The Collective

Chapter Ten

Bright light washed over me. I hissed. I didn't want to move. Last time I did, all was not right in the world. I just needed a few more minutes. I curled up, head pressed into the pillow. It lasted all of ten seconds. I was hungry. And thirsty, but mostly hungry. I took a deep breath. I stared at my feet as they hit the ground. Nothing moved. My legs held steady. I pushed myself up. So far, so good.

One foot in front of the other. Simple enough. I shoved my hands in my pockets. They hadn't stopped shaking. I stumbled over my own feet. No hands in the pockets, then.

The dining area was full. I could hear the chatter from down the hall. I forced a deep breath. I could do this. I made it through middle school and high school cafeterias. Of course, no one was actually capable of killing me then...

Nope, I had to eat. And the smells drifting from the room made my mouth water.

The noise amplified as soon as I stepped over the threshold. My heart raced. Whose idea was this, again?

"Annie!" Bearded Man shouted.

I froze, expecting him to be right behind me. He was halfway across the room. He raised his flask in greeting. My arm acted without my permission, shooting up.

He patted the spot next to him. "Poppy made Chicken and Apple Paninis, with Swiss cheese." He held one out.

I took in the room. Everyone seemed to be fine. I took a small bite. I melted. "This is amazing."

Poppy dumped a box of chips on the table. She sank down next to Bearded Man.

I reached for another sandwich.

Poppy smiled. "Ethan said this was your favorite."

The food turned to glue. I'd completely forgotten about that. Drunk me loved everything. I didn't get drunk that often, but when I did, I held nothing back. One day, I got stupid drunk. My dad was diagnosed with cancer. They said it was curable and recommended starting treatment immediately. I lost it. I went out and drank like it was my twenty-first birthday. Turns out it was a misdiagnosis, but I'd stopped answering my phone by that point. I ended up drunker than I'd ever been in my life. Ethan came to pick me up and we passed a panini truck on the way home. I shrieked, demanded that he stop. He bought me a chicken, apple and swiss panini. I gushed about how amazing it was, right up to until I threw up in his car.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah." I flashed a smile.

Sarah waltzed over. She squeezed my shoulder. "You ready?"

"For what?" I scrambled to my feet, not really caring where we were going, as long as it was away.

Sarah led me into the tunnels. "We're going out. Is that all you have?" She gestured to my outfit.

I'd looked better. These were the same clothes Max gave me in the house in the woods. My bag hadn't made it into the cave with me. "Yeah."

"Come on." Sarah led me down a new tunnel. It narrowed. Green and orange lights danced across the ground. A bedroom with bright white walls lied in front of us. The lights moved from the floor to the walls and up to the ceiling. Cans of spray paint littered the floor. There were piles of clothes in one corner and a bed in the other.

Sarah stopped in front of a giant pile of clothes. She seemed to know exactly where to look as she pulled out a low-cut green top, long, red pants and a low cut, chunky, black sweater. She handed them over, plopping down on the bed. She pointed to a silk dressing screen. "There's a shower behind there. Don't use my razor." She pulled a pair of headphones on.