Palimpsest

29

29 Noisome

Noisome ~ offensive, disgusting.

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Veronica Greene
November 18th

"Nine minuets till breakfast!" The intercom cut on in our room, startling me awake.

"Good morning." He said, his arm draped around my shoulders. I sat up sleepily, hearing our phones making racket in the next room.

"We have fifteen minutes till we're required to be down there."

"Fancy. But you need to get up, your sitting on my legs." I was sitting on his legs? 

"Did we fall asleep?" I was confused.

"Yes we did." He faced me with a small smile gracing his lips.

"I feel bad, I didn't intend to fall asleep here." I stood up.

"Neither did I, so please don't feel bad." I crossed my arms feeling vulnerable.

"I'm gonna go get dressed, are you showering?" My tone was even.

"Yeh, I'll shower." He went to the room and got his uniform and stepped into the bathroom. I followed suit grabbing my uniform from where Austin had set it.

I really like his name. Austin. It flows so smoothly. Austin. It's enticing and I love it.

Do I love him? I began pulling my shirt up.

"What else would you call this, it's not an infatuation."

I think I agree. This is not an infatuation.  I care too much about what happens to him.  I care too much about his well being. I care too much about him, for this to be a crush. Of course he looks good to me he always has. I just never really allowed myself to feel that way about any one at that age especially considering, the reason I met him, also the age gap was a little much then too.

Like who in their right mind would even thinking 13 and 20 would be cool. He waited on me to grow up before he ever said anything. I mean once I was seventeen I noticed him acting all weird when he hung out with me. But he never acted upon it, never said anything about it too me. Not until the other day.

He called it love, I still have no idea what that's supposed to be in a relationship. Maybe he's right, but I'm not ready to say it yet.  I probably won't until we all go home and we never come back to this war. I realize there's no intent for deaths, but there's no guarantee it won't happen either.

I was dressed and braiding my hair when Austin walked in the room shirtless. My eyes went wide and I looked away. I did everything I could to keep my eyes away from him.

"Uh Austin... where's your shirt?" I held my eyes closed.

"I don't know, I had it when I went in the bathroom, I got out to get dressed and it was gone." I heard the sounds of a zipper and assumed he was digging through his suitcase. 

"It just disappeared?" My initial thought was Judd stole it to make us late. I was still looking at the bathroom doorway, but he was close enough I could smell the lingering scent of his shampoo, as I tied my braid off.

"Essentially, yes." His words sounded muffled. "I have a shirt on." I looked in his direction to see that he'd managed to find a shirt the exact same color as the one he's supposed to be wearing.

"Did you end up leaving it in your stuff?" I asked.

"Yes, I did." He ran a hand through his mop of wet brown curls. "We need to get going." He said sitting beside me and pulling on his socks.

"You're right." I stood and headed to the living room. I couldn't imagine what It looked like for us to fall asleep right there under the same blanket. I was bound to be as red as a tomato at its ripest point, staring at the couch.

A million things crossed my mind. But he walked out of the room and looked at me staring down at the couch.

"What are you thinking about?"  He gently touched my shoulder.

"I really didn't intend to fall asleep. I feel like I violated some code and I feel bad."

"Don't do that to yourself, just pray about it." He took my hand in his.

We walked out into the hallway, only to be greeted by Judd.

"Uh, hello?" I stepped behind Austin.

"You're both late." I glanced down at the watch he was wearing.

"Actually, we're three minutes short of being on time so move." I placed the hand that wasn't in pain and not laced through Austin's on my hip.

"Fine." He turned and walked down the hallway to the elevator. Austin and I followed suit, however Judd had the doors closed and the shaft moving before we had the chance to step in with him. I turned to face Austin.

"He's really gonna make us late." I rolled my eyes.

"Yup." He stated as we stood and waited for a moment. Before attempting to call the elevator back up.

"Are there stairs?" I asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Yeh, they send you outside the building though."

"That sounds cold." The snow hadn't let up yet.

"But beautiful." Austin finished for me.

"We could take the-  I was cut off as the elevator door opened to reveal an empty shaft.

"Elevator." Austin said with a smirk.

"And on time." I smiled.

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"Today we play knife on a string." Judd crossed his arms the entire audience was confused.

"The spoon game, but tweaked."   Half the crowd understood, including Austin.

"Austin, what's the spoon game?" I whispered looking at him and his beautiful face.

"You tie a cooking spoon to rather long piece of string, and weave it down guys pants, up girls shirts. We played it a lot as kids." He crossed his arms. Unimpressed with the idea.

"To play knife on a string we're going to tie the knife to the string and drop it down the guys pants and throw it across the room to a female, who will put it up her shirt from the bottom, out through the neck and throw it back to the other side of the room too the guys.  We'll repeat the process with two strings going at once." He stood stoic.

"Wait what?" I whispered to myself, everyone else seemed to comprehend what was said. I knew I'd be lost until the game started.

"Now everyone loosen your belts and untuck your shirts." Judd smirked and again looked me dead in the eyes.  "This is war sweet heart"

I felt chills run down my spine. I looked at Austin who squeezed my hand.

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Austin Malsworn
November 18th

"Third Terrain guys on this side." Judd motioned to left side of the room where he stood. "Government guys on that side of the room." Judd stood clearly annoyed waiting on everyone to get in position.

I stepped up to form the line dropping Veronicas hand and standing still in the line.

"We're going to chuck the knifes across the room both strings at the same time one will start in my hand one will start in George's hand. We'll drop itEdit this paragraphone pants leg and throw itdo more explainingacross the room to the next female in line." He paused looking around.

"My girls get in line every other guy on the government side, government girls get in my line every other guy." I watched as Veronica hesitantly stepped to his line hoping and praying She'd line herself up with anyone but me, so I couldn't be the one to inflict pain on her.