Recovery. (2) "That's true." He sighed. "Things are looking bleak. I'll admit that. But I think we can survive long enough to reach help. There has to be some way of getting out of this place." "How do you propose we do that?" "We just…will." "You're not being incredibly helpful." "I'm trying my best," He said a little defensively. "I can only tell you what I know." "Sorry. This is just one horrible shock after another." "That's no lie." He sighed and looked around at the room, at anything but me. “How do you feel?” Alexander said. He took my hand again, and wrapped his fingers around mine. I enjoyed the feeling of human contact; even if it were from a boy I had never even met before. “I’m a little dizzy,” I confessed. “But not tired any more. I ache a lot, but I think I could walk.” I set the half eaten soup on the bedside cabinet next to me and held out my other, bandaged hand to him, swinging my legs from under the covers as I did so. Alexander grinned and took both hands, gently pulling me towards him as I shakily stood on my bruised feet. There was a brief moment where our bodies touched but I pulled away before either of us could feel any physical contact. But I couldn’t hide the faint blush high on my cheeks. The boy wrapped a blue towel dressing gown around me and tied it loosely around the waist. “Ready to head downstairs and meet some of the other members of the household?” he asked half jokingly. I began to realise that perhaps his carefree attitude was a defence mechanism, a shield against the people and problems in the world that had the possibility of causing him to fall. “I sure am.” I breathed. He held my hand all the way to the door, onto the crimson carpet of the landing and down the stairs. I heard voices coming from the rooms around me, laughing and seemingly happy like Alexander. He offered an encouraging smile and softly pushed me towards the kitchen. Cold tiles greeted my feet with a shiver but I never noticed, too taken was I by the four other children sat at a square wooden table to the edge of the room. They stopped talking and looked at me in surprise. I realised what I must look like, not having my hair brushed in days, possible makeup still on my face, most likely smeared out of place in the days I was asleep. “Hey! It’s sleeping beauty!” the oldest of the two boys announced loudly. The other boy and the elder girl laughed with him. The other room’s occupant, a little girl, looked up in wonder and curiosity. She said nothing. I laughed too, careful not to move my throbbing head again. Alexander held my waist, walking with me, his warm breath on my cold neck as he whispered, “that’s Samuel. He was on the train with me. He’s slightly demented.” I fell more than sat at the table, my dressing gown bunching up around my thighs. Alexander leant down and pulled the material away before sitting beside me. The older girl got up and filled the kettle. “You want a drink?” she asked me. “You got coffee?” I replied. She nodded and set out a cup for me. “We got no milk,” she announced, “but we got shit loads of sugar.” “Sounds great. Anything to get me going.” I smiled and she sat opposite me again. “I’m Bethany,” she said, giving me her hand. “You must be faith, yeah?” I nodded. “This is Samuel,” Bethany filled in, pointing, “and the little one here is Lillian.” “Hello.” I leant down to talk to the little girl and offered a warm smile. She didn’t respond, and only looked up at me. After a while, she giggled slowly. “Think she likes the makeup.” Samuel said. “And if I say so myself, I think it’s quite appealing.” I felt my eyes and my fingers came back smudged with black eyeliner. Bethany passed me a tissue and I proceeded to dry clean my face. Lillian looked on with interest. She couldn’t have been much older than seven. I sipped my coffee once and added a teaspoon of sugar As Bethany began talking. “Samuel, here, is my brother. Don’t let him pick on you or I’ll get him back for you.” She punched him playfully on the arm and winked at me. “So you’re the girl Alexander picked up on the train.” You make me sound like a slut, I thought. But perhaps that was the intention. “I’m the one,” I agreed. “Wasn’t conscious for a lot of it though.” She stared at the cuts on my arms and the gauze on my forehead. “How you feeling now, girlie? You were pretty out of it when we got you here. All mumbling and shaking. Worried Helena a fair bit.” “I’m feeling much better now, thank you. Head hurts a little, but I don’t think any damage was done.” I rested my chin on my hand and rubbed my eyes. “When’s Helena getting back?” I asked Alexander drowsily. “Should be an hour or so. Depends really.” He sighed. “Could be a day. You never know.” “How do you mean?” “Like, you could lose your way,” Bethany put in. “or they could find someone and have to carry them back. Happened with us. Or they might decide to wander a little further than they planned.” Disappointed, I stirred my drink round with my fingers. I didn’t want the company of strangers, however nice they might be. I wanted my Lena. That afternoon I watched Alexander and Samuel set up a fire in the front room of the house as I sat and talked with the girls about the other members of the house. Lillian never said much –Bethany said that it was because she had lost her sister and parents in the bombing and the poor girl had been emotionally scarred- but I wasn’t so sure. I thought she was just naturally quiet. As the five of us were preparing an evening meal, Bethany leant across me to reach a knife and whispered softly in my ear, “watch out for Adrienne. She doesn’t like Helena or me, so she most likely won’t get on greatly with you. She’s stuck up.” “What’s all this whispering, sister of mine?” Samuel inquired suspiciously. “Family don’t keep secrets from each other.” “I was warning her about Adrienne.” Bethany said curtly. “Now that you asked.” “ I don’t see what you have against the girl,” Alexander said firmly. “She seems perfectly alright to me.” “You’re not female. She doesn’t hate you.” “Why doesn’t she like females?” I asked. “Can’t she stand the competition?” Bethany looked my way and nodded, her eyes flicking between Alexander and I. * * * Due to the lack of electricity, there were two-dozen candles scattered precariously around the room, transforming it into a soft golden haven for me as I slept peacefully into the early November evening, wrapped in a thick duvet and a woollen bobble hat. I shifted my bruised legs up beside me and pulled the covers closer. For a second, I thought I was at home, waking up from a night of watching movies on the sci-fi channel again. Something shifted in my lap, and I instinctively went out to stroke her hair, catching her brow with my fingers and smiled. Helena crawled up beside me and kissed my cheek. “Wake up, darling.” She purred in my ear. “I think you’ve slept long enough, you lazy cow.” I peeked through my eyelids and my heart stopped. Helena’s shoulder length dirty blonde hair was brushing my skin, and I could see her blue eyes through the golden lights, grinning at me with her head cocked slightly to one side, observing my reaction with interest. “Lena,” I muttered. She pinned me down and hugged me. “I thought you would never come back.” “And I though you would never wake up.” She replied, slightly harsher. “Why did you have to sleep so long? Were your dreams good?” “I can’t remember them,” I admitted. From the doorway, Alexander watched us with a smile. Bethany nudged his arm, and pulled him away into the hall. I silently thanked her; I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. I even hated Helena seeing me like this. “Come into the kitchen,” she insisted, “there are a few people I would like you to meet.” She took my hand, and dragged me up, supporting me by my left arm as I drowsily and painfully limped into the hall. I could hear many voices and as I entered, a cheer was released and an applause. I looked around at the grinning faces of the children and then back at Helena questioningly. “They think you’re a hero or something.” She explained and shrugged, pushing me into a chair and leaning on my shoulders. “Snatched from the jaws of death! Our heroine finally wakes up!” They laughed, and so did I at the absurdity of it. I sheepishly glanced at every one of them in turn and caught Alexander’s eye at the end of the line. “So how do you feel?” one of the boys asked, the one with the brown hair and glasses. I laughed at this, but I wasn’t sure why. I put it down to uneasy emotions and sleep deprivation, however ironic that may sound. “I’m feeling much better, thanks.” I said. “A little groggy and bruised, but not ill anymore.” “I’m glad.” A girl from the back pushed herself forwards. Her perfect makeup and hair was a sharp reminder of how little I had fussed over my appearance. I still hadn’t properly washed my face or brushed my hair, and remnants of my eyeliner were still smudged below my eyelids. The girl smirked, and I knew already this must be Adrienne by the way the guys looked and the girls blocked her out. She reached across, put out her hand and shook mine. “Good to see you well again.” She said clearly. She made sure to pronounce every syllable clearly so everybody could understand every word she spoke. He voice was like a pickaxe against my numb mind. “Thank you.” I stared into her icy glare and new already she hated me. She was simply examining the enemy, keeping me close so she knew every little detail that went on, every weakness, and eventually defeat them. There was no way I would fall for her tricks, not when life already looked so bleak. “I’m Adrienne.” She announced. “I know,” I replied. Adrienne looked at me with cold interest and raised one plucked eyebrow. “How so?” Foot. In. Mouth. “I was told about you.” I explained. “Really.” Her eyes flicked to Bethany and back at me. “What were you told?” “Just a basic description,” I said. I felt Helena’s hands tense on my shoulders as she gripped my skin. Adrienne faced Bethany straight on and lifted her chin up. She was a full three inches taller than the younger girl. “What did you tell her?” she demanded. “Nothing that isn’t true.” Bethany replied. I had a feeling that whatever Adrienne was up to, my friend would play a key role in stopping it. Adrienne, to my surprise and amusement, backed down. She scowled at the girl and turned out the room, slamming the doors and storming her way up the stairs, stamping her feet at every step. I sighed in relief and looked at Bethany in apology. “I’m sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable situation there.” “That’s fine, she had it coming.” She stood up and pulled a can of coke cola from a cupboard. Samuel stared at her. “What?” Bethany shrieked defensively. “She started it!” “Actually, I started it. I’m sorry.” I forced, my sore throat feeling every strain on my voice. Alexander stood up and looked me in the eye commandingly. “You didn’t start anything. Adrienne doesn’t like a single girl living in this house.” “That’s no lie.” Bethany snorted. “Stupid tart. She thinks she actually has power over any man she sees.” She gave me a look that for a moment made me think she was mad at me. “Did you know, she tried to hit on my brother!” she jammed one finger into her chest indignantly. “My brother! Like he would.” The look on Samuel’s face showed me that he most likely would, and probably had. Alexander sniggered behind his hand, and I wasn’t sure why, but I glowered at him in betrayal. “Of course not, sister of mine.” Samuel said. “Oh, well. It’s late, I’m going to bed.” Helena yawned. “ I might join you.” The group echoed their agreements and one by one they left the kitchen until Alexander and I were left alone, staring at each other like guilty children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. “Are you tired?” he asked me quietly. “After sleeping for three days and the entirety of the afternoon? No, I’m fine. But I think my body clock is completely out of whack. “ I hugged the dressing gown tighter around my shoulders and stared at the hard wood table, biting my lip and shifting my sore shoulders. We didn’t speak for several minutes, lost in the entirety of it all and comfortable in the knowledge that the other was there to talk if we needed. The silence wasn’t half as awkward as I thought it would be, and I enjoyed the loss of the crowd that was our housemates. “Do you want something to eat?” Alexander asked, pushing his chair back and standing up to walk to the counter, opening a draw and pulling out several cans of baked beans and tomato soup. He smirked. “Chicken noodles?” “Um, no thanks,” I blushed and looked at the floor. “Tomato will be fine.” We heated our meals on a small paraffin burner on the stove and ate the soup straight from the pan, settled on the table between us and didn’t speak. There were no words to describe the horror of the situation and the sheer guilt we felt for being the last ones left. I had hardly even thought about my family, or the people on the train with us, or my classmates. I was simply clinging onto the small hope that London was the only city chosen for a target and that those I loved were safe at home worrying about me. Eventually, Alexander said: “are you scared?” I didn’t have to ask what he meant. “Yes.” I said. And took another spoonful, praying the conversation would reach it’s end. Typically, it didn’t. “Do you think you’ll ever see your folks again?” Alexander murmured, hanging his head in shame. I could tell he needed someone to talk to about this, I just couldn’t understand why it had to be me. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I hope so. As much as I hated them…they’re my family.” Past tense. I scolded myself, there was no way I could possibly be helping him. “Me too.” He said. “Even though I hate it.” “Yeah. Me too.” To my relief, he said nothing more for a few minutes. We were both too embarrassed by the others release of emotion, although I imagined he was far more embarrassed by his own. I sighed, thinking I should comfort him. “We’ll see them again soon. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the country comes to our aid.” “It’s been three days,” he said. “Wouldn’t they have come by now? We’re in the centre of London for Christ’s sake! If you stand on a hill three miles up the road, you’ll see Tower Bridge in the distance. Surely they must have scanned the area for heat sources or something.” I looked up at him in sudden, cold realization. “What if they come back?” “Huh?” “The people who bombed us in the first place. What if they scan the area? We’ll be killed.” “You think they’d come back?” Alexander frowned and scratched behind his ear. “Why would they?” “Why did they bomb us in the first place?” I hissed. “Something’s going on beneath the surface here. This wasn’t just a terrorist attack. This is war.” “I think you’re thinking too hard about this. This isn’t war. We didn’t even know about it. We don’t even know who did it!” I tapped the table with my index finger irritably. “I think you’re wrong. We’re in the middle of the capital city. They didn’t just bomb the important places; they bombed the suburbs as well. And think about it: no one has come to us. Surely if they’re there, they must be looking for us.”
Copyright © 2005 Megan A Hennessey |