Young Writers Society

Story

An exciting raffle has just come to its conclusion. James Keene, a charismatic and wealthy scientist, has rented out and remodeled an old English castle, just outside London. The six lucky teenagers, three girls and three boys, who win the raffle will stay there for three weeks during the summer in luxury and comfort, and are each given $1000 in cash to spend on whatever they choose. When the names of the winners are drawn on live television, you are pleased to have been selected as one of the winners. You come on your first class, private jet, meet the others, and all seems normal. For a few days, you live your dream, exploring all the castle has to offer. During the day, you explore the wonders of London and buy pretty souvenirs and things you've always dreamed of having. However, things quickly start to become awry. One by one, your luxuries are taken away, hidden cameras are installed in every room, and you're not allowed to leave the castle. You learn you are Keene's unfortunate guinea pigs, to be used in a cruel series of tests and obstacle courses that put you in extreme survival situations to see how long you last before you die. You all know you must escape. It will be difficult, but it may cost your life.

The Castle

You each have your own bedroom, complete with a TV, computer, walk-in closet, and luxury bathroom. There are two pools, one indoor and one out. There is also a gym, ice rink, tennis courts, and everything else you can possibly imagine. You all eat together in a dining room overlooking the outdoor pool. When taking day trips to the city, you ride in a limo handled by a chauffeur.

Rules

-- Romance is okay, but it shouldn't be the focus. It should also make sense in regards to the plot, and there can be absolutely no graphic 18+ sex/love scenes.

-- Due to the nature of this storybook, some characters are probably going to die. If you want your character to die at any point, just PM me and we'll find a way to work it into the plot.

-- I will control Keene. I am not going to create a profile for him, so as to shroud his character in a bit of mystery. As the story progresses, you will find out more about him. That being said, it is okay to incorporate some of his dialogue/actions into your posts. Just know that I will generally be helming his character. We'll begin the storybook just as everyone arrives and Keene gives them a tour of the place.

-- Normal YWS rules apply; please respect everyone who participates in the storybook.

-- Spots are limited to six and available on a first come, first serve basis; there are three female slots and three male slots.



Profile

Code: Select all

[b]Full Name:[/b]

[b]Age (13-19):[/b]

[b]Gender[/b]

[b]Nationality:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]History:[/b]


Hi! This seems fun! Save a female slot for me please!

A brief outline of Nekole =)

Full Name: Nekole Maloom (Nee-Kole)

Age (13-19): 15, turning 16 soon.

Gender Female

Nationality: Irish, but was born and raised in England.

Appearance:


She wears thin, dark-purple eyeliner tracing her light-gray eyes and has a pale complexion. She’s got thick, silky hair and dyed it a rich, red-ish pink color. A blunt bang, cut at eyebrow level, blends down on the sides with the rest of her hair falling to her mid-back. Petite and slender, her height is 5’7 and she’s stronger then her skinny physique reveals.

Personality: We’ll just have to find out, wont we? But, as her looks suggest, she’s an exotic one in many good ways, some not so good. Also, likeable, easy to get along with, clumsy tendencies. And she's got a brittish accent.

History: Nekole was born into in a lively and open family of wealth. Travel is the common hobby for them, currently living on the beautiful coast of Barcelona, Spain. Her five sisters are the snooty side; however Nekole grew to have a humble mindset, following her own loves and dreams instead following others. She never thought much of her wealth; her open mind allows her to see everyone as the same in respect. Her parents didn’t put any reign on their six girls but allowed them to become who they chose to be.

The rest is a mystery!

Hey a Ellie! Could you reserve a male spot for me please?

Thanks,
Alzora

I'll take a dude!

Full Name: Richard Alexander Parker

Age (13-19): 13

Gender: dude man guy male lord king god

Nationality: Purely British.

Appearance: Dark blonde hair and bright green eyes. His casual wear consists of kakis and a button up shirt with a jacket. He's always cleaned up with the shiny black shoes and the sunglasses that he never seems to get smudged. He looks like a dwarf gentleman. Not only that, he's quite round around the midsection. Fat little rich kid, this one.

Personality: Clean, proper, and smug. He owns the world, whether you like it or not. The ground he walks on is holy ground, so suck it up. Richard doesn't make many friends. There are the people who serve him and the people who don't. If nothing goes his way, he'll complain until it does -- and that's always the case, so if you're smart, just do what he says. He will never, ever get his hands dirty, so to speak. That's a commoner's job, and he's obviously no common boy. He also despises nicknames. Everything should be proper 'cause that's how the real men do it. Ironically though, during his tantrums, he's got quite an improper mouth. (don't worry. real gentlemen don't swear.)

History: He was rich.

He is rich.

He will always be rich.

Richard is a spoiled brat. He was raised by the servants mostly, and the parents, knowing nothing about parenting, just give him what he wants if it'll keep him quiet and away. His dad is a lord, a businessman, his mom helps him out, and all that jazz. Nothing exciting happens in his life. He gets what he wants and lives in luxury.

Because of it, he has no social skills. Therefore, no friends! Loser is loserish. He doesn't care though. Everyone else are just not good enough to be his friends. He's king of the world, demands respect, and anyone who denies him is banned from his life 'cause he doesn't care. If he doesn't get what he wants, he gets downright furious. He'll shout and flail until he gets it 'cause life is supposed to serve him, not the other way around. Get it through your thick skulls, losers.

He was thrown into the raffle because, naturally, he wins everything. He deserved everything. And this is how he got everything. Life didn't change much for him, except for the fact that there were more people interacting with him. He's just here to prove his wealth and power as the perfect little 13-year-old gentleman he is.

Okay, so looks like we have everyone. Lumi told me he would join, so once everyone gets their profiles up, we can start.

Full Name: Lillian "Lillie" Marie Sween

Age (13-19): 16

Gender: Female

Nationality: American (Atlanta, Georgia)

Appearance:


Lillie is petite, at five feet, two inches tall. She has a slender, bony frame and a tanned, rosy complexion, and her cheeks and nose are dotted with freckles. Her wide eyes are a deep sea green, and her eyelashes are long and full. She has dark chocolate brown hair that falls to her shoulders in soft waves, and she also has bangs, but she often clips them up with a barrette. She likes to henna her arms and hands, so they're rarely seen bare. She also has her belly button pierced. She mostly wears loose, athletic clothing (sweatpants, athletic shorts, tank tops, etc.) that makes her feel comfortable but still looks look.

Personality: Lillie is sweet and shy. She doesn't talk much, but always has a smile on her face and wants do the right thing. She is hardworking and dedicated, but it's sometimes easy for her get angry. She is down to earth and humble, always downplaying her achievements. She is very smart though and quick thinking. She mostly keeps to herself, and although a lot of people like her, she has few close friends. Lillie also tries to treasure whatever she can.

History: Lillie, born Lillian Marie Sween, has lived her whole life in Atlanta, in relative comfort. Before the trip, she had never been outside of her home state of Georgia, so going to England to live in the castle had a different level of excitement for her when she found out that she won.Her father, a decorated veteran of the army, and her mother, a librarian. were caring but strict, and Lillie was never particularly close to them. Not a whole lot went on in Lillie's life; she attended school, where she excelled in her art classes. She is looking at the trip as the opportunity to go off, have fun and experience something different.

Full Name: Drustan Edward Willows

Age(13-19): 15

Gender: Male

Nationality: He's got all Irish, Wales, English, Norwegian, and Finnish blood but he was born and lived in France all his life - but he doesn't speak any French.

Appearance: Drustan has white-blonde hair and sliver-blue eyes. His face is long, pale, and angular, and his hair frames his high cheekbones. He's tall and wears mostly green, silver, black, and light blue.

Personality: Drustan is a caring kid, although he may not seem it. He doesn't think things through before doing them and sometimes acts on only instinct. He tries to do the right thing all the time but he's not very loyal. He is sometimes sensitive about other people's feelings but he can be pretty blunt about things sometimes.

History: When Drustan was 10 his mother died and he was from then-on raised by his hardworking and insensitive father. Drustan always tries to be sensitive to other because his father never was but he slips up sometimes because he is essentially his father with his mother's looks.
He was raised as an average kid in a middle class family and because of that he never really expects much but is used to ok clothes, food, and living arrangements. His father worked extremely hard to give Drustan all he needed but Drustan never requested any wants because his father would always have scoffed at him and explained why Drustan was spoiled and didn't need anything else. Therefore, Drustan never asks for anything unless he believes he really needs it.
Also, his sense of right-and-wrong was tampered with because his father has a terrible drinking problem that he has been battling for a while but can not overcome. Therefore Drustan is not always sure what to do when he has to make a crucial decision and he refuses to have any alcohol.

:3

Full Name: Ivan Maxwell

Age (13-19): 18

Gender Male

Nationality: Born in Georgia, US / Lives in Prague, CZ.

Appearance:

Personality:

Ivan "Please don't look past my smile" Maxwell comes to you in layers. It's a personality complex that he hates, that he can't seem to get a reign on, but it exists nonetheless. At the forefront, he enjoys life. He really, truly does. He believes that everything in life happens in accordance to balance and equivalence. Thus, for every sad day, there has to be a happy day to counter it. He believes that tragedy and miracle run hand in hand, and often overlap. That's this philosopher, the optimistic Ivan that his friends love, that girls have fallen for in the past. It's the Ivan that can sit in the middle of a group of pals and keep them captivated as long as his lips move because he knows how to play the game, he knows how people think. This Ivan is flirtatious and attractive. He loves seeing girls smile, and the sound of their breath between laughs is his favorite.

While tragedy and miracle are lovers, Ivan's second face can't support his smile under fire, and very easily melts at the first heavy drop of rain. Ivan carries baggage from his past--baggage that is hidden, most times even from himself, but drags him down to a frightening place. This is the Ivan without people around, the Ivan caught in a dark corner of his bedroom at night when the power's been cut off at home and dad's off in Prague drinking himself away. It's the Ivan who misses his mother more than his smile can remind him of her. This is the progressive young man who will eventually break when the moment is wrong.

But, as always, between the black and the white there is a gray Ivan who is distant and pensive. This is Ivan when the attention isn't on him, when he isn't center-stage and under spotlight. He'll smile at the right times, but isn't quite as adorable as his high-voltage face.

History:

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Ivan’s family was a happy little neighborhood icon in his childhood years. His father was a favored professor at a nearby campus and his mother was a small business owner on the sweet Savannah River. She sold cupcakes and pastries and always brought one home every day for her little champ. His parents were always busy, so Roan spent most of his time in school--even after school. He’d stay in the art rooms, mostly, and loved drawing and painting. Every day he’d come home with a splash of color caked in his hair, and his mother would scrub it out and tell him that he’d end up with clown’s hair before he was ten. His dad played baseball in the back yard and everything was bright and shiny, just like his smile.

Cue tragic intervention from the rain clouds.

His mother died in a collision one night. Ivan was in the back seat and held his mother’s hand until she went on to the clouds.

The Savannah sun didn’t seem quite the same without her, and Ivan’s father took her life insurance money and moved the two of them on to Prague to start a new life. That was when his father began drinking and Ivan began painting with darker colors.

Wrapping up high school, Ivan planned on attending an arts school back in Savannah. However, when his name was called on that broadcast, he quickly took his chance to leave his father.

(Is it okay if my character is musically inclined?)

Full Name: Alicia Carolyn Corazon

Age (13-19): 17

Gender: Female

Nationality: She's asian, a filipino descent. She is also half spanish but doesn't look it and part Japanese.

Appearance: She has long, black curly hair that reaches above her waist and brown eyes. From afar, her eyes seem black. She is not short, and not too tall, she is average height. She is fairly skinny and slender. She's fairly pretty. Alicia has no scars or stitches what so ever.



Personality: Alicia is quiet, but talks. She is considered cold hearted, since she seems devoted to the things she loves and not others. She can be impressed easily, just not when it comes to music. She is kind hearted to the people she loves, and likes to confess to them. Alicia likes to help people, but most people turn down her help. She concentrates well and listens. Alicia is smart and not dim-witted.

History: Born in a rich family of Asian and Spanish descents, she was well loved by her filipino mother and spanish father. Her mother and father both were musically inclined, and sent Alicia to the private school both of them went to. Discovering her knack for music, she learned and excelled in the violin. She was a good student, but then seemed a bother to the other students. She hasn't had any experience with friends. She chose to be in the raffle to experience what it was like to be around others instead of her family, and hoping to learn something.

(Hope this is okay!)

(Okay, since everyone's posted their profiles, we can start. You've already all arrived to the castle via a limo that was waiting for you. When you arrived, you were shown to your bedrooms, and you all had a lunch of lobster with alfredo pasta and chocolate raspberry cheesecake for dessert together. Now Keene is about to take you on a tour of the castle.)

Keene

Throughout lunch, Keene had kept relatively quiet. Instead, he had quietly observed the children and how they interacted with each other. He figured that he had a good bunch; they all looked strong in their own ways. Well, maybe all of them except for the thirteen year old, the fellow Brit-- Keene couldn't remember his name. Not only was he a tiny, pudgy thing, but he had complained about everything you could possibly complain about. The air conditioning was on too low. His bedroom wasn't big enough. The lobster was too over cooked. The place was barely a step up from his own home-- although Keene didn't know him well yet, the thirteen year old seemed to be everything he resented about teenagers and kids in general. He wouldn't last very long. But maybe things would change -- Keene made a mental note to himself to pay close attention to him on the tour. And remember what his name was.

When everyone seemed to be finished, he stood up. "Did you all enjoy your lunch?"

They all nodded in unison. "It's the best food I've ever tasted," said the brunette with freckles...what was her name? Oh, Lillie. Right. Short for Lillian. Her accent was deep and southern. From outward physical appearance, she seemed like the type that was pampered back home, but she was a lot sweeter and nicer then the other boy. Didn't complain.

"I liked it alright, but I tell you the lobster was overcooked, and there was too much cream on the pasta..." started the boy. Everyone else gave him dirty looks, but Keene ignored him.

"That's good," he said. "I'm so glad you all could come, and that you're enjoying yourself. My workers will clean up the table for us. You may go back to your bedrooms, change clothes, get settled in, and meet be back down here in half an hour for the tour. If you don't remember, one of the guards will show you to where they are."

With that, they dispersed, and Keene sat back down in his chair and sighed. Once they were in all in bed for the night, he'd go back down to his lab and note down everything he had observed today. He wondered what the next couple of weeks would bring.

Lillie

As Lillie walked back to her bedroom, the taste of lobster and creamy cheese sauce still on her tongue, she couldn't help but feel like she was going to wake up at any minute. She'd go back to her uneventful, daily life, and learn that this was all a dream. But she knew it wasn't; that it was all really happening, that she had been picked as one of only six, out of the millions that probably entered. The thought made her feel giddy on the inside as she walked around, admiring the spectacular beauty of the place that was unlike anything she could have ever imagined back in Atlanta. Lillie wondered what her parents were up to back home; because of the time difference, it was still really early there. She had promised that she would call them later that night, before she went to bed. She dug her phone out of her sweatshirt pocket and checked the time; one thirty. So she'd have to be down by two.

Lillie arrived at her bedroom, laid down on the bed, and breathed a deep sigh. Everything was so comfortable, so clean, so pretty, so extravagant. Normally, she didn't care much for navy (the color scheme of her bedroom) but everything was so delicate and beautiful, from the curtains to the carpet to the bedding to the dark wood of the furniture that reminded her of chocolate covered cherries, that she couldn't help but admire it. Later, she'd watch TV and see all the cool channels she could catch -- they didn't have cable or satellite at home, only public access. She was tired, though, but there wasn't time to nap, so she figured that she'd do it after the tour, so she just laid on her bed and relaxed. When Lillie checked her phone again, it was 1:53; time had gone so fast! So, Lillie went over to her suitcase, found a clean pair of gray shorts and a pink tanktop and slipped them on, along with her white ballet flats, and went back downstairs to the dining room.

Drustan
After throwing on a pair of straight black jeans and a dark blue shirt I went back downstairs for the tour.
The irritating boy was there again, complaining about the thickness of his sheets - like any of us cared.

"Please, everyone this way." Said the man who'd asked us to call him Keene, and who was the owner of the mansion.

I flicked my white-blond hair out of my eyes, and, still marveling at the one-in-a-million chance that I'd won, followed him to the beginning of our tour.

Alicia Corazon

I tried my best to put up with the complaining kid through the trip, the tour, and dinner. I really wanted to tell the boy to shut up, but I kept it to myself. I took time to take in what I was seeing. The castle is elegant and gave me the royal feeling that I've always wanted to feel at home. Everything inside was extravagant, it is crazy. The food is amazing, and the people seem nice, despite the whining child.

When Mr. Keene, or Professor Keene, welcomed us and instructed us to go back to our rooms, I close my bedroom door behind me quietly. I stare at the violin case beside a potted plant. I walk over and open the case. I've been itching to play it ever since we got here, the room I am in probably has good acoustics. I pick up the violin and set it between my chin and the side of my chest. I lift the bow and begin playing the piece I've been practicing for now. Scherzo Tarentella.

(Hope this is okay! If you don't know the song, you can search it up on YouTube. It's crazy good! If you need me to change anything, I will.)

(I realize that an earlier post had the gang moving out already, but I think it’d be better to let the others actually get into the room first ;) )

Ivan

Ivan kicked back on his bed, hands on his face and feet crossed at the ankles. Locks of charcoal black fanned out around his head and he mused at how quickly the day had flown by. It was just that morning that he had flown into London from Prague and wondered what the clouds would look like if turned into an acrylic paint. He had pressed his fingers to the window and fogged it with the breath from his nose. And then he’d drawn a stick figure man wearing a king’s crown. Here’s to the next King of England, old friend, he’d murmured to himself, but the woman seated next to him had been keen on correcting him.

“It’s not a King England has at the moment,” she said, her accent thick and dripping from her northern London blood, “but rather a Queen. Granted in this day and age there isn’t quite much of a difference, now is there!”

And really, after the flight and the drive to the old castle, Ivan had thought himself rather important, but also very generic. He was one of six chosen teenagers for this extravagant present, so he imagined that they’d just be treated to a few shopping trips and a handful of college seminars. From all Ivan could put together, he already knew how to make change and ask for the bathroom; he didn’t need more to be happy.

Ivan’s bedroom was a wide rectangle splashed a perfect onyx black. The floor was carpeted a deep violet and the ochre furniture rose from the floor like trees among a dusky forest. It felt perfect for his tastes for once. Mind readers, he imagined. They had to exist, and at least one had to work for this Mr. Keene.

He stood, taking in the images as his eyes roamed to the dual mirror in front of his bed. It was placed like he would want to watch himself sleep. Odd, he thought. Dad never would’ve splurged the money on a mirror just for the bed. Especially not two. More chances to see how sunken and red his eyes were. Ivan shrugged out of his shirt and unpacked a black woolen sweatshirt from his bag, zipping it up to half of his chest. He sliced a hand through his messy hair and feigned a smile to himself. Always a good idea to impress strangers, especially when they’re rich.

Ivan left his room and closed the door behind him.

Down in the dining room sat the sweet little brunette--her name was Lillie. Ivan remembered because she had such a unique, pleasant face. It was her freckles that topped it off. Almost like she had been in the sun too long as a kid. And her name was spelled uniquely, too. Ivan remembered seeing it on the television screen during the broadcast, spelled with an ie instead of y. He’d never seen it done before, and it seemed to special right next to the four letters in his own name.

He pulled out a dining room chair and sat down beside her, lacing his fingers together over his lap. “I hear we’re from the same little slice of Southern Sunshine.” He looked at her, the curve of his cheek resting on his shoulder. He smiled with his eyes, and he thought she noticed.

“You’re from Georgia, too?” she asked. Her accent was thick and sweet, like lemonade fresh from the pitcher.

“I was born in Savannah,” he said. “The air is better there than here.”

“How can you tell?” she asked. She was smiling, as Ivan hoped, captive in his eyes.

“It’s the way the sun glimmers there.” His voice was getting lower, making sure she’d listen or else she’d miss something vital. “It makes the air warmer and the girls more beautiful.”

~Nekole

I gave a little squeal of excitement as I ran and leaped onto plush bed, plopping on my back. Sighing deeply, a feeling of dread threatened to overlap my joy; I hopped nobody heard my scream. That would be embarrassing . . . wait, why am I worrying? Never in my life did such a place make me feel like the royalist of royalties! The carpet even sunk around my bare-feet as I skipped around busily, unpacking and getting ready for the tour I’ve been anxiously awaiting the moment I stepped out of the limo. And the food—

—A sudden pain struck my pinky-toe. I face-planted hard against the floor, but thankfully there was a bounced just barely breaking my fall. I moaned, reaching for my jaw where I had taken most damage and lifted myself to my feet. The mirror over the dresser showed a red tinge around my cheek, nothing I haven’t had before. A little more rubbing and the ache would cease momentarily. But what a way to start off my luxurious vacation with lint in my teeth! And then I told myself:

“Simply think positively and things will go smoothly. Just like mother’s always said. Things usually go fine for her, don’t they? Not really. . .”

I let my words trail off in a whine. But then straightened my shoulders and stood a bit taller, determined to act normal. Like it was actually possible. . .

It wasn’t long until I shut my bedroom door behind me and I entered the hall. My hair was tied up in a pony-tail, my bangs pinned back as well. ‘Put on a pair of crisp white shorts, a white hollister top, and my favorite pair of heels clicked on the tiled floor as I quickening my pace.

Everyone hadn’t entered the dining room when I arrived. Drusten, Alicia; and Lillie and Ivan were in a fairly deep conversation. Judging from the look flirtatious gleam in Ivan’s eyes, he was luring her in. Which made me giggle inwardly as I slid in a chair next to Alicia across from them.

I felt her casually glance my way, so I turned to look at her. “We meet again,” I gave a small smile.


Nekole heels.