Vanessa 12

That weekend, Ashelyn finally felt better. She told me she was fine, but I still worried. She had freaked out over some water; what would happen if we ever had another flood? She might, I don't know, pass out... Or something.
I figured she needed some company other than our families, so I invited Brynn over.
Maybe not the best idea...

Vanessa 11

The next day, I went into school alone. I handed in an excuse slip for Ashelyn.
She had been in bed since yesterday, suffering from a fever and panic attacks. I felt horrible, and I couldn't concentrate on anything.
And I had to skip out on Brynn's sleepover, which she was disappointed about.
At  lunch, Brynn didn't seem to notice Ashelyn's absence, but Jennifer asked, "So, where's your cousin? I heard she freaked out yesterday, but I didn't get any details."
I bit my lip. "She's...sick. That's why I couldn't come yesterday Brynn."
Brynn put on an easy smile. "Oh it's fine! We'll just have to reschedule it for another time!"
I grinned. Thank goodness Brynn was so easy-going.

After school, Brynn and I walked home together. Our apartment buildings were within a few blocks of each other, so we did that often.
"Sorry your cousin is sick." Brynn said, "Um, tell her...get well soon, I guess."
"'kay. Thanks for being so cool about all this, by the way."
She shrugged. "It's no problem.."

I waved goodbye as I hopped up the concrete steps into the apartment lobby.

I took the elevator all the way up to our floor, dropping my bag on the sofa and peeking into my room to see Ashelyn.
"Hi." I whispered.
Ashelyn looked over. "Oh, Hey."
I sat down on my bed. "How are you feeling? I'm guessing...bad"
She sighed. "Yeah...not too great.

Ugh

sorry for the lack of posts- I was sick for a week, and it's hard to come up with good things to write when you're a sick mess...

But don't worry, I'm better now!

Happy Holiday!

Inspiration!

For, like, a month I had zero inspiration, but now I've gotten back on track, thank goodness!
So you can now actually expect more posts, finally!

Vanessa 10

After school, I had basketball practice, and Ashelyn tagged along.

Brynn and I were great out on the court, and in the girls locker room, we were constantly joking and talking. Until she saw Ashelyn, talking with another girl on the basketball team, Haley.
"Oh, hi." She barely acknowledged her.
She dribbled her basketball, then shot it up at the ceiling, hitting the sprinkler head. She did it again squarely hitting the sprinkler.
I barely noticed, I was too busy worrying about Ashelyn. She had barley spoken with anyone, and she was looking pretty uncomfortable around all my teammates.

Suddenly, the sprinklers started letting lose a shower of cold water.
Some of the girls started laughing, some groaned.

Ashelyn had gone pale as a sheet. As water started pooling on the floor, she gasped, tensing.
"Ashelyn, whats wrong?" I asked. And just as I asked, I realized she was remembering the horrible flooding of her home, a few weeks.

"Come on, Ashelyn. Let's get you home!" I said, pulling her to her feet.
 
"Vanessa, where are you going? This is fun!" Brynn called.

"Sorry, Brynn! Ashelyn really needs to go home!"

I rushed back home in my soaking basketball shorts and sleeveless jersey, my tote bag with my clothes and books on my shoulder.
Ashelyn was still breathing fast, and she didn't respond when I asked her how she was.

Vanessa 9

On the first day of school, I stuck made it a point to stick close to Ashelyn, seeing as she had absolutely zero knowledge of the school.

 In the hall outside the her first class, I introduced her to my friend Jennifer.
When Jennifer discovered she was from Scotland, she asked, "Cool! So, why did you move here?"
 I winced. "Oh, well-"
Ashelyn cut me off. "It's fine, Vanessa. My house was caught in a flash flood a few weeks ago, so we're staying here."
Jennifer nodded. "Oh, I'm sorry. Well- oh look, there's Brynn!"

 My best friend Brynn was a tall athletic girl. We were on the basketball team together, and she was well known as one of the richest girls in school, seeing as her dad was in charge of some huge shipping business. Unfortunately, she was also incredibly jealous when it came to friendships.

She walked over. "Vanessa! I'm so glad schools in again! Too bad you couldn't come to Jamaica with us over summer break! Why was the reason for that, anyway?" she asked, giving me a hug.
"Um, I was in Scotland, visiting my cousin Ashelyn." I said, gesturing to Ashelyn.

"Oh, she's staying with you?" She asked, looking Ashelyn up and down. Suddenly, she smiled. "Well, Vanessa, want to come over for a sleep over tonight? You too, Jennifer."
I swallowed, glancing at Ashelyn. "Sure Brynn!" I said enthusiastically.
Brynn smiled. "Great. See you in PE!"

Vanessa 8

One week later, we were shopping for school supplies.
As we were checking out, I turned to Ashelyn, who hadn't said a word in the whole store.
"Whats wrong?" I asked in a hushed tone. She shrugged.
"The last time I did this, I was back in Scotland, with Maya. I guess I'm just moping." She forced a chuckle.
I smiled uncertainly. I didn't know what to say to her; I had no real contemplation of the feeling of leaving your home country, losing your home, and being thrust into a new school. I felt so sorry for her, and I had no idea what to do.

Sorry!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! At least there's a new one I just put up, but there would have another, except for some reason it deleted itself when the page refreshed... :(

Vanessa 7

That evening, Ashelyn spoke up at dinner. "So, I'm going to school here, apparently?"
Her parents glanced at each other. "Well, the alternative is you stay here all the time, missing a year or more of school, so... You will most likely go to school with Vanessa."
I glanced sideways at Ashelyn, she was glaring directly down into her food, stabbing her chicken with her fork.
"Ashelyn, it won't be so bad! And there's no reason for you to be brooding over it all night. Or any other time, for that manner!" Her mother said, with a frustrated sigh.

My mom, cleared her throat. "So! Uh, how's the...food?" She launched into a conversation about food and haggis and (for some unknown reason) the high price of movie tickets, speaking too quickly for any one to interject or change the subject.

Vanessa 6

Ashelyn grinned as her best friend's face came into view on the computer.
"Hi, Maya!" She said perkily.
"Hey! How's New York?" Maya asked.
"Well, honestly I have no idea. So far all I've done is sleep! What's going on with you?"
Maya shrugged. "Getting ready to go back to school. Speaking of which, are you going to go to school in New York with Vanessa?" she asked.
Ashelyn bit her lip. "I..."
Ashelyn's mom spoke up. "Well, we have been thinking about sending her to school with Vanessa, but no final decisions have been made."
I glanced at Ashelyn. She looked annoyed that she hadn't been included in this decision making.

Vanessa 5

The next morning, the Boyd's were up a little before lunch, which made sense, seeing as their jet lag was extreme.
Ashelyn's little sister Ella was surprisingly the least energetic, but she did enjoy our 'fascinating'  American TV shows.
Ashelyn was seated at the bar in the kitchen, looking thoughtful.
I sat down next to her. "Whatcha thinking about?" I asked.
"Well, it's almost August, right?"
I glanced at the calendar. "Today is August first. Why?"
Ashelyn bit her lip. "Well, school starts in a couple weeks, then. So..."
She stopped, as my mom called from the computer in dad's office. "I've got the Carson's on the webcam!"
We rushed into the office. The Carson's were close friends of the Boyd's, and Mara Carson was Ashelyn's best friend.

Vanessa 4

After dinner, Ashelyn was the first to  get up, so around eight thirty, she wandered out from my room with a groggy look on her face.
"Good morning...er, evening..." She said, sitting down on the couch.
"Hi. Well, welcome to New York." I said with a grin, "how was your flight?"
Ashelyn made a face. "Ugh. They were playing some documentary for most of the flight, and there were about five crying two year olds..." She trailed off, apparently lost in the bad memory.
"And how were the repairs going when you left Scotland?" I asked.
Ashelyn shrugged. "Well, it's going to take...quite a while. I mean, there was so much flood damage, they'll have to replace all the electrical and..." She stopped, sighing dejectedly.

Vanessa 3

Once we got up to our apartment, Ashelyn and the rest of her family immediately stumbled into the nearest beds they were directed to, and fell alseep.
My mom clapped her hands. "Well, I guess I'll make dinner while our guests, er...housemates...? Well, while they sleep, I'll make dinner!"
Dad said he'd help, so they both went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Officially Back!!

I am proud to announce that Wordsmith is officially back! Unlike previous times when I would post in the mornings, I might fluctuate a little with the post time for a while, before I get back on a more regulated schedule. :)

Vanessa 2

The intercom buzzed, and my dad's voice crackled from the small speaker. "Hey, Sweetie! We're down in the lobby, if you could come down and help with luggage, that'd be great!"
I rushed down to the lobby of our luxury apartment building, grinning as I caught sight of my relatives.
I gave an exhausted looking Ashelyn a hug, before grabbing her suitcase for her and tugging it into the elevator, the rest of them following at my heels.

Vanessa 1

I perched on the edge of our designer sofa. My cousin Ashelyn and her family would be arriving at the airport soon, and my dad had just gone in our car to pick them up.
They're home is Scotland had been badly damaged a few weeks ago due to a huge flash flood, and they had been spending the last few days in a hotel in London, before they came and joined us here in New York.
Our apartment wasn't too big, bit what there was of it was extremely stylish and open. I had spent the last couple days preparing my room, which i would be sharing with Ashelyn.
We had bought a cot, which I would be using, and her little sister and her parents would be sleeping in our guest room.

2 parts...

Okay, I'm going to have to split Deimos Rising into two parts.
The reason: since I have to start writing 'Vanessa' (the sequel to Ashelyn) soon, I'll have to put DR on hold until winter/spring.

Deimos Rising 13 (Valerie T.)

None of the colonists noticed my unfamiliar face as I shot my blaster towards the hostile tribe of Teludav natives.

And as soon as the short-lived battle was over, I made my way over to one of the colonists, my blaster holstered.
"Who's in charge here?" I asked. I was pointed in the direction of an african-american guy, probably
about my age.
"Are you Marshal Kavanagh?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. And who are you?"
"Valerie Titan. I'm a cargo hauler. The junker in your ravine is mine. I've come with supplies and a greeting from Chas."
Marshal's stiff demeanor eased. "Well then, I'm not one to turn down free supplies."

I turned, waving for him to follow. "Come on. I'm guessing you'll want to check out the cargo before it's un-loaded."

I led him inside the cargo bay, towards the stack of cargo crates. I picked up the clipboard.
"Okay, the cargo is just your basic supplies; water, food, some other essentials. By the way, what was with that Teludav attack? I thought they were usually peaceful." I said.
Marshal nodded. "The Teludav tribe usually is. Those weren't true Teludav, they're a hybrid of Katigur and Teludav DNA. They look pretty much like Teludav, but they have the critical strategic mind of the Katigur, which is bad news for us."
"I've never heard of them. Are they on any other planets?"
"They originate here, and we're pretty sure they've never...gotten off."
I narrowed my eyes. "You look worried. If they've never gotten off the planet then there's no worries. I said.

"Yeah, well...one of them actually did get off, a couple years ago. It snuck into the colony in mid winter, and one of the hybrid traits is camouflage, coming from the Teludav. Anyway, our scouts didn't see it, and it got past the barriers. It didn't hurt anybody, but it escaped in our only shuttle. The shuttle was pretty much beat, so we didn't think it would get far at all. In fact, we were surprised when it made it past the planet's atmosphere. We assumed that it died in space."

I bit my lip. "It's never a good thing to assume, especially when it comes to the enemy."

A Trip

I'll be gone for several days, starting tomorrow- so don't except any posts in this next week!

Early Posts

Okay, just so you know, I'm not going to be regularly posting yet, but I might do a couple early posts, just as a warm up before i get back to regular posts....  :)

Deimos Rising 12 (Marshal K.)

I ducked behind a cluster of rocks, reloading my blaster as fast as i could. 

"Corbie! I want all our fire-power aimed at the rocks above the ravine!" 

Corbie, one of my second-in-commands, nodded. He yelled a few words at the other colonists, who moved their aim upwards. 

The rocks tumbled as their base disintegrated, falling into the ravine and blocking off the Teludav.

The sound of thundering feet made it obvious that the Teludav were retreating back to their camp. 

I waved over two of the colonies scouts. "I want you to watch the ravine. I'll switch you out with another couple scouts in a few hours." 

They nodded, walking off to the scouting post atop one of the ravine walls. 

Good news!

Soon, Wordsmith and 'Idle Thoughts' will be making a comeback!
Sometime in the middle/end of October, I'll start regularly posting on Wordsmith again!!!
And in the meantime, I'll be posting on Idle Thoughts! By the way, I'll probably be posting some pictures of a trip I'll be taking..... :)

Deimos Rising 11 (Rebecca R.)

I watched as the cargo ship pilot ran towards the group of colonists, whipping out her blaster as she ran.
I crept up the ramp to the hanger bay of the huge cargo ship, taking a flashlight out of my back pocket and shining it around the expanse of empty floor. A huge stack of cargo crates caught my eye, and I headed over.
A clipboard sat atop one of the crates, and I studied it for a moment.
"Huh, I guess this smuggler has got good intentions; she's here delivering supplies!" I muttered.
I rushed down some cramped metal corridors to a large engine room.
Colorful graffiti scrawled in alien languages covered the walls, loose wires and steaming pipes covered the scratched metal floor, and big metal power coils took up most of the space in the middle of the room.

Really sad

I've come to a really unfortunate conclusion- I can't keep Wordsmith going!
The shut down won't be permanent, but what with the school year right in front of us, I can't put in the work to make posts a good read, so during the first little while of the school year, when for me things are busier than ever, i'll have to skip out on posting.
But don't worry, I'll try to sneak in a couple posts on the weekend until Wordsmith makes a comeback, which will probably be some time in the winter...

Deimos Rising 10 (Rebecca R.)

My name is Rebecca Royce, and this is the start if my side of the story.

I watched from my domed metal hut as the huge cargo ship descended into the ravine. I saw a figure rush out of the entrance hatch, running off to the fight with the Teludav tribe.
I noticed she had left her ship's hatch open. Thoughts raced through my mind, this is my chance to get off this rock...I'll never have another chance like this for months....
I got up and walked slowly and surely towards the cargo ship.

Deimos Rising 9 (Valerie T.)

I checked off Colony 278# on my clipboard. Just two more colonies to deliver too, I thought.
Ever since the incident at the security station I had been on the run from the authorities, and I was already seeing my holographic wanted posters on the space highway billboards.
The autopilot switched itself off, and I carefully lowered my shop down into the ravine which was the home of Colony 279#.
I caught a glimpse of blast shots in a narrow section of the ravine, and I grabbed my blaster, rushed out of my ship and toward the fight.

Deimos Rising 8 (Marshal. K)

My name is Marshal Kavanagh. I am head of Colony 279# in the Outlands. Here is the start of my part of the story.


I woke to the sound of yelling. I scrambled out of my bed. I had luckily fallen asleep in my clothes so there was no wasted time getting dressed.
I ran out of my domed metal hut, buckling my holster around my waist as I made my way towards the sound of yelling.
"Bazia, what's the problem?" I asked one of my friends. Almost everyone in the colony (which probably amounted to a couple hundred) was gathered in the middle of the ravine we made our home in. I heard shots from boasters being fired, and I rushed into the crowd, pushing my way tongue front, my blaster out and at the ready.
Someone shouted behind me, "It's the Teludav tribe! We're under attack!"

Sideline story

Since DR doesn't just follow Valeri Titan's story, I'll have multiple sideline stories about the other characters. Just to avoid confusion, I'll be labeling them with their first names in parenthesis next to the title! :)

Deimos Rising 7

"Arrest? I didn't do this!" I protested.
"Yeah right!" A younger cop sneered. A rookie, no doubt. First day on the job.
"Shut it, Hanton. We're here to make an arrest, not-"
In one swift movement I switched my blaster to stun and whipped it out of its holster. I fired quick shots at the officers, stunning all but one. I dodged a stun blast from him and fired at his legs. He crumpled, and I rushed out the door back to my ship.

Deimos Rising 6

I came out of hyperspace right next to the security gate, a huge laser gate that scanned ships as they passed through. I peered out my window. The security station was scorched with blast marks.

I docked with the station, and I walked down to my porting station, and I swung the port door.

I climbed down into the station. No guards.

I walked down to the control room, opening a holographic keyboard and typing in 'security tapes'. 

A video played instantly on a large glass screen at the other end of the room. It didn't have sound and the quality was pretty bad, but what happened was obvious. 

The space pirates I had encountered minutes ago had apparently come through here on there way to where I was.

"Freeze!" A deep voice shouted behind me. 

I spun around, my hand instinctively going to my hip for my blaster. 

Five police men were pointing stun blaster at me.

"Ah, good! Officer, this station-" I started. 

"Hands up. You're under arrest for raiding and attacking an official Federal Planets security station." 

Deimos Rising 5

The captain of the space pirates smiled grimly. "Greetings, human," she said in a faint accent, "No doubt you are carrying cargo to the Outlands, yes? Well, hand over your shipment and we can part ways without having to exchange...damage."
I glanced at my fuel level. It wasn't as high as I would have wanted, but it was enough for me to make one quick burst of hyper space, enough to reach the security gates to the Outlands, and if the pirates had any common sense, they wouldn't dare come near.
The captain of the ship was still waiting. "Well? Send out your cargo and nothing unfortunate will have to happen."
My finger hovered over the button to end the transmission. "Well, not that it isn't an extremely gracious offer, but i'll have to decline. Unfortunately for you, i'll be leaving with my cargo bay full."
I blasted the engines, overriding the autopilot and taking manual control.

A steering wheel that i had hooked up from an old mustang slid out of the counsel. I grabbed hold of it, gunned the engine and sent out four small missiles.

I typed a quick code into the computer, and the computer voice echoed in the cockpit. "Five seconds to hyperspace. Repeat, five seconds to hyperspace."
The pirates particle cannons nearly missed my portside engine.

"Four seconds to hyperspace."

I released an ion charge from my frontside blasters.

"Three seconds to hyperspace."

The ion charge hit it's mark, tearing off layers of protective shielding on the pirate's ship.

"Two seconds to hyperspace. One second to hyperspace. Zero."
The engines hummed, and suddenly the stars were stretching. I blasted away, into my hyperspace window.

Other blog

As some of you know, I have another blog Art + Writing, well I'm changing up that's blogs theme and  making it more general, not a personal blog about boring stuff like my life or something all deep and moving, just about...stuff. I'll still do posts about art and writing and stuff, but now it'll be more freeform!
You can still reach it at artsandwritingstuff.blogspot.com, it'll just be a different look and title!

Okay....

Okay, so just to be clear, DR will be my august story (although it might bleed into fall a bit), then I'll do 'Vanessa'.
But seeing as the school year is starting soon, I may not be able to post every single morning, and if I do it'll be pretty early, and I don't want to get up too early in the mornings just to post.
So I might post during lunch, or maybe sometime after three.

Deimos Rising 4

I tapped the blinking light, bringing up another screen.
The Teludav's ship captain appeared on screen. She wasn't Teludav, and from what I could see of her crew in the background, they weren't either.
She had the shaven head, blue tattoos, and pale skin of a half-human. The half humans are a race of people who look just like humans, but they're ancestors were created in labs by Katigur scientists, to fight in the war against humans.
They were never put into use, and once the war was over they broke out of their containment facilities, and now fifty years later they are recognized as a proper species.
And as soon as I saw her sitting in a Teludav captain chair, two words appeared in my head.
Space pirates.

Deimos Rising 3

Leaning back in my chair, I gazed out of my port-side window at the stars. I hit a few keys on the keyboard I had attached to my flight counsel, bringing up the holographic map.
I traced my finger along the route I had set out to the outlands. I would have to pass through a security gate, but It wouldn't be a problem as long as I had enough money to bribe the security guard.
Don't get me wrong, most of what's left of the human government isn't corrupt or anything, but the people who've spent most of their lives out in the outlands are a different story.
A blinking button on the counsel caught my attention.
I pressed it, bringing up a new hologram. "A Teludav spacecraft..." I muttered.
The Teludav were a race of humanoid aliens, with whom we humans shared most planets. They were peaceful, but nevertheless, a lone cargo ship, most likely without a lot of firepower, could be tempting to any Teludav.
I slipped my headset over my ears and positioned the mic in front of my mouth.
An alert blipped in the corner of my screen. They were hailing me.

New Characters

A new story means new characters, so you can find a list of the main characters in Characters.
I've moved all the 'Ashelyn' characters into Archives, along with the Ironhollow characters, so you can go and look at those if you want a trip down memory lane. *sniff*

Deimos Rising 2

The officer checked his clipboard. He scanned it for my name without success.
"Uh, miss Titan...you're not on the cargo shipment list. If you'll excuse me, I have some other carriers to load up." He walked off.
I knew very well I wasn't on that list. I was here to meet a friend of mine.
I walked off down the loading dock, passing dozens of cargo ships that were being loaded for trade routes.
I spotted my friend leaning against a huge pile of crates. I ran towards him.
"What's up, Titan?" He asked.
"Nothing you'd find interesting, Chas. What'd you get for me to, uh, 'transport' this time?" I asked.
My friend smiled, lowering his voice and pulling his hat down over his head to shadow his face. "Supplies. Food. Water. For my good friends in the Outlands." he said with a grin.
"The Outlands?" I asked, "You've gotta be kidding me."
Chas shrugged. "Oh, and here I thought I was makin' a deal with Valeri Titan, best smuggler on this side of the Anteus system! Besides, I'd deliver them myself, but I'm not exactly the authorities favorite guy these days."
I sighed. "Fine. Who's getting the supplies? No way can all these crates feed the entire Outlands."

Chas handed me a clipboard. "The crates are distributed through Colonies 260 to 280."
"And whats the payoff?" I asked.
"All I'm gonna say is that those Outland 'citizens', are in a real bind for supplies. Basically name your price!" Chas said.


I loaded the crates onto a hover cart, and I steered them down to my ship.
Once I loaded the crates into my cargo bay, I returned to my cockpit and cranked up some old Earth music.
"This is Cargo ship Eighty Five B, the Kaiser, un-docking." I spoke into my mic.
I put on the autopilot, all the way to the Outlands.

Deimos Rising 1

I swung my legs up onto the counsel, my chunky headset slipping off my ears and onto my shoulders.
Leaning back in my cracked leather chair and gazing out my starboard window at the space station, I lifted the mic of the headset up to my mouth.
"Control, this is cargo ship Eighty Five B. Requesting permission to dock." I said.
A series of alien clicks responded. I waited, pushing my white-blond hair out of my face. They assumed I was an alien, seeing as their are millions of them, and not many humans left, thanks to the Katigur.
A human voice repeated. "Permission granted. Dock at port 124 to receive your next cargo shipment."
I shoved a lever, switching the ship onto the automatic docking systems.
As soon as we docked, I locked the docking clamps and rose from my seat.
I pulled my chunky leather overcoat on over my black tunic dress, and I walking confidently down my dented hall down the outer port.
I swung open the port door and stepped out onto the cold docking station of Cargo Station 6.
An officer came up to meet me, clipboard in hand.
"Name?" He asked.
"Titan comma Veleriana."  I hated my name. Valeriana. It was way too girly, totally not my style. Thats why I usually went with just Valeri.

Yay!

And here starts...Deimos Rising!

Pretty soon!

The new story will be coming out any day now, so here's what it's about:
(It's set in the future,  by the way, so everybody has spaceships and stuff!)
An alien species called the Katigur started world war 3 with the human race, and in the fight, the Katigur launch a particle bomb into Earth's core, destroying the planet. The human race is scattered across galaxies in colonies on new planets and caravans of cargo ships and stuff.
So the story takes place forty/fifty years after the war, and it's centered around multiple people:

Veleri Titan- smuggler, self-proclaimed orphan (parents are important political figures, and she doesn't want anything to do with them.)

Marshal Kavanagh-  lives in a colony, specializes in Alien languages and negotiation.

Rebecca Royce-  skilled engineer, a stowaway on Valeri Titan's cargo ship, the Kaiser. 

Tanner Hayze-  weapons and munitions expert, hot-headed, good with a particle blaster.

The title of this new story is Deimos Rising, but I'm just gonna shorten it to D R when I'm referring to it on the blog.

No More Ashelyn

It's sad but true! Now, if anyone has any input about the next story, don't be shy! Feel free to make any suggestion in the comment section.

And...Coming Soon, Fall 2014, 'Vanessa'! 
It'll be the new 'Ashelyn'! It'll be from Vanessa's viewpoint, and it'll take place in NY, duh!

Ashelyn 36

As we whirred over the small lake (previously the moor), I stared at the green roof rising out of the floodwater.
Turning to the rescue officer who sat in the back of the large helicopter with us, I asked, "Will we ever be able to move back into our house?"
The rescue officer looked doubtful. "There'll be extreme amounts of water damage to the inside and outside. I doubt you'll want to move back in there, pretty much ever."
I sighed quietly.
My mum turned to the Carsons. "Where will you stay? Your house is as damaged as ours."
"We have relatives in England, so don't worry about us. What about you? None of your relations live in the UK."
My aunt Maggie interrupted the exchange. "Well, of course you will be coming to live with us in New York! It would be wonderful to have you! Anyway, it's your only option!"
My mum and dad accepted the invitation, of course. I didn't know whether or not I was happy or not.
Ella looked confused. "Are we gonna live in America?"
"I...guess so."


Five days later at Heathrow Airport in London, we waited to board the plane that would take us from our home and take us to the land of loud music, fried chicken and cowboys. And I can't believe we were doing it willingly.
The Carsons had come down from the countryside to say 'bye.
I hugged Maya tightly. "Don't go making a new best friend." She said with a sad chuckle.
I sniffed. With a smile, I said, "Never."

On the plane, I got a window seat next to my dad, and I watched as we ran the runway and took off.
A voice crackled over the plane-wide intercom-thingy.
"You are now free to move about the cabin. Enjoy our non-stop flight to New York City."

Soon...

Pretty soon (by 'soon' I mean in like ONE post!) 'Ashelyn will be over and it'll be time to start a new story!
Except...I'm going to take a little hiatus from blogging. As soon as 'Ashelyn' is over, i'll take a little break, just a few days, to gather inspiration and research for my next story!

Ashelyn 35

I watched as smoke rose from the wet wood fire my uncle had built.
The black smoke rose high and thick into the gray dawn sky, and ashes fell down to the earth silently.
The rain had stopped falling perhaps ten minutes ago, and the muddy floodwater had thankfully stopped rising.
Rising from my seat on a pile of scraggly blankets, I gazed out over the edge of the heavily forested mountain, staring at our barely visible roof a few miles away across the unrecognizable moor, which was now swamped in at least ten(plus) feet deep in water.
My little sister Ella came and stood beside me, staring at the moors and forests. "When are we going home?" she sighed, her lower lip starting to quiver, a warning sign of the imminent flood of tears that were bound to come.
I sighed. "I don't know, Ella. I..." I was interrupted by the sound of helicopter blades whirring.
I looked up. A brightly colored helicopter was hovering above the mountain.
"Look! There's a rescue 'copter!" i screamed, jumping and waving my arms in the air.
Everyone looked up from their meager meal of cold canned food to see the orange helicopter in the air.
Throwing aside their cans of food, they stood and waved their arms wildly at the helicopter, as if they hadn't already seen the column of smoke rising from our little camp, and me, jumping up and down and screaming to them.
A voice magnified by a bullhorn shouted down to us.
"Stay still, we'll lower a ladder! Rescue is imminent!"

Ashelyn 34

We set up our fold up tents, laying tarps across across their steepled roofs.
Inside, we huddled together for warmth.
"We're like penguins." My little sister Ella said.
"Er, what?" My dad asked.
"Penguins. They smush together so they don't get cold." She said with a small smile.
I laughed. "That's right!" I smiled, probably for the first time in twenty-four hours.
Uncle Artie entered, the tent, zipping up the entrance hurriedly as soon as he was in.
"Water had stopped rising, and the rain is letting up. They'll be sending out rescue helicopters by morning." He announced.
"Actually, Uncle Artie, it's already morning. Probably around four thirty AM, by now." I said.
He chuckled wearily.  "I guess so. Anyway, we should light a fire soon, so the rescue helicopters will know where we are. With all this wet wood, it'll get pretty smoke real soon. As soon as I get the flame going, that is."

Guess What...

Exciting news: I've started another blog!
It's not a story blog like Wordsmith, it's about Writing, Art, and maybe a little humor (emphasis on maybe).
Here's the link:
artsandwritingstuff.blogspot.com

Ashelyn 33

We stumbled across the moor in a ragged line, the youngest of the boys in the middle with Maya's mum and mine.
Aunt Maggie carried a torch (flashlight, for all you Americans!), and she led us across the moor.
The tall wet grass stung my hands as I walked past, but I didn't complain. This was hardly the time for complaints.
Finally, we reached the base of the mountain, and immediately we started hiking upwards.
Finding footholds was simple, but holding on to the slippery grass or using a root to help myself up was much harder in the pouring rain.
"Come on! We need to reach the top soon!" I heard my dad call out from a few feet away. A few feet below me I could hear Maya's brothers, and beside me, Vanessa was gripping a low hanging pine tree branch to pull her self onto the next ledge.
After perhaps a half hour of struggling up the side of the wooded mountain, I heard a whoop of excitement from one of Maya's brothers.
"We're close to the top! I can see were it flattens out!"
"Thank goodness." I muttered, hiking with renewed vigor.
Soon we were all clustered at the top of the mountain.
Turning to look back across the moors, I gasped.
The loch had broken its banks and even more water had rushed out. I could barely see our house, as the muddy water rose around it.

It's Back!

Well, after about a week long hiatus, 'Ashelyn' is back! I'll try to post every morning, although they might come out a little later In the morning, around 9:00 / 10:00.
Although it's never fun for something to end, 'Ashelyn' with be reaching its endpoint pretty soon, but don't worry, it'll have an awesome ending!

Ashelyn 32

Maya, Vanessa and I were sent into the kitchen with a few backpacks, where we packed two out of four of them with packaged and canned foods.
The other two were filled with blankets and tarps.
Meanwhile, my little sister Ella (who had been asleep for most of the flood crisis) and Maya's brothers were being bundled up by their respective mothers.
"We need to get to the top of that mountain by dawn." Maya's dad said, studying a map, "If there's as much flood water as there seems, it'll flood the valley by the morning."
"Well then, we should get movin'." Aunt Maggie said, hoisting a backpack and shouldering it.
In a few minutes, everyone was bundled up in as much rain gear as possible.
Uncle Artie opened up the door to the poring rain, and we filed out, standing on the porch before stepping out onto the ground, and into the ever rising water.

Ashelyn 31

"We have to make it into town somehow!" My mum exclaimed, "maybe if we get there, we can, I don't know, rent a bus. Then we can drive out-"
My dad interrupted her.  "We can't get out into town, the roads are...gone! We need to get up into higher ground! We should cross the moor and climb the mountain. The water is never going to get that high!"

Unfortunately...

I know you guys won't like this, but have to warn you in advance that I might not do many posts for the next week-
I'll be SUPER busy in the mornings and evening, so I might be able to squeeze in a post or two in the afternoons, but no promises...

Ashelyn 30

By the time I got back with everyone else, Tom was now awake, looking bored as he sat on Maya's lap in front of the fireplace.
"No, too hot." Tom complained, struggling from hit sister's arms.
Just as he as escaped from hit sister, his mum swooped in and picked him up, squeezing him In a hug.
"Oh, thank goodness you're all right!"
"I don't want to interrupt this reunion," my uncle said, "But the water is rising, and it's gonna start crumbling the foundation of the house. We'll be swimming in the house soon enough."

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy Fourth! Although judging by how many foreigners I have reading my blog, I'm not sure how many of you celebrate the Fourth of July!
Sorry for the delay in posts for the last few days, i was busy/majorly sidetracked!
Okay, before i press 'Publish', i'll put up this link to a friend of mine's blogs, in case you want something else to read while you wait for me to post another 'Ashelyn'!!  :)
writerinthewest.blogspot.com/

ladykathrynsbook.blogspot.com/


(yeah, she has two blogs. I can barely keep up!!)

Ashelyn 29

I struggled out through the rain. The water on the moor was not as deep as near the shore, where it rose all the way to my waist, but it did make it up to a few inches below my knee, flooding my wellingtons and soaking my pajama pants, which i had still not changed out of.
I saw dim flashlight beams ahead of me, and I quickened my stride, the muddy flood water sloshed around my knees.
My mum saw me coming, and she rushed over.
"Oh, sweetie! What are you doing out here?" she exclaimed.
"Mum, we found Tom! He fell in the lock, but he's safe at home now. Come on!"
My mum and the other adults followed me back to the house.

Ashelyn 28

Maya, Vanessa and I struggled to make it through the swiftly moving water.

Since we had previously come through, the water was no longer at our shins, now it was all the way up to our waists. 

Maya carried a semi-conscious Tom, looking worried for her toddler brother. "He's going to get hypothermia if we don't get him inside soon!" She said, blinking hard, either against the heavy rain or tears. 

Finally, the house came into sight through the sheets of rain, and we pushed harder through the water.
 Climbing up the wet steps to the porch, I threw open the front door.
We rushed inside.
"Vanessa, can you go boil some water?" I asked her.
"But you have an electric kettle, and the powers out!" She said.
"Use the stove! Maya, I'm going it get a fire started in the hearth. Here. Wrap Tom up in this blanket!"
I threw wood in the fireplace, lighting some some newspaper and tossing it in.
In a few minutes, I'd gotten a small, yet hot, fire going.
"How's Tom?" Vanessa asked, coming in with a few water bottles she had filled with boiling water.
"He's getting warmer, and he's not unconscious any more, he's just sleeping."
"I'm going out to tell everyone else that we found him!" I said, slipping in Wellington rain boots and pulling on a slippery wind breaker.

Ashelyn 27

"Tom!" Maya screamed.
Suddenly, a rustling in row bushes behind us made us jump. Vanessa had followed sum and was now staring in confusion at the rippling water.
"Maya's brother, he fell in!" I gasped.
Without another word, Vanessa jumped into the water.
I gasped. I knew that unless Vanessa came up soon with Tom, the cold night take the little boy, if not the water.
For about fifteen seconds, we waited.  But it seemed like hours.
Finally, a gasping Vanessa rose abruptly out of the waves, Tom draped limply over her shoulder.
We rushed over, as Vanessa put Tom down on the shore.
He lay there, motionless.
Suddenly, he gasped.
He was alive, but we weren't out of trouble yet.

Ashelyn 26

We threw open the front door, staring out at the chaos. What had once been our lawn was now a shallow pond, and the road was a mutilated stretch of mud.
"Oh my gosh!" Maya exclaimed, "My house! Look, it's sunken a few feet into the ground. It's a good thing we left."
We splashed through the watery swamp land, formerly my lawn, and raced across the former road to the shore.
"The water is so high!" I marveled, staring at the loch.
"Come one, we have to find Tom!" Maya said.
Overhead, thunder boomed and lightning struck somewhere on the horizon.
As soon as we reached the old ruins of the cottage, I glimpsed a small figure standing near the loch, gazing at the rapidly rising waters.
"Tom!" Maya shouted.
Her little brother turned to us, but his face was suddenly a look of alarm as the mud he was standing suddenly slid.
Maya screamed as her little brother tumbled in the loch.

Ashelyn 25

I woke up to Maya poking me in the arm, looking distressed.
"What's...what's up?" I yawned.
"It's Tom! He got out of the house, somehow, now he's out on the moors!" Maya exclaimed.
Tom was Maya's two year old brother, and was rather known for getting into as much trouble as he possibly could at the absolute worst time.
"Come on, everybody else is already out there!"
"Wait, if everyone else is out on the moors, we should check out in the front, he might be there. Do you have any idea where he would even go?" I asked.
Maya's eyes widened. "Um, well earlier he really wanted to go and see the ruins of the old cottage. Maybe he's there!" She said.
I nodded. "Let's get going!"

Ashelyn 24

At eleven thirty that night, most of the house'a inhabitants were still sitting in the living room. Maya's little brothers were asleep, all of them huddled on the guest bed upstairs.
My dad was in the he corner, fiddling with the old radio we kept atop a bookshelf.
Finally, it crackled to life. "I've got a signal!" He announced.
Everyone rushed over to him, gathering around the radio.
Once the static cleared, a prerecorded voice said: "A flash flood warning has been issued for..." Several cities were listed off, including our own. The messege continued: "Move to higher ground if rapidly rising water is seen or heard. Low lying areas should be avoided..."
The adults gazed around at each other.
"Well, off to bed!" My mum announced, attempting to add a cheerful note to her voice, "Maya, I'll bring up a sleeping bag and some pillows for you in a moment."

Ashelyn 23

My mum rushed in, saw the dripping Carson's and ran to get towels.
Once they were wrapped up in the biggest towel mum could find, they sat and Explained.
"The rain is causing the loch to overflow, and our house is already flooding! Luckily, you're on higher ground." The Carson's explained.
"Well, you can stay here as long as you need too,  don't worry!" My dad said.
Vanessa was looking pale, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin.
"Vanessa, what's wrong?" I asked.
"I...I've never really been in a situation like this. In New York, the worst a storm could do was keep us out of school cause the roads are flooded, but you're always high and dry in your apartment!"

New characters!

Check out the Characters page, which is now featuring Maya's many little brothers!

Ashelyn 22

"I think we should be getting back..." Mr. Carson (Maya's dad) said, peering out the window at the storm.
"Alright. Goodness, I hope this storm lets up soon." My mum said.
The Carson's gathered up their children, and made for their home.
"I hope they're all right. After all, their back porch almost hangs out over the loch, and their house is only one story."

My dad went into the kitchen to wash up the dishes, and my mum tidied up the living room, my aunt Maggie helping her.
My uncle was upstairs, and Vanessa was on her sleek white smartphone. Suddenly, the lights flickered off, and Vanessa gasped.
"Power outage." My mum realized.
"Because of the storm? Wow, I didn't realize it was so powerful." Aunt Maggie said.
My dad came out of the kitchen. "I need help in the kitchen! We need to fill up as many pots and pans with water as we can!"
Me, mum, and aunt Maggie rushed into the dark kitchen.
Vanessa trudged after. "Why do we need to fill up on water?" She asked.
"With a storm like this, I wouldn't be at all surprises if it's damaging the plumbing. It won't be long before we run out of water from the taps." My dad explained.
Vanessa gulped. "I'll go fill up the bathtub upstairs." She rushed away.
A loud pounding at the front door made me jump. I opened the door to find the Carson's dripping wet, standing on our porch.

Additions!

A really good friend of mine just contacted me with an awesome addition to the story: combining the flood option with the storm, there's going to be really awesome posts in the following days. By awesome I mean, chaos, excitement, etc!
By the way, you should check out my friend's blog: katietauthor.blogspot.com
You should really check it out, it's a great story blog!

Ashelyn 21

We were all still sitting outside, chatting, when the first drop of rain splashed down on my hand.
More droplets came raining down, rushing us inside.
"Well, I suppose we Carson's should be getting home." Maya's mum said.
My mum shook her head. "Oh, won't you at least stay for desert?"
The Carson's agreed, and we found ourselves chatting and laughing in the living room.
Outside, the rain pounded down, and wind swept across the loch, stirring up large waves, which crashed against the land, bringing down weak chunks of the bank.
The rain continued on for hours, and didn't stop. Twenty minutes after the rain started, the dirt road was a mutilated stretch of mud.

Votes

Well, it seems I'll be referring to my own opinion: 'A. a big storm, causing lots of chaos, maybe some fire.'
So get ready to receive an awesome Ashelyn post!!!

Hmmm.....

I've been thinking: the story needs more excitement, so I'm going to add some stuff. But I'm not sure on I what to add...
So here are some options-

A. A big storm, causing lots of chaos, maybe some fire.
B.  a flood, coming up from the loch that they live right next too, obvious chaos.
C.  A storm, but instead of taking shelter they try to outrun it with their car. Yeah, all three families shoved into some bus/car. Maybe not...

Just vote in the comment section, and if I receive no votes, I'll revert my own personal opinions. :)
Oh by the way, I can't put in the next post until I know which disaster to put in, so you'll have to wait a bit for it!

Ashelyn 20

At dinner, I sat with Maya on one side of me and Vanessa on the other, so it was kind of awkward, trying to talk to each of them. I felt like I had a responsibility to talk to Vanessa, cause she's a guest and my cousin, but Maya is my best friend....ugh.
And Maya's little brothers were surprisingly well behaved. Well, as well behaved as little boys can be, I guess.
After dinner, we sat out on the porch, the boys running around the grass (chasing fireflies?), and the adults talking about boring adult things. Politics, maybe?
"So, how long have you known Ashelyn?"  Vanessa asked Maya.
"Since we were...three, I think." she said.
"Two, actually!" I corrected, smiling.
"That's nice," Vanessa said, I honestly couldn't tell if she was being sincere or not.
"So, what about you? Who's your best friend back in the states?" I asked.
"Kealyn Green. We go to the same school, obviously, but we've known each other longer, since she only lives a few blocks away."

Ashelyn 19

The next morning, Maya and I took Vanessa into town, where we saw a movie got some ice-cream, and basically had a great time.
Vanessa was obviously surprised by the wide selection of entertainment, and she did admit that some of the shops (although they didn't measure up to New York) did slightly appeal to her tastes.
Maya was surprised by Vanessa's change in behavior since they had last seen each other, and she seemed slightly skeptical of my cousin.
When we got home, I found that my mum had invited Maya's whole family over, including her five little brothers. Sounds lovely.

Oops!

You'll probably hate me for this, but no post today! Stuff came up, now I'm too tired for a late entry!

Ashelyn 18

That night, I sat on my bed, reading.
Vanessa was lounging on her cot, perusing a magazine. "So...sorry I kinda 'insulted' your town earlier, I guess I don't really know what it's even like yet anyway. Maybe we could go out there tomorrow, with your friend, Maya." Vanessa sighed.
I smiled. "Sure. We can show you the shops. It may Not be  a glamorous as New York, but it can be pretty fun."

"G'night Ashelyn."
"Goodnight Vanessa."

:(

Sorry for no post yesterday, the website was acting up!
Just as an FYI, there will be no Sunday post. I won't have time to post in the morning, and my afternoon and evening is pretty much booked!

Ashelyn 17

"It seems like there's a lot more things to do in New York than there are here..." Vanessa sniffed.
Maya glared at my cousin. "Oh yeah? Have you even been out of this house since you got here?"
Vanessa stood. "Excuse me. No doubt I can find something better to do than sit here and talk it you two." She strutted away.
"Ugh,  Maya, I don't think I can stand another day with her, much less the rest of summer."

Later, Maya went home, and aunt Maggie laid out what she had prepared for dinner.
"Well, I obviously couldn't find all I needed to make this right here in kitchen, so I had Anne here take me to that store in town- Morrison's, wasn't it. Well, anyway, here it is- fried chicken, baked beans, and cheesy casserole!"
"Wow, this certainly...isn't what we're used to!" My dad said, staring down at the meal.
"Poor chicken!" My little sister Ella said, looking like she might decide to cry, which she likes to do in front of newcomers.
"Ella, we eat fish that dad has caught all the time, this isn't that different!" I said.
"Oh. Okay!" She said, taking a big bite of the fried chicken.

Ashelyn 16

I invited Maya over for a few hours to meet Vanessa, and the results were...interesting.
"Hi. Vanessa, right? I'm Maya." May said with a smile.
"Mmm hmm? Yeah, I'm Vanessa. So, what kind of things do you guys do for fun around here." She said, with a look on her face as if our answer would make her laugh.
"Well, we go around town, go to the movies, shop a little...a lot of stuff. What about you? What do you do in America?"
"Well, we live in New York, so there are a lot of fun things to do around there."

Ashelyn 15

Vanessa slept in until noon, as did aunt Maggie. Uncle Artie only slept in 'till ten thirty, which was an accomplishment compared to his female family members.
Maya and I went out with our dads on Maya's dad's bigger boat. The two actual fishermen caught plenty, Maya and I, however, were out of luck when it came to reeling in fish. Unless you call one tiny minnow 'lucky'.
When we got home, aunt Maggie had gotten mum to let her make an American dish, so my mum was sitting in the living room, catching up with uncle Artie.
Vanessa was sitting next to her dad on the couch, a smartphone in her hands.

Ashelyn 14

"Artie, Maggie!" My mum shouted. My aunt and uncle looked over in our direction. My mum waved excitedly.
My mum ran happily over to her brother, giving him a big hug, followed my a hug for my aunt Maggie.
 Vanessa stood with a hand on her hip, looking over at us. I took Ella's hand and walked over.
"Hi, Vanessa. Um, welcome to Scotland." I said.
"Right, yeah. So...it's been a while, huh?" She said, looking bored.
"I guess you could call twelve years a while." I said. My dad came over and picked up a giggling Ella, and said to us, "Come on girls, we should be getting all of you back to the house. Vanessa, you're probably tired."

When we got back to the house, Aunt Maggie and Uncle Artie got the guest room, and Vanessa got a a newly purchased cot. Which was placed in my room.
Vanessa and I would be roommates for the rest of the summer.

Ashelyn 13

My dad was the first to notice them when they came out. He pointed, and mum hoisted Ella up onto her shoulders to wave.
"Hey mum," I asked, "how come their last name is Parker? Wouldn't it be Boyd?"
"Well, your aunt Maggie wanted to keep her maiden name, and my brother wanted there to be one family name, even if it wasn't his, so he changed his last name to Parker."

I caught sight of Vanessa before she saw us. She had sleek, straight shoulder length blond hair, and blue eyes. She wore a T-shirt with a big old American flag on it.

Ashelyn 12

Early The next morning, we borrowed Maya's family's big van, picked up my little sister Ella from her summer preschool, and then drove down to the nearest airport to pick up the Parkers.
We didn't have to wait long, but when we first arrived we sat on the plastic black seats overlooking the terminal they were due to be arriving from.
Ella sat in my mum' lap, nearly asleep, and dad's eye were drooping as he sipped coffee.
I appeared to be the only one not falling asleep. I was texting Maya on my mum's phone:

Me: bored, waiting for Relatives to come out of customs.
Maya: pretty slow here too, at least I'm not in a stuffy airport. When will I get to meet your cousin?
Me: probably on the second day their here, once their jet lag has worn off. Got to go, people starting to come out of terminal!

I held up our sign that said Parker, waiting.

Ashelyn 11

That night, I sat on the rocks overlooking the sea, breathing in the foamy spray,  and relishing in the cool breeze that pushed my hair back from my face.
The sun was setting late, as it does in Scotland. It was already nine forty at night, and the last few golden rays were still spilling over the mountains, and lighting up the water.  Better than any fireworks display.

"Ashelyn! Time to come in! We wouldn't want to lose you to those sharp rocks!" My dad called from the house.
"Okay dad! I'll come in, in a few minutes!" I called back. I stood and walked a short distance down the road to the ruins of an old stone cottage on the shore. Maya and I liked to have picnics there, among the ivy and the crumbling stone columns.
Walking back to the house, I saw Maya on her tree swing, reading a book.
"G'Night, Maya!" I called.

Ashelyn 10

That night, I sat on my bed and and looked over a few pictures of my cousin Vanessa. A letter I found from my uncle to my mum mentioned how 'Vanessa is the image of her mother- blonde hair, and big American blue eyes!'.
Another letter recounted how well Vanessa and I got along when we were babies, and I wondered if we would get along this time too.
My mum called from the hall, "Good night sweetie! Remember, my brother and his family are coming in two days!"

The next morning I escaped my mum's tornado of house-tidying by going out with Maya and my dad on his fishing boat, where we did our best to catch as many fish as possible, which turned out to be three tiny ones between Me and Maya.
My dad, however, had more luck, reeling in tons of salmon.

After a lunch of (surprise, surprise) salmon, mum forced me and dad to participate in house cleaning.
I dusted, vacuumed, swept, polished and scrubbed my heart out before two in the afternoon.

Ashelyn 9

After fish and chips, our parents brought Maya and Me to an ice cream shop, and we all sat on the shore and talked.







Sorry for extremely short post!! I'm going to do a longer one later!!

Ashelyn 8

My family and I went out with Maya and her family for fish and chips out in the town. 

Maya and I sat together, listening to our parents talk about fishing and stuff. Finally, the conversation turned to my relatives. 

"Oh, the last time I saw my brother and his wife was...oh, years ago!" My mum exclaimed. 

"How did he end up in the states anyway?" Maya's dad asked. 

"We moved there with our parents when we were young teens, and when we moved back here a few years later, he stayed back with our aunt and uncle, for a sports scholarship in American football." 

Ashelyn 7

I went back over to Maya's house to tell her the news.
"Really? Have you ever met them before?" Maya asked when I told her.
"Not really. When I was a baby they came and visited, but I don't remember them, obviously. I've only seen pictures really." I sighed, absently pulling my hair back in a messy bun.
"What about your cousins?" Maya asked.
"I've only got one- Vanessa. She's very....American." I said with a weak chuckle.

Ashelyn 6

"They're coming? You mean, here? In Scotland?" I gasped.
My mum smiled and nodded,  my dad did the same.
I went up to my room, which overlooked the mountains and nearby town.
Great, my relatives are coming. The ones who like American football and loud music and 'cheeseburgers'. Ugh, give me haggis any day! I thought, plopping down on my bed.

Ashelyn 5

Maya and I rode back down the road to our street, our few purchases stowed in our backpacks.
As we rode, we chatted and laughed, and when I saw that my family's car was gone and that my mum had left a note on our door saying "Your dad and I have gone out to the store and the post office, I've asked Maya's mum if you can stay with them until we get back!", so I hung out with Maya for the rest of the afternoon.
When my parents got home, they were laden down with shopping bags, and in my mum's hand was a brown envelope.
I said bye to Maya and walked back over to my house, pushing my bike along next to me.
When I got in, mum and dad were sitting in the living room talking.
"Oh, hi hon. Fun time at Maya's?" My mum said.
I nodded. "Yep! Hey, is that letter from America?" I asked.
"Yes, it from your aunt and uncle. Guess what, they're coming to visit for the summer, your cousin too!"

Ashelyn 4

Maya and I rode our bikes into town on the small roads, a cliff dropping to a loch on one side, and a steep rocky green hill.
Town was a few miles away, and it didn't take long to get there.
We parked our bikes and headed down the high street (the street with shops lined along it. A lot of towns have one, or multiples.).
We walked down the street, colourful clothes and scarves catching our eyes in shopfront windows.
After an hour perusing hrs high street shops, I had found and bought a scarf and a pair of sunglasses (not like I'll use them much in cloudy Scotland), and Maya bought a fedora hat and a purse.

Ashelyn 3

I scrambled up the rock to Maya.
"Summer, finally!" We said simultaneously.
"Okay, first day of not-school, what should we do?" Maya asked.
"We should go into town, and visit the shops!" I said, Maya heartily agreed.
"I'll go tell my mum we're going out!" Maya said, and I did the same, running back towards my house.
"Mum, can Maya and I go into town, and visit the shops?" I asked.
My mum, who was packing a lunch for dad when he went out fishing. "I suppose so, just as long as you get back by lunch!" She said.
"Ok, thanks mum!"

New page

I'm putting up an Archive page for all the characters and info for previous stories, so I'll have more space for the new story's characters and info and stuff.
*sniff* Still sad that Ironhollow is gone....

Ashelyn 2

I pulled on jeans and t-shirt, grabbing tennis shoes on my way out of my room.
We were maybe thirty feet from the sea in our little cottage. And in case you're thinking about a beach, maybe with a nice big stretch of sand, you'd be wrong.
The water is cold and dark, and the closest thing to a stretch of sand is the shore, which is blanket of pebbles and broken shells and rock stretching down to the water.
I dropped my shoes a few feet from the water, pulling off my socks, and stepping ankle deep into the water. It was cold, as it usually was, but I didn't mind.
Leaning down, I picked up a stone perfect for skipping across the water. Before I could spin it, I heard someone calling down me from the small cliff overlooking the shore.
Looking up, I saw my best friend Maya waving.
"Hi Maya!"

Ashelyn 1

My name is Ashelyn Boyd. I live in Scotland. My dad, Eddie Boyd,  is a fisherman, and my mum, Anna Boyd, works in our local grocery store. I have a little sister, Ella, who is the sweetest little thing in the world.
It's summer, and school is finally out, thank goodness!
My best friend Maya Carson, lives down the road from my family's cottage, where she has five little brothers. Her dad's also a fisherman, and basically my dad's best friend.
And let me tell you, this summer will be the most extraordinary summer. Ever.

My alarm clock beeped loudly, waking me from a deep sleep.
I reached over and slapped the snooze button. I fell out of bed, thinking of the coming school day. Then i remembered. Last Friday had been the last day of school.
Relieved, I turned off my alarm clock for good, and walked down the hall to our kitchen.
It was small, with simple white counter-tops, a wooden dining table in the corner, and an oven, a small fridge and a sink, no dishwasher.

The end of Ironhollow

*sniff* well, Ironhollow has ended, and now it's time for a brand new story: Ashelyn Boyd, a Scottish girl, who lives (duh) in Scotland, with her dad and her mum, and something exciting happens, something that I haven't actually planned out...
Anyway: here end the story of two Orphans, two Criminals, two Royals and a corrupt King.

Epilogue

Prescott was taken back to catacombs, and was sat down in a wooden chair in a cell. 

 

Outside the door stood Warren, Arden, Victoria, Eden, Poppy and Paisley. Arden leaned over and hugged Warren. 

"Thanks for...well, tackling your father." She said with a smile. 

"No problem, it was actually kind of fun!" He replied, smiling back at her.

"So what happens now?" Eden wondered. 

Victoria stepped up. "Poppy and I are going to stay here, and join the rebels officially. What about you Arden? What are you and Paisley going to do?" 

"I don't know, we might go to Pinecliff and see if they elect a new ruler, the we'll probably go home to Westerdale. Warren, what are you-" 

Warren was not there. They caught a glimpse of him heading down to the prison area. 

Prescott sat in his cell in silence. He noticed his children in the shadows by the door. 

"I suppose you're here to boast your victory." He said simply. 

Warren stepped forward, staring down at his father. 

"I am only going to ask this once, where  is  my  Mother?" 

Ironhollow 70

Earysta led the smaller group of rebels through a side street and down ally ways. Among them were Arden and Warren, and as they crept along towards the enemy, Warren suddenly stumbled. Arden quickly helped him to his feet,  and she draped his arm around her shoulder for support as he struggled along.

"Arden, I.. I can't do this." Warren said. 

Arden helped him stumble to the side of the line of marching soldiers. "Warren, what's wrong?" She asked.

"I can't fight my father like this." He said, his face pale. 

"Well you certainly can't join him!" Arden whispered. 

"I know, I just...I know he's a corrupt tyrant who doesn't really care about his country, nevertheless, he raised me and Eden. I can't just go in there and..." 

"I get it, I...maybe you should just sit it out then. Go back to the senate building. If you really know that you can't do this than you shouldn't try to." 

Warren nodded. "Go. You should still join the battle, just...be really careful, okay?" He said, struggling to his feet. 

Arden smiled grimly. "Yeah, I'll try. See you back at the senate." 

Arden rejoined Earysta and her team moments before they set off the first war cannon.

When they did set it off, a heavy net spread over a dozen soldiers or more. 

More war cannons were set off, and Earysta let out a battle cry. They rushed headlong into the battle, fighting for their lives. And freedom. 

Amazingly, the battle didn't last long, but it still took a toll on Arden. Bruises and cuts now decorated her arms, and blood dripped into her eyes from a cut on her forehead. 

"Rebels, remember the plan! Split their army in two!" Someone yelled. 

Arden caught sight of Poppy helping a limping Paisley out of the battle and into an alley.

Victoria was dueling with a skilled soldier, and Arden came up behind him and kicked him. He fell to the ground, and Victoria shot Arden a grateful smile, before stepping away into the battle.

"We have him! Prescott is running!" 

"Someone tackle him!" 

Voices rose in the air, and Arden caught a glance of Prescott running for dear life away from the battle. 

Arden sprinted with all her might towards him.
At five feet away from him, she wiped the blood off her face, and as she did so she tripped and fell

hard.
"That's it. Now Prescott gets away." Arden thought miserably. She didn't dare look up to undoubtedly see Prescott getting away.
Suddenly, the sound of someone falling to the ground surprised Arden.
She looked up.
Warren had stayed. He had tackled Prescott, and now he stood over his father, staring down furiously at the man by his feet.
"Sorry, Dad, but you won't be getting away so easily." 

Ironhollow 69

Poppy dressed in tough leather armor, and pulled her wavy red hair under a helmet. The rest of the rebels were doing similarly.
Straightening her armor, she hefted a short steel dagger, and tucked a small revolver pistol into her belt, although she would most likely only fight hand to hand.
 She was a military Initiate. She had trained for this kind of thing for years. And yet she was nervous.
Paisley stepped up to her. "Are you ready?" She asked Poppy.
"Uh huh." Poppy lied, "What about you?"
"No." Paisley said, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, me neither." Poppy said with a weak smile.
"I don't know how Warren or Eden will handle it if we succeed and we do capture Prescott. I mean, he is their father. Sure, he's the worst father ever and he's waging war against them, but he's still their father." Paisley said, glancing at Eden. She had not dressed in armor- she was only ten and was not going into battle, her brother had insisted upon it.

A few minutes later Paisley and Poppy met up with the rest of the rebels going into battle, including Victoria and Arden and Warren. The count of the rebels came to about two hundred and fifty which was surprising. But could they hold up under the pressure of Prescott's army.
Camdun Bateson stepped forward. "Rebels! Today we march into battle, to be liberated from the tyranny of Prescott's rule. You all know the plan, and we may hope It will succeed. But all the hope in the world won't get us through this if we don't try hard. So fight well, and may many of you live to see the dawn."

The rebels marched out of the catacombs, and walked through the senate building, until they were marching beneath a sky dark with rain clouds. "Should we be wary of locals?" Someone asked Earysta. "No need, they were evacuated sometime yesterday." She answered.

Ironhollow 68

 Paisley and Poppy raced to the senate building.
They raced down the corridor, searching around until they found the entrance to the catacombs, a hidden door behind a wardrobe in a guest room in the east wing.
They found Warren, Arden, Eden and Victoria conversing with the big red-headed man with the beard who had thrown them in prison when they had visited the Lower Levels, Camdun Bateson.
In the corner stood Goldie Harris. She did not look at Victoria or Poppy, and she carefully kept silent.
"I'm glad you have finally come to your senses!" the big man boomed.
Warren was sitting looking shaken on a chair. Arden smiled at the big man. "So we have a deal?" She asked hopefully.
"Aye, I believe we do!" Camdun answered, enthusiastically shaking Arden's hand.
"Brilliant, so now we have to devise a plan..." Arden said, her enthusiasm fading.
"I am no master of strategizing, but my dear daughter is! Earysta!"
Earysta Bateson stepped in the room, her eyes narrowing in suspicion when she saw Warren and Eden.
"Prescott's children... Captives?" She assumed.
"Allies!" Her father boomed.
Earysta curled her lip in disgust. "Ugh, father...what have you gotten us into?"
"Listen Earysta, we need to devise a plan, and we all know that you have a certain talent in it. Come now, for your old father!" Camdun said.
"Ugh, fine. Well, we can't just go marching up the streets and 'attack' that huge army. We need to trick them somehow, so we can get to the only thing that will stop them in their tracks. We need Prescott." Earysta said, her eyes gleaming.
"Um, you mean capture him?" Eden asked nervously.
Earysta nodded. "Oh yes. What we'll do is that a small portion of us will make our way around to their side with the war cannons and -"
"Uh, war cannons?" Victoria asked.
"Yes. They throw out heavy nets that trap the soldiers until we can knock them out. We have many supplies; we've been preparing for this for a long time. Anyway, we'll flank them and blast them with the war cannons, and we'll try to push them aside so we can make our way to Prescott, where we can then bring him back here and hold him hostage, and while we do that the rest of us will come in from the front and distract the rest of the army.  That's the plan.  Let's go."
"Uh, you mean right now?" Poppy asked.
"Right now." Earysta said, smiling.

Ironhollow 67

"Leading them?!" Warren exclaimed, his voice echoing, "But the army is on our side!"
"Oh?" the soldier asked, chuckling, "Are you sure of that?"
"Did you really think you could win over my soldiers so easily? Honestly, son, I am insulted. Do you think my soldier give away their allegiances so blindly?" A man's voice called from the senate chamber. Sir Prescott stepped into the corridor.
"What are you doing, Warren? First my wife, now my children? Will my entire country betray me, when i have done nothing wrong?" Prescott said, feigning innocence.
"You betrayed your own country when you allowed yourself to become corrupt," Warren hissed, "Its as if you stopped bothering to lead your country years ago, and now it is in shambles! Mother knew this, and she took action."
Prescott glared at his son. "You are being foolish, Warren. Join me, live as you once did, have everything you need, and want, just come back with me."
"And pretend this never happened? Leave half of your country in ruins and let the rich be rich while the poor starve? You are the foolish one if you think I would let that happen." Warren said defiantly.
Prescott whispered something to his officer.
"Fine then. I will wipe out this little rebellion, burn the city, and if you refuse to come with me, then you may be wiped out with them." Prescott whispered. He turned and marched out the building, his officers following. They walked out to the waiting army.
Eden and Victoria stared at Warren. Arden gulped. "Warren? We...we should go find the rebels." she whispered.
Warren turned, looking tired.
"Yeah...lets go."

They found the rebels under the building, in catacombs stretching under the city. They looked at them warily, but when Warren told them they were completely and utterly against Prescott, they more or less welcomed them.


Meanwhile, Paisley and Poppy had witnessed the turning of the army, Prescott's speech to his soldiers, and watched as they marched down to the senate.
"This is horrible. The army was never on our side...they betrayed us!" Poppy exclaimed furiously.
"Actually since they were never really on our side anyway, they didn't really betray us." Paisley said reasonably.
Poppy balled her fists. "You know Paisley, you really shouldn't talk to me while I'm in this mood!"

Ironhollow 66

The Inside the senate building was trashed, most likely by rebels.
Shards of broken windows were scattered across the floor, and boot prints covered the dusty floor.
"I think I hear people down that corridor!" Warren said, his voice echoing in the large empty space.
The four of them walked down the corridor. The walls were singed in places, as if people bearing torches had run through.
"They must have stormed the senate building last night." Eden commented, running her hand along the soot blackened wall.
"I guess the rebels will be surprised when we say we're on their side now." Arden murmured to Warren, who looked at her in surprise.
"You've met with the rebels?" He asked.
Arden nodded. "Remember when we first met and I blurted out that we had just eacapes from prison?  Well, we had just gotten out of the Lower Levels prison." Arden said.
Warren sighed. "It's kinda funny how much things have changed, now instead of fighting the rebels, we're with them, and instead of fighting with my father, we're..." He trailed off.
"Now you're against him?" She finished.
He nodded.
Suddenly, just before they reached the end of the corridor, one of the soldier came running up.
"The army is coming towards the senate building! And the king is with them!"
"Have they captured him?" Victoria asked.
The soldier shook his head. "No. He's leading them!"

Ironhollow 65

They marched in silence towards the senate building, the sounds of  battle echoing up the street from the main square.
"What are we going to do once we reach the senate building?" Victoria asked.
"We're going to take the rest of the corrupt politicians into custody, ma'am." One of the soldiers answered.
"And how long would you say the battle will last?" Arden wondered.
"Probably a few hours; we have a lot of soldiers, but Prescott's private guard is extremely well trained, and..." Warren stopped.
"The senate building." A soldier said.
The senate building was a huge gray stone building with a large set of double doors carved with 'Pietas politicos'. 
"What's that inscription on the door?" Eden asked. 
"It says 'Honor and Politics'. I believe it is the motto of the senate." A soldier answered. 
They pushed open the door.

Ironhollow 64

Paisley here,
It's so boring here, waiting for...I don't even know what we're waiting for!
And knowing that soon, Arden Warren, Victoria, and Eden will be storming the senate building doesn't make sitting still and waiting any easier!
I can't wait until all of this is over; we'll no doubt live in Ironhollow, to escape Prescott's rule, perhaps Warren and Eden will stay with us, also to escape the wrath of their father.
I'll never really understand why leaders and politicians can become so corrupt. I guess they get pulled in, and get caught up in their own lives they forget about the people they're supposed to be helping and ruling.
And why Sir Prescott would banish his own wife, I have no idea!

Ironhollow 63

As the army marched, Paisley and Poppy broke off and hid in a small house. They were hiding there to escape the danger of the battle.
"I don't see why we have to hide. I'm a military initiate, after all! I should be out there fighting." Poppy complained.
"We have to be here as a last resort for the soldiers to fall back to; we'll be giving the orders if it comes to that."

Meanwhile, the soldiers were almost ready to swing back and attack the private guard and Prescott.
"We need to swing back now!" Warren said to one of the officers. The officer nodded, and shouted extremely loudly, "Swing Back!!"
The soldiers echoed him, and in one movement, swung around to face Prescott.
"Warren, come one!" Arden shouted. Victoria, Eden, Warren and a group of twenty soldiers followed Arden up in the direction of the senate building.

New Storyline!

It's a sad thought, but Ironhollow can't last forever! So far I'm lost on what the new story should be, so feel free to comment!
This is what i have so far: first person(no more narration!), from the view point of one person, not focusing on too many people! It's going to be set modern-day, less confusing than old-timey!
The only real plot idea is: girl living in Britain with grandmother, not rich at all, but gets some sort of opportunity that sets the story off with a bang! Any ideas???

Ironhollow 62

The army prepared to march into Ironhollow just as the sun rose over Amira's rocky hills.
The soldiers stared as two of the men marched towards the massive door that led to Ironhollow, carrying between them a sack of gunpowder heavier than both of them combined.
They placed the sack and four others against the door, and they ran back towards the rest of the army.
An officer shouted an order, and a soldier stepped forward. He lit a match and threw it. It landed against one of the sacks, and the army backed up. A spark went up, and hit the sack.
It exploded.
Debris rained down and a black cloud of smoke rose as all four sacks of gunpowder went up in flames, exploding with astounding force.
As the smoke cleared, they caught sight of the doors. What was left of the the doors, that is.
The officers led their army through the archway, kicking aside flaming debris as they marched.
Sir Prescott had mounted an old fashioned chariot, and was being escorted by his private guards.
He smiled.

Ironhollow 61

Warren broke the news about Lady Aussa to the four head officers of Prescott's army. Their reactions were clear; one man started gritting his teeth, his hands curling into fists, another started muttering things about Prescott that Warren tried not to hear.
Warren had them relay the information to their troops, and the orders were simple; a half hour after entering the city, they would swing around to meet Sir Prescott's advanced guard and the man himself. A small portion of the army would accompany Warren, Victoria, Arden and Eden into the main senate building for the rest of the corrupt politicians.
Paisley and Poppy stayed behind in one of the houses for a last resort for the soldiers to turn to for orders.

Ironhollow 60

Finally, Sir. Prescott and his troops arrived. His huge army set up a camp of richly colored tents, with the olive green flag of Amira flying atop tall flag poles.
Prescott made his way directly to the map room, with his children trailing behind.
 Staff had brought out a large map of the exterior of Ironhollow for the royal family to study.
Warren spoke with Arden outside the map room, "Warren, we can't let your father's troops march into Ironhollow. Now that we know the rebels are...the good guys, we can't let them be destroyed like that!" Arden hissed.
"I know that, but it'll be impossible! If only the soldiers knew what it's like, then maybe we could get them to turn against him!" Warren exclaimed.
"Yes! But, aside from the fact that his rule his completely biased and prejudice for all people not living like kings, that's not enough for his soldiers to want to overthrow him! We need more..." Arden trailed off thoughtfully.
"Well, we didn't tell you abut this but...do you remember my mother, Lady Aussa Prescott?" Warren asked awkwardly.
"Uh, well i guess I remember her. She was nice whenever she gave speeches and stuff, and when she toured the Amiran countryside, she visited my hometown, Westerdale. But, where is she now?"
"My father found out that she had been encouraging rebellions, and...he exiled her. We don't know where she is now, probably in Norshire or somewhere."
"Warren, I'm so sorry..." Arden whispered, "But I guess we have something in common, kind of...my parents went missing when Paisley and I were little, which I guess is almost better than knowing your dad exiled your mom."
"Yeah, well...anyway, the soldiers and the officers all liked my mother, and no one but dad, Eden and I know that My father vanished her, so I'll bet that they'll be pretty angry at my dad, and it helps up that he doesn't treat his soldiers very well anyway."

Ironhollow 59

"How are you connected to the rebels?" Arden asked warily.
"Our mother...she started them. She knew that the Lower Level in Ironhollow was not the only suffering population. Our father's rule is only benefiting people high up, like politicians or important merchants, people like that. Our mother realized that, and planted the seeds of rebellion in every suffering city she could."
Arden was shocked. "Are... Are you serious?!" 
"Shhh, don't shout it out!" Warren said, glancing around nervously. 
"There's more-" Eden started. "Wait, if you're going to tell me more, than we need to find a better place to talk, anyone could be listening, and none of us would realize we were being watched." Arden said.
"How would you know?" Warren asked.
"Because you didn't realize when I was watching you." Arden said slyly. She walked away downthe corridor 

Ironhollow 58

The next morning, Warren and Eden were even more distant. They didn't speak to Arden or the others, and they spent most of the day in the map room with officer Kahlus, the man in charge if the outpost.
Arden sat on her cot, resigned to the fact that Warren and Eden were changing. Or perhaps just returning to their former styles.
Paisley lounged on her cot, sketching in her notebook.
"You'd better not be drawing me." Arden sighed. Paisley looked up, surprised. She had not spoken to her sister much at all since Arden had run angrily off from the inn in Dustanoff.
"Uh, no. I was just sketching the hills outside, their covered with flowers, and they're really pretty." Paisley replied, slightly hesitant.
"I haven't been out there. Maybe I could take a walk, I could use some fresh air. After all, a person can only stand so much of a military outpost."
Arden stood, and walked out the door. She headed down the hallway to the staff kitchens, were there was a back door that was sure to be less conspicuous than marching out the front gates.
As she turned a corner, she saw Eden and Warren conversing in the hall. They were whispering urgently. Ducking out of sight, she watched.
"Warren, we have to tell them! If they don't know, they wouldn't be prepared if something did happen!" Eden whispered to her brother.
"No. If he found out they knew, then he might punish them, to get to us!"
"Why don't you just call him D-"
A bucket fell somewhere in the kitchens, and the siblings stopped talking. Taking advantage of their distraction, Arden raced out of her hiding place and walked towards them casually, as if she had just come around the corner.
"Excuse me." She said coldly. She had to wait for Eden to move out of the way; she couldn't squeeze past her hoop skirt.
"Arden, wait." Warren said, "look, I'm sorry that Eden and I have been so distant. It's just...we wanted to keep all of you guys safe."
"We have to talk to you about the rebels in Ironhollow," Eden whispered, "And our connection to them."

Ironhollow 57

A soldier showed them to their rooms. Their rooms were small, yet larger than their previous sleeping  arrangements in the Dustanoff Inn. They paired up sibling by sibling again.
At dinner, no one spoke, except for brief conversations with the officers that dined with them.
Warren and Eden wore new clothes that they had received from their father before they boarded the train. They looked exactly how royalty should look, and they acted like it too. They sat up straight constantly, they spoke only to the officers, not the foot soldiers. They spoke of politics with the officers, and Eden had all but taken control of the small staff there in the short hours they'd been there.
And they had not glanced at their friends.

Ironhollow 56

The military outpost turned out to be a medium sized brick building with two tall guard towers maybe a half mile away in opposite directions.
The building's doors were wide open, and a line of ten soldiers were filing out.
"Sir, welcome to Eastbridge, military outpost number forty three. May I ask, what were your father's orders?" Asked a tall military officer.
Warren straightened. "The only orders that he wished conveyed to you was that the troops here should be ready to fight. That is all you need know." Warren answered.
Arden stared at Warren. He seemed to be a completely different person now, far from the funny teenaged guy she happened to bump into one night.
Eden too was looking different. She had a regal look  to her now, as she watched the soldiers salute and march off to train.

Ironhollow 55

An old wagon with an older driver was waiting for them. They climbed on, and the man silently spurred his horses to start moving.
"I'm nervous." Poppy whispered to Paisley.
Paisley smiled. "Well, we are about to storm a city, and if it helps, I'm kind of nervous too."
Eden sat up front with Victoria and the driver. "When do you think your father's army will reach the outpost?" Victoria asked.
"Probably in two days, if he takes a private train for all the troops, but since his army is so big he might have them take a shortcut across the lake to a nearby countryside, where they would most likely march the rest of the way." Eden answered.
Victoria chuckled slightly. "Well, that was an interesting answer!"

Ironhollow 54

In a different compartment, Poppy and Paisley sat beside Eden.
"So, I guess it's pretty sweet, living in a castle?" Paisley asked. She still didn't quite know how to act around Eden anymore. An hour ago, she had been a sweet young girl, now she was a royal sweet little girl. Quite a change.
"Yeah, it is easy, and kind of fun, but I know that when I get older, tilt become way harder, I'll have responsibilities, and since my mother...well, since I'm technically the woman of the house, I'll be handling all the staff, like the maids and the cooks and..." She trailed off, laughing.

Victoria entered Arden and Warren's compartment, where Arden and Warren were still talking and laughing together.
"Hey Victoria, where were you?" Arden asked.
"Checking up on the-" she was interrupted as the train squealed to a stop.
A voice crackled over the train intercom. "We have reached our first stop. We will be pausing here for ten minutes. You may exit via any one of the exterior doors."
Arden and Warren stood, and the three of them each grabbed their bags, which they had stowed under  their seats.
They met up with the younger girls in the dining car, and they left the train.

Ironhollow 53

Warren sat in silence. Across from him, Arden kept glancing up at him, scribbling in a notebook.
Closing her notebook, Arden placed her writing tools down on the leather seat beside her.
"What's it like?" Arden asked.
"What?"
"What's it like to live like royalty?" Arden asked, gazing out the window.
"Well, it's pretty great, I guess. But it's hard sometimes. I mean, I have to act all...'princely' in front of the public and my dad. And, traveling with you and the others has shown me that living like this is far easier than life in a castle." Warren said.
"What about Eden?" Arden asked, "What's it like for her?"
Warren smiled. "Eden thinks it's the best thing in the world, but since she's younger that me she doesn't really have responsibilities. But knowing her, she'll love it when she finally does get responsibilities." He answered.
Arden sighed, a hint of relief in her tone, "Well, I have to admit, when I found out you were kind of a prince, I assumed that you had a super easy life, and that you would never understand what's it's like for us, to live a far from 'easy' life." Arden said.
Warren nodded.
"And thanks for coming to get me today, by the way."
Warren smiled. "We thought you were being interrogated in a prison, not having tea with the king in the royal sitting room!"

Ironhollow 52

Hi, Arden here, 

It's so strange to be on this train again. Last time I was on I was on my way to Ironhollow for the very first time. 

Warren's sitting  across from me, and looking at him now, knowing that he's royalty, it's so...

Anyway, the plan is that we get off at the next stop, a few miles from Ironhollow, then we'll ride a wagon to the military outpost a few miles away. 

Ironhollow 51

Sir Prescott arranged for them to be taken back to a military outpost outside Ironhollow, where they would wait for Prescott and his Army.
"Warren, are you with me? We will go and- " Prescott was interrupted by his son.
"Actually," Warren said awkwardly, "I'll stay with Ar- um, with my friends. Come on Eden."
Sir Prescott stared after them as his children boarded a train with their friends.

Ironhollow 50

"Yes. Eden and I are...royalty." Warren clarified.
Eden ran up to their father, and hugged him.
"Where have you been? You were missing for months!" Sir Prescott exclaimed.
Eden sighed. "It's hard to explain," she pulled out of the hug, "But one of the other the reason we were coming to find you was because Ironhollow has been taken over."
Prescott stared at his children and their friends. "Taken over?! By whom?!"
"Rebels from the Lower Levels," Victoria said, "They're planning on taking over the government of Ironhollow, and then working their way through the country, as far as we know."
"But since we left a few days ago they might already have control of the city!" Paisley said, her eyes widening.
"Sir Prescott, I hope it's not too much to ask but," Arden shuffled her feet nervously, "can we...borrow your army?"

Ironhollow 49

Sir Prescott didn't react when Arden introduced him, he only stared in shock at Warren.
"Uh, Sir Prescott...?" Arden tried to get his attention, but he didn't seem to notice.
"What are you doing here?" Sir Prescott said to Warren, barely speaking above a whisper. Suddenly, Victoria and Eden burst into the throne room. Eden's eyes fell on Sir Prescott. "Dad!" She said, delight filling her tone, but she quickly covered her mouth up with her hands.
Arden's cautious smile faded into a look of shock. "'Dad'? Uh, what do you mean? I think you've got some explaining to do." She turned expectantly to Warren.
"Eden and I....well, we were born into the royal family of Pinecliff. A few months ago, we were touring the countryside with an escort, when we were attacked. We couldn't leave because, well, for two reasons. One, we didn't really know the way, and two, we weren't sure if it would be safe for us to travel on our own."
"So," Arden said, "you're...royalty."

Ironhollow 48

They crept in through an open window, which led directly to a wide hall. The sound of marching steps echoed down the hall to them.
"Quick, scatter! We'll meet up in the gardens later! Finding Arden is top priority!" Warren said quickly. Victoria raced into a nearby room, and Eden followed her. Paisley ran down the hall, Poppy close behind her.
Warren raced down an opposite hall. A large set of elaborate double doors blocked his path, and without thinking he burst through them.
The huge room was tiled with marble, tapestries hung on the walls, stretching all the way to thirty foot tall ceiling.
A blue velvet carpet led to a magnificent throne, which wad empty. The entire room was devoid of people. Warren noticed the sound of laughter from an adjoining sitting room. He crept over to peer inside the glass double doors. He gasped. Inside, Arden was chatting with-
"Warren!" Someone shouted. Paisley and Poppy were entering the throne room. The talking and laughing inside the sitting room faded. "What was that?" Wondered a muffled male voice. An older man opened the glass doors. His eyes fell on Warren. Arden also entered the throne room. "Guys?! What are you....uh, never mind. May I introduce Sir William Prescott of Pinecliff."



Just you wait for the next post, it is going to be AWESOME!! -Author of Wordsmith

Ironhollow 47

Dustanoff Manor was a huge hilltop castle-style building, surrounded by lush gardens, decorative hedge mazes and short leafy trees trimmed into fantastical shapes.
The large wooden doors were, surprisingly, wide-open, and the only people in sight were two girls in pastel dresses with their hair curled tightly and pinned close to their heads, each of them carrying a parasol.
"We'll have to avoid those girls, or they'll alert their guards." Warren said.
Paisley scanned the gardens. "I don't see any guards." She said dubiously.
"Trust me, there are at least three guards, probably behind statues or in the shade of trees." Warren assured her.
"How do you know so much about the protection of royalty?" Arden asked curiously.
"Oh, you know...I like to know stuff. No such thing as to much information!"
Victoria narrowed her blue eyes. "Right, well, we should get moving. Arden can't wait forever!"

Ironhollow 46

They set out, looking down every ally, in every store, inn and warehouse. After two hours of searching, they had still not caught a glimpse of Arden. 
Warren was leaning against a newspaper stand when he saw the front page of the Dustanoff Oracle: 'Non-local teen girl found trespassing on the Dustanoff Estate'. 
He grabbed the newspaper. "Uh, guys, I think I found Arden." 
The rest of them gathered around, and Victoria read the article aloud, "'A teenaged girl was found wandering among the estate Gardens in the small hours of the morning. The guards that stumbled upon her presence reported that she claimed not to have realized that entering the gardens was trespassing. No full name has yet been given, just a last name, Porter. She has been taken to the manor for questioning.'" 
"Okay, let me get this straight, my sister unknowingly trespassed, was captured by Dustanoff guards, and now she's being questioned in the estate up on that hill. Well, nothing like rescuing a sister to wake you up in the morning." 

Ironhollow 45

The next morning, Poppy came knocking on Paisley's door.
Paisley wandered groggily over to the door. She opened it. "Oh, hey Poppy. What's up?" She asked sleepily.
"We figured we would get an early start, so we're all getting up and we're going to meet downstairs in, like, fifteen minutes." Poppy explained.
"Oh, okay. I'll tell Arden..." She turned to her older sister's cot. The blankets were un disturbed except for where Arden had sat the previous night. Suddenly, Paisley remembered.
"Oh. Um, Arden and I argued last night. She ran off, but I thought she would have been back by now..." Paisley bit her lip anxiously.
Poppy swallowed. "Er, we should tell the others. Dustanoff is a small place, it shouldn't be that hard to find her if we all work together." Poppy assured her, and they went downstairs.
Waiting in the eating area were Warren and Eden, Victoria was not yet down.
"Good morning. Hey, where's Arden?" Warren wondered, yawning.
"Arden is...missing. She and I, well, never mind. She got mad and ran off last night, and I thought she would have been back by now, but..."
Warren looked concerned, "We need to go out and look! I doubt she went far, she probably had some reason for not coming back." He said.
Eden agreed, as did Victoria when she had come down and the situation explained to her.
"Well," Paisley said determinedly, "let's go find my sister."

Ironhollow 44

Paisley here,
Arden ran ran out angrily a few minutes ago, and even though I'm still practically steaming from anger, I am kind of worried. Last time we fought and she ran off, she came back just as mad, and with two random strangers, who are now traveling with us. Maybe she'll come back with a few more strays....
Anyway, She'll probably just come back in an hour or something, she probably just needs to cool off, I hope.
Then again, who knows what these streets are like at night? She could be in danger- no I'm sure she'll be okay.
Well, I guess this is it for now, I'll write again soon!
-Paisley P.