The World Just Doesn't Feel Right—Stories from Summer 2021 Writers Clubs

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT Stories from the 826michigan

WRITING A NEW WORLD

Writers Clubs Summer 2021

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT Stories from the 826michigan

WRITING A NEW WORLD

Writers Clubs | Summer 2021

826michigan Staff Dr. Naimah Wade, Executive Director Judy Tipton, Development Director Catherine Calabro Calvin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Megan Gilson, Program Manager Michael Spaeth, Development & Communications Coordinator Caitlin Koska, Volunteer & Program Coordinator

Copyright © 2021 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.

All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, the illustrators, and the authors.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.

Designed by: Amelia Rista Printed at 826michigan By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs.

For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org

Also Published by 826michigan Young Authors Book Project: Because No One Else Could Do It In Our Defense In The Clouds Over Ypsilanti A Moment To Remember Rare Air/Aire Raro A Lantern Of Fireflies Tell Me How It Was Where Is It Coming From?

Enjoy! Reciped For Building Community All I Could Do Was Look Up: Anatomy Of A Middle School What To Call The Place I Call Home: Voices Of 26 Ypsilanti Middle School Students The Moons Were Jealous 2020: Visions Of The [Near] Future Don't Stay Up So Late How To Rise Or, I Put My Heart Into The Close Tall Tales & True Stories Suddenly My Heart Stopped For Just A Small Portion Of Time: Defining Moments

OMNIBUS: 826michigan OMNIBUS I 826michigan OMNIBUS II 826michigan OMNIBUS III 826michigan OMNIBUS IV 826michigan OMNIBUS V 826michigan OMNIBUS VI

826michigan OMNIBUS VII 826michigan OMNIBUS VIII 826michigan OMNIBUS IX 826michigan OMNIBUS X 826michigan OMNIBUS XI

Table of Contents Frozen Fence___________________________________ 1 Violet Neau

Minu and the Mermaids_____________________________ 4 Hanako McDonald

Another World _________________________________ 6 Natalie Lu

The Crazy Train _________________________________ 8 Camille White

Caveman____________________________________ 9 Clyde Musehl

When the Lights Go Out_____________________________ 10 Alex Pototschnik

Where Dreams Come True___________________________ 12 Alex Pototschnik

Reunited____________________________________ 13 Rana Celiker

When I Feel Something, Something Happens___________________ 26 Jozef Jason

Luna’s Quest__________________________________ 27 Ashley Reyes-Herrera

Rich Siri____________________________________ 28 Melissa Lee

Midnight Black and Flashes of Color_______________________ 28 Izzy Yip

Weather Wars: A New World__________________________ 34 Joan Nuñez

Drama Risk ___________________________________ 34 Joan Nuñez

The Lion’s Gadget________________________________ 35 Rana, Lucio, Clyde, Camille, Alex, Violet, Hanako, and Natalie

Taken Hostage by Aliens_____________________________ 36 Jozef, Ashley, Melissa, Maia, Izzy, and Joan

Acknowledgments Tremendous thanks to the incredible volunteers who collaborated with us as part of our Writers Club: Writing a New World community this spring and summer:

Hana Berkooz

Mikaela Trowbridge

Jonathan Townley

Fatima Bazzi

Angela Yoon

Sarah Bigelow

Amelia Popowics

Charlotte Moore

Introduction When you open a book, it is often like opening a door into another world. We step into the pages and find ourselves somewhere else entirely, be it a medieval kingdom, faraway planet, or foreign city. The events of the last year have left many of us itching for a chance to escape to a new world or reimagine our own. This summer, students in Writers Club: Writing a New World had the opportunity to do just that.

Over the course of eight weeks, students took on the challenge of creating their own fictional universes and characters from scratch. Aliens exploded, monsters gave chase, and characters honed their magical powers right in the knick of time. Amid all of this action, the writers brought their brand new worlds to life with colorful descriptions, creative details, and relatable characters.

This World Just Doesn’t Seem Right is the product of their incredible imaginations and hard work.

Some of the stories will make you gasp in wonder. Others will send a shiver down your spine. No matter where they take you, these stories are sure to remind you of this: if this world doesn’t seem quite right, you have the power to create a new one.

Amelia Popowics Summer Intern

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

Violet Neau, Age 13 Violet, age 13, lives on the beautifully strange planet Earth, in the town of Ypsilanti, Michigan. She’s had a habit of coming up with fantasy stories in her head for years, and writing them down tends to help her focus on other stuff when she needs to. She also likes to listen to music, whether it’s to help her focus on her work, or to drown out her surroundings and relax. (Sometimes it’s both.) She likes writing because it can show her view of the world, and it helps her try to understand the things around her. Inspired by the conflicts she sees in life, she tries to make other perspectives clearer.

Frozen Fence He could feel the ropes of fire wrapping around his body, burning through his clothing, searing his skin. He was probably screaming, but he couldn’t really hear that. He couldn’t hear much of anything. He just felt pain. Pain . . . so much pain.

He was on his knees in front of a local officer, a pretty high ranking one if they were doing this kind of magic. That wasn’t normal fire they were summoning . . . .

He tried to look up. He could see the officers eyes, hazel, with specks of red from the fire magic. Or was that his imagination?

“Jeez, is she having a heart attack in her sleep or what?”

“She’s not having a heart attack in her sleep, Iko. But at this rate, we’re gonna need to drop her off a cliff to wake her up.”

Saoirse’s eyes flew open, her heart racing, her breathing ridiculously fast. She was drenched in sweat, but she wasn’t on fire anymore . . .

“Hey, are you OK Saoirse?” Her brothers looked up at her, with worry in their eyes.

“Heh, don’t worry guys. Just a bad dream. I’m fine,” Saoirse reassured her brothers. She tried to hide the fear in her voice. She didn’t see much they could do to help her, and there was no point in worrying them about this.

“Alright! We’re going to eat dinner now,” Iko grinned, back to normal now that he thought his sister was alright. Sean, the older of the two, wasn’t convinced yet.

“Are you sure you’re OK Saoirse? You seemed to be having a pretty bad dream. You’ve been having a lot of those lately. Do you know what that’s about?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Now, we should go cook dinner.”

Mom and Dad weren’t home yet, they were still working, despite the fact that it was already dark. Winter was in full swing, having crept up on them once again, and that meant cold food, cold nights, and even colder guards. The winter chill made them grumpier, and they were a lot more likely to throw fire at you in this weather. Even during normal winters it was hard to forget that danger, but after what happened last week to the boy who'd been attacked . . . She was thinking about it more and more. The image of the fiery whip she'd seen still burned in her eyes.

She still had nightmares about it, but they were very strange nightmares. She had them over and over, but the dream changed every night.

It was like each time she had the dream, she was a different person. Usually she was just another person in the crowd, watching. But this time . . . she was on fire. Why did she keep dreaming about this, and why were the dreams so . . . unnatural? Normally, she didn’t dream in color, and she couldn’t smell, or feel much pain, but she could sense all those things in these weird dreams. Maybe it was just because she had such vivid memories of those things? But that didn’t explain the pain, because she wasn’t the one who was burned, not when it happened. It was like another person’s memories . . . She sat in thought for a few seconds.

“Saoirse! Come help cook!” Iko insisted.

"Don't worry! I'm coming!"

Saoirse looked around at the room she had just woken up in. It was their basement, which served multiple purposes in the winter. Year round, it was the bedroom the family shared. Five mattresses filled with straw lay on the floor, with rough blankets laying on top. In the summer, they needed to sleep in this cool place, so they wouldn't overheat. However, it also doubled as a storage area. The walls were lined with rickety wooden shelves, nailed into the stoney wall. Some of the boxes held clothing, some held what little tools and supplies they had, and some help containers of food. In the summer, when forageable food was available, the shelves were not as full. But in winter, with their only source of food being the rations given to them by the officials, most of the shelves were lined with food gathered in the fall.

There was no meat, as there were very few animals in the “forest” surrounding the village, but there was plenty of plant life, so smuggling food into your house wasn’t too hard. Most of the officials didn’t care enough to stop them anyway, and they rarely entered people’s houses, especially not to look through their pantries.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

1

Despite the fact that the food lined most of the walls of the room, it wasn’t actually that much. The room was tiny. Her parents were barely able to stand up in it, and more floor was covered by a mattress than not. They tried to make the food last as long as they could, but it still surprised her how quickly their food ran out every year. The end of winter was hard, and it wasn’t unusual that many people starved at the end of winter. That was the leading cause of death in the village. Well, that and mine accidents. Both of those things were more common in the winter, making the season the scariest time of everyone’s lives.

The basement was usually the quietest room in the house, and after spending most of the weekend watching her younger siblings, she wanted to relax in the basement. She sat on her mattress, trying to patch up Iko’s blanket, but then she just fell asleep. It wasn’t like she was tired, she just fell asleep. And now that she had woken up, she didn’t feel groggy. It was very confusing.

She could tell that Sean was really worried about her, so she tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry about me. I just dozed off.”

She stood up, leaving Iko's blanket on her bed to finish later. She could finish it after dinner.

The three of them walked up the old stone stairs, and took care not to lose their balance on the looser ones. The thin sheets of ice that covered the stairs cracked underfoot, making small noises as they walked. They took little notice of the cold.

They made their way upstairs, into the small kitchen and dining room. The short table sat on one side of the room. They did not have chairs, but the table was short enough that they just sat on the floor. The kitchen had a fireplace, large enough to house a cooking fire. A pot filled with boiling water hung in the fireplace, and next to it, a couple of wooden counters lined the walls.

In the kitchen, Amelia was slowly and methodically chopping up root vegetables. Sean had taught her how to use the knife, but she was worried about cutting her fingers, so she always did it very slowly. They were going to make a soup for dinner, more filling than most nights.

It was Friday. That meant that mom and dad came home earlier than most nights, and the next day wasn't a work day for anyone. After the long week, Saoirse felt like celebrating with a couple of vegetables in the soup.

Sean, Iko, and Amelia were too young to work, but Sean would be turning twelve in a couple of weeks, so he would be starting work then.

Thankfully, he could stay with Saoirse, as they were both minors. They would not have to go nearly as deep in the mines as the adults would.

She could keep an eye on Sean, and try to keep him safe in the unpredictable winter caves.

The four siblings paced about the kitchen, chopping up vegetables and grabbing dried herbs from the cellar. They worked together, not needing to speak to know what the others needed, and moving with the certainty and fluidity of a professional chef. Cooking meals together since the age of five can do that to you. After all, if that's what they needed to do to survive, that's what they did.

The smell of the almost hardy soup wafted through the room. It had multiple vegetables that weren't potatoes in it, and Iko soon found himself sticking his nose in the fireplace to get a better sniff.

Saoirse sighed. "Calm down Iko, I doubt you want to be eating uncooked potatoes." Iko backed off of the soup.

They waited in the small dining room for their parents to come. Saoirse went downstairs, grabbed the blanket she had been fixing earlier, and brought it upstairs so she could work on it while she waited. Sean sat next to the small metal sink and started to wash the dishes by hand.

Amelia and Iko got out the small basket of rocks they had been collecting over the years, and started to play with them.

2

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

The game they played today involved seeing how high they could stack the rocks. Their current record was about twenty-five rocks, but their goal was to hit thirty. They started with the bigger ones, slowly moving upwards as more rocks joined the tower. Every so often, the tower would fall, joined with a loud crashing noise as all the rocks fell to the floor. Most times they only got to twenty, but they were getting better.

Amelia looked at the old clock on the wall behind her, "Shouldn't mom and dad be here by now?"

Saoirse looked up. It was pretty late . . . "I'm sure they're just tired after the long week. They should be back any minute now."

"What if they got stopped by an officer?" Iko squealed. He jolted upright, knocking over the stack of rocks. He didn't realize when one fell on his toe.

"I'm sure they weren't stopped by an officer. Why would they feel the need to talk to mom and dad? They don't really break the rules . . . at least not worse than most people. If they were punishing mom and dad, they would be punishing almost everyone in the village, and that wouldn't be done on their way home from work while it was still dark," Saoirse tried to reassure her siblings.

She tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong. What if they had been stopped by an officer? Or worse: what if there was an accident in the mines? She had seen what could happen to people who got stuck in accidents like that, and that was just the people who came back . . .

But she couldn't think about that. She had to put on a brave face. She saw that Sean had stopped washing dishes. He stared into the tin plate, still covered in suds, and didn't say anything. He must have been scared too.

He looked up from the dishes at Saoirse. She smiled and tried to hide that she felt the same as him.

Minutes passed, and she found herself growing more anxious. Having finished the blanket, she grabbed the broom mom had made, and started sweeping. The soup was done already, and she didn't want to wait much longer.

She sighed, and said, "I'm going to go look for them. I'll see if I can find them and figure out what's going on."

Sean opened his mouth, as if to object, and then closed it. He finally spoke. "Sure. Just be quick, OK?" "Yeah! Don't talk to the officers! Tell them to go away!" Amelia ordered, as if you could say 'go away' to an officer and walk off.

Saoirse nodded, and started getting ready to leave. She put on her coat and scarf, because she didn't want her snot to freeze, and then her old boots, to avoid slipping on the ice. They weren't in the greatest shape, but the family hadn't saved enough money for her to get new ones, so she used the ones she had.

She walked out of my house and onto the streets. The snow almost went up to her knees, but thankfully the front door was at the top of a couple of old wooden stairs.

After wading down the stairs, she took a left and slowly made her way toward the center of the town. The square was more populated than usual, which wasn't ever a good sign. She looked around at the people, and couldn't help noticing the worry in everyone's eyes.

"Excuse me, do you know what's going on?" a girl with fiery red hair and dark brown eyes whispered to her, looking worried. "I've just got here, I'm waiting for my folks. Was there an accident?"

Saoirse shook her head. "I have no idea what's going on."

The redhead just sighed and walked away. She walked up to an elderly woman, who was sitting next to the fountain. It seemed that the redhead was asking the old woman the same question, but the woman had a rather long answer. The girl's brow furrowed. She nodded and walked away.

Wanting to know what was going on, Saoirse walked over to the woman. "Excuse me, could you tell me what's going on?"

"They say the spirits made another stand. They don't like the way we's usin' the land, y'see, and they's getting angry."

"Yeah, that's great, but why are so many people late from work, and why are there so many people in the square?"

"There's an accident today. Pretty deep, but a ton o' folks is lost in there now. Many won't come back."

Saoirse ran off to the northern part of town, breathing heavily. She didn't even remember deciding to leave. She just ran. The snow squeaked loudly under her feet, until she slipped and fell. She pushed herself off the ground, trying to breathe.

No, not an accident . . .

She looked down at her hands, seeing that they were redder than usual . . . She realized after a few seconds that she was bleeding from the fall. She shook her head and started running again, not caring about her hands. She needed to see them, her parents. She couldn't come home without them. She couldn't.

The entrance to the mines appeared before her. She stopped in front of the wooden fence that surrounded it, clinging to the wet wood, staining it red. She was not the only one there. Other teenagers, other children, and the occasional elder stood around the fence, watching the door. The guards standing outside the fence didn't show any reaction to all the people. The weathered doorway to the elevators was open, and every so often a person or two would come out. Sometimes a person would see a family member or friend, and they would rejoice.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

3

Everyone else just tried to fight the urge to collapse and waited.

Saoirse didn't know how long she waited out there, but she could see the blood she had stained the wood with was now frozen solid. She hugged herself as an old man rushed to greet his son, covered in dust and broken bits of light blue crystals. Another boy, about eleven, gasped at the sight of his older sibling, stumbling through the door. So many others, waiting.

Saoirse put her forehead on the frozen fence. She almost wanted to leave and go home. She knew how bad accidents in winter were. There was no point in waiting here . . .

She stepped away from the fence, and saw them. That white hair that seemed to glow, a feature Saoirse had inherited from her mother. They were barely standing, her father carrying most of the weight of her mother, who didn't seem to be able to use her left legs, and was struggling to stay conscious. Saoirse didn't know when she started crying, but she soon noticed the drops of ice on her cheeks. They trudged through the snow, nearly falling as they made their way toward the gate.

Finally, they made it past, and Saoirse took her mother's other arm, trying to help them. She looked up at her father, still crying and trying to just keep breathing. He looked at her, with those caramel colored eyes of his, a heavy sadness filling them.

"We made it."

Hanako McDonald, Age 11 Hanako, age 11, lives in Ann Arbor. She likes to write because It makes her imagination full of happiness. In addition to writing, she enjoys making people laugh and smile with her writing. Japan inspired Hanako’s writing. She likes writing because she likes to make people laugh and smile with her writing. She would like to live in a world where she could use magic.

Minu and the Mermaids Minu wants to follow the scroll that leads her into the ocean. She found it in her old abandoned house with her best friend Glaze. Glaze prepares a ship for her. Her dog Wave and Glaze say farewell to Minu’s Aunt and Glaze's father.

Weeks passed. One day, one of the ship's men said, ”Land ho!”

Everyone cheered and sure enough, you could see a tiny dot that was covered in gray . . .

Suddenly a huge shadow came underneath the ship and, boom! A huge whale hit the ship. Again and again it hit the ship until the ship broke and split in two.

Everyone fell off, including Minu and Wave and Glaze. Minu thought that she was going to die here.

"Help help help!" she thought in her mind.

Just then her right eye gleamed in the ocean light. Her blond hair turned into a shiny blue and her legs became shiny blue scales.

“I . . . I can breathe!” Minu looked at her body. “I . . . I’m a mermaid!” she gasped.

She swam in circles leaping with joy. “Oh no! No time to play. Gotta save everyone!”

She swam up to the shore and saw the broken ship. There, she saw Wave on a piece of wood. Minu swam up to Wave.

“Are you OK, Wave?!”

“Woof!” said Wave.

“Oh goody. Wait . . . where’s Glaze?!” Minu swam and swam until she found Glaze sinking in the water. “Oh no!”

She swam as fast as she could and grabbed Glaze, then she swam to the broken ship.

“Glaze wake up!” Minu started crying.

Her shiny tears fell into the ocean. Just then, the ocean gleamed with light. Almost so bright that Minu couldn't see. Then, she saw something swimming. Actually, a bunch.

Minu squinched her eyes. It looked like hundreds of blue scales swimming with the waves.

“They’re . . . M . . . Mermaids?!” Minu gasped.

There were hundreds of beautiful mermaids swimming over to Minu. They all circled Minu.

“Hurray for Minu!” they cheered.

Minu looked at the crowd., “I . . . can't believe it!”

Some Mermaids were healing Glaze and Wave. The mermaides put their hands on Wave and Glaze. The mermaids’ hands glowed blue. Glaze

4

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

and Wave woke up.

“Ugg . . . what happened?” Glaze moaned.

“Glaze . . . y . . . you're alive!!!” Minu hugged Glaze.

“Woah you're a mermaid.” Glaze gasped.

“Hehe. I know.”

Wave licked Minu on the chin. “Woof!”

“Wave!” Minu’s eyes filled up with tears.

A mermaid came up to Minu and every Mermaid bowed to her. “I’m so glad you're OK, Minu.”

Minu glanced at her. Just then her memory flashed. Minu felt like she was in her memories. She saw herself when she was a baby. She saw someone holding her. She had blonde hair, that's all she could see.

Minu saw something else. It was her holding someone's hand and laughing. Minu looked very young. The person she was holding had blonde hair and her left eye was blue just like Minu’s gleaming in the light.

Then, Minu saw herself crying. Someone kissed her forehead and hugged her.

“We will meet again Minu I promise.” Said a woman with tears in her eyes.

She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Her right eye was covered with her blond hair.

“Just like me . . .” said Minu with tears in her eyes.

Her memory flashed again. She was back with all the mermaids.

“M . . . Mom . . . ” Minu cried and jumped on the mermaid.

“My precious Minu . . . ” Minu’s mom cried and her right eye gleamed.

Everyone cheered, and Wave wagged his tail and barked.

Some days passed.

“I wonder if Minu’s OK . . . ” sighed Aunt Lory.

Just then she heard someone calling her name , “Aunt Lory!”

Aunt Lory gasped and ran out the door onto the sea shore. “My! Isn't that Minu . . . with . . . MERMAIDS?!” Aunt Lory halfway fainted.

Some minutes later, Aunt Lory heard Minu, “Aunt Lory, Aunt Lory! Are you OK?” Aunt Lory got up. There were mermaids circling all over her. One mermaid came up to her.

“Sister Lory! Thank you so much for taking care of Minu.”

Aunt Lory gasped. “My goodness isn't that my dear sister!”

Aunt Lory jumped into the water and hugged Minu’s mom. Everyone cheered.

Some years have passed and the city where Minu now lives is called Mermaid Island. There are mermaids all in the water. Minu, Glaze, Wave, Aunt Lory, and Minu’s mom now all live together by the shore.

“Haha! Stop splashing water at me, mom!” Minu and Minu’s mom are playing in the water.

“Minu! It's lunch time,” Aunt Lory said.

Minu got out of the water. She turned into a human.

“OK, Aunt Lory. Bye mom!”

Minu ran with bare feet, digging her feet in the smooth sand running to Aunt Lory’s house.

The End

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

5

Natalie Lu, Age 11 Natalie, age 11, lives in Ann Arbor, MI. She likes to write because she gets to create a new world based on her own imagination. In addition to writing, she enjoys swimming and talking with friends. Other stories and games inspire Natalie’s writing. She would like to live in a world where you could do anything you wanted without being told that you’re wrong.

Another World “Lucid, you know one day we’ll have to find a world to stop in.”

“I know Lumine, but this world just doesn’t feel right.”

Lumine smiled, picking up a stone and throwing it into the air, then catching it.

Lucid watched his sister, “I hope that one day we can find a world where we could finally be accepted for who we are. But until then Lumine, I hope that you will continue to stay happy.”

Then Lucid started sinking, just sinking into the ground.

“Lumine! Lumine help!”

“I’ve got you Lucid!”

Lucid struggled, trying to get out of the ground, and then he watched an animal hit Lumine, sending her to the ground, and he started sinking again, and nothing he did could stop it.

“Hey! HEY!! Wake up!”

Lumine blinked, squinting at the creature in front of her.

“How long was I asleep?”

“Two days, you probably fainted from hunger, so I prepared some food for you. Speaking of food, thanks for fishing me out the other day! If you hadn’t, I probably would have drowned!”

“Oh. it’s you again. What’s your name and what exactly are you?”

“My name is Ning! And I’m an Adeptus. Adeptus are one of the few types of defenders of this world. There are Archons, who are the most powerful, Adeptus, Gods, Phoenixes and Dragons are the other defenders.”

“Well, my name is Lumine. And I’m looking for my brother Lucid. He looks like me but has grey eyes, have you seen him?”

“Well no, but you're not from this world are you? How did you lose your brother in the first place?”

“Well, I’m really not sure, he just started sinking into the ground.”

“If that’s the case, he probably was stolen by The Abyss. The Abyss are a group of bad guys that want to take over this world.”

“But why would they take my brother?”

“Probably because they sensed powerful energy coming from you guys, so they probably wanted to use him to help take over Zhong.”

“What is the best way to get him back?”

“I would suggest traveling through the entire world, this world is split into five regions, Sho, Yue, Ina, Sen and Mond. Each region has an Archon, they’ll probably be able to find your brother.”

“I see, thanks for your help Ning.”

“Hey! Why are you acting like we’re going to separate already? You probably don’t know anything about this world, so I’m going to be your guide! It’s to make up for saving me!”

“Alright then.”

“Alright! So this is a Prayer Statue. There are five different types of these around Zhong, one for each Archon. Prayer Statues heal you and you can teleport to them! Go ahead, touch the statue!”

She reached forward and touched the statue, and staggered backwards, surprised by the elemental energy that entered her body.

“Hey! Lumine! Are you OK? That’s weird . . . This has never happened to anyone else before!”

“I’m OK, but why is there wind coming out of my hands now?”

“This element is called Anemo, Anemo is basically the same as wind! But I’ve never seen anyone gain elemental powers from touching the statue before . . . ” “Well, I guess it may be different for me, seeing how I’m a Demigod and I’m from a different world.”

6

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Yep! But putting that aside, you can now control the power of Anemo! Try attacking those slimes over there and test your skill out!”

“That was too easy, those slimes were no match for me.”

“If the slimes were so easy, try beating up that enemy camp!”

“If you really insist this will help me control my power, I guess I’ll give it a go.”

Ning watches as Lumine kills the hilichruls.

“That was way too easy Ning, but anyways, can you bring me to Mond City now? I can ask around to see if anyone has seen my brother.”

“Alright! But it was fun seeing you beat up those hilichruls!”

“Stop right there!”

Lumine and Ning turned around and saw a girl standing behind them.

“Woah calm down! We’re not here to cause any harm. My name is Ning!”

“My name is Lumine, I’m here to find my brother, have you seen him?”

“Sorry, I can’t say I have. But your names don’t sound like local names, where are you guys from?”

“I'm an Adeptus, so I’m from Yue. I’m helping Lumine look for her brother.”

“I’m from a different world entirely, but me and my brother were traveling from world to world when suddenly he started sinking into the ground, so we think he was stolen by the Abyss.”

“My name is Amber. I'm the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. I’m sorry to hear about your brother, but I haven’t seen him. But I can take you to the Knights of Favonius to ask for help!”

“We would appreciate that very much Amber! Thank you so much!”

They walked into Mond, looking in awe at all the activity and stores located all around Mond. They stopped in front of a stone building, with ‘Knights Of Favonius Headquarters’ written on a sign above the door.

They walked into the building, and Amber pointed at a door in front of them.

“That’s Acting Grandmaster Jean’s office. You can ask if she has seen him. She knows basically everything going on in Mond, so if anyone knows, it’s her. But please knock before entering, she’s a really busy person.”

Lumine knocked once on the door.

A voice from inside said, “Come in,” and she opened the door.

Inside was a woman around the age of twenty-five sitting at the desk and another around the age of twenty-eight, leaning against the bookshelf.

The one sitting at the desk looked up. “Hello, what can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for my brother. He looks just like me. Have you seen him?”

“Sorry, I can’t say I have. What about you Lisa?”

“I can’t say I have either, sorry. But maybe you should try going to Yue and asking the Qixing.”

“Thanks for the help!”

Lumine walked back out of the door, looking at Amber. “They haven’t seen him, but said it would be a good idea for me to look for him in Yue.” “I think you should go with what they said. They’re the smartest people here in Mondstat. It would be a good idea to listen to them.”

“Alright then, Amber, I guess this is where we part ways.”

“Ning wants to thank Amber, too! Thanks for the help, Amber!”

They started walking to Yue, Lumine beating up the hilichruls and slimes on the way there.

“You know, Yue is where I’m from, Lumine.”

“Yes, you mentioned that adepti are all from Yue, about them being the protectors of Yue or something.”

“That’s right! Us adepti are the protectors and guardians of Yue. The archon from Yue, Lapis, stepped down from his position years ago, and now it’s our job to protect Yue in his place.

They kept walking for a while, looking at all of the mountains and different flowers in Yue, when suddenly a weird looking enemy blocked their path.

“Oh no . . . ” “Ning, what are these?”

“They’re Abyss Heralds, one of the highest ranking members of the Abyss. It probably knows where your brother is.”

“Then how do I get the information out of him? Do I need to beat him?”

“No, these things are impossible to beat—HEY WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING LUMINE??”

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

7

The Abyss Herald teleported Lumine away, into a dark room, where there was someone sitting at the front of the room.

“Hello, sister.”

Lumine stared at the person in front of her “Lucid . . . is that you?”

“You are right, Lumine. I have finally found you.”

“Lucid . . . let’s go home!”

“Home . . . wherever we are together . . . I’m sorry Lumine, I can’t yet, not until you have explored the whole world and experienced the evilness of the Archons, not until I have taken over Zhong with the Abyss. But take your time, explore this world. Until you get to the very end, I cannot go with you. But don’t worry, we have always had enough time.”

Lumine smiled, understanding what Lucid said. “Alright Lucid, but promise me, you’ll wait for me.”

“I promise.”

Lucid held Lumine’s hand. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Lumine looked back at Zhong one more time, smiling sadly at Ning. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Bye bye, Lumine. Ning will miss you. I hope you come to visit us again someday.”

“I promise I will, and when I do, I’ll bring you gifts from another world.”

Camille White, Age 10 Camille White, age 10, lives in Dearborn Hills, Michigan. She likes to write because she is able to express her creativity. In addition to writing, she enjoys ice skating as well as watching movies and TV shows. Reading books inspires Camille’s writing. She loves creating stories for others to read and enjoy. She would like to live in a world where there are no bad people and everyone is kind.

The Crazy Train There was a girl named Nicole Marie Brown. She was a pretty black girl with gorgeous thick curly hair. Nicole is extremely smart but very underestimated.

When she was a little girl in school she was moved up two grade levels because she was so smart. She has a very warm and calm personality and she can go with the flow.

Two years ago, Nicole moved from Jamaica to New York City! There she is a lawyer. In fact, she is one of the top lawyers in all of New York City! Nicole gets some time off of work and decides that she wants to go visit her family back in Jamaica. So, she schedules her flight, and from there, everything takes an unexpected turn.

Nicole ends up getting on the wrong flight and ends up in Japan! When she arrives in Japan she has no idea where she is. When she figures out that she is in Japan, she’s very confused, nervous and stressed. Nicole has to scramble to find a hotel at the last minute. Finding a hotel is extra hard because most of the people are not very fluent in English.

When she is finally able to find and check into a hotel, she calls her family to tell them what happened. At this point Nicole is very tired, hungry, and filled up with anxiety. When she calls her family, her mom picks up and says, “Hey honey, are you OK?” Then Nicole proceeds to tell her what happened.

Her mom says, “Well, puttus, is there anything that I can do?” (Puttus is a term that means sweetheart or honey bunch in Jamaican according to Google.)

Nicole’s mom Tianna is very caring and protective over all of her children, especially Nicole, being her only girl and her youngest.

Nicole then says, “Muma, I’m fine, although I could use some more funds. I would just use my own, but it would be a lot harder to get funds from my bank account because almost none of the people here speak English and I don't understand what they are saying,” explains Nicole.

Nicole’s mom then says, “Oh no, you save your money sweetheart. I will send you some money.”

Nicole comes from a pretty well off family. Her father was a neuropathologist who discovered CTE, also known as Chronic Traumatic En-

8

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

cephalopathy. Her mother was a very famous architect and interior designer. Nicole also has two older brothers named Aaron and Daniel.

Aaron, who is the oldest of all the children, is a firefighter in Ohio. He lives there with his wife Rachael and their two kids, Aaron Jr. and Madison. Daniel is an investment banker on Wall Street. It is a financial district in New York. Daniel lives in New York part time but mainly lives in San Francisco with his wife Maya and their two kids Daniel Jr. and Olivia.

Nicole says, “Ok, thank you mamma! Bye, I love you!”

Mother: “Did I say I was finished?”

Nicole: “Umm . . . no.”

Mother: “Correct. I was going to add that you will go stay with your aunt Cecile.”

Aunt Cecile was Nicole’s mother’s sister. She lives in Japan, not too far from the hotel Nicole is staying at.

Mother: “I will send you her address, and you will go to her house and stay with her for a while until I call you and tell you to come home.”

Like I stated earlier, Nicole’s mom is very protective of her. She hates the idea of her baby being all alone in Japan where few people speak English, so Nicole’s mom always finds someone she trusts to look after her child.

Nicole says, “But Mom, I don't even know Aunt Cecile.”

“Well this will give you a chance to get to know each other.”

“But—” “No buts. You will stay with her. She is an artist. Now listen to me Nicole.”

“Ok, I’m listening.”

“Be good and call me as soon as you arrive. Bye, I love you sweetie.”

“Bye. I love you too, Mom.” Nicole hangs up. She then goes downstairs in the hotel to find a food court. It is now 9:05pm, so most restaurants in the hotel she is at will close in twenty-five minutes or so. Nicole thinks that since Aunt Cecile and her mom are sisters they are alike.

So, Nicole goes outside thinking she is in New York and tries to hail down a cab. But then realizes she is not in New York and she looks like a doofus waving her hands in the air at cars. Then she just goes on her phone and sees the address her mom sent her.

She schedules a ride and arrives at her aunt’s house. She gets out of the car and gets her bags out of the trunk. She walks up to the door and rings the doorbell.

Stay tuned for the next book to find out what happens next!

The End

Clyde Musehl, Age 10 Clyde, age 10, lives in Detroit, Michigan, USA, America, Earth! He likes to write because he just does. In addition to writing, he enjoys lego bricks.

His mind inspires his writing. He would like to live in a world where ice cream was free.

Caveman Part 1: Bob Bob the caveman wanted to enslave all the other cavemen. He thought that they didn’t matter he thought they were just dumb things Part 2: The Slavery Don the caveman was happy and free. But one day a weird bad caveman enslaved him!

The bad guy said his name was Bob. Bob had sharp teeth, just like this /\\//\\//\\/ And eyes like this # #! He is very scary! (#) (#) (\//\\//\) He was so mean he would eat the cavemen who did not become slaves. Oh no!

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

9

Part 3: Don Don was so sad he said, “boo hoo hoo loo doo yoo roo woo poo joo soo.”

But Bob heard him. Now he is mad!

He was so mad he said, “MAAAAAWWWYYYOO!” That made Don confused, so he left to do his slave work.

Part 4: The Rescue One day a caveman named Hogy came and put Bob in jail so then everyone was happy! But, he got out. And now everyone is sad.

BWAAAA is what he said after he escaped. He decided to eat all the cavemen!!!!

But then he went away.

“HOORAY!” said all the other cavemen!

THE END

Alex Pototschnik, Age 10 Alex, age 10, lives in Canton. He has a pet gerbil named Chewy and he likes to write. In addition to writing, he enjoys playing video games and drawing horrifying nightmare monsters/disturbing creatures. He also enjoys reading scary stories (except for scary stories to tell in the dark). The previously mentioned disturbing nightmare monsters inspire Alex’s writing. He likes writing because he is able to write disturbing stories for his disturbing creatures. He would like to live in a world where bigfoot was proven to exist.

When the Lights Go Out The lights started to flicker. How many have they gotten so far? Nine? Maybe Ten? The room goes dark and I start to run. I hear the sound of crawling behind me. It's getting faster and faster. It's right behind me now. I start to run, the sound of my feet hitting the damp carpet echoing through the halls. I run into a room and slam the door behind me, hoping to throw one of the creatures off my trail.

It works. I hear the sound of one of them running down the opposite hallway. The lights turn on again and I turn around to see where I am. Behind me is a room that I have never seen before and two dead bodies that I do not recognize. I start to walk down the hall, ignoring the centipedes crawling up my leg. I’ll need to find more survivors. More people that didn’t end up like the last two bodies I passed. I need to keep an eye open for anyone that looks like either of those two people.

As I continue to walk, I hear a loud crunching sound beneath my feet. It's a flashlight. That means other people are nearby. Written on every wall and every surface are messages left by the insects. They're mocking me. I turn a corner and hear voices. I was right. It was other people. At least that's what it sounded like. You can never really be sure because after every meal they eat they become more human. More convincing. More real.

I step into the room. It’s dark except for a faint light in the corner. This must be someone’s hideout. I shine my flashlight towards the back of the room. What I saw was piles of bones. With hundreds of centipedes crawling over them. Inside some of the skulls were thousands of eggs. This was one of the hatcheries.

I turn to leave the room when I hear a raspy, almost human voice. “Want to play tag?” it says.

I turn around to see one of the giant centipedes.

It lunges at me, but I dodge it. The beast is fazed, but not for long. Soon it will get up and hunt me down. And now that it knows my scent, there's no hiding from it. I start to run and as I do, I hear a deafening crash followed by a loud roar. It’s back and this is the biggest one I’ve seen yet.

The sirens sound and the lights go out. The sound seems to scare off the centipedes, even the big ones. But for how long? I didn’t want to know. I’m going to die in this place. I know it.

But then I hear something that gives me hope.

10

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

On the loudspeaker it says this: “The doors have been opened. Please exit within the next twenty-four hours. If you fail to do so the doors will close forever. I repeat if you do not exit the building in the next twenty four hours the doors will close forever. Thank you.”

Ok, those sentences didn’t give me a lot of hope, but it was better than nothing.

The lights flicker again and I turn to run. I’ve got to find that exit. The sound of crawling echoes behind me, as well as a sound I haven’t heard before. It sounds like heavy metallic footsteps. I run faster.

The smell of burning carpet fills my nose. I’m going to die here. The metallic sound gets closer and closer. I hear the sound of doors opening.

I must be getting close. The metallic sound is right behind me now.

I turn around to see an eight foot tall humanoid robot. Its left arm was replaced with some kind of flame thrower, and its right arm has a tube connecting to a chainsaw. This must be guard.

“Going so soon?” it says as it lifts its arm.

Flames come out of it as it turns to me, its one eye staring into my soul.

“Foolish human, there is no escape from us. We are the building. We are the machines that run this place. We are those insects. There was no test. There never was. It was all to make you come here. All to make you one of us.” A hole in its chest opens up revealing a saw. “Become one of us,” it said.

“Never,” I said.

“Then die.”

As it says that, the creature breaks up into tiny metal centipedes which form a huge, gigantic centipede. Metal breaks apart and is put back together to form the centipede’s exoskeleton. Its arms become metal claws. Its head grows two extra eyes and a mouth full of jagged metal teeth in the middle of it’s forehead. Antenna sprout from its metal skull. Its chest opens up, revealing the creature's sharp rib cage. It lunges for me, but I quickly dodge it. The floor breaks into thousands of tiny pieces, sending the centipede falling.

I use this time to run towards the door.

“The doors will close in ten, nine, eight, seven . . .” says the voice on the loudspeaker “six, five, four . . . ” The voice continues “three, two, one” it finishes.

At the last second, I slide through the door. I did it. I escaped.

Thousands of tiny centipedes crawl silently through the bottom of the cold metal door. The power goes out. This can’t be good.

“Forgetting someone?” says a raspy voice coming from behind me.

I freeze and turn around as the centipede lunges at me again. I dodge the centipede again. I knew it wouldn’t stay stuck for long. I run as fast as I can, and before I know it, I am outside.

Right at that moment I hear a deafening crash. The building collapses. Tiny centipedes crawl over the wreckage. I stop to take a breath and start to run before those insects realize what happened.

When I get back to my house, I notice a strange blue glow coming from my basement, as well as a glitchy voice repeating, “The insects escaped. Lock your doors and windows.”

I go check it out and find security cameras monitoring the various rooms in my house. I see a scientist sitting in a chair. In the security cameras, I can see my face opening, revealing rows of sharp jagged teeth. The scientist turns around.

“Want to play hide and seek?” I say. “We love to play hide and seek.”

At that moment, the lights go out.

Picture of guard robot

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

Picture of giant centipede

11

Where Dreams Come True The motel was huge. Like the size of a big mansion. The sign outside it read, “Welcome to the dream motel! Where all your wildest dreams come true!”

The sign looked really old and outdated. So did the rest of the motel.

“Are you sure this is the place, Bob?” I asked my friend.

“Of course it is!” Bob answered. We grabbed our bags and walked towards the entrance. The inside was just like the outside. It was old and big. The lobby smelled like moldy carpet and rotting wood.

The sound of our footsteps echoed through the huge lobby. I started walking towards a strange statue. It looked like a man with an alphabet block head. The statue was wearing an old business suit. The sign at the base of the statue read the word “Clyde.”

And then I saw what the statue was holding. It was holding a cold metal axe.

“We need to leave,” I said to Bob. “Jake, stop being such a chicken,” Bob replied.

Just then, I heard a raspy voice I didn’t recognize.

“I see you've seen our statue of Clyde,” said a man I’ve never seen before. “Clyde was a good man. My best friend. You could say he was an imaginary friend.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “And why is there a statue of him?”

The man responded with, “Because you're at The Dream motel, and here all your wildest dreams come true!”

“Come on Jake, we don’t have all day!” said Bob. The man grabbed our bags and handed me a key with the number 297 written on it in faded text. We walked up the stairs. I turned around to see that the man was gone! He had completely vanished!

“Bob, seriously, we have to go! This place is creeping me out!”

“Come on, don't ruin this trip, too!” said Bob. We walked over to room 297 and stepped inside. Our bags were sitting there on our beds. We unpacked our stuff and went to sleep.

That night, I had a nightmare about a swarm of giant spiders attacking the motel.

I woke up the next morning covered with sweat. I went downstairs to get some breakfast and was greeted by the man I saw yesterday.

“What did you dream of last night?” he asked in his raspy voice.

“I dreamt of giant spiders. Why are you asking?” I said.

He replied with, “Because here at the Dream Motel, all your dreams come true!”

Just then, I heard scraping sounds coming from behind me, followed by a deep, low growl. I turned around to see a giant, hideous spider coming toward me! I started to run. I ran up to my room and locked the doors.

Bob was gone.

I heard banging on my door, followed by a loud hiss and then silence.

I stayed up in my room for the rest of the day. That night it was hard to get to sleep, but eventually I was able to. Again I had a nightmare, only this time it was about Clyde.

When I woke up I was scared to go back downstairs, but I was starving, so I did. When I got down the man was gone. But so was Clyde.

I heard a dragging sound followed by a loud clanking. I started to run back up the stairs. But it was too late. Clyde had seen me.

He started to run towards me, dragging his axe behind. As he walked, his feet made clanking sounds. I turned around a corner in the hall, looking for my room.

Clank, Clank, Clank! Clank, Clank, Clank!

I was only thinking about the numbers on the door. 294, 295, 296. The dragging behind me was getting louder and louder. 298, 299.

My room was gone. It had completely vanished off the face of the earth, like it was never there.

Clank, Clank, Clank!

The dragging was getting louder and louder, until it was right behind me. But then I remembered something that happened in my dream. I started to run then ducked into an open door.

The sound of water crashing through the halls and breaking everything in its path continued from outside the now locked door. Once it stopped, I opened the door and froze.

There was a strange hissing sound coming from down the stairs. I went to check it out and saw the huge gigantic spider with human teeth.

Right, the spider. I forgot about the spider.

12

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

The spider lunged at me and everything went black as the words “GAME OVER” flashed across the screen. I pressed the reset button on my controller and the cutscene loaded up.

As always painted in big red letters across the sign were the words “Welcome to the Dream Motel! Where all your wildest dreams come true!”

Picture of Clyde

Picture of big spider

Picture of Mannequin

Scraping Noises Every night at around 3:30am I hear scraping noises. They move up and down the halls and every so often they stop outside random doors.

Every night I hear scraping on the walls and a shrill high pitched scream. Every morning, I find life-size mannequins where the sounds were coming from. Whenever I try to see what the noises are, I just find the mannequins outside random rooms in the hallway but in different positions then I leave them. I can’t get rid of them. Whenever I try they just come back in different positions. I think I’m in danger because every night the noises get closer and closer to my room and last night they were just outside my door.

Rana Celiker, Age 12 Rana Celiker, age 12, lives in Canton. She likes to write because it opens people to a new world and because it has so much creativity. In addition to writing, she enjoys crafting. Her favorite author inspires Rana’s writing. She would like to live in a world where there are animals everywhere.

Reunited It has been 782 days since I was taken away from my family. I remember that treacherous day like it was yesterday. I woke up to a truck's lights flashing in my eyes through the thick fog. I looked at the digital clock sitting on my nightstand, barely able to open my eyes, I saw the number three.

“3am, don’t people care that they are disturbing others’ sleep!” I said, annoyed.

I looked out the window, the dark green truck in full view from my window, hiding under the fog. Moments later the truck lights closed and the door opened. Three men exited the truck, one man was holding a flashlight shining a bright light. Slowly, the man holding the flashlight walked to the sidewalk as the others followed. They came closer and closer to the door, my house's door.

“What? What are they doing com—” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

The man in the very back tried forcing open the door.

My heart was racing, I thought the whole world could hear it. Slowly, I tiptoed out of my bed.

“It must be a mistake,” I said, trying to calm myself. It didn't work.

The man forcing the door pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it against the door. I was panicking enough not to be able to stand. My palms were sweating, but I forced myself up. I opened my room door, peeking one last time at the man struggling to open the door.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

13

“Luis, Luis, wake up!” I said as I shook my brother by his shoulders.

“Shh, what, I’m trying to sleep,” my brother said tiredly.

Suddenly we heard keys changing and footsteps stomping hard on the ground. We both turned to each other with equal panic.

“Katiiii!” my younger brother said worried, nearly crying.

“Shh!” I had nothing else to do other than quiet him. I tried not to show how scared I was.

The last look I had of my house was in the back of the dark green truck, carrying me away as tears rolled down my cheeks.

I sat in that truck for what felt like hours until the truck came to a stop. The three men got out of the car, leaving me all alone.

“Now or never,” I said to myself.

I quickly but quietly crawled to the front seat, opened the rusty door, and ran out. Within seconds one man realized I was gone.

“Hey! Kati escaped!” the man yelled in his thick voice.

I stopped for a split second but then continued running, remembering I had no time to stop and look back.

How do they know my name? I thought. How do they know my name! this time I thought, panicking.

I ran until I couldn't run anymore, until I ran out of breath. As soon as I caught my breath, I started to walk. But soon, I stopped.

“This house is so familiar,” I thought, puzzled.

Suddenly my mind came back to me. It was my grandma's house. I hadn’t seen her in a year! I walked up the steep, creaky wooden stairs.

A woosh of memories came to me.

I remember only two years ago, when I was ten, I was so scared of these stairs because they creaked and they were steep. My grandma would hold me by my hand as I slowly walked up these very stairs.

I laughed to myself at the memory just thinking about it.

I knocked on the light blue door and waited.

No one answered.

I knocked again. Then I saw my grandma walking toward the door in her favorite purple slippers.

“Kati!” my grandma said, shocked.

She realized I was thirsty and hungry and that something was wrong, so she quickly took me inside and I explained everything.

She was in tears by the end.

785 Days Later “Grandma . . . Grandma,” I called from the living room.

“I'm coming, I’m coming,” she called back.

Today is the day I start camp. I always get really bored at grandma's house. I play with her cat, help make food, play with my best friend, Emily, who lives next door and is a year older than me and that is it. It is the same thing everyday. But yesterday was different. I found a flyer in the mail when I was biking to check it. It was sent directly to me for a camp. I was super excited. I ran with it back home and showed it to my grandma.

“Grandma, Grandma,” I said panting as I entered the house.

“What happened!” she said rushing, thinking I got into more trouble. “Oh, what’s this?” she said more relaxed, pointing to the flyer when she saw it.

“I found this in the mailbox. It was sent directly to me! It is a camp flyer. A camp for two weeks. It says you can bring up to three friends with you.”

My grandma, Emily, Emily’s mom, and I talked about it before dinner and came to the conclusion that I would go to camp tomorrow with Emily.

I packed all my things that night and slept with excitement for tomorrow.

14

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

The Next Day “You are going to camp already!” my grandma was both excited and worried for me, but she knew I would have a great time.

I gave her a warm hug before I left with Emily on the bus.

“Kati, Kati! Wake up,” Emily said in a loud whisper.

I woke up to Kati shaking me rapidly.

The bus was at a stop and the camp director started giving directions.

“We just arrived at the campsite. First we will eat lunch in the cafeteria and pack our things into the cabins. Stay with your group at all times.

You will be given further directions after lunch. Now you may follow your group out the bus.”

The lady whispered something into the bus driver's ear and then exited the bus as the other groups followed.

I kept wondering why there were very few groups in the camp, only four. Who wouldn't want to come to a camp like this?

After lunch, we packed our things into our cabin as the camp director said. Kati and I were sharing a cabin with a bunk bed on the left wall.

For some odd reason, the cabin smelled . . . familiar.

The first day went by pretty boring. We played a game called “hoop” where we rolled hoops in a certain direction on the dirt floor and if someone caught it you lost and they went next. I lost on my second try because I had a pebble in my shoe and I was trying to take it out while it was my turn. Since I lost, I sat there and watched others play. Emily almost won, but someone else caught her hoop on the last round.

We went back inside after playing three rounds—that I never won— I ate dinner then slept.

------I couldn't sleep, I just stared at the ceiling.

“Em, Emily.” I called several times.

She was sleeping. Something felt familiar about this place, not that I have been here before. I couldn’t sleep, like the night after I was taken away from my family. It smelled familiar too, but I couldn't bring out what it was.

I eventually slept but was woken up by Emily again.

“You should sleep on the bottom bunk next time, I almost fell down the ladder, shaking you to wake up.” She said, “ Everyone woke up and you need to get ready. Get up.”

I just looked at her until I took in what she said. I quickly got up and got ready.

“Ahhh,” I said, relaxed, when I finished getting dressed.

Too early, one of the men bursted into the room.

“Excuse me!” I said in disbelief. They just bursted into the room!

The man grabbed me by my arm and forced me out of the room without saying a word.

I didn’t understand if this was part of the activity, but it certainly did not feel like it was.

“Wh . . . what are you doing? Let go!” I said as I tried pulling my arm away.

The man only pulled harder.

--My eyes slowly opened. It was really dark wherever I was. I could hear the tik tik tik from droplets of water dripping from a distance. The floor was cold and hard, slightly wet too. I snapped back to reality.

Where am I? I was worried and panicked. What happened?

I was able to see more now that my eyes were open and I was thinking properly. I was so panicked. I saw where the water was slowly dripping from. I also saw bar doors from the ceiling to the floor.

It was absolutely silent, just the echo of the droplets of water hitting the floor and the sound of my heart pounding.

Only then did I realize how hungry I was. My stomach grumbled and I couldn't do anything about it.

“Emily, Emily . . . Emily?” I called. There was no answer.

I eventually fell asleep and woke up several minutes later. I was so hungry and thirsty, I even thought of drinking the dirty water dripping from the ceiling.

Minutes passed and all I did was sit. I knew it was toward morning because of the light shining from the small window way above me.

I couldn't wait any longer. I swung at the bars frantically, hoping to grab attention.

“Shhh,” someone in the other room said.

I never realized there was someone in the room next to me. Maybe they came in when I was sleeping.

“Sorry,” I said, thinking she was trying to sleep because of how tired her voice was.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

15

A woman did come in as I waited. She gave me a tray with food. I quickly stood up, thankful for whatever was in it. It was stale bread and a glass of water.

I drank the water like I've been in a desert for days. The bread was not the best but it was still something.

Now that I wasn't as hungry, I was able to do more, I wandered around every corner of this dark room, slowly growing brighter by the light from the window high above me. There were a couple mice, teared cloth, and a dirty rope—nothing of use.

For the first time since I got here, I thought of my grandma, my best friend, and how something bothered me more. I was so worried, not only for myself but for everyone I cared about.

Ever since I went to camp something . . . something felt— Someone came in. I couldn't finish my thought.

“You're coming with us, Kati,” the same woman said.

I was surprised she knew my name. Why did everyone know my name and I knew not a single person's name here?

“To where?” I asked, too calmly. I didn't even care anymore.

She ignored my question. They always do.

When I was taken away from my family, in that car, I kept asking where they were taking me. All they did was ignore. I didn’t expect anything different from her.

She brought me to a different building that smelled exactly like the camp.

Many, many people were walking all over the place. They all wore similar uniforms with a badge pinned somewhere on their shirts. The same uniforms the man that separated me from my family wore!

I was trying my best not to cry, holding my tears until my eyes burned.

The lady took me to a room.

“No, no!” I was slowly pouring tears. My eyes were burning and were probably red.

“You must, otherwise—” the manager said before I interrupted.

“Otherwise what!” I yelled, the lady firmly pulling me back to my seat.

The manager just shook his head and looked down. Then he looked back up.

“You will obey!” the man said in a high tone.

I sat down quietly. Tears rolled down my cheeks. The lady walked me out of the room as I wept.

---I was in another room now, a much better one. There were fruits on a clean table, wooden floors, turquoise walls, and two couches.

None of that made me feel comfortable. In fact I was more comfortable in my other room, simply because of the words the manager said to me. I wished I never heard those words.

I cried quietly for the next few minutes. I cried enough. I wiped my tears, took a deep, confident breath, and stood up.

I kept thinking about what the manager—Mr. Miller—told me when I was leaving the room.

He said, “Your parents work for me. If you learn quickly, you can join them.”

I obviously didn’t believe him, but I started to as I went on.

I didn't join anyone.

---The next two weeks, all I did was carry books and call people from room to room. Mr. Miller said this will ‘get you started’. The only reason I did this was to reach my parents, if they were even here. I really wanted to ask him about my brother and sister. He knew enough about me to know about them too. I never asked. I just couldn’t.

This place was like a maze, but I slowly got used to it. I also made a friend—Jasleen. I was walking down the stairs with a pile of books in my hand. I fell and so did all the books. The man behind me started yelling and told me to pick them up. Jasleen helped me. That's how we met.

Week Three It’s my third week here and 798 days since I last saw my family. All I ever did here was carry books and get yelled at.

There was a lady driving a cart with books on it, but one book really caught my eye. I wasn’t allowed to stop anyone from their work, which I did once and got punished by carrying fifty chairs from upstairs to downstairs. I really wanted to tell the lady to stop for a minute so I could look at the book. But I knew that if I did, I would get a worse punishment.

We had the same book at my house. It just sat on the highest shelf on the bookshelf in the living room. It was a thick black book with gold

16

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

letters that were almost erased. My mom told me once, when I asked her about the book, not to get it, but I always wondered what it was. I remember when I was nine, I tried to reach the shelf. My parents weren't downstairs, so I took a chair and stacked three pillows and tried to reach it. Just as I grabbed the book, the pillows slipped and I hit the table right next to me. The book opened and I saw paragraphs and paragraphs of words, just words. My parents got mad at me and put the book back. I had a bruise on the back of my head and a scratch on my knee for the next couple weeks. I realized it definitely wasn't worth it. I still have a small scar on my knee!

I had a pile of books I needed to give to Mr. Miller.

“Here, Mr. Miller.” I was told to be kind, otherwise I would have smacked the books on his desk or just wouldn't have given it to him. I hated helping these people.

Everytime I helped anyone in the building—besides Jasleen—I always kept in mind I was doing it to get to my parents.

My eyes widened in shock once I gave the books to him. Emily was right here! We were both shocked but we tried to act like we didn't know each other. I just wanted to drop the remaining books in my hand and hug her tightly. But I couldn't do that, not here.

“Kati, we have a new guest, Emily Rogers, will you show her around? She will be working with you, Jasleen, and Jack.”

Jack was fourteen. He also did what we did but we rarely saw him. He delivers different things.

“Yes, sir,” I said, I couldn’t even out my tone from excitement.

Emily followed me out the door as if she never knew me. I took her to a small room far down the hallway.

“Where were you? I missed you so much,” I said as I hugged her tightly.

We talked a little. “I was so worried about you.” And then she explained everything.

“I went to get my hat after I woke you up the second day in the camp. When I came back, you weren't there. I called you but you didn't answer.

I thought you went to the other groups, but I didn't see you there either. We did six activities but you still weren’t there. I thought you were lost or something, so at lunch I looked for you.”

She sighed. “I worried so much. I kept looking for you, in the room, in the park, the lunchroom, even on the bus!”

She laughed a little then continued. “I spent the next week without you, but I slowly realized fewer people were coming. Three people, including you, were not there anymore. I was very very scared, Kati.”

I felt so bad for her. I wished she was with me from the beginning.

“The camp ended, and they took us by bus. They also gave us an option to go by car. I obviously took it since I hate buses. That is how I got here. I thought it was our next stop or something, but the bus wasn’t there either.”

“Mrs. Kellar took me to the room you just saw me in,” she continued.

“Mrs. Kellar also took me there when I first came.” I paused for a second, “Did they tell you anything when you went to Mr. Miller’s room?”

She sighed. “Kati, this place isn’t safe. These people were the people who separated you,” Emily said sadly.

I closed my eyes and opened them again.

“I know,” I paused, ”but this is the only place I could find my family. My parents are here . . . I think.”

We heard commotion going on outside, so we stood up and I acted like I was walking her around the area.

“Here is the main room . . . ” I continued, showing her around while listening to what was going on in the manager's room.

It was just the boss yelling at more people. I listened more. Yelling about that book!

“How could you continue your job when a book so important is in others hands!” Mr. Miller said angrily.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

17

“I didnt—” I couldnt hear the rest because a man was coming closer and I had to leave. I wanted to hear the rest but wanted not to get caught even more.

Later that day, my job was over. It ends at 6:00 unless there is something urgent. Me and Jasleen usually meet in the basement after our job. Rarely anybody comes to the basement. It was Jasleen’s idea to meet here since she knows this place pretty well. This time I brought Emily with us.

Me and Emily waited for Jasleen for a few minutes. Jasleen came with what looked like a bag in her hand. It was hard to tell in the dark.

“OK—”Jasleen said but paused in the middle of her sentence.

“Emily?”

“Jasleen?”

They said it at the same time, shocked.

I looked at both of them.

“You know each other?” I said, confused.

They hugged a long, nice hug.

They talked a bit about stuff I didn’t know.

“Kati, I never knew you knew Emily!” she said after Emily told her we were friends.

“I knew Jasleen from my old house. We have been really close friends for about six years. Then she stopped playing with me. I rang her doorbell but no one ever answered. I moved a year later and met you, Em.” Kati turned to Jasleen. “I always wondered where you went. I didn’t want to move until I knew. I never knew you were here!”

Jasleen smiled softly and turned to me. “I have a similar story to yours, and I am only working here to find my family.” She smiled hopefully this time. “I’m sure you're doing the same, Kati.”

I smiled back.

“Anyways, we have to come back upstairs before they realize we are gone. I came here to show you guys something.”

She opened the bag and pulled out that book, the book the manager was yelling about.

“Jasleen!” I said in a loud whisper. “Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea what will happen if they find out what you just did?”

I wasn't so mad at her. I was also really happy.

Emily didn't seem to understand, so I explained to her the importance of this book and how important it is for this organization—also why the manager is really angry right now.

Emily hates risks but Jasleen loves risks. Jalseen was smiling, and Emily was definitely worried. She was slowly shaking her head.

“Did you not learn anything when you broke your arm trying to climb a tree?” Emily said with a slight smile.

“Mmm, no.” Jasleen smiled. “It was so worth it.”

Emily rolled her eyes, laughed, and looked at Jasleen disappointedly.

We went upstairs, keeping a big secret between us.

Every time I walked past anyone I felt like they were going to yell at me for taking the book—well, hiding the book. My heart was racing.

Good thing I wouldn’t be seeing Mr. Miller again today . . . unless it was urgent.

Just then, Mrs. Kellar walked toward me.

“The boss would like to see you and your group,” she said.

I swallowed hard.

“I will be there with my group in just a moment, Mrs. Kellar.” I said, trying to hide how scared I was.

She nodded and walked away.

My legs were trembling, my palms were sweating, and my heart was racing faster and faster. I was almost sure of what was about to happen next. I walked to his room and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he said while looking down at some papers on his desk.

I sat down in the seat in front of his big desk, as well as Emily and Jasleen.

“Tomorrow you two will receive a new job, Kati and Jasleen.”

I glanced at Emily and thought, What about her?

“Emily,” he said in a weird voice, then continued normally. “You are carrying books until 3:00 everyday and helping Ms. Esme for as much as she needs everyday. Do you know who Ms. Esme is?”

Kati shook her head.

“The one in charge of the books. She needs a lot of help. You will be helping her until she is done. OK?” “Yes . . . sir,” Kati said, struggling on what to call him.

18

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Good,” he said. “You may leave.”

We all stood up.

“Not you, Jasleen,” he said, while motioning for her to sit back down.

We both looked back then walked away.

Mr. Miller said some things to her then asked a question.

“Are you sure they trust you?”

I widened my eyes.

“Yes, Mr. Miller. Oh, and about the book—” I walked away, I couldn’t stay there forever and I didn’t want to hear more anyway.

“Did you hear that?” I said to Emily as we were walking to the basement.

“Hear what?” Emily asked questioningly.

We heard a noise and I looked at Emily. I made an action with my hand signaling that I would tell her later.

“And here is the basement, I forgot to show you earlier today,” I said louder, trying to make it look like I was showing her the basement.

“Rarely anyone comes here. We aren’t allowed here unless the Boss allows.”

We meet here every day without Mr. Miller knowing—we were breaking a rule—but I only said that to show whoever was there how we were just normally doing our job.

We walked back upstairs as normal as possible. As soon as I got upstairs, I sighed in relief.

The next morning I woke up pretty early. Mostly because a woman—another worker—was screaming.

“I did enough. You promised, you promised!” the woman was screaming sadly while the boss ignored her and walked away.

Three people were walking her away into those green cars.

I wanted to know what happened. Would it be the same for me? For everyone here?

Emily knocked on my door. Emily is five rooms away and Jasleen is much farther.

“Come, Emily.”

She opened the door, peeked outside, and went in. Not many people came into other’s rooms, especially in the morning. Emily did a fast walk toward me.

“Did you wake up because of them too?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Whatever. What were you gonna tell me yesterday?” she said, I looked at her for a moment, trying to remember yesterday.

“Oh, yeah. OK.” I explained to her what I heard.

“No way, Jasleen would never . . . no. I've known her for so many years. Well, I only saw her for four, but still she would never ever do that,” she said, disbelieving.

“Emily, people could change. She has been here for four months. Especially in a place like this. She is working for this place!” I argued.

“You are too! Aren’t you!” she almost yelled back.

I looked at her like I was going to yell at her.

“I am not working for this place! I am working to get my family back!” I turned and started walking to my bed.

“She said she is doing the same in the basement, remember? She knows you are doing the same thing as her,” Emily said, defending her friend.

I turned to her again.

“Then explain to me what I heard,” I said back, still keeping my side.

“You must've heard wrong or misunderstood. Jasleen would not do that,” Emily said angrily.

I turned away and Emily walked out.

The Next Week We've been trying every possible way to get out and find our parents. None of them worked. Jasleen was constantly with Mr. Miller. We were getting suspicious. Many people were searching for the book. We kept it safe in the basement. Jasleen told us she had been reading it since she got it. She says she's halfway done.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

19

“Kati!” Jasleen said one morning as soon as we went to work.

“I was reading the book yesterday.” She looked around to make sure no one heard. “There is a blue folder in Mr. Millers’ room labeled ‘Three.’

I need to get that.”

“Why? What’s in it?” I asked.

“Well, I'm not sure, but the book—” She stopped there when she heard people walking closer.

“Here is the paper you asked for,” she said, acting like she was talking about something else the whole time.

She looked around. No one was there.

“The book says it is a list of people and where they were after they were separated. I'm not sure though, but I need to see,” Jasleen explained quickly.

I didn’t know if I should trust her. I'm sure she would ask something from me, but for now, this was her job.

“I've been talking to Mr. Miller the past week to gain his trust. I hope it’s working,” Jasleen said.

Either she said this so my suspicions would go away, or she was telling the truth.

We met in the basement again, except this time Jasleen went to talk with Mr. Miller. It was only me and Emily.

I told Emily about what Jasleen read in the book.

“She said she has been talking to Mr. Miller often so he can trust her, but I don’t know if I trust her,” I said.

I heard a creak on the basement stairs. When I turned to look, I saw Jasleen’s long black hair hiding behind the stairs. Emily didn’t seem to realize she was there. I didn’t make it obvious either.

I acted like I saw and heard nothing.

“Anyways, how did everything go?” I said, trying to change the topic.

“It was fine . . . ” she continued talking.

Jasleen hid there for a few minutes until she realized we were talking about nothing for her to hide from.

“I'm back,” she said enthusiastically, acting as though she just came back.

We talked about what she read in the book for the next few minutes until we had to go upstairs again.

The Next Day Jasleen didn’t talk to Mr. Miller this morning, as she usually would.

“Probably because she thought it would be too suspicious,” I assumed.

“Did you say something?” Jasleen said, looking at me as she picked up papers from the table.

“Ohh, uhh, no.” I laughed a little.

“I talk to myself sometimes when I'm bored, you know. Sorting papers isn't entertaining.” I said. None of that was true—except for the last part.

A long time passed. Neither of us said a word to each other.

“Do you really not trust me?” Jasleen asked glumly.

I looked at her. I knew this was going to come.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but . . . ” I said, not knowing what to say. I didn’t even know if I trusted her or not.

“Just admit it,” she said, “you think it is weird to be talking to a boss like that all the time.”

I nodded.

“I’m only trying to get closer to him so he can trust me. Otherwise, how else will I get the folder or get Anna—” Jasleen stopped there, realizing she said a little too much.

I looked at her.

“Anna?” I asked.

“Oh, umm, OK.” Jasleen took a deep breath. “I have a sister,” she said quickly.

“What?! You said you didn’t have any siblings!”

“I know, I know,” she said, regretting the name spilling out of her mouth.

Then I thought of Emily. Did Emily know?

“Does Emily know?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t hiding this from me too.

Jasleen looked at me. She felt bad. Either she felt bad she was hiding it from both of us or just me—both were very bad.

“No,” she finally said. “No, she doesn’t know.”

I sighed.

20

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“My sister was taken away before me and Emily met. My mom told me not to tell anyone.” She sighed. “You were the first person I told.”

I didn’t want to ask more, but I had a list of questions in mind.

We told Emily later that day when we went to the basement. She got mad but also felt bad for her friend.

Now we both knew there was someone more to help escape from this place.

The Next Day “I need to get the folder. He trusts me enough . . . I hope,” Jasleen said with another plan in mind.

Jasleen told me the plan, and I already was shaking my head.

“No. No way!” Emily said, almost yelling.

“You have to. You're the only one who could do it! Kati is always sitting in a room sorting papers. You are the only one who can walk in the boss’s room without permission to carry books,” Jasleen and I said.

We eventually convinced Emily to set off the alarm and grab the folder while Jasleen distracted Mr. Miller. Emily hated tasks like this, but it was the only option.

“OK, we will do this tomorrow at noon,” Jasleen said as she walked upstairs.

The Next Day—11:30 “OK, let’s go over the plan. I distract the boss while Emily fakes bringing books to Mr. Miller’s room.” She looked at Emily. “Then you set the alarm off and slide the folder through the books and act panicked. Everyone will run outside, including you, Kati. They will realize it was an accident and come back inside. Emily, I’ll be waiting where Kati is, you can hand me the folder there.”

Jasleen looked at our worried faces, “Good?”

We slowly nodded.

“Great!”

I saw Emily walk past the door of the room I was in. She was walking towards Mr. Miller’s room. She was about to set off the alarm.

Beep, Beep, Beep. The alarm was flaring and red glowing lights filled the room.

I ran outside, following the crowd without looking at Emily.

We went back inside a couple minutes later with Jasleen.

“Here,” Emily whispered as she handed the folder to Jasleen.

Jasleen gave a thumbs up and Emily went back.

Me and Jasleen went back to the room we worked in.

“These are all just lists of people who work here!” Jasleen said, disappointed and surprised.

I was also really disappointed, but I couldn’t imagine how disappointed Emily would be.

“What! So, I did all that for absolutely no reason!” Emily exclaimed.

“Actually, no. Not for no reason,” Jasleen said.

We both looked at her.

“I was reading through the names and . . . well, it says Sophia Hart, Mason Hart, Alia Abila, Lucas Abila, Anna Abila, and us,” Jasleen said, hurt.

I had the same feeling.

“Sophia Hart and Mason Hart?” I said, not believing my parents worked for Mr. Miller.

Jasleen slowly nodded.

Three Days Later I got over it quickly.

I wasn’t any different was I? I was working for him too.

Instead of thinking about my parents, we all focused on finding our family.

For all Jasleen knew, our parents were in a different building—that was already obvious. Anyone older than twenty and forced to work here was taken to a different building. We just needed to find where.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

21

Emily also worked with us now, but only because we have been turning in papers late and needed extra help.

“Yesterday, while I was reading the book, I saw a map. I don’t know what the map is showing. There are no labels, but look,” Jasleen said, pointing to the map.

It was hard to tell in the darkness of the basement, but I could see another building on the map. There were many buildings on the map, but only one had the same logo as this one.

“They're there, in that building.” Jasleen said, pointing to the building that caught my eye. “We neeeeed to get there,” Jasleen said, exaggerating the ‘need’.

“How?” Emily asked.

Jasleen shrugged. “I don't know,” Jasleen simply said.

That’s always the easiest but most useless answer, and people say it all the time.

When I asked my brother or sister for something they don’t want to give an answer to, saying ‘I don’t know’ was the easiest way to get away.

But this time, no one really knew.

“I have to read more,” Jasleen said when no one talked.

“The Secret Rule has been missing for days, Ms. Esme. Luckily, we finally found it last night in the basement!” the Boss said, as if a lot of weight was lifted off his shoulders. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of checking the basement!” he said, laughing.

“Oh no!” I said, shocked.

“Did something happen?” Ms. Lee said behind me.

I never realized she was right behind me.

“Oh, uhh, no. I just remembered I forgot to uhh, copy one of the papers.” I said randomly.

Mrs. Lee was the nicest adult here. I wouldn’t have said that to anyone else or they would yell at me.

“Oh, no problem. Here, give me these,” she said, grabbing the papers from my hand. Her job was to collect the papers I copied down. That is probably why she was behind me in the first place.

“Ohh!” I sighed as I walked away. I was so close to being caught listening to what the Boss was talking about with Ms. Esme.

We all talked about the same thing as soon as we came back into the same room.

We all felt terrible.

“At least I was able to find where the building is,” Jasleen said, smiling.

We looked up at her with our eyes glowing.

“Really!” I said, a bit too loud.

At 6:30 that night, we walked to the building.

“Here? This place?” I said, thinking we came to the wrong place.

“Yes,” Jasleen said. “It’s not only plane land, look over there.” Jasleen said, pointing behind the trees.

There were bricks and wood peeking behind a few trees.

As soon as we got there, there was a boy to greet us. He was very familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I saw him.

“Jack!” Jasleen screamed.

I remembered now, it was Jack—the other member in our group. The boss said he worked somewhere different, here! We rarely see him, but Jasleen said he helped her a lot when she first came here.

“Uhh it’s Jar—” he paused, “ohh hi!” he said, fakely.

We went inside, Jasleen looked at me, confused.

Jack was walking with a box in his hand, then he turned around and saw Jasleen.

“Jasleen, it’s been very long since the last time I got to talk to you!” Jack said, erratically.

22

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

Jasleen smiled, “We just met again in front of the door, Jack.”

Jack stopped smiling, he turned away and ran.

We looked at each other in confusion.

“Sorry about that,” Jack said when he returned. “You were talking to my twin Jaron a few moments ago. He could’ve easily reported you to Mr. Miller. He is not like me . . . at all,” Jack said, panting.

“Your twin?!” Jasleen exclaimed.

“I’ll explain later, I gotta go.” Jack said.

He turned around.

“Mya, come here,” he said, giving a hand to a little girl beside him.

My eyes locked on that girl, Mya, my sister. I was so concentrated on her, I didn't realize Emily and Jasleen were walking away.

I quickly caught up.

We walked around the next few hours until Jack came back. When he returned, he explained his twin.

“My twin, Jaron, works here. He’s been here ever since. I, however, used to work there and moved here recently. If Jaron understands you aren’t supposed to be here, he will tell Mr. Miller. For now, he thinks you guys work here with me and Mya.” Then Jack quickly remembered we didn't—well Jasleen didn’t—know who Mya was.

“Oh, Mya is another girl here. She doesn’t work though. She’s too young. She is just looked after by me here. I convinced the boss to keep her here,” Jack said.

Jasleen seemed to be thinking of something else.

“Do you know anyone named Anna here?” she said slowly.

Jack looked at her and thought for a moment. He shook his head.

“No,” he said.

Jasleen looked back down, not very surprised or sad.

Someone knocked on the door as we were getting up.

“OK, I need to go. Try not to talk to Jaron. He will tell all of it to Mr. Miller,” Jack said, in a hurry towards the door.

“Wait, how do we tell the difference between you and Jaron?” Jasleen asked.

“Umm.” He thought for a moment. “Jaron has a scar on his right hand, it is pretty noticeable,” he said, and then left.

I looked at who was behind the door. It was Ms. Esme, with a cart of books.

“Hide, hide,” I said to Jasleen and Emily.

“What, why?” Emily asked.

“Ms. Esme is here!” I said.

I hid in a gap behind the bookshelf. Jasleen and Emily were sitting on the couch. They grabbed a book and covered their faces with it, acting like they were reading.

Ms. Esme walked closer, closer to the bookshelf I was hiding behind.

My heart was racing.

She got closer and started setting the books on the shelves.

I stood absolutely still.

Why did I choose this place to hide?

She left soon, and I struggled to get out.

“Ohh!” I sighed in relief when I got out.

“You have dust on your whole sleeve, Kati.” Emily pointed.

I wiped it off.

“Eww, when was the last time they cleaned that?” I said, disgusted.

We slept in our own rooms that night. Our rooms were all next to each other. You could easily walk from door to door. Jack slept downstairs.

The next day, we didn’t do much. Jack kept coming and going.

There were also rooms we didn’t see. We weren’t allowed in.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

23

The Next Week “OK, I gotta go. You guys can go downstairs. I need a folder labeled ‘four,’” Jack said as he started to leave.

Every time he said he needed to go, he always sent us away.

We started walking away but stopped.

“Oh look, I love this book.” Jasleen said, pulling out a book from the bookshelf.

“I read this when I was very young. It was sooo good,” Jasleen said.

“What are you guys doing here? Didn’t Jack send you downstairs?” Jaron said, not realizing he said too much.

I realized though. How did he know Jack sent us downstairs?

“Oh sorry,” Jasleen said as she put the book back on the shelf and went down the stairs. We followed.

As soon as we got downstairs, Kati was the first to bring up the topic.

“How did he know Jack sent us here?” she asked.

We both shrugged.

A Week Later “I trusted you!” Jasleen yelled.

“And that was exactly my goal.” Jack smirked.

I could tell Jasleen was holding her tears. She was furious. Emily tried to calm her but it didn’t work.

The boss came in a day ago. That’s when we realized everything Jack ever did for us was a lie. Now he was sitting in a chair, tied.

My younger sister Mya was beside me. She also trusted Jack all this time.

“I never knew someone like you would have such a soft-hearted sister,” Jack said to me, jokingly.

It was not funny. It only made me irate.

I tried my best to keep it in. I knew if I did anything to him, I wouldn’t be able to get more information.

Mya was also mad, but I tried to keep her calm.

“Don't listen to him,” I said to my sister.

Jasleen was walking back and forth, keeping in her anger as much as possible. She finally turned back to Jack.

“Where is Anna! Where is she!” Jasleen asked in anger.

“You expect me to answer that?” Jack replied.

Jasleen couldn't hold it anymore. She slapped him.

Nobody said or did anything. We all knew he deserved it.

Jack looked down and looked back up, having a fierce and angry facial expression.

Jasleen had no regret whatsoever after slapping him. In fact, she looked satisfied.

“Also, Jaron is no different than me. He was part of the plan too. He knew everyyyything,” he continued, taking his sweet time until Jasleen couldn't help it and slapped him again.

A question suddenly came to mind. I remembered when Jack had said he wanted Mya to stay here. He convinced the boss to let her stay.

“Did you really convince Mr. Miller to let Mya stay?” I asked.

Mya looked up, waiting for an answer.

Jack licked his lips.

24

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Yes, that is true.” He paused for a moment. “But only because it would give us more information about your family. That’s how I convinced the boss,” Jack laughed even though he knew what was coming.

I made a fist that formed from my anger and punched him with it.

Mya was hurt from the inside. She really thought Jack was taking good care of her. She walked out of the room as we followed. Jasleen locked the door on her way out. Jack was alone.

When we walked out there was a boy, a girl, and two women. I immediately recognized one of the women as my mom, and the boy as my brother, Luis. My sister and I ran to them. I hugged them tighter than I hugged anyone else.

Jasleen stood there thinking she was in a dream. She ran to her sister and her mom and hugged them.

After we hugged to our hearts’ content, we talked.

We were all doing the same thing in different places!

The first thing Jasleen noticed was Luis.

“I never knew you were Kati’s brother, Luis.” Jasleen turned to me,“I never even knew you had a brother!” Jasleen said, laughing.

I smiled. “Do you guys know each other?” I asked.

“I helped him a lot when he got here,” Jasleen said.

Luis looked at me. “How do you know each other?”

“Same as you,” I said.

I looked around, realizing I was forgetting something.

“Where is Dad?” I asked my mom.

Jasleen also realized the same thing.

My mom and brother looked at one another.

I was freaking out. Did something happen?

“They will come soon. They need to find a way to get back home,” my mom said.

Just then, another one of those green cars arrived. I was not going into another one of those cars only to be taken from my family just after I was reunited. But when the windows rolled down, I saw a familiar face. My dad! He has changed so much! We all headed to the truck.

Jasleen’s dad drove in a separate car. We drove home like that. On the way, my dad told us that the boss and some of his workers were caught by police, thanks to him and Jasleen's dad. The others returned to their homes.

We arrived at my grandma’s house. Emily was with us. That was also when we realized Jasleen lived in the same neighborhood!

“Jasleen lives around here, too?!” I asked.

I looked out the window.

“She moved!” I said happily.

One Month Later “Breakfast is ready,” my mom called from the kitchen.

We sat down around the table. My grandma set the plates and the eating utensils on the table.

This would be the last breakfast we had together before we moved.

There was a house in this neighborhood that was being sold. It was perfect, around Emily’s, Jasleen’s, and my grandma's house!

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

25

Jozef Jason, Age 12 Jozef, age 12, lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He likes to write because he likes to use his imagination. Music inspires Jozef’s writing. He would like to live in a world where there is no racism and everyone is equal.

When I Feel Something, Something Happens I don’t have a lot. I never have and I probably never will. I’m Dominique. I’m growing up in a rundown area in Chicago. My mom always spends her money on herself, which I guess is fair because it’s her money, but with that we barely have enough money to pay bills. My dad left us when I was five. And my fifteen-year-old brother never does anything except hang with his friends.

I’m at school writing this. In case you’re wondering, I’m twelve.

Hold on, someone is calling me.

It’s my mom. She just said my brother got shot and is coming to pick me up from school.

Well, this escalated quickly.

Now I’m in the car. I don’t think I could bear to even look at my brother. I never thought he would be the one to get shot. I always thought it would be one of his friends or someone else. But never him.

We’re on our way to the hospital. I guess I’m just gonna listen to Polo G on the way there to take my mind off of this. He’s my brother’s favorite rapper. He always said that he was the best rapper in the game, but I never got why he likes rap music.

I’m listening to a playlist he sent me a while ago when he was trying to teach me about hip hop. Now that I’m listening to it, I can see why he liked it. I’ll start writing again when I’m in the hospital with my mom.

I’m in the hospital room with my mom. When I came in, my brother was the first thing I saw. I saw all the blood, even on the clothes they put on him at the hospital. The nurse said he has a very small chance at surviving, but it is possible. I hope he survives.

My mom doesn’t want to be here. I guess it’s because she can’t bear to see him like that.

We’re at home right now. My mom just got a phone call saying that my brother is dead. I’m in my room, doing absolutely nothing. I’m still processing the fact that he’s dead.

Woah. I just punched my pillow and something weird happened. There’s some type of burn mark on there. I’ll write later.

One week later I know who killed my brother. It’s those people from the other block. How do I know? They’re all rappers. They all made a song together.

In the song, it said, We left them bullets in his chest, And we comin’ for yo brother next.

I feel like they know something.

Anyways, I have no idea how to control my powers. When I feel something, something happens. When I was at lunch yesterday, this guy was talking smack about me and it made me mad. Out of nowhere he fell on the ground screaming. I don’t know what to do.

I just got news that they are in jail until their court case. That’s good. I don’t know what else to say.

One month later There is no way they beat that case. How did they beat that case? They had all the evidence needed and they got off with no time at all. I think I know what I need to do.

Today I went to test out my powers. I might have stolen a pair of Jordans in the process. I wanted to see if I could turn invisible. So that’s what I did. And one thing led to another. They were so cool though. Anyway, I know what I need to do and it’s gonna happen soon.

Alright, if everything goes as planned I should be good. I have my pocket knife and my invisibility on. I’m inside their house. I can hear them plotting on a way to kill me. They have their guns loaded in that room.

If I can sneak in, I should be good to go.

THE END

26

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

Ashley Reyes-Herrera, Age 10 Ashley, age 10, lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She likes to write because it helps her have fun and focus. In addition to writing, she enjoys playing with her dog and showing off Butter Cup, her hamster stuffed animal. Her best friend inspires Ashley’s writing. She would like to live in a world where Butter Cup was real.

Author Note: I would like to thank my best friend for helping me with a few ideas. This story is about her and me. Luna, which is me and her as Harper. She has always been a part of my life ever since we met on the bus to school. From falling down to getting up, she has always been there for me and I'm thankful for that!

Luna’s Quest This is Luna and she floated into Moon Kingdom and right now she is in her apartment setting things up because of what happened yesterday. She is with her hamster Buttercup and her cat Peanut. She named her Peanut because she loves food. And she is on a quest to find her mom . . . and she's done setting up her apartment!

Oh, and there's a knock at the door! I wonder who it would be? Peanut comes running to the door, and Luna comes along, and opens the door and it's her best friend and schoolmate Harper!

Harper is saying, “Hey girl! Want to come to the mall with me and get outfits and food?”

“Sure, Harper!”

And they go walking to the mall. They get some matching clothes and food. Luna even brings a teeny tiny container for her cat and hamster, so when she gets food from the mall she can put some of it in the container. When they were walking to the mall, Harper slipped and hurt herself and Luna quickly made a healing potion .

After that, she goes back home and sees a picture of her mom in a photo. And then and there, she decides that she will go on a quest to find her mom. The next day, she packs some food, a sweater, her phone, and some money in her backpack and sets off to find her mom. But what she doesn’t know is that her mom is the queen of Moon Kingdom.

A while later, she starts to think her mom is not even on this planet. But as soon as she is going near the castle, a guard stops her and says, “You can't go anywhere near the castle.''

Luna says, “OK.” But she wonders if her mother is in the castle.

The next day, she hears a knock at the door and there stands a guard with a note that reads: “The queen is looking for her lost daughter.

Please make your way to the castle.”

And then the guard leaves. Luna makes a plant with her imagination to give to the queen and set off.

So, as she is walking to the castle, her phone buzzes. Harper is texting.

There it read, “Luna no vas a creer cuanta gente hay cerca de el castillo!”

And as she looks up, she thinks, Omg! She wasn't joking.

As Luna walks up the steps, a guard says, “Follow me.”

And there she is questioned.

When she goes to see the queen, Harper is there recording, and the queen asks her some questions, and yes! She is the Queen's daughter!

She is crying happy tears.

After the reuniting, she moves in with her little sister and mom and they live happily ever after y colorín colorado este cuento se ha acabado! :) Congrats if you made it to the end of the story. I appreciate that you took a few minutes to read this story.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

27

Melissa Lee, Age 10 Melissa, age 10, lives in Ann Arbor. She likes to write because she really enjoys creating her story. In addition to writing, she enjoys drawing, crafting, and making something fun. Animation and books inspire Melissa’s writing. She would like to live in a world where there are no mean people.

Rich Siri Part 1: Find Money Siri lives in the city, where it is cold and snow comes. She wants to live in a good house and have a good car. But she has only one hundred dollars each month, so she lives in one room and she thinks, Oh, this home is too small!

So, she was sad.

Part 2: Rich Siri But she finds money under the bed that has $10,000,000 then more. So, she buys many things like cars and houses. She was extravagant.

And she was happy.

Part 3: No More Money But! Now that happiness is done. Because she doesn't have any more money!

Then, she is not rich now.

And she says to herself, “Why do I use money like water!”

Izzy Yip, Age 11 Izzy, age 11 lives in Ann Arbor MI. She likes to write because it’s so fun creating a new world and characters. It’s so fun to come up with ideas and plots for a story. In addition to writing, she enjoys drawing and listening to music. Movies, books and family inspire Izzy’s writing. She would like to live in a world where everyone is nicer.

Midnight Black and Flashes of Color Chapter 1 Everything Goes Wrong (Seriously, Universe?)

I hadn’t planned for a whole dramatic entrance or for there to be fighting but the universe was like, April nothing in your life is ever going to be simple, so I’m just going to make you fight some strangers and for everything to go wrong because it just sounds awesome and I feel like doing it.

Earlier that day I had everything sorted out and I had finally located Noah. But there was a slight problem. Noah was on a different planet.

Joy. I just hadn’t quite figured out how to get to that planet yet.

It was not a planet that us humans would know about. It was a planet called Theta. My best friend Olivia had located where it was in the universe about two week ago, and luckily it was sort of close to Earth. Theta was a very small planet, smaller than the moon. Theta orbited around Venus. The problem was that Theta orbited around Venus faster than the moon orbited around Earth. If me and my friends went down in a spaceship to Theta, we would have to plan it very precisely or we would just keep going past Venus and face plant onto the sun and

28

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

melt, and you know nobody likes to mess up their hair by face planting into the sun—oh yeah and dying. So yeah, not the best thing ever. It takes about six days for Theta to orbit Venus. It would take about an hour to get from Earth to Theta.

We had been planning for weeks on end to make sure we had the right calculations, making a spaceship and packing everything we needed.

Ever since I had left Dad’s world I had asked my friends to help me find my brother and bring him to Dad. Dad wanted to have me and Noah together.

“Like a family reunion,” he had said.

Not sure why after thirteen years of not seeing his kids that now he would want a family reunion, but I agreed.

Me and my friends have been hiding out in a beach house that Dad had reserved for us. Dad had told me not to tell Mom about this and again I can’t remember why I agreed to that. I almost never keep secrets from my mom. Anyway, I had told Mom that I was training with Dad to help control my powers for a couple of weeks. I hadn’t, of course, told her that I was going on a life threatening mission to meet my twin brother, who she conveniently forgot to tell me about. I was curious why Mom had never told me about Noah, but I had decided that was a conversation for another day. Mom had bought my lie so I was clear for a few weeks.

I had never met my brother, but when I finally met my dad (I know I didn’t know my dad or my brother, it’s like it was planned or something wink, wink.) he said that I had a brother and that it would be cool if I brought him to his house and everything, again don’t know why I bought that. Anyway, I had never thought that I had a sibling. I had always been the only child, but when I heard that I had a brother, I had this feeling that I had to meet him or something bad would happen. And trust me, when I have a bad feeling, it’s most likely real and I should act before something goes wrong.

My best friend Olivia has always been great at math, so she stayed up all night checking and double checking her calculations. Derrick had been building the engine for the spaceship and the spaceship ship. He probably stayed up most of the night checking it too.

I was so grateful for my friends, they had dropped everything to help me find my brother. I also felt useless, I hadn’t helped with the calculations or building the spaceship, and it was my brother we we’re going to meet. I didn’t specialize in math or rocket science. I had spent the last few weeks packing stuff, which got really boring, but Olivia had assured me it was “vital.”

But I did get to design our space suits and I did get to construct a huge blast off pad in the middle of the sea.

I’m not sure what excuse Derrick and Olivia had told their families, but apparently their families bought it.

I wake to the sound of an explosion. I jump and open my eyes. Bright sunlight hits my eyes. I yelp and fall backward. I blink the spots out of my eyes and sit up. I see our spacesuits spread out in front of me. I realize that I had been sleeping sitting up. I must have fallen asleep last night when I was working on the spacesuits. I stand up and stretch, momentarily forgetting about the huge explosion until I hear Derrick scream. My room has a glass sliding door that leads right out to the beach where we have our spaceship construction.

I wrench open the door and run out onto the beach, my auburn braid bouncing around. Even though it was around 8am, it was so humid and hot already. Further down the beach, I spot Derrick with some of his hair singed off and his face coated in soot. He and Olivia were standing in front of the spaceship. A smoking lump of something was sitting in front of Derrick. Part of Derrick's shirt was on fire and a small fire was raging next to him. Derrick looked like he was screaming or just panicking in general, and Olivia looked pretty calm. Olivia had her hands on her hips and was yelling at Derrick.

The spaceship was a small one about twenty-five feet tall. It had enough room to fit three people and enough power to get us to Theta.

Olivia is throwing a bucket of water on Derrick when I get there.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Derrick ‘accidentally’ blew up the engine,” says Olivia, glaring at Derrick as she throws another bucket of water on him.

“It was accidental,” protests Derrick “Sure it was,” says Olivia sarcastically “How did it happen?” I ask Derrick

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

29

“Um, I’d like to tell you I know what happened but I don’t,” says Derrick, studying the smoking lump in front of him.

I look at all the parts of the engine that had been catapulted into the sky and now were up and down the beach when the engine exploded.

“Derrick today was the day we were supposed to leave and it was the exact time frame, right Olivia?” I shout in frustration.

“Um the exact time is this afternoon, which is in about five hours, if my calculations are right,” says Olivia “Sorry,” mumbles Derrick.

“Can you get it fixed in five hours?” I ask him.

“I think so,” says Derrick looking up at the sky.

“OK.” “I just need to get all the parts back in one spot,” says Derrick “We’ll help you with that,” says Olivia wiping soot out of her black hair.

Picking up small parts of an engine in the hot summer sun is not my idea of fun. Olivia was using her Earth powers to grab the pieces. I had walked up and down the beach for about an hour finding little pieces of the engine. I had really wanted to summon the sea to cool me off but it could wash away the little pieces quickly.

I had searched the whole beach and taken five trips full of things.

“Do you have all the pieces?” I ask Derrick, wiping the sweat off my forehead as I dump another load of things into his pile.

Derrick looks down at his list of things, “I think so.”

“OK, I’m going to check on the landing pad, just to make sure it’s set up correctly, so tell Olivia that if she comes looking for me,” I say, looking out at the vast sea.

“Sounds good,” says Derrick, giving me a thumbs up, not even looking up.

I walk to the water's edge. I lift my hands and the water follows. A huge wave folds up from the water and twists around. When the wave stops twisting there’s a chair sitting on the waves made out of water. I step onto the water and walk over to the chair. I was still in shock that I could walk on water, and I had only gotten my powers three weeks ago. I sit down on the chair and it turns around.

Forward, I think. Suddenly the chair zips forward. I had made the landing pad way out in the ocean so it didn’t disrupt anything on the land. After a couple of minutes the chair stops. I can see the huge landing pad. I made the landing pad out of plastic and other scraps I had found in the ocean. You will not believe how much litter I found out here. Gosh, I think I only used like one-third of it, and the landing pad is huge and very thick.

I climb off my water chair and walk over to the landing pad. The water chair dissolves back into the ocean. The landing pad looks alright, considering it might have stormed last night. I walk all the way around the rim of the landing pad, checking if it is stable.

“Hey April,” I hear behind me.

I turn around and see a shark waving at me with their fin. Now some of you might freak out if you saw a shark waving at you or just because there’s a shark talking to you, but not me.

“Hi Jerry,” I say, waving back.

Jerry is a great white shark, and I met him about three weeks ago when I started constructing the landing pad and he offered to help. Jerry has absolutely no fashion sense. Right now he’s wearing an orange and green Hawaiian shirt with a purple bucket hat. There are two necklaces made out of various shells. I try not to look too disgusted with his fashion choice.

Jerry had wanted to shed the mean, meat-eating shark, so he was now trying to become vegan and was doing yoga classes. Jerry was a really nice shark even before he decided to become a chill, bucket hat wearing, bead wearing, yogi shark.

I had told him what being a vegetarian was because he had asked me what it was called if you didn’t eat human flesh. Jerry was tired of eating meat, so I had given a few underwater plants to start his vegan life. Jerry had said that kelp tasted horrible but seaweed was really good.

“So, how is being vegan going?” I ask Jerry walking over to him.

“Well, sometimes I’m tempted to eat fish, and the shark cafes don’t really serve vegan stuff, so I’m thinking about starting my own vegan restaurant,” says Jerry.

“Well, that’s a great idea Jerry,” I say.

“Yeah, so are you leaving today?” asks Jerry.

“Yeah, today is the day.” I smile.

“I wish you all the luck in the world. When will I see you again?” asks Jerry.

“I don’t know, Jerry, but I’ll visit as soon as I can,” I say.

“That’s nice,” says Jerry.

“Hey, can you help me check the bottom of the landing pad to see if it's secure?” I ask.

30

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Sure, I have some time before yoga,” says Jerry.

I try hard not to laugh. The idea of Jerry doing yoga is really funny. I dive into the water next to Jerry. The shock of cold water almost has me swimming back up to the diving board but I resist. I can breathe underwater, which is very convenient but also kind of scary. I’m always holding my breath when I jump into water so I have been trying to get used to it.

Jerry and me swim under the landing pad.

“OK. Jerry, you check that side, and I’ll check this side,” I say to Jerry.

Jerry nods and swims off to the east end of the landing pad. After I finish checking the stability of the landing pad, I meet up with Jerry again.

“OK, I should get back, Jerry,” I say.

“OK. I’m going to miss you,” says Jerry.

Randomly, Jerry bursts into tears. I don’t know how you can cry underwater but Jerry managed. I hug Jerry.

“It’s OK Jerry, I’ll see you again,” I say.

“I know, and also, can I have your phone number again?” asks Jerry.

The smile vanishes from my face. I have a flashback to when I first gave Jerry my phone number when I first met him. Jerry literally texted me a selfie of himself every hour of him doing something. (Let’s just say that sharks should not do aerobics. And I mean NEVER.) Then he would ask my advice on everything and randomly text me memes of sheep dancing. It got really annoyin, so I had told Jerry I lost my phone.

But somehow, Jerry managed to find my phone and give it back to me even though it was locked in my dresser. I honestly don’t know how Jerry did that. He’s like a secret ninja shark.

“April?” asks Jerry, pulling me out of my flashback.

Jerry looked so heartbroken that I force a smile and say, “Sure,”.

I want to kick myself. I don’t think I can handle seeing Jerry in yoga pants, and I am so not looking forward to seeing selfies of Jerry doing yoga. I hand Jerry a piece of paper that has my number on it.

“Thanks April,” Jerry says, hugging me again.

“I’ll text you a selfie every hour or four hours. I haven’t decided yet,” says Jerry, taking the piece of paper.

“Can’t wait,” I say with fake enthusiasm.

“Why is your eye twitching?” asks Jerry.

“No reason,” I say.

I give Jerry one more hug.

“OK Jerry, I have to go,” I say, smiling at him.

“OK,” pouts Jerry.

“Keep up eating seaweed, and remember: the next time a deer falls into the ocean, do not eat it and remember a deer is meat,” I say.

“You give such great advice,” says Jerry.

“OK, bye Jerry,” I say.

“Bye April,” says Jerry, waving as I kick back up to the surface.

Four hours can go by very fast. I hear a knock on my sliding glass door. After I had returned to the beach, I had escaped to the air-conditioned beach house. I look up from the space suits as Olivia comes in. Her face is very red and sweat lines her forehead.

“Yes, air-conditioning,” gasps Olivia as she collapses into my desk chair.

“Don’t you do your calculations inside?” I ask, smirking at her.

“I decided I needed some sun before I’m cooped up in a spaceship for an hour,” says Olivia, wiping her brow.

“You should get some water. You’re very red,” I say, studying her face.

“You're right, are you done with our spacesuits?” asks Olivia.

“Almost,” I say, checking my list of things that were vital for the space suits.

Olivia fans her face. I point to a glass on my dresser and it fills with ice cubes and water.

“Drink water,” I say, pointing to the glass.

“Thanks,” says Olivia as she gets up.

Olivia drains the glass in two seconds flat.

“I believe that I have gotten all the calculations right, and we have to leave in about thirty minutes, so hopefully Derrick has reassembled the engine,” says Olivia, setting the glass back down.

“Do we know how he blew up the engine?” I ask as I fasten the belts to the space suits.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

31

“All I heard was, ‘This might help,’ then an explosion,” says Olivia, rolling her eyes as she sits back down.

I laugh. “Let’s hope that he already has it assembled,”.

“Yeah, well now’s a good time to put in anything into the spaceship that we might need,” says Olivia, checking her watch.

“Yeah. OK, the spacesuits are finished, so let’s put our things in the spaceship. Then we can change and get going,” I say.

Olivia helps me up and she goes off to her room to grab her bag. I dig out my backpack from my closet. I hear a ding on my phone. I take my phone out of my back pocket. Nooooooo. Jerry just texted me a selfie of him doing yoga. I cringe. That is really horrible, oh so so horrible. I don’t think I can ever erase that from my memory.

At least it was four hours apart, we are making some progress. My phone dings again and this time it's a meme of sheep doing the worm. I sigh. I turn off my phone. I really don’t need to be distracted by sheep doing the worm right now.

I meet Olivia out on the beach. “What took you so long?” asks Olivia.

“You know Jerry the shark I met a couple of weeks ago?” I ask Olivia as we start walking.

“Yeah, the talking one, right?”.

“Yeah. Anyway, I gave him my phone number again,” I say.

“I thought you told him you lost your phone so he’d stop texting you,” says Olivia.

“Yeah, well somehow Jerry found my phone and gave it back to me even though it was locked in my dresser at the time. Then, when I went to check on my phone in my dresser after Jerry gave me what was supposedly my phone, my phone wasn’t in my dresser,” I say.

“Ninja shark,” says Olivia, narrowing her eyes. “Do you know how he did it?”

“I have no idea, but anyway, Jerry just texted me a selfie of him doing yoga,” I say.

Olivia shudders.

“I don’t want to see that,” says Olivia.

“No, you really don’t,” I sigh.

“I really hope that Derrick has finished the engine and reinstalled it,” says Olivia.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s been four hours. I’m sure it's done,” I reassure her.

When we reach Derrick, he’s sleeping.

“He’s sleeping?” I shout.

“Seriously? Now?” screams Olivia.

“I’m waking him up,” I say.

I face my palm to him. A stream of water shoots out of my palm and right onto Derrick's face. Derrick jumps and sputters as the water gets in his mouth.

“All right, all right. I’m awake,” says Derrick.

I turn off the water.

“Is the engine done?” I ask.

“Yes, I just reinstalled it,” says Derrick, standing up.

“Derrick, go grab your backpack. We have to start packing up,” Olivia orders.

Derrick hustles off and me and Olivia get onto the spaceship. Inside the spaceship there are three chairs. Two of the chairs are further toward the front of the small inside. The third chair is further in the back. Me and Derrick are going to sit in the front, and Olivia is going to sit in the back and try not to throw up.

I set my backpack on my chair. In front of the first two chairs is a huge pad with lots of buttons on it. Derrick designed this so he’s the only one who knows how to operate it. A huge window looks out at the ocean. I see a fin gliding towards the beach. Jerry pops up out of the water and waves. I wave back.

Olivia comes up next to me. “That’s Jerry?” she asks.

“Yep,” I say.

“What is up with his fashion?” asks Olivia.

“I have no idea,” I say.

“I could puke. I mean, orange, green, and purple? It’s just common sense not to put those colors together. And that bucket hat . . . I just can’t,” says Olivia, leaving my side.

The floor of the spaceship is mostly gray except around the edges it’s light blue. It smells suspiciously like oreos in the front of the spaceship. For being so big, our sitting space on the spaceship is surprisingly small.

“OK, got my backpack and the spacesuits,” says Derrick, climbing up the stairs to the ship.

32

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Good. So are we ready to go?” asks Olivia.

My heart leaps. I’ve been waiting to hear those words for three weeks. Derrick hands us our spacesuits. Derrick fills our air tanks with his Air magic. I pull on my spacesuit. It’s super comfortable, kinda feels like I’m wearing a marshmallow.

“Is that Jerry?” asks Derrick, turning to the window.

“Yeah, that's Jerry,” I say.

“His fashion. Oh my god, I just can’t,” says Derrick, turning away.

“I know right,” says Olivia.

Olivia and Derrick like to be fashion divas together.

“OK, let’s go over the plan one more time,” says Olivia.

“Right. So, April will use her Water powers to carry the spaceship to the landing pad. Then, I will use my Air powers to get the spaceship upward, and Olivia, you use seaweed to carry the spaceship too, and April you use a huge wave to get us upward. Then, when we finally get into space we will turn on the engine,” says Derrick.

“Well, Derrick, if we get too high my water will evaporate and the air will get too thin for you to support the spaceship, and no offense Olivia, but seaweed cannot keep us in the air. So, then we will go crashing down back to earth and die,” I point out.

“No offense taken,” says Olivia.

“Right. So, then we will turn on the engine when I say the air is getting too thin, then we blast off to Theta,” says Derrick.

Derrick's comment hangs in the air. It was kind of surreal that we were doing this. Going off into space.

Olivia breaks the silence. “Well, we should get the spaceship to the landing pad.”

“Yeah. April?” asks Derrick, turning to me.

Derrick pushes a button and the stairs fold in and the door shuts. I walk to the middle of the small sitting area. I take my phone out of my pocket. I can’t have any devices on me when I use my powers, and I learned that the hard way. About a week ago, I was working on the landing pad and I used my powers and I had my phone in my pocket and I got electrocuted. Not fun. Jerry had gone hysterical and texted me every five minutes.

I set my phone down on the floor in front of me. I spread my arms out. I close my eyes and call out to the ocean. Suddenly the spaceship is lifted up. I point forward with both of my hands. The spaceship lurches forward.

A few minutes later, Olivia says, “Stop.”

The wave that was carrying the spaceship sets us down on the landing pad. I open my eyes.

“OK, everybody into position,” says Olivia.

Olivia stands at the back and Derrick stands at the front. I stay right where I am. From where I am, I can vaguely see air swirling around the spaceship and seaweed shooting up from the sea. I get a wave ready.

My phone dings. I glance down at it. It’s a text from Jerry. No matter what I do, turn off my phone, the battery runs out, or drop my phone and crack it, Jerry always manages to get a text to me.

I read the text, and it says, “Good luck April” then two thumbs up at the end. I smile.

“One . . . two . . . three . . . UP!” Olivia commands.

I throw both my hands in the air. The spaceship shoots up at alarming speed. I almost lose my balance but I hold my ground. I can see the sky getting closer and closer. Soon, we pass the clouds. “The air is getting thinner,” warns Derrick.

I can feel my connection with the sea weakening as my water evaporates.

“NOW!” shouts Derrick.

Quickly, all of us run to our seats. I buckle myself in fast as Derrick punches a big red button. I can hear the roar of the engine as it starts up. The sky is getting darker as I fasten my space helmet on. I’m suddenly pressed against my seat. The spaceship rattles violently. I grip my chair. I can feel the spacecraft heating up. My heart pounds loudly in my ears.

Suddenly, it feels like someone is squeezing my head really hard. I shake my head. My head feels like it’s going to explode. Suddenly I hear an explosion. I dimly wonder if my head actually exploded. But I soon come to the conclusion that my head is still in one piece, and in fact, did not explode.

I hear another explosion, and before I can react or even panic, my head suddenly feels very light, as if it suddenly turned into a cloud. Then a sharp pain stabs right behind my eyes. I am probably screaming, but my hearing seems to have turned off. Spots dance before my eyes, then suddenly it feels like my head is on fire, and maybe it is.

I can faintly hear Olivia and Derrick screaming as my vision turns fuzzy. I know I’m close to unconsciousness.

I have to do something, but I can’t do anything. The force of the spaceship going into space has me pinned to my chair and I’m barely conWRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

33

scious. I struggle to turn around but I manage to turn around in my seat. Through the back window I can see Earth. Maybe we should have stayed on Earth, but it’s too late to turn around now.

As my vision is turning black, I see space for the first time ever. It's beautiful. Midnight black all around, but every so often flashes of colors zoom by. But I don’t get to savor it long, the stabbing pain hits hard again and that’s it: I fall unconscious.

I lay unconscious in my seat as we spiral out of control into space.

Joan Nuñez, Age 13 Joan, age 13, doesn’t normally like to write, but he likes writing because it motivates him. He enjoys adventure and reward. Wade inspires Joan’s writing. He would like to live in a world where there are no villains.

Weather Wars: A New World As they discover a new evil threatening to plunge their world into darkness, three teenage saviors fight back to defend their homeworld by searching the galaxy to help combat the likes of the mischievous Master Mist and the Wicked Weather Wizard!

Master Mist was created from the universe itself. He has the power to teleport and create weapons using his dark energy and he has the ability to create smoke and he can use it to blind his enemies.

Wade has the mystical sword of Vexiin. The sword is called Syleen. Syleen chose Wade, and gave him armor that allows the wearer to be indestructible and the Syleen's gold can cut through anything in the galaxy and Syleen spirit surge can see into people’s hearts and see who is worthy of using it and turn its foes into ash.

Cleo has the mace of hell, an ancient weapon that Master Mist created himself, a very powerful weapon and extremely dangerous.

Jackson has a wand of Vatuumn. Jackson can use magic to learn enchanted spells and the secrets of the universe. As Master Mist prepares his invasion, the Wicked Weather Wizard was looking for a fight, warming him up for the invasion. Master Mist was creating the planet-killing machine The World Slayer.

Later in the invasion, the people of Vexiin fight back. So do the three heroes, and Master Mist finally dawns the Cronus armor. The three teenagers attack Master Mist and defeat him because the Weather Wizard was a spy for the space gods and banishes Master Mist's powers.

Once he showed them the news about Master Mist invading the scene, the space gods quickly decided and took away the power they bestowed upon him. This also included the Cronus Armor. Master Mist was the toy and the Cronus Armor was the accessory. Master Mist only used the Cronus armor for emergencies when he was facing a major threat.

Drama Risk As young twelve-year-old Xavier wakes up from his bed for another unpleasing day of school ahead of him, he walks downstairs for breakfast.

Xavier’s mom says, “Morning, sweetie.”

Xavier replies, “Where’s Dad?” “He’s taking one of his long naps after an exhausting day of work. Oh, eat quick,” says his mom. “The bus will be here any minute. Love you,” says Xavier’s mom. She kisses his forehead.

“Bye.” At school, Xavier sees his friend Tony. “X-man, sup?” says Tony.

“Hey man.”

As they do their secret handshake, Xavier says, “Long time no see, hey man. We went to that movie with your girlfriend, Tony.”

“Hey kid dumpster.”

“Ohh come on Chase, it was one time.”

“Yeah, leave him alone,” says Tony.

“Whatever. You’re a lost cause, Xavier.”

As he walks to school, he sees a new student walk by.

34

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

“Bruh, that’s the new girl—” as Tony interrupts.

“What’s her name?” asks Xavier.

“According to the secretary, it’s Laura.”

“Oh, that’s a nice name. OK, Imma go make a good impression. Bye, Tony.”

“OK. Godspeed, X-man.”

Later in the hallway: “Hey, I’m Xavier. Soooooo, I hear you’re new here.”

“Hi, I’m Laura.”

“Nice name. Soooooo, we have the same classes. That’s a weird coincidence.”

“Yeah.”

When they go to homeroom, they sit near to each other. Then Chase sits between them.

“Hey X-dork. Hey, your girlfriend is cute. At free period, I’ll make my move. Take that, kid! Hahahahaha.”

“I’ll stop you, jerk!”

“Ha, try and stop me!”

Later in science class, Xavier tries to keep Laura as far away as possible.

To be continued . . .

Collaborative Stories: Rana, Lucio, Camille, Clyde, Alex, Violet, Hanako, and Natalie The Lion’s Gadget Once upon a time, there was a human named Jared with weather powers. He was locked in the dungeon in a laboratory made to look like a maze. It felt chilly, not super cold, but just slightly uncomfortable. It was pretty dark, with only flickering lights.

He had white armor that glowed, and as he walked through the maze he could tell he was getting closer to the monster because he felt the air getting warmer. His right arm twitched.

He felt helpless. His weather powers couldn't be used here in the dungeon because the space was so small.

Of all the places to get stuck, it had to be indoors, he thought.

His right arm was half-experimented on, so he could control the weather with it. The scientist team had been experimenting with all the elemental powers, but the scientists got greedy and experimented on his arm, giving him weather powers. While he was being experimented on, there was an explosion, giving Jared an opportunity to escape.

It’d been days since he escaped. All around the labyrinth there were old materials and rusty gadgets that the team of scientists had used.

He used these to make his armor. He was trying to find certain gadgets because if you connect them all, it makes one powerful gadget that can suck elemental powers from others.

He wanted to make the gadget so he could suck away the monster’s fire power. The monster was a lion with a fiery mane.

“Jerad,” the lion growls. He had broken free from his chains, and they dangled above him from the ceiling.

Jerad was confused and a little freaked out.

How does he know my name? he thought.

Jerad tried to back away from the lion, but he hit something. Clang. He looked up and realized the last piece of the rusty gadget was dangling in a protective glass, tangled in the monster’s old chains.

Jerad had an idea. He ran up to the lion and jumped on its back. The lion was so strong that he back-kicked Jerad right into the air.

Mid-air, Jerad reached for the gadget. His hand brushed the glass, but it did not break through.

He looked around on the ground, not seeing anything he could use to break the glass, then he looked back at the glass box. Suddenly, he remembered that he had weather powers. Maybe he could use his power to break the glass and get the gadget out.

Jared knew that his lightning rod could help him. By attaching gadgets to the end of the rod, he could channel a specific weather power, even in as small a space as the labyrinth.

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

35

He attached the wind gadget to the end of the rod and aimed it at the glass box, but the lion tried to attack him at the exact same moment.

The bolt of wind hit the lion instead. The blast of wind sent the lion flying into the glass, shattering it.

While he was fighting the lion, Jared realized that another gadget was on a chain around the lion’s neck. Was the piece in the glass fake?

The lion hadn’t moved from the spot where it had landed. Jared went over to the shattered glass box and picked up the piece from it. Then, he looked at the gadget around the lion’s neck. There was a heart symbol on it.

Jared compared the symbol to the heart on his own arm, which had been experimented on by the team of scientists. The matching symbols told him that the gadget around the lion’s neck was real.

He took the gadget from the lion and pointed it towards a wall.

A door opened up. The smell of fresh air and grass wafted through the door. He could see a big puff of smoke outside. Jared breathed a sigh of relief and walked through the door.

Collaborative Stories: Jozef, Ashley, Melissa, Maia, Izzy, and Joan Taken Hostage by Aliens I'm scared. I've been taken hostage by aliens at the age of fourteen. I've been imprisoned for five months. The prison is damp and cold.

Puddles are slowly forming outside.

The prison has high-tech security, and it is located on the edge of planet Orb sixty-three. I wish I had listened to my mom when she told me not to go on a solo mission.

"It is dangerous, Selah. Anything could happen!" she had said.

"I will be careful."

My mom sighed in frustration and worry.

I wish I could go back in time and start from the beginning.

As I think this, I hear the door unlock with keys clanging. An alien is coming to take me out. I am scared, but am trying to act confident so the alien does not think I am a weak person. My heart is pounding and pumping. I’m breathing in a lot.

The alien opens the door and pulls the arm out the door.

And then I ask fearfully what the alien is doing, “What are you doing . . . Where are you taking me?” But the alien ignores me and acts tougher.

The alien drags me through a damp, dark hallway to the main room that is a little bit cold. The room is all stone with cracked brick walls and the smell of fresh rain. The footsteps echo, so it’s really loud.

I look around for a place to escape somehow.

Suddenly, I see a large gap between one side of the wall, but I don’t catch attention. I make the alien explode, then smash the wall where the gap is.

I haven’t escaped the prison yet, though. I’m in a maze in a garden. It smells like fresh flowers. I explore the garden first and somehow find a different door and enter through there.

Alien guards are on the other side. The guards are wearing very special uniforms and look different than the previous aliens. They are talking about donuts.

The guard aliens don’t seem to recognize me, even though I walk past them, wave my hands in their face, and tap them. Still, they don’t seem to see me! I feel surprised, exhilarated, worried, doubtful, and chill because I got away.

There’s a cliff that drops down thousands of feet that I stumble upon. I almost fall in as bits of rocks fall and I hear the long distance of rocks falling. I use a levitating spell to walk across mid-air. There’s land across the cliff and I see glowing crystals on the other side that will grant me a wish.

I rub the crystals and say, “I wish to get back home!”

The crystal floats up and disappears. The crystal takes me to the entrance of the prison, and I know I have more to do.

36

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

Outside the prison, it is empty and wet. The puddles are fading and it sounds silent. It’s very foggy. The gates are in front of me, and the sky is dull pink with black spots. I decide to ask anyone for directions.

I walk a bit to a small village. The village is small, and there are shacks. The shacks are one room each. There are a lot of people. It is very quiet except for birds chirping and the animals around crunching the leaves.

I remember there is still one alien that I consider a friend. Her name is Emma. I go to her house at the edge of the village.

Everything in Emma’s house is smashed and destroyed. I check the whole house and ask the villagers if they’ve seen Emma.

Emma is missing.

I am on Emma’s bed in the corner of the room far from the door. I turn around when I hear loud footsteps in the house.

I am trying to pull out of an alien’s grip when I get caught.

“Let go!” I yell.

I am taken back to the same place I started, and see Emma working with them to capture me!

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

37

About 826michigan 826michigan inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing.

Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members. We believe that with one-on-one attention from caring adults, students improve their academic performance, develop a sense of belonging, and discover the unique value of their voices.

We also believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student’s interests, the more we can help students find the fun in learning. That’s why our programs are more than just extra homework. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.

ONLINE LEARNING LAB In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly transitioned all of our programs online. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our community, while continuing to offer engaging, high-quality opportunities to students. Each of our main programs—Schoolwork Support, Workshops, Field Trips, and In-school Projects—has been reimagined for the virtual space as part of our new Online Learning Lab.. For the 2020-21 school year, our programs will remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!

SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school.

Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8-18. Generally, we offer this program at three locations: at our Liberty Street Lab in Ann Arbor, at the Michigan Avenue Branch of the Ypsilanti District Library, and at our Winder Street Lab in Detroit’s Eastern Market, though in-person programs are on pause this year. We have added a Virtual Schoolwork Support program. Students are paired with two tutors to work on assignments for school and writing projects of their choosing.

38

THIS WORLD JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.

IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry. In addition, we hold regular Writers Clubs, in which small groups of students are able to work on a writing project over the course of a semester, culminating in a publication. We also partner with schools to hold Family Writing Labs: laughter-filled events in which families to come together and participate in an evening of engaging writing activities and community connection.

FIELD TRIPS Always full of surprises and theatrics (and usually a visit from our crotchety editor, Dr. Blotch), our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day. Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home. Often the field trip writing is connected to a second leg of the students’ journey, whether a trip to a museum, library, or local record label, thanks to our many incredible community partners.

OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. When it is safe to do so again, come visit the Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor and the Detroit Robot Supply Co. at 1351 Winder Street in Eastern Market in Detroit. In the meantime, please visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!

WRITING A NEW WORLD | SUMMER 2021

39

826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.

We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards.

Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.

We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.

As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.

The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start.

And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.

by Gerald Richards, CEO

WRITING IS

A way to figure things out by ourselves

We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking) We study the writing we want to do so we can try it

A way to help us connect to our world

We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose We work with a group of writers who help and support each other

A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become

A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world

www.826michigan.org

826michigan inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Find out more at 826michigan.org!