Children of the Dead

6| Beginners Luck

Mama's hand is clasped around mine, and my father holds the other. "One, two, three!" I giggle as they swing me up into the air. I float down and my feet land in the grass.

"Mama, can we go to the park?" I tug on their hands as I try to run.

"Only if we can get ice cream after!" She jokes. Her laugh is bright, infectious. The both of them lead me over to a playground. Kids climb up the stairs, swing from the monkey bars, chase after each other in a game of tag. It's absolute chaos.

I love it.

I break off from my parents and run to play with the other children. My feet are balanced on the ladder. I turn to wave to my parents and lose my grip. I'm careening towards the ground and I catch a glimpse of Mama running towards me.

I hit the ground before she can catch me. She cradles me in her arms, carrying me away from the crowd. She covers the cut on my knee with a bandage from her purse, smiles at me with kind eyes, and kisses the pain away.

•••

My thoughts are interrupted with a cry of my name. A tear-stained face Hartley comes running into the white room with Quinn behind her. I sit up alert and swiftly pull her onto my lap. "What's going on, are you guys okay?" Hartley shakes her head and bends her leg. I frown looking at her scraped knee. "What happened?"

Quinn's lip quivers and his eyes grow glossy, looking like he's going to cry himself. "I didn't mean to."

I run my fingers through Hartley's hair and smile at Quinn, trying to comfort both children at once. "It's okay, you're not in trouble, I just want to know what happened."

"W-we were playing tag outside and I bumped into her," he trembles. "I didn't mean to make her fall."

"Hey don't worry, she doesn't blame you," I keep Hartley in my arms as I stand and grab Quinn's hand. "It was only an accident."

We walk into the bathroom and I set Hartley down on the counter, smiling at her gently as I wipe her tears away. "Quinn, do you know if we have a first aid kit?"

"We don't."

I sigh, I guess we'll just have to work with what we have. I grab a washcloth from its bin and run it under the faucet. I wring it out before softly placing the cloth on her knee.

Once she sees the blood is gone, her tears stop but a small frown is still planted on her lips. "There's no need to be sad, sweet girl." I kiss her forehead and move her hair out of her face. "It's going to feel all better in a matter of no time!"

I boop her nose which finally gets her to smile and laugh as she reaches out her small hand to boop me back. "See Quinn, she's all better." I lift her off the counter and set her down by Quinn. "Now, you two go play." they nod and I call as they leave, "just be careful!"

I slowly follow the two into the rec room. Omar walks up behind me and taps my shoulder, "You wanna play?" he holds up a battered box of old playing cards.

"Play what?" I smirk.

"Mus of course!" his face exudes excitement.

"Mus?"

"You've never played?!" he gasps dramatically, "Good thing you're learning from a master Princess," I chuckle and roll my eyes. He starts going through the rules before I even have a chance to sit down. His grin is from ear to ear as he talks.

"Why do you like this game so much?"

"It was the only game I played as a kid. My Abuela was the best at it. She's the one who taught me," he explains. His words towards his grandmother are so fond. You can tell he really loved her. He deals the cards and we begin to play.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," he winks smugly. I shake my head at his goofy face. More and more minutes tick by and he seems to be getting more and more nervous.

He suspected I wouldn't be so good at this foreign game, but his suspicions were very wrong. My logical mind plays well in this field and I picked up a strategy quickly. I win the game gracefully, but Omar is in disbelief.

"Beginners luck," he grumbles, folding his arms. I laugh at his childish behavior, which is actually Omar's normal behavior.

I wink, give him a sweet smile, and say, gloating, "Thanks for going easy on me," He scowls bitterly.

"I'll get you next time," he hides a smile. I fold the flaps of the worn box and slide it back onto the shelf.

"Until next time," I hold out a hand but he just walks away, his nose pointed in the air. 

The television screen flicks on, lines of grey and black static sliding back and forth. Not only does it capture my attention, but everyone nearby.

"Everyone! The TV is on again!" Cash's voice booms across the room, traveling through the open doors. Decklin, Jayla, and Trinity file out of the white room.

The static focuses to reveal a man sitting behind a desk, his hands folded, his brow arched with concern. I'm anxious to hear what he has to say. I want to run away, hide my ears, protect myself from any more hurt. I force my feet to stay, refusing to cower in fear.

"Trinity Millir, reported missing roughly three weeks ago has still not been found," an image of Trinity is flashed on the screen. Her smile is bright, her eyes cheerful. She looks nothing like the girl beside me.

I can hear her breathing heavy, and as the newscaster continues on, her tears begin to fall. She takes the hand resting at my side, gripping it tightly. She's being tormented.

"Turn it off! Please!" I shout. Omar leans close to me. Decklin jumps up and jabs at the power button. The screen doesn't change. He pushes the button over and over and nothing happens.

"It's not working!" he panics. I look back at Trinity, her eyes are shut tight, her nose scrunched. Her hand is still tight around mine while the other is balled into a fist.

I pull her closer to me, a useless effort to help. "And now, sports with Da-" the screen is black, the audio stops, the instantly silent. Trinity runs off into the white room. I start to chase after her but a firm hand grabs my arm.

I turn to see Cash staring at me with warning eyes. I try to relax and sit on the couch, but my hands are shaking, my mind is blurry, and my worry has skyrocketed.

I hate not knowing what to do.