The Missing supplies

The silence stretched, thick and pressing.

Ava could feel their stares.

She wasn't the only one. Riley and Elise shifted beside her, their postures stiff as if their bodies could sense the hostility in the air before their minds fully processed it.

Ava swallowed, pushing herself up from where she had been sitting. The way Mia's group was looking at them—it was different. Their gazes weren't just tired or cautious.

They were accusatory.

"What's going on?" Ava asked, her voice firm but calm.

No one answered right away.

The group standing around the supply bags exchanged glances. It was Liam who finally spoke.

"Some of the food is missing," he said simply.

Ava barely had time to process his words before it hit her—why Mia's group was looking at them like that.

They thought it was them.

She exhaled sharply through her nose, keeping her expression even despite the frustration curling in her stomach. Of course, that was why they had all gathered around the supplies. Of course, that was why Mia's group had been whispering amongst themselves.

And then, as if to confirm it, a girl from the group stepped forward.

She was tall, with a narrow face and sharp cheekbones. Her long, dark hair was tied in a messy ponytail, strands falling loosely around her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight onto one hip as she looked at Ava with a pointed gaze.

"Vin saw something," the girl said, her voice cool but edged with suspicion.

Ava's gaze flicked to Vin—the boy with the broad brows, the one she had helped earlier.

He looked uncomfortable. His fingers twitched at his sides, and when Ava's eyes landed on him, he hesitated.

"Vin?" Ava prompted, though she kept her tone measured.

Vin glanced at the others before speaking, his words slow, uncertain. "I... I saw you last night," he muttered. "When everyone was asleep. You were doing something with the bags."

Ava let out a sharp breath.

"I was putting the med kit inside," she said, her patience thinning. "So it wouldn't get ruined in the cold."

Her words hung in the air.

No one said anything, but their expressions didn't soften.

Ava glanced at Liam, half-expecting him to say something, to help diffuse the tension, but he just sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Look," he said, turning to the others. "We don't know what happened to the supplies. Maybe someone just miscounted, maybe—"

"Maybe someone took them," the dark-haired girl interrupted.

Ava clenched her jaw, forcing herself not to snap back.

Liam exhaled. "Let's just drop it," he said. "This time."

The way he said it made Ava pause.

"This time."

Like he wasn't defending her. Like he wasn't saying they were wrong, just that it wasn't worth fighting over.

Ava opened her mouth, but no words came out. She could see it—the way Mia's group still looked at them like they weren't fully convinced.

And that hurt more than she wanted to admit.

She turned on her heel, walking back toward Riley and Elise.

"They think we took the food," Riley whispered as soon as Ava was close enough.

Ava sighed. "It doesn't matter what they think."

"But it does," Elise muttered. "They're already against us. Now it's worse."

Ava didn't answer. She didn't need to.

Because they all felt it.

The shift. The way the air in the room had changed, how the tension had settled deep into the space between them, thick and unmoving.

That Evening

The division became clearer as the hours passed.

No one said it out loud, but it was there, unspoken yet undeniable.

Mia and the others sat on one side of the classroom, speaking in low voices, glancing toward Ava's group every so often. Ava, Riley, and Elise stayed together, the gap between the two groups more than just physical.

And Liam—

Liam sat near the middle, between them, but not with either.

He had always been like that, hadn't he? Moving between people, fitting in without fully belonging. Ava wondered if he even noticed how much had changed.

As the light outside dimmed, shadows stretched across the room, the boarded windows letting in slivers of the dying sun.

And then Mia's group moved.

Liam was sitting by himself, leaning against one of the desks when they approached him. Mia didn't say anything at first.

She didn't need to.

The others spoke for her.

"We should divide up the food," Jason said. His voice was steady, but there was something underneath it. A demand disguised as a suggestion.

"Yeah," Eli added. "So everyone gets their share."

Vin shifted beside them, looking uneasy, but he didn't contradict them.

Ava didn't move, but she was watching now, her gaze sharp.

The room fell silent as Liam glanced around.

His posture was steady, his expression unreadable. Instead of answering immediately, he exhaled through his nose and looked at everyone.

"We'll decide together," he said finally, pushing himself up from the desk. "Everyone speaks their mind. No holding back."

Ava and Riley exchanged glances.

Mia's group was the first to respond.

Jason stepped forward, arms crossed. "We should divide the supplies now. Everyone gets their own share. That way, there's no confusion, no fighting later."

Eli nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. We don't know how long we'll be here, so at least this way, no one can accuse someone else of stealing."

Mia tilted her head, her soft gaze moving between them. "I think it's a good idea," she murmured. Her voice was light, almost hesitant, like she wasn't really taking a side—just agreeing with the logical choice.

She looked at Liam then, as if waiting for him to just go along with it.

But he didn't say anything yet.

Instead, his gaze shifted to Ava.

Ava knew it was her turn.

She inhaled and stepped forward, lifting her chin. "I don't think that's a good idea."

A small shift rippled through Mia's group. Jason's brow twitched. The tall girl, Ilsa, narrowed her eyes slightly, and Mia—

Mia just smiled.

Soft. Innocent. Unbothered.

Ava continued, ignoring the tightness in her chest. "If everyone has their own share, it's just going to lead to chaos. Some people might finish their supplies early, and then what? They'll start going after others for more. That'll just cause more tension. More fights."

Riley and Elise immediately nodded in agreement.

"She's right," Riley said. "It's better if we keep it in one place and distribute it as needed. That way, we can control it."

Elise folded her arms. "We don't even know how long we'll be stuck here. If someone wastes their share, then what? We just let them starve?"

Ava kept her gaze steady, waiting.

Mia's group didn't like that answer.

Ilsa scoffed, shifting her weight onto one leg. "More likely a certain someone would," she muttered, eyes flicking toward Ava's group.

Ava clenched her jaw but didn't take the bait.

Liam's gaze moved between both groups. The tension was like a knife pressed to the skin—waiting for the wrong word to slice through it.

Then he spoke.

"Ava has a point."

The room stilled.

Liam crossed his arms and continued, "If we split it up, we're just asking for problems later. We don't know what's coming, and we need to be smart about this." His tone left no room for argument. "I'll keep the supply bag with me. If anyone needs something, they ask me. No one touches them without permission."

A beat of silence.

Then—

"What about when you're not here?" one of Mia's group muttered.

Liam's gaze flicked to him, sharp. His expression didn't shift, but something in his posture made the boy falter slightly.

"We'll deal with that later," Liam said simply.

It was the final verdict.

Mia's group didn't argue, but their dissatisfaction was obvious. Ilsa scoffed under her breath, Eli pressed his lips into a thin line, and Jason exhaled sharply through his nose.

Mia, though—

Mia still looked soft. Gentle. Like she hadn't just lost the argument.

But Ava saw the flicker of something else beneath her expression.

A moment later, people began to disperse.

The decision had been made, but the air still felt heavy. No one fully trusted each other. No one fully relaxed.

Later That Night

The tension still lingered, but for now, things had settled.

Ava sat beside Elise, carefully peeling away the old bandages from her arm. "It's healing fine," she murmured. "But I'll disinfect it again."

Elise winced slightly but nodded. "Thanks."

Nearby, Riley watched Vin sitting awkwardly with Mia's group, his injured leg stretched out in front of him.

Riley smirked slightly, shaking her head. "You should probably not help him, Ava," she said sarcastically. "Might make things worse for us."

Ava shot her a look but didn't reply.

Once she finished with Elise, she stood and grabbed the supplies, walking over to Vin.

He looked up, shifting uncomfortably as she knelt beside him.

"I didn't accuse you, you know," Vin muttered.

Ava didn't answer right away. She just unwrapped the old bandages, ignoring the stiffness in his posture.

"You hesitated," she said finally.

Vin exhaled through his nose, not arguing.

Ava didn't press further.

She worked in silence, carefully rewrapping his leg, ignoring the way Mia's group watched from a few feet away.

A little distance away, Liam leaned against the wall, watching quietly.

He didn't say anything.

Didn't interrupt.

But he smiled, just slightly, as he watched Ava work.

And from the other side of the room, Mia clenched her fist.