The Glass Castle (Chapter Excerpt/Book Sneak Peek)

By Asche Keegan

"Years from now, you'll still have your stars." --The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Raz wandered through the clouds until she found the castle.

Unlike the medieval fortresses of Europe or the towering mosques of the Middle East, the castle shone. Light glanced off the glass paneling in every direction, dazzling her eyes as she approached. A thin layer of shimmering air seemed to form a protective sphere around the building, and the moat was formed from partial raindrops, floating in a suspension design next to each other. Only one way could be seen over the moat: a lowered drawbridge just past an open gate.

A tall man stood surveying the clouds, but indirectly watching her as she approached. Though clothed in an official uniform, his shoulders slumped, and he looked weary. Yet, as she drew closer, he straightened, placing his hand over his heart.

“Good evening,” he said. “May I have your name?”

Raz paused. She could never fully be sure what kind of monsters her mind cooked up—for to be able to float on clouds, one must truly be in a dream—but giving him her name did not seem too much an issue.

“Raspberry Curry,” she replied. “Yours?”

He glanced up at her in surprise, grinning. “I’m Ryan, but it’s nowhere near as pretty a name as yours though, Raspberry.”

Raz could feel her cheeks heating, and she looked away, shy. “Thank you, Ryan, but please, call me Raz.”

He nodded, pulling a glimmering rod of prismatic light from his pocket. He slipped a finger into the top, unrolling it like a scroll. “It looks like Lady Felise is already expecting you!” Ryan said. “That certainly makes things easier.”

“Who is Lady Felise?” Raz asked.

“Our leader and teacher,” he said. “And just so you are not surprised, she is also a shapeling.”

The castle loomed above them, and a shiver of delight worked its way through her. “A shapeling? I thought those only existed in fantasies," she said. 

Ryan chuckled, pointing around them. “The clouds are the best place to find them.” Gesturing for her to follow him inside, he then turned back and pulled a lever that closed the gates.

They slid back in place effortlessly, and Raz could not help but feel as if she had locked herself inside. When she expressed her unease to Ryan, he adamantly shook his head.

“Demons haunt these hills, white as the clouds, and if I leave the gate untended, they could come inside.”

Accepting his answer, she turned her attention to the main doors. Ryan knocked thrice, paused, then twice more, before they opened of their own accord. Inside, the castle seemed just as beautiful as the outdoors had, but each ray of light had been magnified through prisms that lined the doors and seams between the wall and ceiling.

“Can anyone see anything that happens?” Raz asked, running a hand along the glass walling. 

Ryan sighed. “Only if you forget to turn on the opaque filter, which I have done more than once. I do not recommend it.” Raz chuckled softly, and he blushed. "It's surprisingly easy to do. Speaking of which,” he said, “This is your room.”

He pointed towards a beautifully decorated room with a bed that seemed almost entirely made of light. “Here is where you can rest and recuperate before Lady Felise can come speak with you. Gowns and other dresses will be in the closet, and you can turn the opacity on and off with the button here,” he said, pointing to a clear knob with a golden ring around its outside edge.

“I will come back to pick you up before your meeting if you would like?” he asked, an awkward smile making its way across his face.

Raz smiled. “That would be delightful.”

The two of them shared a smile before he nodded and left the room.

First, she adjusted the opacity to allow just enough light into the room without revealing the specifics of what she was doing. Then, she opened her closet. Beautiful silks of every color practically spilled out onto the floor, and she gasped in delight. Poring through them, she was suddenly startled by a sneeze.

“Who’s there?” she asked, jumping backward.

“Dang it! I hate my stupid nose!”

“Get out of my closet! Show yourself!” she exclaimed, peering past the dresses, trying to make out the person speaking.

To her surprise, a teenage boy her own age pulled himself to his feet. He seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. “Look, you can’t blame me for hiding in your dresses. They’re the only thing in this castle not see-through.”

He was tall and lanky, and his freckles danced across his face as he chattered on. “Seriously! One would think they’d put more things to hide behind in this place.” Raz found herself distracted by his buoyant red hair, where faint knobs protruded from the top of his head, making a straight line down the back of it. Shuffling a couple steps to the side, she thought they traced a line all the way down his back.

“You know, I’m not blind. I can see you looking. Haven’t you ever seen a dragon changeling before?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She shrugged, then glanced over her shoulder. “What’s your name, and why are you hiding in my closet? What are you hiding from?”

He glanced over his shoulder and leaned closer to her. “My name is Gregarious,” he said, boyish face growing deathly serious, “And there is something seriously wrong with this place.”

~ ~ ~

Ahhh I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! No, the book will not be named the Glass Castle (although The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls is amazing), just this specific chapter. Though I am currently in the middle of another book that I will be finishing first, I am excited to write this revised tale of The Message Inside! Please let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments below! I would love to hear your thoughts.