Aram's Bataillon

Its Not Safe Here

Something buzzed on my arm and I checked what my watch was having a heart attack over.

 5:00am.

 I'd kept the fire at a slow pile of twigs, but now I snapped some of the bigger ones and chucked them on top. It didn't take long for the fire to catch the bigger sticks, the only reason we'd kept the fire going all night was for more light and the smoke kept those pesky mozzies away. A phone alarm went off inside and I heard numerous groans. 

Sky even mumbled, "If someone doesn't turn off their fucking bloody alarm now I'm going to chuck it against the wall!"

I had to suppress the laughter that was about to escape my mouth. A few minutes later Flic came out with some pancake mix and poured some in one of the pans. 

"You know I hate pancakes right? Or have you forgotten?" I reminded Felicity, "To be honest I don't remember how I came to hating them. Oh! You can blame my mother for that, it has something to do with my mother making them 24/7 for bloody  four weeks straight!" I said sleepily.

I could use another hour of sleep.

"No. I didn't forget, and you know what? Your not the only one who hates pancakes!" Flic said, flipping her second pancake. 

"Wait! What!" I perked up. 

"Wow! Why are you so excited about it!" She replied and I knew it wasn't a question she was demanding I tell her as she flipped her fourth pancake.

"Seriously! Geez, how many of those are you going to make? There's as big as the bloody pan itself! And I don't know why, mabeh because it's morning and I'm bored. I'm happy we had no expected visitors." I replied, she shrugged and poured her sixth pancake in.

I just shook my head at her while adding more sticks to the now dying fire.

Sky came out followed by Ivy, she took one look at the pancakes and made a face. "Flic how the fuck does your fricking toaster work! Cause its not working with the generator!" Sky whined. 

I raised my eyebrows at Flic and she nodded.

So, Sky was the other one who hates pancakes. "Don't worry about the stupid thing, you've got a working one right in front of you!" I said as I gestured to the fire. 

"Oh, hah. Yeah....Of course the fire." she trailed off. 

Wait! Was she blushing?

"I'll cook some eggs while you cook the toast. Quick! Go and get the ingredients before Flic takes over with the pancakes!" Before I could ask if she wanted eggs wit her toast Sky was gone.]

"Makayla, weren't you going to go to Townsville for under 18's?" Sky asked after swallowing a mouthful of her breakfast, seriously this girl could feast, she was on her third piece.

 " Actually I wasn't. Much to everyone's dismay I'm not going, mainly to mums fault, I have an IA2 or music composition due for music class in week five. Or....- Well, used to. And I have other assignments to work on that week that are due the week after or the drafts are being marked. I would miss almost a whole week of school. I did want to go though, everyone is so self centered. And they exclude their most important player, me the goalkeeper, from everything except warm ups and the game. They even get mad at me for letting in some goals- when it two on one or more!" I explained and shoved a piece of toast covered in egg yoke and salt into my mouth.

Everyone had been asking me to go because I was the only goalkeeper old enough but mum has said multiple times to them I'm not going.

Sky frowned at the news and slowly raised her piece of toast to her mouth. While my other friends objected to the revelations with shouts in anger, disgust and encouragement. Resulting within an argument breaking out about them bantering on about my teammates treatment of me and goalkeepers.

Sky and Ivy were new to our school. We've known them since the first day, that's they arrived and we met in our classes,- we quickly became friends.

That was just over a month ago. Sky was in most of my classes. She had beautiful light brown hair with sandy blonde streaks through it and bright blue electric turquoise eyes that matched my pale ones. She was originally home schooled but when her dad let her go to high school he also let start to play hockey. After all she was obsessed with the sport- more than me. She's even worse obsessed with the Australian goalkeepers. Unfortunately, her mother got really sick and now full time lives at the hospital or in one of the homes close by where they can monitor you. I hoped she was okay and I could see Sky was doing the best to try and not think about it. Hopefully the hospital had its emergency backup power on.

A lot of things had settled in for us. The feeling of never being safe was one that was adamant of never leaving us alone. Our reality had turned into a nightmare. And when John Marsden's books painted the picture of Australia being invaded by a foreign country, I was interested in seeing what would happen within the books plot of the story. Totally not paying any attention to anything that could potentially help us in an invasion. But, then again, why would I ever need to prepare for an invasion? Australia would be the last place anyone would want to invade; it's cut off from most of the world, has unimaginable high temperatures year, an unforgiving outback and barely snows in the whole country- plus the wildlife is found no where else in the world.

Lets not mention that most of it is dangerous and will kill you with in a few minutes to hours.

But the thought of something happening in Australia like what happens in America would not be completely out of my mind. Australia's culture is starting to be westernized by American culture thanks to Tik Tock and other influencers on other apps.