Dead struck

Chapter Eight

Harlow was up before I was, but then again, everyone was up before I was. Lia waited in the basement for me, saying that they thought I needed my rest after my travels, while all the other girls had gone upstairs for breakfast. Lia encouraged me to wear their clothes, but I slipped back into my jeans and t-shirt. It felt safer somehow. 

 When I went upstairs, I found Harlow in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl. She wore one of their ill-fitting garments, a pale yellow dress, and her hair had been pulled back in an intricate braid, matching several of the other girls' styles. Harlow laughed and smiled brightly at me with flour on her nose, and I realized sourly that she thrived in this environment. Really, I should've known. She had done wonderfully in the quarantine. Harlow had been the girl that everyone liked. 

I kept to myself a lot, and that's that probably what drew me to Vega. In the kitchen, several girls ran about to cook or do things, but Vega was nowhere in sight. Nevaeh forced me to eat some kind of weird tasting toast. I was about to ask where the boys were when Lazlo rushed in from the dining room. His skin had gone pale, and his wide smile managed to look relieved and terrified. Like me, he stuck with his street clothes, and he had a hand shoved in his back pocket. 

"Did you sleep okay?" Lazlo asked and ran a hand through his hair. 

His eyes darted around the room, trying to keep sight of all the girls flitting about, and he stepped closer to me. 

"Yeah. Slept great," I gulped down the toast without really chewing. 

It tasted sour and flat, and I didn't even want to know how they made it. 

"How about you?" 

"Yeah," Lazlo said, staring intensely at Nevaeh as she left the room. 

Lia had been wiping a counter with a rag, but when Nevaeh left, she moved a bit closer to us. She stopped, twirling the rag in her hands, and smiled sheepishly. 

 "Did you get enough breakfast?" Lia asked him. 

Lazlo was too preoccupied to read how she looked at him, all doe-eyed and dreamy. I don't think she recognized him, but he was an attractive young guy, and she was a very sheltered young girl. He took her gazing offensively, though, and moved closer to me. 

 "Yeah." Lazlo nodded, refusing to even look at her. 

 "Good morning!" Korech boomed and appeared in the kitchen doorway. Lia blushed and lowered her eyes. Korech walked over to us, and Lia mumbled an excuse and hurried away. 

"Morning," I said, still trying to swallow the awful toast. 

 Lazlo moved so he was almost behind me. He bowed his head, looking as if he wanted to disappear into the cupboards. Korech glanced at him diffidently before settling his gaze on me, and I forced a thin smile at him. 

 "I trust you slept well," Korech said, putting a strong hand on my arm. 

 To onlookers, it probably appeared to be a comforting, warm gesture, but I only felt him trying to show his strength and dominance over me. 

 "I was just telling Lazlo that I slept fantastic," I smiled as wide as I could and leaned back against the counter, pulling my arm away from him. 

He was much stronger and bigger than me, but that didn't mean I would let him dominate me. 

"That's excellent news." Korech crossed him arms over his chest. "We're going to be having our morning worship shortly, and we would love it if you joined us." 

 "Yeah, I'll be there," I nodded. I wasn't ready to rock the boat quite yet, not without talking to Harlow, and I didn't even know where Blue was at.