My main character Zach has a backstory, of course. If you've read my Caffrey Conversation stories you know I looooove spinning long, complex backstories for my characters. For the Coursera "Creative Writing: Craft of Style" course, one of the assignments was to write a story approximately 600 words in length. The next assignment was to cut that first story in half, to around 300 words. I chose to write about an angsty incident in Zach's past.
For the novel, I've chosen a version somewhere in between, approximately 450 words. Here's a glimpse into Zach's childhood. I hope you like it!
(update: I submitted this scene as a piece of flash fiction and it's been accepted for inclusion in the quarterly Ninja Writers zine)
Shrouded by mist, the twelve-year-old boy paused where the beach, ocean and cliffs merged. A barking seal alerted him to a mother and pups on the rocks. Out of instinct he nearly yelled for his dad to join him; he loved the seals, too.
Realization took his breath. They’d never explore the beach together again. He’d endured his funeral this morning, and now he settled on a boulder, keeping his mom in sight, and let his mind drift.
“Want to know how Mitch died?”
Zach blinked at the grandfather he’d met yesterday. Last night Thurman argued the boy belonged on Mitch's world. Zach’s mom insisted Zach was too young to relocate to Prime on the whim of a grandfather who’d never shown any interest in him before.
“Dad died in a fire.”
“There’s more to it than that.”
Zach nodded. “You can tell me?”
“You can find out for yourself, if you come with me.”
“Mom said I have to stay on Arden.” Zach had been relieved to hear his mom say it. Eventually he’d like to see Prime, but he didn’t trust Thurman.
“Yes, he made that abundantly clear.” Thurman huffed impatiently. “I’m trying to give you something of your father's before I leave. Then you’ll understand.”
“Psychic stuff?” Most Primes claimed to have psychic powers, but cops like his mom had debunked that hoax.
“You don’t believe. Well, best not to get your hopes up. A half-breed like you probably wouldn’t manifest much talent.”
“Don’t want any psychic talent.” Zach scrambled off the boulder. “I’ll take Dad's stuff, though.”
Hours later Zach woke to hear people yelling his name. He was sprawled on the rocky shore, with the tide nearly drowning out the voices of the search party. Seals snuggled against him, keeping him warm.
He had two broken bones and a concussion from the initiation to his Prime heritage, and finally he knew the truth.
No one from Arden would believe he’d had a vision of his father's death. But he’d find evidence his mother would accept, to convince her Mitch had been murdered.
Wondering how that scene fits into the big picture? In our future, humans settled on sister planets Arden and Prime. Zach lives on Arden, which is his mother's home world, but his father came from Prime. Much of Zach's journey in the novel is about coming to terms with being half Prime.
Read more posts about Prime
Visit the Prime page for the latest status
See the beach (inspired by the Oregon coast) on Pinterest
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