Artemis Eden (Acrobat and then some...)

So after I wrote Acrobat, the idea bit me hard so I started planning a story, and came up with Artemis Eden. Thanks to everyone who had something to say about Acrobat.

All comments, questions, suggestions, crits welcome. In the first chapter, Acrobat, I would like opinions on the use of the phrases in parenthesis and italics. Also I think I am having some real fluidity problems in the second, Castles Made of Sand.

Now on to the story. Rated for language and situations.

Freewrite started 16.03.06

Acrobat

When I first met you girl

You had fire in your soul

What happened your face

Of melting in snow

Now it looks like this

- Acrobat, U2

Maddie looked to her feet, her sore, muddy feet. Grabbing the hose from the front porch, she switched it on, and let the blast of cold well water splatter all over her skin and flow between her toes. Faintly over the spray she could hear laughter and squeals from inside the house; but it only distracted her for a moment, and she turned back to scowl at her feet.

The Dalton house was a small, peeling place. White with fading green trim, it had stood the test of time and that of the ever increasing family. The front steps sat cock-eyed, the antebellum porch was patched in variously places, and the whole structure leaned slightly to the left. There was an addition at the back that looked slightly less ragged than the rest, and the yard was yellowed in the dry September heat. In the rocky driveway were parked two cars: a large blue ford pickup with a dented bumper, and a white mini-van. The entrance to the Dalton property started sharply in the bend of the road, where an ancient mailbox and the dead leavings of a Christmas stood vigilant.

When the last vestiges of mud had disappeared, Maddie yanked the hose off. The last of the water dripped on to her bare shins just below where she had rolled up her jeans. Coiling up the green hose she placed it on the deck, grabbed her backpack, and headed inside.

The noise affected Maddie the most and she physically flinched as she stepped inside.

“Maddie, Maddie home!” One of the youngest twins shrieked, and Maddie fought the impulse to cover her ears and run.

“Madeline, thank god, take Emma-Marie for me girl.” Her mother’s slightly frantic voice sounded in the hallway, after which she entered the youngest, at age one and a half, on her hip.

Maddie slightly nodded taking the wide-eyed child from her and her mother rushed off without another word.

“Come on,” she whispered conspiratorially attempting to smooth an errant blonde strand on her sister’s head, “let’s see what the boys are up to.”

(first break)

The living room was a mess. Bits of crackers and honey nut cheerios were scattered all over the stained carpet. Legos and coloured blocks from toppled bridges and castles were bright buoys on the off white. Two of younger Daltons’ were sitting on the L – shaped couch watching cartoons. Maddie caught a glimpse of Chad at the kitchen table, scribbling on a wide ruled, yellow notepad. Hoisting Emma higher in her arms, she made her trek through the myriad of foot obstacles to sit on the edge of the couch. Micah, the youngest boy at three glanced up at her, and smiled, the spaces where baby teeth had fallen out showing.

“What you watching?” Maddie turned her attention to the television, she did not recognize the show, and it reminded her how long it was since she had watched TV at all.

Diana, Micah’s twin, not taking her eyes of the screen answered in a annoyed voice, which she had recently picked up from their sister Cindy, “Kim Possible,” adding a little sigh at the end, as if she was implying ‘you loser.’

“Oh.”

Leaning backwards to accommodate Emma, Maddie continued to watch the show, her backpack cutting into the planes of her back. A young, thin, red-haired cartoon in a cheer-leading outfit was rushing off to save the world.

After a few minutes, Emma tugged at the collar of her shirt.

She flashed a plastered smile at her, “Yeah.”

“Blocks.” With her chubby pointy finger Emma pointed at the blocks spread across the floor, then curled the fingers in a grasping motion. “Blocks.”

Maddie heaved an internal sigh, “Yes, blocks,” before managing to seat herself at the foot of the sofa, Emma in her laps.

She stretched out for one of the bright blocks, and when she had it secure in her hands she pressed the plastic turquoise Y into the child’s searching hands.

(take a breath)

Maddie wasn’t sure when the headaches had started, maybe at the start of the school year. She had enough advanced placement classes to sink a battleship, English Language, American History, Physics, French, as well as her regular classes: Algebra II and Advanced Acting. Study Hall was the only thing that had kept her from breaking she was sure.

But lately the headaches had gotten worse. They began towards the back of her brain with this toothless pressure, and then crept up to her temples where it was not just the ache that pained, but severe jolts. At times, such as this she had to close her eyes and breathe, so she could see straight.

Breathe…

Maddie opened her eyes, and stared into the mirror. A very grumpy self-image growled back. Honeyed eyes tired, thin lips pressed together, auburn hair in two short pigtails at her neck base. Smudges on her round face stood out against her slight olive tan. Maddie brought up her hand to pinch the bridge of her small nose, and blinked a few more times.

Breathe…

She jerked open the medicine cabinet at the side of the mirror, and grappled for the aspirin bottle.

Two oblong white pills slipped into the cup of her palm; two little white pills. After a pause in thought, Maddie shook the bottle again, and two more fell out.

(second break)

“Hey, is the dishwasher clean?” Maddie announced, as she pried it open with one hand.

“I dunno, look?” Was the only answer she got, and she grumbled, fishing for a glass.

Finding one that looked passable she filled it up. Tossing back her head, she swallowed both the pills and gulp of water at the same time.

“So is it clean?” Adelaide, her twelve year old sister asked, sidling up to the dishwasher.

“I guess,” Maddie said softly, putting her glass back on wire rack.

Adelaide made a face, but didn’t reply.

“Maddie!”

Maddie groaned, what did her mother want now?

As if on cue, Chad appeared phone in hand. He offered it up casually. “Mom said the phone was for you.”

“Oh, thanks.”

(hello, hello.)

Maddie rested her back against her headboard, and settled into the relative quiet of the room she shared with her sister Cindy.

“Hello?”

“Mads?”

The sides of Maddie’s lips curled at hearing her best friend’s voice.

“Hey Georgie, yeah it’s me. What’s up?”

“Oh nothing much, just thought I’d call, how is everything going at the hell hole?”

“It’s going. I wish I could just rebel or something, maybe they would take some notice.”

“Oh, but Maddie,” Georgie started doing her best impression of Mrs. Dalton, “but you are so reliable, and perfect, you never do anything wrong.”

Maddie giggled at that, “Touché.”

“So other than the over-oppressive Nazi taskmaster giving hell, did you start the book yet?”

“Uh, which one, Wizard of Earthsea was it?” Maddie lifted her black Jansport backpack into her lap, and searched through the relative chaos that it was.

“Yes. I’m guessing you haven’t.”

Maddie extracted the worn copy that Georgie had given her in study hall. “No, but I you know how it is, can’t get any quiet in this place.”

“Too true. Hey, why don’t you come with me and Alan to the lake tomorrow?”

Maddie almost said no, she was tempted too. Maddie hated intruding on Georgie and Alan, and their private time, most of the time it made her uncomfortable. But she loved the lake too much, to pass it up; plus they hadn’t been there since Labor Day.

“Sure, count me in.”

“Yay!”

(smile)

“So question four, civilization versus the wilderness. The town obviously represents civilization, a place controlled by rules, where all actions are on display and punishment for transgressions is quick. The forest, who made up these questions any way? – this is stupid.”

“Agreed, Mrs. Marsh made them I think,” Maddie answered, as she tried to flip her notes over which one hand, the other occupied with the phone.

“Yeah, the ancient crone would. But never-mind – back to the prompt, the forest, the wilderness is a place of nature where society’s rules do not apply. While it allows misbehaviour, i.e. Miss Hibbins’s, it is also a great place of honesty. Errg, gag me with a spoon, can this be any more clichéd?”

“Georgie, the prompt,” Maddie chided her, although she was smiling.

“Oh yeah, so honesty in the forest, an escape from repressionist Boston; Hester and Dimmesdale become young lovers again there, and frolic just like Adam and Eve in nakedness and harmony.”

Maddie chuckled, “Georgie did you really write that?”

“No, but I am sorely tempted, very sorely. I think my angel decided to take a vacation, cause Satan here is thoroughly disgusted at being dropped in a vat of cheese; a very big vat of cheese at that.”

“Well tell him, if he shuts up and lets us work, I’ll give him a cookie.”

“Yay, cookie! So back to the vat of cheese, Hester’s cottage: because it lies just on the outskirts of town, in both civilization and the wilderness it embodies both. It is her exile, but because of its distance from civilization it is also a place where Hester can make a life for herself. I think that’s it. Whatcha say Captain?”

“Sounds great, don’t we have to talk about Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship too?”

“Umm, yeah, crud, cheesy cheese; Let me go get those notes we made in study hall.”

Maddie could hear the ruffling of papers, and imagined her friend’s frantic search. She shouldn’t have given her those notes, but it wasn’t as if Maddie was any more organized.

“Oh look, it’s my loser of a sister.”

Maddie snapped towards the voice. Her sister Cindy was loitering in the doorway, chewing bubble gum, her dark eyes narrowed in what could have passed for disgust. She was dressed in a bright green halter top, and skin sticking jean capris, her purse in the crook of her thin arm.

“Don’t you have a life?” She jibed when Maddie ignored her first comment.

Maddie ignored that as well, avoiding her sister’s stare.

“I thought you were out with friends.” She spoke, trying to make conversation.

“I was, cause apparently I’m like the only one in this place that has any. Corey and I went to the mall to look at dresses, fyi. What did you do? Read.”

“Actually, no, I helped Mom. Now scatter, I’ve got work to do.”

“Fine, then.” Cindy hooked a piece of her long, dyed honey highlighted hair behind one ear, before blowing a bubble in Maddie’s direction, the pop ominous in the tension.

When Maddie just rolled her eyes, Cindy just muttered ‘loser’ before sauntering off.

“Mads? Mads?” Georgie voice echoed in the receiver.

“Yeah, sorry Georgie, Cin decided to drop in, luckily without any of her friends this time.”

There was a pause before Georgie answered, “No offence Mads, but she is a bitch. Would you mind terribly if I gouged her heart out with a spoon?”

Castles Made of Sand

And so castles made of sand,

Fall in the sea eventually

- Castles Made of Sand, Jimi Hendrix

“Maddie, Maddie, wakey, wakey.Mads, come on, we’re gonna be late!”

Maddie bolted upright in her bed and in the confusion between sleep and wakefulness frantically searched for the origin of the noise.

Brown eyes met hers, and a smirk quirked on a familiar face. Maddie, now fully awake, hurled her pillow and grinned as it connected with her brother’s face.

“Oomph… I mean it Mads, class starts in,” his eyes darted towards his watch, “in less than an hour.”

Maddie mumbled something before dislodging herself from her comforter that sounded awfully like ‘go fuck yourself’, wanting instead to bury herself into the soft, worn folds of her bed.

Her brother sighed and started to leave, “I’ll be in kitchen.”

Maddie managed to find a clean sweatshirt and her backpack in the foggy darkness, the room was suspiciously quiet as Cindy was nowhere in sight.

She ambled into the kitchen and just as she was about to open the refrigerator when Greg snagged her arm. “Whaat?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Don’t have time,” he exasperated dragging her towards the door, which Maddie concluded was much too easy for him.

Well there goes breakfast. Maddie scowled but followed him out to his car when he let her go, being the eldest Dalton child that meant special privileges like getting their maternal grandmother’s Toyota when she died.

Maddie sidled into the passenger seat, throwing her backpack at her feet.

“Where’s Cindy?”

“Got a ride earlier, one of her friends I think,” Greg answered as he started the car.

“Oh.”

Any other attempts at conversation were hindered as the stereo crackled to life and blared with the latest hip-hop song. Maddie tucked her legs in attempt to curl in on herself, and rested her head against the frigid frame of the window. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the offending sounds that were ruining her attempts at sleep.

//

Maddie flinched as someone prodded her side, and she twisted to defend against the intruder.

“You starting a new trend?” Alan enquired gesturing her pyjama bottoms: black with bright yellow smilies, red and blue bandanas wrapped around their foreheads. “I like.”

Maddie fought the urge to stick out her tongue at him; him with his mischievous malachite eyes and copper hair mussed in that ‘I just got out of bed’ look that always reminded her of Peter Pan. But she kept her tongue in check just like always, and glared at him.

She was about to tell him off for the comment when Mr. Todd stalked into the classroom, and silenced them all with a look, “Take out your books, and turn to Chapter Seven; read and answer the questions at the end.”

A collective groan resonated through the room.

Maddie was half way through reading about Polk and his insecurities when Alan interrupted her again. She turned to tell him off, but didn’t when she saw his concerned expression.

“You okay Mads?”

“Yeah, why?” He was staring at her, his expression unreadable; she tried to be confused at the question.

“Nevermind,” He muttered before turning back to whatever he was scribbling in his notebook.

“Oh okay,” and she immersed herself back into paranoid presidents, trying to forget the disquiet of his words.

//

“Hey guys, excited about the Lake?” Georgie plopped down at the lunch table, excitement evident in her voice.

“You’re coming?” Alan looked up from his Chem assignment and Maddie nodded.

“Yeah, it will just be like old times. What’s that?” Maddie pointed at the shoebox Georgie had just set down on the table

“Oh, that’s my creative writing project, touchy feely thing. Wanna try?” Georgie picked up the box and tilted it towards Maddie; there were four holes in the top.

“What do I do?”

“You stick your hands, or fingers, or whatever in and feel around and such. It supposed to be representative of me.” Georgie rounded on her boyfriend as Alan tried his best to keep his laughter in check, but failed.

“You bastard!” Georgie smacked him in the arm, “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“I do,” Maddie interjected as she stuffed her hand in the first whole, hmm smooth and plushie like a beanie baby.

“You do?” Georgie immediately stopped her assault fixing her eyes on Maddie.

“Yeah,” Maddie put her hand in the next hole, and she flashed them both a Cheshire grin as she referenced an old joke, “He puts out doesn’t he?”

Alan pretended to look offended, as Georgie and Maddie erupted in conjoined laughter.

//

Maddie jumped into the front seat of Georgie’s navy blue, ‘86 Mitsubishi Gallant, tossing her backpack and duffle on the back seat. “Hey, is it okay if we stop by my dad’s office before we pick up Alan?”

Georgie was putting a CD into her car stereo, “Sure. Alan is at a jam session anyways.”

“Cool, thanks.”

“No problem, dear. Shall we lay on Macduff?”

“As always.”

System of the Down’s Toxicity blared over the car speakers as they pulled into the parking lot. Maddie jumped out, and left Georgie singing along with the volume full blast.

Maddie bounded up the flight of stairs preferring them to the elevator. Today was a good day, life was good, and she was getting away for the weekend, away from the madness of home, now all she needed was some money.

Upon opening the door to her father’s office, the clink of the bell sounding, an ominous feeling crept up on her. The first thing that put her off was that the receptionist was missing, her grating laughter and rolling eyes absent. But Maddie continued on into the oppressive silence, after checking behind the desk, and entered the hallway.

“Hey any one there?”

When no one answered, she looked into her father’s office; the door was open, but the room was empty. Thinking she heard the copier going, she took off towards the copy room.

As she approached she distinctly heard what she thought was her father’s voice in pain, rushing down the hall, she froze, her hand resting on the slightly parted door’s frame.

Her father was bent over the copier, his arms outstretched keeping him balanced; the blonde receptionist under him, her shapely legs spread wide, skirt bunched up around her stomach as he slammed into her with each thrust.

In shock Maddie watched paralyzed, through the haze she could see that he was sucking on her neck, eyes closed, and her face was skewed in pleasure. Suddenly disgusted at herself Maddie visibly flinched from the sight, and not caring if they heard her, took off her feat slapping against the thin carpet.

Maddie ran until her lungs strained for air, and almost toppled over when she did stop in the stair well, her breaths short and laboured. She wished fervently for the ability to cut out the vision of what she had just witnessed: her father fucking his receptionist. In some distant part of her mind, she was not surprised. She had seen the looks that had passed between them, and had pushed them aside as her over active imagination. But now, well now that a priori opened up a Pandora’s Box of thoughts. She had the compulsion to wretch, the green, astringent tang of acid blossoming in her mouth. Slowly, not trusting her limbs, Maddie continued down the stairs, putting up a façade of indifference as she walked out into the building lobby. But she just couldn’t get the sounds of copier sliding back and forth, the eerie pale green light and the breathy sounds of two as she was rooted frozen in the surprisingly muggy hall. She just wanted to wipe the whole event from her mind.

When she got back to the car, Georgie gave her a strange look before starting the car up again.

“You get it?”

She didn’t know you she was trying to reassure, herself or Georgie. “He wasn’t there, but that’s okay.”

And yet it wasn’t.