Submission Shannon

Name: Shannon MacDougall
Email: butterflyvader@gmail.com
Title & Genre: TALON’S REACH – YA Dystopian


Pitch
In a future America, rival camps vie for control before the Second Civil War and Lillie Forester trades a fast-food spatula for a Revolver.

1st 250 words

Chapter 1: Whatever
“Anthony, you can kish my saggy, white ash …” Jeanne cackled a drunken laugh.

“ASH!” She yelled the word, as if it would help her form it better. “You … you lef! Ah’m sill HEER!”

She pointed at her bed, but her hand slipped. Her face hit the pillow and her hysterical laughter was muffled for a precious moment. She pulled her makeup-smeared face off the pillow and blinked in slow motion trying to keep me in focus.

I didn’t respond.

She wasn’t talking to me.

I finished shoving her right leg and arm under her covers, careful to make sure she was on her side. I placed her trash can in easy barfing distance and closed her door. Her vibrato of incoherent slurs wafted down the hall as I headed for the kitchen.

I waited for my oatmeal to warm up and watched my dog’s dark shadow sniff around our tiny backyard. The darkness engulfed her for a moment until she took off after something white.

The morning note. “Lillie.”

“That’s me.” I sighed.

“We need bread. Get me some Quervo too. You got paid yesterday. Mom.”

I shoved the note in my pocket and grabbed my backpack. ‘Mom’ was the least used word to identify Jeanne.

My pace would have put a speed-walker to shame. The autumn mornings were my favorite, but I wasn’t stupid.