For my (HazieRox's) WHAT IF? Forum challenge.
Situation: What if Briony came into the library a couple moments earlier than she did?
This story is based mostly on the movie, but you all should know I've read the book, numerous times, so maybe unconsciously I'll add in some information that people who've read the book would understand but maybe the movie left out. : )
Disclaimer: Never owned it, Never will. I wish though…you don't know how happy I'd be.
xo Hazel
Briony stood carefully, examining the hair clip she held so delicately in her hands. The clip, shining with its jewels, bounded off onto the walls, reflecting from the light of the chandelier.
They were not real diamonds, to be sure. Not diamonds that were organized in a star fashion, but simply little sequins. Fake, but ultimately glamorous never the less.
Briony squinted her eyes as she examined closer. She's seen this barrette many times before, but it looked different…more worn, in a way. She pulled the star an inch away from her face, and it was then when she noticed it. A part of the gem had fallen off, crushed was more like it. The metal that was supposed to be attached to the hair was bent. It appears that someone had stepped on it.
Her twelve-year old mind searched for the last time she saw her sister wearing her barrette. It wasn't there when Briony went searching through Cecilia's cupboard this afternoon for her necklace she wanted to wear for tonight's dinner. Had it been at lunch? Had Cecilia already been dressed when she came to greet Leon? She couldn't remember.
She turned towards the direction of the living room, prepared to ignore everything. Pretend that nothing happened. In fact, nothing really had happened. It was only a barrette.
"What was in the version I was meant to read?"
Briony's head shot around. It was her sister's voice. She recognized the bitterness. It was a weird thing to admit, only recognizing a loved one's voice by the hate that lay within. She heard it only this morning, when she kept insisting on the explanation of why Cecilia and Robbie drifted apart. Without thinking, Briony started to sprint in the direction of the library.
A fine strip of golden light was the only thing shining through the dark hallway. It flickered slightly, meaning someone had moved. It only pushed her curiosity, so she moved faster towards the door.
She peeked in slightly. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, equally as wrong as to open someone else's letters, but surely the wrong cancels out if it was with the intention of protection. Though it wasn't that Cecilia needed any… she was a fully grown woman who was perfectly capable of protecting herself. The logic she so desperately tried to convince herself to believe failed as she continued on listening.
What would she do, if things got out of control? She wasn't at the age to go barging in. She could tell Leon, but he would probably tell her not to worry. Mother would over react, as she always does, and Lola was her age. She had already revealed too much when she told her details of the letter and what had happened by the fountain, and she was no help anyways.
She saw her grandfather's old desk lamp shining on the table in the middle of the room. Books and such were scattered in an orderly fashion, but that was not what she was focusing on.
Cecilia had propped herself against the desk, leaning in a way that was ever so graceful. Her emerald green gown flowed gently at her feet, and the different colors the silk reflected once shone on by light was captivating.
"It's been there for weeks…" Cecilia continued.
For a moment, Briony thought she was talking to her, but it was obvious she wasn't. The coat of a man, tall enough to be Leon's friend, the one with the funny hair, blocked her view deeper into the room. He was standing by the door.
Briony inhaled deeply, in a way that she hoped to be silent. She took a step back, realizing that the open door, and her face, was in the direct sightline of her sister.
", and then this morning by the fountain…" Cecilia paused.
Briony stood still, petrified of the possibility to be caught. It was Robbie in front of her, she guessed logically. It was him at the fountain with her, not Mr. Marshall. In a way she was grateful that it wasn't Mr. Marshall. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he scared her.
Her curiosity pricked at her as she moved, ever so slowly, to the right, just so that she could have a better view, but still be out of sight. Cecilia's eyes were damp. She watched as they continued on talking.
Cecilia couldn't meet the man's eyes. She was nervous, to be sure. He stood still as a statue, probably too afraid to interrupt her. Cecilia started to move towards the back of the room, and Robbie followed. Briony took this opportunity to widen the door. It didn't creak, like it did last week. Someone must have oiled it.
"I've never done anything like that before. I was so angry with you and with myself…"
Briony couldn't see them anymore. They had moved backs so much that the weak light shining from the lamp didn't hit them. They both had their backs facing them, anyways, so it wouldn't have mattered. Briony stepped back, and sat slowly on the floor outside the library door. She could listen just fine from where she was. The hallway was carpeted with an old red rug, long and rough. It scratched at her bare legs, but she didn't mind it.
"I thought if you went away to medical school, I'd be happy. I don't know how I could have been so ignorant about myself, so…"
Briony crawled over to watch them. Cecilia turned around apparently, to face Robbie. Her voice cracked…she was crying.
"So stupid."
This was quite a disturbing sight to see. Her older sister, the stone of the family was breaking down.
It had always been Cecilia, never mother, who Briony her when she was in tears. When she came out of a nightmare as a younger child, it had been Cecilia who would wake her with a motherly tone, who welcomed her to her bed. Cecilia had been the one to be there when her play was falling apart. It was always Cecilia.
Briony finally had a chance to wonder, as she never did before, who had been there to dry Cecilia's tears? To wake her from a horrid dream? To stand by her when things weren't going her way?
She shot out of her thoughts when she heard her sister continue.
"You do know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
A creak followed. Briony assumed she was stepping backwards, as the floors in the room weren't as stable. There was a small sob, and more words followed.
"You knew before I did."
"Why are you crying?"
It was Robbie. It was the first time she heard him speak during this whole scene. His tone wasn't of hate, or of sadness. He sounded different. Briony leaned forward even more.
"Don't you know?" Cecilia whispered.
"Yes, I know exactly."
Briony gasped and sat back down, her view into the library blocked again. She did not want to see this, and nor was she aloud. A creak followed, and then silence.
Briony felt mixed emotions rising throughout her entire body. Confusion was dominating, and followed close behind was a strong sense of…
She couldn't describe it. It was a fluttering feeling in her heart, and her mind was screaming the word 'finally' over and over again.
The silence was broken by a series of deep breaths, and Briony could only start to imagine what was going on behind the library door.
She started to stand up slowly. She wasn't going to intrude any more than she already did. Small gasps and moans flowed from inside, and Briony resisted the urge to block her ears. She walked, almost zombie-like towards the exit when a rather loud grunt came from inside. She froze in her steps. Silence.
She knew what they were doing. She had read books in secret. She wasn't old enough to learn all that just yet, but she knew something was wrong when all the creaking, the panting, everything stopped.
She spun around on her heels and listened carefully.
"Robbie." Cecilia whispered.
"Cecilia…" Robbie returned.
"I love you." Cecilia said breathlessly.
"I love you…"
Briony released the breath she didn't know she was holding.
She had been wrong about him.
The grunting started again, louder than before. Briony rushed out, closing the door to the entrance of the hallway behind her.
The hallway door did very little to muffle the sounds coming from inside, and for a moment Briony wished she took the time to carefully shut the library door as well. They would have obviously been too busy to notice the door close a couple inches shut all the way from across the room.
She debated going back, but went against it. Everyone she knew was in the other end of the house, where the dining room, kitchen and living room was. They would be too far away to hear anything.
Briony leant against the back wall, and tried to steady her breathing. Once it was at a reasonable speed, she started to walk, slower than before, but still at her usual fast pacing to the dining room. She was never one to take her time at doing things.
She entered into the main room, and saw Leon lounging on the sofa. Emily, her mother, was on the giant chair that Briony loved to hide behind as a child and Pierrot was running about.
"Where are Lola and Jackson?" She asked him as he came past her.
"Lola's finishing her face," Pierrot explained. "And Jackson's hiding."
"From what?" She asked him.
"Hiding from me, of course. I'm looking for him." Pierrot smiled, getting on his hands and knees. "We're playing a game."
Briony smiled slightly as she watched the curly mass of red hair lose itself behind the piano.
"Pierrot, get up at once." Emily ordered. "You'll dirty your pants."
"Sorry, Auntie Emily." Pierrot apologized, standing up shamefully. "I can't find Jackson. I thought he might be hiding behind there."
Emily smiled and leaned forward slightly, whispering into his ear. Briony saw a grin appear, and Pierrot went sprinting out of the room.
Briony went and sat on the sofa beside Leon.
"Where's Mr. Marshall?" She asked him.
Leon leaned his head back and exhaled.
"Doing something or another upstairs. Probably getting ready." He looked forward and smiled uneasily. "I have reason to suspect that he wants to look well for our sister."
"Cecilia?"
"Yes. I think he fancies her."
Briony turned away and stared straight ahead. Leon looked at his sister suspiciously.
"You don't want him to like her?" Briony asked him after a moment of silence.
"Who said that?"
"Nobody, the look on your face explained it all." Briony explained, laughing a bit.
"I just think its odd, a friend together with my sister."
"She doesn't like him."
"I agree. She says he has odd hair coming from his ears."
"I agree."
"Why don't you like him?"
"No reason…" Briony lied, playing with her fingers. "I just think he's wrong for her is all."
Leon nodded, smirking to himself.
"Where is she, anyways?"
"Cecilia?" Briony asked. "She's…upstairs."
"Making herself look perfect for Robbie, I suspect." Leon smirked.
"Why would she do that?" Briony snapped, protectively. "What did she tell you?"
Leon leaned back again, "Why should it matter? Has she told you anything?"
Briony opened her mouth to speak, but her mother beat her to it.
"Briony, what on earth have you done to your legs?"
Briony looked down and her eyes widened. Before her, her normally pale legs were covered in uneven splotches of pink and red. It must have been when she sat on the rug in front of the library. Her mother was instantly at her side, examining the marks.
"It's nothing, Mummy," Briony breathed. "I didn't even notice."
"It looks painful. Does it hurt?" Leon asked, also noticing her legs. "It looks like a serious rash."
"It's nothing. Honestly." Briony explained through gritted teeth. "I must have hit some poison ivy when I was outside earlier."
"We should wait for Robbie. Cecilia tells me he wants to be a doctor. He should know what this is." Leon said, ignoring Briony.
"Stop fussing over me." Briony pleaded. "It really is nothing."
"What is nothing?"
"Paul, there you are. Do you know anything of rashes?"
"None at all. Maybe that Robbie Turner could help."
"Where is he, anyways? Is he with Cee?" Emily asked.
Briony bit her lip and stood up straight. She automatically offered to go in search of them, but Emily refused. Briony started to pout when Emily asked if she had visited the library. Briony's head shot up as she replied.
"Why would you ask that, Mum?"
"As a child you used to roll around on your uncles old rug. You always had reactions from it…they looked like this." Emily explained, rubbing her thumb over a patch. "We moved the rug to the library."
Briony denied this. It was the truth, in a way. She hadn't step foot inside. She simply stood at the door. She had a feeling deep in her stomach that began to emerge. She often told small, white lies and afterwards she felt no guilt. Why when she told partial truth, she felt so wrong?
"Where did you get that necklace?" Leon suddenly asked. "It looks like Cee's"
"It is." Briony admitted, fingering the delicate white shells on her neck. "I borrowed it."
"With or without permission?" Emily asked.
"Without, obviously."
Briony turned guiltily towards the door, where someone had replied the answer.
"Cecilia, there you are. Do know where Robbie is?" Leon asked.
"Yes, he's…" Cecilia paused. "In the lobby."
"I trust you to be polite to him this evening." Leon warned.
"Oh I will." Cecilia smiled.
Briony looked at her knees, also red and covered in splotches, and smiled to herself. She could practically hear the satisfied smirk coming from Cecilia's bruised lips.
"Did you run here, Cee?" Emily asked. "You look out of breath."
"Yes I did. The clock in my room must be early, I thought I would be late coming here." Cecilia replied smoothly.
Briony looked up and examined her sister. She didn't even flinch as she spoke the lie…
"Oh, Briony." Cecilia called.
"Yes, Cee?"
"Please before you take something of mine," Cecilia paused. "Or open something of mine…"
Briony looked down guiltily. She was ready for a talking to…
"Please ask permission?"
"Yes, I'm sorry." Briony answered quickly.
Cecilia smiled and petted her head before looking down. Briony grinned. Cecilia was probably too happy to be angry at Briony right now.
"My, what happened to your legs?" Cecilia exclaimed.
"It's a reaction from the rug in the library. From the looks of it, it was recent."
Cecilia's head shot up and stared Briony in the eye. The happy look had disappeared from her face, into one of suspicion. Briony would not look at her. Cecilia bit her lip and looked back down nervously. With one hand she ran her fingers through her hair, with the other she grabbed Briony's arm.
"Mother, I'll take her to Robbie."
Briony heard the tone in Cecilia's voice. It was one of authority. Mother dare not say no…and she didn't, as predicted.
Slowly Briony rose from the sofa, she resisted the urge to wince as the burning sensation in her legs brushed against the rough fabric. She hadn't felt it before…she had been too distracted.
"Are you hurt, dear?"
"No. She isn't." Cecilia replied for her, in the same tone of authority. Briony flattened her dress and silently, the two sisters walked hand in hand out of the room. Briony's legs started to sting as she moved forward, but she didn't let it show. Cecilia's hands were cold, and trembled slightly as she closed the door. The minute the door to the living room was shut, Cecilia dropped Briony's arm and continued on walking. Briony watched as the silk dress swayed behind her.
Briony's lips parted, ready to speak but she quickly shut them. Cecilia kept walking, further and further down the hallway, and for once, Briony wasn't the fastest.
"Cecilia," Briony whispered. "The lobby is the other way."
Cecilia didn't reply. She kept walking with her head high, though Briony knew that she heard her. The click of her heel was the only sound echoing through the long corridor.
xox
This is a different style of writing than I'm used to. If it sucks, please tell me.
Please, please, PLEASE review. I'll buy cookies : )
xoHazel