A Blue Bird Sings Alone

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A Blue Bird Sings Alone

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Background Scientist #37

Background Scientist #37

@rejectalien 2 years ago

((I wrote a kind of sort of backstory for everyone's (expect probably Hela) favorite cook. It reads like a third person narrative though. Respond if you wish if you have yet to meet Gemma or if you want to respond but don't feel obligated. :) I just wrote to share her story.))

It had been a long day. The winding streets that surrounded her home seemed to press in on her as Gemma headed home after work. A modest amount of coins clinked at her side, along with a small knife, to ward off would be pickpockets. She was 14 years old. She entered her home and closed her door only to be tackled by the most vicious of beasts, brothers.

“Didja’ get us anything? Didja’? Didja’?” The triplets clamored.

“Yep! One coin for each of you!” she grinned, passing out a penny to each, they ran off into the house, no doubt to show their younger sister what they had accomplished. Gemma smiled and got to her feet.

“Encoraging them again?” a voice sounded from the door frame. Gemma looked to find her sister. Even though she was two years younger, they looked identical. Same blue eyes, pale skin, and blonde hair.

“Yeah…” Gemma said gulitly.

“Gem, you know you shouldn’t, we need the money…”

“It’s four pennies, Liz!” she exclaimed.

“Four whole pennies!” her sister exclaimed. Gemma shot back and they began to argue, voices raising. Arguments like this had been happening more and more often. Their family had been falling into bankruptcy and they needed every penny. Gemma wished they could go back, but it was too late. Gone were the days of happy singing and painting together, waiting eagerly for the new babies in the hospital. Her once smiling mother and become one of the working poor, her sparking eyes had dimmed to hard coal black orbs.

“Girls, girls, stop fighting. We have to stick together,” Charlie… He was the oldest of the seven, at 16 years of age, and he alone kept the family together. “Gem, please stop giving them money, maybe a shiny stone? And Liz, it's not that big of a deal. We learned our lesson right?”

“Right…” The girls chorused.

“Now go help mother with dinner.”

“Fine…” They trudged into the kitchen.

“Geneva? Elizabeth?” their mother said. “Can you cut up the potatoes?”

“Potatoes again?” Grace complained, she was six, the youngest, and had been sent to help as well. “Can’t we have something else?”

“Gracie we can’t yet, remember? Dad has to finish fighting the dragon first,” Gemma smoothly lied to her sister, “If we eat anything besides potatoes, he’ll fail.”

“Well Dad should hurry up,” Grace complained, before beginning to peel potatoes. Gemma’s mother mouthed a silent thank you. Gemma smiled sadly in return. In truth, Gemma’s father was not fighting a dragon. His job just took him into the late hours of the night and started early morning. But without it, their family would fall into the streets.

Dinner passed uneventfully, and the three eldest tucked the younger ones into bed. Elizabeth went up to bed an hour later. Gemma and Charlie talked about various things, waiting for their father. He entered the door later than usual.

“Gem, Charlie, Donna,” (he addressed their mother) “I lost my job.”

“What.” Gemma’s voice cracked.

“James, you're joking right?”

“He’s not.”

“Charlie how could you say such a thing! Dad need his job! As long as he has it, we’ll be ok…” she glanced at her father's defeated face. “We’ll be ok…”

“Gem-”

“NO!” She spun to face her brother. “No…”

“What will we tell the kids?” Her mother asked her father.

“Nothing. I have my job, Charlie has his and Liz can get one!”

“Gemma, we have a family of nine, it won't be enough.”

“Then I'll leave.”

“Gem you can't. If anything I will,” Charlie grabbed her arm.

“No one's leaving,” her mother said.

“So we just starve? What will that solve?”

“Geneva, Charles, go up to bed.” Her mother sounded defeated.

“No!”

“C’mon Gem,” Charlie grabbed her arm and dragged her away from her parents, who began to talk in hushed voices

The next morning the two eldest were gone.

“Charlie.” Gemma handed the small envelope of money to Charles, who slipped it in the mailbox. The two of them ran down the road. In the upper window, Liz looked sadly at their backs as they ran. The rest of the family would live. Maybe not as well as they did, but the two eldest would never know.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Charlie ran at the men attacking Gemma. They’d been on the streets for a year now and the bandits were after Gemma. Her brother swung a heavy pipe above his head and brought it down on one’s head. The man fell. The others turned at Charlie. They took a step.

“NO!” Gemma rand towards him, only to be held back by her arms.

“Oh you care about him girlie? Give us your money and we won’t hurt him.”

“We don’t have any money!”

“Then say bye bye blue-bird.”

“CHARLIE!” Gemma scrambled towards her fallen sibling, the bandits ran off into the night. She pulled his bloodstained body onto her lap. “C’mon don’t fall asleep, don’t fall asleep.” She shook her brother while tears ran down her cheeks.

“Gem, Gem, You're gonna be okay.”

“Huh?” Charlie took a shaky breath.

“I showed them bandits.”

“You sure did Charlie.”

"You promise me you're gonna be happy, okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

“Hey, I’ma go somewhere else now.”

“What the bakery?” He laughed before it turned into coughs.

“No, a place where everyone is happy.”

“Oh-Okay.” Gemma choked back a sob.

“Gem, I love you.”

“Love you too, Charles.” His eyes closed. Her body shook with hidden sobbing.

“Gem?” a female voice echoed down the alley. Gemma’s head snapped towards the noise.

“Liz?”

“Oh my word is that Charlie?” Gemma opened her mouth to respond and nothing came out. “It is isn’t it. You killed him Geneva.”

“Liz, I swear I didn’t! And you never call me Geneva.” Gemma scrambled to her feet.

“Thats you name isn’t it? And I’m Elizabeth, not Liz.” She snapped.

“Sis-”

“No.”

“No?” Gemma moved to grab her hand.

“We aren’t sisters.” Liz slapped her hand away.

“Wha-”

“I’m taking him. You can go back you your foolishness.” Liz picked up Charlie’s body.

“Liz- Liz I-”

“Save it.” Liz left, leaving Gemma standing alone in the alley, tears rolling down her face. Her world had come crashing down around her in just one day.

“COME BACK THIEF!”

“Catch me if you can!” Gemma rand through the streets, wearing her newly acquired outfit. It had been years since Charlie died. She'd dyed her hair blue to get away from the similarities between her and Liz Elizabeth, her would be sister. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her head, trying to forget her family had ever existed. She ducked through a few shops and another alley before coming to a stop in front of a grand building.

“The Society for Arcane Sciences…” she read. And below the sign in smaller print, “Now hiring chefs… Hmmm…. Might as well try my luck.”

She walked inside

“Hello, my name is Gemma Day, and I’m here to apply for a job."

...

Gemma sighed. Why did she have to remember that now? She'd thought she'd banished those thoughts long ago.

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Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

((Oh my gosh I love your story! It's so sweet and sad and just...Gemma! What a gem!))

Lewis entered the kitchen. He was looking to speak with either Rachel or Gemma about a matter concerning the lodgers' safety.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

(...is it Hela? I bet it's Hela. She goes to the kitchens a lot. XD)

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Background Scientist #37  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

((Does she now... Gonna have to start leaving out snacks for the multitude two of late night snackers.))

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Helen Jekyll  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

(That would probably be best. She could ask Catt for the list of things Hela likes. ^-^

Though the she-wolf would get suspicious, if someone kept leaving out food she liked. She might think it was tampered with.)

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

((Thanks! :) Well done on the pun btw))

Gemma did not notice the newcomer. She had propped herself up against the counter and was taking deep breaths, shaking slightly. The girl was trying to put the memories back in the locked box they were in.

"Not my family..." She shook her head. "Don't think..." Deep breath."Gonna be ok..." She mumbled these under her breath, along with other things along these lines.

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

(( ^\_^ ))

The emotions emanating from the sou chef hit Weir like a wave. Sorrow, regret, a willfully buried sense of guilt, hurt at injustice, and the desire to stow them all away and carry on...

For a moment, he was lost in her feelings. He'd experienced every one of them, in his own past, and now they came welling up.

He, too, had to work to stifle them, even as he listened to Gemma do the same. He leaned against the door frame.

He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, held it...then let it go.

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

After a bit of time, Gemma had gotten herself somewhat put together. Enough so that she could pull off a happy face at least. She turned to begin to cook lunch and spotted a person in the doorway. Her face paled slightly.

"D-do you need something?" she said, pulling her face into a clearly forced smile.

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago • edited

"Ah," said Lewis, eyes popping open. He wore an apologetic smile--also a bit forced, due to the suddenness of her query. "Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment there. Are you Gemma, the new sou chef?"

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Thats me! Did the food get poisoned again? The chemists like to mess with the flour and 'forget' to tell me." Gemma forced a laugh. Your could cut the tension with a knife.

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

"Aha, no," he laughed. "Not that I know of, anyway." He realized he'd neglected to introduce himself. "Lewis Weir, by the by. I'm no lodger, but I've consulted with Lanyon, who's put me in charge of Hela's treatment. Do you...know of Hela?" he asked.

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Mayyybbbeee...." Gemma's mind skipped back to a flaming buffet table and "fruit salad". "I think she tried to kill me via fruit salad once... Why?"

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

"Oh, dear," remarked Weir, with regard to the fruit salad. "Then I trust you know how dangerous she can be. Needless to say, she's now not allowed out of her room unless accompanied by me. I aim to eliminate or at the very least mitigate any harm she might cause.

"You should also be aware she's somehow gotten her hands on a mystic bracelet which unfortunately returns to her possession when taken away. It allows her to go unrecognized by normal senses, a sort of perceptual trick. To counteract that, I've come up with this," he said, handing Gemma a small, silver-colored disc about the size of a penny. "Put it in your pocket or somewhere else close to your person. On the off chance Hela should escape, it will vibrate more and more frequently the closer she comes to your vicinity. Fetch me, or Jasper, or Sozo, and we'll deal with her. Yell if you like. Don't stand on ceremony."

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Will do," Gemma said, slipping the disc into her pocket. "Thanks for the heads up."

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

"You are most welcome," replied Lewis good-naturedly. "Also, as part of Hela's treatment, she's on a strict regimen with regard to food. I will deliver her meals to her personally. Should anyone else come here to fetch something for her, don't let them. Please tell Rachel this as well. Oh, and, while we're at it, here's a Vibralert Coin for her, as well." He handed Gemma another disc. "Please do pass it along, if you would."

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Ok! Will do. Anything else you needed?" she asked, also pocketing the second coin.

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

"Simply spread the word about Hela, the bracelet, and the 'coins' when the other lodgers come here to eat. I've more than enough for everyone. And do let me know if there's anything you need, Gemma," he said with a kind smile. "We're all in this together, after all."

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Nice to know. I don't believe I need anything currently, I'll get a hold of you if I do. I'll write up a flyer or something for the lodgers. Thank you for the information." Gemma smiled good naturedally.

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago • edited

"You're most welcome," replied Lewis with a nod. "And that flyer's an excellent idea. I'll leave you to it. Have a good day, Gemma."

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Background Scientist #37  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"You have a good day too."

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Jekyll1886  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

He smiled, gave a slight dip of his head in thanks, and left the kitchen.

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HenryRoseQuartz • 2 years ago • edited

(

"Why did she have to remember that now?...."

Halfway down the staircase, a curvy fellow stops in their tracks- caught completely off guard by the foreign words echoing in their ears.

He had been on his way with a mysterious task- a weapon designed by his guide, his "mother". Had he broken into someone else's mind- their sacred space- when she had spoken to him?

An eerie chill forces its way up his spine.

"I hope not"

He'd have to give an apology to whoever it was he picked up on....

...and yet

....and yet

Something didn't feel right about them.

Shock, devastation, anger

resent

All so raw.

It was as if the stages of grief were stifled as soon as they'd begun.

He needed to find the owner of those memories. It'd only be a matter of time before they began to unravel... )

see more

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Background Scientist #37  HenryRoseQuartz • 2 years ago

Gemma ran out of the kitchen. Got to distract myself... She turned towards the stairs and ran up them, two at a time, nearly running into another person. Most days she would have stopped to apologize but today she had no time. Random thoughts and emotions, memories, tumbled through her mind. Why in the world were the stairs so long?

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HenryRoseQuartz  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

( The whirlwind of hurt courses through his veins, nearly blinding him and knocking him over.

"Deep breaths. Ground yourself.

Where are you?

The stairs?

What do they feel like?

...Cold marble.

Good."

Clumsily, a small meaty hand reaches out to stop her. His own voice sounds....strangely foreign to him. )

Why the rush? Godlings after you?

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Background Scientist #37  HenryRoseQuartz • 2 years ago

What in the world is a godling?

"No! No. Sorry." Gemma's mind still ran in hundred of different directions, making it difficult to focus on regular speech.. "I was headed to the..." Blank. "Ummm...." Still Blank. "Storeroom! Yes the storeroom." Her head bobbed up and down. "To get some.... Errr... Flour?"

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HenryRoseQuartz  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

( He smiles apologetically.

"She doesn't understand. Oh well, better save the humor for another day." )

Flour? that sounds...delightful, what are you making?

( "Good, distract her. We'll cycle back when...."

He fights to steer the train of thought, his own mind suddenly threatening to splinter and crash.

"...when the panic is dulled." )

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Background Scientist #37  HenryRoseQuartz • 2 years ago

"Pancakes. I mean why wouldn't I make pancakes, they taste good and go with anything, and I like making them, and they're cheap..." Ah no not what I mean't to say! "Excuse me I'm rambling." Gemma bounced on the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth.

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HenryRoseQuartz  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

I will do no such thing! Your words are fine.

I think pancakes are a lovely idea! would you like some help with them?

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Background Scientist #37  HenryRoseQuartz • 2 years ago

"Sure!" nonononotwhatImeanttosaynononono "I mean if its not too much trouble that is."

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HenryRoseQuartz  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

( Although his mouth is carved into a pleasant smile, he holds Gemma's gaze almost pleadingly, concern visibly written across his features. )

It would be no trouble at all! cooking is an excellent grounding exercise and it pulls the mind away from toxic thought. It's even more fun with help!

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Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

(Awww, it's so sad!! ;~;

\*glares at Hela\* How could you try and kill this precious child?!?!

"I would've simply been putting her out of her misery. \*a grin\*"

...shut up. No. We've talked about this.)

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Background Scientist #37  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

((No killing characters Hela. Have a pancake. \*throws rock solid pancake\*))

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Helen Jekyll  Background Scientist #37 • 2 years ago

(XDD

"\*hisses and retreats into a corner\*")

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Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

((Um, do you mean pennies? Cents are for Americans. Or does this take place in America? I like the story! The "dragon" was a good touch.))

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Background Scientist #37  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

((Ooops! Thanks for the correction! I live in the USA so I wouldn't know. I'll fix it!

I like the dragon thing too. :) ))

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