Red Oak (Chapter 1, Discontinued)

I wrote this story in college sort of as a response to the sheer amount of students who submitted half-baked, tropey chapter 1s every week. I decided to write my own, mostly because I'm very petty and stuck up, and cram as much world-building as I could into a chapter 1 to show that even if you don't submit completed stories, you can still write meaningful story fragments. This is a project that, after writing it, I decided to continue on my own, although I won't be publishing it chapter-by-chapter. As such, this chapter 1 represents a first draft of sorts, and should be treated more like a standalone writing exercise rather than a part of a large work. Think of it like the pilot episode of a TV show that doesn't get picked up by a major network until 3 years later.

Hope you enjoy!