Ch. 3
I stared at Melanie as she stood in the middle of the road, talking to the blonde haired young man. She looked displeased and abnormally uncomfortable. She turned to me for some distraction, but I simply raised my eyebrow, the look plainly reading, tough luck. "Do you know that girl over there very well?" I had looked up, surprised by the interruption, but when I noticed who had made it my surprise turned to distaste. I turned around in the street, facing Michael Priton. The wind blew his hair slightly over his eyes. It had been a beautiful day. "What are you doing here?" When I had asked that, he had smirked at me, his eyes glowing brightly in the hot noon sun. "I was just about to ask you the same question. I had no idea your father let a wild animal like you out of the house." I raised my eyebrows and frowned. He laughed as I did this. "Goodness, Ms. Willing, you look at me as if I am insane." "Am I wrong?" I asked coldly. He shook his head. I turned away from him annoyed and angry with the company I had acquired and started walking across the street. My dress annoyed me so I kicked at it, only succeeding in getting the end dirty. I heard Michael's laugh from across the way. He walked over to me again. "Why are you here?" I asked furious that there was no way to escape this encounter. "Answer my question first. Do you know that girl over there talking to Jim Hindly?" I laughed at him. "Why in the world would it matter? Her business is not mine whether or not I know her." His face suddenly turned to a dull seriousness, though his eyes still shone brightly. "If you do know her, Ms. Willing, then maybe you should tell her that Jim Hindly has a drinking problem, to put it lightly, and that he is not a safe man to court her." Staring wildly, I pondered many things about Michael, but the only one that came out of my mouth was: "She's used to it." Michael closed his eyes as I said this. He cocked his head to the side, trying to take in what I had said. There was no way possible that he hadn't understood it. "Anna." When I realized what sick, ugly hate-filled words had come out of my mouth, I closed it, horror struck. I stared at Michael, my eyes wide. "I didn't talk to you and you didn't talk to me," was all I could think to say. I started to walk away, calling softly: "Melanie! It's getting late!" She turned, thanking me with her gaze. I shrugged. I had felt a hand grasp mine and again looked deeply into those unfathomable, beautiful eyes. We stood there, watching each other. "You don't have to walk away." His voice was quiet and sweet. At first, my impulse was to walk away, but his eyes kept me planted. When I had stood there long enough, I realized his words had touched me. They had touched me enough to respond, "Next time I won't." He let go. I smiled slightly at him, unsure of what had just happened, but he smirked knowingly. Melanie and I left the street traveling back to our house our afternoon walk not completely terrible.
"Emily?" I asked as she proceeded to dust silently. She had not talked to me in three days, still furious and obstinate from the heated discussion we had had previously. This caused me to spend these three days solitary and dull. What I wouldn't give to take one step out of this room and swallow some fresh air. "Wha is it, A.C.?" I stared at her again, willing calm and considerate words out of my mouth. "I was just wondering about Mr. Shatton. What about today, Emily?" She turned her head, ruffled again for some reason. "He ain't said nuttin yet." It was so curt, and I was close to losing my temper, but I held it back. "Will you go ask him?" She shrugged not responding. I rolled my eyes. This was so childish and rash. Why me? I groaned for the fiftieth time that day.
"Emily?" I said louder, trying to obtain her distracted attention. She again would say nothing. "Emily!" I yelled. She turned on me then and threw down her duster. Her eyes were wide and she was seething with rage. I raised my eyebrows. "Ya coulda at least apologized!" After the angry outburst, we both stared at each other, my face portraying the confusion I felt, hers still engulfed in fury. "What?" I asked. An apology? Why would she want that? It had been a silly fight and it would resolve itself. "Doncha have any manners?" she asked exasperated. "I guess not," I replied smugly. "Well," she said, unaware of the sarcasm, "When ya say sometin mean ta someone, ya apologize. Ain't nice what ya said!" I laughed when she said this. Apologize to her when she had been just as insulting? I didn't think so.
"Why do I need to apologize to you? People say ugly things all the time and don't apologize." She put her hands on her hips, still angry. "Well, good people don't do dat!"
Her indignant voice filled the room, also filling my mind with questions and pondering thoughts. Her one statement had broken through to me the fact I had forgotten long ago. I was not a good person. Wasn't that fact the reason I had done all this up to this point? Wasn't this fact the reason that I had gone to the workhouse, that I considered changing my lifestyle? I had gone through so much to change myself, only to be halted with Emily's words of simple courtesy. Perhaps something small was the first step. Perhaps with a small change, other things would happen as well. I looked at Emily too resentful at first to say anything of apology. She in turn stared expectantly. I didn't know what to say to her. "I'm sorry." was it enough? "I'm sorry.for offending you." I said unevenly. Suddenly, she shook her head, a smile appearing on her face, one that had not occupied her lips for several days now. I smiled too, raising my eyebrows at the strangeness of it. "Dat's bedda. Dat's all ya needed ta do." I laughed, and as she turned to her dusting, I saw her body vibrate in a giggle as well. "I guess I'm not as horrible as you thought I was," I mentioned standing up and clearing off the table that she had to dust next.
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"Mr. Shatton wants ta see ya." I shockingly jumped when Emily's voice traveled through the room, slamming down the diary in my hand. She furrowed her thin eyebrows, confused and appalled by my behavior. This of course was not a first. I was slightly annoyed at the fact that she had interrupted my snooping, and had also seen me doing it. However, when I replayed what she said in my mind, I decided to forgo the anger and to go see Shatton, as I had desperately wanted to for the past week. "Shatton wants to see me?" I asked, finally regaining the breath that had suddenly been sucked out of me from surprise. She nodded, still slightly confused. I started walking to the door, but was stopped by Emily.
"Doncha wanna get dressed?" she asked, giggling slightly as I remembered the nightgown apparel I was sporting. I rolled my eyes, nodding.
"Do you have anything for me to wear?" I inquired, looking around the room. With some quick digging through drawers and a couple of angry shouts for me to come see, she found a blue dress that was tight on me, but still fit well enough for now. "Suck in!" she yelled at me as she began buttoning the dress up the back. "I am!" I yelled back, taking in even more breath. Finally, after the fiasco of moving and the dress almost ripping, and Emily informing me the well known fact of how absolutely "terrible" my hair was, I was ready to go and meet my patron, Mr. Shatton. Emily began cleaning up the mess of clothes as she gave me directions to Mr. Shatton's study. Just as I was about to go she smiled slightly at me, "Even dough ya hair is terrible, ya still clean up well." I sighed, rolling my eyes and closed the door as I left.
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hey yall! The second part to this chapter will be up later today! Enjoy and thanx for bein soooo awesome!
Anna
I stared at Melanie as she stood in the middle of the road, talking to the blonde haired young man. She looked displeased and abnormally uncomfortable. She turned to me for some distraction, but I simply raised my eyebrow, the look plainly reading, tough luck. "Do you know that girl over there very well?" I had looked up, surprised by the interruption, but when I noticed who had made it my surprise turned to distaste. I turned around in the street, facing Michael Priton. The wind blew his hair slightly over his eyes. It had been a beautiful day. "What are you doing here?" When I had asked that, he had smirked at me, his eyes glowing brightly in the hot noon sun. "I was just about to ask you the same question. I had no idea your father let a wild animal like you out of the house." I raised my eyebrows and frowned. He laughed as I did this. "Goodness, Ms. Willing, you look at me as if I am insane." "Am I wrong?" I asked coldly. He shook his head. I turned away from him annoyed and angry with the company I had acquired and started walking across the street. My dress annoyed me so I kicked at it, only succeeding in getting the end dirty. I heard Michael's laugh from across the way. He walked over to me again. "Why are you here?" I asked furious that there was no way to escape this encounter. "Answer my question first. Do you know that girl over there talking to Jim Hindly?" I laughed at him. "Why in the world would it matter? Her business is not mine whether or not I know her." His face suddenly turned to a dull seriousness, though his eyes still shone brightly. "If you do know her, Ms. Willing, then maybe you should tell her that Jim Hindly has a drinking problem, to put it lightly, and that he is not a safe man to court her." Staring wildly, I pondered many things about Michael, but the only one that came out of my mouth was: "She's used to it." Michael closed his eyes as I said this. He cocked his head to the side, trying to take in what I had said. There was no way possible that he hadn't understood it. "Anna." When I realized what sick, ugly hate-filled words had come out of my mouth, I closed it, horror struck. I stared at Michael, my eyes wide. "I didn't talk to you and you didn't talk to me," was all I could think to say. I started to walk away, calling softly: "Melanie! It's getting late!" She turned, thanking me with her gaze. I shrugged. I had felt a hand grasp mine and again looked deeply into those unfathomable, beautiful eyes. We stood there, watching each other. "You don't have to walk away." His voice was quiet and sweet. At first, my impulse was to walk away, but his eyes kept me planted. When I had stood there long enough, I realized his words had touched me. They had touched me enough to respond, "Next time I won't." He let go. I smiled slightly at him, unsure of what had just happened, but he smirked knowingly. Melanie and I left the street traveling back to our house our afternoon walk not completely terrible.
"Emily?" I asked as she proceeded to dust silently. She had not talked to me in three days, still furious and obstinate from the heated discussion we had had previously. This caused me to spend these three days solitary and dull. What I wouldn't give to take one step out of this room and swallow some fresh air. "Wha is it, A.C.?" I stared at her again, willing calm and considerate words out of my mouth. "I was just wondering about Mr. Shatton. What about today, Emily?" She turned her head, ruffled again for some reason. "He ain't said nuttin yet." It was so curt, and I was close to losing my temper, but I held it back. "Will you go ask him?" She shrugged not responding. I rolled my eyes. This was so childish and rash. Why me? I groaned for the fiftieth time that day.
"Emily?" I said louder, trying to obtain her distracted attention. She again would say nothing. "Emily!" I yelled. She turned on me then and threw down her duster. Her eyes were wide and she was seething with rage. I raised my eyebrows. "Ya coulda at least apologized!" After the angry outburst, we both stared at each other, my face portraying the confusion I felt, hers still engulfed in fury. "What?" I asked. An apology? Why would she want that? It had been a silly fight and it would resolve itself. "Doncha have any manners?" she asked exasperated. "I guess not," I replied smugly. "Well," she said, unaware of the sarcasm, "When ya say sometin mean ta someone, ya apologize. Ain't nice what ya said!" I laughed when she said this. Apologize to her when she had been just as insulting? I didn't think so.
"Why do I need to apologize to you? People say ugly things all the time and don't apologize." She put her hands on her hips, still angry. "Well, good people don't do dat!"
Her indignant voice filled the room, also filling my mind with questions and pondering thoughts. Her one statement had broken through to me the fact I had forgotten long ago. I was not a good person. Wasn't that fact the reason I had done all this up to this point? Wasn't this fact the reason that I had gone to the workhouse, that I considered changing my lifestyle? I had gone through so much to change myself, only to be halted with Emily's words of simple courtesy. Perhaps something small was the first step. Perhaps with a small change, other things would happen as well. I looked at Emily too resentful at first to say anything of apology. She in turn stared expectantly. I didn't know what to say to her. "I'm sorry." was it enough? "I'm sorry.for offending you." I said unevenly. Suddenly, she shook her head, a smile appearing on her face, one that had not occupied her lips for several days now. I smiled too, raising my eyebrows at the strangeness of it. "Dat's bedda. Dat's all ya needed ta do." I laughed, and as she turned to her dusting, I saw her body vibrate in a giggle as well. "I guess I'm not as horrible as you thought I was," I mentioned standing up and clearing off the table that she had to dust next.
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"Mr. Shatton wants ta see ya." I shockingly jumped when Emily's voice traveled through the room, slamming down the diary in my hand. She furrowed her thin eyebrows, confused and appalled by my behavior. This of course was not a first. I was slightly annoyed at the fact that she had interrupted my snooping, and had also seen me doing it. However, when I replayed what she said in my mind, I decided to forgo the anger and to go see Shatton, as I had desperately wanted to for the past week. "Shatton wants to see me?" I asked, finally regaining the breath that had suddenly been sucked out of me from surprise. She nodded, still slightly confused. I started walking to the door, but was stopped by Emily.
"Doncha wanna get dressed?" she asked, giggling slightly as I remembered the nightgown apparel I was sporting. I rolled my eyes, nodding.
"Do you have anything for me to wear?" I inquired, looking around the room. With some quick digging through drawers and a couple of angry shouts for me to come see, she found a blue dress that was tight on me, but still fit well enough for now. "Suck in!" she yelled at me as she began buttoning the dress up the back. "I am!" I yelled back, taking in even more breath. Finally, after the fiasco of moving and the dress almost ripping, and Emily informing me the well known fact of how absolutely "terrible" my hair was, I was ready to go and meet my patron, Mr. Shatton. Emily began cleaning up the mess of clothes as she gave me directions to Mr. Shatton's study. Just as I was about to go she smiled slightly at me, "Even dough ya hair is terrible, ya still clean up well." I sighed, rolling my eyes and closed the door as I left.
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hey yall! The second part to this chapter will be up later today! Enjoy and thanx for bein soooo awesome!
Anna
