Full Circle - First Glimpse
As I promised, I wanted you all to see some of the work I have done for Full Circle, the novel I have been trying to write since 2010. This is something I've almost achieved thanks to NanoWriMo and all my supporters in my writing at this time, whether that was fan fiction or any other creative writing.
If there are any comments, thoughts, feelings about this extract I would love to hear it and it would mean a lot to me. I will regularly put up extracts of this but hopefully this will be published so I won't be posting the whole thing. If you are really interested I can send you my unbeta'd copy.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Title: Full Circle
Genre: Supernatural Drama
Rating: PG-13 for mild profanity, violence and disturbing images (in later chapters)
Summary: Dakota and Elliott are an unlikely pair; they spend a large majority of their time battling inner demons, literally.
***
17th November 2012
The street lamps flickered from miles away as Dakota looked out into the distance. She rubbed her empty stomach desperate for a take away and looked out at the city beyond her, before turning to face her familiar forest. It greeted her with a breezy wave of branches and she stepped into the dark.
Despite the unwanted adventure she was dressed for the part. A thick jumper under a blood red vest that puffed proudly keeping her warm and a pair of winter boots. Even with all the layers she was wiry enough to flit among the thinner birch trees, but as the forest built up in foliage she started to disappear beyond colours of green and gold. November had brought Autumn with it and she desired a warm pub and a pint, instead of a trip into the woods.
Dakota finally found what she was looking for. Her clearing. A patch of dry land that was treeless and perfect for its purpose. She slung her rucksack to the floor and dug around for her weapon of choice. Today it was a piece of chalk that she dragged into a circle around her and she clapped her hands together with pride. That would do.
She left her rucksack behind and went back into the forest’s mass. Now she had to find her friend who would be meeting her soon. They did this once a month, you’d think he’d learn to be more visible.
“Elliott?” she called. The forest whispered at her, breezing her dark hair out of her eyes and causing them to leak in the cold. “Elliott, get out here will you, yah big baby!”
Dakota turned on the spot, the circle not far from her eye line, as she continued to walk up an incline and deeper and deeper into the forest.
Not long later she heard the snap of a branch. Quick to react she spun round but saw nothing, her eyes creased and they darted to and fro on the spot.
“No games E,” she called into the darkness, “Get out here.”
The forest didn’t answer her, not even the wind left an impression of caring and she continued on her search. This seemed hopeless even by her standards.
This time she heard something, a low groan and a thudding that sounded similar to a human heart beating - very slowly. She turned, but this time at a snail’s pace to the image of horror. Behind her was a shapeless being of black; it reminded her of an octopus made of ink - no form or skeleton - just dark flesh and a pair of small yellow eyes. She wasn’t even sure it had teeth.
For a long time she couldn’t move, despite her brain screaming at her to do so. She was glued to the ground and the forest was relishing in her fear. Then she finally became unstuck and she twisted herself up, sprinting into the night and the monster collapsed into movement after her.
Dakota could hear herself running through crunching leaves, hear her own trembling heart-beat, hear the sound of the monsters ferocious roar, which had her moving faster and faster back where she had come from.
She finally saw her circle of chalk, her safety net. Despite the fact her body was running and her mind was racing, her face had broken into a smirk.
Despite her confidence, she didn’t notice the log in her way. Her heart was in her throat as she went flying off the inclining hill and forwards. It was like she was in slow motion until she crunched to the floor into a heap. For a moment there was only dizziness and pain when the roar brought her back to reality.
She clawed forwards, the noises behind her getting louder and louder when she finally saw her hand move over the finish line of white chalk.
She just about managed to throw herself over the edge as the monster joined her; and as she did she gave it the finger. An intake of air and light exploded as he entered her circle. The darkness that had been the flesh was becoming a form she recognised. Darkness became human skin, enveloping into clothes and hair, a bundle of a body that was curled in the foetal position on the floor.
She lay staring at the spectacle, at his back, as he trembled and she gave a sigh. “That was a close one Elliott…” she said closing her eyes, hearing the bundle move towards her.
“Dee…you’re hurt!” he gasped.
Her friend was standing over her; wiry and thin, wearing a tatty brown jumper and wide sea-green eyes. His whole body shook with fright and he held his arms close to his chest, as he looked to her as though afraid to touch her, hopping from one foot from the other.
“I tripped that’s all.” She sat up and stared up at him. He looked ill and tired - as normal, and positively petrified.
“What do you mean you tripped?” he snapped in his hysteria.
“I tripped, what else is there to say? Now, who’s for Guess Who?”
Dakota gestured to her rucksack and he continued to gape at her horrified. She answered his stare by going to the backpack and passing him his glasses case.
He snatched it from her; his eyes on fire. “You need to be more careful.”
“I am careful!” she avoided his gaze entirely.
“But you tripped. He could have….”
“Yeah, he could.” The tension smothered the pair in the dark and the wind rustled around them as if feeling left out of their tiff. “But he could at any time tonight, like he could every month Elliott. You need to relax. Trust me.”
Not that she had ever seen Elliott relax. She wasn’t sure he knew how too. The young man had been a bag of nerves since he was a child.
“I do trust you,” he said softly after a moment, cleaning his glasses for the third time and looking out into the forest.
“But?” she quipped.
“No buts. I do” Elliott said as Dakota set up the Guess Who board game in the dirt of the circle. “It’s not you I worry about…”
“Then it’s settled isn’t it?” She smiled at him warmly. “Come on Elliott, It’s over now and you won the game last time, so it’s my turn now.”
The young man turned to her and watched her diligently set up the board with a strange look on his face, before smiling slightly and with a sigh taking his place.
“You do know that you only lose because you’ve forgotten what you asked the previous go…”
They laughed gently together letting their relief bubble over and they both silently agreed that at least tonight was done. They would wait another month before the horror happened all over again. They hoped that next month they would have just enough luck to pull it off, for one more night of board games.
***
If there are any comments, thoughts, feelings about this extract I would love to hear it and it would mean a lot to me. I will regularly put up extracts of this but hopefully this will be published so I won't be posting the whole thing. If you are really interested I can send you my unbeta'd copy.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Title: Full Circle
Genre: Supernatural Drama
Rating: PG-13 for mild profanity, violence and disturbing images (in later chapters)
Summary: Dakota and Elliott are an unlikely pair; they spend a large majority of their time battling inner demons, literally.
***
17th November 2012
The street lamps flickered from miles away as Dakota looked out into the distance. She rubbed her empty stomach desperate for a take away and looked out at the city beyond her, before turning to face her familiar forest. It greeted her with a breezy wave of branches and she stepped into the dark.
Despite the unwanted adventure she was dressed for the part. A thick jumper under a blood red vest that puffed proudly keeping her warm and a pair of winter boots. Even with all the layers she was wiry enough to flit among the thinner birch trees, but as the forest built up in foliage she started to disappear beyond colours of green and gold. November had brought Autumn with it and she desired a warm pub and a pint, instead of a trip into the woods.
Dakota finally found what she was looking for. Her clearing. A patch of dry land that was treeless and perfect for its purpose. She slung her rucksack to the floor and dug around for her weapon of choice. Today it was a piece of chalk that she dragged into a circle around her and she clapped her hands together with pride. That would do.
She left her rucksack behind and went back into the forest’s mass. Now she had to find her friend who would be meeting her soon. They did this once a month, you’d think he’d learn to be more visible.
“Elliott?” she called. The forest whispered at her, breezing her dark hair out of her eyes and causing them to leak in the cold. “Elliott, get out here will you, yah big baby!”
Dakota turned on the spot, the circle not far from her eye line, as she continued to walk up an incline and deeper and deeper into the forest.
Not long later she heard the snap of a branch. Quick to react she spun round but saw nothing, her eyes creased and they darted to and fro on the spot.
“No games E,” she called into the darkness, “Get out here.”
The forest didn’t answer her, not even the wind left an impression of caring and she continued on her search. This seemed hopeless even by her standards.
This time she heard something, a low groan and a thudding that sounded similar to a human heart beating - very slowly. She turned, but this time at a snail’s pace to the image of horror. Behind her was a shapeless being of black; it reminded her of an octopus made of ink - no form or skeleton - just dark flesh and a pair of small yellow eyes. She wasn’t even sure it had teeth.
For a long time she couldn’t move, despite her brain screaming at her to do so. She was glued to the ground and the forest was relishing in her fear. Then she finally became unstuck and she twisted herself up, sprinting into the night and the monster collapsed into movement after her.
Dakota could hear herself running through crunching leaves, hear her own trembling heart-beat, hear the sound of the monsters ferocious roar, which had her moving faster and faster back where she had come from.
She finally saw her circle of chalk, her safety net. Despite the fact her body was running and her mind was racing, her face had broken into a smirk.
Despite her confidence, she didn’t notice the log in her way. Her heart was in her throat as she went flying off the inclining hill and forwards. It was like she was in slow motion until she crunched to the floor into a heap. For a moment there was only dizziness and pain when the roar brought her back to reality.
She clawed forwards, the noises behind her getting louder and louder when she finally saw her hand move over the finish line of white chalk.
She just about managed to throw herself over the edge as the monster joined her; and as she did she gave it the finger. An intake of air and light exploded as he entered her circle. The darkness that had been the flesh was becoming a form she recognised. Darkness became human skin, enveloping into clothes and hair, a bundle of a body that was curled in the foetal position on the floor.
She lay staring at the spectacle, at his back, as he trembled and she gave a sigh. “That was a close one Elliott…” she said closing her eyes, hearing the bundle move towards her.
“Dee…you’re hurt!” he gasped.
Her friend was standing over her; wiry and thin, wearing a tatty brown jumper and wide sea-green eyes. His whole body shook with fright and he held his arms close to his chest, as he looked to her as though afraid to touch her, hopping from one foot from the other.
“I tripped that’s all.” She sat up and stared up at him. He looked ill and tired - as normal, and positively petrified.
“What do you mean you tripped?” he snapped in his hysteria.
“I tripped, what else is there to say? Now, who’s for Guess Who?”
Dakota gestured to her rucksack and he continued to gape at her horrified. She answered his stare by going to the backpack and passing him his glasses case.
He snatched it from her; his eyes on fire. “You need to be more careful.”
“I am careful!” she avoided his gaze entirely.
“But you tripped. He could have….”
“Yeah, he could.” The tension smothered the pair in the dark and the wind rustled around them as if feeling left out of their tiff. “But he could at any time tonight, like he could every month Elliott. You need to relax. Trust me.”
Not that she had ever seen Elliott relax. She wasn’t sure he knew how too. The young man had been a bag of nerves since he was a child.
“I do trust you,” he said softly after a moment, cleaning his glasses for the third time and looking out into the forest.
“But?” she quipped.
“No buts. I do” Elliott said as Dakota set up the Guess Who board game in the dirt of the circle. “It’s not you I worry about…”
“Then it’s settled isn’t it?” She smiled at him warmly. “Come on Elliott, It’s over now and you won the game last time, so it’s my turn now.”
The young man turned to her and watched her diligently set up the board with a strange look on his face, before smiling slightly and with a sigh taking his place.
“You do know that you only lose because you’ve forgotten what you asked the previous go…”
They laughed gently together letting their relief bubble over and they both silently agreed that at least tonight was done. They would wait another month before the horror happened all over again. They hoped that next month they would have just enough luck to pull it off, for one more night of board games.
***