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"Why don't we sit-- umm…" Uma step

Grace tried not to panic upon hearing Arina's words. She hesitated before briefly nodding her head. "You can talk to me about anything; what's up?"

Arina hesitated and shifted her eyes away. "It's not anything really bad or anything. Why don't we sit?" She suggested.

Grace nodded, walking to the lounge at the library's center. She sat in a comfy chair across from Arina and let out a slow breath before looking at her friend with a look of concern on her face.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Grace," Arina meekly stated, sadness showing n her eyes.

Grace had expected the conversation to go differently. 'Apologize? For what?' She briefly mused before smiling slightly. "What's this about? You haven't done anything wrong," she assured.

Arina briefly sat silently, folding her hands on her lap as she stared toward the floor. "I--," she started to speak but stopped mid-sentence. "We haven't known each other for long, huh?" She suddenly asked.

Grace pursed her lips while thinking of what to say. Where was she going with this? "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Arina fidgeted with her fingers, picking at her cuticles while keeping her eyes averted. "I know I'm a lot to deal with sometimes. I really don't mean to be clingy," she insisted, staring back at Grace with desperate eyes.

Grace was concerned and confused. Arina's train of thought seemed disjointed and unfocused. "Arina," she said quietly, her lips curling into a warm smile. "If you're worried that you're bothering me and should apologize, please don't stress. I like having a friend here, and I've never considered you clingy."

Arina closed her eyes and propped her elbow on her knee before touching her face. "You haven't known me long enough to get sick of me yet, though It's only a matter of time." She spoke quietly and with a wavering tone.

Grace's heart rate picked up as Arina spoke. 'What's going on?' She grabbed her chair and scooched closer to Arina, reaching over as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't pretend to know what you've been through, but you should put more faith in me," she warmly reassured.

"I do have faith in you. I just…" Arina's voice trailed again as she shook her head with a small sigh.

Grace noticed that Arina was panting while covered in a thin layer of sweat. When glancing toward her mouth, she swore Arina's canine teeth were slightly more pronounced than usual. 'That's not important.' She re-focused her attention on her distraught friend's well-being. "Are you going to say something about not having faith in yourself?"

Arina shifted and removed her hand from her face, showing off her reddened cheeks. "I wasn't going to!-- Well, I guess I was…" She pouted slightly, briefly bringing some levity to their conversation.

Grace gently ran her hand up and down Arina's shoulder, momentarily enjoying the fragrance of coconut shampoo. At the same time, a fuzzy, milky warmth manifested deep within her abdomen and washed through her body. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

Arina slowly inhaled before letting out her breath and leaning back in her chair. She stared at the ceiling before closing her eyes again. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Grace sensed great turmoil within Arina, who struggled to articulate her worries. She felt a slight pang of relief toward the fact Arina didn't have some specific, earth-shattering revelation that would destroy her morale. Unfocused anxiety and concerns were something she could handle. "We're going to win the next round together. If you need space sometimes, that's more than fine. But you're stuck with me as your friend whether you like it or not." She wanted to reinforce that Arina was a welcome person in her life. "Let's focus on surviving Mollusk Match together and not the regrets of our pasts. The only thing that matters-- the only thing that exists at all, is the present."

Arina's lips cracked into a slight smile as she shook her head, still facing the ceiling with her eyes closed. "You're really good with words, Grace," she said gently. "I'm glad I met you."

Grace didn't want Arina to see how worried she was. Even if she was well-spoken, she struggled to keep it together. At one point, Phoebe ominously mentioned Arina's past as well. How long could they actually avoid discussing their personal histories? "Let's get dinner in a couple of hours, okay? I'll be scheming inside Verdant Manor if you want to find me for any reason. I was actually planning on staying in the library for a bit." She didn't want to force her company onto Arina if she still wanted solitude. Also, it was easier for Grace to focus on strategy when Arina wasn't readily available as a distraction.

"Dinner in a couple of hours, then. Sounds great," Arina beamed, sitting up. "I'm going to use the bathroom and maybe hit the gym. I'll see you soon." She hugged Grace quickly and exchanged goodbyes before waving and heading to the door. Before leaving, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned toward Grace. Her mouth opened slightly before closing again, a hesitant look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" Grace questioned, trying to ignore an icy feeling that crept through her spine.

"Yeah! I will see you soon!" Arina waved, flashing a wide grin before leaving the room.

Grace watched as the door closed, leaving her alone in silence. On the one hand, she felt better. From what she had gleaned, Arina wasn't specifically upset at her. Instead, Arina was dealing with personal demons and insecurities and still had some big secrets.

"Still, I feel a little closer to her again," she mumbled before shaking her head. Since she was already in the library, taking advantage of all the books would only make sense.

Grace scanned the library and found a section labeled History. She hesitated, staring at the sign as a knot manifested in her stomach. She recalled how badly she floundered on the first Mollusk Match game. What had supposedly been simple history questions turned into lost points when she attempted to provide an answer.

She realized how messed up her upbringing was shortly after being abducted and dumped off in this government facility with the others. Two decades of her life had been spent behind the massive walls of an isolated city, with the SOU government insisting that life outside was dangerous.

Her heart raced as she grabbed a few interesting books and sat in one of the chairs. The first book that piqued her interest was 'The Formation of the State of Union Government.'

She brushed her hand over the hardcover depicting a white government building and a flag. After psyching herself up, she opened the cover and began to read with much trepidation.

The book spoke of how a massive and powerful terrorist group killed off people in the hundreds of thousands and also targeted the government directly with impressive technology. There were rebellions by people swayed by the terrorist ideology, and eventually, the State of Union Government was formed to resist the terrorist threat. Strict rules and regulations were implemented to ensure every citizen's safety and peace.

The first part made sense; she had been taught about the SOU government's formation in school. But, much to her dismay, an essential element was missing from the book she read. Nothing about the combination of radiation and biohazard plagued much of the country. What about the mutant beasts?

Her mind raced as she skimmed the following few pages. Cities stood free and without walls while the government maintained order. She wasn't surprised, but she still felt a sense of great anxiety at having her fears confirmed. 'What about the walled cities?' She mused, frowning as she checked the table of contents.

After ten minutes, she found no information of value and sighed in response. It might be in her best interest to study here in the future. There was no way of knowing when she'd need to answer more questions while getting leered at by another VVIP.

Grace closed the book and stood to her feet, stretching as she yawned. With much to contemplate, she couldn't help but feel exhausted.

Grace spent the next day observing Rich as he performed farm work. She asked if she could help him take care of a different chore while he tilled the fields, and she was shooed away again.

She mostly stayed to herself after briefly spending time with Arina, Phoebe, and Ella during lunch. Ruby approached her in the dining room at one point and assured her that she was getting Edith and Gina to apologize so they could all be friends. She nodded and responded with positive affirmation despite feeling somewhat weary of Ruby.

"We'll all play a game or have fun together soon. Maybe tomorrow night, okay?" Ruby chimed, waving as she ran off.

Grace waved, offering a weak smile. She got a strange vibe from Ruby, but she needed to focus on her goals and decided to head toward the front door.

"The hell is this?" A gruff, feminine voice called from outside.

Grace stopped and tried to recall whose voice that was. She pulled her sweat-dampened shirt, unsticking it from her body as she briefly contemplated her next move. Shortly after, she stepped forward and opened the door, staring toward the bottom of the porch.

Kalea stood barefoot with boxer shorts and a white tee shirt, her arms crossed as she stood at a wood bulletin board to the right of the porch steps.

Grace blinked in confusion, examining the board as she descended the steps to get a better look. 'The hell is this indeed.' 

"Ah-- Grace, eh?" Kalea asked with a smirk. "Haven't talked much yet, have we?" She suddenly grunted and scratched at her neck, some feathers falling from her collar and floating to the ground.

"Yeah. And you're Kalea, right?" Grace recalled eavesdropping on her conversation with Uma. Shortly after, Uma warned her of Kalea and went on a tangent about sociopathy. Her eyes turned toward the board as she spoke.

"Yup!" Kalea curtly replied.

Grace furrowed her brow as she quickly realized that a schedule had been posted.

~~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

                                                         08:00-11:00: Tilling the fields and planting seeds

11:00-12:00: Break

                                                          12:00-14:00: Tilling the fields and planting seeds

                                                                         14:00-15:00: Break

                                   15:00-17:00: Prepare stables

                                         17:00-18:00: Break

                                          18:00 and later: End of work day

~~~~~~~~~~

'Is it Wednesday?' Grace frowned upon realizing she had begun to lose track of time. More importantly, why were they posting a schedule? Rich didn't let them help with the farm work, so this information didn't help much.

"Man. I tried to help that old fucker earlier, but he basically told me to fuck off," Kalea grunted, casting a scowl toward the field where Rich tirelessly worked. She then turned toward Grace with a sly grin on her face. "You think you're pretty smart, right? Do you think this farmer bullshit has anything to do with Mollusk Match? We haven't heard shit about the second game."

Grace continued thinking about Uma's warning regarding Kalea, but it wasn't like she fully trusted Uma yet to begin with. She would use her best judgment. "Who knows. I'm not sure; I tried to help him too but got the same result," she shrugged, curious to see what Kalea would do.

Kalea grunted, brushing her crimson hair from her face. "Well, I'm not sur--ugggghhh!" She gasped mid-sentence and doubled over, breaking out into a torrential sweat.

Grace took a step back, startled by Kalea's sudden outburst. "H-- Hey, can I help?" She cautiously asked. She immediately knew Kalea's cries were related to her ongoing transformation; what else could it be?

"Uggh…." Kalea moaned as tiny red specks appeared in random places over her arms and legs. Her breasts and ass wobbled and strained slightly against her shorts and top.

Grace watched in horror as crimson feathers sprouted from Kalea's limbs. Some of them fell to the ground, and others stayed in. At the same time, the skin of her hands wrinkled slightly, and her nails sharpened. By the sound of it, these changes were at least mildly painful for her.

"Fuuuuuck!" Kalea moaned. Her scowl curled into a shaky smile, and she cupped her breasts through her shirt, squeezing them.

Grace expected to see anger and fear, which wasn't reflected in Kalea's actions. Was she really enjoying this? All she could do was step back and stare with morbid curiosity. Her own body ached and throbbed in response. She took a slow breath, fearing she might also experience an episode.

"Ahhhh… I'm gonna be some kind of fucking bird, huh?" Kalea laughed through her pants and turned toward the farmer. "I can't change too fast… I need to see the end of this game," she purred, starting to regain her senses. Seconds later, she began to walk straight toward Rich.

Grace pushed her legs together and slightly squirmed as she watched Kalea walk away. "What are you doing?" She called after her.

"I'm going to make him give us some answers. Even if I have to rough him up a little, I'll make him spill the beans," Kalea promised. She meant business and didn't care if they weren't supposed to use violence.

CHAPTER END

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