(Untitled)

[inmiracles]

Seeing and believing, as the saying goes, are not one and the same. In Anabelle’s case, this isn’t so much an issue of doubt as it is one of imagination; now more than ever, she believes in the power of miracles, convinced that the island of Tabula Rasa is one such wonder, yet she remains astonished with all that the island holds, caught in a

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[teenagerenegade]

If he's completely honest, Charlie does love the trampoline. He's got a basket of laundry on his hip, but he drops it into the grass and wanders closer. He's seen that face on people before but, somehow, he thinks he's never met her. She looks new.

"It does look pretty fun," he says.

[inmiracles]

It may have been excessive on her part - or perhaps on theirs, she and Elvis combined, two parts of a whole as they have been ever since coming here (maybe even long before) - but Anabelle has scarcely left the hut in two weeks. She has had no desire to leave Elvis's side, too shaken by everything that happened to her, to him, to them. Nothing is forever; it's a lesson she never really had to learn but knew all along, that life is transient in nature, but this hasn't kept her from latching tightly onto what (or who) matters most. However, she knows that they can't spend every waking moment together and after some time even begins to feel restless

[teenagerenegade]

"I'm trying to be domestic and responsible today," says Charlie, flashing another grin before he hauls himself up over the edge of the trampoline. "But clearly that's a lost cause." He bounces up and down experimentally.

"Hey," he says. "I'm Charlie."

[inmiracles]

Not one for responsibility - at least not yet, anyway - Anabelle shrugs off the mention, but she does have some respect for the domestic life, the one she found and lost and found again. She would be there now, inside the hut that is quickly becoming home, were it not where she has spent almost every waking hour until now. The vultures don't circle like they did in Texas, and she is free to walk, to talk, to bounce at leisure. "Hi Charlie," she grins, extending a hand to shake. "I'm Anabelle. Brand new here but I bet that's easy to tell. What about you?"

[wasblindbefore]

If Elvis is honest, he still isn't sure he gets it. He's seen firsthand that she was right, yes, about the miracles, in the sunflowers that saved his life and the way they followed him here, and more importantly, the way she followed them here, showing up less than a full day after him. That's all well and good; he'll own where he was wrong, where he had his head too far up his ass to see that she had a point

[inmiracles]

Faint and unnoticeable save to the careful eye, the corners of Anabelle's lips twist into a tiny, almost mischievous smirk that is soon replaced by the same wide smile from before. It's cute that Elvis thinks he has any choice in this, proof in itself that he has as much hope in him as anyone, the difference being that his hope that she will take no for an answer is misplaced and entirely futile. Winding down to a slow bounce, one where her feet barely rise from the tarp, she places both hands on her hips and stares Elvis down. "You can give in now and get up here or I can push and prod until you give in later, but either way, you're gettin' on this trampoline, Elvis Moreau. What's it gonna be?"

[wasblindbefore]

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Elvis is quick to protest, though with an amused sort of resignation, shaking his head at her. That she seems insistent doesn't surprise him at all -- for as long as he's known her, she's always tried to get him to lighten up -- but stubborn as he knows she can be, he can be just as much so. He'll take his chances in hoping she'll give in or get distracted. If nothing else, he certainly can't give in so easily; it would leave him without a leg to stand on next time she tries to get him to do something like this. "You're not gonna get me on that thing, no way."

[inmiracles]

"I see you've chosen option two," muses Anabelle, making a show of traipsing around the edges of the trampoline with her arms crossed over her chest, eying Elvis every now and then as she considers the next course of action. "Fine," she says, throwing a hand in the air, "Have it your way. It's not like nothin' I ever urged you to do turned out to be fun, right? I forgot you were the rare exception to the rule 'don't knock it before you try it'." Thrusting herself into the air, she tucks her legs in mid-jump and bounces back on her rear, smirking pointedly at Elvis the entire time. "Oh, come on, what have you got to lose?"

[turnedtoproust]

Somewhere, Scripps surmises, Dakin is miserable and has no idea why. The very thought that Scripps gets to observe such birds of fancy and beauty while Dakin is off nursing his wounds as Irwin continually ignores him gives a thrill of pleasure that he wishes didn't feel so good. He smiles, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watches her. "Shall I trade dignity for fun?" he posits, but he's already prying off his shoes as he climbs up.

He gets to the material of the trampoline and then pauses. "You know, I don't think I've ever even imagined this before. My whole world is shaken."

[inmiracles]

"There's no dignity in depriving yourself of fun for no good reason," offers Anabelle, giving something akin to a shrug which loses its effect in midair. Despite this, she believes what she says wholeheartedly - she has learned not to waste breath if this is not the case - and is pleased whoever this is stranger is, he has decided to give it a chance. "You've never seen a trampoline before? Oh, you've been missin' out, it's simple but it's great."

[turnedtoproust]

"Oh, there's a good reason," he informs her, stepping ever closer and smiling warmly as he leans his forearms on the edge of the trampoline, canting a gaze upwards. "When in the habit of serving the will of God, depriving yourself of fun is practically a full-time job," he admits, giving a scoff. "Though, I don't believe there was a chapter in Leviticus that says, 'and thou shalt not jump'."

[inmiracles]

"There sure wasn't," concedes Anabelle with a sharp but playful nod of her head. There are, in fact, quite a few 'thou shalt nots' that she came dangerously close to violating, but that is in the past now, and if nothing else, she has certainly learned her lesson on living in the present. "My name's Anabelle, by the way," she offers. "It's nice to meet you and I'm not just sayin' that."

[theblindguy]

Most days, the only two options Auggie has is sitting around or walking. Walking usually wins out for a lot of reasons, most of all the fact that he's still got a lot to learn about this island and he knows it.

The area with the trampoline isn't exactly new to him, but the telltale creaking noises of someone on it leads him in the direction of it. The female voice that greets him when he's closer isn't one he recognizes, though that's not entirely surprising to him.

"If you're talking to me, one time on it was enough for me," he says, a small smile lifting on his face as he rests his hands on the top of his cane. "You sound like you're having a good time with it, though."

[inmiracles]

"Oh God, I'm sorry, I wasn't even lookin'," blurts Anabelle, biting her lip and hoping that she hasn't already done or said something insensitive without realizing. Given her track record, said hope is likely futile, but wishing never hurts. As she slows down to a faint bounce, she makes her way closer to the trampoline's edge. "Hi, I'm Anabelle."

[theblindguy]

"You'd be surprised how well a blind person can bounce, don't get me wrong," he says, good-humored as he usually is. He's used to the instant apologies by now, though they are almost never actually needed. He can hear the bouncing slow, and her voice gives him a general idea of where to offer his hand to shake. "Auggie. It's nice to meet you, Anabelle."

[inmiracles]

Giggling softly, Anabelle reaches the nearest end of the trampoline and lowers herself into a seated position at the edge, kicking her legs back and forth in the dense summer air. "Oh, the pleasure's all mine, Auggie," she returns, grinning - if only to herself - as she shakes the offered hand. "Whereabouts are you from? Been here long?"

[awomanscornd]

"You sure don't make it look boring, I'll give you that," says Madelyne as she lets her path meander toward the young woman calling her over, a small smile playing on her lips. She's walked by the trampoline tons of times, of course, but hasn't ever given it all that much actual thought, just another corner of the island gone unexplored as she prefers to keep to staying in the Compound or the boarding house more often than not. "God, I don't think I've been on one of those since I was a girl."

[inmiracles]

"I think that's part of the charm, y'know?" As she speaks, Anabelle edges from the center of the trampoline, allowing more space for the two to share. For her part, she can remember the last time she was on a trampoline - it was during cheerleading practice in high school - but not the last time she was free to do something like this purely for her own enjoyment. With a quick wave, she adds, "Anyway, I'm Anabelle, hi, it's nice to meet you."

[awomanscornd]

"Reliving old times? I can dig it." Although she doesn't give much thought to pinning down any precise memories to recall, Madelyne pauses for just a few moments more before she toes off her shoes with a laugh and crawls up onto the trampoline. "I'm Madelyne," she says as she gets back on her feet and gives a few tentative bounces. "Likewise."

[inmiracles]

"That's such a pretty name," Anabelle remarks, rising and falling at ease with the force of the other woman's bounce. It isn't just her good looks that Anabelle finds entrancing but also the unique way in which she radiates that beauty. Like just about everyone else living on Tabula Rasa, Madelyne is gorgeous, not in the way that Anabelle has been bred to believe is only right but in her own style - no hideously unfitting blonde dye job, no cheap fake tan, no press on nails or or caked on make-up. Simply herself, and beautifully so. Anabelle wonders if she'll ever inspire such a natural awe, then promptly reminds herself that it no longer matters, least of all here. Brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear, she grins and says, "So, have you lived here for a while?"