Title: None officially - working title is No More, but that won't really work once I get into the later chapters.

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: This is my first chapter fic. New territory for me! Comments and suggestions are most welcome!

Setting: Just before Tara's 18th birthday.

Other Stuff: This time, none really! Just that I'm working at about a chapter a day right now, and I'll update as often as I can.



Chapter 1



How could he do this, Tara mused. How did Mother stand it? Why didn’t she take me and Donnie and leave? He was young enough then, wasn’t he? She was so strong, but they never knew it. They said she had to stay for her own sake. Maybe they’re right. She wiped the steam off of the bathroom mirror and peered hesitantly at her own face, blurred by moisture on the mirror’s surface. A fading yellowish bruise marred the pale beauty of the blonde’s face, crossing her left cheek. Her father had done that. Her father’s fist. Too many times he had threatened her, bullied her, and hit her. Tara was forming a plan, or more accurately, what she’d been hoping to do was about to spring into a reality. Soon.



It was one week until her eighteenth birthday. One week until she could leave and he would have no power to make her come back. She wanted and wished that she could leave immediately; change towns, change schools, change lives. Start over, somewhere with no more pain. She’d lost so much here, in this speck of a town. Well, why not? Why not just leave everything here behind? Tara nodded grimly at her reflection. There wasn’t much she had a legitimate claim on owning, just clothes, books … her sanity and pride. These, she would take with her. The pain and fear would gladly be left and, maybe some day, even forgotten.



The blonde turned her attention to the scrape on her elbow. It looked a lot better, it was healing quickly now. She studied the too-smooth, pale shininess of the new skin, which contrasted sharply with the dark pink of the center which was still healing. That was the worst of the injuries she’d been dealt - this time, anyway. She’d been knocked backwards to the ground, sent sprawling, and had gotten a pebble pretty much embedded in her elbow. The heel of her left hand had been scraped too, but not nearly as bad as the elbow, which had been harder to reach to clean, initially. She’d been worried about infection for a few days, but she finally found a good angle to get at the wound and completely cleaned it out, painfully re-opening the skin to make sure there was not a speck of dirt in it. She had become something of an expert at making sure scrapes, cuts, and bruises healed safely and quickly – not to mention remaining as hidden as possible.



Tara combed her long blonde hair out very carefully, using her left hand to make sure the scrape didn’t break open. She was already thinking about where she could go. Somewhere with inexpensive rent and an availability of jobs for eighteen-year-old girls with no prior work experience. Though actually, anywhere sounded better than here. Tara pulled on her robe and made her way quietly to her bedroom. This was going to be tricky, but she was sure it could be done.



Shutting the door almost silently, Tara waited a moment, then flicked her light on. It was “late” according to her father, meaning it was fully dark, so he’d gone to bed. He always left his bedroom door open, and any light would wake him. And when he woke up, he wasn’t happy. She wasn’t about to do anything that would add to her collection of injuries, especially when she was this close to having a way out. She went to her closet and looked back at her door, as if expecting it to open and reveal her and her plan to the man who knocked her down and beat her. Deciding it was just paranoia, she turned and knelt, wiggling loose a floorboard on her closet floor. She pulled out a long glass jar that was filled with small bills and change, a triumphant grin on her face. How much did she have now? She opened the jar and pulled a crumpled and worn piece of paper out, studying it for a moment. Under a long list of math, the final total was $264.77. Not trusting her luck to hold out much longer, the blonde replaced the paper and closed and returned the jar, laying the floorboard over it again.



Now, how far would that take her? She would need to set aside at least $250 for housing, so that didn’t leave too much left for the Greyhound. $14.77, she frowned. Though Greyhound was pretty cheap, it wasn’t quite that cheap. Maybe she’d be able to get farther than 100 miles? Well, she still had a week. She could get more money, borrow some from her $250 for the ticket. That would work. Tara went to her bookshelf and pulled out an old atlas, taking it to her bed to study. She ran her finger down the 1, the 101, and the 5, looking for … something. Past Los Angeles, but not all the way to San Diego. There! Tara leaned closer to the fine print of the old map. Sunnydale. They had a college there, didn’t they? UC Sunnydale, she remembered with a smiled. She could finish high school there; she’d arrive during Thanksgiving break, go to school part of December, then just about five more months left until graduation. And she’d apply to UC Sunnydale and live in the dorms if they had room. If not she’d stay in, well, the same place she would for the last part of high school. This could work.



At that moment her door flew open, her brother bursting in. Tara snapped the atlas closed and clutched at the neck of her robe with one hand. The towering boy sneered down at her, closing her door.



“Donnie, w-what are you doing in here?” the girl asked in a quiet voice.



He smirked. “Maybe I should be askin’ you that, hmm?” He strode over to her bed, looking like he felt he was so superior. “Whatcha got there?”



“It’s called a book? N-not that you’d know anything about them,” she retorted boldly but still quietly.



Donnie snorted derisively. “Who says I don’t? That’s one of those map-books. Whatcha want one of those for? Planning some kinda trip?”



Tara mutely shook her head. She would not be caught by her weasel of a brother. Not tonight, and not any night. “C-colleges. Looking for the um, the close s-s-schools,” she lied.



Donnie made a “tsk” noise. “Should be somethin’ you already know.” He paused as if considering something. “But … I’ll let ya tell me that. For now. Don’t think you’re gettin’ away with anything though, ya hear that?” He turned and sauntered out of the room.



Tara let out a sigh of relief, replaced the worn atlas, and shut her light off, falling into a dreamless slumber.

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Edited by: TwiLightJoy at: 9/22/03 9:45 pm

This is a good start. I always wondered what went on on Tara's house before she left. We got cheated of these things.



All I have to say is: Run, Tara!!! Run!!!!

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.

Tara: Willow, I got so lost.
Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Willow: Hi, um Tara. I was wondering maybe you want to go out some time for coffee? food? Kisses and gay love?

I like this start, Tara and her big escape.. and if she knew what was waiting for her, I'd think she'd be even more motivated, which is even hard to imagine given how horrible her family is.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

This vision of Tara's homelife answers a lot of questions about the person she becomes.



Looking forward to seeing how you're going to show our girls meeting. Please continue.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

Ah yes, this is great. You've delved right into the character of Tara so well; her innate sense of determination which we've seen surface from time to time, and the horrid sense of realisation that things at home won't get any better. Some wonderful description there as well; the one that stood out especially was the scrape on her elbow. So visceral.



I thoroughly enjoyed this. Can't wait to read more.

----------
Squish. Squish. Squish.

Great start....I like this a lot!! Yay to Tara getting the heck out of there soon.



--Michelle

I'll second that, Run Tara! Run!!

Good Start, looking forward to more.

Thanks

Love Lolaxxx

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Today's is a little bit shorter (coz I'm sick, if you must know ), but I'm sure if you stick around for what's coming up tomorrow you won't be disappointed. *big grin* On with the story!



The following morning passed pretty much like any other. Tara was up early as always to make breakfast for her father before he headed off to work. Donnie came in and finished off what was left, and then Tara fixed herself a scrambled egg sandwich on toast and later washed the dishes. Following that, they were both off to school, where Tara was largely ignored for the day. Which, in her opinion, was usually much better than the sort of "attention" her fellow students gave her, teasing her about her stutter, her clothes. It was better to go unnoticed most days.



On the way home, Donnie thought he would have some fun and “ditch” Tara to go to a friend’s house, unaware that this was exactly what Tara had wanted. She took the opportunity to walk over to the bus station to get a one-way ticket to Sunnydale. It had ended up costing $57, which left her about forty bucks in the hole for her goal of $250 to spend when she got there. She hid the ticket inside her book bag, between the pages of her Economics textbook. Hopefully neither her father nor her brother would feel the need to brush up on Economics in the next week. They usually weren't overly nosey, but she wouldn't put it past Donnie after last night's little episode. She would just keep the book close. If they asked, she would have a mid-term coming up.



She arrived home to see it still blissfully empty. And it was Monday, so that meant she’d be expected to pick up a few things at the supermarket. Tara went to her room and emptied it of everything except her Economics book, then quickly pulled the jar out and put it into her bag. It was very heavy. Nevertheless, she hoisted the bag onto her shoulders and picked up the cash and short list of necessary items before heading out the door again.



When she made it to the grocery store, she made a beeline for the CoinStar machine, separating the bills and dumping the change into the machine. After that she went about the grocery shopping as usual, picking up the items on the list and nothing else. She left the store with three bags and a good bit of cash, stashed back inside the now much lighter jar.



This time when Tara got home, her family was already there. The look from the elder Maclay clearly read “Where have you been?” His mouth formed a hard, solid line under his hawkish nose. In response, the girl held up the bags. “I l-left the list here this m-morning. I had to c-come back for it.” Mr. Maclay nodded and gestured her toward the kitchen, where she put away the groceries and quickly went back to her room to drop her bag off. After that, it was back to the kitchen to make dinner. A few insults later, mealtime arrived. Always tedious, but never overly long - Tara bolted her meal and retreated into the kitchen as soon as she could to begin dinner dishes.



That night, Tara continued with her plans. She thought about doing some things in preparation tomorrow, maybe calling Sunnydale and trying to enroll herself in the local high school. She wasn’t sure how far in advance these things needed to be done. Maybe she could just show up there and enroll herself when she arrived. She would just need to have the address and phone number of her school here, and they could send her records or whatever it was they did. She’d need to let her school know she was transferring, but would wait until the day before. She didn’t want them to call her house until she was already gone. She might even leave her father a note, saying that she’d gone and wouldn’t be coming back. That way he wouldn't be able to file a Missing Persons with the police, who would have an incredibly easy time tracking her from here to Sunnydale. At least she would have two good years, her own years, before … the change. After that she didn’t know what would happen, but her mother had been normal enough, hadn’t she? And she had to keep trying. If she gave up hope, Tara would have nothing.



Now, for packing. How could she pack and keep it hidden? She’d have to be really quiet and keep most of it for just beforehand. She’d skip school the day before, maybe; pretend she was sick in the morning, and later on call in to say she’d be transferring to another school. Her birthday would be on a Friday, and she would be on the bus at 1:10 am on the way to Sunnydale. She didn’t even want to think about the number of transfers she would have, how many hours it would take to get there. But when the sun came up on her birthday, she would be in a new town, free, and that was all that mattered. From there she would figure things out, get a cheap motel room and find a job, enroll in high school. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was better to make a life for herself than to stay here and let her father lord over her and beat her whenever he felt she’d stepped out of line.



Tara leaned back, satisfied for the moment. There was still a lot to be done, all of it in secret, but what she had so far was the best part – the actual bus ticket. It was as good as gold, a promise that she would have a future outside of the one she could expect from here. A one-way ticket out of hell and into a new life, one where no one could make her feel inferior, where no one would order her around. One where she could be herself and where she wouldn’t have to obey anyone if she didn’t want to. Except the police, she thought with a chuckle. A young woman on her own would need to be strong and brave, and Tara thought those qualities could fit her. She would go out on her own and take control of her own life for once. She wouldn’t have to hide her magic books in her own home, wouldn’t have to worry about her privacy or dignity being taken away. Yes, this was the best thing she could do.

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Yes this is the best thing she could do. Run!

Again i have to tell how good this is. Its great!!!

Im sorry to hear that you are feeling sick. I hope you feel better soon and im looking forward to your next update.

Love and hugs

Lolaxxx

This is probably the bravest thing that Tara will ever do - leaving home.



Tara on her way to Sunnydale - yay! Or are the dastardly duo going to do something to intervene with her plans?

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

She's planning everything really well...not long now and she'll be putting some serious distance between her and her abusive (bleh) father and brother.



Edited to add: Sorry you aren't feeling well...get well soon!!



--Michelle

Edited by: pikescoob at: 6/13/02 5:35:05 am

This is great! Very original, infact I think it's the only one I've read about Tara's going to Sunnydale.



Feel better soon!



Luv Star x

Some lovely description here that really makes the atmosphere and tension clear. I loved the "hawkish nose" of the older Maclay; he's so intimidating and as of yet, we're only really heard of his speech and actions through the narrative. Wonderful stuff.



There's a great sense of panic underlying Tara's plans here; that works really well. Looking forward to the next part. Thank you.

----------
Squish. Squish. Squish.

Wow. Methinks this might be *the* great unexplored part of Tara's life. How did she leave home? At least I've never read anything substantial about it 'till now...



Am so looking forward to the rest!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

Title: None officially - working title is No More, but that won't really work once I get into the later chapters.

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Setting: The day before Tara's 18th birthday.

Other Stuff: Thanks for the comments, I'm glad that I seem to be covering new ground here. Heh. Hope you enjoy today's addition! Also, I really wish my italics transfered from Word, that way I wouldn't have to go through and add the codes. Blah.



Today was it. It was very early in the morning, and Tara heard her father getting up and ready for work. She didn’t get up to make breakfast, something that would either A) earn her a beating or B) prove to him that she was sick. She sincerely hoped it would be B. She’d done an enchantment to temporarily raise her body temperature, and it really did make her feel as though she was sick. It would wear off within two hours, and it was worth the discomfort she’d go through if it would convince him that she was sick today. Just as she anticipated, Mr. Maclay appeared in her room, towering over her bed. “You getting up today or what, girl?” he demanded, shaking her by the shoulder. Tara groaned and opened her eyes partially, not having to feign nausea as she fully realized what he would do to her if he didn’t buy the ‘I’m sick’ excuse. “I said, what’s your problem, girl? I want you out of bed and in that kitchen,” he repeated.



She cleared her throat and looked up at her father. “Dad, I d-don’t feel good,” she said groggily.



He heaved a sigh and put a hand to her forehead. The warmth he felt brought another frown to his face as he realized she was probably telling the truth. “Just get up and make me some eggs, then you can go back to bed. And stay there all day, you hear me? I don’t want to have to take you to the doctor’s office. I’ll bring you in a pitcher of water and a glass before I leave.”



Tara nodded and sat up slowly, slipping her feet into her house shoes as she eased out of bed. She made her way into the kitchen, feeling terrible and showing it, and prepared a lighter than usual breakfast for her father. It was definitely not on par with what she could fix when she tried, and cooking was something she actually enjoyed doing, normally. And after today she would never have to do this again. The witch delivered the plate of eggs and nearly burnt toast to the table, and Mr. Maclay nodded, dismissing her to bed.



Returning to her room, Tara smiled a little. Good, he bought it. Too bad I had to make it almost real to be completely believable, she thought, collapsing back into her bad in relief. I wonder how normal kids get away with faking sick! She thought about staying up and waiting until Mr. Maclay and Donnie were both gone, but decided against it. She actually felt pretty miserable, what with the self-made fever and that nauseating fear of getting caught when she was so close to getting away from this place. And after all, how many times did she get the chance to sleep in, anyway! She pulled her blankets over her, nestling down into the warmth with a sigh, and soon fell back to sleep.



When she awoke the second time, the fever enchantment had thankfully worn off. It was about 8:30 in the morning, and there was a pitcher of ice water and a full glass on her nightstand. Wow, Tara thought, I can't believe he actually did that! There was also a short note next to the pitcher. “Tara, get your rest and don’t forget to keep hydrated. I’ll give you a call this afternoon to check on you. Feel better, Dad.” And more with the surprises, the young witch pondered. He’s either worried that I’m really sick … or knows that something’s up. Her mind flashed back to the night Donnie had burst in and seen her looking through the atlas. Perhaps he’d told Mr. Maclay, and her father had put two and two together. After all, it was no secret that Tara hated how things were, that she’d do just about anything to leave, but a rebellious runaway could always be found and sent back to her loving home, to be gently disciplined by a caring father. Or, in reality, hauled back off to her prison, where she’d be bruised and broken for thinking she could actually get away with it.



Tara shuddered, then wrapped her favorite knitted blanket around her shoulders and walked through the house, checking to see that she was the only one there. She had this creepy feeling that one of them had stayed to make sure she didn’t try anything. After a full tour, peeking behind doors and around corners, much to her relief, she found the house completely empty. She folded the blanket and returned to her room, grabbing a bran muffin to eat while she started packing.



She stayed in her pajamas and began packing the things that wouldn’t be noticed this evening when he got home. This included pretty much everything in her closet and most of her dresser, all of which got folded, rolled, and tucked into her mother’s old sewing bag. She’d once used it to hold fabrics, but now it held probably 90 percent of Tara’s wardrobe, including skirts, sweaters, a few pairs of patchwork jeans, t-shirts, socks, and underclothes. She’d wear her jacket when she left, and any other clothes that weren’t considered essential would remain behind. After a moment’s thought, she stuffed a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers into the bag, closed it, and tucked it back into her closet.



Now, for her books. The ones she kept hidden, anyway. Tara took a flattened bit of cardboard out from between her mattresses, and popped it open into a corrugated box. She taped the box’s bottom securely back together with duct tape, then removed all the magic books from underneath the built-in window seat. She lovingly packed them into the box, taking great care with each one. This done, she duct taped the lid shut and neatly labeled the box “BOOKS” with a permanent marker. She pulled the box over and packed it into the closet next to the old sewing bag. Satisfied with that, the blonde girl plopped onto her bed for a break, finishing off the muffin and having a glass of water.



Now getting all this to the bus station could be tough, since she still had a bag and another box left to pack. Tara had already considered this, though, and had a great idea for how to get around it. In the back of the garage was a dusty old hand-truck that no one ever used. All she’d have to do was WD-40 the axle of the truck, and she’d be able to get it through the house silently at midnight, with both boxes and her makeshift suitcase bungee-corded securely to the cart.



The young Wiccan went out into the garage through the kitchen door, located the hand-truck, and cleaned it up. She carefully greased the wheels until she was positive the thing wouldn’t make so much as the tiniest of squeaks tonight, then took care to make sure the wheels especially were completely clean. She couldn’t have hand-truck tracks running through the house – it would be a sure tip-off. Finally positive it wouldn’t track, Tara wheeled the cart into her room, grabbing a few spare bungee cords to secure the boxes and bag. She put this in her closet as well, placing first the box of books onto the rack, then the sewing bag/suitcase on top. She bungeed the box to the truck, but not the bag, since it would be on top of another box filled with books, a few photos, and some trinkets.



So far, everything was going well. One would almost say perfect.

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I like the update. It Rockz! You're an amazing writer. I love the fic. UPDATE, Soon perhaps? Please?

Much Love,

Lisa

This is our Last Embrace, Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"

Why do I have the feeling this is *not* going to go as planned...?



Oh, but I hope it does. Good luck, Tara! You'll get away--if not this time, then the next!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

Poor Tara, having to feign sickness to get even a small bit of kindness from her father.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

I agree with Zahir....I have a feeling that her plan won't go as perfectly as hoped. I mean her father actually saying/doing something semi-nice...maybe he does know a little bit about Tara's plan. But in any case she'll make it out eventually....right? Can't wait to see what happens.



--Michelle

“H-hello?”



“Hello, Tara? Tara Maclay?” the nasal female voice inquired. She pronounced it ‘Tar-uh.’



“Um, y-yes?” Tara said in her best ‘I’m really sick’ voice.



A static-y sigh hissed in Tara’s ear. “It’s our policy to call the student’s house when they are absent, to verify that they are out ill. Parents like to know if their kids are cutting school,” the woman informed Tara in an almost bored tone. This obviously was not her first such call today. “Our records say you live with your father, would he happen to be at home right now?”



“No, he – he’s at w-w-work. I can, I can give you his w-work number, if you need it?”



Another sigh. “That won’t be necessary. Thank you for your time,” the nasal-voiced woman. “And Tara?”



Gulp. “Yes?”



“We hope you feel better soon. Bye now,” the lady said.



“G-good bye.” Tara replaced the receiver and let out a giggle. It was easier than she thought to play sick. The hardest part had been convincing her father, since he tended to need a more easily noticeable symptom. She smiled and put her feet up on the coffee table, humming along with Steve and Blue in a repeat of Blue’s Clues. [Author’s note: Those were the good old days! Who could actually believe Steve could get accepted into any college, if a cartoon dog and your average toddler could outsmart him. That’s stretch for even a three-year-old.] She bobbed her pink-socked feet in time to the music, a grin on her face. She had a multi-colored knitted blanket around her and a glass of ice water on a coaster, so in case she got any unexpected visitors, she could say she woke up and felt like lying on the couch and watching some cartoons for a while.



She was done with all the packing she could do without it being noticeable, and had decided to take the rest of the day to just relax. She remained in her flannel pinstriped pajama bottoms and the long-sleeved lavender thermal shirt she’d worn to bed last night. She had also brushed her hair, pleased that the scrape on her elbow was almost completely gone, so she could now use both hands. It made her feel better to have done her hair, now at least she didn’t look like a complete bum. In the middle of Little Bear, the phone rang again. Tara put on her sick voice and picked up. “Hello?”



“Hey, it’s Dad,” her father said, as though she wouldn’t recognize his voice or something. “How you feeling?”



“Um, a little bit b-better. I, um, I’m in the l-living room. Lying down. On the – on the couch.”



She could all but hear him nodding his head. “Good, you keep resting. Need anything?”



Wow, this is weird, Tara thought. Since when does he care if I need anything? Out loud she replied, “N-no, no, I’m okay.” Maybe he’s just worried something besides him will end up hurting me. Or he still needs to know my every move, even though he isn’t here, she speculated. “Did the school um, c-call you, today? Because, they c-called here. To um, to make sure I was home. And n-not, not c-cutting school.”



A phone rang in the background. “No, I didn’t get a call from them. You must have answered their questions just fine.” The phone rang again insistently. “Listen, Tara, I have to get going, it’s pretty busy here. You need anything, just call, the number’s next to the kitchen phone. Extension 5541. Your brother should be home right after school, and I’ve told him to leave you alone and let you rest up. He asks you to do anything for him, don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with him when I get home.” A touch of that same familiar threat laced his tone, and it sent a chill up Tara’s spine, even though it seemed to be directed at her older brother for once.



“Okay, bye, Dad,” the witch said hastily.



“Bye, Tara.” A click on the line was followed swiftly by the dial tone, and Tara again replaced the receiver. He must know something, she decided. There was no way he’d actually care that much if she just had a stomach bug and a fever. She didn’t like it one bit. It made her stomach all acid-y. Oh well, it will all be over soon. Only twelve hours to go, then she’d hopefully never have to see this town again.



Tara returned to her cartoons to get her mind off her father. By the time The Adventures of Superman was on, she’d already made herself a light lunch and wasn’t too sure what else she was supposed to do. Any housework, even a bit of sweeping and vacuuming, might tip them off that she wasn’t as ill as she had seemed. It was just strange to not have anything to do, when she was used to taking care of pretty much everything that needed to be done in the house. Then she smiled to herself as she realized something, the finality of tonight’s escape setting in. She had already vacuumed the carpets for the last time, folded the towels for the last time, and cleaned the shower for the last time. After midnight, this would not be her house any more. It was enough to make her want to dance with joy.



Unexpectedly, she heard something at the front of the house. She looked at the clock in puzzlement. It was still too early for Donnie to be home, and way too early for her father. Who on earth could that be? A sharp knock came on the door. Tara wrapped the blanket around her as she stood, and padded to the front of the house. Peeking through the window, she couldn’t hide the look of surprise that crossed her fine features as she saw who was standing outside.



“B-beth?!”

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Oooh, the plot thickens. Great stuff here; you describe her actions and thoughst so meticulously, I'm really drawn in and involved. That's wonderful writing.

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Squish. Squish. Squish.

Ooh, this is great!! I like the fact that you are dealing with Tara and her life before her move to Sunnydale. I shall be back to read the next part!!

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

I like where you've started,and,from what is posted so far,you have a NewReader...



I look forward to the continuation...

vive,valeque.

I like it! And of course (as is obvious in hindsight) you had to bring in Cousin Bi...er...Beth.

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

Tara is very brave. I hope that cousin beth doesn't ruin things.. grrrrr

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

Cousin Beth....argh....someone who could mess things up....I hope she goes away!! I'm hooked into this.



--Michelle

Cousin Beth is always around to cause trouble.

------------




Officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

Title: None officially - working title is No More, but that won't really work once I get into the later chapters.

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Setting: The day before Tara's 18th birthday.

Other Stuff: Thanks so much for the compliments! I am a day behind in my writing, because yesterday I spent all day with my gf at a concert. (Those in the L.A. area, Wango Tango was awesome!) So I had this one done ahead of time, but haven't really gone over it in as much detail as I have for the other chapters, and it's not very action-y. But things will pick up soon!



Tara hurriedly unlocked the door and pulled it open, tucking her hair back behind her ears. Remembering she was supposed to be sick, she wrapped an arm around her middle to hold the blanket around her, and ushered her cousin in. “Beth, w-what are you doing here? I mean, I thought you w-w-weren’t coming until, um, until next w-week.”



The impeccably dressed younger blonde smiled cheerily, looking nowhere beside Tara’s surprised face. “I took an earlier bus. I hope I’m not intruding, I know your birthday’s tomorrow. I just hope you don’t already have any big plans.” She set her suitcase down inside the entry and closed the door behind her.



The witch wanted to laugh out loud at the truth her cousin’s statement unknowingly held. She smiled weakly instead. “N-no, no big plans. No p-p-party.”



Beth nodded sympathetically, as if taking pity on her poor backward cousin. “Anyway, now that I’m here, maybe we can do something together tomorrow.” She adopted a thoughtful expression, then smiled. “I know, we could go shopping together. I could help you pick out a great outfit, maybe some nice earrings or something. New shoes.” The slightly dazed, dreamy expression faded as she finally noticed Tara’s attire, blanket and all, to be replaced with one of shock. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?”



“S-sick day,” the Wiccan explained. “It’s, um, it’s a s-stomach thing.” She waved one hand in a circular motion nervously as she spoke. “I, I had a fever this m-morning. But it broke,” she finished lamely.



“Well, why don’t we get you back to bed? I’m sure you don’t need to be up looking after me. I’ll be all right on my own.” Beth walked through the kitchen and into the living room, Tara trailing along after her. “And in fact, I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. Or, as long as it takes until you feel better.”



Well, the couch was better than in her room, so Tara nodded in agreement. At least this way she’d only have to sneak past Beth once. “That’s r-really nice of you, to offer.”



Beth beamed. “Of course, Tara! You’re family, and you know I’d do anything for you.” She looked up at the older blond girl. “Do you need to go back to bed?” she repeated. “I’ll understand if you do. I’ll be really quiet out here, so you can rest.”



The young witch felt a headache coming on, and didn’t hesitate to play sick a little more. “Yeah, you’re, you’re probably right. I should go l-lay down. R-rest.” She picked up the glass off the coffee table and headed back to her room, leaving Beth in the living room to take care of herself.



Could this possibly get any worse? Well, no, forget that. Of course it could.



What was Beth doing here? Did anyone else know she would be arriving almost a week early, or would Tara have the joy of explaining her cousin’s arrival? Well, knowing Beth, she’d be sure to explain herself to the men right away. Any probably not that fluffy explanation she’d given Tara about just wanting to get here earlier. There had to be a real reason Beth was here. Fear sat cold and heavy in Tara’s stomach, fear of being stopped, being made to stay here forever. Fear that Donnie had found something out and told their father, or Beth, or both of them. Fear that they all knew and were ready to hold her here by force. Maybe by breaking something, making sure she couldn’t run.



Tara lay down again, to afraid to check her closet again to make sure that everything was the same. With her cousin here, there was that much more of a chance that she would be noticed doing, well, pretty much anything. As if things weren’t difficult enough before.



She considered a spell, something to make them all sleep, so she could be sure she would still get away, even with an extra pair of eyes and ears in the house. But she’d need to have it ready to cast at dinner, and wasn’t sure she could do one with that little preparation time. After all, her books were all packed, and if there was even one ingredient she didn’t have on hand, it could throw the whole spell off, maybe even make it backfire onto herself.



No, it was too risky, a chance at this point she didn’t feel she could take. She would just depend on herself, her wits, to make it out of this.



As she lay there, her mind raced with myriad ideas and plans, going through each of them mentally a number of times, with different variables in each scenario. Many of the ideas got discarded after a few run-throughs, a few she held to. The safest, physically, was her original plan, the one she’d had before Beth showed up, and it would most likely be the one she stuck with for tonight. Her father and Donnie both went to sleep fairly early on, ten or eleven p.m. at the very latest since it was a school night. Even if they lay awake for forty-five minutes, they would still be asleep at midnight, when she planned to slip silently out of the house with her belongings.



Her route would be direct and simple. From her room she would go down the hall, past her father’s open door across the way from hers, then past Donnie’s closed door on the left. From there, she could cross the corner of the living room and into the kitchen. She knew each floorboard by heart, and knew which ones squeaked and exactly where. Once she made it out of the kitchen, she only had to turn right and make it out of the door, closing it and walking to the bus station, five short minutes. She would be at the bus station by 12:15 or 12:30 at the very latest, and her bus left at 1:10. With Beth on the living room couch, not one part of her plan would need to be changed. She would only need to take extra caution to be silent as she passed by the end of the couch. Any route out of the house had to go through the living room, save leaving through one of her bedroom windows. But going out the window would likely be loud, because the one that opened easiest creaked loudly and tended to need to be propped open, or else it would fall shut and possibly break the glass. The others were difficult to open, the wood was slightly warped and Tara usually needed to pound on the window to get it to open any wider than an inch and a half.



So far, the original was the best plan she had, and it would be wisest to stay with it.

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Go Tara! Go! We're all rooting for you! Go!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

Ah, you're building the tension deliciously here. It's really starting to crackle with excitement and anticipation in the Maclay household. Thank you.

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Squish. Squish. Squish.