out in the hallway helping Marlene leaving Joel to respond "At our spot." While walking out the door. Imogen's eyebrows pulled back becoming flat, her mouth opened and she took a breath in as if she was about to say something in response but instead blew the air out of her nostrils.

Ellie's cocked her head to look at Imogen who stood deep in thought about the little apartment Joel, Tommy and her had shared when they first arrived at the QZ. After the building had been condemned they had all moved separately. An argument had exploded between Imogen and Joel after her and Tommy had joined the fireflies. Each had taken their turn digging into each other, tearing open old scars, leaving each other broken and angry. Both too proud to apologise. Both too scared to go back.

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Author's notes:
Hey just popping in to ask you guys what you think so far? Please leave me any advice or comments about this chapter/story I'm open to any suggestions as I'm pretty new to the writing thing.

Thanks- CJ