The sound of breaking glass caused Seda to jump into the wall behind her. A wave of panic surged, hitting her chest and freezing her limbs.
CAW! CAW!
Seda didn’t think to protect herself as a bird flew in through a broken window and over her, barely missing her head. It effortlessly swooped around the room and perched on top of a cabinet, staring down at her with seeing eyes.
These damn birds!Why are they after me today?
“Get out!” she yelled, her anger flaring, causing the slightest bit of vibration to echo in her chest. She grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at the bird in the kitchen. Its azure-tipped beak let out another caw as it averted her pillow.
The bird danced around her attacks as she tried to direct it back out of the window. With some yelling, lots of pillow throwing, and a lost towel in the process, she managed to get the nuisance out of the apartment.
She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her again, eyeing the broken window in its fullness for the first time.
That was going to cost a lot to fix.
“What the hell is wrong with these damn birds?” She now had a mess to clean in their apartment and a broken window to repair.
The door lock clicked, and Cahir walked in carrying a paper bag of food and froze when he saw the chaos in the room.
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked. He looked around at the pillows scattered across the apartment, the cabinet doors left open, and the broken window.He quickly set the bag down and rushed to her, looking over her body for injuries.
“A bird broke the window and came in! Why do they follow me around?”
He looked down at her towel, as if suddenly recognizing she was wearing it, causing his cheeks to flush with warmth.
He cleared his throat and turned away from her. “I’m glad you’re okay. We’ll get this fixed and cleaned, don’t worry.” His voice was soft as he spoke. He looked back at her, his eyes fixed on hers. “Something happened when I was grabbing the food.”
He gently released her and went back to the portrait to pay his respects.
She waited for him to finish his prayer before she asked, “What?”
He sighed and ran his hands over his face before saying, “They were starting to run low as I got our food, and the line had backed up pretty long behind me. A fight broke out, and they arrested roughly thirty people, including children.”
Seda’s jaw dropped. Thirty? Children, too? When had the Rozzers started taking children? All the punishments she had seen and been part of for kids involved public displays, always returning them to their parents afterward. Only after a child finished primary school at age fifteen were they considered adults and sent to the Camp if they misbehaved
She winced as she thought about children getting hurt. There was just no way they were collecting them. Her nerves twisted into a tight knot. There had to be a reason.
“I don’t know, Sed. I know I’ve said this before, but we should leave this place.” He walked over to the broken window and gazed out.
Cahir always talked about leaving, like there was some safe haven waiting outside the dome, and the suggestion made her frustrated every time.
“And go where?” she huffed, throwing her hands in the air. Her towel almost slipped, and she grabbed onto it quickly. “I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. Maybe they just removed the kids from the scene and are finding their homes now.”
“Yeah, maybe.” His eyes grew wide as he glanced at where she held the towel, then he quickly looked away. “We could go anywhere.There’s a whole world out there.” He extended his arm toward the window.
“A world full of nothing but monsters, remember?” she sighed. “We’ve talked about this.”
He didn’t reply.
“Did something else happen?” she asked as she approached him, taking a deep breath to calm her agitation. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
“No.” He turned back to her. “I managed to get bananas, oatmeal, and some milk as well. We only have two food tokens left.”
“Thank you for going. I’ll clean this mess,” Seda said as she started picking up the items she had thrown around the room, having to hold the towel tightly so it wouldn’t fall off.
“You should probably get some clothes on. Why don’t you let me clean this time?”
She glanced at him, smirking. “Fine.” She shook her head and headed to the bedroom. Cahir always left a mess. She’d clean up behind him later.
