Love Unspoken

When Quinn woke up the next day, the first person she saw wasn't Alexander but Abigail.

She thought she might be trippin'. Blinking and rubbing her eyes, she realized it was real and tried to sit up.

"Chill out," Abigail, still banged up herself, moved awkwardly to help Quinn.

Quinn grabbed her hand and stared at her as if she might vanish if she blinked.

"Abigail?" Quinn called out.

Abigail nodded quickly. "Yeah, it's me. You feeling any better?"

"Why are you here?" Quinn asked, totally confused.

Abigail sighed, "Alexander called me. That jerk only thinks of me when stuff hits the fan. What does that tell you? Even he knows I'm more important to you than he is, right?"

This wasn't the first time Abigail had brought this up. Quinn never got why Abigail always seemed to want to compete with Alexander over stuff like this.

But seeing the hopeful look on her face, Quinn smiled and nodded.

Abigail was happy with Quinn's reaction, but when she saw her pale face, her eyes filled with worry.

Abigail asked softly, "Quinn, what happened to you in just a few days? What did Alexander do to you?"

Quinn looked down and shook her head.

Seeing she didn't want to talk about it, Abigail didn't push. "Anyway, you gotta hang in there. You're still so young. Don't let that jerk get to you. I haven't even taken you on a trip yet."

She continued, "Ever seen rime ice? It's when water vapor freezes into these beautiful formations. Let me show you. I took some pics last winter and haven't shown you yet." She pulled out her phone and showed Quinn the photos.

The pics looked like they were taken on a mountain. Everything was covered in white, with trees decked out in pristine, glistening ice. It felt pure and sacred, like it could cleanse your soul.

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It looked like a fairyland.

Abigail said cheerfully, "Beautiful, right? But seeing it in person is even more epic. Once you get better, I'll take you to see it."

Quinn stared at the photos, feeling all sorts of emotions. The scenes in the pictures seemed so far away, as if she might never see them in her lifetime.

Hearing Abigail's words, Quinn guessed that Alexander had called Abigail to cheer her up.

Even though Abigail disliked Alexander, she wouldn't ignore Quinn because of that. She still wanted Quinn to be okay.

"Quinn," Abigail called her.

Quinn snapped out of her thoughts and smiled slightly. "Okay."

Abigail smiled too. "Then it's a deal. Get better soon, okay?"

Quinn nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Alexander was smoking in the hallway, listening to their conversation. He leaned on the railing, a cigarette between his fingers, watching the two dogs playing in the living room downstairs. Soren approached and said cautiously, "Mr. Kennedy, it's time to change your bandages."

Alexander threw the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his toe. "What happens if I don't?"

Soren mumbled, "Nothing much. It'll just heal slower."

Alexander snapped, "Get lost."

"Okay."

With that, Soren quickly left.