Tag Archives: LineByLineTime

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime : By Moonlight

“Whatever,” Nita shrugged and jerked her head toward the Spaniards’ camp. “Let’s get to work. I want to hear what’s up.”

They slipped with careful footsteps up to the camp perimeter. Harper nudged Nita, pointing with a grin at a sleeping guard. Nita rolled her eyes and eased past some cactus. They found a spot just beyond the firelight behind some trees and stretched out on the ground. Harper lay with his head pointed away from the camp, watching their rear.

Long moments passed as Nita listened to the soldiers talk, drink, and often make rude noises with various belches and other bodily noises. Sometimes they broke out into song. Suddenly she tensed and Harper looked warily behind himself, but nobody had noticed them.

Finally, she rose to a crouch and jerked her head at him, moving slowly away from the camp. The perimeter guard was still sleeping. They moved faster to the trail they had come down and when they reached it, she started running. Harper’s mouth dropped open, but he took off after her. Both still made no noise as they ran. They only slowed to ease through tight spots of brush.

At last, they reached the Apache camp. Harper grabbed Nita’s arm and held up a finger as she jerked to a stop and whirled on him, fury on her face. He shook his head and held up his finger again. Putting his hands to his mouth, he trilled a soft birdsong. “Don’t want to get attacked rushing in there,” he whispered. “Minji has a mean swing with that staff.”

Nita smiled but it looked strained. She hurried on to the opening of the clearing. Everybody came to their feet as they entered.

“What did you hear?” Minji demanded.

“I heard enough to know we need to kill all of them and get to that settlement as fast as possible!” Nita panted.

Excerpt from Project Burning Bush

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For #LineByLineTime: Mean lines

Harper snorted. “The only thing my parents ever did to help me was paying Luthor to be my bodyguard. Not having to watch for bullies gave me more time to do computer stuff.”

Luthor jerked upright from where he had leaned against the window. “You knew? How?  They told me not talking about it was a condition of the job.”

His small seatmate shrugged. “Like I said, I think half the time they forget I’m there. They talked about it over the dinner table the night they hired you. I didn’t know you then, but I kept my eyes open for a really big kid named Luthor, and you showed up the next day at school wanting to be my friend. I’ve been enjoying the lack of hassling ever since.”

Nita leaned over toward Luthor, her eyebrows raised. “So, the friend bit was an act all this time? You don’t really like Chico, here?” She wiggled her shoulders as if eagerly anticipating a fireworks display.

Luthor just curled his lip at her. “Didn’t Mrs. Williams say no trying to start something? As it happens I do like Harper. You, I can live without ever seeing again.”

“Oooh! I just want to die! He doesn’t like me!” Nita flung herself back in her seat with a dramatic fake sob and put her forearm across her face. 

The seat hissed with the sudden pressure, or perhaps it was Minji expressing her disgust. “Must you be so dramatic? Why do you not take drama class if you insist on overacting?”

Nita dropped her arm to her lap while she rolled her eyes. “If I want to be a drama queen, what’s it to you? I think it makes life more interesting!  Otherwise, I’d be screaming with boredom right now.”