Looking Through The Window (Excerpt)
Name: Makeba Shangwe
Age: 12 years old
Word count: 3563 (The first three chapters)
Genre: Fiction
Target audience: Teens (11+)
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Prologue
The smell of roses filled Caroline's nose, as she waltzed through the meadow slowly. Wilted roses glumly put their petals down and others stood tall reaching for sunlight. The clouds no longer were fluffy, but white streaks in the sky. Birds sang their sweet, sweet songs in harmony as the river water beat against the rocks harshly. The bee's hummed delightfully. The trees stood over Caroline, shielding her from the sun. Caroline continued to eat her watermelon as the sun started to set. Spring started the next day, and already, the flowers were beginning to bloom. She started to shiver as the cold breeze started to kick in. She got up from her chair and decided to walk one last time through the forest. The forest was comforting to Caroline. The pine trees dropped pines in her brown hair and the breeze got even stronger. “With spring comes a curse," a voice whispered over and over again. The breeze and voice got stronger the deeper she walked into the forest. Caroline reached a small cottage. The breeze halted, however, the voice became so loud that she started to become paranoid. She ran back home as fast as she could, falling to sleep in the comfort of her home.
However, sleep was impossible. Caroline tossed and turned, it was a never ending battle between sleep and being awake. Caroline sprang to her feet. She walked towards the stables to her horse. “Hey Harmony,” Caroline whispered. She hopped on Harmony’s back, riding her through the forest one last time. They rode fast, dust flying behind them. The landscape blurred around her as she felt a surge of adrenaline. The steady pounding of the mare’s hooves echoed in her ears and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead. The voices were muffled thanks to earmuffs. White specks fell on Harmony’s snout. The cool breeze began to surround her. The floor was starting to fill up with snow. This startled Harmony.
“It’s alright girl, calm down.”, in response, the mare neighed and continued into the forest. Like last time, the voices got louder and became loudest when she reached the cottage. Caroline tied the horse to a tree and reached for the door. It became almost unbearable screaming when she had opened the door. The voices stopped when she walked inside. “Let the cold surround you. Let the blanket of white cover you.”, a raspy, hoarse voice said, illuminating the room with a red glare in its eyes. Caroline rushed out the door, hopping on Harmony’s back. She rode home, tightly hanging on to the reins on her mare. She swiftly ran into her home, breathing heavily as she threw herself on the bed. She lay her head on the softness of the cotton pillow and satin sheets, drifting off into oblivion.
_________________________________________________________________
The next day, her entire backyard was in bloom. She decided to head out into the meadow. Caroline admired the meadow and the path she followed, so ragged and bent, not at all the straight line she had imagined herself walking. The wildflowers were a blast of color on the fading green. She laid in the soft grass. Caroline absently stared at the sky, preserving only a sliver of attention on the long, dried blade of grass she twirled between her fingers. It was hard to tell where her mind was at. Cloud 9 was a possibility.
She sat up as she felt a drop of water fell upon her face, as Gale approached her smiling. He held Caroline’s hand making a rush of adrenaline flow through her body. The insane rain had the most lovable gesture embracing her in the chilled gust of wind reminding Caroline of Gale. Rain continued to fall on them while they walked down the path. Astounding sights they saw as they walked made her feel tranquil. Before she could ponder her surroundings further, he pulled her closer. His lips brushed against hers. She felt like she was walking on air. “The touch of his lips were softer than I could’ve ever imagined,” Caroline thought. She opened them as their lips departed. A flash of lightning darted across the sky. They spotted a cave and swiftly ran towards it.
“Caroline…Do you—Do you love me?”
“What? You say that as if you’re leaving.”
“No, I’m not but… I just...”
She looked into his gray eyes. Gale put his back against the cave walls. He frowned, looking out of the cave and at the beautiful red and yellow leaves falling from the trees. The flowers that started to wilt as night began to fall.
“A friend told me a long time ago,” he stated “To live every day as if it was your last. So that’s what I’m doing. It would be his will.”
“Hm.”
They sat in silence, admiring the night sky. “I never knew it could be so beautiful at night when it’s raining. The stars make me feel some type of way I've never felt before.” Caroline's brain was working hard to figure out how she felt. She walked out of the cave and laid on the ground. The stars looked so close, yet they were so far away. Never had she felt such longing to be amongst the stars. Crickets chirped loudly and the grass swayed in the night winds. Caroline was shivering from the cold breeze. The moon was a skinny “C” in the sky as if it had lost weight from when it was full. Caroline looked at Gale who was admiring her.
“So, your mom--"
"I don't want to talk about it.”
They laid there, not saying a word. Her dark brown eyes were locked onto the vast blue sky, admiring the scattered clouds. Gale turned his head. He looked at Caroline's expression, so calm and relaxed. Tears trickled down her face. He wiped them off her cheeks. She sighed and smiled, eyes still glossy from crying. Death wasn’t kind. Caroline would know that. It snatched where it could, taking people that were far too young, far too good. It didn't pretend to care; it didn't pretend to distinguish. Death had ripped away a part of her, the part of her that was most loved. Now Caroline would sit staring for hours. He took her hand to help her to her feet. Gale held her with a warm embrace. He merely carried Caroline’s burning soul to cool rest, where she lay benumbed of the grief. Caroline and Gale stood to their feet. Gale handed her a blue rose. She gasped.
“I never knew blue roses existed! What does it mean?”
“It mean’s miracle. I’m already looking at my miracle.”
Caroline sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”
“Smell what?”
“It smells like cheese. It’s all over you!” Gale chuckled and rolled his eyes. They walked back to her house. A woman stood at the doorstep. She had a mask over her head.
“Hello, miss. Do you mind moving out of— “
The woman raised her gun to in between them. Gale raised his hands and shook his head. Caroline raised her hands as well. “You always lived such a perfectly good life after you left. Until now.” She put her gun in Gale’s face and shot him, dead in the face. She ran off into the forest. Caroline covered her mouth in shock. She sunk to her knees and started to sob heavily. His blood was splattered on her right cheek. Just 5 minutes ago, he was talking to Caroline. Now, he lay lifeless on her front porch. She couldn’t believe it. Just as the ambulance arrived, she swooned at the sight of his blood.
Chapter 1
“It’s a disaster but it could be a new beginning,” Abagail pondered while looking down on the burning city. She watched children rock and whisper wishes that they were the ones that died instead of their loved ones. Isabelle looked carefully for her parents in their work clothes. No botanist came out of the city, now engulfed in flames. Explosions could be heard a mile away. A blue flower floated towards her hand. She grasped it and looked at it.
“They—They’re gone,” she said in a tremulous voice, falling onto her knees and onto the dry grass. Her hair fell in front of her face, looking towards the ground. Rage, sadness and a mix of other emotions rushed over her.
“Are you staying, or going? Is this my fault, and I was unknowing? If I made you stay and held on, would you still be gone?” Surprisingly, she remembered the poem her mother said when her sister died, fighting in the war. Tears trickled down her face as she felt feelings of dismay wash over her. She spotted 2 bomber planes flying off into the distance. Isabelle’s face was sunken and haunted, her mind cold and empty just like the city. The world had gone cold because of the plague that was death, and war. The streets once thronged with life stood empty. It had been 2 years since Gale’s death and Caroline had not changed. She had a face like the one she had when he died. Caroline was slowly losing everyone she loved. And hopefully, Abagail and Isabelle wouldn’t leave. Just like all the others did.
When the flames died down, the city would be barren like Pesu, a city west of theirs. Even in midday, you would just find ashes and dust of what once was a great city. Anger kindled in Isabelle’s eyes. Every time she looked at the city, she remembered the remorse, all of her loved ones burned and blown to pieces. She remembered her father’s cold caress when she felt terrible. But he was gone, and the remorse fueled inside her.
“They’ll never stop,” Isabelle finally spoke. Everyone stared at her. “They will keep killing us, bombing us, and destroying us. They will keep killing until we are extinct. Let this day mark the beginning of a new era. An era where they are brought to the light. Let this ‘they’ be discovered. We must fight like the devil devoid of sympathy, crushing foes beneath our feet. We must be thirsty for their blood when the red sun rises. We walk away mercilessly letting them rot, to pay for the deaths of millions.”
Coleman’s cold hand lay on her shoulder. Isabelle stood up and looked at the people left from the bombing. She led them into the forest, being guided by the stars. They could see the night sky perfectly, with the town being in a rural area with not many street lights. Everyone was pretty confident they could find the people they were looking for, but Caroline was worried. The search wasn’t what worried her. The darkness was what worried her, imagination supplied with many beasts with fantastical jaws to lurk beyond the range of her vision. Monsters with weapons. Monsters like the ones that killed Gale. She was still traumatized behind that day. Even on the most moonlit nights, she was shaking; both cold and afraid. Everyone stopped.
“We’re going to rest here for the night. Franklin, take the night shift with me. Lights out.”
Coleman's warm skin gently rubbed against Caroline's as she went to sleep. “I promise I’ll watch over you,” he whispered.
The dream began with Caroline’s old house. She was standing outside, watching a little girl with brown hair, and deep brown eyes stare at her. She was plucking the petals off of a burning rose. Isabelle was standing next to her. They eye patch usually on her right eye was missing. Isabelle’s eye was missing out of her socket and her face was decorated with tattoos. The little girl was glowering at Caroline. Suddenly her house became engulfed in flames. Caroline screamed, but no sound came out. She felt her mouth get sewn up. She felt her eyes grow in size. She felt her eyes. They were buttons. The little girl's scowl turned into a huge grin.
“This is your fault. Embrace who you really are, my little Caroline doll.”
Caroline was sweating hard when she woke up. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Caroline, get more rest... It's going to be a long day tomorrow.", Coleman whispered.
“Isabelle was... and... What— “
"Shhh... You were just having a nightmare," He kissed her forehead like Gale would. She flinched at the memory. "I-I'm sorry, I just kind of thought— “
Caroline got up to prevent Coleman from getting too close. Abagail gathered her things while Caroline walked up to her. Isabelle picked up her gun and put her sack around her.
“Where are we going, now?”
“You’ll find out.”
Caroline sighed. She walked back over to Coleman. She began to gather her things. “Caroline?”
She nodded her head to show she was listening.
“Do you ever miss Gale?”
Caroline stopped. She turned around and grimaced at Coleman. “Get away from me.”
“I just asked— “
“Get away from me!”
Everyone was staring at them. Coleman frowned and turned away from her. Caroline picked up her things and turned around, with a big synthetic smile on her face. She had tears spilling from her eyes, but she didn’t care. “Now is not the time to get emotional and start fights,” Caroline thought. She laid a hand on Coleman’s shoulder. “
“I’m sorry. Let’s just go, okay?”
He smiled at her. They all walked by the lead of Isabelle. Abagail had the same goals as Isabelle, but her intentions were slightly different because deep down she knew the truth.
Chapter 2
“This war is never going to end. Always, people tear each other apart. These poor people are working with empty purpose. Their mums and dads would be so disappointed. But, it is fun to pretend that I have room to talk. Heh,I guess I got to full of myself," Abagail thought. The horrible truth haunted her.
Caroline didn’t know what Abagail thought. She believed they could find the people that destroyed their home in the slightest. She looked at the blue rose Gale gave her. “Give me a miracle.”
Caroline came to a stop. The acrid smell of rain filled her nose. She held her nose. It was 2018 and environmental issues had only gotten worse. The strong gales pulled at tree limbs. She heard the sound of footsteps. She was at the end of the crowd, so it wouldn’t have made a difference if she stopped or not. Caroline stared at the forest, keeping her hand near the dagger. The footsteps were heavy and uneven. They got louder the closer the thing got. “W-Who’s t-there,” she shouted.
That’s when the footsteps stopped. “C-Caroline.” The voice was familiar but hoarse and strained. She wished she had never said anything. She pulled out the dagger from her pocket. The footsteps continued until she saw the thing she was looking for, The crowd was getting farther away, but she wasn’t studying that. She didn’t even realize Abagail and Isabelle had gone back for her. The crowd was moving with the guidance of Coleman. The thing wasn’t a “thing” at all. It was a tall teenager, who seemed to be 15-years-old. He had big gray eyes, black and curly hair, and a gash on his forehead. Caroline wished it was him. She prayed it was him. The male walked closer to Caroline, Isabelle, and Abagail. He pointed to Abagail.
“Are you Caroline?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“I can’t remember a thing, but all I can remember is that name. Every day, ever since I found myself stuck in that forest, I’ve been looking for a girl by the name of Caroline. I can’t even remember my own name. I just know that name. “
Caroline looked at the man. “Your name is Gale Walker.” The man looked at her with question and hope.
“A-Are you Caroline?”
“Yes. I am Caroline, Gale.” She started to cry. A smile spread across her face as tears welled up in his eyes. “I thought you died. I thought you were gone forever.” She ran to him and embraced him tightly. The rain pelted their heads, but she didn’t care. Gale embraced her back. Abagail’s eyes widened in shock. She sunk to her knees. Gale’s clothes were covered in dried blood, but Caroline didn’t care.
“I remember you,” he whispered. She kissed his cheek. Isabelle turned around, but Abagail kept staring straight forward. Caroline pulled away from Gale, staring at Abagail. Everything became blurry to her. Abagail put her face in her hands and sobbed. “This is a nightmare. This can’t be real.” Caroline touched her shoulder. Abagail jerked away. She removed her hands from her swollen eyes. “IT’S NOT REAL!” She ran down the path as fast as she possibly could. Abagail heard Caroline, Gale, and Isabelle follow her. She pushed through the crowd of people Coleman was following. Coleman saw Abagail run past him. He ordered for Frank to lead the group of people, following behind Abagail, Isabelle, Caroline, and Gale. Abagail left her shoes behind to run faster. Her feet slipped on the wet leaves as it started to rain even harder. The cold hit er feet fast, but she didn’t are. The cold evening air hurt her throat the deeper she inhaled. A jarring pain shot up her foot. She stepped on a thorn. But Abigail could stop at nothing. Her heart beat frantically. She could hear Caroline panting from behind her in small spurts, hot and nervous. At her sides were sweaty fists, swinging forward, as if it would make her faster.
“Run away. Run away from the nightmares. Run away from the pain. Because he will die in front of me again and again. Just like every other nightmare I’ve experienced,” Abagail chanted to herself. She wouldn’t be caught in her dreams ever again. Just when she thought Gale came back, she see’s him die again and again. She tried not to feel bad, which was horrible. But Abagail couldn’t help but feel horrible about her brother’s death. Every night she’d witnessed it over and over. It made here feel like they were invisible chains holding her back. She heard them screaming, but she didn’t care to hear them. That’s when she tripped. Abagail tumbled down a hill, falling flat on her back. She tried to move but she was stuck.
Abagail recalled all of her horrible memories of living with her parents. She remembered how her body jarred with each blow. How the pain seared through her skin and took away every feeling of safety she ever had. She got rid of anyone she couldn’t live with anymore. Abagail got rid of her parents. She held her parents at gunpoint. All because she thought she was the only one in the world, who was put in so much pain by bipolar parents. Abagail touched her cheeks. There was nothing there. Maybe when she was younger she’d shed tears, but she didn’t recall. She couldn’t cry. She never could cry again. The name Abagail meant “father’s joy”. The sad thing was, Abagail was everything but her father’s joy. She felt as if she was living in nightmares forever, stuck in a state of endless sleep. She saw Caroline and Gale peer over her. They rushed to her aid.
“Are you alright?” Coleman stared into Abigail's gray eyes with concern. She looked at Gale. He had concerned look in his eyes too. She scoffed and stood up. She felt Gale hold her with a cold caress. A face she taught herself to despise, hate, and fear. She didn’t fear him. Abagail feared what he might do if she got too close to him. “He’s just like our mum and dad.”
She knew he’s not aggressive, he’s not rude, greedy, or vicious. That’s why she loathed him so much. Abagail pushed Gale off of her. He was confused. She knew she was in endless pain. When she died, she was going to be buried and forgotten by those who she was supposed to be close to. Abagail was going to scream to those mourning that she was sorry, but no one was going to hear her. Because no one would be mourning. No one would hear her. Those burying her would only hear whimpers. No one would care about her, for she had pushed everyone who did, away. Abagail knew Gale showed genuine care towards her, but she didn’t care that he did. For the simple fact, she hated him. Caroline studied her expression in an attempt to read her expression.
“What are you looking at me like that for?” Abagail snapped.
“You’ve changed. You were just crying because Gale was back, but now you’re showing me a side of you I’ve never seen."
“That’s just because you don’t know me as well as you thought, now do you?”
Caroline scoffed at her snide remark. She felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time—Dislike. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Gale looked as taken back as she was, just in a less hostile way. He knew why she hated him. He turned away.
"Dearest Abagail... Why can't you figure out that I'm not like them? I love you, sister. Why can't you understand."