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Post by Lana on Apr 12, 2008 12:26:32 GMT
"B-bristol?" - I repeat the name of the town that stirs too many memories in my mind. I was there with Jack, and I remember Bristol too well, remember all the disappointment, all the pain, all the memories it brought to Jack. Remember the small chapel and the vicar, remember Jack telling me about his family, about his real name... Jonathan.
"I was there".
"That's where you know J-- Nathan from? From Bristol?" - I figure out they lived in the same town, though I have no idea they lived in the same house.
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Post by Jacky on Apr 12, 2008 12:34:53 GMT
She nods, giving Scarlett a curious glance when she mentions being in Bristol. "Hm.. You went with Nathan? He's dead in Bristol." She says, a mysterious smile coming to her features. "For everyone, but mommy told me he wasn't and it was a secret." She suddenly seems talkative with the memory.
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Post by Lana on Apr 12, 2008 12:39:00 GMT
"Yes, he took me there", - I tell Nadia, but the moment she informs me he's dead there, I listen more attentively than before. Right, he's "dead" there, because from that time he became Jack, not Jonathan. And there was "his" grave. I didn't know Nadia was aware of that, though. Didn't know she knew so much about Jack, and it makes me slightly... jealous? Perhaps.
"Mommy?" - I raise an eyebrow, now very curious and really refusing to understand what she's talking about. - "Your mommy knew Nathan?"
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Post by Jacky on Apr 12, 2008 12:45:17 GMT
She gives Scarlett a glance as if she's being the dumb one here.
"Of course."
She pauses, then narrows her eyes slightly. "Want to see?" (Alright, I have a slightly crazy idea here.. hm.  )
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Post by Lana on Apr 12, 2008 12:48:10 GMT
( the crazier your ideas - the more I love 'em  ) I frown, having interpreted Nadia's glance absolutely right: she looks at me as if I am terrifyingly stupid. But honestly, maybe she just makes no sense again? Her mother knowing Jonathan? Damn, I can't even call him like that, he's Jack for me, always was Jack and always will be. "Sure", - I nod. - "Of course, I want to see". But I wonder what she will show me. |
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Post by Jacky on Apr 12, 2008 13:03:16 GMT
(hold on.. biggy coming up ) |
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Post by Lana on Apr 12, 2008 13:04:33 GMT
( yay, in love with them ) |
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Post by Jacky on Apr 12, 2008 13:27:43 GMT
(ok, it turned out HUGE. I had this scene in mind for a while so I just had to get rid of it ) ”Close your eyes.” She whispers, looking around once more to make sure they’re alone. Even though it must seem nutty to Scarlett (being shown something with your eyes closed), once she does what Nadia tells her to, Nadia takes a hold of Scarlett’s hand again. She closes her own eyes and squeezes the hands together tightly. She does her best to remember Bristol. She doesn’t know how she does it.. but as the memory suddenly appears to her as bright as a flashback – the images are planted in Scarlett’s brain through Nadia’s thoughts. Some inexplicable way, she can watch along, seeing everything that Nadia remembers. ~~~ The sun was setting, the last rays of light giving the shack where Nadia and her family lived in a mysterious luminosity. The day was over. Her mother had returned from ‘The House’, where the Gorrion family lived, where she served as a maid. Her father was still on the fields but would return soon. Nadia, too young to work, was left alone every day. Nevertheless, boring as it was, her parents always said she’d be better off staying there then having to work – but that day too would come soon. She and her parents were slaves, she knew that, though she didn’t fully comprehend what it meant. It meant that her dad got hurt if he didn’t work hard enough, that her mom was shouted at by the woman from the house. The man from the house was scary too, though she felt like she wasn’t half as scared of him than Jonathan was. That was the boy from the house. Born lucky, is what her dad called him – but he didn’t like Nathan one bit. She knew why, too. Because *her* mommy was *his* too and shouldn’t have been. She’d found out one day. Anyway, as much as her dad hated the boy, after that day, she liked him.
That particular day his father had made Nathan come along to the plantation to learn. She’d been there to bring fresh water to her dad and had seen Nathan for a first time – maybe only a meter tall, messy black hair, walking by the side of his father with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets, stubbornly keeping his eyes on the ground.
Nathan’s father apparently had a wallet with him that day… when she’d just arrived at the plantation, the man had found it to be missing. Oh, she could never describe the absolute horror of what happened next. There was shouting, and cursing, and Nathans father had made his guards gather the men who were working on the field that day. Nadia had hid in the bushes nearby where she could see everything happening. The man had been shouting at the slaves, wanting someone to confess stealing that wallet. Nobody did… eventually the man had just pointed out one of the men as guilty and had commanded the guards to whip him. Nadia had never seen anything worse. Everyone was silent, while the poor man was being whipped close to death.
Not everyone stayed silent long though. The little boy, Nathan, who’d been there all along, suddenly pushed through the guards and stood in front of his father who towered over him. He had looked at his father, straight in the eye. “I did it!” He sputtered, “I did, I stole it. I DID!”
Nadia’s eyes widened when she’d seen the man lash out at Nathan, smacking him with the back of his hand so that the boy fell down in the mud with his nose bleeding. The guards stopped whipping the slave, and everybody stared at that instead.
Nadia was scared out of her wits.. She’d crawled through the bushes to get away. As she did though, her foot hooked on something. A leather thing, with coins in it. The missing wallet. Nobody had stolen it and she realized what Nathan said had been a lie.
That’s when she liked him.
That night her father returned from work. He hadn’t known about Nadia’s presence at the field and she didn’t mention it. Instead she listened, together with her mother, to the story of that afternoon. Her father told of how the accused slave survived, but the boy took a beating instead. Nadia had noticed how her mother’s eyes had watered.. and had wondered why.
It became clear late at night though. She wasn’t sleeping when her parents were having a fight, lowered tones, but angry.
“You shouldn’t even care about it!” Her father had said.
“That boy deserves better!” Her mother hissed in return. “He’d even be better off here.”
Nadia had strained her ears to hear more.
“Maria, go to sleep.” Her father again, angrily. “Don’t ever say that again. He’s not your real son!”
Then, the words that changed everything…
Her mother, sobbing. “No matter what you try, he always will be.” |
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Post by Lana on Apr 12, 2008 13:46:14 GMT
(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Ans, you're the RP-god! *worships you* no, really, this post is one of my favourites! great scene!  ) At first, when Nadia tells me to close my eyes, I frown but do what she says, wondering how on earth she wants to show something to me when I can't see anything. Though, as soon as our hands are pressed tight together, an image comes to my mind - blurred and unclear, as if through thick fog, but I start seeing something. I feel scared and nervous, want to open my eyes and snatch my hand out of Nadia's, because I am desperately afraid of getting trapped into another Hell's Water nightmare, I am afraid of getting hurt or killed in another dream of this cursed place, but Nadia's holding my hand tight, and curiosity is stronger than fear, so I breathe deeply and slowly, calming myself down. The image is becoming clearer, brighter, and a veil of thick fog obscuring it from my view vanishes slowly, letting me see a scene: the setting sun casting last warm rays at a small shack in the fields... At first I try to fight this image in my mind, it's worrying me, I feel Hell's Water messing with my brain again, but Nadia's hand squeezes mine assuringly and I accept whatever is going on. ... I open my eyes and stare at one point at the opposite wall. Our hands still in each other's, I sway and lean against the other wall, finding support there. My legs refuse to carry me and my mind refuses to accept what has just happened. I've just been in Nadia's memory. I saw her as a child - she was unmistakeably recognizable. I saw Jack. Jonathan, I mean. A kid, just a kid... I keep breathing slowly and deeply, almost not blinking, staring at the wall. Seeing Nadia's memories... seeing her past... seeing Jonathan's past... seeing him as a kid... he is her half-brother.... My mind refuses to accept it. I will go crazy soon in this place, with all that's happening here. It's really too much for me. I stare at Nadia, into her eyes, and for the first time I look considerably less sane than she does. I am at a loss. Don't know what to say, how to accept all of it, and how to believe that I've just seen someone's memories. "Brinmewat'r", - I mumble, almost inaudibly. |
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Post by Jacky on Apr 12, 2008 13:52:28 GMT
(Whaha I was pretty hesitant about it, so I'm sooo glad you like it! ;D )
Whereas Scarlett seems to find it hard to grasp reality and remain rational-minded that instant, Nadia doesn't seem as insane as usual. She's looking at Scarlett with slight concern, and after hearing her words she rushes of to get water for the woman.
She returns not much later with a bottle of fresh water, putting it in Scarlett's hands and stepping back. The slight insanity in her making her wary of Scarlett again - backing away cos she doesn't know how her 'opponent' might react.
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