Oh, Clouded Leopard! I am so happy! This sounds cheesy, but I feel like a proud mom! Haha! Yay! I would love to read it! :D

Are you on the writing website Storybird? I am writing two stories on there that I am very proud of at the moment. :) Hopefully I'll finish them! xD

Clouded Leopard, that is awesome. I've always wanted to write a book, and I'm in 6th grade, so now I feel even more inspired. That is an amazing accomplishment. If you want to, post your book on here (I want you too!!!!). I think you should try to get it published!

Yay! I'm so proud! And I would love to read your story. What's it about?

Oh, Clouded, that's so amazing! Good for you!!!!!!!!! I would love to read it!

Awesome!!! *hugs* That's a huge accomplishment!!! And yes, please post it! (Reminds me how I should get back to Ruwen, now that I've solved my writer's block ...)

Aw, thank you so much! Here's the first half of the first chapter:

Spread Your Wings

By Clouded Leopard*

*obviously not my real name, but I couldn't put my real one in. 

Part One

White

Beginning

Chapter 1

Angelica  

The sun gently touched its golden fingers inside the room, softly leaking into my eyes. I wish, thought Angelica VanDelissa as she rolled over onto her side to try to avoid the harsh sunlight streaming in through her huge, domed window.  Finally she gave in and stumbled out of bed. Her hands groped wildly in the air until she found the swaying cord. Three quick pulls and a shade jerked out under the window, abruptly cutting of the sun’s rays. Angelica grinned and bathed in the sudden cool of her room. The huge overhead window that had come with the house when they had moved in wasn’t alway the greatest, but it helped to have a dad who liked fixing things.

She turned and faced her closet. Her room had been an artist’s studio before her, so it did come with a massive window for maximum amounts of light, but on the plus side the closet was huge, the size of a bathroom. She clicked on the light and faced her clothes. Being a thespian, she had to have an extensive wardrobe, and extensive it was.

Costumes and garments of all kinds were spread out all over the massive closet. Swirling silk scarves, ditzy disco dresses, and gorgeous green gowns. Yes, she was a bit of a poet too. It was necessary when you loved the theater as much as she did.

Ah, to feel the power of her words as they rang out over the auditorium! To see the audience hanging on her every word! To know she herself captured every eye!  

Angelica realized her fist was raised in the air above her head. She quickly brought it down and because perusing through her extensive collection of clothing. Tight leggings and her red cowboy boots?... no… sparkly indigo miniskirt alongside a sleeve-on-one-side-strap-on-the-other?... no way…

“Here you are!” she exclaimed as the perfect outfit caught her eye. Pale blue and violet floral patterned long skirt? Yes. Soft rose button-up shirt? Yes! Lavender cardigan sweater? YES! She caught sight of a pair of pastel blue flats and put them on. Her hair was up in her customary top-of-the-head braid, and bam! Her smile faltered as she paused to wipe a little bit (well, a small coating) of dust off her clothes. It wasn’t her fault they were, well old and a bit beat up, it was because of the taxes, the job…

“Hit me with your best shot, world!” she yelled to her door, grin growing back as she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. She hummed brightly as she skipped down the stairs. However, her cheerful mood evaporates like mist in the sunshine when she caught sight of her dad, gray circles rimming his eyes, a dull hopeless glaze in his eyes as they scanned the jobs section of the newspaper.

“Still looking for a new job, dad?” she asked quietly, sliding into her chair and smiling feebly. A short nod came from the forehead peeking over the top of the newspaper as an emerging hand pushed out a slice of toast. She picked it up and bit into it. Her mind wandered as she chewed the slightly stale bread.

It all started when dad lost his job, didn’t it? Lucky they had so much in the bank—from her mom’s account. Mom… I miss you so much. I—I hope you can hear me, even if you’re in Japan right now. Please keep sending letters, and... outfits. I’m so glad you remembered them... me.

Her father looked over his paper long enough to see her face. “Is Amiyah still sending you those costumes?” Angelica nodded quickly and pushed her father back into the newspaper.

“Dad, you need to find a job—well, a better job than the one you have now,” she reprimanded him. “Mom sends my outfits twice a year, so at least you don’t have to buy me new clothes.”

“Are at least some of the clothes she gets you normal? They’re kind of beat up, too...” he asked in his gravelly voice, eyeing the gaudy floral pattern and pale cardigan, the dust and the small tears.

“Dad! She gets what she can find!” said Angelica, her cheeks deepening to crimson. Who was he to complain about what she was wearing when he wouldn’t get anything for her himself? “A waiting job at McHarrison's isn’t enough to support us, so find one already! Just—just do it, and maybe you’ll take better care of me!”  The paper slammed down on the table.

“Angelica—“ he started to say, a stricken look in his eyes, but she gave him no time to finish, rushing into the kitchen, grabbing her lunch and backpack, slamming the back door, and running off to school.

When she arrived at Cherrywood Junior High, she stopped and took a breath. The more she thought about it, the more shame crept over her. Why had she yelled at her dad like that? I hadn’t meant what I said, she thought. The thought consoled her, and she walked through the doors in the front of the school.

Nice! I'd love to read it if you post it on here!

Congratulations Cloud! I love the first part so far!

The first face she saw was of Tanya Jellico, hurrying down the hallway, books clutched in her arms as she frantically scuttled to… to wherever she goes.

Tanya was what you would consider a ‘nerd’. She wasn’t popular, went to no to near no parties, and did extra classes... not to mention she was one of the biggest brains in the school. This combination of personality traits made her a bright red bully target. Proof of this statement happened only a few seconds after Angelica stood watching her.

Not looking out for where she was going, the girl collided with the thick form of Cruiser. His real name wasn’t Cruiser, of course (it was actually Jerome), but that’s what everyone called him. The name served him well.

Not so big in the brains department, but big in the muscles. Pretty much the generic copy of every bully, a cast from the mold. And from the looks of it, trouble was brewing. As Tanya hurried to gather her belongings, Cruiser peered down at her through beady eyes and grinned idiotically. He quickly cast his gaze from side to side, making sure no teachers were in the vicinity, then turned back to Tanya.

“Hey, Jelly,” he grunted, and then laughed like it was the best joke ever cracked. Tanya looked up at the burly boy. Angelica could tell, even from her bystander point of view that something was whirring through her mind. Angelica knew the feeling from years of bullies in grade school: run or fight? Before she became popular over the summer, Angelica had been as much of a target as Tanya was now.

Tanya chose the first option. Angelica wasn’t so sure it was the best idea, but the nerd’s big brain must have somehow calculated the velocities or whatever. Just like Angelica predicted, Tanya took off, leaving Cruiser to look around, give chase, but smash into an open locker door. When he stumbled away Tanya as nowhere to be seen.

A heavy weight crashed into Angelica’s shoulder. She whipped around to see Isabella, or Izz, as she made everyone call her, standing there with a cocky grin dancing on her face.

“Ang, you’re, like, so jumpy! What did you do, like, talk to David Michael?” Angelica managed a smile in return to Izz’s jab, but felt a little hurt when the popular painted David Michael Cambent in a such a poor light. It was true the redhead was as jumpy as a cat up a tree, but in grade school, maybe 4th or 5th grade, she was best friends with David Michael. In 6th grade it seemed like he retreated into his art, for reasons unknown to her. She hadn’t seen him for a while. I wonder why he stopped being friends with me... She shook herself back into the present as Izz was pulling at her arm.

“C’mon, Ang. Don’t think about nerds like him, you’ve got better things to do. Anyways, did you hear about what Jake said to Maya? It was...”

As the two girls walked on ahead, exchanging gossip, a flash of movement caught her gaze. Angelica narrowed her eyes, lip curling in dislike. Now there was someone she didn’t like, and never would. Izz squealed and blushed when they neared him, though. Angelica growled under her breath. Everyone except her liked a jock, particularly the Alex Sanderson kind.

“Aleeex!” purred Izz. “Hiii...” The blonde boy flipped his hair and winked at her. She squealed and swooned. Angelica hissed and walked away, pointedly making sure that he saw her rejection.

Stuck-up, self-absorbed, sporty jerk… she thought. Besides, she had better things to do than talk with Sporty Mc Sportsers… she glanced at her watch. Eek! Like get to homeroom on time! She hightailed it to her homeroom, the Algebra class. As soon as the bell rung, not long after she slid into her seat, cheeks burning, the speaker crackled to life with the morning announcements.

Ooooo I love it cloud!