Jacklyn Baker (called_jack) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-05-07 09:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 07, jacklyn baker, john james searle, | jack and searle |
Week seven - Saturday
Characters: Jack and Searle.
Location: Siena Suites.
Summary: Searle finds Jack after her fight with Jared and they have a serious discussion about changes in the new world.
Rating: PG for some imagery
The heat was killing him, and Searle’s sneakers would scrape against the group from time to time as he walked because of how heavy he felt. His too-long hair was damp against his forehead and neck, and there was dirt all over his clothing and arms, which were all signs he’d been working in the garden. The notebook he held in his hand sealed the deal, since Sam made it clear he’d have to take notes of his work on their plot of land.
It wasn’t until Searle approached the stairway leading upstairs that he paused. “Jack?” Searle went around to the side so he could offer a smile to his friend, who he saw looked less than cheerful. “Hey.”
Jack liked sitting under the stairs when she needed some place to think. The spot was out of the sun, semi-private, and it beat staying alone in her silent and empty suite. She flexed her right hand a few times. Not even Jed can pretend to like you anymore.
“Hey. You’re all gross,” she offered. That got a laugh out of Searle, and he took it as an invitation to duck beneath the stairs and take a seat across from Jack, enjoying the shade the structure offered, even if it was still hot as hell under there.
“You’d be gross too if you didn’t have a cushy job indoors.”
“Oh, yeah. I get to count the same things over and over again. My job’s the best.” Honestly, she’d rather be getting dirty with Searle than bored in the store room all the time. “Are you done for the day?”
“Yeah, I think so.” A smile still lingered on the edges of his mouth from Jack’s sarcasm about her job. “Why are you sitting out here? Do you natives like this heat that much?”
“I do. Feels good.” And it did; the heat was comforting. “You East coast people are just wimps about the heat.” Searle rolled his eyes. “But yeah, I just needed some place to think.”
“What are you thinking about?” Bridget’s advice to be willing to listen to Jack immediately entered Searle’s mind.
Jack stared down at her knees. “I did something you won’t like.”
Something about the way Jack said that made Searle’s stomach twist with nerves. “What happened?”
“Don’t be mad at me, okay?” Searle was pretty much the only person speaking to her right now and she didn’t think she could stand it if she lost him too. “Jared came into the storeroom. We kind of had a fight and he was being really really mean and I, um, I may have punched him.”
“You punched him?” No reaction but shock was apparent at first in his voice and expression, but then the corner of his mouth curled upward with amazement he couldn’t help but feel. “Really?”
Searle didn’t seem to be mad at her and Jack relaxed visibly. “Yeah.”
Instead of tell Jack he was impressed by her boldness, Searle forced himself to think of the other part of what Jack had told him. “You guys were fighting? Did he try anything?”
She shook her head. Jack was actually surprised Jared hadn’t done anything back to her. “No, he was just saying stuff.”
“What kinda stuff?” It was a great relief to him that Jared seemed not to be reverting to violence, since Searle liked the guy and wanted him to stay in their group, but if he was instigating fights that could be just as bad. Then again, Searle had an idea Jack probably wasn’t too kind when they’d crossed paths either, so he wasn’t ready to jump to conclusions about the situation.
Jack sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “Stuff about everything’s that’s been happening. That I’m such a brat Jed couldn’t even pretend to like me anymore.”
“Oh.” That was mean, and Searle wasn’t sure how to comment on it without saying the wrong thing. “He’s just mad about stuff.
“I’m not saying it’s right you punched him either, but maybe you taught him he can’t mess with you anymore. You’re both even now. ... I know where you’re coming from, wanting to be stronger. I think you had the right idea all along, and now you’re proving you’re tough.”
Tough and strong were all she wanted to be but it was strange to hear Searle agreeing with her. She’d always thought his reluctance about violence wasn’t smart, but that was Searle. “Really? You usually don’t say that.”
“I know,” he admitted, averting his eyes from Jack to look at the marbled cover of his notebook. “I feel different - like I should be different.” He wouldn’t say he felt inferior and wanted to be manly like the other men in the group; not in front of Jack, and maybe not in front of anyone. “Chris taught me how to shoot a rifle and I’m going to go on the hunting trip coming up.”
Her mouth dropped open, she couldn’t help it. Searle used a gun? “I think that’s okay; it’s okay to learn to shoot just in case. But why should you be different?” She liked Searle a lot just the way he was.
“Things are different. Chris is really strong and capable and Grace still got killed with him there. If something happened, I’d be the one who needed to be protected, and that’s wrong. I should be the one protecting others. That’s part of being a good person, too. If a whole lot of us know what we’re doing, we might be able to stop other people from getting hurt.” Or worse, he thought.
“It’s like what you were saying,” Searle continued, “a long time ago. I didn’t want to believe it then, but it’s hard not to now.”
Jack moved while he was talking, shifting so that she was sitting next to him. She wanted to point out that he was bigger and stronger and older than she was, on top of actually being a boy. “I’m sorry,” she said instead. She was proud of Searle and kind of sad for him at the same time.
Searle looked over at Jack, offering his best attempt at a smile. “It’s okay. They say girls mature faster than boys, right? Maybe I should just listen to you from now on.”
Jack’s eyes lit up. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said.” She nudged her arm against his affectionately and grinned while Searle laughed. “Hey, you think they’d let me go hunting, too? It might be nice to go somewhere different.”
“You should ask Chris. He’s leading the hunt. I didn’t volunteer at first at the meeting when it was discussed, but I went to him and asked, and even though I had no idea how to shoot a gun he still was open to it. I didn’t notice him much at first because he’s so quiet, but he’s awesome.” Searle still remembered clearly the sound of the forklift colliding with the nursery doors. Chris probably had no idea how much he impressed Searle from that point on.
“I haven’t talked to him much,” Jack admitted. “I did leave him some food at his room after, you know, what happened to Grace but I never told him it was me.” She shook her head as if clearing away sad thoughts. “But I’ve shot a gun. Not a rifle or anything but I can use a handgun.”
“My guess is a handgun would kill an animal.” Searle wasn’t sure if Chris had given him a rifle to use because that’s just what he had, or if that was the preferred hunting weapon. “Young people used to go hunting all the time. ... You know, with their family. I don’t see why you couldn’t go.”
“Want to know a secret?” she asked, looking over at Searle. “I was really freaked out when I started learning how to shoot. It was really scary. So, it’s awesome you’re learning, too. It’s harder than it seems.”
“It was different than I thought it would be,” Searle agreed. Jack’s secret made him feel better about his own misgivings. “We went to this mountain - Charleston, I think. On the way we came across this road block by a canyon and there was a lodge up there.” He paused, suddenly unsure why he had begun to tell the story to Jack. “There were a ton of dead people in there.” His voice was soft. Jack bit her lip. “I haven’t seen anything like it since the evacuation camp where my parents died.”
“I’m sorry,” she said just as quietly, reaching over and putting her hand on his knee.
“I forgot places like that existed anymore. I feel lucky I found you. If we hadn’t met that day I would have kept going to California. I stopped in Vegas by chance, just ‘cause I wanted to see it.” Searle looked at Jack’s hand on his knee, then moved his gaze to her face. “Stuff like that makes me believe in fate.”
“Me too.” Her throat felt tight for some reason. “You know, I didn’t think there was anyone else left my age? I thought I was the only one.” The truth was she didn’t want to imagine what her life would be like if she hadn’t found him. “Lucky for you I ran into you because I don’t know what you would have done without me.”
“Might have still been sleeping in a mall,” he said, laughing. Searle still thought living at the mall had been fun, but for long term the suites were much nicer. “And I wouldn’t know how to skateboard half as well as I do now.”
“That’s not saying a lot since you can barely skateboard now,” Jack teased, pulling her hand back. “But I wouldn’t know how to drive a dirtbike either.”
“I’m sure you would have figured it out without me.” Searle leaned back on one hand, swiping his forehead with the heel of his other.
Jack watched Searle wipe his face. It was warm, even for her. “Hot? Watch this.” She clambered out from their spot under the stairs and slipped her shoes and socks off. With only a glance back at Searle, she took off across the courtyard at a run, launching herself fully-dressed into the pool with a rowdy splash. Searle was already on his feet by the time Jack hit the water, and quickly he left his own shoes and socks (and the notebook) behind to jog after her.
“Geronimo!” he yelled, then leaped into the pool.