Genesis

A Pesto-Orange Apology

     I poured the boiling contents of the pot into the strainer, watching as the water seeped out, leaving only brown rice to be seen, before taking a spoon and scooping it all into a paper plate. I handed it to Autumn.

     "Thank you so much, Quinn," she told me, "I'm sorry for being such a trouble."

     "Hey, it's no problem. Really. And it's not like we were going to make you eat canned food," I said, smiling, "Tell me again, why can't you have the canned corn?"

     "It's not safe for the baby," she said, caressing her enlarged belly, "Canned food usually contains a chemical called BPA, bisphenol A, which can cause birth defects."

     "How do you know all this stuff?" I asked her.

     "Well, there's a library in juvie, and they let us use it on account of good behavior. I take my time there to read up on pregnancy," she explained, "You know, in a way, I'm actually really glad that this whole apocalypse thing happened."

     I raised my eyebrow, "How come?"

     She bit her lip, "After I gave birth, they were going to take my baby away from me. Now that there's no juvie anymore, and probably not even a government, we get to stay together."

     "And you still don't know whether the baby's going to be a boy or a girl?"

     "No," she smiled warmly, "I wanted the gender to be a surprise."

     "Hey," I heard a deep voice say, turning to see Dorian had walked up to us. I noticed Autumn's eyes widen when she saw him. My grip on the armrest tightened.

     "I just wanted to give you some spinach pesto I found. And this orange," he said, handing them to Autumn, who took them cautiously. There was another silence as Dorian's eyes darted between Autumn and me, and I noticed something of a guilt-ridden expression covering his face. Dorian spoke again.

     "I-I should probably go--,"

     "No," Autumn said, "Please, stay."

     I was surprised by how collected she looked. Everybody else in camp now flinched at his presence. He bit his lip, before taking a few slow steps and coming to a stop a few meters in front of us.

     "You're not going to sit down?" she asked him.

     "No, I'll stand, if that's okay," he mumbled, rubbing his hands nervously in front of himself as he kept his eyes trained on the ground.

     There was another awkward silence as Autumn and I glanced at each other, a second before Dorian decided to speak again.

     "I'm so sorry, Quinn."

     His behavior puzzled me. He was so different from the enraged sadist who almost killed Jax earlier.

     "For what?" I asked him, confused.

     His eyes darted upwards before they fell down to the ground again, "For going off like that. I really hate that side of myself, and I do everything I can to keep it under control... but when I thought Jax was going to lay a hand on you, I--,"

     His apology came to a sudden stay when I stood up and put my arms around him. After a moment more, he wrapped his arms around me too.

     "It's okay," I told him, relieved that he was back to himself, "Just... you can never do that again. Promise me."

     "I won't," he whispered, exhaling deeply and pulling me closer to him, "I promise."

     "Good," I said, pulling back from the embrace, "You okay?"

     "Yeah," he replied, "I just have to take another walk, clear my head. Will I see you later?"

     I smiled, "Yes, of course."

     He smiled back at me, "See you later. Bye, Autumn."

     "Bye," she smiled warmly as he walked away. After I sat back down, I noticed Autumn looking intently at me.

     "What?" I asked her, puzzled.

     She smiled even wider, "You two are adorable."

     I bit my lip as she looked at me for a moment longer, before we both burst into fits of laughter.

     We quieted abruptly when a girl approached us, the blue ombre of her black hair catching my attention. Autumn looked up at her.

     "Hey, Christy," she greeted her.

     "Hey, Autumn, Quinn," Christy said, sitting down next to us as I wondered once again just how many strangers knew my name.

     "Hi," I said as Autumn noticed the confused look on my face.

     "Quinn, this is my best friend, Christy."

     "Oh, um, nice to meet you," I said, outstretching my hand. Christy took it, shaking my hand lightly.

     "Nice to meet you too," she said in a voice so quiet I wondered if I had imagined it.

     "Quinn," Autumn caught my attention, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

     When I shook my head, she spoke again, "Go eat then. I'll be fine here, I've got Christy with me."

     She smiled warmly at me as I stood up, "Okay. I'll see you guys later then."

     "See you later," Christy said quietly. I smiled before starting to walk away.