Twenty-seven: Apple bobbing

A guard beckoned me to him and I walked over to see what he had to say. I braced my hands on my thighs.

"You might have made a new time record today," he gave a friendly smile and I nodded wordlessly. I was too puffed out to try and speak. "Don't climb or jump the walls anymore after today. They're going to mend and strengthen the walls and build them higher with barbed wire and broken glass on the top. Tell your friends. I don't want any of you to get hurt."

I nodded my understanding. It was about time they got around to the walls. But if they were strengthening the wall defences, did that mean the war was heating up again?

"We're anticipating the Boskies to make a move to expand their territory and push into our side of the city some time in the next few weeks," the guard told me in a quiet voice. "Go to work and come back quickly when you go out. Don't dawdle anywhere. It's going to get more unsafe out there with our people chasing the Bosky spies that are still loose out there while trying to evacuate whoever we can while we still have time."

"That serious?" I gasped and he nodded.

"By next month, anyone who hasn't left the Compound yet probably won't get the chance to," he shrugged. "Where's your friend, by the way? She isn't usually this far behind you."

Eleanor's red car cruised past the security guards and they waved for her to drive on. I wasn't close enough to the car to see in through the windows and find out who was leaving. I stepped closer to the shadow of the tree so that they wouldn't need to see me. I had heard some of the girls mention in the toilets the other day that just the sight of me ruined their day most of the time. They hadn't realised I was in there. Then again, they might have known I was present and said it on purpose.

I felt bad. I didn't mean to be a reminder of the Boskies, spies and war to them. Since they didn't want to see me and make things awkward, I did my best to stay out of their sight. I didn't want to be ruining other people's lives if just the sight of me made them feel so uncomfortable.

"I'll go and find her," I said and once Eleanor's red car was out of sight, ran back outside the Compound to see if Katja had fallen down or had an accident or something. I ran quite a distance but only came across a puffing and panting, red faced Priscilla.

"I give up," she called out at the sight of me. "I give up. You win. I'll probably never be able to beat you."

Blinking, I tilted my head, feeling confused. Since when had she joined in the race? Why didn't I know about this? Had she joined the race and I was just having a memory blank? Had she joined in part way and I just didn't know about it?

Priscilla held onto my shoulder while she gasped for breath and I continued to look at her in bewilderment.

"Man, you're so fast," she panted, patting me on the shoulder. "I can see that you'll win the Olympics gold medal one day. You and Katja both. You guys are crazy."

"Uh," I scratched my sweaty head, feeling awkward. This was what I didn't like about Priscilla. She was so good at making people around her feel uncomfortable and awkward. It was frankly a bit irritating sometimes but I didn't blame her. Some people were just like that. Extremely awkward. "When did you join the race?"

"Oh!" Priscilla exclaimed and stood up straight with a finger in the air. "That's right. Katja asked me to finish the race in her stead and inform you that she was leaving the Compound with Eleanor and the others in her unit. I'm the only other one in our team left. You may not have realised but Maurie left two weeks ago."

Uh, I had noticed but I decided to let her have her moment. Maurie had said goodbye to me, after all. Unlike many of the others, I had at least been given the chance to wish him well. He hadn't been to work since then. We'd even all shared a now rare packet of party lollies for a mini goodbye party. I was pretty sure Priscilla had seen me there.

"Thanks," I said, walking with her back toward the Compound gates. "Thanks for letting me know."

"That's the first and last time I'm ever going to race you," Priscilla declared to me, patting me on the back. "I don't want to kill myself trying to keep up, so don't expect me to be your running partner. I might be good at lifting weights and probably even lift heavier weights than you, but I'm no energizer bunny."

"I see," I replied with the same level of seriousness she was directing at me. "I didn't expect you to take Katja's place in my races. You don't need to keep me company. I can exercise on my own. Don't worry."

"Oh, good," Priscilla wiped sweat off her brow, "because I have an appointment to go apple bobbing now. I'm going to learn how to make decorative flowers out of ribbons with my club and all, you see."

"Oh," I blinked and tried not to laugh at her choice of fake past times. Each to their own. Also, it was a Wednesday. Replacing apple bobbing for swimming was pretty amusing. Maybe her team were having a competition today. Who knew what she had replaced the ribbon flowers for? Going by the time, wasn't she running late? "You'd better get going then," I smiled at her. "Have fun. Win a prize ribbon or something."

"I'll try," Priscilla kicked at a tuft of grass and grumbled. "I'm not very athletic. Sometimes looking at you makes me feel envious. People like you and Katja are so good at everything."

A car beeped from the side of the road and Priscilla looked up.

"Oh! That's my ride," she leapt away and ran to the car. She waved and I waved back.

Sometimes, just sometimes, the awkward girl could be a little cute.

"Did you find her?" the guard asked me when I walked back in through the gates, kicking a stone.

"She's been cleared of any suspicion. She's moved out of the Compound," I told him.

"That's good," the guard nodded and waved goodbye."Have a good day."

"Have a good rest of your shift," I replied with a return wave.

Then I let my head droop my chin back into my chest while I continued kicking the stone around. I went to buy a plain bun from the bakery and sat on the hill behind the toilet block while I watched the sunset, eating my plain dinner. Somehow, I felt exhausted and dropped off.

Musical chimes and the bell for curfew made me leap up in panic. It was dark. I raced down the hill and around the corner, tripping on my own feet in my hurry. I landed flying in front of a pair of security guards before leaping back up to pull at my locked door.

"Aha," sneered the hateful female security guard who seemed to have something against me. She poked me hard in the head. "Missing curfew. Attempted assault on security guards. You, little waste, are in big trouble."

"Take her in for questioning," her male partner chuckled, gripping me tightly by the upper arm and hauling me along.

I tried to explain but I couldn't get a word in edgewise. In the end, I had to just lower my head and put up with their scolding. They probably knew and had seen where I was all along through the cameras.

In an airless room, I was pushed, punched, pinched and kicked around like a hackysack. They spat in my face, calling me names and cursing me until I began to wonder whether they were right about any of that. Whether I had really done something against my conscience and betrayed my country. Until I didn't know who or where I was anymore.

Then I was flung into my room and the door was locked behind me. Whatever. I was definitely never ever going to miss curfew again.