Ariana rolled out of bed when her alarm went off, getting dressed without a second thought. It was routine by now; she braided her hair so that it hung between her shoulder blades like usual. She chuckled as Demi fell into her bed across the room.
“That exciting of a shift huh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Demi laughed.
“Oh yeah. It’s super exciting to sit in a dimly lit hallway while absolutely nothing happens around me for several hours. Absolutely thrilling.” She sat up long enough to pull her hair down, curls bouncing around her face.
“You do realize the good nights are when nothing happens?” Ariana laughed quietly and shook her head. She strapped on her chest piece and arm braces, reaching for her belt after that.
“It is,” Demi agreed, rolling onto her side to look at Ariana as she dressed. “However, it is also very dull at 2 in the morning when I would rather be asleep.” Demi settled into bed as Ariana went to the door.
“Do you want me to grab any breakfast for you?”
“Nah, I’ll grab something after I get up.”
“All right. Good night, sleeping beauty.”
“Shut up.” Ariana laughed and went down the hall, dragging her fingers gently against the stone wall as she walked. Being up first thing in the morning wasn’t her favorite thing, but she would have taken anything as long as it wasn’t the night shift.
Upon entering the cafeteria, her eyes swept the room. It was too early for most of the residents, though a few shuffled in at the promise of food and caffeine.
“Mornin’ Floyd,” a voice said. She turned and smiled at Matt. His eyes were dark and sleepy, and she bit back the urge to make fun of him. He didn’t usually take that well first thing in the morning.
“You know you can call me by my first name if you want, Davis,” she replied, leaning against the wall and watching the room. “There’s no rule saying we can’t be casual as long as we do our jobs.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but it annoys you, so I gotta do it every now and again to keep the world in balance.” She laughed and elbowed him, and he shot a small smirk back at her.
“You’re such a weirdo,” she told him, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, like you’re any more normal than I am,” he said. “Though I guess we are normal, compared to our friends here.” A resident nearby shot a glare in their direction, and Ariana waved, trying to seem apologetic. The bracelets on the resident’s wrists pulsed with a faint magic, and the detector at Ariana’s waist hummed softly with the energy. There was some level of protocol in play if something were to break, but Arianna couldn’t help wondering how that would actually go. Panic was the enemy of order. And while the Arcanists that charged the gear worked quickly, and many were very good at what they did. But it would be absolutely chaotic if they malfunctioned… especially if it was a lot of them.
How ironic, that containing magic would take magic.
“You’re being all philosophical again aren’t you?” Matt’s voice cut through her thoughts. She shook her head to clear it and looked back at him.
“What makes you think I was doing that?” she asked him.
“Because your eyebrows were all screwed up. Usually that means I should watch for smoke coming out for your ears.” She reached over and smacked him on the arm.
“You’re an asshole.”
“That’s why they pay me the big bucks.” She supposed in a sort of terrible way that might be true. Matt was strong, and pretty stern. He had been called in to handle more difficult residents a few times now… though Ariana wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of that anyway.
They were interrupted by the approach of another resident. She had dark hair and dark eyes that grabbed Ariana’s attention right away.
“Good morning,” the girl said, nodding to them both. Matt and Ariana managed a half-hearted reply once they got over their shock, and it made her smile a little.
“Can we help you?” Ariana asked. She shook her head.
“No, I just wanted to say hello. I’m not usually out and about this early so I don’t think I’ve met either of you. My name is Lily.” She held out her hand.
Does- does she want us to shake hands?
“You must be new,” Matt chuckled a little. “That’s the only way you’d be this chipper with us.” He shook her hand anyway, but not without due caution - touching wasn’t forbidden, but it was definitely worth being alert. It wasn’t unheard of for a resident to fake friendliness to get the jump on an officer.
“I’m Ariana,” she told her, shaking her hand as well. “Ignore him. He doesn’t believe in morning people. Or optimism.” Lily laughed. Ariana smiled.
“I will admit, I haven’t been here too long,” Lily said. “Especially compared to some of the other… what’s the technical word again?”
“Residents?” Matt supplied. Something unreadable flashed across Lily’s face, but it was gone before Ariana could get any idea of what it might have been. She didn’t seem angry, but it was enough for Ariana to take notice.
I may have to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn’t playing us.
“Anyway, I figure if we’re all going to be spending so much time around each other we might as well say hello every now and again.” Lily’s smile was back, and it was hard to not smile back at her despite her suspicion. “If we’re allowed, we could grab a meal sometime. When you aren’t watching us anyway.” There were a few more pleasantries, but soon Lily wandered towards the eggs and bacon.
“That was… different,” Matt murmured.
“Not different in a bad way, I don’t think.”
“No, but I’m not sure I trust her either.”
Ariana raised an eyebrow at him. “Dude, you are literally twice her size. How on earth are you worried about that tiny thing?”
Matt snorted. “We have no idea what she’s capable of and you know it. We would probably already know if she didn’t have her cuffs on.” He stretched, briefly popping his shoulders, before settling against the wall again. “It’s our job to not trust them, Ariana. We learned that on day one.”
She sighed, eyes catching Lily as she sat down with a few other people, smiling. She remembered that lesson - Matt was right, it really did come up on day one, when they were introduced to this facility and the system as a whole.
They were hidden for safety, for peace. She believed that, but sometimes there were entire families here. Children, grandparents, cousins, everyone. That always struck her as a little sad, even if it was for the greater good.
A tone rang, and she pushed herself off the wall. Time to patrol the halls, then it was time to sit in on a few clubs just to be sure everything was running as it should. Matt fell into step alongside her. She nodded at a few residents that they passed, though not many of them returned the gesture.
“Sometimes they really seem like they’re afraid of us,” she remarked quietly.
“They probably are,” Matt said. “Just because you and I haven’t met all of them doesn’t mean they don’t have reason to be. They see the uniform more than they do us.”
Ariana didn’t reply. What the hell had happened to make them that afraid? She had been training and working for the past few years, so focused on being good at what she did that she didn’t really have the mental energy to notice other things. But she had been at Facility #401 for a little over a year now, and now that she was able to settle further into her routine… she just wondered, is all.
Maybe stories get twisted, she thought. After all, there are people who stay here for a very long time. I’m sure their memories aren’t as reliable, and there are stories told with embellishments to begin with.
-----
The day went by without incident, which was boring, but Ariana preferred that over a fight, meltdown, or some other chaos. She’d heard there was a commotion at Facility #338 a few weeks ago, and while she hadn’t caught many details, people had been injured. The thought made her stomach sour.
Demi joined her while she sat in on a book club meeting. They had started to run out of approved books to read, but they met anyway, huddled in an excited circle of words and imagination.
“How much longer until you get time off again?”
Ariana glanced over. “Not for a while. I just got time at the beginning of the month, remember?”
“Ah, that’s right.” Demi’s eyes focused back on the group, her hand resting ever so gently on her belt. Ariana furrowed her eyebrows.
“You don’t have to sit like that,” she said.
“Like what?”
Ariana gave Demi a pointed look, raising an eyebrow. “They’re talking about books. We’re here to watch them, not breathe down their necks.”
Demi shrugged, but removed her hand and crossed her arms across her chest. “They could be plotting their escape right now, and we would never know because it just sounds like fangirling. They could be speaking in code. One of them could be wearing fake cuffs, waiting for the right moment to jump us.”
Ariana looked at Demi, bewilderment clear on her face. “You do know that there’s a difference between caution and paranoia, right?” she asked her.
“Is there?” she returned. “Some of these people have lived here their whole lives, Ari. It would be stupid to assume they haven’t at least considered trying to get out.”
“...You make it sound like this place is a prison when you talk about it like that.”
“Well, some of them probably think it is.”
Ariana’s thoughts from that morning returned in full force, and she frowned, but then shrugged a little.
“The things we do for the sake of peace and tranquility, I guess,” Ariana said.
Demi chuckled, nudging her gently. “Something like that.”
They fell silent, content to just watch as the meeting came to a close. A part of Ariana wondered if they really were speaking in code somehow, but she dismissed that a moment later as paranoia. The chances that they would risk doing anything like that in range of an officer were pretty low. The rules were strict, and breaking them had some serious consequences - isolation, heavy labor, things like that. Nothing that would seriously injure anyone, but plenty of incentive to stay within the lines.
Demi and Ariana split off upon leaving, so she was alone when she saw Lily again. Their eyes met and she smiled, pleased when Lily gave her a smile in return. Lily paused so Ariana could catch up, so she did.
“What did you sit in on today?” Lily asked her.
“Book club. I think they’re reading something about mythical creatures, but I’m not reading along so I got a little lost.” Ariana grinned sheepishly. “What did you end up doing?”
“Oh I like to visit the art room,” she replied immediately. “Sometimes we paint, like today. But last week we got to have some fun with clay, which I’d never done before.” Lily seemed pleased with herself, pulling her dark hair back into a quick ponytail. “The clay is pretty messy, but I don’t mind. That was part of the fun.”
“Mess being part of the fun?” she raised an eyebrow. Lily laughed a little and nodded.
“Art is messy, Ariana. That’s how you get to the meaningful stuff at the end.”
“What are we, a philosopher now?” Ariana teased. She could have sworn she saw pink on Lily’s face, but it faded quickly.
“Getting to create things is the most fun, and the most I feel like myself within this place.” Things settled into an awkward silence. Ariana wasn’t sure what to say; Lily had caught her off guard with her change in attitude.
“Lily, are you-?”
“I’m all right.” She smiled again, though it seemed tighter than before. Her suspicion from this morning lurked in the back of her mind, making her frown. She didn’t want to think Lily was up to something but moments like this made her wonder what she was hiding.
Was Demi right? Could someone like Lily be looking to break out of the facility, peace be damned?
You’re going to drive yourself mad if you keep going in circles like this. She chastised herself. She would do her job like always, and if something came up, she would report it. Just like always.
“If you want to sit in, we’re having another art club meeting in a few days,” Lily said.
“Would it be awkward for you?” Ariana asked her. Lily shook her head.
“We’re being watched either way. At least you’ll talk to me while we’re in the same room.”
Ariana laughed at that. “Some of the officers are… more friendly than others, you’ve got that right for sure. Though that’s true of everyone I guess.”
She shrugged. “It’s always seemed strange to me to treat someone with suspicion when you don’t know them. Especially if you’re not in any danger.”
Ariana blew out a quiet breath. “Unfortunately we do have reason to be that way.” She didn’t mention the bit where it was an officer’s job to be suspicious. Matt had been right about that, even if she didn’t like it.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve had residents attack officers in the past. It hasn’t happened while I’ve been here, thankfully. But there’s been some serious damage from residents that were supposed to be harmless.” She glanced at Lily, who looked deep in thought.
“Those stories are very different depending on who you hear them from,” Lily said. Ariana blinked, and Lily continued, “Damage done, sure. It’s just told differently when those people believe that they’re fighting for their freedom.”
Ariana frowned, biting her bottom lip. She had a feeling Lily didn’t need a reminder about why things were the way they were, so she settled on saying, “I guess there’s a lot of perspective there.” They fell into a pensive silence until they came into a large room, typically used for free time and general recreation.
“I’m gonna go hang out with my friend Eugene,” Lily said, pausing. “But thanks for walking me back.” She flashed Ariana a warm smile and left, pausing just long enough for Ariana to tell her bye.
Since when do I walk residents back from their club meetings? She thought to herself. As she walked down the hall to check on the classrooms, she thought more about her conversation with Lily. She hadn’t been threatening, or even angry. But Ariana couldn’t quite shake something she had said.
It’s just told differently when those people believe that they’re fighting for their freedom. She wondered how many of them really felt like prisoners. Truthfully, it was probably more than she cared to think about, but it didn’t really change anything.
Still… it was sort of nice hanging out with Lily. She seemed truthful, and Ariana enjoyed her company, though they hadn’t known each other for very long. They weren’t really supposed to be overly social, since her job as an officer was to keep an eye on things, but it was a much more pleasant experience when she was able to enjoy the company of the residents as well. A few of them were friendly with her, but none of the residents had ever initiated that - Ariana had always been the one to make the first move.
On her way back to her room, she paused. One of the meeting room doors was still shut, even though everyone was being led back to the main areas of the building.
That’s a little odd. Something didn’t feel right. One hand hovering above her belt, Ariana moved quietly towards the door and eased it open. When she could see what was inside, her heart dropped.
A young woman, her stomach swollen, was hunched over one of the chairs, her face contorted in pain.
Ariana schooled her features and straightened up. “Ma’am, are you all right?” The woman’s head shot up, and her skin went white. She scowled, though Ariana wasn’t sure if that was because of her or her belly.
“Do I look all right to you?” she asked, clutching at her stomach. Ariana took a few steps closer to her.
“Can I see your paperwork, ma’am?” she asked, Ariana’s voice coated in steel. Dark hair had fallen around the woman’s pale face, partially obscuring her expression. “What’s your name? It seems like you need medical attention.”
There was a beat of silence, and the woman’s knuckles went white as she hung onto a chair. Ariana realized that she was in the middle of a contraction, and waited. It took more effort than she liked to be patient, but she waited until the woman had regained herself enough to reply.
“I don’t have paperwork,” the woman replied, gritting her teeth. “I’m not an Arcanist. Why do you think I’m hiding in here instead of getting actual help?”
Ariana sighed. She had a feeling that had been the case, but she had wanted to be wrong. She pulled out her phone and sent a facility-wide alert, requesting some backup so they could get her moved to the hospital wing. There would be consequences to face, especially since she chose to keep her pregnancy a secret, but it wouldn’t be right to let her suffer in a dark room either.
“Help is coming to meet us. Come on. What’s your name?” Ariana gently took a hold of her arm and began to lead her towards the door.
“...Allison.”
“Well Allison, I’m gonna make sure you’re taken care of, okay? Just come with me and they’ll be here soon.”
Allison seemed like she wanted to do anything but come with her. She took a step back, further into the corner, but another contraction nearly put her on her knees. Loathing seethed from every pore, but she didn’t protest further after that. Ariana led her out into the hall. They didn’t have to go far before they met two other officers and a pair of medical examiners, who rushed Allison into a wheelchair before taking her away. One of the officers, Cedric, hung back while everyone else left.
“She doesn’t have permission for this does she?” he asked quietly.
“No, of course not,” she replied, tone matching his. “She’ll be punished after she delivers. And God help whoever the father turns out to be.”
Cedric nodded at her, thanked her, and headed back down the hall.
For her sake, I hope they go easy on her. They’ll probably take her to a different location though... Ariana shook her head and walked away.
-----
Coincidentally, Ariana did end up monitoring the art club a few days later. Lily gave her a huge smile when she and Demi came in, and Ariana couldn’t help smiling back.
If I had realized it was going to make her this happy, I would have thought to come sooner. They moved to sit at the back of the room, but Lily pulled up two more chairs so that they could sit with everyone else.
Demi gave the group a skeptical look, eyebrows raised almost into her hairline. “You guys want us to sit with you?” One of the other residents with buzzed hair nodded, offering a small (if hesitant) smile.
“Lily says you’re cool, so we’re taking her word for it. Name’s Taylor. She/they pronouns, if you please.” They shook hands, and Taylor took it upon themselves to introduce Ariana and Demi to the rest of the group. Ariana had a strong feeling that she would have to ask people’s names a few times before they stuck, since she was meeting five other people at the same time, but she did her best to keep everyone straight.
Nervous energy wove through the room as everyone settled into the circle of chairs. There weren’t any rules about everyone sitting together as long as the officers could see everyone, but something about it felt strange, as if they were crossing some sort of line.
Another girl with bright red hair (Amy? Ariana was pretty sure her name was Amy) was watching them carefully, as if she was waiting for them to do something. Ariana respected her because of it, though she doubted there was much she could do to her or Demi unless Amy could get her cuffs off.
The meeting went on without fanfare. Even with the new seating arrangements, the club seemed to settle into their routine easily. Ariana sat quietly, desperately trying to catch names as they came.
Taylor actively teased a stocky guy named Sean, who had a big laugh and a blond bun. They carried a lot of the dialogue, with quieter ones like Amy and another guy named Henry riffing off of the running commentary.
Ethan, who was much taller than he had any right to be, grabbed painting supplies out of the cabinets while Lily tossed canvases at the other members. Most of them caught them (albeit with some difficulty, depending on how much they were paying attention). It didn’t seem like they had any sort of plans for the paintings, but there was an air of routine as they worked. Most of the clubs had developed at least some habits, and this was no different.
Paint splattered every now and again. Demi chuckled quietly beside her.
“We’re in the splash zone,” she murmured, nudging Ariana. She shot her a look, although it lacked any real malice. Ariana felt oddly relaxed, considering she was supposed to be watching these people. But they were just people - some of them were probably still teenagers - just wanting to spend time with their friends. There was hardly anything dangerous about that.
I’m sure some residents have been dangerous in the past, but sometimes I wonder if some of them really do endanger the peace. These guys don’t seem… angry enough.
Her gaze settled on Lily, who was painting some sort of landscape. From where she sat, it looked like a sunset, with rolling hills and a sky blended with colors, from black, to purple, to an explosive red. Her canvas was close enough that she could hear Lily humming while she worked, and it made her smile.
Cute. The thought gave her pause, but she couldn’t really disagree with it. Lily was cute, especially in her element. Her smile hardly ever left her face, with so many friends in the room and a canvas at her fingertips.
Plus she kept glancing over to check on Demi and Ariana, and she was enjoying that a little more than she should have been.
I’m probably setting myself up for trouble, she thought, but shrugged. Thinking Lily was cute wasn’t breaking any rules, and it wasn’t against anything to enjoy her attention. All the same, she could feel herself dancing around an invisible line again, like she was drifting into a realm that she wasn’t supposed to be in. Regardless, she shook her head to clear it and settled back in.
-----
She wasn’t able to always sit in on art club (Matt was, somehow, bored to death by art and refused to go when they were paired together) but Ariana tried to be there whenever she was able, and the group always welcomed her. In a weird way, they began to feel like her friends, instead of just Lily’s.
She sat quietly, watching them have fun (even adding a comment of her own once in a while), and enjoyed the attention she got from Lily in the process.
When Ariana came back to her room that evening, Demi was sitting on her bed.
“Weren’t waiting for me long were you?” she teased, but Demi just gave her a half smile. Ariana raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door once it shut. “Shouldn’t you be heading to work soon, Miss Nocturnal?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to catch you before I went.” Demi pushed herself to her feet. “Be careful about how much you hang around the art club folks, Ari.”
Ariana blinked. Something heavy settled into her stomach. “Why?”
“I’m just worried someone will notice and begin to think you’re compromised or something. It’s out of the ordinary for them to be so friendly with us, and it’s a nice change, but I don’t want anybody taking advantage of you. Or for any shady officers to try and make a case against you.” Ariana frowned. She was pretty confident that Lily and her friends were genuine, but Demi was right in that someone could use her time spent there against her if they caught her being too chummy. She sighed and nodded.
“I’m not going to stop going entirely, you know.”
Demi sighed, but nodded a little. “I figured as much. I’m just asking for some due caution. We’re well armed, but none of that matters if we’re caught off guard or if the threat comes from within our own system.”
“I don’t... you’ve been around Lily and her friends. You know they’re friendly. They aren’t going to hurt me.” Arianna frowned. She could hear the anger sharpening her tone, but couldn’t quite keep it suppressed. Where the hell was this coming from?
“I know, I know. It’s probably just me being paranoid. Just something to keep in mind.” Demi walked over long enough to squeeze her shoulder, and then left to go on her own patrol. Ariana watched her leave, not sure how to feel about her warning. She wasn’t wrong, that she could freely admit, but at the same time…
What was she afraid of? Ariana knew that the folks in the art club wouldn’t do anything to hurt them, at least not intentionally. And while there were definitely some officers who probably shouldn’t have been hired, for a menagerie of reasons, she hadn’t had any serious problems with anyone. A few arguments, sure. Nothing that hadn’t been resolved in a few days though. It almost made her feel like Demi knew something she didn’t.
But that can’t be right either. Demi and I don’t keep secrets like that. Or at least, not secrets that could hurt the other person. Worry crept into her thoughts, but there were so many thoughts that Ariana began to lose track of where it was really stemming from. She chewed on her bottom lip and swore under her breath. If this kept up, she’d end up with a full blown anxiety attack.
Ariana stood and left the room again, heading downstairs. She didn’t really pay attention to where she was going until she stopped at the door to the art club. She blinked.
Well, I guess this is part of what I was thinking about. Figures I’d end up here. She was about to open the door when she heard a voice.
“Ari?” She turned to see Lily, who smiled at her. Ariana smiled back, but it must have looked forced because Lily looked worried. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Ariana opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head.
“I just - I needed to not be alone for a little bit. My feet sort of carried me here.” Understanding flickered across Lily’s face, and she nodded. She opened the door and ushered Ariana inside, shutting the door gingerly behind them.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. Ariana nodded.
“Let me calm down a little first.”
And she did. They sat in silence, chairs next to one another, with Lily leaning just a little bit against Ariana’s shoulder. It was a little distracting, but it worked in her favor. Slowly, her heart edged towards a more normal rhythm, and it no longer felt like she was still going to jump out of her skin.
“...Sometimes I wish people didn’t tell me things.” Ariana sighed quietly. Lily perked up a little, but didn’t move from her position.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Her voice was neutral, and she had the decency to let Ariana continue to stare at the floor while she gathered her thoughts.
“I have a concerned friend who thinks that getting along with your art club might put me in a compromised position.”
She felt Lily stiffen beside her. “What?”
“It’s genuine concern,” she explained, glancing at Lily long enough to attempt a reassuring smile. Not sure if it worked, she went on with explaining the conversation she had earlier with Demi. She fully believed that Demi meant well, but she couldn’t help wondering if she had heard something that made her worried. After all, she had come to the art club several times now. When she finished her explanation, she shrugged.
“For all I know it could just be paranoia on her end, but now I’m all in my head about it. I’m not even sure what would happen, or what I would do if it did. I’m just… ugh. You know.”
Lily squeezed her shoulder gently. “If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t have invited you to the club if I thought you were going to do something to us. She gently tugged so that Ariana was looking at her. “I trust you, so please trust me. Okay?” She offered a smile, and Ariana couldn’t help feeling warm. The knot in her stomach eased just a little.
“Okay.”
Lily’s smile faltered briefly. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you feel better about your co-workers.”
Ariana frowned. “I’m not really sure there’s much anyone can do about that, other than general caution. Like I said, it might just be nothing. I don’t have the time or the energy to investigate everyone in the building you know?”
Lily opened her mouth to answer, but the door opened instead. Amy and Henry came in, chatting and walking hand in hand.
Well that’s something that I didn’t know about. The mood dropped when they saw Ariana and Lily already here.
“Oh hey guys!” Lily’s cheer put a dent in the tension that had permeated the room, though it wasn’t as much as Ariana would have liked. “We were just catching up a little. What’re you guys doing here?” Henry’s face bloomed in a soft red, and Ariana bit back a laugh. Amy frowned a little.
“Club rooms aren’t stalked by officers beyond patrols… usually,” she said, raising an eyebrow at Ariana. “We just came here to get some breathing room.”
Ariana chewed on the inside of her lip. Stalked. She had a feeling Amy had used that word on purpose.
“I can leave, if you guys want to be by yourselves.” She hadn’t meant to be teasing, but this time Henry wasn’t the only one flushed. Lily smirked and glanced at the pair.
“C’mon Ari, let’s give them their breathing room.” She took Ariana’s hand and headed for the door after a brief goodbye. She laughed a little once they were out of earshot.
“They haven’t been dating for that long,” Lily told her. “They’re pretty cute, just a little awkward. Amy isn’t wrong about not getting too much time to ourselves, outside of in our rooms at night.”
“And they aren’t allowed to go and see each other then.”
“Right.” Ariana sighed. She didn’t think that sounded particularly fair, but at the same time, she knew they could be trusted to not attack an officer or anything like that. She couldn’t say that about everyone else, and when an exception is made for one…
“Hey.” Lily’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked to see her face lined with concern. “Don’t blame yourself for that. You didn’t make the rules.”
Ariana shrugged. “No, but I do enforce them.”
They walked in silence for a little while, heading to the cafeteria. She had always known what her job was. Monitor residents, keep the peace, keep people safe.
She was charged with keeping the peace, but what did that really mean?
The low buzz of the cafeteria brought her back to reality. Dinnertime, she supposed.
“Guess this is where we part ways,” she said, glancing at Lily.
“I guess so.” She seemed just a little sad. “Don’t want to raise any suspicions, right?” Ariana frowned. Lily being upset about keeping a low profile wasn’t something she had anticipated. But if every other officer in the facility met her with distrust and suspicion, it was probably nice to feel like a normal person.
Ariana opened her mouth to reply, but then nodded. “I’ll see you around though okay? Promise. I’m not totally going away.”
“Okay. Promise.”
Ariana watched Lily as she walked away, caught somewhere between a sigh and a smile. She fully intended to keep her promise to Lily. It didn’t make any sense to avoid each other because of something that might not even be a problem yet.
I just have to hope I’m not getting myself into something.
-----
It didn’t take long to figure out that she might have, in fact, gotten herself into something. But it wasn’t something that she was upset about (though maybe she should have been). Those warm feelings that had started in the art club that day… well, they didn’t leave. If anything, they became more frequent when Lily was around.
Shit.
This was really the moment that Ariana should have backed up and stuck to her job, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. She wasn’t even sure her job was a good thing anymore, and the only person she could bring it up with was Lily. It would have been nice to talk to Demi, but she had a gut feeling that wouldn’t go anywhere productive…
Not to mention it might get her into trouble if she spilled to anyone else. Even somebody grumpy and seemingly apathetic like Matt would pick up on that, and she didn’t need that sort of attention when she wasn’t sure how she felt to begin with.
She still liked seeing Lily too, and that was beginning to include her friends. Amy was taking a while to come around, but a few others like Taylor and Sean had genuinely started to embrace her. Taylor really meant it when they said they would trust her if Lily did. It was nice, especially since there was some time before she got her break outside of the facility. Ariana didn’t mind staying there for her shifts or anything, but it was nice to have friends anyway.
All in all, not too much changed, if someone was on the outside looking in. Even Demi seemed to relax after a few days.
“You still seeing the art club folks?” she asked.
Ariana nodded. She didn’t want to just lie. “Yeah, but I did take into consideration what you said. Trying to be a little more careful and all that good stuff.”
Demi smiled, seeming relieved.
“I hope you didn’t take what I said the wrong way. I just don’t want anyone to get in trouble. The art club seems to be decent, and I’d hate for that to get ruined for anybody. You included.” Ariana’s smile was more genuine after that.
“Nah, I get it.” She bit the inside of her lip. “I just wish it wasn’t something I had to worry about I guess. Like you said, they’re decent people.” Demi sat beside Ariana on her bed, nudging her gently.
“I know,” she said. “But we’re here to do a job. That’s gotta come first while we’re on the clock. Besides, it’s not like you don’t have officer friends right?”
“Of course.”
Having officer friends didn’t stop her from popping into the art club room after she was done monitoring the book club though. She popped in just in time to help clean up.
“Hey, where ya been?” Taylor grinned at her. Ariana grinned right back.
“I was forced to be elsewhere,” she replied dramatically, sweeping the back of her hand against her forehead.
Taylor laughed and shook her head. “Oh no, having to do your job, how absolutely wretched.” Ariana laughed and shook her head. Taylor always seemed like they had so much energy.
“Ari’s here y’all!” Taylor called to the rest of the group.
“Trust me, we heard.” Ethan flashed a quick smile and rolled his eyes. “Dramatic entrances aren’t very quiet, in case you two haven’t noticed.”
“But they are definitely more fun,” Taylor shot back. Ethan somehow managed to roll his eyes even harder before heading to the sink to wash the clay from his hands.
“Ari!” Warmth surged through her chest. She turned to look at Lily, her face lit up in a brilliant smile. “You made it!” She pulled Ariana into a brief hug,.
“You missed us working with clay today,” Lily told her.
Ariana ruffled her hair a little. “I see that. Go clean up before you end up with dried clay all over you.” Lily laughed but followed Ethan towards the sink.
Damn it. She’s so cute.
“Careful now,” Taylor murmured. “You’re on duty, soldier.” Ariana’s face burned. She glared at Taylor, who just laughed.
“Hush,” Ariana hissed.
“Hey, I’m not here to judge,” Taylor shrugged. They did look a little worried, though Ariana wasn’t sure who she was worrying about. “Just asking you to be careful. Lily is a good person, and you seem like a decent lady yourself. But you and I both know that mixing work and pleasure rarely turns out well.”
Ariana let out a slow breath and nodded. “Yeah, I know. She’s just… her.”
Taylor chuckled. “I get ya. Like I said, just be careful.”
“Am I interrupting something?” Lily said as she walked up to them. Taylor smiled and shrugged their shoulders.
“Just giving her a hard time for not being here for clay day is all. She’s all yours now.” Lily laughed and shook her head, and Taylor walked away, leaving Ariana and Lily more or less by themselves.
“Did you have fun?” Ariana smiled down at her.
“I did! Clay can get pretty messy but it’s a lot of fun too.” Lily returned her smile, but it faltered for a moment. “Amy didn’t come, because she wasn’t feeling well. But Henry made her a little figure to put on her night stand, so I’m hoping that will at least help her a little. He took it up to her a few minutes ago so he could show her before it’s all painted and everything.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Ariana said. “Did you make me anything while I was gone?” Lily’s entire face turned pink and Ariana held her hands up defensively. “Jokes Lils, it was a joke. You never have to make anything for me. Promise.”
This did not make Lily less flustered. If anything, it seemed to make her more so. Ariana raised an eyebrow at her, confused.
“...I did make you something, actually.” Lily’s voice was quiet, nervous. “It just isn’t done yet so I didn’t want to tell you. Guess I don’t have much of a poker face huh?”
Warmth exploded through Ariana, starting in her chest and seeping through her all the way to her toes. It was her turn to be caught off guard, apparently.
“Can I see it?” she asked softly. Lily nodded and took her hand, gently leading her to a table where everyone’s creations sat, waiting to be put in the kiln. She pointed to a small bowl. The edges were ridged neatly, and there was a capital A carved into the bottom.
“I don’t know how much jewelry and stuff you wear outside of work, but I thought it might be nice to keep jewelry or trinkets in when it’s done,” she said. Lily was smiling again, her cheeks still flushed. “I wanted to try and find out if you had any favorite colors to use. I guess that would have been kind of hard to ask you without sounding like I was up to something though.”
Ariana couldn’t keep a wide smile from spreading across her face. “It’s amazing, Lils. Thank you so much. You really didn’t have to do this.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” She shrugged a little. “I… I’m really happy I got to meet you, Ari. That’s all.” She still looked a bit nervous, but Ariana was still stunned. It was dangerous to like this girl as much as she did, to feel as warm as she did when she was around.
Ah, fuck it. Ariana glanced around the room. They were alone.
And then she kissed her.
It was a small kiss, gentle and brief. She had a brief moment of worry that Lily might not want this, might not want her, but it was too late to take it back now. There was enough thought left in her brain to realize that she shouldn’t go for too long, especially since she hadn’t asked for permission, so after a few moments Ariana straightened up and took a small step back.
Lily’s face was the color of a tomato, and her eyes were dinner plates. Silence wove its way between them, staring at one another, waiting for the other one to say something. Anything. Ariana let it go as long as she could stand (which wasn’t very long, truthfully).
“...Was that too much?” she asked. That seemed to bring Lily back to the present. She let out a small nervous laugh and shook her head.
“No, it wasn’t. We are idiots and probably shouldn’t be doing this, but no. It wasn’t too much at all.” Warmth returned to Ariana’s chest. She hugged Lily close, pressing a kiss to her head and letting out a deep sigh.
“We are definitely idiots,” she said. “But I am incredibly pleased that it wasn’t too much for you.” Lily burrowed into her shoulder, arms wound tightly around Ariana’s midsection.
“Thank you for trusting me,” Lily said quietly. “I know we’ll have to be extra careful now but…”
“Still worth it?”
“Definitely.”
-----
It was admittedly harder than Ariana expected to keep her new relationship entirely under wraps. She was excited, but she and Lily agreed that they shouldn’t tell anyone, even the art club. If something were to happen because of it, they didn’t want anyone to get caught in the crossfire.
Not to mention if Demi or any of Ariana’s other co-workers found out she would probably report the development to someone who… disagreed with their decision.
The thought made her frown for probably the hundredth time. Following her heart was beginning to mean going against some pretty big rules and regulations. That gnawed at her. What would those consequences look like? Who else would get dragged into her mess, if anyone found out?
But when she saw Lily, all of that vanished, and she smiled. Ariana caught her gently by the arm, tugging her around the corner to steal a soft kiss. Lily’s cheeks lit up.
“You can’t just catch me off guard like that,” she protested. It just made Ariana grin more.
“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you didn’t like it,” she teased. Lily’s blush deepened.
“I did, but if you keep me trapped against the wall like this someone is going to think things.” This time it was Ariana’s turn to be embarrassed. She cleared her throat and took a few steps back, pushing a few wayward hair strands away from her face.
“Sorry, got a little carried away.” Truthfully she had just been excited to see her, but Ariana didn’t want to out herself quite that directly. She had already backed Lily into a wall as a greeting.
“It’s okay. You’re cute when you’re excited.” Lily’s grin turned a little devious, although it was no less genuine. Ariana laughed.
“Yeah, sure, all right.”
Lily had opened her mouth to reply when Henry came down the hall, waving at them.
“Hey Hen, what’s up?” Lily turned to face him, furrowing her eyebrows. Henry looked tired, and his hands were shoved hard into his pockets. He glanced quickly at the two of them and shook his head.
“I’m fine. Amy still isn’t feeling great, so I’m just worrying about her.”
Ariana raised an eyebrow. “Why doesn’t she go to the clinic to see if they can help?”
“She doesn’t want to.” Henry’s expression darkened a shade; it was just enough to make Ariana frown. Was that expression because of Amy, or because of the clinic? Her conflicted feelings rushed through her again but she shoved a lid on it for now. She was more worried about her friends than she was about her own inner debates.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Lily asked him.
“Mostly just moral support I think,” Henry replied, shrugging. “I wish I could get Ethan to help her since he has light magic, but obviously he can’t do much from in here.” Henry hadn’t looked at her when he said that, but somehow Ariana felt partially responsible.
“Let us know if she needs anything,” she said. He nodded and offered a small smile. It loosened the knot in her gut, but only a little bit.
“I’m actually grabbing a bite for her to eat right now, so I can’t stay and chat. See you guys later.” He walked past them and offered a small wave before disappearing around the corner. Once he was gone, Lily flashed a wide grin at Ariana, a laugh touching her eyes.
“Now, where were we?” Lily kissed her, and Ariana grinned, gently holding her waist so she could tug her closer.
“I thought you said this was a bad place to do this?” she murmured against her lips. Lily sighed and offered a sheepish smile.
“I still think it is. But you looked sad, and I wanted to make you smile.” Ariana sighed. This girl was made of sunshine.
If I somehow fuck things up with her, I will be so upset with myself.
“I’m just worried about Amy,” she confessed. “But thank you for trying to make me feel better. You’re adorable.” She watched a few thoughts flicker across Lily’s face.
“Would it help if we popped up to see her? It would be hard to get turned away when I have my own personal escort.” Lily took a few steps towards Amy’s room and turned back to smile at Ariana. She let out a breath and nodded.
“Sure. But if Amy says she doesn’t want guests, we’ll leave her be. I’m sure she doesn’t want a crowd when she’s trying to rest and recover.”
They spent most of the walk in silence. Ariana found herself wanting to reach for Lily’s hand, but the chances of someone coming around the corner and seeing them was too high to risk it. Not for the first time, she felt herself hating that they were having to keep their relationship a secret even if she understood why. She held her hands behind her back, both to keep them to herself and to look more official if they did get asked why they were in the resident’s quarters. They wouldn’t really have to lie if they were asked, but it would be simpler if they were left alone regardless.
Thankfully, they made it to Amy’s room without any difficulty. Lily knocked on the door.
“Hello?” Amy’s voice came faintly through the door.
“Just wanted to come and check on you,” Lily said, smiling.
“Is that you Lils? Come on in.” She opened the door but stopped in the doorway, a stunned look on her face.
“Lily, what’s wro-”
Ariana stopped just behind Lily when she saw Amy.
Amy’s face fell when she saw Ariana, and she could have sworn she saw tears swelling in her eyes.
“Get in here and shut the door,” she hissed. Lily moved first, pulling Ariana into the room and shutting the door behind them. She was still trying to process what her eyes had seen.
She’s pregnant.
“So…” Lily spoke first, trying to break the silence. “When Henry said you weren’t feeling well… I guess this is what he meant.” Amy let out a long breath and nodded slowly.
“Technically he wasn’t lying. I haven’t been feeling great.” Her stomach had just begun to press against her shirt. She might have been able to hide it at certain angles, but from the side she’d stick out like a sore thumb. Amy’s eyes kept going back to Ariana, watching her like she was being hunted. “Would you quit staring at me and say what you’re thinking?”
Ariana blinked. “Sorry.” She chewed on her bottom lip, then asked her, “I’m guessing you don’t have approval?”
“No. If I did I wouldn’t be hiding out in my room.”
“And Henry is…?”
“Yes.” A quiet fury burned around Amy. Ariana wasn’t sure whether she was angry at her, or just at her situation, so she tried her best to not make it worse.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone else? We would have helped cover for you.” Lily moved closer to her, taking one of her hands in both of her own.
“Because we’ve been getting chummy with our guards lately.” This time the anger was definitely aimed at her. “But now that Ariana knows, I guess it doesn’t matter. Though I do have one question before you two leave.”
“And what’s that?”
Amy narrowed her eyes at Ariana, and crossed her arms across her swelling stomach. Ariana had a feeling she knew what she was going to ask, but it didn’t help with the sheer panic that was turning her brain into a bad TV channel, white noise and all.
“Are you going to help me, or are you going to be a good little soldier and report me?”
Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this short story from me. This world is still in development, and I've got a big story cooking in the background, so there's probably some context missing for you all, and that's fine! There is more to come, so don't worry.
Thanks for showing up and reading this! I really can't tell you how much the support means to me. Let me know what you think!
-Alyssa
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