Murphy's Law
Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?) …getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind… Boromir/OC
This fic is one that has a kind of moral to it at the end. It teaches you (I hope) that life has those little twists and unexpected turns, and you need to be prepared for all of them. I have been thinking about writing this for a while, I just needed the motivation to hurry up and finish. So, uh…yeah. Here you are!
::..::
I got to tell you, it's hard admitting that you're wrong. I should know…I'm the most stubborn person on this earth, honestly. I never give in about anything…that alone was bound to catch up with me sooner or later. But anyway, before we get to the actual story, you need to know the basics.
I grew up in a traditional middle-class home, a station wagon in the driveway, the garage filled with tools and old things no one used…a large gray cat that sat on our porch all the time…wasn't ours. I always thought he was there for décor.
I also thought I had life pretty well. Until my mom walked out on us when I was twelve. My sister Holly, who was eighteen at the time, was pretty much our surrogate mother when our dad was overworked or out late. But everyone gets older, and two years later she met Max, and Max was such a great guy that she married him. Med. Student…go figure. She's now quite happy, since she's pregnant. She's really the only one I can talk to, the only one who really gets me. For a while, I couldn't say for sure that I knew many people who I could trust.
My other sister is Daisy, but we all just call her Di. She was fifteen when I was twelve, and pretty much the rebel of our family. She always stayed out late, skipped chores, things like that. My dad basically dumped her drama onto Holly, because he was always out late.
Next was my ten-year-old sis, Fern. Fern is…something. She's extremely energetic, and has a small attention span, and never finds anything interesting than herself and…and she sure knows how to bring someone down.
So get this: After mom left us, dad stayed out. I must have repeated that like ten times. But still, I wondered what he was up to…and then I found out. I was fourteen then. It was a few days after Holly's wedding.
::..::
"Kids," Dad began, looking excited, but pale. Everyone gathered into the small family room, watching him expectantly. A cough came from the far side of the room, and we all turned. A petite, gorgeous blonde was sitting on our dad's favorite chair, smiling secretively. She waved.
"Hello there." She said, looking slightly flustered. We all stared.
"If you were hired for Max's bachelor party, you have no real business being here." Di said flatly. I nearly wet myself at the look of disgust and horror on the woman's face. She did look the part of a…harlot, I must admit. He skirt was too short and her shirt was too tight. The only thing covering her was her fashionable trenchcoat.
"Naomi here is what I've been meaning to speak to you about." Dad said, rising to meet her at his chair. "I've been seeing her." More stares.
"What?" I finally broke. "But…but look at her!" The girl looked at me blankly.
"How old are you?" Fern asked.
"Twenty five." She answered. Di couldn't keep quiet for long.
"She's old enough to be my sister!" She nearly shrieked. "She's old enough to be Holly's sister! How would Holly feel about having a mother who's five years older than she is?"
"I don't think age is much of an issue, here." Dad said stiffly. Fern eyed Naomi wearily.
"I can't imagine where you would have found her." That smart-mouth said off handedly. The woman gave a heated glare.
"The point is, we found each other, and kids…well…"
"We're engaged! Surprise!" Naomi put a large smile on her face and extended her left hand to show the largest rock I had ever seen sitting on her ring finger.
::..::
The witch moved in a few weeks later and the ceremony took place about a month later. Holly refused to even go, and now that she was married, she couldn't really be told what to do. Di, Fern and I on the other hand had no choice. Though we did all troop out to use the restrooms at the time of the 'I Do's'. No, we weren't bridesmaids. Just people in the audience. That –that woman didn't even want us to be bridesmaids or anything. Said we were too young for the dresses. I could understand her feelings about having me and Fern as bridesmaids but Di was seventeen. She should have been, but no, Naomi just had to have her sisters and six closest friends be the bridesmaids. All blonde, big chested, the typical stereotype. Those blubbering, giggling females were honestly a disgrace to all blondes everywhere, and that is no lie.
It's not that I have anything against blondes. It's just that now that Naomi moved in, I can't go making wisecracks about blondes. And Fern and Di are blonde too, but not exactly the bleached, fake kind that you could TELL Naomi was. Holly and I are the brunettes in the family.
So now that you're sort of caught up, I suppose I should begin the real story.
::..::
"Hello, sir!" I said smiling brightly. "I'm raising money for the American Cancer Society, and I'm only asking for a small donation for –"
"Do you know what time it is?" The man asked crossly. I checked my watch. Seven-forty p.m.
"Um…" I didn't know what to say. "I'm very sorry to bother you, sir." I said awkwardly. We stood in silence.
"Goodbye!" The man said and shut his door. I stood in shock for a few moment, then trailed down the driveway. I headed towards the street, mumbling.
"Some people are so mean." I said, glancing to the west. The sun wasn't even setting yet! How could it be late? I sighed. I guess I could just go home; that guy had been the last house on my block. I didn't wanna go to any other houses without my friend Kat.
I walked back to my modest little house, half-listening to the sounds of nearby traffic. A sharp wind blew my brown hair into my eyes and I pulled it back with my hand, trying to tame the loose strands. My green eyes narrowed when I saw a familiar woman outside on a lawn chair with my dad, drinking lemonade. As I walked up our long driveway, I heard them laughing like an old Hollywood couple.
"Ivy!" My dad called, waving me over. I shuffled over. Naomi eyed me. I hated the way she did that every time she saw me. It was like she was judging me, like she was grading me on my appearance.
"Did you collect any donations?" He asked, refilling his glass. I nodded.
"Yeah. Mrs. Gould and Mr. Taylor donated ten dollars each, and some lady four houses down gave me a twenty."
"That's good." He said, downing his glass. Naomi rolled her eyes in a very obnoxious and obvious manner. But now that I think about it, it wasn't so obvious. I was no doubt the only one who saw it. Dad never really noticed when she did those little things anyway. I yawned.
"Are you tired, honey? Why don't you go lay down?" She suggested. I turned to my dad, pretending to not have heard her.
"Can I go over to Kat's?" I asked. He frowned.
"Naomi asked you a question." He said. Naomi looked at me expectantly. I looked at her once before stomping inside. A minute later I heard the door slam.
"Why do you always speak to me that way?" Naomi asked, her nostrils flared. I turned to her.
"I hardly speak to you at all!" I nearly shouted. I could not believe that the idiot woman had lived with us for four years now and couldn't take a hint: no one around here liked her. Fern, Di, and I never got along these days and had grown apart since mom left, but we could still count on one fact: we all hated the witch.
"You know, this is what I mean." She said. "I've been trying and trying to get you to like me for all these years, but I don't know what to do anymore! You all resent me, I know it!" I rolled my eyes at her little sob story. I pulled a Mountain Dew from the fridge. I was about to leave the kitchen when she stopped me with some strong words:
"Your father said your mother was like you. Always running away from problems; she wasn't strong enough to handle you all, he said."
I stopped dead in my tracks and whirled around.
"My mom was strong enough." I whispered. "It was dad's fault she left. Not ours." Naomi gave a laugh.
"Right." She said, fiddling with a dishtowel. "As if you all weren't always little monsters."
"No, we weren't." I said, my anger rising. "Note the fact that we never liked you in the first place."
"You little brat!" She said, stepping towards me. "I am your mother and you'll do as you're told! Apologize and go to bed!"
"Witch!" I retorted. "I'm eighteen now, and after graduation I won't have to take any more of your crap cause I'll be long gone!"
"Well good because there is nothing worse than having you or that smart-ass little sister of yours as daughters! No wonder your mother left! And come graduation you'll be just like her! You're going to leave and never come back, taking the easy way out, never –"
I lost control and picked up a glass from the sink. I hurled it with all my might at the ground by her feet and it shattered, just as I had hoped it would. Naomi jumped slightly and stepped backwards. Just then the front door opened.
"Naomi? Ivy? What's going on in there?"
Naomi froze and suddenly smiled sadistically. She placed her toes on the glass and pressed down, and blood trickled from the bottom of her porcelain foot. She bit her lip. My dad entered the kitchen. I had my hands on my hips and was smiling in satisfaction, but I was still sort of puzzled by her reaction to my little tantrum. Suddenly my dad walked over to me and grabbed my shoulders. It was then that I realized what the situation must have looked like.
Oh shi–
My dad shoved me into the counter and I felt a welt almost instantly form from being pushed into a sharp corner. He then walked to Naomi, who was covering her face with her hands and whimpering. The front door opened again.
"Dad, I passed my drivers test!" Fern held up her shiny new license. "We stopped for ice cream along the way home and…" She blinked. Di appeared next to her.
"What the hell is going on?" She demanded.
"Your idiot sister threw a glass at me and I'm bleeding!" Naomi blurted out. Di shrugged.
"Oh. Come on Fern." The two walked to the living room. Naomi buried her face into her hands again. She started shuddering and sucking in.
"Shh, shh, you're okay…" Dad comforted her. I clenched my teeth.
"Faker." I muttered. My dad's head shot up.
"Look what you…how the HELL could you do this to her?"
"IT WAS EASY!" I shouted, and picked up a plate. "I THREW THE GLASS LIKE SO," I threw the plate on the floor and it cracked into five pieces. "AND IT SHATTERED LIKE MY EXAMPLE!" I motioned angrily to the plate.
"I will deal with you later!" He roared. "Go get the first aid kit!"
"No!" I shouted and went to the living room. That woman did the littlest things and it made me so angry and upset. And my dad went along with it. That thought alone brought tears to my eyes. Di and Fern were sitting on the sofa, and looked up.
"I'm bleeding, Rick! I'm going to die! I am! I am!" Came Naomi's voice from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes. Fern muttered, 'Here we go,' under her breath and Di made a look that said, 'Now you've done it.' I shrugged. Dad and Naomi passed the living room on the way to the bathroom and I caught the death glare she sent to me. No one spoke until the bathroom door shut.
"What'd you do to her?" Fern asked.
"Exactly what she said." I sat on the couch next to them. I hurriedly wiped a stray tear from my eye.
"My God, are you crying?" Di asked, sitting up straight. "You are such a baby."
"I am not!" I whispered, facing her.
"Only you would cry about something like this." Fern sneered.
"Dad didn't believe me." I said. "I threw the glass and she cut her own foot! The glass never touched her when I threw it!"
"Dad never believes us." Fern said, glancing at her mug shot. She wiped it with her finger and smiled identically to it. "You should be used to it by now."
"I guess I just keep hoping…" I trailed off and looked my sisters in the eyes. They stared back at me.
"What, you going all poetic on us again?" Di asked, grinning in her evil way. I looked down. "You can't just hope. You gotta do something about it."
"You're just such a softie that you never will." Fern finished. "Everyone knows it. You just let people walk all over you."
"No I don't." I said, desperately trying to believe myself. They both patted their boy-cut haircuts in unison. It was then that I realized how beautiful in comparison they were too me. Was that why Naomi always picked arguments with me? Was I too ugly? My sisters noticed my discomfort.
"Like my hair, Hun?" Di asked, flashing her pretty blue eyes. I sat there awkwardly. Before anyone could speak anymore, the bathroom door opened. Footsteps sounded down the hall. The bedroom door opened and shut. Dad appeared in the living room doorway. Di and Fern pretended not to see him.
"Ivy," He motioned me closer with his finger. I hesitantly got up from the comfortable couch and walked over to him.
::..::
Half and hour later I was locked up in my room, sobbing into my pillow, holding myself. I felt insane.
"He loves her more, he loves her more, he loves her more…" I continued to mumble. I moved my head and stared lifelessly down at my pillow. A long red line traced over it. I thought back.
My dad had taken me to the kitchen and demanded that I pick up the glass and the plate. When I had bent down to do so, he kicked the shards and cut my cheek from below my ear to the tender cartilage of my nose. I had looked up and saw a rage that was most definitely NOT my fathers. It was strange…like I had awakened a darker side of him that I didn't know was there.
After he had watched me clean up the glass and the plate, he had practically dragged me to my room by my wrists, me struggling all the way. I supposed that was why my wrists hurt so much. Now, even in the dark, I could see numerous bruises appearing slowly.
I looked at a little cross hanging on my wall. I sat up and began to stare at it, revenge and sadness etched into my face. When I couldn't stare any more I flung myself back into my pillow.
"THERE!" I shouted into it. "YOU'VE WON! YOU ALWAYS WIN, DON'T YOU?" I wasn't sure what I was yelling at, or who. I just know that hearing myself say those words and sound so defeated made me break down once more. I reached down and hurled the nearest thing at the wall: My large copy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You know, the one that had all three books smushed into one. When it hit the wall, the strangest thing happened: it made no sound. I sniffed and sat up, wondering what happened. I stood on shaky feet and stared at the page it had fallen on.
Chapter VII
Homeward Bound
I peered at the page closer, and touched it. It gave me a small shock when I did, so I pulled my hand back and was suddenly hit with a wave of sleepiness. Wearily watching the book, I slid back into bed and let the throbbing of my small injuries lull me into a disturbed sleep.
::..::
A/N: So how was it? Good, bad, or downright ugly? R & R puh-leeeeeeeeeeze!