Post by Amy81 on Aug 25, 2005 6:20:07 GMT -6
Abby got into Ange's room easily enough. As a high ranking member of the agroship crew, Abby had access to a lot of things, but she was careful not to abuse any of her special privileges. Come to think of it, she'd never once had occasion to even consider using something like the pass key she now secured safely into the pocket of her sweater.
She stood there in the darkness, wondering what to do. She needed light, but only lit the one found on Ange's desk. The desk was a good place to start, so Abby went around behind it and crouched down to begin opening drawers as carefully and quietly as she could.
She never felt the motion behind her, only the crash of something heavy on her head, and then only darkness as she slipped into unconsciousness.
She came to moments later, blinking to clear her head and to get used to the lights being on. She struggled to her knees, and felt gingerly around the back of her head, the source of her splitting headache. She unsteadily tried to rise, but a voice made her freeze.
"Right there is fine" the voice said. A woman's voice. Em.
"Lords, is that you Em?" Abby asked weakly. "You could have killed me."
Em grunted. "There's still time for that. This what you were looking for?" She started tossing pictures down onto the floor in front of Abby. Abby picked up one, and threw it back down in disgust. In horror. She turned her head and felt sick, very sick. Em continued to toss pictures onto the pile.
"What's the matter Abby? Isn't that what you came to see?"
"Em... You knew... How could you... How could you let it happen?"
"I didn't know" Em said as she threw the last picture down. "Not at first anyway. After the last time Jeb beat me, I left him. Practically ran straight into Ange. We got drunk together. Real drunk. We told each other a lot of things. Turned out Ange was worse off than me. His injury had ruined his warrior career, and he'd done some worse things along the way. Figures I'd leave one abuser just to find another."
"But Amy, she was your godchild..."
Em ignored Abby, content to continue her story. "We became closer, partners in grief and misery. He was trying to change, but it was hard for him. He said he had this kid that kept coming by. Half of him wanted to just be a friend. The kid was cute, funny he said. The other half wanted to... well I think you know."
Abby glanced at the pictures, then looked away again.
Em went on. "He didn't know how since he knew he'd get caught. Being in the frame of mind I was in, and being a chemist on this ship, I gave him something to knock the kid out. I didn't know it was Amy until the day I was there when she came by. Not that it wouldn't have made any difference. In fact, it made it better. And Ange was real grateful. I never was treated so nice by a man."
"You saw... watched?" Abby sobbed.
"From right over there" Em said, pointing to the door leading to another room. She stepped up to Abby and scooped up the pictures.
"Why Em? Why?"
Em put a foot on Abby's shoulder, giving her a little kick. "As if you didn't know. It should have been me with Elmer. I could have made him happy. You didn't have a clue how to hold together a marriage. I had to sit and watch as he got more and more miserable. He had a heart of gold though. He'd never consider leaving you. So I got stuck with Jeb, who took it out on me whenever something didn't go right, while you had Elmer, and that perfect child of yours. You had it all Abby. You should have been the happiest woman in the fleet. But both of you were miserable. You had everything most people in the fleet would die for, but you couldn't make it work. You didn't deserve any of it. And since I couldn't change any of it, I could spoil it. Dirty it. You'd never know of course, but I did. I found that was enough to sustain me."
Em picked up a waste basket, and lit the few papers in it. "Want another look?" she asked, ready to drop the photos into the small fire that was beginning to catch. "It's funny. Amy thought I'd forgotten her novayarhen." Em shook her head, holding up a picture. "She just didn't remember what we'd gotten her."
She stood there in the darkness, wondering what to do. She needed light, but only lit the one found on Ange's desk. The desk was a good place to start, so Abby went around behind it and crouched down to begin opening drawers as carefully and quietly as she could.
She never felt the motion behind her, only the crash of something heavy on her head, and then only darkness as she slipped into unconsciousness.
She came to moments later, blinking to clear her head and to get used to the lights being on. She struggled to her knees, and felt gingerly around the back of her head, the source of her splitting headache. She unsteadily tried to rise, but a voice made her freeze.
"Right there is fine" the voice said. A woman's voice. Em.
"Lords, is that you Em?" Abby asked weakly. "You could have killed me."
Em grunted. "There's still time for that. This what you were looking for?" She started tossing pictures down onto the floor in front of Abby. Abby picked up one, and threw it back down in disgust. In horror. She turned her head and felt sick, very sick. Em continued to toss pictures onto the pile.
"What's the matter Abby? Isn't that what you came to see?"
"Em... You knew... How could you... How could you let it happen?"
"I didn't know" Em said as she threw the last picture down. "Not at first anyway. After the last time Jeb beat me, I left him. Practically ran straight into Ange. We got drunk together. Real drunk. We told each other a lot of things. Turned out Ange was worse off than me. His injury had ruined his warrior career, and he'd done some worse things along the way. Figures I'd leave one abuser just to find another."
"But Amy, she was your godchild..."
Em ignored Abby, content to continue her story. "We became closer, partners in grief and misery. He was trying to change, but it was hard for him. He said he had this kid that kept coming by. Half of him wanted to just be a friend. The kid was cute, funny he said. The other half wanted to... well I think you know."
Abby glanced at the pictures, then looked away again.
Em went on. "He didn't know how since he knew he'd get caught. Being in the frame of mind I was in, and being a chemist on this ship, I gave him something to knock the kid out. I didn't know it was Amy until the day I was there when she came by. Not that it wouldn't have made any difference. In fact, it made it better. And Ange was real grateful. I never was treated so nice by a man."
"You saw... watched?" Abby sobbed.
"From right over there" Em said, pointing to the door leading to another room. She stepped up to Abby and scooped up the pictures.
"Why Em? Why?"
Em put a foot on Abby's shoulder, giving her a little kick. "As if you didn't know. It should have been me with Elmer. I could have made him happy. You didn't have a clue how to hold together a marriage. I had to sit and watch as he got more and more miserable. He had a heart of gold though. He'd never consider leaving you. So I got stuck with Jeb, who took it out on me whenever something didn't go right, while you had Elmer, and that perfect child of yours. You had it all Abby. You should have been the happiest woman in the fleet. But both of you were miserable. You had everything most people in the fleet would die for, but you couldn't make it work. You didn't deserve any of it. And since I couldn't change any of it, I could spoil it. Dirty it. You'd never know of course, but I did. I found that was enough to sustain me."
Em picked up a waste basket, and lit the few papers in it. "Want another look?" she asked, ready to drop the photos into the small fire that was beginning to catch. "It's funny. Amy thought I'd forgotten her novayarhen." Em shook her head, holding up a picture. "She just didn't remember what we'd gotten her."