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Saff didn't answer. She didn't know what to say, and she couldn’t figure out why Maddie was making such a big deal out of it.
After a few moments of silence, Josh cleared his throat and pushed back in his chair, standing. He looked over at Carter. “We should probably head out and start getting things prepped.”
Carter nodded, following suit. Then he looked at Saff. “If you want to come, meet up with us by the gate where we came in yesterday. We'll be there in an hour.”
Saff nodded, watching them gather their empty plates and leave.
Erin stood next. “Honey,” she said, shooting James a pointed look. “Do you mind helping me gather up the dishes?”
His brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he seemed to catch on to some unspoken command.
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled, stuffing the last bite of his food into his mouth before standing.
Erin placed a gentle hand on Maddie's shoulder. “Maddie, we’ll be close by.” Then Erin shot her a quick smile.
Maddie nodded, tapping her finger lightly against the table. Saff waited until they were both a good distance away before she spoke.
“Everything okay?”
Maddie continued tapping for a moment before she stopped. Then she shrugged.
“What's wrong?” Saff asked.
Maddie shrugged again. “Nothing, I guess. I just don't think you should be going out there immediately.”
Saff let out a breath. “Sylvia won't put me back in the cell. At least I don't think so.”
“That's not what I'm worried about,” Maddie huffed. “Besides, if she did, I'm sureNadiawould make sure you got out.”
Saff stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. “Do you not like her or something?”
Maddie pursed her lips. “I don't know her.”
Saff let out an exasperated breath. Her head was pounding. The last thing she needed was to have to try to decipher what Maddie was thinking. If she didn't want to tell her, then so be it.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Maddie seemed to soften slightly. “We just got here. You're still healing. I just think you should take a day to rest before jumping right back into danger.”
That's when Saff realized it. Maddie was worried about her, and not in a selfish way. Not because she wanted her to be okayso that she could travel with her. She was worried about her just—because.
Saff swallowed lightly. “I'll be back in danger eventually, no matter what, when I leave here.”
Maddie stopped drumming her fingers on the table. Then she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
Saff wanted to say something else to ensure she had really made her point. Maddie couldn't worry about her. That wasn't something either of them needed in a world where surviving was the only objective.
Worrying about another person didn't work in a world like that.
Before she could speak again, Maddie's demeanor seemed to shift. She uncrossed her arms and smiled slightly. “Well, even if you're going to leave, it would be stupid not to stay for a little while to rest and get what you need from here in the meantime.”
Saff couldn't argue with that. After seeing everything they had there, she'd actually been thinking the same thing. Perhaps she could make a trade with Sylvia and get more supplies from them than just the medicine she needed.
“Yeah. Maybe,” she muttered.
“How's your head feeling?”
Saff grunted. “Not great.”
“Probably because you missed out on my magic head rubs last night.”
