Revolution- Runaways 3 [EDITING]

Chapter 32: Eli

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of our bedroom. Peyton was still sound asleep beside me. It was rare that I ever woke up before her, so I decided to do something special for her today. It was the twenty-second of September, which meant she was turning eighteen. A little breakfast in bed wouldn't hurt her.

I climbed out of bed as quietly as I could and made my way to the mess hall. The hallways were still silent as everyone was starting to wake up. Several of us had gone home by now, and Liz had gotten a job with the CCSA. They had trickled out over the past month after Michelle and Justin made the announcement.

Peyton and I were still here, along with Reese, Micaiah, Luke, Daniel, Hannah, Adam, Anderson, and Alex. But Anderson and Alex would be leaving in the coming days. It was going to be very sad, but at least they chose to stay for longer than some of the others.

The mess hall was bustling with CCSA employees who had rushed out of the house without grabbing a bite to eat. It was still early enough that they didn't have to be on the clock for another half-hour or so. I grabbed a tray and began making a plate for both me and Peyton.

I piled our plates with waffles, bacon, and fruit. Peyton was strange, meaning she didn't like syrup on her waffles, so I grabbed some butter for her after I doused mine in the thick glaze. I could never understand how she had been in Canada for two months and still refused to try their high-quality maple syrup. I wasn't a big fan of the store-bought brands either, but Canadian syrup was a gamechanger. Yet, I still hadn't convinced her to give it a chance.

Micaiah caught me as I was going out the door. He had a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder and a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. He had just come from the gym, no doubt. He preferred to go early in the morning. "Are you serving breakfast in bed this morning?" he asked, motioning toward the tray in my hand.

I nodded. "It's her birthday today. I don't think I've ever woken up before she did, so I thought I would bring her something special."

He smiled. "Oh, that's right. Tell her I say happy birthday."

"I will. See you tonight?"

"I'll be there." He held the door open for me so I wouldn't risk spilling my tray of food.

Meanwhile, opening the door to our room presented an entirely new challenge. I could attempt to twist the handle with my elbow and shove my way inside, but that would be loud, not to mention dangerous. I wished I had the skill of servers who would deliver the giant round trays of food with one hand. Their balance and coordination were things I could only dream of.

Instead, I sat the tray on the ground and opened the door normally. It creaked, as usual, but Peyton didn't stir. I struggled to hold the heavy door open as I bent to retrieve our food. I barely saved a waffle that almost slid off when I stood up. Luckily, I managed to make it all the way to the bed without dropping anything. I placed it gently on her nightstand so I could shake her awake.

"Good morning sunshine. Happy birthday."

She rubbed her eyes in confusion. "What happened to our alarm? And why are you up?" she asked blearily.

I chuckled. "We didn't set one last night. It's Sunday."

Her eyes shone in recognition as she suddenly remembered. I retrieved the tray from where it rested on the nightstand, presenting it to her dramatically. She laughed. "You really didn't have to do this Eli. Did you plan all this?"

"Oh, you're not that special," I teased. "I just happened to wake up before you this morning, so I decided to throw something together. I got you something else that you can open later."