Thursday, April 24, 2014

She's at it again ...

From Time Masters 2 The Prophecy:


Kitty gripped Shona’s arm and squeaked in excitement.  Simon Kells was about to open a door.  She had rushed home, gathered what she thought she would need for a week or so with her best friend, (IN A PALACE!!!) and raced back to the Whittards’, where Dallan, Shona, and their strange companions waited.  She’d told her parents that they were all going out of town on a camping trip. They told her to have a good time while she visited Shona and could she pick her mother up a fun souvenir? Her parents loved camping, but usually of the lodge variety, a souvenir for her mother meant a coffee mug or sweatshirt.  Now all Kitty had to do was remember to nab something before she actually came home.  She then wondered if it were possible for the Muirarans to swing by a national park’s gift shop, but quickly forgot the whole idea as Geran began to sing.
 Tomy, Evan and Maggie watched in awe as an elaborate room was outlined in beautiful green light, the drawn picture then peeling away to reveal the actual room depicted.  Tomy whistled as she took in the rich furnishings and tapestries.  Evan and Maggie, on the other hand, were on the alert for that large, white, furry thing they had glimpsed earlier.  They were none too eager to encounter it again. Thankfully it didn’t appear to be around. 
 They both sighed in relief as the goodbyes began.
 Shona turned, Kitty still attached, and gave her mother a sideways hug.  “We’ll be back in a week or so.  I’m glad I got to see you.  I wish you could all go.  But they insisted only one may come and chose Kitty.”
 Maggie teared up.  “It’s all right.  You girls have fun.  And I know we’ll see you soon.”
 Evan approached.  “Keep Kitty out of trouble,” he whispered in her ear, then hugged her tight.
 Shona smiled. “I will try.”
 Tomy then grabbed her.  “You have fun and hurry back!  I didn’t get much time with you, but I did enjoy talking with your mother Shannell.  Lordy, the things she told me and your folks!  You, a princess!  I can’t get over it!”
 Shannell bowed, shook their hands, and turned to the door without saying a word.  Dallan nodded to the three. “We will return in ten days’” Melvale declared.  “It was ever so pleasant to meet you.  I’ll be sure Miss Morgan is sent back with some proper compensation, as you were not allowed to come yourselves this time.”
 “Well, that isn’t necessary but you do what ever it is you ... ah ... do,” Evan replied.
 Maggie could only smile as she watched them, one by one, step into the alien room.  Melvale went first, looked about, then signaled the rest to follow.  Shannell then went, followed by Simon.  Dallan took Shona’s hand and pulled her and Kitty along as Geran brought up the rear.
 Kitty dug her heels in only once before she was pulled into the strange space.  She looked around, then began to scream and laugh like she’d just won the lottery.  And with that, the door closed, leaving in its wake the wall of the Whittard’s living room.
 Evan let go the breath he was holding.  “Do you think they’ll survive?”
 “Who?”  Maggie began.  “The girls or the Muirarans?”
 “Lordy, Maggie!  Who do you think?”

 The three stood and laughed.  The Muirarans had no idea what they were in for.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Music and Writing ...

Music and Writing, they go hand in hand. Let's see if you can guess which song this scene was written to!  No cheating those of you familiar with it already! From Time Masters 2, The Prophecy:

They had just reached the sidewalk when Kitty suddenly noticed two of the men from the corner walking toward them.  She put a bag-laden hand behind Shona to steer her the other way, then noticed the man from the department store coming at them from that direction, the van moving along side him.
 Every kidnapping movie Kitty had ever watched flashed through her mind. She knew, just knew what was about to happen next. 
 Suddenly, music blared from inside the electronics shop in front of them. Shona’s eyes locked on the open door. 
 Led Zeppelin suddenly surrounded them as a concert appeared on the TV screens in the shop’s windows.   Shona threw her head back as she began to absorb the music.  The men still approached, the van drawing closer.
 “Shona!”
 Shona bared her teeth at Kitty and hissed. 
 Kitty whimpered, eyes wide. Uh oh ...
 The ground suddenly shook. 
 The men stumbled as they began to speed their approach. 
Shona moaned and looked to the sky, her arms out to either side of her.  She then saw Kitty’s horrified face, felt her panicked state.
 It made Shona angry.
The sidewalk cracked.
 Shona’s head snapped toward the man by the van.  She crouched, her body alive with power.  Acting on pure instinct, she placed both her hands on the cement. 
 The man bellowed as he fell forward onto the pavement.  The van also stopped in its tracks.  She turned to the other two men approaching from the other side, who had stopped short in horror.  She went through the same set of motions, and the men suddenly screamed in pain.
 Kitty could stand it no longer.  “Let’s get out of here! Run!”
 “Hush.” Shona growled as she continued to soak up the music blaring from the shop.  Once more she threw her head back, flung out her arms, and this time, began to sing along.  There was a huge jolt, as the earth beneath their feet began to shake.  Car alarms went off around them as the pavement cracked and buckled. 
 Kitty watched in horror as several cars were bucked along the street and onto the rippling sidewalk.  One hit a fire hydrant and water began to spray everywhere.
 Glass began to explode out of the nearest shops. The buildings across the street started to lose windows and fixtures.
 “Shona!  We have to get out of here!  You’re tearing the place apart!  And I am not, I repeat, NOT going to kiss you to make you stop!”
 Luckily for Kitty, the music stopped when the power in the shop failed. The shaking ground also smoothed out to a gentle roll as Shona quieted down. 
Kitty was finally able to shove her best friend away from the scene and back across the street.  She turned one last time to look at the men, and gasped.  All three men’s legs were sunk into the pavement, two of them up to their knees.  They writhed and cursed in pain. The van too, she noticed, had sunk into the pavement, its now-flat tires covered halfway in asphalt.  “Oh, my God ...” she breathed as they stumbled through the park.  What was her friend turning into?
 "Saints, lass, what the bloody hell happened?" Dallan demanded as he suddenly appeared infront of them, taking in the damage Shona had wrought. He never should have left them alone.
 The girls stood still as statues amongst the din. Car alarms were going off everywhere; sirens could be heard fast approaching. Dallan grabbed both women and quickly pulled them away from the park, around the corner and into a nearby alley. He scanned their surroundings then focused on his wife, eyes narrowed to slits.
"All I ... I..." She gulped. "I just listened to ..."
"Listened!" He groaned and spun on Kitty. "What did ye let her listen to?"
"Don't blame this on me!" Kitty shot back. "I didn't let her listen to anything! Some concert was on a bunch of TVs over there in that window! They had the speakers on really loud!" She pointed and stomped her foot at the same time. The window in question was now a pile of shattered glass, as were several of the televisions.
Dallan's jaw twitched. He took a long breath through his nose then held up one hand. "Not. Another. Word." He then saw the stricken look on Shona's face and recalled the sight of the cursing men across the street. "Are ye hurt lass?"
"No. In fact, I feel ... ah ... well ... incredible! Like I could take on an army."
Dallan peeked outside the alley. Several police and fire people were there asking questions as they examined the cracked concrete, broken glass and busted up cars. At least half a dozen car alarms still drowned out the frightened chatter of the spectators.  But what really got everyone’s attention were the men rooted in the sidewalk. Even the fire and police people could only stare in astonishment.
"Saints, woman!" He whispered as he ducked back into their scant concealment. "Ye've got to learn to control yourself!”
 “That’s not all she’s got to learn to control.”  Kitty grumbled as she fell against the alley wall and slid down it to the ground. “Shona.  Don’t take this wrong, but ... what are you?”
 Shona looked at her in shock as the reality of what she’d just done began to sink in.  “I do not know...”