Blind Sight: Aniela | Chapter 3

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Blind Sight, book, fantasy, fiction, urban fantasy

Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Aniela Dawson

Eliabeth Hawthorne

Chapter THREE

A Unique Tune

Aniela’s fingers plucked at the air while she practiced an imaginary harp. This was not how she wanted to spend her afternoon, but her private teacher had called her in for an extra lesson. While Aniela thought her impending graduation meant she did not have to practice as much, her teacher told her graduation was no excuse for laziness. Unlike many of her orchestra companions, she had no desire to continue after, at least not at the same level. Aniela sighed and dropped her hands; the music inside her head stopped just as abruptly. This was important to her mother, so she stuck with it.

One of the practice room doors opened behind her and she twisted to see if her teacher was ready for her. Instead, a blind girl stepped out of one of the adjoining rooms. Her white and orange stick slid across the floor as she walked. Aniela was fascinated; she had never seen a blind person before. The girl did not hide her eyes behind sunglasses; her loose straight brown hair was pulled back except for the bangs which fell into her eyes. Despite the shame Aniela felt for staring, she could not resist.

Another door opened and a young man barreled into the blind girl, sending both toppling to the floor.

Aniela rushed over. “Are you okay?”

Blind Sight: Aniela | Chapter 2

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Blind Sight, fantasy, fiction, reading, urban fantasy

Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Aniela Dawson

Eliabeth Hawthorne

Chapter TWO

A GREEN GLOW

Aniela lay awake in bed and stared up at the ceiling. The tiara sat on her vanity, but never before had she wanted it less. Ever since she could remember, her mother had favored her over her sister. In her naïve ignorance and sibling rivalry she had thought it a positive until maturity enlightened her to the irreparable rift that had occurred between her and the twins because of it. Theodore did not dislike her the way Tatiana did, but could never truly befriend her. Part of her wanted to be mad at her mother for bringing about the final act that would forever keep them apart, and yet she felt guilty for not seeing it coming.

The alarm went off at 5:15, as it did every day, indiscriminate of weekdays or weekends. Aniela went to the bathroom, washed the sleepy dirt out of her eyes, and removed any signs of the tears that had dried to her cheeks. She would be glad to leave this world to her brother, craving instead a different life, one that did not require her to always be up early, always be presentable, and sacrifice her own desires for obligations. She made her way to breakfast. Regardless of the chaos afternoons and evenings frequently held for her, she could always count on the morning routine.

James sat at the head of the table, sipping his coffee and staring at the newspaper, but closer inspection of his unmoving gaze told her his normal routine ended there. She also now realized he had the paper strategically folded to hide the front page from view. If Alaya had noticed, she was not commenting, nor did she show any curiosity toward the matter. She sipped her tea casually across from him with her perfect make-up and without a hair out of place. She offered no indication that she had flown off the handle the night before. Aniela watched them both, amazed at their ability to compartmentalize. While Alaya’s behavior was not a surprise, she wondered how James could act as though nothing had happened, since he was Tatiana’s advocate in the family.

Her gaze flickered to Theodore. She was still half-afraid to look him in the eye, lest he return an icy glare, but his eyes were not even open. The serving cart rolled around to each of them. Aniela looked disapprovingly at her dry whole-wheat toast and grapefruit half as her plate floated to its place. She reached for the butter, but felt a sharp sting as Alaya slapped her hand.

“Aniela, what have I told you about empty calories?”

When Theodore reached over and buttered his pancakes, apparently unobservant of the impending punishment, he succeeded without retribution. Aniela gave her mother a look of exasperation.

Blind Sight: Aniela | Prologue

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Blind Sight, fantasy, fiction, writing

Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Aniela Dawson

Eliabeth Hawthorne

Prologue

A bundle of joy wrapped in a white feather boa streaked down the hall. Her long blonde hair flowed out behind her. Dressed in a vintage dress several sizes too large, Edaion’s youngest princess had just come out from playing dress up in her mother’s closet. Aniela wore oversized tortoise-shell aviator sunglasses and a necklace of pearls that dragged on the floor, threatening to trip her as she ran barefoot toward her sister’s room. The energetic four-year-old girl pushed open the bedroom door without knocking, still learning appropriate boundaries.

Seven-year-old Tatiana sat on her bed, her dark hair and dark eyes a stark contrast to Aniela’s baby blues. One of their mother’s favorite lamps levitated up and down; it moved slowly through the air. Tatiana never let it exceed six inches from the ground while she practiced her magic. All three of the Dawson children had inherited telekinesis from their mother. Tatiana specialized in large, heavy objects. Her twin, Theodore, who sat at Tatiana’s desk playing solitaire in the air, specialized in multiple small objects. Aniela had yet to develop a specialty.

“Hi Ana,” Theodore said. The door swung shut without any help from his sister.

“Hi Teo,” Aniela replied, sometimes still struggling with her t-h sounds.

Aniela tried to jump on her sister’s bed, but it was too high, causing her to miss and slide down until her feet once again touched the soft rug. She backed up and took a running leap. Aniela’s forehead smacked into Tatiana’s palm and she toppled backward onto to floor. Theodore frowned. His brow furrowed as he shook his head, but he did not comment as Aniela crawled up onto his lap instead. Much like his role in life, his looks fell somewhere between the two girls’. He had Tatiana’s intelligent brown eyes and Aniela’s light blonde hair. While he lacked Aniela’s innocence, he also lacked Tatiana’s smugness. He was the middle; one they could both enjoy.

Book Review: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

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book, book review, books, dragons, fantasy, fiction, Guards! Guards! Discworld, Pitch Perfect, review, reviews, Terry Pratchett, YA, young adult

Guards! Guards!
Discworld #8

by Terry Pratchett

genre: fantasy, young adult

Summary from Goodreads

Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis (“noble dragon” for those who don’t understand italics) has appeared in Discworld’s greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .).

Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume–The Summoning of Dragons–is missing from the Library’s shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it’s burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can.

Picture it & Write

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clouds, creative writing, fantasy, fiction, photography, poetry, stairs, writing, writing exercise, writing prompt

Welcome to the Picture it & Write creative writing exercise. I invite people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (please provide a translation). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

Our footsteps clanged on the metal stairs while we raced up the long spiral. The steps were narrow and treacherous. Three times, I had to reach for the cold railing, slick with last night’s rain. Dark critters scurried across the building but kept their distance when we drowned them in the light from our flashlights.

“Hurry up, Princess.” My knight offered a hand. He was handsome with dark hair and pointed ears. To everyone else, he was dark and brooding, but I could see his every emotion played out in his aura. He made me feel safe, loved.

“Daydreaming again?” A voice snapped me out of my fantasies and I lowered my camera.

–Eliabeth Hawthorne

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & Write category or Ermiliablog!  Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish  !

Picture it & Write

Tags

costumes, creative, fantasy, fiction, photography, role play, writing

Welcome to the Picture it & Write creative writing exercise. I invite people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (please provide a translation). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

Image found on Pinterest, linked to ,

“Here ye here ye good people. The King invites you into the castle.” A beer-bellied man shouted down at us. I glanced nervously at my friend, afraid we… I would not fit in. She had her princess gown on, complete with corset, dangling arm things I didn’t know where a thing, elf ears, and a cape. Her friend wore entente, wings, a corset, and a tutu yet I was the one who felt out of place.

-Eliabeth Hawthorne

Picture it & Write now supports The Girl Effect, a movement empowering girls to break the cycle of poverty in their communities, countries, and world. All profits from the publication are donated to this cause.

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & Write category or Ermiliablog!  Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish  !

Book Review: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

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book, book review, books, crime, fantasy, fiction, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, mystery, review, reviews, Storm Front, urban fantasy

Storm Front
The Dresden Files, Book 1

by Jim Butcher

genre: urban fantasy, crime

Summary

Harry Dresden is a wizard. In the yellow pages, paranormal investigations, consulting, the whole nine-yards, publicly practicing wizard. “Normal” people mock him and the White Council has him on their watch list. He’s broke and technology likes to malfunction around him; the more modern an object, the more likely it is to jam. He’s not athletic, but he’s become well acquainted with stairs in order to avoid using the elevator.

When someone breaks the first rule of magic, “Thou Shall Not Kill Using Magic,” Dresden is blamed, the White Council is likely to vote a death sentence, and Dresden has less than 48 hours before he becomes the next victim.

Book Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

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book, book review, books, fantasy, fiction, Ilona Andrews, Magic Bites, review, reviews, urban fantasy

Magic Bites

by Ilona Andrews

genre: adventure, science fiction, young adult

Summary from Goodreads

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up paranormal problems. Atlanta has two factions struggling for power. Masters of the Dead are necromancers who control vampires. The Pack are a paramilitary clan of shapechangers. When Kate’s guardian is killed, she is caught between.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

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blue hair protagonist, book review, chimaera, daughter of smoke and bone, fallen angels, fantasy, forced romances, karou, laini taylor, novels with saggy middles, paranormal, romance, young adult

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

by Laini Taylor

genre: fantasy, young adult, paranormal, romance

An urban fantasy story with a few twists up its sleeve. Find out why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”, she speaks many languages – not all of them human – and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Review

This book inspired the post ‘When promising books go blegh‘, terrible drawing and all. So why on earth am I giving it a 4? I’ll tell you why.

The first third of the book was great. Then some crappy excuse for a romantic interest was forced into the equation. Literally, forced. I pushed myself through… I pushed… I tried to hold on. Others who had read it encouraged me that the book improved once Madrigal’s story started (and took over the deteriorating Karou one) and they were right. The last 100 pages had me so enthralled that when I finished, I was ready to buy the next book. I was ready to shove my money in the bookseller’s face. Take it! Take it!

Book Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

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book, book review, books, fantasy, Hexed, Kevin Hearne, review, reviews, urban fantasy

Hexed
The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2

by Kevin Hearne

genre: urban fantasy

Synopsis from Goodreads

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty–when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.