Читать книгу Our Collective Life - JD Kennedy - Страница 22

Jordan found herself curled up in the corner of the bedroom. ‘What the hell?’ she said out loud, as she stretched out the legs which were numb from being in the one position for a long time. She knew this meant one of the traumatised teens or littles had been out, although she couldn’t be sure who.

Things were still in a state of upheaval within, and it left Jordan feeling vulnerable. She was the first line of protection within the Collective, and was the first one to step in when something was seen as unsafe. So having this underlying feeling of vulnerability was something she was struggling with.

Once the pins and needles had subsided in the legs and feet, she attempted to stand and, stretching the back out, she sighed and left the bedroom.

** ** **

It was the next day when she was sitting opposite the doc and she decided she had to try and bring up the subject. She hated that they were relying on an outsider to help them - and a man, no less. But she knew they needed the doc to help them gain some equilibrium again.

“It has left the Collective feeling very vulnerable,” she started to say slowly, trying to sort out the jumble of feelings into something that made sense to an outsider.

“That is understandable,” he said, with empathy. “What specifically bothers you? Not the Collective, but you personally?”

“Well, I guess the realisation that she was able to get that far and we didn’t know. And if we don’t know, how do we protect ourselves from it happening again? I mean, I’m supposed to help protect them, but how can I when we don’t know how she did it?”

“But you did stop it, someone managed to pull Jo back within before she succeeded in harming the body.”

“But it was so close. Too close. Another minute or even less, and she could have taken the pills, and where would that leave us?”

“I do understand how vulnerable this has the Collective feeling, and how close you all feel it was. But it is important to realise that you all still did step in in time.”

Jordan sighed. How could she make him understand how vulnerable they were feeling right now? How it felt to know someone wanted to basically destroy you, and she got closer than she ever had before?