Breaking the Glass || Agent 38

Chapter Thirteen- Moving On

No, 3 isn't dead btw

Agent 8 struggled to breathe, a bump in her throat as she cried. Her hands trembled violently. The bedroom that was once familiar to her looked blurred and unknown as the world around her seemed to spin.

She caught her breath and tried calming herself down, but panic still prevented her from moving away from the corner of her room. Another episode had happened while she was sleeping.

Her bedroom door swung open. Instead of 4 or 3 walking in, Marie was behind the wooden door with a raised brow.

"Everything okay in here??" She said, the room too dark to see 8 properly.

"U-Uh, yeah." 8 waved. She tried her best to hide her shaking voice and hands.

Marie shrugged and left. "Sleep tight. Don't worry about 3, she'll be all better soon, by the way."

8 sighed and sat back. Since Agent 3 was usually in charge of the apartment rooms, the two had problems adjusting to her absence. Marie volunteered to help out as an apology for disappearing last minute.

8 finally mustered the strength to stand up. She walked out of her room, the apartment still strangely unfamiliar to her. It was clear to see that it was nighttime from the darkness outside the window. 8 walked into the living room, noticing a lamp light on.

Marie and 4 were in the living room. 4 had fallen asleep on the couch where she was previously watching her favorite movies to calm her nerves. Marie put a blanket over the agent, careful not to wake her. She noticed 8 and put a finger up to her lip. She turned back to 4 and smiled.

"Goodnight, 4, sleep tight." She rubbed 4's head and smiled.

Marie pointed to the kitchen before turning the lamp light off. She and 8 met again in the kitchen, where she turned the sink light on and poured herself a glass of water.

"Can't sleep?" She asked.

"Not really."

"I figured as much," Marie said.

8 noticed the way Marie moved around. She seemed sluggish and drained of her energy, and she tried to not use her injured arm as much. Marie wore grey sweatpants and a black tank top, so it was clear to see the bandaged wounds on her arm.

Marie handed the glass to 8.

"Wait, for me?"

"Yeah, you're stressed. I can tell," Marie shrugged, letting out a small wince at the movement of her arm.

Marie leaned against the countertop, her shirt creasing along with her stomach as she slouched. 8 took a drink from the cup. She put it next to the sink, careful not to make a loud noise.

8 hadn't noticed a lot about Marie, but now that she was standing in front of her, the details were clear. Marie wasn't the tallest, and while she was nowhere near Pearl's height, it was still noticeable. Barely hidden by the light, the ends of Marie's tentacles glowed, hinting at the fact she was a firefly squid. She was still as sarcastic as she always was, but 8 could tell that she was taking and accepting her role as a mother figure towards the youngest agents.

"What's on your mind?" Marie said.

8 frowned. "There's just a lot stressing me out."

"I can tell, you seem more nervous than Callie ordering fast food," she snickered, "I can see your hands shaking."

8 hid her hands behind her back. "I just really miss 3.."

"I know, but she's healing okay and she'll be out of the hospital soon. I don't plan on having her take part in agent work for the time being, but I'm sure she'll retaliate."

"That seems like her," 8 chuckled softly, a smile creeping up on her lips.

"Yeah?" Marie turned the faucet on to pour herself some water.

"Yeah! But she's also really kind sometimes."

Marie paused. "Oh? Go on," she raised a brow, her goal to distract 8 from her stress.

"She can be really kind when she wants to be, like when she's talking to me. She's always been nice to me, and sometimes she'd be nice to 4 as well. While I was going through a rough time she offered to stay with me and have me talk to her, and when I was scared they didn't leave my side."

Marie's eyebrows raised.

8 sighed happily, smiling from ear to ear. "I hope she likes the chocolate I got her, it's her favorite. Did you know she likes cherries? I bought her chocolate-covered cherries because of it! I thought that was cu- interesting!"

"Interesting indeed, but maybe buy her some deodorant next time," she joked.

8 chuckled. "I'm glad to have her as a friend. I just hope she's okay by herself in the hospital."

"I'm sure she's fine, she's pretty strong."

8 nodded. It felt weird to her to describe 3 as a friend, especially with her recent discovery when she went on the picnic.

"Hopefully she can move on from this. I'll help her however I can," 8 smiled.

Marie nodded. "Maybe she can help you move on from whatever you were going through, too."

8 smiled widely. "She's already helping a lot, but I think it's about time I start trying, too."