Dear May

Chapter Two- Connie

The bus had no wheels. This was a novelty in my small town but the robots marched beside it and you could hear their thunder from inside it. There was no windows inside the vehicle but a ledge that ran around the sides of it.

Sat on this ledge were children like me. Most with their heads bent. A couple still grizzling in their shock. I sat myself down in a space. Breathing deeply and watched the third toggle on my coat rise up and down. I put a hand in my pocket and felt bunny's ear, the rough fabric comforting between my fingers. She nudged her wet nose against my finger tip.

This is your fault. I thought bitterly as a snatched my hand away. I could feel her bristle. She was sorry, which was unusual because Connie was never sorry for the trouble she caused. I knew that I was right because besides the children the other passengers were all creatures like her. Everyone was a lithe shiny brown animal though they varied in size they were all the same.

"What you got?"
Suddenly a boy was towering in front of me. I was impressed by his age and his balance. He rode out the movement of the bus like it was nothing. Where as I was beginning to feel sick. He had his hand it towards my face. "What's in your pocket?"

I shook my head.

But he reached down and plunged a hand in even though wiggled away. He held bunny up and sneered.

"Not food. Jus' a miserable rag," he tutted, dangling bunny by her ear. His creature watched us, lazy by his feet but the size of a small cat.

"How dare you!" The boy next to me jumped up. He was a head shorter than the first boy. But his dark eyes blazed and a red hue came to his cheeks.

"Don't." The girl next to him warned. She must have been the same age as me.

"Give the girl her toy back," the boy ignored her.

"What if I don't? Eh, little boy?" My assailant jeered.

"Don't you think we're in enough trouble? Who are you, to make it any worse?" The boy opened his hands.

He sounded and looked like a church speaker. I felt myself feeling a little more relaxed. I would have given up bunny to save myself but now hopefully, I could have everything.

"You have no idea. I do. I escaped and now we're in for it. If you knew, you'd not bother with this," the bigger boy squeezed bunny into his fist, " How come you're so old anyways?"

"Give me the toy and then we can talk," the boy held out his hand, his eyes still blazed.

The bigger boy didn't like this and slapped his hand away. He then pushed himself roughly into the small boy using the swing of the bus to give him momentum. The boys crashed into me and the other girl who cried out in pain as she was struck by an elbow. The small boy tugged out of his grip and swung a fist at the boy's head clipping him on the ear. He roared out in fury and jumped onto the other bringing them to the floor. All of the children were watching now with interest as the two boys wrestled in the middle. Some children even kicked them as they rolled over their feet.

As I watched them heart in my mouth, I felt Connie leave me. She slid from my pocket and down off my lap to the floor. Under the bench I saw another sleek head poke out and then the bigger boy's one came over to join them. They stared at each other whiskers twitching for a few moments and then the boys stopped and sat up.

"Leave me alone, you freak." The big boy gave the other a small kick before going back to space at the end of the bus, his creature went after him and curled up round his feet.

The boy came and sat back down between us. "Thanks," he said to me and dropped my bunny into my lap.

I shook my head not understanding, "Thank you for bunny."