reflections | detroit become human

ten.

disbelief

Tessa felt empty.

She'd never experienced the presence of death before – even if the death was of something that wasn't exactly alive.

Her heart hung heavy as she processed the previous events that had just occurred. Connor dying in her arms. Connor being taken away from her. The tears that felt like they were never ending. The overwhelming feeling of grief after loosing her friend – someone who she genuinely cared about.

The next morning came along slowly, the squad having a debrief in their room. Tessa and Peter were stood around a table at the back, both surviving on little to no sleep.

"You doing okay?" Peter quietly asks the girl next to him.

She glances at her friend with a small smile, happy that she had someone for support. "I'll be okay. And you?"

Peter just nods in response as their captain enters the room.

"I know some of you are still shook up from yesterday's events, but I'll need to you pull yourselves together for the next few days – we have important training to complete." Captain Johnson tells everyone, standing at the front with someone missing by his side.

"If you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out," He says, specifically looking at the two recruits in the back. "We need you at your best."

The debrief is wrapped up quickly, the captain leaving the room after he informs his squad on some other news. As Tessa and Peter leave the room, the girl is stopped by the call of her name.

"Tessa!"

She turns around to see Dillon struggling to keep up with them, but she doesn't bother to slow down for him.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sor–"

"Don't even fucking start, Dillon," Tessa cuts him off, giving him a glare. "I don't wanna hear any of your shit."

The boy looks back at her with an upset expression. "Tessa, I – I didn't mean to–"

"I don't care, okay? I just can't believe you're still here."

The girl turns away from him without letting him respond, Peter following close by.

The rest of the day continues in a blur, Tessa feeling nothing but numbness. As she makes her way to her room in the evening, she spots Captain Johnson coming from the other direction.

"Captain!" She calls out to him, wrapping her fingers around the straps of her bag.

He meets up with her in the middle of the hall, greeting her with a nod. "García. How are you holding up?"

"I've been better. I wasn't exactly expecting to have to deal with the death of a friend while training here," She tells him with a quiet fake laugh, trying to cover her sadness up with humour. "He was such an essential part of the group. I mean, I might be dead myself if it weren't for him."

"I agree. It was nice having an assistant to do all the complicated work for me." He jokes, understanding the girl's current state.