This is an excerpt from my 2006 NaNoWriMo novel.

"Heaven's Seven"

Chapter One

Saturday, May 27, 1995

"Come on, Izzy, let's go do something fun instead." Carlos pulled on his twin sister's arm, trying to draw her away from the school. Anyone who looked at the two of them could tell they were siblings. Both had the same caramel complexion, the long dark hair and deep brown eyes. Both were also very good-looking, each in their own way, of course. As they stood in front of their high school, a school they would soon be departing, Carlos couldn't help but think how much he was going to miss Isabella when she left for college in the fall. They were heading in opposite directions. She was going to New York, to pursue a journalism degree; he was going to Hollywood to be a movie star. Everyone else just laughed when Carlos said he'd be in the movies some day. But not Izzy. She supported him no matter what, and she always had. They were twins, and Carlos had heard that twins shared a connection. He could confirm it, though. There was definitely something between the two of them. He could be in another room, but somehow he'd know when Izzy was feeling sad, or when she'd hurt herself. Izzy had told him she could also feel when he was hurt. It was amazing having someone who was that close to you, and he loved her with all his heart. Not that he'd ever tell her that. After all, they were brother and sister.

"Look, Carlito, if you want to slack off and not go to rehearsal, that's up to you, but I have to be here. I mean, how would it look if the valedictorian didn't show up to rehearsal? It would be chaos, chaos I tell you!" She pretended to swoon as she said the last bit, and Carlos obligingly caught her as she fell.

"Maybe you should be the one going to Hollywood after a performance like that, Izzy." He set her back up on her feet and just stared at her. It was amazing all they'd been through, and she'd always been there for him. He shook his head. Why he was suddenly feeling so melancholy, he had no clue. But that was totally unlike him. "Come on, let's hit the beach. It's a beautiful, sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, and it's not too hot yet. It's perfect beach weather."

"Yes, it is, but it's just going to have to wait. The rehearsal shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. We can wait till then." Izzy looked toward the school and then back at Carlos. "Come on, Carlito. For once in your life, don't be a slacker."

"Oh, and ruin my reputation? We can't have that, Izzy." Carlos took Izzy by the hand. "I am going to go and party down. Find me a nice stretch of beach and just lay out. Get me a couple cold ones."

"You'd better be talking root beer, Carlito," Izzy said, shaking her finger at him. "Don't let me catch you drinking again."

"Of course it's gonna be root beer. I learned my lesson, Izzy, don't worry."

"Well, have fun, then. You going to be at the usual spot?"

"Of course. It's nice and secluded, with a beautiful view. Why would I go anywhere else?"

Izzy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, I'll see you after rehearsal. Try to stay out of trouble."

Carlos smiled, but suddenly stiffened. Isabella frowned. "Carlito, are you okay?"

Carlos couldn't speak. He smelled smoke and heard distant screams. But there was no sign of smoke anywhere and the screams were only in his imagination. And yet."Izzy. Don't go in there." He grabbed on to her hand tightly.

"Right. I thought we already established that, unlike you, I'm not going to be a slacker. If one of us is going to make a fool of themselves at the graduation ceremony, it'll be you.

Carlos shook his head, trying to dislodge the faint screams. They faded away, but the smell of smoke still clung to his nostrils. "I'm serious, Izzy. Something doesn't feel right."

"Carlito, it's not going to work. But that's definitely a good try. You do belong in the movies. I will see you at the beach, okay?" Isabella let go of Carlos and turned toward the school. Carlos studied the scene, trying to figure out why he was feeling so strange. Everything was peaceful. Birds were perched on the roof, and some were foraging on the lawn. He didn't see anyone else around. He figured they must all be inside, just like he should be. He watched as Isabella opened the door and entered the school, and then caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It looked like Tim was coming out of the side entrance. He looked back at the closing door that Isabella went through, still feeling uneasy. Then, as one, all the birds shot up into the sky, startling Carlos. Then came a loud thump from inside the building, as if a giant had suddenly landed within. Carlos took a step toward the school, when the door Isabella had just walked through blew outward, missing him by mere inches. The blast which followed lifted him off his feet and carried him backwards, depositing him unceremoniously several feet away. Coughing and realizing the smoke he'd smelled before was now before him, he staggered to his feet, his only thought Isabella. He needed to get in there and make sure she was okay. He managed to take a couple of unsteady steps before the school building groaned and collapsed, leaving nothing but a smoky ruin which would have only been barely recognizable as the school that had just been standing there moment ago."Izzy," Carlos whispered, horrorstruck. He knew, without a doubt, that she could not have survived the collapse. His sister, his best friend, was buried under tons of rubble. Tears flowed freely, blurring his vision, as he fell to his knees, sobbing. "Izzy," he called again. "Izzy!"

Saturday, May 21, 2005

"Izzy!"Carlos startled himself awake, disoriented. It only took him a moment to regain his bearings. He was in his limo, on his way to the airport. Heading back to Lakeland, the town he had imagined he would never have to see again. The town with so many bad memories. He'd lost his sister there, so it was not surprising that he would be dreaming about that day. Juan, his driver and friend, had stopped the car and was staring at Carlos.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Juan, thanks."

"Sounds like you were having a horrible nightmare."

"You could definitely say that." Carlos rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the last bit of sleep. "I was dreaming about her again."

Juan smiled. "Of course you were. You're heading back to where it happened. You haven't been there since you lost Isabella. The ghosts of that day continue to haunt you. Who knows, maybe by going there, you'll be able to find some peace and some closure."

Carlos looked at Juan. Juan was like the father Carlos wished he'd had. Unlike his own father, who'd practically ignored him unless he'd done something wrong, Juan actually cared about Carlos. He'd listen and give fatherly advice. Juan was a refugee from Cuba who had to leave his family behind. He swore that someday he would be reunited with his wife and son, but until then, Carlos was the closest thing to a son Juan had. Carlos respected Juan who, although he was in his sixties, looked to be about fifty-five. Juan's advice was always on the money too. And, speaking of money, Juan was the only one of Carlos' many employees who didn't seem to care about the fact that Carlos was well off, financially speaking. That was another reason why Carlos kept him close by at all times."I'm okay, Juan, you can keep driving."

"Actually, sir, ya llegamos. We're here."

Carlos glanced out the window. Sure enough, they were in the airport parking lot. Juan got out of the car and stepped over to Carlos' side, opening his door. Carlos stepped out, stretching and yawning. Although the dream had not been good, the rest had been. Carlos had been hard at work for the last three months, and it was good to be able to take a break finally. It would also be good to see his friends again. He couldn't believe Barb and Adam were actually getting married. He'd always thought it would be Tim who ended up with her. But life had a funny way of not working out in ways that were expected.

Juan opened the trunk and took out Carlos' bags, setting them by him. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask," Juan said, embracing Carlos.

Carlos gasped as Juan enveloped him in a bear hug. Carlos was tall and muscular, but Juan was stocky, built like a linebacker, and when he hugged you, you could definitely feel it. "I will," Carlos managed to whisper once he caught his breath. Juan let go, and Carlos could breathe again. "And remember, don't have any wild parties while I'm gone."

Juan smiled. Both of them knew that Juan was not the type to throw parties, wild or otherwise. "I'll try my best to control myself, sir."

"Carlos, Juan, call me Carlos. You call me sir, I think you're addressing my dad. How many times do I need to tell you that?"

"A few thousand more, and maybe I'll start listening," Juan said.

Carlos picked up his bags and patted Juan on the shoulder. "Thanks," he said. "I'll see you soon."

"Take care of yourself, sir, and may you find the peace you're looking for."

Carlos nodded and headed inside, ready for the trail of red tape that greeted him at every airport. He wasn't from the Middle East, yet he had dark skin, so all the guards gave him a suspicious glance. Well, except for the ones that recognized him.

As if on cue, a woman to his right screamed and ran right up to him. She was very attractive. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a figure like a supermodel. Not that that was so rare to find in Hollywood. He also noticed she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. "Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness, you're Franco!" she yelled. . This attracted the attention of a pair of women who were walking by. One did a double take, poked her friend, and they both headed in his direction. The first woman, meanwhile, was speaking in one long sentence. "I watch My Secret Sins every day and you are just so incredible the way you took on Nestor and his whole evil gang was amazing I thought you weren't going to make it -"

The other two had reached him by now. They were both also attractive, one a brunette and one a redhead. The redhead interrupted the first woman. "I watch your show all the time. It's the only show I watch," she said. Carlos smiled. "I have to know, is Nikki going to survive the plane crash?"

The brunette chimed in. "What about Dylan? Is he ever going to find out that he's actually Marisa's father?"

"Ladies, ladies!" Carlos said, holding his hands out, holding the questions at bay. "Now, you know I can't tell you any of that."

"What about Francesca?" the blonde asked, edging her way in front of the other two. "Are you going to find out who killed your sister?"

Carlos' smile fell. He had almost quit over the storyline that had his sister murdered by a serial killer. It hit too close to home, but in the end, he decided he would go ahead. He'd had nightmares every day during that story arc. Of course, soap operas being what they were, the writers were already writing Francesca back into the show. Turned out she hadn't been killed after all, but a very convincing clone. Francesca was being held by Nestor and his goons, and Franco would soon be taking on the lot of them again. In real life, there were no writers trying to figure out a way to work Isabella back into the script. But at least the man, the monster, who had bombed the school was locked up in a mental institution. Temporary insanity, they'd called it. Post-traumatic stress disorder. A war veteran who never completely recovered. All Carlos knew was that, if he'd had his way, the bomber would have gotten the death penalty. Lethal injection. No, that would have been to humane. The electric chair, maybe. Or, in a fair and just world, Carlos would have locked the guy up in a building and blown it up, giving him his just desserts. But, this wasn't a fair or just world, so, instead, Carlos lost his sister, and the perpetrator got to continue living on account of being out of his mind.

"I guess you'll just have to keep watching to find out the answers to all your questions," Carlos said, flashing the smile that had just recently graced the cover of Soap Opera News. He reached into one of his bags and pulled out three pictures of himself. "How would you like this autographed?" he asked, turning to the blonde first.

Yeah, this is the life.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3