The Long Leakend

Happy Wednesday everyone. It was a happy one for me I’ll tell you that. Alisha (office elf) and I spent the entire day talking about the plot for the second book in the series formerly-known-as-Phoenix-Five and we were dying laughing. I mean duh-iiii-ing! I can’t believe I’m working on the second one and you haven’t even read the first. Catch up will ya! As promised, I am leaking another entry from the series. This is the fifth and final character. After this I must shut off the leaky faucet until the book is released (Sept. 2013). But that doesn’t mean I won’t be prone to occasional drips. I still have to announce the new name of the series, show you the cover art, and post a pic of the final Gracelet.  All in the next few weeks– hang tight. It’s easy, see…LisiHang

But first, say hello to Vanessa Charlot Riley.

The English assignment given by Ms. Silver on September 6, 2011, @ 1:47 PM is as follows: Each student must record his or her innermost thoughts and feelings during freshman year at Noble High. The goal is to have a safe place to connect with ourselves. The challenge will be finding our voices and the courage to embrace them. These journals will not be graded or read. Ms. Silver will inspect them at the end of the year to make sure we filled all 250 pages. That is it. We will also have to write an essay about self-discovery and what we learned. But we are not supposed to focus on that now.
At 1:49 PM I inquired as to whether we would benefit by filling additional journals. To which she responded, “Not in the form of grades.” To which I asked, “Will our GPAs benefit?” To which she replied, “No. Your soul will.” To which I thought, “Forget it, then.”
Thusly, my strategy moving forward is to pen one journal’s worth of “innermost thoughts and feelings” while focusing primarily on reward-based endeavors. I will, however, transcribe all feelings and thoughts associated with said “endeavors” here. Since that’s the whole point of this exercise.
I will commence with a brief character profile.
My name is Vanessa Charlot Riley. I am fourteen. My hair is light brown and as curly as an old-fashioned telephone cord. I have green eyes and caramel-colored skin. My mother hails from Haiti, my father Queens. I’m told I look like a much, much, much younger Vanessa Williams. Better than Venus Williams. Ha.
As columnist Gina Simmons from the Noble Independent put it, “Exotic and striking, even Vanessa’s features overachieve…” And my middle school principal signed my yearbook with, “Beauty and Brains, you are proof that girls can, and should, have both.”
I prefer using quotes to characterize myself for three reasons:
1) Quotes promote opinions to facts.
2) No one likes a gloater.
3) I must be liked.
My favorite hobby is winning. It’s euphoric. The endorphins fill my heart with sunshine and carbonate my blood. Sadly, said “hobby” has an ugly side too. One I oft compare to the ever-stale Bazooka bubble gum; tough work for a moment of sweetness. But, oh, how sweet that moment is. Hence, the reason I’m always chasing that next piece.
Well, it’s kind of the reason.
Veritas ? It goes deeper than sunshine and carbonated blood. I’m just not sure how to explain it, since “it” is more of a feeling than an actual thing.
Actually, it’s fragments of a feeling. Fleeting fragments like scattered dandelion fluff. Fuzzy bits drift by but I’ve never tried to grab them or piece them into thoughts. Maybe because thinking them in full would make them real. And I don’t want them to be real because they have to do with my parents. But you asked for innermost so I’m going to connect the fuzzy bits and tell you what I try not to think about. Ready?
It’s my parents. How much they fight. And why that affects my grades and wardrobe.
This morning began with a screaming match about my older brother A.J. Then it became about Dad and how he’d rather dissect computers than listen to stories about Mom’s evil boss at the hotel. Which transitioned into the things Mom flushes down the toilet. Nothing says “Good luck on your first day of high school” like an argument about clogged pipes.
I’m never involved in these squabbles but I am allergic to conflict so I suffer. Veritas? Fighting sounds make me itchy. I have red marks all over my arms and legs to prove it. You’d think I was jumped by the Real Housewives of New Jersey on Acrylic Day.
Peers assume I’m modest because I wear long sleeves to keep from scratching. Modesty on a girl with features that “overachieve” does make her more likable, so it’s not all bad. But it’s not all good, either. Obvious frump factor aside, running track in sweats leads to heatstroke. In 98 percent humidity it induces hallucinations. But it’s worth it. First place means my parents will stay together another day. And second means they might not. So I cover up and run like a nose in flu season.
You see, every time I get an A, or win something, or am elected, or crowned, or honored, or published, or profiled, we celebrate at Benihana’s. A.J. and I can order anything we want. Wear whatever we want. We’re even allowed to get double desserts. The only thing we can’t do at Beni’s is fight. It’s our family rule. And like chewed Bazooka it sticks.
In summation: Overachieving = Benihana’s = Peace = No divorce.
Simple.
If you focus on success, you’ll have stress. But if you pursue excellence, success will be guaranteed. ―Deepak Chopra

For more on Vanessa check out her Pinterest boards. http://pinterest.com/lisiharrison/vanessa/

Have a great week!

TTYW

Lisi

56 Comments

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  • Angel S. says:

    Wow!!!!

  • Mira says:

    Love the entry Lisi! I am so excited to read this book 🙂 BTW sorry I didn’t get a chance to read this blah-g earlier. I was sick all week and wasn’t aloud to be on the internet. However, I did manage to get on twitter and noticed you retweeted me! Thank you so much! Anyway have a good day!

  • Haylee says:

    “Remember when the boys made us watch that movie about the gay guys on the mountain?”
    “The Lord of the Rings.”
    “Yeah.”

    LMFAO XD 😛 I can’t stop laughing right now.

  • Bella M says:

    I definitely didn’t say everything I should have in that comment… I wrote it in a hurry. Maybe I’ll send a letter.

  • Bella M says:

    Do people still come on here just to talk and hang out? Because I’m totally up for that right now.

    • Haylee says:

      Not as many people are on these day :/ Unfortunately.

    • Haylee says:

      I know I miss it 🙁 And some of my friends aren’t on here anymore at all. Not even to comment on Lisi-related things. People started commenting less last year.

      • Bella M says:

        I stopped coming on a couple years ago. Yeah, all of my old friends here are gone too. I still talk to a few of them but I lost contact with the majority of them.

    • Maggie says:

      Yeah, the comments have been insanely slow. It’s mainly just the same people talking about random things with few answering now. Sometimes, we go days without comments. I just came on a year ago for the first time so I haven’t talked to you when you were on before but welcome back ^u^

      • Bella M says:

        Gosh, that sucks. A few years ago it was so active, and the people here were so close. This site brought me so much when I was younger, it’s a shame to see it this way now. But I’m glad it’s still around!

  • Bella M says:

    Lisi, I want to really thank you. I really hope you get to read this, because I have a lot to say.

    Oh my gosh, this place is so different.

    Okay, hi everyone. Hi Lisi. It’s been what, a couple years since I’ve been here? I started to comment here 4 or 5 years ago… It’s crazy how long it’s been.
    I know the people here are different from the ones I knew. We grew up, and more girls came in our places. Of course I miss them.

    This site is what got me started with Internet culture. Without this, I wouldn’t have a twitter, and I wouldn’t have internet friends. And I can’t imagine my life without those people. Three of my closest friends in the world, I met on this blog. I’ve known them for four years and now talk to them through twitter, text and email. They are so so important to me, and I never would have met them without Lisi.

    Without this site, I wouldn’t have found the RP site that I made so many friends on, and really helped me get back into writing.

    I honestly can’t imagine my life if I wasn’t an internet person. So many close friends have come from it, and I’ve been able to learn and do so many things because of it. Lisi, without the Clique, without this blog, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. You have no idea how much this place really changed my life.

    So I’m here to thank you, so very much. I just want to hug you, Lisi, because without you, I would be such a different person. I wouldn’t have the friends I have today, and I would have no idea what a fandom is. Without the internet, I wouldn’t watch any of the shows I do, or read any of the books I have. I would have absolutely no confidence in myself. The internet has changed me in so many ways, and for the better. Without this place, I wouldn’t have it. Thank you so much Lisi. I want you to know how grateful I am for this blog. You can’t possible know how much it’s added to my life. I wish there was a better way to thank you.

    Thank you for this life-changing experience.

    -Bella

  • Zula says:

    Lisiii, yay for another leak!
    But recently I read a clique book since I hadn’t for an incredibly longer than a year time, and it just reminded me of all those characters again, and somehow you managed to create these 5 girls who I could relate to each of in some form or another and I know it was the same for others, like… I don’t dress in only designer, I dont have a pug or endless amounts of money but everything the girls went through I understood, sometimes I think, wow: right now I feel exactly like Claire/massie/etc… And then I think, how did they cope? Didn’t everything work out for them too? So then I know everything will be okay. I guess what I’m trying to say is, those girls were the perfect characters, I had no idea how old they were (American grades are so confusing to us brits!) But even so they were relevant, even years on they still are! So although I know you’re trying to appeal to everyone in the new series, just don’t play to their stereotypes too much please? Each of the five are so pigeonholed at the moment, and it’d be such a shame for one of the things which makes your books so well loved and connectable to readers to get lost. Sorry if this seems rude, ranty and totally uncalled for considering I obviously haven’t read the whole book or series and there’s character development to come, I just wanted to say it, much love xxx

  • Haylee says:

    I’m so excited for this book Lisi! 😀

  • Nice entry, I’m excited for it! xx

  • Maggie says:

    Rawr I’m a vampire! I’ll suck your blood and steal your bacon!

  • nadiabean21 says:

    Aaah Lisi Harrison retweeted and responded to me on Twitter!! AAAHHHHH

  • nadiabean21 says:

    Someone talk to me!!!

    Did anyone see Glee??????????????????????????????????????? AAAH

    is anyone watching that new show The Carrie Diares?

    AHHH REBEKAH IS GONNA DIE ON THE VAMPIRE DIARES.. if Jeremy can kill Cole

    Oopsies spoilers

    Once Upon a Time isn’t coming back from 3 weeks. 🙁 🙁 🙁

    Hey Arianna hows college going?

    PLL was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo epic. and so was the lying game. ack

    Switched at Birth was pretty cool too.

    • Haylee says:

      -No I stopped watching Glee because it’s horrible now and I don’t really care about the new characters. But Faberry is still my #5 OTP of all time and Sam is my bby. Also I cannot stand Finn Hudson to save my life. And Kitty could never be Quinn Fabray 2.0 even if she tried. I heard that they’re going to hook up Kitty and Puck. What even? Ew.
      -I’m not watching Carrie Diaries because it looks like shit and after the horrible experience I had with GG, I resolved to never associate myself with Stephanie Savage (aka Miss Sabotage. I wanted to slap her after the way she treated Ausiello)
      -if Rebekah dies I won’t care because unpopular opinion but I hate the Original family. And his name is spelled Kol. And Bonnie was such a bamf in this ep, going all Dark!Willow (from Buffy) on Shane. I’m really worried about if Jeremy will survive this season because 1) he’s a Five hunter and 2) Everytime Damon gets a new BROTP they kill them off. They said that there would be a major death that would extend into season 5. Also there’s been a lot of foreshadowing this season that Damon will die (as much as I want Stefan to die because he is a douche or even Caroline because she doesn’t really have a good plot since season 2.) That could serve for some good angst and so he MUST die. Not because I hate him, I love him, but because I’m an angstwhore. And I want the Originals gone because they’ve overstayed their welcome, they take up way too much screentime, I don’t care about them (with the exception of Elijah, but he’s barely on the show anymore, I hate Klaus/KC, Kol is really one-note, I don’t GET Rebekah that much.) so if Jeremy can kill Kol and Rebekah can die, I’m on board. Except there’s a part of me that wants Kol/Dark!Bonnie to hook up and I love the dynamic and chemistry between Stebekah. And I have mixed feelings about Delena in this ep.
      -I’m sad to not see Hook/Captain Swan on my TV for the next 3 weeks 🙁 I just love OUAT.
      -I stopped watching PLL after 3×12 because I hate what they did to Spoby 🙁 They can keep Ezria together and not keep Spoby? WTF? Spoby were the most interesting couple on the show!

      • Haylee says:

        -Also, about Ezria I used to love them in season 1, they were semi-interesting in season 2 I liked them, but I also liked Aria/Holden and Aria/Jason. I stopped shipping Ezria after 3×08, I began detesting them, they are the least compelling couple on the show. And I haven’t gave up PLL for good like I have with Glee and TBBT (long story), I just don’t think I’ll start to watch again until 3×18 because everything sounds interesting from there.
        On PLL I love:
        1) Spencer/Toby
        2) Hanna/Caleb (but I admit that I like the idea of Toby/Hanna.)
        3) Emily/Alison
        4) Spencer/Wren
        5) Emily/Samara
        6) Jason/Aria
        7) Holden/Aria
        8) ( I like both Emily/Paige and Emily/Maya equally)
        9) Spencer/Alex
        10) Wes/Aria
        -I don’t really watch TLG and SAB anymore, I got bored after the first few eps. :/ Currently, I’m catching up on Bones and Doctor Who.

  • nadiabean21 says:

    Anyone on? I’m bored and I’m waiting for someone to come over.

  • nadiabean21 says:

    Ah Lisi, how do you come up with such creative post titles. “The Long Leakend.” so good 😀

  • nadiabean21 says:

    Lisi great post! I like Vanessa and I feel bad for her about her parents and all. But Jagger is still my favorite. 😀

  • Laura says:

    Lisi! Another great character! Ah, I seriously can’t wait to get the book-formerly-known-as-Phoenix-Five in the fall! It’ll actually be really cool, because as the characters are going through their freshman year, so will I. So, we’ll be like the same age, and I’ll grow as the characters are growing, and yeah…. 🙂
    BTW: Can’t wait to see the Gracelet!
    Laura

  • Maggie says:

    OMG I got a shoutout! Thank you Lisi! You rock!

  • Julia says:

    I think I like Vanessa the most, but I don’t know if it will be annoying or something reading about that stuff. Parents like that stink– I feel so bad for kids with parents who fight a lot. Mine divorced when I was little, but I have a stepdad that I treat like he is mine very own Dad.
    🙂
    P.S. That would be cool if you made one of the kids like the same gender, so they are all different. The Blue Notebooks could be a name– they are all different but at the same point all alike. 🙂

  • emily* says:

    i loved your entry Lisi!

  • Laila N says:

    Aw, I think I like Vanessa best. I donno. And random things keep stalking me. Deepak Chopra? Just saw that name at a book shop today that looked interesting, and now I see it everywhere. What is this? -_-‘

  • purpleowl16 says:

    Your chihuahua doesn’t look that scary…
    Wait it looks like getting ready to run after some on.. AAAAH!

  • Ari says:

    That quote by Deepak Chopra is very nice and makes me think. I can’t wait to read the book in September! It’s Euphoric. 🙂

  • rujuta says:

    i really love the series so far:) cannot wait to read it:D ok i have a BIG favour to ask you guys:) so, im taking part in this huge interschool personality contest, and they have an online voting round:) so please PLEASE PLEASE open this link, and like and SHARE the picture.http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=513315392041409&set=a.513202945385987.120699.490696710969944&type=1&theater
    it would really really help like a lot!!! love you:)

  • jannette says:

    I love vanessa the most!! Probably becauase I can relate to her the most!! Fabulous work lisi!!!! Can’t wait 🙂

  • Rhea says:

    It’s actually the best entry I’ve read! Can’t eait for the series to come out~ :3

  • cassie says:

    Omg I totes love it so far! Totally what I need in highschool right now 🙂

  • Anita says:

    Great job Lisi can hardly wait. I finally got a new job on a side note after being unemployed for almost a year! I am head of committee’s for jurisdiction at my state legistlator! I just finished my 3rd day with my first official meeting. Long and hard work but fun!

    Kaitlyn I really liked the name Phoenix Five too. I miss it:(

  • Kaitlyn says:

    Am i the only one who’s attached to the name the phoenix five? I think it’s pretty cool! I think i’ll miss it once the official one comes out.

  • Candy says:

    Hi Lisi!
    Good job on the Cadillac ….looks like you are getting stronger!!!
    Candy

  • Maggie says:

    It’s awesome Lisi! Can’t wait until September!

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