Danae Tophat 2

2

When I woke up the next morning the memories from that night came rushing back to me in a flood so powerful it shoved me back from my sitting position. I stared up at the grimy ceiling of my dormitory, trying to sort out my spinning thoughts. Tophat, Tophat, Tophat… The name and picture were stuck in my head. Whenever I closed my eyes I could see him mouthing the words “I love you”. I could hear his thoughts “I… Love… You…Danae…” I could feel his strong arms around my shoulders. I closed my eyes and sighed. Get up, Danae. You have work to do…

Work. The last thing I wanted to do. Work for the Regime. But this was my life. And this was what I was forced to do. Work every day, all day. Not menial tasks, just constant, difficult work. This was my life. Along with all the others who had resisted the Regime’s brainwashing, I was placed in one of Their many “Work Camps”, where I would supposedly spend my whole life working for Them.

Not in my book. The Underground is growing. We will defeat them. DANAE! I yelled at myself, Get up, you have things to do. You have to figure out how to save Tophat, among twelve hundred and two other things… Ok. Get out of bed now… I swung my legs over the side of the grey bed onto the hard wood floor, wincing slightly as my foot hit the nail that was never quite pounded in all the way. I got dressed in my dirty green clothes from yesterday, and stretched my aching limbs. Aching both because of the work, and because of the slight amount of the beating that I had taken for Tophat the night before.

I walked downstairs to the cafeteria to get my ‘breakfast’. Icy grey soup, left over from the night before. A sigh escaped my lips as I wordlessly grabbed my dirty bowl and walked to the familiarly grungy ‘M’ table.

I closed my eyes and brought up pictures from the night before. Images of Tophat and the guards flooded my mind. The beating, the pain, the contortion of Tophat’s face. I inadvertently reached my hand up to my temple, then I forced my eyes open and choked down the ‘soup’. I stood and carried my empty bowl to the table for it to be taken to the kitchen and washed. Then I went to my station to report and get my assignments for the day.

That night, when I was alone again in my tiny dormitory I let my thoughts wander once more.

I closed my eyes and traced Tophat's face. His dark eyebrows contrasted with his bright, slanting, green-black eyes. His Roman nose curving down to his perfect mouth. I had seen his face so many times, in many places and in all emotions. I had memorized every curve and angle of it. I sighed and knelt down by my bed to speak my forbidden prayers.

“God,” I began “Thank you for this day, and please keep Tophat safe.” With those words my eyes filled with tears and my throat constricted so that I could no longer speak.

After a few minutes I stood and got into my bed to try and sleep. Though I knew that none would come. I stared up at the familiar stucco ceiling, once again trying to sort out my thoughts. I traced its cracks and curves, but no matter how hard I tried I could not get Tophat’s face out of my mind. I turned on my side and stared at the rough wall that the bed was pushed against and closed my eyes. My thoughts continued to spin, always centering around Tophat.