An Excerpt

Today I bring you another excerpt of my newest novel. Hold the applause... sad news later.

I wrote almost three thousand words last night - pretty much my first writing at all since June - and this came near the end of my writing spree (done in my new amazing Medieval dress I wish you guys could see!! I'll take pictures soon!). Sadly - and this is the sad news I previously spoke of, fyi - it had to be cut out. I had a little bit of tension in the beginning of the scene and I thought, "How perfect! It'll set it up perfectly for the scene later that night!" But then my imagination got ahead of my outline and I relieved the tension. Ouch. What makes it even sadder is the fact that I wrote this great scene and it has to be deleted! Argh. Well, you guys can still read it.

Set up - a car ride to a Christmas ball. [This has nothing to do with the fact that I'm going to a ball in one week exactly.... Teehee....] Alec is talking.

"So, uh, are you going to be okay tonight?"
I furrowed my brow a little. "'Going to be okay'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I don't think I'll need you the whole night. Just a little at the beginning to remind me of who everybody is, then...." He hesitated.
"I'm on my own," I finished for him.
"I guess you could put it that way," he said, shrugging awkwardly.
Nodding, I looked out the window again. "I understand."
Alec didn't say anything for a minute. "Uh... you do?"
"Course. You have a date. I shouldn't ruin it with my presence."
"That's not what I mean, Nikki," Alec said, sighing.
"You wouldn't ruin my... whatever this is – it's not a date – with your presence."
I looked back at him. "Oh, I wouldn't? Ha! You've said it before."
Alec glanced at me, then back at the road. "I have? When?"
I bit my lip. 'Oops.' "Uh, forget it." I frowned a little, looking at the street signs. "Um, you're going the wrong way."
"I am?" he asked, slowing down a little.
"Yeah. Allie's house is back that way," I said, tapping on my window.
"Oh." Alec sped up again. "We're not going by Allie's house."
"We're not?" I stared at him. "Didn't you say we were going to pick her up?"
"Not anymore. She has somewhere to be tomorrow – a Christmas party or something like that – so she has to go home earlyish."
"How early?"
"Eleven, I think."
"Oh. That's not too early."
"Nope." Alec suddenly grinned. "And you can... 'save the last dance for me.'" [Subconsciously writing the bits of a song my sister has been listening to nonstop? Uh....]
I laughed. "Wow, Alec! I haven't heard you sing in... in forever!"
"Really?" Alec said, apparently a little surprised. "I remembered a few days ago that I like singing."
"Me, too!" I told him, turning so that I almost fully faced him.
"Yeah!"
Even though he kept his eyes on the road, I could see a twinkle in Alec's eye – something I hadn't seen in a long time. "What is it?"
"I just got a good idea."
"Uh, oh..."
"Why don't we do a duet?"
I grinned. "Okay! What should we sing?"
Alec shrugged. "You pick something."
"Okay.... How about 'All I Ask of You'?"
Alec thought for a minute as he merged onto the interstate. "I think I remember most of it. You'll have to help me if I mess up, okay?"
"Sure. You start. 'No more-'"
"'No more talk of darkness... forget these wide-eyed fears – I'm here, with you, beside you... to guard you and to guide you....'"
As Alec sang Raoul's part, I couldn't help but grin. He had such a jaw-dropping baritone voice and I'd nearly forgotten how well he could sing! I came in on Christine's part, singing the higher notes without a problem. [Even if I can barely hit those notes, it doesn't mean my character can't!! HA!] The soprano and baritone part blended beautifully for the entire song, and Alec even remembered Raoul's harmony at the end, which made me extremely happy.
When we'd let the ending 'Love me, that's all I ask of you...' fade away, Alec raised his eyebrows. "Wow, Nikki! You're really good!"
I could feel myself blush as I grinned sheepishly. "Really? Thanks. You have a wonderful voice, too." I hesitated for a split second, then said, "I've missed hearing you sing."
Alec smiled. "And I didn't realize that I missed singing with you until just now."
I'm pretty sure that my smile didn't go away until I fell asleep five hours later.

How's your writing going? Have you guys written anything recently that you had to delete?

~Eowyn~

PS: I'm going camping for a few days next week (WOOT!), just so you know. Maybe some pictures... but I know I'm going to be having too much fun to take pictures. : D