Skye City: The Darkness of Emmilyn

Fall Out

Bex and I share the double-mattress in the cramped spare bedroom, wrapped in scavenged blankets and I finally get the rest my body craves. This feels about a million times nicer than sleeping on the rooftop with the boys. My bones do not ache from the cold and I do not let gunshots, explosions or even thoughts of my missing friends and brother disturb me. Those guys can and will take care of themselves.

In the morning or maybe early afternoon, I wake a little hungover, yet I do not mind the discomfort one single bit. Last night's party was more than worth the headache. Bex is still sleeping and snow is still falling as I stare through the bedroom window, seeing nothing but pretty whiteness streaking from the clouds. This blizzard is more like the weather you would expect in the Aaral Mountains.

Bex rises with spectacular bed hair, shoving her blankets aside as I grab a towel, deodorant and clean clothes from a rucksack. I smell so far from fragrant but if this apartment has one luxury it would be the bathtub. Thank the Goddess. We leave the bedroom and Bex enters the living room where Sirah is snoring on the single mattress; her huge feet poking over the edge. I enter the bathroom and fill the tub with cold, unfiltered water then take a bath. The process is not exactly pleasant, but by 'bath' I mean standing in the water and scrubbing myself with a sliver of soap, then jumping out the tub and wrapping myself in the towel, shivering.

I spray deodorant and change into the clean clothes I took from an empty apartment – black jeans, two t-shirts and a green hoody which are not too bad actually. I almost look attractive in the mirror of this tiny orange-tiled bathroom until I put on my grubby coat. Shame about my wet hair and lack of makeup, but I think Bex found a bag of makeup which she kept quiet so I shall borrow some after breakfast.

When everyone has bathed, we refill the tub and leave our laundry to soak while we eat on the sofas; my breakfast being a tin of pears. Cali is swamped by a thick woolly jumper and she still looks frail, but colour has been restored to her sagging delicate features. I cannot help feeling our arrival is revitalising her and not just because of the insulin, but our company too. Loneliness can become as deadly as any disease.

'My legs are aching from all the dancing last night, but it was definitely worth it,' Cali says and I notice a sparkle in her eyes.

'We had fun, eh?' I mumble with a mouthful of pear.

'Yeah, I didn't think I had the strength to party, but you guys lifted me,' Cali says, unaware she also lifted us. Aiding someone in distress always feels gratifying, especially when they then join your team, and prior to our meeting, we were all stuck inside a dark place. The shadow of torment may still be swirling around my head, but my girls are keeping the demons at bay.
'My boyfriend Nelson said we need to enjoy every moment we can and he's right. If we lose our sense of joy, we'll lose the ability to go on. The two go hand-in-hand really.' I gulp syrup from my pear tin and put the fork inside, then place the tin on the coffee table with the other empties. 'We should ensure today is just as fun as last night. Let's ignore this war crap. We have everything we need for now, including each other.'

'Absolutely! You know what, Emmi? You're turning into a little ray of sunshine,' Sirah says and her unwitting irony dispels the darkness I am struggling to escape, the lingering misery which has tainted every smile, every laugh.

'Ahem!' Bex sits upright, turning her head.

'And you too, Bex! If we stick together, we can keep each other's spirits high until this madness is over. The sensible thing will be to move the others into an empty apartment, especially given the cold snap. They can use a different floor of the building if it makes you feel safer,' Sirah says.
'Sure, we can't let them freeze,' Cali says, clearly unenthused but less nervous than earlier.
'When we see them next, I'll suggest it. We were reluctant to move from the rooftop at first, given the uncertainty, but this is definitely the best option,' Sirah says.