NaNoWriMo: Day 8 Progress

[renisanz]

This is a bit early but I made a lot of headway yesterday and today. Still about 2,500 words behind, but hopefully I can hit 15,000 this weekend. Doesn't seem likely, but I'll try. The good thing is that the story is still in the beginning stages. I was afraid I would run out of steam way before the 50,000 mark, not having enough of a story to tell. Right now there are still a few unfinished scenes, and I've been going back and forth adding to them.

Anyway, here's one for today. It's set the next day after Miranda drives Tara home from the shop.

Excerpt:

Monday Morning

Tara awoke to the sound of birds chirping. She groaned, willing her ears and the heavy duvet to block out the noise so she could relish in he warmth on her bed. Once the cold air hit her face, she knew the spell would be broken, along with any hopes of sleeping in.

The clatter of claws could be heard against the hard wood floor of the hallway. Seconds later, her bedroom door creaked open. Tara peeked from under the covers and saw a long golden tale waving at the foot of her bed. The tail waved in one spot for a few seconds before moving around to the side of Tara's bed, along with Maddy's head. The dog sat up, and put her paws on the edge of the bed as she pushed her cold nose into Tara's face.

She squealed "Maddy! Ok, girl," Tara huffed, rolling her eyes and grunting with defeat before throwing back the covers and swinging her feet over the side of the bed. A shock of cool air his her bare arms, and she reached into the pile of yet to be folded clothes and pulled a rust-colored wool sweater. She shrugged it on with a yawn and padded across the bedroom, with Maddy running circles around her legs. Tara stumbled towards the door and into the hallway. Her hands fumbled with the two ends of the sweater's zipper to insulate herself from the cold. She had forgotten to turn on the thermostat last night and her body screamed for the warmth only a hot shower would bring.

First things first though, she need to let Maddy outside before the dog decided to Christen the kitchen floor with a pool of urine. A sliding glass door leading to a sunroom built onto the rear of the house was on the far wall of the den, and Tara let the dog out that way. Once Maddy had rushed out to frolic in the backyard, Tara quickly slid the door shut against the cold morning air.

Back inside the slightly less chilly house, Tara headed for the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, Tara emerged from the bathroom trailed by a cloud of steam. She was still getting used to the strange feeling of being the only person at home. She always expected to run into someone coming down the hall, or to be able to call to whoever happened to pass, beseeching them to bring her a fresh razor which she'd forgotten to bring with her into the bath. That had been a great inconvenience. Lesson learned.

She went to her room to get dressed, and then heard a scratching at the back door. "Oh crap, Maddy." She hadn't forgotten about the dog, but she hoped that her time in the shower would allow the dog to get everything out of her system and sniff and mark to her heart's content. Of course, the animal was most definitely hungry and thirsty by now, and they both had yet to have breakfast.

Tara slid the door open just wide enough for Maddy to get through. She walked toward the laundry room, the door of which was slightly the den and kitchen, to prepare a bowl of beef and gravy flavored dog food for Maddy.

It was then that she remembered the strange discovery from last night. While Maddy was busy devouring her food, Tara went back to her bedroom to finish getting dress, as if there was a proper way to dress for an potential adventure, she at least didn't want to be underdressed. She pulled on a pair of khaki stretch cords. Over the cream camisole she already wore, she put onteal, floral patterned henley top.

Returning to the bathroom where her hair she had already stored most of her hair products underneath the sink, she removed the towel from her hair and applied a generous amount of leave-in conditioner to her hair before pulling her main back into a coily puff at the back of her head. She slid a thin, black elastic headband over the front of her hair.

"Ready for an adventure, not really?" she said to her reflection.

The girl in the mirror shrugged back.

"I am such a dork," Tara mumbled. "But a sexy dork," her reflection amended.

"Yeah, like frakkin' aye," Tara winked, and then turned, starting a new quest to find a flashlight.

Back in the laundry room, Miranda stood at the edge of the secret passage, a flashlight held limply at her hip and Maddy at her side. "Ok, girl," if something bad happens, "You know to go and run for help, right?"

Maddy looked up at her and panted, her tail wagging in excitement.

"Right," Tara said. She turned on the flashlight and began descending the stairs.

. . . . . . . . . .

*needs Tara icon*

Hmm. . . reading over this, I think it's only fitting that Miranda has a cat.

11049 / 50000 words. 22% done!