Chapter Seventy-Seven: Shadows of Yesterday

The cafeteria buzzed faintly, the muted hum of conversation failing to mask the unease that clung to the room. Giants shuffled in the line for their trays, trays clattered softly, and the sterile fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Austin sat at their usual table, his tray untouched in front of him, the faint sheen of gravy and mashed potatoes already cooling. His elbow rested on the table, his chin propped on his hand as his gaze drifted across the room, but his thoughts were far from the cafeteria.

Jace, as always, tried to lighten the mood, his voice breaking through the heavier silence between bites of his food.

"You know," Jace started, leaning back in his chair and swirling his fork around like it was a microphone, "the class we had this morning was kind of interesting."

Austin barely looked up from his daze, his fork lying by his plate that had a piece of chicken he had no intention of eating. "Interesting how?" he muttered, not particularly in the mood for one of Jace's tangents.

Jace ignored his tone, his face lighting up as he launched into his thought. "Okay, hear me out. You know how they were talking about humans being delicate because of their evolutionary history, right? That stuff about Earth and how their bodies were built for survival in a completely different kind of world?"

Cole raised an eyebrow, his mouth full as he paused mid-chew. "Yeah, and? What about it?"

Jace leaned forward, lowering his voice as if he were about to share some kind of secret. "I just think it's wild how humans adapted to live in environments so much harsher than ours. Like, they dealt with freezing temperatures, deserts, predators, and everything in between—and they managed to survive. But here? They're like glass. One wrong step, and it's game over."

Cole swallowed his food, smirking. "You sound like you're writing a love letter to humans, Jace. Should we be worried?"

"Shut up," Jace shot back, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying it's interesting. Like, did you know their bones are thinner because of gravity on Earth? That's why they break so easily here. And their organs? Not built to handle the differences in pressure between our worlds. It's insane." He leant back into his chair, as if astonished by the reality of humans

Austin finally looked up, his brows furrowing as he met Jace's gaze. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't call that impressive. Sounds more like bad luck to me."

Jace frowned a little. "Maybe. But think about it—they were never supposed to be here. Their whole biology is against them, and yet... here they are." Jace shrugged, pulling at the sleeve of his jumpsuit

"Not by choice," Cole added, his tone more serious now. He glanced around the cafeteria, lowering his voice. "Don't forget why they got here. They destroyed their planet"

Jace's enthusiasm dimmed slightly "I guess.." speaking softer " It just thought it was good to know I guess, it's interesting to know about Tess's species history" he says, referring to the slide show before in class

Austin raised an eyebrow, poking at his food now with disinterest. Basically playing with it now"What part? The fragility speech or the endless examples of how they somehow didn't drop dead the second they got here?"

Jace gave him a look but didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he leaned forward, letting the chair's legs thud back onto the ground. "No, I mean the part about how they destroyed their own planet. Earth."

Cole snorted, grabbing his water bottle. "Yeah, that was a real inspirational tale, huh? They poisoned the air, burned up their land, and drained their oceans until there was nothing left. Great job, humans."

Jace's expression didn't shift, his blue eyes fixed on the surface of the table. "It's not funny, though," he said quietly. "Think about it—they didn't want to destroy it. They just... couldn't stop themselves. They needed energy, so they drilled. Needed food, so they tore up forests. Needed homes, so they built over everything. And by the time they realized what they'd done, it was too late."

Austin frowned, setting his fork down. Jace's voice was heavier than usual, like he was carrying the weight of the entire class on his shoulders. "Yeah, well, they brought it on themselves," Austin muttered. "And now they're here, expecting us to clean up the mess."

"They didn't ask to be here," Jace shot back, his voice sharp. "They had no choice. What were they supposed to do? Stay on a planet that was literally killing them?"

Cole sighed, crossing his arms. "Maybe they should've learned their lesson instead of dragging their bad habits here. Half the tech we use now comes from humans. And not all of it's good. They invented alcohol, remember? Think about how much that's screwed things up."

Jace went quiet, they all did.. have began aimlessly tearing apart a bread roll. His knee bounced under the table, the rhythm restless and grating. Cole lounged beside him seeming to relish his win of the conversation , sprawled out like he didn't have a care in the world. Every so often, Cole glanced toward the serving line, where the red-headed girl from yesterday stood, chatting casually with another participant.

"She's here again," Cole muttered, tossing his fork onto his tray with a clatter. He leaned back, crossing his arms and watching her like she was the most interesting thing in the room. "Think I should go say hi?"

Austin huffed softly, not bothering to lift his head. "Give it a rest."

"What else is there to do?" Cole quipped, smirking as he nudged Jace. "I mean, unless you've got better ideas."

Jace muttered something under his breath, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of his tray. His usual sharp remarks were missing, his energy subdued, and Austin knew exactly why.

"None of us have better ideas," Austin said, straightening in his seat. His voice carried a bite that silenced Cole's smirk.

"Whatever you say Austin.. " Cole rolled his eyes

Austin huffed a breath and poked at his cold slice of chicken with his fork, his appetite was nonexistent.

Across from him, Jace and Cole started talking again, suddenly deep in a conversation about something Austin wasn't bothering to listen to. Cole's hands gestured wildly, his voice animated as he tried to make a point, while Jace nodded along, the corner of his mouth quirking. Their chatter faded into background noise as Austin's thoughts drifted, tugged back to a familiar weight pressing on his chest after their conversation of humans

Tess.

Her name cut through the fog in his mind, sharp and relentless. He glanced down at his tray, staring blankly at the unappealing food, but all he could think about was her. His human step-sister, small and fragile, trapped here in this place like the rest of them. She wasn't in the cafeteria now, still tucked away in the human dorms, waiting for Darrick to pick her up for recreation. A part of him felt relieved she wasn't here—she didn't need to see him like this, brooding and hollow. But another part of him ached with guilt.

She shouldn't even be here. She never should have been dragged into this nightmare, and Austin couldn't stop feeling like it was his fault.

"Earth to Austin," Jace's voice broke through his thoughts, and Austin blinked, glancing up to find Jace watching him with a curious expression. "You've been staring at that chicken like it insulted you."

Austin shrugged, his grip tightening around his fork. "Just... not hungry," he muttered.

"Right~" Jace sounded unsure of himself

The tension around the table grew heavy, the memory of the recreation room weighing on Austin like a lead weight. Darrick had been the target yesterday, as David had dragged him through their so-called "exercise."

They'd forced him to grow first, head nearly touching the ceiling, then came the shrinking his body reducing down until he was barely taller than a human, David injecting him with a serum, sending his body into painful spasms as he expanded then shrinking like some cruel experiment, until Darrick was nearly lifeless.

"I wonder what recreation will be like today," Austin spoke, his voice quieter now. He stared down at his tray, the image of Darrick burned into his mind.

"Yeah~" Jace muttered,

The memory was vivid, Darrick's limp form draped in his hands like a ragdoll. His breathing had been shallow, his skin pale and slick with sweat. Even in his shrunken state, he'd felt heavy in Austin's hands—a reminder of the strength Darrick usually carried so effortlessly. But yesterday, that strength had been stripped away, leaving behind someone who looked hauntingly fragile.

Cole let out a long sigh, sitting up straighter. Jace fidgeted in his chair, his knee bouncing again. "You think Darrick will be okay? I mean, after all that?"

They better not pull that again," I said, my voice tighter than I meant it to be. "If they do, Darrick's gonna snap."

Jace nodded, his knee bouncing under the table. "He's already on edge. And with Tess..."

He didn't finish, but he didn't have to. We both knew Darrick wasn't just protective of Tess. He was possessive, like the idea of someone else even looking at her was enough to set him off. If David or any of the handlers tried to mess with her during recreation, it wouldn't end well. For anyone. Austin couldn't blame him, not after everything. But it was still strange, watching someone as stoic as Darrick cling so tightly to someone so small. He really did love Tess

Austin's jaw tightened. "I don't know. But he's not the same right now"

"He didn't even come to lunch," Cole pointed out, breaking the silence. "You know he's with her right now."

"Shrunk himself down to her size, probably," Jace added

Austin ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling under his skin. "He's keeping her safe," he said sharply. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Seriously though, what do you think they'll do today?" Jace asked quietly, his voice breaking the silence.

Austin didn't look up. "Who knows? Maybe they'll go after someone else this time."

The thought sent a chill down his spine. He didn't want to think about what might happen if they were next—if David decided to turn his attention to one of them. And after yesterday, Austin wasn't sure how much more any of them could take.

"Let's just hope it's not worse than yesterday," Cole said, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

The three of them sat in silence, the noise of the cafeteria fading into the background. No one wanted to say it, but the truth hung heavily between them: whatever was coming next, they weren't ready for it.

Not even close.