“Hey, hey, Petra.”
Petra spun around at the sound of her brother’s voice.
“Oh. Hey, Collier. How was Asher Alexander?”
“He was okay. He’s kinda…”
“What?”
“He’s sort of… weird.”
“Like how?”
“I don’t know, really. He’s overly dramatic and thinks too highly of himself.”
“Fun stuff.”
“You know, you’re going to go there tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Collier sat on the couch. Petra sat beside him.
“How was Mr. Murphy?” Collier asked.
“He was awesome. We got through a lot today! I can’t believe how much I learned! And it only took a few hours.”
“Lucky. Alexander took forever. Oh, yeah, another thing—call him Alexander, not Asher or not Mr. Alexander. He went into great detail telling me why.”
“Why shouldn’t I call him Asher or Mr. Alexander?”
“Don’t even get me started. Well, now that I think about it, I can’t really remember it, anyway.”
“What else should I know?”
Collier told Petra everything that he had learned that day. Then Petra told him about her adventure in Professor’s office.
As soon as Petra had finished telling the story, Professor walked in.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Professor,” Petra apologized. “Were you waiting outside?”
“It’s fine, it wasn’t that big a deal. I decided that you two needed time with each other. It’s been a long day.”
“Is there anything you need to tell us?”
“Nothing much. Dinner’s ready.”
Collier and Petra followed Professor down the hall and into a meeting room on the right. It had been set up like it was a dinner room. There was a platter or roast beef and potatoes in the middle of a table, and three plates set up.
As they sat down, Petra asked, “Professor, why don’t people come through this hall anymore?”
“I haven’t told you yet?”
The twins shook their heads.
“This is now off limits to the regular staff. All the rooms are now reserved for you two. Someone’s setting up a study where you will meet with Mr. Murphy. You also have the bathroom across the hall. We have this room for eating in. The next room over is a pantry with a refrigerator. You can have anything in there, as long as you don’t eat too much.”
Petra knew what was in the freezer. She had gone snooping in there before.
“So even the ice cream?” she asked, trying to be casual. She didn’t want him to know that she’s already been there.
“Yes, the ice cream,” Professor answered, his eyes halfway between narrowing and smiling. “But the ice cream you can only have every other day.”
“Then what are we supposed to have the other days?” Collier asked after quickly swallowing a mouthful of potatoes. “Kids run on dessert, you know.”
Professor laughed.
“Yes, I know, I know. That is why we have the fruits.”
“Come on. Fruits?”
“Fruits are a surprisingly satisfying dessert. Especially with whipped cream.”
“Hey, well, you never said anything about whipped cream before! That’s awesome!”
“Now just because I am giving you permission to eat what you like doesn’t mean that you can eat anything. Your dinner will be what Mrs. Sheralton makes and your breakfast needs to be breakfast food. And before you ask, Collier, no, whipped cream is not included.”
“What if I want eggs? Can I have that?” Petra asked. “Who would make them for me?”
“Mrs. Sheralton is a great chef. She’s the lady at the front desk. You may ask her to make breakfast for you ask long as she is not on the phone. You should learn how to cook your own food, anyway. She should be able to teach you how.”
Petra smiled. She already knew how to. She had tried out the stove while snooping around. She had successfully created an omelet. Well, her attempt was at least almost successful, with the exception of a burned pan and a spatula that was now half melted.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Extra!
I'm making a little change to my blog-- after I post part of 'Saving Professor' I'll post a little post about why I wrote that part. I may or may not do it after every addition to the story. It really depends on how I thought up that part. These little posts about the story will all be called 'Extra!'
'Saving Professor (Part 12)'
At the beginning of this section, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make with it. I decided to put Petra in the only other place she could have gone-- in Professor's office.
I decided that she should find something there. I made her find the ad, but that didn't seem like enough, so I decided to have the man from the beginning come in and be a problem!
And a weird thing while I was writing-- when I had the word 'ad' in the middle of a sentence, Word didn't mark it with a red line. But when I had it at the end of the sentence, it marked it. I thought it was kinda strange.
So there ya go, your first 'Extra!'
'Saving Professor (Part 12)'
At the beginning of this section, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make with it. I decided to put Petra in the only other place she could have gone-- in Professor's office.
I decided that she should find something there. I made her find the ad, but that didn't seem like enough, so I decided to have the man from the beginning come in and be a problem!
And a weird thing while I was writing-- when I had the word 'ad' in the middle of a sentence, Word didn't mark it with a red line. But when I had it at the end of the sentence, it marked it. I thought it was kinda strange.
So there ya go, your first 'Extra!'
Saving Professor (Part 12)
Back at the office, Petra had finished her work so fast that she finished the next day’s history assignments and Mr. Murphy had gone home three hours early.
Now that he was gone, she had nothing to do.
She tried reading the books on the shelves, but they were boring.
She then decided to explore the building again. Once she got to the elevator, she pressed the ‘close’ button twice, and the elevator shot her back up to Professor’s office.
He had given Petra and Collier permission to go there whenever they wanted, because they had been bright enough to find it on their own.
Petra wondered where she would be if they hadn’t found his office.
She knocked in his door; he didn’t open it. She peeked through the small window. A small lamp on his desk was shining a warm, glowing light. She slowly opened the door and stepped in.
Professor was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered that he was teaching at the Boarding School.
Petra wandered over to his mini refrigerator and retrieved her grape juice bottle that she had left there on her last visit. Then she slumped down on a chair and pulled the footrest up. She selected a magazine from the coffee table.
It was titled ‘AAW—Agents Around the World.’
Petra took a sip out of the bottle and flipped to the middle of the magazine.
It was a page full of ads. She skimmed over them, uninterested. But one caught her eye— “Young child needed for special training. Must be from eight to twelve years old. Boy or girl. Contact Asher Alexander.”
Petra thought it was interesting that Alexander hadn’t put his phone number. Maybe he only wanted a kid that was in contact with someone Alexander already knew.
Petra stared at the ad.
Then she realized that she didn’t want to read a magazine at all. At least not after she had seen the ad.
The door opened. In came the man that Professor had talked to on the first day Petra and Collier came to the office.
The man that specifically told Professor not to show the kids his office.
Petra froze as the man scanned the room.
She was about to sigh of relief when his eyes landed on her.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”
The man strode over to Petra.
“Could it be Professor Stein’s daughter?”
Petra stared blankly at him. She didn’t know whether or not to say yes or no. Professor had told the man that they were his kids. He meant that they were his kids as in students, but he knew the man would think that they were his biological kids.
“Too afraid to answer?” the man continued. “Is that because you are in a place that you are not allowed to be in?”
“No,” Petra answered in a voice she hoped was brave. “I’m allowed in here.”
“Oh, really? And who told you that?”
“Professor.”
Then Petra caught herself. She had called Professor “Professor.” She hoped the man wouldn’t notice.
He did.
“Oh. So you call your father ‘Professor’? Now isn’t that an interesting fact?”
“Well, you see, I used to go to the Boarding School that he taught at. When I had his class I wasn’t allowed to call him “Dad” so he just told me to call him ‘Professor.’”
Petra was glad that she had so easily come up with a reasonable explanation. But another part of her felt guilty of lying.
She watched the man’s expressions. He looked like he was thinking.
“Okay,” he finally said. “That sounds respectable. But you do know that he wasn’t supposed to show you this office, did you?”
“Oh, no,” Petra cut in, trying to defend Professor. “He didn’t show it to me. I found it.”
“And why were you roaming around in the building? Why weren’t you under adult supervision?”
“I found it because I was going to go from my room to the first floor. I pushed the close button on the elevator, but it was going so slowly I decided to press it again. Then it brought me down here.”
“Then why did you come in? You know intruding on another person’s office isn’t exactly respect. And you yourself had said that you respect Professor.”
Petra was about to point out that she had never said that she showed respect for Professor. But she decided not to tell the man. It would only make him angry.
“He let me in. I didn’t come in the first time I found this floor.”
“And does he know that he wasn’t supposed to let you in?”
“It’s his office,” Petra replied, standing up. “Shouldn’t he be in charge of his own space?” Petra began walking away. “And he’s the vice president of this place, you know.” She reached the door and opened it. She stopped and turned around. “And I bet you’re not even close.”
Anger flashed in the man’s eyes. He stood up and glared at Petra menacingly.
“If you must know, little child,” he growled in a low voice. “I am the president of this company.”
Petra’s eyes grew wide with realization. Then she did the only thing she could do, the only choice she had.
She spun around and ran.
Now that he was gone, she had nothing to do.
She tried reading the books on the shelves, but they were boring.
She then decided to explore the building again. Once she got to the elevator, she pressed the ‘close’ button twice, and the elevator shot her back up to Professor’s office.
He had given Petra and Collier permission to go there whenever they wanted, because they had been bright enough to find it on their own.
Petra wondered where she would be if they hadn’t found his office.
She knocked in his door; he didn’t open it. She peeked through the small window. A small lamp on his desk was shining a warm, glowing light. She slowly opened the door and stepped in.
Professor was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered that he was teaching at the Boarding School.
Petra wandered over to his mini refrigerator and retrieved her grape juice bottle that she had left there on her last visit. Then she slumped down on a chair and pulled the footrest up. She selected a magazine from the coffee table.
It was titled ‘AAW—Agents Around the World.’
Petra took a sip out of the bottle and flipped to the middle of the magazine.
It was a page full of ads. She skimmed over them, uninterested. But one caught her eye— “Young child needed for special training. Must be from eight to twelve years old. Boy or girl. Contact Asher Alexander.”
Petra thought it was interesting that Alexander hadn’t put his phone number. Maybe he only wanted a kid that was in contact with someone Alexander already knew.
Petra stared at the ad.
Then she realized that she didn’t want to read a magazine at all. At least not after she had seen the ad.
The door opened. In came the man that Professor had talked to on the first day Petra and Collier came to the office.
The man that specifically told Professor not to show the kids his office.
Petra froze as the man scanned the room.
She was about to sigh of relief when his eyes landed on her.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”
The man strode over to Petra.
“Could it be Professor Stein’s daughter?”
Petra stared blankly at him. She didn’t know whether or not to say yes or no. Professor had told the man that they were his kids. He meant that they were his kids as in students, but he knew the man would think that they were his biological kids.
“Too afraid to answer?” the man continued. “Is that because you are in a place that you are not allowed to be in?”
“No,” Petra answered in a voice she hoped was brave. “I’m allowed in here.”
“Oh, really? And who told you that?”
“Professor.”
Then Petra caught herself. She had called Professor “Professor.” She hoped the man wouldn’t notice.
He did.
“Oh. So you call your father ‘Professor’? Now isn’t that an interesting fact?”
“Well, you see, I used to go to the Boarding School that he taught at. When I had his class I wasn’t allowed to call him “Dad” so he just told me to call him ‘Professor.’”
Petra was glad that she had so easily come up with a reasonable explanation. But another part of her felt guilty of lying.
She watched the man’s expressions. He looked like he was thinking.
“Okay,” he finally said. “That sounds respectable. But you do know that he wasn’t supposed to show you this office, did you?”
“Oh, no,” Petra cut in, trying to defend Professor. “He didn’t show it to me. I found it.”
“And why were you roaming around in the building? Why weren’t you under adult supervision?”
“I found it because I was going to go from my room to the first floor. I pushed the close button on the elevator, but it was going so slowly I decided to press it again. Then it brought me down here.”
“Then why did you come in? You know intruding on another person’s office isn’t exactly respect. And you yourself had said that you respect Professor.”
Petra was about to point out that she had never said that she showed respect for Professor. But she decided not to tell the man. It would only make him angry.
“He let me in. I didn’t come in the first time I found this floor.”
“And does he know that he wasn’t supposed to let you in?”
“It’s his office,” Petra replied, standing up. “Shouldn’t he be in charge of his own space?” Petra began walking away. “And he’s the vice president of this place, you know.” She reached the door and opened it. She stopped and turned around. “And I bet you’re not even close.”
Anger flashed in the man’s eyes. He stood up and glared at Petra menacingly.
“If you must know, little child,” he growled in a low voice. “I am the president of this company.”
Petra’s eyes grew wide with realization. Then she did the only thing she could do, the only choice she had.
She spun around and ran.
Change in Story
I'm so sorry, I've changed the story again. (Sorry-- it's a part of writing!)
I know this is the second time I've changed it, but NOW Asher Alexander is getting millions of balloons and blowing them up. He thinks that having a larger mass on Earth will expand the planet.
So, yep, keep that in mind.
Again, sorry for the confusion!
I know this is the second time I've changed it, but NOW Asher Alexander is getting millions of balloons and blowing them up. He thinks that having a larger mass on Earth will expand the planet.
So, yep, keep that in mind.
Again, sorry for the confusion!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Answer to Elizabeth
What, you want me to switch stories? Tired of 'Saving Professor'? :P
'The Only Escape' was an English assignment that I decided to post.
'The Only Escape' was an English assignment that I decided to post.
Monday, September 19, 2011
'The Only Escape' (The Next Story)
Sorry that post was kinda... long.
I just wanted to give it to you in one piece.
Hope you enjoy it!
I just wanted to give it to you in one piece.
Hope you enjoy it!
'The Only Escape'
As I lay in bed I feel someone watching me.
I look around the room, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone.
I close my eyes and pull my covers up tight.
And for a moment, everything is still.
Suddenly, I feel something grabbing at my stomach; something intangible, something unseen.
I feel like I am being choked; then I realize that I am.
I can’t breathe.
My covers fly off and I think I hear a voice whispering. I’m not even afraid of it; I just hope that it didn’t say what I think it said.
“Get her.”
I feel like I am being swallowed into a pitch black hole. It takes too much energy to resist.
I let go and let myself fall into the darkness.
Jasmine Duncan woke up to a sharp sound. She grabbed her covers and waited, wondering if she maybe had just imagined it.
But it came again.
It was a crash from somewhere in the house. It sounded like breaking glass.
Jasmine jumped out of bed and ran out of the room just quiet enough not to wake her husband up.
She ran down the hall, her feet tiptoeing against the cold tile floor.
She was about to run into the kitchen when a piece of jagged glass swept across the ground, landing inches away from her foot.
She hesitated, then flicked on the light and peeked through the doorway. It took a moment for her mind to accept what she saw.
Allison, her daughter, was standing in a pool of shattered glass. Allison rummaged through the cupboards and came up with a wine glass, which she raised above her head and dropped. Then, delighted, she jumped into it, screaming. Blood smeared the otherwise white floor.
Jasmine shrieked and ran back to her bedroom.
“Jacob! Jacob!”
Her husband slept on, as if he were a hibernating bear in the dead of winter.
“JACOB!”
He groaned, rolled around, took a look at the clock, and rolled back around.
“Jacob! Wake up! It’s Allison!”
“Allison… Allison what?”
“Allison! Our daughter! You’ve got to see what’s going on!”
Jasmine yanked Jacob up and led him to the kitchen. When he saw what Allison was doing, he froze, his eyes locked forward, forcing him to stare at what he did not want to see.
Jacob lunged forward to stop her. Jasmine grabbed his arm and held him back.
“No, Jacob, you can’t go in there,” Jasmine commanded, her voice rising in fear. “Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly wrong, can’t you see it?”
Jacob’s jaw quivered and his arm began to tremble. Jasmine let go.
“Phone. Phone. GET THE PHONE!” he yelled, running from the kitchen. Jasmine took off after him.
A figure came into the light.
“Mom?”
Aaron.
“Don’t go any further, Aaron, sweetie. Something’s wrong with Allison.”
“Mom, I’m sixteen, I think I can handle seeing whatever my thirteen-year-old sister is going through.”
“No. No, Aaron, you can’t. Go back to bed. Just go.”
Aaron met Jasmine with a stare.
“GO!” Jasmine pointed to the door, sending Aaron away. Then, after thinking, she added in a quieter voice, “You can come out when I get you. Just not now.”
Just then, Jacob entered the room with his phone.
“Doctor. Get a doctor. Now.”
Jasmine took the phone and searched through the contacts until she came to Doctor Stevens. She hit ‘Talk’ harder than she had to.
The phone rang. And rang. And rang.
Jasmine rolled her eyes.
He’s got to pick up! she thought.
“Hello, this is Doctor Stevens. I am not available…”
Jasmine pressed ‘End’ and looked over at Jacob.
“Try again,” he said.
This time, Doctor Stevens picked up.
“Hello? Doctor Stevens here,” he answered in a sleepy voice.
“Doctor? Allison needs help.”
“Excuse me? Who is this?”
“Oh, right, sorry. This is Jasmine Duncan. Out daughter, Allison seems to be going crazy. We don’t know what’s happening to her, doctor. We’re really scared and we don’t know what to do…”
“I’ll be over soon. Give me ten minutes.”
Exactly ten minutes later, an old, rusty gray car pulled up into the Duncan’s driveway. Doctor Stevens, a tall, bearded man, stepped out.
“Lead me to where Allison is,” he ordered.
Silently, he followed Jasmine and Jacob inside. He shuddered when he heard glass breaking and a high-pitched cross between a scream and laughter.
Jasmine stopped in front of the door, not bearing to look inside.
Doctor Stevens peeked in. His reaction was similar to Jacob’s.
“Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, are you religious, by any chance?”
Jasmine and Jacob exchanged glances.
“No, not particularly,” Jasmine answered.
“That explains many things,” he responded, half to himself.
“What?” Jacob spoke up. “What is it, Doctor?”
“Now, I may be wrong, but if I’m right… Well, it’s pretty hard to take. Maybe I’m not right—“
“Just tell us!”
“All right. Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Well, if we don’t, then how are we going to help her?”
“You will never be able to help her in this circumstance.”
“Then who will?”
“Only an exorcist.”
“What?” Jasmine gasped.
“I have heard of cases like this before. And I think the only explanation to Allison’s unusual actions is that she is… is possessed.”
Jasmine grabbed her stomach and fainted.
Doctor Stevens sighed.
“She is shocked. That’s a natural reaction. Help me bring her to her bed.”
“And, what, leave Allison here?”
“Well, you left her here when you went outside to wait for me, didn’t you?”
A crash of glass broke the silence. They froze, as if listening for the devil himself walking out the door.
Jacob nodded. He took his wife’s shoulders while Doctor Stevens took her legs. Together, they carried her down the hall and set her on the bed.
In the darkness, they resumed their conversation.
“So about this… exorcist… where are we going to find one?”
“Well, I do know a friend who is a preacher. He has experience.”
“But how? Didn’t these things only happen a long time ago?”
Doctor Stevens shook his head.
“Evil is still on the planet, Mr. Duncan.”
Jacob looked down at his bare feet. He sighed heavily.
“This isn’t happening because we haven’t brought the kids to church, is it?”
“No, I don’t think so. I really can’t explain why. All we can do it get it out of her.”
“Get what out?” Jacob stared at Doctor Stevens, daring him to explain.
Doctor Stevens met Jacob’s eyes and shook his head.
“You know full well what I mean.” Then he took a wrinkled, old notepad and a pen out of his pocket. On it he wrote a phone number. He handed it to Jacob. “Call this number.”
“Now?”
“How soon do you want Allison back?”
Jacob whipped out his phone and dialed the number.
I’m engulfed in this darkness.
I can’t even see.
I feel like I’m moving—maybe I am. I’m walking.
Where am I going? How do I stop myself? What’s happening?
My feet hit the cold tile of the kitchen. Why can I still feel my feet but not be able to control them?
I feel myself open the cabinet. What am I doing? What’s controlling me?
My fingers touch a glass cup… and I pick it up.
What’s going on? Why am I picking up…
A loud sound shatters the stillness of the night.
My feet stomp onto something sharp.
Only then do I realize that I am breaking glass.
I want to cry out in pain, but I can’t. I hear myself scream, but I know that it’s not me who’s doing it.
What’s happening?
Then, in between the crashing and screeches, I hear something else.
It’s like a soft melody, but they’re only words. But it’s so hard to hear it… What are they saying?
I listen in and focus on their words, soft as a feathery wisp of cotton.
“Allison. Allison. Allison.”
“Come with us. We can put you out of your pain. We can take you out of your misery.”
“We know what’s happening. If you find us, we can tell you.”
“Allison. Allison. Allison…”
I wonder what these voices are. How do I follow them?
“Come and follow us.”
“Just relax… Just relax…”
Relax? Something’s making me break glass and I’m supposed to relax? How am I supposed to relax if I’m fighting hard to—
Wait. That’s it! I’m fighting hard. I’m fighting against whatever’s overcome me. If I just sit back, and relax…
I fall into the arms of the voices.
“Pastor Leonard?”
Jacob’s voice rang through the empty church.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
“I’m right here.”
Pastor Leonard walked into the light. He took a look at the family of four. They seemed fairly normal—average parents, an average teenage boy… and a girl.
The girl writhed in the father’s arms, foaming at the mouth. She let out a scream and flailed her arms in the air mercilessly.
“Possessed,” Pastor Leonard muttered under his breath. “Bring the girl to me.”
Jacob followed Pastor Leonard into the sanctuary. Rows and rows of blue velvet pews serenaded down the aisle.
Pastor Leonard motioned to the front row, where Jacob put Allison down. Surprisingly, she did not start at a screaming attempt to turn herself back on her feet.
Pastor Leonard met Jacob’s eyes with an unveiling stare.
“Now, if you will let me, I will try my best to heal your daughter.”
“Try?”
“I have always succeeded,” he assured Jacob. “But may I ask you and your family to please step out the door?”
Jacob nodded. He herded his wife and son out the door. Outside, they waited.
They listened as Pastor Leonard quickly mumbled words. A moment of silence followed. Then came a shriek, loud and clear. It wasn’t Allison’s voice. It screamed words in a foreign language, and then disappeared.
No one moved. The grandfather clock down the hall ticked meticulously.
Then the door opened. Pastor Leonard stepped out.
“How… how is she?” Jacob asked.
Pastor led the family back into the sanctuary, where Allison lay where they had left her, on the front pew. She looked peaceful.
A little bit too peaceful.
“Pastor?” Jasmine asked in a wavering voice. She grabbed Jacob’s arm. Aaron looked on in silence at his sister.
Pastor Leonard turned to the family.
“Your daughter is no longer possessed,” he announced. “But along the way, she has given up.”
Jasmine cried aloud and began weeping on Jacob’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry about this,” Pastor Leonard whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
No one seemed to be listening, but he continued anyway.
“She just couldn’t handle it any more… I’m so, so sorry…”
I look around the room, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone.
I close my eyes and pull my covers up tight.
And for a moment, everything is still.
Suddenly, I feel something grabbing at my stomach; something intangible, something unseen.
I feel like I am being choked; then I realize that I am.
I can’t breathe.
My covers fly off and I think I hear a voice whispering. I’m not even afraid of it; I just hope that it didn’t say what I think it said.
“Get her.”
I feel like I am being swallowed into a pitch black hole. It takes too much energy to resist.
I let go and let myself fall into the darkness.
Jasmine Duncan woke up to a sharp sound. She grabbed her covers and waited, wondering if she maybe had just imagined it.
But it came again.
It was a crash from somewhere in the house. It sounded like breaking glass.
Jasmine jumped out of bed and ran out of the room just quiet enough not to wake her husband up.
She ran down the hall, her feet tiptoeing against the cold tile floor.
She was about to run into the kitchen when a piece of jagged glass swept across the ground, landing inches away from her foot.
She hesitated, then flicked on the light and peeked through the doorway. It took a moment for her mind to accept what she saw.
Allison, her daughter, was standing in a pool of shattered glass. Allison rummaged through the cupboards and came up with a wine glass, which she raised above her head and dropped. Then, delighted, she jumped into it, screaming. Blood smeared the otherwise white floor.
Jasmine shrieked and ran back to her bedroom.
“Jacob! Jacob!”
Her husband slept on, as if he were a hibernating bear in the dead of winter.
“JACOB!”
He groaned, rolled around, took a look at the clock, and rolled back around.
“Jacob! Wake up! It’s Allison!”
“Allison… Allison what?”
“Allison! Our daughter! You’ve got to see what’s going on!”
Jasmine yanked Jacob up and led him to the kitchen. When he saw what Allison was doing, he froze, his eyes locked forward, forcing him to stare at what he did not want to see.
Jacob lunged forward to stop her. Jasmine grabbed his arm and held him back.
“No, Jacob, you can’t go in there,” Jasmine commanded, her voice rising in fear. “Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly wrong, can’t you see it?”
Jacob’s jaw quivered and his arm began to tremble. Jasmine let go.
“Phone. Phone. GET THE PHONE!” he yelled, running from the kitchen. Jasmine took off after him.
A figure came into the light.
“Mom?”
Aaron.
“Don’t go any further, Aaron, sweetie. Something’s wrong with Allison.”
“Mom, I’m sixteen, I think I can handle seeing whatever my thirteen-year-old sister is going through.”
“No. No, Aaron, you can’t. Go back to bed. Just go.”
Aaron met Jasmine with a stare.
“GO!” Jasmine pointed to the door, sending Aaron away. Then, after thinking, she added in a quieter voice, “You can come out when I get you. Just not now.”
Just then, Jacob entered the room with his phone.
“Doctor. Get a doctor. Now.”
Jasmine took the phone and searched through the contacts until she came to Doctor Stevens. She hit ‘Talk’ harder than she had to.
The phone rang. And rang. And rang.
Jasmine rolled her eyes.
He’s got to pick up! she thought.
“Hello, this is Doctor Stevens. I am not available…”
Jasmine pressed ‘End’ and looked over at Jacob.
“Try again,” he said.
This time, Doctor Stevens picked up.
“Hello? Doctor Stevens here,” he answered in a sleepy voice.
“Doctor? Allison needs help.”
“Excuse me? Who is this?”
“Oh, right, sorry. This is Jasmine Duncan. Out daughter, Allison seems to be going crazy. We don’t know what’s happening to her, doctor. We’re really scared and we don’t know what to do…”
“I’ll be over soon. Give me ten minutes.”
Exactly ten minutes later, an old, rusty gray car pulled up into the Duncan’s driveway. Doctor Stevens, a tall, bearded man, stepped out.
“Lead me to where Allison is,” he ordered.
Silently, he followed Jasmine and Jacob inside. He shuddered when he heard glass breaking and a high-pitched cross between a scream and laughter.
Jasmine stopped in front of the door, not bearing to look inside.
Doctor Stevens peeked in. His reaction was similar to Jacob’s.
“Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, are you religious, by any chance?”
Jasmine and Jacob exchanged glances.
“No, not particularly,” Jasmine answered.
“That explains many things,” he responded, half to himself.
“What?” Jacob spoke up. “What is it, Doctor?”
“Now, I may be wrong, but if I’m right… Well, it’s pretty hard to take. Maybe I’m not right—“
“Just tell us!”
“All right. Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Well, if we don’t, then how are we going to help her?”
“You will never be able to help her in this circumstance.”
“Then who will?”
“Only an exorcist.”
“What?” Jasmine gasped.
“I have heard of cases like this before. And I think the only explanation to Allison’s unusual actions is that she is… is possessed.”
Jasmine grabbed her stomach and fainted.
Doctor Stevens sighed.
“She is shocked. That’s a natural reaction. Help me bring her to her bed.”
“And, what, leave Allison here?”
“Well, you left her here when you went outside to wait for me, didn’t you?”
A crash of glass broke the silence. They froze, as if listening for the devil himself walking out the door.
Jacob nodded. He took his wife’s shoulders while Doctor Stevens took her legs. Together, they carried her down the hall and set her on the bed.
In the darkness, they resumed their conversation.
“So about this… exorcist… where are we going to find one?”
“Well, I do know a friend who is a preacher. He has experience.”
“But how? Didn’t these things only happen a long time ago?”
Doctor Stevens shook his head.
“Evil is still on the planet, Mr. Duncan.”
Jacob looked down at his bare feet. He sighed heavily.
“This isn’t happening because we haven’t brought the kids to church, is it?”
“No, I don’t think so. I really can’t explain why. All we can do it get it out of her.”
“Get what out?” Jacob stared at Doctor Stevens, daring him to explain.
Doctor Stevens met Jacob’s eyes and shook his head.
“You know full well what I mean.” Then he took a wrinkled, old notepad and a pen out of his pocket. On it he wrote a phone number. He handed it to Jacob. “Call this number.”
“Now?”
“How soon do you want Allison back?”
Jacob whipped out his phone and dialed the number.
I’m engulfed in this darkness.
I can’t even see.
I feel like I’m moving—maybe I am. I’m walking.
Where am I going? How do I stop myself? What’s happening?
My feet hit the cold tile of the kitchen. Why can I still feel my feet but not be able to control them?
I feel myself open the cabinet. What am I doing? What’s controlling me?
My fingers touch a glass cup… and I pick it up.
What’s going on? Why am I picking up…
A loud sound shatters the stillness of the night.
My feet stomp onto something sharp.
Only then do I realize that I am breaking glass.
I want to cry out in pain, but I can’t. I hear myself scream, but I know that it’s not me who’s doing it.
What’s happening?
Then, in between the crashing and screeches, I hear something else.
It’s like a soft melody, but they’re only words. But it’s so hard to hear it… What are they saying?
I listen in and focus on their words, soft as a feathery wisp of cotton.
“Allison. Allison. Allison.”
“Come with us. We can put you out of your pain. We can take you out of your misery.”
“We know what’s happening. If you find us, we can tell you.”
“Allison. Allison. Allison…”
I wonder what these voices are. How do I follow them?
“Come and follow us.”
“Just relax… Just relax…”
Relax? Something’s making me break glass and I’m supposed to relax? How am I supposed to relax if I’m fighting hard to—
Wait. That’s it! I’m fighting hard. I’m fighting against whatever’s overcome me. If I just sit back, and relax…
I fall into the arms of the voices.
“Pastor Leonard?”
Jacob’s voice rang through the empty church.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
“I’m right here.”
Pastor Leonard walked into the light. He took a look at the family of four. They seemed fairly normal—average parents, an average teenage boy… and a girl.
The girl writhed in the father’s arms, foaming at the mouth. She let out a scream and flailed her arms in the air mercilessly.
“Possessed,” Pastor Leonard muttered under his breath. “Bring the girl to me.”
Jacob followed Pastor Leonard into the sanctuary. Rows and rows of blue velvet pews serenaded down the aisle.
Pastor Leonard motioned to the front row, where Jacob put Allison down. Surprisingly, she did not start at a screaming attempt to turn herself back on her feet.
Pastor Leonard met Jacob’s eyes with an unveiling stare.
“Now, if you will let me, I will try my best to heal your daughter.”
“Try?”
“I have always succeeded,” he assured Jacob. “But may I ask you and your family to please step out the door?”
Jacob nodded. He herded his wife and son out the door. Outside, they waited.
They listened as Pastor Leonard quickly mumbled words. A moment of silence followed. Then came a shriek, loud and clear. It wasn’t Allison’s voice. It screamed words in a foreign language, and then disappeared.
No one moved. The grandfather clock down the hall ticked meticulously.
Then the door opened. Pastor Leonard stepped out.
“How… how is she?” Jacob asked.
Pastor led the family back into the sanctuary, where Allison lay where they had left her, on the front pew. She looked peaceful.
A little bit too peaceful.
“Pastor?” Jasmine asked in a wavering voice. She grabbed Jacob’s arm. Aaron looked on in silence at his sister.
Pastor Leonard turned to the family.
“Your daughter is no longer possessed,” he announced. “But along the way, she has given up.”
Jasmine cried aloud and began weeping on Jacob’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry about this,” Pastor Leonard whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
No one seemed to be listening, but he continued anyway.
“She just couldn’t handle it any more… I’m so, so sorry…”
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Yay... (Not Really)
I only have to followers on this blog.
Where's everyone else?? I know you guys read this!
Where's everyone else?? I know you guys read this!
Answers to Comments/Question
Here's my responses to your comments on 'Saving Professor-- Part 11':
Bookworm-- Yep. When I read over that part of the story, I laughed... I like the character Alexander. He's fun to write.
Elizabeth- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!! That's the whole point of the story! He's at Alexander's office so that Alexander can "train" him and tell him all about his evil schemes!!!!!!!
Bookworm-- Yep. When I read over that part of the story, I laughed... I like the character Alexander. He's fun to write.
Elizabeth- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!! That's the whole point of the story! He's at Alexander's office so that Alexander can "train" him and tell him all about his evil schemes!!!!!!!
A Snippet From 'The Long Journey' (True Story)
Silently, slowly, I made my way down the outdoor hall to my room. When I got to the door, I didn’t go directly to in as I had planned to. I stopped at the railing and placed my hands on the wet rail to look out over the scene.
Neon lights advertised nearby stores. Cars on the highways zoomed by. And somewhere out there was Abilene Christian University.
And TCSIT.
Rain splatted against my face. I urged myself to lift my face up, to feel the wetness, but I only blinked and flinched in response to the sudden drops.
An opening door down the hall made me quickly take my hands off the rail and wipe my face. Kailey walked out of her room and turned the corner.
Good, I thought. She didn’t see me.
I tried to imagine what someone would have thought at the sight of me staring blankly into the rain. They wouldn’t have questioned me, but they certainly wouldn’t have thought little of it.
I unlocked the door. But I just couldn’t let the moment go. I turned back once again to look at the rain.
Maybe it actually isn’t so bad, I thought. Maybe.
Then I turned the doorknob and went in.
Neon lights advertised nearby stores. Cars on the highways zoomed by. And somewhere out there was Abilene Christian University.
And TCSIT.
Rain splatted against my face. I urged myself to lift my face up, to feel the wetness, but I only blinked and flinched in response to the sudden drops.
An opening door down the hall made me quickly take my hands off the rail and wipe my face. Kailey walked out of her room and turned the corner.
Good, I thought. She didn’t see me.
I tried to imagine what someone would have thought at the sight of me staring blankly into the rain. They wouldn’t have questioned me, but they certainly wouldn’t have thought little of it.
I unlocked the door. But I just couldn’t let the moment go. I turned back once again to look at the rain.
Maybe it actually isn’t so bad, I thought. Maybe.
Then I turned the doorknob and went in.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Saving Professor (Part 11)
Collier sat in the passenger seat of Professor’s truck.
Professor had already gone out of the truck and was heading towards a short, grey-brown building. Whoever had built the building hadn’t even bothered putting in a real parking lot.
Collier decided that he wasn’t doing any good by just waiting, so he opened the door and stepped out.
Quickly, he ran up to Professor. Neither of them spoke.
Professor knocked on the door.
A shadow came over the peephole. Collier felt uncomfortable.
“Who is it?” a man’s voice asked.
“Professor Stein.”
Then door opened.
There, standing in the doorway, was a man of average height and average appearance.
He smiled grimly and stuck out his hand to Collier.
“Hello. I am Mr. Asher Alexander. And you must be Collier?”
Collier nodded.
Asher Alexander was disappointing. Collier thought that he would at least be big and strong, or something that would make him look like a villain.
But he wasn’t.
Then Asher Alexander turned to Professor, who he had been ignoring up until that point.
“So, Professor Stein,” Asher Alexander started off saying. “You’ve changed.” Then he broke into a laugh and slapped his knee. “No, what am I talking about? You look the same!”
Then, noticing that Professor Stein was not amused, Asher Alexander straightened up and cleared his throat.
“Well, come in, then,” he invited, motioning behind him.
Collier and Professor followed Alexander into the building. There was nothing in the room—not even a single piece of furniture. All it had was a hole in the floor, which Alexander began going down.
Collier looked at Professor, who shrugged and followed Alexander down the ladder.
Collier felt like he was a fireman, climbing the ladder rung by rung.
Reaching his fate rung by rung.
Even so, he persisted and went on down.
When they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a room with a couch and a single lamp that cast forth a yellow-tinted light. There was a door on one side of the wall.
“Now, Professor Stein,” Asher Alexander said. “As you know, you are here to drop off Collier. I am sure he will do fine. This next room is for his and my eyes only. So I will now ask you to leave.”
A cloud came over Professor’s face. Collier waited for him to say something.
But instead, without a word, Professor turned and left. Right when his feet disappeared up the ladder, Collier wanted to call him back and make him bring him home.
But he knew that he had to do what he was about to do.
When he turned back around, Asher Alexander had already opened the door and was standing in the doorway.
“Are you ready to come in, Collier?” he asked.
Collier swallowed, hoping that he was ready.
He nodded.
Then he entered the doorway into the secret room.
The room was filled with many computers. Most were already together, and some had been either broken apart or had not yet been assembled.
Blueprints of water towers covered a coffee table. In the middle of the room were two empty chairs—one with blue velvet cushions, and the other a dull metal.
Asher Alexander strode forward and sat in the blue velvet chair. He motioned Collier to the other chair.
As soon as Collier sat down, he noted how cold the chair was.
Asher Alexander was already talking.
“Now this is called the Secret Room. Why? Because things said here are secrets. Secrets, secrets, secrets.” He paused for emphasis. There wasn’t any. He continued. “So what I tell you, you can’t tell anyone. Okay?”
Collier nodded.
“Can you talk?”
“Yes,” Collier quickly answered.
“Good. Now that I know you can talk,” he said, pausing to laugh at his own joke, “I will tell you what you should call me. First, though, do you know my full name?”
“Yes. I mean, I think I do. It’s Asher Alexander, isn’t it?”
“Very good. Do you know my middle name?”
Collier looked down at the navy blue carpet.
“No, I don’t,” he answered.
Suddenly, Asher Alexander clapped his hands and stood up.
“That is because I don’t have a middle name!” He began to strut around the room. “So what shall you call me?” He leaned in on Collier, as if he was already telling him a secret. “Call me Alexander.” He jerked back up to his full height and resumed his strutting. Collier was already getting quite annoyed at this habit. “Why call me Alexander? Because ‘Asher’ is simply too disrespectful. And ‘Mr. Alexander’ is too respectful for me. ‘Alexander’ is perfect.”
Then Alexander bowed, as if he had finished making a speech.
“Today will be the day that I will introduce you to my room,” Alexander started again. “This is where I keep my blueprints, there are my spare computer parts, this is my collection of 1958 glass chess pieces—“
Collier sighed.
What had he gotten himself into?
Professor had already gone out of the truck and was heading towards a short, grey-brown building. Whoever had built the building hadn’t even bothered putting in a real parking lot.
Collier decided that he wasn’t doing any good by just waiting, so he opened the door and stepped out.
Quickly, he ran up to Professor. Neither of them spoke.
Professor knocked on the door.
A shadow came over the peephole. Collier felt uncomfortable.
“Who is it?” a man’s voice asked.
“Professor Stein.”
Then door opened.
There, standing in the doorway, was a man of average height and average appearance.
He smiled grimly and stuck out his hand to Collier.
“Hello. I am Mr. Asher Alexander. And you must be Collier?”
Collier nodded.
Asher Alexander was disappointing. Collier thought that he would at least be big and strong, or something that would make him look like a villain.
But he wasn’t.
Then Asher Alexander turned to Professor, who he had been ignoring up until that point.
“So, Professor Stein,” Asher Alexander started off saying. “You’ve changed.” Then he broke into a laugh and slapped his knee. “No, what am I talking about? You look the same!”
Then, noticing that Professor Stein was not amused, Asher Alexander straightened up and cleared his throat.
“Well, come in, then,” he invited, motioning behind him.
Collier and Professor followed Alexander into the building. There was nothing in the room—not even a single piece of furniture. All it had was a hole in the floor, which Alexander began going down.
Collier looked at Professor, who shrugged and followed Alexander down the ladder.
Collier felt like he was a fireman, climbing the ladder rung by rung.
Reaching his fate rung by rung.
Even so, he persisted and went on down.
When they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a room with a couch and a single lamp that cast forth a yellow-tinted light. There was a door on one side of the wall.
“Now, Professor Stein,” Asher Alexander said. “As you know, you are here to drop off Collier. I am sure he will do fine. This next room is for his and my eyes only. So I will now ask you to leave.”
A cloud came over Professor’s face. Collier waited for him to say something.
But instead, without a word, Professor turned and left. Right when his feet disappeared up the ladder, Collier wanted to call him back and make him bring him home.
But he knew that he had to do what he was about to do.
When he turned back around, Asher Alexander had already opened the door and was standing in the doorway.
“Are you ready to come in, Collier?” he asked.
Collier swallowed, hoping that he was ready.
He nodded.
Then he entered the doorway into the secret room.
The room was filled with many computers. Most were already together, and some had been either broken apart or had not yet been assembled.
Blueprints of water towers covered a coffee table. In the middle of the room were two empty chairs—one with blue velvet cushions, and the other a dull metal.
Asher Alexander strode forward and sat in the blue velvet chair. He motioned Collier to the other chair.
As soon as Collier sat down, he noted how cold the chair was.
Asher Alexander was already talking.
“Now this is called the Secret Room. Why? Because things said here are secrets. Secrets, secrets, secrets.” He paused for emphasis. There wasn’t any. He continued. “So what I tell you, you can’t tell anyone. Okay?”
Collier nodded.
“Can you talk?”
“Yes,” Collier quickly answered.
“Good. Now that I know you can talk,” he said, pausing to laugh at his own joke, “I will tell you what you should call me. First, though, do you know my full name?”
“Yes. I mean, I think I do. It’s Asher Alexander, isn’t it?”
“Very good. Do you know my middle name?”
Collier looked down at the navy blue carpet.
“No, I don’t,” he answered.
Suddenly, Asher Alexander clapped his hands and stood up.
“That is because I don’t have a middle name!” He began to strut around the room. “So what shall you call me?” He leaned in on Collier, as if he was already telling him a secret. “Call me Alexander.” He jerked back up to his full height and resumed his strutting. Collier was already getting quite annoyed at this habit. “Why call me Alexander? Because ‘Asher’ is simply too disrespectful. And ‘Mr. Alexander’ is too respectful for me. ‘Alexander’ is perfect.”
Then Alexander bowed, as if he had finished making a speech.
“Today will be the day that I will introduce you to my room,” Alexander started again. “This is where I keep my blueprints, there are my spare computer parts, this is my collection of 1958 glass chess pieces—“
Collier sighed.
What had he gotten himself into?
Saving Professor (Part 10)
“So. We will begin our studies now.” Mr. Murphy pulled his briefcase up on to the table. “What’s your favorite subject?”
“Well… Math, I suppose.”
“Ah. Professor Stein’s class, right?”
“Right.”
“So why do you like math?”
What kind of a question is that? Petra asked.
“I don’t… know.”
“Okay, then. I understand that you like math very much. But we will have to start from World Civilizations today. Professor Stein will be teaching you math.”
Good, Petra thought. At least I’ll have some sort of normality in my life.
Mr. Murphy took a World Civilizations book out of his briefcase and handed it to Petra.
“Now, where did you leave off?” he asked.
Petra flipped through the pages. She noticed that the book was the same kind as the one she had at the boarding school.
“I think we stopped about here,” she answered, opening to a page showing a Chinese pagoda.
“Ah. Okay.” Mr. Murphy nodded approvingly. “Now before you start, I would like you to take a look at the front inside cover of the book.”
Petra did so. Her eyes slid down the names written in blue ink until it rested one on that she recognized—it was her book!
Mr. Murphy must have sensed her delight, because when Petra looked back up at him, he seemed extremely satisfied.
As he began to teach, Petra thought about her new life.
I finally get to share a room with Collier? I get my own tutor? I’m taking part in something secret? I think I can live with it, she thought happily.
“Well… Math, I suppose.”
“Ah. Professor Stein’s class, right?”
“Right.”
“So why do you like math?”
What kind of a question is that? Petra asked.
“I don’t… know.”
“Okay, then. I understand that you like math very much. But we will have to start from World Civilizations today. Professor Stein will be teaching you math.”
Good, Petra thought. At least I’ll have some sort of normality in my life.
Mr. Murphy took a World Civilizations book out of his briefcase and handed it to Petra.
“Now, where did you leave off?” he asked.
Petra flipped through the pages. She noticed that the book was the same kind as the one she had at the boarding school.
“I think we stopped about here,” she answered, opening to a page showing a Chinese pagoda.
“Ah. Okay.” Mr. Murphy nodded approvingly. “Now before you start, I would like you to take a look at the front inside cover of the book.”
Petra did so. Her eyes slid down the names written in blue ink until it rested one on that she recognized—it was her book!
Mr. Murphy must have sensed her delight, because when Petra looked back up at him, he seemed extremely satisfied.
As he began to teach, Petra thought about her new life.
I finally get to share a room with Collier? I get my own tutor? I’m taking part in something secret? I think I can live with it, she thought happily.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Answers
This post is just answering to some of your comments.
To Bookworm-- as you probably already have figured out, they will be on a mission to stop Asher Alexander on breaking the watertowers. (Alexander thinks that exploding water towers will help water grass.)
To Elizabeth-- well, the 'parts' aren't chapters, really. So I just post whatever I've written so far. Yeah, all of you should know that. Just making sure you know that I'm not choosing chapters yet. And if you guys have any suggestions, then just comment and tell me where. :) Thanks!
Also to Elizabeth-- yes... Antonio's cologne. I will go fix that. (It's supposed to be Anthony's cologne.)
More for Elizabeth-- They aren't really going through training. It's just so that Alexander can tell them his plan and make sure they'll know how to carry it out.
To Bookworm-- as you probably already have figured out, they will be on a mission to stop Asher Alexander on breaking the watertowers. (Alexander thinks that exploding water towers will help water grass.)
To Elizabeth-- well, the 'parts' aren't chapters, really. So I just post whatever I've written so far. Yeah, all of you should know that. Just making sure you know that I'm not choosing chapters yet. And if you guys have any suggestions, then just comment and tell me where. :) Thanks!
Also to Elizabeth-- yes... Antonio's cologne. I will go fix that. (It's supposed to be Anthony's cologne.)
More for Elizabeth-- They aren't really going through training. It's just so that Alexander can tell them his plan and make sure they'll know how to carry it out.
Saving Professor (Part 9)
“Petra.”
Collier kneeled at the couch, shaking his sister’s shoulder.
“Petra.”
Petra rolled over and opened her eyes.
“I’m leaving now,” Collier whispered.
“Okay,” Petra said in a full voice. Then she rolled back around and fell right asleep.
When she woke up two hours later, the sun was shining in her eyes. She rolled over to check on Collier. His sleeping bag was empty.
Rubbing her eyes, Petra remembered him waking her up earlier. She swung her legs off the couch and stumbled a bookshelf that served as her drawer. She took a navy blue t-shirt and khaki shorts off the top of her clothes pile. She grabbed her toothbrush and comb, and then made her way out the door and into the bathroom down the hall. A tall lady greeted her; she only nodded and looked down.
Well, that was embarrassing, Petra thought. I wish we had a bathroom in that room. Then no one would see me right after I wake up.
She closed the bathroom door behind her.
As she ran the comb through her short hair, she thought about Collier. What was he doing? Was he okay?
She brushed her teeth with mint toothpaste. It was the same kind she had back at the boarding school.
She splashed water on her face and wiped it dry with a towel.
After changing her clothes, she opened the door and walked back down to her room. She looked at the clock. It was 9:14. She still had about fifteen more minutes before Mr. Murphy came.
To pass the time, she started reading about wildlife. By the prices on the back of the books, she had figured that the books had just been bought for decorating purposes. But they were books, and that was all she really needed.
Someone knocked on the door.
She looked up.
A tall man was standing in the open doorway.
“May I come in?” he asked.
Petra quickly closed the book and stood up.
“Yes,” she answered.
The man walked in.
“I’m Mr. Murphy. And you are—“
“I’m Petra.”
“Ah. So Collier is with Alexander.”
“Yes. I mean, I guess.”
“So. We will being our studies.”
Collier kneeled at the couch, shaking his sister’s shoulder.
“Petra.”
Petra rolled over and opened her eyes.
“I’m leaving now,” Collier whispered.
“Okay,” Petra said in a full voice. Then she rolled back around and fell right asleep.
When she woke up two hours later, the sun was shining in her eyes. She rolled over to check on Collier. His sleeping bag was empty.
Rubbing her eyes, Petra remembered him waking her up earlier. She swung her legs off the couch and stumbled a bookshelf that served as her drawer. She took a navy blue t-shirt and khaki shorts off the top of her clothes pile. She grabbed her toothbrush and comb, and then made her way out the door and into the bathroom down the hall. A tall lady greeted her; she only nodded and looked down.
Well, that was embarrassing, Petra thought. I wish we had a bathroom in that room. Then no one would see me right after I wake up.
She closed the bathroom door behind her.
As she ran the comb through her short hair, she thought about Collier. What was he doing? Was he okay?
She brushed her teeth with mint toothpaste. It was the same kind she had back at the boarding school.
She splashed water on her face and wiped it dry with a towel.
After changing her clothes, she opened the door and walked back down to her room. She looked at the clock. It was 9:14. She still had about fifteen more minutes before Mr. Murphy came.
To pass the time, she started reading about wildlife. By the prices on the back of the books, she had figured that the books had just been bought for decorating purposes. But they were books, and that was all she really needed.
Someone knocked on the door.
She looked up.
A tall man was standing in the open doorway.
“May I come in?” he asked.
Petra quickly closed the book and stood up.
“Yes,” she answered.
The man walked in.
“I’m Mr. Murphy. And you are—“
“I’m Petra.”
“Ah. So Collier is with Alexander.”
“Yes. I mean, I guess.”
“So. We will being our studies.”
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Saving Professor (Part 8)
And then they realized that they were plummeting down. Petra screamed and clung onto Collier.
Down they went, underground.
Finally, the elevator beeped, and the screen overhead read ’15.’ Petra looked at Collier with large eyes.
Collier rushed her out.
“Come on, Petra, we don’t have all day!”
They stepped out into a nicely furnished hallway that stretched before them. The carpet was teal and the walls were a bright shade of white.
“Let’s go,” Collier urged.
They tiptoed down the hall to the only door at the end, which read “Vice-President Stein.’
Petra peeked in and saw a normal office.
“What’s in there?” Collier asked.
“Nothing,” Petra answered.
“There can’t be nothing.”
Collier pushed Petra aside and peeked in.
“There’s a desk, a chair, a—“
“Well, I know that, I was just saying that there was nothing strange.”
Collier came back down.
“Well, now we know where his office is. Wait. What’s that sound?”
The twins froze as they heard a distinct sound—the elevator coming down.
“Where do we hide?” Petra hurriedly asked.
“I don’t know, there’s nowhere—“
Just then, the doors opened and Professor stepped out.
“Oh, of course! My little secret agents.”
Petra stepped forward.
“I can explain, Professor. Collier and I were just—“
“Oh, no, I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I am not. I’m glad, in fact. I’m very proud that you two were curious enough to try to find my office, and smart enough to do so. Curiosity and smartness are exceptional qualities of secret agents. But now it is time for dinner. We’ll go back up and I’ll take you two out to eat. It’ll be a pre-celebration.”
The children showed puzzled looks.
“Well, because you two are going to be on your mission to stop Asher Alexander from exploding all the water towers. Tonight will be the last night before you start that. So what do you say about going out for dinner?”
The twins nodded.
“Okay, then. Do you have any requests?”
“No, anywhere’s fine,” Collier responded.
Sitting in a booth in a fancy Italian restaurant, Petra sipped her iced tea.
“Professor, when will my tutoring begin tomorrow?”
Professor swallowed a piece of bread he was eating and answered, “9:30 in the morning. Mr. Murphy will bring all the books you need. You’ll have the conference room 5H as your classroom. It’ll end whenever you get everything done.”
Then a waitress walked up to the table. Petra noticed that her nametag read ‘Vanessa.’
“Are you ready to take your orders?” she asked.
“Yes,” Professor answered. Pointing in the menu, he ordered chicken fettuccine.
The waitress looked at Collier.
“I’d like the Italian sausage pizza, please.”
The waitress nodded, wrote down Collier’s orders, and looked at Petra.
“And you, little Mister?” she asked.
Collier choked on his water and began to snicker. Professor shot him a glare. The waitress looked back and forth between them, and tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously.
“I’d like the three-cheese lasagna,” Petra said quietly.
“Okay, your order will be out in about fifteen minutes,” the waitress said, taking up their menus.
“Petra?” Collier asked.
Petra didn’t know what to think of this. It was funny, but hurtful. After all, the waitress didn’t mean to.
Then she broke out in a grin. A wave of relief washed over the table.
“She thought you were a boy,” Collier laughed.
“Well, I do look like one, don’t I?”
Professor turned to Petra.
“By the way, how should I tell you two apart?”
Collier and Petra studied each other’s features.
“Well, I’m not sure you can,” Collier responded.
“Hey, I have an idea!” Petra exclaimed. “I’ll wear certain colors, and Collier will wear others.”
Collier nodded.
“I’ll wear red, orange, yellow, brown, and black. You can wear white, green, blue—“
“Yeah, I get it. Do you think that’s a good idea?” Petra turned to Professor.
“It’s a great idea.”
Collier pushed his Kid’s Meal menu to Petra.
“Look. I finished the word search.”
“Well, I finished the maze.”
“Hey! Let me look like that!”
“No! You do it yourself!”
Professor smiled. These kids were perfect—they were mature and they were also still kids.
Down they went, underground.
Finally, the elevator beeped, and the screen overhead read ’15.’ Petra looked at Collier with large eyes.
Collier rushed her out.
“Come on, Petra, we don’t have all day!”
They stepped out into a nicely furnished hallway that stretched before them. The carpet was teal and the walls were a bright shade of white.
“Let’s go,” Collier urged.
They tiptoed down the hall to the only door at the end, which read “Vice-President Stein.’
Petra peeked in and saw a normal office.
“What’s in there?” Collier asked.
“Nothing,” Petra answered.
“There can’t be nothing.”
Collier pushed Petra aside and peeked in.
“There’s a desk, a chair, a—“
“Well, I know that, I was just saying that there was nothing strange.”
Collier came back down.
“Well, now we know where his office is. Wait. What’s that sound?”
The twins froze as they heard a distinct sound—the elevator coming down.
“Where do we hide?” Petra hurriedly asked.
“I don’t know, there’s nowhere—“
Just then, the doors opened and Professor stepped out.
“Oh, of course! My little secret agents.”
Petra stepped forward.
“I can explain, Professor. Collier and I were just—“
“Oh, no, I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I am not. I’m glad, in fact. I’m very proud that you two were curious enough to try to find my office, and smart enough to do so. Curiosity and smartness are exceptional qualities of secret agents. But now it is time for dinner. We’ll go back up and I’ll take you two out to eat. It’ll be a pre-celebration.”
The children showed puzzled looks.
“Well, because you two are going to be on your mission to stop Asher Alexander from exploding all the water towers. Tonight will be the last night before you start that. So what do you say about going out for dinner?”
The twins nodded.
“Okay, then. Do you have any requests?”
“No, anywhere’s fine,” Collier responded.
Sitting in a booth in a fancy Italian restaurant, Petra sipped her iced tea.
“Professor, when will my tutoring begin tomorrow?”
Professor swallowed a piece of bread he was eating and answered, “9:30 in the morning. Mr. Murphy will bring all the books you need. You’ll have the conference room 5H as your classroom. It’ll end whenever you get everything done.”
Then a waitress walked up to the table. Petra noticed that her nametag read ‘Vanessa.’
“Are you ready to take your orders?” she asked.
“Yes,” Professor answered. Pointing in the menu, he ordered chicken fettuccine.
The waitress looked at Collier.
“I’d like the Italian sausage pizza, please.”
The waitress nodded, wrote down Collier’s orders, and looked at Petra.
“And you, little Mister?” she asked.
Collier choked on his water and began to snicker. Professor shot him a glare. The waitress looked back and forth between them, and tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously.
“I’d like the three-cheese lasagna,” Petra said quietly.
“Okay, your order will be out in about fifteen minutes,” the waitress said, taking up their menus.
“Petra?” Collier asked.
Petra didn’t know what to think of this. It was funny, but hurtful. After all, the waitress didn’t mean to.
Then she broke out in a grin. A wave of relief washed over the table.
“She thought you were a boy,” Collier laughed.
“Well, I do look like one, don’t I?”
Professor turned to Petra.
“By the way, how should I tell you two apart?”
Collier and Petra studied each other’s features.
“Well, I’m not sure you can,” Collier responded.
“Hey, I have an idea!” Petra exclaimed. “I’ll wear certain colors, and Collier will wear others.”
Collier nodded.
“I’ll wear red, orange, yellow, brown, and black. You can wear white, green, blue—“
“Yeah, I get it. Do you think that’s a good idea?” Petra turned to Professor.
“It’s a great idea.”
Collier pushed his Kid’s Meal menu to Petra.
“Look. I finished the word search.”
“Well, I finished the maze.”
“Hey! Let me look like that!”
“No! You do it yourself!”
Professor smiled. These kids were perfect—they were mature and they were also still kids.
Saving Professor (Part 7)
The rest of the day was spent with the two twins wandering around the building. All of the workers were some sort of secret agents, and they all had been told about Petra and Collier.
After exploring numerous floors (and even ones that had “Do not enter” boldly posted on them) they found themselves in the elevator. It was an especially amusing one, because it was glass. They could see out the window and over the city as they went up and down.
“Hey, remember how that lady told you to go to the fifteenth floor?” Collier asked.
“Yeah. That was weird, wasn’t it? There is no fifteenth floor.”
“No, I bet there is. We just have to find it.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, we just have to think about it.”
The elevator clicked and the doors opened. The twins walked out onto the sixth floor.
“There’s no way that she would have made that mistake,” Collier continued.
“Maybe we just understood her wrong?”
“How big are the chances that both you and I heard her say the same thing and it turns out we weren’t even right at all? Besides, remember when that man told Professor not to bring us to his office?”
“Right. Yeah, I remember.”
“And he never did, right? So his office is on the fourteenth floor, but he doesn’t want everyone to know that.”
“And neither does that man.”
“I know, right? So we just need to find that floor.”
“Don’t you think Professor’s going to show it to us sometime?”
“Maybe. But it’s more fun finding it by ourselves. What do you say?”
“Yeah. Let’s go for it!”
The kids dashed back into the elevator and examined the buttons.
“The numbers only go to fourteen. The other buttons are ‘Fire Alarm,’ these are probably for keeping the doors open and closed, and this is the basement.”
“Wait, Collier?”
“Huh?”
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah, I think so. Push the button.”
Petra punched the button that was labeled “Basement.” The elevator started going down. It went down, down, down… and eventually they couldn’t see anything out of the window, because they were underground.
Then the doors opened and revealed—
A parking lot.
Their hearts sank.
“I don’t think this is it,” Petra noted.
“No, really?” Collier asked sarcastically. “Let’s go back.”
“Yeah.”
The doors closed and they punched in ’14.’ On the way up, Collier pointed out, “We haven’t tried all the buttons yet. Let’s do that.”
The elevator beeped and the doors opened.
Collier pressed the open button. The doors stayed the same. Then he pressed the close buttons. The doors closed, and the elevator stayed where it was.
“Now what?” he asked.
“I guess we should’ve gone out.”
“Yeah, probably so.”
Petra leaned over to press the open button, but, instead, she accidentally pushed the close button again.
“Petra, what are you doing?”
“I don’t know, I—“
And then they realized that they were plummeting down. Petra screamed and clung onto Collier.
After exploring numerous floors (and even ones that had “Do not enter” boldly posted on them) they found themselves in the elevator. It was an especially amusing one, because it was glass. They could see out the window and over the city as they went up and down.
“Hey, remember how that lady told you to go to the fifteenth floor?” Collier asked.
“Yeah. That was weird, wasn’t it? There is no fifteenth floor.”
“No, I bet there is. We just have to find it.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, we just have to think about it.”
The elevator clicked and the doors opened. The twins walked out onto the sixth floor.
“There’s no way that she would have made that mistake,” Collier continued.
“Maybe we just understood her wrong?”
“How big are the chances that both you and I heard her say the same thing and it turns out we weren’t even right at all? Besides, remember when that man told Professor not to bring us to his office?”
“Right. Yeah, I remember.”
“And he never did, right? So his office is on the fourteenth floor, but he doesn’t want everyone to know that.”
“And neither does that man.”
“I know, right? So we just need to find that floor.”
“Don’t you think Professor’s going to show it to us sometime?”
“Maybe. But it’s more fun finding it by ourselves. What do you say?”
“Yeah. Let’s go for it!”
The kids dashed back into the elevator and examined the buttons.
“The numbers only go to fourteen. The other buttons are ‘Fire Alarm,’ these are probably for keeping the doors open and closed, and this is the basement.”
“Wait, Collier?”
“Huh?”
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah, I think so. Push the button.”
Petra punched the button that was labeled “Basement.” The elevator started going down. It went down, down, down… and eventually they couldn’t see anything out of the window, because they were underground.
Then the doors opened and revealed—
A parking lot.
Their hearts sank.
“I don’t think this is it,” Petra noted.
“No, really?” Collier asked sarcastically. “Let’s go back.”
“Yeah.”
The doors closed and they punched in ’14.’ On the way up, Collier pointed out, “We haven’t tried all the buttons yet. Let’s do that.”
The elevator beeped and the doors opened.
Collier pressed the open button. The doors stayed the same. Then he pressed the close buttons. The doors closed, and the elevator stayed where it was.
“Now what?” he asked.
“I guess we should’ve gone out.”
“Yeah, probably so.”
Petra leaned over to press the open button, but, instead, she accidentally pushed the close button again.
“Petra, what are you doing?”
“I don’t know, I—“
And then they realized that they were plummeting down. Petra screamed and clung onto Collier.
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