To Love a Criminal ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X OC))

Chapter 12

Silica sat in the mess hall the next morning with a cigarette wedged between her teeth.

She swirled the coffee concealed within her tin mug with her eyes closed and cheek in hand, finger tapping rhythmically against her skin as she focused on waking herself up.

Light chatter coursed through the air as soldiers came in and out of the double doors a few feet in front of the table Silica sat at. The sunshine from the outdoors shone in rays against the wood panel flooring, and the summer air wafted against Silica's warm cheeks.

The caffeine mixed with the semicool air in her face worked slowly at bringing her into full consciousness, yet the slamming of a trey against the tabletop Silica's arms rested on startled her into opening her eyes, and sure enough, Avery — along with Brutus and Garret — were in the process of sitting down with her.

"Mornin', Silica." The eccentric woman, who vaguely reminded her of Hange, greeted enthusiastically. Silica merely grunted a reply and sealed her eyes shut once again.

"How'd ya sleep?" Avery carried on, tearing her bread ration in half and biting a chunk out of one.

Seeing no further point in attempting to ignore them, Silica sighed and peeked her eyelids open once more whilst blowing smoke out of her nose. Her gaze met instantly with Brutus', whom had his spoon hovering in front of his mouth as an absent glare appeared on his face. Her attention drifted in the direction of Garrett, who was too focused on his food to notice her glance.

Finally, Silica looked over to Avery. She had already been looking at her, patiently waiting for an answer to her previously asked question, all while chewing slowly on the bread she continued to tear into small pieces on her trey. Instead of the blue shirt from yesterday, she wore burgundy and her hair was cast over her shoulder in a braid.

"Fine." Silica finally said, tone anything but amused as she extinguished the butt of her cigarette on the sole of her boot.

"Just fine, huh?" Avery absently smiled, mixing whatever brownish substance was in her bowl with her spoon. "I guess that's to be expected. Not the best beds in the world up in the dorms, huh?"

"No."

"Where're you from, anyway?" Avery asked abruptly, now ditching her trey to lean in Silica's direction. "You really just came outta nowhere, y'know."

Silica sighed out of her nose. "The Underground District."

"Woah," the blonde mused. "Really now? Levi said he was from there, didn't he?"

Her question was inherently directed toward Brutus and Garrett, yet neither male were given the chance to answer before Avery was turned to face Silica once more.

"What's that like?"

"Dull."

"Did you have any family down there?"

"I used to," Silica replied, rolling her eyes off to the side as a soldier she didn't know passed their table. "My mom left when I was ten-ish. Didn't know my dad."

"Left, you say?" Avery tilted her head to the side. Brutus and Garrett exchanged weary glances.

"Yeah," Silica replied nonchalantly. "Had a husband at one point, too..."

"Seriously?" Avery gawked, her tone eliciting Silica to grant her full attention.

"Yeah," she shrugged, eyes falling down to the table. "But that ended a while ago. Haven't really dwelled on it much."

"But —"

"Avery," Brutus' baritone voice interrupted Avery's fluttery one, tone warning and short. "That's enough."