Chapter 29: The Story of Breikheda

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By the time Saska, Arcas, Hali, Atlas, Octavia and Lincoln have got back from the showers, the food and drink Roan requested has arrived

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By the time Saska, Arcas, Hali, Atlas, Octavia and Lincoln have got back from the showers, the food and drink Roan requested has arrived. They all eat in relative silence, exchanging polite conversation every now and then, but they're mostly focused on the plates in front of them. It had been days since they'd properly eaten.

Rory's used to the silence filling her family compartment. Dinners with her parents had been uncomfortable, a powder keg waiting to explode. And Rory's the type of girl who always carries a box of matches in her pocket just in case. Today's silence was a different kind. A good different. The kind of silence that only comes when you feel completely comfortable and safe with the people around you.

Once everyone's finished, Rory starts to clean up the plates and cups and volunteers to take everything back to the mess hall. The others protest but, once it's clear Rory is absolutely not backing down, they let her. She needed the walk, needed the space to settle her head. She heads straight for the mess hall and drops of the plates. She tries her best to ignore Lexa's eyes following her around the room the second she spots her. Instead of going straight back to her compartment, she takes the long way. She somehow manages to stretch a five minute journey into a 30 minute one, walking aimlessly through the corridors of Alpha station, standing in front of the window overlooking the lake for a short while. Eventually, she heads back.

She expects to see the room full when she opens the door. Much to her surprise, the room is empty, save for Roan sat on the sofa flicking through the pages of a book he'd taken from the shelf. As soon as he hears the door open, his head snaps up.

"They've gone to the mess hall, and Octavia and Lincoln have taken Orion to get his glasses sorted," Roan tells her, knowing she was wondering where everyone had gone. "They wanted to give you some space."

"That's nice of them," she says quietly, letting the door close gently behind her. Her eyes flicker over to the bookcase, noticing the door had been closed and locked back in place whilst she had been gone. When she looks back at Roan, she knows he was the one to do it. She's grateful, she didn't want to think about the memories in that room any longer than she already had.

He nods his head and then walks over to the bookshelf, putting the book back where he'd found it. "Come on, it's our slot to use the showers." He picks up his backpack. "Clean clothes?"

"I'm um, kind of still living out of my pack," she tells him.

"Had no time to unpack yet?"

"Something like that," she mutters. She doesn't have the strength to tell him that the real reason she's still living out of her pack is because she doesn't know when she's going to have to run again. She hasn't truly felt safe since the day she walked into camp.

Roan doesn't believe her, but he lets is slide this time and just picks up her backpack too. Rory leads the way out of her compartment and down the corridor to the far end where she comes to a stop, staring at the door on her left. The door to her bathroom. Another room she hadn't stepped foot in for over a year. She'd spent many a night crying on the bathroom floor in the darkness, the events of the day haunting her mind.

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⏰ Last updated: Aug 30, 2023 ⏰

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Decimate /-/ Bellamy BlakeWhere stories live. Discover now