The Elephant Secret

Chapter 8 Start of a spark.

The baby cries until the powdered milk is ready. She drinks it like it’s her last. When she falls asleep on the small mattress with pillow walls, I sneak back to the guys’ downs stairs. They have gotten the army radio to work and are all gathered around it. “They have taken a kilometre more premises. 1.ooo dead 15.oo injured.” The male voice says in the radio. “5.ooo soldiers have been, injured, captured or killed. We have 7.ooo of theirs” I can’t listen to this. “Sargent Emma Benson is missing.” The blood freezes in my veins. Mom. Missing. I feel my eyes tear up. That why she hasn’t come home for all of this. Is she dead? Or worse? In pain? Being tortured? I back up and support my body on the counter. I can’t breathe. I fall onto the floor cupping my face with my palms. I make no sounds. I muffle every sound coming from my body. I feel arms around me an instantly know its Sam. His hands stroke my hair and back. I feel like my brain is expanding, throbbing in my head. He picks me up and carries my up to my room. He lays me down on my bed and sits next to me. “You okay dear?” He asks and I shake my head.

“I will find her.” I say to him and sit up. “I will.” I tell him and he nods.

“I’ll help you.” He says. “I think we all will.” I take my sweater off and throw it on the floor. It’s dark out side when we stop talking about what is going on out there. He tells me that they heard that the troops are from Frigus. The new congress woman there has a problem with how the president, President Odin, has too much power over the universe. His rain is way too long and some shit like that. The congress woman there is called Helena Helfa. With her in the Frigus congress is Congressman Nagg. He owns one of the biggest oil company in the Consilium and is known for destroying the planet.

When I finally fall asleep I dream of the middle tree. The tree that is in the middle of the Consilium, it has three big roots splitting the ground into three worlds. I dream that it is cut down and burned. The rood burning in flames and tendering fire to the ground in each world. I wake up screaming, cold sweat running down my spine and face. I rub my face and try to breathe deeply. I walk into my bathroom and drink a glass of water. When I bet back I hear crying down stairs. I run down for find her. I pick her up and hold her in my arms. I take her into the kitchen to make more milk for her. As an old habit I turn the light switch on and the lights go on. At first I don’t realize it but then I see it. I smile and look at the little girl that hides her face from the bright light. She look up at me with small smile and I show her the bottle. She reaches to the bottle with her small desiccant hands. I help her drink from it and she wraps her palms around it. I carry her into the living room and sit whit her in my arms on the soft couch. My free hand strokes her soft hair and cheeks. She looks at me with her soft brown eyes. They sparkle in the small lighting flowing into the living room from the kitchen. I hear small foot step coming near me. Henry inters the room and takes a seat next to me. “What’s her name?” He asks me and places a hand on her toes.

“I don’t know.” I tell him. “Her mom’s name was Amy Laura.”

“We should call her Amy.” He says. I smile to him but his stare is on Amy.

“I like that.” I answer. “Do you want to hold her?” I ask him and he looks surprised at me. He nods with a smile and I hand her over to him. I holds her with both hands and I hold the bottle.

“She’s so small.” He says and smiles.

“I know.” She slays the rest of the milk, if I may use that word for it. Her eyes drift back and soon she falls asleep.

“Can you take her? She’s very heavy, even though she’s small.” He says when her breathing starts to become heavy and slow. I take her and stand up. I’m going to have her in my room, in case she wakes up. I’m learning to take care of her. Henry walks with us up and when we are half way there a big blast throws us forward. I grab the railing with one hand and Amy’s head with the other. Henry falls onto the steps. Ash, Sam and Drake come running towards us. My face is bleeding. I hit my head on the railing. Amy is safe, crying but safe. Ash takes her in his arms and I help Henry stand up. His knees are bleeding and his hands are shaking. I help him stand and Drake helps him too. Sam wraps his hand around my torso. We go upstairs and Sam takes me into my bathroom and takes out my first aid kit. He dries the blood and slaps a band aid on it. We hurry to the others with the kit. I clean Henrys knees while Ash tries to comfort Amy. Henrys eyes are watery and tears stream down his face, but he stays silent. I take Amy when I have put the band aid and cleaned his cuts. She has already stopped crying when I take her. I lay her in my bed and pull a small blanked over her small body. Drake takes Henry back to bed and Ash comes back to my room. “The power is back.” I inform. My knees are still shaking and my brains is travelling so fast that I fall back on the bed. Ash takes my hands so I don’t wake up Amy.

“She’s not safe here.” He says, talking about Amy.

“No one is safe, anywhere.” I say and look at his face.

“We could take her to the hospital. To my mom.” The light bulb turns on in my head. Without saying a word, I run down stairs and turn on my mom’s radio. “They have taken over more territory. They are moving closer to the centre of the city. Five miles at a time.” The hospital is in the centre of the town. The last part to be destroyed. We need to get here there. Then get my parents. Where ever the hell they are. I need them. Specially now.

“April, what’s your plan?” Ash asks, behind him Drake and Sam are standing waiting for me to tell them what we need to do.