Read an Excerpt
The Kindling Muse
By CHELSEY GUY
Abbott Press
Copyright © 2013 Chelsey Guy
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4582-0837-8
Chapter One
CAPITULUS PRIMUS
Magical fire, displaying more colors than anything ROYGBIV could offer, swirled around me as if it were ready to play a game. It wrapped around my arms, legs, and body, engulfing me in its beautiful splendor. The warm wind it stirred blew gently against my face like a caressing hand. The fire didn't burn. It would never burn me. It loved me like a companion, and it brought me more happiness than anything in the world could. I could tell because it followed me and clung to me. It always did. The power it gave me made it my best friend.
But it never lasted.
The fire, my sweet, colorful fire, swirled one last time around me before it began to dissipate. It lapped at my arms and legs and then at my hands and feet. It encircled my fingers and toes as if to say good-bye before it settled on the ground and then faded completely away. My fire was gone, but I was left warmer than before, as if I had just gotten into a smoldering black car with black leather seats in an effort to escape an even more blazing summer's day. As always, though, it felt unexplainably great.
But it never lasted.
The warm, fiery feeling raced away from me like my fire had, only it was slower. They all left me. They always disappeared.
At least it never lasted.
* * *
I slowly blinked to allow my eyes time to adjust to the awaiting darkness. Going from the brilliant light of my dreams to the bleak darkness of my room always irritated my eyes—and me too. I enjoyed having that dream every night, but I hated waking from it. That dream meant something to me, something important that I couldn't explain. I felt I knew how to explain it while I was dreaming, but as soon as I woke up, I forgot it. It escaped me like the fire and the warmth had every night I could remember. I decided not to dwell on it, as usual. There was no reason to dwell on things you couldn't really change.
I rubbed the dream and sleep away, pushing the sheets away. I got out of my bed and rose to full height. I stretched and groaned and popped my bones. Feeling refreshed, I admired the softness of the carpet as I made my way to the window beside my bed. I knew, based on the darkness of my room and my routine, the sun had not yet risen. For some reason I woke up every day before dawn. I didn't know whether my subconscious loved the scene of a sunrise or if I just had trouble sleeping, but I always was able to enjoy the sunrise every morning.
I drew my curtains and noticed the lack of sun in the sky, proving I was right. The sky was growing a brighter shade of indigo. There were still stars in the sky. The place where the sun would rise was a light baby blue, but I knew it was about to become grapefruit pink and then continue to change color until the sun was above the horizon. It was so beautiful to watch. I always had faith that my days would be good, but witnessing the sunrise never ceased to "brighten" my day.
Ha! A pun! I chuckled at my unintentional humor.
This morning was going to be great. I could tell.
I left my curtains drawn so I could see the sunrise from anyplace in my room, which was in the ideal place to witness the beginning of each day. It faced the east, allowing me to never miss a sunrise but to always miss the sunset. But I didn't complain.
In addition to the extraordinary view, the room was adorable. It was simple, really. The walls were painted an ordinary beige. The furniture was aged and rickety but still good. Practically nothing in the room seemed to be recently purchased, and an insistent smell of time wafted around the room regardless of how much perfume I sprayed. The whole room was bleak with the symbols of wear, but it had a cozy feel I just couldn't shake. Besides, the room had a closet for my clothes and a bathroom with a shower. There wasn't one protest I could find to object to living in it.
I spun back to the other side of my bed where my nightstand sat. In a fluid motion, without stopping my twirls, I turned on my CD player. The timeworn room instantly filled with the sounds of one of my favorite musicals, Rent. The CD began from the first song of the musical, "Seasons of Love," and I danced around my room in enjoyment. I loved musicals and secretly wished I could be in one. Unfortunately, I had been told I couldn't exactly carry a tune, and my dancing wasn't like that of a graceful ballerina. Still, I dreamed.
I swayed over to my bathroom first. I did my business before I moved on to my closet. As usual, I decided to pick out my school outfit before choosing my work outfit for the day.
"Now what do I want to wear?" I whispered as I stared into my closet.
This was a common ailment. Every morning, as was a part of my daily schedule, I stood in front of my closet without an idea of what piece of fabric I wanted to adorn me. I pushed options to and fro, examining them with no conviction to actually pull them out. Flying through possibilities, I hoped inspiration would finally grant me an idea and I would realize what the perfect outfit was for the day.
However, inspiration wasn't that kind ...
"What to wear?" I muttered once more, hoping some answer would come from me.
Without realizing it, my CD player finished playing "Seasons of Love" and had moved on to the next song, "Rent." It was halfway through, but I was happy I got to hear it. It was one of my favorites on the CD! It rocked.
As the lyrics blazed through my room, I felt empowered and excited. Already my day was off to a fantastic start. It could only get better from here.
"Yes. Today is going to be awesome day!" I rejoiced, feeling the rightness in those words. In the same moment, inspiration hit me. "Oh! An awesome day deserves ..."
I scavenged in my closet for a moment, and then, with a joyful exclamation, came across my favorite dress. The dress was a blissful discovery in a local Goodwill. When I had first arrived in Georgia, Mrs. Sarah Mae, my foster mother, had taken me shopping, but I had insisted on going to thrift stores that helped the community. She had objected at first, saying I deserved better than silly hand-me-downs. I had pointed out that silly hand-me-downs gave people beneficial jobs at an inexpensive price on our part. That was an intense argument, but I ended up winning, which led us to the local Goodwill, which led me to the cute dress I was currently holding up. Anyway, the dress was just my style. It had adorable rainbow balloons flying on a sky-blue background. The dress was baby-doll fashioned and came down to my knees with a flared skirt. Oh, it was so cute!
I threw the dress on my unmade bed and began searching for my red Mary Janes that I had gotten the same day as the dress and my pair of lavender tights that I had begged Mrs. Mae to buy me as well. After finding everything I was looking for, I placed them on my bed and stepped over to my dresser to get my work clothes so I could get ready to do my chores. I opened the top drawer of my dresser and pulled out a simple red tank and a pair of jean shorts.
I glanced out my window. The sky was still dark, but the stars were gone. The horizon was just turning pink, but the sun was still absent from the stage. It had to be around five, but guessing the exact time was never my strong point. I had about three hours until school, I guessed.
I quickly put on my work clothes. I was doing this jumping jig trying to put my knee-high socks on at the same time as I was closing the door behind me. I attempted to be as quiet as possible as I turned left and tiptoed down the stairs of the expansive house of my current foster mother, Mrs. Mae. I was the only one awake, so I kept silent to avoid waking the others. I wanted to maintain my track record of never waking anyone in the morning.
At the bottom of the stairs was the living room the family rarely used. We were never able to utilize the space because we usually spent plenty of time bonding during our work or at school. The furniture showed signs of age, but new things in the room had replaced some old items. I felt super cozy when we used the room.
I walked through the living room and into the kitchen toward the back door. Before exiting, I plucked my hot-pink "bedazzled" cowboy boots from the neat row beside the door, stepped into the garage, and opened the garage door to head outside.
The sky appeared the same as when I had left my room, but it was more marvelous to see. I breathed in the smell of animals and freshly cut grass. The wind was calm, but the humidity flowed around in the air. The morning was a taste of what was to come for the rest of the day.
I congratulated myself on picking a dress to wear.
Woof! Woof!
I turned to see my regular morning companions. Duke and Annie were the farm's herding dogs, and they were the sweetest dogs on Earth. When they weren't herding the livestock, they were causing mischief on the farm or accompanying me wherever I went. They were both sheepdogs, but Duke had an all-black fur coat while Annie had a brown coat. Plus, Duke was more protective and serious about his work. Annie was capable of being serious, but she preferred to play more. They were part of the farm's backbone.
The dynamic duo approached me at a leisurely pace. When they reached me, Annie leaped up to try to lick my face in greeting while Duke settled for a simple tail wag and doggy smile at my side. I let Annie excitingly lick my face while I pet Duke.
"Good morning, my charismatic canines!" I said between puppy kisses.
I headed to the stables with my friends following beside me. I had a list of chores I had to complete in order to help the farm and satisfy the simple demands of Mrs. Mae. All her foster kids had to help with True Farms in some way, shape, or form. My personal duties were to feed the two horses, seven pigs, thirteen cows, five sheep, twelve chickens, and the two dogs. I had to throw food on the ground, let them out into a pasture, or put food into a trough. There was plenty of heavy lifting involved, but the animals and Mrs. Mae's appreciation made it all worthwhile. Plus, when the animals were happy, the farm was a truly wonderful place.
With Duke and Annie accompanying me every step of the way, I headed to the stables to take care of the horses, Dakota and Carolina, who were just as affectionate as the dogs at times and as stubborn as mules at other times. Next, I moved to the pigpen filled with sleeping pigs. Well, sleeping until I put food in their troughs. That was when the feeding frenzy ensued, and the pigs went "hog-wild."
Ha! Two puns in one morning! I chuckled again.
After feeding the pigs, I went to the barn where the cows and sheep slept. I opened the door and allowed all the animals who were already awake to file out of the barn and into the pasture. I left the sleeping ones to sleep as usual. They would get up when they wanted, as always.
Finally, I made my way to my last stop, the chicken coop. I unhooked the egg basket from the front before I opened the door. Most of the chickens walked out and some tried to fly, but they soon all made it out of the little house. I collected all the eggs from the nests inside. I left the chicken coop with the full wicker basket in tow.
The dogs had been sitting obediently at the door of the coop. They got up and followed me back to the house. The rules of the house forbade them from going inside, so I had to leave the puppies at the garage door when I went inside and placed my boots back in their place in the line. I put the woven basket of eggs in its proper place in the refrigerator before climbing the stairs to my room.
The sun was now peeking over the horizon as if to welcome me back. Beautiful orange light streamed through the window, lighting up the room in a magnificent fashion. The sky was tangerine orange as the sun made its climb. The view made me smile. Even though I had seen it before, I always beamed like it was my first time. That was the magic of the sun.
My CD player was still playing through the Rent soundtrack, but I had lost my mood for that. I closed the door. I picked up my other CDs from the nightstand. I wanted something upbeat and fun to listen to while I got ready for the awesome day I knew I was about to have. I flipped through my collection in search of a disk that would be perfect for my day. The problem was that all of my CDs were from musicals, and the trouble lay with trying to find the appropriate musical for my mood. I needed something fun and exciting and modern and inspiring and funny, like ...
"Legally Blonde!" I exclaimed as I pulled the soundtrack out from the stack and placed the disk into the player. "Omigod, You Guys" started to play, and just as promptly, I started to dance the way I imagined they did on Broadway. I danced my way to the bed and got dressed. I swayed with the musical magic of Broadway, twirling around in my outfit, relishing the feel of the dress's fabric against my skin. I was right. This was the perfect outfit for this extraordinary day.
I moved on to doing my hair and makeup. I cringed at the sight of my hair. I'd left my room looking this horrible? My long black hair, streaked with my strangely natural gold and silver highlights, was usually straight, although in the morning it tended to be a crazy, tangled mess. I sighed and grabbed the brush from the top of the dresser. It hurt like heck, but I managed to finally get my hair brushed into a more socially acceptable style. I used my straightener to curl my hair. I'd had my straightener for years because I preferred curly hair over straight hair. Plus, curly hair looked better with my bangs swept to the side. I then applied makeup to my creamy brown skin. I had little of it to put on. I applied lipstick and eye shadow. Black eyeliner came after all that. I glanced at my beauty mark under my right eye to see how cool it looked and nodded in satisfaction. I looked great!
I danced back over to my CD player. "What You Want" was playing now. I swayed and twirled to the beat. I mouthed the words, imagining I was live on Broadway. I saw myself as Elle Woods as I sung about love and my future plans of getting into Harvard. If only such dreams weren't so dependent on my real talent ...
"Knock, knock. Is Addie there?"
One of my three foster brothers stood in the now-open doorway. The oldest of the three boys, Nathan was going to be the first to turn eighteen. He had sleek brown hair and dark-brown eyes that made girls swoon. His muscles didn't hurt, especially when they were out front and center like right now. Thankfully, I was immune to his charms because I knew what a sarcastic pain in the hiney he was.
"Good morning, Nathan," I greeted, pausing my music and dancing. "How are you this morning?"
"It is morning, isn't it? How do you think I am?" he retorted. He wiped his face as if trying to wipe away the sleep. Then he really looked at me, giving me a raised eyebrow. "They have parties this early in the morning?"
I frowned. "I doubt anyone would have a party this early. Why are you asking?"
"You look like a clown."
"Hey! That's really mean, Nathan! I love this outfit!"
"Obviously. I haven't seen that many colors put together since I went to the circus when I was six." He shook his head.
I scoffed. "At least I have the time to get dressed and ready for school! I know you haven't done your chores yet!"
He snorted. "We all can't get up before the rooster crows. I have to get my beauty sleep."
"I don't know what for. It obviously isn't helping your atrocious looks."
He chuckled. "That isn't what all the girls at school are saying. You're the only one who's blind to my beautiful face, princess. Does that tell you something?"
"Yeah, I am the only one who has seen you when you first get up in the morning."
Laughter came from down the hallway before Liam peeked his head through the doorway. Liam and I were the nerds of our family, but he was the nonliterary one. He preferred math and science to my love for the arts. His blond hair fell into his hazel eyes, which were behind his glasses. Liam was the most relatable of my new brothers because he was the smartest, but he had some OCD issues.
Liam smiled. "She's getting sassier, Nathan. Her comebacks are improving."
I smiled in response. Nathan rolled his eyes and said, "And when are you going to start doing splits mid-air and screaming 'Go, Addie, go' with pom-poms?"
"As soon as you let me borrow your skirt," Liam returned.
I laughed. "Will both of you please go do your chores and save your testosterone issues for later?"
"Sure thing," Liam replied, pushing Nathan out of my doorway. The two left for their chores, which consisted of checking the crops and other stuff around the farm. I didn't know their exact work though.
With my dancing mood interrupted, I continued getting ready for school. The sun was now over the horizon and standing above it. The sky was turning bluer, and the little orange left was fading on the horizon. The bus would be here soon, probably within the next hour or so. I grabbed my messenger bag from the floor to make sure I had everything for school. In the midst of my checking, I heard a yawn on the door.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Kindling Muse by CHELSEY GUY Copyright © 2013 by Chelsey Guy. Excerpted by permission of Abbott Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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