"Venomous Pt 6 - Amiable"
Title: Venomous Part 6 - Amiable
Fandom: Princess Protection Program
Pairing: Carter/Rosie
Rating: G
Words: ~4100
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.
Summary: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. Rosie helps Carter find the princess within herself as they assume their nominations of Homecoming Princesses.
Chapter One of Venomous
Chapter Two - Pernicious
Chapter Three - Detrimental
Chapter Four - Anodyne
Chapter Five - Innocuous
The start of homeroom on Monday is rife with chatter about who’s to be nominated as a princess for the homecoming dance. Carter slumps tiredly in her seat, her head resting on her shoulders, until Rosie prods her gently, “Carter, aren’t you excited to vote? This will be my first experience with the democratic process, I’m quite thrilled.”
“I suggest you lower your expectations, Rosie. It’s not a democracy, it’s a popularity contest,” Carter mumbles to the crook of her elbow. Rosie blinks but opens her mouth and tries again, “Well, wouldn’t those who are popular be considered as such because of their outstanding qualities?”
“Pfft, no one in this school has outstanding qualities. And no, generally it’s the hottest kids that are popular. It’s like natural selection or something.”
Undiscouraged, Rosie leans in and whispers, “Well, I think I know of one person with outstanding qualities, so I shall vote for her.” Rosie nudges Carter’s shoulder until the lackluster tomboy looks her way, the princess almost bouncing as though she holds the most amazing secret in the world. Carter lifts her cheeks in a struggling smile and sticks her thumb up to the air, then quickly resigns to the pull of gravity and plops back down on her desk.
A minute later Carter gets handed her sheet of paper, and she sneers at it. She twirls her pen around her knuckles for a moment, considering writing a profanity in the blank space provided for nomination, but thinks better of it. Instead she snorts at her own clever immaturity and scribbles Bull’s name, underlining it passionately and then folding it up, her eyes immediately finding the back of the big jerk’s polo shirt. Her attention is drawn to Rosie, whose eyes dance around the room, taking in the sight of democracy in action, or whatever. She’ll find out by the end of the day what waste of time this was, as the results will show overwhelmingly who the (drama) queens are of the school.
Throughout the day people keep talking about it, and in the halls, Rosie is several times stopped by some random person and told, “I voted for you, because I think you’re nice/pretty/ have a great ass,” (the last one prompted Carter to smack Deaux Reese on the arm, hard).
“Freakin’ idiots,” Carter mumbles as Deaux trots back to his friends and receives multiple high-fives. “See, I told you. It’s just a popularity contest, key factor being looks.”
“Well, regardless of one’s reasons, democracy is fascinating and I am gracious for any votes I may receive,” Rosie waves back to Deaux and his boys and smiles politely in thanks. Carter groans and pushes Rosie ahead toward math class in double time.
~~\/~~
Rosie grabs Carter’s hand and jogs excitedly to the cafeteria after school, where the announcements for Homecoming Princesses are about to be made. Carter however would much rather head to the bus and get the front seat before the other kids start piling in; Carter’s grown kinda close to Helen the bus driver, who says she knows how hard it is growing up with a single dad - not that Carter will admit to anything like that; she just likes Helen’s stories of her country-rock singing old man. But that’s not what happens today.
Carter’s too numb at the shock of being named a Princess that she doesn’t even register when Rosie hugs her tightly, but she does register a distinct feeling of dread and guilt when Rosie is announced one as well - being a Homecoming Princess is certainly no way to keep your head down whilst in hiding. Carter quickly vacates the cafeteria with Rosie in a death grip.
But perhaps what is most embarrassing is the fact that even when Carter is elected Princess, Donny still can’t even acknowledge her. He stopped the girls just after the announcement, and he’s suddenly all “ooh, Princess Rosie, go to the dance with me,” and Carter just feels so stupid for pining over that tall, handsome, muscle-y, good-looking jerkwad for all these years. He can’t even remember her name! What kinda prick can’t remember the name of a classmate they’ve had since before they learned the multiplication tables!?
Carter seethes for the whole ride home, unresponsive to Rosie’s concerned looks and brief touches and soft inquiries. She finally explodes when she opens the door to her bedroom, and kinda wishes Rosie wasn’t there because she’d really like to punch her pillow and then cry into it. It’s hard for the bait girl to listen to Rosie try to cheer her up, to hear the exact opposite of what her self-conscious is telling her - that she is special, she is deserving of someone, someone better than Donny. That she is a princess.
And suddenly, Carter feels pretty lucky that Rosie is there, because somehow, the things she’s saying about Donny and about her self-worth are kinda working, and Carter feels a little less like an idiot for the moment.
“OK, so now that I've finally got my chance to take revenge on Chelsea by taking her Homecoming crown, how are we gonna convince the whole school by Friday that I’m princess material, hmm?” Carter asks as she leans back in her chair. Rosie shifts on Carter’s bed to sit daintily on her leg and gets a contemplative look on her face.
“Well… service to your people is a key priority to a princess.”
“So like… community service? Like babysitting and highway cleanup and giving to the poor?”
“…Baby...Sitting?” Rosie asks with apprehension and wide eyes.
“Never mind. It’s not how it sounds.” Carter waves her hand at the subject, smiling to herself in slight exasperation. “But anyway, yea….community service…” Carter takes a moment to think, unaware she’s being studied by Rosie, who has suddenly taken notice of the pretty shine of Carter’s brown eyes in the afternoon light. Earlier today Rosie took notice of the way Carter’s hair sometimes curls at the ends, and wondered if it’s natural or if it’s just from Carter twirling the strands around her finger. Rosie wants to twirl a lock and see for herself, but she refrains. There’s a strange hesitancy in her chest, but that’s probably just because it would be rude to interrupt Carter in her thinking.
Carter looks around her room and remarks, “This house is full of old things we don’t use anymore, we can donate some stuff at the thrift store this weekend... And...” Carter walks to her desk and opens up her laptop, “… I think the library has a 'read to kids' thing, we can check online.”
“That sounds excellent! Promoting education is a top priority of any royal figure,” Rosie claps her hands together in front of her chest in excitement, encouraging Carter’s brainstorm.
“Yea… ok, and how about tutoring at school then? Exams are being held next week, we’d probably get a lot of interested people. I know I could use your help for French class.”
“Magnifique!” Rosie comes to stand just behind Carter and rests her hands on the tomboy’s shoulder. Carter feels warm and actually pretty psyched to be planning all this stuff. It’s all a bit last minute and no one’s probably gonna care that she suddenly has an interest in extracurricular activities, but… Carter wants to do this. For Rosie. She wants to make her proud. She wants to prove something to the royal princess... and prove something to herself.
~~\/~~
As the days pass, Carter finds herself surprised at how the idea of her being a Homecoming Princess is gradually moving from Ridiculous Joke to Unlikely Probability to Potentially Like, For Realsies. A decent amount of students signed up with Rosie and Carter for tutoring (more for Rosie than Carter, but Carter doesn't mind), and the afternoon librarian was positively joyful at the success of Carter's reading of "The Hungry Caterpillar" and Rosie's translation of the French classic "The Little Prince."
Rosie finds Carter on Thursday afternoon in an impeccable mood, humming loudly to herself as she darts about in the bait shop, organizing shelves and checking inventory. Rosie can't hide the bright smile that bursts onto her face at the sight. She's content to watch until Carter catches her over her shoulder.
"Oh hello there Princess!" Carter greets excitedly.
"Carter, please!" Rosie lowers her voice and looks around cautiously, "What if someone hears you?"
Carter shakes her head and raises her hands in defense, "No I meant like, Homecoming Princess. Not like, Princess Princess." Rosie blinks and opens her mouth to retort, but Carter adds quickly, "Eh, ok, whatever. Anyway, forget about that. Come and help me out here."
Carter steps back from the worktable and reveals the large shipment of new tackle and line. "I wanna catalog and shelve all this before dad comes home. He normally does it, but he had his big Recruitment Survey today and I'm sure he's had enough with picking over tiny details for one day."
Rosie stands next to Carter and inspects a shiny bit between her thumb and forefinger. "What are these?"
Carter answers by heaving a large 3-ring binder full of papers in plastic sheet covers onto the work bench. "New shipment of fishing tackle. All the bits and pieces you need, or could ever want, for wrangglin' up some fishies. We gotta sort 'em and tag 'em for inventory, according to this here catalog. One of the more tedious tasks of working at Joe's Bait Shop, but there ya go."
Rosie makes an assumption that Carter's southern vernacular seems to slip out more when she's in a good mood, and Rosie hopes that she remains in such a disposition, because she really likes the way it sounds.
"All right; tell me what to do."
"With pleasure, my fellow Homecoming Princess Nominee," Carter teases lightly.
The job that normally takes Mason about 3 hours to complete takes the two girls little over an hour, and is tenfold times more enjoyable. Carter occasionally cracks a joke, the basic "knock, knock" and "There are two muffins in an oven" variety - just sharing some American humor with the foreigner, and Rosie can't get enough of it. Rosie tells a story of once paving a meticulous mosaic out of colored pebbles for her Mother's birthday. Henri the Gardens Keeper helped her design it and taught her the proper way to anchor the little stones into the settling paste-work. Working with these tiny, shiny little bits of tackle reminds her of the experience now.
"How much longer do we have until your father returns?" Rosie asks as she puts away a large plastic bin with a collection of newly sorted and tagged merchandise onto a shelf. Carter looks at her cell phone in her pocket and replies, "About half an hour or so. We might wanna order dinner too, I know he'll be exhausted."
"What does he do at this Recruitment Survey that is so fatiguing?"
"It happens every couple years. The PPP needs new agents, and although they picked some real good players, they need the senior agents, like my dad, to sort through profiles and interviews to see if they are really cut out for the job. So it's a lot of detail memorization and talking, plus the pressure of knowing your choice of the next agent could affect the safety of a royal somewhere in the world. Dad usually gets home with just enough energy left to shovel something into his mouth and collapse onto the couch."
"Wow... your father does a lot of important work, Carter. I never thought a soldier would be so ... extraordinary."
Carter blushes a little and takes off her red Bait Shop hat, focusing her attention on flicking some dirt off the edge of the brim. "Yea... he's really amazing. And he means the world to me, he's all I got left..."
Rosie's gaze softens and she reaches her hand out to hold Carter's, "And I know that you mean the world to him as well."
Carter shares a small smile with Rosie for as long as she can keep her face from turning even redder. She doesn't know why she's feeling embarrassed, only that being under Rosie's close gaze is making her feel vulnerable and making her heart pound in her ears. Finally she chuckles to erase the tension and reaches over to slide her red cap onto Rosie's head.
"Back to work, Darlin'." Rosie chuckles as well and reaches her hand up to adjust the brim of the hat that was slid too far down over her face, hiding her eyes. "And what's this?"
"Princess, for the next 20 minutes, this - " Carter spreads her hands out to her sides and twirls around - "is your kingdom, and that is your crown. You're in charge while I go order dinner and get ready for dad's inevitably early night on the couch."
"You're - you're leaving me alone in the Bait Shop?" Rosie asks tentatively, remembering the last time she was in a similar predicament, and how it ended rather... unpleasantly. But Cater just taps the hat back down over Rosie's eyes and says, "I trust you. You'll be fine."
And Rosie feels her spirit soar at those words and her heart flutter at Carter's charming grin.
~~\/~~
The next night, Carter’s helping clean up the kitchen and unload the dishwasher while Rosie sits in their room doing homework. Mason, packing up the leftovers and putting dirty pots into the sink, breaks the comfortable silence that has grown between them.
“So pal, how’re things with your ‘cousin’ going, hmm? You seem a bit more relaxed now than… a few days ago.”
Showing a small smile as she leans down to grab plates from the dishwasher and swipe the towel over them, Carter replies, “Things are better. Good, actually. I may have misjudged her when she first showed up…”
Carter stands and turns toward Mason, who looks utterly fatherly while wiping his hands on a towel and leaning against the counter, and she continues honestly, “She’s… Rosie’s cool... in a weird way. I think we're... kinda friends now.”
“Shocking,” Mason teases with a wink. Carter huffs and throws her towel at him, then jumps up on the countertop, lazily putting away plates and cups into the high cabinets.
“Can I talk to you about something kiddo?” Mason asks suddenly, walking over to the edge of the kitchen where a stack of papers lies.
“Yea dad?” Carter asks, suspicious. Mason holds up a few papers, some are letters, and some are colorful flyers… but clearly visible in the upper left corners are the emblems of various colleges and universities. “It’s about plans for you-know-what.”
“Ugh,” Carter groans.
“I know, I know, it’s a lot to handle. But it's almost the end of your junior year, and these are just gonna keep coming and coming. I didn't really wanna pounce on you about this since Rosie just got here - I thought you’d have enough on your plate already. But we gotta talk about it sometime.” Mason tosses the letters and papers onto the kitchen table and rests his hands on the edge, his gaze focused on his daughter. “So, whaddya think, pal?”
“You already know what I think about it. Nothing.” Carter looks away from her father’s eyes. “There’s nothing out there that I wanna do. I don’t really have a passion or anything, I don't know what I wanna do or be. The routine doesn’t interest me - go to college, find a job, start a family. That’s just not me.”
Mason sighs heavily. “Still no idea, huh? None of your friends are planning anything that might interest you?”
“The friends I do have, you mean?”
“Hey, c’mon now - ”
“You say it yourself all the time dad, I’m a misfit here. But so far as I know… there’s nothing outside of Lake Monroe for me either… I just… I don’t wanna live life in the mundane… I don’t want a 9-5 for the rest of my life, with only 2 weeks of vacation time off a year to dream. I don’t wanna be that girl.”
Mason stands up and scratches his five o’clock shadow, but smiles softly. “I know where you’re coming from, pal. I wouldn’t wanna be that girl either, “ he jokes. Clearing his throat, Carter’s dad crumples up the letters and tosses them into the trash. “We’ve got time. We’ll find something for you, kid.”
With Mason’s hand falling heavy on Carter’s head to mess up her hair, Carter can’t help but feel lighter. “I doubt there’s another dad like you on the planet,” she smiles genuinely.
“Good, I like being the best.”
“Who said anything about ‘best’ ”? Carter shoves Mason’s hand away and dodges out behind him, kicking his butt with the back of her foot. Mason raises his eyes in mock shock, “So that mug you bought me means nothing?!” He tries to grab her hands but she employs fast blocks and escapes his grasps. Walking backwards away from him towards her room, she holds her hands in the shape of a heart against her chest and smiles, “Goodnight Dad.” Mason waves his hands in defeat in her direction, then calls out “Goodnight, Carter.”
Despite her uplifted mood instilled by her father, Carter’s thoughts still turn toward the future as she gathers her shower things and barely glances at Rosie in her green sweater and jeans, gazing out of the window. If Carter wasn't so caught up in her own thoughts, she might have noticed the saddened, faraway look that Rosie had about her too.
As Carter lets the shower water run down her face, her mind keeps rolling. She thinks of her life, her childhood, trying to find that one passion that everyone has, that driving desire that leads people to follow their dreams and get the jobs that they love and the lives they want. She can't pinpoint anything. She liked coloring books more than she thought was normal, and she went through a dinosaur phase at 7, but that's about it. She's not about to become an Art Major or study Paleontology. Her mind drifts to Rosie, as it has been want to do for the past couple of days.
Rosie will get to travel the world. Carter will most likely get a dead-end job in Lake Monroe. She’s got no ambitions, except the highest possible ambitions of wanting to do something good for the world, make a difference. Everyone talks about college plans, degrees of study - Carter simply has no interest. Sure, she’s not exactly poor, her grades aren’t exactly dismal - if she wanted to, she could get into a pretty good school, she’s positive. But why must she follow the fold? What difference would she make by doing that?
"Ahhgh, my head hurts," Carter whispers to herself.
~~\/~~
When Carter walks into her room after her shower, she finds Rosie quickly swiping her cheeks daintily, trying to hide tears. Rosie smiles sheepishly at her, and Carter sways on the spot, unsure what to do… but she knows she wants to make Rosie feel better. So, without saying anything, she sits down next to Rosie.
Rosie regards her expectantly, but Carter just stares at the floor and pinches the hem of her boxer shorts for a minute, before lightly bumping her shoulder into Rosie's and saying, "If you wanna talk... I wanna listen."
Rosie chokes lightly in amusement and swipes at the corner of her eyes again. "It's just the same thing as always - I miss my family and home terribly. I am still worried... And I... I feel a sense of guilt, because I remain safe here, enjoying my time with you and Mason, while my home is in jeopardy. I am free to laugh and smile but... sometimes I wonder... does my Mother still laugh? Has she had even a single moment of happiness since that horrible man came to our country?"
Carter can't think of anything to say. She hates this General Kane person for doing this to Rosie and her family. Carter bites her bottom lip, grasping for something she could do or say that might give a bit of comfort to Rosie, who's gaze once again looks faraway and full of emotion. Finally, Carter slides a bit closer and wraps her arms around Rosie, pulling her to her chest. Rosie accepts the hug after a second of hesitation, slumping against Carter as her hands go to squeeze Carter's knees in silent thanks. It's silent for a moment, before Carter feels Rosie take a deep breath and releases a shuddering cry. She shakes lightly in Carter's arms, her tears falling down her cheeks in a vulnerable cascade. When Rosie calms down a few moments later, Carter pulls down on her shoulder and directs Rosie to slide down and rest her head on Carter's lap. Carter leans over and places her head in her hand, her elbow resting on Rosie's back. A natural impulse takes over and moves Carter to tuck Rosie's hair behind her ear in a soothing motion. When Carter finally speaks, her voice cracks a little.
“When I was little, I’d miss dad a lot when he’d go off on his missions. I hated it. But he used to tell me something every time before he left. He said, ‘Pal, listen here. The world? Ain't as big as we might think. Compared to the sun, it’s tiny. A million earths could fit into the sun and there'd still be room.’ ” Carter’s gruff imitation of her father makes Rosie giggle softly. Carter's fingers begin to tangle themselves in Rosie's silky soft hair as her other hand drops to Rosie's shoulder and her thumb moves in tiny circles over the cotton sweater.
"So he told me to just think about the sun. It keeps on shining and it connects us, where ever we are.” Carter's eyes get a little glossy now. "... The way you look at the world changes as you get older... but even just the memory, the way he was so sincere, and remembering how I felt completely safe and loved, it just sets my mind at ease a little. It makes things easier." Rosie turns her head to regard Carter as she finishes, "The memory is there to keep you strong when the person you miss isn't."
Rosie gives her a content smile. Carter blinks away the sudden emotion that surfaced behind her eyes and returns the smile. They stay quiet and just stare at each other for a moment, before Rosie sighs and looks back to the floor. “Thank you, Carter.”
Carter smiles softly and resumes touching Rosie’s hair. How can it be so soft?
“I’ve never told anyone that story before.”
“Truly?”
“Honest,” Carter nods. “I’ve never felt… close enough to anyone. But it felt right to tell you. I thought it might help."
"It did," Rosie sits up and squeezes Carter's hand, "I feel much better now."
" Ok, good. Cool," Carter squeezes back. Rosie wipes her thumb under slightly puffy eyes and stands up. "I suppose I'll shower and then retire for the night."
"Ok. I'll be here with the med kit when you get back. How's your leg feeling, anyway?"
Rosie smiles at Carter's sincerity. "Sometimes I almost forget it is there."
"That sounds like a good sign. Guess that ointment is doing the trick."
"I really admire your strength Carter," Rosie announces unprompted. Carter gives an unabashedly confused face.
"...Pardon?"
Rosie stands a bit straighter and explains, "I am often struck by your seemingly innate knowledge and strength; your competence when you helped bandage my wound that first afternoon, your boldness when you came to my aid at the yogurt shop, and today while reading to those children, your sincerity and warmth really touched me."
Carter feels the beginnings of a furious blush burning into her cheeks and hastens to divert the attention away form her. "Whattaya talkin 'bout I ain't nothin' special or nothin'! Nothin' like you anyhow. You're so graceful and charming and people just love you instantly." Carter shuffles her hand in her hair nervously. "I'm just the bait girl."
"Not to me. You are so much more than what you see in yourself, Carter." Carter feels the warmth in her cheeks spread to a pit in her stomach at Rosie's charming smile and is speechless with a retort. Rosie nods her head quickly and turns on her heels to the bathroom. Carter finds her voice just as Rosie rounds the corner.
"Erh, thank you!" And Carter stands dazed and a little light headed and inexplicably giddy for a couple minutes, before shaking out of her reverie and walking to get the med kit.
~To be continued
Fandom: Princess Protection Program
Pairing: Carter/Rosie
Rating: G
Words: ~4100
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.
Summary: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. Rosie helps Carter find the princess within herself as they assume their nominations of Homecoming Princesses.
Chapter One of Venomous
Chapter Two - Pernicious
Chapter Three - Detrimental
Chapter Four - Anodyne
Chapter Five - Innocuous
The start of homeroom on Monday is rife with chatter about who’s to be nominated as a princess for the homecoming dance. Carter slumps tiredly in her seat, her head resting on her shoulders, until Rosie prods her gently, “Carter, aren’t you excited to vote? This will be my first experience with the democratic process, I’m quite thrilled.”
“I suggest you lower your expectations, Rosie. It’s not a democracy, it’s a popularity contest,” Carter mumbles to the crook of her elbow. Rosie blinks but opens her mouth and tries again, “Well, wouldn’t those who are popular be considered as such because of their outstanding qualities?”
“Pfft, no one in this school has outstanding qualities. And no, generally it’s the hottest kids that are popular. It’s like natural selection or something.”
Undiscouraged, Rosie leans in and whispers, “Well, I think I know of one person with outstanding qualities, so I shall vote for her.” Rosie nudges Carter’s shoulder until the lackluster tomboy looks her way, the princess almost bouncing as though she holds the most amazing secret in the world. Carter lifts her cheeks in a struggling smile and sticks her thumb up to the air, then quickly resigns to the pull of gravity and plops back down on her desk.
A minute later Carter gets handed her sheet of paper, and she sneers at it. She twirls her pen around her knuckles for a moment, considering writing a profanity in the blank space provided for nomination, but thinks better of it. Instead she snorts at her own clever immaturity and scribbles Bull’s name, underlining it passionately and then folding it up, her eyes immediately finding the back of the big jerk’s polo shirt. Her attention is drawn to Rosie, whose eyes dance around the room, taking in the sight of democracy in action, or whatever. She’ll find out by the end of the day what waste of time this was, as the results will show overwhelmingly who the (drama) queens are of the school.
Throughout the day people keep talking about it, and in the halls, Rosie is several times stopped by some random person and told, “I voted for you, because I think you’re nice/pretty/ have a great ass,” (the last one prompted Carter to smack Deaux Reese on the arm, hard).
“Freakin’ idiots,” Carter mumbles as Deaux trots back to his friends and receives multiple high-fives. “See, I told you. It’s just a popularity contest, key factor being looks.”
“Well, regardless of one’s reasons, democracy is fascinating and I am gracious for any votes I may receive,” Rosie waves back to Deaux and his boys and smiles politely in thanks. Carter groans and pushes Rosie ahead toward math class in double time.
~~\/~~
Rosie grabs Carter’s hand and jogs excitedly to the cafeteria after school, where the announcements for Homecoming Princesses are about to be made. Carter however would much rather head to the bus and get the front seat before the other kids start piling in; Carter’s grown kinda close to Helen the bus driver, who says she knows how hard it is growing up with a single dad - not that Carter will admit to anything like that; she just likes Helen’s stories of her country-rock singing old man. But that’s not what happens today.
Carter’s too numb at the shock of being named a Princess that she doesn’t even register when Rosie hugs her tightly, but she does register a distinct feeling of dread and guilt when Rosie is announced one as well - being a Homecoming Princess is certainly no way to keep your head down whilst in hiding. Carter quickly vacates the cafeteria with Rosie in a death grip.
But perhaps what is most embarrassing is the fact that even when Carter is elected Princess, Donny still can’t even acknowledge her. He stopped the girls just after the announcement, and he’s suddenly all “ooh, Princess Rosie, go to the dance with me,” and Carter just feels so stupid for pining over that tall, handsome, muscle-y, good-looking jerkwad for all these years. He can’t even remember her name! What kinda prick can’t remember the name of a classmate they’ve had since before they learned the multiplication tables!?
Carter seethes for the whole ride home, unresponsive to Rosie’s concerned looks and brief touches and soft inquiries. She finally explodes when she opens the door to her bedroom, and kinda wishes Rosie wasn’t there because she’d really like to punch her pillow and then cry into it. It’s hard for the bait girl to listen to Rosie try to cheer her up, to hear the exact opposite of what her self-conscious is telling her - that she is special, she is deserving of someone, someone better than Donny. That she is a princess.
And suddenly, Carter feels pretty lucky that Rosie is there, because somehow, the things she’s saying about Donny and about her self-worth are kinda working, and Carter feels a little less like an idiot for the moment.
“OK, so now that I've finally got my chance to take revenge on Chelsea by taking her Homecoming crown, how are we gonna convince the whole school by Friday that I’m princess material, hmm?” Carter asks as she leans back in her chair. Rosie shifts on Carter’s bed to sit daintily on her leg and gets a contemplative look on her face.
“Well… service to your people is a key priority to a princess.”
“So like… community service? Like babysitting and highway cleanup and giving to the poor?”
“…Baby...Sitting?” Rosie asks with apprehension and wide eyes.
“Never mind. It’s not how it sounds.” Carter waves her hand at the subject, smiling to herself in slight exasperation. “But anyway, yea….community service…” Carter takes a moment to think, unaware she’s being studied by Rosie, who has suddenly taken notice of the pretty shine of Carter’s brown eyes in the afternoon light. Earlier today Rosie took notice of the way Carter’s hair sometimes curls at the ends, and wondered if it’s natural or if it’s just from Carter twirling the strands around her finger. Rosie wants to twirl a lock and see for herself, but she refrains. There’s a strange hesitancy in her chest, but that’s probably just because it would be rude to interrupt Carter in her thinking.
Carter looks around her room and remarks, “This house is full of old things we don’t use anymore, we can donate some stuff at the thrift store this weekend... And...” Carter walks to her desk and opens up her laptop, “… I think the library has a 'read to kids' thing, we can check online.”
“That sounds excellent! Promoting education is a top priority of any royal figure,” Rosie claps her hands together in front of her chest in excitement, encouraging Carter’s brainstorm.
“Yea… ok, and how about tutoring at school then? Exams are being held next week, we’d probably get a lot of interested people. I know I could use your help for French class.”
“Magnifique!” Rosie comes to stand just behind Carter and rests her hands on the tomboy’s shoulder. Carter feels warm and actually pretty psyched to be planning all this stuff. It’s all a bit last minute and no one’s probably gonna care that she suddenly has an interest in extracurricular activities, but… Carter wants to do this. For Rosie. She wants to make her proud. She wants to prove something to the royal princess... and prove something to herself.
~~\/~~
As the days pass, Carter finds herself surprised at how the idea of her being a Homecoming Princess is gradually moving from Ridiculous Joke to Unlikely Probability to Potentially Like, For Realsies. A decent amount of students signed up with Rosie and Carter for tutoring (more for Rosie than Carter, but Carter doesn't mind), and the afternoon librarian was positively joyful at the success of Carter's reading of "The Hungry Caterpillar" and Rosie's translation of the French classic "The Little Prince."
Rosie finds Carter on Thursday afternoon in an impeccable mood, humming loudly to herself as she darts about in the bait shop, organizing shelves and checking inventory. Rosie can't hide the bright smile that bursts onto her face at the sight. She's content to watch until Carter catches her over her shoulder.
"Oh hello there Princess!" Carter greets excitedly.
"Carter, please!" Rosie lowers her voice and looks around cautiously, "What if someone hears you?"
Carter shakes her head and raises her hands in defense, "No I meant like, Homecoming Princess. Not like, Princess Princess." Rosie blinks and opens her mouth to retort, but Carter adds quickly, "Eh, ok, whatever. Anyway, forget about that. Come and help me out here."
Carter steps back from the worktable and reveals the large shipment of new tackle and line. "I wanna catalog and shelve all this before dad comes home. He normally does it, but he had his big Recruitment Survey today and I'm sure he's had enough with picking over tiny details for one day."
Rosie stands next to Carter and inspects a shiny bit between her thumb and forefinger. "What are these?"
Carter answers by heaving a large 3-ring binder full of papers in plastic sheet covers onto the work bench. "New shipment of fishing tackle. All the bits and pieces you need, or could ever want, for wrangglin' up some fishies. We gotta sort 'em and tag 'em for inventory, according to this here catalog. One of the more tedious tasks of working at Joe's Bait Shop, but there ya go."
Rosie makes an assumption that Carter's southern vernacular seems to slip out more when she's in a good mood, and Rosie hopes that she remains in such a disposition, because she really likes the way it sounds.
"All right; tell me what to do."
"With pleasure, my fellow Homecoming Princess Nominee," Carter teases lightly.
The job that normally takes Mason about 3 hours to complete takes the two girls little over an hour, and is tenfold times more enjoyable. Carter occasionally cracks a joke, the basic "knock, knock" and "There are two muffins in an oven" variety - just sharing some American humor with the foreigner, and Rosie can't get enough of it. Rosie tells a story of once paving a meticulous mosaic out of colored pebbles for her Mother's birthday. Henri the Gardens Keeper helped her design it and taught her the proper way to anchor the little stones into the settling paste-work. Working with these tiny, shiny little bits of tackle reminds her of the experience now.
"How much longer do we have until your father returns?" Rosie asks as she puts away a large plastic bin with a collection of newly sorted and tagged merchandise onto a shelf. Carter looks at her cell phone in her pocket and replies, "About half an hour or so. We might wanna order dinner too, I know he'll be exhausted."
"What does he do at this Recruitment Survey that is so fatiguing?"
"It happens every couple years. The PPP needs new agents, and although they picked some real good players, they need the senior agents, like my dad, to sort through profiles and interviews to see if they are really cut out for the job. So it's a lot of detail memorization and talking, plus the pressure of knowing your choice of the next agent could affect the safety of a royal somewhere in the world. Dad usually gets home with just enough energy left to shovel something into his mouth and collapse onto the couch."
"Wow... your father does a lot of important work, Carter. I never thought a soldier would be so ... extraordinary."
Carter blushes a little and takes off her red Bait Shop hat, focusing her attention on flicking some dirt off the edge of the brim. "Yea... he's really amazing. And he means the world to me, he's all I got left..."
Rosie's gaze softens and she reaches her hand out to hold Carter's, "And I know that you mean the world to him as well."
Carter shares a small smile with Rosie for as long as she can keep her face from turning even redder. She doesn't know why she's feeling embarrassed, only that being under Rosie's close gaze is making her feel vulnerable and making her heart pound in her ears. Finally she chuckles to erase the tension and reaches over to slide her red cap onto Rosie's head.
"Back to work, Darlin'." Rosie chuckles as well and reaches her hand up to adjust the brim of the hat that was slid too far down over her face, hiding her eyes. "And what's this?"
"Princess, for the next 20 minutes, this - " Carter spreads her hands out to her sides and twirls around - "is your kingdom, and that is your crown. You're in charge while I go order dinner and get ready for dad's inevitably early night on the couch."
"You're - you're leaving me alone in the Bait Shop?" Rosie asks tentatively, remembering the last time she was in a similar predicament, and how it ended rather... unpleasantly. But Cater just taps the hat back down over Rosie's eyes and says, "I trust you. You'll be fine."
And Rosie feels her spirit soar at those words and her heart flutter at Carter's charming grin.
~~\/~~
The next night, Carter’s helping clean up the kitchen and unload the dishwasher while Rosie sits in their room doing homework. Mason, packing up the leftovers and putting dirty pots into the sink, breaks the comfortable silence that has grown between them.
“So pal, how’re things with your ‘cousin’ going, hmm? You seem a bit more relaxed now than… a few days ago.”
Showing a small smile as she leans down to grab plates from the dishwasher and swipe the towel over them, Carter replies, “Things are better. Good, actually. I may have misjudged her when she first showed up…”
Carter stands and turns toward Mason, who looks utterly fatherly while wiping his hands on a towel and leaning against the counter, and she continues honestly, “She’s… Rosie’s cool... in a weird way. I think we're... kinda friends now.”
“Shocking,” Mason teases with a wink. Carter huffs and throws her towel at him, then jumps up on the countertop, lazily putting away plates and cups into the high cabinets.
“Can I talk to you about something kiddo?” Mason asks suddenly, walking over to the edge of the kitchen where a stack of papers lies.
“Yea dad?” Carter asks, suspicious. Mason holds up a few papers, some are letters, and some are colorful flyers… but clearly visible in the upper left corners are the emblems of various colleges and universities. “It’s about plans for you-know-what.”
“Ugh,” Carter groans.
“I know, I know, it’s a lot to handle. But it's almost the end of your junior year, and these are just gonna keep coming and coming. I didn't really wanna pounce on you about this since Rosie just got here - I thought you’d have enough on your plate already. But we gotta talk about it sometime.” Mason tosses the letters and papers onto the kitchen table and rests his hands on the edge, his gaze focused on his daughter. “So, whaddya think, pal?”
“You already know what I think about it. Nothing.” Carter looks away from her father’s eyes. “There’s nothing out there that I wanna do. I don’t really have a passion or anything, I don't know what I wanna do or be. The routine doesn’t interest me - go to college, find a job, start a family. That’s just not me.”
Mason sighs heavily. “Still no idea, huh? None of your friends are planning anything that might interest you?”
“The friends I do have, you mean?”
“Hey, c’mon now - ”
“You say it yourself all the time dad, I’m a misfit here. But so far as I know… there’s nothing outside of Lake Monroe for me either… I just… I don’t wanna live life in the mundane… I don’t want a 9-5 for the rest of my life, with only 2 weeks of vacation time off a year to dream. I don’t wanna be that girl.”
Mason stands up and scratches his five o’clock shadow, but smiles softly. “I know where you’re coming from, pal. I wouldn’t wanna be that girl either, “ he jokes. Clearing his throat, Carter’s dad crumples up the letters and tosses them into the trash. “We’ve got time. We’ll find something for you, kid.”
With Mason’s hand falling heavy on Carter’s head to mess up her hair, Carter can’t help but feel lighter. “I doubt there’s another dad like you on the planet,” she smiles genuinely.
“Good, I like being the best.”
“Who said anything about ‘best’ ”? Carter shoves Mason’s hand away and dodges out behind him, kicking his butt with the back of her foot. Mason raises his eyes in mock shock, “So that mug you bought me means nothing?!” He tries to grab her hands but she employs fast blocks and escapes his grasps. Walking backwards away from him towards her room, she holds her hands in the shape of a heart against her chest and smiles, “Goodnight Dad.” Mason waves his hands in defeat in her direction, then calls out “Goodnight, Carter.”
Despite her uplifted mood instilled by her father, Carter’s thoughts still turn toward the future as she gathers her shower things and barely glances at Rosie in her green sweater and jeans, gazing out of the window. If Carter wasn't so caught up in her own thoughts, she might have noticed the saddened, faraway look that Rosie had about her too.
As Carter lets the shower water run down her face, her mind keeps rolling. She thinks of her life, her childhood, trying to find that one passion that everyone has, that driving desire that leads people to follow their dreams and get the jobs that they love and the lives they want. She can't pinpoint anything. She liked coloring books more than she thought was normal, and she went through a dinosaur phase at 7, but that's about it. She's not about to become an Art Major or study Paleontology. Her mind drifts to Rosie, as it has been want to do for the past couple of days.
Rosie will get to travel the world. Carter will most likely get a dead-end job in Lake Monroe. She’s got no ambitions, except the highest possible ambitions of wanting to do something good for the world, make a difference. Everyone talks about college plans, degrees of study - Carter simply has no interest. Sure, she’s not exactly poor, her grades aren’t exactly dismal - if she wanted to, she could get into a pretty good school, she’s positive. But why must she follow the fold? What difference would she make by doing that?
"Ahhgh, my head hurts," Carter whispers to herself.
~~\/~~
When Carter walks into her room after her shower, she finds Rosie quickly swiping her cheeks daintily, trying to hide tears. Rosie smiles sheepishly at her, and Carter sways on the spot, unsure what to do… but she knows she wants to make Rosie feel better. So, without saying anything, she sits down next to Rosie.
Rosie regards her expectantly, but Carter just stares at the floor and pinches the hem of her boxer shorts for a minute, before lightly bumping her shoulder into Rosie's and saying, "If you wanna talk... I wanna listen."
Rosie chokes lightly in amusement and swipes at the corner of her eyes again. "It's just the same thing as always - I miss my family and home terribly. I am still worried... And I... I feel a sense of guilt, because I remain safe here, enjoying my time with you and Mason, while my home is in jeopardy. I am free to laugh and smile but... sometimes I wonder... does my Mother still laugh? Has she had even a single moment of happiness since that horrible man came to our country?"
Carter can't think of anything to say. She hates this General Kane person for doing this to Rosie and her family. Carter bites her bottom lip, grasping for something she could do or say that might give a bit of comfort to Rosie, who's gaze once again looks faraway and full of emotion. Finally, Carter slides a bit closer and wraps her arms around Rosie, pulling her to her chest. Rosie accepts the hug after a second of hesitation, slumping against Carter as her hands go to squeeze Carter's knees in silent thanks. It's silent for a moment, before Carter feels Rosie take a deep breath and releases a shuddering cry. She shakes lightly in Carter's arms, her tears falling down her cheeks in a vulnerable cascade. When Rosie calms down a few moments later, Carter pulls down on her shoulder and directs Rosie to slide down and rest her head on Carter's lap. Carter leans over and places her head in her hand, her elbow resting on Rosie's back. A natural impulse takes over and moves Carter to tuck Rosie's hair behind her ear in a soothing motion. When Carter finally speaks, her voice cracks a little.
“When I was little, I’d miss dad a lot when he’d go off on his missions. I hated it. But he used to tell me something every time before he left. He said, ‘Pal, listen here. The world? Ain't as big as we might think. Compared to the sun, it’s tiny. A million earths could fit into the sun and there'd still be room.’ ” Carter’s gruff imitation of her father makes Rosie giggle softly. Carter's fingers begin to tangle themselves in Rosie's silky soft hair as her other hand drops to Rosie's shoulder and her thumb moves in tiny circles over the cotton sweater.
"So he told me to just think about the sun. It keeps on shining and it connects us, where ever we are.” Carter's eyes get a little glossy now. "... The way you look at the world changes as you get older... but even just the memory, the way he was so sincere, and remembering how I felt completely safe and loved, it just sets my mind at ease a little. It makes things easier." Rosie turns her head to regard Carter as she finishes, "The memory is there to keep you strong when the person you miss isn't."
Rosie gives her a content smile. Carter blinks away the sudden emotion that surfaced behind her eyes and returns the smile. They stay quiet and just stare at each other for a moment, before Rosie sighs and looks back to the floor. “Thank you, Carter.”
Carter smiles softly and resumes touching Rosie’s hair. How can it be so soft?
“I’ve never told anyone that story before.”
“Truly?”
“Honest,” Carter nods. “I’ve never felt… close enough to anyone. But it felt right to tell you. I thought it might help."
"It did," Rosie sits up and squeezes Carter's hand, "I feel much better now."
" Ok, good. Cool," Carter squeezes back. Rosie wipes her thumb under slightly puffy eyes and stands up. "I suppose I'll shower and then retire for the night."
"Ok. I'll be here with the med kit when you get back. How's your leg feeling, anyway?"
Rosie smiles at Carter's sincerity. "Sometimes I almost forget it is there."
"That sounds like a good sign. Guess that ointment is doing the trick."
"I really admire your strength Carter," Rosie announces unprompted. Carter gives an unabashedly confused face.
"...Pardon?"
Rosie stands a bit straighter and explains, "I am often struck by your seemingly innate knowledge and strength; your competence when you helped bandage my wound that first afternoon, your boldness when you came to my aid at the yogurt shop, and today while reading to those children, your sincerity and warmth really touched me."
Carter feels the beginnings of a furious blush burning into her cheeks and hastens to divert the attention away form her. "Whattaya talkin 'bout I ain't nothin' special or nothin'! Nothin' like you anyhow. You're so graceful and charming and people just love you instantly." Carter shuffles her hand in her hair nervously. "I'm just the bait girl."
"Not to me. You are so much more than what you see in yourself, Carter." Carter feels the warmth in her cheeks spread to a pit in her stomach at Rosie's charming smile and is speechless with a retort. Rosie nods her head quickly and turns on her heels to the bathroom. Carter finds her voice just as Rosie rounds the corner.
"Erh, thank you!" And Carter stands dazed and a little light headed and inexplicably giddy for a couple minutes, before shaking out of her reverie and walking to get the med kit.
~To be continued