Wings

Chapter 6: Over Breakfast

 **Sorry for not uploading for a week, I didn't upload Sunday because I got back from a camping trip that night where I had no signal on my phone at all and then the TCAs and all so here it is Wednesday and I'm uploading sorry! I will try and stay on a regular schedule of Wednesday and Sunday uploads from now on!**        

I woke to voices the next morning. Lou was speaking at the door. “He has been acting different, have you noticed?”

“Yes and I have no idea why,” Simon’s voice answered.

“Well it’s been ever since-” Lou cut off abruptly as I sat up, the mattress creaking and alerting her that I was awake.

“Good morning Kari!” she called cheerfully. I smiled, my mind busy wondering who and what they had been talking about.

“Oh Kari’s up?” Simon poked his head around the door as he pushed it further open to enter the room. “I’ve got good news, we have a room for you.”

“Thank you!” I gushed, excited to be leaving this ward behind. As much as I liked Lou, I couldn’t take the smell of medicine and cleaner for another night.

“There are two girls staying there now, both around your age,” he continued. “They’re very sweet and are very excited to meet you. I told them we would convene over breakfast today.”

“Sounds great!” I tried to hide my nerves about meeting girls my own age. Before Strazier I hadn’t been the most social and only had a few very close friends who lived nearby. When the coup de e’tat happened, I had lost them as well as my family; to this day I didn’t know if any of them were alive. Over half the citizens of London had died in those first boughts of terror. I wasn’t optimistic that I would ever see any of them again.

“Were due there in an hour,” Simon continued, pulling me from my depressing thoughts.

Walking down to breakfast with Simon, we chatted, me incessantly, as I tried to rid myself of my nerves. I was just meeting people, it would be simple. But I couldn’t shake the part of me that was scared of their judgment.

We waited in a short line for food. I was astounded as we walked down the buffet; there was oatmeal porridge, sausage links, cheese, some fruit. There was more food on the tables than I had probably eaten since I had been on my own!

“Do you guys always eat this good?!” I asked, astounded.

“Only the day after a raid. The boys got back late last night with a whole wagon of food being brought in from the countryside,” Simon explained. “The first day after a raid is always a really really good day.” He laughed a little, a slightly stiff chuckle.

After we had filled our plates, Simon steered me across the room. “The ladies are over at that table,” he told me, motioning. They were sitting across from each other at the table. One had beautiful blonde hair, the kind girls killed for, and a pretty face. Looking at her, a girl couldn’t help but envy her natural beauty. The other had long dark hair, darker than my ordinary brunette. Her back was to me so I didn’t see her face until we sat down. It was very round, but her cheek bones very high, giving her an instant look of natural beauty too.

“Hi, you must be Kari,” she greeted me. “I’m Vanessa, but call me Nessa.”

“Hi Nessa.”

“And I’m Perrie,” the blonde introduced herself.

I greeted her too. They both seemed nice enough.

"Can I just say that I love your hair,” Perrie added. I tried not to gape at her. With her blonde I wouldn’t think she would even bat an eye at anyone else’s tresses. Plus my hair was a medium brunette with a bit of a natural wave, nothing special. In fact, I didn’t think anyone had ever complimented it in my life, even back when I had actually tried to take care of my hair. Now, it was the least of my worries.