Lily looks at Ivy and grabs her hands in hers. “Ivy you must go now time is ticking, you must return in seven days at midnight or you will be stuck in that dimension forever.”
She kisses Ivy on the cheek and, steps back with tears sliding down her cheek.
Ivy looks frantic and scared, “can’t I say goodbye to everyone first Nana?”
“No sweetheart it makes it harder.”
Ivy walks a few steps away from her grandmother with her left hand around the star pendant. She looks back to see if her grandmother was going to tell her this was all a joke. Instead she hears her grandmother release a sob and sees her leaving the room. Ivy puts on the mantle and recites the words Lily told her.
Hi Fellow Bloggers,
The scene above is a familiar (recent one) that I have posted from the books. I could have found some more enthralling scenes, but I didn’t want to give too much of the book away ahead of time. This scene was included in the excerpt I just posted last week so if you want to read about this bit of information I suggestion reading that before you dive into this post. I don’t want to spoil any perceptions about Ivy’s personality or character traits for you.
I have worked with Ivy for a few years now. She has developed into a lovely girl. Much more outgoing… She was really guarded… even in her family dynamics. I think she was afraid to prove that she was less than her sister Anna. She didn’t realize the very thing that made her different from Anna is what made her special. They are two different girls.
In this scene Ivy is being prepared to leave to find the herb for her mother. She is given a rundown of her history and then she is kind of thrust into the unknown. This scene shows Ivy’s vulnerability the most throughout the beginning of the book. She is very distraught. She planned to go on this journey with her sister. She didn’t feel she was qualified by herself.
This scenes represents her innocence and loyalty to her family. It is the precept of events that pushed her into being the Ivy I love. The one who is strong and is willing to fight for her family. She still has weakness, but they are more sharpened. She knows that she has thicker skin. It’s just sometimes life really sucks and makes you test the thickness, and it really hurts. Ivy goes through a lot in this book and the next two that follow so she has to experience this life changing journey on her own to be prepared for the rest of it. Breaking a family curse isn’t easy.
As I reread over this post I am always brought back to the sheer disparity and fear she feels her. Her thoughts float through my mind and I can hear her second guessing herself. I can feel her extinct to run away from this. Her desire to pretend that she has another choice. I mean she just got sweep away from her birthday party to be told you have to leave. When all she really wanted to do was go sit with her mother and show her the pictures she took from the party. She wants to curl up beside her and feel the love they share. She was is mentally distraught. I mean Ivy is on the edge of a breakdown. Somehow in that moment of putting on the cloak, reciting the words of travel, and stepping through into the Hall of Doors. She finds her resolve. She finds the strength to follow her destiny.
I guess I choose this scene, because it is when I saw Ivy for who she really is. I saw her strength and I admired her for it. I wished for the same thing in my life. This is where I become a champion of her.
Writing in the Midst of Living 