I have just finished chapter two of my latest novel, which is now called, Forget Me Not, and in doing so I passed the twenty thousand word mark. Above is a first shot at the cover. And below is a brief extract from chapter two of the draft. Remember this is only a draft and could change before the book is published.
(…) There was no direct path and the bushes grew tight together so she was forced to take a long detour that led her close to a wooden chalet like those she’d seen in the Alps on a skiing holiday. This one was much smaller, a bit like a Dinky toy chalet, but still big enough for two to squeeze inside. It stood alone in the middle of a carefully tended lawn strewn with plastic boats and ducks. A crazy stone path led up to the door.
The sound of snoring warned her she was not alone. Peering in the window she saw the immortal girl fast asleep, tied to the bed with ropes around her arms and legs and a gag across her mouth. What nutters! The windows were too tiny to climb in or out. The only entrance was through a small wooden door which stood open.
Beth toyed with the idea of freeing the girl, but had no idea how she would react. Maybe the boy had forgotten he’d left her there. She might be grateful to be saved from certain starvation. Then again, what if being trussed up was part of a game they’d played for centuries? The two could be furious if she messed it up. Or maybe the girl was only pretending, lying in wait, knowing Beth would come. She shook her head. Such a subterfuge would be quite beyond them.
In the key hole on the inside of the door was an outsized key. It reminded her of that bottle in Alice which said: Drink me! Except that the key called out: Lock me! Oh no! She wasn’t going to give in to that temptation. It was probably a trap. But she would take the key. Goodness knew why. To annoy them, maybe. Easing it out of the lock, halting every time it squeaked, she pocketed the key, surprised at how heavy it was. Pulling the door too behind her, it shut with an ominous click, causing the snoring to cease. As she tiptoed away in search of an exit, she heard grunts as the girl struggled to get free.