endure;

Anson cracked open her fortune cookie. The cookie never interested her but the fortunes were nice. She laughed when she read what she got. “These things make no sense.”

“I’ll consider that, I’ve still got the blueprints in my room. Can’t be sure it’ll work though I’ll need to do some more tests on it” he explained as he walked over to the couch and passed her a bowl. Moving to sit down beside her with his own he ate his food, although at a slower pace than Imogen was. “And I thought I was bad at remembering to eat, I think this is time for me to stage an intervention and invite you to join me every evening so I can be sure you’ve eaten.” Zach laughed at the thought of him and Callum on Masterchef, “nah it’s not quite my style. I just like being homechef and anyway all it is is following a few instructions on a piece of paper.”

“Well, my door is yours to experiment on. Just y’know, don’t blow it off and leave me with no door at all. That might be a little counter-productive.” At Zach’s comment, Imogen became suddenly self conscious of the way she had downed her food, and made sure her next bite was taken at a normal pace. Smiling embarrassingly, she covered her mouth with her hand while she chewed, waiting to swallow before she spoke. “Is that just your way of saying you love my company and want to cook dinner for me every night?” She teased. 

Tasha raised an eyebrow at her friend “I’ve never seen you so tired. What’s wrong?”

“What? Oh just study and all that. I’ve had trouble juggling lately, but I’m getting it under control. Is it that obvious?”

“You’re right and while I did consider ripping out the door and installing a biometric scanning system I eventually gave it up. I don’t think the institute would be all too pleased with me hijacking their security system just so my room-mate can get in without needing a key.” He admitted waving her in before shutting the door once she was inside, he’d known her long enough to know something was up but his primary concern was making her comfortable and taking care of her like he did with all those in his circle of friends.

“Of course you did,” Imogen chuckled as she followed Zach inside, shaking her head at her friend. It seemed his brain never stopped thinking of ways to revolutionize the technological systems that the Havens functioned on. “That does sounds pretty cool though, if you want to come and try it on my apartment door, I won’t argue. It might stop my siblings from just walking in whenever they feel like it.” While she loved her siblings dearly, she despised their lack of boundaries when it came to privacy. Before the attack, it never bothered her, but now she could barely face them without feeling unceasing guilt and shame, and having them around all the time lately only made her feel worse.

Giggling like a little child Tasha pushed over a box placing it in front of her and Imogen “ See? You don’t even have to move. You’ll see that once you’re all unpacked you’ll feel much better.”

“But I still have to move to put stuff away, and besides I have a good system going. I take what I need as I need it.”

“–Yeah, I can try and induce a vision about you, if you want.” Valentina slipped her phone back into her pocket and glanced up at the person standing in front of her. “Only if you’re willing to accept that what I may or may not see could end up being awful news. Can you deal with that?”

“No, gross, don’t even consider it. Yes, one more day will hurt. If you don’t do it now, you never will.”

“That’s not true! I will do it tomorrow, I promise. I just have to...have a nap first.”

“Showing skin does not mean somebody has any less dignity.”

“Depends in what capacity.”

The door to the gymnasium opened abruptly in the middle of combat practice.     Oliver’s attention shifted from the student he was teaching about tackling to the new arrival at the gym. He ordered one of the more learned students to take over while he walked up to the newcomer. Oliver spread his hands in question, “You’re late.” 

Gabriel had realized a long time ago that there was no arguing with Anabel and trying to read her was like trying to read an encyclopedia in a foreign language. Despite his attempts to reassure her, he never seemed to crack through her shell. “You know Bel, that’s just the way she is. You could tell her how much you care a hundred times and she would still be skeptical.” Gabriel also knew quite about about his other sister, and knew that she was just as stubborn as Anabel. He could tell her something several times and would have to tell her even more.

“I know. I know, it’s just...” Imogen trailed off, biting her lip, unsure as to whether she should continue. She didn’t want Gabriel to feel as though he was stuck in the middle of the sisters, but she needed to know how he felt about the situation. If he was as angry as her, or if she was flying off the handle for no reason. “It’s just that she left us, Gabe. And before you say anything, I understand that she was scared, and I understand if she felt belittled at the thought of having to be protected by us. But she didn’t even tell us. We could have died and she would have been none the wiser. Not to mention everything we willingly gave up to find her. I’m not complaining about it of course, but she came back and was immediately defensive about why I was angry. She won’t try to see it from my side at all, and I’ll let it go, but I still find it unfair. If it had been one of us that ran and left her behind, it would be a whole other story where we’re still to blame.” She stopped herself, taking her brother’s silence as a sign that it was a topic to be now left alone.

“I already helped you bring them all over here. You can’t expect me to unpack them for you too.”

“Oh come onnnnnn. What if I bribed you?”

“Come on, lazy ass. These boxes are going to start growing mold by the time you even open one of them.”

“At least then there’d be some sign of life in this apartment...okay, no ew, I couldn’t even get through that thought without cringing. But...one more day won’t hurt, will it?”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Are you always this much of a prude? It’s not like I’m taking pictures and passing them out to the whole school.”

“I’m not a prude, Isabella. I’m just not as eager to get my kit off as other people. I have a little dignity.”

“Come ooon.” Tasha whined dropping herself in the sofa next to her friend “ I have plenty energy to spare and I’m bored.”

“I envy you,” Imogen sighed, pulling herself up. If she laid on the sofa any longer she would fall asleep, and it was apparent that Tasha wasn’t going to let that happen. “Fine, but I’m unpacking from this position right here. I’m not moving.”

Quiet Nights In: Imogen & Zach

Imogen wasn’t fully aware of where her legs were carrying her until she noticed the familiar door of Zach’s dorm come into view. She’d been wandering for what felt like hours; mind hazy, full of too many conflicting thoughts. How had she come to this? The brunette had always prided herself on being the one who had it all together. Sure, she’d had a plethora of issues, but they had never haunted her like they did now. She had been running for too long, and it had all finally caught up. She could feel herself beginning to crumble, and as she timidly knocked on Zach’s door, she wondered what would happen to her if she became completely unhinged. 

“You know, as soon as I said it, I realized who I was talking to,” Imogen chuckled, placing her bag on the couch before following Callum into the kitchen. “I should have assumed right away you would have cooked enough to feed almost all of the Haven’s students.” At his question, she smiled politely. “Water is fine for now, I’m trying to ruin my body via desserts, rather than fizzy drinks. To keep an equal balance and everything.”