#Chapter 57: A Heavy Heart

Alex leads me to a small room, simply furnished with a bed, a small chest of drawers, and mirror. If you expect homes in a pack base to be rustic, they’re not. In fact, this furniture looks antique and much nicer than what I have at home. He sets my overstuffed backpack down against the wall and looks around the room. He puts his hands in his back pockets and begins rocking on his heels. “It’s not much, but it’s clean.” “It’sss perfect.” I sit down on the bed and bounce a few times to test it. Alex takes this as an invitation and sits beside me. Again, not touching me but close enough that he could. We sit in silence for a moment. I don’t know what to say. I mean, this has all been so crazy and I haven’t really had time to process all of this. But I feel safe here; I didn’t at home, not anymore. My mind wanders briefly to my mother. I wonder if she’s in bed worried about me, and I hope she’s alright. I should text her goodnight. Alex nudges me with his shoulder. “You’re quiet. I’