Red Dead Reborn

xxiii) On The Road Again

Mary-Beth was minding her own business, reading her book as per usual whenever she got the opportunity to escape Miss Grimshaw's wrath. She was so divulged in writing out her own novel with a fake name for the chapter.

She read over her work under the following:

'They called it the wild west for a reason. It was a land that pulled all those towards it who wanted adventure, and all those who were running from elsewhere. It was a land of gunslingers and outlaws and beautiful women and wild animals. The question is, which one of these was the beautiful Marcelle? Marcelle was a French princess, on the run from a terrible Duke who lived in France but was chasing her because she would not be his bride. She also realised at the same time that was total tripe and she should go hang herself for having ideas way above her station.'

Her train of thought was ruined when she heard a male voice address her in a pitiful attempt to sound calm and attractive.

"H-Hey, Mary-Beth. What are you doing?"

The brunette looked up from her book to make eye contact with the person in her company.

Kieran had mustered the courage to talk to the young woman as he sat down on the vacant box next to where her feet were stretched out.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Mary-Beth replied, clearly uninterested in his company.

"It looks like you're reading."

"And I am. So why do you ask?"

When he realised how terribly he failed to make small talk with Mary-Beth, he shied his gaze away so that she couldn't notice the embarrassed look on his face.

"Just... making conversation." Kieran muttered timidly.

Mary-Beth noticed the tension in the air and marked her place in her book before closing said book and putting it away so that she could give him attention as she was the only person in camp who showed him compassion and empathy.

"I'm sorry. I was being catty. I... don't know why." She apologised sincerely.

"I-It's alright. I-I just... y-yer purdy. I'm sorry, I'm not being forward or nothin', but you are."

"I have a boyfriend, you know. And if he hears you being sweet on me, he's not gonna react kindly to this. And besides... I hear plenty of that sweet talk from him, so I'd prefer the romanticism be left to Danny and not anybody else. Don't get me wrong, you're nice, but horrible, and an O'Driscoll, but-"

Sharply, Kieran inhaled through his nostrils and shot up to his feet before calmly exaggerating his status, that being his own man and not an O'Driscoll - a term favourably used to sneer at Kieran by other gang members who weren't as soft on him such as Mary-Beth.

"I'm not an O'Driscoll, miss." Kieran spoke quickly before walking off to resume his duty.

"Whatever you say!" Mary-Beth called after him. She hoped to sound guilty and supportive of how she treated him just then, but she would get her chance to properly apologise at a later date.

Mary-Beth let out a defeated sigh before retrieving her book, right up until another voice reached out to her, stealing her attention again.

"This isn't exactly an enchanted forest, this place, is it?"

The voice belonged to Karen Jones.

The blonde woman was exhausted from washing bloodied and dirty clothes most of the morning. She'd taken up smoking as the means of being her stress reliever.

"No," replied Mary-Beth. "I wonder why they call it Valentine? Almost perverse... seems polar opposite of romantic."

"Well... I don't know. Some lady I was speaking to in town the other day told me about a curse."