Young Writers Society

Ginger

After being snapped from her trance a million thoughts rushed through Ginger's head. Some of them reminding her where she was and what her current situation was. Others were thoughts of disgust and embarrassment.

How could I have kissed him? She thought to herself with utter disgust. Furthermore... how could he have kissed her back? What about that Rose girl? Ginger was no stranger to love. She knew of you truly loved someone you didn't kiss other girls. In his defense Ginger had caught him while he was half asleep, and he did shove her off.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and stared wide eyed at the others in the room. Eli looked extremely shocked at her. Ginger felt like the cat that got the mouse... but the mouse turned out to be something horrible.

"Ging-" She didn't give Eli a chance to finish.

She bolted from the basement and sat outside the door with her back to the metal. She needed time to think. It was almost morning now. She knew the guys would be wondering where she got to. But she couldn't go back... at least not yet.

She took her necklace in her hand, turning the guitar pick over and rubbing it with her thumb. "Why would you leave me? I thought we were going to get married... and you would take me away from here." she asked the guitar pick. She wasn't worried about being heard, a metal door isn't east to hear through. "I loved you, damn it. I gave you my heart and soul. All I asked for in return was for you to take me away from here." she wasn't crying just yet. Ginger rarely cried, but she was on the brink of tears.

"Why?" she asked once more. "Why couldn't you tell me you were leaving?" she unhooked the necklace and through it away from her, but her hand was so unsteady it only landed a few inches from where she sat.

Elijah

I stared in shock as Ginger took off towards the door, then turned toward Tom and kicked him savagely in the side. He yelped in pain and clutched at his thigh, where he was shot. Where I has shot him; and I was willing to do so again if he had hurt my only friend in this degrading pit of a society, which was polluted with the shards of broken dreams, and the smog of those unworthy of redemption. The others had gathered in a circle around us, the mother coddling the now-crying baby, Juli and Jacob staring in shock.

Tom reached weakly for his gun, which I now noticed lay by his bag. I grabbed both, and threw the bag across the basement. It collided with a pile of mattresses and spilled out on the floor, revealing a wickedly sharp scalpel that glinted like some eerie tool of death. I cocked the gun and aimed at Tom's head. For a moment there was silence before I cocked the gun back and turned to Jacob.

"Keep an eye on this freak" I said, and then took off in the direction Ginger had left. I tucked the gun into my back pocket and opened the steel door. I looked around frantically, fearing Ginger had left. Thankfully I noticed her leaning against the wall a few feet down. She was shaking uncontrollably and whispering to herself. I noticed that the necklace we had worked to hard to recover before lay beside her like some trivial item.

I walked over and took a seat next to Ginger. I wondered what was going on inside

Jacob

I watched things unfold without a word, not really understanding what was going on. First, the girl had jumped on that man... and now had run away? He shook his head in confusion, before moving forward to sit marginally closer to the injured man, who lay in a pained silence, turned towards the wall. As far as I could see, he hadn't done anything wrong. True, I didn't have as much reason to distrust him as the other two evidently did, but their treatment of him so far seemed pretty hard.

I stared at him quietly for a moment, the only sound that of Juli shuffling awkwardly in the background. Finally, I gave a small sigh, standing up to walk over to where the man's bag lay. A small knife had fallen out of it from the landing, and I glanced behind me warily before quickly rifling through his bag for any more weapons. A brief search later, I had removed a multitude of scalpels and similar items from the bag, leaving them in a pile to deal with later.

Juli frowned. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyes following me as I sat back down next to .. well, from the contents of his bag, I guessed he was a doctor.

I hesitated slightly before answering. "He doesn't deserve to suffer." Turning back to the doctor, I held up a small pouch taken from his bag. "Is this a medicine kit?" I asked, and he inclined his head in reply, expression twisted in pain. I opened the pouch and looked through it, eventually pulling out a packet of tablets. "And these are painkillers?"

At this, he sat up as much as he could manage, straining his neck to inspect the packet closer. Finally, he gave a swift nod, making some incoherent sound as he did so.

"Here." I offered, handing him the packet before holding up a different one. "And these are sleeping tablets?" The response to this was quicker; he nodded almost immediately and made a feeble attempt to take them, although the pain was apparently causing him too much difficulty to manage this successfully.

I handed these over aswell, before standing up again to make my way to my mattress and slump back down on it. There was no way it was morning yet. My stomach grumbled with a loud roar, and I scowled openly. Maybe it was morning, then.

Juli Rose

I stifled a giggle as Jacob's stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?" I asked teasingly. He shot me a look. I gave him a smile. "I'll be back in a few," I announced to the general group.

I climbed out the small hole in the window and out onto the streets. It was early, and most of the drunkards were either asleep now or hungover. This wasn't exactly ideal timing, but it would have to do.

I walked a little way down the dirty old streets, the shadows from the building hitting the pavement and darkening the sidewalks. I knew where I was going. I had seen a small bar running last night. For this area, it seemed to have some class. Only for the rich. The elite. The people around here who had any money at all.

Twenty-four seven bars were common in Old Harles. It was almost a standard, really. So when I walked in, there were already several people enjoying morning coffee with rum, and several more people passed out on the floor and in booths.

I went and sat down next to a man who looked to be about in his mid twenties. He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. This man was clearly an idiot. The shape of his wallet was obvious in his front pocket. And it looked full.

"Don't you girls usually come out at night? Or am I lucky enough to get a show this morning?" He teased.

"I don't know, why don't you ask my lips?" I said slowly, slurring my speech to make it sound like I was slightly drunk.

He leaned towards me, and I pressed my lips to his. While I did, I eased my hand towards his right side pocket. In less than a minute, I had it in my hand. I pushed back and ran towards the door. I could imagine the look on his face. Shocked, confused, moronic.

I ran into a nearby drugstore and grabbed a box of cheeze-its and a liter of soda. I was out of the drugstore a minute later, after paying with that poor idiots money. From there I walked back towards the basment.

When I reached the little opening, I jumped down and lay my findings on my matress.

"Whats that?" Rayne asked.

"Breaksfast, and lunch if it lasts." I said with a shrug.

"Where'd you get it?" Jacob asked with a slight grin.

"That's not important," I returned with a grin of my own.

Ginger

She hadn't noticed Eli had come to sit beside her. She had buried her face in her knees and sobbed. She hoped no one was around. Ginger didn't like people seeing her cry, it made he look weak. Since she had that naturally irritating aura to her people usually took her as tough. Someone not to be messed with.

"Ginger?"

The quite voice startled her. It made her jump. She clenched her fist and raised it before she realized it was Eli. He had flinched, which made her feel worse. Only slightly. She laid her chin back on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. The necklace laid only about a foot away from her.

It mocked her.

"Go away Eli." she ordered. Her voice hid all emotion. Her eyes didn't move from the necklace. She wanted to pick it up and throw it further away. Eli picked it up and turned it over in his fingers. Her eyes didn't leave the spot she had tossed it.

"I think you need to talk about something. It's not hard to tell something is bothering you."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes. Perhaps that's what I needed... closure. I never talked to any one about anything. So... I told him.

I told him about Jordan, and how he betrayed me. I told him about my brother, and how he died. The hardest part to admit... was that I wanted out.

What the hell was going on... stupid girl just ran away after kissing him. Girls where so complicated. Sometimes he wished he was gay. Firstly if would piss his homophobic father off and secondly he wouldn't have to worry about girls and all their little troubles. Thoughts went back to Rose,he had to tell her someday but how would she react? How would she react when a man seven years her senior confessed his undying love? A man with no prospects, about three other casual 'girlfriends' and a hell of a lot of baggage. And her father? Probably shoot him in the face. His love life was so messed up, he was in love with a little girl, he was disgusting.

Then something broke his thoughts. A swift kick to the leg, his poor injured leg... He couldn't help but yell, no scream, in pain. Anger bubbled up. He reached out for his gun but the boy got their first, throwing his bag across the room, stealing his gun. he could see his scalpel shining the dim light.

"Keep an eye on this freak" he yelled, he felt like screaming obscenities back but he was to weak, the pain to strong. Who was he to call him a freak? He was a just a stupid little boy no life no prospects ahead of him. If he ever crossed him again he would slit his throat. Cut out his spleen and make him drink the fouls bile. Death by a thousand cuts...

The pain.... The boy with the guitar moved forward. "Is this a medicine kit?" he said. Tom nodded, and pulled himself up he was to weak to speak. He had painkillers, never had he been happier to see little pills. With all the energy he had he opened the packet and swallowed them dry. The guitar boy, Jacob that was is name. Jacob handed him sleeping pills... No he couldn't, painkillers and sleeping tablets where a bad mix especially the two he carried around and defiantly not with the alcohol still in his system....

No,he thought, fading unconsciousness...

Hey guys there. My desktopn & laptop both have been badly affected by virus, so if I don't post till tomorrow then don't wait for me, and also just wait for a day before posting or else I'd be lost in the story. Please!

"Whats that?" I asked.

"Breaksfast, and lunch if it lasts," Julie replied with a shrug.

"Where'd you get it?" Jacob asked with a slight grin.

"That's not important," she returned with a grin of her own.

"Mom, could I eat it?" Sara looked up at me. I lowered my gaze and in no time she was pulling my skirt.
"Sara!" I raised my volume, and in disappointment she looked down. "Of course you can eat it, if this lady here doesn't mind, but before, stop pulling my skirt," I continued.
Clapping her hands, she walked towards Julie, and with same enthusiasm Julie handed her one of the packets.
"Thanks," Sara replied shyly. Slowly, everybody got to eating the little of the food Julie had somehow managed to bring. The ginger girl and her friend had still not returned. She seemed pretty pathetic to begin with. First of all, she goes over kissing some stranger's face and on top of that leaves the basement in utter frustration.


"What's your story, Ray?" Julie asked me as she put in a piece of cheese into her mouth. I was suddenly pulled back from my trail of thoughts and I was glad of it. I scanned the room first; the injured doctor was lying on the floor, Julie and Jacob were her with me eating.
"Mine?" I asked, uncertainly.
"Yes, yours, Ray," Julie put on a weak smile.
"Umm, divorced, high-school drop-out," I replied, lowering down my head. I had purposefully skipped the domestic violence part. I didn't want to be shown here as the pathetic young mother.

It had been a rainy night when the front door shut loudly. Alerted, I rose from my bed and walked towards the entrance to find a silhouette limply walking towards me. As the moonlight beamed on his face, I realized him to be Peter. He was in a mess. His hair was unkempt, his tie left loose on his shirt and his shirt untucked.
"What happened to your interview?" I calmly asked, reaching towards him and trying to support him. He wavered off my hand from his shoulder.
"Nothin'," he replied.
"Huh?" I asked in confusion and flying towards me came his hand. The incineration of his slap was putting my cheeks on fire, and I lay down on the floor. It was a shock; what had gotten into him? Till now he had not ever shouted at me and now he was slapping me?
"You don't hear right, Ray the bitc-"
"What's-?
"You'd stop right now, Ray," he slurred and I knew he was drunk. The days of gloom had reached my house.

"Oh, I see," Julie bit her lip and went into her own thought trail. I felt timid here; to have dropped out of high-school for some idiotic romance. I felt like kicking myself and I deeply wished for everything to rewind back. Couldn't life for once be fair and give me my days back?
If only paper planes could be transformed into real wishes.
A sudden silence captured the room, and everyone switched to their mute self. Except for Sara. She was constantly singing a nursery rhyme so much for my annoyance. Right now all I needed was to be transported to my parents' house.
Suddenly an idea clicked into my mind. I was their daughter. They would surely keep me. They might have forgotten the ill luck I had brought to them by now. Next thing I was going to do was to go back to my original place.
"What's your story?" I asked as hope flew into me. Julie had been playing with a paint brush all this while and leaving it aside she looked up at me.
"Mine?" She asked in panic. Jacob looked at her.

Come on, her story would be less violent than mine. But I should have known better.

Elijah

I listened with an open ear and heart as Ginger revealed her secrets to me. She spoke of her brother and how she had joined the gang. I let the pain and suffering her experience had birthed wash over me; spurning a tsunami of sympathy.

As she finished the mask of the hardcore gang member image faded from Ginger, and her voice broke. She let her head and hair fall into my shoulders, and her makeups formed tears that ran down my jacket. Crap, did she know how easy this fabric stained? I forced these prissy thoughts away though, and instead set my brain working for things I could say to induce comfort in Ginger.

"Listen, Ginger. The problem is that your letting other people control your life. You gave yourself completely to Jordan, you changed who you are for your brother, what you need to do is find yourself once more. When was the last time you did something for yourself?"

Ginger broke off from my shoulder. I quickly scanned my jacket for stains as Ginger prepared herself for a reply.

Ginger

She wiped her make-up smudged and tear stained face with the heal of her hand. She chewed on his question. He had a point. She had completely changed. She did kill Alecia. All that was left was the empty shell known as Ginger. Feared by many, lusted by many but loved by none.

"I- I don't know." she sniffled.

"That's what I thought. You need to think about you for once."

She bit her lip and looked up to him as he stood. "Eli?" she asked quietly as she stood. Silence wrapped around them for a moment, but it wasn't a bad silence. It was some what soothing.

"Yes, Ginger?" he asked finally, turning to her slightly.

"Call me Allie."

He smiled slightly and the two returned to the basement and the others. She left the necklace on the ground without a second thought.

His head hurt. His whole body hurt, he felt like he was going to die. Why did life had to be so cruel? Everything had started off so well, now he was homeless. He rubbed his temples. How long had he been out for? But he felt better now, a little better. He dragged himself up, the others where talking but he ignored them, the two freaks he tried to mug had returned. Dragging himself over, trying to make as little noise as possible. He grabbed his split pack, grabbing his surgery kit. He quickly undid the dressings and cleaned the wound quickly. He was so luck it had been a clean wound. He grabbed a needle and began sticking everything together, he should have done this before. He grimace as he shoved the needle into his leg, threading it though soft flesh, but compared to what he had been though recently it was a field day. When he finished he gave a relieved sight, redoing the dressings.

Then he saw... The child. staring at him. He gulped, no one else had noticed but her. He was terrible with children. He put his finger to his lips and grabbed twenty bucks from his bag. "Hey, kid take this just pretend I'm not here okay, pretend I'm still asleep" he said softly. The child looked at him with big eyes and nodded.

Tom gave a sigh of relief and feel back on to his mattress, and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep.

His stomach grumbled, tome suddenly realized that he was very very hungry...

Julie-Rose

"What's your story?" The last question I wanted to hear.

"Mine?" I asked. I couldn't keep the panic out of my voice. Use the lie you always have.

"I was raised in an orphanage, and then ran away. At the orphanage they had an art tutor. He saw promise in me and helped me to escape. I was supposed to go to Chicago, but took the wrong train. I didn’t have enough money, so I found this city.” I looked up for a moment. “Did you realize the ceiling is grey? I didn’t until now. I’m an artist; I’m supposed to notice these things.” I didn’t get an answer, but continued to stare upwards. My eyes traced the ridges in the ceiling.

My feet pounded on the ground. It was late October. Or maybe early November. Or even September. I was running. Leaves crunched under my converse. I didn’t look back. The houses around me were all the same. They were prisons. Tall, oversized, accommodating. Nothing was familiar. Everything around me was a blur.

I stop and look up at two street signs. There are letters, and words, but I can’t read them. Where am I? What have I done?

“What happened after you got here?” Jacob asked, snapping my out of my memory.

“I met Lexas and Reggin. They are two artists as well. Much older than me. Much more successful. They took me in for a while. But they beat me a lot. So I left, and found this place. What about you Jacob?”

Jacob

I hesitated at her question, it being pretty obvious that she just didn't want to elaborate any more on how she'd gotten here. Still, I didn't want to pry into something she clearly wasn't willing to talk about, so after a moment I let out a short sigh and smiled nervously. "My reason isn't quite as exciting as either of yours. I just wanted to get away, and moved here. In fact-

Reminding myself of the apartment I'd somehow managed to misplace, I rummaged in my bag to find the map and postcode I'd been given. "I don't know if any of you know this area very well? I've paid for three months rent on an apartment, but I haven't been able to find it yet."

Juli looked back at me from where she had been fixated on the ceiling, brow slightly furrowed. "You have a map? Can I see it?" I held out the piece of paper, hoping my messy scrawl of handwriting and scribbled pictures would be legible to her. There was a long pause as she concentrated, occasionally turning the map one way or another. Waiting, I glanced around the room, watching as Ray's child came back to sit on her lap and wrap her skinny arms around her mother's neck, cuddling into her in an affectionate gesture. A small smile settled on my face as I watched the two hug quietly, seemingly unaware of the dire situation we were all currently in.

The sound of Juli speaking broke the silence, her voice slightly strained as she talked. "This building," she said hesitantly, "it's... it's the one we're in now."

I blinked silently in response. "Are you sure?"

She looked back at the map, then nodded more firmly. "Yes."

A defeated groan escaped me, and I slumped, face in my hands. Great. How could I have been so stupid to rent a house without even seeing it first? Now I was stuck in this place, with no heating, no lighting, no water. Just great.

Seeing my reaction, Juli edged forward, tentatively placing a hand on my back in a soothing manner. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "but it's definitely here."

An hour later...

Toms phone began to ring, he growled, stirring from his little nap . He stayed silent and kept his eyes closed, watching the man called Jacob walk over to his bag. He heard a beep. His heart pounded against his chest, but he remained still. " Hello?" said guy into his phone. " Hey, O' Connor! Do I have a job for you! I know you about the latest drug bust? Cost the boss half a million, well the little rat informant was one of those dirty little street gang boys.Be to obvious if any of us to take him out, since your pretty much a phantom the boss is offering you a hundred thousand to take out the street rat. I'm kinda busy now and i know this ain't your preferred type of job but call me if your interested okay?" said the voice on loud speaker. Jacob dropped the phone, it landed with a soft thump on the dirty mattress bellow. He, although his eyes where closed could feel their eyes move towads him.