Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 10, 2006 8:51:34 GMT -4
It had been three months; three long months were the days dragged on endlessly and the nights fell silenced and heard. At first she had tried not to notice. Spending her days where activity after activity was pursued. She had chased conflict, she had chased noise; she had chased sheer moments of being where everything fell into place like it should just so she could remain oblivious for those few seconds. Hadley had fallen in love with sleep. She had craved it like her morning, midday and afternoon coffee. Not the actual sleeping part, but rather the few seconds of forgetfulness where the brain was just switching on and everything seemed bright, hopeful and normal.
Hadley Chase had fallen victim to pretend circumstance.
The first time she had done it, like actually done ‘it’. She’d been seven and she’d been frightened. One minute she was herself and the next minute she was someone completely different and still lingering behind she remained, incomplete, like a reminder of what the unknown truly was.
Hold up.
By ‘it’ we don’t actually mean sex you sicko’s. By ‘it’ we mean shape-shift. You see that was Hadley’s power. And by ‘was’ we mean past tense, as in three long months have proceeded, encased in turmoil of events, new addictions and new secrets, and nothing. Not even five seconds where she turned into her little sister or even when she was talking to a really cute guy only to wham resemble the policeman. Nothing embarrassing, nothing freaky, just nothing. One word that summed up all her hard work last year and all her progress. She was- dare she say it- powerless.
pow·er·less (pour-ls)
adj.
1. Lacking strength or power; helpless and totally ineffectual.
2. Lacking legal or other authority.
And the worst part of it- she was back at school, one week into the new year and new term. Surrounded by those whose powers were developing, surrounded by those who could actually claim to have powers.
Part of her was glad to be back. Her home had turned into a house in a matter of seconds; her family had turned against each other, divided like a war with two sides and one goal. True, they all wanted peace especially for the younger ones but the tension clogged the air and weighed down upon guilty consciences.
Hadley was one of eight kids and the news had rocked them all, some more than others. For William, the eldest, betrayal rolled silently across his tongue. He most of all knew what it meant, and he as the next eldest male knew his duty. In his final year at school it was not wise to drop your studies at a moments notice, but one’s loyalty to one’s family had left him little option but the right one. For Marcus it had been instinct. He retreated into a closed room with a closed mind. He was trapped between two ages, old enough to understand, but young enough to feel lost like we all do at points in our life. He wanted to help but couldn’t find the place to start. The youngest three, Otter, Ely and Patrick James were lost in a world of childish confusion. One morning their father was sleeping on the couch when only the night before they’d played a family game of Monopoly and Otter had tried to steal from the bank. The laughter had left their house, the smiles, the pranks, the inseparable bond between each and every family member that had made coming home something to look forward to. They were now ten lost souls, ten islands which all needed someone to turn to but fell blind.
But the part of her that was glad to be back quickly dissolved into a pool of guilt and cravings. A firm rule within the school was no drugs and no alcohol and Hadley had never attempted to press that. She knew the cost at stack and one fun night wasn’t worth a trip home with no return ticket.
One week she had been back. One week where she had snapped at people, kept her distance and then had woken up one day with an overly bright smile and an overly eager attitude. Did anyone notice the mood swings? The strained smiles? The forced laughter? The way she seemed to always be thinking about something? The way her humour had vanished? The fact that her powers were absent?
Hadley Chase just had to get it together. For her sake, for her families sake, for everyone around her sake.
Sitting on the front step of the front building Hadley though of the suitcase in her room packed. It usually only took her five minutes to completely trash her room and for the entire contents of her suitcase, mainly clothes, to wind up covering the floor and all surfaces. So far the only thing touched was her school uniform and pyjamas, everything else remained folded, pressed and tucked safely away. It was almost as if she was torn between wanting to be there and wanting to be home. She wanted escape but not if her kid siblings were roughing it in her absence. For a moment she considered talking to the Dean. Then she thought of her reputation and all thoughts of that quietly deserted her.
Drumming her fingernails on the front cover of a book Hadley leant back on the steps. They felt cold even through her clothes. Her loose red curls splayed across the grey stone. She was the only Chase child to inherit her mothers hair, something that had always made her proud, despite the others teasing of its unusual shade. Raising her head from its support Hadley looked up at the sky, pale blue of a dawning day, new promises, new hope, new disappointments and failures. With a jolt she bashed the back of her head on the step, feeling the throb pulse through her.
“I need a drink.”
Hadley Chase had fallen victim to pretend circumstance.
The first time she had done it, like actually done ‘it’. She’d been seven and she’d been frightened. One minute she was herself and the next minute she was someone completely different and still lingering behind she remained, incomplete, like a reminder of what the unknown truly was.
Hold up.
By ‘it’ we don’t actually mean sex you sicko’s. By ‘it’ we mean shape-shift. You see that was Hadley’s power. And by ‘was’ we mean past tense, as in three long months have proceeded, encased in turmoil of events, new addictions and new secrets, and nothing. Not even five seconds where she turned into her little sister or even when she was talking to a really cute guy only to wham resemble the policeman. Nothing embarrassing, nothing freaky, just nothing. One word that summed up all her hard work last year and all her progress. She was- dare she say it- powerless.
pow·er·less (pour-ls)
adj.
1. Lacking strength or power; helpless and totally ineffectual.
2. Lacking legal or other authority.
And the worst part of it- she was back at school, one week into the new year and new term. Surrounded by those whose powers were developing, surrounded by those who could actually claim to have powers.
Part of her was glad to be back. Her home had turned into a house in a matter of seconds; her family had turned against each other, divided like a war with two sides and one goal. True, they all wanted peace especially for the younger ones but the tension clogged the air and weighed down upon guilty consciences.
Hadley was one of eight kids and the news had rocked them all, some more than others. For William, the eldest, betrayal rolled silently across his tongue. He most of all knew what it meant, and he as the next eldest male knew his duty. In his final year at school it was not wise to drop your studies at a moments notice, but one’s loyalty to one’s family had left him little option but the right one. For Marcus it had been instinct. He retreated into a closed room with a closed mind. He was trapped between two ages, old enough to understand, but young enough to feel lost like we all do at points in our life. He wanted to help but couldn’t find the place to start. The youngest three, Otter, Ely and Patrick James were lost in a world of childish confusion. One morning their father was sleeping on the couch when only the night before they’d played a family game of Monopoly and Otter had tried to steal from the bank. The laughter had left their house, the smiles, the pranks, the inseparable bond between each and every family member that had made coming home something to look forward to. They were now ten lost souls, ten islands which all needed someone to turn to but fell blind.
But the part of her that was glad to be back quickly dissolved into a pool of guilt and cravings. A firm rule within the school was no drugs and no alcohol and Hadley had never attempted to press that. She knew the cost at stack and one fun night wasn’t worth a trip home with no return ticket.
Survival Instincts When Your Family Goes to Pits.
By Hadley Chase.
1. Don’t choose sides. It’s best to steer clear of both until they’ve cleared their heads.
2. Scratch that. Dad deserves everything he gets.
3. Distract yourself as much as possible, resort to anything to just stop thinking about how it used to be and how one fucking moment of pure selfishness and uncontrollable hormone urges had driven the most happiest life into the ground.
4. There is no such word as enough. Drink as much as you need to pass out or to at least loose feeling. It’s an amazing feeling numbness, if you could truly call ‘not feeling’ a feeling.
5. Get the hell away. Fast.
By Hadley Chase.
2. Scratch that. Dad deserves everything he gets.
3. Distract yourself as much as possible, resort to anything to just stop thinking about how it used to be and how one fucking moment of pure selfishness and uncontrollable hormone urges had driven the most happiest life into the ground.
4. There is no such word as enough. Drink as much as you need to pass out or to at least loose feeling. It’s an amazing feeling numbness, if you could truly call ‘not feeling’ a feeling.
5. Get the hell away. Fast.
One week she had been back. One week where she had snapped at people, kept her distance and then had woken up one day with an overly bright smile and an overly eager attitude. Did anyone notice the mood swings? The strained smiles? The forced laughter? The way she seemed to always be thinking about something? The way her humour had vanished? The fact that her powers were absent?
Hadley Chase just had to get it together. For her sake, for her families sake, for everyone around her sake.
Sitting on the front step of the front building Hadley though of the suitcase in her room packed. It usually only took her five minutes to completely trash her room and for the entire contents of her suitcase, mainly clothes, to wind up covering the floor and all surfaces. So far the only thing touched was her school uniform and pyjamas, everything else remained folded, pressed and tucked safely away. It was almost as if she was torn between wanting to be there and wanting to be home. She wanted escape but not if her kid siblings were roughing it in her absence. For a moment she considered talking to the Dean. Then she thought of her reputation and all thoughts of that quietly deserted her.
Drumming her fingernails on the front cover of a book Hadley leant back on the steps. They felt cold even through her clothes. Her loose red curls splayed across the grey stone. She was the only Chase child to inherit her mothers hair, something that had always made her proud, despite the others teasing of its unusual shade. Raising her head from its support Hadley looked up at the sky, pale blue of a dawning day, new promises, new hope, new disappointments and failures. With a jolt she bashed the back of her head on the step, feeling the throb pulse through her.
“I need a drink.”