ISOLATION

Day 6

"Scarlet, dinner's ready!" My mum called out from downstairs.

I pulled myself out of bed and ran down the stairs to meet my mum in the kitchen as she served my dinner onto my plate.

"Looks delicious, Mum!" I complimented her, giving her a small hug before taking the plate from her and walking over to the dining table.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door, and I heard my mother sigh and mutter about how people should be more considerate around dinner time. My mum huffed loudly as she walked to the door, swinging it open with one hand, her plate full of food in the other.

"Sorry we aren't interested in anyth —" she began, and then I heard a loud crash as her plate of food came tumbling from her hand and crashing down onto the floor.

I left the dining table and quickly ran to the door, seeing my mum standing there shaken, and two men in military uniforms looking sullen and sympathetic.

"I'm sorry," was all they said, and that's all they needed to say.

"No!" I screamed, falling to my knees and holding my head in my hands. "Not my dad, no!"

"Daddy..." I sobbed.

I started to shake, my body wracked with sobs as I cried. My body continued to shake harder and harder, my mind unable to control it.

"Scarlet!" a voice called out.

"Scarlet!" it called again.

"SCARLET!"

I sat bolt upright, sweat and tears mingling on my face as I heaved loudly, trying to catch my breath. I clutched one hand to my chest as the other hastily wiped my face of any tears. I looked up and saw Lauren kneeling next to my bed, her hands grasping my shoulders tightly. She was the one shaking me.

"You know, when people say 'daddy' in bed, they're usually not this upset about it..." Lauren mused, but I just shook my head at her.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed next to her and stood up, walking over to the bathroom and splashing cold water onto my face. The clock on the wall read 5:53am, almost time for sunrise. After calming myself down and freshening up I exited the bathroom, seeing Lauren sitting quietly on her bed.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," I said quietly, before grabbing a hoodie and stepping out the back door onto the outdoor patio.

The outside area was larger than what I had imagined. It had a small glass table with two chairs, a four person in-ground spa, a tire swing and a washing line. I walked over to the tire swing and climbed on, waiting and watching the sky as it got brighter and brighter.

I was beyond embarrassed that Lauren had seen me have a nightmare, one of the worst ones I'd had in weeks. I was dreading the insults she was going to throw at me, and I knew she would tell all of her 'friends' exactly what had happened. I thought about asking her not to tell anyone, but decided against it. The thought of me not wanting anyone to know would probably make her want to tell more people. I decided to keep my mouth shut.

It was 6:47 when the sun broke out from the trees in the valley. The sky turned into a beautiful gold, the scattered clouds glowing a bright pink like fairy floss. It was the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen in my entire life, and I just wished I was sharing the experience with someone else. Anyone else.

By the time I went inside, the sky was a beautiful light blue and the sun was well and truly up. I climbed off the tire swing and walked inside, hoping to get a bit more sleep. When I walked back in through the back door I saw Lauren sitting at the small dining table, shovelling breakfast down her throat. She wordlessly pushed my plate towards me and I eyed it suspiciously.