Anna couldn't fully calm down. Mark had been angry for a while, and Anna feared Mark. He had attempted to punch her just because she was trying to stay focused. It terrified her, but made her blood boil in anger. This was precisely why she wasn't entirely comfortable traveling with others. She may want to be a support class, but personality conflicts always can and always will exist. He called her a freak. It hurt, and she hoped she was getting close to the others, even becoming friends. No, she is lying to herself; she saw them as family. Now, whenever Mark comes near her, she cannot stop herself from feeling fear and anger; she always walks away and moves closer to one of the others.
Trust for her was a thin line, and he had broken her trust in him by making her fear him as a person. She hated this part of herself, though, the part unable to face those who cause emotional or physical pain. She couldn't look at him without feeling fear, anger, and self-deprecating disgust. How can she work with someone who makes her afraid? Part of her wanted to be petty and demand everything she gave him, like his tent and other self-care supplies. He didn't deserve it; he had tried to hurt her.
She shook her head. No need to stoop even lower than him. She won't offer him any food she makes for them to survive. He can handle feeding himself for a while, at least. Anna noticed that although her ability still affected Mark for her, she could tell it wasn't because her ability identified him as a companion anymore.
"Are you okay?" (Greyson)
"No." (Anna)
Anna had a tight-lipped frown on her face, her frustration evident in her expression.
"You know he has been trying to approach you to apologize about his behavior." (Greyson)
"Would you be able to handle being around someone who was fully willing to punch you in the face just because they saw you as a freak?" (Anna)
"No but..." (Greyson)
"THERE IS NO BUTS! He broke my trust and my ability to be around him. If it weren't for the fact that I'm not that vindictive, I would demand everything that I have given to him because he could freeze to death for all I care. I gave him and the others unwavering trust, but he broke it, so he will have to put effort in for me to trust him again. If he wants to apologise, he can, but I will not be alone with him for a long while because I don't trust him. Right now, I fear him." (Anna)
Anna moved away from Greyson to walk next to Kyle. He had become more subdued, but whenever Mark tried to approach Anna, he would give Mark a death glare.
"I get your reason for being upset." (Kyle)
"No, you don't." (Anna)
"I do... I may have been called a gym rat or a muscle maniac, but I have my reasons. My Father and Stepmother were physically abusive to me. I sought control where there was none, then I asked to learn how to fight from Justin. He agreed to help, and now here I am. My parents are probably dead, and I don't care. Yet what gave me control of my life, I no longer have. Can't exactly survive the apocalypse living inside a gym that relies on what will inevitably not keep me alive." (Kyle)
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know or mean to be insulting." (Anna)
It's fine, you didn't know, and we don't openly discuss it. If I'm honest, they started to go to the gym with Justin and me when they found out about my home life, and they didn't want me to feel alone or be alone. Justin even saw my parents beating me one day and broke my dad's jaw. My father kicked me out because I refused to keep my distance from the crazy maniac, as he had claimed Justin was. He and his family let me stay with them till I could save up for an apartment with roommates." (Kyle)
Anna chuckled when she learned that Justin broke Kyle's dad's jaw.
"People do stupid things after experiencing trauma. I won't force you to interact with or be around Mark. Hell even I'm pissed at him because he knows how I feel about men hitting women. My mother abandoned me to my father because my father was physically abusive to her, and she was going to the hospital regularly. I'm glad she got away, though. So I am pissed that he was willing to strike you in anger. Honestly, if he had hit you I would have broken something on his face." (Kyle)
"And he would have to heal without my help for that if it was the case." (Anna)
Kyle snorted.
"Yeah, but I know he acted out during an emotional moment. So I hope you can give him a little wriggle room for earning your trust once more. Besides, he is a stupid teenager." (Kyle)
"The excuse won't work for long, you know, I'll keep in mind the emotional moment." (Anna)