“Ow!”
“Calm down, Elise. It’s just some alcohol wipes.”
Elise silently glared at Trevin as she rubbed her stinging knee.
“Hey, like I said, it’s gonna sting, but it’s for the better.”
She winced again as Trevin poured a cold water bottle over the wound to rinse off any remaining dirt. He then dug through the first-aid box, and pulled out a roll of gauze.
A few brief minutes later, Elise was back up again with a freshly bandaged leg, along with a proper splint made from broken shelf pieces.
Quickly glancing about before sitting down, she pulled out her journal once more, and began writing.
Entry 679, Scout Day 11, Elise Ciara
So, apparently, this library’s been converted into a bunker of sorts. It’s pretty, but it definitely wouldn’t hold up against a raid. I’ve already drawn out some things on the back of the page that should help in terms of security.
My knee’s also stinging a lot less now, thanks to Trev and whatever the hell that was that he smothered my knee with… At least it doesn’t look so gross anymore. He also went ahead and wrapped it up in some gauze, but I can still see some blood seeping through.
I’m also pretty hungry. If I remember correctly, the buff guy said that the greenhouse wasn’t complete yet. I can see what he means, since the greenhouse’s still covered by the library’s ceiling. I’ll probably go back out later to scavenge some dandelions from the remaining green patches in the area. They’ll make a nice salad or something.
Elise’s stomach did the writing for the last part. How many days had it been since she last ate? Two? Three?
Ever since the last of the rations back at camp were cleared, she had been surviving off whatever she could scavenge from her surroundings. Small berries, flowers, she even ate grass during the hardest times.
“Lemme guess. Hungry?”
Elise glanced upwards, her gaze meeting Trevin’s.
“Yeah, I guess so. Should we go out and scavenge or something?”
Trevin shook his head.
“No,” he replied, “I’ve got a personal greenhouse. Here, take this.” He pulled a small paper-wrapped package from his backpack, and tossed it down to Elise.
She slowly unwrapped it, revealing a plastic baggie filled with dried fruit.
Elise looked back up to Trevin, a nervous smile spreading across her face.
“You-you’re giving me this? I… I thought that I had to work for my rations…”
Trevin smiled gently.
“It’s just a sort of ‘welcome to the club’ gift.” he replied, “I gave Twilight there a few apples earlier while Tyrone was finding you.”
Elise’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. “But--”
“But food’s precious?” Trevin continued, finishing Elise’s sentence.
“Yeah.”
Trevin shrugged.
“So what? I’ve got a decent surplus back at my place anyways. Just try not to eat it all too quickly.”
“Why?” she asked.
Tyrone replied, “Even though I have a surplus, it’s not that much of a surplus. Don’t forget, we’re still rationing.”
Elise nodded, and slipped a dried pear slice from the bag into her mouth.
“Is it okay?” Trevin asked, watching Elise as she chewed the fruit.
She shrugged.
“Eh, I’ve tasted better, but it sure beats dandelion salad.”
Trevin’s eyes widened. He barfed a little in his mouth, too.
Noticing his face turning green, Elise giggled.
“It’s actually not all that bad. You should try it sometime.”
Trevin held up a finger, and began running towards the restrooms.
Meanwhile, Elise picked herself back up from the floor, and began making her way back towards the rest of the group, who were busy discussing what to grow in the greenhouse.
When she arrived, Twilight turned to face her.
“I overheard you back there talking to Trevin.”
Elise began to blush. “Look, I can explai--”
“I’ve had dandelion salad before, too! And I know what you mean. Bitter, but at the same time, nice and crunchy, too!”
The two glanced over towards Tyrone and Kevin, who had frozen in their places.
Tyrone broke the silence.
“Wait, wait… so you’re saying that you’ve both eaten dandelions… in a salad.”
Elise shrugged. “It’s better than chewing sticks, okay?”
Twilight continued from where Elise ended.
“And besides, it’s tangy, too! You should try it sometime!”
Kevin cocked his head.
“Um… I’m just gonna…” He stood up, and began backing away from the girl and the pony. “...leave you two alone for now…”
He turned, and made a mad dash to the opposite side of the library, where he proceeded to immediately stick his face into the nearest cookbook he could find.