Terrible Teen Years
Brick walls surrounded Carmen on all four sides. Walnut floors and desks made up the rest, in addition to a green chalkboard in the front of the room. A flag of Columbia hung near the chalkboard. Mrs. Littlechild lectured on about factoring. Carmen tried to pay attention and wrote down everything she said, but to no avail.
Carmen felt an intense pressure in the back of her head. She grit her teeth and noticed Sara's concerned look from her left. She closed her eyes and tried to push away the niggling feeling in the back of her skull. Unfortunately, she couldn't.
"Carmen do you know what the answer would be?" Mrs. Littlechild asked and her voice sounded like it was underwater.
Carmen opened her eyes again to view the problem Mrs. Littlechild was asking about. She opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't. She felt a sudden and intense shock in the back of her skull, as if she'd just been hit with Shock Jockey. Soon, she lost consciousness before passing out.
At first, everything was dark. Then a bright, blinding light shone and Carmen knew where she was by the look of the buildings in the clouds. Columbia.
She floated through the city and noticed immediately there was a heavy fog. She peered closer and didn't see any people or animals. Dust bunnies rolled through the streets. Carmen peered closer and saw broken windows, fires in the streets. The sight was eerie and Carmen shivered.
"This is your fault," said a mysterious voice. Carmen turned to where she thought the voice had come from. She saw no one, which confused her.
"The city will burn because of you," said another and Carmen whirled around again.
"Because of you," said a different one. Carmen's head swiveled as she tried to locate the voices.
They kept coming at her in accusatory tones. Telling her how it was her fault Columbia would burn, and that she would be to blame for its downfall.
Carmen slowly opened her eyes and woke up with Mrs. Littlechild standing over her. She could hear whispers from around her but the voices sounded like they were underwater. Carmen blinked a few times before she could fully hear Mrs. Littlechild's voice.
"Carmen are you alright? Perhaps you should head home," Mrs. Littlechild said.
Carmen stood up and rubbed her head. She nodded and grabbed her things. She placed them in her knapsack and tried to ignore the gossip as she grabbed her cloak before walking out the door.
William was in his office when he heard a knock on his door. He pushed his reading glasses further up his nose as Helene stood in the doorway. He put down the papers he had been working on and folded his hands in front of himself.
"This just came in for you sir," Helene said handing him the half sheet of paper. "It's a telegram from Mrs. Littlechild, your daughter's school teacher. It says she needs to speak with you as soon as you're able."
William took the half sheet and scanned the telegram. He then nodded in affirmation and handed the telegram back to Helene.
"Could you respond to Mrs. Littlechild and tell her I will be there to meet with her after school?" William said and Helene went to carry out his request.
William then grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders. He decided he would take the rest of the day off. Not only to speak with Carmen's teacher, but to speak with Carmen. His mind went through numerous scenarios as he made his way toward the elevator.
Carmen was a studious, well-behaved child. There had been at least one incident when she had been disciplined after giving one girl a black eye. And from what William had been told, it sounded like the girl, Emma Price, had deserved it. However, he had still forbid her from going to any social events that week for having gotten into a fight.
William continued mulling out various scenarios as he walked through the snow filled streets of Columbia. It crunched under his feet as he made his way to Skyline High School.
William's anxiety grew as he made his way to Skyline High School. He weaved his way through multitudes of school children. He immediately noticed a dark haired woman wearing a black and red dress with a matching cloak standing outside of one of the school houses. Her gaze quickly found his and he figured she must be Mrs. Littlechild.
William then sped up his pace as he walked. He politely introduced himself to Mrs. Littlechild and followed her inside.
"Mr. McNamara, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Mrs. Littlechild said as she closed the door behind William. She invited him to sit at her desk in front, and he did.
William nodded as both sat down, "Of course. What is the issue with Carmen? She's not fighting anyone is she?"
Mrs. Littlechild shook her head, "No Mr. McNamara, she isn't. She's doing very well academically. No, this is about her personal health. I'm not certain of the cause, but Carmen has been blacking out during class."
William's brow rose in shock, "How long has this been happening?"
As per usual, Carmen had not informed him immediately when something was bothering her. She claimed she didn't like to needlessly worry him, to which William always replied that as her father, it was his job to worry.
"For roughly a week now," Mrs. Littlechild responded pushing her chair away from the desk. William stood up as she continued, "I was hoping you might be able to provide some explanation."
William shook his head, "I'm sorry to say I can't. I didn't even know it was happening until you brought it to my attention. But I'll have a talk with Carmen as soon as I get home. Thank you, Mrs. Littlechild."
Mrs. Littlechild nodded in response and led William to the door.
Meanwhile, Carmen was back home working with Sara on their factoring homework. She had already finished the notes they had covered in class. Both girls sat on the leather couch when the front door opened. Carmen glanced up briefly as her father entered the house.
"Daddy, you're home early," Carmen said rising to embrace her father. Sara meanwhile hastily scrawled down her response.
William placed his hat on the rack before returning Carmen's hug. He then pulled away to address Sara.
"Good to see you too, kiddo," her father said and Carmen rolled her eyes at the nickname. She went to close her textbook as William addressed Sara. "Good afternoon Sara," he said before turning back to Carmen. "Carmen. Would it be alright if you followed me upstairs for a moment? I need to speak to you about something important."
Sara shook her head as she collected her things and placed them in her knapsack, "That's alright Mr. McNamara I was just leaving." She grabbed her own cloak off the back of the couch, "I'll see you tomorrow, Carmen."
And with that, Sara left. William moved out of Sara's way as she opened the door. Once she was gone, William eased himself down onto the leather couch. Carmen sat next to him.
"I already know what you're going to say," Carmen said turning to face him. "So you can skip the lecture, daddy."
"Then you know I'm also going to be asking about these blackouts. Mrs. Littlechild says they have been happening all this week," William said beginning to stroke her hair. "What's going on, kiddo?"
Carmen shook her head, "I don't know. One minute I am fine, and the next I feel this excruciating pain in the back of my skull. Then everyone starts to sound like they are underwater and next I am unconscious. And…" Carmen paused as if searching for the right words.
"And I do not know how to describe it, but I see things," Carmen said looking into her father's eyes. "I see visions of Columbia, some of which are Columbia and some of which are not. The visions are not the same but all revolve around Columbia in some way."
Carmen was nearly in tears now and William wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace as tears fell down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, kiddo," William whispered as he gently rocked Carmen back and forth. She closed her eyes as her father stroked her hair. "I don't know why this is happening, but I'm going to figure out a way to stop it I promise you."
Carmen nodded and after a few seconds pulled away. She grabbed her kerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.
"What would you have me do in the meantime? It is not as if I can control these visions," Carmen said.
William nodded in agreement and eased himself up from the couch, "Let me speak with Victor Cox and we will try to work something out. In the meantime, inform your teacher we have spoken and if these continue, we will go from there. Now, what are you hungry for?"
The next morning, Carmen tried to keep in mind what her father had told her as she walked to school. She shivered slightly in the December wind as her boots crunched in the snow. She walked with Sara, Charles, and Matthew Thompson. She could see her breath as she exhaled.
There were a large crowd of students already present by the time Carmen and the Thompson's arrived. All were gossiping amongst themselves but there was one conversation that stood out to Carmen. It was between a boy and two girls from what she could tell.
"I didn't think she would be back so soon," whispered one girl.
"Carmen's tough; I once saw her punch Emma Price. Gave her a black eye and came away without a scratch," another girl said.
"Yeah, well I don't see why we have to go to school with a Bog-trotter like her," said the boy and Carmen rolled her eyes.
Ever since kindergarten, she had heard almost every kind of insult in the book. And even though Carmen had grown up in Emporia, the racial slurs were still present. She was about to walk away when she saw Matthew turn toward the boy. Carmen went to grab his arm with her gloved hand.
"Matthew please don't. It's not worth getting into a fight over," Carmen said and Matthew shrugged off her hand.
Without turning to look at Carmen Matthew spoke, "Charles, make sure they get inside."
Charles nodded and shepherded them toward the seventh and eighth grade classrooms. Despite Charles's arm around both girls, Carmen could still hear the conversation between Matthew and the other boy.
"Apologize, now," Mathew said his voice rising as everyone turned in their direction. Carmen could see Mrs. Littlechild in the distance with her cloak wrapped tightly around her body.
"Why should I? That Taig should be working at Fink's factory with the rest of them," the boy said and Carmen thought she heard the boy spit on the ground. Carmen glanced toward Matthew briefly and instantly regretted it.
Matthew's fist flew and connected with the other boy's jaw. There was a resounding crack as the boy landed on the snow covered ground. The other students now watched in interest as the kid picked himself back up. However, before the fight could go any further Mrs. Littlechild intervened.
"Caleb, Matthew, that's enough," Mrs. Littlechild said and Caleb wiped his clothes off. Both boys straightened their posture as Mrs. Littlechild turned toward the students, "Everyone get to class, now."
And with that, Carmen followed Sara and Charles to class. She hoped Matthew hadn't gotten himself into too much trouble. And yet, everyone knew the consequences about fighting in school.
The next day at work, William pulled out the photograph from his breast pocket for the millionth time. In the photo was a man and a woman. The woman held a small, pink blanket in her arms and the man had his arms wrapped around the woman. Yet, whenever William tried to focus on the man's face, he received a pain in his head akin to a migraine and his nose bled.
When he heard a knock on his door, William pocketed the photograph and looked up to see Helene standing in his doorway.
"Mr. Cox has replied to your telegram and says he will meet you for lunch at the Salty Oyster," the blonde said smoothing down her skirt. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"
William shook his head as he pushed his chair away from his desk, "I don't think so. Unless there's more paperwork I don't know about?"
Helene shook her head and William grabbed his cloak.
"Alright then. Have a good lunch, Helen," and with that William made his way toward the elevator. He waited for it to land on his floor.
William's thoughts went to Carmen's visions. He hoped he was able to assist her with her problem. She was a hard as nails kid and as such, not much fazed her. William wasn't certain if he should be proud of that, or disconcerted.
A bitter winter wind swept across Emporia as William made his way to the Salty Oyster. He felt it bite at his exposed skin as he opened the door to Emporia's only bar.
William chose a booth closest to the left side of the door and ordered his usual bourbon. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for Victor Cox. Cox was easy to spot anywhere in a room, in part because of his bright orange hair.
Victor Cox was a redhead with an immaculate dark colored suit underneath his cloak. William waved him over and Victor sat in the opposite side of the booth.
"William, nice to see you again," Victor said ordering a whiskey. He then turned back to William, "How's Carmen?"
William thanked the waitress as she brought him his bourbon, "She's in seventh grade now. Just turned 13 this past August." He replied as he ran a hand through his greying brunet locks. "But that's not what I came to talk to you about. How much do you work with tears and extra dimensions?"
For William, it was a loaded question. He knew he couldn't go to Fink (even the name left a bad taste in his mouth) on a matter like this. He would rather bleed to death than go to Jeremiah Fink for any sort of assistance. But he knew Cox also worked with tears. And he could trust Cox not to stab him in the back.
Victor leaned forward in his seat and took off the cap on his whiskey. He leaned back and took a long drink. William ordered another shot of bourbon as he waited.
"I would say I work heavily with them," Victor said. "Unfortunately, that damned Jeremiah Fink just bought my company." Victor then opened his whiskey bottle again and took another long drink. "What does this have to do with Carmen?"
William gave a sigh and waited until the waitress had delivered their meals before he continued, "I think there's something going on with Carmen. Her teacher called me in for a conference this week and told me she's been blacking out during class. I talked to her about it and she said she sees, visions, of Columbia. I was wondering if there was anything you could do to help."
Victor nodded, cutting up his steak before he took a bite, "Well I officially have been told to leave Friday, but I'll do everything I can."
"Thanks Victor, I really appreciate it," William said and both toasted their drinks together.
After school, Carmen had followed the Thompson's to the library to study. Matthew had been more or less suspended, but that was only for the day. It had been snowing more or less since lunch. The snowfall had been steady, up until 4:30 when it had begun to increase.
"Well I think we should call it a day," Charles said closing his history textbook.
Matthew nodded, "Yes I think that would be best. We can reconvene tomorrow."
"Hopefully your group members show up then," Sara teased as she poked him in the ribs. Matthew chuckled and swatted her finger away.
But Carmen couldn't hear their conversation very well. To her, their voices made it sound like they were underwater. She could feel the niggling and pain in the back of her skull again. Carmen collapsed on the ground as the vision took hold.
This time there was a man. Carmen couldn't make out his face but she could see that he had brown hair and wore dark clothing. She saw him fight using numerous weapons and vigors as he made his way to Monument Island. For some reason, there was something important in there. But the vision faded before Carmen could discover what.
"Carmen, Carmen I need you to wake up," said Matthew and Carmen opened her eyes to see him standing over her. "Carmen, thank the Prophet I was worried. Come on, we need to go. The storm is getting bad out there."
Carmen took Matthew's offered hand and he quickly pulled her up. She packed her things and wrapped her cloak around her shoulders. Pulling her hood up, she followed him outside.
The wind howled and Carmen kept a tight grip on her knapsack. Snow fell rapidly from the sky, covering Carmen's earlier tracks. The wind bit at her exposed skin as Matthew grabbed her hand. If it were any other situation, Carmen would've been embarrassed but she as it was too filled with adrenaline to care.
Matthew took a tentative step forward and held up a glove to block the wind. Carmen did the same and slowly they made their way to Emporia.
"Where's the carriage?" Carmen said over the howling of the wind. She felt her fingers grow cold in addition to her toes.
"I told Sara and Charles to take it home," Matthew shouted as he slowly put one foot in front of the other. Carmen mirrored his steps.
"What about you?" Carmen asked. She could just barely make out the pear green paint of her house. She hoped her father wouldn't be too angry with her.
"Don't worry about it," Matthew said as they passed through Carmen's front gate. "You are more important. Besides, I do not live far from you."
And with that, they were standing on Carmen's front porch. The overhang provided some protection from the harsh wind and snow, but not much. Carmen opened her mouth to protest, but found he was already turning to leave. She decided it was best to get warm instead of argue, but she made a note to reprimand him later. She placed her house key into the lock and opened the door.
William got home from work at 4:30 and was doing some work in his study when the storm hit. He had received Carmen's telegram about going to the library to study with friends for one hour and so he hadn't been worried. That was, until the storm had gotten worse.
William paced back and forth across the living room. Occasionally he would take a drink from his bourbon, but nothing seemed to help. Finally, he heard the door open and in stepped Carmen. The wind threatened to blow her over until Carmen closed the door.
Snow clung to her hair, dress, cloak, and knapsack. She shook like a leaf and William rushed to embrace her. Even through her cloak and winter gear she still felt like ice. William pulled off her hood and pulled her against his chest.
"Jesus you could've frozen to death," William said as he rocked Carmen gently. Despite his worry, he was simply glad that she was back safe. Nearly frozen, but safe. He closed his eyes and stroked her hair soothingly. Even though she may not have been his, William would do everything to ensure she was taken care of.
Author's Note: So once again, I hope you enjoyed my story! I would like to thank J3FAwesome again for giving me permission to use his OC William McNamara. I have and continue to enjoy exploring William's relationship with Carmen and figuring out how they fit into Columbia and the multiverse. The sequel to this story is "Protective Foresight", which will star the Lutece twins once again.
**Also just a note, Bog-Trotter and Taig are racial slurs used in reference to the Irish.
Disclaimer: 2K and Irrational own the Bioshock series and as I've stated before, J3FAwesome owns William McNamara. I do, however, own Carmen McNamara and the Thompson's.