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Eli was still feeling a bit embarrassed. This felt nothing like her emotional talks with Maddy after the breakout, or with Lynn at the restaurant. She missed Keaton, with her long days of watching movies and eating popcorn while they dished the acting and storylines. After the breakout, and after the bonfire, Eli had been going through her own turmoil. This time everyone was going through it. If felt like Eli was the only one that was feeling so shitty about it. As much as she wanted to blame it on their troubled pasts before they came to the station, she couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong with her.

Then Natalie put her hand on Eli's shoulder and gave her a smile. The gesture was unexpected, but it reminded her so much of her mom. It had the same gentle approach that only someone who cared would give. Natalie was right. She did have friends, and at this point they were all so closely knit together that it would be hard to make sharing her feelings feel wrong around them. Seeing them all together again, in one mish-mash of a piece... It would feel nice. Even after she'd seen half of them soaked in their own blood, and the one she'd least expected to turn on her nearly killed her.

She looked over at Natalie and her smile widened. It wasn't forced, or half-hearted. It was real. The kind of smile she used to give her mother after a comforting hug. She would have hugged Natalie too, if she didn't have to worry that Natalie might not know her strength and crush her on accident. It wasn't out of fear, no, but out of caution. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a sad look in Nicholas's face, but when she turned her head she only saw another comforting smile. Had she imagined it?

As she listened to him speak, she could tell that he was being completely honest with her. It was a rational approach to trauma. Eli could understand that. If she wanted to get better, she'd have to try harder. While she wouldn't need Nicholas to kill a rat for her, (mostly because there weren't any rats on the station), it was nice to hear that he'd help her if she needed it. He smirked and said that everyone included her. Eli chuckled at that, and gave him a gentle nod. [color=E5D0FF]"Thank you, Nicholas."[/color] She turned to Natalie too. [color=E5D0FF]"And thank you, too."[/color]

Before she could make any other sappy remark, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket and heard a little [i]ding♪[/i][sup]♪[/sup]. Flooded with the instant urge to find out who responded, Eli reached to pull her cell out and read it. A wave of relief passed over her when she read it and she let out a sigh.

[color=E5D0FF]"It's Lynn, Nat. She [i]actually[/i] responded."[/color] She looked up at Natalie. [color=E5D0FF]"She wants to know if I'm with Keaton. Guess she is wondering if we're there yet."[/color] She was about to text back, but then a question popped into her head. [color=E5D0FF]"Do you know where we're supposed to go? Archie said something about flour and I have no idea what that means. Keaton hasn't texted me back yet."[/color]

She looked over at Nicholas, and suddenly struggled with the thought of inviting him too. The others didn't really know him. Lynn sure as hell wouldn't like it if he was there. She never really took kindly to strangers. Archie might not like it if the guy who threw a bomb at him was there, either. [i]Or was he blacked out, when that happened?[/i]

[color=E5D0FF]"Nicholas, give me your number. Maybe sometime we can all get together and explain what happened at the bonfire."[/color] She held out her phone to him, and decided that exchanging numbers would be better instead of an invitation. He seemed like a good guy, and in this time of strife and struggles, it would be nice to have another person to call a friend. She gave him a smile just to make the gesture genuine. [color=E5D0FF]"We're gonna have to go soon, but it was nice to run into you."[/color]

At that exact moment, Eli received a text from Keaton too. It was in the form of a huge group chat between who she assumed was the group.

[quote] From Keaton: Picnic time. See you near the woods.[/quote]

Eli raised an eyebrow, until a second later Cara chimed in.

[b]"Keaton means to say that she will meet you at the park down the street from Cianwood's."[/b]