Let's Play A Game, Alpha

2 - Breaking My Lamp Is Not Cool

Flora and I were eating dinner. Somehow, I had managed to make lasagna that was actually edible and I had done it without burning the building down. Shocking, isn't it? And the saddest part is that this was actually one of the biggest accomplishments I had done for the year.

Last night was still weighing down on my mind, but I was determined to keep my mouth shut. Sleep tugged at my eyes. School was wearing me out. I had half the mind to drop out. But in Draycott, with knowledge comes great power. If I ever wanted to get out of here, then I would have to suffer through another year of school.

Flora took another bite, chewing harder than necessary. She had already voiced her displeasure about the noodles being hard, but I was just glad for the fact that there was a slight chance we wouldn't get food poisoning again like the last time I had attempted to make dinner. Cleaning up vomit wasn't as pleasant as it sounded. Not that it even sounded pleasant in the first place.

"Ew, why is there brown stuff in my food?" she mumbled through a mouth full of orange juice. It dribbled down the front of her shirt, covering the small white rabbit. I sighed and passed her a napkin, with which Flora began wiping and making an even bigger mess.

"It's the meat." I answered. I grabbed a towel and wiped her chin. A second later, there was a clattering from the living room, and Mother stumbled into the kitchen. Flora took no notice and continued eating. I was surprised to see that she had managed to wake up.

Mother looked barely human. Her blonde hair had withered down, which left her scalp visible to the thin strands that had managed to stay on. Her blue eyes which Flora and I both inherited were cloudy, with red rings around it. Wrinkles and stains covered her face, and a thin white powder left a trail down her mouth. She was a walking zombie, and smelt of puke even from where Flora and I sat. Pity creased Flora's eyes. Even she could see what a mess our mother was.

"D-Did you feed the dog?"

I ignored her. Flora was about to answer, but one look from me silenced her. We didn't even have a dog. We watched her stumble to the sink. A second later, there was a fit of couching and then the sound of vomit hitting against steel.

"Ewww." Flora mumbled.

I grabbed her bowl of food with mine, and we went to the living room. Ignoring the many bottles of beer on the floor, I set down the food on the glass coffee table. Flora obediently sat down and began eating again, attempting to read a book at the same time. I took a bite of the lasagna and turned the old tv on. A news reporter in a horrid pink pantsuit was reading off the latest news of the night on the BBC channel.

"-for the loss of such valuable lives. And back to you, John."

The screen flashed over to a burly man in a charcoal suit. He was balding and had a deep baritone voice. Ribbons of the minor news in other countries passed across the screen with a blue background. The reporter cleared his throat, shuffled his papers, looked directly into the camera, and began speaking.

"A shocking discovery was made this morning in Draycott, London. Police came to investigate a call made by local fisherman passing through the area about a rancid smell near Draycott Library. It was later confirmed that the cause of the smell had been from a newly deceased body found between the alley of King and Seward Street. Details are still coming in, but the first report has claimed this was a homicide. CCTV cameras that caught the nature of the murder had been destroyed within a one mile radius. Police have denied to release any new details other than an a statement to say this had been an act of-"

I pressed the power button. The screen flashed into a rainbow to colors and turned black with a line of static down the middle. The air felt empty without the presence of someone talking. Flora glanced at me but said nothing.