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Hi y'all! I haven't been able to post what I've written for a while, but that meant I was able to write a lot! I've also realized that I forgot to include a detail from the last part: the envelope Vivi discovered wasn't blank, it had a large 5 on the front. And so without further ado… the next part!
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Humming, Taiza jogged through the grocery store, sneakers squeaking against the floor. She scanned the isles, searching for greeting cards.
Canned soup… Chips and crackers… Frozen food… More frozen food… Even more frozen food… She sped up, nearing the end of the store.
It was Dante ( her five-year-old brother)’s birthday, and she had yet to pick out a card. Right now, her Mom, Saburo (3 years old), and Rodrigo (8 years old) were helping him pick out some balloons. Taiza had gotten him his present last week, but hadn't had time to get the card, thanks to a track meeting, a soccer practice and game, and a basketball practice. Her mom always said she played too many sports, but she would never drop any.
Aha! Greeting cards! Taiza turned into the right aisle, locating the “birthday for him” section right away.
She pulled out a card at random, saw the toy truck and the words “Happy birthday, little man!” and quickly put it back, her distaste evident.
Taiza plucked out another card, saw a disappointingly similar message, and put that one back just as fast.
“Gender stereotypes are so stupid,” she sighed.
Getting up, she moved to the neutral “birthday” section, deciding to try her luck there. Flipping through the cards, she selected one with a cake on the front and opened it, scanning the message inside.
Seems all right, she decided, resolving to write more in it later. Closing the card, she grabbed the corresponding blue envelope, tucking the card under its flap. Then she stilled.
The next envelope in the stack wasn't blue like the others; it was a pure, creamy white. Taiza would have chalked it up to a misplacement, except for the fact that it was sealed. And judging from its flexibility when she picked it up, it had an ordinary letter, not a store-bought card, inside.
Taiza frowned, flipping it over to check the front. Blank, except for a large number three. So it probably wasn't for any one person. But then why was it here? She deliberated a moment longer, then slipped it into a jacket pocket. Random letters could wait. Right now, she had a card to sign and a family to find.
There was a new kind of light in her eyes as she left the isle, letter tucked safely into her pocket.
~•~
That night, Taiza studied the envelope under the yellow light of her desk lamp. Heart beating just a little faster than normal, she slit it open, extracting the letter inside.
It was only about half filled with text, black ink scrawling out what she could only think to be a riddle.
Soldiers, Sailors,
Grandest killers,
Face the faces,
Leftmost pillar.
Find the others
By finding me,
Eight seventeen,
Three fifty three.
Take your choice,
Leave or stay,
Pass the threshold,
Can’t turn away.
Taiza sat back, thinking hard. It was definitely a riddle, that much was for sure. It was a clue as well, but to what?
She studied it more closely. The first verse seemed to be about directing them… somewhere. Somewhere with pillars and faces; and what was all that about grandest killers, soldiers, and sailors? And the second verse… The first two lines made sense enough, but the other two —
“Tai-zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
She jumped, train of thought effectively stopped as her brothers barreled into her room.
“Taiza!” Dante jumped up and down, face glowing with excitement. “ Guess what Mama made just now!”
Taiza held back a groan. She loved her brothers, but sometimes, they could be a little of a pain. Okay, a lot of a pain.
“What have I told you about knocking?” she chided, discreetly slipping the clue back into its envelope.
The boys fell silent. Rodrigo, the oldest and sweetest of the four, spoke up. “We always hafta do it?”
Taiza suppressed a smile. “Exactly. Now did you knock?” She waited.
Saburo, the youngest, piped up, eyes wide. “Well, no, but guess what! Mama made pan de camote! She says we can't try it until we all set the table, and that means you too! So come on!” He leapt forward, practically dragging her out of her desk chair.
Taiza laughed, unable to contain it. “All right, all right,” she conceded, “I'm coming.”
As she herded her brothers out of her room, she cast one look back at her desk, envelope lying innocently atop it. She knew close to nothing about where it would take her, but she did know this: Taiza was solving that riddle. And she was taking this adventure.
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This one is just as great as the first! I think you portray Taiza's relationship with her younger siblings really well. (I have a couple myself). Just a question you definitely do not need to answer; do you have younger sibling(s)?
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No, but I do have an older sibling, so I have plenty of expeirence with siblings barging into my room without knocking, and the feeling of loving someone and them annoying the heck out of you at the same time 😉
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Yayyyyy I love it! I was so excited about Taiza's character and I'm really glad to see her coming to life 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 that was a lot of happy faces. Anyway, I can't wait for the next part! And I can't wait to see what the poem means.
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Hi guys! I have the next part written already, but it's taking a while to type up (I have a limited amount of time I can spend on the computer every day). It'll be posted pretty soon. Sorry for the delay, and thank you for your patience!
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Memphis says domag. Quel dommage? Memphis, do you speak French now?
~ouiii~
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Okay, so FYI, this post is gonna be really long (Sorry @Admins!). I was on a roll writing down Henry's part, and I just didn't stop writing :p. I also have two things you'll need to know about this Solo Write going forward.One: I've added a little bit to some of the characters to give them more depth. This is not because they weren't developed enough. It's because, for the purposes of the story, I needed to fill in more minutiae about their lives and family. This part is the first time you'll see this.Two: This story is set entirely in New York, and will often refer to streets and other locales. None of these are made up. I've never actually been to New York, but thanks to virtual tours and similar tech available to me, I've been able to research enough that all details mentioned are true. That being said, I am not perfect and neither are my researching skills. If I have forgotten/made up/misrepresented some aspect of New York, please tell me! I want to make sure I have all my facts straight.Whew! Now that the super-long intro is out of the way, let's move on to the super-long story part!~~~Swish! The tires of Henry’s bike whisked through a puddle, sending up a small wave of water. It brushed the bottom of his shoes as he pedaled.He grinned, glancing down to make sure his journal was still safe in its bag. The bag in question was a light blue bag bound to his handlebars, with a large gray “H.L.” embroidered on the front. His older sister, Emily, had made it for him a couple years ago, the summer before she…Henry frowned. He didn’t like thinking about her. Her predicament can't be helped, he told himself, like always. She's tough. She can take care of herself. She'll be fine, he reminded himself, like always. But a small part of him, a part growing larger every time he thought her name, knew how empty those words were. Like always.Snap! His bike rode over a twig, cracking it in two and jolting Henry out of his reverie. Realizing what the sound was, he relaxed, keeping his gaze on the street ahead.Let’s see… he thought, tracing out New York’s streets in his head. I’m on Cabrini Blvd right now. So up ahead would be… he squinted, puzzling out the maze of streets he called home. A fork in the road! He realized. Right or straight, they’ll both join back together. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go straight. There was a park down that way where he could take a break and write about his journey so far.When the rightward turn came, he ignored it, glancing quickly at his watch. 5:16. He liked to be home by 6:00, so as not to worry his already overworked mother. Once he stopped at the park, he’d have to start heading home if he wanted to take the long way, which he always did.Up ahead, green trees and playground equipment came into view and he sped up, legs starting to ache. He loved biking. Loved the way the wind messed up his hair (although it was always messy to begin with), loved how far he could travel and how much he could see, but most of all, he loved the speed. How you could ride like the wind, how you could go so fast it felt like flying, but only if you put enough into it.Reluctantly, Henry slowed, drawing closer to the park. He halted near a bench, dismounted, and plopped down with a sigh. He loved biking, but this part was a close second: pausing to record his adventures.Drawing out his journal and pencil from the embroidered pouch — Don’t think about Emily, he told himself, just don’t — he flipped to the soonest blank page. It was, he noted, surprisingly far into the book. He’d have to get a new one soon, he thought, reminding himself to tell his mom later.He bent over the notebook balanced on his knee and began to write.Went through Hudson Heights today, Henry scribbled messily. I took the back streets, hardly seeing anyone. I saw a couple blue jays, though. I’ll have to tell Emily in my next letter. His journal was the only time he really talked about Emily, except to his mom, and even they tried to avoid the subject.Rode by my old elementary school 40 or 50 minutes ago. It’s strange how little it’s changed. It was deserted, of course, except for those squirrels who always used to steal people’s lunches. About half a block later, I —A laugh, loud and raucous, cut through the air, sending a squirrel fleeing up the nearest tree.Henry’s head snapped up, eyes going wide. He knew that laugh. Knew it, and hated it. It was Angus, the local bully and his longtime tormenter. Henry usually went out of his way to avoid him (he disliked trouble of most sorts), but tonight, it seemed like he was plain unlucky.He turned his head warily, and sure enough, there was Angus, swaggering down the street with his gang of muscle.“Of all the streets you could’ve gone down," Henry grumbled, slipping the journal and pencil bag into their pouch. Swiftly, he left the bench, grabbing his bike and tucking it and himself behind the nearest slide. He wasn’t sure if Angus would steal his bike, but he was taking no chances.Shifting on the playground gravel, Henry listened hard. Sure enough, Angus’s laughter was growing steadily louder and closer.Henry’s heart pounded, knees complaining at his awkward position. He has to shift every minute or so to keep the slide between himself and Angus, but other than that, he didn’t dare move.Gradually, the bully’s voice faded as he passed, and Henry allowed himself to relax. He let his head droop dow, releasing a sigh of relief. Then something on the ground caught his eye.Partially buried in the gravel at his feet, unearthed by his scrambling, was the edge of an envelope, a pale, creamy white.He pulled it out, brushed off the rock dust, and flipped it over. It was blank on the front, except for a large number one.~~~So there it is! I think this is the longest part I've written in one sitting so far… What do you think? (I didn't do any editing).-
Wow. Expositions are often the most important part of a story and they are NOT easy to write, but you are doing an amazing job!!! Props to you for doing all the research about New York, because that takes lots of effort. I absolutely love this solo write and I can't wait to see how all the characters connect in the adventure 😀
Memphis says ndycc. If you take out the d, it kind of looks like he's saying NYC!
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Yay! I'm glad you like it so much. And thank you for offering your thoughts on every part so far. I really appreicate seeing all your comments, and your kind words mean so much! Thank you!
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Wow, I absolutely love this part! It's wonderfully well written. You capture Henry's emotions so well and you are portraying him perfectly. I really want to find out more about his sister. I'm impressed with how you are researching New York for this solowrite. It adds a nice aspect to the story, knowing the places are actually real. I can't wait for the next part!
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Hi guys! I promise I haven't forgotten about this. However, I am going camping for a while, I'll be back on Thursday or Friday, so I won't be able to update for a while. The good news is that I'll be writing a lot during camping, so I'll have the next part ready for when I get back.
Also: Seeing as Darkling hasn't submitted her sheet (and to be honest, I don't think she will), I'm going to cancel her reservation. I am not opening this back up. I'm too far along in both the writing and the planning to have a new character introduced. Sorry!
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I hope you had a great camping trip and I look forward to reading the coming parts!
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Hey, y'all! So I'm back from camping, but I didn't nearly as much as I thought I would. I am working on the next part, but it might not be posted until later. I promise I haven't forgotten; thank you for understanding!
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I hope you had a fun camping trip! Can't wait for the next part!
ps, top 😀
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I know it's been a long time since the last part, but I actually haven't forgotten about this; I've just been pretty busy. However, I am going to be doing this as my Camp NaNoWriMo project, so there'll be a lot of parts out in the next month! And thank you so much for your patience.
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Okay. Full confession: I haven't worked on this for a really long time. I have several stories going on (I counted recently, I have like 5 full-length stories plus a couple mini fanfics), and homework, so I sadly don't think I can commit to this as much as I want to. I promise I have not forgotten about it, I just don't really have the time to write for this on a regular basis. Once I've taken care of a few of those other projects (and once summer starts and I have hardly any homework), I'll definetly revisit this and bring it back. It'll just be a while.
Again, thank you so much for your patience. Y'all are awesome and I LOVE working with your characters! This story is super fun to write, and I hope y'all are enjoying it as much as I am!
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So. Hi.
I know it’s kinda awkward to add to a thread after nearly four months of inactivity, but I seriously love this Solo Write, and I didn’t want to let it die.
I promise I would’ve revived it sooner, but a broken computer and too-busy summer led to an involuntary, 3 ½ month hiatus. This story is still one of my favorites, and I’d like to try to continue it, if y’all are up for that. I promise, I have not given up!
Thanks for tolerating my inactivity, I promise to keep developing this story, and to keep y’all updated with anything I’ve written.
And so without further ado, Part 4!
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Arya checked her watch, then groaned loudly. It wasn’t like anyone could hear her over the teacher’s droning lecture.
There was still nearly and hour left of school, and that meant nearly an hour of “The articles of confederation and their effects of post-revolutionary war America”.
What Arya had learned so far:
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The articles of confederation were boring.
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Their effects were boring.
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Her teacher had nearly perfected their monotonous drone. The classmate in front of Arya was already asleep, and a kid two or three seats to her left looked about ready to follow.
Basically, this class was a Waste. Of. Time. Really, the only thing Arya liked about it was that Gabi, the girl Arya definitely did not have a crush on, thanks for asking, was seated nearby. She was studiously taking notes, one of the grand total of three people that actually seemed to care.
Arya fiddled absentmindedly with a hole in her (surprisingly, not black, but aqua, her second favorite color) jeans, then checked her watch again. Not even a minute had passed. She sighed, then resigned herself to her boring fate.
“After two more years,” the teacher droned on, “George Washington decided to—Oh, hello, Mr. Devinsky.”
Arya glanced up, a little surprised. Mr. Devinsky, the school secretary, didn’t like to interrupt classes. Something about “keeping the expansion of young minds an undisturbed process”, and he hardly ever had cause to, anyway.
Mr. Devinsky leaned towards Mx. Clark, and, in a voice clearly trying to be a whisper, but could be heard even at the back of the class, “There’s been an energy failure with the smoke detectors, Alex. We’re going to have to let out school early, I’m afraid.”
“What?” Mx. Clark looked surprised. “You mean they’re not working? Well, I don’t see that as a reason to end class early.”
Mr. Devinsky nodded. “I quite agree, Alex, but there’s not much I can do. State safety regulations, and all that.”
Mx. Clark nodded, then turned back to the class as the secretary left. “Well, class, you heard him,” they announced. “Let’s pack up our textbooks, tidy our desks, and—“ They added over the rustling of papers and scraping of chairs, “Remember that this lesson will continue tomorrow, so come prepared!”
But even that couldn’t dampen the grin on Arya’s face as she packed up her books, shouldered her backpack, and left the classroom.
As she slipped into the hall, dodging the packs of noisy boys and even noiser girls on the way to her locker, she noticed something intresting. Gabi was skirting the edges of the hallway, not talking to anyone on her way out. No one approached her to make plans for the afternoon, groan about their latest class, or even say hi. And then Gabi was out the doors, without so much as a word to anyone.
Arya frowned. That was odd. She’d thought Gabi had at least one friend, that everyone at her school did. But maybe Gabi was as lonely as she was.
Then she gave her head a firm shake, as if to dislodge the thought. Arya wasn’t lonely, she was just alone. There was a difference, and she knew it. She looked away, banishing the thought from her mind as she reached her locker.
She fiddled with the lock, clicked it open, plopped her books in, and was about to close it when something drew her up short.
Arya reached in again, and picked up a creamy white enevelope, marked with the number two. It hadn’t been there this morning, or even last class, she was sure of that.
Frowning now, she slit it open and read the letter inside. She blinked. Stared at it a moment. Then read it again. Was this some kind of joke? She eyed the halls around her, but nobody was laughing.
Eyes narrowed, she stuffed the letter in her backpack. Contrary to what most of her teachers thought, Arya wasn’t stupid. It was quite likely that this was a waste of her time, but it was still possible that it wasn’t. And Arya wasn’t throwing away a chance to liven up her monotonus existence, even if it was only a chance.
Her backpack felt heavier, somehow, as she left the school, but lighter at the same time.
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