Deep brown eyes met emerald green through the high orange flames of the bonfire, the flames licked the sky and the wood crackled as it burned. Their eyes did not leave each-other as they made their way around the fire, towards the side away from the drunken party, people cheered and sang old gipsy songs on the other side but they were silent. They looked at each other for a moment, confirming they are happy to proceed with the next step of their night. Her green eyes looked him up and down from head to toe, boots and loose pants, his shirt untucked and his waste coat open. A mop of blonde hair on his head. "You a lee?" She whispers, she watches his dry thin lips as he licks them, a thin layer of salvia laying on top of them, making them softer to kiss.
"No." He clears his throat, was he lying? She didn't have time to think, hell she didn't have time to care before his lips where on hers, he presses too hard on hers, his teeth clashing with hers, her mood almost instantly gone until he grabs her hand and drags her around the back of a caravan, she laughs, throwing her strawberry blonde hair back.
If only she had turned around she would have seen the woman watching them through the flames, her anger as hot as the flames, watching her granddaughter run behind the caravan with a boy much older than her. "Daniel." The old woman whispers, turning her head she looks over at her son. "Julia" She nods towards the caravan behind the fire, The man nods back at her and whistles towards a young man behind him.
The pair of them take their knives from their pockets and march around the fire, the only light coming from it. In the shadows they see two bodies moving together, small moans and grunts can be heard. "Get off her!" Daniel screams, pulling the boys shirt and dragging him away from the young woman beneath him. Julia does not become embarrassed, she is not shocked that her uncle had found her like this, instead anger bubbled up from her stomach it felt like it was about to pour out of her throat. "Leave." He hisses to the man, who nods, his brown eyes filled with fear as he sees the light reflected from the knife in his hand. He runs away, pulling his pants up as he goes. He turns towards to the girl, pointing his knife at her. "This has to stop." He shouts, the young woman scoffs, buttoning up the blue dress she stands to her feet, smoothing out the skirt.
"But its fine when all the lads do it?" Julia hisses, stomping around from her uncle she heads back towards the party. She was in need of a drink, a strong one. It wasn't fair, all the men got to have there way without being tarnished a whore but she lets loose once and a while and she is the black sheep of an already black family. Pouring the drink, she brings the glass to her lips but before she is pulled backwards by her hair and pushed to her knees. "GET OFF ME!" She screams, trying to grab the hand that holds her there but its no use, the hand continues to pull her, scrambling to her feet she stumbles until she is at the door of a caravan, the hand pushes her down and lets go of her hair. "What the fu- Oh Granny." Julia starts before seeing who she is speaking too, her Grandmother stands above her, she looks mad- madder than Julia had seen her look before. It was the silent kind of mad, the disappointed kind.
"In." She nods at her, opening the door she watches the young girl climb the stairs and take a seat on the bench. Climbing the stairs was getting harder for her now, her knees not the same as they once were but she would never let her grand-daughter see this. "On my wedding day, my mother gave me this neckless." She points to her chest, a small silver cross hangs around it. Julia watches her, why was she having this conversation with her now? Surely she should be chastising her and beating her, surely her Granny had seen what happened behind the fire? Her uncle was many things but he would never keep a secret from his mother. He would be stupid too. "Your Mother passed when you were born." Guilt washes over Julia as she speaks, her family had never let her forget that she had been the one to take away there precious Mary.
Julia hangs her head in shame and looks down at the floor, an orange and red rug adorned it, it was dirty with dry mud and specks of cigarette ash. Her grandmother places a finger under her small chin and presses upwards gently, forcing Julia to look her in the eyes. She had the same eyes as her, passed down from generation to generation in the Lee family. "It was supposed to be hers but as you know, your father passed before they could marry." A bastard, she was a bastard child. Her words stung, even more, was this her punishment? For her Granny to tell her what a disappointment she had been? "She would want me to give you this." The old woman reaches behind her neck and unclasps it, folding it in her hand she places into Julia's, holding her hand gently. "Tomorrow it will be yours to wear and for you to pass on to your daughter."
Confusion and panic flash through Julia's face, her delicate features distorting. "Tomorrow?" Julia hisses, pushing the neckless back into her Granny's hand.
"It has been arranged." She nods at her, Julia cannot move, her whole body frozen.
"I won't do it." She grunts, folding her arms across her chest like a toddler having a tantrum.
"There is a war between families and you are betrothed to end it."
"So that's all I am? A pawn in your war?" Julia stands, swinging open the door to the caravan she begins to descend down the steps but before she can make it all the way out her Grandmother speaks in her native tong, freezing her in her tracks.
"You have let this family down, tomorrow you will make this right."