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Breakfast, with Mona
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βSo, youβre new to Wyndham right? Me too!β Desdemona asked, suddenly changing the subject.
βYes,β Dominic responded to her question plainly, his expression showing hints of confusion. Just why was she wondering this now?
βIt has been good, I suppose. The dorms offer all the necessities, the dining hall serves good food.β His eyes drifted to his untouched plate, realizing the irony of his statement. βAndβ¦β A short pause then followed, as if he was holding back his next words. βIβm away from my family, which is different.β
And as soon as those words left his lips, Dominic was hit with the realization that sheβd likely pry, question him about his family heβd tried so hard to keep secret. Had he become lenient on himself, letting his words slip out so freely? It didnβt matter that he was leaving, not even then could he trust the people of this academy. He had to change the topic, just as sheβd done, hoping it would be enough of a distraction.
βYouβve never lived on campus? Your old college mustβve been close to stay at home. But then again, you donβt look like the type whoβd make it in a regular one,β he assumed, so it would get her to talk about herself. People tended to like correcting assumptions more than answering questions. From the short time theyβd known each other, she shared so little, as if she wanted to avoid exposing her secrets just as much as him. βHow has your campus experience been?β Dominic asked, the curiosity for another person feeling foreign on his tongue. But he needed to know who he was dealing with, perhaps then heβd understand her reasons for approaching him.
Sheβd asked him about the incident that led to his injuries, and Dominic had told her the blatant lie that coven man came up with. Her palm concealed her lips as he spoke, listening as his trembling hand betrayed what his flat voice wanted to conceal. His fear. The pain heβd felt that night, radiating through his bones again. The taste of his own blood, as he fought to even stand. And most of all β the consequences if he dared to expose what went down.
Behind her palm, she thought she could hide a smile. But Dominic could see the way her cheeks rose and turned her eyes to crescents. He couldnβt blame her, his response sounded comical, unbelievable. Or perhaps, she was laughing at his poor attempt to seem composed. Justified, he was pathetic.
She mustβve realized it looked inappropriate, as quickly after her face turned serious.
"Were you pushed?β
βNo,β Dominic replied quickly. βThere is nobody who would want to push me. Iβm just an unremarkable, new student with no prior connection to anyone,β he attempted to keep the monotony, yet the urgency in his tone was blatantly clear with how quick he spoke. Heβd lost his composure. By saying that, heβd exposed that he has no one to rely on. But how else would he cover up the incident in a believable way?
βYou must have fallen upside down, because I thought most of your bruises were above the waist,β Mona continued, another question that disproved his lies. She was surprisingly observant, or perhaps heβd underestimated her again.
Dominic took a deep breath, but not for longer than a second. He needed to focus, or he stood no chance of convincing her. βThatβs ridiculous,β he rolled his eyes. βYou seem convinced something more mustβve gone down. Why is that? Have you heard anything that would make you distrust the Coven?β he questioned her back, leaning forward on his palm. His eyes became locked on hers, his gaze cold. βI did fall. Thereβs no need for your conspiracies. The reason I had no bruises on my legs was because they were minor. They were healed the night before.β
His other hand, out of sight beneath the table, tightened into a fist, his nails digging into his palm. He let out a sigh, one that sounded more annoyed rather than relieved.
A while into the conversation, the tension was cut short by a girl joining the table. It was only for a minute, offering food to Desdemona as if she couldnβt feed herself. Dominic watched, his expression blank and not a sound leaving his lips. His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall, and the minute hand seemed to have barely moved since he entered. If only he could speed up the passage of time, to reach the scavenger hunt sooner. A patient man, and yet, the rhythmic tapping of his foot against the ground proved otherwise. Breakfast had never felt longer, not even during the days nearing high schoolβs end. The meals with his grandparents on a table with uneven legs, mismatched utensils in hands and looking down in silence. Back then, it was the hum of old electronics, and now the chatter of students blending into white noise, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts as his mind wandered further and further from reality.
βThe garden? What makes it so special?β heβd asked before this moment.
βThereβs lots of bugs,β Mona giggled, the sudden, unexpected sound breaking Dominic out of his thoughts. His eyes met hers again, his brows furrowing to remember what the topic was.
βAnd itβs where I met you!β she added, putting on a bright smile once more.
Dominic nodded slowly, his confusion intensifying. ββ¦Yes?β he replied. βOf course you did. Butβ¦β his voice trailed off, ending his sentence with just a sigh. What did that have to do with his question? Meeting Dominic wasnβt what made the garden special, so had she just changed the topic so suddenly again? βYes. Sure. Are the bugs truly your only reason?β he asked again, at the small chance heβd finally get an answer he understands.
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@raviola β π₯β Desdemona Sevdaliza
Again sorry for taking agesss, itβs been over a month
Also apparently Dom really wasnβt nice, sorry about my son
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