Our third meal is served after training this afternoon. Though I deny food, Alia brings me a plate of chicken, rice, and broccoli with a bottle of water for me to eat.
Her braids are still in her hair, and she worked hard today, despite her back injury. Lily had even insisted I french braided her hair.
I silently eat with Alia while she simultaneously sketches.
As I glance over, I notice it isn't just suits she's been sketching on that notebook.
She's drawing a very realistic soaring crow, I'm in awe of the talented details that take up the entire page.
She takes a quick scoop of her rice and quickly goes back to sketching as she chews.
It reminds me all too well of my moments with Juliette in the cell. She'd stay in a corner all day long and just write in her notebook, not saying a word to me.
The only difference with Alia is that she seems comfortable talking to me.
"Why a bird?" I suddenly question.
Hesitation.
" ....plenty of reasons" Alia simply answers.
"Such as?"
" ...my older sister's name translates to bird in Latin" she explains.
"What was her name?"
"Ava" she whispers, surprising me by even answering.
Ava. The same sounds alarmingly familiar.
She writes her sister's name in a beautiful cursive format along the bird's wing.
"Was she your only sibling?"
"Yes"
" ....she taught you how to draw?"
She smiles a little.
"She'd always get frustrated because she thought my art was better than hers even though she was the teacher"
"How long ago did she..."
"3 years ago, when I was 15"
A sadness takes over her expression.
Time to change the subject.
"That's around the same time I got this" I say and pull back my collar, revealing my tattoo of the white bird on my chest.
She raises her eyebrows.
"Why do you have so many tattoos?" Alia questions. "You're like a textbook with pictures".
"They're popular in the soldier community" I respond.
" ...that explains a lot"
"Why do you say it like that?"
" ....just explains your anger management issues"
"Do you really wanna go there, Miss Antisocial?"
She laughs for the first time and throws her broccoli at me.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" I playfully pout.
"I don't have feelings" Alia denies.
"Maybe not psychologically" I say and pinch her shoulder.
"Ah" she winces and slaps my hand away.
"You definitely have physical feelings" I joke.
"Nice one, Adam. What are you? Like five years old?" Alia laughs and I decide to laugh with her.
I learn that I still have a humor side to me, and so does she.
" ....you know your hair was getting in your way too" she says.
"No it wasn't" I deny.
"Don't they make you shave your head in the army for a reason?"
My hair had finally grown out since then. Its dark and wavy form reminding me of how I looked when I was James's age. I remember, just a few weeks ago, planning to grow it out until it reached my shoulders.
"You could probably braid your own hair at the length its at" she says.
"That's kind of a girl thing" I tell her.
"Can I braid your hair, Adam Kent?" Alia asks.
"Well when you put it that way...no" I answer.
She throws another broccoli at me.
"You're too stubborn" she says.
"Mhmm" I agree and throw her broccoli down her shirt.
"Gross" she laughs.
" ....so are you gonna tell me how you know err...don't know Warner?" I say.
Her smile fades.
I know I wanted to avoid the conversation but I'm curious to know their past and why she doesn't like him either, so that I know its not just me.
"I told you our parents were close" she nods.
" ....just your parents?" I questions.
She looks up, shocked that I'd ask that.
"Warner was engaged to this girl named Ava a year or two back" I say. "I forgot what happened to her".
She stares at something past me with a focused look on her face.
Then she trembles.
"Your sister and Warner were engaged?" I question for clarification.
" ...I don't know the whole story....just that she died in a plane crash during one of his sightings....I don't hate him I just....blame him" Alia explains in a hurt voice.
" ....has he recognized you?"
She quickly wipes away her forming tears.
"We never really met. And the last time we were in the same room I was 15" she says and meets my eyes. "Can we stop talking about me now please?".
I look away and we sit with our backs against the wall, side by side, but not close enough so that our shoulders are touching.
Then I notice Juliette's stare, she's standing across the room with her finished plate of dinner, concentrating like she has a lot on her mind.
About me?
Alia notices too and quickly scoots an inch or two away from me.
Everyone knows what's going on between Juliette and I from our loud conversations in the tunnels of Omega Point and our argument back at the house.
I no longer want anyone to think there is something still going on between us.
She thinks she can just do anything because Warner will put an impossible idea in her mind and manipulate her to believe it.
She's different, and its his fault.
If Juliette had only listened to me.
I ball my hands into fists as she turns away to say something to Warner, probably that she's tired.
Everything is his fault.
"Adam" a soft voice whispers.
A hand, maybe three sizes smaller than mine, gets placed over my fist.
I turn to look at Alia, who's staring down at our hands.
I unclench my fists and face my palms up.
Slowly, Alia places her tiny hand in mine. I intertwine our fingers.
" ...stop being mad" she tells me.
" ...thanks"
