Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
She mock-frowned at him, nose wrinkling, and snatched up her plate, holding it close to her nose the whole way to the table. Just the smells alone were heaven. Sitting down, she watched Derek, all but wriggling in her seat, to see when it was okay to eat.
As soon as she saw him take his first bite, she started in, and only some serious willpower kept her from devouring the whole plateful in less than five minutes. Halfway through, something occurred to her, and she struggled for a moment before darting after the pad. Scrawling in her haste to get back to the food, she wrote, ‘can I have a chalkboard?’
Derek began to eat and smiled when Summer began also, Isaac already a bite ahead of them. Isaac and Derek were talking absently about the last pack meeting when she darted from the table. Derek was halfway out of his seat when she came back in. He reseated himself as she got back to her own chair.
He read the pad and smiled, nodding. “Sure, I’m sure we can find you one tomorrow to use. How’s the food?” he asked, taking another bite of his own.
She gave him an enthusiastic series of nods and went back to eating, absently doodling on the pad as she shoveled food into her mouth with the other hand. She wasn’t really thinking about what she was thinking, other than ‘this is the best thing I’ve had in weeks’, and she blinked when her fork met empty plate.
Then she frowned at the doodles on the pad. Which turned out to be a list — of things she didn’t have, and ought to (something unhappy crinkled down her spine at that word). Clothes topped the list, and she squirmed in her seat. A wisp of memory suggested, ‘expensive’. And ‘selfish’.
Abandoning the pad, she carried her plate over to the sink, automatically rinsing it off and glancing around, before she realised she didn’t know what she was looking for. She huffed in frustration. Bits of disconnected memory came and went, usually when she least expected it, and it made her /nuts/.