Spoiler
Alright, so this is extremely rough, and has no action in it. Sorry, but I promise it gets better. Please don't be too harsh with the story line, as it's taken me a long time to finally find something I want to stick with, but go to town on the grammar. =p I'm not always the best when it comes to that. I know my prologue doesn't really have a purpose, but for some reason I always write them like this, so let me know if I really need to get rid of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and know that it's definitely a work in progress. Also, there will be fantasy in it later on, but for now I posted it in General Fiction because there isn't really any of that going on at this point in time. Thanks!
Prologue:
I’m afraid of starting this. Afraid that once I start, I won’t finish. I’ll get to scared, and discard this wonderful piece of work. Once they realize I’m writing this, they won’t let me go. They will hunt me down until I’m dead.
It’s not my fault this whole thing got so messed up. I was the one trying to fix things when they decided to go and screw it all. Figures. Those numbskulls have no idea how to use the power they’ve been given.
But I’m here to set the story straight. ‘Cause it’s pretty damn confusing. I didn’t even know what was going on until it was too late. Hopefully, you’ll be warned, and when they come to recruit you, you’ll know better.
Be sure to make the right choice.
Chapter One:
I wanted to cry.
My hands were so cold they looked blue, and I could barely get them to function in the way I wanted them to. The flowers I was holding were shaking perceptively, and I tried to still them.
I straightened, tucking my long flimsy-bladed knife under my arm. The rubber band I was trying to fit around my bunch of fifteen daffodils fell to the ground when it snapped. I’d stretched the old thing too far.
Sighing, I reached into the pouch of the tool belt I had tied around my waist and pulled out another band. This one successful secured itself around the flower stems, and I let the bunch drop to the ground.
Sloshing through the river of puddles on the field towards the next patch of bright yellow buds turned out to be harder than I thought. Rubber boots or no, my feet were freezing. I could hardly walk anymore, a fact aided by the brisk wind that picked up, blowing my hood away from my head. My body instinctively shied away from the bone chilling breeze.
After a few more numbing minutes, I managed to cut enough of the sopping wet flowers to form another group. When that one was tied together, I decided enough was enough.
I trudged back up the row I’d been picking in, bending at the waist to snatch up the splotches of pale petals that signified my bunches. Finally, after I thought I’d gotten them all, I made my way back towards the boxes that were awkwardly stacked on top of each other.
The cardboard walls of the rectangular shapes were caving in, but I pushed them apart, carefully laying the product of my labor inside. I winced when I realized how small the amount was. Normally, in a span of three hours, I’d have picked around 150 bunches, but today I’d only gathered forty five in two.
As I stood to force my way through the flooded field once again, I heard the roar of an engine racing towards me. A sense of relief washed over me as I turned to see my bosses big black pick up truck revving his engine through the large mud puddles in the middle of the path leading towards where I was working.
“Time to go!” he shouted over the vehicle, and I smiled. Thank god. I’d been so close to just curling up in a ball and giving up.
“Alright,” I answered back as I flung my knife in the end of my half filled box and carried the soggy container towards the truck bed.
Once everything was loaded up, I leapt onto the back, gently shoving aside my bosses’ dog, Haley. I didn’t know what breed she was, but she was so darn cute I couldn’t help but pat her head a few times as I sat down on a tool box.
I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my bright green coat, trying to warm them. By the time we got back to my car, my hands were more stiff than frozen solid.
“Hey, you going to work tomorrow?” my boss asked as he stepped out of the cab into the mud below.
“Um… probably not. It’s supposed to rain isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess so. If it’s pouring don’t bother to show up. Call me though if you decide not to come so that I’m not waiting for you by the green house.”
“Got it.” I nodded and began to walk back towards the tan Volkswagen my mom let me use. Before I could open my door, a streak of orange darted out from underneath and ran yowling back towards the long plastic covered building.
That freaking cat. When he was a kitten he used to sneak up on me all the time and try to eat my shoelaces. Now that he was a year and a half old, he deemed it necessary to upgrade to the more difficult task of scaring me to death.
I rolled my eyes and plopped myself down in the drivers seat. My little silver key with Yoshi from Super Mario Brother’s, and an elephant from when my mom went to Africa, slid easily into the ignition, and the car started without a problem.
Once I was on the road, I let my mind wander a little bit. The drive from the fields to my house wasn’t a long one, but it was a pretty straight shot, so I didn’t have to focus much.
I vowed I wasn’t ever going to do something like that again, but then, I’d also said that yesterday after work. And where was I today? Doing the same thing. I tended not to keep promises to myself.
Fingering the small gray rose that pierce my upper left ear, I absent mindedly flipped through radio stations, trying to find one that fitted my mood. So I yanked my MP3 out of my pocket, and even though I knew it was illegal, popped on of the head phones in my ear.
Music blared though the tiny speakers, and I relaxed, letting the sound wash over me. I was happy now that I was out of that place, and slowly starting to warm up.
Once I got home though, that bubble of contentment burst. My younger brother was arguing about his grades with my parents, and the air practically crackled with tension.
I tried to ignore it and just let myself into the bathroom, locking the door to the bathroom behind me. A hot shower was what I needed, and I wasn’t going to allow anyone to bother me until I was able to think clearly again.
The water was a calming force for me. I just stood there, letting the hot liquid pound onto my face as I felt my fingers and toes tingle back to life. This was what kept me from completely spazzing out while at work. I just kept telling myself, think how nice the shower will be.
I groped around for a towel, keeping the nozzle spraying on my face right until the creamy white fabric reached the stream.
Once I was out and dressed, I carefully brushed my long blonde hair back into a low pony tail. My pajama bottoms drug through the puddles the water had created on the pale tile floor, forcing me to stop and wring them out before I entered the kitchen.
I ate my typical vegetarian meal, and then went up to my room to start working on my homework. After several hours of frustration, I gave up and flung my books on the floor, shutting my light off as I tossed and turned, staring at my ceiling with wide open eyes. It took me forever to sleep.
But once I did, I didn’t dream a single time. I never did.
P.S. I've come to realize this is really choppy... I'll make sure to fix that and repost. Also, I just realized I posted in short stories instead of novels. =O Sorry...
