Discoveries | TMR | Three

2:0

"How stupid could one child possibly be? To risk your life in such a... such a foolish manner- I simply cannot even bear to look at you right now."

Adeline rolls her eyes. "Then don't look at me."

"Oh," Lily guffaws, "but you will hear what I have to say!"

"Turn around and say it then." The young girl flings her hand out passively.

She has been listening to the same repetitive scolding for, at least, an hour now. Sat within the comfort of her blanket, her body still aching in pain and her head still buzzing from the consistent raised voices of both Lily and Daniel, chastising her for going against their commands.

Their commands, as though she is to do everything they tell her to. Honestly, Adeline struggles not to laugh at the thought. Was it stupid of her to inject that foul liquid into her system and try to hide the evidence of her craftiness in that bench on Jeff's boat; probably, but does she regret it?

Absolutely not.

Despite the pain. Despite the lingering veins that still pulsate beneath her skin, even now. Despite the thumping headache and drumming of her heart as her body strives tirelessly to battle the Flare that tries to infect her bloodstream and invade her mind with its poison, she regrets none of it.

"How can you be so thoughtless?" The only thing she regrets right now is Lily finding out. "So careless about the effects that your actions have on others? I stand here, right now, pleading with you for answers, yet you do not seem to have a remorseful word to say."

"Are you done?"

Lily will never understand Adeline's reasoning, so is there really any need for delving into the politics of it all?

"Am I done?" Lily's voice raises to a level that Adeline has never heard before. Her face reddens, as though it may catch fire at any given moment. "Is that all you have to say on the matter?"

Adeline rolls her eyes; she is exhausted with this charade. In fact, she is simply exhausted with it all, and would quite like to retire for the evening. Her passive eyes meet Daniel's scornful ones; he is sat on the steps leading into the cabin, and thus far, has barely uttered a single sentence, but she can sense that he wants to. "I take it you've got something you need to say?"

He nods; purposefully. "I do, in fact."

"Go on then," Adeline groans. "Get it over with."

Daniel, himself, cannot fathom her blasé reaction. He chuckles and shakes his head, bowing it as he does. "You are one stupid bitch, you know that, right?" When she gives him no response but a simple emotionless expression, he stands. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?"

"I get that." Honestly, she does. "But I'm fine."

"You weren't, though, that's the point!" The young boy stands and walks two paces to the end of the bed. "You started seizing, Addy! You had no idea what was in that thing! It could've killed you!"

"Oh, please," she retorts. "You really think Wicked would keep vials of stuff that could kill you? No. If they wanted to kill you, they'd just do it. They wouldn't fuck around putting it in a tiny little tube."

"That doesn't fucking matter!" Daniel screams at the top of his lungs. "You could've been seriously hurt - you were seriously hurt, I mean, do you not even-."

The door to the cabin opens. "Bad time?" Nick stands by the top of the stairs, looking down as Lily and Daniels harsh glares pivot directly to him.

Adeline, on the other hand, appears incredibly relieved to see him make an appearance. "Not at all," she spits out. Nick notices her sitting up, at such a speed she winces and clutches the side of her ribcage. "These two were just leaving."