Chapter Eight

Sweet Home Virginia

A/N Surprise, Bitches. Ya'll thought you saw the last of me, huh? What could I say…? Sorry, for the long delay? Nope. Got no excuse except for that I didn't have inspiration. And now as you can see I do. I'll continue with this story and when it's done it's gonna be major edited, taking away or adding some stuff and will be made into a new story.

PULLING the weeds from their roots, Florence's muscles begged for less strain. She shifted towards the other side of her body to lean somewhat on her leg. Her face felt a cool downpour running from her temples to her neck. The sun was warm, shining on the side of her body, and shadowing the ground. Florence lifted her hand towards her forehead in a salute manner, squinting at the waves of dirt that lay on the fields. The grub hoe plowed through the weeds, cultivating the spot for the next set of seeds. Her thoughts scampered boundlessly as she minded her exploration of womanhood since the previous night had happened. Feelings that weren't new came back, but in a different form of play. She finally felt eccentric, radiant and relaxed.

Coughing into her dirt stained sleeve, she decided to put the hoe down. Ernest, and his sons were either cutting firewood or managing their humble business. Ever since the row that happened to their only girl, the brothers casted a glare to anyone who was near her. Small foot prints on the soft dirt were following her movements, leading to her home. Florence's hand reached out to take off her hat, and let her hair fall loose. She sighed delightfully, massaging her sore scalp that had been trapped throughout the whole day. Pieces of dried up leaves hid somewhere along her shirt, blood wandered out of her miniature cuts of her hand. Scars faded on her skin, showing others that she was resilient in her work.

As her bath time went, her wet ears heard the cries of a preacher going on about the word of God and bells beckoning the children of the Lord into his house of worship. Hairs were sleeked back and tucked behind Florence's ears, the smell of soap knifed through the aroma of the bathroom. She felt small and tiny sitting in the middle of the tub, blushing of her lustful thoughts that became of her. Alcide's footsteps creaked heavily and quickly on floor outside of the bathroom. She knew each and every sound of her families footsteps. Her father's footsteps always creaked the wooden floors, but always drawled out slowly. Clarence's steps were always in a hurry as for Clement's were quiet.

The Virginian air was warm and dry, much different from the humid weather of Mississippi when she went fishing there last year. She grew impatient of the summer heat, but was ecstatic to know that it was decaying into Autumn. Water dripped from her bodacious curves when she grabbed her towel, readying herself for a nice early dinner. Looking outside of the old windows, Florence saw the crowds of grey thunder clouds gathering in the heavens. Even though she loved storms, she never liked the uneasy feeling it gave her or her family. She never liked the haunted look that her oldest brother or father had before the first drop fell.

It was known that the Whytes were the ones to make others feel uneasy. But, when something simple as a storm made her family show their anxiety no matter how much they tried to hide it. . . Well, she knew it wasn't good.

Not good at all.

She never knew why though. But, it always came back to her mother. And each time Florence would ask what happened on that day, her father or brothers would shut her off, mumbling about going back to work or to bed. All she knew for sure is that many people were involved in order for her family to move away into some godforsaken place like Franklin County. Old ties were cut and never knotted again, people tried to visit her family, but only to be ignored by her father. Shivers ran through her body just thinking how bad it all was before she was born.

Dinner was a quiet affair between the family. No one dared to make any comments or pull any moves on one another. It was an uneasy peace that had the family huddled close to each other, they tried to ignore any thoughts that reminded them of anything. Florence ate her dinner even though she suddenly didn't feel hungry. She got up from her seat quickly, muttering a hurried goodnight. Then one by one, her brothers too had estranged themselves from their father and towards their rooms. Not a single peep was heard.

The thunderstorm turned the night violent, Florence sinked further into her pillows and pulled up her blankets above her face. The wind picked up, slamming the tree branches against the windows. The thunder sounded like bombs raiding from above and the lightning was blinding as ever. And just as she was finding peace that slowly lidded her eyes shut, she heard a loud scream coming from outside. Florence gasped with a sort of panic, taking off hurriedly to her brother's room.

The home was darker than ever, giving it a graveyard feeling. She banged her fists against her brothers door loudly and his door opened seconds later. When Florence looked up to see Alcide's face, she saw that he wasn't getting any sleep at all. He looked worriedly at his baby sister, and then looked around in alarm.

Florence rambled frantically, "Did-did you hear that, Alcide? I heard a scream outside."

He looked at her with furrowed eyebrows and responded with doubt, "It's probably the thunderstorm, Rencia." He shrugged and then turned around to see the window. "It's a lot more violent tonight."

She growled, pointing her small finger at her brother's chest, "You know that's not it, Al." Her body felt hot and nervous. Florence glared, giving a small push at her brother and threatened, "If-if you don't think it's someone who's screaming for help, then I'll go and check myself, Al. You know that if that were me out there, you'd want someone to help me in my time of need."

Alcide sighed at the thought of going outside. "Fine! Fine damn you!" He grabbed his sister by her shoulders and walked her to her room and then pushed her into it. He then pointed at her and then at the floor. "You're staying here. What I say goes, and what Pop says it's law."

She nodded, asking,"What are you gonna do?"

"Wake the rest of them up. I think I heard the scream coming from the barn," He replied.

"I thought you didn't hear the scream, Al," Florence scowled.

"All in the past now, Rencia," Alcide cheekily said, trying to hide contempt under the circumstances they were under. He meandered towards the exit and regarded his sister once more. "Stay. Here." He closed her door tight. And as much as she wanted to go follow them, she couldn't. It wasn't worth an argument in this case.

Florence made a face, trying to look like her older brother. She tried to mimic Alcide's voice, "Stay. Here. Don't do this, don't do that, Rencia." Puffing out her chest, she tried to continue taunting his voice, but then fathomed that no one was in the room. Florence then overheard the vocals of her male family that were talking in the living room. They left a few moments later, determined to find what ever lay out in the woods.

And hour and a half had passed, she finally heard the back entrance open.

She sprinted out of her room and down the stairs. Her eyes were gaping at her dripping brothers and father. Each of them set their guns aside next to some old rickety furniture. "Well?!"

The whole lot of males scrutinized their eyes at Florence. And before one could open their mouths, she all of the sudden came with an assumption. Her hands flew towards her mouth and she began to bite her nails. "There-there was a dead body wasn't it? It was too late to save them," she muttered coldly.

Her father set his large hand on her shoulder. Ernest shook his head and gratefully added, "No, hun. None of that. Just some couple of kids thought'd be fun to be play'n in the dark. Couldn't handle it, I suppose. We've sent them on their merry way."

Florence led out a relieved breath that she didn't realize she was holding. She nodded at them and left to bed.


"They found a body near town last night," Jack grunted as he set a box of shine in the trunk. His face looked somewhat pained and sweaty when he did so. "Next to the creek by Marin's Saloon." Cricket sat on a half barrel close to them, listening.

Florence tried pull out the next crater and then stopped red faced and asked, "What?" She walked closer to her friend who decided to help her out by carrying the crate that she had trouble with. The young woman rested her body against the frame of the truck waiting for Jack to continue his story.

Cricket had a mason jar filled with water and took a long gulp and passed it on to Jack who took it gratefully. As he sipped the water, he proceeded, "A girl found dead. No one's claimed the body."

Florence grimaced, narrowing her eyes at the sky. "In a hell's place where the devil rules the county. No one ever will." She wiped her hands on her pants, then spitted on the ground. "Isn't this the third one this week?"

"Yeah. Told Bertha that if she seein' anything queer, she gon' have to go the other way and tell me." He shook his head. "I don't want her to be…" He didn't want to say dead. "Hurt." Jack craned his neck and saw Forrest exiting with Howard who seemed to be drunk already. Cricket's baby blue eyes followed Jack's direction.

Forrest's sweet Virginian accent drawled out, "Someone else is sellin' their shine—" He glanced down at the opened letters he had in his hands. "Talked to the sheriff who else is sticking their nose where it don' belong." Taking out the cigar from his pocket, Forrest set it into his mouth taking in a long puff. Florence's eyes were mesmerized when she watched him blowing out a ring of smoke from his mouth.

"Sheriff Abshire?" Cricket asked with surprise. Forrest and Howard shook their heads, clenching their jaws remembering last time when they talked to Abshire.

"What kind of shine they sellin'? Ain't no one talk to Ol' Gusler? He built our damn stills outta' copper and he do it for anyone else for the right price," Jack insisted with his arms crossed. "He probably built the stills for them."

Howard also put his input, "Last I heard they be sellin' fancy shine. Fruit liquor everyone's callin' it." His eyes were red and one thing that never changed about him was his slurred speech. "It ain't the other moonshiner's that been here with us in Franklin County. Even they wonderin' who it is."

"Then if people like what they're sellin' why not compete with that?" Florence suggested gruffly. Jack examined Rence with disbelief that his friend actually talked. While Howard looked at her with curiosity and Forrest giving her a small glare. She gulped down her edginess and continued, "Look, everyone knows that more than half of the people here are sick with something. Why not remedy that with moonshine that has sassafras bark, ginseng, or wild cherry bark? Hell, why not mix some with honey and lemon juice and people will use that as cough syrup. Don't have to be a lot that ya'll be makin' just something small to start out with."

Cricket opened and closed his mouth. He quickly admitted, "That might be the most stupidest—" Florence frowned. "—or the most smartest idea yet."

Jack grabbed both Cricket and Florence by their arms, pulling them away from his older brothers. Poor Cricket was limping even more than ever since Jack was dragging him and Florence somewhere more private. They stopped behind the still in their small barn.

The youngest Bondurant brother let go of Florence and barked, "What the hell do you think that you are doin', Rence?! I thought I told you that I didn't want you to be part of of this! When people find out that it's been you making them idea's who do you think they gonna hunt, huh?!"

She sighed, "You guys need ideas. I didn't mean—"

"No, of course you didn't. Listen here, Rence. You ain't about to be dragged down by us, I ain't lettin' you. Once you're involved, they ain't no getting out, you hear me?"

"I've been involved, Jack. Bertha and I, we've been entangled ever since you let us into your lives."

Jack cursed under his breath, kicking a still. He stopped to breath deeply and commented, "Yeah, well. I guess that's my fault ain't it?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "And when things go to hell, what then Rence? I plan on marryin' Bertha, I know I'll protect her, but who'll protect you?"

Florence grumbled, "I don't need no protectin' , Jack."

"How I've see it when you're with your brothers, they'd always be there with you. And that's how it should be. And when you're with us—"

"I'm protectin' myself."

Jack shook his head. "That's the thing, Rence. You already have protection coming from us. Whether you like it or not."

"Meaning, whether you or your brothers like it or not," she corrected.

"Just promise me when the time comes, and I tell you to run. You'll run won't you?" Jack asked. They both seemed to forget that Cricket was observing everything that was happening. "You're stuck like soot under my boot," he laughed quietly. "The younger kid sister that I've never wanted."

Florence groaned, "I don't need another brother, Jack."

He smirked in return, knowing that she didn't really have a choice.

Then tomboy looked outside and back at her friends. "I need to get goin'."

She was exiting the doors as the boys were saying their goodbyes. When Florence was no longer in the barn, Cricket chirped, "Well, that was interestin'."

Jack took of his hat and scratched his sweaty scalp. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

Cricket shook his head, "No, not that. The fact that she even suggested her idea to Forrest an' everyone. She's been riskin' her life."

"Well, they ain't no stoppin' her."

"Like they ain't no stoppin' Forrest." Cricket said lastly. He didn't have the heart or courage to say that maybe Jack will have a sister by law. Since he noticed that Florence looked at Forrest with something that could go further than admiration. It was the same look she had when his cousin Laura looked her husband for the first time.

A/n so the information about the fruit liquor and the about the remedy ones were all credit to the information i found online on including about gusler. which the information i found there was pretty interesting. and the information about abshire was part of the history of the bondurants found on . if you didn't know the movie was based on the true events of their story. buuuuut eh…. obviously my story is not. everything, all the characters not including mine all belong to their origins.