Chapter 7: Waking words.
There were times in your life that you woke up in a place you know you didn't go to sleep in and… You didn't care.
Joanie-Ellen was having one of those moments.
She was warm, comfortable and content as she drifted in and out of sleepy consciousness. There was nobody around her that she could hear, and she wasn't going to bother to open her eyes just yet, out of fear that it might shatter her safety bubble.
Nope. She was going to keep her eyes closed.
Something stirred next to her.
She changed her mind.
Joanie's eyes flew open as she struggled to get up. The black girl next to the bed blinked surprised.
"Hey, easy there." She said quickly and stood up out of her chair, a novel falling to the ground. "Joanie is it? It's okay…" The girl held up her hands in an open gesture but Joanie wasn't falling for it. She was falling off of the bed.
Joanie jumped up from the floor, clutching the white blanket around her.
"Who the hell are you?!" She demanded and moved to the opposite side of the room. The room swayed around her, she gotten up too quickly.
The girl raised an eyebrow at her tone. "My name's Camille." She said gently. "You… Don't have to worry, get back into bed."
Joanie sniffed and coughed. "No." She snapped. "Don't tell me what to do."
Camille raised an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to be pushy." She said. "You're just not well, you should get back into bed."
Joanie frowned and opened her mouth but visibly paled as the door opened, emitting two other people. She shifted against the wall until her shoulder touched the corner walls. Her bravado faded to alarm.
The woman and new girl looked at her surprised.
"Oh," the woman said softly, "you're awake."
It was the same one from the street. It dawned on Joanie what had happened.
She was in trouble.
"She just got up." Camille said in Dame Skyla's direction. "I've been trying to get her back in bed but…" She motioned towards the corner. Dame Skyla nodded at Camille and moved past the bed closer to the girl. Joanie watched her with wary eyes that darted past her every now and again - searching for a way out.
"Hallo Joanie." Dame Skyla said and sat down on the bed. "I'm glad to see you're up. I am Dame Skyla. I found you in the snow."
The girl sniffed and pulled the blanket closer around her. She glanced at Jade, her eyes narrowing.
Dame Skyla waited for a reply but it became clear that the girl wasn't speaking up. "Should I send the girls out?" She asked gently.
Joanie glared at her and sat down in the corner. Emotions danced across her face as she shook her head.
"How long've I been here?" She asked, her tone a bit more respectful than the one she had used on Camille. "Where's your dogs?"
Dame Skyla smiled slightly. "Not here." She said. "I'm sorry they scared you."
The girl narrowed her eyes. "You should have them on leashes." She snapped. "They're dangerous. I should report you."
It took a lot of self-control not to start laughing. Camille and Jade snickered behind her. Skyla lowered her head with a shake.
"You needed have run." She said. "They were actually only trying to play with you."
Joanie blinked and glared at the girls. "Well…" she paused. "That's even worse. I could've been dangerous. No good having guard dogs that welcome thieves."
Skyla raised an eyebrow. "Are you a thief?" She asked softly.
The girl's face went stoic.
"No." She said blankly. "I came in from the cold. You locked me in the freaking garage."
Skyla shrugged. "We didn't know you were there." She pointed out.
Joanie sniffed and stifled a cough. "Where's my bag?" She demanded suddenly. "You haven't taken my stuff have you?"
Dame Skyla smiled and shook her head. "No." She said.
She glanced around and gave Jade a meaningful look. The girl nodded and quickly went on her hands and knees. She fished the tattered shoulder bag out from underneath the bed and stood up again. Joanie got up immediately and held out her hand. Jade moved around the bed to Skyla's side and held the bag out for the girl.
The young girl gave her a wary look. She moved closer but stopped a short distance from Jade. She stood undecided before closing the gap, snatched the bag and moved back to the corner. Jade moved back to where Camille stood. Joanie didn't look at them as she undid the strings and peered inside. She studied the contents before she visibly relaxed.
"That's good." She said swiftly. "That you didn't go through it I mean. I mean, this is my stuff. That would've been prying. It's wrong to go through other people's stuff." She glared at them as if she was lecturing them, pulling herself up to make herself taller. The image was somewhat ruined as she coughed again.
Dame Skyla stood up and went closer to rest a hand on Joanie's back. The girl reacted like lighting.
"Don't touch me!" She snapped and moved away from Skyla's touch, slapping her hand out of the way. The three people in the room stood shocked as Joanie moved back into the corner her shoulders hunched in a defensive position. There was a flash of blind fear in her features, her breathing heavy with panic.
Dame Skyla shook herself, mentally berating her action.
"Joanie easy." She said quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."
The panic spell left as quickly as it came. Joanie's face twisted in effort not to start crying but her eyes never left the woman in front of her. She sat down slowly and rubbed a pale shaky hand over her eyes. She drew her knees up to her chest and coughed. Her reserves were gone.
Skyla sighed as she studied the child's petite features. She couldn't believe that this girl was thirteen. "I'm sorry." She said again. "Are you okay?"
Joanie bit her lip closed her eyes then nodded. "Yeah." She said off handily and stood up. "Fine." She refused to look at any of them.
Skyla stepped closer, mindful of Joanie's personal space.
"Are you hungry?" She asked gently.
The girl swallowed and nodded. Dame Skyla smiled at her. "Well, why don't you go take a shower first, then we'll bring you something to eat. You'll have to come back to bed though, you're still sick."
Joanie nodded and glanced up quickly. Her dark eyes met Skyla's before she looked down again. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"You're not going to ask me what I was doing in the back of the car?" She asked softly.
Skyla shrugged as if it didn't matter. "We'll sort that out later." She said gently. "Come on. You're clothes are being washed but we found some others you can wear in the mean time."
She watched how Joanie stood undecided, swaying from one foot to the other. Finally she nodded with a sniff.
"Okay." She said softly. "I guess it would be okay."
AN: I had tried to deviate from the normal "Wake up in a strange place" chliche scene. I tell you, there's a reason it's chliche. There's only so many ways a person can wake up! ;-p
Keep safe as always.
I PASSED ANIMAL ANATOMY!!!!
Alyss.
There were times in your life that you woke up in a place you know you didn't go to sleep in and… You didn't care.
Joanie-Ellen was having one of those moments.
She was warm, comfortable and content as she drifted in and out of sleepy consciousness. There was nobody around her that she could hear, and she wasn't going to bother to open her eyes just yet, out of fear that it might shatter her safety bubble.
Nope. She was going to keep her eyes closed.
Something stirred next to her.
She changed her mind.
Joanie's eyes flew open as she struggled to get up. The black girl next to the bed blinked surprised.
"Hey, easy there." She said quickly and stood up out of her chair, a novel falling to the ground. "Joanie is it? It's okay…" The girl held up her hands in an open gesture but Joanie wasn't falling for it. She was falling off of the bed.
Joanie jumped up from the floor, clutching the white blanket around her.
"Who the hell are you?!" She demanded and moved to the opposite side of the room. The room swayed around her, she gotten up too quickly.
The girl raised an eyebrow at her tone. "My name's Camille." She said gently. "You… Don't have to worry, get back into bed."
Joanie sniffed and coughed. "No." She snapped. "Don't tell me what to do."
Camille raised an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to be pushy." She said. "You're just not well, you should get back into bed."
Joanie frowned and opened her mouth but visibly paled as the door opened, emitting two other people. She shifted against the wall until her shoulder touched the corner walls. Her bravado faded to alarm.
The woman and new girl looked at her surprised.
"Oh," the woman said softly, "you're awake."
It was the same one from the street. It dawned on Joanie what had happened.
She was in trouble.
"She just got up." Camille said in Dame Skyla's direction. "I've been trying to get her back in bed but…" She motioned towards the corner. Dame Skyla nodded at Camille and moved past the bed closer to the girl. Joanie watched her with wary eyes that darted past her every now and again - searching for a way out.
"Hallo Joanie." Dame Skyla said and sat down on the bed. "I'm glad to see you're up. I am Dame Skyla. I found you in the snow."
The girl sniffed and pulled the blanket closer around her. She glanced at Jade, her eyes narrowing.
Dame Skyla waited for a reply but it became clear that the girl wasn't speaking up. "Should I send the girls out?" She asked gently.
Joanie glared at her and sat down in the corner. Emotions danced across her face as she shook her head.
"How long've I been here?" She asked, her tone a bit more respectful than the one she had used on Camille. "Where's your dogs?"
Dame Skyla smiled slightly. "Not here." She said. "I'm sorry they scared you."
The girl narrowed her eyes. "You should have them on leashes." She snapped. "They're dangerous. I should report you."
It took a lot of self-control not to start laughing. Camille and Jade snickered behind her. Skyla lowered her head with a shake.
"You needed have run." She said. "They were actually only trying to play with you."
Joanie blinked and glared at the girls. "Well…" she paused. "That's even worse. I could've been dangerous. No good having guard dogs that welcome thieves."
Skyla raised an eyebrow. "Are you a thief?" She asked softly.
The girl's face went stoic.
"No." She said blankly. "I came in from the cold. You locked me in the freaking garage."
Skyla shrugged. "We didn't know you were there." She pointed out.
Joanie sniffed and stifled a cough. "Where's my bag?" She demanded suddenly. "You haven't taken my stuff have you?"
Dame Skyla smiled and shook her head. "No." She said.
She glanced around and gave Jade a meaningful look. The girl nodded and quickly went on her hands and knees. She fished the tattered shoulder bag out from underneath the bed and stood up again. Joanie got up immediately and held out her hand. Jade moved around the bed to Skyla's side and held the bag out for the girl.
The young girl gave her a wary look. She moved closer but stopped a short distance from Jade. She stood undecided before closing the gap, snatched the bag and moved back to the corner. Jade moved back to where Camille stood. Joanie didn't look at them as she undid the strings and peered inside. She studied the contents before she visibly relaxed.
"That's good." She said swiftly. "That you didn't go through it I mean. I mean, this is my stuff. That would've been prying. It's wrong to go through other people's stuff." She glared at them as if she was lecturing them, pulling herself up to make herself taller. The image was somewhat ruined as she coughed again.
Dame Skyla stood up and went closer to rest a hand on Joanie's back. The girl reacted like lighting.
"Don't touch me!" She snapped and moved away from Skyla's touch, slapping her hand out of the way. The three people in the room stood shocked as Joanie moved back into the corner her shoulders hunched in a defensive position. There was a flash of blind fear in her features, her breathing heavy with panic.
Dame Skyla shook herself, mentally berating her action.
"Joanie easy." She said quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."
The panic spell left as quickly as it came. Joanie's face twisted in effort not to start crying but her eyes never left the woman in front of her. She sat down slowly and rubbed a pale shaky hand over her eyes. She drew her knees up to her chest and coughed. Her reserves were gone.
Skyla sighed as she studied the child's petite features. She couldn't believe that this girl was thirteen. "I'm sorry." She said again. "Are you okay?"
Joanie bit her lip closed her eyes then nodded. "Yeah." She said off handily and stood up. "Fine." She refused to look at any of them.
Skyla stepped closer, mindful of Joanie's personal space.
"Are you hungry?" She asked gently.
The girl swallowed and nodded. Dame Skyla smiled at her. "Well, why don't you go take a shower first, then we'll bring you something to eat. You'll have to come back to bed though, you're still sick."
Joanie nodded and glanced up quickly. Her dark eyes met Skyla's before she looked down again. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"You're not going to ask me what I was doing in the back of the car?" She asked softly.
Skyla shrugged as if it didn't matter. "We'll sort that out later." She said gently. "Come on. You're clothes are being washed but we found some others you can wear in the mean time."
She watched how Joanie stood undecided, swaying from one foot to the other. Finally she nodded with a sniff.
"Okay." She said softly. "I guess it would be okay."
AN: I had tried to deviate from the normal "Wake up in a strange place" chliche scene. I tell you, there's a reason it's chliche. There's only so many ways a person can wake up! ;-p
Keep safe as always.
I PASSED ANIMAL ANATOMY!!!!
Alyss.