I finally found a moment to finish posting the rest of the NaNoNovel. Fifty thousand four hundred and some odd words and the challenge is over, but the story’s not ended. You can read it all here. Below is a sample from the last day of frantic writing, in which I was reduced to observing that a toilet makes captivity somewhat bearable. 

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Separated from her team again, Amy June woke from a dead blackout to find herself locked in the bathroom with Licky the black Lab. Amy June sat on the hard tile floor with her back against the side of the tub; Licky curled around her, protectively, not asleep but quiet, waiting for the girl to wake up. Amy June grabbed her dog and hugged her. “Licky loo,” she said. “What will we do now?”

Licky, of course, began with a lick attack. Amy June was so relieved to be back with her dog she didn’t try to fend it off at all. She gave in to it and the sound of Licky’s tail thumping on the tub and floor was more than comforting. Amy June got up to test the door but she knew she’d find it locked. She listened for a few minutes to see if she could hear anything going on from the other side, but there was only silence. There was a slight gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, so she figured Geoffrey and Bow had been taken somewhere else by the Pixie. And her brother – the Angel.

The question was, whether the Pixie was going to deal with Amy June and Licky first, or whether she was just keeping them out of the way while she dealt with Geoffrey and Bow. Amy June felt it again – that pang that told her the guys were the real guts of the team, the real talent, and she was just a tag-along. She shuddered at the idea of what the Pixie might be putting them through. Seeing her take Geoff to his knees like that, with just a pinch – well, the woman could do just about anything, if she could do that, Amy June thought. She grabbed Licky again and sat down on the toilet.

“I’ve got nothing, Licky. Don’t know how to help them, even if I could find them. Even if I could get us out of here.” She scratched her dog’s silky ears. “I guess we just wait. Hey, at least we’ve got a toilet. Right? Captivity could be worse, I guess.”

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This story has a strong hold on me, and although I’m certain roughly sixty percent of those fifty thousand four hundred some odd words won’t survive revision, at least they’re out there. Now I have to shift back to other projects, and Amy June, Bow, Geoffrey, and Licky will wait a while until I can visit them again. I’m also certain they have more stories to tell.