Author: wonderbread9
Rating: PG-13 - R
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Bray/Salene, Lex/Trudy, Ebony/Pride, the cast of the Tribe
Warning(s): AU out the yin-yang, but not OOC, k? It’s got a few twists and turns so bare with me
Summary: So, the world’s still out there?
--Desmond Hume (Lost), Adrift S2xE2
Author’s Note(s): Okay, so I was in a TRIBE mood a few weeks back and I started watching the first season again, and quite suddenly, around episode three, this bunny just up a bit me. It all started when Trudy & Bray first came to the mall in Season One and just this LOOK that Lex gave Trudy while she was seated on the stairwell of the mall. You can watch that particular episode on Youtube (S1xE2, part 2) and watch very closely the minutes: 1:00 – 2:40…hrmmmm…
WHEN all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.
--Charles Kingsley, Water Babies
Under a night blackened sky, stars twinkling into existence one-by-one, two-by-two, three-by-three, away from the all too bright glare of city, street lights, Bray settled his aching body underneath the leafy heaven of overgrown bushes and vines, finally able to seek a little peace. Trudy and Ebony lay somewhere nearby, sleeping on empty dreams; they barely stirred, save Ebony to move from her stomach to her back and then back again. He watched them, staying off the inevitable oblivion of sleep, just amazed that the two of them had stuck by his side for so long in these past few months; especially Ebony. He’d always thought that she would up and abandon him and Trudy, but she had stayed, pulling her weight as much as he, and for that he was grateful.
He lay back with an appreciative groan, glad for the comfort of the lichen and moss beneath him, letting a sigh escape and closing his eyes to the night and darkness. Crickets sang their midnight songs, birds and other animals rustled through the trees overheard. This was the time that he liked the most: the darkness when the world seemed like it was new and everything was quiet in the twilight hours, when he had a chance to let his thoughts drift and wander without the threat of someone catching him unawares. He let his thoughts drift back, back from the current circumstances and instead hover over what had brought them to this place and time.
It had been a few weeks after the last adult had died, a tumultuous time indeed, with teenagers and kids running around stirring up chaos in the City, gradually forming tribes and terrorizing those kids that either weren’t in Tribes or were much too weak to defend themselves. It was during the time that Zoot—Martin, his mind corrected sharply, and Bray winced at that—had lost his marbles completely, and had begun recruiting the scared kids of the City to follow him; ‘Power and Chaos’ chanted along the streets as his police car whirled around the city blocks: Power and Chaos. It was when Martin had truly started securing power for himself that Trudy had come to Bray, telling him that she was pregnant and it was then that they had made the decision to leave the City. It would be much too dangerous to raise a child in the pandemonium, and Bray wasn’t one to let responsibility pass him by.
It had taken them a month to prepare, to get all the necessary supplies that they had needed, to keep the suspicious eyes of the Locos away from their activities, and when they’d finally gotten everything they’d tried to make their escape, by night, by moonlight, when no one—they thought—would detect their leaving. But someone had, and that someone had been Ebony. She’d cornered them, and Bray remembered that moment, so clearly as if it were happening all over again, right in front of him, a tense scene in a movie that was his reality, his life…
…"Just what the hell d’you think you’re doing, Bray?"
The sharp question came out of nowhere and Bray whirled as Trudy nearly screamed, almost alerting the other Locos to their presence. He faced Ebony, her green eyes glaring at him in accusation, betrayal, anger. She stepped forward, and even though she was shorter than he, Ebony could still be a menacing lynx when she wanted to.
“I said, ‘What the hell d’you think you’re doing, Bray?’” she repeated slowly, as if she were talking to a village idiot. Bray stood his full height and stared her down, his blue eyes meeting her unwavering green.
“We can’t stay here any longer, Ebony,” he replied, his voice firm and no-nonsense. “It’s too dangerous.”
Ebony smirked, shaking her head at him, but it was Trudy who broke the tension, tugging at his arm and saying, desperately,”She doesn’t matter, Bray. Let’s just go. Please? Let’s just get out of here.”
“No!” Bray said, his voice explosive, causing Trudy to release his arm and step back, clearly trembling and afraid.
“No,” he continued, his voice quieter, softer. He turned back to Ebony, swallowed and said, “Ebony…” his voice trailed off uncertainly and she looked up at him, her gaze cold, calculating, unyielding.
“Give me one reason,” she growled. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the Locos down here and have you two captured. I bet Zoot doesn’t even know about your little impromptu trip, huh? So, how about it, Bray?”
Bray swallowed in apprehension, looked back at Trudy and met her frightened, pleading eyes: pleading him to run, pleading him to save her, to do something—anything—to save her from Zoot’s wrath. Bray breathed deep, swallowed again and came to a decision. He turned back to Ebony, a look of fierce determination written across his young features and said, quite seriously, “Come with us, Ebony.”
The look of absolute disbelief that covered her delicate features was on he’d never seen on her before, but it was Trudy’s explosive, “WHAT?!” that shook Ebony from the emotion and turned her face back to a mask of cold stone.
“You’re joking, right?” her voice was mocking and cruel, but Bray had seen an emotion flash through her eyes and he pressed forward, taking a step toward her and holding out his hand slowly.
“I’m not joking, Ebony,” he said, no pretense in his tone. “I wouldn’t joke about this.”
Somewhere far beyond them an alarm went up, the sound of the police car being revved up and the enraged cries of a dozen or so teenagers roused from their sleep and dreams rose in the air: “Power and Chaos. Power and Chaos.” Zoot was awake, and had clearly discovered Trudy and Bray missing. Ebony looked up as well as Bray, and Trudy whimpered in the background.
“Please, Ebony,” Bray implored, looking at her, as she dropped her gaze from the sky and met his blue, blue eyes. “Come with us.”
Ebony shook her head, the smirk back on her face. “You’re crazy, you know that, Bray? Crazy. You wouldn’t last five minutes out there with Princess Spoiled to look after, and what d’you think Zoot’ll do once he finds you? It’s chaos out there, Bray. Chaos, and the only way to survive chaos is through power and you don’t have any of that.”
“But what I will have,” Bray ground out fiercely, “is freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want, however I want. Back there, you’re owned Ebony.” He saw the dangerous glint that her eyes took on, but he pressed on with his words, unafraid.” You have to listen to Zoot and do what he says. You’re his property as much as any of the others. He owns you, Ebony. I can’t promise you that it won’t be hard, that you won’t get scared. But in the City, I can promise you that you’ll lose yourself, Ebony.” He stepped forward, closer to her this time, his hand still out stretched, still beckoning. The sound of angry teenagers was drawing closer. The blood in Bray’s veins were thundering like horses in his ears, but he kept a calm, straight face, his eyes showing the only emotions he dared: asking, pleading, begging her.
She stood stock still, eyes darting from his hand to his eyes, then back again. She swallowed. Bray waited. The silence was tense between them; the only sound was the Locos army, getting closer and closer.
“Bray,” Trudy whined from behind him, but he ignored her. His attention was focused on Ebony, hoping to get through to her, for her to listen, to believe, to come with them and escape the City, escape Zoot, to save her soul. He knew what kind of person she was, knew what kind of games she liked to play, but if she took his hand, if she stepped forward and reached out and took his hand…
Maybe…
Maybe…
“Bray, please,” Trudy’s voice, louder and helpless still, broke the silence between them, and Ebony blinked, swallowed and took a step away from his outstretched hand. Bray looked away, defeated, and began to turn, to take Trudy’s hand and escape while they still had time.
“C’mon, Tru—“
But it was at that moment that Ebony’d grabbed his arm, and that he met her scared, scared eyes with his own. He smiled reassuringly, lacing his fingers through hers and they—all three—took off into the concrete jungle, into the night swamped City, away from Zoot, away from the Locos, and out into the wilderness beyond…
…It had been a miracle to say the least. Ebony--The Ebony--taking his hand, and joining him and Trudy; he still couldn’t believe it, but when he’d woken up every morning since, she’d still be there, grumbling about having to lay on the ground, grumbling about getting her clothes dirty, but still there, still with them, never leaving. Bray settled even further into his comforting paradise of underbrush, wanting sleep to claim his exhausted body and rest from this day’s events of scavenging for food and running away from a tribe of kids that hadn’t really liked their grown food stolen. He couldn’t help that; they needed to eat; especially Trudy, what with the baby and all.
It had been hell telling Ebony about the pregnancy, and she certainly didn’t let him live it down either. It wasn’t like Ebony overtly said anything, but she made her displeasure known in other ways. She’d mutter to herself sometimes, make an off-hand comment about Trudy’s body or some other such. Bray knew that it bothered her, knew that she’d had a ‘thing’ with Martin for a little while back when she was part of the Locos, and because of that fact she and Trudy did not get along.
He often had to stop the bickering between the two girls; it usually earned him a burning look from either one, and sometimes a snide comment from Ebony. And it still marveled him to no end how they all still remained together, how they’d managed to brave the first couple of weeks together without someone getting killed. He smirked at that despite himself and turned on his side, trying to get comfortable.
It’d be nice if he’d had a bed or some such to sleep on, like the one he’d had back home, but he couldn’t think about that, couldn’t wish for things that he could never hope to get back. He hunkered down, pushing his thoughts away until his consciousness was claimed by dreams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He awoke the next morning to the sound—surprise, surprise—of two bickering teenage girls. Ebony was complaining about food and rummaging he could see—with one eye cracked partially open—through the backpack that he’d abandoned the night before. She pulled out a can and tossed it to Trudy, who yelped and glared at the green-eyed girl as if she’d gone mad. The can landed with a thump at Trudy’s feet and rolled a little ways before stopping.
“Are you insane, Ebony?” Trudy screeched. “That can could have hit me in the stomach and hurt the baby!”
“Oh, pipe down,” Ebony growled in annoyance. “It wouldn’t have done anything of the sort. Besides, I counted on you moving out of the way.”
“And if I hadn’t?” Trudy growled back, indignant. Ebony shrugged nonchalantly and went back to the backpack, rooting around for other food stuffs. Trudy gave an even more indignant huff and Bray saw her whirl, starting for his prone form. He wanted to groan, bury his head in his arms and sleep. He was so not in the mood for this today.
“Bray!”
But apparently those merciful gods that would’ve heeded the boy’s pleas had abandoned the universe long ago. Figures. Bray sat up with a groan as Trudy marched right up to him and he looked up, meeting her wide, furious eyes. He dropped his gaze down, closing them and steeling himself for the tirade that was sure to come. And come it did.
“Did you see what she did?” Trudy shouted indignantly. “Did you? She tried to throw that can at me and purposefully hurt the baby!”
“Oh for crying out loud, you stupid cow,” Ebony shouted, just as indignantly. “I didn’t try to do anything! If I’d wanted to, it would’ve been done already.”
Trudy’s face drained of all color. Here it comes.
“D’you see, Bray?!” Trudy screeched louder this time, and it left a ringing in his ears that he hadn’t thought at all possible. “D’you see?! She admits it! She wants to hurt me. She wants to hurt the baby!”
“Trudy,” Bray groaned, rubbing his temples. A massive migraine was starting to form at the base of his neck and it wasn’t even noon yet. He looked up, met her dark, dark eyes with his blue, tried to smile reassuringly. “She wasn’t trying to hurt the baby, right, Ebony?” He glared at the other girl, who gave another nonchalant shrug and pulled out a can of soup from his backpack and two carrots.
“Whatever,” she replied, nonplussed. “If Princess Spoiled over there wants to think that I was trying to kill her, then fine. I have no problems with that.”
“Ebony,” Bray groaned. He seriously, seriously did NOT need this. “Play nice, please? It’s too early in the morning.” He lay back down with a thump and Trudy stomped her foot, looking from Ebony to Bray’s prone form and then back again, her features contorted in both anger and shock.
“I can’t believe you just defended her, Bray.” The shock layered Trudy’s voice like a second skin, and Bray wondered whether or not it had been prudent to run away with her in tow instead of just taking Ebony with him that night and leaving her behind. It wasn’t a very nice thought, he knew, and it was probably just her hormones making her act so crazy and paranoid, but he just did not feel like handling it at that moment.
“How could you—“
“Trudy,” he said, his voice firm, as he sat up once more. She fell silent, her eyes wide and watery. “Just stop, okay? Help Ebony with breakfast and I’ll go find us some water.”
He mouth shut immediately and she looked, at that very moment, every bit like the spoiled princess that Ebony nicknamed her, from the way her lips quivered to the way her eyes teared up and her jaw hardened. He didn’t want to deal with a tantrum so he sprang up with an energy he did not feel and walked swiftly over to his backpack, scooping it up as Ebony shot him a glare.
“You’re going to leave me with her?” Ebony growled low enough so that only he could hear. He glared at her.
“Play nice.”
Ebony smirked with a mischievousness that made butterflies flutter anxiously in his stomach.
“I can’t promise you anything.”
He rolled his eyes and stood up straight as Ebony picked up the can opener that she’d swiped from his bag and began to open the can of soup.
“Wish me luck,” he said turning to Trudy expectantly, who pointedly ignored him. He sighed and started off into the woods.
“Luck!” Ebony called after him, entirely too cheerful to be normal. She had something up her sleeve, and he just hoped that there wouldn’t be some new chaos Ebony cooked up to annoy Trudy that he’d have to break up when he got back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You know,” Ebony began, her tone thoughtful as she sat before the boiling pot of soup, watching it bubble and froth and cook, waiting for it to be done already. Trudy shot the other girl a burning glare that Ebony didn’t see so intent on her cooking, but Trudy wasn’t fooled for a second. She sneered.
“What?” she growled at the other girl, angry that Bray had left her—abandoned her more like—with the stupid cow, Ebony. God, how could he?!
Ebony glanced at her, raised an eyebrow and then turned back to the cooking food. She didn’t speak for a moment, an infuriating smirk playing across her features as she leaned forward and checked the soup with a spoon, stirring it slightly then tapping the spoon gently on the pot’s side; it rang hollow in the air. Trudy watched her, growing impatient by the moment, until she exploded: “WHAT, EBONY?! WHAT DO I KNOW?!”
Ebony turned to her all innocent looks and mock surprise.
“Temper, temper, Trudy dear,” she said, her voice every bit as mocking and condescending as her expression. “We wouldn’t want Bray to hear you shouting, now would we?”
“Stupid cow,” Trudy muttered and sat down with an angry thump on the ground, pouting and pointedly ignoring Ebony. The other girl watched her, amusement written all across her features. Trudy could feel herself trembling with pent-up rage. She didn’t know why Bray had to bring Ebony. She didn’t know why he had to go all noble and save the other girl when Trudy was clearly the one in greater, dire straits. She was pregnant after all with his niece or nephew, and she needed more looking after. With Ebony there it just distracted him, made him angrier than he needed to be, and it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all.
It had been their plan to escape; why had fate decided that Ebony had every right to interfere? She always managed to crop up unexpected, and unwanted, and with her here there was no way that…
There was just no way that Bray would…
Trudy growled in frustration and shot another angry glare at Ebony, who pointedly ignored her and took the pot of soup off the fire. She’d cut up the two carrots that she’d taken from Bray’s backpack and had dropped them in the soup before she’d started cooking, saying with a darkly, twinkling eye, “Got to keep your strength up. We want that baby nice and healthy when it’s born.”
But Trudy wasn’t fooled. She knew Ebony hated her for being pregnant with Martin’s child, resented her for it, and it gave Trudy momentary satisfaction that she’d one-upped Ebony in some way. She smirked at the thought and held her stomach. It large and swollen, and no longer just some regretful dream that Trudy had hoped wouldn’t happen; there was no denying her pregnancy now, no matter how much she wanted to. She was big and—in her mind—fat, as large and unattractive as a walrus. She couldn’t understand why Bray had stuck around her at all. She must’ve looked terribly hideous to him; that must’ve been why he always needed to get away from their tiny group. That, and Ebony, of course. Trudy was sure once the bay was born…
Well…
When the baby was born, Bray would want…
Her cheeks flushed positively red at any thoughts of Bray and her, and she couldn’t help the smile that played across her features. It dropped immediately once she’d heard Ebony’s derisive snort. She looked up, shot the girl a heated look.
“Lost in Lala Land, are you?” Ebony snapped, ill-tempered. Trudy sneered at her.
“No, of course not,” Trudy hissed, pursing her lips. “I was just thinking about—”
“Bray?” Ebony finished with a smirk. Trudy snarled at her and ground out, “Mind your own business, Ebony. I don’t know why he brought you! He should’ve left you behind with the Locos!”
Ebony’s gaze darkened at her words, but Trudy was too angry to care. Ebony stood, stalking menacingly towards Trudy, her green eyes flashing, her mouth pulled back to reveal her teeth.
“And maybe he should’ve left you behind, you stupid cow,” she growled and Trudy blanched. Ebony shook her head and looked down her nose at the other girl. “You’re not good for anything, Trudy. Not good for work or for scouting. At least I pull my weight around. What do you do? You mouth off and complain, even when Bray tries his hardest. You’re just a stupid, spoiled princess and you need to wake up!”
Trudy opened her mouth then closed it with a snap, her eyes beginning to water again, her lip trembling as a wave of emotions washed over her and shook her down to her very core. She didn’t like Ebony and she didn’t like the fact that Bray had brought her. She hated that Ebony could go off with Bray, hunting and searching out for food while she had to sit back and wait anxiously for their return. She hated that Ebony was so much more of a help to Bray than she was. But she couldn’t help any of it. She didn’t know how to cook on an open fire. She didn’t know how to hunt or track for animals, how to seek out the right food to eat and which herbs were best to treat wounds. She didn’t know anything.
A stray tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away, turning her head so that Ebony wouldn’t see, and the other girl hadn’t seen. She just continued with her anger, throwing her hands in the air in frustration and saying, “You’re the reason we’re even going back to the City at all. There’s not food out here, or at least none that we can easily get, and we need to be in a place that we know. It’s not safe out here for a baby and it’s not safe in the City, but at least…” Ebony’s voice trailed off and she growled. “It doesn’t matter, does it?” She shook her head, cocked it to the side, listening. “Bray’s coming back.”
Trudy looked up in surprise and Ebony retreated, going back to the rapidly cooling pot of soup. The pregnant girl quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, not wanting Bray to see. She sniffed, hoping that her face hadn’t gotten all splotchy and when he stepped through the clearing with three full water bottles in tow, Trudy greeted him with a smile as bright and cheery as she could make it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The minute he stepped back in the clearing, he knew something was wrong. He looked from Ebony to Trudy then back again, shaking his head in defeat. He tossed Ebony her water bottle and she caught it deftly and then took Trudy hers, popping the top off for her and smiling with a cheer he didn’t quite feel.
“Here,” he said, his voice as kind as he could make it and handed it over. She took it, trying to shield her eyes from his steady gaze, but he’d already seen the tale-tell redness of unshed tears. He wanted to groan in frustration and annoyance. What had Ebony done this time? Before he could turn and ask, Trudy spoke up in a soft, meek tone of voice, “Thank you, Bray.”
He smiled at her again, stood and breathed. Ebony had gone straight for his backpack where he’d let it tumble off his shoulders, rooting around for the few meager bowls he’d been able to scrounge up in the last few months. When she’d gotten them, she’d spooned soup in them and handed one off to Bray, who took it and passed it to Trudy then took the other and hunkered down to eat. Ebony ate from the pot and the three of them consumed their food in silence. Bray snuck glances at the two girls, but they looked stead-fast into their food, saying nothing. He groaned loudly, breaking the silence.
“Oh god, what happened?”
“Nothing,” Trudy said too quickly. “Nothing at all.” She smiled a watery smile and Ebony grumbled.
“When do we start do on our way back to the City, Bray?” Trudy asked, ignoring Ebony’s mumbles. Bray sighed, said,” We’ll start at noon. Give you some time to rest up a little bit more and then we’ll be off. Sound good to you, Ebony?”
The other girl mumbled her consent and finished off her food, getting up to clean the pot without a word. Bray gave another, inward, sigh. This was going to be another long day.
No comments:
Post a Comment