Children's Games: A Story of Modern Punishment

Chapter 23 - Bonnie

~Bonnie~

Keeping watch was Bonnie's favourite task. She preferred the day shift, so it was a refreshing surprise when they were assigned to watch over the airport in the early hours of the next morning. Everyone else was finished cleaning up their mess of bodies and blood while they got to watch the sky. It was even more of a surprise when Emilia volunteered with her. It was better than doing it at night, the way Emilia preferred. She had no idea how her new roommate wasn't affected by the continuous five to six hours of sleep every day. Bonnie's eyes were already drooping. Luckily, the sun had risen so the intense light would keep her awake until everyone else was finished.

The fighting had finished about four hours ago. Since then, they returned home and cleaned themselves up with the help of hot showers, then suffered through Samuel's blunt advice and quick but secure dressings. Then they returned to the airport with more people and started their proper cleanup while a smaller group of more important officials like Gabriel and his captains perfected a message that would alert the Chinese government of their communication issues after a landing malfunction. There were no people in Orlando, but on the way over they saw light over New Orleans and would be travelling there instead. It was a temporary fix, but that was the best they had.

Bonnie watched Emilia; her eyes remained closed for long bouts of time as the air slowly warmed with the morning. She had her arms crossed with a blank expression as she pretended not to feel the pain surely radiating from her bruised ribs. Bonnie looked back at her furry gloves and sighed at the unspoken wall between them.

One week of living together had pushed them further apart than where they had started. Emilia cringed when she thought Bonnie wasn't looking and stared at the top of Bonnie's hair when they spoke. She couldn't help but feel that Emilia didn't like her. It now just made their interactions uncomfortable, and so even the simplest of interactions were cut short.

Emilia's favourite task was also to be a watcher, probably because it made her feel safe considering what happened inside that house in Fimiston... always being watched... then with the guilty conscience of killing so many people when she exploded the city... Bonnie couldn't imagine being responsible for so much death. She thought perhaps Emilia's attitude had something to do with that, and nothing to do with Bonnie.

But Jonny also said that she mustn't bring any of it up, so there was no way to clear the air. Jonny was a jumbled mess, not knowing how to handle such a delicate situation while also being honest. He wouldn't listen when Bonnie told him that Emilia didn't want to be friends, or even give her a chance. It was sad because they probably did have lots in common... Heck, I probably know more about Emilia than I know about myself.

But Emilia was a complicated person. She had been through a lot, and a little rudeness was just her way of communicating her boundaries. Bonnie just needed to try more, but she was also sick of thinking about her; it was exhausting putting all her time into her, and getting nothing back. I'm a failure.

She turned back to the sky, the space she was supposed to be watching. It was dark blue and empty of clouds and enemy ships alike. She thought of home and how different it would be looking right now; a sky even bluer with a sun that was seemingly hotter without the icy kiss of the wind. Even the night sky looked different somehow. Here, it remained unfamiliar, no matter how pretty it seemed.

Her ears perked at the sound of someone clicking their tongue. Gabriel stood at the top of the stairs expectantly. She quickly discarded the blanket, throwing it on top of Emilia to wake her up. Emilia glared before she saw that it was Bonnie, but never said a word.

"Morning Gabi," she whispered as she followed him down the stairs.

The air smelled of blood, bleach, and death... Smoke was added to the mix as the bodies were burned. Their souls passed on, but not before flowing through the air first to make people nauseously guilty.