Corn Stalked 2: Converted (Children Of The Corn)

Chapter #20: The Act

When I woke up again, the room was dark. Lifting up my head from the pillow, I glanced out the window and saw that the slightest sliver of dawn had begun to break over the horizon. It was still a couple hours before I would have to be anywhere.
I tried rolling over onto my back in the bed now, but a certain redhead's arm being wrapped tightly around me kept me from moving very much. It felt like he was holding me way more snug than he normally did.

I breathed out a heavy sigh and untangled myself from his hold, sitting up and standing from the bed. Going over to the dresser, I took out some clothes; a light blue, button down shirt and a long, grey skirt, some underwear and a bra. I brought them into the bathroom, deciding to take an extra long shower today since I had the time for it.

Stepping into the water stream, I was hoping the warmth of it would help put me at ease, at least a little, but it didn't. As I lathered soap along my body and shampoo through my hair, everywhere was tense and tight through my muscles. I attempted to stretch and crack a few bones to wake them up, but it didn't do any good. Finally, I just gave up and stuck to washing myself, rinsing off the soap and letting the water hit my back.

Eventually, I had to pull myself out of the water and turn it off. Drying with a towel, I slipped into my clothes and brushed through my teeth and hair, going slow with all of it. As I was setting down my hairbrush I noticed the burn mark on my hand from the stove the night before. It went from the base of my hand and up to just below my pinky. I let out a sigh at remembering why I'd gotten it and grabbed some ointment to put on it, wrapping bandages around my hand to cover it as well.

By the time I had finished all of this, it had only been a little over an hour. I laid back in bed next to Malachai, being able to breath without his death grip around my waist. But honestly, after a minute or two, it began to feel cold without him near me so I gently put his arm back around me once again.

I ran a hand through my hair and stared at the ceiling, replaying today's plan over and over in my head till it was like clockwork. Part of me began worrying if it would even work, but I had to shove these doubts to the back of my mind. For the sake of whatever sanity I had left.

Malachai began to stir now, grumbling and groaning as he came to. My back was to him and I closed my eyes, pretending that I had fallen back asleep after getting ready. I felt his arm slip back from around me, but something else too. He leaned over and softly kissed my shoulder. Had he always done that? I'd never been awake before him so I had no idea. Regardless, I wanted to physically slap myself for the blush that still rose to my cheeks.

I listened as Malachai got himself ready, not really having much of a choice but to hear it. When I heard him get out of the shower, I decided to get up and went into Sapphira's room to see if she was awake.
My little girl laid in her crib, her big, blue eyes already open. She seemed to brighten up when I entered the room and hovered my face above her. In the midst of the day's oncoming stress, her tiny smile caused my own to form, something that was in short supply for me lately.

I picked up Sapphira in my arms and sat down with her in the rocking chair. Gently rocking back and forth, I unbuttoned my shirt to let her feed from my breast. As she ate her breakfast, I began to hum a tune to her, the one my mother had always sung to me as a child.....but when I realized this, I immediately quieted myself. I didn't want to pass on any of my mother's habits onto Sapphira...not since I found out the truth about her and my dad...

Malachai walked past the room now, glancing in briefly at the two of us, but never breaking stride. My already blank face hardened upon seeing him go by. Today was the day, his birthday; the day of his reaping. My ass - he was going to kill himself tonight! Reaping was just these kid's nice way of pronouncing suicide.