Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

July 7, 2013

Hello!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fouth and got to see lots of lovely fireworks displays. I'm lucky enough to be invited to another extravaganza next weekend. Never too many fireworks, right?

Tonight's post is from It's Academic and in keeping with the firecracker theme, the couple definitely has some sparking, crackly chemistry. :D

Here's the tagline:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

Thorn entered his room and groaned. "God damn, Kari."

He couldn't see the floor, her clothes tossed haphazardly all over the place. Kicking her stuff aside, he made his way to his corner and set his books on the desk, after shoving her—lunch?—into the trash bin. Flinging his pack onto the bed, he turned around in a circle and basically found the place in utter shambles.

He couldn't live with the chaos anymore. He'd either kill Kari or she'd kill him if he didn't set some kind of boundaries. He'd let her get too comfortable with the sloppy mess in the interest of keeping the peace.

Not anymore.

With a quick decision made, Thorn gathered up everything of Kari's and dumped it in the middle of her half of the room. Grabbing a spare sheet from under his bed, he rigged up two hooks and some sturdy twine and attached the sheet with clothespins. People could give him shit about being prepared, but sometimes it saved his sanity.

Like now.

Stepping back to observe his handiwork, Thorn figured his solution would work just fine. The door opened in the middle of the far wall, so no worry about walking through one half to get to the other. He shouldn't have to see or deal with Kari's slobfest from this point forward.

Heaving a relieved sigh, a weight already gone, Thorn got started on reorganizing his half of the room. Fifteen minutes into his cleaning ritual, the door burst open and Thorn braced for a reaction.

Kari skidded to a halt just inside the entrance. "What. The. Hell?" She frowned and kicked the heavy oak closed with her booted foot.

Thorn shrugged. "You obviously need clearly defined boundaries. Consider this set up as example number one."

Kari strode to the edge of the sheet and flicked her gaze between the two spaces. "Geez, Thorn, you could've mentioned something. I'd have tidied up if you had."

Thorn's fingers itched to strangle her. "I damned well did mention something. Repeatedly."

Kari's lips quirked, but she choked down her laugh. "It's hilarious. Have you seen what this looks like from here? Our cookie cutter sized room now looks more in the vicinity of a postage stamp."

She had a point, but he'd be boiled in hot oil before he'd agree.

Her gaze rose and met his. "Where did you come up with this painfully stupid idea?"

Only the genuine curiosity behind the snarky words had him supplying the answer. "My mom. She split the room I shared with my brother this way." He gave her a pointed look. "Thrace lived like a slob, too."

Kari snorted. "My mom would've lit a match and walked away."

She spoke the reply quietly, an undertone of sadness in her voice.

Thorn had no idea what her relationship with her mom had been, but burning everything sounded harsh. "Wow." What else could he say?

Kari's lips twisted with a half-smile. "Yeah." She bent down and started picking her clothes up off the floor, refilling the open drawers of her dresser. "Why'd your mom split you two up that way? Other than the neat versus messy thing."

Thorn answered before thinking about it. "Because when we fought, she had to mediate and that took time away from—" Shit, he never shared crap about his mom's drinking habits. "Well, I mean, it took away time from something else she'd rather do."

A very knowing and understanding gleam crept into her eyes when she glanced over her shoulder in his direction. Kari recognized the lie for what it meant. Thorn wanted to staple his mouth shut.

But she surprised him by sharing her own truth. "Mine went on binges. Ugly ones." She went back to sorting her clothes, turning away to focus on the task. "Used to have to shut myself up in our pantry to avoid flying objects."

Well, hell. Common ground. Who knew it would be mothers who had issues with alcohol.

Thorn yanked half the sheet down and crossed over into her space, bending down to help her fold the pile on the floor. "Mine did the slow and steady thing. Always waited until we got home from school to get started and didn't stop until she crawled into bed."

Kari paused and met his gaze, hers full of commiseration. "Sucks."

Thorn agreed. "Yeah." He worked steadily, grabbing a shirt and neatly tucking the sleeves under the back before flipping it in half and smoothing the wrinkles.

Kari laid a hand on his. "Thorn. I got this. It's my mess, I'll clean it up." She wrinkled her nose. "And make an effort to keep the clutter to a minimum."

Thorn believed her. Didn't mean he couldn't help.

He smiled. "Goes faster with two doing the work." He handed her the tank top in his hand and snagged another one from the dwindling pile.

Kari lifted a shoulder, but didn't argue. Thorn considered the lack of a snarky comeback progress. Maybe because they shared a similar situation from childhood, they'd finally broken through the wall of discontent built from the moment they met.

Thorn sort of hoped so. A truce would be great. So much better than spending the whole semester acting like combatants on a battle field.

Kari stopped again, tilting her head sideways to study him.

Okay, a reprieve might not have been reached.

He lifted a brow. "What?"

She answered. "Nothing. I mean, well, I'm hungry and thought about heading to the commissary for dinner. Wanna join me?"

He almost fell over, but quickly nodded. "Sounds great." He put the neatly folded pile of clothes on top of her dresser and got to his feet. "We could go now and finish this up when we get back."

Kari grinned. "Awesome. They're having one of my favorites tonight. Grilled cheese and tomato soup." She pushed her bottom drawer shut and stood up, grabbing her ID from the clutter on the desk.

Thorn chuckled. "Comfort food. There's nothing like it."

Kari strode toward the door, but shot him a look over her shoulder. "I know, right? Let's go."

Thorn checked his pocket, making sure he had his identification then followed her.

A definite truce. The rest of the semester looked to be shaping up.

Humming one of his favorite songs, he closed and locked the door and picked up his pace to catch up with Kari.

And common ground is achieved and a thawing of the ice begins. Instead of constantly being at each other's throats, Kari and Thorn find better ways to spend their time. :D

And that's it for this week!

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Beast in the Belfry

Greetings!

I have to open with kudos for one of my favorite shows currently airing on television: Orphan Black. Seriously, the writing, the acting, the pacing…top notch stuff. I can't say enough about how awesome this show is. It always takes me by surprise and never quite goes where I think it will. If you're not watching…give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed. :D

Tonight's post is from The Beast in the Belfry, a novella about a woman cursed to be alone by her mad professor. The funny thing about curses? They're not always made to last and sometimes a stronger magic will render the hex null and void. And man, oh man, is it fun to write. :D

Here's the tagline:

A curse leaves artist Vittoria Blahm disfigured and marred for life. But Cal Gilligan sees the true woman under the scars and he falls hard for her when she saves him from plunging to his death. Vittoria can't quite believe anyone wants her and fears risking her heart to the possibility.

And a preview snippet…

"It's your choice, Vittoria. It should be simple enough to decide if you want to live or die." Hessler Shaouk made a slow circle around the wingback chair.

Vittoria Blahm kept her silent and stony countenance. She wouldn't feed into her professor's madness any more than she already had.

"Hess, dear brother, you know I won't stand by and let you kill her."

Vittoria's eyes focused on the beautiful blonde for one brief moment before she blinked and cast her gaze downward again.

Hessler scowled. "Jejune, my sweet, you have no business meddling in my affairs."

Jejune laid a hand on her brother's shoulder and Vittoria's eyes widened when he slumped to the floor, struggling against unseen bonds.

Jejune knelt beside him. "Maybe not, but no one else will rein you in when necessary."

"Let me go, you damned fool woman." He writhed on the floor, but remained prone. "She needs to die, Jejune. By my hand. She spurned my love."

The lovely blonde sighed. "Vittoria, do you have any feelings for my brother?"

Her hand remained on his shoulder, but Hessler could move his head. He angled slightly to meet Vittoria's gaze.

She answered honestly. "Not the kind he wanted me to have. I respect his work. And his brilliance." She focused on Jejune. "But I'm not attracted to him otherwise."

Resignation settled over Jejune's features and she nodded. "Did you give him any reason to believe you held him in high regard?"

High regard? Vittoria wondered if she'd somehow crossed over into an alternate timeline. No one she knew spoke with such formality.

Her head shook back and forth. "Not intentionally. Your brother sees what he wants to see." And he'd mistaken her thirst for knowledge and technique for something deeper.

To date, she hadn't managed to feel what qualified as love for anyone, always choosing to neatly sidestep emotional entanglements. Too many goals to achieve to get involved in a relationship.

Jejune closed her eyes. "And now? What do you feel for him?"

Again, Vittoria answered with honesty. "Pity."

Hessler went wild at the admission and finally broke free of his sister's binding. He shot to his feet and rushed Vittoria, stopping barely a foot away.

He roared, "You stupid bitch. I don't want your damned pity." Hate and venom laced his words. "I deserve more. Better. What I've shared with you has a price and if you're not willing to pay up, your life is forfeit."

He raised his hand and Jejune rushed to his side, grasping his palm and jerking it hard.

Her voice rose. "You will not kill her. I won't allow it."

Hessler shouted. "I demand recompense."

Jejune spoke softly. "Then curse her to be alone as you are."

A sinister smile graced Hessler's face. "So be it."

A terrible feeling of dread settled over Vittoria, but nothing could prepare her for the horrifying pain a flick of his wrist brought. Her face burned, the left side peeling away or melting or both. Vittoria screamed, agony tearing through her. She struggled against the restraints, the need to flee overwhelming.

A harsh gasp from Jejune gave Vittoria something else to focus on, but didn't end the brutal carnage taking place.

Jejune called her brother out. "Hessler, I demand you stop. You've maimed her sufficiently."

A madness-fueled grin twisted on his face. "I don't think so, dear sister. Not until she's suffered the same amount of pain I have."

Through a haze of agony, Vittoria's eyes went wide when Jejune summoned up a whirlwind of power, sending Hessler flying into the next room. The door slammed shut and Jejune rushed to Vittoria, laying a hand on her face. The pain stopped, but the heartache didn't.

Jejune spoke quietly, "I can't remove the disfigurement. But I can get you away from here." She cut the physical bonds and waved a palm, freeing the invisible ones. "Hessler will have no choice but to leave, I'll see to that, too."

Vittoria said nothing, her mouth and lips marred too badly for speech. Jejune hauled Vittoria out of the chair and dragged her out of the sitting room, through the house, and out to her vehicle.

Shoving Vittoria into the car, Jejune rushed around and got behind the steering wheel. "I'm taking you to the quad. The groundskeepers start early, 6 am, they'll find you."

Vittoria slid her gaze sideways, the pain creeping back in an intense wave. Jejune flicked her wrist and Vittoria fell into blessed unconsciousness.

So far, this manuscript is coming together very nicely. I'm enjoying writing something a little darker with spots of humor. J

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye