First Impressions: LONG WAY HOME

In honor of our one year anniversary of First Impressions, Marcy Hatch of Mainewords and I will be turning the tables by sharing the first pages of our own WIPs.

This is the first page of Marcy's YA magical realism novel, LONG WAY HOME.  I'm not going to critique it. (Marcy's already heard what I have to say, since we're critique partners.)  But I can't wait to hear what all you brilliant blog followers think about it!

PART ONE

Once, I fell

 Ch. 1 - April 16^th1:00AM MONDAY

     I remember falling.

     I remember reaching out for something to grab hold of, anything, anything at all. But there was nothing but blue sky and air.

     What I don’t remember is who pushed me. Or why.

     I look up and all I can see is a big sky full of stars and the moon not quite full and the cliff above me, a massive perpendicular shadow rising. It’s dark now.

     And I’m in the desert below.

     My eyes adjust to the light – or rather lack of – and as I sit up I can see the sage and cacti, dark shapes I recognize by their outline and …and the pictures Max showed me.

     My head throbs, a sharp relentless stabbing. I reach up to rub where it hurts and feel the wetness there, know when I bring my fingers away that they are bloody. My body aches hard, like someone threw me against that canyon wall until…

     I look up to the place I fell from, a black outline against the starry sky.

     I should be dead.