𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 - TMR, Gally ¹

𝟢𝟣𝟩，𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞

CH. SEVENTEEN
┗━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━┛

"You're back!" Camil wheels over to the girl the second he sees her. "Awesome!"

She nods, rubbing her neck. "Yeah," with a hoarse voice.

"Come on, we'll get you somethin' to eat." He starts wheeling back to the picnic tables, where some boys are having breakfast, and she follows in silence.

It's like she's walking through butter. Her legs hardly move and when they do, she almost doesn't feel it. Her head is still pounding, along with her heart, slamming against her ribs, which also hurts. Oh, and then her wrist!

"Joan!" Smiling, Frypan places a good amount of food on her and Camil's plates. "Good to have you back."

She nods another time. Sits down across from Camil. Her appetite isn't really there, but she still manages to fill half of her stomach.

"So?" Her friend looks at her with big eyes. "What did you see?" A pause. "Don't feel forced to tell me," he adds.

Joan shrugs. "Chemicals. Fires."

"Well, that helps."

"Yeah, because I really got to choose what to remember," she snaps. Then her eyes wide, and the apology leaves her mouth fast: "Sorry."

"It's alright," he assures. "The Changing ain't nothing."

After a few seconds of silence, Joan gets up to hand her half-empty plate in. Then she debates what activity will keep her mind off things. Perhaps she could make a serum or something. Good-smelling oils have been amazing to make so far.

So she mumbles something to Camil, then makes her way to her hut in a slow pace. Takes the supplies, sits down against a tree trunk, and starts working. Rosemary oil for today.

For if she ever cuts her hair again and regrets it, it'll help. Wow, good thinking.

However, she feels slow and dazed off right now. No intrusive thoughts.

Then there's a cough and she hums in reply, recognizing who it is. "What do you want?" She then spits out.

"Just checking up," Gally says.

"Just go back to Jeff and tell him I'm fine. I don't need you talking to me because you're so experienced, apparently," she tells him.

He clears his throat. "You sure—"

"Yes, dammit I'm sure." Her head snaps up at him. "Leave me the fuck alone."

She doesn't want to think about Gally right now. Not about that stupid fight because she appeared to have betrayed them. Not about him not wanting to forgive her. Not about their relationship through the years. Not about anything.

"Alright," he says.

"Alright," she grumbles.
He's still there after a minute.
"I told you to leave—"

"You're sitting on my box of supplies."

She gets off them so roughly that she knocks her little mixture over, and since it had been boiling above a fire before, it burns her skin when it pours right onto her wrist and hand. "Fuck!" She curses, tears springing in her eyes almost immediately.

Alert, he crouches down next to her. "Gotta put cold water on—"

"Get your damn box and leave," she repeats. "Stop being nice out of a sudden, only because you feel bad or whatever the hell's going on. Just leave me alone."