Divided

:Chapter Nineteen:

*****

I open my eyes slowly and yawn, shifting into myself. The rain has slowed outside leaving it mostly quiet outside.

"Lib are you awake? People will probably be coming soon..." Derrick says huskily near my ear and I sit up straight, rubbing my eyes.

"What? Oh... What happened?"  I half whisper, still tired. An arms slides back from around my waist and I yawn again.

"You fell asleep shortly after we got stuck here, I didn't want to wake you up. I figured that's the least I could do." He rubs his neck and I watch him for a second. That's new. We sit there in silence until I hear footsteps outside the door.

"Hey!" Matthew runs in and grabs Derrick by the shirt collar. I see light peeking in through the open door.

"Whoa, I didn't do anything she just fell asleep." Derrick spits looking at him in disgust.

"Am I supposed to believe that? Get out." Matthew says sternly, shooing him away. Derrick brushes his shirt down and smiles at me before walking outside.

"Lib are you okay what-" he starts but stops with the force of my arms thrown around him. He strokes the back of my head and holds me tightly against him.

"I'm fine." I say into his shirt.

"Are you sure?" He asks pulling away and I nod, smiling tiredly.

Matthew and I sit together for a half hour without saying a word. The sky is clear and the air is warm. When it's about 7:00, he stands up and smiles at me.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me?" He asks quietly. I stand up in front of him and smooth down my shirt.

"Um... Sure." I say taking his hand in mine. We walk out of the cabin and down the road to his house. His cabin is welcoming and from the first time I set foot inside I found a warmth I'd only since felt at home. A safe feeling. Like nothing bad could happen inside these walls. He's pulls a small carton of eggs out of the fridge, maybe a box of six, and sets them on the counter by his stove.

"You like eggs right?" He turns and asks smiling.

"Yes. Question is, do you know how to make them?" I laugh.

"Guess we'll find out." He says grinning and turning back to the stove.

*****

Turns out Matthew does know how to make a good egg, probably one of the best I've had actually. I stay for a while after we finish eating, as I have no where I need to be until training starts. We only talk about light subjects, keeping my baggage at bay. I feel less weighed down by this week and more lifted up by his presence and generally cheerful attitude. I walk to training a little before him so we don't arrive together and the yard is already full of people. The guns and ammo are placed on the tables again to my left. I walk to Nick who stands tall, a gun in hand, facing the center.

"Hey..." I say quietly.

"Hey." He elbows my arm lightly. I smile up at him. It's nice to have my friend back, even if he's not quite the same. Matthew walks in a couple minutes after and waves a hand towards the targets.

"You may start." He says sternly locking eyes with me for a second. I lift my gun and aim at the target. Breathe in, breathe out. My finger curls around the trigger softly and I squeeze, hitting the target dead on. A rush of power goes through me like a wave crashes through a riverbed. I lift the gun again and step back. I hit the middle again. It's starting to get too easy.