friday snippet

Friday Snippet #18

Monica La Porta, , , , 6 Comments

This week I’ve posted on time and every day. I’m feeling rightfully entitled to boast about my accomplishment.

From X:

“What are you doing?” She felt Julius’s aura pushing her anxiety away and she didn’t like it. “I told you I need to be in control.”

“Your heart rate is too elevated. You won’t be in control for long.” Sometimes, he acted without consulting her. They had huge rows about it once or twice a month.

“Not now, please.” She didn’t want to argue with him, but her sense of smell was already dimming. “You’re blinding my nose.”

“It’s okay, your olfactory power is stronger than mine anyway. You can function even at reduced capacity and still sense more than a normal human being.” He was calm as usual and forcing her to calm as well. “Yield. It’s pointless and you know it.”

She did know. It was how she had passed all her finals with flying colors. She was prone to panicking when under pressure and he couldn’t bear to feel her anxiety building. He had let her have her way only once and she had regretted it. “Just to prove a point,” he had explained to her, when calming her down after failing an important test. But someone who she thought was her father was hiding from her just meters away and she didn’t want to listen to Julius, even though she knew he was right.

“Allegra, reason.” The pressure on her arm increased, until it was uncomfortable and at that point he repeated her name.

“You won.” Allegra emptied her mind and let his aura invade hers. For the briefest moment, she saw blue circles playing behind her eyes, then a sense of calmness descended slowly on her. Wave after wave of blue light covered her until she was in control of herself once again.

“Better?” Julius massaged the spot where his fingers had left a mark on her skin.

“Yes.”

Friday Snippet #18

Friday Snippet #17

Monica La Porta, , , , 1 Comment

Still writing for fun. Allegra and Julius are still wandering through Cartaghena.

From X:

The gate didn’t swing open as supposed to. She applied more pressure. “It doesn’t open.” She needed to say it out loud.

“It could mean anything.” Julius moved to her side. “Look ahead,” he instructed her.

Allegra straightened her head. “What did you see?” At first, she had been put out by the way he used her eyes better than she did, but during the years it had proved useful. “I see things through you in a different way than you do,” he had said once without explaining much. But at the first occasion he had avoided them a punishment, she had been grateful for his ability to spot details and never questioned it again. One night, they were out of their respective quarters, way past curfew—a dare from one of their classmates, and Julius saw, before Allegra noticed, their teacher’s pointy shoes emerging from the dark corner she was staring at. That split second had allowed them to run back to their rooms, none being the wiser.

“Something moved at the end of the path.”

She focused on the dark-gray gravel covering the path that went from the entrance to the stairs leading to the porch. “I see nothing.” She opened her nose then and the faintest aroma of sandalwood reached her nostrils. “Dad!” She beat at the metal bars of the gate. “Dad!”

Friday Snippet #17

Friday Snippet #16

Monica La Porta, , , 1 Comment

Another week, another snippet. Still enjoying this new and surprisingly refreshing concept of writing for fun. Words just form in my mind and fingers click on the keys. Is that easy. Here it is, straight from my imagination, my weekly snippet from X:

“There’s nothing out here.” Allegra had never experienced sensorial blindness, but without her nose to direct her, she felt as if seeing with her eyes  wasn’t enough.

“What do you mean nothing?” He caressed her shoulders the way he did when she was tense.

The slow, circular motions around her scapulae combined with a calming push from his aura normally soothed her anxiety.

But not this time. “My nose doesn’t catch anything. There’s nothing out here,” she repeated, and he finally understood the entity of her words and interrupted the contact between them by removing his hand to give her some privacy. “I don’t know how I didn’t catch it earlier.”

“You were so preoccupied…”

She felt him stepping closer, but he didn’t close the final gap waiting for her to decide if she wanted to be consoled. “I should’ve sensed it immediately.” She was angry. Mere hours out of school and she had already failed.

“It’s understandable—”

“I’m responsible for your life.”

“I’ve survived for nineteen years already.” His words weren’t meant to offend her, but Allegra felt worse.

“I was thinking about my family.”
“I know and I don’t blame you for it. I’m worried for mine too.” He did close the gap this time without asking for permission and she was glad for it.

Allegra leaned on him and closed her eyes. “It won’t happen again. I promise.” She breathed in his scent, the familiar essence of Julius doing the trick to send the tears away. “You’re still here.”

He chuckled at her statement. “I’ve no intention to let go of my guide.” He had started calling her My Guide a few years back, soon after they had been paired. At the beginning it was just who she was to him and she hadn’t liked it—their differences in built and height the source of infinite jokes among their peers. Then, she had realized he was only using it in private.

Friday Snippet #16

Friday Snippet #15

Monica La Porta, , , 4 Comments

Here it is, and it is still Friday here in the Pacific Northwest.

From X, my little fun project which is getting darker and darker:

With uncertain steps, her heels loudly clicking on the stones, Allegra led the way to her parents’ house, a mere fifteen minutes away from the bridge. A few people hurriedly walked through the alleys, disappearing behind darkened glass doors. She took a good look at the buildings, at first incapable of understanding what was different. Then, she saw it.

“It’s early,” Julius said, “It’s not surprising there aren’t lots of people around.” He didn’t comment on the darkened glasses.

Every single soul on Terra knew of Cartaghena’s see-through skyscrapers. It was as if the fires that had ravaged the earth had also obscured the city’s soul. It was a morbid thought and Allegra didn’t need it.

“I’m sure there’s a reason.” Again, Julius had connected his aura to hers.

“It doesn’t seem right.” Allegra let him calm her. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you.” It was his usual response, but somehow his words sounded different.

She dared looking up and Julius averted his eyes, but she caught a lingering pale blue shade flickering through his aura before he could revert to neutral once more. Longing.

Unsettled by nuances of feelings she couldn’t decipher, Allegra hurried her steps, his hand protectively splayed on her back. Although she was his eyes, in moments like these she couldn’t have walked a single step by herself.

Friday Snippet #15

Friday Snippet #14

Monica La Porta, , , 6 Comments

Following last week successful experiment, this Friday snippet was written just for fun. Coincidentally, I wanted to know what Allegra and Julius were doing. I left them unattended on a running train last week.

From X:

Cartaghena the Beautiful, it was called. Allegra rejoiced at seeing it still held true. They had jumped down the train worried it wouldn’t stop long enough to let them out. The city was still there. Unwalled. Unexed. Funny how words that hadn’t existed a year ago, now were part of their vocabulary.

“Ready?” Julius took her hand in his and gently squeezed it.

“Ready.” She smiled, not wanting to show him how scared she was and knowing it was a futile attempt. She had thought she could cope with going back home, but she had been wrong. Back at the boarding school, the pupils were shown footages of their home cities to prepare them. Mostly, it was done in good faith to help them visualize what they were going to find once out of the safety of the institute. But there had been accidents. Not every mind was strong enough to accept their families were lost to the world. Unreachable behind dark walls. And that was what scared Allegra the most. The unknowing quality of waiting for the truth to reveal itself. What if there was nobody alive behind those un-climbable barricades? What if the people you loved the most were worse than dead? One look at the glass towers and she sighed in relief; the buildings were mirrored on the placid waters of three rivers insinuating through the city. Cartaghena was intact. The destruction bordering its limits a palpable reminder nothing was what it used to be, but the city had been spared. For now. How long would it take for the Malady to corrupt her city?

“To your place first.” Julius’s good nature shone bright even in times like this.

Friday Snippet #14

Friday Snippet #13

Monica La Porta, , , 2 Comments

Thankfully, being Italian the infamous number thirteen doesn’t have any effect on me. Seventeen on the other hand… I had my final high school exam on a Friday seventeen and it happened to be an Ancient Greek poem to translate in Italian. Serial killers were born that day.

I followed Clare’s suggestion and wrote just for fun. I know, incredible concept isn’t it? I have several works in progress—just remembered there’s a third story I started and never looked at again—but between the jet lag and life in general, I can’t concentrate. So here it is something I poured on the keyboard without thinking. It’s so liberating to put down words without worrying about writing from beginning to end. Forgive me the length, I didn’t have time to shorten it. Aptly named X…

The train didn’t stop. Allegra looked at the landscape outside the window, an ever-changing river of colors following each other in a maddening rush.

“I know where we are.” She tapped at the window with her long, brightly painted nail.

“Do you?” Julius raised his head from the article he was reading and looked outside.

“See the greens and the violets?”

“Yes, and the oranges and the reds.” He squinted but his expression remained puzzled. He did close the glass reader though and focused on her words.

She could see the news flowing under the surface of the reader, but she tried her best to ignore it. “I remember when I was a kid, my mom and I travelled for miles and miles through lavender fields and orchards to visit an old uncle. He lived in Rallen—”

“I have a cousin who lives in Rallen,” Julius started saying, then realization dawned on him. “Lived, I guess. So the rumors about Rallen being exed were true. ”

“So it seems. I’m sorry for your cousin. Maybe he’s still alive. Nobody knows for sure what happens behind the city walls.”

Julius cleaned a tear with the palm of his hand, sadly smiled and took a deep breath before saying, “Rallen was all white marbles and spires. It looked like delicate lace from faraway.”

Allegra understood his silent request to change the subject and didn’t interrupt his reminiscence. “We took tons of pictures inside the Mosque. Its ceilings were so high.”

A few minutes later, browns replaced the rainbow and she knew Cartaghena was next. Orchards once stretching for acres had been destroyed by wildfires soon after Centralia proclaimed martial law and started putting cities under quarantine by drawing the letter X on the municipal buildings doors. Only one month after the first exing in the ancient city of Lavi, walls were erected as a precaution to ensure the safety of the healthy citizens. Allegra had never believed Centralia’s good intentions.

“Will the train stop to let us go home?” Julius asked, the news already forgotten under the transparent screen of the reader as Cartaghena drew closer.

Friday Snippet #13

Friday Snippet #12

Monica La Porta, , , 2 Comments

Back in Umbria to my parents’. A heat wave has been following me from the sea to the hills and only at night temperatures lower to reasonable digits. Today, despite the merciless weather condition, I wrote 2k words. Too bad they are the only words I typed in a week.

Although I should be working on both projects, my mental energies are depleted and I can’t see a clear path out of an impasse in the fantasy plot. Therefore, dystopian TCOM it is, again.

The man under the brunette’s care moaned in pain as she threaded the needle in and out of his skin. “I’m sorry, but it’s better this way. The longer it takes the more painful it is for you.” She patted his arm in a display of tenderness Marie found out of place. “The rector sent me another useless, snotty girl,” the brunette said under her breath, but loud enough to be heard. The man smiled through thin, bloodless lips.

Marie had already reached the door and was looking longingly at the darkness of the stairs, when the brunette called her back, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I thought—” Sweat freezing on her forehead, Marie understood she wasn’t getting away from that job.

Friday Snippet #12

Friday Snippet #10

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Technically speaking there are still six minutes left before Saturday in Redmond. The fact that I’m typing from Porano in Umbria and it’s already 8:54 of the next morning it only proves the Earth isn’t flat after all. It’s not cheating.

Before it’s too late, here is the snippet from this week. TCOM, again.*

Marie had been taught that ending in a waste plant was a better fate than serving as a mother, but she wasn’t sure Carnia would be happy. “She’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She didn’t have a clue of what she was talking about, but she felt the need to reassure Verena once more. The wind shook the branches with more strength and the whole green umbrella swayed under the assault. Something swiftly moved at the corner of Marie’s eye and she automatically turned to her right only to see Grant stepping back into the shadows of the corner. He was listening. Her heart skipped a beat.

“What was it?” Verena tilted her head and Marie rearranged her body in a useless attempt at hiding Grant’s presence when he was probably already gone.

“Nothing.”

“A cat, probably.”

Marie wished she was alone. “Yes, a cat.” He wants to know about Carnia. She felt her stomach contract.

*For the sake of being honest, it’s now 12:01 in Redmond, which it means it’s a Saturday snippet after all. Oh well, I did try…

Friday Snippet #10

Friday Snippet #9

Monica La Porta, , , 4 Comments

In Italy, visiting my parents. Umbria’s rolling hills and red terracotta roofs before my eyes, the sun lowering behind the hamlet saddled on the ridge, I’m writing under the shadow of two mulberry trees.

I’ve been busy otherwise, but here is something I wrote before leaving. This snippet is offered you by TCOM:

As Marie had imagined, the redhead wasn’t alone; Carnia was followed by Grant who kept his arm around her waist. He looked at Marie and she felt judged once again.

“Verena, please, don’t tell anybody you saw me.” Carnia’s eyes were red and swollen, her face streaked with hours of crying.

Marie felt pity at her sight, but she couldn’t understand why Carnia was taking it so hard when she clearly didn’t have a problem being around men.

“I can’t, you know that.” Verena sounded even more heartbroken than Carnia.

“I won’t leave.” Carnia’s statement had a finality Marie didn’t like.

“Don’t say it like that.” She was getting scared. It was an unfamiliar situation for her and she wasn’t sure what they were dealing with exactly. The presence of a man among them unnerved her. It was wrong. “They’ll treat you with respect. I’ve been told you aren’t forced to—” She didn’t know how to say the words without being crude.

“I won’t leave him.”

“What?” What the heck is she talking about? “Verena?” Marie looked at her roommate hoping she could confirm she had heard wrong.

Friday Snippet #9

Friday Snippet #8

Monica La Porta, , , 6 Comments

Without realizing it, I skipped a week. Days, like mismatched socks, tend to go missing lately. Can’t even remember what I was busy doing last week. Not writing, for sure. I did take my Wacom tablet out for a leisure stroll and I did produce something nice though. The fruit of my labor will be revealed in due time. For now, enjoy my humble snippet.

A quiet moment for Dalia and Aragon, the two main characters in Notturno.

Dalia looked at him and wondered at the enigma he represented; she touched him, but he didn’t react to her fingers tracing the lines of his arm. She followed the long sinews defining his dark skin and then stopped at the hollow space where the muscles on his neck met the shoulders. His breathing caught for the briefest moment, his eyes fluttered under his closed eyelids, but he didn’t move. She raised her hand and put it on her lap, the urge of lying down with him calling to her. Aragon was the strongest man she had ever seen, but at the moment he was defenseless and she felt the irrational desire to protect him. The thought made her laugh.

On clue, a snort from the corner made her turn. “Where are you, Mo?” The animal snorted a second time, emerging from the darkness. “Come here, baby.” Mo obeyed and walked toward them. “Sit, Mo.” Dalia smiled when Mo bent her trunk-like legs to sit by her master. “Good girl, stay here and protect us if you like.” Mo emitted a sound Dalia didn’t try to decipher.

“Are we all friends now?” Aragon opened one eye and took Dalia’s flying hand. She had been surprised by him not being as asleep as she had thought and almost poked his eyes in response. “I’m glad.”

“Didn’t you need to rest?” She blushed.

Friday Snippet #8