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endlessnightlock · 2 years

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For your consideration...

So I’m actively editing/reworking my story Home Is Wherever I Am With You into an original, and I thought I’d post some pieces of it here. Feel free to tell me what you think or give me feedback, I’m doing this on my own so I would appreciate it! I think with the edits I’ve made to the story it reads smoother/better than the fanfic version.

Appalachian Coal Mining Country, Early 1930′s

"Katie!"

Looking up from the path she takes home from the village, Katie is surprised to see Matthew Sullivan calling her name, flagging her down. It’s odd.

They were in the same grade in school but weren’t friends. Matthew is a townie, his family running a small shop on the corner closest to the mine entrance where they sell things like meat pies and coarse loaves of bread to the men on their way to and from their long shifts.

Katie hails from the Huddle where the miners live. Her father was a miner. He’s been gone three years now, and somehow, she hasn’t been thrown out of the house yet. There aren’t as many men needed in the mines nowadays, with lower production quotas. She thinks maybe the mining company’s forgotten she and her younger sister Aster are alone now.

The only interactions she has with Matthew Sullivan are the every other day sales or trades she makes with his father; he’s her best customer. Katie supports her and Aster by foraging in the hills for herbs, mushrooms, and wild onions. Any edible, palatable thing she comes across, there are lots of them if you know where to look. Katie hunts and traps for meat as well, and the Sullivans are her best customers.

Katie hesitates, unsure why Matthew stopped her. He takes that as a go-ahead to approach, trotting to catch up. He stops in front of her, rolling his shirtsleeves down his arms like he’s finished working for the day and is trying to make himself look presentable. "How are you?' Matthew asks, smiling at her.

Katie Bowe is not a small woman by any stretch of the imagination. She’s as tall and strong as most men. Matthew Sullivan, however, is one of the few she has to look up to at close range. She’s not sure she likes that. Makes her feel at a disadvantage. She likes knowing she can hold her own if necessary.

But Matthew isn’t someone to fear. Sort of a gentle giant.

And he’s patient, waiting for Katie to take her time, seemingly in no hurry to continue. She shrugs and looks away. Why on earth is he talking to her in the first place? They aren't friends.

"I’m fine," Katie manages, glancing over Matthew’s shoulder before looking back at him. He's nervous about speaking with her, she realizes. That makes her uneasy, but no longer because of his size. It’s just that she’s not great at coming up with the right thing to say. Folks from town so rarely want to speak with her. They look at her like she’s some wild animal they don’t know what to do with.

"Did your father need something?" she asks. It's the only reason she thinks Matthew would follow her out the bakery door.

His face lights up in delight. "I wasn’t sure you knew who I was. We never speak when you come to sell to us."

Katie gives him an incredulous look. What is wrong with him? Is he some sort of idiot? She wonders if Matthew could have been kicked in the head by a mule like the oldest Hawthorne boy was last year. He seemed bright enough while they were in school, but his current behavior calls that into question.

Katie snorts. "Of course, I know you. I should be surprised you me, if anything. What did your daddy want?" She repeats, folding her arms over her chest, growing impatient. Why won't he tell her what he needs? And why is he acting so weird?

His face is red now, and he scratches the back of his head. "No, Daddy doesn't need anything else." He gives her a pained expression before seeming to gather his resolve. "The thing is, Katie, I'm done with work for the day, and I wanted to know if I could walk you home."

"Huh?" Katie was stupified.

Why would Matthew think she needed somebody to walk her home? It wasn’t anywhere near dark, and in the pocket of the slacks she wears is a long, sharp knife. It’s a known fact Katie Bowe can take care of herself. Sure, he's bigger than her and a lot stronger. She eyes his physique, remembering times she watched him haul heavy supplies from the train depot across the street from the Sullivan’s shop. He never even looked winded.

"I don't need anyone to walk me home." She says.

Matthew grows redder by the moment.

An idea smacks her between the eyes.

Oh.

Katie examines Matthew closely, searching his face for an answer. What she suspects doesn’t seem possible. It’s certainly improbable. He acts like he’s interested in her.

Why would someone like Matthew be interested in her? Strong, handsome Matthew Sullivan shouldn’t be interested in fatherless, motherless, dirt-poor Katie Bowe.

#it's going to maintain a lot of the same fanfic flavor lol #adventures in endlessnightlock's goal of self-publishing #endlessnightlock writes #not fanfiction #at least not any more #lol #but seriously give it a read please

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