Okay people, here's my first attempt with National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo! Please keep in mind as you read this that this is a FIRST DRAFT. There will be spelling and grammatical errors and probably a lot of plot holes, but one fine day, it'll be revised into something a little more read-able... anyway, hope you like it, but if you don't, that's ok too. Oh... and it doesn't have a title yet... if you want to submit an idea for a title, please go ahead and email me! I appreciate any words of encouragement or well-wishers as I make my trek toward finishing my NaNoWriMo Novel! oh yeah one more thing... Italics usually will represent someone's thoughts or something a person in the story is reading!

"So we have a deal then?" Jacob crossed his arms and lean nonchalantly on the brick wall.
Ethan frowned, but nodded, "Fine."
Jacob nodded his approval, "That's what I thought. Have it ready tomorrow and meet me here before class."
Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets and started the long walk home. As much as he hated writing papers and doing assignments for other people, the money he made was pretty decent. And it was just for a little while longer. Briar Rose's 16th birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks and he'd be able to get her that dress she wanted so badly. Or, at least he assumed she wanted it. She walked slowly past the sewing shop everyday with her eyes practically glued to the window. Father was already taking on a second job to pay for Ethan's schooling, so asking his parents for money was out of the question. But he had to show her that he was just as good as any of the rich snobs that fawned over her.
He liked to think he had a little more dignity than that. Sure, Briar Rose was easily the prettiest girl he knew, with her dark chestnut hair that framed her face just so, and her deep brown eyes, but that wasn't why he liked her. He shook his head, no, of course not. He wasn't THAT shallow. Then why did he like her? He gave a mental shrug and continued walking along the dusty road. He supposed it was because they shared similar interests. She was in almost every one of his classes. Politics, History, Alchemy, always nose-deep in her books, studying furiously. Ethan smiled. Of course she'd pick him over those thick-headed nobles that always seemed to be hovering around her. She'd want someone who was intellectually her equal. Someone like Ethan.
Just thinking that gave him a little extra spring in his step as he walked home. The thought of writing Jacob Thompson's paper made him cringe, but thinking of Rose and how much she'd love his gift made it all go away.

"Ethan, you're home! About time!"
Ethan managed a tiny smile for his mother as he walked in the front door. About time? He was only a few minutes later than usual. She always had to exaggerate things, didn't she?
She was pulling on her coat and half way out the door as she rattled off her list, "I need you to start dinner and make sure Luke and Andrew do their homework. Lucinda is playing at her friend's and Alex is helping your Father with the horses. I have to go over to Suzanne's to help her with some quilting. I'll be back later. Love you sweetie!"
Slam. Ethan rolled his eyes and sat in one of the old wooden chairs in their tiny kitchen. He could feel eyes on his back and he turned around quickly to see his two younger brothers, Luke and Andrew, peering into the kitchen.
"Hey. You two know you're supposed to be doing your homework. Get to it." He summoned as much dignity as he could and stood before them, trying his best to look condescending, but before he knew it, he was hit with a wave of whining, taunting, and teasing.
"It looks like Ethan gets to play Mommy tonight!"
"Are you going to wear her apron too?"
"When's dinner?!"
"We're hungry Ethan!!"
"Make dinner!! I'm starving!"
Ethan ran a hand through his short blonde hair and tried his best not to be annoyed. He hated it when his mother just dropped everything on him like this. But he knew if he dared say a word, he'd be on a guilt trip for the rest of the night. He knew the speech well. Everyone is making sacrifices for YOU Ethan, so YOU can go to school, and YOU can study and make something of yourself, so I don't see why you can't make a few sacrifices for us.
He could already feel a headache starting. "Look, if you two don't get started on your homework RIGHT NOW, I'm making nothing but stewed turnips for dinner!"
He smiled at their stunned silence, followed by indignant looks, and finally their slow, angry footsteps as they stalked off into the next room. He turned to the pantry, in much better spirits, and checked the inventory. No turnips for stewing, but it looked like there was enough of everything else to make a decent meal. He walked past the boys studying in the next room and into the small bedroom he was forced to share with them. Ethan pulled off his clean school clothes and pulled on a dirty shirt. There was no WAY he was going to wear an apron, a dirty, nasty, old shirt, yes, but an apron? In this family? He'd never live it down.

Ethan stirred the soup slowly on their old wood-burning stove and took a glance at the doughy rolls that were slowly rising on the counter. He tapped the spoon on the side of the pot a few times, then set it down next to the rolls. He rummaged through his school bag till he found a few stray pieces of parchment, his quill, and his inkwell, then started scratching out the first of many assignments:

Practical Use and Basics of the Rune Arts
a report by Jacob Thompson

As we learned in our most elementary of education, the Rune Arts are, in simplest terms, the essence of magic and science in this world. Rune Arts require and draw upon one's life energy. The more one practices, however, the stronger one can become. Much like training one's body to use a sword or bow. Not all can use something so sophisticated as the Rune Arts. Only those with a magic "core" have the ability to use it. Usually only those of noble birth are blessed with such a privledge, but sometimes the trait is passed to lower class citizens. Many nobility are blessed with this gift, but few choose to develop it.

Ethan frowned. That wasn't true, the "core" ability was present in just as many nobles as common people, but it was something that Jacob would say. He had to be convincing or he'd get ratted out. He couldn't have that. Ethan pushed away from the table and checked quickly on the soup, then placed the round, puffy rolls in the oven. He scratched his head, then went back to writing:

Commoners and those few nobles born without magical abilities still have life energy available, but they lack a way to expel it. With a magical item, such as a wand, pendant, or ring to act as a conduit, common people can also use a small portion of magic.

With a glance at the spoon on the counter and a flick of his finger, Ethan smiled as he watched the spoon levitate, then stir the soup on it's own. He looked cautiously about, his parents hated it when he used his Rune Arts abilities so frivilously, let alone in the house, but what else were they for? He didn't understand his parent's reasoning sometimes. He could hear Andrew and Luke in the next room, or at least the sound of pens on parchment, and other than that, the house was pretty quiet. Thank heaven for small miracles.
Minutes passed and Ethan finished the first report with a few final flicks of his pen. Not bad at all. It had only taken him the better part of an hour. Just thinking about some of the more lengthy reports and assignments he'd done made him cringe. Ethan stood slowly, stretching out his arms and legs, then went about the business of cracking his knuckles, one by one. He sauntered back over to the stove and pulled the golden brown rolls from the oven, filling the house with their light, fluffy scent. He set them carefully on the counter, cleared the table of all of his school things, then set the table. Once again Luke and Andrew crept into the kitchen, this time led by the scent of a scrumptious dinner.
"Is it done yet?" Andrew looked up at Ethan hopefully.
Ethan didn't even look up as he set the glasses one by one on the table, "go wash your hands first."
Andrew and Luke grinned from ear to ear and ran out the door to wash up. It was only brief moments before they returned to the table, their eyes glittering in anticipation. Ethan had to stop himself from laughing as he poured soup into their bowls and gave them each a couple of rolls, hot from the oven, then treated himself to the same.
The scent of bread baking must have carried, because moments later, Ethan's father and Alex came bustling in the door, ready to devour all of his hard work. Alex reached for one of the rolls, but Ethan quickly smacked his hand with the wooden spoon. "Wash up first, you know the rules."
Alex narrowed his eyes and followed his father out to wash, but not before adding, "yes, whatever you say MOM". His dour expression disappeared though, as soon as he sat down to the meal. "I swear, I almost look forward to the nights that Mom goes to visit the neighbors. Ethan's cooking is even girlier than Mom's!"
"Hey!" Ethan scowled, "Cooking well is NOT girly you moron. Not all guys have women around to cook for 'em. Take a look at yourself. Shouldn't you be married by now? You're 19! But the only girl that's ever cooked for you is Mom!" He smirked in triumph, wagging a half-eaten piece of potato on the end of his fork at his older brother.
Thomas, the father of the family decided to intervene, "That's enough boys. We all have our responsibilities, no one does any less than anyone else around here, got it? Now pipe down, you're making the food taste bad with all your arguing..."
Alex and Ethan rolled their eyes and went back to their dinner, though Thomas' lecture didn't keep them from pulling obscene faces across the table every chance they got.

The table was free of dishes, but once again cluttered with parchment and ink. The younger boys were sleeping soundly, just barely tucked away in their bunks, while Thomas lumbered sleepily down the hall to his own bed. Alex was just putting the last of the farm tools away and making sure the livestock were all safely locked up for the night, and Ethan, Ethan was still at the table. Ink smudged his hands, and he struggled to find the words to finish this last essay. The large, wooden front door creaked open, announcing the arrival of his mother, Rachelle, and his little sister Lucinda, sleeping clinging to his back.
Ever the voice of reason, she wagged her finger at him and started in on the first thing she could think of, "What are you doing, still awake at this hour? You should be in bed!"
Ethan barely looked up, "Yeah Mom, I'll be done in just a bit."
"You've been up late every night this week! Are your instructors treating you unfairly? I'll give them a piece of my mi-"
"No, it's nothing like that." Ethan mused. It wasn't lying, really. After all, it wasn't the instructors that he was doing this for. "I uh... just got really interested in this history project. But I'll be done soon, I promise. It's due next week, so until then, I just want to keep working on it, ok?"
That seemed enough to placate her, "Oh, well if that's all it is, then just take your time sweetie. I saw Chris at the shop today, he said he'd like to see you sometime this weekend, if you wanted to go visit him. He's such a sweet boy. Well, I'll see you in the morning."
Ethan nodded and gave her a smile and a wave goodnight. Just a little more and I'll be done. Just a little more and you'll see that I can be everything those stupid nobles can be. Just a little more and I'll show you...
Ethan gathered up his papers, stuffed them in his bag, then blew out the candle, more than ready for a good night's sleep. Just a little more...

* * * * *
Just a little more... Briar Rose kept telling herself as she trudged to school. Today's the last day of the week. Just a little more of these stupid classes, then two days of bliss... If there was one thing Briar hated, it was all these stupid classes her Mom was making her take. She never really explained why, just that "Women need to be educated just as much as men do." Sound enough reasoning, sure, but let her try sitting through one of Instructor Glasser's boring lectures on law and ethics. Honestly now, when was she ever really going to need to know why Prince Charming XII made the decree forbidding little old ladies to sell or give away apples? Just because his wife had a run-in with one old loony woman giving away poisoned apples...
She shook her head. Heaven only knew what kind of absurd lectures she'd have to sit through today. Luckily, she'd brought spare parchment, at the very least, she could let her pen wander across the paper instead of listening to the instructor. She'd always taken pleasure in sewing, but lately she discovered it made things a little easier if she drew pictures first of what she wanted the clothing to look like. Her mother, Melody's patterns for dresses and suits were all very good and practical, but, she sighed, they were nothing like the gowns and elegant suits in the window of the Odessa's Dress Shop in the middle of town. She loved to walk past and look at the new styles. Not that she agreed with them, but she hoped one day that one of her dresses might hang in that window. Their newest shipment had really piqued her interest. An invention that was said to sew at least ten times faster than anyone that did it by hand. She'd been hoping to catch a glimpse of it in action, but so far she'd only seen the bulky piece of metal sit quietly in the front window.
As she entered the middle of town, heading to school, she was once again drawn to the little shop. She jumped as the door to the neighboring shop flew open. Hiding under several boxes and bags was a young man. I've seen him before. I think he works here. There wasn't much she knew about him, other than that he was rather obviously shy and not all that good looking. a mop of stringy black hair hung in front of his face, but did little to cover his latest outbreak of acne. He made eye contact only briefly before carrying the items across the street to one of the other shops. Strange guy...
Briar shrugged it off with a flip of her dark brown hair and continued on her way. Men could be such strange creatures. Her mother was already putting pressure on her to start accepting the courting of some of the more well-off and more obnoxious of the male species. She could do without that right now. It was enough to put up with their staring eyes and slack-jawed faces in class, she wasn't about to give them any more space than that.
She could see the school just up ahead and already some of the boys were standing around outside, just waiting to carry her books or escort her to class. Maybe she'd just skip out today... Mom would yell at her, but it'd probably be worth it. She could hang around Odessa's shop and see if she could talk them into showing her that machine...
"Morning."
Too late, she'd been spotted. One of the more studious boys in her class, Ethan Fawks, walked past her. Their eyes met for a moment before he pressed on.
Okay, so maybe not all the guys were that awful. Ethan was one of the few she still had a little respect for. He hadn't yet proclaimed his undying love for her, or written sappy poems full of awful handwriting and worse spelling. "Good day Ethan." She managed to get out as he walked past. Well, I suppose I better go, now that I've been seen. It'll save me a lecture from Mom...
The chalk clacked on the board almost like a metronome, with it's incessant tick tick tick. Here and there papers rustled, chairs scraped against hardwood floors, and girls passed notes when the teacher wasn't looking. It all sounded very exciting, but Briar Rose was bored out of her mind. She already used up most of her spare parchment and it wasn't even lunch hour yet. She idly tapped her quill against her desk and tried to pretend like she was interested in what Instructor Glasser was saying.

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