Project Meyburn

8

Amber

Soon enough, the meeting came to an end, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up. We weren't going home. We couldn't go home, at least not any time soon. It was a bittersweet moment I guess. Sure, I had no damn clue what all this meant, and I was scared as hell for my parents, but I also knew that they'd want me to be safe. And this was as safe as it got. So the least I could do for them was spread my wings and get out of my shell or however that saying goes.

I was eventually told I had to get up, so I held my head high despite my impending exhaustion, and followed a group of teens to the mess hall. Supposedly they would be handing out snacks for the night and sending us off to our rooms to unpack and rest.

The auditorium and mess hall, as well as some locker rooms and sleeping quarters, were all stationed on the first floor of the three-story facility. The second and third floors were strictly prohibited to us unless we were getting a routine medical check-up. Lieutenant Davis also briefly mentioned that we could spend some time outside in the courtyard if the weather was nice, since it was sanctioned off by the facility's gates.

It was all very overwhelming, so I tried not to panic too much and instead focussed on the task at hand. Eventually we were all herded down a packed hallway and into the cafeteria. Rows upon rows of tables were lined up all around the room and along one of the stone walls was a buffet counter where it looked like our meals would be served. They have this whole thing very organized, considering this quarantine just started a few weeks ago. What could I say, I never had much faith in the government in the past; I just wasn't really one to pay attention to politics. I was given rules, so I followed them—that's how I rolled.

Groups of kids instantly sat down in their own little pods and started to converse and eat the provided snacks, despite the horrifying news we had just gotten. Everyone appeared to have calmed down a bit, or it was just the shock weighing in. But it occurred to me then that some of these kids were far too young to possibly understand the extent of this situation. They're far too young to have to live like this, I thought bitterly, surveying the room for a quiet place to sit.

Medical personnel and soldiers moved about the room handing out sheets of paper and returning bags and belongings to their owners. I scanned the room quickly for Officer Brown, but he was nowhere to be seen. I figured they were only letting so many people into the room at one time so that it didn't get too clustered with potentially infected adults.

A little kid shoved his way past me, bumping into my arm that was still sore from having blood drawn, but I was too tired to complain. I need food. I wasn't exactly hungry, and I was fairly positive I would throw up later, but I was not going to miss anything else important tonight, so I needed energy.

Keeping my head down I made my way through bunches of kids. One little girl was on the floor with a blanket stuffed in her chubby hands. She couldn't have been much older than six. A few teens huddled around her, trying to keep her busy and distract her from the chaos, or to distract themselves.

Once I made it to the counter, I took in the enormous bowls of various fruits, veggie platters, and random snacks. I immediately went for the fruit, completely ignoring a lady trying to hand me a paper plate. I snatched a green apple and a banana, and shoved them into the large kangaroo pocket on my hoodie. Leave it to me to eat my despair away. I almost laughed at the thought. Hey, at least the food is somewhat healthy, and these were just snacks.

I noticed one last pack of those mini Oreos sitting in a bowl and reached for it. Just as my hand connected with the cookies, something pulled on my sleeve. I peered between my extended arm and the table and found a little boy standing at my waist. He looked up at me expectantly, his shaggy brown hair almost covering his icy blue eyes. I smiled at him kindly, though I didn't know what he wanted. I was worried that he had caught me stashing my fruit, but that wasn't the case. He pointed at the last packet of Oreos that was now in my hand. "What, you want these?"