Corpus Civilization

Albania

"Please keep me and my family safe, please, please, please." The words are a mantra, finding their way out of her mouth at any chance possible. Often times after every breath that escapes her lungs and hits the air.

It's not just those words that everyone in the house hears, but prayers after prayers, some of them whispered, some not, but all of them making their way to the ears of the Albanian family.

The fear, it's so real, a constant throbbing in her head that drowns out any other requirement.

"Ma! Make Akjuna stop already." Her older brother whines, but the words pass over Akjuna's head. She hears them, of course, but they make no sense to her. Her mind and body are driven by the sole need to protect and watch over her family in any case the earthquake comes back.

Going to the bathroom, drinking or eating, resting, is no longer in her vocabulary. She has to be prepared for any chance and if by watching outside she can get any headstart on saving her family, then so be it.

"Juna, my darling, come over here." her mother calls, the first words of the day that actually manage to make it inside her ears and into her brain before being processed.

Because she cannot ignore her mother, she pulls herself up, stretching sore muscles after what seems like forever. Walking into the kitchen, worry clouds her mind and she glances over her shoulder to the front door. There are people outside, people who are unafraid, people who's mind didn't rely only on the incident. People who were able to go about their normal lives. Did they not feel emotion? No fear?

"Akjuna!" her mother calls again, drawing her attention.

"Yes, Ma?" she answers back, her first words of the day. Clearing her throat, she repeats the words in a louder, less raspy voice to make sure her answering call reaches her mother.

"Stop staring outside and come cut these onions for me." Her mothers' voice sounds much, much closer and Akjuna turns around, only to come face to face with her mother, her mother's green eyes boring into hers. She seems to look inside her, and a look of understanding crosses her features. Like she knows exactly what her daughter is going through.

Her whole family does, but a mother is a mother and the way she understands her daughter is unlike any other. The thought brings tears to her eyes

Akjuna hides those tears, brushing past her mother and into the kitchen. There, on the kitchen counter sits the cutting board with two onions and a knife. Taking a deep breath, she moves forward to latch onto the vegetable and utensil, allowing her mind to slip into the bliss of casually done domestic tasks. Cutting onions is easy enough that she doesn't have to think about what she's doing. Her hands move methodically, trained for the movement. The only thing that pulls her out of her mind is the stinging of something behind her eyes, but it is something she is also used to. The onions do not like being cut apart.

It doesn't take long before she's done, and potatoes are handed to her next, along with specific instructions on how to cut them. She does as followed, sinking into the blankness of her mind again.

Time is gone, there are no limits. Why would there—BAM!

Her response is immediate, pulling herself straight up and moving towards the door at almost inhumane speed to see...buildings falling?

Panic sets in, along with a rush of adrenaline and she moves back to grab her mother, pushing her forward, towards the door, mumbled words falling from her mouth.

Not a single word is coherent.

"Juna, Juna, my darling. It's not an earthquake. Look outside. It's just construction workers." her mother whispers in her ear, grabbing hold of her when her legs fail her and she collapses. Choked gasps are all that comes from her parted lips and she can't feel, can't breathe—

"Shh...it's okay, my darling Jun-Jun. I promise you're safe. You trust your Ma, don't you? Can you take a breath for me?" her mothers' words wrestle their way into her mind and shoot a numbing agent into her mind, stopping her thrashing and sobbing. Her eyes focus and she takes in her mother's face, her brother standing off to the side, panic and surprise and hint of worry as well on his face.

Time slips from her mind. All she knows is that somehow, she made it to the couch, where her brother was previously sitting, her own back resting against the arm, breathes going in through her nose and out through her mouth.

She sits there, off into space, sinking into the deep black of her mind. Nothing mattered. Instead, she focused on making sure that every breath that went in, made it out too.

"Jun-Jun? Are you feeling better now?" her brothers' voice brings her out of her mind, surfacing in the water that caressed her as she came back to the present.

She doesn't say anything. Simply nods. Thankfully, he understands. He sits beside her, on the floor, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it lightly. A reassurance.

"Akjuna. Abdyl. I prepared a tray of lemonade. Why don't the two of you go out and give some to the construction workers?"

Akjuna is about to protest, but the grip on her hand tightens, making her look down.

'You'll be fine' her brother mouths and gives her a dimpled smile. She tries to smile back, raising the corners of her mouth. But that's all she's able to manage.

He helps her stand up, taking the tray from their mother before leading her to the front door. Nodding towards it, and lifting the tray a bit, to show that his hands are busy and he can't certainly twist the doorknob, Abdyl gives her another smile.

Shaking her head, she twists the doorknob, popping the door free of its frame and swinging out into the open.

A breeze hits her along with the smell of wet soil. She looks up, seeing the construction workers and their tools and machines, the looks on their faces of pure determination and no fear.

If they didn't fear the circumstances, she would fight to make it the same for her.

She won't let her fear overtake her.

And with that thought in her mind, she steps out into the world.

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a/n: by @jem_on_fire or Jem