Children's Games: A Story of Modern Punishment

Chapter 13 - Elliot

~Elliot~

Elliot briefly shook the commander's hand before watching Gabriel walk away with Agnes to unpack all the brainstorming they had done over the past day. He fixed his duffle bag on his shoulder and walked towards the mass of people waiting to receive their loved ones. Elliot kept his head down, prepared to bypass the group and head straight to his rooms to pretend it didn't bother him.

"Captain!" It was Neo, the small ten-year-old boy yelling like a madman. "Jonny wants to see you!"

Elliot rolled his eyes at the kid, stepping around him and continuing his path away from the crowd.

"Captain Rourke commands it!" Neo continued, stepping in his way again.

Elliot smirked, looking up to see if he could see his dear friend. "Did he now?" He was looking forward to seeing Jonny, but also nervous to speak to the captain. They were officially of the same rank, but Jonny had been here years longer and treated him as such regarding official business.

But he was also nervous because the fact that he was back meant that they could work on the side mission. A transmission picked up weeks ago had given him all the hope in the world and now...

He spotted Jonny, taller than most people around him by a few inches, poking out from the crowd. His signature dirty Hawaiian shirt also made him easy to spot, paired with his patched trench coat with his collar wonky and unbothered. Then it was his face, usually half smirking while swearing like a sailor... was now frowning and masked by his beard as Elliot approached. But it was the woman standing in front of the captain that took his attention.

Elliot froze in his tracks, his stomach hurling yet his throat strangled him. Then he finally broke out and took a step towards her, gasping and dropping his bag on the road as he almost skipped, unable to process how he was feeling. It was like the sun had moved from behind a cloud, bringing meaning to the meek day.

Her watched her face, same brown eyes, ordinary nose, relaxed smile, small ears. She had brown hair, shorter than last time... Then she finally turned and locked eyes with her, her face polite and distant... It's been so long. Her face dropped but Elliot was still stumbling over his own feet, not noticing her change in expression. But Jonny stepped towards her, standing just behind with almost a hand on her shoulder. But Elliot didn't let it bother him, ignoring Jonny's warning look.

Elliot wrapped his arms around her, finding his breath again as sheer relief melted through his chest. He hugged her tightly and then held her at arm's length by her shoulders, eager to hear her voice. Elliot could feel his tears threatening to fall, not believing the moment was really happening. Her face finally warmed, and he laughed through his tears, unafraid to let them fall. He fluttered around the face he thought he would never see again, pushing her hair behind her ears and stuttering nonsense words while she remained extremely still.

"I'm so happy to see you!" he finally got out. He put his hands back on her shoulders and looked up at the sky to let the moisture soak back into his eyes. He looked back at her, grinning, but she moved her hands to hold onto her elbows, looking around at anywhere but his face. "Emi, I haven't seen you in- almost two years! You- You just disappeared! What? How?" He shook his head, and his breathing almost went back to normal, but she still didn't say anything.

She looked polite, not knowing what to say... Embarrassment suddenly prickled over his stomach and his eyes creased... for no reason.

"Where's Alice?" he gushed, though he was starting to feel stale. He knew he was talking loudly but he was just so keen to hear anything she had to say. "Is she with you?"

He breathed heavily again as his chest filled with anticipation, looking around at the others in the crowd to see Alice. The crowd looked back at him with uncomfortable expressions, Alice's smile missing. He zeroed in on Jonny, still standing just a step behind her, sighing. The captain shook his head over so slightly, his face blank and unhelpful.