Work Text:
Note to self: When you think your train is too fast for the track, slow it down.
Alex groaned in pain, as the world around her became clear again. The girl blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the blurriness and the dark spots around the edges of her vision.
Bits and pieces of her memory started returning, flashy images flooding her already pounding head.
They had increased their speed earlier to get over a mountain range. It had been a normal procedure for this part of the track.
They couldn't have known that the vibrations of the train would set off an avalanche. The higher speed had never been a problem before. But the earth was slowly warming up again. Snow and ice weren't as solid anymore as a few years ago.
The impact of the avalanche hitting the Snowpiercer must have knocked Alex out of her chair and onto the floor. But since she was still alive and not a human popsicle, the train didn't seem to have taken any damage.
Alex tried to lift her head, regretting it immediately. Everything started spinning again, the bright control lights blinding her.
Her stomach rolled.
Alex pressed her eyes shut and tried to steady her breathing. Her fingers curled, her fingernails scraping over the metal floor.
"Alex?" A familiar voice, filled with worry suddenly said.
Melanie.
The woman had been with her in the control room when shit had gone down.
Alex wanted to say something, but the feeling of something rising in her throat stopped her.
A warm hand touched her shoulder, gently shaking her.
It did not exactly help her situation.
The girl pressed her lips together, her hands balling themselves into fists and a low groan emitting from her throat.
"Shh, Allie. Can you try to open your eyes?"
Alex honestly just wanted to lay here until she died in peace, but she highly doubted her mother would let that happen. Besides, she might start shaking her again and Alex certainly didn't want that.
Slowly her eyelids fluttered open, meeting Melanie's piercing green eyes.
"Can you sit up?"
Probably not, but since her stomach had calmed down a little, she decided to give it a try.
With Melanie's help, Alex was able to push herself in a sitting position. Alexandra's grip on her mother's bicep tightened, as vertigo took over her once more. The girl carefully leaned back against the wall, enjoying the feeling of the cold metal against her head.
"Keep your eyes open."
Melanie left Alex's range of vision, but it sounded like she was searching for something. Alex considered turning her head, only to dismiss the thought a second later. Throwing up in the control room of the Snowpiercer was not on her bucket list. (She didn't even have a bucket list but that's not the point).
Alex resisted the urge to sigh and closed her eyes. Her head hurt, she was dizzy and fucking tired.
Yeah... Sleeping sounded really nice right now...
Alex can't remember the last time she had slept through an entire night. It was either nightmare or her mind not shutting down.
It was exhausting.
A short wouldn't cause any troubles, right?
The last thing she heard was her mother's panicked voice as the world went black around her.
Melanie left the small bathroom, rubbing a towel through her wet hair.
Ben looked up from where he was sitting at the edge of her bunk. Beside him was Alex's passed-out peacefully sleeping form.
Dr. Pelton had checked her over earlier and diagnosed a concussion.
Melanie hadn't wanted to leave her daughter at first but eventually complied to take a shower after Ben had promised to watch Alex.
The teenager usually slept in the top bunk above Melanie, however, they had put her in the lower bunk for now.
Ben stood up and went towards the door, gently brushing Melanie's hand on his way there.
She made a note to thank him later.
Melanie crawled into the bunk beside her daughter, adjusting the grey blanket around the girl. Melanie let her eyes roam over Alex's face, realizing how young she actually looked without that thoughtful frown on her face. Right now she just looked like a young woman, who had to experience indescribable pain in her life.
Melanie knew she had played a huge role in that. She would never be able to forgive herself for leaving Alex behind that fateful night. There was no excuse for what she had done.
God, she had missed so much...
Melanie ran her fingers through Alexandra's dark curls.
Although the teen had opened up a little more recently, there were still so many questions Melanie wanted to ask but didn't know if she had the right to.
"What are you thinking about?" Alex mumbled her voice heavy with sleep.
"Hey Allie," Melanie smiled, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been thrown around the control room after the Snowpiercer got hit by an avalanche," Alex replied, burying herself deeper in her blanket.
"Does your head hurt?"
"No."
"Alexandra."
"It's not bad...."
Melanie sighed and got up. "Dr. Pelton left some painkillers earlier."
Alex's body tensed. "No."
Melanie halted. "Al-"
"I said no!" The girl suddenly snapped with probably more aggression than necessary and turned her back towards her mother, facing the wall.
Although painkillers sounded like a good idea right now, Alex couldn't take them. They clouded her mind, making it impossible to focus. She would be exposed. Vulnerable. She couldn't risk that.
The mattress shifted under her, as Melanie laid down again. "Well, they are here if you should change your mind."
Melanie knew she couldn't force her daughter to take the pills. They might not share many physical traits but were quite similar in their personalities. They were both smart, strong, independent, and stubborn. If one of them set their mind on something it was impossible to stop them.
Besides: Melanie and Alex had gotten a lot closer lately. Sure, there still were tensions between them, things left unsaid until one of them would break under the pressure and scream them out. But until then, what they had right now was precious.
"I was thinking about you," Melanie said.
"Any enlightenments?"
"Just how glad I'm that you're alive."
Alex didn't respond at first. A few seconds of silence passed between them, but then:
"I'm glad that you're alive too."