Ransom Related Things

     Greetings, all!
     Well, it's July! No school, lots of summer heat, and lots of writing.
     Remember my goal of 50,000 words for Camp NaNoWriMo? Well, I've dropped it down to 35,000 because 50k just isn't possible without sacrificing everything else this month. But the good news is that Ransom is, slowly but surely, getting done! :) 4889 words and counting....
     (Trivia fact, Ransom is the first of my books to have a cover beyond doodles on a piece of paper)
     And today I have an excerpt from Ransom for you... just cuz. :)
     Enjoy!



     Lucas rattled the manacles on his wrists, searching for any weaknesses in the metal- weaknesses which he could exploit in order to escape. Though, he cast a wry look at the cell door, he’d have to get free of more than the manacles for an escape to be successful.
     He sighed, wrapped his arms around his knees and leaned his head against his arms.
     Soft footsteps echoed through the dungeon, accompanied by the scraping of metal against stone every few feet. Someone coughed, and he looked up to see a girl standing at the door of his cell with a tray of food in one hand, and a wooden mug in the other. Her long brown dress mostly hid her bare feet, though it was patched in several places.
     The girl bent over and slid the tray through the slot at the bottom of the door, then reached through the metal bars and placed the mug next to the tray.
     “Thank you,” the words slipped from Lucas’s dry throat.
     The girl jumped, startled, before whispering back, “You’re… you’re welcome.”
     “I am Lucas,” he said, moving towards the door, manacles clanking with every motion.
     The girl shrank back. “I- I know,” she stammered, blue eyes wide.
     Lucas reached for the bread, scraped off a bit of mildew, and bowed his head. Lord, please get me out of here. Protect my brother, and keep him and anyone with him safe. Help the other prisoners here, and… thank you that I’m still alive. “Amen,” he whispered.
     He looked up, and was surprised to see that the girl was still standing there. “Was there something else?” he asked, his voice raspy from disuse.
     “No,” the girl ducked her head and quickly turned to go.
     “Wait,” Lucas called. She froze, and he heard her breathing escalate. “What is your name?”
     She shook her head, slowly at first, then harder, making her brown braid whip back and forth. “N- no.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and before he could say anything else, she ran away from his cell. He heard her feet slap against the stone floor, then the stairs. A door slammed, and then all was silent.
     Lucas sighed, though a tiny flicker of hope had ignited within him. Lord? Could she be your way of getting me out?
     There was no audible answer. Lucas sighed again, and took a small bite, trying to determine the best way to make the meager amount of food last.
     And faint, on a rare breath of fresh air, drifted one word.
     Trust.

     Bry leaned against the closed door, the one that lead to the dungeons. Why had he noticed her? She had done everything like the other girls, save flaunt herself in front of the prisoners. She was supposed to be invisible! Why had he seen her? Her thoughts whirled round and round.
     “Girl!” the cook screeched. It didn’t matter which of the girls came. She wasn’t speaking to any in particular, and she didn’t deem them important enough to learn the names of. It was understood that if you were close enough to hear her, you’d better come. Names didn’t matter here.
     “I am Lucas,” the man had said.
     What had she responded? “I know”? Bry felt her face grow hot as she hurried to the cook’s side. What a stupid answer! He probably thinks I’m a simpleton, or doing a miserable job of imitating the other girls’ flirting. At the least, he won’t ever talk to me again.
     Isn’t that what you wanted? A little voice taunted. To be invisible?
     Bry groaned silently and slammed the dough harder than necessary, earning herself a sharp swat from the cook’s wooden spoon.
     Admit it, the voice continued, You want him to notice you.
     No! She answered firmly, I just want him out of my head!

Comments

  1. is this the beginning? the middle? the end of what you've written so far? aargh!

    this is really interesting and so now i want to know the rest (i said 'now', did you hear me?). soon? *whimper*

    ReplyDelete

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