Picture perfect family... [Aramir]

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 10, 2012 0:04:40 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 10, 2012 0:04:40 GMT -5

The bell rang. That glorious peal that sent frisians of hope and freedom through every child trapped for what seemed an interminable sentence within the wooden walls of the schoolhouse. Spring was just barely beginning to breathe its fresh life over the seaside town. Snow drifts shrank to muddy slush at the roadside, streams thawed, and a few brave trees began to wreathe their crowns with tiny green leaves barely sprouted. With all of these changes came the first tremors of spring fever burning through the veins of every youth in the village. School days seemed to drag on for years of new and creative tortures. Now with the simple clang of a bell in the yard, prison bars were thrown open, and the relieved prisoners went pelting out into the muddy yard and racing for home.

All except one forlorn figure.

She hunched over on the bench outside the principal's office, more miserable than before. Her slate, clutched on her lap, bore the smudged and crooked lines of chalk sprawling across its dusty expanse, reading, "I will learn to control my temper." One hundred times she had to write it…and stay every wretched minute of two hours after class as punishment. These offenses to her young life meant that she wouldn't be waiting on the fence for Gage as she had promised.

The clock on the wall ticked in exaggerated slow motion, and an age of the world seemed to pass before the door of the principal's office opened and as he prepared to leave for the day, she was finally given permission to go home…with five extra pages of math homework to be done that evening.

With a low groan of despair, she slumped out the door, certain that all hopes and plans for the day were ruined. The light would begin to disappear far too soon, and Gage would be long gone home. Her boots scuffed the boards and kicked at a small rock as she finally emerged into the late afternoon. In fact, she was in such dismal spirits, that she almost missed the lanky figure leaned against the fence, a book in hand.

In that one moment, the day had gone from a dark to light, and her footsteps lifted into a hurried skip as she flung herself across the yard and hugged Gage so fervently that he nearly fell flat onto the ground.

"You waited!" A smile blazed across her face until she recalled the five extra pages of homework that weighed down her school bag. "Slave driving teacher gave me extra homework AND I had to stay late…I didn't even start the fight…this time." Her small face screwed up in frustration. "We can't go fishing like I planned on, I gotta get this work done before tomorrow or I'll be kept late again." The fence shuddered with the impact of her booted foot kicking the post irately. "I guess…maybe you could come home with me, we could do homework together or something. My parents won't care, would your mom? We could stop and tell her where we'll be."

Last Edit: Mar 10, 2012 0:15:14 GMT -5 by Kheft

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 11, 2012 0:46:30 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 11, 2012 0:46:30 GMT -5

The road to the DelMar home was no short walk, but it past more quickly than usual as she chattered away to Gage about her day. They followed the path as it wound past the ferrier's and the butcher's, skirting the edge of the village graveyard before cutting to the outskirts of town and up a small hill where the last, straggling houses were perched. Their's was nearly the furthest away that you could get. It wasn't a shack by any means, but the clapboard sides and split-shingle roof were cheap in construction and poorly maintained. Despite the disrepair, it's windows shown with polishing, and a small flowerbed by the front step was neatly turned and waiting on spring growth.

The west-facing side of the house was dominated by numerous clothes lines, nailed into the wooden boards and strung out to to tall posts for support. Fresh washing flapped smartly in the afternoon breeze, pegged securely to dry. Along the east-facing side was attached a sprawling barn with doors hanging open. The sound of hand tools being applied to wood could be heard spilling out from its interior, and clouds of golden sawdust hung in the air, scenting unmistakably of fresh cedar shavings. A slightly off-key whistling accompanied the sound of someone working away, blending into a tuneless melody.

Saamina and Gage approached the front porch just as a slight woman appeared in the doorway balancing an enormous basket of laundry. Her hair bore the familiar ruddy color of her offspring, but was darkened to a more dignified auburn with age. Unlike Sam, however, her skin was very pale and even, un-freckled and obviously carefully guarded from the sun.

As she set down the basket and reached to tie a large, straw hat beneath her chin, she noticed the pair on the path and smiled at their approach.

"Saamina, I wasn't expecting you home until dark…and you have a friend with you?" Her voice rose in question as she glanced across at Gage. She continued to resemble her daughter in the wide set eyes, although where the younger one's were gray in hue, the mother's held a nebulous green shade. They also gave the impression of a slight vacancy behind them, as though the woman perpetually looked past the object of her gaze and wasn't really seeing it.

Sam padded up the steps and offered her mother a smile, though it was a peculiarly mild, strained expression for the normally vivacious girl.

"I stayed after school to help the teacher, mum." The lie flowed glibly from her tongue without a shadow of discomfort. She was so accustomed to creating these pleasanter truths for her mother that it never felt wrong anymore. "This is my friend, Gage. We're going to work on some homework together if that's alright." But it seemed that her mother wasn't even listening anymore as she gave another vacant smile and nodded permission, already moving off in the direction of the clotheslines without a backward glance.

Inside the house was cozy, and portrayed an equally tidy but rundown appearance. A wood stove puffed heat into the front room. Beside it, a rocking chair was tucked, a basket of needlepoint abandoned on the seat. A small wooden table occupied the furthest corner of the room, four wooden chairs drawn up around it. All of the furniture was lovingly crafted, obviously by someone with a skilled hand, in strange contrast to the rest of depressed structure. The kitchen was cramped, and the few pots that sat high on shelves were blackened and worn with years of hard use. Still, it was obvious that someone in the house had tried to add a few touches to brighten the room. A square of white muslin sat in the middle of the table, delicately worked with colored thread, and an old tin cup was perched atop it, filled with the first crocuses of the year. Other old vessels sat here and there, also bearing handfuls of early spring flowers that must have been carefully hunted down. A pretty pottery teapot also provided a spot of color to the drab room, it's orange glazing and painted flowers setting it apart from the rest of the plain crockery. A narrow hallway off this main room disappeared into what were likely the bedrooms on the back of the house.

All of this was easily taken in with a long glance, the house being so small. Sam meanwhile trudged over to the table and dropped her schoolbag on its surface. Then with reverent fingers, she took down the little orange teapot and filled it with water, setting it atop the wood stove to heat.

"Pick a place to sit, I don't much care where we settle. Did your teachers give you much homework?"

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 11, 2012 19:27:49 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 11, 2012 19:27:49 GMT -5

With Gage's easy words and relaxed expression, Sam felt the tightness in her stomach ease a little. She had been worried without realizing it, uncertain how her mother would take to her bringing him home, and equally unsure how much he would see. She had been surprised on numerous occasions but just exactly how much his eyes seemed to take in. Most folks saw things, sure, new paint in a room or a different hair styling…but Sam had found that not many observed. They didn't always understand the meaning of what they saw. Gage did, his mind sped along in its own unusual way, processing what his eyes lighted on, and she'd known that he would see that maybe some things were not quite right.

Maybe it was a test for him. Unconsciously of course, because she was only just not thinking about it. But something deep inside was testing the bonds of their relationship and seeing how much they could bear. Would they break easily when he picked up on the way her mother had shut her mind away from reality, unwilling to face its ugly side…and the loss of her only son? What of her father?

Saamina licked dry lips and continued moving about in the tension-relieving ritual of making tea. It was something her grandmother had started, teaching her mom, and her mom passing the little tradition along to Saamina before everything else in their lives had fallen apart.

After all these years, it was soothing to listen to the water bubble, lift down the tea tin and smell its herbal goodness wafting from the dry leaves. The cups sat just so on the counter, and she nipped off tiny chunks of sugar from the cone-shaped chunk that was carefully wrapped for preservation in the cupboard. A glance across to Gage saw him settling in at the table.

“Your mother. She seemed surprised to see me.”

Their words overlapped in the quiet room. He had seen quite a bit then. She pondered the right response while measuring tea leaves from their tiny, precious store into the mesh strainer and setting it to brew.

"I guess she was. Not many folks come around here who aren't doing business with my dad."

She considered saying more, but what more was there to say?

No, Gage, I don't bring friends home because I can't stand the way they stare at my mother when she says something crazy. Or their scared expressions when my dad comes home drunker than a sailor on payday and starts cursing the Capitol, or worse…sobbing like a man with a broke heart. Should I be in a hurry to bring people over and showcase the mess my family became when we lost Brooke? He was the glue amongst us, and without him my parents are lost in their separate nightmares… and mine is that I can't wake either of them up. So I just don't do it…except I did today. I brought you here because just maybe you'll understand.

How do you say those things to someone whose opinion suddenly means the world to you? Instead she offered him a crooked smile.

"You like sugar in your tea?"

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 11, 2012 23:18:26 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 11, 2012 23:18:26 GMT -5

While the tea steeped, Sam excused herself long enough to slip down the hallway leading back to the bedrooms. When she reappeared, it was engulfed in the too-big draping of Gage's sweater. The sleeves were carefully rolled back from her hands and hung in baggy folds from skinny wrists. It was comical to see, but infinitely comfortable for Saamina.

She stopped at the counter to pour amber liquid into each waiting cup, adding generous amounts of sugar to each, and bringing them with her to the table. The cups set down with a slight clatter, but managing not to spill a drop. She grasped the back of the chair beside Gage and dragged it closer until it butted up against his seat, then clambered into it and drew her feet up in front. The cup just about filled her small hands, cradled between them, as she sniffed at the steam appreciatively.

Her gaze sought him out over the rim of the cup and set at trying to unravel the enigmatic look on his face.

What did he say? Mum reminds him of his own mother…vacant…always elsewhere.

Yes, that was certainly an accurate description. She was never present in Saamina's life, always lost in some imaginary world she had created. A place where the Hunger Games were just a fun contest, and the Capitol a well-meaning parental body looking out for them. It was a world where Brooke had never existed, or if she couldn't escape that fact, then he was merely in the Capitol training for a bright new future.

Her homework still sat in her bag on the table, and in the silence while they sipped at their tea, Saamina dragged it out, letting the pages fan out on the wooden surface.

Fractions…they were her archenemy.

Her pencil had lost its point somehow. She set to sharpening it slowly, watching the shavings curl away from the blade in perfect little spirals.

"My dad builds things with wood. Boats mostly, but sometimes other things…shelves, furniture…he made this table. He used to make some really beautiful things, a necklace once for mum. Brooke had a set of rings that were all interlocking, but it was a puzzle, because you could get them apart if you only knew how to twist them. I never could figure it out, but it sure kept me busy trying. I bet you would have liked it, you like puzzles."

She looked up again with a slightly brighter smile than before, unconsciously gravitating closer to the edge of the seat until they were nearly touching.

"Do you like the tea? I make it for mum all the time. Sometimes I'll add fresh mint leaves when it's in season, or rose hips, other stuff too when I find it. When the good weather stays longer we'll have to go out together. I know where all the best berries grow."

The thought made her mouth water.

"Strawberries, blackberries…sometimes wild rhubarb."

She reached out on a whim, grasping at Gage's hand and pulling it closer to rest on the tabletop. With an impish grin, she lifted the pencil and lightly drew the graphite tip across his skin, spelling out her name in crooked lines that marched across his palm in single file.

Last Edit: Mar 12, 2012 9:04:42 GMT -5 by Kheft

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 13, 2012 10:03:36 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 13, 2012 10:03:36 GMT -5

Saamina admired the penmanship traced across her palm, each letter formed with flowing precision. She'd never seen anyone who took such pains to make their handwriting look so nice. She certainly wouldn't have the patience.

"It's beautiful. Like the nametag on a present so you know who it belongs to."

Unhappily she dragged them back to the task at hand by scrutinizing the homework assignments and grudgingly scribbling out the equations for the first several. She was quick enough at sussing out the answers, when focused, but still made little progress as everything and nothing seemed to provide a distraction for her. The tea required close scrutiny, her pencil needed to be sharpened every ten seconds or so, the particulars of Gage's school day…all of this became singularly absorbing in contrast to the sums that she was procrastinating on.

The sleeves of the sweater inched down her arms, almost swallowing her hands whole. Sam pushed them back up to her elbows, but they quickly repeated the trip back down her forearms. The neckline was so wide, that it had a habit of sliding off one shoulder or the other, and causing her to shiver when the cold air skidded over bare skin. Despite all of this, she nestled further into it's knitted comfort, hugging it close with arms folded over her stomach.

The front door swung open on its hinges, shattering the stillness, and a tall man in a set of clumping work-boots entered. Blonde hair - bleached from exposure to the sun - escaped a queue at the base of his neck and straggled around a roughly bearded face, glistening with sweat. Wood shavings clung to hair and beard, decorating his shirtfront and pants as well. A pair of bloodshot, steel-gray eyes fixed on Gage with startled confusion.

"Sam, who's your friend?"

With her head suddenly bent studiously over the homework pages, she avoided looking up at the man. Fingers unconsciously gripped the pencil tighter and tighter until the tip snapped off. She reached for her sharpener.

"Sam?" The tone had sharpened with annoyance, and maybe the slight undertones of something else that lightly blurred the words.

"Just a friend, dad."

Why oh why had she thought bringing Gage here was a good idea?

The man shrugged his shoulders, casting Gage another narrow look before turning and heading into the kitchen. Loud clattering of cabinet doors opening and banging shut were heard, and the growl of a few curse words muttered beneath the man's breath drifted across to where the two sat. After a few minutes of this ruckus, he stomped back through and headed for the door, a large glass bottle clutched by the neck in his fist.

When they were alone in the house once again, Saamina jumped up from the table, sweeping the homework up and retreating towards the dimly lit hallway.

"Let's work on this in my room," she offered, barely giving Gage time to reply.

The hallway was just a short bit of space holding two doorways. The one on the right was tightly shut, but the door to their immediate left stood open, giving a small glimpse inside. Without pausing, she brushed through the open doorway and shut it behind them with a firm push. Almost immediately she appeared to settle again, crossing to a bed against the far wall and throwing herself across its length.

The room was large enough for the two beds that occupied it, each pushed against opposite walls. They both bore thick, blanket coverings that were similar in design, dark blue and serviceable. The wall over where Saamina lay was pinned with an odd montage of leaves, dried flowers, a flotsam of small driftwood pieces, and any other small oddity that might have caught the girl's fancy. in contrast, the other bed was surrounded by what first appeared to be a patchwork of wallpaper. Closer inspection would identify it instead as layers and layers of drawings. Pieces of sketchpaper were tacked nearly everywhere, covered in small, detailed drawings.

Sam glanced across at them and gave a fond smile.

"Brooke's."

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 14, 2012 11:40:06 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 14, 2012 11:40:06 GMT -5

She couldn't help a small grin at Gage's immediate enthusiasm. His love for new information to process and new thoughts to explore was something he would never be able to keep private; it was written all over his face. His fingers crept forward as though itching to touch the paper and absorb the information through osmosis, but he held back. That restraint made Saamina chuckle.

“They’re good. Very good…Your parents. Did they like them?”

Rather than give an answer, she sat up and scooted off her bed. Among all the pictures that Brooke had captured, there was a favorite that Saamina returned to admire regularly. Now she carefully unpinned it from the wall and drew it down, laying it lightly in Gage's hands.

The paper was soft, creased with fragile lines where it had been folded on itself numerous times. It almost held the worn look of something that has long inhabited the inside of someone's pocket. The edges were clean on three sides and torn on the third, obviously ripped from a sketch book of some sort. However, they were all incidental details, merely providing a background for the small pencil drawing at the center of the sheet. A few lines had blurred with finger smudging, but otherwise it still remained pristine.

"She loved to dance…" the words barely stirred the air, almost lost into the silence.

Saamina crept closer to admire it again over Gage's shoulder. The three little figures clustered together on paper seemed so carefree, frozen in a perfect tableau, freed from the stress that might have descended seconds later.

The woman stood poised halfway through a spin, her long skirt caught up in one hand, and held tilted back to look up at her tall partner whose downward angled face creased with numerous laugh-lines. It was no formal setting, even the simplicity of the drawing managed to portray that, as did the tiny figure of a girl sitting on the man's shoulders. Her feet were clasped securely in his free hand, and both of her arms stretched down to hold the woman's hand raised overhead, guiding her through the dance move.

"Yes, my mother loved to watch Brooke draw. She'd prop the finished work up places, and admire it for weeks. Said it was a dignified an' classical pursuit." Sam managed the last phrase with the perfect mockery of a stuffy and pompous tone. "She wanted him to be an artist. Then when he was gone…it was like she couldn't bear to look at them anymore, took them all down and put them away somewhere."

She glanced back over the collage, a hundred moments from the life of Brooke DelMar. Faces peered back from their paper homes. Younger versions of herself, learning to swim, feeding the fish, picking flowers…others as well, her mother and father, Margo, and the furry faces of animals or petaled flowers. Anything that had caught Brooke's interest usually starred in one of his drawings.

"My dad thought it was a nice hobby. Something to impress girls on the side, but not something to feed a family on. I don't know, if you were a girl, would you like a guy better because he could draw?"

The absurdity of her question was not lost on her, and Sam wrinkled her nose teasingly. Too lazy at that moment to move back to her own bed, she sprawled across Brooke's instead. Shoes hit the floor with a thump when she kicked them off, and bare toes dug into the covers for warmth.

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 14, 2012 23:47:42 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 14, 2012 23:47:42 GMT -5

He was staring, silent, for so many minutes that she could only wonder what was passing through his brain. Despite his words to her a few days past, she couldn't read his mind, wasn't even sure she wanted to. It was the not knowing, the constantly being surprised that added interest. If she could anticipate every thought that drifted through his head then she might as well be keeping herself company. No, with Gage one was always hearing unexpected ideas, seeing new angles on some mundane matter simply because no one else thought about it like he did. Often Saamina found herself saving up stories to recount to her friend after school, just for the pleasure of listening to him analyze the incident, picking apart the different actions and adding a unique commentary.

This time, however, his gaze was directed in a look of concentration on her face. It was slightly uncomfortable. Never one to feel self-conscious, Sam suddenly wondered what he was seeing. Her appearance was not a topic that occupied a lot of time or energy in her life. Maybe it would have, if she'd had deeper connections and friendships among her peers in the village. For the most part, it was dress and go in the morning; her mother felt it a good day when a brush made its way through her hair. What was the point to fussing and primping? No one cared what she looked like when she delivered fish or scallops to the market vendors, or when she ran errands for some of the shopkeeps in exchange for credit. There was no one to see her when she crept cautiously through slick passages at the cliff bases gathering gull eggs, or spent hours in quiet parts of the thickets digging up roots. If no one else cared, then why should she?

Did Gage care? Did he see a wild, unkempt child with an unseemly amount of freckles? Slightly crooked teeth, gray eyes too far apart, and a frame that lacked the soft curvaceousness that girls craved? It's what her mother saw, and spent time lecturing and picking apart knots in her hair, trying to moisturize the freckles away, and altering dresses from charitable neighbors in hopes that her daughter would clean up into something even marginally feminine.

Of course Gage wouldn't care! Friends didn't care what other friends looked like…did they? Did he?

She narrowed her eyes in thought and tried harder than ever to interpret the subtle tilt of his mouth and flicker of his eyes; the way he tipped his head a bit must be a reaction to some internal debate. A soft laugh broke her reverie.

"I like you very much, don’t I, Saamina? Unless you’re hiding some secret talent of yours, and it’d be a shame if you were, it doesn’t matter much to me by way of relationships.”

Of course he likes her…she knew that…who spends so much time with someone they didn't like? Despite the inner chiding, a trickle of warmth bubbled up in her chest at the words being spoken so freely.

"Skills aren’t people.”

Aren't they? Don't you define a person by what they are good at?

"I don't know, Gage. If I liked painting an awful lot, wouldn't I want to spend time with a painter? I love being outside and exploring, and I love being with you because you want to be doing those things too. If all you wanted to do was sit inside and do…math problems," her faced scrunched up in a disgusted expression, one hand waving at the abandoned homework pages, "I don't know if we would have got on so well. I mean, I'd still think you were nice and all…but not much of a future in that friendship."

Saamina rolled over, legs propped upwards against the wall and her head hanging off the edge of the bed so she was looking at Gage upside-down. Her hand found a small cardboard box of books tucked beside the headboard, and she plucked one from its contents without looking. The blue binding opened a little stiffly, and pages shuffled awkwardly between her fingers as she made great show of pretending to read it backwards.

"senots teiuqnu…revo ek-"

Last Edit: Mar 15, 2012 0:25:00 GMT -5 by Kheft

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 17, 2012 17:34:00 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 17, 2012 17:34:00 GMT -5

"Maybe you are just very skillful!" she grinned after the ridiculous reply to his attempts at differentiating 'skill' from 'interest'. All his careful analysis and categorization of things made her want to reach in and tussle them all together, like buttons in a box. Sometimes he just thought about stuff too much. When that happened, it provoked the mischievous side of her. Unable to resist, she reached out, struggling with the odd depth perception of her position, and ruffled Gage's already mussed hair.

“Besides, I like inventing, and building, but your father…well. I can’t say he’d enjoy my company much.”

The reference to her father seemed to quickly subdue the lighthearted mood, and Saamina twisted around, dropping the book and sitting up to glance out a window.

"No, probably not, but he doesn't like anyone's company much."

Shadows were just beginning to stretch across the ground, anticipating the release of night when they would be free to engulf all of the space the sun still claimed. A few tendrils of flame visible on the horizon also heralded the waning day, and the approaching dusk when they would set fire to the sky and consume the setting sun.

"I need to get dinner started, Gage. Do you…want to stay and eat with us?" Her words came hesitantly.

Is this a good idea, Sam? It could be pure disaster in the making…

It wasn't that she wanted him to leave, quite the contrary. The day never seemed as complete without his company, he just settled into the space left by Brooke's absence and made it his own. Yes, he couldn't replace her brother, and never would…but he made it hurt less.

Is he my stand-in brother?

She scrutinized his face. Was that why she wanted him near, because he reminded her of Brooke? No, she decided. He listened like Brooke did, and treated her like an equal rather than a child…but that's really where the similarities ended. She didn't think of Gage as her brother, just the best friend she had.

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 19, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 19, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -5

The words hung in the air and for once Sam felt so stunned that she couldn't formulate an answer.

"Only so long as I'm not a burden, Saamina."

A burden? Where could he have drawn that possibility from?

A burden was something that weighed you down, made you heavy and tired. If anything, Gage was the polar opposite of that. He was her companion, someone to share and divide the daily hardships with, leaving her less to contend with. Even now, with only a few months history to reflect on, she couldn't imagine returning to the way her life had been without him in it. Being lonely was a way of life she grew accustomed to, it was achingly familiar, and she hated it. No, Gage was not a burden, he had been the remedy to her burden. He couldn't ever go anywhere, she wouldn't let him!

Her feet scrabbled in the smoothly made sheets, rumpling the bed that hadn't seen disturbance in years, and she propelled herself so abruptly off the edge that she landed with a THUNK on the floor in front of a very startled Gage. Her arms flew around his neck and she hugged him with a surprising ferocity, burying her face into his shoulder for a long moment. When she finally emerged, it was with some measure of calm, as though managing to glean it from his own reserves.

"You're not a burden, Gage. You're my best friend…I'd rather keep you around all the time, I just know that you have other bits of life besides me. So whenever you want to stick around, I make the most of it."

She smiled at him, letting the naturally cheerful disposition shine through any former ill-spirits, like sunshine scrubbing away evidence of the rainfall. The elasticity of youthful emotions allowing the mood to pass, Sam found her feet and hopped up, guiding the way through the house and around one side. Ducking beneath numerous lines of flapping sheets and fluttering shirt-sleeves, they emerged into a small vegetable garden. Stakes of tomato vines and early spring peas were the only vegetation yet showing any signs of life.

A basket lay abandoned just where green grass gave way to freshly turned rows of dark earth, and Sam snatched it up. Her fingers flew with ease over the vines, obviously familiar with this chore, and stripped the little green pods from their stems. Handfuls of the tender vegetables spilled over the woven bottom of the basket, and one or two disappeared into her mouth.

"Mmmm, I don't mind doing the picking, they always taste better like this." Her words were followed by a giggle, and the toss of a couple pea pods through the air in Gage's direction.

With a good amount of them secured, the two returned inside, and Saamina set the basket on the counter. She rinsed the lot in a bowl of water, and inspected each pod for insects, snapping off the woody tops, and generally preparing them for cooking. As if unable to perform any task quietly, she chattered away about school and her teachers, and when those topics ran dry she seemed content to hum odd snatches of music in time with the bustling about. The peas ended up in a pan with a little water atop the stove, and bowl on the counter was uncovered, revealing a ball of nicely risen bread dough.

Dinner preparations filled in bit by bit, the dough becoming biscuits that lined a pan and went into the oven. A container of cold chicken from the icebox was shredded down and but in another pot to cook with a cup of cream, some flour, and a few other odd ingredients that Sam explained would make gravy. The kitchen had quickly become a haven of busy noises and rich smells as the meal reached completion.

"Do you mind putting plates and things on the table?" Sam asked the question as she cleared their bags away and set them on the bench near the wood stove.

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 21, 2012 18:38:35 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 21, 2012 18:38:35 GMT -5

The dishes were stacked on a shelf over the sink, over a foot out of her reach. Most times she would pull a chair over to stand on, but today it wasn't necessary. Instead she pointed them out and let Gage lift them down for her. His question as the table was cleared and places arranged for the evening meal was one that she would rather not dwell on, but he deserved an answer to it.

"I don't know, Gage. You've seen how my mom is…she wouldn't upset her 'happy little family' scenario by making a scene. I-I'm not sure what my dad will do. I don't want to put you through anything awkward, so…" She set the last plate on the counter rather than the table, "Maybe you'd be better off going home? It's not like I'm going to be mad at you if you don't want to stay. Honest."

No, she wouldn't be mad, what was there to be angry about? Even she didn't want to be around her dad for the most part. It hadn't always been the case. True, he'd been an intense man even when she was younger. He was never the father who took you fishing or told you stories at bedtime, but there were moments…and she'd always known that he loved his family. He just didn't love them more than he did his dreams of overthrowing the Capitol…or more than his bottles of whiskey tucked into hidden corners of the barn. Alcohol had always been his vice, and after what happened to Brooke, he blamed himself. The drinking grew exponentially worse, to the point that Sam wondered if he recalled he still had one child left.

She didn't really think he would be angry that Gage stayed for dinner, it was more that he might be fairly intoxicated by this point in the evening. There was never any way of knowing what he would say or do when he'd gotten this late into his glass. It might be something embarrassing but innocuous…or worse. He could spend the evening ranting about the evils of President Snow. Gage already thought she was a rebel, what would he think if he could hear the things her father said when he was drunk? Did she want him to stay that badly?

It was at that moment that her mother breezed in through the front door, setting baskets of clean laundry on the floor. Her wide, absent eyes looked up at the two, as though surprised to see that there was someone else occupying her world.

"Oh, Saamina, you're home. With a friend…how nice. He's very handsome."

She turned a quizzical smile towards Gage, seemingly oblivious of the sudden shade of crimson her daughter's face had turned.

"What was your name, dear?"

Suddenly Sam was even more uncertain about Gage staying, but for an entirely different reason. Her father's sodden tantrums she had considered, but that her mother might suddenly take an interest in her friend's presence was another matter entirely. There had been the occasion or two when she'd had to escape her mother's well-intentioned but oblivious efforts at encouraging male companionship in her daughter's life. She blindly tried to model their meager household after the wealthier District citizens whose laundry she washed and houses she cleaned. It was as though she couldn't see how laughable it made her look to put on society airs. And this was one of those deplorable practices she adopted.

"Gage, mum…his name is Gage." Sam broke in hurriedly, hoping to head off any maternal interference.

"Gage, a very interesting name. Are you staying for supper, Gage? I suppose you are here for Saamina's birthday celebration? Of course you are, None of your other friends were able to come? Such a shame. Saamina, you should really clean up for dinner please. We don't need hooligans at the table. Then call your father in." Ignoring any further attempts at being headed off, she shooed Sam towards the bedroom, and turned back on Gage with a slightly more aware expression.

"Now then, Gage, have I met your parents?"

Last Edit: Mar 22, 2012 19:19:16 GMT -5 by Kheft

Kheft
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last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 23, 2012 20:28:05 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 23, 2012 20:28:05 GMT -5

When it came to her hair, there was little that tamed the unruly curls for very long, but Sam had adopted the practice of dragging a wet hairbrush through them. The water seemed to temper their obstinate nature long enough to twist them back into a neat plait. True, it never stayed tidy for long; as her hair dried in the air it seemed to bounce back with a vengeance, rebelling at the attempted confinement until numerous escaping strands formed a veritable halo of frizzy ringlets around her face. The look was something akin to a small, and very irate, hedgehog. According to her mother, It was still an improvement from the usual 'raised by wolves' styling, and was typically a requirement for the family meals. As was a dress.

Ugh…

Pants were practical, comfortable, resilient…and gave near personal offense to her mother. So much so, that in zealous fits, she would sometimes raid her daughter's closet and confiscate any of the despised garments visible. Sam grew creative in finding hiding spots for her beloved pants, the best being beneath clothes in Brooke's old drawers. It would be a cold day in hell before her mother opened that Pandora's box.

With no small amount of grumbling under her breath, a dress made the journey from hanger, down over skinny arms and chest, the zipper catching only one chunk of skin as she yanked it up.

"Ow!" Dresses were nearly as bad as fractions…it was a close draw.

Not bothering to put shoes and socks back on, she padded to the window and yanked up on the sash, managing to open it a few inches before it refused to budge further. Pressing her face into the gap, she yelled out towards the barn, "Daaaaad, time for dinner!"

Mission accomplished.

As she was about to return to the kitchen, conversation trickled through, catching her attention.

“I don’t know, ma’am. You might, I mean. My father, Arnav Bystrom? He was an inventor, built a lot of new mechanisms for the fishing boats. But he passed away when I was little…My mother’s name is Sandy. Is it…really Saamina’s birthday? She didn’t mention it.”

Leave her mother alone with him for a minute and she was already spilling Saamina's secrets, if she allowed this to continue, her mother would be showing baby pictures next. That thought alone was horrifying enough to almost drown out her mother's reply.

"Arnav…Bystrom…he told such pretty stories, didn't he? Pretty stories…and eyes…just like yours."

Mum knew Gage's father?

In the other room, her mother's eyes had grown distant again, and her mouth curved in a serene smile. It was the kind of look that steals over a face when they are seeing something that exists only in memory. It was short-lived, however, her attention unable to grasp onto any one topic for long. It drifted aimlessly on to the next thought process.

"It is Saamina's birthday. I am so glad that you don't use that wretched nickname. 'Sam' it makes her sound very boyish. She does insist on wearing pants so often. If she isn't careful people are going to begin mistaking her for a boy. Thirteen is far too old to continue such behaviors. Don't you think?"

There wasn't even a pause to actually allow Gage the opportunity to respond.

"Yes, of course. Still, she'll grow out of that soon I would think. This year probably. I'm going to teach her how to sew, with a lovely new pastime she'll give up these ridiculous scrambles on the beach."

Kheft
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last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 24, 2012 0:21:17 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 24, 2012 0:21:17 GMT -5

She had stepped out into the hallway with the original intention of somehow interrupting the conversation and moving them all to the table for dinner…changing the topic of focus. Instead, Gage immediately fixed his gaze on her and she froze. Something about that look was mildly accusatory, inquisitive as well, as if she had somehow hurt him and he was waiting for her to explain why.

What have I done, Gage?

As if she could impress the question directly into his head, the thought felt so vivid to her, he almost must be able to read it out of her eyes.

His half-raised hand beckoned her over, and without giving it a second thought she sought him out. It was peculiarly natural, like her feet had already intended to cross the room to him and just waited for her mind to catch up with them. But then, when she found herself only a step or two from occupying the same space, she skidded to a halt and stood awkwardly. Unsure of exactly why he had wanted her to come, Sam shifted uncertainly, realizing how silly she looked.

“Saamina is a beautiful name, ma’am. And unique. I wouldn’t dream of calling her anything else."

Is that really why he insisted on calling her Saamina? Because he thought it was beautiful?

Oh, but I wouldn’t keep the beach away from her just yet. You’d be amazed at how many nice young men like to walk along the beaches. My father and mother did, you know. Who knows what nice boy she might find on her way?”

Like you?

It was funny, the beach had always been a place where significant things happened in her life. It was where Brooke taught her to swim and first introduced her to the brilliant tide-pools. It was also where she had nearly drowned and Brooke had dragged from the ocean, choking and spitting up half the waters of the sea. It was what people called a 'mortality' moment, and it still starred in some of her dreams. Opening her mouth to gasp and finding it flooded with bitterly cold water, the acrid taste of salt burning at her lungs still woke her up at night. She'd find herself coughing and gasping like a fish pulled up in a net. Her father found her on the beach the day the Peacekeepers came for Brooke and took him away.

And it's where I met Gage.

She had gone running to the beach to be close to her thoughts of a lost brother, the day of the reaping. Facing that first trial alone was one of the most frightening moments in Saamina's young life. Meeting Gage was rock solid in comparison to all the shifting sand and lapping waves that comprised her life.

Yes, the beach was a good place to meet people.

Angling her head to one side, Sam stretched on her toes to look up at Gage. Her hand rose, reaching out towards his, an affectionate smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Only the very best people." The words were whispered quietly enough in Gage's direction to avoid her mother's ears, and masked by a small chuckle.

Kheft
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270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 25, 2012 21:03:51 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 25, 2012 21:03:51 GMT -5

The whisper of Gage's breath against her ear was a subtle and pleasant reminder of their excursion to Mangrove Cove - as she'd decided to call it - and being wrapped up in the confines of Brooke's coat with him. The warm trickle of that memory pulled her mouth into an even wider grin, that and the idea of sharing secrets with someone again.

It's funny the way a shared secret bonds two people together. A crime, forbidden love...in this case, nothing so dramatic, but it didn't need to be. There are plenty of psychological reasons for this phenomenon; none, however, that matter to a little girl finally getting over the pangs of her first experience with loss and loneliness. All she knew was seeing her best friend smiling at her in that confidential way made everything ok again. The tightness in her chest that appeared when she thought he was angry seemed to release its grip. She could breathe deeply again, and it might have made her grin a touch goofy in relief.

“You look stunning in dresses, Saamina. Your mother’s right…and happy birthday, of course.”
And those words, were probably the icing on her non-existent cake. The fact that her dress was a handoff with a previous-owner list longer than her skinny arm, and hung too loosely on a less-than-curvaceous figure, didn't matter. Gage wouldn't say things he didn't mean. That certainty never even came into question in Saamina's head. It did occur to her briefly to wonder why her face had gone a deep shade of red, and why it pleased her so much that Gage liked her in a dress. But as quickly as the thought rose, she brushed it aside as, unconsciously categorizing it as something that she wasn't ready to examine further.

It wasn't a worry, as the timer for the chicken began buzzing. Sam and her mother flitted about, getting dinner onto the table. Gage was playfully, if firmly, instructed to take a seat and stay out of the kitchen. In the midst of everything being laid, and served, her father finally made an appearance. If anything, he looked even rougher than earlier in the day, the faintest tinge of red rimming the whites of his eyes. Sweat soaked the neck and arms of his shirt, and as he paused at the sink to splash water over his face, his hands shook noticeably.

"Saamina, Gage, everyone have a seat. Let's say grace over the meal." Mrs. DelMar settled herself primly into a chair, oblivious to her husband's state, as he thunked down at the head of the table, nearly rattling the glasses and silverware onto the floor.

"Why the hell would we say grace?"

Even at the rude expletive, she merely smiled serenely and continued as though uninterrupted. Her quiet voice murmured a formal prayer over the food that sounded more appropriate for a scripted occasion than dinner in a carpenter's house. Saamina shifted in her seat, the wooden chair creaking loudly in the stillness following. The only other noise was the sound of her father chewing, having ignored his wife's desire to pray first, he was already well into his dinner. Uneasily, Sam glanced across at Gage, and then back at her plate. The awkward hush of the room as forks were raised and food consumed seemed not to phase the two adults at the table.

Kheft
Merchant

270 POSTS
last seen Jun 29, 2013 0:09:39 GMT -5

Picture perfect family... [Aramir] Mar 28, 2012 16:16:55 GMT -5

Post by Kheft on Mar 28, 2012 16:16:55 GMT -5

In the silence that followed Gage's quiet inquisition, Sam's father looked up, distracted from his dinner by the unusual topic. His bloodshot gaze tracked between Gage and his wife with a dulled confusion.

"You knew the boy's dad, Elsa?" As no response was swiftly forthcoming from Elsa, who remained lost in thought, he swung back to Gage and eyed the boy intently. Perhaps trying to assess his parentage based solely on appearance. "Your father's a fisherman?"

Finally rousing from her stupor with a slow blink, Sam's mother picked up her fork and took a bite of the chicken, chewing delicately. When she had dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin, only then did she respond, although not to the original question.

"It's been such a cold winter, a relief to see spring here. I was certain that all the ice must have killed off my roses, but would you know, the sturdy things are putting out leaves. Gage, does your mother like roses?"

"Elsa I'm talking to you!"

"If she does, I could send some cuttings home with you, only they do like a shady spot. Do you have any good shade areas around the house?"

Growing frustrated at his wife's lack of communication, he slammed his glass down so hard that it cracked along one side.

"No, Mr Bystrom was an inventor!" Sam piped in naively, hoping the interesting information would forestall any fits of temper from her father, never anticipating the reaction she received.

Tark DelMar's face turned several shades of purple, and a vein on his forehead stood out. "You're Arnav's boy?" Like a goaded bull, stamping its hooves and working up a head of steam, his jaw worked loosely and eyes swept back and forth between his wife's vacant expression and the two kids. "Elsa, you knew he was that bastard's boy and you invited him to dinner? Get out!" The last words being flung across the table at a startled Gage.

"I said GET OUT! Are you fucking deaf? Get out of my house!" Tark staggered to his feet as though he might grab the boy by the collar and drag him out of the house himself. Dishes crashed onto the floor, and the chair toppled over backwards with the motion; Saamina leapt up in alarm and threw herself at her father in panic.

"Dad, wait! What are you doing? Wait, please…stop!" It was like a gnat buzzing around the head of the angry bull, her hands tugging at his sleeve doing little to impede the large man. He instinctively yanked his arm from her grasp, his hand striking out at her and landing a blow high on her jaw. The force of it was so unexpected, that it sent Sam's slight frame tumbling back against the wall. The ugly sound of her head slamming into the plaster had an instantaneous sobering affect on Tark.

The pain was so sharp and sudden, dark spots floated over her vision, and Sam didn't even notice her body folding up and sliding down onto the floor. Her head throbbed slowly and she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. Then arms were picking her up, cradling her with particular care, and her father's face hovered in her vision. It was creased with a guilty anxiety, an expression that her current befuddled state couldn't comprehend.

"Sam…come on, Sam, wake up…"

It was so nice to be held by him again, just like when she was little and he carried her to bed. So instead of waking up like he was asking, she closed her eyes and let the rest of the world slip away.

Tark swept her up, holding her close against his chest, and hurried her away towards the bedrooms. He paused only long enough to growl at Elsa, "Just get him out of here."

Her face slightly pale, Saamina's mother rose and with an apologetic smile, she hustled Gage out the door. Her grip on his arm was surprisingly strong, giving him no room to balk. As they reached the front door, opening it into a cool evening, she patted his cheek lightly.

"Go home, Gage. Saamina will be fine." Her expression drifted again, like the focus on a lens slowly blurring. "You really are so like Arnav, I'm glad. It's good that she has you as a friend." With that, the door closed in Gage's face, with him on the outside and Saamina within.

The next afternoon when school let out, there was no huddled figure waiting on the fence in the yard…nor the day after, or even the day after that.

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Post by Kheft on Mar 10, 2012 0:04:40 GMT -5

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Post by Kheft on Mar 28, 2012 16:16:55 GMT -5