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MY MICHIGAN HERO - essay for america & me contest
My Michigan Hero during Covid
When everyone thinks of the pandemic, what usually comes to mind? I know that most of my friends would say “No school!”, “Had to stay home.” Many might even say that it was the worst time in their entire lives. But for me it was nice. Now, I need to explain this properly. It wasn’t great that people were getting sick and couldn’t see their family members, but for me being the busy 6th and 7th grader that I was, it was nice to have time that I could actually spend with my family. Because of that, my entire family is my Michigan Hero. They are what got me through some of the hardest times in my life.
My mom is one of the busiest people I know. Before Covid was brought into the light I was dancing 4 days a week for 5 hours a night. Since my dad was always working, all the duties of driving were passed down to my mother. Back and forth from home to the dance studio. On top of that, I have a younger brother, and he was really into sports then, too. So that added more for my mother to do. Through it all, she just kept going. She never complained once and was always there if my brother or I needed help. Not only that, but she had several jobs then, too. So while we were doing school virtually, she was working hard for our family.
My brother was a whole different ball game. You’d get the joke if you knew that my brother plays baseball. My brother is 2 and a half years younger than me, so if you have siblings that are only a little bit younger than you, you know exactly where I’m going with this. He is a rambunctious ball of energy, and he has to get all that energy out some way. So while I was in my Zoom classes, doing my work, forgetting to mute myself, all you heard in the background was my brother laughing and my mom telling him to be quiet. Having a brother can be both entertaining and sometimes annoying. Overall, he’s my brother, and I love him.
My dad is the glue in the family. He works, and works, and works. But when he comes home, he is always ready to hear about our day. And through Covid, he worked more but always came home ready to see his wife and children. He told us stories of what he had done during the day and always wanted to know what had happened in our lives throughout the day. Even though he was tired, he was always ready to hear the adventures that occurred, while all of us were at home. He was the reason I stayed sane all those months.
Through the entire period of Covid, my family was by my side through it all. My mother worked hard to make sure that I had everything I needed during Covid. My brother was my release from all the stress of school and drama with Zoom friends. My dad helped me stay grounded in a time that life was a mess. They help me through one of the times that I will never forget. There aren’t enough words to express how much they mean to me. Thank you for being my heroes.
this is it for this entry! tell me what you think below! 🡳🡳🡳
:) thank you!
here is the link to my writing group where all my stories have been posted! i will post them here in a minute or two :)
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
😭 awwwwwww thank you so much!!!!!!
i will now be posting the first chapter of spill no tea :) i hope you enjoy!
SPILL NO TEA - novel? short story? honestly i don't know yet.
Chapter One -𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝘽𝙖𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙛𝙚
The secret to a well-balanced life is a cup of tea in one hand and a good book in the other.
Many would most likely disagree - especially all of those stupid-minded-drained coffee drinkers. Everyone knows that tea cools and relaxes the body and mind while coffee stunts growth and destroys brain cells. Tea is like a hug in a cup. Coffee is a strain of overworked, overbearing, and insensitive people. So coffee drinkers are drinking people that have bad manners. And then that makes them have bad manners. And it goes around and around until someone like me, a tea drinker comes in and saves their lives with a sip of tea. See? We are the real superheroes of the twenty-first century. They are slaves and villains of their own making.
And now my brain hurts from all the hateful expressions I had to use to describe the terrifying creatures of coffee. As I laugh at myself for my amusing jokes I take another sip of tea. It slides down my tongue and into my throat. It blossoms into a warm feeling of honey and sugar. The herbs that made the tea give it a small kick. It sends waves of glory knocking into my brain. It relaxes all the worries that I have now caused myself with thinking of the slackers who drink coffee. I do really need to think of another name for them.
This is my second cup of tea in a span of an hour. The TeaBar Cafe was my place- besides the rest of the tea and coffee drinkers that sparsely dropped in. I was a regular customer at the TeaBar. Sadly not only tea drinkers were allowed here but the weirdos that spike their own coffee. I shake my head.
The soft tunes of cellos vibrate through the small speakers that dot the cafe. I let my head sway and bounce with each stroke of the bow across the cello. It really is such a beautiful sound. I gather my heavy book in one hand and take a sip of tea from the other. As I sit there reading about cringy Hallmark romances I hear the small chime of the door opening. I look up expecting to see a kid with glasses or an adult with a briefcase. Or maybe even a published author coming in and trying to focus. I am disappointed by the loud chatter of high school boys. They have now disturbed my beautiful silence of not really silence.
I roll my eyes. The group continues walking in and sits at the bar in the back of the room. Their loud clattering as they make it back to the bar annoys the crap out of me. I swear I hear a loud rumble, much like a growl come from my mouth as I watched them waddle back to the bar. One of them bumps into most of the tables and chairs making such a ruckus. I smack my tongue against the roof of my mouth in disapproval. How could someone run into every little thing?
As he turns around I read the back of his jacket: "Southwood High Basketball Team". And that's when I scoff. Really? The big doofus even goes to my school. I think I'm having too much fun judging this idiot. Then he turned around and I clamped my mouth shut.
Asher Farris, the all-star basketball captain. If there were two things in the entire world I had no idea what to do it would be boys and basketball. They have never mixed well with me. Boys? Never had a boyfriend. Basketball? One traumatic gym class was enough.
Basketball? One traumatic gym class was enough
And the most horrific thing that I knew about Asher was that he was the biggest coffee drinker in our school. Of course, I could have just made this up, but he always has a coffee mug in his hand every time I see him - which isn't a lot anyway.
As I finally begin to pull my eyes away from the scene and back down to my book, I catch the flicker of a smirk and the darkness of his eyes. When I look back up from my book he is staring at me with a stupid smirk. Oh, how I would like to wipe that smirk off his stupid coffee-drinking face right now. I roll my eyes and return to reading.
This book was nothing different than what I usually read. The cheesy hallmark romantics. They always left me with a warm feeling that always made me smile in the end. This one was called "The Story of Us". It wasn't anything special but I guess it did make me feel the same way as the rest. It always had me laughing and begging for more even though it was terrible. The book almost reminded me of "The Names They Gave Us", that book left me in tears. And I was reading it here so I had many people staring at me but I didn't care then just like I don't care now.
At that moment I picked up my teacup filled with the most delicious chai tea and placed it at my lips taking a small sip. I may or may not have gone through most of my pocket money with these two cups of tea. Eventually, the book became too boring to continue. All the same romance. The guy messes up and chases after the girl and blah blah blah in the end. Happily ever after. Like that ever happens in the real world!
I packed up my things, very much done with my tea and the book that I would be returning to the library immediately. I never turned down a book, it was quite weird. Even if it was the worst book in the world I still always finished it. I guess it's time for a genre change. I placed the book in my bag and the bag slid over my shoulder. I took the two teacups in both my hands and walked up to the bar. As I got closer to the basketball boys and the bar I overheard their conversations. Something about a girl being hot. Ugh! Is that all they ever talk about? As I looked over I watched as all of them had coffee of some sort.
"Loud, lazy, wannabe coffee-drinking, dead mind celled brats" I whispered under my breath as I placed the cups on the bar counter and paid for them.
"Loud, lazy, wannabe coffee-drinking, dead mind celled brats" I whispered under my breath as I placed the cups on the bar counter and paid for them
And of course, when I ever say something like this I am always the one that will get caught. I watch as Asher looks over at me by the cashier while I pay. I can't wish for the barista to go any faster so I could get out of there. When she finally gives me my receipt I give her a quick, clipped, and faint smile before I rush out the door.
The TeaBar Cafe was supposed to be my place. No one was supposed to make me feel weird or uncomfortable there. And all Asher Farris had to do was walk in and ruin it all.
go check out the link to my book havencrest on wattpad! a new chapter - chapter seven - has just now been posted!
havencrest has a new chapter! be sure to click the link! and if you haven't read the rest of the book, be sure to!
https://www.wattpad.com/1144396006-ha...
havencrest has a new chapter! chapter nine has now been posted! be sure to take a look!
https://www.wattpad.com/1144396248-ha...
so i have been asked to actually post each chapter of havencrest...so thats what i am going to do! so i do hope you enjoy!
HAVENCREST - novel of some sort...
Informational - semi edited
HAVENCREST RUN-DOWN
The country of Inea hosts a festival and trial as a result of the royal family of Haven's difficulty in finding a spouse. Since the beginning of when House Haven was formed, only male children were born first. As a result of this, and the fact that none of their children were able to find their perfect match and keep the bloodline strong, they established Havencrest. Named after themselves, of course. Havencrest consists of two things, a festival for all of Inea to celebrate the Kingling and his soon-to-be Queen. Second is the trial. In the trial, 24 women are forced into an arena and obligated to fight to death. Whoever wins, wins the crown and throne. But they are also guaranteed their life.
House Haven still rules Inea 300 years later. Their fist is strong and merciless. But this year will be special. They will send 24 girls from across Inea into the arena. But what happens in the arena will leave everyone confused.
In the year of the birth of each girl, they are tested for a blood marker. No name is given to this blood marker. The scientists are only permitted to look for this blood marker when the Royal family calls Havencrest. This year, the blood marker has developed into something new. If your child has the blood marker and is confiscated, it is against the law to cause a scene. This blood marker has properties that enhance the female child's strength and health, as well as the potential to bear healthy children.
Aside from the usual of what researchers found, they also discovered that the blood marker that they had always tried to find had actually mutated into a new and stronger one. It had created new properties alongside the old ones. As these properties mixed with the girls' blood, they developed different types of abilities depending on how well they blended.
After the children are taken from their parents, they are placed in a home where they grow up until they are eight years old. It is there that they meet the other 23 girls with them. There, they learn what it means to be an educated lady. Eating, standing, walking, talking. All of it. Fighting well becomes second nature to them. The eight years they spend there are spent drilling everything into their heads. There, the girls are taught to kill each other.
By the time each of them reaches the age of eight, they are all transferred to an auction house. This is where the High Houses and some of the wealthier lower houses can obtain a Champion. In the end, all Champions are purchased. Once they have all been purchased, they are brought to their new owner's home. It is their new Lord or Lady's duty to protect their Champion and train them no matter what. Their job is to make sure they are ready for the Havencrest trials. But the biggest problem is that they don't tell their Champions about Havencrest. They are just told they are special and must be kept safe.
It has now been 300 years since the first-ever Havencrest. The greatest minds in Inea could have never guessed what was going to happen this year during Havencrest. The Champions were either blessed or cursed with abilities like no other. In Inea if you are different you are looked down upon and considered an outcast. But with this year's Champions, the bets have already begun. Which magical ability is the strongest? Which one will win?
The hierarchy is much like a normal kingdom. It has a king and queen, and nobles and things like that.
the king: The "king" used to be the kindling and he has already had his Havencrest trials and found his bride. The king has the highest authority in the kingdom.
the queen: The "queen" is a Champion. She was the Campion that won Havencrest and became not only the kings wife but the queen of Inea.
the kingling: This is the son of the king and queen. He will have the title of kingling until his Havencrest trials are complete and he has his Champion queen. Can also be known as the crown prince in other countries.
the high houses: There are a total of ten High Houses including the royal family. Without counting the royal family there are nine High Houses. These houses act as the highest nobles, just right under the king himself. They are all extremely wealthy and marry into other High House families.
the lower houses: They do not have an official name like the High Houses do but these people have noble blood in them, but they are not pure-blood nobles. Some can be very wealthy, just a little below the High Houses. If you are a lower house you can never be in a High House unless married into.
the kingdom's people: The rest of the kingdom is merchants and workers. They can be wealthy but most are not. Most live in poverty and along the streets. Outside the palace and high house circle walls, the rest of the country is a dirty place. Most nobles never go through them because they are scared they could get a disease.
Prologue - unedited
Some would say a child's birth is something everyone should enjoy. A new life brought into the world. The child would be named and cared for by the mother and father. That's how the stories would go. Laughter and joy would only be what the day would be about; forever a memory in each of their minds. Love would be what went around as the child was passed along to all the family members that had come to witness. But that's not how my story started. My story started with my mother crying.
I remember trying to reach for her hair. It was a deep shade of brown. Like the mud that lays underneath a flowing river. My hands brushed up against its curls. I could feel the happiness radiating off her. I could feel her bright smile and tears of joy. I remember hearing my fathers laugh, watching me play. But even happy things are never kept for long. They should have known that something wrong was bound to happen. Within the moment my eyes fluttered open I was ripped from my mother's arms. Never able to get a glance at my mother's face. My mother's tears of joy turned to tears of confusion, sadness, rage. All of it combined to make the tears that trailed down her face. Words of anger erupt from both my mother's and father's mouths.
And that's all I remember of them and that moment.
The rest was a blur of bright lights and dark voices. Most of my life before I was sold is a lost memory. I remember the feeling of being alone. That feeling comforts me now. My life was all fierce beauty and glittering glass. One wrong step and it would shatter. You had to hold your tongue and only lies would spew. You had to hide your heart, for your head was the only thing that protected you. My story will not be kind-hearted, it will be of betrayal and death. Something that most of us can relate to.
The memories that I can remember of my childhood always start with my auction day. The memory pressed and burned to every corner of my mind.
My mother's dark brown curls bounced around my pale face as I stridden confidently. I stare at the back of the girl that walks in front of me. Her black locks, folded into intricate braids. Her skin is a coffee-brown. I turned my head, glancing at the girl behind me. Her pricing blue eyes locked with mine. A small smile appeared on her face. I turned my head back in line. Her smile did not meet her eyes.
But how could it? We were being sold to the highest bidder today. It was the Havencrest Champion Auction Day. All of us, twenty-four girls, were to be sold to the High Lords and Ladies of the royal court. The King and Queen announced that their son had reached the age of nine and the time had come for all the Havencrest Champions to be auctioned.
So here I am.
Ready to be sold off like an animal.
The line of girls stops. My throat tightens, my stomach flips, and my eyesight swirls. I'm in the middle, closer to the front. As each girl is pulled from the front of the line, we all take one step forward. The only sound comes from our clipped steps and dark breaths. The line begins to shrink. Eight girls remain in front of me.
Six.
Four.
Two.
One.
Now I'm left in a dark hole, deciding if I should run or walk forward meeting my fate. Flight or fight? The room around me spins. It seems as those every door, every wall, every person closes in on me. The light coming from the windows seems to darken. The air becomes thick. The taste of metallic blood pierces through my mouth. The taste proves that I need to calm down. I could feel the warmth of the room heating my skin.
And then a lady with a blank smile came out from behind the black doors that led to my auction. She walked over with such grace that gave me the feeling that she stalked her prey before pouncing. She grabbed my arm, her crimson painted nails dug into my skin. The white of the sleeve of my dress darkened with the shadow of her looming over me. The doors closed in and swang shut with a loud thud. No one was going to save me now. Bright lights flicker over my head, blinding my eyesight.
The lady lets go of my arm and pushes me on stage. The lights are stronger here. White spots dot my vision. Loud sounds of claps surround me. This was a lot scarier than what they said it was going to be. Then the clapping stops and I can hear my heart beating so fast, a horse wouldn't be able to catch up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next Champion is here!" a voice says, deep and fluid. "The little beauty here is Kenna. Age: eight years old. Not much is stated here about this little one. But she must be somethin'. Her starting bid is five hundred crowns. Quite a steep price!" the voice yells, his voice high-pitched and full of laughter.
I can't see anything but I heard the chatter of all the people. I can see outlines of people. The voices begin to grow louder. I look out into the shallow crowd. Then I begin to see the outlines of circular cards that float through the air. That's when the yelling started.
"Five hundred and fifty crowns from Lady Orabelle," the voice yells.
More and more names are called and the crown rate grows.
"One thousand and fifty crowns from Lord Balor!"
And then the room goes silent. No one says anything no more chattering, no more moving of the cards. The voice even goes silent. And then a loud chime of a bell goes off, signaling that I have just been sold. There was no going back now.
The crowd claps, the voice laughs, and congratulates this Lord Balor on his new purchase.
I am pulled off stage by a new woman, this one's nails are painted in a deep ivy green. Her steps are brisk, forcing me to keep up with her.
That's when I met High Lord Balor.
Everything about him was dark. I could tell within seconds that this man would not keep me safe, he wouldn't care if I got hurt. He wore the smell of blood and death like it was a perfume. But his smile was what terrified me the most. It reached his eyes, but his teeth were razor sharp.
Chapter One - unedited
Every wound will shape me. Every scar will build my throne. I tell this to myself every time I wake up wishing that my life would change. Or I wouldn't wake up, that my pain, my suffering would finally take over and finish me off. But another day goes by standing in front of a mirror; having to be painted up-to hide every bruise and every cut that remains on my body from the small challenges that Lord Balor puts me through every day. Easy little things, he calls them. Something a child could do.
I stopped being a child the day he put a knife in my hand and told me I was destined to kill. That was the night after he had bought me. Over ten years ago, but the memory still sticks as though it was yesterday. He put me up against his own son. He was older than I, but I had more training than did, by far. I beat him, but that wasn't the goal. Or it was, but Lord Balor didn't seem to approve. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me aside, his son still panting on the floor of the small room. Balor took a whip from behind his coat and slashed it across my back. Its edges stung, echoing through every bone in my body. I remember screaming. I remember tears spurting from my eyes and yelps from my mouth. But his words were what sticks with me the most.
"Every time I see you make a misstep in each of your attacks this will be what you have to look forward to. Remember and be sure to fix it," he said, his voice calm. But when I looked up at him a smile was plastered to his face. One that would scare the monsters under your bed. He walked away from me at that moment, and away from his son and the room. I hadn't even known the boy's name before I threw my first punch towards his face. I was only following orders like I was taught to do. I was being the soldier that I was told to be, that I was born to be. The boy walked up to me after a few minutes of ragged breaths coming from both of us. I pushed myself up feeling as a small trickle of blood ran down my back. I winced knowing I would feel it tomorrow. I looked up to the boy to find him frowning. His eyes were gone of tears and his back was no longer bent; he held his head high. After all, he was the son of a high lord.
"Are you alright?" he asked his voice nothing like his father's.
I nodded my head, no words came out as I opened my mouth then shut it again. So I nodded my head again. He gave a small smile and placed his small hand onto my face wiping away a tear that had fallen. I looked up at him, searching through his dark blue eyes. There was a simple kindness about him that echoed through his eyes and cascaded through him. He lifted my chin forcing me to look at him more.
"My name is Corbin, you must be Kenna?" he asked, again his voice reminded me of sunshine than anything else.
His ebony hair fell down his face making him look disheveled. Again I opened my mouth and no words came so I clamped it shut again. I nodded.
"You must learn to speak, or this," he pauses gesturing between us, "this will happen again. My father is not very kind. We can learn together."
I smile, it sends chills down my spine. I hadn't smiled, smiled in a long time. And I had met Corbin, but it felt as though I had known him my whole life. The memory, bittersweet. It brings both a headache and a smile. Two things that could never actually go together.
It's Corbin's twentieth birthday today. I bet he wants to celebrate it less than I do. It means he has finally reached the age where he can find himself a wife. I bet we both look horrid from yesterday's "practice". Balor decided he wanted me to put his son in shape before his big day. And I did as I was told. Corbin had gotten better over the past ten years since our little fights started. I was still better than him. He knew it too that's why we both dreaded tonight. I was supposed to prove my strength tonight.
Not only was this party meant to bring in ladies of the court; it meant to signal that I was a Champion. And Lord Balor wanted to prove that I was the best. Balor had already told both of us that we were to fight at the party. We both wouldn't have a problem with that, but we both woke up with the bruises of a week's worth of matches. Each of us trying to prove we were both worthy of Balor's love and attention. It was stupid, but Lord Balor could kill me with a swift snap of his fingers. Or better yet the crack of his whip. And he has no love for his son.
Getting ready for any big event was the worst. I was always pulled into a tight dress that showed more than it needed to. Tonight's dress was a deep burgundy red. White vine flowers cascaded down one side and down the front. The v-neck front showed enough. But the gown was stunning and it would look stunning on me. The dress was always loose enough that I could move in, enough that I could fight in. But this time it wasn't. The back was laced and pulled into a boy at the end. No straps held up the dress. I was meant to be the star of tonight's show and this is how Balor wants me to do it. Even though it's not my birthday.
Eletta, my maid and best friend sat me down at my vanity and began to place powder across my cheeks in a sweeping motion. She covered the bruises along my jaw and arms in a creme. It covered them within seconds of being wiped on. She then brushes my dark brown curls that wave like the ocean. My eyes are what catch everyone off guard. They're silvery grey. I stare at them now through the mirror. They sparkled like glittering stars when the sunlight caught them right. I watch as I'm transformed into someone else, the noble part of me. She is for show, like the dress, like my incoming fight with Corbin. All it to gain laughs and giggles, to gain more power over the rest of the court.
"All done now," Eletta whispers, her smile is warm and kind.
I smile at her through the mirror. "Thank you, you always make me look beautiful," I tell her, turning around in the chair to look at her.
"I can't make you any more beautiful than you already are darling," she says.
She was the only motherly figure I have ever known. Her smile is what is still helping me even get through the day. I know it would kill her if I made mistake and stopped living. And it would kill me the same way to see her go. Her honey-colored skin and light blonde hair remind me of the warm summer months that along to see. Her dark chocolate brown eyes are filled with warmth that could stop me from arguing with her in seconds.
"I'll see you later tonight," I tell her. There is a warning in my tone, and she knows what it means. Corbin has to prove himself tonight which means I won't be so pretty coming back to my rooms tonight. And she understands that.
I get up from the chair and she gives me a small kiss on the cheek and I walk out of my room. My head held high, my strides confident, everything about me is noble blood tonight. There can be no mistakes, and there won't be.
A small dagger resides on my hip underneath the curtains of my dress. Hidden until the actual show begins. I walk through the halls that have watched me grow up with no love. Paintings hang of dead relatives on those walls. Dark green coated the walls, vines coming from all angles. Plants decorated the corners, fountains, and statues as I walk to the large ballroom. It all seems to go by in slow motion until I reach the solid oak doors. I could hear the loud chuckles and chatter of the lords and ladies that danced behind the doors. I must be late. Great, a very noticeable entrance then.
Chapter Two - unedited
"You know I'll win," I say as we circle each other around the open space between us.
"And you know I'll fight," Corbin says a grin on his face.
The room around us closes in as the high lords and ladies move in on us, closing the distance in slow moves. The daughters of the nobles gather around in the front wanting to watch as Corbin fights a Champion. They all think he'll win. Maybe I should go easy on him, but we already had a quiet talk behind closed doors. I was not to go easy on him. We both were going to have punishments just different ones. His would-be fewer suitors for him and stern words of disappointment from his father. And it would mean a crack of Balor's whip against my back. It was always like Corbin to protect me from his father.
Someone from the crowd hollers at us. I look over and see Lord Balor staring at me, watching my every move. I already know the clock has begun to tick and my time is almost over. I watch as his eyes tick, tick, tick back and forth watching me waste time. The grin spreads across his dark face, and I turn back around to see Corbin charging towards me. His dagger grazes my cheek, sending a small wave of pain at my jaw. I reach for my dagger that lies in the folds of my gown and then he goes in for another hit. I dodged and sent my legs out tripping him. When I finally grab onto the handle of my dagger Corbin has already sprung back to his feet and walks around me.
He is slow so it takes me no time to push him to the ground and place my knife at his neck. He may be slow but he is stronger than me. He pushes me over and his knife goes to my neck, he drags it over the curves of my face and lips. He pushes a little deeper in a spot that could be easily hidden and blood drizzles from the point. He pins down my arm making it almost impossible to position my dagger where I could stab him; almost. He lets the pressure on my hands go a little weaker, enough where I re-positioned the dagger in my hand and stabbed him in the hand. He drew back with a yelp, grazing his dagger across my face. I wince as pain blossoms across my face. I look over to see Balor grinning, he's enjoying this.
I get up from the ground, swinging my unreasonable gown. Damn! This thing is so uncomfortable. My movements are slower than they should be, but I know I can manage because I have to. I'm in my head too much, and I need to focus. Tonight is not the night to pay attention to the details. I tell this to myself over and over again. It doesn't work, I'm still stuck in my head. Or until Corbin's fist pushes itself into my stomach.
He's dropped his dagger and now wants to fight hand to hand. I let the dagger fall from my hand. Its weight finally lifted from my body. My fist collides with his jaw, a loud crack comes from both my hand and his jaw. He shakes his head, trying to get out of his daze. His leg collides with my shins and I fall onto my back with a thud. Corbin's gaze isn't the soft one I'm used to. His eyes aren't his father's but they are getting close. I sit there watching him lurk closer until he kneels down next to me and whispers into my ear.
"I won," he says, his voice dark.
"I'm not done fighting," I whisper back, my breath hitching.
"Yes, you are." And that's it. I lost, I actually lost to Corbin.
He stands and gives me his hand. He pulls me up so now I'm standing. Were eye to eye now. He's different, and I don't like it. I remove my hand from his. Everyone around us is cheering for him, and I would too but I'm confused. We have talked earlier today nothing could have changed him so fast.
I am pushed aside as everyone crowds around Corbin, congratulating him. Somehow I end up in a corner surrounded by plants and that's until I watch as Lord Balor glides towards me. His face is blank of expression. Nothing to help me guess what will happen when he finally stands in front of me. There is no way for me to understand what my fate will be. His eyes darken as he approaches.
There are no words that could explain what I feel towards Lord Balor. Hate wouldn't be correct and neither would love. Our relationship is bittersweet, more bitter than sweet; but he's the only parent I have ever known. I can feel the sting of his whip even though it's nowhere in sight.
"What was that Kenna?" he asked, his voice dark. He turned and watched the crowd cheering for Corbin.
"I don't know," I answer, my voice a mumbling mess.
"I can't understand you when you mumble my Champion. You must learn to speak up," he pauses letting the essence of his voice corrupt my mind, "Now, what was that?" he asks again. His voice is calm. He is scarier this way. He never raises his voice; ever.
"I don't know what that was my Lord. I am just as confused as you," I say, my voice breathless.
He only looks at me with his cunning smile, "That was defeat little one, make sure it never happens again. Because in this world, defeat only ever means death," he sneered.
And with that, he left. I listen to the clipping sound of his shoes. Laughter echoes from behind me. "My father scaring you again?" Corbin asks, his voice drunk and filled with blind happiness.
I turn around on my heels and slap him in the face. I will never lose to him again.
I force myself to promise that it will never happen again. Like Lord Balor, I leave. I don't look back. Corbin doesn't deserve that.
Chapter Three - unedited
"Pain shapes a woman into a warrior," Eletta states, combing out the mess that my hair is in. After the staged fight with Corbin, I ran straight to my room. Eletta stood there waiting for me. Her arms had been ready for the hug that I needed. There was no mistaking that the small woman loved me, and I had to admit I loved her too. I may not ever find out who my real mother is but Eletta sure has made up for it.
Her life has been nothing but rags and taking care of people that never deserved her kindness, but then she was selected to raise me. I would say she has made me into a woman. She has watched through it all. From the day I came here till today. She's gone through it all, been by my side the entire time. She has watched me grow up with demons and still stay an angel for the most part.
I remember when I had first come here not understanding what I was supposed to do, who I was supposed to be. Eletta had comforted me, she tucked me into the small bed I used to have and whispered words so softly, they caused me to fall asleep.
"We are not given a good life or a bad life. We are given a life. It's up to us to make it good or bad."
She whispered those words to me every night for an entire year. It was the only way I fell asleep. Even now, almost ten years later I can still remember the words that reassured me that I wasn't given a painful life, one that would be bad. I had to make it good. It was only up to me. No one else could ruin it. I almost believed those words. I know not to believe them now. Lord Balor has ruined my life, there is no other path I know. Only one of death, sacrifice, and suffering. I can only wonder what the other girls - that I grew up with for eight years - are like.
I tell myself to remember that I should probably go see Olimpia tomorrow. Maybe I can escape this hell-hold for the smallest amount of time. I don't know if I can face Corbin or Lord Balor. Corbin is acting like a hypocrite and Lord Balor will try to train me even harder and I can't take another crack of his whip on my back.
I force a smile to Eletta. Her kind and sad eyes gaze back at me through the mirror. After my hair is brushed to the feeling of brittle hay, I am sent to bed. As I walk to my bed thoughts cram themselves into my head. How could Corbin just change within a few hours? Then how could he just act as nothing happened afterward? Question after question after question was what laid me to sleep. I tried counting imaginary sheep, I counted backwards and forwards from one hundred and one. None of them worked, the questions kept piling up.
I watch as Eletta slips away through the door. And with her goes the small flicker of the lamp. I am left in darkness.
Chapter Four - unedited
My demons, though quiet, are never quite silenced. Calm as they may be, they wait patiently for a reason to wake, take an overdue breath, and crawl back to my ear. I have kept them a steady silence for as long as I possibly could but with everything that's going on, I can feel them sprouting out with every new eye roll and every daring snarky comment.
I woke up only a few hours ago to the warm sun shining down from windows decorated with white and gold silks. I told Eletta where I was going in a note. A small scratch of a pen on a rough piece of paper. I had set it on my vanity before I had changed from my nightgown to a pair of grey riding pants and a white blouse. I pulled on my black polished riding boots. They almost reached my knees. I brushed my hair quickly and set it into a perfect crowned braid around my head. It was a simple braid that Eletta had taught me years ago.
After I looked myself up and down in my tall mirror, I nodded to myself and quietly snuck out the door. That would be the easiest part. I still had to make it to the stables. I had to make it through the entire manor without being noticed. Guards moved through the halls with limited grace that I knew how to best. They were trained by Lord Balor's best general but his best general has lost many times to me. So I don't expect much from the guards.
As I walk through the halls I silently thank Balor for liking plants so much. Every time a guard walks by, I am able to hide behind an exotic bush of some sort. Probably flown in somewhere outside of Inea, cause most of these plants I have never seen when I go exploring outside of the manor. Nothing so colorful could ever grow here. Inea was a vast land of quiet farmland and dull manors. Nothing happened here besides the once in so many decades festival. There were no celebrations besides a new king's birth. There had been no women born to the crown in all of Inea's history.
The history of Balor family members is painted through the walls. It echoes through the silent hallways. A life full of darkness spreads through the lights as they dim with the new sunlight streaming in. I can only wonder what life Corbin had before I was brought to the manor. But before I could question myself I throw the thought away for another day and continue on.
By the time I make it to the door, I can no longer be masked by the shadows. The sun has shined through the curtains so darkness no longer seeps through the corners of the manor's green walls. I spot guards walking through the halls over my head so I duck underneath a yellow bush of wild roses. After I hear the guard's footsteps are quiet, I slip out from underneath the bush. A thorn pricks my face sending a small tear drop-like splash of blood down my cheek. I make a mental note to clean myself up when I get to Olimpia's place.
I sneak out the door and it shuts with a quiet thud. As I turn towards the stables a gush of crisp autumn air hits me like the first breath. I close my eyes and take a bigger breath. The air is cold but it warms me up inside. I shake my head and turn to the task at hand. I move swiftly in the direction of the stables watching as dull brown leaves flip and twirl in the air with the cool breeze. A freedom I will never get.
As I open the stable door I am met with the smell of horse manure and dust. Not many people go in the stables. Lord Balor refuses to go in a place as dirty as it. Corbin and I used to play fight in here before Balor found out about it. We both were punished that day.
I can only think of the days where my childhood had been worse. But if I look farther I can see all the good times I had too. The days Lord Balor praised me, thanked me even. Those days were slim, far, and few. But I can remember them all the same.
As I walk through the hallway that separates each stall I look for my horse. As I walk by each horse, neighs and knickers come from each stall. A loud welcome from each quiet horse. As I turn the corner I see him. His brown and white spotted face peeks out of his stall. Javen, a brown and white appaloosa neighed and I made my way towards him.
I could tell he was excited to see me after the few weeks I was to busy to come ride him. As I approached him he knelt his head further out of the stall and let me pet his face. His eyes bore into mine, pale blue into liquid silver. Almost the same.
"Hey boy," I say as I unlach the door to the stall.
He rocks his head in reply and backs away from the door as it swings open. I grab his blanket and saddle. Javen takes a step towards me and I place the blanket on his back. After that I place the saddle on. I tighten each knot and pull his halter around his head.
After I make sure everything is tight and ready to go, I lead him out of his stall and towards the barn door. As Javen and I come to the barn door, light cascades through the open space and onto us, flooding my vision with pale sunlight.
I place my foot in one of the holsters and then swing my leg over the saddle and get try to put my other foot into the other holster. I grab the reins and place the side of my cheek to his neck.
"We're going to go for a ride," I say as I lift my face from his neck and click my tongue to the top of my mouth, motioning for him to go.
Javen neighed and shot out from the barn. I turned my head and looked back at the dark green barn. I smiled as the clean autumn air smoked against my face causing my nose to redden and my cheeks too.
As the air cools my face, it brushes against Javen's mane; sending it flowing with the breeze. I lean into him as he gallops through the dirt roads that lead to town. Whoever Lord Balor's wife was, wanted to be as far from the town square as possible. I never met the Lord's wife and Corbin never talks about her. And I've learned to never ask.
It's only a few-minute ride, but I make sure to slow Javen down before we get to the town gates. I'm a Champion after all. We don't want any rumors to start because I'm riding like a lady without manners.
As Javen and I enter the town gates we are greeted by the fresh smell of the market. The fragrances of exotic spices, home-baked goods, and cooked meat surround the sounds of chattering merchants. As much as all of the smells are delicious I force myself and Javen to go the opposite direction of the market. I didn't have a lot of time to go to Olimpia's anyway.
Javen trots to the High Houses circle. Most of the High Houses Lord and Ladies reside there. As far as I know, the Balor manor is the only High House beside the royal family that doesn't live there.
Lady Adelphia is the owner of Olimpia and their house is nothing less than grand. The colors are simple pure white and glittering silver. Bushes clipped to perfection are laid in order at the front of their house.
I get off of Javen and tie his reins at the post in front of their house and walk up to their front door. As I knock on the door it opens to a butler. He has an open smile and lets me walk through the door.
As many times as I have been to Adelphia's manor, I will never get used to the warm aurora that surrounds the home.
Chapter Five - unedited
Lady Adelphia wears her scars as her best attire. A stunning dress made of hellfire. Her scars from battle glitter like gold raining down from heaven. A military family at best. The only thing they have in common is their violet eyes and warm smiles. Adelphia is nothing short of the Greco line. Olimpia almost fits right in. Besides her warm brown eyes, she's a Greco.
Adelphia's home is lavished with deep purples that match her eyes. Paintings of Greco's line the walls. A huge-sized portrait of Adelphia resides at the head of her living room. Her platinum hair stands out against her coffee skin.
"Ah! There she is!" I hear Olimpia's loud voice say over gallons of giggles. "It seems as though you have neglected to see me, my dearest Kenna," she says with a pout. I watch as she gracefully walks down the stairwell to meet me at the front of the manor.
"How can you be so dramatic, Olimpia?" I ask her with a roll of my eyes.
"Oh be quiet Kenna, you haven't come to see me in weeks! What was I supposed to think?" she askes in a playful tone.
I roll my eyes and smirk. "Really? And you didn't have it in you to come to join me at my home? I always seem to be the one to come to your manor but you never have the time to come to mine." I say.
"We both know I can not leave whenever I want. Even though Adelphia has given me freedoms I am still a Champion with a duty that I don't even know of," she says out of breath.
I can only laugh. "Yes, I know."
All I can do is agree with Olimpia. We are given titles that mean so much yet we have no clue as to what they could possibly mean. The Havencrest Champions. What have I ever done to become a Champion? I think back to my life before Balor and Corbin and training and parties. Not much is there besides blurred faces and dark rooms. I shook my head. "This is not what I came here for Olimpia," I say turning back around and looking her in the eye.
Olimpia was the kind of girl to get dressed up for any occasion and just me being her unannounced has got her in a frilly pink dress. It makes her rosy cheeks pop but I would know nothing about fashion and that sort. What I do know all came from Olimpia.
"Then what drama is making you such a grump?" she asks walking to the terrace only a few feet away. I follow her with a roll of my eyes.
"It's Corbin," I mutter, my eyes downcast.
"Hmm?" she asks with a smirk, knowing plenty well what I'm talking about.
"It's Corbin, Olimpia. He's acting weird," I say loudly.
She shakes her head and sighs. "Have you thought of why he is acting weird?" she asks as she sits down in one of the many chairs.
"Well- no, not exactly," I say, stumbling over my words.
"Kenna, if maybe you stopped and asked him you would know," she says leaning in.
"You know why he is acting weird don't you?" I say, annoyed.
"I do," she says pausing. "He has found himself a bride, Kenna. I honestly thought you two would make the best match..."
Slowly her words start to fade out and all I hear is white noise, the soft chirps of the birds, and the slow whistle of the wind. A few minutes pass, maybe more and I'm shocked back into Olimpia's banter.
"Adelphia and I were already planning a wedding... and you stopped paying attention." Olimpia rolls her eyes. "I don't know what her name is or where she comes from but I hear she is a real beauty... I also heard she wasn't a Champion," she says.
"Olimpia I have to go, okay? I'll come to see you in a little bit, maybe tomorrow? or another day." I say splashing my words together. Why wouldn't Corbin tell me this! Was she at his party? Is that why he was weird?
I trudge out of Olimpia's home and get back on Javen. I need to figure this out. I can't be the flower that wilts from every touch, every touch that bruises and burns. I need to be able to be stronger. I need to fight. I need Corbin.
Chapter Six - unedited
You only know what you lost when you try and replace it. I try to find a quick fix because I can't take in the pain. Every time I close my eyes he's there. There is no way I'm letting him marry some noble girl. My mind wrestles with my heart. You were just mad at him only a minute ago but the moment you hear he's got another woman you love him? And as much as that is true,, I could never stay mad at him. I don't think I actually was ever mad at him, just mad at myself for thinking I was better.
So many thoughts and not enough time to listen to them all before I'm at the Balor manor door. As I approach on Javen I can make out a figure. At first, I think it might be a lowly guard but then I see the jet-black hair and being to think it was Lord Balor. But that's until I see his eyes. Lord Balor's eyes are dark, an endless hole that I fall through each time I look at them. But Corbin has his mother's eyes. An ocean blue pool of brotherly love and goofy jokes. His blue eyes stare up at me as I ride by him. Our eyes meet, mine liquid steel and his a shallow turquoise.
I jump off Javen and hand him to the stable hand that waited at the entrance of the manor. I smiled and gave him a small thank you. He nodded and left with Javen in tow.
"Where did you go?" Corbin asked, his voice full of annoyance.
"What would it matter to you?" I snap, but the moment I do I regret it. But I do not show it.
"It may not mean much to me now, but my father doesn't want you going anywhere from now on. You are to stay in the manor," he says with a clipped tone. It's not that brotherly sound like usual. But there was something there. Something I couldn't quite name. Was it sadness? Was I imagining it? He hid it well, but not good enough.
What did he know that I didn't? His eyes were a dead giveaway. They darted around like a deer in a field.
"And your father couldn't tell me himself? He couldn't get out of his fake throne to fetch me?" I grumbled. I knew that if I had said this to anyone else I would be whipped within the hour, but I knew I could trust Corbin. Right?
"He is speaking with the Kingling. You must go get ready to meet him as well. Be ready in the hour," he ordered and turned on his heel and left me.
"What about your new bride? When was I to hear about this?" I yelled at him.
He stopped and whirled around to face me again. "Who told you?"
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I countered.
"Who told you, Kenna?" he repeated.
"And why would I tell you?"
"It was Olimpia, wasn't it? Damn it!" he said looking up at me, "You will get to meet her tonight. Be ready in the hour." he finished and turned away from me again, shaking his head.
As he left, the realization sank in. I was to be forgotten. A Champion with no meaning. A girl with no family.
I will not be another flower, picked for my beauty and left to wither. I will be wild, difficult to find, and impossible to forget.
I trudged into the manor with a wicked grin.
Chapter Seven - unedited
It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to, has power over you, if you allow it.
Thunder rumbled and roared outside. The sky had been a glistening blue when I had arrived back home from lady Adelphia's house. The sky must have sensed how distraught I was and made those feelings physical. The window seat that I sit in has the best view of the rain, thunder, and lightning that comes from the grey clouds. I watch as the wind forces leaves and twigs into a brutal dance of dominance.
As this all happens I am brought out of my trance and back into the world of lies cheating. The cold words of lord Balor and the Kingling give me chills and not the kind you get after an adrenaline rush. No these chills chilled me all the way to the bone.
They ignored me as though I was invisible, besides the sideways glances from the Kingling. He seemed too interested in me. He was just like what the papers always said. Salty blonde hair was matched with dark green eyes. His hair resembled his skin too much, making him look lifeless beside his daring eyes. The way his mouth moved to form the words showed gleaming white teeth.
The Kingling wore a suit of crimson red. A golden crown sat atop of his bleached hair. His crown was the color of my glittering gold dress. The dress showed too much skin. The back, which was facing the two men was bare, no golden flakes to hide the whipping scars that Balor gave to me. None of them were new. But white scars crisscrossed along my back. I watched as the Kingling's eyes looked at every inch of my back. They moved with green, emerald grace. I was entranced by the way he focused on me and not Balor. But in the back of my head, I knew he was no good.
"Champion, come join us," he said. His voice was like honey: smooth and graceful.
Balor turned around and nodded. It wasn't like I was about to go follow some pompous kingling. But when Balor turned around I saw something on his face. I couldn't quite place it. It was different. There was no coldness, empathy maybe? I had no idea that his face could look so sad. But the real problem was why was it like that?
I got up from my window seat and trudged my way over to where they were sitting. My black heels clicked against the ground with each step. It calmed me to know I could make a dramatic entrance without even trying.
As I rounded the corner I was about to sit next to Balor because that was what I had been taught to do. But the Kingling smirked and cleared his throat.
"My dear, why don't you come sit next to me," his voice was deep. It made me uncomfortable.
As I got up and sat down next to the Kingling. I instantly thought of the worst situation possible. Was Balor selling me off to this thing? I couldn't even imagine my life with something so unbearable. He was a creep.
We all sat there in silence for a few minutes before the Kingling spoke.
"Why do you like thunderstorms? You sat there for ages staring at the window," he said, staring at me.
I swallowed the last bit of saliva that was in my mouth. I knew my smartass self was going to get in trouble but I didn't care.
"Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometimes," I say.
Both Lord Balor and the Kingling look taken back and I can't tell if I have offended them or what? These men are such fools.
"Well aren't you fiesty?" the kingling said, recovering quickly. "See surely will be a big one for the betters for Havencrest." he added with a smirk.
Havencrest? What-??
I must have looked dumbfounded because Balor cleared his throat beginning to answer but the Kingling cut in before he could answer. "Oh? She doesn't know! Well isn't that just grand? I guess there is no need to explain. She shall just find out when she gets there!" he says chuckling.
"What?" I ask, severely confused. "What is Havencrest? Lord Balor? What is it?" I exclaimed. Why won't they tell me?
"The Kingling has declared that you shall find out when you get to the palace," he says with a melancholy sound.
And that's when a man came from the shadowed corner. Wait! When did he get here? Then i felt a pinch in the side of my neck. Something began to flow inside of me. Add then I blacked out. Dark spots began to blur my vision. The last thing I saw was a small tear that fell down Balor's cheek. And then the darkness fully overtook me.
An ocean was what I saw next. It flowed with the wind. Lightning crackled in the distance and the roaring sound of thunder seemed close. I look down to see my feet in the sand. I'm no longer in the gold dress, instead, a white night-gown. That's when I heard a voice. Her voice was soft like the petal of a flower. But broken like it was wilting.
"The ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness for the space they take and so, neither shall you."
Chapter Eight - unedited
As the white foam circled around my ankles a bright light appeared. At first, I thought it was only another strike of lightning. But it didn't flash it seemed to absorb all the darkness in the sky and made it into a blinding ball of light.
The voice I had heard before was stern but lovely. Like the voice of a mother. I couldn't remember the last time I had thought of my mother. I could only remember her dark coffee-brown hair. I could remember the softness of her skin when I had touched it with my baby hands.
The memory felt like a million years ago. So much had happened since then.
The ball of light snapped me out of my daydream. The light drew closer and the motherly voice began to speak again.
"War is like an alley. It's dirty and grimy and you might find a body or two, but sometimes you have to go through them to get where you need to be," she says, pausing - as if she was out of breath. "For some people, it's just a shortcut."
My breath hitched. Her voice was a melodious tune that pulled me closer. Water swirled around my ankles now as I took steps in the ocean.
"I am not beautifully broken. I was ripped to shreds from the inside out." I heard myself say.
"They used you, my love. They thought you fragile like a flower. But they were wrong. You are fragile like a bomb." she said, calling me farther into the water.
Now the saltwater pricked at my eyes. The water was at my waist. As I walked farther, the water kicked me backward and my head fell into the water. I watched as the water cascaded my body, welcoming my pain. It surrounds me with a cold hug. The waves drew me back and forth.
"Your time will come. You will be the monster that they created, and you will play the part well. You will become the fire that they wish to extinguish. You will cut their flesh and bones. And you will do it with a smile on your face. You inherited a gift many would die for. A gift many would even die to protect. But you will make sure they pay for what they have done to you. Rember my daughter, men fight wars, they start them. But women, me, you, we win them." she said.
"Don't worry mother, your daughter is a soldier."
And then the ocean exploded. A million tiny fragments of glass broke across my face. Fire etched its way onto my skin. I felt nothing but the warmth of it as it exposed my monsters. It flew across my arms and onto the rest of my body.
Then the imaginary world went dark. And my fire blew out. Only smoke remained in my dream.
Chapter Nine (Corbin) - unedited
Don't stop until you're proud. If my father taught me anything it would have been how to be proud. He was a crude man. And as long as I have known my father, which has been all twenty-one of my years, he has never smiled. Not truly. Oryn, my personal guard. Who is my father's age, grew up with the famous Lord Harlow Balor. Oryn told me the last time he actually smiled, truly, happily, smiled was the day before my mother died. Apparently, she had made some joke and that was also the last time he laughed.
Sitting at my desk, all these thoughts that I allow in my head are only because I have some downtime before Aylin, my dear bride arrived. I don't even know what the girl looks like. But I do hear rumors around the manor that she is quite a beauty. But she could be nothing like Kenna. Kenna's beauty was in her eyes and her character. Her eyes were liquid mercury. A blinding kind of beautiful. It kept you distracted. And ever since we were kids, I always wished her eyes could glance at me. Just so I could watch them flow magically with her dark brown hair.
But her character, her personality was something entirely different. She was competitive but kind. She always had the little sister disposition. Her mind was beautifully chaotic. She didn't know herself fully yet. She didn't understand what she would become. She just never knew.
And that was my fault. I could have told her - and I would have paid for it harshly - but I had the chance to tell her throughout the ten years of her being here with us.
I knew about Havencrest and what would become of her because of it. I knew how terrible the kingling was. I knew he would mistreat her. And I knew she would win the trials. I knew she would be scarred for the rest of her life. But none of it has happened yet, but I know it all will.
A knock sounded at the door and my thoughts crammed themselves into the back of my head; where they had come from. I opened my eyes as the door opened and Oryn came brawling through.
"Uh your Lady-thing..." he started, with a loud chuckle.
I turned around not exactly hearing what he was saying.
He cleared his throat and that's when I looked up. "Lady Aylin is here and is requesting your presence in the gardens," he said with the hint of a frown.
Even though Oryn was as old as my father, he still had this kiddish aurora about him.
"The gardens? The ones that have been dead since mother died? Why would she want to do that?" I asked, my mood cheering up a bit.
Oryn laughed, "Do we have any other gardens?" he asked with a chuckle.
I laughed and followed him out the doors. We walked together until we arrived at the gardens. They were my mother's gardens. It was her pride and joy. They had several different colored flowers. Each bloomed and smiled at the sun. But that story was a fairytale with a bad ending. She died and no one took care of the gardens anymore. It used to light up the place but now it's the one place my father hates. Besides the stables.
I shook Oryn's hand and then he walked away shaking his head and laughing to himself. Lady Aylin Tyros sat on one of the cold, hard benches. She almost blended into the scenery. Her stark white hair and silvery dress matched with the broken, weary thorned bushes. She turned her head and I watched as her pale blue eyes fell into my darker blue eyes.
She had bleached white hair that fell past her shoulders. And pale blue eyes were set on her pale skin. She had a sickly kind of beauty to her. The dress she had worn made her skin have a grey tone to it. Making her look like she was half-dead. Her smile reminded me of my fathers. Strict and to the point. It was dark and I could see behind the color of her eyes. She wasn't here for me.
And I could hear my father's voice in my ear.
"Darling, your looks could kill," I said as I stepped towards her in the dark, gloomy garden.
words wars;
anything that is posted after this post is for the word wars. everything will be a bit jumbled but here it is :)
SPILL NO TEA - novel? short story? honestly i don't know yet.
Prologue
Careful where you spill tea, it stains.
OLIVIA - the tea lover
I trusted him. I actually trusted him. I thought he was more than his big-brained ego. I thought he could be more than a jerk. How could I have been so stupid?! I watched him dance with her. I watched her kiss him and he enjoyed it. I had wasted my time on him. I honestly thought I could change him. Why? I truly believed that he was different from all of them.
The loud jazz-pop music blared in the background as I moved towards the kissing pair. She whispered something into his ear that made him frown. Then something connected with his brain and he forced his head around and stared dead straight at me. That's when I lost it. He knew what he was doing the entire time. Asher actually thought I wouldn't see him or find out somehow?
I couldn't stand being next to him anymore. So I left, and I was drunk. Asher thought it would be a good idea to go to a party, and he was so right. I finally figured out who he truly was. Was I upset? A little, maybe. No, I was pissed but not at life only at him for ruining my night and my entire senior year.
I opened my car door and heard Asher running after me, calling my name. I rolled my eyes and got in the car; slamming the door shut with a loud thud. He was almost to my car when I jammed my car keys into the ignition. It roared to life. I looked back to see him right there, but I pulled out of the driveway before he could do anything else.
I hit the gas, and when I turned left on the first light I could see his stupid old ford truck following behind me. But as I got to the next light, I knew he wouldn't be able to follow me. It was getting really dark out and more and more cars filled in. I turned toward the highway so I knew I lost him.
I turned up the music trying to get lost in the sappy lyrics that protruded from the radio. I heard a ding from my phone and my stupid self decided to check it. I lifted it out of my bag and checked to see who it was. Nothing from Asher, good, I thought silently. It was from Emma. She was going to the party too, but she always was fashionably late.
Hey, girly! Weren't you coming to the party? Or are you and Asher hitting it up? LOL well you said you would be here already and I don't see either your's or Asher's cars so where are you at, love?
I smirked and texted back, only looking away from the road for a second.
I was there, saw Asher kissing another girl. I'm just out driving to calm down.
Before I could press send, I glanced up at the road. Another car came the wrong way, no doubt another drunk driver. I thought I would be able to serve away from him and miss being hit by him, but I couldn't. His car ran right for mine. I tried to swerve but my steering wheel felt stuck.
Blinding lights blared out at me. His car slammed into mine. My head jerked forward and hit the steering wheel. A metallic smell filled the car. Liquid dripped from my head. Everything became blurry so I tried to move away from the drunk driver's car, but another car slammed into the back of mine, jolting a thousand tiny needles through every joint and muscle.
The glass broke, lights were everywhere. Blood dripped from several cuts along my head, arms, and legs. Everything was tight, and I knew I was suffocating. But I couldn't move any bone in my body. I couldn't move.
Sirens roared in the background. I could see the haziness of their red and blue lights. Fire exploded from the car in front of me.
It felt like hours passed, but it had to have just been minutes.
Two men and a woman pulled me from my car. They yelled at each other. One was trying to talk to me but I couldn't hear them. A dinging sound echoed through my ears and head. I couldn't even scream. It was like my mouth was sewed shut and my voice lost. A flashlight was shined in my eyes.
"Mam' can you tell me your name?" the woman asked.
I didn't respond. Everything went dark, and I never got to send that text to Emma.
ASHER - the perturbed coffee-head
Everything was not fine. I messed up big time. I didn't know what I was doing. The girl must have spiked my drink with something extra. But Olivia saw it all the same and now she will never forgive me. What was I thinking?!?! Inviting her to some stupid party? I didn't even know the girl's name but she must have been from a different school cause' I didn't recognize her when she walked up to me.
I was already drunk, to begin with, but whatever drink she gave me, made it so damn hard to concentrate. I couldn't tell her no because I was half-dead as it was. And then she started kissing me. Then whispered in my ear.
"Your girlfriend is watching, should we give her a show?"
That's when I broke away from her and watched a tear fall down Olivia's face. Oh man, she deserved so much more. Oliva began to walk away, bumping into drunk dancers. She wiped more and more tears from her eyes. I chased after Olivia and I heard the girls behind me giggling. I shook my head and ran after her. I ran into a lot of people and tables but I didn't care. I need to catch up with her. But as I made it to the house door I watched her slam her car door shut.
Damn it! I yelled in my head. But she hadn't left just yet.
"Olivia! Wait!" I yelled running towards her car. She looked up at me, started the engine, and pulled out of the driveway. A look of hurt spread across her face and eyes. I knew I had messed up big time.
We both were drunk. I knew she would get hurt if she drove off. So I ran to my car, a beat-up navy blue Ford truck. "Come on baby! Let's go!" I yelled at my truck as I shoved the keys into the ignition and started her. She hummed to life and I followed Olivia's car. Or I did my best to.
I had followed her all the way to the second light, but then her car blended in with others and I lost her. I slammed my hands on my steering wheel. I need to talk to her.
So I did what I thought was right, I went to her house. I waited there in her driveway for hours. Ten o'clock turned to midnight. Midnight turned to two in the morning.
That's when I got a phone call.
HAVENCREST - novel of some sort...
Chapter Ten - unedited
The smoke around me turned into light. The bright mist swirled around me, forcing me to squeeze my eyes closed, but the light still forced its way through the cracks between each eyelid. Voices sounded in each corner of my head. A headache began to develop from the blinding lights and cold voices. The dream had billowed out of my mind at that point.
A new problem seemed to arise for me.
Cold metal braced my back. The smell of chemicals filled the air. And as I slowly opened my eyes, them fluttering as dust broke in. My head was bent to the side. Nothing felt weird. I just felt like I was still in the ocean. Fluid and full of water. But as my eyes opened fully, and I was able to take in most of my surroundings, tubes filled with different colored liquids sat on trays. Everything was bleached white.
The room smelled of chemicals. The smell burned my nose, making it itch. The voices of the scientist were busied in one area that housed all different kinds of computers. As I lifted my head and body off the table I surveyed the room. Its walls were a domed shape. The top was filled with glass that was etched with white metal bars. Natural light flooded in like the ocean water in my dream. As I looked more closely around the room I noticed girls my age were laying down on metal tables. Each wore a white night-dress. I glanced down and saw I was wearing the same thing. As I squinted I could make out a few thin strands of red, orange, and yellow that decorated the sleeves of my dress. What could that mean?
I didn't have enough time to figure it out before I caught the eye of one of the people in the white coats. This one was a woman with short blonde hair. Her eyes were a deep amber color. A smile of honey was walking my way when I glanced back at the girls and noticed Olimpia was among them. Her golden hair flowed with a darker grace than usual. Her eyes met mine and they were darker than usual. Her eyes had always been a coffee-brown, but now they looked more like coal. Her skin looked ash-grey. Olimpia looked like she was dead.
If I even had a thought of going over and asking what was wrong, I wouldn't have been able to make it past getting off the metal table. The woman with the warm smile had snuck up on me with an extreme silence.
"Oh good, you're awake!" she said with an excessive amount of excitement. "I'm Darya." She shared.
I didn't get to make any smart-alec comment before I am injected with another fluid. I bite my lip. Damn! That hurts. I yell inside my head. The pain didn't settle so I shook my head, trying to get rid of the awful feeling.
Heat started to sweep around the room. Pinpricks of heat flared up inside my arms and hands. I glanced up from staring at the metal table and watched as fie danced on my hards and snaked up my arms. I gasped and flipped my hands over and over, I observed the way the flames rose with each heartbeat of mine.
At this point, the pain from the liquid injection had disappeared. I would have thought the flames that flicker in my hands would have burnt through my skin. But the tony flame didn't touch my skin, it only hovered above it.
I swung my legs from the table and onto the side. I turned my hand upside down but the flame did not fall. It was just like my dream, without all the water.
"What is this," I mutter, to myself but the Darya lady overhears.
She chuckles to herself and smiles her manufactured smile. "It's fire. This is your power, your ability. When you fight in the Havencrest arena you will use them. And you will burn all those that face you," she exclaimed. Her voice sounded robotic, her movements and facial expression looked fake. Everything she said sounded rehearsed, and I know what it sounds like because I have done it so many times.
I glance back over at Olimpia, her skin and eyes do not look any better. They stare me down as a black shadow hovers behind her. I close my eyes, thinking maybe this was another dream, maybe it was a hallucination. When I open my eyes black goo falls from her mouth and sticks to her chin. I blink again and it's gone. Olimpia smirks and gives me a dark smile. Her teeth gleam a pearly white.
I looked away. I wasn't scared anymore. Not of life, or Lord Balor, or the kingling. I didn't have to be. I had enough fire to burn them to the ground.
Some girls fear the fire. Some simply become it. I will have to choose my path now.
character development?
❏ in the prolouge, Kenna is supposed to be your average eight-year-old that is going through something different. As a child that had had her life ripped from her hands and molded into a sculpture of its own design she is scared. Her life changes with every year. She doesn't have parents, everyone is lying to her, she doesn't know if she actually has true friends among the other champions and this is a little much for her. Kenna is that scared little girl, hiding under her covers because there is a monster under her bed.
❏ in chapters one, two, and three, you are introduced to the older - now eighteen-year-old - version of Kenna. She has changed now from being that scared little girl all those ten years ago. She has grown up, or at least she believes that, but in those first few chapters her relationships with those she loves are tested. Her relationship with Corbin is tested when he beats her. She isn't one to like failure. She is a perfectionist on another level. She has been this way since the first night Lord Balor began to train her. She couldn't mess up unless she wanted to pay for it.
❏
more to be updated later
SPILL NO TEA - novel? short story? honestly i don't know yet.
Chapter Two
They said I could be anything... so I decided to be caffeinated.
ASHER - the peturbed coffee-head
Honors English sucked. There was only one word for it. Terrible. But if English has taught me anything there are several synonyms for a word like terrible. I would list them off, but that would take time and I am not one to waste time on something like English. If I'm not failing the class then I have nothing to worry about, and I ain't failing the class.
Right now we were supposed to be discussing the more developed and advanced theme of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart poem. I did the paper and turned it in. What more did Mr. Arden want? A full-on discussion when he could just read the dang paper I wrote! And miss-know-it-all Olivia thinks this is fun. We have lunch in an hour and the way she is talking this is all we are going to be doing. I would rather be in the gym right now like I asked the guidance counselor but she told me I should be in Honors English. So here I am.
My last year of high school and I'm stuck in an extra English class. Mr. Arden said at the being of the year that I should take the twelfth grade English class and the twelfth grade honors English class. Now I looked like Oliva. And that wasn't a good thing.
The guys made fun of me non-stop at practices cause I was in the same lane as the smart girl. Was I happy about this? No!
What I really needed right now was a cup of coffee. If I had that then I probably wouldn't be falling asleep in Mr. Arden's class right now.
"Since Mr. Farris doesn't want to participate in this class discussion, I guess you are all spending lunch with me," Mr. Arden said with a weird, treachery grin.
Everyone sighed dramatically, including me. This man was not going to take away from my lunchtime. I could be practicing hoops then. And all because I didn't want to participate in his stupid discussion about a stupid poem. Only Olivia was actually participating. Yes, I was the only one trying to get a decent shut-eye but still. My lunchtime.
"Olivia, would you like to summarize what you said in your essay?" He asked, and then mutter under his breath, "since you wrote for pages."
I chuckled to myself, but Mr. Arden heard and he did not think his joke was funny.
"Mr. Farris, something funny? Want to share it with the rest of the class?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
I guess maybe I should give the old man a break but honestly it was too funny watching him struggle to try to handle a to-good-for-her-own-good girl and I-honestly-don't-care guy that got placed in this class because he was just about good enough.
A cup of coffee would definitely save me right now.
Chapter Three
There is no trouble so great that can not be diminished by a nice cup of tea.
OLIVIA - the lover of tea
Asher Farris was ridiculous. I was supposed to go with Emma - which it's her birthday - to TeaBar to celebrate her birth for a quick hour. But now, because Mr. Farris wanted to be an ego-stuffing-jerk-head-thing I couldn't go with her. Ugh! Now I'm going to look like the worst best friend ever.
Emma has been my best friend since the second grade. I was an only child and made fun of endlessly for it, but she was the fearless blonde with bright pink hair clips that saved me from embarrassment. She hasn't changed one bit. Still the star of the show, but she never shows it. Emma was like a hummingbird. She flitted through life. Everything was go-go-go with her. But she made it all work. I could never. On the outside, she is a party girl, but on the inside, she has the wisest and loyalist heart. She is the only person that has come close to knowing the real me.
It has been a ritual since the TeaBar opened our freshman year that we go there for our birthdays. I only went because they had the best tea, but Emma, my dear innocent Emma thought their coffee was immaculate. We always went on our hour lunch because we were lucky through all our four years of high school to have the same lunch period.
-I shake my head. If Asher didn't want to be in this class, I know the school guidance counselor personally I can get his class changed. I get to go home and see her every day. She even makes me dinner sometimes. Or she was the guidance counselor until my dad died, now she has an assistant that comes in every day. I know her too though. Still, I can get him out of this class if he wants. I wouldn't be helping him for well him, no it would be for myself. I do not care if that sounds rude. I'm here to actually enjoy learning.
"Mr. Farris, something funny? Want to share it with the rest of the class?" he asked, his voice full of strain.
I felt bad for the man. He had to deal with me, someone who does everything as perfectly as she could. Even if it meant writing four pages for a four-paragraph essay and then some basketball player that couldn't even stay awake and barely ever did his work.
I smirked watching the Farris boy squirm. He definitely did not want to say what was funny to him. This was so very amusing. But I deiced to say the loud coffee-head.
"Does it matter?" I ask, my voice pristine, "Let me just summarize," I said glaring at Asher.
He must have found that amusing because he winked at me. HE WINKED AT ME! That disgusting pig! Who did he think he was? I could feel my ears go warm but I smoothed out my unwrinkled shirt and began.
"I believe the main character or the narrator had some sort of disorder. Possibly like Cognitive Dissounace Disorder. This disorder is described when your beliefs and behaviors don't match up. He knows that the old man had raised him from birth and had never wronged him. That was one belief, but the narrator had believed that the old man's eye was the reason he was having these feelings of killing the old man. But when the behavior part came, he ended up killing the man. He felt guilty because he knew the man had done nothing but then the other part of him did not care because of his eye." I said pausing. I took a deep breath and continued, "But when the police come the narrator has no idea what to do. At first, he thought he had made peace with himself but then the heart began to beat from under the floorboards. We do not know if the beating was actually real or a part of the narrator's imagination. But scientifically it couldn't have beat if outside the body. But anyway, the police found the heart and knew the narrator was the murder. Now the thing was the video put this all into a real perspective. The video..."
I was about to continue when the lunch bell rang.
"You are all dismissed. Hopefully, some of you can be a bit more active tomorrow." Mr. Arden said.
Well, there goes my summary. I am packing up my school books when Elizabeth, a petite girl with round Harry Potter glasses comes up to me.
"I enjoyed your summary, you were very right about the disorder, I thought he might have something like that too," she said, her voice cracked, "I would have loved to hear how your summary ended though," she whispered, pushing up her glasses and running off.
"Oh?" I muttered after she left.
Well, I guess I still get to go with Emma, so there's a plus.
·:*¨༺ ★ ༻¨*:·.
"So, how was English? I heard you almost weren't able to come with me," Emma said, her face full of a fake pout.
I laughed at her small attempt to make me share, "What about your science class? I heard there was almost a fire? I wonder who would have started that?" I asked, making my face look full of shock.
She laughed, her melodious laugh. "Oh it was nothing a small fire that was easily put out by mine truly," she exclaimed. It was almost as if her eyes had turned into beating red emoji hearts. I chuckled at the thought. Mine truly meant her at-the-moment crush Tyler Grey. I honestly didn't like him very much but it was her crush so I kept my mouth shut, as best aI could.
"Well, English?!" she whisper-yelled all excited.
"Oh, Asher Farris was being a jerk-head again. I'm seriously debating asking the guidance counselor to get him out of the class. He is absolutely annoying!" I whisper-yelled a little too loud and watched as people turned their heads at our table.
Emma and I giggled quietly. "Well, what if he was just trying to annoy you to get attention? I hear that's what boys do these days if they like a girl. I mean besides Tyler, he saves me." she says, again hearts popping out of her head? Man are they really there?
"Asher Farris likes me? No way, he to stuck-up to like any girl." I say and I leave it at that.
"Anyway, happy birthday," I say rolling my eyes at the thought of Asher Farris actually liking me.
"You are only denying your future," she muttered before a nice long sip of coffee.
"You do know that coffee makes you shorter right?" I ask her with a big grin plastered to my face.
"Oh shut up. It's my birthday I can drink whatever I want. You stick to your "healthy" tea," she says with a goofy laugh.
"Oh well," I say quietly with a smile.
HAVENCREST - novel of some sort...
Chapter Eleven ( Corbin ) - unedited
Aylin had the look of a porcelain doll. Everything from her clothes to her makeup was etched onto her body with perfection. Her attitude towards everything was quiet and precise. The way she walked and talked was cunning and doll-like; a perfectly raised lady of the court. The meeting we had in the garden had taught me enough about her. She lived her life in a gloomy grace. Aylin had thought that the dreary gardens were a beacon of hope. They were something that looked ugly on the outside but with some love, water and sunshine they could become beautiful again. I had only stared dumbfounded at her absurd words.
Aylin knew what she wanted and she shared that freely in the meetings we had afterward. She had told me several things about her life. How she lived in a country of rich wine, lavish gowns, and pompous lies. She was a woman in a man's world. I could only really connect with the former but I agreed with that latter only because I knew this was how Kenna felt too.
There were a few times where I thought that the proposal between Aylin and I could actually work. But all it took was a small mention of Havencrest and the fact that Kenna could die.
Aylin and I were on another date. It's hard to call it what it is, but I am begging to understand more and more of what is outside the walls of this manor. The Havencrest trials will begin in less than a week and as the son of Lord Balor, he and I must attend. Aylin will have to go as well, but she will be joining our family instead. Am I upset about it? No, not really and that is what is freaking me out.
Instead of the gardens, I am showing her through the house. It wasn't my idea, it was actually Oryn's but I would never admit it. His ideas are always good. Out next date will be at her home, and that would be during the Havencrest trials. When neither Kenna nor the Tyros Champion, Fia are fighting we will go off to her manor. Aylin describes Fia as a wild redhead. Aylin said she was uncontrollable when she first arrived. She was fierce and wild, a good and compatible sparring partner for Aylins older brother. Fia apparently was trained by Aylin's oldest brother, rather than Lord Tyros himself.
I doubt Fia could take down Kenna though, and I told Aylin that. She understood and told me not to underestimate a woman that is about to die.
"We will fight until we are the one standing. But when you have two women fighting against each other, one has to fall. But neither will think it will be them," she said quietly while holding my hand as we walked through the blank walls of the Balor manor.
I nodded along, but I knew my father was the best and that meant Kenna would be the best, right? I could only hope so. Aylin and I walked through the halls, she gossiped about what it was like being the only girl in a family of four boys. I laughed along with her jokes. Both of us were a bit distant today though, we tried our best not to show it. But even the best couldn't hide pure fear.
We are getting the Matching's today. The Havencrest Board places each Champion against another Champion. They only match the first round and send them out because they do not know who will in. But they each have a few ideas but never share. We will learn who goes up against which Champion. The High Houses Champions have always been the ones to survive, or that has been how the stories go. Not one lower house has won because they are described as weak which makes their Champion weak.
There will be twelve fights for the first round. Twenty-four women fighting to the death. I don't know who Kenna will be matched with. The Havencrest Board usually places lower house Champion's against High House Champions until they have leftovers that just go against each other. They save the big fights, the ones with two High House Champions for after the first round.
I watch as a maid scurries through the halls and stops in front of Aylin and me. She holds a thick letter inside her hands. I instantly recognize the royal seal. The maid curtsies and hands me the letter. I dismiss her with a flick of my wrist and she scurries back off. I unravel the letter and Aylin gasps beside me. It's the Matchings.
Now the letter was unraveled, the royal seal discarded on the floor. The letter usually only held the Matchings; that's what my father had said. Well, this year the Matchings paper was wrapped around an actual letter. I read it quietly out loud so Aylin could hear.
"To the noble families that have a Champion,
This year, like all the rest, shall bring forth the best Champion to keep the Royal line strong and our country stronger. But this year has brought something different. The Champions in the previous years have always been stronger, faster, and healthier than the normal woman, but this batch of Champions has brought forth a new heightened ability. This year's Champions are magical. Each with a different ability. Our scientists are still trying to figure out how this happened. But never mind that it only means this year's Havencrest will be more dramatic and fun to watch. Please do enjoy the first round Matchings for this year's Champions.
Signed, The Royal Family"
Aylin chuckled to herself, "I guess it means more drama. This should be interesting. I can only wonder what Fia's ability is," she said, holding the Matching papers in her pale hands. "What do you suppose Kenna's ability is?" She asked innocently.
"I really can't imagine her with something like that. But don't you think it might be a waste of something like this?" I suggested, pausing to gather my thoughts. "There are twenty-four women with magical powers that could change the course of our country. Why are we waiting for them on a stupid game? Can't the kingling just pick one? Or maybe don't have Havencrest be a fight to the death thing? There are so many other paths that the royal family and the Havencrest Board could take," I say trying to catch my breath.
While Aylin puzzles over my words I take the Matching papers and read them, scanning for Kenna's name. When I find her name I learn she is paired with a lower house Champion named Irena. Apparently, this Champion can create thorny vines from her hands. But what I read next shocks me to my bones. Kenna has the ability of fire.
SPILL NO TEA - novel? short story? honestly i don't know yet.
Blurb/Synopsis - unedited
Olivia Harlow is the smart girl with secrets. She has been the best daughter - her entire life - anyone could have asked for. But she still was never good enough.
Olivia has now downgraded herself to a simple smart girl who loves tea and hanging out with her bestie. Or she did until Asher Farris shoved his way into her life.
Asher Farris is a big ego, jerk-face basketball jock that everyone expects him to be. He is loud, lazy, and one giant fool. He is someone Olvia should stay away from and him to her. But when he knocks the walls down that Olivia put up and intrudes into her most prized space nothing good can come from it.
But as the two unlikely seniors face their last year in high school, stupid drama and several arguments about whether tea or coffee is better - tea is better! - they can either come closer or draw apart.
But what will happen when someone spills the tea?
Chapter Four - unedited
I like my coffee how I like myself. Dark, strong, and too hot your you.
ASHER - perturbed coffee-head
TeaBar was closed for the rest of the week, so I would have to make do with an overpriced coffee from Starbucks. I may only be a guy but I didn't really understand why girls went so crazy for it. Honestly, it was pricey and it didn't even taste that great. The TeaBar was better, by far. Not only was it cheap but their coffee was amazing! Even for a place that just started out with tea.
Tea is disgusting. All herby and everything. It is way too bitter. It didn't really make sense to make a tea shop. But I did know one person actually went there and enjoyed drinking the tea. Olivia Harlow. She and her sidekick Emma - I think that's her name - always go there. And it's not like I stalk them or anything. I just know that Tyler, one of my bros has a crush on the Emma girl. And Tyler talks about Emma a lot. It's annoying.
The lines for Starbucks were annoying. But eventually, it was my turn. I walked up to the register with a sigh. I ordered a large black coffee. I liked my coffee how I liked myself. Dark. Strong. And too hot for the girls of Southwood Highschool. I silently laughed at my own joke.
After a thirty-minute wait, I finally got my coffee so I headed out of the crowded coffee shop. I walked until I found my truck. She was an old beauty. She was a rustic navy blue ford. She is my pride and joy, my baby. The guys made fun of me for liking something so old. Cause' they all had their fancy new cars and I had my old little beaut. I didn't exactly care for their opinions or their attitudes.
I got in the truck and put the keys into the ignition. I waited patiently, sipping at my coffee as she sputtered to life. I smiled once she roared to life. I placed my coffee in a cup holder and my hands on the steering wheel. I drove away from the Starbucks and onto the bustling road.
I didn't have a basketball game or practice tonight but Tyler had said there was a party somewhere so I guess that's where I'm going later. I looked at the time on the digital clock. 4:00 PM it read. I sighed, I had six hours to do something until the party...what was I going to do?
A few minutes later I arrived home. I opened the door and my Australian Sheperd, Max popped his head out from where he was and came running.
"Hey boy!" I managed to say as I kneeled down to pet him. That's when he licked me to my almost death. "Okay, okay," I said gently pushing him off of me.
"Dad! I'm home! You need anything?" I yelled, waiting for a response that wasn't going to come.
My dad was a survivor. A survivor of life and MS. The guy has suffered from MS since he was like sixteen. When I was younger mom used to tell me stories about how they met and everything. Back when life was normal. Now, my mother indulged herself in alcohol and my father was on his death bed. MS was only supposed to be a temporary thing. Some disease that wouldn't affect his everyday life. But now, at the age of forty-five, the man hasn't gotten out of bed in weeks. MS is a disease that paralyzes you, or that's how the doctors described it. It takes away your mobility and everything. It scares the hell out of me that he might not make it to my graduation.
I walk around the corner to see my mother sitting on the floor, mascara running and a glass of red wine in one hand, and the other a box of tissues.
I ran down and kneeled beside her. "Hey, hey mom, it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." I whispered bringing her into a hug. She set her box of issues and glass of wine down and wrapped her arms around me. Her head rested on my shoulder.
"The doctors said he only has a few more weeks. That he's in pain. They act like he's some pet that we should put down. But he doesn't want to be in the hospital and I can't put him there." she says through muffled cries.
That's my life. Everyone expects me to be someone I'm not. At school, I'm a jock with jerk friends. When I'm home I can't be the spoiled brat that I make myself out to be. I'm vulnerable when I'm home. My life isn't perfect. None of my friends have ever been over to my house because my life is a mess. My parents are a mess. I'm a mess and nothing is ever right.
I bring my mother into a tighter embrace. "We have dealt with this for years. He's going to get better. He always has. This one is just going to take longer than usual. We just have to be patient," I whisper out loud. It's really meant to calm my nerves but supposedly it calms her too. "And that means we both have to be better for dad to get better," I said, again not to her, but to remind myself.
She nodded and we sat there like that for hours.
Chapter Four - unedited
Don't judge my choices if you don't understand my reasons.
OLIVIA - lover of tea
A month goes by fast and now the December air bites at my face. I'm outside shoveling the deep white snow. School was called off today so I shoveled with a big smile on my red face.
It's almost been officially two years since dad died. Mom's improving, slowly but I can see it. She asked to go to the grocery store with me.
The moment we found out dad had been hit by a drunk driver and died upon impact, mom shut down. She shut the world out, including me. That's when I knew I had to step up. I saved up and used some of my college money and bought myself a car. I used the rest of my college savings to pay some of the overdue bills. I never did any sports so I could come home and make sure that she was still alive.
I cleaned the house, I made dinner, I got the groceries. I was a different person when I was home.
Everything was different. I wasn't put together here. I was living the replica of a mess. The year dad died hit me like a hammer to glass. It broke through the thick skin I thought I had. I had become the perfect daughter on the outside. I made myself smarter and more reserved. I told myself there was no other way to make it through the rest of high school. I had to graduate and my stormy mess insides were not going to stop that. Not only was I going to graduate, but I was going to be at the top. I could only keep up this facade for so long so it only appeared at school. But inside I wanted to break.
I cried myself to sleep most nights. Or I didn't sleep at all. I shoved coffee down my throat then. But I realized there had to be a better way, and there was; tea. I could keep up my fake healthy look and relax the always pulsing nerves. I turned to tea and then the TeaBar became my favorite place to go. Before all this happened Emma and I went there for our birthdays because we just wanted something new. Now it was my sanctuary.
I told myself that mom would get better if I was the best. And now she's improving and that means I can stop. I smile at the thought.
I finish shoveling the driveway so I put the old rusted shovel back in the garage. Then I run back to my car and put the keys in, only starting it so it can get warmed up. Then I run back inside, without slipping on the ice, to get mom.
"Mom! I'm ready. You still want to come with me?" I yelled from the front door, thinking she was still upstairs.
"I'm right here dear," she says pretending to rub her ears. I laugh as she steps out from behind the kitchen wall. She gives me a small smile and I return the favor.
She isn't exactly dressed to go out in public, but it's 2022 no one is really going to care.
I walk over to her and wrap my arm around hers, "Ready?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah, let's do this. You and me. I haven't gotten out of the house in a while," she muttered quietly.
I smile and it's a real smile this time. I know I need to keep with the fake act and my smile drops. It made her come with me today. That's all I could have asked for.
HAVENCREST - novel of some sort...
Chapter Twelve - unedited
Clearwater trickled down my body. The water was cold, but my ability warmed the water. Now steam rolled off my skin. Today was the big day. Havencrest would officially start. I knew who I was paired up against. Some lower house Champion named Irena. I didn't know her ability and I didn't necessarily care. I had to decide on whether or not I was going to kill her. Maybe I would let her end my story now. I could make it quick. But the kingling wanted a show more than a fight. I laughed at his cruel words then, but now I know what he meant. He doesn't care who wins as long as they impress the country. And his family of course. As much as this game was meant to show strength it was also to brighten some of the lesser people's days.
I was trialed for today, I was able to get another glance and saw that Olimpia was the first fight. I sighed. What a show that would be.
I stepped out of the water and watched as the tiny water droplets evaporated off my scarred skin. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. White gangly looking scars folded over my shoulders and waist. So I turned, letting my back semi-face the reflective glass. I smiled looking at the lightning bolt scars that crisis crossed along my back. This made my decision easy.
I had made it this far. Why stop now?
I turn away from the mirror and pull the black athletic suit on. It was stretchy and comfortable and way better than what they used to make the old Champion's wear. They had to wear full-out corsets and gowns and everything. I laugh at the thought. More of a show then.
The black suit stuck to my body, showing all of my curves. I was already sweating in it. Across the front of the suit, where my collar bone rests underneath is stitchings of flames that wave together across the front. On one arm sleeve, a larger more detailed flame rests. They told me the suit was flame resistant, and I hope it is. I'm not showing my scars to anyone.
I pulled my hair into a tight and thick braid down my back. Though my hair was dark, it had gotten lighter through my days of being here. I was always outside training. Golden flecks of light scattered through the braid.
I looked at myself through the mirror one last time. I watched as my face turned into something that I didn't recognize. A snarly mess of burned skin, tight scars, and a bloody mouth were what appeared. There was no denying that after today, I wouldn't look like the eighteen-year-old I was. I wouldn't look like a woman either. I won't look like I grew up. I will look like the picture that my cursed imagination showed me. Even after this first battle, I will not walk away being me. I will walk away truly being the monster they trained me to be. I inhale and then slowly exhale. I close my eyes and pray to an empty god.
As I open my eyes again I turn to see one of the royal guards. They follow me around everywhere these days. And sometimes I don't mind their annoying presence. Expcessially at night. I have screaming matches with myself now as I drift into a nightmarish sleep. They help me feel less lonely in those days. But now, they have a suffocating appearance, and it's silently killing me.
I give the masked guard a grueling smile and follow him out the door. I know where he leads me to. The throne room. A room of masked lies and betrayal. It has a pretty face though. Golden chandeliers hang from the freshly decorated ceiling. The king and queen sit on their thrones of broken promises and false hope. But the glittering truth of silver is what surrounds them. Rubies, emeralds, and diamonds are perfectly placed on those thrones.
I remember hearing when the Champion queen was chosen. Then they didn't have any power to rely on. She was bought by some old noble family that has died out. She had golden locks that jewels were laid in. A crown of sparkling turquoise sat upon her head. It matched with the deep shade of fantasy blue that was of her dress. The kingling color-coordinated with the king. Their robes were the color of their blood. Their crowns a deep gold, with bright rubies.
The rest of the Champions were walking in through different doors. Each wearing the same black attire as I was. But each had a customized emblem across their collarbone and upper arm. I looked for Olimpia but she was too far down the line that I couldn't spot her.
I couldn't find my opponent either. I was looking for a vine-like emblem on her arm but I couldn't find anything. We were the third fight of the day. I only had a few hours until it would be my turn.
The king states a few words about how honored we should be, but I block him out. His words are meaningless to me. After a few minutes of the king and queen gazing at this years Champions, he dismissed us. One by one they all left. I turned to leave but the cold hand of someone grabbed onto my wrist tightly. I turned, expecting the kingling but the hand felt too small, too petite to be his. I looked up into the shimmering honey-brown eyes of the queen.
"You have to fight. Fight, and never look back," she whispered to me. Her face was etched with something I couldn't quite place. Then her face went back to the cold stoned face that was there while she sat atop her throne. She turned around and slowly walked back to her throne.
I nodded to her as she turned around again and dramatically took her seat. She nodded to me and I turned around. Before I fully left the room I heard the king talk.
"What did you tell that Champion? Did you give her some advice? Is she weak?" the king asked, bantering.
The queen simply laughed to herself, "Be careful of that girl, there's a fire burning behind her eyes. She will make kingdoms fall - and monsters wish they'd never been born" she said with a smile that proved she had seen war and won.
I smiled to myself and left the room for good. I had a war to win.
words wars;
anything that is posted after this post is for the word wars. everything will be a bit jumbled but here it is :)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
SPILL NO TEA - ASHLEY:
Appearance - Ashley is known to have light brown eyes with golden flecks that echoes her sweet personality. Darker chestnut hair sits atop her head. Streaks of a lighter brown, more of a golden or honey brown, fall through her hair when the sunlight shines through them. Three gem likes piercings reside on each ear. Small scars are etched into her skin from many hours at the boxing gym. Most have faded to a lighter version of her olive skin. The few that are more prominent are located at her wrists from years ago. Ashley is known to be a very active girl.
Personality - Being one of Asher's friends is a hard task, because of this, this libra woman is extremely diplomatic. Meaning- she is a natural peacemaker. She is a social butterfly and really indecisive, especially when it comes to what she is going to wear for the day. She is charming and well-balanced, making her seem like the best girlfriend for Asher. She is the queen of compromise, and they like making peace between others. Ashly is witty, smart, and an excellent conversationalist.
History - Growing up in a big family has never been easy for the seventeen-year-old, but she has to say she does love her family. Ashly lives life with an out-going and adventurous look. Ashley has 3 older sisters, a younger brother, and a younger sister. If she has taken anything out of being a middle child, it's that you can always count on family to be there for you. Ashely lives in a Christain home. With that, they all believe in honesty and trust. Being a middle child is tough and most days she didn't trust her family but now after becoming a high schooler and experiencing some of life, she has grown to trust those around her.
Later in the story of Spill No Tea, Ashely enters the picture. She is what most boys think of perfect but she really only has eyes for one boy, and that's Asher Farris. She is the new girl in town and everyone says they always stir up trouble, but no one really knows what will happen with Ashely walking into the picture. Maybe a small relationship with Asher and a good friend relationship with Olivia? Will she bring Asher and Olivia together? Or draw them apart?
