Seperation // Gally x Reader

Chapter Nine - Observation

Gally's POV

My head snapped upright as two sharp claps punctuated the dimness in the room. A wiry man with a salt-and-peppered beard stood on a makeshift platform, his gaze sweeping across the rows of tables. "Alright, listen up!" He bellowed; his voice surprisingly jovial for his superior stare. "Shift your asses. I don't wanna have to say it again."

Confused, I glanced around. Everyone else seemed to understand the message, getting up from their tables and moving towards the staircases. Some grumbled, others stretched, but all looked as though they were ready to settle in for the night. "What's happening?" I whispered to Christopher beside me.

He didn't reply, simply shot me a withered glare before trailing behind Reece and Vella towards the Eastern staircase. I felt a small creep rush up my neck. I was clearly missing some unspoken rule, a greenie lost in a sea of seasoned faces. After standing there awkwardly for a good minute, Valentino pushed his shoulders against the flow of people, and tugged on my arm, pulling me up the Western staircase and arriving at my door.

"Night, Gale." He murmured, pushing me through the frame. I trip over my feet, only adding to my confused expression. "You good?" He asks. I move towards my bed and slump down on it, peering over to him. "Yeah, it's just a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it," he says with a dry laugh and a shake of his head. "Alright, since you obviously don't understand, let me break it down for you. Those two claps? That's taps. Our way of saying it's time to hit the hay. Usually means lights out in 10."

Right, so that's what it was. "Got it. Thanks," I said, giving him a tight-lipped smile. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Plenty. But we can get into that tomorrow. Sleep tight, newbie." With that, Valentino exited my room and closed the door behind him. Newbie. That's what he'd called me. It sounded... wrong. Unfamiliar. I missed when all new members were called 'greenies' or 'green beans'. It was much more friendly. Well, except for when I used it.

I lay back, resting my head on the feathery pillow. Closing my eyes, the darkness felt no longer oppressive, but a blank canvas for the plans and questions swirling in my mind. This was a different kind of atmosphere than I'd ever known, but hopefully, with Valentino as a guide, it wouldn't be too trying.

Sleep, when it came, didn't erase my confusion, but at least it offered me some fuel for the days ahead. Days filled with learning, training and fighting. I suppose I was part of something bigger now, and slowly, I was starting to understand the rules of the game.

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A sliver of sunlight, restless in its intrusion, pierced through a gap in the boarded-up window, landing squarely on my eyelid. I swatted at it with a groan, an unexpected tidal wave of exhaustion hitting me with a delayed effect from the day before.

Just then, a loud voice, laced with amusement, sent me into a spiralling headache. "Rise and shine!" I didn't stir. I heard heavy footsteps pace towards me before a rough shaking rumbled through my shoulders. "Seriously, Gale, get up. You're going to miss breakfast."

The promise of food prompted me to sit upright, careful not to headbutt whoever was talking to me. After a few rubs of my drowsy eyes I realised that, of course, it was Valentino. "Mornin'," I mumbled, my voice slightly muffled by a yawn. "Morning? It's basically afternoon at this point. But I'll let it slide just this once- first day jitters." He said with a wink.

He holds a mug out towards me, and I accept it with a grimace. The concoction inside smells vaguely of burnt herbs, but the warmth radiating from the chipped ceramic felt strangely comforting. After taking a sip, nausea hit me hard. "Maybe a little less jitters, a little more... whatever that was."