White Text The Novel

INTRODUCTION 1

Hi, this was originally a screenplay I wrote, and I decided to change some of it, and turn it into a novel. Forget the screenplay, this is way different. What I have here is Chapters One and a chapter near the end of the story. I'll give you a quick set up for the second chapter. Enjoy. Oh, and by the way, the characters from Meckaton are a crossover to my friend's story Graveyard Girl. In fact, Andres, Heather, Mathew and the girl in the tree are all characters in her book. The girl in the three is actually Jessica, the main character of GYG. Anyway, yeah, enjoy. 2

Chapter One 3

Scarlet flipped through her Biology book aimlessly. Genetics, punnet squares, and heredity just seemed so completely disposable. In fact, genetics annoyed her than most of the useless lessons they learned in that school. She stopped turning pages, and hesitantly clenched her pencil. She shot a glance to Mr. Gretch, and reached for the black composition book in her purse. 4

The cover was worn. It was covered in indented doodles from a diversity of colors. She slowly pulled it up to the cold wooden desk. She flipped her pencil around, so that the tip faced the page. She steadied the pencil, and touched the page- 5

"Ms. Donavan, can you please stay with us. We're on page 132. Get there, now," Mr. Gretch coughed at her. Her heart sank. She hated being patronized in front of her classmates. It happened everyday. Except in Composition. 6

Scarlet wrote. That's what she did. That's all she'd done since she was eight years old, and that's all she believed she'd do until she died. By now, at the ripe age of fifteen, her library was full of 53 notebooks, each filled to the brim with poetry, short stories, and those epic novels that were nixed by her short attention span. Her mousy appearance would lead one to believe that she was a bookworm, however she hardly ever read. She wrote, and that's all that Scarlet did. She was far too advanced a writer to be doing things other than it. 7

Her ego was slightly boosted by the contest she'd won in sixth grade. "Oh, I dunno, it just comes to me," said Scarlet to the news reporters. She'd won the first person Curious George themed contest for short stories, but she felt more like Mark Twain. Ever since, her poor mother was obligated to buy composition notebooks. 8

Scarlet threw all of her books in her bag haphazardly when the bell ring. She scuttled out of the classroom past skater punks and computer nerds. She rushed down the musty hall to her very favorite writing place: the boiler room. When she opened the door, she was met by her best friend, Mandy Robinson. 9

Mandy Robinson gave her a warm smile, and before Scarlet could say a word, Mandy said, "There's an independent film marathon on tonight!" Scarlet never knew nor cared why Mandy thought that Scarlet cared about trashy things like movies. Scarlet was all about literature. 10

As stated, Scarlet rarely read. She would often claim to have read books that ended up never existing. She'd make up intricate plots, and sometimes spend a whole day telling Mandy the beginning to the denoument. Mandy would eagerly listen. Mandy did almost everything eagerly. If you put Mandy and Scarlet together a chemical friction would cause the room explode. 11

Mandy's dark brown eyes were visual proof that she was the opposite of her crystal blue eyed buddy. Scarlet was an actress when it came to things. When praised, she'd reply with a "No, I'm not that good." Mandy was the only one to know that Scarlet was never really serious when she replied with these things. 12

Mandy had discussed this with Scarlet two months before this day. Mandy's black hoodie was pulled over her head almost dramatically that warm fall night when the two girls had hitchhiked to Meckaton, their neighboring city. Mandy had been dating Andres Sanchez, a bumbling immigrant who wasn't so charming. The disagreement between Mandy and Scarlet began when Scarlet found out Mandy had been only dating Andres to get to his friend Mathew. 13

Scarlet was hurt when she was dragged along to the hopeless party, and beraded by some shrew girl named Heather and abandoned by Mandy. Mandy jogged down the side of the highwsay toward Scarlet screaming, "Wait!" Scarlet finally stopped in front of a gloomy cemetery. Scarlet sensed someone near them, maybe in the cemetery, but did not hesitate to yell. "Mandy, why the hell are we here?!" 14

"My God, Scarlet, he's beautiful. The guy. I still don't know his name. I really wanted to see him." 15

"What guy? I thought you were - you are dating the Spanish one, right? God, why did you bring me?! I'm not some portable shoulder to be brought everywhere to cry on in case some hick from Meckaton doesn't like your hair," Scarlet screamed harshly. A quiet silence enveloped them for a few moments as semis and cars passed by windily. 16

"You're always so sweet, Scarlet. I thought you'd be there to and have my back. I'd have yours," Mandy said scornfully. 17

"I want to go home." 18

"To write? God, that's all you ever do. Sometimes I want to rip up those stupid, tacky notebooks," Mandy said. If Scarlet was going to wade into edgy waters, she would too. 19

"You're a whore. You're having sex with that Spanish guy to get to that idiot Mathew. Surprise, Scarlet actually knows the guy's name. That Heather girl mentioned him in between insults. He's out of your league. You're pathetic," Scarlet said the last sentence slowly. It was a major blow to Mandy. 20

"Having sex?! I am not having sex with a Spanish guy. I never told Andres we were dating. We went out a few times, okay? I didn't fuck him, you idiot. Who told you that? Why would you believe that?" Mandy was way past caring about Mathew now. 21

"I have my sources. I can't believe you, Mandy. You really are going to be in Green Hill for the rest of your life," Scarlet said masterfully. She was a sixteen car pile-up. She'd dug deep, why not let Mandy hear the truth? Mandy's eyes dripped a few tears, but she brushed them away automatically. She pushed the hood back with them. A semi screamed past them, and Mandy's black hair burst outward with the win. And, it all dawned on Mandy very quickly. As she said it, she was still piecing it all together. 22

"You're lying. You really are. To everyone. It - it's all a big act, isn't it? I can't believe you. I didn't believe your egotistics at first, but now, it's as obvious as ever. I hate you," Mandy said. She felt awful though. "The cherry on the Sundae," she thought. 23

Scarlet pivoted quickly on the glass covered pavement, and speed walked away. Mandy stood shaking on the side of the road. She turned her head up to the cemetery and glared. Some girl had been watching their exchange from a tree. 24

Mandy gave her a half-smiled and flipped her off with her left hand accordingly. She followed suit of Scarlet, but walked back toward Meckaton instead. 25

The two opponents suddenly forgot their battle two weeks later, and began exchanging notes again rather than insults. Mandy never quite forgot the side of Scarlet she'd seen that day. Never had Scarlet been as rude and ruthless as she had been in that fight. Mandy wanted to think it never happened, but often when she smiled and nodded when Scarlet was talking she wondered who Scarlet really was. 26

Nevertheless, they were in high school, and one cannot worry about such melodramatic issues. Mandy decided to be ever cheerful to make up for the Meckaton incident. So, Mandy decided to inform her friend of the airing of Clerks and Welcome to the Dollhouse, or her two favorite movies in one night. 27

Scarlet meekly smiled back, and said, "Do you want to watch it?" 28

The faded red iradescent glow of the room complimented their evolving friendship. Mandy said, "Uh, duh. Is your place fine?" 29

No, wait, Scarlet was actually kind of excited. The two had not had a sleepover since the fight in September. The end of October was fastly approaching. Even though Scarlet had many followers, and this was the truth, not an arrogant fib, Mandy was her favorite. 30

Somewhere in the hall, a nearby bell went off signaling the beginning of the next period. It was time. She was tired of the awkwardness and decided this might cure their bruised relationship. She gave Mandy a big smile. 31

"Sure." 32

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[This is a chapter near the end. Scarlet has since gotten into a big fight with Mandy, and they broke off their friendship. Scarlet also discovered her long lost father who left her before birth. Don't worry about Aaron as of yet. Just think of him as someone who did Scarlet wrong.] 34

Scarlet tried to sleep on the couch, but her dreams were haunted by her mother, Mandy, and Aaron. She tossed and turned - she ever twisted - and ended up falling on to the emerald green carpet several times. She stared at the room from the floor. It was Eric's - scratch that - Dad's living room. There was a stainless coffee table with a Time magazine sitting on it to her right. She peeked at the date, which indicated its fifth birthday was soon, and laughed. She thought, "He probably never even skimmed that thing." 35

She looked over at the walls. They were doused in white, but had hideous painting upon hideous painting accenting the blandness of them. Scarlet cringed at their tackiness, and laid back down to stare through the skyroof right above the couch. She wondered for the umpteenth time for an hour whether her Father had ever anticipated taking responsibility for his actions and leaving her a voice message or something. Her curiosity picked her up, and she began to wander the living room. 36

She looked almost like a detective in her Mr. Bubble pajamas with her retainer in her mouth. She was checking for dust on everything and peeking in everything. She cautiously walked into the dimly lit hallway and surveyed the area. She took the first door on her right. 37

Scarlet closed the door gently and flipped on the lightswitch. The light burnt her eyes as she tried to figure out what the hell this closet of a room was. She decided sadly that it was his office. She walked over to the desk, sat in his chair, and spun for her life. When the spinning stopped, she instinctably opened the left drawer. 38

When she was greeted by only erasers and staples, she closed it. Next, she opened the right drawer, and envelopes filled her eyes. She picked one up - it was likely a bill. There were several envelopes, they were bound by a big red rubberband. She pulled the rubberband off, and tied back her hair with it. While she was flipping through the envelopes, she stopped. All of the bills and greeting cards cascaded to the floor. She saw an envelope crumpled at the bottom of the drawer. She slowly reached for it and her fears were confirmed. 39

"To my pistol of a daughter for your pistol of a daughter, we love you.
To: Tatum Autumn Donovan Whitman
From: Mom & Dad" 40

Scarlet inspected every edge of the envelope, every fold, every tear. She thought that Eric had no connection to them, besides his broken proposal and leave of town. And, this wasn't even to him, this was to her mother. She almost furiously opened it and quickly realized that all it had was a receipt. She frowned and stared at the receipt. Scarlet had been to the bank a million times with her mother, and knew right away that this was a transaction receipt. The amount withdrawn was "50,000.00 $." 41

Scarlet was suddenly reminded of her grandfather. When she was ten, and it was his birthday, she'd made him a book. Later on he took her into the kitchen alone, and he had kneeled down and told her with a frown, "Once, a long time ago when your grandmother was alive, we had saved up a lot of money for your Mom to go to college. When she had you, she decided she wasn't going to go to college. Now, my sweet Scarleta, that money was going to be passed on to you. But, before it had, a thief stole all of it." 42

"How much was it, Grandpa?" she had asked. 43

"It was a lot of money, Scarleta. That bastard never got his cumuppance either, because he threatened your Mom. Anyway, I wanted to be able to give you everything." 44

At this point, her Grandfather couldn't help it, and began to cry. "But, I can't now, Scarleta. Today, you gave me the best present I could ever recieve. I now know whether you have the money or not, you will be somebody." Scarlet smiled and hugged her grandfather. 45

"That bastard never got his cumuppance either," Scarlet said to herself in that cold office. She wanted to cry, but Scarlet wouldn't cry in a long time. She has done enough crying tonight. She slowly stood up, walked out, and slammed the door. 46

Meanwhile, Eric was slowly rocking back and forth on his bed. He was still considering his psychiatrist's sharp words. He considered the brief relationship he'd had with his daughter, trying to pause it on a moment she had tricked him or blantantly said she wanted the money. He was sweating profusely and was very tired. 47

Eric was a coward. He had backed out of almost everything amazing he could have done in his life. Despite his lack of anything spontaneous, he wasn't that much of a weasal though. He had been a loving dentist to a generation of kids at his dentistry, and he had donated his old clothes to the Salvation Army three times now. Eric always tried to find someway to compensate for his shortcommings, and most of his shortcommings were in the bravery area. 48

He had been on medication his whole life, and night terrors used to plague his sleep. He was a compulsive eater and he used to be a drug junkie. That ended quickly after his "wedding." He couldn't turn back to Tatum. He'd rather detach himself from her, and his old lifestyle. 49

Tatum had been seven months pregnant with their daughter at the time, and had bought one of the most expensive wedding dresses around. Their wedding was outdoors in the courtyard of a beautiful hotel far from Green Hill. Waiters weaved through each other serving Tatum and Eric's close friends and family appetizers and champagne. Tatum stood gloomily in the corner of the courtyard by a beautiful fountain. 50

Her dress was waving gently in the wind, and the fountain was giving her and child a nice mist to contrast the hot summer sun. Her equally sweaty friend, Carol walked over to her. Carol's hair was permed for the event, and she was wearing a gaudy pink bride's maid dress. She grinned at Tatum. 51

"Hey, trooper, how's the luggage?" Carol asked jokingly. 52

"Carol, can I ask you a question?" Tatum said absentmindedly. 53

"Yeah, sure," said Carol suspiciously. 54

"Do you think I made a mistake?" Tatum said. 55

"A...mistake? With the baby?" Carol said. 56

"Not the baby," Tatum said staring at her white shoes. 57

"Oh god, Tate, did something happen?" said Carol inspecting her arm for bruises. 58

"No...well, yes, Eric just seems so distant. He's been moody lately, and god, Carol, I - I found...pills. I found pills in the sink," she said. 59

"They were prescribed, right?" 60

"No, he's not even sick, and I don't - I don't know. I mean, god, I really want the baby to have a life. A father. He's aloof and god knows what he's doing when he 'goes to work.' I just don't know. I don't want him to drive off when the baby's two, and never come back," Tatum said. Two small tears ran carelessly down her powdered face. 61

"You know, I always knew he was an asshole-" 62

"No, Carol. Don't say that. He's sweet. He really is. He maybe a little fickle and cautious, but he's a sweet guy. But, he can be indirectly scary," Tatum said with a pause, and then she continued, "I just want to know marrying him was a mistake." 63

Carol's eyes darted to the bush behind Tatum. She blushed and frowned. "No, Tate, you gotta give him some time. He's probably just going through a rough patch, or you're imagining things. Hang in there, I'm going to go find Todd for margaritas," Carol said quickly. She jetted off to the other side of the courtyard. 64

Tatum turned around to the mishapen bush and frowned. Eric popped up and smiled at her. He seemed a little skiddish. His bow-tie was untied, and his hair was a mess. He stumbled over to her and said, "Honey, don't worry about me." 65

"Eavesdropping isn't the best route, but I'm glad you heard me," she said. She leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away. Maybe, that was the moment he'd planned it. 66

Eric snapped back and remembered Scarlet being grown up, and the fact that he hadn't chatted with Tatum since that fateful night. His hair was shorter, his eyes were sadder, and he had shot up considerably 100 pounds. It was indeed fifteen years later, and it was the first time he'd thought about his failed wedding. 67

He stood up slowly, and walked over to his adjacent bathroom. The green linoleum tile and flower wallpaper didn't soothe him like his doctor said they would when he walked in. He washed his face, and stared in the mirror. Stubble was poking out of his wrinkled face, and he was getting a bout of acne. He wiped his eyes. 68

"Am I really that big of a coward?" he asked himself. Scarlet amazingly took a lot after Eric. In a world where genetics are still a mystery, could Eric's aloofness and introspective personality be what made Scarlet distant and unrelatable? He was defintely different than her, but for years he'd held in his agitations and frustrations with the world and its cruel dominating race like her. 69

He shakingly stared at himself in the mirror again. Was the fat, the acne, the greasiness, and the fatigue his careless renegade subconcious bubbling to the surface? If so, it seemed like it was the breaking point. He thought about stomping into the living room, grabbing Scarlet by her brown tendrils of hair, and shaking her until she admitted she was only there to get the money back. He thought about phoning Tatum at the hospital and threatening her again. As visions of these events sped through his mind, he began to silently cry. 70

He felt nauseous. He sank onto his toilet seat, and stared at the floor. He remembered the car rides, the dates, and the fight she'd had. No. Scarlet wouldn't have staged a fight with Mandy Robinson just to get to him while he was vulnerable. He sighed with relief. 71

Before he knew it, he was lying on his king sized bed, and finally falling to sleep. He was falling to sleep for the first time ever without his medication. 72

He had been sleeping for fifteen minutes when Scarlett pushed the door open with a band. She was breathing and weeping loudly. However, this didn't wake Eric up. 73

"How could you?! How could you take her money?!" 74

Eric's bloodshot eyes shot open. He was definitely awake now. 75

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