zelda_queen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zelda_queen) wrote2012-09-14 02:07 pm
zelda_queen) wrote2012-09-14 02:07 pm
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Crescendo: Chapter 8
ZeldaQueen: Sorry for the vanishing act there, people. Plenty more stupidity ahead, though!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 7
ZeldaQueen: Right. Before we begin, let’s get warmed up by reviewing what all has happened.
Nora has whined endlessly about how Marcie is an evil whore bent on ruining her life, though she was apparently kind enough to take a break from it for the entirety of the last book. Nora has whined endlessly about how she and Patch can’t have sex, and the other angels are such meanies to forbid it. Nora has whined endlessly about how Patch has Marcie throwing herself at him, leading her to break up with Patch. A wild Jacob-expy appeared in the form of one Scott Parnell, and Nora has begun using him to show Patch that she totally is over him and doesn’t care what he thinks, which is why she’s acting like she still cares what he thinks.
Somewhere in there, a plot is hoping up and down, begging for someone to take pity and notice it. It’s something about the death of Nora’s father, but Hell if it actually is being given any importance.
There. All caught up!
So, having just got a mysterious letter and a ring, Nora and Vee race outside to see if they might somehow catch the person who delivered the letter. Because surely this person would just stand around, waiting to be caught. They decide that whoever it is has, in fact, left, because they don’t see anyone familiar in the area. Apparently it has not occurred to these people that the package might have been delivered by someone outside of their very limited social circle. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on them for that. Fitzpatrick herself seems unaware of that fact, given that the town and school might as well be empty voids for all we hear of the populations there.
They start trying to figure out who it was, and I’m sorry, but after so many instances of these clowns showing all the logic and intelligence of a Looney Tunes character, I can’t take their little detective sessions seriously. They consider Scott as a possibility, even though the person delivered the package to Madeline while Scott was talking to Nora! Criminey, these people are stupid! They next consider Marcie. Amazingly, Fitzpatrick stays consistent in her characterization long enough for Nora to rule Marcie out, on the grounds that it seems too cruel and over-the-top for her. Of course, they don’t consider the incredibly obvious fact that the deliverer was a boy and Marcie is a girl. I suppose things like that are too much for their big ol’ brains to handle.
The girls go back inside, and Vee immediately starts accosting Madeline for information. Madeline is understandably freaked out by this, and is only able to remember that the dude was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Vee continues to get up in Madeline’s business, demanding more details. I realize that “a hat and sunglasses” is a frustratingly simple description, but you’d think the oh-so-clever Nora would point out to Vee that yelling at the baker isn’t going to do anything, and maybe talking to her nicely so she’s not freaked out will.
Nora thanks Madeline and tries to drag Vee away, and Vee snaps that Madeline was extremely unhelpful. Vee, darling, you have been a walking load for the entirety of this book and the last one. Your stupidity was the entire reason the climax of the last book happened, which you seem keen to forget. You are the last person who should be bitching about people being unhelpful! I’d also like to add to you, dear Vee, that this mysterious person should have been delivering the package while you were there. Why aren’t you racking your brains to remember if anyone came by and dropped your best friend’s name? It’s not like Nora was gone for a five-hour period!
Madeline, meanwhile, looks about ready to have a breakdown. She is apologizing like mad and asking trying to figure out what was in the package and if she should call the police over it. I feel sorry for the poor girl. She suddenly remembers that this person was wearing black jeans, which obviously is still not much to go off of. That’s apparently all there is to get though, so Nora finally carts Vee out of the bake shop.
Outside, Vee keeps apologizing for not looking in the envelope first. Because apparently Nora has such a delicate constitution that she can’t open her own mail. And yes, I realize what this is all supposed to be. I know that this is supposed to be that Vee is a good friend who feels she ought to be doing more to help Nora in Nora’s time of grief. But there’s an issue with that, which I’ll address in a moment.
Nora, meanwhile, has jumped to another topic. She announces to Vee that she saw her dad wandering around earlier, and thus thinks that it might be possible that her father’s still alive. Vee thinks that Nora is going nuts and is in denial as some sort of coping mechanism, which is not an uncalled-for assumption, but ties into that issue which will be brought up in a second. Vee tells Nora that it must have just been some look-alike, and tries to gently tell her that her dad’s dead and isn’t coming back. Nora starts to cry and insists that she knows what she saw.
Right. Let me bring up that issue I mentioned.
This section here? It is, surprise of surprises, actually not bad on its own. It’s not the most riveting bit of writing ever, but it has what could be a very heart-wrenching premise. Nora’s dad has been dead, and now she’s apparently seeing him wandering around. Not only is this hurting her, but it’s also causing her to cling to the hope, faint as it may be, that he is still alive, that she can maybe find him and bring him home and have life be the way it once was. And it even has the set-up for this faint hope to be somewhat plausible! Nora has learned about Nephilim and fallen angels and knows now that there are strange things in the world. She even mentions in her narrative that she died and came back to life in the last book, so it’s not so far-fetched to think that something similar happened to her dad.
Except that this is the first time we’ve seriously gotten anything like this.
It’s pretty obvious that Fitzpatrick wasn’t planning on making this a big part of any future books when she wrote Hush, Hush, because Nora hardly gave her dead father any thought at all. There were no hints that she was emotionally shattered like this, or that she was going through a tough recovery period (no, I’m not counting the therapy, because that was obviously only there for the purpose of plot).
One could argue that it was a year after the death and that Nora was recovering. One could also argue that this explains why Nora is only now getting upset anew - she just learned about angels and the like and it picked off the scab and is getting her all upset and confused and raising ideas like “Could my dad somehow still be alive?” Alright. Fine. Then answer me this - why is this only coming up now? She died and was revived at the end of the last book. She apparently went through two months without suffering any sort of breakdowns or the like, because we were never told about them. We’re to believe that Marcie routinely taunts Nora over her dead father, yet she apparently doesn’t remember it five minutes after. Even if one argues that Nora didn’t start her theory until after seeing her dad “alive”, that was still some time ago. Are we to believe that Nora put the idea that her beloved father might not actually be dead on hold to angst about her boyfriend and a date to a pool hall? I know people grieve in different ways, but I’d think most people, if faced with evidence that a deceased loved one might in fact be alive after all, would focus pretty heavily on it!
And all of this just hurts the story. Fitzpatrick set up for what really could have been a tragic story, that Nora spends the book desperately hunting for her father, only to find that he’s dead the whole time. Or that she was insane, and now everyone is forcing her back into therapy (where she should be already, but I digress). Or something. And given that the mystery of the maybe-not-dead Mr. Grey is on the summary for this book, clearly Fitzpatrick wanted to tell that story! But instead, all of the focus went onto Patch and Scott and talking about what a bitch Marcie is. Bleh.
So, after a scene which was meant to be very traumatic and emotional, we abruptly jump to Nora studying the periodic table of elements. She’s acting like the stuff on her mind is a mildly bothersome thing she’s trying to forget about. Again, I think most people would treat the possibility of a dead father actually being alive as more than a pesky worry.
Nora randomly decides to run an Internet search (and yes, she actually calls it “Internet search”, instead of naming a damned search engine) for the phrase “the Black Hand” because…it will set her mind at ease. Or something. She just randomly seems to remember that oh yeah, that name was on the letter, better look into that!
So she runs the search, and dear God, but it is almost exactly copied from Twilight! Seriously, just look!
“A page of links for the Black Hand popped up on the monitor. The first link was for a secret society that had reportedly assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, catapulting the world into World War I. The next link was for a rock band. The Black Hand was also the name of a group of vampires in a role-playing game. Finally, in the early 1900s, an Italian gang dubbed the Black Hand took New York by storm. Not one link mentioned Maine. Not one image showed an iron ring stamped with a fist.” (Crescendo, Chapter 8)
“When the results came up, there was a lot to shift through - everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal, and gothic cosmetic companies […] There were very few myths that matched even one factor” (Twilight, Chapter 7 - Nightmare)
ZeldaQueen: Seriously, how the fuck does one get away with that?
And Nora is clearly just as empty-headed as Bella Swan, as well as just as terrible at using logic. Bella looked at a bunch of badly-researched myths and somehow concluded that Edward was MOST DEFINITELY a vampire. Nora looks at a handful of links and decides that clearly the Black Hand organization referenced in the letter must be a hoax. After all, there are no articles on it, and if the internet has no information about a very obscure or well-hidden group, that group obviously doesn’t exist!
ZeldaQueen: So yeah, she still hasn’t learned that just because something isn't on the internet, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To quote Gertrude Yorks, “It’s called a secret group, kiddies. Like the Freemasons. Am I the only one who saw To Hell?”
And…Nora just drops it. She decides that it’s completely silly and forgets about it. Clearly, she is so emotionally affected by this all.
There’s some pointlessness about her mom calling from New Hampshire and Vee driving her home, and then Nora sets about making dinner. Not long after she gets started though, there’s a knock at the door. She looks through the peephole and who could it be but Scott. Yes, remember how Nora agreed to go to that rowdy, insane battle of the bands thing, because even though she didn’t want to go she figured she could just cancel and not have to deal with it? She forgot to cancel, and now Scott’s here. Who saw this coming?
Scott takes one look at Nora, who is clearly set to spend the evening at home, and correctly guesses that she forgot. Instead of telling him that she changed her mind, she promptly starts lying that of course she remembered, can he give her just one minute to get ready? Ever the spineless glob of jelly, I see.
She invites him to help himself to some food in the fridge, before running off to call Vee. She tells Vee that Scott has come to sweep her off to the battle of the bands, and that she doesn’t want to go alone.
Erm…given how Patch has treated Nora in the last book, and given how most men in general act towards her? That is more than a tad creepy, and makes me think that Nora should invest in a rape whistle, if not a nice can of mace. What makes it even squickier is that Fitzpatrick most likely missed the aforementioned creepy implications.
Vee makes the cock-obvious suggestion that Nora tell Scott she changed her mind. Nora suddenly - and I do mean suddenly - drops the bombshell that she wants to go to this thing with Scott. Why?
“I had no idea where this sudden desire had come from. All I knew was that I didn’t want to spend the night alone. I’d put in a full day of homework, followed by spinning, and the last thing I wanted was to stay home tonight and check off my list of weekend chores. I’d been good all day. Make that good my whole life. I deserved to have some fun. Scott wasn’t the best date in the world, but he wasn’t dead last, either”
ZeldaQueen: Two things.
First of all, it is one thing for someone to decide to mix it up and try something new and exciting for a change. It is quite another for a person who was nearly killed several god damned times within the last two months to decide to traipse off to a place described as more insane than anywhere else she’s been, with no one but a guy who clearly doesn’t care about her safety and her dumbass of a friend.
Second of all, does Nora ever just decide she want to go somewhere, or get a chance to be the person to pick the outing location? This was how her various outings with Patch went as well. He’d drag her off someplace while she protested, and then she was all “Okay, I changed my mind, so that makes it cool.”
Third of all, it’s a very bad sign when the too-dumb-to-live, ridiculously oblivious heroine of the story notices that her decisions lack motivation and are random.
So yeah, basically Nora wants to go to this incredibly loud and dangerous place with Scott and Vee, because those two are clearly on the ball. It doesn’t help that Fitzpatrick sees fit to remind us that Scott is a Bad Boy by randomly throwing in that he’s looking through the kitchen, possibly “hunting for prescription drugs or beer. He was going to be disappointed on both counts, unless he had unrealistic hopes of getting high on my iron pills”. I’m torn between face palming that Nora is fine with going off with someone she thinks is compulsively seeking out booze and hard drugs, and wondering what she was expecting him to do when she INVITED HIM TO GO THROUGH THE KITCHEN FOR FOOD!
(And if memory serves, this is the only time Nora’s iron pills are mentioned. Apparently her anemia was just as kind as Marcie, and took a break for the entirety of this book)
Vee quickly agrees, and considers asking Rixon along. Because they’re dating, remember? Vee certainly won’t shut up about it.
After hanging up, Nora gets dressed for the outing. And what does she decide to wear to a place that will be full of sweaty, worked-up, likely drunk, heavy rock fans?
“I hung up and did a quick inventory of my closet. I decided on a pale silk cami, a miniskirt, opaque tights, and ballet flats. I sprayed perfume in the air and walked through it for a light, grapefruity scent”
ZeldaQueen: Um…yes. That sounds like just the thing to wear to a place rift with sex and drugs and rock and roll. Hope Nora doesn’t mind someone likely vomiting all over her cami thar. And ballet flats? Seriously? Does she really just not own jeans and some sneakers? At the very least, you’d think it would be practical to wear at night, in Maine, in a town that’s apparently not far from the coastline. Because those places? Are DAMNED COLD. And I know this because I’ve vacationed in coastline towns in Maine in the summer. I spent nearly all of the trip wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. Sometimes I swapped it around, but it depended on how sunny it was. Is Nora’s brain really that detached that she can’t register cold? Or has Fitzpatrick just not given it any thought.
(Probably both)
And speaking of Fitzpatrick and idiocy, she decides to drop this bomb on us
“In the back of my mind, I wondered why I was spending the time to clean up for Scott. He was going nowhere in life, we had nothing in common, and most of our brief conversations including flipping insults at each other. Not only that, but Patch had told me to stay away from him. And that’s when it hit me. Chances were, I was drawn to Scott because of some deep-rooted psychological reason involving defiance and revenge. And it all pointed back to Patch.
As I saw it, I could do one of two things: sit home and let Patch dictate my life, or ditch my Sunday-school-good-girl self and have a little fun. And even though I wasn’t ready to admit it, I hoped Patch found out I’d gone to battle of the bands with Scott. I hoped the thought of me with another guy drove him crazy”
ZeldaQueen: July and Christmas, where to start?
First of all, it’s very telling that Nora apparently can’t grasp the concept of getting cleaned up for an outing with a friend, and has to make an incredibly ham-fisted analysis of her motivations to justify it. It’s called “good manners”, darling. Plenty of people have ‘em, though I suppose they are something of a curiosity in this bizarre world. There are also plenty of people who dress nicely and wear perfume and the like everyday, just because they like to be well-groomed. This isn’t as big a deal as you’re making it out to be!
Second of all, “He was going nowhere in life, we had nothing in common, and most of our brief conversations including flipping insults at each other”. That is her justification for arguing against her and Scott making a good pair. Her fallen angel bum of a boyfriend, who does nothing but play pool and gamble, who shares no interests with her beyond a desire for sex, and who spent the very limited time with her in the last book fighting and insulting her, though? A romance for the ages. Of course! *beats head against wall*
Third of all, here we are at one of our “conflicts” for this book. Edward has ordered Bella to stay away from that dangerous half-breed Jacob. Erm, I mean Patch has ordered Nora to stay away from that dangerous half-breed Scott. Now, it’s blatantly obvious that it’s because, like his spiritual brother Edward, Patch is a controlling douchetard who can’t stand the idea of his lady love associating with any man besides himself. But let’s leave that for a moment. That’s not supposed to be the case here. We’re supposed to think that this is all justified, that Patch really is telling Nora to stop hanging out with Scott for her own safety. What is Nora’s response?
To basically stick her tongue out at Patch and do it anyway.
She’s not hanging out with Scott because she really does enjoy his company and truly believes that he’s not dangerous. She’s doing it because she’s pissed at Patch and wants to give him the metaphorical finger. This is no different than Bella riding motorcycles into trees to somehow teach Edward a lesson. Nora’s being a dumbass and apparently endangering herself just to teach her ex a lesson. And the fact that she’s apparently doing all of this subconsciously means that not only does she act with no regards whatsoever to her personal safety, but she does so without consciously thinking to do so.
In short, Nora has all but outright been stated to be Too Dumb To Live. Not that it was a secret before, mind, but this is still pretty damned stupid.
Fourth of all, Nora has openly admitted that she is using Scott - who has been creepy and stupid where her wellbeing is concerned, but apparently really does care for her - just to somehow teach Patch a lesson. And she has the gall to blast Marcie for being an amoral bitch? At least Marcie hasn’t been emotionally manipulating people!
Fifth of all, Nora is not a “good girl”, Fitzpatrick. She’s an incredibly boring girl. And it kind of falls flat to say she has spent her entire life being goody-goody when the previous book and most of this one has her sneaking into bars, engaging in fights in pool halls, and using the affections of one boy to hurt another.
Right. I think I got everything there.
She goes back to the kitchen, where Scott looks her up and down and compliments her outfit. For some reason this makes her all self-conscious, even though she was fine with Patch making incredibly sleazy remarks about her choices in attire. What, does it only bother her if someone is making a nice, non-sexual comment about her clothes? Nora continues to be all nervous around Scott, because Fitzpatrick is trying to make out like there’s a budding attraction between the two. It doesn’t work, because both of them are cardboard cut-outs with zero personality or likability. And again, it just brings unfortunate implications to mind, that Nora is nervous about going out with this dude, after all the stuff that’s been happening to her.
Scott jokingly refers to Nora as “Marlene” and, when she gets confused by this, he tells her that he wasn’t joking about her needing a fake ID to get in. He has apparently already acquired one for her, with her yearbook photo stuck in there.
Uhhhh…
Okay, I shall start off by saying that I have never gotten a fake ID in my life. I don’t know anyone who has. But I think it’s safe to say that this is just a load of bullshit.
Let’s start with the fact that Scott here was apparently able to procure a fake Maine driver’s license in the span of several hours. Now from what I’ve gathered, something like a student ID can take an hour or two. A good driver’s license though? Not so quick to make. I’ve seen a professional fake ID-making company (apparently those do exist) that boasts a five-day waiting period and, while rush deliveries are available, it seems to still take at least a day.
Next, let’s look at the fact that Scott did all of this without consulting Nora. Meaning that he apparently looked up all of her information for this thing. Let’s ignore the fact that he decided to rope Nora into doing something illegal for a minute. He just went and chose a name and information, without asking for her input. Meaning that he just set up for Nora to wander around without being familiar with her “name” or other info, making it more likely for her to get caught. That’s charming. It’s also creepy as hell. He used her yearbook photo? How did he get that?!? I know some libraries carry old yearbooks, but I’d imagine that the quality wouldn’t be so great, especially after he’d have to scan it or whatever. And again, he did all of this without telling Nora. He could have asked her to give her the information and a picture. But he didn’t.
And why did he do all of this, you probably are wondering. Well, we find out why. Apparently he did all of this to dick with Nora
“He grinned like he knew exactly how many points my blood pressure had shot up at the thought of using illegal ID, and he’d bet all his money that I’d back out in five seconds”
ZeldaQueen: Yes. He dug through her personal information, bought an illegal ID on her behalf, and did it because he knew that she hadn’t thought he was serious. He was banking on it, because he wanted to watch her get upset. This is all a joke to him.
WHAT. AN. ASSHOLE.
Of course, there’s also Nora to consider here. How does Nora react to this all? Why, she grabs the ID and says that she’s good to go. She doesn’t want to look like a chicken in front of Scott, now does she?
*taps fingers on table* Fitzpatrick? Please tell me that you’re aware that using a fake ID is illegal. As in, it is against the law. As in SHE CAN BE TAKEN IN BY THE FUCKING POLICE!
Fitzpatrick, I know that your research for these books is generally limited to ridiculous works of fiction, but let me try to explain this to you. Under Maine law, specifically Prohibited Acts by Minors, the act of possessing a false ID is covered. The punishment is a fine of no less than two hundred dollars. Scott himself can be slapped with the same fine, because distributing a false ID to a minor is just as illegal.
Really, this is the sort of thing that school kids have drilled into their heads. Between this and Vee’s stupid shoplifting attempt in the last book, I really wonder if you have any clue about this sort of stuff at all.
I’d also like to add that Nora here has whimpered and whined and expected us to pity her for being in dire financial straits. She has gone on about what a hardship it will be to purchase a new car, but she intends to buckle down and get it done. She went on about how hurt she was that Marcie was so thoughtless as to mock her being poor. And yet here she is, running off to do something which, if she’s caught, will result in her being slapped with a hefty fine which she or, likely, her mother will have to pay. That would just make Nora look so sympathetic and intelligent, having to explain to her mother that they’re taking a two hundred-dollar hit because she didn’t want to look like a scaredy-cat in front of a guy her mother didn’t even want her hanging around with.
And I’m sure people would argue that it can be easy to pass off a fake ID, depending on the place. But Nora is not thinking of that. She doesn’t give any consideration to the fact that if she’s caught, she’ll be heavily fined, caught by the police, and almost certainly have something put in her records, which I might add would stick with her for life and likely come back to bite her in the ass when she tries to get a job. Nora, who is supposed to be smart. Nora, who is supposed to be a clever little sleuth. Nora, who hand waves this all as her cutting loose and having fun. No. There is a difference between loosening up and trying new things and turning off your brain to do something blatantly illegal!
*pauses to get her blood pressure back to normal*
Right. Shall we continue?
We jump ahead to the building the battle of the bands will be taking place in. In keeping with every other place in this universe, it’s completely run-down, with boarded-up windows and weeds. It’s also apparently called “The Devil’s Handbag”.
I really want to know what Fitzpatrick was snorting when she came up with that name. Is this supposed to be a parody of nightclub names? Or did the owner name the place after his girlfriend spent a ton of money on purses, and he was still feeling spiteful?
Nora spends a minute to reflect on how her mother would likely not be happy that she was going there, because we haven’t been reminded enough yet that she’s an idiot with no regards for her mother’s rules or her own wellbeing. She is dropped off by Scott, who tells Nora to go ahead and get seats while he parks. Nora reflects on how strange it is to have to pay a cover charge to get in someplace, and how she has never been to a club before. Dude, I’ve never been to a club before and I know about cover charges. You don’t have to personally experience something to know about it. You’re just being willfully ignorant.
Oh, and I bet you guys are wondering where Vee is. Well, it seems that Nora didn’t do something sensible, like tell Scott that her friend wants to come along, so could they pick her up and give her a ride to the club as well. No, she’s having Vee ride out to a strange part of town on her own, leaving open the very good possibility of Vee getting butt-lost and calling Nora, who is without a car or guide, to walk alone through town and find her.
Which, what do you know, is exactly what happens!
ZeldaQueen: *massaging head* So yeah, Vee calls in and apparently has ended up a few blocks away and at a train depot or something. There’s tracks and abandoned boxcars, in any case. Look, I don’t know! Instead of Nora trying to give directions over the phone to the person safely in a car, she decides that she’ll go walking to Vee, in the middle of the night, in an area of town she hasn’t been in since her childhood, by her own admission. Of course, I certainly don’t see this setting up for Bad Things. Do you?
So Nora heads off, and we’re told some pointlessness about the history of the area. She hasn’t been walking for long (or at least it doesn’t seem like it), when a figure starts heading Nora’s way. Nora has a rare fit of self-preservation and doesn’t want to walk next to this person. So she gets out her cell phone to call Vee and ask for her specific location. Meaning that she just set out in a strange part of town, in the middle of the night, without even knowing exactly where she was headed.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE TRYING TO REACH THIS LEVEL OF STUPID!
So yeah, before Nora can make the call, the dude heads off into one of the abandoned houses in the area. Just before he gets inside, Nora recognizes him as her father. Oh good, more plot! Wonder how long this bit will last, before it’s entirely forgotten?
Nora freaks out and runs for the dark, abandoned house, because that’s surely a sensible, safe thing to do. And this is just like the start of the chapter all over. If this were better written? I’m sure this wouldn’t come across as more monumental stupidity. I could buy it that Nora is desperate and driven to find out if that really is her dad in there. After her being so incredibly dumb though, it’s just another instance of Nora cheerfully traipsing off into danger.
So she starts trying to get in the front door, but finds it locked. She goes for the back door, but then gets an icy sensation on the back of her neck, while a disembodied voice warns her that it’s not safe and to escape. For some reason, she thinks that’s her father. Yes Nora, your father somehow acquired the ability to telepathically talk to you. *face palm* Not to mention that this is more recycled stupidity, since it was just last book when Fitzpatrick made the pointless reveal of “Nora thought it was her dad’s spirit watching over her, but it was actually Patch spying on her!” Gah!
And then, the voice suddenly switches to another one, telling Nora that it’s totally safe to come inside, so why doesn’t she do so? This makes Nora’s skin crawl and creeps her out, but she still thinks it’s a grand idea to waltz inside.
She starts clawing at the window to get in, and then a hand that resembles her father’s grabs her by the wrist and yanks her hand through the window. She starts to feel intense pain and burning, and starts screaming for help, including randomly screaming for Patch. So much for her assertions that she can live without Her Man, huh?
Well, screaming Patch’s name did the trick, and her hand is released from the window. There are no cuts and nothing is bleeding, which is on par for just about every other weird attack that has happened on Nora. She still is all agog, and runs back to the Devil’s Handbag.
Along the way, she runs into Vee. Vee channels Captain Obvious and comments that Nora looks shaken. Nora tells her just that she thought she saw her dad again, and then narrates about what just happened. It’s incredibly boring, so I’ll spare you.
Fitzpatrick then proceeds to shoot herself in the foot again. Because we were just in what was supposed to be a highly emotional scene, with Nora worried that she’s losing her mind and scared to death and questioning the universe and whatnot…and then, Marcie shows up. And so naturally Nora forgets everything that just happened in favor of bashing Marcie
“Half a block up, Marcie Millar was climbing into a car. Her body looked poured into a little black scrap of fabric that was short enough to show off her black lace thigh-highs and garter belt. Tall, over-the-knee black boots and a black fedora completed the outfit. But it wasn’t her outfit that had caught my attention. It was the car. A shiny black Jeep Commander. The engine caught, and the Jeep pulled around the corner and out of sight”
ZeldaQueen: *sighs*
First, the counts
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 29
Yes, I slammed it with six. I'm rapidly losing what little patience I had for this all, and I am very pissed.
Second, I’m thinking that Fitzpatrick has no idea of fashion. Over-the-knee boots and stockings to the thigh? Wouldn't the former cover up most of the latter? Do many high school cheerleaders rock the fedora look? Not to mention bashing for the garter belt. Hey, Fitzpatrick? Erotic connotations aside, there are plenty of people who wear those things because they're more comfy than panty hose!
Third, we’re expected to boo and hiss at Marcie for wearing a small, revealing outfit. Fitzpatrick? YOUR MARY SUE IS CURRENTLY WEARING A CAMISOLE AND A MINI-SKIRT!
ZeldaQueen: Yes, that's clearly not revealing! HYPOCRITE!
And that is where we end this chapter. What a great set-up, huh? GOOD. GOD!
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 29
Onward to: Chapter 9
Return to: Chapter 7
Back to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 7
ZeldaQueen: Right. Before we begin, let’s get warmed up by reviewing what all has happened.
Nora has whined endlessly about how Marcie is an evil whore bent on ruining her life, though she was apparently kind enough to take a break from it for the entirety of the last book. Nora has whined endlessly about how she and Patch can’t have sex, and the other angels are such meanies to forbid it. Nora has whined endlessly about how Patch has Marcie throwing herself at him, leading her to break up with Patch. A wild Jacob-expy appeared in the form of one Scott Parnell, and Nora has begun using him to show Patch that she totally is over him and doesn’t care what he thinks, which is why she’s acting like she still cares what he thinks.
Somewhere in there, a plot is hoping up and down, begging for someone to take pity and notice it. It’s something about the death of Nora’s father, but Hell if it actually is being given any importance.
There. All caught up!
So, having just got a mysterious letter and a ring, Nora and Vee race outside to see if they might somehow catch the person who delivered the letter. Because surely this person would just stand around, waiting to be caught. They decide that whoever it is has, in fact, left, because they don’t see anyone familiar in the area. Apparently it has not occurred to these people that the package might have been delivered by someone outside of their very limited social circle. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on them for that. Fitzpatrick herself seems unaware of that fact, given that the town and school might as well be empty voids for all we hear of the populations there.
They start trying to figure out who it was, and I’m sorry, but after so many instances of these clowns showing all the logic and intelligence of a Looney Tunes character, I can’t take their little detective sessions seriously. They consider Scott as a possibility, even though the person delivered the package to Madeline while Scott was talking to Nora! Criminey, these people are stupid! They next consider Marcie. Amazingly, Fitzpatrick stays consistent in her characterization long enough for Nora to rule Marcie out, on the grounds that it seems too cruel and over-the-top for her. Of course, they don’t consider the incredibly obvious fact that the deliverer was a boy and Marcie is a girl. I suppose things like that are too much for their big ol’ brains to handle.
The girls go back inside, and Vee immediately starts accosting Madeline for information. Madeline is understandably freaked out by this, and is only able to remember that the dude was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Vee continues to get up in Madeline’s business, demanding more details. I realize that “a hat and sunglasses” is a frustratingly simple description, but you’d think the oh-so-clever Nora would point out to Vee that yelling at the baker isn’t going to do anything, and maybe talking to her nicely so she’s not freaked out will.
Nora thanks Madeline and tries to drag Vee away, and Vee snaps that Madeline was extremely unhelpful. Vee, darling, you have been a walking load for the entirety of this book and the last one. Your stupidity was the entire reason the climax of the last book happened, which you seem keen to forget. You are the last person who should be bitching about people being unhelpful! I’d also like to add to you, dear Vee, that this mysterious person should have been delivering the package while you were there. Why aren’t you racking your brains to remember if anyone came by and dropped your best friend’s name? It’s not like Nora was gone for a five-hour period!
Madeline, meanwhile, looks about ready to have a breakdown. She is apologizing like mad and asking trying to figure out what was in the package and if she should call the police over it. I feel sorry for the poor girl. She suddenly remembers that this person was wearing black jeans, which obviously is still not much to go off of. That’s apparently all there is to get though, so Nora finally carts Vee out of the bake shop.
Outside, Vee keeps apologizing for not looking in the envelope first. Because apparently Nora has such a delicate constitution that she can’t open her own mail. And yes, I realize what this is all supposed to be. I know that this is supposed to be that Vee is a good friend who feels she ought to be doing more to help Nora in Nora’s time of grief. But there’s an issue with that, which I’ll address in a moment.
Nora, meanwhile, has jumped to another topic. She announces to Vee that she saw her dad wandering around earlier, and thus thinks that it might be possible that her father’s still alive. Vee thinks that Nora is going nuts and is in denial as some sort of coping mechanism, which is not an uncalled-for assumption, but ties into that issue which will be brought up in a second. Vee tells Nora that it must have just been some look-alike, and tries to gently tell her that her dad’s dead and isn’t coming back. Nora starts to cry and insists that she knows what she saw.
Right. Let me bring up that issue I mentioned.
This section here? It is, surprise of surprises, actually not bad on its own. It’s not the most riveting bit of writing ever, but it has what could be a very heart-wrenching premise. Nora’s dad has been dead, and now she’s apparently seeing him wandering around. Not only is this hurting her, but it’s also causing her to cling to the hope, faint as it may be, that he is still alive, that she can maybe find him and bring him home and have life be the way it once was. And it even has the set-up for this faint hope to be somewhat plausible! Nora has learned about Nephilim and fallen angels and knows now that there are strange things in the world. She even mentions in her narrative that she died and came back to life in the last book, so it’s not so far-fetched to think that something similar happened to her dad.
Except that this is the first time we’ve seriously gotten anything like this.
It’s pretty obvious that Fitzpatrick wasn’t planning on making this a big part of any future books when she wrote Hush, Hush, because Nora hardly gave her dead father any thought at all. There were no hints that she was emotionally shattered like this, or that she was going through a tough recovery period (no, I’m not counting the therapy, because that was obviously only there for the purpose of plot).
One could argue that it was a year after the death and that Nora was recovering. One could also argue that this explains why Nora is only now getting upset anew - she just learned about angels and the like and it picked off the scab and is getting her all upset and confused and raising ideas like “Could my dad somehow still be alive?” Alright. Fine. Then answer me this - why is this only coming up now? She died and was revived at the end of the last book. She apparently went through two months without suffering any sort of breakdowns or the like, because we were never told about them. We’re to believe that Marcie routinely taunts Nora over her dead father, yet she apparently doesn’t remember it five minutes after. Even if one argues that Nora didn’t start her theory until after seeing her dad “alive”, that was still some time ago. Are we to believe that Nora put the idea that her beloved father might not actually be dead on hold to angst about her boyfriend and a date to a pool hall? I know people grieve in different ways, but I’d think most people, if faced with evidence that a deceased loved one might in fact be alive after all, would focus pretty heavily on it!
And all of this just hurts the story. Fitzpatrick set up for what really could have been a tragic story, that Nora spends the book desperately hunting for her father, only to find that he’s dead the whole time. Or that she was insane, and now everyone is forcing her back into therapy (where she should be already, but I digress). Or something. And given that the mystery of the maybe-not-dead Mr. Grey is on the summary for this book, clearly Fitzpatrick wanted to tell that story! But instead, all of the focus went onto Patch and Scott and talking about what a bitch Marcie is. Bleh.
So, after a scene which was meant to be very traumatic and emotional, we abruptly jump to Nora studying the periodic table of elements. She’s acting like the stuff on her mind is a mildly bothersome thing she’s trying to forget about. Again, I think most people would treat the possibility of a dead father actually being alive as more than a pesky worry.
Nora randomly decides to run an Internet search (and yes, she actually calls it “Internet search”, instead of naming a damned search engine) for the phrase “the Black Hand” because…it will set her mind at ease. Or something. She just randomly seems to remember that oh yeah, that name was on the letter, better look into that!
So she runs the search, and dear God, but it is almost exactly copied from Twilight! Seriously, just look!
“A page of links for the Black Hand popped up on the monitor. The first link was for a secret society that had reportedly assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, catapulting the world into World War I. The next link was for a rock band. The Black Hand was also the name of a group of vampires in a role-playing game. Finally, in the early 1900s, an Italian gang dubbed the Black Hand took New York by storm. Not one link mentioned Maine. Not one image showed an iron ring stamped with a fist.” (Crescendo, Chapter 8)
“When the results came up, there was a lot to shift through - everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal, and gothic cosmetic companies […] There were very few myths that matched even one factor” (Twilight, Chapter 7 - Nightmare)
ZeldaQueen: Seriously, how the fuck does one get away with that?
And Nora is clearly just as empty-headed as Bella Swan, as well as just as terrible at using logic. Bella looked at a bunch of badly-researched myths and somehow concluded that Edward was MOST DEFINITELY a vampire. Nora looks at a handful of links and decides that clearly the Black Hand organization referenced in the letter must be a hoax. After all, there are no articles on it, and if the internet has no information about a very obscure or well-hidden group, that group obviously doesn’t exist!
ZeldaQueen: So yeah, she still hasn’t learned that just because something isn't on the internet, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To quote Gertrude Yorks, “It’s called a secret group, kiddies. Like the Freemasons. Am I the only one who saw To Hell?”
And…Nora just drops it. She decides that it’s completely silly and forgets about it. Clearly, she is so emotionally affected by this all.
There’s some pointlessness about her mom calling from New Hampshire and Vee driving her home, and then Nora sets about making dinner. Not long after she gets started though, there’s a knock at the door. She looks through the peephole and who could it be but Scott. Yes, remember how Nora agreed to go to that rowdy, insane battle of the bands thing, because even though she didn’t want to go she figured she could just cancel and not have to deal with it? She forgot to cancel, and now Scott’s here. Who saw this coming?
Scott takes one look at Nora, who is clearly set to spend the evening at home, and correctly guesses that she forgot. Instead of telling him that she changed her mind, she promptly starts lying that of course she remembered, can he give her just one minute to get ready? Ever the spineless glob of jelly, I see.
She invites him to help himself to some food in the fridge, before running off to call Vee. She tells Vee that Scott has come to sweep her off to the battle of the bands, and that she doesn’t want to go alone.
Erm…given how Patch has treated Nora in the last book, and given how most men in general act towards her? That is more than a tad creepy, and makes me think that Nora should invest in a rape whistle, if not a nice can of mace. What makes it even squickier is that Fitzpatrick most likely missed the aforementioned creepy implications.
Vee makes the cock-obvious suggestion that Nora tell Scott she changed her mind. Nora suddenly - and I do mean suddenly - drops the bombshell that she wants to go to this thing with Scott. Why?
“I had no idea where this sudden desire had come from. All I knew was that I didn’t want to spend the night alone. I’d put in a full day of homework, followed by spinning, and the last thing I wanted was to stay home tonight and check off my list of weekend chores. I’d been good all day. Make that good my whole life. I deserved to have some fun. Scott wasn’t the best date in the world, but he wasn’t dead last, either”
ZeldaQueen: Two things.
First of all, it is one thing for someone to decide to mix it up and try something new and exciting for a change. It is quite another for a person who was nearly killed several god damned times within the last two months to decide to traipse off to a place described as more insane than anywhere else she’s been, with no one but a guy who clearly doesn’t care about her safety and her dumbass of a friend.
Second of all, does Nora ever just decide she want to go somewhere, or get a chance to be the person to pick the outing location? This was how her various outings with Patch went as well. He’d drag her off someplace while she protested, and then she was all “Okay, I changed my mind, so that makes it cool.”
Third of all, it’s a very bad sign when the too-dumb-to-live, ridiculously oblivious heroine of the story notices that her decisions lack motivation and are random.
So yeah, basically Nora wants to go to this incredibly loud and dangerous place with Scott and Vee, because those two are clearly on the ball. It doesn’t help that Fitzpatrick sees fit to remind us that Scott is a Bad Boy by randomly throwing in that he’s looking through the kitchen, possibly “hunting for prescription drugs or beer. He was going to be disappointed on both counts, unless he had unrealistic hopes of getting high on my iron pills”. I’m torn between face palming that Nora is fine with going off with someone she thinks is compulsively seeking out booze and hard drugs, and wondering what she was expecting him to do when she INVITED HIM TO GO THROUGH THE KITCHEN FOR FOOD!
(And if memory serves, this is the only time Nora’s iron pills are mentioned. Apparently her anemia was just as kind as Marcie, and took a break for the entirety of this book)
Vee quickly agrees, and considers asking Rixon along. Because they’re dating, remember? Vee certainly won’t shut up about it.
After hanging up, Nora gets dressed for the outing. And what does she decide to wear to a place that will be full of sweaty, worked-up, likely drunk, heavy rock fans?
“I hung up and did a quick inventory of my closet. I decided on a pale silk cami, a miniskirt, opaque tights, and ballet flats. I sprayed perfume in the air and walked through it for a light, grapefruity scent”
ZeldaQueen: Um…yes. That sounds like just the thing to wear to a place rift with sex and drugs and rock and roll. Hope Nora doesn’t mind someone likely vomiting all over her cami thar. And ballet flats? Seriously? Does she really just not own jeans and some sneakers? At the very least, you’d think it would be practical to wear at night, in Maine, in a town that’s apparently not far from the coastline. Because those places? Are DAMNED COLD. And I know this because I’ve vacationed in coastline towns in Maine in the summer. I spent nearly all of the trip wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. Sometimes I swapped it around, but it depended on how sunny it was. Is Nora’s brain really that detached that she can’t register cold? Or has Fitzpatrick just not given it any thought.
(Probably both)
And speaking of Fitzpatrick and idiocy, she decides to drop this bomb on us
“In the back of my mind, I wondered why I was spending the time to clean up for Scott. He was going nowhere in life, we had nothing in common, and most of our brief conversations including flipping insults at each other. Not only that, but Patch had told me to stay away from him. And that’s when it hit me. Chances were, I was drawn to Scott because of some deep-rooted psychological reason involving defiance and revenge. And it all pointed back to Patch.
As I saw it, I could do one of two things: sit home and let Patch dictate my life, or ditch my Sunday-school-good-girl self and have a little fun. And even though I wasn’t ready to admit it, I hoped Patch found out I’d gone to battle of the bands with Scott. I hoped the thought of me with another guy drove him crazy”
ZeldaQueen: July and Christmas, where to start?
First of all, it’s very telling that Nora apparently can’t grasp the concept of getting cleaned up for an outing with a friend, and has to make an incredibly ham-fisted analysis of her motivations to justify it. It’s called “good manners”, darling. Plenty of people have ‘em, though I suppose they are something of a curiosity in this bizarre world. There are also plenty of people who dress nicely and wear perfume and the like everyday, just because they like to be well-groomed. This isn’t as big a deal as you’re making it out to be!
Second of all, “He was going nowhere in life, we had nothing in common, and most of our brief conversations including flipping insults at each other”. That is her justification for arguing against her and Scott making a good pair. Her fallen angel bum of a boyfriend, who does nothing but play pool and gamble, who shares no interests with her beyond a desire for sex, and who spent the very limited time with her in the last book fighting and insulting her, though? A romance for the ages. Of course! *beats head against wall*
Third of all, here we are at one of our “conflicts” for this book. Edward has ordered Bella to stay away from that dangerous half-breed Jacob. Erm, I mean Patch has ordered Nora to stay away from that dangerous half-breed Scott. Now, it’s blatantly obvious that it’s because, like his spiritual brother Edward, Patch is a controlling douchetard who can’t stand the idea of his lady love associating with any man besides himself. But let’s leave that for a moment. That’s not supposed to be the case here. We’re supposed to think that this is all justified, that Patch really is telling Nora to stop hanging out with Scott for her own safety. What is Nora’s response?
To basically stick her tongue out at Patch and do it anyway.
She’s not hanging out with Scott because she really does enjoy his company and truly believes that he’s not dangerous. She’s doing it because she’s pissed at Patch and wants to give him the metaphorical finger. This is no different than Bella riding motorcycles into trees to somehow teach Edward a lesson. Nora’s being a dumbass and apparently endangering herself just to teach her ex a lesson. And the fact that she’s apparently doing all of this subconsciously means that not only does she act with no regards whatsoever to her personal safety, but she does so without consciously thinking to do so.
In short, Nora has all but outright been stated to be Too Dumb To Live. Not that it was a secret before, mind, but this is still pretty damned stupid.
Fourth of all, Nora has openly admitted that she is using Scott - who has been creepy and stupid where her wellbeing is concerned, but apparently really does care for her - just to somehow teach Patch a lesson. And she has the gall to blast Marcie for being an amoral bitch? At least Marcie hasn’t been emotionally manipulating people!
Fifth of all, Nora is not a “good girl”, Fitzpatrick. She’s an incredibly boring girl. And it kind of falls flat to say she has spent her entire life being goody-goody when the previous book and most of this one has her sneaking into bars, engaging in fights in pool halls, and using the affections of one boy to hurt another.
Right. I think I got everything there.
She goes back to the kitchen, where Scott looks her up and down and compliments her outfit. For some reason this makes her all self-conscious, even though she was fine with Patch making incredibly sleazy remarks about her choices in attire. What, does it only bother her if someone is making a nice, non-sexual comment about her clothes? Nora continues to be all nervous around Scott, because Fitzpatrick is trying to make out like there’s a budding attraction between the two. It doesn’t work, because both of them are cardboard cut-outs with zero personality or likability. And again, it just brings unfortunate implications to mind, that Nora is nervous about going out with this dude, after all the stuff that’s been happening to her.
Scott jokingly refers to Nora as “Marlene” and, when she gets confused by this, he tells her that he wasn’t joking about her needing a fake ID to get in. He has apparently already acquired one for her, with her yearbook photo stuck in there.
Uhhhh…
Okay, I shall start off by saying that I have never gotten a fake ID in my life. I don’t know anyone who has. But I think it’s safe to say that this is just a load of bullshit.
Let’s start with the fact that Scott here was apparently able to procure a fake Maine driver’s license in the span of several hours. Now from what I’ve gathered, something like a student ID can take an hour or two. A good driver’s license though? Not so quick to make. I’ve seen a professional fake ID-making company (apparently those do exist) that boasts a five-day waiting period and, while rush deliveries are available, it seems to still take at least a day.
Next, let’s look at the fact that Scott did all of this without consulting Nora. Meaning that he apparently looked up all of her information for this thing. Let’s ignore the fact that he decided to rope Nora into doing something illegal for a minute. He just went and chose a name and information, without asking for her input. Meaning that he just set up for Nora to wander around without being familiar with her “name” or other info, making it more likely for her to get caught. That’s charming. It’s also creepy as hell. He used her yearbook photo? How did he get that?!? I know some libraries carry old yearbooks, but I’d imagine that the quality wouldn’t be so great, especially after he’d have to scan it or whatever. And again, he did all of this without telling Nora. He could have asked her to give her the information and a picture. But he didn’t.
And why did he do all of this, you probably are wondering. Well, we find out why. Apparently he did all of this to dick with Nora
“He grinned like he knew exactly how many points my blood pressure had shot up at the thought of using illegal ID, and he’d bet all his money that I’d back out in five seconds”
ZeldaQueen: Yes. He dug through her personal information, bought an illegal ID on her behalf, and did it because he knew that she hadn’t thought he was serious. He was banking on it, because he wanted to watch her get upset. This is all a joke to him.
WHAT. AN. ASSHOLE.
Of course, there’s also Nora to consider here. How does Nora react to this all? Why, she grabs the ID and says that she’s good to go. She doesn’t want to look like a chicken in front of Scott, now does she?
*taps fingers on table* Fitzpatrick? Please tell me that you’re aware that using a fake ID is illegal. As in, it is against the law. As in SHE CAN BE TAKEN IN BY THE FUCKING POLICE!
Fitzpatrick, I know that your research for these books is generally limited to ridiculous works of fiction, but let me try to explain this to you. Under Maine law, specifically Prohibited Acts by Minors, the act of possessing a false ID is covered. The punishment is a fine of no less than two hundred dollars. Scott himself can be slapped with the same fine, because distributing a false ID to a minor is just as illegal.
Really, this is the sort of thing that school kids have drilled into their heads. Between this and Vee’s stupid shoplifting attempt in the last book, I really wonder if you have any clue about this sort of stuff at all.
I’d also like to add that Nora here has whimpered and whined and expected us to pity her for being in dire financial straits. She has gone on about what a hardship it will be to purchase a new car, but she intends to buckle down and get it done. She went on about how hurt she was that Marcie was so thoughtless as to mock her being poor. And yet here she is, running off to do something which, if she’s caught, will result in her being slapped with a hefty fine which she or, likely, her mother will have to pay. That would just make Nora look so sympathetic and intelligent, having to explain to her mother that they’re taking a two hundred-dollar hit because she didn’t want to look like a scaredy-cat in front of a guy her mother didn’t even want her hanging around with.
And I’m sure people would argue that it can be easy to pass off a fake ID, depending on the place. But Nora is not thinking of that. She doesn’t give any consideration to the fact that if she’s caught, she’ll be heavily fined, caught by the police, and almost certainly have something put in her records, which I might add would stick with her for life and likely come back to bite her in the ass when she tries to get a job. Nora, who is supposed to be smart. Nora, who is supposed to be a clever little sleuth. Nora, who hand waves this all as her cutting loose and having fun. No. There is a difference between loosening up and trying new things and turning off your brain to do something blatantly illegal!
*pauses to get her blood pressure back to normal*
Right. Shall we continue?
We jump ahead to the building the battle of the bands will be taking place in. In keeping with every other place in this universe, it’s completely run-down, with boarded-up windows and weeds. It’s also apparently called “The Devil’s Handbag”.
I really want to know what Fitzpatrick was snorting when she came up with that name. Is this supposed to be a parody of nightclub names? Or did the owner name the place after his girlfriend spent a ton of money on purses, and he was still feeling spiteful?
Nora spends a minute to reflect on how her mother would likely not be happy that she was going there, because we haven’t been reminded enough yet that she’s an idiot with no regards for her mother’s rules or her own wellbeing. She is dropped off by Scott, who tells Nora to go ahead and get seats while he parks. Nora reflects on how strange it is to have to pay a cover charge to get in someplace, and how she has never been to a club before. Dude, I’ve never been to a club before and I know about cover charges. You don’t have to personally experience something to know about it. You’re just being willfully ignorant.
Oh, and I bet you guys are wondering where Vee is. Well, it seems that Nora didn’t do something sensible, like tell Scott that her friend wants to come along, so could they pick her up and give her a ride to the club as well. No, she’s having Vee ride out to a strange part of town on her own, leaving open the very good possibility of Vee getting butt-lost and calling Nora, who is without a car or guide, to walk alone through town and find her.
Which, what do you know, is exactly what happens!
ZeldaQueen: *massaging head* So yeah, Vee calls in and apparently has ended up a few blocks away and at a train depot or something. There’s tracks and abandoned boxcars, in any case. Look, I don’t know! Instead of Nora trying to give directions over the phone to the person safely in a car, she decides that she’ll go walking to Vee, in the middle of the night, in an area of town she hasn’t been in since her childhood, by her own admission. Of course, I certainly don’t see this setting up for Bad Things. Do you?
So Nora heads off, and we’re told some pointlessness about the history of the area. She hasn’t been walking for long (or at least it doesn’t seem like it), when a figure starts heading Nora’s way. Nora has a rare fit of self-preservation and doesn’t want to walk next to this person. So she gets out her cell phone to call Vee and ask for her specific location. Meaning that she just set out in a strange part of town, in the middle of the night, without even knowing exactly where she was headed.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE TRYING TO REACH THIS LEVEL OF STUPID!
So yeah, before Nora can make the call, the dude heads off into one of the abandoned houses in the area. Just before he gets inside, Nora recognizes him as her father. Oh good, more plot! Wonder how long this bit will last, before it’s entirely forgotten?
Nora freaks out and runs for the dark, abandoned house, because that’s surely a sensible, safe thing to do. And this is just like the start of the chapter all over. If this were better written? I’m sure this wouldn’t come across as more monumental stupidity. I could buy it that Nora is desperate and driven to find out if that really is her dad in there. After her being so incredibly dumb though, it’s just another instance of Nora cheerfully traipsing off into danger.
So she starts trying to get in the front door, but finds it locked. She goes for the back door, but then gets an icy sensation on the back of her neck, while a disembodied voice warns her that it’s not safe and to escape. For some reason, she thinks that’s her father. Yes Nora, your father somehow acquired the ability to telepathically talk to you. *face palm* Not to mention that this is more recycled stupidity, since it was just last book when Fitzpatrick made the pointless reveal of “Nora thought it was her dad’s spirit watching over her, but it was actually Patch spying on her!” Gah!
And then, the voice suddenly switches to another one, telling Nora that it’s totally safe to come inside, so why doesn’t she do so? This makes Nora’s skin crawl and creeps her out, but she still thinks it’s a grand idea to waltz inside.
She starts clawing at the window to get in, and then a hand that resembles her father’s grabs her by the wrist and yanks her hand through the window. She starts to feel intense pain and burning, and starts screaming for help, including randomly screaming for Patch. So much for her assertions that she can live without Her Man, huh?
Well, screaming Patch’s name did the trick, and her hand is released from the window. There are no cuts and nothing is bleeding, which is on par for just about every other weird attack that has happened on Nora. She still is all agog, and runs back to the Devil’s Handbag.
Along the way, she runs into Vee. Vee channels Captain Obvious and comments that Nora looks shaken. Nora tells her just that she thought she saw her dad again, and then narrates about what just happened. It’s incredibly boring, so I’ll spare you.
Fitzpatrick then proceeds to shoot herself in the foot again. Because we were just in what was supposed to be a highly emotional scene, with Nora worried that she’s losing her mind and scared to death and questioning the universe and whatnot…and then, Marcie shows up. And so naturally Nora forgets everything that just happened in favor of bashing Marcie
“Half a block up, Marcie Millar was climbing into a car. Her body looked poured into a little black scrap of fabric that was short enough to show off her black lace thigh-highs and garter belt. Tall, over-the-knee black boots and a black fedora completed the outfit. But it wasn’t her outfit that had caught my attention. It was the car. A shiny black Jeep Commander. The engine caught, and the Jeep pulled around the corner and out of sight”
ZeldaQueen: *sighs*
First, the counts
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 29
Yes, I slammed it with six. I'm rapidly losing what little patience I had for this all, and I am very pissed.
Second, I’m thinking that Fitzpatrick has no idea of fashion. Over-the-knee boots and stockings to the thigh? Wouldn't the former cover up most of the latter? Do many high school cheerleaders rock the fedora look? Not to mention bashing for the garter belt. Hey, Fitzpatrick? Erotic connotations aside, there are plenty of people who wear those things because they're more comfy than panty hose!
Third, we’re expected to boo and hiss at Marcie for wearing a small, revealing outfit. Fitzpatrick? YOUR MARY SUE IS CURRENTLY WEARING A CAMISOLE AND A MINI-SKIRT!
ZeldaQueen: Yes, that's clearly not revealing! HYPOCRITE!
And that is where we end this chapter. What a great set-up, huh? GOOD. GOD!
YOU FUCKING WHORE: 29
Onward to: Chapter 9
Return to: Chapter 7
Back to: Table of Contents