Hi! First Giver fanfic. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I not own The Giver
JONAS
It felt so surreal. The tongs of yellow and orange flame, crackling in the hearth. The wool, hand-knitted blanket keeping him and Gabe warm. The sturdy, comforting wooden walls of the dwelling-no, they didn't call it a dwelling here. House, Home. He corrected himself, even though precision of language was least important now. Gabriel squirmed in his arms. But Jonas didn't panic. He felt perfectly at ease. The air was warm, despite the freezing, refreshing, beautiful snow falling down outside in piles of glistening white. There was a quiet knock on his door. The wooden hatch open with a creak.
A kind women, with dark brown hair and kind hazel eyes in her twenties, spoke softly. "Jonas, are you alright dear?" The words flowed from her mouth sweetly. They had welcomed him with open arms, greeting him, and had prepared everything from houses to clothing to meals to school. He had been given a cozy wooden cottage, decorated with lights, complete with a kitchen, living room, a nursery, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms along with a nursery was for Gabe, of course, but he usually slept with Jonas in his room. The second bedroom was for Rachel, his guardian that was chosen to look after him, the one with the kind hazel eyes. "I'm fine Rachel." he replied. "Good. You have to wake up now!" she told him and hurried into his room.
She gently lifted Gabriel from Jonas's arms, allowing him to throw off his covers and hurry to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. He threw on a thick red wool sweater and his blue jeans, lacing up his hiking boots. Jonas was excited to have these things, this variety of clothes to choose from. At last Jonas was living his life. He heard Rachel get Gabe ready in the adjoining nursery, tickling him and laughing. "Oh, coochie- coochie coo! Who's my big boy? You are! You are!" she cooed, poking him in the stomach lightly. He giggled. "Rachel!" Jonas called. "I'm ready for school!" As he was still a minor, he had to continue his education. And he found out that, at the end of his school in five years time, he would be able to choose his job, choose what he did, choose his spouse, home, everything. He even had choices now. Unlimited, for the first time in his life. He tugged on a caramel jacket and a navy blue scarf, earmuffs, and a wooly hat.
"Bye Rachel!" he called. "See you Jonas! I'll pick you up at 3 'o' clock, kay?" Jonas opened the door, letting a sharp breeze of cold meet his skin. "Okay!" The door shut tight behind him. He trudged through the deep snow, but he was warm, thanks to the clothes he was wearing. His school, named ROSEMARY JUNIOR HIGH was just around the corner. The name was engraved on a giant silver mental plaque, a logo of the flower underneath, and the actual plant in beds everywhere. It was named after Giver's daughter, Rosemary. Here, she was known as the girl who never came, the flower that never bloomed. Jonas's mind wandered to the Giver, to his family now and then, but not often. He had his own life to live now. "Hey Jonas!" called a little 6 year old girl named Maddie who lived right next door. A small redheaded child with inquiring green eyes. Jonas bent down. "Good morning Maddie." he greeted. "I got a brand new doll!" the girl stretched out her hand, revealing the hand-knitted toy. "Fantastic Maddie!" Jonas exclaimed. "Bye Jonas!" Maddie waved her tiny hand at the boy. He waved back, span on his heel and headed to school.
LAVENDER
It felt heartbreaking. Jonas gone. Her husband dead. Trampled by the crowd. Lily huddled against her leg on the bed. The aching sensation that wouldn't stop. The drip drip drip of the pipes while the small child shivered. She tightened her hold on the thin cotton sheet, the only thing keeping them warm. The weak, frail walls of what was left of their dwelling-no, refuge. It seemed more like a refuge to the insane asylum next door, full of people driven insane by memories while the joyful struck up a tune, fiddling into the night. No matter, precision of language was least important now. Lily mumbled in her sleep, which worried her. Was her baby having a night-mere?
She could never bear to see her child locked in the padded room the the asylum, not when she was the only thing she had left. There was a quite knock on the door. The thin entry opened, light flooding into the place as Lavender stayed tethered to the bed with this new sensation, cold. She barely flitted her eyes toward the front of the room, seeing the Giver walk in and place himself on an old rocking chair. And old man with deep blue eyes, she could see that now, and wrinkled skin creased with smile lines. He spoke gently. "Lavender, I know you feel anguish at your loss." The sentence did little to comfort her. The Elders had been overthrown by the people. Her dwelling had almost been destroyed. All they were given was shelter, threadbare clothes, and meals.
Breakfast consisted of sour milk and stale bread. Lunch of one blob of hard cheese and small, bony fish. Dinner was always the same. Water, a fruit, and a bowl of cooked grain. She had insisted on this, consuming what asylum members ate. Whatever she didn't eat, she gave to Lily. The room had on bedroom, a small, stinky bathroom, and a single rocking chair, now occupied by the Giver. "But, it was for the best." Giver continued. Suddenly, Lavender was filled with a hot, rushing sensation. Rage. She sat up with renewed energy, moved by anger. "No." she said shakily. "My baby -Jonas- he ran away. From me. Without-" he voice caught. "Without knowing that that I every loved him." Her voiced was reduced to a whisper, rage to heartbreak, tears of loss pouring down her face. The Giver frowned sympathetically.
"I will give you some space. See you in the morning." He left. Lavender clamped her arms tight over Lily, refusing to let her go.
The sunlight seeped in through the dusty windows. It was morning. "Lily-pad." She whispered. Lily stirred and stumbled to the restroom without a word, while Lavender followed. They cleaned up as much as they could, when a tray covered in plastic slipped in underneath the door. Lily ran to fetch the meal while her mother remained still in the rocking chair. Lavender sipped the sour milk while Lily chewed on the hard bread. Silence. A cloud of dust billowed forward from the wind blowing in from the open window. Nothing. Lily rose from the chair. She slipped her day-clothes, coat, and slippers on quietly. She bent down and kissed her mothers hand intertwined with her small one, and slipped out the door. Lavender watched wearily, as her child trudged to her school. They had not spoken a word since they first woke up. Her rant last night was the most she had said for weeks. Her joints moaned as she got up. She took baby steps forward. One. Two. Three. All the way to the window. She gently lifted her thin, frail hand to the window pane and pressed it against her fingertips. The dark locks of her child were tumbling down her back outside. Out of sight. And right then and there, Lavender made a promise. She opened her mouth tentatively. "No matter if we sail the ocean blue. I will always be here too. No matter if the sky isn't crystal blue, from Dusk 'till Dawn, I'll stay with you." She sang softly and quietly. The words flowed from her mouth. An old song, made back and back and back. For once, Lavender embraced the memories. And then, slowly, but surely, a warm smile graced her lips.
Fin.
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