Pen-name: AmberStar63

Creative Original or Derivative Fiction: Derivative

Rating/Warning(s):T

Disclaimer: All copyrighted, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

Notes: Ooo angst… how unusual for me. Blame R & K ~ Special thanks to Robs for beta'ing for me again.

April 1, 2010

Prompt ~ Imagined Image (.com/File?id=dfpcx2nf_29s6mqg3g6_b): In what scenario would you come across something like this? What would mean to someone? Is it a harmless decoration, or something more? Who made it and why? In third-person narrative, create a story involving this paper chain.

Her footsteps echoed off the cement walls as she made her way down the first floor hallway. She'd been asked to attend a meeting with her daughter's new teacher and she didn't know why – she'd never had to do this before and it made her nervous.

Things were vaguely familiar; she'd been here once before when she was dropping off Charlotte for school on the first day, but that had been very different. Back then, the school had been bustling with activity, bordering on chaos as parents and children all crowded into this same hallway. Excited voices mixed with laughter and squealing as everyone searched for where they were supposed to be.

A smile briefly crossed her face as she remembered how comforting it had been to be just one of the crowd that day, completely anonymous and surrounded by strangers. Today it wasn't like that, she was alone and exposed and she found it disconcerting.

When she found the classroom door, it was firmly closed. Alice checked her watch, she was a little early and not wanting to interrupt or call attention to herself, she began to slowly pace the corridor, looking at the massive bulletin boards mounted all along the walls. Each one was busy and quite eye catching, decorated with the students artwork.

Every board had theme, and she stopped to admire the one simply entitled Family. It was decorated with paper-chains, doll shapes cut in continuous strips, joined at the hands. It reminded her of the first day of school again, crowded and chaotic.

"Mrs. Brandon?"

She jumped and stiffened, frozen in spot by the male voice behind her.

"Sorry," he chuckled sheepishly, "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Jasper Whitlock, Charlotte's teacher."

Alice turned, willing herself to breathe and her heart to slow as she automatically extended her hand towards him, only to have her breath taken away once again by the handsome man standing before her.

"Mrs. Brandon?" he asked again hesitantly as he held her hand in his.

Alice's eyes refocused and she snapped out of her trance. "Oh… actually it's Miss, but Hi – I'm Alice."

They both smiled and let their hands drop to their sides, standing in awkward silence for a moment until his voice finally cut the tension.

"I see you found our board," He pointed to the bulletin board behind her, "Charlotte and her classmates were responsible for decorating it."

She turned around again, "Yes, it's beautiful."

"It's actually one of the reasons I asked you to come in." His voice lowered, suddenly sounding sad. Alice looked over her shoulder, waiting for him to explain.

"Each child was to decorate a paper-chain representing their family." She nodded, looking back at the artwork.

It was clear now, as she saw chains of four and five dolls linked together like they were holding hands. All of them were extremely detailed, some decorated as men and women – mom and dad, while others were definitely boys and girls, or – brothers and sisters. As Alice continued to peruse the various depictions of families she picked out the odd one with only three dolls in the chain and even fewer with just two. Her eyes scanned quickly, looking for her daughters.

"This one is Charlotte's," he stepped forward and touched the corner of one just to the right of where she was looking.

There was only a single figure representing this family. Alice's fingers brushed gently over the paper doll decorated with curly blonde hair, blue eyes and a red lips clearly not shaped with a smile. It was Charlotte herself. Alone.

She could hear herself swallowing back the sick feeling she suddenly had, clenching her teeth in an effort not to cry.

"I thought you'd want to see this," She nodded absently as he said that, the tears outside her control pouring over the edge of her lashes with the motion. "And maybe we could talk about it?"

She quickly checked her action, her head now shaking back and forth adamantly, "No… I can't. I'll deal with it." She blinked away the remaining tears, gathered her emotions and turned, eager to get away so she could figure out how she was ever going to repair the damage that had obviously been done. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Wait, you don't have to...," His voice was gentle and already sounded far away to her as she started walking.

She halted when she felt his hand on her arm and she jerked it away without a second thought.

"Sorry." They both said together and she continued walking, her heels echoing once again as she all but ran down the hallway, leaving a very confused looking Kindergarten teacher staring after her.