"We'll be alright… won't we?" Nila heard one child say to her mother. Her mother could only pat the boy's head, in a weak attempt at reassurance.
Nila stood alone, like an island stranded in a vast sea of despair. She wanted to run home, to see her own mother, to see her brother. She wanted to find Stephanie, and she wanted to run. Her heart was conflicted, her fear was magnified, she felt her body trembling.
It was not a decision that she should have had to make. A mere girl, weeks away from fifteen. She'd taken up the mantle more than once now, in pursuit of peace, in pursuit of the safety of her sister. She'd pushed herself well beyond what was comfortable. Well beyond what was even normal. She'd become a central figure in the village just for that – taking up a mantle of responsibility normally reserved for the wisest of adults.
