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This is an ongoing novel I'm writing here on Penana. If it gets more engagement I would be slightly more motivated, so please tell me what you think!
Book link:
https://www.penana.com/story/134875/the-remarkable-ones
A little content warning:
Mild descriptions of a character's experiences of past physical/verbal/s*xual abuse, suicidal ideation, mental illness, and mild descriptions of violence/violent behavior.
Book genres:
Modern fantasy, mystery, lgbtq+ romance, teenage/young adult fiction.
Book description:
Will the little village in the middle of nowhere ever be accepting of the two siblings from far away, with peculiar family circumstances? Will the adoptive sisters ever find their love story and will the land of Avoranic forever be led by the peaceful queen they have now? Will perhaps all these people's destinies find a way to be put together and reveal the secrets that have been hiding for centuries?
Are Ellie, Nels, Ingrid, and Aline even aware of the adventure ahead of them? And will Cassidy and Castor lead them in the right direction on their journey?
A story about finding hope where hope no longer exists, about true friendship, and about magical powers in a grey everyday world.
Excerpt from a chapter in the book:
I was going, slowly and quietly, and without seeing where I was placing my feet. I just continued thinking about the whimsical, peculiar, green bag.
Suddenly, I was walking into something that was hanging in the tree right in front of me. I screamed so loud I was damn sure I had made myself deaf forever.
This was unfortunately how I went mad.
Ellie sat beside the table in the dining room. She was peeking at her mom who was sitting right next to her. She decided to ask her.
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?”
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?”
”Yes, I know…”
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling”
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking.
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her.
”What? I’m late to work!”
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…”
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!”
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice.
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!”
Ingrid laughed and started her walk again. It wasn’t fair. Ingrid was an adult woman and was behaving like a bully against a girl who was just starting high school. Ellie turned around and ran all the remaining way to school with a big and nasty lump in her throat.
She couldn’t really focus on the school that day. Ellie was sweating and tears were dropping on the quiz paper. Her vision started to become blurry. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but still couldn’t see properly. What if she too was going mad? Could madness be contagious? She hopes not. She doesn’t want to end up like her brother.
Even if some part of her mind thought that he actually deserved it after what he did to her at that time. Of course, he did apologize. But it happened again, and again…
After school, Ellie went home. She needed a new pair of shoes and was going to ask her mother. She didn’t look forward to it.
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television.
“What now, Ellie?” her mother replied with an annoyed voice. “Can’t you just go to your room and finish your homework instead of always bothering me and talking about disturbing your poor brother?”
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous.
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day.
“It doesn’t matter”
Ellie turned her back to her mother and walked with slow and sad steps toward the stairs, hoping that her mother would follow her and become nice again. But she didn’t and as much as it was expected, Ellie just couldn’t help to feel disappointment. Ingrid saw Aline outside of the music store and hastened to open the door from the inside.
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner.
“Of course, sis, you’re always welcome here! Do you want some coffee? I can put some on in the staff’s room. I have lunch break now anyway!”
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy.
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...”
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline.
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered.
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed.
“I know”.
“You do?”
“Yes”
Silence.
Both girls looked at each other and then started to stare at the floor. They both remembered. Ingrid was still holding the coffee pot in her right hand, prepared to pour some into the mug she was holding in her left hand. Aline placed herself in a chair beside the small and quite old-looking table.
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence.
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least”
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.”
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you”
“I can understand that, of course”
The girls looked at each other again, both with a sign of repulse on their faces.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
