She mined. She moved rocks in tattered clothes. Small children also performed these duties. With no food, they often died quickly.
One child Bonnie befriended Serena. They talked and mouthed rudely about the royals.
They helped each other through the heavy mining and rock moving. When prisoners were too tired to move, they were whipped until they began working again.
"What are we even building?" asked Bonnie.
"Another building for some royal," guessed Serena, her lips dry and cracked.
"Queen Dawn already has plenty of buildings. Why can't she build one for us?"said Bonnie.
Dark tunnels, dust fumes, rocky bruises and the monotonous noises of clanking steel would eventually break Serena and Bonnie's friendship, which had kept their hope alive.
One day Bonnie couldn't move, her young bruised legs finally gave in. The guards began whipping her.
"Get up," the guards shouted.
Bonnie cried in pain. Serena dropped her wheelbarrow, and shielded Bonnie.
The guards cracked and cracked. Each time the whip tore open her skin, leaving thick lines of blood.
Serena closed her eyes and looked down, trying to bear the pain, trying not to scream. The cracking stopped. A soft white glove lifted Serena's head.
It was Queen Dawn's hand. All the guards kneeled down to show their respect. Bonnie hugged Serena in fear and appreciation.
Skin torn and blood leaking, Serena looked directly into Queen Dawn icy eyes, all the pain turned into something else: hatred.
A guard comes over and hands Queen Dawn a pistol. She points the gun at Serena.
Serena's POV
This isn't how should be. My body is too deprived and broken too fight back.
All I can do is stare, stare into her eyes defiantly. If I die here. I'll die knowing I defied her. I didn't bow down!
She thinks everyone is under her control. But before I could spit on Dawn.
Bonnie crawls over to Dawn and grabs her leg.
And in a voice, sounding nothing like a child, because of the dehydration and underground mining, Bonnie begs to Dawn.
"Don't! She did nothing. It was me I fell down. But now I can work again."
"Get off me you filth," says Dawn who kicks Bonnie's face.
She lands on a stack of rocks. I rush over. A gun is shot. Bonnie screams, and her blood splashes on my face.
A hole in her throat, Bonnie tries to tell me something. "Serena," she utters. But blood spills out of her throat.
" Serena I," Bonnie tries again. But she starts coughing up blood, and her neck is wet in red, as blood swims out of her wound.
I hold her head tightly and look purposefully into her eyes. Be strong I whisper, as she dies.
I turn ready to lunge at Dawn. When, I see Ash holding the smoking gun.
Flashback. Conversation between two people.
I didn't want to continue my Dad's extreme ways. But along the way I accepted the custom. I hoped to rule peacefully, but some things are hard to change.
Third Person
Serena folded Bonnie's arms, after the bullet left her dead.
Serena had adored Bonnie for her humor and ... conversation.
Underneath her dead eyes, Serena couldn't help but imagine the few living things, rotting fast in the sleep of the dead.
Only 10 years of age.
Even more, she was just a girl.
With her dreams, summer stories
Oh my God...
She worked for them; with her face bruised red and grey.
They took all her freedom from her.
And even in her best behavior, she was starved and robbed of her last words.
They gave her the whip for her hard work.
Every night in trembling worries and rocky sleep were Hopes of running far, and running fast away.
All that remains are quiet hands, quiet innocence and a quiet kiss on the forehead.