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1:19 A.M. / Flurries
Peterheim Middle School
Total chaos reigned over the burning building that had been the closest thing to home for Natalya for the past ten days. She had no idea what had happened. A scream in the middle of the night had awoken her and some of the other girls in her group, followed shortly after by panicked cries that an intruder had broken in through the back door. A moment later, the Ursus’ sensitive nose picked up the smell of smoke. As Natalya quickly threw her clothes on, her cries for the others to remain calm and evacuate went completely ignored. On the ground floor, she could hear the all-too-familiar sounds of a fight breaking out. She was near the end of the pack of fleeing students as she rushed down the stairs leading to the main entrance. To her right, she saw a wall of roaring flame, and a mass of dead and dying children.
Natalya practically tripped over one of the bodies laying prone at the base of the staircase. It was Viktor. What was left of him, at least. Her stomach turned as she looked at the ruin of his skull, caved in by a blunt object. In his hand, he was clutching the hammer he’d been carrying around to defend himself with. For all the good it seems to have done him… No, I must focus! When Natalya opened her mouth again to try and order those few in her group who were awake, alive, and not already trying to flee in the panic out of the building, she found herself choking on acrid fumes as the fire quickly spread to the store of kerosene her group been using to fuel their paraffin lamps.
Covering her mouth with her hand and trying to stay low to the ground, only a handful of Natalya’s number made it out through the front entrance. Never in her life had the cold winter air felt so good. Had their problems ended with the fire, Natalya would have abandoned every last shred of dignity she had and thrown herself face-first into the nearest snowbank. Instead, the situation outside was even more desperate.
All along the paths lining the buildings of Peterheim’s sprawling campus, she could see the boys and girls that had gone ahead of her falling prey to hungry, opportunistic packs of students. Each and every one of them knew exactly what Natalya’s group had spent the past week doing. A few of her comrades were lucky enough to only be beaten. Natalya could see some students wielding makeshift clubs hewn from table legs and sports equipment. Amongst other groups, shivs and pocketknives gleamed in the night, lit by the inferno at her back. Any thought of her role as a leader was gone from Natalya’s mind. There was no more order to be maintained. All she could think about was her own survival. Without a moment to spare, Natalya picked a direction that looked free of students and ran for her life, cutting across the wide, snowy patch of dirt in the middle of the quad to try and escape towards the front of the school.
She barely made it twenty paces before she was caught. A firm hand caught the Ursus by her flowing mane of hair and dragged her to the ground as she slipped on the icy ground. Natalya cried out in pain and fell to all fours. A moment later, a boot to her gut reintroduced her to the tushonka she’d had for dinner that evening. She retched and heaved it out into the snow, gasping for air before a kick to her head caused her to see stars. She rolled onto her back and tried to cover her face from the blows that rained down upon her. “Please! Let me go!”
“Fuck you! I haven’t had a bite to eat in three days since you noble bastards robbed us blind!” A boy shouted. The kicks kept coming. A bootheel collided with Natalya’s nose, and she felt a stream of her own blood running down her face, staining the uniform she had painstakingly cleaned each night. Again, she cried out for help, only to be spat on and kicked again.
“Don’t kill her! They might be hiding more food somewhere else.” A girl’s voice this time. She was watching as three pairs of boots stomped and trampled on the helpless noble.
Three boys, and a girl leading them. I don’t stand a chance. All I can do is beg. “Stop! Please! I’ll- agh! Tell you whatever you want to know!” Tears ran down Natalya’s cheeks and mingled with her blood.
“Yeah? We’ll make sure you can still talk, don’t worry.” A kick to her groin caused Natalya to vomit up what little she had left in her stomach all over her uniform.
I’m going to die. Just as that thought lodged itself in Natalya’s mind, the kicking stopped.
A boy knelt down and held a switchblade to her throat. “Tell us where the rest of your food is.”
Natalya struggled to breathe, each breath sending pain shooting through her chest. She looked up at the dark figure above her. “There… isn’t any. It was all… in the warehouse.” She knew that the truth would probably get her killed. But what point was there in living like this any longer? She would either be slaughtered or starve to death herself, now that she was alone.
“Fuck you! I know you’re lying!” The pommel of the knife smashed against Natalya’s forehead, and yet more blood began to run down her face. “This is your last chance.”
“...I think she’s telling the truth.” The girl Natalya heard earlier spoke up. “She knows she can’t get away from us, right?” The knife withdrew, as the boy atop her looked to the other students for guidance.
“So what?” Another boy asked.
“So if she really wanted to lie, she’d tell us there was some and try to escape when we went to look for it.”
She’s right. I… would have done that.
“Tch. So what do we do with her, Dina?” The boy wielding the knife sounded uncertain.
“...You know what to do. Just make it quick… I’m sick of hearing screaming.”
I suppose I can oblige. A noblewoman ought to be stoic in the face of death. And what’s the point? There’s nobody left to save me.
“Hold her still.” One of the other boys grabbed her by the hair, holding her head steady. It was only as the knife hovered above her throat that Natalya realized how badly she wanted to live.
It was a ridiculous notion, really. Even if she had any chance of surviving the madness Reunion had subjected them to, the life waiting for Natalya back home was a hell of its own. Still, she began to beg with her assailants again. “Please, no! We are civilized people! Let me go….” The boy holding her twisted one of her ears, trying to tear it off with brute strength alone.
“Shut up! Was it civilized of you to beat us up and steal all our food?!”
Natalya howled in pain. “I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die!”
“Hey!” A rough female voice barked, and the hand clutching the knife froze.
One of the others? No, a voice like that definitely doesn’t belong to a noble. The boys holding Natalya down stood up warily, ready for a fight.
“This one’s ours! Piss off.”
Natalya, finally free of restraint, rolled over onto her stomach to look. The sight was one she would remember for the rest of her life. A lone girl stood before them, silhouetted by the glow of the burning warehouse. She was caked in soot and blood from head to toe. In one hand, she held a gas mask by its strap. The other clutched an old cricket bat, already soaked in blood. One of the masks we found in the storeroom! Then this is-
“You wanna die? This one’s mine.” The tough girl’s words were dripping with naked fury.
Not content to have others do your dirty work? I suppose that makes you a better person than me. Natalya smiled to herself in the darkness. If nothing else, at least my death will be somewhat poetic.
The boy with the pocketknife moved towards the intruder, his weapon raised. “Are you out of your mind, you crazy bitch? Go back to where you-” A swing of the bat interrupted his sentence. A single blow was all it took to knock him off his feet. The second swing was aimed right at his skull. Natalya heard the crunch as the blunt edge of the bat ended his life.
The girl who had just ordered Natalya to be killed screamed in horror. “Grisha!”
Now would be the time to stand and run. She’s still outnumbered. That would be the logical choice. But… the way this girl carries herself? She looks invincible.
The other two boys charged the intruder. Whoosh, thunk. Whoosh, thunk. Both fell to the ground. Neither was given mercy. The bat fell twice more. Behind her, Natalya could hear the boys’ leader fleeing for her life. The sounds of her group being hunted down had stopped. Most of the other students had already retreated into the darkness, or were trying to brave the inferno to search for scraps of food. Nobody’s eyes were on the battered noble laying in the snow, save for the girl before her. Slowly, she stepped forward, until she was right in front of Natalya. She tapped one tear-stained cheek with the flat edge of the bat. Natalya felt warm, sticky blood cling to her hair and face where it touched. “Get up.”
“I… can’t.” Natalya could barely even speak. Every breath she took only invited more agony.
“I heard you. You said you didn’t want to die. So get up.”
Now that she was closer, Natalya could see just how badly the other girl had been hurt. Did you… go in there all by yourself to try and take our food?
“...What the hell are you gawking at? Stand up already.”
Natalya began to sob again. “I can’t! Everything… everything hurts.”
“Goddamnit. Here, gimme your hand.” The girl threw the bat aside into the snow and stuffed the gas mask into her coat pocket.
Shakily, Natalya reached out. “Are you going to kill me…?” The other girl took it and pulled Natalya to her feet, slipping one of the noble’s arms across her shoulder to steady her. She was considerably shorter than the girl she was trying to support.
“Dumbass. I’d have done that already. Now let’s go.”
Together, they limped towards one of the school buildings, away from the fire. “Why…?” Natalya was barely even walking. It was more like she was clinging to the other girl, and being dragged along.
“...I don’t want to kill anybody else tonight.” After some fifty agonizing paces, the girl kicked open a door to one of the stairwells. While the sound of students fighting was constant outside, this portion of the campus was mostly deserted. It was the nearest building to the Reunion encampment, and no matter how desperate, the children were terrified of them. “Hah… I need a breather. You’re too damn heavy.” The girl dropped Natalya on the stairs, awkwardly letting her slump down into a vaguely seated position before flopping down beside her. “Rather go back in that fucking fire than carry you up three flights of stairs.”
“I’m sorry.” Natalya mumbled. What am I sorry for? For allowing any of this to happen? For being caught? For troubling you?
“Shut up. What’s your name, anyway?”
Natalya sniffled, rubbing a sleeve against her bloody nose to try and clean it. Most of the blood had already started to dry, and she succeeded only in making a further mess of her clothes. “Natalya… Andreyevna… Rostova.”
The girl lightly pressed her knuckles to Natalya’s cheek and gave her a little shove. “Just say Natalya. Who gives a shit about the rest?”
“...Everybody else in the world, it seems.”
“I’m not everybody else.”
Natalya attempted to offer a polite chuckle in response, but it left her lips as a strained wheeze. “I suppose not… What about your name?” If you really mean to save me, I ought to have your name.
“...Sonya.”
“That’s a… lovely name. It’s nice to meet you, Sonya.” Natalya’s refined mannerisms were beginning to return to her. It almost felt like an ordinary conversation, were they not both covered in blood and beaten half to death. If things were normal, maybe they’d just be a couple of students staying late to work on a project. Maybe we’d even be friends.
“Whatever.” Sonya sighed. “Listen, I’m gonna take you back to my group. We’ve been hiding out upstairs. They aren’t going to be happy, but if you keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking, they’ll probably let you stay.”
“But… I’m…”
Sonya got to her feet. “Doesn’t matter. I’m the leader.”
That hardly surprises me. After what I saw… I think you must be the sort of girl they would follow anywhere.
“Am I a prisoner of war, then?” Sonya reached down and flicked Natalya’s forehead. “Ow!” She yelped, as if that was anything more than a tickle compared to earlier.
“You’re a middle schooler, idiot. Stop being so dramatic. Gimme your hand. Let’s climb before I change my mind about carrying your ass.”
Natalya did as she was told. Together, the two of them limped up to the third story of the science building. Sonya grunted and panted and swore the whole way, but she was true to her word. When they reached the third story, the sound of a heated argument reached their ears from behind the doors of one of the nearby classrooms. “Clearly, she abandoned us! Slipped out in the middle of the night. Some hero your General Zima is, Anna.”
General Zima. Natalya recognized the name, as would any child of Chernobog. So that is who you are. For a general, you are quite humble.
“Vika, please, calm down. We don’t know what’s happened yet! She might have run out to go fight the fire.” The argument grew louder as Sonya and Natalya hobbled towards the door. She could hear crying, too.
“It’ll be alright, Lada…” A fourth voice soothed. Finally, they were at the door. Sonya raised the arm not supporting Natalya and pounded on the door. Two short knocks, followed by five quick ones, tapping out the rhythm of an unfamiliar tune. “It’s her!”
The door creaked open, and Sonya and Natalya stumbled into the classroom. “Sonya!” Two familiar faces rushed to their side. “Are you alright? What happened?! And… Natalya?!” The blue-haired girl was mostly coherent, while the little blonde could only cling to Sonya’s jacket and wail.
“Hey, I’m alright… Don’t cry… I know you were holding down the fort for me, right, Lada?” There were two more girls, further back in the room, lit by candlelight. One was a short, scowling brunette clutching a stuffed bear. The other was a dark-haired girl with a pair of red hairpins.
Rosalind, I believe. Pavel and some of the others got beaten quite severely by her. I did not know she and General Zima were part of the same group…
The blue-haired girl shut the door and locked it behind them. “Lada, can you fetch the first-aid kit? We need to tend to Sonya’s wounds immediately.”
The tiny blonde nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Okay…”
Sonya reached down with the hand not supporting Natalya and gave her a quick hug. “I’m back, see? I’ll be fine.” Lada swallowed once and quickly scurried off to fetch medical supplies.
The other girl stayed at their side, her arms folded. She was glaring daggers right at Natalya. “Sonya. Do you know who this is?”
“Anna, meet Natalya. The newest member of the USSG… if you say it’s alright.”
Anna sized her up. Natalya could tell in an instant that the slight, bookish girl was who Sonya truly answered to. She had been a classmate, a lifetime ago, but even then, there had been a resentment behind those chilly blue eyes. “...We have met. Did you do this to her?” Anna began to remove Natalya’s overcoat, wary of the various stains left upon it.
“Nah. Saved her sorry ass from a few gopniks.”
Anna looked over her exquisite clothing. “Was she…?”
Was I with the nobles? You must know the answer already, Anna.
“Yeah… doesn’t matter anymore. They’re all gone.” Sonya helped her over to an improvised bedspread made from curtains ripped from classroom walls. It was wide enough that ten or more people could comfortably sleep there.
What happened to the rest of your group…?
“Lay down,” Sonya instructed her.
Anna trailed behind. As Natalya laid down on her back, the two girls’ conversation grew hushed. “Sonya… Knowing who she is… Are you certain?”
“Yeah… I fucked up real bad tonight. Please, Anna… Let me do one thing right.”
A moment passed in complete silence. Anna sighed. “Very well.”
You must trust Sonya immensely.
The smaller Ursus knelt and helped Natalya sit up as another wave of pain nearly doubled her over. “Natalya. As our counselor, allow me to welcome you to the Ursus Student Self-Governing Group. The USSG, for short.”
What a curious name... But I hardly need to imagine which one of you chose it.
“I am Anna, if you have forgotten. You have met Sonya already. It is obvious you will require what little first aid we can perform, but is there anything else you need? Food, water, clean clothes?” Natalya shook her head. She’d been eating well the last few days. Anna must have known that, too, but she asked all the same.
“We find ourselves surrounded by many common students, and I do not want them to see such disgraceful conduct from us.”
How hollow my words ring now. The group of girls before her had gotten by just as the nobles had, all without plundering like barbarians.
“If you’re keeping an eye on her, I guess I’ll help Rosalind keep watch.” Sonya stretched and started to walk away, but Anna blocked her path.
“No. You will both be taken care of by Lada.”
“But-” Sonya began to protest.
“No buts. Get undressed so Lada can have a look at you. I will not have you walking wounded.”
Sonya sighed like an impetuous child and flopped down on the bedspread next to Natalya. When Anna walked away to check on their first-aid preparations, the dark-haired Ursus spoke. “Looks like you made it. Happy to be alive?”
Am I happy to be alive? The same is probably true as before. I will either starve to death or be killed in cold blood. But… Perhaps Sonya really will save me. She took on all of us by herself. And these girls… If nothing else, they seem like better company than my group was. Though a concrete answer felt nowhere within reach, Natalya managed a muttered response. “...I don’t know.”
Sonya didn’t seem like she was interested in her answer, anyway. She tugged off each of her boots, and threw one across the room, hitting Anna right in the bottom. “Sonya!” The Ursus girl squealed. The sight of her clutching her rear and glaring back at the two of them was too much. Natalya covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle.
“Oh, yeah. Probably should introduce you to the others.” Sonya shed her coat and shook some of the soot out of her hair.
“I have heard of Rosalind. Is that who that girl over there is?”
Sonya grinned. “Yeah. Hear that, General Leto?! You got a reputation!”
“Damn right I do!” Rosalind cheered from across the room.
“And… the blonde girl is Lada. Anna and her went to my school.”
Sonya nodded. “That’s right. She’s a sweetheart. The other one’s Vika.” Vika, for her part, seemed to want to have nothing to do with their new member. She was on the far end of the classroom, looking out the window at the fire.
“...Not so sweet, that one?”
“Yeah. She wanted us to try and join your little group. Not too happy with how tonight turned out, I bet.”
“I fear she would have been sorely disappointed by what she found there,” Natalya replied bitterly.
“Yeah, no shit.” The Ursus tugged off her shirt, exposing a flat chest and a crop of wispy brown hair that ran from her collar to her waistband. Her entire body was littered with bruises, scratches, and scrapes. Some looked fresh, and others were months old.
“Ah. Sonya, are you…?”
The Ursus fixed her with a deadly serious expression. “I’m a girl. Don’t ask again.”
Natalya felt her cheeks go hot. “N-no, of course. I meant to ask… Do these hurt?” She reached over and poked one of the bruises her group must have given Sonya.
“Blyat! Yes, it hurts, idiot!” Sonya swatted at Natalya’s hand, and she quickly withdrew it. After that, they sat in silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Natalya watched as Sonya stripped down to her underwear, revealing yet more injuries.
So this is what a real leader looks like. Until tonight, I had not suffered so much as a scratch. I’m not sure I could even count all the scars Sonya carries. The sound of one of the other girls approaching brought her back to the present.
It was the cute little blonde, Lada, holding a first-aid kit. “Sonya… You got hurt again.” Lada looked so young compared to the rest, thanks to her rosy cheeks and cute pigtails.
“I’m fine. Say hi to Natalya. Practically had to carry her up here on my back, so make sure you patch her up alright.”
Natalya offered Lada a polite smile. “Hello, Lada.” To her surprise, the other girl smiled right back at her.
“Hi! Are you and Sonya friends?”
“Nah. She’s just some dumbass I saved. Take care of her first. She might have broken something.”
And you didn’t? In all that fighting?
“What about you, Sonya…?” Lada looked worried.
“I’m fine. If I broke something, I’d know. You think General Zima’s gonna let some noble bastard get a real hit in on her?” Bloody, bruised, and battered, Sonya still smiled for Lada’s sake. That pain had been real, though. She was wearing a mask.
“Okay… Um, Natalya? Can you take your shirt off? I need to see where you’re hurt.” Lada sat down in front of her, brushing a bit of hair aside where it had been matted by blood. Natalya did as she was told, unbuttoning her dress and shaking it off. Sonya had been watching, but she quickly rolled over to stare at the wall instead.
“Is anything still bleeding?”
“I don’t think so.” Natalya replied. Gently, Lada’s tiny fingers probed at her abdomen, feeling for any injuries. When they brushed up against the left side of her ribcage, Natalya winced in pain, her eyes tearing up. “Ah… That really hurts…”
Lada prodded the spot. “Right here?”
Natalya had to quickly cover her mouth to keep from crying out. “Y-yes…”
The blonde frowned. “You might have bruised a couple ribs… Did you get into a fight?”
Natalya took a deep, labored breath. “I…”
Sonya interrupted, still not looking. “She got her ass kicked. Girl’s never thrown a real punch in her life.”
“...Her words sting, but it is the truth.”
“Oh… Then you must be really tough to still be smiling, right?” Lada beamed.
You really are a sweetheart. “Thank you, Lada. I do not feel tough right now, though…”
“It’s okay! Now that you’re with us, General Zima will take care of you, too! She’s really really strong. So is Rosalind!”
Right. I will place my faith in Sonya. “She certainly is strong. And very brave, too…”
Beside her, General Zima groaned. “You’re annoying.”
Natalya chuckled at Sonya’s belligerence, putting a hand on the girl’s bare shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should have mentioned that before I made you carry me up the stairs.” The General tensed up beneath her touch, and Natalya quickly pulled her hand away. Soon, her attention was drawn back to Lada, who was running a hand through the noble’s hair, trying to smooth out some of the clumps where blood and soot still lingered.
“I bet your hair is really soft and pretty when it’s clean… If you want, I can help you wash it in the morning.”
Oh, that would be truly wonderful right now. “Ah, thank you, but… is there enough water to spare for that?”
“Mhm! We don’t have a lot of food, but we have plenty of water. We’ve been melting snow and boiling it in some pots we found, so it’s okay to drink, too!”
We never thought of that. Most of our water came from the ‘tributes’ Pavel and the others collected. “I’d like that, then…”
Rosalind came over, carrying a beaker of that same water. “Hey, Lada. Scoot for a sec, gotta get the lady her drink.” She handed it to Natalya, who took it in both hands and wasted no time gulping down half of it.
“A pity I didn’t think to save any teacups.” It felt so good to drink, even if it was just room temperature. The nobles had been rationing their water for the past four days.
“How’d you hear about me, anyway?” Rosalind asked, as she took the empty beaker back from Natalya.
“Some of the boys in my group told me you beat them all up single-handedly.”
Rosalind grinned ear to ear. “Doesn’t narrow it down much with all the ass me and Sonya have been kicking, but that sounds about right.”
Lada moved back in to finish her check-up, taking a cool rag made from a scrap of someone’s school uniform and pressing it to Natalya’s face to clean off the blood. “Hold still… I’m almost done.”
Rosalind gave Natalya a wave and pat Lada on the head. “I’ll give our girl some space to work. Just give me a shout if you need anything else. Me and Vika are on watch tonight.” Sonya gave Rosalind a thumbs up, and Natalya nodded politely.
“I will. Thank you again, Rosalind. And… Thank you for teaching Pavel a lesson. I never did like him.” And yet I let him do as he pleased, all this time. What became of him?
“Anytime. You rest up, alright?” Rosalind winked.
“Of course.” It was a little strange, having a conversation while the blood was scrubbed off her face.
“Okay… That’s about all I can do right now if you’re not bleeding… Just try to keep breathing normally and tell me if it starts to hurt really bad again…”
Natalya ran a hand through her hair. “My thanks again, Lada. You’re an angel.”
“Hehe. I just want to help. I can’t fight like Sonya and Rosalind, but I know a lot about cooking and first aid! I was a Youth Scout…”
Was. Not even two weeks, and we all act as if life will never return to normal. But at some point, the army will come and chase Reunion away, right? Trying not to lose herself again, Natalya gave Lada a pat on the head, just as Rosalind had. “You’re incredible. Maybe you can teach me some tricks later? I don’t know how to do either.”
Lada grinned. “Of course! Tomorrow! Once I take care of Sonya, I wanna go back to sleep…”
Sonya waved Lada away. “Go to sleep now. I’ll be fine.”
Lada put her foot down. “Nuh-uh. Anna said I should do the thing if you give me any trouble.”
Still, Sonya refused to move. “It’s an order. None of that. I’m tired.” With her back turned to Natalya and Lada, the General’s fluffy brown tail was in clear view, poking out above the waistband of her underwear. Natalya looked from the tail to Lada, and then back once more as the girl pounced on Sonya.
“Tickle tickle!” Natalya watched in shock as Sonya bolted upright.
“Agh! Fine, fine, fine, dammit! None of that!” Gummy triumphantly rolled off the General and dug into the first-aid kit.
Natalya laughed. “You two get along well.”
“Forget you saw that.” Sonya exhaled, blowing a few tangled locks of chestnut hair away from her eyes.
“It never happened,” Natalya replied with a cheeky smile.
Lada began to poke at Sonya, who acted much tougher than she had when Natalya touched her. “Where does it hurt?”
Sonya just shrugged. “Everywhere, I guess. But I think I’m alright… Didn’t get hit anywhere too important. I bet you Anna hits harder than most of those nobles did.” Lada frowned.
“You promise?” Lada didn’t seem convinced.
“Yeah. Might wake up with a black eye or two, though…” The girl took another fresh rag and began to scrub the soot and blood off of Sonya’s face. Sonya grumbled as Lada rubbed at her cheeks with the rag. “...Do you really gotta do this now?”
“Uh-huh! You have to show Natalya how pretty you are.”
Sonya scoffed. “You’re the only one who calls me stuff like that.”
It is true. She’s quite handsome, now that I can see her in the light.
“That’s because you always get mad when anyone else tries to…”
Sonya folded her arms over her bare chest. “Hmph.”
Seeing that Lada was almost done, Anna came back over, yawning slightly. “Mm. Is Sonya behaving herself?”
Natalya nodded. “She’s been a model student.”
Lada looked over her shoulder and giggled. “She didn’t want me to take care of her, but I did the thing like you told me to.”
Anna smiled. “Good girl. Once you finish, we all ought to get some sleep.”
Sonya looked to Anna. “How’s your friend doing?”
Anna frowned. “Vika is… not pleased. Nor am I. If that fire burned the food the nobles were hoarding, we’ll have to seriously evaluate our options come morning.”
“It did… Anything that wasn’t burned has already been looted, I’m sure.” Natalya explained. She glanced over to Sonya, who was staring right at her. The message was loud and clear. Don’t tell them she was in there. “...I’m still not sure what started it, but it took most of the food and water right away.”
Anna sighed. “How frustrating. Unless Reunion suddenly decides to start handing out rations, things are going to get desperate soon.”
Sonya, finally done being scrubbed, looked at Anna with a scowl. “I wouldn’t trust anything those guys gave us to eat.” Lada drew back, quietly packing up her first aid kit like a child trying to avoid an argument between her parents.
“It’s wishful thinking, either way. If we were truly meant to be hostages, I can’t imagine they would allow anarchy like this.”
Natalya offered a bitter nod in agreement. “Least of all amongst the nobles. The massacre tonight represents the loss of a significant bargaining chip for Reunion. If they ever intended to bargain with our families in the first place…”
Sonya shrugged. “I wanna sleep. Let’s save this for tomorrow. Lada, you gonna be okay sleeping with Anna?”
Lada nodded, and Anna cocked her head. “And what do you plan to do?”
Sonya pointed to Natalya. “She’s probably gonna start bawling like a kid again real soon. I’ll make sure she doesn’t keep us all up.”
Natalya looked shocked by the accusation, but… Sonya was right. “Yes… I might very well do that. I hope you will forgive me in advance.”
For the first time, Natalya saw a smile cross Anna’s face. “It’s quite alright, Natalya. I’m sure whatever you witnessed tonight was… unpleasant. If you have to cry, do not be ashamed.”
Lada chimed in. “Mhm! I cry a lot still, but Anna and Sonya always make me feel better!”
Do I deserve such a thing after all that has happened tonight? A shoulder to cry upon? If I had been wiser, I could have used our position to distribute food to the needy students and prevented all this from happening.
“Blow the candles out. I’m going to sleep.” Sonya laid on her back. Anna stepped away to go around the room, blowing out each of their lights one by one as Lada slipped off her shoes and settled in.
“Maybe… All four of us could sleep together? Natalya looks really warm…” Lada asked, laying down on Sonya’s left.
“Tch. If Anna says it’s alright, I guess.”
I have no say in the matter, it seems.
“C’mere, you.” Sonya motioned to Natalya. “And stop looking at me like that. It gets drafty as hell.”
Natalya had never shared a bed with another girl, let alone three. She’d waved away Pavel’s offers of ‘companionship’ multiple times, having no interest in such things. They’d had decent bedding there at the warehouse, after all. In the end, it was just more fuel for the fire. “Do we have any pillows or blankets?” Natalya asked, feeling quite self conscious as Sonya pulled her into her arms. She hadn’t bothered to replace her shirt, nor had Natalya been given a chance to replace hers. Not that she would want to wear a soiled, blood-soaked dress to sleep anyway. The feeling of having so much bare skin touching her own was strange. She could feel Sonya’s chest hair tickling her cheek as she wrapped an arm around the shorter girl in return.
Anna soon returned, laying down on Lada’s left, as far from Natalya as possible. “Can we sleep with them too, Anna?” Lada asked.
“If Sonya says she doesn’t mind, yes.”
Sonya sighed. “Fine. Just squeeze in behind Lada.” Natalya could hear rustling, and she felt Lada and Anna’s arms wrap around Sonya’s midriff, brushing against her own. “If I start sweating my ass off, you guys gotta go cuddle somewhere else, though.”
“I will… try not to be too warm, then.” It was curious. All her friends– if they could be called that, had perished or fled, but for the first time, she felt a bit of optimism. Sonya, Lada, Rosalind, Anna… they were all such lively, wonderful girls. Even with so little, they were not squabbling over titles and parentage.
“Good night, Sonya, Lada… Natalya.” Anna had hesitated.
“Night,” Sonya mumbled.
“Nighty night!” Lada chirped.
“Good night, you three… Thank you for taking me in. And Sonya… thank you for saving me…”
Sonya pinched Natalya’s ear. “Just don’t make me regret it.”
Finally, all in the classroom was quiet. Rosalind and Vika didn’t seem to be particularly chatty. All she could hear was the sounds of fighting outside somewhere on the campus, and even more, further beyond. Perhaps the army is coming here to save us now. Perhaps this nightmare will all be over soon. Or… perhaps I really will die here. Was it worth it? Natalya played the many images of the night back in her mind. One in particular stood out. Sonya had looked truly mesmerizing with the flames at her back, like a knight in shining armor. I’m hers, she said… But hers for what? Natalya looked up. Sonya was staring down at her in the dark. “Sonya…” Natalya murmured the girl’s name.
“Quiet. Anna and Lada need to sleep.”
Natalya nodded and put her head back against Sonya’s chest. She could hear the steady rhythm of Sonya’s heart. It was soothing. Perhaps she plans to make me atone for what I have done. Perhaps she does not truly know just how complicit I was. I suppose time will tell… Natalya could not believe just how unreal this situation had become. She hurt so badly. Then… Sonya must be in far more pain. At least my hands have remained clean. Natalya could still hear the sound of Sonya’s bat splitting open the first boy’s skull. They would have let her leave. She killed for my sake. As she must have for all these girls. And yet… she seems unbothered. If nothing else, Natalya had learned quite a lesson. Whatever nobility meant, she had not a shred to her name. It had all been abandoned the moment she allowed such abominable acts to be carried out for the sake of her and the others’ comfort. Perhaps if I follow Sonya, I will find the answer. I think I would like that. The tears would come later. So, so many tears. But that night, in Sonya’s arms, Natalya managed to sleep with a smile on her face.