The Night Sky by C.A. Cordova
"a magical and deeply original tale"
An adventurous YA dystopian fantasy
The Tungsten Chronicles Book 1
4.3⭐ on Amazon
Chapter 1
“Seriously, Nad, hurry the bejesus up, I’m freezing. Besides, if you would just wear matching boots, we wouldn’t have to take forever.”“Why are you always rushing me?”“Because you are so slow all the time!”“Anya, you really should just wear warm clothes. I promise it’s OK to not be popular, but be warm.”“Nad, no offense, but I don’t want to sit in the back of the food room with all the adults and not have a single friend.”Nadia took a deep breath in and looked down. She continued in silence as Anya chatted away unassumingly. In the distance, she could see smoke rising from the school’s flue. Nadia hated Mondays; Anya was especially antsy to get back to school after the long weekend, so naturally, Nadia was at the brunt of every insult Anya could come up with. Most of the time, Nadia just ignored her, but every once in a while, one of Anya’s many insults would catch her off guard. She understood her sister’s need to feel important, but it was still hard to deal with.As they approached the large steel doors, Nadia shook off her coat, which was now covered in snow. Anya rushed ahead to find her friends, leaving Nadia by herself. Nadia slowly walked to her locker, taking off her winter gear in the process. She pulled back the rusted door before stuffing her large woolen coat along with her undercoat, hat, and gloves into the box. After, she shoved the giant mass of clothing out of the way so she could grab one of the many history textbooks stashed below. Other students her age walked the halls happily with their friends, but as Anya had pointed out, Nadia had no one. She waddled her way to the girls’ restroom and caught a glimpse of her wild hair in the mirror. One side of her head was puffed out in a mass of tangles and the other flat, without a curl in sight.“What the flip?” She said as she doused her head in water and stuck it beneath the hand dryer. Several girls came in chatting loudly; when they saw Nadia with her head upside down, they exited immediately. She giggled slightly and flipped back over. Smiling at herself in the mirror, she grabbed her textbook and hurried toward the door. Just as she was about to exit, Anya entered.“Hey,” Nadia began.“Did you do it?” Anya snapped.“My hair? Really? Who cares?” Nadia giggled.“Not your stupid hair, although I heard about that too!”Nadia looked confused and blinked a few times, “What? What did I do?”“Are you joking? You can’t deny learning about the Protectorants!”
Nadia rolled her eyes, “But who cares? I wanted to read more about history anyway.”Anya grabbed her arm sharply and pulled her away from the door, and it slowly closed behind them. “Nad, I am not kidding. You CANNOT deny the Protectorants. You will get in big trouble. Remember Jimmy?”“Anya, that’s just a freaking myth!” Nadia shook her head.Anya was about to reply when the Assistant Principal Dr. Collins walked casually through the door. “Ladies, good morning.”Both redheads turned her way, and Anya released Nadia’s arm. In unison, they both greeted her. The older woman brushed gray strands from her forehead, “I see we are having a discussion this morning. Is everything alright?”Anya piped up quickly, “Yes, everything is fine. You know . . . sister stuff.” She was about to babble on when the older woman raised her hand for her to stop.“Nadia, the Governess and I would like to have a word with you.”Nadia flushed slightly, “Oh, OK.”Anya looked at Nadia with concern in her eyes, “I’ll meet you at our usual spot for a snack.” She nodded once as Nadia slowly stepped toward Dr. Collins.Nadia knew she was in trouble; Anya never used their secret phrase. Nadia took in a small breath and smiled, “OK, I’ll see you in a bit. Please let Ms. Anderson know I will be late for first section.”“Don’t worry about that request, Anya; we have already let her know. Please head to your first section class.” Dr. Collins crossed her hands and stood away from the door. Anya pulled Nadia toward the door and they exited together. She squeezed Nadia’s hand once and then bounded down the hall without looking back.Nadia treaded slowly toward the Governess’s office with Dr. Collins following behind. Students stared at her as her feet moved along the green linoleum. She turned down the end of the blue hall and looked at the sign on the door. She never noticed that some letters had been scratched off. The plaque on the door read, “oven ready pie here” instead of “Governess Rovelady Pierce-Hanerey.” Nadia’s lip twitched in delight for a moment before she pulled the large wooden door open. Behind the desk in the center of the room, sat a large lump of a woman with a frown on her face. All the students knew of Ms. Caldwell, but most did everything possible to avoid meeting her. She was vile and would taunt you as you waited to speak to any of the Principals or the Governess, or at least that was what Nadia had been told.Nadia stepped a few paces into the office when a squeaky voice spewed, “The Governess is in a meeting. She’ll be back presently. Have a seat over there.” The plump woman furrowed her brows and pointed to several chairs in a row, all with different color padding on the seats. Nadia walked over and briefly examined them. She nodded before choosing to sit on the lime green chair. Her feet couldn’t touch the ground, so she dangled them gently and exhaled. She fiddled with her damp hair and wondered when the Governess might return. Dr. Collins made sure Nadia was going to stay seated and then walked back to her office.Nadia waited for what seemed like ages. She heard the bells chime for first section to be over and she started to get antsy. Nadia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She looked over at the chair with the pink cushion and decided she was going to switch seats when the Governess burst through the door in a huff. “Well, of all the nerve!” She spat, but Ms. Caldwell pointed toward Nadia. Mrs. Pierce-Hanerey looked at Nadia and then back to Caldwell, “Have that door fixed. NOW!” Ms. Caldwell turned toward her phone flustered and started dialing numbers.The Governess’s blue eyes shifted to Nadia, “And you, young lady, step into my office.” She pointed with force and Nadia obeyed. She followed behind, making Nadia nervous. Once they stepped into the office, she shot around her desk and sat down. Nadia had never seen her up close, but now that she had, she felt very sorry for the woman. She didn’t look like her grandpa with happy wrinkled eyes. Instead, she had frown lines and a thick line between her eyebrows. Her blue eyes, cold and gloomy, matched the dark expression she was giving Nadia.Nadia gave a small smile, “Is everything OK?”“What, no! Wipe that smile off your face.” She replied before standing up. She pressed her arms firmly into the desk when the door opened forcefully.“Well, well, if it isn’t little Rovey.” Nadia heard the ring of her grandfather’s happy tone. Relief washed over her. As she turned her head, a large grin crossed her face. Her grandfather closed the door fully and turned, all the while shaking his large cloak off and spewing snow all around the room. Nadia giggled as he smiled at her. “Sorry, Rovey, it’s snowing outside.”Nadia turned to look at the Governess. Her sour face now deflated. “Mr. Tungsten,” she nodded her head in a greeting.“Oh, please, please call me Gregory.” He smiled and rustled Nadia’s red locks.“Alright, Gregory. Can I ask what you are doing in my office? We didn’t contact you.”“I see, so it’s customary for you to have private meetings with children?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise.“What, no, well . . .” She paused and shook her head, “You know full well that we have the right to question students.”“No, you don’t. Not in a secluded private room, but let’s not get caught up on that, Rovey.” He shook his head, “Let’s talk about why you want a word with my Nadia.”“Mr. Tungsten . . . Gregory, can you please not call me Rovey, and I believe you already know why I need to speak with your granddaughter.”Her grandfather’s smile faded, “I think you want to accuse her of a crime she didn’t commit. Am I right?”“We all know she denied the Protectorants; she was in a room full of people. I have multiple witnesses that are willing to come forward and say so.”“She’s a little girl who wanted to read more in her history books. No harm done, she didn’t understand.” He shook his head.“We both know that her background means that she is required to do as asked.” She looked down at Nadia with a grimace. “Her parents—”“That’s enough!” Her grandfather shouted. “She will not be punished for being associated with someone.” He turned to Nadia, “Come on, Nad, let’s get your coat.”“You understand the consequences of removing her from my office . . . Gregory.” The Governess seethed as she looked Nadia up and down.“I understand that you are persecuting a little girl. One who doesn’t understand what her actions caused. Maybe you should be a better teacher. Then incidents like this wouldn’t happen.” He paused, “And you were such a kind little girl.” He shook his head before ushering Nadia out of the office.Nadia’s heart pounded as her grandfather walked with his hand on her head. He headed for her locker so she could grab her coats, gloves, and hat. She paused and wanted to grab all her books when he said, “Leave them all, love.”She stifled a tear and placed her books into the locker. She quickly got dressed, and they headed out into the storm.
More by C.A. Cordova
© Parrotlet Press LLC. All rights reserved.
The Ruby by C.A. Cordova
"I found myself thoroughly enchanted by this book."
A riveting YA dystopian fantasy
The Tungsten Chronicles Book 2
4.6⭐ on Amazon
Chapter 1
Anya awoke with darkness surrounding her. She tried for a short while to get back to sleep, but no matter what, her mind just kept racing. Something about today made her jittery. She sighed and searched for her socks in the dark. She pulled the heavy material across her feet before she hopped out of bed. As she opened her bedroom door, she noticed a light wafting from the kitchen. She yawned and made her way in that direction. She peeked through the entryway and saw her grandfather sitting at the table. His neck was craned over as he focused on patching up a sweater.He heard a rustle and looked up, “Hey, you’re up early?” He waved her to come closer.She smiled, “I couldn’t sleep.”He stood up and shuffled over to her. He kissed the top of her head as she plopped into a chair. His long white beard tickled her ear. She laughed, “How are you this morning?”“I’m doing alright. Just fixing up Nad’s sweater.”“What happened to it now?” She shook her head in disapproval.“Nothing to worry about.” He poured her some warm milk.“I think you coddle her too much, Gramps.” Anya shook her head. “Her head is always in the clouds.”“You are just more grounded than she is.” He patted her hand, “She’s alright being innocent a little longer.”Anya frowned, “So, I’m not innocent?”“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” He stuck his tongue out at her and made her laugh. “You don’t have to grow up so quickly. That’s all I’m saying.” He went back to sewing, “How is school going?”“It’s alright. I keep trying to tell Nad not to draw attention to herself, but she . . . I dunno . . . can’t help it I guess.”“She just needs more time. She doesn’t understand the world yet and she needs to think through everything.” Her grandfather looked up, “Don’t worry so much!”Anya smiled and sipped her milk, but something was nagging at her and she couldn’t put a finger on it. The two switched topics and began to discuss going to the food market. Anya talked about trying new items, but her grandfather said to wait for next time. This month they only had enough money for staples. Anya stood up and opened the back door. From a small ice box, she pulled one thick strip of bacon. She threw the piece on the stove and cooked up some rice. As she was serving breakfast, the sun was beginning to peek up from the ground. She walked to the door, “Nad!”Her sister walked slowly out of her room, “I’m up.” She rubbed her puffy eyes.The girls sat down for breakfast and their grandfather told them a story about how he stole an apple from the neighbor because he wanted so badly to try it. He turned to Anya, “An, if they have some apples, we will make room in the budget for at least one, OK?” She smiled and nodded.Nadia gobbled her breakfast then laid her head on the table. Anya frowned, “Nad, you gotta go get ready. We can’t be late again. Gramps will get in trouble if we miss any more classes.”“Alright, alright!” Nadia hopped up and wandered off toward her room.Anya placed the dishes in the sink. She began to scrub them when her grandpa stood up. “Go on. I can do the dishes,” he said as he tousled her red curls.She nodded and headed to her room to get ready. She attempted to put on several layers of clothing when she heard Nadia’s familiar chatter in the kitchen. “Nad, seriously, get ready.”“I am, I am! I was just telling Gramps about my new textbook.” Nadia shouted in return.“Get ready first, then tell Gramps!” she shouted.Anya continued to get ready. She placed a small dollop of oil into her hair to help keep the frizziness at bay. She grabbed her gloves and books, then made her way to the living room. Nadia was still chattering in the kitchen. “Nad, come on!”Nadia’s little feet pattered past her and into the bedroom. Nadia’s singing filled the house as Anya placed her books into her bag. She clutched her sister’s satchel and loaded some heavy textbooks inside. Her grandpa emerged from the kitchen with two lunches. “Just in case. I can’t remember if they said you’ll need them today or not.” He stuffed one into each bag, “Remember, straight home today. A storm is coming and I don’t want you guys stuck at school.”Anya nodded, “No problem, Gramps.” She looked at the clock, “Nad, we gotta go!”Nadia flew out of her bedroom in a whirlwind. She stuffed her amber curls into a hat and began to button up her coat. Anya looked at her, “That’s a lot of color, Nad. You sure you . . .”“I like it!” Nadia responded excitedly.Anya shook her head and walked toward the door. Her grandfather wished her well. Nadia ambled forward slowly. The two made their way out the door and down the steps. The cold whipped by them and Anya walked quickly. She shivered for a second before realizing that Nadia was several yards behind her. The jitters in Anya’s stomach made her especially angry today. She paused and waited for Nadia. The process was slow going since Anya had to wait for her every few yards.“Seriously Nad, hurry the bejesus up, I’m freezing. Besides, if you would just wear matching boots, we wouldn’t have to take forever.”“Why are you always rushing me?”“Because you are so slow all the time!”“Anya, you really should just wear warm clothes. I promise it’s OK to not be popular, but be warm.”“Nad, no offense, but I don’t want to sit in the back of the food room with all the adults and not have a single friend,” Anya snapped.Nadia inhaled and didn’t respond. Anya felt terrible. She shouldn’t have gotten angry, but Nadia was trying her patience this morning. She felt like Nadia refused to understand the severity of the issue. She didn’t want her grandpa to be investigated for child endangerment. Anya tried to keep the conversation going but she knew she had hurt Nadia’s feelings. She wanted to apologize but the words just didn’t want to come out of her mouth. She could see the school in the distance and prayed that they would be on time. The snow was beginning to pour down on them and when they made their way to the steps, both girls had to shake off their coats.Anya rushed inside to head off the mean girls that would taunt Nadia. She steered them away from Nadia’s locker and made her way to a bench in the back of the building. She plopped herself down when Fiona Becker asked if she’d heard the news. Anya inhaled, she hated Fiona, all she ever had to say were negative comments about Nadia. “No, I didn’t hear anything. I thought Friday was OK.”Fiona slicked the top of her blonde ponytail, then leaned in close to Anya’s face, “Nadia denied the Protectorants.”Anya’s heart began to race, “What? No way.”“Yeah, Jenny Stalwart is in your sister’s class. She told me that Nadia flat-out denied the Protectorant pledge and said she didn’t see the point of it.” Fiona’s eyes were wide with enjoyment, “Even the teacher gave her a couple of tries to admit she was wrong, but I guess she just got up and left the room.”“What, who? The teacher or Nadia?” Anya asked.“Nadia got up and left the room. They called Mrs. Banner into the office, and she hasn’t been seen since.” Fiona looked at Anya disapprovingly.Anya didn’t want to show how upset she was, “That’s crazy. Jenny probably just made it up.” Fiona and the other girls began to chatter on about other students that got into trouble on Friday and Anya bit her lip. She shook her head, “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom. I’ll see you guys in a minute.”She tried to remain calm as she glanced around for Nadia. Anya looked near her locker and saw a slight hint of red hair heading through a door in the distance. Anya’s feet shot forward carrying her swiftly toward the girls’ bathroom. As she approached the door, she heard two girls laughing nearby.“Did you see her wild hair under the hand dryer?” a slim blonde cackled.“She is crazy!” the other spat.Anya began to sweat as she rushed through the doorframe. She saw Nadia messing with her hair in the mirror.“Hey,” Nadia began.“Did you do it?” Anya snapped.“My hair? Really? Who cares?” Nadia giggled.“Not your stupid hair, although I heard about that too!”Nadia looked confused and blinked a few times, “What? What did I do?”“Are you joking? You can’t deny learning about the Protectorants!”Nadia rolled her eyes, “But who cares? I wanted to read more about history anyway.”Anya grabbed her arm sharply and pulled her away from the mirror. “Nad, I am not kidding. You CANNOT deny the Protectorants. You will get in big trouble. Remember Jimmy?”“Anya, that’s just a freaking myth!” Nadia shook her head.Anya turned to see the Assistant Principal walk through the door. Anya blinked and tried to tell herself this wasn’t happening.“Ladies, good morning.” Dr. Collins announced.Both Nadia and Anya greeted her in unison. The older woman brushed gray strands from her forehead, “I see we are having a discussion this morning. Is everything alright?”Anya piped up quickly, “Yes, everything is fine. You know . . . sister stuff.” She was about to babble on when the older woman raised her hand for her to stop.“Nadia, the Governess and I would like to have a word with you.”Nadia flushed slightly, “Oh, OK.”Anya looked at Nadia with concern in her eyes, “I’ll meet you at our usual spot for a snack.” She nodded once as Nadia slowly stepped toward Dr. Collins.Nadia knew she was in trouble; Anya never used their secret phrase. She took in a small breath and smiled, “OK, I’ll see you in a bit. Please let Ms. Anderson know I will be late for first section.”“Don’t worry about that request, Anya; we have already let her know. Please head to your first section class.” Dr. Collins crossed her hands and stood away from the door. Anya pulled Nadia forward and they exited together. She squeezed Nadia’s hand once and then bounded down the hall without looking back.Anya grabbed her coat and left all her other items before darting out the front door. She ran like she’d never run before. She hopped over fences and trudged through deep snow until she could see her modest house in the distance. As soon as she spotted the smoke billowing from the chimney, she started screaming at the top of her lungs, “Gramps!” She yelled over and over until a large figure bounded out the door and down the steps.The old man rushed to meet her in the field near the house, “What is it?” He paused, “Nadia?”Anya tried to speak between heavy breathing, “Deny.” Breath in. “Protectorants.” Breath in. Sweat poured down her face. Her curls began to frizz creating a puffy mess around her head.“What?” he shouted, “She did what?” He pulled his hat from his coat pocket and pushed it onto his head. “Anya, where are your hat and gloves?”“Ran fast,” she got out.“Go get my bag, your warm hat, gloves, and a scarf. Then meet me at the front of the building. I will bring your sister home.” He began to jog in the direction of the school.
More by C.A. Cordova
© Parrotlet Press LLC. All rights reserved.