Chapter 54: 53 - Ask Around
Maria''s POV
A deep set frown fell on Wolfie''s face, and for a second, I wanted to take what I said back, but only
because I didn''t need my image of myself rubbing off on him.
He already thinks of me lowly enough, I don''t need his respect for me going down even more.
"Welp, all fixed up. Time for me to go," I stated curtly and practically ran away.
I got back to the group and everyone was talking in a circle.
Happy turned to look at me. "How is he?"
I kept my face nk but nodded. "Fine. What are we talking about?" I changed the subject quickly.
"We think we should retreat," Stephan started.
I immediately felt my eyebrows furrow together.
That sounds like a terrible idea. And I was about to tell him so, but he spoke first after seeing my
reaction.
"Not all the way," he reassured, "Just to somewhere safe — or at least safer — that way we can take
time to heal. Y''know, re-charge."
Rose jumped in, "Yeah, no ones injuries are going to get any better if we''re on them 24/7. And good
sleep and meals will help them heal faster."
I nodded, "Yeah, sounds like a good idea. I think we underestimated how long and strenuous this trip
was going to be anyway."
Stephan nodded as well, "Exactly. Now we just need to call our territories to exin to them they need
to be prepared for us to be out longer."
Everyone agreed, then we just stood staring at each other for a few seconds.
"Ready, break," Brandon pped loudly and it managed to bring a smile to our faces and get us
moving.
Happy had been on the phone for a while and seemed to have finished all his wolf business or
whatever, and now I''m bombarding him with questions while Rose and Brandon bicker about I don''t
even know what a few feet away.
If they weren''t so upied, I''m sure they''d be participating too.
"How did the second scavenging go?"
A few new blood sources hade to the human town over so the House convinced Happy and Wolfie
to let them go on another scavenge because of how low they still were.
While I was kept in the dark about all of it and only found out through listening to one of Happy''s
conversations.
"Do they have enough to eat?"
"He says he doesn''t know, Maria," Happy responded to me, covering part of the phone so whoever on
the other side couldn''t hear.
"Doesn''t know?! What do you mean he doesn''t know?"
"He doesn''t know," Happy deadpanned.
"Well find somebody who does know!!"
"Are they still all cooped up in the jails?"
"Have they added any? Let any out?"
"I need to know!"
"He doesn''t —"
"Find somebody who does!!" I yelled at him before he could finish.
He shoved the phone into my chest, "You tell him who to look for then."
I smiled, well that worked out well.
I put the phone to my ear. "Hi, can I have Harper, Doc, Trainer Marco, the Captain, and Destiny on the
phone?"
"I don''t know who any of those people are and —"
"Ask around," I interrupted. "My house will know who I''m talking about and point you in the right
direction," I smiled, even though he can''t see me.
"Listen, I don''t —"
"ASK AROUND!" I shouted at him.
"Okay, okay. Jeez," I heard him mumble.
After a few minutes of hearing muffled voices from the other end, Harper came on the phone.2
"Maria?!" She questioned eagerly.
"Yes, Harper? Are you okay?" I asked first.
"Yeah, I''m fine now that they let a few of us out ''FoR gOoD bEhaViOr''" she mocked and I chuckled.
Then lowered my voice, "Is there anyone around to hear?"
I looked around my own surroundings and found I was in the clear.
"No, you''re good," she whispered back.
"Good. . . so Trainer Marco and Doc passed along my message?" I questioned.
"Yeah we didn''t get many details though."
"Good, it''s best that way. Some of the people there can''t keep a secret," I mumbled.
"Not me though, right?"
"Yeah. . . Totally."
The fist time I''d called, I''d told Marco and Doc to deliver a message to Captain @ss Hat to tell the other
prisoners to y nice so they could be let out, but I also told them to keep the fact it was for my n to
get our house back between them and the Captain.
Now, the Captain may be an arrogant jerk that doesn''t respect me, but he knows how to appreciate a
good n and follow it.
"Shut up and say why you asked for me." Harper''s voice came from the other end and I could imagine
her eyes rolling.
I smirked, she does that enough for them to fall right out of her head.
"Okay, here''s what I wanted to talk to you about, I''m assuming Doc and Trainer Marco picked you to
help with the blood scavenging."
"Yeah," she responded.
"Well, how''d it go?"
She paused, "You asked for me specifically to ask me that?" She probably deadpanned.
"Well, that, and I figured if your sassy @ss managed to be let out of the jails, most others could do it
to," I grinned.
She scoffed.
"So, how''d it go?" I ignored her.
She huffed but answered, "They went fine. . . Well, they went pretty good actually. Our supply is nearly
back up to where it used to be at the beginning of the year."
"That''s great," my eyebrows raised. "That can make up for theck of hunting we had because of
Jason''s house arrest bull crap."
She chuckled. "Yeah, I think he''s done with that, I''ve seen a lot more people out and about."
Heck yeah.
"And the blood portion sizes can go nearly back to normal and there would be enough for everyone,"
she continued.
There was a pause paused.
"Even you."
I cringed.
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Did everybody know about that?
I took a second, but then smiled, "That''s great Harps, now can you put Doc or Trainer Marco on the
phone? I''ll talk to youter."
"Yeah, whatever."
I was passed around and got everything cleared up that needed to be cleared up.
"Hey Desi, how''s everyone doing there?" I asked her.
"Fine," she responded in her regr squeak.
"That''s good, anything new?"
I don''t know why I have such an urge to make sure this girl is okay.
I obviously care about everyone in my House, even the ones that don''t live in the main square that I
don''t know by name. They''re my family.
But Desi just has a special ce in my heart. I think it''s because she''s so shy and small, even for a 15
year old.
I don''t know why I feel the need to protect her. In reality she can do it herself. I know she can. She''s
doing quite well in her training, she''s justcking in the confidence department.
But she''s still young, she has all the time in the world to improve.
"Actually a lot," she responded and proceeded to tell me what Harps had filled me in on, but I listened
anyway because, even a little improvement to my House''s situation is music to my ears.
"And hey," she added, "Did you know Jason had a sister? And she''s only a year older than me." I could
practically hear her small smile.
"Yeah I did," I grinned. "Have you met her?"
"Yeah, she''s pretty cool, but she told me not to tell anyone because, she''s not really supposed to be
here, so she''s been staying with me since yesterday."
I couldn''t hide my snort.
I freaking love this girl.
"Of course she has been," I smiled.
Sheughed softly, "Yeah."
"So —"
"No wait! Gummy bear!" I heard on the other side.
"I wanna talk to Mari!" I heard Gummy bear''s voice.
A smile immediately almost split my face in half.
"Put me on speaker Desi," I told her.
"Gummy Bear, give me. . . Ugh!"
"I want Mari!"
"You need to give me the phone so I can put her on speaker, then we can both talk to her."
There was a moment of silence.
"Oh, okay," Chirped a squeaky voice.
Somehow, my smile got wider.
I had a st talking to the two of them for a little longer, then noticed everyone else was done with their
phone calls and waiting for me.
I sighed. "I''ve gotta go guys."
"Aw," they both said.
"I know, I''ll call you backter though, especially if all the ghost readersment or vote or something,
there are so many of them."20
"I know right, that would be nice," Desi agreed shyly.
We exchanged our goodbyes and hung up.
"Sorry guys," I handed Happy back his phone.
"It''s no big deal," Brandon said, "let''s just get going to a safer ce. It''ll be dark soon and we can sleep
through the night."
Everyone nodded.
"We can take turns carrying the elephant," Stephan grunted with Happy as they helped wolfie to his
feet and wrapped both his arms around their shoulders.
He gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut in pain and my gut clenched.
This is going to be a long trip.
We did trade off helping Wolfie walk, but Happy seemed to find every excuse in the world not to let me
help.
''Your chest was literally ripped apart h h h.''
Stupid stuff like that.
It doesn''t matter now though, because we finally reached a nice little clearing to spend the night. And
right in time, the sun''s starting to go down.
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We all found respective ces on the ground and set up nkets and whatnot and got to sleep.
Well, they did, I stared at the stars.
I sighed to myself.
I should really get some sleep.
I closed my eyes.
Welp, resting my eyes is about as good as it''s going to get outside, in the cold, with threats
everywhere.
I screwed them shut tighter and tried harder.
A few minutes in, I felt a warm weighty across my waist.
My body automatically stiffened at his arm around my waist.
"Go to sleep, Maria," I felt his breath fan my neck, he was so close.
"Okay," I whispered.
And I actually did.
Again.