Private Finished Uh, What Happened?

Dela gently wrapped her arms around Sela, feeling how light and cloud-like the other was. It was rather like hugging the world's softest pillow. She did feel better, and after one last squeeze let Sela go. "I guess it's an empathy thing. Like, I can understand how you feel. Maybe not exactly, but I can imagine.

"I. . . I think I'm starting to understand." It was like the old saying, between a rock and a hard place. Can't go but can't stay. Stuck in limbo. "How are you dangerous?" She questioned, this was the first she's heard of Sela being dangerous.

Delaney waited for Sela's answer, perhaps a little apprehensive of what it would be. She knew there were people who, before living on the island, did many. . . bad things. It kinda scared her for a moment to think that Sela could have been one of them. Delaney pushed that fear aside, because that's the whole point of the pardon system. Give people a second chance. She may have not done anything awful. . . but the island was her own second chance.

"Eat people, huh." Delaney said, her voice flat in an attempt to keep it neutral. It was strange to wrap her head around, but she's already made up her mind about Sela. "Well, I wouldn't want to see people eaten, and not harming others is a rule of the island." She winced, this wasn't coming out right at all. "Like, what I mean is. Like, it's- I'm not scared.

"That was in the past." Delaney groaned, as she didn't know what she was trying to say. "I'm not scared." She insisted, and meant it. Maybe she was being dumb but she didn't think Sela was dangerous. "The island has its own rules, and maybe you gotta follow more rules than before but no one should try to make you be something you're not.

"What I'm trying to say is you should be able to be you, and so long as you aren't hurting anyone then being you should be okay." That sounded better, but she still nervously played with the hem of her sleeves, scared she didn't come across right.

A smile appeared on her face when Sela described their own smile. "That's good. That it's not all bad and you can go into your dreams when you need too." Delaney's smile widened more. "I like you too, Sela. and so does Georgette." Sela trailed off and she couldn't begin to parse what Sela had tried to say.

Delaney felt more determined than ever. "We'll figure this out! You're not alone and with me helping you're sure to succeed. And I can say that because once I got something on my mind I don't stop till I do it." She reached out and hopped that was Sela's shoulder she was touching. "But first, why don't we have some fun?

"I don't know about you but after a lot of serious talk or thinking I gotta go do something fun. 'Cuz then you'll be ready to tackle all the responsible stuff!"

The mall would be fun! Delaney liked going there with her friends and checkout out all the neat stores. "Yeah! All the food places that are there too, I've been trying to hit up each one and I'm not even a a third of the way through them all." It was a tempting prospect but Dela had to curb her enthusiasm some.

First, she had like no money at the moment and half the point of going to the mall is to buy something. Secondly, 'I'll do whatever you want to do' is code for 'I'm too polite to tell you what I'd really like to do.' Especially when Sela sounded as tired as it did. "Let's go hang out in the school courtyard." She suggested. "We can get a blanket and lay in the grass and enjoy the weather."