Breathe

Chapter Six - Outsiders

Quinn walked to her house completely pissed off by that monkey man, why was he here and not her Ava, her beloved. She missed her, but those monkey people also realized how special she was and wanted her all for themselves. But she wasn't going to leave it like that, hell would freeze over before she'd let that happen.

As she entered her apartment, she walked around it over and over, thinking of a way to bring her back, make her see where she belonged, surely she wouldn't refuse if she saw how she was needed in her village. But Quinn couldn't do it alone, Ava would never listen that way, like she didn't listen before, the blonde girl had to gather more people. That was when she had a brilliant idea, turning back and exiting again in a rush.

She reached the provisory hospital with her gills sore from running, she should replace the water in the tank sooner than expected or she would end up in one of those beds too. But now wasn't the time for such concerns, the key to her movement lied there. The guard they had retrieved from the woods was still there with his life on the line, and she knew his brother and wife never left his side, they surely hated the monkey-men and they would certainly help her. Quinn walked up to them, passing through the old, empty hallways, neatly sanitized. Their people were usually very healthy: besides one or two sunburns from the lack of attention they didn't generally get sick, so they practically had the building to them.

"Hello, I came to wish all the best for Ralph, and also... I want to make a proposition you won't be able to refuse..." Quinn grinned looking from the man to the woman and back again. They would be the first of many, she hoped.

---

The day after the meetings, Ava woke up kind of early. It was weird not being a prisoner, she thought, laying down on her bed for a few minutes, looking up at the wooden ceiling. The day before she had been as comfortable as she was that day, with a nice room for herself with soft and clean sheets and pillows but it was a different feeling.

Thinking about the meeting actually reminded her that she should ask Decim or Lavinia to give her a tour of the village, if they didn't have anything else to do. She would also like to talk to a few citizens, get to know the people and their culture and life better. She was very curious about how they got their food and how they preserved it, how they built their houses, how they scholared their young; this was all so new and interesting to her and she wanted to know everything she could.

It was weird being so far away from her people, though. Not only her father but her friends and all the others too. Especially Sam and Quinn, who were her closest friends. Ava had said goodbye to them expecting to be home in a few days but so much had happened since then, so much she wanted to tell them. She was really curious about how that friend of Decim's, Noah, was getting along with her people too, and she hoped her friends would be nice and try to get along with him, making him feel welcome. Thinking about her friends got her thinking about when she would next visit her village; she should really talk to Decim about that too.

Ava kept thinking about it for a little longer but soon got up from the bed, ready to start the day. She dressed in some clothes she found on the closet and then opened the door to her room, looking a little bit lost since she didn't know the ways of the house yet. For the past few days, a guard had brought her food and other stuff she needed but since she was not a prisoner anymore, she would probably go to the kitchen like everyone else, that is, if she could find it. So, the girl decided to go down the hall, she would end up finding it eventually.

She was almost around the corner when she saw Decim walking towards her, his smile widening when he noticed her. He seemed to be wearing casual clothes that day and his black hair was tied back in a bun.

"Good morning." He said when he got closer, polite as always.

"Good morning." She answered, smiling back. "I'm sorry if I was overstepping, I don't even know if I was going the right way, I was just trying to find the kitchen."