@flounderiing
Now that they were finally allowed out of the compound, Ariel knew she had to step out again. She didn’t remember much of the month spent under lockdown; too focused on the day things would finally go back to normal and the Halloween party at the end of the month. But for some reason, she couldn’t even remember that, only bits and pieces appearing in her mind. She could also see flashes of objects that were too vague to distinguish, like something small and shimmering under neon lights, and her fingers rippling through water. She wished she could remember more, but she supposed she wouldn’t be able to get more than the fever dream-like images in her mind.
She’d texted Flynn that morning to come and meet her at the café they’d gone to when he first arrived at Astra — holiday drinks had begun to roll around and she missed her favorite peppermint mocha. Whatever she did remember, she wanted to talk about with him, see what he’d remembered from then. There was no one in the world she trusted more than her best friend. And her timing, she liked to think, was perfect: when she strolled up to the entrance it was almost time for lunch, and there weren’t so many people as to make her worry about where they could sit. She tugged on her jacket, foot nudging around the orange leaves that had fallen to the pavement. Once she caught sight of him, she waved him over, a big, bright grin on her face.
