Something was off about him. Hell, it made sense, but it didn’t make it any less strange to be faced with a Brandon that wasn’t the one Bea was used to. “Would have thought you were used to having to explain shit like that,” she said seriously. Maybe he would think she was joking, she’d correct him if he did. Only part of her thought she shouldn’t have said it at all. “I’d rather explain a bruised face anyways.” Actually, she’d done that, when she and Rae were attacked. On second thought, she wouldn’t want to go through that again.
The sigh of relief that slipped out of her mouth was the only outward sign she let through. But she was glad that the rumors hadn’t been untrue. It was good to know that Evan and Silas were going to pull through. The compound needed them. “Who the fuck told him about the spray painters?” They were trying to get that under control, and hell, Evan didn’t need the stress. “I’m going to kick their ass,” she muttered, then amended with, “unless it was Leah.” Because Leah could say what she wanted to Evan, she had that right. “Guess I should be counting my lucky stars that Ev’s being smart and not trying to deal with it himself.”
Silas. Of course. There still wasn’t a lot of love lost between Evan and Brandon, from what she could tell. When she wakes up. So she hadn’t yet. And personally Bea ddin’t think Brandon looked like he could take much more waiting around. Death looked a hell of a lot better than Brandon Stone right now. “What are you going to do in the security room?” she asked, because she was curious. She’d been in there a little bit in the last couple of days, out of routine more than anything else.
What the hell was up with him? It was the fucking Twilight Zone with him. She hated grief, or guilt or what the fuck ever because it always fucked with the natural order of things. Of people. “Leah’s fine by herself, I’m sure,” Bea countered. “She’ll still be here when you come back.” And if she wasn’t, well, there were two other siblings and a couple cousins that could take Brandon’s place if needed.
She wasn’t really surprised that he’d been spending his time with his sister, since Silas’ room probably meant interacting with Rae, and it didn’t take an idiot to figure out that Brandon and Rae weren’t people who mixed well. In large part because of Brandon. It wasn’t like she was going to ask about it, because he could do what he wanted.
“Fuck,” she muttered, only barely keeping a sigh boxed in her chest. “It’s not like I care if you’re Mary Fucking Sunshine. You need to get out of here, and I’m offering to go with you. Just take it for what it is, why don’t you.” Gentleness just wasn’t something she did, but that didn’t change the fact that he looked like he could use some fresh air, and she wasn’t going to let him off that easy either. “You don’t even have to hold a conversation, I promise.”