Today is a remarkable day, as I have completed all the schoolwork my dad told me to do today. This is such a rare crazy event, that I'm still in shock and am surprised the world hasn't combusted. I thought I might reward myself and make a blog post! For I have Chapter The First in my book!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a little rough, but I'm proud to have written it. :D As they say in Fan Fiction, Read and Review!!!!!!
Chapter one
First off, it’s Becca, not Pecca. Just get that straight.
Backstory? Well, Peccatum means ‘mistake’ in Latin. My mom’s this big Latin freak, so that’s what I’ve been called since I can remember. “Peccatum, don’t eat that, Peccatum, stop talking to that strange man……yeah.
My real name is Rebecca, so when people started calling me Becca, my mother conveniently shortened my ‘name’ to sound like my nickname. So Pecca I am. Don’t ask me why, ask mom. She’ll tell you. She’ll get that sad look I her eyes, look off into the distance, and say: “It was a mistake……she never should have happened.”
Yeah, most parents wouldn’t say that outright, and certainly not around or to their children, but my mom’s always been pretty loose about it, in a uptight way. Like, she won’t tall me anything about my father, or where we used to live, or why we move around so much, or why there’s always some strange person that comes up to me at random times, look at me weird, and start to talk…….and just as I feel like I might be about to discover something, my mom’s there, looking so worried I half expect to see the person pull out a gun or arrest us or something. But they never do anything. They just look at my mother, and it almost looks like they’re communicating, and then she winces and says “I’ll do whatever it takes” or some variation of that. And then before I know it, we’re moving again.
I’ve lived in a lot of places, but not in a cool way. I’ve met my share of really weird people who live all over that mom seems to know somehow.....but when weird things really started happening, I was at the house of Carrot Man. I don’t know his real name, but as his skin has a rather unnatural orange tint, that is who he is to me. We stayed with him only once, and briefly. And he didn’t even look like he was staying in his home for long. (If you could call it a home, or looked more like a safehouse to me.)
My mother and I had recently left the house we’d been staying at, due to the sudden appearance of three official looking men, (who were not in any kind of police force of CIA anything, according to my mom) who seemed to only want to talk to us. Of course my mom took that as a reason to suddenly leave what I’d finally been starting to call home. It hadn’t been planned, either, so we’d only packed the essentials, and run of to a last resort, as my mom said. Carrot Man. I don’t know his real name, and my mother never introduced us, so I decided to call him Carrot Man in my head due to his strangely orange tinted skin. He welcomed us easily enough, (thought we hadn’t called ahead and I’d never even known he existed) and allowed us to sleep on the living room floor until further arrangements were made.
It was the fourth night of our stay when I took advantage of the thin walls, and easy listening. I had a hard time falling asleep, though I was used to strange sleeping arrangements, when I heard my mom and Carrot Man talking in the room right off the living room. Clearly they thought I was asleep, and spoke freely, giving me the chance to eavesdrop on the most confusing conversation. As I said, the walls were thin, so I was able to make out the whole conversation. Sitting up slightly in my pile of blankets, I strained to make out the conversation in the next room. I didn’t have to strain much.
“I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer’s no,” I heard my mom start off.
Then I heard Carrot Man, “It’s a perfectly reasonable request, she’s old enough and should be practicing.”
“If all goes as planned, she’ll never need to.”
“Unfortunately, Gina, most things -especially something as unlikely as you hope to accomplish- never go as planned in this world. “ Carrot Man said.
“This plan will. It has to.”
Carrot Man spoke, seeming exasperated. “It would be an easy task! She wouldn’t have to go very far past the World Door at all, and then it’s only a bit of calculating and we’ll be back in place to change things! My people are suffering, Gina!”
“And you know as well as I do that even if she were trained, it’s against the law to simply change whatever is asked. It’s meddling with time, fate, the balance of the world,” mom said.
“Why would we have a door into such a place if not to use it?” Asked Carrot Man, sounding annoyed.
Mom answered calmly, “That I cannot answer, only that Pecca will not do as you ask.”
“As your friend, I will respect your final decision. But I will not be the first to make such a request, and when others try more forceful measures, your daughter will not know enough to defend herself. You must teach her, for her own self defense.”
“I am not a Walker, how would I train her?” Mom asked, confusing me.
“I would find a way. You know I would. I know someone....”
“You always know someone,” mom interupted.
“I would get her the proper training.” Carrot Man said. Though training for what, I had no idea.
“The training will not be complete, or even half finished without going to the Mundi Door. And Pecca will never go there.” That was mom, with her usual way of mixing Latin words in with English. I recognized ‘mundi’ which means ‘world’ and recalled Carrot Man’s earlier mention of the ‘World Door.’
Carrot Man seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me. “You and your Latin. And she may very well be forced, for there may come a time when you cannot protect her from her fate.”
“I can try to change it.”
“So we are both meddlers of fate?” Carrot Man mused.
“So it would seem. I believe we’ll be leaving in the morning.” That was news to me.
“Do you have somewhere to go?” Carrot Man asked.
“We’ll figure it out.”
Carrot Man sighed. “You always do. Though I wonder the affect it has on the girl, always on the run, always getting mere glimpses of the truth, before you whisk her off before she can truly understand......”
“It is for her own good!” Mom protested, “Surely you must understand that?”
“I understand your motives, but unlike you I accept the truth.”
“Which is?”
“She will find out soon enough, and then she will be in no mind to listen to your reasoning. Best to tell her as soon as possible, while you can still protect her.
Mom spoke quietly, “If I am to protect her, I must never tell her. Pecca must never know.”
“From what I’ve seen, I believe your ‘mistake’ is strong enough to protect herself. You’ve taught her how to do that. Goodnight, Gina.”
I had just enough time to slip back under the covers and try to pretend I hadn’t heard the disturbing conversation, before my my whispered “goodnight”, and left the room to find her sleeping place by me.
I woke the next morning to the sadly ritual sound of my mom packing. At first I was disoriented, but quickly recalled where I was, and then all I had heard last night came flooding back. I hadn’t slept well after, how could I after hearing what I had? I had no idea what they were talking about, and had spent most of the night turning over the conversation in my head. I felt sure I couldn’t ask mom about it, for the one point she had made most clear to Carrot Man that night was that she didn’t want me to know anything. I still didn’t know much of anything, and my eavesdropping had only brought up more questions.
Mom glanced over then, and spoke. “Good, you’re awake. We’re leaving today, so go get something to eat and pack up.” She smiled, but it looked forced.
“Why are we leaving?” I couldn’t help asking, though I knew the answer. “Do we have somewhere to go?”
“I have an idea.” Mom said, looking down.
I knew I wouldn’t get anything else out of her, so I went to the kitchen in hopes of finding enough food to call breakfast. As I was searching the cupboards, Carrot Man came in. I didn’t expect him to speak to me, but clearly he had something on his mind. Looking around as if to make sure no one was there, (though the kitchen was so small I wondered how we couldn’t have seen anyone) he spoke in hushed tones.
“I know your mother wouldn’t want me to say anything......but there are some things you need to know.” I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he continued quickly.
“You’re special, and there are people who will want you for that. I admit I wanted to do something along those lines, but purely to help my people.”
“Use me how?” I asked, but he was on a role.
“People like you are rare, and when they’re found they’re in high demand. If things go well, they’re brought somewhere safe to be trained, and are rarely called to venture beyond the World Door, for it is dangerous even for a Walker.”
“What’s the World Door? I heard you mention it last-” I bit my lip, cursing inwardly for giving away that I had been listening in on them last night. He looked at me, but did not look angry.
“So you may know more than I’d thought. All the same, you must understand something. If someone comes asking you to venture through the World Door for them, you mustn’t do it. Your mother will most likely take care of it before they even speak to you, but in case something happens to her.....” He looked me straight in the eye. “I understand that you are not trained, and have no idea of the potential you could live up to, and therefore are vulnerable and guarded. Your mother would have you never learn of your destiny, that way protecting you in her own way, but I believe there will come a time when she can no longer protect you. If the need ever arises, and I believe you will know when it does, you must come here. I may be of some help, and can assure a level of protection. I can also have you trained.”
I was at a complete loss. “I don’t understand, please can you just-”
“Promise me that you will come here if you are in trouble.”
“I-” I looked up at him, and his eyes were so desperate, and I could find no deception in them. “I promise,” I said, hardly believing I did.
He visibly relaxed, then. “Good. And promise me one more thing. Don’t.......don’t tell your mother about this. I fear what she would do to me if she found I was the reason you found out. And no matter what I believe, it may serve you well to be kept in the dark a while longer.”
I nodded once, and my mom walked into the room, stopping abruptly.
“Am I interrupting?” She said, searching our expressions.
“Of course not, Regina. I was merely assisting Pecca here with breakfast. Wouldn’t it be nice to eat together before you leave?” I winced slightly at the sound of my nickname. I hadn’t known that my mothers friends used it too.
Mom looked at us again suspiciously, but sat down at the small wooden table all the same.
As we left, Carrot Man slipped a piece of paper into my hand, saying only that it would help if I ever needed him. The he stepped back and waved, saying “I hope to see you again soon, Regina, perhaps I can meet your daughter at a better time. Good luck.” Mom only nodded, and we pulled away. I took at last glimpse at the hidden house, and the orange man standing in front, and wondered if I would ever need to see it again.
First off, it’s Becca, not Pecca. Just get that straight.
Backstory? Well, Peccatum means ‘mistake’ in Latin. My mom’s this big Latin freak, so that’s what I’ve been called since I can remember. “Peccatum, don’t eat that, Peccatum, stop talking to that strange man……yeah.
My real name is Rebecca, so when people started calling me Becca, my mother conveniently shortened my ‘name’ to sound like my nickname. So Pecca I am. Don’t ask me why, ask mom. She’ll tell you. She’ll get that sad look I her eyes, look off into the distance, and say: “It was a mistake……she never should have happened.”
Yeah, most parents wouldn’t say that outright, and certainly not around or to their children, but my mom’s always been pretty loose about it, in a uptight way. Like, she won’t tall me anything about my father, or where we used to live, or why we move around so much, or why there’s always some strange person that comes up to me at random times, look at me weird, and start to talk…….and just as I feel like I might be about to discover something, my mom’s there, looking so worried I half expect to see the person pull out a gun or arrest us or something. But they never do anything. They just look at my mother, and it almost looks like they’re communicating, and then she winces and says “I’ll do whatever it takes” or some variation of that. And then before I know it, we’re moving again.
I’ve lived in a lot of places, but not in a cool way. I’ve met my share of really weird people who live all over that mom seems to know somehow.....but when weird things really started happening, I was at the house of Carrot Man. I don’t know his real name, but as his skin has a rather unnatural orange tint, that is who he is to me. We stayed with him only once, and briefly. And he didn’t even look like he was staying in his home for long. (If you could call it a home, or looked more like a safehouse to me.)
My mother and I had recently left the house we’d been staying at, due to the sudden appearance of three official looking men, (who were not in any kind of police force of CIA anything, according to my mom) who seemed to only want to talk to us. Of course my mom took that as a reason to suddenly leave what I’d finally been starting to call home. It hadn’t been planned, either, so we’d only packed the essentials, and run of to a last resort, as my mom said. Carrot Man. I don’t know his real name, and my mother never introduced us, so I decided to call him Carrot Man in my head due to his strangely orange tinted skin. He welcomed us easily enough, (thought we hadn’t called ahead and I’d never even known he existed) and allowed us to sleep on the living room floor until further arrangements were made.
It was the fourth night of our stay when I took advantage of the thin walls, and easy listening. I had a hard time falling asleep, though I was used to strange sleeping arrangements, when I heard my mom and Carrot Man talking in the room right off the living room. Clearly they thought I was asleep, and spoke freely, giving me the chance to eavesdrop on the most confusing conversation. As I said, the walls were thin, so I was able to make out the whole conversation. Sitting up slightly in my pile of blankets, I strained to make out the conversation in the next room. I didn’t have to strain much.
“I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer’s no,” I heard my mom start off.
Then I heard Carrot Man, “It’s a perfectly reasonable request, she’s old enough and should be practicing.”
“If all goes as planned, she’ll never need to.”
“Unfortunately, Gina, most things -especially something as unlikely as you hope to accomplish- never go as planned in this world. “ Carrot Man said.
“This plan will. It has to.”
Carrot Man spoke, seeming exasperated. “It would be an easy task! She wouldn’t have to go very far past the World Door at all, and then it’s only a bit of calculating and we’ll be back in place to change things! My people are suffering, Gina!”
“And you know as well as I do that even if she were trained, it’s against the law to simply change whatever is asked. It’s meddling with time, fate, the balance of the world,” mom said.
“Why would we have a door into such a place if not to use it?” Asked Carrot Man, sounding annoyed.
Mom answered calmly, “That I cannot answer, only that Pecca will not do as you ask.”
“As your friend, I will respect your final decision. But I will not be the first to make such a request, and when others try more forceful measures, your daughter will not know enough to defend herself. You must teach her, for her own self defense.”
“I am not a Walker, how would I train her?” Mom asked, confusing me.
“I would find a way. You know I would. I know someone....”
“You always know someone,” mom interupted.
“I would get her the proper training.” Carrot Man said. Though training for what, I had no idea.
“The training will not be complete, or even half finished without going to the Mundi Door. And Pecca will never go there.” That was mom, with her usual way of mixing Latin words in with English. I recognized ‘mundi’ which means ‘world’ and recalled Carrot Man’s earlier mention of the ‘World Door.’
Carrot Man seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me. “You and your Latin. And she may very well be forced, for there may come a time when you cannot protect her from her fate.”
“I can try to change it.”
“So we are both meddlers of fate?” Carrot Man mused.
“So it would seem. I believe we’ll be leaving in the morning.” That was news to me.
“Do you have somewhere to go?” Carrot Man asked.
“We’ll figure it out.”
Carrot Man sighed. “You always do. Though I wonder the affect it has on the girl, always on the run, always getting mere glimpses of the truth, before you whisk her off before she can truly understand......”
“It is for her own good!” Mom protested, “Surely you must understand that?”
“I understand your motives, but unlike you I accept the truth.”
“Which is?”
“She will find out soon enough, and then she will be in no mind to listen to your reasoning. Best to tell her as soon as possible, while you can still protect her.
Mom spoke quietly, “If I am to protect her, I must never tell her. Pecca must never know.”
“From what I’ve seen, I believe your ‘mistake’ is strong enough to protect herself. You’ve taught her how to do that. Goodnight, Gina.”
I had just enough time to slip back under the covers and try to pretend I hadn’t heard the disturbing conversation, before my my whispered “goodnight”, and left the room to find her sleeping place by me.
I woke the next morning to the sadly ritual sound of my mom packing. At first I was disoriented, but quickly recalled where I was, and then all I had heard last night came flooding back. I hadn’t slept well after, how could I after hearing what I had? I had no idea what they were talking about, and had spent most of the night turning over the conversation in my head. I felt sure I couldn’t ask mom about it, for the one point she had made most clear to Carrot Man that night was that she didn’t want me to know anything. I still didn’t know much of anything, and my eavesdropping had only brought up more questions.
Mom glanced over then, and spoke. “Good, you’re awake. We’re leaving today, so go get something to eat and pack up.” She smiled, but it looked forced.
“Why are we leaving?” I couldn’t help asking, though I knew the answer. “Do we have somewhere to go?”
“I have an idea.” Mom said, looking down.
I knew I wouldn’t get anything else out of her, so I went to the kitchen in hopes of finding enough food to call breakfast. As I was searching the cupboards, Carrot Man came in. I didn’t expect him to speak to me, but clearly he had something on his mind. Looking around as if to make sure no one was there, (though the kitchen was so small I wondered how we couldn’t have seen anyone) he spoke in hushed tones.
“I know your mother wouldn’t want me to say anything......but there are some things you need to know.” I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he continued quickly.
“You’re special, and there are people who will want you for that. I admit I wanted to do something along those lines, but purely to help my people.”
“Use me how?” I asked, but he was on a role.
“People like you are rare, and when they’re found they’re in high demand. If things go well, they’re brought somewhere safe to be trained, and are rarely called to venture beyond the World Door, for it is dangerous even for a Walker.”
“What’s the World Door? I heard you mention it last-” I bit my lip, cursing inwardly for giving away that I had been listening in on them last night. He looked at me, but did not look angry.
“So you may know more than I’d thought. All the same, you must understand something. If someone comes asking you to venture through the World Door for them, you mustn’t do it. Your mother will most likely take care of it before they even speak to you, but in case something happens to her.....” He looked me straight in the eye. “I understand that you are not trained, and have no idea of the potential you could live up to, and therefore are vulnerable and guarded. Your mother would have you never learn of your destiny, that way protecting you in her own way, but I believe there will come a time when she can no longer protect you. If the need ever arises, and I believe you will know when it does, you must come here. I may be of some help, and can assure a level of protection. I can also have you trained.”
I was at a complete loss. “I don’t understand, please can you just-”
“Promise me that you will come here if you are in trouble.”
“I-” I looked up at him, and his eyes were so desperate, and I could find no deception in them. “I promise,” I said, hardly believing I did.
He visibly relaxed, then. “Good. And promise me one more thing. Don’t.......don’t tell your mother about this. I fear what she would do to me if she found I was the reason you found out. And no matter what I believe, it may serve you well to be kept in the dark a while longer.”
I nodded once, and my mom walked into the room, stopping abruptly.
“Am I interrupting?” She said, searching our expressions.
“Of course not, Regina. I was merely assisting Pecca here with breakfast. Wouldn’t it be nice to eat together before you leave?” I winced slightly at the sound of my nickname. I hadn’t known that my mothers friends used it too.
Mom looked at us again suspiciously, but sat down at the small wooden table all the same.
As we left, Carrot Man slipped a piece of paper into my hand, saying only that it would help if I ever needed him. The he stepped back and waved, saying “I hope to see you again soon, Regina, perhaps I can meet your daughter at a better time. Good luck.” Mom only nodded, and we pulled away. I took at last glimpse at the hidden house, and the orange man standing in front, and wondered if I would ever need to see it again.
~ labiegirl
