ADRONITIS (II) : tmr minho

3: I could be Vulnerable

Michelle 3:

That new Greenie is shucking ugly, and I don't know whether or not I want to punch him or those shuck Baggers more.

"I don't like him," Gally mutters beside me.

It's late, and though it's technically not lights out, everyone's fast asleep. I saw Minho and Dawn sneak off to his bedroom, with that big fat Cook laughing after them. I thought they might play it safe, but of course I was wrong. There are no consequences for those Alby likes.

"Alby or Dave?" I peer over at Gally out of the corner of my eye. I don't get too comfortable though.

"I meant the Greenie," he hisses through his teeth, before glancing over at me. "Them as well though."

I didn't talk to either of them today. Dave tried, but we didn't speak. We haven't spoken since that night. Maybe I've been avoiding him, although I would never admit to that. He's going to want to talk, and to feel.

I'm only here to feel with my hands. Fists that punch and grip. Nails that scratch against backs, and lips that beg and plead. Any sort of feeling involving my brain is something I am trying to avoid. Dave is a talker, and he's going to want to talk about what happened.

"He was going to banish me," I choose to ignore Dave. "No backbone."

Gally rolls his eyes, throwing a stick beside him into the fire. The bone cracks and cackles into the night once it hits the flames. Sometimes I feel like the stick and sometimes the fire. Is it possible to be both?

Fire burns because it eats away at kindling, and kindling dies to feed a fire. All the time I seem to be eating at myself in a never ending painful cycle.

"Well, he didn't." I wait for Gally to tell me he helped call Alby off, but he doesn't. Leo told me that Gally helped me.

Dave held Ben back, but Alby saw me free. Besides, I handled Ben by myself anyway. Half of me wants to tell Dawn, but the other half knows I won't. Gally doesn't take any of the credit for how he helped me, even though I wait for him to do so.

"Besides," Gally continues, "Alby's the least of our problems with that Greenie here."

I don't really care about the Greenie and his ugly shuck face. I already know and talk to enough people. There are what now, six? Seven? That's too many people for me to know. I was perfectly content to only talk to Alby and Dave anyway.

"Oh slim it," I mutter it, and Gally only glares at me.

Gally shakes his head, curling his fists in on themselves. "You don't know what I saw."

I've seen the shank too, and he's not much more than a shank.

"You gonna beat him like you did Dave?" I ask, more curious than actually caring. "We already have to rebuild the structure tomorrow."

"Not we," he corrects, crossing his arms over his chest. "Alby pulled you to the Slicers, didn't he?"

I shrug. Like yes, but I know the Keeper and I doubt I'll actually work for him. A couple weeks ago, I broke into his place and started going at the meat with a knife, and let me tell you the Keeper isn't that fond of me. He found me tonight, and told me not to step a shuckin' foot into his meat locker. Believe me, I'd rather die than head in their anyway.