NaNoWriMo
So, Here We Have It. The Revised First Chapter. It's shorter than what I originally posted, but I'm almost done with Chapter 2. Hopefully I'll post that by the end of the day. Anyway...If you all have any suggestions for a title for this, let me know...
“Hannah Emily Scott! Get out of that bed and come down for breakfast! You’re going to be late!”
A foot emerged from under a rumpled pile of blankets and the owner groaned softly into her pillow, slowly pulling herself from sleep. She sat up, running fingers through static fluffed hair, succeeding only in making the tangled mess even worse.
“Hannah!”
She sighed and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, “Coming! Coming!” she called back, slightly annoyed. With a sigh she rummaged through drawers, trying to find something to wear. Who needed breakfast anyway? She pulled something out of the drawers and shuffled to the bathroom, pulling the door shut before getting dressed. She made a face when she caught sight of the rats’ nest of brown tangles that was her hair and picked up a brush. Unceremoniously, she began to drag the styling tool through the mess, wincing when it caught on a few stubborn knots. That done, she hurriedly brushed her teeth then slid feet into well-worn, loosely tied tennis shoes, grabbed her backpack and bounded down the stairs, “Ready. See? I’m not late,” she announced to her mother.
Katharine Scott gave her daughter a look, “You haven’t eaten breakfast. I don’t care what the rest of society says, you, young miss, are going to be a normal girl with meat on her bones, not some skinny little twig!”
Hannah rolled her eyes. This was not a new development. She snatched a banana from the bowl on the counter, “There. It’s even healthy, okay?”
Katharine sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know why I even bother…”
A horn sounded outside the front door and Hannah started a bit, hurriedly kissing her mother’s cheek before rushing out the door, “Bye, mom!”
Hannah boarded the bus and started back toward her normal seat. She plopped onto the green vinyl seat next to her best friend, “Mom was on her ‘you have to eat breakfast’ kick again,” she informed the petite girl already there.
The girl shrugged, popping her gum, “Parents, right?”
Hannah rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I know..”
Brittany nodded, “Sure,” she replied, going back to the magazine she’d been reading.
Hannah held out the banana she’d snagged, “Do you want this?”
Brittany shook her head, “You eat it. You took it.”
Hannah nodded, “Yeah, only so my mom would stop bugging me though! Come on, Britt, please?”
Brittany gave her a look, then reached out and took the piece of fruit, “Only this once. I’m not kidding, Hannie. Next time you’re going to have to eat what you take.”
Hannah grinned, “You’re awesome.”
Brittany shook her head, “So, how are Patrick and Michael?”
“Same as always. Hell on Wheels,” Hannah replied, “Patrick missed Michael’s birthday Friday. There was a stomp or something after school and mom said he could go, but he had to come home right after, but he didn’t. He went with some friends and didn’t get home until almost eleven. Mom and dad were really, really mad. And his excuse was, ‘Oh, I forgot it was Mike’s birthday.’ As if he hadn’t been told about a thousand times the week before and that day that it was Mikey’s birthday. I mean, we even went out to dinner!”
Brittany nodded, “God, I’m glad I don’t have any brothers. Or sisters for that matter. How do you deal?”
“I kinda have to,” Hannah answered.
Brittany nodded again, “Poor you…Are you ready for the quiz in history today?”
“That’s today?” Hannah asked, alarmed.
“Yes. Mr. Maybury’s only been telling us about it for the past three days, Hannie. You can’t tell me you didn’t hear him at all!” Brittany said, looking at her friend in surprise.
“I didn’t! You know I don’t pay attention to him! He’s boring and he rambles! And he doesn’t even stay on the same subject! I mean, how do you get from the Bill of Rights to how slavery wouldn’t work in California? I don’t get it!” Hannah protested.
“He makes sense to me,” Brittany responded.
Hannah looked at her, “You’re sure the quiz is today? Like, absolutely positive?”
Brittany nodded, “Yes. I’m positive. I studied for an hour last night. And if you tell anybody, I’ll smack you.”
Hannah sighed, “Well, that’s it. I’m dead. I’m dead, just shoot me now, okay? I mean it. I’m going to fail this and then mom and dad are going to hang me from the tree in our backyard by my ankles.”
Brittany rolled her eyes, “Oh, I’m sure they wouldn’t do that, Hannie.”
“You obviously don’t know my family as well as you think,” she responded dryly.
Brittany smiled and smacked her friend’s arm, “Shut up.”
Hannah stuck her tongue out and stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as the bus pulled to a stop in front of the school. Brittany stood and followed her. They both wandered to their respective classes. When history class rolled around, Hannah had resigned herself to failure. She looked at the grade she’d gotten on the last quiz and winced. She was dead.
She wandered out of the classroom when the bell rang, Brittany at her side, talking a million miles an hour about something or other. Hannah didn’t pay attention to her half the time because she just went on and on and on. She was like the Energizer bunny or something. At lunch, Hannah picked at her food, letting her friends’ chatter wash over her. She blinked in surprise and pulled herself out of her daydream when someone spoke to her, “Right, Hannie?”
“What?” Hannah asked.
“I said that Mr. Maybury is so old he shouldn’t be allowed to teach. I mean, the guy’s seriously ancient,” Carla said.
Hannah looked at her, “Oh. Yeah, uh, I guess…”
Carla nodded in satisfaction, “See? I told you she’d agree with me.”
Brittany rolled her eyes, “Right. Can we talk about something else?”
Hannah looked at them, “I’m learning to knit,” she commented.
The group looked at her like she’d grown another head, “What?” Carla asked.
“Knit, you know, that thing--,” Hannah began.
“The thing old ladies do?” Jessica asked.
Hannah rolled her eyes, “It’s not just for old ladies!”
Brittany looked at her, “What is up with you lately, Hannie? First, it was juggling, then it was folding paper, then, it was chess, now knitting? I mean, what are you doing, trying to see how many geek activities you can master?”
Hannah looked at them, hurt, “Look, think what you want, but it’s not as stupid as you think. I’ve got to go. I have to study for the make-up test in history.” She stood up and took her almost-full tray and dumped it before hurrying out of the cafeteria. She sighed and went into the library sitting at one of the empty tables. So, she liked to try things. What was wrong with that? She didn’t understand why they were so against it. They wore scarves and beanies that she could learn to make with her knitting instead of paying twelve dollars each. And Origami came in handy when she was bored. So did juggling. It was certainly more productive than going to the mall. At least this way she was learning something new.
She sighed and pulled out a set of knitting needles and skein of bright blue yarn. She let it all melt away as she focused on not losing the pattern as she awkwardly worked the needles. Finally, the bell for her next class rang and she rolled the yarn up and put it away. She was already going to be in trouble for the failed quiz, she didn’t want more for being late to class.
After school, Hannah walked in the front door and let her backpack drop to the floor. She wandered into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. She was about to bite into it when her mother came in, “Don’t eat that. We’re going out to dinner as a family tonight.”
Hannah looked at her mother in surprised, “We are? Why?”
Katharine looked at her, “Because. Now, I mean it. Don’t spoil your appetite.”
Hannah sighed, “Fine, fine…” she put the apple back and went up to her room, grabbing her backpack on the way. She figured she might as well get a head start on the essay that had been assigned for English, even though it wasn’t due for another week. What kind of topic was ‘Who am I?’ anyway? She didn’t understand why her English teacher assigned such dumb topics. But, there was no help for it. The essay was an assignment and had to be written and turned in-on time-or she would get a lecture on the virtues of self-discipline and how sometimes you had to do things you didn’t want to do because that was a part of life.
After struggling to figure out what to write for almost an hour, Hannah was relieved when her mother called her downstairs to leave for dinner. She shut her notebook and flipped off the radio and lights, shutting her door behind her.
She was forced to sit between her brothers on the drive to the restaurant, a fate worse than death in her mind. The minute she sat down, Patrick, the older of the two boys and middle child, pinched her. She yelped and smacked him, “Patrick! Quit it!”
Their father turned around, “Hannah, don’t hit your brother.”
“But he pinched me!” she protested.
“Don’t pinch your sister, Patrick,” Mark said to the young man.
Michael climbed in on the other side, bouncing up and down on the seat until a stern look from Mark made him sit still and fasten his seatbelt. Hannah rolled her eyes at his exuberance. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, “I love you, Hannie.”
She sighed and wrapped the obligatory arm around him, replying automatically, “Love you too, Mikey.”
Katherine pulled out of the driveway and started off to the restaurant.
“Why are we going out?” Patrick asked, “I thought we only went out on special occasions.”
Mark looked at him, “We’re going out because your mom and I thought it would be fun. Would you rather we turned around and went home?”
All three siblings shook their heads and protested vehemently and Mark nodded, “Alright, then behave.”
Obediently, Hannah and her brothers became the image of good behavior. Michael bounced a bit as they pulled into the parking space at the local Chinese restaurant.
Hannah smiled a bit and shook her head. He was so enthusiastic. How did he keep up that level of energy all the time? At a slower pace, she followed her family into the establishment. The smells of the various dishes washed over her like a delicious fog and she closed her eyes breathing deeply. She loved this place.
She waited for the host to show them to a table then eagerly picked up the menu, “Can we get pot stickers?” she asked, “Please?”
Mark looked at his wife, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt just this once…” he replied.
Hannah smiled, “Thank you, daddy…” She was surprised. Usually the only time they ordered pot stickers was on her birthday. Dinner was great. Everyone got what they wanted and no one fought over who got which fortune cookie. Finally, when everyone had finished, Mark went to pay the bill and they all started out to the car. Hannah gasped, “I forgot my coat. I’ll be right back!” Without waiting to be acknowledged, she ran back inside the restaurant.
She wandered back to the table they’d been at, relieved to see her coat still on the chair. She frowned hearing a commotion in the parking lot outside the window and hurried back outside. Hannah froze and time seemed to stop. Then there was only black.
“Hannah Emily Scott! Get out of that bed and come down for breakfast! You’re going to be late!”
A foot emerged from under a rumpled pile of blankets and the owner groaned softly into her pillow, slowly pulling herself from sleep. She sat up, running fingers through static fluffed hair, succeeding only in making the tangled mess even worse.
“Hannah!”
She sighed and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, “Coming! Coming!” she called back, slightly annoyed. With a sigh she rummaged through drawers, trying to find something to wear. Who needed breakfast anyway? She pulled something out of the drawers and shuffled to the bathroom, pulling the door shut before getting dressed. She made a face when she caught sight of the rats’ nest of brown tangles that was her hair and picked up a brush. Unceremoniously, she began to drag the styling tool through the mess, wincing when it caught on a few stubborn knots. That done, she hurriedly brushed her teeth then slid feet into well-worn, loosely tied tennis shoes, grabbed her backpack and bounded down the stairs, “Ready. See? I’m not late,” she announced to her mother.
Katharine Scott gave her daughter a look, “You haven’t eaten breakfast. I don’t care what the rest of society says, you, young miss, are going to be a normal girl with meat on her bones, not some skinny little twig!”
Hannah rolled her eyes. This was not a new development. She snatched a banana from the bowl on the counter, “There. It’s even healthy, okay?”
Katharine sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know why I even bother…”
A horn sounded outside the front door and Hannah started a bit, hurriedly kissing her mother’s cheek before rushing out the door, “Bye, mom!”
Hannah boarded the bus and started back toward her normal seat. She plopped onto the green vinyl seat next to her best friend, “Mom was on her ‘you have to eat breakfast’ kick again,” she informed the petite girl already there.
The girl shrugged, popping her gum, “Parents, right?”
Hannah rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I know..”
Brittany nodded, “Sure,” she replied, going back to the magazine she’d been reading.
Hannah held out the banana she’d snagged, “Do you want this?”
Brittany shook her head, “You eat it. You took it.”
Hannah nodded, “Yeah, only so my mom would stop bugging me though! Come on, Britt, please?”
Brittany gave her a look, then reached out and took the piece of fruit, “Only this once. I’m not kidding, Hannie. Next time you’re going to have to eat what you take.”
Hannah grinned, “You’re awesome.”
Brittany shook her head, “So, how are Patrick and Michael?”
“Same as always. Hell on Wheels,” Hannah replied, “Patrick missed Michael’s birthday Friday. There was a stomp or something after school and mom said he could go, but he had to come home right after, but he didn’t. He went with some friends and didn’t get home until almost eleven. Mom and dad were really, really mad. And his excuse was, ‘Oh, I forgot it was Mike’s birthday.’ As if he hadn’t been told about a thousand times the week before and that day that it was Mikey’s birthday. I mean, we even went out to dinner!”
Brittany nodded, “God, I’m glad I don’t have any brothers. Or sisters for that matter. How do you deal?”
“I kinda have to,” Hannah answered.
Brittany nodded again, “Poor you…Are you ready for the quiz in history today?”
“That’s today?” Hannah asked, alarmed.
“Yes. Mr. Maybury’s only been telling us about it for the past three days, Hannie. You can’t tell me you didn’t hear him at all!” Brittany said, looking at her friend in surprise.
“I didn’t! You know I don’t pay attention to him! He’s boring and he rambles! And he doesn’t even stay on the same subject! I mean, how do you get from the Bill of Rights to how slavery wouldn’t work in California? I don’t get it!” Hannah protested.
“He makes sense to me,” Brittany responded.
Hannah looked at her, “You’re sure the quiz is today? Like, absolutely positive?”
Brittany nodded, “Yes. I’m positive. I studied for an hour last night. And if you tell anybody, I’ll smack you.”
Hannah sighed, “Well, that’s it. I’m dead. I’m dead, just shoot me now, okay? I mean it. I’m going to fail this and then mom and dad are going to hang me from the tree in our backyard by my ankles.”
Brittany rolled her eyes, “Oh, I’m sure they wouldn’t do that, Hannie.”
“You obviously don’t know my family as well as you think,” she responded dryly.
Brittany smiled and smacked her friend’s arm, “Shut up.”
Hannah stuck her tongue out and stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as the bus pulled to a stop in front of the school. Brittany stood and followed her. They both wandered to their respective classes. When history class rolled around, Hannah had resigned herself to failure. She looked at the grade she’d gotten on the last quiz and winced. She was dead.
She wandered out of the classroom when the bell rang, Brittany at her side, talking a million miles an hour about something or other. Hannah didn’t pay attention to her half the time because she just went on and on and on. She was like the Energizer bunny or something. At lunch, Hannah picked at her food, letting her friends’ chatter wash over her. She blinked in surprise and pulled herself out of her daydream when someone spoke to her, “Right, Hannie?”
“What?” Hannah asked.
“I said that Mr. Maybury is so old he shouldn’t be allowed to teach. I mean, the guy’s seriously ancient,” Carla said.
Hannah looked at her, “Oh. Yeah, uh, I guess…”
Carla nodded in satisfaction, “See? I told you she’d agree with me.”
Brittany rolled her eyes, “Right. Can we talk about something else?”
Hannah looked at them, “I’m learning to knit,” she commented.
The group looked at her like she’d grown another head, “What?” Carla asked.
“Knit, you know, that thing--,” Hannah began.
“The thing old ladies do?” Jessica asked.
Hannah rolled her eyes, “It’s not just for old ladies!”
Brittany looked at her, “What is up with you lately, Hannie? First, it was juggling, then it was folding paper, then, it was chess, now knitting? I mean, what are you doing, trying to see how many geek activities you can master?”
Hannah looked at them, hurt, “Look, think what you want, but it’s not as stupid as you think. I’ve got to go. I have to study for the make-up test in history.” She stood up and took her almost-full tray and dumped it before hurrying out of the cafeteria. She sighed and went into the library sitting at one of the empty tables. So, she liked to try things. What was wrong with that? She didn’t understand why they were so against it. They wore scarves and beanies that she could learn to make with her knitting instead of paying twelve dollars each. And Origami came in handy when she was bored. So did juggling. It was certainly more productive than going to the mall. At least this way she was learning something new.
She sighed and pulled out a set of knitting needles and skein of bright blue yarn. She let it all melt away as she focused on not losing the pattern as she awkwardly worked the needles. Finally, the bell for her next class rang and she rolled the yarn up and put it away. She was already going to be in trouble for the failed quiz, she didn’t want more for being late to class.
After school, Hannah walked in the front door and let her backpack drop to the floor. She wandered into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. She was about to bite into it when her mother came in, “Don’t eat that. We’re going out to dinner as a family tonight.”
Hannah looked at her mother in surprised, “We are? Why?”
Katharine looked at her, “Because. Now, I mean it. Don’t spoil your appetite.”
Hannah sighed, “Fine, fine…” she put the apple back and went up to her room, grabbing her backpack on the way. She figured she might as well get a head start on the essay that had been assigned for English, even though it wasn’t due for another week. What kind of topic was ‘Who am I?’ anyway? She didn’t understand why her English teacher assigned such dumb topics. But, there was no help for it. The essay was an assignment and had to be written and turned in-on time-or she would get a lecture on the virtues of self-discipline and how sometimes you had to do things you didn’t want to do because that was a part of life.
After struggling to figure out what to write for almost an hour, Hannah was relieved when her mother called her downstairs to leave for dinner. She shut her notebook and flipped off the radio and lights, shutting her door behind her.
She was forced to sit between her brothers on the drive to the restaurant, a fate worse than death in her mind. The minute she sat down, Patrick, the older of the two boys and middle child, pinched her. She yelped and smacked him, “Patrick! Quit it!”
Their father turned around, “Hannah, don’t hit your brother.”
“But he pinched me!” she protested.
“Don’t pinch your sister, Patrick,” Mark said to the young man.
Michael climbed in on the other side, bouncing up and down on the seat until a stern look from Mark made him sit still and fasten his seatbelt. Hannah rolled her eyes at his exuberance. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, “I love you, Hannie.”
She sighed and wrapped the obligatory arm around him, replying automatically, “Love you too, Mikey.”
Katherine pulled out of the driveway and started off to the restaurant.
“Why are we going out?” Patrick asked, “I thought we only went out on special occasions.”
Mark looked at him, “We’re going out because your mom and I thought it would be fun. Would you rather we turned around and went home?”
All three siblings shook their heads and protested vehemently and Mark nodded, “Alright, then behave.”
Obediently, Hannah and her brothers became the image of good behavior. Michael bounced a bit as they pulled into the parking space at the local Chinese restaurant.
Hannah smiled a bit and shook her head. He was so enthusiastic. How did he keep up that level of energy all the time? At a slower pace, she followed her family into the establishment. The smells of the various dishes washed over her like a delicious fog and she closed her eyes breathing deeply. She loved this place.
She waited for the host to show them to a table then eagerly picked up the menu, “Can we get pot stickers?” she asked, “Please?”
Mark looked at his wife, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt just this once…” he replied.
Hannah smiled, “Thank you, daddy…” She was surprised. Usually the only time they ordered pot stickers was on her birthday. Dinner was great. Everyone got what they wanted and no one fought over who got which fortune cookie. Finally, when everyone had finished, Mark went to pay the bill and they all started out to the car. Hannah gasped, “I forgot my coat. I’ll be right back!” Without waiting to be acknowledged, she ran back inside the restaurant.
She wandered back to the table they’d been at, relieved to see her coat still on the chair. She frowned hearing a commotion in the parking lot outside the window and hurried back outside. Hannah froze and time seemed to stop. Then there was only black.