Chapter 49 Poked
The whole room went silent for minutes.
Selene sat there, barely breathing, her eyes moving between Cariel and Jenna. She tried to read their faces, tried to understand what was happening inside their heads. But their expressions were empty—shocked, frozen, as if the world had stopped making sense.
Selene’s fingers tightened on the blanket.
This was the first time she felt this kind of fear.
Not the fear of being hunted.
Not the fear of pain.
Not the fear of dying.
This fear was quieter.
It was the fear of losing people who had been kind to her without asking for anything in return.
Cariel and Jenna were the only people who felt true to her in a long time. They didn’t treat her like a tool. They didn’t treat her like someone they needed to please. They were just… them. Honest. Warm. Real.
And now Selene had shattered that.
Cariel and Jenna still looked shocked, their faces pale, their eyes wide. They glanced at each other like they were searching for an answer, but neither of them spoke.
Then Jenna moved first.
She reached out, grabbed Cariel’s arm, and pulled her toward the door.
Cariel stumbled a little, still staring at Selene like she couldn’t believe it.
Jenna didn’t look back.
The door opened.
Then closed.
And Selene was alone.
A deep breath left Selene’s chest, shaky and heavy. She didn’t realize she had been holding it.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Too big.
Too empty.
Selene slowly turned her head toward the window.
The night outside was calm. Moonlight slipped through the glass and fell across the floor, pale and soft. The sky looked peaceful.
“I guess… this is it,” Selene whispered.
Her voice sounded small in the quiet.
“No more laughter,” she continued, staring at the window. “No more talkative Cariel. No more sweet Jenna.”
Her throat tightened.
She tried to swallow, but it didn’t help.
She tried to blink it away, but her eyes burned.
Selene pressed her palm to her chest and took a slow breath.
“It was stupid,” she muttered to herself. “Of course it was temporary.”
She forced a weak laugh, but it came out shaky.
“Why did I even get used to it?” she whispered. “Why did I let myself feel safe?”
Her mind replayed everything.
Cariel talking nonstop by her bedside. Cariel making jokes when Selene wanted to cry. Cariel fixing the blanket and acting like it was the most important mission in the world.
Jenna sitting quietly, offering water, offering food, offering calm. Jenna listening more than speaking, but always there.
They had treated her like she mattered.
Not like an enemy.
Not like a problem.
Not like a burden.
Selene stared at the ceiling and felt something sharp twist inside her.
She remembered the way Cariel smiled when Selene finally laughed again.
She remembered Jenna’s gentle voice telling her to rest.
She remembered them sitting beside her bed, filling the silence with warmth.
Selene’s eyes blurred.
She blinked for how many times and a drop slid down her cheek then another.
Selene didn’t notice at first.
She didn’t even realize she was crying until her chest started to ache and her breathing turned uneven.
She turned her head slightly, staring at the blanket, and that’s when she saw it.
A small wet patch.
She frowned.
“What…” she whispered and confused.
Selene lifted her hand and touched the blanket. It was damp.
Her brows knit together slowly.
Then she touched her cheek.
Wet.
She froze.
“…Am I crying?” she whispered.
Her lips trembled.
She didn’t even remember deciding to cry.
It just happened.
Like her heart had finally caught up to everything.
Selene let out a shaky breath and wiped her face quickly, like she could erase it. Like she could pretend it wasn’t real.
But more tears came.
She pressed her palm over her mouth, trying to stay quiet, trying not to let the sound escape. She didn’t want anyone to hear. She didn’t want anyone to know she was breaking.
Her chest hurt.
Her ribs hurt.
But the ache in her heart felt worse.
Selene sat up, ignoring the pain, and slowly pulled her knees close to her body. The movement made her ribs scream, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around herself, curling forward.
Like she could hold herself together.
Her breath shook.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered to the empty room. “I’m sorry…”
She didn’t know if she meant sorry for lying, or sorry for trusting, or sorry for hoping.
Maybe all of it.
The moonlight continued to spill across the floor, silent and uncaring.
Selene stayed curled up, her tears quiet but endless, until her eyes grew heavy.
Her body was tired.
Her mind was tired.
The pain medication, the exhaustion, and the crying pulled her down slowly, like waves dragging her beneath the surface.
Selene’s head lowered.
Her grip loosened.
And without even noticing, she fell asleep.
…….
Morning came gently.
Warm sunlight spilled through the window, touching Selene’s face, sliding across her lashes. The light woke her slowly, pulling her from sleep little by little.
Selene blinked.
Her eyes felt swollen.
Her throat felt dry.
She shifted slightly, then stopped when her ribs protested. She hissed softly and sat up slowly, careful this time.
As her vision cleared, she noticed something that made her heart stop for a second.
Cariel and Jenna were in the room.
They were quiet.
Cariel stood near the table, placing a small plate down. Jenna poured something warm into a cup, her movements calm and controlled.
They didn’t look at Selene.
They didn’t greet her.
They didn’t smile.
Selene’s stomach tightened.
“They’re mad,” she thought.
Of course they were.
She didn’t know why she had expected anything else.
Selene lowered her gaze, her hands gripping the blanket.
She wanted to speak.
She wanted to say good morning.
She wanted to explain.
But the words wouldn’t come out.
Her throat closed like someone had wrapped a hand around it.
So instead, Selene slowly laid back down.
She turned her body carefully—away from them.
Facing the wall.
So she wouldn’t have to see their faces.
So she wouldn’t have to watch them look at her like she was a stranger.
So she wouldn’t have to watch them decide they no longer wanted her.
Selene pulled the blanket up slightly and closed her eyes.
She pretended she was asleep.
And in the quiet, her heart sank deeper and deeper, waiting for the moment they finally walked out again.
Selene kept her eyes closed.
She could hear small sounds behind her—the soft clink of a plate, the quiet pour of warm liquid into a cup, the faint rustle of fabric as someone moved. Every sound felt louder because her heart was already loud in her chest.
She didn’t move.
She didn’t breathe too deeply.
She didn’t want them to turn around and see her awake.
Because if they were angry, if they hated her now, she didn’t think she could handle hearing it.
Her throat tightened as she stared at the wall, pretending the plain surface in front of her was the most interesting thing in the world. She tried to calm herself, but her thoughts kept slipping back to last night—Cariel’s shocked face, Jenna pulling her out, the door closing.
Then the silence.
Selene swallowed hard.
She wanted to turn around.
She wanted to sit up and say something simple like good morning.
But she couldn’t.
Her body felt heavy, like guilt had weight.
And even though the room was warm, she felt cold inside.
A few seconds passed.
Then another.
And then—Something gently poked her back.