Petalburg City-
Her long brunette hair fell down to her shoulders, and in the bright sun's rays her beautiful sapphire eyes glistened. She kept her head up as she walked down the debris riddled street; in her arms she carried a week's worth of rations.
The buildings that lined the street had become charred from the nightly bombings and gave off a foul odor that smelt of melting rubber, and stung at her nostrils
She tried to cover her nose with her bandanna, but the scent managed to creep its way through the thin fabric and back into her nose, she had to fight the urge to gag and decided to quicken her pace.
The streets were littered with people who tried to go about their normal routine like they did before the war. Many of them fooled themselves into thinking things were alright and that there was no need to worry.
Because nightly blackouts were just another part of a person's daily routine, rationing food was what any normal family did, and passing a machine gun or anti aircraft gun on your way to work is in no way a cause for concern.
Ahead of her was a small concrete guard post surrounded by mounds upon mounds of brown sandbags. The guard on duty nodded at her as she passed.
As she continued to walk, a column of grey monstrous tanks roared by her, from their mufflers they expelled clouds of black smoke that only worsened the cities aroma. The clouds dissipated across the street and landed in people's eyes creating a burning sensation. The young girl rubbed at her eyes trying to sooth the pain.
The young girl turned the corner and walked up the path that led to her home. She entered through the wooden gate and hurriedly rushed up the front steps. She entered her living room and then went straight to the kitchen to lay out the contents in the bag.
A carton of eggs, four slabs of beef, three blocks of cheese, and three cans of tuna. That was to last her family a week. Though it was a meager amount of rations she considered herself lucky, because of her father's job her family was able to eat better than others.
Her father was a well known gym leader in the city, and when the war broke out he had been approached by the government to become the propaganda minister for the city.
Though he wasn't the only gym leader approached, many others in different cities were offered this opportunity and most of them accepted. Her father, being the patriot that he was, eagerly agreed to accept the job. This granted him control over all broadcasting from T.V to radio.
Anything he deemed harmful to the people or anything that undermined the government was immediately discarded and the creator punished.
Another perk of being such an influential official was that his son was exempt from the draft, while thousands of men went to the war; his son was allowed to stay home and relax.
"May," the girl turned and saw her mother standing in the doorway "Could you go and check and see if they've dropped off our weekly sack of flour?" May nodded "Yes mother." She said.
Outside the skies were filled with the loud humming sounds of military cargo planes flying overhead, ugly, grey, bulky machines that delivered weapons, ammo, and men to the frontline. They were essential for victory over the evil that was at their doorstep.
At least that's what she'd been told. In school, and at home, she was always taught that her region was the best because they fought for honor and glory. The war was a noble endeavor, after all why shouldn't they claim lands from people who were too weak and stupid to govern it properly.
Many nights at the dinner table she'd hear this repeated by her father who'd use it to justify himself and his job against the accusations that were never made against either.
But May was sick of the war, she hated the nightly blackouts, the food rationing, the mandatory curfew that if broken could result in death.
The war was responsible for ruining her life before it began she had attended a college at Lilycove City, but was pulled out a month before the bombings began. All her years of hard work had been in vain, but her father had promised that once the Hoenn region claimed victory she could return to college and finish her degree.
Though the way things were looking, it didn't seem like that was ever going to happen.
Of course she wanted her country to win, but she had grown tired of having her family and others sacrifice so much for so little in return.
May peaked around the gate to see if the flour had arrived, it hadn't. May sighed then returned to her home. As she entered the kitchen her mother was already fast at work preparing dinner.
"Has the flour arrived yet?" she asked "No not yet." Her mother glanced back at her "Your father's working late again," She said "Just so you know."
"What else is new." May thought. Her father had become so consumed with his work that she hardly ever got the chance to see him, and on the rare occasions that she did see him, all he would want to talk about was how great their region was.
"Go wash up, dinners almost ready." Her mother said.
May began to head over to the bathroom when a she felt a tremor gently shake the ground.
She paused for moment then felt another tremor, this one a little more noticeable. Then a thunderous clap that shook the entire house went off, followed by a high pitched whine. May ran back to the kitchen "Mom come on!" she shouted.
Her mother dropped what she was doing and rushed over to her daughter. May took her mother by the hand and led her to a small closet underneath the stair case. She yanked the door open revealing a small hatch in the center of the room.
May pried open the hatch that led to a small bomb shelter buried beneath the house. Another bomb went off, this time it rattled the entire house and knocked over pictures framed to the walls.
May assisted her mother down the hatch "You're brother, May get your brother!"
May quickly ran out of the room and up the stairs "Max!" she shouted. "God damn it Max." She thought when she failed to receive a response.
The loud dominating roars from the bombers filled the air as they neared May's home. May kicked open the door to Max's room and found her brother trapped under a giant wooden dresser.
He squirmed under the weight and tried the wedge his way out "It's a good thing you didn't join the military." May said as she rushed over to her brother. "Fuck you." Max replied
May lifted the dresser just high enough for Max to crawl out from underneath. As he dusted himself off May grabbed him from behind the neck and forcefully brought him out of the room and back down to the bomb shelter.
As they walked down the steps a bomb was dropped at their front door, it shook the house with such ferocity that both teens tumbled down the stairs. May created a large dent in the wall as her head slammed against it.
She frantically felt her forehead checking for blood, when she saw that it was clean she again grabbed her brother and brought him down to the shelter.
May slammed the hatch shut and joined her brother and mother near the back of the shelter.
Outside the anti aircraft guns rattled off as they tried to repel the attack.
This wasn't the first time Petalburg City had been bombed, but it was the first time the bombs hit within such a close proximity to her home.
Her mother gripped her tightly as the bombs hammered into the city. The next explosion sounded as if it hit in the middle of their living room, it certainly made May's ears ring and made the shelter look as if it were about to cave in on its self.
"Why can't this war just be over already?" May thought. She closed her eyes, and tried to quite her mind. Sometimes she'd find herself wishing that she had an escape, something to go to so that she could forget about the war, something to ease her mind.
"It's ok darling, we'll be ok." Her mother said. As she spoke the flickering light above their heads was extinguished and left them in darkness.
