For those just tuning in, this challenge is about taking a story idea from bare bones idea into a fully fledged story by writing consistently every week day for fifteen minutes. The sentence I end with on one day, is the sentence I start with on the following. Part one was Bob’s story and has nothing whatsoever to do with the story below. Part Two follows a character named Penelope. I have a few basic sentences to act as road marks on her journey. I am loosely calling that an outline. We will see where she ends up by the time the story is done. For now, we start Part two of the 2025 Fifteen Minute Writing Challenge.
Day 53: She wondered what that meant in terms of trusting them.
She wondered what that meant in terms of trusting them. She turned back to Marlene and kept her smile pleasant.
“Oh,” Marlene said. “Did she die recently?”
“Oh no,” Penelope said. “She died when I was a child. I just recently came of age.”
“And passed the test of course,” Marlene said. “Did you know, beforehand? About the family bloodlines?”
“No,” Penelope said. “It came as quite a surprise. You?”
“Oh I was raised with it,” Marlene said. She gestured to the house behind her. “I was raised here by my grandmother. Tested young,” she confided. Marlene smiled. “Tell me, have the dreams started coming in?”
“Marlene,” Faith said sounding slightly scandalized.
“What,” Marlene said looking past Penelope to Faith and Thomas. She shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Don’t be rude,” Faith said. “And on her first night with us.” Faith shook her head. “Ignore the question,” she told Penelope. “Instead tell us a little bit about yourself. What is it you do?”
“I am actually looking for work at the moment,” Penelope said. “I’ve got a lot of applications out. I graduated with a degree in accountancy. I have been taking independent jobs but want to get something full time.”
“Full time now?” Marlene said shaking her head. “That will be interesting if your abilities are just coming in.”
“Will it?” Penelope asked.
“I’m afraid it might,” Faith said. “I was so distracted when mine started coming in I had to move back home until they settled just so I would have people around me to help out.”
“Mine were a bit of a mess too,” Thomas said. He smiled. I was already living at home then but my parents shipped me out to my uncle’s place until they settled. He lives in the country so it was less likely the neighbors would notice or complain.”
“Complain?” Penelope asked.
“My skills lean towards the electrical and before I got them under control lights were flashing alarms would go off randomly and appliances would start up for no reason. I also blew more fuses than I care to count.”
“Oh,” Penelope said. “I hadn’t realized.” She wondered what sort of damage she might cause when the abilities others said she had started to flare.”
“Of course now the concealment isn’t as big an issue,” Marlene said. “Although most of us still choose to keep things quiet when we can.”
“I …see,” Penelope said. She wondered if she ought to go out to this country estate for a time so that she wouldn’t cause problems in town.
“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Marlene said as though guessing her thoughts. “The reason that these houses are family houses is that they are all shielded against such things. Even if Thomas lost control, no one outside would even see the flashing lights or hear the alarms.”
Penelope turned to look back at the house as though she could see the magical insulation applied to the building.
Ten til Midnight 