Lotus Lab

Chapter 20

 Awkward silence has never been something Grace was too fond of. Though now it seemed necessary, because regardless of what Michael and Ben think of allowing more people to join the group, it was important to properly think about it.

Occasionally Grace glanced at Lee. They were sitting in the corner of the room and chatting with Cotton, pretending that they weren't paying attention to what was happening in the middle of it. Cotton didn't seem too excited about the adult talk as long as he was part of the group, so he didn't mind being left out either.

At last, Michael and Ben decided to give the girls a chance. Michael was immediately open for a conversation with them, so Grace stepped aside, not knowing where to put herself. She looked at Lee again, and this time saw them look at her back. They promptly looked away and Grace saw their ears turning pink. She walked towards them.

"Can I have a word with you?" she said, smiling, for the phrase was familiar.

Lee hesitated. They coughed, trying to do it discreetly.

"Sure".

At first they just looked at each other one at a time, avoiding eye contact. This went on for about two minutes, when Grace finally spoke.

"How are you?"

They looked each other in the eyes. For some strange reason, Grace instantly figured out the answer.

"Struggling".

Another minute of silence passed by, as they stared into each other's eyes. Lee saw a tear sliding down Grace's cheek, which made them look away.

"I'm sorry," she said, so quietly and tenderly that if Lee'd been somewhat upset with her, now it was gone without a trace. They couldn't help but tear up as well, wondering if they could do what they'd been needing for such a long time, but there was no need for that, Grace did it first. She hugged them so tightly and sincerely, and Lee didn't know if they were allowed to hug back. At last they did it. It felt so warm and peaceful, so much better than sitting in a room alone for two years. So much better than talking to no one but a cook who visited two or three times a day. So much better than caring what others thought. It felt at home.

"Stupid, stupid argument," said Lee, still hugging Grace. She replied with a little "yeah".

Lee has never had any friends. They didn't know what qualities and standards one should meet to call themselves "a friend". At that very moment they found out two things: first, there weren't any standards whatsoever; second, Grace met all of them.

Hours passed, as new members of SUGAR learned everything they should know about the case. At first Lee seemed skeptic about them joining, but Grace assured them the girls were trustworthy. To everyone's surprise, Cotton was okay with Georgia joining. He said it's been exhausting lately, and he needed the support from her.

Maddie seemed awfully quiet for a long time, and Grace knew why. Everything Maddie was just told connected the dots, and she felt more and more guilty for stealing the photo, because things could go much faster if Grace still had the picture. That's why as soon as Michael asked her if she had any questions, she immediately came clean.

"Actually, there's something that needs to be revealed, please don't be angry at me, or Grace... or Lee".

She pulled the picture out of her pocket and handed it to Grace. The horse smiled, but then she saw Cotton, looking as curious as the rest of them. Over the past few days he's been proving he can handle everything, no matter how devastating it was. Grace mouthed an "I'm sorry," sighed, and then told them the story of how she found and then lost the mysterious photo. She didn't mention Lee's theory about Cotton being related to the photo, because she still didn't think it was right. The wolf was okay with that.

Cotton didn't seem to care more than others. Of course others freaked out, but it was not as bad as Grace anticipated. Once again, it was a sign not to turn around, as TRF has just gotten even more terrifying.

"Do you think it's Blue?" Cotton calmly asked everyone after Grace finished and everyone had seen the picture. No one seemed to understand.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think it's the blue sheep? The only..."

"The only color they're missing!" Lee exclaimed. Everyone silenced and looked at each other. Maddie gasped.

"No way," said Grace and showed the picture to everyone again. Some looked at it and shook their heads in disappointment, as Grace elaborated, "It's in black in white, but we can still see the wool's hue is lighter than blue".

That was where they got stuck for the day. No new discoveries were made, but it was already enough events: Maddie and Georgia joining, Grace showing the picture. For the rest of the day they chatted and laughed, as sincere as it was possible under those circumstances. Then, when it was already late at night, Cotton, Maddie, and Georgia brought their mattresses on the first floor. The entirety of Something's Up Gang And Reinforcement was now living under one roof. The night was calm, when the minds weren't, for their nemesis was sleeping (or not?) right above them. Who knows what they're plotting?

hey, jupiter here! i'm so commited to it you have no idea. i love writing this so much.