Snakes and Ladders, Part 5

SNAKES & LADDERS
by BlackBladder
PART FIVE


Gabrielle zipped her jacket up as the temperature had dipped with her walking
home.  She reflected on her friends shunning both her and Mandy.  They are so
narrow-minded, she thought.  Gabrielle also felt guilty for exposing Mandy to
her anti-smoking crowd - Gabrielle had hoped they would accept Mandy like she
had herself.  

This night could not get much worse, Gabrielle thought.

As Gabrielle turned her corner, she could see two figures embracing ahead.
This was an unusual sight as Gabrielle's neighbourhood was relatively quiet
with most couples elderly.   Gabrielle stopped in her tracks as she
recognised a Porsche parked beside the couple kissing openly on the street
ahead.  Suddenly, the pair broke their kiss and gazed into each other's eyes.
Gabrielle was fuming as she recognised both partners - none other than Anita
and Dale!  Anita had her arms around Dale's waist whilst the Assistant
Manager had his hands caressing her cheeks.   Gabrielle hid behind a tree and
peered upon the affectionate couple, whom was smiling broadly.  After another
long kiss, Dale got into his Porsche and drove off whilst Anita walked back
into the house.  Gabrielle turned her back and leaned against the tree,
trying to work out what she had just witnessed.  Gabrielle was in shock at
the deceit in which her stepmother was carrying out against her father.
Swaying her blond hair from her eyes, Gabrielle continued on her journey home
deep in thought once more.

This night could not get much worse? - I stand corrected! Gabrielle thought-

The following day, Gabrielle followed Mandy out on her lunch break to the
run-down Archive House.  Over the course of her second full week at Ikair,
her friendship with Mandy had blossomed.  After last night's fiasco,
Gabrielle found herself more drawn to Mandy than ever before - despite their
differences.  Gabrielle now spent all her breaks out at the Archive House as
she could no longer `connect' with non-smokers like Alice and Jake.  As
smoking was outlawed, the minority had needed a person to keep an eye on
activity in the car park in case their habits could be revealed.  Since
learning the true nature of the Archive House, Gabrielle had agreed to keep a
look-out for such activity.  Gabrielle sat against the door under the alcove
of the building, looking out to the car park.  With some shelter from the
piercing rain, the likelihood of someone coming over to the secret smoker's
haven was minimal.  Anger ran through her veins as she chewed violently into
her tuna sandwich.

"Hey - Look what I found!"  Mandy muttered.

As Gabrielle looked towards her friend, she saw an pack of cigarettes in one
hand and a small torch-like object in the other.  Mandy handed the object to
Gabrielle as she leaned against the inside of the door, providing a shield to
those who may be peering inside.  

"What is it?"  Gabrielle asked as she drew her finger over the long object.  

"It is an Ophthalmoscope.  It is used to look behind the eye retinas for
defaults."  Mandy replied, extracting a cylinder from her dwindling pack of
cigarettes.

"Oh wow.  How exciting."  Gabrielle said sarcastically, failing to remove the
unfaithful images of her stepmother from her thoughts.  The optic tool was of
no severe interest whilst she had other things on her mind.  Mandy met the
sarcasm with a command.

"Turn the bloody thing on!"  Mandy said as she flicked the wheel of her
lighter, and applied the flame to her cigarette.

After an initial draw, she placed the lighter into her coat pocket, whilst
her cigarette dangled.

Gabrielle complied, pressing the small button on the top of the device.
Immediately, a small ray of light shone from it - illuminating a part of the
dark Archive House door.  

"Why do you think Ikair would quarantine this when it seems to at least be
functioning?"   Mandy asked, smoke escaping her mouth.

"Who bloody cares?"  Gabrielle barked.

"I am just tryin to make some conversation with you - you've been quiet all
morning.  What's going on?"  Mandy replied, frustrated at Gabrielle's
attitude.

"You don't wanna know."  Gabrielle sighed.

Mandy inhaled again.

"Try me."  Mandy exhaled into Gabrielle's face.

Gabrielle smiled slightly as her friend was trying to get her attention.  As
she looked across, she looked with envy as Mandy raised her cigarette again
to her lips.  She had never managed hanging around with smokers before
joining Ikair - now she felt drawn to these people.  She was still different
from them though.  Suddenly, she began thinking how to close the gap between
them.  Gabrielle could not deny since meeting Mandy that she had thought
about smoking in many ways.  As she watched Mandy continue to smoke with a
smile on her face, Gabrielle decided to give in to curiosity.

"Give me a cigarette."  Gabrielle spoke confidently, extending her open hand
towards Mandy.

"You're kidding!"  Mandy coughed - she could not believe her friend's words.

"What's going on?  Is this about last night?"  Mandy continued after
regaining her composure.

"Yeah it is.  You are my friend - I stood up for you smokers last night.  I
should at least understand the habit I am defending.  Please."  Gabrielle
replied, whilst flashing the Ophthalmoscope on and off.

"No fucking way - I do this coz I am addicted.  You don't wanna go down that
road."  Mandy asserted, whilst pointing towards the burning cylinder.

Gabrielle then flashed the Ophthalmoscope into Mandy's face - trying to annoy
her friend into submission to her plea.  Mandy squinted her eyes to the light
momentarily as they tried to adapt.  

"Come on pal - give me a ciggie!"  Gabrielle laughed.

Frustrated, Gabrielle switched the device off and placed it beside her on the
chair.

Mandy continued to pull on her shrinking cigarette.

"OK Gabrielle you win - you can have a cigarette whilst you tell me what's on
your mind."   Mandy said sternly moments later after exhaling.

"Listen Mandy, I was just joking." Gabrielle responded - her curiosity
simmering down.

"Follow me." Mandy commanded as she joined the rest of her smoking comrades.

Confused, Gabrielle rose to her feet and followed the trail of smoke deep
into the Archive House.  As she entered the main room, she was consumed by
the typical abundance of fragrant smoke emanating from the smokers sitting
inside.  Mandy motioned Gabrielle to a seat next to an unused workdesk,
filled with cigarette butts.  Gabrielle looked around the other smokers in
the room, whom were all peering at her through the thick fog of smoke.  In
the dull light, Gabrielle could notice the distinctive cigarette embers
glowing red.  Mandy took a final deep drag from her cigarette and ground it
out on the concrete floor.

"Isn't Gabrielle keeping a look out for us?" A concerned smoker commented as
Mandy extracted her pack of cigarettes.

"You seen the rain outside?  No-one is coming." Mandy replied sharply,
pointing to the ceiling where the rain was tapping constantly.

Mandy placed a fresh cigarette in her mouth as she removed her lighter from
her coat pocket.  She cupped her hands whilst the lighter sparked a flame.
She applied her dangling cigarette to the flame with a look of determination
on this familiar routine.  Smoke billowed from Mandy's mouth as allowed the
flame of the lighter to die - satisfied the cigarette was lit and her
nicotine intake was ongoing once more.  After two powerful pulls on the
burning cigarette, she looked towards her non-smoking friend, whom was still
munching nervously on a final piece of tuna sandwich.  

"Take it."  Mandy offered the cigarette towards Gabrielle.  She saw Gabrielle
look down upon the burning cylinder with fear, trying to analyse her next
action.

"You wanted a ciggie - now you've got one.  It ain't gonna bite!"  Mandy
asserted once more.

Slowly, Gabrielle extended her hand, spread her fingers, and took the
cigarette from Mandy.  

Immediately, Mandy smiled and lit up a cigarette of her own - her eyes
looking upon her friend the whole time.  

Gabrielle sat there with her arm extended - a burning cigarette between her
fingers.  She followed the line of smoke as it rose to the ceiling, joining
the fog of ambient smoke inside.  

"Take a fucking drag!"  Mandy stated furiously as she smoked her own
cigarette.  

Gabrielle slowly complied, bringing the cigarette to her lips.  As she placed
the cigarette between her lips, she noticed the wetness of the filter -
tasting a residue of saliva from her friend.  Gabrielle held the cigarette as
she saw everyone in the room looking at her experimentation.  It felt as
though she was on stage - the smokers playing the part of the audience and
she was the actress - there to perform for them.  She then began to suck
lightly on the cigarette, looking at the ember begin to sizzle as suction was
applied.  Smoke began filling her mouth as she sucked on the filter for a few
seconds.  As her mouth began to feel heavy with smoke, she removed the
cigarette quickly, holding it instinctively down by her side like her fellow
peers.  Panicking, she unwittingly inhaled - the smoke sinking into her
unprepared lungs.  What followed was a sharp coughing fit as her lungs were
not ready for a massive intake of nicotine.  A cloud of smoke billowed from
her mouth as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You need to take it much slower, Gabrielle.  As they say, Rome wasn't built
in a day." Mandy smiled as her friend had completed her first taste of
smoking.  An unusual sense of pride filled Mandy as Gabrielle decided to try
another puff - much lighter this time.  The cigarette end glowed red once
more as Gabrielle sucked lightly on the filter.  Her focus was no longer on
the 'audience' but on the appending cylinder between her fingers.  Mandy
continued to train her student on the acts of smoking whilst Gabrielle blew
out a small cloud of smoke with minor coughing.  

"This doesn't taste good at all.  Smoking is not for me."  Gabrielle said,
contemplating grinding out the cigarette on the ground.  Her curiosity had
been satisfied.

"Don't waste that cigarette - you must smoke it."  Mandy replied, puffing
intensively on her own cigarette.

"Just continue to suck gently on it, and blow the smoke straight out."  Mandy
said, trying to encourage Gabrielle.

Gabrielle sucked on the cigarette the third time, keeping her attention on
the ash growing rapidly.  She squinted her eyes as the smoke was harsh.  Once
she felt full, she pursed her lips and blew the smoke out - a small cough
followed as her mouth was still adapting to this new experience.  

"Gotta say - it still tastes like shit." Gabrielle muttered with disapproval
as she tapped the ash from her shrinking cigarette, an act that she had
witnessed in the company of the smokers that week.

"Why not tell me what's been bothering you today?"  Mandy suggested, thinking
that Gabrielle would maybe tolerate the smoking better without dwelling on
act itself.

"OK."  Gabrielle said before taking another quick drag.

"Anita and Dale - they are having an affair."  Gabrielle stated firmly,
watching her exhaled smoke rise.

The room of smokers gasped at the revelation.  This news would rock Ikair to
it's foundations.  

Gabrielle took another delicate puff on her cigarette as the other smokers
spoke in disbelief.  

Mandy walked across towards Gabrielle and comforted her friend, just missing
setting her coat alight with her cigarette. 

"I am so sorry.  You must feel awful.  They won't get away with this."  Mandy
assured her friend.

Gabrielle managed to suppress any coughing on her latest drag.

"I feel so shitty.  Anita used my Dad to further her career!"  Gabrielle
cried as tears flowed down her cheeks.  She felt relieved that her new
friends comforted her - an act her former friends would never have done if
required.  Gabrielle felt a strong sense of belonging amongst her new smoking
peers.  

With this new found understanding and appreciation, Gabrielle did not
hesitate to try another cigarette when the group lit up once more-

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