NaNoWriMo

So, this is mainly just a random post.
This year I'm particpating in a little thing called NaNoWriMo.
If nobody happens to know what this is, here is a simplified version: you have 30 days of writing to type out a story of at least 50,000 words. This is also my FIRST time EVER to write a story, so please don't make fun of any errors or anything...I typed this out in ONE day, so expect at least SOME errors.

So, today I have typed out 2,934 words, but I'm only going to show you about 1,879.

Here is an excerpt:

Chapter 1

A wailing scream pierced through my thoughts and blaring music. I glanced up from my homework, suspecting it was yet another victim of my neighbor’s ruthless dog. In the past, about 10 little children have been scared to death by the pit bull.

I eased myself off the bed, knocking out my earphones in the process. I walked calmly to the window, suspecting all I would see was a 4-year-old staring at the pit bull through the chain link fence. Instead, I saw a girl about my age, tearing through the sidewalk by my house. There didn’t seem to be anything or anyone chasing her. I just glimpsed her turning around 5^th avenue before I made my decision: I had to check out what was wrong with the crazy girl.

I grabbed my jacket hanging off the chair and bolted out my bedroom door. I eased myself silently through the narrow corridor, thinking that my mother was probably taking a nap. Lately, she’s been working late shifts at the hospital, so she has been taking naps on and off throughout the afternoons. It seems I haven’t had an actual conversation with her ever since the divorce. I sometimes wish everything would go back to the laid-back life that I used to have. What ever happened to the easy chatter at dinnertime or our ridiculous jokes about Dad’s newly grown mustache?

I shook my head. I couldn’t think about that right now. I had an investigation to see through. I proceeded to tiptoe down the stairs until I came to our front door. I paused then. What if I wasn’t back before Mom came into consciousness? I slammed my doubts into the back of my head. I had to do this. What if the girl was in trouble?

I yanked the door open and quietly shut it behind me. I took the steps two at a time until I came to the bottom. I raced down the sidewalk, doubting that I probably already was too slow and that I was far too behind to even have a trace of her.

I stopped at fifth avenue, where I had seen the girl turn. I shrugged my shoulders in helplessness. I couldn’t find any clue where she might have gone. But…there! I glimpsed her small body just turning the corner two blocks away. I sprinted to catch up to her, breathing harder than I thought I would. “Man,” I thought to myself, “ I really need to exercise more often.”

I stopped again, glancing up ahead. I couldn’t see any evidence of her, but I knew she couldn’t be far away. I started trotting along the sidewalk, catching my breath. I looked through store windows and alleys, but I still had no luck.

Just when I was ready to give up, I caught the girl’s bright colored hair in the corner of my eye. I instantly looked and saw that she was trapped between an alley. She had a frightened expression on her face. From what, I still had no idea. I walked between the alley confidently. The girl suddenly noticed me and her expression instantly changed to one of relief. I was just about to ask her what was wrong when I saw a shiver through the air. I looked in the direction I thought it had come from, but there was only empty air. My imagination playing tricks on me then.

I glanced back at the girl. She now seemed perfectly fine. Before I asked the question about what she was running from, she opened up her mouth.

“What are doing here?” she asked in an accusing tone. Like I was the one chasing her.

“Well, I saw you running down my sidewalk, seemingly being chased by nothing, so I decided to investigate.” Yeah, like I was going to say that! So, like any type of normal person, I changed the subject back to her.

“What are you doing here?” I asked in a lofty voice. I was pretty sure my question would catch her off guard. Instead she answered back with a whole lot of spunk.

“What am I doing here?,” she said in an angry voice. “Give me one good reason why I should tell you!”

“I…just…I,” I stuttered out. Well, seems instead I got caught off guard by her question! I shook my head, trying to chase off my thoughts.

“Ok, no need to be hostile,” I said in a gentle voice, “I just saw you in this alley and figured “Hey why couldn’t I talk to you?”” Now, that didn’t turn out to hurt my pride too badly.

“Oh,” she answered.

“So, how about we start over?” I asked, but it was just a rhetorical question so I continued on.

“My name’s Jack.” I stuck out my hand to her. She eyed it warily before gripping it tightly. “Jeez,” I thought, “She must be really mad at me for nothing.”

I dragged my hand back from her deathly grip. “Ok, then never shake stranger’s hands.” I thought vaguely. I also started rubbing my hands unconsciously.

“My name is Sapphire,” she answered back, “like the jewel.”

I studied her then. She had pale, smooth, white skin. Her eyes seemed too large for her face and they were a brilliant blue. Her nose was small and had a tiny bump on it. But, the most shocking feature was her hair. It was a vivid, bright red. She had it up in a ponytail, but I could tell that it was really, really curly. She was taller than I first suspected maybe even about my height. I was at least 5’10, so she seemed somewhere around 5’8.

While I stared at her, she seemed to be studying her surroundings, like something might all of a sudden appear. I quickly stopped staring, afraid she might catch me staring. The truth was, she was quite beautiful, but she didn’t have to know I thought that.

“So,” I said, my voice startling her, “can I ask you why you are in this alley, without you biting off my head?”

“No,” she said with a much more timid voice than before, “because I have to be somewhere and I don’t talk to strangers.” She crossed her arms and started walking toward the entrance of the alley.

I stepped in front of her. “Wait a second,” I said, “you have to at least tell me what was chasing you.” Oops…well, now she knows I’m a stalker.

Her face instantly pales. “What…what are talking about” she stutters out.

“Well, when I first saw you through my bedroom window, you had to be running from something” I said. I might as well tell the whole story.

“Wait,” she said in the accusing tone again, but this time I deserved it, “what are talking about?”

“Well, I might have heard you scream…”

“Ugh, my parents are SO going to kill me if they ever find out.”

“But why?” I said getting even more confused.

“Nothing, please just forget about it” she signs and then says hopelessly, “Can you please let me through?”

Maybe because I felt sorry for her or maybe because she felt like trouble, I won’t ever know, but I let her pass underneath my arm. Here hair brushed past my arms. I shivered unconsciously.

“Thanks,” she said. Her face said it all: she was very surprised that I let her through without a fight. I was even surprised I had, “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Yeah, right. I didn’t recognize this girl one bit. Unless she was new to this town, I was positive I wouldn’t see her anytime soon. But, if she was new, it would be buzzing around town like the next biggest thing. That is the benefit of living inside a tiny town with less than 3,000 people: everybody knows who and if you’re new than you will most likely become the gossip of the town.

I watched her walk away, past the debris lying around the alley. I felt really uneasy. What was she hiding?

Chapter 2

I make my way home, pondering over the girl. Overall, she seemed pretty normal, but I knew there was something peculiar about her. I also knew she was hiding something. And what was the thing I saw that shimmered? Or maybe I was really just imagining it?

My thoughts raced back and forth. I might as well forget about the whole thing like Sapphire said. “Whoa,” I thought to myself “when did you start calling her by name? I don’t even know her!”

I continue walking, watching as the sun sets. It was perfect weather out. It was somewhat hot out, but there was a very nice cool breeze that would occasionally blast me in the face.

 There weren’t many people outside except couples holding hands, most likely taking advantage of the nice weather. I wondered if that could have been my mom and dad way back when. They could have been the high school sweethearts: the ones that everyone adored.

I always thought that my parents were good together. My father was handsome and strong, while my mother was graceful and beautiful. They complimented each other perfectly.

I developed my father’s strong features, but also with a hint of my mother’s gracefulness. I, of course, have brown hair that everyone calls messy. I suppose it is, but it’s not like I care what everyone thinks. Besides, I’ve heard that girls adore messy hair. I’m lean even though I don’t even exercise and eat plenty of junk foods. I guess I have a high metabolism.

I finally come to my door, just when the lights along the rode start to turn on. I climb the steps and dry my feet on the WELCOME mat. I’ve always hated this mat: it always seemed so fake like an insurance company trying to make a “good” deal with you. I’ve tried convincing my mother to get rid of it, but it seems she is stuck on keeping it until she dies and I can finally get rid of it.

I pull open the door handle quietly, making sure I don’t wake Mom up in case she is still asleep. It’s a good thing we have carpet or else I would be making a creaking racket everywhere I go. I don’t hear a sound in the house, so I assume my mother is still sleeping.

I climb the wide staircase and into the narrow corridor, eager to take a nice, hot shower. I turn the shower on full blast in till there is steam everywhere. I strip my clothes off and let the hot water course off my back and down the drain.

After I have finished scrubbing myself down, I lay on my bed in just my jeans, still wide awake. Thanks to the girl, my thoughts are swirling around still. I’m eager to get some answers, but I have no idea how I will.

I sign. Well, there is always tomorrow to figure it out even if there is only a slight chance that I will even encounter the girl ever again. And if I ever even do, she doesn’t seem all too happy to just give up all her secrets to me.