Chapter 87: 87 Coal, Part Four

While that Angharad girl spilled out her tale, Yong Jie watched his mother sit her down and treat her more nicely than she'd ever treated him.

He walked out to look for Freya, probably the only age-appropriate friend he had left. Yong Jie only meant to tell Freya about it, but Jin and his friends were there and loud.

"Tsuyoshi did what? I could kill that guy!" Jin yelled, and made a show of anger that Yong Jie didn't find impressive.

He wanted to cross his arms in annoyance but that wasn't an option anymore, so he settled for looking at Jin like he wasn't particularly bright.

Freya raised her eyebrows at Jin. "I didn't realise you felt this strongly about her safety. Since when do you like Tabitha Speirs?"

"It's not the point," Jin said. "The point is that guy is a violent lunatic and nobody should be around him. I'm going to find him and make sure he knows he can't do things like that to a delicate, defenceless girl."

Freya laughed. "Defenceless? Tabitha?"

Yong Jie sighed. He'd been that guy before he lost half his arm. It wasn't a flattering mirror. "I'll tell my mother not to let you in the hospital."

"I'll find him when he's not in there," Jin said.

"I'll make sure you don't," Freya said. "We don't need that kind of drama."

Yong Jie had always liked how sensible she was, and he admired that more than ever. A month ago he wanted to fight everyone who might ever have hurt anyone, no matter how often Freya told him to stop doing that and take care of himself. If only he'd listened.

"I never trusted that guy," Mac said.

"I don't trust you, either," Jin said.

"I'll let Ibrahim deal with him," Freya said. "They seem to be friendly, I think. The important thing is to make sure nobody else gets hurt."

"Nobody trusts Ibrahim," said Mac.

"I do," Yong Jie said. Ibrahim had earned that from him. He wasn't willing to listen to arguments about it.

*

Tsuyoshi had too much stuff. How could he have so much crap? It's not like he'd been able to buy anything for more than half a year and yet it was like his socks had multiplied in the night. He didn't understand why it took so long to pack everything into a bag. Why did he need things? Why did he need anything?

Zelko and his heavy feet finally arrived in the room just as Tsuyoshi zipped up the bag.

"We should talk about this," Zelko said.

"No, we shouldn't," Tsuyoshi said.

"That was something strange that happened back there. Maybe we need to get out everything we've been holding in and figure it all out."

Tsuyoshi dropped the bag, stood up, and looked Zelko straight in the eye. "Do we? I don't think we do. What I think is that I'm going to find somewhere else to sleep and you can figure out anything you like without talking to me about it."

Zelko looked at the floor. Scuffed his shoes against the beige and white linoleum. "You just feel weird because for a moment in that fight you chose Angharad over me."

"Of course I chose her over you. I would choose anyone over you right now."

"I really do love you," Zelko said.

"I'm breaking up with you. You won't talk me out of it."

"I know." He sounded wistful, which was pretty rich when he'd caused at least half the situation.

Tsuyoshi felt something squeezing around his chest, some sort of invisible boa constrictor ready to crush his insides. "Being around you makes me violent. I like you, but I don't like who I am with you."

Zelko put his hand on Tsuyoshi's shoulder and looked at him like he had that first week they'd known each other. "You me and me against the world?"

"Sure," Tsuyoshi said, but he still picked up his bag and walked out.

*

People were looking at Tsuyoshi, because nobody in the stupid camp was capable of not gossiping about things.

The air felt thin. Where was he supposed to go? For a moment he entertained himself with a fantasy of locking himself in the storage shed and never leaving. But he'd need to eat.

He walked until he neared the edge where the barrier hummed, and then he could walk no more.

From behind him, Ibrahim said, "I believe you are in need of my help."

"Do I deserve it? Maybe I'm a violent monster that can't be helped by anyone, no matter how much they try."

Maybe it was shameful, but the warmth of Ibrahim's hand on his shoulder was enough to make Tsuyoshi's knees feel weak. Until that moment he hadn't realised he was cold, and then the fog of his breath in front of him and the ice crystals on the ground beneath his feet were all he could notice.

"That is not for you to decide. And in any event, I am a much more violent person than you are. If I can forgive myself for truly monstrous things, then you should forgive yourself for making a bad judgement in a moment of anger."

Ibrahim took the bag from Tsuyoshi's hands and put his arm across Tsuyoshi's back to guide him. Tsuyoshi gave himself up to it completely.

*

Someone yelled about running in the hallways as Jin skidded to a stop.

Angharad emerged from Dr Yeoh's new office saying, "I'm fine, now. It's fine." She pushed a mug back towards Dr Yeoh and walked backwards into the hallway.

"Hey," Jin said.

"Great, you're here," she said. "You can come visit Tabitha with me."

She didn't sound like the panicked, crying mess Gemma had described her as after she'd seen her earlier. Jin didn't see that at all. Angharad looked fine, sounded fine, just like she had every time she'd tried to order him around back when they thought the inner workings of the barrier could be puzzled out.

"Why would I do that?" he asked. "I don't like Tabitha."

"Oh, please. Sophie's afraid of being yelled at, Eleanor's avoiding any place I will be, and Tabitha's so good at alienating people lately that you're probably one of the closest things to a friend she has. I mean, other than me. And Niall has probably finished wrapping up her arm by now and giving her back the good drugs, so now is the time."

When they opened the door to her room Tabitha was rolled up in the fetal position, facing the wall. There was no way she could see who came in the room, but that didn't stop her from telling them to go away.

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"Not a chance," Angharad said. "I think I'll move my stuff in here. You'll never be able to avoid me."

"Great idea. I'm sick of having my own room. I will, too," Jin said.

"You'll have more company than you can stand," Angharad said.

"I hate you," Tabitha said. Her voice was small. Jin wasn't sure when she'd become so small.

"No, you don't," Angharad said. She pushed off her shoes, climbed on Tabitha's bed, and leaned over her until her long hair looked like a protective curtain over Tabitha's body.

"Have you stopped crying like a baby yet?" Tabitha asked.

"I've stopped crying forever. Making sad faces is boring. I don't want to do it anymore," Angharad said.

"Moving in here is a good idea. I'll get Freya to do it, too," Jin said.

Angharad looked up and smiled at him. He got it. She needed to feel useful. He needed to feel that, too. He nodded, and left the room.

*

Just outside the hospital Josephine stopped him by grabbing his arm too tight. He stopped still and she took her hand back so she could twist it against her other hand until the knuckles turned white.

"Do you think Angharad is okay?" she asked.

"Why would Angharad be the one you worry about? Tabitha got her arm broken," Jin said.

"Well, it's because..." Josephine scrunched her face up and pondered for a moment. "Why can't I worry about Angharad?"

Jin started walking again. There was no point wasting time just because Josephine wanted to talk.

"I'm not stopping you," Jin said.

"Do you think I should see her?" Josephine asked.

"She's with Tabitha. You can see them both."

Josephine nodded and ran off. After that, it was quicker than he'd thought it would be to pull together everything he owned and convince Freya of his idea.

And it meant she wouldn't have to share a hut with the Major and Captain O'Connor while they were having their secret love affair, or put up with mopey Andrew Nguyen.

*

"The doctor won't let you do it," Tabitha said.

Angharad laughed. "Oh, please. Everyone talks like she's so scary. I have her wrapped around my finger. Of course she'll let me. She'll probably encourage it. She actually thinks my ideas are good."

"I don't know how you fool people."

"Me, either."

Angharad shifted on the bed, so she could sit up straight. Tabitha wasn't using the pillow, because that would probably take away from her sulk, so Angharad made that her back rest and resettled Tabitha on the bed. Not that Tabitha bothered to complain when Angharad made her use her lap as a pillow, other than a faint hiss that dissipated quickly. Other than that, Tabitha's posture was rigid. She remained curled over, protecting her wrapped wrist in the most useless way possible.

Angharad stroked Tabitha's hair back without touching her skin, which was a little damp with sweat even in the cold of the room.

"You say you won't let me stop being friends with you," Tabitha said, her voice soft and rough, "but what if I say you have to choose between me and Tsuyoshi? You can't have both of us."

"I won't choose."

"I'll make you choose. He hurt me. I won't speak to him."

Angharad wasn't swayed. "I won't make you speak to him. Don't give me ultimatums. I'm more stubborn than you."

"You can't be reasoned with."

"I really can't."

*

Sophie jumped up, excited, when Angharad got to their room.

"You're finally back!" she said. "Is everything okay?"

"Um, about that... W-well, it's like, okay, so I said to Tabitha that I was going to move into her room to, like, supervise her against her will. It was this whole big thing. Go with it. So I'm kind of moving my stuff out of here?"

With every word Sophie's pep diminished. "Oh. Is it... Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No, it's not like that. It's Tabitha. If someone overbearing isn't watching her at all times, who knows what she'll do? And I can be kind of a control freak like that."

Sophie nodded. "That does make sense. I can't say that's a wrong decision. Still, I'll be lonely on my own."

"Uh, well, Jin talked to Eleanor and convinced her she should share a room with you. You know, if you want. Because you don't like being alone and all. I mean, you don't have to."

"It was good of Jin to do that." Sophie's voice was light but somehow unconvincing. "Ah, but I'll miss you!"

Sophie stepped forward and wrapped Angharad in a hug. Angharad didn't protest. At that moment it was exactly the thing she needed.

"You won't need to miss me," Angharad said. "The hospital is only a few feet away. It's barely a walk."

*

Dr Irene Yeoh walked through the halls of the hospital in the late afternoon, on her daily check that everything was in shape. She opened the door of room 103, where Zelko sat on his mattress, staring off into space, and said, "Why are you still here? Okada is useful to me. You're not. Find somewhere else to sleep."

Antoine, while he had reduced mobility from the shoulder bite, could probably find a use for him. She wasn't even going to try.

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