NOTE: Apologies for the delay on this chapter, which should have been posted Wednesday. There was an ice storm that has left me without internet and unable to post.

I will be posting chapters 103 and 104 later today as well to get caught up!

Chapter 102 - Shake on it

Morrigan and Pepper made their way down the stairs, the faint clatter of dishes and murmurs of conversation drifting up from the dining room. As they entered, they were greeted by the sight of Jenna, Livy, and Tyler moving about, placing plates and silverware. The three girls moved with a sort of efficiency that always seemed to impress the counselors, but Morrigan knew better. Jenna liked to play the part of the model resident in front of the adults, all smiles and helpfulness, but it was a different story when the staff wasn't around.

Jenna looked up as Morrigan and Pepper stepped into the dining room. Her eyes gleamed with that familiar fake sweetness. "Well, look who made it just in time for breakfast.”

Morrigan returned a dry glare, still feeling a bit groggy and sleep-deprived, so she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth. The thing is, Jenna knew exactly why they were always the last to make it down to breakfast and that was the fact they had to wait until the bathroom was clear to avoid a potential assault or worse.

Jenna caught Sarah’s eye as she carefully placed a pitcher of juice on the table. “Anything else we can do to help, Miss Sarah?” she asked sweetly.

Sarah smiled. “Thank you, Jenna. I think we just need the food and napkins now.”

“On it,” Jenna replied smoothly, grabbing a stack of napkins and handing them to Tyler, who distributed them without complaint while Livy and Jenna moved to the kitchen.

Livy, wearing her ever-present oversized green sweater, gave a hostile glare over her shoulder as they blocked off any attempt Morrigan might have made to lend a hand. Tyler, in perfect sync with Livy’s subtle actions, finished with the napkins and pleasantly said to them, “Here you go, got your place ready for you.”

I seriously hate them…

But, as much as she hated to play into their stupid little games, Morrigan’s options were limited to:

A: Stand around like an idiot who doesn’t know what to do with herself.

B: Snap an attitude at Tyler over something everyone else would see as a common courtesy.

Or, C: Just sit the fuck down.

Morrigan opted for option C, and Pepper followed suit.

The kitchen door swung open as Cersi and Beth emerged with trays of food. Cersi moved quickly, her rapid steps mirroring her high energy, while Beth followed at a calmer pace, balancing a tray filled with bowls of fruit and scrambled eggs.

"Okay, breakfast is served!" Cersi announced as she returned with another tray, setting it down with a flourish. She scratched the scar along her temple as she pointed at the pancakes and broke into a round of her usual fast-talking. “I tried adding vanilla to the pancakes! Make sure you get some because I saw someone do it on this cooking show and thought it was a great idea, but I have no idea what the proper amount to use is, so it’s kind of an experiment, but cooking’s like that—you have to experiment sometimes and—oh! Hang on, I’ll be right back—”

With that, Cersi disappeared back into the kitchen without waiting for a response. Morrigan suspected that if an author were to write Cersi as a character in a novel, they would rarely use periods for her dialog.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Beth calmly placed the last of the bowls in their proper spots. She was much more reserved and tended not to add more than an occasional comment to the conversation. Morrigan tended to relate to her in that way. Honestly, between the two of them, Cersi, and Pepper, it was really fortunate that Cersi was around to keep the conversations alive. Otherwise, their side of the table would be so awkwardly silent that it would feel more like a wake after a funeral than a breakfast gathering.

Cersi came back with four bottles of syrup and quickly set them out on the table. Apparently, she had a relative who occasionally sent her money, and she always spent it on extra cooking supplies since the shelter was limited on what their budget allowed.

“So, I got a bunch of different kinds of syrups to try out that just came in the mail; Sarah helped me order them online, but look—there’s butter pecan, maple, blueberry, and this one is cinnamon-infused! It’s so hard to pick just one, so I figured, why not have them all, right? It’s high-quality stuff too—see the brand name? It’s practically gourmet! I know there are better things you can spend your money on when you have it, but you know if you don’t just follow your whims and try new things, you’ll never—” She kept going and going.

Morrigan raised an eyebrow, amused by Cersi’s enthusiasm and her particular brand of wisdom. Although it was admittedly a little too much to process first thing in the morning, especially when she hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Still, it was hard not to appreciate Cersi’s effort.

Morrigan stifled a yawn and glanced over at Pepper, who smiled politely but was clearly trying to keep up with Cersi’s energy.

Beth, meanwhile, took it all in stride, quietly placing a few pancakes on her plate and calmly reaching for the maple syrup. She gave a small nod of acknowledgment toward Morrigan, as if to say, ‘You get used to it.’

Breakfast continued at a steady pace, with the sound of clinking forks and the hum of low conversation filling the room. Morrigan picked at her food absentmindedly, still trying to fully wake up as Cersi continued to chatter about future meals and potential new recipes. Jenna, Livy, and Tyler remained seated at the other end of the table, carrying on their own conversation with Sarah as the typical guest of honor in their group. However, Morrigan couldn’t help but notice Jenna’s eyes kept wandering in her direction.

After a while, Jenna finally spoke up, her voice slipping into that all-too-familiar tone of false concern. “Hey, Morrigan, sorry to ask so suddenly, but are you doing okay? You’ve seemed a bit… tired lately.”

Morrigan’s grip on her fork tightened for a moment. She didn’t want to acknowledge Jenna’s question, but she knew ignoring her would only lead to more prodding. She glanced up, meeting Jenna’s gaze, and forced a small, unconvincing smile. “Yep… Still adjusting, I guess.”

Jenna tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with that predatory curiosity she often wore. “Oh, really? You know, I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but when I went to the bathroom, I heard you and Pepper talking last night.”

Morrigan froze, her mind instantly going on high alert. How much did she hear? she wondered, her pulse quickening. She had made sure to keep their voices low, but the possibility that Jenna had put an ear to the door wasn’t out of the question. Still, Morrigan tried to calm herself, realizing that even if Jenna had done that, she wouldn’t have been able to make out much beyond muffled voices. Plus, without context, the conversation wouldn’t have made much sense to her, and she had no proof of Morrigan sneaking out every night.

Before Morrigan could say anything, Pepper quickly jumped in, her voice soft but steady. “Oh, th-that’s my fault. I had a nightmare, and I woke Morrigan up. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb anyone.”

Jenna’s smile widened, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Aww, so you’re still having nightmares, huh?”

Pepper nodded quickly, clearly nervous under Jenna’s scrutiny. “Yeah… I, um, sometimes have bad dreams. Morrigan was just being nice and helping me calm down.”

Jenna’s gaze flicked between the two of them, and for a moment, Morrigan could see her calculating, trying to see if there were any cracks in the story. But after a beat, Jenna shrugged and said, “Well, if you ever need anything, I’ll be happy to help. That goes for both of you.”

“Gee. Appreciate it.” Morrigan couldn’t help the sarcasm seeping into her voice. Jenna’s overly sweet tone grated on her nerves, especially knowing that it was all just part of the act. She turned her attention back to her plate, hoping the conversation would end there.

Jenna let out a light chuckle, seemingly unfazed by the snark. “No problem,” she said smoothly, returning to her own food. “I just want to make sure everyone’s comfortable, you know? This place can be a bit tough sometimes.”

Morrigan resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as a dark thought crept in—maybe she should try to make peace with Jenna.

Yeah… I’ll just slip off my glove, and we can shake on it.

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