“Oh, do continue then.”
“They want to try and wake Mom up.”
Hudson’s shoulders get tense, his entire body going rigid. He’s silent for a moment, staring into the wall behind Arlo and me. He’s not with us — not mentally — and Arlo doesn’t press him for an answer. He remains silent, though the way he tightens his grip on me tells me he’s terrified of Hudson’s response.
“No.”
“But—”
“I said no,” Hudson raises his voice, the coldness of the tone cutting through the tension in the room. Arlo’s jaw clenches, and he closes his eyes for a moment.
“It’s a chance for her to—”
“I don’t care,” Hudson interrupts for the umpteenth time. “You will not try to wake my wife up while I’m not there. If you do this without my permission, Arlo, I’ll never forgive you. Do you fucking understand me?”
Arlo doesn’t respond verbally, only offering a simple nod as a sign that he heard the threat loud and clear. Hudson stares at him for a moment, trying to gauge his sincerity. Eventually, he nods back, and an uncomfortable silence falls over us.
I understand where Hudson is coming from. It’s his wife. Knowing the love and the bond they share, Noelle would be disappointed to wake up from a coma and see that the most important man in her life isn’t there.
However, I also understand Arlo. He lost too much already. With Aria’s suicide attempt and killing Luna, he’s scared of losing Noelle, too. He wants to wake her up because he needs someone of his own to be there, and all of this comes from a place of worry.
He’s terrified that the longer Noelle stays asleep, the chances of her waking up will become lesser and lesser.
I’ve no doubts in my heart that Noelle will wake up eventually. The woman is the strongest one I’ve met, and not only is she resilient, but she’s full of life, too. She wants to live, and she will live.
Hudson grabs the bag, stands up, and presses the small button next to the door. He turns to look at me; the expression softens yet again when he looks at me.
“Thank you for the food, Blair. I mean it.”
“No problem. I’ll bring you more soon.”
“Let me finish this first so we can see if it’s edible, alright?”
The teasing tone in his voice makes me roll my eyes, but I laugh nonetheless.
“Rude.”
He grins, and in this moment, I see the resemblance between Arlo and Hudson. Their smiles are identical, to the point of it being considered a tad creepy.
“Be safe,” I mutter.
“You too,” Hudson responds as the two guards reappear, chaining him all over again and leading him out.
And that sight of him being taken in chains like he’s an animal breaks my heart a little.
THIRTY-EIGHT
The base is packed with their soldiers. Arlo’s outside, chatting in a hushed tone with Cove, a little away from the entrance. I watch them through the big mirror of the kitchen area while pouring myself a glass of water. I sip on the cold water, turning away from the window and staring into the spacious room that’s being used as the main space to regroup.
Aria is in the corner with Freya.
Freya looks… well, as good as expected. Her eye’s still patched, but overall, she seems like her old, grumpy self. However, only Freya knows how she’s truly feeling, and despite how cold she is usually, I’ve grown fond of her. It might be seen as naive, but I see her as a friend, and I’d want to be there for her if she’d let me.
My eyes move to the left when I’m approached by a shorter girl. She’s blonde, with a small, soft smile on her face. She’s holding a glass of water, though her hand seems to be trembling.
“Hi!”
Her voice is rather high, and I can’t help but chuckle. For whatever reason, she seems nervous to be around me, and I find it adorable.
