Status: Complete.
Lady in the Blue Dress
One.
"Adeline, could you tell me how it got to this? How you got this way?" A young boy questioned a younger girl, wearing a royal blue summer dress. The cigarette she had been holding between her fingers made the threat of slipping but she quickly tightened her grip between her fingers and sucked a quick breath in, letting the smoke enfold her lungs before sighing out a mix of toxic chemicals.
"I let something get past my defence," she answered abruptly, staring at the wall across from them blankly, trying to persuade the flat structure rather than the boy who she was talking to, it seemed.
"Let what part of it past to you?" He persisted further. She lifted the stick to her lips again, breathed in and out before stamping the butt out onto the grime coated tar beneath her feet. She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, pulling at her dress out of habit before signalling she wanted to leave the road and go elsewhere. He followed hesitantly, throwing her cautious glances from underneath his lashes whilst they stepped lightly and quietly, slowly making their way to Adeline's favourite spot. After twenty minutes of walking and a stalking silence, the girl finally sat down cross-legged, the blank stare still written onto her features.
Her features changed into a concentrated, quietly determined look as she lifted the hands that were resting in her lap up so she could analyse them. She then began to silently pick at her nails, before the young boy gave an agitated scowl.
"What, Joshua? What do you want me to say? Do you think I enjoyed being like that? Do you think I enjoyed being treated like dirt, like a second-hand slave? Don't look at me like that," the boy had been giving her a piercing look which now changed to a solemn one, "because you haven't experienced it, you never went through what I did. It was stupid to try and..And play nice with them, I know, but I just," she gave a quiet sigh and the eyes that were analysing her nails before now stared sadly at the ground, "I just thought it would be different this time."
The boy, Joshua, gave her a sympathetic look before reaching over and giving her a comforting hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, thinking about everything that had happened. Joshua had known very little of what she had gone through, only that all of a sudden she was hanging out with a new group, a group he had believed to be bad just from the energy that had transfered from them to him. He didn't realise how bad, though. Adeline had been warned by him, he had told her millions of times that he had thought something was up, that something just didn't feel right. But, Adeline had ignored him. Don't go with your gut instinct, she had thought to herself, go with what you know of them. In all reality, she had known very little about them and had instantaneously let them in upon their first meeting. They had the lifestyle she had dreamed of. They were the kids your parents warned you not to hang out with, the kids who bummed cigarettes off each other, went to an alcohol-induced frenzy every night and just had what they believed to be a good time. The kids who thought they were invincible. Adeline had believed they were, then she realised there were sections of it that was darker than she had originally thought.
That was when it began to go downhill. Her health started destabilising, a visit to the doctor's became her worst nightmare and the counselling didn't change a thing. She had learned to grow a very big backbone whilst hanging out with the rebellious group, and refused to take a word of advice any professionals gave her seriously at the time. Everything was a joke, the world would be hers and she felt like she had found a place to belong.
But that was then. Adeline rubbed her eyes as they itched, finally emerging herself from the hug Joshua had placed her into. She looked at him and he stared back. It was very quiet, but it was a comforting silence. Finally, the conversational barrier was broken and Adeline whispered an apology. Joshua merely smiled and nodded. Her arms, placed daintily to her sides, were covered in small pin prick marks. She turned them over and showed the boy, who gave her a worried look. She gave another shrug of her shoulders and said she couldn't remember how it had happened, but it was at least a month ago and she didn't feel unhealthy. She also murmured that she didn't know what it was, but it made her feel lighter than the smallest push of gravity, lighter than cigarette smoke, lighter than air. He gave a solemn nod, not quite understanding. Had they made her do this? Did they inject whatever it was into her, or did she decide to do it herself?
"Joshua, I'm so sorry. I screwed up bad this time, didn't I?" She whispered, a tear threatening to drip onto her dress drissling down her left cheek as she did so.
"No, it's not your fault. You just got caught up in the wrong crowd is all. It's okay, you decided to leave them and come back to me. You screwed it all back together again after bringing it undone. You're okay now, don't worry Adeline," Joshua smiled effortlessly, making Adeline envious but happy. He could smile so freely without worrying. She was too scared to smile anymore, but that was what she deserved, she figured. It's hard to break difficult habits quickly, and anger instead of happiness was a habit of hers.
"Josh, you'll help me..Find myself, figure myself out again, won't you?" Adeline asked.
"Of course, what else are friends for?" Joshua smiled down at her. Her mouth twitched at the corner but still no sign of happiness appeared on her features.
"Looks like the first thing we'll have to figure out is how to get that stunning smile back again, then," Joshua laughed and brought her back into a hug, letting go after giving a comforting rub on the back and pulling them both up out of their sitting position before heading to the local park. The habit may be difficult, thought Adeline, but I will break and defeat it.
"I let something get past my defence," she answered abruptly, staring at the wall across from them blankly, trying to persuade the flat structure rather than the boy who she was talking to, it seemed.
"Let what part of it past to you?" He persisted further. She lifted the stick to her lips again, breathed in and out before stamping the butt out onto the grime coated tar beneath her feet. She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, pulling at her dress out of habit before signalling she wanted to leave the road and go elsewhere. He followed hesitantly, throwing her cautious glances from underneath his lashes whilst they stepped lightly and quietly, slowly making their way to Adeline's favourite spot. After twenty minutes of walking and a stalking silence, the girl finally sat down cross-legged, the blank stare still written onto her features.
Her features changed into a concentrated, quietly determined look as she lifted the hands that were resting in her lap up so she could analyse them. She then began to silently pick at her nails, before the young boy gave an agitated scowl.
"What, Joshua? What do you want me to say? Do you think I enjoyed being like that? Do you think I enjoyed being treated like dirt, like a second-hand slave? Don't look at me like that," the boy had been giving her a piercing look which now changed to a solemn one, "because you haven't experienced it, you never went through what I did. It was stupid to try and..And play nice with them, I know, but I just," she gave a quiet sigh and the eyes that were analysing her nails before now stared sadly at the ground, "I just thought it would be different this time."
The boy, Joshua, gave her a sympathetic look before reaching over and giving her a comforting hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, thinking about everything that had happened. Joshua had known very little of what she had gone through, only that all of a sudden she was hanging out with a new group, a group he had believed to be bad just from the energy that had transfered from them to him. He didn't realise how bad, though. Adeline had been warned by him, he had told her millions of times that he had thought something was up, that something just didn't feel right. But, Adeline had ignored him. Don't go with your gut instinct, she had thought to herself, go with what you know of them. In all reality, she had known very little about them and had instantaneously let them in upon their first meeting. They had the lifestyle she had dreamed of. They were the kids your parents warned you not to hang out with, the kids who bummed cigarettes off each other, went to an alcohol-induced frenzy every night and just had what they believed to be a good time. The kids who thought they were invincible. Adeline had believed they were, then she realised there were sections of it that was darker than she had originally thought.
That was when it began to go downhill. Her health started destabilising, a visit to the doctor's became her worst nightmare and the counselling didn't change a thing. She had learned to grow a very big backbone whilst hanging out with the rebellious group, and refused to take a word of advice any professionals gave her seriously at the time. Everything was a joke, the world would be hers and she felt like she had found a place to belong.
But that was then. Adeline rubbed her eyes as they itched, finally emerging herself from the hug Joshua had placed her into. She looked at him and he stared back. It was very quiet, but it was a comforting silence. Finally, the conversational barrier was broken and Adeline whispered an apology. Joshua merely smiled and nodded. Her arms, placed daintily to her sides, were covered in small pin prick marks. She turned them over and showed the boy, who gave her a worried look. She gave another shrug of her shoulders and said she couldn't remember how it had happened, but it was at least a month ago and she didn't feel unhealthy. She also murmured that she didn't know what it was, but it made her feel lighter than the smallest push of gravity, lighter than cigarette smoke, lighter than air. He gave a solemn nod, not quite understanding. Had they made her do this? Did they inject whatever it was into her, or did she decide to do it herself?
"Joshua, I'm so sorry. I screwed up bad this time, didn't I?" She whispered, a tear threatening to drip onto her dress drissling down her left cheek as she did so.
"No, it's not your fault. You just got caught up in the wrong crowd is all. It's okay, you decided to leave them and come back to me. You screwed it all back together again after bringing it undone. You're okay now, don't worry Adeline," Joshua smiled effortlessly, making Adeline envious but happy. He could smile so freely without worrying. She was too scared to smile anymore, but that was what she deserved, she figured. It's hard to break difficult habits quickly, and anger instead of happiness was a habit of hers.
"Josh, you'll help me..Find myself, figure myself out again, won't you?" Adeline asked.
"Of course, what else are friends for?" Joshua smiled down at her. Her mouth twitched at the corner but still no sign of happiness appeared on her features.
"Looks like the first thing we'll have to figure out is how to get that stunning smile back again, then," Joshua laughed and brought her back into a hug, letting go after giving a comforting rub on the back and pulling them both up out of their sitting position before heading to the local park. The habit may be difficult, thought Adeline, but I will break and defeat it.
♠ ♠ ♠
Again, comments rock.