Lego House

v. Grist

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The trees are less dense on their way to the next town, so the air is thinner and the sweat is lessened. Autumn still finds herself shaking with cold one moment and then the next feeling sweat trickle down her face as her body fills with warmth. Jarrett is always by her side, though they do not hold onto each other as they had before.

Irisa is usually by her side, though often she speeds up, lost in her own world and guilt. “Ris, come back. Walk with us again,” Autumn says, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone. Irisa swivels around and walks to start keeping in time sith the hobbling Autumn again.

“I killed him,” she mutters, and Autumn almost sighs from frustration and annoyance at her. This is possibly the hundredth time she has repeated it. Thankfully, Autumn does not have to say anything because Jarrett jumps right in.

“You saved us all, Irisa. He was a bad man about to do bad things. You’re a hero.” He sounds bright and friendly, but his expression betrays him. He is frowning and his eyebrows are knit together. Autumn can tell he’s slightly annoyed as well.

“I murdered another human being,” she whispers, and starts to speed up again, staring down at the ground muttering things under her breath.

In the process of this, Autumn watches her almost fall over as she knocks into her older sister’s back. “We got here before them,” Rose says as Autumn and Jarrett fall into line behind Irisa. Aleyah grips Autumn’s hand, after having ducked away from Jarrett’s side.

“Thank God!” Irisa cries out suddenly and very loudly. Autumn raises an eyebrow at Jarrett, who returns her confusion in one, quite funny expression. It takes a lot of Autumn’s willpower to hold in her laughter. Irisa pushes her way past Roselle, Michael and Pedro, leaving a clear gap.

Jarrett, Autumn and Aleyah, all hand in hand, follow after her, apologising as they push past the three others. The city in front of them is calm and bright. The grass is a beautiful sharp green and the sir smells like spring – flowers and freshly mowed grass. Autumn drops Jarrett’s and Aleyah’s hands and steps further into the city.

Grass tickles her ankle as she limps along. She’s only partially searching for Irisa. Her eyes are mainly scanning the small cottages which are homes, and the smoke which floats from the chimneys. Every house is identical, and in a sort of staggered semi-circle.

“Jarrett, it’s beautiful,” she breathes as a tall figure looks up behind her. Fingers lace with hers, rough and sweaty. She looks up and smiles at him, but he is not looking at her, but instead at the town in front of them, alive, warm and friendly.

“It is,” he agrees, squeezing her hand gently. He leads Autumn and Aleyah further into the town. Irisa is twirling around at the mouth of an alleyway. Autumn rolls her eyes, but a smile is playing on her lips. Irisa sees them and stops for a moment, smiling and waving, before continuing twirling.

“She needs serious help, man,” Autumn breathes, and Jarrett again voices his agreement. Commotion breaks out in the building beside them and for a moment, Autumn panics, tightening her grip on Jarrett’s hand as she fears the bombs to be coming again.

He holds her in an embrace and quickly tells her that they were just standing beside the town hall, a building no different to the other cottages, and reporters and the like were making a lot or noise as the mayor exited the building. Upon sighting the now very confused Irisa, the two teenagers embracing, and little Aleyah, the noise gets louder.

Autumn finds herself being pulled away from Jarrett into someone else’s arms. She has her eyelids pressed shut, so as to not feel so helpless and claustrophobic in the crowd, so she has no idea who the arms belong to. She kicks and trashes and screams, ripping at the person with her hands. “Autumn!”