Elle Joyner
Fracturer of Fairytales
The Brolin brothers couldn't have asked for better sea-faring weather, for the start of their three week trip... The sky was bright and clear, the winds calm.They'd set off at the crack of dawn, that July morning; stocked to the gills for what was to be a twenty-one day excursion up the coast of New England. No worries, no plans, no rules... Just Jason, Tim and the Remnant, for three whole weeks.
For the better part of the morning, they sailed in silence. Unsurprisingly, by mid-afternoon, Tim had already grown bored and after roughly twenty minutes of his insistent whining, they docked in a small port town. Tim was, by all likenesses a people person, and around women, he was a virtual Cassanova. Any chance to impress the fairer sex was a chance he gladly exploited. And as much of a ladies man as Tim was, Jason was not. At twenty, the younger Borlin had just climbed out of the wrecked of a four year relationship with his childhood sweetheart and the absolute last thing on his mind was girls... His interests stemmed more towards the simple things in life and his latest love revolved entirely around photography. By the time they returned to the ship, he had four more camera rolls filled, and found he didn't mind as much that they'd taken two hours on a pit stop.
He was less gracious, however, when a few hours later they docked once more. Fourth Cliff, Massachusetts was considerably less populated then their previous stops, but exceedingly more lively. It was late in the day when Tim and, trailing silently behind, Jason, were greeted by the sound of festivities. A large group of people had gathered by the pavilions, from the looks of things, a family reunion. The sound of laughter and music, mixed with the intoxicating aroma of grilled lobster and fresh corn on the cob, and even Jason had a hard time making faces as Tim gestured to the gathering before making his approach. But crashing was crashing, and with a sigh Jason caught Tim by the arm, pulling him back...
"We weren't invited, Tim..." He said, his tone an odd blend of amusement and severity. Tim seemed hardly dissuaded by the sternness, and shook free of his brother's hold, grinning like Carol's Cheshire cat.
"We came all this way. It'd be rude to just leave without saying 'Hullo'. And who knows, maybe some of them are family?"
Indignantly, Jason shook his head, "We are -not- crashing another family reunion, Tim. I only agreed to the last one because you refused to make lunch and I was starving."
A wicked grin spread wide of Tim's features, and he shrugged casually, "So consider this dinner..."
But Jason was steadily becoming less amused by his brother's antics, taking hold of his arm again, "No Tim. We're leaving."
A frown fixed itself onto Tim's face, and he shifted a narrowed-eyed gaze at Jason, "We've been out less then a day, and already you're acting like a wet blanket. Did I accidentally drag dad out with me?" He paused, his brow raising, "Is this about Andrea? Cause so help me, if it is, I'm gonna leave you at port this time!"
The name caught Jason in the pit of his stomach and he looked away from his brother, releasing his grip on his elbow, "It's not about her, alright... I just don't wanna interrupt them."
"You ain't interruptin', Sunshine. We got plenty of room." The voice came from behind Jason, and both he and Tim turned to face the girl who had spoken. She was petite, with long black hair, impossibly green eyes and a stunning smile, which broadened at the sight of the brothers. Tim had already switched gears, grinning ear to ear as he pushed by Jason, who still appeared to be attempting to form a cognitive sentence.
"I... We... I mean..."
The girl laughed, as Jason stammered, shaking her head, "Trust me, it's no big deal. I heard ya'll talking and if he ain't gonna make you dinner, well, I'll just feel awful, lettin' you leave without eatin' something. And we got plenty, too much really. You know what they say about starving kids in Africa and all that. C'mon, I promise, no one'll bite." She held out her hand to Jason, who stared at it in a foreign sort of way.
Tim however, knew this gesture, and he took the girl by the hand, allowing her to lead the way to the group, Jason following as a lax pace.
Odd as it was, the girl had been right and both of the Borlin brothers were warmly accepted into the fray, and helped to plate after plate of absolutely divine food laid out before them by elderly women insisting they were both too skinny. When both had eaten more then their fill and then some, the sky began to darken, motling to a deep purple and blue and the mood around the pavilion became quiet and calming - the conversation more reserved, the music quieter. The scene had been so peaceful, Jason was nearly startled out of his mind when the girl, Nadine, approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Hey Sunshine..." She said, flashing that perfectly breathtaking smile. Jason nodded, slowly, watching her settle down on the bench beside him. "You have fun?" She asked, in a soft, pleasant tone - meeting another nod from Jason to which she couldn't help but laugh.
"You don't say much, do ya?" He glanced down, shyly and shrugged.
"Not really, I guess." His admission was quiet, and had she known him better, she might have caught the sadness in the undercurrent, but instead, she hopped up off the bench and held out her hand, "Come dance with me."
Jason stammered again, his passive demeanor upset by a suddenly expression of surprise, "What?" He asked, and his brow rose. There were a few other couples dancing, one including his brother Tim, who had attached himself to a leggy blonde in an impossibly short mini-skirt, but not nearly enough to consider this a planned event. Nadine laughed gently at his reaction, her hand still outstretched, waiting for his, "Dance with me."
Jason looked to her hand, and again to the dance floor, and with a sigh, he shook his head, "I can't..." He muttered.
Nadine's brow rose, but her smile didn't fade, "Can't? Or won't?"
"Which one gets me out of it?" Jason asked, and the smallest hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Nadine's laugh rang out again and she shook her head, "Oh, neither. I'm pretty relentless. You're gettin' out on that dance floor."
"I can't. I don't know how." It wasn't exactly a lie on his part. The only time he'd danced was at a wedding for Andrea's cousin, and Andrea had been so preoccupied with everyone else that night, that they'd only made it to the floor for one song.
He was drawn from his thoughts, when Nadine, grabbing his hand, pried him upwards, "Good. Neither do I, and I don't wanna look silly." He stood, mostly to avoid falling over, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, she was dragging him towards the group of couples, dancing. By the time he could even work out a protest, they had already reached the circle, and she was moving her arms around his shoulders.
"There now. Ain't so bad, is it?" She asked, gently rocking with the flow of the music. Swallowing the bundle of nerves, clotted in his throat, he looped his hands around her tiny waist, his eyes on his feet, avoiding both uncomfortable eye contact, and the unfortunate trampling her toes. After a few seconds, Nadine unhooked her hands from around him, lifting up his chin with her fingers, "No cheating..." She said, softly, in a tone that brought heat to his cheeks. He looked up, but defiantly away from her, and she giggled, laced her fingers behind his neck. Shaking her head, she said nothing else.
The song seemed unending, but as it went on, and Jason allowed himself to relax, a small smile found it's way to his lips. He'd only just managed to get hang of not stepping on Nadine's feet, when a bright flash bounced off his eyes, and blinking, he turned to face his brother, his look of surprise quickly turning to horror as he spied his camera in Tim's hands.
"Folks back home ain't gonna believe this, buddy. A real, live girl." He said, with a grin, "What's Ange gonna say...?"
In a split second, Jason had released Nadine, and after shooting an icy glare at Tim, stalked away from the circle, the laughter of his brother ringing in his ears. His pace picked up, and soon, he was sprinting. He ran like this for a few minutes, only slowing when he had to, when the cliffs came into view. At the edge, he collapsed, out of breath and out of patience. It had taken all his strength not to slug Tim right in his arrogant face. He wanted to, even now... wished he had. Settling down on the grass beside a large dune, he dragged his hands through his hair before he lay back all the way, eyes closing.
He opened them again several minutes later, at the sound of soft footsteps, shuffling his way, "Hey, Sunshine..."
He knew who it was before she spoke, and sitting up with a sigh, he turned his gaze to Nadine, "He's a jerk." He said, softly, "Sorry about that. I don't think it's genetic, but who knows."
Nadine approached, and knelt down in the grass beside him, chuckling softly as she shook her head, "I got brothers of my own. I know how they can be." She looked down, and for the first time that night, actually appeared unsure of herself. Jason's brow rose in curiosity, but she spoke a moment later, killing the oppressive silence, "Who is she? The girl that's got your head all twisted up like that." She asked, looking back up at his with bright, sympathetic eyes.
Jason sighed at the question and his shoulders rose in a slow shrug, "Her name is Andrea. She... we used to date. She broke it off, a few days ago." He purposefully neglected to mention that they'd dated for four years, not entirely sure he wanted to hear her response to that. She was quiet for a moment, then spoke again, her voice soft.
"Well then, she's an idiot." Nadine's bluntness threw Jason for a loop, and he couldn't help the look that crossed his face. Nadine chuckled at, "From what I've seen, you're a sweetheart. Anyone who wants to give that up don't got much sense."
"It's a little more complicated then that." He said, softly. Nadine only threw her arms up, shaking her head, "Nothin' complicated bout it, Sunshine. If I were her, I'd tie you down and never let ya go."
A small smile formed, and Jason shook his head, "I'm not gonna argue with you. Didn't work the first time." He chuckled, and Nadine gave a firm nod, "I told you, I'm relentless..." She stood up then, holding out her hand. "C'mon, let's go back." He took her hand, and she helped him to his feet, pausing her grasp in his, as a smile filtered to her lips, "Ya'll don't live around here, do ya?" She asked, in that same tone that had made Jason blush the first time.
He felt the color warm his cheeks as he shook his head.
"Well, dang." She laughed, and moving onto her toes, pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, "You outta think about moving."
She kept hold of his hand for a few minutes more, as she directed him, Jason still dumbstruck, back to the Pavilion. Tim was the first to greet him, making his best attempt at looking apologetic as he looked down at his feet, shuffling them awkwardly.
"Well, I didn't think you were gonna run off." He said, in a muffled tone. Nadine shook her head, in a disapproving way, but Jason only chuckled, "You're an idiot, Tim." He said. Tim's eyes shot upwards to meet Jason's, shock registering behind them. The expression lasted a minute, and Tim melted into laughter as well, shaking his head.
"C'mon... Remnant's all set. We gotta head out."
It had been harder then he expected, saying goodbye to the guests, most noticably, Nadine, who only smiled and waved - her vibrant green eyes misty in the bright light of the moon. Twilight set in, as the Remnant left the docks, but before the went on their way, Tim emerged from the cabin, carrying a small black tube in his hand. "I... I really didn't mean to piss you off, Jace..." He said, quietly, tossing the film canister to Jason. Jason smirked, slipping the film into the inner pocket of his jacket, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah you did. But I forgive you." The brothers exchanged a quick laugh, and shaking his head, Tim moved to the helm.
"You always do, Jace. you always do..." That was the last thing Jason Borlin heard his brother say, before the storm hit.
Morning dawned the following day all dusky oranges and pale pinks, billowing clouds hanging low against the horizon, the scent of ozone still clinging to the fresh, salty air. The boardwalk at Nantucket Beach would fill later with the bustling noise of both locals and visitors, young teens, with their gossip and slang and trying too hard to be adults, the older folks, filling benches and despite the signage, feeding seagulls, families and friends and everything in between. For now, though, all was still and silent, save for a few early risers. They stopped to stare at the sunrise with mild interest before continuing with their jogs, their walks, entirely ignorant to the fact that mere feet below them, nestled between the pylons of the pier, tangled in bits of seaweed, covered in sand, lay the battered form of Jason Borlin, struggling desperately to hang on to life.
