One More Chapter
A twenty two year-old's view on life, death,
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
1/17/2014 1 Comment Book Club #1Ok, no judging! But here is a small sample of a story I am currently working on. I wrote the first thirty pages two years ago and I am currently going back trying to turn it into something workable in hopes of finishing it. For now here is a small excerpt from chapter one, enjoy. We were still lingering by the car when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Charlotte Baudin!" I spun around to see Celeste Sauveterre looking more than a little upset. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" I felt heat spread across my face with embarrassment. Celeste had been my mentor since I arrived at Etham Woods and I truly respected her. I felt awful when she was upset with me, which she appeared to be currently. "I'm sorry Celeste. We just returned from town." I tried to sound confident but my voice came out a bit shaky. Her usually flawless appearance was disheveled. Her hair was askew with pieces flying every which way, the hem of her shirt was a bit too loose from constant pulling (a bad habit she picked up whenever she became stressed) and her mascara had begun to rub off underneath her eye as though she had been rubbing it. Even though she was only in her late twenties, she looked well beyond her years at the moment. I'd never seen her this frazzled before. "I wasn't aware that they –" "Never mind, there's no time to fret over it." She cut me off, regaining her composure. "We need to get you to the main offices immediately." "Can I ask why?" I said. Celeste paused for a moment to take a breath, then took off her glasses and looked me straight in the eye. "A girl has been taken in. Her name is Jessica Adlard. She is confused and scared and she needs her mentor." "Well of course," I said, remembering how frightened I was when I was brought in. "But why isn't she with her mentor? How long has she been here?" "She's been here almost three hours. And the reason she isn’t with her mentor is because her mentor is you, Charlotte." I stopped in my tracks. "What?!" I practically shouted at her. I turned my head to Lucy and Mar I saw that their faces reflected how I was feeling. I turned back to Celeste forcing myself to shut my mouth, which had dropped open and found my voice again, but Lucy beat me to it. "But Charlie's only seventeen. She's still in school!" "I am well aware of this." Celeste said calmly. "Now there’s no time to just stand here, we must walk and talk. Jessica needs her mentor, and she needs her now." Then Celeste turned on her heel and walked off. I took a few quick steps to fall into place next to her, signaling Mar and Lucy to follow behind. "Celeste, I'm afraid I don't understand. I mean, this doesn't make any sense. Mentors are adults, at the least they’ve graduated high school." "I know it's strange, but you have impressed the council and they want to give you more responsibilities to see how you handle them. They have high expectations of you, you know." I could hear my two friends whispering behind us and shot them a stern look. "But I don't know the first thing about being a mentor, and how can I be there for her and attend my classes? I have so many questions, Celeste, I don't even know where to begin." She raised her hand and made a soothing sound as if I were a dog that had gotten too excited. "Don't worry, Charlotte, I have complete confidence in you. Just remember how you felt when you were first brought here and tell her what you would've wanted to hear. And as for your schooling, don't worry about that. We have spoken with all your professors and they have given you permission to leave any of your classes when ever your mentoring responsibilities require you to. I am quite sure that you will have no trouble catching up with the work you miss. And I’ll be here for anything that you might need help with." "This all is just so strange…"I couldn't do anything but stare at the ground as we walked. It just seemed so unreal. Mentors weren't seventeen-year-old girls, they were respected adults. Ones who knew what they were talking about and could help you through anything. Celeste had been a wonderful mentor to me and assured that I always did the best I could do. "I know it's a lot to take in, Charlotte." She stopped suddenly as we came to the doors of the main offices, Mar almost ran right into me. Instead of going inside Celeste turned to me, Lucy and Mar. "But there is more that you need to know." I felt my heart beat quicken, how could there be more? This is already too much for me to handle. "Our men didn't bring in Jessica." She said, pausing as if she was waiting for my response. I didn't know what to say. It didn't make any sense. When a person changed it was always one of us who went out to collect that person. "Then who did?" Said Mar, in my silence. Celeste gave her a look, making it clear that she was not part of the conversation. Then turned back to me. "Her brother, or rather her half-brother. His name is Elijah, he was with her when she began to change and he found us, not the other way around." "But how did he know to come to us, and where we were? That doesn't make any sense." We haven't been discovered by a human in years, and when it happened then we'd simply erased their memory and sent them on their way. "He isn't human, Charlotte." When she spoke I thought I caught a bit of fright in her voice. "So he's one of us? Why doesn't he live here in Etham Woods?" There were so many questions bubbling up in my mind. "Because he isn't one of us…he's one of them." Answered Lucy. As she spoke I felt my stomach drop and I knew she was right. Celeste nodded to her, confirming her assumption and I heard Mar and Lucy return to their quiet conversing once again. "Oh my god." I whispered with a shaky voice. "I know it's hard to believe, but he was actually trying to help his sister, he told us he meant no harm and that he was only there to help Jessica. He put up no fight, Charlotte!" Celeste began to lose her collectiveness and her face started to flush. "He went willingly to the penitentiary and the only thing he said when we put him in the cell was 'make sure Jessica is alright'." I felt like my body was numb. I could feel nothing except Celeste's words sinking into my brain. "This has never happened before; the enemy helping one of us, and being too compliant. Do you know what this means?" she continued. "I know how you feel. This is hard for all of us, and to put you in the middle of it doesn't seem fair. But this is what the council wishes and I cannot argue against the decision of the council. Now I must leave you, but before I go you must remember that the boy is Jessica's brother. She will want to see him but we cannot take that risk until he is brought in front of the council." "I understand." I said. "As your mentor I feel I have trained you well for this, and I know you will be an excellent mentor for this young girl. But remember that I am your mentor and will be here for anything you need." She forced a smile and gripped my shoulder for a moment, then pulled me into a firm hug. "I have faith in you" she whispered. Then she stepped back, gave me a quick nod and left. I turned back to Mar and Lucy, both were wide eyed and pale faced. After a moment Lucy regained the ability to move and reached out for my hand. "Don't worry, Charlie." She said "If anyone's fit for this job, you are. And we'll be with you every step of the way." She squeezed my hand and gave a little smile. I squeezed back but couldn't quite make myself smile. "Yeah," said Mar. "You've got us always." I never loved them more than I did at this moment. I looked at my two best friends, allowing only one tear to escape my eye. Then I turned to the double doors of the main office and took a deep breath.
1 Comment
Frankie
1/24/2014 08:36:01 am
Awesome story I love reading and writing but also u remind me of my friend Emily she would love u
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About This Blog:I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to write more over the 2014 year, but it has blossomed into so much more than that. I use it to let people in on what's happening in my life, talk about things I find important and to spread the news about amazing people, places and art. Archives
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