{"id":1235,"date":"2012-05-23T00:00:36","date_gmt":"2012-05-23T04:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1235"},"modified":"2012-05-22T19:28:42","modified_gmt":"2012-05-22T23:28:42","slug":"autumn-chapter-12-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1235","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 12 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m still not sure this is entirely necessary,\u201d I muttered to Carolyn as she fussed over the darts in my bodice.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She glared at me, pins her mouth.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Behind her, Tala ran the treadle sewing machine, its rhythmic clacks echoing through the camp.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019d salvaged the heavy black vintage piece, still in working condition, from the university theatre\u2019s costume shop of all places.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My friends had been putting it to hard use the past week.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019d insisted on making me a wedding dress.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I protested.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I whined.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I bargained, cajoled, tried to remind them that we had so much <\/span>other<\/span><\/em> work to do before the snows flew; did we really have time for this?<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes,<\/em><\/span> they\u2019d all told me firmly.<\/span>\u00a0 Yes, we do.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>But they\u2019d never said <\/span>why<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn took the pins out of her mouth and stared at me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTrust me, it is.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou keep saying that,\u201d I said, stifling a groan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut none of you will tell me why it\u2019s so damn important that I have a <\/span>dress<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not like Thom\u2019s wearing a suit.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, he\u2019s wearing his black doublet,\u201d Carolyn said, seeming to agree with me for just a second.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd for the record, Jacqueline is putting new trim on it for him, so you\u2019re not the only one who\u2019s going to be all dolled up for this.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I huffed a sigh, fighting the urge to cross my arms.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All that would do was get me glared at and stabbed with the pins that were already adjusting the bodice\u2019s fit.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The clacking wound down as Tala eased up on the sewing machine\u2019s pedal.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t see why you\u2019re so against this whole dress business, Mar.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Can\u2019t you <\/span>see<\/span><\/em> why we\u2019re doing this?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s why I keep wanting to know why.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn rolled her eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tala just smiled as she stood up slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She was showing more than she should have, Jacqueline had said in a whisper, wondering out loud if Tala had been wrong about when she\u2019d actually conceived the baby.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Only time was going to answer that question.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Tala brought the half-finished skirt over to me to check its length, making sure it wouldn\u2019t be too short.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was heavy silver-white brocade that they\u2019d looted from the fabric store down the road.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I suppose a dress was as good a use as any.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re doing it us as much as we\u2019re doing it for you, Mar,\u201d she said softly as Carolyn resumed pinning.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho knows if any of us will be able to have a dress like this, let alone get married?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You, in a white dress, marrying Thom\u2026we\u2019re doing it for all of us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Something close to normal amidst everything that <\/span>isn\u2019t<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You can\u2019t begrudge us that, can you?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>When she put it like that, it <\/span>almost<\/span><\/em> made sense.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cStill,\u201d I murmured, lifting my arms a little higher as Carolyn tapped the underside of my arm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s so damn much to do, Tala, it just doesn\u2019t feel <\/span>right<\/span><\/em> to me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I feel selfish for even letting you guys do this for me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, don\u2019t,\u201d she said cheerfully, smiling through a flicker of pain in her eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She must have been thinking about Kurt, her baby\u2019s father, if only for a second.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019d been preparing for a job interview on the east side of the state the weekend the world ended.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Easier said than done.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I forced a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll try not to.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn rolled her eyes again as she stabbed her extra pins into the cushion sitting by her knee and stood up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t try, <\/span>do<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It doesn\u2019t matter whether or not you <\/span>think<\/span><\/em> you deserve any of this, because we\u2019re going to give it to you whether you like it or not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>At the end of the day, you\u2019re screwed.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One corner of her mouth twitched upward in a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBesides, you only get married once.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019d be doing the same thing if it was one of us.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Would I?<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I smothered a frown, realizing at some point, my practicality had begun to override my sentimentality.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>When had that happened?<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Probably around the same time I decided that we should let Leah go wherever she was going to end up and whatever happened to her was just going to happen.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It had been nine days since Vammatar\u2019s attack.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Things had been quiet since then.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>No sign of Leah\u2014but no sign of the Greys, the <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em>, Vammatar or the Shadow Man.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Nervous flutters in my stomach told me it was the calm before the storm, but every time I tried to tell someone that, they just told me to settle down and enjoy the respite.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Even Kellin didn\u2019t seem overly concerned.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>If it hadn\u2019t been for Thom and Phelan <\/span>not<\/span><\/em> telling me to settle down and stop worrying, I might have actually started to think I was just being paranoid.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you done pinning?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked Carolyn, looking down at myself.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Pins sprouted everywhere from the bodice, but it certainly fit better than it had the last time she\u2019d started working on me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>After studying me for a moment, she grunted and nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah, I think so.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Take it off so I can start basting.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Tala helped me ease out of the bodice without getting impaled by a dozen tiny daggers.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded my thanks to her and dried my sweaty palms on the seat of my jeans.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My arms ached dully from keeping them raised for so long.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou know, I could always <\/span>help<\/span><\/em> you guys make my dress, since you\u2019re so damn determined to make sure that I have one.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHell no,\u201d Carolyn said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThis is our gift to you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re not allowed to make your own damn gift.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She sat down at the small desk sitting next to the sewing machine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGo on, get out of here and let Tala and I work.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled faintly and nodded, stepping out of the shed and into the afternoon sunshine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019d started moving more people, more things into the sheds, which were arranged in blocks facing each other, laid over the heating trenches Thom and Davon had spent so much time engineering.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019d tested them out a few days after the battle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Everything seemed to work well enough, but only time would tell.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Winter would tell, if we made it that far.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I headed for the tent, were the cookfire still burned.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The sound of hammering, of breaking up rocks and setting the walls echoed through the camp even as the sound of the sewing machine joined them again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Somewhere, Angie was laughing as she chased Birtha\u2019s puppies\u2014I could hear the sound of their puppy-barks mingling with the girl\u2019s delight.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The cacophony of life as we knew it.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Life as we know it.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m still not sure this is entirely necessary,\u201d I muttered to Carolyn as she fussed over the darts in my bodice. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She glared at me, pins her mouth.\u00a0 Behind her, Tala ran the treadle sewing machine, its rhythmic … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,35,50,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-12-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-jV","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1236,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235\/revisions\/1236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}