Scarny Pretige's Story

Scarny laid in her bed crying. She didn't cry very often but how could she not. He parents were giving her away, at 17. She would have to lose what was most important thing in the world to her. Her little brother. She didn't know how she would live without him in the other room. She could try to convince her parents to lat her take him but that wouldn't work. She would just have to wait till she turned 18 so she could fight for his custody. So he wouldn't have to go through the pain she is feeling. She jumped when she felt something touch her arm but settled down when she saw her big wolf/dog climbing onto the bed beside her. Right behind him was her little brother. He climbed over top of the two and right into Scarny's arms. She held him for a while letting him do his crying. Then she pulled him up and hugged him tight. Just remember I will always love you. I shouldn't be that far away anyway. Plus when I turn 18 you can come stay with me." She smiled down at him wipping his tears away. "We can get a farm and horses. Maybe some chickens and roosters, so every morning you could go get fresh eggs for breakfast. How does that sound?" She asked the joy from them both radiating. He nodded in agreement and they sat a while longer before they were called downstairs. When they got down there their parents were standing at the door waiting. They all set off to the park so they could meet the new guy. When they arrived Scarny sat in the car and refused to leave. Using this as one of her last acts of rebellion.

Scarny saw the guy go by then her parents saw him. At first it was nothing but she realized a second to late he was holding an envelope. She didn't yell no fast enough. Her mother was in front of him in a second. "I see you have an envelope with a symbol on it. The arranged marriage right? You dont seem to worried about it! Would you convince my daughter that it will be OK?" She was not a young woman but not to old but she still used to older person brownie points. Making herself seem completely helpless. Scarny recognized it from what she tried once when she tried to get a guy to ask her out. She smiled then the smile disappeared and she reached and pulled the seat down letting her black wolf dog out. He wasn't on a leash but he stayed next to Scarny. She kissed her brothers forehead then got out. She looked at her mom and the guy. "Dont bother I am out happy? Want to tell the rest of the world about this stupid marriage arrangement?" Her mother gave her a stern look and she could just hear the words in her head. "Knock it off this could be the one you are supposed to marry." She rolled her eyes and walked over to a tree and sat down with her wolf dog.

David rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously at the parents comment about not being apprehensive about the arranged marriage. Anyone would be, but some just react differently to some things then others. David was just a laid back kind of guy that just went with the flow of things, he thought of himself as generally a likable guy so in his mind who wouldn't want to be married to him. But on the other hand the thought of a committed relationship was a bit scary to him, especially with his nature for getting on someones nerves.

"Yeah I'm here for the marriage thing" he gave a confused look at the girl and her parents. "Well I guess I just think of it like this.... there are worse things that could happen to me in this world and It might turn out that we were meant to be together or something. It's all good to me but..." he looked at the pairs daughter who finally stepped out of the car. She seemed to very attached to her brother who was still quite young.

"Dont bother I am out happy? Want to tell the rest of the world about this stupid marriage arrangement?"

She was a very pretty girl who had a quick wit and fiery personality... it reminded him allot of his mother. His curiosity peaked that maybe this girl was the one his parents had paired him with.

"I don't have any siblings or anything, but I've always wanted a kid brother" he said with a friendly smile at the daughter. "So I can understand that it might be hard to leave someone you love allot behind for something you had no choice in. Maybe... you could let her take things a little slow and she can warm up to whomever the guy is she supposed to marry" he looked at the letter with the symbol in his hand.

"Listen I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk... I tend to say stupid stuff sometimes that gets me in trouble, but do our symbols match? Cause my mom would be furious with me if I didn't check" he blushed slightly and handed his paper to the girl. But with the mood she was in he expected her to rip the paper up and throw it in his face. Not that he blamed her he could be a total idiot sometimes and he thought that right now was one of those times, but then maybe he wasn't he was never really sure which was common for him.

Scarny looked up at the guy handing her the paper. She looked at it then looked at her own. She gulped then nodded. "I-I think so." She gave his back and held hers out too not looking up in fear he would see that she was crying. Afraid of what might happen to her. "You can check I might be wrong." She though about his comment while she waited. His mom would be mad if he didn't check to see if he was her match. She wondered why. She dismissed it and tried to hide that she was trying to get rid of the tears. When she thought they were gone she looked back up at him.

Lodan smiled at her and tried to ignore that her father was very unhappy. He chuckled lightly to himself when he thought that the mom was probably in charge in that house. He held out his arm for her told take a hold of. "Shall we go looking then?" He asked her motioning to his car waiting just a few feat away. "Or would you rather ride with your parents?" He asked looking at her mom and not her dad.

Tears were gripping down onto the paper in her hands and she hadn't even bothered to wipe them away. Mimmi reached into her pocket and pulled out an old pocket watch that her grandfather had given her before he passed away.

"I've been here almost two hours and still I'm still alone... dang it I left my cell phone in the limo" she said with slight frustration. That meant she could call her parents and let them no that her arranged husband never showed. But maybe... she was jumping to conclusions to fast. Perhaps something happen'ed and he was just late... really late she decided to just suck it up and take a walk around the park.

---

David gave and awkward look, surprised that she wasn't upset by his request. When he looked at the symbols next to each other indeed they did match. He looked back at the girl who seemed so sad and looked as though she might cry. If there was one thing he hated was to see was a girl cry.

He handed the paper back to her "Yes, I'm afraid they do" his voice was solemn trying to respect the feelings that she was having at the moment. He sighed "My name is David Bailey... if it's not too much trouble could you tell me your name?" he asked looking down at the ground.

He felt so badly for her, he turned and looked at her parents and wondered why the had done this to her knowing that it would upset her. He liked to think that if he had been a parent he would have thought differently and not put his child into this situation. He wasn't necessarily upset with his parents for doing this but, he would have at least liked some say in the matter of the person who he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with.

She took the paper back and couldn't help but laugh. She stood up and dusted off her dress then laughed again when he asked for her name. Her dog seeing a lightened mood started wagging its tail still not sure of this man. "To much trouble?" She asked with another laugh. "I will be your bride in however many days and you think its too much trouble to ask for my name?" She laughed again. "Sorry." She muttered when her mother looked at her wrong. "I am Scarny Rose Pretige. Some call me Scar . . . Some call me Rose." She curtsied when she said her name and ignored the approving smile from her mother. "I'm sorry if you dont want to marry me. I know I am not anything special. Nothing good to look at." She said playing with her nails and looking at the ground averting his eyes.

He gave a nervous laugh when she talked about the both of them marrying, he had always thought he would have a year or two of being single. Not that he was the playboy type but he enjoyed having the freedoms of a single man. He felt bad about the curtsy he had never thought of himself in the way to deserve respect as that. But he was sure that if she hadn't her mother would have said something to her later.

"Well Scar it's nice to meet you..." he gave a goofy grin -"God I just sounded really stupid"- he thought.

"I'm sorry if you don't want to marry me. I know I am not anything special. Nothing good to look at."

Had David just heard those words come out of her mouth what happened to this beautiful girl for her to think such things.

"I'm not disappointed at all, You're one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen" he gave a warm smile and thought about putting his hand on her shoulder. But he didn't want to make Scarny feel any more uncomfortable then she already was.

He turned to her parents out of respect to them "You wouldn't mind if Scarny and I went for a walk around the park for a little while and chatted would you?" he then turned back to Scarny "Unless you'd rather not Scar".

---

Mimmi decided to go back to the spot where her parents had dropped her off a while before. That was when a car pulled up. It was a large black car but not a limo like her parents. The driver came out and walked up to Mimmi, he gave a respectful bow.

"Hello miss my name is Sven... If I may ask miss are you here for the" the man cleared his throat. "For the marriage arrangement by chance" he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out and envelope.

Mimmi blinked out of surprise... this man was old enough to be her father maybe even her grandfather. Surely her parents didn't marry her off to someone so old.

The man noticed the awkward look on her face and must had perceived what she was thinking "I am doing this on behalf of my masters son. I'm afraid if he had been entrusted with the symbol paper he probably would have disposed of it" said Sven.

Mimmi gave a small sigh of relief and reached into the pocket of her sweater, after handing the paper to Sven and observing the symbols carefully it was determined that they did indeed match. Sven bowed again and then walked over to the car opening it.

"Sir the young woman over here is who we are looking for. I'm afraid she has been waiting for you to arrive sometime do try to be somewhat courteous to her... if you can manage it" said Sven.

Mimmi watched the driver as he went to open the door, she nervously bit down on her bottom lip and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. This was it hopefully he wouldn't think she was an ugly little girl and send her away as soon as he got a good look at her. She pushed her classes up on the bridge of her nose, and nervously shifted her feet around.

Scarny disregarded the comment about her being beautiful. She had been told to many times she wasn't for one person to say she was and it affect her. She looked over at her parents who nodded to him then gav a thumbs up when he looked at her. She nodded. "Sure I dont mind." Then she turned to the dog. "Come, Mr.Teabottom." She commanded and started to walk slowly waiting for him to catch up with her. She folded ehr hands and imagined she was a girl on the prairie being given away my her family to a stranger so they could have money to get a bigger house. She imagined all the things around her were on the praire.