DETERRENT - Apply Fic

27

"Umm, who are you?" the woman asks.

Kae stares at the woman. In the dark, Kae can still see the bags under her eyes. Her mouse-brown hair frames her face, littered with freckles. Yet she stands taller than Kae, hands crossed in front of her chest and shoulders back. Kae already feels her shoulders folding in on herself.

"Emma?"

Kae feels her shoulders tighten at the sound of Benji's voice. Her body is stiff, solid, and she wants it to slink into the house but Kae can't make herself move. Barely, she can think. She's been caught or being caught. Her hands feel sticky and the metal bracelet is cold against her wrist.

"What's going on?" Emma walks past Kae, and she lets herself sneak into the vines.

At the fire, the others are watching, except of course Rhiannon Rose. Harvey has his eyes carefully trained on the woman who approaches them, and not Benji as he leaves.

"Who is that?" Norbu whispers to Cosmia, having already skittered over to her side.

Gale looks at George, who doesn't meet his eyes. He gets up and whispers good night, heading over to the party.

Cosmia doesn't answer, though she suspects she knows already. Emma Mullins, the sister who could never say no to a party.

"Let's go inside and talk," Benji clasps an arm on her elbow.

"Benji, let go," she hisses, audible enough they can all here. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

He pulls her up to the porch anyway. The door slams behind them both. George slips out to his truck and drives away.

Rhiannon Rose stokes the fire.

They whisper about the sister for what feels like forever. Not the sick one, Faris says, certainly. That one is named Mae and she lives way out in the fisheries. Norbu asks most of the questions. Is Benji the oldest? Maybe, he certainly feels like an older brother, but none of them are sure. Harvey's the one in the house the most, but he doesn't care to stare at the family portrait in the living room. Cosmia has looked at it too often to admit, and so she stays quiet. What's the sister doing here? Titus doesn't care as long as she doesn't take the truck, and he has a pointed glare at Harvey when he makes the joke.

It's all disrupting Rhiannon Rose's lovely peace.

Eventually, the front door opens. The delinquents go quiet and Rhiannon Rose exhales. The fire is dwindling though, and she has no tinder.

Emma storms out of the house, Benji right behind her. He clasps her shoulder and she turns around and shoves him.

"No, stop it!" she sobs. She hits him again, and then looks around at the ground, before deciding to shove him a third time. "You... I'll never fucking forgive you. Never!"

She stumbles on her feet. Benji doesn't reach for her. Then, Emma bolts. She gets in the truck she drove there in and the engine starts. Benji stares after her as the wheels of her truck squeal. She zooms out of the farm.

It feels like even the cicadas are quiet, listening in.

Benji comes back to the fire. Well, what is left of it. Now, all that remains are a few dying embers.

"When the fire's done, off to bed," Benji says. He goes back in the house and slams the door behind him.

Now, they wouldn't be delinquents if they were able to obey.