Sunday, October 21, 2007

I think I mentioned Sail Away before in one of my posts. Anyway, here's an excerpt from it.


Excerpt from: Sail Away by Luvisinha

"So how'd you get that scar?" she started, trying to erase whatever feelings his presence had brought to her last night by being loud and obnoxious as she usually was around him.

"None of your business, " he growled, as moody as ever.

"Wow, be careful not to influence my milk into going sour."

Sulking, Lukas got up. This was a discussion he wasn't willing to have. Donatela followed closely.

"Oh, come on... I’ll start imagining stuff if you don’t tell me!"

"Get off, " he warned.

"Ooooh, scary. Really, I’m intimidated. Now come on, spill it."

He was silent, yet his very silence was a threat. Donatela ignored him, poking at his ribs.

"Don’t forget that this is my house; you’re just staying here for free because I let you. You owe me this."

She screamed a girly scream as he grabbed her wrists, spinning her around to corner her against a wall.

"Do you want me to pay, then? " he hissed menacingly. "Or to leave? Because I can do both, I can even do them together if that shuts that big mouth of yours up. I do not depend on your charity, and even if I did..."

Realization of what he was doing overcame him when he saw the look on her face. She seemed on the verge of tears, and it made him feel confused... it was the first time he saw her without an obnoxious grin or enraged look on her face. He realized he must have been hurting her wrists and let go of them as if his hands had suddenly lost their life.

He barely had time to assimilate the mass of red hair that bolted through him, the sound of feet pounding the wooden stairs, and the slam of her bedroom’s door.

Lukas knocked on the door, once, twice, three times.

"Hey... I’m sorry. "

No reply. He took a deep breath.

"Donatela. "

It was the first time he actually referred to her by her name.

"Donatela, please open up... "

Even though he’d been wishing for it, he was still surprised to hear the low click of the key twisting on the deadbolt. Donatela opened the door like a little child after being scolded by a parent: slowly, peeking through the gap, holding the knob with one hand and supporting the door with the other as if prepared to shut it closed any time if the person on the other side appeared hostile.

"Are you mad at me? " she asked shyly.

He nearly choked in the shock. Mad at her?

"No, I’m not... I’m not mad at you; it’s just that... "

He sighed. Long, heartfelt apologies to irritating strangers had never been his strong point, especially when explanations of the following sort were needed.

"You just brought up a lot of... stuff. Really bad stuff that happened long ago, way before we met. It was not your fault. I’m just gonna say I’m sorry and shut up because you probably don’t wanna hear anything I have to say. "

She looked down. "I’m sorry too. I guess I went too far... "

"You did, " he replied with a smile.

The minutes seemed to drag by slower and slower and more awkwardly as they just stared at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Erm... I think I’m gonna..."

"Yeah, yeah, great idea, I just remembered I have to go... um... yeah. Bye."

"Yea. Bye. "

He eyed her with suspicion at the dinner table as she glared ahead, fury burning in her eyes.

"Y'know, I'm supposed to be the moody one here."

"Yes, and I'm supposed to be the irritating one," she spat.

He half-chuckled.

"Okay, then."

She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm not in the best mood right now."

"You think?"

She directed her glare towards him, and he shut his mouth to avoid an argument.

"Another stupid robot law has been approved today," she muttered, disgruntled. "A robot is hereby forbidden to roam the streets without the presence of its master or its master's formal written permission. WRITTEN PERMISSION, Lukas! To roam the streets!"

"So? I mean, it's just a robot, isn't it?"

She chuckled with a sort of nervous exasperation.

"Just a robot? Lukas, a modern robot and a human are pretty much indistinguishable. Robots can think, feel and have opinions. Nowadays, thanks to the advances of genetic engineering in creating fully organic material in laboratories, a robot can have up to 70 of organic parts. This means robots can eat, drink, vomit, cry, develop and even breed amongst themselves or with humans. Yet, there are no less than two hundred laws concerning robots!"

"Among the things robots are forbidden to do," she continued before he had a chance to speak, "are vote, drive a vehicle, establish any sort of relationship- union, companionship, partnership, society, marriage, parenting etc.- be employed, earn payment, own any sort of propriety whatsoever, live without a master, disobey its master, etc. Robots are, on the other hand, obliged to, among other things, wear identification straps on their wrist at all times of day and night and obey even if they're told to kill themselves or another robot. Oh, and 'any robot found disrespecting ant of the Laws For Robot Control, as well as whatever robots or humans found in compliance of such acts, are to be hunted down, tortured and put to death'. It is absurd!"

He stared at her. This was, by far, the longest, most irate speech he had ever seen Donatela make.

"You seem to take it very personally."

Suddenly, her eyes glazed over.

"As personally as you take that scar.”




And FYI, the first line, when Donatela was saying 'last night', they weren't having sex or anything, she just happened to hear him strum his guitar while singing. So, yeah.

Lukas is hothot stuff, btw.
:D