"You know," Her mother continued, "You will never guess which prime minister's son asked about you at the board event." Things were offline, broken, held together by prayer and over the horizon were World War 2 bombers. Hundreds ran around like headless chickens, a few kept their cool, worked together to kick a door open and pull out a long rectangular case.
"Mom," Naya said, almost pitying, "Prime minister's too soft." She squeezed her mother, hard enough to add a little lift.
"The South Korean Prime minister's weakness has gotten him out. The west is proving that it's every country for themselves. The thirty thousand American marines have a foot out the door, all while acting as our spine. Our Prime minister won't last unless he changes. But the navy isn't ready for China and if China takes Taiwan, they'll include us, and I'll be dead mom. But that's why you're asking me like this. The Prime minister's kids are a waste of time. New aircraft carriers, they're going to need the family. If you're going to show me off, show me off to a general's or admiral's son."
She said kissing her mother's temple and let go.
The group inside the reactor had opened the case revealing a surface to air missile. The S.A.M was shouldered and fired.
Something was wrong. There was still focus in her mothers' eyes.
"You're way too much like your father. But as I tell him. Private sector controls the money." Naya's hip was squeezed. "But politicians have the people." She poked Naya's chest hard, making her heart skip, her mother smiled winningly. "But a general, especially an old one who'll double as a politician… maybe… You're getting better, imagine if you were in a real school, I swear, even if I have to make your father, or that whole school disappear…"
The world fell silent, holding its breath.
"Anyway… shower. I'll make you breakfast and set out your clothes." Mother said leaving with a maddening spring in her step, the genocidal comment forgotten.
Naya marched to the shower and rested her back against the bathroom door. Eyes shut, jaw quivering, soul trapped, locked tight, wanting to burst, scream and explode into billions of billions of pieces before burning up. But it didn't happen, instead the cage got tighter.
Her mother was human, not a monster, but after last night she preferred monsters. Something could be done with monsters, a means of self-defence. All her parts had come together to fight, maybe survive. But there was no 'against' family. Against a monster it was her verses it. With family, there was the weight of labour, birthdays, clothing, holidays, gifts, responsibilities… it all weighed so much! Why did a silver anchor crushing her skull look so much like a spoon? Would it still be called privilege if people saw it for what it was?
How pathetic was that?
She groaned biting her lip, hard.
The unicorn's glare was still there, it's horn locking onto her like a compass, how sharp it was. It all came back, most especially her 'acceptance'. It wasn't a bad feeling. There was no hiding from it, only the reality of what she'd done.
Even if she'd lived.
She'd seen death… and tossed her life away; deemed herself worthless and let herself die.
Next Drake