A Weirdsville Story

I raced down the hall as if my life depended on it. The fluorescent lights above me flickered. I could register the muffled voices from the rooms on either side of the hall, but I couldn't make out what they were saying over my own ragged panting and the thud of my feet on the linoleum floor. I saw the door coming up on my right closing slowly. NO! I threw myself at it and literally slammed into the door.

The entire class stared at me as the door burst back open behind Mr. Bishop. He whipped around and I winced as the door hit the back wall with a bang and swung back into place. I straightened and tried to pretend that I hadn't just hit the door hard enough to bruise my shoulder.

"I guess that makes you on time." Mr. Bishop had recovered and was trying to look disapproving but mostly looked amused. "But consider this a warning about running in the halls."

"Yes sir." I felt my face heating up.

"Go ahead and take a seat, Miss. Roads." I nodded. He only called his students by their last name when he was trying not to laugh. He's one of my younger teachers, somewhere in that nebulous age of over twenty and under forty. I think it's his way of trying to say professional. I hurried over to my seat and dropped my backpack under the table.

"You okay?" Jessica leaned over and whispered. "You hit that door pretty hard."

"Yeah, I'm good." I rubbed my shoulder with a grimace and glanced at my friend. The lighting made her look even tanner than usual, and her curly brown hair gave her a slightly feral appearance. I sighed. "You have twigs in your hair again."

"I do?" She reached up and immediately found one. She pulled it out, wincing slightly as it caught her hair. "Ouch." I rolled my eyes. I couldn't figure out why Jessica didn't swing by my house when this happened. I was closer to school so she wouldn't be late. "Did I get them?" I returned my gaze to Jessica. She was staring at me with wide light brown (almost yellow) eyes as she patted down her hair.

"The obvious ones." I answered. "If you need to come by my house tomorrow morning to get ready for school, feel free."

"Uh, I'm good." Jessica assured me. I frowned.

"Well, offer stands." I shrugged. Tonight was the last night of the full moon, so she'd probably show up covered in mud and twigs again.
​
"If we're quite done." Mr. Bishop's irritated voice cut through our conversation. "Maybe I could start my lecture on the Revolutionary War?" We turned back to the front of the room. Mr. Bishop gae us a look and started talking. "It might surprise you to hear that our founding fathers weren't on the same page with a lot of things. In fact, if you get them all in one room, you're liable to find yourself in the middle of a shouting match." He shuddered slight, giving me a good idea of what he'd been doing last night. 

I’ve always known our town was weird. I just assumed that everyone else did too. Wolves howl on the outskirts but only on full moons. My history teacher refers to long dead figures as if he’d talked to them the night before. The woman who I always wave at on my way home has a giant red stain spread over the center of her nice white blouse. Every. Single. Day. So yes, this town isn’t exactly subtle about being strange. Is it wrong to assume that it was an open secret everyone is in on?
 


I pushed in the library doors displaying the hours (8 am to 4 am daily) and walked up to nice, old Ms. Bobbin, the night librarian. There was a photo on her desk of a New Years party from 1952, clearly showing Ms. Bobbin looking exactly the same, from her snowy white hair to her soft smile revealing sharp teeth.

“Hello Melody,” She patted her mouth daintily with a napkin and putting aside the thermos she’d been drinking from. “What can I do for you?” She smiled at me like a sweet, carnivorous grandmother with a smear of red that was either from her lipstick or her beverage marring the white of her teeth.

“I got an email that said my book on thermodynamics came in.” I loosened my scarf in the warmth of the library but did not take it off.

“Oh, let’s see.” She got up and walked over to the holds shelf behind the desk. “Here it is. Oh my, it looks awfully advanced.” She pulled out a thick book with lava flow on the cover.

“It’s extra credit for my AP Science class.” I explained. I accepted the book and handed her my library card for check out.

“That’s nice, dear.” She smiled, fumbling slightly with the computer.

A man burst through the doors behind me. “I need a copy of the Necronomicon!” He panted.

“Second aisle on your left, dearie.” Ms. Bobbin called, frowning over the screen. He tore off in that direction, his boots thudding on the rug.

“Hope he didn’t summon anything too bad.” I commented, only half joking, as I tucked the book into my backpack.

“Yes…” She agreed absently, staring after him in a way that made me think she hadn’t heard me. “Excuse me, dear. I have to make a call.” She handed me back my library card and picked up the phone on her desk.

“Alright, have a nice night, Ms. Bobbin.” I walked out the door with a single glance back at the aisle the man vanished down.


​ 
When my dad turned on the news the next morning I saw that, late last night, there had been a car fire with one fatality downtown. I glanced at the screen over my cereal. I can’t say I was entirely surprised that the photo they were showing was of the man who had run into the library. Poor guy, I thought as I finished my cereal. I grabbed my backpack and left for school. 

Hello everyone!

So last year I participated in NaNoWriMo. This year I am doing so again. However, I won't be working on a cohesive novel. Instead I will be working to pad out my Super-Verse. My brain is so far ahead on their stories that going back to actually write them always feels very time consuming, but it just has to get done! 

The good news is that since it's not a cohesive novel you are all much more likely to get updates! I must admit. Since I'm so far ahead mentally, the timeline might be a bit confusing, but I'll do my best and maybe even post a timeline so that it's easier to follow. I hope that everyone enjoys Red Queen, Stevis, Mister Machine, Sgt. Solar, Mecha Man, Blink, Miss. Melody, Shade, Marilyn Gold, Cyanide (who might be one of the most complicated people I've ever created), Blackbird, and so many others. This universe started as my "superhero clue" which was an idea I had to write in second person years ago to see if the reader could figure out which of their friends was a superhero. I received mixed opinions for the second person narrative but my heroes continued to flourish in the back of my mind, always feed by the influx of new Superhero media that has been coming out lately. 

So... Here is a very small taste of what is to come. 



BATTLE BROS (yes, I still like alliteration)

Sgt. Solar grit his teeth. A swarm. Fantastic. He was too old for this. He briefly wondered if this was a result of science run amok or magic. Either way, the massive cloud of buzzing, six-foot long insects were more than he could handle on his won.

He became aware of a whine growing in intensity over the buzzing. A familiar sound. Sgt. Solar relaxed slightly. The whine cut out abruptly and a man made entirely of metal landed beside him with a muffled clang. Small thrusters folded back into the side of the legs seamlessly. The silver face turned towards him, shining in the midday sun.

“Looks like you could use an exterminator.” The voice, though human, sounded as if it were coming through a high quality speaker.

“Are you volunteering, Mister Machine?” Sgt. Solar grinned. The cyborg was completely encased in metal, not an inch of skin showing.

“I don’t mind squashing a few pests.” Machine’s voice sounded amused despite the expressionless metal face. “I might have added a bug bomb or two in here.” Sgt. Solar felt the ground shifting. He moved away from it slightly as it parted, revealing a slightly bedraggled Stevis.

“This look like they could be from another planet, right?” The interplanetary defender squinted at the swarm.
“I don’t know, in New York roaches can get to be the size of a dog.” Mister Machine teased the alien. Stevis beamed.

“Oh good, these are much bigger than a dog. The council would believe I thought they were from another planet.” Sgt. Solar wasn’t positive that Mister Machine snorted, but it was the only sound that made sense in response to their slightly ignorant friend.

“Yeah, alien, let’s go with that.” Red Queen dropped from literally nowhere to land beside Mister Machine. A pair of Persian scimitars was in her hands, a billowing red cloth attached to the bottom of each. She spun one of them effortlessly. “Bet I get more than you.”

“You’re on!” Machine’s voice rose with the challenge.

“What do you say we work together and show those two what teamwork can accomplish, Stevis.” Sgt. Solar suggested.

“Whatever you say!” Stevis grinned, and raised the earth around him to form intimidating jagged weapons. Sgt. Solar rose into the air, his hands glowed with the light from the sun itself.
​
He didn’t have to face this alone. They weren’t an official team. But his friends would always have his back. They moved as one to meet the swarm. Mister Machine flying, Red Queen running faster than any human had a right to, and Stevis impossibly riding a wave of earth. Sgt. Solar smiled. And enthusiastically joined in the fray. 

Out of all of the things that I expected on my first day interning at the MCIU (Mystic Crime Investigation Unit), being tackled in a hug by a girl with a high pitched squeal was not one of them. I immediately stiffened, even as I was propelled backwards, almost toppling the desk behind me. I am not a hugger, especially not with complete strangers who launch themselves at me from across the room. I turned my head, baffled, but I couldn't see her face. It was buried in my shoulder and hidden by thick black hair. Her arms tightened slightly as I tried to pull away.

"I missed you." She mumbled into my shoulder. It was hard to make out because it was so muffled, and only made me tense more. Who was this girl?

At that point I heard someone cough slightly and realized everyone in the room was staring at me. No! This is not how I wanted to make my first impression!

"Miss." I said as politely as I could under the circumstances. "I think you may have mistaken me for someone else."

"Don't be silly, Lucy." She lifted her chin so I could hear her more clearly. My skin prickled. I shifted uncomfortably. She drew back so that she could look me in the eye. I started at the pure white pupils set in a pair of dark brown irises. A seer. "I could never mistake someone else for you." The words might have been disconcerting if they hadn't been delivered so cheerfully with the white pupiled eyes of the seer positively beaming at me in a way that I had never associated with their solemn stereotype.

I relaxed slightly now that I had some personal space, though the girl's arms were still looped around my waist in a loose hug. I might have been imagining the many small grins around the room. It seemed as if my new colleagues were hiding them. Most of my attention was on the seer. I was surprised to note that she was younger than me, barely out of high school by my guess. She wasn't much shorter than I was and had the physique of one who was not yet finished growing. Her hair was long and full. Her skin was either very tan or very pale, it was impossible to tell since I could not discern her ethnicity and I wasn't exactly inclined to ask. She seemed to radiate a simple joy at my presence. But what stuck me most strongly was the fact that I had never met her before in my life.

A woman behind her cleared her throat. "Miranda, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to go follow up on the money trail for the hex racket." She smiled apologetically, though I really couldn't tell if it was at me or the seer, Miranda. Miranda's arms tightened around me slightly.

"But Kate," She began to protest. The woman shook her head.

"Now, Miranda." She said, firmly. Kate walked up and guided the reluctant seer away from me, to my relief. Miranda cast a worried, white pupiled glance back at me.

"I'll see you later. Right, Lucy?" She asked anxiously. Kate answered for me.

"Of course, you will." She assured Miranda, with a wide smile that seemed to turn into a devious smirk when she glanced back at me. "You'll be seeing a lot of Lucy. She's working here now." Miranda positively beamed. Kate pulled Miranda away, with one last glance at me, down a hall out of sight.

Leaving me completely bewildered. Conversations resumed but it didn't escape my notice that they were whispered, everyone was casting glances my way. I tried not to scowl (first impressions!). Great, as if it was my fault some girl  don't even know decided to make a scene. I straightened my shoulders and my shirt, then walked over to Sgt. William Dark. "Hello, sir." I greeted him with a smile. He was one of the people who had conducted my interview. It might have been my imagination, but I thought that he was looking at me differently. Somehow his expression was both amused and... knowing.

"Right this way, Miss. Mason." He led me over to a small desk with a computer. "This is where you'll be working." He went on to explain what I'd be doing. It was simple paperwork really, scanning case files, typing reports. Boring stuff, but an internship at the MCIU was an internship at the MCIU. It was crazy competitive just trying to transfer in. When five internships for college students were opened literally hundreds of people applied. Honestly, I'm astonished I made the cut, but I was not going to mess this up. So I started working with a cheery smile, and pointedly ignored the stares. It took me a while to put the strange encounter with Miranda out of my mind, but soon enough I was fully absorbed in my work.

I was so invested that the hours passed quickly. I was jolted from typing a summary of a potions smuggling ring when a tray of food was placed on top of the pages. My eyes raised to find Miranda smiling down at me, holding her own food. "Forgetting to eat again, Lucy?" She asked fondly. I raised an eyebrow. This girl clearly knew more about me than just my name. I thought that my father was the only one who realized that I didn't eat when I was absorbed in what I was doing. How did this stranger know? I lifted the tray and removed the file, unwilling to risk it becoming dirty. I put the papers away as Miranda pulled a chair over to my desk. She put her tray down. I eyed her, then my food. I was hungry, but I wasn't sure what to make of Miranda. I would have gone for my own food, but that seemed rather rude. Clearly this girl was important, since she'd been allowed in the MCIU at such a young age, so I didn't want to insult her. The fact remained, this familiarity was making me uncomfortable. Miranda blinked at me, apparently uncomprehending of my lack of a response.

"What's wrong?" She inquired. "It's your favorite." I looked down and was startled to see that the plate held a tuna sandwich with salt and vinegar chips. The truly surprising part was that there were cranberries mixed into the tuna. I pulled back and glanced up at her. This was getting weird. It was my favorite, but I didn't get to eat it often. Miranda was staring at me. The white pupils searching my face with concern. I had to say something.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced." I said, finally. "You're Miranda, right? I'm Lucy Mason." Miranda's jaw dropped.

"O- oh," She turned slightly red. "Oh! I'm so sorry." She held her hand over the table. "I'm Miranda Dai." I shook her head. Miranda pulled back, and beamed. "It's really great to meet you." Then something dawned on her. "Wait, did I hug you this morning?" She gasped.

"You did." I nodded warily. She was starting to flush.

"And this is the first time we've met?" She asked.

"It is." I confirmed with a nod. Miranda turned bright red.

"Oh," She looked down at her food. "I just... I'll be right back." Miranda excused herself rapidly and hurried away. I stared after her, as perplexed now as I had been this morning. I looked back down at the food she'd brought me, only to return my gaze across from me as Kate, the older woman, took the chair Miranda had just left with a sigh. She glanced up at me. I waited, clearly she had something to say to me. I ran my eyes over her again. Her hair was light brown, pulled back in a low ponytail. She was probably in her late thirties, married, as evidenced by the ring on her finger. My eyes settled on a rune on the ring, married to a mage, I amended. Though not a magic user herself, given her choice of gun (9 mil, favored by non-magic users) and protective charm. Overall, I got the impression that she was a no nonsense detective, who was valued in the MCIU for her practicality.

"You're confused." She stated.

"Very." I confessed. "I'm hoping that you are about to clear somethings up." Kate smiled grimly.

"I am, after a fashion." She contemplated my face. "We are very excited to have you here, Lucy." I could feel my irritation flare.

"So it would seem." I replied, trying not to let my annoyance show. Either I failed miserably or she was just a very good detective. She laughed slightly.

"Perhaps it would be easier to say, it's nice to finally meet you." She amended. "You see, we've heard a lot about you."

"From who?!" I asked, becoming outright frustrated. Who talked about me this much?

"From Miranda." Kate answered. I blinked. "Obviously you've noticed Miranda is a seer." Kate continued, ignoring my surprise. "Honestly, Miranda is one of the most powerful seers that we have ever encountered. Because of this, she sometimes has difficulty differentiating the future and the past." Kate held my eyes with her own. "She confuses her visions with her memories." Things were beginning to make sense, though they didn't make me feel any more comfortable.

"And she's had visions of me." I inferred flatly.

"Lots of them." Kate nodded. "You might have only met Miranda this morning, but she feels as if she has known you for years."

"To me she's a stranger." I argued. I felt like I was being asked for something I couldn't give. I didn't know what yet, but it seemed as if Kate (and the rest of the MCIU, if their reactions to the hug this morning was any indication) wanted something from me.

"To her, you are her best friend." Kate smiled at me, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

An installment of In The Shadows... 

18 years ago…
 
The eight-year-old girl with brown hair and eyes peered around the corner. She had done her part. It had been surprisingly easy to pick the man’s pocket before he met with her mother. He was supposed to be a member of Pantheon and her mother had stressed how dangerous Pantheon was. The girl tried to contain her proud smile, watching her mother greet the man. Maybe this meant she was ready for more important jobs. Maybe-

Pain spiked from the top of her skull. She stumbled forward and it was a testament to her lifestyle that she didn’t cry out. The girl whirled around, but instead of an adult she found herself staring at a little girl, about a year or two younger than her, with blonde hair and grey eyes. The blond girl stared back, as if surprised that she had not successfully knocked her out wit the butt of the gun she was holding. The top of the brown haired girl’s head was still throbbing. She narrowed her eyes at the other child.

“That hurt!” She snarled and launched herself at the blonde in a tackle, knocking the gun out of her hand. The two girls tumbled to the ground. When her mother and the man from Pantheon came to stand over their wayward operatives they were still fighting; the gun lying forgotten a few feet away.



Seven months later…

The young blonde Pantheon member pushed her to the ground and landed on top of her. Down the street the bomb detonated prematurely, rubble showered down around them and the screaming began. The brown haired girl rolled them under a vendor’s cloth covered table before they could be trampled by panicked civilians. The blondie pulled back and looked around at the canvas walls created by the tablecloth. “Not bad, freelancer.” She reluctantly admitted.

“Not bad yourself, lapdog.” The other girl replied, a smirk pulling at her mouth.



One year later…

“Get him a little more to the left.” The blonde girl’s whisper came through her headpiece. The brown haired girl smiled at the target, then turned and ran to the left.

“Hey!” He shouted, starting after her. The girl heard the shot, followed by the short cry of pain and the thud of a falling body. She glanced back before she scurried away.

“Nice shot.” She muttered. On the other side of the headpiece, a small blonde child smiled as she dissembled the gun.



Two years later….

The Filli blinked in surprise then smiled at Hecate, the Pantheon assassin who was working with the Femme Fatale. “So they gave you a codename, lapdog.” Hecate rolled her grey eyes but she couldn’t quite hide her pride. Ten years old was astonishingly young to receive a codename from the Pantheon.

“You’re doing pretty well too, freelancer.” Hecate eyed her mentor, silently impressed that the girl she’d known so long would one day become the next Femme Fatale. If she survived that long. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again.”

“Me neither.” The Filli admitted with a shrug. “But Femme says Pantheon hires us a lot.”

“That’s because the Femme Fatale does good work.” Hecate’s mouth twitched as she almost smiled. “I’m sure you will too.”

“Filli,” Femme called, she nodded at Hecate and jogged back to her mentor.
 


Three hours later…

The Filli glanced up as the Femme spoke to her, speaking in French as usual when they were alone. “You know that we will not always be working for the Pantheon.” She reminded her student. “Often we are working against them.”

“Of course.” The girl looked at her in surprise. “Why do you mention it?”

“Hecate.” The Femme answered. Understanding flashed across the Fillia’s face and her eyes hardened.

“I do not need to trust her to like her.” She replied. “I know if ordered, she would kill me. And she knows that is she’s in my way I’ll kill her.” The Femme smiled and patted her shoulder.

“I am glad you understand how friendship works.” She said.

“Obviously.” The girl’s smile would have frightened a grown man. “We are children, not fools.”



One year later…

Hecate rolled away from her sniper rifle and to her feet, narrowly avoiding the bullet that embedded itself in the concrete shed been lying on. She glanced up at the twelve year old advancing on her with a gun. “Bodyguard work? Really?” She scoffed.

“He wanted the best.” The Filli smirked.

“The best won’t save him from the Pantheon.” Hecate responded. The Filli’s jaw set and she fired. Hecate dove behind a pillar and pulled a small gun from her ankle holster. And so the gunfight began in earnest.



Two months later…

“How’s the leg?” The Filli asked as she unwrapped a lollipop, eyeing the boy her age. The Pantheon had hired her and the Femme Fatale to kidnap him.

“Alright, Persephone fixed me up pretty well. How’s the shoulder?”

“Still a little stiff.” The Filli suppressed a wince when she shrugged.

“Well, I hope you shoot as well with your other hand.” Hecate remarked as she moved to intercepted one of the boy’s bodyguards, an eleven-year-old girl looked innocent enough to slip right under his notice.

The Filli laughed. “You know I do.” 

I'm doing fairly well with NaNoWriMo! And yes, I have gotten to the part where you left off, the section of the novel I'm calling Powerless. After the events of Power Play Caroline gradually loses everything. Despite that... I can't seem to take her best friend Maisy from her. I know I should just destroy her... But I can't seem to crack that bestie bond she's got with Maisy... Whom none of you know much about yet! So here's a sneak peek!


​

Maisy burst into the room. “I found another one!” Joan eyed her critically.

“You’re supposed to be asleep.” She growled accusingly. Maisy looked awful, bags under her eyes, hair sticking up at odd angles.

“Sleep can wait.” She waved her hands dismissively. She shoved her phone at Caroline. “She was just in Mexico.” Joan typed on the computer quickly.

“Found it.” She skimmed the text. “They are calling her la bruja de los santos.”

“What’s that?” Caroline asked blankly.

“It’s Spanish for ‘the witch of the saints’.” Maisy answered. Joan raised an eyebrow at her. “What? You thought I wouldn’t pick some stuff up dating Jimmy?” She scoffed.

“It seems as if she’d doing good work there.” Joan went back to reading.

“Is she still around?” Hans leaned over her shoulder, trying to decipher the Spanish on the screen.

““No…” She answered slowly, putting the most recent update through the translator. “Seems like she cleared out a couple hours ago.” Caroline slumped. Maisy leaned back against the table, defeated. Hans noticed.

“That’s it. Bed, both of you.” He ordered in a voice that brooked no argument.

“I can still look!” Maisy protested. Joan scoffed. Maisy shot her a dirty look.

“And I have to be ready when we find her!” Caroline exclaimed straightening. “There has to be more we can do!”

“Maisy, you’re two hours sleep away from deprivation induced hysteria.” Hans crossed his arms. “And Caroline,” Caroline’s fevered, desperate eyes met her prince’s, and he softened noticeably. “Just get some sleep. Please, princess?” Caroline didn’t want to. She was absolutely desperate to find Myriah, but the concern in Hans’ eyes pulled at her. She bowed her head in acquiescence.

“Come on, Maisy.” She said quietly, reaching out and taking her hand. “I can loan you a robe and nightgown.” Maisy frowned, but let herself be led up the stairs. Caroline stopped in front of her private bathroom. “You could use some freshening up. I’ll grab your clothing while you shower.” Caroline left Maisy, practically fleeing to her room.

Caroline struggled to pull out the bed tucked under her own. Maisy often used it when she’d stayed over too late to feel safe going home. When she managed to slide it out, she fell slightly, landing on her butt. Instead of trying to stand she hid her face in her hands. She was trembling. She didn’t know what she was doing.

When she collected herself, she went to her closet. She reached for the satin gown and then hesitated. Caroline loved the satin gown, but Maisy, she turned to the drawer and pulled out the flannel pajamas that she almost never wore. Maisy liked to look glamorous, but she actually loved things warm and practical. She’d sleep better in the flannels. Caroline left the pajamas just inside the bathroom door. She returned to her bedroom, and sat numbly on the bed, staring at the wall as if Hans was about to shout through it that they had a way. That they had found the witch and they had a way to return Caroline to her former self.

She didn’t even look up when Maisy walked in, toweling her hair off. Her best friend sat beside her on the bed. “The shower helped.” She said. Caroline didn’t respond. “It got me thinking…” Maisy hesitated. “Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing.” Caroline’s head whipped around. She stared at Maisy with eyes full of betrayal. “No, Caroline, please just hear me out.” She took her best friend’s limp hands in her own. “Healing has always been a bother to you. Let Myriah do it. Let her suffer through the exhaustion and the nausea.” Maisy’s hands tightened reassuringly. “If you can’t heal, no one will have any reason to kidnap you, no one will ever try to force you into something, no one will try to befriend you just because their aunt or mother or cousin is ill and break your heart when they ask for ‘this one tiny favor’ that leaves you feeling sick for days.” Maisy’s words were logical, but in Caroline’s head, they didn’t make sense.

“But…” She faltered and tears began leaking from her eyes. “It’s wrong.” Maisy’s breath caught.

“Oh, Caroline.” She pulled her into a hug. Caroline was almost unresponsive.

“I won’t be a princess anymore. I won’t be me.” Caroline started shaking with emotion. “I’m not a princess any more.” Caroline began sobbing. “Oh god, who am I? It’s like Myriah kidnapped the important part of me and let the rest of me go!” Maisy made comforting hushing sounds and tipped them over so they were lying on the bed. Caroline finally reacted to Maisy, but it was only to clutch at her like a lifeline. “She’s the princess now!” Caroline sobbed hysterically, hands knotted in Maisy’s flannel shirt, the same shirt absorbing a majority of her tears. “She’s the princess and the witch! And I’m nothing!” Caroline was in absolute hysterics, barely aware of Maisy there comforting her. When she finally cried herself into exhaustion and then sleep, Maisy was there.

She was also there when the former princess woke up. Sleeping beside her, arms still curled around her friend as if she could protect her from facing the world without her identity. Caroline stayed there for a time, pretending that she could.  

I must be crazy. I'll dedicate a lot more time to it tomorrow morning. I need to do 1,667 words a day. It's looking like I'll have about 3,000 words to do tomorrow. Man, wish me luck!

Track my progress!

Sneak peek of Chapter 1!

Metal struck metal with a resounding clash as Hans brought up his sword to ward off the attack. Caroline’s breath caught behind him but she did not waver, confident in his ability to protect her. Hans gritted his teeth and angled the sword, whipping the mace out of the goblin’s hands and into a wall. The goblin tensed and backed away. Hans’ eyes narrowed, and he used the hilt of the sword to strike the monster’s temple. He crumpled to the dirt floor, motionless but for his breathing. Hans lowered the sword but did not relax. He felt Caroline’s soft, slim hand on his forearm.

“You’re hurt.” She said quietly. Hans allowed her to draw his arm away from his side and touch the wound. His eyes closed slightly, as he felt the energy be drawn from her into the lesion. The skin knit itself together briefly replaced with a scar, then the scar smoothed itself out of existence and the only remaining evidence that Hans had been harmed was a torn shirt and drying blood. Caroline sighed and leaned against him. Hans adjusted himself so that he could wrap an arm around her.

“Thank you.” He murmured. She smiled up at him briefly before scowling around at the cave. The wooden door was usually fitted in the entrance hung loosely from one of its hinges where Hans had knocked it down. The bare bulb that hung from the ceiling was the only evidence of the modern world in the room.

“Unbelievable.” She muttered, annoyed. Hans resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She hated it when people kidnapped her and didn’t bother to confine her in reasonable accommodations. “Where does Myriah find these people?” Even though the Grey-Goblin Guild had taken her this time, there was no doubt who was behind all of it.

“Any idea what this group wants with you?” He asked, keeping his voice low. She sighed and shook her head. Hans pulled away from her and crept to the door where he peered out. “Well, clearly they weren’t prepared. I didn’t face nearly enough resistance when I came for my rescue.” Hans frowned. “Must mean that Myriah didn’t warn them what to expect.” What was she up to?

Caroline came and stood behind him. “Just proves that she’s as treacherous to her allies as she is to the innocents.” She scoffed. Hans frowned, his face still turned away from her’s. Despite Myriah’s actions, the statement didn’t ring true. Myriah might be malicious, but she was never cruel.

“Come on,” Hans moved confidently into the hall. Caroline following closely behind him.

The ninth installment of Out of the Shadows.

John Howle missed coffee. He glared at the pathetic brew in the coffee pot he'd been forced to buy. No, not just coffee, he missed coffee from Joan's Joe. Despite the fact that he had gone to the coffee shop and bought a cup twice a day for the past two days. He still hadn't gotten his caffeine fix. The reason he found himself so appallingly deprived was as infuriating as it was petty.

Felicity was mad at him.

Three days ago, the enigma known as Felicity Doran had informed him that she was attending the event hosted by Senator Winston that weekend and asked him to sign a pass for her to enter the building. He'd known what she was really asking. Everyone at these events underwent a background check, one much more through than the one he'd run on her when she'd first began working across the street. If he issued her a pass, the background check would be waived.

The idea was ludicrous. He and Felicity might have a... unique working dynamic, but he was in charge of security. He wasn't about to allow an unknown factor like Felicity free reign of an area with so much sensitive material. If she wanted in, she'd have to submit to the background check, hope that her cover was good enough, and deal with the extra security that he was definitely putting on the event now. He hadn't fully realized the repercussions of saying no until the next morning when Felicity finished preparing his coffee, smiled at him sweetly, and popped the lid on without taking a sip first.

It had taken him three hours trying to drink it before he'd given up and tossed the cardboard cup, and its contents, into the garbage. He hadn't managed a single mouthful, not when he thought of all of the things Felicity might have added to it every time he brought the drink to his lips. That night, Felicity did the same thing, smiling at him and making a show of placing the lid on the cup without taking a sip.

Howle suspected she hadn't done a thing to his drink. Logically, she wouldn't. They had a repertoire, an understanding of sorts. After all, he could make her life very difficult if he wanted to, but he didn't. And she could dose his drink anytime with something she was immune to or had the antidote for, but she didn't. None of that stopped the information he had on poisons from flooding every time he tried to drink the coffee. The next day was the same. Today he’d bought a coffee pot. He’d been tempted to throw the thing against the wall when it produced a liquid that tasted both burnt and too weak to be called coffee.
 
He didn’t have time for this. There was an Indian national that Howle was almost positive had a price on his head coming for a clandestine meeting with General Morris and Howle had to figure out how to juggle his staff so he’d always have a guard on him without anyone working out the man was actually there. In addition to that, he had meetings with security details from four different countries. This was not a good day for Felicity to be acting like a child.
 
When Sally walked in with her usual paperwork that needed his signature, the first thing Howle noticed was the paper cup in her hand. His eyes locked on the logo for Joan’s Joe. “Wow, you look awful.” She flushed as she realized how insulting her words sounded. “I mean, are you alright?”
 
“Just a little caffeine deprived.” He answered. Sally took the hint and placed the cup on his desk.
 
“I only took a few sips. You should be fine if you take off the lid.” She said, adjusting her papers to find what she was looking for. Only Sally would hand over her coffee to him instead of being intimidated. Howle pulled the top off the cup and practically inhaled the coffee.
 
Which is why he didn’t register the scent of cyanide until halfway through his third swallow.
 
He choked; dropped the cup and started coughing up the poison. “John!” Sally cried losing her grip on the files as she rushed around the desk to stand beside him, hand out stretched, ready to help. “Are you okay?” As Howle’s lungs cleared of the liquid he realized that there couldn’t have been cyanide in the drink. He wasn’t experiencing any of the symptoms and Sally said she’d had some and was fine. Howle frowned and grabbed the cup from the middle of the brown stain spreading on his carpet. He sniffed it and it definitely smelled like cyanide.
 
“Did Felicity put anything in this?” He asked, turning to Sally.
 
“Um, yeah. She offered to let me try some almond sweetener for free.” Her eyes widened. “You aren’t allergic to nuts, are you?”
 
Howle assured her he wasn’t. Any admiration he might have for Felicity’s creativity was overcome by irritation. Cyanide and almonds had similar smells, which meant that Felicity had just tricked him into wasting a perfectly good cup of coffee without even being in the building.
 
That night, when Howle went to get a coffee on the off chance Teddy would take his order, he was confronted by an almost gleeful Joan. “What did you do to tick her off?” She asked, the ever-present twang in her voice becoming more pronounced as she tried to curb her amusement.
 
“It’s complicated.” He growled as he watched Felicity neatly snag his cup from Teddy and start filling it herself.
 
“He won’t clear me for the event with Sally.” Felicity clarified shortly.
 
“What?” Teddy fumbled with the cups he was stacking, fortunately they weren’t the mugs. “Does Sally know?”
 
“Oh, Felicity can go.” Howle smirked. It was a low blow but he was going on three days without coffee, and it wasn’t like he was lying. “She just has to submit to the background check.” Joan’s eyebrows shot up. Teddy tossed his friend a confused glance, and Felicity glared at him.
 
“Oh?” Joan’s eyes sparkled. “You got something to hide, sugar?” She looked positively delighted and Howle felt a kind of smug satisfaction that Felicity was going to be grilled by her boss until she made up something that satisfied her.
 
“Everyone’s got something to hide. You know that, Joan.” She answered lightly, as if that would get her off the hook.
 
“I’ll keep it completely confidential.” He assured them, his smirk widening. Felicity must have been about ready to throttle him. She slammed the cup down in front of him.
 
“I like my privacy.” She said through gritted teeth. Howle shrugged.
 
“Then you can’t go to the event.” He turned and walked out, leaving the coffee but feeling strangely invigorated. Through the window he could see a livid Felicity, confused Teddy, and Joan in such a fit of belly laughter he could hear it through the glass.
 
 
 
He was facing a mutiny. Felicity and Teddy were refusing to sell coffee to anyone on his staff. When asked why, they were told to ask him. (Apparently Joan found the entire business to hysterical to be bothered by how it would affect her sales.) His staff was dealing with it in a range of ways, from mild resentment to his computer expert, Jessica Jane, streamlining energy drinks that were making her twitchy enough to snap at everything that move. Suffice to say, no one was in a good mood that day, and they weren’t as productive as they should have been.
 
That was when Howle decided it was time to call a ceasefire. His people needed to always be on their toes, petty grievances or not.
 
When John Howle walked into Joan’s Joe that evening, his eyes were hard and his shoulders tense. Felicity noticed immediately and fell into a subtle ready stance with the ease of instinct. She eyed him warily as he approached the counter. “Listen to me, Felicity. I can’t issue you a pass.” Anger flashed in the barista’s eyes and she opened her mouth. “You aren’t listening, Felicity.” He cut her off before she could start. “I can’t sign a pass for you.” Comprehension softened her face even as her eyes widened and lips parted in surprise. “I’m glad we understand each other.” Howle turned and walked out of the café without ordering anything.
 
The next day Howle found Felicity Doran listed as Sally Turner’s plus one with approval granted by General Ian Morris, which was reason enough to forgo the usual background check. His staff was sufficiently caffeinated and the day passed quickly. He soon found himself walking into Joan’s Joe. Felicity looked up as he entered. She watched him come up to the counter.
 
“General Morris must like you.” He commented casually She didn’t say anything, still watching him. He understood why. He had the power to order a background check despite any approval she might get. That was probably why she came directly to him in the first place. “Security’s going to be a nightmare to organize on Saturday.” Felicity relaxed, taking this for the consent that it was, and started making his coffee. She took a sip and popped the lid in place.
 
“On the house.” She said, placing it in front of him.
 
“Good, because you owe me six.” Howle picked up the cup and finally took a sip without worrying about a thing.
 
As he left, he distinctly heard Teddy laughing. “All this for something you don’t actually want to go to.”
 
“Oh, can it. It’s for Sally.” Felicity snapped good-naturedly.
 
Howle smiled to himself. Security really was going to be headache inducing to arrange, but at least now he had coffee to help him through it.

So there they were. Drifting through space. Waiting for their air to run out. Just the five of them and the void.

“I cheated on the proficiency exam for engineering.” Telan blurted out suddenly. The others looked at him. He ran his hands nervously through his hair. He was covered in soot and looked almost black. "I know it was wrong and I swear I know all the answers! It's just..." He looked up at them with pleading orange eyes that were made more luminous by the dark grime coating his skin. “I freeze up on tests." No one said anything for a long moment. Telan let his head fall in shame, looking small with his back pressed against the wall of the insulated cargo container.

“Telan, I've seen you rebuild the engine with a wrench, string, and what looked like cotton candy.” Telan opened his mouth to explain exactly what the 'cotton candy' was but Ceno held up one scaled hand to stop him. "I don't want to know what it was. My point is that you are- were a valuable member of the crew, and if you had to cheat to get here, I'm glad you did." Ceno seemed to realize what she'd just said. "Not that I'm glad that you're stuck here." She deflated slightly as she remembered where they were. Telan smiled, ducking his head has fully even as his eyes glistened with tears.

Meanwhile the gravity of the situation was truly setting in for the others. "If cheating on a test is the worst thing you've ever done, you've got nothing to worry about, kid." A gruff voice assured him. All eyes turned to Wilt, a big man, who had been a janitor on the ship. He laughed at their surprise. "Don't be so shocked. When you're a janitor it is astonishing what you learn... You wouldn't believe what you learn." His face darkened. "Or the temptation to use that knowledge when you do." Ceno was staring at him with new eyes.

"You're the blackmailer." The former head of security breathed. Wilt laughed hollowly.

"What are you going to do, Ceno? Throw me in the brig?" He asked. Ceno bit a scaly lip. “You arrest people for doing the wrong thing. I just make them pay in another way.” His voice lacked conviction and he just sounded like a tired old man with too many regrets.

She understood regret. “It’s not my place to judge you.” She answered, her voice strained. Wilt frowned at her. “Not with what I was involved in before I came aboard.” She choked. Telan reached out with a hesitant hand and touched her shoulder. Ceno leaned into the gesture and Telan could feel her trembling. It was a far cry from the resolute chief of security they all knew. Ceno seemed to realize this, because she drew a shuddering breath and straightened her shoulders. “I’ve carried this with me far too long.” She said more steadily. “And someone else should know, even if they are going at the same time I am.” She looked around at each of them before she focused her stare on the opposite wall. “You remember the shootings on Kelvas 9?” She asked dully. The others nodded slowly. Kelvas 9 had suffered mass casualties from insurgent attacks. “It wasn’t insurgents. It was the military.” Ceno began to cry. She showed absolutely no signs of it save the wet streams now trailing down her face. “We didn’t know. We were just following orders.” Ceno scoffed, full of disgust for herself and her fellow soldiers. “As if that’s an excuse.” She swallowed. “When we learned the truth, myself and four others killed our CO.” A bitter smile curled around her mouth. “We made it look like insurgents. It seemed fitting since he labeled so many innocents as insurgents to have us murder them for him.” Ceno clenched her jaw. “But the worst thing we did, was cover it up. The fact that the military had been killing civilians would have only created more bloodshed. It would have dragged innocent soldiers through the mud.” Her hands clenched. “Covering the entire thing up wasn’t right but-” Ceno’s voice cracked. Suddenly there were arms around her. Telan was hugging her tightly, like the little brother she’d never had. Wilt had a fatherly hold around her shoulder; and Rak, who had remained silent up until now, had moved across the cargo container to gently hold one of her hands in both of his. Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Wilt spoke.

“You stopped him from hurting anyone else. You protected your fellow soldiers. No one could ask for anything else.” Ceno met Wilt’s weary eyes.

“You already knew.” She whispered, staring at the old man. “And you didn’t…”

“Blackmail?” The corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “I can only blackmail someone if they did something wrong.” Telan’s arms tightened as he nodded into her shoulder, and Rak squeezed her hand in support. After a moment, she relaxed. When the small group finally separated, Ceno felt lighter than she had in years.

Wilt cleared his throat and turned to Konak, the feathered weapons officer. “I think you have something to say as well.” Konak glared at him sourly.

“Right, blackmailer.” He growled. “I want my money back.”

“Wouldn’t do you much good now.” Telan pointed out, still sitting next to Ceno, leaning on her supportively.

Konak scoffed at the boy, then, under the heavy glare of Wilt, he heaved a massive sigh. “Fine, it’s not as if it matters now. Plus, nothing looks bad after Ceno’s little revelation.” Everyone glared at him. “I was dating Kiri.” He admitted. “And Lili. And Jin… Koni and Mi and Shif.” The others were torn between judging him and pitying him as the tears began to fall. They had all lost people today. Their ship, their entire crew, was gone. Konak was sobbing now. The sound filled the cargo container. No one said anything. Gradually, Konak’s grief wound itself down to hiccupping sobs, then sniffles, he couldn’t stop his tears.

“I love you, Ceno.” Rak suddenly broke the tension that had filled the container. Everyone looked at him. He flushed to his ice blue hair and dropped his ivory eyes. “I just thought you should know…” He mumbled. An awkward silence ensued. Then Telan cleared his throat.

“And what about you, Whiley?” He asked the one person who hadn’t spoken. She was one of the new recruits on the ship, they didn’t know her well, and now they never would. “What do you have to get off your chest?”

“Me? Nothing I’m telling you.” She laughed. Everyone stared at her. Whiley was trying to pull her tangled braid apart, she must have been doing it the whole time. “You are all confessing to these things because you think we are all going to die.” She shrugged, and gave up on the snarled white, soot-streaked hair, tossing it behind her. “Yeah, the chances of survival are pretty much non-existent, but on the off chance that it happens, you all have to live with the rest of us knowing your secrets.” Whiley leaned back and laced her fingers behind her head. “I’m not taking that chance.” The instant she finished speaking the cargo container jolted, sending its occupants sprawling against one wall. Sound echoed through the space as the container shifted again and settled. They were all groaning as they disentangled themselves from each other. They looked around, though there were no windows or readouts to give them their baring. Then it happened.

Knock knock knock.

They stared at the wall. Telan jumped violently when the panel unsealed with a hiss of air. All of them stared in shock as the door opened to reveal a hairless humanoid on two legs.

“Oh, excellent.” He grinned. “I thought there were life forms in here, but my instruments were giving me particular readings.” The man squared his shoulders. “Well, if that wreckage out there is your’s it seems that you lot need a new ship. Since I need a few more crew members, this works out rather well, wouldn’t you agree?” His statement was met with silence. He frowned. Then Telan started laughing hysterically.

“She was right!” He gasped, pointing at Whiley who was wearing a smug expression. “My god, she was right!” Ceno put a hand on Telan’s shoulder to indicate he should calm down before moving past him.

“I am Ceno Cantar of the Dyron Fleet.” She introduced herself.

“Name’s Fin.” The man introduced himself. “Your new captain.”