When I've Fallen Too Deep

Chapter 29- Hearth.

Before reading this chapter, know the previous chapter 29 was taken down. I have decided to take a different direction for this book to cure my writer's block.  Thanks for waiting <3

.:WILL:.

The food might have been better if my mind wasn't in the clouds. The events from the other day were still playing in my head. It confused me at levels that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. I picked and pushed at the food around my plate absently while looking off into the distance. A storm was settling in from the west side of camp with a threatening glare. I had been told the occasional rain or snow camp received were mainly blocked from the camp's boundaries unless the counselors decided otherwise. Either way, it worsened my mood immensely.

Most of the campers had already left the pavilion already which left only a few stragglers left who were talking to friends. I glanced over at the isolated cabin thirteen table. Nico was still sitting there with his long black hair blocking his face as he looked straight down at his plate. You could see the tenseness in his body language yet no one else seemed to care enough to notice. When he held his fork, his hands shook with a slight tremble that left my heart in pieces. When someone surprised him, he flinches and reaches for his sword. He barely ever came to dinner, and when he did, he barely touched his plate.

All these tiny details I had picked up on over the past week and a half since the bathroom incident had happened. I had been watching him like he was suddenly going to sprout wings and fly off somewhere. It felt like I was waiting for something big to happen but I just didn't know what yet. Nico had probably caught on to the staring already. If I had to guess, it might have been the reason he had seemed so nervous these few days. My fingers ticked and my eyes watered at only the thought of it. How much self-hate does it take before everything goes numb? Because I'd rather have that then these overcoming senses of guilt and pain. It was selfish, I knew that, but I couldn't help it. It was just so tempting.

Next, to me, someone bumped my shoulder which made me flinch just as Nico did. The instincts were lessening but old habits really do die hard. "Hey, what's up?" Alex huffs, sitting down on the bench next to me.

"Nothing," I respond, eyeing my potatoes.

She looks at my dull expression and then my plate. She could clearly see the lie laced into my words. "No. No, you aren't." She concludes, "Your plate is barely touched and the expression is one I've seen too many in the mirror."

By now our whole table was empty leaving just us. I sighed, "It's just everything, you know? This world is a mess that I can't seem to make sense of. When one thing comes up, and so you fix it. But only resulting in more and more problems doubling."

She hums, "For what it's worth, whatever you're going through, wherever pain, hell, or problem, It's going to be over one day. One day will arise where you don't cry yourself to sleep. One day, you won't have these burdens carried around on your shoulders. You'll get through it all, but until then," she looks me in the eyes, "you just need to hold on."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I mean, I didn't think 'thanks' was going to cut it this time. Her words weren't just smacked together to make me feel better. They were crafted from personal experience, making them so much more personal to her. When she spoke, she meant it. I hadn't known her long but that was one thing I was sure of.

It turned out, though, I didn't need too. Izzy came up and sat down at the empty table before I could respond. "

"Aloha."

"Hey, Elizabeth."

She slides into the bench in front of me. "Do you guys want to go Zeus's Fist in a bit?" She bit her lip and started drumming on the edge of the table. "I go there once and awhile for the view and I figured Will would like to see an overview of the whole camp."