Eternal Subconscious

Chapter 8

Josh, Rose, and I all sat in silence. Josh was shaking from the previous sights that had one spread throughout the parking lot of a Taco Bell. Rose held him in a firm embrace as she had attempted to slow her breathing. I didn't understand at all what was going on, I merely stared at a wall, awaiting Sonja to return from communicating with the council. In the meantime, my head was running in a million and one directions, trying to sort out everything that had just occurred. Was it truly possible that someone had individually injected us with the curse we all suffer from? We weren't just born with it or something? Why were the four of us the only ones who survived out of everyone?

"Oi, idiot, did you hear anything I just said?" Sonja said, slamming her hand on the armrest of the chair I was currently seated in.

"I-I was just-"

"Ugh, forget it," She growled, "you lot better fill him in," she stated, waving her hand toward Rose and Josh. Afterward, she strutted out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Rose looked downward as Josh began to tear up from trauma.

"She said that the council is forcing us to face whatever moron had killed off seventy-eight percent of the Grimelkin population after they backtrack the vocal message that was projected through radio waves in our demonic flashes," Rose stated calmly as she attempted to sooth Josh's nerves.

At the current point of time, I didn't care to think much about the upcoming fight we could be thrown into; I was more concerned of about Sonja. She seemed terribly hostile, not to mention pale.

I roamed around the castle for a half an hour, but with no luck did I find Sonja anywhere, not in the training gym, not in the cafe, and not even in her room. At some point, I ended up at the flight of stairs that leads directly to the roof. At first I thought it would be ridiculous for her to be up there, but of course, that would be something Sonja would want me to believe.

Once I reached the top of the steps, I cracked the door, leading to the outside, open. Sonja was standing at the very edge of the building, her arms crossed, staring off into the distance of the abyss,

"Can I help you?"

"I didn't mean to bother you, but I was really concerned about you."

"Well you don't need to be so just go, you should start training more often anyway."

"About that plan, it sounds a little vague, don't you think?" I asked, still suspicious of this "council" everyone speaks so highly of.

"I guess, but the council has given us so much, this castle has provided us peace and security from everyone who would judge us, but then again you wouldn't quite understand that." She snapped.

"What do you mean, aren't I considered a Grimelkin as well?" I questioned, feeling slightly insulted.

"You don't get it do you?!"

"What?"

"Being a Grimelkin used to never be about the curse, it used to be about so much more!" She yelled, throwing her pistol across the roof, back to the entrance.

"Sonja?"

"No, don't talk to me, you don't understand how much we struggled to get here. It used to just be about six of us, suffering, discriminated because of our appearance, or preferences, but then we became diluted by people like you. The ones who made us suffer to begin with" She muttered, a murderous tone rising from her throat and tears to her eyes.

"Discriminated? Suffered?"

"We've been talked down to for years, Josh, Rose, and even myself. Demeaned for stupid ass reasons. Rose, as developed extreme anxiety and insomnia from the amount of bullying she has experienced because she was born from Mexican heritage. Josh was left by his parents and family once he came out to them as bi-sexual, simply because of their religion. Then there's me, who was abused day in and day out from my adopted parents, simply because I was a little overweight. Do you know where that lead me? Anorexia, a useless eating disorder that does me no good but pushes forward my never-ending suffering!"

I stood there, shocked, watching as this girl, who I had pictured as strong or unbreakable, was sobbing in front of me, letting out every emotion she had locked up for who knows how long. I lunged out to her and held her in a tight embrace as she began to collapse onto the concrete roof.

"Why didn't tell anyone?" I asked softly.

"I didn't want to; I've been programmed to think that I deserve it." She said through the tears riding down her cheeks.

"Listen to me Sonja when I say that not a single person here thinks you deserve to starve yourself. Eventually, it will cause you to lose every muscle in your body, and you won't be able to fight or even live." I stated, starting to feel myself become overly emotional. I quickly wiped a falling tear and held Sonja out in front of me by her shoulders. "I'm telling you now, that we are going to get you some food, and once we do, you will carry us to victory as we screw over whoever committed the Grimelkin massacre," I said, enthusiastically.

Sonja blinked a few final tears from her eyes and laughed at my insensitive joke. "Okay, sounds like a plan."

With one final fist bump, we jogged down multiple flights of stairs, barely being able to contain our excitement for whatever combat we may be thrown into.