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Melly, Yaya, and Malu bring our sandwiches, and we eat in silence. Kayla doesn't eat; she just stares at her food. I swallow, forcing the food down.
Everyone is so quiet, I don't want to break the silence. I finish half the sandwich, and my stomach closes up completely. I put the plate on the coffee table and focus on keeping the food down.
"You okay?" Malu asks. "Yeah." "Not all that hungry?" Shaking my head, I reply, "Not really."
"That's okay, it takes a while to be able to eat normally."
It doesn't seem right, getting used to everything that goes on here enough to be able to shake the nauseated feeling in my stomach, but I suppose it will happen. It's survival, right?
People keep going through the most horrible situations because the survival instinct is so strong.
"When do you think I'll have to go in one of those rooms?" Now that Malu has broken the silence, my thoughts spill out.
Ja swallows. "Some have waited weeks, others days." Days or weeks. Oh.
"Don't think about that, Rowan. You'll drive yourself crazy. Believe me," Malu says, shaking her head as if she's recalling her early days here.
"How do you not think about it?" I ask. My mind flicks back to those rooms about every three seconds.
"What will you do when you get out of here?" Ja asks. He's on a distraction mission, and I'm grateful.
"Lock myself in my bedroom to watch Netflix and eat junk, where I should be now."
He smiles, but his eyes are sad. "I miss junk food."
