NEW BLOG

Hey guys, so I've been gone for a long time.

A very long time.

And I don't know how many people still come here.

But I decided I needed a new start.

So I made a new blog to continue my writing.

http://the-skies-above.blogspot.com/
http://the-skies-above.blogspot.com/
http://the-skies-above.blogspot.com/
http://the-skies-above.blogspot.com/
http://the-skies-above.blogspot.com/

Follow me as I embark on the next chapter of my life...

♥Skittlez

even though no longer identify as skittlez...

15 Days

I have 15 days left until school is out.

Then, I will start a new story.

In the meantime, I have to study for finals.

♥Skittlez

Letting Go

I never thought I'd say this...

Actually, I totally thought I'd say this, except I thought it'd be a very long time ago.

Anyways, I don't think I will continue Find Me.

There, I said it.

Here is basically what I thought:

• You can't give up now
• It's not really giving up though...just moving on
• You have to finish what you started
• But I've lost interest
• You've held on for so long
• Maybe it's been too long...maybe at some point you have to learn when to let go

^^That last bullet point, ironically, is one of the themes of the story.

So yeah, I think I'll end the whole saga, right in the middle, I'm afraid. I really did lose interest though, and I haven't been fully on board for a while. Chapters have been coming out slowly and at a way worse quality than I'd like, and it's not just because of school. Yes, I would've loved to have finished it, but I started it over a year ago (I think...) and I think it's time to let go and move on to better things.

It's starting to get really cheesy, I know.

Long story short, my skill from when I started Hold On has improved greatly (or at least I'd like to think so) and the whole plot of the story just wasn't thought out at all, and it's time for me to end that chapter of my writing career (for lack of better term).  

I'm really sorry for those who wanted to know what happens. I might post my brainstorming stuffs that I typed when I got an idea and possibly might also post what I planned to happen.

might probably.

Don't worry, I'll definitely still be writing. I've accumulated three or four ideas for stories (while writing Find Me, I might add, which made me want to end it even more...) and I'll decide at some point which one to expand on. That probably won't be for a few more months though. Meanwhile, I will finish school and finals and all that.

I'm sorry, again, but I think this is for the best.

Until next time,
♥Skittlez

POV

...otherwise known as Point of View.

I remember first starting Hold On about two summers ago, and some of my friends would read it. One mentioned that I should've done multiple points of view. I mean, there were five main characters, it was almost the perfect set up. When she told me this though, I was on chapter 8 or so, and it was too late.

Upon starting Find Me, I decided to do the multiple points of view thing. Now, looking back on it, I don't totally regret it. But I don't know why I thought going from first person to four different points of view was smart. And if there is going to be a third story/book/whatever, where do I go from here? I really wish I would've just done Skye and Dillon or Marcus or Olivia...two characters instead of just four. Then, I could've done all of them for the final installment.

Also, I don't think I do the multiple points of view thing very well. Yes, it does give the reader an insight about the other character's thoughts and what they're doing when the others aren't around. However, I wanted to write each person's in a slightly different style, which didn't really work out. You could basically interchange the points of view and there wouldn't be a difference...well, except for the fact that the things they say and do distinguish them.

So yeah, that's about it. It was just a reflective thought I had, and I decided to post about it because I was productive and actually finished my homework early. :)

By for now,

♥Skittlez

By the way, just thought I'd mention that this is my lucky 71st post. :D

Find Me--Chapter 11 ~Marcus~

     We told Olivia and Skye to meet us outside by Scarlet’s grave. They’re probably hiding somewhere now. Dillon and I decide to tell at least one person what we’re doing, despite the fact that we haven’t known anyone very long. I don’t fully trust anyone yet, and they could rat us out at any moment. Chase though, seems to genuinely care for my sister, so we decide he’s our best bet.

     “Chase,” I say as he walks into the room.

     “Yeah?” he asks.

     “We’re running away,” I say, keeping my voice low. He doesn’t seem surprised. “Me and my sister, Dillon, and Skye. You’re the only one we’re telling, but if we’re not back tomorrow, then you can tell the others, as long as you or any of them won’t—”

     “None of us will turn you guys in,” he reassures me. “But I won’t tell them until tomorrow.”

     “Thanks,” I say, relieved.

     “Good luck,” he tells me and Dillon as we approach the door. We smile back at him, close the door behind us, and then break into a sprint. It’s not curfew yet, so there aren’t guards in every hallway. We don’t have long though.

     We run down a flight of stairs, then the few remaining yards, and burst out the door. The stars are out, and for a moment I take in the beautiful night sky, but it doesn’t take long for me to snap back to reality. Skye and Olivia suddenly appear, almost out of nowhere.

     “There you guys are,” I say. “So now what?”

     “Well, there’s a fence surrounding the entire field, we could climb it and then figure out where to go from there,” Olivia offers. We all nod in agreement and take off running as fast as we’re able.

     I’ve never been out here, only Olivia has out of us four. The field is huge. We’ve run up rows and rows of crops before we start wearing out, and the fence still isn’t in sight yet.

     “Can…we…slow…down?” Skye pants. I can see it in her face that she doesn’t want to, but has been fighting the pain in her leg for too long. None of us argue. I’m getting tired myself and Olivia and Dillon probably are too. We walk for a bit, then Skye stops suddenly.

     “Are you all right?” Dillon asks her.

     “Shh…listen,” she whispers. I don’t hear anything at first, but then I hear the distant voices and footsteps of two people. From their conversation, I assume they’re people who work here. We exchange uneasy looks and start running again, trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t expect them to leave the field unguarded, but I hoped somehow they would.

     The wire fence finally comes into view, and I think it gives us all a little more strength to run faster. As we get closer though, I realize how vast it is, how intimidating it is looming far above my head. Despite that, I reach out and slap my hands on the fence almost eagerly, ready to climb and escape. Suddenly I feel like dozens of knives are stabbing my fingers and palm. I grunt and pull my hands back.

     “Wait!” I warn the others. “It’s electric. Shocks you when you touch it.”

     “What do we do?” Skye asks.

     “What other choice do we have?” Dillon answers. Skye and Olivia go first, and both let out a little shriek after being shocked by the fence. They’ve barely climbed at all when we hear hurried footsteps getting closer and closer.

     “Hey!” a man shouts as us. A woman shines a flashlight at us. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asks us this, but I know he knows the answer. Four more guards appear. One snatches both of my hands and grips them tightly behind my back and the other guards do the same to Dillon, Olivia and Skye. I struggle, but he’s too strong for me to break free.

     We’re led back to the main building, to the headmistress’s office, the guard with the flashlight informs us. I glance over at Olivia, who gives me a worried look. At this point, I’m more worried about what’ll happen to her than what’ll happen to me.

     For some reason, I thought getting caught would be different. I had the impression that guards would just execute you right there and then. I am glad that that didn’t happen, but now, we’re forced to wait for our impending punishment. Our fate will be decided by one single woman; whether she decides death, or possibly something worse is a mystery.

  

♥Skittlez 

(I wrote this on a whim. I felt like writing, and felt like a failure for not having written a chapter the entire break. It's not the best, I admit, but I hope you enjoy.)

Self-Acceptance && Confidence

I love New Year's. It's like a new beginning. You have those last few moments to remember all that's happened--all the good times, bad times, times where you learned something. Then,when the clock strikes midnight, you carry with you all of the lovely memories, and all the bad times can be let go. You're more than, you're better than the mistakes you've made.

This year, I've decided to make resolutions, but this year, I'm focusing on one, somewhat general thing, instead of a bunch of things like "get more sleep", "get good grades", etc. (not that I don't want more sleep and good grades). By the name of this post, you've probably guessed, that thing is self-acceptance, and I feel like confidence goes hand in hand with that (in some ways).

Self-acceptance and confidence are both things that I've struggled with for a while, and I think everyone struggles with this to some extent. I could be wrong, but I think most people, specifically teens (such as myself), are insecure and unhappy with their appearance and doubt whether or not they're good enough. Part of the problem is society, making this image that people have to be "size 0" and can only be beautiful with pounds of makeup caked on their face. But, part of the issue is also within ourselves; letting that image get to us and letting us think negatively about ourselves. Another thing I've realized is that accepting yourself can't solely come from compliments from other people. Sure, everyone likes people telling you they like your eyes or hair or that you're a nice person, but self-acceptance can only come from you loving yourself (as cocky as that may sound).

This year I have decided that I didn't want to be a burden of low self-esteem anymore. I have always desired to be content with who I am and have confidence in myself. I want to think that I'm beautiful, worth something, perfect just the way I am. It seems so simple, yet so complicated. This is something I really want to work on instead of just ranting to people that I'm fat and ugly and stupid.

Now that it's a new year, I'm taking action. And hopefully someday, I won't weigh myself before and after every meal. I won't wrap my fingers around the bottom of my thigh to make sure they still touch. I won't think I'll fail every test that I take. I won't look at myself in the mirror and wish for a prettier face. I won't feel worthless. I won't cry. I'll be okay with who I am. It may take one year, it may take more, but accepting myself for who I am, is worth it to me. After all, this is who I'll be for my whole live; might as well make the best of it.

We have to realize things like, just because we aren't the best at something, doesn't mean we aren't good and won't get better. Just because there are skinnier people, doesn't mean we're fat. Just because we aren't the spitting image of a Victoria Secret model, doesn't mean we aren't beautiful. We can't spend our lives comparing ourselves to other people who we perceive as "better".

Have some respect for yourself. You are beautiful, you serve a purpose in this world, you're who you are for a reason. It's going to take a lot more than one girl in front of her computer screen to change your outlook though; the change has to come within you.

"To say "I love you" one must know first how to say the 'I'." --Ayn Rand
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." --Marilyn Monroe
"...for once, you believed in yourself. you believed you were beautiful and so did the rest of the world." --Sarah Dessen
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves" --Dalai Lama XIV
"You're always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company." --Diane Von Furstenberg

I wish everyone the best of luck this year, whether you're battling these issues, or anything else.

♥Skittlez

(Okay so, whether this was obvious or not, everything in this post is my opinion, and I am aware that there are people out there with depression and other illnesses that have it way worse. We can agree to disagree about some of the things I said in this post, I'm fine with that, but no non-constructive criticism, please and thank you. There's so much more I could've said here, but I think I'll leave it at this. Oh and sorry this came out way more unorganized than I hoped. It's like 1 AM here, but I didn't wanna wait until morning because I'd forget everything. Just thought this all had to be said...Happy New Year!!)

Happy Holidays!!!

Hey there everyone!! It's Skittlez here to wish you a

I hope you guys have an amazing holiday this year no matter what you celebrate!!

Best wishes,
♥Skittlez

Just a Quick Hello

I know, it's been a month...a month of nothingness, as usual. And I'm sorry to say I'm not back here with another chapter or anything like that, just to say that my last day of school before winter break is Friday, and I'm planning on writing. A lot.

But until then, I have final exams tomorrow through Friday, so I must get cramming (even though they told us not to).

If you have finals also, I wish you good luck!!

Until next time,
♥Skittlez

Happy Thanksgiving!!! && Some Other Stuffs

First and foremost, I want to wish all of you a...

This is gonna sound extremely sappy, but I'm so thankful for you viewers out there taking the time to visit my blog. Couldn't do it without you!! I hope you guys have an amazing Thanksgiving!! (of course, if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, as it is an American holiday and I know many of you live in "not America", have a good day!!)

Now for the boring update stuff that I'm trying to squeeze in here so I don't have to make another post titled "Update".

It's Thanksgiving break, so I get five days off from school!! :D I'm trying to get back into writing, at least for a bit. Hoping to get another chapter done, and work on some other stuff as well. I'm not making any promises, since I don't want to be the one to break them, but my goal is to put out some more stuff for you lovely people to read.

Oh, and I have no idea as to where ANTIDYSTOPIA stands...so, don't get your hopes up...

Bye for now,
♥Skittlez

Find Me--Chapter 10 ~Skye~

There’s a knock on the door early the next morning. I sit on my bed hugging my knees as Dillon opens the door. It’s Marcus. If he’s surprised to see Dillon, it doesn’t show, but I notice a change in his expression. I get up and walk toward the door, the wound throbbing under the bandage wrapped around my ankle as I do.

            “Hi,” I say, plainly. Marcus flashes a faint smile, but he looks drained; he was probably awake all night, making sure Olivia was doing okay.

            “What is it?” Dillon asks him. “Is something wrong?”

            “It’s Scarlet,” he answers. “She…” he trails off, begins to bite his lip, and his eyes fall to the floor. “She died last night,” he murmurs. I clasp my hand over my mouth and a cold, empty feeling rushes through me. Tears dribble down my face. The only thought that I could muster up is that this was all our fault.

            “They’re having a small service for her,” Marcus adds after a while. Dillon I both nod, and step out of the room, shutting the door behind us. I try to hide the pain that comes with simply walking, but it’s hard to ignore. It must show on my face since the two of them are at my side supporting me.   

            Marcus leads us to a door that I had never noticed before, and out to a large, thick trunked oak tree and everyone standing in its shade. I feel weak at the sight of the white sheet covering Scarlet’s body that’s lying on the grass. Olivia, whose condition has improved greatly, comes over to us, face damp with tears. Chase, Isaac, and Seth set down their shovels and gently lift Scarlet into the ditch they had just dug. Tears are shed all around. They then pile the dirt back on top of the sheet and pat it down. Violet unearths a bit of the dirt, and plants some scarlet colored flowers. Where she got them, I have no idea.

            Everyone’s silent, but all of the unspoken words of sympathy and remembrance hang in the air.

            “Scarlet was one of my best friends here,” Rae chokes out between bursts of tears.

            “She was a friend to everyone,” Seth continues.

            “She was great person to be around, even just for the short time that I’d known her,” Olivia chimes in, drying her tears.

            “She had a way of staying positive, even in bad situations,” Chase adds. I feel as if I should say something too, since Scarlet really was a nice person, but the only thing I can think to say at the moment is that I’m sorry I contributed to your death.

            Hugs are given to Violet before we go back inside. She stays behind while the rest of us somberly make our way to the dining hall. During breakfast, Headmistress Baumann comes in with an entourage of officials.

            “Attention!” she booms. Her voice projects throughout the silent room. “Due to yesterday’s events, you have the day off.” You’d expect cheers to erupt, but instead, people turn and murmur to each other. “Something else will be arranged, but in the meantime, you are instructed to stay inside, either in here, the common rooms, or your own rooms.” With that, she leaves. I’m surprised that she’s actually just letting us do whatever we want for the day, but I’m grateful for the free time.

            We settle down in one of the common rooms. No one knows what to say; we’re all still distraught over the attack yesterday and Scarlet’s death. After a while, I get up and decide to go see Violet. I’m pretty sure everyone notices me leaving, but no one makes any sort of remark. I struggle down the vacant hallways and out the door, disregarding the fact that we’re supposed to stay inside.

I approach Violet sitting by Scarlet’s grave.

            “Hey,” I say, sitting down next to her.

            “Hi,” she responds distantly. We sit there in silence for a minute.

            “I’m sorry,” I tell her. It’s a horrible thing to say. Those words don’t have any affect at all. Saying that you’re sorry just can’t describe the feeling you get when you lose someone you love.

            “Thanks,” she says. I can tell that she’s just trying to be nice and that she’s thinking the same thing I am. Another moment of silence passes.

            “I know what it feels like; to lose someone you love.” She doesn’t respond, and I don’t blame her. I just don’t know the right things to say to console someone, which I find pretty ridiculous considering I spent most of my time with Dillon, Marcus, and Olivia who are in the same position as I am.

            Then it hits me how selfish I am. I cry over my parents and all that’s happening while Dillon comforts me when he probably feels the same pain I feel.

            “How do you handle it?” I ask her. She looks at me in confusion. “I mean, it’s been so long since my parents died, and I’m still shaken up about it. I wish I were stronger…like you.” She gives me a faint smile.

            “Well, you’re under different circumstances,” she points out, “and I’m usually not one to show my emotions, but strength isn’t simply the ability to keep your composure. Strength, to me, is encountering something that tries to knock you down, but you manage to stay standing; even if you stumble along the way.” I sit there and take in her words. Violet was right.

            After ten minutes or so, I get up.

            “It’s getting late; we should probably go back inside.”

            “You go ahead,” she says, “I’m gonna stay out here.”

            “Okay.” I stand by the door, but before going in I add, “Thanks.”

            “No problem,” she replies, giving me a weak smile.

            I still have time before curfew, so I go back to the common room to find Dillon.

            “Hey,” he remarks. “Where were you?”

            “I’m sorry,” I blurt out. He takes me in his arms.

            “For what?”

            “I’m selfish and I haven’t even considered how you or Marcus or Olivia are taking everything I just break down and cry and then you come to calm me down and I forget how you’re going through the same thing and—”

            “Oh Skye,” he says, holding me tighter and stroking my hair. I let tears escape; knowing that this was a bad time to start crying, but something in me couldn’t help it.

            “I’m sorry,” I whisper again, voice shaking.

            “You have nothing to be sorry about,” he says, stroking my hair. “I know you’d do the same for me.” It had never crossed my mind before, but I realize that I would do the same.

            If Dillon were the one feeling dejected all the time, I would try to comfort him. If he were the one who was so unreachable, I would try to get through to him. If he were the one who didn’t have the heart to love someone because of everything else that had to be dealt with, I would love him despite that. 

 (Author's note: I'm not particularly happy with how this chapter turned out. Probably has something to do with the fact that i started this over the summer and am just finishing it now)

♥Skittlez

Whoops

Heh heh... yeah, we missed September. Apologies. :)

To make up for it, have this picture of an adorable pokemon.

Note: Check out my blog, Random Thoughts! :D (Keep your expectations low.)

My Fear of Realistic Fiction

Yeah, I broke the very temporary "Blogust". But here I am today hoping to squeeze some more posts and at least one chapter before school starts on Wednesday.

Anyway, I'm thinking ahead here, but I want to overcome my fear of writing realistic fiction. I suppose more than anything, it's the fear of it being too boring.

When I think realistic fiction, I think about a normal person living a normal life (as opposed to living in a post apocalyptic world). Then, that normal life is turned upside down somehow. But, in the events leading up to whatever the life-changing event is, I feel like I wouldn't be able grab a reader, then they'd ditch my writing before getting to the twist. I suppose I have to find a way to make a main character intriguing. Just one quality or aspect about them or their life to pull a reader in.

Another issue, slightly less worrying though, is the lack to think about a concept that's unique. I mean, there are a bunch of very common realistic fiction themes (at least I think so). Such as:
-Cancer/life-threatening illnesses
-Sudden deaths of major people in the character's life (i.e. by suicide, or car accident)
-Mental disorders
-Relationships
Etc. etc.
There were a few other, but I forgot what they were..fail. :-P

So yeah. After I finish my current project, I'll probably try my hand at realistic fiction. Maybe at some point try some dystopia, but my concerns on that could be a whole other post in itself. I'm getting ahead of myself again. Haha.

Until next time,
♥Skittlez

Self-Critique: My Messed Up Logic

Hey, Skittlez here. I've decided to start a small series of posts in which I critique my Hold On and Find Me and just say some things that I would've done differently or would change (or maybe will change if I ever go back and do some major editing).

Let's begin, shall we?  

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but some of my logic in Hold On and Find Me is pretty ridiculous.

For one thing, I doubt you'd be able to recover from a bullet wound so quickly; or an arrow wound or a wound from any other of the weapons I've mentioned. I mean, given the way I deal with wounded characters, they should just be able to get away unscathed, right? Well, no...apparently in my mind, healing unnaturally quickly is fine, but being able to escape a bunch of people trying to kill you without a scratch isn't.

This is somewhat minor in comparison, but I'm not sure if concrete is flammable or not.

Also, I don't know how you would be able to skin, cut, and cook an animal you killed and have it be safe to eat, but maybe that's just because I'm living in a first world country and my biggest problem is when my WiFi goes out.

There are probably other things too, but this is what I've come up with so far.

I guess I haven't bothered to research things (LAZY). I doubt this will ever get published or anything, but if I decide to get more serious about the story, I'd edit it and rewrite it and change stuff. Also though, some of my most accurate research is experience. And, maybe you haven't guessed, but I've never been shot by an arrow or a gun, nor have tried to set concrete on fire, nor have hunted and cooked an animal over a fire.

Two days of what is supposedly "Blogust"! What a commitment. ;-)

Until next time (maybe tomorrow?),
♥Skittlez

A Quick Note

First off, because I can't seem to have a post without updates,

Chapter 10 of Find Me should be out in the next few days.

Chapter 8 of ANTIDYSTOPIA however, is at a standstill. I've considered working on it myself a few times, and might actually do so at some point.

But anyway, for my fellow young and/or aspiring authors out there, I highly suggest checking out this link to the FAQ page on Veronica Roth's (author of Divergent and Insurgent) blog. If you scroll down, you'll find a bunch of links to posts of hers with a whole bunch of writing advice and tips and such. I spent about an hour reading through them this afternoon and they helped me a lot as well as entertained me...and also made me feel like I should rewrite Hold On, which I've kinda been wanting to do anyway.

Oh and Arabesque suggested I do "Blogust" which would mean posting every day this month (even though I'd be starting a bit late), kinda like what some YouTubers do with vlogging. I don't want to make promises I won't be able to keep, which is basically what "Blogust" would be, especially with school starting soon. So, I'll try to post as much as possible, but most likely not every day.

Until next time,
♥Skittlez

Happy Blogoversary!!!

Hey people!!! Happy August and, if you couldn't already tell by the title, Happy Blogoversary!!!

Exactly one year ago, I started my blog Write Away, and since then, over 1800 people have viewed it. I never imagined that so many people would take a few minutes just to visit, and perhaps read some of my and Arabesque's writing. I just want to throw out a big thanks to all of the viewers out there. Thanks for your support!!! I'm also proud to mention that I've attracted viewers internationally, in addition to the many domestic viewers. If you're from Germany, Russia, the UK, Latvia, Taiwan, Sweden, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, or possibly from some other country that I missed since Blogger only lets you see the most recent/frequent ten, thank you. I don't know how you possibly came across my random blog where two teens post their writing, but I'm glad you did! And of course, I can't forget all of my fellow Americans. Whether you know me personally and were brought here because of that, or if you don't, thank you.

Just for the heck of it, I'll throw in one more thank you.

Now, I shall go before this gets even more cliché.

I love you guys!!!

♥Skittlez

I am a Procrastinator, but I do have a Calendar

Yes, I am very aware that in my Procrastination post that I said Chapter 9 would be out at the end of June. Well, apparently summer has caused me to not pay attention to deadlines...even ones that I set by myself. So anyway, I hope you enjoy Chapter 9, and Chapter 10 will hopefully be out soon...and by soon, I mean whenever I get off of my lazy butt and decide to actually write.

Anyway, now for a few things. One, and I already mentioned this before, I wanna start posting more here, since basically all that goes on this blog are lame update posts, apology posts, and chapters (of course). Basically, I want you guys to get to know me better, and give more material to read. I'll probably post some book related things, maybe some rants and/or thoughts, and if I can think of things that are at least remotely interesting that pertain to writing, I'll blog about that too.

Next, I have been thinking, and it's become clear that I'll need to write a third story in order to end the storyline well, and not too abruptly. I am determined to end this no matter how hard school is once it starts. You guys deserve that. :) As for the title, no clue yet. Let's continue the four letter word, two letter word pattern that didn't occur to me while I was naming the Find Me! Nah, I'm kidding for the time being.

And lastly, ANTIDYSTOPIA is in Arabesque's hands at the moment, and she is currently on vacation.

Uh yeah...I think that's all I have to say for now. Hope you guys are having an awesome summer!!

♥Skittlez

Find Me--Chapter 9 ~Dillon~

             The dining hall is much emptier than usual. Those who aren’t here are in the infirmary—or what’s left of it. Olivia was there, getting her burns treated, and Scarlet was there too, still unconscious. Marcus went with his sister, as did Violet, and Rae followed her. That left the seven of us, eating in silence.

            Skye had been pushing her porridge around for a while before saying, “Here. I’m not hungry,” and sliding her bowl toward me. I look over to her, worried. She hadn’t eaten since dinner last night and even though our portions had been cut in half due to the food supply and crops being destroyed and I was hungry, I slide the bowl back toward her.

            “Skye, you have to eat,” I tell her. I could tell that she’d grown skinnier just in the time that we’ve been here. She shakes her head and gets up from the table.

            “I’m gonna go visit Olivia and Scarlet.” Before leaving though, she turns and picks up the bowl of porridge. I get up and follow her.  

            The two of us make our way to the infirmary without conversation, Skye leaning on me for support. We stop once to ask a nurse which rooms Olivia and Scarlet were in, and she informed us that they were both the same room and led us there. It was normally quiet here, but it was in a state of chaos tonight. Nurses in light blue-green scrubs were running from room to room, some pushing people on gurneys, others carrying medicine. We stop as a patient is wheeled by. My mouth gapes open and I put my arm around Skye and she lets a tear escape. Almost every inch of his skin is charred and black, and there’s dried blood on top of that. His chest heaves up and down as he gasps for air. A pang of guilt hits me as if a bullet had been shot straight at my head. It’s not like it was our fire that burned him, but it was our presence that led to the fire.

            We thank the nurse and slide open the door to the room. Olivia sat in one bed, looking relatively fine except for a few patches of burned skin and a splint on her left wrist. Scarlet looked fine too; she was lying in bed peacefully, as if she were sleeping. But the solemn look on everyone’s face told me otherwise.

            “Is she o—” I start to ask.

            “She’s in a coma,” Violet cuts me off. She didn’t say it harshly, but she said it in a way that told me she didn’t want to deal with the question. Guilt rushes over me again. We leave her and Rae and sit with Marcus and Olivia.

            “How are you doing?” I ask Olivia.

            “Better, but not great,” she replies. We’re silent then. After a while, Skye sets the bowl of porridge on the table next to the bed Olivia was in.

            “One of you can have this,” she says quietly. Neither Marcus nor Olivia makes a move for the porridge; they probably have as much of an appetite as Skye did.

            “We’re leaving,” I blurt out then, “tomorrow night.” I didn’t leave much room for argument, but no one will disagree anyway. “We’ll meet at your room, Skye and Olivia, around curfew, then, I guess we’ll just make a run for it. Toward the forest I suppose.” Everyone else nods. We all knew that there was no doubt that this would be easier said than done. But staying here would be an even bigger risk; at least leaving put no one else in jeopardy besides ourselves.

            The other five came in later, telling us that it was almost curfew. Rae hugged her brothers goodnight, then resumed her spot by Scarlet’s bedside next to Violet. Skye and I get up and say goodbye to Olivia, Marcus, Violet, and Rae and tell Scarlet that we hope she gets better, despite her unconsciousness.

            I walk Skye to her room and open the door for her, but she hesitates before going inside.

            “I don’t want to be alone,” she says quietly. I remembered that she shared a room with Scarlet, Violet and Olivia, all of whom were spending the night in the infirmary. I take her words as an invitation and wrap my arm around her and lead her inside. We push her and Olivia’s bed together. Skye lies down and I lie down facing her. “Where are we supposed to go?” she asks me, voice low. She pauses, waiting for my response, but I don’t have one, so she continues as if I had spoken. “What if we get caught? What if we get lost?” She sounds more panicked as she presses on; as she explores all of the possible things that could happen. “What if—” she stops suddenly. “What if we don’t make it?” She dropped back down to that hushed tone that was so soft and frail and possessed so much fear.

            “Shh,” I whisper as I stroke the side of her face with my hand. She sighs. “You’ll be fine.” I would make sure of it. After giving me a despondent look, she rolls onto her other side, her back facing toward me. I drape my arm around her and soon after I do, she laces her fingers with mine. Neither one of us says anything after that; I just listen to her breathing as it steadies and she drifts off to sleep.

            I close my eyes too, and attempt to clear my mind of everything. All of the pain, loss, doubt, fear, and try to not to focus on anything except for the current moment in which Skye and I were alone. Together.

Procrastination

Well, yesterday I opened up my Word Document for Find Me and put on Pandora intending to finish chapter 9 since chapter 8 came out like 3 months ago, and it's summer so I really don't have all that much to do. The result of that was me writing two pages...

...of a random idea that probably won't become anything anytime soon.

So I suppose there's no shame in sharing part of it. 

It’s a scary thing; waking up and not knowing where you are. I lie in bed, eyes wandering. The bed I was in had white sheets and was made out of wood, and there was an identical one on the other side of a wooden side table with a lamp. A wooden dresser, a round blue rug, and a window are the only other things in the room. Besides a small bathroom, this room makes up the whole top floor of the house I was in.

I go to the bathroom to splash water on my face, but catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I reach out, my hand shaking, and touch the reflection of someone who had to me, though I did not recognize. There’s a prominent dark purple bruise encircling my right eye and several cuts scattered around my face. My dark brown hair, which used to be well down my back, is now cut just below my shoulders. I run my fingers over the cuts and wince as I do, but I have no recollection as to where they came from.

The stairs creek under my feet as I step from one to the next. The bottom floor seems slightly bigger and has a kitchen with a table for two, and a living area with a couch, chair, and table; all made of wood. There wasn’t anyone in the house, and nowhere for anyone to hide either. I felt uneasy being in a strange house with no one around but I soon hear a faint noise coming from outside.

Hesitantly, I step outside the door. There’s a chill in the air, though the sun is shining, and the dewdrops on the grass get my feet and ankles wet. I walk toward the back of the house and distinguish the sound to be someone whistling. As I get closer, and the whistling gets louder, I feel as if I recognize the tune, but I can’t recall from where.

I find a guy who appears to be skinning some sort of animal. He spots me and sets down the animal and the pocket knife he was using and walks over to me.

Yeah so that's that...like I said, it was just a random idea, that I'll probably scrap later (that wasn't the whole two pages nor the entire idea fyi).

Now for some updates because I know how much everyone loves those. 

Chapter 9 of Find Me will be out by the end of June

Chapter 8 of ANTIDYSTOPIA will be out...uh...well you can check Arabesque's schedule for that... http://www.randomthoughts328.blogspot.com/p/antidystopia.html

Yes, my blog has a new background and fonts and whatnot. I like to change things up every one and a while. ;-)

I wanna try and branch out a bit...in other words post more since chapters have been coming out every few months which is a long wait. I'll think of something...probably... 

Blogoversary in 47 days!! :D

♥Skittlez

(Idk why the formatting gets all screwed up after I copy and paste from Word...weird)