Discarded

Below is a excerpt from what I am lovingly calling my novel. In fact it is really an excerpt from the mess of ideas currently swirling around my head. This writing business is hard. I love these five paragraphs but alas the story will not work with them in.

Captain Matthews sat himself in front of Aidan and Kathryn. This was the part he’d always hated about bringing in new people from the surface. They sat there looking at him expectantly. He’d made friends with these people, helping them settle in during this week, aiding in their application to become part of the community. Now he had to break some difficult news.

“As you know space at the Sanctuary is limited. You understand that we can only accommodate those who can give something back to the community,” he was programmed to say all this. He’d done it more times than he liked to recall. The look Aidan and Kathryn then shared told Sam that they knew what was coming, neither of them were idiots.

“We’ve decided…” he hated have to put himself as part of the collective, he objected to this ruling, “that Aidan’s medical experience would be hugely useful in ensuring that those here stay fit and well and also in the event of any emergencies. He would need to stay with us.” Sam didn’t know if they would understand but Aidan now didn’t have a choice, he’d have to stay. Although Sam was supposed to turn a blind eye to how people were made to stay he wasn’t keen on being the one to deliver the news to these two. He knew Aidan well enough to know that he would not leave his sister.

“Unfortunately there is not room here for Kathryn. We will…” he didn’t get the chance to finish as Aidan stood up.

“Then we are both leaving,” snapped Aidan grabbing his sister by the hand.