Warning:
Rated 'S' for 'Sarcasm'
The chirping of a bird makes me rustle on the ground. My heavy lids open to find myself lying under a tree. Sunlight escapes in patches from the branches, as I elbow my upper body up.
Am I in a dream? I remember tossing and turning in bed after eating with Ms Bragge...
I'm in some sort of a forested field, with only wild fruit vines accompanying me. The sunlight through the trees draws dark patches on my face. My blurry gaze focuses as a tall man paddles through the stray, and walks back and forth with his arms behind his back underneath a tree. There's also a bed of lilies and white chrysanthemums near the tree.
Lilies mean 'innocence', while white chrysanthemums mean 'truth'.
His restrained colour contrasts his raven hair, which reflects off the light. He takes a pocket watch out of his fitted blue suit and taps his lips.
The man's soft features give him a boyish look, despite the maturity of his cold attire.
He looks at my direction, and I try to lower myself into the mountains of fallen leaves, even though that won't camouflage me. He isn't able to focus on any particular spot and shakes his head dismissal.
Okay, thank God he can't see me.
"Dannoso!"
He brings up a smile and welcomes the blue eyed woman, maybe in her early twenties, coming near him.
Dannoso...
She's wearing a periwinkle blue dress with a white cloak draped over her shoulders.
The woman gives Dannoso her hand which he lightly touches with his lips, and then fondles his thumb on.
She is the daughter of Mrs Marietta Dannoso Maleece, Mother's dearest friend before her shifting to Italy.
Meredith's parents?
What they say next doesn't translate to my ears, as I sit up. Their conversation consists of Marietta giggling and Dannoso listening to her with curved lips.
After a while, Dannoso produces a small velvet box from his coat and gives it to Marietta. Her jaw hangs open as she gapes on it. Seeing her shock, Dannoso takes the ring out of the box and slides it into her left ring finger.
The ring somehow puts her into motion as she grabs Dannoso by his shoulders and kisses him on the lips.
Looking away from their intimate moment, I pay attention to the shadows of the leaves swaying back and forth with each stroke of wind.
"I expect you at Father's study by the morn, and now, I have to go tell Estelle of the proposal."
Yep, they're Meredith's parents.
Estelle was her mother's friend.
He assures her that he'll do just that, and then waves at Marietta's retreating figure.
Dannoso's hand falls to his side, and so does his smile. He places his hand on the trunk of a nearby tree, and droops his head.
After a while, his body starts shaking.
His guffaws somehow seem to jeer at the forest. Birds escape from blotches of branches. Meanwhile, the brown trunk turns black and the tree's leaves harden and fall like spades to the ground
Dannoso's fits eventually make him fall onto his knees and throw his head back in laughter, while the beds of lilies and chrysanthemums turn to dead leaves and I realise:
White chrysanthemums and lilies were the flowers put on Isabelle's grave.
"La puttana ignorativa(The ignoramus whore)."
The forest, along with Dannoso's charcoal eyes, dematerialses just as I dig my nails into the soil. I just float in the grey mist till everything colours itself.
My head's a bit shaky and my steps stutter till the headache goes away on its own. Blinking several times, I find myself within a dimly lit hall. The only source of light is from the translucent curtains.
This room has a brickish tint to it, because of the rebellious sunlight trying to escape through the red curtains. I wander around the room, and that's my eyes get tainted with anger.
Remain placid, Lindsey. You cannot change another's fate.
Henry?
Well, she always has been a bit of a hothead, mate.
Kathy?
Yellow!
There's a boy, who looks about my age, sitting at the sofas in the far end of the room. He doesn't do anything; he just keeps staring at a painting hung on the wall to his right.
Are you two going to voice my angel and devil sides from now on? If so, just tell me who's who beforehand.
I think I hear Kathy laughing at my sarcasm, but her laugh is much more welcome than Dannoso's.
That's the question, isn't it?
The painting is of a kind-looking man smiling on a cushioned seat with crossed legs.
A deep breath whispers from within my throat.
All right, whichever you two are, where are we?
East of Eden.
The boy has the same soft features and black hair as Dannoso, and only the crimson light gives his face some colour.
The irony...
I live in Edenfield's East Wing and that also happens to be what this place is called.
After a few seconds, my mind pins together something:
Isn't East of Eden where Cain went after murdering his brother?
That is correct. You shall find out later why this place was named after the dwelling of the first muderer and sinner in Abrahamic religions.
My head turns to the door clicking open, along with the boy. A woman comes in and frowns at the closed curtains, but doesn't say anything.
Her green eyes-- if they can-- sigh, and a few chocolate brown curls droop from her sides.
I tilt my head at her familiar features.
"Your father awaits, Dannoso." Her voice shakes off my thoughts.
The boy stops staring at the portrait, and his neutral expression turns into a scowl.
He points at the picture and replies in Italian,
"He was my father, Mother. Or have you forgotten?"
The woman shuts her eyes. "I can never, Dannoso."
The boy folds his arms across his chest, and tilts his head to the ground with a frown.
"Dannoso, please... Listen to him. At least, for me."
Dannoso looks in between the portrait and his mother before shoving his fists into his pockets.
"Only this time."
The woman smiles at him, but he keeps walking past her shoulder and out the door.
Dannoso closes the door behind him with a strident bang, but the woman seems unaffected by it all. She only stares at the portrait, as a single droplet falls to the floor and the scene blurs out again.
Before you ask, you must know of Dannoso because his fate shaped Meredith's decisions in the future.
Thanks for your generousity. My mind's been a bit jumbled up lately...
The clouds disappear, just as I grumble and I am now in between a middle aged man sitting on a dark throne-like chair and Dannoso. The only light that comes into the room is from the rectangular window in between the boy and man. Though, dark shadows plague the rest of the room.
The man's mouth is covered by his intertwined fingers in front of him while his elbows arch on the arm rest. Dannoso stands with his arms clasped at his back.
"You summoned for me," Dannoso asks.
"Your appearance is changing by every morn, Dannoso. It is becoming more and more like my wretched elder brother."
The man's hands fall down and onto his lap.
"Is that a sin?"
"Resembling an Ungifted is indeed a sin, lad."
"Then why didn't you birthe an heir, instead of having my father do so."
The man waves his hand, and Dannoso's knees touch the floor. Half of his body moves into the light, while the rest stays in the darkness as he coughs up some blood.
"Etiquette boy, or have you forgotten?"
Dannoso brings a hand up, but it twists and turns at the man's gestures. Dannoso lets out a yelp of pain as the man says,
"Your powers... Yes, they remained dormant today, did they not?" The smirk on the man's face turns into a scowl. "The only good thing your father did was producing an heir at his first try. Far better than mine who was only successful at his second endeavour."
Dannoso laughs, his chin dripping of blood.
"He was good, wasn't he? Perhaps, that is why Mother chose him and not you."
My chest rumbles at their conversation.
"And that is why he is twenty feet under the ground!"
The man crashes his right boot to the ground, and Dannoso coughs more blood.
He heaves a few breaths but manages to say, "All that matters now is that your father is no more, the Maleece lineage is alive, and I have your mother."
He ends his line with a grin that almost reminds me of Meredith.
Dannoso glowers at him.
"If you wanted my mother so much, then why did you not force yourself upon her, instead of murdering my father! In that manner, you could have gotten a son instead of a damned nephew.
But, I almost forgot, you must be impotent to have your brother to procreate for you!"
Dannoso's sarcasm results in him whimpering again and my grimacing.
"It is a pity when Gifted children turn out like you...
However, in answer to your former question, consent is essential when it comes to children like you. Have you not learnt the basics of our art, by now?"
The man leans down and closes a fist.
Dannoso's wounds heal, and the ground absorbs his blood on the floor.
Dannoso touches the side of his lips, only to find them completely dry. He looks back at his uncle, who answers for him:
"A Gifted's blood is far more valuable than an Ungifted's."
The nameless man stands up with his arms crossed against his chest.
"Heed my benevolence, boy. Death is far worse than pain for our kind, and one must never cross the boundaries of mortality."
The man clicks his heels, but stops. Without knowing, my body moves more towards the light as his charcoal irises grin at the boy.
"Also, happy five-and-tenth birthday..."
His arms press behind his back as he exits the room.
Dannoso grunts and stutters to his feet. He almost falls but steadies himself as he says
"There will come a day, Uncle, when I escape death..."
I just really like this GIF, folk.
Plus, I've been fangirling on TMI after watching the film.
I guess I'm one of those few folk who loves it.
*distant sobbing because there won't sequel because of the Shadowhunters show*
Hullo, everybody! I hope y'all are well. :)
My finals just ended yesterday and I then just watched TMI online(been meaning to do that for quite a bit).
So, in this chapter, we're discovering Meredith's demonic past. Don't worry, there'll be more where that came from.
Now you know why Edenfield and East of Eden are so connected. ;)
I'm kind of a fan of stories of ALL religions(whether it's a monolithic or polylithic one). I'm one of those weird folk who find them interesting.
Though, I didn't have Cain and Abel's story in mind while plotting. I had been thinking of Shakespare's Hamlet while writing xD
And I know it was uncommon for unmarried Victorian couples to touch each other, let alone kiss.
I used that as a way to quickly establish the nature of their relationship.
And 'Yellow' is actually how Kathy is pronoucing 'hullo' here xD
I also want to watch Wonder Woman, but, in my defence, I had finals. I'll probably end up watching it when it comes to DVD now. ;-;
Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter and here's this week's question(a bit more light):
What worries you the most in this chapter?
Last but not the least, happy Ramadan, and please pray for all those in London. The ones who did such a heinous act are not worthy of being called even humans, let alone members of any religion in the world.
P. S. 5 being repeated in the chapter number really wasn't planned. XD
Have a great week! :)
Love,
MS Zame