The World We've Set On Fire ■ Wattys 2016

Sunita

"We have all seen terrible things... but I don't think you've seen much." Sunita chewed her nails and spat out whatever came into her mouth.

"I have seen enough." I scrunched up my nose.

"You'll see more."

"Don't mind her. She gives this terrible prep talk to everyone." Lee shook her head.

"It's true!" Sunita stood up, nostrils flared. "I'm just warning you all! Only terror awaits us! How can you be so calm? Do you not hear the sound of the wings of Death, beating at the entrance of this very tent!"

"We do." Marigold said, softly. "We know we'll die very soon. We know that nothing good will come out of this bloodbath but we can't just accept fate."

"Do we have a choice?" Sunita had tears in her eyes.

"Yes, we do. We can change fate. We are not objects in this war."

"They control us, Marigold!"

She smiled. "They don't control me, Nita. "

Sunita looked shocked. "Wait... What did you call me?"

"Nita." Marigold repeated.

Sunita opened her mouth but closed it again. She took her face in her hands and sat down on her bed. We all sat on ours.

"Whatever you want to say, say it." Marigold said, softly.

Sunita looked up and sighed. She wiped her tears and began, "I... I'm 26 years old. When this war started in my region, I was 23. I lived with my mother, father, paternal grandfather, 2 sisters and a brother. At the beginning of the war, we were attacked. Our whole community was attacked by... white people. It had been so long since we fought but the old racism returned in their minds and they set our houses on fire. The only survivors were me, my boyfriend Odin and his mother Raven. We fled to Texas but there was no place for us. After going from place to place, we arrived in Mexico from where we were shipped to Egypt. We were going to some other place when the small boat sank. Once more, I survived and so did Odin. Unfortunately, not his mother. For a year we stayed in a rotten camp in South Africa. We were transported to another place and then, to another. Last year, we came to Turkey where we got married. Shortly after the birth of my son, the area was bombed and I was the only one who survived. I fled to this side and since then, I have been stuck in this camp. I feel as if the best thing that can happen to me is death. My family used to love me, they called me Nita. But since this has started, it seems as if there is no more love in this cold, bizarre world."

And I couldn't understand why on earth there were tears on my cheeks.