I changed the spelling of my first character’s name from Saya to Saia. It’s still pronounced like Maya. Not sure why I changed it but I am not sure why I’m sharing something so raw either without editing or any idea where this story is going. As I said before I was writing a short story. Maybe. It could turn into something different. I am going to write it with ideas from whoever wants to offer some input.
My goal is simply to try something different. I don’t have writer’s block or anything. Thankfully that doesn’t generally happen to me. My head is full of ideas. This, for whatever reason, was one of them. So, if you want, shoot me a few ideas regarding the direction of the story or suggestions to make Saia more intriguing and amazing. If no one participates that’s fine. I am still going to write it this way. I am looking forward to the outcome. Blessings and happy writing.
Saia.
Saia was tall, slender, intelligent, and soft-spoken. Some would describe her as beautiful but they’d be lying. She was not ugly but she was definitely sexy. Not sure what it was about her but she was innocently sexy. It could have been her expensive clothes. They fit her as designed but weren’t too extravagant or revealing. She had a way of walking that made you notice her when she came into the room. It could have been her silence. She never drew attention to herself. It was almost as if she tried to live unnoticed.
It could possibly be her intelligence. She could calculate insane numeric problems in her head. Calculations that would rival what a computer could do seemed like child’s play to Saia. She would get slightly confused writing the problems down but never once when she looked toward the sky did she get the answer wrong. It was like magic.
Everyone would tell you that Saia was a good person and they’d be right. She didn’t gossip when others huddled at the water cooler. She ignored the whispers about her too. She seemed to walk unscathed by rumors. She wasn’t a superhero. She just seemed to exist in a world that she didn’t want to be a part of. She interacted because she didn’t have a choice. Saia went to work and home. She was honest to a fault, a perfectionist, and somewhat of a loner. She’s that one person who never swayed in her friendships. She didn’t call too many people a friend. In sum, Saia was good people.
Saia rolled into the driveway. The rocks crunched under her tires. She didn’t want to spend another night alone but she was out of options. Her family was not nearby. They lived in Maryland. It was a straight shot from North Carolina but it wasn’t a trip that she made often. Work didn’t easily allow that. Saia’s skills came in high demand at a cost.
Saia didn’t make it a habit of befriending people from work. Trust wasn’t something she did easily. She had been burned by so-called friends one time too many. At this point she tried to keep that from happening again. She did have Jack but he was her neighbor not a friend. He pushed his way into her life despite how many bricks she tossed in front of him. She built a ten-foot wall that he managed to bust through each time he saw her. She glanced into his driveway. His car was parked crooked. She shook her head. He had a driveway that he could put four cars in with room for maybe a fifth. Yet he always parked in the middle and his Jeep Wrangler was never straight. She chuckled at the sight of it.
Saia was extremely smart but one thing she didn’t understand was Jack. She couldn’t figure him out. He seemed to have a lot of friends but managed to make every effort to push his way into her quiet life. She felt at times like he made lots of effort to force himself on her. She didn’t want to spend time at his townhouse but found herself there often. Saia and Jack weren’t friends in her book, but she knew he considered her one if his best friends.
Saia planted her feet on the driveway. The sun was just starting to set. She looked at her townhouse. It was nice enough. It barely had a yard but what it had was fenced in. It needed some new paint. It was chipped in too many places and she hated the color green. She knew it needed a lot to become a home but it belonged to her. Saia had the ability to stand flatfooted on the highest realm of the American dream. Yet she chose a mediocre home in a decent neighborhood. Her salary afforded her to live an affluent life but Saia didn’t make that choice. She chose to own a home that mirrored her life. Her home needed some TLC. Looking in from the outside one could say the same about Saia. Yet she didn’t venture on a quest to find love. Saia simply existed.
She thought for a moment and realized, “What good is a home when you spend each night in it alone?” She shrugged her shoulders. With or without a love, it still belonged to her.
Before sadness over took her, she shivered. It wasn’t cold outside. It was balmy. Saia felt chilled. She felt like someone was watching her. Her eyes scanned the area. It was eerily still. She turned around slowly. She was alone. Saia was still unsettled. Something didn’t feel right but she didn’t plan on waiting to find out what it was. She quickly snatched her battered leather briefcase from the seat. Her dad gave it to her when she graduated from high school. His dad used it before him. She couldn’t get rid of it. He died a week after he gently placed the bag into her hand. It was a piece of him to her despite what it looked like.
Saia heard leaves crunch behind her. Her heart skipped a beat. Footsteps. Saia was too afraid to turn around. She tucked her bag under her armpit and darted toward the steps. Her keys jingled in her hand. She jammed her house key into the lock but her keys crashed to the ground. Saia took a deep breath. She could hear the steps close in on her. She snatched her keys off the ground and belted out a horrifying yell.
© 2017 by Stacey Pierce
Coffey Brown Books 