Joan's Tissue: A Fictional Narrative

“Not bad,” replied Gabby, who had thrown her bag up on the counter and was trying to fish out a lighter, “just got off!” Both of her stockings had a run in them and flicks of discarded food stuck to the sides of her tennis shoes. Her dress was black and sparkling. Vernon could tell she worked at another diner the moment she got out of the cab. The waitress flipped over an empty cup and poured out what was leftover of the coffee. Gabby had lite her cigarette, inhaled a drag, took a sip, and exhaled out a thick cloud of smoke in one single breath. “Ended up pulling a double?” The swirls in the smoke seemed to actuate Gaby's words. “Don’t remind me!” replied the waitress, who had removed one of her flats and was rubbing her heel, “I’ve been on and off my feet since 9:30 this morning.” Gabby looked towards the front of the diner at the back of Vernon’s head and then back at the waitress. “Rough night?” “Nope,” replied the waitress, “he’s been coming in here late for the last month or so, keeps to himself.” They both could see that Vernon was moving his hands while he was talking to himself. “We still on for tonight,” asked Gabby. “Maybe,” said the waitress, “as long we can get a table.” The band aids on the back of her heels needed to be replaced with new ones. Gabby

“I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave.” Remembering her manners, she added, “Please. It’s time for you to move on. Do you see a bright light anywhere? If you do, you need to walk into the light. Your loved ones are waiting for you.”

He forces his lips away from her skin to look at her sadly, "I would try to apparate you out, but Bellatrix made sure to jinx you so that you'd be bound to the Manor."

His alcohol breath washed over her face. The girl struggled in the rough ropes that bound her arms, each second becoming more desperate. A large hand cupped the hinges of her jaw and squeezed harshly. The man sneered, silver strands dropping onto his eyelashes.

The music blared so loud through the speakers at the bar and grill MacGowan's Haven, that Alannah Chambers worked at that she had to shout in order for her customers to hear her. "What would you like sir?" She yelled at the middle aged man on the other side of the counter. He was a heavy set man with thinning salt and pepper colored hair and thick glasses, he wore faded blue jeans and a blue shirt that looked like it seen better days. Lots of them. He had a mustard stain on his shirt too that he hadn't bothered to wipe up. "Uh, I'll take a beer and a piece of that ass babe," he said, and grinned wickedly at her. If it had been a few years sooner, Alannah would have ignored him, but not this time, she was done with little-miss-shy-girl that

Once the alarm went off, both girls groaned wanting to sleep for another hour. Unfortunately, dinner with the Hollis' was happening very shortly. Both girls got out of their bed and walked over to the bathroom to freshen up. Carmilla washed her face as Laura brushed her teeth, vice versa. Once they we're woken up, Carmilla walked over to her dresser while Laura walked over to her closet. Laura pulled out a lovely form fitting black dress that showed off her neck and her toned arms. Carmilla slid into her infamous leather pants, threw on a black tank, and topped it with a black blazer with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. "Hey Laura, can you pass me my red heels?"

The air reeked of alcohol, the intoxicated breaths of young people colliding together over drunken slurs to create one distinct scent. She kept her head low as she made her way through the maze made by the seemingly endless crowd. Full of regrets, she was doing all she could to get out of there, the distraction turning out to be nothing more than a few drinks with people who didn't even know when her birthday was. The song finished abruptly, followed by simultaneous cheering. She kept moving, weaving in and out of people with fierce determination until she walked right into him. She murmured a quick apology and went to continue when the familiarity of the figure in front of her hit. She hesitantly looked up, heart dropping into her stomach at the mere sight of him.

“Look,” she said as she inched towards him “either he'll call back, or he won't. Yelling about it won't help.” She got right behind him and put her lips to his ear. “Please come back to bed.”

“I thought you would never get here. I don’t know what to do with my hair, and my mother needs help with the wedding, and they will be here any moment! Please hurry and come with me!” She sobbed and ran toward the doors of the palace.

“Well, don’t you look like the cat that ate the canary” Angelique said as she sailed from the bedroom to the settee in the parlor of her townhouse.

Perceval spoke reassurances to the maid, but Joan didn’t hear the words. The old doubt began to creep in, those worries about losing Perceval. She thought she was past that, but her inner voice repeated the fears she’d tried to repress: “Get out now before your heart is complexly lost to him and he turns up dead.”

Joan struggled to remain conscious as the cell door slammed shut. She crawled her way to the bars, leaning against them for support. Helpless, all she could do was watch as Alis—flailing and keening—was carried to the wooden table on the far wall.

He made an undignified noise, scrabbling at the man’s hand. “Let go of me,” he half-gasped in dread. “Get your filthy hands off me, don’t touch me, you’re disgusting—”

And then she saw them. They looked so fucking clean. Shining, glinting in the fluorescents. Frank’s hair-trimming scissors flashed up at her, prodding her, calling to her. Her manic gaze focused in, fingers twitching incessantly. She had never thought of this before, never given much thought to the long, cascade of lush dark hair that fell in waves down her back. Frank loved it, loved to run his fingers through it. Loved to hold on to it, pull it as he arched her back and bent her over to-

“Salut,” the guests had repeated, clinking glasses and sharing smiles. I felt so happy, but as I looked over to Giovanna, my grin had disappeared. She typically is the life of the party and is extremely joyful, but she was just gloomily staring down at her glass with an ashamed look on her face.