Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) | Hunger Games: The RPG

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 7, 2012 21:58:28 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 7, 2012 21:58:28 GMT -5

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Miss guarded heart

School just finished, and it is one of the rare afternoons where the woollen mills or the senior citizen home doesn’t require my attendance.

Lola and I are cooking for our parents in my kitchen. We’ve just come back from the market and bartered some woollen goods for root vegetables, flour, sugar and other essentials. It had been awhile since we’d made such a good trade.

Lola’s rolling some dough for rolls and I’m stirring the soup, made of the vegetables and vegetable stock. I’m just thinking about how my soup would benefit from some bits of meat (which we don’t have), when Lola interrupts me.

“You know, we haven’t talked about those things on your face.”

I shoot her a sideways glance. My bruises, she means.

“I talked to your dad about it, figured he’d tell you.” I get back to my soup.

“Oh he did tell me. He also said you mentioned it was ‘nothing you didn’t deserve’”. My best friend looks at me, concern in her face, but something entirely different in her eyes… “I know you, Karen, and I know that sentence was the biggest lie in the universe. When my dad told me, I could hear the sarcasm.”

I put the lid on the soup and sit down on the chair closest to Lola. I watch her for a few seconds, strong arms working the dough. I reply, as casually as I can:

“Well it’s true. I didn’t deserve it. I mean… We didn’t deserve it.”

Lola drops the dough on the flour-filled table and her eyes open to twice their normal size. “We? Who’s we?”

I tell her about Alder, and what we were doing before the beating. As I tell my story, I can tell Lola is getting more and more worked up by the color of her face: it’s getting redder by the second.

“First the beating, then saying you didn’t deserve it?” cries Lola, “What are you thinking? Do you want to end up like the Totherow family?”

The Totherows. I had completely forgotten about them. The family that vanished… They were the talk of District 8 a few years ago. It’s slowly coming back to me… They was four people, two parents and two kids, of that I am sure.

“Those two kids that disappeared?” I ask Lola.

She looks at me, exasperated. “Dyer and Fray, yes! Fray was… a year younger than us, I think.”

Fray Totherow

Suddenly my conversation with Brynn flashes in front of my eyes. She mentioned Fray! They must’ve been friends. Best friends, even. I look at Lola and imagine losing her at a young age… We were all we had in the world. Both our moms gone, our dads at work… Trey, Lola and I against the world. My heart gives a kick, feeling pain for Brynn.

“I just… Be careful ok? I don’t want the PKs to take you away.”

Lola is so sincere that I can’t help but nod and hug her. Her frizzy blonde hair tickles my nose as I answer her: “I will. I promise.”

When Lola leaves, I pack up some o the soup and a roll in a wicker basket. I bundle up in my jacket and head outside. There’s no time to waste.

When I get to the brick house, I steel myself. She may not want to see me. That’s a possibility I need to be ready for. Regardless, I need to do this. If Brynn has been feeling this hurt for so long, she deserves someone who will fight for her friendship.

I square my shoulder and knock on the red, rusty door.

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

24 POSTS
last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 8, 2012 18:25:21 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 8, 2012 18:25:21 GMT -5

... Don't open the door to strangers
Don't let them in, to your heart...

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I wake up sore from propping myself on my side, kicking the offending flattened out pillows onto the floor while quickly deciding against school today. After the past few days I’ve had, I won’t feel guilty for staying home and letting myself recoup with an actual full day off. When I had parted ways with Karen several nights before she’d said something I simply couldn’t shake. “I mean it; it’s not everyday that I bump into someone special like you. I hope we see each other soon.” Special? The number of times I’ve tried to figure how she came to such a conclusion, it’s a wonder I managed to get anything done since then. There’s honestly nothing especially noteworthy about me, I’m short, quiet, usually off in my own little world, what many would call ‘anti-social’, yet she felt that way? If my gut hadn’t told me Karen wasn’t the sort to say something for the sake of being nice, it wouldn’t have rattled me so much. I think.

Even with our unexpected meeting on my mind, I did manage to make amends for the mess I made of my sketches. My department Overseer is somewhat lenient; he’ll turn a blind eye to me digging out scraps from the trash bins, but when it came to a stack of highly rationed paper wrinkled, dirtied, and torn beyond repair? Well, that exceeded his tolerance level. I had a choice of the switch or working double time to ‘correct’ my mistake. Nevermind the fact I was working on things not due for weeks, it suddenly had to be in NOW.

I chose double time.

I haven’t stepped foot in school since the day after I met Karen, working 14 hour shifts, with nothing more than my usual 20 minute lunch. I didn’t complain, I worked my fingers numb and yesterday afternoon, had the completed stack of sketches neatly piled on his desk a whole seven hour shift before he expected them.

He still gave me the switch. Once to pay for the paper, once to remind me I’m not the only one who can do this job, and once to motivate me to never be wasteful again.

I stretch gingerly, my back feeling like it has hot wires pressed into it. I better be glad he didn’t give me one for each sheet. Standing, I slip off my night shirt and turn slightly to take a look in the mirror on my dresser. The angry red welts from last night are now grim violet stripes against my pale skin. Thankfully I only wince a little as the heavy fabric of a sweatshirt slides over them as I dress for the day. No lounging on the couch for me, that’s for sure.

In the kitchen I find a note from Mama. She’s pulling a double shift tonight to cover for a friend and wants me to see that Loral and I eat dinner. I tuck the note back into the creaky drawer by the back door for her to use again when necessary, and get the fire going in the living room so I can indulge in some ‘me time’.

Hours later, I’m sitting cross legged on the threadbare rug in front of the fire, my back whining about the marks laid into it, and while it’s hard to completely ignore, I still manage to get so involved with what I’m doing the throbbing pain seems to fade at times. My hands are stitching together little pieces of creamy satin I salvaged from the cutters so that a small pile is forming in my lap of these ‘petals’ ready to be sewn together to make the only kind of flower that won’t wilt and die in this bleak place. As I go to do another stitch I jump and scratch myself with the needle when Loral bursts through the door, dropping her hand-me-down backpack on the floor in the hallway as she heads straight to the kitchen. It’s 3 o’clock already? My day off is flying by.

“I’m going over to Reagan’s!” she shouts as I hear her digging in the frig before pouring something to drink. “I’m making dinner for 6 o’clock,” I reply, eyeing her backpack which looks like it’s about ready to vomit its contents all over the hardwood. “I’ll grab a bite with Reagan,” she shouts before I hear the cup on the counter and see the brunette blur that is my little sister zip past the doorway and outside. I sigh and get back to sewing.

Soon, cream-colored flowers, resembling the gardenias I’ve seen in books, are taking form. Two lie by my side, complete with green wool leaves as another is getting the last leaf sewn on when I hear a knock at the door. Looking up, I realize the sun is setting outside and wonder how long it’s been since Loral left. As if hearing my thoughts my stomach growls angrily and I make a note to go find a piece of bread after I find out who’s outside. We don’t often get visitors and so I get up, slowly as my back protests the movement, and lean over the back of the couch to peek out the window first.

Karen!

Inside I’m suddenly jumping up and down like the ten year old who use to await Fray’s visits while at the same time, I feel like I can’t breathe. She really did want to see me again. I vaguely register the slight tremble in my hands as I bite my lower lip. If I open that door, there’s no turning back. I would be more than simply inviting her in my home, I’d be inviting her to come into my life and I’ve avoided taking that step with anyone for so very long. It’s been safer that way. But… I don’t want to turn her away. The thought of doing so makes my gut twist sharply at a pang of loss I haven’t even felt yet. Karen has a ‘spark’ to her that reminds me of Fray and though it’s not easy to think of, I know I’ve never felt as alive as when I had such a friend as she. What else do any of us really have here?

I’ve made my way to the door as these thoughts rolled around in my mind and I find myself staring at the aged wood with its faded red paint, still facing one major decision… Do I open the door? Before I can think better of it, my hand is twisting the doorknob and pulling the door open, and I’m smiling timidly at her, my childish desire for her companionship overriding my ‘better judgment’. “Karen,” my voice sounds strangely happier than usual, though I can feel the nervous tremble in it as I hug the edge of the door like my last desperate attempt at shielding myself from repeating the pain of the past. A pregnant moment passes and I realize how cold it’s getting outside and as I’m already half way gone it’s time to drop my guard and soldier on. “Um… come in, please… I have a fire in the living room.” I open the door wider and step back, gesturing for her to enter.

Feeling freed by taking this step, and just as equally terrified, I can’t help but pray she has some sort of lifeline for me so I don’t drown in this decision.

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 12, 2012 21:13:54 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 12, 2012 21:13:54 GMT -5

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Hey let your honesty shine, shine, shine.

Brynn seems genuinely happy to see me. That’s a good sign.

She invites me in, and I realize in that moment that it’s very cold outside and I’m thankful for the warm air that whooshes around me as Brynn closes the door. I turn to face her and outstretch my right arm.

“For you! I was making soup earlier, and Lola was making some bread, so I thought I’d bring you a basket full of goodies.”

I take a moment to look at my surroundings; the living room seems so inviting, with a rug in front of the fire. What a beautiful space! My heart aches as I feel the feminine touches all through Brynn’s home. Women live here; of this I’m sure.

I look at Brynn’s face and I can’t tell what I’m seeing there quite yet. I don’t feel comfortable taking off my coat; she invited me in, but not to stay. I feel the best course of action is to be direct and honest. To be truthful, it’s the only course of action I know.

“Listen, Brynn. I…” I trail off, not really knowing how to start. How can I make sure she doesn’t take my visit as charity? That’s the last thing I want. I take a deep breath and continue. “I don’t know how else to say this. I feel that our meeting was not accidental. There was something there.” Dare I say it? “A burgeoning friendship, maybe. But I didn’t know if you felt the same way…” She’s hanging on my every word, so I rush forward, too late to turn back. “But Lola reminded me about the Totherows, and I made the connection with the Fray you mentioned and I…” my instinct is to step forward and establish a physical connection, as if I fear my earnestness won’t be conveyed otherwise, but I stop myself at the last second. I look in her eyes instead, hoping it will be enough. “I can’t imagine the pain you mustv’e felt. It’s horrible and it’s…” here, I look around, confirming our solitude, and my voice switches to a whisper, “not right. It’s not right. And I wanted to tell you that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

I take another deep breath, filling my lungs with air after what seems like an interrupted string of senseless words. I look at my hands nervously. Did I go too far? My body starts breaking out in sweats, my coat weighing heavy in the warmth of Brynn’s home.

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

24 POSTS
last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 14, 2012 6:39:01 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 14, 2012 6:39:01 GMT -5

... One simple phrase, It's all it takes, To make a change today...

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Soup!

My stomach makes it’s joy over her gift heard by way of a loud, hollow whine. I can feel my cheeks grow warm in embarrassment but I take the basket eagerly as she looks around a moment, another nerve-wracking silence falling over us. I’m not accustomed to awkward pauses that come with getting acquainted with someone; the last time I truly did this sort of thing I was so young I don’t recall most of it. I barely remember the park a few blocks down and a makeshift bandage I made out of a discarded handkerchief to mend Fray’s doll’s splitting leg seam. Before I can set down the warm food and offer her to join me in the kitchen, Karen’s gaze has me curious as to the nature of her visit, I can see there’s a whirlwind of thoughts behind those eyes but I never expected the words that came next.

They poured over me nailing my feet to the floor, so many of them echoing my own thoughts that it has me transfixed. I listen raptly, emotions stirred up by the simplest of phrases has my hopes and fears in a precariously balanced jumble, and then she says it. The one thing I may have been waiting all these years to hear from someone else. The thought and feeling I’ve been plagued with nearly half my life.

It’s not right.

It feels like a weight has lifted from my shoulders and I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Here, when she brought up Fray’s family, I was anticipating the usual ‘get on with your life’ speech, but…. it never came. Instead she gave voice to the thought I’d harbored all this time and in the same moment, threw me the lifeline I so desperately needed. Where I may be afraid and try to retreat, she’d remain, like a rock. A safe place on which to hold onto in order to weather uncertainty, and how I had learned to fear uncertainty! I feel a soft, relieved chuckle bubble in my chest and the tickle of my eyes growing moist.

Karen looks down at her hands and I quickly recognize it for what it is, worry, fear. She’s taken a risk for me too, a big one, and I can’t let her continue to feel that way. Not with me. I understand her perfectly and though I’m not sure yet what to say or how to say it, I have to show her she’s not done so in vain. Taking one of her hands in my free one and giving it a gentle squeeze in hopes of drawing her attention, I smile softly. “Please… take off your coat? Come sit with me a bit?” There’s a flood gate of pent up thoughts and feelings she’s unlocked and I don’t know who else to share them with now but her. She’s the first possible friend I’ve made since Fray and I don’t want let her go. Maybe… just maybe… she might need me some too.

I release her hand and go into the living room, taking the soup and roll out of the basket and setting them on the hearth just close enough to the fire to keep warm. I don’t want to risk forgetting myself and leaning back on the couch, so I sit on the floor. The open box of various scraps, threads, beads and such as well as the flowers I’ve been crafting lay in a heap between me and the fire as I set down the basket and cross my arms on the smooth wood surface of the coffee table. “It,” I can feel the words starting to stick in my throat but I just have to get them out, they’ve lingered in me for so long they surely have festered. “It wasn’t right. Yes, I know Dyer spoke out, too often, too loudly, but what did Fray ever do?” My hands grow fidgety on the table and it’s suddenly hard to look Karen in the eyes. “She never said anything wrong. We were ten! Just small children… but they took her too. Are they really so afraid they have to come after children?”

I wipe at my eyes, I can feel them on the verge of tears and I don’t want it. I hate to cry in front of others and my voice takes on an undertone of my frustration with myself over it even as I continue barely above a whisper. “You’d think that when they go after an innocent child people might speak up, get… angry… something! But no, we’re such good pets we turn tail and pretend it’s nothing.” Frustration turns into biting criticism and it’s full tears now I’m wiping off my cheeks. Damn it. Finally I look back up at her with a faint smile. “No one else has ever said that, you know. Not even Mama or Papa when they disappeared. But… I always felt it. Knew it. I was beginning to think I was the only one who did.”

I lean over and grab a scrap of cotton cloth from my box of materials sitting near me and dry my reddened eyes. I know I look a mess but at least getting my thoughts back to Karen lets me get a better grip on myself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d cry, I haven’t in a long time.” I smile more warmly and keep the bit of yellow fabric in my hand. “I felt it too. I don’t take walks with people, or have them in for a visit, let alone talk like this. But…” my head tilts slightly as I look at her much as I did that moment we first met. That strength and sparkle from before are in her eyes still and I find all my former defense mechanisms failing when she’s with me. “With you, it’s different.” If only you knew how different! And I feel myself on the verge of something I never meant to do again, and while it has my heart beating against my chest painfully, I still force the words out before I think twice. I know everything about my bearing, my expression, the way my hands are wringing the life out that piece of cloth, the tension building in my shoulders, screams of my fear she’ll think this a mistake.

“Might we be friends?”

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 11:50:44 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 18, 2012 11:50:44 GMT -5

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I don’t even hesitate.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Watching Brynn open up like that was revealing; I honestly never knew that anyone else felt like this or had these thoughts. I tried bringing it up with Trey sometimes, but he’d just change the subject. To know that Brynn has been feeling this since she was a child is, strangely, comforting. But I know it wasn’t easy for her to relive all of these emotions. I can tell by her reddened eyes as she looks up at me, sitting on the ground.

An inexplicable bond has formed right here in her warmth filled living room; our fates intricately tied.

I grab what seems like a hand-sewn pillow next to me on the couch, hugging it tight to my stomach, and speak up.

“It’s awful what happened to the Totherows. I can’t believe no one said, or did, anything… I’m really sorry. If ever you want to talk about Fray, I’d love to hear it. I have a best friend since childhood, and I was just imagining having her ripped from me… I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. So, please, don’t hesitate if you need to let it out. I figure you haven’t been able to for a long time.”

I look around as I say these words, and an emotion I have never felt rises up in me. It’s alien, this warmth that is spreading, as I take in every detail of the Hollis’ dwelling. Home. This feels like home.

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

24 POSTS
last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 13:02:45 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 18, 2012 13:02:45 GMT -5

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When before Karen’s words lifted a weight off my shoulders, these make me suddenly feel almost like I’m floating.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

I know I’m smiling like an idiot but I don’t care. I haven’t felt so connected to anyone in so long I had forgotten the feeling of being able to just be me with them. No worrying I’m say the wrong thing, be misunderstood, or worse, rejected. I already can sense those things won’t happen with her and I’m wiping the last of the moisture from my eyes even as I’m keeping myself from bolting up to tackle her with a hug Maybe later?

She’s got one of my makeshift pillows in a death grip as I listen to her continue, setting aside finally the bit of cloth I’d been wiping my face with as she looks around the living room. At least I didn’t make that big a mess.

“I… I might talk about her more, with you. It’s always seemed people heard any of their names and they’d clam up or change the subject. That’s what always hurt the most, that everyone else wanted to forget. I won’t forget!” I realize the tone I spit that out with and quickly lower my voice. “While the rest of the district is ready to wipe them from memory, I won’t kill the last piece of them alive here but removing them from mine.” Tears don’t return, in sadness’ place I feel… frustration… anger… and I’m working damn hard to keep it in check. I notice in the bottom corner of my box of things a small mangled looking pink velveteen flower, it’s plush beginning to wear off and I lean over with a wince and dig it out.

“Fray taught me to make roses.” I hold it out to Karen for her to take, it’s appearance fitting for the friend I’d lost. “To make beauty when finding it here was… is… so hard.”

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 15:09:57 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 18, 2012 15:09:57 GMT -5

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I see Brynn’s face contort in pain as she reaches in a box of material scraps. Is she hurt? My eyebrows knit in concern.

She hands me a pink flower, something Fray taught her how to do. Shelving my concern for a little later, I reply:

“I know what you mean; it’s like a shroud of ugliness blankets this whole district. That’s what stunned me most about your drawings, I think. The striking beauty of it all.”

I roll the stem of the flower between my thumb and forefinger, as I contemplate Brynn’s craftsmanship. The little wear and tear around the edges makes it seem more… real?

There’s something other than pain in Brynn’s look now. I pick up on some repressed anger. I know that feeling too well; it took over me after the beating at the mill. I wish I could tell her that it goes away, but I can’t. Mine is still there, ready to awaken at a moment’s notice. I don’t want to awaken it in Brynn any further, though, so I change the subject.

“I saw you wince a few minutes ago. Are you hurt?”

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

24 POSTS
last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 16:30:05 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 18, 2012 16:30:05 GMT -5

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I can feel some of the blood drain from my face as I nervously brush a lock of hair from my face and tuck it behind an ear. I hadn’t thought I was that obvious when I leaned over, but I must have been and avoiding telling her what happened is a lost cause. I really and truly care for Karen, no matter the walls I erected to prevent it, we’ve begun a friendship I already don’t want to lose. We’ve connected in a way I haven’t with anyone else, not even my mother and sister, and I know in my gut she’ll see through any answer that skirts the question. I watch as she fingers the small cloth flower with a gentle yet determined touch I've come to associate with her and it makes me want to be completely frank with her. I love that she enjoyed the drawings so much but I doubt she realizes the trouble they brought me.

“Well… you remember how I needed those sketches for work?” My fingers start fidgeting and clasp my hands together to try and stop the habit. “The department overseer didn’t take the ruined papers too well. I’ve…” I’m getting tense again and pause to take a deep breath to calm myself. I can tell her. She’s a friend and if I were in her shoes I’d want to know too. As I exhale I feel my shoulders relax some and the confession pours out of me, my voice taking on a slightly defeated tone I can’t seem to control. “I’ve worked double shifts since the day after we met, I only finished all my usual work and redid all those sketches yesterday, hours before he wanted them. He still ended up giving me three strikes of the switch. I’m fine, really, just a bit… tender.”

Please don’t worry too much, Karen.

“It’s nothing, not like what you must have been through,” I add softly, blowing off my punishment while recalling the deep bruising her face bore that night that now thankfully looked less painful, her beauty shining more, much like the spirit in her eyes.

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 17:03:30 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 18, 2012 17:03:30 GMT -5

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I had tried to supress the anger I had seen in Brynn’s eyes only to bring forth my own.

Images of Brynn being hit by her overseer burn in my brain, white hot and vibrant. The pale flesh ripping open, as the whip strikes hard against her back. I’m disgusted and horrified that anyone would want to hurt the wholesome girl that sits before me.

“It’s nothing, not like what you must have been through.”

The images of Brynn are replaced with stills of Alder getting punched and kicked around by our own overseer at the woollen mill. I recall vividly the strikes against my cheeks, my shoulders almost dislocating by the pressure the guards put on them as I was squirming to get to Alder. My anger, doubles, triples, as my heart starts beating faster in my chest and my whole body starts shaking. My breaths are getting faster, trying to gulp in oxygen that doesn’t seem to reach my lungs.

Calm down. Brynn doesn’t need to see this.

No matter what I tell myself, I can’t stop it; the anger is overwhelming, and I need to talk, or else it won’t go away.

“Brynn, I’m sorry, I just…” I get up and start pacing behind the couch, shaking my arms as I go. “I’m so… I can’t believe this is happening, that we are in mortal danger every time we go to work…” I turn to face her and clasp my hands together. “I wasn’t alone that day.” I then recount what happened at the mill, telling her all about Alder and what we “did” to earn ourselves a beating.

“I haven’t really spoken to him about it yet, so I don’t know how he feels, but I just know that I’ve been stewing in…” the word sticks, I can’t seem to be able to get it out, since it’s so new to me. I plant my feet firmly in the ground and try again, “anger.” The word feels thick upon my lips, like molasses spilling out.

My eyes fill with tears as my body sags, relieved from the weight of keeping it all in. My voice is soft, almost desperate, as I continue:

“Brynn… I’m just so angry.”

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

24 POSTS
last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 20:24:41 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 18, 2012 20:24:41 GMT -5

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Karen is the one tensing now and my eyes begin to widen as I watch her breathing faster, shaking as she looks likes she’s struggling to calm herself. Did I say something wrong?

To my surprise she starts pacing the couch, I can’t help but watch and listen, replies rolling through my mind though I know it’s not time to voice them. She needs to get this out, I can tell by the way she’s holding her hands, a habit I can identify with. As she recounts what occurred that day, I feel my stomach flip. It was far worse than I had imagined, for both of them, and my own punishment pales in comparison. They had been seen, their obvious feelings used against them, even I can see that. Just by the look in her eyes when she speaks his name, the tears forming there as she recounted his treatment, I can read her affection for him. And to have him beaten like that in front of her…

Anger.

I feel it too, for them. All of us. It was wrong, it was cruel, and it needs to stop.

Without thinking, I’m on my feet, at her side, and wrapping my arms around her. “I know. Me too. Bottling it up isn’t good for any of us.” My back is protesting, I’m trying to be careful, and my voice is a bit strained but I don’t know what else to do to help. “I’m sure Alder must be feeling it too.” From what she’s told me, I can’t imagine him not being as taken with her as she is with him. “And the worst part is, it’s not just at work… we’re in danger everywhere.”

Last Edit: Nov 18, 2012 20:25:56 GMT -5 by ealin

gloryisben
Hunter

55 POSTS
last seen Jul 4, 2020 7:25:38 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 20:43:44 GMT -5

Post by gloryisben on Nov 18, 2012 20:43:44 GMT -5

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Yes, we are in danger everywhere.

I hug Brynn back, careful not to smart the welts on her back. The hug surprised me, but not in a bad way. As we lean on each other for support and understanding, I feel the growing affection between us.

I pull back from the hug and wipe the tears that stayed stuck in my eyes.

“You should eat!” I tell Brynn, trying a smile, as we head toward the hearth once more.

I sit back down in my spot on the couch and watch Brynn pull out the provisions I brought her.

“You know, I’m not sure if Alder feels the same anger we do. I can’t see it; him being angry. But I guess I won’t know for sure until I see him again…” I wondered when that would be.

“I’m just glad that, for now, I can share it with you. We have to be careful, though” I stress, a pinch of fear overtaking me. “We don’t want any sort of attention drawn to us, talking like we are.”

Suddenly, I’m very conscious that Brynn and I know next to nothing about each other. It’s silly, really, when I think about all the momentous decisions we’ve taken in such a short amount of time. I want to know more about her.

“So… Who lives here with you?”

[/blockquote]

Credit goes to SOUTH for the amazing header graphic! Thanks

ealin
Seam Resident

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last seen Apr 1, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5

Pt. II - Guarded Heart (ealin) Nov 18, 2012 21:55:20 GMT -5

Post by ealin on Nov 18, 2012 21:55:20 GMT -5

Narration
Others
Speaking
Thoughts

I’m glad she didn’t put pressure on my back and I smile as we part and I see her wipe at her eyes. She’ll be okay now. We’ll be okay, one way or another. It’s funny how I suddenly don’t feel so alone. Karen is proving a blessing beyond measure, the lifeline I needed, and I’m curious about Alder, the young man who causes my new friend’s eyes to shine a bit brighter when she’s thinking of him.

My stomach gives a grateful groan at the promise of food and I don’t argue. I missed lunch, again, and if I wait much longer, will feel terrible. I’m so hungry at this point I’m taking one spoonful after another, dipping pieces of the roll into it here and there as I listen to her go on. It’s warm from the fire and absolutely divine. Course, I’ve always been fond of soup.

I smile at her as I wipe my mouth and set the spoon aside, my bowl empty. “He likely feel something. I can’t imagine he saw you being beaten and didn’t want to… lash out… something. You didn’t deserve that treatment.” And I truly believe that. I sit back some, still afraid to lean on the couch and sigh. “But yes, I know we have to. We’ve always had to.” No one lived in district eight without being careful and scared out of their wits. It was a wonder any of them found joy in their lives. Not that all of us do.

Karen changes the subject and it’s probably best we do. We’ve both risked a lot tonight and our budding friendship is still on wobbly legs. “My mother, sister Loral, and I. My father died a few months after the Totherows and my Nan a few weeks later.” I cross my legs under me and reach over for the last satin gardenia I nearly have finished, checking that the needle is still threaded as I go on. “Mama’s a seamstress and Loral.. is twelve and pretty much my complete opposite.” I start knotting off the final stitch. “What about your family?”