June Character Encounter: Skylar

     Hello everyone! Today I've got another Character Encounter for you, featuring the main female character in Ransom, the book I'll be writing for Camp NaNoWriMo. Character Encounters are hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com, where she gives us a location and we're supposed to encounter one of our characters there. This month's location was a car dealership, or an auto repair shop. (I chose the latter.)

Skylar, though her eyes are green.

(picture found on pinterest)

     So they're on the ship... and she's standing at the bow... and he's... I pace, turning the scene over and over in my head, mumbling about what should happen next. My brother is inside with Gramps and my dad, we had to drop off the car so it could get fixed. While they're in there discussing stuff, I went outside to work on my book. 

     I hear a startled gasp behind me, and I slowly turn around. “Hello?”

     A blonde girl, dressed in an all black, medieval-ish outfit, is standing behind me, glancing around warily. A car starts up and pulls out of the parking lot with a roar of acceleration. The girl nearly shrieks and stumbles backwards until her back is pressed flat against the wall.

     I smile wryly. I know who this is.

     "Skylar?" I approach her slowly, glad that she hasn't drawn any of her weapons yet.

     Skylar eyes me, probably sizing up how much of a threat I might be. "Who are you?"

     I'm surprised for a moment, then I remember that we've never actually met, though I've talked with her on several occasions, and she's one of the few characters that actually knows they're one of my characters. She's not too happy about it either.

     "It's me, Era."

     Her eyes widen, then narrow. "What is this place?" She hisses, "What are you doing to me now? The character chat room is bad enough, but to leave there and wind up here-"

     The street has been surprisingly quiet up until now, but now a group of motorcyclists ride by, engines roaring and radios blaring.

     Skylar flinches and makes a noise which, coming from anyone else, I would call a whimper. She waits until the motorcycles have all passed us, including a few stragglers, before whispering, "What are those monsters?"

     I look at her and notice that she has drawn a long dagger, and is holding it out defensively.

     "They won't hurt you," I say. "They're what we use to get around in my world. Well, not everyone rides one of those, most people ride in cars, like these."

     I gently take her arm and walk her over to our family car. I put my hand on the handle and look at her. "Do you want to go inside?"

     Poor girl, she's gone pale. "No, thank you." She responds, with only the slightest quiver in her voice.

     I nod. "Okay."

     She walks away, and I follow her. When we're a safe distance away from all the vehicles in the parking lot, Skylar turns to face me. "I want to go back."

     "Back to Aerents?" I ask.

     Her eyes light up. "Can I?"

     I regretfully shake my head. "I don't know how to send you back there. Since you came directly here from the character chat room, I'm not sure I can send you anywhere but there."

     Skylar glares at me. "You can't send me someplace normal?"

     I shake my head.

     Skylar sighs. "Oh well. It'll have to do, I suppose."