"The Lady of Shalott" is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson in which the Lady is lives inside a tower on the river to Camelot. She is cursed to never able to look at the outside world lest she die, destined to see time go by through a mirror. Seeing her future pass her by and the things she is missing, she takes her first glance outside and the curse takes hold. She travels from her castle to go to Camelot and dies on the way, life cut tragically short before it began. It reminded me of Jenny's life and death, a life half lived. The chapter titles are lines from the poem. I have provided a link in my profile so you can read it if you wish. I own neither NCIS or The Lady of Shalott.
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I am half sick of shadows
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The reflection from the window glistened in the polished glass of the coffee table. From the setting sun, the office glowed reds and golds. But the beauty did not impress Jenny. Sitting safely in this ivory tower of hers gave her no pleasure, no sadness, no nothing. Protected, yes, but empty. It was if she was already dead, just waiting for the moment for when she would depart from the mortal coil. Bound by rules, propriety, the past, she wondered, was half a life worth living?
The future frightened her. She was dying, it had been proven without a doubt that surgery would be impossible and would not save her, that she would die a slow and painful death, slowly shut out from the from the world as the tumor took over her brain and robbed her of the ability to see, hear, speak, and care for herself until it finally ended her life as she drifted alone in her world of darkness.
She could not, would not live this way or die this way. She had things to take care of. Let the curse come upon her and the consequences be damned.