AUTHOR: Semianonymity CAST: John/Rose/Dave/Jade RATING: G WORD COUNT: 3510 ADDITIONAL TAGS: created for jadefest SUMMARY: After the game, Jade and Rose and Dave and John end up in a new world, strange and painful after what they've been through, without their guardians but with each other, and eventually it will be enough. EXCERPT: Jade still couldn't keep normal hours. It was five in the morning, the sun was just rising, light beginning to filter through the window, and she'd crept out of her bed to the kitchen. She'd thought—hoped, maybe, maybe just assumed—that her sleep would be more normal, after the game, but she still took naps at odd hours, woke up when the time was right and fell asleep again when she needed it—and now the sun was up and shining! She couldn't sleep through that. Sunlight, yes, but she wasn't used to days this long, she'd lived too close to the equator. Her seasons had been different, marked by rain and humidity, not temperature and length of day. And she was jittery from the nightmares. The kitchen felt dark and crowded, even though it was big and empty—more than she knew what to do with, really! John liked to tease her about her cooking. But she made good bread, and it was... Easy, to open up all the windows—and then pull on a second sweater, shivering in the chill morning. Rose and John teased her about that! And then her and Dave could yell at them, because they were from warm places and they weren't used to freezing, and anyway, John, you whined all winter about the cold! But the light coming in helped. And she had bread started, so she pulled it out, dusted flour on the counter, began to knead—punching down the dough, shoulders working, rhythmic and steady. Less likely to cause a disturbance than shooting practice. Comforting and alive. rec'd by astralazuli
