Friendzy the Dragon

Once upon a time, there was a dragon named Friendzy. 

Hi, I am Friendzy. I am red with wings. I love to do flips, somersaults, and handstands. I really want to learn how to fly like my mom and my dad. My dad always tells me to stay healthy and go to school. So when I went to school yesterday, I was the only one there, so I was so happy. 

Now do not get confused when Sheva turned into me. She said that we did not learn how to fly and breathe fire. So when I asked my teacher to teach me how to fly and breathe fire, the teacher said, “No.” The teacher was too busy trying to find the other students who were playing hide and seek. 

I was so mad that I had to find someone else to teach me how to fly and breathe fire, but I was so scared that I asked my brother to come with me. But then far away, I still saw another old dragon who I think knew how to fly and breathe fire. So I went up there with my brother and asked him if he could teach me how to fly and breathe fire. So the old dragon told me to come tomorrow. So I was so excited that I could just scream this out loud! 

So I rushed over and I went to bed quickly. “This was the best day ever,” I said. 

“What did you say?” said my dad. 

“I said that this old dragon on the mountain will teach me how to fly and breathe fire tomorrow,” I said. 

So when today was tomorrow, I went up on the mountain. 

“Hi again, are you ready to learn how to fly and breathe fire?” asked the old dragon. 

“Yes,” I said. 

“Okay, so when you’re trying to fly, you want to try to flap your wings so hard that you can lift up off the ground, and when you’re off the ground, you flap your wings a little slower. And this is how you breathe fire. So open your mouth wide, and let it breathe out,” said the old dragon. 

“I did it,” I said. 

So when I went home, I taught my brother how to fly! “I did it,” said my little brother. So when it was my tenth birthday, I told my friends to fly with me! 

“I’m having the best birthday ever,” I said. 

And that was how Friendzy learned how to fly and breathe fire. 

The End!

WWI

I am listening to the radio. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia because Austria-Hungary thinks the Serbian government has killed their heir with assassins waiting along the way. But since Serbia and Russia are friends, Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary. But Germany is friends with Austria-Hungary, so Germany declares war on Russia. Then I turn off the radio. I grab some toast and run to school. 

My name is George and I am twenty one years old. I’m in university and love history. I don’t stay there. I go and come home every day. I can’t imagine how hard it is to be a soldier. The hardships you have to grow through. 

All of a sudden, the ground starts to rumble. The school emergency bells ring through the halls. We are all ordered to evacuate the building. Then, in the daylight, I see planes dropping round, cylindrical things from a door under the plane. I see a sign on it. The Swastika. I see a plane drop a big object, but when it hits the ground, it makes an explosion. They are bombs. That means this is a bombing raid! 

I am led to a bombing raid shelter where we are ordered to stay until the raid ends. I know this is Germany because Germany invaded Belgium and the British were friends with Belgium. So Britain sent troops to Belgium to help them. I want to fight for my country, so I enlist in the army. I am fit for the army, perfect size, strength, and with no training, I go to the battle field. I am assigned with a task of clearing a path for other infantry units. We march for hours until we see a German pill box with a machine gun loaded with a sixty caliber bullet belt. We saw movement in the pill box and knew we needed to destroy it before they noticed us. We are armed with Lee Enfield rifles and have twenty clips of ammo per soldier. Then I see a German officer reach for his binoculars and gaze out of the window. His binoculars hit on our sight. He screams, “Open fire!”

Then there are bullets zipping by in all directions. We quickly get down to the ground and fire back. I see two German soldiers get out of the pill box, both with Mausers. They start to fire in the field we are in. We outnumber them two to one and we pick them off one by one. Since we have C-4 explosives, we just need to plant one next to the door and then blow it off. Then we will capture a few officers, ask for information on their moving troops, and then make them POWs. Because that pill box will be dangerous to other reinforcements coming in by ground. 

One of our officers tells me and another soldier we should make a run for it and plant the bomb. So I grab a C-4 from the bundle I am carrying and we run for our lives. We make it unscathed and plant it. Then we see ten figures screaming and tell them to get out of there with weapons down and hands up. We take them prisoners, then go back into the pill box. We see four limp bodies. Dead. Two died of concussion, the others of the explosion. Then we see another pill box. And since it isn’t on duty, we think it will be easy to capture it. But when we plant the C-4, it doesn’t do a thing! We realize the door is made of steel, and the rest of the pill box is concrete reinforced with steel. We will need something stronger than C-4’s, so we run back to our command post, a few yards away, and tell the general that he didn’t give us what we needed and that he is the one who is going to deal with it. 

We think they are going to kick us out of the army but they say that it is alright and that we will get some tanks tomorrow morning. 

The next morning, we go back to the pill box and figure it is now active. Almost as if on cue, German machine guns open up. I see a soldier get up and throw a grenade. He takes out five Germans! Then I feel a pain in the leg. I have been shot. Everything is becoming blurry. I collapse. Everything goes black. 

I wake up in a tent with a familiar face hovering over me. I can’t believe it. I have survived! I ask his name and he says, “Oliver.” And soon after that we become close friends. 

I ask if we destroyed the pill box and Oliver says yes. He says that the tank was a Mark One and it had gotten stuck while descending. But it had still fired into the window where the machine gun was, killing its occupants instantly. But he says we had also lost eight men in the battle. 

In a few days, I have recovered completely. They have used pincers to take out the bullet and put sulfur powder on the wound. I go back to my group and they tell me we are going to dig trenches because of a suspected counterattack. We spend all day and night digging with shovels and bayonets. Luckily, I haven’t lost my shovel, so it is a bit easier. But for some of the men, they have lost both shovels and bayonets! They have really bad bruises and blisters on their hands. But they keep on going. We make about thirty feet in length, not bad for a day’s work.

 In two days, we are finished with the trench. The next day, our scout reports seeing  three tanks and about five hundred Germans heading to our trench. But it isn’t a problem for us. We have already planted mines on the road they were on. Suddenly, we hear a loud explosion. We all grin. They have fallen into our trap. We also have portable bazookas, and if the tanks miraculously survive, we will finish it off. But the Germans on foot will survive because the mines only activate when under heavy pressure. And for that, we have light and heavy machine guns to easily take out the Germans. Only one tank survives the minefield, and it has a large chunk of armor dragging behind it, and the top of the tank is on fire. But it keeps moving forward. 

We all grab a bazooka and some yell, “Fire!”

We all watch as the tank is demolished. We all cheer, but too early. We see a soldier fall, then another. We all crouch down and see the Germans advancing. We see a shell soaring through the air and land with a boom. A green smoke erupts from it. Poisonous gas. I yell, “Put on your gas masks!” 

We wait until the gas clears, but now the Germans are really close to taking over the trench. I run to a machine gun and yell to Oliver to come help me feed the machine gun. Once I squeeze the trigger and slice it across the field, Germans start going down. We have five machine guns and we begin mowing through them. I see a German officer raise a white flag. They’ve surrendered. 

We motion the medics to let them get their wounded. Then I see the medic talking through a telephone a mile a minute! I know he is describing our position. Then he pulls out a pistol. I grab the machine gun and put ten bullets in him. Even though it is a crime to kill a medic, he is giving away our position and he was going to kill us. 

We send a scout to see if German reinforcements are coming. He comes running back and says that the Germans are positioning artillery guns and they are now loading them with poisonous gas. We get into the tiny rooms that were dug into the side of the trench. Those spaces are meant for sleeping and protection from bombardment. We put on our gas masks. As soon as we get into those tiny spaces, we hear the screams of artillery shells flying through the air. They burst in green smoke. The gas masks are uncomfortable, but useful in these situations. Then we hear rumbling behind us. We peek just for a few seconds. Tanks have come to our aid! But the Germans know that already. Then we see anti-tank shells. They land all around our tanks. The Germans soon bring their own tanks. They outnumber our tanks, four against seven. But our tanks are not alone. We still have our bazookas. 

I aim it directly at the bottom of the enemy tank and fire. The tank is then being gobbled up in flames. Soon after, the rest of the group gets out and grabs their bazookas. But then we see Germans come out of dense foilage, with bayonets fixed. I drop my bazooka and grab a machine gun. The Germans are desperately fighting. I call for someone to help me, and Oliver comes, even though we need to help our tanks. We are running low on ammo, but we keep firing at the Germans. 

We take them all out in about five minutes! 

The field is littered with bodies. But the tanks keep fighting. Four of us aim our bazookas at one tank because it will take more than one person to take out one tank! We fire at almost the same time and the tank explodes. Its gun shatters and the left armor is hanging by a thread. We hear ear-piercing screams coming from inside the tank. The Germans in there are being cooked alive. I shudder at the thought of me being the German in that tank. I shake that thought away and fire at another tank. 

One of our tanks is hit and its wheels are on fire. I rescue the soldiers in the tank. The other three tanks fire shell after shell at their enemy. All together, we take out five enemy tanks, but the other four retreat. We all get out of the trench and then Germans run at us from all directions. We take out all of the tanks, so our tanks leave. We are surrounded. Some men stay in the trench to tend to the wounded. But the Germans didn’t know that. They ordered us to drop our weapons and put our hands up. They tell us to line up. I know they are going to execute us. But suddenly a German soldier falls, then another, then another. The Germans don’t know where they are being attacked from. They take out the Germans quickly. I go back to the trench and go to sleep. The next day, I learn that I have been in the war for about two years. I can’t believe it! It feels like only weeks have passed.

Vacations Everywhere!

Peggy was at home, very sad. She was grounded by her parents because she did not do her homework and couldn’t go out with her friends. She wanted to be at her grandma’s house, but she was too small to go there all by herself and her grandma lived far away. She was at her yard and saw something sparkly in the bushes and found a mirror. 

She looked at the mirror and said, “I wish I was at my grandma‘s house.” The mirror was magic so it took her to her grandma’s house. Peggy didn’t know that the mirror was magic, so she was surprised! She snuck out of the kitchen and surprised her grandma. 

Grandma was sitting and watching T.V., and when Peggy scared her, she looked to the side and asked, “How did you get here?” 

Grandma recognized the mirror and said, “You found my mirror. I left it at your house when I went there. Thanks for finding it.” 

“You are magical?” 

“Yes I am.” 

“What? You are?!” said Peggy, amazed.

Grandma said, “I am a witch. My mom was a witch, too. You are a witch, too. I will teach you how to be a witch, too. But don’t tell anybody. That was my mom’s mirror now it is mine.”

“How is magic real?” asked Peggy. 

“Magic is in our lives,” said Grandma. “First you need to think of the places you want to go and then you appear there. If you want to take a buddy, you have to hold its hand.”

Peggy held her grandma’s hand and they disappeared to Paris. They went to the carousel, rollercoaster, and ate cotton candy. They had so much fun. They went to Spain and went to Portaventura and went on a lot of rides. When Peggy was on a ride, her mom noticed that Peggy was not home and her mom started to get nervous. Peggy’s mom went to the yard and discovered that Peggy had the mirror. Mom got her mirror and went to Grandma’s house, but Mom did not see them. She asked the mirror where to go, and the mirror showed her. She appeared right in front of Peggy. Peggy was surprised.

Mom said to Grandma, “Enough playing with Peggy.” Mom grabbed Peggy’s hand and used a broomstick so that no one could see that they were transporting with mirrors. However, when her mom was about to go, Peggy jumped out of the broomstick and stayed with Grandma. 

So Grandma showed Peggy how to ride a broomstick because Peggy wanted to be a proper witch. “The first thing you need to ride a broomstick is that you need to learn where to sit and where to put your cat. So, your cat goes on the end of the bush and you sit at the front. To make your broomstick go, you need to move your legs up and down and then it will start flying. To turn your broomstick, you need to put your arm where you want to go. To land, you put your broomstick down to the floor, it goes straight, and when you want to stop, you pull it up. And that’s how you ride a broomstick.” 

Peggy went for a try and Peggy twirled, turned, and almost fell out. She screamed, “Get me off this thing!” 

Grandma said, “Stay calm and your broomstick will keep on flying the right way.” 

When Peggy twisted and turned she felt excited, but when she almost fell off she felt scared and nervous because she thought she was going to fall down onto the floor and get really, really hurt! 

Every day after school, Peggy’s mom let her go to Grandma’s only if she did her homework and behaved. Peggy did a very disgusting spell. “What is in this spell?” Peggy wondered as she asked her grandma.

“There is worm poop, worm slime, water, and sunlight,” Grandma told Peggy, putting her fingers together.

“Yuck!” Peggy said, disgusted. 

Peggy got all of the ingredients, mixed them together, put them out in sunlight, and waited for four hours. In those four hours, Peggy lay down, counting all the flowers and grass until she lost count. She counts about 1,400 flowers and 6,045 grasses. 

Peggy asked if her grandma had a pool in her backyard. 

Grandma answered, “Yes.”

Peggy got dressed in her swimsuit and jumped in the steam and the water was like fire. Peggy was really hot because the light of the sun was hard and shining really bright. Peggy sat on the edge of the pool and then stood up and dove in. She almost hit her head on the bottom, and the pool was really deep. It passed the grass. It was under the ground. 

The four hours passed and the potion turned green and icky. Even though the spell had horrible ingredients, it actually smelled like lovely flowers. Peggy brought her potion home and gave it to her little sister, and it turned her little sister into a worm. 

Her mom came in and said, “Why is there a worm in your sister’s room?”

Peggy answered, “I turned my sister into a worm.”

Mom laughed. “I see that you learned a new spell.” 

When Peggy got back to her grandma’s house, she asked, “How do you turn people back into themselves?”

Grandma answered, “Instead of the same spell, you use the opposite. Instead of smelly and disgusting things, you put flowers, grass, perfume, and the last thing is sunlight.”

Peggy mixed the ingreetings together. It took two hours. During the two hours, Peggy went into the pool that was deep. After the two hours, she went home and gave it to her sister. Her sister turned back to herself.

Peggy’s favorite toy was her stuffy. She got it when she was two months old and it was named Soniño. She slept with it. It came with a blanket, and the blanket was named Peludo. It was one of her first stuffies, and if someone took it away from her forever, she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Peggy didn’t like hard homework and tests, but she liked normal homework. Peggy wasn’t allowed to go to her grandma’s house because she had to do her homework. Since her homework was really hard, she didn’t want to!

THE TEST happened on Friday at school. THE TEST was a lot of really hard multiplication, addition, subtraction, and other math things. Peggy’s school was not a magic school. It was a very different school, which was very hard. They sent her homework for Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday-Thursday, they did little tests at home to prepare for Friday. If Peggy did all of THE TEST’s answers wrong, she would go back to second grade. If Peggy did halfway of THE TEST correct, she would stay in third grade. If she got all of the answers in THE TEST, she would be able to go on to fourth grade. Peggy was very scared and nervous to take THE TEST because it was a really big day, and she needed to know her answers.

Peggy was not able to escape from her house because there were lots of booby traps, and if she passed one, a big alarm would sound. The booby traps were for the parents to know when Peggy was escaping because they wanted her to do her homework. Some of the booby traps were on the floor and some were on the ceiling and some were on the wall. The walls were bright white and the ceilings were dark white and the floor had light brown patterns. The booby traps looked like a little ball with something that they sat on so they didn’t roll off. The ones that were on the ceiling and walls had this little sticker, and some walls had magnets that they stuck on. The sound they made sounded like an ambulance and a fire truck and a police car noise all together! The only way that you could pass them was by being invisible, but the problem was that Peggy didn’t have all her ingredients, book of spells, and magic pot since she left them at her grandma’s house.

While Peggy was trying to escape, she went to the kitchen to find some ingredients and see if she had enough. While that was happening, her parents and her family were all in a meeting at her grandma’s house. They talked about how worried they were about THE TEST because Peggy didn’t want to do her homework, and they were so worried that if she didn’t do it, she would fail. They all talked about what Peggy liked most, and they all forgot what it was. They were so worried that they would not figure it out, and that Peggy would escape and not do her test. Her mom went with her magic and went to a spell that said, “To Know Your Daughter’s Favorite Toy.” She mixed up the potion ingredients, and she knew right away that her Soniño and Peludo were just it. 

So, with her magic, she saw that Peggy was in the kitchen trying to find some ingredients for her spell. Her dad took her Soniño and Peludo with his magic, and her mom and dad went right back to their house. They warned Peggy of what would happen if she didn’t do her homework (that they would take Soniño and Peludo from her forever). Peggy got so worried because she could not sleep with Soniño and Peludo missing, so she went straight into her room. She forgot there was an alarm right on her door but her parents weren’t mad because they knew she was going to do her homework since she really loved Soniño and Peludo and that she would do anything to avoid her parents taking them away. 

Peggy was on her desk chair working hard on her homework. Every day, when she woke up, she had breakfast and went to her room to practice math, reading, writing, and social studies. Peggy felt nervous. If she didn’t get all of it right, her mom might be mad at her and make her practice more! 

After lots of days of practicing, the test day arrives. Peggy felt nervous. Very nervous, because she didn’t want to be held back or stay in third grade. The teacher set a timer, so they would do their work. 

The teacher said, “Ready, set, go!”

Peggy remembered all her studying and wrote, wrote, wrote everything. When math was done, she moved to reading. Then she moved to writing, and then to social studies. 

Finally, the test was over. When the teachers went to check her work, Peggy bit her lips and shook her legs. The teachers called in her whole entire family to say her results. Peggy took a deep breath in and calmed herself down. When the teacher said, “Peggy, you can move on to fourth grade,” Peggy was relieved and her family cheered. 

Since Peggy passed, her family thought of throwing a party. So, they went to buy donuts and a congratulations cake. Her friends and grandma and grandpa came to celebrate, too. Peggy got a present from Grandma and Grandpa. It was a card that said, “Congratulations, Peggy! You did great.” Peggy thanked her grandpa and grandma because she really liked the card. She gave them a kiss and a hug. 

Peggy also got a graduation dress and hat. It even said her name. 

At her school, everyone passed, and they had a graduation party. Peggy wore her congratulations dress that her mom and dad bought for her. It even had a tassel and it said the year that she graduated. They took a class picture. Peggy smiled happier than ever. 

Peggy graduated at this very fun play place. It had lots of games and lots of very fun rides. She went on ten rides and played many, many games. When it was time to leave, Peggy helped her teacher clean up the tables and put away the cake. Peggy was really sad to start fourth grade and really happy at the same time. She was sad because she was going to miss her teachers. They were really fun and helpful. She was happy to move to fourth grade because she really worked a lot this year, and she was really happy to find new friends and teachers. 

Her parents bought a house for the summer. It had a pool and it had a lake. They went swimming in the lake and in the pool. They also went paddleboarding in the lake with their paddleboard. Over the summer, they also did a thank-you card for her teachers. 

Peggy found out that two of her friends rented a house right beside hers. One friend was on the right and the other one was on the left. Every day, they invited each other to go to their houses and make a thank-you poster for their teacher. They also opened the pool gates and swam in the pool together with lots of flamingo floaties and surfboards. 

It was the last week of summer, and Peggy brought lots of things, so they started packing. When the day was over, they still had a lot to pack, so every day they packed a little until it was time to go. Peggy said goodbye to her friends and goodbye to her summer house. 

Peggy was happy that school was about to start. But she heard some really sad news that her friends weren’t going to the same school as her. She was going to miss her friends, but her mom and dad said they would always visit them. 

When school started, her teacher’s name was Ella. She found lots of new friends and classmates. But her old friends would always be her best friends forever. Mom and Dad were so proud. So were Grandma and Grandpa, to see Peggy make new friends and have fun. 

Now Peggy was doing her homework every day. She went to her grandma’s house and also learned spells, and got her very own cat. The cat’s name was Chocolate, because her fur was brown and it smelled like chocolate. She was a magic cat with the power to create chocolate any time that Peggy asked her to. Peggy also got her very own broomstick to share with her cat, so her cat could sit on the tail and they could fly home. Peggy also learned many new spells. There was a changing-color spell, a weather spell that was really hard and dangerous (because you were controlling the weather and you never know what type of spell you might create), and also a math spell that helped her concentrate. 

Peggy was talking to her grandma about magic spells, but then Grandma had some horrible, very sad news. 

She said, “I’m dying. I’m very old.”

Peggy was really sad, and she started crying a bit, but Grandma told her that this happens to everyone. Peggy hugged her grandma as tight as she could. Peggy said, crying, “But without you, I can’t learn magic spells!” 

“I know you will!” responded Grandma. “I have to go to the hospital now to see my checkup,” said Grandma, “and you need to go home.” 

So, Peggy took her magic mirror and hopped on her broomstick and took her kitten named Chocolate and they went home. She told the news to her mom and dad, who were super disappointed because they liked Grandma a lot! 

“We know that darling,” said Mom. “Do you want to go visit Grandma?”

“Of course I do!” responded Peggy. 

So Mom, Dad, Sister, and Peggy went out to visit Grandma. They all took out their magic mirror except her sister, she didn’t have one, but she hopped on Peggy’s broomstick and carried her cat Chocolate. They went to the hospital where Grandma was, and Grandpa. Peggy held Grandma’s hand super tight. 

“The checkup is done!” said Grandma. “I’m going home now. Want to come with me?”

“Yes please!” responded Peggy.

So this time, her sister hopped on her Grandma’s broomstick and they all flew to Grandma’s house. Three days later, it was the day before Grandma was about to die, they went to this very cute sprinkle shop called Delicious Sprinkles. They went in and bought a bit of delicious sprinkles. When they got home, they baked a cake with Grandma. Grandma was also a very excellent baker! They baked 100 cupcakes and ten cakes. Imagine ten cakes! When they were done, they sprinkled lots and lots of cute and sparkly sprinkles. Of course, Grandma had to help! When they finished, they popped the cake into the oven and they forgot that they put the sprinkles in. 

“We needed to put the sprinkles after!” said Peggy. 

When the cake was finished, the sprinkles were completely melted! So they added sprinkles again. Grandma took a little bite without any sprinkles. She said, “Melted sprinkles taste delicious all together.” 

Peggy took a little bite. “You’re right!” said Peggy with a mouthful of cake. They saved some for later. 

They got to the hospital to see how Grandma was doing with her last day. 

The doctor said, “She’s doing great.” Peggy gave the doctor a cupcake.
“Why thank you! It tastes delicious.”

“You’re welcome,” said Peggy.

They went back to Grandma’s house and they had a sleepover all together. Before they took Grandma to the secret room, Peggy and Grandma had a very personal goodbye and kissed together. 

Grandma said, “I know you’ll become a great witch.” 

Peggy thought about it, and she said, “I will miss you.”

While they took Grandma to the private room, Peggy discovered the book of spells. The book of spells was something that Grandma left for Peggy. The note said: “From Grandma, To Peggy. This book of spells was mine and now it’s yours so you will become a great witch like me and your family. You can also use it to teach your sister. Love you! – Grandma”

Epilogue

Two months later, Peggy has been leaving flowers every day after her studies and writing notes of what she studies to her grandma. Peggy starts teaching her older sister. Her sister and her get into a bit of a problem. Her sister tries a spell, they hear a rumbling and then they get blocked! What will happen next to Peggy and her sister?

The Robot Who Met a Person

In another world, there was a robot named Emily who really wanted to meet a person but herio mom said she couldn’t. Emily went to her room and started crying, and then she said, “I really, really want to meet a real person. I’m gonna find a way to.” 

She started thinking, she was really into science and she even once said, “Oh, I want to learn about who existed thousands of years before me.” Next, she asked her mom, “Can I look up on your computer what existed thousands of years ago?” The computer said they were called People. After that, she went and looked it up in her book, and the book said that they were really cool. But they didn’t have a picture of the people. So, Emily said, “Oooh, I really, really want to meet a person so I can see what they look like and see what language they speak.” 

Emily wanted to go, so now she was gonna go outside and look all over the city for a person, but when she went home, she started crying again because she could not find a human. Then, she asked her mom if she could look on the internet. Her mom said, “Yes.” 

She went on the internet and looked to see if there was a way to find a human, and it said to go back in time to the 1900s. She thought and then she looked on the internet and looked up how to go back to the 1900s. It said to go to the darkest cave in the land, but first she had to travel to the Robot Island on a robot bird. She did not want to tell her mom because her mom would not let her so she had to sneak out. She started packing up her things then said to her mom she was going to a sleepover with her friend for a week.

Then she said goodbye to her mom and walked out the door, took her car, and drove to robot city airport and looked for the sign that said Robot Island area then she got out of her car and then took out her suitcase from her car then went in to the airport. She bought a ticket using her money that she had saved for just the occasion. Then she took the move (escalator) to the top floor to the waiting room and waited for them to announce that the Robot Island bird was boarding. She waited ten minutes and then they announced it was time for the robots going on the Robot Island bird to board. So she got up and she walked to where the robot captain was and she gave the captain the ticket and she boarded the robot bird. She found her seat and she sat down and started reading her book, and then they announced that it would take five hours to get to Robot Island. 

 The robot bird was flying into the air and Emily looked out the window and everything looked so small. So she watched some TV, the flight attendants gave out some drinks, and Emily watched five movies that were each one hour. Then, she got off the plane, and she saw a bunch of trees and this giant ocean. She looked up in her research book, and it said that this ocean was the biggest ocean in the Robot world. And then, she walked out of the plane and she went to her hotel. It was this round shape and it said, “Robot Island Hotel.” She walked into the hotel, checked in, and the hotel manager gave her the key to her room and then he showed her where her room was. She walked to her room and put all her stuff down, and then went out of her room and her mission just began. She went out of the hotel and took her research book with her and looked for the cave then found it. Then, she sneaked towards the cave, but there were guards standing in the entrance, so she tried to find another entrance from the back but she couldn’t. So she broke open the cave and sneaked in, then tiptoed towards the time machine, but there was a guard standing right in front of the time machine. So she tiptoed a tiny bit closer but the guard saw her and said, “Out!” 

So Emily quickly tiptoed another way and came back, and then he turned around and she tiptoed away so the guard couldn’t see her. She was feeling confident. She thought she probably wouldn’t get to the time machine cause there was a guard right in front of it. So then, she went out of the cave and tried to get to the front of the cave. The guard was looking toward the back of the cave because he was expecting her to come back. So she went out of the cave and went to the front entrance. There were guards. So then she distracted them and said, “Come get this gold rock,” and she threw it and they went to go get it because they thought it was gold. So then she sneaked in and the guard wasn’t looking and she got the time machine.

She put it in her bag and she ran all the way back to the hotel. Now she was so happy she quietly said, “Yes!” She ran to her hotel and waited for the elevator, then she got on the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor and opened her research book and it said to go outside in an open space where no one can see you. So she took her backpack and put her research book into her backpack. She put on her footwear and walked out of the hotel door and waited for the elevator, and then got on the elevator. Now she was very, very, very hungry. She walked out of the hotel and looked for an open space where there was no one. So she looked around a little more and finally, she found a space where she didn’t see anyone and it was very open. So she got out the time machine and said, “I want to go back to the 1900s.” And then, a whirl of wind caught her and she flew back very fast. Finally, she landed. 

It was very different from the robot world when she saw it. All the people looked different. They looked like they had round heads and oval bellies and weird shaped feet and little tiny toes. They were wearing long dresses that went to their ankles. There were also people wearing t-shirts with short sleeves and they had little words on them, but the words were different from robot language words. She also saw shops and saw people walking in and out of the shops. It looked very busy. 

So Emily walked around a little bit. She saw people looking right at her face. Their faces looked confused and weirded out and scared because they never saw anything like it. She was feeling embarrassed and she thought it would take a little bit of time for humans to get used to her, and that meant it would take time for her to get used to the humans so she could really meet the humans. She walked around, then she recognized the writing. It was a little similar to robot language words. She saw a shop that said, “Costume Store,” so she went inside. 

She tried to hide herself so no one could see her. She looked around, then she saw a costume of a teenage girl. “Perfect,” she said, but then she realized she needed money and she would have to sneak out of the costume store. So she tried to hide herself and the teenage girl costume. 

Emily made it out and tried to hide herself when she was putting on the teenage girl costume. Now she wouldn’t be embarrassed because she was wearing the teenage girl costume. 

She started taking a walk and then she saw a park, so she went to the park and ran around a little bit. Then, she saw a hotel and she went into it. She waited in line. When it was her turn, she just thought, Oh, I forgot! I almost forgot. I got a little bit of magic from the time machine and I’ll use that and I’ll tell the time machine that I want money because I don’t have any money. 

So Emily said to the person at the front desk of the hotel, “I’ll just step aside for a second. The next person can go.” So she stepped to the side, stepped out of the hotel, and she ran into an open space in the park. Then, she took out the time machine and she said, “Abracadabra, Time Machine, I need…” And then she looked at the hotel, and it said, “For one hotel room, it’s going to be $25.” So she asked the time machine for $30 just in case. Then, the time machine gave her $30. So then she put it into her pocket and she went back in the hotel and, at the front desk, she paid the money and they showed her where the hotel room was. They gave her the key to her hotel room so she went into the hotel and put down her stuff and started to think about how she would get the humans to like her. Then, she got an idea. 

She would set up a stand that sold pancakes because she learned in a research book that one kind of food that humans loved were pancakes. This book was all about humans, and she brought it with her from Robot World. It was a robot language, which was similar to human English. So she took her bag, and since she had money left, she would buy stuff for the stand. So she saw a store that had supplies, and she gathered all the supplies like a table, and she went to a store called Alex’s Deli and bought pancakes. Then, Emily went to the park, and on the side of the park, she set up the stand. Then people started coming to get them. They said, “How much does it cost?” 

She said, “Ten dollars per pancake.” So they got a pancake and went. After she got 30 customers, she took everything down and cleaned up. She made $300! She was very happy. She had made lots of money and people liked her because she sold them pancakes. They didn’t think she was a robot because she was acting normally and wearing the costume. It was hard for her not to be her normal self, but she wasn’t uncomfortable, because people liked her.

Then, Emily walked back into an open space in the park and said to the time machine, “Time Machine, please take me back to Robot World, right back to the front door of my house with all my luggage.” So the time machine formed a cloud that took her right back to her front door with all her luggage, and she knocked on the door and her mom opened it and said,

“Hello, darling.” It had been less than a week, so she decided to go home early then go unpack her bag. 

The Isolation Experiment

Chapter I – The Isolation Experiment

The Isolation Experiment was a famous scientific test in which 5 humans were placed in large, white boxes with a chair, a bed, and a slot in which they would receive food. The goal was to test what happened if a person didn’t see anyone or anything but the room they were in for a month. To make sure that the subjects could stay active(ish), they would get to walk down the hall and back again.

Out of coincidence, or so they thought, they all met in the same place, at the same time.

Eliza and Maxwell were a mere wall away, yet never saw each other. Both began to lose their minds after a week (“People need people,” Eliza would mutter constantly).

Ally was in the next room from Maxwell, who took an approach to imagine that there were people in the room with her. She would have conversations with air that she was imagining was a person that she created. It was found that she stayed more mentally stable than the rest. Her room was next to Arianna’s, who was just surprisingly good at being alone. She would find a new way to entertain herself in a different way each day. She was the youngest of the group, being 19 at the time.

Anthony was in the first room to the right (next to Arianna), and from the first day, he tried to find a way that he could find a loophole in the experiment so that he could get some new scenery, see another person, or something else like that to maintain his sanity. Thinking about how to do one of these things was actually what kept him from going crazy, until he found out how to do it.

Chapter II – Into the Unknown

Eliza was in the farthest room on the left. Her sister, Lilian, had signed her up without consulting her first, therefore, she didn’t know until three days before the experiment had begun. Without being prepared and by being a “people person,” she fell victim to being alone immediately and began begging through the camera that she forfeit the experiment. After nobody came for a week, she lost hope and sat on her bed all day, every day, except for when she got her meals through the slot in the door and walked down the hall and back every day. She felt as if this would be her life forever, and that she would never see a face again.

That changed when the subjects met.

Maxwell signed himself up, thinking he’d be fine while being isolated from all of humanity, and, like Eliza, let loneliness get the best of him. His room was to the right of Eliza’s. He decided that it was best to just wait for the experiment to end.

Ally decided that she would sign up. She thought that if being put alone in a room would mess with her mind, she would just imagine that she wasn’t alone or that she was somewhere else. The experiment found that she was almost as mentally stable as before the experiment.

Arianna was just bored, and decided that the experiment would help her pass the time. She knew that the experiment would limit what she had to do, so she decided to keep herself busy every day with something else to do in the room.

Anthony was tricked into the experiment as a prank and just accepted to enter it, but he knew that he would do anything he could to escape or find a loophole. That’s exactly what he did. How it went down was that he used his hallway walk to change the experiment’s participants’ walk schedule so that they would all meet in the hallway at the same time. He took an alternate (and half improvised) route to the dry-erase calendar that depicted the subjects’ time in and out of the room, meal times, notes about each participant, etc. He had to find a way to not be seen by any of the lab’s cameras or anyone in the building. He erased the calendar so that everyone would be out of their rooms at the same time. He hurried back to his room and waited for the next day to come when his plan would be put into action.

Anthony’s plan would succeed and all of the experiment participants would meet at the same time, in the same place, and the experiment would be ruined.

Chapter III – Meetup in Hallway 9

The day had started like any other, and every experiment subject woke up at the same moment from a loud alarm through a speaker connected to the camera in each room. At 1:00 p.m. sharp, all of the participants began their walk. Anthony, being closest to the end of the hallway, arrived first to where all of the subjects would meet. He was quickly followed by Arianna, who gasped upon seeing him. “Another human!” she said, delighted.

Ally turned up next and froze before Anthony and Arianna, before slowly approaching them and saying, “… am I hallucinating?… !”

Maxwell was coming next, but Eliza came running from behind them, stopping abruptly when she saw other people. “The hallways are long and I’m the farthest from here… might as well run,” she said when she saw Arianna’s face.

When Maxwell made it to the end of the hall and lifted his head, his eyes widened and he said, “Hello there… ” slowly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, loud alarms sounded from every direction. A voice echoed through the hallway. “MEETUP IN HALLWAY 9!” it screamed continuously.

“Run. My room’s the closest,” said Anthony. Everyone ran to Anthony’s room, went in, and locked the door.

“I guess we’re waiting here, then,” said Ally calmly.

“Guess so,” said Maxwell.

“We have to escape next,” said Anthony.

Chapter IV – The Tile

There were now 5 people in 1 small room with laboratory guards pounding on its locked door. The room didn’t have any openings other than the door, and for obvious reasons, it wouldn’t be the brightest idea to unlock it. There wasn’t anything to break a wall with in the room, so breaking a wall wasn’t possible. Eliza’s description fit perfectly. “Dead end,” she said.

“There must be something that people use to get out of these rooms… other than the door… ” said Eliza before her voice trailed off.

For thirty minutes, the five test subjects searched the room relentlessly for an exit. Maxwell pushed on the walls, Arianna kicked them.

“The floor… ” said Anthony slowly. “There’s a tile in the floor that’s loose. There could be something under it.”

Anthony headed to the corner of the room in which one of the floor tiles was significantly looser than the rest, being easy to pick up. Anthony did so, revealing a gaping hole. The tiles around the one that had been removed fell instantly. The hole seemed bottomless from where Anthony, Ally, Arianna, Eliza, and Maxwell were standing.

“Maybe we should drop something down fir — ” Ally began, but Arianna had already hopped down the hole.

“Is it safe?” bellowed Anthony, but by then, everyone else had stepped off the edge of the hole and was descending into the floor except for him and Eliza.

“Well then, see you at the bottom,” said Eliza before going after the others.

Anthony decided that if everyone else had gone and the guards were nearly through the door, he might as well take the only way out. “Here goes nothing.”

Chapter V – Welcome to Michigan

Anthony fell with a bang in a dark, sewage-like black tunnel. The other four were walking down the hallway it led into (well, Eliza was pretty much running again). Once everyone had made their way to the end of the hall, there was a large door. It took all five of them to open it. There was a large staircase that led to a busy highway. “What now?” asked Arianna.

“We find out where we are,” said Ally steadily. There was a sign about 200 feet away from where Ally was standing so she started walking towards it. The sign read, ‘Welcome to Michigan!’ and that there was a welcome center close by.

“Then let’s head to that welcome center,” said Anthony when he had caught up.

Arianna, Maxwell, Eliza, and Anthony trailed behind Ally to the welcome center in the distance. When they arrived, the people in the welcome center didn’t move. Probably because they were in disheveled, dirty laboratory clothing.

“Welcome to Michigan… ” squeaked a small man behind a large oak desk. Ally stepped forward.

“Look. We need a hotel. Where can we find one?” Ally said.

“The next exit on the highway,” said the man behind the desk nervously.

“Well then, farewell,” said Ally before walking out the door.

Everyone arrived at the hotel an hour later. To the five’s shock, there were a group of reporters eagerly waiting. There was a wave of  shouting from the reporters saying things like, ‘Why did you decide to escape?’ and, ‘How did you get past the laboratory’s guards?’ and, ‘Do you regret your escape?’ and with that, Ally said, “Now we face the media.”

Chapter VI – The Media

When Eliza, Maxwell, Ally, Arianna, and Anthony had been brought to the Michigan Today news tower and offered clean clothing, the questioning began. There were sleek, grey cameras everywhere, and a woman with blonde hair sitting across from the five of them.

“This is Michigan Today News and I’m Olivia Murphy with the five escaped subjects of The Isolation Experiment,” the woman said. “First question,” she said, turning to Anthony. “The Worldwide Laboratory’s cameras saw that the way you escaped was through a hole in your room’s floor. How did you think of checking under a loose tile?”

“Uh — what else were we gonna do?” Anthony responded.

“Next question is for you, Arianna,” said the newscaster carelessly.

Arianna jerked her head upwards upon hearing her name.

“You jumped into the hole first. Why did you do that before even testing it?”

“I guess if there’s a giant hole that seems to have purposely been put there, it must be safe to go down it… ” responded Arianna.

“Next question is for Eliza. Why did you decide to escape with the others?”

“If there are angry guards pounding at my door and an opportunity to get out of an experiment that is torturing me, I’m going to take it, of course,” responded Eliza angrily.

“We have to take a quick commercial break, but we’ll be back with the Isolation Experiment escapees afterwards,” said the newscaster.

Chapter VII – The Isolation Experiment (?)

The Isolation Experiment was a famous scientific test in which 5 humans were placed  in large white boxes with a chair, a bed, and a slot in which they would receive food. The goal was to put the experiment’s subjects into a psychopathic state of mind by isolating them from all other people. Either the scientists would watch them lose their minds… or they’d be a small percentage of the population that would find a way out of the experiment… through a tunnel, a welcome center, a hotel, and a news tower.

But surely, they wouldn’t figure that out.

And even if they did, how could they know it had all been planned? How would they guess that it wasn’t just good luck?

The Lab also had an extraordinary reputation. Nobody would believe that they would set up a fake experiment and have five participants agree to that while actually just mentally torturing them, it was scientists from around the world’s word versus the word of five people with no proof. This “Isolation Experiment” was going to go just as planned. They couldn’t escape.

But could they?

Chapter VIII – About the Lab…

Everything went wrong for the scientists at The Worldwide Laboratory. Their 5 test subjects were informed about the criminal plan and that there were phone calls, secret letters, and camera records proving it. They were told by an investigator that had become involved in the case. It had been in the airport that they were all set to depart back to their homes from.

“About the Lab… ” the investigator started. “… it was all a plan. They wanted to watch you all lose your minds.”

Arianna gasped slightly, but in a way, that suggested that she knew that what was said was true all along.

“They made the hole purposely… but tried to make it look like it just so happened to be there… ” Eliza said softly, apparently deep in thought, eyes staring blankly ahead.

“I could tell that it was all fake a bit… ” Maxwell began. “… but I told myself that it couldn’t be… at least it couldn’t be happening to me.”

There was an uncomfortable silence, with no sounds but the bustling of the airport in the background.

“When we all found each other at the end of that hallway, they must’ve known that we might have the wit to escape,” said Ally blankly.

“Or perhaps they made the hole for themselves to escape in case they were found out and if the lab was raided,” added Maxwell. “Anyone’s guess, honestly.”

The people in charge of The Isolation Experiment were all arrested on the spot. It was one of the most shocking scandals the world had seen at that time.

Chapter IX – The Farewell

All five of them rushed to their planes to return home, but not one of them thought that it would be the last time, because who knew what would happen next to The Isolation Experiment Escapees. They were now considered as celebrities all around the world. Their story would be told over and over, the wondrous story of The Isolation Experiment.

The Little Mushroom

One day, there was a little mushroom. This mushroom wasn’t like any other mushroom. At night, on every full moon, it would turn into a person that was neither black nor white, it was neither a boy nor a girl. If the mushroom wore a dress, it would be identified as a girl, if the mushroom wore basketball shorts with a shirt, it would be identified as a boy. The mushroom would also be granted unexplainable powers. These powers had the power to control anything it wished. It also had the power to read minds. There was only one rule to these powers. That rule was: never look at the moon. If the mushroom were to look at the moon, then the whole human race would be doomed. The mushroom would turn into a giant that wasn’t a human, but at the same time, it wasn’t a monster. It would just be a big giant that wouldn’t harm the human race but, because most of the human race is scared of what they don’t understand, they would try to kill the mushroom. That would make the mushroom mad, which would then lead to the destruction of Earth.

Finding the Banana Tree

Chapter 1: Obstacle Course 

There once was a monkey who wanted a banana so he went on an adventure.

On his search for his banana, he discovered an obstacle course. He had to swing vine to vine to go over a pond. So he jumped on the vines until some alligators came. “If you don’t make it through this obstacle course, you’re dinner for us!” 

And now the monkey was scared. So he had to go fast and he had to face his fear. 

The alligators followed him so that if he fell, they could catch him in their mouths. But he got through the obstacle course so the alligators didn’t have anything to eat. 

The next part of the obstacle course was pretty hard. He had to go through a maze but there were cheetahs in it! The monkey had to make sure he didn’t bump into any of them. He just had to try. So he went through the maze and then he bumped into a cheetah. He ran away, but while he was running, he found an exit. But then there was another cheetah! Both of the cheetahs bumped into each other and the monkey got out of the maze. The cheetahs were dizzy and mad that they didn’t get to eat the monkey. 

Then, the monkey had to jump on some hippos without getting eaten. The monkey jumped and he jumped and he jumped until he almost got chomped. He got away with only  a scratch. He finished that obstacle course. He found a banana but it wasn’t a regular banana. it was a golden banana! So he went back home and tried to eat his banana. But when he bit the gold banana, his teeth fell out. He felt sad. And he still felt hungry. 

Chapter 2: A Bad Day

Monkey had a bad day to start off with. He woke up hungry because he didn’t eat anything the day before. He decided to ask for help from his friend, Pete the Parrot. Since Pete could fly, Monkey had a great idea. He’d ask Pete to fly high and search the land for bananas. Monkey started to go to Pete the Parrot’s house. On his way to Pete’s house, he met a lemur who looked sad. Monkey asked the lemur, “Why are you sad?” 

Lemur said because she had no friends. 

Monkey invited her to come with him to Pete the Parrot’s house. Monkey asked the lemur her name.

“My name is Leah, what’s your name?” 

“My name is Miles,” said Monkey. 

They continued walking to Pete’s house. When they arrived at Pete’s house, Pete was outside planting tomatoes. 

Miles told him about not finding any bananas yesterday. He also told him about an obstacle course he discovered and how he was almost eaten by the alligators, cheetahs, and hippos. After surviving the other animals, he had found a golden banana. “I thought the banana was a real banana,” Miles said. “I bit it and my teeth fell out. It was a solid gold banana.”

So Pete agreed to fly over the jungle in search of bananas. After two hours, Pete returned with his findings. Pete said, “I found a tree with a lot of bananas, but it’s going to be dangerous  to get there.”

Miles said, “Fine, I’m not scared, because I’m brave and I want those bananas!” 

Chapter 3: Off to the Tree

So Miles, Leah, and Pete all headed into the jungle but first they took something to protect themselves from the predators. They gathered some sticks and rocks. Miles, Pete, and Leah went on an adventure to the tree. They were walking through the jungle being led by Pete. Pete was flying  ahead and told them to take a big blue palm tree. They got to the palm tree and a panther jumped out. 

The panther said, “This is my land, who are you? What are you doing here?” 

They felt a scared little wiggle in their tummies like butterflies. 

Miles said, “We’re on an adventure to a banana tree of bananas? I’m very hungry, I didn’t eat yesterday. My friend, Pete, found this tree.” 

Panther then said, “Well, if you promise to bring me back some bananas, I will let you go.” 

Miles agreed to the deal and they kept walking on the path to the banana tree. As they kept walking, Pete told them to take a right turn, so they took the right. Pete did not see the pool of snakes waiting in the path. Miles and Leah were freaked out when they saw the poisonous snakes. Leah said, “We have to find a way to get over these snakes.” 

Then Miles said, “We can swing from vine to vine, like I did yesterday during the obstacle course.”

As they swung from vine to vine, the snakes began to spring at them to bite their legs. Pete yelled, “Faster, faster!” 

Miles and Leah yelled back, “We’re trying but it’s so hard with snakes below us!” 

Miles and Leah made it across the snakes. “Whew, we made it.” 

Miles asked Pete, “Are we almost there? I want to eat the bananas, I’m hungry.”

Pete said, “We’re almost there.” 

Chapter 4: See You Again

Pete saw the tree and yelled, “I see the tree!”

Miles and Leah started dancing because they are so happy. Then, the cheetahs popped out and said, “Hello, Miles, nice to see you again.”

Leah said, “Who are these guys?” 

“I met them in the obstacle course I told you about,” said Miles. “They tried to eat me.” 

“Yes,” the cheetah said, “but this time, you will be our dinner.” 

Then the cheetahs yelled, “Attack!”

Pete started to drop rock on the cheetahs, while Miles poked them with the sticks. The cheetahs then fell to the ground and said,

“We surrender, please stop poking us with the sticks, and tell your friend to stop throwing rocks.” 

So Miles, Leah, and Pete stopped their attack. The cheetah moved out of the way and let them pass. 

Chapter 5: Finally

Finally, they arrived at the tree and took as much as they could carry. Miles said, “We can’t forget panther.” 

So they collected bananas for panther, too. After collecting the bananas, they headed home. On their way home, they stopped at a panther’s house and dropped off his bananas. They thanked him for letting them pass his land. Once they got to Miles’ house, they had dinner. Their dinner, of course, was bananas. Then Pete the Parrot said,

“I have to go back home to finish planting my tomatoes.” 

Miles said, “Ok, goodbye, and thanks for showing us where the bananas were.” Miles said to Leah, “If you want to stay here with me, you can.”

Leah said, “Ok, I would love to stay with you.” 

Crazy About Computers

Chapter 1: New Computer

“A new computer!?” shouted Veronica. 

When she found a new computer had been delivered to her dad, she got really excited, even if it wasn’t her computer. Her dad had worked from home, because her mom was the president of the U.S., so she was too busy to take care of Veronica.

“I can’t wait for my new computer,” said Veronica. 

“Really, it’s Daddy’s computer, Veronica,” Veronica’s mom said. “I won’t get you one if you won’t go to school.”

Her extended family was from England, but a month ago, they had moved to America. They had a cat and his name was Strike. Veronica named her cat Strike because a few years ago, when Veronica competed in bowling, her cat helped her win. 

“I need a new computer,” shouted Veronica. “I need it to order my new manicure set because in two weeks there is a birthday party, and I have to look my best!”

Her mom said, “If you want people in your class to like you, you have to go to school, that’s the only way!” 

Veronica got persuaded immediately. “But does that mean you will get me a new computer?” Veronica asked. 

“Yes!” her mom said, annoyed. Since her mom was distracted, she was late for work, as the president. So she got so mad at Veronica, that she said, “For dinner, I can’t cook your favorite pasta, this time. Just make a sandwich for dinner tonight, maybe next week if I have time, I can make the pasta for you, if you don’t distract me.” 

Veronica’s younger brother, Dylan, said, “You are so irresponsible! You are late for everything, again.” Whenever Veronica had arguments, she became late for school. 

Chapter 2: A Day At School

In the morning, Veronica had slept in, so she had eaten on the bus. 

“But Mom could get me an alarm,” she snapped. 

Her mom said, “Now get on the bus, you are not going to get me late again.” 

Veronica got on the bus, and was actually allowed to use her mom’s MetroCard. Veronica did not like school. When she arrived, some other girls whispered about her, and Veronica was pretty sure it was rumors about her and her mom since she was the president’s daughter and the dad was owner of the most famous restaurant. Most other girls in her school were jealous that she was a celebrity and her mom was the president and the other kids’ parents weren’t. They all did not want Veronica to know that they were jealous. Veronica’s teacher was also from England. When school was over, Veronica got to know her classmates better. She was happy. 

“Mom will finally get me a computer! I am so excited! I can do so many other things other than ordering my new manicure set!”

When Veronica got on the school bus, she actually had someone who could talk to her and actually, since that friend was pretty popular, she said that all of the girls on the bus would be able to play a game. Veronica was so excited that she actually had friends because before, she was not invited to any of the games.

Chapter 3: Sick!

Veronica talked about the whole school day to her dad because her mom was nowhere to be seen. “Where is mom?” Veronica asked. 

 “Mom is sick so she is in your room relaxing.” 

“Will I still be able to get my new computer?” Veronica said excitedly. 

“I am sorry, but she is the president, so she needs all the rest she can get so she can get back to work.” 

Veronica asked if her dad could get her a computer, but he was always doing things and didn’t have so much time to just order stuff. “Now to not be bored, how about you play with Dylan for a little while or you can play on your iPad,” said Veronica’s dad. 

Veronica would always choose to play on her iPad because whenever she tried playing with Dylan, he always made excuses, telling her he had to do something else, like make dinner. 

When Veronica was heading to her room, she passed by Dylan and he said, “Did you know that mom is sick?”

“Of course I know because that means I don’t get a computer, even though today on the bus some other girl invited me to play a game with some other friends! But I can’t get a computer because mom is sick,” Veronica aggressively said. 

“Then use mine!” Dylan said. Veronica gasped.

Chapter 4: Dylan’s Computer 

“You have a computer!?” shouted Veronica. 

Then Dylan automatically pulled Veronica over to his room and showed her it on his desk. Veronica was never really allowed in Dylan’s room but today she was allowed. She was super confused that Dylan had a computer because she didn’t know. She became super jealous. She was screaming inside her head. Her hands were in fists. 

“How could Mom not get me a computer, and get Dylan one? It’s not fair.” 

“Mom is sick, and she has so much work to do, until she gets you one, you can use mine. But you have to wipe every key that you touched after every single use. I want it SUPER neat,” Dylan said.

Dylan downloaded all sorts of video games, his screen was covered with them, and he used so much money to buy the games. 

Veronica then threatened to tell on Dylan, but Dylan said, “You can’t use my computer ever again, if you tell on me.” 

Veronica sighed. “I won’t tell if you let me play your games WITHOUT complaining.” 

“I have a perfect streak on all of them, besides, don’t you have a huge test tomorrow? You should study.”

Veronica asked him if she was saying all this to her so that she wouldn’t go on his computer anymore, and so she wouldn’t tell on him, and he nervously laughed and said, “No,” looking at the floor.

Veronica went to her room, and started texting her friends about how unfair it was to not get a computer. She and her friend, Caroline, got in a fight because her friend bragged that she had three new types of computers, and Veronica had none. Veronica got so mad, and her friend texted her not to sit next to her, or play games with her.

Chapter 5: Caroline Ignores For The Day

In the morning, Veronica left the house earlier because she wanted to make up with Caroline, and she knew that her ex-friend came to school super early to exercise at school. Veronica was going to say bye to her dad, and complain that Dylan got a computer and she didn’t. 

“Do you understand that Mom is sick and needs to go back to work soon, so she has to rest? Before, when Dylan got his computer, Mom was not sick, so she ordered one for Dylan. When Mom feels better, I promise she will get you a computer, too. And if you want to go to school, then you have to stop asking questions and eat,” said her dad. 

When Veronica was at her school, she saw Caroline and said, “I really want to make up!” 

“Is it because you just want friends? You are so lonely!” Caroline teased. 

Veronica was now not so sure about being friends with Caroline after all. Now Veronica realized that Caroline was the most popular girl at school for no reason because she was absolutely mean!  

“Caroline, I don’t have a computer because my mom is sick and I think that you know that my mom is the president so she has to rest the most so she can get back to work,” said Veronica.

“What about your dad? I thought you said you have a great dad that cares about you so much. If your dad cares about you so much, then why can’t he order it for you?” Caroline said meanly. Her eyes squinted at Veronica, her hand on her hips. “And anyways, I can’t even believe I am even talking to you? You are so snooty and I think that’s why no one wants to be your friend. I am going to tell everyone in the school to not even try to be your friend because you are not likable.” 

At math, Caroline did not sit next to Veronica. Veronica could not even pay attention in  class. “This is all your fault,” said Veronica to Caroline. 

“Can I have one of the school computers?” Veronica asked the teacher.

“Don’t you have your own to use? And no way you can have one, because we need them for students who don’t have access to computers at home, and besides, we already have a shortage of computers,” Mrs Jones, Veronica’s teacher, said. 

Then Veronica thought of a plan: to sneak into the classroom at midnight and get a computer. She was sure that she would return the computer after she ordered the manicure set, but then she remembered that Caroline told everyone in the class that no one should talk to her. She frowned, but there were other things that were fun that Veronica could do on the computer. She wanted to get back at Caroline, she wanted to play a prank — put a water balloon in Caroline’s locker so that when Caroline opened it in the morning, it would make her wet for being so mean! Hopefully, she wouldn’t get caught! Veronica thought this was the perfect plan.

Chapter 6: The Plan 

She knew her parents were watching TV, and had fallen asleep on the couch. She decided to climb out of her window. She pushed the window open, and it creaked. She climbed onto the roof, swung onto the gutter, and landed on her feet with a thud. First, she went to the water fountain and filled the balloon up with water. There was only one problem, every locker had a code! Caroline would pick something that was very not obvious, Veronica thought. She stomped her foot and didn’t even think about being too noisy. She said to herself, I need to figure out what Caroline’s very secret code is.  But she didn’t need to figure it out! Veronica was overthinking about the plan. When Veronica realized that she did not need to figure out what the code was, she heard some footsteps. Veronica said to herself, I can’t run because it would be too easy to hear the footsteps of me while I am running. Veronica had to think fast but she did not have any time so her only choice was to run! She brought the balloon, and since Veronica took rock climbing classes, she was able to climb out the window in five seconds, and her plan had been a failure.

Chapter 7- Planning Plan B

Dylan always snuck into Veronica’s room at midnight and didn’t see Veronica, so he shouted and Veronica’s parents were all freaked out that Veronica was not in her room sleeping, so when Veronica came back they were so relieved. 

“Where were you? We all were so worried! Why did you even sneak out at night?” Veronica’s mom said. 

“I was just getting my project from school, that I was working on this past week, it’s worth 40 percent of my grade, and is due tomorrow, so I was freaking out!” Veronica lied. 

“You could ask me to drive you, don’t scare me like that again. Next time, just don’t do it in the middle of the night. Okay?” Her mom said relieved, and sighed. 

Then Veronica went back to her room, and was exhausted. I can’t fail to pull the prank, Caroline should get what she deserves, she thought. I’ll wake up super early tomorrow morning to plan this,  Veronica thought to herself. She set her alarm that was technically for Dylan but Veronica stole it from him, for 5:30, and then when it rang, she started immediately planning and looking at the blueprints of the school, so she wouldn’t fail again. 

Chapter 8: New Girl At School

 When Veronica was just done planning the plan, she quickly turned off the lights and hid her plans and snuggled under her covers and fell asleep again. Since Veronica fell asleep again, no one would know that she had woken up at 5:30 to plan. Dylan woke Veronica up and Veronica couldn’t take her mind off her plan that she had planned. Veronica’s dad had made eggs and pancakes, and then Veronica was not late for the school bus, so she did not have to ride the public bus.

Veronica had memorized everyone on her school bus, and then she had realized that there was someone new, she looked pretty shy. All the seats were taken. Caroline and Veronica were living in the same neighborhood, so they took the school bus together. So Veronica could not sit anywhere, but there was one more seat next to Caroline! Caroline refused for Veronica to sit next to her but all of a sudden, the new girl said to Caroline,

“She can sit wherever she wants!”

That new girl, Shelby, was shy, but the master of standing up for others.  Veronica had made friends with Shelby immediately. They sat next to each other at lunch, and since they were starting to become good friends, Veronica told Shelby about the plan. They decided that Shelby would be able to be part of the plan because she helped make it 100% accurate. Shelby would get the computer and Veronica would pull the prank on Caroline.

Chapter 9: Rebels

In after-school, Shelby and Veronica were both in rock climbing class so they chatted about the plan the whole time. 

“So remember, set an alarm or anything to help you remember to wake you up at 12:00. I am using my little brother’s alarm, who is in 3rd grade, because I actually don’t have one. So you got it?” Veronica said. Veronica was a little embarrassed that she told Shelby that she did not have an alarm. 

“I promise that I won’t tell anyone,” Shelby said.  

When it was midnight, the alarm rang loudly and woke Veronica up, Shelby stayed awake until 12:00 because she wanted to make back-up plans. Then exactly at 12:00, both of them went to school and met each other in the corridor. 

“So remember: the computers are in the classroom, so get one, but if you want one too, then you can get one for yourself, and I am going to be pulling the prank on Caroline,” Veronica whispered. 

“Here’s a flashlight for you. I have my own,” Shelby said as she was pulling out the flashlights out of her mini backpack. 

Veronica said, “Well lets hope our plan works. If you hear any footsteps, then hide under the table in the classroom, and I will hide in the other classroom right across from Caroline’s locker. Okay?” 

“Got it,” Shelby said. 

Then Shelby got the computers and Veronica pulled the prank, and it worked! They headed home with the computers and Veronica was super tired and excited that she forgot to hide the computer. So, when Dylan snuck in Veronica’s room while she was sleeping, he spotted the computer from school and was going to immediately tell her parents, but he already woke Veronica up.

 She said, “Go away.” But Dylan already told Veronica’s parents. They looked very confused about the computer. 

“How did you get the computer from school to here?” they said. 

Veronica did not want to tell the truth so she said, “Dylan stole it from the school then did not want to get in trouble so he put it in my room!”   

“Really, you are going to blame me?” said Dylan. 

“Let’s discuss this tomorrow because it is so late,” Veronica’s parents said angrily.

Chapter 10: Caught Red Handed!

It was good that Veronica’s mom was not sick anymore so she always went to work super early, and her dad always just quickly made breakfast and then went back to his room where he worked. So Veronica did not have to talk about the computer. Veronica quickly ate breakfast and hopped on the bus and sat right next to Shelby. 

“I am so excited at the prank,” Shelby whispered. 

Then when they arrived at school, the principal had called them into his office. “I heard, Veronica, that you were Crazy about computers! They were missing this morning, but there last night, when the janitors checked.”

The vice principal said, “Let’s check the security cameras to see who stole them! I mean, they were probably stolen!” 

Veronica gulped, her palms were so sweaty, she had to keep rubbing them on her jeans. Shelby kept glancing nervously between the principal and Veronica. They checked the security cameras to find Veronica and Shelby, both in black hoodies and leggings to blend in. 

The vice principal asked with a harsh tone, “Where are the computers? This is really bad, you can end up a huge fine, and we have to tell your parents!” The Vice Principal exclaimed. “Whether you are the president’s daughter or not, it doesn’t matter!” 

Chapter 11: Making Mistakes 

“We are so sorry!” Shelby said.  

“We just wanted a computer and we will definitely make sure that we will return it by this morning because we know we felt bad!” Veronica said. 

Shelby begged, “Please don’t tell our parents, because we are so sorry!” The principle forgave Veronica and Shelby, but he was still going to tell their parents. 

When Veronica’s dad found out that Veronica had stolen the computers, he was upset but understood why. He said, “You have to be patient because your mom is really busy because she is president and I have to take care of you and work! I can’t even believe that you stole the computers from school! Just because you really want to get a computer, it really does not mean that you can steal it from school with your friend. I will get you a computer some time.” 

“You are going to get me a computer? I am so excited! You are the best dad ever! It’s gotta be perfect,” Veronica said excitedly.

Chapter 12: Getting the Computer

Then Veronica waited and waited, and when her birthday came, she got a new computer! 

“A new computer?! I can’t believe I have a new computer. This is so exciting but I can’t order the manicure set that I was going to order for the birthday party but I can download some games and order other cool things and I will have so much fun! Thank you so much! I love this new computer so much! You are the best parents ever,” said Veronica.

And the prank that Veronica had done was a success. Caroline got all wet when she opened her locker and no one had known that it was Veronica’s fault except Shelby and Veronica. Veronica was so happy because she finally got her new computer!  “YAY!”

Mercy’s New Place

Chapter One: The Introduction 

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mercy. She wanted to go to a different place. She wanted to go to England, where her mom and dad lived. Before she took the plane, Mercy asked her friends if they wanted to go with her. Five of her friends said yes, and five said no. She went to her house and took some pants, t-shirts, sneakers, shorts, winter shoes, and more. When her friends were packing, she thought of all the things she could do in England.

Chapter Two: Leaving for England 

They took their stuff and left to go to the plane. In the meantime, they watched TV and movies. They watched Toy Story, WALL-E, and lots more. When they got there, they went to their house. Mercy went to hers and her friends lived in a different place in the apartment.

Chapter Three: Meeting her Parents 

Mercy went to the apartment, went to the house, got the keys, and opened the door. She saw her parents. She hugged them. “Long time no see,” said her parents. 

They went to sit for lunch (it was lunch in England). 

After they ate, they watched a movie. 

Mercy said, “I brought my friends, they’re in a different room but in the same apartment!” 

Mercy’s dad said, “Why? We want to see only see you.” 

Mercy said, “They were not coming to our apartment. They’re just visiting, what’s the problem?” “You can’t make them leave?” asked her dad.

“No,” said Mercy. “I don’t understand, why do you want them to leave?”

 Her dad said, “Because I explained: we want to be with you by ourselves.”

 “I won’t make them leave, sorry, they’re my friends,” said Mercy. 

Chapter Four: Angry Everyone 

Mercy told her parents she couldn’t. She left the living room and went to her room. She cried. Her hands were under her forehead, and she felt the teardrops on her soft coat. She sat on the chair. She decided to go to her friends. 

She said, “I have to make a plan because I want to sneak without my parents seeing me.”

Chapter Five: The Plan 


1. Tiptoe across the room

2. Hide underneath the table and wait until everyone goes

3. Go next to the corner of the room 

4. Go next to the door 

5. Take a bag, put everything needed inside 

6. Make a plan for how to tell friends in the hallway 

7. Get ready for the sneak 

Chapter Six: The Sneak 

Mercy remembered what to do. She took a deep breath, reached into her bag, and looked at the first step and she tiptoed across the room. She looked at the next thing. She hid underneath the table and waited for everyone to go. She went to the third step, then she went to the corner of the room and she looked at the fourth step: go next to the door. She went next to the door and the fifth step was to take the bag and put everything that she needed inside. The sixth step was to make a plan for how to tell her friends to go. She took paper out of her bag and she started to write how she’d tell her friends. The seventh step was to get ready to sneak. She took a deep breath and went to her first friend.

Chapter Seven: The Showing and the Telling

She took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Mercy heard a loud thud after she knocked. 

Her friend said, “What’s going on, Mercy? Having fun?” 

“Yes,” she said. “But I have something to tell you.”

“Ok, what?” her friend said.

“Let’s go into your house.”

“Ok,” said her friend, not knowing what was wrong. They went. They heard another loud thud. Mercy still did not know what it was. 

Isabelle, who was her friend, told her, “Ok, what’s wrong?” 

Mercy took a deep reach into her purple bag and started talking. “Hi, Isabelle, my friend. I know this is hard for you, I had a discussion with my parents and they screamed all they could. I told them I can’t make this happen. They told me I had to. I cried in my room so much and I realized this is for the best. I know this is a big translation. I’ll catch you one. I am asking you, please with a cherry on top: can you go back to Spain, please?”
Isabelle asked, “Is there any other way?”

“I’ll go check.” She called her mom. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi,” her mom said. 

“Is there any other way for my friends not to go?” 

“I’m sorry,” said her mom. “No, there is no other way. I wish there were.” 

“Ok, thanks mom,” said Mercy. 

“Bye bye,” said her mom. 

Mercy talked to her friend. “I’m so sorry, this is for the best.”

“Is anyone else except me coming back?” 

“Everyone,” said Mercy. 

Isabelle said, “Can you catch me a flight?” 

“Sure,” said Mercy. 

“Ok,” said Isabelle. 

Chapter Eight: Second Bye Bye

She went to her other friend. She told her the same thing (“Hi, Rachel, my friend. I know this is hard for you, I had a discussion with my parents and they screamed all they could. I told them I can’t make this happen. They told me I had to. I cried in my room so much and I realized this is for the best. I know this is a big translation. I’ll catch you one. I am asking you, please with a cherry on top: can you go back to Spain, please?”). Rachel said, “Ok.” 

And all her friends went back to Spain. 

Chapter Nine: The Problem

Mercy went to her house. She suddenly realized the door was locked. She tried knocking and she looked under the door. There was a mouse. 

Mercy said, “Huh, Mouse, can you help?” She did not expect the mouse to speak. 

He said, “Of course, what do you want me to do?” 

Mercy said, “Can you go under the door and take the keys from my dad?” But before he answered, she said, “I’ll call him.” She called him but he did not answer. She called her mom. No answers. 

“Can you take the keys from my dad and bring them to me?” Mercy asked. 

“Sure!” said the mouse. He went under the little crack and went to Mercy’s dad and jumped on him and grabbed the keys and went to Mercy. 

The mouse said, “Here they are!” 

“Thanks!” said Mercy. She took out a piece of paper and she planned how to sneak. She wrote down this…

Chapter Ten: The Plan 

She wrote down the same thing when she got out of the house, then she went inside and went to her room silently. 

Chapter 11: Apologize 

When she went inside, she heard a creak of opening the door. She saw her mom. 

Her mom asked, “Where have you been?” 

Mercy did not know what to say. 

She said, “At a restaurant.” She did not want anyone to know where she had been. 

“What did you eat?” her mom asked. 

“Macaroni and cheese,” Mercy said. 

“Cool! About that, I’m sorry we told you to not be with your friends, you have so many friends you should be with.” 

Mercy told her mom to go. She quickly called her friends. “I’m sorry for you going back and forth, back and forth. If any of you want to come back to England, you could come back.” 

She was mad at herself.

Chapter 12: No Fun with Lies!

Mercy called her mom, and told her all about where she was. Her mom was angry she lied. 

“Why did you lie? You could have told the truth. I would not be mad at you.” 

Mercy said sorry. 

“Next time, tell the truth.”

“Ok,” said Mercy.

Chapter 13: The Flight Back to Spain 

After a week of being there with her friends, she went back to Spain. She said bye to her mom and dad and went on the plane. She played games, watched movies, and when she got back, she told all her friends how much fun she’d had. She went back to school and told all of the teachers how much fun she’d had. She told the class how much fun she’d had.

Chapter 14: The End

And she lived happily ever after. The end.

Hair to Fire, Fire to Hair

Hair to fire, fire to hair,

Is that truly, really fair?

Look at those fancy candles at the restaurant,

I better bend over, ‘cause I think I see a croissant.

Now it’s hair to fire, fire to hair,

Is that truly, really fair?

Now lets pretend its not even there,

‘Cause it’s hair to fire, fire to hair.

Look at that fancy tablecloth,

Bend over to slurp up, with your mouth, some broth.

Mama is screaming,

“I’m sorry, I know that’s not polite.”

And then I realize that the tablecloth is alight.

‘Cause it’s hair to tablecloth, tablecloth to hair.

Is that truly, really fair?

City of the Forgotten People

Introduction: Katherine Smith

I’m in a forest, a canopy of trees covers me from the pelting rain. The wind whistles in my ears and tousles my hair. I feel calm and free, yet there’s something unsettling about this place.

To my left is a hill rising up to about 40 ft. It is covered in cruncy, brown grass and wilting flowers. At the top of the hill is a lone tree. It is being pulled in a tug of war between falling & staying upright. 

To my right is a vast extent of forest & greenery. Behind me, there is more forest. 

Ahead of me is a large building with a tower on one side. I take a small step forward. Suddenly, the wind picks up & it somehow rains even harder. The small tree on the hill snaps as an unexpected bolt of lightning hits it on the trunk. Slowly, a figure silhouetted against the horizon comes into view from over the hill. He or she, I can’t tell, walks hurriedly towards me.

“Go,” a deep voice bellows from the darkness. “Go & run, it’s coming for you. Go, hurry.” This time, the voice is higher. I recognize it, it’s my mom’s.

Chapter 1: Katherine Smith                                                                    

I wake up when I fall out of my bed. It hurts, but it at least wakes me from my nightmare. I look around. I’m in my bed, or at least next to it. There is no wind blowing & I can’t see that creepy person anymore. Although, I can still hear that voice.       

“Go, hurry, it’s coming for you.” Suddenly, Mom bursts in through the door. “Go, hurry, the school bus, you’ll be late.” 

 I jump up from the uncomfortable wood floor of my room and, as my mom leaves, close the door behind her.

 I fling open my closet door and grab the first thing I see; jeans, an old, faded t-shirt that used to be my older sister’s, & some tennis shoes. I get dressed and then head to the bathroom.

 I look at myself in the mirror. I’m a relatively short girl with bronze eyes and perfect, gleaming, white teeth. Most people say I’m pretty but some people say I’m special. Grandma says it’s my eyes. “There’s something about them, sugar plum,” she always says. My dad says it’s my hair. He says my mom’s special, too. 

I run down the hall & into the kitchen. There, Mom has laid out my breakfast & is now in as much of a hurry as me. “Bye, Mom,” I call as I grab two blueberry scones (one for someone special), and race out the door.

“Wait!” Mom calls after me. “Don’t forget this.” I turn around just in time to catch the backpack hurdling at me. 

“Bye!” I call. (Hopefully for the last time.)

I see the bus starting to pull away from the curb & in one last attempt not to miss it, throw a book at it. I miss it completely. I guess extra P.E. isn’t paying off. 

Well, I might as well ask Mom to drive me… again. As I walk back towards my blue & black two-story house, I take one last look at the school bus pulling away into oncoming traffic & freeze in mid-step. 

The bus driver must have seen me because she stops the bus stops & pulls it back to the curb. She rolls down the driver side window & calls, “You’re lucky I’m used to this, Ms. Smith, otherwise you would have been late”. 

“Thank you, Mrs. T,” I reply gratefully. I hand her one of the scones. 

“No one is quite like you, Katherine.” She sighs. The bus pulls away from the curb for the last time with me safely aboard. Not with my book, though.

I head towards the back of the bus, looking for a specific person. “Kat!” calls a familiar voice. 

“Peyton!” I feel like shouting, instead, I just walk calmly towards her & sit in the seat next to her. 

Peyton is an average height twelve-year-old. She has shoulder-length blonde hair, muscular body, & a dazzling smile. Peyton Bell is my best friend & has been since third grade even though we are total opposites. She is outgoing, I’m a little shy. I’m very smart, she is… well… she focuses on things like sports. 

We only have one thing in common; we have a nemesis, Arthur Morris. Peyton has a nickname for him, Slime Ball. Peyton is incredibly athletic & could beat Arthur in a fight any day. Not that she would, she follows rules. 

When we are about halfway to school, we feel a kick on the back of our seats. I groan in frustration & Peyton spins around, holding my book high over her head. “Hey, where did you get that”? I ask. 

“Oh, this?” asks Peyton, holding out the book. “When you threw it, you didn’t miss completely, it just didn’t hit the bus. Instead, it kind of went by my window that happened to be open. I caught it. You can have it, if you want.” 

“Please!” I reply, grabbing the book.

 There is another kick on our seats. An annoying voice says, “Hey, girls.” Arthur says the word like it tastes bad on his tongue. “I bet Kat over here will miss the bus tomorrow.” 

“Be quiet, Slime Ball,” says Peyton. “Or I’ll punch your teeth out.” 

“No, you won’t.” He shakes his head disapprovingly, as if daring her to. He’s right, Peyton would never touch him, let alone hurt him. 

Arthur returns his attention to whatever he was doing before he annoyed us. Peyton turns to me. “The nerve of him!” 

At least we won’t get bothered for the rest of the ride. I think.

Chapter 2: Katherine Smith

I groan as our math teacher drones on & on about division. “… opposite of multiplication… 124 divided by 4… ”               

It’s not that I hate math, it’s just that this teacher, Mr. Jones, makes it hard to like. Not only is it boring, but we learned division in fourth grade. This is why we call Mr. Jones, Mr. Drones.

My desk is next to the window. This window is all that keeps me from falling asleep. It’s too bright. Peyton sits behind me. It’s easier to pass notes without getting caught. In front of me is an empty desk. Next to me is a girl named Louissa Keene. She is one of those people who is always in everyone’s business.  

Louissa is nice enough, even if she’s a smart aleck. She seems to know most of the people in our big school. I wonder if she knows who Peyton & I are. Even though we sit less than 10 feet away from her, she has never once looked our way. 

I’m drifting off when the bell rings! Free, free, free! I think. Then I realize it’s the lunch bell. I groan & look at Peyton. She also groans & has a defeated look on her face. 

Peyton, my fellow classmates, & I walk out of the classroom in what is probably supposed to be a line but that looks more like a blob. We sixth graders are too cool for lines.

Today, Peyton brings her usual lunch, a ham & cheese sandwich with a caesar salad from the school salad bar. I have a blueberry smoothie and a hard-boiled egg. Peyton calls her lunch, “The usual.” I call my lunch… well, actually, I don’t call my lunch anything. Peyton is weird. 

As we settle down & start eating, I decide to tell Peyton about my dream. She may be a little weird, but she is a very loyal best friend. 

“Hey, Peyton, can I tell you something?” I ask. 

“It better not be about Natalie cracking your phone again,” she smiles, “because you know I’m not beating her up for you. She scares me, you know.” Natalie is my 16-year-old sister. She looks exactly like me, except she has three ear piercings. 

“No,” I say flatly. “This is not about Natalie, it’s about me.” 

“Really? That’s a first.”

“Look,” I say, wanting to get to the point, “last night, I had a dream… ” I tell her the whole story, and when I’m done, Peyton is not laughing, she is not even smiling. 

I look at her. “Well?” I ask. She looks like she just saw a ghost. 

“Ummm, Kat, what will you say if… ” 

“What!” I urge. 

“What will you say if I tell you that I also had that dream last night.” 

“I’d say you’re yanking my chain.” 

“And what if I’m not yanking your chain.” My mouth hangs open. I can tell, Peyton isn’t lying.

Chapter 3: Peyton Bell

It’s 4:00 PM & Kat & I are at my house. Mom drove us over here when school let out. Kat & I barely talked all day but now we are determined to get this whole “dream thing” sorted out. We go to the living room & throw ourselves on the couch; me lying on it belly up & Kat dangling over the edge. 

Even though it’s my house, Kat comes here so often that it’s practically like she has two houses. My house is considerably larger than Kat’s house, even if Kat has more people living in her house than I do. I have more siblings than her. They are in college right now, two twins, Allie & Monica, who just started, & Justin, who would be done but wants to become a doctor.  

“So, Peyton, what’s the deal with this?” asks Kat.

My first instinct is to say: “I’m sure there is an explanation for this.” Instead, I say, “Kat, there is something really weird going on, I know it’s not normal. I researched it on my phone on the bus & nothing came up explaining it.” 

“Okay, we just need to think. Was what I told you the exact same as what you experienced?”

“Exact, word for word, the same,” I tell her. 

“Wait.” She speaks so suddenly that she falls off the couch, her backpack hitting her on the head. When she climbs back on the couch, she has an excited look on her face. “We could ask around the school to see if anyone also had that dream.” I wanted to say that it was too risky, but when Katherine Smith has an idea, she will rarely back down. 

“It might be too risky, but maybe if we ask the right people… ” At that moment, the doorbell rings. 

Mom yells, “Can you get that, honey”? 

“Sure,” I yell back. “I wonder who it is,” I say, 

“Maybe the mailman,” Kat says. 

“No,” I reply. “He only comes in the morning, & even if he did, he wouldn’t ring the doorbell.” 

“Well, do you have a better idea?” Kat says, annoyed. 

“It could be a vampire,” I offer.

“Oh please,” Kat says. I run past her & open the door. 

“Who is it?” Kat asks, 

“A vampire,” I say, just to get on her nerves. 

Actually, it’s Arthur. He is standing awkwardly on the porch, the wind is blowing his hair into his eyes. He’s carrying a tray with cookies. “Hi, Slime Ball, what’s with the cookies?” I ask, trying not to look surprised. Never in my life would I expect to find Arthur Morris on my porch. 

“My mom made me bring them.” He looks more miserable than the time he forgot all his lines in the school play. He was considered a loser by all his friends for a week. “She found out I was coming here & made me do it. I really need to talk to you guys, though.” 

“And why would you come here in the first place?” asks Kat. She has recovered from her annoyance & is standing next to me. 

“Trust me, it’s important.” 

I am wary of him, I don’t want to make a fool of myself in my own house. The cookies make me think twice, though, & I let him in.

“So,” I say. “What do you need to tell us?” I sit down in my dad’s favorite chair & Kat sits next to me, on the beanbag chair. My dog, Cinnamon, jumps on her lap. 

Cinnamon & Kat have always had a special relationship. Of course, he loves me too, after all, he is my dog, but they are just really good friends. 

Arthur stands awkwardly in the middle of the living room, looking like when I had first seen him on the porch.

 “Sit,” I say. He does, setting the tray of cookies on his lap. Cinnamon bounds over & sniffs the tray curiously. “Don’t let him get those,” I warn. 

Once we are settled, (and once Cinnamon leaves the room), I cut to the chase. “Now can you please tell us what’s going on here?” 

He does. “I overheard you in the cafeteria, talking about that dream, well, I had that dream, too.” I expected something weird, but this… 

“Oh my gosh,” breathes Kat.

We all sit there in silence, I can hear everyone’s hearts beating. Even Cinnamon, who has poked his head back into the room, has enough sense to know that something strange is going on. He walks into the room, pausing just long enough to sniff the tray of cookies, & plops down on the floor by my feet. 

I decide to break the silence but have no idea what to say. Suddenly, I remember something from my dream. It’s not very vivid, but I know it happened.

 “Did you happen to see a bird in your dream?” I ask them. 

“Not that I remember,” says Kat. 

“Actually, yes,” says Arthur, “A big bird, flying right above me.” 

“Yeah, that’s right. Kat, you really didn’t see it?” 

“Nope.” 

“Interesting,” I respond.

We think for several tense minutes, searching our minds for anything else we can remember. Finally, Kat can’t take it anymore. 

“Are we positive we’re even forgetting anything?” 

“No, nothing,” replies Arthur. 

“Same, I remember everything,” I say. 

“I didn’t say are we positive we aren’t forgetting anything, I said are we positive we are even forgetting anything. We could know everything & we are just not able to connect the dots,” Kat said.

“I suppose — ” I’m interrupted by Arthur. 

“We are all such big idiots. While we’ve been wasting our time trying to figure out all this junk, it’s been right under our noses.” 

I sigh. “What’s been right under our noses, Arthur?” 

“The answer!” He’s really excited now. “I think we are being controlled by Aliens.” 

Chapter 4: Arthur Morris

Katherine & Peyton stare at me like I’m crazy. “… umm,” says Peyton, “you know Aliens aren’t real. Right?” 

“That’s what everyone thinks, but they’re out there alright. I know it.” 

“I think people are secretly testing on us at night,” says Katherine. 

“And you think my idea is stupid,” I mutter. 

“Actually, it’s totally possible,” replies Kat. “It’s just not as likely as my theory.” 

I roll my eyes. There isn’t much I can say to that

Peyton clears her throat. “Do you want to hear my theory?” Before either of us respond, she says, “I think Vampires have something to do with this”. 

“Vampires!?!” I say, alarmed. At the same time, Kat says, 

“What is with all this Vampire stuff!?!” Peyton laughs. 

“Relax. I’m just messing with you guys. Why so on edge?” 

“Maybe because there is supernatural activity going on in our brains. If you had a brain, maybe you wouldn’t have made such a stupid joke.”

With most people, saying that sentence would be like wearing red while a bull was around, but it just made Peyton laugh harder. “I was just trying to get on Kat’s nerves.”

All of a sudden, Cinnamon jumps up. He goes over to a certain area by the wall and starts sniffing vigorously. His tail isn’t wagging. Instead, it is sticking straight out, and his ears are too.

“Is he ok?” Kat looks worried. She and I look at Peyton expectantly. Peyton doesn’t respond. She looks even more worried than Kat, but she tries to hide it.

Finally, she whispers, “Shhh.” We stay there, listening. All we can hear is our own ragged breathing and Cinnamon’s soft whines. Then, all together, we take a sharp breath in. 

I can hear something. It’s faint, but it’s there all right. A soft hum, no louder than a bee’s buzzing. It gets louder and louder until finally, we don’t have to concentrate to be able to hear it. Suddenly, a bright blue light shines from where Cinnamon is standing. 

He gets knocked over, but hops right back up and is alright. He comes over to Peyton. She grabs him and holds him tight. When we look back at the spot the light had been, a blue and green oval has opened up. 

“What is that, a portal?” asks Kat. 

“I-I think so,” I respond. I’m not really paying attention to the portal itself, though, but what is through it. I can’t see much, but from what I can tell, there is a building, about 15 stories high, with a lot of windows. There are a few shapes moving around, but they are hard to make out. 

I get a very brief look at a tree-like object before Peyton and Kat start screaming. Soon, I start screaming too because I can feel myself getting sucked inside the portal. 

To be continued…   

Three Anaconda Araffe

Book 1: World is Starting in Three, Two, One, NOW

(Narrator is speaking)

Hi, my name is Besa, and today we are going to meet three anacondas and a giraffe. And this story takes place in the far, far future on the planet, Clone.

Once upon a time, in the far, far future, Africa and the Amazon collided and then three anacondas and a giraffe collided and what does that equal: three anaconda araffe! 

Chapter One: First Clone Day

(Narrator is reading and will explain what First Clone Day is in the next book) 

We’re just starting… 0.5

Once upon a time, three anacondas and a giraffe went through their bodies and then, when they said the magic word, they turned into one thing, and then when they said the magic word again, they turned into four things, and then, the continents moved super fast like in a millisecond, and then, an orca and a tiger went together and equaled a torca! And then, the three anaconda araffe said the magic word (BESA) and then they turned into three anacondas and a giraffe, and then the giraffe charged at the torca and then the torca was so stunned that it couldn’t move anymore, but then, the three anacondas squeezed them until they couldn’t breathe anymore.

Chapter Two: Now We’re Rocking!

And now, three continents went together in a snap, and then a rock and a star collided! And then, it equaled a rock star! And the rock star threw giant rocks at them/him. And then them/him said the magic word and then they collided, and then the three anaconda araffe charged so hard that they discollided!

Chapter Three: Getting a Sidekick!

And now a continent split! But a kangaroo and a flea collided but then they fell into the water and they collided with a shark and that equaled a flangark!

Chapter Three: Getting a Sidekick Part 2

And now three arachnids collided and equaled a vinegaspoon! 

Chapter Four: Getting an Infinite Frenemy

And now a jellyfish collided with an orca equaling an inca! And now the three anaconda araffe and the flangark and the vinegaspoon saw the inca, they thought that the inca was good, but it was actually bad, and so, it was actually a frenemy! 

Chapter Four: Getting an Infinite Frenemy Part 2 

The inca went back to its master called xbdhsjdb 88, otherwise known as the Clone Master (it was evil). The inca went back to the gang (three anaconda araffe, flangark, and vinegaspoon (A.F.V). 

Chapter Five: Now You See Me, Now You Goat

The Clone Master sent another army and called invisigoat, but the flangark started floating and that was how they saw the the invisigoat and then the vinegaspoon shot the invisigoat with silk and stung the invisigoat and threw vinegar like acid at invisigoat!

Chapter Six: Last Clone Day

And now, today is Last Clone Day! Last Clone Day is the day when the planet Clone copied another planet! 

(Narrator is speaking)  

To be continued in another book… 

Three Anaconda Araffe 

Book 2: The Second World is Just Starting

Chapter One: First Clone Day

The three anaconda araffe oddly survived it, but with some impenetrable body improvements. 

Chapter Two: Electric Zap in a Snap!

And now, dajya and daustralia collided! And then a dorny devil and a dajya delephant collided, and then that equaled a dorny delephant! But then the three anaconda araffe saw the dorny delephant, and then the three anaconda araffe was like, “Really!” And then the three anaconda araffe just went in front of the dorny delephant, and then right before the dorny delephant swung its dunk, the three anaconda araffe just zapped the dorny delephant! 

Chapter Three: The Ditch

And now, the dinternet collided with a witch, equaling a ditch! The three anaconda araffe (T.A.A.) found the ditch and T.A.A. thought that he could beat the ditch super fast, but he was WRONG. The ditch made T.A.A.’s forcefield to freeze, but what the ditch didn’t know was that T.A.A. could split through a forcefield. And so T.A.A. said the magic word in his mind, and so then they split! And the ditch was too low to fly high enough in time, and so the giraffe charged at the ditch and then the three anacondas squeezed the ditch so hard that it just made stars! 

Chapter Four: You Don’t Know What You Said in Your Dore 

And now, a deerphone and a deer combined and equaled a heerdeer! When T.A.A. was sleeping, the heerdeer hypnotized T.A.A. and since the heerdeer does everything that people say, the heerdeer hypnotized T.A.A. to say, “Eat me, eat me, eat me, eat me, eat me!” But the heerdeer didn’t notice, and he also hypnotized T.A.A. to say, “BESA!” And the heerdeer couldn’t hypnotize four things at once, so then, the three anacondas said, “Let me squeeze you until you can’t breathe anymore, and then let me eat you!” And then the heerdeer let the three anacondas squeeze and eat them, and then the giraffe wasn’t hypnotized anymore! 

Chapter Five: Last Clone Day 

(Narrator is speaking)

And now today is Last Clone Day! You now know what Last Clone Day is from the previous book, so I don’t need to tell you this time.

Three Anaconda Araffe

Book Three: Evil Sneazle 

Chapter One: First Clone Day 

(Narrator is reading)

And you all know what First Clone Day is because it was in the second book! So I’m just going to skip telling you what First Clone Day is and go on with the story. 

Chapter Two: Reintroducing Inca!

And now the inca found T.A.A. and then the inca started hitting and slapping and hitting and slapping and hitting and slapping and hitting and slapping T.A.A. and T.A.A. was like, “Why are you doing this?” And then the inca was like, “Oops, sorry.” And then T.A.A. was suuuuuper suspicious, and then the inca said, “I gotta go, so byeee!” And then T.A.A. followed the inca until he found the Clone Master!

Chapter Three: The Clone Master

And now T.A.A. is at the Clone Master’s headquarters, and he found the Clone Master, and then the Clone Master said, “Security guards! Attack!” And then T.A.A. started ramming at all of the security guards! And the Clone Master was like, “You wanna do it the hard way, huh?” And then the Clone Master said the magic word, and he turned into twelve Clone Masters, and then into twenty-four Clone Masters! And then T.A.A. was like, “No way you’re gonna beat me with twenty-four Clone Masters!” And he only needed to charge four times at the Clone Master to be able to defeat all the Clone Masters. 

THE END 

City in the Sky

Ch. 1

Dale and Artemis walked through the entrance. They were here in Steam City for Dale and Art’s work as journalists. A quote from one of his co-workers rang in his head: “Once they go to Steam City… well, they either don’t come back, or they come back almost, brainwashed. It’s almost like they encode their brains or something. Good luck, mate.” 

“When we get some information on The City, we can leave. Hopefully, what Steve said was a lie,” Dale said cheerfully.

A hand tapped on his back. Instinctively, Artemis ducked down and swung her leg to swipe the attacker off their feet. 

“Whoa!” The guard fell down to the ground. “Jeez!” The helmet rolled off his head to show a young man, about 30 years old. On his armor was a small tag that said #56.

“You’re new here. Don’t stay here too long! They’ll get to you. Don’t let them get to your brain. I’ve grown up seeing everyone like this. It’s not what you think. They don’t let us out of The City. I haven’t even seen the sky in my life! My name is Clyde.”

“Whoa, buddy! Maybe try saying that a little slower.” 

“They encode the citizens’ brains. I’m resistant to mind control. You need to run. They can’t find me talking to you.”

“How do you know we can trust him?” Artemis said accusingly. 

“You might want to hide the baby, too,” Clyde said. 

“It is our job to report things, even if we don’t have any concrete evidence. We have to do this,” Dale reminded. 

“Welcome to Steam City. Here in The City, we strive to make each and every one of our citizen’s happy. We have specifically designed every detail for our citizens’ benefit, and they are helping us, too. We hope you have a great time in our industrial utopia!” the speaker boomed in an automated voice all across the steel-plexiglass streets. Some children all of the same size were air biking, the exact same speed, in the exact same line. The baker walked through the street. A platinum-laced aerotrain showed up beside him. 

“You have been walking so, so long, sir. Are you sure you don’t want to ride on our aerotrain?” a person who you couldn’t tell was a man or woman with a blue and silver mask, symbolising that they were a train conductor, asked. 

“Yes, Conductor. I am thankful you came.” 

“It is fine, kind sir. This job pays very well.” The conductor held up a small graphite-gold coin. “I get paid 1 graphite piece every day! I love this job.” 

“I see we have some tourists. Welcome!” 

“Dale, I’m starting to think that guard guy was right,” Artemis muttered under her breath. 

“I don’t trust this, either,” Dale replied back.  

“I wouldn’t recommend being unhappy here. Things will start to go wrong.” The train veered off track and into a donut shop on the left side of the street. 

“Take Nathan and run!” The man ran across the street and almost to the wall. A single tear dropped down his cheek. 

“I’m sorry, Nate. I can’t take you with me. Try to survive.” He left the baby on the doorstep of a silver pod-house near the wall, saying a final goodbye. He quietly slipped under the silver wall. 

[Camera #21, broadcasting to Guard #56]

Now that Dale had left the child in his hands, he promised he would not let it down. Clyde decided he should have started what Dale and Art hadn’t finished, and began investigating what went on in the chamber hall where the counsellor decided what to do with the city.

[Camera #21, broadcasting to Guard #56]

“What is this corruption?!” a sharp and icy voice called from the chamber hall. 

“I’m sorry, sir, the prisoners escaped! The child and mother died in the crash. The man escaped.” 

“Impossible,” the white haired counselor sneered. “No one can escape this place.” 

“It’s assumed that he had help. From a guard named Clyde.” 

The counselor opened a digi-book, and skimmed through the pages. 

“Clyde… hmm… found it! Men, find Guard 56 and bring him to me! Remember, if it isn’t in order, it doesn’t belong. Unite through submission!”

Upon hearing this, the guard who had been spying on the meeting hastily ripped his number tag radar off and hid it in a spot far away. Now they would never be able to find him.

He would begin a new life, assume a new identity, and play by new rules.

Ch. 2

“Get back here!” The wind rushed in Nathan’s spiky hair as he raced through the plexiglass streets of Steam City, which used to be known as Vancouver. His beaten navy blue jacket and black and white edge corp games t-shirt billowed like a sail in the wind. The Chrometanium plated guards had their eyes locked on a shiny plastic object in Nathan’s hand. Nate hooked his hands on the hard exoskeleton guard mech suits, and hooked his jacket like a zipline along the power cords above the city. The guards clenched their fists and cables shot out of their wrists. The cables caught his jacket, and he lurched forward onto the ground. Nate was cornered. 

“Hand over the treats, kid! You got nowhere to run now.” 

“Who said anything about running?” He stomped on the left side of the storm drain, shifting its weight, and ultimately causing it to open. He landed with a splash in the drains of Steam City. 

“Ten steps forward… eight steps right… three steps forward. Five steps left. Ten steps forward… here!” He scrambled up a ladder right above a pod house, of which he was sure to be his. He carefully untwisted the hatch that would lead to the food storage area in his tiny apartment.

When he opened the hatch, he was blinded by bright yellow walls and an electroplate. An old lady snored on a massage chair in the corner of the room. He carefully backed down the ladder and retraced his steps. 

“Stupid! Hmm, what was it. Oh! It was ten steps left and five steps forward!” He slowly made his way to the correct hatch, and into his home. 

“I brought snacks!” he called from the food cellar. Nate’s house consisted of five main parts. The food cellar was underground, or, technically speaking, under-pod-floating-over-ground. The kitchen was the fanciest room, consisting of a marble floor and an oven. On the countertop on the side, there was a microwave with a heat and cool setting. Clyde, Nate’s adoptive guardian, was sitting at the countertop on an old computer he had salvaged from a construction site. He greeted Nate with the usual refrain when he came back from getting food.

“Jeez, Nate! Please at least try to fit in! If we get found out then — ” 

“The chancellor will find us and brainwash us to be zombies that he can control to his pleasure and ultimately our old selves will be erased from history, yada, yada, yada. I know!” Nate said quickly. Clyde’s mood lightened. 

“But… I guess it’s worth it. You really know how to run! What’d you get this time?” He looked at the box.  

“Jones box with rice and extra tamarind sauce? You know me, kid! What did you get yourself?” 

Nate replied, “Chicken Curry,” he said. They walked to the counter and began to indulge in a feast.

***

Midnight… a knock sounded at the door… Nate got up from his makeshift bed and creeped down the stairs. They found me. He quietly opened the door, making sure they didn’t see him. He hid on the underside of the door. 

“Tell us where the child is and we’ll leave you in peace. The chancellor will make you happy. He will make you both happy.” 

“Never! You’ll never get Nate. I believe that he can liberate this city. He can liberate all the cities.” Liberate the cities?! I can’t do that. I’m just a kid! There isn’t anyone like me… is there? 

“Wait, I sense something. There! Behind the door!” Clyde blinked a message in their secret language that they would use in case of an emergency. He said, 

“Run. Don’t worry about me. I’ll handle this. Go.” Nate jumped up on top of the guards and soared onto the bed which suspended from the ceiling. He quickly hefted the plexi-glass frame off the window next to the bed and leaped out. He felt like he was flying — until he landed on top of an electrical pole next to a tall building. All those years of training has prepared me for this moment.  He clenched his fists and a shock came through his gloves. Luckily, almost everything in the city was made of metal, so it wasn’t a problem leaping from building to building and climbing walls. What was a problem, though, was the huge jump in front of him. 

“You’re cornered.”

Nate panicked, not knowing what to do. 

***

“The chancellor will see you soon.” Oh no… this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so reckless. Stupid Nathan! Focus on getting out of here! He scanned the area for an opening. I still have my magnet gloves in my pocket, but they’re out of battery. Well, it’s worth a shot. A warden came to deliver food. The gruel on the plate looked disgusting, and Nathan did not want to eat it. He pulled his gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on. When the warden put his metal mech-suit glove into the food slip, Nate quickly reached for his hand and pulled hard. The warden’s suit helmet clanged across the bars, making him fall to the ground. They say the suits can custom change the interior to fit whatever size… it’s worth a shot. He struggled to get the suit on, with so many complex parts, but when he managed to fit it on, nobody knew it was him. He clenched his fist, trying the suit’s mechanics out. A cable shot out and wrapped around the warden. He picked the person up and locked him in the cell where he’d recently been.

“Oh no! That boy just escaped! Get him!” 

Nathan tried his best to impersonate the steel-faced warden. Almost immediately, the guards flocked out of the door. He strode down the streets of Steam City, knowing he couldn’t get caught. Once he reached the wall, he tried to get through, but the guards stopped him.

“ID card, please?” they asked in unison. 

“I can arrest you if I wanted to — ” Nate was cut off by the guards. 

“Rule number 85 page 56 paragraph two clearly states that guards can not be arrested. Impostor.” Oh no. RUN! He clenched his fist, and a sign that said, “No More Cable,” appeared on the screen attached to his left arm. I don’t still have that glove, do I? What if I did the magnetic boom with the metal hand… 

“Huh!” He slammed his glove upon the interior of the suit. The suit started to give out a small magnetic signal. It may have not been strong enough, but it was enough to scale the high wall. 

“Get him!” they called in unison. They shot cables out of their fists and grappled up to his height. Nate tried everything, but nothing came as a solution. He even activated a peanut dispenser in the helmet! He clenched his fingers, hoping for something to happen. This suit has CLAWS?! A pair of retractable claws shot out of the fingertips of the arm. I wonder… 

He sliced at the cables aimed straight towards him. It sliced through them like butter. 

“Yah!” He pulled himself over the wall. “I’m free-aaah!” Free. Free but tumbling. Is this the end? His life flashed before his eyes. “Oof!” He landed in a junk pile next to a run down old store, which what was left of the sign said “Mac / onalds”.  

A creature that he couldn’t tell was Fox, Squirrel, or Seal trotted up to him. 

“Hey there, buddy… you must’ve become like this from the radiation, huh? These suits can block the poisonous air, so…” He picked up a helmet that had fallen down from the wall, and it fit right on the “furreal,” which sounded a lot like Surreal. “Hey, Surreal… do you want to come with me?” The Furreal wagged its bushy flipper tail and nuzzled his suit. “Come on… we have some cities to liberate.” They walked hours and hours through the wasteland, and they were both getting tired. The water and food supply stored in both of their helmets had run out and you could hear their stomachs growling from a mile away. “So… tired…” Nate moaned. “Wish there were people… ah!” He let out a weak groan as he and Surreal were hoisted into the air by some kind of trap. It was made of a metal cage that seemed to shock them every few second. By the second shock, they passed out.

***

Nate opened his eyes. Where am I? Surreal?! He scanned around for his pet and found him on the other side of the room. There was a cool breeze, and a flickering light hung above a sort of scrap lab. In a makeshift door next to him, he heard voices saying, 

“The suit looks as if it was from the Steam City Unit.” A girl’s voice that sounded like it was Australian came from the other room. 

“What would a Steam City Guard be doing out here in Parallel City scraps?” a male voice said.  Parallel city?! Surely they couldn’t have walked that far! It seemed as if they were children, but he couldn’t be sure.

“What should we do with him?” a high-pitched voice asked.

“Leave him be, once he wakes up, we can interrogate him.”

“Help! Anyone!” Nate screamed at the top of his lungs, dehydrated. Four people shot out of the other room. The girl had long, raven hair with highlights of magenta that shot out only in the back, and piercing, steel eyes that could cut through diamonds. A boy with dark skin, and hair that looked like fields of chocolate shaved on one side stood behind his chair. He had two big round glasses on his head and wore a knitted, wooly sweater. Two children, a boy and girl, who looked as if they were of East Asian descent, stood on his right side. They looked like they were twins, but he couldn’t be sure. 

“Stop screaming like a baby. What even is a Steam City unit guard doing out in the scraps? Why are you also harboring a mutant?” Diamond Eyes said fiercely. 

“I swear, I’m not a guard! I’m just a kid!”

“Oh no, no, no, no no. We might catch his mind control virus!” Field Hair headed for the door.

“The control isn’t contagious.” The girl twin squeaked. 

“He could mind control us through the suit.” The boy piped. 

“Wait! No! This is complicated… I’m not affected, can’t you see?!” Diamond eyes shot a disbelieving glance at him. “Let’s do a test… the mind controlled always does what they’re told.” She picked up a matchbox, and struck a match. She handed it to Nate. “Go light that trash pile on fire.” Nate knew the obvious decision, but he decided to have fun with it. He slowly walked to the trash pile, and said, 

“Yes, master,” in a robotic voice. Right as he was about to drop it, he turned around, and said 

“Nope. I got you, didn’t I?”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “Fine… you’re like us, and now you’re one of us,” she quickly muttered, 

“Oh, this is going to be a pain.”

Black Magic

Hi, my name is Anthea. I’m also a furry. I’ve always wanted to go to school, but because of my powers, I cannot. My parents say my powers are dangerous. My powers are teleportation, invisibility, and I can make explosions. I want to go to school to find something to control my powers so they won’t be dangerous anymore. I live in a poor village, so I cannot find school in the village around my town. I’m thinking of changing my name so that I can go to school. I would have my cousin take my place. By the way, my cousin’s name is Athena. I need to talk to my parents. If I can go to my friend Jamie’s house, she’s the only one in our village who has a computer, I could find a magic school. That would be great. There are a lot of stories of me destroying things.

One time, I tried helping people fix their house but I ended up breaking it. I don’t want to get rid of my powers, I just want to make them useful. My cousin and I have our own unique qualities. But in singing, we are both good. My cousin and I have always been wanting to go to school, so she wouldn’t mind taking my place. I would have to be escaping at nighttime. Jamie and my cousin are going to help me escape. I’ll be taking the bus to Athens, Georgia. 

Jamie is helping me pack my things to go. 

“Anthea, are you sure you want to do this?” asks Jamie.

“Anthea, you can always stay here with us,” Athena says. 

“It was our dream, Athena, I want to go,” I say. 

We are saying our goodbyes. I know my cousin is sad but she is also happy that our dream is coming true. I know I’m making the right choice. What scares me is when we get there I won’t know anybody. But luckily, Jamie got me some tickets for a hotel. Dark Side and I have been saving up money since we were little to go to school. So I’ve got my college fund money. Sadly, I do not know what my parents are thinking. Dark Side does have an open mouth, so she’ll probably tell my parents that I left. Tomorrow will be a new day and I will register myself for power school. 

I’m going to my hotel and it looks gorgeous. Now I have to go to bed and make sure my next day will be awesome. 

I wake up this morning and I’m getting dressed to register myself for school. I can’t believe my dream is coming true. I’m going to prepare myself a bagel and cream cheese. Going out and seeing Georgia is beautiful. I’m taking the bus to the school cause it’s a mile away from my hotel. Seeing the school is amazing. It’s big and pretty. Looks like the school is very old. When I go inside the school, it is really big. It looks more like a ballroom. The principal of the school asks me what I’m doing here. I tell him I’ve come here to register myself. He’s glad and gives me a tour. After that, he asks me if I have powers. I agree and tell him I have powers. I’ve come on the weekend, so there is no one really there, except himself. I notice he is fixing the place. And I ask him if I can help. So the principal and I mop the floor, fix the chairs, and fix his office. 

After fixing his office, he tells me to come on Monday, and that I will make some really good friends.

Jamie has always taught me to be confident in myself with my dreams. So after getting out of the school, I go shopping for school supplies. Dark Side recently told me from Jamie’s computer that she’s going to school in New York, which is not that far by car from where we live. I’m really happy for her; she’ll be sending me a photo or an anime drawing. Jamie gave me money for school supplies before I left. I thanked her.

It’s Monday now, now I’m going to school. I’ve already made a friend. I bet Jamie would like her as well. Dark Side would be happy as well. Her name is the opposite of ours, Sunshine. And her sister is Light Side. I recently met a girl who worked in a pet shop, and she showed me a picture of a bunny.

The bunny was really cute and fluffy. She said she would give it to me for free and I was really glad to hear the news, because the bunny was really cute. I would have it in a cage, get a phone, and send a picture to Dark Side. I would name the bunny Fluffy. 

But getting back to school, it’s really hard. Today we are going to see what extra powers we have, are they legendary or common? I hope my powers are legendary. But this bully named Chloe and her assistant Lila always bother me and think that my powers will be common. My cousin thinks I’m gonna find a boy and get married. But I told her to stop telling me that, but she did tell me that my parents were happy but sad. At least I’m calmer now that she’s told me this because I know how my parents think. But there is a cute boy named Alexander. But I won’t focus on him — I have to focus on my studies.

Now we’re going outside to a field to see what our powers will be. First, it’s Sunshine. She gets a legendary– a guardian angel. And her sister is a nature fairy. While Chloe and Lila are common demon bunnies. When I hear the news that I’m the legendary person in my class, I am so happy. My powers are a griffin that can read minds. Even though Chloe knows I can read her mind, she still intends to do bad tricks on me. But I really don’t care.

I’ll describe Chloe for you. Blonde hair, blue eyes, yellow jacket, and a striped shirt. And she always tries to act like she’s the boss of everyone. She, too, likes Alexander. Whenever she sees him, she always acts so crazy. But I just ignore her. Though I do have a friend who’s a boy, as well. His name is William. He is a really kind friend; he is also legendary. His powers are a fire guardian. Just the opposite of Sunshine.

All four of us are going to have a sleepover, over at Sunshine’s house. It’s going to be really fun, I will bring some chips and Doritos. She says we are going to watch the movie Deadpool. But William disagrees. Soon enough, it’s going to be half of the year. Cause I entered in half of the year. But since there are three more years to go, I’m really happy. Tomorrow’s lesson is going to be about: can you fly or not? I think I can fly, cause griffins fly. Sunshine and Light Side can definitely fly. I don’t know about William, though. There’s this new boy going into school with us. His name is Felix. But I feel something suspicious about him. My cousin is enjoying her time there. I didn’t know that Jamie’s there, as well. 

The sleepover turns out really fun. Her mom is really fun and her house is beautiful. William tells us at night that he likes Sunshine. But luckily she is not there when he says it. We both tell him to tell her so it won’t be too late. Later that night, we do Truth or Dare, and I ask William truth or dare. And not wanting to do a dare, he says truth. So I ask him: who does he like? And he says that he likes Sunshine. But this time, she is there. She is surprised but happy. She doesn’t know what to say, so we continue on. Then they do a truth or dare on me. And I say dare. And they make me sing my least favorite song, Kiki, and play my least favorite video game, Fortnite! I don’t know why, but I do it. But I’m fine. So I do a truth or dare on Sunshine. Sunshine says dare. So I make her do something embarrassing: act like she’s a grandma and help her sister burp. And Light Side ends up burping. It’s really funny. But we keep on. Then, it’s Light Side’s turn. William asks Light Side truth or dare, and she picks truth. So William asks her. But he knows that she already does this.

“Is it true that you used your poo as hair gel?” says William. Embarrassed, Light Side says yes.

***

It’s been three years now since the sleepover. We’ve had many since then. It’s almost prom and I’m really happy. But I don’t know what to wear and who to go with. Alexander recently asked me out, but I didn’t respond. I don’t know what to say. But today I’m saying yes. 

It’s later. So now we’re going together. My only fear is my dress. So Sunshine and Light Side are taking me out to buy a dress. And after that I am going to send a picture to Dark Side. Dark Side has actually agreed to meet me at the airport, cause I asked her where she’s going to live for the rest of her life. And she said here, where we live. I was sad but told her the honest truth: I was going to stay in Georgia. She was really sad, but still, everything came with benefit.

Prom is fun, they have cake, a chocolate fountain, and Alexander and I are prom king and queen. This year has gone by so fast, it’s already graduation time. During the year, I have earned money so that I can bring my family over. I buy tickets so that my friend, my cousin, and my parents can come over. They all start new lives here. My cousin gets a good-paying job. And my parents have enough money for retiring. I start a family. My kids get powers like me, but they get a better future ahead of them and they have a better hold of their powers. We’re just a big family and we’re happy in our lives right now.

The Adventures of Krony Faulty: A Masher Basher

Chapter One

School

One day, at a school called Frendus Elementary, two kids named Gary and Bob loved to giggle, laugh, and best of all, they loved putting pranks. Gary and Bob always went to the basement. The worst place in Frendus Elementary. They both hated going to the basement, but one day when they were in the basement, Bob and Gary pulled a prank.

Suddenly, a brick in the wall shifted and moved, and they were both amazed by what they saw. It was a tunnel, and Gary recognized this tunnel. This tunnel was in a book called Ancient Tunnels. It said that whoever went through this tunnel would reach a place where you could find sand. 

But this was not ordinary sand, it said that when you molded this sand, it would turn into anything you wanted it to be. So Bob and Gary went into the tunnel, and guess what, it was booby trapped.

When Bob and Gary went into the tunnel, something really scary happened, Bob tripped on a rope and a bunch of arrows shot. But something amazing happened as well,  another person was leaning on a rock so the rock moved and blocked the arrow from shooting. Bob and Gary were amazed so they went to look for that suspicious man.

Bob and Gary kept on looking for that person, but could not find him. Suddenly, a peachy thing shimmered, so Bob and Gary followed it, and found that man. The man started telling Bob and Gary about his life.

He told them that a wizard named Tubby created him from sand. He also said his name was Krony Faulty. Bob and Gary laughed so hard that they fell to the ground and got up over a hundred times. Then they asked Krony, “Why is your last name Faulty?”

Krony said, “My last name is Faulty because I make lots of mistakes.” 

He said, “Did you know I have a SUPER POWER? It is to make mistakes. Remember when I saved you from the arrows? It was a mistake, I was actually leaning on the boulder.

“After the wizard created me, he told me that I will meet two kids who will come on my journey to stop evil machines from a planet called Chao. The planet Chaos wants to take over the world and it is up to us to stop them. But it has already started, a machine called Masher Basher, which is a living wrecking ball, is in the Amazon Rainforest.” 

Chapter Two

The Contest

When Bob and Gary went back to their class, they tried to ask their teacher when their next field trip was, but their teacher, Mr. Maclindono, said, “Are you crazy! We are not going to have another field trip unless we win the contest that you saw in the hallway. That contest will take us to the Amazon Rainforest. But, unfortunately, that contest is next week. So deal with it, we are not going on that field trip!!!”

Bob and Gary tried so hard to ask Mr. Maclindono, but the answer was always NO! So they had no choice but to try to win the contest, Bob and Gary had a wonderful idea. But they first had to go to the basement. So they got in trouble and told Krony what the plan was. Gary was smart and told Krony the wrong information, because Krony’s power was to make mistakes. 

Today was the day of the spelling bee contest and Bob was shaking so much, but Gary, on the other hand, was pretty positive that Krony could do it. So it began…. 

The judge was at the final word and it was camouflage. Bob said, “GAMOUFLAGE,” but another person named Cob said, “CAMOUFLAGE.” 

When the judge came to say the winner, at that same time, Krony was ready to throw a rock into the air. The judge was going to say, “The winner is C… ” (At that same time, Krony threw the rock up, but he made a mistake. Instead, he threw the rock on the judge’s cheek.) So his words turned to, “The winner is BOB!” The crowd was clapping and cheering and the teacher was jumping up and down, he was so happy!

Chapter Three 

The Field Trip

Gary and Bob went to the basement to ask Krony, “How are we going to take you?”

Krony told them, “There is a ring that can store me. If you say the words BUB, I will be stored in the ring, but if you say the words RUB, I will be out of the ring.”

Krony gave Gary and Bob the magical ring. Gary said, “BUB,” and a magical cloud appeared on Krony, it sucked Krony into the ring and disappeared. Bob told Gary, 

“Now we know what we are going to do.”

The next day, a plane arrived in front of the school. It was pretty big, and inside there were seats for Bob and Gary since they won the spelling bee contest. The two seats had a TV, footrest, and a full bed. Bob and Gary were ready to start their journey.

When they were on their journey, Bob and Gary had the time of their lives. Soon they were at the Amazon Rainforest and they were really excited. Or at least Gary was excited, but Bob was shivering to death.

Chapter Four

Masher Basher

When Bob and Gary stepped out of the plane, they were amazed. They saw birds, trees, grass, and mud. Suddenly, a flock of birds flew in the air. Bob and Gary knew Masher Basher was up to no good. So Gary said, “RUB!” and Krony came out of the ring. Together, the three of them went to investigate and they saw Masher Basher destroying one of the trees in the Rainforest. When they were heading back to the class, they couldn’t see it. They checked everywhere but could not find them.

 THEY WERE LOST!

Now it was only the three of them! So they went looking for Masher Basher. When they found him, Bob remembered that Krony was made out of sand, so he molded Krony into a chip that sucked energy. When he made it, he put the chip inside. BOOM, the machine was knocked out. Then Gary molded Krony into a boulder so then Krony smashed the wrecking ball into pieces. 

A Kid Can Face War

The Holocaust was a war that broke out, and at that time, our mother found out that children were going to be taken. She was told by one of her closest friends, whose name was Maria, and she told my mother,

“I heard from my husband that kids five and up will be fighting.”

Our mother was very shocked and scared. She was acting very nervous because she knew what was going to happen. At that time, my mom told Maria she didn’t think it was true. Maria also had a son who was one year older than me and we were best friends. That was before war, though soldiers had later taken his life, and when I found out about his death. I was sad and upset because I couldn’t help him.

I still remember the date of the war starting, it was September 1st, 1939. My friend died in October. I’ve forgotten the date, though. I remember I was scared for my life when I was holding my first gun. I didn’t even know how to use a gun at the time. It felt like I was holding 100 iron bars to me because I was young and weak, now a gun to me is light like a feather. The leather on my gun was the only thing comfortable for me at the time. Seeing how old the other kids were, I thought that maybe I should just be bait for them, but I was also terrified of getting killed. I helped around more, though, because we would find abandoned war houses and I healed the men there even if I was only six at the time. I did experience a lot of things, and we had to be careful because there could be German soldiers there. 

When I treated my first soldiers I was horrified and I asked myself, Am I being punished? Why did you send me here, mother? I was traumatized, but I knew that I had a job. When I healed men, I would have to either use water and medicine or kill them if they couldn’t make it. Killing them was the hardest option for me because I wanted people to live, but it was war so I couldn’t do anything. I remember wishing I was older so that I could be like the rest of the kids and that I could be able to do more.

I think I did get hurt about two times. The first time, I was kicked and punched by a soldier, it was painful because it was my face and my stomach and I remember feeling the hardness of the shoe. The second time was when I was shot for the first time. I thought I was going to die right there. I was crying from all the pain and that I couldn’t say bye to my mom. I saw light. I thought I was done but I was lucky and got saved by one of my fellow soldiers. I remember asking him,

“Can I say bye?”

He stood quietly. I love telling this story and will keep telling it until I’m old. I wish that this world could be a more peaceful place and that wars could end.

Being a Gumball

CELIA

Hello, my name is Celia Ballington… and I am a gum ball. But I am not any gum ball; I was 2 when I fell out of the gumball dispenser onto the floor. However, I was caught in a bucket of toxic left under the dispenser because they hired people to clean the mall; there was a strange toxic disease in the pipes, but it made me immortal.

Scene 1

Present Day, 10 years Later in the Dispenser

CAMERON

Come on, help me push Connor to the door!

CELIA

Wait, what? He’s going to be stepped on out there!

CONNOR 

(waking up

What’s going on?

CAMERON 

(pushing Connor out the door)

Uhh… nothing… have a good trip!

CONNOR

(falling)

I thought I was awake!

CELIA

Why did you do that, aren’t you my best friend?

CAMERON

Ooh, good idea! Wanna be my partner in crime?

CELIA

No way—

CAMERON

Oh well, down you go then.

CELIA starts also falling. She blows frantically, stretching to make a bubblegum parachute, and catches CONNER. As they float down, a baby nearby stares at them and grabs them.

They are squished between its grasp and they head to the baby’s house.

Scene 2

An Hour Later, at the House, During Lunchtime

CONNER and CELIA roll toward the bed to hide from the mom when she picks the baby, DARWIN, up for lunch. They then decide to explore the baby’s room.

CELIA rolls up the crib, and CONNER sneakily pushes her down to land on a xylophone and rolls under the next door, leaving CELIA to be seen as MOM rushes in.

MOM

I bet it’s that rat!

The baby grabs CELIA and drools over her. 

CELIA

Gross! 

 CELIA rolls away before DARWIN can wipe her on the wall. 

CONNER

Help, I’m stuck!

There was a puddle of water on the bathroom floor and CONNER got sticky and stuck to the floor. CELIA now leaves CONNER behind as she rolls out the door, around the block to be stepped on by TEENAGER. 

TEENAGER

Ew dude, I got some gum on my cool new sneakers.

TEENAGER throws CELIA into the trash, along with the shoe. She slowly crawls into the shoe and fall asleep.

Scene 3

The Next Morning, Before Sunrise

CELIA is woken up by a chitter. 

CELIA

Ugh, I bet it’s just Cameron teasing me for being a scaredy-ball for being scared of Conner falling out. 

Instead, she wakes up to see the face of a rat. CELIA attempts to roll out of a rusty hole in the trash, but she isn’t dry, and instead patches it up. After a while, the trash and the bin are lifted up into a dump truck. 

CELIA

Conner, I’m flying! Oh, yeah he’s not here.

The rat responds, chittering happily to CELIA’s surprise.

CELIA

I must be hallucinating.

CONNER

(the rat)

You know, I am not just a rat. I was crawling through the sewers when I found some green goo. I was incredibly thirsty, so I drank it. Now I can talk!

They become friends, and sneak into restaurants, schools, and factories, picking up knowledge and resources.

Scene 4

Two Years Later

Ring! Ring! 

Celia

(in the tissue hut)

Who could it be? 

(she forgets she has her Chew5 Phone)

The contacts said it was Cameron?!

CONNER THE RAT

Answer it.

CAMERON 

(over the phone)

Hey… Celia?

CELIA

(berry annoyed)

Yeah, I’m still alive, in a home, with a best friend, doing better than I had been with you.

CAMERON

Look, I’m in chew-vie, and I got to phone someone. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.

CELIA

(hanging up)

Nice try, but I don’t want to see your round face again.

CONNER THE RAT

Don’t you have a round face, too?

CELIA

I said it from the top of my head, okay?

Scene 5

Two Years Later

CONNER THE RAT

Hello, my name is Conner and I am a rat.

MAN 1

(chuckling) 

Is this some kind of joke?

CELIA

No. My name is Celia and I am a gumball.

MAN 2

So, you scheduled a meeting.

CELIA

Yes, we are the owners of Big Toxi Curing Co.

MAN 1

Oh, I’m so sorry. Hey, do you need us?

CONNER THE RAT

We were looking for testers for our medicine, but you seem to be a good one.

MAN 1

(drinking green liquid) 

No, no, I only have the symptoms.

Everyone stares at him as MAN 1 then throws up black vomit under the table in a casual way, and then comes back to the meeting like nothing happened.

Scene 6

At the Lab

CONNER THE RAT: 

Darwin, this is Steve.

(points to MAN 1)

Steve, this is Darwin, one of our best scientists.

DARWIN

Pleasure to meet you, come hop into this tub.

Steve 

(walking in)

Ooh, a hot tub?

DARWIN closes the clear curtains, and they observe as a pink fluid sprays him.

STEVE

Cherry flavor!

STEVE’S skin turns vibrant again and he unswells.

STEVE

I feel like a new man. So am I famous now for being the first person cured? Am I super strong, or super fast?

DARWIN/CELIA/CONNER THE RAT

That will be two hundred fifty bucks.

The world is saved and our main character, CELIA, lives happily ever after forever because she is immortal… and what is a story without a happy ending?

The End.

About Conner the gum ball, he was Darwin’s pet until Darwin started working for Celia and Conner the rat, he decided to bring Conner the gum ball to the company as a tester, and Celia still had no mercy on him.

Cameron stayed in chew-vie and then in gum ball adults’ jail for the rest of her sticky life, contemplating how her phone call trick with Celia didn’t work, and just being evil.

Wait, But Before You Go, Read the Bubblegum Glossary:

Scaredy-ball: Basically scaredy-cat but when talking about gumballs

Bubblegum Parachute: Just bubbles you blow with bubblegum, but what bubblegum uses them for

Chew5: iPhone type, like iPhone 12, but when talking about gumball products

Berry: Very

Chew-vie: Juvie

Black Magic

Hi, my name is Anthea. I’m also a furry. I’ve always wanted to go to school, but because of my powers, I cannot. My parents say my powers are dangerous. My powers are teleportation, invisibility, and I can make explosions. I want to go to school to find something to control my powers so they won’t be dangerous anymore. I live in a poor village, so I cannot find school in the village around my town. I’m thinking of changing my name so that I can go to school. I would have my cousin take my place. By the way, my cousin’s name is Athena. I need to talk to my parents. If I can go to my friend Jamie’s house, she’s the only one in our village who has a computer, I could find a magic school. That would be great. There are a lot of stories of me destroying things.

One time, I tried helping people fix their house but I ended up breaking it. I don’t want to get rid of my powers, I just want to make them useful. My cousin and I have our own unique qualities. But in singing, we are both good. My cousin and I have always been wanting to go to school, so she wouldn’t mind taking my place. I would have to be escaping at nighttime. Jamie and my cousin are going to help me escape. I’ll be taking the bus to Athens, Georgia. Jamie is helping me pack my things to go. 

“Anthea, are you sure you want to do this?” asks Jamie.

“Anthea, you can always stay here with us,” Athena says. 

“It was our dream, Athena, I want to go,” I say. 

We are saying our goodbyes. I know my cousin is sad but she is also happy that our dream is coming true. I know I’m making the right choice. What scares me is when we get there I won’t know anybody. But luckily, Jamie got me some tickets for a hotel. Dark Side and I have been saving up money since we were little to go to school. So I’ve got my college fund money. Sadly, I do not know what my parents are thinking. Dark Side does have an open mouth, so she’ll probably tell my parents that I left. Tomorrow will be a new day and I will register myself for power school. 

I’m going to my hotel and it looks gorgeous. Now I have to go to bed and make sure my next day will be awesome. 

I wake up this morning and I’m getting dressed to register myself for school. I can’t believe my dream is coming true. I’m going to prepare myself a bagel and cream cheese. Going out and seeing Georgia is beautiful. I’m taking the bus to the school cause it’s a mile away from my hotel. Seeing the school is amazing. It’s big and pretty. Looks like the school is very old. When I go inside the school, it is really big. It looks more like a ballroom. The principal of the school asks me what I’m doing here. I tell him I’ve come here to register myself. He’s glad and gives me a tour. After that, he asks me if I have powers. I agree and tell him I have powers. I’ve come on the weekend, so there is no one really there, except himself. I notice he is fixing the place. And I ask him if I can help. So the principal and I mop the floor, fix the chairs, and fix his office. 

After fixing his office, he tells me to come on Monday, and that I will make some really good friends. By the way, that photo below is a photo I took of myself.

Jamie has always taught me to be confident in myself with my dreams. So after getting out of the school, I go shopping for school supplies. Dark Side recently told me from Jamie’s computer that she’s going to school in New York, which is not that far by car from where we live. I’m really happy for her; she’ll be sending me a photo or an anime drawing. Jamie gave me money for school supplies before I left. I thanked her.

It’s Monday now, now I’m going to school. I’ve already made a friend. I bet Jamie would like her as well. Dark Side would be happy as well. Her name is the opposite of ours, Sunshine. And her sister is Light Side. I recently met a girl who worked in a pet shop, and she showed me a picture of a bunny. The bunny was really cute and fluffy. She said she would give it to me for free and I was really glad to hear the news, because the bunny was really cute. I would have it in a cage, get a phone, and send a picture to Dark Side. I would name the bunny Fluffy. 

But getting back to school, it’s really hard. Today we are going to see what extra powers we have, are they legendary or common? I hope my powers are legendary. But this bully named Chloe and her assistant Lila always bother me and think that my powers will be common. My cousin thinks I’m gonna find a boy and get married. But I told her to stop telling me that, but she did tell me that my parents were happy but sad. At least I’m calmer now that she’s told me this because I know how my parents think. But there is a cute boy named Alexander. But I won’t focus on him — I have to focus on my studies.

Now we’re going outside to a field to see what our powers will be. First, it’s Sunshine. She gets a legendary– a guardian angel. And her sister is a nature fairy. While Chloe and Lila are common demon bunnies. When I hear the news that I’m the legendary person in my class, I am so happy. My powers are a griffin that can read minds. Even though Chloe knows I can read her mind, she still intends to do bad tricks on me. But I really don’t care.

I’ll describe Chloe for you. Blond hair, blue eyes, yellow jacket, and a striped shirt. And she always tries to act like she’s the boss of everyone. She, too, likes Alexander. Whenever she sees him, she always acts so crazy. But I just ignore her. Though I do have a friend who’s a boy, as well. His name is William. He is a really kind friend; he is also legendary. His powers are a fire guardian. Just the opposite of Sunshine.

All four of us are going to have a sleepover, over at Sunshine’s house. It’s going to be really fun, I will bring some chips and Doritos. She says we are going to watch the movie Deadpool. But William disagrees. Soon enough, it’s going to be half of the year. Cause I entered in half of the year. But since there are three more years to go, I’m really happy. Tomorrow’s lesson is going to be about: can you fly or not? I think I can fly, cause griffins fly. Sunshine and Light Side can definitely fly. I don’t know about William, though. There’s this new boy going into school with us. His name is Felix. But I feel something suspicious about him. My cousin is enjoying her time there. I didn’t know that Jamie’s there, as well. 

The sleepover turns out really fun. Her mom is really fun and her house is beautiful. William tells us at night that he likes Sunshine. But luckily she is not there when he says it. We both tell him to tell her so it won’t be too late. Later that night, we do Truth or Dare, and I ask William truth or dare. And not wanting to do a dare, he says truth. So I ask him: who does he like? And he says that he likes Sunshine. But this time, she is there. She is surprised but happy. She doesn’t know what to say, so we continue on. Then they do a truth or dare on me. And I say dare. And they make me sing my least favorite song, Kiki, and play my least favorite video game, Fortnite! I don’t know why, but I do it. But I’m fine. So I do a truth or dare on Sunshine. Sunshine says dare. So I make her do something embarrassing: act like she’s a grandma and help her sister burp. And Light Side ends up burping. It’s really funny. But we keep on. Then, it’s Light Side’s turn. William asks Light Side truth or dare, and she picks truth. So William asks her. But he knows that she already does this.

“Is it true that you used your poo as hair gel?” says William. Embarrassed, Light Side says yes.

***

It’s been three years now since the sleepover. We’ve had many since then. It’s almost prom and I’m really happy. But I don’t know what to wear and who to go with. Alexander recently asked me out, but I didn’t respond. I don’t know what to say. But today I’m saying yes. 

It’s later. So now we’re going together. My only fear is my dress. So Sunshine and Light Side are taking me out to buy a dress. And after that I am going to send a picture to Dark Side. Dark Side has actually agreed to meet me at the airport, cause I asked her where she’s going to live for the rest of her life. And she said here, where we live. I was sad but told her the honest truth: I was going to stay in Georgia. She was really sad, but still, everything came with benefit. 

Prom is fun, they have cake, a chocolate fountain, and Alexander and I are prom king and queen. This year has gone by so fast, it’s already graduation time. During the year, I have earned money so that I can bring my family over. I buy tickets so that my friend, my cousin, and my parents can come over. They all start new lives here. My cousin gets a good-paying job. And my parents have enough money for retiring. I start a family. My kids get powers like me, but they get a better future ahead of them and they have a better hold of their powers. We’re just a big family and we’re happy in our lives right now.

Dragon Fire

Prologue

In the moist, slippery cave at the darkest night, one blue and yellow egg sits at a crater in the cave. Two serpents slip into the cave and wrap around the egg.

“Dinner!” the first one yells. 

“No, he could have a much better use for us.”

Chapter One: Dragonite

I slink through the cave, my blue, silky scales make no sound. When I’m about to get out, my father yells, “Don’t even think about itssss,” his voice trailing off like a hiss. I haven’t been able to leave the cave since I hatched. My father found my egg in a crater over six years ago, and even now, he keeps saying that I’m far too weak to go out into the world by myself, and he’s probably right…

Chapter Two: 10 Years Later

I soar through the air. My scales have lost their blue, silky color and are now a vibrant yellow, a small spike on my head and thin, yellow wisp zoom backward on my head.

10 years ago, my father may have poisoned me if I went out of the cave but now, I’m bigger, stronger, and have gotten into fights. My father has told me more about the war that’s been going on, and how I will have to fight with my brothers and sisters to stop the fighting, that’s right! I haven’t talked about my siblings.

Chapter Three: A Chance to Talk about my Siblings

I have four siblings, each from a different one of the five clans. All have had their eggs “borrowed” by my Dad. There’s the Water tribe, the Earth tribe, the Fire tribe, the Light tribe, and me, from the Sky tribe. My oldest sibling, Mudstacle, is part of the Earth tribe. The youngest sibling, Riptide, is part of the Water tribe, Eruptor is from the fire tribe, and Sunlight, part of the Light tribe. I’m supposed to be called Dragonite, but just call me Chris, and we are supposed to stop the war.

Chapter Four: Battle training, Sky High

My dad says that I have to learn how to hunt and how to fight, so he slithers out of the cave and brings Landlings, with the fur on their head and the five little claws. I eat it promptly, of course, and then move to the history cave, where dad told me about the war. The five tribes are choosing sides to fight for the largest piece of land on the entire island. Water joined forces with Earth, Fire joined Light, and Sky fends for themselves. Of course, this doesn’t make my brothers and sisters pick sides. Next is battle training, this may be the end…

Chapter Five: Don’t Fight my Father!

This is probably a good time to say that my father is not just a normal snake, he’s a big, GIANT snake, with venomous, poison fangs that will make your heart stop in seconds. So while he is melting rocks with his acid, I’m hiding behind a rock trying to avoid the crossfire, shooting flames here and there blindly, when eventually, I do what the sky tribe always does: summon electricity to their fist and punch people in the gut, except I punch my father.

Chapter Six: Punishment or Praise

My siblings stick their heads out in surprise, Riptide spits water out of his mouth and laughs like a hyena. Dad stands up on his tail and glares at me. Then, he opens his mouth, I brace myself, and he says… 

“Well done, Dragonite. You get to eat five pieces of food from the prey pile.”

“WHAT?” we all say in unison.

Chapter Seven: Grand Theft Egg

My siblings hate my father, they want to go back to their families, especially Eruptor. Her egg was stolen from the royal hatchery, meaning that she’s the next Fire tribe queen, meaning that she was taken from him to start a war. If she wasn’t nice, she would have seared her claws through his skin. But me, I just want to end the war and go back home, to the sky.

Chapter Eight: Cave Run

For laughing, my dad puts a chain around Riptide’s mouth and ties him to the Cave rock. So that’s when Eruptor has enough and she says she is going to get out of here and we could come if we want. Riptide muffles something so Eruptor sears the chains of Riptide since she has fireproof scales. Once Dad, or “Venomdrench,” hears the metal clanking, he slithers to the cave, where Riptide is freezing the rock blocking the exit. I punch, and we fly away. We don’t know where we are going, we just leave.

Chapter Nine: Royalty

We soar through the air, we are finally free, we can do what we want. But then we see shiny glistening scales drag Eruptor down, but Riptide freezes the attacker’s wings and he plummets to the ground. I float down carefully and I see a brown dragon with pearls and jewel bracelets on her arms and legs. Mudstacle quivers and says,

“Guys, that’s the Earth queen. Earthquake.” 

Chapter Ten: Royalty Harmed

We have a queen with frozen wings in front of us, I think. We let her go, the entire Earth kingdom will be after us, we kill her and we might cause an entire new war.

But without hesitation, Eruptor pours molten lava all around where the queen is standing, and the plot of land dropped, all the way to the Earth’s core.

“Well, now we have killed royalty, have an entire Tribe after us, and we have nowhere to go”

“Wait!” I yell to my Mudstacle, Sunlight, Eruptor, and Riptide. “The sky tribe is fond of all clans, we can stay there!’

Chapter 11: Sky’s in Disguise  

The Earth tribe can turn themselves into any color, such as a Sky dragon. Water dragons can change color as long as they’re in water. Fire dragons can stay to the yellow color of skywings as long as they’re calm, and Sunlight is half Skytribe, so no trouble at all. So we walk into the mountain, called the Kingdom of Sky, and a guard twice our size opens the door, ready to pounce, then he looks down at us, and Riptide says,

“Hello!”

Chapter 12: 15 years later

We’re all visiting Eruptor, queen of the Fire tribe. I bring my kids along in a small little bag, one blue and yellow egg, and one red and blue egg. Mudstacle became the new Earth queen, and Riptide is the best hunter in the water tribe, and Sunlight, the Light princess. Mudstacle now has five big pearls on her body, Eruptor has jewels embroidered all around her, Riptide has gills and a fin on his head and back, and I have fully grown wings. Sunlight, queen of the strongest tribe, has a Sunstone on her chest and a sun emblem on her cheek. We are the protectors of the dragonfire.

2045

It is the year 2045, and global warming is at its worst. Temperatures are high and civilians aren’t helping. Tons of plastic waste is being released into the ocean. Beaches have trash on the shore instead of glistening shells and sand. However, people are forming groups with thousands of people, trying to save the ocean. 

It is a new school year, and Diego and Randy are close friends who are now in the 5th grade. Their school is near Bird Key Park in Sarasota, Florida. They patiently wait for Mr. Smith, who teaches facts about the world, and today he’s doing a lesson about oceanography. After class, Randy asks Diego if he can look at some of Diego’s vacation pictures since he recently went to the beach. As Randy flips through what feels like a perpetual album of photos, one photo catches Randy’s attention. There are soda cans and plastic bottles all over the sea shore. He asks Diego if the entire beach had pollution and Diego begins to tell the story.

Diego goes on about how horrible the ocean smelled and the look of it. He is glad they left. Diego says he saw way fewer seagulls than his last visit. He went for a swim and saw no more/fewer fish. The seashore was nauseating to even look at. The water was opaque and the coral reefs were bleached.

Mr. Smith finally arrives at the classroom after being 10 minutes late because he had to fix some air conditioners in other classrooms. He teaches the class fractions, decimals, and ratios. After 45 minutes, the class is dismissed. Since they both live near a beach, Diego and Randy decide to take a look at the ocean one more time. It is truly appalling. The coral reefs are nowhere to be seen, and it has a vigorous plastic scent. They both want to change this. They would need to build a huge community if they want to have a huge impact. Two average schoolboys determine to make a change.

Diego and Randy head to Randy’s house, where they can both start planning in the backyard. Since they are just average students, they probably won’t be able to make a community from scratch, so they decide to join one. With almost 60% of the ocean covered in garbage, they will need all the support they can get. Diego snatches his mobile device from his house across from Randy’s house and surfs the internet, looking for a program that helps get rid of the waste in the ocean. After a brief five minutes of vigorous searching, Diego finds a website that is free to sign up and takes place around their house. ORCA (Ocean Recognition Community Association) is the name of the community. Randy and Diego ask their parents if they have permission to sign up and they receive their consent, but only if they sign up themselves.

Once Randy and Diego finally complete the survey, they spring into action. Diego and Randy ride their bikes to the ORCA to meet and greet each other. They go to their local beach and get to work. They recycle about 50 pounds of trash that is left on the beach on the daily. It is dusk and both of the boys need to go back home. After they wake up the next day, they meet up in school with their other friends and tell them about the community. About half of the students they ask agree, varying from grades 4-12. Some of them need supervision, and the rest just need permission from their guardians.

Randy and Diego meet up at the daily community meeting with some of their friends. The boys introduce their friends Samantha, Briann, Al, Hyram, and others to the people in ORCA and they head to the shore! Samantha and Briann are siblings. Briann is in eighth grade and Samantha is in sixth grade. Briann is always looking for an adventure and Samantha just wants to follow in her brother’s steps. Al and Hyram are both in sixth grade, Al and Hyram have been best friends since kindergarten. Hyram is obsessed with clear skin. Hyram has his entire family supporting his decision. Even though Hyram wants to become a dermatologist when he grows up, he still wants to be with his friends instead of studying dermatology by himself. Al is the total opposite. Al would put a healthy skincare routine at the end of his bucket list, but he is obsessed with sea shells. Al doesn’t have a future career planned, but it is fine since he is only in fifth grade. Al’s older brother just moved to college and his family has planned a surprise party at the beach when he comes and visits. But with the beach in this condition, the party won’t seem to last long.

After 2 hours, they weigh all of the waste they have collected and they collected 80 pounds of waste today! There are still 3 hours before curfew so all of the kids in Randy and Diego’s school who signed up for ORCA print out flyers about the organization and place them all around the school and neighborhood. The next day, almost 20 more people join ORCA!

After a week or so, the seawater has become more pellucid. Some people in ORCA are oceanographers and they help take out the dead coral. More vibrant fish begin returning in the reef and more seagulls return in larger flocks. The next day, the community had recycled 100 pounds of trash! Randy and Diego are very proud of their decision because they feel like they made a huge impact in their neighborhood but they still have a long way to go. In a month, Diego and Randy help recruit over 50 people and a total of 340 people who sign up for ORCA. They recycle about 600 pounds of trash this month.

A few months pass by and 800 people sign up for ORCA. It is the end of the school semester, and Randy and Diego feel so proud. Randy, Diego, Hyram, Al, Briann, and Samantha helped cause a huge impact on their local beach. The water is very clear now, and the sand has very little waste in it. More people and tourists are visiting the beaches more often, and now, this is like a second-nature to most of the attendees. ORCA has raised a bunch of money and have been receiving loads of support. They plan to do larger projects and go further in the ocean, helping other beaches, and even other bodies of water.

***

Randy and Diego finally graduate from fifth grade, they apprise their parents about all of the positive impacts that they helped cause. With approximately 1,000 people in ORCA throughout the nation, they will need larger plans. During summertime, ORCA plans to go deeper into the sea and venture to other polluted beach resorts and bays. Diego and Randy have all of the free-time since they won’t have to worry about schoolwork or disarranged schedules. The community split into two groups. Group one consists of 250 people, and they’ll help clear out and filter the polluted water. They will also help clean up the land, giving it a crisp look. Group two consists of 400 people. Their duty is to head out to bays or further into the ocean to unearth trash and succor endangered sea creatures.

The Fourth of July is here, and now there are more visitors. With many more visitors, Group one will have many issues trying to recycle and trash the leftovers of the consistently visiting citizens. At this rate, the bay would clear up much more slowly. Some of their schoolmates, Samantha, Briann, Hyram, and Al were also in Group one. You had to be 18 years old or older, or 14-17 years old with guardian supervision to contribute in Group two. The older kids from the school went to Group two. Al’s parents took part in Group two. After three and a half hours, both Groups had a meeting to discuss the difficulties and simple parts. The next day, ORCA tries to buy all of the equipment that they need for a new contemporary morning. ORCA gets the money because of other huge brands donating to them for their good actions and to send support to ORCA so ORCA can grow larger. ORCA also creates a website, which has a donation section. The kids meet up and they trail off from Group one. They scout for plastic trash in the sand, and selfish people who just throw their garbage into the sand or sea. They pack their stuff and took off. After about one whole hour in, the kids notice how far they had trailed off. They end up lost.

They decide that it would be best to walk the other way, but everyone is already fatigued. Hyram begins to panic because he’s afraid that he’ll lose all of his skincare products. 

Al isn’t too upset because there are many shells on the shore. While they are walking the opposite way, Al takes his time because he is analyzing and collecting sea shells. Randy remembers about the mapping paper he packed earlier today. Unfortunately, Randy forgets to actually map out the trail. So they are really lost. They decide that it’d be smartest to just walk towards the city rather than Group one on the shore, since they are still in Sarasota, but just farther away from Group two. Briann glares into the distance and notices Group two on their boats returning. They try to track down Group two’s stop and head there. After walking up a steep hill of sand that was shards of glass, they decide to take a break. Luckily, they all packed snacks and water before heading far off into the bay. Randy and Diego snack on some fruit salads. Al eats some chips. Hyram eats some papaya and watermelon since he heard that it is good for your skin. It is 6:30 P.M. and then Samantha sees black silhouettes in the distance. Could it be civilization?

Samantha squints her eyes and then the picture is clearer, they are palm trees. Briann takes a minute to listen, and he hears popping and cheering. It is the Fourth of July Fireworks! The kids sprint up the hill, despite how weary they are. The fireworks slowly become louder. If this were to be any other day, the kids might’ve been alone for a much more prolonged time. They see the neighborhood gathering up and cheering. At last, they are safe. Each and every one of the kids sees their guardians, waiting for their return. They reunite and celebrate the Fourth of July together.

A few months pass by and they continue to do their daily deeds. They all have moved up a grade, but Samantha and Briann are moving to Salisbury, North Carolina because their father has work there. However, Briann still wants to be a part of ORCA. He saw this as an opportunity to expand ORCA. The kids have one last meeting before Samantha and Briann move away. Once Briann and Samantha move, they will advertise ORCA so people from where they live would want to also sign up. Before they move away, Briann tells Randy his plan so the next day Randy tells some people in ORCA and they think that would be smart. With all of the money they had raised, expanding would be a smarter choice than buying advanced equipment. Al, Hyram, Diego, and Randy help clear off more trash on the bay and they meet up after they complete their work. The kids stare into the ocean, talking, making jokes, and reminiscing all of the fun times they had with each other. They feel proud, even though they haven’t cleaned everything they wanted to in a year.

Why School Should be Shorter

Ever since Covid-19, this is what my online school day looks like. We have a few online classes, and then we work on a couple of assignments. This ends up being only three to five hours. Right now, teachers mostly grade students based on participation instead of assignments. If teachers think that this is enough to grade students, then when we go back to school, we should just do the same thing in person. I believe that school should be four hours a day.

One reason why schools should only be four hours a day is because students can get tired. If students get tired, then they can’t focus on their work. Here’s a story. One day, I got really tired at school. My teacher gave me an assignment and I forgot how to do the work. It took a couple of minutes to remember how to do it. That proves that if students are tired they cannot complete assignments as well as they normally would. If students can’t focus on their work, then they will not be able to complete assignments. If school was shorter, students would be able to focus and get better grades. Also, if students got home earlier every day, then they would be able to get some more sleep. Finally, students would have more time to do homework and to study a little bit more as well.

 Something related to students getting tired is students being stressed. The way that tiredness affects students is different than the way stress affects students. Tiredness affects students mentally, while stress affects students physically. Students could get stressed out because of all the time they have to spend in school. If school were shorter, students would have more time to relax and to find out what relieves their stress. I have asthma. Ever since I have been home from school, I have been having fewer asthma attacks. I don’t know if this is because of less stress, but there is definitely some relation. According to err.ersjournals.com, “Chronic stress in early life is associated with an increased risk of asthma onset.” This proves that if you are stressed at a young age, then you have a risk of developing asthma. Stress also weakens your immune system. According to simplypsychology.org, “When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections.” This proves that if you are stressed out, then you are more prone to diseases. This also proves that when we go back to school in September, schools should let students go home early. If they let students go home early, then students have a lower chance of getting the coronavirus because they will be less stressed. If the students are less stressed, then their immune system will not be as weak as it would be if they were stressed. There are many things that students could do to relieve stress, and they would have more time to do these things if school were shorter. One of those things is coloring/painting. Another option would be extracurricular activities.

Finally, school should only be four hours because students will have more time to socialize and/or do extracurricular activities. If students get more time to do these things, then they 

will become more social instead of sitting around studying all day. Students will also be able to learn during extracurricular activities. According to crimsoneducation.org, “Some students worry that participating in extracurriculars may take away too much time from their schoolwork, thus hurting their grades; however, extracurricular activities can actually improve your grades and your outlook on school in general.” According to this, extracurricular activities also improve the way students feel about school. Ever since I’ve started extracurricular activities, such as swimming, I feel like school is interesting because I have a larger variety of activities now.

In conclusion, school should be shorter because it is important for students to get time to enjoy themselves, as well as being good students. It is important because this all impacts the future lives of students all around the world. Students also get to spend more time with their parents, which impacts their future by showing them what life will be like when they get older. This topic is very important, but now this topic is especially important because of Covd-19. Maybe Covid-19 will also show us that adults’ work days should be shorter as well.

Robbery

Alex had a normal life until he was eight. His parents went out to get food while he stayed at home. That was when he put on the TV. There was a sudden news flash. It said there was a robbery happening near a store. The robber wore a black mask, a jacket, and blue jeans. Police were on the scene saying,

“POLICE! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR.”

That was when it happened. It was crazy, people started screaming and running and police were firing at the robber, the robber firing back. Alex sat there paralyzed in fright. But as he watched, he saw the police catching the robber. It later said that at least five people died, three police and two citizens. Alex then realized that the store that got robbed was the store that his parents went to get food at! Alex’s mind went through a million thoughts.

Are they dead? Are they hurt? Are they coming home? Should I go out to see if they are okay? After many arguments with himself, he decided to stay. That was when he heard on the news the child’s parents that got killed will get collected by the orphanage.

Hours passed and no one came, not even his parents had come home. That was when he heard a knock on the door. He was filled with excitement. Could it really be his parents? Then he remembered what the news said.

Well, he thought, it is time to find out. He opened the door and saw…

Two tall men. Wearing black clothes like if someone just died. The first man said, “Hello, child, may I come in?”

Alex knew not to let strangers in, but he had a gut feeling that they were important. So he let them both in. It was like they were inspecting the house. After some minutes looking around, they sat down. One of them said, “So did you hear the news?”

“Yes, I heard that they said a robbery happened and five people, including two citizens, died.”

 The other men said, “You’re right. And did you hear what they said later?”

“Yes,” Alex replied. “They said the child’s parents who died would go to an orphanage.”

“Well are your parents Steve and Chirstine?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I am afraid I have some bad news… your parents got killed by the robber.”

Alex sat there in shock. All of a sudden, he started to cry. One of them said,

“What is your name, child?”

“A- A- Alex,” he said, sobbing.

“Well, I am Michael, this David. So I am afraid we will have to take you to the orphanage. Come on, Alex.”

Alex, sobbing, went with them and never looked back.

***

That was three years ago, and ever since then, Alex had been in the orphanage. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. Every day he thought about it and wished it never happened. In the two years people tried to adopt him, it never ended well. The first family seemed nice at first but it turned out they weren’t. They worked him like a slave every day. One day it went too far, and Alex escaped. He had nowhere to go so it was back to the orphanage for him. After that, three more families adopted him but he ran away from all of them. They all were nice, but he never liked them. All he ever wished for was a family like the one he had. He remembered the times they spent together. How his parents loved him. But his parents had died and there was nothing that could change that.

A few days after he had run away from his fourth home, a new kid came in. He was as tall as Alex, 4ft 6 in. A lady introduced him to Alex.

“Alex, this is Mike.”

“Hi,” said Mike.

“Hello,” Alex replied. 

“So how did you end up here?” Mike said. 

“My parents got killed by a robber two years ago,” Alex said sadly.

Mike replied, “Mine too.”         

“Wait… WHAT?” Alex said.

Mike looked confused.

“Why are you so surprised?” Alex said.

“That’s not possible, my parents were the only citizens that day it happened… unless. Wait, were your parents cops?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Mike asked, surprised. 

“I thought I was the only kid that lost his parents from the robbery that day,’ Alex said.

“… ok. Anyway, how did it go for you getting a family?” Mike asked. 

“Well, good, I guess the first family wasn’t so nice, but the others

were, but I didn’t like them,” Alex said.

“What, why?” Mike asked, a little jealous.

“None of them are like my family,” Alex said.

“So, I got terrible people who wanted to adopt me and you are

running away from people who want to love you,”  Mike said angrily. 

“Well, umm you see that uhhh… ”  Alex said, stammering.

“My dream is to live a happy life with someone who loves me and all

you care about is people who are already dead,” he said angrily as he stormed off.

Alex sat there in confusion. What, has he never wanted his family back?

Alex didn’t see him later that day and slept while thinking about it. The next day, he had gone to breakfast and saw that Mike was going to a new home again, but this was the same home that Alex got for the first time. He ran towards Mike and said,

“What are you doing?”

Mike said a little annoyed, “What it looks like. I am getting a new

home.”

“Don’t go with them. They treat you like a slave.”

“How do you know?” Mike replied.

Alex said, “Because I went with them once.”

Mike stopped in surprise and said to the lady, “I don’t want to go with you.”

She looked angry. “Why?”

Mike said, “Because I am not a servant.”

She left storming off and Alex said, “You know, you’re right.”

“About what?” Mike replied.

 “They are dead and nothing can change that. I need to accept it,” Alex said.

“Yup, now let’s go and get a new family,” Mike answered.

The Count’s Letter

Chapter I

Snowflake, a bunny, lived in the town of Meenlam. She was a postbunny, meaning she ran around the town delivering letters to her fellow townspeople. Snowflake also went to some of the nearby towns, such as Baldis, Rineen, Yoham, and Sarvenos. Snowflake was good at her job, but she was not the best because many of the other bunnies who worked with her were extraordinarily fast. Even when they ran to some of the farthest towns, they could get there in a very speedy three days, because those towns were over twenty kemdos away. Snowflake had heard some bunnies talk about the towns being over fifty miles away, but she had no idea what miles were. 

Snowflake loved baking. When she wasn’t delivering mail, she could often be found in her kitchen, baking something delicious. She often gave half of what she made to her neighbors because she lived alone and couldn’t eat everything before it went stale. Snowflake’s favorite things to bake were chocolate chip cookies because the batter was just as good as the cookies, and chocolate cake, just because chocolate cake is amazing. 

Snowflake also loved going to the beach, but only on cold days when she could be alone. Everybody came on the hot days because they didn’t like the cold water. Snowflake tolerated it better than most bunnies because she did it all the time and she also had a thick coat of fur. Besides, most of the time she just sat on the sand and gazed at the ocean or read. Snowflake liked being alone because she could think without having to hear everyone running around on the beach. 

One cold winter day, Snowflake decided that she should go to the beach, since she hadn’t been in a while. She sat down on the sand and watched the chilly waves rush towards her paws and then fall back into the ocean just before they pierced her boots. After about fifteen minutes of this, Snowflake decided to walk along the beach for a while. She was halfway to the small, abandoned garden of lilacs when she felt her boot thud against something sharp. She lifted her shoe, and she saw a tiny crab scuttling around on the wet ground. It looked lost, so she picked it up and walked it over to the sea. She set it down and the waves escorted it into the murky blue depths. A little bit later, she turned back and walked home. When she was nice and warm by her fire, she slept for an hour or so, and then she got up and made a batch of brownies. 

As she was waiting for the oven to ding, someone knocked on her door. She got up from the couch, and she opened the door. A cold gust of wind swept into the house, moving the fog covering the town to reveal a young bunny sitting on the doorstep. 

“Are you S-S-Snowflake N-Neepim?” the little bunny asked. Snowflake couldn’t tell if he was stuttering because he was cold, or because he stuttered no matter what. 

“Why, yes. I am Snowflake Neepim. What’s your name?” Snowflake replied. 

“B-Benny. Mrs. Evental a-asked me to f-find you a-a-and then to journey w-with you to this place and deliver t-t-this letter with you,” Benny said. 

Snowflake asked, “May I see the letter?”

“Y-yes. The l-letter is v-very important. A-at least, t-t-that’s what Mrs. Evental s-said. Also, s-s-she said it was. . . across the Forest!” Benny squeaked the last part as he handed the letter to Snowflake. He squeaked because the Forest was the most dangerous part of the world. Nobody knew what was past it, but clearly Mrs. Evental knew because she had to get a letter to someone there. Rumors flew around the village whenever someone went in because everyone believed that monsters and carnivorous plants lived there. The last time someone had gone in and come out alive was thousands of years ago when the Forest was new. To Snowflake, it didn’t seem right to risk her life just to deliver a single letter, but she would do it because Benny couldn’t do it alone. She grasped the letter as she looked at the address. 

32084 Grenom St NW

Bartrembos

“Alright. We’ll go across the Forest. We need to pack lots of food for the journey. Do you have any idea why Mrs. Evental wants us to deliver the letter?” Snowflake declared. 

“N-no, Ms. Neepim. Can I search your h-house for good f-f-food to bring?” Benny answered.

“You can, but please, call me Snowflake. I despise being called Ms. Neepim,” Snowflake replied. They walked into her house and started searching the cabinets to find foods that would be easy to bring. They ended up with two backpacks and two sleeping bags, and as they left the house, they waved at a town they might never see again. 

Chapter II

Snowflake and Benny stopped when they reached the Forest. They stared up at the towering trees looming above their heads. Then, with brave glances at the other, they pushed the shrubbery aside and stepped into the Forest. 

They had crossed the river before then, and they were miraculously almost dry. The river was known for being very fast and powerful, and most bunnies were drenched if they tried to cross or go fishing in it. Snowflake was very glad about that, since being wet while trying to cross a dangerous forest would not be good.

The first thing Snowflake noticed was the quiet. Before they went in, she heard the sounds of the river, birds, and the wind. In the Forest, there was nothing. There were no birds, no wind, and no animals of any sort, only the sound of their footsteps, which even now sounded muffled. 

“W-where are the n-n-noises?” Benny asked softly. 

“I don’t kn- aahhhhh!” Snowflake screamed. Benny clung onto Snowflake as a huge snake slithered down from the trees. It stared at them for a minute, and then it glided up the tree. Snowflake and Benny calmed down and continued walking. They came to a huge wall that appeared to be made of ivy, but it was probably stone underneath. They poked around for a while, searching for a door. Benny yelped as he fell through the wall, and Snowflake rushed to him. He had found the door, and he fell through it. Benny stood up and dusted himself off, and they paraded into the place beyond the wall. 

It was a castle that stood behind the wall. It towered above the rest of the Forest, leaving an immense shadow over the trees. Loud chirping noises could be heard anywhere, and the air smelled of royal perfume. Snowflake wondered how she hadn’t noticed it as they were walking, but then she remembered that nothing could penetrate the canopy. As soon as they stepped through, however, a group of guards rushed towards them, and they tied their paws behind their backs. These guards weren’t bunnies, though. They were parrots!

The guards bumped them through the palace and stuck them in a small cell. The only words they said were, “Breakfast is at 7, lunch is at 12, and dinner’s at 6,” and then they left them all alone. 

“W-what just h-happened?” Benny quivered as he spoke. 

“We’re in a castle, and those guards just imprisoned us! We need to get out of here!” Snowflake answered. She frantically searched the cell, but there were only two tiny cots and a toilet. She spied a nail beneath one of the cots, but she couldn’t reach it. 

“Benny, can you get that nail for me? I can’t reach it,” Snowflake asked. Benny nodded and squeezed under the cot. He stayed under there for a moment and then he popped back out, nail in paw. 

“Is t-this the nail y-you wanted?” Benny said. 

“Yes, thank you,”

“You’re w-welcome.”

 Snowflake reached her paw through the bars of the door, and she stuck the nail into the lock. Unfortunately, a parrot guard came down the hall, and Snowflake had to stop. The clock struck noon, and the guard started to unlock the doors. The prisoners trudged out of the cells and they followed the guard to what was probably the dining hall. Snowflake and Benny had no choice but to follow everyone to the hall. 

The parrots serving the food passed out trays, and they spooned a bluish-gray glop to everyone. Benny looked down at his food in disgust, and he spat and pushed it away. As she did the same, Snowflake whispered, “Hey, I’ve got some apples. We can eat those once we go back to our cells. Then we can break out of here!” 

“What’d you do to get in here? I smashed one o’ the windows in King Obb’s palace. You look like some little stupid people, so I’ll tell ya that this is King Obb’s castle,” a gruff voice grumbled. They turned around to see a massive pig with a severe underbite point to a window high up in the hall. Sure enough, it was smashed to bits. 

“I insulted King Obb. This guy did the same,” Snowflake replied. Benny nodded in agreement. Just then, bells rang and all the prisoners stood up and got escorted back to their cells. 

Benny gasped, “They c-cleaned it! Our n-n-nail is gone!” He plopped down on his cot and began to sob. Snowflake dug out her apples and handed one to him. She sat down and they began munching forlornly on the apples. 

“I have earpins!” Snowflake cried. 

“S-s-so?” Benny said. 

“So, we can use them to pick the lock!” Snowflake said joyously. She dug in her bag and she pulled out two earpins. She stuck one in the lock and wiggled it around. The door swung open just as a royal-looking person flew down the hall. Benny jumped up and shut the door. 

“What was that?” King Obb asked. His voice was nasally with a snooty accent, and it sounded wicked. King Obb spun around, and his gaze locked on Snowflake and Benny. 

“Probably one of those little punks bangin’ on the bars,” a parrot guard replied. King Obb didn’t look satisfied with the answer, but he turned around and marched on, the guard trailing behind. As soon as Snowflake could no longer hear their wings beating, she opened the door again and slipped out, backpack and sleeping bag with her. Benny followed her out, but then he whispered, “How w-w-will we get o-out? G-guards will be w-w-watching the exits.” 

“The window that the big pig broke!” Snowflake exclaimed after thinking for a few moments. They ran up as quietly as they could, and then they stopped. The window was too high up for them to reach. They couldn’t get out that way. 

“I know! We can s-stack the t-tables!” Benny exclaimed. They began stacking the tables, one after another, making sure they had a way to get up to the top of the stack. Once the tower was high enough, they crawled through the window and jumped down. Half of the dining hall was below ground and there were some high bushes below, so they weren’t hurt falling down. They ran to the wall, and they climbed up the ivy, and they jumped over. They were free. 

Chapter III

Snowflake and Benny raced away from the castle. They had gone out on the opposite side of where they came in, so they didn’t have to circle all the way around to continue going. They trekked in silence for a while, but they began to talk when the ground beneath them started to pull them in. 

“Why is the ground sinking?” Snowflake asked. 

“I t-think it’s q-q-quicksand!” Benny replied. They screamed as the quicksand swallowed them, but they stopped when they fell into a huge cavern. Floating lights filled the cavern with a warm glow, and dancing bunnies wearing bright dresses were twirling around a stage on the far end of the room. A slow, romantic piece of music was being played by an orchestra that appeared to be in a glass room above the ceiling. Snowflake loved the lights bobbing about. She wanted to hold onto them forever, and she felt herself drop into a dreamlike state. She saw Benny walking slowly towards them, and she felt a very strong urge to do the same. Snowflake walked to the lights, and the last thing she remembered was hugging them, and then everything went black. 

When Snowflake came to, she was still clutching the lights. Benny was muttering something about how he loved the lights so much, he would never let go. Then he woke up. Snowflake saw the lights again and she went over to them. One of them morphed into one of the dancing bunnies, but this one had a wicked grin, and she bent over and kissed Snowflake on her forehead. Snowflake collapsed on the ground, fast asleep. The bunny walked over to Benny, but he batted her away. Now the bunny came flying back and she knocked Benny down! As she stalked over to him, she tripped over her long high heels. Benny used this opportunity to grab a stick and whack her. He hit her until she was unconscious, and then he grabbed her keys and dragged Snowflake out. 

When Snowflake woke up, a massive Venus flytrap was looming over her head. She shrieked and Benny woke up with a start. They had both fallen asleep after they escaped. 

“What’s g-going on?” Benny asked groggily. Then, he noticed the plant and he screamed, too. He jumped up and quickly slashed the Venus flytrap’s stem with a sharp stick, and then he collapsed and he promptly began to snore. He was just tired.  

Snowflake waited an hour before trying to wake Benny again. It had been really early in the morning when they were faced with the Venus flytrap, and they would still get an early start that day. She nudged Benny until he woke, and they ate a quick breakfast before continuing across the Forest. 

For the next three days, they trudged through the Forest, only talking when they had to. It was a very boring journey, especially since nothing else imprisoned them or tried to eat them. 

Snowflake was thinking that the Forest never ended and that Mrs. Evental had just made it up when the Forest suddenly ended and they were standing in a beautiful meadow with flowers in all colors of the rainbow. Snowflake and Benny rushed forward, only to smack into an enormous web and the meadow flickered and disappeared. They tried to move around, but the web was sticky and they couldn’t break free. There was a buzzing noise that sounded like a bee, and a huge firefly loomed over their heads. It lifted Benny off the web with ease, and it made a weird sound that sounded as if it were sniffing him. It tossed Benny to the ground, and it repeated with Snowflake. This time, the firefly must have thought she would taste good, because it lifted her up to its mouth, and it was about to put her head in when Benny swooped down on a vine, grabbed Snowflake, and launched over the web. They tumbled down a small hill and landed in the creek at the bottom. 

“Oof,” Benny groaned from underneath Snowflake. She slowly stood up and grabbed Benny’s paw and helped him stand. 

“I thought… fireflies were… herbivorous,” Snowflake panted. 

“Me t-too. I guess t-that one w-wasn’t,” Benny agreed. They dusted themselves off and they continued walking. They had learned to just keep on moving, even when something was hard. 

They walked for two more days, which made them very, very tired, and then there was light up ahead. Snowflake and Benny glanced at each other, and they ran towards it, despite their legs aching as if they had just stood for a week without sitting once. They pushed through the bushes, and there was a small town sitting there, waiting to be discovered. They were out of the Forest. 

Chapter IV

They raced into the town, and they noticed a sign that said Bartrembos as they frantically searched for the mysterious creature’s house. They ran around for a little while, searching for the house, but it became dark very quickly, so they found an inn called The Four Mugs. Once Snowflake and Benny had checked in and placed their stuff in their room, they sat down at a table in the dining room and began to talk about their mission. 

“So, just to remind you of what we’re doing, Mrs. Evental gave us this letter to give to somebody at this address, and it’s very important that we deliver it because something really important is inside. Also, do you have any idea what’s in the letter?” Snowflake informed Benny. 

“N-no. Mrs. Evental s-said, ‘This letter has s-something very important inside. Please d-d-do not open i-it. Just give it to the c-c-count at this address,’” Benny said, mimicking Mrs. Evental’s voice. 

“Do you think we should open it? Actually, the count would probably notice, so we shouldn’t open it,” Snowflake said. 

“H-how would he k-know?” Benny asked. 

“The seal wouldn’t stick, and it might be broken.”

“Oh. W-what if we got a n-new seal?”

“We don’t have Mrs. Evental’s seal stamp. Look, the name Koria Evental is engraved in the seal. This count probably knows what the seal looks like, so he would know that we opened it,” Snowflake pointed out. A waiter walked over to their table with two lemonades and two bowls of fettuccine alfredo. They ate a delicious meal, and then they went up to bed and got the best night sleep they had had in days. The next morning, Snowflake and Benny ate a quick breakfast and then they left to go and find the count. 

“Scarcem s-street. . . J-jalims street. . . Grenom s-s-street!” Benny read the names of the streets as they passed them. They turned down Grenom Street and they looked for number 32084. 

“There it is!” Snowflake cried when they found it. 32084 Grenom St. was a tall and dark house. It was very neat and nothing looked broken or out of place. A weird smell was coming from the house. It was something like cinnamon combined with molasses. Odd chattering noises came from the back of the house. Snowflake and Benny walked up the steps to the door and they knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal a tall and gaunt bunny. He wore all black, which contrasted his pale white fur. He looked sad, as if he had been living all alone for the past ten years, and he had a very long nose, a thin line for a mouth, a worry crease, and very dark eyes. He gazed at them for a long time, and then he said, “Come in. I am Farmirn Jayis. Why are you here?” 

“We’ve come to deliver a letter from someone in our town named Mrs. Evental. Also, I am Snowflake,” Snowflake answered as she and Benny walked into the house. 

“Was Mrs. Evental’s first name Koria?” the count asked. 

“Y-yes,” Benny said. 

“And what might your name be?” Farmirn inquired. 

“B-benny,” Benny answered. Farmirn gestured for them to sit down in some large armchairs as he got out whatever had made that weird smell earlier. They turned out to be cinnamon spice cookies, and Snowflake and Benny took them gratefully. 

“Now, may I see this letter?” the count requested. Benny handed him the letter, and they peeked over his shoulder as he read it. 

August 7, 1483

Dear Farmirn,

I write to you to warn you of a bunny hungry for power in our village. He knows there is a place beyond the Forest, and he plans on storming Bartrembos and claiming it for himself. I want you to know so that you can protect Bartrembos from this evil bunny. He has black fur, green eyes, and one of his ears is half as long as the other. Please, protect yourself and your town from this bunny. I love Bartrembos, and I would hate for it to be taken over. Oh, I forgot to mention his name. It is Dreim Varlik. He is a powerful bunny in our town, so he will not have trouble recruiting an army and going there. Please stay safe. 

On a lighter note, I received your present. Thank you so much. The sapling was a very thoughtful gift. I still do not know how you can send that in the mail and get it here so quickly. It is a sapling, and that makes it very hard to transport it, especially all the way across the Forest. Thank you again!

Sincerely,

Koria Evental

“So, this b-bunny named Dreim Varlik is coming to take o-o-over Bartrembos just because he can, and w-we have no i-idea for how he learned about this p-p-place, right?” Benny said. 

“Yes. We must go to the Council at once and inform them of this danger!” Farmirn cried. He stood up and bolted out of the front door, letter in hand. Snowflake and Benny rushed after him. They were exhausted and out of breath when they reached the town hall. 

“Councillors! I am sorry for coming without warning, but I have just received a letter from my friend in a town called Meenlam. She informed me that there is a bunny in her town who discovered Bartrembos and they want to come here and take it over! We must pro — ” Farmirn said quickly. 

“Hold on there, Farmirn. Repeat that more slowly,” a councillor, who had the name Councillor Jinlis on his chair, interrupted. 

“I have a friend in a town named Meenlam. She just sent me a letter warning me of a bunny who has discovered Bartrembos, and that bunny is going to come here with an army and take over our town,” Farmirn repeated, much slower this time. 

“Thank you. Do you have any idea of how powerful this bunny is?” A councillor called Councillor Zarina asked. 

“My friend, Koria Evental, said he is very powerful and he will have no trouble recruiting an army and pushing through the Forest,” Farmrin answered. The Councillors turned towards each other and they began talking in hushed voices about how they should stop this threat. Eventually they came to a decision. 

Councillor Barikl said, “Go to the Emnesi. For the two young bunnies, that is where our army resides and trains. Tell them to block the town off and prepare their weapons. We are going to war with these flops for bunnies.”

Chapter V

Snowflake ran straight to the Emnesi after receiving directions from Farmirn on how to get there. 

“Block the town off! Prepare your weapons! A group of bunnies are coming from across the Forest and want to take over Bartrembos!” Snowflake yelled when she got there. 

“Who are you?” one of the soldiers asked. 

“I’m Snowflake Neepim of Meenlam. I came here to deliver a letter from all the way across the Forest, and some bunnies from my town are coming here to take over Bartrembos!” Snowflake cried. The soldiers murmured in discussion. 

Before they could speak, Snowflake called out, “The Council ordered you to do this!” As soon as she said “Council,” they started running about the camp, gathering their weapons and rushing out the door. Snowflake watched as they positioned themselves all around Bartrembos, making sure their weapons worked properly. They waited for hours, but at sundown, loud footsteps started coming from the Forest. A couple minutes later, Dreim Varlik’s army burst out of the Forest. They must have thought the people of Bartrembos would be just going about their normal day, but they found an army instead. Dreim’s army waited for a minute, glancing at each other and appearing to think, How did they know? before they charged at Bartrembos’s army. 

The next hour was filled with the clashing of swords and bows shooting nonstop. Everywhere Snowflake and Benny looked, soldiers were fighting and bodies were lying on the ground. Some moaned and twitched, while others lay still. Bartrembos was winning, but then the other army rolled a huge cannon out of the Forest. Three bunnies had to work to get a single cannonball in, but the balls were weak and they only destroyed a couple houses, which was not much compared to what it had looked like. Snowflake spotted Benny on the edge of the battlefield, and he was creeping towards the giant cannon, a bomb in one of his paws and a box of matches in the other. 

“Benny!” Snowflake shrieked. Benny turned around and put his paw to his mouth, signaling for her to be quiet. He crept up to the cannon, and he began to army-crawl between the bunnies’ legs. He went underneath the cannon, and he stuck the bomb into the hole after lighting it. He jumped up and ran back to Snowflake as the bomb exploded. 

When all the smoke had cleared, Snowflake saw the cannon, but it was completely destroyed. Many more bodies now lay near it, and Snowflake recognized them as the bunnies operating the canon and other warriors. The soldiers from Bartrembos used this opportunity to start fighting again while the others were still in shock. 

“Where did you get that?” Snowflake asked Benny. 

“F-farmirn gave it to m-me just in c-case we needed it,” Benny answered. Shouts came up from the battlefield, and Snowflake and Benny peeked over the wall of the fortress they were on to see the Bartrembos soldiers standing in victory. They had won the battle! 

Chapter VI

Snowflake and Benny were at a massive party. Once the battlefield had been cleared up, it was decorated with streamers and balloons that flew high into the sky. The town bakers had worked hard to make cupcakes, cakes, salads, and more for the celebration. It was so loud, Snowflake and Benny had to scream to hear each other. Near the end of the party, Farmirn got up onto the makeshift stage and quieted everybody. 

“I would like to propose a toast to Snowflake Neepim and Benny Kembi. They delivered a letter to me from Meenlam informing me of the bunnies who attacked us earlier today. If they had not come and given me the letter, we would probably be dead right now. To Snowflake and Benny!” Farmirn called. Everybody raised their glasses of lemonade and said, 

“To Snowflake and Benny!”

After the celebration was over, Snowflake and Benny stayed at Farmirn’s house for the night. The next morning, he took them in his donkey cart, and he drove them all the way back to Meenlam, and it took them only four days to get there. When they got back, they were celebrated as heroes because they saved another town from destruction. They became leaders in the town, and the first thing they did was create a road through the Forest to make it easier to get from one place to another. Snowflake and Benny led very happy lives, and they were written about in history books because they accomplished so many good things, and Snowflake and Benny became the greatest leaders in all of Meenlam history. 

The Story of Sunglass Dude & Pengu the Penguin

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: LET’S GO!

Chapter 2: Into the Forest

Chapter 3 The Impossible Eating Wall

Chapter 4: Wait, I Have a Great Idea!

Chapter 5: Hurry to the Flight!

Chapter 6: WE GOT THERE, WE’RE GONNA HAVE SUNGLASSES AND A DOG!

———————————————-

Chapter 1: LET’S GO!

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Sunglass Dude and a penguin named Pengu. The penguin and Sunglass Dude were best buds. Anyway, they were about to go on an adventure to go to Hershey Park to get sunglasses for both of them and get a dog.

So they started by getting out of the house and saying, “LET’S GO!”And they were off, with a grapple hook, on their journey walking to their favorite things. 

Chapter 2: Into the Forest 

So then they walked and walked so far that they saw a beautiful forest. The trees were light blue and it was like a miracle. They said, “Whoooooaaaaa!” They were so surprised that they said, “That’s so cool!” They were so happy to go through the forest! They saw birds and squirrels, and even a bald eagle. They played in the forest a lot, and it was the best place to play because the animals were nice to play with. Then they went off to walk off to the unknown, or should I say, the airport. So they went off on the long walk back on their journey. Then they saw a modern mansion. It had a pool and it was shiny and it was so cool! They saw the owner and Pengu, and Sunglass Dude said, “What are you doing in this forest?” 

The owner said, “Well, this is the mage forest, you know that, right?” 

They said, “No.” 

The owner said, “Well, we’re in magic city.” 

They said, “Okay.”

 Between them, they were like, “This is so cool!” 

Pengu and Sunglass Dude said to the owner, “We need to look around the city. Can you show us around?”

 The owner said, “Okay! Come with me!” 

When they were done, Pengu and Sunglass Man asked, “Is there an airport around here?”

The owner said, “Yes. But there is a giant chocolate wall that’s, like, impossible to eat through.” 

Either way they went…

Chapter 3 The Impossible Eating Wall 

… anyway, they went to the wall and started to eat through it. They were eating so long that they needed a rest, so they decided to sleep all day and then they kept eating. Even though they were so tired, they started to climb. But they kept falling on their butts. They said, “Oww!” every single time. Then they went on to keep trying and falling on their butts. 

Sunglass dude said, “I QUIT!” 

Pengu the penguin said, “ME, TOO!” Then they walked away. Suddenly…

Chapter 4: Wait, I Have a Great Idea! 

… Sunglass Dude said, “Wait, I have a great idea! Remember, we have a grapple hook. Let’s grapple over the top of the giant wall!” 

Pengu the penguin said, “Yeah, let’s do it!”

They did it, but they still had a river to cross. They saw the river and it was brown and smelled really good so they started smelling the river again and again. Then finally a person went up and said, “What are you doing?!” 

They said, “Umm nothing. We were about to go to the airport.” 

He said, “Oh okay.”

Pengu and Sunglass Dude got into a boat and began to sail to the airport. While sailing, they saw a bunch of fish, a bunch of swans, two great beard gray herons, and one mythical animal called a kitsune that is so cute and that is a type of fox. Everything was so cool to watch. Then they arrived at the airport. When they got there, they had some money for a ticket so they went and bought their tickets. 

Chapter 5: Hurry to the Flight!

When they got a ticket, first they went to one of the lunch bars because they were hungry. When they started to eat their first bite, they said, “This food is amazing!”

Then they kept eating there so long that they had to hurry to the flight when it was called! They said, “Oh no! We’re about to be late!” 

They both ran so fast that they were able to make it. By the time they got there, they were so tired, they were out of energy! They were so exhausted, that they slept on the plane for four hours. Then they ate some food and it was okay and they were full. They went to the bathroom and after, they were bored that they played some games on the screen in the seat in front of them. Pengu and Sunglass Man played Pac-Man, which made them happy. After they finished playing the virtual game, they were sleepy so they slept again and when the plane landed, they woke up. 

Chapter 6: WE GOT THERE, WE’RE GONNA HAVE SUNGLASSES AND A DOG!

When they got to Hershey Park, they were like, “We GOT HERE YESSSS, LET’S GOOOO!” So then they drove to the city in the car and they went to the bathroom, they were like, “This is so shiny!” They looked all around and got a quick drink. They kept walking and looking everywhere for the dog and sunglasses, and found them! Then they were like, “It’s party time!” So they made a cake and balloons and invited everyone and had fun. That night they played and cuddled with the dog with sunglasses who was very cute.

The end !

Or is it…

Don’t Take the Best of Me

Once upon a time, there were these three best friends named Abby, Amy, and Abigail. They were the best of friends and did everything together. But what two of the friends didn’t know was that Abby had a very big secret, a secret that she had been keeping ever since she met them in 1st grade until now, in 6th grade. Her secret was she had type 1 diabetes and felt ashamed of it because she felt that all she was to people was a sick girl who couldn’t take care of herself. That’s why, ever since she moved here to this small town in Colorado, she felt she didn’t have to be a sick girl near people, that was, of course, if no one found out.

But she still had to follow a certain number of rules for herself, so no one had to suspect anything. For example, everywhere she went, she needed to carry apple juice with her at all times to maintain her blood sugar and so it didn’t go too low or too high — because blood sugar was her main source of energy and came from the food she ate, if it went way too high, then it could cause severe heart conditions. So she needed to have and maintain a certain diet. And her mom to her felt like just another person who reminded her that she was sick because of all the importance she gave her. Sometimes, it even made her feel like her own mother was ashamed of her but she knew she was just helping her hide the fact that she had diabetes like by hiding her continuous glucose monitor under her clothes.

Ever since what had happened at her last school, when one of her closest friends recorded a video of her in a hospital having a seizure and showed everyone in her old school, she had lost all her friends. The thought of her having an illness was such a big deal that they stopped talking to her and stopped hanging out. That was until she moved here and she felt like she had the chance to begin a fresh start and to have no one who knew what had happened to her before she had moved here. That was until today, when some 3rd grader was getting bullied by some 8th grader and she wanted to tell the teacher but didn’t want to be a tattle teller. But she felt like she had to, so she did.

“Hey, you over there, don’t you know what happens to bullies when they pick on kids, they get reported to the principal’s office.” As she was about to go to the principal’s office.

But little did she know she was in for a surprise when the 8th grader said, “You will regret this.” 

And sure enough, she would.

The next day, when she was walking to school, she heard whispering and laughing, she didn’t think anything of it until she saw people staring at her when she walked inside the school. Suddenly, she felt someone pull her into the girls’ bathroom. It was Amy and Abigail. And just as she was about to scream,

“Why the heck did you pull me in here for?”

Amy put her hand against her mouth, closed the door, and pulled out her phone to show her the video that everybody was talking about. It was a video of her having a seizure in a hospital.

“What is this?” said Abigail. 

As Abby started seeing the video, she stared at them both and started having shivering lips as if she was about to cry.

“I can ex… pla… in,” she said as she was shivering.

“If you don’t tell us right now, we’re leaving,” said Abigail.

And just as they were about to leave, Abby built up all of her emotions and said, she said what she never thought she would say, ever,

“… I have… DIABETES!” 

Just there and then, Amy and Abigail stood there looking at Abby in a state of shock as Abby dropped down on the floor and started crying. But just as suddenly, she felt two arms touch her back as she looked over at both shoulders and smiled when she saw Amy and Abigail.

“We didn’t know you had diabetes, Abby, we are so, so very sorry, but what I don’t understand is why you never told us,” Abigail said with a calm voice.

“I guess I was just scared of what you and Amy might think about me.”

“You don’t have to be ashamed of who you are or what you are, we both accept you for being you, so who cares what everybody else thinks, you have us,” said Amy as all three of them hugged on the ground, crying and laughing.

The very next day, Abby decided to hold an assembly in her school and explain all about her illness to people and really open up something that she’d been trying to avoid for years. Some people supported her and some people didn’t, but at the end of the day, it didn’t even matter. Who cared what people’s opinions were of her? She should just be happy for who she was and not ashamed of that. She had people who actually cared about her, what more did she need?

Ms. Frizz

Ms. Frizz was an old woman who wore many sweaters, she had white, frizzy hair, and was a great math teacher, with greater students. They were all strangely smart. They would come in with a 100 IQ and go up to 160 within the first month. Since Ms. Frizz was seemingly a great teacher, not one parent complained about their kid being put in her classroom. In fact, parents were lining up at the administration office to transition their kid to that class. But Ms. Frizz kept a dark secret hidden behind the classroom’s dry, cracked walls. And no one knew all this until the day Timmy went into her class.

Timmy had a twin named Tommy, and Tommy was in Ms. Frizz’s class. The reason why they were split up was because Tommy had more potential, as his parents said, so he went to the ‘smarter classroom’ which Timmy thought was unfair, but he knew it would happen because Tommy was the favorite. But the twins decided to pull a prank one day and swap classes. As soon as Timmy walked into the classroom, he knew something was wrong. He watched as all the students stared blankly at Ms. Frizz.

“Hello class! We will start class by watching this math video!” 

“Yes, Ms. Frizz,” said all the students in unison. 

Timmy looked on as she projected a spinning black and white spiral that seemed never ending. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he looked at the spiral so he quickly looked for a way out. While Ms. Frizz was busy rolling back the projector into the ceiling, Timmy ran out of the classroom. What else could he do? He couldn’t just go back to class! When his mom came to pick them up, Timmy told her everything! But she didn’t believe him! Timmy didn’t know what to say or what to do. Then a light bulb went off, quite literally because Timmy’s mom was changing the dining room light bulbs after Timmy’s dad fell off of a chair while bringing his plate to eat. Dad blamed it on the bad lighting, but Timmy blamed it on how big he was. But he figured out how to give proof! He would bring a tape recorder! As Timmy came into school the next day, he was stopped in the hallway,

“Tim, what do you think you’re doing walking into my classroom?” 

“Tommy, remember we were supposed to switch classrooms?” 

“Yeah, but that was yesterday. And I can’t possibly stay in that mind numbing classroom of yours for another day!” 

“You can hold in there especially if I tell Eliza you were a bedwetter until you were 8!” 

“Ugh, fine!!!”

It was safe to say that Timmy felt quite accomplished with himself! He slowly crept into the classroom, uncomfortably holding the tape recorder under his sweater. 

“Tommy! You were acting quite strange by running out of the room yesterday. Can you go get me something from the ‘closet’… ” 

“Uhm, sure,” said Timmy without knowing what danger awaited him. All the students watched as he walked in slowly. 

“Uhm, Ms. Frizz, there is nothing in the — ”

The students watched in excitement as Timmy fell down a trapdoor and into a strange room. 

“Oops,” said Ms. Frizz while holding her hand over her mouth.

“Help me!!” Timmy pulled his phone out of his pocket and immediately took pictures of the room and the trap door. He called his mom to come pick him up, and as the good mother she was, she picked him up. Or so she thought. 

“Mom hurry!! Come pick me up!” typed Timmy as fast as he could. 

“Honey, I don’t know what you mean, you are already in the car,” said Timmy’s mom over text. 

Timmy felt his heart rise up and into his throat. She didn’t take Timmy, she took another boy home. He started panicking as it felt like the walls around him kept getting smaller. Just when he was about to pass out, a new, pristine, white projector unfolded out of the ceiling. It was a completely different color from the room, which needed a new paint job and a heavy duty scrubbing of the walls to get all the muck and grime off. Then the projector started playing a tape. 

“Hello, Tommy, I hate to put you down here since you were always my favorite student, but lately I feel like you need some one-on-one time. And that’s okay because you will be here in confinement while you get help on your ‘studies.’ And the kid I sent your mom home with was just a robot. And I know she is a doctor so she will be busy and won’t care to drive all the way back to school to pick ‘you’ up. She still thinks she has the right kid,” said the recorded tape of Ms. Frizz’s voice.

Timmy wasn’t going to accept this. He was going to escape right out of here. Well, as soon as he found a way he would. He looked up at the projector screen and wondered, 

“If I can climb this, then I should be able to get underneath the trap door and get out.” He quickly rushed over and climbed on top of the projector. He tried his best to balance his feet on the skinny projector screen, he stood up and couldn’t reach the trapdoor. 

“Darn these short legs!” 

He looked around to see if there was something he could use to reach and punch the trapdoor so he could escape. There! He saw that there was a pointer finger that teachers use to point at things but it would come in handy in this situation. He thrusted the finger up and swiftly broke the door! He used all the courage and upper body strength he had to climb up through the door. He made it out! He ran out of the classroom and out the school door. He then realized he would have to walk four miles to walk home since he didn’t have enough money for the bus fare. Once he made it home, he dragged his legs to the front door and used his keys to walk in, he then saw Tommy and the robot sitting at the table eating. He couldn’t tell who was the robot! They both looked the same! Timmy then announced his presence and said,

“Guys, I have something to show you!” He walked up to his mom and said, “I’m the real Timmy! Ms. Frizz just trapped me in a room so that she could hypnotize me, too!!”

“Timmy!? If you’re Timmy, then who are the people here at the dining table!?” Timmy’s mom, Alicia, shrieked and dropped a teacup. Alicia then ran up the stairs muttering to herself.  

“Maid! Come clean this up! And you! Have you lost your mind?! Ms. Frizz would never do that.” 

“Why can’t you be like your brother and be calm and collected!” said his dad. 

“I have the pictures! Why can’t you just believe me! My whole life, you have loved Tommy more than me, and you didn’t even care enough to put us in the same class!” 

“Son, I’m sorry you feel that, I know I may have shown more love to your brother but now we have to stop the robot,” said Timmy’s dad, Eric, gripping his shoulders. 

“B-But how can we?” said Timmy.

“It’s simple, we just touch their arms and we see if we can feel a heartbeat!” As soon as his father said that, they immediately ran over to the table and touched their wrists to feel a heartbeat. In a heartbeat, Tim’s dad had pinned the robot onto the floor!

“Call the police, Tim!!” bellowed his father. Tim dialed the police and when the police showed up, they handcuffed the robot (even though they could have just turned it off). Timmy then showed the police the pictures and the recording of everything Ms. Frizz had done. The police later found out where she lived, and that same night, they broke into her home with a warrant for her arrest, but there was no trace of Ms. Frizz. 

“Thomas, Timothy, me and your father have decided that we should move to Florida because I don’t want to bring another robot child home and I’m also now afraid of the school,” said their mother fanning herself.

Timmy and Tommy looked at each other and in unison they said, “Thank goodness!”

Two weeks later, Timmy and Tommy went to their first day of a new school. As they both took their seats (they were in the same class now), both of their hearts dropped, as they saw an old woman wearing many sweaters with white, frizzy hair. 

“Hello, class! My name is Ms. Frizz and I will be your math teacher this year!” 

Seymour & a Piece of Cheese

I, Seymor, am a little hamster who just really wanted a piece of cheese. Every night, I would sit eating disgusting sunflower seeds. I would daydream about cheese. 

But one day, a little girl came to clean my cage. I just ran out of the cage. The little girl screamed! 

I said, “Talk about loud!” I ran. All that time on my exercise wheels paid off. Buck, her big brother yelled, “get the hamster.” The little girl started throwing traps. Unfortunately, all of the traps went on Buck. Oww, that must have hurt. 

While Buck was pinned down, I ran to the front door to make my escape. At just the right moment, their mom came and opened the door. I ran out at last. I was outside finally. New York is not a safe place for a hamster! I ran, but everyone seemed to hate hamsters. One even caught me. I ran inside the cage, but I saw there was a hole in the cage, so I ran back out. When I was outside again, I ran for the subway. I ran down the steps to the subway and I sniffed cheese, but a person on a bench holding a coffee cup and with a hat on, was eating the cheese. Nooo! 

I ran to the person and I was literally on his lap. He seemed very scared of me, but luckily I got away before he smushed me. I ran up the stairs and I was outside. I used my little hand to swipe the top of my head. Phew, it was sweaty. I ran inside. Gee, it was cold inside. I jumped on this snuggly thing. I snuggled in this thing that was very comfy. 

After an hour, I left the house and I saw a cheese store. I started running like crazy and finally I was in front of the store. Luckily they just opened and the owner of the store had a bright smile on his face. I looked right and left and there was just CHEESE! The owner opened the door AND I RAN IN! I ate EVERY PIECE AND CRUMB OF CHEESE. I spotted a cheese piece on a pedestal. My eyes filled with water and I jumped and ate the piece of cheese. From that day on, I lived the BEST LIFE EVER! 

The End.         

Katenga

Mayoth, 37th, 29141

Proteus, EverDunes

Deliah Blue’s Private Journal

To whom it may concern: I am Delyonïah Blue, Captain of the Fortuna 3 Spacecraft which has Landed on Neptune’s 10th moon, Proteus, on Lapis 24th, 29121. However, today is the last day I will live, for I will give my life to banish the soul, Katenga the shapeshifting Demon, from this massive body of water, which Katenga has taken over to destroy all civilization in our galaxy. Force does not work because punches and knives go right through it. I think our only chance of defeating Katenga is to have fire on large poles and usher Katenga out of our dome, in fear we would evaporate him. Once we get him out of the dome, he will freeze in open space, because the dome is the only type of civilization we have made on Proteus. YES! Katenga has just frozen, but just in case, I will transfer his soul into a single grain of sand, which is to be lost. Hopefully, Katenga will not take control of any more unlucky people. This transfer is a secret process only people who have had Katenga inside of them know. Good-bye forever.

Mayoth, 74th, 29151

Proteus, EverDunes

Loradis looked up into the sky, to Neptune, and then he went back to growing potatoes. He did that for a while until his buddies growing the kale walked over to him and said, “We should probably go inside. It looks like there is going to be a haboob.”

“We need to get the tent out and do some surgery on it and make it able to guard over the crops. Hey, Couch Potato. Get it, now!” Loradis exclaimed.

Couch Potato ran back covered in sand, pushing down on him. The sand hadn’t gotten the crops yet, but it was close. Loradis took out the sawzall and he took out the tent reinforcements and sanded the tent poles in such a way that it would reinforce itself once it was in the ground. Then, he took the five small poles and planted them around the crops. He assembled the tent and the cloth was flat over the crops. Because he knew that a haboob was a sandstorm that had sand rain, with extra gravitational force. To stop this, he put the modified tent over with extra tension so the sand would not crush the crops on top of the tent.

Svetöralis was watching his father set up the tent, full of fear that his father would not be able to make it to the airlock in time. Fortunately, his father got back to the airlock, but it was full of sand.

“Daddy, get in!” Svetöralis yelled. Svetöralis ran to the airlock, wondering if his father was in. The door opened, and there was a small avalanche of sand on Svetöralis. He crawled out, looking for his father, but he was already latched onto his leg. When they went home, they both had showers and Svetöralis noticed there was a single grain of sand that wouldn’t come off. He pulled, but it wouldn’t come off. He decided to wait until the morning to see if it would fall off. 

In the morning, he was very tired and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if I was a rock.” Then, the area around that one grain of sand turned green and he turned into the last rock he had seen, and he fell through his bed. He decided to turn into a carpenter, and immediately he knew the skills he needed to fix the bed. He fixed it, then he decided, “This is fun! Time to prank! I am a pig!” He turned into an enormous pig, and he decided to weigh himself on his scale. It broke. He tiptoed out the door and he went to his neighbor’s house and growled at the door. The neighbor opened the door, shaking, and then, in fear, he slapped the pig and then he closed the door as fast as he could. Then, Svetöralis turned back into a human and yelped, “Ow, that hurt, you know!”

The neighbor opened the door again, now mad, and pulled Svetöralis by his hair to the leader’s office and yelled, “This boy has been possessed by Katenga!”

“Hey, hey, let’s not make accusations yet, okay? Show me, Svetöralis Mars, show me, do you have the spirit Katenga?” The leader asked.

Svetöralis said, “I want to be a pig.”

The area around the grain of sand on his leg turned green again, and he shapeshifted into a pig.

“That’s the pig I saw before!” The neighbor yelled.

Svetöralis turned back to a human and said, “I want to start a program to look for alien life, and with this ability, I can speak to them, because when I turn into something, I am able to understand the language of the animal I turn into.”

“Hmm, that might actually be a good idea,” the leader said. “You’re on, kid!”

Jenny’s Candy World

CHAPTER ONE: The Cookie Tower 

Once upon a time, there was a teenage girl named Jenny who always wanted to be a princess. Jenny lived in a candy town with her mom and dad. Jenny knew her dreams would never come true so she decided to become a superhero. Her parents would always tell her that no one could just become a princess. She wanted to prove to her parents that she could become a superhero and a princess. 

One morning, when Jenny walked to the Cookie Tower, she saw the cookies slowly falling down. The cookie tower is a cafe where you would usually go to eat cookies. Jenny was worried that there might be people inside the tower. Jenny went inside the tower and saw people trying to make it out the back door. 

Jenny asked the barista, “Are you guys okay?”

“No, the cookie tower started to collapse!” said the barista. 

“Okay, how can I help?” Jenny asked.

“Just make sure that everyone is out of the Cookie Tower by the time it is going to collapse.” 

“Okay, everybody out!” Jenny said. She pushed open the door. 

Everyone wanted to get out of the Cookie Tower. Everyone ran out of the Cookie Tower and watched it collapse. 

The barista said to Jenny, “Milk from the bucket from the construction next door spilled on the Cookie Tower and it caused the Cookie Tower to start to go down and get mushy.” 

Jenny walked over to the construction area and she found the head construction worker. “The Cookie Tower got destroyed. I would like to ask you if you can build it again.” 

“Okay, but it may take a while,” he said.

“Okay, thank you,” said Jenny. 

Everyone thanked Jenny as she walked back for saving their lives. Jenny now felt one step closer to becoming a superhero.  But Jenny also felt one step further from becoming a princess. 

CHAPTER TWO: The Candy Store

Jenny walked over to the candy store to treat herself to some candy. The candy store was next to the old cookie tower. It was made of yellow cotton candy and smelled like pineapple, and you could take a bite as you walked down the street. Jenny realized the candy store was closed. She thought to herself, The candy store is never closed. Jenny felt a little bit upset. She walked over to the candy store owner’s house. It was in a chocolate apartment complex. When it got too hot, the apartment would always melt, so they would have to rebuild it again. And when it rained cotton candy and was humid, it would also collapse from that, too. 

When she got there, she realized that Nina, the candy store owner, was already outside and Jenny asked her,

“Why is the candy store closed?” 

“Because we had to shut down because of bankruptcy.” 

Jenny asked Nina how much was needed. 

She told Jenny 109k. 

“That’s a lot of money.” 

“I know, but I have to get it.” 

“How?” Nina asked. 

“I will loan you some money, and then when you get enough, you can pay me back.” 

Nina started to jump for joy. “Thanks, Jenny, you can get whatever you want in the store for free. Thanks. Wait, but how do you have all that money?” 

“I used to work for the richest man in Candy Town,” Jenny said.

From this, she thought she was going to give up being a princess because a princess got help and didn’t really help other people. She was just going to become a superhero.  

CHAPTER THREE: The Parents Talk  

Before coming back from Nina’s house, Jenny was craving chocolate from the yummy chocolate roads. Now Jenny was ready to start her walk back home. When Jenny got home, she called her parents downstairs

 “Mom, Dad!” called Jenny. “I have some great news,” said Jenny.

“What?” said her parents.

“I am a superhero!”  Jenny said.

“That’s nonsense,” said her parents.

“NO, IT’S NOT!” Jenny said as she stormed into her room. I am moving, Jenny thought to herself. Jenny started packing up as she listened to music. As Jenny walked down the stairs, of course her parents were not even home. She caught a gummy taxi all the way to the other side of Candy Town! When Jenny arrived at the new apartment, it smelled like a yummy s’more. It got late, so Jenny unpacked and got to bed. 

The next day, Jenny thought to herself when she woke up that she was feeling more like an adult. She had to go to the supermarket to get food for her brand new house. She walked to the store and everything was a gummy or a type of candy food, like her favorite vegetable was broccoli ice cream. After she bought herself some food, she was on her way back to her new house. When she got there, she realized she needed furniture. She called the candy store to ask if she could take some old furniture for free. Nina said yes. Jenny had this one chair in mind; it was a gummy bear chair. When you took a bite, it grew back to being a gummy bear chair. She picked up her chair and went back home. But when she got there, her parents were waiting for her at the new apartment.

CHAPTER FOUR: Jenny’s Way 

Jenny didn’t say anything when she saw her parents, she just walked back up to her new apartment. 

“Wait up!” Jenny’s parents said. 

“No, I am done with you guys, you were never there for me, but I will be able to be there for myself and take care of myself like the family I never had!” Jenny said. 

Jenny walked up to go inside her apartment so she could put her new chair down. Jenny’s parents were forced to leave because they were not a resident of Candy Town. 

Nina called Jenny’s candy phone. “Hey, Jenny!” says Nina. 

“Hi,” said Jenny.

“Is it ok if I come over to help you today?” 

“Yeah,” said Jenny. She hung up the phone. When Jenny got off the phone with Nina, she began to burst into tears. She was so torn apart about everything. Jenny went to text Nina and tell her not to come. Nina did not reply.

Jenny went to sleep and she slept for days and days and days and days and days. When Jenny woke up, she finally realized that she needed to be her own superhero, who fought for herself and who was powerful no matter what. After that day, Jenny was never down anymore!

Audrey and the Guardians of the Wall

 Chapter 1 – Getting Home

Once upon a time there lived a unicorn Audry. She was trapped in a land and the name of it was Earth. Her home was in Unicornland which was in the clouds. She wanted to get home, but the only problem was that there was a big wall that separated the two worlds. And there were a lot of guards that guarded the wall. 

One beautiful, sunny day, she went out and she decided to try to fly over the wall, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t jump over the wall or fly over it. But then she spotted a small window that was in the middle of the wall. She thought if she shrank to half her size, she could fly through it, but she didn’t. 

Then, many days passed and she was really frustrated. But then she thought that she could shrink herself to a fourth of her real size. When she did it, she should have been able to fly through, but her wings were too big. 

Then she was sitting outside when she remembered something. When she was shrinking herself, she forgot to shrink her wings. She shrank them, and she thought she could fly through. But she couldn’t, because her wings could only shrink to half of their size, not a fourth. 

So the next day, she was sitting outside and thinking of new ideas and how she could go back to her home. Then, an idea struck her. She thought that she could take out the bricks and make the hole wider so she could fly through. But there were three guards guarding it. 

One was so tired from all the work that he retired. But two of them were still standing there and they saw the unicorn trying to take out the bricks. They immediately took their staff and then the unicorn didn’t know what to do. And it was getting dark, so she went back to sleep. 

The next day, the unicorn thought that if she could put a sleeping spell on them, she could take out more bricks. She did that for the following couple of days. She did that but she only took out a couple blocks in a day. So she only took out half the bricks she needed to fly through it. Then, the guards woke up, and their hands were slippery and so they couldn’t hold the staff very well. So the unicorn took their staffs and so they ran away. They were too scared. 

The unicorn started taking out the blocks very easily. She took out another fourth of the blocks and only had another fourth to take out, but then a whole army of guards came, and then the unicorn put a sleeping spell on every single one except one, and then she took his staff away, which was the sharpest, and then she took out all of the bricks and could finally go home. When she got home, everyone was so happy to see her and she was so happy to be home. 

And then she built tons of layers on the wall so none of the guards could put a spell on any of the unicorns or hurt them ever again.

Chapter 2 – Back home 

But the unicorn never knew that there was a whole other island where they made those staffs so then the guards started making the same tiny hole. And then, when they made it, Audry and all the other unicorns thought they were trying to have some fun making windows. But they didn’t know that the guards were trying to get Audry the unicorn back. 

So then the guards had a special potion to make her come back to Earth. But the guards never knew that when she got back, she was training, so now anywhere she went, she had her powers, and not only flying. So it would be much harder for the guards to get her back. 

Then, when the guards finally got her back, they closed the window with magic bricks. But they didn’t know that the unicorn had all the powers now, so she could just break the bricks. But now that they knew she had trained, when they found out about it, they made a whole row of guards standing on each other’s heads so the unicorn wouldn’t be able to make a hole. But then the unicorn remembered that she could make herself and her wings bigger, almost fifty times. So she did that and flew to the top and started waving her wings. And the soldiers on the other row of soldier’s heads started wiggling and fell and got hurt so they ran away.

Then the unicorn started breaking the wall, but Audrey never knew that the staff had a special power. So when Audrey touched her wing with the staff, it took away some of her powers and was much slower than she had expected it to be. The guards were fully recovered when Audrey finished, so when the guards were fully recovered, they went back to action. 

But they didn’t know that Audrey’s powers had healed, too. So she quickly took out the last few bricks of the wall and flew through it. When she was finally back home, she closed the wall for good and put a magic potion that made soldiers not be able to open the wall again so the unicorns were back together and didn’t have to worry about anything else.      

Chapter 3 – A Black Hole                                        

 

One beautiful day in Unicornland, Audry found out that people from Unicornland were falling into a black hole. Audry went on her computer to try to find how to close the hole. But no matter how long she tried, she couldn’t find answers. Audry got closer. Then she fell into it.  Audy fainted on the way down. When she woke up, the same two guards were holding her. They told her if she came back to Earth, they would leave Unicornland alone. She said yes. 

Chapter 4 – A Secret Escape   

At night, when all the guards were asleep, Audry started breaking the wall. She flew through. When she got back, all the unicorns flew to a different land and they lived happily ever after.                

The end          

From the U.S. to Japan

Chapter 1

 “What time is it?” is the question I have been asking myself as I sit in the backseat of a Tesla. I bet you are wondering how I got into this situation, right? Well, it started right after school let out, when my friend, Sheila, was kidnapped. I don’t know how, or if I will see her again. 

Now it is three days later, I’m in Tokyo, and I am riding in the backseat of a Tesla, marveling at all the fancy controls and other gimmicks that the Tesla has. You see, the US government also wants to know where Sheila is, and has supplied me with an unlimited expense account. 

“Drive faster!” I yell at my chauffeur, Jack. 

“We are already going as fast as we can!” he yells back in his clipped British accent.

We are now in hot pursuit of the people who we think have kidnapped Sheila. I believe that the leader of their organization’s wife recently died and he wants company. Apparently, Sheila was one of his wife’s long lost cousins?

His name is Dr. Ren, and we are chasing his second, #2, who gets down to business! (Hahaha.) We speed down the crowded marketplace, knocking over vendor’s stalls and not stopping at red lights or stop signs. We are not going to let them get away!

I hope that Sheila is okay. She has never handled stressful situations very well. One time, in third grade, we saw a bird fall out of its nest and she didn’t stop crying. Eventually, her mom came to pick her up, and she spent the rest of the day watching movies, so it turned out okay.

Oh! By the way, I’m Amy. Amy Sullivan, and I am 16 years old. My dad is the president of the United States. 

I didn’t realize that I was looking sad. I guess I really, really miss Sheila.

#2 makes a sharp turn down a dead-end alley, but when we turn into it, he is nowhere to be seen. 

“Dang it!” I scream.

“We were very close, Miss Amy.”

I get out of the car to investigate. I check for loose bricks, doorways, anything that could give us a clue as to where Sheila went. I find nothing. Jack also looks around, but it doesn’t look like he is having much luck, either. 

“Amy! I think I found something!” Jack says.

Or not. I walk over to him and see him holding a license plate taped to the wall, behind some boxes. Like somebody wanted us to find it. 

           356 * 1449

As soon as we get back to our hotel, I go on my computer and look up the license plate number. Nothing comes up. It figures — this guy is a major villain. Of course he doesn’t put his license plate on the internet. Or, at least not the license plate that really matters. So I text my dad to see if they have it on any records, even though we are in Japan.

It has been hours since I sent the email and I still have not gotten a response. Suddenly, I hear a ding. I rush over to check my iPhone, and sure enough, there is a text there from dad. It says that the car with that license plate was last seen at Ueno Park. I run down the hall to the room where Jack is staying.

I knock very loudly, not caring if he is asleep or not. It doesn’t matter. He stumbles out bleary-eyed, looking as though he had just gone on a high-speed chase through a Japanese marketplace, which, technically, he had.                                                                                                             

“I have to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning,” he says.

He then (rudely) slams the door in my face, and I trudge back to my room for another night of no sleep and thinking about Sheila.

Chapter 2

The next morning, I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go to Ueno Park. Maybe I can sleep after all, even though my dreams were filled with worry and regret that I could not stop Dr. Ren from kidnapping Sheila.

We drive over there in the (still very cool) Tesla. The drive is an hour and a half long so I have time to think about what I am going to do when I get there. Another thing that has been on my mind is why Dr. Ren chose Sheila over millions of other kids, even if she is somehow related to him.

I decide to ask Jack.

“Jack, why do you think that Dr. Ren chose Sheila?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean!”

“Okay, maybe I do, but I think that you’ll feel better if you figure it out yourself.”

“I’ll feel better if you tell me what you think and then let me grab all the credit for your idea!”

We sit in silence for a few moments. Why does Jack have to be so darn nice? It’s throwing off my style and I don’t like it. Then, after what seems like an eternity, he responds.

“I think that maybe Dr. Ren is using Sheila to get to you. Having the president’s daughter could be used for ransom, trade, slack the next time he gets in trouble with the US. And it was just too convenient that you are friends with somebody who is related to him.”

Wow. I hadn’t thought about it that way before, but now that I am thinking about it, he may be right. I mean, that might just be the last piece of the puzzle. I guess we’ll find out. (Or we might not, based on how things are going so far.)                                                                                           

I guess I just don’t want to fail. When I was a little kid, I always thought it would be so cool to be in a high-stakes mystery like in the movies, but now that I’m living it out for real, it’s scary. 

If Dr. Ren hurts her, it’s going to be my fault, if Jack’s theory is right. Which it probably is, based on how smart he is. I don’t know much about his background but I know that he used to work for the CIA. He is around 25 years old, but has been training with the CIA his whole life. Why, you ask? Because his parents were also with the CIA.

He could have been the leader of the CIA, but he chose not to because he hates meetings and things like that. Even though he would have gotten paid a lot. I guess he thinks that if he wants that job, he can always come back to it. I would definitely want to be head of the CIA. You get to go on cool missions, order people around, and basically just have a good time, fighting animals, people, and ninjas. 

I bet that Dr. Ren is going to have ninjas that I am going to have to fight. I have never fought a real ninja before. I know what you’re thinking. Why am I, the president’s daughter, the girl protected by dozens of secret service agents, going on a dangerous mission mostly by myself? I’ve got two answers for you. 

One, Dad wants me to be able to take care of myself and not become too used to being protected all the time. After all, Dad is not going to be president forever. Before he was president, I used to get picked on by school bullies all the time. He just sees this mission as a learning experience.

Two, because of that, three times a week I go to karate, chemistry, and meditation with the CIA. Karate, so I know how to fight back. Chemistry, so I understand the principles of science and can understand formulas and things like that. And meditation so I can learn to go deep within myself to find the energy I need to fight. It also helps me memorize complex equations and pretty much everything else. 

I have completed all of the training necessary for a normal CIA agent. Right now, as we are driving, I am using my meditation to gather all of my thoughts. This will help me to be more focused later on, when I really need to be. I wish that I could meditate forever and not have to deal with everything that is going on right now. But I know that Sheila needs me, and that is what keeps me going.

I know that she may be hurt or worse, but if I save her, she will probably never be in danger again. I travel even deeper into my thoughts, passing through the good, the bad, and the crazy. It’s like a hurricane in there, everything is swirling around, mixing together. I just wish that everything would make sense. I see swirls of light and Japanese and American flags flying around. I see my dad, and my secret service guard, including my maids and the chef who makes the most amazing lasagna. 

I never thought I would say this, but I think I miss home. The marble floors and hallways of the White House make me feel cozy and safe. I haven’t felt that way since the mission started. My giant room with the pink walls and bed that I hate but still love, because I love it there. Especially all of the stuffed animals from when I was a little kid in their crate next to my bed.

When I’m at home, I always am treated like a little girl, but on this mission, I get to be mostly by myself and take down bad guys. But I think it’s too much. The pressure is getting to me.

Either way, I hope this mission doesn’t take too long, even though I would do almost anything for Sheila. She’s my best friend, and I care about her. Even if I fail this mission, I’m sure there are more trained professionals who will be able to rescue her. I know that if I fail, she won’t be mad at me because I tried.

“Try your best.” That’s what adults always say. 

“You tried your best, and that’s what matters.”

Well, what if my best isn’t good enough? What if nobody can save Sheila? I hope that’s not the case.

“Amy, we’ve arrived,” I hear from the front.

I look out the window and there it is: Ueno Park. Even in the face of everything else, it’s so beautiful. Japan really is a special place. There are red maple trees everywhere, and golden arches and mini waterfalls. This place has everything! I wish I could have come here under happier circumstances.

“So, do you see anything?” Jack asks. 

“No, not yet. But I will,” I respond.

“I think I see something,” Jack says.

I look where he is looking and see a shadowy figure. I can’t really make out the shape, but it does look like a person. Not like it would be an animal. I mean, I guess it’s possible. With a guy like Dr. Ren, you never know.

“Snap out of it, Amy!” Jack yells.

Right. I have to focus on finding whoever the person is. I don’t like that he knew that we would come here. I start creeping towards him, trying my best to hide behind red maples, but they are so small that it probably isn’t working. 

Darn it! I lost him, and now he could be almost anywhere. I’m usually pretty good at hide and seek, but that is in places that I know. I’ve never been here before.

Oh! I see him again. He’s heading towards a huge bonsai. There are a million things that could be going on with that tree. It might even be a secret hideout.

Nope. He keeps walking, seemingly with a purpose, but you never know. Maybe he’s just a random guy. Nope! He looks too much like #2, and with these things, you can’t be too careful. I wish I knew for certain if it was him or not. Then I would have a real lead. 

Well he’s not getting away from me just yet. I break into a sprint, heading in his direction. The thought of Sheila keeps me going. He sees me and starts trying to find a hiding place. He knows I see him. He knew I would, but he would never let me get close to him. I pass the bonsai tree from earlier, and a couple of golden arches with cool writing on them. 

I see him duck down a side path littered with rocks, twigs, and all kinds of other things. It’s practically a minefield, just a very beautiful mindfield. 

There’s a little stream that he tries to jump over but he stumbles a little. Oh! I think I have it. Yup. I do. I know his weakness.           

Chapter 3

It’s been four days since I was flown to Japan by my distant cousin, Ren Tanaka. Ever since, it’s been nothing but fun nonstop. Uncle Ren lives in a huge mansion, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. And it’s like OMG! I love it! LOL. 

You may be like, “Who are you?” Well, I’m Sheila Jones. Best friend of Amy Miller, daughter of President Miller. Yeah that’s right, my best friend is the first, umm… daughter? 

I’m the class flirt and school gossip, and proud of it. There are like, so many cute servants that work for Uncle. I’m so glad that my parents agreed to let me take a few weeks off to relax in peace with Uncle Ren in Japan. It’s like, so pretty.

Today I’m meeting him for lunch in the huge cafeteria.

Bobby and Milly

Chapter 1 –  The Puppy

Once upon a time, there was a puppy named Bobby. And Bobby

Was so cute. Bobby had an owner. The owner’s name was

Milly.  Milly loved puppies.  That’s why Milly had a puppy.

Milly was five years old when she got the puppy.

But now, she was 12. Her worst fear was losing the puppy.

She was so happy to have a puppy. And lucky.

When she went to school, the puppy would

Always chew on his bone until she came

Back from school. The puppy loved Milly. And Milly

Loved Bobby. One day, she had to go to camp.

So the puppy was chewing and chewing. 

Until Bobby got tired of chewing. So Bobby 

Was barking at the door. So Milly’s 

Mom picked the puppy up and gave it a bath.

Then, when the puppy was done, milly came back

And picked it up. And then Milly played

Soccer with Bobby and Milly played tag with 

Bobby. And she played hide and seek with 

Bobby. Then it was time to sleep. So Milly

Was sleeping with Bobby .

Chapter 2 – Wake Up

Milly was sleeping. And then her mom said,

“Wake up! You’re going to be late for school.”

So she got up very fast for school. Then the dog was 

Sad because Milly always went to school. 

So this time he just was sleeping. Then, when

Bobby woke up, Milly was there. Then

Milly had to take a shower. Bobby jumped 

In the shower with her. Then she was tired.

So she took a nap. Then she watched a big 

Movie with Bobby. Then it was time to sleep. 

So Milly was sleeping with Bobby. Bobby 

Had a nightmare. But it felt so real.

And then Bobby woke up. Then Milly got late for school.

She took a car.

Chapter 3 – Where is Bobby?

Then, when Milly woke  up, she did not see Bobby anywhere.

“Bobby?” she said. Then she had to go to school. “NOOOO!”

But then she was already at school. Milly’s mom knew

How much Milly loved Bobby. So she looked for it. 

But she did not find it. When Milly got back from school,

She started looking for Bobby for 5 hours. But she 

Could not find Bobby. Then it was night. She had a nightmare.

She woke up. Then went back to bed.

Then, it was morning. She woke up and ate breakfast.

Then when she was done with breakfast, she was looking

At old pictures of her and Bobby. Then her mom came 

In the room. And said, “Don’t worry, we will get another puppy.”

“I don’t want another puppy. I want Bobby.”

Chapter 4 – I’m Sad

“I’m sad,” Milly said. Her mom came in and said, 

“Don’t worry. We will find Bobby.”

“But what if we can’t find Bobby?”

“We will,” said her mom.

Then they heard a barking noise. Milly went outside but it was 

The neighbor’s dog. She cried and cried. She did not know what to do.

Then it was night. Then she heard a barking noise. 

It was Bobby. “Where were you?” she said, then she hugged Bobby.

The end.   

Lucy the Teacup

Lucy is sitting on the table, just waiting to be filled with tea. She sees the maid walking towards her with a steaming hot kettle in one hand and a bowl of little sugar cubes on the other. Lucy’s best friend, Angela, who is a candle, is sitting next to her. 

Yes, Lucy thinks.

But all of a sudden, the maid trips and spills all the tea!!

“There goes my warmth, down the drain,” Lucy says quietly.

“It’s okay, we will both get what we want, I know we will,” Angela says.

Both Angela and Lucy mope until they spot the dining table.

“The dining table!!” They both say. “Our goal is the dining table, if we get to the dining table, we can be filled and lit every day!!”

“Wait, but what if I melt on the way there?!”

“You are not going to melt, you are a hard candle!!”

So the teacup and the candle jump on the nearest chair, which sneezes. The teacup and candle say bless you, and walk on with their day. Now they’re on the floor. Or how they say it, “The Danger Zone.”

“Okay, Lucy, we are in the Danger Zone. Try to tip toe, and don’t make any sudden movements. Okay?” Angela says.

“Okay,” Lucy says.

So the girls tiptoe to the middle of the floor and see a maid so they stop.

“What are you doing here?? You are quite dirty, let me go clean you up.”

2 Minutes Later

“There you go with your little friend,” says the maid, giggling at the end.

“Like I said, down there is The Danger Zone.”

“The only noise was the chair that sneezed,” Lucy says.

“This time we have to try to get there another way,” says Angela.

“Ohh, we have to go a way that the maid will not find us. We can jump on the fireplace…”

“I AM A CANDLE!! For goodness sakes!!!”

“I’m sorry,” Lucy says.

“Why do you live in this house anyway!!”

“Do you think I am the headstate teacup master!!! I give out the place that every teacup under the age of 60 goes??? Do you think I am my Dad?? I miss my dad so much, and Karen and Maya.”

“I thought you hated your sisters,” says Angela.

“Yea, but I can still miss them.”

“Okay let’s just try to get down there, on the fireplace,” Angela says with a nervous smile on her face.

Angela sighs hard and jumps with Lucy onto the fireplace. She can feel the heat on her candle body. But she keeps running, holding her best friend’s hand, and never letting go. Angela is running record speed with Lucy, only a foot to go, and Angela’s feet are burning. She can feel the melted candle dripping on her forehead. Both see a wood slide, that connects the end of the fireplace and The Danger Zone together.

“One, Two, Three… Jump!!!”

They jump off the fireplace and slide on the wooden slide they saw. Melted candle is smeared on the wood slide, and Angela’s legs are still burning.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asks.

“I think I’m fine, my legs just hurt,”Angela responds.

They slowly walk behind a standing vacuum cleaner and sit down.

“I think I just need water and a little break,” Angela says.

“That’s okay,” Lucy says.

They both spot a dog feeder and it has a bit of water in it. Lucy pushes the vacuum to the side of the dog feeder and they both hide behind it. But they both see a maid walking by. So they freeze. No one can hear, but both Lucy and Angela’s hearts are pounding out of their chests. They both think the maid is going to find them. But the maid just walks right past them.

“Okay, now let’s go to the dining table,“ says Angela.

“Wait, but what if I fall off the chair or the table? I will mess up the whole plan.”

“No you won’t, stop doubting yourself,” Angela says.

“Okay,” Lucy says.

So they tiptoe to the side of the wall and stop. Then they look around and keep moving. They get to the dining room table and are about to jump to the chair, until they hear a crack. They wait for something to happen but nothing does. So they proceed to jump on the chair. They look around once more and jump on the table. Luckily, all the teacups and candles are the same. But Lucy and Angela are extras, and get placed on the side table. Lucy gets into where the other teacup was and pushes the teacup off the table. The teacup doesn’t break, but the maid puts it on the side table. Then Angela does the same, with a candle instead. The same thing happens. The maid picks it up and puts it on the side table. Mission completed.

“Ohh yeah!!” Lucy says.

The Creature

There used to be a woman, and she worked late nights. While coming home, her car fuel ran out. She was stuck in this atrocious place. It was dark, and it had lots of trees. There was no street sign. However, she saw this building so she decided to go inside it as it was dark outside. She went inside and saw a man with a white coat panting and hiding in a corner. 

“Are you okay?” the woman asked.

“You need to hide, I cannot say anything right now as I’ve just met you.” 

The woman was shocked, and feeling scared. The woman quickly hid with the man, who was a scientist. Soon, before their eyes, a large jet black creature came upon them. Next second, they screamed. The woman and scientist were never to be seen again.

The scientist had created this creature by accident. Nobody was supposed to go to this place, but a group of teens went, and let’s just say we shouldn’t talk about what was found of them but that they were never seen alive again. 

The creature was now in town. It had seen all the people and was ready for them. People were scared to death. 

Everybody was staying inside hiding. Some people HAD to go out for work. And those were the people who never came back home. Some people died because the creature had found them hiding, and some people died out of starvation or thirst because they forgot to bring food when they were hiding and didn’t have enough courage to go get it. In total, 150 people died because of these reasons. The creature decided to give up since he couldn’t find any more people and left. 

There was this brave person who checked every day if the creature had left and that day when the creature had left, he cried tears of joy. However, it was never sure when the creature could come back.

14 Years Later

“Hope they don’t come after us, hahaha.” 

“Don’t worry, Dylan, they don’t even know who we are, hahaha.” 

“I have to go, bye.” 

“Bye!”

Dylan was a 13 year old boy who lives in a big village. He was the only child. He was born a year after the incident (you know, that creature coming to the village). His parents told him to always be careful of the creature, but he didn’t care. He didn’t believe that the creature was real, although sometimes he did believe that the creature might be real because of him remembering his mother and father running with him. There was something behind them that they were running away from. But sometimes he just thought it was a dream.

“Mom! It’s not real. Now stop bugging me.”

His mom sighed. She wanted to convince Dylan that the creature was real so he could be more careful. But he just wouldn’t listen. 

“Mom always talks about this nonsense!”

“Yeah, same. This stupid dangerous creature rubbish.”

“Anyway, let’s prank Mrs. Robins today!”

Dylan actually planned to go to the place that the creature used to stay to prove everyone wrong.

“Wanna have some Fuchka?”

“You bet I do!”

Fuchka was a common food in their village.

“I have to go finish homework, bye, Liam!”

“Please say you haven’t eaten Fuchka, you always eat it!” said Dylan’s mom.

“Sorry… I ate it,” said Dylan.

“Haven’t you heard about our neighbor who ate too much fuchka and then threw up for one WHOLE day and wasn’t able to digest anything?!”

“Mom, you know she threw up for a whole day, and wasn’t able to digest anything due to eating it for the first time. Her stomach didn’t recognize it.” 

“Go to your room now!”

Dylan went to his room and started his homework, thankful he wasn’t grounded.

Dylan was a smart student, and he was also clever. His cleverness would help him for something big that was going to happen.

In the morning, Dylan went to Liam’s house. There was no school and he figured Liam would be awake.

“Hi, is Liam awake?” asked Dylan.

“Yes, he is,” said Liam’s mom.

“May I go inside to meet him?”

“Sure, come in.”

“Hey Liam, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay? What do you want to talk about?”

“Could we go outside?”

“Okay?” Dylan said, confused.

They stepped outside. 

“You know that ‘creature,’ well, I was wondering if we could go secretly to the spot that it was hiding so we can prove everyone wrong.”

“Great idea, but when do you plan on going?” said Liam with a smirk on his face.

Liam also wanted everybody to stop talking about the creature.

“Around 7:00 PM?” said Dylan, answering Liam’s question with a stern face.

“Okay, let’s meet at your house though.”

“Okay, see you. Bye!”

At 7:00 PM, Liam came to Dylan’s house. Coincidentally, a young boy stabbed a young girl with scissors by accident. Everybody was helping the girl and trying to find the boy who ran away. This gave Dylan and Liam a better chance of not being caught. When they went, Dylan told Liam to go inside and yell his name if something was wrong while Dylan would see if there was anything outside the hideout.

Dylan realized that the place was dark and had lots of trees. That’s it. Next thing you know, Liam screamed. Dylan ran to Liam, and whatever Liam saw was gone. Dylan kept on asking Liam what he had seen, but Liam was shaking and not able to say anything.

“Liam! Are you okay?”

Liam shook.

“Sit down!”

Dylan sat Liam down.

“You seem traumatized! Let’s go home!”

They went home. Dylan took Liam home and told his mom that he had found him like this. He then whispered to his ear, “Don’t tell anyone.”

After going home that night, Dylan thought about the creature. Could it actually be real? Are we in danger? Thinking and thinking, he fell asleep. 

For a week, he checked up on Liam every day, hoping he would get better, and if he could tell Dylan what he saw. One of the village people came running to Dylan’s house one day to tell him Liam had started talking. Dylan felt happy that his best friend was speaking, but also felt worried about whether he had told anybody what had happened. If Liam told anyone, then they would be in trouble and not be able to investigate.

He ran to Liam’s house and asked him if he was okay. Liam was stuttering and said he was okay. 

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes.”

Dylan went to Liam’s house in the afternoon to talk to him about what he saw because there weren’t going to be many people around him at that time. 

“Hey, Liam. What did you see? Is the creature real?”

Liam had stopped stuttering.

“I don’t know what I saw! It was jet black with no arms and white eyes.”

Dylan realized that was the description of the creature. He sat/fell down with his mouth wide open thinking about so many things. Liam gave Dylan a glass of water. Dylan drank the glass of water and said, “What are we going to do now?” 

“I don’t know, we have to think of something,” said Liam.

They found out that the boy who stabbed the girl by “accident” came back. So to get their minds off of this for a while, they decided to go to the boy and ask him why he did this. The boy said, “I don’t know, I just blacked out and then next second, I realized I had stabbed someone.”

Dylan thought that when they went to see if the creature was real, it was there when the boy ran away. 

“Wait, can it possess people?!?!” Dylan said out loud. 

Liam then kicked Dylan in the leg.

The boy said, “Huh?”

“Nothing! We were working on a play and we are planning what the monster does in it.”

“Oh, okay,” said the boy.

Dylan and Liam then left and Dylan told Liam, “I think the creature can possess people!”

Since it was the evening, which was a perfect time to do something, Dylan and Liam went to the hideout, Liam put some bright flashlights inside the hideout. His mom told him that the creature only struck at evening or night because the light blinded it. A couple minutes later, they heard screeching and screaming. They ran away from the hideout, hoping and praying that everything would be all right.

17 Years Later

“Remember when we hurt the creature?” said Liam.

“I’m pretty sure we killed it. It would have no chance for those hot flashlights.” 

“It hasn’t attacked anyone from that day. Let’s forget about this situation. It’s been 17 years since it happened,” said Dylan.

Dylan had learned that he should have trusted the people. He became stronger and more sensible after that situation.

The creature had died because, even eternities later, the creature did not strike.

A Bedtime Story

“Misty!” Cathy called. “I need you to read me a bedtime story!”

As soon as she heard this, 13-year-old Misty came racing up the stairs.

“What kind of story do you want to hear, sis?” Misty breathlessly responded after she dashed to Cathy’s room.


“I wanna hear a story about a tiger!” Cathy screamed.

“Ok, ok,” Misty said. “Once upon a time, there was a tiger named Splash. Splash wasn’t an ordinary tiger. He had a big imagination, so he decided that he wanted to write a story. He got the idea from watching people write and draw all day at the zoo.


“The next morning, Splash woke up, jumped up and down on the other tigers, and told them all about his wanting to write a story. They all just laughed and said stuff like, ‘You can’t write a story; you’re just a puny tiger, Splash!’ This was true – Splash was just a baby tiger with a dream, but Splash didn’t get discouraged. Instead he decided to work harder.


“At snack time, Splash usually did what he liked the most in the world, and that was splashing in the water. That was also how he got his name, Splash. All of the other tigers were eating and bragging about how long they could stay on their hind legs. Splash had something more important to do with his time. More important than splashing in the water. He decided to start his first book. He needed pencil and paper first, so when the people started coming, he stole their pencils, drawings and their paper when they weren’t looking.


“At noon, after Splash got everything he needed, he wanted to think about what his book was gonna be about. When he started to jot down some notes, he realized something awful — he can’t write! Splash spent the rest of the sobbing and listening to the others laugh and play.


“The next week, Splash saw someone walking up to the shelter. It was a little girl wearing braids and holding a small teddy bear. She went and asked the guy, Phil, who fed the tigers, ‘Are the tigers for sale?’


“She had a sweet little voice, but Phil laughed and dismissed her. Splash whined to let her know that he cared.

“The next few weeks, she kept on coming and she kept Splash company. Of course, the other tigers laughed all day. It turned out that she and her family owned a zoo. It almost seemed like she could understand Splash and all the other animals in the zoo. She was so supportive of the animals and Splash loved her. He wanted to go to her zoo with more friendly tigers and live with her forever. After a while, he knew her name: Dorothy.


“One day, Dorothy didn’t come. Splash and the animals who actually cared became worried. They didn’t have their usual spark. They didn’t eat for two days and grew very weak.


“They didn’t see Dorothy for the rest of the year and they spent it crying. It was hard for them, not seeing Dorothy and all. They didn’t get why she suddenly left. They thought they would never see each other again.


“In a year, Dorothy came and Splash was mad. She didn’t come with the braids she used to wear. She came with jeans, long hair, and a shirt. She looked so different. She was talking to her friends. She acted like she didn’t know any of the animals there; it was hard to watch.


“The other Tigers made fun of Splash, they said, ‘We knew she was never gonna remember you, never!’


“At midnight, Splash rolled onto something. It was something special; Splash could feel it in his small tiger bones. It was numbers, 2001, N Clark St, Chicago IL.


“Splash felt it meant something and he wanted to go there. Wait; there was something else on the address.


“It said, ‘To: Splash, From: Dorothy; I am sorry that I left and didn’t say hi today. I left because my parents divorced and I was forced to live with my dad in Indiana. That address is for my zoo. I will talk to you tomorrow, bye!’


“Splash felt like singing, but he fell asleep right away. All that reading must have made him tired. He was snoring all night. Now the other animals couldn’t sleep!


“The next morning, Dorothy came back. She walked right up to Phil and said, ‘I’ll give you 1,000 bucks for this whole zoo.’


“‘Lots o’ money!’ he thought with a sly grin, ‘We’ll take it.’ he responded, ‘Bwah-ha ha! We will use the money for the zoo!’


“After he had realized that he just sold the zoo so he couldn’t use the money, he yelled, ‘YOU TRICKED ME!!!’ Splash was worried, so he ran out of the zoo and went to Dorothy’s zoo. When he got there the sign read ‘2001, Lincoln Park Zoo.’ Splash ran in and went to the other animals. The tigers seemed nice, the giraffes were magnificent, the lobsters were nicer than he expected, and the kangaroos were awesome.


“Dorothy came after a while and said, ‘Splash! I got the zoo and they are going to rebuild it here! I am so happy you came because I brought the whole crew.’ She showed Splash every single animal from the zoo except the tigers.


“‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Dorothy continued. ‘Where are the tigers? They are in a special place for ‘Horrible Tigers.’


“Splash liked this idea. He nodded his head.


“‘Well, let’s get this party started!’ Dorothy said.


“They partied all night and played Splash’s favorite musi — ”


“ZZZZZZZZZ!” Cathy was asleep. Misty slowly tucked her into bed and went to her room.

“MOM! I need you to tell me a bedtime story!”

Leo’s Story

Chapter 1: How to Train a Tiger…

The tiger, Marshmello, didn’t go at full speed because he wanted to see how fast he could go and then learn what he needed to do to beat the cheetah. When the cheetah, Jayce, was in the second lap and had half way to go, the tiger was only at the beginning of his second lap and had not tried very hard. There were also guards watching in the jungle in case the animals got hurt. Marshmello’s trainer, Chris, was a 5’10” man with brown hair who was very nice and had a good personality. He rescued Marshmello when the tiger was just a baby cub, and they have been working together ever since!  

Jayce’s trainer was a small woman named Lisa with a blond ponytail who was very grateful for her job and got along well with the cheetah. Lisa was experienced with cheetahs and knew how to signal and sign to them. When she saw that Jayce had won, Lisa was excited! After the first race, Chris was happy that Marshmello had almost beat an aggressive cheetah! Chris said that Marshmello was still young and had some things to learn. 

Chapter 2: The Second Race Begins

So the second race is on and Marshmello takes off faster and is beating Jayce. Then the cheetah falls behind and the tiger goes on speed mode and wins the game. The people who are watching are the trainers and the guards. Chris is happy! Marshmello feels good because he has been able to beat the aggressive cheetah. Jayce feels disappointed because he has lost to a young, young tiger and Lisa is upset because he was the fastest animal, how could he lose to a young tiger?

Chapter 3: Jayce and His Friends Gang up on Marshmello 

So the tiger is going back to the jungle and then, all of a sudden, three of Jayce’s gang (the cheetah and two friends) jump on Marshmello because he had won the race and they want payback!  Then Marshmello runs away because he is faster than the others. The trainers are on a lunch break and don’t know about it. 

So the cheetahs catch up to the tiger and then the guards who watch the animals say, “Get back to your Cages.”  

Then Marshmello says to Jayce, “Fine, we will race again, but if I win then no chasing me, ok?” 

“Fine!” says Jayce.

Chapter 4: They Play Again!

Marshmello feels a little bit scared, he knows he might actually lose! Jayce is feeling like he needs to win this because if he wins he will be the fastest animal in the jungle, and he wants to impress his friends. There are two guards watching and the two trainers are also there. The trainers started to warm up the cheetah Jayce and the tiger Marshmello for the race. 

The cheetah’s trainer tells him “Don’t let the tiger take off faster than you!” The cheetah can understand what she says, but can’t respond since animals can talk to each other but not to humans. 

The tiger’s trainer tells him, “Don’t go full speed, because if you go full speed you will get tired. Wait until there’s a quarter left in the second lap.” 

So Marshmello and Jayce line up. The race begins, and in the first lap Jayce wins because he goes full speed, but in the second lap Marshmello takes off faster and the cheetah gets tired. The cheetah made a mistake because at the first lap he still had half of the race to go, and he went full speed. Now, in the second lap, he is tired because he should have waited to go full speed until there was only a quarter left in the second lap of the race. The tiger goes even faster, like when you eat a chili and it makes you quicker. Jayce catches up to Marshmello and now they are matching paces at the same line. 

With a quarter left, the tiger finally goes full speed, like what Jayce did in the beginning. 

Then the cheetah gives up and says, “Ok, we get it mister, you’re faster than me! Wait up! Before you go can we please be friends?”  

Marshmello jokes, “Only if you beat me!” 

Marshmello will go to a new trainer, because Chris only builds baby cubs instead of big cats. Lisa is actually happy because the cheetah had been able to make a friend!  

Epilogue:

There is a new tiger now, Cherry, and Chris is now training her. 

He tells her, “I taught this tiger, Marshmello. First, I made him race the fastest animal, a cheetah, and lose and get better at his weakness. Then I trained my tiger in how to take off and he played the fastest animal again. The third time they played together, the cheetah gave up and they made friends and Marshmello even made a joke.” 

Then Chris says to Cherry, “There’s going to be a big competition when you get 13 or 14 or 15, and you’re going to play against the fastest animal in the jungle.” 

Marshmello shows up and says, “What’s up?” 

Cherry says, “Are you Marshmello?” and the trainer signals “Yes.” 

Then she says, “I’m going to play against him when I’m 15? He’s so tall. No worries, I’m going to beat this guy!”

To be continued… 

LOST

Here I was. The last place ANYBODY would ever imagine. Here, I’ll give you 1,000,000 dollars if you can guess it. See, I told you so. I was here floating on my bed in the middle of the huge Atlantic Ocean. 234th day, the last millimeter of bread eaten, and, according to my clock that broke 103 days ago, it was 3:01 AM. My last relationship that I ever had was also… the final food I would ever eat (yes, it’s depressing, but I’ve only had relationships with food so far. It’s not ok).

“I hate you,” I said. That was all I could mutter. All I could say for the last 234 days of misery. Cause of course your ‘BEST FRIEND’ will go ahead and say,

“I dare you to go sail across the world! Without a sailboat.” That’s what friends say when they realize you are the most evil, horrible person on earth. And see, I could have just said no. But I hated my life. If I were to describe my personality to you, you would think I was the most horrid, evil, hideous person to step on the planet. And I am. I AM the most awful person to touch the earth. So I ran away from my own home. I was happy to get that dare. At the time. Now all I want is to survive. But I think I have proven that’s impossible.

235th day, already resorted to sea water, and possibly 1:010 AM (my clock is bad). Last relationship was yesterday at 2:59 AM. The last water was two days ago.

Ok, I think I’ve learned NOT to drink sea water. I’m in AGONY… my throat is even DRIER and I think I swallowed a seahorse. Not pleasant. Like at all. I have lost almost half of my body weight and I have probably already lost most of the water in my body. The mattress is soggy and I’m kinda sinking in it. I saw a cruise boat pass by, but they saw I was absolutely covered with cuts and dirt. They thought about rescuing me, but instead tried to run me over. This is an everyday problem. Don’t worry about me. Actually… is that a shark? Ok, maybe help me.

236th day, NO MORE SEA WATER, time is 1:12.988787:80 AM (yes, that was a forehead slap moment), last words spoken were, “I hate you,” two days ago. Supposedly, I’m supposed to die today because of LITERALLY NO WATER FOR THREE DAYS.

Ok, are you kidding me. That way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, that way, and that way. Nothingness. Empty space EVERYWHERE.

I thought that there would be no water for three days and you die. This is my third day. And bread does not have water in it.
Ok, does bread have water in it? I ain’t got any water and I’m alive? Maybe this is Heaven and I just don’t know. Do you realize when you’re in Heaven? I have too many questions and no answers

237th day, I’m alive? Time is unreadable to my eyes, and I feel like I am going to die… finally.

Just die already. Everything is extremely blurry and my stomach feels like an ocean in a hurricane. I’m begging to die.
Even IF bread had water, that was three days ago. I should be dead by sundown.

237th day (continued), it’s sundown. I can feel death. It’s like a snake. Coiling around you until you die. Squeezing you tighter and tighter. Then once it’s bored, it finishes you off. I know, it doesn’t sound very pleasant. Right now, the snake of death is at my neck. Trying to kill me. I refuse. But it always wins. I can scream, yell, shout, but nothing will help me. What should my final words be?

“I hate you.”

The waves engulf my almost dead body. What will people think… when they see a dead 11-year-old girl in the ocean.

238th day, I’m dead. No sense of time.

I actually can’t tell if I’m dead or not. I’ve lost all feeling. And I can’t open my eyes. But my mind feels refreshed. And my throat… can’t feel it. I can still hear. The waves crashing against… wait. Crashing against what?

“Are you alive?”
“Are you disrespecting me?”
“Talk to me!” This was painful to hear. But I had to get used to it. I had already learned three things: I’m not dead
Whoever these people are gave me water. I like them.
I’m on a sailboat trapped under the bench, tied up.
At least I couldn’t feel the slaps I was given. I was slightly disappointed. I don’t deserve to be alive. I had tried to say help for about two hours. Hejiuwp was the closest I got. At least I could make noises?

239th day, I’ve given up on trying to live. Finally a working clock– midnight.

They are lost, too. When you start in, Japan I don’t think you can make it to the Bermuda Triangle. These guys too dumb to find the the back of their hands.
“Ahem,” one of them said to the other.
“What? Did you finally realize that we actually are in California?”
I heard a sigh, then he said, “Ummm, North is actually that way!!”
“What! That’s impossible! The S on the compass means North!” It was my turn to sigh this time.
“Dif ya kna daf the n mans norf?” I stated. They stared at me and I realized I still could NOT talk.
“I think you need more water.” And without hesitating they threw me overboard, this time without a bed to keep me up (oo, I realized they thought I said something else that was very mean).

240th day, no clock whatsoever, no food, no water, should I even try to survive?

Nope. I’m not even gonna try to survive. Why do humans have to float? If we did not float, I would be deader than TWO doornails, let alone one. Those weird poor sailors couldn’t even take care of themselves, let alone another poor girl. I might have destroyed their lives. As soon as I find anything to float on, I will immediately eat it? Will that kill me? How about just hanging off and sticking my head in the water until I die? I have already tried that. Your mind won’t let you. On my 200th try, I gave up and kept swimming. Nothing EVER works.

241st day, yummy driftwood, I FOUND MY CLOCK! (12:2334 PM… my clock is comforting, but not useful).

I don’t think driftwood is poisonous. I ate it and I probably feel better to be honest. I’m probably gonna get hypothermia soon. I found half of my mattress floating around. It was soggy and gross. Needless to say, I left it behind. It’s currently a storm and I’m just hoping lightning won’t hit.
LIGHTNING HIT. HUGE WAVE COMING. HEL —

242nd day, my clock is finally broken. So is my right leg. Last water three days ago. Why is it raining FROGS?

“Ow. Ow. Ow.” Weird frozen frogs are falling from the sky. My leg is broken. I almost drowned yesterday when a huge wave came. Why is this happening to me? I’ve heard of this strange occurrence happening before. When a tornado hits a lake. BOOM! Frozen frogs falling from the sky. None have hit my head yet (I would absolutely die if it did). Only about 10 in a 15 foot range each minute. That means about… 18328.6666667 falling every minute in the whole Atlantic Ocean (as you might have figured out, I’m a math prodigy).

243rd day, no idea what time it is. My right leg is still broken (duh) and bleeding (saltwater is not fun for the cuts).

This is agony. Wait wha– is that– MY BED?! I swim to the bed and crawl on. It feels like… HOME. I might never get back to my real home but this is just as good. I might be bleeding to death, but for the moment, it does not hurt. This is Heaven. This is all I need.

The Fairytale Portal

I looked into the deep lake. I s’pose you could call it a pond. That pond had been there for years, and when a drought occurred, we were afraid it would dry up.

Are you wondering why a retired police officer cares about this lil ol’ pond? It’s simply just very dear to me, my wife, the villagers, an’ probably the inhabitants. It’s dear to me and my wife, ‘cause that’s where I proposed. It’s dear to the village ‘cause it saved them from the drought. Oh, you’re wondering how? It  just seemed that someone “popped out of the pond.” Not literally, but that gentleman said so. It might as well be true, ‘cause he came in the middle of the night all soaked. Sure gave me a fright! And he carried a bucket of “Magical” water. None of us really believed him, thought he might be a little wonky in the head. But it sure did the trick! Rather odd if I do say so myself, for he was wearing a crown and said he was “Arthur.” Never saw him again, the little lass.

Anyways – back to the pond. The pond is a symbol in this town. It has overcome the impossible, brought attractions, and it’s very pretty. Sorta mesmerizing. You look and you see a million people’s dreams come true, just floating in the pond. ‘Course, after you snap out of it, you feel like you’re enlightened. That’s probably why me an’ my wife stare at it in the evening. It’s lovely in the evening.

You said… it might be a – portal?!

You’re kidd- Wait. Arthur, magical, overcame the impossible, mesmerizing – it all clicks…

That was the moment I realized that the pond might be a… portal.

The Finale

So Cherry, the new tiger, is just running around with her trainer in the beautiful jungle. The sun is reflecting on the leaves. Cherry is seven and when she gets older she is going to race Marshmello. Marshmello is the fastest animal in the jungle and he is also a tiger. Cherry’s birthday is today so Cherry is eight and she is going to have a good day. So the trainer lets Cherry sit on his lap and brings all of the tigers to say, “Happy Birthday.”

Then, the next day, the tigers go to find Cherry so they can have fun, but she is exercising with her trainer. The tigers are scared for Cherry ‘cause something bad might have happened. But then Cherry comes back.  

“Where were you? We were afraid,” all the tigers say. 

“I was in the jungle with Chris taking a run cause I have to exercise. Also, Chris fell and hurt his knee so he had to get a knee strap, and he is coming back soon,” Cherry explains. 

While Chris is recovering from his injury, Cherry goes out to train with the other tigers. 

“Let’s get faster,” says Luca, Cherry’s friend. 

“Okay, why not?” responds Cherry. 

Cherry follows Luca to the road near the racetrack. They set up their starter blocks. 

3….2….1…. GO!!

Cherry is losing to Luca. How am I going to get back and win? she thinks. Cherry goes into speed mode. Her legs feel uncomfortable as she goes as fast as she can. She passes Luca. Yes! I’m beating an aggressive Tiger! That’s fast! thinks Cherry. Cherry wins the first lap!

Lap 2. Cherry starts to get a little bit tired. She gets a cramp under her ribs. Luca zooms past her. Then, the cramp goes away. Cherry jogs halfway around the road. Then, Cherry gains on Luca. They’re tied. They run at the same pace, but Cherry cuts Luca off. Luca moves to the other lane slowly, then Luca catches up to Cherry right as Cherry crosses the finish line. 

“Good job, Cherry,” pants Luca. 

“Good job, too. You almost caught up to me, but I’m too fast for you!” says Cherry. They walk back through the jungle together. 

“Cherry beat me in the race!” Luca says to all the other tigers. “Now, I think she’s ready to race Marshmello.” 

So Marshmello and Cherry lineup. 

“There is going to only be one race,” say the guards. 

So they start in 3….2….1…. Go!!! Marshmello starts faster and Cherry is like a second behind so Cherry catches up and now they are both at the same pace and Cherry is now ahead. Marshmello falls behind. Cherry wins the first lap and Marshmello just finishes his first lap. Cherry is now winning and Marshmello is now at the same line and pace. Cherry cuts Marshmello off and Cherry wins the race!!

“Good game,” says  Marshmello. 

“Good game,” says Cherry.

Then Chris comes back.

“I beat Marsmello,” Cherry says. “I was so excited!!” screams Cherry.

The End

All My Imagination

“Bedtime, girls!” Dad called after my twin sister and I washed up and ate dinner and changed into pajamas. 

So we hurried into our shared room so that we could read before Dad came in and pushed our bedtime to a little later. About five minutes later, Mom and Dad came in and said it was time to put our books away. 

“Aww,” I said, “just a few minutes more pleeeease?” and I made my pleading face.

“No,” Dad said sternly, “you say this every time.”

Charlie and I didn’t want to argue, so we gave him our books and laid down. I was really looking forward to knowing if the characters in my book made it back from the time machine. 

Mom and Dad tucked us in and said good night. 

After they left, Charlie said, “Hey, Ali, want to read some more? I have my reading light that I got for our ninth birthday.”

I surprised myself with my own answer. I said that I wanted to get some rest before our first day of fourth grade. She seemed a little disappointed but hardly showed it. Then, I started to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I was flying. I couldn’t tell where, but I could see a whole town below me. It looked like London. Charlie and I went there with our parents last summer. But it didn’t look like how it did when we went there. It just looked different.

Then I started going in circles and I hoped it would stop soon, because I was getting dizzy. It stopped, but I was somewhere else.

“Hello?” I tried to say to an elderly woman. “Hello? Could you please tell me where I am? I’m lost.”

But she couldn’t seem to hear me.

It was hot. “Am I in some sort of tropical place?” I thought. Maybe I was in Hawaii. I have never been there, but I studied it in first grade and my cousin went there a year ago. But then I realized that everyone looked different. Not like how they looked in Alex’s pictures. “How is this happening?” I thought.

But just then I started twirling again. I landed with a thud in some place that looked like Pensylvania, where I’m from, except maybe older. Maybe in the colonial times that we were learning about in school. And then I realized it. I realized what I hadn’t noticed before. I was time travelling. 

And then I started spinning one last time. I ended up in a place. I couldn’t tell where because it was all covered in trees and bushes. There were Native Americans and deer and other animals getting shot by the Natives for food and clothes. It was their way of life I suppose. We learned about them in third grade also. I tried to talk to them, maybe ask some questions, but they couldn’t seem to hear me either. Maybe it was that they were visible to me, but I wasn’t visible to them. 

Then, I heard a “bring, bring, bring!” and “Wake up, Ali!” And that was the moment I realized that it was just my imagination.

The World of Powers

Chapter One

FOREST 

Once upon a time, there lived a boy who had a friend. Their names were Carl and Merissa.  When they were going to school, they saw posters of Pusheen, a cat who has bagel through her head. Merissa thought that it could be a play at school. 

After school, their teacher said, “Tomorrow is Spring break.” 

When Carl and Merissa went home, they were really hungry. 

So they opened the fridge, and a troll appeared, and said, “You are the chosen ones, come with me through this portal.”

Merissa freaked out! But Carl knew that if he went through this portal he would become a legend. Merissa and Carl discussed the portal, and the answer was YES! So they went into the portal. When they reached the other side, Carl and Merissa saw a forest. Then, Carl spotted a tree with a door. 

Chapter Two

TORNADO

When Carl and Merissa went inside the door, they saw another portal. They both went inside this one and saw a beautiful world. The world had flowers and trees, and a lot of greenery.

The world was called Crave. Suddenly, a huge bird, which had a yellow beak and big white feathers, arrived. The bird told Carl and Merissa that an evil man called Fralanduperbuttbutt was destroying Crave. The bird told them there was a prophecy that two kids, named Carl and Merissa, will have to go to a place called Gruld to get their powers so they could stop Fralanduperbuttbutt.

The bird said, “I am going to be your ride so be careful. We are going to cross a big tornado.”

It took days and the bird was chattering too much which annoyed them. Suddenly, the clouds started getting darker and darker. 

The bird said, “Be careful, the storm is coming.” 

It was getting more windy and finally, they were in the storm. 

The bird said, “Be careful and hang on,” again.

The bird flew around and around the storm, so he made a path for Carl and Merissa. 

The bird said, “ I will have to go now, but good luck.”

Chapter Three

RIDDLES

When Carl and Merissa reached Gruld, they saw a merchant, and the merchant said, “You must solve this riddle to get your powers”. 

The merchant also said that the boy should go first:

I am not ice cream,

But I am cold,

I am in drinks,

To chill your face,

If you heat me,

I will die.

What am I?

First, Carl said, “Is it water?” but the merchant just shook his head.

Then he said, “Is it cold water?” but again the merchant just shook his head. 

Carl was really confused, but suddenly, at the speed of light, he said, “ICE!” and the merchant said, “YES,” and gave Carl the power of ice.

While Carl was playing with his power, Merissa had to solve this riddle: 

If you give me food I will grow,

But if you give me a drink I will die,

What am I?

Merissa said, “FIRE!” and the merchant was impressed. Then he gave Merissa the power of fire.

Chapter Four 

FRALANDUPERBUTTBUTT

Suddenly, Carl saw a glimpse of a gollum and he thought that it was Fralanduperbuttbutt. So he called Merissa and went to go and battle the gollum.

The gollum caught Merissa, but Carl made a frozen spear and attacked him, and this kept on going.

4 HOURS LATER

Then together they made water and “BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!” They defeated him.

Chapter Five 

HOME

When they defeated him a potion appeared, and it said “drink me” on it. So Carl and Merissa drank a little and went back home.

When they reached home, both of them learned a lesson: to never open the fridge after school.

They also realized that it has only been a minute since they went through the portal.

Right now, Carl and Merissa probably are saying the same thing to their grandchildren. 

“NEVER EVER OPEN THE FRIDGE AFTER SCHOOL.”

THE END

Kate and Olivia’s Adventure

Chapter 1: The Treasure Map

Kate is a cat. One morning as usual she was eating pizza for breakfast with her BFF Olivia the lion while telling each other jokes.

“What did the door say to the other door?” said Kate.

“….Oh I know!” said Olivia “I a-door you.” 

“No,” said Kate, “I don’t door talk to you again!”

“Ha ha ha ha,” they all laughed! When she went back to the box, the pizza came in. She found no pizza, but she found a treasure map. 

“Look, look!” Kate said. “I found a treasure map in the pizza delivery box!”                                                                                                                    

Chapter 2: The A.E.

Olivia came running over! 

“Look there is a treasure,” said Kate. “It is called the A.E!!!!?????” 

“It’s a phrase,” said Olivia, “it means the Adventures Eye so that’s what the treasure is called!?!”

 “Let’s find the treasure.” They both said.

“Let’s each pack a bag, grab some food, grab a sword, a whole lot of water, and a notebook!” said Olivia.

“I’ll grab some food, some stuff for us to drink, a tent, and a knife!!” said Kate.

Chapter 3: the Adventure Begins

“Let’s follow the treasure map,” said Olivia.

They followed the map to an old hollow tree. 

“It says ‘Go in the door carved in the hollow tree,'” said Kate.

They opened the door carved in the hollow tree and then it slammed behind them! Inside the hollow tree was a house with a piece of armor and a table with a puzzle on it, and that puzzle was missing one piece!?! On top of the puzzle was a paper with a riddle on it. It said, “I feel heavy, I also feel empty, I never feel fear, but I always feel alone and if I move, blood may spill?!?” They looked around. They looked & looked. Until…

“I got it,” they both said, “in the armor!!!!”

They looked in the armor and they found the last puzzle piece. It was glued to the armor so it took them a long time to get it off and they scratched and they scratched. It finally fell on the floor and when they picked it up they put the last piece in the puzzle and then they appeared on a frosty island.

Chapter 4: The Undersea Monster

“What a great island!” Olivia said! “Why do you look nervous?”

“Be- be- be- be- because they are on an iceberg in the middle of an o- o- ocean!!! The map says they have to go in the water!!” said Kate

 “Luckily I brought scuba diving clothes for us.” said Olivia. “Oh no,” Olivia said, “our scuba diving clothes are frozen!”

“…let’s rub our scuba diving clothes on our backpacks!” said Kate.

“Great, that worked!” said Olivia.

They put theor scuba diving clothes on. They dived into the water and followed the map to an old shell house. Then a sea monster came out of the shadows!! 

“Cool, a sea monster on our adventure!” said Olivia.

He said, “My name is Bob. Are you in search of A.E?!?” 

“Yes!” they both said.

“You have to make an agreement with me to get past me. I am a guardian of the A.E!!!” said Bob.

Chapter 5: The Agreement 

“How about we give you a knife and we pass you?” said Kate!!! 

“Nooooo!” said Bob.

“Why?” said Kate.

“I’m not gonna use it, because I don’t like to chop up food and I don’t like to use it as a weapon.” 

“How about a supply of food?” said Olivia. 

“Noooo,” said Bob. “I don’t eat your kind of food. I would prefer to eat seaweed or sting rays!”

“How about two backpacks?” said Kate. 

“Nooooooooooo,” said Bob again. “You give me the map and you may pass me!”

“Is there anything else we can give you?” they both said. 

“No!” said Bob. “Give me the map because I am a guardian and I don’t want to let any outsiders get past me.” 

“All right, let’s give him the map. Here you go,” said Olivia.

They swam around the sea monster for years. Finally, they gave him the map, but it was stuck to Olivia‘s hand.

“Alright, you may pass anyway!” said Bob. “You can’t even use the map because it’s stuck to your hand!”

 When they passed the seamonster they landed in a picture. Kate and Olivia were stuck in a picture frame, but in the picture Olivia was holding the map. They were very nervous that they wouldn’t get out of the picture frame.

Chapter 6: The Puzzle

They looked around the picture. All they saw were four levers. 

“Hm…”

They both looked around. 

“… We have to pull the four levers!” Olivia said.

“Genius” said Kate.

They each pulled two levers. Nothing happened! Nothing happened for one hour. They looked around and the only thing they could think of to get out of the picture was going into the house inside the picture. They went into the house and inside was house furniture and a paintbrush. They picked up the paintbrush and they painted a really big hammer! Everything they painted came to life. Then, they painted a really big car and wooden cart (to carry the hammer so they wouldn’t have to carry it all the way to the front) and then a string. 

They tied the cart to the car and they pushed the hammer inside the cart and then they got into the car and drove to the front of the painting. They picked up the hammer and they smashed the glass of the painting frame for five weeks. Then they landed in front of a castle.

Chapter 7: The Fight 

“The treasure map says we have to fight?” said Olivia.

“You mean fight the two knights in front of us?” asked Kate.

“YES!” answered Olivia. 

They grabbed their swords from their backpacks!!!

“W….w…well…wh…wh…what……a…a…..are….w..w…we…..wait……wait…..

waiting……..f……f…..for,” they both shrugged. 

Olivia and Kate worried they were going to die because they were against two knights!

The knights and Kate and Olivia were all very nervous so the Knights said, “We are very nervous because you are cats, and cats can scratch you and pounce on you!” 

“So,” said Olivia and Kate, “maybe we could make an agreement and trade

things and we can get past you.”
“How about we give you a javelin and you give us your backpacks and everything you have!” said the knights.

They both said, “Ok, yes we will give you our backpacks and everything we have except for the map!”

The knights agreed. They traded the things and followed the map.

“The map says we have to walk into the castle and find the treasure!” they both said in relief.

Chapter 8: The Scepter

They followed the map to an old room.

The treasure should be here!” said Olivia. 

“But where is it?” said Kate 

“It says there are traps?” said Olivia.

They trained for one year so they could get past the traps! While they were practicing, the traps were shooting at them. Suddenly a bow and arrow shot out at them. They dodged it. They dodged and ducked and did cartwheels and made it past the traps. They had to get past the traps while they were still practicing. It took them one year to finish. Finally, they saw the treasure chest.

They tried lifting the treasure chest’s lid but they couldn’t open it, so they used the javelins that they had traded with the knights. They opened it and inside was a scepter!

“WWOOWW,” they both said. 

At the end of the scepter it had a glowing stone on the top!!!

To be continued …

Escape From the Mall

Once, there was a lipstick whose name was Magenta. She lived in the makeup store in the mall. People were smothering her guts on their lips! That was how her parents died. One day, Magenta decided to escape because she knew soon a person would buy her and that would be dangerous, one time a person almost bought her. She planned her escape at night so no people would see her but there was one obstacle, there was a night guard, and his dog and cat. It was a big problem!!!

The mall soon opened and filled with busy shoppers and people smothered the lipsticks’ guts on their lips. Every time this happened, Magenta thought to herself, Oww! 

Hours passed and finally the shoppers left, the mall closed, and the night guard came in with his pets, the dog and cat. Magenta was too small to see where to go to reach the exit, then she had an idea, she took the springs of an empty blush container and attached them to her feet. “Boing, Boing” went the springs when she jumped. The night guard heard the noise and Magenta quickly dropped the springs and closed her lid, the night guard looked at Magenta then the springs. “Those springs must’ve fallen off that blush container,” he said. He walked away muttering to himself, “This place is old.” 

Magenta attached small bits of tissue to the end of the springs, so the springs would not make noise. How am I going to get out of the mall? Magenta thought to herself, then jumped to the top of the shelf. She took the empty blush container and threw it on the sleeping dog. The dog woke up and started for the door, and the night guard started chasing the dog. Magenta took a mighty leap and landed on the night watcher’s head!!! The night guard was too busy chasing the dog, so he didn’t notice Magenta. Soon, Magenta worried that the night watcher would notice her, so she jumped off the night watcher’s head and ran into the arts and crafts store, but she didn’t know that the cat was in the shop. When Magenta saw the cat, she immediately jumped to the top of a shelf and thought to herself, Cats can climb so the cat can get me. Then she had a plan, she took a red, glow in the dark, cherry-scented, no smears marker, drew a perfectly round, red dot on the shelf, and cooed, “Here kitty kitty.” The cat climbed up the shelf and when the cat saw the dot, she kept pouncing the dot because she thought it was a laser. When the cat was distracted, Magenta jumped off the shelf and disguised herself as a mouse, ran out of the store, and headed for the door. Then the night guard turned around and shouted,

“Mouse!!!” and started chasing Magenta! Magenta ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, when she reached the door it was closed. Dead end. Then she ran to the tool store and pushed a hammer that was near the window with all her might. The hammer broke the window and before she could jump out, the night guard grabbed the tail of the disguise. “Got you,” he said. Magenta held onto the window ledge tightly. Magenta grabbed a needle, let go of the window ledge with one hand, and threw the gleaming sharp needle at the night watcher’s eye. “Oww!!!” he shouted. He cupped his hands around his eye. When Magenta’s disguise tail was free, she leaped out of the window. She did it! No people would smother their guts on her lips! She would explore the world.                                    

The End 💄                                                                             

Awkward Barn

Thinking back, I can hardly believe how such a peaceful trip ended up in a scandal that ruined our family. Oops — I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ronald P. Miller. Well — it used to be Miller. That was my dad’s last name. Now, it’s Johnson. 

The Awkward Barn 

I was staring out the window of my dad’s Toyota when it all started. It was a quiet day. Cloudy. The dirt road was full of bumps, and unpaved. I didn’t tell anyone, but I disapproved of this road.

We were driving out into the country to visit my paternal grandmother. In case you don’t know, that means my father’s mother. But — oops, again — I’m not supposed to talk about him. I think I’ll have to to get through this story.

In any event, we were going to visit my grandmother. She lived in the country and owned a farm. Yup — a real farm. Cows, chickens, the lot. The whole shebang-bang. Even a big red barn, forever since called by my family “The Awkward Barn” (when they even discuss it). 

Granny Miller welcomed us with open arms. Literally. She gave me a hug that squeezed out all my organs. Even though that’s not scientifically possible. I’m on the school’s honors program, and if my health professor found out about this, he would go nuts. 

We were welcomed into the house, and I went to my room in the loft. That is a place in the barn where hay is kept. I set up my sleeping bag on two bales of hay and placed my backpack on the ground. My mother was sleeping on the other end of the loft, on the rickety bed with the old quilt, full of holes and stains. I disapproved of that quilt. I never told her that that quilt was the vomit quilt used by relatives when they were sick. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Was that the right choice? Looking back now, I don’t know. 

Then I headed down the rickety stairs. I heard my father talking to my grandmother. 

“… had him. I didn’t ever want you to,” she was saying. “That’s why I put them in the loft.” 

“Ma,” I heard my father say. “You know my thoughts about this. When we…” 

“What are you two talking about?” I blurted out.

“Ronald!” cried my father, looking surprised and almost relieved. “Er… how much did you hear?… ” 

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” I said quickly. “Was this a good time? I didn’t mean to butt in like this.” 

I don’t know if that was the best way to say it. I was really thinking in the moment. If my English professor were here, she’d make a thousand corrections. But that’s not very realistic. If my math professor were here…

“Oh, no! It’s a perfect time!” said Granny Miller, sticking a smile on her face. Was that smile part very respectful of me? Our school counselor would freak. 

Granny and my father acted happy, but I could tell something was up. I don’t want to hide things from my family. But before I could ask them what was up, Granny said,

“Who wants apple piiii-iiiiiiiie?” She took a cold piece out of the fridge and held it up in front of my mouth. I didn’t like cold pie. Still don’t. But I ate it, just to be polite. I had a few disgusting bites, then took one of Granny’s porcelain plates and put it and the pie on the table. To clarify, the plate was on the table, and the pie was on the plate. Was that hard to understand? My English professor says to not use long, unnecessary sentences. I’m totally getting held back this year… I barely scraped by last term, with only Bs and As. My best grade was only an A+++! If I want to stay on the honors program, I need to average at least an AA. I mean, they don’t publish the actual criteria, and no one I know has ever gotten that grade, but I know I need to stay on top. 

After the pie, we played Trivial Pursuit: Farmer’s Edition. My father and Granny teamed up. They won, obviously. My mother and I were a team, but we barely managed half a point. Oops — you can’t actually get half a point in Trivial Pursuit. Our school’s Board Games Club director would get so mad at me. 

After that, we played Monopoly. I won. I am a master of strategy (not to brag. I hate to brag. Was that bragging? I hope not. I bet soon I’ll be seeing the school counselor on an hourly basis). Granny grumbled a bit, but I think she’s just competitive. Then, we played Scrabble. I knew I could win, but I gave mother a chance, opening up places where she could score big. I thought it was only fair, because she hadn’t won a game yet. When we finished scoring, and mother won, Granny slammed her fists down on the board and got this really angry look in her eyes. She had come in last, her best play was “COW,” eight points. 

Okay,” she growled. “Let’s eat dinner now.” 

We had sheperd’s pie. In case you don’t know, that is like mashed potatoes, but with some meat and carrots and peas. And things. It is pretty good. But all throughout the meal, Granny kept rambling on and on about all the original Millers being shepherds in Ireland or England or some country. Whatever it is, it’s been scratched off the family tree by now. Also, my mother called that company that tests your DNA to make sure I was actually part Irish (or other foreign country from my father’s side). 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

After dinner, Granny served apple pie (luckily, heated up). She gave herself a big piece and gave Dad a medium piece. I got a smallish piece. She was about to cut the tiniest of slivers for Mom, but then said loudly, “You’re on a diet, aren’t you Jessica?” and did not give her any pie. 

No one said anything, but my mother, Jen, is not on a diet. 

That night I couldn’t sleep, but I pretended to so mom wouldn’t fret. I thought about how Granny knew full well my mother’s name, and that she was not on a diet.

Granny… Granny wouldn’t say things like that, I reassured myself. She’s old. 70. She probably forgot mom’s name… and maybe my mom was on a diet earlier… but didn’t tell me…  but if she was… on a… diet, why didn’t she tell… me? I wondered sleepily as my head started nodding — for real this time. 

By morning, I hadn’t forgotten about the diet thing (oops — my English professor doesn’t really like the word, “thing.” I bet you anything I’m getting held back. And my school’s Gambling and Statistics instructor would agree). 

I went downstairs and saw a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, and a load of fruit. The table was the kind of table that was a rectangle. There was a tall chair on on each of the short sides and two shorter chairs on each of the long sides. The table was empty. I was about to sit in one of the tall chairs when Granny came in from the kitchen and sat in it, pushing me aside.

“Excuse me?” I asked politely (I think), but just at that moment, she started loudly pouring herself orange juice and splashing a lot. Then, my dad came in from the bedroom (Granny was in the master bedroom because she owned the house). Right now, I’m wondering if there was another reason she was in the master bedroom and mom had the vomit quilt. 

“Hey gang,” said dad cheerfully, absentmindedly taking a seat on the other tall chair. He glanced at me and a sad look passed over his face for a second. Then, he stared down Granny and said loudly, “Why don’t you come sit next to me… Ronnie boy.” But he did not look at me. He was staring hard at Granny the whole time. 

Carefully, I sat down next to dad, torn between staring at Granny or looking sad. I ended up looking sort of sympathetic at Granny, which I was sure pleased no one. It was a very uncomfortable breakfast. 

Afterwards, Granny took us all into the barn. Long story short, I don’t like barns. Very unhygienic. And too much dung and messy animals. Barns smell terrible! But I didn’t show it. Instead, I pretended to thoroughly enjoy the whole stinky experience (oh no! Really I am not being respectful at all! Though, mother says I should feel free to speak my mind about The Awkward Barn).

Near the end of the tour, Granny was showing us the animals. After the cows, sheep, and horses, we came to the pigs. Dad seemed to want to get on with it quick and get to lunch (it was noon already — or should I use the exact time? My math professor will have fainted by now, I’m sure), but Granny couldn’t get enough of the pigs. She kept rambling on and on about pigs: what they ate, how they were born, how they pooped (pardon my language), on and on and on. She concluded her lecture with: “And last but not least… you really are a PIG, Ronald.” 

I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked. My mom was sad. But my dad was furious.

“Ma,” he huffed. “I told you not to bring this up.” 

“Why am I a pig?” I asked, as politely as I could be. 

“Because–” started Granny rather nastily, but father interrupted. 

“Let me,” he growled. “Tell this story.” He huffed a little, then began.

“When you were born, we made a deal.” He sighed heavily. “I guess I should tell you why. My mother… never wanted me to get married. She just wanted me to stay in this house forever because… I’m an…” 

Suddenly Granny spoke. “Because I just want you to be my little boy forever, Dedalus.” Then she fiercely whispered, “I can’t have you giving away family secrets! We’re the only two who know this and it’s going to stay that way!”

Dad looked sad but resigned. “Fine,” he said. “Because she was an overprotective mother. See?” He whispered to Granny. “I’m not lying to my son. Anyways,” he continued in his normal voice. “She was never the biggest fan of… well… your birth in general. So we compromised. You would keep our last name, and your mother picked your first name. But she… she chose the middle name.” 

“Did you ever wonder what that ‘P’ stood for?” asked Granny with a nasty grin.

“Er…” I said. I had never really thought about this and my parents had never told me. I always assumed it was something like “Patrick,” or “Paisley.”

“PIG,” bellowed Granny. “Hahahahaha!” I couldn’t believe it. But Granny was so nice! I just… just… there must have been some explanation. I stood there for an eternity, desperately waiting for someone to say, “April Fools!” (although it wasn’t April Fools’ Day. My World Customs teacher would go ballistic).

But right then something in my mother snapped. “You have no right,” she said, shaking, “no right to speak to my son like this. I’m — we’re leaving. He is going to live with ME and MY family and not you… people. WE’RE LEAVING.”

And with that, she took me and marched out of THE AWKWARD BARN. 

As we drove off, we passed a Miller’s Hot Dog Palace (not Granny Miller). It used to be my mom’s and my favorite restaurant.

We ate lunch at McDonald’s.

Sweet Murder

Chapter 1

We were playing tag. My friend was chasing me. There was nowhere to go and then I thought of something: the forest! I ran as fast as I could towards the forest. We went deeper and deeper into the forest. Can we stop? Then, we came upon a few dead bodies. It was on the other side of a little hill. It was almost as if the trees were forming a gate around it. When I saw the bodies, I got really worried. And then we figured out that the dead bodies were our parents! I was very sad.

 Chapter 2

(3 weeks later)

I hear a big thump and a wake up. I realize what the sound is. The paperboy tossing the newspaper at the door. I get up, open the door, and look at the newspaper. On the headline, it says, “Mister K murdered.”

I call my friend and say, “Did you see the headline on the newspaper?”

He says, “Yeah, can you believe it?!”

I say, “Do you think it could have anything to do with the dead bodies we saw?”

Chapter 3

My friend agrees with me that we have to find out who the murderer is.

“First, we have to start looking for clues,” I say.

My friend says, “Got it. Let’s start looking.”

“I know,” I say. “In movies, aren’t there always like bad people in the alley ways?”

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Chapter 4

“Which alley should we search first?” I say.

“How about Crook’s Alley?” my friend says.

I say, “Why Crook’s Alley?”

“Because ‘crook’ is another word for a bad person,” my friend says.

We walk by the bakery and the donut shop to Crook’s Alley. We walk on Crook’s Alley and see a sign .

<This way to Clues about an anonymous murder. The wrong path leads to certain Doom >

Chapter 5

“So how do we know which way to go?” my friend says.

“Let’s check around for clues. Remember X marks the spot. Hey, look at this fine print,” I say.

The fine print says, “How many seconds are there in a year?”

“I think it might be a riddle,” I say. “How about we go to the shop and see if there are any calculators.”

It says on the fine print that this riddle expires in seven minutes and the calculator shop is on the other side of town. We won’t be able to get there in time.

“Well, if this isn’t a riddle, maybe they don’t want us to find out how many seconds are in a year. Or maybe they do. How about we pick the highest one? Let’s go to the left,” I say. 

“No I think we should go to the right,” my friend says.

“How about we both go the way that we want,” I say.

And we both walk off in opposite directions.

Chapter 6

So I walk down the path. And then suddenly, a big metal wall falls down behind me and on the wall there is graffiti that says:

Welcome to your DOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOMDOOM

And then, the floor opens up and a machine that looks like a big, tall, bending straw pointing towards me comes out and says, “Scanning, scanning, scan complete. Starting Doom process.” 

My friend starts down his path and a metal wall slams down behind him. Then a computerized voice says, “Please continue down the path.”

Chapter 7  

“DOOM process complete,” the machine says, and projects an image of my friend being zapped by a laser and obliterated into smithereens.

“NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” I say.

I feel like I want to smash that machine to bits. And I try to smash the machine to bits. But then it says, “Hostile takeover. Prepare to be obliterated!” And then it shoots out a laser that makes a big crater in the floor

I run for my life.      

 Chapter 8 

I keep running down the path for my life. I see my friend walking down that path where the paths meet up and I think I must be seeing things, and I’m insane and crazy and out of my mind. Then I run up to him and poof him in the nose to make sure he isn’t a  projection. And To make sure I’m not seeing things. And I feel he’s there and I yell, “YOU ARE ALIVE!!”

My friend says, “Of course I’m alive.”

And then I yell, “Run for your life.”

We go down the tunnel to a place where there’s a man sitting at a table and he says, “I’ve been expecting you.”

Chapter 9

I say, “We’re looking for clues about an anonymous murder.”

The man says, “Yes, the murderer is the guy who works at the donut shop. You can go now.”

And then we leave and the donut man gets arrested.

The End 

JOLIE’S ADVENTURE: THE SUPERPOWERS BEHIND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Chapter 1: Dianna The Brainwasher

One day in Vermont, a girl named Dianna was walking in the forest to chop down some trees for wood. She wanted to build a treehouse. Dianna was tall as a tree with a winsome, brown bob and loved to read historical books. Funny thing is that she disliked all animals that possibly were roaming in the forest. As she was walking in the woods, she saw a tree with deep scratches on it and she knew that it had to be a bear’s big claw imprints. Dianna was starting to get anxious.

Suddenly, a big, brown bear appeared 10 feet away. Dianna ran swiftly until she saw a way out. A long, gray train that was approaching. She ran to jump on the train, but she missed the jump and the train ran over her left ankle. “Ouch!” she screamed in a hurt voice. She looked down and her ankle was horribly scraped. Luckily, after she said in fret voice, “I hope my ankle is not broken,” it healed up quickly as if nothing ever happened. Dianna was shocked by how quickly her ankle healed because she had never experienced something like this before. Dianna started to think – is this imaginary?

Dianna predicted another train was coming. So she waited. Eventually, after ten minutes, another train came briskly. Dianna jumped on the train thinking she was heading back home, but she fell asleep on the train and ended up in the Jim Crow South. She got off the train in Montgomery, Alabama! Dianna was frightened… and she was also wondering how her ankle healed so quickly.

In Montgomery, Alabama, Dianna met Martin Luther King. He told her that she needed  to help Black people fight for equality. Something sparked Dianna to get involved. Unfortunately, right before her eyes, people were getting beaten so badly by the police for protesting against segregation. At that moment, she was so angry, she shouted loudly while crying, “You do not need to do this! Stop it! Racism has to stop!” All of a sudden, the police dropped their weapons and looked at Dianna and said, “You are right! We are going to stop this police brutality!”

Dianna realized she had superpowers –  whatever she spoke with passion, it became reality. Feeling bold, she stood with John Lewis and Martin Luther King in protest, hoping this was the start to ending racism in the South. But this was not the end, something else was brewing in California with a young, clever, girl named Savannah… 

Chapter 2: Savannah The Flyer

At the same time, in New York City, an activist named Malcolm X was fighting for equality for Black people. Savannah, a young activist, with brown hair hanging to her shoulders and caramel skin, was living in California. She wanted to help stop racism too, so she decided to fly to New York City to help Malcolm X with his plan. Savannah’s superpower was to fly. She discovered that she had flying powers when she was climbing on the top of the tree and fell, but luckily flew up into the sky. 

On her way from California, she stopped and landed on the ground so she could go to some fancy coffee shop to get some water. She was out of breath from flying from California. She sipped on some water and got back flying. On her way to New York, she saw Commander Melanoff’s Mansion, the Rodent Gazette building, and Eerie Elementary. While Savannah was flying, she felt a sense of calmness.  

Finally, after ten hours of flying, Savannah got to New York City. She was out of breath but excited. At the same time she landed, Malcolm X was giving a speech in The Audubon Ballroom. One man showed up named Thomas Hagan who was there to get rid of Malcolm X. As Savannah was walking down the street, she looked through a window and saw Thomas Hagan with a tool in his hand. She ran high-speed in the ballroom, grabbed Malcolm X, and hastily flew up through the ceiling to the sky and flew away so Thomas Hagan wouldn’t eliminate him. After that day, Savannah changed history and Malcolm X continued to be an activist.

Chapter 3: Jolie The Time Traveler

Across town, in Harlem, a girl named Jolie was an activist for Black Lives Matter. She was watching a documentary on her TV about Rosa Parks. Jolie was very meticulous about things like cleaning her bedroom and making sure the dishes were clean. She had sandy-brown hair that she always wore in a bun. In the living room, while she was watching TV, her lamp lights went off and on… 

All of a sudden, she blinked and she was sitting next to Rosa Parks in the front of the bus.

Jolie was so nervous and felt she could have a heart attack, because she had warped back in time to the Civil Rights Movement. Jolie knew from her past adventures through her imagination she could create a tunnel, she could warp into a book with her favorite character, but she didn’t know she could time travel through a movie. Meanwhile, the bus driver stood up and walked over to Rosa and Jolie and commanded, “Get to the back of the bus!” Jolie thought this demand was diabolical and she refused to move. Instantly, Dianna tiptoed on the bus and slowly walked past the bus driver and whispered in his ear, 

“Let them sit on this bus.” The bus driver nodded his head in yes motion. Following behind Dianna was Savannah, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X. They all sat in the front of the bus and the other people on the bus were shocked. They just so happened to be on the same bus. Was someone trying to tell us something? The next stop was a meeting to discuss the next moves for the Civil Rights Movement.

Epilogue

The Civil Rights leaders and Superpowers were in a meeting in Chicago to discuss the next move for the movement. They were all sitting next to each other.

“I think these three young girls should help us in the next march,” Martin said proudly.

“Absolutely!” the girls said repetitiously. They stared at each other in excitement. The two men who were sitting next to Martin and Malcolm nodded in an aye motion after reading the reports in their hand. These two men were deciders who choose what happens next in the movement.

The Superpowers joined forces to change what happened to the Civil Rights leaders. MLK and Malcolm X lived until they were 100 years old. Jolie time traveled back home to another adventure. Eventually, Dianna went back to Vermont. Savannah flew back to California. All three girls’ lives had changed for the better. They were now a part of American History… even though Jolie’s real name could not be mentioned to avoid anyone finding out that she was a time traveler.

The Escapists

SAMIRAH

Chapter 1

I LOOK OUT AT THE CITY from my prison window, sighing unhappily. Yes, I did mean prison. I am currently stuck in the basement of my Uncle’s Dad’s wife’s brother’s son’s mansion, along with a dozen girls. I should probably tell you why I am here in the first place. It’s all my own parent’s fault. I mean, who gets their own child into this so-called “girls’ school”? (As the adults call it.)

Anyway, in this world, we women and girls aren’t allowed to do anything except look pretty. This has been going on for many centuries. So I decided to rebel and run away, which, of course, was against the law. This made my parents call the police, who then ran after me, caught me, and now, here I am. In my prison thing, I want to run, to feel the air whipping my face again. 

In the darkness of night, I lie in my bed, eyes closed, and I try to think of something, anything to let me escape. I do this each and every night, but by midnight, I always think up nothing. 

It’s dinner. I sit down at my usual table with the usual DISGUSTING food to cry silently. Before I start eating, another girl who looks about my age sits down next to me. 

“Hi!” she says with a warm smile.

Before I get a chance to respond, an alarm wails. We look at each other. 

“Fire alarm. Follow me,” I whisper. 

I jog ahead of her and hear the “teachers” (I’ll just call them guards) yell at other inmates to go to their cells, and suddenly, I start sprinting. “HURRY UP!” I call from the end of the hall. When she finally catches up, I find that the door is locked. I curse silently. She takes an ID card from her pocket and stuffs it into the slot in the door. How did she get that?

“Whoa,” we say at the same time. 

The door opens up to a huge dining room with a ceiling so high it could house two medium sized elephants, easy. Above the mahogany table, a crystal chandelier hangs, casting mini rainbows across the room.

LILY

Chapter 2

I’M THAT GIRL SHE’S RUNNING WITH.  This isn’t exactly a new chapter, but whatever. 

Right. We’re in the dining hall. Suddenly, I hear footsteps that sound like they are coming from the room right next to us. “COME ON!” I whisper-shout to the girl I am escaping with. I duck underneath the table. Fortunately, a fancy embroidered tablecloth hangs over the table so we are hidden, for now…

The door creaks open just as she makes it under the table.

I press my face to the ground, and I can make out a dozen fancy heels and loafers coming toward our hiding place. The chairs squeak as they’re pulled back to be sat in. The people’s feet move under the table, and now we barely have any space. I can hear my breath, louder than I want it to be. My heart pounds. They’re just people, I think, trying to calm myself down. They have ugly, expensive shoes. They can’t chase us that fast. I still tremble.  

The fancy people start talking. 

“I have heard there’s been a fire,” says one lady in a crisp accent.

“Yes, and I think that a few girls have even escaped! I am astounded. We need to make catching them our top priority,” a man adds.

There is much gasping to this statement. Fancy people. Psh.

Back to the story.

Another man states in a cold voice, “Luckily, they won’t get far. As they are mere girls.” He spits out the word. “They won’t be able to run much.” The men laugh evilly, but the women sniff, being girls themselves.

 We stay still there for an hour. Two hours. Finally, the adults scoot back the chairs and stand up. 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Deague, I’ve had the most wonderful of times here,” a lady says graciously.

“Ah, but we are not done! Let’s go out to the yard, and finish this party there!”

The fancy adults cheer like children at a carnival. They walk through the door on my left side, leaving the huge door open behind them. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t go that way,” I suggest.

“Yeah… but before we go, what’s your name?”

“Lily,” I tell her. “What’s yours?”

“Samirah. Or Sam. Let’s go!” 

***

We race to the opposite door to the one the party guests went through, and it leads into a GIANT kitchen. On the walls, pots and pans hang from copper hooks. There are two stoves — one big one and one the same size a regular person has. Another door is on the other side of the room from where we came from. But then I stop in my tracks. A woman, wearing a cook’s uniform, faces the wall. Surely she heard us opening the door.

But she just says, “Ah, that would be Mr. Bonrab. Could you please tell the master that their drinks will be ready in five minutes?”

We look at each other.

“Um… yes. Yes, I can!” I squeak.

We wouldn’t be able to carry that message. Oops. 

Together, Sam and I turn to the other door and run out as fast as we can.

SAMIRAH

Chapter 3

THE DOOR TAKES US TO ANOTHER HUGE ROOM. This time, it’s the front hall. Well, probably more like one of the twenty front halls. That’s how big this place is. A big oak staircase climbs up to the second floor. A dozen doors lead out to different rooms, and right ahead of us is the front door. But I hold my breath. It can’t be that easy. There has to be some security. It’s a mansion! 

Turns out, I’m right. A man in a navy blue guard’s uniform comes out of one of the many doors. His face glistens, like he has been just exercising.

“And just what are you doing here?” the man asks. 

“Oh… we’re just friends of the kids here!” Lily jumps in.

“The master has no children, and no children are currently staying here.” 

“… ah.” Lily looks guiltily at me. I try to send her It’s okay with my eyes.

“Oh, sorry! She got mixed up. Um, she means that, uh… ”

“I don’t think you are meant to be here. You seem to be… trespassing. I’m going to take you to a room upstairs, where you will wait for me to come back.”

“Ok,” I sigh.

Goodbye freedom.

***

So now, we’re stuck in a room that’s locked and we have NO IDEA how to get out. This is FUN. Why me? I think angrily. I just want to be free.

I survey my surroundings.

There are two wooden chairs in front of a big mahogany desk, and behind it, a swivel chair. On the desk was a desktop computer, and pens. The walls were bare except for a small painting and a vent, which is directly behind the desk. No windows, no doors except for the one we came through. They must really not want us to get out. I sit on one of the two chairs facing the desk, and Lily sits in the other chair. We have nothing to do but wait. I can hear my heart, fast as a racehorse.

And wait.

THUMP

And wait.

THUMP

And finally, after what seems like forever, I hear beeping from the hallway. The door slowly opens, and in comes the guard from before. 

“Hello again. I am a guard here, as you know, and my name is Mr Berdis.” He sits down in the swivel chair. “Could you please tell me your names? Your real names?”

“I — I am… Joel,” I fake, my voice shaky. 

He studies me for a few seconds. I don’t breathe.

“I’m deciding to believe you,” he announces.

WHEW. That went better than I thought it would. “And… um… will you let us go?” I ask hopefully.

“I might, after you — ” He points to Lily. “After you tell me your name, and both of you explain what the heck you were doing in this place.”

Lily says her name is Matilda, but then the guard warns us, “You young ladies look like you’re eleven, so I hope you won’t lie. But, however, if I do figure out you are not telling me the truth, things will not go well for you.”

“Okay,” is all I can say, when something amazing happens.

LILY

Chapter 4

YOU KNOW HOW THERE’S A VENT RIGHT BEHIND THE DESK?  That vent is our savior. Wait. Actually, our savior is a red-head teenager who looks like she’s around fifteen. That’s all I have time to register before I’m knocked out. (Disrespectful, frowny face.) Well, I also see the guard get knocked cold too. Anyways.

***

When I finally come to, my vision’s blocked by a black and white checkered blindfold. I want to take it off, but something tells me if I do that, I’ll get knocked out again. I decide against it. I can feel the bounce of someone walking and the two warm, strong arms that are carrying me. The blindfold is ripped off my face, and I see that we are in a new room. A door of each wall leads into other rooms. 

A face looms above me as I sit, propped against the wall, on the floor. I stifle a yelp. 

“It’s fine. We jus’ wanna see if you two are worth the rescue,” the girl assures me. I realize she’s the same red-head that rescued (or captured) us. “Um… h-hi?” I stutter. 

She chuckles. “Heh. It’s fine. I just knocked you out ‘cause we can’t have other people knowin’ how to get ‘ere.”

“Okay, but could you tell me anything? Like how you knew we were in the room?” I need some information before telling them about me. “Alright. We will, but I’m gonna wait for our leader to tell you, when she gets back from her mission,” Red-Head decides. “And my name is Rainda,” she adds, and exits the room. I watch people streaming in and out of the four doors.

Okay. Recap. We escaped from prison (ugh, “girls’ school”) because of a fire, ran around the mansion a bit, got captured, got rescued, knocked out, and now here I am, in what seems like a colony of people that — no. Too much is happening. My head spins. 

I look at the desk and chair in the middle of the room.

“Uuhnwah?” I hear from beside me. I look over, and see Sam stirring. “Wait-what-where-are-we? Lily?”

“Yeah? I’m here.” I take her hand.

“Good.” She exhales with a big whoosh, her dark complexion turns red. I put my hand back in my lap. “Where are we?” she asks, so I explain everything Rainda told me.

“So now… we just wait for their leader to come,” I finish.

A few minutes later, Rainda comes back. “She’ll come pretty soon, ‘K?” 

“Got it,” Sam and I say, jinxing. 

Just as Red-Head said, the leader comes a little later. She wears a black bodysuit, with twin knives strapped where jean pockets usually go. “You’re not gonna stab us with those, are you?” Samirah eyes the knives nervously. I’m worrying about the same thing.

“Oh no, I won’t,” the woman laughs, laying the knives on the desk. “So,” she starts. “You were rescued, or captured if you want, by Miss Rainda here.” She nods at Rainda approvingly. “And now you probably want to know why we did that, and who we are?” 

“Yeah, pretty much,” I add. “But no blindfolds next time, please.”

“I’m afraid I can’t grant you that wish, but will tell you about us. Oh, and by the way, my name is Sona. Anyway, we call ourselves the ‘Escapists.’ Others call us… never mind. It is away from what I was about to say.”

Never mind? They call themselves Never mind? Oh. She doesn’t want us to know.

She doesn’t trust you… my mind whispers. You should grab those knives and run. 

“Be quiet.” I accidentally say aloud.

“What?” asks the leader. 

“Uh… sorry, never mind.” I bite my lip.

SAMIRAH

Chapter 5

HOW COME SHE GOT TO BE CONSCIOUS FIRST? Oh, well. We don’t all get what we want. 

“So,” Sona continues, “we’re always recruiting new people to help us. We’re alway watching, writing down the people who we think will help us. We’ve been watching you two for a while, and now I’m sure that you can help us. We just had to break you out.”

“Um… what skills do we have?” I wonder.

“Well, you, Samirah, are pretty fast. You can run away from people trying to capture you.” She draws out the word pretty. “I hear you’ve already tried to run away?”

“Well, yes… but — ” I try to protest, but Sona reminds me,

“Those men are four times your leg size, Samirah. And you almost got away!”

Fine. It’s true. I am much smaller than the men, and I did almost get away, but I don’t know if I can really trust the Escapists. 

“And you, Lily, taught yourself to pickpocket,” she says.

Lily and I stare at each other. How did she possibly know this much about us?

  “How do you — ” Lily starts.

“Know so much about you?” 

“Yeah.”

“I can’t tell you, unless you join us.”

***

Rainda leads us to another room, where she tells us we’ll be sharing it. Instead of a desk and chairs, it’s a bedroom, and actually cozy! There’s a bunk bed with non-pink sheets (finally!), on the right side of the room, and a dresser with some new clothes that don’t include dresses for tomorrow. It’s kind of small, but I like it. Since I don’t really have any belongings, I claim the top bunk with the jacket I had on. There isn’t a window, but there is a whole bookshelf, and I LOVE reading. 

As I sift through the bookshelf for a good book, Lily asks me, taking a break from another book she found, “Do you think they made the alarm go off?”

“Who is ‘they’?” I ask her.

“The Escapists, stupid!” she responds, acting like a little sister. 

“Maybe…” I trail off. “Do you think we should join them? I don’t really have a nice place to return to.”

“I’m thinking about it. I also don’t really have a safe home, either.”

“So that’s a yes?” I ask, my voice hopeful.

“Not yet.”

LILY

Chapter 6

I’M MAD. I DON’T KNOW WHY. I JUST AM. It’s probably just because I’m tired (and hungry). I’ve had a long day, escaping from the prison thing, running around a mansion for a while, then getting captured for the second time that day, (the first is when I met Sam), then getting rescued and given an impossible choice: should I stay or should I go?

Hey, that kinda reminds me of that song by… what was it? Oh, whatever. I need sleep. I look down at my watch, given to me by my dead mother. (Long story… one that I don’t like.) It’s 10 o’clock! “Alright, bye. Imma crash,” I tell Sam, who looks surprised. I haven’t really talked for the past hour. I clamber onto the bottom bunk, staring up at Sam’s mattress above me. I lie like this a while, thinking about if I should join the Escapists. Long past when Samirah starts quietly, almost politely, snoring, I finally fall asleep.

***

My eyelids flutter open. For a count of three, I don’t move. Then I get up, making my bunk creak. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Sam jokes from the top bunk. “I’ve been awake for an hour already.”

“Samirah — ” I protest.

“Yeah, I know. Come on! Get dressed and have some breakfast.” She seems to be in a good mood, making my spirits rise a little. 

We walk back to the intersection, once again bustling with people. Where we had met Sona, the Escapists’ leader, the day before. Rainda comes bounding towards us. “You want some breakfast?”  

“Yeah,” I respond.

“Alrigh’. This way!” She gestures for us to follow her, then jogs into the door on our right. We walk down a long corridor with long light fixtures, turn left, down another shorter corridor, which then opens up into a smallish restaurant. 

“You have a restaurant here?”

“Yup! Our entrance is… Oops.” 

***

After a nice breakfast of a syrup lake with a side of pancakes, sausage, and chocolate milk, I feel fully refreshed. 

Rainda then takes us back to the intersection, where we meet up with Sona, who is at her desk. Again. 

“Have you come to a conclusion yet?” she asks us.

“No…” I say at the same time Sam says,

“Yeah!” 

“Okay then… Samirah, are you going to stay with us?” Wait for it… wait for it… 

“Well, I wanna stay with you guys. But… I also want to be with Lily.”

Huh. I thought she was going to leave me. So, now I have an easier choice. “Now I’m leaning towards staying too.” I inform Sona. “But I still don’t really know.” 

“Okay. That’s fine.” She doesn’t look mad at me, which I appreciate. With a warm smile, she turns to Sam. “But I’m glad you want to help us!” 

My insides seem to melt. Sona is being so nice to me, yet I still don’t really want to be with her. My own friend is joining, and I still don’t want to. Why do I still think I can find my father? I won’t! Ever! 

When my mom died of a pandemic virus called Repoat two years ago (another pandemic centuries ago that you might have heard of is Coronavirus. That one was famous), my dad left me in the care of one of his friends, who I really don’t like. Blah blah blah. 

 Me and Sam walk back to our room. When we get there, she asks, “Why don’t you want to join?” I guess I should break the news. I tell her everything I just told you, pouring my troubles out. When I finish, I feel so much better, I want to jump around. She doesn’t even say ‘I’m sorry’ and move on. Instead, she mutters, “And I thought I had the worst problems.”

“Like what?”

“Well, getting captured. Having the worst parent in the world,” she answers.

“But I had no idea you were dealing with that.”

Now that I think about it, my dad probably didn’t want me. Not that I was bad (well, I do pickpocket… ) but that he just wasn’t a good dad. 

“Sam,” I announce, “I have something to tell Sona.”

SAMIRAH

Chapter 7

WELL, THAT WAS SOME NEWS. But at least Lily joined! I walk with her to Sona’s desk. When she hears the news, she exclaims, “Great! You two have to do one quick thing before you’re officially with us. DEVIN?” she calls. “LEAD THESE TWO TO THE JOINING ROOM, PLEASE!”

A girl who tells us nervously, “Hi! I’m — uh… I’m Devin! And I’m um… twelve.” Then, she scurries like a mouse through the same room we went through to get to breakfast. 

***

It takes a while to get there, but eventually we arrive at the room. The “joining room” is a metal-walled room with two dozen big bubbling vats filled with molten metal of all different colors. One vat has pink (ugh), another has turquoise, and yet another with red liquid metal. There are a ton of other colors, but it would take me a while to go to all of them. On a table that leans against the back wall sits smallish-medium cement squares, carved deep with small to medium C’s, next to a various assortment of tools and other things. The room is so hot, I can feel the hairs of my arms rising.

“Um.. I’m going to stay with you until another person comes who will — uhh, help you,” Devin informs us. 

“Okay!” I whimper, my voice squeakier that I like. Those vats of lava-like metal make me feel small and tender. 

***

Finally, a young woman with a brown leather tool belt and a long ponytail comes in and tells us her name is Henrya. “What’re your guy’s favorite colors?” 

“Turquoise,” I tell her.

“Ooh! That’ll go nice with your dark skin,” Henrya exclaims. 

“I like red,” Lily says.

“Nice! Red will look great on you too!” Henrya tells us as she takes out a flexible measuring tape. “I need to measure your wrists.” 

She wraps the measuring tape around my wrist and mutters, “Size five,” then measures Lily’s wrist. “Size four.”

Henrya takes a big ladle with a mouth from the table and dips it in the vat of turquoise molten metal, then pours it into the carved C of one of the cement squares.

She then dips the ladle in the vat filled to the brim with red liquid metal, and pours that into another deeply carved C a little smaller than mine.

“Now we just have to wait,” she tells Lily and me, as the metal liquid steams.

***

Around half an hour later, after some tries at break-the-ice chats, the metal C’s are getting cool. “Alright,” Henrya stands up and walks over to the table where the metal C’s are cooling. “The metal bracelets are getting cool now!”

She takes a tool from the table, and uses it to pry the two metal C’s out of the squares. 

“Ooh! Hot!” Henrya recoils her arm when she tries to pick up one of the bracelet things.

“I thought they were cooling?” I frown. “What are they, anyway?” 

“Well, they were cooling. But they just aren’t super cool yet.”

“Oh.” 

“And I’ll get back to you later about your second question.”

Henrya takes out another two cement squares, this time carved with small holes. There is already silver cooled metal in the holes, which she also takes out of its mold. On my bracelet, she attaches the one of little silver dots into a slot I didn’t notice before. 

“You don’t have to watch me the whole time. It’s gonna take a while.” Henrya glances at us. I was getting pretty bored.

“M’kay.” I look at Lily. “Do you wanna leave?” 

“Sure.” She turns to Henrya. “We’re going to leave. See ya!” She hightails it out of the room, clearly as bored as I am. I follow her out. 

LILY

Chapter 8

WE WALK BACK to the dorm room, and a thought occurs suddenly to me. I’ve never seen anyone male with the Escapists.

“Hey… Sam? Have you ever seen a man here?”

“Yeah! Of course I have! You’ve met your dad, right? He’s a man!”

I slap my face. “No, stupid! Here! With the Escapists!”

“Ohhhhh. Here? I’ve never seen a man here.”

“Then I guess this is an all-girls community.” 

So maybe they rescue only girls? Or they rescued boys, too, but don’t allow them to join? Now I’m just confusing myself.

I walk to the bookshelf to get out the book I was reading before. I only finish a page or two before there’s a knock on my door. “Come in?” 

The door opens a little, and Devin peeks through the crack. She opens the door fully, making it creak in annoyance. “The bracelet things Henrya was making are ready!” she announces.

I groan. “Can we just, like, relax a little?”

“Well… no. Sorry. Come on!” Devin bounces out of the doorway. 

Ugh. fine. We followed her into the intersection with Sona’s desk. Henrya waited next to the desk, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Ah! Finally,” she exclaims when we get there. “I just finished the things I was making! So, here they are!” She holds out the two metal C’s for us to see.

“So… what are those?” I ask. 

“They’re bracelets.” Henrya tells me, as if I don’t know.

“I know that, but — ”

“Yeah, yeah. So. these three buttons here? This silver one calls for help if you get caught, and this black one here means you’ve found a possible recruit, and it’ll take a picture of  the possible recruit. This white one deploys a glider!”

“Wow.”

We take a moment to admire it.

“How do you do this? This is like, top rank technology, from the future!” Sam’s eyes widen.

“Once you’re with us for a while, I’ll show you!” Henrya beams. “Who wants me to put it on first?”

“Uh.. me?” I say.

“Is that a question?”

“Me. Me first, please,” I correct myself.

She clamps it around my wrist, and I black out. 

SAMIRAH

Chapter 9 

I’M NERVOUS. REAL NERVOUS. When Lily blacks out, I’m cornered by Devin and Henrya. “It’s your turn.” Henrya grins evilly.

I struggle, trying to resist them putting on the blackout bracelet (as I call it), but it does no good. My vision turns black as I think, once again, goodbye, freedom. 

***

My eyelids flutter open. I yelp as I see a face looming over me, but then I settle back down when I realize it’s just Lily.

“Where are we?” I wonder. 

“Just take a look.” she says miserably.

I do. We’re in a metal box, not tiny, but not big. That’s it. Just a bare, metal walled box. 

Chhhhhhhhick! A panel I didn’t notice before slides open. A new woman with blond hair pops into the new opening. 

“Hah! Still there. You’ll need some food, huh?”

The woman ducks out of the opening, and returns a few seconds later with two trays. “Here ya go!” she says, and hands over the two trays. Plopped onto the tray was some oatmeal. Was it morning? 

“Lily, you have a watch right? What time is it?”

“7 A.M.” 

“Was I out for a while?

“I dunno. I was conscious just before you,” she tells me.

We stay in the small metal room for a week (according to Lily’s watch). I’m bored, hungry and scared most of the time. We get food two times a day, instead of three. 

“We need to find a way out of here,” I say, then notice a camera filming us and listening to us. 

“There’s a security camera,” I whisper, as if it will make a difference to how the camera hears us. 

“Well, shoot. I guess we can make a secret language?” Lily suggests.

“Yeah, but we’ll have to face the opposite direction from the camera.” 

I turn the other way, but I find another camera on that side, too. “Well, that’s great,” I mutter.

No one talks for a few minutes.

Lily speaks up. “Um… could we do the child’s position from yoga, and make up the moves under ourselves?”

“Yeah! Great idea. They’ll hear us, but they won’t understand!”

So this is what we do. After maybe another few days, our sign language thing is done!

Now we need to think up a plan, I say, using our secret code.

LILY

Chapter 10

 OUR PLAN IS PRETTY SIMPLE. We will wait until the woman who gives us food comes, and me and Sam will pull her in. Then, I will pickpocket her and climb out of the hole. Then we will lock the woman in so she can’t follow us. (We made the plan through our code.)

We wait until dinner, which we think will be the best time because all the guards will be tired. The panel on the ceiling slides open. “Here’s your dinner!” Dinner-Woman tells us. Her coat hangs down through the hole, and I grab it and pull with all my weight. Sam takes a hold too. The woman topples into the room. Before she knows what happens, I take a keycard from her pants pocket. I clamber out of the room, Sam right behind me. With the keycard I took from her, and seal the room. 

I’m out of the room, on the run again. I run around, trying to find a map so we can get out. 

I hear footsteps echoing through the hallway behind us. 

“We need to go faster!” I whisper at Samirah, too rushed to use our code. The footsteps are closer now. I can hear the pounding of feet loud and clear, instead of echoey. My shirt snags on something. I turn around to free my shirt but instead, a woman in a guard’s uniform stares at me. I kick her shins, freeing myself from her grasp. She falls over with a big WHUMP.

Ahead of me, Sam pushes open a door. The room is deserted except for an asleep woman behind a wooden table. The grey painted walls peel at the edges. Then I see our goal: a door behind the woman at the table, labeled with a glowing, blinking orange “exit” sign. 

Not wanting to wake up the woman, I tell Sam in our sign language, go to the door!

“Ok.” 

I see a small black slot in the door. 

Use the card to open the door, I say using the code. I hold out the card. She grabs it for my hand and steps quietly to the door. She inserts the card into the slot.

Click! The door unlocks! We’re freeeeeeeee

“Not so fast.” The woman we thought was asleep turns out to just be faking. With a start I realize the woman is Sona. We’re so close to freedom, and we get caught! The fourth time this week! 

“I’m not capturing you,” she says, surprising me. “I may be the leader, but another person is trying to take my spot.”

“So — ”

“So what I’m saying is what happened was a test, though they did it way too harshly,” she cuts in. “Go to Sederburg Street. Look for the dumpster. There’s a slot. Put the card in. You’ll be in the real headquarters.”

“Gotcha.”

Together, me and Sam jump through the doorway, into the world.

To be continued…

The Hungry Lion

I am so hungry. Oh, hi, I am a nice lion. I love to sleep. I have to go now. Oh no! My tail feels loose! I have to find something to eat! Oh, look, I’ve found some deer, but another lion is trying to eat all of the deer. 

“Hey, you, stop eating all of the deer!” the nice lion said. 

 “Never!” said the mean lion. 

“Fine. If you do not share, I will quickly attack you,” the nice lion said. 

Then, the mean lion ran away from the nice lion. And then the nice lion was so close, but he saw that there were so many more obstacles that he did not know what to do. So then there was a big brick wall that he needed someone to dig under. So then a cheetah asked the nice lion if he needed some help. So the nice lion said yes. So the cheetah dug under the brick wall for the nice lion. But then he saw the antelope running away! But the lion followed them. So then, when he followed them, a very, very big antelope had a big horn, so then the big antelope fought the lion! So then the mom lion found the nice lion and brought him back home, but the mom lion brought him to his starting place! So he had to do everything over again. 

So then he found a big sled so he could ride on it and knock into everything, even into the big antelope with big horns. So then the nice lion found the antelope, but he only ate the hairy parts of the antelope, which was the tail. So then the lion became very mad and he had to run very fast, but he was not as fast as the cheetah! So then he called the cheetah and they became best friends. The cheetah was hungry, too, so they both ate together. 

The End! 

Rolly and Mouse

Once upon a time, there was a dog. His name was Rolly. He loved to chew Mouse, his toy. 

Mouse was a slightly chewed up and dirty bone. One day, Rolly went on a trip with his owner. He took Mouse with him because he loved Mouse. His trip was a road trip, so one day on the road trip, he went with his owner to get food and he took Mouse with him. He chewed him but he was too hungry, so he dropped Mouse and went to the car to eat. But he forgot Mouse! So he ate but then he realized there was no Mouse. 

He went downstairs in the van and he looked at the kitchen. “No Mouse!” he cried to his owner. “Where is Mouse?” But his owner was a person so he did not understand what Rolly wanted. He took him out of the car because he thought Rolly needed to walk cause he was in the car for a long time. He was sad at night, he could not go to sleep. All day, he looked everywhere, no Mouse. He cried so much, but his owner did not know what he wanted. He asked, “Do you want your food?”

Yes, but that’s not what I want, I want Mouse! He nodded, yes, I want food. And the owner gave him food and he tried to find Mouse. He was sad the next night. He went out to get some food in the restaurant he lost Mouse. He saw a dog that was next to Mouse. He barked, “Get out of the way! This is my toy!”

The dog said, “No, it’s mine.” 

His owner said, “What’s wrong?”

 Rolly pointed. “Look at that dog.”

 “He has Mouse!” the owner said. Rolly went close to the dog and he was mad, really mad. 

“You have my mouse.” 

“Come get him.” 

The dog chewed Mouse. Rolly went to the dog and got Mouse. They tugged. “Stop, this is my toy,” said the dog. 

“Hey,” said Rolly. “That’s my Mouse.” 

“No,” said the dog. He tugged harder. Rolly tugged harder. “No,” said the other dog, and he tugged even harder. Rolly tugged harder. They tugged more. The owner of the dog that tugged Mouse came. Rolly’s owner came and tugged at Mouse. 

Rolly said, “I need Mouse, he’s my toy, he’s mine, you took him, I dropped him from my mouth, you can’t take him. Now I can’t sleep without Mouse, I can’t do anything without Mouse, he’s my toy, you can’t take him.” 

Rolly tugged harder. The dog cried. He said, “That was a beautiful sentence. You can have Mouse, I see how much you care about him. I see how much you love him, so he can go.”

 Rolly, the owner, and Mouse went to the hotel they were staying in. After they were there for a week, they went swimming and after that they went home and they lived happily ever after.