Wren is a character in Addergoole, a Fourth Cohort student who, last year, was Kept by Phelen, also a Fourth Cohort student. They have a small story, “Poaching,” in Other Sides, the weblit anthology.
For more on Wren and Ray’s father before their birth, see Too Human
Addergoole Year 5, not at Addergoole
Life wasn’t as fun since Wren had gone away to school.
Raylan wandered around the neighborhood, watching the leaves fall, mumbling incoherently to himself. A reputation for being just as crazy as his sister had kept the bullies off of him, even if, unlike her, he had to fake it.
He wondered if she’d come home for the holidays this year. She hadn’t, last year, and Dad had made a couple closed-door phone calls and come back to say, seeming content, “your sister is very involved with her new boyfriend. I’m sure she’ll snap out of it eventually.”
“Eventually” had been the last week of summer break, with a small baby in tow she didn’t want to talk about – and Wren who was self-possessed, sad, but comfortable in her skin in a way she hadn’t been before she left school. Ray wasn’t sure what he thought of all that, either, but Raven was pretty adorable for a nephew. If he had to have a nephew when he was fifteen, and all.
And Dad thought it was fine. Ray stomped around another block, trying to figure out what was going on with Dad. And with everything. No boarding school for Ray, though Dad was pushing him to pick a good college. No worries about Wren’s pregnancy, or the new boyfriend her letters went on and on about. No worries as to how Raven’s unnamed father was going to help Ray’s sister raise a kid, or how Wren was going to juggle the kid and college. No worries…
“…Well, hello, aren’t you handsome?”
That was not what he’d expected to hear, eight blocks from home at the edge of the suburbs. Ray looked up, then up some more, to find a very, very pretty woman who looked very, very dangerous looking down at him. She tch’d and brushed her hand over his chin. “No stubble yet, not even all the way ripe. But handsome.”
He found his voice. “…Excuse me?”
“No excuses needed. You’re not the one I was looking for, but you look good enough to do as a bonus. Come with me.”
“Um… no?” he backed up quickly. “No, thanks, ma’am.”
“So sweet,” she chuckled. “But you’re coming with me.” She reached out her hand, and he found that he was floating a few inches off the ground, floating towards her.
“Hey!”
“None of that,” she smiled. “Stay quiet, and this won’t hurt much.”
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I’d say, “Go for the eyes Boo!” But Ray seems to have been silly enough to go out without a miniature giant space hamster to protect him. Maybe it will help if he plays crazy?
Good idea! I do seem to have a lot of stories with teenaged boys being abducted, don’t I?
Of course the, “Play crazy,” works well with advice some police who visited our middle school gave for what to do if someone tried to molest us. Which pretty much went: “Forget being shy or polite, and forget anyone who tells you fighting back is a bad idea, do anything and everything you can. Punch, kick, bite, scratch, scream, cry, use the foulest language you know to insult them, mess you pants, damage anything in reach if you can’t reach them, if they try and get you into a car try to kick the windows out or put dents in the doors.” Advice that basically your one goal if grabbed is to convince them that grabbing you was the stupidest decision they ever made and hopefully convince them that within moments of trying to grab you.
*rubs hands together in glee*
Should I break out the evil laughter? 🙂
Aaaaah! Not good! Not good! Poor Ray. 🙁 (typo in “Some with me”)
*smile* yes indeed. Poor Ray! Maybe his sister will break out of Addergoole to rescue him…?
With her crew?
Wren doesn’t really have a crew, though…
“In 1996, a crack crew was expelled for a crime they didn’t commit. They promptly escaped to the Addergoole Underground. Today, still wanted by the school administration, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the Hidden Addergoole Crew.” No? Maybe she can trade favors with a friend’s crew?
oh, oh my!!! *giggle* No, we are not doing the Addergoole A-Team!!
YES
*whiiine 🙂
Oh man. I’m wondering who she is, and what she wants with a human (Ray seems human).
The prompt specified human. He’s at least mostly human.