Look, I finally finished writing this chapter! I'm only… *checks list* more than a month too late.

I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry everyone that it took this long and it's entirely my fault but this chapter's pretty long so I hope that makes up for it.

Special thanks for cs, your review reminded me I needed to finish and it helped me get my act together.

Hope you all enjoy

38

They knocked at the door, and it opened instantly, Rob jumping at the sight of them, wrapping them both in a hug.

"You're okay," he gasped, his dark eyes relaxing. "We-we had no idea…" he pulled back, examining them both. "Mum's gonna kill you…"

Leo's head drooped. 'Might as well get it over with.' He then closed his eyes, and sent in a way that echoed in Ruva's head, 'Hi everyone, we're both back and safe now.'

Once the message finished, the house seemed to hold its breath.

"Did you send that to everyone in the house?" asked Ruva, ignoring her aching legs and how her throat was burning again.

Leo nodded, rubbing his temples – Ruva recognised the motion, Leo's gift was getting worn out.

A door slammed, making Ruva jump.

Mrs Wendyl marched down the hallway, her expression seemingly torn between anger and relief. "Leo, Ruva."

She pulled Leo in for a hug, and then reached for her as well. Ruva leaned into the embrace, letting the heat penetrate her numb skin.

"I'm – I'm so happy that you're both okay… You both just disappeared and we didn't – we didn't know where you were."

Mrs Wendyl let go, then rose to her full height. "If I wasn't so grateful that you're both safe, you'd be dead right now. I never want to see either of you run into a warzone or… or bubble into a burning building and especially without your TCDs. Do I make myself clear?"

They both nodded, and Ruva felt her voice shrinking up and getting trapped in her throat.

"You'd both be grounded right now – if it weren't for those Meyarins declaring war on us – I'm expecting you both to pull your weight around here."

Mrs Wendyl reached in and gave them both a motherly kiss. "You both look exhausted – go see Tia in the Rumpus Room and she'll fix you up."

Leo looked to her and she nodded, both of them moving down the hallway, using each other for support.

They made it and collapsed on the couch, Ruva wheezing slightly and Leo's legs shaking.

It was only then that Ruva noticed the gentle hum of voices throughout the room, and she looked around to see strangers in various places.

There must have been around seven, all of them carrying some sort of injury. One had bandages wrapped all over one arm, another had small cuts all over her body, her clothes covered in little rips and red splotches. But by far the worst injury was an elderly man with pale skin, wheezing and shaking with bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

"Leo, Ruva, what happened to you?" Ruva blinked, looking up to see Tia. Her skin was sickly pale and dark bags sat under her eyes, wearing a grubby singlet and pants stained with… something. But Tia didn't notice her unkempt appearance, Ruva saw nothing but concern in her eyes.

Leo lifted his head, beginning to speak to them both. But before he could finish explaining, his voice slowly shrunk until it disappeared entirely.

Taking a quick glance at her ribbons, Ruva could see his gift was depleted. "He's tired," she said. "We both are."

"But… do you have any injuries?"

Ruva shook her head. "Not that I haven't already treated."

Tia tilted her head, and Ruva held up the first aid kit.

"Wow… where did you manage to find a first aid kit?" Ruva was about to answer, when Tia added, "Do you mind if I take it? We're getting really low on supplies here, I didn't have enough to clear up some people's injuries."

Ruva nodded, and Tia grabbed at the bag, pushing through its contents.

She seemed to have forgotten about them, until Leo tapped at her arm.

Once he had Tia's attention, he started moving his hands around, communicating in some form of sign language to his sister.

Tia nodded, then starting signing back, the motions utterly foreign to Ruva.

The conversation went back and forth for a while, until Tia nodded, then spoke out loud, saying, "If you're alright now, head upstairs and Greg will find you a bed. I want to see both of you again tomorrow, it seems like you were very close to the fire."

Leo nodded and began to stand up, but Ruva asked, "Why do you both know sign language?"

"We taught it to communicate with Leo," she said, already turning her attention back to the first aid kit. "Back when we didn't know his gift, we had all accepted he was going to be mute forever." Ruva felt Leo tense beside her, but Tia didn't notice. "Mum taught us all sign language so we could talk to him normally." Tia stood up, grabbing the first aid bag.

"But then he finally found his voice, and it blew us all away." Tia walked off, ruffling Leo's hair as she walked past.

Ruva stood up on shaky legs, then reached for Leo's hand. He rose, too, staying silent as they walked through the corridor.

It felt surreal, walking through the empty hallway. It usually bustling with life but was now dark and empty. There were many people in the Rumpus Room, and she could hear a hum of people in the dining room, but there was no one between them. Nobody came into the hallway, but the silence and shadows made you want to rush through, find the next place with other people.

Leo seemed unbothered by the silence, he walked at a slow pace, his eyes on the ground.

They approached the stairs, and Ruva relied heavily on the rail, trying to ignore the shaking in her legs. The space between them felt taut, so Ruva spoke before her throat could lock up from the pressure.

"I want to learn that sign language – if you don't mind. You don't have to… It's just…" Ruva stopped as she realised there was no response, not even a glance from Leo.

Ruva drew back, a weight settling in her throat.

What was she supposed to do now? Something was bothering Leo, but he wasn't responding to her, didn't want to respond. Could she share something with him, to get him to open up in return? Or should she offer a hug, let him cry on her shoulder if need be?

In the end, Ruva grabbed his hand, awkwardly holding it until they reached the bedrooms, finding Greg sitting outside the doors.

When he saw them, he didn't react like the others, with surprise and concern. He just rubbed his eyes mumbling under his breath.

"Two more…" he started, looking at a scribbled sheet of paper in front of him. "We're running out of beds up here, as it is we've got both trundles out in the boy's room and Matt and Lisa in Mum and Dad's bed."

Ruva could see how much stress Greg was under, but all she wanted was a cosy bed, her feet were aching from standing up for so long.

"I guess… Ruva, you can go in Tia's bed – she'll probably be up all night looking after patients. And Leo…" said Greg, flipping over the piece of paper. "Leo, Leo, Leo." he flipped over the page a few more times. "Well… you can take my bed and I'll crash in the rumpus room – or the silent room, if need be."

They nodded, parting ways and going into their separate bedrooms.

The Girl's room was quiet, every single bed was filled with a sleeping person, along with a few strangers who all had the same shell-shocked look on their faces.

Ruva climbed up the ladder to the last available bed, her legs shaking and feet going numb.

Once she was up, Ruva pulled her boots off, covered in ash and dew.

Finally, she felt herself begin to relax.

Today had been an absolute nightmare, but she'd survived it. The entire day, she'd kept her guard up, always ready to look over her shoulder, to run if danger found her.

But now, surrounded by people who were peacefully resting, she finally – finally – felt at ease.

Ruva lay down, closing her eyes and soon falling into a sweet, dreamless slumber.

Leo gasped, fast sitting up, his heart pounding.

He was in the Boys' Room. It had just been a dream. He slowed down his breathing, relaxing his tense shoulders. The room was illuminated by murky grey light, creeping in through the window, and the sound of many people breathing, punctuated by the occasional snore.

Listening carefully, Leo could hear people moving about downstairs, the wooden floors giving slight creaks that echoed through the house. There was a familiar clatter of pots from the kitchen, but no small feet thumping through the hallway.

It was to be expected, Leo supposed, even Lisa and Matt knew what had happened yesterday – even if they didn't understand why.

Leo climbed out of bed, his muscles stiff and doing the stretch thing. He softly stepped out of the bedroom and headed for the stairs, noticing on the hallway clock that it was five-thirty – far earlier than he would normally wake up.

But today would be far from normal, Leo knew.

He walked to the kitchen, taking more time than usual for his stiff legs – he knew they were going to be sore, he expected no less after running across the city.

Leo found Mrs Wendyl washing the dishes, with Mr Wendyl drying them beside her.

'Mum, Dad?' Leo asked, watching them both stop at the same moment.

Mr Wendyl turned around first, smiling despite the bags under his eyes. "Leo! You're up early, son."

Leo smiled, leaning in to his father's hug. He smelt like smoke and dew – he must have only just arrived back.

They fell silent, and Leo was once again aware of everything that had happened outside.

'What's going to happen today?' he asked.

His father sighed, "So much has gone wrong – but you know that, don't you?"

Leo sighed, staring down at his feet.

Seeing the dismay in Leo's face, Mrs Wendyl said, "We can still help, though, Leo. I've spent the past couple hours preparing care packs for those out in the streets – whose homes have been destroyed, or have no way to access supplies. Tia made contact with the hospital, and they gave her a list of shelters where they still have room for people."

Leo looked up, noticing that there were indeed supplies on most surfaces, one entire bench was covered in shopping bags, all half-filled.

"Once everyone gets up, I'm going to send them out with the bags and information about shelters and safe places – the military will be doing something similar, of course, but it will take them so much longer to get organised.

"We can help them, Leo. I won't spend another day hoping in the dark, not when I can be the hope."

Leo smiled, wrapping his arms around his mother. 'Thanks, Mum.'

He really was grateful, his dark mood was flushed, replaced by the steady undercurrent of hope, slowly spreading through his entire body.

"Go eat some breakfast, Lion," said Mr Wendyl, "You're going to need it."

Leo went into the dining room, optimism fuelling him. Not even his father's nickname could drag him down. He started making his breakfast, and only once he had put his toast in the toaster did he look around, noticing the others in the dining room.

The atmosphere was sombre, entirely at odds with Leo's newfound hope, and it caught him, tried to pull him from his good mood.

Four people there were, two of them he knew, and two he didn't. Tia and Greg were sitting at one end, Greg slumped on the table, sleeping, while Tia stared at the wall, only moving to sip from the mug in her hands.

Leo's toast popped, making him jump. Calming his unsteady heartrate, he grabbed the toast and spread peanut butter over it, making a right mess of it.

He sat down across from Tia, about to say something, but held himself back when he realised Tia didn't even blink.

He didn't try waving in front of her face, or talking to her, or squeezing her hands, not like he used to. Now Leo understood that Tia's current state was from when she had been using her gift too much.

It was interesting, the ways different people recovered from using their gifts. It just made him feel tired – physically tired – but some people had it different. Ruva could fall asleep anywhere – like on New Year's Eve in Mardenia, when they'd watched the fireworks from the rooftop.

Some people's recovery manifested as pain, and Leo was glad he didn't have that disadvantage. He wouldn't be able to cope – not if it hurt him to speak so much.

He was lucky enough as it was, that his gift enabled him to speak.

Leo still vividly remembered when his gift manifested, and although it seemed instant, there had in fact been a long build-up to it.

It started around the age of eight, when he realised that he would always be treated differently when he couldn't speak. Nobody cared about his opinion if he couldn't voice it. The frustration grew all year, until one day he just… snapped. It had been busy at home –busier than usual – and Leo couldn't get anyone's attention. He kept tugging his siblings, but none of them kept still long enough for Leo to sign to them. He had felt a rush of anger, and yelled in his head, 'WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME?!'

Everyone around him had stopped, all of them staring at him. And he knew – he knew he was the reason.

"Leo… was that you?" said Greg, who would have been thirteen.

Leo's fingers reached up, twitching in unreadable signs. His heart was pounding, his mind rushing around. His fingers kept rushing around until he realised… it was him. He had somehow… somehow pushed it into their heads.

"Yes," he finally managed to sign, watching his siblings eyes widen. Silence fell around him, and then Leo noticed it, a little tingling in the back of his mind; his gift.

Even though it was seven years ago, Leo remembered it perfectly.

He sat at the table for a long time, watching as everyone else slowly emerged, eating their breakfasts in various states of shock. The only one unaffected was Milly, who spent her time crawling through the dining room, burbling on with herself.

Everyone took extra care around her, making sure not to knock her over or bump their chairs into her. Milly loved the special treatment, soon realising she was the centre of attention.

Milly seemed to lighten the mood in the room, how she managed to be ever-cheerful when everything seemed to be falling to pieces.

"Leo?" Mrs Wendyl called from the kitchen, piercing Leo's brooding.

He grabbed his empty plate and headed to the kitchen, placing it in the already-growing pile of dishes.

'What is it, Mum?'

"Can you round up the older five for me? I want to send them out with the bags and start handing them out to people, get everyone older than you to come and help – oh, and not Tia, I need her medical knowledge here."

Leo nodded and set off around the house, relaying the message to all of his older siblings and two adults – he made sure to check they weren't injured, first.

Once they were all gathered in the kitchen, Mrs Wendyl was giving out instructions when Tia pulled him aside, no longer in her zombie-like state.

'Tia, what is it?' said Leo, rubbing at his arm where Tia had grabbed her.

"I know you're about to head out there, but can you tell me where Ruva is?"

Leo blinked, he had barely thought of Ruva all morning. 'I-I don't know. Maybe she… I think she's still in bed.'

Tia's eyelid twitched, but she didn't say anything.

'What? What's wrong?'

Tia's eyes darted. "I'm just concerned, that's all. Smoke inhalation can be harder to detect – it looks really similar to exhaustion. I just… I don't know. I need to check her."

'Is it… is it bad that she's still asleep?'

"No! No. Not at all. Sleep is exactly what she needs right now."

'So why are you so nervous?'

Tia sighed, rubbing her face. "My gift wasn't at its best last night, not by the time I got to you two. I'm worried I missed something."

Leo took a closer look at Tia, noticing how she was in shambles. She was still in last night's dirty clothes, her hair pulled back from her face in a bun that was more of a ponytail now. Her eyes were slightly sunken into her head, and her hands were just a little bit shaky when they moved.

'It's fine, Tia. You looked at me last night and thought I was fine, and I'm still fine now. You're doing great.'

Tia smiled, the bags under her eyes crinkling. "It really helps to hear that, Leo." She reached in for a quick hug making Leo feel warm inside and out.

But before he could speak, a loud, whining sound echoed through the house, making them both look around with darting eyes.

"Quick, everyone upstairs!" called Mrs Wendyl, her voice echoing through the house.

A rumble of voices and footsteps responded, Tia rushing into the Rumpus Room. "You head on up, Leo," she called over her shoulder, "I just need to grab some things!"

Mrs Wendyl walked to him shooing him out. "Come on, come on. You'll be safer upstairs."

'Mum, what's happening? Why do I have to go upstairs? What about the care packs?'

"That's a siren they installed last night, to sound whenever the city was under attack – they didn't expect it to be used nearly as quickly, oh dear," she bumbled on, giving Leo a gentle shove towards the hallway as she gathered things scattered across the bottom floor.

Although he rose up the stairs, Leo's stomach sank.

His emotional high was gone, replaced by bleak emptiness and worry, like there was a storm in his stomach.

His eyes dropped as he walked, and he turned into the bedroom. People were sitting on all of the beds, some on the floor.

Lisa and Libby were sitting on top of a bunk bed, Libby's round face pale, but smiling for Lisa's sake. Lisa seemed mainly confused about the situation, and she kept asking awkward questions that Libby had to deflect.

But Leo didn't listen to the questions, he was distracted by something else.

Ruva.

She was lying on the top bunk, blanket pulled around her, her plait – well, it was more of a rope now, falling apart and getting knotted where it shouldn't.

Her face was peaceful, despite the ash smudged on her face and her pillow.

She looked fine, but Leo couldn't quite let go of what Tia had said. It lingered over him like a bad mood, making him check that she was breathing steadily.

Leo imagined himself laying up there next to her, then choked, smothering the impulse.

No, that was just – it would be… He just couldn't.

Instead he sat on the bed below her, feeling like everything was trying to weigh him down.

A buzz sounded from Ruva's backpack, Leo reached into it and grabbed her TCD. He switched it on, before feeling a surge of guilt.

Why was he doing this? This was Ruva's Device, he had no right to look there.

Leo switched it off and put it back down, rubbing at his neck.

How had he done that? He didn't even hesitate, and he knew that he would've read her messages and… and invalidated her privacy.

Leo slammed the TCD on the bed, pulling his hood over his head and zipping it tight.

The Device continued to buzz throughout the day, Leo clenching his teeth each time. Everyone else was growing tense, distant screams echoing from the battles fought.

The buzzes grew more and more frequent, until Leo finally relented and turned it on, the screen filled with messages from Ruva's parents. He scrolled through the list, watching how the initial messages full of concern turned into panic and desperation.

Leo opened the TCD, and swiped to send a message back.

Then he stopped.

What would he say? He couldn't just go, Hi there, this is Leo, Ruva's friend. Ruva is in the middle of Tryllin and yesterday almost died from smoke inhalation. Nice to meet you.

That would just be weird. Leo kept trying to find a suitable message, but nothing he tried worked.

He spent an hour staring at the device, watching the battery slowly drain. He had gotten absolutely nowhere. Eventually he turned off the device and shoved it in Ruva's bag, flopping back on the bed and pulling the strings of his hoodie tight.

And then he noticed the shuffling on the bed above him, and the blanket was thrown back, hanging over the side of the bed. Is Ruva awake now? he thought, before reaching out to her.

She responded instantly. 'What's happening, Leo? Why is everyone in here? And where are you?'

'I'm sitting just below you. Everyone's in here because it's safer. They attacked again. The Meyarins.'

'Oh.'

'What? You sound disappointed?'

'I just thought… maybe I could go back to Sela and Corbin today.'

Leo felt his stomach sink. Ruva hadn't seen her parents for weeks, not since Kaldoras break. He reached for her backpack, grabbing out her TCD. 'Your Device has been pinging off all day, your parents have been trying to reach you for hours.'

'All day? How long have I been asleep for?'

Leo climbed up the bunkbed ladder, Device in hand. 'It's two o'clock now, and we both went to bed around… I don't know, actually, but pretty late.'

Ruva smiled, whispering her thanks as he passed the TCD over. She turned it on, the bright light from the screen illuminating her face, still smudged with smoke. A small frown flickered across her face, her hand poised above the keyboard.

'What is it?'

Ruva flinched – a barely noticeable movement. "I just… don't know what to say."

That makes two of us, thought Leo, but aloud he said, 'Just do something simple, like, Hi, I'm safe and well in Tryllin at Leo's house.'

Ruva nodded, typing slowly at the keyboard until she composed her message.

"Do you think that's good?"

Leo climbed up fully and sat beside her, looking over the message. 'Maybe add in our address, twenty-three Morgan Avenue.'

Ruva nodded, adjusting the message before sending it.

Not a minute after she sent it, Corbin and Sela both replied, asking if they could call her.

"I'm going into the hallway to call them," said Ruva, climbing down the bed.

Leo nodded, and for a second he was going to climb down, too. Then he stopped. He would just get in the way of Ruva's conversation with her parents. She didn't need him.

Leo flopped back, breathing in the stuffy air, the bed still warm from where Ruva had slept.

Ruva stepped around piles and people, weaving her way to the door where she could make the call in peace. Leo had told her it was already past noon, but she could barely comprehend that, not until she saw the massive skylight from the hallway. It was cloudy overhead – a mix of clouds and smoke. It gave the light a slightly orange tinge, making everything feel like twilight except… wrong.

Tia stepped into the hallway, giving a slight groan before noticing Ruva. Her eyes lit up, and she took a couple stumbling steps forward.

"Ruva… you're awake now. I need to – I need to examine you again, to see how – how you've… progressed. Changed. Since last night."

Ruva unconsciously took a step back. "I need to call my parents first." Her voice wavered more than she'd like, was something wrong with Tia?

"O-Okay. I'll just… just…" Tia slowly blinked, her eyelids drooping as she stumbled.

Ruva sighed, putting her TCD back in her pocket. Tia must be exhausted. She hadn't slept since… since… two nights ago, and by the looks of things, she couldn't hold on any longer.

Ruva took Tia's hand and gently guided her back into the Boys' room, nudging people off a bed and letting Tia collapse on it. She fell asleep in seconds, and Ruva took the time to take off her sneakers – wow, her feet were actually really big – and drape a blanket across her.

After examining her work, Ruva's eyes caught Mrs Wendyl's, and she gave a subtle nod.

The gesture was only small, but a trickle of heat still weaved its way through her. Ruva smiled and retreated, returning to the half-light of the stairwell.

Clicking the door shut behind her, Ruva opened her device, finally connecting to Corbin's TCD. He was the one more likely to answer, especially if Sela was working.

Her stomach churned as the message connected, but as soon as Corbin came into view, her nerves disappeared.

"R-Ruva!" Corbin said, jumping from his slouched position. "You're okay!"

Ruva smiled, Corbin's still-present enthusiasm making her feel warm all over.

"Why didn't you call back earlier? And where were you yesterday? The academy notified us that you weren't there and we just didn't know. Ruva?"

Ruva blinked, she hadn't noticed that she'd started building up walls between her and the question, but Corbin had. She blinked, forcing herself to pay attention.

"Oh I'm sorry, Ruva," said Corbin, seeming to realise what was happening before she could. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you…" he trailed off, looking to Ruva for answers.

Ruva opened her mouth, but she didn't know how to respond.

Corbin realised that, too, so he continued, "Do you want me to get Sela? She's just catching up on sleep before her next shift at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Ruva repeated, the words making it past her throat – albeit quietly.

"Yeah," said Corbin, pretending not to notice Ruva's response. "We've been here at the Tryllin Major Hospital all night, once we evacuated the palace and Sela was dispatched here. She's taken on the position of Senior Doctor, but with so much chaos and missing people, she's more of a Wing Manager, if you know what I mean."

No, Ruva didn't know what he meant, but she wanted to listen to Corbin as long as she could, so she nodded, listening to Corbin speak as he walked down a corridor.

"The hospitals were overflowing when we arrived – absolutely filled with patients, the people with minor injuries were recruited and they had to set up in the courtyard, there was just so many." Corbin paused here, the bags under his eyes becoming more apparent to Ruva. "We've finally managed to find some rest, but it will be like this all over again once the Meyarins leave. If they leave."

"What can I do?"

Corbin blinked, and Ruva felt the same way. The question had come out unbidden, but Ruva knew it was the right one, and she needed to know the answer.

"Um… I'm not sure, actually. People need to be coordinated to the organised shelters, like at the City Hall and the Walter Lane Markets. I can't think of much else." Corbin's eyes darted around. "If I'm really honest, all I want is to come and find you, but there's too many people. Too many others who need helping."

Corbin sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Sela's coming now, I'll hand over to her."

Sela was even more exhausted than Corbin had hinted at, but Ruva was content just to hear her voice and know that she was okay. The conversation passed in a blur, until she waved goodbye, promising to reach her as soon as they both could. It would be difficult for her, taking care of so much in the hospital for so many different people.

Ruva switched off her TCD, stepping back into the Girls' room, to wait the long hours until they could help.

The strange orange glow had deepened into a red twilight when a siren sounded. It sounded in a repetitive pattern, one long beep then two short ones.

Ruva blinked, turning to Leo, surely he would know what the sirens mean. But he looked confused as she did, until Greg burst in from the other room, and explained that it was an all-clear alarm, meaning the enemy had left the area.

Everyone started standing up and rustling, whispers growing, talking about the all-important question; what would happen next?

Greg seemed to hesitate for a second, before inviting them all into the Boys' Room where they could listen to Mrs Wendyl and ask questions, she would already have some sort of plan in place.

Everyone from the room got up and moved next door, standing against the walls and sitting on the floor like they were in primary school, ready to listen to their teacher.

"Although it has been declared safe," started Mrs Wendyl, grabbing everyone's attention. "The Meyarins are intelligent, and they may decide to double back on us, which means we have to be careful. None of us are hurt, but our first call of duty is to help those who are. Last night I prepared care packages for those who need them, including food, basic first aid like bandages, and lists of shelters and where they can find medical support or a place to sleep.

"I think we should send people out with these packages in small groups, but most people will stay here, so we can keep track of people. I'm also registering this house as an official shelter, to keep the strain off the hospital. With everyone's help we will prepare more beds and food for those who need it, and it means that everyone is welcome to stay for a while longer." She glanced around the room, looking slightly nervous – something Ruva had never seen before. "Any questions?"

"Who will hand out the packages?" asked Libby, looking as if she couldn't bear to be in the house any longer.

Mrs Wendyl gave a motherly smile. "Not you, Lib, you're only twelve." then, she addressed the rest of the group. "I think I will send out… Rob, Nick, Leo, Ruva and…" she looked around at the adults in the crowd. "Melanie and Jess."

Ruva found who she was looking at, she had seen Melanie last night, with little cuts peppered all over her body. Jess, however, Ruva hadn't seen before. He was a tall, but solemn looking man.

"Now, that list might change," Mrs Wendyl continued, looking at Greg. "But I need people here, too. Especially since Tia's still resting."

Ruva looked over, noticing that Tia was indeed still sound asleep, oblivious to the assemblage around her.

"I think that's all I need to say for now, so let's head downstairs – but quietly, just in case."

Ruva followed the group down the stairs and was soon given many jobs to do, the entire house bustling as they prepared to help people. She could barely remember what happened that hour, other than the constant noise and that Leo was always near her, even if they were too busy to talk.

Time started to blur, and somehow Ruva found herself at the front door, care packs in each hand, ready to go. It was dark outside, and everyone around her seemed to know what they were doing.

'Are you ready to go?' asked Leo, and Ruva jumped to find that he was beside her.

"Uh – yes. I think."

Leo's lip twitched. He looked like he knew exactly what was going on in her head. 'We're about to start handing out the care packs. You've been pretty out of it for a while now.'

Ruva blinked, then gave a small smile. Leo had been with her even when she was zoned out, and she really appreciated it.

Nick opened the door. "Come on, let's go everyone."

"I–" Ruva started, but when Nick looked back at her, nothing came out.

Leo gave her a little nudge. 'It's alright, we'll take it slowly… we just need to help people.'

"Never mind," Ruva said to Nick. "We can go now."

Nick opened the door, a gust of wind spreading through the house. A person was standing on the porch, just about to knock on the door.

Ruva froze, and Leo gave her a little nudge. 'Ruva, is that–'

But before Leo had even finished, Ruva ran forward into Corbin's arms.