Second: You might want to read Ashes to Ashes as a sort of prequel, but it's not necessary.
Hello! The Cookie Pixie has returned with a new story! I do hope you like it.
Chapter One: Stirring the Embers
Another day in the life of Yomiko Readman, substitute teacher and special agent of the British Library, began in a crowded apartment building in the book district of Jinbouchou. A pile of books on what passed for a bed shifted as our favourite bibliomaniac stirred, awakening to a bright morning sun. The woman slowly pulled herself out of the pile, adjusted her glasses and got out of bed.
At age twenty-two Yomiko resembled any other Japanese woman. Aside from the blue eyes and thick glasses, nothing made Yomiko stand out. She was dressed in a white blouse and black skirt, with a red tie and brown vest. Her long black hair was thick and needed brushing, which Yomiko tackled immediately. After washing up and eating a light breakfast, Yomiko donned a plain beige coat and, armed with some paper and a suitcase, was off for another day of shopping.
It was only noon when Yomiko left the tenth bookstore of the day. Yomiko was disappointed; her favourite bookstore had lacked any new books and Yomiko had been forced to buy an ordinary novel or two to console herself at each shop. maybe she should just call it a day - she had to finish two she had purchased yesterday anyway.
Yomiko looked up and cringed. Instinctively she ducked into a doorway, a cue card springing into her fingers, and held her breath as two men in black trenchcoats passed. Her past dealings with STN-J had been ugly and Yomiko didn't care to meet them again. They hadn't bothered her ever since she had returned to Japan, but recently they had been reappearing a lot; Yomiko now made it a habit to carry some paper on her all the time, just in case.
They didn't seem to be interested in her, however. Partly curious and partly concerned, Yomiko followed them at a distance. For about five minutes they walked up and down the busy streets of the book district.
"She doesn't seem to notice...wait," Yomiko heard one man say into his earpiece. "She's making a move - she's running!"
Light exploded from across the street. People screamed and fled, but the two men and Yomiko fought their way to the centre of the commotion.
It was a fire. It burned a dull orange as it slowly consumed a newspaper stand. Yomiko stared in horror before following the men, who were chasing someone with their guns drawn.
"No," Yomiko muttered. She didn't know who it was, but she had to repay the favour from so many years ago. The agent took off at a run, paper streaming out of her suitcase to follow her.
The street opened onto a large intersection. Normally it would be busy, filled with pedestrians, but gunshots had scared away a large portion of the people. Even now people were still fleeing the scene.
Yomiko took in the victim, who was standing in the centre of the intersection. She wore a loose grey T-shirt, jeans and running shoes. The girl appeared to be in her teens, but two thin black braids and a terrified expression on her face made her look younger.
Before the men could fire, a ribbon of paper shot up one man's leg to drag him to his knees. The second man turned and, seeing another tentacle race towards him, fired on it. Yomiko gasped as, with each green-splattered shot, her paper arm disintegrated; five shots later the Paper Master was unable to control it, allowing the soaked paper to stick lifelessly to the ground.
Sensing weakness, the men fired on Yomiko, but she dodged in a flurry of paper. When they stopped firing The Paper retaliated, sending a rain of razor-edged pages at her assailants. As though the bubble of protection existed, several pieces stopped and drifted to the ground, released from the Paper Master's control. However, even more of them broke through the invisible shield, slicing up the men.
Yomiko averted her gaze at the bloody sight, which barely saved her life; a bullet cut her cheek as she turned. Yomiko fell sideways, waving her arm. Paper from the bodies swirled and rushed up the legs of a third man Yomiko hadn't seen before, rooting him to the ground.
Yomiko ran to the girl. She didn't know what the STN-J used to weaken her powers; The Paper knew that her trap wouldn't hold for long. What mattered was getting this girl out of danger!
Please review! I don't start the next chapter until I get physical evidence that someone's reading my stuff. It's a big ego boost. insert shy smile here>
I am looking for a beta reader. I've never had one before, but I'm a poor editor and it would really help to have someone catch my mistakes before they get posted. If someone is interested, please send me an e-mail. You don't need qualifications or references or anything like that, but I'd appreciate it if you're familiar with how I write and send back edits in a week. If someone is willing, I'd like to test-run the idea for a chapter or two, maybe the entire story.
Just a few words of warning, however: I can be difficult to get along with. If it doesn't work out, I can tell you right now that it's not your fault.
Thursday, December 2, 2004