Eloquence

Eloquence Chp.1

                                                                         Prologue

                                                                  10 Years Earlier.

                                          When Eloise was seven and Jasper was ten.

                         When society dictated that they should not be friends with each other.

I watched the sun glide above the treetops, spilling pastel light splashes into the pale sky. I smiled feeling the pine needles against my bare legs, a feeling I often never appreciated. The tree which I was sat in hid the ground from my view, which conveniently hid me from those below. A lady is seen and not heard I hated that one.

I could feel my mind slowly processing what today meant. I tugged my petticoat back down toward my ankles sighing. Dawn was telling me that it was time to go home, I glanced down quickly retying and buttoning up my petticoat's buttons to the top blocking out the suns colourful rays. A lady should be paler than milk or virgin snow I hated that one too, in fact there wasn't many of those 'rules' I liked. I was re-tying my modesty, but at the same time trapping my misery. I would tell Jasper today. It was hard, but I had to.

"Eloise," I sat up quickly listening to the shouts of my best friend. Jasper. He lived next door, although that was a while away, and I wasn't allowed to fraternise with him. But I did, "Eloise?"

I bunched my petticoat in my hands around my thighs at a height that would sure make Ada, my aunt, blush and scold me for. I was meant to be a lady. I quietly watched my footing as I clambered slowly down from the branches, I quickly jumped from the lower branches onto the muddy floor below. No splash, Jasper had taught me well. I felt my bare feet sink slowly into the liquid and felt the spots of mud splash up my leg. I shivered. I wouldn't feel all of this for a long time.

I crouched low, ignoring the fact that the hem of my dress was floating in mud, Jasper was hunting. I was his prey. I frowned and thought about how we, because of me, would not be playing this ever again. He swung the arrow he was holding high aiming into the tree where I had just been sitting, he still thought I was sitting there. My breath hitched, for once he wouldn't catch me. I drew in my breathe and slightly leaned out of my crouch as he pulled the blunt arrow taught preparing to fire into nothing, he always used blunts for our game. He didn't want to injure me.

"Easy," He murmured.

Eyes closed. A pause. Everything in that pause was perfect.The twitter of the birds and skitter of feet on autumn red leaves. Pure serenity. His eyes shot open and spun quickly releasing it at where I now crouched. I sat stunned like the deer he normally shot. A dull thud of the blunt arrow rocked me back onto my haunches and splattered me into the mud. Now I would be in trouble. A Lady is always clean, not even rain shall touch her brow. I sighed at the rules of society.

I looked up into the piercing green eyes of Jasper laughing above me, which soon had me curled in the mud unable to breathe through gasping laughs and snigger's.

"Will you ever win Eloise?" He was chortling slightly, he held his hand out for me, "We'll try again tomorrow yeah?"

I felt cold and tingly, the feeling that you get when you are just coming out of a position that you have been in for too long. I've been happy for too long. I needed to tell Jasper now, here would be perfect and now would be right. I just wasn't sure if I could, looking into his wet jade eyes I almost felt hope that we would see one another again. Yes, now isn't the right time. I have the rest of the day after all.