Timothy

Buried deep in the farthest corner of the downstairs library, under the oldest, most dust covered books, behind the burgundy arm chair, beneath the burning candles hung on the walls next to the old French paintings, a little boy sat. Bright, fascinated eyes were glued to the pages of one of the oldest books his father's library had to offer. His fingers turned each page with the most delicate touch a man could ever have. Timothy Larocque was no longer that curious little boy, but could easily imagine he was again as he flipped through the pages of the only medical book his father ever owned. It was the first he'd ever gotten his hands on. The thing that had introduced him to the world of medicine and the mysteries it held. The smell alone of the age old pages sent Tim reeling back to his childhood. He took in a deep breath. Curled in the corner of the old library, with the dust and the books long since forgotten, was where he found peace of mind. This was where he found solitude. This was where he felt at home.

But the feelings could not last forever. He'd been studying alone for well over an hour. Soon his father would be looking for him, to command him in the ways of the plantation, discuss the coming planting seasons, and perhaps even scold him again about finding a bride and marrying. These meetings with his father were never pleasant. If he could find something else to occupy him then perhaps the meetings would stall. So, carefully placing a small piece of folded paper into the page he'd been reading, Timothy returned the book to its forgotten place on the shelf and left the library in pursuit of something productive to do. Enough that it would keep his father off his back for at least another hour or so.

"Rachel, come sing to me again. That church song, the one you sang for us last Christmas..."

Timothy heard the call from his mother as he exited the library. It was close to noon now, she was most likely in the smaller sitting room, working on her samplers or taking tea. Timothy found himself smiling as he shook his head. Really, the ridiculousness of a woman's purpose these days. To pleasure her husband, to run her servants round the house, and to sew for decoration. Well, no wife of his was going to waste her time with nonsensical things like stitching samplers. It was an absolutely ridiculous way to pass time when there were so many other things she could do to help her husband and run her household. If Tim had his way, his wife would need to possess at least half the work ethic of just one of the slave children to ever make him proud. He loved his sister and mother, but really, some of the social rules they followed more carefully than the Holy Book itself were utterly senseless.

Following the main hall to the large sitting room, Timothy did indeed find his mother at her stitching. Rachel also was in the room, her soft voice filling the silence with a sweet melody. Tim smiled, kissing his mother's cheek before crossing the room to sit at the writing desk in the corner. He pulled out ink and quill and picked from the draw three blank sheets of paper and the ink blotter. Listening to Rachel was as much his pleasure as his mother, if not more so. The beauty of her voice was matched only by her eyes. He sat staring at the blank pages, doing his best to not steal too many glances. It couldn't look too suspicious should his father walk into the room. He also aimed to look busy so that he would not be taken from the room for any frivolous discussions of wedding and weeding.

It felt like an eternity that he sat there listening to music his friend made. His mother had at one point closed her eyes, putting her stitching aside for the sake of the song. They all loved Rachel's music. It was the sort of voice a person might never get tired of listening to.

Once the song was finished and she'd had enough of sitting, his mother bid Timothy farewell and left to attend to one of her many other duties as lady of the house, greeting her guests. Timothy knew he ought to go prepare for Emily's arrival as well, but now that he was finally alone with Rachel, no amount of duty would pull him from her. He continued to write though, seemingly paying her little attention as he enjoyed the mere notion of her presence. He waited, silently scribbling words on a letter he'd never actualy send, until she turned to leave. Then gently but commanding he instructed her, "Sing another."

She obeyed. She had to. He sat in frozen silence, hand paused above the ink well, as she began the song. The sweet words, the quiet tones, Timothy felt his lips curl into a smile as the music flowed through his entire body. He stood, leaving the attempt to seem busy. And with ever word she sang he turned towards her a little more or stepped a little closer to her. He paused, reaching the empty fireplace behind her. His eyes traced the curves of her shoulders, her hips, her slender waist. His ears soaked in the tenderness in her voice and let it wash over the rest of his body, relaxing him with more easy than his books. He loved it. Every moment of it.

He loved her.

As the song neared its end Timothy closed the gap between them. Walking slowly up behind her, he snaked his strong arms gently over hers, folding her arms over her stomach and pressing her back into his chest. He knew she was uncomfortable. He could feel how stiff her body was against his. He knew she hated this, telling him so every time he tried. But he couldn't see the harm in something so innocent as a friendly embrace. Friendly... Rachel had been his dear friend for many years but now...now she was so much more.

The song ended but he only pulled his arms tighter around her. He knew soon she'd want him to let go. If he held her for too long she'd ask him to release her. He didn't want that moment to come too soon. Pressing his cheek against her temple he whispered in her ear "Another." and so began his hundredth attempt at convincing her of his love. No matter how many times it took he would make her understand. And someday she would admit to what he saw in her eyes when he looked at her. She loved him too.

New Year Line-up

Along with all the old faves, this year we're gonna see some new faces we're totes pumped for! (Like the new speaks? Been watching way too much teen tv...) Seriously though. These new stories have  us totally pumped! 

1. We've started up a horror novel we'll start posting here soon. A futuristic post-apociliptic world ruled by an evil Chinese dictator and forcing our main characters from the past to live off the radar in a small tribal village in the heart of the African jungles. Unbeknownst to them, they harbor a psychopathic murderer with the racist mentality of an 1800's slave driver. Will they figure out who's killing them off before it's too late?!

2. Ash will be posting snippets of her personal novel series "Legends" and previews of her soon to be published short stories to go along with it!

3. Our trilogy is in the works too, revolving around three best friends who (through a series of unfortunate events) end up evolving into mythical creatures and are forced to leave their families and lives for the lives of the monsters they've become. It's a story filled with friendship, romance, betrayal, and self-discovery. And loosely based on a true story! Minus the magic, of course. 

Those and much more are coming this year. We can't wait to share all the exciting projects we have in store! Keep up with us! 

A New Year

As a new year begins, we tend to put a lot of pressure on looking forward. Where we're headed and how we'll get there. Many of those focuses revolve around bettering ourselves. Lose weight, exercise more, quit that bad habit, get a better job. We look to our future and how we can make it better for ourselves. That is a good thing. We should always be looking to better ourselves. But too often we forget that the world does not revolve around us. That is why this year, I looked back. Back at the year I just finished and all the ways my actions affected my friends. I won't bore you with all the details, but a lot of my choices and actions hurt some of my closest friends. I plan to fix that this year. Therefore, along with the traditional better body better job resolutions, I've added a few to my list I think will help benefit others. 

1. Write one page (or three paragraphs) every day. Whether it be a blog post, our novel, or my own journal. Writing is not only good for my future, but writing on my collaboration projects benefits the future of my bestie as well!

2. Start a legit devotional. Yes, this is a Bible thing. But I've come to realize that not only does strengthening my spiritual walk help me and my own goals, it positively affects those around me. My family especially. When I'm not focused on God, my family, my friends, and my work all suffer. 

3. Diet. I know this is a traditional one, but believe it or not, it's not for me. My mom needs to lose weight for medical reasons. But it's hard for her to do it alone. This year, I'm getting serious about sticking to a diet with her to be her weight loss buddy and encourage her to keep at it! Maybe by this time next year she'll be back on the track to wellness!

4. Be dependable. Over the past year, I've hurt my best friend. In particular I've hurt her by breaking my promises. When I say "It'll be done tonight." it doesn't get done. She called me out on it last week. I'm issuing here a public apology, to her and all of you. And promising that from now on, my deadlines will be met. Not matter what. 

I hope you all had a wonderful new year and I pray that all your resolutions and hopes and dreams for 2014 come true! 

Happy New Year!!!

Ash