Nightmares (Complete)

Three- Lovely

The piercing sound of the morning bell woke me, my eyes blurry as I blinked. I shook my head, forcing myself awake as I sat up. I could hear my siblings waking themselves up, Nalla stumbling out of her bedroom. She had a cute little shirt with a unicorn on it, her shorts reaching her knees. She always looked adorable. 

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I greeted with my own tired smile. A brush was already in my hand as Nalla settled in front of me. It was routine for me to do her hair, my fingers twirling her brown locks into dutch braided pigtails. Alyssa took her time exiting her room, her eyes drooping sleepily.

Her hair was also a rat's nest. I couldn't help my giggle at her appearance, tossing her the brush. She didn't manage to catch it, sighing loudly as she crouched down to pick it up. Once her hair was decent, we headed towards the mess hall for breakfast. There were always fewer people up early in the morning.

I pointed to a corner table, leading the way there. It was empty, but apparently it wouldn't be just us for long. Another girl walked up to us and I had to keep the annoyed look off of my face. I wasn't good with people.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here, my name is Sienna!" She greeted with a happy smile, sliding into her seat. She took a bite of her eggs, licking her lips as silently gazed at all of us. Alyssa was happy to introduce us, despite my inner reluctance to socialize.

"I am Alyssa, this is Winter and Nalla," Alyssa said with the same welcoming smile Sienna wore. I was still slightly uncomfortable with the aspect of the stranger at our table.

"I have you guys in my raider group, so I thought I might as well greet you," She said. It did explain why she had chosen to sit with us, instead of somewhere else. I sighed silently, looking away from her.

"So, what do raiders do?" Alyssa asked, excitement shining in her eyes. I was very tempted to sigh again. Her inability to ask specific questions was astounding. 

"What are we going to do?" I corrected monotonically. It seemed more relevant. I doubted we would be storming buildings our second day here. Sienna smiled patiently at the pair of us.

"Well, you two will probably watch what to do for a week, then on Friday get a skill test in different situations. If you pass, you become a raider and get your metal badge," She explained with a calm smile. I nodded slowly. This group sure liked having tests on Fridays. I leaned my elbow on the table, my cheek in my palm as I sighed, again.

"Raiders go into buildings and gather supplies, though after about a year you will become foragers because no houses will be available to raid," Sienna added for Alyssa, who nodded enthusiastically. I didn't know why she was so happy to have to work.

"What do students do?" Nalla asked, her tiny voice squeaking from beside me, leaning over my shoulder shyly. I was surprised she was even saying anything to this stranger.

"Well, they learn. All kinds of things really. Math and reading, writing, stuff about zombies, and all that." Nalla nodded, then quickly refocused on eating her pancakes.

"When do we head out?" Alyssa said, standing up with her syrup-drenched plate. Sienna laughed. Alyssa was always quite impatient when she got excited.

"That eager to do work? We meet at the gates, so we can leave whenever," she said, standing up and lifting her plate too. With a huff, I joined them, all of us tossing our plates into the trash.

We took nalla to her class first though. I was reluctant to let her go. Another strange place with people she didn't know. I chewed on my bottom lip, looking to Alyssa.

"Make sure she doesn't get upset," Alyssa told the teacher sternly. Then she offered a smile as if nothing had happened. I rolled my eyes, giving Nalla a quick hug before heading towards the fence.