Battle to Survive

Chapter 5 Blossom's POV

Simon turned to me. "What's with you? You're all giggley." I turned, my face hot. "What?" He grinned. "Oops! Didn't mean to intrude on blooming lovers." I shoved him. He laughed. "It's not like that!" I persisted. "He saved me and I'm grateful. Besides," I giggled. "He doesn't feel anything for me. And I just see him as a friend. But his 'parting speech' was inspired wasn't it?" He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "An attempt at a flirt." I gave him a warning look. "But a funny gesture all the same." I smiled at him. He smiled back. I couldn't believe that it has only been 7 days since Amy, Paul, Simon and I made a team. It had seemed like we had known each other forever. I met them in one of the town's after I ran from Kyle. I told them what happened and they took me in. I've improved my ability to use my 'slow motion' technique, to the point where I was at least an asset to the team. They were all great friends and really kind people, but Simon and I really clicked. He and I were like brother and sister. After each fight we would meet up and congratulate each other, he and I would laugh over some ridiculous person who Simon fought, and after that, he would ruffle my hair and give me his look of approval. I loved my team. We didn't have a name, and we weren't big enough nearly to be an enemy. We would joke about being Team Nameless.

I have a good life ahead of me.

I thought to myself. Amy and Paul were around the corner, talking and surrounded by unconscious bodies. "Good work guys!" I shouted at them. "Thanks!" Came Amy's light voiced reply. "How'd you do?" She asked. "Pretty good. Although, I had to get rescued by Simon." Simon seemed to puff out his chest jokingly. "Of course!" He proclaimed in a kingly voice. "Tis my duty to save fair maidens in distress." Amy and I just out laughing. Paul stood against the wall, looking around. "Come on guys. We should get what we came for and get out." "What's with you?" Amy asked him. He scowled. "They're gonna wake up soon, and if we stay any longer." Amy stared at him, shocked. I stared too. Paul never acted like this. Sure, sometimes he was reserved and quiet but he always joined our conversations and laughed with us! I even thought there might be something between him and Amy. It didn't seem that way now. Simon walked up to Paul. "Alright! We'll go get it." Paul looked a little relieved. "Amy, Blossom?" "Yeah?" We both said in unison. "You take the East wharehouse. We'll take West." "K!" We responded. Amy and I reached the warehouse pretty quick. We ran inside. Food and water were in here. We grabbed a couple boxes and opened them to see what was inside. Amy was the first to get hers open. I was still struggling to open mine when I heard, "Oh my gosh!" I flung around. "What is it?!" She smiled with joy sparkling in her eyes as she held up a package. I gasped. These boxes were filled with food preserves. These are basically expensive tech that preserve the food stored inside, and keeps it fresh forever. We held hands and squealed. We grabbed as many packages as our large bags could hold, and ran out heading for the West warehouse. Paul and Simon were already running towards us with smiles on their faces. Paul ran straight to us and apologized. "Hey...I'm sorry  yelling. I don't know what came over me." We assured him he was fine and then showered them with the preserved food news. They shared our enthusiasm with news that they found armor in all our sizes and found some spare weapons. That have me a thinking. I had gotten pretty good at perfecting my slow motion technique, but I couldn't do it for very long before I had to catch my breath. My friends didn't know about my technique yet. I don't know how they thought I fought, but they never asked. I wondered how the slow motion effect would work with a weapon. Usually, I just moved to right places so they would knock each other out, or I would just use my fists. I would ask Simon about it later. We grabbed what we needed and headed out. We walked forward in an awkward silence then Simon walked in front and turned toward us, walking backwards."Hey! Remember when we found Blossom? What a mess she was?!" I covered my face with my hands to hide my embarrassment. When they had found me, I hadn't bathed in a while and I was a crying mess. My face was red and I was glaring at Simon, trying to cue him to not humiliate me. He kept going. "She was a blubbering baby in rags that barley covered her!" Paul snickered and Amy blushed a little before making a 'pfft' noise. I hadn't moved my hands from my face since he started talking and it was going to stay that way. He put his arm around my shoulder and laughed at me. "Cool it, Cherry! I'm just messing!" I looked up at him. Cherry was a name he sometimes called me, although it has been growing on me. He called me that because of the cherry blossoms that grew where he lived back on Earth. He had come to Eclipse too, but when he was much older. He had left his parents behind because they were abusive. I stuck my tounge out at him and he laughed harder. Amy tapped me on the shoulder. "Not to embarrass you or anything hon, but, why were you dressed like that? You weren't, 'getting it on' so to speak, right?" Simon stopped joking for a second and they all turned and looked at me. I blushed like mad and shrieked, "Hell no!!" They all let out a relieved sigh. Prostitution was highly looked down upon here. It was so discouraged because the Kaiser thought that people would have enough forts to rob or anything like that. Amy spoke up again. "Well then why were you dressed like that?" They all nodded. Paul chimed in. "Actually, we don't really know anything about you. You never really told us." I clasped my hands together and said softly, not meeting their eyes. "It never came up." They were all silent for a while before Simon said gently. "Hey! Don't worry Cherry! You can tell us when we camp tonight. It'll be like  a campfire tale." He smiled warmly at me. I smiled back. Simon always made me feel better. Besides, they all had a right to know. "Ok." I said finally.

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That night, around the fire, I began my story. "I was 9 years old when me and my mom first came here." Paul piped up. "You don't have to answer this but, what about your dad?" I half smiled. "It's ok. I'll answer." I scrunched up my face trying to remember. "I don't really remember much but, I remember...a kind personality, a warm smile," I pausee to laugh. "And a kid-like attitude towards work. It drove mom crazy! But we were all happy." I frowned. "But he died. Or dissapeared, we don't really know, a short while before I turned 10." They all looked at me, pity behind their eyes. I winced internally. These were my friends who I cared about, but I didn't want pity. I took a breath. "When I turned 10, my mom and I came here for a fresh start. A new life together." I paused. The voices started. I took some deep breaths and the voices and visions of blood faded. I continued. "Not even a week after we had gotten here, one of the enemy groups came and took us away. While we were in the cells in one of the prison camps, my mom tried to fight one of the guards beating on me for talking back, and he," I swallowed. "Killed her." They all looked at me. Simon had a look of pure rage in his eyes. Paul and Amy looked horrified. "I was in that prison camp until I was 13. Until the enemy camp decided to make me a servant. I was there 6 more years. That's when I met the leader of the camp. He proposed to me but I refused. Then when he realized I was serious he-" "Tied you to that pole that Kyle rescued you from." Simon interrupted through gritted teeth. "Yeah." Amy stood up and came to sit next to me. She wrapped her arms around me and apologized for all that had happened. I was so tired. It felt like I had relived all this years in an instant. And Amy's embrace was warm and inviting. I soon drifted into an exhausted sleep.