These characters are actually from a much larger story I'm planning. However, people tell me I'm so good with character developement that sometimes when i talk about my characters they think they're real people- actually i forgot why i was telling you that, it really was part of another thought...

The Exercise
Begin a story from rondom elements such as two characters, a place, two objects, an adjective and an abstract word. If you are not in a class, give this list to someone and have them provide you with the words so you will be surprised by them (I did not do this. I chose my on words). If you are in a class, have the class make up a random list. Then everyone must use these elements in the first two pages of a story.

The Ojbective
To exercise your imagination, to prove to yourself that all you need is a trigger to get you started writing. And if you care about the story you start, the finish will take care of itself.

Two characters: Bi-sexual High school student, Homophobic grandmother
Place: Hospital (several places are mentioned so i can't really pick just one.)
Two objects: Broken Tea Cup, woven bracelet
Adjective: thick
Abstract word: Anxiety.
_________

Broken Tea Cup

It started a week ago; Jamie had been walking in an old antique shop with his boyfriend, and had knocked a tea cup off a shelf, shattering it. Immediately after he got a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, which he instantly wrote off as being caused by breaking the tea cup. However, even after being told no harm done, he still had that horrible feeling.

Jamie arrived home later that same day to discover his grandmother sitting in the kitchen. She had flown over from Ilio to visit, and without warning. The feeling in the pit of his stomach only became worse at the sight of her. As much as he loved her they had never seen eye-to-eye. Ava Marinos was a devout Christian and no grandson of hers was going to be some delinquent, bi-sexual high school student, running around and performing unspeakable acts with nameless faces. Of course it was not Jamie’s fault. No, of course not. It was his deceased mother, step-mother and boyfriend’s fault that Jamie was that way. Because, to Ava, it was not a psychological thing; it was not something he was born with. It was an influence, and a bad one according to her. However, with all the proper influences and a steady church life, Jamie could be ‘fixed’.

The moment Jamie made his presence known, Ava began harping on everything. His hair was too long, he was too thin, his clothes were too big, and last but not least the number of bracelets he wore. Jamie took a moment to examine the bracelets on his arm. He supposed they were ‘too much, only the woven bracelet had actually been a gift worth wearing. Although, seeing as how their great number bothered her, he felt inclined to leave them on. It was the sound of breaking glass that caught his attention, and when he turned around there was another broken tea cup on the floor. Jamie instantly felt sick to his stomach, and had decided that day had been enough. He was ready for bed.

The atmosphere the following few days had been thick with anxiety. Ava’s very presence caused everyone to feel as though they were walking the razor’s edge. It was always a strain on Jamie’s stepmother, Nana, when she was around. She criticized everything from the things Nana wore to the things she said. Jamie’s father, Tobias, always said that they were just being unreasonable around Ava and needed to loosen up. The last time Jamie had ‘loosened up’ he had nearly sent his grandmother to the hospital because he not only announced his sexual preference but also introduced her to his boyfriend. He had been so sure that Tomoki was going to need therapy or something of the sort after the incident. Tomoki was more than offended to say the least and was not the least bit sorry for it. From then on had referred to her as ‘your homophobic grandmother’ when speaking about her to him.

At the end of the fifth day of his grandmother’s visit, when he felt things could not get much worse, he received a much unwanted phone call followed by a nerve racking trip to the hospital. Tomoki had been doing dishes when suddenly he collapsed, hitting his head off the counter top. By the time Jamie had gotten to the hospital Tomoki was fine and sleeping. His brother, Ei’ichi, said it was probably stress from school work and the upcoming college entrance exams. Jamie would have been inclined to believe that everything was going to be alright, if not for the piece of broken stoneware Ei’ichi handed him, telling him that Tomoki had dropped the tea cup he had given him in the fall. That nauseating feeling immediately returned, and Jamie found himself vomiting the content of his stomach into the nearest trash can before he passed out.

It was morning when Jamie opened his eyes. Tomoki was sitting on the edge of the bed clad in his hospital gown and a frown etched on his face. Jamie slowly sat up, a look of concern on his face. He was still clutching the piece of broken ceramic in his hand causing his to stomach turn. Before he could stop himself he was clinging to Tomoki’s arm, silently asking for conformation that the he was going to be alright. A simple nod answered the question Jamie’s eyes asked, but it did not answer the question of what was wrong. It was Tobias’ rather uneven voice that answered that particular unasked question. Ava Marinos passed away during the night. Jamie instantly found himself vomiting again over the side of his bed, while Tomoki rubbed his back with the hand Jamie was not squeezing.

_____

A few notes:
The broken tea cups actually symbolize something that no one in my class seemed to catch. Maybe it's just me.
It's not the whole story and it still needs some work.
This scene may or may not occur in the actual story I plan on writing with these characters.
There will be mistakes, Grammar and I used to be friends but about the fifth grade we started getting into fights on the playground and now we just don't get along.