Survival

Chapter 30- Find Him

The wait for Quinton at supper hour caused every muscle in Mischa’s body to tremble in anticipation. Was he still looking for a battery? Had he even bothered to look at all today? April pressed her palm to the hand Mischa hadn’t even realized had been visibly quivering.

“What has you so anxious?” she asked.

“Just one of those days.”

April’s eyes darted around the table until a small smile grew on her face. “Are you nervous about a certain guy coming to join us?”

“What?” Mischa frowned. While Quinton was the reason, April’s teasing tone conveyed the wrong reson. She most certainly wasn’t entertaining notions of the romantic kind for Quinton. Or she sure as hell hoped she wasn’t. It wouldn’t be fair.

“I won’t tell him. He is cute and has had his eye on for awhile. That’s why I decided to give you two a little more space yesterday.”

“No April, that’s not what it is at all. I mean, Quinton is a nice guy and easy enough on the eyes-“

“Thank you,” said the familiar face she had been anticipating up until this point.

Of course he would choose the worst possible moment to arrive. Boys...Mischa wanted to bury her face in her hands; instead she maintained her composure. “And despite those things, I only have platonic feelings for you.”

“Your loss,” Quinton said as he sat down. “What about you April? Any feelings for the Quint-mister?”

April and Mischa burst in laughter, their bodies shaking. Tears almost came to Mischa’s eyes when she realized how much her life had lacked this element of fun lately.  Quinton’s aloofness was almost endearing. The green eyed girl shook her head with a small smile.

“You don’t have to be so cruel about it,” he said, stabbing at his carrot. With a smile, Mischa stifled another laugh.

The meal passed at a glacial speed since Quinton hadn’t divulged any information she sought. His invitation to take a walk had her up faster than a flash flood. April teased her on the way out about those so called platonic feelings. Mischa’s spirits had increased to the point that she could brush it off with another laugh.

The pair walked down two set of stairs to the dorm which Quinton shared with Navjot. Neither Mischa nor Quinton trusted the cameras that decorated the hallways in the absence of art to keep their conversation confidential. A weight lifted off her chest knowing she wasn’t the only one who noticed the invisible presence. Once Quinton swung the door open, she the tension melted from her shoulders.

“So, this is my place,” he said.

His eyes shot around the room littered with dirty glasses, the occasional sweater and a few textbooks. Mischa couldn’t spot the tracker within the mess. She found it strange the layout of the apartment didn’t mimic the one she shared with her father. There was less space and a boxier feel to their common area, plus no kitchen.

“Did you find anything?” He had brought her here after all. He had no reason to do that if he just had bad news. If the tracker worked the question remained, would Vita and Gunnar still be in Albuquerque?

“I don’t have good news for you,” Quinton said with his hands in his pockets.

Mischa’s stomach clenched. Her eyes prickled with the heat of new tears she hadn’t expected. She let a solitary tear run down her cheek. So much for her pleasant mood. “Are you sure?”

“I checked our supply closets and tested a few when no one was watching, but nothing took. I brought a few here just in case we want to try them again. They’re charging in my room in case that was the issue. Only two are the right size.”