Listen

31

31

The feeling of excitement burst into the air. Sam, Emily, and Finn had darted forward to the waiting group. Emily threw herself into Olive's open arms. She pushed her head into Olive's chest. As I passed by them, I could hear their stumbling whispers to each other.

A gust of wind flew by me as Sam hurried by to a short girl who was covering her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and spun around in a circle. Her legs kicked out and she let out a squeal of delight. I turned around to see Finn's entire family clamouring around him. He disappeared into the crowd of them. I glanced around again at the three meetups with my stomach tightening. The surge of emotions washed over me and drenched me in a cold feeling. I chewed the inside of my cheek as my eyes were hit by a warm wetness. A hand tapped on my back.

Michelle stood smiling at me. Before I could say anything, she pulled me in close to her. Her perfumed scent engulfed me instantly.

"It's nice to see you again darling," she murmured in my ear. A shudder ran down my spine at the sudden closeness, but I began to warm up and loosen my posture. She gave me a final squeeze before letting go. She kept one hand on my back as she guided me over to her family. I received a few pats on the shoulder as I made my way to Finn. His mouth turned up at the corners while his hand reached out to mine. Our fingers tangled together, sending a familiar feeling through me.

We were surrounded by movement as everyone came to form a semi-circle around Adrian. Littered around him were several duffel bags. With a hand gesture, our hosts moved forward and picked up the bags.

"I've managed to get some stuff for you all," Adrian started, "Here's some guns and ammunition."

Finn's brothers, Charlie and Drew, dumped their bags at our feet. Bending down, I unzipped one as Beth did the other. My hand trailed against the weapons' bumpy, cold bodies. Their starkness pricked my skin and sent a coolness through me. I lifted one slightly to feel its weight. The heaviness of it reminded me of my training. It had been awhile since I had one on me, but I wasn't looking forward to having it now. Especially with the possibility of needing to use it.

My attention was distracted by Adrian saying, "Sam, I haven't forgotten about what you asked me to bring. Here."

Sam's little sister staggered over with a bag in her arms. As she passed it to him, she said, "I think I've got everything you would need out of your room."

Sam took it out of her arms and gave her a quick side hug. Hopping forward out of the line-up, Michelle brandished another smaller bag. "I've brought you all some food. It should last at least another couple days."

The mere movement of the bag sent a delicious smell wafting over to us. My mouth began to water at the scent of freshly baked bread. Behind me, someone's stomach released a loud rumble. I turned around and glanced at Hector. He was running his hands across his torso with a slightly pained expression.

"That smells real good," he chimed longingly. Michelle opened the bag and passed him a roll. He nearly snatched it out of her hands before he ripped off a piece and shoved it into his mouth. I took a look at Tate who was watching him carefully.

Gesturing to the others to take some food out of the bag, I beckoned Tate to follow me away from the group.