To Bloom Again

Chapter 4: The seed is planted

Marina's whole body began to shake as soon as she hopped off the bed. She folds her clothes in a leisurely pace, to stall as much as she possibly could, because she knew that today is the day that they will all be leaving the hotel.

And oh boy, was her stomach doing flips, to the point of nausea. Marina tried her best to ignore that anxious feeling in her stomach as she continued to pack up her belongings.

But once the fears about Steven and Wallace abandoning her and sending her back to the house in Littleroot town, to die, finally got the best of her, Marina stopped what she was doing and quickly ran straight into the restroom to empty the contents of her stomach.

She heard footsteps coming towards the door and a gentle knock.

"Marina, you okay in there?" Wallace asked, as he heard the woman's heaves on the other side.

"I-I'm fine." She replied, reluctantly so she didn't have to say what's really bothering her.

However, she knew that he was concerned about her wellbeing and came up with a lie to cover up her true reason for puking her guts out. "I-I t-think it's f-ood p-poisoning."

"Oh my. I guess the tacos got to you."

"Mmhmm."

Steven emerges from the bedroom, curious about what's going on. "Is she okay?"

"No, Marina's got a sick tummy."

"Ouch, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get tacos last night."

"Especially from a taco truck." Wallace ranted, giving him a glare while picking up the bag from out of the garbage and pointing at the misspelled logo. "Or should I say 'Takco' truck."

Steven is taken aback, as if he did something wrong, "I'm sorry. I should have known it wasn't authentic."

Wallace returns his attention to Marina, "Alrighty, then. Steven and I will be waiting for you."

Marina flushed the toilet and splashed water on her face. She felt the sense of relief flowing within her body, as the stress from earlier was finally gone. She took one more look at the mirror before exiting the bathroom.

Once out, Wallace handed her a cup that contained an orange electrolyte drink. "Drink this. I need you to drink plenty of fluids today."

Marina thanks him and takes tiny, little sips of the drink. To her surprise, it tasted delicious.

Time was almost up and Marina rushed back to her room to finish packing. Still feeling a bit uneasy. Steven and Wallace continue to tidy up the room, making sure everything is spotless before departing.

Ten minutes later, everyone met in the living room with their bags. It was finally time.

Steven turned to Marina, who was trying not to tremble in fear. "Are you ready to go?"

She paused for a second, unsure how to respond. What she really wanted to do is ask if they were going to abandon her, but she didn't want to sound rude or be more of a burden to them than she already was.

So instead, she asked, "W-Where are we going?"

Steven gives her the benefit of the doubt, "You'll see once we get there. Trust me, you'll be safe with us."

And once that was settled, Steven, Wallace and Marina stepped out of the hotel room, into the corridor, saying goodbye to the place they called home for the past few weeks. Each step was more anxiety inducing than the last and once they made it to exit, they went outside.

No, she was not ready for this.

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