Snippets - Control and Revenge

In my files I have a lot of what I'd call "snippets." They are scenes from novel ideas I had, but I did not start writing the novels chronologically. Instead of beginning at the beginning, I would write out certain scenes that I could clearly see in my mind, with the intention of going back and writing the rest of the story around those bits. Unfortunately, that latter part rarely happened, which means I have a lot of these snippets floating around. I refuse to give up hope that I will one day finish the stories. In the mean time, I'll post some of the snippets here. The two below were for a story that I was calling Control and Revenge that I wrote around 2008. The first is an earlier scene in the story, the second a later one. Miraculously, I still have a vague notion of where I was going with things in between.

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Control and Revenge (Early snippet)

Her steady gaze held his.

“How can you be sure that my intent isn’t to kill them both?” She asked, slowly walking past him, breaking her gaze only at the last possible moment. She sat on the bed.

Without warning, he was in front of her, pushing her backward, pinning her down. His face was only an inch from hers.

“If killing them is your plan,” he growled, an eyebrow raised, “perhaps we can work together in all of this after all?”

She considered for a moment the eagerness in his face before letting out a laugh.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you so excited. I have no intention of killing either of them. In fact, I intend to do all I can to keep them both alive.”

At that, Marc backed up a fraction, frustration passing across his face for an instant before regaining his composure. “Are you sure, love? Death is the best revenge.”

“No, I don’t think so. Death? You’re gone. There is nothing else.” She narrowed her eyes and stared through Marc and continued. “But…revenge, revenge in the form of suffering? Now that’s something else.” She returned her eyes to his and smiled.

“Well, if suffering is your goal, then we can be on the same team. What say you?”

Without waiting for Ana’s reply, he dipped his lips to hers, only to have her turn her head before he made contact.

He responded with a quiet, knowing chuckle and removed himself from atop her. She kept her head turned but met his gaze, saying nothing as he strode to the door and left the room.

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Control and Revenge (Later snippet) 

“She needs medical attention,” said Marc.

Van waved his hand in disgust and turned away. “Let her die.”

“No!” Marc surprised himself with the vehemence he heard in his voice. He took a second to regain his composure and spoke again. “No. That would be pointless. Besides,” he added, glancing back at the pale figure on the bed, “she still has her part of our bargain to live up to.”

Van spun around and sneered. “Do you really believe she is going to lead us to him? Think about it! Since she’s been in this land, she has spent most of her time defending him! Protecting him! And now you think she is going to turn her back on her very reason for being here and help us take him? Your gullibility sickens me.”

Marc stood up from Ana’s bed side. “I will not let her die,” he stated without waver. “She has not served her purpose for me—for us. You are reacting in haste.”

 “Fine,” Van snorted as he stalked toward the door. “Do as you will. I think you’re a fool. Besides, just where do you think you’ll find medical care for her out here? Back in the village? You think you can just walk in to the clinic and drop her off, with no one noticing who you are? You’d never get out alive.”

Marc turned back toward Ana now, again sinking onto the low stool next to the bed. “No. Of course I won’t take her back there.” He grazed the back of his hand over her forehead, paused momentarily to wonder what instinct caused him to do such a thing. “There is another option.”

“Such as?”

Marc stared hard at his partner, as if offering a challenge. “We can take her where she was intending to go in the first place.”

Van gaped at him but said nothing. Marc continued.

“Kato is there. He’s the one she needs to help heal her. She said so herself…before…”

Van walked slowly over and stood in front on Marc. “You have lost your mind,” he said, shaking his head. “Take her to Kato? Kato? Taking her to him is to take her to Marron. You won’t be saving her life! You’ll be sacrificing it once and for all. Not that I care, mind you.”

Marc stirred as if to respond, but Van continued. “And if you haven’t noticed, we do not know where Marron or Kato are, which is why we agreed to this deal with your girlfriend here in the first place!”

“Quit being dramatic,” Marc snapped. “She’s not my girlfriend. She is…a business interest. As much yours as mine.”

“Right. A business interest,” mocked Van. “The interest you’ve paid her the past few nights has not escaped me. There’s been nothing businesslike about it.”

Van had pushed Marc as far as he dared and he knew it.

“Whatever. Do what you want with her. But I’ll tell you this, if she becomes a hindrance – more of one than she is already – I’ll cut her loose myself, dammit.”

Suddenly, Ana took in a ragged breath and moaned. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw the two men towering over her. She tried to sit up, but she was too weak and simply fell backward to the mattress that was damp with her sweat.

“Get ready to go,” said Marc. “We’re leaving. Now.”