Snippet #2500949

Harper walked along the inside rail tunnel, hoping to get a look at the sun. Being underground was hard; it felt very strange to not be able to instantly tell time by looking at a couple of details around oneself, and there also must have been truth to sunlight being a key component of good health and good moods. Being underground was a little depressing. She felt her mood sink over the course of the morning. James and Annabelle were a help, but Nathan was crowding her, despite his good intentions, and she felt a little put off by George's attitude. She was feeling extremely discouraged.

She climbed up on the walkway to get around the single massive train blocking the pathway, only to see Jack winding his way down from the entrance. Maybe his watch shift ended. She studied the yellow rays filtering down from the ceiling, feeling a simple rush of joy at seeing something bright, finally. But at the moment, she didn't want to talk to Jack.

"Hey," his voice broke out echoey through the tunnel. "Heard you had a tough time waking up."

Harper smiled and looked past him at the light. "Just needed to see the sun, I guess," she offered, casting him a sidelong glance as she walked past him.

He blinked and turned around, following her a short distance. "What, no 'good morning'?" he asked, a little surprised. Normally she was very cordial with him, but not at this moment.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "Good morning," she said, after taking a deep breath. "How are you?"

Jack smiled. "See, now that wasn't so bad," he said. "Is something wrong?"

Harper looked down to the ground and took another breath. "Well," she said, "I guess I better just say it." She looked up to him, square in the eyes. "You don't get to ask me questions like that if you're trying to get laid by everyone in this camp."

Jack blinked. "Pardon me?"

Harper stared ahead for a moment. She barely recognized herself in the last sentence she uttered. "Okay, that was a little harsh," she admitted, shutting her eyes and shaking her head quickly. She needed another tablet. Badly. So much for the sunshine. "But... I'm not that kind of person, Jack. Nathan told me. I just want you to be honest with me."

Jack let out a long sigh. "Nathan said that, huh?"

Harper nodded her head. "Yes, he did. But I'm going to have to set some rules about how we're going to interact with each other, if we're going to be friends." He didn't know what to say.
"I'm a little sad, because I was actually kind of enjoying being around you."

She scooted around him and walked off toward the offices, leaving him standing alone. She knew she'd come on very strong, and that this wasn't the most pressing matter at hand, but Nathan seemed happy to report hearing an exchange of words between Dyomie and Jack that made her feel a little upset. It felt a little undignified, considering that she'd spoken a lot to Jack, who'd not mentioned a word about it at all. Jealousy? Frustration? Harper wasn't sure what motivated her to feel that way, but there it was.