Rebel

  For years the building seemed to call to me. It was nothing but an old, run down, yellow-bricked building. It had been abandoned for almost a century, ever since the third world war. It was a run-down building sitting in a run-down town. The color on the bricks had almost been worn away and the roof had crumbled in a long time ago. It was nothing extraordinary. It looked…well, it was deserted. But there was something so strange about this building. As if it were a magnet and I was a piece of metal. I was inexplicably drawn to it. The shadow loomed over me as I stood before this building I had longed to enter. I knew myself all too well. If I waited another moment I would chicken out. Without another thought I pushed against the wooden doors.

 For a moment all I could see was darkness. No natural light penetrated the abandoned halls of this building. Slowly shapes began to emerge in my view. There was no dust on the floor. Actually there was no dust anywhere. The inside of the building was in perfect condition. Long metal tables were neatly placed throughout the room, papers were left scattered across the tops. It looked as if the workers were only on a lunch break and would be back any moment. My eyes drifted to the stairs that led to the second floor, they were in perfect condition, but the material they were made from didn't match the rest of the building. The steps were made of crude wood while the rest was a slick metal. The stairs had been replaced. Mindlessly I made my way from room to room, searching for any sign that would tell me why I had been drawn here.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" A deep voice shouted. Panic gripped my heart like a vice and instincts took over like autopilot. I began to run. I didn't know where I was running to, or who I was running from. All I knew was that I was running. I could hear footsteps pounding on the floor behind me. I was being chased, and from the sound of the steps, they were gaining on me. But I couldn't stop running; if I stopped it meant I didn't have a chance. If I kept going, I at least had a shot. A slim shot, but a slim shot was better than no shot.

 Arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground. A scream bubbled up inside me but was cut off by a hand clamped over my mouth. "I don't want to hurt you," the deep voice whispered. "I just need to know how you found me. I'm going to let you go now, okay? Are you going to scream or try to run again?" I shook my head, moving his hand with me.

  "Good," he mumbled as he released me. I stumbled forward, putting as much distance between me and this stranger as I dared. Turning towards him the first thing I noticed were the markings. Both of his arms were crisscrossed with dark brown markings. They seemed to be in some kind of pattern, but I couldn't tell what. My eyes flickered up to his face. He was young, maybe eighteen. Blond hair fell onto his forehead, nearly covering his electric blue eyes. A thin, pale scar on his cheek stood out against his otherwise tan skin.
"Who are you?"
 "Jarin." I said, resenting the fear that caused my voice to quiver.
"What's your full name?"
"Jarin Believe Jones."
 His brown eyebrows arched up, "Believe? Are you serious?"
  I put a thin hand on my hip, "Yeah I'm serious. Is there something wrong with my name?"
A slight grin graced his face, "Not at all. I actually like it."
 "And what's your name?"
A full grin overcame his face, "Rebel."
 "Your name's Rebel and you had the nerve to laugh at my name?"
"You'll learn that my name happens to fit me very well, thank you very much." 

 My breath caught in my throat. Rebels. There were whispers of rebels in the outer cities, in the abandoned cities. But that couldn't be true....could it?

  "Are you....Are you one of the rebels?" My fists clutched the fabric of my pants, trying to hide their shaking.

 He cocked one eyebrow and grinned, "Follow me and find out." He brushed past me, walking down the hall. I stared at Rebel's back for one second before running after him. I had to know.

Two Years

   The stage lights glared in her face. Jordynn could hear the low mumbling of a crowded auditorium. Of course it was packed; it was graduation day. She breathed in slowly. It was one five minute speech. It wasn't anything she hadn't done before. This was easy compared to the rest of her senior year. The ceremony seemed to pass in slow motion. The only think she could think about was if he was there. He had said he'd be back by graduation, but that didn't mean that he was. After the ceremony she did all the traditions. Taking pictures with friends and family, tons and tons of pictures. But the moment she had a chance to escape she did. Pulling the heels off her feet she made her way up to the football field. The metal bleachers sat empty before her.
   She choose a seat in the center of the stadium and just sat there, thinking. For four years this had been her life. Now this part of here life was at an end, and she had another life to live in three months. It was a surreal feeling. It felt almost as a dream would. Jordynn wasn't sure she had been sitting there when she heard the approaching footsteps echo off the bleachers. Her head snapped up, her breath caught in her throat as she saw her best friend for the first time in two years. He looked so different, so grown up. His hair was shorter, and he seemed taller. But he was still Josh. She stood up and made her way into his outstretched arms. Her graduation cap tumbled from her head but she paid no attention to it. They seemed to stand there, just holding each other for what felt like forever. He pulled back and stared at her. Pushing a strand of black hair from her flushed cheek he whispered, "Hi." Hi. It was such a simple thing to say after two years of not saying anything.
  Jordynn grinned, "Hi." They seemed to stare at each other for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. He leaned down towards her, she held her breath, though she wasn't sure why. His lips were a hair away from hers when he paused. "May I?"
   "Yeah," she breathed. He smiled slightly before leaning down to kiss her. She couldn't believe it. Two years he had been gone, sometimes it felt like he might never come back. She pulled back and just smiled at him. It seemed to be the only thing she could do. Smile.
   Again he pushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "We go to college in three months. I know three months together isn't enough to make up for two years apart, but it'd be worth a shot. To see what happens, I mean. Do you...I mean...would you.." his voice faltered.
  She slipped her hand in his as they began to walk away from the football field, "I know what you mean."
  "Good," he whispered and then pressed a kiss to her forehead.

BOOK REVIEW: Dangerous

Book Review: Dangerous By Shannon Hale
    Hello Internet World! So I got this book yesterday and just finished it. The only time I put it down was for school. So I naturally I need to share it with someone! Anyone! The book is Dangerous by Shannon Hale.  Shannon Hale is probably best known for Goose Girl, Princess Academy and Austin Land. Her books are usually directed to either a younger audience or an adult audience. I've read all her books and really enjoy all of them. Well now she's published one directed to the teenagers. Dangerous. And Shannon proves she can write to all audiences.
    So spoiler free review?
     Dangerous is about Maisie Danger Brown, a completely ordinary teenager from Salt Lake City, Utah. Maisie has been homeschooled because she is missing her right arm. She was born without it. Her small world contains her parents and her friend Luther, who is also homeschooled. Maisie has always dreamed about being an astronaut and when she gets the chance to enter a sweepstakes to go to an astronaut boot camp she takes it.  And she wins. When she gets to the camp she meets Jonathan Ingalls Wilder, who is just called Wilder (like all teenage boys who suddenly to go by their last name).  They are put into fireteams for drills. Maisie meets Ruth, Mi-sun, and Jacques. The winning team gets to go up to space. Wilder is added to Maisie's team as they go into space. And this is where things go crazy.
     Throughout the book I thought "oh it'll be okay because it's a kids book right?" Then I reminded myself, "Oh wait....nope I pulled it outta the teen section..." Shannon Hale really did a great job with this book. There is love and hate and emotion and fear and adventure and just...ahhh! I really loved the book. Probably in my top 10. I think Maisie has a strong, yet relatable character, and there is just so much about this book I just loved! Go read it! NOWWWWW!!!!! :)
   Now for the spoiler FILLED review! :)
     I'm usually not a science fiction kinda girl, but I really loved the way Hale handled it. It wasn't pure science fiction, not pure adventure, not pure romance. It had a little bit of everything which I think will appeal to a lot of people.  I think Hale developed such deep characters that I just fell in love with.  So let's do this by the two main characters because I don't know how else I should go about this.
Maisie Danger Brown: I love Maisie's character. I think she is really strong yet vulnerable at the same time. She isn't just standing there like, "Oh someone save me!" But she isn't like "That's right I have no fear. Eat dust aliens!" She's afraid yet still does what she needs to do to save herself, her family and the world. Maisie is missing her right arm, and has been since birth. I love that Shannon created a flawed heroine. Maisie doesn't let her disability stand in her way. She is all around a strong character with a relatable personality and emotions. It was so interesting to watch her grow throughout the story. As she battled her feelings for Wilder, you could see her becoming more aware of the world and losing a bit of her innocence. Her character progression didn't feel forced by the writer, it felt natural. As if it could happen to any one.  So Maisie defiantly is going onto my list of top heroines.  Agreed?
Now while I love Maisie, I am so completely intrigued by Jonathan Ingalls Wilder.
Jonathan Ingalls Wilder: I can't even begin to explain the emotions I went through with this guy. Gosh I was more confused than Maisie.  When we first meet him he has this bad boy kinda vibe. He is very flirty and charming. I instantly liked him. Some will probably disagree with that. I liked when he took his dad's car and just drove with Maisie. That might have to do with the fact that I want it to happen to me, but just look past that for a minute. I feel like there are three phases of Jonathan Ingalls Wilder's character development. For the first half of the book he is called Wilder. For the second half Maisie calls him the Wild Card and for the last few pages she refers to him as Jonathan. I think each of these name changes represent something within Wilder and within Maisie herself. Going by a last name is something that a lot of teenage guys at my school do to put on a show. It's almost like they are detaching themselves, trying to be something they are not. I think this is what Wilder is. It is a show. He puts on a show to please his dad, to please the people around him, to please Maisie. When she starts referring to him as The Wild Card it is his "hero" name. With the token he has become another person. The Wild Card suggests something dangerous and uncontrollable, which is exactly what he has become. Maisie thinks the tokens have turned him into another person completely. The Wild Card starts when Jonathan breaks away from his dad and starts doing his own thing. It's another shift in his character. Now my personal favorite is Jonathan. It's a real name. No more showy Wilder, no more superhuman Wild Card. He is just Jonathan. Jonathan isn't putting on an act for anybody. This is the climax of his character development.
Overall I really loved this book. I thought the characters were all very interesting, the plot was strong and unique, and while there was a slight love triangle it wasn't the focus of the book and didn't take away from the plot or characters. I would highly recommend this book!! 
  Has anyone else read it? I don't know anyone else who has and would love to get some feed back or opinions besides my own. Did you like it? Or did you think it was cheesy and cliché? If you've read it let me know in the comments below!  Oh and any book recommendations, toss those down there too!

The General

   Eliza Hardings rung her hands together, attempting to twist the anxious shaking from them. The war had ended five weeks ago. He had promised he would return within three weeks of the war. It had been five weeks since the nation had been rejoined and General Adams hadn't been seen or heard from. The worst of thoughts ran through her mind. What if he had been killed at the Battle of Gettysburg? What if he was seriously injured? What if he just decided he didn't love her anymore? Decided that she wasn't worth returning to?  She tried to go about her chores on the farm, but the anxiety for General Adams's safety was ever present on her mind. Would she ever know what had happened to him?
   She sat on the old milking stool by the cow. As the milk plopped into the tin bucket, the tears began to run down her cheeks. When she heard the barn door creak open a minute later she furiously wiped the tears from her face. Her step-father loathed when she cried. He called her weak, a coward who couldn't face the world. If her mother could only see how her second husband was treating her daughter now that she was gone. "Sorry sir," she said as the footsteps approached. She braced herself for the slap that was sure to come. The man was right behind her, yet no stinging slap came.
    "Eliza?" A deep voice questioned. Her breath caught in her throat. She feared turning around, feared that she had only imagined the beloved voice. A gentle hand touched her shoulder as he whispered her name again, "Eliza."
     In a second she was on her feet, staring silently at General Jared Adams. His blond hair had grown since she had last seen him, almost two months ago. His blue eyes seemed locked on hers. An open gash ran down the right side of his face. She reached out, her fingers softly trailing over the mark. He smiled down at her before pulling her to him. Five weeks had been too long for both of them. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly.
    The door to the barn flew open, startling both Jared and Eliza. Her step-father, Edward, loomed in the doorway. The expression on his face was nearly as dark as the storm clouds brewing on the horizon. "Who are you?" Edward's words slurred together: he had been drinking far too much again. Eliza clutched her skirt tightly with her fists to hid the shaking of her hands. She knew what her step-father was capable of; she had been the victim of his violent fits more than once.
    Jared stepped forward, placing himself between Eliza and the drunken man. "General Jared Adams of the Union, sir." Jared stuck his out towards Edward. The older man just stared at it for a moment before Jared lowered it.
  "Get out of my barn."
   "Yes, sir," Jared reached behind him, taking her hand in his, "Come on Eliza."  Her knees felt weak, fear constricted her breathing: she thought she might pass out. As the couple came closer to Edward he stepped into their path, pulling a revolver from the band of his pants.
  "She's not going anywhere, solider." The gun swung lazily from Eliza to Jared and back again. Fear paralyzed her. For four years she had lived with the constant cloud of fear hanging over her heart. Jared dropped her hand, and then lunged towards Edward, attempting to wrestle the gun from him. A shot sounded and the bullet ricocheted across the building, striking a wooden beam.
   Jared was stronger than her step-father, and managed to get the gun away from him before tossing it across the barn.  With one punch to the face, Edward was sprawled unconscious on the dirt floor.  "Come on," Jared beckoned her forward. They walked out of the barn, leaving the drunken man where he had fallen.
   Jared's blue eyes pierced hers, "Is there anything you need to get?"
  Her eyebrows knit together in confusion.
  "Is there anything you need to get before we leave?" He clarified.
   She shook her head, her dark brown hair swinging over her thin shoulders, "No, I have nothing of value." He didn't wait for her to say anything else before he lifted her onto his horse. General Adams mounted behind her and nudged the horse with his heels. As they began to ride away, Eliza almost swore she could hear a scream followed by a gunshot. She shuddered and leaned back against the young general. She was safe now. Fear could no longer be her companion.