Page 55 of The Omega Archives: Part One

My forehead wrinkled. “Are you okay?”

Ella swallowed. “I feel a little better now that I ate.”

“Good.” I reached out and took her plate. “I'll take that. How about you change and climb into bed? I’ll clean this up."

"I can get it."

"Don't worry about it. You look tired," I said. I wanted to take care of her even though with her wide eyes it seemed she still wasn't used to it. "Do you want me to stay with you?”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t feel well,” she tried to force a laugh as she reached out for her blanket that had fallen to just over her calves. She picked at the soft seam. “Maybe you could just stay, please? Just until I fall asleep? Or until Rita gets home?”

“I can do that.” I reached out a hand to brush over her arm. At least she didn’t back away from me. “Then I’ll head out so you can get your rest. Ella?”

“Yeah?”

“Call me in the morning then, okay?” I asked.

She nodded.

I smiled. “Good. I want to know how you’re feeling then. We can always reschedule our plans because how you’re feeling does not look fun.”

She shook her head.

“We’ll have your deadline to celebrate smashing out of the park when you are ready.”

“Night, Cal. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Sweet dreams, beautiful.” I stood up with our plates and rinsed them off in her sink before leaving them to dry.

Yawning myself, I went into the bathroom and washed my hands before looking up in the mirror that pushed out from the wall and hovered halfway open.

I pushed the mirror shut. It hovered back forward again.

Okay. This was it. It was official.

Ella lived in a shithole. It might’ve been decorated nicely, but it was still a shithole.

Demetri would have a conniption if he was in this place.

I ran a hand through my hair and opened the medicine cabinet to make sure nothing was blocking the hinge. She had a cute pink toothbrush and a mini, travel-sized toothpaste. As my eyes scanned the empty contents, my gaze stuck on the second shelf.

I picked up two green translucent pill containers.

Glancing over my shoulder, Ella remained in bed. Her breaths already rose and fell steadily. It was more than fantastic that she trusted me so much to relax and sleep with me still here.

I really shouldn’t be snooping through her medicine cabinet.

But these pills... I popped the top and looked at the tablets. The one kind of looked like blockers I had seen before, though I didn't think they made them anymore.

Years ago, before they made better scent blocker sprays and soaps, Demetri took one or two before we went out to high-profile events though I remembered them being duller in color. The others in her cabinet I rolled around in the palm of my hand, I had no clue what they were for.

I snapped the caps closed and put the containers back into her cabinet before I turned back towards Ella. She was already asleep. Her cheeks were still flushed and the rest of her body remained twisted in her obnoxious amount of blankets. One foot stuck out the side.

She had a cold or caught some sort of illness from the college, I was sure. Right?

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