Update

I thought that I would give an update in regards to my last post, which was an assignment for the class I'm taking. I got the grading back for it and my instructor really liked it! I was nervous about it but apparently I did a good job and I was told that the story was "briskly paced, with few wasted words" and that the dialogue "is sharp." So, that took my morning from being horrible to awesome.
Anyway, thanks for listening to (reading?) my happy rant. I hope your Tuesday is going as well as mine is.

Betrayal

As I said in my first post, I'm taking a creative writing course. The second assignment was to write a short story and this is the one I wrote. I don't think it's my best work, but I was pretty pleased with it. It is in no way biographical or anything, the characters are made up and not based off anyone I know in real life.
Happy reading!

I can’t believe this is happening. I stare into Reagan’s eyes and hope my face is calm. This is all my fault. If only I hadn’t asked her to take that class . . .

“I don’t even like music history, Claire. Why did I let you talk me into this?” Reagan is whining but I ignore her. I don’t tell her how much I hated the karate and foreign languages and chemistry she begged me to take with her; it’s not worth the fight.

“It’ll be an easy A.” I assure her as we head into the classroom. She stops to chat with a friend and I make my way to a table with two seats. It’s right under the window, which helps me stay awake.
Reagan will be talking until the professor arrives, so I look around. I don’t recognize most of the other students but there is one familiar face.
                                                                                                                              
Andres Rafael Rodriguez.

I think I love that boy.

“Hola.”  He smiles his nerdy smile and walks over. “I did not know you were taking this class, Claire.”

I always get tongue-tied when he talks to me. It’s a mix of his amazing accent and dark eyes and that awkward smile.

“Um, yeah. I thought it would be fun. And it’s required for my major.”

The professor walks in, preventing further talk, but I grin like an idiot for the rest of the class period.
I tell my mom that night. We know Andres and his family from when I was in grade school and Mom thinks he’s amazing. So she just smiles and nods and gives me my cookies.

The next day, Reagan and I have plans to go out for coffee after class. I get to the coffee shop before Reagan - as usual - and secure our favorite corner table. She’s ten minutes late and by the time she has her coffee, I’m half-done with my tea.

She takes her time getting her coffee, flirting with the barista, checking her reflection in the window, before finally heading over and dropping into her seat.

“Claire, I think I’m in love.” she begins dramatically. That’s how she always starts a talk about a guy. I just wait patiently. “He’s gorgeous. Dark hair, skinny, he sings . . . He’s just perfect.” Which means, of course, that he’s perfect for her.

“Well, who is it?”

“Andres.”

I freeze the smile on my face and try to breathe normally. She can’t have said that. It’s not possible.

“Andres Rodriguez?” I question. I think my voice sounds normal. I hope it does.

“Of course. Don’t you think he’s perfect?” I hear an edge to her voice that means I better agree with her. She can probably tell something is wrong so I nod quickly.

I do think he’s perfect.

“And we would look so good together.” she says dreamily. “Much better than, well . . .” she hesitates but I know she’s thinking of me. “He needs someone athletic to go with him.”

I don’t pay attention the rest of the night. I manage to get home safely and head straight to my room. Once there, I finally let myself think.

Reagan doesn’t know Andres. She doesn’t know how much he loves Star Wars and the original Star Trek. She doesn’t know about how his sister Maria was nearly killed in a car accident or how he loves him mom’s tamales.

Reagan sees his gorgeous eyes and nerdy smile. She loves his tall build and his thick hair. She just wants a boy to claim until the next cuter one comes along.

I cry myself to sleep that night.

The next morning I go to school without Reagan. I find my seat in Music History and stare out the window. She’ll come in and go talk to him and somehow they’ll be on a date tonight and then together tomorrow. Then, in a few weeks or months, she’ll find a new boyfriend, the captain of the football team, or the smart guy in Physics, and Andres will be left with a broken heart while Reagan just goes on with life.

“Buenas dias, Claire.” I look up and see Andres standing in front of me, smiling in that nerdy way.

My heart flutters and it takes me a minute to remember how to talk. “Uh, hi.” There’s an awkward silence that I rush to fill. “What did you think of the homework? It took me forever to find all those definitions and then I couldn’t find any composers and-”

He puts up a hand to cut me off and my face heats up. Grinning, he perches on the edge of my table.
“The dollar theater near my house is putting on a Star Wars marathon. I thought maybe you would like to come with me. We can get tamales afterwards.”

The door flies open and I look up as Reagan walks in. Her eyes light up when she sees Andres. On the way over, Reagan is stopped by another friend, giving me a minute to answer.

I can’t do this to Reagan, my best friend. I mean, she’d just told me last night that she really liked this guy and a date - ‘cause this is obviously a date - a date will betray that confidence. And then I think of what my mom has told me, about not letting Reagan run my life. And I remember Reagan’s smirk as she tells me how perfect she is for Andres.

But he’s here asking me on a date. Not Reagan. I like him too and not just for his dark eyes and accent.
I look over at Reagan, chatting with Macy, and catch a fragment.
“Claire . . . Not a chance. Look at her.” And Reagan laughs. That settles it. I’m going to start making my own decisions.

I turn to Andres.

“I’d love to go with you.”

Home

I came up with the basic idea for this story about a year ago, I think, but I didn't have the characters or the setting to write it. Once I figured out who the story was about and where it took place, I wrote it. It's set in the Avalon Chain, on one of the smaller islands. I've done some basic editing on it, but not very much.
Happy Reading!

            Home.
            Miryam strained forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the guild house . She was one of the few Mages to be born in a guild - both her parents were Mages as well - and she had spent her entire life at the main guild on Lapsi.
            A sharp pain on the back of her head made her whimper.
            “You remember my instructions?” her master twisted his hand in her hair painfully as she nodded. “If you are seen, you will be punished. Severely.”
            “Yes, Master.” when he let go, she staggered away, gently rubbing her head. She took a seat and avoided looking at the crew members manning the transport.
            It was another fifteen minutes until they arrived at the guild house. Tenley stared down at her before he swept off. The crew members disembarked noisily, eager to visit friends and get a drink before the trip back to the capital. Miri couldn’t move though. Three years was a long time to be gone.
            After maybe ten minutes, she finally stood and made her way off the transport. They were just inside the guild property, on a large field. The path led up to the main building and she followed it as far as the garden. She couldn’t bring herself to go inside the guild house, not when she was supposed to be hidden from everyone. Miri had trained as an Ambassador but she always loved the gardens. She worked in the herb garden, weeding it and such. The Healers always appreciated the help. That was her destination now. 
            Her master would be occupied for at least an hour; he was giving his report on the most recent goblin attack and then the Council would likely ask about her progress. If she were lucky, maybe he’d say she was ready for her trials. And once she passed her trials, she could come home again and find Aidan and make sure that Tenley never took another apprentice.
            She knelt down in the herb garden and sighed softly. It was so peaceful here. She could hear everyone who walked by and it was good to remember voices. The path to the main garden led right past the herb garden and she found a seat where no one could see her, but she could see everyone as they walked by.
            “I don’t see how I’ll make it, Master.”
            “Aidan, trust me, you’ll do fine.” there was a slight chuckle and Miri pulled back slightly. The movement caught Aidan’s eye and he froze.
            “Aidan? What-”
            Barely in time, Miri pulled the elements together in the intricate form for the disguise spell her master taught her. The air shimmered slightly as Aidan stepped into the herb garden.
            “Aidan, what’s going on?” Steven, Aidan’s master, was right after him, frowning.
            “I thought . . . Miri . . .” Aidan covered his face with his hands. “I thought I saw her. Really saw her.”
            Steven’s gaze swept the garden, his eyes hardening. “Aidan, if she really loved you, she’d have contacted you.”
            Miryam nearly spoke up at that but she couldn’t risk her master’s wrath so she kept herself quiet. If he only knew . . .
            “No. There’s something wrong.” Aidan glared at the ground and kicked at a rock. “She did try to contact me and she was terrified of something. I’m going to find her as soon as I pass my tests.”
            Steven glanced around the garden again, his eyes narrowed slightly but he followed his apprentice out without a word.
            Once they were gone, Miri sank to the ground and fought back tears. When she was fifteen, her master had died and she’d returned to the guild house. Not a  week after that, Tenley came to her room and told her to pack her things. They left before noon and she’d never been allowed back. He didn’t even let her contact her family. The one time she’d tried, he’d punished her. She still had a scar on her arm from that beating. And now she only had a year, at the most, until she was free. If she could just wait it out and then explain to Aidan . . . He was a Pixie though, and Pixies were very loyal so she had a pretty good chance at winning him back.
            “I hope you have a good reason for breaking Aidan’s heart.”
            Miri jerked up and found herself staring into Steven’s cold gray eyes. He was standing in the entrance to the garden, arms crossed over his chest. She shrank away from his gaze for a minute before tossing her head. He had no idea what she was living through.
            “Trust me, Master Steven, it is most certainly not my choice.” She stared back at him evenly. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go.” She tried to push past him but Steven grabbed her arm.
            “Oh no you don’t.” He pushed her back. “You will tell me what’s going on.”
            He couldn’t know how tempting that was. To tell someone - someone with authority, someone who could change the situation - that was the perfect solution. No one would let Tenley continue with his treatment of her and she could come home again.
            Too bad it was impossible.
            “I can’t.” she looked down, plucking at her tunic. Those were the only words she could squeeze past the block on her throat. “I - I . . . can’t.”
            There was a long pause and Miri looked up nervously. Steven still had his arms folded across his chest but his eyes were speculative now, not angry. “You can’t tell me. Miryam, can you tell the Grand Master?”
            “No. I can’t tell anyone what -” she choked to a stop and squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t tell anyone.”
            She saw a hand coming toward her and instinctively knocked it away, scrambling back a few steps before she looked up. Steven was staring at her again.
            “Miryam, you have to tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if you won’t tell me. Unless . . .” he stopped, his eyes widening. “Don’t move. I won’t hurt you.” He gently tipped her head to the side; there was no way he could miss the black eye. She covered it up pretty well but it was still apparent to someone who knew what to look for. “Did he do that?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Closing his eyes, he focused on the elements and Miri could feel the familiar tingling warmth of Spirit rushing through her. “Stars above . . .” Steven jerked back, looking angry again but Miri knew he wasn’t angry at her. “Stay here.” he ordered before running from the garden.
            She sat on the ground again, anxiously braiding a strand of hair. He couldn’t have missed the Compulsion either. Any apprentice would have seen it, had he done the probing. She squelched the seed of hope that was forming because Tenley could most likely worm his way out of this but maybe . . . Just maybe she’d be allowed home again.
            When Steven returned, the Grand Master accompanied. He was an older man, with gray hair and faded blue eyes. He had a gentle face and a tall, lean body and at the moment, he was frowning. “Steven, what is going on?”
            “Please, Master, just do the probe. I need you to verify my suspicions.” Steven had calmed down by now and his gray eyes were intense. The Grand Master shook his head and turned to Miri.
            “If I may, child.” he put a hand on her head and closed her eyes. Once again, she felt the Spirit probe and shivered. “Is that a Compulsion?” The tired blue eyes widened in shock. “On an Apprentice?”
            She couldn’t even nod and that proved it. The Grand Master narrowed his eyes and put his hand on her head again, this time to remove the Compulsion. “Tell me what he’s been doing to you.”
            “He’s been . . . He hit me, Grand Master. My eye . . .and . . .” she pushed her sleeve up, revealing the ugly bruise on her arm. She couldn’t show them her back, that would be improper, but Tenley had used a whip on her once and it left nasty scars. “He wouldn’t let me contact anyone, not even my parents. And he put the Compulsion on me so I couldn’t tell anyone about his methods.” She gasped in relief. It was wonderful to tell someone. “Please don’t make me go back.”
            “Of course not, child.” the Grand Master gently squeezed her unhurt arm and turned to Steven. “We must detain Tenley until the child can give an official record and we can confront him.”
            “Oh, allow me.” Steven smiled grimly. “No one should treat an apprentice like that. I’ll be more than happy to spar him and teach him a lesson.”
            The men walked back toward the guild house and Miri trailed after them, hardly able to breathe. She could see her parents . . . Aidan . . .
            “What did I tell you?” Tenley’s furious voice cut into her thoughts and something yanked her backwards by her wrist. She tried to pull free but Tenley tightened his grip and knocked her to the ground. “You will regret this when we return.”
            “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please . . . Let me go . . . You’re hurting me . . .” she whimpered, struggling back to her knees. Tenley backhanded her, knocking her down again.
            “Release the child. Now.” the Grand Master walked up. His eyes were blazing and instead of the kindly man he’d seemed in the garden, he was a stern master. “You have no right to treat her that way.”
            “She is my apprentice, Master. I treat her as I see fit.” Tenley tightened the thread of air on her wrist and there was a sharp, nauseating pain in her arm. Her wrist was broken. She froze, cradling her arm against her chest.
            She missed the next part, hearing only a loud thud and looked up to see Steven on top of Tenley, pummeling his face. The Grand Master coughed softly and Steven reluctantly stood.
            “Take him to the guardhouse, Steven. Do not harm him any further.” the Grand Master eyed Steven sternly. The two men disappeared and Miri tried to stand only to sink back to the ground.
            “I can’t . . . ugh . . .” she closed her eyes. She was going to throw up her breakfast in front of the Grand Master.
            “Here, child, I -”
            “Let me.” A gentle hand took Miri’s arm and she opened her eyes. Aidan was crouched beside her. He helped her stand and wrapped an arm around her. “I’ll take care of her, Grand Master.”
            She thought the Grand Master laughed, but she wasn’t sure. “Aidan . . . I’m sorry. He didn’t let me . . . I couldn’t . . .”
            “Shh. It doesn’t matter.” Aidan kissed her forehead. “I’m taking you to the Healer’s Wing and we’ll get you fixed right up. We can talk after that.” he smiled at her. “Welcome home.”

Untitled Part 2

This is the second part of my story. Don't worry; it's shorter than Part 1.
Happy reading!

Elyssa was lying on her side facing the wall when Justin came in. She would recognize his footsteps anywhere. He had a light tread, much lighter than most humans, and a quick step.
Everything would be so much easier if he would just leave. She loved him, but at some point, he’d be gone and if she could get him to leave how, before she got more tangled up with him, it’d be so much easier. On both of them.
He sat down in the chair next to her bed but she didn’t move. She was pretending to be asleep and it fooled everyone else . . .
“Woman, I’m not stupid. I know you’re awake.” She smiled despite her irritation. She loved hearing him call her that. She loved everything about him That was why she had to do this. A clean break would be easiest on him, at least.
She sat up, composing her face into a cool mask. “I didn’t think you would come.” She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t watch his heart break.
“Don’t lie, woman. You knew I was coming.”
How could he see through her like that?
“You smiled at me. You knew I would come for you. What is this about, Elyssa?” He gripped her chin and turned her to face him. His eyes were fierce, angry. It was always a bad sign when he used her name. He was glaring at her and she nearly relented. But that would just delay the pain so she glared back at him.
“This will never work, Justin.” It would probably be better just to be honest. Then he would see the truth and it would be over. “I’ve seen it time after time. We’re too different.”
He was shocked. He was also frustrated. That wasn’t anything new. He was frustrated with her half the time anyway. Why would it be any different now?
“What do you mean, Elyssa? I love you and you love me. Why won’t it work?”
She hesitated and nearly gave up. But he had to understand. In her three hundred years of life, she’d seen a relationship between an Elf and human last maybe five times.
“Try to see it realistically, Justin. I’m nearly three hundred years old and I’ve looked like this since I was twenty. In twenty years, you’ll be going gray and wrinkled and I’ll look the same as I do right now. In almost every relationship I’ve seen, that leads to resentment, jealousy. It isn’t fair on your part to have to live with the knowledge that I’m young forever.”
He was shaking his head before she was finished. “I don’t care, Elyssa. I love you. I always will love you. Why should I be jealous of the gift the Creator has given you?” He paused, obviously thinking deeply. His eyes grew intense and he leaned forward. “I think that you’re the one the Creator made for me. I don’t care that you’ll never age.”
That shook her because he meant it. Maybe this relationship would have a chance if that were the only problem.
“Justin, our people are too different. Humans are so changeable, distractible. Among my people, marriage -- love is for life. It only ends when one partner dies. Humans have a completely different viewpoint. Relationships are changed as often as clothes.”
He grabbed her arms tightly. Too tightly. It hurt but she forgot that when she saw the look in his eyes. So intense, so fierce. So loving.
“I am not like that. I won’t change. Not on this. Not about you.”
To her horror, she could feel tears in her eyes. Elyssa never cried. She could kill goblins and men without batting an eye but Justin’s words had her reduced to a sobbing mess.
He really meant it. He really loved her and he didn’t care that she would be young and beautiful when he was old and devastated by time. He wasn’t going to run after the next new woman to walk onto base.
“Don’t cry, Elyssa.” He was distressed. He hated crying women; he’d told her that months ago. The bed shifted and creaked as he sat down next to her. “Why are you crying, woman?”
“I didn’t know.” she gasped softly and rubbed at her eyes. She would not cry. “I didn’t know you’d come. I was afraid you wouldn’t and that would have been worse. I love you so much, Justin. You don’t understand.”
Apparently he understood, for all that her words were mangled by sobs. He cradled her against his chest, tightly and possessively but gently.
“I’ll always come for you, woman. Don’t you see? I love you.”
He continued to hold her until she stopped crying, and even after she stopped. He rubbed her back and murmured nonsense words into her ear and she thought that this would work out after all.

Untitled Part 1

This story is set in a world of my own making. I've got quite a bit of the history in my head already, along with some of the culture and such. This is in the middle of a short story for the world but it's a part you can read without needing the whole story. I don't have a title for it yet.
Happy Reading!

“We should have heard from her by now.”
At Markus’s words, Justin stopped his pacing to stare at the commander. One hand clenched into a fist as he thought of the possibilities. Broken radio, wounded too badly to continue, in hiding . . .
Elyssa . . .
“It doesn’t mean anything, Justin.” Markus grabbed Justin’s arm and shook him. “She could have been delayed.”
“Or she could be dead.” Luc muttered from his seat at the radio control. “You shouldn’t --”
“You should shut up and get out of here.” Markus’s voice was soft, a sure sign that he was angry. Luc was up and out in moments; he had been on the receiving end of Markus’s wrath many times. “Justin, I’m sending you after her.” Risky move, considering Elyssa and Justin’s relationship; not something that Markus usually did, send partners after each other. It could interfere with the mission. “Take one of the bikes and find her. If she’s not hurt, let her finish the mission. If she is, take her to the old outpost and I’ll send a transport for you. Lili will have an emergency pack ready.”
“Yes, sir.” Justin saluted quickly and ran from the room. It wouldn’t take long to throw together a pack and med-packs were on any form of transportation here. He was in cold weather gear already, just had to grab a jacket and he was ready.
Lili was at the hangar door. “Another cold suit and basic supplies but there’s not room for another jacket. Be careful.” She squeezed his arm as he left.
The packs barely fit into the bike’s storage compartment; it was crammed with extra blankets and other supplies for the ever-present threat of hypothermia. Justin jumped on the bike and started it in the same motion. He sped from the hangar, barely missing a scout coming in to report.
Outside was frigid. The station was far enough north that it never got about sixty degrees out. Luckily Justin’s troop would be leaving in another month or two. No one was stationed there for more than six months at a time. The base was necessary though to protect the northern boundary of the Empire. The natives were always pushing to get in and the Empire wanted them kept out. Besides, there was a large, productive silver mine not too far from the base and it needed to be protected.
It had snowed. Elyssa had set out that morning and any tracks she’d made were gone by now. But she had been setting out for the abandoned base as a half-way point so he’d head in that direction. The forest loomed ahead, ominous in the half-light. The trees were bare and skeletal, stretching up toward the sky like bony fingers.
The first clue came halfway into the forest. A dead goblin was sprawled on the ground with Elyssa’s best throwing knife sticking out of it. Quick kill and she was running. She’d never leave that knife. It was one of a pair, a gift from her father when she left the Elf holt. Bad sign. A mile farther in, he found a dead native. There were signs of a scuffle here; it was more recent than the goblin because there were signs of a scuffle. This had occurred after the snow stopped falling. The native had a sword in his hands, bloodstains on the blade. She was hurt. Elyssa was out in the cold, bleeding.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Close to the edge of the forest, he found more signs of a fight and another dead native. Elyssa’s jacket lay half-buried beneath the snow, torn and bloodstained. He swore under his breath. There were tracks -- Elyssa’s -- veering off to the right and he could make out goblin prints following them. But Elyssa was clever and she was an Elf. Her tracks disappeared a short way away but the goblin’s continued on the same path. If he knew his girl . . .
“Clever, woman.” Climbed a tree, used the trees to get past the scene of the fight and head left. Goblins wouldn’t have the imagination to check the trees. And if he was right, there was a cave ahead, a small cave formed by a hollowed out boulder. Big enough for an Elf woman.
He jumped back on the bike and followed Elyssa’s trail left. Too far for comfort. If she was wounded and had no jacket . . . How long could she last out here?
AF\fter an eternity, the cave appeared ahead and he thought he could make out a figure.
“Elyssa!” He braked abruptly and flung himself off the bike. He floundered in the snow, past his knees here, until he was kneeling beside her.
Too pale, shivering violently, bluish tinge in her lips . . . Hypothermia. She was still alive.
Clothes were soaking wet; he’d have to get her out of them at the outpost. Some mild wounds, mostly on her arms but there was a deeper cut on her right shoulder, probably requiring stitches. He jerked his jacket off and carefully wrapped it around her. That would have to do for now.
“Elyssa, I’ve got you.” He carefully picked her up, trying not to jostle her. As he did, her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him blankly, blinked, then her eyes focused. A hint of a smile appeared on her face but the next minute, she was out again.
Somehow, he got her on the bike in front of him, cradling her carefully. Lucky she’s an Elf and weighs next to nothing. It was awkward, supporting her and directing the bike but he could manage the last two miles to the outpost.
He pushed the bike as hard as he could, torn between not tossing her around and the need to get to shelter fast. The outpost wasn’t large -- it had been built for four, maybe five people -- and the heating was old but it would be adequate until the transport arrived.
“Elyssa?” No response. He held her up with one hand and fumbled with the storage compartment with the other. He managed to open it and yank out a blanket, which he spread on the floor and carefully laid Elyssa on.
First thing, contact the base. The transport was ready and would be there soon. Next, first aid for Elyssa. He had to cut off her wet things before he could patch her up. Hopefully it would hold for a healer. Luckily her thermal suit was still dry. He supposed she’d be warm enough with that and his jacket and the blankets so he just cocooned her up and settle back to wait.
Maybe half an hour later, the transport arrived. Lili came running off it, her eyes intense already.
“Sent the best, eh?” he nudged her and she nodded absently. Her movements were sure as she examined the wounds and did her other healer magic.
“She’ll recover without a problem. Good work, Justin. Bring her aboard. Gentle!” she glared at him as he carried Elyssa onto the transport. One of the other soldiers was directed to get his bike as he took Elyssa to the medbay. “Go get warm. She needs to rest. I’ll let you know when you can see here.”
He paced the transport, unable to sit still. It kept him warm and that was what the healer ordered. Besides, that was the love of his life laying there and he couldn’t help her. Sure, Lili claimed Elyssa would recover but there were no guarantees. And Elyssa was pulling back. He knew that. He didn’t know why.
Hadn’t he told her he loved her?
“What is wrong with you, woman?” He ran his hands through his hair anxiously. He had to know. Had to set her straight.
Back at the base, he had to watch as Elyssa was once again taken to the medbay. Lili stared him down until he turned to his quarters. He knew he’d be kept away while Elyssa was recovering.
“Just wait, woman. I’ll get you soon enough.”

Mightier than the Sword

The pen is mightier than the sword, so they say. That was the inspiration for my blog title.

I'm a college student taking a creative writing course. The feedback from what I've written for my friends has been pretty good and I wanted a chance to let others read it too, in a way that I feel is rather nonthreatening. I'm sure this is common, but I'm a bit protective of my work. Unless I know I'm writing something for other people to read, I hate letting anyone see my work. I'm hoping that doing it this way will help. The first story should be coming up soon.