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Vignette: Nate (the Teen Years)
Sometimes, when writing a book, the events in the book are so emotionally draining that I have to take a short break and write something else.
My WIP, Wolf's Duty, is like that in several scenes. While contemplating how to resolve the most current problem facing my Alpha Were King, I started thinking about something Eli remembered in Wolf's Claim. This vignette resulted. It may be included in a book someday, but for now, it's just a tiny slice of Nate's adolescent years.
Vignette: Nate at the Police Station
Fifteen-year-old Nate Rollins sat on his hands to hide
his skinned and healing knuckles. He didn't know anyone else who healed so fast, and it worried him. He leaned forward, chin tucked against his
chest while he side-eyed his foster brother, Eli Thomas. Face pale as his
t-shirt, Eli sat stiff and stared straight ahead, almost unblinking, jaw clenched,
fisted hands resting on his thighs. Around them, ignoring the two
teenaged boys sitting on the bench against the wall, police officers milled
about the room doing whatever it is police officers did when they were on duty
but in the department building. Murmuring voices, keyboard clicks, and the sound
of boot heels hitting the tile floors filled the room.
Two bloody, bruised
teenagers sat at a desk across the room, loudly accusing Nate and Eli of
assault and battery, while another officer listened while Charlotte accused the
injured teens of attempted rape and argued that Nate and his brother defended
her against the two making the charges. Even over the background noise, Nate could hear every
word, though he couldn’t begin to explain how. His ability to hear sounds and
voices from a distance was something he tried to keep to himself.
Beside him,
Eli took a deep, quivering breath, then glanced at Nate. Suddenly more worried
about Eli than the accusations made against them, he leaned toward the only
brother he’d ever known. “You okay?”
Eli blinked and raised one shoulder in a slight shrug. He
swept a gaze across the room, then leaned closer and whispered, “I thought you
were gonna kill them both.”
Nate took a deep breath through his nose and released it
through his mouth, then gave Eli a single nod, and whispered, “I would have if
you hadn’t stopped me. When Clive ripped Charlotte’s blouse, I . . ..” He broke
off when one of the officers walked closer and stopped.
“Your dad is on the way, boys. You have anything else
to say about all this?”
The two boys exchanged glances, looked up at the
uniformed man standing over them, and then shook their heads. “No, Sir,” they
chorused.
“Hmph. Well, the girl claims they were trying to force
her, and you stopped them. That right?”
Head down, Eli nodded. Nate met the man’s gaze without
flinching. “That’s right.”
“The Chief believes her. Those two will spend at least
one night in jail. When your dad gets here, the two of you will be released into
his custody.” He twisted his mouth to the side and sniffed. “Think you two can
stay out of trouble?”
“We’ll do our best, Sir.” Nate’s calm, firm voice
seemed to surprise the man.
“Yeah, well, see that you do. I don’t want to see the
two of you in here, again.” He glanced at Eli, then studied Nate for a moment.
“You ever think about being a cop, Son?”
Nate blinked and caught his breath. “Sir? Me?”
“Yeah. You don’t seem to get too riled up.” He turned
to look at the two bloody boys, then grinned. “Unless someone needs help,
anyway.”
Swallowing hard, Nate struggled not to fidget on the
bench. His face burned like he had a second-degree sunburn. He gave the officer
a sickly grin. “No, Sir. I want to be a Marine. Like my dad.”
Sucking air between his teeth, the officer smirked.
“Sounds like a good career choice for you.” With a single wave of his hand, he
walked back to his desk and sat down.
At this point in his life, Nate didn't know of his shifter heritage, but he knew he wasn't normal.
Let me know what you think. Should this be fleshed out into a full story, or even a YA book? Does the photo I selected look right for Nate?
Back to writing!
Later,
