Calm and Calamity

Chapter 30

Day: 519

Days Left: 4961

Lives Saved: 2

Harmony was quiet for a moment, a long moment.

Her face was unreadable to Corinna.

As she waited, Corinna's heart thumped against her rib-cage; she could feel it forcing its way through her skin.

Did she really say it?

The words were so simple, yet there was a heavy weight lingering on each of them, pulling at her chest and tightening her breath. Her body became weightless like it was hovering above the ground; all of the tension in her muscles relaxed simultaneously then stiffened, a jolt of energy rushing upwards across her spine. Something in her gut twisted and scrunched up, restricting her breathing.

"Okay..." mumbled Harmony, her head bowed low as she bit down on her bottom lip. "I-I would like that- to go on a date with you."

Corinna paused, the cogs in her mind churning as they wondered if she had heard Harmony correctly. "Right, I've got a plan for the-for the date."

Harmony chuckled. "Of course you do. What's on the itinerary?"

"It'll be a surprise." Corinna glanced down at the ground, a smile forming on her lips. "Tomorrow evening, then?"

"Tomorrow evening." Harmony nodded.

"I'll see you around then," said Corinna as she began walking away. "I've got to finish tiling roofs."

"See you!" Harmony called out to her as Corinna left.

*

Carrying a stack of chairs, Sumit made his way through the construction site, weaving past the other prisoners as they all worked on building. Eventually, he reached the alcove where Harmony had set up her painting area. Setting the chairs down with a heave, Sumit breathed out in relief and wiped his forehead.

"Got some more chairs that need painting." He grinned. "They're for Dex and Kai and dem lots' place. And Kai has specifically said that he wants blue chairs, not green. I know, I know, it's truly..." Sumit's smile faded as he found Harmony lying on the ground, a paintbrush in hand as she mindlessly and slowly coated a chair leg green.

"Harmony?" Sumit crouched down to the young woman's level and cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "You alright?"

Harmony let out a rather long sigh. "Yeah..."

"You sure?" Sumit raised an eyebrow.

"Yep." Harmony paused, continuing to paint the same area of the chair leg over and over in green. "None of this is real, is it?"

Sumit chuckled. "Unfortunately, yes. We are all in the Eternals Abyss, though it is a bit late for you to have this existential crisis. Haven't you been here for like three years?"

Harmony sighed once again.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't realise that it was still a sore spot. Are you sure you're alright, Harm?"

"Yeah..." The young woman covered her face with her hands, then flopped back onto the ground, curling up into a foetal position.

"Okay." Sumit stood up. "Well, if you need to talk to anyone about... anything, I'm here, I guess. As is Corinna and Calixte, I'm sure."

Harmony squirmed and curled her body up even tighter.

"You going to finish painting these chairs, or do you need a break?"