CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ALICE
The following weeks are surprisingly quiet.
I haven't gotten into any more arguments, and for the most part,
the chaos has stayed at bay.
Zade barely bothers me; hell, he barely even looks at me.
Not that I want him to look at me, obviously.
I have enough on my plate without his golden eyes tracking my every move.
Anyway...
We're currently in the cafeteria, and
Mio has finally introduced me to Ellie.
Ellie is one of the most expressive and
caring people I've met at Oakhaven,
second only to Mio.
But there's something odd about her.
She's always rushing—fleeing the classroom or the cafeteria at a moment's notice.
I suspect she has some issues she's keeping close to the chest,
but in this place,
everyone has secrets.
"This is heaven." Mio stuffs her mouth with rice and chicken, looking completely blissed out.
"That it is," I say, sipping my Coke as I watch Ellie.
She's eating with a ferocity that's almost startling, as if she's afraid someone might take the plate away.
"I can bring you some more tomorrow if you like it so much," I tell her.
I didn't mean to embarrass her, but Ellie's cheeks immediately turn a bright, dusty pink.
I've learned to cook for myself out of necessity; I barely touch the cafeteria food if I can help it.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you, Ellie.
I just... uh... if you like it, I'll bring some tomorrow."
I try to change the topic, feeling the awkwardness settle over the table.
"You don't have to trouble yourself, Alice," she says, finally finishing her meal and setting the fork down.
I'm about to tell her it's no trouble at all when a bottle of orange juice is slammed onto the desk.
I look up to find Marcus grinning at me like a fool.
"I am in no mood for your nonsense, Marcus. Go away."
I grab my plate, intending to head toward the cafeteria basins, but he blocks my path.
"It's not nonsense, Alice. It's called basic manners," he says, twisting the cap off the bottle and shoving it toward me.
He has been a persistent son of a bitch.
To be honest, he seems to track my every move.
I try to tell myself he cares, but growing up without a family teaches
you many things—the most important being how to develop deep-seated trust issues.
"It's not poisoned, I swear," he says, his grin softening.
I take the juice and take a sip.
The cold liquid cools my system instantly.
But as much as I'm touched by the gesture, I don't actually like orange juice.
I walk back toward Mio and hand it to her.
"There. I took a sip. Now it's her turn, Marcus."
We eventually move out of the cafeteria.
Ellie excuses herself to go find her
boyfriend—Nathaniel, who happens
to be Zade's friend. Poor soul.
I wonder if she knows what she's
getting into with that group.
I walk a few steps ahead of Mio as she finishes the juice.
The sun is bright, the hallway is loud,
and for a second, everything
feels almost... normal.
"Watch out!!"
I barely have a second to turn my head.
Crack.
A hard object strikes my temple with sickening force.
Suddenly, everything goes hazy.
The earth... it's moving.
Why is it moving? I think I hear someone screaming my name—Mio's voice,
maybe—but the sound is muffled, like I'm underwater.
The next thing I know, the floor is rushing up to meet me.
My body lands on the ground with a dull thud.
The light flickers.
The world spins. And then, everything goes black.