) and I like to write extracts to try and test the waters and develop my ideas.So here I'll catch you up. The main character is called Ailia and the year is 2556: one hundred and five years since the overthrow of the royal family. The government had finally called an end to the family and had caused them to be assassinated and become extinct. Several years later the government itself became corrupted on its own power and was overthrown by the people. What remains now is pure devastation and destruction. Ailia had been on the verge of being attacked when a stranger had stepped in to save her. She fleed only to return to help the man (much to her frustration) and help him get back to safety. The following extract is of te next day.
17th August 2556.
Looking at the date, misery as cold and as heavy as boulders settled in my stomach and weighed me down. Grief clawed at my windpipe causing every forced breath to become a wave of agony. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I popped off the top and took a swig.
A knocking at the door interrupted my self-loathing. Placing the bottle down on a free wooden crate, I walked over to the door and looked out of the peep hole. There stood the man from yesterday flanked by two other men. “You’ve got to be kidding me...” I mumbled as I irritably unbolted and opened the door. I impatiently leant against the frame work as I waited for him to speak.
When he had pulled himself out of his thoughts, he looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning Ailia.”
I kept my face neutral. “And this is why I don’t give people my name.” Turning around I walked back in and dropped back into a chair. Grabbing my beer, I placed my feet on another wooden crate. The man automatically followed in as the other two analysed the area. One of the men, who were middle aged with greying hair, shut and locked the door behind him. The other man was younger and swiftly and silently headed for the back of the room. His eyes swept over the surroundings, taking everything in. If I was in a better mood I would have smiled. It looked like the man from yesterday had finally learnt his lesson and come with some protection. Looking at the man I took in his scabbed lip and bruised face. “You made it then?”
He smiled. “Thanks to you.”
“Yeah, after I nearly got you killed. You might have another think before you thank me.”
The man smile turned into a frown as he watched me take another swig. “It’s a bit early don’t you think?”
“What do you want?”
The bodyguard who had locked the door allowed his eyes to fall on my face. “A bit risky letting us in straight away isn’t it?”
I turned to glare at him frostily. “Today I couldn’t care less.”
The leader looked around the room expectantly. “We heard you lived with a Fermina Romero?”
My features turned cold at the name. “Well it looks like you heard wrong.” I replied flatly. I took another swig to numb the pain. “What is it you want?”
The man seemed to consider the room once more before smiling grimly. “We have something to tell her.” He explained slowly.
“Well I told you she's not here.”
The middle aged bodyguard’s eyes narrowed in anger but I ignored him. The man continued. “Do you know where we could find her?”
I felt fury build up inside my chest and took another swig to keep my hands busy. “I told you. She doesn’t live here- so get out.”
“Excuse me?” He asked astounded.
“You heard me. Get out.”
“You don’t understand- it’s important I speak to her.” He rushed.
“Well clearly you need your ears testing because I have just told you she’s not here. Now please leave.” Swinging my legs off the crate, I rose and angrily stormed over to the door to open it. The man looked at his companions helplessly before they all left. Banging the door shut behind them, I locked all of the bolts before slamming the back of the door with my palm in frustration. Why today of all days?
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Boda looked at me with sadness in his eyes. “Keep an eye on Ailia she might lead you to her.”
I nodded wordlessly only to be met with a rude sigh from Calhoun. “You’re wasting your time- she’s too busy feeling sorry for herself to be useful for anything!”
Boda frowned at the man by his side. “Clearly there are some issues that need working through but we can’t give up on the girl- she’s the only way we will find her and you know she’s too valuable.”
He turned back around to face me again. “Watch her and makes sure she comes to no harm.” I gave another quick nod before sinking back into the shadows. Scaling the building, I found the roof window to her flat and perched tentatively at the edge. A dark cloud hung over the room below as she sat and drank. The sun travelled across the sky as I watched her consume bottle after bottle after bottle silently. She had just finished her eighth bottle under the quickly darkening sky when she unsteadily rose. Staggering away from her chair, she weakly waded through the pile of empty bottles and carried herself towards the picture I had noticed earlier. Pulling a lighter out of a hidden compartment in her long, leather coat she lit it before touching it to the wick of a candle in front of the frame. Picking it up, I watched as she stroked the surface before placing the picture back down. I only just managed to pick up her muffled voice through the thick glass of the window.
“I miss you.” She breathed. As the candle lit up the gloomy room, she turned away before stumbling onto the bed and collapsing onto the mattress. As she stared up at the ceiling, I leant away cautiously to avoid notice. Peering through the window again I noticed how the light of the candle illuminated her tear streaked face. She was crying. “I miss you so much.”
I watched her the whole night, never moving from my spot.
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The next morning, my head hurt so much that I couldn’t open my eyes. I felt as though a hammer was repeatedly being hit against my skull causing a ringing in my ears and a sickness in my stomach. I felt as though someone was sitting on my chest and each breath scratched my throat causing my breathing to become laboured. My body ached all over and all I wanted was to sink back into unconsciousness but as the sunlight started to stream through the rooftop window, I knew that I had no alternative but to get up and face the day. Prising my eyes open, I tilted my head in the direction of the candle. It was extinguished and the wax had melted down significantly. Glancing at the photo, I felt my heart sink once again and twisted my head the other way. Pulling myself up, I swayed on the spot for a minute before managing to steady myself. Letting my eyes scan over the room, I took in the pile of bottles and groaned. Managing to drag myself off the bed, I shuffled uneasily over to the mess and grabbed the bottles. Dumping them in the bin, I walked over to the discoloured sink and gulped down a glass of water. After, I splashed my face and ran my hands through my long black hair.
“You can do this.” I muttered under my breath. “Be strong.”
Pulling off my leather coat, I switched my black shirt for a fresh one and retied my corset. Grabbing my switchblade off the empty crate by the side of my bed I secured it in the gap at the top of my right boot. Slipping my coat back on, I headed for the door.
The air was refreshing against my skin and the wind sent a soft breeze through my hair. Strolling down the street, I aimed in the direction of the shop. As I walked, I kept my head down to avoid drawing attention to myself. The environment around me was quiet apart from the quiet thudding of my heavily buckled boots against the cement. I was just about to walk past an alleyway when I was pulled into the shadows. A powerful push forced me against the alley wall and I found myself face to face with a desperate, agitated teenager. His eyes twitched restlessly and a layer of sweat had started to form on his forehead. His pupils were large and contrasted with his pale face. “Gi- give me your money!” He stammered as he shakily pulled a knife out of his pocket and pressed it against my throat.
I held my hands up. “OK, I’m just going to go grab my wallet from my inside pocket.” I explained as I very slowly moved my hand towards the inside of my coat.
The boy started to panic. “No you’re not! You’re going to get help!” He shifted about frantically. “Just give me the money!!”
A figure dropped down from above and landed nimbly behind the drug addict. Hauling him away from me, he caused the boy to stumble on the spot and quickly took a defensive position in front of me. The boy regained his position and made a panicky lunge towards us. The figure, which I had now identified as a man, blocked the attack and unarmed the boy in one easy movement. The drug addict fumbled once more before making another desperate attempt. The man knocked him back and the boy fell. The boy finally gave up and scrambled away.
The man who had come to my defence held his position for a moment longer before relaxing and turning to face me. The sense of recognition was smothering. "You!"
OK guys so let me know your thoughts and feel free to give me any advice! Hope you enjoyed it! x
