Post by alexandralini on May 27, 2015 19:53:57 GMT -5
Drip drip drop.
Sumac blinked away the raindrops as she continued to saw away at the upper branches. It wasn't a downpour, but rather a very annoying, heavy drizzle. And being as high up as she was, there was no protective canopy to keep the worst of it out of her face. She shifted slightly, digging the spikes of her climbing boots deeper into the trunk and leaning back in the belt sling. This particular tree wasn't slated to fall for another two days, but she was part of the prep team, who's job it was to hack as much from the top off as possible before the rest was chopped down. It wasn't exactly her preferred job, but hey, she was light enough and limber enough to shimmy her way up to the very tops of the trees, so why shouldn't she be the one to do it. And besides, she wasn't the only one. Wiping more raindrops from her eyes, the din of several other saws could be heard, and branches from the surrounding trees were being dropped as well.
"Hey Itchy!" Sumac looked down towards the ground, where the rest of her team was working as one of them called up to her. She scowled at the nickname, refusing to answer to it. Maybe if he thought Sumac hadn't heard over the sound of the rain and wind, he'd leave her alone. But as always she had no such luck. "Itchy, you got a ten minute break coming up here!" he yelled again, and Sumac sucked her lips in, her mouth one long, angry line.
"Don't call me that!" she shouted down, stowing the saw she handled into it's leather sheath on her belt. Dislodging the hooks on the belt sling, she began to make her way slowly towards the ground, but seeing as she was working in a rather tall tree today, it took some time.
"Why not?" the guy yelled back up, a few others laughing. "That is your name, right?" She knew they were just trying to get a rise out of her, and by god, they were doing a good job. Sumac hated being called any nickname besides Mac. She hated when people teased her about her name, or her skin, or in this case both. "I mean, it fits perfectly, what with all that poison sumac rash on your face!"
"I'll show you poison suma-aaAAHH!" About fifteen feet from the ground, Sumac lost her footing on a particularly slippery branch, and began to fall. Hitting every branch in between her and the ground, she landed with a 'THUD' on the muddy ground, and her team erupted in laughter. Her face glowed red as she stood, and she honestly couldn't understand how grown ass men could tease a sixteen year old girl. Balling up her fists, she sneered as she jabbed a finger at the closest one. "My name is MAC, got that?"
"Whatever, sweetheart," the man laughed, batting her hand away to her chagrin. "Just go on your break, okay?" She took a deep breath, and turned. She didn't want to deal with them right now. She was going on walk, to clear her head, and she would be in a better mood when she came back. "And maybe go see a doctor for that rash!" he called after her, as she stuffed her hands in her jacket pocket, and walked off.
"Stupid hicks," she sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. She didn't mind her job, and she liked being able to climb trees, but her team was what made working unbearable. She knew they probably thought they were just joking around and being funny, but to her, it really hurt. She didn't ask to have blotchy skin, or a ridiculous name. And when Sumac was hurt, Sumac got angry, and defensive. Constant teasing since the time she was young had turned the normally reserved girl into one prone to lashing out, and ostracizing herself, before anyone else had the chance to do so. If they were only going to dislike her, she figured, she might as well push everyone away before they got a chance to hurt her.
Contemplating on this as she walked, she focused on the feeling of the rain hitting the back of her jacket. Sumac liked the rain Made everything smell nice. Made mornings peaceful, and evenings cool. It did get kinds of in the way of work, but even that she could handle. She figured, if she could just concentrate on getting her job done this shift, she could block out the jabs of her team, and just focus. And while she was thinking this, she didn't notice the quite crunch of pine needles under boot as someone approached from behind. That is, until they were too close to ignore.
