A/N 6.5.13: Yes, I even need a hello from the future for this.
This...I mean, what am I supposed to do? It simply is there's more moments I like than hate. And I very proud of how I finished it. So. It's going to stay. I've vowed not to move it. Because soon I'll have nothing left on this account if I nitpick everything.
Here's i suggest we stick to the shadows, written in the days of Amanda Katrice Granger/her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks...enjoy! :)
MONSTER AUTHOR'S NOTE…A LOT OF IMPORTANT STUFF…BE WARNED…
And, before you ask, no, that was not me speaking in the prologue.
First off, thank you for the positive response on the prologue. YOU'S ALL EPICZZZ
This multi-chapter was born in June 2012, in a Walmart, looking at the spotlights…Went from a self-insert to an OC…Went from one-shot to multi-chap…Went from being named Iliana to nameless…And finally, around August, I had a solid idea of what this would be, and the intensive planning started.
AND I'M SO HUFFLEPUFFIN' EXCITED.
I wanted to get this out as soon as I could (before April) so the new ideas in KK6 don't conflict with the info in this. I also want to make this the best it can be so I can be proud of a multi-chap for once. And rushing a multi-chap never ends well.
That's the reason why I'm making this an WIP fic (Work in Progress), which means I'll be editing the chapters as the story is going on. 1. I will only edit if I found something I need to add in order for the rest of the story to make sense. I won't edit just to edit. 2. I will only edit/add-in/delete minor things. Nothing huge. If I think of something huge, too late for me, unless it's imperative I get it on here. 3. I will notify in the upcoming chapter if something has been edited. 4. I'll edit grammatical errors only if they are an eyesore. I need to focus on the story as a whole.
In this story, the real challenge for me is keeping the darkness and the voice of the character consistent. I'm pretty excited to see the final product. I don't know if it'll be identical to what I imagined it to be months ago or completely different with my content. I guess we'll see ;)
This character is my first OC. I was never a big fan of OCs until she appeared...then EVERYTHING changed. I think OCs ensure that the personality of the character is kept and not damaged because it's your own. I'm ecstatic to show the aspects of this character. There are definitely some qualities that are remarkable and admirable...There are many talents that I wish I possessed…There are some things I wouldn't wish on anyone to have…So I want to show that this character is human, she needs help, but she also has many things she can share with others.
OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT ME. ONTO DEDICATIONS!
Well, song dedications, actually.
For this story, music plays a pretty large role, so, after tons of searching, each chapter will have a "song-connection"—a piece of music that sounds like it…connects?
I feel like the music is needed because I have great difficulty in writing something dark without it being angsty. This story is, for the most part, not angsty. The music will add to the effect and make it darker. I think. I tried it and it worked. I think.
For a couple chapters, I was unsuccessful in picking a song connection, and I'm NOT about to buy another Lost soundtrack and have my opinion about the end change 50 kabillion more times. So a lot of chapters are gonna stay silent. For example, the prologue is gonna stay silent. From everything I've listened to, there's nothing to match up with it. And even if I did find something, unless it matched up PERFECTLY, I want to make sure the feeling behind the prologue stays and isn't overlooked because of music. (Yeah, so music helps and music takes away. I don't know what to make of it. PARADOX ALERT :P)
This chapter: INSPIRED BY: "Drumming Song" by Florence + the Machine. You know, a great deal of this story was inspired by Florence…so thank you Flo! (You know, one of the writers of this song was James Ford. HA! JAMES FORD! AS IN SAWYER…never mind.) However, the song does not match up with this chapter. It was just inspired by it. (What the heck is she doing, you're probably thinking.) SO I have an additional song which will be the connection and sounds like…what the chapter would sound like…if it...was a...musical? LOL. SONG CONNECTION: "Muttations" from The Hunger Games soundtrack, composed by James Newton Howard. NOW, for a lot of songs, it'll trail off or change key and not connect anymore, SO, for this one, the song stops at 1:06. There's a change of setting in this chapter. I won't need to explain. You'll see. So, to clarify, the song stops at 1:06 as soon as the setting changes. You'll be able to tell. MAKE SURE you pause it at 1:06 and you have your speakers down. 'Cause otherwise, you're gonna fall off your chair. Or through it. AHAHAHAHA...no one gets it...
ONEMORETHINGABOUTSONGSTHENI'MDONEIPROMISE: Going through my iPod, I asked myself: Mandy, what connects to ISWSTTS as a whole? "Blinding" by Florence + the Machine. I had a little mini fan freak-out when I listened to this after twenty other songs, begging for something that works and BOOM there it was. The lyrics connect SO INSANELY PERFECT 'TIS SCARY. You might not get it at first right now. But you will. MUAHAHAHAH So that's the overture, if you will. Let's all sit and listen to "Blinding". *sits and listens to "Blinding"* OMG AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ALSO! I have little overtures for different parts of the story. Prologue-2 song connection #1 is "Star of Bethlehem" from the Home Alone soundtrack composed by John Williams. This song is so haunting yet surprisingly comforting at the same time. Our little OC here has friends…but they aren't normal. This song really embodies her struggles as a happy trouble because she's doing it so she can feel something. AHHH OMG IT'S PERFECT The lyrics don't connect unless you wanna imagine the star as...whatever you wanna imagine it as. But if you listen to the lyrics and all you think is "CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING" then don't bother. Then listen to the voices and the music all together. IT'S SO PRETTYYYY (There are going to be regular mentions of Christmas in here. That was your first one. More to come reallllll soon :P) The second overture is "Breathe Me" by Sia. I've always loved this song so much. Then, this morning, I was song planning (hi Jessie ;)) and I turned this on and almost cried. It's perfect. My OC's crying out for help, and the SONG'S SO HEART-WRENCHING IT COULD HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THIS. I just can't believe how much it works :)
I really enjoyed updating at midnight last Thursday. But, alas, Thursday is a school night this week, so I'm moving the updating to Friday night at 12:00 am. Which is right now. Technically, it's Saturday, but still… ANDJUSTONEMORETHING: To all my peeps who read my HP stories...I'm gonna update one last time to let everyone else know, but I'm taking a break from the Harry Potter archive just for a little while during this multi-chap. Thanks for all of the support!
OKAY. I THINK I'M DONE. THANK YOU FOR READING. EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPP
DISCLAIMER: Do I own Kingdom Keepers? NO! Do I own this website? NO! Do I own the world? Well…maybe…
This story is for all who believe that the pen holds a power over the world that's unlike anything else. ;)
i suggest we stick to the shadows (My laptop won't let me do the cool spacing thing. GR.) Chapter 1: naming the shadows
"I'm coming with you." Flashforwardtorightnow andIcantstop A blue chair. Long. You're there. You're there with him. SYSTEM OVERLOAD. SYSTEM OVERLOAD. PREPARE FOR CRASH IN 4… "It's just that…. she looked away, her tears shining. "There's some things that you can't-" EXPLOSION. A girl whose eyes are darker than the night Kristine. "WE DON'T BELONG TOGETHER!" Kristine? "I…CAN'T…CONTROL IT!" "Kristine?"
"Mm? Um...Uh…Yes?"
"You alright?"
"…Yeah." I hurriedly replied, turning up my iPod even though it didn't need any more volume. Mom didn't say any more.
Avoiding conversation, I stared at the loud colors of the soundtrack cover art of the song I was listening to, trying to wake myself up.
That was the fourth time this hour.
I finally came to my senses and reached down for my laptop, threw it open, turned on my word processor and began to type furiously.
Someone screaming…Girl trying to say something to lover…Eyes…dark eyes?
Like all of the times this has happened before, everything disappeared.
I whispered my disappointment as I saved the document, shut down my laptop, and laid my head back on the seat and looked out the window.
Cars adjacent to us blinked their lights and stop abruptly. It was almost dangerous to watch, knowing that other vehicles would appear out of thin air. Dad had always said he never liked driving in this parking lot. Cars would come behind other cars as they backed up, and it was inevitable to hear a police siren every now and then blinking their red and blue lights over and over and over and over…
We need you. We need you now. She folded it and jerked her head up, swearing that she heard his voice. "You there? You okay?" Don'tyoudarebringherbackthere. I NEED YOU NOW. PLEASE COME QUICK It's coming faster. It's running now. IT'S GONNA RUN INTO ME AND I
I violently shook my head side to side, trying to rid myself of…that.
This was becoming more impossible to stop.
I don't know how to control it.
I looked to my right again to see that we were out of the risky parking lot. My tension released and I heard my dad laugh.
"Finally," my dad said. "Home, here we come!"
"Finally," I sigh.
I needed to get out of this car, this tight space. We've been out all night, running errands, and I've been itching to get home. I couldn't stand being looked at strangely because I stopped in the middle of the aisles of the store, throwing my hands to my head as if something was too loud.
Allowing myself to lose my focus in the lights, I counted up how many times I had gotten distracted today. Twice in the morning, six times while I was checking my email…Four tonight…
"Write-" I corrected myself, "draw on the back." She looked at me suspiciously, her gaze unchanging. I offered a smile. SHE DOESN'T TRUST YOU LOOK AWAY LOOK AWAY NOW SHE THINKS YOU'RE A "Please." Who slips through reality to those of her brothers and sisters "I want to see it. We…We want to see it."
I asked myself for the first time, because I never actually explained it to myself…What was the sudden rush of adrenaline and the disappearance of other things as I received sentences and fragments and single words from…something other than me?
From when I could remember, I've had…flashes like these. I've told no one about them, considering it's just something that would eventually happen if I focused on one thing too much. Maybe it was because I write constantly. Maybe it was because I rarely talk, and when I do, barely more than single words. I might be the build-up if emotions, because they have to come out somehow, although I hadn't experienced it this way before...
Maybe it was because it's becoming harder to do normal things and easier to spend the whole night writing.
But when these flashes happen, I can't see anything, can't hear anything from the outside, and I see different people, some recognizable, some strangers, in varied places as if I was watching it happen…
I've always seemed to lose myself in different situations, but it's getting more violent and harder to pull myself back to reality.
That has lead me to questioning what is real and what belongs to the other worlds.
What I do know is that I have documents and documents on my laptop of words from the flashes. I'll name them inspiration…and then write. For what seems like forever.
I don't always…remember, though.
At some point, everything from the flash vanishes.
Sometimes, I'll come back and lose everything in an instant.
Stop it, I try to convince myself. Don't get worked so up again.
"Daddy, can I please turn on the light now? Please?" my sister urgently asked my dad, pushing a golden curl away from her face.
He laughed again. "Sure, Georgia."
I could see Georgia excitedly shut off my mom's phone she used for light to read the book. She reached up to the top of the car roof and pressed the light. I could see her face better now, even though I could tell her features in the dark.
My little sister could be called the exact opposite of me—long, blonde, curly hair that was identical in color to my parents, gigantic, gorgeous emerald eyes, and overflowing energy. She was a little firecracker, running all over the place. She made me laugh.
Recently, she's been the only thing that makes me laugh.
My hair is black, flat, and shoulder length, my petite figure leads everyone to believe I'm a gymnast, and my eyes, according to my sister, are "the most beautiful-est bluest eyes ever!"
In all honesty, they just make me more sensitive to the light.
She's the only one who knows how much I write and how I really feel about it. She begs me to tell her everything I write about. And she listens, and she loses her childlikeness and doesn't run off when she gets bored, because I definitely know there are things about my writing that are dull, although Georgia thinks otherwise.
I'll tell her everything happy about my stories. But it's getting harder to do that, because the amount of angst-filled material is growing. I won't let her read anything dismal.
I won't let her grow up like I did, living in other worlds.
"Can I hear more? More, more!" "Now, now..." I ruffled her hair. "That's enough for tonight. Now go back to sleep, Mom'll get us in trouble." You turn your head and see the twinkling stars, shining so bright, piercing the dead sky like swords puncturing- "But I don't care! It's worth it!" NONONO NO MORE I'LL FEEL THE
"Georgie…" I whispered, leaning closer to her, putting on my smile I only show for her. "What part are you on?"
"Finn is looking at the notebook. There's the really cool drawing thingies." Her eyes lit up. I could tell she was loving the book like I do—she was smiling really wide, shaking the book and speaking through her teeth. "My favorite part, Kitsie."
"You're pushing your way through, aren't you?" I grinned slightly, pushing away that stubborn curl again.
"Kitsie, you're farther along than me. You've read it seven times. I think that's a lot."
I almost started to explain the amazing reality that she's five years old and she's reading a book for people twice her age. And this is the second time she's read it. But she wouldn't understand how reading Kingdom Keepers IV: Shell Game is extraordinary for her. Sometimes I think she believes she's fourteen like me.
Georgia has been pushing through that book since the day it came out and is determined to read it the amount of times I had. I specifically stopped rereading it for that reason, but I'll do it in secret—although secrets don't last long while Georgia's around. I didn't want her to become lost in that book, unhealthily obsessed with every word like I am, writing spin-offs, fanfiction for the Keeper world every waking moment…
And that's what makes me ask myself…Am I really related to Georgia?
We are only alike in our love of books, but I think I created that similarity.
My mother tells me I would ask her profusely if I really was part of this family. And I remember the look in her eyes, and how honest they were, and how she said yes. I began to accept that answer.
Now, for reasons unknown, after years of forgetting, I'm wondering again.
You can't hide now. "NO!" she screamed. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" TOO MUCH. TOO MUCH. I. The sky ain't falling just yet. CAN'T. But it's too hard…
I opened my eyes. "Hear." I whispered, frightened.
My earphones had fallen under my seat. "Heavy In Your Arms" leaked out into the car with my iPod on full volume, enough to understand what the eerie lyrics were.
"Turn that down, you'll hurt your ears," my mom said.
Not responding, I put the earbuds back into my ears, shocked by the volume and turned it down.
We pulled into the driveway of our house and Georgia jumped up and down as much as she could with her seatbelt on. I couldn't hear what she was saying.
I clutched my laptop and notebook, juggling that and my iPod, getting out of the car into the rigid December night air with no jacket on.
I was still asking myself questions.
I know. I need to explain a lot. But more is coming. Iz promisez.
Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)
P.S: Do me something that will make me happy? Read Happy Keeper Games by my bestie AmandaKK1524. I read it and immediately knew I needed to recommend it. It's a Hunger Games and KK cross-over. What's better than that?