Of course I refer to the pain of attempting to finish a book whilst having to work for a living. Crimson is continuing apace, but not as quickly as I would like. I would quite happily just sit in this coffee shop all day and write. I have so many things to put down on paper. Instead I will have to pack up in a moment, and start my day job.
So I shall leave you with a small snippet of what's to come: Taken from Crimson, this tale of Red Riding Hood is on the more science-fiction side. It's a first draft and subject to alteration. Enjoy:
“Rosa.” The crowd turned to look as the shout echoed across the busy intersection. Several citizens whispered at the sight of the girl’s bright blue hair as she rushed past. Rosa watched with a smile as the fine boned figure easily dodged the crowd. “There you are.” She announced as she slowed to a walk.
Rosa stared across at her friend and gave a small smile at her enthusiasm. Hela was a sprite and her gregarious personality coloured everything she did. The ice blue hair, cut in a short pixie cut was an indication of this. Rosa’s hair was less vibrant and kept her natural colour of mousey brown. Often she wondered if she should dye her hair, but her Aunt would never have allowed it and her class would cast her out. Vibrant hair colour was for the sprites, the entertainers of the world and Rosa was no sprite. She wasn’t even sure what she was really. True, she fitted into the engineers class, but she often felt that she was missing something and she wasn’t sure what. It would have been more helpful if she could have asked her mother, but she had died when she was young.
“Have you been to the wall yet?” Hela asked, her voice thick with excitement.
“No,” Rosa had been on her way to the wall, but slowly. The results of the final range of tests had finally been posted, complete with the details to their future career. Hela had no worries about the tests, her future was clear; Rosa’s, on the other hand, was not as clear cut, she had tested highly for the Engineer career, but she had also received high scores in several others, which would mean she would have to choose and that was something she did not wish to do.
“Well let’s go then.”
Hela grabbed hold of her arm and they walked through the crowd towards the learning centre. Set on the one hundred and twentieth floor of the Charter Building and linked by a sky bridge, travel to the Learning Centre was a nerve wracking experience, particularly for Rosa, who suffered from vertigo. It took several minutes and endless coaching from Hela, for her to walk across the wide, graceful bridge. Stepping into the atrium, she walked past the reception desk and headed for the wall. Across the wide, crisp expanse, lists of names scrolled endlessly, waiting for a command.