I thought Mara and Robin needed a new name. Ohhh... it's so l33t!
And I also think Mara needs more development... in fact, I'm not happy with this story right now... I'm going to finish it. But it's annoying me. sigh
Oh well.
sugarsprite
"Mara?!"
"Mara??!!"
What... who's calling me?
"Mara, wake up!"
Why am I so uncomfortable?
"Please... Please wake up."
"Mmmph. Five more minutes."
"Oh, thank heavens!"
I open my eyes. They sting a bit, and I don't really understand what's going on. Why am I sleeping in a canoe? Why aren't I in my bed? Where's...
Robin. Leaving. Tomorrow.
Oh God.
"Mara, are you okay?" The person who roused me stiffens as I begin to cry. "Sssh, It's ok!"
"No... It's not."
He takes me in his arms, cradling my head. I look up at him...
Allen looks back at me. Thank god it's not Robin.
Robin.
I cry even harder.
Allen looks flustered, "Will! I found her!" he cries, obviously wondering what to do with me. I become vaguely aware of Will and Joan running over to me.
"Oh dear." says Will's deep voice.
"What're we gonna do?" Allen
"Get Robin over here."
"No." I say through my sobs, "not him."
"Oh dear." says Will again, "Looks like she found out too."
"What d'you mean?" I ask.
"I mean about Robin's... problem."
I sniff. "You... know about it?"
"He told us last night."
"But," Joan sighs, "We had already known something like that was wrong with him. Everyone here has something up. Like me, for example. Did you know my father's one of John Plantagenet's biggest supporters? That Robin, Will and I robbed him, and I can't tell my parents why they don't have money, and why I'm always on my computer, day and night."
"I've had bulemia for two years." Will sighs, "We all have issues here, Mara. But Robin's problem isn't terrible. He'll go off for treatment in Switzerland and come back as right as rain, you'll see. It could be worse." He shrugs, "At least he didn't kill someone, or something."
I begin to cry again.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asks, Will, obviously upset that I started crying again, "Please don't cry."
"But... he lied to me... and... he's going away... for so long..."
And I killed someone. I had to, but I still....
"Mara, get a GRIP!" shouts Joan. "He LOVES you! Do you know what he did to himself after you left? Do you even know why he told you? Stop crying and..."
"Stop it, Joan. Can't you see you're making it worse?" Will says, whacking her upside the head. I almost smile.
Allen, who hasn't said a thing the whole time, and has acted as my pillow/tissue, suddenly stands up, grabbing my hand. "C'mon, Mara.
I get up, tripping over my own feet, following Allen.
"Look, Mara, you really need to talk to him." he says urgently, "Please... He's over by the dock. Please... please, just go to him, please?"
I wipe my eyes with the corner of my sleeve and walk over towards the dock.
I see Robin off from a distance. He's hunched over, his feet in the water, looking down into the depths of the lake.
I walk up to him and sit down.
"'Lo."
"'Lo."
We sit in silence for a while, looking at the lake.
"I'm sorry." he murmurs so quietly I can barely hear him.
"I'm sorry too."
Silence again.
I tentatively lift my hand and snake it over towards his. Slowly, ever so slowly, I let my fingers touch his hand.
He looks over at me.
We fall into each other's arms at the exact same time.
We're both crying a little. We're both a little hurt. We're both a little scared.
"I wish I could stay," he says into my hair. "I want to stay with you."
"No." I say, "You have to go. You have to get better."
He nuzzles my neck, "I know."
"And we'll meet up again. I live near you. We'll meet up and..."
"And we'll get married." he smiles at me, "Won't we, Mara?"
I pretend to think about it, but I know the answer, "We will." I declare.
He stands up, grabs my wrists and spins me around, laughing, until we collapse in a heap.
"And we'll have a hundred children!" he declares, laughing.
"Just as long as you go through the childbirth."
The kiss he gave me there was the best yet. It was filled with relief, happiness, and a sadness so great it was like a silent despair, and we kissed for so long that we had to break it off because we had both run out of air.
"I would have a hundred children for you, Robin." I smile. "Just come back to me healthy, ok?'
"Of course." He says.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Then I'll have your hundred children." I say, smiling at him.
"How about two children instead?"
"Two's good."
Mara refused to talk to men. Men. They disgusted her, repulsed her, made her want to vomit.
Which was why she was so horrified to find she was being assigned a new caseworker. A male caseworker. One known as Dave Mantosky.
She had refused to talk to him. His gentle but firm nature vexed her, his promises not to talk to her if she didn't want to annoyed her, his kind nature was a façade, for sure.
After all, what had THEY ever done for her?
She was not willing to think about it. They had gotten blood on her hands, that's what.
Men are rats.
Men are rats.
Men are the fleas that depend on the rats for their pathetic survival.
She would never talk to one of them, never look at them willingly, and NEVER fall in love with one.