Post by Pyre on Sept 23, 2007 15:09:51 GMT -5
This is a bit of a novel I've set aside for now to work on Technies. Comment, and if you like it, I'll pick it up again 
“Torrential Jane Petrel, hurry up!”
At the base of ornately carved wooden steps stood an impatient-looking teenager, tapping her foot and occasionally checking her watch. She looked up at the girl who appeared hastily at the top of the long, winding staircase.
“We’re going to be late, now, you know,” the teen said disapprovingly as she removed herself from the base of the staircase and slipped on sneakers. She sighed. “It’s no use going to an interview late. You my as well just say that you don’t want to go to this new school and stay home.”
“Why don’t we do that, then?” the small, wiry girl piped up sarcastically. She hopped down the steps and stepped into a pair of worn sneakers. “I really don’t want to go anyway.”
The teen stopped trying to unlock the front door and stared at Torrential incredulously. “Are you serious, Tor?” she said softly, using the nickname Torrential insisted everyone must use. “This is a boarding school in Australia. You’ve got to be mad not to want to go.”
“I’d rather stay with you and Charles,” Tor replied, stopping as well and fixing the other girl with a strong glare. “So I don’t understand why you’re trying to shove me off to some school where there aren’t even boys to have fun with, Tina.”
Tina walked over to Tor jerkily and gave her a quick squeeze. “I’m not shoving you off,” Tina whispered, “I’m making sure you’re going to be safe in Australia. Right now I don’t think you’ll want to come back at all, it’s going to be a mess once Charles and the baby moves in anyway. If I didn’t have responsibility here, I’d pack my things and fly off as soon as I could, too.”
For a minute, Tor’s face softened and she hugged her older sister back. Then her eyes took on her signature glint and she said brightly, “then tell you what. You go off and ace the interview, and I’ll stay here with Charles and Jodie and James.”
Tina laughed and took off for the lock again. After a moment of wrestling with the lock, it clicked open and gestured to Tor. “I think this arrangement will work better. Besides,” she said reasonably. “You’d abhor living with a baby. They scream all night and cry all the time and all.”
“James wouldn’t do that,” Tor said confidently as the pair made their way across a thickly grassy lawn. Tor reached the beat-up and dented old Chevy car parked in the driveway first, and she climbed reluctantly into the front seat. “If we explained that we needed sleep, than James would be quiet, he would.”
Secretly, Tina knew this to be true. James was Tor and Tina’s brother’s baby, and he was unusually obedient, smart, and happy. Charles, James’ father and the girls’ older brother, was moving in with his wife Jodie and his baby James in a week or two.
Before they learned of this, Tina planned to send Tor to an all-girls boarding school in Australia, and Tor agreed halfheartedly. However, Charles had brought up moving in, and it happened to be the same weekend that Tor sailed away to Australia for the summer.
The car roared into life, and fifteen long minutes later, Tina pulled into a parking space at a prominent-looking building. Tor breathed deeply to calm her jittery nerves.
“Now, just go in there and be your charming self- well, go in there and try and be charming, all right?” Tina said lightly. “Lay off on the sarcasm and you may be in Australia for the summer.”
“Torrential Jane Petrel, hurry up!”
At the base of ornately carved wooden steps stood an impatient-looking teenager, tapping her foot and occasionally checking her watch. She looked up at the girl who appeared hastily at the top of the long, winding staircase.
“We’re going to be late, now, you know,” the teen said disapprovingly as she removed herself from the base of the staircase and slipped on sneakers. She sighed. “It’s no use going to an interview late. You my as well just say that you don’t want to go to this new school and stay home.”
“Why don’t we do that, then?” the small, wiry girl piped up sarcastically. She hopped down the steps and stepped into a pair of worn sneakers. “I really don’t want to go anyway.”
The teen stopped trying to unlock the front door and stared at Torrential incredulously. “Are you serious, Tor?” she said softly, using the nickname Torrential insisted everyone must use. “This is a boarding school in Australia. You’ve got to be mad not to want to go.”
“I’d rather stay with you and Charles,” Tor replied, stopping as well and fixing the other girl with a strong glare. “So I don’t understand why you’re trying to shove me off to some school where there aren’t even boys to have fun with, Tina.”
Tina walked over to Tor jerkily and gave her a quick squeeze. “I’m not shoving you off,” Tina whispered, “I’m making sure you’re going to be safe in Australia. Right now I don’t think you’ll want to come back at all, it’s going to be a mess once Charles and the baby moves in anyway. If I didn’t have responsibility here, I’d pack my things and fly off as soon as I could, too.”
For a minute, Tor’s face softened and she hugged her older sister back. Then her eyes took on her signature glint and she said brightly, “then tell you what. You go off and ace the interview, and I’ll stay here with Charles and Jodie and James.”
Tina laughed and took off for the lock again. After a moment of wrestling with the lock, it clicked open and gestured to Tor. “I think this arrangement will work better. Besides,” she said reasonably. “You’d abhor living with a baby. They scream all night and cry all the time and all.”
“James wouldn’t do that,” Tor said confidently as the pair made their way across a thickly grassy lawn. Tor reached the beat-up and dented old Chevy car parked in the driveway first, and she climbed reluctantly into the front seat. “If we explained that we needed sleep, than James would be quiet, he would.”
Secretly, Tina knew this to be true. James was Tor and Tina’s brother’s baby, and he was unusually obedient, smart, and happy. Charles, James’ father and the girls’ older brother, was moving in with his wife Jodie and his baby James in a week or two.
Before they learned of this, Tina planned to send Tor to an all-girls boarding school in Australia, and Tor agreed halfheartedly. However, Charles had brought up moving in, and it happened to be the same weekend that Tor sailed away to Australia for the summer.
The car roared into life, and fifteen long minutes later, Tina pulled into a parking space at a prominent-looking building. Tor breathed deeply to calm her jittery nerves.
“Now, just go in there and be your charming self- well, go in there and try and be charming, all right?” Tina said lightly. “Lay off on the sarcasm and you may be in Australia for the summer.”
