Young Writers Society

"So I couldn't find a quote yet, sue me.Feel free to suggest one in a comment or review..."

-SilloriaD

Chapter Four: Finding a Needle

Some things were quite the same at the Benard house- the routines, the mannerisms, even many of the hybrids... And, of course, my habit of being late. When Richard and I arrived at the doors to the dining room, he paused and listened. "Shit!" He cursed under his breath. "We're already late. And there's gonna be consequences... Oh, but why worry about that now? We're here, at least. Now, are you ready?" I nodded, steeling myself for the trouble that was bound to occur tonight. He smiled mischievously and pulled the doors open wide. With a grandeur bow to the room's occupants, he took a breath and spoke loud and clear. "Announcing the lovely and talented Miss Rebecca Einhard!" The room remained silent as I stepped in gracefully behind him. My family stared, looks of disdain clearly painted upon their faces. "Man, rough crowd." Richard grumbled before taking his place against the wall by the entrance. I quickly took my seat between Adrian and Mother, who was eagerly waiting to pounce the minute I appeared.

"And it's about time, too, Rebecca." She scolded me with an irksome tone. "If the young man from Austria had arrived on time, you'd make an awfully poor impression. Think of your future, child!"

"My future? What does some uppity Italian aristocrat have to do with-"

Father cut me off. "Enough about that, he'll be here any moment now. We will discuss this matter later, and in private."

As if on queue, Richard clapped to gain our attention. "May I present a humbled guest within the Benard home- Marcel Lettiere of Italy!" The hybrid bowed deeply yet again and proceeded to open the doors. A tall, lanky young man in a white dress shirt strolled in and bent sharply into a respectful bow. He sauntered over to the empty seat across from me and eased himself down. His eyes met mine- curious, mischievous, even. "And you, my darling, must be Rebecca. A pleasure, my dear. An absolute pleasure."

"My, my, Mister Lettiere! We've only just met and you're being quite informal with me. How...pedestrian of you." I smiled, trying unsuccessfully to hide my venom from the strange man.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's entirely abnormal, is it?" His smile was genuine, like a flowery meadow from a fairy tale book. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he gazed upon my form. "Things tend to go rather quickly for people of our standing, and we are in quite the rush." He laughed as if there was a clever joke I was meant to get, but the rest us us were crickets.

"I'm... I'm sorry? I don't think I understand. Am I missing something here?" I eyed him suspiciously. He stared back for a fraction of a second before turning to face my parents.

"You haven't told her." It was a blunt statement, not a question. Clearly, he knew something. "Unbelievable! I gave you people months, and you try to rush to the wedding without ever telling Rebecca what's going on?! You did nothing to prepare her! Disgraceful. And you call yourselves part of the grandest family in this realm."

"We always planned to- we just never found the right time-" Mother stammered in objection.

"Enough." Marcel sighed, and then his gaze came back to me. "Forgive me, Miss Rebecca. I had hoped to give you time to get used to the idea, but apparently that couldn't be done. When we were both a few years younger, our parents made a marriage contract for us. I was made aware about a year ago, but..." He shrugged helplessly as my mind whirred. "I know it's all a lot, but I'm certain you'll come to accept it."

I stared at my plate blankly. The silence spoke volumes, and I could've heard a pin drop from a mile away. "Well then..." I sighed, pushing away from the table. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr.Lettiere, but I will not be marrying you. When I become a Benard, officially, any contracts my family has made will no longer apply. I will be making decisions like that on my own time, and on my own terms. Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry it was wasted." Gingerly, trying to maintain composure, I stood and began to move towards the door. "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I think I'll return to my rooms."

Marcel stood suddenly, bumping the table and causing it to shake. "Allow me to escort you, Miss." He spoke with such an urgency that I almost wanted to let him. "It's only gentlemanly."

Almost.

"I assure you, Mr. Lettiere, I've has enough... gentlemanly actions to last a lifetime. Yours will not be necessary." I nodded to Richard and he strode to my side. Yes, this was right. Not whatever my parents had hoped to accomplish. "Goodnight, everyone. For your own sakes, I'll ask that you not disturb me." Briskly, I turned and left the room. We walked on in silence for a time, but it was not to last.

"I know you're quite aggravated and all that, but you really should have seen this coming ages ago. It's simply natural course for the better off. They picked your brother's wife, too. Sometimes I wonder if nobles have nothing better to do." He fell silent for a moment, expecting a response, but my mind refused to create any sensible retort. I was still completely lost within my own head. Who the hell did they think they were?! Those imbeciles, picking my future out like a set of drapes!

"Who do they think they are?!" My foot reflexively stomped as I vocalized my frustration. Richard gently touched my arm.

"As we've established, they're your parents." His voice dripped with sympathy. I hated it. My fist clenched and my entire body tightened at the sound. I looked to the ground as the tears dripped down my face. Then it hit me.

"Not for much longer." I laughed bitterly and stormed off towards the library. There was a moment of pause before I head Richard scurry after me. I did not slow my pace. ideas flew through my head like kites through the sky. "I'll find a way to take those exams sooner- some loophole, a special condition... there's bound to be something. I'll read every book on magickal law if I have to! You'll see, Richard- first I'll end their tyranny, and then..." I paused outside the library doors and turned to him abruptly. My voice was a soft whisper as I spoke now. "And then I end the enslavement of the hybrids. Just think Richard! To finally be free to see the world, just like you've always wanted!"

He just chuckled at me and ruffled my hair. "Perhaps. But, first, we've got a lot of work to do. Let's get to it, shall we?"m He pushed open he door and we entered the most heavenly room in the building. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of books. In the modern age, very few had such access to such extensive reading material. Magick-kind had desperately been trying to cover up any proof that our own history had occurred. Any writing of the era was destroyed as a result- all except what had been protected within these walls. "The magickal law books should be over there." Richard pointed in a direction and I practically ran there as he sat down at a table near the back. It didn't take very long to find a few volumes pertaining to the issues at hand and joined him at the table. I barely noticed him reach for one of the smaller selections as I began reading intently. I must've been scanning those pages for several hours before I noticed his frustration and looked up. He looked completely helpless.

"I can hardly read any of this..." He yawned loudly. I could tell that his eyes were bloodshot from the strain of reading so late into the night. "I guess I'm not much help, am I?" He chuckled dryly, clearly unhappy with his own abilities. I reached across the table and touched his hand lightly.

"I want you to go get some sleep, Richard." I smiled as he began to protest, but I shook my head. "You've been more than helpful tonight. Go get some rest. I'll expect to see you tomorrow." he started to stand up, still unsure of whether he should stay.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here? There are some real creeps around here right now... And I don't think that Marcel fellow is going to give up any time soon." He glanced to the door.

"I'll be fine. You just go relax. Use my room tonight. If anyone says anything about it, say you were under direct orders from me." My voice revealed how drowsy I truly was, but I kept pushing. "And that is an order, Richard. Off you go now. I have studying to do." I buried my head back in the current publication. I could only assume he was doing as told when the door creaked open and closed. I read for hours upon end, taking detailed notes that looked akin to chicken scratches. I could understand them, though, and that's what mattered. Slowly, my head began to nod off as I fought the inevitable rest my body craved. As I neared the end of my fourth volume, I could no longer struggle against it. My eyes closed and my head lowered to the pages below, and then there was nothingness.

     Thud!

     My eyes fluttered open in shock. My head was pounding and my eyes squinted up at the lights on the ceiling 

     Hang on. How the hell did I end up looking toward the ceiling?!

     With a start I realized I had fallen out of my chair and was now splayed across the carpet. I eased myself up, trying to be as gentle as possible. As I squinted about, I almost wish I hadn't woken. I noticed something quite off-putting. On the other side of the table sat a particularly frustrating Italian, looking rather smug. "I'll give credit where credit is due, Miss Einhard. Trying to throw me off the trail was very clever. I went to your rooms this morning to find that hybrid of yours leaving. He told me you had not come back to your rooms. It was odd, since he practically never leaves your side, but the distraction was well done. Of course, on the other hand, the very first place I assumed you'd be was the library-"

     "Yes, yes, very impressive, Sherlock." I hissed. "Now do us both a favor and take your skills of deduction elsewhere. The dames back home might be impressed, but you're just making me irate." I stared him down, but he seemed indifferent. 

     "You will be marrying me, whether you like it or not. Eventually, you will fall for my charms and beg me to be your husband." He pressed on, attempting to worsen my ire- and, unfortunately, it was working. "And you will either come home with me to Austria or cause my rank to rise through the ties of marriage. And then, we shall have many beautiful children together, my darling Farfallina." He broke out the endearing term like the cherry on top. I couldn't contain myself any longer, and I stomped to his side of the table.

"How dare you!" I hissed venomously. "Seeking to take my opportunities away! What I've worked so hard for- and then, to compare me to a butterfly of all things! If you had your way, you'd clips those wings! You'd trap me in Italy, only a vessel to carry your god forsaken children! I could never-" I went to raise my hand, preparing to strike him in my fury. Suddenly he stood and pulled me close, my back against his front, his hand clamped over my mouth. I struggled and screamed through his hand, my heart racing with a pure panic I had never felt before.

     "Ah-ah, Rebecca. You wouldn't want to lose those opportunities due to violence upon a fellow Magickian, would you?" He chuckled. "Now, I hope you'll listen to me like this, since you otherwise seem the type to interrupt and yell over others. It's very unbecoming of a lady of your status, by the way, to screech like a banshee. Especially in a library of all places. Shame on you, you poco maniaca." He slurred the second word to be sound more feminine, letting his thick Italian accent slip into the open. He lowered his voice to a soft growl, too quiet for even the books to hear- and books hear everything. "I want to help you, dearest. You want to free the hybrids, and you're going to need all the assistance you can get."