Novel Excerpt – Branshire

This is a little piece of a novel I’ve been very, very slowly working on for many years. It’s a concept that originated as a role play. I got really attached to the story and my characters, so I’ve kept going with it. The beginning I find is very much inside the main characters head… not a lot of dialogue. This doesn’t work for everyone, but the character is a real introvert so it works for him.

I was sitting in my room debating whether or not to venture out. I’d been here for three days and I haven’t left my room yet. I came here hoping to fit in, maybe make some friends, but who was I kidding? I’m not good at that stuff, no one ever wants to be my friend. Not that I’m in any position to blame them however. I’d been brave enough to hope that I might find some sense of belonging here. I’d felt a strange pull towards this place for a long time, but now that I’ve found the courage to actually walk through the doors, I’m not so sure. I’d gotten up three times already, walked over to the door, turned the knob, only to walk back and sit down on my bed again.

It took me another half an hour but I finally built enough resolve to actually open the door. I took a deep breath and stepped outside. It only took me about three seconds to decide where to go. There was only one place I remembered from the brief tour I was given, and I’m not at all surprised it was the one that stuck in my memory. The library.  If there was one thing I was good at it, it was reading. Escaping. Going somewhere that doesn’t exist and yet is so beautifully real at the same time.

I approached the library entrance with caution. I looked behind me, nothing. I leaned forward and pressed my ear to the door, listening. I heard several muffled voices coming from within. I sighed and slowly pushed the door open. I stepped in and glanced around. I saw two girls sitting on chairs looking through a magazine together. There was a girl standing by herself, studying a single rose that was the centerpiece of a table that was slightly off to the side. Near the back was a boy and a girl laughing together about something. I quickly veered left and concealed myself behind a bookcase. It appears I landed in the horror/thriller section; perfect. I couldn’t help but notice that this seemed to be the largest section. This was certainly unusual but hey, I was not going to complain! I eagerly began looking through the titles and quickly found one that looked very intriguing. In an attempt to avoid talking to anyone, I opted to sit down right there against the wall and begin reading. I was a few chapters in and really enjoying the story when I felt a sudden presence, followed 0.2 seconds later by a dim shadow right in front of me. I looked up to see a boy standing above me, smiling.

“Hi, I’m Mark, you must be the new guy.” He said, holding out his hand. A little cliche, but nice enough. I stood up and shook his hand.

“I’m Levi” I said simply, offering a small smile.

“So what are you reading?” He asked, looking down at my book. “Ooh, that’s a good one! I’m a bit of a horror fan myself.. but then most of us here are” He said, trailing off with a subtle but strange look on his face. On any other day it might have bothered me, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it, when someone was actually speaking to me of their own will. Before I could properly formulate a response, a girl came skipping up to Mark.

“There you are!” She said cheerily, “why’d you run off and hide like that?” That’s when she noticed me. “Oh! Hi there! I’m Lee.” She said, also holding her hand out, all smiles.

“I’m Levi” I said again, shaking her hand and smiling back at her.

“Levi is reading The Devouring, Lee. Your favourite.” Mark said, casting a knowing smile in her direction.

“Ohh wow! I love that book, it’s so exciting! But then again, how can we not like that stuff?” She said, the same expression appearing on her face that Mark had had just moments ago, a look that practically screamed “I’ve said too much.” I suddenly wasn’t sure what she meant by “we.” I figured she meant her and Mark, and maybe me, but the sudden and unexpected chill that ran down my spine told me otherwise. My head started spinning and I knew I needed to leave, now.

“Yeah, well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I’ve gotta go for now” I said with a wave goodbye as I hastily took my leave.

In my rush to get out of there, I managed to crash right into someone as I rounded the corner of a bookshelf. I was able to keep my balance, but I knocked the other person right over. I looked down and saw that it was the girl who had been playing with the rose when I came in.

“I am soo sorry!” I said as I reached a hand down to help her up. She just looked at me though, and got up on her own, obsessively pulling up the leather gloves on her hands, which I hadn’t noticed until now.

“It’s fine” She mumbled, not even making eye contact as she hurried off. I stared after her for a few seconds before turning around and shaking my head to clear it. Luckily, I’d scored a room just down the hall from the library, so the trip back to my room was a short one.

I’d only been inside for a couple of minutes before I heard crashing and shouting seemingly right outside my door. When it didn’t stop or even quiet down after a few seconds, I got up and cracked the door open and peered out carefully. What I saw thoroughly surprised me. Some big, supremely strong guy was pinning the rose girl from the library against the wall, shouting incoherently at her. I had a fleeting instinct to help her, but the guy was big. Really big, He could probably split me in two and eat me for lunch in about five seconds.

So, even though I promised myself I’d never do it again, I helped the girl in the only other way I knew how. I had to, I told myself. He could seriously hurt her, I told myself. And yet, I still felt guilty. I heaved a big sigh and closed my eyes, concentrating on the guy’s mind. “You want to leave. You want to leave. You want to leave the building. You want to leave. I want to leave. I want to leave the building” I slowly started making it his idea, until he finally consciously thought it, and stopped suddenly.

“I have to go.” He said after a moment of silence. As he turned around, I could see the look of mild confusion on his face. That’s odd, I thought to myself. Normally I’m able to make them so sure of themselves. Oh well, I must be rusty after not having done it for a while. I smiled in spite of myself at this thought. Then I remembered the girl, who had now sunk to the floor, leaning against the wall. I felt a little socially exhausted for the day, but I really should make sure she’s okay.

I opened the door all the way and stepped outside, opening my mouth to speak, when she beat me to it. “Was that you?” She asked simply, a completely unreadable expression on her face.

I nodded my head slowly, preparing myself for her look of utter surprise, followed by fear/disgust/disbelief, ending in her quick getaway, never to speak to me again. This was the inevitable process a person goes through when they see me in action.

“Well, thank you.” She said, sounding strangely genuine.

“Yeah, no biggie…” I said, trailing off, in shock. No biggie? Way to go Levi, you’re officially lame.

I was the first to break eye contact with her. The way she kept looking at me, so different from her demeanor in the library, made me moderately uncomfortable.

“So, uh. If you’re okay, I have some stuff I need to do” I said stupidly as I quickly retreated into my room, able to feel her eyes on me the entire time.

I literally have no idea what’s going on. I show up at this place where I think I finally belong, but I feel even less human now than I ever have before. I suddenly realize that after all that just happened, I managed to bring that book back from the library. Thanking my unconscious need to not let go of literature, I settle in to read. I end up finishing the book at god knows what hour, before closing my eyes and entering into a fitful, dreamless sleep.