Since I never shared any of Photograph...
....mainly because it sucked. I will give you the first few paragraphs from my new work. I haven't titled it yet because, hopefully, it will turn into somewhat of a trilogy if I end up liking it....
Anyways....
An apple hovered in front of Aryn Noble's freckled face. Lighting up her hazel eyes with a deep-stomached laugh, she reached forward and snatched it out of thin air. She leaped into the air with a cheer of victory.
“See, Gen, you can use it consciously!”
Genesis Young, her best friend for twelve years, boyfriend for two, stood awkwardly in front of her. Idly, he scratched his unruly, midnight hair and shrugged.
“Rona will be overly thrilled to know we've been right about you all of these years,” Aryn continued, biting out of the apple.
Shaking his head with frustration, he sighed. They had been at this for hours again today. To be precise, they had been at this for hours everyday since Genesis willingly scooted her chair from him with his mind a few weeks earlier. Genesis explained it away by saying she was annoying him and his mind just knew he wanted to move her. Once Aryn's chair had skidded to a halt, both her and her mother Rona's eyes lit up with astonishment.
“Try something else!”
“This is making my brain hurt, Aryn.”
“But you do it subconsciously all the time!” Aryn stamped one weathered tennis shoe into the dry dirt.
To appease her, Genesis closed his eyes and tried to focus. Around him, he could feel everything from the chalky dirt beneath his feet to the old, knotted wood of the shack they stood half-hidden behind. He reached his subconscious forward and felt for Aryn. As he felt her sudden, pulsing presence, he pulled back.
“Aryn, this can get me killed. Like, sniped off the planet. You and I both know that.”
“Nonsense. No one from Militia is just lingering around Rannestant.”
Before World War IV, Rannestant did not exist. Instead, a small town in what was once called Ontario, Canada stood where Aryn and Genesis grew up. What was once a green and prospering farm land, was now desolate and barren. It had been many generations since a corn field had flourished anywhere nearby.
Although no recorded history of the war remained in Rannestant, Aryn and Genesis grew up hearing the horror stories. Genesis preferred to tune out his parents' paranoia of the return of biological and nuclear weapons. Both of them much preferred Aryn's parents' tales of uprisings and government conspiracies. No matter who's version of the history of Tran-America they listened to, however, the ending stayed the same, with Militia having absolute military control over the countries formally known as Canada, the United States and Mexico.
“What about my parents?” Genesis wrung his hands together, nervously.
“Come off it, Gen. Those empty threats about sending you away are manipulative. Scaring you away from seeing your potential.” She crossed her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. “If I weren't mistaken, I believe it is working.”
“I'm not afraid!” Genesis shouted, sending a sudden burst of his conscious forward, blowing through Aryn's wavy chestnut hair.
A small, knowing smile spread across Aryn's face. “That wasn't the wind.”
Kicking the dirt, Genesis let out an exasperated breath. “I'm aware. But I didn't make that happen either. It just did.”
“But the apple -”
He shook his head furiously. “What good is lifting one apple?”
“It's a start, Genny. Don't be disheartened.”
Aryn plastered a toothy grin on her face and looped her arm through Genesis's. Together they walked from behind the building where they practiced, despite Aryn's reassurance that no one was really watching them.
“Do you honestly think your parents would turn you into the military if we keep practicing your telekinesis?” Aryn whispered as they walked together through the street bustling with people going about their day's business. Around them, the other residents of Rannestant were tending to small patches of gardens they had finally been able to cultivate.
“No. That's not what they've threatened though.” Genesis watched a family tend to a small patch of beans. When he saw what people in Rannestant had to do to eat, he found himself wondering what really happened during the war. He was lucky his parents were able to acquire some livestock, which gave them an upper hand in the community.
Aryn tightened her grasp on his arm. Genesis spoke of his parents disapproval of him often but the blow never softened on her. “You could come live with us. Rona adores you, you know. Arthur, too.”
Genesis nodded and smiled.
“I wouldn't protest it much either,” she said, looking away from him.
The small hint of embarrassment caused Genesis to laugh hysterically for the first time that day. “How is it that we've known each other most of our lives and have been what you call together for two years, yet you still embarrass so easily?”
Instead of answering, Aryn slid her arm out of his grip and ran ahead of him. The sounds of her laughter filtered back to him, igniting him with the desire to chase after her. Out of breath, she stopped in front of her family home, a small house not far from Genesis's. She leaned against the doorjamb and waited for him to catch up.
“I'm not embarrassed,” she blushed.
“Uh huh.” He leaned forward to kiss her goodbye but she stopped his advance with the palm of her hand. He smiled into her hand. “Okay, okay. I'm sorry.”
She slid her hand from his lips. “You give in too easily.”
“Only to you.” Genesis quickly pecked Aryn's lips, before resting his forehead on hers.
“It better stay that way,” she said looking into his warm eyes.
Genesis smiled before slowly crossing his heart with a forefinger in a wordless promise. He closed the gap between them once more and brought his lips to hers once more. Pushing up on her toes, she returned this kiss with vigor.
The too-familiar tingle began at his lips. He wanted to stop her from kissing him before he lost control, yet kissing her was the only thing that made sense to him anymore. His fingertips began to feel the tingle and before he knew it, it had spread to his toes. The ground beneath them felt distant, causing Aryn to tighten her grasp around his neck.
Genesis swiftly pulled from her kiss. Together their feet crashed back to the ground. His chocolate brown eyes grew wide as he met Aryn's hazel stare. “That was awesome, Gen.”
“That was not awesome, Aryn! I need to learn how to control this!” Pulling out of her embrace, Genesis sighed. He planted one final peck on her lips before telling her goodnight. As he turned to leave, Aryn slid in one last remark. “Keep practicing!”
Anyways....
An apple hovered in front of Aryn Noble's freckled face. Lighting up her hazel eyes with a deep-stomached laugh, she reached forward and snatched it out of thin air. She leaped into the air with a cheer of victory.
“See, Gen, you can use it consciously!”
Genesis Young, her best friend for twelve years, boyfriend for two, stood awkwardly in front of her. Idly, he scratched his unruly, midnight hair and shrugged.
“Rona will be overly thrilled to know we've been right about you all of these years,” Aryn continued, biting out of the apple.
Shaking his head with frustration, he sighed. They had been at this for hours again today. To be precise, they had been at this for hours everyday since Genesis willingly scooted her chair from him with his mind a few weeks earlier. Genesis explained it away by saying she was annoying him and his mind just knew he wanted to move her. Once Aryn's chair had skidded to a halt, both her and her mother Rona's eyes lit up with astonishment.
“Try something else!”
“This is making my brain hurt, Aryn.”
“But you do it subconsciously all the time!” Aryn stamped one weathered tennis shoe into the dry dirt.
To appease her, Genesis closed his eyes and tried to focus. Around him, he could feel everything from the chalky dirt beneath his feet to the old, knotted wood of the shack they stood half-hidden behind. He reached his subconscious forward and felt for Aryn. As he felt her sudden, pulsing presence, he pulled back.
“Aryn, this can get me killed. Like, sniped off the planet. You and I both know that.”
“Nonsense. No one from Militia is just lingering around Rannestant.”
Before World War IV, Rannestant did not exist. Instead, a small town in what was once called Ontario, Canada stood where Aryn and Genesis grew up. What was once a green and prospering farm land, was now desolate and barren. It had been many generations since a corn field had flourished anywhere nearby.
Although no recorded history of the war remained in Rannestant, Aryn and Genesis grew up hearing the horror stories. Genesis preferred to tune out his parents' paranoia of the return of biological and nuclear weapons. Both of them much preferred Aryn's parents' tales of uprisings and government conspiracies. No matter who's version of the history of Tran-America they listened to, however, the ending stayed the same, with Militia having absolute military control over the countries formally known as Canada, the United States and Mexico.
“What about my parents?” Genesis wrung his hands together, nervously.
“Come off it, Gen. Those empty threats about sending you away are manipulative. Scaring you away from seeing your potential.” She crossed her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. “If I weren't mistaken, I believe it is working.”
“I'm not afraid!” Genesis shouted, sending a sudden burst of his conscious forward, blowing through Aryn's wavy chestnut hair.
A small, knowing smile spread across Aryn's face. “That wasn't the wind.”
Kicking the dirt, Genesis let out an exasperated breath. “I'm aware. But I didn't make that happen either. It just did.”
“But the apple -”
He shook his head furiously. “What good is lifting one apple?”
“It's a start, Genny. Don't be disheartened.”
Aryn plastered a toothy grin on her face and looped her arm through Genesis's. Together they walked from behind the building where they practiced, despite Aryn's reassurance that no one was really watching them.
“Do you honestly think your parents would turn you into the military if we keep practicing your telekinesis?” Aryn whispered as they walked together through the street bustling with people going about their day's business. Around them, the other residents of Rannestant were tending to small patches of gardens they had finally been able to cultivate.
“No. That's not what they've threatened though.” Genesis watched a family tend to a small patch of beans. When he saw what people in Rannestant had to do to eat, he found himself wondering what really happened during the war. He was lucky his parents were able to acquire some livestock, which gave them an upper hand in the community.
Aryn tightened her grasp on his arm. Genesis spoke of his parents disapproval of him often but the blow never softened on her. “You could come live with us. Rona adores you, you know. Arthur, too.”
Genesis nodded and smiled.
“I wouldn't protest it much either,” she said, looking away from him.
The small hint of embarrassment caused Genesis to laugh hysterically for the first time that day. “How is it that we've known each other most of our lives and have been what you call together for two years, yet you still embarrass so easily?”
Instead of answering, Aryn slid her arm out of his grip and ran ahead of him. The sounds of her laughter filtered back to him, igniting him with the desire to chase after her. Out of breath, she stopped in front of her family home, a small house not far from Genesis's. She leaned against the doorjamb and waited for him to catch up.
“I'm not embarrassed,” she blushed.
“Uh huh.” He leaned forward to kiss her goodbye but she stopped his advance with the palm of her hand. He smiled into her hand. “Okay, okay. I'm sorry.”
She slid her hand from his lips. “You give in too easily.”
“Only to you.” Genesis quickly pecked Aryn's lips, before resting his forehead on hers.
“It better stay that way,” she said looking into his warm eyes.
Genesis smiled before slowly crossing his heart with a forefinger in a wordless promise. He closed the gap between them once more and brought his lips to hers once more. Pushing up on her toes, she returned this kiss with vigor.
The too-familiar tingle began at his lips. He wanted to stop her from kissing him before he lost control, yet kissing her was the only thing that made sense to him anymore. His fingertips began to feel the tingle and before he knew it, it had spread to his toes. The ground beneath them felt distant, causing Aryn to tighten her grasp around his neck.
Genesis swiftly pulled from her kiss. Together their feet crashed back to the ground. His chocolate brown eyes grew wide as he met Aryn's hazel stare. “That was awesome, Gen.”
“That was not awesome, Aryn! I need to learn how to control this!” Pulling out of her embrace, Genesis sighed. He planted one final peck on her lips before telling her goodnight. As he turned to leave, Aryn slid in one last remark. “Keep practicing!”