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02x02

Inclement Weather

[currently unedited - if you see any typos / something's wrong please comment :)]

Nia sat cautiously next to her mother, she constantly questioned her about how she felt and every time she would receive a "stop stressing, you're acting as if you're my mother, not the other way round." Nia knew that with her mother's diabetes, and the growing decrease of medicine left on the Ark that none of the doctors would bother saving her. She was already getting a small amount of insulin every day, they weren't about to waste medicine on someone that wasn't important.

"Mom, you need insulin." Nia pressed on, if only her mother would give her permission then she would be able to go find Nigel and help her.

"No. I've already had my supply for today. I'll just sleep it off and I'll be fine." Flora leant back down onto the sofa, and nestled her head into a grey, ratty cushion.

Nia tensed and shook her head. "You can't, what if you don't wake up?" She panicked. Her mother only rolled her eyes and shot her a stern look, even though she was in a fragile, pale state, Flora still managed to look demanding.

"What did I just say? I'm the parent, not you." The young girl pressed her lips together grimly and gave a short nod as she gave in. Not once did Nia move from her spot beside her mother, nor did she ever avert her eyes away from her sleeping form. Nia watched the clock tick every minute, after a gruesome three hour wait, she deemed it appropriate to wake Flora up. She wished her father was home, then he could help her know what to do. But the council had him work long days and rewarded him with a small pay that was barely enough to get his family through the week.

Nia shook Flora's shoulders, pausing after a few seconds. She waited five minutes and sighed when she made no effort to wake up, so she shook her once more. Nia's throat bobbed nervously after ten minutes of attempting to wake her mother up, but still no luck. She paced the room, unsure of what to do. The answer was obvious, she had to go find more insulin, but her mother would never allow her to do it.

Nia hesitantly grabbed a square of paper and wrote a note just in case Flora woke, although she doubted that would happen.

'Mom,

I'm going to get some medicine to help you feel better

Won't be long, I promise.

~ Nia xx'

Nia pocketed her ration cards for the next week and slipped between the crack of the door and walked down the dark corridor. She would rather go hungry for 7 days than have her mother leave her for an infinite number. Nia kept her head down as she passed a group of people conversing in the hall, she feared that if she made eye contact with anyone then they'd know what she was up to and call for a guard.

She arrived at her destination and locked eyes on the person she was looking for. "Well if it isn't the little fire cracker." The older woman smirked at Nia as she neared her. The nick name stuck after a stupid 7 year old Nia broke into Nigel's stash and took a liking to a rare box of matches. She lit 4 out of only 10 that were left aboard the Ark, luckily Nigel hadn't reported her. Although for her to report the young girl, she'd have to reveal her secret stash. For the following two years after, Nigel used Nia to transport items through the vents since she was small enough to fit through them. Once the girl hit 10, she became too big to fit through the small shafts that looped through the space station, and Nigel agreed that two years of shifting illegal items for lighting 4 matches was enough.

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