Well hello, I would like to just say that before you read, thank you for choosing my story among the list of other ones. This being the first chapter I'm just going to stay a couple things, first being I like to add playlists, or at least a song (so as I don't complicate your reading process too much) to each chapter. Second, (still pertaining to the whole playlist thing) if you feel that there is a song that is better suiting to a chapter feel free to vocalize this to me and I would gladly put an extra section in each introduction to the chapters for a readers playlist/song choice. Thirdly, I love constructive criticism, so if you feel that there is something that could be improved upon in the future I will take all comments to heart and fix them (within reason). Fourth, I'm pretty sure, actually almost positive a similar sub plot where there is an extra child in the Martin family has already been done before, but keep in mind this story is more about revenge than it is romance so there may be a couple of surprises at the end of this story that may, (or may not) surprise you. Also though the relationship between the heroine and the antagonist weighs heavily on the outcome of the story, the family and friends affects on the story have large impacts too. Um, I think that's all I need to say really, oh wait and pardon the title I know it's kind of cheesy (considering), it's just I am awful at naming things. (I can hardly imagine what It'll be like if I ever have a child)
Summary (Extended Version): Once blissfully unaware of the true impacts of war, Caroline Martin tries to rationalize her older brother Thomas's undeserved death with revenge. Then when the chance to eliminate her enemy dissipates in one brief moment, she finds herself being both the pursuer and the pursued. Now engaged in a game of cat and mouse she finds an unlawful relationship with the very person she sought out to kill after being brought into a British Fort as the suspect in the killing of seven British officers. She gets quickly dismissed, for being a woman and incapable of such malice acts. After this, by her own will, she makes herself more immersed in the war than she thought possible and leaves her family behind in pursuit of carrying out a promise she made to her dearest friend and brother, even if that means putting herself on the front lines. Though strong willed and positive she soon finds, over time, with the body count rising and the insufferable distance between herself and Thomas tearing away at her, that the barriers she put around herself are tumbling down, letting escape fifteen years of bottled-up emotions. She expresses her truest confusion when pondering, "Can affection and animosity really exist in one place?"
Caroline is vaguely based off Deborah Sampson (a woman who actually fought in the American Revolution) and Mary Robinson. But when I say vague I mean VAGUE.
Song: Joanna Newsom-Sprout and the Bean
(All rights belong to their respected authors, I just made up my character and plot.)
Read on...
South Carolina 1776
The still atmosphere of the woods suddenly shook as a bullet passed through the barrel of a gun. In one fluid motion the round penetrated the air; too rapidly for the two pairs of human eyes close by to fully observe it as it pierced the exterior layer of a large oak tree. Shock waves were sent up through the trunk of the massive growth. After a moment of silence the vibrations finally dispersed at the tips of its yellowing leaves with a rustle, sending the mockingbirds perched in its branches dispelling into the sky like sand in the breeze. The awful screeches that the winged creatures used to alert one another of impending danger did only but excite the two young observers.
"That was defiantly a kill shot," one concurred, dropping the rifle, still hot, to the mossy earth in her haste. With a proud, but equally inquisitive smile she brushed her fingers across the hole in the bark. "It's warm," she exclaimed before involuntarily moving aside so her brother too could feel the heat that was radiating from the wound in the tree.
After touching the tepid surface curiosity probed him, If it is warm on the outside, what is it like on the inside? Without a second thought, to consider any of the possible repercussions, he stuck his finger into the cavity only to instantly pull it out with a yelp after curtly grazing the leaden ball. "Lord that is hot!" he shouted whilst violently waving his searing extremity in the air.
She stepped, back holding her stomach as her diaphragm heaved up and down while she laughed. "You twit, you weren't supposed to touch it!"
Like a suckling infant he placed his inflamed finger into his mouth. Once the initial pang of pain from the product of his disregard had soothed he was surprised to notice that his younger sister had already lost interest in his strife. At this point her delicate, infantine mind had not only blurred out her brother's presence, but any grasp of the true impacts of such actions as those she had just committed while she admired the accuracy of her shot.
"Look at that, only half an inch away. I'm better than you now Thomas," she jarred while measuring the distance from the exact target, marked as a red dot in game bird's blood, and the entry site with her petite fingers.
Thomas pursed his plump lips angrily. "That's not possible," he stated bluntly, with his finger still hanging from inside his mouth.
This remark agitated his baby sister, who knew full well she was a marksman of equal if not higher ability to her presumptuous brother. Gabriel, the eldest of all their siblings, had even said so, thus confirming her declaration. This blind assumption of Thomas' offended her so much that she even took it to the point of questioning the foundations in which he had made this assertion upon, despite knowing that he would just continue to dismiss everything she said no matter how much she badgered him. "Pray tell brother, how is it not possible that I am a better shot than you?"
Thomas was at a lack of words for the moment and knew full well that she would take full advantage of his dry tongue and twist the point to produce her a victory in this argument. His mind was still as blank as fresh snow while he anxiously watched as his sister's lips moved to form words. He wouldn't let himself make this win easy for her. Briskly he pulled his finger from his mouth and clumsily spat out just as his sister began to speak, "It's because I'm a man, and an older one than you at that," he held his sister's unimpressed glower before adding, "Not to mention, Caroline, you missed the target."
Her jaw dropped exposing the two perfect rows of teeth she had hidden behind her lips. "Thomas, you are barely nine months older than me, like that even makes a difference in anything!"
Smugly, he slipped his arms into a crossed position beneath either one of his armpits, turned his nose up in the air, and spoke coolly, "It makes all the difference."
The thin skin between her eyebrows buckled from an irritation only known to those with siblings. "It's not like you could do any better! You didn't even just miss the target. You missed the whole tree!" she retorted clenching her tiny hands into fists.
"That's beside the point-" Thomas spluttered, only to be interrupted by her.
"What's beside the point is the fact that you're still disputing this. All I was trying to say, before you started arguing me, was that this was a kill shot. Just because I missed the target by less than a thumb, doesn't change the fact that this man would be dead if it hit his head." Thomas remained unconvinced and shook his crown, chafing his sister's already blistered patience. She puckered her full, rosy lips in distaste at his idiocy sharing the expression most people have when one has just sucked on the seeds of a lemon. Could he really be this close-minded? This was a self explanatory question. Yes. So with this fresh irritation she hissed at her brother, "Well if you feel so obliged, why don't I use your head as the target and see if you're dead once I shoot you?"
Thomas, ripe with affliction, unfolded his arms and moved to, verbally, scratch back at his naive little sister, but before he could even do so a low voice had interrupted their squabbling. "You'll both be dead if father finds out you've spent your time shooting at a tree and not bringing those birds up to Abigail."
Standing beneath a ray of light, that managed to fight its way through a small opening in the canopy of foliage above them, was Gabriel. Their brother stood no further than fifteen feet away from them, a bundle of pheasants hanging by their feet off the muzzle of his musket, which rested soundly at the nape of his neck. Thomas and Caroline shared petrified glances, for all they knew he could have been standing there that whole time. They probably would have gone on unable to notice him, assuming that he chose to remain silent, if it was not for the persistent sun and its belligerence that willed it to try to break through the tree tops.
The two children knew well enough to not ask questions and remain in the good graces of their, sometimes, capricious father. So with their lips firmly compressed into a straight line they wasted not a moment to scatter like frightened mice and collect their belongings that were littered across the earthen floor.
Once all of their vendibles were accounted for they swung their bulging packs over their backs and secured their prey to their guns. Then, in similar fashion to their elder brother, they slid their rifles across their shoulder blades and held them there with the palms of their hands. Caroline already, before even moving, felt the affects of such a burdensome load on her arms, but she pushed through it and exerted the energy to scamper up to one side of Gabriel with Thomas.
No one said a word while they walked back to their home, but that did not mean there were not other sounds playing into the environment. Caroline, though she was carrying an equally cumbersome weight to her brothers, found she was struggling more than Thomas to keep up with Gabriel for the added heft did only but shorten her already limited gait. Gravity then was taking up sides against her, forcing bone to grind against bone with each stride she took. The rough facet of marrow being grit caused the joints in her knees to begin to deafen her with their screams of agony. Caroline was strong physically and mentally, she knew she could persevere. So she seethed and repositioned herself, but this was a fruitless venture that, if anything, worsened the suffering she was enduring. She was well aware that she could easily ask for help, but, from prior disagreements, knew full well Thomas, dare say she did inquire for such assistance, would surely jump on the opportunity to chastise her, and for that reason she considered this no option of hers. She had to do this by herself...she could do it by herself. Yet as soon as this new determination to go on was found she felt it just as quickly lost under a torrent of throe that rushed through all of her distended veins. Breathe, she told herself. Yet breath after laborious breath her hardened chest would expand and retract, becoming the vessel for some more intense pains.
During her toiling Gabriel, unaware, whistled a jaunty tune. Thomas listened intently to the inflections of the song, but could not ignore the aching of his sister mere steps behind him. His feet began to drag in the soil, slowing his paces, but his blind egotism, determined to watch her falter under her own ignorance, spoke in the back of his mind, She's getting what she deserves, how could she put you down? She needs to realize the consequences of her words. His blue eyes flickered over his shoulder, forcing him to behold the sad place their sibling rivalry had too often gotten them. His internal battle between morals and hauteur pulled at his innards, twisting and tying them for the lame point of leaving him with a hollow ache to remind him of his pressing decisions. Which was more important to him?
Suddenly this dilemma was answered by a voice, not that of his own, but of a figure he held a high respect for. Stay the course and swallow your pride, for it's not a surrender, it's a truce,his mother had often spoken this phrase to the children when confronted with an ethical quandary. Thomas sighed and inhaled deeply before he brought his footing to a near impasse.
Caroline, being as advertent as she was, instantly noticed her brother's allaying strides. With all her might she tried not to give this gesture any heed, but she found this to be quite a difficult feat. He is just coming back to taunt me, she concluded, drawing her eyes away from him. Two can play at this game, she thought, raising the perch holding the dangling dead birds higher up on her shoulders, despite the pain tearing at her ligaments.
Thomas looked at Caroline and suppressed a smile that was teasing the corners of his lips. She was always so driven to show those around her, her capabilities, often doing so without the aid of another. Frequently he found himself pondering, what is it exactly she is trying to prove to people? Everyone already knew she was intelligent, artistically inclined, articulate, and perceptive, what else was there that she fought for? Thomas could not even begin to fathom what cryptograms could be deciphered with the knowledge held by the person with the ability to understand the inner workings of his sister. In the hands of someone with mal intent she could easily prove to be a very useful weapon, but he knew that there was no such person inane enough to attempt such an expedition into the depths of her psyche that could ever be able to put her thoughts to any better use. Thomas, with personal experiences with such a dangerously foolish curiosity, had learned the hard way to leave the enigmatic and, sometimes, hostile waters of her mind alone. He, like many in his family, tried setting sail in this temperamental sea, only to find his boat being rapidly overtaken by the foiling and hissing waves that guarded her emotions. She was just to remain being one of the few creatures left of true perplexing mystification in the world. And though maddening at the time Thomas had long since accepted her impenetrable shell and was satiated, like many, interacting with her usually calm and contented outward person. This was all he needed from her.
"Would you like some help?" he inquired reaching for her rifle.
Upon hearing this Gabriel watched, for a curtailed moment, with a small grin as Thomas tried to make amends with his sister. He understood how hard it was for him to express sympathy over his overwhelming pride. But he had faith that his younger brother would find a way to put back the complicated pieces of the puzzle that was their relationship for they were as dependent on each other as a flower and a bee, the two could not be separated from the other for any extended period of time without both eventually becoming fey. It was just the way of nature.
Caroline herself even knew that this petty fight would blow through their friendship as abruptly as an ocean wind, but for fighting's sake she held on to her accusation. Yet before she could even produce a witty response Caroline found the weight on her shoulders being lifted. Sharply she snapped her head to view her brother's actions. Now dangling upon his own gun there were several extra birds.
"I can carry them myself," she snapped, boldly reaching for her quarry.
In retaliation Thomas twisted his torso and slapped her hand out of the way with a dead pheasant. "I'll do it," he insisted, "give your arms a break." The whole time he spoke he kept his eyes looking firmly ahead to avoid whatever glare or glance his sister might have been giving him at the time.
But there was no such look of malice on her face now, but instead a crooked smile that was extending up her right cheek. She knew she could always count on Thomas to try to fix his blunders one way or another. Then, after expelling a delighted sigh, she let her flaccid arms drop to her sides. "Thank you," she whispered under her breath, elation making her voice twinkle like a bell.
Thomas hesitated; unable to assemble the words to say back, for words like those she had just uttered were hard to find being spoken with such a raw honesty. His thought his response had to be meaningful, and poignant, and... "Your welcome."
Caroline beamed. This was all she needed from him.
Gabriel, mere steps ahead, smirked at the happy resolution of their spat, but could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy when looking back at his siblings, already having forgotten their altercation, who were now entranced with one of their many games. Both of them existed unaware of the world around them that spun all too fast for those conscious to its burdens. Gabe turned back around and absentmindedly brushed his thumb across the rivets of his reed bracelet, bringing back many memories of his best friend, Peter Cuppin, and himself many years ago when they too were living as oblivious as his kin were. The nostalgia embedded in that little braid of thick grass made him yearn for the sweet serenity of the world Thomas and Caroline surrounded themselves with, a place he left behind as he aged and now, as a man, wished he could be once more, but he knew, at this point in time, that was no longer possible.
Gabriel was correct when he thought their world was unaffected by the woes of reality, but serenity wouldn't be the word those two would think best to describe it. They probably had an affinity to the terms zany, exuberant, effervescent, mystical, and the affectionate use of the word unimaginable. Each tree they now passed had names and stories to follow, if one was not a veteran general in the, unavailing, war against autumn, they were a wise philosopher hiding the secrets of the laws of nature and the words of the animals. In their eyes the small ravines to either side of the path were not just a natural figure in the landscape, but the footprints of a giant young woman who lives in the swamps of South Carolina. Her size, being her only flaw, impaired her from ever being able to find a suitor willing to marry a woman of her stature. So deep in the heart of the bog she cries and her massive tears become the water in the wetlands.
"She should stop crying, she doesn't need a suitor, she's still young!" Caroline protested picturing the beautiful, giant woman with flowing tawny hair and tormented blue eyes doubled over beneath a willow tree, that was but a measly three feet taller than her, sobbing.
Thomas shook his head, "No she's in her twenties Caroline, most ladies get engaged at fifteen. You have less than three years yourself, if you don't want to end up like her."
Caroline sucked in her lower lip and went as silent as a rock. Her brothers, though, were unphased by Thomas's statement and carelessly stepped out from beneath the over hang of the trees that held them in the shadows and absorbed the sun's warm beams as they found themselves back on their property. Across their field, golden with wheat, corn, and tobacco, the mail carrier could be seen riding down from their home where their siblings were playing.
"The mail!" Thomas stated excitedly, and began running up between the yellow stalks of their crops that towered over him. Gabriel looked back at Caroline and gave her a fleeting smile before he quickly bound after their brother, picking up his tri-corn hat that had dropped in his flurry.
Caroline, who still stood frozen at the mouth of the forest, usually shared the same enthusiasm for the news as her family. And to those who knew them well, would probably find it to be a curious sight seeing only two of them running in to be the first to obtain the mail. Yet Caroline alone knew what the thing was that was yielding her from rushing across their land to their front porch. It was the words her brother had spoken. Each time she thought over them she found it becoming harder and harder to chew like a piece of maple toffee. Though confusing his sister was not his intention when he made the comment, it could not help but rise realizations she had never acknowledged before in her short life. She would begin being courted in just over two years by a man...who had intentions to marry her! With a mind as advanced as hers this would seem to others to be an easy thought to process, but something that those others may not have accounted for was the fact that she was still a child. A child very much still living immersed in a child's world, where such things as marriage had no weight on her mind.
With a deep breath and a peaceful moment of reverie she was able to bury the unwanted revelation beneath other callow things that clouded her mind, yet unbeknownst to her at the time this was the first cut reality was making in her juvenile euphoria. And this gash was not going to heal.
Thank you kindly for reading. The next chapter will be out in a week-or-so's time, but that could be extended considering school is, unfortunatly, starting up again.