Tuesday 24 January 2012

Who's started a new story?

THAT'S RIGHT, I DID. I started it two days ago, and it's called Echo. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!!!



Oh, one more thing. There is swearing. You have been warned!





Scarlet walked out of school, her two ‘friends’ complaining about a Maths test or something.
‘Scarlet, what do you think?’ One of them asked. Scarlet turned, glaring. The two girls cowered.
‘I think that you wouldn’t be complaining as much if you had been paying attention in Maths instead of drooling at Travis.’ She scowled and kept walking. The girls looked at each other, looked back at Scarlet, realised they were being left behind and caught up with her.
‘Scarlet, you can’t treat us like that. You lucky to even, like, be talking to us.’ The second said. Scarlet stopped and faced them again.
‘Lucky? Lucky? How could anyone possibly think of me as lucky when I have two morons following me everywhere? Your constant chatter is turning my brain to mush. Goodbye Charlotte. Goodbye Jessica.’ And with that Scarlet walked home by herself, feeling like she should’ve done that three weeks ago when the two idiots had started to follow her like lost puppies. Scarlet sat down on her favourite bench at the park and started doing her homework. About five minutes later, a boy sat at the other end of the bench.

* * *

Two boys peeked around the corner. They were looking at an enormous set of doors. The doors were tall and grey. They looked like steel, but the boys couldn’t tell from the distance.
‘Dude, it can’t be true.’ The first said.
‘Shush! Travis, if they hear us, we are dead meat.’ The second whispered frantically. Travis laughed.
‘It is! I swear, it is.’
‘Prove it.’ Travis smirked.
‘Okay. Look at the entrance. If it wasn’t the entrance, why are there people guarding it? And why are there chains and locks around the door?’
‘Ace, it could be a prison.’ Travis said.
‘Travis! You know that isn’t a prison. You took me to the prison.’ Ace groaned.
‘True. But I still don’t believe you.’ Travis said. Ace sighed.
‘C’mon, if we stay any longer we’ll get caught.’
‘Fine.’ Travis grinned. They headed back to Ace’s house.
‘Travis I am sure that was the place.’ Ace insisted, walking in the gutter.
‘Why? Ace, really, why?’ Travis asked.
‘Because it makes sense. The doors would be small or decorated if it were for, say, the town hall.’ Ace was about to continue, when he saw a girl walking on the other side of the road. ‘Sorry Travis, got to go.’ Ace ran after her. Travis watched him go and shrugged.

* * *

Scarlet ignored the boy, concentrating on her homework. The boy said nothing. He sat, watching Scarlet intently and didn’t say a word. After twenty minutes Scarlet sighed, put her work down and scowled at him.
‘Are you here to stalk me, or tell me something? Because I don’t like people breathing down my neck while I work.’ She said, impatiently. The boy said nothing. Scarlet glared at him, something that generally made people cower. The boy stared back at her. Scarlet frowned slightly and glowered again. She inspected him. He had short black hair. His eyes were dark and his skin was pale.
‘Scarlet Grant, you have an assignment.’ He said. His voice was deep and menacing.
‘I do. I have a Maths assignment and a Science assignment and a History assignment- I could go on all day. But I am sure that isn’t what you mean.’
‘You are correct. Here.’ He handed her a folder. ‘You have one week to decide whether you will comply or not. If you do agree, I shall be seeing you again. If not, it was nice meeting you.’ He got up and walked away. Scarlet watched him walk away, very confused. She shook her head and finished her homework. Then she checked to see if anyone was around. No one was. She picked up the folder and looked at the outside. It was cream and made of cardboard. It looked very, very professional. Scarlet opened it up and started reading.

* * *

Ace followed the girl, silently. Eventually she walked into an empty alley.
‘Hello again Ace Collins.’ She said, not turning. Ace had been approached by the same girl and few days previously. She had long, straight black hair, dark eyes and pale skin.
‘I showed Travis. He didn’t believe me. And I want to know your name.’ Ace replied.
‘My name isn’t important. I told you that boy didn’t trust you. Are you ready?’
‘Your name is important. Show me the folder.’ He said, narrowing his eyes. The girl turned around and handed him the folder.
'My name is not important. You have one week to decide whether you will comply or not. If you do agree, I shall be seeing you again. If not, it was nice meeting you.' And with that she turned and left. Ace watched her go, then left for a nearby park. He sat down near a pond and looked at the folder. It was cream and cardboard. It looked extremely official. Ace opened it and started reading.

* * *

Scarlet finished reading the folder and looked at the bottom of the last page. There was a dotted line where she would sign if she agreed. She checked her watch and got up. She needed to go home. She got up, thinking about what they were asking her to do. It was ludicrous. Scarlet was only fourteen after all. She got home and walked straight to her mini library. She dropped her stuff on the floor and placed the folder on her desk. She then scanned her bookshelf, looking for her book on law. Scarlet picked out the book and flicked to the table of contents. Chapter Twelve- Laws. She checked up the list. Accepting the assignment would result in her breaking several laws. But she wanted to know more. She looked at the folder. It had said something in it about working with a partner. Who? She didn’t want the black-haired boy. He was creepy. And the first person Scarlet had met that didn’t react to her glare. People could meet it, and then shy away. But never stare back. It worried Scarlet greatly that anyone could do that. She looked across at her desk again. This was exactly what she had been wishing for. But now it was waiting for her she wasn’t so sure.

* * *

Ace walked back to the doors as he was reading. The girl had said that the doors were The Entrance.
‘The entrance to what?’ He had asked.
‘The Entrance to The Vacuum.’
‘What, you mean The Vacuum?’
‘Yes.’ She answered.
‘The Vacuum to, y’know. The other side?’ Ace asked, nervously. The girl nodded.
‘Yes. And, I’m afraid, if you can’t say the place’s name, you can’t get the job.’
‘Fine.’ Ace tensed. ‘The Echo Side.’ The girl smiled.
‘And you’ll have to stop flinching.’ And with that the girl had walked away. Ace shuddered. The Echo World. That place was mysterious and terrifying. There was the world that Ace knew and loved and the Echo World. The Vacuum was the space in-between. In the side Ace was standing in, people could be mean, bad and disgraceful. But on the Echo side there was a version of Ace. A version of Ace who was pure evil. The was a version o Travis who was pure evil. The Echo land was called that because it was like and echo of society. Like something that’s been broken and out back together, but not quite right. Something had to change. The people, activities the places were all the same on both sides, but on the Echo side, it was lined with hate, spite and evil. Ace finished reading and looked at the doors again. It was going to be dangerous. And life-threatening. Ace was in. He ran home and signed the paper.

* * *

The next morning Scarlet woke up and got ready for school. She eyed the folder and put it in her backpack. She trotted to school, feeling good about getting to sit with her real friends again. She got to school and walked to her locker. She put her bags away and looked for her friend Sara. Finally, after ten minutes of looking, Scarlet found Sara. Sara saw Scarlet and scowled.
‘Sara! How are you?’ Scarlet asked. Sara kept scowling. Scarlet frowned.
‘Sara, I swear, I don’t know why I was talking to those morons. I’m sorry about what I did, and I want to make it up to you.’
‘Why should I trust you? You deserted me.’
‘Because yesterday I told Charlotte and Jessica that they had about as many brain cells as a plank of wood.’ Scarlet smiled. Sara smiled as well.
‘Welcome back buddy. Lets get to class.’

* * *

At lunch Ace was walking to the library when he saw a girl holding the same folder that he had gotten yesterday. He watched for a moment, and then kept walking. It had to be a coincidence. He scampered to the library, and started to do the homework he was meant to be doing yesterday. After a few minutes he saw the girl with the folder walk in. She was in some of his classes, but he couldn’t remember her name. She had ash brown hair, and turquoise eyes. Her skin was pale, and had a couple freckles. She sat down at a desk at the other end of the library and opened up the folder. Ace watched her get out a pen and read the folder. It could be her homework. She could be doing homework, in a cream cardboard folder. She could be finishing off an assignment, which was encased in a folder. It could be hundreds of things. But he was still curious.

* * *

Scarlet was sitting in the school library, reading the folder again. She wanted to sign, but was way to nervous. As she got closer to the end, the hand she was holding the pen in was shaking slightly. She got to the end and stared at the dotted line where she was supposed to sign her name. Scarlet wished that the line would fade under her gaze. She blinked, snapping her out of it and glanced up. In the short look, she realised that a boy was staring at her. She closed the folder and put the pen in her pocket. She wasn’t signing while someone was watching. No way. She got up, and moved to a place where she could get a proper look at the boy without being conspicuous. She looked at him then pretended to get a book out. Scarlet thought his name was Ace, but couldn’t be sure. It might’ve been Alec or something. All se knew was that he hung out with Travis. Which means she didn’t like him. His hair was shaggy in length and sandy in colour. His eyes were emerald green. His skin was slightly tanned. He made eye contact with her and she scowled at him. When he had made a suitably disconcerted face, she walked out of the library. She met Sara on the way back to her locker, and they chatted till it was time for class. Scarlet finished talking with Sara and smiled. Sara provided a level of intelligence to the conversation that Charlotte and Jessica would never be able to compete with. Scarlet walked to the park after school at sat at the same bench she had yesterday and began working on that day’s homework. About half an hour later the boy from school sat at the other side of the bench. Scarlet was getting annoyed.

* * *

Ace followed the girl out of school, to the park. He stood by a tree as she started her homework, and eventually went to sit near her. She looked up at him. She then realised who he was.
‘Dude, what the hell? You were watching me in the library today, and you followed me here. What’s your problem?’ She asked, clearly angry.
‘Look, my name’s Ace, and I saw you with a folder at lunch.’ He stammered.
‘Mine’s Scarlet. That folder is private.’
‘Yes, I know it is, but I have one just like it.’
‘So? You can get those folders anywhere.’ She said, doing her homework again. Ace leaned forward.
‘Yes, I know, but I didn’t get it. Someone gave it to me.’ When Ace said that Scarlet looked up again.
‘Black hair, pale skin, dark eyes?’ She asked. Ace nodded.
‘Did you sign it?’ Scarlet asked quietly. Ace nodded again. Scarlet grinned and got out her folder. She signed it.
‘So, what now?’ She asked. Ace was about to say that he had no idea when the black-haired girl arrived with someone who looked like his brother. They stood looking at Ace and Scarlet. Then the boy spoke up.
‘Ace Collins, Scarlet Grant. You have both decided to comply with the contract. Here is the equipment you will need.’ He said, placing two black backpacks on the bench. Then the girl continued.
‘Your instructions are in the bags. You are each others partners if you hadn’t figured it out yet.’
‘Yeah, we figured that out.’ Scarlet said. The black-haired paired smiled, which was a bit creepy.
'We won't be seeing you again.' They said in unison. They walked away for the last time, leaving Ace and Scarlet by themselves.

The next day, Saturday, Ace and Scarlet met outside the Entrance. They were dressed in black and they had weaponry strapped to them in case of an emergency. Scarlet was pale.
'Are you sure we can pull this off Ace?' She asked. Ace shrugged.
'I don't think they would be the kind of people to have an error of judgement.'
'True. So, when do we go in?' Scarlet was referring to a small set of doors to the left of the Entrance. Ace shrugged again.
'The note said wait for the signal.'
'But what signal? Ace, this could be a disaster.'
'Again, I doubt they would've picked us if we weren't the right people for the job.' right after Ace said this, every guard sprinted off to the right, where an alarm was going off.
'I bet that's the signal. Let's go.' Ace said, his eyes lighting up. The pair sprinted across the court, stopping outside the smaller set of doors. Ace tried the doorknob.
'Shit. It's locked, what do we do?' he said, kicking the door. Scarlet sighed and got out the lock picking kit in her backpack. Ace frowned as she did so.
'I didn't get one of them. How come you got one of them?' He asked.
'Because,' She said through her teeth as she picked the lock, 'They must've known that I can do this sort of thing.'She grinned and opened the door. 'Just one of my many talents.' She said smiling. They walked into a dark, grey hallway. They didn't say a word as they walked through the passage. Eventually they came a door. Ace checked the map of the indoor complex and nodded. Scarlet opened the door and the pair walked into the next room.






That's all I got so far, and you guys better like it!

4 comments:

  1. I love this
    SO MUCH.
    It's amazing - I want more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh god. I'm trying my best to keep up with so many different stories with so many different rules. Naturally, I'm making it look effortless. I really like it though. I used to believe that my mirror image was evil, I just love seeing that sort of thing in this book. *grins* Can't wait for more.

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