In this comfy bed with a comfy pillow, falling asleep should have been easy. So, why haven’t I slept yet even though several days earlier I can sleep on this cold rainy night? The thought of getting attacked by a massive army is lingering on my mind. I don’t know any information since my father doesn’t give me any, and it’s concerning. Rachel is already snoring on the other bed.

I lie down right next to my rifle, not the MH rifle, but the M4. In case something happens, I can quickly get to my rifle and shoot down the bad guys. However, I really don’t want something to happen, I prefer to enjoy my comfy life than have to survive in this unknown pseudo-colonial world.

However, Rachel notices that I can’t sleep. Each time I close my eyes, my reflexes immediately grab the M4 and I become awake. She walks to my bed and sits down right next to me. She then grabs onto my head.

“Helen, what’s the matter, why aren’t you sleeping yet?” She asks.

“Probably I drink something that doesn’t let me sleep yet,” I answer. Of course, it is a lie, but I doubt my body can hide my anxiety from the army build-up right in this region is the sign of something good, especially when those two military officers are asking for extra defensive equipment.

“Why are you so anxious, though, Helen? Your ears are pretty stiff,” Rachel holds both of my wolf ears.

“Is it really that obvious?” I ask Rachel.

“Yes, you’re sweating, and your ears are stiff,” Rachel answers.

I then put away the blanket on my bed and sit down on my bed with the rifle still near me. I don’t want to peek from the curtain, but I suspect something has happened outside. However, it’s only a matter of time before something happens with that large army build-up.

“Are you worried that much about something? Don’t worry, Helen, nothing will happen, those two commanders visit this place every once in a while to ask for extra weapons. That’s nothing unusual,” Rachel tries to convince me.

However, my father’s attitude towards those two commanders isn’t exactly convincing enough. They don’t seem to respect my father that much, mainly because my father was reluctant on lending them the ballistae for defensive purposes. I do admit that it’s too fast to draw a conclusion based on one event alone.

“Don’t you think they will betray our father?” I ask Rachel. There’s a chance that they see my father as nothing more than an annoying viscount, and that’s not a good thing.

“That’s too far, Helen. Rugort and Rubert won’t betray us,” Rachel says.

“Are they twins?” I ask.

“Yup, they’re twins,” Rachel answers.

“Ranks?”

“Major Rugort and Captain Rubert,” Rachel adds.

A battalion of soldiers under my father’s command, it seems. A lieutenant colonel usually commands a battalion consisting of three hundred people or less. So, how big is the region that my father governs if it needs a whole battalion to guard?

“How many people do they command?”

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“Eighty, if I recall correctly,” Rachel answers.

“Eighty? That’s not many, how many mercenaries does our father have?”

“Fifty, perhaps? Why are you asking me that question? That’s not something I expect from a 10-year-old,” Rachel becomes suspicious, but to be honest, I’d also be suspicious if my own 10-year-old sister is that curious about the military aspect.

“I’m just wondering, in case a bandit group attacks our region,” I reply.

“Well, bandits are very loosely organized, there’s no way they can achieve anything meaningful in our region at all,” Rachel replies.

“Glad to hear that.”

“Helen, just go to sleep, please,” Rachel begs.

BOOM!

“What’s that?” A loud thud comes from a distance. I assume it is coming from a cannon, at the very least. It’s definitely something with gunpowder having to be involved with it. I immediately hold my rifle and put it in the semi-auto position. No way that’s supposed to be happening.

Rachel then hugs me and puts away my M4 rifle. She then pats my ears gently. “It’s ok, it’s very usual to happen.” She continuously pats me on the ears while I look at her face. Is she… crying?

“Are you playing tough with me, dear sister?” I ask her while putting my hand on her tear.

“No, I’m not,” Rachel says and wipes her eyes.

I should have known it. A person that is scared of guns, and traumatized by guns won’t be calming me down after hearing a cannon. I’m paranoid, but not exactly scared. If the time comes for shooting, then shooting it is. Each side will kill the other and the winner is the last person standing.

“Yes you are,” I smile and I grab my M4 again. “Don’t worry, Rachel, I’ll protect you. So, don’t be crying, alright? We’re sisters, we should be together, don’t you think?” I hug Rachel tighter. Rachel responds by hugging me tighter.

I notice how my older sister is trying to hold back her fear of gunshots. After all, she’s different from me, she hasn’t gotten blown up by an improvised explosive device after getting rescued from an underground basement after getting both of her hands drilled with a cordless drill. The only injury she has gotten is losing a right thumb.

Rachel then let me go. “It should be me that calm you down, not vice versa,” her face reddens.

“It’s ok, Rachel, I don’t mind,” I answer.

“Thanks, Helen,” She answers.

Then, a continuous loud thud appears in the background. What’s going on outside? It feels like a fully-blown out war in the distance out there. I grab my rifle and peek right from behind the curtain. It’s dark outside. However, several flashes appear in distance. It’s either a cannon or a thunder.

I feel like one of the tax evaders, peeking at whether there’s an IRS officer, or not. I immediately close the curtain before a bullet flies towards the window after seeing my face. I then gaze at my black rifle. Will this rifle with an iron sight be enough to defend the mansion? I really doubt it.

“Helen, what are you thinking about?” Rachel asks.

“Nothing, tonight’s cold,” I answer.

“Why don’t you go to sleep then?” Rachel asks.

“I wish I could, just like I said earlier,” I answer.

Rachel then suddenly hugs me from the back, “You used to be more clingy. Now, I feel that you are detaching yourself from me. I can’t say I’m not proud of you, but still, I’m missing some of the moments.”

I sigh. “What do you want?”

“Can I sleep next to you?” She asks.

“Does my bed even fit?” I ask her back, considering that my bed is much smaller than hers. My bed is just a regular bed fitting for one person only, or maybe two, but it’s no comparison to Rachel’s larger queen bed. It’s better to sleep on her bed.

I grab a pillow and walk to her bed. I put my pillow right next to her pillow and my rifle right next to the bed. I put the rifle in the safe position before finally lying my back on the comfy bed. Her bed is way comfier, probably filled with goose feathers.

After that, Rachel lies down right next to me and she pulls the blanket. It feels warm and cozy on this cold rainy night. My sister closes her eyes soon, and eventually, I close my own eyes. This time, I manage to fall asleep.

Nothing happens tonight.