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Gone with the wind
From embrace to embrace
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The withered leaves and the remaining of destroyed items on the ground made Elena struggle to stand steady and follow the fast-paced strides of the unknown man in front of her.
Somehow, he had managed to convince her to follow him without any explanations. After all, what did she have to lose? Any other given time, she would have turned elsewhere and found a way to get out of that trouble alone. She'd learnt to do that. She was quite good at taking care of herself.
But the way that man carried himself had had an unexplainable vibe that left little to no denial.
Jonathan Salvatore was calm, cold minded and highly intimidating as he walked among the blasts and the explosions as the rest of the citizens run around screaming and panicking.
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She followed his figure, the only relief she got was that she had found somebody that had looked at her and had given her some kind of help. She felt the slightest relief in knowing she hadn't been a part of anonymity.
Holding again onto her necklace, she thanked her lucky star for still being alive.
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But all the gratefulness immediately left her conscience the moment she caught a glimpse of a small group of black people, standing almost in row near the porch of a tavern.
That day, anyone who didn't run was either on suicide mission or had made a deal with the devil.
The unknown people glanced at her to then swiftly look back to the soil.
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Elena saw Jonathan stop and look over his shoulder with a side-glance. She hurriedly reached his spot, looking disoriented.
"What is happening?" she asked him, her voice hoarse from all the smoke.
She found it utterly rude as she saw the rejection she got when he purposely ignored her question.
She felt something pinch her outer arm, and she turned, startled.
"He ain't gonna make you a friend" a middle aged, over-sized black woman suggested her.
She had a stained white cloth holding her afro hair into place, and her garments suggested she was something like below a maid.
Elena knew little of slavery. She had never really wanted to get informed about it, even if she knew first handedly of the fact that depending on the importance of the household, its master had a selective amount of people working for him.
And given by the number of people surrounding her, she knew this man was a wealthy one.
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But then, what was she doing among black people? She was no slave herself and she saw no point in him asking her to follow along.
"What am I doing here?" she asked bluntly, knowing full well she was overstepping the boundaries of rudeness.
"Such matter will be fully explained once we will arrive to the estate" Jonathan finally spoke again, as she felt a wave of unsettlement wash trough her when she newly heard his voice.
She didn't know what that meant. She knew better than to follow or trust strangers, but when you're that lost even the tiniest grimoire of hope for a destination or a goal could make you do the craziest of things.
Elena sighed deeply, discomfort and confusion invading her from within.
What had she gotten herself into?
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All the ride towards the unknown place she kept telling herself that she couldn't have done anything to stop the circumstances.
She hadn't gone fishing for troubles. It had come straight looking for her.
She could hear her mother's wisdom echoing in her head. She could have bet everything she had –wait, and what exactly was that?- that she would have suggested her that it was better than being dead.
Miranda had always had her way of looking at the positive side of things even during the worst times. Elena recalled when they had lost everything due to her baby sister's death, her mom had still managed to pack everyone's Christmas gifts under the tree, no matter if the funeral had only been a couple days before the event.
She had had a way of clinging onto life and of being grateful for it, that Elena had never quite understood. And whenever she would ask Miranda how she did it, the simple answer she'd get was that "love conquers it all". Even during the worse, she had a family to hold onto. No matter how messy and complicated they were, they still existed for her.
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"What'ya name, white ma'am?" the woman in front of her draw her back from her deep reverie.
Elena shifted uncomfortably from the wooden bench in the over-crowded storage of the carriage.
"Uhm, my name is Elena" she frowned, not really in the mood for small talk.
The big black woman in front of her –the one who had actually talked to her ever since she had joined the group- whispered something to the other servants nearby.
Some of them eyed her suspiciously, but she chose to ignore it.
She thought she had heard the word "mistress" as she had fought to swallow the lump in her throat at the mere thought of that profession being linked with her.
She gulped, trying to look anywhere but at the place she was in.
She focused her gaze on the small opening on the right side of the wooden wall, as she heard the faint noises of war slowly disappearing, leaving her with the loud screams of her thoughts.
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The sound of the whip flying in the air made the carriage come to a halt.
The passengers seemed unmoved by the entire situation, and it couldn't possibly get any more frustrating. She felt like having a nightmare while being full aware of the situation, and at the same time being unable to wake up.
She felt misplaced and misunderstood.
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The rear door of the storage opened, to reveal the wild landscape in front of her that she immediately felt a longing to. It was an enormous open field, just some traits of fences were the only human impact she noticed.
And right before her, quite distantly, a hill with a single but majestic oak tree whose peak slightly swung back and forth for the strong wind that was raising out in the open.
Just then, she realized the sky was not as blue as it used to be.
Grey clouds threatened to own the space, approaching quickly with the promise of a sudden summer storm that would have washed away the remaining ashes on the tormented grounds of the old south.
Elena chose to believe this could be a sign.
It could either be a hint of a rebirth, or a suggestion for her impending doom.
Deep in her heart, she fought to stand by the first option.
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"They're here" she heard someone say, soon she listened to the rushed footsteps of a group of people approaching the carriage.
Quickly, she realized there was a second one along with the one she was in, although she could soon tell it was hosting Jonathan Salvatore.
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They all hurriedly got down the wooden storage, as she stumbled in her feet and almost fell face down to the ground.
Someone must have pushed her, she thought, as she eyed how high the carriage was and nobody had even cared to put some sort of ramp to get down.
Before she had time to protest, she saw him again.
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Jonathan approached them, his stare as detached and superior as it could get, and everyone around fell silent.
Elena couldn't help but let all the doubts wash over her. If she had wanted to say something, she couldn't have had anyway because the list of things to say was too long to be expressed.
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"My name is Jonathan Gilbert, and this is my estate just outside Atlanta." He started, opening up his arms as to embrace his surroundings. "You have all been elected to become this house's servants. You will shortly be provided with clothing. Any worker who shall display disrespect or inadequacy will be expelled. Take your leave." He spoke slowly, as if he owned the air everyone was breathing.
Two men neared the group and started to head to the back of the house, never stepping foot on the porch, but taking the way near the bushes.
Everyone followed as if that was what happened on a daily routine with them.
Elena hurried, somehow finding herself to be the last one of the group again.
They were lead to a barn, the old boxes used for horses were arranged to a series of beds, and a few of them hadn't been remade which could only meant already more slaves were spending their nights there.
She couldn't believe she was going to work for this man.
She couldn't believe she was going to be spending 18 hours straight in the fields. How was she going to survive?
These people, despite how wrong she thought it was for them, were used to doing those works. They'd done it all of their lives.
Elena, on the other hand, had never worked before.
She had lived in her modest parent's house after their death, and the only job she had had to do was taking care of running small errands to keep the place clean.
Then she had left to visit her old aunt in Paris, and when she had gotten back she found war had exploded. She never really had had the time to think of even finding a respectable job.
Elena absently reached a box with a black horse in it, starting to pet the animal as it warmly enjoyed some attention.
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She started to recollect what had happened in a single day. It had only been a week that she had come back from Europe. That morning she was headed to the drug store, to ask Mrs. Anderson if she needed help her with the small daily tasks just to earn enough for a living. She'd gone there to find that that day, it was closed. Then, on her way back she'd thought about visiting her parents, hoping to find a silent council in their graves.
And then it had all happened.
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"Miss" a voice startled her.
Elena turned to be faced with a woman in her mid-fifties, and from her clothing she could tell she worked in the house.
"Your presence is required as soon as possible in the house. Master Jonathan Salvatore instructed that you fully wash and cloth yourself before then." The dull voice reminded her of the one of the man.
What was in this property that drained the life out of you?
The woman in front of her didn't seem to be in the same conditions as the black people Elena had just travelled with. Having a job these days should be a blessing, she thought.
And as much as she wanted to deny it, she had truly feared for her life. Had she stayed in Atlanta, in her house, at this very hour, she would have been a part of the ashes burnt to the ground.
She was alive, after all.
And she had a feeling that that sentence was soon going to become her mantra.
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"Hold up, please. How will I wash myself?" she asked, clueless, looking at her mud spoilt gown and her ridiculously dirty skin.
"That is not for me to say, but there is a pond behind the barn." With no further ado, the servant left.
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Elena looked around, realizing the small group of people had already become acquainted with the "facilities" of the place.
Suddenly, they got flustered and hurried in a crowd just at the entrance by the big wooden doors.
She went up to them, realizing that the same servant she had seen outside at the arrival was now distributing some pieces of clothing among them.
By the looks of it, they surely were not going to cover the number of half of the newcomers, so she tried to sneak under the arms trying to reach the man. Everyone was way taller or bigger than her, so although it felt suffocating, it was not impossible to do.
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She gathered all that she could, and the motto "every man for himself" now seemed as real as it could get.
As soon as she was sure she had something in her hands, she rushed away from the crowd to a quiet spot just in the corner of the last box, at the very end of the barn.
She noticed there was a tiny fissure in the wooden board.
She neared her eye to it, and she noticed what that servant had told her was true.
A pond, hidden behind a few gardenia bushes and oak trees. She felt the physical need to hurry inside the water and clean herself up.
Without further thinking, she stood up and went out of the barn, unnoticed.
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When she reached the shore, she sat on the yellowed grass and she removed her boots.
It felt good. She let out a moan and then began stretching, noticing how tense she was.
Quickly, she was in just her petticoat – and her foot was tipping into the water, as she could almost scream of happiness when the cold water came in touch with her skin.
She soon realized how dirty she really was.
Her hair was a mess. Her half down updo long forgotten, and her curls had become greasy and frizzy.
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Furtively glancing back, she realized the bushes were high enough for her to slip into the water without being seen. Also, the enormous oak tree would have been a perfect spot to get dressed afterwards, without having eyes lurking on her. She found the perspective of the lake was just too right and tempting for her to not get rid of all of her clothing.
Without stopping to think about it, she stepped out of her no longer white undergarment and threw it in the water while she started to caress her skin with it.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and finding immense pleasure in the small act.
She let her muscles distend and slightly moved her neck from side to side, lolling her head backwards.
Elena lowered her knees as she walked farther into the lake, shivering a little when she dipped her tummy.
She then abruptly let herself fall into the water, going under it to fully wash herself.
When she got out, she took a deep breath and looked up to the sky, noticing that was getting darker and darker by the second, as big gray clouds took over.
She had always wanted to bathe during a thunderstorm, although it seemed reckless and senseless.
And, as to echo her thoughts, she heard a thunder in the distance.
She smirked, surprised by the weird coincidence.
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"Well, what a view!" a voice broke the silence, in a louder way than the thunder itself.
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Elena let out a gasp, as she almost chocked with the air in her lungs.
Her first instinct was to cover her breast and dip into the water till her chin. She would have wanted to go underwater and never come out of it again.
"Go away!" she screamed, utterly embarrassed. "How dare you?" rage was slowly mixing itself with her myriad of emotions.
"What? Wandering in my property?" the voice asked, and she quickly concluded whoever that was, it was not Jonathan Salvatore.
"Liar!" she accused in a shout. "Go away now" she hoped with all herself he would listen.
There was a small pause in which she heard nothing, and for an instant she deluded herself with the thought he had left.
But then a low, dark chuckle made her the skin on her arms and back shiver.
Elena heard footsteps getting closer and closer to her.
She instinctively spread her arms wider on her chest, wishing to cover as much skin as she could.
"Are you deaf? I'm no man's enjoyment. Take your leave, whoever you are" she threatened, for a second sounding convincing to her own ears.
She could feel her skin was on fire, as the wind blew from across the pond making her realize how fast the temperature outside was dropping.
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Elena was hit with something on her back. It didn't hurt, but it didn't exactly feel feather like at the impact.
"Wear those" the voice said, as she didn't dare to turn "I'm sure they will warm your attitude along with your skin." A new chuckle, this time closer, almost pushed her to turn to see who could be so arrongant to treat a woman like that.
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But when she finally gathered the courage to turn her chin to see, whoever it was that had been standing behind her was gone.
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She swore to herself she wasn't going to do such a thing ever again. At least not in that property.
Trying to wash –sarcastically speaking- the embarrassment off, Elena headed to where she was being waited for.
The clothes she had gathered were too large fitting – blame it on the use of the corsets she'd done ever since she was a child. So that left her in a large white blouse and a brown and chocolate gown.
She'd left her previous worn clothes hanging on one of the trees outside, hoping it wouldn't bother anyone.
Once she stepped foot on the porch, she took a deep breath and walked in. She was quickly lead by a host into a spacious and luminous living room, and was instructed not to touch anything.
There was a big black piano in the middle of the room, right in front of the fireplace. A library stood in one corner and was circled by what looked like extra comfortable couches.
If only she could rest there for a while…
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"Miss" a voice newly startled her.
However, she was somehow relieved to find that the person standing in front of her was "only" Mr. Salvatore, who was now inspecting her from head to toe.
"I see you now look presentable. What is your name?" he asked, polite.
"My name is Elena Gilbert, sir." She answered, curtsying.
"Oh" he raised an eyebrow. "well, I was not expecting to acquaintance with… a well-mannered woman." His tone showed some surprise and slight embarrassment.
"That is the case, Mr. Salvatore. I was raised by a respectable family in Atlanta." She proudly stated, her chin held high.
"Indeed. Would you be looking for a job?" he asked, almost rhetorical.
It was Elena's turn to raise an eyebrow. Well, at least she tried not to do it in an explicit way.
"Yes." She said almost through gritted teeth. She didn't know why, but the man's behavior was really getting on her nerves. Only because she was a "well-mannered" woman, she then deserved to be treated with respect? As far as she could tell, anyone could have come up with such a lie.
Jonathan was simply desperate to put someone to work, that was the real deal. He couldn't have given a damn about her social status.
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"Very good. Will you follow me, please" he started towards the door, and headed for a white wooden staircase that led to the upper storey.
She noticed the blue and silver carpets, they all worked well with the light turquoise wall paint. It had a relaxing note to it and it made her take a deep breath and relish in the sensation.
When they reached the first door of the floor, Jonathan looked at her, as if he were making a last minute decision.
Once he had stared at her face for a brief twenty seconds, he chose and finally opened the door.
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When she walked in, at first she didn't see.
The room was large and flowery. She could instantly tell it belonged to a girl.
There were huge venetian windows in front of her, darkened by two layers of curtains, one pink and the other was white.
The room recalled the colors of a rose garden, it was in the shades of light green, pink and white. The furniture was white wooden as well, and it instantly threw her back to her days as a young girl, when she would wonder around in her garden to play and enjoy the deep south's weather.
Then she heard it.
A muffled grunt came from the poster bed on the right side of the room.
Jonathan hurried to the person in it, as Elena leaned her chin out to better see what was happening.
A small, pale hand reached out to touch the man's one.
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A little girl.
She saw the kid's golden and wavy locks, and the instant Elena laid eyes on her face, they made eye contact.
She gasped.
"Father… who is this?" the girl struggled to talk.
Jonathan made a come-hither motion to a speechless Elena, who went forward and approached the bed.
"This is Miss Elena" he gestured, to make the acquaintances. She didn't miss the way his voice had softened, yet still remaining authoritarian. She would have never thought he had a daughter.
The light blue eyes observed her, as Elena felt as if the little kid was reading through her soul.
She wanted to smile to her, she wanted to show she was approachable and meant nothing bad to her. But there was something in the air, the moment that girl had started to look at her, that unsettled her.
The way she was looking bore what a normal child couldn't simply be able to do.
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"She will be your helper and will keep you company." Jonathan suggested, smiling at his daughter.
She nodded.
"Can she take me to the horses?" she asked with pleading eyes.
"Not yet, Emma." His voice became stern. "Now, I shall leave you to your job. We will converse after lunch, when she will be asleep" Jonathan straightened his posture, nearing Elena. "A party will be held tonight at the mansion. I will further instruct you with your duties."
And with that, he left, closing the door behind himself.
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Elena stood in silence for a good minute, studying the girl's delicate features as she was sure Emma was doing the same with her.
Now that she had gotten closer, she noticed how beautiful her shoulder length blonde hair was. It was left loose, as it circled her doll-like face. Her nose was small and round, her lips thin but defined.
"Will you help me stand?" the girl asked, struggling with her hands to sit.
"Of course." Elena promptly responded by holding her by her underarms, slowly placing her back on the pile of pillows she made.
"Are you feeling comfortable?" she asked, as Emma nodded.
Elena did something out of instinct, and she quickly regretted it because she thought it was not going to be accepted.
She tucked the little girl's hair behind her ear and softly smiled at her.
Emma was silent for a while, then the ghost of a smirk appeared on her lips. "Do you want to be friends?" she asked, as Elena let out a breath she had been holding.
"Sure" she smiled at her, warming up the mood. "This is what I'm here for"
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"Why did father let you come in the room?" Emma asked, sincerely interested.
They had been talking for ten minutes, give or take, and Elena had found her to be extremely attentive and honest.
"What do you mean dear?" she questioned, not fully following her point.
"He never lets people visit me. Not even my uncle, he came and I heard him from downstairs, but he won't let him come up to see me. But he let you instead…" her tone was disappointed, and it suddenly made Elena feel uncomfortable.
"I have no idea" she admitted, honestly. "But… Maybe I could help with that"
The moment Elena pronounced those words, Emma's bright eyes lightened up as a big smile appeared on her face.
"Will you, really?" she squealed, excited.
Elena nodded as the little girl threw herself in her arms, surprising her.
It was a strange feeling.
Somehow, she felt okay. After such a long time, Elena felt things could finally get better. That this was her way out.
"Love conquers it all" her mother's voice echoed in her head, as she welcomed the hug this little unknown girl was giving her.
Perhaps, she was going to be okay.
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Then she noticed.
The linen sheets moved away from her legs, and Elena cringed shocked at the view.
The girl had one leg missing.
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That was it for today! Remember, next chapter at +25 reviews! Be a sweetheart and let me have your feedbacks! Love you already! Xoxo
Nadia