Motherland-Fort Salem

2

Abigail wanted to do a tiny memorial for the ones we have lost in order to help us get to know each other. I was reluctant but joined anyways. 

We all four sat around a candle. Tally held a purple rose in her hand and plucked a peddle off before dropping it into the flame. It vanished into thin air. 

"My mom lost four sister in combat. When she turned 18, they gave her dispensation. She didn't have to serve. The army said that our line had been depleted. She reopened the case to get one for me, and then I ruined her life by coming." She said. 

"You came when you didn't have to?" Raelle asked. 

"I mean given the state of the world..." 

"The spree." Bellweather spat. 

"Every attack is worse than the last." I said, staring at the floor. 

"I couldn't just watch people die..." her eyes watered. 

"You did the right thing." Bellweather said, comforting her. 

"Who did you lose?" Tally asked her while passing her the rose. 

"So many cousins... both my grandmothers died in their 50's." She plucked a few petals and tossed them into the candle. "What about you Jones?" 

"I uh... I don't... I'll pass." I passed the flower to Raelle who stared at it for a moment before lighting the whole thing on fire. It released a sound much like a scream causing us to jump. 

"My mom died in a firefight in Liberia last year. On a beach. The sand turned to glass around her and they had to break out what was left of her." Raelle's voice cracked as she spoke. 

"She died an honorable death." Abigail told her. 

"I think my mom was tired when she died." Raelle was talking just above a whisper, and her eyes stayed on the floor. I wanted to comfort her but I barely knew her. "And scared. And used up. I think she wanted to come home." 

I reached my hand out to her. She glanced at it then at me. She smiled and took it. I reached for Tally's hand as well and soon we were all holding hands in a circle. 

We looked at one another before speaking. "For those that dwell on the Earth. For those who gave their lives. For those we remember." We chanted together. 

-Time skip-

I was sitting the cafeteria across from Raelle. 

"Bellweather is mad by the way." I told her. 

"For?"

"You leaving during training earlier." Just as I said that, Abigail walked in. 

"Where were you earlier." She asked Raelle. 

"Wasn't feeling good." 

"We had training all day, your absence was noted." Raelle said nothing so Bellweather leaned closer. 

"Look, I know this is a lot for you," She said. 

"Guys." Tally tried to calm them down. 

"but it is just the beginning." 

"How about we all just take a breath." Tally argued. I could feel their emotions sky rocketing but I wasn't sure how I was doing it. I also couldn't make it stop. It was like I was feeling all of their emotion at once. The anger, the fear, and the deep radiating sadness. I couldn't tell who's was who's or if it was a mix. 

"This is not a game Tally! It's life and death out there." Bellweather yelled. Raelle slammed her hands on the table inches away from me causing me to flinch harder then I expected.  

"YOU THINK I DON"T KNOW THAT!" Raelle's voice echoed through the room. I couldn't take it anymore. The noise, the bang, the emotions.

I picture of my father flashed before my eyes and I screamed. I took the nearest object I could find and stabbed it straight into Raelle's hand.