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Please, I already know this.
Tired of books that remind the audience of obvious things in book 2 or set the scene by making somebody who knows the main character tell them basic things about their life that they obviously already know? Think of a way to introduce or remind the readers who a character is in a way that is not simply: Her best friend ran over, saying, "(full name!) Don't forget your books for English class, which is after math! Also your normally lustrously silver eyes are more beautiful today. And I love your heirloom necklace which you wear every day!" Or: 'and Vernon, Harry's notorious and abusive uncle....'
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Ryzaklin in Fiction
12 reads

Photograph

~~ a few weeks after the events of book 1, whatever that was ~~

Groaning, I try to remember why I agreed to this. I hate school, but I agreed to attend this freaking Academy because... uh, why, again?

I pull up the photo on my phone, the one we took the day I enrolled. Right, that's why I stay: my friends, my girlfriend.

Something about the photo holds my eyes today, and instead of just closing it and shoving my phone back into my pocket like usual, I stare at it for a little longer. I haven't seen them in a while, and somehow the memory doesn't seem real. I need to burn the photos into my mind until there's no uncertainty left, but instead, I find myself getting lost in my girlfriend's eyes, remembering everything I love about her. The kindness in her green eyes, her gentle support, the softness of her black hair. The way her body moves, the way her mind works, the way she somehow manages to tolerate my crazy.

The photo makes the differences between us stand out even more than usual. There weren't any clouds that day, and the blazing sunlight made my strawberry-blond hair appear like fire next to hers. In the picture, my skin is already starting to redden, and hers is slightly golden from playing around in the first weeks of summer. Our eyes aren't even visible from squinting so hard, but I consider that a good thing. My stormy blue eyes always look so haunted next to hers. At least we remembered to take the photo on an uneven surface; otherwise, the height difference would be blatant. After all, she's a good six or seven inches taller than I am.

My eyes skim over our friends. Sera, with her absent-minded but perceptive advice. Julie, with her no-nonsense support and solid grasp of reality. Wren, with their complete acceptance of a person regardless of circumstance. Kyle, with his steadfast optimism. I miss them. Having dropped out of high school, I couldn't enroll directly into their grade, and my entire class year is currently taking field trip after field trip, mostly overnights. I haven't been able to see them in weeks.

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