NaNoPrep 2015 - Another Contender

A few weeks ago, I posted some ideas for this NaNoWriMo this November.  It will be my tenth go at the event, and, as such, I want to have an idea ready to go once midnight strikes.  I may have another contender.  A tablet died recently, but I was able to pull off the files I had on it, including a story I was working on during bus rides.  Writing on a tablet is a pain; typing speed is limited on a virtual keyboard and it's difficult to keep track of what's been written already.  However, the kernel of a story still got made, and it has been found.

Some background notes first.  The story is set in Thunder Bay, at Lakehead University.  Why?  Why not?  Plus, Thunder Bay is somewhat isolated compared to Eastern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area.  The isolation helps both the characters and their opposition.  Sure, there are smaller towns around, but beyond those are the Canadian Shield and Northern Ontario*.  The idea is a mystery series, featuring the core cast, who are mostly in their third year of university.

The Cast:
Dani, third year student majoring in Geoarchaeology.  A redhead who loves the outdoors.
Hunter, first year student in General Arts as she tries to find what she wants to do.  Light brunette, got assigned to the dorm through administrative error and lack of space.
Mia, third year student in Business aiming for a Bachelor of Commerce.  Brunette, two years younger than her classmates after being bumped in grade twice when younger, parents very protective but in Toronto.
Tillie, third year student in Political Science.  Blonde, mechanically inclined, comes from a large family.

And the teaser.  It's not the full document I was working on, just the hook.  There are issues with some of the work, related to trying to write on a tablet, but the beginning went the way I wanted.

Hunter raised her head, struggling to get a coherent thought through the fog wisping through memory fragments.  A single harsh light bulb spotlighted the young woman, letting Hunter see the bare concrete beneath her bare feet and the rough rope tying her legs together.  A wisp of her light brown hair fell in front of her eyes.  She was dimly aware of her arms bound behind her, her fingers a distant tingle.  Her mouth was dry thanks to the cloth balled up inside her mouth and held in place.  Hunter gave her head a shake and regretted it immediately.  A throbbing ache echoed through her head.  She let her head fall back down.

Hearing the lock to her miserable prison click, Hunter glanced up.  In the gloom beyond her circle of light, the door swung open. The young woman saw two grey forms stand just past the doorway.  She glared at the two.

One of the grey figures smacked the other, taller one on the back of the head.  "You moron!  You grabbed the wrong girl!"

That should keep a few readers' attention.  For NaNo, any work I do prior to November won't count towards the total words written.  I'll still have to write 50 000 words in November to get a proper "win", but cleaning up a few paragraphs won't make a big difference, and, in the worst case, I can just rewrite those in November.


* "Six people live in Northern Ontario.  All of them are named Fred, including the girl.  She can be found in the phone book under 'Girl, The'." - Arrogant Worms, live with the Edmonton Philharmonic.