Chapter 14
The next time I wake up, it’s dark outside and I’m all alone.
I roll over.
I… start to roll over.
There’s something hard and uncomfortable between my stomach and the mattress. Not my bunny, who was beside me last time I awoke and still is. Not my notebook, either. Someone - possibly me, possibly Nolan - put that on the nightstand. This is… an apple.
Ace’s apple.
Still pretty pink-red. Still, miraculously, not bruised. Still with that subtle, sweet smell.
My hand shakes as I hold it.
I grab my bunny by one little arm and scoot to the corner where the bed meets the wall. My body feels too heavy and weak to get up and go crawl beneath the bed, but this is a good compromise.
The first bite is a head rush. The outside is so crispy, crunching beneath my teeth, tart juice filling my mouth before I can even start to chew. It sweetens with every grind of my teeth, but doesn’t turn mushy or get candy-sweet.
It’s perfect.
I eat every last bite, until all that’s left is the little twig from the top and the seeds I spat into my hand. I pocket the seeds and lay back down, bunny tucked against my chest, the twig between my finger and thumb as I lazily roll it back and forth across the pads.
It’s not until I’m almost asleep that I realize why my face feels a little sore.
I’m smiling.