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The bombs have fallen a few weeks ago, and I'm in some kind of bunker, serving rich people. As a Grey I have to share my room with three other Greys, and I absolutely hate it. All three of my roommates are total bitches, always picking on me and laughing at me.
Today is one of those days on which they would prank me and giggle as I fall down to my knees, plates shattering on the kitchen floor. Once they left, I get back up and sweep up the broken plates, tears gathering in my eyes. I throw them away and leave the kitchen, letting my tears fall. On my way to the laundry room, I almost bump into Ms. Venable. I look up, and her eyes seem to stare directly into my soul.
"I-I'm s-sorry, Ms. Venable," I mumble, lowering my head, and try to walk past her. "What happened?" she grabs my arm and stops me from leaving.
Why is her voice softer when she talks to me?
"N-nothing, Ms. Venable," I tell her, and she just raises one of her perfect eyebrows. She lets go of my arm, and I hurry to the laundry room.
Tonight as I arrive at my room, I can't get in. They must have locked it from the inside. I knock and try to get their attention, but they don't respond, so I decide to find another place to sleep. Walking towards the library, I shiver as the cold air of the outpost hits my skin. Once I reach my destination, I curl up in front of the fireplace, which is only burning faintly, not providing much heat, but I'll take all the warmth I can get. I start to cry quietly as I think about my pathetic life here in the outpost.
I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up feeling a hand on my shoulder. I flinch slightly, my muscles aching from sleeping on the hard floor. My fingers are numb and cold as ice. Then I remember why I woke up and look up. Ms. Venable is standing next to me in a black nightgown. My eyes widen, and I get up, wincing as I feel pain shooting through my body.
"What are you doing here at three in the morning?" Ms. Venable asks. "And don't try to lie to me, y/n," she adds.
She knows my name?
"Th-the others l-locked the d-door, and I couldn't get into the r-room. I-I'm sorry. I'll find s-somewhere else to sleep."
"For how long have the others been picking on you, y/n?" she asks. The question confuses me.
Why would she care?
"E-ever since I got here." I look towards the floor.
"And why haven't you told me?"
"I-I didn't want to bother you with something so unimportant."
Suddenly, I feel a hand under my chin, lifting it up. "You are not unimportant, y/n. I've been observing you since you've arrived here, and you're one of the few people I can stand in this outpost," Ms. Venable says, and I blush.
"You're coming with me now," she tells me and leads the way out of the library. I follow her, and we end up in her room. She tells me that I can sleep on her couch tonight.
"Thank you, Ms. Venable."
She hands me a blanket and a pillow, before she settles on her bed and starts reading a book.
Ah…that's the reason she was in the library at such an unholy hour.
I lie down and turn around, facing the couch. I almost fall asleep instantly, cuddling the warm blanket that smells like Ms. Venable.
~~~
The next morning, I wake up early and turn around. My jaw drops as I see Ms. Venable in her bed sleeping, her long hair freely flowing over her pillow and her face relaxed. It's moments like these in which I miss my phone so I could take a picture. I sneak out of her room and walk towards the Grey's shower room and wash myself.
Later, I'm in the dining room, placing food in front of the Purples and Ms. Venable. After breakfast, Ms. Venable taps the cane on the floor twice to get the attention of everyone in the room. "Ms. l/n will be my personal Grey from now on," she says, and my eyes widen.
What?
Most of the outpost's occupants look at me with pity in their eyes, but I'm actually really happy, but I don't show it of course.
"You may go now," Ms. Venable addresses the room full of people. I move to leave, but her words stop me. "Not you, Ms. l/n." Everyone leaves the room, and Ms. Venable tells me to follow her and leads me to her room again.
"Your duties will primarily be in this room, cleaning it and taking care of my laundry." I nod and fumble with my grey dress. "You will also sleep in here. I'll see to it that there will be a bed placed in the corner, and a curtain will be put up as well, so you can have a little privacy."
"Thank you, Ms. Venable," I tell her, and she nods.
I go back to my room and gather the few things I own, and I'm about to go back to Ms. Venable's room as one of the bitchy Greys bumps into me and pushes me to the floor, laughing as I hit my head hard on the wall. She walks past me, and I get back up, picking up my stuff, trying to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall.
I make it to Ms. Venable's and, I guess, my room, where another Grey is building a bed, the curtain already in place. I place my things on the couch and sit down for a moment, my head pounding. Touching the back of my head, I gasp as I feel that it is wet. I look at my hand and swallow hard as I see the red blood covering it. The Grey walks towards me and also gasps as they see my blood-covered hand.
"I'll get help," they say and leave before I can stop them. A few minutes later, they comes back with Ms. Venable, who looks concerned. "Leave us," she says, and the Grey leaves, closing the door behind them. "What happened, y/n? And don't tell me you fell, because I won't believe you."
"A Grey bumped into m-me and pushed me. I-I stumbled and fell. My head hit the w-wall," I stutter.
"Which Grey, y/n?"
"I-I-"
"WHICH GREY, Y/N?!?" I hold my head and groan. Her voice is too loud for my throbbing head to handle. "Oh, I'm sorry," she says quietly and sits down next to me. "Let me take a look at your wound." She gets a first aid kit and takes care of me.
"Rest now. However, I want to hear the name of the Grey who did this when I come back later," she says strictly and leaves the room again. I walk towards my new bed slowly, undress until I'm only in my underwear, and crawl under the covers.
~~~
I wake up due to the throbbing of my head and groan. "How are you, y/n?" Ms. Venable walks over to me. "I've been better," I smile softly, and she chuckles.
Did she just chuckle? What's going on?
"I can imagine."
"Now, are you willing to tell me the name of the Grey that harmed you?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
Why does she have to be so attractive all the time?
"B-but you can't punish her...it'll only make it worse," I mumble.
"We'll see about that. You're under my protection now, and everybody knows that. She would be foolish to try to hurt you again," Ms. Venable says and sits down on my bed, placing her hand on top of mine.
"H-Helena," I whisper. Ms. Venable smiles softly and gets up.
"I'll take care of that. Try to rest a little more. I'll be back with your dinner soon," she tells me and leaves the room.
The next time I wake up, I get up slowly and try to put on my dress to go to the shower room. Suddenly the door opens, revealing Ms. Venable with a plate in her hand. She takes in my appearance, my grey underpants and bra. I blush and hold my grey dress against my body.
"I-I was just about t-to go to the shower room..." I stutter.
"You don't have to use that room anymore. You can use my bathroom," she says and points towards the door opposite me. I nod and gather a new set of clothes, rushing into the bathroom.
"I'll place your dinner on your bed," Ms. Venable says.
"Thank you, Ms. Venable."
I take a look around.
Wow. Her bathroom is really big and beautiful.
I shower and put on a new grey dress, before I exit the bathroom and go to my bed. Upon seeing the nutrition cube, my stomach turns, but I force myself to eat it anyways, because I need the energy. After eating, I go to the supply closet and take some cleaning supplies so I can start cleaning Ms. Venable's room. I start with sweeping. As I'm almost finished, the door swings open and Ms. Venable enters.
"What are you doing, y/n?" she asks, walking towards me and snatching the broom out of my hands.
"I-I was cleaning. Wha-"
"You should be in bed, resting!"
"B-but my duties-"
"Your duties are to listen to me and do as I say! Now rest!" she says, pointing towards my bed. I lower my head and nod, making my way to my bed. I close the curtain, undress, and slip under the covers. Sleep consumes me.
A few hours later, I feel my mattress dip, but I keep my eyes shut and my breathing shallow.
"What are you doing to me, y/n?" Ms. Venable whispers and brushes a strand of my hair out of my face.
"Goodnight, y/n," she breathes against my cheek and places a kiss on it. Then she gets up and closes the curtain again.
What did just happen? Does she like me the way I like her?
I open my eyes and smile softly, touching my cheek.
~~~
I fall back asleep, and the next time I wake up, I scream, haunted by a nightmare. My breathing quickens, and I hug my body. Suddenly, I feel two hands on my face, and my eyes flicker to Ms. Venable's face. She looks into my fear-filled eyes and begins to speak, but I can't hear anything. Her hands cup my cheeks, before she places one on my forehead, her facial expression indicating worry. She disappears and comes back with a bucket full of water, a washcloth, and towels. I'm still hugging myself, still not really responsive.
Ms. Venable wets the washcloth and wipes it over my face, washing the sweat off it. She wets it again and places it on my forehead. I sigh as the cool washcloth hits my hot skin. Then, Ms. Venable pulls my covers back and puts a towel in the cold water before wrapping it around my right calf, wrapping a dry one around it as well and repeating her actions on my other calf. She covers my body again with the blanket and touches my cheek softly. Then everything fades to black.
...
"Please don't leave me, y/n," I hear someone sobbing. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids are too heavy. I feel a weight on my chest as if someone is resting their head there. A few minutes later, I open my eyes and see auburn hair covering my chest.
"M-Ms. Venable?" I whisper, my voice cracking as I say her name. She lifts her head, and I notice her red, puffy eyes.
"Y/N!!" she hugs me, and I'm confused.
"You didn't wake up for five days. I was scared that you'd never wake up again," she tells me, a tear running down her cheek. "Why? One less mouth to feed," I joke, coughing at the end, because my mouth is so dry. Ms. Venable hits me playfully and gets up, fetching me a glass of water.
"Thanks," I say, sitting up and emptying the whole glass in one go. She gets me a nutrition cube to eat, but I shake my head, my stomach turning at the sight of it. "You have to eat this, y/n," Ms. Venable insists and sits down next to me, cutting a piece of the cube and holding the fork in front of my mouth. I hesitantly open my mouth and swallow the 'food'. After I've eaten about three quarters of the cube, I tell her that I can't eat more, and she nods.
"Why do you care about me?" I whisper. Ms. Venable looks at me, and her eyes widen. "I-I guess, I like you," she says, and I smile. "I like you too," I tell her, biting my bottom lip. "You do?" she asks, not believing me. I nod and pull her into a hug, thanking her for taking care of me.
As I pull away, I stare into her beautiful brown eyes and lose myself in them. Suddenly, I feel soft lips brushing against mine, and I gasp. Ms. Venable pulls away and moves to get up, tears gathering in her eyes again. "I'm sorry, Ms. l/n."
"No, no. I-I liked it. I-I was just surprised. Please don't leave," I plead, and she looks at me, uncertainty shining in her eyes. I pull her towards me and kiss her gently. It's like heaven. Her lips are so soft, and the way they move against mine drives me insane.
After a few moments, we pull back to breathe, both of us smiling. "Lie down with me, Mina?" I ask, biting my lip nervously. "Mina?" she raises an eyebrow, and I chuckle. She lies down beside me, and I snuggle into her side, resting my head against her shoulder. "I'm glad that I ended up here and not in some other outpost," I whisper and Wilhemina hums. "Me too, y/n," she says and pulls me closer.
-the end-