A Settled Stone: A Sticks and Stones Story: Number Nine

By Kimberly Vogel

Amanda is a senior at the Lemoyne high school. She has many aspirations, including entering either the police force or the army after graduation. While her future looks bright, she still has to make it to the end of high school. There are rumors of the war to the north crossing into their country, though. Will she and her friends survive it? (Sticks and Stones Number 9)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781300658696

Book preview

A Settled Stone: A Sticks and Stones Story: Number Nine

A Settled Stone: A Sticks and Stones Story: Number 9

Copyright

Copyright © 2012 by Kimberly Vogel.

ISBN eBook 978-1-300-65869-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For additional copies refer to:

http://www.lulu.com/shakkathi

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me.

Without you, I don’t know where I would be.

Chapter 1

Quickly stepping down from the bus, a blonde youth walked across the sidewalk. With each deep breath, a puff of steam left her lips. The bitter winter wind carried it across the high school campus. Pulling her collar higher over her tan skin, she hid her face from the cold.

Amanda!

Turning her head, the teen’s blue eyes followed a redheaded teen. Hi Aubrey, she replied. Are you ready for midterms? Shifting her coat, the senior followed the junior from the sidewalk through the parking lot.  

I don’t know, but either way they’re going to happen. Aubrey laughed. Pushing her hands deeply into her pockets, she shivered. Cold though, though. I can hardly wait for midterms to be over so we can have a break.

What are you doing over winter break? Amanda tilted her head to the side. The other girl was four inches shorter than her. Amanda was on the tall side for the teen girls at five foot nine inches.

I don’t know. Aubrey shrugged. Maybe we can go to the neighboring countries to get some skiing done in the mountains.

Well if you did then you’d have to go to Sierra. Because of the fighting Givon is completely off-limits. Sierra has better mountains for skiing anyway.

Yeah, but they are too far away. Sighing, Aubrey turned her green eyes up to the cloudy gray sky. We’re practically in the middle of our country.

Amanda nodded in agreement. The city of Lemoyne was located nearly dead center in the country of Everly. All around the cityscape was meadow. The city only had one high school. Because of that most of the students moved away for both higher education and jobs. Amanda had the same ambitions.

Anyway, I’ll see you later. With a wave, Aubrey ran to the gymnasium door.

Okay, bye Aubrey, Amanda said.

The two story building was laid out so the gymnasium was separate from the main part of the school. It was at the side with the track and field. On the other side of the gymnasium was a stone courtyard. Behind the gymnasium the main part of the high school ran parallel to the street. Connecting the gymnasium to the building were two corridors on either side of the kitchen. The cafeteria was in that back corner. The hallway ran straight between the classrooms until it ended at the auditorium.

As the winter coats came off, the uniforms of the students and teachers were revealed. They had a similar look, although an iris pin marked the teachers apart. A green blazer was over black bottoms; whether they were a skirt or slacks depended on the students’ type. There was no particular style of white shirt under the blazer. 

The students filed into their different homerooms. Since all of the classes were done the projects, oral reports, and tests would be done there. Between the tests there was either study hall or a break in the gymnasium. The senior students were spread out on both the upper and lower floors. Many of them had work studies as well, so they walked in and out of the school at whatever times they needed to in order to make it to their shift on time.

Amanda didn’t need to leave the school, so she sat at her desk in