The Broken and the Rogue ✓

Ch. 5: Meeting the team

Just don't be awkward. I remember myself as I walked down the stairs to have my first breakfast with the members of the rogues.

I had no intention of making friends, it's not like I would know how to do it. My whole life had been lonely, my bullies were my only company and they didn't expect anything from me. 

Still, despite my refusal to socialize, it would be almost impossible to get into the group without any help. And considering the future, it would not be easy to fulfill my tasks in the group if I did not have at least a civil relationship with my colleagues.

So with the least threatening face I could muster I opened the double doors to the dining room.

Just by stepping foot into the room I had all eyes on me. Ignoring my discomfort at the attention I was receiving, I walked towards an empty spot at the end of the glass table.

The wooden floor made a noise with my footsteps. It seemed like everything that could make the situation weirder was going to happen. The squeak of the chair when I moved it confirmed my theory. 

Fantastic. I was expecting a very tense breakfast.

Or so I thought.

"How are you feeling?" Xara asked me, sitting next to me.

"Much better than when I arrived, thank you," I smiled sincerely. She had done a lot to help me heal.

"That's good news, you're going to need to be in your best shape to face the trials," the shaved-haired young man I had met on the day of my escape told me.

"Are you going to train her, Artec?" A man I had never seen asked him. He fixed his glasses on his nose and his green eyes focused on me. "Zaziel said she's going to need help."

"Did he tell you that or did you see it on the surveillance cameras?" Darla asked, resting her hand on Artec's shoulder.

“He probably saw it while he was spying on her, Klaus always has to take a look at the newcomers,” Lion joined the conversation. 

"Don’t say it like that." Klaus threw a paper ball at Lion. "You make me look like I'm some kind of stalker."

"But did you see them or didn't you?" Artec asked, stroking Darla's hand. “Klaus is our tech guy, nothing escapes from him.” 

"I did, but I wanted to make sure nothing was going to happen. I still don't know her well enough to leave her alone with Zaziel unsupervised," Klaus defended himself, running his hand through his blonde hair.

"If there was any problem with it Zaziel could destroy her without even breaking a sweat," Lion commented. "She doesn't need us to watch his back."

The rest nodded. I focused on eating my breakfast but if it weren't for that I would have nodded too. There was no way that could be a threat to someone like Zaziel. 

Artec turned his body toward me from across the table. "So, are you going to need help with training?"

"Zaziel said you'd be happy to have a new student," I explained.

"He gets bored when he has nothing to do," Darla said, caressing Artec's cheek. "Even I would appreciate it if you entertained him a little, I'm getting tired of him following me even to the bathroom."

Artec tried to bite Darla's hand. "Don't be so mean, I'm your mate, we're supposed to be together."

"But not twenty-four hours a day," Xara defended Darla.

“That's what I tried to explain to him but he doesn't understand the concept of personal space,” said Darla. 

She turned out to be much more chatty than I had thought when she showed me my room. The mere presence of her mate made her serious expression relax, they seemed like the kind of couple that balanced between the two.