At day 168, the shelter was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that got under your skin if you let it. The chatter that once filled the halls had faded, leaving only the hum of machinery and occasional footsteps. People didn't talk much anymore. Isolation, waiting, and routine had worn them down. Even the strongest minds showed cracks.

The food was good enough. Fresh vegetables from the hydroponic gardens and careful rationing kept everyone fed. But food couldn't fix the bigger problem. People weren't meant to live like this. Cut off. Trapped inside their own heads.

Victoria wasn't weak. She knew how to keep her head straight, how to keep herself busy. Isolation? She could handle that. What tormented her was the mess left in her mind after the party.

It had been five days. Five days since she saw Alice. Five days spent mostly in her room. She spoke to her sister, but never about the party. She kept that to herself, turning it over and over in her mind, trying to figure out how she feels about it.

At first, she was furious. Furious at Alice, at Abi, at all of them. She hadn't expected that side of shelter life, much less to be thrown into it. But anger dulls with time.

Now she wasn't sure what to think. What they'd been doing—it was weird, sure, but no one got hurt. Everyone had agreed. Maybe it was their way of coping, of dealing with everything this life had thrown at them. Could she really blame them?

And then there was Abi. The punch replayed in her head until she forgot why it bothered her, or if it even did. Was the problem him? Or her? Should she have gone along with it? Let herself feel something?

Five days of thinking brought her no closer to an answer. The shock was gone. The anger was gone. All that was left was a big, tangle of questions she couldn't unravel.

At around 2 PM, heading back from the diner, with her meal in one hand, a voice called out.

"Victoria!"

She stopped and turned. Abi jogging toward her. The sight of him made her tense— was it irritation, or something else? She hesitated. Her grip tightened on her meal.

"What do you want?" she asked, sharper than she meant.

Abi slowed as he reached her, raising one hand to show he meant no harm. "I just want to talk."

She turned and walked faster.

"I've been looking for you," he said, following her pace.

Victoria didn't look back.

His tone softened. "About the other night… I'm sorry."

"For what, exactly?"

"For making you uncomfortable," he said immediately like he'd been rehearsing. "It wasn't fair. I hate that I put you in that position."

Victoria stayed silent. The party flashed back—noise, heat, the disorientation that drove her out. She drew a steady breath.

"Why did you do it?" her voice was quieter but still guarded.

Abi hesitated. his eyes dropped to the ground. the confidence she remembered was gone.

"Because I like you," he said, barely above a whisper.

Victoria blinked, caught off guard.

"And… I lied," he added, stumbling over his words. "About it being my first time. I… I said that because I thought it would make it easier to talk to you. It was stupid. Manipulative. I know."

Victoria glanced at him. her expression softened. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not the only one who lied that night."

"But I did lie to you," he said, quickly. "I hate that I did. I wasn't trying to hurt you— I just… I didn't know how else to get your attention."

Her grip loosened. She slowed her pace though she didn't stop. "You didn't have to lie. You could have just told me."

"I know," he said quietly. "I get that now. I'm sorry your friend didn't tell you what to expect. Those parties, they can be... intense."

She stayed silent but now her pace matching his.

"But not all parties are like that," Abi continued, gentler. "It's just… an extra event that happens afterward. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. You can just hang out, talk, and leave before the rest happens. It isn't all or nothing."

Victoria nodded. "You're right. I guess I didn't ask enough questions either."

Some of the tension left his face. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

She stopped and turned to face him. "What makes you think I wasn't comfortable?"

"I thought…"

"It's not the fighting that bothered me," she said flatly. "I don't mind it. But you have to understand—it's a lot to walk into without warning. You don't just drop someone into that kind of situation and expect them to be fine."

Abi looked at her, surprised yet curious. "So… you're okay with it?"

"Maybe. I don't think it's wrong. I just don't like being blindsided."

"That's fair."

They walked in silence until they reached her door, Victoria glanced at him. His own food tray was in his hands.

She hesitated, then said, "Why don't you eat with me? We can finish this somewhere less awkward."

Abi smiled. "gladly."

Inside, victoria sat her tray the small table. The room was plain: a bed pushed against the wall, a small shelf half-filled with books, a couple of boxes on the floor, and a jacket draped over a chair.

Abi glanced around. "You just move in?"

"Sort of. Haven't had the time—or energy—to unpack."

He sat his tray opposite hers and sat down. "Nobody has energy lately."

"True." she picked up her fork. "So, tell me about yourself. Something real. No lies this time."

He let out a nervous laugh but relaxed. "Fair enough. something real… I grew up in a small town. Nothing there but fields. Never thought I'd end up here."

She tilted her head. "How'd you end up here?"

Abi smiled faintly. "Long story. Let's just say, I'm here now, and I'm trying to make the best of it. What about you?"

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