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"𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐄, 𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐄 à l'intérieur et fais tes corvées!" Maman called from the kitchen window, waving her dishcloth around to get my attention, as she does when she doesn't want to have to ask more than once.
Turning around to face the small cottage we owned, I rolled my eyes and raised the notebook in my hand to show that I was in the middle of something, "Une minute maman, je dois juste finir ça!"
Gazing back out at the large lake in front of me, I let out another long sigh, which I seem to have been doing a lot lately. Picking up the graphite pencil from between the pages, I continued writing my weekly frustrations.
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May 15, 1904
Cher journal, Maman has been pressuring me more and more as time moves closer to my eighteenth birthday. She believes that she has picked out the perfect man for me to marry when I come of age.
The thing is, she doesn't understand the concept of love and how it works; Papa barely pays any attention to her as it is. You can't force two people into the same room and expect them to get along, let alone live together for the rest of their lives.
I don't want to meet the man she picked out. He can be as handsome as he wants, there is no way we would ever love each other as a man and wife should, not when our relationship would be arranged. I just wish there was a way out of the plan she set for me; no more etiquette lessons and no more frilly clothes.
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"Coralie, dépêche-toi!" Maman called out to me again, shutting the window with a slam, which rocked it on its hinges. I could tell an argument was in store for me, that is when the neighbouring houses aren't listening.
Standing up from my spot on the grass, I took one more long look out across the lake for the day and made my way across the yard. Opening the door to go back into the house, I sighed at the pile of dishes waiting in the sink.
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Sitting with my legs crossed under the dinner table, my light blue dress lied over them nicely. I wasn't the biggest fan of the lace and shiny buttons, but I had no choice in wearing it. My blonde hair was braided in such an elaborate way, that I didn't think I could get it out when this evening is over.
A couple of days had passed and Maman believed that it was time for me to meet my future husband. I tapped the tips of my fingers onto the wooden table as I waited impatiently for them to arrive. I wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Papa quickly went to answer it, waiting a few seconds to breathe before he opened the door. There was a warm greeting of words and a few handshakes exchanged between them as Maman and the woman made polite conversation. Papa and the father, their tones were almost identical in the way they spoke.
Moving out from behind his father, was the man I was supposed to marry in a couple of months. He had a dark brooding face with chestnut coloured hair and bright green eyes, his physique was tall and broad. He couldn't be older than twenty-five.
Hearing a loud clap from the doorway, I jumped at the noise and watched as both the sets of parents moved to the sitting room. I turned back to the man and observed him. His posture spoke greatly into the idea that he seemed to carry himself with confidence, a sort of arrogance that could potentially be troublesome.
Nodding his head in greeting, he sat down at the table across from me, helping himself to the wine set out on the table. He poured himself quite a large glass and took a couple of gulps before eyeing me, "Je vous ai entendu parler bien l'anglais?"
"I do," I gave in response to his question, not really wanting to engage in conversation. My accent wasn't thick, but it was there. It which is something I had been working on to get rid of.
"Where did you learn the language?" He asked, his eyes giving away that he was curious, even though the rest of his face was stoic.
I tried to keep my eyes off of his figure and let them roam around the room to give him the message that I was not interested, "Where did you learn to speak it?"
He gave a brief humourless laugh and set down his glass, "You know, the least you could do is answer some of my questions. We are arranged to be married."
"I asked you a question and you didn't answer," I responded, deterring the topic so I didn't have to give an answer I knew he wouldn't like; I taught myself.
I could tell from the corner of my eye, that he was getting annoyed with me, as the muscles in his jaw clenched and the grip on his glass slowly strengthened, "Okay, I learned from my aunt. She moved from Brittain when she was young."
I nodded along to what he was saying to show that I was listening, and when he was finished I let the silence stretch, not bothering to answer his question even though I knew he was waiting and expecting me to.
Setting down his glass and clenching his fists on the table, I heard him let out a long sigh, "Coralie, I will not stand for silence. You will answer a question when I ask one, me comprenez-vous?"
"Non, je ne comprend pas. I don't intend to follow everything you say," I spoke lightly, glaring at the wall across the room. I didn't want to push too much, but that line seemed to be crossed already.
Picking up and slamming the glass on the table with the force to crack the bottom, he stood up from his seat with angry eyes, "I am the man of the house, you will do as a proper lady does!"
Finally looking at him, I couldn't tell if the alcohol was fueling him, "We will live under the same roof, we will run the house as equals. Our children will not be your property."
His nostrils flared and his face grew red, lifting the glass from the table, he threw it as hard as he could in my direction. Ducking out of the way just in time, the glass shattered against the wall behind me, red wine staining my clothes and the floors.
I could hear the parents yelling in the other room, making their way back to the kitchen. Straightening as fast as I could, I made a run for it through the house and towards the stairs.
"Learn your place, Coralie!" I heard him yell out to me as I climbed the stairs as fast as I could, taking them two at a time. Once on the second level, I closed the door behind me and locked myself in, taking a couple of steps back from the door.
Heaving a couple of heavy breaths to calm my racing heart, I turned towards the dark night sky outside my window, bright white lights glittering above the clouds. Pulling on the braids in my hair, unweaving them until it fell nicely over my shoulders, I watched the stars as they slowly moved across the sky.
Mumbling to myself in a tired and drained voice, I sat on my simple cot, "I believe... I believe there is a loophole."
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A gust of cold wind came rushing through my window, waking me up from my semi-peacefull sleep. Lifting my head from my arms, which were resting on my open window sill, I couldn't help but notice the large indents made into my skin from the ledge.
Rubbing my eyes, another blow of freezing air came through the opening in my room, making my hair move off my shoulders. Taking a look outside, the sky was still dark and most lights in the neighbour's houses were out; it couldn't have been more than two or three in the morning.
Two stars seemed to move around the sky in an odd way, growing larger and larger the more I stared at them. Standing up, I stuck my face out the window to get a better look at what they were, a double shooting star perhaps?
They continued to grow until I could see a silhouette shaped around the two supposed stars, moving in the direction of my house.
Taking a quick step back, I shut the window and waited for it to go by. That was until the pane flew open by itself with a loud noise, making me jump out of my skin. More air made its way into my room with force, goosebumps rising on my skin.
A shadow flew into my room, it's feet hovering off the ground like it has never walked before. The entity itself was like a black abyss, but you could see the other side, its eyes burning a bright white to contrast it.
Staring at me for a long second, I stared back at the thing. The shadow seemed like it was trying to decipher between two weighing options, a war going on in its head, before reaching forward with its hand and grabbing my wrist in a firm grip, tugging me towards the window, "What are you doing? What are you?"
It gave me no answers, just more force in its pull, obviously wanting me to come with it back to whatever messed up place it came from. My heart jumped in my chest and fear came over my body, "I'm not going with you anywhere, forget it!"
Struggling with the grip on my wrist, I clawed at its hand, trying to pry it away as my feet were slipping on the floor, slowly bringing me closer to being kidnapped, "Let me go! Tu es fou!"
Pulling half of my body out the window, I lost my balance for a second, my feet lifting off the floor slightly. The shadow took the opportunity and drug me out of my room, my knees scraping against the wood lining the window. Almost dropping a story down to the grass, I latched onto the shadow's arm as best I could as he flew higher into the sky.
The village from above looked so pretty, but it didn't help me stop dwelling over the fear and confusion in my brain. Looking up at the sky, I watched as we flew high enough to be level with the clouds, my home quickly being passed by with the speed we were travelling.
"Where are you taking me?" I yelled over the sound of the wind rushing past my ears, but the shadow didn't even take the time to glance down at me, "Where did you come from? Answer me!"
Heading straight for a cloud, I held my breath as the water surrounded me, almost to the point where I couldn't help but take some water into my lungs. I choked on it for a second, not able to see or know where we were going.
Suddenly the water had vanished and I was able to breathe again, coughing a little as my throat was dry and scratchy. Looking beneath me, I notice that hills and farmland were not under my feet anymore, but a huge, neverending ocean, that headed out in all directions; a lone island sitting in the middle of it all, trees half the size of mountains covered most of the land.
Heading straight for a beach, the shadow didn't seem to have the intention of slowing down or lowering closer to the shore, "What are you doing? Take me to the beach!"
A low deep voice came from within the dark entity, raspy and angry, almost like it couldn't comprehend any other emotion, "No."
Immediately he let go of my hand, which made the ones I held onto him with slip because of the unexpected weight change. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I plummeted twenty feet towards the roaring ocean waves, flailing my limbs to try to get myself in a position that wouldn't kill me when I hit the water.
The force of the impact knocked the air out of my lungs and left me disoriented, with no light from the sun, the water was dark and seemingly lifeless. I couldn't tell which way was up. My lungs burned with the need for oxygen and my head was growing fuzzy, my mind wouldn't think straight even if I wanted it to.
Slowly the ocean seemed to grow darker as the seconds ticked by and I seemed to stop thinking altogether, the world passing by without me even knowing.
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Yay! First chapter! I've wanted to do a peter pan fanfiction for a while because he is my favourite fictional character. I also really wanted to do a book with another language in it, so why not combine them?
Also, I speak limited French, so if anything is wrong, please correct me and I'll fix it.