Hello again! Here's the second chapter; things are starting to move along a little more now. Reviews are love if you can find the time! :)
The Certainty
Chapter Two: We've Come This Far
The woods were a stone's throw away from the edge of town. Those that didn't live in the village built their houses on either farms or among the trees in the forest. Several clearings, either natural or man-made, had been occupied by stone cabins with red roofs identical to those of the village. Pathways had been cleared out for carts and buggies, making roads to connect the little French town with bigger cities.
Many villagers, however, enjoyed wandering about the woods for various reasons. Men and women would come in their woollen jackets and lace skirts for leisurely strolls after services on Sundays. Children loved to chase each other into the bush, voices ringing out exuberantly through the forest. During the week, those children who thought themselves too old to be called children but too young to be adults liked courting – the extra privacy of the thick forest made some of their parents uneasy, though. There were even several hunters who frequented the woods.
It was the ideal place for a fellow with a gun, where a nice assortment of pines, birches, maples and oaks stood proudly like great giants, creating a canopy that shaded those in the woods from the harsh rays of an afternoon sun. This provided a capital environment for good game and animals to roam about. Especially on a cool day like the present.
A man squinted his eyes in order to see past the roof of the forest. He leaned against an oak tree with his arms, picking at his teeth with a reed. He heard a slight rustle, face lighting up in excitement. "And three, two, one..."
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three large geese dropped like boulders, piling up in the small clearing. "Whew," the man whistled. "Amazing! But I think you missed one."
Suddenly, another Boom! sounded and another goose fell.
Another man strode into the clearing with a rifle. He was tall, easily six feet with a chiseled chest, muscular limbs and a face tanned from numerous days spent in the sun. Deep-set eyes glinted black ice from the kill and a pronounced chin was haughtily stuck out. His black hair was tied behind his head to dangle on top of a maroon jacket. Tied around the man's waist were the tails of squirrels, foxes, racoons and the like. The strap on which he usually hung his rifle was woven through with the claws of a bear. Blowing across the end of the barrel, he smirked, "Gilles, I beg to differ."
"Aw, no!" answered Gilles. "You completely nailed those stupid birds, Marlon!"
"Of course I did." Marlon kicked the heap of fowl, inspecting them with his leather boot. "My sack, Gilles," he said, holding out his hand.
His companion brought forth the loot bag which already held some game from earlier that day. He gathered the four birds and stuffed them inside. "Here ya go!"
Marlon took the now full sack and swung it over his back, saying loudly, "Come my friend; the sun is setting low and I'm in the mood for a beer!"
"We going down to the village?"
"Indeed." Marlon turned on his heel and began strolling through the forest, not bothering to wait for the other man. "I also have a mind for something else."
Gilles ran to keep up, tripping over fallen twigs that he didn't see owing to his large belly. "Aw, Marlon. You're not thinkin' of..."
"Of course I am."
"But Marlon, there's a boatload of other guys and gals chasing after you! Why d'ya want him?"
"He's the most beautiful man in town besides myself. That makes him perfect for me!"
"But it's taking you so much work!"
Marlon slowed down then, coming to a stop in the middle of the path. Wearing a curious expression, he turned to face his friend. "Gilles, the best hunters nail a beast with every shot."
"You are the best, Marlon!" Gilles danced around his idol.
"No, my friend, I am not."
Said man furrowed his brows in confusion. "What d'ya mean, Marlon? Of course you are!"
"Gilles, let me give you my lesson of the day," said Marlon, swinging the arm holding his rifle around his companion. "I said the best hunters nail a beast with every shot..."
"You're the best-"
"Let me finish. The best hunters nail a beast with every shot, but the best of the best..." He stopped suddenly and pointed his rifle at a low bush a few metres away. Marlon fired it, startling Gilles, whose face was pressed against the barrel. The pair sidled up to the bush, which turned out to be blossoming with roses of deep red.
Gilles whistled again. "Damn, Marlon."
The face of his idol held a crooked, almost twisted smile. He prodded at a rose in the middle of which lay a small crater from his bullet. "You see Gilles, the best of the best nail both the beast and the beauty."
Twilight was rolling in on the town. Although many villagers were still out and about on the streets, most merchants were closing their stalls in order to enjoy the nightlife themselves. Some had last-minute customers trying to purchase items that they had been told by their mother earlier that day to buy, but had only been remembered now.
"Anything else? Last chance before I close up!"
"No thanks, just the pears."
"You sure?"
"Positive." Julian rummaged around in his pockets for some coins, taking them out. "Um, I'm not sure I have enough."
The man at the fruit stand scowled and pulled the pears close to his chest. "No haggling at this hour. These pears are full price!"
"Come on, I'm just a little short!"
"Just leave, Langlois. Maybe find yourself a better job so you can afford these luxuries!"
Julian opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by a deep voice next to him saying, "My good sir, let me take this one."
A small bag was tossed to the merchant, who caught it and inspected its contents. He nodded and shoved the fruits forward.
Rolling his eyes, Julian went away from the stall, leaving the pears behind. "Keep them for yourself, Marlon."
The hunter sidled up. "Oh, but what would your mother say if you return empty-handed, my love?"
"She'll be pleased to know that the man at the stand was rude to me. We don't take kindly to rude folks."
"Julian, Julian, I think you're too close to your mom for your own good." Marlon grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. "Come, let's go to the Tap! I'll get you a drink."
The actor ducked out of the too-handsy grasp and backed away with an uneasy smile. "I really appreciate your charity, but... Well... I really have to go home. It's getting late."
"You make me laugh, love. The night is young!"
"I have to go home..."
"Live a little. Get drunk," Marlon said in a sing-song voice. He grabbed Julian's chin and tickled it lightly. "Have some fun."
Julian tried to pull his face away, but to no avail. "Marlon, really," he began, but it was too late. The hunter had pressed their lips together fiercely, leaning forward and grabbing Julian's back to keep their bodies locked against one another. Marlon tasted of wood and beer. His stubble was scratchy. He tried to work his tongue through, but Julian kept his lips shut tight. Wiggling his hands up, he pressed them against the muscular chest and they broke apart.
"When will you ever learn?" he heard Marlon yell as he ran away.
Julian wiped at his mouth in disgust. That wasn't the first time he had kissed Marlon, and each time it happened he hoped it would be the last. He hated how forward that man could be, and how he never seemed to understand that his affections were not returned. Shaking his head, Julian tried to push all thoughts of Marlon and his senselessness aside to focus on the road.
The sky was growing dimmer and dimmer as Julian wove his way past townspeople on his way home. The trek was filled with the shoulder-shoves that he had grown so accustomed to receiving. He and his mother were renting an apartment at the edge of town, facing the less-friendly part of the forest. It was the part of town where one wouldn't want to be caught alone too late in the night. It was also all that the Langloises could afford with their minimal pay. The words of the man at the fruit stand echoed in Julian's mind: "... find yourself a better job."
Blinking away the impending tears, he kicked open the door to their building and climbed the tottering stairs to the apartment. "I'm home!" he called out to the two-room living space.
In all honesty, it really wasn't that bad. The door opened into a small room that doubled as both a parlour and kitchen; a table for two was pushed against the north wall beside another door. Beyond that was their bedroom, which held two cots and chests for their clothes and belongings. Despite its size, Daphne still took pride in their apartment and spent a lot of time cleaning it. At the moment, she was dusting a vase and turned when her son appeared at the door. "You're earlier than usual," she said.
"I am so sorry," replied Julian sarcastically. "I was planning on picking up some dinner after buying those pears you wanted, but I ended up not getting anything." He went to sit down at the table. "Marlon came by."
"Did he now?" Daphne had put her feather-duster away and was starting to warm some soup. "And?"
"Nothing." Julian avoided the question, which his mother went along with. "Anything interesting happen after we left the Tap?"
"Well, after you ran to the meadows, I stopped by the post office to mail my reply to Pierre," said Daphne stirring the soup slowly.
"That's it?"
Suddenly, the actress dropped her spoon and rushed at Julian with frightening speed. Her body was vibrating, and her lips quivered with uncanny excitement. "Sweetie, you'll never guess. Pierre was there."
Julian gave his mother a questioning look. "And...?" he asked tentatively, grabbing her hands in an effort to calm her down.
"The show's been moved to Friday instead of Saturday!" Daphne exclaimed, jumping up and down in jubilation. "And all the great English thespians will be there!"
Shock was plastered on the face of her son. "But that would mean..."
"Yes, Julian, yes! They're scouting and want to see us!"
"Mama, are you sure?"
"Pierre said it himself! Oh, it's Tuesday night... We have to leave tomorrow! It's the only way we'll be able to meet those scouts before Friday! Goodness, and I completely forgot, they want to hear you sing!"
He lost it then. A rush of emotions that had been building up over the years in this bore of a town had Julian dancing around the tiny kitchen with his mother. For Daphne, it was her big break. For him, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
And that was how Julian found himself seated on a buggy with his mother, heading into the woods as the sun had risen low the next morning.
Amelie had graciously agreed to lend them her horse and buggy when they had banged on her door at the crack of dawn. Having none of their own, the Langloises often relied on her to provide a method of transportation to their various performances. Her horse was old but wise, and had served them well on numerous occasions.
Flicking the reins, Julian urged Old Roamer a little faster. The cart lurched forwards, continuing its journey through the forest. "Is it just me," he said, "or is he slower than usual?"
At first it was a chuckle bubbling out of Daphne's mouth, and then the chuckle grew and blossomed and erupted until her whole body was shaking. The joke itself had minimal humour, yet happiness had completely taken over the two performers.
Julian joined his mother in laughing, allowing himself to become a giddy young boy. The prospect of a beautiful life lay ahead of them, miles down this dirt road worn down with ruts made by countless buggies.
The strange thing about the forest was that the days always seemed shorter, and the nights longer. This was something the Langloises quickly figured out when the trees were suddenly thrown into a deep shadow unlike any they had seen before. With the thick canopy above their heads, not even a sliver of moonlight shone down. Julian guided the buggy through even slower than before, while his mother held a torch that cast flickering shapes on the ground.
"Honey, I think we should find a place to rest for the night." Daphne's voice pierced the silence that had hung over them for the past hour.
"I thought you wanted to get there tonight," said Julian. "Can you look at the map? See how much farther we have to go?"
There was a faint sound of rustling. "I think we're lost."
"That's impossible! I know exactly where we're going."
"How can you tell in this black hole they call a forest?"
"Trust me, Mama, I know where we are."
Again there was silence. After it reigned for at least another thirty minutes, Daphne spoke again: "Julian, I think I see a gate up ahead. Bring Roamer over there, we really have to stop for the night."
Lucien was watching through a window on the second floor as he did every night. Seeing nothing as always, he sighed and went to get ready for sleep. Then something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Hurrying back to the window, he peered out and almost toppled over in shock. He rose his voice in a gleeful cry that hadn't been heard in so long:
"Mes amis, we have guests!"
So you've probably guessed the Disney movie I based this off of... On a side note, sexuality is pretty fluid in this universe. Like in Dalton. :)
Well, things should definitely start picking up next chapter. If you can find it in your heart, please review!
