Progressive U Creative Writing

This is my first story in a long time. It is already up to 20 some pages so I will post it in parts if you like the story keep reading and please give me feed back because I plan on using something similiar to this for a youth writers scholarship. If you don't like it tell me what and why. Thank you.

Ava woke as the light hit the edge of her window. She slid out from under her covers and quietly as she could, walked down the hall and into her brother’s room. He was still asleep luckily for her as she reached in the draws of his dresser grabbing some of his clothes. Just as she walked to the door she heard his voice making her freeze on the spot, “Ava not again.” With that she darted back to her room to dress and she was down the stairs to breakfast. She grabbed an apple and she was out of the door running down the dirt path to temple where Zena and Anastasia would be waiting for her.

Zena shook her head as she saw Ava step through the clearing in her brother’s clothes. “Can’t you just wear the dresses they give you? I mean really you have figure to die for and you hide it under all of those baggy clothes.” “Haven’t you ever thought that I wear the baggy clothes because I want to hide my figure? Besides I don’t need my parents getting any smart ideas I mean look at Fala from the other end of the palace she has remotely good looks and the second she was of age her parents had her married off to the first guy to take a second look.” “So you dress this way to keep the hoards of men back?” Anastasia snickered. “What hoards of men you look too much like a guy for them to think anything of you?” Alara Ava’s baby sister asked bewildered from the path showing up just behind Ava. “What are you doing here? You should still be asleep?” Despite the four years difference Ava almost looked up to Alara she was such an old soul for being just thirteen. “I would be but I think Luke woke up the whole palace looking for you I suppose.” She said nodding to the clothes Ava wore. “What can I say I woke up and saw that ridiculous dress they had laid out for me and I couldn’t take the thought of going to town in something so horrible?” Ava said with a smirk looking at the horses waiting for them. “And just what is so horrible about those kinds of clothes?” Zena asked hurt in her voice looking down at her own dress. “Well they show off more than they cover to be quite honest. And I highly doubt mother and father would approve of me riding into town like a man especially wearing a dress.” She said looking back at the horses again. “Well your trip might have to be postponed because mother and father want to see you. I wouldn’t waste time either you know how father has been lately.” It was true he had been extremely agitated lately. Ava nodded and her friends stepped up on their horses as did Ava, “Come on I’ll give you a ride back to the palace.” Ava said and pulled Alara on the back of her horse. It was a bumpy ride for her riding sideways on the back of Ava’s speeding horse but no matter how many jerks came from Ava’s horse she never fell off but then again she never did.

Back at the palace Ava jumped down helping her sister down before taking off toward the palace. No one was nearly as fast as she was but she stopped abruptly almost knocking down Alara who was almost as speedy. Alara stood up a frown and a questioning look on her face but she followed Ava’s eyes to the stranger that was getting off of his horse. The guard was questioning him but the man simply ignored it and strode past yelling over his shoulder, “Where can I find King Travon?” The guard looked helpless as he ran after the man. “What the hell do you think that was all about?” Zena asked just catching up, “I don’t know but I have a feeling meeting with father has been postponed.” She said turning and walking toward the clearing in the meadow next to the palace. Her friends followed without questioning they had spent many afternoons sitting in the clearing before just talking and looking up at the sky.

Lying down on the ground for a few minutes Anastasia broke the silence, “So what do you think all of that was about?” Alara answered before Ava could, “I don’t know but daddy has been getting an awful lot of visitors lately and he is so angry with everyone. Especially you Ava” She said as if just realizing that for the first time. “At least I am not the only one to notice that.” Ava said scornfully. “Why is this the first time we are hearing about this then?” Zena asked. “Because it really isn’t important and I think it is more to deal with politics you know stuff girls shouldn’t care about.” “Come on Ava that’s not fair you know something you’re not telling us.” Anastasia said. “Fine but don’t say anything to me about eavesdropping okay. I just happened to be outside of father’s office one day and heard him talking to one of his advisors and asking him what his options were for keeping Babylon from invading.” Ava quickly added, “But you can’t breathe a word of that to anyone.” When she saw her friends gasp and cover their mouths, “But how can we not everything is about to change. What can we do?” “How am I supposed to know?” They looked a little disappointed when she said that but Ava just looked back up at the clouds above. At that moment Luke stood over her with Adam, Blain, and Orvin standing over the other girls, “You know I think this is payback for stealing my clothes.” He said and looked at each of them and they all dumped the buckets of water that they were holding. With that each of the boys dropped their buckets and took off running back to the palace. Ava was back on her feet first and took off after them running. She had almost caught up with them when they turned a corner and ran inside the palace. Ava nearly ran into the wall but cut the corner sharply and caught her shoulder instead. Swearing off the pain she was off again she saw the blonde of Blain’s hair from around the corner. As Ava turned the corner she nearly took out Blain who was closest to her everyone had stopped and looked down as the stranger who had arrived walked past them and out of the palace. The guard who was escorting the stranger around grabbed Ava by the arm and just motioned her towards her father’s office.