Life: fencing update

The Big One went pretty okay! I ended up winning all but one of my pool bouts, which is pretty good. The girl I lost to was really good - her brother goes to my school, so we chatted a bit. Then I got a by through the first round of eliminations, won in the second round, and then lost to that same girl I lost to in the pools. Bleah. But I did better against her the second time, and I'm still in the top 32, so I'm good. Then I got to watch a ton of fencing, take blurry photos, and be exhausted. I ran into a bunch of people I know (mostly directors, haha, all of my friends are old, apparently), and had to explain my knee brace to everyone. My knickers broke at the zipper and had to be taped together. Fencing!

This is my last year for varsity fencing, which means that was my last Big One. End of an era. Looking at last year's post, I placed about the same, but I do think I got better. I've got the whole rest of the season in front of me, and I'm clinging like hell to my starting place. I think this could be a good year.

Semi-original writing: Trying to Escape

This is the story that I wrote for the second Machine of Death anthology. The premise of the books is basically that there's a machine that takes a blood sample and tells you how you're going to die. Not a ton of details, no exact time, just the prediction. But the machine is always right.

It's a fascinating idea (at least to someone as awkwardly morbid as I am). I also grew up on shared universe anthologies, and I love the idea of a shared concept anthology. If you're interested, the first anthology is available, free and legal, here.

Anyway, this is the story I wrote. It didn't make the cut, and I'm cool with that, but I hope somebody over here likes it anyway. Also, here is a fic-header, because I don't know how else to present stories.

Trying to Escape
Machine of Death
Rating: teen
(swearing, excessive contemplation of mortality, character death)
Wordcount: 3,000ish
Summary: The story starts when I was five. That is when I became aware of the concept of death.
A/N: Thanks to Suzi and Lisa, the beta readers of radness.

( words are under the cut )