Claire clutched her stomach as her eyes flipped open. A raging twirl of hunger was swirling inside her stomach waking her up with a jolt. She quickly sat up on the bed and rested her head on the headrest.

The skylight overhead drew a ghostly tapestry of shades on the bed telling her about all the more hours there were before the first ray of sun would peek out for the day.

Few more hours to be breathing

She looked around for any source of food. As well furnished as the room could be, it didn't have a single glass of water in the view. Her gastritis kicked in again and she winced loudly. She reached for the box across the bed and started pulling its things out, not giving a dime about where those landed. If she's dead the next morning, this would be her way of revenge. Tidiness was the last thing on her mind now. Her mind was frenzy at that point.

But to her dismay, five minutes of unboxing earned her nothing, not a single grain. She curled up in a ball. Her eyes got soggy as she clenched the bedsheet. She was more agitated by herself than the Nix. She had had nothing more than a glass of water since the morning. The people, whoever they were, gave her a bigger meal than usual. But she being the arrowhead she was, only gulped the water down. Her master plan was to force them to get her out of there by going on a hunger strike. Definitely keeping her alive for so long must've meant they were precious right?

WRONG! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WERE YOU THINKING? YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE QUE WHEN THEY WERE BEING GENEROUS!!!

She bit her lips in agony.

Maybe they were getting back at me for refusing their food the morning.

She still didn't understand what did they do so wrong to deserve this sort of treatment. They had no hand in whatsoever was happening around them. It was just. So. Unfair. She felt like sprinting down the hallway shouting at the top of her lungs proclaiming their innocence. But it was a stupid stupid idea. She saw these Nix people executing petty thieves in public in her childhood without even giving them a chance to reason. If they did, they would have known that they hadn't eaten anything in the past three days. And that was true for almost everyone in their hometown. Hunger wasn't something she expected these diamond danglers to know. But the least they could do was provide them with some food if they were gonna go as far as providing her with this elegant a room.

Claire slowly sat up on the edge. She wiped her eyes and holding the side table, stood up. She wasn't as fast with her hands as she was with her head. But she decided on one thing now. If she was going to die anyway, she would rather die full-fed than some hungry street dog.

She looked around the room for any sort of shrapnel, anything that could help her in buying some seconds. Finding nothing else, she grabbed a heavy dictionary from the shelf and tiptoed to her door. She slowly opened it and got temporarily blinded by the light.

The corridor was well lit and there was no one in sight. Gulping, she stepped out as silently as she could leaving her door ajar. Holding the book above her head, she grabbed the railing as she descended the steep stairs.

The drawing-room, as well as the dining, was well devoid of people which made her stomach churn in anticipation. She hurried towards the kitchen cabinets as silently as she could and flipped one open.

It's empty?!

It wasn't till she was on the fifth one on the row that she found her treasures. Her mouth formed a grin. It was filled with instant noodles. Lots and lots of instant noodles. She hit the pan and unpacked three of those. As she waited for the water to boil, she unpacked two more just to add another felony to her 'after death revenge' list

Not like they are gonna fall into famine for those two packets

Well good for them

She thought as she unpacked two more. She let the noodles free in the boiling water, sprinkled the ready mixes that came free and covered the pot with a lid, all the while too busy to notice a pair of legs descending.

Whether from being caught red-handed stealing food in a Nix's property or from seeing one ascend down the dangerously steep stairs with eyes closed, awaiting to tumble down and crack his head in two, Claire's breath became hitched and she waited to see which, petrified.

But proving both of her assumptions wrong, Liam walked dodgily into the kitchen with his eyes closed. Unlike her, he headed directly for the fifth cabinet and tore open a raw noodles cake. He sat on a chair by the countertop, rested his face on his left fist and started munching on it with the other, all the while with his eyes closed.

Claire was standing in front of him, still frozen in her place. She contemplated over smacking his head with the dictionary but was quick to cancel it seeing his frame up close. Now that she noticed his shoulders were really broad. He might even be taller than Derek by inches and Derek was huge for her.

And....casual?

There was no trace of a single drop of ferocity in him neither was any cold demeanor that they witnessed the last few times they crossed paths. Liam was wearing a casual bright orange tee which read " Be like Courage, the cowardly Dog" in a comment bubble above some pink potato with big white eyes popping out of its socket. It was blinking like a neon light amidst the unending sea of black interiors and she couldn't take her eyes off him.

It took a hot pot hissing, her tumbling and a lunging Liam holding the pot barehanded to break Claire out of the daze as she discovered herself sitting on the floor on her fours with a throbbing butt and thumping heart. Liam was towering above her with a concerned look on his face.

He placed it carefully on the counter and held out his hand.

"You okay bro?"

Claire was still stupified. She was looking for traces of anger, waiting for the moment of some sharp pain shooting between her ribs, lacerating her heart in two.

But even after few moments of his unwavering hand and totally awaken face, she realized her death was postponed.

Yet

As the shock started evaporating, embarrassment started lifting its place. She jumped on her feet only to slip on the hot water she spilled moments back.

Liam grabbed her by the arm foiling her shot at smacking her head and let go as soon as she was stable on her own.

This cannot get any more embarrassing

Her ears were burning red. Liam disappeared somewhere as Xen and Derek appeared on the stair landing, both of their fists curled in. Claire mouthed them an it's okay as Liam reappeared again with a big mop on his hand. He motioned her to move to the other side. And she was yet to process how did all this happen.

The counter was overflowing with steaming water still tripping down, half the noodles were now on the floor and her jeans had already formed a small puddle beneath her. And amidst all this, Liam was mopping the floor, completely nonchalant.

Xen and Derek were beside her now, gauging if she was okay. She was surprised to see them wearing matching pajamas and tops and vaguely remembered seeing something familiar before.

"You know you should change those," Liam said washing his hands in the sink looking directly at her. " You were provided with a similar pair right?"

Claire looked away. She didn't know if walking up the stairs, dripping her mess all the way was a good idea. But she nodded. Any excuse would do for her to get far far away from her little artwork. She walked to her room with her head hanging, still too flushed to lift it up. She didn't know what she was expecting. But it definitely wasn't her leaving like a witch out of a lake and a Nix cleaning her mess.

A lieutenant at that

She looked up at the tornado she'd left and sighed. She indeed was provided with an ash pajama and black tee, similar to the boys and she was too drained to wonder why. She changed into those and paced inside the room once and twice and a few more before finally ushering to the other side again.

She stopped on her track as she saw Rayo on the chairs. She was still in her uniform with her back turned to her.
Dishes were laid on the table and everyone was voraciously eating their part away.

Claire walked towards the table slowly, head down, pulling the sides of her tee.

"Wake up at 7 today," Rayo said, freezing her momentarily.

Claire nodded and sat on the only chair that was vacant. She poured herself some soup noodles and her hunger became alive again.

She glanced around the table as they ate. It didn't even feel real. Two Nix were sitting across the table in the least uptight posture ever.

With us

Anyone would easily mistake Liam as one of them and though Rayo was still in her uniform, her face was the most humane she'd seen ever since knowing her, maybe a bit exhausted from a long day?

Claire silently munched on her food wondering what tomorrow held for them. But the first time in a whole while, she didn't think about being dead.