Okay folks. In today’s excerpt you find out what the ‘Pull’ in Pulled is all about. We’ve left Naya in class openly laughing at book that she and this mysterious boy seem to be reading, only he thinks she’s laughing at him. Here, Naya tries to cover up for her blunder. To read the earlier chapters, just scroll down the blog.
My mouth hangs open as I try come up with an apology for my overt rudeness, but the second our eyes meet, I feel a sudden liquid-hot jolt run through me which causes me to flinch. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see him do the same, but he doesn’t acknowledge it. He just keeps his dark, piercing eyes focused on me, waiting for an explanation for my outburst.
“Ah, we seem to be reading the same thing,” I blurt out, holding up my copy.
“So it would seem.” He continues his over-the-shoulder stare for a long moment as though trying to figure out some great mystery.
The sound of the door opening breaks the spell and I’m able to look away from him. Alarmed by the blush that is creeping onto my face, I bury my head in my book.
I force myself to focus on the words printed on the page, to breathe in and out and forget about the boy with the dark eyes. Slowly, I begin losing myself in the world of Capulets and Montagues. But even The Bard can’t keep my attention held for more than a few minutes. The desire to sneak another peak at the dark boy is too strong.
Lowering my book a fraction of an inch, I chance a glance up, unable to resist any longer. Thankfully, his eyes are safely focused on the professor that I didn’t notice come in. In fact, there are quite a few new additions to the room. Looking around the once empty space, I find that it is now almost full. When did that happen?
Nearly all of the chairs have been taken; save for the row I am sitting in. Apparently the back of the class is not the place to sit in an acting class. Who knew?
“Good morning everyone. I am Professor Williams and this is Movement for Actors. And for the record, I’m no more thrilled with this 9:00 am slot than any of you are,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee for emphasis.
He is dressed casually; dark corduroys, paired with a light sweater, and light brown sports coat. Only the worn cowboy boots seem out of place.
Professor Williams scans the room briefly, getting a feel for his newest crop, when his eyes stop on mine.
“You, in the back, what’s your name?” he asks.
I clear my throat, finding it very hard to speak at the moment.
“Naya. Naya Adams,” I manage to croak out.
As I look back down to my chair, I notice all eyes in the class are on me; all of them.
“Well, Ms. Adams, why don’t you join the rest of the class? You seem so far away from me back there.” He motions for me to come down closer. “There’s a seat right here, down in front.”
A seat right next to him.
Of course.
Cursing under my breath, I make my way to the front of the room.
It is at that moment, the moment I settle my weight into the chair, that I feel it; the full dose of what had only been hinted at earlier. The tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand up on end. A crushing pressure is building inside me making it feel like my insides are about to collapse in on themselves. But this pressure…it’s not like a force of gravity pulling me down to Earth. This seems to defy gravity and instead pulls me sideways, toward him.
My heartbeat quickens and my hands ball into fists trying to control the light trembling that has begun there. With great concentration I’m able to turn my head just enough to see his hands in the exact same position as mine. What the hell is going on?
“We’ve just met Naya,” Professor Williams’ voice manages to register in some faraway corner of my mind,
“Why don’t we go around the room briefly and introduce ourselves?”
Turning my head back to my hands, the pressure decreases by the smallest of increments. I’m now able to make out the other students’ voices as they start rattling off their names, where they are from and such, but I can’t seem to actually register what they are saying. Only one name is allowed in.
“Etash.”
That’s it for now. As usual, feel free to comment or ask questions below.
You can now connect with me at Google+ as well as here on the blog.
Danielle Bannister, Author 