Krystal109
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« on: January 13, 2010, 10:02:57 AM » |
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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl
9.12 Greenbrier
Written by Krystal
As Ethan ran after Lena, he could hear her voice in his head telling him not to follow. He had taken sides now, for the first time. And while he had never participated in the exile of outsiders before, he sat by and watched as the others harassed them. Something had to be done. He stopped by the bio lab where Link took one look at him before tossing him the keys to the Beater.
The most obvious place for Lena to go was home and Ethan made his way there. The Ravenwood Manor loomed before him and he made his way to the door, despite his nerves. The house was in shambles on the outside, but still impressive in scale. As he approached the front door, Ethan noticed the lintel above the door had symbols on it and he vaulted up the decaying steps to the door. He knocked, but there was no answer and as he was about to give up he heard the familiar melody. Sixteen Moons. She was around here somewhere, so he made his way inside.
Inside, light flooded through the windows and everything looked brand new, unlike the decaying outside. Ethan called out for Lena or Mr. Ravenwood and was answered by a large jet-black dog growling at him.
Ethan ran from the house, stumbled down the stairs and down a gravel path away from the manor. When he was far enough away, Ethan stopped for a breath and found himself in front of a crumbling rock wall with the familiar scent of lemons and rosemary. He made his way around the wall and inside where he found Lena crying. He sat down next to here and they talked about everyone at Jackson and why they treated her the way they did. It was hard for Lena to fit into the crowd at a new school and Gatlin was no different, but the worst part was she let it get to her. Trying to cheer her up, Ethan admits that he hides book under his bed so no one knows he reads. They talk about the books they like and then he asks what happened. She says she doesn’t know and then Ethan mentions the dreams. Without thinking, Lena affirms his suspicions that they both share the same dream. Ethan grabbed her hand and the stone slab to support himself and they both found themselves in a strange vision.
A girl named Genevieve choked in the smoke from the surrounding burning house as the union soldiers made their way to the next one. She was running right toward the fires as she made her way to Greenbrier, determined to get there before the soldiers. By the time she got the smell of her mother’s burning lemons trees told her it was too late.
Lena pulled he hand away from Ethan and he looked down at his hand to find a small locket that said Greenbrier and the date February 11th, 1865. Lena turned completely pale as she told Ethan that it was the same day as her birthday and he shrugs it off as a coincidence, but there were no coincidences in Lena’s life. On the back of the locket were two sets of initials, “ECW & GKD.” As he looks at it, Ethan remarks that those are strangely close to his initials of ELW. This was just too much of a coincidence and he suggests they try and see the vision again, but nothing happens. Lena decides to head inside and she tells him not to follow. When he protested, Lena held up her inked hand and indicated that she turned sixteen in five months and although this meant little to Ethan, it meant a great deal to her.
Characters Involved
Ethan Lawson Wate
Wesley Jefferson Lincoln a.k.a. Link
Lena Duchannes
Characters Mentioned
Allison Birch
Scooter Richman
Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood
Lila Evers Wate
Mitchell Wate
Amma Treadeau
Emily Asher
Savannah Snow
Eden Westerly
Charlotte Chase
Genevieve
Genevieve’s Mother
Genevieve Father
Earl Petty
Places Visited
Stonewall Jackson High School
Ravenwood Manor
Memorable Quotes
Ethan: While I’d never picked up a marker and written LOSER across a locker myself, I had stood by and watched, plenty of times. (Page 61-62)
Ethan: Ravenwood Manor loomed in front of me. It rose up on the hill like a dare. (Page 62)
Lena: “I just wish I could be myself and still have friends who notice whether I’m in school or not.”
Ethan: “Believe me, they notice. At least, they did today.” She almost laughed – almost. “I mean, in a good way.” I looked away.
I notice. (Page 69)
Genevieve: Nothing had ever been able to kill those trees. Until today. (Page 75)
Lena: “I turn sixteen in five months.” She held up her hand, inked with a number as usual. 151. “A hundred and fifty-one says.” Her birthday. The changing number written on her hand. She was counting down to her birthday.
“You don’t know what that means, Ethan. You don’t know anything. I may not even be here after that.” (Page 78)
Questions for consideration:
Now that Ethan’s made the decision of Lena over the Gatlin students, do you think he will be treated as an outsider as well?
Whose initials do you think those are on the locket and what happened to Greenbrier?
Why do you think Lena’s birthday is significant to her?
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