07.25.2127 - A Child's Goodbye

[Wildfire]

Without a thought Shannon rushed to her tortured and shackled mother. She wrapped her arms around her and held on as an infant clinging to a blanket and buried her face into her mothers chest.

She soon turned her head to the side and said, “Mom, I don’t know how much time I have with you and Dad here. Do you remember our days in the park? Those were my favorite days. I drew you and Dad a picture of our happy time there. I’ve waited a long time to give it to you. Although they won’t let you keep it I wanted you to see it.” Shannon untied the scroll ribbon and unrolled her precious memory and then rolled it back the other way to straighten it out. Holding her art in one hand she reached up and slipped the blindfold just a bit from her mother’s eyes so she could see it.

[Dray]

(EDIT: a post above (in yellow), the father would not have been gagged.)

(OOG: Do I have record of your parents first names?)

Shannon moved one side of the blindfold up at a time. Evidently her mother had been blindfolded for quite some time for she kept her eyes closed. But with great effort the exhausted woman attempted to manage her emotions. She slowed her breathing, stopped her crying and the shivering abated.

After Shannon had worked both sides of the blindfold to her forehead, she didn’t see any reason why not to continue with the gag. She reached up again and after losing the knot the bloody cloth fell to the floor to her mothers’ shackled feet. Her mother couldn’t help herself, she took in a deep gasp for air.

’Her tongue has been cut out!’ Shannon observed.

[Wildfire]

OOC: You do, in fact, have a record of them.

[Dray]

(OOG: Okay, I didn't while I was on the train, but I do now. Still your turn to post.)

[Wildfire]

Shannon desperately tried to contain her shock and outrage. She didn’t have time for her whirlwind of emotions right now since her time for farewells was growing shorter by the minute. Sorting out this injustice would come later and almost certainly while she was with her pen.

“Mom…please…if you can, open your eyes. It’s not at all bright in here. I think you’ll like the picture I drew for you and Dad.” The girl looked back to her father for reassurance.

As she noted earlier, he was relatively unharmed. This fact unnerved Shannon and offered her more insight into the system of laws and morals of the society she was stuck in. Her father, Dakin, an officer in the army defense on the rim, had seriously injured three guards almost killing them with efficient ease. Yet he was minimally physically punished, if at all. Her mother, Sasha, healed her father, saving his life when the medics could not. Here she is with her tongue cut out and whipped until her flesh was raw. The toll extracted from each seemed to be upside down. There was fear of her mothers gift. It had to be more than the excuse of it, “leading to bad things” as Criss had said…much more.

[Dray]

Sasha leaned her head back against the stone wall. Her arms looked so emaciated from hanging taut against this wall and Shannon wondered how long she had been down here like this. Breathing steadily, she slowly managed to open her eyes against the light. She blinked a thousand times and then finally lowered her gaze to her daughter. She gave her the bravest smile she could muster.

[Wildfire]

Shannon smiled back showing her mother the picture. Sasha barely noticed the picture since her gaze was fixed on her daughter. The girl placed the picture on the stone floor of the prison cell being careful that it didn’t touch anything wet. Again Shannon went to her mother and hugged her gently being careful this time not to irritate her injuries.

“I’m proud of you, Mom. I hope to be as strong as you someday. They can take away a lot of things but they can’t take away love.” Shannon held Sasha close to console her crying mother. In the slightest whisper Shannon reassured Sasha, “You did the right thing.” At that Shannon reluctantly let the embrace slip and walked to her father.

[Dray]

Hearing her come closer, Shannon’s father gave her a small smile and a nod in her general direction. “And I am proud of you my daughter. The courage you are obviously possessing against this injustice is truly heroic. You surely are as strong in spirit as your mother and you will endure and survive.”

Her father had made no attempt to hush his voice for it was loud and commanding …and meant to be heard down the hallway. He was as proud and forthright today as he was the day before all of this had started, they hadn’t taken any of his pride from him. ’He will continue his rebellion in the mines,’ Shannon thought.

[Wildfire]

Admiration of her father swelled in the young girl. Despite being chained to the wall, his defiance, strength of will, and dignity were all intact. He was a soldier trained to face the evil denizens of the rim. Retreat or surrender was not an option. Professional soldiers of this sort were among the hardiest of warriors harboring a disciplined bloodlust and unwavering dedication. Shannon knew they had unleashed his bonfire as well. ‘They have no idea what they have just done to themselves.’ thought the proud girl.

Shannon approached Dakin and lifted the blindfold from his eyes. She looked at him intently “Dad, the last thing you said to me was to ‘forgive you’. Be brave, Dad. There is nothing to forgive…you did what was right.” Shannon professed. She lowered her voice to a near inaudible whisper “I’ll be brave too…for you and Mom. Someday I’ll get you out of here, I swear it.”

[Dray]

When her father immediately replied, he used a tone of voice that was all too familiar to the young girl. It was the same hushed tone that Shannon heard countless times when her father would lean down to her and tell her secrets, conspiracies, or opinions about those around them. He said, “Shannon. Listen to me now. You will do nothing of the sort. You will not try to free us for your attempt would ruin our plans. When the time comes, your mother and I will escape our prison and come save you from yours; save you from the prison walls around this city. We will free you Shannon from this corrupt society and flee to a new land.”

[Wildfire]

The young girl understood completely. All her life she knew that when her father had plans he would follow through. Add to that the vengeance her mother must be plotting and Shannon knew there would be blood flowing when the time was right. How long would that be? She wondered.

Another thought occurred to her as her father spoke. He had said ‘…to a new land’. Safe-Haven wasn’t the only sanctuary in this world. The lies told by the authorities began to unfold in front her.

Shannon nodded her head in acceptance of her father’s orders despite her twinge of disappointment. “I will write you and Mom letters…to tell you how things are going. Maybe even some pictures if they’ll let them through.” she said quietly.

Shannon closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. She spoke softly but forcefully, “I hate them Dad. I hate what they’ve done to us. I hate their rules and fears. I don’t understand how to be a kind person that you would be proud of and yet want to hurt people for what they’ve done.” Shannon looked at her Dad, “I don’t understand how the sun can shine while I feel surrounded by darkness.” she stated sadly.

[Dray]

“Sun can’t penetrate a veil so finely woven with deceit my daughter,” her father whispered back. “Someday, we will escape the darkness and seek the shard of light known as justice. With that shard we will pierce that veil, rip it into two and free all good people of SafeHaven.”

Shannon heard the steel footsteps of the Judge enter the cell. She turned and watched as the gigantic suit of plate mail walked over to her mother and looked down upon her hanging form

“Come here Shannon and hold your mother,” Judge Criss stated and then rested his hands on his scabbarded greatsword.

[Wildfire]

Shannon smiled at her father and looked over her shoulder at the judge’s imposing form. Just as the judge instructed, she went to her mother and gripped her tightly enough to be protective but not so tight as to irritate her mother’s obvious wounds. “I’ll write to you Mom. I won’t say goodbye. Instead I’ll say, until we see each other again. You are my lantern in the night Mom.”

Shannon embraced her mother showing no signs of letting go and trying her best not to shed any tears. She had to stay strong for her parents.

[Dray]

The ring of the steel as the greatsword was withdrawn from the Judge’s scabbard sent a shiver down Shannon’s spine.

[Wildfire]

Her eyes opened wide as she truly realized one, of many, implications that sound meant. Was the judge going to execute them here and now? Shannon wanted to push that thought completely out of her mind. It was too horrible to consider. Maybe the judge was going to free them or maybe he was going to hurt Natasha for some reason. In the seconds her mind raced and hoped for other reasons, the thought of execution endured.

Shannon turned her head to see what was happening despite the judge’s command to embrace her mother. She simply couldn’t help it.