THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN MATURE CONTENT IN FUTURE CHAPTERS! I WILL PLACE A RATING AT THW BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER!
Copyright Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Village. The Village belongs to M. Night Shyamalen!
Chapter Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Chapter One: Hand In Hand
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."
--Teresa Conroy
Her eyes were closed, though she could feel the heat from the sun emanating onto her skin, through that of her bedroom window. Ivy Elizabeth Walker opened her eyes slowly, the lantern that she had used as her nightlight had long gone out. The room was brightened by the sunlight that shone through her window, which was open so that she could feel the soft breeze during these warm summer months. She swung her legs over her bedside. She wore a white nightgown that went past her knees. She ran her fingers through her strawberry blond hair, as she threw on the first dress her hands grazed in her closet.
She had been begging her mother for the last couple of months to allow her to cut her hair. It was getting too long and unlike her older sister Kitty, Ivy's hair had curls and it would frequently tangle. Ivy figured if it were to be shorter it would then be much more manageable. Ivy's mother, Tabitha thought her daughter's desire for short hair was just a faze that she would soon grow out of. Ivy had many "fazes" as her mother liked to call them. She was unlike most girls in the village of Covington. Most girls liked to play dress up with their mother's clothes or spend their evenings fawning over boys. That was an activity Kitty certainly liked to partake in. Ivy was much more tomboyish. She liked to run, play, climb trees and get her hands in dirt. Most of the girls her age found her repulsing and avoided her the best they could. Although her feelings were hurt by this, that did not change how she acted. In fact today she was going to make a friend, she was sure of it. Ivy wasn't shy, she knew how to speak for herself and communicate with others. Although she wasn't an admirer like her sister, Ivy did enjoy watching the young boys as they played. It wasn't them she was watching inherently, but rather that of the games they played. They would battle each other with wooden sticks, pretending they were swords. They would have footraces and arm wrestles. Ivy always wanted to join in but Kitty had warned her against it. Ivy was starting to think that was because Kitty didn't want to be embarrassed by her.
During breakfast Kitty, who had just turned nine was taking about how Christop Crane had written and given her a poem as a gift. Ivy felt amused , when looking at the dreamy haze that filled her sister's eyes whenever she talked about him. It was ironic that he had actually taken the time to make her something. He was always so caught up with his friends and more frankly himself. Ivy didn't want to say he was arrogant in front of Kitty, but the noun wouldn't be far from the truth. If Ivy was being truthfully honest, then she would not be surprised if that poem's origins had been spawned from a dare. The poem he had written her was short and sweet, being only three words long "happy birthday Kitty" despite this Kitty treated it like it was her own personal gospel. After eating, Ivy took the contents on her plate and disposed of it. Ivy then excused herself and asked to go outside.
"Ivy you have that pretty gown on, if you go outside you'll ruin it!" Kitty whined. Ivy looked down at her dress. It was pretty simple, just a long sleeved, pale blue dress, nothing special.
"I'll be fine Kitty and besides I can always wash it afterwards"
Kitty did not looked pleased, she rolled her eyes and scoffed, as she stood to dispose of her plate.
"Have fun dear and do try to keep yourself clean" Tabitha said, ushering her daughter towards the door. Before she could leave though, Ivy ran to her father's side and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Bye Papa" She said.
"Bye sweetheart" he replied, giving her hair a little ruffle, which rewarded him a glare from his wife.
Ivy and her father had always been close, they shared common interests and understood one another on a deeper level and for that Ivy was grateful.
Lucius Hunt awoke by the sound of someone knocking at his bedroom door.
"Lucius"
It was his mother. He sighed, as he made his way out of bed. He quickly tossed on a tunic and pants. He then shuffled out the door.
"My apologies mother. I was changing" he said, his cheeks flushing.
"Breakfast" she did sliding a plate over to him, from where he sat at the table. In the midst of their meal a knock was heard from their front door. His mother stood to answer it, but Lucius beat her too it.
It was Christop Crane.
"Lucius! Thank God you're awake. I know it's early but all the boys are up. We're all preparing to continue our footraces from yesterday." Lucius could feel his mother's glance from where he stood at the door.
"Well I-"
"Come on! It won't take long, besides you're the fastest anyway. You'll probably beat us all by a mile!"
Lucius looked back towards his mother, who had an encouraging smile on her face. Lucius knew that his mother was always worried about him and the concept of making friends.
"You may go Lucius" She said.
"I-" Lucius began, his mother gave him a look that meant that this was not up for discussion. Lucius had always been shy perhaps a bit awkward, it was getting to the point that it may be considered unnatural. Truth be told Lucius enjoyed being alone, he liked having friends and he would never take them for granted, but time by himself was something he greatly valued.
"Come on!" Christop said, a whine etched in his tone. Lucius sighed and followed him out the door.
All the boys were in a huddle by the school house. That was their starting point, in which they would race to Resting Rock, sometimes farther. Resting Rock was a place Lucius visited often. It was his quiet place, where he could relax and just...be. There was the sound of murmuring. All the boys turned to Lucius.
"You ready?" Finton Coin asked. Finton Coin, was the only person Lucius considered to be a true friend. He was kind and calm, someone Lucius enjoyed being around. The boys all lined up. Christop had his foot just a few inches ahead of the starting point. Lucius couldn't help but smile at that. Christop had been trying to beat Lucius for awhile now. He never succeeded, not that it mattered, Lucius wasn't one to be competitive, but watching Christop's antics was quite amusing.
"Three...Two...One--"
"Wait!"
Everyone froze, including Lucius. It was a girl who had spoken. Lucius couldn't place her, but he knew he recognised her. She had strawberry blond hair and sea green eyes, along with a kind smile and rosy cheeks. Lucius couldn't help but look at her, though he did not know why. What was so appealing about her, that drew Lucius to her so? Was it perhaps because she had startled him and the others? She had a look her eyes, one Lucius knew well. Edward Walker. That was it! That was how Lucius knew her. Ivy. That was her name. She was the daughter of the leader of the elders. She had his eyes, which Lucius knew of because he had seen Mr. Walker on some occasions. Mr. Walker was a man who Lucius always looked up to. He was a leader, a person Lucius aspired to be. Mr. Walker was always willing to help those in need. Lucius found that trait very commendable. Perhaps it was because his own father, the man who would have been his mentor, was...gone--dead. Just thinking about his father made his heart ache. Lucius's attention was brought back to the present though, due to the sound of a bunch of groans and grumblings.
"Ivy what are you doing here?" Christop asked. The boys knew Ivy. She would always sit with her sister and her friends and watch them, while they played. Christop once said it was because she must have fancied one of them, but Lucius didn't think that was right. Unlike her sister and the other girls, Ivy was always focused on whatever the boys were up to, not their appearances. That being said, whenever Lucius caught Ivy's eye, he always made sure to smile at her, as she did for him. So although the two had barely spoken to each other, the fondness for one another was evident.
Lucius did not like the sound of Christop's tone, when he spoke to Ivy. It was bitter, as if she were a nuisance.
"May I join?" Ivy asked, her tone bright, as if she hadn't just been spoken to so rudely. Christop, along with the rest of the group scoffed.
"Please Ivy. I don't mean to offend you, but considering that you're...a girl, you'll just slow us down. Besides, wouldn't you rather be playing with people your own age?"
Ivy was only two years younger than Lucius, making her seven, but Lucius did not think it fair of Christop to exclude her from this because of that, let alone from the fact that she was a girl.
"Christop" Lucius began, his tone slightly harsher than usual. Christop turned away from Ivy to meet Lucius's gaze. Which to Christop's astonishment was a glare.
"What--come on Lucius? She can't play, she doesn't even have a chance at beating any of us."
Lucius knew that was not true in the slightest. Lucius did not know Ivy Walker well, but he did know of her, and that meant her knew of her boyish ways. He'd once overheard a group of girls speaking of her, saying she was always covered in dirt and that she was far too reckless, when it came to just about anything. Lucius would have normally chuckle at that thought, if he was not so focused on Christop at the moment.
"I'm sure she will be no bother to us. Just let her play...please" Lucius, if asked could not explain why he was so adamant about standing up for this girl, but as he kept defending her, in his peripheral vision he could see the small smile on Ivy's lips grow and grow. He liked that. He liked that he could make her smile. He did not want her to ever stop smiling. Finally after a little more coaxing, Christop finally surrendered. Ivy gave Lucius a smile, that he couldn't help but return, as they both made their way in line. Lucius couldn't help but notice that Ivy made sure she was standing next to him.
"Hello" she said, just as the the countdown to begin was being called out. Before he could reply to her greeting, the sound of Christop chanting "go!" filled his ears, and one more small glance at Ivy and he turned to take off running, but to his surprise she was already ahead of him! A sound of confusion left Lucius's mouth, as he hurried to catch up to her, leaving the others behind.
Ivy smiled as she ran. She only had a little more ways to go before reaching Resting Rock. Although, Lucius Hunt was just behind her. Ivy knew Lucius. He had light skin, raven hair, and strikingly blue ocean eyes. Often when watching the boys play, she would spot Lucius. For some reason her cheeks would always flush when she saw him. She didn't know why, perhaps it was because he always had been so kind to her. Her likeness towards him grew since then, especially today when he had defended her. Ivy's smile turned into a smirk, when she heard his hurried footsteps coming right up behind her.
"I don't have a chance?" Ivy said, her tone being a mocking of Christop Crane's. She turned her head back to face Lucius as she spoke. She was only teasing him, he had defended her after all. Lucius's cheeks flushed, as he finally caught up with her. Ivy's lungs were losing air and her heart was ponding. She had grown slightly dizzy. Ivy, for the last couple of months or so had felt a sense of unease, an unease that made her chest ache and her head spin. Ivy took a small deep breath, slightly losing her step. Lucius and Ivy were far ahead of the others, though some of them were starting to catch up. Lucius looked back to see Ivy, her hands were at her head and she was panting. Lucius felt a sudden urge to assist her.
"Ivy?" He murmured, stopping, to look at her.
"I'm just a...little out of breath" she said, panting. Lucius felt his heart lurch. Her face was pale, from what Lucius saw of her earlier, now she was too pale.
Ivy took a deep breath and continued forward, brushing off Lucius's concerned look. Lucius even went as far as to reach his hand out, it just barely grazed her shoulder. Ivy stopped mid run, slightly gasping. Lucius flinched his arm backward. He could hear the sound of the group coming up right behind them.
Ivy's brows then narrowed mischievously. She wanted to do something, though she was trying to calculate how Lucius would react.
"Well come on then? You want to win this, do you not?" Ivy asked. She then proceeded to do something that Lucius did not expect nor was prepared for. She took his hand. It was warm and though smaller than his own, it seemed to match perfectly with his.Their hands fit.
Lucius knew without a doubt that his cheeks were redder than that of the bad colour. The next thing he knew, both him and Ivy were running. Together. Both hand in hand. Lucius could see Resting Rock now, only a few paces away.
An idea formed it's way into Lucius's head and before he could change his mind, he swung Ivy forward and her hand--the one not holding his own, hit the rock. The ending point.
"You have won Ivy. Congratulations" Lucius murmured. Ivy looked up at him, her expression slightly frozen in shock, but then she was beaming. The sun seemed to reflect onto her in this very moment, making her hair, her skin, her eyes, all of her light up. Lucius was in awe of her. She was...beautiful and the smile she wore now was reward enough for Lucius. It being worth much more than that of the other boy's admiration and approval, even just the small rush of glory by winning. Lucius and Ivy smiled at each other, Ivy began to parade around Lucius, saying she had bragging rights. Lucius had to bite his lip to prevent from chuckling.
Lucius turned to see the others making their way to them.
"Argh! Lucius won again!" An unidentifiable boy called from the now forming circle. Lucius could see out of the corner of his eyes that Christop was sulking.
Lucius looked to Ivy, slowly pulling her forward.
"No. I did not"
All the boys gasped in utter confusion, they all looked around, their expressions full of shock, they then looked to Lucius then to one another, as if Ivy was not standing right in front of them.
"Wait. Are you saying--a girl beat you?!" another boy interjected. Lucius furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes at him.
"Ivy is very capable, what makes you think that she could not have beaten me?" Lucius snapped, his tone becoming slightly hostile. Lucius took pleasure in the fact that his words made the boy all flushed and embarrassed.
"Well I--I she's younger than us! She...She...there is no way she could've beaten you unless...you let her win."
This just made Lucius more upset, he felt his skin burn and his blood begin to boil. Ivy had a guilty expression on her face, she was looking at the ground. She looked nervous, that beaming smile she once had only moments before, was disappearing from her face completely.
"You did didn't you?" Christop accused and though he was right, Ivy deserved to win. She tried so hard and her smile, oh they beautiful smile, if the others could've seen it, Lucius was sure they'd have to agree. Ivy who's hand was still in Lucius's, looked up. Lucius couldn't help but notice that she tightened her grip.
Lucius felt no sense of remorse for what he'd done, in fact the only thing he could think about was Ivy's reaction. Meanwhile Ivy kept looking between the group and Lucius, her eyes wide.
"I--I"
Lucius worried any more taunting from the boys and Ivy may burst into tears, before she could say anything else though, he snapped.
"Think what you want Christop. Now will you please excuse me, I think I ought to escort Ivy home." He did not wait for a reply, simply taking Ivy's hand and guiding her away.
"Why did you do that Lucius?" Ivy questioned, the second the both of them were out of anyone's earshot. Lucius felt his body tense. He'd been dreading this question. Perhaps it was because if he was being honest he did not know the answer. His mother had raised him to respect women and treat them as equals compared to men, but to identify the reasoning behind him defending Ivy today, was much more than just his own personal values. When Lucius stayed silent, Ivy continued to speak.
"You let me win, did you not?" Ivy asked, her tone wasn't accusing, just simply calm and relaxed. Lucius sighed and slowly nodded his head.
"You led the boys to believe their accusations were false?" Ivy continued. Lucius felt as if he was someone being questioned by the elders in the meeting hall. The elders were kind and usually calm, so their interrogations always ended peacefully, but now he understood what it must feel like for the person on the other side of said interrogation. Lucius again nodded his head.
"Why? Lucius, why did you let me win?"
Lucius, not wanting to continue on this matter decided to ignore her. It would be considered rude, but he did not have an answer to her question. He did not know why he felt the way he felt about her. What were these feelings? Are they good? Are they bad? What did they mean? What should he do about them?
Luckily he could see the Walker's house in the distance, he stopped short and turned to face Ivy. He gingerly dropped her hand and said,
"You are home now Ivy. I hope you enjoyed the race today. Perhaps I will see you again another time." Lucius then turned on his heel about to walk away, but not before he could hear Ivy call out,
"I shall see you tomorrow Lucius Hunt" she paused, letting her words sink in.
Lucius stopped mid step, turning back to face her, his face full of confusion. Ivy smiled at that and replied as if he'd questioned her on this.
"You are my friend now Lucius, so yes I ought to see you tomorrow"
Lucius, stunned by her words, nodded and turned to walk away. He may be in a state of confusion beyond words, though at least now he was able to walk away with a smile was on his lips.
Authors Note: This chapter was very fun to write! I worked hard on it. If you enjoyed please comment and share it to anyone who may be interested. This story shall continue shortly.
Also I just wanted to mention that this chapter takes place before Ivy loses her sight.
