November created what has turned into a YA Sci-Fi Fantasy. I will continue updating it as the Twitter novel continues past NaNoWriMo.
AKEENAH AND THE EARTHERS
Dark clouds gathering overhead hint at something, not sure what, but it can't be good. Then a chill slashes through me.
BOOM! The blast blows me against the wall and holds me there for what seems like forever. I can't breathe. I crumple onto the weathered planks.
Lightning struck. Again. I should have played the lottery.
In the distance, the hulk of what used to be my treehouse burns. I pick up the messenger and call for the helpers.
It's a routine that shouldn't surprise me. I tempt the universe when I don't follow Captain's orders. The suit is just so bulky.
I crawl inside the door away from the storm's roar, cursing my wicked luck. Will I walk free again?
"Idiot!" Derek says.
This isn't Others. The boy who first grabbed me is Kevin from Math class. The girl crying over the burns on her hands is Sarah, the mayor's daughter. I try to tone down the heat.
"I'm so sorry." I glide away, but Kevin doesn't forgive easily. "Shit, bitch. We were trying to help."
I crawl inside the door away from the storm's roar, cursing my wicked luck. Will I walk free again?
"Idiot!" Derek says.
My keeper yanks me clear of the door. "It's forbidden and yet you insist. You must have a death wish."
"Leave me alone," I say. "It's my life."
"You have it all wrong, Princess. It's no longer your life you risk." He drags me to the window. "They follow you. You endanger all of us."
"You try living in a bubble!" I shake him off and try to walk away, but he grabs my coat. I pull away and run from everything, but I know I won't, though, it's not in the stars.
That night the rumbling skies remind me again: the Princess mustn't step outside. The ships hiding behind clouds refuse to give up, and in the morning, the angry faces of my guardians wait for me when I come downstairs.
"Your father in on the line," Captain grumbles.
The inanimate floating head in the sitting room is far from inanimate. Father is boiling. Anger burns from his eyes.
"You do not seem to understand the enormity of your actions, my daughter. Your capture will kill us all."
He's the one who doesn't understand, but I dare not speak. The voice booming from the head frightens me.
"I am tempted to --" he says.
To what? Ground me? Deport me? Let them capture me? Really, what can he do now that he hasn't already? I'm cursed.
"Akeenah!" Captain says my name as part of a hushed order. Just my name, but I know what it means. He heard my thoughts.
I stand at attention and take the scolding from my father.
"If you are so determined to get captured we have no other option." He glares at Captain. "She must be neutralized."
The room falls silent. What?
I could wait and ask or I could live. Before any of the guardians can move to stop me, I shoot out the front door into a new storm. I have no plan other than to escape. I've heard of people being neutralized, their powers dimmed until their energy is nothing more than a night light. That will not happen to me. I gather the energy inside me and channel it into my escape. Soon I am dodging guards and zig-zagging to avoid the lightning strikes I'm sure will kill me. Death is better than being neutralized, though.
The sirens announce my escape, but only Father's guards try to stop me. No one else comes out until I turn down an alley. I'm yanked into darkness. Something is pulled over my head and I'm blind.
"Don't scream," a gruff voice says before cupping a hand over my mouth. He drags me over loose rocks into a cooler place that smells stale and old. I gain my footing and run alongside over a smoother surface.
Fear silences me. If he's really planning to hurt me, wouldn't I have already sensed his plans? I'm not a Sentient, but my powers have not let me down before.
Suddenly, I'm surrounded. Hands grab me from every direction. So many voices. I can't make anything out. Panic takes over and makes breathing hard. I want to cry. The anger rising through me burns. The words are easier to understand now.
"Help us."
They need me. It's too late for me to stop, though. The fire wins. The heat takes control and my captors lose their grip on what used to be my human form. Their screams are pained.
The energy I have become evaporates the ski mask my captors had placed over my face. They're kids like me. Their damage I have done is obvious and I try to pull back my energy. I didn't mean to hurt them. I thought The Others had captured me, just as Father had threatened.
"Leave me alone," I say. "It's my life."
"You have it all wrong, Princess. It's no longer your life you risk." He drags me to the window. "They follow you. You endanger all of us."
"You try living in a bubble!" I shake him off and try to walk away, but he grabs my coat. I pull away and run from everything, but I know I won't, though, it's not in the stars.
That night the rumbling skies remind me again: the Princess mustn't step outside. The ships hiding behind clouds refuse to give up, and in the morning, the angry faces of my guardians wait for me when I come downstairs.
"Your father in on the line," Captain grumbles.
The inanimate floating head in the sitting room is far from inanimate. Father is boiling. Anger burns from his eyes.
"You do not seem to understand the enormity of your actions, my daughter. Your capture will kill us all."
He's the one who doesn't understand, but I dare not speak. The voice booming from the head frightens me.
"I am tempted to --" he says.
To what? Ground me? Deport me? Let them capture me? Really, what can he do now that he hasn't already? I'm cursed.
"Akeenah!" Captain says my name as part of a hushed order. Just my name, but I know what it means. He heard my thoughts.
I stand at attention and take the scolding from my father.
"If you are so determined to get captured we have no other option." He glares at Captain. "She must be neutralized."
The room falls silent. What?
I could wait and ask or I could live. Before any of the guardians can move to stop me, I shoot out the front door into a new storm. I have no plan other than to escape. I've heard of people being neutralized, their powers dimmed until their energy is nothing more than a night light. That will not happen to me. I gather the energy inside me and channel it into my escape. Soon I am dodging guards and zig-zagging to avoid the lightning strikes I'm sure will kill me. Death is better than being neutralized, though.
The sirens announce my escape, but only Father's guards try to stop me. No one else comes out until I turn down an alley. I'm yanked into darkness. Something is pulled over my head and I'm blind.
"Don't scream," a gruff voice says before cupping a hand over my mouth. He drags me over loose rocks into a cooler place that smells stale and old. I gain my footing and run alongside over a smoother surface.
Fear silences me. If he's really planning to hurt me, wouldn't I have already sensed his plans? I'm not a Sentient, but my powers have not let me down before.
Suddenly, I'm surrounded. Hands grab me from every direction. So many voices. I can't make anything out. Panic takes over and makes breathing hard. I want to cry. The anger rising through me burns. The words are easier to understand now.
"Help us."
They need me. It's too late for me to stop, though. The fire wins. The heat takes control and my captors lose their grip on what used to be my human form. Their screams are pained.
The energy I have become evaporates the ski mask my captors had placed over my face. They're kids like me. Their damage I have done is obvious and I try to pull back my energy. I didn't mean to hurt them. I thought The Others had captured me, just as Father had threatened.
"I'm so sorry." I glide away, but Kevin doesn't forgive easily. "Shit, bitch. We were trying to help."
My dimming energy allows me to witness their pain, but it's Kevin's anger that keeps me hot. "What the hell did you think was gonna happen?"
He bristles at my words. I don't stop.
"I had no idea who had me. I was petrified. Did you ever think to tell me?" Then I see Avery.
My best friend sidles up near me. "I'm sorry. You caught us off guard, too, Keenah."
I look toward Sarah, heading toward the sink. The realization over what I've done is enough to cool me down.
"What happened?" Avery asks. "We thought you were going to wait."
I'm shaking now as the memory returns. "Father ordered me neutralized."
My friends' voices silence.
"Oh my stars," Avery gasps. "I never thought ..."
None of us thought Father would go to such lengths. "Why?" I can't control the tears now. I crumple to the ground. Avery wraps an arm around me, comforting me while the rest of her friends discuss what to do "with her" - me. Some want to do nothing. Some want to throw me outside before my energy signature reveals their hiding place. Kevin, remarkably, wants to help me.
I can't argue with the ones who hate me. I have no idea of what's going on. An Underground? A Rebellion? Against who, Father? Reality sobers me. I have to give them a reason to keep me.
I see a boy smearing yellow medicine on his arm. I hadn't noticed his injury before. "I can fix that," I say. "I'm a healer."
The room falls silent until, oh so slowly, the boy holds out his arm. I scramble closer. "This won't hurt," I say, certain of my words but still a little scared. This didn't hurt when Grandmother healed me all those years ago. But humans might be different. I cup my hands until the blue flame flickers to life. I raise my hands in offering to Mother Universe before encasing the boy's arm with my energy. Immediately, he is healed.
Keven is the first to speak. "That's why they want you?"
I shake my head. "They want me for another reason. My power can kill."
None of us thought Father would go to such lengths. "Why?" I can't control the tears now. I crumple to the ground. Avery wraps an arm around me, comforting me while the rest of her friends discuss what to do "with her" - me. Some want to do nothing. Some want to throw me outside before my energy signature reveals their hiding place. Kevin, remarkably, wants to help me.
I can't argue with the ones who hate me. I have no idea of what's going on. An Underground? A Rebellion? Against who, Father? Reality sobers me. I have to give them a reason to keep me.
I see a boy smearing yellow medicine on his arm. I hadn't noticed his injury before. "I can fix that," I say. "I'm a healer."
The room falls silent until, oh so slowly, the boy holds out his arm. I scramble closer. "This won't hurt," I say, certain of my words but still a little scared. This didn't hurt when Grandmother healed me all those years ago. But humans might be different. I cup my hands until the blue flame flickers to life. I raise my hands in offering to Mother Universe before encasing the boy's arm with my energy. Immediately, he is healed.
Keven is the first to speak. "That's why they want you?"
I shake my head. "They want me for another reason. My power can kill."
The rest of the day they hide me in the tunnels as they wander in and out of hidden entryways. As nightfall nears, the boy I healed returns. He slips out of a large backpack and presents it to me.
"For protection."
I empty the pack tentatively. Inside I find my suit. The one that allows me to see the sun. The one that dampens my energy signal so I can live without detection, but it's not as bulky as the one at home.
"I hope this is okay," he says. "Got the specs from Dad." Dad? How would his father know? I guess he sees my confusion.
"He's your Captain."
Captain? Father's enforcer?
"He wants you to protect yourself. He's hoping the King changes his mind."
But what if this is a trap? Should I trust this boy? "I guess I have no choice," I mumble, taking the suit into the area that has become my sanctuary. I'll inspect it thoroughly.
During the weeks that follow, I learn much about the life I thought I was living, about the horrors of Father's laws, that the boy is Natil.
Natil has become more than a friend. He has taught me much about this Rebellion I stumbled upon. "There are people who go hungry so the king can get fat," he said with a sneer. "My best friend was killed in The Wilds - he was hunting wild boar to feed his sisters." He turned away.
"I'm sorry." Six weeks ago those words were meaningless to me. Today they're heavy with guilt. His people died for my food or for my suit.
But six weeks ago I thought Father still loved me. A lifetime has passed since that day I ran from my father's order to destroy my powers.
"Let's go," he hands me the suit. "Do you want some privacy?" I shake my head. In an underground commune, there is no privacy. He helps me seal into the less-bulky suit. It's still a pain in the ass, though. He inspects every nook and cranny to make certain no skin is exposed.
As the sun rises, we step outside. I'm tentative at first, remembering the thunderous roars of my last trip outdoors. We're heading for The Wilds. We have to move quickly in order to make it there before the sun disappears again. That is where The Resistance has set up their base.
"The King's army is camped over that ridge," Natil says, diving behind rocks that fell in last night's landslide. I fight the urge to look where he's pointing. I step over and around the rocks, following his lanky frame. He is merely a child of fourteen, but he speaks like one of Father's learned advisors. Today, however, as we fight the hazards of The Wilds, I wonder if I was wrong to trust him.
"Natil," I call out. He stops, his leg searching for footing over the large boulder he is climbing.
"Keep quiet," he says. "There are listeners out there." He waits for me to climb closer then boosts me onto the boulder next to him.
"What is your question?" he whispers.
I whisper back: "Have you heard from Captain?"
He turns his gaze back to Father's camp and says nothing. His silence is enough to tell me he still hasn't heard from him. I think he's too frightened to consider the possibilities. If Father's spies know Natil is with the Underground, Captain's position among the King's Guard is compromised. And my security is in question. I will not think more about this.
"Lead the way, sir Natil," I say with fake confidence. Worry is for tonight, when we are safely tucked away in some dark cave in The Wilds of Savah, where no one can threaten us with imprisonment.
When the humans first arrived on Savah, Father's Council thought it best to allow them to live among us. We took on human form to ease their transition. Our world is similar yet very different from theirs. Then the problems started and Father began to change.
Threading through the boulders in this part of The Wilds reminds me of the days I used to play here in my natural form as a child. We don't dare reveal our true form anymore. We are captives in our own world. Victims of our own greed. That is what I've learned these last few weeks. Trying to share our planet we compromised our people.
"I wish you could have known us before," I tell Natil quietly as we stop to share our water. "We were a great and proud people. Now we would sell our grandmothers for a human dollar."
He rolls his eyes, "Or our daughters."
I am silenced.
The rest of the trek I find it difficult to make conversation. I want to talk about the greatness of my people. He obviously does not share my enthusiasm.
Then, as the setting sun softens the sky with pink, Natil turns. "Our camp is near. I must know. Do you still obey your father?"
His brusqueness stuns me. Do I still obey my father? If I say I love Father, will Natil strand me in the desert? Must I commit to an answer?
"Father tried to neutralize me." That answer should be enough. How does a daughter turn from her father without reason?
A powerful voice, one I haven't heard before, thunders from the trees on the edge of The Wilds. "You cannot enter our camp as an agent of the king."
The owner is imposing. He closes the gap between us swiftly, the sweat glistening on his bare chest. "Welcome, Princess," he grunts. "Now leave." He grabs one of Natil's bags and storms away.
"I'm sorry, Keenah." Natil moves to follow.
I see my hopes fading. "Please. Who was that man?"
"That is Aliks. He rules here.
Who is this man who judges my thoughts? He's taking the only hope I have left. This cannot happen.
I climb the closest boulder. "Stop!" My scream echoes off the walls of the canyon and Natil jumps.
Aliks, however, only slows briefly. "You are not my princess," he shouts back.
As the daylight dips below the horizon, my reality crashes in around me. I need to make a choice -- my life or loyalty to a father who has not shown me kindness since the days before the Earth-borns arrived on Savah. The heavyness of what I must do weighs on me.
"I am no longer Princess Akeenah. I am no longer my father's ward." My words have some effect on the leader of this rebellion. "I am your faithful subject."
I run down the rocky embankment and fall to my knees.
"What do you need from me, Lord Aliks." I dare not look up. My heavy breaths make the dirt quiver under my face as I wait.
A hand grabs my elbow and helps me up. "Just Aliks," the leader says. "Natil will show you to your quarters." His earth-blue eyes lock on mine for a breath of a second before he rips the connection and turns away. "We will talk at dinner."
And just like that, he disappears deeper into the forests of The Wilds. Natil grabs one of my bags and leads me away. "You will not regret this," he says. "He's a good guy."
He drones on about his childhood and how he idolized Aliks, who never allowed their exile to alter him. I can't get those deep blue eyes out of my mind -- like images of the Earth before her destruction. I wonder, "Is he one of us?"
Natil stops and lowers his voice respectfully.
"Oh no Princess. He is an original Earth-born."
How can that be? They've been here almost a generation.
"He was one of the last to leave," Natil answers my unspoken question as he steps into a clearing. Soon I am caught up in the formalities, but I can't get the math out of my head. The Earthers arrived twelve years ago. Aliks seems just about my seventeen years, but the trip is at least 20 years.
What is this mysterious young leader's story?
To be continued ......
"For protection."
I empty the pack tentatively. Inside I find my suit. The one that allows me to see the sun. The one that dampens my energy signal so I can live without detection, but it's not as bulky as the one at home.
"I hope this is okay," he says. "Got the specs from Dad." Dad? How would his father know? I guess he sees my confusion.
"He's your Captain."
Captain? Father's enforcer?
"He wants you to protect yourself. He's hoping the King changes his mind."
But what if this is a trap? Should I trust this boy? "I guess I have no choice," I mumble, taking the suit into the area that has become my sanctuary. I'll inspect it thoroughly.
During the weeks that follow, I learn much about the life I thought I was living, about the horrors of Father's laws, that the boy is Natil.
Natil has become more than a friend. He has taught me much about this Rebellion I stumbled upon. "There are people who go hungry so the king can get fat," he said with a sneer. "My best friend was killed in The Wilds - he was hunting wild boar to feed his sisters." He turned away.
"I'm sorry." Six weeks ago those words were meaningless to me. Today they're heavy with guilt. His people died for my food or for my suit.
But six weeks ago I thought Father still loved me. A lifetime has passed since that day I ran from my father's order to destroy my powers.
"Let's go," he hands me the suit. "Do you want some privacy?" I shake my head. In an underground commune, there is no privacy. He helps me seal into the less-bulky suit. It's still a pain in the ass, though. He inspects every nook and cranny to make certain no skin is exposed.
As the sun rises, we step outside. I'm tentative at first, remembering the thunderous roars of my last trip outdoors. We're heading for The Wilds. We have to move quickly in order to make it there before the sun disappears again. That is where The Resistance has set up their base.
"The King's army is camped over that ridge," Natil says, diving behind rocks that fell in last night's landslide. I fight the urge to look where he's pointing. I step over and around the rocks, following his lanky frame. He is merely a child of fourteen, but he speaks like one of Father's learned advisors. Today, however, as we fight the hazards of The Wilds, I wonder if I was wrong to trust him.
"Natil," I call out. He stops, his leg searching for footing over the large boulder he is climbing.
"Keep quiet," he says. "There are listeners out there." He waits for me to climb closer then boosts me onto the boulder next to him.
"What is your question?" he whispers.
I whisper back: "Have you heard from Captain?"
He turns his gaze back to Father's camp and says nothing. His silence is enough to tell me he still hasn't heard from him. I think he's too frightened to consider the possibilities. If Father's spies know Natil is with the Underground, Captain's position among the King's Guard is compromised. And my security is in question. I will not think more about this.
"Lead the way, sir Natil," I say with fake confidence. Worry is for tonight, when we are safely tucked away in some dark cave in The Wilds of Savah, where no one can threaten us with imprisonment.
When the humans first arrived on Savah, Father's Council thought it best to allow them to live among us. We took on human form to ease their transition. Our world is similar yet very different from theirs. Then the problems started and Father began to change.
Threading through the boulders in this part of The Wilds reminds me of the days I used to play here in my natural form as a child. We don't dare reveal our true form anymore. We are captives in our own world. Victims of our own greed. That is what I've learned these last few weeks. Trying to share our planet we compromised our people.
"I wish you could have known us before," I tell Natil quietly as we stop to share our water. "We were a great and proud people. Now we would sell our grandmothers for a human dollar."
He rolls his eyes, "Or our daughters."
I am silenced.
The rest of the trek I find it difficult to make conversation. I want to talk about the greatness of my people. He obviously does not share my enthusiasm.
Then, as the setting sun softens the sky with pink, Natil turns. "Our camp is near. I must know. Do you still obey your father?"
His brusqueness stuns me. Do I still obey my father? If I say I love Father, will Natil strand me in the desert? Must I commit to an answer?
"Father tried to neutralize me." That answer should be enough. How does a daughter turn from her father without reason?
A powerful voice, one I haven't heard before, thunders from the trees on the edge of The Wilds. "You cannot enter our camp as an agent of the king."
The owner is imposing. He closes the gap between us swiftly, the sweat glistening on his bare chest. "Welcome, Princess," he grunts. "Now leave." He grabs one of Natil's bags and storms away.
"I'm sorry, Keenah." Natil moves to follow.
I see my hopes fading. "Please. Who was that man?"
"That is Aliks. He rules here.
Who is this man who judges my thoughts? He's taking the only hope I have left. This cannot happen.
I climb the closest boulder. "Stop!" My scream echoes off the walls of the canyon and Natil jumps.
Aliks, however, only slows briefly. "You are not my princess," he shouts back.
As the daylight dips below the horizon, my reality crashes in around me. I need to make a choice -- my life or loyalty to a father who has not shown me kindness since the days before the Earth-borns arrived on Savah. The heavyness of what I must do weighs on me.
"I am no longer Princess Akeenah. I am no longer my father's ward." My words have some effect on the leader of this rebellion. "I am your faithful subject."
I run down the rocky embankment and fall to my knees.
"What do you need from me, Lord Aliks." I dare not look up. My heavy breaths make the dirt quiver under my face as I wait.
A hand grabs my elbow and helps me up. "Just Aliks," the leader says. "Natil will show you to your quarters." His earth-blue eyes lock on mine for a breath of a second before he rips the connection and turns away. "We will talk at dinner."
And just like that, he disappears deeper into the forests of The Wilds. Natil grabs one of my bags and leads me away. "You will not regret this," he says. "He's a good guy."
He drones on about his childhood and how he idolized Aliks, who never allowed their exile to alter him. I can't get those deep blue eyes out of my mind -- like images of the Earth before her destruction. I wonder, "Is he one of us?"
Natil stops and lowers his voice respectfully.
"Oh no Princess. He is an original Earth-born."
How can that be? They've been here almost a generation.
"He was one of the last to leave," Natil answers my unspoken question as he steps into a clearing. Soon I am caught up in the formalities, but I can't get the math out of my head. The Earthers arrived twelve years ago. Aliks seems just about my seventeen years, but the trip is at least 20 years.
What is this mysterious young leader's story?
To be continued ......
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