Chapter 10: "The Canteen"
Ahhh! Nell quickly covered her mouth when she realized she had gasped a bit too loudly. As she took in the grandeur of the canteen, her eyes widened in amazement. The large room was reminiscent of a fancy restaurant, with long tables that seemed to stretch on forever, each surrounded by 10 to 12 elegant chairs.
The tables were adorned with crisp, white tablecloths, and the chairs were made of polished wood with intricate carvings.
Nell's gaze drifted to the waiters, who were dressed in crisp black and white uniforms with golden buttons that sparkled in the light. Their uniforms consisted of a white dress shirt with a black waistcoat, black trousers, and a black bow tie. The waiters' hair was slicked back, and they wore white gloves that added a touch of sophistication to their movements.
Nell turned to Tris, who seemed fine with whatever she saw. She turned to her right, where Gabby stood with her cold look, as if nothing here was fancy. Guess these two are top-notch wealthy family to behave as if this is a normal place, Nell thought.
Tris beamed at Nell, sensing her shock. "I know, right? This place is amazing. Daddy is the best, I will…" But before she could finish, Gabby's voice cut her off, sending shivers down Nell's spine. "I'm hungry."
Tris gulped, realizing she had said something wrong. She turned to Gabby, who had those cold eyes boring into her, making her feel like crying. Nell, sensing something was off, cleared her throat and continued, "I think I'm also hungry, and I'm going to eat you both if we don't get something. Where do we sit?" She cracked a joke, trying to calm the tense air around them.
Fortunately, it worked, and Tris pointed at an empty table not too far from where they stood. Gabby was the first to sit down, and Nell squeezed Tris's sweaty hands before they both followed and took the remaining two seats.
Something seems off, Nell thought as she glanced around. Their table seems different, with only three chairs surrounding it, and their table was smaller than the rest, which had one long table with about 12 chairs surrounding it each.
Tris asked, "What do you want to eat?" holding up a menu. Nell brushed off her thoughts and glanced through the menu on the table. They all pointed at what they wanted to eat. Nell ordered grilled chicken with roasted vegetables, Tris ordered a juicy beef burger with sweet potato fries, and Gabby ordered pan-seared salmon with quinoa and steamed asparagus.