I had never felt so tense that all of the muscles in my body were sore. The dinner had just begun. We had barely said anything, and I was already regretting my decision in taking part in any peace talks. It was the first time that our two factions, which had no official names, really, had decided to get together and talk instead of fighting over precious resources.
Considering war was the reason the land was barren and infertile, we wished to see an end to it, but humans were humans. In the end, we would always be struggling and fighting for every advantage we could.
Cooks from both sides brought us our food, beef stew and rice, which was made from ingredients dried before the war or canned. Zach, the enemy faction's leader called for a prayer, but I—and Travis, the enemy's second hand man—opted to keep our eyes open while our leaders thanked the lord for our meal. No one seemed to do anything shifty, except Tall's grin when our eyes met. The look gave me the chills.
Once everyone's eyes were open again, we all dipped our spoons into our stews. I was nothing special, just like everything else we ate these days, but it was nice to have something hot for a change instead of straight out of the can.
"So, this Marla," Zach said, gesturing toward me, "is someone that you trust, if she is here with you?"
"Yes, we have known each other since we were babies," Jan, my faction's leader, said, smiling. "There's no one else in this world that I trust more."
"I see, and I, of course, brought Travis with me. We only met during the war, but I assure you, I also trust no one more in this world."
Suddenly, Jan made a choking noise, and she clutched at her throat. By the time we all looked at her, we noticed her face had gone purple. No one made a move as she looked at me in panic, reaching a hand toward me. That urge to pull at my collar came again, but I fought it. After several agonizing minutes, Jan slumped forward, face landing in her bowl.
I felt bile rise in my throat.
"Ah, good, you followed through with the deal," Zach said, patting my hand on the table. "I was worried you wouldn't."
I withdrew my hand, grimacing.
"We can't survive if we stay separate from each other. She just couldn't see that."
"It's all right, dear," Travis in between bites of his stew. "We take care of you."
The queasiness never left me, and I lost my appetite for the stew. All I could do was stare at my friend as she laid there, crystal blue eyes wide in fear. I turned away from the table, and I retched dinner onto the floor.
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