Fear me, Love me

Year of the Bat

Chloe screamed into a pillow. She was drenched in a cold sweat and shaking uncontrollably. Strong arms turned her over and held onto her shoulders.

"Chloe?" Crystal hovered over her. "You were dreaming." Chloe nodded, pushing against the doctor so that she could sit up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Her legs shook as she swung them over the side of the camp bed and got to her feet. Crystal frowned.

"Have some water." She advised. Chloe nodded, moving passed Crystal and heading for the bathroom.

It was shared bathroom, normally Chloe had to queue but it was the middle of the night so she had the place to herself. She locked the cubicle door behind her just in case before sitting on the loo seat, unable to stop shaking. She dug her nails into her arms, drawing blood. Silent tears slid down her cheeks. Her tears weren't her tears. Her skin wasn't her skin. Her face wasn't her face. She moved quickly and was just in time throw up into the toilet. Her shoulders trembled as she sank weakly against the damp floor.

"I just want to change my face." Chloe pleaded with Romina the next day. The witch waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm sorry," she didn't sound very sorry at all, "but we're at war. It would be wrong and selfish for me to waste even a tiny morsel of my powers on anything. We could be attacked and I might need to be at full power." The celebrated witch patted her arm awkwardly. "At least you're quite pretty." Chloe glowered at her. "If you just fixed you're hair differently you could be cute."

Chloe's hands clenched into fists, nobody insulted the looks of her dead best friend.

"I'm hotter then you – skank!" Romina's false sweet smile vanished in an instant.

"Get out." Chloe didn't need to be told twice – any longer and she might have smacked the bitch and striking the resistance's hero would probably get her executed for treason or something. Seething she stormed off.

With the high walls of Romina's stifling complex behind, Chloe was able to breathe easily once more.

"Morning bells about to ring." One of the guards warned her. Sighing Chloe jumped down from the platform and joined the throng of people milling the crowded streets. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, her cheeks turning rosy from the bitter cold.

The city had been demolished in a bombings raid early on in the fighting but now – with resistance strength growing the refugee camp had morphed into a settled community growing up out of the rubble. Happy bustling chatter surrounded her as people headed for work. Children dodged through the throng, laughing as they chased one another on the way to school. Chloe's anger melted away as a wave of gratitude washed over her. Life was returning to something recognisably normal.

She'd missed the breakfast canteen in her rush to see the witch and now her belly grumbled as she headed to the lab. Everyone had been assigned work. Since she wasn't supernatural, didn't know how to fly a plane or parachute and had no bomb diffusing skills she hadn't made it into the army. She had shifts for protecting the city in the Night Watch but that was only twice a week. The rest of the time she assisted the scientists in the lab. They needed security to check that nothing unauthorised left the building, that nobody broke in and that nobody was working alone. Most of the time though she was just someone for Aleksey to vent brilliant gibberish at.

Aleksey flew about the lab in a feverish frenzy his wild blood shot eyes gazing earnestly at his work. It was exhausting just to watch him.