The Announcement Part 2
Author's Note (4/1/16): So thank you to all that have read the story. It really helps me feel that at least my idea sounded appealing enough to take a look. I also wanted to add that there are animals in the vault, because I don't believe that Vault-Tec didn't assume that people will bring their animals with them, as I couldn't imagine leaving my kittens to die. Also, I don't believe that a 50's futuristic style world would have the women wearing a bodysuit, no matter how convenient it is. Instead, the women wear mid-calf long sleeve dresses, so basically a vault suit with a skirt. I also have the men wearing pants separate from the shirts, so the Tunnel Snakes are only wearing their white Tee shirts underneath. The reason I bring this up now is because it's standard for everyone and it would be hard to explain. I will mention this a little bit, but I wanted to mention this first.
DevilishCake, I Agree completely
"Butch Deloria," The Overseer announced, and my heart stopped. If Father hadn't had such a good grip on me, I would have been on the floor before I knew what hit me.
Slowly, I peeked out into the crowd, glancing at the surprised faces of random people as I found my mark. Butch looked how I felt, maybe more. His face was as pale as the driven snow, staring at nothing, mouth wide open, all while trying to hold himself up, which he seemed to be doing quite poorly as Wally and Paul had a pretty strong grip on his shoulders.
"Butch Deloria," the Overseer repeated, seemingly more annoyed than the last. Butch didn't budge, only flinch at the mention of his name. I lifted my face up, staring intently at him.
'This man is going to be your husband,' I thought again, having another bout of Vertigo, as Father's grip grew stronger as he tried to support us both unexpectedly.
I began to think of all the teasing, all the uncalled attacks at my Psyche. Things that he wouldn't say to others, things that not even Amata hears from him. Even saying something snarky back doesn't deter Butch, usually ending in a chase or a beat down. Sometimes, if he is in a really bad mood and I just happen to be in the vicinity at the wrong time, "Toothpick" comes out, and when I need medical attention.
'This man is going to be your husband…'
'This man is going to have full access to you all the time…'
'This man is going to be the father of your children…'
"Sweetie," Father cooed, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. My breath had hitched as I came to the realizing I had been on the verge of a massive panic attack. I wanted to run and hide, drop to my knees and cry. Wait for father to get home so he can brush my hair and tell me that everything was going to be alright until I fall to sleep, and wake up from this awful nightmare…
There was a loud bang, drawing my attention to the back of the atrium. Butch had stood up from his seat, his pale face replaced with a flush of anger, hands balled up into fists, and all of his attention directed at me. He glare couldn't have been for anyone else, as he always wore a sneer for me, and no one else. He didn't hate anyone as much as he hated me.
'He won't punch me in public,' I thought, but he has never had been cautious in the past. As he neared, my breath started to hitch again, the only thing keeping me upright was Father, who had his attention, along with everyone else, centered on Butch. He went from a slow walk to a brisk strut as the Security came up behind him. I started to push back on Father as he neared, his fist coming up to strike. I watched him walk up the steps, and luckily my first thought was wrong for his attention was on the Overseer. Butch neared the Overseer, fist up and ready to knock him to the ground, when Officer Hannon and Gomez grabbed him by his arms, practically picking him up as they moved him to be on the opposite side of the mic from us. Profanities could be heard only over a whisper, directed specifically to the Overseer. A tiny sense of relief washed over me, only to be completely forgotten by the next sentences to fall from the Overseer's mouth.
"I would like to present our first pair of working class adults," the Overseer bellowed, successfully quieting the small banter. It was no surprise everyone was astonished, seeing as I was no secret how much the two of us didn't get along. More than once had I dragged our fights out into the open, fleeing from the group of bigger, stronger boys as they would chase me through the halls, yelling a multitude of swears and other nonsense that seemed to fall from their mouths.
"Ironically enough, the two most compatible people also seem to be our oldest as well, so they are more than use to being the example," That wasn't false, for Butch and I were used more than once in school activities as 'role models' of our group, which always backfired on Mr. Brotch ten to one. "I guess it is true what they say, opposites do attract…"
"Bullshit," Butch mumbled just loud enough so that the Overseer could hear it, causing him to pause and glare over at him. I couldn't help but agree, as we haven't gotten along since we were young children.
"As I was saying," the Overseer added, glancing over at Butch once more before returning to his speech, "None of this could have been possible if it weren't to our valiant Doctor, James, as he has been working diligently on this for almost 16 years now."
"What?" I gasped as I pulled away from Father, as though he had burned me. I stared at him, disbelief racking through me like the plague. 16 years, all but a fragment of my life he has known, and never once brought it up. He reached for me, eyes full of regret and sorrow, but I backed away, my heel dangling off the edge of the stage. I quickly grabbed the guiderail, balancing myself as I watched my father back off, ultimately returning to his seat. That's when the Overseer grabbed my other arm, pulling me away from the edge and setting me in the same spot that I was perched prior to my outburst. As his back was turned, the Overseer glared daggers at me, before straitening himself and returning to the microphone.
"Now if there are no more interruptions," the Overseer quipped, not giving anyone the time to comment before he continued, but an unusually angered voice called out from the crowd anyhow;
"There was no consent for this," Butch's mother, Ellen, firmly stated as she stood from her seat close to the front of the Atrium, her icy blue eyes glared at the Overseer, quickly darting over to her son before continuing, "Lilly is only 17, and Butch is still in my care for another month, as is true for every adult. I have never consented to this, and as a minor, Lilly, or her father, can't give consent to Butch for marriage or any other thing that goes along with the procreation of children until they have both been legally 18 for a month, and don't try and say that isn't the rule, because I went through this when I was caring Butch. I know the statute of limitations, and unless both of us consent, or the ruling from more than two thirds of the population vote otherwise, there is no way this is legal."
It was no surprise that Ellen felt so strongly about this, since Butch's father, Alex, was killed in a freak accident working with Stanley on the reactor, and she had to sit in court while in labor with Butch, trying to make sure no one could take him away, as her father wanted to do. Not to mention the fact that it was her only son, and no matter what people say, she always wants what's best for him, even if that means doing unpleasant things to make sure he is taken care of.
"Ms. Deloria!" the Overseer snapped back, his face as red as a ripe tomato, "My authority should not be questioned." Ellen was about to talk back, but she glanced over to two security guards walking over, she immediately sat back down without even a whisper.
The Overseer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before continuing, "But you do make a good point. As citizens of this vault, you have given everything to the vault as a contributing citizen weather that be a contributing citizen of a mundane task or as an example of perfect breeding! But to enlighten you, James already volunteered his daughter when he took the task of genetic pairing," My entire body tensed as I peered from Father's chest. "And don't think this was an impulse decision, for we've been working around the clock since the G.O.A.T. exam…" Father peered down at me, his eyes full of remorse and sorrow, his grip tightening around me. I could feel the anger radiate off of me as I yanked myself from him, finger pointed right at his chest.
"You knew?" I about yelled, shoving him backwards towards the back of the stage. Normally I would refrain from fighting with Father in public, but with the new development, I didn't feel as bad. He tried to defend himself, but that was when Hannon pushed him back, and a set of hands grabbed me from behind, turning me around gently (Which left Gomez as the only other culprit close enough to split this up so quickly) so that I could face the gravely horrified Vault full force. As I was situated, and miraculously standing alone, the Overseer, who wasn't holding in his frustration in anymore, continued.
"If there are no more interruptions," He spat, "Than I would like to continue. These two will be the pinnacle of family life, so, they will be wed as soon as possible," It took everything not to scream at him as loud as I could. As soon as possible? This is so sudden, and we don't even get the decency to plan for a while. I stole another look at Butch, but was startled by the intense look of anger he had already sent my direction. Instantly I looked out into the crowd, sporting a little blush in my cheeks from getting caught red handed. "These two will also be required to live with each other as long as there is…"
I trained my sight back onto the Overseer, my body no longer in a state of panic, as shear rage. 'How could he do this to me? I never did anything wrong! I am a good girl. I shouldn't be paired up with him…' but, of course, that isn't how he sees it. To him, I am a delinquent that isn't as proper as he would hope for as a friend of Amata's. In his mind, if I won't sell his daughter out on every little secret she has, which, to be fair, is a lot, than I am useless in his eyes.
I looked over my shoulder, ignoring the Overseers words as I glanced at the back where the Security team had been prior to Butch's outburst, and thankfully, they were absent as they stood beside Butch. I clenched my fist, ever so slowly getting closer to the Overseer. I was right on top of him when I was startled by the voice of Butch.
"Fuck this," He spat, jumping off the stage swiftly, before jogging to the back door that was the closes to our apartments.
"Mr. Deloria," the Overseer shouted after him, but Butch only quickened his pace as he exited the Atrium, slamming the door button like a stubborn child. The Overseer began his speech again, but I tuned him out, completely mesmerized by Butch's way of retaliation. The fact that Butch, out of all people, took the more passive route (Well, except for the colorful "fuck you"), where I was rearing up to let my fists do the talking. I was dumbstruck, but that gave me a good idea. I looked over my shoulder again, seeing both Hannon and Gomez returning to their posts. I caught Father's concerned gaze, him giving me an inaudible unapproval, which was just what I needed to go ahead with it.
"And therefore…" The Overseer continued before stuttering on the spot as I jumped off the stage. I could hear a set of footsteps coming up behind me, and by the nature of them they didn't belong to security. As I walked to the end of the room, the footfalls came closer. I turned around to find Father about to reach out to grab my arm, but I was quicker. Before he could lay a hand on me, I smacked him square across the face. He fell due to the force, as well as it being out of the blue, with gave me enough time to set things straight.
"YOU KNEW! You KNEW for Sixteen years, and not once did you even TRY to tell me," I almost screamed, but before I could continue, I saw a security out of the corner of my eye. I turned and booked it out of there, making sure to close the both doors behind me before continue forward. I kept running until I had got some distance from the security staff, not wanting confrontation from them. As I rounded the corner from the majority of the housing, home in sight before falling on my knees, my head in my hands.
Everything started to come crashing down on me, and all of my natural fear of crying outside of my own home dissipated, the tears rolling of my cheeks like water on a duck. I felt so alone, now that Father has been keeping secrets from me, the exact thing he taught was wrong. I had told him everything, and I wasn't good at keeping secrets from him for long, yet he keeps the biggest secret imaginable, and it doesn't even affect him! Now, I am going to be a show horse, breed for one purpose, and ultimately only having one service; baring children for Butch Deloria. Sure, they will plan a giant wedding, everyone in the whole godforsaken Vault, with a giant cake, and giant bouquets; the whole shebang. Then, they will lock me in with that animal, Butch… and he will have his way with me… And then I'll get pregnant… And…
I felt warm hands grasp sharply on my forearms, pulling them away from my face before setting them firmly behind my back, the person started to drag me in the opposite direction. At first I thought it to be the work of a security officer, but when they pushed me up against the wall, and they towered over me with the smell of cheap cigarettes mixed with a faint smell of expensive whiskey (Which have been known to disappear from time to time in the store), I knew exactly who it was.
"You knew didn't ch'a," Butch's voice spat next to my ear, his bodyweight crushing me as it always does when he thinks I am struggling, which I was definitely doing to no avail.
"No," I struggled, between the wall and his pushing, it was hard to breath. When he wouldn't budge, I added, "I was as surprised as you…"
"Bullshit," He cursed as he pressed harder, cold metal slightly digging into me as it frayed ever so slightly in places. "There's no way ya didn't know." His spicy breath mixed with the peach smelling pomade he always cakes in his hair was so intense that my eyes began to water. Unfortunately, Butch took the second bout of tears as crying.
"Is somebody cwying?" Butch questioned, letting up a little bit on the leaning, before forcefully crushing me again, causing an audible grown out of me. "Well suck it up nosebleed." This time I did begin to cry, the pain wasn't unbearably uncomfortable, but the fact that I had been crying before didn't help my situation.
"I told you I was as clueless as you!" I retort, only for him to slam me back into the wall. This time I hit my cheek hard on the wall, no doubt bruising something. Before I knew it, he spins me around so I'm facing him: so I can see how angry he is. He presses his arm to my windpipe, crushing it slightly. I claw frantically at his leather clad arm, but then he pulls out his "Toothpick", and I get the picture. He is always sensitive about his leather jacket, almost stabbing Freddie when he shoved Butch into a trashcan. Luckily for Freddie only two splashes got onto the jacket, or he'd be dead.
"Ya know, I remember your daddy scolding you for lying way back when," He says, getting quiet, which is never a good sign.
"I'm not," I gasp out, stupidly, mind you, for Butch's face turns a shade of red I've never seen before. I gasp for air, but he presses harder, giving me no room to breathe in.
"We are gonna be newlyweds, and I feel nothing for you," He spat every word, and I couldn't help but to flinch at every word. A pit formed in my stomach, I could almost see where he was going. Tears started to stream down my face, but I wouldn't let him see me sob. "I hate your guts, you know that. You make me sick…" I tried to breathe in again, but nothing came through, so the sobs came on anyway, along with the struggling to get free. "I'll never love you, you aren't lovable…" I thought I could hear footfalls, but with the ringing in my ears from the lack of oxygen, I couldn't tell if it was a figment of my Imagination. "Your daddy probably hates ya' too, what with you rippin' his wife apart too…" The footfalls were harder to tell from my heartbeat, so I could only guess that they were imagined, "The only difference is he loved her, and that will never be us…"
Out of the corner of my blurred vision, I could see two figures come up behind Butch. I couldn't make out the two figures, but it didn't matter, because they ripped Butch off of me. As soon as the pressure was off, I gasped in as much air as I could, only being able to get in small breaths at a time. I looked up at my saviors, who happen to be security officers as well.
"Well Butch, I didn't think you had it in you," Herman stated, his arm twisting Butch's arm back painfully. He was always nice to me, and he had a vendetta against Butch for being a bad influence on his son.
"Don't you know it's wrong to beat your future wife? Or has those cigarettes and fetal alcohol syndrome made it so your brain doesn't function correctly," Hannon added, his vindictiveness deriving from similar experiences.
"Get off of me," Butch yelled. The corners of my vision began to blur again, my breath quickened without my control, emanating a bad anxiety attack.
"I'll make you wish you were never born, nosebleed," Butch shouted, triggering me to jump. "You will never see it coming," He continued, "And you won't be able to fight me off. I'll put a kid in ya', and in nine months, that baby will rip you apart." I started hyperventilating, and I felt so tired. Everyone's voices began to fade, the last thing I heard was the heavy footfalls of Butch's combat boots as he walked, most likely, into his apartment. The world began to spin before everything went dark, and I couldn't fight the exhaustion…
I don't even know how to begin with this. After I posted the last chapter, all hell broke loose. What with me being in the hospital for 2 weeks, then my mom went in to the hospital for about as long, me getting into a new school program for a couple of weeks only for the school board to make it so this program will go away next year just so they can force kids to drop out (Which is very illegal) even though they got a ton of tax money and grant money to more than cover my teachers salary as well as the other modifications they need… I am so so very sorry that everything had to go wrong, and hopefully next month it will be close to on time, what with break coming up. I will try to get multiple chapters done the next couple of days before more stuff piles up on me.
If you want, leave a comment, (Constructive comments are very welcome) and I will be back in the next couple of weeks (Hopefully).
Thank you!
