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“You're lying.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” says Julie defensively. This bitch has lost her mind, like, I can’t believe she is lying.

“How about you explain the wrappers I found on the 1st floor in the crew area?”

“Was that you who was following me?” Julie asks, confirming my accusations.

“Yes, what were you doing down there?” I ask, now in a calmer tone, still wincing in pain.

“Come on, we need to go take care of your arm,” she says, as if she actually cares.

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. Why are you keeping things from me?” I bite back a groan. My arm fucking hurts, but I need to know what the hell this bitch is up to.

“Look, I found some dry food in a hidden closet in the kitchen months ago. It's not enough for everyone; it was barely enough for me. I’ve been going down to get a nibble here and there to keep my energy up.”

“Why didn't you tell me? Are we still doing what we talked about, or did you change your mind?” I ask. When Julie stays silent, I continue, “What is that plan going to do now? There isn't a reason anymore, Julie. So much has changed. You won't even⁠—.”

“Hey, are y'all okay down there? What's going on?” Xander’s voice drifts down to us.

“We’re fine. We are coming up now.” Julie shouts, then turns to me. “Mary, please, I promise someone else is hoarding all that food, not me.”

I don't believe that at all. “Okay, just tell me what the plan is now,” I say through gritted teeth. I take a deep breath, trying to breathe through the red-hot pain in my arm.

“Okay, I will. Why don’t we keep what you found between us for now, and then we can see how much is in there later,” says Julie. I’m in so much pain at this point that I don’t even care anymore.

44

THEO

“What happened?” I gasp the moment Julie and Mary walk in, my eyes locking onto Mary's arm.

“I'm fine. I fell down the stairs, but I'm okay—it's just broken. Someone, please grab my bag; there's a splint and some bandages inside,” Mary says as she walks over to a table. Karissa quickly runs to the closet where all of Mary's supplies are stored, grabs the bag, and then returns.

“Here, what do we do?” asks Karissa as she sets down the medical bag.

“First, we need to put the bone back in its proper position,” says Mary, and I wince at the thought.

“How do we do that?” asks Karissa.

“Oh, I know,” shouts Xander excitedly. “You just pull hard. I’ve seen it in movies.”

“Yeah, kind of,” Mary answers as she takes a deep breath. “Get me something to bite on to help manage the pain. On the count of three, I need you to pull.”

“Umm, okay, I think I can do this,” says Karissa, sounding like she really isn’t up to the challenge.

“I'll do it,” says Xander. I watch Karissa relax as soon as Xander volunteers.

“On the count of three, I’m going to pull, one, two–” Without saying three, he pulls, and the bone snaps back into place.

“I found food,” Mary blurts out the second Xander sets the bone. Shock ripples across the room, and I’m not sure whether their expressions are from what Mary just announced or from what’s just taken place.

“What did you just say?” I ask.

“She said she found food,” replied Sara.

“Is that so?” I say sarcastically, then turn my attention to Julie, wondering whether she is thinking the same thing I am—that Mary is hoarding food. I look up, and the rest of the group is staring at me, surprised.

“What’s your problem, Theo?” asks Mary.