Marionette (A 'The 5th Wave' Fanfiction) [COMPLETED] #wattys2017

    There's lot's of gossip about Squad 22. Recruits say everyone predicted to go Dorothy is sent here. Two members already lost it and two are allegedly following suit, one of which is Mononoke. I don't think it's necessary to say who the other is.

    Life carries out as normal again. Breakfast, training, lunch, training, dinner, testing, sleep. No sign of Ben or Squad 53. If I try hard enough I can pretend I never knew them.

    But the tiniest things remind me of them. Of him.

    I feel like a walking corpse. Like a zombie. Is that too ironic?

    I don't sleep well. My pillow is extremely uncomfortable and feels like it's made of plastic. I roll at least five hundred times per night.

    I get enough of it and procede to punch the hell out of the pillow. I tear it apart and there's a ripping sound, followed by a faint sting on my knuckles. I look at them and frown. "Paper cut?" I whisper.

    I check the inside of the pillow and surely enough I find a stack of papers. I curiously look them over. The first has a title written in uneven and scribbly letters, To Xander. From Philip.

    At the back is a drawing of four stick figures, a house, a tree, and a helicopter, I suppose. One figure with four curvy lines for hair and triangles for a dress is having her hand raised, probably waving. Two other figures are doing the same and so is a figure infront of the helicopter. He's having a circle on his head, which I conclude is a helmet. The figure with triangles has an arrow above her head, saying MOM. The two boys have XANDER and PHILIP and the last with the helmet has DAD written over their heads.

    The next page is of the plane leaving and the figures have turned-down smiles. They look sad.

    Then there is Xander and Philip playing and a few more drawings of them being happy together.

    Later comes the figures pointing to the sky. There's a blob there. The Mothership. There's a circle above Philip's head and in it, Look! Daddy's coming home!

    The next drawings represent the waves. It's incredibly sad looking at these, crumpled by nights of being slept on.

    Then there's the triangle figure with red spots everywhere. I realize the mother must have gotten the plague.

    Xander and Philip are on the other side. The Philip figure has another circle above his head. Where is Daddy? Xander's figure says, He's in a paper plane.

    On the nearly last paper is Philip looking very sad. He also has red spots. He's saying, Will I also be on a paper plane? Xander's figure doesn't have a circle.

    The other side has written, in a more collected lettering and no drawing, I'm coming home.

    I wipe my soaked cheeks. This is Slingshot's -Xander's- life. His little brother made that for him.

    I remember what Ben said when we argued. Everyone went through what you did, if not worse. Despite his words being made of rage rather than thought, he's right. I am selfish.

    I check through the last paper eagerly in hope of finding out more. But it's empty.

    I put the papers back into the case, turn the pillow around so I'm sleeping on the part that's not ripped. And a thought hits me. If Slingshot had this paper all along, why did he write the note on toilet paper?