Hey :) so this is my first story in a while, so sorry if i'm a little rusty. I'm looking for a beta reader and an editor if anyone is interested in the job.
hope you enjoy!
The frost nipped at my nose as I held my bow at the ready. LOL JK , if I didn't have a personal vendetta against anyone who so much snickers at their own joke, I might actually laugh. Truth be told, I'm pretty sure frost doesn't exist here in sunny California nor have I held anything more dangerous than a butter knife at the ready. who do you think I am? Katniss Everdeen? Anyone who even considers that has just made my day.
Thing is, my English teacher always tells me to start anything and everything with an interesting phrase, something that 'hooks' the reader in. Seeing as I ignore them almost always, listening to her words of wisdom, just this once, seemed the right thing to do. You're welcome Ms to meet ya.
The name is Sam (yes, that's a girls name, and yes I am a girl). Age? thirteen. status? awkward. Well, single too but gawd damn, if you make a move on me, I just might have to bite your hand off.
Currently, I attend the Normanian school for troubled youth in the greater Anaheim area, referred to by its students simply as Norman . It's this soul crushing institute, hem, hem sorry, pristine academy of rehabilitation where the state sends you when they get tired of all your 'tomfoolery'.
9
Though extremely run down and dingy, the place is actually pretty new. They used to send kids like us to Armpit Nevadas' nature school. Apparently, though, ever since they got two new teachers, like ten years ago, delinquents or not, the school is packed to the brim.
So, five years ago, in order to stem the ever increasing stream of delinquents being rejected by armpit, the government rented a couple portables slapped a name plate on the the nicest looking one and named it Norman. Ever since, the place been accepting (read: sucking) kids into its endless pit of darkness.
Funny thing is we're located right beside the happiest place on earth: Disney Land.
I'll be the first to complain, the voices of gleeful children and screams of terrified teenagers can be pretty dang distracting when one is trying to focus on school work. Like now for example... the princess sparkle parade is passing by on Wednesday and 12:52 just like it does every Wednesday at 12:52 and the hoard of squealing six year old's is quite over whelming. Especially to the innocent student trying to write her English paragraph...figuring out a theme, three points that support it, their evidence as well as an explanation regarding how they relate to the topic sentence is harder than it sounds.
I've got it better than at least one of my classmates though. Joey White, it would seem, has made not even the slightest attempt to "in paragraph form, describe how the events within the novel 'the cay' depict both the positive and negative aspects of modern society". Instead he's using his pencil to drum out, the beat for the 'let it go, frozen' medley currently being blasted throughout the Disney park.
Just then, Mz. Chase called out to Joey "Mr. White, focus please". This was followed by a pointed towards his pencil. As if reminding him that a writing utensil was indeed meant for writing, no matter how great of a beat it made on one's desk. Instead of focusing on his work though, he gave our teacher a bright grin and continued to rhythmically smack his school desk, his page still blank. Well I shouldn't say blank, in the center, there was a large smiley face, and the word 'sorry!' scrawled across the paper.
Joey White is a good enough guy I suppose, thirteen, like me, though a couple inches shorter, and a total hipster mini. He wears large glasses, with medical tape covering the bridge (though I'm pretty sure they're not even broken) and his dark unruly hair is cut short on the sides. Not to mention his love for oddly patterned tee shirts, skinny khakis, and obscure herbal tees. His olive hands are always always talking right along side his mouth so there's obviously a bit of Italian in his blood. His little (yet equally hipster) sister, sierra, though, with her light hair and fair skin seems to have gotten the french half of the White family gene pool.
The two of them have been living in here in California their entire lives, hopping from school to school, always leaving some sort of calamity in their wake. During his first eight years in the American education system, Joey alone, has managed to survive, and win, sixteen school yard tangles, torch three classrooms (all on separate occasions) and blow a rather large hole into the brand new gym wall of McAlen elementary.
Me? With Sam Abbott (that's spelt with two B's and two T's thank you very much) your looking at 5 feet to inches of total kick ass. The hair's red, the skin strongly resembles mashed potatoes and the freckles? They're pretty insane. Surprised I don't have an Irish accent? Just wait until I get angry.
Moved to America two years ago when my parents decided I needed a fresh start. Since then, I've been to three different schools. One prestigious private, one slightly dinghy independent, and this place...whatever you want to call it.
The first two assured my parents that they would crush any and all of the supposed 'pathological lies' which always mange to slip out of my mouth. So did the three Irish schools I attended way back in the day. Unfortunately, non of them managed to squish the gosh darn habit out of me.
Honestly, though, the only attempt they even make to do this is when the schools principal pulls me in to their office and says:
Head master of every school I have ever attended: " Samantha, I don't know what your other schools tolerated, but here you will not be going about tell u g your tall tales, working the student body I to a frenzy"
Me: "first off, like I have told all school heads, it's Sam. S-A-M. Not Samantha. Sam. And secondly, if you would like me to stop saving the student body then your you are perfectly entitled to your opinion...it's a stupid one and I won't, even for one second, stop to even think about it... but you are entitled to have one."
Head master of every single school I have ever attended: "oh Sam"
Me: "may I go get a bag of chips now?"
Personally I think they should have maybe just stopped for a minute to consider that I was telling the truth. Maybe, just Maybe those two times that I had sent the school into lock down, some serious lives had been saved. Perhaps that time I petitioned to get that one eyed teacher fired, had been because he actually wanted to eat us. Who knows, maybe Ramona Berry wasn't a figment of my imagination,and actually had been eaten by cannibalistic cheerleader, Kelli. Who apparently didn't exist either by the way.
Still here? Wow! Congrats you must be just as insane as I am. Either that, or you think I truly am a pathological liar and am simply telling a good story. If that's true then great! Good for you. Just be aware that like me, others will find this story has a ring of truth to it and I truly believe the things I am talking about.
Anyway, some how, whether it be through lock downs, cyclops teachers, or killer cheerleaders, I always manage to find myself being given the boot by every school Igo to. After I was kicked out of Webber middle last June. My parents enrolled me here at Norman and I met Joey.
I suppose you could say he's my always end up partnering together for activities and sitting together at lunch and stuff. mean he can be a bit annoying at times and all that but most of the time I can be equally so. Guess we balance each other out.
All caught up with introductions? Character back grounds and setting? In case you're not let's summarize. I'll even use point form for ya.
1. Hi *waves* I'm Sam Abbott, a the coolest Irish protagonist you'll ever meet. I came to Norman in September after I sent Webber middle school in to their third lock down of the year :)
2. Lil hipsters Joey (13) and Sierra(6) White, ADHD/dyslexic siblings also attend Norman and and are basically the only friends I've ever had.
3. The Normanian school for troubled youth- aka. Norman- is a most pathetic collection of portables that could pass from an institution of learning pretty much ever. Considering the place is also a "prestigious boarding school" it's even worse.
Kay, so that wasn't exactly point form but get it? Ya good? Great!
So we were in English class, finishing (or in Joey's case, not) our paragraphs when I saw it. Lumbering towards us, big as a truck. A HUGE black dog; notice the emphasis on huge. Saliva was dripping from the things mouth and it's three feet long fangs were bared. The, wild manic look in its eyes told screamed one phrase and one phrase only.
"Hmm, that funny haired boy in the khakis, looks really tasty!" I kid you not that's what it was thinking. Don't tell me how I knew I just did. I just knew he was looking at joey, I just knew I had to get my friend out of here, and I just knew I was going to get expelled...yet again.
Pushing the thoughts of my eminent expulsion away, I leapt out of my desk. In a matter of milliseconds I had raced across the classroom, grabbed Joey's hand and was hulling him out the door, when he yanked his hand away.
"What do you think your doing?" He whispered rather loudly. "If your trying to pull one of your stunts..." he lowered his voice " then next time at least let me in on it" with that he let out a wild yelp and jumped into my arms, his atrocious acting skills showing.
"It's not a stunt" I practically screamed in reply, wishing for once that someone would see the monsters I did. "Look!" I thrust my finger towards the window and at the black dog which was now a mere ten feet away. The closer it was getting the more details I was able to make out. Black as night, seemingly moving in the shadows, vanes popping out in odd places, claws, sharp as razors.
Joey, screamed, with obviously non existent terror as he dramatically twisted his head towards the window. Then his face suddenly became serious. He blinked. Once, twice, three times. Joey white's face went pale as his name and he liked his lips, something the kid only did when perpetually terrified. He looked at me.
"You were telling the truth?" I was caught off guard for a moment. He saw it? I wasn't insane? He saw it? He saw it. He saw it!
"I always tell the truth!" I say but as the words come out of my mouth I realize we dont have time to be chatting. Looking out the window, I saw the hellish looking hound was now so close to the window it's breath fogged the barred glass up. I froze, paralyzed with fear. I'd seen scarier things that this dog, but the fact that maybe these things weren't real, and just a figment of my imagination had always kept a feeling of terror from taking over.
Just then, mz. C appeared at my side, pulling something from her pocket. A new you Yankees cap?
"You two get out of here, Joey go get your sister, then take the first cab you find, and get to the air port. Take this and buy four plane tickets for the next flight to long island." She paused for a moment. "Or los Angeles, if that's sooner" Mz.c pressed a old looking casino cash card into my hand. Then, turning to the rest of the class, she shouted "EVERYONE OUT!"
The class began to buzz, kids muttering to their friends.
"Told you that girls was phyco."
"mz. C... and Joey, playing along?"
"I'm transferring"
As the class left, the black dog decided that just staring at joey was no longer good enough. The beast backed up a couple paces (so about a hundred yards) and charged. With a sickening crunch, a dumpster truck size crater appeared in the metal portables rear half.
The students who had not already left, screamed and sprinted out the building.
"Mz. C! You've got to get out of here, come on!"
" Oh for goodness sake, that whole mz. C thing is getting annoying. Just call me Annabeth!" The black creature, backed up again and charged. This time sinking his teeth into the wall. Two tire sized holes were now embedded in the whole.
"I can handle this!" Mz.C... Annabeth? Exclaimed, giving us a shove towards the door. As if to reassure us, she held up her blade, which actually turned out to be a knife long as her fore arm and gave us a smile "you two get out of here. I'll meet you at the air port"
"But..." Joey said. The thing pounced a third time and this time managed to rip the entire back wall from the rest of the building. It growled, spraying me with the worst dog breath I have ever had the displeasure of whiffing. Lucky, the horrid stench brought me to my senses.
"Get out of here!" Annabeth screamed at us. Joey, like me it would seem, had also been awakened to sense by the dog breath and sprinted away from the black hound.
It tried to follow us, but Annabeth...mz.C? Began shouting some rather obscene things at it and stepped in the creatures toe. All this before looking back with a wink, slipping oh her cap, and disappearing. I'll admit I did a double take. But before I could questions what had happened to much Joey was pulling me out the classroom door.
"My sister!"
Hope you enjoyed! if you did review and let me know! If you didn't let me know what you hated and I'll do my very best to fix it!