A Dark Hand

By Oscar Taylor-Kent

Frederica Williams is the new girl at Trenton High, having just moved to Trenton, New Jersey following the mysterious demise of her parents. There she meets Alex Murnau, a pale and attractive young man who seems delightfully formal, and Darren, who is pretty much the opposite. Almost as if the two of them are meant to represent opposite extremes. At least they're not at all similar to any other characters in popular culture.

Frederica begins to feel torn between the friendship (and possibly more) of both of these boys, especially as neither really seems to approve of the other.

How will Frederica get through this difficult time? She has a lot to learn about life and love, and throughout the hilariously dry parody of Twilight, dark romance, and young adult fiction she learns to remove the shackles of societal expectations, and come to terms with who she really is in no uncertain terms.

A Dark Hand is a short novella of 12,000 words. The rough draft was initially written in front of a live audience, something which is reflected upon in the included blog post reprint at the end of the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oscar Taylor-Kent
• Release date: Jul 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497764934

Oscar Taylor-Kent

Oscar Taylor-Kent is a writer, humorist, and occasional blogger who tries to make good touching pen to paper every once in a while. He can also use a keyboard too. Not one to be pigeon-holed, he writes things from silly detective nonsense to depressing dystopian futures. He also writes about video games, online dating, and anything else you pay him to write about. He was writing about email marketing anonymously some time before he had to think about how to make his own. Oscar TK lives in South-West England, despises when it's too hot, but refuses to go out in the rain. Find out more about him, including social network information, at his website: www.oscartk.co.uk To stay up to date with his work, consider subscribing to his mailing list at www.oscartk.co.uk/subscribe

Book preview

PART ONE

Frederica's black station wagon pulled into the parking lot. It had been a gift from her Uncle upon her arrival to Trenton, and she hated it. The black tyres crumpled over the white snow – a fitting metaphor for her mood this morning. This was her first day at her new high school, Trenton High, and she felt cold and nervous. The hoodie she pulled tighter around her sported the logo of her favourite band from her home-town, Tampa. Nobody would know them here. Just as nobody knew her.

Frederica took a few deep breaths, and got out of her car. It was 8:35am. School started at 9:00am. This had meant that she had been able to park very close to the school's entrance, and also meant that the light drizzle of snow wouldn't mess up her hair too badly. She didn't usually care about such things too much, but even Frederica knew the importance of a good first impression.

As she went through the front doors she was hit in the face with warm air conditioning. The snow that had settled on her began to melt, and droplets of water trickled down her slightly messy, shoulder-length hair, and around her eyes before finally dripping off her frozen, ready lips.

She needed to pick up her timetable before she could attend any classes, but it appeared that the reception was empty. Perhaps she had arrived too early!

Frederica decided to take a seat while she waited. Because her legs were quite long – some had even said slender – she found it most comfortable to sit with one leg crossed over the other. It was in this position she sat, playing with her smartphone, for about ten minutes.

* * *

Hey. A cool voice jolted her from her phone-induced daze. Can I help you with anything?

Frederica looked up.

Her eyes were met with a tall, slender boy. He had skin so pale that it almost hurt to look at – so delicate it looked like it would smudge at the slightest touch. He wore designer jeans, and a shirt and tie. However, the tie was loose, and the way his hands were hanging in his pockets – at a jaunty angle – made it clear that he was not one to completely follow the rules.

Frederica blushed immediately. She was always like this whenever she got attention from a handsome boy. A handsome boy like the one that stood just before her.

Wow, you’re really just going to stare at me, huh? stated the boy. My name is Alex. I help out with admin from time to time.

Frederica blushed again, stood up, and bowed slightly. She was a big fan of anime.

I... she paused and gulped audibly. I mean – my name – is Frederica.

It’s funny you should say that, muttered Alex. I was just on the phone to my friend Richard earlier – he lives in England, you see – and we were talking about our favourite names for girls.

And Frederica was your favourite? blushed Frederica.

No. It was his. But it's a pretty good name, I guess. He sighed, and walked through the half-door that led to the area behind the reception desk.

You must be the new student starting today. I suppose you want your timetable?

That would be great.

In that case, here is your timetable. With this, Alex handed over a laminated sheet of paper with a timetable on it. For a brief second their fingers touched, and Frederica blushed. Alex, however, seemed unfazed.

I laminated it myself, he went on, as if nothing had happened.

Wow, that’s really cool.

The school doesn’t actually have a laminating machine, so I run them by the one at my house.

That must take a lot of dedication. Do you live close?

"Real close, yeah.