GAME ON - GoM 2

17

The house was dark and quiet. Sitting alone in the kitchen, no lights on, Claire stared blankly out the back window. The mug between her hands was cold already, and she hadn't even tried her tea.

Her lips pursed when Alex walked in up to the breakfast bar and left a first-aid kit by her hand.

"Thought you were sleeping," Claire murmured.

"Good to know the feebler didn't eat your tongue," Alex said softly.

The girl nodded to the kit. "I'm okay."

"I know, but you're gonna humor me anyway."

Alex turned on the light and sat on a stool by Claire's side. The girl sighed, pulling her collar to expose her shoulder. It was crossed by three long parallel cuts. Alex wetted some cotton a cleaned them. Claire bore the burn without a world.

"It wasn't a child, Claire."

"Not a human child."

Alex ignored the girl's bitterness. "Young feeblers are way more deathly than adults, y'know. They're hungry all the time while growing up."

"Like any other child."

"No, Claire. Fel is a child. Samuel is a child. What we took down tonight? That was a vicious killer that murdered six people in ten days."

Alex finished taping the dressing on the cuts and straightened up. Claire shook her head slowly, with a shaky breath.

"He was so scared..."

"Sure he was. So were you and so was I. Creatures are living beings, Claire. They feel, they bred."

"I know."

"But you never actually thought about it until now."

Claire lowered her head and Alex took her turn to sigh, hating to burst her niece's bubble.

"You should sleep on it. Ask yourself if you really wanna do this."

Claire only nodded. Alex rubbed her back and kissed her fair head. Now it was all up to her.

"Night, kiddo."

Alex turned off the light on her way out of the kitchen.