Chapter 16-P11

Marley watched him stiffly turn his back to her and head for the path. She found herself unable to move her own feet for a long minute. Long enough to see that Aiden's pace was confident and controlled for his first couple of steps, before he paused and stopped moving again, right before the tree-line met the path. She stared at Aiden's broad back as he held his breath. She waited. Waited for him. What was she waiting for? Clearly, nothing at all. Aiden's strides didn't falter again as he re-entered the path towards the mess hall, while Marley stumbled after him on shaky legs. - She pondered over Alec's odd behaviour before the movie but it seemed futile once she and Aiden entered the mess hall. Struggling to see around his back suddenly obstructing her view of, well, anything in front of or around her, she was led right to an open end of a blanket on the far right side of the cleared cafeteria. Gabby was turned to face the two of them, and to the left of her, was Bree lea