Sapphire Stones

Poor Charles just wants food!

"It's a good thing that I'm a professional bandager, Newton. You'd be dead without me." I say, wrapping his hand tightly in some gauze wrap.

Newt rolls his eyes, but I see the hint of a smile on his face.

"You're ridiculous." He mutters.

"You love me." I grin back, leaning back in my chair and pulling out my journal. "You're good to go. Be careful."

"Can I hear the newest poem?" He asks. I shake my head, clutching the book tightly to my chest. "Why not? You've read me all the other ones!"

"Well I don't want you to hear this one. In fact, I don't want anyone hearing it. It sucks, anyway. I'll probably just throw it away." I shrug. Newt's jaw drops as he stares at me, disbelief in his eyes.

"I highly doubt that it sucks! You're a great writer!

"Yeah, well this one is pretty bad." I mutter, letting out a long sigh. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna write. You can either stay or go, it's up to you. Just be quiet."

Newt sighs, standing up. "See ya later, Venny."

🪐🪐🪐

Dinnertime. My personal favorite time of the day. As much as I love the early morning, dinner time is my favorite. It reminds me that there are only a few more hours before I can go to sleep. I love sleep.

Not to mention, Frypan cooks the best meals for dinner. His breakfast is usually alright. A little repetitive, but it's decent. Lunch is the worst. Not because of Frypan, but because it's the worst meal. Who actually likes eating lunch? Exactly. No one.

Dinner time though is what really hits the spot. The food is phenomenal, not to mention, like I said before, it's the closest to bed time.

"This looks great." I say, sitting down next to Chuck, Newt, Ben, and Minho. The two Runners are having their own conversation, causing them to take no notice of any of the rest of us at the table.  

I nudge Chuck slightly, passing him my cookie under the table. The young boy's entire face lights up when he sees it. He grins, taking it from me and eating it quickly.

I look up with a smile to meet the eyes of an unhappy Newt, who's looking at me like I just failed the biggest math test of the year.

"You can't do that, y'know." He says, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, didn't know you were the hall monitor. Don't give me detention please." I reply, rolling my eyes. "It was a cookie, Newton. A single cookie. Lighten up a little."

"It's against the rules. If Alby saw-"

"I would've told him that Chuck was starving or some stupid shit like that. Alby wouldn't get mad if I gave a starving a kid a cookie, would he?" I ask, fighting the overwhelming urge to smile. "Poor Charles just wants food!"

"Yeah, I'm starving." Chuck adds, giving Newt the pouty lip and rubbing his stomach, trying to make himself look as sad as possible.

"I was just helping the hungry!" I throw my hands in the air in defense, earning a glare and an eyeroll from Newt.

"This is ridiculous." The Trackhoe mutters, sighing and turning to his food. "No one thinks you're funny."

"So I'm no one now?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"And I am too? That kinda hurts, Newt." Chuck adds with a small smile on his face.

"Shut up and eat your bloody food."

🪐🪐🪐

I'm sitting against a tree in the Deadheads writing. I usually do this after dinner. It's the most peaceful place to be, plus, where I usually sit, I get a front row seat to the sunset.

The sunsets here are gorgeous. The sky almost always turns orange, red, yellow, and pink. Sometimes, there's purple mixed in, but those are the four main colors of the sunsets. 

I don't know why I have such a fascination with the sky. Maybe it's because it bewilders me how something so simple can have so much beauty in it, or maybe it's the sense of purity and serenity I feel when I look up at it. It's almost like a short escape from everything else. A moment of peace, even.

I hear a rustling noise from behind me, causing me to snap out of my trance. I shoot to my feet, terrified of who or what could be standing behind me, but almost immediately when I stand up, my eyesight blurs, causing me to get extremely dizzy. I stumble around for a second before squeezing my eyes shut and falling, preparing to hit the ground.

I never feel the impact.

I slowly open my eyes to see two blue ones staring right back at me.

"What the hell was that?" Gally asks, concern written all over his face.

"You caught me?" I ask, ignoring his original question, my breathing heavy for no apparent reason.

"Yep." He replies softly, still holding on to me. I'm so close I can see every freckle on his face. I reach up impulsively, running my finger across his cheek as if it were glass able to break at just the lightest touch. 

"You've got freckles." 

"So do you. A lot of freckles." He replies with a look in his eyes as if he's admiring me. "You never told me what the hell happened."

"I don't have to." I reply, staring him straight in the eyes.

"What if it happens again? Shouldn't I at least know what it is so I can be prepared?"

I sigh before answering.

"Orthostatic hypotension. It's low blood pressure which causes me to get dizzy or faint if I stand up too quickly. It's usually pretty mild, but I've fainted before in the past." I explain, earning a nod from Gally. "I should, uh, go, I guess." I mutter, standing up.

I stand up too quickly again, earning another dizzy spell and Gally having to catch me again.

"Shit, sorry." I mutter once my eyesight clears.

"I'm taking you to the Medhut, Greenie." He says quickly, running a hand through his short hair before picking me up like a princess and carrying me towards the Medjack hut. I'm too tired and too dizzy to complain, so I just allow Gally to carry me, closing my eyes for the trip.