Kim Golden's Blog - Posts Tagged "unpublished-novel"
30 Days, 30 Stories: Story #9
It's Day 9 of the 30 Days, 30 Stories challenge and I thought I'd combine it with #FLF or First Look Friday. I'm giving you an excerpt of one of my unpublished novels, The Time Is Now, as Story #9: Chris & Kyra:
She drained her glass too quickly but she didn't care. He saw that in the way her set stance dared him to criticize her. But he didn't say anything. He drank the rest of his scotch and stared out the window. This wasn't how he'd imagined their reunion. He blamed it on too many movies. He'd concocted a romanticized version of it in his head with her throwing him knowing looks and him suggesting they take a walk like in the old days. He hadn't factored in the rest of the cast of characters--the bitter ex-girlfriends, the hangers-on who'd want any piece of his attention they could get.
Chris inched closer to her until their knees touched. Kyra watched him. The expression on her face was unreadable. She licked her lips. "I want to kiss you so badly," he said, not bothering to pretend any longer. "I've been wanting to since I saw you earlier."
Her lips parted but she didn't say anything. She licked her lips again. She was nervous. He realized that now. So he took the initiative. Just as he had 15 years ago. And when he kissed her, she tasted the same and her body felt so good in his arms. He had to remind himself they were in a public place. And when they parted, she was trembling but she was smiling too.
"Some things never change," she murmured.
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"You're still a great kisser."
He grinned and kissed her again, this time lingering over her moist lips and breathing in the scent of her perfume. "You want to take a walk...?"
She nodded fervently. They paid the bill and left without a backward thought for their former classmates and catching up.
She drained her glass too quickly but she didn't care. He saw that in the way her set stance dared him to criticize her. But he didn't say anything. He drank the rest of his scotch and stared out the window. This wasn't how he'd imagined their reunion. He blamed it on too many movies. He'd concocted a romanticized version of it in his head with her throwing him knowing looks and him suggesting they take a walk like in the old days. He hadn't factored in the rest of the cast of characters--the bitter ex-girlfriends, the hangers-on who'd want any piece of his attention they could get.
Chris inched closer to her until their knees touched. Kyra watched him. The expression on her face was unreadable. She licked her lips. "I want to kiss you so badly," he said, not bothering to pretend any longer. "I've been wanting to since I saw you earlier."
Her lips parted but she didn't say anything. She licked her lips again. She was nervous. He realized that now. So he took the initiative. Just as he had 15 years ago. And when he kissed her, she tasted the same and her body felt so good in his arms. He had to remind himself they were in a public place. And when they parted, she was trembling but she was smiling too.
"Some things never change," she murmured.
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"You're still a great kisser."
He grinned and kissed her again, this time lingering over her moist lips and breathing in the scent of her perfume. "You want to take a walk...?"
She nodded fervently. They paid the bill and left without a backward thought for their former classmates and catching up.
30 Days, 30 Stories: Story #10
I was out all afternoon with some friends so I didn't have time to write a brand spanking new story for Day 10 of 30 Days, 30 Stories. Sharing an excerpt instead from my unpublished novel, The Time Is Now.
Story #10: Unsettling News
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She hated thinking about that night when her dad's partner showed up with another officer she'd never met before and asked to speak to her mother. Kyra had been at home alone. Her mother was working the night shift at the hospital so the officers told her the news in slow, careful tones. She remembered how their words disappeared. She could see their mouths moving but she heard nothing; her dad's partner, Joe Schmidt, was sobbing--heart-wrenching sobs that unnerved her.
"Your dad was the best partner I ever had," Joe Schmidt said again and again. "The absolute best--damn it, he should be here. He should be coming home to you and your ma."
The other officer was calmer. He kept calling Kyra "ma'am" which she couldn't understand at first. Her mother was "ma'am"...she was Kyra, sixteen years old, Kyra Amelia Halliwell. She was the girl who was in love and was accepted to five different colleges and was going to the prom soon. Her hands shook and then her entire body seemed to vibrate and clatter. And then she was on the floor and she was screaming but she didn't know if the noise was really her or if she was imagining it. But a black hole was opening beneath her and the darkness was pulling her in, and swirling and mawing. She didn't remember anything until something cold and wet stunned her back to reality. The other officer had placed a compress on her forehead and was asking her if they could take her somewhere so she wouldn't be alone. She told them to take her to Chris's house.
"Don't you want to go to your aunt's house on Brown Street?"
She shook her head fiercely. "I want to be with Chris."
So they drove her there. It was nearly midnight when they arrived and Chris's mother didn't want to let her in until Officer Schmidt explained what had happened. Even then, his mother hesitated. It was Chris's father who'd ushered her in and called for Chris. She was still shivering, tears were still streaming down her face and she felt her legs giving way beneath her.
When Chris appeared at the top of the stairs, she just sobbed his name and he practically flew to her. He took her upstairs and ignored his mother's protests that Kyra should go to the guest room. He took her into his room and laid her on the bed and covered her with his quilt. Then he lay down beside her and melded his body to hers, holding her and whispering in her ear that everything would be okay and urging her to close her eyes and just hear his voice. And she drifted to sleep and heard only him and the sound of his breathing and his heart beating and blood rushing through her ears.
They lay like that all night.
Downstairs his parents argued. His mother didn't want some stranger showing up on their doorstep with her problems.
That was how Mrs. Morrison saw it--a police officer, a father gunned down in the line of duty, was an "unsettling problem" that neither they nor Chris needed. She woke once and heard Chris's father talking about compassion and shock and how Kyra was right to come to Chris. But his mother refused to back down. The next morning she drove Kyra home and said she should be supporting her mother rather than clinging to Chris.
Story #10: Unsettling News
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She hated thinking about that night when her dad's partner showed up with another officer she'd never met before and asked to speak to her mother. Kyra had been at home alone. Her mother was working the night shift at the hospital so the officers told her the news in slow, careful tones. She remembered how their words disappeared. She could see their mouths moving but she heard nothing; her dad's partner, Joe Schmidt, was sobbing--heart-wrenching sobs that unnerved her.
"Your dad was the best partner I ever had," Joe Schmidt said again and again. "The absolute best--damn it, he should be here. He should be coming home to you and your ma."
The other officer was calmer. He kept calling Kyra "ma'am" which she couldn't understand at first. Her mother was "ma'am"...she was Kyra, sixteen years old, Kyra Amelia Halliwell. She was the girl who was in love and was accepted to five different colleges and was going to the prom soon. Her hands shook and then her entire body seemed to vibrate and clatter. And then she was on the floor and she was screaming but she didn't know if the noise was really her or if she was imagining it. But a black hole was opening beneath her and the darkness was pulling her in, and swirling and mawing. She didn't remember anything until something cold and wet stunned her back to reality. The other officer had placed a compress on her forehead and was asking her if they could take her somewhere so she wouldn't be alone. She told them to take her to Chris's house.
"Don't you want to go to your aunt's house on Brown Street?"
She shook her head fiercely. "I want to be with Chris."
So they drove her there. It was nearly midnight when they arrived and Chris's mother didn't want to let her in until Officer Schmidt explained what had happened. Even then, his mother hesitated. It was Chris's father who'd ushered her in and called for Chris. She was still shivering, tears were still streaming down her face and she felt her legs giving way beneath her.
When Chris appeared at the top of the stairs, she just sobbed his name and he practically flew to her. He took her upstairs and ignored his mother's protests that Kyra should go to the guest room. He took her into his room and laid her on the bed and covered her with his quilt. Then he lay down beside her and melded his body to hers, holding her and whispering in her ear that everything would be okay and urging her to close her eyes and just hear his voice. And she drifted to sleep and heard only him and the sound of his breathing and his heart beating and blood rushing through her ears.
They lay like that all night.
Downstairs his parents argued. His mother didn't want some stranger showing up on their doorstep with her problems.
That was how Mrs. Morrison saw it--a police officer, a father gunned down in the line of duty, was an "unsettling problem" that neither they nor Chris needed. She woke once and heard Chris's father talking about compassion and shock and how Kyra was right to come to Chris. But his mother refused to back down. The next morning she drove Kyra home and said she should be supporting her mother rather than clinging to Chris.
30 Days, 30 Stories: Story #11
Another excerpt from my unpublished novel, The Time Is Now, for 30 Days, 30 Stories.
Story #11: Confession:
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"Is he still in prison?"
"Yeah, man," Lamar said, sounding miffed by Chris's question. "I would've told you if he was out but you know he's on Death Row. He's never coming out."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Chris swore. "I just keep thinking what he would do..."
"People change, maybe he's changed."
"You think he actually thought about redemption while he's been in Graterford?"
"Maybe, I don't know...depends on who you ask."
"You talk to his mom?"
"Yeah, she still swears her son would've never hurt anyone."
"Is he up for parole soon?"
"He killed a cop so parole's out of the question. All he can do now is appeal his execution."
"You'd tell me though, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, you know I would."
"I saw a guy who looked like him the other day...scared the shit out of me. For a second, we made eye contact but this guy...he didn't look at me like he recognized me or anything. He just flashed me a look that said 'who the fuck are you?'...You know what I mean?"
"You should talk to someone about this, man."
"I'm telling you."
"Yeah, but you should talk to a professional too. I can't tell you what you need to know to get this out of your head."
"I don't think it'll ever be gone."
"You ever tell Kyra what happened?"
"No."
"Maybe you should."
"Right, like I could call her after five years and do small talk with her and then say, 'By the way, you remember that night I was supposed to come get you and I never did? It's because your neighbor pulled a gun on me.'"
"Sooner or later, the truth will come out," Lamar sighed. "I don't get why you'd rather she thought of you as a jerk who broke who heart. If you told her what happened she wouldn't be so screwed up over you."
"I am a jerk though. That's the problem."
"No you're not. If you were a true jerk, you wouldn't have called the police after you heard what happened."
"I shouldn't have run away."
"You think anyone else would have done differently? At least you told the police what you knew."
Chris knew Lamar was right but that didn't stop the chill fear from creeping inside him. And it didn't stop the shame that he'd been too scared to testify in court or even tell Kyra what he'd found out. Instead, he'd cut a deal with the District Attorney--he could testify to the judge without being called to the witness stand. Since he'd only been 17 and was technically still a minor, all he had to do was tell them exactly what Monty said to him and drop his charges against Monty so that the murder charge would be the case that would take priority.
He'd done it thinking he was keeping them both safe. He'd done it because his parents pushed him to make a clean break. He'd done it because he loved Kyra too much and needed to clear his head. But in the end, he felt like it had cost more than it was worth. Was it his selfishness talking, or had he given up too easily?
Story #11: Confession:
---------------------------------
"Is he still in prison?"
"Yeah, man," Lamar said, sounding miffed by Chris's question. "I would've told you if he was out but you know he's on Death Row. He's never coming out."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Chris swore. "I just keep thinking what he would do..."
"People change, maybe he's changed."
"You think he actually thought about redemption while he's been in Graterford?"
"Maybe, I don't know...depends on who you ask."
"You talk to his mom?"
"Yeah, she still swears her son would've never hurt anyone."
"Is he up for parole soon?"
"He killed a cop so parole's out of the question. All he can do now is appeal his execution."
"You'd tell me though, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, you know I would."
"I saw a guy who looked like him the other day...scared the shit out of me. For a second, we made eye contact but this guy...he didn't look at me like he recognized me or anything. He just flashed me a look that said 'who the fuck are you?'...You know what I mean?"
"You should talk to someone about this, man."
"I'm telling you."
"Yeah, but you should talk to a professional too. I can't tell you what you need to know to get this out of your head."
"I don't think it'll ever be gone."
"You ever tell Kyra what happened?"
"No."
"Maybe you should."
"Right, like I could call her after five years and do small talk with her and then say, 'By the way, you remember that night I was supposed to come get you and I never did? It's because your neighbor pulled a gun on me.'"
"Sooner or later, the truth will come out," Lamar sighed. "I don't get why you'd rather she thought of you as a jerk who broke who heart. If you told her what happened she wouldn't be so screwed up over you."
"I am a jerk though. That's the problem."
"No you're not. If you were a true jerk, you wouldn't have called the police after you heard what happened."
"I shouldn't have run away."
"You think anyone else would have done differently? At least you told the police what you knew."
Chris knew Lamar was right but that didn't stop the chill fear from creeping inside him. And it didn't stop the shame that he'd been too scared to testify in court or even tell Kyra what he'd found out. Instead, he'd cut a deal with the District Attorney--he could testify to the judge without being called to the witness stand. Since he'd only been 17 and was technically still a minor, all he had to do was tell them exactly what Monty said to him and drop his charges against Monty so that the murder charge would be the case that would take priority.
He'd done it thinking he was keeping them both safe. He'd done it because his parents pushed him to make a clean break. He'd done it because he loved Kyra too much and needed to clear his head. But in the end, he felt like it had cost more than it was worth. Was it his selfishness talking, or had he given up too easily?
