Making sense of a shifting landscape
Characters: Edan & Matt Setting: The courtyard, just after 7am.
At the alarm, Edan was up and moving, but practicality had her withstanding the ear splitting noise long enough to at least throw on a bra and grab the sweatshirt of Matt's he'd loaned her and she'd kept. Hearing the door shut behind her was jarring enough but testing it to find it locked was worse. It took her a moment to see that people were headed towards the greenhouse, but once she started that way the sinking feeling didn't change. They were moving rooms. They had half an hour and the countdown had already started. She made a ĂȘtre of the new number, realizing it was back in the other block. She couldn't get back in her room and without anything else to do she headed that way, eyes searching for the new room, but also someone else, a name she'd looked for without meaning to.
Spotting him she reached for his arm, breath shortened from the rush toe get to the right side. "Matt, what's going on?"
For his part, Matt had already been up and dressed when the alarm had sounded but that had been little comfort when he found the door had been locked behind him. Turning round to see the large screen by the gym, it only took a moment for him to read it and when the implications set in, he couldn't stop the snarl of frustration that bubbled through his lips or the fist that lashed out and connected with what was apparently now the door to his old room.
The gesture of course achieved nothing except ridding him of the skin across his knuckles and sending pain blossoming through his hand that he knew was going to bruise horribly in probably a matter of minutes. Cursing his own behaviour as he made his way downstairs to the courtyard, he tried to focus on cataloguing on who was leaving the block and who would be added instead of the work he had lost, sealed behind a door he could no longer get through.
The sight of Edan's name on the list helped ease a little of his anger and her arrival pushed it away a little more but tension was still radiating through him even as he made the effort to stop scowling for her benefit. "I presume our overseers in their infinite wisdom have decided things weren't interesting enough with their experiment and have decided to shake the bottle as it were," he replied, voice tight.
That he even felt different made her more nervous. "I don't have anything other than what I'm wearing," she said softly. She found his hand, curling her fingers around his. She knew she needed to get to her new room, but lingering with him was soothing even if Matt seemed upset.
A look of concern flittering across his face, Matt was about to reply when Edan caught hold of his hand and instead let out a hiss of pain, unable to stop himself.
Edan jerked her hand away, not sure what she'd done. After a moment she reached for his, pushing his sleeve away to reveal the damage he'd done to his hand. "What happened?"
"A very rash decision I regretted making right away," he replied, looking faintly chastised as he flexed his fingers, the joints already starting to swell. "Needless to say I was not happy when I realised I was not going to get back into my room."
She touched the bruises with a ghost of a finger, then bent to kiss an unbruised part. Despite her own fears she fell back on what she'd always fallen back on: structure. "You have to take care of yourself," she told him gently. "This will be fine. We will make it fine." At least they were together. It was better than thinking of Matt lashing out in anger. That was terrifying.
Face growing warm as she kissed him, Matt couldn't help smiling a little and with his uninjured hand, reached up to cup Edan's cheek. "I'm glad you're here with me Edan," he said quietly, leaning forward so his forehead could rest against hers.
"Glad we are here together." She nodded against his head then leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Go to your new room. I'll come find you later okay?"
"Okay." Pulling back, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then to her lips. "You will let me know if you need anything or me to do anything won't you?"
"Of course I will " Edan promised though she wasn't sure she meant it. She'd take care of herself the little voice in her head insisted. "Go. I'll see you soon." She lingered for only a moment, then started towards her new room.
Matt watched her leave, giving a small wave as the distance between them increased and then only when she had disappeared inside did he turn and head towards room thirteen.