Another Go At It... Nano Prep

The Setting

Word Count: 1038/1000

The setting of the story takes place in the 'real world' at a sense, it's similar to ours in nearly every way except one. Magic is real, well sort of since almost nearly everyone think magic isn't real and only a select few know that it is real.

The setting of the story takes place in Seattle, Washington, United States during the summer and autumn months of the year which are; June to August. The story takes places in a span of
four months, starting off during the summer holiday/break for students and ending in the start of the school year.

Within Seattle, Washington there are a few different places or settings that the story will take place at, some of the settings will be more frequent then other settings and places.

The first setting that will take place in the story, will be the main character's (Thomas) Room. The room sort of looks like a normal tween boy room, the walls are painted a medium, sea color blue with a white ceiling and dark, redwood wooden floor.

There's two large, clear windows overlooking the city and water. A dark, wooden bed frame with a blue bed set (covers and pillows) placed in front of one of the windows with a dark wooden nightstand besides it. On top of the nightstand is a small rather normal lamp, a small family photo in a brown wooden frame, a water glass halfway filled, and a journal closed and filled with writings.

Across from the bed, placed in front of the second window is a desk made of dark wood and covered with journals, pens, pencils, and papers all filled with some type of writing or story waiting to be told.

A dark brown wardrobe sat on the wall opposite of the bed and next to a school bag with a small bookshelf crammed within is every type of book one can imagine along with smaller stacks of books in front of the shelf.

A desser sat next to his door, a small mirror hung on the wall above it and a small bowl sitting on top of the dresser filled with different smaller items such as pencils, bits of ripped papers, keys, arcade tokens, coins, a few dollar bills, and some little plastic trinkets.

The next setting is where the room sits inside and that would be Thomas's family house. A two story town house, the home is located with the city but only a few miles from the docks and ocean giving the house quite beautiful views of the water and city, especially at night.

Within the house, the first room is a hallway with a small room by the door that goes into the hallway. The stairs to the upper level are by the door with a hallway that runs besides it on the right. On the right is a opening to a family room that contains a few couches, comfy looking chairs, a window seat, bookshelf, and naturally a tv.

Along the hallway and to the left is a room underneath the stairs used for storage then to the right is another opening to the dining room holding a circular table and the kitchen which is around medium size. Then at the end of the hall, in the back of the house is a door, usually locked that leads to a plain and somber type of office place.

Going back and up the stairs will lead you to another hallway, closest to the stairs and to the right is a door leading to a medium size and simple bathroom. Then the left size, opposite of the bathroom would be a medium size room filled with multiple sport equipment and usually messy and chaotic which is the room of Thomas's older brother. A bit further down, to the right side of the hallway would be another room usually organized and filled with a collection of marvel comics and figures is the room of Thomas's older sister. Across from her room is a rather plain and average looking room, belonging to their mother and step father.

A bit further down at the end, on the right side would be Thomas's room and on the left opposite of his room will be a slightly smaller room filled with a variety of bean bags, video games, board games, and books. That room would be known as the game room in the household. Finally at the and of the hallway is a window overlooking tje city.

The next setting is a shop located along one of the streets of Seattle, the shops around it are either packed with dozens of people or empty waiting to close its door. This shop is a antique shop filled with numerous of peculiar items that the owner has collected over the years however despite their being dozens of items, the shop still appears to be quite organized.

There are two rooms of this shop, the first where customers enter from and where the items are located for customers to view or even purchased a item or two. There's a small black and perhaps a little dusty counter with a manual register, it is rather strange that the room contains nothing that runs on electricity or is automatical... odd.

There are two black and usually locked locker type of shelfs behind the counter, within them are strange items and jars containing things that most won't believe exist.

The second room, is in the black and a single piece of dark cloth separates the two. The back room is surrounded by shelves holding different items and jars while in the center lays two tables parallel of each other and cleared off.

The final setting for the story will be a middle school in Seattle that is nestled in the heart of the busy city, there's a small concrete courtyard for the students to sit outside and enjoy the sun but nothing else. With the school there are classrooms, a auditorium, and a gym and everything else that you'll expect from the a school.

Other smaller settings is landmarks around Seattle, Washington and the docks at Seattle and the streets and maybe the occasional friends house.

The Main Character

The main character of this story is a thirteen year old boy named Thomas Phillip Winslow. The boy goes by Tom for short and lives in Seattle, Washington where he was raised by his mother and step father.

Thomas is a average weight and height for thirteen years old, he's around 112 pounds and stands around five feet, nearly a millimeter taller. The boy's skin is rather pale, lighter than that rest of his family probably from is lack of sunlight since most days he spends inside and has dark brown hair that usually is ruffled and messy. He has two rather larger chocolate brown eyes and a small but kind smile that is usually seen on his face.

Thomas isn't one for fashion but doesn't dress sloppy either, most days the eleven year old can be seen wearing a pair of blue jeans paired a red and blue pattern plaid shirt along with a black jacket and his usually dark colored backpack that holds his writing utensils and journals that contains his stories.

Thomas from afar is a quiet and rather closed off boy, he keeps to himself most days with his nose buried in a journal as he scribbles across the pages writing a story. The boy could he found in the back of the classroom or alone by the thoughts, pressing over his stories and writing new ones or looking out into the distance as his mind dwells over what to write next.

However for his friends, family, and those who know the boy would see a much different side of him. Thomas loves writing and developed a passion for it, he's always writing nearly every minute of everyday in the year and if he could then all he would ever do is wirte. Naturally the boy excels in english, he's taking a honours class at his middle school but he also rather intelligent and finds it quite easy to remember dates and facts.

Thomas as a photographic memory allowing him to remember anything he reads or write which helps him maintain straight A's in schools and trick the teachers into thinking he's incredibly intelligent when in reality he just has a photographic memory.

The boy isn't naturally social and won't walk up to people he doesn't know but opens up and becomes rather talkative when he's around his friends. Thomas enjoys talking and spending time with his friends, often showing them and asking for their opinions on his writings.

However the boy is also extremely kind and helpful, he's always willing to lend a hand to anyone no matter the age or situation. If he notices someone needs helps then he's usually the first who rushes to help, the boy never been the strongest or fastest or smartest but he tries to make up for what he lacks but offering help and doing kind deeds/gestures in anyway he could.

Along with those traits, Thomas is above all curious and adventurous after all most writers are. He's always looking for new books to read or a new mystery on the news to uncover in hopes that it will help him with his writing. The boy also looks for every opportunity to have a adventure and smile, he enjoys having fun and looks for ways to find adventure in everyday things however occasionally he would find himself dreaming of going on a adventure that the characters in his stories find themselves on.

Despite his shortness and childlike appearance, Thomas is quite independent and mature for his age. The boy is often doing things for himself and helping with his family as much as he could, his father left when he was a infant and in last years he watched his mother struggle with caring for his siblings and him while also working multiple under paid jobs. Now that he's older, Thomas steps and takes responsibility as much as he can usually offering to cook breakfast or dinner and cleaning around the houses, specifically his room and the bathroom. The boy volunteers to go shopping and run errands for his mother as much as he can, trying to be as independent and mature as he can be which is why he rarely let's anyone help him or do something for him.

The boy's personality mainly comes from his history.

Thomas was born on November 10th, 2008 in Seattle, Washington to Julie Winslow and Charlie Kester a hour before midnight and born as the youngest brother of Alexander and Isabella Winslow.

Thomas had a relatively normal first few years of life, his mother stayed home with him to nurse and care for him while is fathered worked and supported the family. The family of five were close knit, they read stories together and had family movie nights which brought them closer as family and might be the reason why Thomas loves to write.

However when Thomas turned 2 and his siblings started school, their parents had a falling out and fought for days on end, filling the house with shouting and their children often stayed put together in one of their rooms, holding each other.

After a month or two of this, the parents divorced and Charlie left his children and some say Seattle, no one knows where the man went or how close he is to his family. All they know is what Julie told them, that Charlie was unstable and wasn't suitable to raise children so their better off apart.

Things then started to change, Julie took up extra shifts at the hospital she worked at which meant the three children were left alone most nights to heat up dinner in the microwave and do their homework.

Family movie nights and stories stopped, slowly the four Winslows left started to become disconnected with each other and fall out of place, resulting in secrets being kept and arguements starting.

It stayed this way for four years until Ben Ferro moved to Seattle, Washington that summer and met Julie at a coffee shop where instantly the two hit it off. Spending every weekend together and planning trips to take with each other, Julie started to take the night shift less and less now choosing to spend time with Ben and her children as they slowly found their route again, eventually having family movie nights again.

Thomas grew close with Ben after finding out that he is a playwright, the boy was probably the most excited when the two married officially making the man his father or well step father.

Now, Thomas has just started the summer and will be starting eighth grade soon at the local middle school with his two best friends; James and Emma who he plans to spend the entire summer with but also plans to finish the book he has been writing, his dream word count for it is 50,000.

Main Plot

Subplots

WordCount: 1039/1000

One of the most important topics in this story is family. As Julie and Ben worry about finding time for theirselves between work and the three children; the three children- well teenagers worry about their family since they have a stepdad and can barely remember their birth dad.

Thomas finds a scrapbook beginning of summer in the attic which is filled with numerous photos of his family, some of him, Isabella, Alexander, and there's even some of both his birth parents. Thomas looked at the photos of his dad, sharing the book with his siblings and two best friends before going to his parents and asking them questions on his dad.

With this new curiosity about his dad, Julie doesn't know how to answer Thomas's questions settling with her usual answer that he was crazy and unfit to be a parent.... however this summer would be different.

During his adventure and the main plot of the story, Thomas finds Charlie who he doesn't realizes is his father since he looks different from the photos in the book. Thomas gets assistance and help in his quest from the man, confiding in him and spending more summer days than he imagined in that antique shop.

Occasionally mentioning his birth father to the man, Charlie struggles with what to do. He wants to continue to see Thomas and help in his this adventure but also wants the boy, his youngest son to know the truth. That he is his father, hoping that the information might bring then closer....

However Julie finds out that her ex husband is still in Seattle and her youngest son has been visiting his store over the summer, instead of confronting Thomas about the visits. Julie goes to the antique shop on morning before her shift and confronts Charlie directly, Julie wants the man never to speak or tell Thomas anything about magic, their family, or the truth on who Charlie is to Thomas and his siblings.

Charlie now with a warning from Julie and a voice inside of him, telling him to reveal the truth to Thomas is unsure what to do. The man wants to tell his children and let them know that he never left but he also doesn't want to anger Julie anymore then he already had because who knows what could happen next.

This is one of the sub plots of the story, Charlie struggling with the knowledge that he has and if he could go behind his ex wife; Julie's back and tell Thomas that he's his father or if he should keep the information to himself and not anger anyone or ruin any relationships that he currently built over the summer with Thomas as the boy went on his adventure.

Meanwhile, Thomas looks through the scrapbook interested by his birth father and longing for more information about the man. The thirteen year old tries to find him using magic but comes up empty handed when he doesn't realize that his father his right in front of him, helping him.the whole time with his adventure. Will Charlie tell Thomas that he's his father or keep the information to himself like Julie told him... hard to say right not, only the story will reveal the information.

The second sub plot deals with the siblings. Alex is applying to college this year and haven't told his siblings that he's applying to some in California. The teen didn't think it was neccesarily for them to know but when a few start to reach out about sending scouting agents during the school year to watch him play in a fee games, Alex starts to worry that perhaps telling his younger siblings sooner rather than later about the colleges he's applying to in California might be a better option...

Alexander sets time each day to tell his family but finds something to distract them or keep the information to himself for a bit longer during the summer, the teen doesn't want to ruin his relationships with his siblings after all he loves them and his two younger siblings are two of the most important people in his world except he also has dreams. Attending a school in California and becoming or attempting to become a actor is his dreams, didn't he have to go for them if he could get a scholarship playing basketball? Alex struggles with telling his younger siblings the information about him applying to schools in California worried that they'll ruin his relationship with them.

However, he isn't the only one worried their relationships. Isabella is also spending a considerable amount of time worrying that she also will ruined the relationship that she has with her brothers with two pieces of information she obtained that summer.

During the school year, the girl filled out a application for a boarding school across the ocean in England for fun not expecting to be accepted, let alone attend since she knew her family didn't have enough.

However at the beginning of the summer, Isabella received a letter from the school which to her surprise accepted her and was giving her a full scholarship for the year because of wha- she wrote in her essay. The essay was about her family, a bit dramatic in certain parts that caused the girl to hide it from her brother but bow she isn't sure if she wants to attend a school that could help her obtain her dreams in the medical field and start over with no bullies this time or hide the information from her family. Staying silent and attending the high school in Seattle where the bullies are but where her brothers are to.

To Isabella, her brothers are her best friends and she loves them with all her heart. She never wants to do anything to upset them so now with this letter, forcing her to choose between her brothers and herself. The girl isn't sure which one to choose, she doesn't want to ruin her relationship with her brother but she also doesn't want to give up her dream.

Both Alexander and Isabella have information that their afraid to tell their siblings, afraid to ruin their relationships with the others making their decision only harder to make.

Alexander Dean Winslow is the eldest of the Winslow children at seventeen year old and recently came out as gay to his friends and family, typically the boy goes as Alex by friends and family. The boy's appearance is nothing out of the ordinary with dark brown, choppy hair that falls to his shoulders and usually is tied back in a bun, this is paired with a set of chocolate brown, hazel eyes. Alex has rather dark skin, tan from the large amount of time that he spends in the sun year round. He stands at exactly six feet and is in good shape with a lean figure and rather large biceps, although his favorite part about his look is the six pack that lines his chest and the sliver arrow earring that he keeps in his right earlobe.

Alex will start the school year as a senior and is looking to get a basketball scholarship at a school in California, he has a aspiration to become a actor. For the summer, Alex plans to spend everyday paying basketball with his friends at the court determined to build up his skills and get himself out of Seattle, a place that he never actually liked for the main reason that their isn't any famous people or directors living in the city.

Alex is a carefree teenager, who always has a smile on his face and is up for any adventure that is placed in front of him. The teen is a natural extrovert, that thrives in social situations and loves meeting new people finding it rather easy to talk to others. Alex puts on this air of confidence and bravery around his friends, having them believe that he's a fun guy who loves to take risks and go on adventures. Often being called a 'stuntman' by his friends from all the crazy things he does with a stake board and gymnastics.

However, when Alex is with his family specifically his two siblings than another side of the boy is shown. He's rather caring and protective over his siblings, putting them before himself and himself in front of danger for them. He always makes sure that he sets time aside to hang our and help his two younger siblings and even through his dream is moving to California, he's afraid about leaving his siblings behind and couldn't forgive himself if he did.

Isabella Heather Winslow is the middle child of the Winslow family and often sees herself as the black sheep of the family at the age of fourteen. The girl goes by Bell or Bella by family and friends, the girl never liked her name and is longing to change it.

By appearances, the girl has dark brown slightly curly hair that use to run down her back until she cut it off at the and of last school year. Now her hair sits just below her shoulder blades and is rather easier to maintain, this is paired with a set of round chocolate, hazel eyes much like her two brothers and fair skin that isn't too dark or too pale. The girl stands at five feet and five inches with a lean and skinny body from skipping meals and occasional dieting. Bella wears black glasses with thick lenses that helps her see distance, however she normally 'forgets' them since she feels they take away from her appearance and gives others something to laugh about.

The girl is a introvert and rather shy, some would even say antisocial. Bella prefers to stays to herself and read through pages of a book or study for school, determined to keep straight A's to get into medical school. The girl's aspiration is to work in the medical field, specifically as a trauma surgeon mainly because her mentor and inspiration is her mom who she sees work daily to help others.

Isabella loves to helps others and would put them before herself however she tends to fall silent in social situation, freezing up and anxiety spiraling over her head as she's afraid to make a mistake. The girl might be intelligent with straight A's and big dreams but she lacks any friends to laugh with and make memories with often turning to books when she's feeling lonely.

The girl suffers from social anxiety and often compares her body to others, wishing to be skinner or prettier. This attitude was the result of constant bullying in middle school, the girl felt it everyday and didn't tell anyone for years keeping it to herself because she didn't want to take up anyone's time. Now that she will be starting freshmen year at the high school her brother attends, Bella is still worried about the bullies and being lonely but hopes that she could maintain straight A's and that her brother will help her through the year.

Speaking of her brother, Isabella is very close with both of her brothers. The girl loves them both and considers them her best friends, she opens up her emotions to them and laughs finding it fun to be around them. Bella would do anything for her brothers, after all she finds like they would do anything for her as well. They feel like that are her world.

James Lambrick and Emma Jones are the two best friends of Thomas. The three of them been best friends since first grade when they met, now they call themselves the 'Three Musketeers' and together the three will be experiencing the adventure in this story.

All three of are thirteen and will be starting eight grade after the summer at the same middle school, the three are looking forward to spending their summer together and soon to be getting into trouble in eight grade together.

James has messy light brown hair with shining green eyes and lightly tan skin standing at a height of five feet and 2 inches making him the tallest member in the group. The boy is the extrovert of the three and always ready to jump into a situation with a smile on his face and fun in his heart, usually the one that convinces the other two into social situation. James never knew his mother and his father is usually working late nights or early morning at the firm (as a attorney) and James's older brother is away at college the coming year which means the boy would be left home alone if it wasn't for his two best friends who invite him to their homes.

Emma has dark auburn or red hair paired with light brown eyes with fair skin standing at five feet, a few millimeters below Thomas. The girl is academic studious and in her free times reads and studies for classes to keep her perfect straight A's, she can be a bit of a introvert and dull person often telling the boys when to leave or if something is to dangerous. She protects the group and looks at situations with a intelligent mind, often planning for multiple situations to always be prepared for anything. Emma never knew her birth parents, she was adopted from Ireland when she was two and flown to Seattle, Washington where her adopted family lives. She lives in a mix race and multicultural household which she loves with her adopted parents and adopted siblings. She has three older brothers, one older sister, two younger sisters, and a baby brother who her parents recently adopted from China