Author's Note: I know that this is a slightly odd note on which to
begin my story, but please do not chide me for putting my writing in the
wrong category. My stories unfold. They are not already fabricated, rather
they flow. One word leads to the next and before I know it there is a plot
and characters and so on. Also, please don't mind if I get a little lavish
on the descriptions. The Power of the Pen judges, (Power of the Pen is a
writing competition in Ohio for seventh and eighth graders), always
commented on my descriptions. One more thing before you read on: this is
based on Nancy Drew, my favorite teenage sleuth. Yes, I read the books when
I was about ten, but she is still the coolest woman in mystery history. (No
rhyme intended.) And, since you will soon be wondering where the mystery
is, I'm going to tell you one thing: It'll unfold. Anyway, I hope that you
enjoy these chapters, and may I keep you pestering me for more writing!
-- |[Emily]|--
Disclaimer: Yes I have to do this. The characters in these stories – actually, everything in these stories (Now I know some people are going to say, "You mean the word 'if' (for example) belongs to you?" No. You very well know what I mean!) Please respect my rights and my ideas. Writing is a talent, but it comes with work and dedication. If you like the idea of "owning" a story, write your own! No matter how much you think that you are lacking in skills, believe me, you aren't! Inspiration can come from anywhere. Literally!
Foreword: Thank you.
Mallory Sprenger and The Mystery of the Brass Bells
Chapter One
I looked lazily in the mirror. Today was not exactly a good day on the hair front. My honey locks, straight, may I mention, were thrown casually into a medium-height ponytail. The only problem was that the shorter layers in front kept falling out. It didn't really matter, I was just going to school, another seven hours in teenage prison…….
I ran downstairs and grabbed and apple, Granny Smith, of course. Those yucky red ones always gave me stomach aches.
"Is that all you want?" My mom, Kerry, called to me.
"Yea mom, I'm on a diet remember?"
"Oh, your diet!" She replied jokingly. She, of all people, as petite and skinny as can be, didn't believe I could stay on a diet.
"You know," she continued, "you don't even need to be on that diet. You're five foot ten, fourteen, and only one hundred and twenty pounds."
"Mom! You know I want to be a model!"
"Honey…."
Of course, she would try to talk me out of it again. It was my one dream, to be a model. I knew that I was tall enough. I was always looking through magazines for the latest trends in clothes and makeup. I was getting good at makeovers, too. Just give it up, mom. Someday she would have to take me to an agency.
I grabbed my overly heavy backpack and jogged out the door. The bus pulled up just as I reached the end of my driveway.
"Here Mallory!" It was my best friend Kylie Watson.
"You look fab!" She exclaimed.
"Thanks," I replied, sitting down in the seat across from her.
"So, how was Jake last night?" Jake Orville was Kylie's boyfriend. Last night they had gone to Luiggi's Pizzeria, the hottest spot for casual dates and hanging out.
"So hot! We were holding hands like the whole time and he even hugged me at the end!" She seemed really happy.
"Awesome!" I exclaimed, wishing that I had a boyfriend. The only problem was that a very small minority of the boys in the eighth grade were taller than me. It wasn't as if I wasn't pretty, I had clear skin, a great figure with all of the "attributes," and big, blue eyes with long lashes.
I pulled my portable CD player over my ears and listened to the soft music for the rest of the bus ride. As the bus pulled into the school, I watched the hundreds of students at Ulysses Junior High flock inside. I got up, walked off the bus and strode gracefully into the building and to my locker.
Waiting there for me were Hiram and Jack, or "Dumb and Dumber."
"Hey babe!" They greeted me. They were always with each other, like leeches, working to make everyone's lives miserable. This semester, however, they seemed particularly focused on me.
"Buzz off!" I screeched!
"We just want some love!" It was Hiram.
"In your dreams losers!"
"Come on!" Jack put his face in mine. He was so close that I could smell his breath. Believe me, it was not pleasant.
I grabbed my books, slammed the door to my locker and left. They couldn't follow me to my first period class, I had Mr. Fields for English and they, well, I didn't really care who they had.
I slid into my seat a couple minutes before the bell rang. I was always early, unlike most of the class. There were usually only a few kids (can you say Science Club?) in the room when I arrived. However, being early always worked to my advantage, besides getting my work in on time, and done with a considerable effort, it helped me stay on Mr. Fields' good side. I've experienced as an onlooker what his bad side is like, with no intention of seeing it firsthand.
"Brrrring!" The bell's shrill noise drew me out of my thoughts.
"Welcome, class," Mr. Fields deep voice boomed out in the tiny room, "As you know, tomorrow your Projects on 1984 are due."
This statement produced a groan from the class.
"But, on a lighter note," I shivered in the chilly room as he droned on. "we have finished our last novel for the year."
Yes! I could have danced. It seemed as if we had read a thousand – all followed by essay tests and huge projects. But I knew that the torture was not over, even though it was the beginning of May, with only a little over a month left in school.
"Our next adventure," he was trying to be funny, "will be an individual," more groans, "research project on the English literature author of my choice. I will be assigning your topic tomorrow following presentations."
I sighed. How much more right could I be? For the remainder of the class we had time to finish up out projects. The bell rang and I scurried to Algebra.
The other three periods before lunch were quite monotonous, even Hiram and John didn't bother me. I nearly slept through Science, and then uttered maybe one sentence in Spanish.
I walked back to my locker to grab my lunch and put away my books. As usual, Kylie was waiting there to walk with me to lunch. On the way we grabbed Jake and a couple of our other friends.
"So," Kylie says, as if we had only been apart for a matter of minutes, "Jake and a couple of the guys, well, girls, too, are going down to Luiggi's on Friday. Wanna come?"
"Sure!" I laughed. Friday was tomorrow. I was looking to meet people, possible boyfriends, and Mallory knew it.
I finished up my lunch and headed to sixth period. Only three more hours and I could go home!
The rest of the day flew by pretty fast. I scrambled onto the bus, and headed toward the back. To my surprise, Kylie wasn't there, but instead, there sat Hiram and Jack.
"You again!" I was flustered.
"Hey! You kids back there got a bus pass?" The driver shouted back.
"We're going to our cousin's house because we found out that…" Jack foundered.
"Our mother…umm…she hurt her ankle. Yea." Hiram finished it for him.
"I'll let you go this time, boys, but next time you're not going to be so lucky," the driver called back.
Hiram and Jack were laughing. Jack sneered at me and mouthed "betcha couldn't do that!"
I turned my head away from their hideous faces.
"You doing anything Friday night?" It was Hiram.
"Ew! Even if I weren't I wouldn't do anything with you!" I wanted so badly to smack him.
"Awwww…..baby's got a date!"
"I'm just hanging out!" Why couldn't they just give up?
Luckily we had reached my stop. The leeches must have had a destination because they didn't follow me.
I ran inside my house. I couldn't wait until tomorrow night! I'd have to call Kylie and ask her what to wear. I hoped that I would meet someone. Ulysses Junior High was a big school, and Kylie had lots more connections than me. Maybe she had found the perfect guy! After all, she does know everything about me…..
I shivered with excitement at the thought.
-- |[Emily]|--
Disclaimer: Yes I have to do this. The characters in these stories – actually, everything in these stories (Now I know some people are going to say, "You mean the word 'if' (for example) belongs to you?" No. You very well know what I mean!) Please respect my rights and my ideas. Writing is a talent, but it comes with work and dedication. If you like the idea of "owning" a story, write your own! No matter how much you think that you are lacking in skills, believe me, you aren't! Inspiration can come from anywhere. Literally!
Foreword: Thank you.
Mallory Sprenger and The Mystery of the Brass Bells
Chapter One
I looked lazily in the mirror. Today was not exactly a good day on the hair front. My honey locks, straight, may I mention, were thrown casually into a medium-height ponytail. The only problem was that the shorter layers in front kept falling out. It didn't really matter, I was just going to school, another seven hours in teenage prison…….
I ran downstairs and grabbed and apple, Granny Smith, of course. Those yucky red ones always gave me stomach aches.
"Is that all you want?" My mom, Kerry, called to me.
"Yea mom, I'm on a diet remember?"
"Oh, your diet!" She replied jokingly. She, of all people, as petite and skinny as can be, didn't believe I could stay on a diet.
"You know," she continued, "you don't even need to be on that diet. You're five foot ten, fourteen, and only one hundred and twenty pounds."
"Mom! You know I want to be a model!"
"Honey…."
Of course, she would try to talk me out of it again. It was my one dream, to be a model. I knew that I was tall enough. I was always looking through magazines for the latest trends in clothes and makeup. I was getting good at makeovers, too. Just give it up, mom. Someday she would have to take me to an agency.
I grabbed my overly heavy backpack and jogged out the door. The bus pulled up just as I reached the end of my driveway.
"Here Mallory!" It was my best friend Kylie Watson.
"You look fab!" She exclaimed.
"Thanks," I replied, sitting down in the seat across from her.
"So, how was Jake last night?" Jake Orville was Kylie's boyfriend. Last night they had gone to Luiggi's Pizzeria, the hottest spot for casual dates and hanging out.
"So hot! We were holding hands like the whole time and he even hugged me at the end!" She seemed really happy.
"Awesome!" I exclaimed, wishing that I had a boyfriend. The only problem was that a very small minority of the boys in the eighth grade were taller than me. It wasn't as if I wasn't pretty, I had clear skin, a great figure with all of the "attributes," and big, blue eyes with long lashes.
I pulled my portable CD player over my ears and listened to the soft music for the rest of the bus ride. As the bus pulled into the school, I watched the hundreds of students at Ulysses Junior High flock inside. I got up, walked off the bus and strode gracefully into the building and to my locker.
Waiting there for me were Hiram and Jack, or "Dumb and Dumber."
"Hey babe!" They greeted me. They were always with each other, like leeches, working to make everyone's lives miserable. This semester, however, they seemed particularly focused on me.
"Buzz off!" I screeched!
"We just want some love!" It was Hiram.
"In your dreams losers!"
"Come on!" Jack put his face in mine. He was so close that I could smell his breath. Believe me, it was not pleasant.
I grabbed my books, slammed the door to my locker and left. They couldn't follow me to my first period class, I had Mr. Fields for English and they, well, I didn't really care who they had.
I slid into my seat a couple minutes before the bell rang. I was always early, unlike most of the class. There were usually only a few kids (can you say Science Club?) in the room when I arrived. However, being early always worked to my advantage, besides getting my work in on time, and done with a considerable effort, it helped me stay on Mr. Fields' good side. I've experienced as an onlooker what his bad side is like, with no intention of seeing it firsthand.
"Brrrring!" The bell's shrill noise drew me out of my thoughts.
"Welcome, class," Mr. Fields deep voice boomed out in the tiny room, "As you know, tomorrow your Projects on 1984 are due."
This statement produced a groan from the class.
"But, on a lighter note," I shivered in the chilly room as he droned on. "we have finished our last novel for the year."
Yes! I could have danced. It seemed as if we had read a thousand – all followed by essay tests and huge projects. But I knew that the torture was not over, even though it was the beginning of May, with only a little over a month left in school.
"Our next adventure," he was trying to be funny, "will be an individual," more groans, "research project on the English literature author of my choice. I will be assigning your topic tomorrow following presentations."
I sighed. How much more right could I be? For the remainder of the class we had time to finish up out projects. The bell rang and I scurried to Algebra.
The other three periods before lunch were quite monotonous, even Hiram and John didn't bother me. I nearly slept through Science, and then uttered maybe one sentence in Spanish.
I walked back to my locker to grab my lunch and put away my books. As usual, Kylie was waiting there to walk with me to lunch. On the way we grabbed Jake and a couple of our other friends.
"So," Kylie says, as if we had only been apart for a matter of minutes, "Jake and a couple of the guys, well, girls, too, are going down to Luiggi's on Friday. Wanna come?"
"Sure!" I laughed. Friday was tomorrow. I was looking to meet people, possible boyfriends, and Mallory knew it.
I finished up my lunch and headed to sixth period. Only three more hours and I could go home!
The rest of the day flew by pretty fast. I scrambled onto the bus, and headed toward the back. To my surprise, Kylie wasn't there, but instead, there sat Hiram and Jack.
"You again!" I was flustered.
"Hey! You kids back there got a bus pass?" The driver shouted back.
"We're going to our cousin's house because we found out that…" Jack foundered.
"Our mother…umm…she hurt her ankle. Yea." Hiram finished it for him.
"I'll let you go this time, boys, but next time you're not going to be so lucky," the driver called back.
Hiram and Jack were laughing. Jack sneered at me and mouthed "betcha couldn't do that!"
I turned my head away from their hideous faces.
"You doing anything Friday night?" It was Hiram.
"Ew! Even if I weren't I wouldn't do anything with you!" I wanted so badly to smack him.
"Awwww…..baby's got a date!"
"I'm just hanging out!" Why couldn't they just give up?
Luckily we had reached my stop. The leeches must have had a destination because they didn't follow me.
I ran inside my house. I couldn't wait until tomorrow night! I'd have to call Kylie and ask her what to wear. I hoped that I would meet someone. Ulysses Junior High was a big school, and Kylie had lots more connections than me. Maybe she had found the perfect guy! After all, she does know everything about me…..
I shivered with excitement at the thought.