Bored Writers

Lily Evans was sitting under her favorite willow tree next to the pond near her house, happy to be home for the summer. As much as she loved Hogwarts, sometimes it was just good to be back home with her family. She was lying on her stomach, sketching her patronus and enjoying the warm breeze softly caressing her red curls. She paused, frowning at her picture. It had looked a lot better in her head… Maybe sketching isn’t my thing… She thought with a sigh. She set aside her pencil and pad and reached for her wand. She never went anywhere without it. She slowly ran her fingers up and down the beautiful, wood. She paused to look at her reflection and was startled to see Severus’ image suddenly appear next to hers. She inhaled sharply and turned around to see him smiling down at her. “Hey, Lil!” He breathed. “Sev!” She cried, jumping up and hugging her friend. “What’re you up to?” Severus asked, sitting down and glancing at her sketch pad. Lily blushed, embarrassed, “Oh, that? Oh, it-it’s nothing, really…” Severus leaned over and looked at the poorly drawn doe. Lily blushed even deeper and grabbed the sketch pad, quickly shutting it. Severus laughed, “Oh come on, Lil, it was cute!” Lily snorted, “Ya, I guess it would be if a two year old had drawn it…” “No, really, “Severus grinned, “It’s… a little rough around the edges, but it looks sweet… It…” This time, Severus blushed, “It reminds me of you…” Lily laughed, “Oh great, so I remind you of a demented doe? Thanks!” She laughed again, making Severus’ heart skip a beat. For a moment, the two sat in silence, listening to the birds. Finally Lily sighed and rested her head on Severus’ shoulder. “Sev, you’re my best friend. You know that?” Severus was glad that Lily couldn’t hear his heart flutter again at her touch. “Lily… You’re…” He stopped short. Lily shifted to look up at him. “Lily, you’re… you’re my best friend, too…” Both of them smiled and after a second Severus picked up Lily’s pencil and pad, his hand maneuvering the pencil across the paper in smooth, fluid movements. This went on for a while, and meanwhile Lily was starting to fall asleep on Severus’ shoulder. Abruptly, Severus shut the pad and set it aside with the pencil. “Lily…” He murmured, reluctant to break the moment. Lily sat up suddenly; she had not meant to fall asleep. “I’ve got to go.” He said, smiling. Lily yawned and nodded her head. “I’ll see you later, then, Sev!” She replied sweetly. Severus quickly stood up and strode off. Lily stretched sleepily, grabbed her sketchbook, and began walking home. It wasn’t until that evening while she was in bed that Lily checked her sketches and saw the drawing that Severus had made. Lily Evan’s jaw dropped open when she saw the beautiful drawing of herself asleep on Severus’ shoulder.

• Just another little piece of something else I am currently writing! Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate ANy opinion and/or any advice you have to offer! Hope you enjoy! ~Tori

Tori looked about herself warily. Silently, she scanned the trees, watching for movement, listening for any kind of rustling of the leaves.

 She cleared her throat, “Come out, come out, wherever you are….”

            The only reply was that of the wind rushing through the tree’s branches, whistling a somber tune. Frowning, she tip-toed across the field, never making a sound. She again searched the edge of the forest. Her eyes caught a trembling twig or two. She squinted to try and make out what secrets the foliage was hiding. At last, she lit upon a pair of bright eyes, peering through the branches. Tori simply could not help the victorious grin that stole across her face.

            Hoping that her find had been distracted and hadn’t noticed her, she now cockily made a beeline towards the hiding spot. She heard someone draw their breath, holding it, hoping they wouldn’t be found out. Tori whipped around and shot out her hand, grabbing at what she was sure was her soon-to-be-captive. She wrapped her fingers around a fold of cloth and gripped it tight. Smirking, she yanked at her quarry and pulled it out. She was bewildered to find that she held nothing but a jersey.

“What?! How did- When- Argh!!”  She sputtered with frustration and confusion; mind boggled as to how her prey had escaped her.

            Quieted laughter rang out through the circle of trees, echoing and reverberating off of the tree trunks. Tori whirled around, whipping her head to and fro- in search of the laughter’s source. She suddenly realized that the odds were against her… She was playing a game that she could not win.

• Before I start: Thanks for reading! Opinions are greatly appreciated and advice is appreciated twice as much! Hope you enjoy! ~Tori Bradford

Chapter 1

I was just walking on the beach when I heard what I thought was my mother calling me. At first I was loath to move, but some deep-down sort of instinct told me to move- so I ran. The voice seemed miles away, and the dash was only made worse by my thick braid that continued to periodically thwack my back. I let out a squeal of pain as I tripped and fell on something sharp, not giving it a second thought.  I was worried- my mom hated the beach and avoided it the best she could, so it was strange that she would come here. Finally, I was only a few yards away from what sounded like my mother. But as I neared the source of the yelling, I stopped, terrified.

                        A strange man gave me the most terrifyingly wicked smile I’d ever seen.

                        “Well, well, well, you’re just the little princess we were looking for…” He grinned diabolically. The man was enormously muscular. His voice was a low purr; it reminded me of a jungle cat stalking his prey.  My mother was held captive in his firm grip. She looked at me with her piercing green-blue eyes, filled with fear. She stared pointedly at my right leg and her face drained of color. When I looked down to see why she was staring, I saw thick, sticky, red blood oozing down my leg. I quickly scanned the beach, baffled as to what could’ve injured me so badly.

            Finally, my eyes fell upon an abandoned pocket knife and the blood that covered the area around it confirmed that it was indeed what had hurt me. I shouted for help and immediately I was grabbed from behind by another darkly dressed man. He was insanely tall, and he clung onto my arms like a leech. I felt completely drained of hope at the sight of this terrifying man staring back down at me with a marred grin. I felt dizzy with blood loss, but I knew I had to think of something quick. I began to panic and my mind was filled with the scream that I was too petrified to vocally emit.

            As cheesy as it sounds- my life seemed to flash before my eyes. I remembered how in 3^rd grade my friend convinced me that he was my secret brother and that we were separated at birth. I could remember Christmas from when I was nine and how happy I was when my mom bought me a pair of boots that were too big- but I told her they fit fine because I thought they looked so good. I was even wearing them now.  In my mind’s eye, I could see my last birthday and all the friends that came to be with me on my special day. That was almost an entire year ago. I was going to miss my birthday in four weeks… I thought of how all my friends would react. I could imagine my dad crying. I remembered my mom- she was due to have a child in a matter of months. Would I ever even get to see my little brother or sister?

            Just as I thought all hope was lost and I was submitting to the fact that I might never see any one that I loved dearly again, something leapt from the nearby bushes onto the other man. The man cried out in pain, releasing my mom who stumbled and fell over on the sand. The tall man let me go, fumbling around for his gun. I looked and saw that it was my German Shepard, Piper attacking the first man. My eyes widened with fear as the man previously holding me pulled out his pistol and began loading it. I screamed and jumped onto his back in an attempt to wrestle the gun from his hands. He toppled over, not expecting me to react the way I did. He dropped the gun and one of us kicked it away in the struggle. I of course didn’t stand a chance against a full grown man and was thrown to the ground. The man delivered a kick right to my bad leg. I screamed as searing pain ripped through my body- instantly incapacitated.

            During the struggle however, my mom had moved towards the gun and held it, now pointing it to my previous captor. She hoarsely shouted for him to freeze. The man snorted cruelly and advanced towards her.

            He sneered, mockingly. My mom seemed unfazed however, and cocked the pistol. The man slowed down, but continued to come closer.

            “I’m warning you,” My mom shouted, “I know how to use this, and I’m not afraid.” The man chuckled, sensing her hesitancy. But I could see as he laughed, my mom’s eyes narrow, and a steely look took place of that which had once been fearful. She pulled the trigger. There was a deafeningly loud crack and the man buckled from the blow, shock scrawled across his face. He clutched at his shoulder as he began to bleed.

            The first man had just thrown off Piper and I could tell that he had been hurt badly. My mom pointed the gun at them again, and the tall man quickly backed up while the other turned and fled with a limp. My mom cocked the pistol and the tall man took off, cursing like a sailor. She waited some time until after the two had disappeared from sight before lowering the gun and throwing it onto the sand in disgust.

            I was completely stunned. My ears ached and I couldn’t really hear anything. I attempted to stand but immediately collapsed, crying out. I sobbed with pain as my leg throbbed. My mom hurried over, looking me over helplessly. I moaned as she wrapped one arm around me and helped me to my feet. I felt horribly faint. My mom began to cry a little too as we began the seemingly impossible trip home. Even with the help of my mom the walk was incredibly taxing and when we at last made it through the front door I could feel my legs buckling. My dad did a double-take and ran to us, a million questions in his eyes, though he didn’t ask a single one. It was as if he couldn’t decide which to ask first. He gently lifted me into his arms and I passed out.