Trashed

Chapter 5

Waking up on the ground with a stiff back and aching neck was not the best way to greet the day. Even if I only got a few moments of sleep in-between raging nightmares, being sore would make me irritable, and I really needed to get along with my team right now. I wasn't superstitious at all, but a bad feeling was resting in my gut about the swirling clouds in the sky. Slithering out of the tent, I looked over at the group. They were all still asleep, rightfully so. My flexscreen let me know that there was still 20 minutes until sunrise, so I rolled up my tent and shoved it and my sleeping bag into the storage locker. I hoisted myself up onto the bike, while opening up my satchel and digging around for a bot to fidget with. Fifi was the one I pulled from the bag, so I turned her on and listened to her little jingle and watched her light up.

"Good morning, Fifi," I said, smiling. She buzzed happily and jumped up onto my shoulder, where her little heater switched on. I leant into the warmth. She was designed to feel like human touch, which was often a way of calming people down. I didn't trust anyone to touch me anymore, especially in between my shoulder blades. It only brought back bad memories of being held down by someone I considered to be a friend. Looking up at the sky, I started counting stars. A little game I used to play with my father when he was stressed about work. We would sit on the roof and take it in turn labelling constellations and counting the distance from one to the next. Sometimes Sammy would join us, babbling along to recitation of stars.

"Alpha Centuri, Beta Centuri," I mumbled under my breath, and Fifi beeped in encouragement. I looked down at the time and sighed. Time to assemble the gang. Sliding off the platform I walked over to their makeshift campsite. All of the multi-coloured tents were arranged in a circle, and I made the very bad desicion to wake Adam first. Unzipping the yellow tent, I had to keep myself from screaming when I saw Sadie Fleadswell lying next to Adam, the two entangled, and Adam's lack of a shirt made me close the tent up so quickly it was a wonder I didn't rip the zip in half. Deciding against waking each member individually, I grabbed Dana, a synthsesizer, and played a loud whistle sound. "UP AN AT EM, LET'S GO, 10 MINUTES TILL DEPARTURE!" I yelled, placing Dana in the middle of the camp. When no one exited their tents, I cranked up the volume and listened as they all groaned and began stumbling out of their tents. I noticed how Sadie didn't emerge from Adam's tent, obviously trying to trick everyone. "Morning everyone. Pack up your tents and I'll get the breakfast rations," I said, walking back to the storage bunker, grabbing the breakfast bars and throwing them at people.
"Johnson, please. It's 5 in the morning. Calm down," Elsie yawned, pulling the wrapper off her bar and shoving the contents into her mouth.
"I second that," Harper grunted, while pulling her tent apart. Damon was the only one moving at a quick pace, moving to pack up Elsie's tent after he'd stowed his own away.
"Adam, can I have a word," I said, narrowing my eyes at the man. He nodded, and followed me back to where my tent had been lying. "Is it going to be a problem?" I said, and he look confused.
"What's going to be a problem?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Huque."
"No, I'm genuinely confused here."
"You and Sadie, genius." Adam looked stunned.
"How did you know?" he grunted, looking furious. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed, and I knew that he was ready to punch me square in the jaw.
"That's irrelevant. I'm asking if it's going to be an issue," I hissed. He thought for a moment, before loosening up and letting his hands fall to his sides.
"No. It won't be an issue," He spat, before turning and stalking away. I gave it a second before following him, to see Damon and the girls sitting in a line plating each other's hair. It took all of my willpower not to ask if I could join them, knowing that it wasn't my place. Instead, I pulled out my messy ponytail and started trying to fix it with my fingers. Watching as Damon skillfully rearranged Elsie's hair into double french braids reminded me of the days when I would also sit in that line, in front of Elsie and behind Harper, and we'd just talk and unwind after missions. I missed how we had become a family, and now I was all on my own. But as Mama always said, what goes around comes around, so I'm only getting what I deserve.
"We ready to go?" I asked, and Damon nodded, patting Elsie's back as a symbol for her to stand up. The group dispersed, Adam whispering something in Sadie's ear, Harper passing something to Elsie, and Damon lifting himself onto the hoverbike.
"I can drive," Elsie said, moving to stand in front of the wheel.
"I got it," I muttered, gripping the handle before she could. She looked at me curiously, eyes scanning my entire figure before she plopped back down, pulling the remains of her bar out of her jacket pocket.
"Adam! Sit down, one of the Fleadswells, take the lead," I yelled, and Harper disgruntedly stood up, and leant on the accelerator. I soon followed, and everything blurred.