Saga Seeing Red- The Diary of a Young Mara Jade - Dear Diary Challenge 2013- Entry 3 posted 2/19

Title: Seeing Red - The Diary of a young Mara Jade
Author: mavjade
Genre: Various, I'm sure.
Characters: Mara Jade, with others later.
Timeline Starts in Saga but may jump around... we shall see.
Summary: Young Mara Jade decides to start a diary in secret, knowing such a thing could get her into trouble.
Notes: For the Dear Diary 2013 challenge. I'm going to do my best to pre-write a good chunk of this so when DWB kicks in, I'll have something done. I'll warn you, I've never managed to finish this challenge before but I took a few years off from it and I'm going to give it another go.
My muse was not nice to me last year and while I started a lot of things on my computer, they never got posted because they never got finished. I hope this, where things don't have to be too long, will help.


Entry 1: Age 8

I don't know why I'm writing this, it's not a good idea. If I get caught I know I'll get punished. I don't want to do that ever again, but some times it feels like it doesn't matter what I do, I'll still get punishment. Sometimes it's worse than others.

Anyway...

My name is Mara Jade and I'm a dancer for the Imperial Palace, though I don't know that that's right either. I dance with the other girls but some of us have classes that some of the other girls don't. Or maybe they do and we just don't have it at the same time, I don't really know. We aren't allowed to talk about our training... not that we follow that rule but talking about our 'other' training could get you in a lot of trouble.

We all have school together, we all learn dances together. Still I guess I do sometimes have my own tutoring so maybe so does everyone else. I don't bring that up when we talk about our classes because I don't want any of the other girls to know I need more help, or that our teachers think I need more help.

I don't think I do, I'm a good dancer and I get good grades in school classes and I'm pretty good in our other training, better than some of the others for sure. Sometimes I get in trouble cause I say what I think, but it's not 'real' trouble, nothing to get a punishment for and I don't think I should have to have extra work to do just cause of it either.

I guess it really doesn't matter though, because the time I'm by myself with my tutor is my favorite time anyway. The things we do are a lot more fun, hard, but fun. He always says we aren't there for enjoyment, but smiles a little bit anyway when I say something is fun.

I think he has fun too.

My tutor is a nice guy, but he can be mean when he wants to be. I think sometimes he teaches me things and makes me do things he really doesn't want to do, but he has to anyway. He usually gets this look on his face, it gets all pinched and he gets a little more snippy and just wants to get things done without talking or anything. I sometimes wonder if he might get a punishment if he doesn't. I've asked him before but he usually just makes me go on with whatever it is I'm doing.

Well I guess I should go to bed before bed check and I get found awake when I'm not supposed to be. I guess I should find a place to hide this if I don't want that punishment.

For now I'll just leave it under my pillow and in the morning I'll put it somewhere else.

 

Mav! Wonderful focus for a diary-time and character-wise and please tag.

 

Neat idea for a diary. The image of a young Mara Jade is somehow cute. Please tag me when you update. I'm interested to see where this goes.

 

So excited to read more =)

 

Very nice. It would be cool if Timothy Zahn ever did a book on her early years. Can you tag me please!

 

Great idea dor a diary. I'm very curious about Mara's early years. I hope your muse will cooperate throughout the year so you'l keep posting.

Could you tag me on updates, please?

 

Mara a rule breaker? Always has been.

 

Mara is nice and jumping around is a good way to get a diary done
All the nice Luke Mara things would be great

 

Great idea for a diary! I really can't imagine Mara very young, so this will be very interesting!

 

If anyone would like to be tagged or PM'd/Convo'd (since Tags only last a few days) let me know!
Tag List: Jade_eyes, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, Hazel.
PM list: none

Thanks for reading everyone!

Jade_eyes - Thanks! I thought it might be fun to explore her early years from her POV

Briannakin - Thank you! I think she would be kinda cute. I figure she wasn't completely hard at a young age, that would come later.

Tribaldancer - Thanks!

Jedi_Lover - Thanks! Oh yeah, that would be awesome if Zahn did that! I would love it!

Hazel - Thank you! I'm curious about her early years as well, so I figured what better way to think about it than write a diary from her POV. I too hope my muse will cooperate... I've got a bunch of ideas so hopefully she will.

Lady_Misty - Of course! I think it's in her nature! Thanks for reading.

earlybird- Jumping around is a good way to keep things going. I figured if I allow myself that from the beginning, I might be able to keep it going. Thanks for reading!

Tarsier- It is kinda hard to imagine her young because one usually doesn't start out so hard and cynical as she was when we first met her. I figure that happened as she grew up so I thought it would be fun to write. I hope you enjoy!

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I've had this update done for a while and just kept forgetting to post it. *facepalm* I hope you enjoy!



Entry Two: Age 8

Well that was a close one.

I still hadn't found a safe place to hide this so I had been keeping it under my pillow figuring no one would really be looking there. Well yesterday someone almost did.

I had been training with my tutor as usual. We were practicing hand to hand combat (For protection I guess, sometimes beings do get a little close to the older dancers and we should know how to fight someone off just in case.) and something just was not right with Mak (that's my tutors name, though I'm supposed to always call him 'Sir', but he allows me to use his first name when we are alone.). He seemed like he was upset about something but when I asked he said to focus on what we were doing and not on him.

He was acting like he was trying to grab me or attack me and I was fending him off. I'm pretty good at it, even though he is much bigger than me and usually I can hold him off even when he is really trying, but that day he was acting like he was going easy on me and it made me mad.

"Fight me," I yelled at him but he still wouldn't actually try and grab me, so I tried to hit him... or actually I did hit him. I guess he wasn't expecting it from a 'little girl' (I HATE it when people call me that!) and my fist hit his face which really hurt, not that I would tell anyone that. Then I don't really know what happened, I just know I was on the floor and my head and hand both really hurt and Mak was sitting on the other side of the room looking kinda scared. I know he didn't mean to do whatever he did, I think it was a natural reaction. He then sent me to my room and told me to stay there for the rest of the day and he would tell my other teachers I wouldn't be in class.

I did as he asked without saying anything, but I couldn't stop thinking about him sitting there against the wall.

Anyway... I was laying in my bed because it made my head not pound so much trying to remember what happened, when one of the ladies who makes sure we are all in bed when we should be came in and started looking around. She looked under the beds and in the closet. I guess she didn't notice me at first, but when she did she asked what I was doing there, like she was about to drag me away. I told her to check with Mak (I didn't use his name, I'm not stupid) that he had sent me here to rest. I didn't want to get him in trouble if I could help it.

She left looking mad but I never saw her again. I don't know what she was looking for, or if they just look around at random for things we aren't supposed to have, but once my head stopped hurting I figured I had to find a better place to hide this than under my pillow.

I've found a place under my bed I think would be hard to see unless you were really looking, tucked into the frame. Hopefully it will be safe.

My hand still kinda hurts, but Mak says we'll talk about why that is and how to keep it from happening soon. He gave me something to make it heal faster so we could continue on. He seems much more like himself now, but I wonder if there is something going on I don't know about.

Oh well, I'm excited he's going to teach me how to throw a punch without breaking my hand. (Is it weird that I want to learn that?)

 

Mav, very nice progression in what Mara learns and is interested in learning.

 

I guess knowing how to throw a punch would be a useful skill for a future assassin.

 

Oh well, I'm excited he's going to teach me how to throw a punch without breaking my hand. (Is it weird that I want to learn that?)

I can so see a 8 year old Mara saying that. Great update. I'm looking forward to more.

 

Seems like Mara used the Force on Mak.

Mara is taking self defense classes since I can only think that is why he is teaching her to punch.

I hope her diary stays safe.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

Nice description of her taking classes.
And keeping a diary safe can be difficult

 

Very interesting to see Mara from this age--I've wondered what happened to Mara in her earlier life to make her the way she is. Feel sorry for her, though you can tell how tough she is already. I like her voice in here. I'm intrigued to find out what other situations she will get into. Lovely diary entries--looking forward to another! Could I be tagged please?

 

Tag List: Jade_eyes, Briannakin, Jedi_Lover, Hazel, Luna_Nightshade
PM List: none

Jade_eyes - Thanks! I figure she liked that stuff a little to begin with!

Hazel - I would think so! At least to start off with!

Briannakin - Thank you! I figure she was a little curious about those type of things!

Lady_Misty - You don't necessarily learn to punch in self defense, depending on the type, but it certainly is helpful! As for Mara using the Force...

earlybird-obi-wan - Thanks! Yeah, I figure hiding something there wouldn't be the easiest.

Luna_Nightshade - I've always wondered about her early life as well so I figured why not explore it! I figure some of the toughness could just be in her innate personality, though I'm sure a lot of it was learned. Thank you!

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Entry 3: Age 8

It's been a while since I've written because I've been really busy. I still have all my classes and tutoring but we've also been working on something new in my dance classes and we've had a lot of practices.

At first they didn't tell us anything, just that we had to come back after our regular classes instead of having study time, which is fine with me. Usually, I understand everything as it's taught to us and I don't really need extra time to study, I'd rather have extra time to practice what Mak has taught me. But we still have to have study time where if we don't look like we are studying we get in trouble. Usually I read something I think is interesting and sometimes write something down so I look like I'm actually studying and I don't get in trouble. As long as we aren't talking and we get good grades I guess no one cares if we aren't studying what we are learning about in our regular classes.

Oh, and Mak did teach me how to punch. Before, he had just been teaching me how to get out of someone grabbing me or trying to hold me down but he said I should probably know how to disable someone, just in case. I guess as a Imperial Dancer, though I think it's a pretty good job and pretty safe, some might get a little too hands on and we need to know how to stop that. Mak said I shouldn't punch someone unless I had to, but if I felt I had to, I should just do it. At least I now know how to do that without hurting my hand cause at first my hand was really sore but now I'm pretty good. He says we might learn more eventually but right now I'm supposed to keep it to myself, but that's pretty much like everything I learn from Mak so its not like that's anything new.


So anyway... it turns out we are going to preform for a small group and we had to be perfect so that's why we were practicing so much. I guess as time goes on, we'll do more and more dance work and less and less school since we are training to be Imperial Palace dancers. I don't think they want stupid girls so they make sure we know what we should, but dancing is the main thing.

I like the dancing, I really do, but I have more fun with Mak and learning the things he is teaching me. He says I'm doing really well and he wants to move on faster with the things he is supposed to teach me, but he can't really do that without asking first. I don't know who he is asking but I hope they say yes.

Anyway, I'm really tired and kinda sore from all the dancing but I'm looking forward to showing our dances, I think we are pretty good and we should show that we are.

I'll write about how that goes a little later.

Goodnight.

 

That's funny. Mara must be thinking, 'How dangerous is the life of an Imperial Dancer?' She is going to be really confused when he brings out the blasters and the thermal detonators. She'll probably think she is going to have to dance at swoop gang bars.

Nice update!

 

Great update. Mara is in for a surprise when she finds out her real profession won't have too much dancing involved. She seems like a very obedient child, which I'd imagine she would be.

 

Training how to dance. That will be a surprise for Mara when she knows more about her training.
A nice update

 

Mara is so inocent here. I love it! She's in for a surprise.​

 

to read about Mara's branching out into learning about dancing. It serves as one of her covers later and will make Luke too ... eventually LOL

 

Hmmm... quite a different look at Mara. I like the unique perspective.

The first three entries were cool. I don't trust this Mak character at all.

Great job. Waiting for more.

 

Yeah, Mara is in for a surprise when she discovers why she's receiving all of this training.

 

I love how brave and confident her voice is--even though she's only 8, she has a very strong personality. Enjoy seeing all of this from her POV. I like how nonchalant she is about what all she is being taught. Great update!