Dellings Secrets of The South

Chapter 25

Sakura

I was in a bad mood.

I was always in a bad mood and the constant, loud talking of the people sitting beside me in the cafeteria didn't help. If it was up to me I would've skipped lunch but Tom was hungry and I didn't want to leave him alone with the risk of him getting hurt again. I didn't know where Dimitri was.

I played with the food on my plate as I watched Tom stuff his face with bread.

His lips were bruised, a small scratch on the right but apart for that there was no sign of an altercation on his face. The real problem were his chest and ribs. He tried to give me a glimpse of it earlier but he was struggling too much to even lift his shirt up. He couldn't even get up or sit down without wincing. Which made me wondered how even survived in training.

I hope James didn't survive in training. I hope he had a hard time and I hoped the spot where the sole of my shoes met his face was apparent for the commanders.

I hadn't seen him since our altercation and a part of me wondered if he really didn't get caught. It'd be bad for me to say that I was kinda wishing he got the wrong end of the stick. It'd be nice if I had just one good thing since I got here.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Tom pointed at my barely touched stew. Looking at the brown yucky, watery mess made me full already.

"I'm not hungry. There's more for you," I smoothly slide the bowl to his side. "You should eat to become a big boy."

He gave me an annoyed look, stifling an eye roll as he placed his spoon down from midway in the air. "You would like that wouldn't you? If I got strong and became like Dimitri."

My brows automatically furrowed. "What does Dimitri have to do with this?"

"He's strong." He muttered, eyes fixated in his bowl as he absent-mindedly fidgeted with the spoon. "He's brave. He can protect you. While as with me, you need to protect me. I'm a little boy."

"Tom, it's not like that." I began to explain, but he shook his head, preventing me from talking further.

"No, that's fine. That's just the way I am. I don't fight, Sakura." His eyes raised to meet mine. Nothing but sincerity in them. No defence, no anger just he unapologetically being himself. And that made my shoulder dropped along with the guard I had put up.

"I don't like to hurt people and that may make me look like a coward but that's just the way I am. I'm not keen on altercation; I'd rather just stay buried in books, work in the clinic or the lab. Not here. I don't wanna break people's bones, see people suffer just so I can survive. I don't want that."

I believed him.

I always knew he was soft inside, that fighting was never his thing but hearing him say it in a light where there was no joke involved or defence for this place, made me see him in a different light.

"You don't really have a choice though. It's either that or you die."

"I'd die then." He answered, frankly. "It's not like I can go anywhere else."

And with that my heart paused. I had to suck in a deep breath through my nose, contemplating on whether or not it was the right time to tell him.

I mean Shaylin told someone. She told a stranger. This was Tom I was talking to. What harm would it do to tell Tom? Tom was our friend. He wouldn't do anything to hurt us.

I trusted Tom.

So shoving out all the negative thoughts, I leaned forward on the table, closing the small distance between us before whispering. "I'm gonna tell you something, but I need you to promise to not tell anyone."