Krystal109
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« on: January 19, 2010, 07:07:05 AM » |
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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl
9.12 The Sisters
Written by Krystal
When Ethan arrived home the table was set and he thought he was off the hook until he realized the phone tree that went into play the minute he left class. Ethan made his way to the kitchen where Amma asked for an explanation that didn’t include Lena. As he tries to weasel his way out, Ethan found himself getting into even deeper trouble and needing a distraction. He fidgeted with the locket burning a hole in his back pocket and knowing Amma likes a mystery, he fished it out and showed her.
Amma’s expression stopped in its tracks and then she ran off to her bedroom, Ethan following. She rummaged through her room of knickknacks and dirt and handed Ethan a handkerchief. She made him wrap the locket tightly in it before having him drop it in a small leather bag and tied it closed. She ushered him out the door and told him to return the locket to Greenbrier and bury it.
Last night Ethan had spent two hours wandering around instead of heading back to Greenbrier. As he got out of bed Ethan grabbed the yellow Nike box where he had stored the locket. It was Saturday which meant he’d be spending the day with the three oldest women in Gatlin, his great-aunts. Everyone in town called them the Sisters, as if they were one entity, which they practically were. When he was twelve, his mother had dropped him off at their house and he’d been going ever since. Normally he didn’t look forward to seeing the Sisters, but today was different; he had a question for them.
When Ethan arrived at the Sisters place it was utter chaos. Grace had accidently attacked Mercy’s terrier with a broom and broken his leg. And so, he drove the women and the terrier to Dean Wilks’ place in her 1964 Cadillac.
By the time they got back to the house Ethan began to think he was crazy for thinking that the old ladies could help him. Waiting outside was Thelma who’d been hired by Mr. Wate to watch over the Sisters. They made their way inside and sat down in the kitchen to tell Thelma the story of Grace trying to kill Harlon James. Ethan pulled out the locket and spun it around when Thelma asked what he had. He told the women the story and asked about the initials and date. Aunt Grace was the one who remembered that in 1865 the Union army came through and burnt Gatlin to the ground, everything except Ravenwood that is. Her granddaddy used to say that Abraham Ravenwood must have made a deal with the devil because the soldiers walked on by, as if they couldn’t see it. Turns out that people had been talking about the Ravenwood’s for generations.
Ethan asks about Macon and the women explain that his father, Silas, and his mother were never married. She was a pretty woman, but not long after Macon and his brother were born she left with rumors of Silas’ eccentricity.
As Grace scrutinized the locket more closely she was sure of one thing, the handkerchief belong to Sulla the Prophet, Amma’s ancestor. When the conversation moved to the initials of ECW and GKD, he’s shocked to learn of a great ancestor by the name of Ethan Carter Wate. Ethan Carter was not in the family tree at his house and learns that he was a deserter, a shame to Southern families. He wondered why he parent would name his after a great-great-great-uncle who’d shamed the family. If he knew anything about his mother, he figured it was out of pride. By the time Ethan asked about the GKD initials he had lost their interest and gave up.
Ethan drove the Sisters four blocks to their Baptist church where he wheeled Aunt Mercy up the gravel driveway. By the time the preacher took the third testimony Ethan was zoning out as he fidgeted with the locket in his pocket. Suddenly Lena was in his head and he felt her fingers on his and the room disappeared.
Nothing could prepare Genevieve for the sight of Greenbrier burning. A rustle of leaves behind her indicated the prowler that now grabbed her, covering her mouth. She fought and a voice rang out, “Genevieve, it’s me.” It was her beloved Ethan. He explained that he had deserted and understood if she didn’t want to marry him anymore, but she didn’t care. Another noise in the bushes had Ethan on guard when the Greenbrier cook came into view, startled by Ethan. Ivy explains what happened and Genevieve realizes that her mother, sister, and Greenbrier were all gone.
Ethan was sucked out as quickly as he was pulled into the vision and Lena was gone. He was unsure of what was going on but he knew one thing, Lena was right and there were no coincidences.
Characters Involved
Ethan Lawson Wate
Amma Treadeau
Mercy Lynne Statham
Prudence Jane Statham
Grace Ann Statham
Thelma
Characters Mentioned
Coach
Mrs. English
Principal Harper
Mrs. Lincoln
Lena Duchannes
Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood
Mitchell Wate
Lila Evers Wate
Genevieve
Dean Wilks
Abraham Ravenwood
Silas Ravenwood
Sulla Treadeau
Ethan Carter Wate
Lawson Wate
Ellis Wate
Genevieve’s Mother
Aunt Marguerite
Ivy
Evangaline
Places Visited
Ethan’s House
The Sisters House
Evangelical Missionary Baptist Church
Memorable Quotes
Ethan: I took a deep breath. What could I say? I had been dreaming about some mystery girl for months, who showed up in town and just happened to be Macon Ravenwood’s niece? That, in addition to terrifying dreams about this girl, I had a vision of some other woman, who I definitely didn’t know, who lived during the Civil War?
Yeah, that would get me out of trouble, around the same time the sun exploded and the solar system died. (Page 81)
Amma: “Where did you get that?” her voice was a whisper.
Ethan: “We found it in the dirt, at Ravenwood.”
Amma: “You didn’t find that at Ravenwood Plantation.” (Page 82)
Prudence: “Grace tried ta beat him ta death with a broom.”
Grace: “That’s not true. I told you, I wasn’t wearing my spectacles and he looked just like a wharf rat runnin’ through the kitchen.” (Page 88)
Grace: “My granddaddy used ta say Abraham Ravenwood musta made a deal with the Devil that night.” (Page 90)
Ethan: “Ellis Wate’s brother was named Lawson, not Ethan. That’s how I got my middle name.”
Grace: “Ellis Wate had two brothers, Ethan and Lawson. You were named for both of ‘em. Ethan Lawson Wate.”
Ethan: I tried to picture my family tree. I had seen it enough times. And if there’s one thing a Southerner knows, it’s their family tree. There was no Ethan Carter Wate on the framed copy hanging in our dining room. I had obviously overestimated Aunt Grace’s lucidity. (Page 93)
Questions for consideration:
Why do you think Amma freaked out when she saw the locket?
What did she mean by he’s not ready?
Were you surprised to learn that Ethan has a great-great-great uncle that was married to the girl Genevieve?
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