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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 13:03:27 GMT -5
Jack sighed and stopped. This conversation was a tough one. One of those things people don't usually talk about out of politeness for each other. Still, he had opened the can of worms and now he'd have to let it stay open or close it.
"Yeah, every once in a while, something amazing does happen, but it's just as easy to attribute it to some unexplained body function or intangible thing as it is to God. Or maybe God causes it to happen, if that's your point of view. Either way it makes for a nice story on the six 'o clock news."
Jack cut through some foliage and kept walking and talking. "Of course, I'm never in time for the six 'o clock, I always watch the late night news. That's where the darker stuff is, if you really want a test of faith." Jack laughed again, perhaps bitterly, and kept trudging along.
"My dad, he doesn't... didn't believe in God, even after something amazing happened in our lives. He chalked it up to skill. I suppose I'm following in his footsteps, as much as I hate to admit it."
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 13:08:45 GMT -5
Skinner sighed softly. She listened to his words and bit her lip, feeling a bit of obligation to this man. She hated being a preachy person, but she felt something, someone, touching her shoulder and telling her to press on with it. And she would listen.
"Oh," she finally said and pressed through the brush. "I lost my faith a few years ago, or rather just got lazy in it. I didn't believe anymore and I thought I was forsaken. But, before I came I..." She bit her lip. How far did she want to go in telling her bit of story? She sighed, stopping. "Nevermind."
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 14:25:15 GMT -5
Jack listened as she spoke and then stopped, telling him to drop it. He had apparently taken the wind from her sails. Not his goal, although he hadn't really enjoyed the preachy vibe she had been starting to give off. It reminded him of a story called The Mist by Stephen King, although obviously not to the extent of that crazy preacher lady. Jack's thoughts on religion was that it was really a personal experience. He talked about it when asked, but for the most part felt it was something that really needed to be internalized and felt rather than convinced of by someone else.
Still, he felt like Skinner was trying to get something off her chest. Which is when Jack asked her something that had been on his mind for a while, and might get him in trouble. He had seen the marks around her neck, the purple bruising that had clearly been there before the crash. He took in a deep breath and pushed out the question he had been waiting to ask.
"Skinner, where did you get those bruises around your neck? They're too old to be from the crash, so...?"
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 14:32:35 GMT -5
Skinner's eye flashed and she turned her head, attempting and failing to cover the marks. She knew people had seen them but she didn't think anyone would ask. She prayed that they wouldn't. She sighed and pressed on a little faster now. She deserved that question though for pressing Jack about faith, but still she squirmed, inside and out, on the topic.
"It's nothing..." she finally said. Perhaps he'd believe it, probably not. But the bruises on her neck were only warmups to the ones on her ribs and the scars on her arms, though the scars had faded and been covered by her tan. though the handprint bruises on the inside of her arms were clearly visible, when she didn't wear her mesh jacket which she ovbviously wasn't right then.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 14:42:29 GMT -5
Jack laughed, somewhat bitterly. People like this really pissed him off sometimes. It made no sense. If you were such a strong person, if you followed your faith so strongly, why would you allow yourself to be subject to the punishment of someone other than God. The idea infuriated him, and the sarcasm was bitter and dripping from his mouth as he uttered the words, "Yeah, right, pull the other one." He immediately regretted the words, which had suddenly washed over him. He had seen too many domestic violence cases when he had run a family practice for a year in east Los Angeles, too many cases of women afraid to stand up to their abusive boyfriends who they were attracted to for God knows what reason. It had hardened him against such cases. This was as black and white as any of those.
"You know what, sorry, if you don't want to talk about it then don't, but if you're going to Los Angeles to escape from something, from someONE, then you're doing the right thing, and I congratualte you, because putting up with that crap is inexcusable."
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 14:49:57 GMT -5
Skinner snapped her eyes and gritted her teeth. He thought she was weak. She coudl see it in his eyes. She walked up to him getting in his face almost.
"You have no right to judge. Yeah, I was abused. For a year almost. The day I got on that plan, four hours earlier, I broke his jaw, the b****d. I wasn't getting taken advantage of anymore. You think they love you and they don't. You think they care and you're just another girl. You think they mean it, but they lie. I was sick of it." She narrowed her eyes and swallowed, feeling the bruises pulsate on her neck.
"You don't know me, so don't try to judge what happened. You don't know." She blinked a tear of anger away, keeping her narrowed eyes on his for a moment.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 14:56:37 GMT -5
Jack rolled his eyes and laughed as she got in his face, nearly spitting on him. "Ok, you know what, I'm sorry. It's a sticky subject and I get tired of seeing it at the hospital, okay? I don't mean to sound insensitive." Jack stepped to the side and walked by her, his smile coming out again. "Glad to hear you at least hit the bastard back finally." He pushed through the branches and saw the beach on the horizon. "We're almost back at least, you won't have to deal with me much longer. Ready to be heroes?" He grinned slinging the pack off his back and holding it up to indicate what he meant before turning back and continuing walking.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 15:14:56 GMT -5
Skinner backed off, nodding a bit. But it still didn't suffice in her book. It was a sticky subject, and Jack just didn't understand. It was ridiculous how many women did let it happen, she'd been one of them. But it was so hard, even for Skinner, to admit to herself that she wasn't wrong this time.
She chuckled a bit and nodded. "I suppose we can be heroes for a day." She grinned, walking on. "You know, I wonder why you asked. Most people leave it for me to tell or don't care. Either way it never gets told. And I like it that way. You pissed me off, but I gotta give you kudos for asking."
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 15:23:08 GMT -5
Jack turned and smiled. "Well, you seemed like you needed to tell somebody, so I thought I'd give you a chance." Jack laughed and spoke again. "Thanks for the kudos. Just don't assume you've had the hardest life in the world, okay? I made that mistake for a long time, and that's a dark road." He shrugged, indicating that he had some dark skeletons of his own, but at the moment he didn't feel like unloading them. He already had for Kate. He wondered where she was now. Talking to the red neck maybe. She seemed to spend most of her time away from him with her.
They were at the treeline now and people were starting to see them and looking hopefully up at them. Jack looked at Skinner one more time. "Ready hero?"
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 15:32:17 GMT -5
Skinner shrugged lightly at his first words. "I know I haven't had the hardest life. I just don't like people judging me base on what's happened or what hasn't. I'm not like the people around me. I'm Skinner. Bare, raw, and in the flesh. I don't want a d**n pity party."
She noted his discreet hint that he had a few dark skeletons too, but she didn't feel like asking and he didn't seem to want to talk about it. Fine with her. She paused turning her wrists over to show the blatant bruised handprints. "The fact is that that's from that last time he hurt me. And no one's going to again. I don't know how I stood up to him, but I did." She did know. There was someone there with her, holding her up when she wanted to fall. But she wasted about to say that. "And that's that. So let's go be heroes."
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 16:54:48 GMT -5
Jack looked at the marks on her arm in passing, he knew what would be there before she showed him. As they came out of the jungle at long last, people gathered around them when they saw what was held by the duo. Water. The real essence of life. The beginning and end of the life cycle involved water, one of the basic elements of survival. They were clapped on the back and given general signs of approval from everyone around.
Jack distributed the water, warning people to be careful and make sure they boiled it before drinking, hoping Skinner was doing the same, before long more people were coming t them with empty bottles and asking to be led to the water source. Jack looked over at Skinner. "Up for a little more walking? This way people will know where to go in the future, we won't be designated waterboy and girl."
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 20:04:51 GMT -5
Skinner passed out the waters to the people, being sure to warn them to boil it for around 3 minutes. She hadted the idea of drinking untested water, but they had no choice. She only hoped they paid attention to her warnings, it could get messy if they didn't. She walked over to Jack as the empty bottles came piling in and she heard his suggestion.
"Of course. Let's go Skipper, I'm looking forward to replaying that beach scene from Pirates of the Caribbean with a friend at sunset and I can't miss it. Except we don't have any rum," she teased, sounding a little downtrodden.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 20:39:42 GMT -5
Jack had moved his way through the crowd back to where Skinner was. She was relaying something about a movie he hadn't seen. "You'll have to explain that one to me on the way back," he laughed. "So uh, you okay? I mean, with what we were talking about earlier? I know there's a lot of people around now, but if you wanted to talk more about it later, well," he pointed around the jungle, "I've got no one to tell."
Jack began to lead the new group through the jungle. On the bright side, this many people walking through the jungle on the path to water would help flatten down the path quicker, making the walk easier in the future.
"So, care to explain what you're talking about?" Jack looked around, wondering if he knew anyone else in the group that had come along, mostly looking for Kate.
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Post by Skinner Jones on Jun 13, 2008 20:44:32 GMT -5
Skinner helped direct the group and found Jack at her side after a few mintues, asking if she wanted to talk more. And she didn't, especially with all of the extra people around. It wasn't her forte. "No I'm good," she said holding a branch from hitting them in the face.
"Oh, about Pirates of the Caribbean?" she asked when he questioned what she was talking about. "Emily and I were joking about it. There's this scene where he, the dirty pirate, is stuck on a beach with a beautiful tomboyish woman. And they end up drinking rum, or he does, and acting like an idiot. Then they atart up a smoke signal with the rum and they're rescued mere hours later. Too bad we don't have rum."
She laughed, drinking a bit of her original water she'd had that morning.
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Post by Jack Shephard on Jun 13, 2008 20:51:02 GMT -5
Jack listened and nodded. Rum would be nice right now. Although at the moment the only person he really wanted to drink rum with was Kate Austen. He wondered where she had gotten off to, and realized at the same time he was having a hard time not thinking about her. He shook his head, mentally and physically, and looked at Skinner. "I'm more of a vodka guy."
The small group was getting closer and closer to the water source. People were making small talk with each other, getting to know each other, forming bonds. It was nice, but a little scary by now. Jack didn't want to know these people. They should all be home already. It made no sense. Why was there no boats or planes or ANYthing? Jack felt frustration build up in him, but he counted to five and it was gone. He kept trudging, holding a branch for the group to pass.
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