Vivian turned to look at her. "Why? Is it against the rules to date?"
"She’s an S-class Sentinel," Rosa whispered, leaning forward as if the walls had ears. "There is a ton of classism in this academy. It would cause a scandal if the instructors or the high council found out. She could get penalized, and I could get expelled."
"Don’t worry," Vivian said out loud. "Your secret is safe with me. I don’t care about school gossip anyways, and I definitely don’t care about their stupid ranking rules."
Rosa letting out a breath. "Thank you, Vivian. Seriously."
Vivian unfolded the academy uniform. The fabric was soft, thick, and expensive. It felt far too nice for something she was just supposed to wear to a classroom.
She remembered the clothes she’d worn during the apocalypse. She had worn the exact same shirt for weeks until it rotted. Pants permanently stained with zombie blood. Jackets torn to shreds by claws. Sometimes there hadn’t even been water to wash her skin.
And now? Two spotless uniforms, a clean dorm, hot water, food and electricity.
Vivian’s fingers tightened on the fabric. Five months. That’s all she had before the world ended. She couldn’t afford to get comfortable here, or leg this fake luxury make her soft.
Rosa suddenly leaned towards her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "By the way..."
"Hmm?" Vivian looked up.
"I really, really like your hair," Rosa said, widening her eyes.
Vivian touched a strand of her hair.
"It’s gorgeous." Rosa leaned a bit closer, gesturing with her hands. "And it’s so long! Can I touch it?"
Her long ginger-red hair reached the back of her legs. She had always cherished her hair. It was exactly like her late mother’s. When Vivian was a little girl, her mom would spend hours taking care of it.
But during the apocalypse, Vivian had to cut it short. There hadn’t been time to maintain it. Long hair was nothing but a death sentence when running from zombies; it got caught in branches, tangled in fences, and gave monsters something to grab onto during a fight.
She remembered holding the red hair in her hands afterward. She had cried so hard. It had felt like one more piece of her old life, that the cruel world had forced her to lose.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"It really suits you," Rosa smiled warmly.
Vivian began making her bed, while tucking them in, she let out a yawn.
Rosa laughed, checking the clock the wall. "The D-Block cafeteria opens in ten minutes. Do you want to go grab some dinner together?"
Vivian stared at her mattress. Ten minutes. The thought of putting her shoes back on and walking down the hallway felt impossible.
"I’ll go tomorrow," Vivian muttered, crawling under the blanket.
Rosa frowned slightly. "Why? Aren’t you hungry?"
"If I don’t sleep right now, I’m going to fall asleep in class tomorrow."
Rosa let out another laugh. "Fair enough. Classes start at eight in the morning."
"Yeah."
"And you’ll probably have your awakening assessment tomorrow too," Rosa added.
Vivian froze, her eyes snapped open beneath the covers. ’Assessment? Compass!’
[Yes, Host,] COMPASS’s voice suddenly chimed inside her head. [Every new student must undergo an energy assessment on day one.]
Vivian sighed, pulling the blanket all the way up over her shoulders. "I just need sleep."
Rosa smiled and turned off the ceiling lights, leaving only her small desk lamp on so the room became dim. "Goodnight, Vivian."
Vivian closed her eyes in the dark. There were no screams from her stepmother. No zombies clawing at the windows.
As much as I want to hate every single Sentinel and Guide in this world, Vivian thought as she drifted off, my roommate isn’t bad. But they are still all cowards in the end.
She whispered. ’Compass.’
[Yes, Vivian?]
’Wake me up tomorrow.’
[I am an advanced survival system, not your alarm clock.]
Vivian smiled sleepily. ’Goodnight, Compass. Thanks for this second chance. I would do anything to get my daughter back.’
[Goodnight, Vivian.]
For the first time in five years, Vivian slept without expecting to wake up to zombies chasing her.