Marionette
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Chapter One; Genesis
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By: Aqua
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Summary: She'd been the prim and proper Miss. Kagome for the first 11 years of her life. The 'untouchable'. Until the ship that was supposed to reunite her with her mother and brother got wrecked in a violent storm…Now 11 year-old Kagome's stuck on an Island and she needs to take unthinkable and unladylike actions to persevere. Like befriend the demon who'd kept her from drowning...KagInu!
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She was overjoyed; ecstatic. The letter had come to her at dawn and the innermost contents had clearly stated that she would be reunited with her mother and brother within a fortnight. Kagome'd been apart from them for three years and now that she'd learned of this wonderful news, her heart was light and jovial.
The freight she was to board was christened with the name Scarlette Belle. They'd be approximately thirty other people on board and from what she'd heard, the ship was fast and agile but could only hold a certain number of passengers. Any more and something might go askew.
She'd been taught the arts of mathematics, language, and writing for the past several years so she was more than ready to head home and take a well earned rest. The convent where she'd resided for a long period of time was called The Monastery of Mary-Ann Clarence.
Originally Kagome had come from Japan. Her mother had started a business of designing gowns and costumes. As time passed, the demand for her merchandise skyrocketed and she'd even started turning down jobs. Since the young woman had never had a chance to earn an education, she'd been determined that her children would. That was how Kagome had ended up in an American sanctuary.
Souta was only three so he had a couple of more years before he was permitted to go to school.
Kagome wanted to start packing right away but she had to attend mass and then go to classes. At the moment she was in her room, naked—except for some undies and an undershirt-- and sitting on an old but comfortable bed. She shared the space with two other girls named Nancy and Kerri. They were both Americans and they'd the two had become fast friends. They excluded Kagome from their little 'clique'. She could care less. She was going home in two weeks and 'Nance' and 'Riri' could kiss her butt. She clutched the light tinged envelope to her flat chest before putting it under her pillow.
"Kagome! Child, its time for mass!" That would be Sister Emma. She was a robust, blithe woman with rosy cheeks and bright flaming hair. All the girls in the Monastery called her Auntie Em. Sometimes Kagome wondered what she was doing in a nunnery. Out of thirteen anchorites, Auntie Em was the youngest and the prettiest. She was also more convivial and creative. More often than not, her actions were looked down upon.
"Coming. I'm going to put my uniform on first though. You don't have to wait for me."
"You wearing your Sunday best?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Alright then but if your not in that church in ten minutes, your gonna have dish duties for the rest of the week. You hear me?"
"Yes ma'am."
With a satisfied nod, Sister Emma wandered off in the opposite direction.
As it turned out, Kagome arrived five minutes early. On Sundays you were supposed to wear your best garment to mass and for her it was a pale yellow dress with light blue poppies painted here and there. When she'd first come to the convent, she'd had a ribbon and bow to match with the outfit but within a month of her stay, the two possessions had mysteriously disappeared.
Her hair had been left to cascade down to her shoulders in an ebony sea and her face looked fresh and natural. The blue eyes were wide and painfully innocent in their awareness and curiosity.
She entered the cathedral with quiet feet and a humbled countence. She entered one of the pews and sat down on the bench. The chapel was filled with girls within a matter of minutes and several minutes later, the praying began.
The smooth chanting soothed Kagome and she might have dozed off a time or two. She was awake, though when they said the last 'Amen'.
"Amen." She mumbled before stumbling out the pew with wobbly feet. She stifled a yawn behind her hand and distractedly noted that her dress was wrinkled and she'd need to iron it again. With a smile, she reminded herself that she'd only wear the article of clothe two more times before she went home. Good god, she was excited.
When she'd left, Souta had only been five months old and he was probably so big now. Her mother—when she'd had the time—had visited her but never with Souta.
She had thirty more minutes before classes began and in that time she'd have to change back into her school uniform and gather her books for each particular session. She knew she couldn't be late for Sister Beth's class because that old crone was mean and spiteful. She had written Kagome up several times for being three minutes late!
She was leaving the convent tomorrow. She'd obsessively kept track of each week, day, hour, and minute until she'd get to see her Mama and Souta again, never counting the days she have to stay on the Scarlette Belle. The envelope with the newsnow had creases in various corners and the contents inside were even more folded and rumpled.
It was night now and Kagome lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes had gotten used to the intensity of the darkness and once she'd tried to count the intricate patterns on the wall. Her eyes had started to sting and she'd quickly looked back at the ceiling.
With a sigh she tried to fall asleep.
Tomorrow…tomorrow. Mama...Souta.
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