Part 13

"Ahhhhhh!!! Aahhh!" My cries of pain filled my room, and probably the entire cabin. I couldn't help it. His technique worked, but it hurt like the devil. "Nnaahhh!!"

"I'm almost done. You just have to hold on a little longer. Can you do that?" I wanted to shake my head. I wanted to beg him to stop, to relieve me of this unbelievable pain that I was feeling. But I also knew that if he stopped, the pain would only be temporarily gone. And when he finished, it would hurt even more. As a result, I forced myself to nod my head and braced myself. As soon as he began the final stretch, I screamed. It was a loud, ear-splitting scream, and it carried more emotion than anything I had ever said in my life. But as soon as it started, it stopped. I felt Alex sit back on the bed, and the pain was gone. I was so tired. My eyelids felt super heavy, and just before I closed my eyes, I saw Alex bring the covers over me. "Try to get some rest. I'll see if I can get you something to eat." And with that, he turned and left. I didn't say anything. I turned my head and instantly fell asleep.

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When I woke up, it was around 4:30. I was super hungry, but I was really scared that I wouldn't be able to walk. So instead, I sat up and just waited. My gaze wandered and landed on the side table next to my bed. Sitting on it were two things: a small lamp, and my phone. I reached for it and flinched. Doing even that hurt. But I pushed through and grabbed my phone. I opened it and went to my messages app. I started a new chat with Alex, and simply typed, 'It's Marie. I'm hungry.' I was about to turn my phone off when I felt a buzz. I looked and saw that Alex had sent a laughing/crying emoji, and then a text saying, 'On my way. Have a bunch of snacks with me. You can choose which ones you like.' 'Cool. Thanks' I replied. He's so nice. Why is he being this nice to me? What's in it for him? There's gotta be something, right? But before I could come up with an answer, the door opened, and Alex walked in, carrying a brown paper bag, and a bowl full of popcorn. "What do you wa-"

"The popcorn. Is it still warm?"

He smiled. "Freshly popped." We dug in.

The popcorn was the best that I had ever tasted. It was super buttery, with just the right amount of salt. But surprisingly, it wasn't super greasy. I would have asked how that was possible, but I couldn't keep my mouth empty enough to ask. It was just so good.

After we had finished, we sat on my bed for a minute. I wasn't hungry anymore, but I didn't feel full, or sleepy. Instead, I felt full of energy, ready to do something. I looked at Alex. He had that same hunger in his eyes. I smiled at him and went to stand. His face immediately darkened with concern and went to be a support. Normally, people try to get me to rest, tell me I'm not strong enough. But he was willing to try this with me. I put my arm around his neck, and as he snaked his arm around my waist, I stood up. I was expecting my legs to be weak, or to fumble when I tried to walk. But to my surprise, I was able to walk to my door with very little help from Alex. In fact, when we walked out, I wasn't holding on to him anymore. I turned to face him to thank him for all that he did and saw him looking at a photo. I was about to call to him when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Let's leave him be. He always does this at this time of day. It's how he grieves."

"Grieves? What do you mean?"

"It's not my place to tell. Come on. It's time you met the others."