The Winter Song

5 - Shards of glass

Despite the guess I'd made in my head, the young female was the first to speak.

And it was heartbreaking.

Because she sounded too much like my Sonya.

"What are we supposed to do with her?" Her tone was rough, thankfully. My Sonya hardly ever spoke in any tone other than happy one. Or perhaps she preferred to, but sometimes couldn't quite control herself as she was simply a human.

My human, my mind cries.

But I ignore it. My Sonya is gone.

This girl sounds angry, perhaps angry because she was supposed something to do with me?

"Probably should do something with her, eh?" The male voice is heavy with playful sarcasm.

Teasing. Laughing.

I start to think about how horrible I am at reading footsteps.

The female makes a noise that sounds like a grunt but it sounds almost too feminine to be a grunt. Almost like a scoff.

Breathing, I remind myself.

In and out.

They can't know I'm awake now, to be talking about me like I'm not here. I have to keep my body still and my breathing in a pattern.

"Well, what did Mango tell you to do with her?" The male asked, after chuckling a little.

The female laughs a little, making me think about how fast that mood swing was. Her laughing light, feminine and childlike.

She sounds happy now.

Happy like my Sonya and it hurts deep down in my chest.

"Which one's Mango again?" She asks, her voice honeyed. She's flirting with him, I recognize immediately.

The male laughs lightly, "Why did I get stuck with a freaking newbie!" He asks, rolling out the 'I' to the point of dramatics.

"Mango is the fat one that always gets nosebleeds and has that scary yellow-ass skin. And she's always bitching about something too, complains like, well, her.  Remember her yet, newbie?" The male's tone is mocking and slightly whiny.

I hate whiny people. My friend, Colia used to complain a lot until one day I couldn't control my anger anymore and wrote down an official complaint. Which is a complete low blow for us soldiers, who can't afford to have any sort of mark of their records. And the fact that I had left it anonymous was even worse.

What I really wanted to do was slap her, not hard enough to permanently injure her but just enough that she'll have some sense slapped into her. But I am not nearly stupid enough to do that.

So what I hear next shocks me beyond no compare.

I hear what cannot be mistaken as anything other a punch. Flesh, hitting flesh and a loud groan from the male.

Then strangely enough,

a laugh.

Which is absolutely ridiculous to me, why would you possibly hit anyone then laugh.

"Fucking newbie, my ass." Someone mutters. The girl, I think.

But my mind is still on the punch.

We never did that, to do so would absolutely crazy.

Sure, we fought and hit and punched in training but outside of that? Never. That would be almost as crazy as hitting a lead or a guard. I want to shake my head just thinking about it. Only a complete fool would do that.