The dance hall was filled with people, many already dancing a live band playing in the back. Queenie felt the rush of emotions of the other patron's fall over her, she held tight to Jacobs shoulder. It was loud and confusing making her miss a step.
"Are you okay?" Jacob asked.
Another moment passed, and she gained control. "Sorry, I'm fine, just a lot of voice at once I should've been prepared."
"Does that happen often?"
"Not as much as it used to. Whenever I go to new places or let my walls down in high populated areas." He gave her an understanding look leading her to an open table.
"I'll get us some water." Queenie nodded massaging her temples. It had been a long time since she had a rush like that, the last one had her first day at work. She had completely crumbled, it had been humiliating having her co-workers looking down on her like that, believing her crazy.
Jacob sat the waters down, Queenie took her sipping it slowly. The voice soon turned to a manageable mutter, ones she was used to hearing most her life. She went back to admiring the dance hall, it was large capable of holding more people then she had thought and bright with large windows at the top allowing the sunset sky to shine in.
Finishing the water, she stood up. "Ready?" He looked up at her. "We came here to dance, didn't we?" Jacob took her hand and she led him to the dance floor, the band started a new song just as they got up to floor.
The music was blasting and constant, they had done everything from the Charleston to Black Bottom to foxtrot. Jacob wasn't the best dancer, but his effort was more important to her than his skills. The whole place had an energizing atmosphere that pulled people in even slower dances like the waltz kept the energy up.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, you all have been great but its time for the band to take a break. But the dancing can still continue as this hall now has a radio." One of the workers pushed a big bulky thing onto the stage. Queenie's eyes lit up. She had seen them in stores and muggle magazines, but radios were a foreign thing to her. She had wanted to get one for the apartment, but they were much too expensive.
"Queenie do you mind if I excuse myself for a moment?"
"That's fine sweetie I want to go look at the radio." Jacob nodded headed to the back bathroom. Much of the crowd had parted choosing to take a break with the band too but there were a few people who littered the dance floor swaying to the more classical music.
Queenie worked her way up to the front of the stage eyeing the invention. How did they work? The station they were listening to was based in Chicago yet her she was listening to it, No-majes certainly were inventive she couldn't think of a spell that would accomplish what this contraption did.
"Impressive?" She startled. A man tall, dressed in a smart suit and clear blue eyes leaned against the stage watching her. Queenie hadn't noticed him at all, she had kept her walls up just hearing mutters and whispers.
"Yes, I've never seen one in person."
"Really, with how you move on the dance floor I figure you'd have one at home to practice with."
"Oh, I have a phonograph."
"Ah." The man eyed her up and down. A bit of nervousness came over her and she focused on him wanting to know what he was thinking. '…slim figure…long legs, showy, I wonder what her price is.' Her face soured. "Can I request a dance?"
"No, I came with my boyfriend."
He laughed. "That pig in the suit."
"Excuse me!"
"Listen darling no need to be ashamed, joes like him pay to take pretty women out all the time make them feel better about themselves." Queenie jaw tightened, her nostrils flared as she glared up at this stranger and his accusation, her hand twitch to her purse.
"First you insulted my boyfriend, then me. You're not a very smart man." The muttering became louder in her head. Words were starting to form as her anger grow. She was losing her walls.
"Oh, don't denied what you are just because you got called out for it. Be grateful I or anyone else at this place doesn't inform the police. In fact, maybe I should unless you give me a free taste." He brought his hand to her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" She pulled back the boiling of her blood mixing with the loud suffocating voices ringing in her ears. They wouldn't stop all echoing over each other unable to block them out. She held her head trying to bring her walls back up but unable to considerate.
"Is there a problem here?" Her vision was becoming fuzzy, the voices wouldn't stop. They got closer, drowning her.
"No sir we were talking about the radio and she freaked out on me. Crazy if you ask me."
"Ma'am are you okay? Shall I call someone?" She collapsed to the ground blocking her ears. She needed it to stop the voice to disappeared, silence.
The crowd was getting closer to her all fixated on the crazy blonde. All wide eyed and uncertain of what was happening what could possible cause such an episode.
'Queenie. Queenie.'
"Queenie!" Jacob was next to her his hand on her back protectively. "Queenie what's wrong?"
"The voices…they won't stop." He hooked his arm around hers pulling her up.
"Move aside. Let me through." The crowd moved. All watching with curiosity, some with judgment. Shame fell into Queenie's stomach like a lump of coal as Jacob took her away ending their night out horribly.
She sat on a park bench her feet shuffling the dirt beneath her toes, Jacob's jacket draped over her shoulder. She held it tightly hidding her face in it smelling fresh bread and his pine after shave. He sat next to her rubbing her back his mind humming a simple song.
It amazed her how well he was able to clear his mind, keep it empty so to say. He had taken her far from the bustling streets to a secluded park gotten her to stop cry and had started humming a polish song in his head asked her to concentrate on the song just on his mind close everything else off.
"I'm sorry." She whispered dapping her nose with her handkerchief. "I ruined out night out."
"You did nothing wrong. You were overwhelmed."
"I humiliated us both. It was like school over again, unable to stop the voice, a melt down and everyone looking down on me thinking me crazy."
"Hey now I know what happen back there, you aren't crazy, and I wasn't embarrassed but worried I never seen you get so overwhelmed before. I thought you were hurt, in my panic I thought you somehow got electrocuted by the radio."
She laughed wiping the tears from her face. "That would be something. My dad once tried to put oil into an electric light thinking it was impossible that light could come from it without oil or magic. It was a big old mess."
"Oh you think that's bad my mom forgot to unplug an iron and just let it sit all day, she was use to the method of letting it sit over coal to warm up, and set fire to the kitchen if my brother hadn't been in there when it happened the house with the rest of the street would have been up in smoke." He gave her one of his side smiles before busting out laughing.
"We shouldn't be laughing about this," She said through laughs. "Both situations could have been very disastrous."
"Your right but thinking about it now its just to funny." He wrapped his arm around her waist resting his head hers. Her heart picked up being held by him, his arms always felt safe. "They would have liked you. If I could have introduced you to them mam would have spent all day making a feast, dad would have worn his best suite." She saw the image in his mind sitting around a small table filled with the best quality of food his father going into long speeches and him and her sitting hand in hand laughing, telling tall tails being apart of a family.
She wasn't sure if hers would be so welcoming. The law that prevented them from being together had existed in her parent's time. Would they have approved of him? He made her happier then she had ever been but to so many that didn't matter. Even Tina, her sister, had discouraged her from continuing this relationship.
"It's a beautiful thought, warm and homey." He turned to her giving her a smile.
"Maybe one day we'll get something like that." The image changed it was still them hand in hand sitting at a table but this time children surrounded them. A boy round in the face with curly blonde hair and two little girls with dark hair. She could feel the desire in this thought the hope ridding on it.
"Something like that would be perfect." She leaned forward resting her hand on his knee and kissed him. He moved into it his warm hand holding her head, his fingers brushing her hair from her face. Kissing him always make her heart skip a beat the softness of his lips, the warmth of his hold and the desire of wanting more.
'Queenie?...It is Queenie!' She thought it was Jacob, at first his thought but no they were filled with disgust, anger and betterment. She pulled away.
"Is something wrong?" She didn't answer him looking around into the shadows trying to find the body to the thoughts. "Queenie? Are you okay?" She gripped his hand tightly panic filling her again when she saw Abernathy halfway up a path his face filled with anger and his mind going a mile a minute.
He recognized Jacob as the no-maj who had helped back in December, he knew she was lying about so much, he had just seen them romantically involved. The fantasy that she had taken from Jacob's head shattered into a million pieces when she heard the crack of him disapparating.
***A bit more action in this chapter. So one of my biggest problems with Queenie's characterization in the movie is she seemed to jump from this bubbly fun girl to a women who had problems with her ability and insecurities of how people view her. I wanted to show that this was an ongoing thing, that sometimes she gets overwhelmed by the voices and that while we may think she's very confident she's actually self-conscious, being able to read someones first thoughts of you would probably do that. Let me know what you think and check out my tumblr sskinner155***