starling
She moved her piece, knocking my knight off the board and smiling. I could see that she was already planning the checkmate in her head.
I slipped my pawn forward to the edge of her board. She'd ignored it entirely in the search for bigger prey.
"Give me a queen," I told her.
It was velvet, and it was exquisitely tailored, and it probably cost more money than I had ever seen in my life.
And it was on the floor, and what lay beneath made it meaningless.
The water was cold, beyond bracing and into freezing. My feet hurt when I picked them up and put them down. I kept walking anyway, along the coast, listening to the beachcombers on one side and the whispers of the waves on the other.
I had to get the stains out.
I poured bleach over them and scrubbed until I thought I was going to pass out. When I threw up, I wasn't sure if the nausea was from the smell or the memories. It didn't really matter, though.
It was just more to clean up.
Oh, to dance, to sweep, to swing, to waltz, all night in tattered shoes, with hidden lovers, and never to worry what the youngest sister is doing.
The kingdom was screaming. The people were frothing in the streets. They were writhing, naked, sweating, fainting.
The queen looked out over it all and knew they loved her. And Lady Gaga loved them too.
With or without you never seemed like such an easy decision.
Now it was really you standing over me, looking down, and it was much easier to call.
Without you, dear.
I stood at the edge of the building's roof, trying to breathe. I had to do something. I'd seen this so many times in movies, on TV, something crazy-like. It seemed crazy, anyway. But I didn't have I choice, did I?
I leaped.
"Identical cousins?"
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but you can't argue with what's in front of you."
"I guess that's true. This is sort of exciting, you know? We match!"
"Not for long." And then she pulled out the shovel.
We hid in the bunker for two weeks without even thinking about looking outside. But when the radio broadcasts stopped and we realized no one was coming, it got lonely fast. In the end we took a vote. We decided we didn't want to outlive the human race.
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