When the world around you is crazy...

Yet another excerpt...

2009-02-22T19:24:00.002+08:00

OK,this is [yet] another excerpt from a full length novel,this time written by me ;)and co-written by a close friend [whoots, we should become a literacy circle] XD

Ok, this are some...side stories [now we can't reveal the main story now can we] The side stories are written by me~

Afternoon sun

Elis eyed the boy.

He was particularly shy, and somehow…cute. Princess Elis was the kind of girl who would throw a fit when she was called cute, so by this time, everyone praised her as intelligent. Yet he was…just cute. Nothing else fit the description, or even came close, for the matter, which was why she was wincing in her mind as she took him in.

She went over as the poor boy was looking lost, having come from another country, knowing nothing of their land, and she bet that her sister, Jordin or her brother, Jordan would never approach him. Even though they were considered the more charming of the 3 royal children.

“Hey, I’m Elis. What is your name?”

He started before shyly answering, “Albel.”

She stared.

“ALBEL? For someone named that, you sure don’t look the part.”

He drew back slightly. “But then, I didn’t give myself the name.”

Elis laughed softly before leading him back to her place, and then they started studying together.

After school was done, they went to Elis’s room, which was large and had many toys, dolls and the such, but what amazed Albel most of all was that she had as many guns and soldiers as she had dolls. She then tossed one of the guns to Albel.

For the whole afternoon, they played soldiers.

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Albel wondered if you could even categorize her. She seemed so different, so striking from everyone around her. She seemed born to be a princess, and she would be queen. There was no doubt of that in his mind. She was beautiful, but Jordin was beautiful as well.

So what was the difference?

He racked his brains for the answer… Elis was kind to everyone around her, she wasn’t cruel and she tried her best to understand, unlike Jordin, who favored those in power, or Jordan, who tried to analyze, but failed miserably. But most of all… she wasn’t just being royalty, she was royalty and royalty was her.

His mind came back to the present.

And he was in her playhouse, surrounded by pink.

She shrugged.

“Don’t say you didn’t agree to this,” She warned.

Albel blushed at this and continued “cooking” for her, and they played thus for the whole night. Albel was getting used to playing with her, and he pondered of the fact that somehow, Elis stayed the nights rather than the mornings…

Albel gave himself a mental slap. You didn’t go around think these thoughts about princesses, especially one like Elis.

He didn’t notice Elis eying him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elis sighed. She was thirsty. Her throat was scorching, burning up. And she was but 8 years old. Her self control, though solid, has holes.

Very large holes.

She then transformed. Her pale hair now had a silvery sheen to it and her pale, gold eyes were now gleaming gold, a pure, fluid gold.

Albel was shocked. He had never seen her like this, the same, yet different. She was a vampire- she was different, But she was still Elis.

She leapt over to him and when he struggled, she held his wrists down and sank her fangs into his neck. And he screamed in pain where her fangs had pierced his neck, because she had used so much force.

She drank and drank, more and more and licked his neck while she did it. He froze. This wasn’t meant to be. But then she released him and panted while blood was dripping down her fangs. And she licked the remaining off his neck.

Elis murmured, “You…taste very good…” and blushed furiously before she left him there, not having matured in her powers yet. Then, she went to bed, leaving Albel confused and in pain at what happened, the attack as well as the emotional pain…

~*~

Albel was in pain. The attack had left his body burning, burning so badly that he felt like calling someone to kill him, anything would be better, compared to this burning pain… He winced and almost cried out, but his training to be a knight made him know better. Instead, he rolled on the floor before running off into the woods where a terrifying howl could be heard for those who were awake that night...

Early in the morning, Albel was found at the outskirts of a carnage scene in the forest, his clothes in tatters.

Albel drew back a little. Which monster had done this? It made him horrified to think of a monster, tearing into the flesh of these people, draining their lives…

He started, looking into the clear waters of the river beside him.

He was covered in blood, and there was no one else around…

Excerpt from a story ;)

2009-02-22T19:18:00.002+08:00

Gods, I must have quite a few friends for me to start posting all their random mutterings [Alright, I ADMIT I HAVE NEXT to none]

Anyway, I wanted to post this whole novel, chapter by chapter from Natalia Gorina [don't come asking for her address] but she gave me permission for the "first one or two chapters"

So here, the 1stchapter from a novel by nat, for NanoWrimo.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 1
When Dad had told us to move, I thought it would finally be the end of the torment I had suffered as junior in high school. Maybe I had been expected to react in a very ungodly way of throwing a tantrum and then destroying half the house – like my sister had done – but I just quietly accepted the fact with relief. Maybe I could still make the last year into something worthwhile to remember and not flush into a scarlet red every time someone decided to bring my life up.
Anyway, this was probably the best thing hat had happened in my short sixteen year old life and I was ready to embrace it with open arms. So when we left our familiar apartment in New York and drove God knows how long, I enjoyed fantasizing about my new life.
“Holly, would you give it a rest for goodness sake!” my sister Aki finally snapped and painfully nudged me with her elbow.
Apparently my incessant humming was beginning to grind on her nerves. As always.
“You know, you aren’t the only one suffering here.” I quietly interjected.
My legs had been cramped quite painfully for the past hour.
“Suffering?! SUFFERING?! Does it look like I even CARE? I’m not the one singing every stinking minute from JOY. I had a life back there. Not unlike someone I’m unfortunate enough to be related to.”
“Zip it, both of you.” My mom finally decided to interject.
“You know Aki, honey, you could be more positive about this like Holly has been. You don’t have to so pessimistic.”
Upon seeing my sister try to answer, Mom cut her off.
“Discussion closed Aki.”
Having probably used up all the energy from the tantrum she had thrown not a few hours before, Aki scowled but kept quiet.
I glanced around the small neighborhood that was soon destined to be my home. It wasn’t big. I could see the way the people acted towards each other and that everyone knew everything about each other. I wasn’t worrying about it. Nobody knew a thing about me and that is exactly how I wanted it.
When we finally made it to the house, I was pleasantly surprised. The new house was definitely an unexpected perk. It was two storied high, and as far as I could see a huge attic. I knew where I was spending most of my days.
“Now kids,” I furrowed my brows in distaste. “Yes, Holly. Kids. You know important it is to your dad that he was stationed here.”
“He owns the company. That sure is fortunate.” I caught Aki mutter but I paid her no heed.
“Your Dad wanted us all to get away form the busy city life so he’s transferring our family here. You better thank God that this opportunity appeared at all. You’re not going to see your father at all for the next couple of months as he sets up. So make it easier on him and behave.”
I looked up at my father who had stayed silent throughout the whole speech. It looked like he wasn’t even there in the car with us, steering the steel machine that ate away the grey pavement below it mile after mile.
I guess I took after my dad in that sense. I was always quiet, never really paying attention to what everyone thought about me but always having a strange craving of knowing people knew I was there. I loved to change where I was. I always used to sleep in different places every couple of months. My mother had been especially shocked when I decided to occupy the kitchen table. But that’s how it was.
I needed changes. A lot of them.
That is what probably made me, a seemingly normal teenager, shunned by the rest of mankind; particularly our species that were of my age.
As my thoughts raced around in my head, I vaguely noticed the fact that we had finally toped in front of our new home and it looked even better that when I had seen it from afar! A beautiful cobble path led up to an old stone mansion that looked like something straight out of the 19th century. I noticed the fact that a tower had been neatly tucked into the west side of the house, shrouded from view by maples and a very ancient looking poplar that looked like it was protecting the small thing from the danger of the outside world. Grape vines lazily crawled up the side of the house, wedging themselves in the small cracks that had probably formed from age. The oak door looked menacing; the darkened windows almost seemed surly.
It was perfect.
“I get the tower!”
My head snapped away from the gorgeous view and a sudden wave of heat filled my stomach. Not again.
“I want it! I want it! I want it! It’s mine!!” my devil of a sister all but shrieked.
“All right honey. You get whatever you want. You deserve it for being such a good girl and not making this too hard. You go get your stuff and I’ll help you set up. How does that sound? We can even help you design it the way you want if you promise to be good and not make a fuss about school?” my mother was grabbing the chance to save herself from a very stressful first week.
But no one asked me.
I was furious. For the first time in my life, I wanted to punch something and make it break. I wanted people to know that there was more behind these amber eyes and mask that I had carefully integrated with my being. I wanted to stop being the perfect daughter.
I wanted to be selfish.
Wow. I was surprised at the sudden change in my behavior. But, this was exactly what I wanted.
Unconsciously, I had clenched my fists and as I slowly unwound my fingers I was surprised at how sharply I reacted. Little white crescent shapes stood out against my pale skin. Yes. This was definitely what I wanted.
But coming back to the present, I couldn’t help but feel that once my parents had shown favoritism for the purpose of keeping the calm.
I faintly wondered if I had turn out to be a loud child – I shuddered at the though – If I would have gotten anything I sought.
Unpacking went fairly smoothly, like in any other family when they were moving. There were a few plates broken, a few things misplaced but over all we survived the afternoon. By the end of the evening though, I was suffering from a serious headache and it wasn’t helping that Aki was bragging about her new room every chance she got.
“….and the bed is so huge! I can totally see a slumber party happening! Mom will definitely agree to something like that,” She babbled on throwing my room a dirty glance.
I got landed on the second floor in a pretty average place. Space it had but the plain walls and floor only made it harder to forget that my sister had stone walls and a thick carpet on the floor for warmth. I had a large desk with a stool in front ( I hated chairs) and next to it was the window that showed the garden out back. A mandatory bed, a dresser, bookshelf and another small stool in the corner were currently the only pieces of furniture filling up the expanse. I sighed as I looked around. Internal decoration had never been my thing.
It was getting late and on this particular day nothing had registered in mind as important enough to look forward to. It was all grey, as most of my days were.
So as I silently got ready for bed, I was never prepared for the vivid night to come that would imprint itself in my mind; forever changing my life, forever haunting me.

Happy Valentines' Day

2009-02-22T19:07:00.002+08:00

I sat, waiting in the car. I looked as he came towards me from the side view mirror of the car. It was...strange. He seemed to have had changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Like...he wasn’t the same person or something...

I almost killed him in that accident. I was glad he lived.

I smiled at him as he opened the door of the carand he grinned back at me. “Ready to go for our date?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The waiter looked strangely at me when I asked for a table for two. But he showed me in anyway.

I picked up the menu and I ordered only for myself. He never ate anything anymore. He placed his hand on mine and I withdrew. Then something came flashing back at me...

I think I might have killed him in that accident. But he lived...I hope

The food was served and I ate. He offered no presents, just chatter and gentle smiles, like so long ago. I then realized that everyone was looking strangely at me.

I heard his mum blaming me for his death..

why then, is he sitting opposite me?!

He looked apologetically at me. “Jaime... I’m sorry...”

I turned and ran out of the restaurant.

I turned back- he wasn’t there anymore. But I felt like he was looking at me from another place.

I was drunk and insisted on driving. He got killed because of that.

So...you wanted to wish me a happy valentines’ day..?

You once told me that the longest distance was not that of life and death... But that of knowing or no...

I called his mother.

"Auntie, where can I put flowers on his grave?"

10 Ways to make people pay up

2009-02-19T19:57:00.003+08:00

Haha, I KNOW this ain't a story. But it sure is funny! This was written by a close friend, the class treasurer of... a different class from me. ALL copyrights belong to her, not me, but i'll be happy to forward it ^^

1. Glare at the debtor every time see her and shout “pay up!” (And don’t take “OK” as agreement)
2. Bring a stiletto heel around when you collect money. (Small area = Higher pressure = Broken toes)
3. Call the debtor’s extended family to ask if he’s bankrupt.
4. Bang on the debtor’s desk and demand payment.
5. Charge interest on overdue payment.
6. Inform the debtor she’s the last to pay up.
7. Hover over the debtor until you receive payment.
8. Paste “O $ pay $” with superglue on debtor’s chair.
9. Make a list of what the debtor spends on and demand why he has money for all these and not the class fund.
10. Borrow his house keys (This is by far the MOST effective method).

I WISH i could show you the funny pictures [haha] but it refuses to upload. ==

ok,now back to mugging.

When cash buys all...

2009-01-04T20:48:00.003+08:00

Jordin was waiting for the client. She read her book, before slamming it shut and sighing. Who was she, a whore, to read? She laughed at the absurdity. She sold herself to pay for her food, her board, her education.

A head popped into the lounge where skimpily dressed girls lounged around. "Nadia! Your client's here for you!"

Nadia. Her mask, in this world of make-believe. A world where men thought that they could buy emotions, could buy love. Society called them whores, cheap women, women that would do anything for money. Jordin sighed softly. It was true. she sold herself to pay... but in this world, this world of money...

She walked out, her heels barely making a sound against the carpeted floor. She saw her client for today, an old man, who wrapped a hand around her slim, willowy waist.

Nadia laughed softly and mumured, "Let's go."

Jordin shuddered.

Nadia brought the man to a beautiful hotel, the Pan Pacific. When they were in the room, he requested a strip tease, and Nadia teased him gently by moving her young, body against his, marvelling and slowly removing her clothes, not that they really covered much...

She covered his face in kisses,letting him have free access to her body, letting him touch...

And then he gently pushed her onto the bed...

When she walked out from the bathroom, using the scented soaps and the towels to wipe herself clean of his grimy scent, she walked out and took the cash she had earned. He gave her a look that told her, "You're nothing...you're just a whore, a girl that'd sell herself for money." Nadia takes the cash and smiles, putting it in her wallet. She walks into the lobby, her heels clicking on the hard, cold marble.

Jordin stares out into the roads, which are still dark...bright with the street lights... She stands in the shadows watching... and she could feel the tears...

Like a long ago dream...

2008-12-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

We played, in the wide field where the sun always shone. It was bright… So bright…I had flowers in my hand, and some in my hair, and both of us were laughing and running barefoot… It was so pretty, so peaceful… And she kissed me gently and I giggled…and we were touching…inappropriately… but shudders ran through my body and she pushed me onto the velvety blanket of grass, and we continued our touching and kissing…

And I awoke, my eyes dark with sadness of the loss. I walked to the mirror, and I saw my eyes… the dull eyes at night… but then I blinked again. And my eyes had a glimpse of light in them, again. I was dreaming, I told myself. There was never such a place, there never was such a person, there should never be such a dream….I repressed the thoughts of “Would I?” in my head…

I would never do such a thing.

I smiled. I would be going to many parties, and my beauty would stand out amongst all the drabness; all the wallflowers in the houses. I was a beauty, and beauty shone through. As per always.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Normal, 5 feet 5 tall, but with shining dark hair that cascaded down to my waist, and a beautiful face that reminded me of a china doll, even, never mind what anyone else said. My body, covered with the thin nightgown, was lithe and my skin color was a soft cream. I was beautiful, I was desired, and I had money to spend. I would have money to spend. Men are such fools… And women played on that…

I opened my wardrobe. Hats, dresses, scarves coats and whatnot appeared in front of my eyes. I took my time in dressing, yelling for my maids to help me with my dresses, my petticoats, my accessories, till I was perfection. My eyes, expressive and lively, biting wit, yet showing a little stupidity…for men hated clever women. All they wanted was a trophy, a beauty that could talk, but was a little dumb on the other hand- someone who would demonstrate how women were all about the looks, and how men were all about the brains.

I sighed softly.

I walked out, ate breakfast quickly, before I went onto the streets with my umbrella and of course, my maid. I was visiting my elder sister, just across the road. I would have taken the carriage, but it seemed like too much trouble.

As I crossed the road, I saw a beauty, but she was dressed in rags and it must have diminished her beauty some. She has golden hair, as gold as the sun at midday, her features were sharp and angular, but they created an exciting rhapsody with her face and her eyes were as blue as the may sky…

And she murmured, “I love you… My darling…”

And I started.

And then we walked along the sparkling river. And she and I were wearing the light dresses of summer and the sun was setting behind our backs.

I gave her a second glance, and she glanced back at me.

I stepped back…

She was that girl…. That beautiful girl… from my dreams…

And then I wanted to reach for her, to tell me that my dreams weren’t the truth…not the many years I forgot…

But she has disappeared into the crowd. I wanted to raise my hand, to make her stop in whatever way I could…

But I let her slip away into the crowd of grey, and I could feel tears rolling down my cheek.

I was crying for something. Something that I wasn’t even sure about… I wasn’t even sure what was reality, what was false? I didn’t even know my parents… I tried to recall to myself how much I knew about them… and all I drew were blanks…My own godammed parents! I yelled to myself.

And we held hands by the river…but we were seen…and my parents slapped her…not me, I was too precious…And warned her not to get close to their daughter again… and when I protested…that was when all the dreams went blank…

I stepped into my sister’s home. I looked at the sparking chandeliers hanging above me, the immaculately waxed floors. A gentleman invited me to dance, and I accepted. A voice in my head told me this was not the time… I had to find out about my past. The sparkling place, the beauty all didn’t matter…In this time and space, I was the only one that did matter…

But I danced to Bach, and I reasoned to myself.

There would always be tonight.

Fleeting and everlasting sorrow

2008-12-02T22:02:00.001+08:00

This is my first story, although it is atypical for me to write stories that end happily, I thought this one turned out rather well~

Just a quick commentary: I had originally intended to use the title Traumerei, after the last chapter of Meine Liebe [the manga,just in case you didn’t know, it means My love], but I started to feel that the title wasn’t appropriate. Then translated the song Hakanaku mo towa no Kanashi, or Fleeting and Everlasting Sorrow by UVERworld and I decided to rename this story Fleeting and Everlasting Sorrow, after this wonderful song and I added a short paragraph of the translated lyrics at the top, fitting enough for the story ^_^

Fleeting and Everlasting Sorrow

“Love can only give me pain,” you murmur to yourself

Were you ever scared to believe, and cried about it?

Admit you’re weak, and grow stronger through it

Don’t be scared, do your best to believe

And you will find true love.

Fleeting and everlasting sorrow,UVERworld

I saw him, his back still turned against me. Looking at the waves that lapped against the shore. I hesitated. Hadn’t I already ruined his life enough? Have I not caused enough trouble? I wanted to vanish in the bowels of the crowd… but I had something to do first…

I awkwardly walked behind him and murmured, “Hey.” He turned. I looked down and muttered, “I’m sorry, for tearing you and Jade apart. And thank you…for everything…” With that, I turned to leave. He held me back. It was gentle, like he was, it didn’t make me stay, but I stayed of my own free will. And I turned.

He glanced into my eyes, like they were beacons of light in the sea of darkness. He held me close and whispered in my ear, “Ellie… it’s ok…Just…let it all out…”And I stared out into the inky-black darkness.

My voice was a bare whisper, “You know I don’t deserve this…. I don’t deserve your forgiveness…or love.”

And his voice, barely audible above all the sobs, murmured, “You deserve me… Ellie…”

I felt myself trembling and moisture on my face and incoherent words coming from my mouth. And I remembered this feeling in a long ago, far away memory… my body was shaking, wracked…. Tears were streaming from my eyes…

I was crying.

And this was the first time I cried in many years…

Ever since my heart died.

He murmured in my ear, “ Ellie… I was in the darkness…I couldn’t hear, see, touch anything anymore…but you reached out your hand to me in that world, and I took it because it was beautiful, and it brought me into a world that I didn’t want to be part of, but which I was happy to be part of, because I could bring you happiness…”

And I cried more. He believed the lie I had woven for myself. But…he had given meaning to my life. And he had given pretty colors to my life. That…was my life he was describing, with his words.

I knew, in that moment, I would never forgive myself for hurting Jade.

I would never ever let myself go for this.

But I reached up and kissed him gently.

And he kissed me back.

It was fleeting and probably, everlasting sorrow indeed…

But in that moment, that fleeting and everlasting sorrow gave birth to hope…hope for me… No, hope for both of us.

What had I not done to get him? I had used every means possible to my mind…hinted…teased… even tried to make him jealous by dating someone else… And he…he never got it. And I thought that I was just a mere little sister, just someone to talk to, just someone to comfort, someone to smile and share feelings with, to provide a shoulder to lean on. But…I felt so much more than that… I felt like I had waited for this someone my whole life. He was the one that saw through me lies and disguises… and to see my soul directly.

I was living a life that was dead…I wanted to commit suicide all the time. I didn’t ever want to play the games in politics… I paid many times over for that- been labeled an outcast, been sent to the councilor, been labeled an odd kid by my own teachers. My teacher said she had never ever seen such a case of ostracization in her many years of teaching, when all that had happened was that I didn’t care enough. My empty tears were not because of a terrible self-esteem… they were because everyone was too blind. I wanted to scream out all the time: Please, please, someone save me… Is it a crime not to care? A crime not to be normal, not to want the things everyone else wanted? A crime not to have an idol; not to have or want a boyfriend? A crime to want to be a psychologist, and not to be a lawyer? And if it’s not a crime, why such punishment?

And at home, I played a role for all at home. What was the use of breaking one more heart? I’d rather break my already shattered heart, rather than bringing it upon others, as my pride dictated. When my parents found out about my social life, or lack of, they decided it was time that I did something; when all I wanted was out. And I did that. Just to make everyone happy…

My life was one whole lie. Assumptions, society views. And if that meant keeping everyone happy, I was prepared to do this my whole life…

But I met him, and then I started to see the beautiful things in life… not the ugly tongues of malice, or of lies, not the eyes that judged my speaking, my next-to-perfect English, but the colourful flowers all around me, the hues of the sunrise and sunset…when I was with him… I started thinking of him more and more…unknowingly, I feel into the river of love…the one place that too many die rather than survive. I tried keeping myself in denial – For how could I fall in love… at first sight?! My mind told me to forget him, but I couldn’t…that was beyond my abilities. He even told me he loved me…but my pride told me to refuse his advances. So, to complete the lie and hide my feelings, I introduced him to Jade, my best friend. I didn’t dismiss the glances he gave Jade, Jade returning them… I seethed in jealousy, but then I thought to myself: What was the worst that could happen?

My question was answered- he asked Jade out.

And to hear that he asked my best friend out… I was…wrecked. Not crushed; that was too light a description. I was a total wreck for days; I started crying uncontrollably whenever I heard something that reminded me of his smile and laugh and when I was alone. He must have sensed that there was something wrong with me- after all, he looked through my many lies. But he ignored it... Too scared to look into my face? To face me? But that must have been me- He had done nothing wrong…I on the other hand… I was too scared to admit to myself I loved him, too afraid to face up to myself…

But…I picked myself up, and I decided I could live without him. What else could I not do? I had wishfully thought that he could be my boyfriend- Now I would dismiss that thought…And I was successful…for a while… I started dating Jordan, though we did break up after a week of being together- He couldn’t stand my aloofness, and I couldn’t stand his self-centeredness, so we went our own ways. Or maybe I knew…I knew that I wasn’t meant for him, for I was still waiting for him. And so our relationship was doomed from the beginning because of me? Of course, I still prefer the first excuse….

But Jade told me many times, “Whenever we’re alone, all he does is talk about you… it’s like he likes you better than me.”

And I comforted her on that, though I felt glad that I did mean something to him after all- enough to mention me in front of his girlfriend. But I was lonely…I wasn’t willing to go back to my old way of life… I wanted to be his girlfriend, I wanted to be someone to him… I wanted to be Jade. So I had to swallow my pride, my constant companion…

So after another IM conversation about Jade, about what she was to both of us, I offline IMed him, “I really loved you from the start you know, but since you decided you loved Jade more than me, I respect that… It’s not right for me to snatch Jade’s boyfriend. She’s a nice girl. Value her.”

And I waited , scared.

And he offline Im-ed me telling me, “This isn’t about what’s right or not, this is about who we want to be with…”

And I felt a spark burn in me again.