When Will This Be Over?

Chapter Eight

After Miss Cheery had told Hawthorne and Cadence about the situation, Cadence found herself detaching from the world.

Growing up, Cadence was a rather lonely child but now she had found comfort in her two best friends: Morrigan and Hawthorne. Unfortunately, one of those friends had just been taken away from her.

When Hometrain arrived at Station 919 that afternoon, Cadence pushed past her friends to her own personal door. She walked through it without turning back to answer her concerned friends. She had already cried in front of Hawthorne. Cadence refused to allow the rest of her Unit to see her so vulnerable.

Once she arrived in her living room on the other side of her WunSoc door, she walked straight to her room. She then positioned herself on her bed with a book resting in her hands. Cadence had tried to distract herself by reading, something she had picked up from her blacked eye friend, but she found herself unable to focus. She reread the same paragraph over and over again, but she couldn't comprehend it.

A few hours passed and Cadence's grandmother knocked on her door, alerting her that dinner was ready. She sat in silence at the table that night and slightly moved her food around the plate. She wasn't hungry.

After asking to be excused, Cadence got up from the table. Just as she turned to walk away, she heard her grandmother speak.

'I know about Morrigan. Captain North told me. Would you like to talk about it?' Her voice was soft. Inviting. Cadence knew that if she were to talk to anyone about this situation, it would be her grandmother.

'Why did Jupiter tell you, but Hawthorne and I found out from Miss Cheery?' Cadence wasn't sure who she would have preferred to hear the news from, but she knew she wouldn't mind seeing Jupiter right now. He always seemed to brighten a room, no matter how upset he was himself.

Her grandmother seemed to consider this a moment before answering. 'Captain North takes pride in being a supportive role in everyone's life. We all know how much he loves Morrigan, and now that she is missing, he is extremely upset. He did not think that he could support you and Hawthorne at this time.'

A pang of sympathy stabbed at Cadence's chest. The man truly did love Morrigan with his whole heart. She knew that whatever pain she was feeling, he was also feeling but ten times stronger. So all Cadence did was nod.

'Is there anything else you would like to ask or say?'

Cadence shook her head before smiling lightly at her grandmother. She stated that she simply wanted to go to bed so she hugged her grandmother, said goodnight, and left the room.

She only just now realised that she was still in her Wunsoc Uniform. She grabbed the first pyjama set she could find and absentmindedly put it on, leaving the uniform crinkled on the floor.

Her body felt too heavy for her legs while she shuffled over to her bed. Cadence tucked herself in and got ready to sleep.

But sleep never came.

{~~~}

Cadence had been the first one on Station 919 that morning. After tossing and turning all night, she had gotten dressed into the uniform that laid on her bedroom floor and walked out the Wunsoc door.

She was a mess. Her flyaways stuck up at odd angles from her messy bun, dark circles were clear under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and her shirt and pants were wrinkled.

As each one of her brothers and sisters came through their own doors, they met Cadence with concerned questions of 'are you okay?' She shut them all down and refused to talk to anyone until Hawthorne entered the Station.

He didn't look much better than she did, but it seemed he had gotten some sleep. Cadence envied him for this.

Hawthorne was hammered with the same questions from the Unit and Cadence was grateful that the spotlight was off her for a second.

'Are you alright?' asked Arch.

'I don't understand what happened to you both,' stated Francis.

'Do you need me to sneak any medicine from school today?' offered Anah.

'It's been three days. Miss Cheery spoke to you both privately yesterday. You look exhausted this morning. Obviously you know something. Where is Morrigan?' Leave it to Thaddea to ask the serious questions.

The group fell silent, all eyes were on Hawthorne and Cadence. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and quickly glanced at Hawthorne.

He looked lost, unsure of how to answer the question.

'Just tell them,' muttered Cadence.

'Tell us what?' asked Lam. Her normally quiet voice was urgent.

Hawthorne took a deep breath before speaking. His voice was steady, his face now empty of any emotion. 'Morrigan was kidnapped.'

Gasps were heard from around the group. Mahir swore in multiple foreign languages. Thaddea swore in English. Anah started crying, her head tucked into Arch's neck. Francis stared at the ground, unsure of what to make of the situation. Lam stared into the distance.

'When?' The shaky question came from Anah, her voice muffled by Arch's body.

'Last Sunday,' answered Hawthorne. Cadence was grateful he was taking the reigns. She wasn't sure if she could've told everyone.

'Sunday? Didn't Jupiter come back home on Saturday?' asked Arch.

Cadence nodded before saying, 'But it isn't his fault. It's no one's fault, really.'

The group mumbled in agreement.

Unsure of what to do without Morrigan, silence fell over them, just as it had all week. Sniffles were occasionally heard from some of the girls, but Cadence was surprised when she heard one come from Hawthorne.

It pained her to not have her best friend, but it hurt even more to see her other sisters and brothers suffering because of it. Just before the Hometrain pulled into the Station, she heard Lam ask a question she never expected to hear from the girl.

'When will this be over?'

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