Happy early Independence Day to everyone in the U.S. Hopefully everyone has a safe and fun filled time. Short week of postings this week due to the holiday but we will back next week.
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Kelli’s eyes narrowed as she looked over at Sara, who was in the middle of making Kayla laugh. She couldn’t get over just how unfair this all was. She couldn’t do anything in her own home without Kayla signing off on it and she couldn’t even hang out with someone in her own room without two people consenting. She felt like a child.
The frustration and anger bubbled in her chest, threatening to spill out in a burst of words. “How can you stand it?” she hissed, her voice thick with emotion. “Being constantly ordered around and told what to do by them? I know they probably mean well, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re grown and seem content with being nothing more than Sara’s loyal pet.” Her eyes flashed with resentment as she spoke, unable to contain her true feelings any longer.
“I wouldn’t say I’m completely okay with it. It’s not that I don’t care about the situation, but what other choice do we have? You’re in a different position, as Kayla is your sister, and you’re living with your family. If you go downstairs, those are your parents who love and care for you. And truthfully, Sara isn’t as terrible as you make her seem. She does care about me, and living with her presents better opportunities than any other alternative.” Jordan clarified.
“Why don’t you just live with your family? I heard your sister was a guardian or guardian in training or something like that.” Kelli answered
“That’s not an option. My parents and I had a serious discussion about this. We don’t want Allison to be burdened with taking care of us. I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling my parents had me tested for the Smallara gene. They must have taken a DNA sample or some hair from my brush. It was unexpected when they brought up the topic of Smallara, especially since they knew I didn’t believe in it. However, they wanted to plan ahead just in case anything happened. Although they were skeptical, my parents were more open-minded about Smallara than I was.”
“There is no shame in being mistaken. We all make mistakes.” Kelli said.
“I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong. I’ve accepted that my decisions led me to where I am now. If I had taken things more seriously and made different choices, perhaps my situation would have been different. But this is the hand I was dealt. My parents and I just want Allison to have a normal childhood, not one filled with worries about bugs and potential threats. It’s ironic that she was the one who found my parents, but there wasn’t much they could do to stop her from taking care of them. The one thing we didn’t anticipate was the level of control a guardian has over a little.” Jordan said.
“So, if she’s already caring for your parents. Why not just have her take care of you, too? I mean, the plans are already ruined, right?” Kelli suggested.
“It’s financially irresponsible for her to be undertaking this alone, and adding me into the mix only complicates things further. I know Sara can afford a little, and she does care about me. She may not be perfect, but if our roles were swapped, I wouldn’t be faultless either. I’m certain that if you and Kayla were in each other’s shoes, she would be just as upset as you are now,” Jordan interjected.
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Jordan is honestly way more intelligent and competent than we give him credit for. His mindset seems very similar to the content of the book “How to make friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. It’s insane how he follows a lot of those teachings. The only time he goes against it is if he feals he’s in danger or is dealing with a perceived injustice. Was Jordan a reader? He seems to also be practicing stoicism too. Dude is becoming my role model at this point!
I haven’t read that book that is interesting that he parallels that. I will have to check it out.
Jordan is a good dude. I think you summed out Jordan pretty well here.
Have a great 4 of July, honestly great insight chapter of how Jordan sees his situation and how he knows if the situation was switched he would not be perfect and I’m glad he willingly accepted that truth and lets Kelli air out her anger but reason with her and really connect with her in a way overall great chapter
Yeah. Kellis adjusting oddly. I think it’s just having to come to terms that Kayla isn’t ordering her around out of malice but because she wants her to be safe. I just hope we get to see Kelli and Kayla have that heart to heart. I feel like we get to see everyone’s, minus gavin and Mallory and Gavin and sarah
I think Sara is doing what she thinks is right in order to keep Jordan safe. Her intent doesn’t seem to be malicious or intended to be mean.
I do think she has a different belief set which when mixed with her own life experience gives her a different view actions on things.
I agree with that. The other thing I’ve noticed is she doesn’t seemed as walled off with Jordan as she was the first two days. Like I get the impression her opinion on what a pet person is and where Littles and smallborns fall as beings in generals shifting more towards that they can help each other vs this is what a human can do, this is what a little can do, and never between will the two meet, which is how I interpreted her feelings in the beginning
Thanks, I wanted to toy with showing different perspectives and thought processes. I was wondering how people would take to them as they aren’t the most action packed episodes.
but the response has been good.
Hopefully we’ll see Allison and Jordan and their parents meetup at some point in the story.
I’m sure at some point they will make appearance. Maybe Smallara 2: the search for more cookies.
So your planing not to post on 4th of July, rather than getting drunk and forgetting about it, again.
1.1) Kelli’s anger is fair enough and I wish Jordan has more of it. especially towards Sara just, not letting every shittty thing done to him slide like he is. Though I do feel her anger is partially directed at him, for not having it too.
1.2Jordan knowing he can’t do anything about it makes sense, but I’d like to see his resentment more, especially for the bullying and abuse he’s endured from Sara. How he actually feels avout her being a reflection of how shitty she’s treated him.
2) I still can’t believe Jordan didn’t believe in Smallara, it seems so odd to me to learn that some folks straight up denied it. I get that people don’t believe in real things in real life too, but this feels more severe to me for some reason.
3) Kelli, don’t look at Sara when thinking things are unfair, Sara’s the Responsibility Master, every thing she dies is fair/s
4) I forgot to ad Allison to list of things I’m hoping to see. I’m really curious how she feels knowing her parents and brother didn’t think she could take care of them, I get not wanting to burden her, but still.
basically yeah. It seemed like the more responsible thing to do this year. While I won’t be drinking. The wife wanted to go to the fair and the fireworks show. So happy wife, happy life as they say.
1)I don’t know. You can’t make someone more upset than they are, though.
1)I don’t know if Jordan views all those events to the level of sacrilege against mankind that you do.
2) I feel like its not that far fetched. the last president we had in America didn’t believe in Global Warming despite the evidence and he had good number of people who agreed with them.
I think it is kind of like what you said. There are always those outlier people who until it happens or they physically see it wont ever believe it.
3) I’m glad you finally get it and see reason. Sara is a beacon of goodness and the pinnacle of fairness in this world. /s.
4)Its not they didn’t think she could handle it. It’s that they didn’t want her take on the burden. They wanted her to be able to grow up with the worry of debt, licensing fees, and having to rush home to care for her parents and siblings and missing out on being young. Just having to worry about things that as you get older and become an adult realize are just trivial and meaningless.
How old is Allison supposed to be?
Still a minor is all that’s been confirmed.
Lol.
1.1) well that’s not true at all, I’ve definitely seen angry people get angrier.
1.2) no, I don’t think he does either, but I do think he’d still hold negative emotions, there are plenty of times he’s been upset at Sara but bitten his tongue, but those times add up, and I’m hoping he gets them out at some point.
2) I know, I mentioned IRL people not believing things. I can sort of understand climate change deniers, I understand where they’re coming from even though I don’t agree.
I understand it’s possible, it just seems more like claiming the sky isn’t blue than denying climate change.
3) I’m finally drinking that cool-aid./s
4) I understand that, but I still think she’s better off having her family than losing them.
Perhaps Jordan feels some sort of Stockholm syndrome?
I think it’s part of the bonding. Plus he’s so used to deferring things and is much more empathic that he probably already genuinely cares about sarah and wants to help her get through life at this point too
That’s potentially accurate, though it’s likely both.
Definitely a possibility I’ve considered
Funny enough, although the premise of how “stockholm syndrome” ~became a thing~ is debatable, the “hostages” warmed up the their captors because of how badly the police were handling the situation. It was natural survival instincts that weighed in.
They would randomly shoot into/at the building with no regard for safety. At one point ordering an escaped hostage back into the building to not aggravate the robbers. They assumed and told some kid that one of his brothers (it wasn’t) was one of the robbers and he agreed to talk with him. A cop escorted him in and they got pointlessly shot at. The prime minister of Sweden told one of the hostages if they should be killed by police action to end the standoff they should be content to die at their post… Basically complete incompetence, and there is much more.
SO ~ With our little Jordan being the obvious captive, along with thousands of others its an interesting dynamic/perspective when considering the SH syndrome angle.
I see the Guardian system as a whole, being the Captors (Crime ring), and Sara just being part of the network. Call guardians independent contractors with dues, Pay to play so to speak, and there you go. The US system seems to be the most humane from what we’ve seen. Obvious room for improvements and stronger vetting for guardians needed IMO.
The alternative? (Justice). However, things have changed. Once a civilian, now a captive? everything changes. Once a citizen, now a little? everything changes. You are considered a statistic either way. The prior “system” you once knew and expect revolved around you being “normal”, which is no longer the case. Traditional Justice no longer seems to apply to you, which was the case in Stockholm.
The things Sara and everyone have been trying to “persuade” Jordan into believing, in a little’s case, are either trying to live independently and be dead within 24 hours, or be captured and traded/sold/shipped off into a hellscape. That’s the alternative. The Stockholm hostages saw their potential fates in front of them, while Jordan is/was currently blind.
At first, understandably he wanted to negotiate his freedom from Sara but began to understand that some of the cards in the hand he was dealt were actually selected by him. Weighing the alternatives or even being randomly assigned to a different “captor” after what he’s learned seems to have pacified him.
Happy 4th everybody
Interesting outlook and breakdown of Stockholm Syndrome. This was really interesting as I didn’t know how it started
Good for Kelli to let it out. Totally feel where she’s coming from and agree with Jordan about if things were the other way around Kayla would probably be upset too. Kelli’s even admitted as much I think during the swimming chapters. Things will get better for her. She and Kayla have a better relationship than most of the others we’ve seen, in my opinion.
Might post a chapter from my fan fic later too. Super excited for it but it’d be long and idk if I wanna blow up the comments with a super long post on the last one of the week.
Kelli is in a interesting position. As while she is in a good situation of being back home. She is also back home but the home dynamics are obviously greatly changed because of her situations.
So trying to come to grips with that while also sorting out the smallara situation can be rough.
What she needs… is for Ellie to look down at her when she’s angrily pointing at her. LOL
highly possible Kelli’s pointing could be miscontrued. That may not go over well.
Have a great 4th and weekend!
We’ve kinda saw this realization with Jordan. That we’re now seeing with Kelli. With her realization of the power a guardian has. Probably even a bit more with the sibling dynamic.
I was wondering on July 9th if you could post a longer chapter. Since that is my birthday. 🎂 Thanks, for the great chapter today.
Yes its the guardian dyanimc has a bit different sway when you suddenly see your younger sister all the sudden able to lord over you if she so chooses.