Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
your pov
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of damp wood and stale smoke, the dim light from a single, flickering bulb barely illuminating the cracked walls and sagging ceiling. Sevika moved with a quiet ease, dropping into a chair at the rickety table, lighting her pipe without a word. I had followed, slumping into a chair opposite her, the wood creaking beneath me as I grabbed the half-empty bottle on the table and took a slow, deliberate sip. The burn of the alcohol was sharp, a brief warmth against the cold settling into my bones.
It had been an hour, but it honestly felt like minutes with her. It's like, for a couple of minutes we wouldn't speak, but so honestly enjoyed the company no matter what. Even if I lowkey forced her to hang out.
Sevika broke the silence first, exhaling a cloud of smoke that curled around her in lazy spirals. "What ever actually happened with you and Vi?" Her voice was rough, worn down like gravel under a shoe.
I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping against the side of the bottle. "She wanted to join the topside," I said slowly, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. "Said Powder was long gone, and wanted to turn her in." I took another drag from my blunt, the smoke filling my lungs. "I didn't agree, so I left."
Sevika didn't react, just watched me with those cold, calculating eyes. She didn't need to say anything. The silence was its own kind of judgment. But I kept talking.
"At the fight yesterday..." I paused, my grip tightening around the bottle, knuckles turning white. "She defended Caitlyn. Called out to warn her, like I wasn't even there." I shook my head, bitterness rising in my throat. "I was behind her, trying to protect you, and she chose Caitlyn."
Sevika let out a short, humorless snort, leaning back in her chair. "Funny," she said, passing the bottle back to me, "how you two grew up together. And now look at you."
I took a long drink, letting the silence settle again. "People change," I muttered, staring at the cracked ceiling as if it held answers. "She has. Even in such a short time."
The only sound was the soft creak of the shack as the wind pressed against it. I fiddled with Sevika's lighter, watching the flame flicker and die with every snap of my thumb. "Sometimes," I said quietly, "I wonder if in another life, we got it right. No topside, no Undercity. Just one city. Just us."
Sevika regarded me through the haze of smoke, her expression unreadable. "You're good at dreaming," she said finally, the corner of her mouth twitching in something that wasn't quite a smile.
I laughed, bitter and hollow. "It's all I've got left."
The air inside felt suffocating, thick with smoke and regrets. I pushed myself up, swaying slightly as the room spun. "I need air. Real air. Even if it's just more polluted trash." I already knew the expression she was giving me right now, the judgement. "Don't even start." I told her without glancing back, slurring the last of my words.
