A/N:Yup, another one of those 'I've been thrown into some of my favorite
books' type of story, but I'm not going to write it happy go lucky like
lots of them are! Since this is my first fanfic, I'd really appreciate R&Rs
- please be as brutally honest as you want
Anything you recognize is not mine; anything you don't most likely is! *Anything in the star/asterisks is Alexis' thoughts* and :anything in the colons mindspeech:
Chapter One - The life of Blah
Alexis hated her life. She hated every single aspect of it, right down to the last second. She was sitting in the middle of last period- English , trying with all her might to pay attention to her teacher. Mr. .Moriaty droned on and on, lecturing the class on Oliver Twist. Although English was her passion, he took all the life out of it. *I swear, doesn't he think that maybe the author wrote the book because he felt like it, not because he wanted it to be analyzed?* She rested her head on her crossed arms and allowed his voice to begin to lull her to sleep.
"...can you tell me who you believe is a flat character? Alexis?" His voice was monotone, and it took the entire class a moment to realize he had finished speaking. Alexis shrank down in her seat.
"Um..." She glanced around helplessly, feeling her face heat up as almost every student in the class chose that moment to turn around and stare at her. At the front, she could see Jessica and Kathryn, both smirking at her embarrassment. "Isn't Sikes a flat character?" Her answer was closer to a question, and she ventured on after Mr. Moriaty had nodded. "He didn't change much throughout the novel, being evil at the beginning and simply getting worse throughout?" Again, her teacher nodded and she let loose and involuntary sigh of relief as he turned to another unsuspecting student. The period ended quickly, and Alexis dawdled from the room, slowly putting her books into her backpack and zipping the bag up.
Time to go home. She dreaded it, almost as much as she dreaded lunch. As she slipped unobtrusively into the hall two familiar forms fell into step, one on either side.
"So, Alexis," Jessica began, hooking onto her arm as if they were the best of friends. "Bet you feel pretty smart, don't you, the way you avoid us."
"No, not really. Screw off." Alexis unlatched her arm and pushed away towards the exit of the school. Even though it was winter, she wasn't about to spend more time in the company of Jessica and Kathryn just so that she could get her 'coat'. Struggling through the knee deep snowdrift, Kathryn and Jessica both caught up to her, donned in identical, matching, fashionable jackets.
"Are you scared? Are you just gonna run home to your daddy?" That was Kathryn, her tone mocking and searing Alexis like acid. "Oh, wait, I forgot! Your dads a drunk! He couldn't care less!" Alexis kept going. *Ignore them and they'll leave.*
"You're running away! You're such a baby!" Though the insults were petty, Jessica made them sound like it was the worst thing to say to someone. Alexis counted to ten. And then she did it again. The snow was coming down heavily, leaving large snowflakes in Alexis' black hair and settling on her eyelashes. Her breath was coming in short gasps, as displayed by the puffs of steam appearing before her every time she exhaled.
She didn't hear them coming. One minute, she was taking a step, the next, she was face first in the snow, struggling to push herself up but failing as a booted foot slammed into her rib. She gasped and choked as she breathed in snow, then flipped herself over and seized Jessica's (or was it Kathryn's?) ankle and pulling her down into the snow as well. But she was outnumbered, and a few long minutes later, Alexis pulled herself to her feet, carefully feeling to make sure nothing was broken. She could feel her eye swelling up and blood running down her face from her nose, but she'd had worse. She'd manage.
After stumbling the rest of the way home because she could only see from one eye, Alexis took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes. Her father wasn't home yet, thank God, but he would be soon. Either that or he was passed out on the floor somewhere and she simply hadn't tripped over him yet. Desperately, she hoped it was the second.
With her luck, he wasn't. Some half hour later, her father banged open the front door of the ramshackle condo, kicking off his boots at the wall and pounding up the stairs. Alexis looked up from her novel, 'By the Sword', and reluctantly closed it. Although she had read all the Valdemar novels numerous times, she enjoyed going back and reading the again. Fantasy novels were her one escape from reality, the one place she could pretend she wasn't getting beat up at school or beat up at home. So much for an escape, however.
"ALEXIS?" The rough voice yelled. *Great. He's either staggering drunk or has a hangover* She sighed and pulled herself up from her corner. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! NOW!"
"Coming!" She called, knowing she'd get in even more trouble if she didn't respond. Slowly, she went down the stairs, snatching up her cheap Wal-Mart hoodie and pulling it on as she reached the bottom. Her father was waiting there, his arm wrapped around a scantily clad woman who was wearing too much make up.
"I wanna be left 'lone, y'hear?!" Her father demanded, and she could smell the beer on his breath from where she was standing. She didn't say anything, but recoiled slightly as her father and his companion made their way up the stairs. "Y'hear?"
"Yes, dad, I hear you." Her voice was dull and she turned to leave the house. Maybe one of the school janitors would let her back it so that she could get her coat.
"An' what happened to yer face? Didja get hit by a car or some'n?" Her father sneered, leaning unsteadily over the banister. Alexis glared up at him and then left the house.
Some time later, she returned, arms nearly blue from cold. The janitors wouldn't let her back in and the hoodie hadn't done much to protect against the cutting wind. She passed her father and that woman, asleep in the middle of the hall, though she had no idea why they would be lying there, and made her way into her bedroom, her 'sanctuary'. It was past midnight, and she had school the next day. *Better get some sleep.* She thought groggily, crawling into her bed fully clothed. The last thing she recalled before she fell asleep was that her room no longer looked like her room...
A/N So? What do you think? R&R please!
Anything you recognize is not mine; anything you don't most likely is! *Anything in the star/asterisks is Alexis' thoughts* and :anything in the colons mindspeech:
Chapter One - The life of Blah
Alexis hated her life. She hated every single aspect of it, right down to the last second. She was sitting in the middle of last period- English , trying with all her might to pay attention to her teacher. Mr. .Moriaty droned on and on, lecturing the class on Oliver Twist. Although English was her passion, he took all the life out of it. *I swear, doesn't he think that maybe the author wrote the book because he felt like it, not because he wanted it to be analyzed?* She rested her head on her crossed arms and allowed his voice to begin to lull her to sleep.
"...can you tell me who you believe is a flat character? Alexis?" His voice was monotone, and it took the entire class a moment to realize he had finished speaking. Alexis shrank down in her seat.
"Um..." She glanced around helplessly, feeling her face heat up as almost every student in the class chose that moment to turn around and stare at her. At the front, she could see Jessica and Kathryn, both smirking at her embarrassment. "Isn't Sikes a flat character?" Her answer was closer to a question, and she ventured on after Mr. Moriaty had nodded. "He didn't change much throughout the novel, being evil at the beginning and simply getting worse throughout?" Again, her teacher nodded and she let loose and involuntary sigh of relief as he turned to another unsuspecting student. The period ended quickly, and Alexis dawdled from the room, slowly putting her books into her backpack and zipping the bag up.
Time to go home. She dreaded it, almost as much as she dreaded lunch. As she slipped unobtrusively into the hall two familiar forms fell into step, one on either side.
"So, Alexis," Jessica began, hooking onto her arm as if they were the best of friends. "Bet you feel pretty smart, don't you, the way you avoid us."
"No, not really. Screw off." Alexis unlatched her arm and pushed away towards the exit of the school. Even though it was winter, she wasn't about to spend more time in the company of Jessica and Kathryn just so that she could get her 'coat'. Struggling through the knee deep snowdrift, Kathryn and Jessica both caught up to her, donned in identical, matching, fashionable jackets.
"Are you scared? Are you just gonna run home to your daddy?" That was Kathryn, her tone mocking and searing Alexis like acid. "Oh, wait, I forgot! Your dads a drunk! He couldn't care less!" Alexis kept going. *Ignore them and they'll leave.*
"You're running away! You're such a baby!" Though the insults were petty, Jessica made them sound like it was the worst thing to say to someone. Alexis counted to ten. And then she did it again. The snow was coming down heavily, leaving large snowflakes in Alexis' black hair and settling on her eyelashes. Her breath was coming in short gasps, as displayed by the puffs of steam appearing before her every time she exhaled.
She didn't hear them coming. One minute, she was taking a step, the next, she was face first in the snow, struggling to push herself up but failing as a booted foot slammed into her rib. She gasped and choked as she breathed in snow, then flipped herself over and seized Jessica's (or was it Kathryn's?) ankle and pulling her down into the snow as well. But she was outnumbered, and a few long minutes later, Alexis pulled herself to her feet, carefully feeling to make sure nothing was broken. She could feel her eye swelling up and blood running down her face from her nose, but she'd had worse. She'd manage.
After stumbling the rest of the way home because she could only see from one eye, Alexis took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes. Her father wasn't home yet, thank God, but he would be soon. Either that or he was passed out on the floor somewhere and she simply hadn't tripped over him yet. Desperately, she hoped it was the second.
With her luck, he wasn't. Some half hour later, her father banged open the front door of the ramshackle condo, kicking off his boots at the wall and pounding up the stairs. Alexis looked up from her novel, 'By the Sword', and reluctantly closed it. Although she had read all the Valdemar novels numerous times, she enjoyed going back and reading the again. Fantasy novels were her one escape from reality, the one place she could pretend she wasn't getting beat up at school or beat up at home. So much for an escape, however.
"ALEXIS?" The rough voice yelled. *Great. He's either staggering drunk or has a hangover* She sighed and pulled herself up from her corner. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! NOW!"
"Coming!" She called, knowing she'd get in even more trouble if she didn't respond. Slowly, she went down the stairs, snatching up her cheap Wal-Mart hoodie and pulling it on as she reached the bottom. Her father was waiting there, his arm wrapped around a scantily clad woman who was wearing too much make up.
"I wanna be left 'lone, y'hear?!" Her father demanded, and she could smell the beer on his breath from where she was standing. She didn't say anything, but recoiled slightly as her father and his companion made their way up the stairs. "Y'hear?"
"Yes, dad, I hear you." Her voice was dull and she turned to leave the house. Maybe one of the school janitors would let her back it so that she could get her coat.
"An' what happened to yer face? Didja get hit by a car or some'n?" Her father sneered, leaning unsteadily over the banister. Alexis glared up at him and then left the house.
Some time later, she returned, arms nearly blue from cold. The janitors wouldn't let her back in and the hoodie hadn't done much to protect against the cutting wind. She passed her father and that woman, asleep in the middle of the hall, though she had no idea why they would be lying there, and made her way into her bedroom, her 'sanctuary'. It was past midnight, and she had school the next day. *Better get some sleep.* She thought groggily, crawling into her bed fully clothed. The last thing she recalled before she fell asleep was that her room no longer looked like her room...
A/N So? What do you think? R&R please!