Unable to sleep, Annika ventured downstairs to find something to do. It was just past 11 pm, but it seemed like no one had gone to bed yet—not even Mabel or Oxalia, who were usually the first to retreat to their bedrooms. As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she could hear voices coming from the living room. Kneeling by the doorway so as to not be seen, she listened.

“A wedding dress? Are you sure?” It was Mabel.

“I think she could do it,” Oxalia said, “You’ve been doing this stuff for years, Leaf.”

Annika could hear the leather of the couch squeaking as someone shifted their weight. “I don’t know guys,” Leaf said, more nervous than Annika had ever heard her, “Weddings are kind of a big deal. I don’t even have any wedding dress fabric.”

“Then buy some,” Faye said, “how much could it cost?”

“A lot!” Leaf squealed, “Silks and lace aren’t cheap. I could probably get tulle for a good price but who wants a tulle wedding dress?”

“How much were they offering?” Oxalia asked.

“A lot,” Leaf replied, “I could easily ask for more too.”

“Well, it is up to you.” Mabel said, and the room fell quiet, Annika’s breath and the clock in the kitchen nearby filling her ears.

“Do you think we should take Annika to a doctor?” Mabel said, breaking the silence. Annika froze at the sound of her name.

“Is she sick?” Oxalia asked.

“Well, no, I just think we should get her checked out.”

Annika thought about the last time she’d been to a doctor. It was the week before she escaped her captors. They’d made her see the stadium physician regularly after she got the injuries that resulted in her scars. By then, they were mostly healed.

“She’s not a dog, you know,” Faye said, “If she felt like she needed to go to a doctor, she’d tell us.”

“I just thought maybe she could use a checkup,”Mabel said, sounding defeated.

“I could ask her tomorrow,” Oxalia offered.

There it was again. The discussion. It was almost as if they thought Annika was a delicate antique vase instead of a person. They tiptoed around her, very careful to not to tip her over and break her. This was far from the first time this had happened. It was more frequent when she first arrived, but even now that they’ve warmed up to her somewhat, when it did happen, it was frustrating.

Not wanting to eavesdrop any longer, she rose from the weathered wooden floorboards, the slight aching in her legs making her wonder why she decided to kneel in the first place. Annika couldn’t walk away, though. She didn’t want to go back upstairs to her bedroom just to toss and turn for hours. She didn’t want to mill about the house aimlessly, since the others would go to bed at some point and one of them might find her in a room alone. Annika could hear them talking about something else now. The rooster clock in the kitchen ticked along. The wind outside whistled through the branches of ancient oaks. It was then Annika decided that maybe she didn’t belong in this old house with these girls who were supposed to be her peers.

“Oh!” Mabel’s startled squeal shook Annika from her daze. “How long have you been standing there?

“Not long,” Annika lied, “I can’t sleep.” She looked down into Mabel’s bright blue eyes and hoped the lie was good enough.

“Neither can we,” Mabel said, “It must be something in the house, huh?” Mabel tried to smile, but it didn’t reassure Annika at all. “Why don’t you join us?”

For a moment, Annika felt bad. They were only trying to be nice. They were just not so good at doing it. “Okay.”

As she walked in, they all turned to look at her. Faye had a polite smile and so did Oxalia, but Leaf blushed and turned away, feigning interest in the hem of her oversized sweatshirt.

“We were just talking about you,” Oxalia said, although Annika already knew. “We were wondering if you’d like to see a doctor sometime.”

“Just for a checkup,” Faye added.

“Sure,” Annika shrugged, “If you think I need one. I appreciate your concern,” she added, realizing that they probably were genuinely concerned. She took a seat next to Oxalia on the couch opposite Faye and Leaf.

“Great,” Oxalia said, clasping her hands together. “Oh! Leaf has some exciting news.”

“Nothing’s been decided yet,” Leaf said, laughing nervously.

“I think you should do it,” Faye said, “Think of the attention your store would get!”

“She’s been asked to make a wedding dress,” Oxalia revealed.

“Oh, that sounds… interesting.” Annika was only barely familiar with this area’s customs, but it seemed like weddings were a big deal.

Leaf yawned. “You know what? It’s late. I’ve got some, uh, orders to ship tomorrow.” Faye flashed Leaf a look but didn’t say any thing when she rose from the couch. “See you guys tomorrow!” Annika waved politely but didn’t think Leaf saw it.

“I’ll go too,” Mabel said, “I’ll be asleep until noon at this point.” Faye followed her out of the room wordlessly, leaving Annika and Oxalia alone in the living room. Annika waited for Oxalia to leave, but she didn’t.

“You know...” Oxalia began, hesitantly, “I know what it feels like to be new here, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I just kinda showed up one day like you did. These girls took me in when I had no place to go. I owe a lot to them.” Oxalia’s deep green eyes gleamed in memory.

Annika was surprised at this revelation. Oxalia seemed so comfortable around the house, you’d think she was here for ages.

“What I’m trying to say here is...” She trailed off again. “We’re only trying to help.”

“I know,” Annika said. “You guys have an odd way of doing it.”

“How so?”

“The way you talk to each other is very different from the way you talk to me. Well, about me.”

Oxalia nodded. It seemed as if she were truly listening. “We mean no harm by it, honestly. It’s just that we… well, we worry about you a lot, y’know? We know you’ve been through some trauma,” Oxalia motioned to the scar on Annika’s collarbone, “and we just want to—”

“Tiptoe around it?”

Oxalia flinched and Annika mentally chastised herself for being so abrasive. “No, not at all!”

“Listen,” Annika said, rising from her seat, “It’s been over a year since I got here. If I wanted to tell you all about what happened at the stadium, I would have by now.”

“The stadium—?”

“I just want to be treated like a person, okay?”

The room became deafeningly quiet. Oxalia rose from the couch wordlessly, touching Annika on the shoulder as she left the room. As Oxalia left, Annika felt more alone than usual.