Tears fell though my eyes were shut tight, still I knew there was a shoulder my head was leant against.

"What is the matter?" Mr. Thornton insisted in knowing.

"Nothing."

"I knew you should not have slept here alone."

"What?" I lifted my head away from his shoulder.

"You didn't even see me approach you. If it was someone else you wouldn't have noticed it either. Look how close I got to you without you even knowing."

Mr. Thornton was indeed too close.

"You can never just be pleasant can you?"

"I'll stay here for the rest of the night." He looked over to the chair next to the sofa.

"Mr. Thornton..."

"I will not be swayed again Miss Stanton," he tried to get up.

"Mr. Thornton," I grabbed on to his arm and he sat back down surprised by my audacity.

Instead of spewing something out he faced me and I let go. But he did not go. He stayed. He diagnosed something about me though I could not tell exactly what. If it was my action or my physical appearance. But my eyes became busy as well looking at his appearance for the first time. His was disheveled, his shirt unbuttoned, barefoot, his cheeks pink and we stared at each other as if for the first time.

The surfaces were an earthy light brown eyes the color of clay, with no shine framed by a thick dark eyebrow. There was something so particular about him yet he reminded me of so much. The whiteness of a candle. The smoothness of a wooden panel. A swirl of a tree in winter was his unruly hair. An imperfect mountain like nose.

As I finished my observations I saw his gaze circling around my loose autumn leaf brown curled hair, small neck, cold hands and white silk stockings covering the foot that was hanging off the sofa.

Then our eyes met, though to me it was uncomfortable he did not waver.

My curiosity for closer inspection fully satisfied, his was not for his body inched forward, still searching for something in my countenance. Then a harmonious stillness trapped between us as the night transformed from black to blue.

I did not dare say anything to interrupt him but waited every second passing by like a dance to make out one's partner as his eyes contracted for more detail and his open mouth held back words which could so easily slip off the tongue if he wished it so, moving closer still.

I waited.

"Did you dream about your parents?" He finally asked.

"No. I did not." I answered honestly. "Do you? Dream about your parents?"

"Then what made you react in such a manner? I watched you, you were in pain."

He watched me in pain? How long was he here for? I wondered if I said too much. Though I had no idea if I spoke in my sleep or not.

"Why were you in pain?" He inquired again.

"Sometimes when you want something too much it haunts you with perfect dreams to mock your reality."

"How could you say that?"

"What?"

"Do you truly believe your reality is all that painful?" He asked annoying my honesty with his prejudice.

"Of course."

"Of course?"

"Of course you have already cast me as the George in this play. But I will not do anything to change your mind sir."

"Why not? Do you only debate me when you are sure to win?"

"Ah..." I gasped taken back by his resolve to injure my character. "And here I thought you cared that I was in pain."

"I..." He stuttered but did not answer me.

"You?" I questioned him.

"I think it's almost dawn." He uttered instead of any other sentence which might have made it clear why he was still here pondering about what his eyes were seeing.

"Yes."

It was as if hours had faded from our point of view since we first sat down on that sofa like the world stretched time for the mutual study of each other.

"Good night then Miss Stanton." He pulled away at once, removing himself from the sofa.

"Goodnight Mr. Thornton." I nodded and he sat on the chair giving his back to me.

I kept a look on the small hole telling me the awakening of a new day had come already. What had he gotten from all of this? What did he mean by it? I let it go though unlike the vivid dream of Joshua which stirred me to search for news of him. As Mr. Thornton fell asleep eventually I could not. Instead I made myself presentable and waited for everyone else to wake up.

"Good morning Miss Stanton," Belmont said after I had finished putting some water to my face to wake up.

"Good morning gentlemen," I said to the both but Mr. Thornton was busy looking at a surface trying to part his hair properly.

"Well I believe we ought to be off, in search of news. We should be back soon."

"I assumed I was coming," I said.

"Of course not," Mr. Thornton was annoyed again as they were about to head out.

"We thought it'd be best for your safety for you to stay here," Belmont explained.

"Thank you but waiting here will only delay the news and I must get home as soon as possible."

"Then shall we make sure she gets home safely?" Belmont asked Mr. Thornton.

"We have no idea what is out there right now. She should stay. We'll come back once we're done having a look around and doing our job." Mr. Thornton discussed it with Belmont.

"There's no need. I'll find my own way home." I walked towards the door but Mr. Thornton extended his arm out in front of me.

"No." He uttered.

*

The streets were filled with people again, with no sights of germans, or gun shots, or any other form of fighting which might indicate that the citizens of London were uder imminent attack.

At least for now people were free to move about.

They were guiding towards me home but the closer we got to Westminster the more wailing we heard on the way there. Blocks of broken rocks being taken one by one trying to find survivors underneath which were now dead.

"Stay behind us," Mr. Thornton said.

"I've never seen anything like this," I told them noticing the privileges of my life in Whitby.

"These families will never be the same," Belmont looked around.

"Where are the police officers?" I asked.

"There's been police unrest brewing for a while now in London." Mr. Thornton explained after I asked.

"Yes but two officers for all of this?" Belmont said disappointed.

"You two should go. I'm going to stay and see what can be done. What I ought to write about in the wake of this catastrophe." Mr. Thornton said to us.

"Then we should all stay." I chimed in.

"That's not the best idea. One night is enough for your family to do without you." Belmont said.

"But the officers need help. Any citizen would do. Even me."

"Go back to your place Miss Stanton. There's no need to show off your nobility here." Mr. Thornton had not grown kind towards me after last night.

"Why not? I think it's the perfect opportunity for such a thing," I said sarcastically back. "So if you'll excuse me gentlemen." I bowed to Belmont gratefully.

"Miss Stanton..." Belmont said confused and I walked away from them.

"Excuse me officer," I said to one of them.

"Forgive me miss but I've got too much on our plate to have a conversation with you right now." The overwhelmed officer spoke.

"Wait what can I do? I want to offer my help officer."

"If you're not here for a relative or missing person then I'll have to ask you to move on."

"Please officer I can make myself useful," I asked once more but he ignored me.

"Dorene?" A couple came in and the woman had tears streaming down already saying the name again desperately. "Dorene!"

"Ma'am please you'll have to wait in line," the officer told the couple.

"Go home Miss Stanton," Mr. Thornton said coming to me but Belmont was talking to someone on the line.

"No." I told him again and followed the officer but Mr. Thornton came after me.

"Dorene!" The wailing grew on the woman uncontrollably and we stopped by the officer.

Dead bodies upon dead bodies and as far as we knew they hadn't even looked through all the rubble.

"I can stay here and guide people." I told the officer ignoring for a moment what my eyes had seen.

"No offense Miss but you look like you should be at home having her afternoon tea." He said back.

"Shouldn't you be grateful I am not then?" He sighed but gave me a paper and a pencil.

"When you get tired find me. I'll be helping with the rubble. Bring them here to see the deceased but one at a time. You want to make sure to write down names then tag them." The officer explained.

"Yes sir." I left him to go to the couple and get the name to tag the girl who used to be Dorene.

It was a relief when none of the bodies were related to someone looking for their loved ones. It was as if I had also found out Joshua was fine. But when the confirmed bodies who a night ago were fully living humans functioning the same way we were a part of my stomach dropped a bit though I knew how to kept composed as any lady was taught, under these extreme circumstances my breeding was useful.

"Miss Stanton?" Mr. Thornton found me as a two small girls approached me.

"We are looking for our sister Miss," they asked, "Hellene Bruins."

"If you'll come with me then you can tell me if she's here or not." I proposed.

"Yes miss. Thank you."

I imagined why the girls were here instead of the parents. Had the parents sent them out on this morbid errand for a lack of heart to face what could be? Those poor parents.

"Follow me girls," I gave the list to Mr. Thornton and grabbed the girl's hands for us to go see the bodies. "Just close your eyes and I'll guide you."

Mr. Thornton went along with us and I looked for the unmarked female bodies to show them. We had relief for none of them were hers. They would like startled at first but say no. I hoped such memories could have gotten erased as soon as they saw it.

"That was it. I guess your sister is not here then." I smiled at them outside of the cover that divides the bodies from the line.

"Thank you miss."

"Another one," the officer said coming towards us and before I could shield the girls eyes they saw him bringing in a badly crushed body.

"Sister!" They shouted and ran to her.

"Girls!" I reached out to them but they were out of reach.

"Ellie?" The older one asked trying to get to her sister but Mr. Thornton had ran to them to hold them back. "Ellie!"

"Good Lord," I ran to the little one and covered her eyes taking her into my embrace. "Shhh, shhh..." I tried to calm her down but the sister was covered in dried blood and dust.

The younger child said nothing but wailed uncontrollably. I could only guess she must've been about six or so. And the older one still a child as well fought with Mr. Thornton.

"I want to see my sister! Let me go to my sister!" She screamed.

After the officer put down the body with the others we went in.

"Don't look just yet," I told the one I held who was still crying but obeyed me.

I threw a blanket on the body only to show the face that was less deformed than the rest.

"Okay now when you open your eyes remember there is nothing to be afraid of. Say your goodbyes so she'll be in peace. All right?" I told them both and Mr. Thornton and I put the girls down to see their sister.

"Sister?" The small one asked as if she would hear a response.

"Don't die. Our aunt will make us go away now." The older girl said to the one they called Helen. Helen looked to be the oldest out of the three yet still younger than me. But from the talk they had no parents. "I don't want to go away."

The older one's prayer for her sister would never come true. So I looked away thinking of how young these girls were to be without parents and now without their sister. I had my parents for quite a long time and I still had Joshua. But these girls would only have each other. The only thing I could ask God was for them to not be separated too.

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No part, character, names, plot, setting, conflict or resolution, point of view, theme or symbolism of this story may be replicated.

Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.