Monday 4 November 2024

Monday, 4th November 2024 Writings

 

Excerpt from: Bridge Buddies

“Who else?” Boimler asked.

 

“Go on then,” Barnes said with a bored tone.

 

“So, Mariner then jumps off the bridge, dragging me with her.”

 

Barnes winced. “That must have hurt!”

 

“Oh it did! We fell onto what appeared to be ordinary Earth grass, but was actually something akin to stinging nettle…”

 

Words: 51

 

Excerpt from: Astrid and the Mystery

It was an ordinary day on Berk. Astrid was flying above the island on Stormfly. She found it allowed her to relax after a long day of training. It also allowed her to take her mind off of the chief’s son and how handsome he had grown to be.

 

‘Why did I think that?’ Astrid wondered as she looked down at Berk.

 

Stormfly screeched a little, sensing her rider’s discomfort.

 

“Sorry, girl. Just thinking,” Astrid said before she noticed something in the forest near the village. It was something unexpected, but also totally expected. “What are they up to now?”

 

 

By the time Stormfly had landed, the culprits had made themselves scarce. But Astrid knew what she had seen.

 

Words: 119

 

 

Excerpt from: Berk in Time

“Don’t listen to him,” the other said. “He’s just being mean because we captured him.”

 

“They’re arguing amongst themselves,” Spitelout said. “We can take them.”

 

“Wait!” Snotlout said a he saw another dragon approach.

 

“Wait, it’s a Rumblehorn,” Hiccup said as he held out his hand as he usually did when he tried to gain a dragon’s trust.

 

“Those can still be dangerous,” Snotlout responded.

 

Words: 65

 

 

Excerpt from: Secrets of the Archipelago

Nothing was out of the ordinary. But he knew that could change quickly.

 

As Toothless changed direction, he saw something. There was a ship approaching Berk from the south.

 

Toothless warbled.

 

“I see it too, bud.”

 

They flew down to have a closer look.

 

Words: 44

 

 

Excerpt from: Mysteries of Aurora

At the same time, Olivia arrived at her lecture and almost panicked when she saw the large number of other students. ‘I’ll sit at the edge,’ she decided.

 

“Hi.”

 

Olivia turned and saw a short haired girl there. “Olivia,” she said.

 

“Flavia. I noticed that you seemed, anxious.”

 

“I’m an introvert. I don’t like crowds,” Olivia explained.

 

“You probably didn’t like yesterday then.”

 

“I figured out a way. But when classes are large, it’s hard to avoid.”

 

Words: 77

 

 

Excerpt from: Spider Quinn

“Yes, Andrea?”

 

“Your brother is at Lawndale State, right?”

 

“He is,” Tania answered. “What is this about?”

 

“Ninja Talon and SpiderGirl asked me to help search for Jane.”

 

“And how would my brother be able to help with that?”

 

“He could give me access to one of the computer labs,” Andrea answered.

 

“I see, you want to access camera footage,” Tania surmised.

 

“Yes, I still have dial up at home.”

 

“I’ll if I can contact him at lunch.”

 

“Then that is what I’ll tell Ninja Talon later,” Andrea said as she left.

 

 

“Wait…” Tania said as Andrea disappeared into the distance. ‘Does she know who Ninja Talon is?’

 

She thought about it more. ‘Quite likely, but I’ll keep it to myself. Besides, I need to focus on the play tonight.’

 

 

Agent Leung returned to the Lawndale Field Office, where he typed up his notes and started writing on the whiteboard in the office. He started with the timeline. “Quentin Beck. Arrived in Lawndale on Saturday, 17th February, whereupon he goes to the Historia and is immediately hired by Quinn Morgendorffer as the theater’s special effects person.” There wasn’t anything suspicious there.

 

“Anything on the four business partners?” One of his fellow agents asked.

 

“Daria and Quinn Morgendorffer, sisters who have recently lost their father,” Leung said as he put up recent photos of the two, reflecting their changes in appearance. “Their mother, Helen, is associate in Vitale, et al.”

 

That brought about a silence. Jim Vitale’s reputation was well known in the field office.

 

“Daria is Jane’s close friend,” Leung added. “Thus she has no motive.”

 

“And the other two?” the other agent asked.

 

“Joseph Green and Robert Allen, cousins who are also nephews of the Historia’s former owner. All four are students at Lawndale High.”

 

“Could Angela Li be a suspect?”

 

“Unlikely. There is no impact on the school from the Historia opening. The Morgendorffers grades appear to be unaffected by their involvement in the theater. Quinn won the spelling bee, the day before the theater opened,” Leung said.

 

“And the cousin’s grades?”

 

“Steady,” Leung said as he turned back to the timeline. “Sunday, February 18th. The first rehearsal for Tempest. And later, Kalina Ondrovick says it’s amateurish on radio and Daria calls in to argue with her. That’s the first time the play is mentioned on the radio. That’s the main connection. That the play was mentioned on the radio.”

 

He continued through the timeline up to Jane’s abduction.

 

 

“But one thing is eluding me,” Leung said when he was finished. “And Peterson too. Motive. What reason does Quentin Beck have to disrupt the play.”

 

“Jealousy?”

 

“Quinn said that he was condescending of her age.”

 

“Which is?” the other asked.

 

“She turns 16 next week,” Leung said, and wrote her birthdate in late February of 1985 beneath her photo.

 

“And Daria?”

 

“Seventeen and half,” Leung added, writing her birthdate in late July of 1983 beneath her picture. “The cousins are 16, born in late 1984.”

 

They continued their brainstorming.

 

 

Between classes, Quinn caught up with Anna and Ben. “We have to do the mentoring at the Historia, rather than the Library,” she said.

 

“Any reason?” Ben asked.

 

“I’ll also be re-interviewing the previous applicants for the special effects position.”

 

“Because of what happened to Jane?” Anna asked.

 

“That’s part of it,” Quinn answered.

 

“Because Quentin Beck is responsible,” Anna surmised.

 

Quinn nodded.

 

“We’ll be there,” Anna said. “But what about Gerald? He won’t like it.”

 

“I know,” Quinn said. “He’ll be difficult to convince.”

 

 

At lunch, Tania went to one of the school’s payphones straight out of class. “I hope his in his room,” Tania murmured as she put in a couple of quarters. She then dialled the number.

 

Yes?

 

“Scott! It’s Tania.”

 

Why are you calling me in the middle of the day? I have a class in twenty minutes.

 

“Sorry about that. I have a favour to ask of you.”

 

I’m already seeing the play.”

 

“That’s good but that’s not what this is about.”

 

What is this about then?”

 

Tania then began explaining what Andrea had asked her about.

 

You want me to allow this Andrea to use my account to try to find this Jane? Because of SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon?

 

“Yes,” Tania said.

 

I’ll have to think about it,” Scott said.

 

“Let me know before the play starts tonight.”

 

I shall, bye.”

 

 

In the library, Andrea found Brittany hiding somewhere near the back. ‘She looks 100% the cheerleader she has been the past few years,’ she thought. ‘Apart from that time in the Zon when she had her hair dyed dark.’ She shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to think about. She saw that she was reading a book on the history of Lawndale. “Brit?” she asked.

 

Brittany looked up. “Hey, Andy,” she said with a slight smile.

 

She almost ignored the nickname. Brittany was the only one who could get away with calling her that. ‘Still is, it seems,’ Andrea thought. “I found Tania Ashworth. She said she would talk to her brother.”

 

“Tania. She’s in the play too,” Brittany acknowledged.

 

“I had heard about that.”

 

“I’ll let Spidey know, later.”

 

Words: 860

 

 

Total: 1216

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