Children's Games: A Story of Modern Punishment

Chapter 14 - Emilia

~Emilia~

The night sky was as dark as a black hole, but in contrast, the moon was the brightest she'd ever seen. The lack of light pollution made the stars pretty as they twinkled like glitter across the horizon. The cool night air made Emilia hug her coat around her shoulders, uncomfortable with the change from the hot deserts that characterised her brief life in Fimiston. In only a few days of arriving, she could never get warm.

Emilia was sitting atop the partially collapsed building next to the SunTrust building, more commonly called Home, or the Home Building. It was her favourite activity so far. She didn't have to think, only watch and ensure everyone and everything in her peripheral vision was safe. Everything would be still, and she didn't need to think about the things that worried her. Instead, she could watch the birds as they hunted in the night, watch the moon as it covered everything in a luminescent glow, and sit in the silence of peace.

It had been over a day since she had been thrown into consciousness, and over a day since she had discovered a brother... and that she once had a sister. In Elliot's photograph, Alice had hair as long as her waist but wound in a tight braid. Her hair was a light auburn, obvious that she had been born with red hair which had faded in time. Her eyes were brown and inviting, and although the picture showed her unsmiling and serious, Emilia could imagine her sweet smile. Because she remembered the smile from her dreams, all those weeks ago.

She was driving on a desert highway, Alice by her side humming and singing through the early morning air. She had taken over when Emilia got tired, and the dream would promptly end when the car was hit by some sort of explosion. She found herself wondering if this was the moment she was captured. She had had the dream many times, each dream painting Alice's face more vividly, but it never went further than the explosion.

Alice was in every way, the feminine version of Elliot. Elliot was almost as tall as Jonny as they exceeded six feet, while Alice looked to be the same height as Emilia. She looked livelier, fuller, and happier than both Elliot and Emilia. She hadn't looked at the photo since, not wanting to get attached to pictures of ghosts. They already haunted her dreams.

Since Elliot's grand entrance into her life, she had hardly seen him. He had reserved to himself, not in a rude way... but in a mourning kind of way. He quickly became closed off, always busy and full of excuses to be alone. She figured he put the pieces together about Alice's death. Emilia gulped at what she remembered about the way she died. Seventeen times. Nonetheless, if she pushed him too much his attitude turned disappointing. He missed Alice, and Emilia wasn't Alice.

"I'm back," whispered Bonnie cheerily, shaking Emilia from her thoughts.

Bonnie climbed back up the ladder holding two small thermoses filled with the hot tea she had offered, and Emilia had refused. Bonnie insisted, of course, her joyous attitude overriding Emilia's energy to repeat herself. Being cold kept Emilia awake and she needed to stay awake to watch over Home. Bonnie had argued that 'you can't be awake if you're already frozen to death'.

Bonnie was taller and kind of long and awkward. She barged into everyone and hugged most people with a high-pitched voice. She had blonde hair that matched the sun, bright blue eyes and an odd accent. Emilia thought she was annoying. She felt bad thinking it, but she didn't want to talk while Bonnie was eager to. Taking the watcher night shift meant that they wouldn't be in their shared room at the same time, then Bonnie volunteered to keep her company. I just want peace and quiet.

Bonnie handed her the tea, and she settled back into her camp chair, so close to Emilia's they were almost touching. She looked the other way, annoyed at herself for feeling this way. She placed her tea on the ground next to her.