Blend the Light

Chow Down in the Cafeteria

Adrien draws in a second breath, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Well, that could become a wee bit of an issue. We'll have to make sure everyone is on high alert. Karla, do anything you have to to have Arrow wake up. She could hold vital information on Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards; she was there for about ten years, give or take a bit. As for the backpack... I will be watching you much closer, and I will not be sending you on any more rescue missions even though you're among my favourite and best HOWL's for a while. It's a good thing I don't have many good ones left."

"Wait, so you're not going to kill us?" Hawk's eyes hold a wary light.

"Would you like me to?"

"No, no, no. It's ok." My brother holds up his hands as the words rush from his mouth.

"That's what I thought."

"So what are we going to do now?" I ask Adrien.

"Get Arrow to wake up, and prepare for an invasion by Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards," Adrien replies matter-of-factly.

He turns and walks from the room. Karla's by Arrow's side. "You guys must be famished and in dire need of water."

"I'd love something to eat and drink," Hawk and I say in unison.

"Someone will be in to check on Arrow in a few minutes, so let's go to the cafeteria."

"Sounds good," my brother says as he follows Karla out of the room.

The cafeteria is on the bottom floor, so we walk down a level. The smell of a variety of food hits my nose as I pad down the stairs, and my mouth waters. There's the kitchen off to one side, and the doors swing open and closed as someone walks through them. Hawk beelines for the self-serve buffet, grabbing a plate before heaping salads, meats, and other food onto it. I survey the options, then get a plate for myself. I carefully place the different foods onto my plate so there's plenty of room for what's at the end of the line. My stomach aches for something, and I can't help it when I pick up a few carrots and stuff them in my mouth. Karla snickers as she watches me. When I search for Hawk after loading up my plate, he's sitting off to one side of the cafeteria and wolfing down a sandwich. Half his plate is already gone as he inhales it.

"Well, someone's hungry," I tease as I slide into the seat across from him.

"You already ate an awful lot on your way over," Hawk retorts. That's true. I'd eaten the rest of the carrots along with most of the veggies on my plate. We only get a few minutes of quiet eating time before several other people crowd around our table, some sitting down, and some standing. "How's Arrow doing?"

"What's going to happen now?"

"Will Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards launch an attack on us?"

"What did the inside of the Wasteland look like? You never answered me!" We get questions hurled at us, and I bury my face in my hands. I'm so tired and this is overwhelming me. Hawk notices, and says, "quiet down! One at a time. You, ask away." He points at someone.

"How is Arrow?" They steal the question of someone else.

"Arrow's stable, but not awake yet," I reply, my voice just a little bit over a whisper.

"What happened to him? I saw how the final fight went, but he's never lost to Tremor," Someone else asks.

"I'm not sure; I'm not Arrow. My guess is that this is just the first time he slipped up." My voice is soft as I chase a potato around my plate with my fork before violently stabbing it and lifting it to my mouth.

"Why didn't Arrow every say she's a Blender?"

"Why do you think?" Hawk snarls before continuing, "Here it's safe; a large portion of us are Blenders including Jay and myself, but out there, and especially at the Wasteland with Guthrie Harper himself, you'll get killed. Kill first, ask questions later. It was a self defense mechanism."

"Give her some space when she wakes, this'll be new for her, and I doubt she's told anyone she's a Blender," I add.

"What'll happen now? We've got Arrow, so Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards are going to be searching nonstop for their best Gladiator."

"You all will give these tired HOWL's some space so they can eat in peace," A voice says.

"Ah! Thank you, Vladimir." I move over and allow him to sit next to me.

Vladimir Gonzalez plops down in the chair with a sigh.

Sorry this is so short, I just wanted to get something out. So Adrien was understanding!, yay! 

When will Guthrie Harper and the Wasteland guards attack? Will they attack, they'll have to find T-LOOT-D first though. 

Who do you think Vladimir Gonzalez is? 

When is Arrow going to wake up? 

How will she react when she finds out that she's escaped the Wasteland? 

Thank you all so much for reading Blend the Light!

-Werewolf14-