Barbed Wire Butterfly

She was too young to remember the end of the world as they knew it. But not too young to remember the end of hers. It didn't end in screams or loud gunfire, but rather one whisper at a time.

Had she known. Had she only known. Hindsight. What a useless word. A word that now lay bitterly in her memory along with that day.

Summer. It had a certain scent. When she was younger it was wild and floral, like the dresses she wore. Tiny blue flowers scattered on white cotton, pearly buttons leading up the front, fashioned from sea shells. Axe had helped her find them. Her brother seemed happier back then. The frown lines on his forehead a little less pronounced, his calloused hands darkened by the sun, clasping onto fragile shells. His laugh seemed to echo off the clash of the waves, as he scooped up the salty water, splashing it at her. Before racing after her to the rock pools, where they both collapsed on the sand, their feet dipping in the warm water.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me, Delia."

He'd told her through a giddy smile.

"Meadow?"

"No, Mrs Hamilton," he retorted, sarcastically, referring to the wisoned old spinster two doors down from them, before his face turned serious again.

"Of course Meadow. Who else?"

Ordelia kicked her feet excitedly in the shallow pool of water. Meadow really did live up to her name. Golden hair to rival the sunflowers she'd insisted on planting around her tiny house, which she shared with her two brothers Ky and Luca. She lived in The Pit at the time, her run-down apartment grey and lifeless on the outside, but inside an oasis for anything botanical.

A little bit of wild, beautiful chaos like Meadow herself. A fractured butterfly surrounded by the ugly, concrete jungle she called home, her wings slightly broken. But even broken wings with enough time could fly.

"She really will make a beautiful bride," she'd uttered, more to herself than Axe.

He'd heard anyway and hummed in agreement.

Now, however, the scent of summer had changed. Gone was the free, botanic aura of the warmer months, and instead, the air was filled with a thick, unforgiving, humidity.

Ordelia dug her feet a little further into the sand, trying to find some cool from the relentless sticky heat. It was nearly sundown, the colours of the sunset sketched across the horizon. Dainty peaches and corals, firey crimson and deep fuschia, all competing to be seen before the sun disappeared from view altogether.

A reminder that even endings could be beautiful. And maybe night would at least bring some relief from the heaviness of the air.

She stood up, pulling up her top to wipe away the sweat beading on her forehead and neck, longing to feel the ocean on her flushed skin. But the increasing shadows meant dark was approaching. And with dark came the curfew. Home wasn't too far from here.

Grabbing her hair and twisting it up and away from her face, snapping it into place with a hair grip, she sighed. The back of her neck welcomed what little breeze there was, jogging back up the sand to reach the trees surrounding her neighboring suburb.

These houses were a little nicer than her neighborhood's. The weather-beaten timber covered by fresh paint jobs, the lemony glow of porch lamps lighting up pruned bushes in various interesting shapes.

The smell of home cooking hung in the air, aside the slight singed smell of burning firewood, powering the large ovens the houses undoubtedly held.

She clung to the shadows, avoiding the outdoor lamps. Curfew was fast approaching and she didn't wish to meet any members of The Guard. With the Selection Ceremony being tomorrow, some would be out celebrating their last night of being single men, their emotions and brazenness heightened by strong liquor. Ironically, curfew didn't apply to those who actually enforced it.

She reached her street uneventfully, familiarity fueling her braveness, as she finally stepped out of the shadows onto the road, quickening her pace as she did so.

It was only when she reached the bridge she needed to cross over in order for her reach her house, that she suddenly stopped, her feet crunching against the gravel.

She cringed, crouching down behind a bush, her heart thudding in her ears. And even above the monotone thumping in her head, she could hear it again.The low murmuring of a man and a woman.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

She glanced down at her watch, stifling a groan as she saw the minute hand tick past curfew, her head falling against the bricks of the bridge in defeat. She couldn't walk past them, it was most likely a guard. She would just have to wait them out.

Curiously, she edged her way a little further from out beneath the bush, parting the leaves just enough so she could see the couple. The uniform, even in the dark, undoubtedly belonged to a guard, the broad square shoulders and glinting of brass tags in the moonlight confirmed her suspicions.

She pushed the leaves aside a little further, her eyes widening at the whole image, letting the leaves fall back at a startled rate.

Was he?

Where they?

Curiosity burned inside her, alongside the strong taste of repulsion building in her mouth. She should run while they were distracted. But a part of her also told her to stay put and wait for them to leave the privacy of the bridge.

Torn, she repositioned herself onto her knees, wiping her clammy hands down the front of her blouse.

Maybe they had finished?

Carefully she reached up, pushing aside a peephole again, biting back a gasp. The bridge afforded them enough privacy, but not enough from where she was sitting. The moonlight lit the couple up perfectly.

She was Coralucian, her outfit gave her away. A simple dark cotton dress, the buttons undone to expose the top curve of her breast. Her hair, unruly, long and curling, tangled up between his fist. He yanked on it, causing Ordelia to wince, but the woman didn't seem to mind the pain. Instead, she gasped, arching into him, her leg hooked over his hip, lower bodies moving to an unheard rythm.

She didn't know how to feel, her heart fluttering in her throat, sweat steadily dripping down her chest as she continued to watch, unable to turn away.

His hands gripped at the woman's waist, the fingers digging into the flesh aggressively as he held her in place, pinned against the wall. His shirt was unbuttoned, the glistening sweat on his chest glimmering like sea glass. He let his head fall back for a second, his profile finally revealing itself to her. A strong, straight nose and full lips, his mouth open in a way that made her breath halter in her throat.

A rough hand suddenly clamped around her mouth, someone holding her around her shoulders, pinning her arms to the side.