Beautifully Invisible { 10k | A Z Nation Fanfiction}

Chapter 3

*Addy's POV*

We sat in chairs around the living room and ate what Warren and Garnett had prepared, which was some sort of soup with crackers. I smiled, as it was the first warm, well-prepared meal we'd shared for a while. Murphy sat in his room to eat, which put Mack a little bit at ease. He had definitely expressed his hatred for Murphy, and how he didn't trust the guy.

Doc began telling stories about his life, which sparked a go-around-the-room-and-share type atmosphere. I glanced around at the other member's faces, and found that Ten Thousand wouldn't look up from his food. It was usual for that kid to be weird and reserved, but something seemed off with him. Anytime Doc spoke, the kid would pay attention but this was an exception.

Warren leaned into Garnett a little bit, pulling her legs onto the tan, suede couch and resting her head on his shoulder after she finished her bowl of soup. I looked at Mack admiringly, snuggling into him more, and wondering if the cutie had seen the same thing as I had. Cassandra laughed as she told about her elementary-school play, and her role as Benjamin Franklin. It was the first time I'd seen a smile on her face since we found her.

Willow didn't speak really. She glanced at the speakers every-so-often, but refrained from speaking her mind. She raised her eyes to 10k occasionally, sending a dagger-throwing glance his way. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Everything okay?" Mack nudged me, drawing me out of my trance.

I looked at him and nodded, returning his attention back to the stories. My mind started to wonder about this girl. A girl we'd just found, who sent me a sickeningly scared request: "Please don't hurt me."

I debated between saying something to the others about her but stayed quiet. She was a loner, who was alone for god knows how long. I wondered what had happened to her, I wondered how she learned to fight like she did. I looked at my ¾ eaten soup. Losing appetite I set it down on the oak coffee table. Noticing the sudden silence, looked up at the group, their eyes on Willow.

"Well, go on," Doc encouraged.

"I-I really don't think I'm that interesting," she squirmed a little under the gaze of everyone.

"Tell us how you learned to shoot that thing?" Garnett offered.

"Or a favourite memory!" Warren enthused.

She scrunched her nose in thought, looking deeply at her hands.

"Okay, well. I learned to shoot because I couldn't handle a gun when my siblings were old enough to learn. I was the youngest, and the smallest compared to my 3 brothers. As much as I wanted to learn, I couldn't handle the kick-back from even the smallest gun, so my dad got me a little long-bow and some arrows. It took an inconceivable amount of time to learn how to use this thing. Guns are easy, because there's a sight and it's a one-size fits all. But I had to learn how to control my breathing, how to change distance and angles of the projectile, and how to make arrows the right way. I prefer it really, because arrows are reusable, and I can make them any time I need to. My weapon is silent. I'm practically an invisible predator with it," she finished, looking up for signs of approval.

"So you don't know how to shoot a gun?" Warren asked.

She shook her head, frowning slightly.

"Well you can handle yourself pretty well with it, so you do you sister," I laughed, giving her the most approving look I could muster.

She smiled at her hands and sat back in her chair. I could feel she was keeping something inside. The way her eyes looked gave it away. I offered to help clean the dishes out and found my way to Willow's door. I tapped my knuckles on it, before cautiously opening it.