Imagine That: Multifandom Part Two

moving on【five】| alicia clark

"Dinner is still being prepared, otherwise I'd offer you some food," she said when she handed me the water.

"This is fine," I said, accepting the bottle and taking a sip.

She nodded, eyes looking between mine thoughtfully. "I'm sorry about before. Jack and Elise were just being cautious."

I was close to asking her why they were deciding to rob me without question, but figured now wasn't the time.

"You look well," she added, when I didn't say anything.

I stared at her, still dumbfounded. "I am."

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked, surprised. "Where have you been, Y/N? Did you come here alone?"

I leaned back, fascinated. Without meaning to, a smile formed on my face. "We have time, Y/S/N."

She exhaled softly, realising how eager she sounded. "Right. Sorry. I just– I can believe you're here. Alive."

"I could say the same about you," I retorted, nodding to her. "You look different."'

She touched her hair self consciously. "Yeah, I cut my hair shorter."

I winced, shaking my head. "No. I mean your whole persona. The way you carry yourself. It's different."

"It's been almost a year," she pointed out, a reminder I didn't need.

My smile faded slightly. "I know."

She frowned, eyes meeting mine desperately. "Y/N, where have you been all this time?"

I sighed, admitting, "It's a long story. I don't even know where to start."

"The fire," she pressed, eagerness returning.

I nodded, straightening up. "Right, the fire... I was hurt really bad." I pulled down my shirt over my shoulder to reveal the burnt skin. "It was a lot and I thought I was going to die."

"I thought you already were," she said, shaking her head. "I saw you. Jeremy did, too. He said– he said we had to go or we'd be next."

At the mention of Jeremy, my lips twitched, refraining from scowling. "Jeremy," I repeated, his name making me sickly. "Where is he anyway? He still part of this group?"

If she sensed my irritation, she didn't comment on it. "He's out. Overnight supply run. Should be back midday tomorrow."

I hummed, glad he wasn't here otherwise I wasn't sure what I'd do. "Right. Well, I made it out of the fire, but everybody had gone. I spent ages looking. I almost died for real, but then Alicia, she..."

My heart warmed at the mere thought of the green-eyed girl, how kind she'd been when we first met, how patient she'd been when I'd moved into the stadium.

"Alicia?" my sister asked with confusion.

I dove right in, explaining who Alicia was and how she'd taken me into her community to recover. I'd made sure not to tell her about the stadium, or even refer to it as such, considering how nosey her gang members had been with me earlier. It was easier for now, no matter how much I wanted to trust Y/S/N. So, I told her about that, about how I tried to look for her, about how I had to move on. I shared all of the wondrous things the stadium had to offer, how safe and secure it was, just like we'd always searched for. My hope was that I was selling it to her enough for her to want to come back with me.