three. (white lies)

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THREE |  "something's off"

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   "NOVA, me and Harlo have been waiting for you for—" Astoria is forced to stop mid-sentence as she walks into Nova's tent to find her still asleep, which is unlike her as she never misses breakfast

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"NOVA, me and Harlo have been waiting for you for—" Astoria is forced to stop mid-sentence as she walks into Nova's tent to find her still asleep, which is unlike her as she never misses breakfast. Suddenly, Nova's mind seems to wake up at the appearance of Astoria and she jolts up into a sitting position. Her hair is all over the place, and she blinks harshly a few times to try and wake herself up.

"Astoria, what are you doing?" Her voice is a little croaky and her words come out rather slurred — she's still processing the fact that she's only woken up, whilst figuring out why her best friend is practically standing over her with a concerned look.

Astoria laughs. "What am I doing? What are you doing? Breakfast is over and you never miss breakfast. In fact, you're always up way before the fruit is even out."

The realisation soon hits that maybe staying out for most of the night on two consecutive days is going to take a toll on Nova. And the fact that she hasn't told anyone, not even her two best friends, about visiting the boy in the bunker makes her feel an immense amount of guilt. But she can't tell them. If word ever gets out, Nova doesn't want to think about the consequences. She'll most likely tell Harlo soon, but telling Astoria is a different story. Ever since Nova has known her, she's been very loyal to her people. And, since one incident a couple years back, Astoria has never been more devoted to abiding by the rules of Trikru.

"I'm fine, Ast, okay? I just needed a little extra rest." Nova shrugs. Telling a little white lie won't hurt anyone.

Her friend unconvincingly raises her eyebrows, a clear indication that she doesn't believe Nova in the slightest. But, nonetheless, Astoria tosses an apple onto her bed, a small gesture that goes a long way. Nova kindly smiles at her, a sincere 'thank you' coming out of her mouth before Astoria leaves her peace.

However, Nova doesn't eat the apple, but rather sets it aside and saves it for someone else. Maybe food might get the boy to trust her more, albeit, it's not much, but it's something at least.

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   The apple lands just before the boy's feet. At first, he appears surprised, but his brows soon knit together and Nova can tell by looking at his facial expressions that he's skeptical of her kind action. She doesn't blame him, it does seem too good to be true. But she's not leaving until he eats something.

He stares at it for a minute, questioning whether or not to pick it up or leave it. Nova's people have done nothing but harm him and cause him grief, why should he trust her?

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