Friday, June 15, 2012

A Dancer's Devotion, Part IV


Lucy flew to the studio. She breezed through her routine a few times, being extra sure to focus on her lines. After practice, Lucy took down her hair from its usual style and sat down on the studio floor.

She pulled up her phone's calendar and counted 2 days left until her next personal day and 41 until the performance.  Lucy couldn't wait. She had put her new hiking boots on every day just to get a feel for them.

She'd been absentmindedly stretching whle imagining her first real hike, so Lucy was startled when she saw that it was already 7:30. She rushed home yet again and got ready for bed right away, eager to get through Friday.

When Lucy got up Friday morning, she decided to print out the map of the hiking trail she would be taking the next day. She had purposely chosen a beginner's trail. Lucy didn't want to bite off more than she could chew.

The day dragged on, as did all days before important events, and Lucy went to bed early again. The sooner she went to bed, the sooner she would be up.

Make tomorrow amazing. Please.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

A Dancer's Devotion, Part III and 1/2

Hehe. Sorry. I forgot. A lot. I'll make it up to you. :D
***********

The week was dragging by. Lucy had her almost-epiphany on Tuesday, and now it was only Thursday. Her hike was all she could think about. Not even her favorite class, Calculus, could take Lucy's mind elsewhere.

Straight after 8th period, her last class, she raced out the door to her bike. Lucy had to leave right away in order for her to swing by Catchman's Sporting and Hiking Goods before going to the studio. Entering the store, she was a bit overwhelmed by the rows and rows of shoes and rackets and ropes and t-shirts. Nevertheless, Lucy drifted towards the hiking boots determinedly.

She saw the sets of pink, purple, and heeled boots in the women's section and couldn't help but feel dissatisfied. Sure, they look cute, but could she walk for a few hours in them? A pair across the aisle caught her eye. Lucy didn't let the fact that they were in the men's section deter her. She bent down and grabbed a 6. Too big. 5. Better. 4. Eh. 3. Too tight. 4, it is. Peeking at the price tag, she was relieved that she had brought enough.

***********
Ooooh, cliffhanger. I'll have the rest of part IV up next weekend. ♥

Friday, June 1, 2012

Sorry!


I totally forgot to finish my story! I'll have it up tomorrow. Sorry, guys!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Dancer's Devotion, Part III


After a relatively uneventful day at school - besides the ever-present internal nagging for change - Lucy decided to do something different. Instead of going straight to the studio, she felt like walking home.

She took a long, winding route. Just outside of her suburban area lay deep woods, where's she's never been. Lucy, aching for any change she could find, took the risk and walked down the trail into the forest.

Right away, she felt a little out of place. Her flats weren't meant for hiking and her purple NorthFace stood out amidst the green backdrop. Still, Lucy walked on, not even pausing when she heard the unfamiliar sounds of nature - birds chirping, quick footsteps on the leaves, a snapping branch here and there. She let herself get wrapped up in the sounds.

Lucy's thoughts drifted quietly. I wonder if anyone noticed I'm not at the studio. Where does this trail go? I'm kind of hungry; do I still have that granola bar in my backpack?

She sat down on a rock next to her backpack. Lucy dug past the cell phone, wallet, keys, dance schedule, until she finally hit the plastic-y wrapper of the granola bar. She pulled her water bottle out of the side pocket, too, and had a mini picnic - just her and the trees. Lucy checked her phone - 7:00.

How had she not noticed how dark it had gotten? She quickly zipped up her backpack and stood up. She walked until she could hear cars zooming by and then oriented herself. Pointing herself towards home, Lucy speedwalked the whole way, through the door, and upstairs into her room. Her heart was pounding.

She ran downstairs to tell her parents that she was late because she decided to take a "personal day." Because Lucy was never late, her parents brushed it off and asked if she was hungry, since she missed dinner.

Lucy grabbed food, went upstairs, and opened up Google on her laptop. She typed in the first thing that came to mind: local hiking trails. She scrolled through the list, jotted down her favorites, and took out her dance schedule.

The dancer counted 43 days until her next performance. She decided she could take 12 more "personal days," just as she had today.  She looked up a store that sells outdoorsy supplies for some hiking boots, and then turned off her computer.

She looked at her list, the plans she made on a whim, and just smiled. Should she trust her impulse? Lucy was about fo find out.

To be continued.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A Dancer's Devotion, Part II

Walking home from the studio on a Thursday night, Lucy was paying no attention to her surroundings. She strolled down a side street, her hair let down after practice. Turning onto the road where she lives, Lucy was struck with a thought. I've made this turn a hundred times. I walk down this street every day. I go to the studio, to school, back to the studio, and home every single day. What am I doing?

Lucy's thoughts followed her as she walked up to her bedroom. Her perfect bedroom. No clothes on the floor, no dishes, no messy piles of paper in sight. Just a neat bed, her dancing awards hung up precisely in a straight line, and a skylight.

Every night, Lucy looks up through that skylight and makes a wish on the first star she sees. Always the same wish. Make me a better dancer. Please.

That's all she really wanted. All she ever dreamed of and hoped for. But her walk home had sparked something in her. Something so small no one but her would know. Something she could pretend never occurred to her. And that's all it took. That night, she wished for something else.

That night, Lucy quietly said to the star, "I want something to change. Please."

***

Alarm clock blaring, Lucy spun out of bed. She looked the same as every morning, but the gears were already turning.

Rushing out, she almost forgot to grab her dance bag. She wasn't thinking straight. Most days, Lucy tiredly glided to the studio to make her 5:15 practice. Today, though, she walked with a purpose.

As she unlocked the door - her instructor had given her a key because she's the first one at the studio every day - Lucy had a sparkle. A glint. Something in her eyes that screamed passion.

She set down her bag, pulled her hair up by habit, and strode to the center of the room. She looked at herself in the wall-to-wall mirror. This wasn't the normal are-my-lines-perfect-are-my-toes-pointed kind of look a ballet dancer gives when checking herself in the mirror. Lucy stood perfectly straight and viewed herself head-on. Thinking about how she saw the same hair pulled back every day, the same practice outfit, the same tattered practice shoes - a sight that normally makes her proud of her dedication -  made her cringe.

Lucy quickly pushed that criticism out of her mind and let her body take over. The dancer pushed through her entire routine, start to finish, 3 times before she let herself stop.

It was only 7:00. Normally, Lucy rushed out of the studio at 7:30 to get to school on time, but she had sped through her routine today. During her cool-down stretches, she felt her heart pumping - not from exertion, but from adrenaline.

Today is going to be my day. I just know it.

To be continued.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

BEDA Days 26 and 27

Sorry I forgot yesterday. Check out my personal blog for yesterday's and today's posts. :)

Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

BEDA Day 25

Can you believe April is almost over?! I sure can't. Here's my post for today.

Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

BEDA Day 23

Hey, y'all. :) I wrote a post on my personal blog here. Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Saturday, April 21, 2012

BEDA Day 21


Hey, y'all. Late again. Sorry. www.onegirlonelife-evelyn.blogspot.com

Friday, April 20, 2012

BEDA Day 20

I wrote about my positivity today on my personal blog. Check it out, if ye wish. :)

Thursday, April 19, 2012

BEDA Day 19

Today I wrote about my fitness on my personal blog. Check it out, if you wish. ♥Thanks.

BEDA Day 18


Sorry I'm late! www.onegirlonelife-evelyn.blogspot.com

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

BEDA Day 17

Well, howdy. Check out my personal blog here, and my first short story here! Thanks, guys. ♥

Monday, April 16, 2012

BEDA Day 16

Not much to post here. Check out my personal blog, s'il vous plait. ♥ OOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRR, you could check out my very first short story ever right here. :) You choose.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

A Dancer's Devotion

She started dancing when she was 4 years old, as all little girls do. Lucy slowly worked her way around hip hop, contemporary, ballroom, until she hit ballet. That's where she fit. Lucy, now 17, is at the top of her class and is in line for a spot in the American National Ballet.

And everyday since that first dance class, she pulled her sleek auburn hair back in a tight bun with a simple white bow around it. That's her trademark. The severity of her hair smoothed back offset her gentle features in a way that conveyed her self-imposed discipline.

Every morning at 5 o'clock sharp, Lucy walks into the studio with her soft, wavy locks framing her face. Her moves as graceful as only a ballerina's can be, she sets her bag down gently on the floor and pulls her hair back. She does this precisely, making sure there are no loose pieces, twisting her locks into a tight bun and securing the ribbon around it. Then, she painstakingly ties and straightens the bow until it is squarely in the middle, all the while remaining utterly statuesque.

Lucy goes through the same stretches every day, tapes up her ankles, and perfects her latest routine. Her spine pulled taut, her lines impeccable, she pushes herself even further. Toes pointed, Lucy twists and jumps fluidly and without error. Yet, she's never satisfied. At 7:30, she glides back to her bag, lets down her reddish locks, and leaves for school.

At 4:00, Lucy is right back at the studio, always pushing, always perfecting. She goes through every step and position a hundred times a practice. Her hair pulled back in its classic way, the dancer leaps, spins, and glides seemingly effortlessly. She never misses a step, because of her years of persisting discipline.

Lucy doesn't go out like all her friends do; she doesn't gorge herself on fast food and snacks. Everything she does revolves around ballet. Her diet, her sleep schedule, her schoolwork; everything is timed around her dancing, because it's what she's always done.

To be continued.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

BEDA Day 14


www.onegirlonelife-evelyn.blogspot.com

First short story here tomorrow!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012

Saturday, April 7, 2012

BEDA Day 7


www.onegirlonelife-evelyn.blogspot.com

Whoopsie. Sorry. :(

Friday, April 6, 2012

Whoops.

www.onegirlonelife-evelyn.blogspot.com


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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

BEDA Day 4

Hurr. I wrote it on my personal blog. Look for my first short story on the fifteenth! ♥

Monday, April 2, 2012

Some guidelines.

Hi, guys. :) So, before I established this blog, I decided I want it to be a big part of my life. I want to work at it, to promote it, and to really make it something. I do want to be a writer, after all. To keep the content coming, the blog needs to have structure, or else I know I'll forget to post. So, here are some posting guidelines, so you know what to expect (and hold me accountable for): 1) There will be 1 new story up on the 1st and 15th of every month, without fail. 2) Each story will be at least 750 words, probably more. 3) I'll share my story with at least 3 other social networks. Those 3 guidelines are going to keep this blog on track and growing. The rest of BEDA is going to be done on my personal blog (and maybe YouTube), except for the 15th, because that'll be my first story! Talk to you guys tomorrow! :)

Merp.

I BEDA'd on my personal blog today, which is One Girl One Life, in case you didn't know. Tomorrow's post will be here, so prepare yourself. ;)

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Hey!

Greetings, y'all! So, here's my new blog! The primary focus is going to be short stories that I write, since I already have a personal blog. Check that out if you're interested. :)

So! You may not have a clue as to who I am. Let's fix that. (Fair warning: this part will have a ton of I, me, my's.) My name is Evelyn. I'm 16 years old and live in the US of A. I'm not totally sure what I want to do when I'm older, but I don't exactly need to yet. I know I want to write and travel and be happy, so why not start practicing? I also know for certain that I don't want to work in a stuffy cubicle working at a job I absolutely despise. :) I love to read and I get pretty swell grades and I'm persistently optimistic and I'm in love with life. I will never stop striving to be better, and I really think this blog can help me do that.

I'm scared of people's expectations of me. I'm far too easily impressionable, but somehow I always get back to myself. I'm working on doing things for me, not anyone else, and it's really fun. :) I am in love with pretty much everything. At least temporarily. I don't know why everything excites me, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I have a twin. We look absolutely nothing alike, but I love her. :)

Writing is fun. Pure and simple. It's what I do when I'm a tad overwhelmed, when I'm ecstatic, and when I'm bored. It's what I love to do. These short stories are going to be about common things. I'm planning on making them be background stories I make up in my head about little things I see throughout the day. You'll see what I mean when I start getting them up. :) (Ooooh, intrigue.)

I'm going to be doing BEDA between my 2 blogs, which is exciting! (For you folk who don't know what BEDA is, it's Blog Every Day in April.) So, if I post on OneGirlOneLife, I'll link the post here and vice versa. This blog is going to thrive on readers' comments, so tell me what you think

I'm so happy you're taking the time to check out my blog! Thank you. :) I'll talk to you tomorrow in some form or another. ♥