Young Writers Society

The Story:

The streets of Old Harles, the rough section of the huge city Aronald. Home to failing artists, rejected musicians, high school dropouts, prostitutes, gangs and of course the drug addicts. Everyone here has a story, everyone wants to survive. But how can you, when most people barely last a week?

You have to band together with other people. It doesn't matter how different you are. It's the only way to survive. And when a group of teens and young adults all stumble upon an abandoned basement where a mattress company once held its stock, they are forced to put aside their differences and make a home for themselves.

And the rest of it is up to fate.

At the beginning of the story your character has not yet found the basement. Please make one or two posts to give an idea of what your character's life is like before they find the basement when the story starts.

I have a few ideas for plot twists. But this is going to be a fair amount of romance, mixed with a lot of adventure and of course some very dramatic fighting scenes.

Profile:


Rules:


About Old Harles:



*Do not curse excessively, but I don't mind it being used
*No detailed sex scenes, though romance is encouraged
*Keep posts at least 500 characters
*Post regularlly
*Have fun!!!

Name: Julia-Rose

Nicknames: JR, Jul, Juli, Rose, Julia (She prefers Rose or Julia.)

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Persona: Artist/Runaway

Picture and Description: Julia is 5'6'' and very pretty with a soft, almost classic beauty. She has soft brown eyes that always seem to be lookng somewhere else. She is thin and doesn't have much of a chest. She usually has paint on her face and hands.



Personality: She is very odd. She makes very irrelevant staements, but can be very wise at times. She is a good friend and very loyal, but is also too willing to trust. She isn't much of a fighter, but always tries to keep the peace. She isn't always paying attention to everything, though is very bright in her own respects. She is famous for things that make people go, "That's so true. I never thought of that." She also notices strange things about people and can be very obsevitive if she's focused. She will paint on anything she can find that tolerates paint.

Important Possessions: Her paints and brushes.

History: She was born and raised for six years by a family of drug addicts and drunks before she was put in foster care , then later adopted by the Richards. They treated her harshly, though, and she found the only place she could escape to was her art. They wanted her to go to law school, so when she was sixteen she ran away. She ended up on the streets of Old Harles. After watching a traumatic shooting, she went into a sort of stress coma for three days and lost most of her memory of her past. She remembers bits and pieces at times, but nothing comprehensible. After making up a story about her past once she figured out what had happened, she found an apartment of other struggling artist and stayed there a while. Unfourtonetely, she got kicked around a lot there, and hasn't been able to really find anyone to protect her. Now, she is off to find a place of her own, and someone to help her. She has little money, and has only been able to make it through by stealing and sweet talking drunk guys out of their money.

Secret: She doesn't know anything about her past.

Theme Song: Losing Your Memory (Ryan Star)

Up for Love: Oh, yes.

Other: She only has one outfit that she always wears. A plain white cotton dress(like in the picture), black combat boots, one sock, and a black leather jacket that is two sizes too large.

Name: Elijah Hoe

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Persona: Aspiring Writer

Picture and Description: *couldn't find good pic sorry* Elijah is around 5' 8, and also slightly chubby. Who wouldn't be with a main occupation of writing? He has messy black hair that falls all over the place, and greyish- blue eyes. Like the sky on a not so cloudy English day. He also very pale from leaning over a computer all day.

Personality: Elijah is friendly for the most part, though he feels like no one gets him in reality, so writes about characters that do. He would rather write for an hour straight than be with people. He trusts very easily, and is often betrayed; leading to more of his distrust of humanity. Basically his outlook is "Nobody cares, And if they do its probably fake or won't last long

Important Possessions: A laptop he got from his parents before they passed away, as well as his iPod which is filled with horrible music.

History: Elijah grew up in a very sheltered community, with over-protective parents. For a while his world was just his home and school until he was invited to a party at age 17. He was then exposed to all the bad nature of teens; alchol, swearing and sex.... and loved it. He felt so comfortable that he came out to a few people right then and there, as was kicked out of the party. Elijah was never the same, he snuck alcohol, swore at home and fought with his parents. After one vicious argument Elijah left shouting over his shoulder "I'm gay, not that you guys care!" and ran away. On his eighteenth birthday he returned to his house, to find that his parents had died and left him a computer. Nowhere left to go, Elijah hitched a ride to Arnold, and began wandering the streets of Old Harles.

Secret: He is gay

Theme Song: 'Save Yourself I'll Hold them Back' by My Chemical Romance

Up for Love:Yes, pertaining to his condition

Other: Atheist

Name: Ginger (Alecia) Reese

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Persona: Gang member

Picture and Description:

Personality: Ginger can very well be ginger at times. Cold, and seemingly heartless. But she's only like that when she needs to be. Usually she's pretty friendly with everyone, in her own special way. She does talk street, so at a first encounter, many people don't like her. She's a peacemaker, but it wouldn't seem that way when you see her lose her patience, but that's because she has anger management issues. Even though she can be a royal pain in the rump she is always there to support people. She cracks easily under pressure, and her first action is usually smashing what ever or who ever is ticking her off.

Important Possessions:

History: Her parents left her and her brother when she was thirteen, he was sixteen. He promised to take care of her, but he never did a very good job of it. He couldn't hold up a job and he would always leave for days at a time and come home drunk and usually beat up. So, it was mostly her taking care of him. She soon found out where he was always leaving to.

He was part of a gang. One night, she followed him without him knowing. At first, she was disgusted with the idea, then she saw how close they all were. Like a family. One of the gang members found her watching them and dragged the flailing girl over. They would have done horrible things to her if it wasn't for her brother. They took them both in and helped them when they needed it most.

Soon, she adopted the name Ginger. It seemed to be the only thing they wanted to call her.

When she was fifteen her brother was killed in a drive-by and she met Jordan. Jordan was in a band, he played guitar. They were always together, and for a while it seemed he'd be her ticket out of that city, and out of the gang. He left her, with no explanation. She went over to his house one day and he just wasn't there. No one was. It was completely abandoned. Heart broken she returned to the gang hide out.

Secret: She has quite a few secrets, not all of them big mind you. She likes to sing, but no one knows it. She can't swim. She's afraid of spiders. Her biggest secret would have to be she's assisted in killing someone. A deed she isn't proud of.

Theme Song:Price tag

Up for Love: Of course

Other: Allergic to cats.

Okay, now this seems interesting.

Name: Rayne Archer

Age: 21

Persona:Drop out-married but lives separately

Personality: Rayne is a bit disconnected from the world. Ever since Peter(her husband) started abusing her physically she has been living under constant trauma but doesn't wear it every time. Now that she lives separately from him she fears that he would come and take away his daughter. She loves her daughter like anything and can do anything to save her. She wanted to be a musician but then all her plans had to crash down when she married him. Otherwise she is a kind person, but she can be a bit snappy at times if people try to beat each other for it reminds her of her time in that Hell.

History:It's like a high school love. She met Peter and then eloped against the wishes of her high society parents. But things didn't seem that pleasant when Peter changed for bad and started drinking and beating her. By then they had a baby girl by the name of Eliot and she is now two. Frustrated she left with her daughter and came to live in Old Harles. He hasn't seen him since but the memories still haunt her. She now works as a waitress in one of those shabby cafes they have in the locality and is on constant attempt of saving her kid and herself from the band of drug-peddler and robbers. One of them, Lucky is after her and really likes her, but she is afraid he would turn out to be worse than Peter given the kid of people he is associated with. She can't go back to her parents since they won't accept her. She loves singing and she was the lead singer of the band in High School of which Peter was the drummer.

Secret: She is still in love with Peter and if he promises to change she is ready to go back.

Theme Song:Numb#Linkin Park....ever since her parents pressurized her into being a lawyer, and then the weird expectations Peter had from her.

Up for Love:She already is in.

Other:She has phobia of dirty places but is now forced to live here.

Appearance:

Name:Drew Harris

Age: 17

Gender:Male

Persona: Prostitute

Picture and Description:


Personality:Very cynical, not very trusting. He doesn't talk that much anymore. He hates what he does. He can be very protective, if he thinks you need it. (if you are mostly untouched by the despondency of the streets)

Important Possessions:


History:He has been on the streets for two years.

Secret:One of his clients has died. He took everything he could from him. That's where he got the ring. No-one knows about the ring either. He feels a little guilty about it.

Theme Song: At the End of the Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO7DmwntI_8

Up for Love:(guys only)Anyone who tries will get more than they bargained for. Is actually rather adverse to relationships. He doesn't want one.

Other:He makes a fair bit of money from his profession.

Name: Thomas (Tom) O'Connor

Age: Looks 21 probably older
Gender: Male
Persona: Illegal surgeon, will fix any wound for a sum. Falls back on trust old prostitution when times get tough. Drug addict.

Appearance: Very tall , a little over 2 meters. He has messy black hair and is always unshaven. He was once very handsome but the drugs and alcohol are doing their damage. With seductive ice blue eyes he looks like the typical bad boy. But his eye bags and deep frown lines prevent him from being an Adonis. Also has a light Irish accent.

Personality: Angry and temperamental, hate you one moment love you the next. Gets very violent and can be sadistic. A life of expectations and failures have made him very apathetic. He will care for anyone who pays him to. He also has problems with his numerous addictions. Will kill you if you dare lecture him on them though.

Important possessions: His trusty scalpel and surgery set. Necklace Rose gave him.

History: His father was a right wing, conservative politician who tires to mound his son into the big thing in politics. His mother is an extremely young, free loving hippie chick, who needed an older man for stability. Spent his youth with his domineering maternal grandmother in Ireland while his father was out campaigning and his mother sleep with random strangers. In his teens he was sent to boarding school, taught to be perfect. Folding under pressure he ran away setting the school on fire as a final sign of hate. His father found him, put him back in school. Eventually he passed with good results but instead of going to law school he went to med school just to piss his father of. In college he feel in live with alcohol and drugs and the day after he got his degree he just left...

Secret: Will murder for cash. Involved with the mafia, organized crime's go to man for off the grid medical treatment. Loves classical music. Actually graduated university, top of the class. Loves a young 15 year old girl, Rose, daughter of a drug lord but not sick enough ( not yet at least) to act on his desires.

Theme song: Highway to hell AC/DC and F.T.W.W.W ( f the whole wide world) My Chemical Romance

Up for love: Will do anything for cash. But prefers the girles, has commitment phobia. Like blond's and redheads.
Not in for serious relationships as he loves Rose.

Name: Seana Tatiana Stone

Age: 18

Gender: F

Persona: Artist/Musician/Run away

Picture and Description: Ice blue eyes black hair down to her waist she almost always has it up especially when playing the violin or piano pale skin high cheekbones a very delicate bone structure. Tall thin and curvy almost always has a smile on her face. She has a slight french accent.

Personality: Sweet quiet can be rather cold and heartless when provoked when she loses herself in music she is on a high which according to her is better than any drug.

Important Possessions: Her violin: http://www.biggerbids.com/auction-image ... _id=607283 Her Ipod: http://apple-ipod-touch-ipodtouch.blogs ... ch-2g.html

History: She is originally from France and they moved to the States when she was 5. Her mother died when she was 10 and from that point on her father abused her mentally and physically telling her that she was no good she found a way out in music and art which she still loves with all her heart. She ran away to Old Harles knowing no one would question a run away.

Secret: She carries a pocket knife with her at all times and will use it. Her father murdered her mother.

Theme Song: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

Up for Love: Yes

Other: She loves to sing and dance.

Right now we have four girls and three guys so if we could get one more guy we'll be ready to start!

EDIT: Anyone who would like to make their introductory post right now may, we'll just add the last person in whenever they join.

Note: In some of my posts Juli will suddenly have a flashback. The flashbacks are in italics.

Julia-Rose (Juli)

Light poured through the window of the old apartment, and Juli yawned and streched upward from her place on the dirty cot. She looked outside and sighed. Morning was the most beautiful time of the day, unless you were sitting somewhere high during a sunset where you could get a full view. Then there was no scene that could compare.

Lexas walked into the room, and Juli turned to look at her. "What do you need?"

"Nothing," she smiled her wicked grin, "oh, nothing." Which, Juli knew, always meant she needed something. Something she didn't want to do herself. The dirty work. "Just one little favor."

"How did I know?" Juli remarked sarcastically. Lexas walked up and slapped her across the face. Juli bent over, clutching her face, holding back tears.

"So ungrateful," Lexas said softly. "Get us some money. I don't care how. But I need money. Like two hundred bucks. You have until noon, or don't come back." And then Lexas left the room and a tear slipped from Juli's eye. When she had run away she had not wanted this. She had wanted freedom as an artist, not more pain.

Juli looked down at the half finished painting on the floor of her apartment window. It was cropped against the wall and only had the first coat of paint on it. She needed to finish it today. She needed-

The train rolled into the station. A young Juli gazed up at its large weels. A woman is looking down at her. She has no recognizeable face, only a blur of colors. Long blonde hair tumbles down her back. She laughs.

"Do you see the train, Juli. See the pretty Train?"

-to get away from this apartment. Juli had had just about enough of Lexas and Reggin. They were allways pushing her around. And the others just went along with it.

But Juli had no where to go. She would be left defenseless and alone on the streets of Old Harles.

And solitude meant death.

Elijah The night before

I stumbled down the broken-down sidewalk. Everywhere I looked were more and more savage depictations of the hidden dark side of humanity. The homeless lay dying in the streets; starved thin of not only nutrition, but love and respect. Graffiti crawled from blood-stained walls to rubble; marking territories of those addicted to violence and false honor. A heavier, sadder addiction also hung over the area; suppressing even more than the fog. Empty syringes and torn plastic bags with faint trails of white powder littered the cold, hard asphalt. I watched in horror as a man in rags licked the powder off of a moldy sewer opening. Oh how lives and opportunities have been destroyed for just a few minutes of joy. How honor had disappeared in a quest for achieving the impossible. I had to get out of here, but there was no where to go.

"Change? Got any change?" the grimy hands press towards me. The face pleading, an all to thin mask of supposed repentance.

"I'm sorry, I've got nothing" I replied, and walked quicker. The man sat back down to his wall and spat at my shoes. I hurried along all the more faster. I walked deeper and deeper into the concrete jungle of misery. Trying to avoid those grimy palms. I was far to lost now to make it out. My soul was now another haunting in the darkness of Old Harles. I was soon to become just another grimy palm. I watched as night conquered the bleak sun, and the twisted hearts of those addicted to violence came awake. I was practically jogging now, my laptop, spare t-shirt, jeans and iPod bouncing in my backpack. I rounded another corner to come face to face to a man on his knees. A group of younger men were beating him with their hand's and feet, one even had a baseball bat.

"Hey, look" one of the younger man had noticed me. "Eh, amigo, what ya got in the bag,huh? Coz you sees round here, we own what's in people's bags. We own all dis place."

"I'm sorry..I have nothing you want.." I was backing away. The man who I had been talking to, a Latino had stepped over the man being beat up, giving him one last savage kick to the head. I heard a crack and then the figure lay silent.

"You sure man? Not too late" The other three were focused on me now, one particularly large one brandished the baseball bat. Something told me that the red-stains on it weren't from a watermelon.

I didn't bother replying, instead I turned and ran. "Get 'im!" I heard and then the sound of chase. I sprinted along the streets, lit only by fragile neon signs that warded off the dark only temporarily. I turned sharply into an alley and to my luck found a metal ladder. I started climbing right away, and reached the metal grille balcony just before the gang reached me. One of them started on the ladder. I fumbled in the darkness, but found the latch just before the man's hand reached the balcony. I couldn't make it out in the dim lighting, but he seemed t obe fine. Well fine as one can be after falling 6 feet onto concrete. I heard several swears and the clattering of something being hit really hard. Really hard.

"You lucky this time amigo, next time not so much" the leader said, and then spat on the area below me. His gang followed suit. I finally allowed myself to relax about five minutes they had left. I lay on the metal grille and stared up at the small patch of sky in-between the two oppressing brick walls. I wasn't going to last a week here.

Ginger

Ginger huffed as she sunk her hands into the murky dish water. She was the only one around here who liked to keep things clean. Then again she was the only female who lived there. The guys really didn't care, as long as they didn't have to do any extra work. What irked them is when she'd make them take out the trash or some other small task that would only take five minutes. They always make the chore last for what felt like hours.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and quickly finished the last of the dishes. As she was drying them she felt two arms snake around her waist. She instantly tensed up. Grip laid his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled his noise into her hair.

"Eh babe, wanna come with me?" he murmured.

Ginger instantly snapped away from him, shouting profanities in disgust. Her fist quickly connected with his gut, then his face. Tank, Miles and Wiley all came running into the room as Ginger shook her sore fist. Miles and Wiley shook their heads angrily at Grip. Tank kneed him in the gut and shoved him towards the two.

Just then, lucky and the others came in. Lucky's head was bleeding.

They all started shouting about some stupid guy who had pushed him off a ladder. I took my chance to make my leave. I headed up to the roof and looked down at the ally ways. Roof jumping was extremely dangerous. But so much fun. I paced backwards and took a running start. When my foot reach the edge I jumped.

Falling feels like flying, but eventually you have to land. I bent my knees and rolled as I landed on the building. After several hours I decided I would jump one more. It was getting too dark to be out much longer. Just as I leaped my footing changed for the worst.

Instead of landing on the other building I clung onto the ridge and tried to pull myself up. I could faintly see the figure of someone sitting on the roof. Looking towards me alert.

"Oi! Dude, help a sister out man!" I begged in a panic.

The last thing one would expect when one was star-gazing is a red-haired girl to literally fall out of the sky and land next to you. I stared at her in shock for a bit.

"Oi! Dude, help a sister out man!" she begged her eyes blazing with panic and fear. I reached over and grabbed her hand, and helped pull her up onto the roof. "Thanks....?" she said.

"Elijah" I replied and stuck my hand out.

"Ginger" she said as she shook it.

"So is there any apparent reason your jumping off building's tonight?"

"Is there any apparent reason your sleeping on a metal balcony?"

"Touche"

"Yah, thought so"

The girl was definitely ticking me off. Yet I got the sense that this was just the effect she had on people. For a while we just stood in an awkward silence, Ginger broke the silence when she reached for something at her neck and shrieked.

"What is it?" I asked hurriedly. I didn't want those gang members to come and investigate the noise.

"My necklace..I had it on just now, I never take it off" she got on her knees and started searching. She obviously wanted this necklace very much, I could feel the desperation emitting from her, like steam from a kettle.

"Well? Are you going to help?" she asked.

I got down on my knees and started fumbling around in the darkness. I noticed a glint of silver on the ground below, a spark of worth and meaning in this orchestra of broken lives.

"There it is!" I pointed. Ginger smiled.

'Great, know we just need to get down there." she made for the ladder.

"Wait! About the ladder..." I motioned to the one lying on it's side on the ground below. Ginger looked at it for a second, before an idea took life in her eyes.

'You didn't happen to drop that on some people right?" I considered the question carefully, before nodding. Ginger broke out in laughter. "So your'e the one who smoked Lucky"

I froze. "You knew those people? I'm so sorry, it won't happen aga-" Ginger cut me off.

"Don't be, Lucky had it coming. The only problem now is that we're stuck up here." her laughter faded, a gloom swooped in an perched on her shoulders. Claws of glum broke her skin.

I looked around for a bit, before noticing a small drainage pipe on the side of the wall we were on. "Maybe ladder's aren't the only way down"

Ginger

"Oi, give me a hand." Ginger instructed.

He took her hand gingerly as she hung off the side of the building and wrapped her arms around the pipe. The cool metal didn't appear as sturdy as it was.

"It 'sall good bro. Don't be a wimp and follow me down."

He grumbled something under his breath and turned to follow. Ginger swiftly slid down the pipe, much like a child down a fire pole in the playground. As soon as her feet hit the ground she swooped down to pick up her necklace. Ginger had just hooked it back on as his feet met the ground.

"Oi, thanks dude. You saved me some serious heart throb. It means a lot to me." I smiled over to him.

He shrugged and fixed his bag on his shoulder. Ginger took out her cell and checked the time. Two am. She felt a twang of panic flow through every inch of her being. Lucky was going to kill her for being out so late.

"Shit man! Lucky's gonna pound me for being out so late!" she repeated her worries aloud.

Ginger put both hands on the top of her head and gripped handfuls of hair. Eli looked at her with slight shock and worry as she kicked the wall.

"He wouldn't really hit you, would he?" he asked quietly.

Ginger chucked and pulled up her shirt to expose the bruises on her torso. Lucky's number one rule was no being out after midnight. They weren't the strongest gang in town, and Lucky's name didn't come from no where.

Lucky and Grip had taken Ginger out for a drug run. None of them did drugs, but they sold them. It was the only way to get extra money for food and other essentials. Four lanky forms stepped out of the shadows and blocked their exit from the ally.

"Whatta we got here?" chortled the most frightening, "two rats and a ginger..." he eyed her intently.

Before they could do anything, sirens wailed down the hallow allies. Echoing like screams. Someone cussed, Grip held Ginger behind him protectively and the tallest quickly stabbed Lucky. He was 'Lucky' to make it out alive.

"I guess he does it 'cause he cares." she murmured.

Elijah

Ginger seemed lost in thought for a minute after I had asked if Lucky would actually hit her. I had grimaced at the bruises on her side; it struck me that this place was even more brutal than I had thought.

" I guess he does it 'cause he cares" she murmured. I looked up intently. I could tell she had a story, but even with my limited experience of people, i knew she wouldn't tell me if I pressed.

"So, um.. are you actually going to go back there?" I asked. I pitied her for having to return to such pain.

"Oi, do I look like a dumb-ass? I'll wait till tomorrow, Lucky and the guys normally get high round noon, they won't hurt as much then" she said this as though it was something she had done many times.

"What will you do for now then?" I asked her. She seemed to know her way around pretty well, and if I wanted to survive she seemed like a good person to hang with.

She shrugged. "Maybe hit the club's, maybe just chill. I don't know" She looked me up and down. "Oi, your new here ain't ya?

"Yeah"

She twisted her lip and scrutinized me very carefully. Will she help me out or leave me to dry?