CHAPTER 30
AN APPLE A DAY

THE apples adorning the tree in the Garden of Eden were supposed to be the sweetest ever created. Sugary and satisfying, but all the more deadly. When Francesca began her search for God after the death of Jacob, she refused to keep apples in her house, believing that they were the fruit of evil. Despite her lack of religion, Coraline somewhat believed her mother. Apples always left a bad taste in her mouth.

So when she found a case full of the dark red fruit in the fridge with Gallant, she suspected nothing but trouble.

It wasn't hard to guess that something sinister was going on when the two friends noticed Ms. Mead and Venable whispering in the hallway near the kitchen. Gallant suggested they check out the fridge once the Greys left the kitchen, which was completely against Coraline's better judgment. The fridge was still locked behind a door, and it took more than a little jiggling this time to open it. Coraline had to take a pin out of her hair and wiggle the lock loose. Eventually, she swung the door open, and Gallant went for the fridge at the speed of light.

Coraline first noticed the large, leather case once the fridge was open. It sat in the middle of the rows, amongst the trays of cubes. "What do you think it is?" Gallant asked, causing Coraline to shrug. With gentle hands, she pried the case open, just the slightest bit, and her eyes began to bug out of her skull.

The two froze in place upon seeing the case filled to the brink with red delicious apples, all placed neatly in precise spots. Memories of apples dripping with sweet poison and vomit littering the floor echoed across Coraline's vision, dancing and taunting her. She couldn't even hear Gallant speaking to her as she was reminded of his corpse in the vision, clutching a half-eaten apple in his hand. They are the forbidden fruit, Cora, her mother once said. We do not eat apples in this house, just as God did not want Adam and Eve to.

Coraline quickly slammed the case shut, confusion etched across her face. How did these apples even survive the blast? What were they being used for? They had to be connected to her vision, but why?

These questions stayed with her into the next day. Coraline dreamt of apples and imagined if they still tasted as delectable as she remembered. She wondered if the apples were going to be their dinner for that night, but she was sadly mistaken. Both Coraline and Gallant shared a defeated look when Mallory placed a cube in front of them.

"Another day, another cube," Coco frowned, slicing into the gelatin with her silver fork. Coraline did the same, and noticed how her tongue was suddenly numb to the taste of this meal now. She watched Coco gesture to the seat on Coraline's left with her chin. "Least we don't have the old bat anymore, talking about the old days."

"Silence," Venable ordered as she made her way into the room. Her cane clicked and clacked against the floorboards, keeping her steady as she took the seat at the head of the table. The fire crackled to life behind her.

Gallant acted like he didn't hear Coco, but Coraline couldn't forget it. Neither could the rest of the survivors as they sent Coco a grim look. She didn't seem affected by it though.

Coraline turned her head to the side, eyeing the chair on her left. The seat had once belonged to Evie Gallant. Coco was right in some aspects. Evie could be annoying as she rambled on about her upbringing, and the way she treated Gallant was like shit, but something about her death set in the idea that real Apocalypse was coming. She may have gotten close to Michael over the month, but ... who knows if she'd ever be safe.

She wanted to believe he cared about. She really did. But she didn't know for sure. The bonding ceremony sealed them, but once the world was rebuilt, would he cast her away the same way she abandoned him at the Winter Ball?

As if on cue, a pair of large shoes entered the dining room. Coraline continued to chew on the last of her cube, until a perfume entered her nose. The scent of roses circulated amongst the room, making her eyes go wide. She looked up, noticing that everyone had been doing the same before her, and glanced to a figure lingering by the doorframe of the dining hall.

Michael grinned big towards Ms. Venable, whose lip was now curling in disgust. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be doing more important things? Like making the selections that you so quickly promised us?"

"My presence here is beneficial to making those selections, Ms. Venable," he sneered, viewing towards the perplexed survivors sitting at the table. His stare finally landed on Coraline, but only for a second, and she noticed mischief dancing within those blue eyes.

Ms. Mead appeared from the kitchens with the Fist. She quickly walked over to the empty chair near Coraline and said, "Please, sit, sir."

Michael nodded, "With pleasure." His stare never left Venable's as he explained, "I've decided to attend this dinner to welcome myself to all of you in this kind of setting. This is how life will be at the Sanctuary with me and the other Cooperative members, after all."

No, no, no, Coraline begged in her head. Do not put him next to me. This is going to look so suspicious. People will know –

She felt his hand brush across the top of her chair, causing her to swallow hard. Ms. Mead pulled the seat out for him, and then he was sitting on Coraline's left, heat radiating off him like a furnace. It made her mouth go dry instantly. The threads were floating in the air, pleading for his touch, but that just couldn't be done. They were with people, but the bond was making her mind go crazy, and the second Michael looked at her, all she wanted was to grab his hand and put it in places not appropriate for this public setting.

He knew what he was doing – oh, God, did he know what he was doing. Coraline didn't know how long they were staring at each other, with his twisted smirk and her angry eyes, but she instantly recognized the weird game he was playing. However, she didn't know if the outcome was to make her go insane or to simply scare the other survivors at the table. She guessed it was a little bit of both.

Mallory walked over to place a large plate with nothing but a cube in front of him, but as she leaned down, Michael waved her away with his hand. "Not needed," he muttered, glancing to Mallory longer than normal. It made Coraline's brow lift.

"Seeing as you're here, Langdon," Coco drawled, trying to maintain a sultry voice. Coraline thought it sounded like she was in pain, rather than sultry. "When will those selections be done? It has been quite a while."

Michael took a moment to respond, but not because he needed to figure out an answer. He was staring at Coco and wondering why she as currently biting the edge of her fingernail in a sensual way. The whole table stared at Coco with confusion, but Coraline remained unphased. Actually, she found it to be funny. Coco knew that she had never fucked Michael, but was still trying to otherwise. Coraline had to admit, her desperation to get into the Sanctuary was invigorating.

"Just a few more days," Michael replied, glancing to every survivor at the table. "I stand by my promise this time. My decision will be made on the first of November."

November first? Coraline hadn't noticed how fast time was now flying by. She began to forget about months and days once she settled into the Outpost. If November started in a few days, that meant Halloween was right around the corner. Coraline hadn't celebrated a proper Halloween since high school. It almost made her sad.

But that sadness immediately vanished once she felt Michael's hand on her thigh.

Coraline froze, eyes growing wide as they swung in two different directions. She looked to see if anyone noticed her fixed posture, or the way she softly dropped her fork. But no one did. Everyone continued to eat their cubes. Venable's frown stayed in place as she tapped clawed fingers on her cane. His hand met her leg underneath the table, hidden away by the violet tablecloth, but still. Coraline didn't look normal in that moment – her mouth was slightly open – and not a soul noticed.

She felt his fingers rub circles into the fabric of her dress, but he knew how high his hand was placed on her leg. Both of them stared ahead, not daring to look at each other. Michael smirked slightly, glancing at her shock from the corner of his eye. Her expression had never been more hilarious.

Then, his hand inched to the right, moving towards her inner thigh. His fingers dipped down to the area in between and grabbed her leg. Coraline could feel the electric bond radiate through the fabric of her dress, almost burning a hole through it, as if she could just feel his heated skin on her own. His grip was rough and stagnant, hardly moving as his digits began to stroke her thigh.

Coraline wouldn't dare let a moan fall from her lips. She would absolutely die right there, and then everyone would know their secret too. Coraline finally turned his way, licking her lips when she noticed the sick grin on his face. She wanted to leave the room right then and fuck him in the next room. She wanted to do so many things she couldn't at that moment, but the way he looked at her reminded her of the adolescent boy she once knew. A sense of care and passion in his eyes resurfaced, and she couldn't stop staring.

Despite wanting his fingers to continue, Coraline did something she hadn't expected. She grabbed his hand, resting it on top of her leg, before entwining their fingers together. The only time they ever laced hands like this was when they had sex, and for once, it felt good to simply hold his hand, as if they were teenagers again. Coraline glanced away and looked ahead, unaware of Michael's perplexed expression. Regardless, he continued to squeeze his hand around her own, rubbing circles into her palm.

She was reminded of their first kiss in her bedroom. The way he didn't know how to kiss her and struggled where to put his hands. She was reminded of their first date, where he had killed a man harassing them just to keep her safe. His arm around her shoulders that night had never been so secure and inviting. She was reminded of the times when they would walk together down the street, hand in hand and listening to the playlist she made him. One headphone would be in her ear and the other was placed in his. Anytime she held his hand back then, she felt sheltered. Michael had scared her once, but he never stopped keeping her safe, not even when she abandoned him.

Coraline knew that the bonding ceremony sent their sinful desires to an all-time high, but at that moment, his touch had never felt so innocent.

•••

Coraline set the rest of the dinner plates on top of the kitchen counter. The plates hardly had a scratch or stain on them, but Mallory still needed to wash them by hand every night. It was one of her solo jobs as a Grey. Sometimes Coraline wondered why Mallory was considered a Grey. She was Coco's assistant, and from what the blonde had said, Mallory came with her. Coraline thought it was wrong that she was treated as a low-class worker, when that clearly wasn't the case in her past life.

"Thanks for helping me, Coraline," Mallory huffed. "I try to stack those plates every night and almost always break them all. I wish I had one of the other servants to help me, but ..." She shrugged, beginning to fill the sink with soapy water.

"It was no problem," Coraline replied, leaning against the counter and watching Mallory grab one of the dirty plates.

Her fingers started to tap against the marble counter, which caused Mallory to jump for a moment. The plate almost slipped from her grasp. Coraline's brow shot up, wondering if Mallory had been on edge lately. Honestly, they all had. Waiting for the selections to be announced caused immense anxiety amongst the survivors.

"Have you had an interview yet, Mallory?" Coraline then asked. "Well, you must have, since Langdon's decisions will be coming in a few short days."

Mallory chewed on her bottom lip. "Um ... yes. Two, actually. Two interviews." She quickly glanced over to the brunette on her right. "How many have you had?"

Coraline rested her elbows on the counter, trying to remain as calm as possible. "Just two," she finally answered.

The sound of running water filled the room. Coraline didn't know what to say next, and neither did Mallory. The Grey's hands shook as she scrubbed at the plate in her hands, smothering it with soap. Coraline supposed that might be her cue to leave. It was approaching the time that she'd usually see Michael anyways.

With a sigh, Coraline tapped her hands on the lip of the kitchen counter and said, "Well, if you don't need me anymore, I'll just –"

"Do you think that you'll get into the Sanctuary?"

Coraline was taken aback by the question, brow raising in confusion. She noticed the water wasn't running anymore, and Mallory's head had snapped in her direction. Coraline played with her fingers, while Mallory's soapy hands fell limp at her sides, allowing water to drip on the floor.

"I – well ..." The brunette's mouth twisted, pausing as she conjured a proper response. "I don't know." She wasn't sure if she told a lie or not. For all she knew, Coraline could be mistaking the care in Michael's eyes for murder, and he could suddenly decide that he didn't need her anymore. A part of her heart hoped that wasn't the case. She didn't know if that was her true feelings or their bond speaking for her.

"I think you will," Mallory muttered with a soft smile. "I know that Coco used to say that you don't belong here, and that she's the only one getting into the Sanctuary, but deep down, she knows she's wrong. I've known her long enough to see that." She placed a clean dish in the silver rack beside the sink, sighing heavily.

The brunette waved away the subject with her hand. "It's okay –"

"I've also seen the way Langdon looks at you sometimes," she continued in a low voice, meeting Coraline's eyes. "He seems ... like he likes you." Mallory then shook her head. "I don't know. I could just be reading way too into this, but ... just be careful, okay?"

Coraline's breath hitched her throat, but she still managed a fake smile and nodded eagerly. That was exactly what she didn't want to hear.

•••

A/N: HAPPY!!!!! HOLIDAYZZZZ!!!!!!!!

I know this is a filler but???? Weirdly, it's one of my favorite chapters 🤷🏼‍♀️

I made this meme because it just truly represents me 😌