Broken Glass ~ View topic

Boffs Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 2703

"I'm the appointment you are 10 minutes late for, Miss Meiner," he replied curtly, and then reached over to the girl. "No, you must sit her up, or else she's likely to bash her head in!" Helping the girl into a sitting position, he couldn't help but slide his eyes over the adorable little Victorian number she'd chosen for today. The same thing she'd wear when she came over to the house to gallivant with his useless son.

How appropriate.

As if it had never crossed his mind, he made a face at the fool principal. "Don't you have a date book or something? December 21st, 12:30 PM. I'm the Health Inspector from the state."

Principal Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 56

"Health Inspector??" her face screwed up. "We just had an inspection three months ago!"

Boffs Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 2703

"After which, you never managed to file the appropriate paper work, and thus I have had to return to this dismal situation. Perhaps you should keep better in touch with that secretary of yours!"

Kittens Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 1001

A slender, white hand took a death grip on the nearest piece of fabric in its reach, which happened to be some portion of Jack's clothing.

The small, rational corner left in Celeste's mind took in the scene with hazy recognition. And that same corner screamed and screamed with shock and revulsion at the familiar, deadly figure who spoke so dismissively to the principal.

"Don't. Let. Them. Take. Me," she ground out, eyes snapping hard to lock with those of Jack. She was still quivering, fighting hard to master her body and fend off the drain of all logic and reality from her mind.

"Plague doctor," she murmured, feebly plucking at his clothes, "Harvests the wolf cubs and makes them into lambs. He's shorn the sheep and pulled the wool over their eyes."

Boffs Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 2703

The man looked at the seizing girl even more aghast after hearing her words. "Good lord, is this girl on some sort of substance?"

Principal Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 56

Trying to hide her utter frustration at this ridiculous situation she grabbed the girl's arm and pried it off the asian boy, shooing him off and flat out glaring at all the little wretches standing around the scene. "She's fine. She just needs medical assistance, and she'll be fine."

Where the hell were the sirens?

Gents Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Posts: 485

Too distracted by the "Health Inspector", Jack didn't notice Celeste's hand clenching into his shirt until the principal forced its declawing. As though by reflex, his hands automatically shot out to grab the girl's shoulders and pulled her back to him, ignoring the shooing. Something about the situation didn't ring quite right with Jack and consequently his protective instincts rose to meet it.

His suspicions were confirmed when Knight locked hard eyes with him in a unsettlingly sober look and told him not to let her go. The girl was high as fuck, but the seriousness of her desperation somehow convinced him it wasn't more of her delusional ramblings. He couldn't decipher her next statement, but if this man was the 'plague doctor' and bore even the smallest of ill intent towards his sister, the Gent sure as hell wasn't going to make his life any easier by just handing his friend over.

Wrapping his arm more securely around her, he nodded to the teacher's assurance to the inspector. "Yeah definitely. She's been pretty sick lately, and even though I keep warning her, she won't stop overworking. Doesn't even stop for a bite to eat sometimes since she's so busy," he made sure to insert a slight exasperation to his worried tone. "All the stress has probably caught up with her."

He flashed a small reassuring smile to Meiner. "I'll just take her to the nurse to lie down while the medics get here." Without waiting for a response, he started to guide the trembling girl out of the cafeteria, sure that the principal would want the girl out of the inspector's sight anyways while she tried for damage control.

Kittens Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 1001

Celeste hung against the boy like a wet rag. Her body was still shaking violently and her mind collapsed softly into a pile of nothing.

Somewhere the small corner of control left did the only thing that it could.

Celeste wept.

She wept for her soul. For the dearly beloved thing that any moment would stripped from her by that doctor with his officious little smile and the thin wire frames over which he sneered at the world. She wept because of everything she had lost and would continue to lose.

"Just leave us aloooneee..." she sobbed, "We were so happy. Why...."

The illusions and horrors that filled her eyes were nothing compared to the terrible, empty sinking inside. The drugs would sink away soon enough but...

Dust. Dust. They would lock her in there with that stretch of vast, dry lands. Leave her to go mad.

Go mad.

Laughter mixed with her sobs.

"I will show you fear..."

"...in a handful of dust..."

"That's what they did to him too," she said to Jack in a factual tone, nodding through her tears, "Mixed up all the dots on the board and now he can't find his way home."

"But he's there. Behind the numbers."

Boffs Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 2703

As the pair moved towards the door two men came through the doors wheeling a stretcher. Both looking very officious in their paramedic uniforms, the security guard from before stood right outside the door, out of sight, in case anything went wrong.

"Where's the girl?" A few students along the sidelines timidly pointed at Celeste and Jack.

The elder man moved up to the pair, gently putting his hands on the distressed girl's shoulders. "Feeling alright? Come on, lets get you situated." Leaning down, he put a hand behind her knees and picked her up, lifting her onto the stretcher. He and his assistant quickly started doing straps over her, pulling them tightly. "Just in case you seize again."

Gents Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Posts: 485

Jack readjusted himself to better support the girl as it became apparent that she was getting weaker and the force of her tremors wouldn't subside. When she began to weep, he just held her more tightly against him and shushed her gently, this time taking her abstract words for more hallucinating narrative (which were only making her situation worse, even as bad as it already was). Surprisingly, he wasn't as shocked as he expected to be at the sight of Celeste's tears. In the end, no matter how hard or harsh Knight made herself to be, she was still just a girl. One who didn't have anyone protecting her but herself at that.

Just as they made it to the door, the paramedics took the Kitten so quickly from him that he barely registered what they'd done until his arms were left empty. "Wait" was all he got out before they dumped her onto the stretcher and started strapping her down.

Confused, Jack muttered aloud as a thought occurred to him, "I didn't hear any sirens."

Kittens Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 1001

"Sonofabitch," Celeste ground out, peering past the illusions for a moment.

"Please... no," she whispered, tears forming again.

"No. No. No. No. No."

"Don't. Don't do it."

Her hands scrabbled, straining at the straps, "Goddamnit."

Boffs Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 2703

The man pulled a syringe out as the other finished strapping her down. "Don't worry, girl, you'll feel much better soon." Pulling off the stopper, he pushed the sedative into her arm and watched as it took effect. Giving a nod to his assistant, the stretcher was turned and the girl was wheeled out.

The "health inspector" looked back to the blonde harridan with a deep scowl. "It seems you have more than your share of problems at this school without me." He looked down at his watch. "I will have reschedule our meeting. Due to your inability to keep a proper schedule, I shall be late for my next appointment. Have your secretary call and set up a better time...hopefully when your students are more stable."

Giving a little look to the Asian boy who'd been glaring suspiciously his way, he turned on his heel and moved officiously to the doorway, leaving the cafeteria.

((continued here))

Boffs Joined: 06 Apr 2007 Posts: 1651

Seth shrank back into the corner, watching silently and nervously.

What're they doing to her? Where are they taking her?

The boy hardly knew her, aside from the quick encounter the previous day. Nonetheless, he couldn't help feel worry pile onto his shoulders.
What if she dies?
With that thought, Seth felt his stomach clench. He felt a bit indebted to her- she HAD saved him from having to talk to his sister.

"Don't hurt her," he muttered, almost wishing one of those men could hear him, though he knew they couldn't.

Gents Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Posts: 485

Something about the look the health inspector shot at him gave Jack the opinion that the crippled man wasn't as shocked as he acted. It took all of a few minutes for the Gent's suspicions to persuade him to follow.

Exiting the cafeteria, his brow furrowed has he just caught the inspector briskly leaving the school's doors...with a large formidable man following close behind.