Read my story? Young author :P?

[sea wanderer]

I'm going to keep posting still i say "THATS ALL" its my prolouge and what i have of a first chapter of an unamed novel ive been working on. So its long. Keep reading though. Im not giving my age feel free to geuss though :P

It was the fifteenth year and a celebration of enormous proportions was burning away in the clearing. The bonfire took up a large section of the glade but still allowed room for dancers, musicians and excited townsfolk. I could pick out the face of every dark-haired child and elder in the clan, for the whole community was to rejoice at the fifteen year milestone. With every puff of smoke charging to the sky I became more and more sickened, I had no reason to be overjoyed.
My gaze drifted across the fire to Elder Jineuax, the head and founder of the clan. He was positioned on a log beside the fire pit and his black eyes stared directly back at me. Burning a hole in my chest, like he could see through the act I put up successfully. A glare that frightened me, a glare that would make anyone feel like an open book, and I was a diary, uncomfortable with being read.
Elder Jineuax wasn’t chanting as the others were.
And he wasn’t rejoicing either.
I tried to hold my head steady as the nausea worsened. I made a small gasping noise that I thought was too quiet to hear, but I already had Jaela kneeling next to me on the dirt. Elder Jineuax leered at me through the corner of his eye, waiting for my curtain to fall, which didn’t, but came just as close. Once again, Jaela was overly concerned.
“Lea? Lea!” I kept refocusing my eyes on the floor. My lids drooped down, drowning out the scene. She had me by the shoulders now, forcing me to look up at her.
“Lea, you don’t look so good,” worry was plastered all over her dark face, a very familiar mask, “you’re really, really pale!”
Jaela and Harley were the closest things I had to family, and I was used to that look, her dark, midnight eyes would squint and turn crescent shaped while her even darker eyebrows would raise and pull together. All in one swift movement her mouth would frown then twitch, and the pink scar off the edge of her right cheek would lift just the tiniest bit with it. Her whole face was a mess of scars and raw skin, but so was every other member of the clan’s and I barely even notice anymore. It was a classic Jaela face.
“Let go of me!” I ripped my shoulders out of her reach, “I’m always pale. It’s just that I’m a little faint. And I swear Callamus Jaela if you don’t stop worrying like that you’ll be too! Not everybody is exactly happy about the fifteenth!” I breathed, dizzy and infuriated. Jaela stood back up, clearly offended by my threat, and stared over the embers. I followed her , opposite Jaela and I, Harley was having a good time. It was nearly impossible for her not to enjoy herself. Harley adored dancing along to the drum beat, skipping along side the scarce amount of male peers we had, showing that she could, if she wanted to, live a life of false love and lust. But nobody in Telaor lets their guard down for that, not even Harley. Harley didn’t believe love at first sight.
“Jaela…” I began my apology, “You know I didn’t –“
“No Lea, really, I understand, no apologies needed,” she sighed, dramatically, “But shouldn’t you be happy your training’s done?” Jaela seemed hopeful this time but she knew what my answer was.
My eyes stung with angry tears. I blinked them back impatiently, keeping up my independence charade. I glanced up at her scowling
“No.”
I knew she’d known my answer.
CHAPTER ONE
“Listen now, my apprentice, you must relax. Listen,”
Where I sat was familiar, a dimly lit, cold, empty space. A pungent smell wavered in the room, making the inside of my nose burn. The walls had clearly been carved out many years ago, considering the crumbling stone and damp mossy feel. I sat quietly, patiently in the center of the chamber.
“You must learn, my apprentice, pain. There is no pain here, but you must learn,” Elder Pluyuut spoke in a soft and soothing voice. In his attempt to calm and prepare me it had only made me more apprehensive. He circled my chair watching my odd reactions. Every word he spoke stabbed at me. My pained self conscience continued telling me to run, run while I still could. This isn’t meant for you, it whispered in my ear, just as gently as Elder Pluyuut whispered around me.
“Lea, my dearest, are you ready?” He was standing behind me, out of my view. The straight, wooden chair had my slender wrists sealed to it tightly, along with my neck. I tensed up at the words, are you ready? I was not ready, I would never be ready. I had a sword above my head, the promise I made to the clan, to the elders. At the sound of no the rope would be cut, a sure death. A promise broken.
But was the pain I might endure worse than death?
“Lea, I said are you ready?” impatience lined his sensitive tone.
“No, I’m not, “I whispered, inaudible. My skin crawled with the thought of what was to come; I bit down on my lip, hard. I had to keep myself from screaming out in fear. Elder Pluyuut glided back into view on my right side. I shot a glance over at him trying desperately to figure out what he was thinking. Panic was caked visibly in my expression. His hard face scanned the floor. As his dried lips parted I held my breath.
Congratulations, my novice,” Elder Pluyuut nodded slowly, shutting his charcoal eyes, “you have no need for my teaching today.” I looked back at him, no need? My mouth dropped open. Astonished, I started to tear, but I had no reason to be blubbering. Crying was for those who had been hurt, and I’d been nothing more than threatened. Perfect health. I should save my tears for someone who needed them, someone who deserved them. Yet, with every drop the pressure was lifted.
My deep blue eyes lingered in his, questioning. Elder Pluyuut winced quickly and sighed, the face of my mentor was overly scarred, even compared to Jaela. He looked up again from the dark floor. I searched his exterior with for his thoughts again, a futile attempt.
“Leandra, I have tried to teach you to accept and endure pain.”
“But,” He looked away again, shaking his head, obviously dumbfounded by whatever I’d done now, “You have taught yourself Lea, and I’ve taught you all that I could. You will surely figure out the rest of it. One more week Lea, no more, no less. I cannot train you any further, there’s only one question. Are you ready?” He turned around to face me, eyes suddenly red.
“Are you ready yet?” Jaela whined from the kitchen. I sat up abruptly in my bed, breathing unevenly. I looked around, my same bland, wooden walls were in place, my bed was creaking as usual and I still had my locket slung around my neck. A memory, just a dream.
I ran over to the mirror, still in my light sleeping garments, and mumbled quietly to myself. I repeatedly checked over my features, my eyes were still the same sapphire shade of blue; I hade my normal pale, smooth skin and round face. My hair continued to shine bronze, but in the dream it had been jet black. I pulled the hair in front of my eyes making sure the mirror wasn’t lying to me. Bronze, still.
I was being ridiculous, overreacting much like the source of the continuous complaints coming from the kitchen. My mind thought back to the cave’s outer chamber, where the bitter end of my training had taken place. Elder Pluyuut had not been as terrifying as the nightmare made it seem, nor did he have red eyes. I was being immoral towards the supportive Elder.
“Jaela?” I slid into the kitchen, daintily.
Jaela whipped her head around, “Finally,” she said, letting out a big breath, “I thought you were never going to wake up!” She smiled scars expanding as the grin did. She was at the table, eating stale toast and twirling ebony hair between her fingers.
“Jaela?” I repeated, serious, “What’s today’s date?”
She looked up at me, watchful of my expressions, which, by now, had already flashed a thousand different times.
“It’s January third, two-thousand-forty five, Lea, as always. Why?” She took another bite of the rock hard bread.
I looked around the room, sleepily and unfocused “Just wondering.” She shrugged and went back to dissecting her breakfast.
I drifted back over to my room, pulling day garments out of the dresser drawer. After a swift change of clothes I floated back into the kitchen, confused. Was it January third already? I toyed with my locket, retracing the letters LS over and over again. With a sigh I stood up from the small wooden table,
“I’m going to the market,” I said in monotone. I sighed again and started for the door.
“Get bread!” Jaela called after me when the door was closing.
I stepped into the sun, this time it was warmer. I opened the slab of wood we used as a “trap door” to climb down the ladder. The house has always mystified me. Ever since it happened I’d lived with the clan, but the house was already built as far as I remember. Everything was already here when they found me. But the structures, they were perfectly invisible in the damp forest. Nestled up into the trees, made of wood, glass, and plaster, moss twisted and curled around every corner of the home, camouflaging it perfectly into the shrubs. Each had a deck to walk out onto and a door in the deck to climb out of, which came in handy frequently.
I hiked through the dark trees elegantly, already knowing every root that pops up at the last second, every stone that’s unstable, not stumbling in the difficult forest once. With three more long strides I was in the sunlight again. It pained my indigo eyes and I blinked involuntarily until they adjusted. I continued to trudge forward, ignoring the blistering sun.
The market was conveniently located in the town square. A small clearing, covered in stone with tiny shops squished together from lack of space. I strolled over, my sandy tote in hand, to my favorite shop for grains. Grace’s bakery was by far my first pick. Grace had kept her shop tidy and was extremely polite and persuasive. When I entered a copper bell rung.
“Hello, Hueratee Grace,” I greeted the shopkeeper courteously, with her proper name, “Do you have any grain today?”
“Of course I do!” She smiled a bright, blinding smile. A smile a shopkeeper needed to persuade difficult and skeptic customers. She hunched over to get something out of a storage container in the back of the tiny shack, “Here you go, Alpha Leandra.” She handed me a loaf of not-quite–freshly-baked bread. I smiled as amiably as I possibly could, it would have to do, and took the grain.
“5 traces,” She smiled again with her hand stretched out, palm up. I gave her a slender silver coin and another sheepish grin “Oh and Alpha Leandra? Elder Jineuax and Elder PIuyuut requested your presence at their domain as soon as it’s possible for you.” She clicked the coin into place in her tiny metal box and shut it quickly.
“Oh, Okay. Thank you Hueratee Grace.” I stood in place for a second, scanning over the elderly females features. She had Raven’s eyes, pitch black, squinty and always watching. Thin lips placed low on her compressed face, a face covered with light pink scars, some worn more than others, just like my whole clan had. Just like the marks I didn’t have. The raven eyes complemented her large beak-like nose, which appeared to be broken and re-healed many times. My ignorance had sometimes kept me from truly seeing everything around me. Like how much of a story Grace’s face was.
“Run along then, Leandra,” Grace gave me a shifty look and I stepped back unsurely. It wasn’t of her nature to be so unkind. I turned on my heels glaring back every now and then to be positive that it truly was Grace standing in her shop.
I stole a quick glance up at the entrance to the Elder’s cave. I sighed and started walking back towards thee trees.
THATS IT! Copyright Ciara Noelle 2008