The two gangs gathered around the campfire, checking out their 'new' possessions. Everyone was laughing, especially Edgar. Knowing him well. Each went around and showed everyone what they had. "Got me this real nice lookin' knife~. Got some silvah on it. Reeeal nice~," Freighter said, putting the dagger in his own holster. "Well technically, Freighter, I was the one who-a took it," Edgar noted. "Shut it, Mafia boy!" snapped Freighter. Everyone chuckled, minus Edgar of course.
Blake got out a silver pocket watch. It was tarnished but she said, "It could be worth somethin'. Who knows." Scuzz started fiddling with another pocket watch that Freighter had. "Aint it weird tha' all those folks had were pocket watches?" Frank asked, fiddling with the floral bonnet on his head. Blake wondered why he had thing on his head.
"Might as well say all those rich fol's were jes a bunch o' plantation owners down south," Blake noted. "What kinda plantation?" asked Frank again.
"The hell I'd know. Tobacco in Kentucky. Cotton in Tennessee an' Mississippi." Scuzz opened the pocket watch. "There's so many plantations I prob'bly wouldn' keep track o' dem all."
"Hey! Um...Th-th-there's someth-thin' etched in, eh, h-h-here!" Scuzz announced. All head turned to him. Ray leaned down and whispered in Blake's ear, "Why's he stutterin' like that?" Blake shook her head. "Been doin' that since we recruited 'im." The hearing of an etching in a pocket watch caught her attention though. "What's it say?" she asked.
Scuzz tried to read it... but: "I, uh, I d-dunno, b-boss... It's wr-wr-written in, uh... In some sorta... Sorta weird langu-uage." And he shook his head. "Wha'? Too illiterate?" Freighter said jokingly. The whole crew laughed at the joke, Blake just rolled her eyes. Scuzz glared at the Freighter and replied, "If I...If I was, th-then why'd you git st-stuck wit' a smart ass l-like me?" The echo of 'Oooh's went around the fire, Freighter death glared back at him; Scuzz smirked.
Scuzz knelt down towards the fire and muttered, "Really... C-c-cain't see real w-well..." He pursed his lips as he tried to read the etching. "...A T-t-ter...tergo... uhm, n-n-nunq-q-quam rec-cedat domusq-q-que...," he interpreted. Blake's heart stopped, her eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Whaddya sup...suppose tha' mean-" Scuzz saw Blake staring directly at him. He looked back with a confused look, eyes darting left and right and back to her. "...What?"
"...gimme that watch," Blake muttered holding her hand out. Scuzz became even more confused when she said that. "Wh-wh-whaddya-"
"Gimme. The goddamn-"
He tossed it over the fire with a whimper before she finished, knowing her short temper. She caught it with her eyes still on Scuzz. She brought the watch closer to her as Butch looked over her shoulder. Blake opened the watch and looked at what Scuzz was trying to read.
"A tergo nunquam recedat domusque..." Blake muttered.
No. It can't be.
"What does that mean?" Skinny asked. Blake was silent for a few seconds before replying. "It says 'Don't Leave Your Family Behind'. It's in Latin." "Who in their right would-a speak Latin these-a days?" Edgar blurted out. Blake looked at him and remarked, "Apparently someone who's damn smart enou' ta even know that..."
Blake kept staring at the pocket watch. Memories came flooding in from nowhere and into her mind...
...
...
...
Running on her way to the local bank, Blake giggled as she couldn't wait to see her cousin Joe. She also couldn't decide whether to cover her left eye or her right eye with her hair, but that really didn't matter. Blake found her way to the doors of the enormous bank and pried open the doors. She straightened out her raggedy dress and went off searching for her cousin.
After five minutes, she thought he had left already. Blake felt a little sad, when suddenly: "What's a pretty primanita like you doing here?" Blake's heart jumped and she turned around and saw the tall Hispanic accented man dressed nicely in grey kneeling down to her eye level. She gave him her genuine smile and said, "Ya scared me, Joe!" Joe chuckled and said, "I'm terribly sorry, Blakely. Well I'm off now, so... Want to get ice cream?"
Knowing a young child hearing this offer, she by impulse nodded happily and smiled widely. "Yes!" and took his hand. The two came back to the steps of the bank after treating themselves to a cone. It was rare for Blake to get such a sweet treat, knowing her crap living conditions. Joe couldn't help but to give a smile as he watched her lick the frozen treat off the cone. He took one lick and took out his silver pocket watch. He opened it and scanned the etching in the lid of the watch.
"Whatcha got there?" Blake asked, very curious. Joe looked at her and leaned down to show her the watch. "This was my father's. He handed it down to me before he... went to The Other Side. And it was even his father's," he said. Blake finished her ice cream and licked her fingers off and held out her hand. Joe grinned and gave it to her to look at it. Blake noticed the etching in the watch's lid.
"What's this say?" she asked. Joe noted her confused look at the Latin etching. He gave her a smile and explained, "It says 'A tergo nunquam recedat domusque.'" Blake giggled. "What 'oes that mean?"
"It means 'Don't leave your family behind'. And I have kept that motto with me ever since my father, your great uncle, gave it to me. And I think you should carry that message with you as well."
She figured he meant he wanted her to have it. But she knew she couldn't keep it either, knowing that her parents would accuse her of stealing it. So Blake shook her head. Joe understood, and said, "I know. Maybe when you are older. And you decide to leave town..."
...
...
...
"No. I'll think on it. Maybe I will~!" Blake said to herself.
And out loud.
Every one of the guys, even Butch, stared at her with a mixed look of confusion, shock, scared, and what the fuck. Blake still didn't realize they were looking at her in such a sudden cheery mood. Frank leaned over to Jake and whispered, "Okay. Yo lil' boss is really startin' ta creep me out. She eveh like tha'?" Jake shook his head slowly and replied quietly, "Not once. An' Ah don' blame ya."
Butch had enough with the creepy talking-to-yourself from Blake and shook her shoulder to snap her out of her trance. Blake blinked rapidly and snapped her head up, seeing that everyone was looking directly at her. She blushed madly by this and said, "Wh-why're y'all lookin' at me like that?" Freighter pursed his lips and pointed his finger up to the sky and said hesitantly, "...Yooooou were... Uh, how could I say this, talkin' to yoself..."
Blake's blush deepened as she sighed. "I did it out loud, din' I?" she asked. Freighter nodded, pursing his lips again. Blake, mortified, buries her face in her hands and curses to herself. Butch shakes his head and sighs as the guys chuckle at the little incident.
After recovering from her embarrassment, Blake stares off into the fire, not really caring about what the guys were talking about. Her one hand held her chin, the other fiddled with the pocket watch. Her rusty red and blue eyes gazed on the slowly dying fire, more memories flooded in. She thought she was hearing screams of terror around the camp...
…
…
…
The whole house was in flames. Nobody can do anything. All they can do is panic and scream.
Their screams made Blake feel good inside. She wanted them to be in pain just like she was.
"Did I do good, Lamia~?" Blake asked. The British boy came out from the flames unharmed with a demonic grin. He replied softly, "Yu did fine, Blake~. Now we have to run."
And so they ran. Ran far away before any of the militia arrived to put it out…
…
…
…
"Blake?" Butch said shaking her shoulder. Blake snapped out of her trance and looked at Butch. 'Oh God did I do it again?' she thought. "Thought chu was dead there for a sec!" Butch joked. She just rolled her eyes before rubbing them. "Welp, I'm getting' kinda tired, 'nyway…"
Most of the guys were asleep as well. Butch leaned on the log supporting him and put his hat over his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. She looked over at Butch and had a small grin on her face. Blake glanced up at the night sky then back to the dying fire. As Blake lie down, she put her head against Butch's shoulder and put her hat over her eyes.
It took Blake a while to actually fall asleep, however. She had a felling… that she was being watched.