hiya everyone <3 just a few activity updates! So I start school tomorrow (AHHHHHHHHHHHHH) which means I won’t be on Scratch until like 4 PM (EDT). So yeah, if you comment something before that time just don’t expect a quick response. On the weekends I’ll be more active, ofc. Then in probably October I’m gonna start doing my extracurricular again, so on Mondays/Wednesdays (if that’s the practice schedule again), then it’ll probably be 5 or 6 PM before I can get on. And, of course, here’s the writing excerpt! Once I finish this I’m planning on sharing it on Scratch. FYI, this is just the beginning of it. (Excerpt is 684 words) - - The world spun as I stared at him. He was standing there. Calmly. By /his/ side. Not mine. The Dark Lord. /He was a traitor./ --------- "Venica!" Hunter's voice broke through the peaceful quietness of the forest edge. I glanced up from the book I had been reading as he came over and peered over my shoulder to see what I was reading. "That book again, huh?" "It's a good one. You wouldn't get it- I don't think I've ever seen you read a book before in your life." "Well, that's why I've got you, isn't it? You can teach me all that stuff and I can teach you everything you can't learn from a book! Which is a lot, by the way." I rolled my eyes. We both knew I was terrible that fighting. Last time, when I'd tried a bow and arrow, I had missed the target by eight feet. Though, the time before that, it had been nine. He'd tested me on basically every other weapon available, and I'd pretty much failed all of them. "We'd better get back to the castle, though. I want to check on that new foal the traveler found in the highlands," Hunter said. He took care of the stables and horses, and recently, a traveler had found an orphaned foal and brought it back to be cared for. I got up from the swing, my steps falling into sync with his. The sunset lit up the lake nearby with dazzling orange and pink. As we neared the castle, though, I heard a strange sound- like marching. Up ahead, at the castle gates, there were soldiers, but not ours. They were dressed in all black, except for a purple symbol on the back of their suits. I couldn't make out what it was. The king was there, too, talking to someone-probably their leader. He sounded angry, and it looked like the strange leader was holding a flickering flame. I didn't see any torch, though. Hunter must've noticed them, too, because he grabbed my hand and pulled me down to hide behind a large rock. "Who are they? And why does it sound like they're arguing with the king?" I whispered. "I don't know. I've never seen that outfit from any nations. We should probably use your secret passage, though-they could be dangerous." I nodded, and we crept out from behind the rock, heading down the hill. After a few minutes we came to the valley with the entrance to the passage. I had discovered it a few years ago, and it lead to my sewing room. As the royal seamstress, I had never expected to need to use it for safety purposes, though. "Ven! Where is it?" Hunter asked, searching on the ground. I called him over to where I was, and I pulled off the grate and crawled into the tunnel. It was dark and damp, and by the time we had reached the end, we had ruined our pants from the mud. The grate scraped noisily against the floor as we climbed up. Hunter looked around the room, examining all the suits and dresses I had made. In the middle of the room was a special dress. Dusky pink, a sweetheart neckline, puffy sleeves-in my opinion, the best dress I had ever made. "Who's this one for?" Hunter asked when he got to it. "It's for me. Tonight. For Dahlia's ball- remember?" "Oh. I suppose someone else has already asked you, haven't they?" He sounded bitter. Someone had asked me- Malcom Page. He was from a wealthy family, and he thought because of that, he was better than everyone else. I thought he was a bratty idiot, and there was no way I was going to a ball with /him./ "No, actually. Well, yes, but I said no. You don't seriously think I'd go with Malcom, do you?" "Oh!" he said, brightening. "Well- if you want- I know I'm a bit late but- will you go with me? To the ball?" "Sure! But... just as friends, right?" "Oh. Um... yeah. Just- just as friends."
