A Dark Hand - Part Two

“Hey, buster!” said Frederica’s Uncle Toby jovially as she walked in through the front door. He half-leapt, half-climbed over the couch in the front-room, almost falling on his face because he was dressed in a full chicken outfit. He managed to make it to her, and rubbed her messy hair back and forth playfully. “How was your first day of school?”
            “It was terrible,” sulked Frederica as she fell into an armchair in the living room.
            “Why?” asked Toby, suddenly serious. He sat lightly on his feathers on the couch opposite her. “What happened?” he asked.
            “I don’t want to talk about it.”
            Toby frowned sadly, his greying eyebrows and goatee only barely visible through the mouth of the chicken head. He opened his mouth, about to press on, and decided to leave it. He made his way to the kitchen.
            “Business was great at the store today,” Toby offered quietly from the kitchen. “I think the midnight sale is going to go really well.”
            “You do realise you can change out of that stupid thing and then back just before you leave, right?”
            “No, it took me about four hours to get it on this morning. It’d be a hassle.” There was a pause as Toby clanked around in the kitchen. “Hey, I made your favourite for dinner. Just say when you’re hungry and I’ll pop it in the oven to finish.”
            “My favourite?”
            “Chicken pasta bake.”
            “Is the pasta wholegrain?”
            Toby paused, clearly confused. A few seconds passed during which he located the empty bag, and flipped it over.
            “No,” he replied.
            Frederica stood up.
            “Then I’m not eating it. White pasta is too fattening. I’ll just have a salad when you’re out later.”
            Toby did not respond. He just watched her storm up the stairs sadly, his tail feathers drooping.

A Dark Hand - Part One: First Day

Frederica's black station wagon pulled into the parking lot. It had been a gift from her Uncle upon her arrival to Trenton, and she hated it. The black tyres crumpled over the white snow – a fitting metaphor for her mood this morning. This was her first day at her new high school, Trenton High, and she felt cold and nervous. The hoodie she pulled tighter around her sported the logo of her favourite band from her home-town, Tampa. Nobody would know them here. Just as nobody knew her.

            Frederica took a few deep breaths, and got out of her car. It was 8:35am. School started at 9:00am. This had meant that she had been able to park very close to the school's entrance, and also meant that the light drizzle of snow wouldn't mess up her hair too badly. She didn't usually care about such things too much, but even Frederica knew the importance of a good first impression.
            As she went through the front doors she was hit in the face with warm air conditioning. The snow that had settled on her began to melt, and droplets of water trickled down her slightly messy, shoulder-length hair, and around her eyes before finally dripping off her frozen, ready lips.
            She needed to pick up her timetable before she could attend any classes, but it appeared that the reception was empty. Perhaps she had arrived too early!
            Frederica decided to take a seat while she waited. Because her legs were quite long – some had even said “slender” – she found it most comfortable to sit with one leg crossed over the other. It was in this position she sat, playing with her smartphone, for about ten minutes.

Why Blogspot, Why Now?

I'm Oscar Taylor-Kent, the writer. Why do I have a BlogSpot when I have my own website, www.oscartk.co.uk which has its own blog?

Think about that blog as my personal space, my online calling card and hub, from which everything else can be found, including this blog. Blog posts on that website will be more personal and more in relation to me, the person, the myth.

Here, on BlogSpot, will be devoted to my fiction. That means no video game rants, and no Doctor Who book reviews. Fiction, plain and simple.

My debut novella, A Dark Hand, which launched to critical acclaim (from 2-3 people I know very closely) will be reposted here as the beginning to a series. The purchasable editions of the ebook will become free in a short amount of time.

Anyway, keep an eye on this space if you want to see more about my writing.