The Plague of the Immune

Chapter 3

Michael:

"Lydia." She shot awake with the sound of her name. "We need to eat breakfast." She looked at me with death in her eyes so I took a step back with my arms raised. Coward, she probably thought. Though I guess it's a smart move to back up from a girl who just awoke, I remember hearing that somewhere, maybe from the family I'd forgotten about. I heard a gasp from the door and looked through to see the brown haired girl, Callie, staring at Lydia.

"Oh. My-" Lydia started, she was at the door in seconds, dispite her ankles being chained, gripping the bars tightly. "Callie?"

"Lydia. You awoke." Callie said.

"What... Oh wow." I heard another boy say. I looked across to find the raven haired boy staring at Lydia too. I saw silver lining Lydia's eyes and Callie smiling down at what seemed like her friend. Our door automatically opened for Breakfest and Lydia let me slip past her to guide. But she stopped at Callie's door across the way and held her hand briefly. Other kids passed by quickly, only giving passing a glance at Lydia.

"When will I see you?" She asked quickly, seeming to know we couldn't stop. I saw guards in the other side of the hallway pointing down here and stepping forward.

"Lunch. Now go." Callie released her grip on Lydia's hand and I quickly motioned for her to come. I lead her down and around the corner to the mess hall, I didn't look back. We were the last to arrive.

"This is the mess hall. Callie eats breakfast after us in group two. Then we eat together in lunch, then we eat after her at dinner." I explained, though she seemed lost in thought. She gave a subtle nod and glanced at other people around her. I wondered if there were people here that she knew too.

"Lydia?" A voice behind us said. We were a few steps from the line when we both turned. A boy and girl were there holding their trays staring at Lydia in remembrance. The boy had bright red hair, blue eyes and was twirling his fork in one hand, foot tappig on the floor. The girl had short, curly hair, midnight eyes and a small smile that sent chills down my back.

"Lydia-" the boy stammered again. "I thought you- I thought-" Lydia ran up and hugged them both with a simple embrace.

"I missed you guys so much. I was in a coma this whole time." She explained quickly. They smiled at her wickedly. "Reid... Cleo." She looked at them back and forth as if one will disappear if she looked away for too long. A guard was quickly waking over to see what this was about.

"Um, Lydia. Sorry, but we got to go." She still stared at her friends when I pulled her to the line by the forearm.

"Can we sit with them?" She asked turning to me, her voice broke. When she turned towards the line, sadness flickered on her face, but in a blink, it was gone.

"Yes." I cleared my throat. "There was a guard and he was walking over so I thought, you shouldn't get in trouble. Expessially since it seems your prone to it." I said cautiously, but her eye brows still rose.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said stareing right at him. I broke the stare and looked back, she was still stareing. "I get it. Since I led a riot and I already, almost got in trouble twice with the guards now... but you probably thought I didn't notice that either..." Her voice trailed into a small smile that I had a right to be slightly afraid of. I'd been trying to lay low, knowing that I would cause more trouble bringing attention to myself. I guess things were going to be different... With her.

She stared at me again, cool calculation blew behind those eyes that showed nothing, but intelligence. I guess needs were intimidating. I noticed her eyes weren't only gray, they were ringed with blue around the center and they flared with a slight arrogance when I didn't back down again. But there was also something else, innoticed it right when she woke up. A shadow, a darkness behind those intimidating eyes. I realized I was lost in thought and still stareing into her eyes.

"I guess I underestimated you." Was all I could think to say.

"Like everyone else." She said a moment later when she grabed an apple and averted her gaze. She let me win that unspoken battle of stares, I knew it for a fact. "Like everyone will." I swear I heard her say that before she got a bowl of oats and went to find her friends.