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n3m3sis43If you're reading Cliffton for the first time, here are the previous chapters so you can catch up:
1 | 2 | 3
My mind races and my ears ring as I get to my feet. Questions swirl inside my head with dizzying speed, and I feel strangely faint. What happened? Where's Kalen? Why didn't he stick to the plan? What are we supposed to do now?
What if Kalen didn't even make it out alive?
Except all my questions won't matter one bit if I don't get out of here, and fast. The urge to run's overpowering, but I force myself to ignore it. Instead, I edge slowly away from the crowd, doing my best not to attract any attention. If anyone recognizes me, I'll be arrested and undoubtedly executed for treason.
When I'm out of sight, I sprint desperately toward the hiding spot I share with Kalen. Even though it's fall now, it's still hotter than blazes and I might as well be breathing soup instead of air. Still, running's almost a relief. There's nothing to think about besides the slap of my shoes against the parched ground. I don't have to worry about what to do next or whether I'll ever see my ma and pa and brothers again. Whether my best friend's -
I pump my arms and legs harder and force myself not to think about that.
If I squint, I can see a tiny patch of green ahead. I know I'm getting closer, because the stand of trees I'm headed for is the only cover for miles. Everything else is dry, cracked plains where even grass and tumblebrush will barely grow. I feel horribly exposed, but if I can make it to the hiding spot, I'll be safe.
By the time I reach the trees, I'm gasping for breath and there's a stabbing pain in my side. I want to fall down and kiss the ground, but I force myself to keep moving. There's no telling how far Kalen's military will go to look for us. When I finally make it to the cover of our tree, I collapse onto the dirt and clutch at my ribs. For a moment, the glorious sensation of not having to move is all I can think about. Then the other thoughts creep in.
Why in the flourishing fields did Kalen set off that bomb?
The bomb was only a backup plan, a way to make the people take us seriously. We were only supposed to detonate it if our lives were in danger. As far as I could tell, they weren't. The soliders had their weapons trained on us, but when they saw Kalen's finger on that button, they let him speak. The people might have listened - we might have stopped the War.
Now we're marked for life as terrorists and I'm sure we've only fanned the flames. Why, Kalen?
Eight days gone, and still no sign of Kalen. Every morning when I wake, I scratch a mark on the wall of my hideout. And each night when I lie down to sleep, I offer a prayer to the Gods I've never believed in.
"Please keep Kalen safe," I whisper, "Please help us both find a way out of this mess."
The hours in between are the hardest. My mind replays the explosion over and over, as if this time I'll find some clue I missed before. Something to tell me why, or at least to assure me Kalen's still out there somewhere, alive and well. There's not much here to distract me from the endless stream of thoughts - all I've got for entertaiment's a single deck of cards. NeoSolitaire doesn't do much to take my mind off my fears.
Too bad I'm not allowed to turn on my neurovision implant. Neurovision's not even my thing, but right now I'd welcome the distraction. How my friends would laugh if they could see me now - wishing to watch the "mindless drivel" I always scoffed at. On the farm, there was no time for such foolish indulgences.
Surely there'd be no harm in watching just one show? Except Kalen warned me repeatedly not to turn on my neurovision implant at all. According to his insurgent friends, the government can use it to find me. Truth be told, I'm not convinced these friends of his are entirely right in the head. Still, I'd be a fool to run the risk just for entertainment's sake.
How do I even know anyone's looking for me at all? Maybe they never got a good look at my face. What if I'm hiding out here for nothing? I'm sure it's wishful thinking, but I've got to know for sure. Even marrying Morgan's preferable to starving to death inside a tree - though only slightly. If I can make it back to my side of the fence and get my hands on a NewsVid, I can find out whether it's safe to go home.
It doesn't take long to reach the fence, but it's clear I won't be climbing it today. The area's crawling with troops, their blue eyes cold as UberSteel. Grey-suited and grim, they all carry evil-looking canons or small iridescent metallic pistols. Their faces are hard, and none of them look like they'd hesitate to shoot me on sight. I know I should get away from them immediately, but I can't take my eyes off the devastation Kalen and I have caused. For miles in every direction, the earth is scorched and dead. The sight of it makes my stomach churn.
Finally, I turn and head back for the tree. I've nearly reached what passes for woods on this side of the fence when glowing blue spheres fly out of nowhere with a loud "Bzzzzzzt!" I barely restrain myself from screaming as they hit a nearby tree. Before I can dive for cover, I hear the sound again, followed by a sizzle as burning pain erupts in my right leg. My leg gives way, spilling me onto the ground. More blue spheres zoom over my head as I crawl out of their range as fast as I can.
My heart's pounding as I scan the horizon. I don't dare stay here for long, because the soldiers must have seen me. They'll be coming to find me any minute, so I force myself to stand. Though my injured leg feels like it's on fire, it does support my weight. Hobbling with as much speed as I can muster, I concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. By the time I crawl inside the tree trunk, the whole right side of my body's throbbing, but at least I'm alive.
Without any medical supplies, though, I'm not sure how long that'll last.
The world's spinning like a child's top as I cautiously make my way back to the fence. A pulse beats crazily in my hurt leg as I go. I'm no doctor, but I recognize the smell and sick heat radiating from the wound. Back on the farm, we'd shoot any animal injured this badly - and if security at the border's still tight, I may well suffer the same fate.
When I hear the sound of marching feet, I know it's over. I don't even have the strength to run, so I sink to the ground dejectedly and wait for the end. I wonder idly if they'll shoot me on sight or take me prisoner. What if they torture me in hopes of obtaining information about Kalen? I don't have any, but it's not like they know that.
Then I look up, and I nearly jump for joy - or I would if my leg could handle it. Arrayed before me is an impressive robot army, and it must be Kalen's. The robots' torsos are decorated in glowing blue flames, Kalen's signature design. I'm new to this side of the fence, but my understanding is that most people don't have robot armies at all. Surely there can't be two robot enthusiasts who favor such a gaudy motif?
I struggle to my feet, lurching forward gracelessly as I wave my arms and shout Kalen's name. Except I'm too dizzy to move very quickly without falling over, and I have to stop every few steps to catch my breath. A figure in a bulky silver suit lumbers toward me - surely it's Kalen, wearing some sort of protective armor. I'd run up and hug him in a heartbeat if it weren't for my injury. That's not really and option, so I focusing on remaining upright instead.
"Calla?" a distorted voice asks from inside the armor.
A purple laser streaks across the sky. Before I can react, a penetrating warmth spreads from my forehead through my sinuses, making its way through my whole body in a matter of seconds. For a moment, I'm floating. My skin's tingling and I feel like I'm on fire. Then my legs give way and everything goes black.
I open my eyes. Where in the wandering waves am I?
The light here's dim and everything's outlined in an eerie purple glow. Wherever I am, it's nowhere I've been before. Could I be hallucinating due to fever? Given my injury, it's a distinct possibility. Except my leg doesn't hurt at all anymore and my head feels clearer than it has in days.
This can't be real, though, can it? My vision's definitely not normal - I can see behind me and there are numbers and readouts suspended in the air before my eyes. Panic rises up inside me, but it feels muted, like it's wrapped in gauze. My stomach ought to be jumping around all over the place, but I can't feel that very well, either.
Nothing feels normal. I don't feel like me.
Kalen's crouched silently a few feet away, his back to me. Suddenly, it all makes sense - I passed out, and Kalen used one of his machines to save me. Except then what's he doing right now? I approach him as quietly as I can, wondering why my footsteps seem to make so much noise. That's when I notice he's hunched over what looks like a body - my body.
"Calla, I'm so sorry." Kalen hangs his head, obscured by his odd protective getup. "I never meant to shoot you."
This can't be. I can't be dead, can I? And Kalen - why would he -
"You... shot me?" I narrow my eyes at Kalen, trying to understand what's going on. There's a low humming noise, and my eyes feel strangely... warm. The words "LASERS POWERING" display on a readout near the edge of my forward vision.
"Don't hurt me!" Kalen shouts as he turns toward me, his distorted voice filled with fear.
How in the hovering heavens do I turn off these lasers? Why in the world do I even have lasers?
I glare at the spot directly to the right of Kalen's helmet. A purple laser fires, making him screech and jump. For a moment, I'm filled with a temptation to shout "DANCE, PUPPET!" and fire toward his feet, but I squash the impulse. Someone could get killed if I'm not careful, and that someone might be me - if I'm not dead already.
"What's going on here?" My voice is feminine but electronic - not really mine anymore.
"You - " Kalen seems to be fumbling for words. "You can talk?"
Of course I can talk. Why wouldn't I be able to? Except if that really is my lifeless body lying on the ground before me, I'm not sure who in the sweltering suns I am anymore.
"Who do you think I am, Kalen?" I finally manage.
"Uh, magical talking bugbot?" Kalen pulls off his helmet and... he isn't Kalen at all. He's a brown-skinned boy with close-cropped dark hair and an extremely confused expression on his face. "I'm not Kalen."
Well, yes - I see that now. Also, did he call me a magical talking bugbot?
"I'm... a robot?" I gasp, but the sound's weird and metallic, not breathy at all. "This is going to sound crazy, not-Kalen, but... I'm Calla, and I think you turned me into a robot somehow. The last thing I remember is being shot, and then - "
"It was an accident, I swear!" not-Kalen shouts. "I didn't mean to turn you into a robot. Didn't even know people could be turned into robots. And I didn't even mean to fire at you. Something's wrong with these stupid weapons. Please don't hurt me, CallaBot! I don't know what happened, but Kalen certainly wouldn't want you to shoot his own brother."
His... brother? Kalen's told me a few things about his older brother. Most of them weren't very complimentary.
"Brendan?" I ask, but he's already turned away from me. He puts his helmet back on, staring off into the distance.
I follow his gaze and spot another team of blue-flamed robots advancing toward us. Kalen.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, INTRUDER! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" Brendan hollers.
Seriously? He doesn't recognize these robots? No wonder Kalen says he's not too bright. Although it's possible my augmented eyes can see better than his normal ones. When Kalen doesn't respond, Brendan fires a purple laser toward his brother's head. It misses by a significant margin. At least his aim doesn't seem to be any better than his critical thinking skills.
"You idiot!" I hiss at Brendan. "Haven't you done enough damage with your substandard weapons? If you don't stop shooting, you're likely to kill your own brother by accident. And anyway, your aim really sucks."
"Hey!" Even with his voice garbled by his protective outerwear, Brendan sounds indignant. "I'll have you know I scored top marks in shooting. It's not my aim that's the problem. There's something wrong with these weapons."
"All the more reason not to fire them, genius," I snort.
"Brendan?" Kalen's presumably near enough to us now to recognize the robot army his brother's leading.
"KALEN? I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!" Brendan's scream echoes across the barren land, creepy and inhuman. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE, AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO DIE!"
This certainly isn't the happy reunion I've been envisioning for the past two weeks. Kalen and Brendan fall upon each other like a pack of hungry wolves. They're too busy trying to obliterate each other to notice my presence at all. Not that Kalen would recognize me now, if Brendan's babble about turning me into a robot is true. Why am I even here? I want no part of this, and I need some time to think. What in the world have I gotten myself into?
As I turn and walk away, a single thought fills my mind. Maybe the people on the Other Side really are barbaric.
By the time I return, there's no sight of Kalen, Brendan, or their mechanical minions. In their place is a smoking pit so deep I can't see the bottom. For a moment, I question whether I should turn and walk away again. Except I managed to get as far as my side of the fence before I caught sight of my reflection in a stagnant stream.
Brendan was right - I'm a robot. And not just a robot, but an insectile thing with segmented legs and vicious pincers. I'm absolutely terrifying, and there's no way I can go home looking like this. There's no way I can go anywhere unless Kalen and his friends can modify me to look at least a little more human. Barbaric or not, I'm stuck with them for now. If I still had a heart, though, it'd sink when I reach the the bottom of the pit. They're still arguing?
"You're the one who shot first." Kalen's sulky tone makes me want to fire up my laser eyes.
"You told your entire robot army to attack me!" Brendan shoots back.
"You turned my best friend into a robot!" Kalen steps forward, bringing his face too close to Brendan's.
"It's not my fault your robot malfunctioned and shot her." Brendan's face is red and his jaw's clenched.
"It malfunctioned because you modified it... badly!"
"ARE YOU CALLING ME INCOMPETENT?" Brendan screeches, lunging at Kalen with his fists.
Kalen grabs his brother by the hair and elbows him in the gut. Brendan doubles over, making an oof sound. And there they are, rolling around in the dirt like rowdy schoolboys. Ugh. If they're going to start fighting again, I'm not sticking around to watch.
"Are you fools still fighting?" I snap my metallic pincers at them menacingly. "You'd better stop it, or I'm leaving again. And this time, I'm not coming back to save your sorry asses, either."
The two brothers fall silent, slumped shamefacedly on the floor of the crater they've created with their fighting. And they deserve to be mortified by what they've done. They're both covered in soot and grime, their heads hanging in shame. Scattered about are the melted remains of their mechanical allies. Their protective suits and the clothes underneath are in tatters.
"Thanks for coming back for us." Kalen's voice is that of a child who knows he's going to bed without supper.
Truth be told, I'm embarrassed to know him. Kalen's supposed to be different from the rest of his people, but he certainly had no qualms about attempting to murder his own brother.
"Believe me," I snort, "I was tempted to leave you two idiots for the troops. Except I can't really go too far on my own like this." I use my monstrous appendages to gesture at my equally hideous body.
The brothers both stare at me, but at least they have the sense to look embarrassed.
"So here's what we're going to do." I make my eyes glow just in case they're not paying attention. "None of us can go home anymore, so we're going to stick together. We need to find a place to stay, and a way to get me out of this metallic nightmare of a body. Kalen, you said your insurgent friends are good with robots, right? Maybe we should pay them a visit."
"Stick with Kalen? But he ruined my life with his terrorist attack!" Brendan shouts, his face still flushed.
"I know he did, Brendan." My voice has the forced patience of an Instructor speaking to a dull student, but I actually feel a little sorry for Brendan. Kalen ruined my life, too. I turn my laser eyes on him. "Speaking of ruined lives, Kalen. Why did you set off the explosion? I thought the plan was not to push the button unless we were in mortal danger."
"Um, about that." Kalen stares at the ravaged ground. "That was... it was kind of an accident."
"What?" both Brendan and I say with simultaneous incredulity.
"I was backing away from the fence, keeping an eye on the Enforcers to make sure they weren't going to open fire. Just as I was getting ready to give you the signal to run, I-" Kalen pauses, apparently too embarrassed to continue.
I have the feeling this is going to be completely brilliant.
"Um, I sneezed." Kalen looks up, his face nearly purple. "I sneezed, and I squeezed the button by accident."
"Oh, Kalen." Brendan sighs and stares at his hands - the biggest hands I've ever seen.
I'm struck dumb for a moment. He sneezed? Our act of terrorism was nothing but an accident? My throat would close up with rage if it weren't made of metal. As it is, I've got to restrain myself from grabbing Kalen and shaking him. It's not like that's going to do any good now anyway.
"Everyone makes mistakes." My robotic voice holds more conviction than I feel. "What we've got to do now is move on. We need to find Kalen's insurgent friends and see if they can help us. Since we're probably all marked as terrorists anyway, we might as well try to help them with their cause. Whatever we do from here on out, we're going to work together. Is that clear?"
"But... he turned you into a robot," Kalen says.
For a minute, I remember why I used to like him. He's sweet. Funny how I never noticed his complete lack of sense until now. I guess that weird glow and those readouts aren't the only new things my robotic eyes allow me to see.
(Next chapter is here)
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Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-13 08:54 pm (UTC)I've researched some really ridiculous things already but I tend to think on a smaller scale so it's really good you're pointing these things out for me to think about.
You and me both with the summer festivals. I'd better figure out what the hell Reaping is supposed to be about.
Awesome, I am inspiring you! If this horrendous chapter inspired you to write, then it was worth something after all. :D
Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-14 01:51 am (UTC)Reaping makes me think of the Hunger Games. Or farming. Like reaping what you sow (a common saying based on farming terms). But then it would fit better with Calla's side.
Or in the Hunger Games fashion it could be like a reaping of the people but they think it's a good thing like where the best and brightest or something are chosen supposedly for this great life in the center of the city or some other supposed great city no one has been to only they really get experimented on and never seen again.
It's a huge festival because the gov't doesn't want them to be suspicious. But then again that sounds too much like the Hunger Games.
Probably going to have to give that one some thought.
My festival... no clue. It takes place at the end of summer (which is what I think I called it... End of Summer Festival--boring!).
They used to have this thing called the Taste of Chicago (I think they stopped last year but I went a couple times in high school) where a bunch of local restaurants gather in the streets around Grant Park (which is right on the lake) and present their food for stupid amounts of money (like a ticket is a dollar and food costs 4 tickets--rip off) while they have stages all over playing live music and stuff like that. No rides, though. It was always a big deal at the end of June up until the 4th with the big night being July 3 when they did a huge fireworks display over the river. It was always crazy there.
Anyway I had an idea for a different story where the town they lived in did like a business association fair where local businesses had booths lining a couple streets around the town square showing what they had to offer. It was significant in that story because the guy had just come back to town after being gone a long time and goes to the fair where he runs into the girl he was in love with working the bookstore booth (the background was her grandmother had owned the store when she was a kid but then died and her parents ran it into the ground, after college she saves up to buy the store back and is mostly running it by herself). It was a nice set up for the characters. I could probably recycle that into this book, combining it with the food/live bands from the Taste, and have the story build up until the fair where everything explodes (like Zoe having to break up with Oliver because she realizes she's in love with Colby and Kayden could attack her again--oooh, that's actually really good, she could be packing up their booth late one night and he could grab her then... then Colby and Oliver would have to work together to find her after they return to a half packed booth).
See, it's not the "horrendous" chapters that inspire me. It's the process. And the chatting. I think I need a like mind to bounce ideas off of. I try with my husband but his ideas are usually really out there and I don't think he really pays attention to what I'm talking about half the time. Also it makes me feel not so bad about my horrible writing. It's nice to know everyone starts out their novel with crap. It was good to hear published authors say stuff like that and how their editors ripped their drafts apart and made them cry but once they got over it they realized it was for the best and the editor was right and then they jumped back in and wrote the best book ever.
Hopefully I can be just as gracious when my work gets hacked to pieces. :)
Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-14 01:33 pm (UTC)We have "Taste Of" festivals here that are kind of the same, although I'm not sure if they have bands or not. I've only been to one of them once and my memory is crap.
I definitely do best with ideas if I have a like mind to bounce them off, too. My husband isn't usually that helpful either. I do have a couple friends I brainstorm with pretty often which is how I've done most of my character development and world building -- which there's more of than it looks like and I just need to figure out how to get it consistently in the actual writing and not just in my head.
Of course, I'm spoiling your objectivity by telling you all about my characters before you read their storylines. I'm trying not to give away major plot/character spoilers though. It's really really hard because I loveeee to talk about my story to other writer friends. Love it to death.
Oh, I like the idea of a half-packed booth because it's such a simple yet striking image. That's really good.
Also, I promise I am going to read your chapter. I felt crappy last night and spent all morning trying to outline my next several chapters because I think I figured out the major changes for plot/character development so that I can actually introduce real plot at a reasonable time instead of most of it being at the end of the book! I also figured out how to make Devin's and Brendan's character arcs a little better although poor Kalen is still left a little bit hanging at the moment. I have the beginnings of some new ideas for him, too. It's just Devin and Brendan have way more developed characters and arcs and it's way easier for me to see how those can be improved based on what I've already rewritten.
I need to think more about how Brendan and Kalen's family history impacts their current interactions from Kalen's POV. Also, I should shower and work. Oops.
Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-14 04:34 pm (UTC)It might be interesting, too, if sidea once was a major farming society but some kind of weather shift left them desert like but sideb has a river they can use for irrigation or some kind of underground spring/river that sidea doesn't have. That could fuel a war. More random thoughts.
Don't worry about my chapter. It's crap anyway. Focus on what you're doing. My husband just came in and wanted to know what I was doing. When I told him responding to comments about my editing he was like, "shouldn't you be editing your own book." Oops. Knew there was something I was forgetting.
I had so much fun yesterday I forgot to even look at my own. I got to reading that book last night that if it wasn't for the alarm I set on my phone I would have forgotten to do my writing before midnight. That writing went really well, though. I decided to do a character study from Luke's POV who is a minor character in what I have written so far. But he tells the history of how he met Zoe and Hannah and it gives some great insight to how the girls were when they were middle school age and sets a laid back tone for Luke which is what I was going for with his character. I ran out of time to finish it, though, and was a little too tired to write another 750 words for today at midnight.
You'll love this, though. Luke has 4 younger brothers. Guess what I named them...
Devin, Wes, Brendan and Kale (Kalen didn't quite fit with the other names). I just couldn't resist. :)
I also learned from Luke that he's lost someone in the past and might be able to help Zoe who is one of his best friends. He also had a huge crush on her when they first meet but when she makes it clear she only wants to be friends he moves on and eventually falls for Hannah (his other best friend) who has always had a crush on him, I think.
It's been weird but the last like 3 nights when it came time to do the studies I was like, "ugh, do I have to do this, I don't want to." But then I'd start writing and all this new info would pour out and I'd get lost in the writing. Took me 51 minutes last night to write 2222 words. If the the website didn't cut me off at midnight I would have kept going. I'll finish it tonight and start a new one. I've still go to write for Zoe's parents, Amber (the bitch) and Kayden (the bastard).
Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-14 07:24 pm (UTC)I had fun too! I feel kind of bad I distracted you from your writing but I'm glad you ended up getting some done. It sounds like you had a really between that, the lice, the reading and all the emails I flooded your inbox with. I didn't accomplish half that much yesterday.
Hahahahaha I love that you named Luke's brothers after my characters in your character study. That is amazing. :D
I've only done one character study (for writerverse) and it was for Brendan. I find it really hard to do structured stuff like that so it was an interesting exercise. When we had to do the novel summaries mine was so dumb because I have so much trouble describing my story in a neat package that doesn't sound ridiculously trite. I saw the novel summary you posted on your journal and it was really impressive.
That's how writing has been for me a lot of the time since I've started the meds I'm taking now. I don't feel like doing it but it will flow once I start. Sometimes. Ha.
Re: scene 2 continued
Date: 2013-03-14 09:46 pm (UTC)I'm thinking of using their names for minor characters in all my books from now on just for shits and giggles.
My character studies aren't very structured. Basically what I've done for the last two since I had very little backstory for them--which is weird considering they are the main characters 2 best friends--is sit down stare at the blank screen fora bout 10 seconds to clear my head and then I ask each character to tell their story how they want leading up to the events in the book.
Some of them introduce themselves, some jump right in to the topic. Zoe and Colby came off angry and their studies were all over the place and sometimes whiny but mostly just angry, confused.
Nat's actually ended being after the accident for some reason. She starts with announcing she is dead--really dead then talks about how worried she is for her sister and her boyfriend and how she has mixed feelings about them having a relationship. She also talks a little about what it's like to be dead/a ghost. I need to go back and try to get her to stay on top and talk about BEFORE the novel (up until her death). Because I want them to explain the middle part later.
Oliver goes back to his time in L.A. before he moved to town. I had gotten an idea about his backstory when I was thinking about how dang perfect he is (which is how Zoe sees him) but I knew he needed flaws. So I thought maybe he HAD to move out of L.A. for his own good. So I've decided... well, you can go back and read that one, I don't want to spoil it but it was a crazy twist I hadn't thought of and helps me see how his character would react to later events in the book.
Then the last two by Hannah and Luke just kind of went off on their own. I learned a lot about them, their history with Zoe and events that take place right before the book starts. All good stuff. With some of them (particularly Luke's) I had to stop myself from getting too into details and writing an entire short story about events he described.
I've done this kind of open character study before that actually ended up BEING the story instead of a study because it just all ends up pouring out while I write them. Got to go where my muse does, kind of thing.
We've done various kinds of character things at writerverse. I try to come up with challenges that are just for fun, something simple and then something that will get the members thinking outside their little boxes or in a different way towards their writing. I learned some interesting lessons about writing when I was in fictionland and I wanted that to carry over into writerverse. The funny thing is I hardly participate in challenges any more. At first I did as many as I could because I should set an example. Then my mood was so off I did what I could. Last time I tried to do the minimum that would keep me active if I was a member but then I started the novel and couldn't write anything but that. So far this phase I've done nothing, lol. I was thinking maybe I should use the quick fics with my character studies to come up with some tiny little scenes to round out the characters.
I would be a horrible member of my own comm. I'm sure I would have been kicked out around phase 3 and would have never lasted more than a month in any of the other phases after that. :)
Oh, that book summary-- TOTAL FLUKE. I suck at summaries. You should read the ones I write for my fanfic, they are so stupid. I don't know what happened with that one, it just kind of came out. I wrote it last month when I was about 10 chapters into the book and realized I wasn't writing a "story" anymore, it was actually a novel.