Chapter Two
The day dragged on with no sign of the Selectors. Sarah kept glancing towards the door and finally Mrs Van Wheel noticed, “Sarah do you wish to leave my class, so much? Kindly pay attention to class, or you can walk out right now and head to the office!” Sarah looked down at her desk cringing, wondering why it always seemed to be her that Mrs Van Wheel picked on. As she looked up again, she saw six figures enter the classroom. Mrs Van Wheel immediately stood up and welcomed them.
The Selectors had arrived. They all settled themselves in front of the now silent, nervous class and indicated that the lesson should continue as normal; as if that was going to happen thought Sarah. The class was so silent, so well behaved, it felt weird. Everyone put their hand up trying to answer the questions; everyone appeared to be attempting to make a good impression. Sarah wondered whether it was even worth her trying; Mrs Van Wheel never chose her to answer when she put up her hand. So she followed her normal course of action and sat quietly observing, even though she knew all of the answers.
The tallest, most handsome of all the selectors stood up and introduced himself. “My name is Henry Diamond. I represent the entertainment guild and I would like to speak to the following people: Amy-Lee, Jarrard, Kitten, Angelina and James. Would you please all follow me?” Amy-Lee was the first out of her seat, flicking her long hair over her shoulder and strolling down between the rows of desks. Of course she would be chosen Sarah though bitterly, now she will be insufferable. The group left the classroom and everyone held their breath, looking anxiously at the five remaining selectors.
A beefy, stocky woman stood up, “I am Germaine, Special Forces guild: I want to speak to Estebelle, Edward, John, Susan and Richard, follow me, no talking, so move it!” There was an immediate bustle and the group hurried out of the classroom, even the usually confident Estebelle looked a little shaken. This left just 14 students in the classroom, 14 nervous and worried students. The conference between the Selectors seemed to take forever, until the willowy grey-haired Selector stood and introduced herself in a gentle whisper. “I am Serena, I am from the healing guild, I wish to interview; Joan, Margaret, Mary, Sam and …” Sarah held her breath, it had to be her, please let this lovely lady call her name. “… and I think that will be all.” The group followed her out of the room.
Sarah sat stunned as another Selector stood up and selected another group; she thought she heard she was from the Artist’s guild and then a couple more for the Developer’s guild. She didn’t even notice that she was the last person in the room. Her hair covered her face and she stared at her desk. A light tap on her shoulder made her jump and she looked up into the greenest eyes she had ever seen; green serious eyes that appeared to be able to read her thoughts. She looked away quickly and only then noticed that she was the only person still left in the room. Looking back she tried to speak and shut her mouth on her words as the Selector began: “Sarah, you are special. Sarah you are different and until now this has been your curse, now it will be your gift. We have left you alone to suffer, we have left you alone to grow and learn. Through your life and experiences you have learnt empathy, you have learnt fear and compassion, all these things are necessary for what you will become. We have been watching you for some years now and all of us agree; that you are the only one of your class that is worthy of selection into the Creator’s guild. In fact you are the only one who has been selected over the last four years.”
Sarah sat listening but not really hearing, she had never heard of the Creator’s guild. What were they, what did they do? All these questions followed so quickly one after the other that she felt quite dizzy.
“Sarah, my name is Melissa and you must come with me now, we are going to meet with your parent’s so that we can explain what will happen next. The rest of the class will be returning soon and you mustn’t be here. As far as they are concerned, they will be told that you were not selected. You will not have any contact with them anymore. They will continue to think of you as ‘Sarah the plain, Sarah the pain’ and live their lives feeling just a little better about themselves, knowing that at least they were better than you. But, Sarah you will soon learn just how wrong they are. Come along child, I know this is a big shock to you.”
“But, I want to be a healer, I want to join Serena’s group. I love animals, I can hear what they think, they like me.” Sarah realised that she had just given away her secret and shut her mouth quickly.
Melissa just smiled. “No Sarah, you have not given away your secret, I too can hear animals and even thoughts of people if I try really hard. That is why it has been so hard for you, you too can hear people’s thoughts, you have always known what they are thinking and that is why you have felt different. It is not a curse, it is a gift. Now come along, all your questions will be answered soon enough.
Mrs Van Wheel did not even notice Sarah as she stood up; she was marking papers and seemed oblivious of the sixth Selector. Sarah picked up her bag, her school hat and followed out of the door. People milled around the corridors, parting for Melissa, seemingly unaware that she was walking past them. Sarah thought, she is as invisible as I am.
Estebelle surrounded by her group of friends was crowing, “Of course I knew I would be selected, I have been training for years.” She looked up at Sarah, seeing her for a brief moment her thoughts suddenly visible on her face – I wonder what happened to Sarah? Then as if a fly had landed on her nose she brushed them off and continued chatting away. Sarah walked by, saddened that her best friend hadn’t even been able to hold a thought of her longer than a second. Gladdened however, that she had even crossed her mind, and so she smiled at Estebelle and for that microsecond Estebelle smiled back.
Melissa observed the exchanged from under her hood; this one has amazing talent she thought; now we just need to get her off-planet and safe before anything can happen.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Creators
Chapter One.
Sarah sat quietly at the front of the classroom; her glasses perched on the edge of her nose. Her skin pale with the blossom of summer freckles. As always her eyes held a far away look as she wished she was somewhere else.
I hate school, I hate Mrs Van Wheel and I hate being me. I wish that I was tanned; I wish I was tall and I wish that I had dark hair.
Wishing didn’t make things come true, for if they had then Sarah would have had all these things. She had spent her whole life wishing, just wishing she fitted in. Her mother had told her how wonderful it was to be special, but she just wanted to be normal. Everyone around her was normal, she knew that, but here she was 16 years old and still looking like a ‘little girl.’
It was that stupid red hair of hers, the hair that her mother called strawberry-blonde, but everyone else called orange. Who had orange hair, who other than her stupid family. At least her brother could cut his really short and disguise its colour that way. Anyway, everyone liked her funny, smart brother, so good at sport and math and jokes and computers. What was she good at – nothing, not a thing?
She wasn’t really that bad at most things, just not brilliant. Mum and Dad thought she was an amazing musician, but she didn’t want to be an amazing musician, she just wanted to be normal to be popular, like Estebelle. Este and she had been best friends all those years back, but now Este was one of the cool kids and didn’t even glance at her as she sauntered to class, with her group. Sarah sunk lower in her chair; what was that that Mrs Van Wheel had just said:
“Now class, pay attention. As you know today the Selectors will be attending class. It is a great honour for the school that they are prepared to come in and assess you all.”
“Huh! What were Selectors?” Sarah wondered. Everyone seemed to be quite excited, what had she missed as she sat daydreaming again. She knew that no-one would answer her if she asked so she just sat and waited, hoping Mrs Van Wheel would explain a little more.
“Class, be quiet. Get out your workbooks and let’s begin. They will be here soon enough, but we still have finals to prepare for, so don’t think today is a holiday. Sarah, stop looking so vague and find your math book, you know you need to work on this area more than everyone else in this class.” The snickers of laughter brought a blush to Sarah’s pale face, no hiding it when she was upset or embarrassed.
Leaning forward, Sarah covered her face with her hair and found her math book. “I hate math, I wish it was English first up, at least I can write” she thought, sighing. The math lesson dragged on and on and on. The morning tea bell finally rang and everyone rushed out of the classroom chattering away.
“Do you know that my brother was accepted into training for the Special Forces when the Selectors came around last year?” Estebelle boasted to everyone. “He writes home every month telling us of the wonderful worlds that he has visited. Of course, our family is quite famous in the SP and I am sure that is where I will be sent.”
“I think I have a wonderful chance for acceptance into the Entertainment Sector” Amy-Lee breathed in her sultry voice. “Everyone knows how they are always looking for talent. My father has some special connections in that area of course and I have been studying for years to be ready.”
Sarah realised with a sinking heart that she hadn’t really been paying attention. Today was the day. Today was the day that her future would be decided. She wouldn’t get a say in what she could do with her life. It was all up to the Selectors. She knew that she wanted to work with animals; she had already spent most of her holidays working with the healer in her neighbourhood, working with all the beautiful creatures of her area. She loved helping soothe them, listening with her heart and soul to their words, words only she could hear. She had never told anyone about it, she knew her mother would just say it was her imagination, but she knew differently, she could imagine something and it would happen. She could make them better and their pain would ease. She had to tell the Selectors about her skill, maybe they would believe her and then she could be good at something, not just different, but really good.
Sarah sat quietly at the front of the classroom; her glasses perched on the edge of her nose. Her skin pale with the blossom of summer freckles. As always her eyes held a far away look as she wished she was somewhere else.
I hate school, I hate Mrs Van Wheel and I hate being me. I wish that I was tanned; I wish I was tall and I wish that I had dark hair.
Wishing didn’t make things come true, for if they had then Sarah would have had all these things. She had spent her whole life wishing, just wishing she fitted in. Her mother had told her how wonderful it was to be special, but she just wanted to be normal. Everyone around her was normal, she knew that, but here she was 16 years old and still looking like a ‘little girl.’
It was that stupid red hair of hers, the hair that her mother called strawberry-blonde, but everyone else called orange. Who had orange hair, who other than her stupid family. At least her brother could cut his really short and disguise its colour that way. Anyway, everyone liked her funny, smart brother, so good at sport and math and jokes and computers. What was she good at – nothing, not a thing?
She wasn’t really that bad at most things, just not brilliant. Mum and Dad thought she was an amazing musician, but she didn’t want to be an amazing musician, she just wanted to be normal to be popular, like Estebelle. Este and she had been best friends all those years back, but now Este was one of the cool kids and didn’t even glance at her as she sauntered to class, with her group. Sarah sunk lower in her chair; what was that that Mrs Van Wheel had just said:
“Now class, pay attention. As you know today the Selectors will be attending class. It is a great honour for the school that they are prepared to come in and assess you all.”
“Huh! What were Selectors?” Sarah wondered. Everyone seemed to be quite excited, what had she missed as she sat daydreaming again. She knew that no-one would answer her if she asked so she just sat and waited, hoping Mrs Van Wheel would explain a little more.
“Class, be quiet. Get out your workbooks and let’s begin. They will be here soon enough, but we still have finals to prepare for, so don’t think today is a holiday. Sarah, stop looking so vague and find your math book, you know you need to work on this area more than everyone else in this class.” The snickers of laughter brought a blush to Sarah’s pale face, no hiding it when she was upset or embarrassed.
Leaning forward, Sarah covered her face with her hair and found her math book. “I hate math, I wish it was English first up, at least I can write” she thought, sighing. The math lesson dragged on and on and on. The morning tea bell finally rang and everyone rushed out of the classroom chattering away.
“Do you know that my brother was accepted into training for the Special Forces when the Selectors came around last year?” Estebelle boasted to everyone. “He writes home every month telling us of the wonderful worlds that he has visited. Of course, our family is quite famous in the SP and I am sure that is where I will be sent.”
“I think I have a wonderful chance for acceptance into the Entertainment Sector” Amy-Lee breathed in her sultry voice. “Everyone knows how they are always looking for talent. My father has some special connections in that area of course and I have been studying for years to be ready.”
Sarah realised with a sinking heart that she hadn’t really been paying attention. Today was the day. Today was the day that her future would be decided. She wouldn’t get a say in what she could do with her life. It was all up to the Selectors. She knew that she wanted to work with animals; she had already spent most of her holidays working with the healer in her neighbourhood, working with all the beautiful creatures of her area. She loved helping soothe them, listening with her heart and soul to their words, words only she could hear. She had never told anyone about it, she knew her mother would just say it was her imagination, but she knew differently, she could imagine something and it would happen. She could make them better and their pain would ease. She had to tell the Selectors about her skill, maybe they would believe her and then she could be good at something, not just different, but really good.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Do you want to read the story chapter by chapter?
Hi everyone,
I am writing furiously every day, avearaging about 2388 words per day.
I am thinking of posting up the story chapter by chapter (undedited of course) to get your reactions, this is in response to a couple of requests. What do you think? I now have over 22 pages and twelve chapters - that is 11 944 words.
I will wait for everyone's response and then decide, if not I will post little bits and pieces as I go along to wet your appetite and then you will have to wait for the edited story.
Here is a synopsis so far:
Sarah McCandless is a young 16 year old teenager. She is ordinary, a normal girl.
A group of Selectors appear at her school and she is chosen by a Selector called Melissa, while other people have been chosen for guilds such as healing, special forces etc, she is chosen for the mysterious Creator's guild.
She leaves her family immediately and travels with a group of about 50 young people to a school in Los Angeles, where she finds out more about not only the school but also her strange gift - a talent that she shares with all the other students. A gift for writing.
Along the way she makes a new best friend Chloe, and a fantastic group of friends, Janine and James - twins and Richard and Lucas.
And then . . .
I am writing furiously every day, avearaging about 2388 words per day.
I am thinking of posting up the story chapter by chapter (undedited of course) to get your reactions, this is in response to a couple of requests. What do you think? I now have over 22 pages and twelve chapters - that is 11 944 words.
I will wait for everyone's response and then decide, if not I will post little bits and pieces as I go along to wet your appetite and then you will have to wait for the edited story.
Here is a synopsis so far:
Sarah McCandless is a young 16 year old teenager. She is ordinary, a normal girl.
A group of Selectors appear at her school and she is chosen by a Selector called Melissa, while other people have been chosen for guilds such as healing, special forces etc, she is chosen for the mysterious Creator's guild.
She leaves her family immediately and travels with a group of about 50 young people to a school in Los Angeles, where she finds out more about not only the school but also her strange gift - a talent that she shares with all the other students. A gift for writing.
Along the way she makes a new best friend Chloe, and a fantastic group of friends, Janine and James - twins and Richard and Lucas.
And then . . .
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NaNoWriMo
Story is coming along well, word count is up to 7388 words, averaging 2462 words per day, I only need 1666 so am storing up a few extra every day in case I have a bad one.
The joy of this project is that I can be as verbose (meaning wordy) as I wish. I need the extra words. The story is really flowing and at the end of the month, I might have something special.
The joy of this project is that I can be as verbose (meaning wordy) as I wish. I need the extra words. The story is really flowing and at the end of the month, I might have something special.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
It is all about inspiring others and being inspired in return.
Why do writer's write and poet's 'poet'? I don't really know? I don't think it is only because we wish to entertain others, I think it is mostly because we have something inside us that needs to be said. The reward is when someone stands back and says: "That is fantastic" or "I loved that" or even "I hated that." With words we can inspire others, share joy, sadness, love, hate and just stories.
So I am going to share a story with you.
My Mom has a friend, they have been friends for over 40 years. Friends through good times and bad, happy times and sad and luckily now with the amazing technological age we live in; friends across the world - emailing, skyping, chatting on the phone and just staying in touch. This lovely lady is extremely talented, but like many women of her generation, she was given very little encouragement in her youth. She believed[s] that she isn't very good at things. We know different, but years of messages to the contrary take years to rewrite.
This lovely lady has been enjoying some of the poetry that I have been writing and also sharing the news of my year at university. The other day she sent Mom an email with a story idea for me. Mom told her to write it herself. Her reply: "I couldn't do that, I can't write."
Well isn't it amazing, but guess what yes she can. Below is a beautiful poem, that our dear friend has written. I am honoured and thrilled to share it with you. She has a really good sense of rythm with this poem and has used a very good 2nd and 4th line rhyming scheme. It flows, it expresses a beautiful sentiment and it is worth sharing.
So enjoy a poem, written by a talented friend, Margaret from South Africa.
A Rhyme Dedicated To My Best Friend
I have a friend from long ago
Who's heart is true and caring
She never focuses on herself
Her love is so endearing.
She loves to plan and seeks to find
Someone she can assist
She is selfless in every way
A heart you cant resist
I'm glad she is a friend of mine
We have known each other for years
If I could be as nice as her
I wouldn't cry so many tears
She's been with me through thick and thin
She's got me through hard times
I owe a lot to this dear friend
That's why I wrote this rhyme
Am I going crazy
I don't normally write a thing
It must be her good influence
Cause now I want to sing
So I am going to share a story with you.
My Mom has a friend, they have been friends for over 40 years. Friends through good times and bad, happy times and sad and luckily now with the amazing technological age we live in; friends across the world - emailing, skyping, chatting on the phone and just staying in touch. This lovely lady is extremely talented, but like many women of her generation, she was given very little encouragement in her youth. She believed[s] that she isn't very good at things. We know different, but years of messages to the contrary take years to rewrite.
This lovely lady has been enjoying some of the poetry that I have been writing and also sharing the news of my year at university. The other day she sent Mom an email with a story idea for me. Mom told her to write it herself. Her reply: "I couldn't do that, I can't write."
Well isn't it amazing, but guess what yes she can. Below is a beautiful poem, that our dear friend has written. I am honoured and thrilled to share it with you. She has a really good sense of rythm with this poem and has used a very good 2nd and 4th line rhyming scheme. It flows, it expresses a beautiful sentiment and it is worth sharing.
So enjoy a poem, written by a talented friend, Margaret from South Africa.
A Rhyme Dedicated To My Best Friend
I have a friend from long ago
Who's heart is true and caring
She never focuses on herself
Her love is so endearing.
She loves to plan and seeks to find
Someone she can assist
She is selfless in every way
A heart you cant resist
I'm glad she is a friend of mine
We have known each other for years
If I could be as nice as her
I wouldn't cry so many tears
She's been with me through thick and thin
She's got me through hard times
I owe a lot to this dear friend
That's why I wrote this rhyme
Am I going crazy
I don't normally write a thing
It must be her good influence
Cause now I want to sing
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day Two and still on track.
The Creator's Guild (my novel) is still on track, today I have written another 2000 odd words, word count now up to 5207, my average is still up over the required number of words thank goodness.
The ideas and thoughts are flowing easily at this stage, so am hoping to capture as many of them while I can. This week I do not have too many appointments, so am trying to stay ahead of the game.
Next week is chaos, so will have to see how it goes.
Another installment will follow soon.
The ideas and thoughts are flowing easily at this stage, so am hoping to capture as many of them while I can. This week I do not have too many appointments, so am trying to stay ahead of the game.
Next week is chaos, so will have to see how it goes.
Another installment will follow soon.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Creator's Guild
An extract from my Novel that I am writing in November. My target is 1666 words per day and today November 1st I have written 3166, so am ahead of schedule. It is written with young people in mind and is the story of a special young girl 'Sarah' who has a gift. A gift that she doesn't know she has. I hope you enjoy this little taste . . .
Sarah sat stunned as another Selector stood up and selected another group; she thought she heard she was from the Artist’s guild and then a couple more for the Developer’s guild. She didn’t even notice that she was the last person in the room. Her hair covered her face and she stared at her desk. A light tap on her shoulder made her jump and she looked up into the greenest eyes she had ever seen; green serious eyes that appeared to be able to read her thoughts. She looked away quickly and only then noticed that she was the only person still left in the room. Looking back she tried to speak and shut her mouth on her words as the Selector began: “Sarah, you are special. Sarah you are different and until now this has been your curse, now it will be your gift. We have left you alone to suffer, we have left you alone to grow and learn. Through your life and experiences you have learnt empathy, you have learnt fear and compassion, all these things are necessary for what you will become. We have been watching you for some years now and all of us agree; that you are the only one of your class that is worthy of selection into the Creator’s guild. In fact you are the only one who has been selected over the last four years.”
Sarah sat stunned as another Selector stood up and selected another group; she thought she heard she was from the Artist’s guild and then a couple more for the Developer’s guild. She didn’t even notice that she was the last person in the room. Her hair covered her face and she stared at her desk. A light tap on her shoulder made her jump and she looked up into the greenest eyes she had ever seen; green serious eyes that appeared to be able to read her thoughts. She looked away quickly and only then noticed that she was the only person still left in the room. Looking back she tried to speak and shut her mouth on her words as the Selector began: “Sarah, you are special. Sarah you are different and until now this has been your curse, now it will be your gift. We have left you alone to suffer, we have left you alone to grow and learn. Through your life and experiences you have learnt empathy, you have learnt fear and compassion, all these things are necessary for what you will become. We have been watching you for some years now and all of us agree; that you are the only one of your class that is worthy of selection into the Creator’s guild. In fact you are the only one who has been selected over the last four years.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
