AN: Do you like how I always alternate my ANs from the top to the bottom?
Gives my story the element of surprise. Whatever. I have good news and
bad news. The good news is, this chapter will probably be longer and
better than the last. The bad news is, I have to go into icky, bad
Conrad/Darnoc mode again soon. More good news, It's vacation next week! The
bad news, It's a whole bloody week away! The good news, Luke is shirtless
and planning a revolt. The bad news, Knat is safely back in Ireland with
the bass drum. I'm not giving away anything! What do you mean?
The new day dawned. Not bright, and not cheerful. Rather, it was cloudy and bleak. Not because the evil beings of Egarots Moor were gaining power, but because this was the normal climate. And this was what the six captives woke up to see the next morning. And the next morning. And the next morning. Their lives soon became routine, and they were quickly becoming like the enslaved percussionists. Too bored to do anything for their own good. What kept them from insanity was the fact that they could play. Four of them could blow their pain and mindless work into their instruments.. The other two were not so lucky. Able to do little more than work, eat, and sleep, Nicole and Jaimie were quickly losing their minds. All of them quickly found what was wanted from them, and they complied without question or thought. There was a constant tune in their heads, and it kept them all from thinking of anything other than their new duties. The only times when their minds were free to wander was in their dreams. All soon realized this, and eagerly looked forward to bedtime.
In the bathtub, Jaz was floating around a huge rubber duck. It's little orange bill smiled happily up at him. He watched it contentedly for a second, before he realized that he was not alone. Hr rose from his crouching position on the floor and turned around. Miss N stood in the doorway in a robe of deep red velvet. It clashed horribly with the pink walls. She smiled at him. Jaz nodded nervously. She had been eyeing him all day.
"Why aren't you sleeping Jaz?" she asked coming a step closer. Jaz moved a step back. "Haven't you had a hard enough day?" Jaz suppressed a snort. He had done nothing all day but polish her collection of rubber duckies. 'Light work, she had told him.' To better prepare him for the hard labor soon to come. He didn't believe her. Miss N definitely had something up her sleeve. While giving Jaz the light work, Abbe had been told to clean the house in its entirety. And if she did not do so within three days, there would be dire consequences. The house was relatively small, but it was filthy. It hadn't been dusted or swept for at least a year, and there was still the attic to consider. That hadn't been cleaned out in over a decade. Nonetheless, Jaz had to admit that Abbe had done admirable work despite the clothes she was wearing.
"I couldn't sleep," Jaz said in response to the question Miss N had just posed.
"Indeed," she said raising an eyebrow doubtfully. Jaz nodded, not wanting to say too much. "Do you like my rubber duck?" She nodded to the toy still floating in the tub. She didn't wait for a reply. "His name is Swanson." Jaz nodded again. There wasn't anything to say. Unfortunately, Miss N seemed to want him to say something for a change. "Is this all that there is going to be between us?" she asked sharply stamping her foot on the tile. "Silence and suspicion? I want to know you, and talk to you! I am not the icy woman that you think I am! Can you not understand that?"
"All I know Miss N, is that you are in league with Lord Darnoc. Just recently, she has turned into my mortal enemy. I don't imagine I'll be able to stomach anything more than what little there is already between us." He stood his ground as her eyes narrowed dangerously. To his surprise, she smiled and came another step closer, causing Jaz to go another step back. His bare calf met up with the cold porcelain of the tub, and he cursed himself for wearing shorts instead of pants, as the cold caused a slight shiver to go up his spine.
As he had feared, Miss N took that entirely the wrong way.
"There is no need to fear me Jaz," she spoke softly. She reached out a hand. It brushed his cheek, and he suppressed a shudder with great difficulty. "Is the fact that I work closely with Lord Darnoc the only reason that we can't be friends?" Jaz shook his head.
"No. There are a couple of other reasons."
"And what are those?"
"Well, the first one is, you're a bitch."
A shriek of rage split the night, and Jaz remembered Exactly who he was dealing with. She was no servant of Darnoc, but a band witch with powers greater than any he at that moment possessed. He pressed against the bathtub, unable to back up anymore. Miss N grabbed the front of his shirt, and with surprising strength, lifted him and sat him in the tub. Water and lilac bubbled immediately closed over his head. In a moment, he came back up sputtering, and he was lugged back out.
"You will NEVER speak like that to me again! Is that understood?" Jaz did not move. "WELL?!" She shook him violently. Still, he remained motionless. "Very well," she growled drawing him closer. "I have my own way of loosening tounges." She smiled evilly. Jaz tried valiantly not to show his fear. But it seemed that pain was not in store for him. Closer and closer she came. Her face was practically touching his. He could very clearly see her lipstick. It was orange, the same shade that Mrs. Conrad liked to use, only Miss N used less. And then he realized, lips...close......
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The cry was wrenched from his throat. He stumbled backwards, and cracked his head against a wooden wall. 'Wait a sec...wooden?' His reason fought back to the surface of his brain. 'But the bathroom wall is tile...Then why?" He tried to figure it out. In those few quiet seconds, it came to him. It was a dream. Nothing more. He breathed deeply. He had not met Julia N that night, and he had not called her a bitch. Yet. There was only one problem with his logical theory. His clothes were soaking wet, he smelled of lilac, and he had deep claw marks in his shoulders.
The new day dawned. Not bright, and not cheerful. Rather, it was cloudy and bleak. Not because the evil beings of Egarots Moor were gaining power, but because this was the normal climate. And this was what the six captives woke up to see the next morning. And the next morning. And the next morning. Their lives soon became routine, and they were quickly becoming like the enslaved percussionists. Too bored to do anything for their own good. What kept them from insanity was the fact that they could play. Four of them could blow their pain and mindless work into their instruments.. The other two were not so lucky. Able to do little more than work, eat, and sleep, Nicole and Jaimie were quickly losing their minds. All of them quickly found what was wanted from them, and they complied without question or thought. There was a constant tune in their heads, and it kept them all from thinking of anything other than their new duties. The only times when their minds were free to wander was in their dreams. All soon realized this, and eagerly looked forward to bedtime.
In the bathtub, Jaz was floating around a huge rubber duck. It's little orange bill smiled happily up at him. He watched it contentedly for a second, before he realized that he was not alone. Hr rose from his crouching position on the floor and turned around. Miss N stood in the doorway in a robe of deep red velvet. It clashed horribly with the pink walls. She smiled at him. Jaz nodded nervously. She had been eyeing him all day.
"Why aren't you sleeping Jaz?" she asked coming a step closer. Jaz moved a step back. "Haven't you had a hard enough day?" Jaz suppressed a snort. He had done nothing all day but polish her collection of rubber duckies. 'Light work, she had told him.' To better prepare him for the hard labor soon to come. He didn't believe her. Miss N definitely had something up her sleeve. While giving Jaz the light work, Abbe had been told to clean the house in its entirety. And if she did not do so within three days, there would be dire consequences. The house was relatively small, but it was filthy. It hadn't been dusted or swept for at least a year, and there was still the attic to consider. That hadn't been cleaned out in over a decade. Nonetheless, Jaz had to admit that Abbe had done admirable work despite the clothes she was wearing.
"I couldn't sleep," Jaz said in response to the question Miss N had just posed.
"Indeed," she said raising an eyebrow doubtfully. Jaz nodded, not wanting to say too much. "Do you like my rubber duck?" She nodded to the toy still floating in the tub. She didn't wait for a reply. "His name is Swanson." Jaz nodded again. There wasn't anything to say. Unfortunately, Miss N seemed to want him to say something for a change. "Is this all that there is going to be between us?" she asked sharply stamping her foot on the tile. "Silence and suspicion? I want to know you, and talk to you! I am not the icy woman that you think I am! Can you not understand that?"
"All I know Miss N, is that you are in league with Lord Darnoc. Just recently, she has turned into my mortal enemy. I don't imagine I'll be able to stomach anything more than what little there is already between us." He stood his ground as her eyes narrowed dangerously. To his surprise, she smiled and came another step closer, causing Jaz to go another step back. His bare calf met up with the cold porcelain of the tub, and he cursed himself for wearing shorts instead of pants, as the cold caused a slight shiver to go up his spine.
As he had feared, Miss N took that entirely the wrong way.
"There is no need to fear me Jaz," she spoke softly. She reached out a hand. It brushed his cheek, and he suppressed a shudder with great difficulty. "Is the fact that I work closely with Lord Darnoc the only reason that we can't be friends?" Jaz shook his head.
"No. There are a couple of other reasons."
"And what are those?"
"Well, the first one is, you're a bitch."
A shriek of rage split the night, and Jaz remembered Exactly who he was dealing with. She was no servant of Darnoc, but a band witch with powers greater than any he at that moment possessed. He pressed against the bathtub, unable to back up anymore. Miss N grabbed the front of his shirt, and with surprising strength, lifted him and sat him in the tub. Water and lilac bubbled immediately closed over his head. In a moment, he came back up sputtering, and he was lugged back out.
"You will NEVER speak like that to me again! Is that understood?" Jaz did not move. "WELL?!" She shook him violently. Still, he remained motionless. "Very well," she growled drawing him closer. "I have my own way of loosening tounges." She smiled evilly. Jaz tried valiantly not to show his fear. But it seemed that pain was not in store for him. Closer and closer she came. Her face was practically touching his. He could very clearly see her lipstick. It was orange, the same shade that Mrs. Conrad liked to use, only Miss N used less. And then he realized, lips...close......
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The cry was wrenched from his throat. He stumbled backwards, and cracked his head against a wooden wall. 'Wait a sec...wooden?' His reason fought back to the surface of his brain. 'But the bathroom wall is tile...Then why?" He tried to figure it out. In those few quiet seconds, it came to him. It was a dream. Nothing more. He breathed deeply. He had not met Julia N that night, and he had not called her a bitch. Yet. There was only one problem with his logical theory. His clothes were soaking wet, he smelled of lilac, and he had deep claw marks in his shoulders.