Fire and ice pdf 2 by Claire Olivier

FIRE AND ICE [Document subtitle]

Fire and ice

Contents Claire Olivier ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Grace Park .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Alexia Diamany and Elina Lee ........................................................................................................... 11 Gabriel Sanderson and Jun Seob Shim ............................................................................................ 17 Christoff Broznicki (The artist formerly known as Cousteau Brosick .............................................. 21 Bowon Kang .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Graca Kiboi ........................................................................................................................................... 28 Balint Zeisler............................................................................................................................................ 31 Shane Kim .............................................................................................................................................. 35 Austin Kwak............................................................................................................................................ 39 Christine Park ......................................................................................................................................... 44 Pauline Stehle ........................................................................................................................................ 47 Hanna Mansson .................................................................................................................................... 53 Irene Sung .............................................................................................................................................. 56 Jamie Kim............................................................................................................................................... 63 Maya Lycett .......................................................................................................................................... 66 Johannes Park ....................................................................................................................................... 68 Cormac Flanagan ................................................................................................................................ 70 Amanda Bang ...................................................................................................................................... 73 Yeob Kim ................................................................................................................................................ 82 Annabelle Park ..................................................................................................................................... 84 Benjamin Choi ....................................................................................................................................... 90 Amy Ma .................................................................................................................................................. 93 Joshua Choi ........................................................................................................................................... 97 Chane Jacobs ....................................................................................................................................100 Sue Kim .................................................................................................................................................103 Dong Min Kim ......................................................................................................................................105 Brian Rhee and Yoonmin Yong ........................................................................................................110 We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.â&#x20AC;?........................................114 Brandon Cho .......................................................................................................................................115 Jade Woo ............................................................................................................................................125 Jacob Gangmin Kim ..........................................................................................................................130 1

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Sebastian Kang and Joonhee Lee ..................................................................................................138 Dohun Kwon ........................................................................................................................................144 Linnea Wiktorin and Maya Lycett ....................................................................................................146 Sion Kim ................................................................................................................................................149 Hayoon Chung ...................................................................................................................................151 Alexandre Jallet ..................................................................................................................................153 Patrick Rim and Jeonghoon Kim......................................................................................................156 Meen Choi ...........................................................................................................................................157 Natasha Huibers..................................................................................................................................160 Alex Kim ................................................................................................................................................162 Kiriko Ogawa .......................................................................................................................................163 Mees Van Hoof ...................................................................................................................................166 Heloise Morel Dierckx .........................................................................................................................170 Christine Yun ........................................................................................................................................177 Olivia Cho ............................................................................................................................................179 Axel Moussavi ......................................................................................................................................183 Henk De Boer and Gioele Trabucchi ..............................................................................................186 Insoo Kang ...........................................................................................................................................191 David Lee .............................................................................................................................................194 Eunice Choi .........................................................................................................................................196 Insung Bang .........................................................................................................................................199 Aayushi Swadia...................................................................................................................................201 Soomin Tark and Arit Sharma ...........................................................................................................205 Camila Lee and Tina Lee ..................................................................................................................210 Madeline Choi and Josephine Newman .......................................................................................213 Rafferty Hodda ...................................................................................................................................224 Jisoo Park .............................................................................................................................................228 Idan Shlesinger ....................................................................................................................................231 Seong Joo Yoon .................................................................................................................................234 Sacha de Lang and Jacob Doyune Kim .......................................................................................238 Vincent Djuanda ................................................................................................................................242 Silje Jasienski ........................................................................................................................................244 Jennifer Lee .........................................................................................................................................248 Xaver Gross, James Lee and Namu Tsuyuki ...................................................................................250 2

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Subin Bae .............................................................................................................................................255 Itay Mizrahi and Ryan Lee .................................................................................................................261 Maya Gutman ....................................................................................................................................264 Gabriel Myong ....................................................................................................................................269 Woo June Lee .....................................................................................................................................273 Douglas McEachen ...........................................................................................................................277 Taewon Kwon......................................................................................................................................281 Alice Lee ..............................................................................................................................................284 Niklas Redler Thompson and Alex Foord ........................................................................................287 Noah Jung ...........................................................................................................................................294 Yoshinaga Kozawa.............................................................................................................................296 Ana Oancea .......................................................................................................................................299 Jazmine Jones .....................................................................................................................................305 Leonora Knudsen................................................................................................................................308 Aditeya Gupta ....................................................................................................................................312 Ligun Rhi ...............................................................................................................................................317 Roy Ofek...............................................................................................................................................322 Eunse Kim .............................................................................................................................................326 Sophie Kim ...........................................................................................................................................330 Alex Foord ............................................................................................................................................335 Myles Avis .............................................................................................................................................341

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Foreword Claire Olivier http://issuu.com/claireolivier/docs/fire_and_ice_final_pdf

If we got into our car and travelled north for about 45 minutes or so, we would find ourselves in a place that is perhaps stranger than any of the fantasy worlds that you will encounter in this book. It is a land of Fire and Ice. And it is a land where we would be imprisoned for the very act of writing; for daring to express our thoughts and imagination within these stories. We would be imprisoned just for reading and enjoying the amazing creativity of our Key Stage Three students. We would be imprisoned for daring to dream. Indeed, it has been a great privilege to be allowed to shepherd the thoughts, ideas and emotions that have somehow all managed to cluster together and form this excellent anthology. The students spent hours on their stories and they did this purely to help others. On behalf of Dr. Alice Lavina and the teachers and students at “Balanced Achievement School of Excellence” in Dumaguete, I wish to thank them for creating and sustaining the KS3 scholarship fund. The following students received book scholarships and financial assistance from the money we raised from “The Four Seasons” anthology. They would not have managed to continue studying without our help. Grade 5 Evan Edjec Romy Pangilinan, Jr. Roy Ropa Bhrylle Saguban Zasira Otodera Almera Saromines Brizza Ykong Grade 6 Aga Granada 4

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Nathaniel Silva Kinneth Silorio Gnash Tagle Keifer Tano Antonio Miguel Trasmonte But we are not finished! The British school also equipped the school with a science lab and library and this year, the money raised from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fire and Iceâ&#x20AC;? will be used to equip every classroom with interactive whiteboards that were donated by Seoul Foreign School.

Some of the students in Dumaguete live on less than a dollar a day and this technology will open up a world of wonder that we simply cannot imagine. Of course, none of this would be possible without the very generous support of our writing coaches from the High School and all the teachers who generously mentored, coaxed, encouraged and nurtured our young writers. I am so deeply proud of all of you! 5

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So sit back, grab something tasty to eat and allow yourself to be enticed by our tales of Fire and Ice…

Darkest Before Dawn Grace Park When you’re as damaged as I am, you come to learn that everything is separated into two. You or them. Good or bad. Wrong or right. Fire or Ice. Vision or blindness. To live or to die. Claudia is one person who blurs that fine clear line. She’s extremely sweet, but ever so insensitive. It’s a Tuesday morning and I can feel the ball of heat radiating from my window, but no sense of warmth is delivered on my side. I hear footsteps against the cold marble floor and I realize Claudia is here for her daily report. She says what she always says every day: The weather is so nice today. The sky is as blue as ever, the sun as bright as ever. Go outside and enjoy the lovely breeze! And I reply the way I always reply: What does the sky look like? What does blue look like? What does the sun look like? What is it like to be bright? And she tries her best to explain to me. She says the sky is what’s simply above us, never ending and clear, tainted with clouds and smoke. As though it were a soft piece of paper with infrequent marks of braille on it. She says blue, unlike the definition of it meaning gloomy, clears your mind and relaxes you. The saying goes ‘a picture is worth a million words.’ No matter how well Claudia thinks she is explaining, that simple image- one view of the sky would be it. It would be a better explanation than any. I hear footsteps once again, gradually growing faint and I realize she has left. I’m also one of those people who blurs the line.

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Close your eyes and try to imagine a new colour. A new shape. A new animal. Anything. It’s hard isn’t it? Eventually, it all returns to whatever exists. That is my life. It is impossible to imagine a certain hue, shape or animal because I haven’t seen it in the first place. I spent my whole life in that eternal darkness of having my eyes closed because it never existed to me. My mother says I’m like ice. She says I am numb and void of feeling. Well, I try not to around her. My mother and I are not close. My dad always said my mother was beautiful. He said if she existed in 40 BC, her beauty would have started more wars than Cleopatra. Even Claudia says she is a delicate allure. However, I cannot acknowledge her beauty. Maybe because I cannot see it, I don’t know what beauty looks like. What is beauty anyway? Claudia says beauty is something you never get sick of. My dad simply says beauty is my mother. He says it’s like fire and light, something that brings you out of the dark and you can feel its warmth without seeing it. The dictionary says it’s something that is pleasing to all aesthetic senses. But based on my available aesthetic senses, I sense no beauty. I feel no warmth from the way she treats me. Maybe everyone else is wrong. She has no beauty, they’re just blinded by her physical attributes. It’s ironic how I see past her beauty even better than those who can actually see her. Perhaps it is actually those with perfect sight who are often foolishly blinded by the most insignificant things, or overlook the most important things... personality. Everyone is blind in a way. My dad is blinded by my mother’s beauty. My mother herself was consumed by her own physical appearance, turned a blind eye to everything else that matters. Her single ray of light in her blind state is being glorious, being majestic; having a perfect husband, having a perfect child, having a perfect house, having a perfect life. But then I came. The small crack to her impeccable ice sculpture. I am the shadow trailing behind her glorious stature. I am the smudge on her delightful painting. Sometimes I wonder: who’s really the ice between the two of us. Unlike my cold hearted mother, my dad says I’m also like fire. He says I have a fire within me that I haven’t yet fully discovered. (I guess some days I’m fire, some days I’m ice. In other words, some days I’m living, some days I’m dying… but this is getting me nowhere.) Some days, I want to try everything and anything. These days, I’m desperate to ignite that fire within me. These days, I want to imagine what fire looks like, what I look like, what 7

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everything looks like. I want to read and fill myself with vocabulary. There’s more than million words in the English dictionary; at least one of them has got to give me a definition of what seeing is like! Other days, I want to give up on everything and anything. I don’t care about anything because... I don’t care. I feel like I died even before I was born. People fear death and the inferno, but I would welcome it with open arms. I would finally be able to see something. I would feel something at my core, not something I force in front of Claudia. I asked Claudia what happens if you mix fire and ice. She says ice melts. I guess that’s what I’m trying to get at. Melt the ice so that only fire exists and, blazes high and hot. Click clack. Click clack. The sound of sharp heels clicking against the cold marble floor breaks my train of thought. These steps carry daintiness and dignity and I instantly know it’s my mother. A creak and a snap notifies me the door has been shut behind her. Claudia is right you know. It wouldn’t hurt to go outside. I don’t say anything. I hear her sigh. I hear footsteps approaching me and I know she is standing right in front of me. Do you even know what fire really is? Fire is a weapon; it can burn those around you. If you misuse it, you might burn with it. Right now, you’re burning us, you’re burning yourself. The whole world is burning around you. Again, I don’t reply. Maybe what she says is true. The blackness around me can simply be ashes from the aftermath of the fire. Perhaps I’m simply drowning in these ashes that I created myself. I feel a thump against my knee and I feel around for a rough packet. Your life goal shouldn’t be to burn. You should try to be normal. Fit in. Consider this please. That’s all she says before she leaves. I tentatively feel around and rip the packet open. The perfect, soft, flawless paper grazes against my palm. LaVelle School for the Blind School. A chance to be normal. A chance to be surrounded by people who are exactly like me and to feel a sense of belonging. Such a great way to let my fire burn, yet after all these offers, why haven’t I taken it?

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I guess, although I hate to admit it, I’m terrified. Scared to go outside. Because I know this world is a huge place. This is why all the ‘being stronger’ only goes on in my head. Because I’m scared of taking the first step. I fear the unknown. I’m so caught up with my thoughts I don’t realize my dad in front of me. Wow, people are so interested in me today. How exciting. So you’ve read it. Do you like the idea? I don’t know. My dad clears his throat and I know I’m about to go in for his “inspirational” speeches. I know I say this a lot - in fact, everyday - but, you have a fire within you. It’s a small spark, but if you feed it and feed it, then it can grow into a huge bonfire that can set everything on fire. What if I don’t want to set things on fire? What if I don’t want to burn everyone and everything? Burning and setting on fire are different. You could set the world on fire and it would not mean the same as burning the world. That’s all he says before leaving. That evening, I ask Claudia what “set the world on fire” means. Set the world on fire. That’s like… doing something remarkable or sensational. Doing something exciting that brings glory and fame. When I go to bed that night, that’s all I’m thinking of. I wonder why I haven’t tried asking about it a long time ago because my dad constantly says that phrase. Fire is something that I’ve always wanted in life. When I was young, Claudia told me that fire creates light and light helps people see from the dark. And so when my mother went to the bathroom while cooking dinner, I blindly ran to the kitchen and literally started feeling everywhere and screamed for fire. Eventually, I ended up with third degree burns on my hands. Funnily enough though, I remember thinking ‘So that’s what it’s like to be burnt by fire!’ as my hand was being licked by the flames. It hurt. A lot. That night I asked Claudia, ‘Why did God create pain?’ and she replied ‘Because we need it to learn.’ I screamed all night from the pain and the antibiotics and painkillers weren’t working. But after a few days, I couldn’t feel it anymore. And I learned not to go near the kitchen ever again. 9

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Is that what I want? Do I want to burn people, make them feel pain, then teach them not to come near me again? This is probably what my mother meant by ‘weapon.’ Am I better off being ice - someone soulless, hopeless, colourless, humourless? No. I pick up the packet from that LaVelle School and I call for my mother. Just because everyone is blind to me, doesn’t mean I’ll be blind to everyone. And even though I can’t see my fire, well - I’ll make sure everyone else sees it. And even though my life is still pitch dark, I know my eyes are open and I know the tips of my lips are pointing upwards. I feel the warmth from the window and for the first time it doesn’t feel mocking, it doesn’t feel intimidating. My twilight eyes can see the thin source of light slowly illuminate the darkness. For the first time in my life I can see what I need to do. Set the icy world on fire.

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Ignition Alexia Diamany and Elina Lee Dedicated to Alexia’s husband: Harry Edward Styles. I run. When I glance down at my hands, they’re stained in crimson red blood and infused with sweat. I don’t really care, I just don’t want to get caught. Slipping my hands into my pockets, to reach for my keys, my heartbeat increases no more than from running. Racing towards my car as I exited the house, I squint to see Kaya from the corner of my eye running in my direction. The last person I wanted to see. Brilliant! ****************************************** He’s just a jock. A public school fiend who was known to ignore outcasts like me (not that I blame him, he’s just a boy). A stereotypical boy. Just like the useless boy who stood me up tonight, Matthew. I hate him. I truly hate him. All boys are stupid and ignorant to other’s emotions - especially mine - considering that he was my boyfriend... was! The more I think about it the faster tears began to collect in the corner of my eyes, burning at the rim as I fought them back. I try to walk away from the tall rugby player and towards the gated houses of Roundview Street, until I see a pale, limp corpse a few metres away. Male, 17, strawberry blonde hair of the Caucasian persuasion… His emerald green eyes are piercingly open and his mouth lies ajar, as though he was trying to say something. Before I can stop myself I fall to my knees and stare, not bothering looking at the figure of Colton before me but at the love of my life. Broken and mangled on the cold pavement. “Did you do this?” I ask, my voice coming out cracked and unsure. Rising to my feet again, I begin to beat Colton relentlessly with my shaking and fragile hands, letting the tears free fall onto my deep brown hair. “Did you? Did you kill him?” All my comments are aimed at the boy towering above me, an intimidating figure yet I fall into his arms ignoring all my previous thoughts; reducing myself to a timid, credulous and insignificant girl. **************************************** 11

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“Whoa, whoa, calm down. You really think it was me?” Kaya: a simple, gullible girl. It’s not hard at all to get past her, but just in case, I’ll chat things through with her. “I just saw it. You do know that the police station is this way, correct?” I try not to snicker, but I can’t help but laugh inside. Stupid girl! But I’ve got to get out of this situation first. I wrap my hands around her shoulder, and put a little force, trying not to be obvious. I have to get us out of here. “Blood?” She holds my hand and examines it closely. I sigh; I despise girls who have so many questions. “I told you, I saw Matthew before you did. I had to check if he was still alive.” I raise my volume a little, preferably to sound more desperate. (I am such a good actor). After her startled face disappears, I continue speaking. “I’m going to the police station now. Perhaps you’d like to come? I’m sure you’d want to know the mystery of your loved one.” Without waiting for an answer, I rush her inside the car before anyone else can get involved. Maybe I was a bit too obvious on that one, but I can handle a little bit of suspicion. ************************* A feeling of relief sweeps throughout my body, I’m not holding the person who took my beloved Matthew and- The point is that I’m safe, Matthew would have wanted it…Past tense. Colton and Matthew are neighbours, they used to be friends even, but then Matthew wanted the money and the fame whereas Colton wanted the parties, girls and cars. I let my eyes linger on Colton. His face is open yet his eyes show hints of lies; he’s blinking too much and avoided my eye contact and his eyes move too quickly. Liar. The word echoes throughout my skull until I finally ask myself, “Why would he lie?” Colton would never hurt anyone, never mind Matthew. I follow Colton to his black Porsche and stop briefly before climbing into the passenger’s seat, turning back to the body of what was once the owner of my heart. How can anyone say goodbye to someone they love so dearly? I abide by Colton’s actions and slump into the leather seat, strapping my seatbelt on and staring blankly out of the windshield. “How did it happen?” I bluntly ask, not wanting to know but I feel obliged to understand how Matthew died… Here today, gone tomorrow. “Guns.” Colton says, staring at the road, “He was shot by someone from one of the Barons. The other’s just stood there and watched. Seven times….” Colton begins to explain the tragic story of Matthew’s death, as if it’s the statistics of one of his Rugby games against Baron Lee College. The Barons are our school’s rivals. Occasionally, both schools have gotten into a few arguments and violence has been a highly favoured way to sort things out. Matthew and I often traded game plays as well as 12

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test scores with them. Maybe they found out we were double agents, maybe they wanted him dead so much that they just took him… At least it was fast. He would have been flattered- less suffering. “Why were you there?” I ask again, not wanting to seem rude or pushy but to feel comforted. Colton isn’t the kind of boy to lie and now that I'm almost certain he is lying, I want to know what he has to lie about. “Why?” I ask again after he doesn’t answer. “I was walking home from church.” “I thought you were non-religious?” I query, trying to seem as dumb as possible. “My mom’s catholic.” “Were you baptised in the church?” “Christened.” “Then why were you in an alleyway, after church on a Saturday night, and said alleyway has been infamous for drugs and abuse?” “I got lost.” Liar. “Did you talk to Matthew?” “No.” Liar. “Why was he shot?” “I don’t know.” Liar. “Who shot him?” “I don’t know.” He answered too quickly and far too snappily. The truth will come out and when it does I hope it’s not what I think it is. “Who shot Mat-” “I DON’T KNOW!” 13

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Guilty. ****************************************** Gritting my teeth, I unintentionally step harder on the car’s pedal, and my foot won’t move out of that very spot. She’s annoying, and not so naive anymore. While giving short, clearlyirritated answers to the curious girl, once again my foot puts more pressure on the pedal. A part of me knows that Kaya will find out. But what a change of character - the antisocial, hushed, petite girl, now trying to solve a crime scene? It’s out of the question. But what is this uneasy feeling? Sweat drips down from my cheek, and somehow the corners are sharper, and it’s harder to drive. It’s this stupid girl’s fault. “I don’t know, okay? I really-” “There’s a limit to how much you can fake it,” Kaya interrupts me, and I’m unsure if that is a joke or not. As I turn to face her, her eyes narrow from the road to me, our eyes meeting. Just as I flinch, I give up. She knows, and although I could pass this as a joke, I’m not up for it. What could a futile, tiny girl like her do to me anyway? My presence itself seems to intimidate her... “There’s no such thing as ‘limit’, girl,” I spit, “Nothing stopped me from killing your imbecile, foolish boyfriend.” ******************************* My body goes into a state of pure fear causing me to go numb. I regret everything. Getting into the car with Colton. Telling off Matthew for never taking me out. I blame myself for him being dead. But I shouldn’t. “Murderer.” I mutter. My eyes are burning with tears yet my body is stinging with the need for revenge. “Where do you wanna go now?” Colton asks assuming I’m over the situation and would like to go for a drink with him. “The police station. I’m sure their chief inspector would be glad to see his itty bitty boy, in handcuffs.” The car settles into a deadly silence. I win, Colton. My head spins with glee as I cling onto the upper hand. “Let me out of the car… And I’ll keep my mouth shut.” I say finally giving him my demands. “It’s your word against mine.” Colton says, his voice chilling me to the core as he offers a warm smile which contradicts his truly psychopathic behaviour. I open my mouth to retaliate when I hear a click of the doors echo throughout the car. Immediately, I grab the door and try to open it to no avail. I’m locked in. Innately, I scream at the top of my lungs and beat the window as if it was a cry for war. Each time my fists connect with the window, a feeling of pain pulsates through my bloody fists but I ignore it. 14

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“HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!” I screech louder and louder until my voice withers away. I lose. Matthew loses. Colton wins. As usual, the people who are different are left to die when the people who are like everyone else live a life of greed and reward. But I keep screaming, if not for me, then for the hope that Colton will get found out. ************************************* Leaving my dominant hand to take the wheel, I wrap my arm around Kaya’s head and grab her mouth. Her struggle to be free is a little weaker than before. “That was my last warning.” I snap, showing clearly that I’ve had enough of dealing with her. She struggles beneath my strong grasp, but I don’t plan on displaying any mercy towards such a girl. Nobody cares about relationships. They’re made to be shattered. Dear Lord, I don’t even know where I’m going now - this lunatic already played with my last string; she had the last hope of getting free, but now, oh, she won’t be leaving without at least an everlasting scratchMy thoughts get smashed as I lose my grip on the leather wheel. This is already an overpowering battle: a strong boy against a weak girl; but she still tries to fight back. Before giving a chance for me to react, the car screeches to the right and skids off the road. In my vision comes a tree, and there’s not enough time - I rapidly step on the brakes, and the momentum of the car takes care of the rest. But it’s not that long before Kaya claws at me, so I’m forced to step off the brake. Hopelessly, I lock my eyes shut, preparing myself for the impact... Fight. My breathing starts to quicken as I shake my head in both defiance and pure helplessness in order to find a way to escape Colton’s cold talons. Fight. I feel my body jerk forward as the car reacts to the obstacle in front of the vehicle. Taking my chance I watch as the murderer shuts his eyes in fear, I look out the window and see that the danger is approaching and easily avoidable. He’s afraid. With the power shifting between his cold hearted self and my angry self, I am faced with a decision… “To be or not to be”. If I let my anger consume me, Colton will die, but so will I. If I rescue Colton I let the killer of my beloved live and thrive while I suffer in pain and grief. Fight. With a swift motion I launch my body forward grabbing onto the steering wheel, my eyes pouring salty tears as I remember all that has lead up to this moment. Just like Matthew, I will have no goodbyes, no one will know what happened, no one will care… But, I’ll be with him forever.

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I hesitate, holding onto the steering wheel, sobbing harder than I have before. I won’t feel alive without Matthew but I want to live. I feel as though I’m in limbo, between life and death dangling by a thin thread. But, the fury within me boils to new heights when I look at the merciless murderer that is Colton. If I’m in limbo it is because he has put me there… There he should burn for what he’s done… For killing a person... So I must too. Fight! I twist the steering wheel a full 360 degrees and let the car’s horsepower pull me down towards the accelerator which I press in triumph. In a swift motion the car’s right side lifts and I watch as the ceiling spins. Gravity betrays me as I delicately slip downwards from the left of the car to the right in a horizontal action. Crashing through the window allowing the world to go black. Fought. ********************************* It’s hot. I can feel the flames trying to reach me. It’s like my body’s being tossed inside of a furnace. I’m going to die like this. All because of a petty, little murder scene - no, not even murder, all because of a trivial accident. It was Matt’s fault for throwing himself at me in the first place. Kaya’s grasping on to my sleeve, her other hand clawing at my skin. She knows she’s burning. There’s no point in trying to break out. The car’s doors are sealed and I can’t reach them. She’s taking me with her. There’s no escape. **************************** It’s not over. I watch from a short distance as the car is enveloped in smoke and flames. My body burns with pain and agony as my wounds become unbearably apparent. The anger that fueled my decision burns just as hot as before. I can’t help but think about what is to come and what will become of me, or even if I were to be with Matthew in the afterlife? Is there an afterlife? If there is where will I go? I know to kill is a sin, but is killing a killer not justice? I let the questions pool my mind as I feel my soul drifting away from my anger driven body. I don’t know if it’s wrong or right, but I don’t care… “If I am to burn for killing myself,” I whisper in angst turning my head to Colton’s burning body, “He would burn for killing my beloved.” 16

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************************************** The pain is searing through me. I don’t want to see myself burning, but I can just feel it. My body’s beyond gone. Am I going to be sent to hell because I beat a guy who picked a fight with me? Am I paying my so-called sin by flaming away? So all these seventeen years, all these memories, all these years I was supposed to live, blazing away. Giving a last pound with my fist to where I think Kaya is, I realise that my strength is no longer there. I am eternally cursed, with the biting, bitter cold of my own thoughts, as my body freezes over into flames...

Singed Emotions Gabriel Sanderson and Jun Seob Shim Ugh, what is wrong with me? I don’t get it. Today started like a regular day but as it went on things started to change. People gave me looks. Was it because I’m different? Unusual? Disabled? I needed explanations but I had a few answers. People were calling me “Ice Boy”. Maybe that’s because I’m quiet, scared, awkward - yeah, I guess they did have reasons to look at me the way I did. However, it was time for me to change. Gosh, I’m not sure what to think of them after seeing what those mean guys talk to him like that. Hmmm, he isn’t that bad, maybe I should like get to know him. But what would my

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friends think of me? Whatever...I’ll just use social networking.

Oh my gosh! She talked to me! Well... wrote on my timeline at least. Still... I’m sooooo excited! The hottest girl in the grade actually talked to me! Maybe she doesn’t think I’m weird. Just maybe...

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Ok new week. I had everything planned out but I was still nervous about what I was going to do. School wasn’t that big though, I mean she must be somewhere. But suddenly she walked round the corner. My face started to warm - oh no I must be blushing. It was almost too late though. She was walking past me just as I managed to squeeze out a strained “Hey”. What was that? Was he trying to say hi? It was definitely a mistake to become friends with him. Now everyone will know and think I’m “lame”. Huh. That’s not going to happen, I better open facebook and message him that I don’t want to be friends with him. After all, I spent a lot of time and effort getting where I am. It’s kind of unfair. I actually like him, but I just don’t want to get teased… No-one wants to get teased.

There was no chance for me. I really was unwanted, and she was the one who was all popular and had a reputation to hold. We are just two opposites. Like I’m ice and she's fire. She’s so hot… But I still had to get to her; there was no stopping me. Maybe I would try at the residential to the Grand Canyon Ok some things that needed to change: 1. Make friends: It’s not like I had any friends at school at all but I guess this meant I had to be more open. 2. Physique: Get cool clothes, play sports. This was time for a new start, a new me. I walked into school on the starting day for the residential with my new jacket, sunglasses, shoes. It took up my entire savings but it was probably worth it. The stares were indescribable - I’d never had so much attention in my entire life. Finally. The bus ride on the way to the Grand Canyon. I’d text her now. I will tell her all about my feelings for her…

Oh my… this was the furthest I’d ever gotten. At this point I was trembling in my seat, wondering what she meant by this. However, I had to wait for her to reply and not mess this up.

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We got to camp on the Grand Canyon and still no message. Got to dinner, still no message. But at the last minute, when I was in the smelly, rickety bunk. *bing*.

Finally she texted me but what was I going to say? I decided to just let it flow and be myself.

5 minutes! She really wanted to meet me. I leaped out of my bunk and changed into the nicest clothes I brought with me. This was my big opportunity. I stepped outside the wooden dormitory and walked over the wooden floor boards to the girls’ dormitory blocks. Everything was so silent, I could hear the moths fluttering near the light, the thumping in my ear was deafening. A creaking door.... It was her. “Hey, glad you could make it.” she calmly said. “So where you want to go so we can have a private conversation.” “Let’s climb on that hill.” I gestured nervously, but she only nodded in agreement. On the hill I gazed up into the night sky looking at the bright stars; but none’s beauty compared to her dazzling eyes. I tentatively took a few steps forward until we were eye to eye. Our lips met.

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Phyre and Hyce Christoff Broznicki (The artist formerly known as Cousteau Brosick “Mr.Hyce!” It said, calling my name. I stared blankly, dreading what was going to happen next even though I had done nothing. “Yes…” I said, dramatically sighing. It did not answer; this must mean that something really bad was going to happen. “Yes?” I said once more for confirmation. “YES?!” “Mr. Hyce stop speaking, you are disrupting the class!” Ms. Phyre said like she had forgotten about the situation entirely. As she continued to speak to the class in her ‘normal’ Scottish accent, I started wondering if she was actually going to speak in words or if her next sentence was going to be entirely bagpipe whimpers. Ms. Phyre was a different type of person. She would brush, what looked like her teeth, in class. There was not even a sink to spit the toothpaste in it was just her purse and her drawers, because of that there was a strong minty stench that traveled through the classroom. It did not help that she was an Art teacher because the smell of the paint tried to mask her powerful stench. The stench was like a ghost; whoever passed through it became possessed with the Phyre flu. That was what we called it, it was really just a foul stench that causes the mucus in the nostrils to solidify and usually causes an allergic reaction. Some symptoms include: coughing, sneezing, fever, dry mouth, chills, fatigue and vomiting. Poor Jimmy Maraun! He started having those symptoms in class and- well let’s just say that Jimmy’s vomit not only made his noir piece more ‘colorful’ but she said it had a nice ‘aroma’. While walking home I noticed Madeleine Larsson, one grade above me, walking to her dad’s house (which was across the street and a house over to the left) like a deranged gazelle. I stared at her and her middle class house as she had just started to wave ‘hello’ and actually notice me. I, on the other hand, happened to notice the fine details of my house’s fence and then how high the grass was and how I was told to mow it yesterday. Realising I had just fallen, I silently wept as Madeleine just stared at me lying on the ground. “She is SO out of our league”, Jeffrey, my inner British voice, said. I believed Jeffrey. She was out of my league, she was one year ahead of me. “Your parents are happy. What is their age difference?” Jeffrey asked. Their age difference was nine years, which meant I would have to start getting to know a five year old. After I washed the grass and dog excrement off me and my clothes I started my homework. I was distracted by the old 50’s music remixed for the new generation of adolescents. I could hear it from the house adjacent from mine. I soon realised that my parents upstairs started yelling at me for the ‘loud ruckus’ and to study. I went to the window to go check what was happening next door. “Is that… Ms. Phyre?”Jeffrey said. “Please no… I already have to be stuck in your head and now I have to be stuck in your head next to… IT”.

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I knew Jeffrey was a figment of my imagination so I didn’t answer him. I only saw shadows on the windows but I knew it was Ms. Phyre because the silhouette in the window looked like a deformed pear. The music was loud because her hearing is that of a cardboard box. “That’s why she is ‘Ms. Phyre’ instead of ‘Mrs. Ph- isn’t that Mr. Larsson’s house?”, Jeffrey asked. I reached for the phone to call the police but then I saw another silhouette. It was Mr. Larsson dancing along with Ms. Phyre. Ms. Phyre must be using some sort of witchcraft against Mr. Larsson just to make me angry. Mr.Larsson is (probably) smart enough to not like someone who is old as time. She probably chewed wooly mammoth’s tusks like gum and drank their blood as if it was a fine wine. Mr. Larsson wasn’t a very good father but he liked to protect his daughter from people he didn’t find ‘likeable’. For example, he did not like me one bit; I know he doesn’t have a terminal illness that keeps him from speaking. I hear him screaming to Ms. Phyre! “It could be he doesn’t speak English” Jeffrey attempted to answer. “Does it also mean that he doesn’t know how to wave hello and goodbye?” I sarcastically asked to Jeffrey. “I’ve been to England, so I have tried to say ‘ello and at rare occasions even using govna at times to him,” I continued. I haven’t spoken to Jeffrey since I was very small. “How would you be able to know who speaks English and who doesn’t? Plus Britain's main language is English, I think he would know HOW TO SPEAK IT!” I seemingly shouted. He never wanted to say anything until very recently. “He is part of my imagination” I keep saying to myself; every day I say that when he has been actually caring about me. I just have to keep imagining not to make him speak. I was even sent to a special class just to train me not to make him speak. “Jeez Clark! I think he’s doing it again!” I heard my mother say upstairs. “No he’s not, Ellen. He’s probably just talking to his friends on skype. James! You talking to your friends?” What would I have said? What would happen if I said “No, it’s my imaginary friend from when I was little? The same one that made you send me to a doctor”. I couldn’t think of any words that could explain it so I said the first word that came to my head. “Puberty!” “Wha-” “Goodnight, Dad! Goodnight, Mom!” “Puberty?” I said to myself. “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked Jeffrey. “So now you notice me? I finished my homework and ignored Jeffrey. Slowly, I descended into my bed. My thoughts cluttered in my head keeping me from drifting off into a nice slumber. “Hello?” Jeffrey’s voice echoed in my mind. “I can’t take this anymore!” I whispered as loudly as I could. I ran as fast and quietly as I could out the door “Oops! Forgot my jacket.” *Jiggled locked doorknob*

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“Look who needs my help now” Jeffrey exclaimed rudely. I just continued to prance to Mr. Larsson’s house. I noticed Jimmy Maraun was walking out of the door of the house. “Heyo! It’s Jamie ‘The Icemaster’!” Jimmy said. “Oh? That’s not my name and why are you here?” I questioned. “Dude, I toats got a girlfriend, my man!” He bragged. “Oh that’s great!” I lied. I was furious and almost purple with rage. “You can take him!” Jeffrey screamed. Jimmy Maraun, he was scrawny and lazy but his kick was strong and he could run faster than an asthmatic like me. So under my breath I spoke the foulest word I have ever spoken: “What a Moron”. I gasped to myself. “You are in for it now!” Jeffrey said. “Whatcha say, bruh?” Jimmy questioned clenching his fists in a kicking stance. “I said ‘What a Maraun’ because that is what you are big Maraun” I said as I sweated 20% of my body’s water. “You know what your right! I am a Maraun! HEY EVERYBODY I’M A GIANT MARAUN!” He shouted, most likely waking all of the innocent people in the neighbourhood. As the smiling, confident Maraun ran off, I stood still for a couple of seconds thinking to myself, “Should I do this? She’s horrible! But she could have found love...She could have murdered several people!” Then I burst into their house. “What are you doing?” I asked myself. The music was gone, the flashing lights were gone, the ‘original dinosaur’ was gone. I roamed the house looking for any sign of life and only found what looked like construction; like the house was half built and that this house was on the edge of a mountain. “Something is wrong, something is really really wrong” Jeffrey whispered. “Was something going on I didn’t know about?” I thought to myself. “The wrong house! This is the wrong house” Jeffrey’s voice kept getting louder as he repeated, the floorboards were creaking and about to snap into a million small pieces. I slowly backed away to the front door. “This is karma for publicly humiliating a ‘knowledge-ly challenged’ person”. Afterwards, I climbed through my window, I buried myself in my bed, sweating up an ocean full of embarrassment and thought about how long the jail time would be for ‘breaking and entering’. Suddenly I noticed that Mr. Larsson is (or was) married. Somehow, Jeffrey was listening to Madeleine when I wasn’t. As I stared at the photos, I realised that Ms. Phyre was recently Mrs. Phyre - the same Mrs. Phyre who murdered her old husband. I was told this by Jeffrey in his perfect British accent. He also told me his real name. Jeffrey G. Phyre.

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Mended Heart Bowon Kang ‘’Where broken hearts are mended forever” I hated that quote. Neon bold lights radiated the words like the 4th of July fireworks. Going into the shop itself was aggravating. The door was a plate of crystal clear glass, bordered with a milky pink wooden frame. The handle was a heart tainted in a golden hue. The cafe was mostly a girls’ hangout, filled with sassy teenage girls who just came from school. They talked about all kind of things I couldn’t understand… movie stars, new song albums, fashion and many more but I stopped counting after a while… I opened the door as the echo of the door bells rang a familiar tune. Walls were covered with pink wallpaper, decorated with adorable dog photos, bordered in a caramel frame. The design of the place didn’t disturb me at all; the silence broken by girly giggles which disturbed me. “Welcome to the Fire and Ice Cafe! Where broken hearts are mend-” I strolled right past her before she even said the following words. I wasn’t in the mood to hear it. The scarf wrapped around my neck started to droop down to my feet as my dirty, soaked uggs dripped with muddy rain water. I adored rainy days; they were like God’s gift to me. Rainy days were the only time the cafe was silent as stars - tranquil and soothing. Usually, I would be the only one at the cafe with a few quiet gentlemen reading and chuckling in a well behaved manner. However, since last week a boy started to hang around at the other corner of the cafe, next to a violin. He would look into the distance and stare for a moment, clammed up in his own little world. He caught my attention more and more every day. I would glance at him every once in a while and would do it so he wouldn’t notice me. Until today. I stood up from my seat and shuffled seat to seat, before I noticed that I was just a seat away from him. I took a deep breath and blurted out in a squeal, “HI!” 24

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I was done for it big time now. I could feel my brain ‘face palming’ the inside of my head rock hard. Right when I was about to make a dash for it the boy shook his head and noticed me. “Oh, I didn’t see you there... my bad, sorry.” “Hehe… well uhh.... I see you sitting here often and I thought it would be nice if we could introduce each other!” “Hey! You’re the girl who comes here a lot, nice to meet ya. My names Jason... and you are?” “Me? My name is Amethyst…So, you play the violin?” “Yeah… I’m not the best at it though.” We laughed and talked about ourselves while I sipped my hot chocolate, savoring every sip to make sure that I could stay for just a while longer, just to hear him speak. Day after day, I would learn more about him. We would sit next to each other in the cafe doing our homework together and chatting about what we were interested in. It seemed that he was actually an extremely well known violinist and that he was just teasing me to not seem like he was bragging. I was surprised at first, but then we both started exploding with laughter. We told jokes and bickered on and on before we almost got kicked out for being too loud. Jason and I had so much in common; we both liked the same video games, books, taste of music and much more. Talking to Jason was like the topping of the cupcake to my day. Time flew like a jet when I was next to him and the following six months passed like a dream as we hung out at the cafe. The quote on the cafe roof seemed more lively as I entered the cafe, day after day… but like all valuable dreams, you eventually wake up… to reality. The wind was harsh and destructive after school. The trees swung violently like bones of dead warriors coming back to life. Something in my gut told me, you’re in trouble. Big trouble. The heavy rain and storm fused together, making it look like a waltz of a thousand crystal ice shards, beaming with uncontrollable power. All of a sudden, there was a white glow. It blinded me for a moment so I would think it was all just a dream. However, the light that illuminated was from a car going at a speed so furious that even the slightest accident could cause an injury. How come...out of all the people who could have been in the other car involved in the incident, it just had to be Jason and his mother? 25

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Jason’s mother was not injured in the car accident, neither was my mom; however Jason was hospitalized with a broken wrist bone and a serious back injury. And all I had was a sprained ankle… Murky, grey waterfalls of guilt poured into my brain, washing all the valuable memories I had with him down the drain. The door to his hospital dorm was in front of me; the food was outside, untouched and bitterly stale. My back was crawling with shivers. I could almost feel the aura of depression on the other side of the door leaking from the bottom of the door towards my yellow floral slippers. As soft as a feather, I opened the lifeless door and into the still white room, I entered. Jason was at the far end looking out the window, into his broken crumpled world… I sat next to his hospital bed looking down at my mild ankle injury then to his right arm cast. Something caught my eyes in the corner of the room, it was Jason’s violin case with a puny price tag that had $160 on it. Something was not right… Nothing seemed right. Silence concealed the room with nothing but fear. As I stood up from the bed, Jason murmured something that broke me into one thousand pieces… “This...Is all YOUR fault…” If I had heard correctly, my ears caught a faint weeping cry which came from room 218. Jason’s room. The cafe was barren. I was the only one there today and the rain was thin. There was nothing I could do anymore; being alone was the only thing I could do for the moment. Hours passed like minutes and minutes passed like seconds. The cafe closed as I strode off home. Why did this happen? What did Jason ever do to deserve this nightmare? I would give anything to make him feel better, but how could I do that…? I lay on my bed thinking for hours before I fell into a deep slumber. Something smooth touched my shoulder as I opened my eyes. “What can you give to me in return for your desire Amethyst?” I was dreaming, I knew it. It had to be. I had heard that voice before, but where? Even if this was a dream, it felt so real... 26

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She asked me again in a more soothing voice. “What can you offer me for Jason’s health?” Each time she spoke, a weak bell could be heard in the distance. It sounded like the one in the cafe. I replied in a feeble manner, “Anything you would like, anything!” I opened my eyes, but I saw nothing but pitch black darkness, slowly swallowing me whole. Before the never ending nightmare could take me, ‘it’ replied. “Let’s make a deal. I will heal your ‘friend’, IF you give me your ability to love someone. But your fellow friend will not remember you or our existence” I was puzzled. “What do you mean by my ‘ability to love’, and what do you mean by ‘forget my existence?’” In a desperate howl, the voice cried, “Hurry! There is no time! Will you take the deal?” In a panic, my final word before I woke up was a brief ‘yes’. I knew everything was going to be alright. I hoped it would be… Everything was back to normal now, except that I felt completely empty. The memories I had at the cafe with Jason were all in my head, yet they were gradually slipping away from my mind, fading... The feeling forgotten inside me was not grief nor bliss. I was isolated from my fantasy world; so far that turning back was not an option anymore. It was all the same as before. I sat down on a chair at the corner of the cafe, drinking the same drink as I always did. I sat, looking across from the forlorn corner toward the radiant door as I saw someone walking in. It was ‘him’. I had no reaction at all, just the same smile that my face always had. My brain told me to talk but then my body disobeyed. There was nothing I could do anymore but watch Jason as he escorted another girl into the cafe, holding hands. Feeling fine as ever I kept on reading my book, smiling. But deep inside, I knew I was crying...

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1. Atelophobia Graca Kiboi Dedicated to Sue Kim. Thank you for the memories. Somehow, at some point in our untouched lives, we learn to accept our flaws. And somewhere, while accepting our flaws, we become one. After all, besides death, that might be the only thing holding all of us together in this conspiracy by the universe. This is my story. A story of how I learned to love myself. It was a long journey, and at times, it felt never ending. But I got there; and I hope you do too someday. Atelophobia: [A-tel-o-pho-bia] The fear of imperfections. Small waist, wide hips. Smooth hair, smooth skin. Pink lips, pretty eyes. Big chest, small thighs. Tall, but not too tall. Thin, but not too thin. Long lashes on my eyes, And a gap between my thighs. Perfection. Atelophobia: [A-tel-o-pho-bia] The fear of imperfections. Wide waist, no hips. Dry hair, pimpled skin. Flat chest, big thighs. Chubby and short. Not thin at all. Short lashes on my eyes, and no gap between my thighs. Imperfection. Atelophobia: [A-tel-o-pho-bia] The fear of imperfections. My love for a perfection that I will never truly grasp burns like a fire fueled by hate. 28

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We live in a society full of insecurities, that uses perfection as a tool against those who feel empty,misguided and lost. Atelophobia: [A-tel-o-pho-bia] The fear of imperfections. My imperfections. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re written all over me, from head to toe. They shape my life and make me who I am. Yet every step I take is a trademark of my denial of my imperfections, as I strive for perfection. Atelophobia: [A-tel-o-pho-bia] The fear of imperfections. As I traced my fingers around the structures of my bones, I understood that my imperfections were perfect. They were perfect imperfections. How lucky was I because at that moment, I loved my perfect imperfections. Self-love: [Se-lf-l-o-ve] Having the strength to find the perfection in all your imperfections. -GraĂ§a Kiboi

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Solitary Balint Zeisler This is a world that has ended. Nothing is born; nothing dies. Not even passing time exists. If I were looking for somewhere to be born, I don’t think I would choose this world. In this world, such as it is, there is someone. I wonder if she can see me. But I haven’t been born into this world. Yet. She is a girl living alone in a world that has ended. A girl living in this empty and still world. For some reason, I am bothered by this girl. The girl’s life is very lonely. There is no one else besides the girl. That is only natural. Nothing is born here, neither does anything die. That’s the kind of world this is. I see a garbage doll laying down beside her. Do I just have to wish it, to be born here? There is one warm spot in this world. Before I realise it, that’s what I am seeking... I am born into this world in my search for this girl, sacrificing life, a new world, and everything I could’ve had. The girl collects pieces of junk from somewhere and builds a body for me, which I infiltrate. My memories are murky. I can’t remember without effort, where I have been. Where have I been trying to get to? Taking my first steps in my new body is difficult but I succeed. I take a few steps until I reach her. “Good job!” she exclaims. I can’t speak to the girl. But she is the one warm spot in this world that I have been after. However, my cold metal body, made from junk, can’t feel that warmth. Sometime long ago, or perhaps some time in the distant future, I was in a different world. That single sensation is all I remember. “A different world? What kind of place was it? Do you remember? Do you think it was a better place than this?” she questions me. I can’t speak to her so I just nod, I think so. “Even if the world wasn’t empty, would you still feel lonely sometimes?” She asks. I nod again. Probably. She asks one last question, slowly, with a frail voice. “Were you ever as lonely as you are now?” A girl lives alone in a world that has ended. An empty and still world. It is a place that has nothing; it is a void of all happiness. Perhaps that is why I was born here. “Was this your wish? Did you want to be born into a world like this?” she asks. I clumsily reach for her hand without saying anything and she smiles. But deep inside I know. Being born into this world would be the last thing I would ever wish for.

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Even in a world like this, winter still comes. I stare up at the sky, where lights are shining. Those lights...I try to reach for one, but it passes right through my hand. It’s a shadow. Where has it originated from? Is it from another world? And if it is, is it the world I once knew? The world full of life? Full of shining light? I see two lights shining. It is only for an instance, but it feel like time has stopped. They shimmer so brightly I can almost feel their warmth seeping through my metal body. In this world of cold, unforgiving winds, something is beginning to change. Along with the coming of winter, along with the dropping temperature, she is beginning to sleep more often. The clouds that appeared a few days ago, are slowly spreading, casting a shadow over the land. The clouds will eventually cover this world, and burry the earth in white snow. The icy winds are already biting at us. If we don’t hurry it will be too late. I feel this is the time we must make a decision. If we don’t hurry it will be too late. The girl and I stare at the open land, as it is slowly starts getting darker, as the thick clouds set over us. “Is there something outside? Do you want to go see?” she asks. I nod my head. We have to go… “Careful, winter’s coming soon. If it gets any colder than it is now, I won’t be able to move anymore. Also, if we leave this place now, I’m afraid we won’t be able to come back ever again. Do you still want to go?” she asks. I nod my head again. We have no other choice. We stay here and freeze, or we leave and go to a better world. “What’s out there? What do you want to see so badly? A place that is different from this one? A warm place, full of secrets, a world where every day is fun?” I can tell she is afraid. She doesn’t know what’s out there. She has never thought about leaving. The girl built me by collecting pieces of junk she found. She has the power to create things, just like she created me. She has been working hard on a new machine. One that can fly in the sky. We are going to use it to leave this world far behind. The world we are going to is full of life, full of warmth and fun. But we have to hurry. Time is short; winter is approaching fast, and when the cold sets in, she won’t be able to work on things like this. That’s why we can’t rest. We can’t stop until the very end. Bit by bit, I collect pieces of junk, and bit by bit, she puts them together. I want to fly this machine, and leave this place. When winter comes, she will stop moving. That’s what she told me at least. To be honest, I don’t quite understand what she meant. All I know is that time is short and we have to do something before it’s too late. “Are you leaving?” I hear her say. Her skin already turned pale. She can’t work like this, I have to do it alone. “But I want you to stay with me. Please. Please don’t leave me alone!” she cries. I begin to walk away from her; I am going to finish the machine myself. I know it’s hard, but I have to go. Please, try to be strong. Time is running out.

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I keep working without a moment of rest. I need a machine that can fly. I need to build a machine that can take us away from this dying world. It’s no use. I can’t create things like she can. The only thing I can do is pile up junk. No matter how hard I try, I am completely helpless. And then, before I know it, I stop working... It takes a wish for this junk to take place. Maybe that’s why I can’t do it alone. No... I know that’s what it needs. A wish from the heart. That’s why I need her. Because I don’t have a heart. Because I am not human. I see her walking towards me, stumbling on the way. She puts her arms around me. “This world is a sad place, isn’t it?” she whispers, “Soon everything here will be buried in white. It’ll get even colder and I’ll stop moving. Then you’ll be left all alone in this cold, white wasteland” But we didn’t finish the machine and time ran out. Our only option now is to just keep moving, hoping that we’ll be saved. We slowly trudge through the snow, making our way to another world. “You want to walk to a place that’s different from this one, don’t you? To the warm place full of secrets? To the world where every day is fun? That’s what you wanted all along, isn’t it? Okay then. Let’s go there together.” she whimpers. We walk for a while then we slow down. She asks me: “Are you okay? It keeps getting colder.” A robot like me can’t feel the cold. I’m sure she’s suffering. I’m sure she’s freezing. Though just like everything else, I can’t feel it. “Before we know it, the whole world will be frozen. We better hurry while we still-” she drops down in the snow and she struggles to get up. She is still alive but she is breathing heavily, trying her hardest to keep going. She gets up and groans. She puts her arms around herself, shivering. She can’t go on anymore. How many steps have we taken? How many more steps do we still have to take? I don’t know where we are. I barely know where we are going. Are we almost there already? Or do we still have a long way to walk? ·························································································································· ·· For a few seconds, or maybe even minutes, she stands still with her eyes closed. For some reason, for the first time, I know exactly what is happening. This world is punishing her for being different. Because she wants to leave. Because of me. Now, she is just the shell of a person. The warmth that she used to carry, her bright smile, her kindness, all that fire inside her, is now gone. This cold depressing world took that warmth away from her. Like fire and ice. Ice slowly takes away what the fire needs, and thereafter the fire stops burning.

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All substance is gone and she walks around without a soul. But even the strongest of bodies can’t handle living without a soul. Her body can’t. She slowly turns grey until she drops on the ground, curled up aching, and she stays like that. She can’t leave this world. She is a part of it. A part of this cold, sorrowful and lonely world.

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Haley Shane Kim The house was a sepulcher. The roof was in ruins; the windows shattered. Fire was swallowing the roads and people were screaming. Something about me remained subtle. It was just a fire. The exact same fire I had seen 10 years ago when she died... It was the same nightmare again. I thought I had overcome that trauma already, but I guess not. Mrs. Mayer called me down for breakfast and I walked down. I didn’t feel much emotion, I just felt mostly helpless. She looked sad; her face was a book, and the title would be “somber”. She did not lift her head the whole morning, which had never happened before. It was as if the gloomy clouds above her left her in a flood of tears and devastation. Even when I listened to Mr. Oliver’s math lectures, I couldn’t erase the thought of Mrs. Mayer’s being sad over something that I obviously did not know about. Nothing could distract me from this pool of confusion. That night, I thought it through one more time and I just decided to ignore Mrs. Mayer’s obscure sadness. However, it happened again. This time I couldn’t wait any longer. My curiosity was devouring me and I needed to know immediately. Being as polite as possible, I solemnly asked her what was going on in a gentle manner. Instead of replying, she gave me a cold, meaningless stare. I knew what this meant, something was going on...something important. I waited in front of my house to walk to school with Chris. I didn’t feel like talking or making jokes or anything like that- I was in a bad mood already. “Eyy Haley! What’s up? You haven’t called me in ages…” Chris tried to cheer my unexplainable mood. “I don’t feel like talking about it... it’s just a bit personal.” I quietly replied. Chris didn’t respond. I was a bit uncomfortable since I probably put him in a bad mood. Ugh. I didn’t have a choice, but to explain to Chris. “Okay look, since yesterday morning Mrs. Mayer has been in a pool of devastation and she won’t even explain it to me. It’s killing me, Chris. What could it possibly be?” I blurt out. Thankfully, Chris understood everything, especially after both of our parents passed away. “Oh, well, people change occasionally. It’s going to be fine. You know that, Cadence.” he assured me. Even though Chris was right and all he was doing was to comfort me, I knew that this was going to drag on for a long time. I was just praying that she would be back to normal again tonight or tomorrow morning. I wanted to ask her again, I really did. But I knew I would get the same response- the stare. God, please... A week later, after I came home from school, I saw a note superimposed on my bed. It was from Mrs. Mayer and the note said this:

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I’m sorry that I have to leave you, but I must find out the truth about her. Don’t be too concerned. I’ll be back soon with the truth in hand. I really need to do this. Take care. Love, Mrs. Mayer This note explained the obscure sadness on her face over the past week. She had been thinking about what happened in the fire when she died. The next day, I didn’t go to school. I stayed home and thought about what Mrs. Mayer would be doing right now to find out about “the truth.” I was worried. I felt as if a huge boulder had collapsed on my shoulders. The truth was always a hindrance to my actions. Why? I didn’t know... It just was. As I was thinking about going to school late because I had nothing to do, Chris called me. I picked up, and he asked me about why I wasn’t there. Today was Thursday: Taco Evening where Chris and I go to eat tacos. My heart sunk to my stomach because Chris seemed really disappointed in missing our weekly Thursday Taco day. I didn’t have a choice, so I lied. I solemnly told him that I was somehow sick. After hanging up, I knew I could not mope around in Chris’s somewhat disappointed feelings. I had other things to take care of. On the other hand, I hated myself. The two people I could rely on, Mrs. Mayer and Chris, I had lied to. I plop down on my bed and plugged in my earphones; Eminem definitely helps with stress overload. Beep. It was a text message. Who would message me anyway? I check my phone, and it was Mrs Mayer. Did it soothe you?  Mrs. Mayer I did not know what she was talking about. Why would I feel calmer or happier after what happened to her? Then, it struck me… ♦ ♦ ♦ She was breathing heavily, underneath all the rubble that had collapsed. She screamed at me to get out of the fire, to not try to save her. I crawled out with blood soaked on my clothes. My hand was bleeding. I could not move it. The fire crept up on me once more, and she shouted again, “Hurry up and get out!” And those were the last words from her. ♦ ♦ ♦ School the next day was different although I didn’t even pay much attention. All I knew was Chris was unhappy since he ignored me throughout the day. He must have really wanted those tacos yesterday- typical Chris. Ching. There went the bell. I put all my books away in my locker and I saw Chris packing up his stuff, too. 36

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“Chris!” I showed up in front of his locker. “Uh hey.” He avoided eye contact, and that was not like him at all. “C’mon, Chris. You can’t be like this. Is it because I missed Taco Thursday? I’m sorry, okay? I was just really busy and-” Chris cut me off halfway. “Look, I don’t know. I’m just having a bad day. Well, I gotta go now. See you later.” He just walked away with an emotionless face. He straggled down the hallway; just another worry had taken over me. God, why? I always do this to the people I can lean on. Chris was surely angry for a reason. I thought and thought until I came up with a conclusion. His anger was probably due to my lack of communication with him over the last few days. I mean, Chris loves to talk. He’s one of those friends that just talk and talk about the coolest things ever. I, on the other hand, am really quiet and overthinking. No wonder I need Chris in my life. I was careless...the despair swallowed me; I had done it again. I had slacked off the people closest to me. My mind was clueless about what to do- I always like to run away from my problems. A nap. Yes, I need a nap for goodness sake. Ding Dong. Ding. Dong. Ding Dong. “Cadence!” I heard a voice from my door. I rubbed my eyes, and I look at the time. It was just four. “Coming…” I shouted back. Who could it possibly be? I opened the door, and surprisingly, it was Chris. “Chris?” I was completely shocked and relieved at the same time. Phew, he’s here. He came in, and told me that he wanted to talk to me about Mrs. Mayer. I let him in, and the first thing I said was, “I need to tell you something very important.” He muttered something under his breath, but I ignored it. “Chris, Chris I-” “Why. Why did you have to ignore me, hate me, put me in despair. Why?” He blurted out. That escalated quickly. “Chris, you don’t understand. Please, just let me explain.” I begged in desperation. “Now? It’s too late.” He stomped off, but I grabbed him by the shoulder. This was definitely not how Chris acted. “Chris, just listen to me. One last thing. You know the fire 10 years ago?” I stuttered. He stared at me for what seemed like a decade, and I hugged him. He seemed shocked, but he didn’t hate it. I whispered in his ear, “Chris, I’m really sorry, 10 years ago, the fire. I kindled that. I lit that fire.” “Um what? Cadence, I don’t have time for jokes.” He stared at me in shock. “I’m not joking, Chris. I don’t have time for jokes, either. But yes- I did it. I did it so that you would pay more attention to me. I hoped that you would love me more. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” I cried in despair. He’s going to hate me for this.

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He pushed me off the rail, I did not even react because despondency has gotten the best of me. The drop was endless, and I wish I had told her that night. How would she greet me in heaven? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even deserve to go to heaven. As I dropped, I saw him look down on me, just like I did to her 10 years ago. In an instant, I remembered everything. It was a replay; everything was happening againâ&#x20AC;Ś Again.

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Tales of Le Toucan Austin Kwak Dedicated to the people who’ve worked laborious hours editing the Potato page on Wikipedia for dumb kids like me. Couldn’t have done it without you all. Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specifically stated, “Joe Bob” and all other affiliated subjects are NOT responsible for any brain cells lost while viewing this specific document. Please refer to rule 9.6 of Apple’s Terms and Conditions to occupy yourself while you cry about the brain cells that have been corrupted by this uninspiring story. “Embedded in human history centuries ago lies a tale told by many. They call it : ‘Potato : The Legend.’” “Long ago, at a genetics research facility, worked a man with an unusual devotion to potatoes. Every day, he would bring a potato with him to work for an unknown reason. However, one day he lost his potato at the facility. The man was devastated, for he had lost his potato!” “Wait, that’s the end?” “No. Legend says that the potato was instilled with human DNA and grew intelligent, and was able to find its owner by making friends with the owner’s dog. “Wow, is that actually true?” “Of course not, how could a potato be intelligent?” “Well, I’m sure it’s possible for a potato to be smarter than humans like you.” “Never mind, get out of my house Bob.” “Bruh.” **************************************************************************************************** ****** “Mom, I’m hungry. I’m going to go to Mcdonald’s after school today.” “You eat too much at Mcdonald’s, you’re going to get fat.” “I’m already fat. Bye.” Looks like I’m going to Mcdonald’s after school today. *BOOM* Ah yes, Mcdonald’s has exploded. That sucks. Well, looks like I’m going home after school. 39

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**************************************************************************************************** ****** Yo. I’m Jim and he’s Gym. Gym mighta be da dumbest sack of pertaters I ever seen in my entire life, but what can you expect from a kid whose mother couldn’t even spell his name wrong? At least my mom could get my name right. “Gym, another comin’ thru the drive thru” “Of course, its a drive-THRU” “Shuddup, and go answer da order” “Jim, dun tell me what to do wit’ my life” “You want fries wit’ dat” “Yeh whatever” “K. Yo, get da potatoes outta da freezer, we need mo’ fries” “Dun tell me what to do wit’ my life” “Shuddup and go get da potatoes, and don’t copy me” **************************************************************************************************** ****** They’re both dumb as far as I can tell. **************************************************************************************************** ****** Life is, by definition, the condition that distinguishes animals, plants, and potatoes from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. However, the specific topic that I want to contemplate on is the purpose of life. Humans have pondered on this matter for several millennia. Even today, there are many different ideologies on the purpose of life. For some, the purpose of life is to pursue happiness. For others, it is to develop the world we know, Earth, using technology and achieve a greater quality of life for everyone as a whole. I’m not a human though. Let me tell you more about myself. **************************************************************************************************** Hi, I’m Joe Bob, and this is my- wait, I’ve interrupted the story. Sorry, I’ll be back soon. **************************************************************************************************** I am a potato. To be precise, a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum Tuberosum L, indigenous to the Andes region in South America. However, that information is irrelevant to my current situation, as I seem to be in a transition phase where the liquids in me have turned into a solid due to my body temperature being lowered below its freezing point. Oh, my extensive range of knowledge must be confusing you humans. Very well, seems like I’ll have to degrade the level of knowledge that I am communicating at, at least for now, at the very least.

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Ahem. It’s really cold. Cold as ice. Dry ice. The dark side of the moon. Outer space. Absolute zero. Speaking of that, there’s absolutely zero chance of me being thawed out by one of these dumb humans... **************************************************************************************************** “Hey I got da potatoes!” **************************************************************************************************** Just kidding. It’s a lot easier to think when I’m all warmed up. Let me tell you more about myself. I am a Russet Burbank potato, grown in Idaho, United States. Shaped like a small oval, I have dark brown skin and flesh as golden white as the sun. I also have a few eyes, although I doubt they look like the eyes you humans have, nor do they have the same purpose. I can’t see, nor can I hear, smell, or taste. However, I can think. Well, better than most of you humans anyway. In fact, I consider myself a philosophical potato. Unlike my fellow taters, I have studied in the science of general and fundamental problems, especially those connected with reality and existence. However, in the entire vast realm of philosophy, my favorite question to ask myself, undoubtedly, is “What is life?” It’s obvious what the purpose of life is for us potatoes; to become french fries. Why? As the late human “Bold Mac Ronald” wisely stated, “France is cool.” Who is Bold Mac Ronald? Thought I would’ve never have seen the day where someone would ask who Bold Mac Ronald was. No, not Old McDonald. I’m talking about the braver, bolder, colder one - Bold Mac Ronald. The founder of the fast food chain Mcdonald's. The inventor of the crispy golden french fry. The father of the most prominent basketball figure in all of basketball history, Michelangelo di Jackson. Or Jordaño. I don’t know, I don’t play basketball. Back to the point, I need to get fried. Nowadays, all the cool potatoes are talking about getting fried. And we all know that I’m a cool potato. Well, I’m also hot. Don’t forget that. What was the point again? Yes, to become fried, I remember now. Wait, why is there a point if potatoes are round? That would mean that we are pointless! **************************************************************************************************** By the way, the only thing that’s pointless right now is you going off on a tangent when I have a story to write. Step up your game, potato. **************************************************************************************************** Sorry, Bob. Looks like I need to figure out how to get fried. I need to find a fryer. A fryer is used to fry things. This is why they call potatoes intelligent, look at that high caliber thinking process. Impressive. I should become a scientist. **************************************************************************************************** I’m going to kick you out of the story if you don’t GET ON WITH THE PLOT. **************************************************************************************************** Sorry, sorry. Back to the point. Although you humans may believe, “How will he find a fryer if the only thing this potato can do is think?” We potatoes actually have a sixth sense: we can detect the presence of other potatoes and communicate with each other. Will this help me find a fryer? Probably not, but at least it’s something. 41

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I can actually detect a fellow potato right now! “Hey, how’s it going?” “I’m being fried.” “Wow, really? I’ve always wanted to be fried!” “No, I mean, I’M BEING FRIED.” “I understand, congratulations!” “I. AM. BEING. FRIED.” “Aren’t you glad to be able to accomplish the ultimate goal for us pota-” “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH IT HURTS” That was interesting. **************************************************************************************************** “Time for the next batch of fries!” **************************************************************************************************** Holy fried cheese macaroni laptop macintosh eiffel spooky diddly ding dongs on a crispy fish stick. The french fry life is not the life for me. That was undeniably, the most horrific experience I’ve ever experienced in my entire life experience. My mind has been fried. However, I do not wish this fate upon my fellow taters. I must go warn them. It will be a long and arduous journey, travelling across the grimy and contaminated floor. It’s time to roll. **************************************************************************************************** Drum roll as the potato heroically rolled across the frigid and glassy surface until he reached his fellow potatoes... **************************************************************************************************** “Hello friends, I’ve come to warn you of the dangers that lie ahead.” “What are you talking about?” “You all are going to be fried. You don’t want to be fried.” “Why would we be fried, and why is it a bad thing?” “Well, to put it simply, frying kills you.” “Yeah, but why would we be fried?” “The humans want to turn you into french fries.” “That sounds absurd. Stop trying to scare us and go away.” I had to endure that horrible journey for these incredibly dense potatoes. That’s disheartening. Actually, I’m done. I don’t want to save these stupid potatoes. Wait, is that a hand? Oh pasta nuggets, they’re going to be fried! I need to save them. “HELP! THEY’VE GOT ME!” NO!” The fryer. I need to find the fryer. That’s where they want to put the potatoes. Where is it? Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Ok, I’m panicking. Where is the fryer? Wait, I’ve located it. It’s time to roll. Literally. If I ignite myself and crash into the fuel tank of the fryer, the fryer will explode. Sounds like a plan. Hold up. Won’t I die if I do this? I really don’t feel like dying today. 42

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Do it for the taters, Le Toucan. Is that my name? Why would someone name me after a bird? At least I have an identity now. Maybe they’ll remember my name when I sacrifice myself for them. Rest in pepperonis, Le Toucan. It’s time to roll. *BOOM* ******************************************************************************************************** This is 420 Dank Memes, *cough*, I mean News,reporting at your local Mcdonald’s. A huge explosion has just occurred and hundreds of potatoes could be seen rolling away from the scene. What kind of devious criminal could’ve executed such a tragic crime? Find out soon at 420 Dank News. We’ll be right back, after we run a minute long commercial for that easy cash. We hope you understand. Or don’t in which case we get money anyway. **************************************************************************************************** Hello, my name is Joe Bob. I guess you could call me the narrator of this short story, even though I’ve barely narrated anything at all. I’m also the writer of this 4 page strange story about intelligent potatoes in action. I also like potatoes. You probably want to know what happened to Le Toucan, don’t you? Well, he died. No one ever knew his name, or what he did. In fact, no one probably even knows that he existed. His story is one of heroism and tragedy, yet will soon fade into obscurity. Does that mean that his sacrifice wasn’t worth it? Of course not. Yet he could’ve escaped and left his friends to die, without any consequences. He truly was a good potato, sacrificing himself for nothing but his own virtue. However, does his virtue matter if no one knows about it? It’s similar to the famous question, "If a tree falls in a forest and no- one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The question is yours to interpret, but for Le Toucan, the tree must’ve made a sound, loud and clear. Who cares though? This story isn’t real. Thank you for spending 10 minutes of your life reading about the pointless tale of the tater, Le Toucan. ********************************************

“Bob, I am confuse?” “Should be, Gym, should be...”

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Nice Christine Park Dedicated to: Megan, Alice, Zoe, Pamela and Julia for letting me use their names. Even though I didn’t ask them.... Fiera I remember that once upon a time we all played together. We talked about fairies, the books we read and the movies we watched. Now, they talk about boys, music, clothes and celebrities. I don’t understand when this happened. Neal and I are best friends. So why does everyone think that we’re dating? And why does everyone say that we are not supposed to hang out? Why are we separate now? It used to be girls and boys. But, now it’s girls and boys. Megan and I used to play softball. Alice and I used to play soccer. But now all they ever do is talk about boys. Lillian likes Nathan. Julia likes Mark! And last Neal and Fiera are “dating”! Of course I knew some of them were just teasing, but the others were being mean about it. Some of the girls stopped talking to me halfway through the summer. They used to be nice Before, during breaks we used to play tag, hide and seek, and colored the road with chalk! But now they just want to “talk”. And the topics of books, movies and homework were replaced with boys, gossip and clothes. And I don’t get it. …………………………………………….. Today is Friday and it’s break! I sit down on a bench and start reading. I read The Selection for the 5th time. I loved their sweet trysts! I sigh. “Hey, Fiera!” It’s Icy and her posse. “We wanted to know if you want to hang out with us. ‘Cus you totally look like a loner. Ya know, sitting on the bench yourself with a book. And you can sit with us at lunch. Instead of sitting with Neal.” She says Neal as if she’s forcing it out her throat. “Um,” I close my book and hold my page “I’m- I’m ok. I’d rather just read on the bench like a loner…” Icy trades looks with her posse and they grab my book and shove it in one their bags “Honey, you need some serious help. You should come with us.” They drag me off my bench. And I just go with them. 44

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…………………………………………….. 2 weeks later I still don’t get what happened. One minute I was sitting on the bench and like being a loner. Then I was like suddenly in the group! Icy changed me and now i’m perf! I don’t talk to Neal nomore. ‘Cus like Josh Dallas is my bae. He can divorce with Ginnifer Goodwin when we get together. And Neal is just ugly. I mean look at his hair. It’s shaggy. Like a dog. Like not a teacup but a sheep dog. Like ew. Anyway I dyed my hair blond yesterday. ‘Cus red is just gross. It’s disgusting. i did it for the Justin Beiber concert I’m going to. Oh, wait. I gtg. PLL is on right now. And don’t tell anyone i told you this but Icy likes Mark. Neal I miss Fiera and I want to talk to her but she’s changed. Once upon a time she was fun. She used to always have her red curly hair that was always tied in a ponytail and she only wore (the same) jeans and t-shirt. Now, she wears dresses, skirts and a brand that sounds like a sneeze. The fire that used to be within her died in the Icy clutches of...well...Icy. The Fiera that used to roll around in the grass is gone and replaced with the Fiera that acts superior to everyone. What happened? All I know is that about a week ago she just stopped talking to me. She used to be nice. My mom told me “The ice of the world stomps out the fire of passion within everyone unless they remain stoic and maintain their individuality.” Whatever that means. But no matter what anyone says Fiera is gone. She used to be so nice to everyone and athletic. And now she just keeps reapplying lip gloss. WHAT DOES LIP GLOSS DO ANYWAY? Hmph. I don’t get it. She used to be so nice... Fiera apparently i used to be nice. at least that’s what neal’s mom and my mom were talking about. like they both said that they think that i was better before. like my own mom said that. and like since she did I’m gonna take a $50 from her purse and go spend it on shopping on friday. they said that neal misses me. but, dude, i don’t miss him. i never liked him that much anyway. i mean he was such a guy. everyone makes mistakes with the people they hang out with and he’s my first and only one. besides i now hang out with Megan, Alice, Zoe, Pamela and sometimes julia. But whatever...

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and i am still “nice”. no matter what he says. i mean sure, i threw the ball at julia’s eye accidentally-on-purpose. but Icy likes Mark so we need to get julia out of the game. ‘Cus that ugly brat has gotta go. and sure, i slapped lillian. i don’t have an excuse for that one cos she was just making me mad. but that’s not even part of this. i’m still nice… right? Neal I miss Fiera. She used to be so nice. Once upon a time we were best friends; now we’re just strangers with a past. And I finally found out what mom meant. And now I’m sure that she was right. Fiera didn’t have the strength to stay different and, now she’s just a regular sassy clone. I know a part of her could still be nice. The tiniest part of her could... might be nice… Right?

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No Title Pauline Stehle Dedicated to Idan (in the memory of you trying to keep our group friendship together. Even in the light of adversity, you forgave and I want to thank you for that) This story was inspired by two characters from the movie “Spirited Away”.Haku and No Face (recreated as Haku and No Name).

Anake CRACK! I was unaware that the planks of the bridge beneath my feet could break apart at any second, pulling me with it. As the bridge rattled, my legs were numb and I felt as if they had been beaten down and cut into pieces.

“Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.......” The wind hissed into my frostbitten ear. Did it want to say something? “What are you trying to tell me?” I yelled at the sky, arguing with it. “Why me?” Crack! The sound reverberated through my ears. What? Were those my legs on the bridge beneath my feet? I am not sure if I even had any at the end of my clattering strips of bones. Maybe I should have a quick look...No! I was not going to take that risk; I didn’t want to see what was below me. *** Suddenly, I was aware of my surroundings… Perhaps it was a dream? In front of my eyes, I saw a creature with a soft voice, mumbling as the wind surrounded it. Slowly the shroud lifted, so I could see the clear outline of a mysterious body. Floating above the ground, his torso which was as black as the night, stretched to the average height of a grown man. There was not a lot to say about his face, as it was hidden behind a mask; as if there was no face at all. Repeating his words clearer this time, he whispered, “I have an answer” He panted as if he had just run an 800m race. The creature's body mysteriously came closer. 47

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“Who... who are you?” My eyebrows cringed into the middle of my forehead, closer to my nose. I was so confused. Yelling, I hollered, “No! What? Where am I?” Suddenly, silence flew into the humid and cloudy air. “I have waited so many years,” he lowered his voice (I could finally hear that it was a man). But why didn't he end his previous sentence? “I’ll return!” He sounded like he was in pain! *** No Name The Doctor came rushing in because Anake finally had woken up and they asked her if she remembered what had happened… “What is your name?” I responded automatically to the question, even though the question wasn't directed at me. “No Name is the name.” However Anake had not responded. Silence hung in the air... “It’s a horrible place. You have been here hundreds of times, Anake. Humans call it a hospital; as they call you Sally.” I tell her. Anake I could see his face was sick of the human world. But I was not mad at anything at all. I was just really confused. ‘Confusing as an IGCSE exam’, as people say. “Am I Anake? Am I her or Sally? And what about Tiffany and Stella, the names you have mentioned before?” Wait, how do I know No Name? It seems like he’s part of my family… Why do I talk to him like we are related or in the middle of an endless conversation even though it has only just begun? “You are a lot of things. Just remember that people around this place call you Sally. People like me, that you will meet would call you Anake and lastly he is called master Haku”. “Who is HE, Haku? And how will I know the difference between the humans and people like you?” “DO NOT FORGET THE WORD “MASTER”! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY THE NAME ON ITS OWN!!! Please” He gave me a fright when he suddenly started being so serious about it. Somehow, I knew deep in my bones that No Name was not really like this... *********************************

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….. Running over to me, across the bridge... I could finally see it was Haku! He yelled, “Take my hand!” CRACK! “There you are! Where were you when I needed you? You, you….you just disappeared,” I stuttered. How could he? He promised me! “Just take it!” “Why are you the one screaming at me?! I’d rather die!” and I let my hand go off the side rail of the bridge, which I had been clenching on for dear life a few seconds ago. *** No Name She is not like I thought, not like her… maybe I should tell her about it. I do not want to regret telling her who she really is and, after all these thousands of years, she may not be able to come back to her family anyway... “So Anake, how do you feel?” “Pretty well, but why do all the doctors and nurses make such a big deal about my injury? It doesn’t even hurt! “Anake, some things are not as easy as they seem. Let’s take your whole life as an example. You think you are having an ordinary life. You wake up every morning like it is just an ordinary day.” 49

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“Yes… what is wrong with that?” “You could change something today. The day you thought would be as ordinary as they always seem to you, could be different. Every day is a whole new life…” I couldn't even finish talking when she fell back onto the bed holding her head and wrinkling her forehead. “Hold on, I have heard that before! And not only once but twice, no three times, or four...no every day!” A giant smile spread quickly over her face like wildfire over oil. Happiness! Her whole face lit up as if it was a lantern, as the realisation that she understood struck her. “I remember! I am not really human, I’m a spirit just like you...” “Ok good! Stop for a second and you can repeat everything all over again before the sun sets and the nightingale makes its sound and the lark awakes! Quick Quick! Hurry!”

Anake “Where are we going?” He was grabbing me, but I was not sure how and from there on I could hardly remember what happened after he had pulled me up with him. The only thing I could memorize from this mysterious trip was hearing the same sentence over and over again: “Every day you awake is a new beginning. A new life”. Mysteriously, it always was a different voice that has wisely whispering those holy words into my ears. “Is she sleeping?” There were voices whispering and eyes looking through cracks in the door. “I think she is awake, but let us be nice and not confuse her, ok?” “Ok” everyone agreed at once. “And thank you to No Name that he has brought us Anake before midnight when she forgets everything again if she is not with us. Thank you”. Bouncing into the room and quickly surrounding my bed, my fellow spirits all had greedy faces and I knew that they had questions. Then I just said “I want to talk to No Name. You must all leave me alone!” “But…” they had all gotten puppy eyes and trudged down-heartedly out of the room. “Thank you, I appreciate it” I nodded and looked around...

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“No Name? Come, I want to thank you for what you have done for me. You have risked your life taking me through that stream of my whole life to get here, where I belong. Over thousands of years, you have spent your time trying to get me out of this cycle, Thanks a lot! Just one last thing, can I ask you a question? Please be wise in what you say... and honest”. No Name She had not lost her loyalty! She could have told the humans about our Spirit worlds but she had kept our secret well. She had magically transformed into the old person that she used to be! What a relief! Everybody loved her and still did. I am glad she is back. “What is it, I’d do anything? Tell me! I beg your pardon, I am being very disrespectful and greedy, I beg for forgiveness!” I kneeled down in front of her laying my no face into my no hands. Anake “You dont have to apologize, I need to thank you” I put the pronunciation strongly on the “I”. “I am your friend, so listen to the words,” I commanded, “Who have you done this for?” “Please majesty! Dont…” “No majesty, you shall call me, sister!” I insisted. “Sister, don’t force me to tell, I don’t want to hurt you” “Nothing shall hurt my reckless heart so talk my friend!” “The relationship, it’s too strong, I don’t want to come between you and…”

No Face Suddenly, the door slammed open and she came floating in. Perfect as no other being could ever be! Anake Enchanted, she tip-toed over to me and I fell into her beloved arms. “You are actually here! I just cannot believe it. I didn’t give up the hope that you would return. Nobody would believe me that one day we would live happily ever after!” she told me and she hugged me back even more strongly. Tears came running down her face, dripping onto my gown. Struck with happiness and delight that I replied, “I cannot express how much I had hoped you would love me and be there for me! There is so much to tell you! So many years have gone past. What about you? Do you feel good? Have I missed anything?” 51

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So many words came rushing out of my mouth and it seemed like there was going to be no end to it. “I have waited for you to return! I have a surprise for you! There is a wedding going to take place tonight!” As fast as she had appeared, she had already gone again. “It’s her, isn’t it? She is the reason…. My mom, you have fallen for her, haven't you?” I got quite surprised, but it would make sense. He didn’t want my mom to suffer with the thought of me being in this foreverness cycle! And then I realised that my mom was not marrying anyone; it was me and Haku! “When you were trying to find me, I was at the bridge, the coldest place ever, but Haku could warm my heart. He gave me the promise, after he was gone for a second, so I got frustrated. Not thinking what the consequences could be, I let go of his hand and fell into the dark. That's how I ended up at the hospital. No Name, you do not have anything to worry about! She is not getting married to anyone, her heart is locked and you have the key, so go! Just tell her and you can stay with her for endless times!” “I will take courage and go! Not to forget, by the way, that there is someone waiting for you in front of the door.” Rushing to the door with an ecstatic feeling, I slammed it open. It was Haku! Immediately before I could even take a breath, he started rattling out so many words: “How could I let you fall? You must hate me for the rest of your never-ending life and let me suffer like I let you! I was insanely mad and didn't want to imagine a world without you! On top of all, I wanted to answer your question, about what you have said. I do want to be with you for the rest of my life.” I couldn’t fully concentrate on his words and fell into his arms. All I said was “I forgive you! Yes, I do!”

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Valerian Hanna Mansson “Wake up! You have 5 minutes - If you come late... well don’t!” I hear a stern voice command. “Yay, another day in hell!” I hear Cameron say sarcastically. I didn’t say anything I just get out of bed (if it could even be called a bed) and change before going to the “tomb”, which is a room at the bottom of the building. It’s called the tomb because nobody can get in unless you are Valerian- which is everybody who is in this hell hole. **** I was sitting in a snow white room with the smell of chemicals filling my nostrils. “Okay sweetie this won’t hurt too much” a woman that looked in her thirties said beaming at me. Before I could protest I felt a sharp pain in my left wrist. I felt a little squirm leave my mouth. Before I knew what was happening everything went black. Pitch black. I fell into a deep sleep dreaming of my family, friends, enemies, my deepest darkest secrets and fears... I woke up with a great headache that felt like somebody was beating the sides of my head continuously. “Oww…”I felt the side of my head and felt something wet. I looked at my fingers seeing blood covering all my fingers... “Umm where am I?” I asked a guard sitting next to me. “Um… Do I look like a security guard?” he answered arrogantly. “Yeah.” I mumbled. “What?” “I said yes, you look like a security guard. I mean look at what you're wearing” “Just shut up. And who are you?” “Umm… Peyton, Peyton Blake” “Oh...I’m Brent, Brent Addison” He answered mockingly. I rolled my eyes at him and just leaned my head against the firm wall behind me. Just as I was about to relax I heard a loud sound like a large door closing. “Okay you two come with me...and don’t ask any questions! Don’t talk to me and don’t stare at me!” he declared, holding up his fingers putting one up every time he said something. He brought us to our room with Brent, myself and two other people, one girl and one boy. The rude man left without saying anything, leaving me with these strangers and Brent. “Hi, I’m Cameron” he stated kindly and smiled at me. “Peyton.” I smiled back. **** Once I get to the tomb I look around the room but couldn’t find anybody. I go to a table next to the door and wait patiently until I heard a voice behind me. 53

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“What are you doing? And why are you not dressed?” a man in a black leather jacket interrogates us. “Dressed for what?” “You are going to say your goodbyes to your family and friends...” he answers, raising one eyebrow. “Wh-what?” “Just go up and get dressed. Your clothes are on your bed.” “Um thank you?” which came out more like a question. He just nods and gesture for me to the door for me to go. Once I change and find my way to the conference room, I see my parents sitting at a long rectangular table. They seem deep in thought when I enter the room which has wood floor with a white table and white chairs all around the table. When I enter the room they don’t hear me and I have to clear my throat. When they realize I am in the room, my mother smiles and kisses my forehead without saying anything. “Why do I have to say goodbye to you guys?” I question, my voice cracking. “I don’t know honey. You are just going to have to stay safe and stay with your group,” my mother answers calmly. “What about you guys?” “Peyton, don’t worry about us.” my father replies with a stony look on his face. I nod and kiss my father on the cheek and hug my mother. They both do a slight nod and I exit the room. Once I make my way to the testing room, I sit on a chair. I see a woman with long dirty blonde hair that came to her ribs. She smiles at me and she gestures for me to enter a room with only one thing in it...a chair. The woman leaves while I sit on the chair and let the smell of toxic chemicals devour me… The sound of rustling bushes and chirping birds wakes me up at the exact time that a forest of green coloured bottles topples over to my feet. I try to shift to get the bottles but my whole body aches with agony. A small yelp leaves my mouth. I finally manage to reach the bottle with every single bone in my body feeling like they were going to rip off. In the water bottle there is a tattered paper. “You have now entered the territory of the fire&ice competition. Your task is to survive the harsh conditions and the obstacles that we will throw at you. If you manage to collect the fire&ice baton without getting killed, you will be free and know why we did this. Good luck. You will need it”. I roll my eyes and stuff the paper in my pocket. I hear a quiet noise behind me which makes my hair rise. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust. I crouch down, pick up a stick and slowly walk to the bush with that a scared looking Brent. “You scared me!” I remark putting my hand over my heart. “Well as you could see it wasn’t like I wasn’t completely calm either,” he commented while rolling his eyes. “Okay whatever. Do you want to go find that fire&ice baton?” I question.

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“Oh you also got that bottle?” “Yeah.” “Okay let’s go then! And we are going to have to work together so try not to be so demanding”.

3 months later, I am now standing at a graveyard looking at all the names that either passed away or that are missing - including Brent. I am standing in front of his gravestone looking at his name engraved in the stone and lightly brush it with my fingertips. **** “I’m going to go find water” I noted already walking away from Brent. “Okay I’ll stay here” I didn’t respond I just kept walking. I was probably walking for twenty minutes when I finally found a stream. I dipped my hands in the water and made a cup with my hands and splashed it on my face I let out a small moan and started drinking the water. I took the bottle which had the letter in and filled it with water for Brent. I turned around to make my way until I heard a loud howl and my first impression was to run far away from where the sound was but then I remembered that Brent was still there so I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could to where Brent was. When I finally made my way to where we were, I found nothing but a note that had one word on it...RUN. **** I look back at the tombstone and walk away leaving the water bottle that I had gotten for him back at the stream and the fire&ice baton that I obtained.

Fire and ice

Out of Con “troll” Irene Sung “Icelynn! Run!” Emberley shouts. “What? Wh-” Without even a chance to answer, Emberley pushes me and starts sprinting back. I don’t even know where we are going, but with no question, I follow Emberley. After a few minutes, she comes to a stop and falls to the ground. “I w-w-woke up a t-t-troll!” Emberley stutters and gasps for air. Her red eyes sparkle with fear and shock- it was kind of funny since Emberley acts so tough all the time. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh. “Gosh, we could have gotten killed! We have to be 10 times more cautious because of your vivid, bold, blonde hair, okay? Ugh.” Emberley complains about my hair. I giggle to myself. Emberley can be so clumsy sometimes... Waking up a troll is not good; King Alcazar hired them to protect the Troll Kingdom. Before I go on for decades about King Alcazar, let’s start with the trolls. Oh God, I hate everything to do with trolls- from head to toe. Trolls are disgusting: from their gooey, messy hair to their hairy, smelly legs! I can smell their ugly feet from 50,000 miles away. Emberley and I grew up in a world with nothing but mud and water for food. Our ancestors have been trying to fight trolls for centuries. They took everything from us- you name it! King Alcazar has been hunting (also avoiding) our families for quite a while now. Turning sixteen was a huge deal for Emberley and I; it is our responsibility to fight the trolls and worst of allKing Alcazar. “Hey, look what I found!” I hear Emberley’s echo from the cave. I rush over to see what she’s talking about. “Ooh, those look like troll footprints, should we follow them?” I whisper. Without waiting for a reply, I start tiptoeing towards the unknown Troll Kingdom. We run and follow the footprints until we come across a snoring troll sitting up high on a branch of a tree. “Emberley! Shh! Look!” I whisper quietly. “Agh, should we kill it?” Emberley mutters while staring at the troll with deep hatred. “Nah.” I replied quickly before the troll wakes up. Emberley then goes on and on about how cowardly I am- now that I think about it, I am a coward. However, my fears bring the best out of me and I stay out of trouble, unlike troublemaker, restless Emberley. Actually, that’s probably the best feature about Emberley, but“Icelynn! Run, hide!” Emberley spits out. In an instant, I knew what was going on. The troll woke up from his nap and was after us. Without even thinking, I run like I have never run before. One leg after the other, swishing side by side. I jump over a few bushes and I rush 56

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to hide behind the thickest tree I can find. I sit down behind the trunk, and I have nothing to do, but to hope for the best. God, please… Boom. Boom. Boom. Each heartbeat indicates each second I’m alive and not beaten to death by one ugly troll. How in the world do five seconds seem to last for decades? Crack. What was that? Crack. Crack. Crack. It took me about a minute to realize that the sound was coming from my hand. This blue, crystal-like sword was growing out of my hand! My heart was beating so fast, I was desperate for air. How did this appear out of nowhere? Is this even possible? This has to be a dream. C’mon Icelynn pull yourself together and wake up from this stupid dream. I pinch myself to make sure again; it wasn’t a dream. Woah, I actually have an ice sword growing out of my hand… “Emberley! Where are you?” I shout out hoping the troll was long gone. “Hey, the troll lost track of us. Thank God, that was so freaky…” Emberley gasps for air. I stood there in silence for at least 30 seconds, and Emberley gives me a clueless look. Then she drops her head down to finally notice my ice sword hand. “Oh my gosh… what is that?” Emberley is so fascinated. Before even having a chance to explain to her, the same sword-looking thing grows further out of my arm. Even I have to look down to realize what exactly is going on and what is growing out of my hand. A white, crystal blue light was reflecting off of the sword; blue sparks were covering up my sight of the weapon. It had a sharp, pointy end that even by looking at it, it would be a deadly fight against me. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m pretty sure the weapon was made out of unmeltable ice and steel- yeah, deadly. “Woah…” Emberley stutters with complete shock. Then, flames start to arise from the sword- this is freaky. This must be a dream, things are happening way too fast... ******************************** It’s been literally a day since I’ve discovered my inner power; Emberley kept me up all night in the woods staring at my hand weapon. “Icelynn, do you have any idea what potential this has?! I mean, we could kill all the trolls we come across, and maybe even King Alcazar. Icelynn, we finally have it… This could be it, like for real! Can you imagine all the things that we would get like gold, money, treasure, fame-”, Emberley blurs out. Emberley does have a point about killing all the trolls; I have zero tolerance when it comes to the trolls. I could watch them boil inside an active volcano with hot lava eating their hairy, sausage-like toes one by one. But to actually think that I have the potential to bring King Alcazar down is downright crazy. Really? Like, me? “Power, Jade, Emerald, Sapphire, Silver-” Emberley continues on her list of treasure.

Fire and ice

“Em, shut up for a sec. We need a plan, I mean wouldn’t they have weapons too? First of all, there are thousands of trolls. There are two of us. I don’t know if we can do this just with my weapon.” I explain to Emberley. “Icelynn, we don’t have time for plans. Our family and ancestors are waiting for us back home. I couldn’t care less about numbers at this point. We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” Emberley goes quiet all of a sudden after thinking about our family back home. She does have a valid point. “Alright. Let’s go.” I stand up smiling confidently at my secret hand weapon. Without another word, we start making it into the forests towards King Alcazar’s palace. After about an hour going up the trail, we spot about a dozen trolls; fortunately, they were weaponless. “Gah! Gah! Look what we have found! The enemies...found us.” I hear them talk. In less than a minute, Emberley and I were surrounded by at least a dozen trolls. “What have we got here? Oh? Enemies, indeed. Hmmm, didn’t see this one coming eh?” The biggest, ugliest troll jumps out from the crowd. “Eh!” The annoying troll crowd yells back. Without even having a chance to think, two trolls were coming after me. Hah, come after me useless, ugly trolls. My ice sword pops out of my arm, and I stab a troll as it bumps into the sharpest point of my sword. Trolls are so useless that they cannot even fight back. I killed a troll, one after another, and another...and another. Emberley and I managed to kill all of the dozen trolls in at least 10 minutes. “Woah, that went by fast.” I glance over at Emberley, and all I can see is her red hair scrunched up in the dirt. “Em!” I zoom over. “Icelynn, this can’t be happening. This has to be a dream! Wake me up!” Emberley shouts with extreme shock. “What? Em! This isn’t a dream! What’s wrong..?” I ask softly. “Look…” Emberley turns around and lifts her shirt. The first thing I see is a torch, but with no flame. It sort of looks like a torch-sword, and it’s growing out of her back. This really must be a dream. “My God Em, this is amazing. Wait, what’s that button on the torch..?” I take out the torchsword from her back and she moans. “Arghh, Icelynn that hurts! Stop!” I take a deep, close look at this button, and I just pressed it. Flame started rising from the torch, and it had bright orange, red sparks around it. “Haha, guess I’m just as cool as you now.” Emberley pats my back and jokes around until we walk back into our small tree fort. ***************************** I wake up from a long night’s sleep and I still happen to be tired. My eyes are teary, and my brain doesn’t seem to be working. I feel dozy, drowsy and everything's a blur to me. “Emberley?” Emberley is missing. I turn around, and there is King Alcazar. My blood starts rushing, my fingers are trembling, my heart is racing, and I lose focus. It’s King Alcazar.

Fire and ice

All the hatred, abhorrence, execration and anger for him since I was three years old bubbles in my veins. I rage and I scream at him, and I start to cry. What is wrong with me? Am I thinking alright? I grab my ice sword and try to cut his neck off. Wait, Icelynn. This is the wrong thing to do. There is something bugging me from the back of my mind that isn’t letting me kill him. Why? This is my chance… to show my courage and bravery. I could be the hero to my family and ancestors. Icelynn, why? The strange thing is, King Alcazar is just standing there, with no emotion whatsoever. He stares into me, and I see his half red and half white hair. I really did not expect this, but his eyes are green. Just like Emberley and me. ******************************************* “Icelynn! WAKE UP. C’mon!” Emberley shouts in my ear. I open my eyes. What? I rub my eyes, and I stare at Emberley. My heart was still racing from that horrible dream. “What’s up? You okay?” Emberley nudges me. “Emberley...oh my goodness. You have no idea what my dream was about… K-king Alcazar was our dad.” I blurt out. “Yeah, totally Icelynn. That’s not even funny. Now get up and let’s get moving.” Emberley starts packing water in her bag. “Don’t laugh at me, I’m just paranoid about everything right now.” I glare at her. “Seriously though, King Alcazar? Our dad? That’s ridiculous.” she laughs. It was useless trying to convince Emberley about my dream, since she’s nothing, but a stubborn blonde. Five minutes later, we’re already at our path to the castle where we left last time. For the next half an hour or so, Emberley and I walk in silence; it is a bit awkward, but I don’t feel like breaking the silence. After all, I got King Alcazar and that stupid dream stuck in my head. “Icelynn, we’re here.” Emberley stops for a second. I lift my head up, and I see King Alcazar’s kingdom about few hundred meters away. “Is this it?” I tremble a bit. Emberley looks at me with a scrunch on her face and shrugs. “You ready?” She chokes. I nod, because I’m too nervous to even say anything. We get our weapons ready and I smile at Emberley’s torch sword. We got this. Without a word, we run towards the gate of the castle where we find two ugly looking trolls guarding the gate that is at least 5 times taller than them. Before those trolls take their second steps, Emberley and I are already on our 3rd. “Haaaaaaiya! Yeah, you deserved that.” Emberley laughs while she burns and stabs a troll at the same time. “You go girl!” I shout back while freezing the other troll to ice. This is a lot more fun than it should be. We then break down the gate, and we rush into the castle. “Icelynn…” Emberley whispers behind my back. Close to 200 trolls come outside with 6m spears and there is an even bigger troll in the front that looks as if he could kill me and Emberley within a second. “Well, well, well… enemies, am I right? Correct me if I’m wrong…-” Emberley cuts off the troll.

Fire and ice

“Yeah, we’re enemies, and we’re here to kill you all because you guys are nothing, but greedy, filthy creatures that took our money and treasure. Oh, and did I mention you’re ugly, too? Oh and-” It’s my turn to cut off Emberley even though I really wanted her to continue her whole troll rant. We don’t have time, and we have to keep moving. “Emberley.” I snap. She gives me this look, and rolls her eyes. I look back at the trolls, they look as if they could eat us up. Of course they run after us, but one by one we freeze and burn all those trolls. Swish. Swoosh. Swish. Swoosh. One after another, before we know it, those trolls are bleeding their ugly blood to death in the grass. We turn around, and the first thing we see is a gigantic, crystal gate that is about 100 times bigger than Emberley and I glued together. Ugh, I should have known. “Ideas?” I ask calmly, even though my heart is about to pop out of my chest. “I don’t know- use our powers together?” Emberley mumbles. Hah, why haven’t I thought of that before? “Okay, let’s break down this wall in 5...4...3...2…” I start off the countdown. “1!” Emberley finishes it for me. Together, we squeeze our power and I let out all of my anger, regrets, and worries into one stab. Then, I start to notice a pain… ******************************************** I see this mind blowing ball of blue and red mixing in together, and it’s growing- it’s fighting with each other- like- like the ice is trying to freeze the fire, but the flames aren’t letting it. For God’s sake I can’t even explain. “Emberley! Emberley? Emberley!” I shout since I can’t see her on the other side of this growing ball. I pause for five seconds. No reply. I am actually scared for my life. ************************************************ “Icely-” I hear Emberley’s trembling, quiet voice from the other side. “EMBERLEY.” I reply immediately. Both her hands are bleeding from the ice, and this just means one thing- our powers don’t mix. I look at my ice sword, and I’m bleeding from the side from severe burns. “H-how c-could we not know this? Icelynn. How can this happen to us? HOW FOR GOD’S SAKE. We worked so hard to get here, and yet our powers can’t even mix to bring this stupid wall down. You’re asking me to believe this nonsense?” Emberley rages in tears and my heart sinks to my stomach. My eyes tear up and I feel a crack inside my heart- as if a knife just punched it and stabbed it. For decades and even centuries, since the beginning of time, our ancestors and family suffered because of these stupid, ugly trolls- and as soon as we are 5cm close to getting back our pride and our treasure, this happens. “Emberley, there has to be another way. C’mon. We can’t give up now.” Tears roll down my face as I try to comfort Em. “No-” I cut off Emberley. “You’re wasting time. I’m not here to sympathize with you right now. I’m here to kill them. You hear me? Kill. Them.” I yell through my sniffs and sobs. Emberley, with no choice, gets up, and catches her breath one more time. 60

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“Alright. Let’s break down this wall. First, I’ll make small holes and cracks in the gate, and you set them on fire. I’m pretty sure it will work…” I try to make up a plan. With all the blood and sweat on my hands, I push through the gate with my ice sword harder than ever. Icelynn. Think. All those things the trolls have said, done, ruined. Said. Done. Ruined. I stab harder each time. Again- and again. “I’m done. Go.” I solemnly tell Em. A second later, Emberley slams her torch sword through the wall. She steps back, and we watch it burn together. Boom. The gate falls; we hear the crying trolls. Emberley and I just stand there, and we see about 2,000 trolls coming after us. All furious, determined and ready. At this point, I don’t even know anymore. I look at Emberley; she shakes her head, and goes on her knees. I can smell her tears, all the grief, anguish, pain, all in one. I count down in my head. Those trolls are coming… 20 m away. 15...10...5… “Stop.” I lift my neck as I hear a loud, deep, familiar voice. The trolls, literally a feet away from me, put down their spears. King Alcazar. He does have our eyes...and our hair. “Get out of my castle immediately.” King Alcazar belted out. “Without killing us first? That’s legitimate.” Emberley fights back. King Alcazar doesn’t reply back, but he stands there staring at us. Dad. “Give us back our treasure. Give us back everything you have taken from us for the past century!” I yelled at him. I know he’s our dad- he has to be. But why did he steal? Why is he our enemy? I get no reply. He must be really asking for this. King Alcazar turns to his trolls, and points at us. He then turns his back on us, having a worried look on his face. Now is the time. “Dad.” I shout out. He turns around again, and he looks more furious than ever. Emberley looks at me as if I had gone crazy. She shakes her head and starts crying; I have never seen her more anxious in my life. “Kill them. Now.” He orders. What have I done? Two trolls tied my arms around my back and started dragging me towards the fireplace. “You can’t do this! Just tell me why. WHY? WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED US?” I yell for my life and Emberley’s. “Icelynn, it’s over. Stop, okay? We tried. “Emberley looks down crying. “Don’t tell me to stop, Emberley. He’s our DAD. Don’t you get it? He left us. Me, you, and the rest of my family. EMBERLEY. For God’s sake, wake up! Understand me!” I kick and I choke on my own words. King Alcazar pretends he didn’t hear and he turns around. “Kill them.” He orders the trolls. “Icelynn, we lived a great life. I love you.” Emberley looks at me with tears all over her face.

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“No. I’m going to live. You hear me? We are going back to our family with the treasure. Emberley, this was our dream. This- this is our chance! Em?” I scream with fear and anguish. Emberley didn’t hear me. The troll threw her in the fireplace. I had sparks of hatred inside my skin. Each heartbeat was me punching my body inside and out with all the energy I had left. Each heartbeat was me living without Emberley-for the first time. “Emberley...EMBERLEY.” I scream and I kick and I cry. She can’t hear me anymore. Before the troll throws me in the fire, I say one last thing. “Dad.” I see him flinch. So he must be my dad. “Throw her-” He doesn’t turn around to see me. And that was the last thing I heard.

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Hidden Jamie Kim “Do not open it until you’re at home, okay?” Her voice was hoarse and all the color in her face had drained out, leaving her bloodless. I nodded and left her strapped onto the hospital bed. It was hard to believe that Amdis was only 18. Even yesterday, I was watching her play in her band named “Fire and Ice”. Her song was about how one person can turn into something so fragile like ice, once they face their fear. She would perform in her garage which was briefly decorated with a hand-drawn banner which she thought was impressive. The two of us were always together; almost inseparable. I met her when she moved into the empty unoccupied house right next to our backyard. She snuck into my room one night, only to ask what my name was. Her parents named her Amdis, meaning courageous and fearless, which described her perfectly. No one was in charge of her… Except now. *** It all started when Amdis found out that she was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. She was forlorn and devastation took over her music as well. All her songs were about death, loneliness and isolation. She wrote songs about the life that she thought she would probably never have, accompanied with her children, her dreamy husband and her pets, in their humble house. Amdis was diagnosed with heart cancer, one that could not be cured. She went to support groups and cancer talks, but nothing helped. She knew her life would end soon. *** A few months previously… “Hey Lily, you wanna go catch a movie?” Aden asked me. I gazed into his pearl-like eyes that sparkled against the sun. His smile was bright and friendly, but something about him wasn’t right. There was something other than kindness behind his eyes and he was unpredictable. Every night he would leave the house at the same time, coming back with a sack full of red stained metal poles. He said he was an artist and he would paint on the walls of Downtown LA, but surely, no one believed him.

“Amdis! Where are you! Pizza’s here!” I yelled up the stairs. There was no response. 63

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“Amdis?” I could hear a clashing sound that grew louder and louder as I took each step of the staircase. A chair flew across my face and smashed into the side table next to the bedroom. Amdis’ door creaked open and I kneeled down behind the door to listen. “Because of you! All because of you! Do you know how it feels like to be the second choice? I’m always hidden behind your shadows!” A deep voice echoed through the house, banging against the walls. Aden. He picked up his sack and pulled out a metal pole. I saw him attack my friend, but my selfish conscience told me to shut my mouth and act like nothing happened. As I took each step, my body shifted from left to right, increasing my guilt. He thinks we don’t know who he is, but we know. Every day, we hear reports saying that someone has been killed by this unknown man carrying the name Fin Adenson. My best friend wrote me a song, a farewell song,that she burned onto a CD. The CD was wrapped in red paper with a small label at the top. My name was printed with a cursive handwriting that was very relaxed and smooth unlike Amdis’ feelings. She handed it to me with an apprehensive facial expression. Was she worried that I wouldn’t like it? The last thing I would ever get from my best friend? “Do not open it unless you’re at home, okay?” I didn’t understand why, but I nodded and she dismissed me by waving with her helpless hand and shutting her eyes. *** “Do not open it until you’re at home, okay?” I told her, meaning it. I waved at Lily, knowing that it would be the last time seeing her. It should be. For the best of her. I clamped my eyes closed before any tears would spill out of my dry eyes. If only she knew what the purpose of the song was. If only she knew that it wasn’t a farewell song… it was a warning. *** The hospital door clicked as it locked and I leaned back on it. I tilted my head to the right and saw her through the tiny window, which was the only barrier between us. The metal border was cold to my cheek and I flinched backwards, making a hissing sound and catching her attention. “Go” I think she mouths, shooing me with a playful smile. I returned the smile as I felt the corner of my lips rise. *** It is currently 8pm and here I am sitting on the metal chair at my patio. My parents were out for dinner and I was fidgeting with my hands while debating on whether to listen to the CD or not. I dragged the chair, which clinked against the wood paneled floor, towards the front door and fell into it perfectly, as if it was made to fit me and me only. 64

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This was my favorite place in the entire house. It was the only place where I could focus and think by myself. “Now is the only place to listen to it Lily. You have to…” I reminded myself. “Press… play” I whispered as my fingers pushed the thick play button on my dad’s old CD player. “Hi Lily. It’s Amdis here haha.” She sounded nervous and very rehearsed. “This is a song I wrote for you.” My hands silently clapped and a grin covered my face. I jumped in my seat as I peeked around to see if anyone was watching me. “This song is called… ‘’ and it is dedicated to my best friend.” I could practically picture her smile while saying that. “Okay… here we go.” There was silence for a few seconds and a catchy drum beat entered, accompanied with a rock guitar. “But be careful… cause’ tonight, he’s coming.” A scratching CD sound repeated and the song stopped. “What…?” I pressed the play button over and over again, desperate to hear my friend sing again. “He’s.” Silence. “Coming.” “He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming.” It repeated over and over again, “He told me that” Silence. “He’s going to get you.” Something is probably wrong with the CD. It’s probably scratched, I forced myself to think. I picked up the CD and flipped it so that the back was facing me. “Don’t look back. Run.” It said in bold red marker, as red as blood. I stood up slowly, listening to every sound occurring around me. I clamped my eyes shut and curled my upper body into a ball and wrapped my arms around my head. A door creaked open from behind me. Thick, heavy boots stomped against the wooden pavement and I could hear a pile of metal poles vibrate and ring against each other. It’s him! He’s coming! He’s coming! But how did she know? And then I remember watching the news with Amdis. Watching about how the police were searching for a murderer. Watching when they mentioned that his Facebook name was Fin… Fin Adenson. His dark eyes met mine and shivers ran down my back. They were so familiar yet so far. The friendliness behind them has disappeared. He took a step forward and I took a step back. The tips of his lips turned into an evil grin.

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“Did you miss me?”

Cold Coffee Maya Lycett (Dedicated to Jake) Coffee rings covered the table… Concealing the original mahogany wood. Cups of cold coffee on the table from past days. Coffee.The one thing that woke him up every morning... He was an addict and coffee was just another drug. It’s what he lived on, it was what he thrived upon. He was a businessman, a hard worker commuting from home to work every morning. It was always the same: 26 minute train from Camden Town then change at Euston and continue to Finsbury Park. He then continued with a 9 hour day at the office then back home taking the train again. He did all of this just to arrive home to be flooded by endless papers regarding the divorce between him and his partner of 5 years. Every night he came home and went to the alley three streets down. A dark alley lit only by the seldom light on the main street. A meow from an alley cat is not rare followed by the rustle of a rubbish bin covered in dirt and stiff gum. That’s where they met. Ryder a man who gave him the one thing that he needed - other than coffee. “This is all the money.” “Hand it over!” “Where is it?” “In the red 1996 Nissan Turbo- there is someone in the car tell them I sent you” “How do I know he will have it?” “He will” He left the alley way and turned left, walked a little further and exactly as mentioned, there was the ‘red 1996 Nissan Turbo’. He knocked on the window twice and the man inside rolled down the window. “Who are you?” “Ryder sent me” “Lift the right back seat and you will find a brown crinkled package-that’s where it is” 66

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He grabbed the package, handed over the money and left. That is when he passed the Starbucks. He saw the coffee stands. For a second, he wanted it but he already had what he needed. Something new for him to live on. Something new to thrive upon. Cocaine.

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Chain Johannes Park Who am I? I felt a slight sensation that every time I stood in the flat, cold, white and blank atmosphere I was getting heavier. It seemed as though my one foot was sinking to the ground. Very slowly. I tried to move; I couldn’t. I tried and tried until I could try no more. For some magical reason, I was frozen except for my mind. I stood there for a while and realized how lonely I was and how I really hoped to see this world, but no one was there except me. I could see no life or movement around me, except the white substance falling to the ground, and on to me. I feel like I was dead but at the same time still alive. I was solid and could not move. I wondered how much longer I had to wait. I was patient and waited to melt so I could freely move. But the longer I waited, the more impossible it seemed. As time went by, the white substance that was falling above me stopped, and a glow of light shone towards me. It was warm and I thought I could melt but still, I couldn’t move. I believed one day I would move freely and not be alone in the cold atmosphere. As I looked towards the glow, I heard light joyful cheers and screams. I wondered who it was. Suddenly something hugged me. It was tiny compared to the size of me. I tried to see what it was and moved my eyes to see what was around me. There it was! It was life! In the corner of my right eye there was a little fellow with a red hat and big warm stuff on him. Soon, more and more little people came to visit me. Some of them were lying on the white substance, laughing and giggling. Others were throwing the white substance at each other. I realized that these people called it “Snow”. I saw joy in their eyes and I saw it in mine as well. They were having fun until it started getting darker and they moved away from me. Again I was alone. Some months later something extraordinary occurred: the snow disappeared and turned into something, more watery. Now I could also see the brown thick stuff that was surrounding my foot. For some reason, the watery substance sank into the brown stuff and my foot seemed to absorb it. I felt it coming up my whole entire body; my body was like a circuit. Then I realised that I was beginning to melt. I knew it, because I felt it inside. Something streamlined was moving.

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I felt lighter and more and more eager to move... but I couldn’t. I wondered what my purpose in life was and who created me, but no one answered. For some time, I was alone except now the ground was covered in green needles, and that is probably why the little people didn’t come to me because it was so dangerous. Then days and days went past and something grew right in front of me. It was small, pretty and colorful... But it didn’t move. Or talk. It was just there. Just small. Some darkness and light had passed and then life visited me again. But compared to last time, the little person was bigger than I thought. I saw the little being standing on the spikes and for some reason it was not injured. It sat next to me and said something. There was a moment of silence where the little person didn’t make a sound. Just the noise that sounded like a breeze came out of him. I waited what it would do next. For the few minutes and seconds we both gazed at the colorful thing. I wished I could say something to the creature however, I wasn’t able to make noise like him. I stared at my anorexic brown smudged body, and I felt so alone. I was plain; nothing different about me, except… my one rooty foot in the ground. I was depressed and jealous until a sudden shock of wind struck me from the right to the left. The weather was getting more and more warm, and there were more and more tiny creatures buzzing, hopping and flying around me. They were all energetic and hyper but I couldn’t make them be still because I couldn’t move. As the air around me was getting warmer, I felt even more hot, and even more humid. My arms felt more alive and they seemed to absorb something which was not there... As months of waiting went by I saw my first clone. He was exactly like me in the beginning. And he didn’t move. One day I was amazed by how much I had grown and how many green arms I had. It was wonderful! My arms started to move! I was so excited! Then I felt something... more of a flash of memory. Who was I? I felt a slight sensation that every time I stood in the flat, cold, white and blank atmosphere, I was getting heavier. It seemed like my one foot was sinking to the ground. Very slowly. I tried to move; I couldn’t. I tried and tried until I could try no more... The cycle of life had begun.

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On Standby Cormac Flanagan “One-on-One with the keeper and GOALLLLLLLLLL!!! It flies into the roof of the net! There’s no stopping that one,” Clive Tyldesley roars as Molineux trembles. “This man - he’s quite special,” Kenny Jackett mumbles. “They just keep on coming, is there any way of stopping him?” Gary Neville exclaims and then… The other team’s goalkeeper slides in with two feet. A cry of anguish emerges as he catches his opponent’s knee. Could I have come back from this? Was my dream over? The doctors said the possibility of me returning to play professional football at the same level was basically zero to none. Zero to none! Not words you want to hear when you want to get back to playing football ASAP... I was going to have the full MRI scan on that Thursday. It was the most nerve-wracking, gut-wrenching time of my life. I was praying, that it would only be a short injury. The problem is, at the time you just think of the worst, the absolute worst. I was already wearing crutches, and those demented objects are, I swear, made by Hannibal Lecter. All they do is torture your arms and wear them down until all that is left are some slithering bones. The day of the MRI scan was even worse. Your throat dries up like the sahara desert. Your eyes are peeled like a juicy lemon. All you want to do is go to the pub with your mates and maybe slip a cheeky Nandos in there. But no, what you want, is not what you always get. As you enter the dreaded MRI scanning centre, you just know what the result is going to be: An anterior cruciate ligament tear - ACL for short! It’s the main ligament which attaches the Femur to the Tibia. A normal tear takes approximately 9 months to recuperate, but this was not just a regular or normal tear. According to the doctors and physiotherapists, this was the worst one by a prolific sports athlete. They said my recovery timeline would reach 4 years - 4 years! - I could not comprehend what the doctors were conveying to me. The rehab commenced, the mind-numbing activities got underway and the clock painfully slowed down. This boredness could have, and probably would have pushed me past breaking point. The first few days were tolerable; nothing special, nothing fancy. The

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doctors and physios were quite amiable even though they probably weren’t going to be so friendly during the treatment. The clock was ticking and there was no way I could prevent it. Once you are badly injured, there is simply no way of being able to get up to your former heights. Football analysts suggest that a player’s “prime” is at 28. I was 25 so improving wasn’t an alternative. I could also have just been a one-season wonder. I mean, it was possible... The next few months were complete agony, merely because you just think of what’s due and not what you’re faced with at the time. It’s quite fascinating how you can be on fire one minute, and be frozen ice the next, solely because of a tweak of an ankle, a break of a finger or a pull of a muscle. When you’re approaching the end of the first year, you realise how sorry you are; how desperate you are. All you can do is sit and lie on the couch gazing at the Ronaldos and the Messis striving to be the player they want to be. When you’re hoping someone should feel through your pain, you know you’re hopeless! When you’re lying in hospital, and you are a distinguished footballer, the cards flood in like a dam which has just shattered to pieces. Although, they are heartwarming and loving, deep down inside you just want to scream! A scream of mixed-emotions: one half with anger and one half with utter sadness... Many sports players state that they contemplate suicide when they are injured for a lengthy phase of time. Personally, it’s tough to disagree. It’s not because you think you’re useless or you’re being bullied, it’s because you want it to stop. These cold thoughts rivet your mind when you’re going through rehab and they never ever stop. Many top-level clubs decide on whether they should buy you or not, depending on your durability. That’s one of the everlasting cons that come with obtaining a career-threatening injury. The pain of having an injury worsens if it is not your fault; for that split-second one wrong move one wrong turn and you end someone’s career. Now, I don’t blame him for what he did, even though it was his fault. It’s quite hilarious that the physios treat your knee like teachers teach small children how to read and write. It’s not their fault, how could it be their fault? It’s their job. The miniscule problem with that is, is that this is not crossing your mind when they are complementing your kneecap. If I remember correctly, it was 1½ years into the injury when the physios told me that I could go back into playing football in 2 years. I think the doctor’s eardrum burst from the sheer volume of my scream of joy, happiness and excitement. Even though, I hadn’t gone through even half of it, it was just so exhilarating to think that the rehabilitation was shorter than I first anticipated. I could finally play sports, lightly, but still I could play the sport I wanted to. I had gained a lot of weight. But who cared? I could finally run around and kick a ball, all I ever aspired to do.

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The physio said I couldn’t play properly for a year after that. That news kind of sabotaged the moment but it was still a joyous stage in my injury rehabilitation. And then the moment arrived. Luckily, Wolves had kept me in their books, so that was a plus. My fingernails weren’t going to grow back for a long time. All those days of heartbreak, hurt and hardship were finally over. For those next few days, I felt like a kid at Christmas begging their parents to wake up so they could open their gifts. This time of my life was surreal, surreal. After a year, I couldn’t believe I was back, I couldn’t wait for the fire to recur and the ice to go on a vacation to hell, and never return until the day I die. “One-on-One with the keeper and GOALLLLLLLLLL!!!, It flies into the roof of the net, There’s no stopping that one” Clive Tyldesley roars as Molineux trembles “This man he’s quite special” Kenny Jackett mumbles “They just keep on coming, is there any way of stopping him?” Gary Neville exclaims “As the other team’s goalkeeper slides in with two feet” The whole crowd grimaces knowing what’s about to come...for the second time around! “He spectacularly rounds the keeper with a ball roll followed by a roulette” People ask me how I can remember everything about that day but all I say is, “How could I forget?”

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Last Wish Amanda Bang Tap, tap, tap. Justin tapped on the floor with his foot, nervously. Once in a while, he looked at the double doors on the end of the hall and sighed. There was a red rectangular light on top of the door: Light On. He could hear the faint beep sounds from inside the room. Tap, tap, tap. The smell of disinfectant filled the room, but by now he was used to it. He looked at his watch, and it read 4:53. It had already been almost half an hour since she’d gone in there. He hung his head down, clasping his hands together. Tap, tap, tap. He bit his lip, and could not keep still. He shivered once in a while. Justin stood up, and looked out the window. It was dark, but he could see white snow falling down. The snow wasn’t making his mood better at all. He paced around the hallway. Tap, tap, tap. When he sat down, only one thought kept going through his head- just let her be okay, just let her live. He could suddenly feel water filling up in his eyes. He swallowed hard, trying to keep it back in. But soon enough, salty water dripped down his face. Tap, tap, tap. It hadn't been long since he first met her. He still remembered it clearly just like yesterday. She changed him for sure. She was the girl who helped her get over the dreadful experience, but she couldn't do this to him too; he wasn’t ready to let go… Tap, tap, tap. He remembered the first time he met her. He wasn’t planning to get close to her, but that was almost impossible as she was so positive and talkative. It just started as a small thing… ****************************

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It was a busy day in the hospital, like normal - some nurses were sitting in the front desk, looking at their computer screen or talking to someone. The hallways to the emergency room were crowded with injured people and nurses. Trying to find a quieter place in the hospital, he walked over to the opposite side, which was the center for cancer and other terminal diseases. There were a few adults and children walking around, but other than that, the place was quiet. Justin sat down at a nearby bench, finally able to take a break. But not much later, his father called him over. "Yes father?" "Justin, do me a favor," he said, looking over papers. He sighed, and he was definitely looking tired. He had many more wrinkles than anyone his age, not to mention white hair. But Justin turned away, not being able to get over the hate he had developed over the years... "What is it?" He answered in a monotone. "The volunteers that help and entertain the patients and talk to them can't come. The little ones are taken care of but there's one more person..." Justin definitely didn't like where this was going. He was still uncomfortable from the memory of her being here with him. How will he be able to do such a thing againâ&#x20AC;Ś? His father saw the change in his expression and sighed once more. "She has leukemia but she's a bright girl, same age as you. She's going into 'the room' next week, so just talk to her, okay? It's not like you have to babysit. It's just that she won't be able to meet people starting Monday." 'The room'. It was probably the most dreadful place for most of the people here. It was when you go into a clean room where you can't get infected with any virus. They were stuck in that glass room for at least two weeks. Suddenly feeling pity, he gave his dad a little nod. "Only for a few days though. No more." He stole a glance at his father and looked away once more. His father looked more comfortable and there was a little smile on his face. "Thank you Justin, I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the easiest thing." He made an uneasy face and walked out, feeling a bit of regret. It didn't seem like much deal, but Justin knew his painful memories would come back. And he barely talked, especially after that incident. What was he supposed to do? Annoyed, Justin flopped down on his chair. "Are you sure this is going to be alright? Justin is cold as ice and what he's gone through isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the best thing for this...." the nurse who had been standing next to them commented. "It's going to be all right. She just needs some company that's all," the father said.

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Another smile was plastered on his face. "It's more like my son needs her more than she needs him." The nurse shrugged and walked away. Room 346, room 346, room 346... That was the room number of the girl he was going to be with. He shook his head, as that was the same room that his sister used to be in. It was like fate was playing with him. All these thoughts went through his head. When he finally got out of his thoughts, he was already standing in front of room 346. He sighed, thinking,” Everything is going to be alright if I don't get close to her; just keep my distance.” He knocked on his door, slowly turned the doorknob and went in. Justin saw the girl, who was looking out the window, admiring the snow slowly falling down from the sky. When she turned, he saw her wearing the hospital clothes and a woolen beanie to cover up her head, which he guessed was bald from chemotherapy. She was bone thin, and her skin colour looked unhealthy. Despite all this, the girl smiled as she saw Justin come in. “Hi! I’m Annette.” A little surprised by her enthusiasm, he didn’t reply right away. “I’m Justin.” His reply was short - this had become his habit a few years ago. Silence covered the room as Annette still looked out the window, admiring the snow. She pouted a bit, a little unhappy for the lack of enthusiasm from Justin. But she smiled, thinking that she was lucky to actually have company for a few days before she went into the room. “It’s a nice day outside, right?” Annette said, trying to start up a conversation. "Not really, it's so cold and slippery," Justin answered, taking out his homework to do. Even though he was barely talking to the patient, his memories kept haunting him. Annette could see some kind of pain in Justin's eyes. She was curious, but she didn't want to hurt him or anything; he was just a stranger at the moment. It was now clear that he didn’t really want to start a conversation with her. She just planned to talk to him bit by bit to get close. Looking at the books laid on Justin's table, she found the science textbook really interesting. Her eyes widened as her curiosity grew. "Want to read it?" Justin murmured, not looking up from his work. He wasn't talking to her as much because of his selfish reasons, so he decided to do little things like this to keep her entertained. "Yes! Thank you!" Annette gently grabbed the book and opened it in front of her. She turned the pages where it talked about space and read with amazement. Being weak and ill since 75

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she was born, she barely got to explore outside so the ideas and stories about space just fascinated her. Justin just could not understand this girl. Hearing from his dad, Annette didn't have much left, and she was going through harsh treatment lately to keep her healthy. Yet she wasn't depressed like most of the people here; she was curious and positive. A small smile formed on his lips as he saw how happy Annette seemed with what she was reading. Little by little, his bad memories about this room faded and were replaced by small, quiet, and warm memories. Unknowingly, Justin's mind opened up to her, and a bit to the whole world. The next five or so days went on like this: Justin doing small gestures of kindness like buying space magazines or being there when she was getting her shots. After the incident a few months ago, Justin stopped bothering to be nice or polite, but staying with her, he started to feel the benefit of happiness when he helped someone. They opened up more to each other, and they started to talk more. "Tell me...how's school and having classes like? I don't remember that well, it was such a long time ago..." Justin started to speak with a little smile. "Boring mostly. Just listening to lectures and learning things you need to know. There are especially a lot of tests these days." They talked about school for a bit more, and Annette cautiously brought a topic up. “Is something bothering you about this room? I’ve noticed you stare off into space a lot. Also, you look somehow sadder when you come in." Justin froze as he heard this. What should he tell her, a lie or the truth? He hadn't talked about her since her death. Seeing him freeze up like that, Annette quickly tried to cover up. “I-If it’s something you don’t want to talk about, you don’t need to. I know how it feels to have that kind of pain…” Annette suddenly looked a bit down, unlike her usual self. “Well, sorry for bringing that up. This made us more awkward I guess.” She was smiling, but the sadness in her eyes still stayed. Justin gulped, looked down, and started talking. “I… I’ll tell you.” Silence was between them. Annette didn’t know what to say. It seemed like such a big deal, and they met few days ago, even though she’s seen him around. “No, it’s okay. It must be a painful memory.” “I’m fine. I mean, I feel that you’ve been changing me the last few days. I’ve felt like nothing mattered since few years ago, but I’m starting to feel the benefits of helping someone. I feel happier. So I’ll tell you.” Justin sighed deeply, his eyes still gazing down. “My sister… She was in the same place as you two years ago. Well, she was younger and weaker, I guess. But she was so young, she didn’t fully get what was going on with her…” Justin paused in order to stop his voice from cracking. “She’d lived with leukemia for most of 76

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her life. She was going through so much pain with all the medicine she was getting-” he choked on a sob not being able to forget her pained expression. He was tearing up, and the tears ran down his face one by one. “A-all I could do for her was to make her happy while she was out here… And you know what the funny thing is? She had the same room as you. Everytime I enter this place, I seem to get fragments of memories of her. And since she died, I’ve become cold and depressed.” Justin put his hands over his face, embarrassed of how many tears were coming out of his eyes. Annette moved from her ward, closer to Justin, and started to pat his back. She was tearyeyed too, as though she knew what it felt like. “It’s not your fault that you couldn’t do anything okay? It’s okay to be sad. You just need to get over the pain, and that’s what makes you strong.” Hearing this, Justin felt understood, but his heart was hurting so much, he couldn’t stop his tears. “Let me tell you something,” Annette said, still trying to calm him down. “My grandmother died about five years ago, right before I got this disease. And whenever I looked sad and depressed about the topic of death, she always told me this. ‘Everything happens for a reason, like rain for the plants. It seems dark when it rains, but it is done for a good cause. So if someone dies, it’s for a reason. God or someone up there is saying that we need to be there for a reason.’ Since she told me that, even though it sometimes sounds ridiculous, I believed it. So Justin, don’t be so sad okay?” He was still in tears, looking down, but he forced out an, “Okay,” with a cracked voice. “I’m sure your sister is doing well up there.” ******************************** The next day, Annette went into “the room”, and Justin didn’t need to go help anymore. He realised that he had become close with another patient that won’t be able to stay healthy for long, and he tried to forget about her. He sighed as he went and sat down on the chair. He took out his usual stuff until he heard a knock behind him. He turned around and found a smiling Annette behind the glass. She was writing something in her notebook, and on her lap were a lot of folded paper cranes. She put the notebook on the glass for him to read. It said: Hi, did you have a good day? Justin smiled, got his notebook and wrote: Yeah. What are you making? Paper cranes? Annette wrote: Yes! Every time I go in here, I get bored easily, so I make these. Also, there’s a story in Japan that when you make a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true! Isn’t it interesting? Justing wrote: I see. Yeah, that sounds like a cool myth. How many did you make?

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Annette looked like she was thinking, and she quickly wrote it down on her notebook, not wanting Justin to wait much. About 400 now. I started not too long ago. Justin jotted down and showed her: Should I help you? It sounds fun and I kind of want to pay you back from yesterday. Annette frowned a bit, and wrote: Yesterday was nothing compared to what you did for the last five days. But sure! It won’t hurt to get help. Should I teach you how to make it? And for hours, they talked like that and made cranes, and Justin lost track of time. When he realised that it was past his dinner time, he hurriedly wrote, I need to go. Justin waved and ran off. Even though the time they had together a day wasn’t long, Annette felt lucky to have someone like him to talk to when stuck in “the room”. Now that she had gotten him to talk, he was actually a fun guy. Two weeks passed like this. Some days they could talk, and some days they couldn’t. But time flied for Annette when they could, unlike the other times when she was in the glass room alone. For Justin, he now had something to look forward to every day. Before, each day seemed so boring and pointless, but now he had someone to talk to and his brightened mood helped him make more friends at school too. But he didn’t dare to think about the future. “How many have we got left now?” Justin asked one day in her room, looking at all the cranes in the jar. “About one hundred and fifty left! I’m so happy I got this far so fast! I’m really thankful,” Annette replied with a huge smile on her face. She coughed, which was a bit unusual. “No problem. You helped me go through something I couldn’t do for years now. Hey, are you feeling alright?” Justin asked, a worried look on his face. This suddenly felt like déjà vu, as coughs were the first symptoms that his sister had developed when her condition suddenly got worse. Justin didn't want this to happen to Annette, so he wanted to make sure she was fine. “I’m feeling alright. Maybe that was just some dust,” Annette replied calmly, not wanting him to worry about her. Just when Justin was about to reply, his phone rang. He talked on his phone for a while, out of earshot, so Annette didn’t really know what was going on. He came back rather in a hurry. He grabbed his bag and said, “I’m sorry Annette, but I’ll have to take my leave now, something came up.” Justin felt bad, knowing that she already had to wait for his school to finish to meet him every day.

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“It’s okay. You’ve been coming here so often, I don’t feel the boredom anymore. And I’m always thankful.” Annette waved good-bye. “I think we can finish the thousand cranes in two days, right?” “Yup,” Justin said as he went for the door. “Be well and bye! See you tomorrow!” At that time, he didn’t know there was no tomorrow. *************************** Justin skipped into the hospital entrance, happy to tell Annette that he had finished 50 cranes last night for her. But when he entered the oncology ward, something seemed different. Instead of the calm environment, the nurses there looked rushed and tired. That reminded Justin about how his dad left the house extra early that morning… He stood in front of room 346 about to knock the door. It can’t be her, right? he thought as he knocked the door. But there was no reply. He frowned. Maybe she’s sleeping. He slowly opened the door, as his hands started to sweat. When he swung the door open, his heart sank as no one was in there. Justin took a moment to realize what was going on. She wasn’t in her room. She could have gone to the bathroom, or changed her room. He kept thinking of alternatives, but he ran to the front desk, asking, “Do you know where Annette from room 346 went?” The nurse searched something up on her computer, and replied, “She’s in critical condition, and she’s in this part of the hospital where people aren’t allowed in.” Justin felt like he was punched. She was fine the day before, just coughing. That wouldn’t have done much right? He slowly walked to his dad's office, hoping that her condition wasn't that bad. Justin's dad was walking in and out of his office room, carrying paperwork or liquid medicine. Once he looked settled in, Justin went in. "Dad, what happened to Annette?" His hands were sweaty and he was nervous to hear his answer. "She's caught a cold, but she doesn't have enough white blood cell count and t- cell to fight it off. She was found with a very high fever this morning, and she's moved to a more clean and secure room. I'm sure she'll be fine okay? We're doing the best we can." "That's what you said last time," Justin replied with anger in his voice. "And that's what you say every time. But it's a lie! I know, it's always been like this!" Justin shouted as he ran out of the room and the hospital. Justin found himself running into the backyard garden, so he sat down on the bench he found. Justin sulked, knowing that this wasn't anyone's fault, but he put all his anger out on 79

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his father. Guilt crawled up to him, making him want to cry. Then Justin remembered about the cranes, and the myth behind it; the 1000 cranes will make your wish come true. This was his last hope. He took papers out of his bag, and started making paper cranes. ******************************* "Justin, Justin, you might want to wake up for this," his dad called him when it was very dark in the morning. "It might be the last of her." This got Justin up right away. He got changed and he took the fully accomplished 1000 cranes jar with him. A cold breeze slapped his face as he walked to the hospital. It was snowing, like the first day he had met her. He shook his head. Another play of fate. His dad went into the restricted area as Justin waited, tapping his foot continuously on the ground. *************************** Tap, tap, tap. He looked over at the cranes. He hugged the jar, repeating his wish on his mind over and over again. Tap, tap, tap. The snow seemed to slow down a bit, and he could see that the sun was about to rise. Tap, tap, tap. Patience was getting to him. He wanted her to be okay, he wanted to see her. Nothing seemed possible right now. Tap. Right when the snow seemed to stop, his dad walked out with a frown on his face. There was no need for words. Justin's dad shook his head, and walked back in. Ironically, sun shone brightly into the room. Justin felt so dumb, relying on a jar of folded paper. He felt like this was his fault, his responsibility. Maybe he shouldn't have visited so much, so Annette might have less chance of getting the virus. But then, like a ghost, her voice whispered in his head, "Everything happens for a reason." He felt a sudden urge to cry. He knew that Annette wouldn't be happy with him so sad about her dying, especially if he went back to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;old himâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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Justin's dad walked out of the double doors again, holding a piece of paper. He slowly approached him, knowing that his son was upset. He carefully put the paper onto Justin's hands, saying, "She wanted me to give this to you." He patted Justin's back and went back in. It was a letter written by Annette. Justin tried to read it, but tears covered his sight, making the words blurred. He wiped his eyes and tried again. Dear Justin, If you're reading this letter, then you must know I'm not in the same world as you. So I hope you don't read this soon. I just wanted to thank you for staying with me almost every day, helping me have the most fun in my last few days. Thank you for all the space magazines and all the stories. I'm glad that you changed while you've met me too. You were a bit cold- actually, really cold like ice (I'm teasing you)- and I felt like you've become a warmer person and I'm glad I played some part in your life (hopefully). So don't go back to who you were before because of this, okay? I'll get mad from wherever I am. Who knows? I might be an angel, always standing next to you (maybe not). How did the cranes go? Did you finish them yet? To tell you the truth, I feel like that you were making them with me for a different reason. When I first started making them, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a wish. I made them, just wishing that someone else in this world will benefit from it. Then I met you. Since the day you told me your story, my wish was clear. My wish was for you to move on. Move on from this topic of death. I wanted you to have some fun, and I wanted you to break free from the chain that you were stuck on. All the guilt and the rest of it. So just remember, yeah, I get that it might be hard to get over deaths, but I'm not sad about this, so don't you get depressed. Remember what I told you. I believe that everything happens for a reason okay? Justin, this is my last wish. My last crane. Please make it work. Thank you, and goodbye. Annette

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Unknown Yeob Kim They’re here… It was expected that they would come any moment now. Lights flashing and holes in the sky; those were signals of warning and existence. But we will fight. Fight them and demolish them. We do have an advantage. Hopefully, their planet isn’t like Earth... By the way, I’m a 16 year old boy named Kevin and Earth is my home. Not everyone saw the holes and lights. But when they did, they panicked. It was a big deal for us. On every channel there was a live cast of these holes. I went out of the house to see for myself. What I saw was chaos… The holes weren’t the things that were chaotic. My town was a mess. People were breaking into shops to steal and get resources to survive. People were screaming, crying and some were praying. I always thought my neighborhood was the most peaceful one. I was wrong. “Hey look over there!” “Oh my God.” Everyone looked into the distance in the direction the lady pointed. At this point, we all knew we had to grab our belongings and run. I was scared and I know I wasn’t the only one. There was no time to waste. I ran back into the house trying to warn my family. “Dad we need to get out of town” “Kevin, what’s happening out there?” “There’s no time for this! Tell the rest of the family. NOW!” I know this wasn’t the most polite way to talk to my dad but I had no choice. I ran to my room and only grabbed the items that were crucial to survival. In this case it was my phone, wallet and the wifi machine. My dad was waiting outside for us with the car ready to go. As soon as we got on, we were gone. But we had a problem. Some cars were abandoned which was probably the cause of the traffic. “We’re going by foot. Everyone out of the car!” After a while of walking, I could tell everyone was exhausted. We were dragging our bag along behind us, panting like wild dogs. Why didn’t I bring water with me? I looked back to see if anything was there. I looked far enough to see the curving of the Earth. I could see nothing but the heat waves. Looking around, I realised we were stranded in the middle of a forest. However, we weren’t the only ones here. “A convenience store! Dad I’ll go look for water.” “Kevin, be careful.” 82

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With every step I took around the store, I heard glass break under my feet. It was empty. The glass doors were shattered open. The shelves had lost their balance and were lying on the ground. The fridge light was blinking, off… and on. It reminded me of a scene in a horror movie I watched recently but I had no choice. My goal was to get water and I didn’t want to fail. I walked towards the fridge, slowly. “Grrrr” I turned my head rapidly back reacting to the sound. I slowly creeped towards the wooden door. “Hello? Who’s there?” And that was when I knew. The “thing” was in here with me…

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Letters for the dead Annabelle Park This short story is dedicated to all those people who passed, and are above us. May you rest in peace. 18/03/2015 Dear Robin Williams, Today I am writing a letter to you for an assignment in class. Our teacher told us to write a letter to a dead person… I guess she wanted us to write to like a dead president or something; I don’t know. I can’t talk to a president, so therefore I’ll write to you. I wish you could tell me why you left. There is another reason why I am writing to you. It’s because Neva (my sister) loved your movies and shows. She died last year in May. May, 25th. You and I were first acquainted when she showed me “Dead Poet’s Society” (that was back when I was in middle school). We watched it together with buttered popcorn at our side and at the end, like her, I fell in love with your acting and your movies. You know, I don’t get why this assignment has anything to do with English. We’re learning about poetry and we get this assignment. And it’s a letter… As if like somehow we will be able to send this letter up to Heaven or to the post office for ghosts. Anyway, my sister... Neva was really pretty. She was 17 years old. Her hair was always smooth and straight and shiny; it cascaded down her shoulders and ended at the middle of her back. You could try searching for her up at Heaven; she had blonde hair and eyes that were different colours. One eye was a mixture between green and blue and the other was a piercing emerald. She was about 175cm tall and her smile was her secret weapon. When she smiled, the world fell at her feet... This week is the first week of high school for me (big whoop). I go to Midwoods High School (MHS). We moved to New York after my sister’s death. My Mom stayed in L.A while my aunt and I moved for my aunt’s job, and to get away from the high school I was going to go to. It was the same school my sister went to before she died. I knew what was going to happen as soon as I stepped through the front door… People would greet me by saying that they are sorry for my loss and they would ask unanswerable

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questions that would be pain to my ears. So yeah, I guess you could say that a new school in a new place is a... fresh start.(?) On the Monday of this week I tried on my sister’s outfit that she wore when she first started High School. It’s a light green sweater with a leather skater skirt. On her, beauty became my sister. On me, it looks like I am wearing a costume. (Am I using too many ellipses and periods? Am I supposed to put in like sophisticated vocabulary and punctuation for this letter that will never be sent?) Anyway, so I just wore some jeans with a brown oversized sweatshirt. When I came to school, I realised this was the wrong choice. The other thing I realised is that you never bring your own lunch. You stand in line with your friends and buy pizza or else you just don’t eat lunch. I brought my own sandwich made by my aunt. It used to be the thing that me and my sister would ALWAYS be craving for when we were young… She thinks I still like it and she tries so hard in making me happy so I just eat it for her. Everyday, I would eat it in the bathroom and throw away the brown paper bag in the trash-can where people put tampons in. But other than that, I like this school. It’s starting to rain leaves here but the air still has the touch of summer. I like the fact that this school has great architecture and interior designing and that everything is clean. I like the fact that this boy I nicknamed “Fire” (cause his auburn hair reminds me of it) wears a leather jacket even if it’s still warm outside. I also like the fact that his dark eyes have a hint of blue in them, just like how my sister did… I like the fact that when he breathes his chest falls down and goes up ever so slightly, and the fact that I breathe the same air as him and as my sister did and as you did. I like the fact that air is everywhere and everyone breathes it with you. When I watch your movies, it seems like you are possessed and that you are actually that character… I like that fact too. Yours, Julianne V. ***

19/03/2015 Dear Robin Williams, Today our English teacher told us to pass our letters up to her in the front of the class. I looked down at the letter that I wrote to you and I didn’t hand it in… I felt bad, but there are some things that you can only tell the people that don’t exist anymore.

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Lately, I’ve been watching your movies that my sister and I loved. Again. Old memories come back of us laughing at your hilarious acting and then falling silent again because we were so sucked into the movie. I also cut my hair. It was in the way, so I cut it. Myself. Now it just brushes the top of my shoulders. (I hope this doesn’t mean I am becoming crazy.) I miss it now, but not that much. I used to love the way my hair got tangled and that I actually needed to care for it and take time and put in love to my masterpiece that would soon be ruined in about 8 hours. Anyway, today I tried buying the pizza like everyone else does with the pocket money my Mum sends me every other month. It tasted good and when I was done, something really weird happened. I realized I was staring at “Fire”. He was turning to talk to someone when he saw me look at him. It was just a moment when our eyes locked together. I quickly turned away and the weird part is, that when I looked back up, he was still looking at me... For that small moment, his eyes made me deaf and blind to my surroundings. He took me to this whole new room with golden walls and warm lights everywhere and in it... only me and him! I hope you didn’t get bored because of my fantasizing about Fire. If you were here with me and you could’ve seen him out of my eyes, you would admire him the same way. Yours, Julianne V. P.S. Fire’s real name is Zac Felton. But let’s just call him Fire...it’s easier. *** 23/03/2015 Dear Amelia Earhart, I envy you, I envy you so much. I am jealous of your bravery and not the point that you died while doing something you loved, but dying without fear. That day when you looked down from the sky, you didn’t know and you didn’t fear the threat of death. But I have one question everyone is dying to know, what happened to you? I mean like, how did you die? What happened after you “went missing”? I wish I had that speck of bravery inside of you, like my sister did. She was bravery.In her hair, her clothes, her eyes and her words. When you open her closet there are loads of shoes - 10 inch heels that would take a professional to walk in, pants that she cut

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herself to the point where it is barely covering her butt, shirts where she cut the neck. And most of all, bold, BOLD colours! I mean boldness on a different level! So this morning, I made a decision to be like you and Neva. I walked to her closet and pulled out the outfit that she wore to her first day at high school, and I put it on. This time, I didn’t look in the mirror. The minute I walked into the hallways of MHS, people noticed me. They didn’t treat me like an invisible girl like they did two weeks ago. They greeted me, they smiled and they looked at me (I know, this is so sad). That’s when I learnt that clothes and looks do matter. All the rubbish that people tell you about being yourself and not caring about what other people think is all false. It DOES matter and everybody watches you, they watch how you dress, how you talk, even how you stand! Therefore, you have to care to get a place in this world. Anyway, that was my little deep rant-thing (#deeptalkswithJulianne)... Today at lunch, this time I didn’t just go to sit by myself near the fence outside to eat. There’s this girl in English that sits next to me and draws stuff on herself. Not little notes or hearts. But huge pictures. Beautiful pictures! They cover the lengths of her arms and adjoin together at her collar bone. Pictures of meadows and animals and other pictures or words worthy of becoming tattoos. Her name is Judith, and she’s naturally an artist. Every single line she draws, and all the different colours and shades create an enormous story of fantasy, tragedy, romance, action or horror. Judith has ombre blue hair (always braided) and skin as bright, not pale, as diamonds. She’s left-handed and has the most admirable sense of humour. Confidence is her thing. Art is her talent. She didn’t try to be pretty like the other girls, she was just effortlessly flawless (it’s almost to the point where you think the song “Flawless” by Beyonce was written about Judith). Anyway, (I say “Anyway” too much, don’t I?) at lunch I walked over to the table where she and this other girl with blonde hair sat. As soon as I stood over her table, she looked up and smiled. Realizing it was me, she exclaimed, “Oh! You’re that girl that sits next to me in Art and English!” I quietly nod and ask if I can join them. Then it all went the same, “Hi. What’s your name? Bla. Bla. Bla.” All was good, until Fire came along. He stared at me as he walked towards our table, where we were sitting. I looked down, and in one blink his large body was looming over me, radiating heat.

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He smiled, the angelic smile that would melt down the buttons of your blouse. He looked into my eyes; my jade eyes filled with wonder and surprise. He talked to me, he told me that he wanted to hang out with me today after school. He asked if I could come. I nodded, yes. I don’t care if I’m being an easy girl, yes - always, yes. You would’ve said yes too. Yours, Julianne V. 9 months later 23/12/2015 Dear Robin Williams, You know what? I hate Fire. What a self-absorbed, snobby, obnoxious little diva… He’s… SNOBNOXIOUS! He’s one of those boys that are like Voldemort on the inside but like Zac Efron on the outside. And, because he knows he’s so good-looking, he goes around and 2-times you. While bragging that he’s SO faithful. Wow… I just can’t even... He should die. Oh my God! I just… WHY?! Why, does he do that? Why does he want to break people’s hearts? I just don’t know why! We were going out all fine and 9 months later a girl is pregnant because of him and - it’s not me! It’s a good thing that it’s not me... but still. And he says “Oh, you didn’t know?”. LIKE WHAT? He was expecting me to know and be fine about it? Argh, I HATE him! Did he really think that after all I’ve been through at this school, I would be the same shy girl at the start of the year? God, nothing lasts forever, does it?! Not my personality. Not my innocence. Not even love, not even life. Not even my sister’s life. Not even... his life. He should die! Yes, he should die. He should die… -J.V 23/12/2015 Dear Marc Antony, 88

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Okay. I can’t believe I’m writing to you. YOU. Out of all people that are deadYOU. Funny… What makes it even worse, is that I think you’re pathetic. Like. Me. It’s really sad,’cause you are the person who killed himself because of the RUMORS that this Cleapotri or Clepatra girl was dead. You are the person who lost the war with the Romans. Didn’t you even have another wife? Wasn’t it your enemy’s sister? Pathetic. Why’d you give into the hate? They hate us ‘cause they ain’t us lol. Well, my name is Zac Felton and I broke two hearts. Maybe more, but I dunno. One, I got this other girl pregnant, when she isn’t even my girlfriend. And, the other (Julianne) is my real girlfriend. She means the world to me, but… she’s in pieces because of me. Because….well… mistakes happen? I kept asking her “Do you still love me” before she found out. And, when she did, she cried so much, I nearly spilled tears too. I don’t usually cry, but it was the first time I came so near to tears. I swear, I felt a horrible pain of guilt, regret and helplessness. I just, don’t know what I have to do now. I wish I could die. Everyone has those moments when they just think to themselves “I should die”, but deep down they think it’s stupid. But what I’m feeling is different. It’s just like what you felt (probs, eh I dunno). I should die… I wish the other girl and the baby was dead. I wish Julianne was dead. I wish we were all dead, just like you. I should die. I am not kidding. Were you kidding when you said you were gonna kill yourself? I should die. Oh my God, I should just die... -Zac Felton

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The Cage Benjamin Choi Dedicated to my late lizard Rango “The One who made it all possible” “The dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible. This I did.” – T.E. Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia” I keep looking beyond the trees thinking the same thing over and over again...Leslie. Where’d she go? She’s helped me through tough times. Where is she off to now? All these trees are looking at me with dark faces and branches reaching out to me. Everytime I look, I hear the sounds of despair and loneliness. My hands are red painted ice. I keep hearing a faint soft voice calling out to me “Drake…” ****************************************************************************** It all started from when I was changing schools from Ontario Canada to Cartagena Colombia. It was going to be my first year of high school, yet changing schools wasn’t an easy thing to do. I had to leave my friends and memories from my old house which I had lived in for many years. I felt like Columbus, when he discovered the new world. Knowing how I was going to be the new kid around, I needed to know what the other pupils were like. Everything at school was just like my old school until a girl caught my eye. She was the greatest person I ever saw in Columbia. She had brown hair falling down her back like a waterfall, amber eyes of gold, lips that looked as soft as a pillow and a mouth that spoke a voice a year younger than me, however she was the same age as me (14). We weren’t too different compared to others; she even had an incredible sense of imagination just like me! “Hello, you must be the new kid, nice to meet you, my name is Leslie.” Straight after she said that, my heart started pumping the fastest it has ever pumped (I thought I was going to faint). I’ve never met someone who made my heartbeat rise. I just said, “H-Hi, My n-name is S-Samuel Drake,” “Shy one eh? It’s fine it happens to a lot of the new comers to the school. You’ll get used to it,” I thought ‘wow she’s ACTUALLY not that different from me’. From there, I asked if we could be friends, and she surprisingly told me secretly, “I was about to ask the same thing!” At that point, she started telling me about her life and what she liked. She seemed to like adventure a lot. She always talked about strange beings that lurked in the forest...

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“There is an ancient place in the middle with two animals that are captured in a concealed brass vessel surrounded by a ring of never-ending fire.” she whispered into my ear as I examined the school out of curiosity. “However, it was said that the outside was covered with dark spirits” (I was thinking it was just crows) “that are eager to chase living beings to extinction...” She also told me that they had black rags as clothing and red masks that put you in a trance making you believe that all of your biggest fears come to life. The animals were not too far from school, but they were hidden at dawn. The only time you can visit them is when you enter the ‘Mystic Forest’. Some say people got lost and after years, were found shredded, bitten, skinned, decomposed...burnt…but to me, this seemed like a bunch of fake stories that adults used to try to scare you. One day, she decided to go into the forest with me, but both of us had to face the dangers of walking into the forest at dawn… It was 5:00 am. We were standing in front of the forest with stabilized faces glaring straight into what was beyond the forest. We were both wondering what could happen when we’d take our first step into it. This was because everyone she knew, vowed not to go into the forest after hearing all of its dangers and what the forest had consumed! The moment we took our first step, we immediately looked at each other’s sides to make sure nothing was following us. Suddenly, from behind us, we felt a small force pushing us into the forest which we couldn’t resist. It was as if the forest had told us “once into the forest, there’s no way out until…” That moment when we stopped moving, I checked my watch ‘5:20 am’ at right when the first second passed by 5:20, I saw a glimpse of the sun and I thought ‘uh oh...it’s dawn...’ All of the trees were looking at us with their mossy wooden faces of horror. Both of us were moving forward expecting to not see any more of those death faces, but the deeper into the forest we went, the more terrors we encountered. A few minutes later, we saw a black figure shaped the same way as Leslie had described to me. As it came closer, we quickly ran away not caring where we went. From there, we separated more and more until I was trapped in a prison of darkness…It’s not easy to describe what it looked like and from that moment on, I travelled further, further and deeper into the trees. Now...back to square one...I keep looking beyond the trees thinking the same thing over and over again...Leslie. Where’d she go? She’s helped me through tough times. Where is she off to now? All these trees are looking at me with dark faces and branches reaching out to me. Every time I look, I hear the sounds of despair and loneliness. My hands are red painted ice. I keep hearing a faint soft voice next to me in my mind calling out to me...Drake… An option which won’t solve anything is slow death over time...one demon chasing us is nothing. As long as I keep myself confident, I will find Leslie no matter what. Noticing how she went through trees, it wouldn’t be too hard finding her since she actually made a pathway of footsteps and how she dented a few trees as she went through them and ran through mud thus leaving a trail of footsteps leading to a very dark absorbing cave.

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As I move through the trees that look lifeless without their leaves, the tentacles of the darkness start covering me as if I was someone falling into a pool of water. It was as if the air itself had painted itself in darkness. I was walking through the sinister hallway just as bright as beyond the color black. As I walk towards the tunnel of despair, I saw the small lighting of fire...I sawâ&#x20AC;Ś Leslie? You look...differentâ&#x20AC;Ś But that was all I could say as the flames began to envelope me too.

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It’s Hard to Forgive Amy Ma My tears find their way up to my tear ducts... they force their way through and drop one by one. There...right in front of me, are the bodies of my parents‐ lifeless. I don’t understand anything, for I am only 4 years old. Why are my tears coming out? Why aren’t my parents moving? What could I possibly understand about death? Even though I know nothing, my tears still keep dropping. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ I take out the yellowing article from my bag and stare at it. “Breaking news: Married couple found dead after deadly bush fire on the 2nd of May 2000.” These memories from 15 years ago are so vague, yet so clear. My family and I were going camping in the forest and within a blink of an eye, a sudden fire devoured my parents’ lives ‐ nearly mine too. The authorities eventually concluded that it was a natural influence since bushfires were so common throughout Australia. My classes for the day finished and I put the article back into my bag and started to walk home. Currently, I am living with my uncle since he was the only relative I had left after my parents died. Both my grandparents had incurable diseases and died before I was born. It’s my first day at university so we promised to have dinner out as a form of celebration. I remember the look on Uncle Finn’s face when I told him that I got accepted to Princeton University with a scholarship; his expression was full of pride. When my parents died in that accident, my Uncle was just 20 years old and he, without uncertainty, decided to take care of me. He’s done a great job doing so for the past few years. He held me in his arms when I cried at night. He fed me every day for 15 years. He told me that he will always love me no matter what. I will forever be grateful for that... As I walk home, I can hear the stray cats crying. I can see the gangsters walking down the road. I can hear the loud music playing throughout the whole neighbourhood. I see a few policemen here and there when I arrive in front of my apartment and I don’t think it’s that much of a deal because crimes always happen around where I live. Ignoring all the commotion, I get in the

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elevator and press the number “12”. When the elevator reaches the 12th floor, I get off and...I see more policemen. “Well this is… strange,” I think to myself, “There’s only one other family living on this floor…” I start to walk towards the entrance door of where my uncle and I live, but I’m stopped by an officer. “Are you Olivia Wilson?” the officer asks. What in the world is happening? My head starts spinning, and everything becomes a blur. I take a few seconds to catch my breath and I realise that I haven’t answered his question. God, this better not be bad. “Uh… yes, I’m Olivia Wilson.” I reply. “Uh… come in, and take a seat,” he leads me into my house and sits me down. Where is Uncle Finn? We were meant to have dinner together tonight… “Um… would you mind telling me what’s going on here?” “Well, this might be quite hard on you but…” “What is it?” “I’m sorry to inform you, but... your uncle, Finn Wilson, has been arrested for the murder of Juliette and Frank Wilson.” The man solemnly says. What? Is this some sort of joke? I stand there, confused and I question the policeman, “E‐ excuse me? Could you repeat what you just said? I’m sorry, I think I misheard you.” Another policeman, who seems a bit younger, walks in and says, “Hey, Olivia. This will be quite upsetting but… Finn Wilson, your uncle, murdered your parents, Juliette and Frank Wilson.” “W‐ what?” “Look kid, I know this may be hard, but just bear with me here.” The older policeman sighs. When I hear it again, my mind replays the scene of the colossal fire engulfing my parents. I remember seeing a tall figure... close to two meters. Oh. My. God. That was Uncle Finn. I wake up with confusion; chaos surrounds me. I’m in an unfamiliar environment when I open my eyes. I hear typing, the voices of people discussing different cases, the names “Juliette” and “Frank” popping up again and again. Ugh, so it’s real. My mind takes a few seconds to adjust to what was going on outside of my door (I’m assuming hospital door; I must have fainted). I was told that my uncle, whom I trusted so much, had been arrested for the murder of my late parents. All of this seems unrealistic. Why would my uncle, out of all people, decide to murder my parents? The younger policeman who was in front of my house entrance walks up to me. “Are you feeling okay?” He queried, “You suddenly collapsed when I told you the second time.” “Um.. Yeah, I think I’m fine. It’s just…” I say. “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to believe but… I mean the evidence shows that it’s true.” “Yeah, I just can’t believe that it was Uncle Finn who did it. He was so caring and…kind‐ hearted.” “Well, you just have to accept some things in life‐ whether you like it or not.” “Yeah. I guess so.” ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 94

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Now, the whole case has settled up and I’m allowed to visit my Uncle at the prison meeting room. At first, I was hesitant about wanting to meet him, but I decided that I have to ask him myself. I have to find out why he did such an unacceptable thing... I walk into the room and sit down. Behind the clear glass is the man who killed my beloved parents. A cluster of memories storm into my head. Come here Liv, look what I got you for your birthday present! “Hi.” I state, trying to clear my mind from the memories. “H‐hey…” He replies. He looks worn out and exhausted… It’s okay, Liv, you can just do better next time! “So… Uh‐ how’s life in prison?” I ask. “Well… I guess it’s ok‐” Don’t cry! Uncle Finn will be here for you no matter what. I shut down all the memories and interrupt, “Let’s… let’s just get to the main point here.” I start to tear up, “Why did you do it? Why would you even think to do that?” “Liv, I’m sor‐” “Who cares if you’re sorry or not? It’s already been done. Mum and dad, both of them, are gone. They’re dead!” “Liv, I know it’s already done. I don’t know what more I can say than… I’m sorry. I truly am.” There is a moment of silence. “But why?” I question again, “Why would you, out of all people, kill my parents and act like nothing happened? How could you face me after doing what you did?” “Liv I was drunk, okay? I was drunk and I don’t really remember what happened. But I absolutely take full responsibility for this. And about being able to face you after it happened… I didn’t know what I had to do. I thought that the case would have been solved and I would have gotten arrested. But none of that happened… The police concluded it as an accident caused by nature and ended the case ‐ just like that. I didn’t want to have to tell you myself. They said that they wouldn’t look further into the case so I thought it would be better to just not tell you an‐” “Stop. Stop this!” “Li‐” “No. Don’t even say my name anymore. How could you really think that you could just not tell me and continue on living your life like that? Really, you’re a horrible, disgusting human being! How am I supposed to live knowing that my parents, who I admired so much, has been killed by the man I thought was kindhearted?”

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Like that, I walked out of the room and exited the building. I plummeted to the ground and reminisced about the past 15 years. My first birthday without my parents ‐ my uncle bought me everything I wanted and gave me endless amounts of love. The day when all my classmates’ parents came to watch the play at school ‐ my uncle came and cheered me on. My high school graduation ceremony ‐ my uncle took lots of pictures for me. I’m not even his child, but he did so much for me. He loved me. He cared for me. But why? Why would he do this? I can’t take this anymore. My life is over. How can I live like this? All these negative thoughts invade my mind. My mind goes blank and I head towards the bridge that spans the icy harbour and... Without hesitation… I jump.

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Let Me Tell You His Story Joshua Choi It was a rainy day. Pouring outside. Fog covered the light. “Howard! Wake up!” It was his mother. Howard woke up with a gruesome look on his face. Howard’s family was normal; at least normal for him. They lived in a small cottage, where only three could live. “Canarsie in the Bayview Projects” is where all his dreams started; it was where this boy was living. “Hey Fred”, called Howard seeking his father, but there was a sudden silence gliding through the house. Dad had lost his job; the whole family was even more in debt. Fred had enlisted into the army when he dropped out of college. He was now a truck driver for a living, but just a week ago, he broke his leg and hip, which eventually made him lose his job. Later, Howard would recall:“ In the 1960’s, if you were a blue collar worker or uneducated and you had an injury on the job, the company basically dismissed you.” But Howard never gave up hope. Several years had passed, and Howard was already in high school. One bright sunny day, he brought something home. It was a football scholarship, it was his chance to leave Canarsie and start a new life. He went to “Northern Michigan University” at the age of 17. He wandered into the realms of the rising star where he was one of the several young talents in Michigan. “Coach!” “Yes Howard.” Even though Howard was admired as a football player, he had another dream. It was being an entrepreneur, a successful business man. Experiencing all the poverty that he and his family had endured, Howard dreamed to be the head of sales. “Coach, I want a degree in communications.” Howard said firmly with no doubt on his face. The coach with no word to say listened to what Howard wanted for his future career. In 1975, Howard graduated with a degree of communications from the “Northern Michigan University” and found his first ever job as an appliance salesman for “Hammarplast”, (a European company that sold coffee makers in United States). Rising through the ranks to become director of sales, during the 1980s, Howard noticed that he was selling more coffee makers to a small shop in Seattle. Every month the numbers of orders were rising from this little shop in Seattle. Howard thought, “I gotta go to Seattle” It was remarkable; when he first walked into the store he knew that it was his home. He still hears the coffee beans getting shredded and the aura of the “real coffee.”

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“God this is what I have been looking for my whole life” Howard said. He didn’t know what to do; he had a big smile on his grim face. He knew that it was his chance to make a difference; a difference that would change the idea of what “coffee” is. Howard was eager for the job. He wanted to work for the love of coffee. After a year of convincing, he became the director of marketing for the shop. As his working time increased and his role on the job grew, he had another goal. It wasn’t just making the best coffee in the world; he wanted to spread the idea of coffee. He wanted to imply the idea of making a coffee bar, which could be used as meeting places or public squares. “I believed the relationship I saw between people and coffee in Italy was transferable to America in a big way” Schultz said as he ran back to the shop. “Siegl lets bring in tables and bars into your shop!” Howard was full of excitement from what he had learned from Milan. “I’m sorry Howard, you know that we don’t do those kinds of business here, we only grind the coffees and sell them to the customers. We are doing well financially, why would you want something new that we don’t even know if it’s going to work?” Siegl explained. “I saw something. Not only the romance of coffee, but … a sense of community. People were connected to coffee, they had a connection with others with coffee, and it was a way to get connected with each other. After a week in Italy, I was so convinced to get back to Seattle to tell you the future of coffee.” Unfortunately, the owners of the shop disagreed with his ideas, but this didn’t change a thing for Howard. Howard still had his passion to make coffee to communicate with other people. In 1984, investors agreed with his idea of coffee bars, and finally, he opened “II Giornale” his first ever coffee bar. This was the start of his very first journey. “Good morning Howard” it was his special customer. “Good morning sir, Americano with two shots?” asked Howard. Howard had several customers that enjoyed staying in the coffee shop. They communicated with each other; they looked like they were home. He knew that this business could get better and better. Howard studied day and night to improve on his shop and finally achieved to add qualities that others didn’t have. He started to put coffee beans across the shop to attract customers, placed sofas for comfort and with some music that he liked. His business was shooting high and he was ready for his next action in plan. After several hard years of working, Howard had enough money to buy the coffee shop that he was in before. He bought the place and started to make better business. He used the same technique of marketing, but there was a huge difference in the quality of the beans. The roasted beans smelled atrocious, it had a different aura from what he had used before. The taste of the coffee was unbelievable. As he made these small differences, his business was shooting up high like a volcano spewing out smoke. It was time for him to place the shop abroad. The first target was Japan where people never drink or eat in the street because it shows disrespect. Also the shop had to be very small because the rent is so expensive. Howard had listened to local investors to make different menus such as the green tea drink. This raised the business and now Japan is the number 1 country for sales outside of North America. 98

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He started next with London. Coffee was an everyday drink for the people, but there was an issue. People liked coffees that were made traditionally, and many other coffee shops were taking customers from Howard. Howard had troubles in Europe, but he started to give out free coffee to try and proved that even though his shop was like a fast food outlet, the quality of the coffee was admirable. After they have seen the success in Japan, Howard opened his first shop in China. The Chinese had a strong traditional tea that they drank, and coffee was never consumed by them. As Howard studied, he found more and more middle class people in China who enjoyed spending time in the shops talking with their friends. This is “Starbucks”. Howard Schultz was the man who was in the center of a great cup of coffee in this world. He introduced the idea of “coffee” to many countries. There are more than 21,000 “Starbucks” throughout the world in over 60 countries. Throughout the last 30 years, Howard rose to the highest levels that he could. Starting from the bottom wasn’t easy for him, but he did it. His life was cold as ice and now he’s on fire; burning hot with his success.

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A Beautiful Necklace Chane Jacobs This story was inspired by “The Monkey's Paw” written by W.W Jacobs. Dedicated to everybody who has made year 8 one of the most amazing school years. The skyline was blue. What a beautiful day! A perfect day... or so I thought. Mother, father, my brother and I; a perfect and normal family having a normal lunch. On my plate: a nice, juicy steak with broccoli on the side and then my favourite mashed potatoes. Mom made my favourite lunch because it was my birthday and it tasted amazing. “Emily Waters, you have to get dressed. Your uncle just arrived from Egypt and he has brought you a gift. Apparently it is very historical.” Mom mentioned. “I am on my way Mom! And a historical gift, that sounds lame! I never liked this uncle. He is sooo boring!” I complained “You know that’s not true! Your uncle is an explorer, therefore he has the most interesting stories ever! Besides, he went to Egypt, that's where our family originates from! Just give him a chance!” stated Dad. “Fine! WHATEVER!” shouted Emily. Knock! Knock! “He’s here!” shouted Mom. “Hello John! Please do come in. Nice to see you again; how have you been?” Mom greeted the visitor kindly. Emily came into the room, her uncle saw her, and he smiled and said: “You have grown a lot since the last time I saw you!”

Ugh! I can smell his breath from a mile away! It smells like, umm a dead bird! He has this disgusting beard and a yellow tooth. I wish he could just disappear. “Maybe if you were around more, you would not say that.” Emily said sarcastically.

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“Brother! Oh I have missed you! How was your time in Egypt?” asked Dad curiously.

It looks like Dad missed him! I really wish that I can just suck it up and like John for once. But after what he did, I can’t forgive him. It pains me too much to even think about it! “I don’t know about you guys, but I'm starving” Mom interrupted

That’s great! It’s my birthday, I’m spending it with my uncle (who I hate), while I could be out partying and having fun with my friends,” I thought to myself. “So brother please do tell your interesting story,” inquired Dad. “I just need to warn you, what I am going to tell you is a great family secret that has been locked up for centuries,” warned Uncle John.

Ugh! He is so annoying! He thinks that we would be interested in his stupid secret story! If it is such a big secret, why is he planning on telling us anyway? “So it all started when the town was first discovered and we were one of the founding families. Our family came from a very cold and crystal city which was always cold and then when we moved it changed to a warmer environment. When we came here we found a very interesting object, a beautiful necklace. Our great grandmother, Isis was attracted to this beautiful necklace and immediately took it in her possession.”

Wow! A necklace, so awesome! I thought to myself sarcastically. If I could just sneak out, I could be chilling with my friends and just have fun! But I am doing this for Dad, so I will just suck it up and listen to the stupid story. “One day, your great grandmother was having a really bad day and she could not help but get mad at everyone and say mean things about them! She made a wish that one of her friends should disappear and never see her again. Then it came true when it was not supposed to! She then realised that she had the most powerful object with herone that could grant her any wish! Her very own talisman!” My Uncle paused for effect. “But what she did not know was that this object was created by the Fire Queen, who was one of Crystal City’s greatest enemies.” John stopped talking, took a big sip from his Sprite and ate the delicious pizza in front of him.

He is probably making all of this up to impress us! Why can’t he just stop trying? “So, what happened after?” asked my brother curiously. 101

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“Well, as she made more wishes, the more evil she became. She knew with the necklace in her possession she could be immortal. So she made more and more bad wishes to get back at everyone in Crystal City, and soon, it got out of control,” explained my uncle.

Surprisingly, I actually like this story, I really wanted to know what happens next. But I can’t seem interested or else he would think that I have forgiven him. “Well, are you going to tell us how the story ended?” I asked sarcastically “So, after a while, it got out of hand and the Queen of Fire was not very pleased with what your great grandmother had done. She put a curse on the necklace so that every time she made a wish… there were consequences. Ever since this necklace had been cursed, nobody knew what happened to Isis. The creepy thing is, on the back of the necklace it said: “Don’t dare to wish, there will be horrific consequences.” My uncle continued with a look of amazement in his eyes… “Well if it is “cursed”, can I still make wishes?” I asked curiously. “Well let’s find out.” John handed me over the necklace and I made my wish… Silence. “Well that failed! I should have known you were lying! Like you always do!” I laughed angrily. Typical! -NEXT MORNINGRing! Ring! “What? It can’t be!” Mom cried when answering the phone. “Mom, what happened?” Emily asked curiously. “Your uncle... he... he...he’s dead!” Mom stuttered.

I finally got rid of that old man! I got him back for what he did to me! They tried to tell me it was just an accident. That he did not know what he was doing; that it was the other cars fault. My parents trying to cover for him! I knew what he did. I knew that he had had far too much to drink that night. I had seen him secretly sipping away in the corner but nobody would believe me. I knew the truth! You killed my sister so I killed you! 102

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Security Tapes Sue Kim I work at a gas station in California. It’s a boring, tedious job but it’s pretty straightforward and the pay is alright. But things became a little shaky ever since a new guy called Gus started to work here. Gus is a fairly thin guy who hardly talks with other people and has an incredibly creepy smile. My boss and I both noticed this, but it has never been a real problem. Customers never complained about him and everything was going well-until we started to notice that our motor oils were disappearing. In the beginning, it was only a few containers at a time but then it gradually became entire boxes. My boss has checked the security camera tapes from every single night he worked, but he could never catch him in the act. Usually he takes them home and tries to catch him but doesn’t find anything, but one night he had to go to an important meeting so he offered to pay me more if I watched the tape for him. Obviously, since it was good pay and only watching a video, I agreed. Two days ago (the last time he worked), Gus started at 4 p.m. Everything seemed normal and the first customer was Mrs.Rose. She bought cigarettes and a newspaper for twenty dollars at 4:03. The next customer was some local guy named Josh. He drives a motorcycle and usually stops by every few days. He filled up his motorcycle, got a bag of beef jerky, paid with his credit card, and then left. Next was some guy with overalls. I'd never seen him before, but we get plenty of strangers passing through, just like at any other gas station. He got forty dollars’ worth of diesel fuel, paid with a hundred dollar bill, and went on his way. I sat back and sighed. This was incredibly boring to watch... Then, at 5:03 Mrs.Rose came in again; she must’ve forgotten something. But she didn’t. She bought the same pack of cigarettes as before, and the same newspaper. She paid with another twenty. That's odd, I thought, but then again, she's a little forgetful. That's when Ron came in again. He bought another tank of gas (for his motorcycle again) and the same pack of beef jerky. He paid with his credit card again. No big deal. I figured this was just a really weird coincidence. That's when the guy in the cowboy hat came back in. I felt a chill run down my spine. "Don't get diesel, don't get diesel," I found myself whispering to my empty living room...but he did. He got forty dollars’ worth of diesel fuel and paid with another hundred dollar bill. Every move he made was identical to his first visit. 103

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I kept watching. Every customer for the next hour was the same as before. Every single one. I was seriously freaked out, and then at 6:03, Mrs. Templeton walked back in. She bought her cigarettes and newspaper again, and paid with a twenty again. I thought I was going crazy. I only watched another half hour before I started fast forwarding through the rest. It was all the same. Every customer would come in at the exact same times, exactly one hour apart. I thought Gus was just messing with the tapes and somehow managed to make that one hour loop again and again. That wasn’t true. There was a window there and the sunlight faded as time went on. Gus’s routine didn’t loop over and over. He mopped, swept and cleaned up like any normal guy would. But the same customers kept coming in. I was panicking at that moment and there was no explanation on how that was physically possible. At exactly 12:03, Gus’ face popped out of nowhere on the camera. I don't mean he moved his head into view...I mean that one second the store was empty, the next second his face was all I could see. He was smiling at the camera. It was as if he were staring right at me. I screamed and fumbled for the remote control and by the time I got it. He disappeared. And so did all the motor oil on the shelves...

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The Third Element Dong Min Kim Once upon a time, on a planet of ice and purity and nothing else, a group of people called Firemen (people who were actually made out of fire and nothing else) settled and started flourishing in a town. The town, full of wisdom and creativity, grew even more and soon a large and sophisticated city of Fireland was created. The early people of Fireland, with an untradeable knowledge, kept an ideal co-existence with the complete opposite element of Fire and Ice. Fire and Ice kept in a natural environment where they would not be in full contact, as they feared the worst. However, the good days were changing, and Fireland was entering a new era where the deadliest could come about... Ian lingered around the front door of his lava-house and looked around as if something had interested him. He examined the tiny and emaciated icicles growing on the newly cemented lava-road. He ripped apart one long icicle from the ground and used it to poke holes on the lava-road, but was immediately knocked over by a sudden, powerful force. He had felt this force numerous times before. The last time he felt the force was when he accidentally rolled down from an ice mountain when he was five. As he came down the hill, in full physical contact with his surroundings, the same force constantly hit him like continuous bee stings. He did not know why, where and what the force was, but it was something very unpleasant, for sure. Ian went in his house. The front door was automatic, just like every other door in the city. He did not know how the door could open without even touching him, all he knew was bits of words he remembered from his science class: fire, ice and redification. Ian lived in area A-156, the center of Fireland, along with all the wealthy and powerful people of the city. As the letters progressed towards F, it was further away from the center, and the income and reputation of the people decreased. Ian lived with his grandfather. He did not have parents, or to rephrase it: he had parents until three. Both of his parents passed away from a terrible fireplant leak... or at least that’s what he’s been told. “You back Ian?” Ian heard his grandfather speak from a distance. Grandfather was sitting in a wheelchair, reading and drinking coffee as usual. Ian’s grandfather had taken care of him since Ian lost his parents. He was a man who lived isolated from the world. He did not work, nor drive, nor enjoy any other activities others did. He usually spent his time reading and growing his icicles in the backyard. Ian barely knew what grandfather was like when he was young. All he heard was that grandfather was a member of the head chiefs of Fireland city. Whenever Ian asked grandfather of his past and his parents, grandfather would reply “It is not yet the time…” “Yes, grandfather” Ian replied as usual. “Did anything special provoke your attention today?” 105

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“Nah, not really,” Ian thought for a moment then spoke, “well, we started a new topic in our history class.” “What is it?” “About redification.” Grandfather sighed and drank a big gulp of coffee. He looked out the window at the busy streets, the honking cars and the busy people. He looked at the intimidating skyscrapers, the planes above, and beyond that a vast, reddish fog that covered up the entire sky... “Look Ian, there should be more white than red in what you are seeing. This is wrong. We’re covering, we’re pressuring, we’re intersecting a world that’s supposed to be Ice. We’re boiling it red…” Grandfather gave Ian a bundle of icicles. “It wasn’t always like this. Actually, it’s only recently that Fireland has changed to be a fire city instead of firemen just living in an ice world. You don’t know do you? We, firemen are living in an ice world. Long ago, firemen put effort into co-existing with the world they were living in. They put on something called clothes, trying to not be in contact with the elements of Ice; they lived in cold weather, trying to keep the Ice world as preserved and respected as possible. They knew something would happen if Fire and Ice disputed. I’m not sure if they teach this in science class, but the Fire and Ice that form our world are total opposites. Something bad will happen if they mix. Before redification, we had done an excellent job of not letting the opposites be in contact directly, but now things have spiralled out of control...” Ian perplexed, asked, “What will happen now? Why did we decide to cause these problems?” “We traded our future for a bit of comfort and pleasure. Or at least the head chiefs did…” Grandfather sighed. “Head chiefs! Grandfather, weren’t you a part of them?” “Yes. But I disagreed with their plans, and that’s why I resigned.” “Why are you telling me this all now?” Ian questioned. “It finally is the time. We don’t have a lot of time left here if things remain the same. I want you to change it! Everything! Everyone! Unless another element…” Suddenly, the front door opened, and a man rushed in the house and grabbed Grandfather by his wrist, dragging him out the house. “Things stay the same” was what Ian heard the man whisper to his grandfather. Grandfather did not return the next day. Next week. Next month. Two years passed, and grandfather was nowhere to be seen. Ian was now a high school student. Age was the only thing that changed since Grandfather was taken away. Ian lived in the same house as two years before. He learned to do all the necessities for him to live without any major problems. While living a life of a normal high school student, Ian carried the secrets of the day grandfather was taken away. Ian remembered them by heart; the words grandfather said and the words the mysterious man whispered. Ian knew that something definitely was wrong in Fireland. It was changing. In the span of two years, higher buildings were built; more and faster, and hotter cars were manufactured, and more lava-roads covered up the whiteness of icy grounds. Ian could smell the air changing. Before, air smelt like the icicles and 106

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popsicle trees, but now it was hard to describe. It smelt like Ian himself. Yes. Fire. Ian also noticed the color of the sky changing. It was getting redder and redder until this week, the red fog had completely enclosed the whole Fireland sky. Ian not only detested the smells and appearance of the atmosphere, he was also worried about the forebodings of his grandfather. “Unless another element…” was his last words. What other element? Ian learned in science class that the universe was made out of two fundamental elements: fire and ice. But is there a third one? No, it’s virtually impossible. No one ever saw or talked about it, but how come grandfather knew? Ian decided to reach for help. He immediately went to his high school, and to his science teacher, Mrs. Vvul. Ian opened the classroom door and found Mrs. Vvul grading the recent exams he took. “Hello, Mrs. Vvul.” Ian greeted quietly. “What brings you here?” Mrs. Vvul closed the answer booklet and glanced at Ian, slightly annoyed by his presence late in the evening. “I just wanted to ask you a question,” Ian replied quickly, trying to bring up the question as fast as possible, “You know you taught us that there were two elements that form our universe…” “Yes, yes, go on.” Mrs. Vvul interrupted. “By any chance,” Ian started, “do you think that there is a third element in our universe?” Mrs. Vvul rolled her eyes, “Oh Ian that is nonsense. Who told you that? Or is that just one of the crazy thoughts Fireland teenagers have?” “Please, miss.” “No, there isn’t any. Now go back to your home, and finish your homework. It’s page 211, questions 1-27, answered in full sentences, highlight your key vocabulary words, in case you didn’t know.” Mrs. Vvul spoke. It was a hurried and rushed tone of hers that Ian had never heard before. Ian walked out of the room, dejected. However, he did not give up. Full of hope and determination, he decided to go back in the room and plead with her for a longer answer. But then Ian heard Mrs. Vvul tapping the keypad on the fire phone and speaking, “Yes, Head chief…” Not wanting to disturb her conversation with such a high ranking member, Ian decided to return home and just do his homework as told. Next morning, when Ian woke up, he did not see the ordinary view of his room. What he saw was himself trapped in a dark, fire chamber. The only light that helped his vision was the innate, dim firelight from his own body. “Anyone here?” Ian screamed for help, desperately. Only his own echoes returned as a reply. Ian wandered around the chamber, searching for any clue or any way to get himself out of the chamber. He found no key, no tool to make the way out, the only thing he noticed was a useless icicle lying on the corner of the chamber. It looked so similar to the ones his grandfather gave to him that day. Ian hugged them hard. He did not let go of them. He hugged the icicles as if he finally found his grandfather. Hours passed, Ian still did not let go of them, but he hugged them harder 107

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and harder, closer and closer. Suddenly, Ian started feeling the mysterious and powerful forces again like he did in his garden two years ago. It hurt. Ian did not let go. The forces were not single shocks, but were constant, continuous and deadly shockwaves that beat Ian both physically and mentally. Ian was losing on the physical side, but mentally, he was triumphing. The reminiscence of his grandfather, the recollection of his words and the hope that this might be the key to getting both back held, no, forced Ian to stick with what he was doing. But, it was not easy. The shocks were killing him. From head to toe, he felt his senses dying out, his sanity going wild... When Ian woke up, he was still in the dark fire chamber. He reached for the icicles, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then Ian noticed something different; something he’d never seen before. Something that forced his attention right onto it. Is this ice? Ian thought as he stared at a clear, crystal-like object on the ground. The color of it was definitely ice. But it was thinner, so thin that with a naked eye it was impossible to see it. Ian, afraid to touch it, blew it slightly with his mouth. It moved. It didn’t move like a normal ice object would, meaning just roll to another direction, but it rolled to several different places. Yes, it split apart. Is this the third element? Ian questioned himself. It was totally different from Fire for sure. And Ice… the color is similar, but it reacts differently, if not totally opposite from Ice. Should I touch it? Ian moved his shaky fingers towards the thing. When his finger and the thing came into contact, he felt a totally different sensation. It was not the powerful shock when he hugged the icicles, but this unexplainable feeling of… melting? When Ian glanced back at his finger, it was gone. Gone in the blink of an eye! It wasn’t chopped off, nor ripped off, but disappeared was the best word to describe it. With no pain, Ian’s finger had diminished into nothing. That was the power of the thing; the element grandfather was talking about, the element with the power of making fire disappear forever, the third element of the universe: water. By trading one of his fingers, Ian found a way out of the fire chamber. With all his might and strength, he blew water to the fire-walls of the chamber, where the walls then disappeared into ashes. Ian rushed out of the chamber, then sprinted for his life. He knew that he was in the wrong place, and that things were going against him. No, that everyone, Fireland itself was against him at this moment. He was a rebel, a dissident, but also the only one who could prevent the universe from turning into ashes. “Head Chiefs’ Room” was what made Ian stop running. By this time, Ian realized that the disappearance of his grandfather was related to the head chiefs and the fact that he was locked in the chamber had to do with them to. He entered the room with an unbearable aversion to the creators of the unnecessary problems to his life. “What brings you here?” One of the head chiefs asked. “I’m sure you know better” Ian glared, “I need you to change Fireland immediately, now!” “The redification process of Fireland has brought countless comforts and privileges to all our lives. Our and your life has become so much easier due to the superior element of fire replacing the jobs of the element of Ice.” another head chief replied, calmly.

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“It’s just not right. I get the positives, but the negatives… they are incomparably strong and dangerous. We are digging our own graves here!” Ian knelt down and pleaded, hoping his intentions will be conveyed to the head chiefs. “The third element was eliminated thousands of years ago.” The head chiefs all replied at once, half confident, half trembling, “The collision of Fire and Ice will not result in bringing in the third element, but only slight forces. You would have felt it numerous times before…” Ian walked towards the corner of the room, where an icicle was growing in a vase. He dragged the icicle out of the ice soil, then and hugged it, just like he did in the chamber. He hugged it hard. As time passed, he felt the jolts, then the constant, torturing shockwaves, and then he felt his consciousness drifting away… People screamed, cried, and howled for help. But soon they diminished into nothing but ashes. Buildings melted - no just faded into the sky. Everything in the city was wiped out mercilessly by the third element. Nothing but tearful puddles, nothing but the late regrets, nothing but the tranquil death filled the bright, blue skies, at last. Perhaps this is a dream, or perhaps this is our distant future. You decide.

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Come Nightfall Brian Rhee and Yoonmin Yong “Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life. Which make it pungent. Intoxicating. ✦ ✦ ✦

A gale of bitter wind whispered by, rousing the fallen leaves from their sleep. A man, shuddering from the cold, slowly trod along, walking with wariness to avoid the slick pools of ice. He stared into the royal night sky; a deep sapphire blue. This man was strangely at peace; for what reason, no one knew- only that he had no urgent desire to go anywhere, at any time. A displaced flame, outlined by the icy world around him. A flickering candle light, smothered by the frigid air. A shabby bus then appeared with such windblown disregard that it would only be viewed with a grain of contempt. The exterior of a shadow. Yet, its regal atmosphere matched that of the heavens from which it originated- bearing secrets of the likes no one knew. Standing boldly atop the headlights were two silver words embedded in black, brazen in the gleaming moonlight: Veni Nox. ✦ ✦ ✦

Tuesday. 6:49 am. He had been early. Not that it made any difference whatsoever. Every day

was comprised of tiny events, strung together in a useless fashion. Dabs of gray on a white canvas. Nothing ever mattered in the long run. Insignificant details.

As he waited in the harsh morning chill, he shivered away memories from yet another tumultuous night. Closing up against the world around him, he cradled his head in his leather gloves. A cab hurtled up alongside the man, its penetrating eyes glaring intrusively into his secluded world. As he got on, he picked 4 loose coins and tossed them to the driver. Even as the driver smiled at him, he simply stared ahead. He was intent on remaining unattached, distant from the community.

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Whatever poor image they had of him was enough. Calm, reserved Mr. Quies. Nothing like the Janus

that lie hidden beneath...

Day time was merely a way to pass time until the world went black, when he could once again feel the chill of the moon’s light on his back. He loved everything about the night; about the black infinity that loomed in the skies above. It was a time during which he needed not worry about anything, and was instead content to focus only on the clear skies, little by little relieving him of his piled up stress. It was a faint silver lining in his opaque existence. ✦ ✦ ✦

Anima ✦ ✦ ✦

It was one of those typical nights. Janus Quies was enjoying the cool, familiar breeze on top of a nearby hill. He lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and inhaled deeply. While he exhaled the remaining smoke from his lungs, the faint hum of an engine approached his perch atop the rise. He looked at the origin of the sound, with mild curiosity, considering it was two in the morning, and he had deliberately picked out a deserted area for his nighttime hangout. At first he didn’t see it. But when he looked closer, he saw the ghostly silhouette of a vehicle. Now interested, he cautiously walked over to the spectral shape. It was a bus. Or was it? Something was different. He couldn’t quite grasp the shape or the color of the bus. It seemed like it reflected the black nothingness the clear night sky offered. Something that he loved very much. Yet there was something mildly disconcerting about the way it just barely slipped from his vision. Pushing the thought aside, he circled the bus, now interested. That was when the door opened. Out of the pitch black interior of the bus, a ghostly figure of a hand was held out to him.Janus stood paralyzed in fear as the ghastly figure of a hand reached out to him, surrounding him with a dark mist that eventually engulfed him, sucking him into the spectral entity that was the bus. ✦ ✦ ✦ Night time. It was dark. So very dark. Not the dark of a moonless Sunday night, but the dark emphasized by the tension that loomed through the air. Ever present. Omniscient. 111

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Somewhere in this skeletal house, I could hear echoes reverberating. Whispering messages of untold pain. My downfall had come in the form of curiosity. Following the trail of broken tears, I crept through my foreign home. Leaning my bony cheek against the door, I cupped my ear- attempting to uncover what was taking place within the chamber across me. The crack of leather on flesh. It didn’t take me long to realise what had been happening behind the closed doors. I ran in, scrambling. He couldn’t do this. Why would he be the one to crack my family, this fragile sculpture so tirelessly built up over the years. But he’s so big. Too big. Towering over me. Goliath over David. There was no escape. Where was my father? The one who would protect me above all else? Why is there naught but a demon hiding within his frame?

The freezing burns that paint my back, the scars, the pain. My head was one moment too slow as it registered its clash against the ground. My burning flame, my raging guise, gone all too quickly. I let out a roaring scream, a piercing yelp, but no sound came out. All left was a cold, fragile heart. My mind split in two as I struggled between passion and indifference. Fury and tranquility. Fire and ice.

✦ ✦ ✦

Another dawn, another day. Memories of a past charade, sparking alive a smothered flame. The tiny embers lined his mind, and the stifling cold that fought back. Perhaps it was better that cold prevailed; flames serve no purpose other than to burn. And he knew too well that the rage of the blaze could smolder more than just himself. ✦ ✦ ✦

Night had come to deliver for Quies yet again. The bus always possessed a careless impeccability about its arrival. He was shuddering from the cold and clutching ravaged knuckles- the aftermath of a gray episode. The clash of black and white. Sudden episodes had begun to shatter his life, or what remained of it. Yet, as he slid resignedly down the cold brick alley wall, he yet again felt the omnipotent presence of the bus. Helplessly, Quies journeyed onto the bus. ✦ ✦ ✦

Amore ✦ ✦ ✦

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Connections were a strange concept to me. Why should I get attached to people who would wither away from my eyes? Why subject myself to the pain of being attached to this social web? The only possible result for me seemed to be falling through, and bringing everyone else down with me. But then I met her.

A crimson velvet dress, the alluring scent of perfume- drawing me into my sweet, sweet death. I had gotten her the dress for her birthday. It was finely tailored for her, and her alone. Even from an outsiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective, it was obvious how much passion and effort had been interwoven with each stitch upon its seam. The way it cascaded over her shoulders was like embers enshrouding her crystalline profile. She was the only one to have overlooked my deficiencies and truly love me. I loved her too. She was the dab of color that I had always sought for; the change I needed. Oxygen to my fire.

What a shame that all the intricately woven threads, the patterns and the combinations could be fallen with a single cut. I was a silent, patient web. I had been waiting for the kind of girl she was, so it was only natural that I clung to her with all my soul. Ensnaring her within my fine silver threads. I would never let go. We had loved going to places of fine art. It was a joy, a pleasure. I had stolen the liberty of speech, so I would resort to explaining through pictures. Vision was my outlet. I guess you could argue that the incident happening to me all those years ago was a blessing; that I was made to channel all that spirit through my hands. My eyes. But it was because of art that we parted... I was blinded by my youth; my facade of lies. What I lost through my voice was compensated in my attitude. I loved power. I had to see what she was doing, where she was, who she was with. Curiosity, once again, struck me in my heel. I had been a dragon, and she was my treasure. One that I would never let go. Thursday. It happened on a Thursday. The day my life crashed down. The day I crashed down, through the web. The one I had leaned so heavily on, the one I trusted with my life and soul, the light that I had relied on so heavily, to guide me through the unknown, had been reduced to nothing but a fading wisp of smoke.

My light had turned on me. My light had gone elsewhere. My light was mine no more. What was life without purpose? What was life without light?

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✦ ✦ ✦

Cogitare ✦ ✦ ✦ Daytime once again. So many decisions, choices. Meaningless. Useless. Never impacting me in any way other than to keep me sucked up and dragged in this whirl. What is the point of life but to keep it intact for others to experience the same pain? My life flashes in front of my eyes, blurring with memories and color; if only I could do something about this, make a tiny footprint marking my existence in this grand scheme. What could I have done to bring meaning to this life?

Meaningless memories. As Quies sat in the bus, sifted through the day, his mind wandered around thoughts of a distant past. Why had his mind broken into such black and white? Why had he been split down to the very core? Why should he cower still from a conflict conceded years past? Only now, that battle was dead no more. ✦ ✦ ✦

Mortem ✦ ✦ ✦ Smoke settles around me. Dust dances past my eyes, shrouded in light as I get off the bus. I have arrived at the final destination. I have been loosened from my web. My life. My story.

✦ ✦ ✦

We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.” -Louis Aragon, Paris Peasant

Latin Glossary Veni nox: Come Nightfall Quies: Calm Anima: Life Amore: Love Cogitare: Thinking Mortem: Death 114

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Hours Brandon Cho Dedicated to whoever will read this. Thanks! Drip. Drip. Drip. Crimson streaks ran down my arm, permanently staining my shirt, before flowing down into a puddle on the cracked floor. I followed the river of blood to its source. A bite mark. ***************************************** 48 Hours Left Everything was over. It was only a matter of days before the parasite would control me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d become like one of those... things. I laid my head back and closed my eyes. My life flashed before my eyes. A scream pierced my thoughts. Adrenaline pumped throughout my body as I rose from my fetal position and looked out the window. A child stood in the middle of the intersection. Her shrieks would definitely attract many of those things. I slowly rose, my hand turning white as it gripped the table next to me. Immediately, my legs turned to jelly as I faltered and fell unto my knees. Her cries grew louder. I tried once more, my eyes feeling like they were going to pop out of their sockets. I got unto my legs, trembling. I gently placed a foot in front of me. Then another. Then another. Slowly, I made my way to the door. My eyes fell back unto the child. Already, three of those things surrounded her. I sprung into action, despite my exhausted state, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I dashed past two of them and lunged forward to seize the child. She was light; clearly starved. I cradled her in my arms and sprinted away to my hideout. I would need to dispatch them, but I had to get her to safety first. I carried her back to my shelter and laid her down on the cold, cracked floor. She crawled into a little ball, crying into her own arms.

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I turned around, ready to face those monsters. I grabbed a hammer lying on the table adjacent to the door. It wasn’t the best weapons, but it was all I had. I ducked as one of the infected swung their bloody arm at me. I glared back into its bleeding eyes. They were most definitely not a pleasant sight to behold. I could see deep, dark blue pulsing veins all around their infected bodies. I wildly swung at the infected head; the parasite had made the bones extremely brittle and the muscles almost non-existent, making it a very easy to bludgeon the infected. My hammer was buried deep into the skull of the infected, no doubt creating a symphony of pain vibrating inside of its frail skull. I grasped the hammer and pulled out with all of my quickly draining strength. The infected monster immediately collapsed, as its vital brain parts were damaged and unable to operate. The other two attacked, flailing their arms at me. I dodged their slow and uncoordinated attacks and struck both in the head, killing them. The parasite made the infected extremely weak and slow, but in hordes they truly were terrifying. I limped back to my hideout, the girl already sleeping soundly. Exhaustion took its toll and I fell as well, into a deep sleep. 40 Hours Left My slumber was interrupted by the sound of sniffling. I bolted upright and came face to face with a pair of green eyes. “Oh, Hello,” said the girl politely. “Hi,” I responded. She had a cute baby face with clear green eyes. She was awfully adorable. “Umm… Do you… know where your parents are?” “They’re…” Her downcast gaze was all I needed. “Oh… I’m… sorry.” “What do I do now?” I looked down at her. “There’s a Refugee Camp about 100 miles from here. I can take you there. They have food and shelter there. You can live there.” “Me?” she asked quietly, “What about you?” “... C’mon, let’s go.” It would be a long walk to the Refugee Camp. It’ll take at least 20 hours, even if we walk quickly. There’s no way I’ll be allowed inside the camp with the bite mark on my shoulder. I might not even make it there in time. It took about two days for my family to turn, and an 80-mile hike would take quite a bit of time. Hopefully I can turn her over to safety before I become one of them. It’ll be a long trek to the Refugee Camp. The withering posters crudely plastered on the forest trees had better not be lying. I’m going to get this girl to safety, no matter what. I took my own oath that night I met her. And I always keep my promises. **************************************************** My legs felt like lead. How long have we been walking? I looked down at my watch, only to be painfully reminded that it broke the night it all started. It was a Tuesday night. I had been driving across the bridge in extremely heavy traffic. 116

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I immediately left my car in the traffic and ran as quickly as I could to my house. I jammed my keys into the lock; my palms sweaty with panic. I swung the door open wildly. The scene my eyes lay upon was horrific. My wife lay on the floor. Torn in half. Her bottom half was nowhere to be seen, most likely eaten by them. The remnants of my beloved were scattered everywhere. Rivers of blood flowed out of the dismembered body parts. I fell to my knees. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to cry I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But I had to face reality. I packed my bags and ran. 30 Hours Left I can feel it taking over. My body starts to reject food. I can barely eat anything, and what little food I do eat I end up vomiting out a minute later. At least I didn’t feel like eating people yet. My bones and muscles start to weaken. Every step hurts more than the last. I hope she doesn’t notice, but she does. Every time we sit down to take a break, she comments on my physical appearance. “Are you okay?” “You don’t look good.” “Your eyes are red!” “You’re walking slower…” It was always one of those. It got a bit annoying, but it was nice to know that someone cared, especially in the world like the one we live in, but I didn’t want to make her worry. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” “I didn’t eat much yesterday, but I’m fine, really.” “Didn’t sleep much last night.” “I’m just getting tired, you know, old age.” I always responded with one of those. She took them honestly at the beginning, but I can tell she doesn’t buy it. 22 Hours Left “How much longer do we have to walk?” “Honestly, I’m not sure,” I replied sadly. That’s the thing about apocalypses. Time starts to fade from existence. “When?” No longer becomes part of the question. Now it’s just about trying to live. To survive. To not die. 117

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Unfortunately, I failed that part. The parasite will slowly kill the host on the inside then take over their body. The closer the infected wound is to the brain, the less time you have to live. “My legs are getting tired… can we take a break?” Lynn asked, interrupting my thoughts. “Uh, yeah sure.” I wasn’t sure how to interact children. Never particularly liked them nor have I ever had my own. We sat down on the grassy sides of the forest pathway. I passed her the last cookie in my bag. She took it and started to nibble on the sides of it. Our meals consisted of cans of food that I had taken before I left my house and anything I could find in the deserted convenience store. I couldn’t eat much now, leaving her with a lot more. I smiled a bit as she continued to nibble on the cookie. If you forgot about the apocalyptic setting, we would’ve looked like father and daughter, simply enjoying a nice day outside. That’s what life could’ve been. Crack I turned around to the sound and whipped out my switchblade. I didn’t expect to encounter anything here. Nobody lived around the forest. A slender man with sandy blond hair emerged from the brushes. In his hands he loosely held a rusty revolver. “Good morning! How are we doing today?” he asked gleefully. I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. This man was clearly not fully there in the head. That could be dangerous... “I’m doing quite well, thank you,” I responded hesitantly. I relaxed my right arm, but kept a tight grip on my knife. I wasn’t afraid to kill, especially if it’s to keep Lynn safe. “Well, you certainly don’t look well!” He exclaimed in an overly positive manner, “Why don’t you join me in my little hideout!” “How can we trust you?” I asked. This man emitted an aura of suspicion. What was he doing here? How did he survive? The man raised his pistol and directed it towards me. “Whoa, we can talk this out,” I stammered quickly, “Don’t sh-“ The man pulled the trigger. A bullet zoomed past my head, grazing my shirt as it pierced straight through an infected right between the eyes. The infected fell to the ground in a heap, its lifeless eyes staring up to the sky. I stood there dumbfounded. How could I not hear it?

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“Th-Thanks,” I said, still in disbelief. “Now do you trust me?” He asked. I was still skeptical, but it doesn’t seem like he wanted us dead. “Yeah, but what’s your name?” “You may refer to me as Eider,” the man responded, “What shall I call you?” “Aiden.” “Now Aiden, who is the lovely one hiding behind your leg? “Lynn.” A malicious smile spread across his face. “Perfect,” he muttered, “Now, you two must be very tired. Come, join me in my hideout.” I hesitated. We barely knew this man, but he did just save our lives. I looked down at Lynn. She did look awfully tired. “We accept your offer,” I sighed. “Excellent. Now, follow me.” And so we did. We detoured off the forest path and followed Eider to his hideout, which turned out to be an old run down house. Dirt littered the cracked tiled floor. In the corner lay a fireplace with pots scattered everywhere. A crudely carved wooden table with 4 equally crudely carved chairs were placed in the middle of the house. Uneven stairs led up to a dark abyss, most likely the attic. “Here, you may sleep in these,” Eider said as he pulled out two sleeping bags. Both had holes torn into them and were dirtied with all sorts of unidentifiable stains, but it beat sleeping on the ground. “You can sleep anywhere on the ground here,” Eider said as I took the two sleeping bags. “Do not, however, come upstairs. It is very dirty and I would rather you not see it.” Suspicion immediately rose in my mind. What was upstairs? Why didn’t he want me to see it? Should I even care? My mind fogged up as exhaustion started to make itself noticed. I decided to ignore it unless it concerned Lynn or me. There was no point in putting ourselves through any trouble unless we had to. “I just made dinner!” Eider exclaimed, “Would you like some?” His over joyous personality annoyed me to no end, but food would be nice. He gestured for us to sit at the crudely carved table. Eider placed chunks of meat on two paper plates and placed them on the table in front of us. I looked down at the food. It looked a lot like beef, but had a lot more fat stuck onto it at places I did not expect for beef to be stuck at. I looked down at Lynn, who already had a plastic fork stuck into the meat, obviously hungry for something that was not canned, but I couldn’t trust this man. I tapped Lynn on the shoulder and she looked up at me. I shook my head, telling her to not consume it until I said so. She took her hands off of her fork and sat waiting.

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A loud creak emanated from the floorboards upstairs. “Oh dear, “Eider muttered worryingly, “Do continue with dinner. I shall return!” Eider walked up the stairs and disappeared into the attic. I took the time to inspect the food. While it appeared to be beef, it didn’t smell like it, and I don’t think that he would be able to obtain such food. The only way to test it was to eat it. I gingerly took my fork and stabbed a piece. I placed it in my mouth. And chewed. It tasted sweet. Oddly sweet. It was certainly no meat I ever tasted before. What could it be? Veal and lamb were certainly unobtainable, and it didn’t look like fish or pork. Could it be… Human? I immediately spat out the food at the thought. I whipped my mouth with my sleeve as Eider returned. “Ah yes, how is it?” Eider asked. “It is… good, Eider,” I responded as I threw up a little in my mouth,” But I’m afraid Lynn and I aren’t very hungry at the moment. Do you mind if we sleep a bit early?” “Yes yes! You are my guests after all,” he said a little too eagerly. We unrolled the sleeping bags next to the door incase Lynn and I had to run if things went sour with our “host,” but the rest of the night went fine. But the question lingered in my mind. Was it actually human meat? Was Eider a cannibal? I wouldn’t necessarily blame him, but if it were going to put us in danger I would mind. Perhaps the parasite had affected my taste buds. Surely that was it. Eider didn’t seem like an extremely dangerous person, so I pushed those thoughts away as I drifted off to sleep. I awoke to the sound of screaming. What was that? I looked next to me, hoping to find Lynn. I found her sleeping bag empty. My drowsiness was immediately replaced with anxiety. Where is she? Another scream from upstairs. I jumped up from my sleeping bag and whipped out my switchblade. I crept up the stairs slowly, careful not to emit a single sound from the floorboards. What was Eider doing with Lynn? I grimaced at the thought, especially from last night’s evidence of possible cannibalism. The attic was extremely dark. The void stood a mere 5 feet from me, blocking my view. I continued my silent footwork,

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walking up the stairs until I was confronted with a wooden door. I leaned in and pressed my ear against the door. “Stay still, Lynn,” said a raspy voice, “Mmm… It’s been a while since I had fresh meat…” I tore my ear away from the door. That bastard! The hell was he doing to her! Blade in hand, I slowly opened the door. I almost threw up at what I saw. A gruesome painting lay before my eyes. Severed body parts lay everywhere, rotting. Bloodied knives lay on a metal table in the corner. Everything, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, were stained with crimson. My fingers whitened as the grip on my knife tightened. My palms grew sweaty with anticipation. This man was far more dangerous than I imagined. I opened the door just enough to slip inside. I crept across the room, my feet often coming across the remnants of a body, until I came up behind him. Then I sprung. I brought my arm around to his neck to hold him in a chokehold. My arms tightened around his neck when Eider elbowed me in the stomach. The blow sent me back, my arms coming off him as he turned around to face me. “Aiden! How nice of you to come see our next meal,” Eider said maniacally as a smile spread across his face. I clutched my stomach and looked up at Eider. “What are you doing to her?” I demanded. “Do understand, I had not had fresh meat in so long…” Eider said as he looked away dreamily, “And let me say the meat of a child is simply… …Delicious…” “Where is your humanity?” I shouted at him in complete disgust, “How could even think of killing a child!” “Humanity? Why, I left that behind a long time ago.” I didn’t even have a second to react as he leapt at me. He shoved me to the wall, my back becoming slick with the blood that tainted the wall. Pain seared through my head as he roughly pressed down on my Adam’s apple, blocking off my supply of air. He lifted me against the wall as I struggled, my arms trying their best to pry his arm off. My blade was on the floor, having been knocked out of my hands from his assault. Spots started to form in my vision. I would pass out soon. As a last ditch effort, I reared back my leg and kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. He gave out a grunt as he let go. My lungs were blessed with gracious air as Eider recovered from my blow. 121

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I picked up my abandoned knife and readied myself. With a face of malice, Eider stared at me and pulled out his rusty revolver. “I do hate tainting my prey with metal, but it seems like I have to for this one.” I rolled to the side as he fired a shot, the bullet leaving a mark where I just was. I ran out the door and dashed down the stairs. Light was absent in the house and the variety of rundown furniture gave me many options to hide. I hid behind a cabinet, my knife at the ready. I heard footsteps coming from upstairs, and a voice rang out from the dark abyss. “I do love games, Aiden. How about we play Hide and Seek? You’ll be the hider, and I’ll be… …It!” A shot fired from the revolver and came straight towards me. I tumbled away again, narrowly getting away with my life. “Hahahaha!” Eider cried out maniacally, “This is fun isn’t it Aiden? Isn’t it?” I hid behind another cabinet and waited patiently to strike. I saw Eider creep around the corner of the cabinet I just hid in. “Oh! You're quite the hider aren’t you Aiden!” I leapt out from the shadows, recklessly shoving my knife into his back. I knocked him to the ground as I ripped my knife out and stabbed him again. And again. And again. The whole time Eider just laughed. And laughed. And laughed. I closed my eyes and shoved my knife into him repeatedly until I was convinced he was dead. Blood spurted out of his wounds and sprayed all over my face. I sobbed a sigh of relief as my arms went limp. This was the first time I killed a man. Shaken, I walked back upstairs to see Lynn tied to a chair with multiple shallow cuts along her arms. “Oh Lynn, are you alright?” I asked as I ripped of the mask that covered her mouth. “I- I’m f-f-fine,” she stammered, visibly shaken from the scarring experience. I brought her into my arms. “It’s okay Lynn,” I whispered softly into her ear, “I’ll get you to safety.” 122

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“I promise.” 12 Hours Left My death is approaching. The parasite has latched onto my brain. I cannot eat food at all as my taste-buds make it taste like mud. My vision blurs randomly and the veins in my arms pulse in a dark blue colour. I pulled down my sleeves to cover my physical differences from Lynn. The last thing I want is for her to worry even more. Lynn and I have been walking for two days now. The forest path that we took opened up to a long abandoned town. Dusty buildings loomed over us as we walked on the cracked cobble path. A moan echoed throughout the town. Then another. Lynn and I froze. That sounded like… A symphony of heavy footsteps followed the moaning. A horde of infected. They moved as one, slowly down the main road. “Lynn,” I said, panic rising in my voice, “Lynn, follow me.” We had to get up a building. If we’re lucky, we can avoid the horde altogether. 3 Hours Left We walk. And walk. And walk... 30 Minutes Left I can see it. The camp. Positioned on a yellow hill, stood the Refugee Camp. Walls of shipment crates stood like grand castles walls, surrounding the safe haven from the living hell outside. My eyes barely open, the parasite taking its toll on my body. Once I die, it’ll be in full control. I can’t let that happen, not now. Not when we’re so close. I wiped the blood off my face. It was now or never. My time left on this world was slipping away faster and faster. Adrenaline pumped through my body once more, reinvigorating my legs with just enough strength to carry her and myself. I placed my left foot in front of my other. Then my right foot in front of left. One foot. Then the other. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four steps. 123

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One foot in front of the other. My head throbbed with pain. My eyes bulged out of their sockets. I felt feverishly hot. But I would not fail. My vision blurred. The distinction of objects smudged together. Sweat dripped off my chin. Tears formed in my eyes, mixing with blood as it ran down my face. I carried myself to the front door of heaven. A woman came out dressed in combat uniform. She gasped as she ran up and took Lynn in her arms. My eyes couldn’t focus as everything blurred. This was it huh? I waited patiently for death’s cold hands to take me from this world. The woman took out a pistol. I looked up at her in pleading eyes and nodded my head. She aimed the pistol directly at my head and said a few words that I couldn’t make out. Death awaited me patiently on the other side. 5 seconds to go The last thing I saw was her smile.

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Pretty More Like Bloody Jade Woo Pretty More Like Bloody! {Dedicated to all my best friends who made year 8 really exciting and memorable} “Help! Someone please come here.” I begged as I lay next to the corpse. The frigid ground was covered in vermilion blood, the window was in shambles and the dim light was on. A note was lying beside the corpse, Jessica. Who was behind all this? ******************************************************* ******************** “Welcome future pageants, you have all been nominated to be in the Ultimate Beauty Pageant. I am Ms.Dixon and I will be coaching you on everything about this competition. We only have about a month left so we better practice a lot.” Ms.Dixon squeaked very clamorously. Ms.Dixon‐where should I even start? She looks like a stereotypical Barbie Doll with light blonde hair and she has a really high‐pitched voice which shows how perky she is. You can even hear her jumpy footsteps from the other side of the world. I was daydreaming again about what I would do when the pageant was over. Candidly, I didn’t want to do this nor, I thought, did I even have a chance of winning. The more Ms.Dixon talked, the more I could slowly feel my eyelids closing and I knew I was going to doze off any second... “Mackenzie! Is Mackenzie Winters here?” Ms.Dixon shrieked like a dolphin as I felt a hard nudge from my friend Jessica who sat beside me. I sat up straight and clumsily responded, “Yes mam I’m here.” “Wake up my dear, you don’t want to be like this on stage.” she warned. “Now, to begin with, you will learn how to walk. Walking is one of the most difficult skills, so you girls will have to practice multiple times to get it right. As an example, can Barbara, Barbara Roberts, show the group how to walk?” “Of course, it would be my pleasure.” the girl with wavy,golden hair replied as she flipped her hair backwards. Then, she stood up from the 125

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crowd and gently floated across with her dark blue eyes shimmering while maintaining a big smile. “That was fabulous, please give her a big round of applause.” Ms.Dixon passionately announced. After 3 hours of walking practice in heels, the contestants were all worn out and grumpy. Jessica and I went to get a quick drink of water and as we were walking, I accidentally bumped into someone. When I turned to see who I bumped into, I saw Courtney with a vexed look on her face. She rolled her eyes at me and brushed past me. “What’s her problem? I never did anything to her,” I complained. “She’s probably just fatigued or something.” Jessica answered trying to make me forget about her. When we got back to the practice room to get our bags, we heard a shriek and faint murmurs that followed. “You are not the queen of the pageants so stop being so vain and egotistical!” a blaring, sharp voice yelled. “I’m sorry if you didn’t like what I did, but I never meant to make you upset. Please don’t be mad…” a serene, sweet voice answered. We hurried into the room to see what was going on. There was a crowd of girls and in the middle of them, there stood Courtney and Barbara. “NO‐I’m not mad. Stop trying to act innocent and congenial because you aren’t and won’t EVER be. Everyone knows or will soon find out who you REALLY are!” Courtney objected as she stormed out of the room. Three girls followed her and some girls went to Barbara. Jessica decided to go see Barbara so I followed her. The day after the big quarrel between Courtney and Barbara, the practice room was very tranquil and quiet. Everyone was getting ready to start class by stretching, looking in the mirror and practicing their walks; the silence was broken when we heard Ms.Dixon sprinting into the room. She panted for a few seconds then she questioned very frantically, “Courtney! Is Courtney here?” There was no reply. Everyone looked around the room, yet Courtney wasn’t there.

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“Oh my gosh, this can’t be right.” Ms.Dixon stuttered. Her eyes grew wider and she looked like she was going to faint any second. “What happened Ms.Dixon?” Jessica asked cautiously. “Courtney got in a car accident yesterday and she’s in the hospital right now. Her mom just called and said that she badly injured and lost all her memory. She said she will have to drop out of the pageant and the police are suspecting that the car accident was on purpose. Therefore, the police will be coming in to ask you all a few questions so please follow their instructions.” Ms.Dixon declared. The police came in after a few minutes and they first investigated the contestants. One of the police told us, “As you probably heard from Ms.Dixon, we are suspecting that the car accident was done intentionally and there are a few suspects in this room that we will have to talk to and do a few tests. Therefore, please cooperate with us. Can Alexandra, Jessica, Barbara and Mackenzie follow us to the testing room?” Mumbling started; everyone was paranoid. They made us do a finger print test and made us give a sample of our handwriting. Then, the police compared our writings to the note that was on top of Courtney’s car. The note that was on Courtney’s car stated, “1 Down 2 to go kisses Beauty Queen.” “None of the handwriting samples look similar to the note,” one of the police officer whispered nervously to the police officer that was standing next to him. “But it has to be one of them. Who would else would write kisses Queen?” the other policeman replied.

Beauty

************************************************************************** “Hello, this is 911 right? My best friend, sh-she is dead in the Rose building bathroom. Please come here immediately!” I stammered. Sirens echoed, but I stayed next to Jessica’s side-crying. The police checked if Jessica was still alive. No signs of life… Her brown hair was neatly done in a braid and her hazel eyes were still open. She looked so gorgeous even when she wasn’t alive. After she was carried out of the building, the police searched the crime scene for evidence. I showed the police the note that was lying beside Jessica. It was a pink card with a crown on 127

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the front. When the police opened the card in a pink cursive font it said, “2 kisses Beauty Queen.”

Down 1 to go

The police took the letter and told me to go home. They were certain that whoever killed Jessica also hurt Courtney due to the remnants that were left at the scene. The pageant was in a week. Courtney was severely injured and lost all her memory due to the car accident and Jessica wasn’t alive anymore. I had to find out who this was and stop whoever he or she was trying to kill. ******************************************************************************************************** It was two days before the pageant now. So many things have happened in the past month. All the contestants practiced every day for 8 hours and the contestants bought dresses, accessories for the pageant. It was bizarre how others slowly forgot the accidents of Courtney and Jessica.

Ever since the incidents happened, I couldn’t concentrate on anything, nor could I sleep. All I could think about was who had murdered my best friend and who the “Beauty Queen” was planning to harm next. I went back to the Rose building about 3 times, where Jessica had been found to get clues of the murderer. Yet nothing was there. The more I thought about it, the more I felt anxious. That night after practice, I decided to go one last time to the Rose building. I knew I probably wouldn’t find much; it would make me feel more relieved if I went. The full moon shone brightly in the dark sky. The zephyr blew very lightly as I secretly entered the building. All the lights were out and I had to rely on my flashlight to see. It was very spooky walking through the empty hallways. “Click, clack, click.” “Is someone there?” I yelled as my voice trembled. I turned around, but no one was there. I continued to walk to the bathroom. “Click, clack, click.” “I know you’re there.” My voice quavered even more than before. “Click, clack, click.” I turned around and saw a gun next to my head. A hand immediately covered my mouth and I saw a dark shadow across the hall. The silhouette was dressed in black and wore a mask and a hat that covered the person’s face. The silhouette also wore red stilettos that echoed as it approached me. I tried to escape, but I couldn’t. The person took off the hat and mask and stood. The face slowly became more vivid and I started to realize who it was. Barbara...

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Goodbye

Mackenzie, I was going to win anyways, but before I had to get some of the obstacles out of my way. 3 down 0 to go kisses Beauty Queen~â&#x20AC;? she whispered in my ear as the bullet entered my head and I collapsed on the bare ground.

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Destination:Kepler Jacob Gangmin Kim THE CRYOCHAMBER HISSED LIKE A SNAKE AS IT SLUGGISHLY STARTED TO OPEN, ITS CLAWS RETRACTING TO REVEAL THE FIGURE INSIDE THE ICY COFFIN. HIS SKINNY BODY SHOWED THE RIBS IN HIS CHEST, AND HIS PALE SKIN WAS WHITE AS SNOW THAT HAS JUST FALLEN… HIS HAIR WAS AN ICY BLUE WHITE AS WELL, AS IF IT WAS AFFECTED BY ALBINISM. HIS OVERALL FIGURE WAS ROUGH; FULL OF SMALL SCARS AND SCRATCHES FROM LIVING IN SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. HIS FISTS WERE CLENCHED INTO FISTS, AS IF HE WAS STRUGGLING WHEN HE WENT IN THIS CHAMBER. -YEAH, THIS ONE’S THE BOY. -THE ONE WHO GOT ON AT THE LAST MINUTE? PASSENGER 610 - 4? THE SILENT NOD SIGNIFIED THAT THE STATEMENT WAS CORRECT. THE ENTIRE ROOM HAD A COLD, UNEASY AURA THAT SEEMED TO ORIGINATE FROM THE BOY. JIMMY WOULD HAVE ARGUED THAT THIS WAS SECTOR 4, SO IT WAS OBVIOUS ALL THE COOLING FLUID WENT HERE. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING SO NON-ARTIFICIAL ABOUT THIS. -THEN LET US BEGIN. -MAY GOD FORGIVE US FOR THIS. -THERE IS NO GOD ANYMORE, MY FRIEND. ONLY OUR WIT AND WILL TO SURVIVE. -THAT’S MY OLD FRIEND JIMMY HERE. ALL LOGIC AND SCIENCE -JUST GET ON WITH THE JOB. THE 2 MEN APPROACHED THE BOY. THE COLD UNEASINESS GREW THE CLOSER THEY GOT. -COME ON, GET IT OVER WITH. -FINE. THE MAN TOUCHED THE CELL. AS SOON AS HE DID SO..... _______________________________________________ WHEN HE WOKE UP HE WAS NOT WHERE HE EXPECTED TO BE. AS HE MOVED HIS STIFF BODY, HE FELT AS IF HE AGED 50 YEARS. HE PAINFULLY LIFTED HIMSELF OFF THE COLD FLOOR, HE LOOKED OUT THE ONLY WINDOW IN THE BARREN, MONOTONOUS CHAMBER HE WAS IN. WHEN HE LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW HE REALISED WHERE HE WAS. SECTOR 9-2B, THE IMPERFECT CORNER OF RENATO. HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WAKE UP WHEN IT WAS AT ITS DESTINATION. BUT

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THAT WAS ABOUT ALL HE KNEW ABOUT HIMSELF. A HEADACHE SUDDENLY RAN THROUGH HIS BODY. GLIMPSES OF SCATTERED, PAINFUL MEMORIES PIERCED HIS BRAIN INTO AN UNBEARABLE PAIN AS IF A RED HOT POKER WAS BEING DRILLED THROUGH HIS BRAIN. HE HOWLED IN AGONY AS THE ELECTRICAL PAIN SPREAD TO ALL OVER HIS BODY. IT WAS A MULTITUDE OF AGONIZING MINUTES BEFORE HE ESCAPED THE CHAOTIC, OBLIVIOUS STATE HE WAS IN. HE CAUTIOUSLY LOOKED AT HIS HAGGARD BODY, UNDER HIS OLD, TATTERED SHIRT, AND SAW A HIDEOUS BULGING SCAR RUNNING FROM LEFT HIP TO HIS RIGHT SHOULDER. HE ALSO FELT SOME OF THE SIMILAR BUMPS ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD AND RIGHT HAND. WHEN HE TRIED TO STRETCH,HIS BODY BURNED AS IF IT WAS LIT ON FIRE. HE WILL NOT BE EXPERIMENTED UPON LIKE THIS AGAIN. HOWEVER, HE FIRST HAD TO GET OUT. AS TO HOW TO GET OUT OF THERE, HE DID NOT KNOW. THE GLASS WAS A COMPOSITE OF MICROSCOPIC CARBON FIBRE PARTICLES, AND IT WAS REFINED, SO IT WILL NOT BREAK BY HIS STRENGTH. THE SMOOTH, UNDISTURBED WALLS WERE NOT EVEN AN OPTION. SO THEY EVEN PUT HIM IN A METAL BOX! HE SLAMMED HIS FISTS TO THE WALLS IN FRUSTRATION AND HOPELESSNESS, DESPERATE TO TRY GO OUT. BONG......... THE SOUND HE HEARD WAS NOT NORMAL. IT SOUNDED HOLLOW, LIKE AN OIL DRUM WAS STRUCK. THE WALL WAS EMPTY. THERE WAS A CHANCE TO GET OUT. RUNNING AROUND THE WALL, HE RAPIDLY TAPPED THE ENTIRE ROOM. YES. THERE WAS AN EXIT TO WHERE HE FIRST HIT, FOR THAT AREA WAS THE ONLY PLACE THAT HAD THE HOLLOW BONGS. HE SMILED AS HE CONTINUED TO SEARCH AROUND THE AREA OF THE HOLLOW WALL. WHOEVER DESIGNED THIS ROOM, HE WAS CLEVER. BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH FOR THIS PRISONER. WAS HE A PRISONER? WAS THIS ROOM DESIGNED AS A PRISON? THAT HE DID NOT KNOW. HE FELT AROUND THE EDGES OF THE SQUARE THAT HE PREDICTED WAS THE DOOR, AND FELT THE RUBBER, CAREFULLY CAMOUFLAGED. HE LIFTED THE EDGES AND OPENED THE DOOR. THE FIRST THING THAT SMACKED HIM DIRECTLY WAS THE STENCH. THEN HE SAW THE GRUESOME SCENE. HE HAD EXPECTED SOME HORRIBLE SCENES FROM SECTOR 9-2B, BUT IT WAS NOT THIS. THIS WAS WORSE. THIS MADE HIS ENTIRE BODY CONVULSE AND SHUDDER IN 131

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HORROR AND MAKE HIM FEEL AS IF HE ATE AN ENTIRE TONNE OF 3 YEAR OLD, GREASY, SOLID ANIMAL FAT. DECAYING, BODIES WERE SHRIVELED UP AS THEY WERE MUMMIFIED. PARTS OF THEIR LIMBS AND TORSO WERE MISSING, WITH COAGULATED BLOOD STICKING TO IT. HE GRIMACED AS HE WALKED OVER SOME OF THE PUPPY BODIES, SOME BLOWING UP OR CRUMBLING UNDER HIS WEIGHT. CLEARLY THIS MASSACRE HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO. MONTHS, EVEN. THE IRRITABLE REEK ITCHED AROUND HIM AND CONTINUED MAKE HIM FEEL SICK - THE WHOLE AREA HAD A STENCH THAT WAS SIMILAR TO TITAN ARUM. || AMORPHOPHALLUS TITANUM. WHOA. HOW DID HE KNOW THIS...? LOOKS LIKE THE THINGS THEY DID TO HIM ACTUALLY DID COME IN HANDY SOMETIMES..... HE LOOKED AHEAD TO THE ENDLESS CORRIDORS, AND GRADUALLY STARTED TO RUN TOWARDS THAT DIRECTION, SCANNING AND ANALYSING EVERY DETAIL. HIS EYES CONTAINED THE NEWBORN COLD, PURPLE FIRE THAT WAS BURNING WITH HATRED TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAD EXPERIMENTED ON HIM - AN INFERNO TRAPPED INSIDE THE CONFINES OF HIS BODY. _________________________________________________ “Nobody home?” Calida walked into her house and dumped her bag on the couch. Judging from the deathly silent house, she guessed that the answer to her question was “no”. She trudged up the stairs to her room, pushed the creaky wooden door open, and went in. Her parents always described her room “as if a hurricane swept through it”, which does makes sense. Pieces of scrap paper and used towels were always lying about in her room, and it was impossible to find anything in her desk. Her bed sheets and blankets were disarrayed and had files, books, posters and pencils strewn all over the bed. Her closet doors were left ajar, revealing their contents, which were spilling out like how the guts spill out when you slice the stomach. When she was about to go back out, she met her father. There was a strange, determined look he had that was unusual for his normal, calm state. His eyes were open as wide as they could be, and the expression was so extreme that it seemed to contain even some panic. “Wha-“ “Hurry and pack up!” “Why?” “We have to leave!”

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There was something unusual of his tone. Like his eyes and his facial expression, it was full of fear and panic; almost strained. Yet something was wrong. It did not seem as if it was completely fear. It had another emotion that Calida wasn’t able to determine. Almost like a craving. Calida did not ask more questions until after they were in their car. Its engine made a ripping noise as it threw them out of the area. “Why are we going away?” The answer, like the events that had happened to her, was strange. “Just think of it as someone chasing us. You don’t have to know the details.” His silence afterwards indicated that he didn’t want to speak of it. They quickly drove out of their sector, breaking the speed limit in many cases. Then, when the hovercar finally stopped and landed, her father then dropped her off on the road, telling her to avoid interaction with any police force or government. She looked at the hovercar levitate itself, then zoom away, growing smaller. **************************************************************************** Now that she had explored most parts of the area she was in, she realised that this was the rear of the craft, near the engine, where green life was situated the most. It was supposedly to counteract the harmful effects of the engine. This would increase the possibility of hiding from other people, but it would also decrease the chance of living in case of an emergency. It was a costly tradeoff. She just hoped that her father had made a wise choice to live here, out in the woods and streets… . She had made a crude shelter out of a tent and set something like a base camp. She also made a smaller camp and put some of the supplies she brought there, in case of an unlikely event. Her father had told her before he left, “prepare for anything that might happen, including the craziest events.” Those were not the friendliest last words she could have had with him. There was really nothing to do, actually. The beautiful view and natural sounds had been welcoming at the start, but soon it got annoying and she threw stones birds until they finally put their beaks together. She sat in her camp, twiddling with a twig, feeling useless to the situation right now - what was happening to her father. She always hated idling around, told to sit around for hours. Her active personality had worsened her ADHD and as a result, people joked of her saying that she was always under caffeine. Her father had told her not to leave camp and not to use any electronics - pretty much depriving her of anything she would do from instinct. “Nothing happening for a long time...” she slowly murmured to herself as she climbed in her tent to sleep. ______________________________________________ 133

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IT WAS HARDER THAN EXPECTED. THE BUILDING WAS A MAZE OF CORRIDORS AND EVERY CORNER WAS FILLED WITH CCTV’S, EACH ONE PLACED DIFFERENTLY, FORCING HIM TO ACT DIFFERENT TO EACH ONE. HE DID MANAGED TO EVADE THE VIEW OF ALL THE CAMERAS SO FAR. BLEEEEEEPPP……. HE QUICKLY LOOKED TO THE ORIGIN OF THE AGITATING SOUND - YEAH, HE WAS SEEN. THAT WASN’T GOOD. 2 SOLDIERS RAN TOWARDS HIS DIRECTION, THEIR WEAPONS RAISED.

|| AR8-42 Electron Rifles, Electromagnetic Projectile launcher. Nicknamed “Piercers” from the fact that most materials can’t block the projectile, which are capable of travelling up to Mach 6................ HE RAN, JUMPED AGAINST THE WALL, AND RAMMED HIS FISTS INTO EACH OF THE GUARD’S FACES WHILE FALLING. THE GUARDS’ FACES STARTED TO BLEED.HE TOOK OUT ONE OF THE GUARDS’ PISTOLS...

|| K17-20 phasers, semi-automatic, uses chemical charge in each round to create an electron discharge, which is directed to target. Electrocuted if hit. Can be set to stun or kill AND SHOT THEM BOTH. A BLUE RAY OF LIGHTNING CAME OUT OF THE PARALLEL CORE RODS, AND HIT THEM. THEIR BODIES STARTED TO CONVULSE AS IF THEY WERE POSSESSED AND SUDDENLY CAME TO A STOP. THOUGH HE DID NOT SEE IT, HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AS THE VOICE TOLD HIM... || The current first meets resistance in your body and creates excessive amounts of heat, as you can see the burn marks. The current then hits a nerve, which the body recognises as signals from the brain and suddenly tenses up. In this case, where the current passed from the heart, stopped it, and exited through the leg, where you can see bleedings in. If you look closely, you will see the zig-zags in which the electric current passed through the body. HE HAD TO ADMIT, WHATEVER THAT THING IN HIS BRAIN WAS, IT HAD A VAST SUPPLY OF KNOWLEDGE. ALSO, NOW HE KNEW “IT” COULD SEE WHAT HE DID... NOW THAT HE THOUGHT OF IT...IT HAD STARTED TO TALK MORE. THE FIRST INFO IT HAD GIVEN HIM WAS 2 WORDS. NOW IT WAS A PARAGRAPH. IT HAD STARTED TALKING TO HIM DIRECTLY, LIKE SAYING “IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY...” THE THOUGHT ITSELF WAS DISTURBING AND STRANGE, YET THE VOICE..IT FELT SO POWERFUL.

STOP. HE HAD TO FOCUS. HE HAD TO RUN. THE OTHER GUARDS MUST HAVE BEEN ALERTED. IF HE WANTED ANY CHANCE OF ESCAPING, HE HAD TO ACT FAST NOW.

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THUD THUD THUD THUD HEAVY FOOTSTEPS ON THE RIGHT, NO EXIT ON THE LEFT. HE WAS SURROUNDED. HIS EYES QUICKLY DARTED AROUND THE ROOM, DESPERATELY SCANNING FOR ANY EXITS. THEN THE FOOTSTEPS STOPPED. HE CAUTIOUSLY LOOK OVER THE CORNER. THE SOLDIERS WERE JUST STANDING THERE, AND THE EXIT IN FRONT OF HIM WAS OPEN. AS IF THEY WANTED HIM TO GO OUT. HE CAUTIOUSLY WALKED PAST THE SOLDIERS AND OUT THE DOOR. HE STARTED TO SLOWLY BACK AWAY, SCARED THAT THEY MIGHT START SHOOTING WHEN HE STARTED TO RUN. IT GRADUALLY TURNED INTO A SPRINT. IT WAS THE FASTEST HE HAD EVER RUN TO GET OUT OF THERE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, NOT CARING WHAT IS OUT OF THE BUILDING. SOON, HE CAME TO A PANTING HALT. HIS LUNGS FELT AS IF THEY WERE ON FIRE, ABOUT TO BURST OUT OF HIS RIBCAGE. EVERYTHING WAS BLURRY..... BUT HE QUICKLY BECAME AWARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT HE WAS IN. THE FULL OPENNESS OF THE RENATO OVERWHELMED HIM. DESPITE BEING IN SECTOR 9, WHICH WAS A PRETTY SMALL PORTION OF THE SPACECRAFT DUE TO THE FACT THAT MOST OF ITS SPACE WAS TAKEN BY THE ENGINES (SECTOR 11), IT WAS ABOUT STILL 52.5 METERS TALL AND ABOUT 80.4 METERS LONG. MAJORITY OF THE SECTOR WAS FILLED WITH TREES DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF GASES THAT CAME INTO THE SPACECRAFT FROM THE ENGINES. HE HAD NO IDEA WHETHER IT WAS GOOD OR NOT. WILL IT HIDE HIM FOR LONG ENOUGH? NOT KNOWING WHAT TO TRUST, HE ASKED ABOUT THE RENATO TO THE VOICE.

|| Renato is the last and the biggest of the 3 Leviathan-class spacecraft, 560 meters long, 168 meters tall, and is 101.4 meters wide. It has barely any firearms, as the Renato was not built for combat. || It is propelled by 11 antimatter engines and a higgs boson drive. It is capable to warp from inside the atmosphere and speeds up to Warp 5. It was made pre-decimation and its purpose was to keep humans as a species alive, not extinct. Its name means, “To rise again” reflecting its purpose. It is composed of 12 Sectors, each one serving a different purpose to the spaceship as a whole. S1 as the Bridge. S2 as the computers and controls. S3 as the docking and armaments for the ship itself. S4 as the food supply. S5 as a training ground for military and police. S6 as the Universities and developing new technology. S7 managed the transportation and fuel. S8, a special purpose as a landing shuttle. S9, oxygen supply and pollution. S10 for weather and climate control. S11 as the engines. S12 as the eyes of the spacecraft, the radar...

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HE STARTED TO TREK TOWARDS ANY DIRECTION, NOT KNOWING OR CARING WHERE HE WENT AND WHAT MIGHT BE THERE, LISTENING TO THE VOICE CALMLY EXPLAINING THE HISTORY AND DETAILS OF THE RENATO AS IF IT WAS A STORY...

______________________________________________________________ Calida was spending her 3rd day out in the open. The same, monotonous schedule of getting wood, keeping a fire, and sitting there. She went in her tent and started reading the only book she had; the bible. Unfortunately, it did not help and seemed to drag her time more. The same, font size 5 text.....it hurt her eyes. She closed them in exhaustion, frustrated by how there was nothing there that she can do. She lay down in the tent started to count the minutes. When she looked out the tent from boredom, about at midday, what she didn’t expect was a boy walking by. A boy with a slender and unnaturally white appearance (almost svelte in a way) standing out from the green back ground. Out of pure curiosity, her body moving by itself. She quickly put on a jacket and ran towards the boy, who looked about her age. “Who are you?” The boy ignored her and continued on his trek. One thing Calida hated was being disregarded. No one ignored her like that. “Hey!” The boy roughly pushed her away and this time, stomped away with a faster pace. Calida quickly brought her essential items in a bag and followed the boy. Meanwhile, the strange boy seemed to continue his solitary, endless walk. He seemed to be heading towards Sector 11, where the grav tube (a tube used to suck passengers up and down floors, uses similar technology as the artificial gravity) was, connecting Sectors 9, 11, and 4. What was his purpose? Why did he suddenly appear? Is her father’s incident related to him? A million question sprang out of her brain, as the dam holding them back had been demolished. She used all her will and forced the questions away, leaving one. “What is your name?” “...... NEVA.”

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First Sight Sebastian Kang and Joonhee Lee Dedicated to all those struggling children. The world gives you nothing more than you can bear. Two lovers. So close. Yet so far. So happy. Yet so sad.

Drake Alves It was a Friday morning. I was late for school so no time for any breakfast. I gave my parents a quick goodbye and sprinted up a hill when suddenly a white scarf flew into my face. All I could think of was how great it smelled. I could smell the rich lavender and the sweet scent of a female. As I pulled it out of my face, there she was. Her brown hair drifted in the cool breeze; she tucked her hair behind her ear. Unconscious of my movements, my legs moved on their own. I was face-to-face with this unknown girl. I could not hear what she was telling me (probably because I was trying to see her masked face, hidden by the bright rays of the sun). But I could tell she would have said ‘thank you” or something like that. Before I knew it, she disappeared out of my sight. It was then when I realised… I had fallen in love. I was skipping, blushing and...I dunno, being feminine. I was exhilarated. I regretted not saying a word to her. Then… 138

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She appeared, in front of my eyes. It was short, but that one glimpse meant the world to me. Her scarlet lips were like new born roses. Her fit body hinted that she was an athletic person. She was wearing a white dress that stopped just above her knees. The colour of her dress synchronised with her slightly tanned skin - the colour of golden caramel. If I recall, I don’t think she wore any makeup, yet she was still stunning. It was like watching an angel, not that I ever saw one. But if I did, she would have been my kind of angel. In every class period, I couldn’t focus because of her. Her lips… Her eyes… The way her face broke with her smile. The way her long lashes would shadow over her chocolate eyes. The way she would kiss me… if we were… But that was a mere dream. I sighed and tried to focus on class. I jumped awake and tilted my head and before me there was a magnificent human being. It was like rewriting the story of Mary and the Angel Gabriel. But I was shocked because I never noticed her. It didn’t look like she was a transfer student because everyone was acting normally. Was it just me? Did I not see her? I came up to her and started a conversation. But then I realised how stupid that was and she would’ve thought that I was the most random guy ever. But no. She greeted me and smiled. I could never forget that smile.

Madison Martinez It was a sunny evening, where I got more time to spend more time deep in his love. His cute smile and deep blue eyes made me stutter when I tried to speak. I was so madly in love. He

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gave me the energy to continue on in life. He was a person I was living for. He is and was my past, present and future. The man I always dreamed of. All that changed however on this one sunny evening.

Drake Alves After school finished, I ran to her locker. Number 21. She was there, packing her bag. After she was done, she smiled at me and took my hand. We both walked home, her house was 7 blocks away from mine. I gave her kiss on the forehead and said goodbye. I was skipping home, being silly as usual. Happiness… Until… BOOM! Life isn’t fair. .Drake

Alves

The world was at peace, until the wars started that separated me from my lover. Today is Tuesday the 5th of March 2267. Since the assassination of Kim-Jong-Ddong , four wars have broken out. After all these wars, Germany, USA, Britain and Russia have developed an insurmountable wall. Looking upwards, I could not see the peak of this enormous wall. My name is Drake Alves. I am part American and half Brazilian. Which means my two home countries are from two separate worlds… I am currently living in the US. It has been four years since my parents have died. They were both bombed. “Citizens are forbidden to go above”.

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I would always watch the half burnt picture of my family and would imagine the world we would have lived in before this chaos. And, it was the only picture I had… I can still remember the scent on her scarf and her exquisite smile. I want her. I miss her.

Madison Martinez The bomb created a crater a mile in diameter; right between our houses. We made arrangements to meet when the bombing site was all established and constructed. We were so contented because we could finally meet each other. I could imagine his heart warming smile and his deep blue ocean eyes. I wanted to be in loving arms and his warm kisses. Yet, regardless of how you look at it... Life isn’t fair! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My parents abruptly sent a letter requesting that I come back to aid them. I found myself supporting them because it was necessary. They once sacrificed for me and so now this was my time to sacrifice for them. Moving from the United States to Brazil was a very tough decision for me. I needed to help my parents, yet I had met the love of my life. Why didn't I see it coming? They were struggling to be successful in one of the impoverished areas of Brazil. Living with less than 2 dollars a day, they were homeless, struggling to live everyday life. It would be sooner or later that they’ll request for urgent help.

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This was dire because soon, the divider goes up. After the giant barrier goes up, there's no turning back. The wall separated my family from my dreams. I could clearly remember my last word written for him on my farewell letter: Goodbye. The butterflies float in your stomach when you see your crush. I met the man of my dreams when I was in middle school. His eyes were so special; his smile so warming. However, the same butterflies that tickle your stomach also have the power to destroy your heart, and crush your dreams. I didn’t know how to break it to him. I handed over the letter to him as I took off for the train that took me across the wall. The gate was pushed and cut off the world behind me and just like that gate cut off all my dreams.

Drake, Oh how times have changed. From seeing each other every day, to not seeing you for the fourth year. I don’t even know if you're alive. I am moving to my parents in Brazil. This most likely means I won’t ever see you again. We grew up together in each other’s loving arms and we had spent so much time together. I never will forget a single moment we had together and all those times you made me smile. With you, I had the happiest times of my life. I love moments with you and just moments I lay in bed thinking about you. From all the times we loved each other, promise me you’ll stay strong. Continue on in your journey of live, because it doesn't end here. I love you till the bitter end, Goodbye.

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To this day, the two have never met and never married. Even after the war.. The wall did a terribly nice job keeping them apart. But they know that they are out there, somewhere, in this cold world. Life isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fair.

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Live to Sacrifice Dohun Kwon I was woken up in the darkness by a phone ringing, but I didn’t have a good “feeling” about this call, so I didn’t want to pick it up. The phone continued to ring. I eventually answered the phone after a minute and...I heard the news… My feelings had been correct. I was never wrong. “Hello? Is this Jacob’s guardian's phone number?” asked a nurse. “Yes, I am... What is wrong with my brother?” I replied. “Well… I am sorry to say this but your brother is seriously injured.” said the nurse I didn’t say anything and ended the call. I was shocked, horrified and scared. I could not even think of anything. I just blanked out and stood in the darkness by myself. I wanted to reach for help, so I called my only friend Michael. He didn't get the call… I was a bit disappointed, but I understood why he couldn’t answer. I wished to have my parents and wanted to make them come back to life… but I thought this wasn’t the best time to think about that and I just rushed to the hospital to save my brother... I was at the hospital and I was looking for Jacob. I couldn’t see him anywhere and I asked the doctor where he was. He told me that he was in the ICU (intensive care unit). I ran to the ICU and looked for his doctor. When I found the doctor, he told me that my brother needed the blood type Ice which was the rarest blood type that existed. Also, he told me that if I didn't get the blood in 5 days, my brother would die. I had only 120 hours to save my brother... I didn’t even see his face and just went out of the hospital to try and save him. That was when I noticed that I have made a stupid mistake... 120 hours left… I went on the internet and searched for people who had the blood type ‘ice.’ The only people I could find were my mom and my brother and one anonymous person. I didn’t want my brother to die like my mom (she had no matching blood type). I kept searching but I didn’t get any results. I was stressed out and wanted to just die with my brother until someone contacted me… The call was from a scientist named ‘Vapour’. Vapour told me that he was conducting trials to make Fire types become Ice types and he asked me if I wanted to participate. Straight away, without any questions, I accepted his offer. I ran to take a taxi and it took me 24 hours to arrive at his lab. I had just wasted a day just by going there… so I had 4 days to save my brother… actually 3 days. When I went into his lab, he greeted me with a smile. To me, he looked like a 144

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psychopath who wanted to change the world and I felt like I had seen him somewhere before... He had showed me everything he had researched and told me some of the dangers of this experiment. I was shocked when I heard him say that I had to sacrifice my life to do this. Also, he said that this might fail… I lost my hope and I didn’t want to do this useless and stupid experiment… However, I had no choice but to continue. I had to take different tests and had to stay away from food for a day… And this took away another day. I had only 2 days to save him. 48 hours left.... The project “$TEAM” had started… I lay down on an oily bed and I was nervous and scared. I just thought about my poor little brother who needed help. As Dr.Vapour came in, he asked me where he should send this blood to (if it worked). I told him to send it to Angels Hospital. For the last time I called my only friend Michael and told him to take care of my brother. When I was about to end the call Michael asked me why I was crying… I told him the whole story… And then he told me that he had the blood type Ice! I stood up from the bed and told Dr.Vapour that I was going home. With a nasty smile, he told me to lay back down. That was when I recognised his face! He was the man who killed my parents… I felt weak and woke up again in the darkness. I felt lonely and scared… As I opened my eyes, I saw Dr.Vapour coming up to me with a scalpel. With an ominous smile,he told me that he wanted to change the world by replacing all the people around the world with his “people”... I knew he was actually going to do it because he was not a person like us… Also, he told me that he needed me because I had the rare blood type Fire Negative He needed my blood to make the “ultimate” weapon: “$TEAM”. I just couldn't believe that he planned all this to make me go to him. I was just shocked. I had nothing to say… I knew I had to do something. I thought of lots of different ways to get “rid” of my blood until eventually... I slowly asked Dr.Vapour if I could just get a match and a cigarette. He, without hesitation, gave me what I had asked for. I lit 3 matches and put them on my bed. The fire spread quickly and I could feel the flames on me. I just wished my brother would understand why I did this. Slowly, I closed my eyes with a tear running down towards my smile… And then I was gone into another world... ©

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Forever Linnea Wiktorin and Maya Lycett Forever. Seven letters meaning: for future times, for always- that is how long we will be on this side of the fence. Always. Meet Ignis, a young girl living a peaceful but poor life. And Hendrix, a young boy living a busy but rich life. ********Ignis********* My dad was a kind, loving man who had a heart of gold. He worked all day just to earn a few dollars to be able to provide for our family. My mom passed away during my birth. I have no memories of my mom, not even one photo. My dad hates to talk about her so we never do... It’s not easy around here. Sometimes I sit outside on the tin roof of our house and look over all the other ridged and dirty roofs and wonder, “What would life be like on the other side?” You see, I live in a special city. Five years ago a disease called Zygomycosis broke out. It was spreading, and it was spreading fast. This meant that they isolated the city from the rest of the world but according to them it wasn’t enough. No. They put up one more fence separating the rich from the poor. It is known as “fire and ice” here on the poor side. Fire describes us- we are warmhearted and caring. They are Ice- greedy and selfish. You might have already figured out which side I’m on. The poor one. This is all because of one person. She is a sad excuse of a human. She told us that it was for the best and that she had to do it. But we all know that the truth is that she didn’t have to do anything. There is one person who can stop it. He can make a change but from what I know he doesn’t care at all. I wish that he could see the split the way I see it, as something

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terrible and that it must be stopped. I bet he is so caught up in his ‘rich’ lifestyle to even give us a second glance. ***********Hendrix*********** The guilt inside of me grows bigger and bigger for every day that passes by. I feel like I could have stopped it or at least tried to prevent it. Whenever I tell her about it she claims that I could not have done anything and that they did what they had to do. But now I have to live knowing that thousands of people hate us for what we have done. When I say ‘they’ or ‘her’ I am talking about our so called ‘leaders’. It just so happens that I was born into all of this. I didn’t choose this life. It chose me. I do not agree with most of the things our leader has done. People might think that I have the power to tell her to stop- even I wish it would be that easy. I cannot look at her as my mother anymore. No. Now, I look at her as the leader that everyone is afraid of. Even I am afraid of her. I wish that I had somebody to talk to. According to my mom I was born along with a sister but she died during the birth. I wish she would have survived because I would be able to talk to her. My twin. So many of my family members (that I never had the chance to get to know) are now on the other side like my aunt (she was stuck there when it was all separated). Whenever I catch a glimpse at someone on the other side they stare at me with so much hatred. It hurts. It really does. I can’t hide from my family anymore. *****Ignis***** I ran home from school with great news to tell my dad. I walked into his bedroom trying to make my breath go back to a normal pace. I looked around the room and he was nowhere to be seen. I walked up to his desk to see if he had left a note to me but the only thing I noticed was that one of his drawers were open - the one which was always locked. My curiosity took over my body and my hands started reaching for the letters inside the drawer. I picked up all of them and observed that they were sent from the same place. The rich side. No. That’s not it. It was sent from the headquarters.

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I started looking at every letter throwing them out of my hand into the empty room. When I reached the last one I decided to open it. My hand slid over the smooth surface of the letter reaching for the already cut open envelope. I pulled out one paper and saw a photo. It was a photo of me. But that is not all. There were four people in the picture including me and a boy next to me and a younger version of my dad and a woman next to him. We all had big smiles on our faces and brown hazel hair. I looked like I was about 4 years old. The boy looked of a similar age. I turned over the thin photo paper and read the text on the back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am so sorry. xâ&#x20AC;? I thought about it for a few seconds before I connected all the dots... She is my mother. He is my twin.

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Panic Sion Kim MOSCOW I stood and took a break from the strenuous work of encoding these heavy messages. Sometimes, I didn’t have the strength to focus on such things - things so bleak and deadly. I squinted my eyes outside and leaned against the frosted window seal. My breath delicately covered the glass, pulsing as the cold fought back against the smoke and the warmth of the cigar. I cupped in my hands. I observed the activities outside and saw the lonesome streets. Still, the snow fell. Crackle crackle Scrambling my headphones to my ears, I expected the usual gibberings of the radio transmitter…

You can tell by just looking at his eyes that something bad had happened. Slowly, the calm pupils dancing around stopped dead and his eyebrows released the tension of focus he usually had. Abruptly, he threw his precious cigar at the window and scurried down the stairs, trembling as his hands and feet briskly ran over the steps; twisting his ankle and jumping down by threes and fours. I hurried down, trying to avoid thinking about what was happening. 5 minutes? I glanced at my watch as a bead of cold sweat trickled down my forehead. I bumped into her and pushed my way through. Still, I had a bit of humanity left and I couldn’t leave her. I managed to gurgle, “Добраться до метро!” She stood perfectly still. Did she understand what I said? “Get to the metro!” But there was nothing in her eyes. She didn’t talk or blink. She stood perfectly still. Standing over my knees, I could feel the moisture between the cold cracks in my hand and I left her alone. I turned away and burst through the main doors.

The streets were quiet until the floor began to vibrate. Delicate formations of snow were obliterated and shaken to powder as a loudspeaker began to crackle along with a whiny siren. Bright white missiles like stars roared above the tranquil skies and ripped through the lonesome clouds that were drifting at this unprecedented time of the day. Immediately, people poured out of the little houses and formed into a dark swarm of hysteria. Like a hole in the tub, the swarm squished and ploughed into the metro. However, not all could enter. In slow motion, the doors began to move. People 149

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stared inside the metro and saw only the reflection of people barging and pushing in their glossy eyes. A small boy managed to speak up, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mum!â&#x20AC;? He was crying as his mother grew more distant; pushed back like a doll rag in a Spanish bull chase. People did nothing - almost as if he had never existed. He never did anyway, and he never will. The light slowly became thinner and thinner until there was only complete darkness and the sound of scratching and screaming behind the steel doors. I knew that they would be silenced soon by the detonation of the bomb.

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Juxtaposition Hayoon Chung JAMES “Mr. Parker, please. Just help me once. I need to know who killed my daughter. Please...” cried the woman dressed in pyjamas, as she ran into the office with watery eyes. Kyra, Charlotte, Chloe, Eve. These innocent girls were killed by a merciless, inhuman creature that left an initial on the corpse: K. “Ma’am, we will try our best, but it is not guaranteed... The suspect has left no evidence except the symbol on the corpse.” Even though I said it just because I was a policeman, the woman seemed to be convinced. Maybe because she was in a trauma. Soon, she walked out of the office and I slowly fell into a sleep. A deep sleep... KRIS I am a murderer. A serial murderer. Kyra, Charlotte, Chloe, Eve. I killed four women and I plan to kill one more. JAMES When I was sitting in the office, thinking about the ‘K Murder Case’ Kate, the youngest of the investigation team, came in with the senior officer. The officer introduced himself, “Good afternoon, Mr. James Parker, I am Chris Evans and I would like to have a talk with you,” then he turned to Kate, “Uh...privately, if that’s possible.” Kate closed the door as she went out, and the officer started the conversation. “Well, the reason that I am here, is that… Uh, I don’t know how to put it into words but you are accused of murdering three people, the ones from the ‘K Murder Case’.” As much as I was shocked because it wasn’t me, accusation started to anger me. As much as I knew that I was innocent, the anger inside me grew; I will solve this crime. KRIS The murder will be succinctly done, and after this murder... I will terminate this existence as Kris. During this activity I have to be stable, to keep my control over that pathetic little weasel James I went into a building that was about to be demolished and the metal pipes were everywhere. I could use that as my weapon, but no. I strangle my victims. It’s more respectful and you can check whether the victim has really left. Jisoo, my current and last victim, was following me innocently as she had no idea whether I was the murderer for the ‘K Murder Case’. I reached for her thin neck, while her eyes were full of fear. My eyelids were falling down, although I wasn’t tired. They felt dry, but wet, as if I was going to cry soon. 151

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JAMES I was tired, but I opened my eyes. Boom. I was in a dark environment, but somehow I was standing. I was meant to be in my room, with my warm blanket over me. As my eyes adjusted to the light, a girl was standing in front of me, and she seemed terrified. I wanted to ask her whether she was okay, but then my eyelids slid and closed...they felt dry, but wet,as if I was going to cry soon. KRIS For a second, I lost the control to James, but hopefully he has not realised what I was doing. He’s a policeman, but how could he report me? How could he report himself? Anyway, I put a bit more strength into my fingers, and my nails dug into the little girl’s neck. The blood was trickling down the neck, and her eyes seemed to spin back. Her face was blue, and all her strength was lost. She collapsed. I got my knife out, and slowly carved it into her skin. The blood was covering the initial that I scraped in, but it was obvious what it represented. K, for Kris. JAMES I opened my eyes, as the sunshine went up to the limit where it hurt. But I realised that it was definitely not the sunshine. Maybe a flash light? A bulky man was looking down at me, with a fierce look. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. My legs were bleeding, and I guessed that it was because of a piece of glass, no maybe mirror, piercing through my knee. On my right shoulder, I felt a heavy weight, and realised that there was a big metal object on it. It was slanted to the side, and my clothes around it were ripped. The man said, “You are lucky that I found you,” the silence awkwardly took place, “And I saw it all…. you trying to murder a girl, and the police will soon be here.” I heard the sirens ring, and soon Chris Evans came up to me with a pair of handcuffs, and they eventually were snapped on my wrists. Kate also came up to me, with a disgusted look: horrified, and mortified. “You are under arrest for the murders of the ‘K Murder Case’.” At the station, the police office was familiar, yet awkward. He leads me in to a room with a wall filled with screens, and one of them seemed to show me in a fight with a girl. The girl’s face seemed to be similar as the girl that I saw in my dream, the girl who was terrified. I had no idea, about what this whole thing was, but I just let go of everything. The CCTV recording seemed to never end. Suddenly, I saw myself holding a knife that seemed to be pretty long. Then I was strangling the girl, and she collapsed. I laid her on the floor, then cut her arm, dipped my fingers into it and used the blood to color the wall which formed into the shape of… maybe K. My eyelids were falling down, although I wasn’t tired. They felt dry, but wet, as if I was going to cry soon.

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Ire in Ice: Dragon War Alexandre Jallet A story inspired by the Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim-Bethesda Studios Dragonborn, Dragonborn by his honor is sworn To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray! Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago And the tale, boldly told, of the one! Who was kin to both wyrm and the races of man with a power to rival the sun And the Scrolls have foretold of black wings in the cold, That when brothers wage war come unfurled! Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, With a hunger to swallow the world! But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon's lie, will be silenced forever and then! Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduin's maw! Dragonborn, Dragonborn by his honor is sworn To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!

Prequel: Through the deathly lands of mankind, the forces of light and shadow will clash on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Throat of the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the greatest of all mountains, the last remaining temples of the dragon priests and the final battle between mankind and the tyrannic race of dragons... 153

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**************** “Freedom and victory await us!” The brave Nord warriors marched on with proud, defiant steps like martyrs entering a coliseum. Behind the blizzard storm in the battlefield, they face their ultimate fate, as death stood back in the shadows gathering its remaining strength. Behind the two giant metal doors covered by icy thorns, is hidden a dark hallway garnished with ancient books - each containing dangerous spells and recipes of powerful mystic potions, bedecked by large detailed columns and archways mixed with inscribed ancient writings carved on the mountain rocks. In a hidden chamber permeated with black cold mist, a powerful mage rose from his ancient slumber. As he emerged from the shadows, he unveiled himself as the last remaining dragon priest guarding the sacred temple. He was dressed in a fine purple robe, adorned with rare jewels and dazzled with gold armored plates shaped like dragon scales; brighten with sapphire, diamond and emerald garnets. A mask wielding great magic burnished with fine bronze revealed an inscribed image of a dragon. The bold priest walked through the hallway accompanied by brave acolytes armed with sharp axes and ready blades, armored with ebony metal plates and helmets. They prepare themselves to defend their master against the oppressing Nordic army and protect the remaining acolytes and the forsaken priest - Volsung. “Onwards my brothers and sisters, glory awaits us!” The rebel forces charged with great pride, finally arriving in front of the giant gates staggering above them like hills surrounding the land. Within the hordes of the Nordic army one stood out like a fire in a forest. Two long segments were positioned revealing a leader equipped with his shining iron armor decorated with thorns. It was inscribed with ancient Nordic writing, bonded with chain-mail. His helmet melted in hot iron and decorated with two horns coated in bronze. He held a broad sword, crafted in ancient Nordic design, granting him the power to slay any beast. He was the only one brave enough to confront head on the masterful race of dragons - Dovakin. Volsung ordered in a dark voice.“Proud nords of Atmora; drive back your forces and leave this sacred place to rest; this is what the Great Devourer demands!” The Nordics did not listen to the priests foul words, instead they looked upon their true leader cheering him with their dignity. Their voices shouted like trumpets blowing through hurricanes. Dovakin stood up in front of the crowds holding a flag-post revealing his might, unwilling to surrender. Volsung threatened in a violent manner, “Your pitiful armies stand no chance against us; we are immortals sent from the gods themselves; your lives will become forsaken and dammed by hell!” Dovakin threw back the words of the dragon priest and exclaimed, “Your dragon overlords are no more than reptilian pets against us Volsung; the other priests have all been slaughtered; your dragon master Alduin is no god of the divines or first born of Akatosh!”

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Volsung’s anger boiled inside him like a volcano erupting from the earth’s mountains; nothing but rage came from his words. Volsung proclaimed in anger, “How dare you! Alduin is the God of the Divines, the Master of all Dragons and the king of this land. You are all no more than mortals who obey his words!” The forsaken priest raised his staff and pointed it forward at the Nordic forces. Volsung declared, “Let their hearts rip open like the skies!” The wind hurled savagely like tornadoes; the ground shook like earthquakes ravaging the earth. Monstrous screeches in the sky like banshees stabbing the hearts of soldiers with fear. What came out were beasts of the clouds; armored with solid metal reptilian scales; horned with piercing spikes; armed with razor sharp claws; their massive wings covered the skies representing shadows of death - Sky Wyrms. BOOM! The rocks of the mountain cliffs cracked open forming stalactites that splintered in a million shards, impaling bodies of Nordic men to their hearts. Burrowed predators deep in the mountain awakened to strike the nordic army from under their feet; lurkers hunting Nords from the ground like rattlesnakes hiding under the sand taunting its prey - Winter Wyrms. Finally, the black wings covered the land like a plague of darkness swept around the skies blocking out the light of the skies, circling around the army like a great white shark. The portal from Souvenguard opened and ripped the skies revealing large fiery meteors as they crashed on top of the Nordic army in a baptism of fire. The Bane of Kings; Wrath of the Gods; the Ire in Ice; Lord and King of Dragons;The Great Devourer - Alduin. He has arrived.

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Fire and Ice: Zombie Apocalypse Patrick Rim and Jeonghoon Kim https://docs.google.com/a/seoulforeign.com/forms/d/1xUpTt2wIq3xDZf1_6rjPpFhA7Hdzqyi_ 3MhDWT_Dvmc/formResponse (Please go to the link above for the interactive version of this story)

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Dear Mary Meen Choi December 18th 2000 It’s a rainy afternoon in the hospital; the opaque skies are covered by grey clouds. She lies on the hospital bed breathing in the bitterly-cold air by the windowpane, gazing into the colourless sky, hoping that maybe light will come. She seems lifeless and enfolds her arms softly around her stomach. Soon, I know it won’t just be the skies that are upset - her heart too will break at the news! The message rings in my head. “She or the baby will survive. Not both. I’m sorry.” “She or the baby,” “Mary or the baby,” “The baby,” That’s what the doctor would have said, but I couldn’t let the news reach my wife. And it left me no choice but to tell her myself. She has 3 more years to live with me, perhaps. Leukemia… why her? As I approach Mary, my feet and legs cannot resist shaking. I can hear my bones and teeth clatter with each step I take. Trembling, I grab the seat next to her and sit down. She turns around and looks at me in the eye. All I can see are her blue, innocent, anxious eyes. I breathe heavily and with both my hands shaking, close my eyes clasping onto her fingers and dare to say... “Don’t worry. The doctor says everything will be fine. It’s okay.” She smiles with sad face and I don’t suspect anything... ♦ ♦ ♦ I first met Mary in my final job interview. What a sight. It may sound cliched, but I knew I was in love at first sight. She had tall legs, long blonde hair, a tall nose and deep blue eyes that you can almost drown in. This all harmonized elegantly with her melodious voice. Her smile bloomed on her white face and her red lips almost epitomised two soft petals of a rose. She was not only graceful in her aesthetic beauty, she was also intelligent. It was that moment, when I was put into a trance. From that point on, she was my motivation. 157

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Ever since my first encounter with Mary, I developed an overindulgence of her; and ignorance of everything else. My love kept growing each day in the office. Our working desks faced parallel towards each other and I could see everything that she did. I even remember the day when she smiled at me. May 5th. That was the day I asked her out… Our love bloomed from then on and we became very attached to each other, like two magnets. Every road, every sight, every step and every second I wanted to spend with her and I wanted to make memories that I will not, and did not want to forget. She was my first and last. I loved her that much. Our first date happened after work. On Mary’s birthday, April 19th, just a week after we started dating. I took to her to a local restaurant for steak and wine. We had a long talk about our families, interests and backgrounds. Mary was a far more interesting and unique person than I had expected. She was the youngest in a family of 8, born in Auckland, New Zealand. Her father died before her birth so she had never gotten a chance to see him. Her family went through a lot of hardships as her mother was raising 6 children alone, living just under 600 dollars a month. When Mary turned 2, her mother went through severe depression and committed suicide. It was a grim topic to discuss on her birthday so I couldn’t ask more but on that day I realised that she would have been lonely in her life, and that she needed a pillar to lean against… Me. ♦ ♦ ♦ January 1st 2000 It was a whole new year. By now Mary and I have become inseparable, knowing each other inside out. I figured that Mary and I may have not spent the longest time with each other yet, but I want to be with her forever. I proposed to her with a diamond ring at the restaurant where we went for our first date. “Mary, will you marry me?” I said in a humorous way. But I was shaking… “Yes...yes...yes! Ohmygod-yes!” Mary laughed and answered without hesitation. She gave me a warm hug and kiss. On that night we planned our marriage on the 28th of January and our honeymoon to Portugal on the 1st of February. Mary and I settled in a house in Wellington the following week. April 3rd 2000 “I’ve got news.” says Mary. “I think I can guess...” I replied. “I can’t believe this is already happening, we’re going to be parents.” Mary whispers, crying and embracing me. At that moment, my heart dropped with excitement and a pinch of joy. ♦ ♦ ♦ Here I stand now, with a dilemma that I can only know about myself. 3 years… it’s clear to me who I need to save. Mary. 158

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♦ ♦ ♦ Without telling Andrew, I made the decision myself. How could I have not known… Andrew, Daniel needs a chance… ♦ ♦ ♦ 13 years later, December 21st 2013 Dear Mary, It’s been 13 years. Exactly 13 years… When light shone upon me, Darkness, overcame you. When I started breathing, You couldn’t breathe any longer, I started, in crying pain You ended, in crying pain. Dad still cries in sorrow Alone. I can see it in his eyes Remorse. December… it is cold. Distant places, but my heart is warm, from the care and embrace, and the kindness of your soul. I love you, I thank you. To. Mary From. Daniel (Your son)

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Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Natasha Huibers I open my eyes to see complete blackness. The ground beneath me is hard and cool - like ice. I get to a sitting position and rub my eyes groggily. “Hello?”, my voice echoes through the space, and fear creeps over me when nobody replies. I have no idea where I am - or who I am. My mind is fuzzy; the only memory is of me falling off a ledge. I was tumbling down for minutes... but I can’t remember what happened next. On the spur of the moment, a ceiling light flickers a couple of metres in front of me. The light illuminates the room and I get a better sense of what’s around me: I can see a big, wooden desk (probably oak) in front of me, with the light just above it. Yet there are no walls - only darkness along with a murky feeling in the air. I can feel the beads of sweat accumulating on my forehead. Nonetheless, I stand up and hesitantly creep towards the light... My heart skips a beat as my eyes soak in the image of a blurry silhouette approaching in front of me. Its moves are smooth and menacing; threatening even. I stumble backwards, too shocked to speak. “Hello,” he says, with a sly smile on his face. I look into his eyes and am shocked by an electrical beauty. I see no typical eyes. I see a mixture of ocean blue and rich olive green, splashed with golden flecks that glisten in the artificial light above us. I see bravery, I see fire. I see everything. But beneath that I can also sense heartless eyes. Cruel eyes. I see eyes with no sympathy. Callous eyes. A surprisingly warming laugh comes out of his lips. “I’m John,” he says, “and I am here to help you.” “What with?” I ask, cautious of my words. “With everything. Now, why don’t you come along with me, and everything will be okay. I’ll take you to someplace safe - to your family.”

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There is something about his voice that makes me want to go with this stranger. It sounds as warm as a blanket, as if it would bring me to safety without a doubt. This voice is so soothing, so soft and so gentle - I have never heard such an easing and consoling voice. Even though I don’t even remember who my family is, I have to try hard to resist the urge to follow him. Every single part of me is longing to be in a warm and peaceful place; anywhere but here, where it is cold, dark and eerie. “No,” I say, with the steadiest voice I can manage, because I am smart enough to know that this was a trap. John’s expression turns inhumane, and he starts staring. John is looking at me with an intensity that I did not know existed. I can tell all his muscles are tense, but he does not flinch. A burning sensation starts formulating in my chest; at first, I think it is my victory in the conversation, but then I frown, because the burning is getting a little too hot. I look at John, and he is still staring, and I wonder if he will ever stop, or if he will just let me die in this torment. My body is screaming in pain now, and I panic because I don’t want my life to end so early… The feeling is agonizing, and I crouch down on the floor, clutching at my chest. It is so hot, it almost feels cold - it’s a freezing burn. It is like a mixture of fire and ice; inserted right into my body. I want this fire and ice to go. It cripples me. It tortures me... “Now will you come with me?” John’s stare softens, and the burning fades away. I smile lightly, grateful for the release of pain. I’m presuming John took this as a ‘yes’, because a bloodcurdling crackle escapes from him. “I thought so,” he says. I manage a polite chuckle, turn around and...run as fast as I can in the opposite direction. I have no idea what lies in the darkness ahead of me...

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The Thunderstorm Alex Kim Dedicated to Dohun Kwon Despair. Dread. Terror. I can see myself lying in nothingness reflecting all these feelings as I am swallowed by darkness. I don’t understand what and where this surreal world is. I’m looking down, watching myself rolling in my bed. My body is drenched in sweat as if I was in a thunderstorm. My body is jerking back and forth as if I was being struck with a bolt of pure electricity. It reeks of burning flesh. Abruptly my vision zooms forward into my mind. Into my little nightmare… Darkness. I stand alone. Or so I think. I hear the crackle of thunder. My head turns reluctantly fearing the thing I will meet. I am faced with a stare of pure deceit and anger. He starts to come toward me as I start to bolt, afraid of my fate .I run as fast as I can but nothing seems to work. In a matter of seconds he catches up to me .I give in and stop running just as he reaches out to me. His touch is ice cold and I can see the burning fires in his eyes. I blackout and wake up falling. It’s too dark to see myself plummeting but I can feel myself falling down. For the second time I close my eyes. I wake up. The usual darkness is still replacing the background. I’m on my back. I look around and see the “thunderstorm” looming in the darkness. The dark figure is standing a few metres from me. He is like a shadow within the darkness. I call out to him “who are you, what are you? His response: silence. The fires burning in his eyes are the first form of light I’ve seen in what feels like an eternity. However I do not greet it with a smile. I can smell the odor of burning coal and call out again “Why are you doing this” .All of a sudden the silhouette is looming over me. I hear it speak in a cryptic voice “I AM DARKNESS”.I get up to run but my hands slip on the smooth floor. The terror rises in me as I feel my blood drain. The figure reaches over its head and brings back a bolt of electricity. I raise my hands as he brings the bolt down… I wake up to the sound of thunder. My body is ice cold from the cool sweat. Yet I’m relieved just to be alive. I look over to see the time it’s 4 am. My heart starts to pound as my peripheral vision picks up a shadow leaving the room… I look down and see what I had mistaken for sweat was blood. Then I understood why I was cold as I come to the realization that it may not have been a dream at all...

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The One and Only Kiriko Ogawa It was a warm, regular summer in 2020. It was no different from the previous days, or the future days that will come up. Except for the boy’s emotions, which changed completely on that day... Hono Kageyama, who was always sick and stayed home, had no interaction with people. He just lay down on the bed all day. He was sick of it. The only thing he saw was a plain ceiling that had no image or drawing on it. He needed some fresh air and a new experience. This is when, he decided to become a fugitive. Hono was born in an average family- his father was a boss at a local TV company and his mom was staying home just to take care of him...because it kept coming back! Because of this, he couldn’t go to school or play around, like the other kids did. Plus, his mother was very strict and overprotective. Despite this, they wanted Hono to become powerful, so they named him ‘fire’ in Japanese. One day, when Hono was playing with his dolls and adjunma, there was a knock on the door. “HONOOO, come down please. There is a visitor who wants to meet you.” As soon as he went down the stairs, he could see the change in the atmosphere and could feel the wind going back and forth in the room. “Hello, I’m Yuki. Nice to meet you!” Yuki was a pretty, calm and kind girl, who wore a white dress. Her name was totally opposite of Hono- it meant “ice” in Japanese. Even though Hono didn’t believe in ‘love at the first sight’, he fell in love with her: the beautiful girl he was never supposed to meet in his whole entire life, except... here she was! “Uhh… hi. I’m Hono!” They were both shy, but as they started playing and talking, they were unstoppable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------My son doesn’t know that I am watching him. I, who found Yuki to soothe him. “Do you realize something?” Hono asked. “What? I… don’t know” Yuki answers nervously. I hold my breath and lean over. Finally! “I’m gonna tell you something. I have leukemia. I tried to treat it and had surgery, but it didn’t work out.” He shows his scars.

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“Oh really? I…. actually have leukemia too! I’ve never met someone with leukemia like me before. Because of this, I normally can’t go outside and play with others. I’m so pale like a zombie.” -----------------------------------------------------------------After that day, her face and their conversation stayed in Hono’s mind- he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Yuki felt the same, and they met almost every day. They spent the days talking, watching movies and playing around. Hono thought, “I like Yuki, beyond just being a ‘friend’.” He has never felt this way about a girl. But at this point, he never knew this would be the one and only true love he would experience. ----------------------------------------------------------------“Will you go out with me?” The longest silence went on. With a surprised face, Yuki slowly opened her mouth, with fear. “I like you too. I have a feeling that you’re more than a friend to me. But…. my dad just told me that we’re leaving for Los Angeles. There is a new treatment center there. It’s pretty far though.” “I don’t care! Do you wanna have a long distance relationship?”Hono continued, hoping to get over this awkward atmosphere - he was determined. “Sure!” The answer from Yuki delighted his face and voice, and made his day, more like his life. A few days later, Yuki left to Los Angeles. They chatted online, every day as much as possible. However, sometimes it didn’t work; they fought. “Why do you not understand me? I’m trying so hard but you’re misunderstanding.” “Why can’t you talk to me more often?” “I’m sorry. I’m so tired from puking. The new treatment is harsher than the ones I had before”. “I’m so sorry to not understand you Yuki. It’s all my fault.” But as they went through the fights, their relationship and their bond got stronger, even when they couldn’t see each other. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“We found a few neoplasm in the lower lung field. Leukemia might have spread. Could we check again to make sure where the cancer is located?” He had to be in the hospital as soon as possible, and he went. His mom packed everything within one hour and he was officially back in the ward again. He started to breathe heavily, spit out blood and felt pain in his chest. The doctors tried their best with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, from this treatment, Hono’s hair was lost and he kept on vomiting every night. His mom called Yuki, but Hono didn’t want to show Yuki his weak side, and only met her once when he was feeling well. 164

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Hono’s condition got worse and worse, and one day, his parents got to know the truth from his doctor. “I’m sorry, we can’t do anything anymore. Hono is at stage IV. If we keep going with the treatment, it will just hurt Hono physically and mentally and it won’t even cure the disease. The neoplasm spread around the whole lung. I believe he won’t live until his birthday.” His parents were hurt. They cried for the whole night… When the treatments stopped, Hono acted better. Even when he got better, his parents were still sad and looked like they gave up. Hono knew. Hono knew that his life wasn’t going to last for a long time. “Honestly, if I’m not gonna live, what’s the point of just lying on the bed without doing anything?” As soon as he thought about this, he sneaked out of the bed and quietly took his mom’s credit card. “This is my one and only life”. He ran out of the room, into the taxi and asked, “Please take me to Los Angeles.” Of course, the taxi driver would go. As the car was moving, Hono started to breathe heavily. “Are you alright? You seem like you’re sick” “I’m fine, fine”. Hono lied. He lied, stole and went to Los Angeles JUST to see Yuki- but for him, it wasn’t JUST to see her, she was his life. ---------------------------------------I know Hono has my credit card. But… What do I do? Do I call the police? Do I stop it? But. He only has a few more days to live. I should let him do whatever he wants to do. -----------5 hours later----------Hono was finally here. He got out of the taxi and was in front of Yuki’s house. He was tired, out of breath and dying. “Is anyone here?” It was Yuki. Yuki who was cured from leukemia with the new treatment. When Hono saw Yuki’s face, he collapsed… It was his birthday wish. She held him in an embrace of fire and ice; ice extinguishing the pain in fire.

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Trying To Change Back Mees Van Hoof The golden sun rose up over the water, melting the cold blood from Jack’s body... When the sun sets the moon changes Jack’s blood. It becomes icy, which means he will change into a whole new, darker creature. Jack has been this way since he turned 10 years old, but he did not know how to change back to his normal self. Until one night on his birthday, he woke up and there was a note on his night cupboard that said... “There is only one way you can change back to normal. You will have to survive a whole night without killing anybody and you need to remember everything that happened the night before.” Now, Jack has turned 18 so he wanders more freely around the city night, covered by the evening stars. I woke up alone in the morning, but my friends were covered in blood; bathing in each other’s blood. My hand and shirt were covered in blood; I do not know what happened. The only thing I remembered was that I woke up when the sun shone and lit up my dark hair into a beautiful, soft, blonde colour. Then I heard a coughing sound like somebody was regurgitating their own body fluids. I looked around to see if I could find the source of this anomaly. I finally found one of my friends in a bathtub filled up to the brim with blood, but when he saw me he was scared, confused and frightened. “Jeff! What happened?” I asked desperately “GET AWAY FROM ME!” He screamed; blood and all. “What have I done wrong?” It became silent...Jeff was gone, I realized. After a quiet silence, I heard the daily train hurtling through the forest. Behind the loud sound of the train, I heard the sirens coming. They came closer and closer. I opened the window and tried to run to the tracks. I grabbed my stuff and jumped through the window. I ran and ran until I couldn’t hear those wretched sirens any more... It was a misty, dark and swampy area. The smell was like a stray dog’s breath. I felt something drifting around me. I saw the shadow of an old cabin in the distance. When I finally reached the cabin door, it was locked. I walked around the house which was covered with trees and mosses, they were breaking some of the glass windows. I really couldn’t find a way into the house. I sat on the front porch and waited and thought for a while. Then it hit me (it literally hit me). It was a branch that fell from the tree on top of my body. I stood up, picked up the tree branch, stepped backwards and ran to the door hitting it as hard as I could with the branch. 166

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BANG! The door opened. I slowly opened the door and looked to see if anyone was in the old cabin. As I took each step, the wooden floor creaked and groaned. It was humid and shady inside the old cabin. I walked around the cabin, there was nothing in the cabin only some broken furniture. I looked one more time around the house but not to see if anybody was there but to find some resources. I couldn’t find anything in the dining room, I went to the kitchen to look if there was anything that I could eat but the whole cabin was empty. Time passed by like a water stream going downhill. Suddenly, the lights turned on and there came a sound from a gun inside the house. I was scared. I hid underneath the broken sofa. I heard the floor creaking from the person who was looking for me. The creaking came closer and closer to the sofa but then… He walked a different direction! This was my chance to run to the door. There was only one problem - my bag was still on top of the dining table. Time ticked by and every second took longer than the one before it. I looked outside; it was getting darker and darker. For the first time I was happy that it was getting dark. It could be the only way to get out of this cabin. Then the sun disappeared from the cabin window. I could feel my body changing. My hair turned dark black and I felt my body getting stronger. I threw the sofa from my body and everything turned black… ---------------------------I woke up with blood dripping down my mouth. I thought to myself, “Again and again it keeps happening. The sun goes down; everything turns black and I wake up with blood dripping down my mouth.” But this time it was different. There were cars everywhere. The light slowly penetrated my eyes, causing them to dilate. I saw that I was in parking lot. I stood up and looked around but there was something different than all the other nights. This time there were only two bodies instead of three to five bodies. But this person was wearing a leather suit and the other one was wearing a S.W.A.T suit (Special, Weapons and Tactic). I knew something had gone terribly wrong but I still don’t know what had happened during the previous night, even though I needed to remember what happened to get back to normal. I walked around the garage looking for an exit. Then I saw the exit where I knew I could go back to the real world. I ran through the parking garage to the big white opening. Then I stopped. I thought to myself” I cannot go outside because everybody will look weirdly at me.” It had always happened that way, all through the years I hid away from everyone. I put my hood from my hoodie on so my face would be hidden away from everyone as I ran into the street. Nobody was there. Only some parked cars. I looked on my phone and I saw that it was only 5:00 AM and nobody would be on the streets before 6:00 AM. 167

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I did not know where I was (which country and which city) so I looked around the street for any clues I could find. Then I saw it it was the famous stadium from the Vancouver Canucks. There was only one big question left; Why was I in this city? I walked around the city to see if could get any food from the bakery. I found one of the bakeries but it would only be open at 5:45 AM. I looked on my phone to see what time it was - 5:40 AM. I had to wait 5 minutes until I could buy some food to eat. I spent some time on my phone trying to figure out what had happened that night because that's the only way to figure out how to change back.

The store finally opened, I couldn’t wait until I could finally taste the bread in my mouth after those countless nights without any food. I walked into the store and I looked around to see if there was any CCTV (there was none) but the tv was on (CNN). I kindly asked the man if I could have a chocolate croissant. The man replied “Of course you can have a chocolate croissant.” I waited for a couple of minutes because the baker had just started making the croissant in the oven. I looked at the T.V and saw that CNN was taking live footage of two people lying dead in the garage. OHHH NO! those are the people I woke up next to. I thought to myself: I hope that they don’t show a picture of me. But of course they did show a picture of me. And the baker just 168

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walked out with my chocolate croissant! I gave him the money and thanked him for the croissant. I looked behind to see if the baker noticed that I was on the news but the only thing I saw when I turned was him on the phone and he looked terrified so I knew that he was calling 911. I could already hear the sirens coming down the streets...

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Katerina’s Tale Heloise Morel Dierckx Katerina woke up in the morning as early as she could. She had never been so tired. Then it hit her, it was Monday! Unlike other people in the orphanage she lived in, Katerina was a Monday person. Looking at the schedule that was on her bedside table, she realised she had to make breakfast for the orphans who were younger than her. She was the oldest orphan and so had to cook. It might seem unusual for an orphan to cook for other orphans but Katerina had proved to be brave, responsible and careful so the kids looked up to her as an example. Which is why she was given the responsibility of cooking and with that (in case of emergencies) a phone. Once Katerina had gotten to the antique filled kitchen, she then put on an apron and took out the cooking books. As she looked at all the different books she had, she felt hungry. She read through all the recipe labels: Lunch recipes, Dinner recipes, Brunch recipes. Ah, here it was... Breakfast. The recipes looked delicious. Apple crumble, bread rolls, pancakes and finally scrambled eggs. She reached out towards the fridge and got 2 eggs, cream and butter. Quickly, she whipped the eggs until they were liquid. Then put the cream in the mixture. It had the prettiest of colours mixed up all together. After that she spread the four flakes of butter she had peeled off and spread them around a pan she had put on the stove. It sizzled once she put the butter on it, and then she spread the mixture of eggs and cream into the pan. She flipped it over every 2 minutes until it was the perfect colour. Eventually, she crumpled it all up and cut it so it was scrambled eggs and not an omelette. Once that was done, she scooped the now scrambled eggs to put them on a plate. Then, as expected, the morning alarm rang. The loud noise woke up all the orphans that were sleeping upstairs. She heard groans and moans as the children lifted their covers off. They had no choice, for the alarm came with automatic lighting. The groans and moans stopped and soon, the silence was followed by a series of sniffing. The children had smelled the scrambled eggs... One by one, orphans of all sizes, shapes and colours filled the kitchen, looking extremely hungry. After she had all the children settled, with egg in their plates, her phone rang. She hadn’t remembered bringing it to the kitchen but still she answered it. Her best friend’s welcoming voice was not there. Instead it was a sniffing, coughing rough best friend’s voice. Katerina realized something must be wrong. After asking her the question, her friend filled her in on how her cat had died last night and that only this morning, her and her siblings had discovered it. As she explained everything about her cat, Katerina looked beside her only to see that all the orphans were done. They were now making silly faces at each other. She quickly told her friend to hold on for a few seconds and told the orphans to go and get ready for the landlord, Mrs. Mc Stitch. She owned the orphanage. Then she went back to her phone call. But when she did, she only heard a beeping. 170

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“Hello? Lilly?” she mumbled. Nothing. Katerina set about quickly packed her backpack and left for school. Since the school was only a ten minute walk, every day she would enjoy the green, welcoming environment. There were usually a few policemen walking around. They were very polite and always said hello, but today there were at least twenty and they all looked very anxious with maybe a hint of anger in there somewhere. She was certain that something was not going very well in this town. So she gathered up all her courage and went to ask the kindest looking policeman. “Sir, could you be ever so kind as to tell my why today there are a lot more policemen than there were a few days ago?” She asked in the most innocent voice she could pull off. “Why, I thought everyone knew! Didn’t anyone tell you that the Matchik have suddenly decided to visit? They came a long way from their planets apparently to look for someone. They call the person they are looking for a matchik little creature. Oh… and if you were heading to Apple Tree forest, forget it.” Right, she thought. No shortcut through Apple Tree forest. Her phone rang her favourite song. She listened to it a while before she saw that she had a text message from her friend. ‘Hurry up, Kat! Where are you? It has been more than 2 minutes!’ Lily had texted to her with a lot of exclamation marks. She must be impatient. Katerina sighed. She knew Katerina lived only 10 minutes from the school yet she forgot. Maybe it was because of the grief her cat was causing her. The only choice she had was to go through Apple Tree forest. So she would have to be extra careful. As she entered the path that would lead her to the forest she noticed the policemen were all staring at her. She started to jog and soon trees were all around her. No policemen were there. So she decided to slow down. She only realised her mistake when it was too late. After she had stopped. There were eyes in all the trees and in the shadows. Then they started moving towards her. Only when they were in the sun, could Katerina truly see their physical forms. They had round heads with long brown hair of any highlight, with long or short beards growing from their chins. They were clothed in blue suits that looked like they came from space - which of course, they did. Their shoes were hidden under their cloaks that covered them from top to toe but from the looks of the tips peeking out, they were dark purple with a stripe of vertical white. They looked like giants as they towered above her small, thin, quaking body. “Who are you?” The matchik that looked the most like a leader spoke. Their looks did not match their voices. Their voices were both loud yet squeaky at the same time. “Katerina Johnson. And who might you be?” She asked wearily, even though inside she knew who they were. “We think all little creature know. We matchik. We come down to earth to look for matchik little creature.” She guessed ‘little creatures’ were humans to them since the policemen had already explained what a matchik little creature was. “Well, I should be going, really.” Her phone had started beeping from all the texts Lilly (her best friend) was sending to her. “It was nice to meet you.” She stifled a cough,”But I have to go.”

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“No.” the matchik leader squeaked at her. “We still need to talk to you, you are not like the others. You are interesting.” The last thing she needed was to be found interesting. “That is very kind of you to compliment me, but my boyfriend is waiting for me down by the Maple Lake and I have to get to school as well. So if you wouldn’t mind, I need to go.” “But I do mind.” said the youngest. She looked about from 3-4 years old with bushy golden hair and a blue aerodynamic dress. Her eyes were bright blue and she looked familiar to Katerina. As if she had seen her somewhere else. Then she shook her head and told her,“Look, miss. I don’t know what’s gotten into your head, but I have a best friend, a boyfriend and a school to attend to. So I have to go now. Good bye. ” She looked back at them, took her backpack which had somehow landed on the floor, and left. Once, Katerina left the area, the leader matchik asked the lady attending next to him. “Are you sure she’s the one?” “Positive.” She replied in a smirkish grin. “Then let’s follow her. Get the ships ready. When we find her, we get her. ” All of a sudden his voice sounded lower. Meanwhile, when Katerina got to Maple Lake, she was astonished. She hadn’t beent here since a long time, so she had not seen how beautiful the cherry blossoms grew. In every tree was at least one squirrel and they were all staring at her. When she came out of the clearing of the woods, there was a huge grassland area and the sun shone on it and made it look shinier. In the middle of the shiny grass was a huge lake, in the approximate shape of a maple leaf. The magnificent, crystal water looked so inviting Katerina was tempted to go in. Then fingers covered her eyes. “Who is it? Mark? Is that you?” She spun around to see her boyfriend smiling at her. “How did you know it was me?” he tilted his head, “How?” “The smell of your hands.” “Aaah. Yes. Katerina Johnson, the “smeller” of hands, how did you learn this?” He held up an imaginary microphone and she played along. Taking the imaginary microphone she said in an important voice: “Why, all it takes is practice, practice and more practice.” They both laughed at this. “Now, let’s get to school shall we? Before Mr. Pulligan learns that his favorite student is late.” Mark said in a teasing voice. While they were laughing, they didn’t hear a rustle in the bushes. “We have to separate them or “Operation airth” will not work.” The lady attending the leader, also known as Eva, whispered to the leader’s ear. “No. We take them both. Signal the ships… now.” As soon as he said the word ‘now', all the spaceships that had been armed from the Air and Fire matchik launched at Katerina and Mark. When the pair finally saw what was going on they were so shocked they didn’t move. Suddenly a hand reached out for Katerina and grabbed her.“Help!” She cried out to Mark who was still scared to look back. Then another hand reached out to Mark and caught him as well. Soon they were both unconscious.

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“Do we need the boy?” asked the younger earth matchik holding an unconscious Mark. The older one, holding Katerina answered him in a severe voice.,“If we do not take the boy he will attempt to bring her back. We need him too. Put them in a cage in the mother ship's partner and we will continue fighting.” As the unconscious couple were put into a cage, and lead into the mother ship's partner, the ice King was looking into his crystal ball and shaking his head. His daughter and son were next to him. “Father, we really must do something to help them mustn’t we?” asked Leena the Ice king’s daughter. She always liked the idea of helping people in need. Her brother, Jacob, was quite the opposite. “I think we should let the fire matchik fight for her against the earth and air.” he told his father “No, children. We need to bring her here, just as Leena said but then when she will find out her history we will let her go wherever she wants. Remember, she is an orphan and doesn’t know anything about matchik weapons. She thinks she is Human. So we need to get her and help her as soon as possible. Does everyone understand? Her name is Katerina Johnson and she is extremely special. Do NOT hurt her.”He looked at Jacob, accusingly. “Off you go, now.” So Jacob and Leena set off to find the prisoner. After they created an ice portal and disappeared into it, they came to the Deorc Prisons. These prisons were made for the nastiest of robbers, fugitives, thieves, murderers and killers of earth machik.The only information they had on the girl they were rescuing was that she had brown straight hair, with greenish blue eyes and she was with a boy called Mark. They also knew she was in cage number “134”. “123, 124, 125… 130, 131, 132, 133… Ah here it is. Cage 134.” whispered Leena to her brother as they saw the darc cage with two unconscious people in it. They just fit to the description. “But, Jacob, how will we free them? We do not have any tools!” Jacob took out of his pocket a hairpin. “I stole this from you three years ago, in case I would need it.” He stuck the pin into the lock and clicked it open. “Wake them up, I will be making sure the guards don’t come and if they do I will fight them. Now, hurry!” Jacob pushed his sister inside and stayed in front of the door. Quietly, cautiously and quickly, Leena untied the prisoners with her knife (they were bound with rope) and shook them to wake them up. “Mark?” was the first thing Katerina asked. She looked beside her and sighed with relief. Mark woke up as well and saw that his girlfriend was safe as well. “I am Leena Parker, daughter of the Ice King and if we go a little further, there is my brother, Jacob Parker. Follow me.” But when they came to the door of the cage, Jacob was on the floor, with blood all over his face and two guards near him, dead. He had risked his life for his sister and the couple. “Leena…” Jacob opened his eyes slightly, “You have to go. Other guards will come and if they don’t then the air and earth will. They will not hesitate to kill you.” He coughed out blood. “You must get out of here as soon as possible. Go! Run!” He looked into Leena’s eyes. “And tell dad I love him.” Then he closed his eyes and took his last breath. 173

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An alarm sounded and footsteps were heard. “Leena. Your brother sacrificed his life for you. Don’t make his sacrifice for nothing. We have to go!” Leena heard Katerina say. “Fine…” She snapped. Leena stood up and with all her power created a portal. “Can I take my brother, too?” She asked. Katerina hesitated so Mark picked Jacob up and said: “I think after what he’s done, he deserves a decent funeral. Now let’s go. The footsteps are getting stronger...” ******************************** “Father!” Leena ran into his arms and cried. “Look what they have done?They killed him, Pa. They KILLED HIM!!! My brother. My only brother.” She cried harder as Mark came with Jacob in his arms. He gave the lifeless body to the king and then everyone in the room bowed their heads. “Did he have any last words?” The ice king asked. “Yes.” Leena repeated every last word correctly. The ice king’s tears turned to ice as they rained down his face. He wiped of the icicles being formed on his beard and turned to his men. “Get the army ready. The airth have probably realised that the prisoners of earth matchik are gone. We should be expecting them to come soon.” The ice king sent them away. “You are so wise, father. I wish I had been like that in the cage. Then Jacob wouldn’t have died.” Leena whimpered. “Now, now, Leena. It wasn’t your fault. Your brother did what was right. Like... your...mother…” The ice kings words trailed away. Then suddenly he turned, his back facing them. “Leena show the guests to a room.” “Yes, father.” Leena sighed, “Come, guys. You must be tired.” Reluctantly, Katerina and Mark followed. Once they had gone the Ice king called in a special man in particular. “Get the beasts ready…” “But you said only to get them out when we have real big war.” “THIS IS REAL BIG WAR! They have tried to destroy us for decades now and they have KILLED not only my wife but now my son and soon, if we do not react, they will kill the only one I have left. Leena.” The king calmed down. “Now get those beasts ready.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” and Maurice, the dragon trainer, left. ******************************* The ice king sighed and spoke to Leena, Katerina and Mark. “I am afraid we will need everyone included. You can ride the dragons and make them attack the airths.” The ice king looked pitifully to Mark and Katerina. “What are the airths?” Katerina asked bravely. “They are a team of both earth and air matchik.” the bruised officer replied. “Then why haven't the ice matchik joined with the fire matchik?” This time it was Mark who had asked.

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“Rad, go ask the fire matchik for an alliance.” The ice king mentioned. “Let’s hope they say yes. Well, now let’s get you two-” He pointed at Katerina and her boyfriend “-trained on dragons.” Once they had left with Maurice, the king addressed his daughter: “Leena, I need you to ride Thunder.” Leena gasped at this. “What? Father, there is a reason he’s been called the ‘Uncontrollable’.” She held up two fingers to mimic the speech marks. “It’s because it’s impossible.” “Leena, you have the gift from your mother. You can talk to animals. You, out of everyone are able to do it and yet you haven't put that gift to use.” Leena looked away. She had known this was coming. Her father was quite predictable like that. “Oh, all right. I’ll try. But… If he really is uncontrollable, you will not kill him. You will just let him free. Do we have a deal? “They-” A screaming sound came and a man with blood coming out of his chest was running towards the hospital as the king changed his sentence. “-are here.” “Well, what are we standing here for? Let’s charge!!” shouted Fyran, the fire king while pointing his sword to the area where the Air and Earth matchik had come in. Then the second most bloody and gruesome fight of all times started. (The first most bloody and gruesome fight had finished all the water matchik off). Heads were cut off, people were blasted by bolts of fire, they were stabbed, blown up, buried alive (earth), were shot by a poisoned arrow, strangled and cut into pieces. But for every person that died from the fire and ice kingdom’s army, thirty died in the earth and air kingdom’s army and all because of Thunder. Thunder could blast 15 people at a time, while normal dragons could only blast five. Katerina had never been in a war before and hoped she never would be again. It was horrible to see people die, whether they were with you or against you. Maurice had instructed her only to make the dragon blast out fire when they started attacking her. What she and Mark had to do, though, was look for the leader and Eva. After what seemed like hours too Katerina, she found the Leader and Eva at the back of the gate, waiting for a certain amount of people to die before taking action. Katerina landed softly behind them and startled them. “Katerina, you have become very good at surprising people. Now let us go.” the leader ordered to Katerina.

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“No.” She snapped. “I want to try something that I learnt that apparently only I can do.” She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She spoke in a different voice when she said “I wish that they could disappear and live as peasants cleaning up animal dung for the rest of their lives.” then a voice out of nowhere said “Your wish is granted” and the two disappeared. She then got back on her dragon and went to the battlefield and said, “You should stop fighting. We have already won. Your leader and Eva left you to go and clean up animal dung.” She winked at the ice and fire king. They grinned. “So what I suggest you do is make peace. Everyone drop their weapons.” So everyone did so because they felt power in this girl. “Shake hands with whoever you were fighting with.” Reluctantly but truly, everyone did so. “Good.” She then clasped her hands and said “I wish that this garden could go back the way it was before the war started.” So that is what happened. People say it was a legend but some know it is true. That one girl unified all the elements of matchik that were left together. She then went back to Earth and lived and is still living now.” Grandma Kate opened her eyes again. The little boy next to her, John, spoke softly since he was tired. “That was amazing, Grandma.” “Indeed it was, John.” “But how do you know this story. It wasn’t from a book because you weren't reading. Did you invent it?” “No John, I did not. It really happened.” “But then how do you know it?” He was a really curious boy. “Because, John…” “I am in it.” Grandma Katerina tucked him in and let him dream about that story.

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Alcohol Christine Yun A short, thankful prayer and then...clink. Fancy glasses are raised—golden champagne sloshing around in swirling patterns—to celebrate the lively holiday of Christmas. William Anderson, at the young age of 5, watches the elders give a toast while he fumbles with his own cup of water, pretending it is a glass of champagne too. The champagne looks cool and it bubbles vigorously. The metallic golden colour reminds William of the big clock in the hallway. Outside, snow falls in a delicate manner of grace; it is quiet and peaceful. Throughout the small neighbourhood, swells of joyous laughter can be heard and the faint scent of delicious feasts can be smelled. “Merry Christmas,” the Anderson family smile at each other. “Merry Christmas,” William beams. After dinner, the Anderson family sit in front of the warm fireplace, a cozy fire crackling in front of them as they exchange holiday gifts. William’s little hands fly across the decorative wrapping of his present. His face breaks into a smile as he sees his present under the wrapping, and noisily shouts thank you. The Anderson family huddle; laughs are shared and smiles are seen everywhere.

“I’m joining the army.” Fire engulfs the war front as shrapnel from the cannons ricochet in every direction. Ash flies everywhere and William Anderson, now 25 years old, adjusts his helmet and soldier uniform. As his companions surround him, they cautiously march forwards. The trench is muddy and the heat of the fire is hot on his bare face. His grimy sweat trickles down from under his helmet. Unlike other days, today seems different and the troop advances faster. But then, suddenly… “RETREAT,” Hardy barks at the front but as they all scramble to get back, people are violently pushed over. William’s eyes grow wide.

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Back at their temporary Norwegian base, around a campfire, William finds an empty seat and sits. It has already been a year for him as a soldier and quite a few weeks in the Norwegian Campaign, but as the days grow he only gets more exhausted. A bottle of rum is passed around the table and as William takes a sip, he looks into his cupped blistered hands. In his fists, he tightly grips his dead friend’s uniform badge and a fiery passion grows inside him; wishing this was all over. He scowls and takes another sip...

A short, thankful prayer and then… clink. Glasses of beer are raised to commemorate the end of a long war but the atmosphere in the house is quiet with only two people. Outside, the shouts of laughter and heavy footsteps of the busy crowds fill his ears. Throughout the city, toasts are made, celebrating the awaited end—independence has returned. “Welcome back,” William’s mum says warmly but her wrinkled eyes aren’t smiling. His grandparents passed away from old age and his father was taken away by the war. He is left alone with his mother. His eyes distant, he silently nods. In front a fire calmly crackles and as he sips his beer, the cold in his eyes slowly start to melt. The fire burns—like it always has.

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Freezing Fire Olivia Cho The first thing I knew was that everything was pitch black. It was freezing my whole body, I couldn’t feel anything. It was as if I was stuck inside a giant refrigerator. I couldn’t see or hear anything, except for my low, heavy breathing. I tried to move, but my hands and feet were tied firmly and didn’t shift at all. I looked around and saw nothing but absolute darkness. Somewhere, not far from me, I heard water, dripping on a smooth, stone floor. It was so quiet that it almost felt creepy. The eerie atmosphere just made everything seem so bloodcurdling and ominous. Suddenly, the lights came on, nearly blinding my eyes. I heard people running towards me, accompanied with nervous voices of men and women approaching me. I tried to move, but my body was already too tired. My head started to feel painful. And my eyelids were trying to go to sleep. As my vision blurred, I saw four silhouettes standing in front of me. Two women and two men. They were all covered with black clothing. Then, I heard voices as if they were spoken from far away. It sounded like “Get her out” and “Make sure she’s safe.” Or something similar. I wanted to hear more of the conversation, but my brain didn’t seem to allow me. I fell asleep, before I even noticed it. It felt comfortable. So soft and so warm. Like home. As I opened my eyes, I could hear grass swaying, and the fresh smell of air filling the room. Was this heaven? “So, you’re awake.” I heard a woman’s voice - the woman who was sitting right next to me, looking at me with beautiful, hazel eyes. She has wispy, red hair and rosy lips. She seemed familiar, but I couldn’t remember her face. It felt as if my whole life was a giant fill-in the blank. Or maybe a giant jigsaw puzzle with more than half of the pieces missing. I needed to be alert. I couldn’t sense her presence at all. Was she here the whole time? “Do I know you?” I asked carefully. I needed to hide my anxious feelings and needed to stay as calm as possible. “You will.” The woman replied mysteriously. “Why am I here? What was I doing? Who are you? Wh-Why..” The questions started to pour into my head. Unfortunately, my mouth wasn’t as fast as the speed my brain worked. I was still tired, and I could only ask one question at a time. “I apologize. I cannot answer all of your questions. But I’m going to tell you one thing. One very, important thing. You are a danger to the world. Trust no one, not even the ones you love. And never, ever, lose this.” The woman whispered into my ear, as she forcefully gave me something. It was a ring. A very normal- looking one. It had a small sapphire and a ruby was on it... She slid the ring onto my finger, and as soon as it found its place, the ring was gone. I could still feel it. But I couldn’t see it. “You’re going to have dark days pretty soon in your life, Evelyn. You need to overcome them.” She said. After that, she gave me a faint smile and then left the room. I needed to catch her, but I was still out of energy. My eyelids were already closing. I couldn’t see 179

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anything, except for an endless pit of darkness. And slowly, my consciousness was already being sucked in and I was falling... And falling... And... “Hey. Are you awake?” A faint, echoing voice was ringing in my ear. The time was past morning and was getting into the afternoons. The sun was on the highest peak of the sky, and everything just seemed so bright. I looked around, and saw a girl, who was just about my age, but she was stunning. She had long, wavy golden blonde hair with blue, ocean like eyes. Her smile made her seem so... comfortable. “My name is Ashley. Ashley Morgan. Can you stand up?” She asked kindly. Ashley was wearing a black hoodie with a matching black skinny jeans and black trainers. It looked as if black was some kind of a uniform, or a dress code. “Yeah. Thanks.” I replied. As I was getting out of the bed, I noticed that even I was dressed in a black, silk nightgown. “Come on. We need to get dressed. I need you to meet someone.” Ashley said. She handed me a set of clothing, identical to what she was wearing right now. “There’s a changing room over on the corner. Or I could just wait for you outside.” She said. I didn’t feel comfortable either way, but instead, I replied, “Do you mind if you... Stay outside?” I tried to ask as politely as I could. Instead of replying, Ashley smiled and left the room. After the door creaked into a firm close, I got up, changed into the clothes Ashley gave me, and tied up the laces of those black shoes firmly. Everything suited me perfectly, as if they were made just for me. I stepped outside to face Ashley, and she held my hand and walked towards the end of the corridor. “Um, Ashley? If you don’t mind, can I ask you some questions?” I asked. “If I can answer them, I’ll try to.” She replied. “How old are you?” Right after those words left my lips, I heard a faint chuckle from Ashley. Why was she laughing? Was it something I said? I didn’t think that I was doing anything weird. “Is it... Something I said?” I asked. “No, it’s just that... I can’t believe what you’re saying right now. Normal people would go and ask why or how are they here. But you didn’t. Maybe that makes you so different..” Ashley trailed off at the end. I couldn’t quite hear what she said. It was probably something that wasn’t meant to be heard, or something that is just really, really private. “By the way, I’m eighteen.” She replied. Eighteen. Same age as me? She seemed so mature. And after that short, humorous conversation, I didn’t say a word until we got to the end. We spent about 10 minutes, walking down an endless corridor with small doors aligned on each side. Through the glass, I spotted girls and boys, fighting against each other. Some were younger, some were older. But not serious. It looked more like a training. They seemed happy. However, I needed to focus on where I was going to. After walking for few more seconds, Ashley stopped in front of a giant, metal door. She opened it with a loud, unpleasant creak. “After you.” She said. I then walked into the room, and saw a woman sitting on a very comfortable-looking chair. Instead of black, she was wearing a wine red t-shirt with navy blue jeans and jacket. Her hair was cut short with brown, silky waves. Her dark brown eyes 180

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made her look so mysterious. It seemed as if she was scanning me, both inside and out. The two men that were on either side of this woman didn’t seem that friendly either. “Please sit. And make yourself comfortable. My name is Veronica. I am the leader of this... Well, entire system, I suppose. You might’ve been curious about what happened to you. I can explain everything. Excuse us.” Veronica seemed kind, but powerful. Her charismatic aura could be felt from across the table. As soon as she said it, the two men and Ashley left the room without hesitation. After the door was shut, Veronica continued. “You were being tested by the Incendios. Their headquarters were very close from here, so we got to you in no time. Now, when we rescued you, we faced a problem. They injected a serum into you that caused your memory loss and reduction in movement.” Then, as soon as I heard the word Incendio, I recovered a rather big piece of my memory. “The world is divided into two groups. Incendios and Glaciers. And it was, and still is forbidden and impossible to have two people from different groups, produce a child.” I didn’t need to hear any more. I stopped Veronica right after she finished her sentence. No. It can’t be. That’s impossible. “This can’t be. I was a Glacier. I was definitely, a Glacier. There is no mistake to that.” I replied in a confused voice. “No. Evelyn. You are not a Glacier. However, you are not an Incendio, either. You’re both Incendio and Glacier.” Veronica had nailed the truth firmly onto the ground. I couldn’t believe what she had just said. A part of me was telling me to run, and a part of me was perfectly calm, as if I knew that this was going to happen. “Evelyn. We all are. A little bit of both. I am a little bit of both. The two groups are actively searching for us. They want us eliminated. And if we stick together, and fight back, we might even be able to take down those two groups.” As Veronica continued her speech, I was starting to think that this was more of a recruit than a normal conversation of how and why I am here. “You’re saying that we should start a war?” I asked nervously. I didn’t want Veronica to spit out the exact words in my head. “Yes.” Veronica said. I could read from her face, that this was a ‘come in the team or die’ sort of conversation, so instead of directly answering the secret question, I decided to ask for some more answers, to ideally support my answer. “But how did I become who I am today? W-who are my parents? My family? And...” “Your father was an Incendio. Your mother was a Glacier. They were both deceased, while saving your life. Incendio and Glacier cannot have a child in between them. Two of them together and one of them must die. Fire melts ice, but miracles can happen.” Despite the fact that I was mentally shocked just about few minutes ago, now I was listening to everything perfectly fine, as if I was already prepared to hear this. “Evelyn. You are one of the most powerful beings of our kind. If you join to fight with us, you can avenge your family. It’s going to take you some time, but you will be re-born by the time we fight.” Veronica continued. I didn’t know why, but she seemed really desperate for me to join. Why me? I’m not even trained for combat. This whole ‘revenge’ and ‘target’ thing didn’t really seem to be a great idea. But I needed to do it. It felt like my destiny. My path. Even though it could be a long and hard road. I need to take it. It’s either joining the team, or die being a curious, arrogant being. Obviously, saving your life is much more of an easy decision. I slowly rose up to my feet, and looked at Veronica directly in the eye. It was as if we were dogs fighting with each other, but we 181

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weren’t. However, the same rules applied. Looking her in the eye was a challenge. Turning away was forfeiting. It was my choice. I was looking through her to show that I am capable of what I can do. That I am brave. That I am willing to take the risk. “I’m in.” I spit out the two words that could change my fate forever.

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The Day It Came Back Axel Moussavi Dedicated to Jeonghoon, Mees and Xaver for all their naughty ways.

I remember the day it came... There was so much suspense as we waited to see if we left anything special behind. Mom was shouting, listing all the things that were valuable and making us scurry around to fetch everything like dogs. It was the day it all came; broken or unbroken. The big truck was pulling up the hill, full of the white, cardboard, boxes that were just too thrilling to open. It was the day of the unpacking. There was nothing better to find than your toys, games, art and everything you love. I wanted to help unpack but first - I couldn’t, I was too weak and if I could, we still needed to wait an hour or two before the moving men dragged our boxes heavily into the clean, untouched house. The beautiful garden was blooming with cherry blossoms, azaleas and the grass was as green as ever. The maple trees were blazing with a mixed colour of maroon, dark red and dark magenta. It was very warm, comfortable and relaxing. But the basement was cold with the smell of mould, humidity and fake - plastic - wood. There were only two windows in the whole basement which gave the floor a distinct feeling - a feeling of ice. You’d think that there should have be a sign saying, “DO NOT ENTER!” Then the ground floor was an empty piece of space just sitting there, cool, waiting to be filled with furniture, electric wires, and all those old pictures of the family, and of course, the smell of us. The top floor, was warmed up by the yellow rays of the sun. The dry feeling of the scratched, hardwood floor, would be painful if the splinters caught in my socks. It looked like a huge amount of space until it was filled by all the boxes. -------------------------Finally, all the boxes had arrived and were ready to be opened, unpacked, un-crated, whatever...I just wanted to open them. 183

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We were opening all the boxes over several days and one day, I found an ancient-white envelope labeled - West Vancouver Soccer Club Black Bears U7. All of a sudden, I had a flashback… A rainy - or should I say typical - day in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I’m not sure if it was thick grass or mowed grass we were playing on. We were wearing black toques, black soccer boots, black, shiny sweatpants and black sports bibs signifying that we were all members of the ‘Black Bears’ squad. We were against the Yellow team - our rivals. The ‘Bees’ were usually better than us but occasionally we would beat them. I remember that immediately after we kicked off, I passed the six players on the opposing team and had a clear shot on the goal so I shot… (and, of course, because we were so small, the goals were pretty big so I scored!) “YES” “Goooaaalll!” “It’s one - zero!” Everyone was celebrating an early goal. And little did we know, that was going to be the only goal of the game to give us three points in the tournament. -------------------------Another flashback barged in… We were playing on a sunny day, wearing shorts and summery-soccer gear, blue this time. The colour of the shiny uniform reflecting the warm sunlight onto the green grass, then back into our beautiful eyes which were coloured: hazel, chestnut, baby blue, violet, jade green, and many more colours. The sound of the clear whistle blowing a marvelous tune, rang through my ears and into my body and warmed me up. The wet grass stuck to the ball and to our shoes as it gave off the smell of a freshly cut lawn. We were playing against the second best team in the club… the purple team. The team that had my best friend on it. I remember that the score was 2-1 for the purple team with about half a minute remaining and I made a short-low cross to the main striker - Ivan - and he buried it in the bottom-right corner as we scored. The whole team shouted, celebrated - whatever you wanted to call it; it was a great sensation. I remembered that we ended up winning 7-8 in a sudden-death penalty shootout. “Let’s celebrate!” my dad yelled, “Everyone in the car! The ice cream is on me!” With that, my friends and I got into the vehicle. We were exiting our parking spot at the corner-curb and not realising anyone would be speeding now but…. At this point, I had returned from my dreaming, rolling myself down to my Father’s office-room still remembering the soccer and freedom. The only challenge was - I would never do what I did again.

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In fact, I would never play normal sports for the rest of my life - because I was in a chair with two wheels for the rest of my lifeâ&#x20AC;Ś

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The Brotherhood Henk De Boer and Gioele Trabucchi Inspired by “Infamous Second Son” (Videogame)

A chilling bite on my fingertips signals to me that my powers are charged. Police officers are in front of us: sirens blaring, guns raised. I close my eyes. I don’t want to do this. I can’t. Xander is shouting behind me, his body stuck under a car. Suddenly, shards of ice surrounded the police officers engulfing them almost completely and blocking them in place. I do not want to kill anybody… not yet at least. That is what I am able to do with my powers. I turn around and try to help Xander... I was stuck, unable to move. My body was aching to get out from underneath the car. There they were: police forces all around us shouting commands. I was furious. “Jayce, stop them! Before it’s too late!” I shouted at him. I suddenly saw police officers enclosed by ice, unable to move. I was loosening from under the car, almost able to break free. I heard sirens, not normal police sirens but the PSF (Police Special Forces). I struggled and got my palm on the ground, allowing myself to wriggle out from under the car. Jayce was turning around to stop me, but I had had enough of running away since my 12th birthday. I was consumed with rage, yearning to kill. I smoke - dashed forward to the nearest police officer, I put my hand on his chest, obliterating him into smoke. I shot bolts of fire to a PSF officer who was aiming at me while grabbing my hands on another officer’s head, throwing him over my shoulder, slamming his body on the ground erupting with an explosion of fire. I saw a police officer aiming at me so I created a smoke screen and then launched myself at his feet, dragging his feet with me and making him fall. I stood up and set him on fire. Then I saw all the police officers that Jayce had trapped. I was outraged with the brutality with which they treated us with. I launched myself up in the air, then, slowly I felt the force of gravity pushing me down. I went down head first, as fast as I could. I felt flames behind me, and suddenly, a giant eruption of smoke and flames spread across the ground. The officers were no more. All I could see around me, was smoke and destruction. I heard Jayce’s voice behind me “What have you done?” ---------------It wasn’t always like this. Two years ago, in Downtown Chicago, I was standing outside of the middle school front gate, waiting patiently for Xander to exit the principal’s office. He never learns. He will never learn. But, I guess Mrs. Wartfoot’s face covered in pie cream was the best thing that has happened to this school. Better than last year, when he put super hot sauce in Mr. Pompols spaghetti. Xander came out with hands in his pockets calmly taking each step, signalling his victory over the principal. I chuckled. 186

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“So, what did he tell you?” “Like every single time I get in trouble, ‘THIS IS THE LAST TIME MR. JACKSON!’” said Xander in an imitating voice. “How is it that you get away with everything?” “I got my ways.” “So sassy,” said Jayce, “by the way happy birthday man!” “Meh” “Meh what?” “I don’t know, let’s go home…” Xander mumbled. Xander has lived with me for about a year now....since his parents went missing. As we walked past a narrow alleyway, I heard deep voices deep in discussion. The walls of the alleyway were covered by thin layers of ice, each crystal expanding towards the top of the wall like a frosty hand reaching for the top… It was July. I peeked around the corner where the voices were coming from; two male figures were quarrelling in hushed voices. Suddenly, I felt an iron grip fastening itself to my neck and I slowly got dragged towards the two male figures. I glanced to my right and saw Xander trying to break free from the man’s hairy hand. “Look what I have found here!” the man holding us said, in a slight Russian accent. “What are you doing here, sneaking up on us?” said the tallest of the three men, slowly getting up. At that moment I saw the yellow band around his upper arm and I knew. They were all over the news: Bio-criminals. My eyes widened with fear; I heard what these people can do to us common mortals. The Bio-criminal on the left noticed my expression: “Y’all better be scared, cuz we ain’t nice people!” he said, as curls of smoke came out of his overheated fingertips. “The PSF are lookin’ fo’ us at the moment. No witnesses allowed.” With a snap of a finger his palm burst into flames. I ground my teeth into the man’s iron hard palm, he screamed out in pain, letting me and Jayce go so that he could soothe his hand. The bio-criminal thrust out at me but I evaded by ducking to the right. He then quickly used his left hand to head lock me and he brought his right arm in a swinging motion to my face. I saw his flaming hand coming towards my face. I felt intense heat and those were the slowest seconds of my life, I saw the corybantic flames leaning towards my face, I was terrified. I released my left hand which was stuck behind my back and I stopped the fist coming towards my face. I grabbed hold of his wrist and as I touched the flames, I felt a surge of flaming energy going through me. I used this energy to break myself free, with an eruption of flames, making the man with fire powers fly backwards. I stared at my flaming hand for a while, electrified by the new opportunities given to me with these powers, of this new energy coursing through my veins, embedded in my DNA. I glanced to my left to see Jayce on the floor, the tallest man’s arm was less than a centimetre away from Jayce’s nose. I kneed the man holding Jayce on the face but he knocked me back using his elbow. This gave Jayce time to loosen his hand. Jayce grabbed the man’s wrist, him too, absorbing the power. As he did, his eyes turned white and his new found energy channelled into his body. I charged at the man once again. Without realising, I turned into smoke, dashing to the man and putting my

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flaming fist into his stomach, I felt super powerful as the bio-criminal flew away into a wall, smashing his back. 2 down, 1 to go, I thought to myself. The last bio-criminal was the man with metal powers. He saw his two comrades knocked out on the floor so he ran away with fright. I started chasing but Jayce grabbed my shoulder. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Jayce, you know what this means right?” I said staring at the palms of my hand. He nodded, a frown on his face. I heard footsteps running away. I looked around the corner seeing an old woman with a purple scarf. I decided to let her go. “We need to go home,” I heard Jayce say. We walked home and every time I looked back I saw a purple scarf hiding behind a wall. As we reached the door, I looked back one last time seeing the old woman with the purple scarf scurrying away. That night we heard a doorbell going off. Xander reached for the doorknob but I pulled him back whispering furiously: “Who knows what might be going on after what happened last night, let my mom open it, we’ll hide in my bedroom.” My mom waited for us to get in my bedroom which was parallel to the front door and then she opened the door. I looked through the keyhole on my bedroom door and saw 4 policemen standing there. They looked around curiously and when one policeman stepped to look around I saw a woman, an old woman, wearing a purple scarf. I was shocked. “Xander, the woman with the purple scarf is here.” I whispered to him. He put his hands on his heads moaning: “Oh no, oh no.” “Mam, sorry to interrupt during the middle of the night but do you know any boys that live in this apartment, one tall with blond hair and the other short with brown hair, maybe biocriminals?” the officer asked to my mother. “No, sir. I don’t know these boys.” “Thank-you mam, I apologise but we will have to look through your house, every room please. Orders are orders.” I nudged Xander on his shoulder. “We have to get out of here, now.” “How?” “Out the window, hurry up.” We slowly paced to the window climbing out delicately making sure not to make any noise. “Hey! This door is locked!” I heard one of the policemen shout to his colleagues. He kicked open the door with his foot and stormed in. I started climbing down, as quietly as possible. I was scared for my life, everybody knew what happened to bio-criminals if they were caught, sentenced to a harsh prison for the rest of their lives, sometimes there were worse fates to those who had caused more damage to society. “Why are their two beds here, mam?” the police officer asked. “Umm, these are the beds for my daughters who are in Mongolia as exchange students. now.” she said with a tone of uncertainty in her voice. Another police officer who was probably looking around said “They like WWE and football?”

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“Yes, they love it. Football is their favourite sport and WWE, well I guess you could say that my daughters are Tomboys.” she said. “Uhuh. Well thank-you mam, sorry for the door we’ll have that repaired, my colleague was being very… impetuous,” he said giving his colleague a mean stare. We ran away as fast as we could. “Where do we go?” Xander asked me. “I don’t know.” “Let’s go to the furthest part out of the city next to the southern branch of the Chicago river.” I said. He nodded. “What a miserable wretch that old woman with the purple scarf!” he said as we walked away. Later on we reached a farm. “Let’s stay here for the night.” I suggested as we came to a field with a water pump. I took out my phone and texted my mother, ‘I love you mom, it’s too dangerous for us here, don’t look for us, we’ll be fine. I’m going to have to throw this phone away because they will find out one day that I am your son and they will track the phone. Bye mom, I love you.’\ For a year and a half we have been on the run. Changing from city to city, hoping, praying. I am tired of running away. I want to fight. I want to see what I can do. But Jayce is always with me; always so prudent. He doesn’t see these powers like I do. These things that we can do… God himself sent us these powers to change the world. But no, we always have to hide. We always have to be sneaky. And for what? One day they are going to catch us. It is inevitable. Now we are in California living in a place where we met 3 other bio-criminals about 5 miles North of Los Angeles. We were living in a wooden cottage with them. They taught us how to be better off alone and I think that we are going to stay here for a while. It seems safe. They all live together in a trailer and have “adopted” us into their home. Every day they practice in the fields: one shooting neon lasers from his hand, another able to generate shields of concrete and make the ground shake, the last one capable of bending the air to its will. I knew that it would not last for long. Too many bio-criminals in one place. It was a clear summer night and it was the first time I was relaxed in months. The hot summer air stuck to my skin making me feel the heat. I enjoyed it. I was looking at the stars in the sky: shining beacons of light. So bright yet so far away. I guess I should have noticed the choppers. Suddenly, the air filled with the sound of machine gun fire. Bullets were raining down on the trailer. I saw Henry (the neon powered bio-criminal) running out. It was hopeless. The machine gun fire tore him apart as if he was a piece of paper. Jayce and Ox (the concrete bio-criminal) ran out and seconds later the trailer exploded in a ball of flame. I knew I shouldn’t have but I smiled. I absorbed all of that power and ejected it from my hands in the form of a hurling fire ball. It hit one of the choppers and it exploded instantaneously. At that moment tanks and ground units arrived and it seemed like the whole army was coming after us. Ox turned around, ash all over his face. He uttered a single word: “run”,

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We did, but as we turned around we noticed that Ox had left us. He instead charged in towards the PSF. He was covered in a hard shell of concrete and was like a tank. But he was not indestructible. He bought us enough time to run away. He sacrificed himself, for us. 6 months later the inevitable happened. I stand there surrounded by burned bodies. Jayce is just a few feet away from me, looking at me like I am some kind of alien. “I had to do it” I said “I know… that’s why I am so surprised” I look at him perplexed. Unfortunately, there is no time to explain. More PS forces arrived. Xander made the right choice. I now see that we shouldn’t have acted the way we did. We should have used our powers instead of just cowering away. It is all my fault. These two years I was the one that was scared, unable to understand my powers. It is too late to make a new life now. But that does not mean that we should stop living. In fact, quite the opposite. We have to survive. A chilling bite on my fingertips signals me that my powers are ready. I am ready. Ready to kill.

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Shattered Love Insoo Kang Dedicated to Spiderman (the new one not the old one) “How in the world did this happen?” “I can’t believe this.” Anger. Dejection. Uneasiness… These emotions surged through my veins, driving deep into my very soul. The fusion of all three emotions reacting inside my mind made me more bewildered than the calculus questions in math. Thinking about it made me more and more frustrated, and it simultaneously magnified the agony within me. I thought we would have had a fresh start after a year, but now that is all in the past because I couldn’t protect the one I held most dear. I thought our meeting meant a fiery destiny which indicated a new start, but now that destiny is only a ice-cold blizzard that sweeps away my hopes. Everything is now a lost desire, drifting in the wind... The story began when a new semester had started at Oxford University - started where two castaway lovers rejoined each other on a new quest. I was walking down the corridor until I bumped into a girl. This girl was carrying books about botany: most specifically cacti. “Are these books yours?” he asked. The girl looked up and her eyes glittered like the light that reflects off the most beautiful lake. “Yeah, thanks. Wait a minute, Scott?” she exclaimed. “Hey Pat!” said Scott. “What are you doing here?” Patricia questioned in a confused tone. “I couldn’t bear the pain of being separated for the rest of my life, so I applied for Oxford the next day and worked day and night to get in,” he replied. The same moment was reborn again a year later which ignited the spark that signified the recommencement of our relationship. After our little talk, we decided to meet at after school. We sat there in the autumn breeze and enjoyed the magnificent landscape of autumn talking about my appeal to the admissions office of Oxford. 191

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Then, Patricia looked directly in my eyes. I could see her ocean-blue eyes glimmer in the light until I remembered the very day where our souls were harmonized. Before I knew it, it already happened. Her lips were touching mine. We parted and went back into our dorms and all I could think of were those blue eyes. I woke up in the morning in a merry mood. I went to have breakfast and attended my chemistry class until the unthinkable happened... “Lock down! Lock down!” I always liked lockdown drills when I was a kid in middle school, but as soon as I heard “this is not a drill,” I panicked. I hid under the table with a petrified heart beating faster and faster until I held my chest in terror. BANG! I was able to smell the gunpowder making my blood go cold. Immediately after the gunshot I heard a loud scream. My mind filled up with a fusion of fear and anxiety at the same time. I peeked out the door window where the light shone brightly onto my face. It blinded me for a second until I saw a group of people with machine guns dragging people out. They had blood stains and black tattoos all over their arms and a cigar in the mouths. Then, I saw a view that I wished I hadn’t seen. I saw Patricia being dragged out, tied to the group and silenced with grey duct tape taped to her mouth. She was taken outside the department until another announcement was made, but with a different voice. “Good morning, students and faculty. I would like to say first that the entire campus has been compromised. If the board does not come to the meeting room on the 3rd floor of the admissions office. You have 30 minutes or else…” I realized that Patricia was taken and I wouldn’t stay still. I wanted to go out, but my body won’t let me. My entire body shook, not from the fear of getting killed or hurt, but from the worry that Patricia might be killed. “Drat, I need to get Patricia, but how?” I asked myself. Then I saw a fire axe. I took it and ran out the door, running for my life to save the one I couldn’t live without. I ran through the school field with caution, looking out for any of those thugs. I got to the admissions building and checked my watch. Bang! 192

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I ran up the stairs to see the most terrifying scene. Patricia lay on the ground cold! Red filled the entire room. I dropped the axe and fell on my knees... Drip. Drop. The thugs were gone and all that remained was blood on the walls and floors. My heart turned to frost as I watched the policeman place the centre of my world into a body bag. “How in the world did this happen?” “I can’t believe this.” Anger. Dejection. Uneasiness… These emotions surged through my veins, driving deep into my very soul. The fusion of all three emotions reacting inside my mind made me more bewildered than the calculus questions at math. Thinking about it makes me more and more frustrated, and it simultaneously magnifies the agony within me. I thought we would have had a fresh start after a year, but now that is all past because I couldn’t protect the one I held most dear. I thought our meeting meant a fiery destiny which indicated a new start, but now that destiny is only a ice-cold blizzard that swept away my hopes. Everything is now a lost desire, drifting in the wind...

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Unconditional Love David Lee When a person says “I love you” to you, does he or she love you as a person, or do they love something that you have? Let me give you an example to make this question sound simpler... Once upon a time, there was an ideal man, Adam, in a country called Fire and Ice. Adam was well known for his wealth, intelligence, and most importantly, his appearance. Everywhere he went, thousands of women followed him to take one more glance at his stunning face. He was turning 26 this year, so his parents kept insisting that he found a wife before it was too late. Adam reluctantly agreed. Over days and nights, Adam met hundreds of women. All of the women were pretty, intelligent and wealthy but they lacked something and Adam could not be satisfied. Weeks passed and Adam still could not find a suitable woman who could be his wife. Being bored of going on thousands of dates, he walked through his garden in order to refresh his mind. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark silhouette of a woman appeared at the very edge of the garden. He had ordered his guard to keep out every person from the garden, but that women had probably snuck in while no one was watching. In order to catch the intruder, Adam dashed towards her and caught her arms. The woman, surprised, looked back and stared at Adam’s face. That was the first time Adam felt his heart beating so fast. When Adam looked into the woman’s eyes, he could see the depth in those two blue sapphires that he had not seen in women he met before. “Excuse me, can you let go of my arm?” the woman said. Even her voice was so smooth and full of kindness that Adam could not dare to speak a word. Adam let go of her arm, and the woman swiftly walked away. Adam, who was stunned by her exotic beauty, just stood there and watched the woman depart. The next day, Adam cancelled all his future dates and decided to send his private servants to find out who the woman was and where she lived. A few weeks later, one of his servants finally got the answer. The woman lived in a tiny village located on the northern side of the country. Her family was not wealthy nor held a high position in society. However, Adam did not care about that. All he knew was that he wanted her. The next day Adam brought everything that he had to impress the women. Gold, thousands and thousands of personal guards, and a chariot made of diamonds and gold were just a part of it. During the journey to the woman’s house, people gazed at his wealth, power, intelligence and appearance. After a few days of the journey, Adam finally arrived at the woman’s house. The house turned out to be even smaller and more derelict than what his servant told him; but nothing mattered to him, as he was captivated by her.

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The woman, who looked surprised, slowly came out from the house. Adam quickly came out of his golden chariot in order to propose to the women. Adam, as he had practiced over and over for days, proposed to her. “I love you with all my heart. Can you please be my wife?” he asked. The women of course said yes but with one condition: unconditional love. Adam accepted the condition, and planned to have the wedding ceremony a week later at his palace. However, there was one significant problem that Adam had to face. When Adam’s parents and the rest of his family found out about the wedding, they strongly disapproved of to it, saying that they could not allow a lower class member to become part of their family. Despite the disagreement, Adam stubbornly ignored his family’s opinion and proceeded with his wedding plans. Adam sent his bride dresses, a wagon, and soldiers to escort her to the palace three days before the marriage ceremony. However, Adam’s parents, who could not bear to have their precious son marry a lower class woman, secretly sent their servants to plant a bomb under the wagon that their son sent. While the woman was coming to Adam’s house, the bomb went off with a tiny explosion, making it seem like an accident. The explosion wasn’t big enough to kill the woman, but big enough to make the woman lose her aesthetic blue sapphire eyes as well as her charming voice. After Adam heard about the accident, he quickly went to the hospital. The woman didn’t seem seriously injured, but the face was not the same as he remembered. She now seemed just like a normal, typical woman. He looked at her, and he no longer saw the depth in her eyes, nor the kindness that emanated from her expression. He realized that she was no longer the woman he loved. Perhaps his love toward her had not been unconditional. Perhaps unconditional love did not exist after all... Now let me repeat the question. When Adam said the phrase “I love you with all my heart”, did he mean with his heart or with his eyes? Did you ever feel excessive love toward someone just like Adam? If you did, you should ask this question to yourself: “Is my love towards her heart, or to her beauty?”

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Missing Eunice Choi Tuesday March 17 2015 So today… I got expelled… “Therefore, Ms. Sabrina Park is expelled from Ms. Abby’s Elite Girl’s School.” said Ms. Abby who in my opinion, is too old to work. Apparently, I cheated on one of my tests. But I’m pretty sure the “real” reason was because all the teachers are scheming to get me out of their school. They all hate me but I don’t blame them. “I can’t believe MY daughter cheated on her test and even got EXPELLED!” mom repeats for the hundredth time. “How many times do I have to tell you, I didn’t cheat! I’m pretty sure all the grandmas in school have been trying for years to kick me out!” I retorted. “You do NOT talk to your mother like that! Let’s go home and see if any school wants to enroll a cheater!” mom said as she stormed off to her car. Knowing I had already pushed her off the edge many times today, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I knew my parents were typical strict Asian parents, but I never knew they would ever do such a cruel thing to me. “You young lady are going to go to Seoul Ladies Boarding School for the Gifted.” My dad announced. “But… but… but I can’t go there?” I stuttered. “And why not?” My mother questioned. “I… I just can’t! You know why!” “That does not count as a valid reason. Besides, you don’t remember any of it. The doctors said you blocked out the entire thing so you can just move on! We gave you a chance here but you did not appreciate it. You will be going to a boarding school in Korea. End of discussion.” My dad said with authority. “Start packing your bag, you will be leaving on Friday.” And with that, he and my mom left without a single glance. Still speechless, I felt damp tear drops sliding down my cheeks. I can’t go back there, I just can’t. At least not to that boarding school. Thursday March 26 2015 According to my mom, there aren’t any other schools that would accept me. So I’m going back there. The place that holds a memory of years that my brain has erased... 196

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“You, Sabrina Park, are a very lucky child. We have just finished constructing the new dorms. So, your dorm will be located in the Blue building. Good luck!” The lady in the administration's office said. I mumbled a “thank you” and made my way out. Soon, I came across some rubble and a tombstone. Karina! Karina! Help me! Help me please! Please I beg you! I felt my legs give out under me as I fell helplessly to the ground. “Hey are you okay?” a girl who looked a few years younger than me asked. I answered by nodding slightly. “Do you need help finding your dorm?” she asked again. “Yeah, thanks.” I replied showing her my dorm number. “My name’s Jessica; but you could call me Jess for short and I think your dorm room is right across from mine.” “I’m Sabrina; Bri for short.” “Here’s your dorm, if you have any questions you can knock any time.” She announced. “Thanks. Hey, do you know what the rubble and the tombstone out there is about?” “Um… There was a big fire in a dorm a few years ago. Although the alarm was pressed far too late; everybody was able to evacuate but not the 2 girls. One of the two was killed in the fire.” “What happened to the other?” I asked in curiosity. “She disappeared.” Jessica said recalling the dusty memories. “I have to go now, I’ll see you later.” There was something about the grave that gave me a bad feeling. Monday May 18 2015 The voices keep echoing in my head; they just seem so real. But I can’t seem to piece them together. I walked past the rubble that I came across every day. Kneeling down; I ran my hand across the tombstone, revealing the names engraved on it. “Veronica Stones - Died 2012 July 21 2012 Karina Park - Missing Since 2012 - July 21 2012” The pace of my breathing increased rapidly; the world around me started to spin. My legs became wobbly as I reread the tombstone. Karina! Karina! Help me! Help me please! Please I beg you! I was Karina. ***** “Let’s go make some popcorn!” Veronica announced. “But we’ll get caught!” I worried. 197

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“You guard while I make the popcorn.” Veronica whispered her plan as we tiptoed down the hall. We were having a late movie night. It was already 4:15AM; way past lights out. “What do we do if we get caught?” “Act like you're dead.” “What?” “They can’t punish a dead person.” I stood outside the kitchen looking left to right cautiously. “You done yet?” I whispered with great annoyance. “Oh my gosh! Can you wait? Popcorn doesn’t just cook on its own!” BANG! My head whipped around to see the door of the kitchen being demolished in scorching red flames. “Karina! Karina! Help me! Help me please! Please I beg you!” I heard Veronica’s desperate voice trapped behind the growing fire. As the flames grew, Veronica’s voice slowly faded; but it was still there. My heart pounded faster than a cheetah’s footsteps. Veronica’s voice echoed faintly behind the flames. My head was blank as my feet started to move; away from the fire, leaving Veronica. With my frail body, I made it back to my room and grabbed my phone. With shaking hands, I pressed the first number on speed dial. “Mom? I need to go home. Now.” ***** I stared at the tombstone in shock. Karina! Karina! Help me! Help me please! Please I beg you! I was Karina.

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The Other Pathway Insung Bang It was an ice cold Saturday morning. I woke up and drank some water to soothe my parched throat. Next, I washed my face and thoughtlessly had breakfast: some pancakes with maple syrup. After this, I brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom and dressed up to go to school. By the time I was finished dressing up for school, the weather was warm and cozy. Accompanied by the soothing warmth of the spring, I calmly walked towards the bus stop. The bus should have arrived at half past seven but although it was half past EIGHT the bus was nowhere to be found. Rather worryingly, I got my phone out of my pocket and called my mom. She told me that it was Saturday and that I was probably soft in the head for getting confused. Without a second glimpse of the bus stop, I strolled back home and changed into my comfortable clothes. I decided that I would go pick up my laundry from PJ’s and fetch myself something from Uncle Johns. My family have strong ‘viewpoints’. In my home, it was all about success, all about the numbers, “efficiency” and all that. My parents frequently reminded me it was going to be fire or ice and that I would need to follow many routes and that not every one of them would be paradise and success. I never question my parents. I always tell myself that I am a failure, that I wasted my time and that I am hopeless... Exhausted by the thoughts, I came back home and checked the clock; it was merely 10 o’clock. I decided I would go for a walk around the park, hoping that it would change my boring day. During the walk, I glanced towards an old man with a wooden cane who always seemed to be present at the park. I sat near him and asked, “Sir, why are you always here? You always seem to be at the park.” Without hesitation, he ignored me. Then, he gently took out a loaf of bread and threw it on the ground. Within minutes pigeons gathered around us, stabbing the loaf of bread viciously, puncturing the bread. The old man grinned and slowly closed his eyes. I joined him. Hours later, I woke up. It was 8 pm and the park was vacant. I felt frightened as a breeze of wind slowly passed me. I left the park and dragged myself back home. By the time I came home, dad was busy having supper and watching rugby. Mom was on 199

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the phone chatting with her friends. I gasped and told myself once more “Another wasted day” and walked to my room filled with gloom and boredom. The next day I was awakened by the loud church bell banging hard. I changed into my formal clothes and got ready to go to the service. My parents were still dressing up and washing themselves. I sat on the sofa, got myself comfy and waited for them. When we were at church I saw the old man. He was praying with the priest. He silently left and my family and we went to grab lunch. After lunch dad had to go golfing at the country club and mom went shopping. I literally had nothing to do. After a quick nap, I chose to go back to the park where I saw the old man. As expected, the old man was sitting on the bench as always with this wooden cane this time with a pipe in his mouth. Although it may have seemed awkward, I asked him the same question that I asked him last time. To my surprise he gave me an answer: “Why are you asking me this question then?” “Hesitantly”, I answered: “Reasons.” He nodded and replied, “Same here, I have got my own reasons.” After a moment of silence I once again repeated “So, what is your reason?” The man with a grin on his face replied: “When I was young I always thought that my time was being wasted when I emptied my mind and did nothing. I still thought so when I was in my mid ages. I was nothing but a typical salaryman and all I did was work. But, after my children got married and we all started to age, I realized that It was not too bad to have time that's being considered wasted to others. It was my life and I do what I want.” After the talk with the old man I came home confused and excited by what I heard from him. I finally realized that every day that seemed wasted and useless meant something and that my point of view was narrow. I at last realized, it can be fire and ice not fire or ice as in helpful and unhelpful, helpful or unhelpful. Fire and Ice seemed like the most unlikely combination but in the end it seemed meaningful. Perhaps everything I tried wasn’t just a meaningless, bogus waste of time....

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The Last Aayushi Swadia The night air was fresh and chilling that night. The wind smelled with fresh pollution and the lake in front of them was shining with their reflection. In the reflection, they were holding hands with a smile on their faces. It was April, the spring air had never been cooler, the night had never been quieter, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect and they couldn’t be happier. It was Ivana and her boyfriend, Caspar. In the background shone the reflection of a shop named, “Come to this place”. Some would think ‘what a strange name’, yet this place was slamming the market. There was a chef working hard and a line of customers waiting to get their food. The hustle seemed quiet and all Ivana and Caspar could hear was the dewdrops falling on the ground. They were looking at each other with admiration… Ivana, a beautiful young lady in her 20’s, was wearing a blue dress decorated with alluring pearls. Her pale face was glistening in the moonlight and her smile never could have been wider. Caspar was a handsome young man- also in his 20’s. He was wearing a black suit with a dazzling rose in its pocket. It seemed too strange for the couple to be wearing this as a casual dress on this night, but by coincidence, they knew that this would qualify for the theme of tonight’s events. In the reflection, you could see them speaking. “You look incredibly gorgeous!” said the tall handsome man in the suit to the young lady next to him. “Why, thank you, Caspar. You look undoubtedly handsome as well,” replied the young lady in the dress with a charmingl delight. “So….” The man continued “Aaaaahhhhhhh!” she yelled as loud as she could with her eyes facing the lake in panic. Caspar turned around, his eyes gleaming with terror and fright, to see what might be there…. there was nothing. He could only see himself with Ivana- with some curiosity in his face. There was something wrong though. She was much paler than the light blue water and her face looked like milk had been poured all over it. In contrast to her face, her eyes were glistening with colour and her lips were as red as ever. “I swear I saw something in the reflection…. it said something like…. “Last one?” She tried speaking, but it was more like a broken sentence. “Calm down, Ivana. I think you imagined something. Now, take a deep breath and tell me what did you imagine?” “It was… like a human coming to your throat. It was… about… to strangle you!”

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He tried to calm down the young lady, but it was useless. Caspar tried and tried. He told her that everything was fine and that she was hallucinating. They had a quick conversation before departing. As usual, the young lady went left whilst the man went right. Ivana reached her doorstep to find the keys in the lock on the door. She thought it must have been her maid so the lady completely ignored that complication and went in to do her usual routine. Ivana went to bed, changed out of her beautiful gown and went in the bathroom. As soon as she nudged the slightly cold door knob, she realised that it was unexpectedly locked. Ivana nudged it a few times, but it did not give way. It must have been Mary- the maid. “Hello? Mary? Could you please respond?” Apparent Mary didn’t decide to answer the young lady. Ivana was getting a bit frightened but decided not to show it. “Hello? Anyone there? No one?” No one answered. Ivana thought that the door must have been jammed due to the awful weather with the rain. The rain was not her favourite type of weather. After a few tries, the door decided to budge but there was nobody inside the bathroom. The temperature in there was unusually cold and chilled. Again, must be the weather. Without noticing the clue again, she went to the mirror to take of her make-up she had put on to look as beautiful as she did today. Makeup was not one of her favourites but she put it on when she met with Caspar. As she finished cleaning, she thought her skin was really dry and checked her face in the mirror. A high-pitched screech surround the room. It was Ivana with her face looking even worse than it did in the lake. She turned her head towards her feet bending her back to make herself seem like a ball. After the strength to get out of her shell came to her, she got up on her feet. AAAAHHHHHH. The shout, again. In her reflection there was another being. A being that didn’t seem to look much like her. Its enormous fangs were dripping with a liquid that seemed to be a darkish red colour and its murky red eyes were glaring at the poor, young terrorized lady. The being’s hair was spiked up with a colour that was lethal. Its ‘skin’ was pitch black blended with pale white. The being was right in front of the lady, being as intimidating as it could ever get. Words came out of that carcinogenic mouth… “The last” came a crispy lisp. Ivana closed her eyes in terror. A few moments later, there was silence. Never before has silence spoke to her so much. In the midst of her face, something was written. Something written with a red pen: The Last

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She was in no state to sit, stand or even look at the writing. She had to run. Immediately. Ivana got out of her mansion and turned right. The house was in front of her. It looked similar but there were no lights on. She rang the doorbell a few times but…. no answer. Ivana desperately kept on ringing until someone opened it. It was Caspar. The young man didn’t seem to have changed from the black suit and there was some red ink on his shirt. Ivana was delighted to see a familiar face. “What happened? Why are you here at this hour?” the confused young man asked. “I saw that…. that thing again….” said Ivana in desperation to catch her breath. “What thing? The thing you imagined?” “Yes. He wants to kill me… and it is not a human!” The man hugged her tightly in confusion. He didn’t know what to do so, instead, he gestured to the young woman to enter. She immediately agreed and walked in the house. He found her a room and left a phone with her. He told her to call him if anything happened. In the beginning, Ivana was confused to why Caspar didn’t tell her to come into his room. But then again, they weren’t married so she understood. She was just glad to have him in the house and feel his presence. The room seemed dark at first with a scent that smelt like Caspar. She was comforted when she bumped into something. A lamp. It was a lamp next to the comfortable bed she was going to sleep in. As soon as she got comfortable, she went under her blankets and held the phone tightly in her grip. Just in case. She occasionally peeked out to check if everything was alright. The cool night passed by without any jumps or scares. It had stopped raining but the storms and thunder were still audible. Her eyes started closing with the phone still in her hands. It was just past 2am. As she woke up to check everything, she saw a present on her bed wrapped neatly with a charming pink colour. She was so petrified that she even forgot it was her birthday today. She smiled as she saw the gift sitting on her legs. She tried opening the ribbon, but it seemed too tight… She managed to loosen the strings and get a hold when...there was another smaller gift in there. Ivana had the instinct that it would be a proposal. As she got to her last wrap, she lifted the cap and surprisingly found a broken piece of mirror. Shocked, Ivana called out for the man. “CASPAR!” She heard footsteps come down the stairs, echoing as she could hear a faint voice answering her shout. Ivana lifted her head when the footsteps seemed to take a pause. The ghoul appeared right in front of her with the fangs, the spiky hair and the black and white colour on him. Surprisingly the ghoul spoke but the voice seemed to be someone else's. “Caspar,” Ivana was in such shock that even her scream came out as a yelp. “Hi Ivana. We meet again, don’t we? Ha! I can’t believe I met a fool like you!” “What…. what… do you mean?” “Fool… you fell in my trap so easily and believed that I was Caspar without even really knowing who I really was. You even believed me when I told you that family was living somewhere else!” 203

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“What…. so… wait… you are the…?” Ivana trembled as the words came out. It was all too sudden to see what had happened. Then Caspar held the broken piece of glass in his ‘hands’ and walked slowly, but deviously to her. He pointed the mirror to her neck. Ivana fell on the ground, blood dripping down, her eyes looking painful, shocked, terrified. You would expect her to say something bad or try to escape- but she fell in the monster’s hands and held him closely one more time. “Is that...you...Caspar?” she said as she was holding her last breath. The creature for the first time looked confused. Its fangs were surprisingly without any traces of blood and its eyes, the terror eyes, looked down at her. For the first second, a creature- a creature that terrorized, killed, murdered. The second second- Caspar. Ivana slightly opened her eyes to see Caspar with her holding her in his arms. You would again expect her to escape, but she remained calm, as if she knew everything or as if this was normal. “You killed me” she managed to whisper. “I WOULD NEVER!” the man replied as if a conversation was happening. The woman closed her eyes with her pale white hand falling on the man’s leg. Horrified, Caspar desperately called for her. She couldn’t lift her hand. She didn’t open her eyes. “I didn’t kill you! It wasn’t me...it wasn’t! It…?” He couldn't finish. He looked around the room to find anything he could. It would never have seemed like evil haunted it. His hand touched a sharp object which he then saw with his eyes. It was a mirror. It had a dark red colour sprayed on it and it read… “The Last”

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Dust Soomin Tark and Arit Sharma The attorney opposite to me stood up. I wished that I too could stand - too bad I was shackled to the ground. And with silver, no less. With jarring bangs the judge struck with his gavel and boomed in his deep voice, “Today, we stand to witness the judgment of Ragnarok the half demon.” He looked at me disdainfully, with eyes devoid of compassion; a deeper abyss than the place my demonic father came from. “Rise Ragnarok.” My heart started beating faster, and I was already looking for ways to escape. I would not die here. ********************************************************************* I saw his eyes flit from window to window. He was planning to escape. As always the male guards did not see the subtle signs but I was watching closely. Girls know how to read faces...He should’ve known, even if he was a childhood friend of mine, that I killed demons, and that he was no exception. I raised my crossbow and aimed at his head. I never miss. Plus, he was also manacled; I almost felt sorry for the creature. I still remember what feeling sorry did to me the last time. “Ragnarok, for the crime of Genocide, the court finds you…” There! He moved! He was capable of feeling fear. You just had to look for it… or know him. “Not guilty.” He fell back down on his seat and I just relaxed my pressure on the trigger. That was close. I almost killed a man. Well, maybe not quite a man. But we are not finished yet... “For the crime of Blasphemy, the court finds you… Not guilty.” The whole crowd started screaming; “INJUSTICE! HANG HIM!” Fools, didn’t they know, he was practically immortal. Only iron and silver could kill him. The judge was momentarily taken aback, before calling for silence. “We are a land of Justice. No-one is guilty by virtue of who their father is.” The elder’s words quietened the roaring mob. “However, the Council of Admirals recognises the danger of a half-breed. We remember all too well when the demons came knocking on our castle walls, shattering our peace and slaying our children. Half-Demon Ragnarok will be given an appropriate quest: to bring the head of his father. His supervisor, will be our best… Half-Angel Abriel.” 205

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What. Did I hear that? There’s no way they’re sending me away with that devil of a man. Not in a million years. The elder banged his gavel, and the court slowly emptied. Soon, it was only the admirals, the demon and I. It was safe to express my discontent. “Dear Sirs, if I may express my unrestricted thoughts?” “Permission Granted,” one of the less senior members answered. Well then… I wasn’t expecting that. “What were you thinking? The only way you're going to make me leave this town with him is by dragging my dead body over the border! And all of you know that none of you can ever even come close to killing me!” I must have been a scary sight, as the junior elder visibly cowered. “Abriel, you have formed relations with many half-demons and you have escorted even more. What is the problem?” the elder spoke. “It’s him! Why should I be the one escorting him! All of you know who he is.” “Abriel… you know how bad our situation is. In two months’ time, we will run out of food for the civilian populace. We need to get our lands back or we will die in this fortress.” I understood their need, but why did I have to do it? I already did so much... Enraged, I slammed the door and stepped into the crowded marketplace. I knew that I couldn’t do anything once the community made a decision. But that didn’t mean I had to trust him. He already tried to kill me once. Then a voice from behind me inquired, “Where to now?” ********************************************************************* Ominous thunderclouds hovered above us and darkened the special occasion; home sweet home unless your home was a hole in the ground. Slowly, Abriel and I walked (with weapons drawn) up the one thousand steps to the castle. Then a sound of cracking echoed through the mountain cavern. We turned to see a gargoyle drag itself out of a hole in a wall. Even before it could take its first step, a bolt pierced through its stone head. It crumbled to the ground and disintegrated. Slowly, we made our way forward.

Towards dad. Eventually, we reached the colossal arch that allowed us entrance into the darkness within. Lightning flashed as we went inside and arrows rained down on to the steps, no turning back now. It was kill or be killed. As we made our way down the spiraling stairs, screams of agony and pain echoed through the narrow corridors. Torches lit up the main hall with an eerie blue light. The dim light spawned monstrous shadows and haunting images. Our footsteps were loud and resounding on the cobblestone floor, waking up a man on a faint golden throne. The man seemed somewhat normal, despite his heavy purple and gold-inlaid clothes until he rose. His face was grey, seemingly devoid of blood, and in place of eyes were holes that seemed like endless abysses. “Hello son. I see you brought an old friend. I’m surprised she’s still alive, I thought you killed her, wait! Ah…” He grinned a grin reeking of evil 206

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“Drop your weapon, Ragnarok, and I’ll make her death quick… maybe.” I raised my axe higher, ready to charge. “So… you really believe you can defeat me?” “I can try” Time seemed to slow as I charged. Bolts flew past my head, aimed at the Demon King’s skull. Out of the ground, a wall of ice formed a shield around the king. That’s not fair. Right? He formed a staff of ice, and stabbed it downwards, cracking his barrier. Almost immediately, he was next to Abriel. “If you don’t mind, I would like some one on one time with my son.” A cocoon of ice slowly formed and encased her in an icy jail. “If you touch the ice, it will freeze you. Don’t bother with your crossbow either, you’ll hit Ragnarok instead.” To prove his point, he dodged a point-blank shot. He was faster than I remembered. Yep, this totally wasn’t fair. Even fastest swings were way too slow to even begin to match his speed. He was playing with me. “Come on Ragnarok, I taught you better than this.” His face freakishly brightened. I did not like this; he only made that face when suffering was inevitable. He jumped backwards while erecting a thin ice wall that I promptly shattered through. “Ah, you don’t want to do it in front of her. So how about I just kill her?” “WAIT!” I dropped my axe and began to remove my armour plating. What he didn’t expect, was me to charge him. I swung my axe in a ferocious downwards arc at his head. Alas, even when surprised he was too fast. With movement too fast for my eye to catch, my axe clipped his cheek. He casted a pushback spell that threw me into Abriel’s cage. The ice wouldn’t freeze me. I dejectedly watched him wipe blood off his cheek and seal his wound with ice. That was my last chance. “Hey!” Abriel fiercely whispered. “Don’t bother whispering: his hearing’s better than mine.” “Listen, I know how to kill him. You’re going to have to hold him in place for around a second.” She looked at me, suspiciously. “If you have anything else, now’s the time to use it.”. My dad was moving forward. “Look, there is something I can do but I can’t guarantee that it will be me in control. As soon as this happens, you need to run. If anything happens, I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She started to protest. “Hey, I’m not going to -” “Just run, please.” I started rising. My dad was maniacally laughing. I was losing control, my vision started to blur and all I could see was the opponent in front of me. Around me, the ground melted as I erupted into flames. I screamed as pain overwhelmed all of my senses. Amidst the flames, my body began to transform into something beastly. Wings sprouted from my back and horns pushed their way through my forehead. When the flames subsided, the man that walked out was no longer me. In fact, it could hardly be described as a man. The beast that emerged was a horrible creature from the depths of Tartarus. It had horns sprouting from its forehead and its eyes were the color of blood. Huge wings opened and spread as I let out a roar. Unsurprisingly, my dad was still standing there. He smirked and said “Thats better” 207

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With a roar, I ran towards my father and with an even louder roar, he threw himself harder at me. A wave of his arm summoned a storm of icicles inside the castle hall. A burst of flames wiped out the icicles and steam floated high into the ceiling. Slowly, I continued advancing through a hail of icicles. As I got closer, a ferocious blizzard erupted in the throne room. I grimaced as hail pounded into me. I quickly started to flap my wings, keeping my back clear. I then shot a huge wave of flames and the heat momentarily overcame the blizzard before its intensity increased. In a last-ditch effort, I scrunched into a ball before releasing a huge pulse of flames in all directions. The flames turned white with heat and for a second it seemed as if I had finally done something worthwhile. The blizzard dissipated, and I rushed for a melee while my dad was still stunned. What followed was beyond my comprehension. I was not thinking, I was completely immersed in the fight. I reacted to every movement of his staff. Everything was a blur; I did not even realise that my foot had connected with my dad’s knee until he fell to the ground. I quickly pressed my advantage. I dealt a savage blow to his midsection which burnt his clothes and charred his skin. Time seemed to slow as I continued pounding him in different places. Ribs cracked, knees shattered, legs broke, and shoulders dislocated. Finally, I dealt the finishing blow. I gripped the Demon King’s neck, and crushed it with my hand. The demon looked shocked. As if it had thought it ever stood a chance. I didn’t hear the final words that were whispered and was completely surprised when a spear of ice impaled my stomach. That did not matter; I would survive. Ice couldn’t hurt me. My dad, with his last breath, picked up the iron axe meant to kill him and stuck it deep in my side. What irony. I collapsed to my knees, slowly going back to normal. I glanced at the Demon King; dead. Then, I stared at the gaping hole that used to be my torso. That was going to leave a mark. As I lay on the ground, I thought about how much I had done for people who had only wished to see me dead. They would see it now, wouldn’t they? I wasn’t that bad. I also thought about the one I... cared about, and how I sent her away. ***********************************************************************************

I heard the fighting stop, and went inside. Maybe I would congratulate him for beating his father... maybe I could even forgive him - he acted almost exactly like the lost friend that I remembered... As I walked in, I saw a dead Demon King and... Another demon. It had fearsome black wings sprouting from its back. Slowly, his wings started to rescind and I saw him for who he really was. A demon. ***********************************************************************************

Everything was hazy. Then I heard thundering footsteps. Maybe it was the angels coming to get me. Well… I was half right... Abriel walked into my blurred vision and everything seemed to clear. She looked at me, knelt, and shook her head, muttering... ***********************************************************************************

Slowly, his mouth started moving as he struggled to speak. "I'm... sorry..." Blood was expelled from his mouth. "I never meant to... he said he would..." 208

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I turned and ran away, but I wasn't sure if I was running away from him... or my past actions. I needed to get the druids; they could help him. ***********************************************************************************

What? I had just sacrificed everything, for herâ&#x20AC;Ś and she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even care. Guess I asked for too much... Guess I cared too much... Slowly, my body crumbled into dust and the last thing I saw was the only person I ever loved running... Running away.

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Freedom Camila Lee and Tina Lee Recommended song while reading this short story: “Cold” -Jorge Méndez (https://goo.gl/9l4CbK) Section 1: Present time Hoo… Hoo… Hoo… My breathing is slowing down and becoming shallower by the second. Both of my hands and feet are shivering as I feel my body temperature gradually decreasing. Thump… Thump… Thump… My slowing heart beat is echoing so loudly in my ears now, that it is the only thing I am able to hear. I am only a button away from calling for a nurse's help, but for some reason, I don't want to. Why struggle to survive in this sorrowful and hopeless world? Although I feel like a dying child left alone, naked outside on a cold winters day, I am choosing not to resist. In fact, I am hoping for all of this to be over as soon as possible. Hoo… The thing that is coming to my mind as I am taking my last breath isn’t family or friends or my values, but freedom. Freedom from the chain of emptiness and the void of this world. My mind drifts back to the beginning of my illness and my affection. Section 2: The good memories in the past This is where it all began. Two years ago, I was a normal 19 year old teenage girl living in the Philippines, one of the poorest countries in the world. Back then, my life was pretty satisfying. I miss the old days when my parents and my little sister used to sit in front of the gigantic table full of plates of food. Although the nourishment was certainly not the best, it still was the best moment of my life. We used to gobble up all the food while talking about all kinds of things… We were basically in the state of bankruptcy. I was born to uneducated parents, who are currently working 16 hours a day at a stinky factory packed with immigrants. They were determined to educate me and my little sister because of the struggles in life that come along with a lack of education. Although my family was going through tremendous financial struggles, there never was any time more satisfying than then. Section 3: Hypothermia began Since the start of August, I felt my body growing colder; especially after the clock ticked twelve, my shivering body would not stop sensing coldness - ice. I discussed these eerie feelings with my parents, but they didn’t take it seriously at the beginning. But as these abnormal awarenesses worsened, we borrowed money and travelled to visit the missionary hospital. The clinician hesitated at first, but he eventually told me that I had a tremendously severe case of hypothermia probably caused by an incurable brain condition. He solemnly elucidated that it was a rare illness to have in 210

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the Philippines. As soon as I heard the word “hypothermia” and found out that it was incurable, a great sense of fear overwhelmed me. That was when my life began to break into tiny pieces... I was weakening day by day. It felt as if my bones were replaced by freezing ice, making me teeter at every step I made. I just could not keep doing this anymore. My body just felt bad; it felt like ice. This exacerbating sensation was something I could not handle any more so, I decided to desperately look for an effective way to free myself from physical pain. And then I did the thing I would regret the most in my life...DRUGS. I was introduced to illegal drugs by some street runaway kids who offered these to me as their treatment to all kinds of illnesses. Ultimately, the drug I took was called “Fire & Ice”. When I took these drugs for the first time in my life, I felt as if the joy that seemed to have been lost was restored again. It felt like I was reborn and all began peacefully. It wasn’t only the joy that was found again, but also the freedom from physical pain. But this became an addiction for me. Drugs were the only things that made me see the light of the sun, although my vision got gloomy and blurry (not literally), as if a gigantic black cover was encapsulating and hiding the truth from me. The veracity was that I was escaping from the truth, from reality—from my own self. Section 4: After-effect of the drug I was becoming mindless; I thought I would gain hope and happiness through drugs. I had no more future. As time passed on, my body started to require more and more of this forbidden substance. I could not see how I could escape my dependence. I had hallucinations about menacing animals crawling under my skin and sometimes I physically abused my parents like a psycho, without awareness. I felt them each time I shot up and scraped myself with the tip of the syringe until I started bleeding in order to make them leave. I lost my mind and temper. The guilt was killing me, I was spending the very little money left in the house on the wretched drugs. Occasionally, I felt lethargic, anxious and psychotic; I felt regret and guilt over what I did in the past. I didn’t know how to react to this situation. How would I tell my parents? How will my life turn out to be? I kept asking the same questions over and over and my answer seemed to have lost its path. Section 5: Back to the present time The door opens, making a loud bang noise, and my parents come rushing through it; the word “panic” screaming on their faces. I can hear the beep of the telephone—my father is addressing the hospital. My mother is crouching beside me, biting her lip to stop sobs from coming out of her mouth but failing miserably at trying to do so and instead never-ending tears coming out of her hazel eyes which are now converted into a cold liquid black. I can see anxiety and fear. But me, I am feeling a peace I have never felt before in my life. I’m struggling to keep my feet on the ground, the weight of my body suddenly overwhelming me and with a loud thump, I crash onto the floor. A booming cry makes me jolt from my position and suddenly, I see a light so bright that it should have been blinding, but it isn’t. It is so beautiful. My instincts tell me to float fast towards it, and that is exactly what I do, but at every step I make towards it, it moves away from me inch by inch. 211

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Abruptly, everything turns grey. The next thing I know, I am coughing. My breath hitches and my neck is killing me, as if sharp scissors are cutting deep through my skin. I feel shear pain rushing through my body, it feels as if somebody is strangling me to death. I was so stupid. My eyelids are closing involuntarily. Shivering hands, wobbly arms and legs; dry lips. I went to look at myself over the oval-shaped mirror located right across the door and then I noticed the paleness of my skin and the tint of blue-ish purple color forming on my lips. Dark circles surrounding the area of my eyes, worsening the appearance of my face. I closed the lids of my eyes but then a sudden hypothermic awareness makes me cringe and stop the procession. And this is exactly when realization hits me like a mad man. I was trying so hard to abscond from my own self, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even realize what I had done to myself. I decided at the last second: freedom is the way. What is freedom? Freedom can be defined differently from person to person. For poor people, freedom may be defined as winning a million dollar check. For sick people, freedom may be defined as being healed. I used to think the same, but over time, freedom slowly conformed to define itself as death in my mind. I convinced myself that freedom equaled death. That was the only possible way to be free from myselfâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Boundaries Madeline Choi and Josephine Newman [2/22/46,8:48:47] Viv has unfriended you.

*** *BEEP BEEP BEEP* “Turn off your phone Bryanne! I’m trying to read here…” Vivian yelled. “Viv! You’re 17 and all you do is read! As your roommate and best friend, I say go have some fun! Go have a good time! It’s miserable to see you by yourself reading all day.” exclaimed Bryanne as she tried stealing Vivian’s book. “Hey! Stop it, I like to pass time just reading and for your information, reading is my ideal type of ‘fun’. So, please give me back my book and leave me alone!” Vivian stated in an irritated tone. “Whatever, I don’t see why I even try...I’m gonna be back soon.” Bryanne mumbled. “Hey, sorry!” Vivian yelled. “Want to go to the library with me?” “No thanks, I’m gonna go play the new game ‘Fire and Ice’ at Kat’s house” “Maybe I should try this game. I mean, what could hurt trying new things?’ Vivian thought. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ You have entered Fire And Ice. Fire And Ice is an online game that tests your loyalty (to your team‐mates), your instincts and your strategic intelligence. Please choose your avatar and your username. 213

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Username: _Viv (lvl 1) Thank you for joining our community! We will match you up with a random player to create your team! Partner: Joseph_ (lvl 26) Joseph_: glhfffff _Viv: Excuse me? Do you speak english? Joseph_: It means good luck, have fun. And yes, I do speak English… Joseph_: Is this ur first time playing? _Viv: I don’t know how to play this “game”... It couldn’t be that hard. Joseph_: Uh… its preee hard _Viv: So, do we just charge into the enemy team? Joseph_: Nopee, we need a plan _Viv: Okay? How about you attack and I’ll defend? Joseph_: I don’t think u can even defend with those stats ._. _Viv: Oh... Joseph_: Sorry xD _Viv: Okay, so what about you attack first and ‐ Joseph_: Just trust me... GAME HAS STARTED! Joseph_: we’re done. gg Joseph_: do u even know the contr ‐ _Viv: IT’S COMING NEAR ME HOW DO I DO THIS? JOSEPH_ HELP ME!

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Joseph_ has died. User will respawn in the next wave. Joseph_: Hey, I can’t play but I can still chat _Viv: Oh hey! Thanks for uh… sacrificing yourself so I can survive :D Joseph_: No problem :3 _Viv: So do I just shoot fire to this bad guy? Joseph_: yeah, so you have to shoot in the right direction. You just press the keys QWER depending on what skill you want to use, okay? _Viv: Oh thankss! _Viv has defeated the Stage 1 wave. As months passed, they got closer and closer. They talked for at least 5 hours a day playing ‘Fire and Ice’. However, she had also started skipping classes and teachers have been informing her parents. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Mr and Mrs.Lii, I am very sorry to inform you, on behalf of Phillips Exeter Academy that your child has not been performing to the necessary standards. She will need to improve her grades by graduation or summer school will be mandatory. Kind Regards, Dr. Paul Johnson (Principal of Phillips Exeter Academy) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Dr. Johnson, Thank you for letting us know about Vivian’s recent behaviour. Could we receive a copy of Megan’s exam scores? Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Margaret & David Lii -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Mr & Mrs Lii, 215

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Here are Vivian’s test scores: Science ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------47% Math -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12% English ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------45% World History ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2% Languages (Japanese) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------42% Gym --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------N/A Art -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0% --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vivian, What is with you lately? Skipping class, not doing homework, and getting extremely low grades? We have parented you long enough to know that you wouldn’t throw away three years of hard work for a childish game. Three years, Vivian! Three years! We will talk about this next week on Thanksgiving but you need to set your priorities straight. Mom & Dad --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Viv Lii is online (Facebook messenger) Joseph: Haiiiiii Viv Lii: Joseph. We need to talk :/ Joseph: Why? Whats wrong? Viv Lii: Its about my grades. They’ve dropped by a lot… Joseph: Couldn’t be that bad! 216

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Viv Lii: Everything is under 50% Joseph: Oh… Is it because of me? Viv Lii: It’s my parents...They warned me not to get myself lost in things I have no control over. Joseph: I guess this is goodbye then… I’m sorry I ruined all your plans for the future. Viv Lii: Tbh, I don’t care about what my parents say because every minute I spend talking to you is another minute of my happiness. My parents force me to be a lawyer and get married to whoever they want me to get married to. I don’t want to be a lawyer, I want to be an artist. I don’t care if I fail school anymore because I don’t want to do something that I don’t want to do ‐ I want to be with you even if there are boundaries in our way. Joseph: Vivian, I have only known you for 6 months or so but I already know that you are going to be the most successful person that ever entered my life. You make me smile through my hardest times and to be honest… there is no me without you. Viv Lii: Can’t we just run away? Joseph: We can’t Vivian, please don’t take it this far just for me. If i’m ruining your future, both you and your parents will never forgive me. Viv Lii: But it’s the only way we can stay together... Joseph: I’m sorry Vivian, I can’t do this anymore. Viv Lee has unfriended you

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Joseph: I know you will never read this Viv but I can’t be with you. You have a future ahead of you. You actually have a chance to go to college and get a job. The world was made for people like you ‐ to make a difference. I’m just an outsider, I can’t do anything to help you but rather, ruin your future. Before you met me, you had a perfect life ‐ good grades and a happy family. Once I came into the scene, your grades dropped and your parents were so worried about you that they never let you see me again. I always knew that I wasn’t good enough for you. It broke my heart saying that we can’t be together. I will always love you Vivian. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 2 days later “Vivian?”Joseph knocked on the door. No answer… “Hello?” he knocked. “She’s not here! Go away!” shouted a girl’s voice from the room. A husky tone, completely different from Vivian’s soft voice. “What? Where is she?” Joseph yelled as he kept banging on the door. At last, he heard an extremely loud sigh and the girl opened the door. “You didn’t hear? Her sister passed away 3 days ago so she moved back to Japan…” Bryanne exclaimed, looking tired with bags under her eyes. Her mascara was smudged and her hair was messed up to the point that it looked like she just got electrified. She looked at him like he was the most evil person in the world, for reminding her that Vivian left. Joseph was left in shock, he didn’t even get to say goodbye to her. He had so much to tell her. This was the day that he would tell her his true feelings. He lost all of the words he could possibly say and let out tears. “If you don’t mind, I have to study for my finals!” Bryanne hastily said as she closed the door on his face. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 1 year later Sent on September 19 12:46 pm Hey Vivian, I know it’s been a really long time since we talked. I heard you moved to Japan :) How’s it going? By the way, I graduated High School and got accepted to Yale and I’m starting my semester next year (gap year). I miss you :33. Sent on September 23 at 8:54 pm 218

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Hi Vivian, Do you want to catch up sometime ‐ go for like some food? Sent on December 25 at 6:13 am Dear Vivian, Merry Christmas! Sent on January 1 at 12:40 am Dear Vivian, Happy New Year! Sent on Feb 14 at 12:00am/pm Happy Valentines Day! Love you…

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐ Joseph walked up to Bryanne's door. She was living in a house in the middle of Queens which was the more quiet part of New York City. He took several footsteps, walking back and forth on her porch. Would Bryanne even remember him? This was a silly idea. “Who’s there?” a voice called out. “It’s um me...Joseph...from high school? “Joseph? What are you doing here? How did you get my address?” Bryanne slowly walked out of her house. She was wearing a lime green dress with white strapped heels. She looked glamorous - of course she did, she was a famous actress on the rise. Meanwhile, he was broke, in need of a serious job and needed something to motivate him to go further in life. 219

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“Uh, that’s not important. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew where Vivian was.” Joseph asked curiously. “What?” “You don’t remember Vivian? You know the girl with…” “Of course I remember Vivian. She was my best friend. I just don’t see the point in you talking to her again. I mean, it was a high school fling or whatever you want to call it but Joseph, I’m sorry but I think you need to wake up and snap back to reality.” “Please, Bryanne… I need her back in my life. I won’t mess up this time. I’ll marry her and raise a happy family like she always wanted. I changed. I need you to support me so I at least have a chance with her.” “One shot. That’s all I’m giving you. Do NOT hurt my best friend again.” ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Ding Dong Ding Dong “Hello are you Vivian?” Joseph asks with a nervous hint. “Um, hi? I’m Vivian...Who are you?” Vivian asks as she approaches. “Do you remember me?” Joseph says as he trembles. “Sorry no. I was in a car crash 2 years ago so I lost my memory. It’s been hard...but yeah I guess could have been worse.” Vivian says as she faces down. “Oh, sorry, I should go…” Joseph mumbles. “Can you at least tell me your name?” Vivian asks. “It’s um Joseph…” A sudden recognition of the name sparkled in her eyes… but then, in a moment’s glance, her eyes were wide, dark and confused, again. “Sorry, I really have to go…” Joseph replies as he runs back to his car, holding back tears, that were due years ago. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ (Facebook messenger) Bryanne: Hey Viv!! How ru doin? 220

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Viv Lii: I miss you so much! Visit me :D Bryanne: By any chance, did anyone by the name of Joseph visit you? Viv Lii: Yeah... Bryanne: I arranged a dinner for you and Joseph tomorrow night 7 pm at your place‐ bye love you! Vivian: Wait ‐ Bryanne: BYE Bryanne went offline Vivian: I don’t even know him… ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ *DING DONG DING DONG* “It must be him…” Vivian mumbled to herself. “Hey Viv! Uh nice to meet you. I’m Joseph.” “Have we met before? I feel like I’ve seen that name somewhere.” “Yeah, we went to same high school together.” She knew that name somewhere. It was so comfortable to her - the reassuring way it rolled off her tongue as she toyed with the name in her head. Vivian looked back, and a tear slid down her face. Memories, regrets and heartbreaks all hit her like a wave. “Joseph… Is that really you?” “Hey Vivian… I really didn’t think you would remember me.” “Joseph, I … I…” “Shhh… I should have never let you go that day. The instant regret that struck me has stayed with me every night since. Everytime I close my eyes, I try to imagine what would have happened if I told you how much I love you…”

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“You never wrote me and you never tried finding me. Do you know how hard it was for me to lose everything I had? I gave up my parents, my future and my life just to be with you.” “I wrote you an email every month but you never responded…” “What? The only person that has access to my email is...Oh…my mother.” “It’s ok now Vivian. I’m here and we could finally be together” ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 2 weeks later “I’m sorry…” “What’s his name…?” “Joseph… please…it’s just going to break you even more” “Vivian! The least you can tell me is who the lucky guy is…” he said, grinding his teeth. “His name is Jamie…” “I hope you have a good life with Jamie then.” Joseph says as he forces a smile. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jamie had black hair that was neatly combed back. He wore a white polo shirt with several creases and grey khakis that reached down right before his stable knees. His eyes were crystal blue with his long and exaggerated eyelashes. She noticed him tapping his feet several times with a nervous expression on his face. He was definitely very good looking and presentable. She could tell by his shimmering eyes that he was kind and loving. “Nice to meet you Jamie.” Vivian said as she forced to make a smile by her parents. The wedding date would be arranged by both families to take place within the next year. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Viv?” Jamie whispers with a smile. She saw someone coming through the wedding hall entrance door. It was Joseph. She instantly recognized his blue eyes, his dark brown hair that was gelled up today and his perfect smile. Seeing Joseph made Vivian instantly happy - although they have been through good and bad, he has always been right by her side. The first time they met at the Library had been the most Vivian had ever laughed for years. The priest let out a cough signaling his lack of patience. 222

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“I..I..” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone clinging onto Joseph. A tall brunette that was pretty enough to be a model. The way he looked at her was special and extraordinary. She knew this look, because he used to look at her the same way. She let out a quiet sigh as she watched them hold hands and find their way to their seats. As her world fell apart, she found the strength to whisper,“I do.” That night, she finally found the strength to check on his profile:

He had found someone. Joseph had already moved on and found his happy ending without her.

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The Fire and Ice Case Rafferty Hodda Jake remembers the day when he saved Sarah but he was 1 for 3 that day. He forgot her parents. In a basketball game this was unacceptable and the game of life was no different. The amount of times he had gone over the situation made him feel angry. He remembers it like it happened yesterday. The fire. Jake lived next door to Sarah’s house and he heard the fire in the middle of the night. It all started when Jake heard somebody watering the plants in the early hours of the morning - or so he thought. Jake looked out the window and saw a man who resembled Sarah’s father. He was built like a rugby player. On his way back to bed he saw his shadow but the sun wasn’t up. He could taste, smell, and see the dusty smoke. It was the fire; an inferno of smoke and flames. Jake immediately sprinted down the stairs and out the front door. He was heading towards Sarah’s house. He crashed through the door like it was a defender trying to prevent a touchdown. Easy entry. Jake wondered why there was no screaming and instantly assumed the worst. Sarah and her parents were dead. He entered the first room to find Sarah lying unconscious. He picked her up and took her outside to safety. Jake was sure she was dead. He laid her down on the grass and checked for a pulse. He was relieved to detect a faint movement in her wrist. Jake got back on his feet and headed for her parents when suddenly the house collapsed, Jake shouted out in anger and began to cry. He had missed the game winner! Today he lost and as the sirens approached so did the icy realisation that he didn’t reach them in time. He returned to his house in shame. He never wanted her to know that her parents were dead all because he wasn’t fast enough. ******************** “Now for the high school basketball MVP. It goes to none other than our sophomore phenom, Jake Miller” Everyone’s cheering for Jake Miller as he arrived on stage to receive his reward. It’s been three years since “the day” and Jake and Sarah were still friends. They still went to the same school, but every day he looks at Sarah and thinks of her parents who died in the inferno. Jake hasn’t told Sarah that he saved her... and he is worried because Sarah could be outraged that he didn’t save her parents too! Sarah's life was tough after the death of her parents. They left her with nothing, so she had to work at the local McDonalds to survive. Sarah lived with her grandma who had little savings before Sarah moved in, which only made matters worse. Now Sarah's grandma must pay for her and she is becoming very poor so that’s why Sarah needed to take on a job. Jake was sad because he wasn't seeing Sarah as often since he was so busy with sports and Sarah 224

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spent the evening working. Jake had liked Sarah all of his life, but he didn’t tell her that he liked her because he was scared it might ruin their friendship. It’s Friday night and Jake just scored 30 points and dished his teammates 10 assists. His teammates invited their top scorer over to their house for a party. Everyone was invited, and it was going to be the bash of the year! Jake knew if he went to the party he would be thinking about one person and one person only. Jake knew Sarah was on her shift. “Sorry guys, I will have to sit this one out” says Jake. He had never prefered McDonald's (he had always been a KFC man) but lately he prefers the “service” at McDonald’s. It was specifically one person. The day Sarah was hired Jake knew he would be eating McDonald's for a couple of years. He couldn’t remember how many McMuffins and McMacs he had consumed. If it wasn’t for Jake’s busy schedule he would weigh at least 200 kilograms! Jake enters the McDonald's and spots Sarah helping a customer. Jake waited in Sarah’s line even though there was another one wide open. The freckled face employee said “Can I help you?” Jake stuttered. "I... um… ahh waiting for… “Hey Freckles we need more french fries” shouts a cook in the back. Freckles turns and goes to the back. Saved by freckles and his fries - try and say that five times! Sarah finished up with the person in front so now here was his chance. “Hey how’s your night going?” “Good” she said with a smile on her face. “How was your game?” “It was alright we got the W” Jake replied. “Don’t be so modest joked Sarah, I already know what you did. A 30 point game, Jake that’s amazing!” exclaimed Sarah. “It’s no biggy. Can I have a Big Mac please?” “Absolutely!” replied Sarah. Jake received his Big Mac and sat down in the booth. On Sarah’s break she came over to chat to him. “Hey.” “Hey shouldn’t you be working?” asked Jake. “My shift is over” replied Sarah. “Hey, do you wanna go somewhere?” said Sarah. It’s about time! It was getting kind of awkward, he thought to himself. “Sounds good.” “Ok let me get my stuff and take out the trash.” “Ok meet you in the parking lot.” As Sarah was taking out the trash, she saw a briefcase was sitting next to the dumpster. The only thing on the briefcase was the word “ICE.” Sarah had no idea what this meant. She knew that she shouldn’t but she grabs the briefcase and hustles to the carpark where she spots Jake. “Get in the car quick” yelled Sarah “What is that?” Jake asked. “Just get in the car and I’ll explain!” exclaimed Sarah. Sarah and Jake get in the car and lock the doors. “Since when have you been carrying a briefcase?” “It’s not mine, I found it by the dumpster.” replied Sarah 225

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“What’s in it?” At that moment Sarah was opening the case. “Oh my god!” Sarah could not believe her eyes. “There is so much money in here, oh my!” Sarah yelled with excitement “Uh… I think I you should put that back.” Jake said. “Hello…I can quit my job and watch you play basketball.” said Sarah “Ok let’s go!” Jake said excitedly. Sarah was overwhelmed with joy! The next day she came to school and everyone knew something was up but Sarah and Jake didn’t say a word about what they had found. They were worried that someone might own the money or they might call the police. Sarah was trying so hard to not tell anyone she looked like she wanted to burst. Sarah and Jake met up again quietly. “How much money was in there?” “$200,000!” she shouted. “SHHHHHHHH” Jake whispered. “Have you told your grandma?” Jake asked. “I got it all under control.” “Hey Grandma we got a lawsuit of my dad’s death.” “Really that’s fantastic, how much?” Sarah’s Grandma replied. “$180,000!” “Oh my God!” They both started jumping up and down because they knew they could get a new house and other great things that will benefit their lives. Jake was really happy because Sarah could quit her job and watch him play basketball. Jake was overwhelmed and pumped for tonight's game. So it was game time for Jake and he was pumped! Everyone was suspicious why Sarah had arrived at Jake's game. Her being there seemed to improve his game, as he had a triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists. It was a blowout and now they have qualified for the national championships. The next day, Sarah arrived at school with a pricey Mini Cooper. It might be cheap for adults, but for a high schooler this was a huge deal! Jake immediately knew this wasn’t a good idea because it would give her more attention and everyone would get suspicious. That night, while Sarah was fast asleep. Suddenly, the window in Sarah’s room shattered with a brick saying. “Where’s the money, beware we are coming.” Immediately she received a phone call saying. “Give us the money... or die.” “Who are you?” Sarah replied. “We are ICE dealers. Call the cops and your grandma will die.” “You will get your money, but don’t hurt my grandma.” begged Sarah. “Meet at 2 am tomorrow at the address that will be sent to your phone.” Sarah’s phone told her that the call had ended. She was scared for her grandma. It was five in the morning. Sarah’s grandma would have 22 hours to live if I didn’t return the money but there was no money to return. Sarah was so worried that she immediately dialed Jake’s number... it was ringing. “Bre-Bre Bre-Bre.” 226

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“Come On pick up!” Jake answered with a lazy voice, “Why are you waking me up at 5 in the morning?” “I need your help! Meet me at McDonald’s straight after school...it is life or death!” “Wait.... What.” Jake said as the line went dead. After school, Jake immediately went to McDonald’s. McDonald's was closed but Sarah and her work friends were still in there. So, Jake knocked on the door and and Sarah let her in. Sarah whispered to Jake that the word “ice” on the brief wasn't ice at all - it was methamphetamine. The briefcase belonged to the drug dealers. “I received a call from one of the dealers saying that we will meet here at 2 am.” “Why did you tell me to come so early?” “We're going to set some traps...” At 2 am, the stage was set for the action to begin. Sarah met the dealers and they were chatting outside when they asked “Where are your parents?” “They’re dead.” Sarah replied. The dealers stated, “Yeah we know.” Sarah exclaimed “How do you know? Wait never mind.” “Come inside to collect your briefcase.” Sarah was preparing them for the first trap. As the dealers followed Sarah they stepped on a wire and the giant freezer door closed. Sarah exclaimed “Yeah, that’s right, you bums” Jake heard that the first trap had been triggered and then he heard the dealers screaming. When the dealers eventually got out, they touched another rope and it dropped the deep fryer oil. The dealers were in extreme pain as they ran outside. They immediately went to their trunk and pulled out their assault rifles. “These kids have had their last happy meal!” Back inside the McDonald's, Sarah started pacing back and forth. “How did the dealers know about the death of my parents?” “I know why the dealers know about your parents. They were the ones who started the fire, and now they are the ones who sell the ice” Sarah was speechless. “I saved you but not your parents. I’m Sorry.” Jake whimpered. Sara could not speak. “Are you ok?” But all he got was silence. He looked up at the security monitor to see six guys walking through the front entrance. They were armed and wearing bulletproof vests. He had no time to worry about how she would react. This was his chance to make things up to her. This time he would not fail...

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Two Collisions Jisoo Park Opposites attract. Neither dominates the other. Two halves merge to become one whole. That’s what this painting meant. ‘Fire and Water’. A man who controls fire and a man who controls water. Are they attacking each other? Do they symbolise peace? Well, I like to believe they are balancing each other out... An old man stood alone looking upon a painting - deep in thought. A student walked up to the man, turned, and gazed upon the painting too. “What is this? Got no idea what the artist was thinking about while painting this. Is he even an artist?” the student scoffed. He read the description in a mocking way while the old man glanced toward his direction. “This painting was inspired by a statue in the Westminster Cathedral in Central London, hidden behind the ancient walls. The statue represents two contrasting gods in war with each other, fighting head to head with their thoughts of revenge. - JGE”. “It seems my interpretation was incorrect…” the old man mumbled disappointedly. “I just don’t get it. Didn’t this guy just copy the statue then? What a fraud!” the student looked towards the, now offended, man and jokes, “I bet you there isn’t even a statue! He’s probably just bluffing to add an interesting factor.” “Westminster Cathedral? I think it’s near this museum. Perhaps we should confirm the artist’s words now.” the man suggested in a serious and stern tone. “Now? G-Go on then! Let’s show the world what a scam he is!” the boy replied. He had his phone in one hand and a chocolate bar in the other. Earphones were plugged in to block out the rest of the world and the man looked up and down. He was not impressed. He simply sighed and led the child out of the gallery. Somehow, the old man and the young student ended up in front of the Westminster Cathedral and both entered with careful, timid steps. As soon as the two entered, large pillars loomed over them with branches reaching out to the ceiling creating a forest full of threatening trees. The ceiling was shaped with huge jagged-edge daisies that did not look similar to the normal small flowers in our back garden, and was so high above their heads it seemed as though the top reached the heavens. The elegant mosaic windows, covered with the graceful Jesus Christ and his disciples, fitted with vibrant-coloured glass was a sight to be remembered and even the ungrateful pupil was intrigued. The man started scribbling notes and small sketches with his eyes filled with wonder and happiness. Meanwhile, the boy pulled out his, previously so important, 228

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earphones, placed his phone in his pocket and peeked his head, out of curiosity, towards the windows. They continued walking until they reached a rusty fireplace filled with cobwebs and burnt wood. The pupil searched the fireplace while gently dragging his fingertips along the mysteriously small goblin-like-shaped heads. A spider snuck out of an unexpected hole and he anxiously pushed against it. The fireplace started to creak and shake like a tired old grandma who fell asleep on the couch. Behind it was a door, a cramped door that seemed fit for a teenage child and that lead to a dark, abandoned corridor with no end… “Go in, child. It seems the door can only fit children the size of you.” the man gladly said. “Oh no grandpa, we are most certainly going in together.” Side by side, both shuffled along the dirt corridor unaware and afraid of the upcoming events. It seemed the end was another door, again the size fit for a child, and the student, this time slightly more confident, turned the doorknob and went inside. Inside was a monstrously enormous statue of, as the artist said, two gods at war with each other. A god that seemed to represent water was calmly sitting down on gigantic tsunami-like deep blue waves with his blonde beachy hair naturally infusing with the waves, while smirking and staring into the eyes of the god looking down above him. The god had fiery eyes filled with vengeance and his whole body was on show, apart from a small cloth that appeared not to have been burnt, his large sturdy hands were full of colossal flames aimed at the god below him and his hair was coal black that fit perfectly with his sharp angled face features. Both bodies were arched to match together and create an oval shape that looked similar to the infinity sign. It was all a shock to the young pupil and the old man. The old man began to scribble down something again in his treasured notebook meanwhile the student started to assess and appraise the statue. “Here! Look over here!” the boy shouted eagerly, “NW 51.30.26 0.7.39 - RGO. What could this mean?” “Hm… give me a minute.” the man wrote something on his notebook and fiddled with his pen while mumbling until, “Yes! This is it. ‘NW 51.30.26 0.7.39’ these must be co-ordinates! And the ‘RGO’... hm... “ “Initials, maybe?” “Ah yes. Initials! RGO… I may know this sculptor. I have heard of his most famous artwork ‘La pequeña casa’. It was very famous and absolutely beautiful. I once read that all his artworks were inspired by one very large room filled with thirty something paintings.” “We must go!” the student insisted.

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The old man looked into the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes and saw the fire and youth of his curiosity and desire to learn. It was heart-warming for him to see his previous contempt replaced by such eagerness. He contemplated for a long time and weighed out the positive and negative factors. "It'll be far. And expensive." The man muttered to himself as his eyes moved quickly around the room, gazing at the deep engraving of 'RGO'. Silence filled the room and the tension increased as both stood there, their minds deep in thought. "Yesâ&#x20AC;Ś" The man said while the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes lit like fire. "Let's go."

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The Emotion Games Idan Shlesinger Nevertheless, I knew what I was doing. At least I thought so… I thought that maybe one day I would be able to live my life without wondering what could happen to me; what dangers were being laid for the day ahead. But could I have ever known what was about to occur? Not really… I entered the game. Finding myself plummeting through darkness wasn’t such a nice feeling, until I realised that that was the easy part of my journey. I literally felt stuck, with nowhere to go, just falling into a never ending hole until- BANG! Smushed against the cold, metallic, hard floor I try to pick myself up only to realise I was somewhere else. Somewhere I’d never been before. Terrified, I see a blurry figure ahead of me. “It’s coming closer!” I whispered to myself in terror. The blurry figure image started to take form as it stomped toward my helpless body. “Help! Please don’t kill-” I beseeched. “I won’t,” a voice whispered soothingly. My eyesight wasn’t the best; but as I concentrated I saw a girl… a beautiful girl. OW! An ice cold pressure gripped my insides. Quickly enough, the lady with calming blue ocean eyes and a smile worth billions, came to greet me. OW! Another frozen force explodes in my chest, like a bomb meant to kill thousands. The funny thing is… I didn’t know why. “My name’s Scarlett, Scarlett Rose.” The lady whispered. “I’m Cole Colipiclose.” I announced with a loud voice. Suddenly, the dark empty hole transformed into a stadium filled with people. I found myself walking in circles with Scarlett. I was feeling mortified. As time ticked by, more people started appearing. What was going on? She told me to stay calm, but that was not my intention although she gave off a very courageous image. She warned me to be quiet, but that was the least of my worries as I was flabbergasted and speechless. My biggest concern was what had happened to me. Scarlett pulled out a solid figure from her right pocket. It had a light blue rim and a shining sunshine shimmer...I realised it was a sword. Suddenly, she handed it to me and told me to protect myself. 231

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“But from what” I wondered. The stadium was built with rusty bronze and had bars made of stainless steel. It had rocks as grey as my hope right then, and a floor made of diamond and platinum. Not your typical stadium but it didn’t seem normal; it didn’t seem right. Out of the mist, a flare of bright blood red stunned the crowd and gradually they went from a voluminous roar to a trembling murmur. A foot made of concrete creeped out and a fist of fiery lava exploded through the clouds of smoke. It had eyes as black as death and teeth as sharp as horns. Slowly, each hideous feature was revealed, taking shape as a ferocious monster of Rage. The Emotion Games had begun. My mind shattered into thousands of pieces as my heart crashed in terror. My wobbling knees collapsed and I felt as stiff as a rock. Suddenly, I passed out and with a loud thud my helpless body was flung to the ground as my thoughts went blank. Although I wasn’t awake, I felt as if time had elapsed. Slowly, I woke up to a magnificent face - OW! “Even when I’m unconscious, I get these terrible feelings.” I mutter to myself. It was the girl...the woman I had met before. “Good. You’re awake.” she remarked. “I don’t even know you, so why are you glad to see me?” I squeezed the words out of my throat as I hadn’t yet recovered fully from the fall. “Welcome to The Emotion Games,” she announced with an irritated voice. “And before you ask, The Emotion Games are a highly ranked method of torture. They (the society of “T.E.G”) have inserted harsh chemicals into your mind. This is to test what emotions you don’t utilize and try to make you feel them. You have just encountered Rage.” She continued, “ I know what emotion they want from me - fear. However, I never let them get it from me. I’m not going to let them get to me! I’m stronger than that!” “I’m sorry to sound like I’m imposing questions on you but why can’t you feel a certain emotion?” I hesitated. “You see those black metal doors, the people who show the emotion get dragged out through those doors and never come out.”’ Her words were coated in sadness as she stared out into the blue... After that incident, I realised I was in for one wild ride. I started to observe my surroundings: conifer trees as tall as giraffes and rivers as clear as windows. Assuming that we were in the countryside, of these so called “Emotion Games” how did I get here from the stadium? Harboring all these questions only meant that I would have gotten even more immersed into that strange and complex world. And this was just the beginning!

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The days went past, and we won fight after fight. We thought we were one step ahead of the game only to realise the game was one step in front of us... I rested next to the aqua blue waves of the ocean and laid my head on the silky golden sand which glistened in the rays of the sun. Scarlett kneeled next to me and in the corner of my eye I saw her gazing at me as if I was something she had never seen before. However, something felt strange, as if I admired her looking at me - OW! I fell to the ground with a thump. My world turned and I was suddenly at an exit - dark and cold. Scarlett was next to me, breathing heavily and it seemed as if life was being sucked out of her slowly and painfully while her face went as pale as a winter's night snow. Instantly, I collapsed next to her and she crawled gradually closer to me, whispering… “I want to, I want to...” She tried speaking the words but they hardly came out. “You want to what?” I murmured. “I want to, no, I do love you! Please, don’t let them get to you! Prove to them that you’re stronger than I am and make sure to keep your game together because if not...” She crashed onto the silver tiled floor. Her fear was of losing me. Not losing her life nor her dignity but having me gone. She gripped my hand tightly as if I was the last string to hang onto for survival before she faded away into the mist. As I lay frozen on the floor, hoping for her to come back and say it was all an act, I l wept my eyes out with tears as huge as tsunamis. However, she never came back and I realised the only emotion I lacked was love. And now my love for her was lost...

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The Wrong Choice Seong Joo Yoon This was the day that Kyle was waiting for roundabout 3 years. The place where he and his documentary crew were planned to visit was in Egypt. ‘Egypt’ and ‘documentary’ basically makes everything obvious as to what they were going to do. Pyramids. However, the place where Kyle was going had a pyramid that was not like any other. Not even bigger than Khufu's pyramid. It was made up of the same materials. In Egypt. But what made it so different? The pyramid was located underground. “Get up! Its 6 AM already!” The rest of the crew grumbled as they crawled off their bunker beds. Half asleep, they washed and got ready to go. In about 20 minutes, the whole crew was ready to go explore the underground pyramid. They obviously weren’t going by themselves. Humans? Certainly not enough to go on a life-threatening adventure underground in darkness. They brought a mini search robot named Kraft. Kraft was a small robot in the shape of a meerkat - a tummy-down meerkat rolling on six wheels. What he could do was beyond imagination. Cameras, telescopes and bright lights were there as basic functions. He was capable of communicating with humans in 17 different languages, analysing data from rocks, walls, anything made up of materials found on earth and preserve enough heat for 2 humans for up to 9 days. They were taking 3 of these robots: namely Kraft, Kitt, and Kamikaze. But the one Kyle was taking was Kraft and he was delighted to explore the mystery. The crew went out of their basecamp as early as possible. Kyle played a big role in that, dragging and forcing his crew to step out on the sand, into the sun. Thomas, Lewis and Rex (all part of his crew) were chatting along the way, arguably about useless topics. There was an argument at one point that was about spaghetti. Rex thought he would never make a day with these two chatting beside him. But it wasn’t long before Rex was just as childish as them. By the time they had pyramid in sight, they were talking about what vegetable was the best for your kidneys. Poppy and Clementine had been best friends from kindergarten. They were on the journey together as well, as they found out that both of them had an interest in ancient Egypt. Jessica, however, was the third and final female who was in the crew. She was calmly walking away, kicking the sand and looking over the horizon. It was somewhat similar to Kyle, who was talking to his 6-wheeled robot. They arrived at the pyramid, only to find out that there was really bad news. Terrible news. They couldn’t find the entrance. Kyle was devastated. “Drat! I knew this place wasn’t welcoming. Let’s go back!” growled Thomas. Lewis agreed. But what Thomas said made Kyle get angrier than ever. “Shut up! We’re not going anywhere. There’s going to be an entrance somewhere.” Kyle didn’t give up. He and Kraft, Jessica, Kitt and Kamikaze kept on searching for the exit. “We’ll take the north and east sides! You guys see what’s on the south and west.” 234

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Thomas, Lewis and Rex, along with Poppy and Clementine grunted as they were half forced to look for a door that would probably lead to – something they didn’t want to imagine or think about. Hours had passed, and dawn was creeping up on them. Most of the people didn’t want to continue. But then, Rex spotted something that was not what he was expecting. “Hey guys, come over here!” Lewis sprinted towards Rex, expecting the entrance. But what they found were footprints. Not only footprints – but also what looked like a grasshopper. “What’s that? Those are just footprints, Rex.” Silence. “Why are those footprints so…” “Shhhh!” Rex silenced Lewis as suddenly, a massive portion of sand sank into the ground. They heard something open. Then, a huge swarm of locusts came flying out. Taking cover behind a pile of sand, what Lewis said was astonishing: “Those aren’t grasshoppers! They are locusts!” “Who cares? What just opened on the inside?” “Uh yeah, I guess we shouldn’t go in there.” “That’s not what I meant! I’m saying that could lead us inside!” After minutes of arguing with a swarm of locusts above them, they decided to wait for them to disappear and tell Kyle about it. As expected, Kyle wanted to enter. He thought the opening would surely lead into the pyramid. The next morning, they headed straight towards the opening, located 300m south of the center of what they were thinking of as the ‘underground pyramid.’ When they neared the opening, they realized that they were on top of a hill of sand leading into darkness. “Can we take our van…?” suggested Lewis. “Bad idea. What if there are thin passageways where our van has no chance of going through?” replied Rex. Everyone agreed with Rex this time. They carefully went down the hill, step by step. They didn’t even know they were in the pyramid because they entered the pyramid by going down a hill. But Kraft did. His map played the role in convincing the rest of the crew that this moist room was inside the pyramid. Then, Thomas and Lewis suddenly dropped on their faces. A chill went down their spine bones. “What was that…?” Jessica asked in fear. She turned the bodies over. “WHOAA!” Their faces – weren’t like faces anymore. Their faces were darkish-brown. Veins were clearly seen in their eyeballs. Everyone was shocked in fear. “Look! Something’s coming out of their mouth!” Jessica cried. And something did come out of their mouth. It was the larvae of the locusts. Then, Kraft started talking. “The locusts must have laid eggs…” Poppy cut him off. The machines began to chant: “The larvae are 36 hours and 33 minutes old. The eggs must have been laid on approximately 5PM on June 17th, 36 hours and 33 minutes before the current time, 235

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4:06PM on the 18th of June. According to my data analysis, the larvae must have killed the subjects by injecting fluids to shock then kill the brain.” Poppy didn’t get a word of what he was saying. Rex and Clementine hardly did. But Kyle and Jessica knew. They knew they shouldn’t go near the locusts. They weren’t the locusts they knew of. But where were these insects from? Possibly from inside the pyramid, thought Kyle. Knowing that there was danger, he sent Clementine and Rex back along with the two robots. He, Jessica and Kraft were the only ones left in the pyramid now. “Record the data as we’re going through, Kraft.” They entered the cold, moist and wet passage. It was strange that the interior looked nothing like a maze. It was one way. The path also never went upwards. It was tilted downwards. As they went through the passage, Kyle noticed something strange about the pyramid. The deeper they went in, the more signs there were of locusts. ‘What if a huge swarm of locusts live here?’ The real reason why Kyle wanted to visit the pyramid so badly was because of money. If his documentary was a success, he would make loads of it. But now he was scared. He also didn’t want anything bad to happen to Jessica. So they started running back up, horror-struck and nervously. Unfavorable thoughts came across his mind, one after the other when suddenly… “Locusts approaching from 200m. My sensors record that they are hungry!” These locusts had to be related with the pyramid. Maybe it was the Egyptian Pharaoh who left these to guard his tomb? He thought of the myth of the mosquito of Tutankhamun, which scared him a lot because the mosquito in that myth was supposed to serially kill the visitors of the pyramid. What he was up against was a giant swarm of locusts, which could possibly be similar. He Jessica ran as fast as they could, up to the main entrance. “Faster, faster!” Kyle shouted. “Wh-” Jessica was startled. Before they even had a chance to communicate, they were a stone’s throw away from the exit. He thought he was going to die. He could hear the locusts right behind him. He and Jessica were holding hands - running! Kyle knew they weren’t going to make it together. He made a cruel decision... Kyle came stumbling out of the pyramid - by himself. Two years later, at his house - by himself - he was quietly remembered what had happened at the pyramid a few years ago. He had successfully documented the lost city of Pompeii and so had earned lots of money and fame. His success had reminded him of his past failure, but could he call it a failure? Losing 5 members of his team wasn’t that hard, was it? 236

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Maybe...maybe if he had a heart of ice. And then he heard the familiar sound of insects, coming from somewhere... But it was so real. They were whispering. Buzzing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You made the wrong choice!â&#x20AC;?

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Double Murder Sacha de Lang and Jacob Doyune Kim November 25th 2001 “What is that horrible smell?” I ask Carson as the stench burns my nose. The cold air blows across the park. “That my friend, is the smell of a rotting dead corpse. We found the body face down in the park a few hours ago,” Carson explains as we examine the body.

December 2nd 2001 It’s been 2 weeks since I was first assigned this case with Agent Carson and I don’t have a single lead whatsoever. We’ve also found 10 more bodies around the city, killed in the same style: with a puddle of water near their body a slash on their throat and a note put on top. But what puzzles me the most is the codes. Why would anyone leave behind a trace after they’ve committed a murder? Wouldn’t they want us to find nothing? And what will it lead us to? It might be left there to throw us, detectives, off and end up being a distraction rather than anything of value. “Good morning, sir. Any updates on the case yet?” It seems as if Carson is just waiting for me to decipher it rather than helping me. I guess I can’t help it as he is still not officially a private detective. “No, not yet Carson. I’m still puzzled as to what LQ. RLHSG’R NEEHBD means.” “Sir I don’t mean to interrupt, however I do believe it would perhaps be wise to compare the code with the other code of the previous murder.” Carson points out again. He is always able to quickly remind me of small details that I have missed or should inspect. I look into the other codes, jumbling up the words so they make sense, however none of them seem to work. The code from the previous murder is undoubtedly the same type of cipher: NRANQMD OZQJ.

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Krrr….Krrr! I get distracted by Carson spinning a coin on the table and take the coin off of him. “Instead of looking so bored, why don’t you come help me investigate and point out some more details I’ve probably overlooked?” I say, irked by his lack of interest in the case. “Alright I will try to be more focused and won’t be spinning any coins on the table anymore, sir.” Carson apologises. As I hand him back the coin, my brain suddenly starts to gear up and I think about the words he’d just said. Won’t be spinning…. spinning… rotating... I cracked it! “Eureka!” I yell out loud, “Carson! I deciphered it! The code!” “Sir, I don’t understand-” “ROT1! It is a very simple code. It stands for Rotation 1 as every letter in the alphabet is replaced with the letter that comes before it. For instance: A=B, B=C, C=D et cetera.” “What would Z become then?” Carson asks delightedly. “Well Z will become A as there is nothing before A.” I’m so gleeful that I’ve finally deciphered the code that I am talking faster than I could think. “In the code victim before the victim in Osborne Park the code’s written as NRANQMD OZQJ which would become O-S-B-O-R-N-E P-A-R-K when using ROT1!” “So the codes point out to the area where the next victim will be killed?” Carson asks. “Exactly! The code that was by the first corpse pointed out to the next murder case in Osborne Park. Which means that this time the code: LQ. RLHSG’R NEEHBD will be where the next murder will take place.” I look at the code and try to decode it until my eyes burst open and I am paralyzed in shock. “M-R. S-M-I-T-H-’S O-F-F-I-C-E” Carson spells out. Mr .Smith, my boss, is going to be the next target. Panting and gasping for air, I finally arrived in front of Mr. Smith’s Office. I walk up the stairs hoping he is still safe and alive in his room. That is when I see him sitting in his chair through the glass panes in his office. 239

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However, something doesn’t look normal. It seems as if he is sleeping. Wait a second, he is not sleeping at all! I bash the door in and run up to Mr. Smith to check his pulse. His neck is cold and there is blood all over his clothes and more blood is seeping out of a wound in the side of his neck. He’s dead. I look at his face to try and close his eyes. But it looks like he was trying to forcefully look down at his hand. I open his hand and am even more paralyzed than when I was when I found out Mr. Smith was the next victim. I can see on the palm of his hand 6 letters. C-A-R-S-O-N the murderer's next victim. I read the code written on the note stuck onto his shirt it reads “LHCCKD ONQS EZBSNQX” in ROT1. I quickly try and decipher it. MIDDLEPORT FACTORY.

30 minutes later, I rush out of my car as fast as I can and look up to see the factory. The building is crumbling and the metal it is made from is rusting. a Broken windows are everywhere. I break down the front door and start shouting his name in the hopes of finding him before he suffers the same fate as Mr. Smith. I pull out my gun and start searching for him. I look around for about 40 minutes before I enter a room in a secluded corner of the factory. As soon as I enter I see a baseball bat being swung towards me at my head… “CRACK” I wake up in the room and look around but can’t tell the time or how long I’ve been knocked out. When I try and move my hands, I realize that my hands and feet have been tied to a chair with rope. The pain in my forehead where the baseball bat connected with my skull is unbearable and as I look up, I see the person who did this to me. I am in for the biggest shock of my life.

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I look at Anderson as the look of surprise fills his face. He screams at me “How could you do this, how could you do this Carson!?” He tries to use all his strength to escape from his bondage but I know that he can’t. “You know, Anderson I thought you were smarter but I guess not.” I say chuckling. He looks at me with a fire in his eyes that shows me that he wants to kill me badly but I’m not scared by him. “You want to know what those puddles of water near their bodies were Anderson? They were the remains of the murder weapon; an icicle.” Now Anderson, you are going to get an even worse death than all those other people. I’m going to kill you with something that represents the other side of my personality; anger and rage. Fire. I leave the room and slam the door shut, locking it to make sure that he can’t escape. The smoke burns and billows from the room as the fire spreads and I leave my former partner to his death...

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Operation Night Hawk Vincent Djuanda September 12, 1938. 11:30 P.M Name: Richard Bong. Age: 27 Unit: 49th Fighter group Rank: Major Dedicated to the departed brothers of warfare My division and I were commanded to perform a night search over the Nazi German fields. Just above Dusseldorf there were various sightings of Nazi activity as they invaded the sleeping cities. We were at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet just above the radar span of the Nazi anti air missiles. There was a radio signal sent from the US base in London which told us to make a short turn towards point Alpha Lima Echo Delta (ALED) and to reach 40,000 feet. Our main destination point was to check over the city of Augsburg just one hour and 30 minutes away from our present location. The signal was weak and static but we managed to get a hint of what they were saying. We climbed to a steady altitude of 37,000 feet. The weather was pitch dark and with temperatures just below freezing; the engine started to show its weakness. There was a loud rumbling noise which grew louder and louder the higher we climbed. I could see the Rolls Royce engine start to fall to pieces and thick black smoke was starting to appear from the engine. Was it the jet stream? Surely it couldn’t be… The aircraft was unstable and rocky. The altimeter and airspeed indicator was going insane. It felt like I was in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, stuck on a small Cessna plane. I gave a call to my ally Andrew Mamedoff and asked him if everything was fine. But my only response was the sight burnt jet fuel and a scent of roasting bodies. I looked to my right, checking Andrew’s jet. I stopped breathing. My heart came to a halt. (Low radio sound) “Richard! Richard! Can you hear me?? The Nazis spotted us! Andrew’s down! Andrew’s down! They’re using surface-to-air rockets. We can’t fight them, there’s only you and I left in this bloody airspace. Richard, if you survive this… tell Christina I love her. My eyes couldn’t open. I couldn’t feel my ears. I couldn’t hear anything. All I could smell was burnt fuel and human flesh. Eventually I managed to tear my eyes open. Then I started to realise what sort of black hole I was stuck in. The left wing was ripped apart and the right wing was barely intact. The German weather got worse. Thunderstorms started to appear and the temperatures froze the cockpit instruments. I had no idea how fast or how high the aircraft was flying at. The plane was out of hand and it was impossible for me to gain any control of the aircraft. The outside sky was pitch dark and all I could see was the red flashing light on the cockpit panel saying ‘Danger low altitude’.

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In a blink of an eye, I saw red bullets aiming towards me. One bullet managed to rip through the plane and ended up in my left arm. The burning sensation of the bullet left my arm paralyzed and hurt. In seconds my fuselage exploded and collapsed into a million pieces. Luckily, I managed to smash the eject button and was off safely into the night sky. Immediately, my body began to experience problems. With only a thin army suite on, I could not bear the arctic climate. As I quickly descended, matters got worse. I reached 1900 feet and tore the parachute handle; nothing happened for a split second. I tried again pulling with all my energy but it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bulge. I was descending at an extremely fast rate and if I did not manage to deploy my parachute I would smash onto the ground at 120mph. At 800 feet, I realised I had a reserve parachute left. Without hesitation I reached for the bag and ripped it open waiting for the magic to happen. Nothing happenedâ&#x20AC;Ś

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Caged Silje Jasienski “Are we there yet”, Mary whined. I was starting to get quite aggravated by her. She was just always on my nerves, pestering about things from A to Z. I absolutely hated the way that we looked so similar, because people would always mention it in a normal conversation. Why did she have to have long blond hair like me? And her blue eyes were identical to mine! But one difference was that she was about 130 cm in height and I was 164 cm and I was 7 years older than her, thank God! Anyway, enough about my sister and more about this abnormal family adventure… I could tell my dad was starting to build up with tension inside… He had had some severe headaches during the past few days! Even his appearance had changed. Usually he was happy and smiling but these days he didn’t even bother to fix his hair in the morning much less make excellent family dinners on Sundays. Principally, the only vacations my family ever went on were domestic. But for some strange reason, my dad was called by his chief and had been requested to stay and take care of the company’s hotel in the Alps. For the next few months, I (Claudia) was going to stay in Switzerland - 3,931 miles away from everything at home in New York! As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we all ran in different directions finding what room we wished to stay in. Of course Mary immediately went for the biggest room thinking she could keep it. Thanks to her, dad was mad again. The first thing we noticed at the hotel was its old 80’s style. With all the floral patterns and designs, it even smelled like flowers. It was probably a very old hotel, but it was hard to tell because it was in pretty good shape. It was massive and so spacious; there was even a pool and a sauna inside. This was going to be a relaxing holiday, where I didn’t have to worry about anything… “GET OUT OF THE SHOWER, CLAUDIA!” dad roared while he raged at the door, banging it with his muscular arms. 244

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“I HAVE BEEN IN HERE FOR TWENTY MINUTES, I’LL BE OUT IN A MOMENT!” Ugh why was she so irritating! “YOU ARE SUCH A BRAT! BE GRATEFUL THAT YOU EVEN HAVE A SHOWER!” dad shouted. This outburst was so unlike him. My dad’s behaviour was just becoming worse by the day. That’s when I started worrying a bit about him; he slowly started skipping meals and stayed cramped up in the grand ballroom most of the time… During the occasions when my dad was not present at the dinner table, my mum sat me down with her to talk about his obscure actions. She looked unusually tired; her eyes were red and she had purple circles under her eyes. Normally, she would wear a dress every day, put up her hair nicely and do her makeup. Normally, mum never failed to smell good. She had the best aroma. I am not quite sure what it was but it reminded me a lot of the hydrangeas that were in our garden. “How have you been feeling with all your dad’s tantrums... he...he didn’t... hurt you right?” “No, why would he hurt me? He has just been acting weirdly and screaming a lot for no reason.” I responded. How strange! My dad wouldn’t ever hurt me…or Mary… After all he was our dad. But would he? What if we annoyed him to the point where he would hurt us? “I think the headaches are really kicking in. I have tried to call a doctor but the landline is not working. Huh three more weeks… I cannot wait to get out of this place!” my mum calmly replied. Maybe my dad has some sort of brain tumor I thought to myself. Hah no way! He can’t! What was I even thinking about? The hotel seemed to shrink and as every short second went by, I felt like I was growing closer and closer to the verge of exploding! I had had enough of my dad’s short temper and my sister’s vexatious behaviour. We all needed a break from each other before someone would blow up… We were entering the last two weeks of our stay and, to be honest, my dad was acting so weird! One day he went into the grand ballroom and acted like it was packed with people, where he started screeching in fury, expressing his feelings and how he wanted to leave this place and... get rid of his family! Which basically meant he wanted my mum, Mary and I to be out of his sight forever! He had to be mentally insane! I mean, all of the anger breakouts, the critical headaches, the yelling, the way he physically hurt my mum the other day… It was all just such unusual behaviour! My dad would never have done this back home. He needed help.

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“UAHHHHHHH”, an ear-splitting, helpless squeal rapidly shook me away from my sleep. Even through my dazed phase, I could sense my sister’s voice. I looked to my side; where was Mary? “Mary, Mary where are you?!” I started calling out, but there was no answer… The worst possible scenario fell into my head. Was it my dad who had just hurt my little, fragile baby sister? “HELP!” I jumped out of bed, started sprinting down the hallway heard the scream again! It came from room 429, I stopped right in front of it and my jaw dropped to the ground! My dad, who had been my biggest inspiration from when I was young, was gripping my sister by her neck - holding one of the hunting rifle’s to her head. “Dad, please let Mary go.” He didn’t say anything back. He just kept choking her. “MUM, HELP, HELPP!” Complete silence. I wanted to go look for her, but there was no way I was leaving my sister right now. “She’s DEAD, Claudia!” dad yelled. In shock, the tears were rolling even harder down my cheeks. “DAD, ARE YOU CRAZY?!” I cried out. “UAHH”, Mary howled. I attempted grabbing her arm and tried yanking her from my dad. He wouldn’t let go, no matter what I did. “Dad, it’s okay just let Mary go, we can work things out, you can take a break off work or somethi-...

POW! In front of me was my seven year old sister, stretched out on the cold wooden floor… ****************** “Claudia, Claudia?” my eyes unlatched. It felt like they had not been opened in an extensive period of time. I tried to make an effort at sitting up. Not a good idea! I was so unsteady and my mind was drifting away. “Woah, hold on just relax for now.” I looked around and saw what looked like a nurse, all dressed in white. The room was dull too. “What, why am I here?” the words trembled out of my mouth. “I suppose you don’t remember being in Switzerland? On your family vacation to the alps?” the nurse told me. “What are you talking about? I was never there! I have never been outside of America!” 246

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“Don’t worry Claudia, we are here to help you. Are you hungry?” the nurse asked. “No thank you, I just feel like sleeping.” I muttered. “Okay, I’ll leave you to it!” replied the nurse with her soothing voice. As I closed my eyes I struggled to think about what the nurse had said earlier, about how I had been to... Europe? I honestly could not remember anything, but I was scared. I started wondering where my parents were… And... Where was Mary?

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Eunsang, this is for you! Jennifer Lee Inspired by: a Korean drama “The Heirs” Goals: To love him like he loves me… But I know I can’t. Goals: For her to give me a chance… But I know she won’t. Hi, my name is Eunsang. Hey, my name is Tan. I love Tan. I love Eunsang! But I can’t love him- I’m not allowed too! I’m too poor; he’s too rich... But she just doesn’t love me… I can’t take it anymore; I don’t want to take it anymore. ************ God weeps a silent rain among the mournful souls that gathered today, honouring Tan’s… death. Flowers are frail, drooping their usual morning dew, paying their respects for the dead. The family is wailing, and their teardrops flow like a never-ending waterfall of depression. And there’s me, myself, and I. I can’t even get myself together. Suddenly, Tan’s mother comes hobbling towards me. Why? Does she feel victimized? Is she angry? Is she going to fire my mother as her housemaid? Her footsteps give me the goosebumps from tip to toe, and her heavy sigh fills me with guilt. She gradually brings up a 4-side-folded lined paper… and THROWS IT AGGRESSIVELY TOWARDS MY FACE… 248

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It hits the ground. She turns back in fury, speechless, sobbing, as I go on my knees to the ground and pick up this unknown paper. I understand her; she must be the saddest person in this atmosphere as she honours her own son’s death. … It’s Tan’s “goodbye” letter. I’m shaking. Is he going to blame me? I open it slowly, bit by bit. His handwriting wasn’t so great. It was slanting over across the page, the size of his letters were changing every word, and his pen colour also changed 3 times. I could realise already without even reading it that he’d written this in various degrees of consciousness. Dear Eunsang, Are you crying right now because of me? Knowing the kind and generous person you are, I know the answer. Eunsang, I like my choices and I hope you like yours. I have no regrets. You are beautiful- I will never get tired of or forget your stunning face. You are smart- no one even dares to doubt that. You are funny- without hurting or offending. I am so lucky to love you. You taught me and you made me realise the truth. In this world, you don’t need to be remembered by everyone- you don’t need thousands of admirers towards you. You only need one true love. The one and only. Can you guess who my one true one is? I left you and the world at an early age, but I don’t blame you in the slightest way. My own mother had no right or privilege to harm you in anyway. Does this prove my extraordinary love for you? I love you! In the end, it’s not the numbers of years I had in my life. What really matters to me, is the life that were in my years. You were the life in my years, and I couldn’t appreciate you more. I’m not going to cry because I left you- I’m going to smile because I had the opportunity to love you. Reminder: I like my choices- I hope you like yours. Thank you for everything, Eunsang! Your love was my lightthe sun of all my mornings and the fire of all my nights. Simply put: I love you… Sincerely, Tan

I was mourning… I needed the chance! I needed the time and right to love him like he loved me… Before he left. The world. Now what? Simply put: I love you more, Tan. Please believe that I loved you… that I always will love you.

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Christmas Time (A Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story) Xaver Gross, James Lee and Namu Tsuyuki Dedicated to Joonhee for inspiring a special role (the ugly duckling) in this story.

Once upon a time, there lived a little penguin named Pengu, in a village called Snow Wonder Land. It was Christmas time, a very snowy one, and the village was glowing with lights. The delicious smell of ginger breads baking in warm ovens filled the huts of the villagers. Pengu was baking his special gingerbread for the party tonight; everybody was assigned to bring something to share. All animal neighbours were invited except the Ugly Duckling, but this omission had a special cause: 250

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Last year the Ugly Duckling almost ruined the whole party through his unstoppable nasal quacking (“loud as an airplane” Pengu still says today). Against this non- stop gabbling, everybody had something to complain about: a) Panda couldn't’ eat. b) “I am getting deaf from this”, Pengu stated (nobody was sure about this, because Pengu continuously told Duckling to be quiet) c) Turtle couldn't walk (at least he claimed this after reaching the party 1 hour late). Pengu finally brought the party (after exact 1 hour and 5 min) to a stop. His reason: the noise. Funnily everybody was against him: a) Panda wanted to finish his cake b) Turtle claimed that it was unfair because the party had just started 5 min ago (nobody could get into his head that he was 1 hour late) c) Duckling said that without the party fire, it wasn’t a real party. So the party ended late with a broken Pengu. Still when everybody left, Pengu said “Next year Duckling is not going to join the party!” Everybody agreed, even though Panda, Turtle and Duckling didn’t notice what they agreed to, because cake wine still filled their head. It was 5:55. The party would begin in 5 minutes. Pandy had arrived first but without anything to share! “Where are the cookies you were supposed to bring?” asked Pengu, with a little hint of frustration. “In my biggly wiggly figgly tummy!” exclaimed Pandy. “Oh, so you brought nothing?” “No, I brought the cookies. It’s just in my biggly wiggly figgly tummy!” Soon enough, everybody came and settled down, even Turty, the lumpy wumpy slowpoke. “Why are you late this time Turty” asked Panda in a dangerously low voice. Turty was furious for getting blamed for his slowness and answered quietly and slowly. “At least I respected the flowers and grass as I walked past them”. “Nice use of exaggeration, Turty,” mocked Hippy. This annoyed Turty very much and he was about to make an ugly comeback when suddenly….

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*Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom* *Crashhhhhh*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Crashhhhhh*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Crashhhhhh*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom* *Crashhhhhh*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Crashhhhhh*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Boooooooom*, *Crashhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Something fell down the chimney, right through the ChristmasTree, sending all the ornaments flying into the cakes. As the dust settled down quietly, there was a small sooty (duckling- looking- like) figure standing in front of them. Hippy charged at the small sooty figure and gobbled him whole. Instantly, Hippy spat the revolting thing back out.

“Ewwwwwwwwwwwww,” Hippy screamed in his deep high pitch voice. Ugly Duckling was insulted. Everyone was screaming and shouting in chaos. As it quietened down gradually, Ugly Duckling started to explain. “As I was walking to buy a present for myself, I smelled my most favourite thing in the world. Cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I simply flew up the roof and down the chimney. “You can’t fly like me,” Pengu reminded the Ugly Duckling. “I can, I can!” answered duckling frustrated, his mouth full of cookies. “Then what’s that ladder outside the house I see through the window?” “Stop! Stop! Stop! No more fighting on Christmas Eve! I think we were mean for not inviting the Ugly Duckling,” explained Turty with no biased feelings. “I’m hungry. Let’s just eat and go already,” pleaded Pandy, rubbing his biggly wiggly figgly tummy. “I need my biggly wiggly figgly tummy more biggly wiggly and figgly!” Pandy exclaimed in joy and impatience as he was all ready to make a graveyard in his biggly wiggly and figgly tummy and he walked away singing:

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My wiggly figgly tummy craves lots of food. It is so biggly wiggly figgly that I really need some food. After this exciting event my stomach really shook up! Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I need some food to bring it all back up. My wiggly figgly tummy craves lots of Food. It is so biggly wiggly figgly that I really need some food. 253

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I only ate an hour ago but it seems like not enough. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I am getting my food to fill it all back up. My wiggly figgly tummy craves lots of Food. It is so biggly wiggly figgly that I really need some food.

And so everything ended happily, for Pandy was able to fill his biggly wiggly figgly tummy with cakes and cookies and the Ugly Duckling was able to join the party. And all the friends gathered together around a warm fire in this world of ice.

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Scattered Pieces of Time Subin Bae Prologue: In Greek mythology Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise and envy. In Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none worthy of his love. One day, Echo enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by engaging Juno in conversation. On finding out Echo's treachery, Juno cursed Echo by removing her voice with the exception that she could only speak that which was spoken to her. Echo often waited in the woods to see Narcissus hoping for a chance to be noticed. One day as she lingered in the bushes he heard her footsteps and called for her but she could not speak. She ran towards him and threw herself upon him. Narcissus became angry and threw Echo to the ground. Echo left the woods heart broken. Ashamed she ran away to live in the mountains yearning for a love that would never be returned. The grief killed her. Her body became one with the mountain stone. All that remained was her voice which replied in kind when others spoke. Narcissus continued to attract many nymphs all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning. The gods grew tired of his behaviour and cursed Narcissus. They wanted him to know what it felt like to love and never be loved. They made it so there was only one whom he would love, someone who was not real and could never love him back. One day whilst out enjoying the sunshine Narcissus came upon a pool of water. As he gazed into it he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit. He did not recognise his own reflection and was immediately enamoured. Narcissus reached into the pool to draw the water spirit to him. The water displaced and the vision was gone. He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit returned. Again he reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing into the eyes of his vision. He cried in frustration. He did not move, he did not eat or drink, he only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt losing his beauty. The nymphs that loved him pleaded with him to come away from the pool. As they did so Echo also pleaded with him. He was transfixed; he wanted to stay there forever. Narcissus like Echo died with grief. His body disappeared and where his body once lay a flower grew in it's place. The nymphs mourned his death and as they mourned Echo mourned too. - copyright ÂŠ 2008 by echo.me.uk (edited)

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ray of sunlight pushed its way through the small and narrow cracks formed on the ceiling, radiating warmth into the room. Fallen petals of the lilac now formed a drapery covering the wooden floor. The scent of spring was everywhere.

My older sisters were rushing to prepare breakfast downstairs while the younger ones were still slowly starting to wake. In the small meager cottage, my 6 sisters Pitys (the oldest), Io, Daphne, Callisto and Calypso the twins), Syrinx(the youngest) and I lived. The morning silence was interrupted as Calypso stomped in, thrashing her hair around furiously. "That comb is mine. Echo bought it for me on my birthday for goodness sake!" she raged. "Don't be ridiculous it was for both of us." Callisto spat back as she held tight on the comb. "Echo! You bought this for me right? On my twelfth birthday." she clawed at Callisto, angrily demanding for the comb. "Woaaw, Calypso let go of your sister, you’re making her bleed." I strained to pull my sisters apart. In the distance the low plucking of cello strings vibrated in the air. Resting her head against the instrument, sat Daphne. Only a year younger, her role in her household was scant for she spent most days leisurely strolling the pastures. She was graceful beyond any comparison. "Echo!" my eldest sister called me from downstairs. I rushed to the kitchen, Pitys was very impatient. As I was stumbling down the last few steps, Pitys handed me a basket along with three drachmas and a note of items she wanted me to purchase at the market. I decided to ignore my carelessly braided hair and grabbed a shawl instead before hurrying out the door. The aromas in the air brought relief. "Rosemary… rosemary... rosemary.. ", while distracted in search for herbs, my foot got caught by a stump. Pain was quickly replaced by embarrassment. As I raised my head, I saw an unusual mirror. The object was very old, with rust enlacing the sides. However its antique looks only decorated the mirror with elegance. I stared at my reflection, austere in every angle. I frowned as I saw a strange flicker of light radiating a figure who staring back at me. Its eyes surprised as I was. I shook my head. “Must have been the light…” ↞↠ “Shes beautiful…” Sean gawked at the flash of the replica of an angel that suddenly shimmered in the glass. Why could no-one else see it? “Pardon? Mr. Narciss, is it that mirror you’re talking about?” Ms. Shells, the former secretary inquired with confusion. Without a response he grabbed the worthless piece of glass and headed out of the office. ↞↠ 256

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The fire was blown out; ashes smeared against the dainty carpet. A sharp crash of glass as it glided against the wall was unheard over the brawl. More fighting, more vile, verbal poisoning of the household until all was demolished and buried under the deep earth. Shutting out the noise, Shall held tight to her headphones. No more would she have to tolerate her parents. She was tired of it... 5:30… 8:20… 11:30… 12:45… Joints were aching and muscles were sore. Shall dropped the dirty mop carelessly. Glad for a break, Shall pulled out the mush-like cheese sandwich. Taking a bite, she looked out the window where rain gently splashed against the pavement. Rain was falling as if the heavy clouds were shedding teardrops to reach higher. Shall plugged in her earphones and turned the music louder, letting the slow rhythm sink deep inside her tired bones, seeping into her heart. Hugging her legs close to her body in the dark hallow hallway, she sat, alone. ↞↠ “Take her to bed”, Io gestured towards Syrinx. I cradled her in my arms heading towards the candle scented room where the crib lay. From the sky, colors of orange and blue melted away with the setting sun. Stars blinked to life and after barely moments, the night sky was enlightened. ↞↠ Shall entered the living room; her mother’s breath was vulgar with alcohol. “God you stink.” “Not today Shall.” “Not today? Then when Mom, when! I can’t do this anymore Mom. Spending half the day cleaning the bathrooms of the schools I should be ATTENDING.” “How dare you? Show some RESPECT to your mother. Children these days! Acting like uneducated rodents… You go mind your own darn business.” “Mind my own business?? OH, so we can rot like this. Is this what you want, getting yourself drunk like a pig, stewed by your own pathetic life?” Mom staggered towards Shall, a cigarette barely hanging from her mouth. “Shameful creature” She struck her full across the face. With revulsion she spat the cigarette at her daughter’s head. Shall flinched. “And I’M shameful.” Shall slammed the door and fumbled to lock it. “Patience”, she told herself. “Things would get better. Dad would be home, carrying a stench of a stranger… No, this time he would stay, with Mom, with me. Mom could stop drinking and go to work. I could go to school. We could finally move out of here. We could be a family.” The thought made Shall’s heart pound and it glowed strong; yet was so far from reach. Mold was creeping up the walls throwing Shall back into reality. ↞↠ Sean shook the glass wondering if then he could see the face once again. It had been like this for the past several days. He felt as if he was under a trance, unable to wake. Others saw this as another phase of depression. They displayed pity towards him and he despised them for it. He was certainly 257

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not “depressed”. He was jubilant. He was young, tall, handsome and left with a prodigious amount of wealth bequeathed from his father. He could drown in such sum. Some said he already had. ↞↠ What am I doing here…? Echo stared at the mirror, her eyes stable, unmoving. He was there, facing me. His eyes bore into me. I outstretched my long fingers touching the smooth surface of the cheval glass. His jaw curving in with his chin. Eyes were shaded with anguish. His ruffled hair, his look was bare...empty. ↞↠ “You’re beautiful” he spoke with words formed of only delicacy despite knowing that the beauty before his eyes could not hear. Sean’s heart pounded as his eyes poured over the reflection. The grandeur of it all was mesmerizing. An emotion he hadn’t felt seeped through the cracks of his heart. He felt a fire start up; he felt passion. It came with a forceful gush almost overwhelming him with heat. And this lasted for days. Both were lured towards each other. ↞↠ “Here is the card, you must check in by 6:30 and return it by 7:00 with the keys,” Shall nodded shyly and turned only to collide into a man. “My apologies… Miss?” he looked straight towards her. “Miss… just Shall actually…” her reply was brief. He raised an eyebrow. “It's from the German side of my grandmother… it means echo...” Shall shut her mouth stopping herself from mumbling any further. “You must be the janitor” he looked pleased but it was not definite for Shall kept her chin tucked in. “A bashful one too…” he walked off striding through the hallways. Although the heat was gone, Shall’s blush still remained. ↞↠ My body soaked in the beams as I bathed in the sunlight. I loved the warmth. A breeze melted by the sun blew softly against my cheeks. Vines weaved their way through the mosaic which was once part of the now dismantled floor. Flowers raised their heads reaching out for a touch of blessing by the rays of sunlight. A supple giggle escaped like ripples, echoing after one another in a lake. I laid down my body on the pasture. I rolled around, my nostrils filled with the smell of rich soil as I breathed in. And heavy were my eyelashes, weighed down by the sunlight, as the cushion-like grass lured me to sleep. It was only long after the sun had fallen asleep that I woke. The surroundings were now obscure; the darkness blinded me. What had been a breeze now whipped around vigorously. I hurried in panic to get across the bridge. My outstretched hand in pursuit for a barrier only held the empty air. In consequence of leaning further, I lost my balance and slipped as the storm drowned me into the stream, its waves plummeting aggressively as my body sunk, deep into the water... ↞↠ 258

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Shall gasped awake. It was only a dream. But the dream was too clear, like a memory. But Echo, the girl Shall had never known before appeared constantly now. Strange it was, to feel her desperation and emotions... ↞↠ The lady was not seen for days… and longer. Sean was more disappointed than ever. His thoughts were troubled and he was jaded. Most days, he would repeat to the janitor girl about the graceful reflection of the woman he loved. Only his friendship with the janitor girl had developed but he was growing weary and his eyes were only filled with sentimentality and frequently went adrift. Shall was aware of this and wished for an end. “Mr. Narciss,” Shall addressed him but Sean was lost in his own speculation. “A true angelic figure before my eyes” “She’s gone” “Her face haunts me” “She's a figure of your imagination, please, you need to be aware of reality” This only exasperated Sean. “You should go! As the janitor shouldn’t you be cleaning?” This remark greatly hurt Shall. “Look at your own reflection and see for yourself what you have become. What is left of you is melancholy.” When Sean looked back, Shall was gone. It was a decent day, the sun lead the path to the park. Sean had not visited since the age of seven, before his mother left for another man. Between the busy streets and buildings lay the park, peaceful and open. Its surroundings were flashing with lights and people hurrying along to their day and so forth. In the distance flowed a stream. The sound was reassuring drifting Sean away from the city. How pleasing nature could be. Soon the stream crossed his path... As he walked across the bridge, a strand of hair upon the stream caught his sight. He leaned over. There she lay, untouched by the stream, motionless but elegant. Her figure was dazzling, alluring even. The ember was reignited causing Sean to plunge into the water. Sinking deep, he reached the bottom where he lay, holding her in his arms… ↞↠ “Yes, he was found later that evening, dead. He was hugging the corpse of a lady whose decayed body remained unidentifiable. The office remained noisy with chatter. Shall stood quickly and made no delay in arriving to Sean’s office. Her head fell when she saw it was empty. Her eyes were foggy and her mind was crowded. The pale face of Echo and Narcissus, her mother screaming, the shattered items her father had thrown... it all unfurled around her. “Echo”, Shall choked out, “You’re here, with me” She couldn’t breathe. Gagging, she rushed up, reaching the roof.

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She breathed in the air… slowly, repeatedly but her ears were ringing with the warfare inside her head. She was desperate to be free. Her mind flickered back to Echo at her last breath, Mom lying drunk, Narciss smiling back, careless to the world. She stepped to the edge, feeling the wind. It soothed the pain in her head. The city below seemed distant; unreal. The world was lost. She wants to be away, safe from pain, from hatred - all the frosts in her life. She takes a deep breath. This world was too harsh, unwelcoming. She doesn’t want to be confined. The sun was setting; colors were emerging out of the sky. She dips into the colors of the sunset. Her body soaks in the rays of sunshine. She breathes in the warmth. She sways with the wind as her body tilts forwards and… … she begins to fly...

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The Curse Itay Mizrahi and Ryan Lee Dedicated to all the teachers of Key Stage Three for a fabulous last year. One day in a dark, wintery small village, there was an old, strange looking man walking across the silent street. He was very tall like a basketball player and he was skinny like a marshmallow stick. He was walking curiously as though he was looking for somebody special… “Bang!Bang!Bang!” Would you open the door?” ************* “Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring” The alarm clock hailed. It was time to wake up. The tired looking boy named Peeta woke up. “Arghh!” he wailed. When he went downstairs, there was no food to eat and his mum had left early for a meeting. While he was searching for some leftover vegetables or cereal, there was a loud sound coming from the door. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” “Coming,” said Peeta. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” it still continued. “Who’s there?” askeid Peeta loudly. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” But this time, the volume increased as he was shaking, not knowing what to do. “Who are you?” he asked, trembling. “Please open the door, this is an old papa selling food so that I can get some money for my family…,” the old Man’s voice creaked. When Peeta opened the door, he saw a monstrous, scrawny and hairy old man staring at his eyes. Peeta gasped when he saw him. Because Peeta was famished, he had to bring him inside to buy some food. When the old man came inside, Peeta quickly brought his money to buy some food from his visitor. Peeta asked, “Do you have some ‘Lucky Charm’ cereal?” 261

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The old man replied, “No, but we have some special food called “Tricky for Mickey!” “Sounds good to me!” responded Peeta. The old man gave Peeta the ‘Tricky for Mickey’ cereal and he had to give him $25! After he bought the cereal, he quickly ran to his refrigerator and got out some milk. He poured the milk and the cereal into the bowl and took a bite. While he was eating the cereal, he felt the cereal explode in his mouth. The sliced mango danced on his tongue, and the strawberries exploded against his cheek. This was the best cereal he had ever tasted. But then suddenly, everything tasted just like coal. He spat it out, but as soon as the last grain was out of his mouth, everything went pitch black... When Peeta woke up his body felt unpleasant like he couldn’t move. He tried over and over to get up. On the 7th try, his body pulled him up from the ground and he felt really fresh. But on the other hand, he felt really warm. How strange! He then walked and opened the fridge to get some cool air in the room because their air conditioning was not working. He accidentally broke it with a BB GUN. He really curious as to what that old man had given him and what happened while he was unconscious. He dressed up for school and got his backpack ready. When he arrived at his school, called DDCl, it happened again… As he woke up he saw nobody in the hallway -but again… he couldn’t get up. This started to annoy him and right then he got a little chill in his heart. “Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,”he shivered not knowing what got to him. Suddenly, Peeta heard the school bell ring. Just then, the hallways started to fill and he spotted the love of his teenage life…Lily. Lily had gorgeous looking earrings; she was wearing a casual looking outfit and she was the most popular girl in DDCI. She was really nice when she was alone with you but when she was near her friends she acted really sassy. Peeta already knew that. As soon as he recognized her, his heart started filling with warmth and joy. It was as if seeing her for the first time, all of his senses were heightened. He rapidly leaped up and sprinted to say “hello” to her. “How’s my lovely girlfriend?” the words just slipped out of his mouth like he was hurrying to get somewhere. “I’m fine, but are you ok?”Lily replied slowly. “I feel like I could dunk over a 6 foot 9 basketball player right now.” he mentioned. “Haha, you wish.” Stella answered with joy,“I’m off to math class. See ya after school.” “Alright, I’m heading off to English.” he stated. After English class, Peeta went to the hallway and saw his girlfriend again, but this time he saw her with another kid but not any ordinary kid...it was George, the bully that stole his wallet. His heart burst with rage and suddenly he felt like he was being stabbed by a 262

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thousand icicles. He was literally freezing to death! He collapsed to the floor and tried to put out his hands to protect himself, however as soon as he hit the floor… his heart shattered into millions or even billions of pieces. He tried to scream but his vocal cords already froze. Lily noticed the commotion and as she was running towards him, he noticed that she had his wallet in her hand. Now he realized that she was only getting his wallet back and not flirting with George, but it was too late. “I should have never jumped to conclusions. I… I should have trusted her!!!” And then he realized that a strange cereal taste was entering into his mouth… “So I was cursed! Anger = ice and death! Love = warmth and life!” The last vision before his eye froze over was Stella bending over giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring” The alarm clock hailed. It was time to wake up. “What just happened? Was it all a dream?” Peeta wandered. But then he heard a terrifying sound… “Bang! Bang! Bang!”

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The Tale of Fire and Ice Maya Gutman “Granny! Granny! Why is water wet?” “Well, it is a liquid!” “What is a liquid?” “Oh, you will learn when you get older! Let me tell you a little bedtime story.” ***************** As usual, my hair was flowing down my back, neatly bouncing to the beat of my pace, as I walked towards the large building. Unexpectedly, electricity took a day off, and, for that reason, I was the only thing glowing in the street. It was already past the Fire tribe members’ bedtime, and some Earths were out working…. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I was asked to come according to the message in The Boss’s telegram. And I’m ashamed to say, I don’t exactly know who he is. He has been protecting me most of my life - or so he says - against “the enemy”. Now of course, you don’t know who I am, and who “the enemy” is, and so let me explain... My full name is Amber Flare-Ash, but my first name is Amber, and I am twenty years old. As far as I know, the enemies are Air and Ice. (I think The Boss mentioned we are in a truce with Earth). Air and Ice have been teaming up on us lately (not that I can explain to you why). So as I was saying, I was on my way through the dark alley ways, knowing I was being stared at by the Earths. Some of the Earth children were coming together near me, for the moon was covered up by grim grey clouds, and only few stars sprinkled the sky, which obviously meant that they saw everything as pitch black. Us Fires see well in the dark. I sent the children inviting smiles, as they got even closer and put their shivering dark brown hands near to my flaming red skin. Apologizing for my hurry, I lit a splint with fire, handing the flames to the children. “Use them wisely” I urged softly, quickening my pace towards the building. “Wait!” called a child after me. “Are you going to…The Boss?” he asked quietly, and I gave him a brief nod. Quickly, I turned around and began running, my flames rushing behind me like the tail of the long tailed widowbird. Finally I reached the tall, stiff building, when… An ICE! A man from Ice was standing right there! When I spotted him, he froze, then quickly took off in a sprint. Hurrying after him, I heard him yell “Leave or regret it”.

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I didn’t care what he said, because I knew The Boss would always help me. Keeping my breathing steady, I galloped behind him, when he finally lost balance and fell. I stood above him, knowing this wouldn’t end well. Suddenly pity came over me. Something inside me melted. I saw the fear in his eyes, how could I be so mean? He was clearly afraid, I had to help him. I should have left him alone in the first place, I don’t understand. Why was I feeling bad for him? He is the enemy! But he is still a man. Still a person with feelings… I have to help him. I have to. “Calm down... I won’t tell,” I exclaimed. He seemed to be my age, possibly a year or two older. His light blue skin reflected my light. “Tell me what you want, and my lips will be sealed about this event.” I said in my most confident voice, although inside, I was frightened to death. “I…” He hesitated. “I was taking government forms, to see when your tribe will attack. We are having some poverty issues currently. We need as much protection as possible.” He blurted out ever so suddenly. Our eyes met and I felt my face burning… More than usual. “P...poverty?” I asked quietly. After a moment of silence, I mumbled, “I would help you up… But we are opposites. We will never know what substance forms in our touch” He quickly got up and brushed dust off himself. “I… I’m sorry. I wish I could help…” I said in confusion. His light blue eyes widened. “Then do, please. I’m… One of the last of my kind. Only 100 are left in my tribe, a third are children.” He pleaded. “I must go, The Boss is calling for me… I…” After a while I exclaimed “Meet me here tomorrow at dawn. I will do my best to help you.” So why did I feel so obligated to help him? To this day, I don’t know. His eyes filled with relief, joy and slight fear. “Can I trust you?” he asked. I looked in his eyes and said “That is your choice”. We turned away from each other, and started running. “Wait”. I yelled, “Whats your name?” He smiled at me. “Aquilo Frost.” “Amber,” I replied and started running once again. The stiff building suddenly looked like a horror house to me, as I gaited towards it. “At last!” I heard a voice exclaim. “Boss? It is an honor!” I bowed deeply. He was bowing back to me. “Please”, He grinned, “Call me Raven, for so I was named by my mother”. Once again, he bowed and said, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day Ember.” “Amber”. I corrected him. 265

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“They both have an amazing meaning. Amber, I noticed your skills in fighting, running and your agility. They can come in handy to me.” I stared at Raven in confusion. “I want you to go and fight for me.” My jaw dropped as I looked at him in complete disbelief. “I’d… Be honored!” I bowed deeply once again. “Air is extinct, and we need to finish off Ice, then of course the Earths. We could rule the world hand in hand!” I couldn’t believe the sound in my ears. I’ve never even met the insane man. Could this be my opportunity to help Ice, and bring back Air! “Of course!” I exclaimed. “Now you must flee! I have much work and forms to fill in!” I bowed and ran out of the building; my heart filled with joy. Running to the children I helped earlier, I brought all of Earth together. “I don’t want war.” I explained, “We are all special, and the fact that we have different abilities doesn’t mean we are any different from another race. We are all together in this, whether we want it or not. I am planning to save you from Raven. I will save Ice too, and bring back Air. I believe in you to help me.” “Who’s with me?” I shouted as loudly as I could. Applause exploded and hands were raised. “I am Aquilo!” I heard a shout from nearby. The Iceman came back for me. “And I will help as much as possible.” More applause was heard. “Air is not dead! More members of air are hidden in my tribe. We shall defeat Raven and his army hand in hand!” Exclamations were heard from across the hall. “You, and you and you and you!” I pointed at some Earths.,“You guys are in charge of gathering food. We don’t know how long our war will last.” “And you guys over there!” Aquilo shouted, “Gather as many weapons as you can find!” “Fires!” I yelled, “Get timber. Lots and lots of it”. As we all spread, Aquilo stepped towards me. “There was a silent attack on my tribe while you were with Raven…” I stared at him in disbelief. “I am the last of my kind… I’m sure of it”. While we were discussing what we shall do, Aquilo let out a yell of agony as he fell to the ground. “Aquilo!” I yelled, coming down to the floor. He was shot! “Raven!” I roared in anger, “Reveal yourself!”

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“You really think I wouldn’t notice your rebellious actions?” He questioned me with a chuckle. “Look what you have done! You killed an innocent man!” I yelled crouching down to Aquilo, who was mumbling in pain. “I will end this war now!” I roared, shooting a fireball towards Raven. It had been awhile since I had used my skills. “Pity you came alone” I said with a slight evil laugh. Raven dodged my fire and said, “Pity you did” With a smile, he whistled as fire soldiers came together; Earths and more Fire rebels gathering behind me. In the corner of my eye, I noticed some Earth children dragging Aquilo to safety, bringing juice, and fanning him with leaves. I spun myself around to face Raven. “Oh. It’s on”. I said, running with my rebels towards the army. Earths were already battling Fires, shooting mud balls and gushing at them, as Raven and I stood face to face, spinning around each other. “Surrender or die!” Yelling was heard from across the hall. Raven, faced me, with around a 4 -inch space between us, as we gave each other fierce looks. Boom! I gave a flying punch into Raven’s stomach, sending a flaming fire ball towards his stomach, watched him fall to the ground. “Who do you think you are?” he growled in pain. The fire ball already burning his face. Minutes later, Raven was dead, and my heart was racing like the beat of a drum. I couldn’t believe my victory had finally come. When I remembered… “Aquilo” I yelled. I rushed towards the children, now crouching above Aquilo, icicles falling as sweat down his face. “Touch me!” he begged. I stared at him in disbelief. “I… You will die!” I exclaimed. “It’s the only way…” He pleaded, “PLEASE…. Touch me.” I put my hand near his shoulder when he let out a groan. “Too hot… I can’t do this.” “Do it!” He begged. Now that my hand was on his shoulder, he let out a shout. A flash appeared and then darkness. My hand could pass through Aquilos skin… Liquid! Water. How could I be so blind! Aquilo was now standing up, his skin a darker shade of blue, and as smooth as could be. Putting my hand near Aquilo had created steam, and several steam men grow. Air! Of course! ******************* “Granny, can I have some more water to drink?”

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“Of course! What will we be like without water to drink? Without earth to step on and air to breathe? All of these elements are important, and water… It is all thanks to Aquilo that you have the opportunity to drink this lovely element. Now drink up, and hop into bed. Sweet dreams darling.”

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Opposites Gabriel Myong When I think of the two natural forces Fire and Ice, one word springs to mind. Opposites. Two people; opposite personalities. Perhaps once friends, now mortal enemies. Fire, and Ice. ************************* “Aquilo, and..... Ignacio,” Mr. Johnson blandly muttered as he pulled the two colored sticks out of the envelope. The entire classroom groaned. Now these two had been the best of friends since the young age of three. But throughout this long friendship, the contrasts in their personalities had occasionally shown. Not only that, but it had caused some conflicts. Aquilo’s icy calm personality sometimes clashed with Ignacio’s fiery temper, which led to no good. Of course, Mr. Johnson was oblivious to the fact that the two most troublesome of friends had just been drawn to be partners for the dissection of a pig. Everyone except him knew that nothing good would come out of this awful pair... Bang!!! An explosion of blood coated nearly half the classroom in a horrible dark red. The students caught in this horrible detonation cried out in pure disgust. Multiple pairs of eyes focused on the source, which of course was the mischievous pair, Aquilo and Ignacio. They stood there behind the carcass, two smug grins reaching ear to ear, surveying their dirty work. A clap echoed throughout the room; the sound of a highfive exchanged between the two friends. The potassium and water mixture had gone to plan perfectly, except for one little mistake. A little red blood droplet had made its way onto Ignacio’s favorite white shirt, and it had just been noticed. “WHAT IS THIS?” he violently screamed. “WE WERE AIMING FOR THEM, NOT ME!” he continued as his temper visibly bubbled up through his body. But Aquilo, although he was calm, did not explain politely that it was an accident, but rather smartly remarked, “Hah, that shirt wasn’t great anyway!” Everyone in the class realized simultaneously that the result of this remark would be worse than the accident itself, and were smart enough to sneak their way out of the room. “You stupid idiot! You did that on purpose! Now my shirt is dirty!” Ignacio bellowed throwing chairs around and smashing beakers. By the end of the episode, Ignacio was lying on the floor exhausted, and Aquilo was seated in the corner shielding himself from Ignacio’s wrath. The boys later apologized to each other in the principal’s office. Aquilo knew that he definitely meant no harm or insult toward his

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friend, and Ignacio knew that Aquilo had not done it on purpose. But it was episodes like these that gradually but ultimately led to their demise. After that incident, their relationship had been somewhat strained, and the comfort level had slightly dropped. A couple of weeks later, they were sitting in their science class once again and Mr. Johnson was explaining a new project that had been assigned. “Now the main goal of this is to build a contraption using these popsicle sticks, string, and makeup sponges, and to try and keep your egg safe within your contraption. We will be doing this project in partners, and I do think you guys are responsible enough to choose your own partners.” At this sentence, Ignacio and Aquilo moved together, as they had chosen each other as partners of course, but this time more hesitantly than usual. Aquilo started the project by explaining some of his ideas to Ignacio. “Well first of all, we do need a parachute to slow down the fall, and some kind of soft container for our egg to sit it.” Ignacio replied by saying, “I think we do need a soft container, but I don’t think we need a parachute! It would be a waste of materials!” “Of course we need a parachute you dimwit! Do you REALLY think that we can save the egg by NOT including a parachute?!” Aquilo exclaimed rather agitated. “If we put a LOT of padding in, WE WON’T NEED ONE!” hollered Ignacio. Now Aquilo was rather fed up with Ignacio. He had his mind set on a parachute, and here was his so-called “friend,” opposing his idea completely. Aquilo thought Ignacio’s idea was absurd, and was about to say so. Without thinking, he firmly stated, “Everyone knows you need a parachute to at least have a chance, and they also know that I am MUCH smarter than you and your bony, empty, head.” “Don’t make things up! We all know that’s not true, so why don’t you shut up you mindless rat!” Ignacio furiously argued. Suddenly, Mr. Johnson decided he’d had enough of the scuffle, and that he had to step in. He surged up to them with loud banging footsteps, grabbed their arms, and calmly but firmly said, “If you boys cannot work together, then you will BOTH receive a 0 for this assignment! Now please, if you two would GET IT TOGETHER.” Mr. Johnson proceeded to let go of their arms and walk calmly back to his desk. Silenced, the boys whispered furiously at each other, continuing their argument in simply a lower tone. “We need to surround the whole thing in sponges and a wooden frame!” “Or we could just throw sponges in a bag and stick the egg in the middle!” “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” “Shut up! It’s better than yours!” The argument pretty much lasted until Mr. Johnson boredly called out in a bored voice, “Two minutes left to build!” At this point, they had literally nothing in their building space, so the two decided they had to work together for at least the last two minutes to put SOMETHING together. So for the first time the entire lesson, they got to work without any quarreling whatsoever, as they attempted to finish the task put something together. The two minutes went by extremely quickly, as the two boys glued sticks in 270

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practically random places on the “contraption,” and placed the egg in the middle of the crude mess of glue and popsicle sticks. At the end of the two minutes, they placed their structure on the shelf by everyone else’s and instantly regretted having fought for the entire hour of work time. All the beautiful structures were lined up side by side, the egg laid carefully in the middle of them, along with Ignacio and Aquilo’s horrible excuse of a structure, the glue dripping down the sticks and onto the floor. They knew nothing good would come from this creationcontraption. The next morning, everyone in the class had gone to the top of the building to drop their egg contraption from the rooftop. One by one, they dropped, most of them surviving the impact due to the well-made structures. When it was Ignacio and Aquilo’s turn, they fought over who got to let go of it, and it eventually ended up being hurled off the rooftop spinning a full speed towards the ground. Of course, the dripping pile of mass hit the ground brutally, sending popsicle sticks and sponges rolling around everywhere, and a gooey, yellow, raw egg yolk scattered in several directions. Almost immediately after a loud uproar of laughter coming from the classmates at the bottom, Ignacio shoved Aquilo and shouted, “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” and he ran through the door to the roof and down the stairs leaving Aquilo on the ground embarrassed. Of course, after that dramatic incident, the two couldn’t stand to be near each other. They avoided each other throughout the rest of the week, and didn’t even make eye contact once. There was just one problem. Although their hatred for each other clearly showed throughout the school days, there was nothing they could do to stop the football match that occurred after school. The two would carpool together in a local bus that would take them to the field that they played at. This would of course mean they would be trapped together in a confined space for almost an hour, then spend another hour and a half forced to collaborate with each other on the field! Both of them were aware of this and were dreading Monday..... Unfortunately, no matter how much they didn’t want Monday to arrive, it did, and didn’t get off to a great start. As they were getting off the buses, they had quickly run up the stairs and collided head on with each other. Ignacio, of course, screamed at him, “Watch where you’re going you idiot!” and shoved him. With that incident fresh in both of their minds, they made their way to the bus stop. Suddenly, they found themselves side by side at the bus stop, and immediately strode a couple of steps away from each other. But it was a very cold day in late November, and the bus stop had a heater on the ceiling. Shivering without the glowing warmth of the heater, they were forced to stand closer to each other underneath the heater despite their quarrels. For 10 minutes, they sat there together awkwardly in silence, neither wishing to give in. Ugh, get a load of this guy! HE doesn’t deserve the heater! Ooo, you smell! Get away from me you nitwit! Finally, the bus came in breaking the seemingly endless trance of awkwardness and silent hatred. They clambered into the tiny bus, and sat on opposite ends of each other. For almost an hour, the two ex-best friends sat there in silence.

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When the bus finally arrived at the field, they cautiously made their way off the bus and jogged onto the field. Due to the traffic, the two boys were slightly late, and the other team was already practicing on the other side of the field. They ran over to where their team was stretching and Coach Jeremy was discussing pre-game tactics. Nobody commented on the two late arrivals, and they immediately started putting on their shoes and socks quickly. Soon enough, the referee blew the whistle for the game to begin. Ignacio was starting up front as striker, and Aquilo, with his left foot, was starting on the left wing. This positioning was inconvenient for their current situation, as they were after all in the middle of a dramatic conflict. For the first 89 minutes of the game, the two didn’t get in the way of each other, and it really didn’t seem to matter that they were fighting. But as the game came down to stoppage time, the score was 1-1, and it was very tight. The game was also quite an important one, as they would be knocked out of the tournament if they lost it. At one moment, in the 92nd minute in stoppage time, Aquilo acquired the ball on the left hand side of the field, and beat his man. Breaking through on goal at full speed, he dribbled the ball to the baseline next to the goal. Ignacio, who was in a seemingly wide open space right in front of the goal, screamed for the ball. Aquilo heard him clearly, but immediately ignored the request, and coolly went for glory himself. But because he was on the baseline, there was pretty much no angle whatsoever, and the ball hit the goalie, and bounced all the way to the halfline. There it was picked up the the opponent’s striker, who took it all the way to the opposite goal, and scored the 1v1 against the goalkeeper. This all happened in such a flash, nobody knew what was going on until the ball rolled into their own net. But soon seconds after that, the referee called game and brought their tournament dreams to an end. Ignacio, enraged at the thought of Aquilo ignoring him and missing, made straight for him shortly after the whistle had blown. Ignacio threw himself upon Aquilo, ending up on top of him lying on the ground. With his red hands circling the circumference of Aquilo’s neck, he screamed at the top of his lungs right into his face, “EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT! WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE EARTH AND NEVER COME BACK!” The other players pulled Ignacio off of Aquilo eventually, but the damage had already been done. Both of their faces were covered in blood and sweat, and both were quite dazed. And as they were both dragged away from each other, they had one last final glance towards each other’s eyes, and At that moment, both of them knew that, they could never recover from this or ever be friends again.

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Karma Woo June Lee “My name is Mark Price,” I introduced myself to the new kid, Jay. He was a transfer student that came from South Korea so he was noticeably smaller than the people around him. He introduced himself back unsurely like he didn’t know whether I even existed. It turned out Jay was fun to be with and was pretty smart, no, I mean REALLY smart. That's why I hung out with mostly him for the first semester; him giving me answers and all. Eventually, he became more popular than me. In fact, he started ditching me for other kids - more ‘popular’ ones. I found this unfair as I had carried him for the school year and now... this! ‘I’ll just talk to him’ I thought as I called Jay. When he picked up I told him to meet up at the park and he promised he’d be there by 9pm. When I went there other, I didn’t see him at first so I waited about 40 minutes, and right when I was about to leave, Jay called my name. At that point I was outraged because he thought he was more superior to me when he was just a small brat. I yelled at him, but all he said was “Sorry, dude chillax’’. I was really frustrated with him. The anger bubbled up from within me. I started beating him up and each punch made me happier and happier as he started bleeding from all around. But I felt no pity towards him. All I was thinking about was how I would remove that cheeky smirk off his face. Punch after punch after punch, the relief was flooding into me. He was knocked out and fell violently to the ground. To ensure he learned his lesson, I buried him with piles of snow. On Monday, Jay wasn’t at school. He was absent for the whole week. 273

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On Saturday the headmaster announced that Jay had frozen to death. 2 years later The smell of smoke rushed up my nose, awakening my senses. I found my bedroom filled with smoke. I saw a glimpse of fire burning my door as it crumbled into ash. My mind was panicking, jumbled up with words, not knowing what to do. My parents seized my arms and dragged me down to the floor. We were covering our mouths because of the smoke. We crawled to the door as we heard our house crackling with fire - getting burnt down from the top to bottom. The house’s wall paint melted, revealing a dark shade of lavender as the smoke covered it up. We struggled because of the narrow hallway to the front door and at that moment I felt the heat approaching the parts of my body that were in contact with floor. I was getting really dizzy from the smoke. I was only thinking of the fear of death that I was about to encounter that day. BOOM! We heard an explosion behind us in the basement where we carry gas. Shaking with the ground, we looked behind us to where the ceiling was falling down from my bedroom. “GO! GO! GO!” my Dad shouted as he pushed my bottom to the front. I heard the sound of the wood crackling and crashing on the ground towards us like dominos. The sweat was dripping down to my feet. I stumbled, slipped and struggled to the main door. With my life on the line, I ran… I ran… everything went so fast, yet so slow; the exit was the only thing in my mind at that time. Nothing else. I dived out the exit where I hit the ground on my shoulder. ‘THUD’ And then I heard sirens. And Jimmy who was barking at the house. Mom! Dad! I looked back. Nothing. All I saw was FIRE.... FIRE. “Mark, Mark, can you hear me?” My Aunt Sarah asked. 274

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“Oh, sorry” I said alarmed as I turned off the fire. The egg was overcooked. “Mark, not again, you always space out when you see fire. I know your parents were killed in the blaze but that was 2 years ago, you know it wasn’t your fault and life... goes on.” she said in a sympathetic voice and I am definitely sure she thought she was awesome. “Now, get Jimmy so I can take him to the vet and get ready since we can’t be late because it’s your first day in high school.” she says enthusiastically. Jimmy is an American English Coonhound that I got for my 12th birthday. We were riding to my new school when suddenly I cught a glimpse of the park. The park. We drove past the park where… Jay died. Died in a tomb of ice.The memories were haunting. I could hear him haunt me... “Looks like we’re short on gas. Sorry Mark looks like we’re going to be late for your first day of high school,” my aunt grumbled as we head to the nearest gas station. HONK! HONK! “Seems like a car accident and there is tremendous amount of traffic but your school is a few hundred meters away and it will be faster if you run, don’t worry I will make it up to you later tonight.” my Aunt suggests. KABOOM!! I smelled fire; its disgusting stench reminded me of the death that claimed my parents. I surveyed my surroundings to find that I was on the ground and my whole body was aching in pain. I can’t feel my right leg… “SARAH! JIMMY! Are you there?” I wailed. I had no strength left. I felt drowsy and a little lethargic. I couldn’t make myself stay awake. I open my eyes to white walls. I’m in a bed with these people in white suits. At that moment a nurse came into the room. In a mournful voice she said: “Mark, I’m sorry” “Why?” I asked unsurely. I knew what was coming. I already had someone say this to me 2 years ago. When my parents died. “Your aunt… She died in the accident.” 275

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Misery. I remember the last time I saw her. It was just a few hours ago. Her cheerful smile gave me an image of a mother. I felt lost in this world. But Jimmy... “What about my dog?” I cried. “It died too.” And then I heard the whispers from outside. “What kind of weird Karma does that poor kid have? They all had to die in some sort of a fire…” Ice! It was then I remembered. Jay. I can’t take this anymore. I didn’t mean to kill him. It was his fault, not mine! I just did what any kid would do in my situation. I was on the 20th floor of a 22 floor hospital. No hesitation.

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Escape Douglas McEachen This story is dedicated to my wonderful mother, for her brilliant cooking.

My surroundings go rayless as I am suddenly plunged into darkness. The room around me starts to warm up. The first small little warm-up turns into a heatwave, as I start sweating frantically. Who am I? This seems so familiar! My memory is coming back… yes; I remember, the giants… Callum?… It’s gone. What is my purpose? I look around to find a clue; a little snippet to further investigate who I am. Looking around, I see a big window. There was a piece of some white material, with some sort of ancient writing on it. Only one of my friends like Brian the Bread could read it. He had been in this domain since I was a little piece of butter. We’d meet up all the time, whenever there was a request to meet up from “the giants”. Reality is fading...the Giants. These giants were like a yo-yo. During the colder times, they would be more forceful with me. They would dig into my body and use it to break Brian. Of course, this was all on par for Brian, but for me, it was terror. Every time during that period, I would flinch as they distributed my body across my friend like they wanted to decimate him into a million pieces. Poor Brian. My thoughts snap back to reality when I hear a sudden voice. “What was that?” I ponder to myself. “More like who was that!” answers the voice below me. “I’m Callum Cake,” he continues, “But you won’t know me for long.” “It’s only a matter of time until the giants give us up as a sacrifice for their mouths.” “Ha-Ha, very funny!” I respond. I laugh as I try to keep my cream cool. “My name is Icarus; But d-d-d-death?S-s-s-sacrifice?You must be kidding me!” “But I’m not!” He cries at me, “Think about what happened to Brian!” The frostings on the back of my neck freeze as I remember him. 277

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“You’re right!” I scream. Even the friends of Brian: Thomas Toast and Sandywich were sacrificed to these giant overlords!” “But there’s no time to speak of them right now. They’re coming! The ground shakes as we are introduced to the giant overlord… They were known to Brian as “humongous greedamous” and it was quite a fitting title. I knew quite a lot of them; through how much they would enter this room. There was the Smaller one: always jumping about and making a mess. There was the bigger one who would move too much and kind of smelt like rotten eggs. There was “The wiser”. She was always using her skills and knowledge to make the place look a little bit less like a pigeon nest. She was the one who would be there for us the most. Then there was their defence mechanism. I have heard many old stories of people who had tried to fight it; but they never came back. We are taken out of the oven by “The wiser” and placed back out into the light … Home... I flinch as the light smothers me like a plastic bag, choking me slowly and painfully in my frail white eyes. “Do you think they can hear us?” I say to myself. But then; just then, I realise what I have done. The giants have stopped in their tracks; almost hypnotised by what just happened. “Uh oh”. A scream bursts through the house, followed by a sudden drop. And with a smash, an escape is seen. “We need to go!” I scream loudly “But where?” He replies. He’s right. Where could I go? Even if we do escape; I couldn’t get out of here. This place is huge! Where could we go? What lies beyond? Too late. They’ve come… Like guards at a castle wall, more giants fill the place and come to marvel at what lies before them. And without warning, pandemonium breaks out. "tahw saw taht!" "i draeh a eciov..." 278

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"morf erehw" "morf... morf eht....." "morf tahw?" "morf... morf eht ekac..." What seems like moments turns to hours. Then finally; they left. Peace returned to our world again. I looked for an exit. Darting, I went for the gap in the barrier. I escape. I see their defence mechanism was set. A huge brown monster charged at us; while the giants use their flashes; blinding us with their tools “Quick! Frosty! Look!” Callum exclaims. “A hole!” I quickly dash for it and fortunately, make it in. “Good!” I sigh. “We made it out.” It is quite late now; so I decide to slumber in the crevice which we found. I am waking up to the shouting of Callum. “WAKE UP!” “Gah!” I cough, “What’s the matter?” “Look!” I open my eyes to see a huge piece of paper, with a giant picture on it. “What is this?” I ponder. “Look closer!” he shouts. I look at the paper more closely to see me and Callum. “That’s us!” He exclaims. I see some more ancient text; so much in fact, it seemed like it would fall off the paper itself. With some more might; I turn the page and find out that we’re not alone. Other people; like me, have started what was an uprising against the giants! “Oh my gosh!” Callum screams. “Let’s go outside! We can’t be the only ones around here?” “Come on” I say. “We need to get out of here!” Peeking outside of a glass window nearby I see a huge gathering; with one specific man in the middle:The Banana. Using a parachute from a “xenaelC” box nearby; we dart out of the window to see what is going on. I think I know who they are: The fruit clan! They are having a speech! 279

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“WE ARE NOT FRIENDS WITH THE GIANTS!” the King of the fruit clan, The Banana, monotonously speaks. I hear a sprinkle of “yeahs!” and “very true!” covering the audience. But then, the audience turns to me; looking with dismay in their hearts. Like they have just seen a giant. But then, ss I turn around, I realise it. They aren’t lying. The larger giant has his eyes focused on me. My purpose… The Start… of the Food uprising. “It’s been great serving you...” I whisper to Callum “Night night” he replies. I fall off the edge of the window. Falling on my cream. My vision turns white for a split second. My surroundings go rayless as I am suddenly plunged into darkness. The room around me starts to warm up. The first small little warm-up turns into a heatwave; as I start sweating frantically. Who am I? This seems familiar! My memory is coming back…

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Mortem Taewon Kwon

We have all lost our loved ones. We have all experienced loneliness. Sadness. Sorrow. Grief. We all felt lost. Uncertain about our next path and move. About our unknown tomorrow. None of us knows exactly when we’ll be gone from this world. We don’t know how we’ll die. We don’t know when we’ll die. But we know. Death is inevitable. We all believe in something, or someone different. Some of us believe in God. Some in Allah. Some, believe that we shouldn’t believe.

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No matter what you believe. Who you believe in. Death is inevitable.

None of us knows when our last day will be. Today might be your last day. Tomorrow might be your last day. Maybe 10 years away. Maybe 50. You and I don’t know when the day is. But we know one thing. Death is inevitable. Now I want you to stop and think. In our lives, we have ups and downs. Happiness and Grief. Cold days and warm days. Fire and Ice. But how are they distinguished? How do you know the difference? If you get a bad test score, that’s bad for the moment, but you can get motivation to study for the next test. Is that considered “good” or “bad?” 282

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What about a death of a loved one? You lose them, but in return you get something or someone back. It will never fill their space up completely, but you do get something from it. What about death? The word death is feared. It means the end of your life. The end of the path you spent your whole “life” developing. But what if it means something greater? What if with every moment of ice, comes a moment of fire? I’m not saying that you’ll get another life. That you’ll be resurrected into another form or another human body. I’m not saying that, when you die, you’ll stay dead. That this is the only chance and opportunity you’ll ever get. But, stop and think. Death is inevitable. So what will you do before the day you walk hand in hand with Death? What will you do with the fire that remains?

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Fire and Ice Alice Lee Fire and Ice are the closest friends to each other. They live in the same community, they go to the same school and their grandfathers are allies. There seemed to be something going wrong between these two boys when they first met but it didn’t affect their friendship in the future and it became an unforgettable memory. The first time Fire and Ice met each other was when Fire moved to the neighbourhood.... Twilight - the most beautiful time in the day, when the sunset glow spreads like veils on the yellow sky. Part of the hazy sunset is concealed by a chimney. Not far away, a boy is helping to move furniture; a smile is always on his face. That boy is Fire. Ice is standing not far away, looking at Fire with no emotion on his face. Fire sees him, stops working and waves to Ice. The sunlight passes through Fire’s hair and shoots into Ice’s eyes. Ice doesn’t do anything to respond. Lacking concern, he just goes back to his house. As Ice opened his front gate, an elated sound suddenly appears behind, “Hi! … Nice to meet you!” The voice is happy but also breathless. Ice stops walking forward but doesn’t look back. The sound continues, “My name is Fire. 12 years old. What about you?” “Ice, 10. ” the two words pop out. “Hi, Ice. As you see I’m moving in here. We will be neighbours for the next few years. I don’t know much about this place and there is nobody I know here. Could we be friends?” Fire asks with excitement and a little tension. “No,” Ice refuses stiffly, “Don’t follow me.” Without thinking, Ice slams his front door, leaving Fire outside. Fire is puzzled and he returns to his house.

Later that night, Ice is reading a book in his bedroom waiting for the dinner to be prepared. The knocking on the door suddenly breaks the quiet, “ Ice, your father wants you to go downstairs and meet some guests in the living room.” “Who are they?” Ice asked nonchalantly while closing his book.

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The soft voice outside the door continues, “They are the families of your grandfather’s ally.” Ice puts the book on the desk and walks toward the door. As he opens the door, an old lady appears- she is the owner of the soft voice. Ice follows the old lady and goes downstairs. Suddenly, he stops at the corner. Stops for a second. He raises one eyebrow and continues on. “Hey, Ice. Come here. This is Mr. and Mrs. Willis,” his father called. Ice walks into the living room and greets them. He doesn’t even glance at Fire. Fire feels panic stirring inside him; he is afraid that Ice will not welcome him. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Ice. Nice to meet you again.” Fire said worriedly, watching Ice’s emotion carefully. But the next thing that happens surprises him. “Nice to meet you again, Fire.” There is a big smile on Ice’s face, warm and shiny like the sun. Ice’s father and Fire’s parents are very pleased that Fire and Ice are able to establish a good rapport between each other. “I’m really surprised and happy that you and Ice are already friends,” Fire’s father commented. “Friends?” Ice asks himself quietly with a perplexed look. The three adults didn’t notice Ice’s confusion and they ask them to go upstairs and play with each other. As Ice turns round, the smile on his face disappears, it turns deadpan, which is the face Ice normally shows to people.

Ice walks really fast as he wants to get rid of his new acquaintance but Fire always follows him quickly. Fire ingeniously slides into Ice’s room before he tries to slam the door. Ice glances at him and goes to sit on his bed. “Ice, I didn’t see your mother in the living room. Did she go out?” Fire follows Ice straight to his bed and lays on the bed - ignoring the fact that Ice does not welcome him. Ice stiffens for a long time, a bitter smile touching the corners of his lips. “I don’t have a mother,” he says woefully, “she died of cancer.” Fire is shocked and he feels so guilty that he brought back Ice’s sad memories. “Sorry,” Fire apologises to Ice. He tries to comfort Ice, “Your mum has a happy life now. She is looking at you every day from heaven.” Ice calms down and says, “Right, she must be in heaven. She was a kind person.” Fire looks around Ice’s room and he sees a photo of a couple and a little boy. The young couple looks really happy, they smile to each other with love in their eyes. The little boy between them is holding his parents’ hands with a big smile on his face…

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Ice follows Fire’s sight and looks at the photo, “This is a photo of my parents and me… when I was young.” he murmurs. The room becomes quiet… “You look so cute in the photo!” Fire suddenly breaks the silence, “You look really great when you are smiling.” He stares at Ice’s serious facial expression. “Try to smile again!” he said. Ice’s face suddenly turns red, he blocks Fire’s face from coming any closer and says, “ I don’t mind if I am cute or not!” He stands up, moves a little bit further from Fire, and sits down again. “My smile is only shown when there is an important situation.” “But you are not a robot, you need real emotion!” Fire says with concern. “Smile from your heart, try to be happy and show your happiness to others.” “What can make me happy?” Ice asks. “Well, a lot. There are many things, objects and people can make you feel happy…” Fire replies. “People?” Ice asks, “Which kind of people?” “Like your friends.” “Friends?” Ice asks with a puzzled expression. “Yes, your friends, such as … me!” Fire looks at Ice and says excitedly. “You? My friend?” Ice says loudly and incredibly. “Yes, your friend!” Fire replies again, “Can I be your friend?” Fire asks the question again. “... Maybe.” Ice says slowly. They smile at each other. A smile from their hearts…

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Fire Shores Niklas Redler Thompson and Alex Foord (Alex) This story is dedicated to my parents and little sister for always being there. To Mrs. Olivier and Mr.Hopkins for helping improve my English and pushing me that extra mile. And to the children of the Philippines for surviving and keep going when hope may have been lost. It’s more than I would have done. (Niklas) I dedicate this book to my parents for always bringing me up when I was down. I also dedicate this book to Mrs. Olivier and Hr. Hammerberg for helping edit the story and helping me when I had questions about if something sounded good or if the tenses worked.

They were climbing up the rocks, vines wrapping around their feet, as they furiously pushed through the everlasting mossy rocks. Once they had reached the top, the group stood on the ledge; looking over the lake. The sun was melting the skin on their backs. “Sage! Shank! bet ya I can make a bigger splash!” Locki challenged, his voice hitting them with impact. His green eyes were challenging them smack bang in their souls. “You’re on!” Sage and Sir Shankster replied in unison. “Don’t be imatu-” Katrina started, her blue eyes flaring but the boys pushed off the ledge into the sparkling clear water. The group was laughing. Tabitha was leaning over the edge to check if they were okay, but Locki and Shank ran at her, both pushing so she flew off. “COMING DOWN!” Shank yelled as he ran off the cliff, getting into a cannon ball position. Even though he had a big build he made a small splash. “I’m next!” Locki screamed as he flipped off the cliff going into a dive, hitting the water, making a small splash and soaking the others. “Watch out!” Sage yelled as he dove off, colliding with the water. In the lake he had seen a light and tried swimming down to it… But ran out of air! He felt his lungs bursting like balloons then collapsing, like a rag doll. 287

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And then he felt a force pulling him. Locki pulled Sage onto the river bank and checked his pulse. Slow but steady. Suddenly, his eyes opened and his irises looked like ice cubes but they changed back to normal in less than a second. “If you kissed me, I swear I will drown myself.” Sage choked out, water spitting out his mouth. The rest of them started laughing. “What was down there?” asked Locki. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here choking on water.” replied Sage. “Should we go down there?” asked Katrina. No one replied to her request. “Should we go down there?” asked Tabitha. They all considered it: the risks were high, it could be a bust or it could be a gold mine. But there were too many dangers. “Probably.” replied Shank, “We can use the diving equipment!” “But there are only four suits.” Tabitha was ignored. They stood there for a while thinking about it. “Sage, you're a good free diver right?” asked Shank an idea forming. “I guess.” he replied. “Why don’t you free dive and if you need air I will give you some.” “Okay but what if you are not there?” asked Sage curiously. “I will be there.” he replied hiding his smirk. “Okay, it’s agreed, we will go down to the cave. Sage will freedive, but Shank will lend him some air and I’m getting something to eat!” Locki said on his way to the lodge. “Ready to go guys?” asked Sage his words barely escaping his mouth, his nerves bringing him down. What if he didn’t make it to the cave? What if he drowned? “Yep!” replied Shank, his words smacking Sage in the face. He was guaranteed to get down there; his life relied on him. “On three!” Locki yelled. Sage was reconsidering. “1!” Sage was filling with regrets and starting to look for an escape. “2!” What if he died? “3!”

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They all jumped in and started swimming towards the cave when Sage stopped. Looking around for Shank he found him too far below him. He was dead. Suddenly a force wrapped around his body pulling him into the cave. The water felt thicker and thicker as he got deeper. When they finally got to the cave the force threw him to the floor. The moment Sage hit it, he immediately woke up. “WHAT WAS THAT!?” protested Locki. “YOU ALMOST KILLED HIM!” “I thought he was behind me.” acknowledged Shank unfazed. “DID YOU CHECK?!” Locki screeched at him infuriated. “Ah no.” he replied like someone was asking him a normal question. “What happened?” asked Tabitha. “Well Sir Idiotster decided to ditch Sage in the lake to safely reach the cave leaving Sage behind - almost killing him.” Locki replied his voice calming down. “Luckily I saved him before he drowned.” “Shank is that true.” asked Tabitha. “No comment.” replied shank, his voice creeping with guilt, shrugging it off, trying to hid his fear with cheek. As they entered and carefully walked through cave, they decided to dismiss the mistake, the walls had different weapons hanging on them. They walked carefully to a table which had a dusty book on it. Sage picked it up, his blue and green eyes scanning the page. “Sooo what does it say?” asked Shank curiously peering over his shoulder. “The reader of this book will be taken to the realm of Fice. The war has been slaving on for years and it must end. The Ice King protected his side and the Fire Queen tried to steal it.” Sage said, his voice full of creep almost bewitched. Suddenly, smoke filled the room, wrapping around them, almost pulling them. “OH NO!” Then a silent echo of a whisper before they disappeared. Once they had entered the realm of Fice, not knowing what they'd be expecting, they saw creatures that had been concealed with burning fire and soldiers that were covered with ice. It was like they had just teleported into the middle of a battle, but somehow, it was almost as if they were 289

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immortal. Savagely, the creatures marched forward, burning and freezing everything in their way. None of the soldiers realized that the friends were there. It was almost as if they were ghosts. Sir Shankster ran ahead of the group, almost out of visibility from all the flames and icicles being thrown at the opponent's side. Katrina being the youngest of the bunch, was petrified! Tears had formed in her eyes, eyes that were scarred from seeing people being burnt to death and being pierced by icicles that were fired at them at jet engine like speeds. Then, out of the blue, the Ice King appeared right in front of them and called for them. “Welcome, young warriors. I see you have ventured here from a land far far away, as if you were from a different realm. You must be exhausted from your long journeys. Come join me on the side of ice where you will have shelter, warmth and a big feast.” All of a sudden, he was rudely interrupted by a burst of flames, it was the Fire Queen… The most fierce, foulest queen in the whole realm of Fice. She was engulfed in flame but you could see her beauty. It is known that she is a beast that feeds on the bodies of dead soldiers just to keep her beauty and youth. She reached her hand out to Katrina who reached back but when she turned the queen wrapped her up with a fire whip and flung her across the land to land into the fire castle. “RUN FOR IT!” shouted the king, as the Queen’s whip came round for a second swing. They all started running for the ice side. Following the king.The soldiers let them pass at the war front easily. Shank jumped on a horse and started riding but the whip hit the horse changing the direction so it aimed for the cliff. Shank tried to get off but suddenly a rope wrapped around him and the Fire Queen appeared in front. “Join me and I will save you!” she offered him. “I would rather jump into the dead sea covered in cuts than join the lines of your fire zombies!” he replied without a second thought, spitting on her armour. “Enjoy.” she whispered in his ear. Her voice was poison disappearing in flames. The horse ran quickly towards the edge. The rope tightening around Shank; he wished he grabbed a knife at the cave. The horse rushed of the cliff, slowly Shanks short life flashed before his eyes and then he was falling. Suddenly in front of him an old wrinkled man in robes with a wooden staff. His voice boomed in Shanks head even though his mouth never moved. 290

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“It’s called karma, that’s for trying to kill Sage.” After they got into the luscious, deep, evergreen, icy forest, the king swung his staff in the air and there was an explosion of snow and all of a sudden, a royal blue icy carriage appeared in front of them. “Come on it and I will take you safely inside the castle walls.” urged the Ice King. “Wait, who are you?” asked Locki curiously. “Iceder, the King of Ice” acknowledged the king. They climbed into the carriage and were flown by unicorns that had wings made of ice. As they were flying across the realm to the core of the side of ice, they had a bird's eye view of a world that they could lose there life in. After some time, the group of them had safely landed right in front of a castle. The walls of the surrounding compound that was lifted up thousands of feet, the stones as strong a steel. The ice layered everything making it sparkle like crystal but at the same time look deadly because if touched it would freeze your outsides. The gate was made of steel, but it seemed to glow. Sluggishly the massive great ascended into a space that wasn’t there, the bars almost disintegrating to make space. They walked across the bridge, the guards escorting them through the wall of the castle, as they passed the bridge descended back into place. Inside the walls the palace stood in all it’s glory, gold streaming up the silver walls. The towers above the clouds, windows biggers than apartment complexes. The ice was creeping up the walls, accenting the curves and designs. In the center was a tower that was made entirely of ice. Through the windows they saw a man with a crown that reminded them of the Ice King they saw earlier. He quickly disappeared in a cloud of icy steam. Suddenly the king appeared in front of them. “Welcome to my kingdom. Sorry I left you guys in the garage, I had to talk to somebody about your combat training.” Iceder exclaimed. “Way to be modest.” muttered Locki to Sage. “Let my soldiers take you around the kingdom for a quick tour.” Iceder continued oblivious of the comment. The group was escorted to the blacksmith first. The location was hundreds of metres underground; this room was the only one that was hot. There were different metals covering the wall on one side. Serrated blades, 291

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katanas, swords, bows to name a few. Inside there was what looked like dwarfs making weapons. The group was on a balcony that overlooked the room. “The king said for you to take a weapon in case of an attack.” a guard told them. Slowly they approached the wall. They each reached for a sword except for Tabitha who grabbed a bow. Carefully they tested the weapons. When they were armed, they slowly left the room. The four entered the kitchen, expecting maybe something made out of metal, wood or something else that was not ice. Sadly the only thing the four could find were cabinets and shelves made out of ice, nothing but ice, even the microwave and knives were made out of ice. Even though everything was ice, strangely, they did not feel cold or breezy. To their left, they could see a fridge that was so cold, it had frozen the door to the main compartment. Next, Sage tried to pry open the frozen fridge. He anchored his feet and with all his strength pulled to try and open the fridge, hoping there would be some food in there. “Come with me, there is a banquet waiting through this room.” announced the Iceder. The four of them followed the king into a small doorway that entered into a room that was enormously massive, it was so humongous, you could have a dinner with the whole of Europe! The banquet table was covered in all sorts of exclusive meals, such as turkey, pork pies, soups, and much more. “Come sit with me and enjoy a meal that you will remember for the rest of your life!” exclaimed the King. Then out of another door, the soldiers and ice workers joined them on the humongous banquet table, then they all said their prayers in unison. They all dug in and gobbled up every single little last crumb up on the table, until there was nothing left except from bones and empty dishes, scraps, left on the banquet table. At the end of the banquet, the king made a speech. “Dear people, let us welcome the newcomers we rescued from the Fire Shores.” Iceder started. “Though they just joined I feel they will make great team members.” The rest of the room started chanting in unison. After the speech Sage asked the king. “What are the ‘fire shores’?” asked Sage curiously. 292

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“The battle line where the war-” The king started but a massive ball of fire broke through the wall melting everything. Suddenly, fire zombies emerged from the wall, blazing on fire. The guards seem to be oblivious to what was going on until Sage noticed they weren’t moving at all...they were dead! Suddenly the Fire Queen emerged from a humongous ball of flames and as the king lifted his staff, he was struck down by a whip, making his staff fly across the room hitting a wall and shattering it into a thousand pieces. But it wasn’t the queen. Looking to his left, he saw Katrina, her eyes blazing with fire; her armor melted the ice slowly she looked at Sage. Pulling back her whip Sage bolted but he felt a hot metal around his leg. “What are you doing, we are friends.” Sage started. “Friends, you ignored me constantly, you didn’t help when I was taken and the queen is my-” she started but stopped. She threw back the whip, with fire trickling up the weapon, and Sage bolted. In front of him a zombie appeared. But this one had the same build and face as Shank. He quickly sidestepped passed the zombie but he noticed the scar on his neck. It was Shank. He ran at full speed but he felt a scorching metal wrap around his leg again. It was Katrina’s whip. He knew that soon he would be as dead as the guards… As dead as Shank.

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Nick Noah Jung In 2011, I was given the chance to take a class with younger children at my school. Dubbed the 'Buddy Program' we were to work with children from Year 2 (first grade) for around a month, meeting each other twice a week. During our first class we were each assigned one child; our goal was to try and get to know them better through talking, reading, or playing together. I was paired with a small, inquisitive but relatively shy kid called Nick. Despite having attended the school for 3 years, I was unfamiliar with many of the younger children there and Nick was no exception. As the two of us walked out of the classroom to our own little nook, I decided to kick off the conversation with a few questions. "So, Nick what's your favourite T.V show?" "Star Wars," Nick quietly spoke "You like playing soccer?" No answer. These starter questions summed up the entire first day and the next week. Despite trying my best to get Nick to talk, he never seemed to be engaged with the activities and conversations I attempted to get him involved in. I was pretty bugged about this. All my friends were having a great time with their buddies while I had only gotten so far as to know what his favourite colour was. I constantly asked Nick's friends what he liked to do and tried to find him and play with him during some breaks. I soon became frustrated with the lack of interest Nick had. It wasn’t until a few days later that I decided to ask him if anything was bugging him. “Hey, Nick, is anything bothering you?” Immediately he looked down at the ground and began to shake. It wasn’t until later that I realized that he had been sobbing… “My mommy says I need to get chemotherapy again…” Of course, I was completely caught off guard and struggled to find words: “U-um, I’m sure that it’ll be fine. Yeah, it’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry...” Nick looked up at me with red eyes from all the tears and hugged me. From that point on, we became good friends. We would hang out often and I would bring him food and toys to play with. Despite having leukemia and being in pain from his chemotherapy, he always had a smile on his face that changed the mood for the better wherever he was. And now he is dead. Gone. It was pathetic. The commotion inside me is a blur-my emotions, senses and thoughts all seem to have been numbed as if they are frozen in ice. All that I can feel are drops of hot water rolling down my face. “It looks like...it’s beginning to rain”, Next to me, my mum also looks up, “No, I don’t think so”, “It’s raining alright”, I sigh as I blink rapidly in an attempt to hold back even more tears. 294

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She looks at my face for a brief moment before jerking it back. I can tell she’s surprised; a sharp breath of air penetrates the awkward silence that’s settled between our conversation. “We should get going, we’re going to get a cold in this rain”, she adds. “Yeah, we should!” “You wanna go get something to eat?” “No, I’m fine”, I answer. “You should try eat more, I’m worried about your health.” “I’m fine.” Mum looks at me with pity before reaching into her jacket and pulling out a piece of paper. “Oh, I heard from the doctor that Nick left you a letter”, “He told me to give it to you.” She holds out the paper and motions for me to take it. My hands are trembling with fear, excitement and a hopeful anticipation. I unfold the paper and begin to read.

“Dear Shane The doctor told me to write a letter to each person who is impourtint to us. So I wrote a letter to you. I just want to say thanks for halping me through the chimotherapy becos it hurt a lot. I dont think i would have gotten through without you. The doctor told me I was going to be better so I guess that by the time you get this ill be fine. I’ll tell you more when i see you next time. Until then, like you said, stay strong”, I stare with a blank expression at the paper. Time seems to have stopped;I reread the letter again and again and rub my eyes as I try to keep back the tears. The words, ‘stay strong’ repeats itself in my head again and again. “Shane, can I ask you something?” “Sure”, I cough. “Why do you think we’re brought into this world?” I pause for a second and gather my thoughts. “I once told Nick that we’re all given a fire in our souls. We’re given a spark that can create light in the darkest of times. I told him that it’s our life’s mission not to let that fire be quenched…” Then once again, the tears began to flow. “It’s raining…” My mother looked at me kindly. She knew that the clouds were in my heart. “Yes,” she sighed, “but the fire will still remain”.

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The Firefighter Yoshinaga Kozawa “Tommy, we need to go! Get up!” Tommy got up slowly due to the dizziness and could barely hear his friends telling him to get out. Everything around him seemed blurry. He didn’t know what the moving red blurry objects surrounding him were. “Bang!” From too much bleeding, he collapsed on the ground. “Beep…Beep…Beep…” All he heard was the beeping sound of his blood pressure. After a while, the nurse came in and started talking. Tommy nodded or shook his head to respond to the questions that the nurse had asked him. Until… “What do you mean my father is dead? He can't be. He was right behind me! I felt his warm hands lift me up.” “I’m Sorry,” the nurse replied….

3 weeks later... “Tommy complete the ‘to-do list’ on the table before I get back home and you listen to exactly what Tim says. You got it?” Uncle Jim yells out loudly from the first floor and slams the door. Tim whispers to him, “Tommy you don’t have to. He’s not the boss of you.” At this point, Tommy was 16 and Tim was 7. Tommy hated his uncle who treated him like an animal. He hadn’t respected anyone before, but after Tommy started living with him, he became more disrespectful and abusive towards Tommy. It didn’t just end there. He wasn’t even allowed to eat or take a shower before his family. For his meal, he would always have the leftovers and most of the time, Tim would say he was not hungry anymore to leave a few more scraps for Tommy. While the family were taking showers, Tommy would usually have to clean up the whole house. Enough? Not for this uncle. He even made Tommy have a room that wasn’t even a proper room. It was just a closet with a bed, a drawer and a desk inside. He couldn’t wait to get out of this house and run away from this family except for the fact that he would miss Tim.

4 years later… “Uncle may I please talk to you in private?” Tommy politely asked. “Can’t you see I’m busy right now? Stupid boy.” Uncle Jim yelled with his red face. He couldn't sit up straight and lost his balance. After a few minutes, Uncle came out of his TV room and asked Tommy to make him a drink, but Tommy rejected the command and forced Uncle to listen to him before he started drinking again. “I was thinking that I could become a firefighter…”Tommy asked quietly in his gentle voice. “You What?? No! No point in talking to you anymore now go in the kitchen and make me a drink.” 296

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Uncle smashed his hand on the table and walked away. “No” Tommy sat still. “Boy, go make me a drink NOW!” “No. Please let me become a firefighter. Please.” Tommy begged. Uncle flipped the table and caught everyone with surprise. “Make me a drink, you dumb, small brained boy.” Uncle Jim clucked his tongue. “I beg you, please.” Tommy went on his knees and lowered his head down to the ground. “…Fine, but you will never be welcomed back to this home ever again. Even if you do come back, you’ll be treated as a total stranger. What are you going to do with Tim? Huh? I mean he really loves you. Answer me.” Uncle folded his arms, enjoying the look of suffering on the boy’s face. Tommy stayed in silence. That evening, his younger brother found him. Tim poked Tommy with his tiny fingers. “Go! Don't worry about me. I’ll be fine… Take this with you.” He gave his favourite T-Rex toy to Tommy. “It hurts me worse to watch how he treats you so badly. He never does that to me.” “Thank you, Tim. I’ll miss you.” Tommy got up, went to his room and put everything in his bag as quickly as possible. It was finally time for Tommy to move on and go on the road he had chosen for himself.

2 years later… “Happy Birthday!” It was a freezing winter’s day and colder even without Tommy. Tim looked miserable. “I wish Tommy was here with me,” Tim mumbled After a while, only Tim’s 2 best friends were left in his house. Tim’s mum started making dinner for the children and left to exercise after telling Tim to stop the fire after 15 minutes. Tim was so focused on his game that he barely answered. After a few minutes, Tommy and his friends went upstairs to play a board game. While Tim and his friends were playing around, the kitchen started to catch fire, but Tim and his friends never stopped playing. The fire turned into a massive flame and almost burned the whole first floor. That’s when Tim and his friends started to smell the burning. They tried to go downstairs to see what was going on. But all they saw was the humongous flames blocking the stairs. Tim called his mum immediately and got the firefighters to come. Meanwhile, Tommy had been training and working very hard during this time. “12 Genesee Trail, Harri…” The firefighters arrived at the house as soon as possible and they were just in time to save them before the 2 floor of the house started burning. They bravely saved everyone in the house... including the Uncle. nd

“Beep…Beep…Beep” Tim woke up and found his friends right next to him. The nurse told him there was nothing wrong and that he could go the next day. “You uncle is fine. There was nothing wrong with him. Oh, the firefighter came right before you woke up and gave me this present to give it to you.” The nurse gave Tim the soft, familiar looking T-Rex toy and a letter on the top:

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“Happy Birthday Tim! Enjoy the present. I will never stop watching out for you.”

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The Fireflower Ana Oancea I dedicate this story, to everyone who was their own hero, and didn’t wait for someone to save them, but saved themselves.

Part 1 Desperation “Desperation is like stealing from the Mafia: you stand a good chance of attracting the wrong attention” Douglas Horton

In the earth far below the ever-iced ground, with snowstorms raising the snow covered ground and disrupting its layer of glittering, wicked white that seems to be caught in an eternal sleep... Below all the wind, swishing through the icicles hanging from the only uncovered spaces of snow, the high raging mountains, in a valley covered by white, and nothing else as far as your eye can reach… lay I. I was a small core of heat in the cold amber surrounding me, keeping me from finally seeing the only thing that I wanted to see, the outside. The ivory ground that I heard so much of, was still a foreign place to me, but I knew that it was where I was supposed to be. “Be patient, child,” the ground around me whispered from time to time, “your time will come.” But in my childlike naive behaviour I couldn’t have predicted the outcome of my seemingly unreachable dreams. As time flew by and my loneliness increased with every passing moment, my growing body became more and more desperate for the seemingly fresh air that would soon caress my gradually elongating body. And with every one of these desperate moments the ground surrounding me grew louder and louder almost begging and screaming for me to stay in their brown peacefulness. Because they knew... They knew that as long as they kept me there I would be safe!

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But fate had taken its course. And its course couldn’t be changed anymore. Not then, not now, not ever. What would come would come. And in my pure desperation I did not notice the warnings signs.

Part 2 Naive “”Sometimes she wishes she could return to the naive happiness of their life. But mostly, she aches to go forward, to a place her body doesn’t seem willing to take her” Shilipi Somaya Gowda

Finally it was time. An unmeasurable period of moments had passed since. And my desperation to explore the foreign ground above me had increased enormously but the opposite had happened to the seemingly never ending sphera between me and the source of my desperation. That space had decreased dramatically. Now that I was so close, I could almost feel the icy wind. Yet to me, it was a beautiful breeze caressing my body. And then… After centuries of being trapped in that confined space, my limbs felt like they couldn’t even expand. But my feelings of satisfaction at finally reaching the goal, the substance that seemed to control every element of my existence overshadowed everything else. That moment… was like absolute euphoria. I fought, so hard, I did not care about the long scratches down my tender body or my almost blossomed petals being ripped apart by the secure hands of the darkness, that with their last strength tried to force me into the cherished ground beneath me. All I wanted to do was get OUT! Breathe in. Breathe out. Fresh air. 300

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I open my eyes... Light! Light everywhere! Reflecting from everything around me! After eternity in utter darkness this although dull light still shone in my eyes like the brightest star! But with light there also comes evil. That’s the first time I saw them. In their splendid appearance, I saw the souls that the whispers warned me about. I saw them. The icicles were the first ones in my view. Their narrow bodies hanging from everything they could. And the sun beams that did manage to pierce through the thick layer of never-ending gray clouds reflected in the icicles like polished diamonds, just waiting to cut through you. But still they were so clear that everything that you saw through them seemed so much more dazzling. While admiring the icicles a white snowflake was blown into my view. It’s unique embodiment took my breath away, and, as I turned and looked around me I saw millions of snowflakes in different shapes and sizes each more splendid than the other. And how they fell to earth in their lovely dance just waiting to cover you with blankets and blankets of wicked white slowly smothering you, until you released your last breath with a long desperate scream that no one can hear. Their brilliance made their viciousness justice. And then the one thing that I had waited for so long. The wind! The movement! Oh, how magnificent! But oh, so maleficent. Its mischievous currents raised the snow in a playful whirl. But at the same time that playful whirl might as well have been an act of power, of how easily it could rip you out of your home and trash you against the unforgiving rocks with the sharp edges of the mountains hovering above you.

Part 3 Bloodshed “Stay strong because things will get better it might be stormy now but it can’t snow forever” unknown Darkness. Suddenly everything goes black. Like a colossal beast towering aloft over me. Like a dragon being woken up from its eternal sleep by something unpleasant. And a thunderous voice booms across the sleeping peissage, waking it in its course. 301

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“Who are you?” “My name is Fireflower, my dear spirit.” All at once millions and millions of of whispers start picking up voice, “What is it?” “Why is it warm?” “Why does it have color?” The whispers started to get louder and louder and LOUDER! I could not handle it anymore! It was too LOUD! The whispers turned in screams and screeches, breaking my sensitive eardrums and piercing into my brain, piercing a scar right through it, with insults of my abnormalities. But not only did the howl in the darkened blast pick up, but also the unforgiving cyclone up reared! It started going in furious circles around me, building up whirlwind around me, the wind screaming at me in its all-powerful voice, what I thought I was doing here. I was aghast. My body trembled, in the thunderous voice that was booming all around me, making my fragile body shake in every direction. But that was not enough for them. Icicles where falling down on me like razor sharp blades not killing me but, infusing enough terror for me to suffer. The ground under me, knew what was happening, they tried to keep me from all this terror but I failed to listen, I had been the foolish one. And now, I had to pay. I knew I could not do nothing against the powers that ruled the ground I grew upon. The blast picked up with an unimaginable force, and the abuse continued. For what seemed like hours, days, years, all the elements of the remaining nature, that slowly turned, evil and dark, they had grown a heart of ice, they’re fire, dying within. No more compassion, love, sympathy, not even hope could be found on this ice filled sphere. Only I was still there, a little spark of hope shining within me, barely there really. Somebody will come. 302

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Somebody will help me. Somebody will save us. But even that little spark of hope that somebody would come was too much for the glooming thunder above me. They had to ruin all traces of it. The wounds caused by the blowing wind and unforgiving pebbles of rock shooting at me like bullets almost drained all of my life essence, but deep within me, a wish, almost dead, still told me to hang on, someone would come. But nobody came. I was alone. I was an aberration. I should not exist. It should be impossible for me to exist. My life was useless. My hope was gone. They, ice, hate, darkness had won.

Part 4 Hope “The only thing stronger than fear is hope” unknown

Hope. Such an absurd word. What does it mean? Does hope save you or does it save others? But everybody has hope. You are born with it. And you die with it. No matter how much you try to get rid of it, you can’t. It is with you until the second you die. Then it leaves you. With the last tear rolling down your petal. And as my eyes slowly closed and that last tear of hope slowly rolled down my petal, I realised... I realised that I don’t need anybody, that I am my own hero. That it is my decision if I let them win or not. That it is my decision if I die or not. That it is my decision if I lose hope or not. I cling to that little peace of hope. I cling to it as hard as I can. I do not want to let it go.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the consequences of the choiceâ&#x20AC;? unknown I have two choices. One: I hold on, I cling to that little tear of hope. I live. I survive..but they die. But then I will live a lonely life. Alone. Filled with hate, guilt, anger. Not a happy life. An Ice filled life. If I cling to the seeds, they will slowly turn dark and cold and desperate. They will slowly turn into Ice. I will turn into ice. Two: I sacrifice myself. I die with hope, love, happiness; I die knowing that I am my own hero. Because I am strong. I die in peace. And as I die my seeds will burst into happiness. Into new life. Into Fire.

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Black Ice Jazmine Jones Dedicated to my Best Friends who showed me how to be positive and joyful in hard and negative situations Running. That’s all I can remember from my earliest age. You may think running is breathing the serene air, feeling freedom- it's not. When you’re running for your life, knowing that you can never go back to the way it was, it can all seem like a nightmare... This is my reality. 1912 April 15 I was skimming through the freshly printed newspaper, reading the latest news. The scent of sliced pine wood smothered my nostrils. In the corner of my eye, I saw bold words: ‘ice’ and ‘power’. The Titanic ship has sunk in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. “That’s terrible” I sighed as I rolled my eyes. How could a simple iceberg kill hundreds? What could have prevented it? Could I have prevented it? 1912 April 29 “Are you sure this will work?” I asked the eccentric shop owner. His intrepid green eyes and quivering lips made me feel uneasy. I met him through a mutual friend that can be untrustworthy at times. “Positive. This machine can bring you back to any time in the world. It may sound impossible but trust me it works. Just make sure your mind is focused on the image you want to see. Remember you only have one month to come back. Be safe .” I took a heavy breath and closed my eyes. I began to imagine the most glamorous chandelier, ornate champagne glasses, a beautiful boat deck- The Titanic. I took a deep breath... there I was, the beautiful titanic ship. The harsh, cold wind tickled my cherry cheeks as I let my eyes wander in all directions. I had to stop before I enjoyed myself too much. Before I started anything, I went down to the depths of the boat to ask where we were. I glided down the elaborate marble staircase when I arrived in a very secluded room with the captain in it.

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Images of the Titanic captain began to flood through my mind like wildfire. What if he thinks I am an intruder? Or a stalker? I decided to gather up my strength and meet the legendary Titanic captain: Edward John Smith. “Excuse me, I am sorry to intrude but where are we?” I politely questioned. His pallid beard shone under the dim light as he began to speak. “You’re her. We’ve been expecting you” he uttered. “Pardon me? You know who I am? You know I’m from the future?” A jolt of anxiety filled my voice. “Of course. You have the power to save us all.” he cautiously smiled. His sapphire blue eyes burned into mine. “Hold on... if you know what’s going to happen, why do you need me? It’s partly your fault that the Titanic sank.” I snapped back at him. “I have no control over the boat.... my harsh brother cursed me years ago… cursed me that one day I will kill thousands of people.” A tear dropped from his wrinkled eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows. Cursed? Preposterous. He scoffed and simply answered, “I know what you’re thinking. Yes. My brother and I are gifted with the most powerful weapon in the world. Fire and ice. ” He smirked. “Ice…fire? Fire and ice? Unbelievable.” I muttered under my breath. “Listen carefully. Only I can put a stop to this curse to save these innocent people but I can’t just leave the boat. That’s why you’re here. You are going to find my brother and bring him right in front of me. If you do it in time... we can stop him to corrupt all the ice around him. The boat firmly paused. Now run. Run far as you can. Run as far as your legs can take you.” He commanded me. April 30 1916 It’s been four dreadful years since I agreed to do this quest... and I regret my agreement exceedingly. I haven’t had a break, I never get a proper meal and I just miss my family desperately. It’s been well over a month now and I have no chance of seeing my family again. The frostbite on my fingers began to swell, my legs were numb and my whole body seemed like it was going to crumble into millions of pieces. The cold was too much to bear. Snowflakes were smothering my eyes like ants extinguishing globs of honey; I couldn’t see a thing. I was in the coldest of cold weather possible - This had to be it. “Excuse me! Is anyone there? I have come to see the ice brother!” I exclaimed. My voice was full of anger and desperation. “You have found me...” a familiar voice echoed like a repeating memory that I couldn’t get out of my head. “Who’s there?” I cry out with more anxiety building upon me. 306

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“It’s me, sweet pea.” a vile voice whispered in my ear. “Captain! I thought you will be waiting back at the ship?” my uneasy voice made me lose my balance. “No sweetheart. See I killed my brother years ago. I heard a legendary prophecy about you. The one who could have ended my family’s immortal curse... but I couldn’t let you do that now could I? After you left, I, of course did what I had to do. I killed those innocent people because I had to. Without that excuse you wouldn’t have come would you? I should’ve killed you on the spot... but I was too kind for that.” his foul voice made me sick to my stomach. “What are you then?” I grumbled. “I am the god of humanity’s most valuable sources! Fire and Ice. I can turn anything to ice or fire... even you.” A smirk rose to his face. I gasped with blood pumping and reeling through my veins. “Captain... I haven’t done a thing to you. I did the most excruciating favour and you repay me in this manner?” “Like I said, I should’ve killed you on the spot... there’s no turning back. Goodnight Sweetpea” That same smirk rose to his narrow, blazing yet bitter lips. That was the last sight I saw. I tried to run... but I couldn’t. My body solidified; I couldn’t move a muscle. Everything just turned black... Black. As black as ice!

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Bitter Opposites Leonora Knudsen A little girl sat in a cave, shivering. She looked around 4. An icy wind blew through the cave and the little girl shivered. The little cave was lit up with lightning and the mountains around it rumbled with thunder. The little girl shivered. Rain started to fall and blew into the cave. The little girl shivered. Suddenly, a small fire burst out in the neglected hearth. The girl looked up and moved closer to the fire that lit up the room. She felt herself warm up and she gradually stopped shivering. She was warm but she was cold. She felt herself falling asleep. The next morning An old couple were walking through the mountains when they noticed a small cave. As the sun shone, they could see a little girl lying on the stone ground. They walked in and looked at her. She looked starved and sick. The man picked her up and they hurried back down to a village at the bottom of the mountain. Six years later The little girl was now a child of 10. Years have passed since the old couple had found her in the small cave. They named her Rosalia and she learnt their names to be Helen and George. The village was a small village in Athens near the mountains of Egaleo. But Helen and George were old. They had been old for a long time. They had no other children but Rosalia. She took care of them but they had gotten so old, they could no longer get out of bed. They stopped talking but they were still there, still listening when Rosalia talked to them. They stopped moving but they were still there and they still drank water from the glass Rosalia brought to their mouth and they still chewed the food Rosalia cooked for them. But one day, the last bit of life seeped out of them. Rosalia sat by their bedside and listened as Helen whispered, hoarsely, “Goodbye Rosalia. Take good care. We will miss you.” Helen took her hand and Rosalia watched as her eyes closed peacefully, one last time. George didn’t say anything, he couldn’t say anything. But he looked at her before his heart stopped beating, before life was gone. Rosalia sat quietly. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t move. A tear trickled down her cheek. And one more. And one more, until she sat sobbing, her head in her hands, gasping for air. She didn’t stop when the neighbour came in and comforted her. She didn’t stop until she fell asleep, in that chair, and even then, tears dropped down and streaked her cheeks.

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In her dreams, she thought of the sadness. She was hurting; her heart scattered into a million pieces. All the family she ever had was gone. She didn’t know anybody else, not even the neighbours, not the kids she went to school with... no one. She was all alone. All alone in this big world. But Helen and George had been sick. They hadn’t been well. Maybe this for the better. Even in her suffering, she thought about them. They couldn’t move, they couldn’t speak. Maybe they were in a better place. Maybe they didn’t want her to be sad. Maybe they were happy now. Rosalia stopped crying. She was mournful but she was content with their death and where they would be now. She was desolate but she was at peace. Six years later Someone had come along and picked up every little piece of Rosalia’s broken heart. Someone named Christopher. And today, on her 17th birthday, he was there for her. He would always be there, he told her. Rosalia was as happy as ever. Every day was blissful and wonderful. How could she, just a regular girl, be so lucky? “Happy Birthday,” Christopher proclaimed as he helped her up in his carriage for their regular Sunday ride. “Thank you,” Rosalia replied as she sat down. They rode in silence, towards the lake and the flowers. As they arrived, Rosalia stepped out of the carriage and they both sat down on the ground near the lake. “I have been thinking, Rosa,” Christopher looked down, “What would you say to a ring?” “Depends on who it was from, “Rosalia replied. “If it was from me?” He asked, quietly and hesitantly. “Depends on the ring,” Rosalia replied. Christopher took a small box out of his coat pocket and asked, “What about this one?” He opened the box and inside was a small silver ring with a deep blue stone, the same colour as her eyes. “It’s beautiful!” Rosalia breathed. She was crying tears of pure joy as Christopher said, “I love you, Rosa. I’ll always be there for you and I’ll always love you,” He picked an apple from a nearby tree and tossed it to Rosa, as was Greek tradition, “I will share my food and my living with you and I’ll put you before myself because Rosa… I love you.” “I love you too, Chris,” Rosalia embraced him tenderly and watched as he slid the ring onto her finger. How could she, just a regular girl, be so lucky? But how could she leave Helen and George’s house? She knew marrying someone meant leaving her childhood home and she didn’t think she could handle that; that she was ready for that, even after 7 years. It was everything she had! Every memory of them. How could she abandon that? Rosalia tried to push the unpleasant thought away and just focus on Chris’ arms around her and the joy she was feeling but the nagging thought kept bothering her. 309

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As happy, overjoyed and ecstatic as she felt over this ring, she also felt distressed and worried about leaving her home. She was radiant but she was worried. Two years later Chris and Rosa were peacefully settled in their comfortable home two years later. They had gotten married, Chris had built a house and their life was blissful and serene. Sitting on the front porch, eating dinner one warm summer night, they talked about how they wanted to built their life from here. Next to Rosa sat their one-year old daughter, Clarisse, in a purple summer calico dress. Their life was peaceful. Their life was everything they wanted. But a burning heat crept up upon them. They realised too late that their perfect life had been disrupted by a fire; that their house was burning down. “Rosa, take Clarisse and get out of here!” Christopher shouted through the smoke that was beginning to put a thick layer around the house. Rosa tried to grab Clarisse and run but she tripped when a piece of the roof fell on her. She struggled to breathe but she still moved closer to the burning house in the hope of still saving the baby. More pieces of the roof started to fall and Chris roared in panic, “Rosa! Get out of here! You’re going to die!” “But what about you?” Rosa yelled back, to which he replied, “It doesn’t matter! Get yourself to safety!” Rosa struggled to breathe again but she fought her way away from the house and out onto the grass field next to the house. Smoke was still closely wrapped around her but she was out of breath, out of life at the realisation that Christopher and Clarisse were still somewhere inside the inferno that, moments ago, was their house. She lay down, exhausted from the fire and felt the world blacken as she passed out.

~ “Rosa! Rosa! Wake up!” Someone was shaking her and shouting but Rosalia couldn’t hear, or see, who. Groggily, she opened her eyes and found her vision slightly obscured. She could only see that the person in front of her was Chris. Why was she lying on the ground? Then it all came back. “Where’s Clarisse?” Rosa frantically yelled, then broke down sobbing, “Clarisse… Clarisse.” Chris started crying, too, apologizing distraughtly about not being able to save her. But Rosa couldn’t hear the words, only feel an empty space growing in her, realising the loss of her beautiful daughter. Rosa was broken, she was disconsolate, she was shattered! Nothing could ever fill that black void that the loss of her daughter had created. But then she remembered that Chris had been saved. Chris, oh Chris! She was so lucky to still have him here! She was so lucky he hadn’t died in the fire. She was shattered but she was grateful. She was warm but she was cold. 310

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She was grief-stricken but she was delighted. She was empty but she was full of hope. Rosa felt all her emotions and she didn’t know what to do with them. She was opposite. She tried to talk to Chris but her mouth wouldn’t let her. She tried to move but her body didn’t budge. In her mind, she saw Chris as he was now but then she saw his burned-up body as if he didn’t survive the fire. In her mind, she saw Clarisse running around happily but then she saw Clarisse’s mangled body lying on the ground. At the sight of Clarisse’s body, Rosa broke down sobbing, weeping, gasping for air until she couldn’t breathe and she lost consciousness. But this time, she didn’t wake up. Inside her, she was always opposite. Cold but warm. Happy but sad. Strong but weak. Fire and Ice. She was bitter opposites. And it was now the death of her.

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Lost Hero Aditeya Gupta Dedicated to all the people I have had around me and all my teachers. Thank you all for being wonderful people. This book wouldn’t have been here without all of you…

Freezing… “Silly boy, didn’t I tell you to sweep the floors and do the dishes while your father I are watching T.V?” asked Martha. “Why should I listen to you?” questioned Achilles, “You are not MY parents.” “Do you want a home or not?” exclaimed Bob. Achilles answered back, “I’d rather live on the road than live with you.” “Remember, you said it, you brat. Get out of the house and stand there. I’ll show you if you want to stay on the road,” said Bob, disgusted with the argument. Achilles was having the worst day ever! It was one of those days when you didn’t want to make your foster parents mad; and that was exactly what he had ended up doing. He ended up stuck outside in the cold, bitter, winter night of Athens. Achilles had not expected the punishment to be as severe as this. It was not that Achilles was a bad child, but it was that his foster parents were total jerks. They were lazy and stupid. Their stupidity was such that they would frequently forget their swords and weapons for most of the War Games if it hadn’t have been for Achilles. At that point Achilles was almost freezing to death. In a huff when he walked out of the door, he had forgotten his winter coat. He was furious at the audacity of his foster parents. They had no right to keep him out of the house. He thought to himself that if he was with his actual parents then this would not be happening. Furthermore, his foster parents only brought him from the orphanage because they wanted to use him as a slave. The people at the orphanage had loved him and they said they 312

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knew his father and mother. They said that there were things that they were not allowed to tell him because he was not of an age... yet... Achilles was sitting outside the house waiting for the doors to open so that he could walk in and get some sleep on an actual bed. At this point even the old gloomy bed that Achilles slept on normally seemed better than his current living conditions. Achilles was a great kid, his grades were great and he never did anything wrong. He was super strong and very kind. He had many friends and he had killed the worst beasts that had ever walked the earth! That was unusual because not only was he thirteen years old but also he had no formal training in warfare. In all, he had emerged to be a hero; no less than a Greek hero too…. Finally his so called foster parents opened the door for him. At the end of it, they were not as bad as they seemed, at least for now. He ran inside to his bed dog-tired. In a matter of seconds, he was fast asleep. The next morning Achilles got a piece of mail, a very ‘special’ piece of mail. It was written from a person, who lived in the Coral Palace. Even before he could open the letter his stone-hearted father, Bob that ugly old man, grabbed it from his hands. The two of them tore open the letter and what was written went as follows: Dear Achilles, I have a secret to tell you. Do not let this letter get into anybody else’s hands. This should not even fall into the hands of your foster parents, who I hear treat you very lowly. I await your presence at the Parthenon tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. This is very important. Just watch out for any obstacles, they are pretty life threatening. These are your tests to see if you are truly a worthy hero. If you are able to complete your test, you shall gain admission into the exalted Poseidon’s School for Greek Heroes. Yours truly, A well wisher

“What’s the matter, can I have my letter back, please?” pleaded Achilles. “No way, you are not going! This letter is going to the garbage, we will never let our slave go,” replied Bob in a gruff old irritated voice.

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Finally Achilles found the letter in the garbage, he took it out and read it...Thankfully the two had just crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash can. ”What could this person be talking about? And what is this Poseidon’s School for Greek Heroes.” He thought to himself. Questions were flooding his mind like a river through a town. He wondered what anybody would want to tell him in his boring life and anyway, his foster parents wouldn’t ever pay any fees for him to go to a prestigious school. Kaboom!!! Achilles had to find a way to get out of the house, he was curious to know what this meeting was for. He thought for a minute about what he could do. Then finally he realised that he could get all his clothes and make a rope to escape out of the window. Eventually he succeeded in making the rope and threw it out of the window down to the bottom of the two story house. He climbed down and quickly made his way to the Parthenon. Coincidentally, his foster mother, Martha, had decided to take a walk at that very time. Unfortunately Martha spotted Achilles. But Achilles started sprinting through the backyard of the house and jumped over the fence. He toppled over street carts and fruit stands making a pig sty on the streets, while Martha came dashing down the path behind him making the mess even worse than it already was. Martha felt as if she was running through an obstacle course. The street now looked pretty ‘colourful’ with all the different fruits splattered all over the road and angry vendors chasing after the two of them. Now Achilles didn’t have one person running after him through the city of Athens, but he had the almost the whole world chasing after him. A riot had started all because of him. Finally, he rounded a corner, found an alley and jumped into it. A huge weight was of his shoulders as he watched the ‘world’ go by. Achilles was at in an adrenalin rush. For some profound reason his one hand was feeling totally icy while the other was feeling very warm. He looked down to see that one of his hands was on fire and the other was covered with a coating of ice. The boy did not know what was happening 314

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to him and that caused him even more discomfort. The more agitated he got, the worse the situation became. Somehow he managed to calm down and was then able to control the flame and the amount of water he conducted. He could even turn them off if he wanted to. At that moment of awe he remembered the fact that he had to get to the Parthenon and he knew that there would be many traps and he would have a hard time getting through. On the other hand, he knew he would be able make thanks to his new found powers. Achilles had made it to his destination, but there were guards everywhere. He slowly jumped behind different structures and pillars. There were numerous traps awaiting him, but our hero, Achilles was successful at evading them. Carefully he scanned the area to see if he could see a person who was waiting for him. It was difficult since he did not know the person who had summoned him. Suddenly there was a ‘hah’ and a person caught him by the collar and started pulling him towards the outside. He turned around to see who it was and it was Bill. Martha must have summoned Bill to get him. Then suddenly he remembered that he had super powers. So he turned around and froze Bill to the ground. He wanted him to end up begging for mercy which Bob did at the end, but Achilles left him there, frozen. In time Bob would be mobile again after all, since Achilles left a small bonfire burning next to him. He would eventually thaw!

Achilles had looked everywhere for the secret person, he had almost given up hope. In fact he felt so mad at this person that he started to wonder if all of this was a prank. Just as he was about to leave, there was huge amount of heat and a portal opened up behind him. It had a watery blue aura and then a man walked out. He wore a toga, he held a trident and he had a gentle smile. The man spoke, ”I am Poseidon, the sea god. I have come to tell you the secret you have been waiting to hear!!!” The Sea God said in a low tone, “Achilles, it has been a long time I have last seen you. You have grown a lot.” 315

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“How does that matter to you though, you don’t even know who I am,” said Achilles. Something in the back of his mind told him that he also knew Poseidon. His facial features seemed so familiar, like he had seen him before. Achilles tried hard to remember where he had seen this face. Then the man spoke very slowly and guiltily, “I am your father.” Achilles was astonished at the turn of events. He couldn’t believe that he was the son of the sea god. Suddenly the realisation sank in. He was looking at himself - only an older version. “You were my father all these years and you never came to get me,” said Achilles disappointed. “No son, every son or daughter of a God must serve time on earth as you have. Now I have come to take you to my Palace under water. There you can meet your mother. I assume that you have found out about your powers by now. You have probably realised by now you are not a normal mortal. Achilles and Poseidon had gone through the portal, under water to get to the palace. It had only taken about a few seconds to get to the palace. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. It had sea shells and huge white pieces of marble. “Now my son, you shall meet your mother.” Slowly, a very elegant and slim woman came out of the castle. She swam as fast as she could at the sight of Achilles. She joyously embraced him, saying over and over again, “My son, my son. It has been so long. I last saw you when you were 12 months old. You are almost as tall as me now and what have they done to you.” “Used me as a slave,” whispered Achilles. “What, they did that to my son? They can be dealt with later, but now my son you have come to me, so from now on you are the prince of this kingdom. This is your home.” This is paradise. 316

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10 Years After… Ligun Rhi

10 Years After... (Inspired by: Nisekoi) By Ligun Rhi Sienna / Dante ~Kasai pier // May 21st 1997~ “I’ll keep the key. You keep the locket. Don’t lose it, alright? We’ll treasure them forever, under every sun and moon light. Until we meet again.” “....” “Someday, when we’re all grown up and reunited… We’ll use this key to take out what’s been locked inside. And then…” “Alright.” “Let’s get married…” And on that day, a faint smile and promise was all I could remember… before blurriness buried the images of my youth.

✦

~Sakurami street .9 // Monday, April 5th 2007 7:30AM~ This Locket : gleaming on top of my heart everywhere I go, following me to the bitterest of ends. Constantly hanging around my neck. A perception of luminescence glistening from my chest... I mean it’s just an ordinary typical locket, right? But why does it seem so rare and obscure to me? It’s plate of a tainted gold colour, with a bulky symmetrical shape wrapped around a stiff and hefty chain protecting it. On top of that is a subtle lock of some sort, a keyhole. Within this locket I’ve held for so close to me for all I

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can remember, is a complete enigma. Bits and pieces of memory of my ambiguous past. From 9… or perhaps 10… years ago? My name is Dante Sayuki. I have quite the mysterious background. My origins are half American, half Japanese. I’m fluent in both languages; in speaking and literacy. I am 16 years old and a second year at Anteiku Senior High. I have a blurry recollection of my past, and I’m on my way to piecing it all back together. Ever since the fateful car accident that took place when I was only 6 years of age, it has just been my Dad and I. I lost my beloved Mother when I was merely a child. I forgot what she looked like exactly; she was a beautiful and elegant woman from the remains of my remembrance. It was like a part of me was missing while growing up. My memory has remained fuzzy and imprecise ever since then. However this inscrutable locket has been the fragment of my past. It has been the debris of the promise I made. It’s my only hope. For some obscure reason, all I can remember is losing my Mother that day, along with that promise I made… I don’t even remember the face of that girl. 10 Years it’s been. It’s been that long already. It has definitely been awhile since I’ve wandered down this road, yet it’s the route to my school. Another year, another start. Just one day out of 365. I wonder what this year has in store for me. Maybe I can retrace my memory and find out what this bizarre locket is for? Maybe I can recall what that explicit promise was about too… “Another boring and skeptical year, I really wonder if--” “HEY HEY!! MOVE IT, WATCH OUT, COMING THROUGH” And that’s where my year all went downhill. My life till now was a series of daily hardships, but on this particular day, my destiny changed. That’s right, starting today… the daily hardships would become even more mindblowing.

“Wh-What the heck was that?” “I’m sorry” she mumbled, “I’m in a hurry” she murmured. What monstrous force I took to my face. What a miracle I survived such a frenzy. I’m just glad my locket’s still… AHH!? ~Anteiku Academy, Class 2B // 8:00AM~ And that’s basically how my day began. Or rather my year. I have no time to think about that freakish women, I need to find that troublesome locket as soon as possible. I’m sure that “gorilla-girl” knocked it off of me. Right, urgency calls first. “Okay, class! May I have your undivided attention, I’m going to introduce our new transfer student. Come on in Miss Mitsuya.”

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“Hello, everybody! I’m Sienna Mitsuya, and I transferred here from the U.S. I’ve got a Japanese Mom and an American Dad, so I’m biracial. I can understand and speak both languages to a decent extent so please don’t be shy about approaching me!” Woah she’s cute! Dang she’s got a great figure, doesn’t she? Is she just gorgeous or what? She says she’s half American! I’ve never seen such a graceful girl! Within seconds, the entire class was roaring with amusement and remarks but I couldn’t find a reason why. Drat, I had no time for this. My head was already spinning. Wait a second… And that’s when my eyes met his And that’s when my eyes met hers “You’re that…” “That female barbarian!” “Hey! What do you mean, female barbarian?” “Just now, in the schoolyard, you planted a flying knee onto my face, remember? I came this close to blacking out, you know!” “Well, I apologized didn’t I? All I did was jostle you a little. Why don’t you just forgive me? You’re so effeminate!” “That’s how you apologize? You… Monkey girl!” “Who… ARE YOU CALLING MONKEY GIRL!?” Stars. Patterns of swirling stars were all I could see at that very moment. She really packed a punch. Maybe I should’ve held back on what I said back there. She’s definitely got the personality and manners of a bulldog. Not to mention she has below zero hospitality. How could my year get off to a worse start than this? I’m going to be stuck with this girl for the whole year. But I guess we do share some similar aspects, we’re both American-Japanese after all. Oh drat! Almost forgot, I need to go find that burdensome locket tomorrow at the schoolyard... What’s the nerve of this guy anyway? Starting my new year at an unfamiliar school with such a clash! I mean it’s not my fault I was in such a hustle. I can’t stand him. What’s up with him and his locket? No, a better question would be: Why do I need to waste my time helping him go find it? What did he mention about this promise he made a few years back? Dwelling over something that happened years ago… it’s totally absurd. … Hold on. Now that I think about it, this sounds awfully familiar to me. Locket.. promise.. years ago… No. It couldn’t be. Every single thought surrounding my head seemed dense and foggy up until this point. As seconds turned into minutes, the world seemed like it was slowly turning black. My own profound thoughts, trembling under the many voices locked up 319

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tightly inside my head. Emptiness. I grasp my pillow and suppress its supple and velvety texture over my face, breathing into it heavily as if it was an oxygen mask. After a few seconds of infusing my face to my cushiony pillow, I take some time to regain myself and my breath. My head still remains a maelstrom and mixture of diverse thoughts. While pacing in a constant circle, I get a flash of ideas. Before I know it, my body is moving on its own. I reach the top corner of my shelf, enclosing my thoughts and praying that I will find a recollection of my past. I feel something… cold. A contour of what seems to have resembled: “A key”. I pull it out. I could feel myself being curbed by anxiety. I open my eyes. I see sn enticing key, tainted in the colour of rich gold, wrapped in a slip of rippled paper. I take the time to acknowledge it briefly. I don’t remember writing this. Two diary entries, ripped out of a notebook. From an entire decade ago.

May 20th 1997. Dear diary, I met him again today. He was wearing the same nifty sweater, vibrant shorts and laced-up shoes. I visited his Mother at the hospital. She wasn’t doing too well, but I know she was going to make it. There wasn’t much I could do for him, but comfort him. In the afternoon, We played. We played at the same grassy field just outside of the river bank. He cheered up a little. I was happy and overjoyed. It was a while since I’ve heard his delicate laughter. It sounded merely fragile. I am going to meet him again tomorrow. May 21st 1997. Dear diary, His Mother passed away today. She left me a present beside her hospital bed, a locket and a key. She was a very nice lady. She would never be forgotten. I met him again today. I met him at the pier. He was heartbroken. Today was our last day together. We had to say goodbye. But we will meet again. A promise is a promise, right? I gave him the locket. I told him let’s get married. He said Alright. My hands quiver under the presence of these diary entries. “... Is it really him?” ~Sakurami street .9 - Schoolyard // April 6th 2007 5:12PM~ “Hey you’re late.” “Dante…” “Just shut up and help me find it. I don’t have time to talk right now. Let’s just get this done.” “Please just hear me out! I have something to confe -” 320

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“Sienna, was it? Listen. I don’t need any of that nonsense right now. You’ve made my life near hell since you’ve caused all of this for me. Just help me search and you can get lost.” Rain. Heavy rain. I could feel it pouring on my body. There I was, drenched in anguish and heartache. Was it worth it? No, it definitely wasn’t. I went and so did it. I said the most heartless words right to her face without holding back… Words that I would soon regret. Today, I didn’t end up breaking that promise from 10 years ago. I ended up breaking a person.

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Unbroken Roy Ofek “You can’t do it. You’ll never be great. Maybe some dreams are too big to come true. Nobody supports you; why try? If you fail, you’ll be alone forever.” But not for me. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It’s not every day that you come by people who generally want to help you. At least, in my school it’s not. It’s never been easy for me but I’ve never set my head down. I’m Jack, 16 years old, and I’m just your average student - if you exclude being the class punching bag. I live with my parents and I have never received an award. I have been bullied for as long as I can remember, and I don’t belong here. “Where’s my homework, screwup?” “I… I didn’t have time-” “So you didn’t have the time huh? No, It’s ok. I’ll just fail high-school. Do it all over again.” Frank launches me against his locker. YOU THINK I’M KIDDING WHEN I SAY I’LL BREAK YOU, DON’T YOU?“ “N... no… f, frank…” And just at that moment the class bell saved my sanity. Had that bell not rung, I’d have a few missing limbs… Just as I had arrived to class, I knew I was in way too much trouble. “Late again Mr.Stones… You are aware this will affect your final grade I presume? Would you like to explain to the class why you are never on time?” At just that instant, Frank swerved around his chair and smiled at me; not genuinely. It was that cold, cruel, evil smile full or sin. Those pointy eyes were glaring at me with incredible sensitivity, assessing my every move. I had to come up with an excuse. Surely I would be able to… Somehow… “I… I… My bike got a flat tire along the way.” Laughter swarmed the room and I was sure this was going in the 5,000 page on the book of “Times Jack Embarrassed Himself”. Maybe it would even enter the title page. In any case. That was just one of the memories of failure I had stored in the very back of my mind. Until now. I was walking along the street, back from the grocery store, full of bags that had been requested by my parents. It was a dark, windy night. The streets were empty, and quiet. Nobody said a word. Except for me…

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I was mugged by a robber with a pistol who was asked for my bags. Without fighting, I set my bags down and raised my hands where he could see them. And he slowly bent down, grabbing my bags, not taking a single eye off me. Just as he picked up my bags, he kicked my lower shin and snap! Shakily, I opened my eyes. “What happened to me?” I demanded. “You were found knocked-out cold last night, with a bleeding leg. You lost more than half your total blood supply. X-rays were taken and the doctors found out that you have actually completely split your shin in half.” How was I supposed to cope with this? I have school, exams, homework, and much more… Finally I decided what I should do. “Hand me the crutches” “But you haven’t fully recovered yet!” “Just hand them to me! I need to leave! NOW.” And I set off to P.E class. “Ahh, Mr.Stones. Decided to show up did you? We were all waiting for you. Ok, class. Now that we’ve finished our warmup; give me 5 laps.” OH SHOOT! In all the hurry I forgot the doctor’s note! Coach won’t accept an Injury without a doctor’s note and he made that pretty clear. “Sir, Coach, I arrived late to class because last night I was attacked by a robber and they snapped my shin in half. I was knocked out unconscious and somehow taken to hospital.” “HAHAHA, you seriously expect me to believe that just because you’re using those stupid crutches? Nice try on that one. Run now, or you run 5 extra laps.” “But sir...” “NOW JACK” Steadily I removed my crutches and took one step, and another, and it felt like a knife was jabbing my leg through every step. Was it just easier to cut my leg off? Was it just easier to stop? Get expelled or suspended for laziness in class? Was it even slightly easier to walk? Or was it just easier to die? All those thoughts swarmed through my head. But I didn’t stop. I thought about my future, about how I could change things, about how I would never get picked on again. That feeling of anger surged through my veins like acid rippling through a wire. Adrenaline! My pain faded away and with every step, I became stronger, and with every breath, I stood for longer, and with every time I closed my eyes, I saw a better world. And it was not too far away. I started walking, and I stepped faster and faster. Now jogging, no. Sprinting. Running faster than everyone by one lap. Finally I reached the finish line and collapsed just before it. Everyone passed me. “You didn’t cross the finish line. I’m disappointed in you. Jack.” “Jack, Jack wake up. There’s school today,” Steadily, I rose from my bed to start just another day in hell, but today was different, I just didn’t know it. It was in the cafeteria when I was simply getting my lunch, I bumped into Frank. My lunch spilled and spoiled all over his shirt. I was in a state of shock. My mouth hung open, I steadily took a step back. Rage filled his eyes, staring into my soul, just waiting to shred it to smithereens. In a blink of an eye, his

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hand jabbed against my throat and clamped around it. I felt weightless, my feet not touching the ground, struggling to breathe. “You… you… How DARE you humiliate me in public! Do you have a death wish? Do you?” “N… no, I’m… s, sorry” I struggled to reply with what little breath I had left in my lungs. “How about we end you right here and now? No more pain, huh?” “Just... l, let me go…” Then he flung me out the nearest window like a ragdoll, I hit the ground. My head hit the ground. Everything was silent, cold. I could only see the sky above, with stormy clouds looming over me, and there and then, I saw sunlight. Just a tiny peep through the storm. And that little light gave me hope. I was no-longer confined to these chains of despair. I was free. I sat up, my senses coming back into focus. Students were crowding around me, I struggled to move my first limb, then the second, and so on. I raised my right arm and set it against the ground. Shakily, I got up. Blood covered me in every direction and shards of glass still hung in my cuts. But I got up. And everyone stared at me; their eyes wide open. Amazed. Frank was in that crowd. And he too, was staring in shock. Nobody would be able to fall from a two-story building and still get up. I limped over to the nurse’s office, got a wheelchair, cleaned up and went home. Satisfied with my accomplishment, my eyes grew heavy and i became drowsy as my head lowered until my eyes shut and I fell asleep... When I returned, Holly, the 2nd most popular girl in the school was in the gym. “Hi,” I attempted. “What are you doing here?” “I’m uh, just, doing whatever you do in the gym I suppose. Why are you here?” “Jake ticked me off. That pig. Thinking he could humiliate me in public? And what’s even worse is that my own best friend turned on me. Joined Jake’s side. But that’s not the point. I just come here whenever I’m angry or mad.” She responded with a dark tone. “Oh... yeah. I know how that feels. Being Jake’s #1 nerd is most certainly not fun. You really hate ending up in 2nd place, don’t you? Letting Jessica toy with your emotions. Why are you even her friend?” “I suppose, I need her for my reputation. She is the only thing keeping me, safe, in this school. Without her, I’d end up like you. No offense” “None taken. But why don’t you do something about that? I mean, you have power with words don’t you? You’ve always been the school speaker and you have the power of the people. Use that.” I had to do something about this issue. I could not let Jake keep bullying everyone. He was a flaw in the system. If I could so much as banish him from this school, I might become the most popular kid in the school! Maybe even get into the book of important people or something. He overthrows teachers, students and is a big douchebag that is a gravitational field for anger. Nobody could get enough of him. But this had to end. I could not live the rest of my life with this guy. If I did, at some stage, I would break. If you know what that means... Throughout the day, the same message would not get out of my head. I wracked my brain until It hurt. And just then, at assembly hall, I got the idea. A speech. Remember that phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword”? Or perhaps “Darkness cannot scare away darkness, 324

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only light can do that”? Words are the solution. You cannot scare the devil away with violence, it’s what he’s made of. If I’m ever going to change Jake. It has to be through words, and I can’t do it alone. “Holly, I have a plan. We’re going to stop Jake so he never hurts anyone again, and we won’t even touch him. Meet me at assembly hall, at 7:00 with anybody who feels Jake should not act as he does. See you then, Jack.” “Ladies and Gentlemen, Jake, our fellow classmate is a parasite. He bullies people so that they are forced to become ruthless and transform, thus infecting them. We cannot let Jake infect anybody for any longer. Darkness cannot scare away darkness, only light can do that. As assembly was about to begin, I approached Jake and his gang as they were about to enter the hall, I stepped out to the stage and steadily trotted over to the podium. 200 pairs of eyes greeted me with unsettling curiosity. All this nervousness was making me nauseous. I took a breath and began my speech. ““Ladies and Gentlemen, Jake, our fellow classmate is a parasite. He bullies people so that they are forced to become ruthless and transform, thus infecting them. We cannot let Jake infect anybody for any longer. Darkness cannot scare away darkness, only light can do that. My name is Jack, and you may not know me, but I too am a victim of his wrongdoings. I get thrown around, battered, physically abused and treated with not a drop of respect. This is just a few examples of these monstrous act he makes towards individuals. But I do not stand alone. All of you know how bad Jake is. If you so much as ask him why he teases people, he will break. No human can deal with that much guilt. Unless he isn’t human. We should not be treated like this. If you join me, together, we can eradicate this disease from existence and create actual happiness in this school for the first time. Like my father once said: With every force there is a countering force with the same strength. And I am that strength So I ask of you but one question.” And with one final breath I exclaimed once again: “WHO IS WITH ME?” And the entire crowd started cheering in delight and for once I felt the feeling of true happiness. *************************** As I arrived back to class, I have never been more horrified in my life. Jake was standing there, blood sweat and tears all over the floor. “You did this to me.” He muttered in silence. And my own words came back to me: Darkness cannot scare away darkness, only light can do that. But as I saw him standing there, bleeding, I realised that I hadn’t fought with light at all. I had only made the fire worse...

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The Elder Eunse Kim “Daddy, why do we have to leave our village?” queried a perplexed boy to his hard-working Father while he was packing his belongings. “We have to get out of this village for a new place to live in order to survive,” the father clarified to his child in an anxious, trembling voice. He was one of the villagers in a town called, Guafi Town, where all the people that have escaped from the calamity of the Fire and Ice war survive. They had been foes for thousands of centuries, and even though they don’t get along well, their people want to stop the hatred between them. So they made a new rule that if anyone protests about the eternal battle, they were to be executed or imprisoned. Because of this, other elements started to agree that the war should be stopped. However; Ice and Fire never listened to them. Some curious people say that they had a loathsome past together during their merry childhood. But the past still remains a mystery; as the two never speak about it. Then one day, an elderly man, who knew of Ice and Fire’s childhood, claimed that they were once friends until Fire and Ice were tricked by a demon. This caused Fire and Ice to never forgive each other. After the Elder told us about the story, he was later sent to death by the wrath of Fire. As time passed on, many people and soldiers died. The population of the Ice realm and the Fire realm decreased very rapidly. The two elements declared a training session for the soldiers in order to create a break from the centuries of fighting. . ––––––––-----------------------------In the Fire Realm---------------------------------------Flames go wild, ashes float, volcanoes erupt and temperatures go high. “I want everyone to work harder!” Fire exclaimed to his Lieutenants, Colonels and Vice Admirals.

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“But, sir if we carry on like this, a large amount of people will die!” argued one of the Admirals. “I don’t care, I just want to have victory! I am sick of this stalemate” thundered the Fire Lord. The more soldiers that died during the battle, the more people got blazed by the angry flames and they decided not to let their sons sacrifice their lives. However, it was no use. If they protested, they would die. Everyone despised the idea of gathering all their men for such slaughter.. ------------------------------Meanwhile, In the Ice Realm--------------------------------In the Ice Realm, the rules were different. Anyone could join the Navy, however they mustn't leave the training period until the war ended and that meant that there should be a sufficient amount of people. If anyone did leave, they would be tortured, exiled or executed, depending on the circumstances (which could be more painful than the punishments in the Fire realm). Most of the Ice men agreed that it was a fair decision - better than the ones in the Fire Realm. ---------------Battle starts: Two days later: preparation begins------------Unexpectedly, a woman with peculiar crimson eyes appeared in the village and began to declare, “The battle with the two opposing elements will start 36 hours from now! Everyone, quickly pack and run as far as you can! This war could destroy the whole countryside!” Then the woman disappeared into the silk-like thread of the wind. Villagers, in “The World of Living” started preparing for evacuations to bigger cities, since they had heard of the war starting again and destroying their villages with inferno and hoarfrost. At noon the families soon left their home village and walked through the mountains as some other villagers were still packing their property such as: mining tools; delectable foods; colourful toys; farm animals and sharp weapons. Two days later, after a serious amount of training with the soldiers, the two elements soon came to the isolated field where only Fire and Ice wanted their soldiers to clash with their hearts and souls. 327

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“We meet again,” recalled Fire in a plain voice. Ice’s sky-blue eyes quivered in pure hatred. Soon, when they clashed, the tension in the atmosphere increased and the soldiers’ swords danced in the steam. “It seems that you’re getting weaker every time we battle, Ice.” hissed Fire. “Is that so, your attacks are as light as a feather.” argued Ice. “You never change! Not since we were children, Ice.” Fire added. The more Fire created a conflagration, the more Ice created black frost which made plenty of destruction amongst the countryside. Suddenly, there was a clear, loud and familiar voice that Fire and Ice knew from long ago… It was the Elder, the man who told the history about their Fire and Ice’s shattered childhood. He hadn’t been killed after all! “This is a disgrace you two, I am ashamed!” He looked as if someone had insulted him harshly and it made a cold expression. His electric blue eyes stared down to their souls. “What are you doing here, Elder, I thought you were dead.” asked Ice in shock. “Don’t you know that the incident from your family and friends’ death was because Fire thought that you killed his family? A demon has tricked you both!” Fire and Ice were both in disbelief. But in that brief moment, one of the Fire Colonels arrived. In a blink of an eye, magma went straight through Ice’s chest like a bullet. Blood. Blood flowed down from his mouth. Ice soon collapsed and, as he did, Fire grabbed him... The lifeless body of the Leader of the Ice realm evaporated and flew gently into the air. Then, at the red sunset, at the edge of the cliff, stood a slim figure with pale skin and crimson glowing eyes that shone in the distance. “So brother, did you avenge your family and friends’ death? Have you fulfilled your wish?” A dark smirking smile then came to the lips of the red, eerie shadow. 328

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;At last, I have an opportunity to destroy the whole Ice Realm! Their delicate souls are perfect and delicious. As it seems, my plan has workedâ&#x20AC;? hissed the Demon. And that is when Fire knew that the Elder had spoken the truth. He had been tricked by a demon. A demon who was his own sister.

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Peacekeeper Sophie Kim “It’s going to be okay,” I hear the voice, “I know that you can do much better next time, right?” As she passes by, I hear her trash‐talking about how I failed the job interview. I am expected to get the job that my orphanage wants me to get. I am nineteen, but the principal of this orphanage wants me to get a job as soon as possible so that I can get out of her orphanage. All I could do was to just stand still and look up to dry the water falling out from my eyes. This is not a tear. It’s not! I am not crying. I’m not! I always wanted to be like normal kids. ‘Did I want too much? Is it too much for a person like me to live or study like the normal kids?’ The more I think of it, the more I realize that all the things I want are too good for me; that I can’t even dare look at them. With that sad fact in mind, I walk up to the darkness with the water falling from my eyes and close the window that had brightened up the world I had hoped for… I am not crying. I’m not! Yet I can barely blink my eyes. Well, I guess I wasn’t able to control the water coming out from my eyes. I grab my jeans, white shirt, and thin grey jacket as I recognize that the weather getting colder. I walk down and grab a bread which has been there since a week ago. I head to the library and don’t forget to lie to principal that I am going out to look for a job. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ “Please wake up, your highness.” a person who seemed to be a servant said with a desperate voice. “I am awake,” said a voice which you could tell belonged to a person who was exhausted and sad. “You know that it didn’t mean in that kind of way. You know what he means.” the king says with an angry voice. “My lord, do you think my baby would be able to breathe and laugh next to me if I was there at that time?” asked the queen of Titus. As soon as the queen mentioned ‘that time’ the king and the faithful servant of Titus suddenly changed their facial expression as if they had lost everything. “We miss you, my sweety. We miss you.” said the queen looking outside and seeing the villagers laughing and dancing, twisting and swishing their colorful hair... 330

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‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ The sky was pinkish and some kind of orange at the same time. The wind was blowing my hair slightly which felt nice and breezy. I had my bag on my back. It was pretty heavy because of my books. I was walking to my home (I mean my orphanage) just to sleep. I saw a raindrop falling over right in front of my eyes, which was pretty weird since I actually saw the raindrop falling over. It was a small raindrop. I didn’t care since running to the orphanage was the first thing to do. I started to run, then the rain was falling harder and harder as the time passed by. This was pretty weird too, since I didn’t get wet without using an umbrella. I looked around to see if there was anything wrong around me. No one was around; not a single car or cat was on the street when this street is usually really crowded over people and cars. I felt someone pulling my bag so I looked back but there was no one still. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. Should I walk? Should I run? Or should I ask for help? I just stood still and thought of what to do with this situation. Then I felt the pull again so I looked back and shouted. “Who is this?” And I saw a man dressed in black with silvery hair. His hand was somewhat glowing... “Hi, sista” said the man with the playful voice. “Who are you?” I said “I am your brother, sista.” “Yeah right. You know first of all, I don’t have a brother. And second of all, do you know what the heck is happening right now to me...and you? Since you are not getting wet too.” “Use your brain sista. I obviously used my power to control it. I bet that you got your brain from our dad.” “Dad…? I don’t have… Wait. Who are you?” “Well… no time for a cup of tea. You have to come with me.” “No. I have my job interv….” Before I finished my sentence, he just held my hand and brought me to the oddest place. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ “Today seems like a good day, sista.” said the man who kept calling me “sista”. “Where the hell are we?” I asked with a bit of an angry tone. “I guess our mom is not crying again since the smell of the water right now is not that salty. I looked around and saw a sea. No...under the sea. Oddly, there were no fish or any other things but all I could see were four gates with two knights on the every post.

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“Listen, sista.” “Oh now what?” “If you don’t want to get get barbequed or be ice‐cubed or turn into coral, you better listen to me.” he said. I didn’t say anything since I was scared... just a bit. JUST A BIT. “Basically sista, do you see the gate at the very left?” “Yes. The one with the fire flaming…? Wait. There is fire here? Under the ocean? What?” “I said no cup of tea right now.” he said. “I said no cup of tea right now.” and I repeated the same thing with the mocking voice. “The one on the very left has the power of fire.” “That is not really an amazing power. I mean, you can’t even use fire here under the sea? I bet that they have such a weak power.” “Are you kidding me, sista? They are one of the strongest kingdoms.” “Or maybe not” “One of the knight there is a space traveller. You must be careful. He might just grab you and run“ “That would be really useful on the earth.” “Currently, we are located in Earth, sista” “How? But I have never heard of this place.” “Obviously. If mankind found this area, they would be killed by either the sharks around the kingdom or the knights.” “…Does that mean that I would get killed?” “Do you think? You are my sister, sista” “Is that a big deal? You are a knight. Aren’t you?” “Wow. You seriously don’t have any memories with this world.” “Excuse me? Am I supposed to? I’ve never been here.” “But you were born here.” “I am? I was born here? How? When?” “Or maybe you are actually born in England.” “No, I wasn’t.” “Oh, I thought you were, since you seemed like a person who would like to grab a person and ask loads of questions and have a cup of tea.” “You know what, just explain the rest of the kingdom.” “Yeah, sure. Just don’t cut me in the middle.” When he tried to explain more, a person approached us who had a generous smile. He made other people comfortable just by his existence.

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“It’s an honor to meet you, my princess. Please let me allow me to walk you through every each kingdom.” “To start with our kingdom, Ice, is the strongest out of all the kingdoms. We were the strongest from the beginning of the time and it was never changed. “Oh, then you guys have no wars?” I said with a surprised voice. “We don’t had any wars between the kingdoms, yet. However, the relationship between Fire and Ice kingdom is tense.” “Tense? Why” “Because the Fire kingdom is just so jealous of our kingdom. They kept seeking chances to invade us so that they can be the strongest. But, they can’t even try to invade us since you are here. You are the princess who will change the whole policy and make a turning point. You are the 11th peace‐keeper. Plus, you are the sister of that guy over there who is staring at us for like the whole time.” “Peace‐keeper? What is that?” “Peace‐keeper is a person who has every single power of each kingdom. They are the strongest people in this world. They usually come from Ice kingdom. However, you were gone for few years because of the knights of the Fire sent you to the Earth.” Then suddenly, my brother comes over and grabs my shoulder strongly. “We are all set up, sista. We got to go.” said my brother. “Such manners. Thanks.” I said. “I will see you again at the festival, my princess. I, the knight of Nature, will guard you until your final breath.” Then something bright flashed into my eyes. I heard people gasping. I opened my eyes and saw my brother Kyle looking at me with a surprised face. “What? Did you finally find the time for some tea?” I joked. “Let’s go see your parents. They missed you more than I did.” said my brother with the delighted voice. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ “So, there is no one in this palace?” I asked with curiosity. “Before we found you, our kingdom was filled with sorrow and sadness. Our mom and dad banned every single person from entering the palace because of their depression.” Boom! All of the sudden, I heard a big bomb and when I looked forward, the two knights who had fire flames on their sharp hand pushed through my brother’s stomach.

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I just paused for a moment. I wasn’t able to think of anything. I slowly turned right to see my brother’s dead body. His body was burnt and his hair slowly turned to black. Like really black. I kneeled down. Then, I started to realize that a tear, the thing that I never had up to now in this world, was falling from my eyes. The great feeling, called anger, was coming towards me. I was so mad that those two knights who are still staring at me. I started to rise up in the water. Something blew really hard towards me. When I looked down, my hair had turned into reddish gold. My right hand suddenly had flames and my left hand had frizzy air coming out. I looked forward and ran towards them... ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ A girl was running towards the entrance of the Fire kingdom. Her hair was red but, shining like gold at the same time. She had drops of water coming out from her eyes despite the burning anger. Her hands were flaming with fire but had an icy cold hand on the other sides, too. When she entered the Fire kingdom, all the people were coming towards her, even the citizens. They had no soul in their eyes. They wore worn off clothes unlike the Ice kingdom. They were just approaching her slowly. She stopped for a while and looked around. Then she saw,stones covered with fire were coming towards her from one side. On the other side, the flaming spears were coming towards her. “Kill the princess! Whoever kills the princess shall be granted the majesty of our kingdom!” roared one of the knights. As soon as the knight finished the sentence, they started to throw their weapons towards the princess. But then the bright light suddenly came up. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ In a blaze of light, she appeared with a big crowd of knights. You could tell right away that they were a strong and powerful people by the weapons and the suits. “I have waited for this, my people. Since we waited for the return of the princess, and she has come. Let’s show the power of Ice. The great power of Ice shall embrace the death of my son.” “Make the Fire knights burn!” declared my mom in a powerful voice.

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The War Dungeon Alex Foord Please Read Fire Shores First Or This Book Will Not Make Sense

With apologies to Stan Lee,Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby for stealing the idea of Thor's hammer idea for the finisher. This book is dedicated to the reader because you're the one taking the time to read it.

As Sage opened his eye he saw nothing but dark shapes. The room felt moist but something was off; it felt warm. His eyes adjusted to the room and on the walls he saw Locki, Katrina and the Ice King Iceder. He attempted to remember what happened but he felt as if he had amnesia. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him: the fireball that penetrated the wall, the zombies, Shank and Katrina. He realised what happened. They were captured and imprisoned in the Fire Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dungeon... The rest of the group slowly awakened. They were all dazed at first but then they remembered. None of them were seriously injured but they had burns from the whips. They all told their story from their point of view. They were all taken here. Many of the Ice people had escaped the castle but few were hunted down. **************** I should be happy, Katrina thought while she ate. Her battalion had: stormed the castle; successfully apprehended the Ice King and her friends and killed off a bit of the escapees. She thought back to after she was taken by the fire queen she was in a room; this room however was for a baby. When the Fire queen returned she explained to Katrina that her name was Cinder and that she was her momâ&#x20AC;Ś ******************

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Hours seem to pass while Sage, Tabitha, Locki and Iceder waited in the cell. They talked for a little but they still couldn’t get passed the fact that they were imprisoned. Suddenly someone was at the door, but the figure of this person was strange. It quickly faded but at the door was a knife; engraved on it were the words “only the worthy may hold this blade”. Icder reach for it. The sword wouldn’t budge though. The rest of the group each tried their might and as Sage’s hand wrapped around the blade it lifted… She was training with her whip outside, hitting trees and targets, when her mom came out. “Hi Kitty,” said Cinder. Her voice soft as she walked out. “Hey mom. Don’t call me that. Did Shank survive the attack?” Katrina replied bursting out the last bit. “Yes he did, would you like me to bring him back to human form?” “Yes please, you can do that?”She asked curiously. “Yes, I got the power from the attack so I’m stronger now.” Cinder replied lifting up her hands as a body started forming. Suddenly the body dropped to the ground with a blanket over him… **************** As Sage hid the knife a zombie came and dropped them a tray of food each. On the tray was what looked like: rat pasta; flesh souffle and mouldy carrot sticks. The group were starving, they tasted a bite but luckily it was tasteless. They finished the meal quickly and left the trays in front of them. They then were given a bottle of water which was as see through as a crystal made of opaque stone. This as well was tasteless but the meal was still revolting. Then a person appeared at the door. The person (who they assumed was a man) was six feet tall. Over his head he wore a black hood and in his hand was a serrated axe. He was here to execute them… and his badge said “executioner” with something else under it… *********************

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Suddenly the man on the ground opened his eyes. And spoke. “Where am I…?” “Shank!” Katrina said recognizing the voice, “You’re at the fire side. My mom saved your life.” “Say what?”asked shank with a confused look on his face. “I’m at the fire side? Last thing I remember was falling to my death with Karma watching.” “Say what?” asked Katrina more confused than Shank. “Well Karma or The Hooded Mage is a mage sent from the gods to help with the war. He may have watched Shank attempt to kill Sage in your other realm and appear to take credit for my kill. And I am Katrina’s mother” Cinder cut in to explain. “Ohh, that makes as much sense as nine plus ten equalling twenty one. From the start please!” Shank snapped sarcastically. “Well THM or The Hooded Mage causes havoc on each side by the duty of the goddess of fire Cinder, my mom, or by the god of ice Iceder, my ex-husband's father.”Cinder explained. “Who’s your ex-husband?”asked Katrina curiously. “The Ice King” Cinder replied… *********************** The executioner lifted his axe and… cut through… a metal bar. Then the person put their hand on it and it melted slightly repairing what was there. Then he left. The group started talking about a plan to escape, but all the ideas involved tools they didn’t have, other people they needed or C4. Sage was obsessed with explosives. Sage was examining the knife while they talked and found another inscription that he read to the group which said. ‘The Finisher’. .. ************************** “WHAT!” screamed Katrina. “THE ICE KING?” “Yep.” replied Cinder. “YOU’RE AT WAR WITH YOUR EX-HUSBAND.” “Yep.” “WHY” “Well I wanted the realm warmer but he complained it was warm enough then we got into a big fight and started a war.” 337

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“Well that’s not ridiculous.” Shank cut in sarcastically. “When did this war start?”asked Katrina. “15 years ago. A year after you and your brother were born.”Cinder replied. “Who is my brother?” asked Katrina. “Sage I believe is his name-” Cinder started but Katrina couldn’t hear the rest. Sage was her brother. “Can we visit him in his cell?” Katrina cut in to Cinder’s complaints about her son. “Who?” Cinder asked. “Sage.” “Well fine” Cinder said signaling a guard to come and get them. ************************ A few hours after their brainstorm for an escape plan, two forms appeared at the door: Katrina and Shank. “Hi guys.” said Katrina. “SHANK!” Locki, Sage and Tabitha yelled simultaneously. “Ya Katrina’s mom fixed me up.” Shank told them. “Say what?” Sage said. “Yep that’s what I said.”Shank replied. They swapped stories but when they get to the family trees they got a bit confused. “Wait so my mom is Cinder and dad is Iceder and I have godly grandparents?” asked Sage. “Yep you're an immortal. Just below demigod.” replied Iceder, “Also Cinder left out the part that she wanted to scorch the world and throw you into a lake. Luckily I saved you guys and put you into your realm.” “Thanks, now I have a plan to get us all out of here! ”Sage finished. The next day the executioner appeared at the door. When he reached them he started talking. “You have one hour to walk around. I will escort you. Try running and you will be limbless.” The executioner explained, his voice higher than it looked to them but still sounded deadly. “Where can I use the toilet?” asked Locki. The executioner pointed to a room that looked dilapidated. Inside there was a lone toilet and a sink. Five minutes later Locki appeared out of the room. 338

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“Let’s go.” he started as they walked around. There were many cells but they were mostly empty. The only thing in them were skeletons. As they turned a corner, the executioner lead them into a room. He quickly looked around and pulled off his hood. As he did so, hair the color of gold streamed out and they saw his face. It was a girl. “I have been expecting you dad.” she whispered her voice calmer and more peaceful. *************************** It was the day after they made the plan. Katrina and Shank walked into the armoury; it was abandoned as they hoped. “Doe hass rath me lowa.”Katrina exclaimed in a different language and the stone on the wall stopped moving. “Just turning of the security enchanted stones.” she continued in English,“Now grab some gear and let’s move.” They grabbed swords, helmets and anything they could get their hands on when Shank started talking. “Why did you betray your mom so quickly?” asked Shank. “Because she tried killing me, threw me into a world where I didn’t belong and tricked me into thinking this was my place.”she replied immediately because she had asked herself that question already and then, “hurry! The stones will turn back on soon.” *************************** “Hello Viedre long time no see.” Iceder replied. “Sage meet your half sister Viedre, she has been here helping our soldiers escape, and apparently she decided to be an executioner.” “It’s an easy job.” Viedre explained. “Now when are you escaping?” “No security?” Asked Icder. “No that’s why I brought you here.” “Tomorrow. During your lunch break. We have Katrina and Shank helping too.” “See you there.” Viedre ended the conversation and pulled them out the room. ************************************

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It was noon. Katrina and Shank were walking to the group’s cell; weapons hidden. They reached the door and slowly cut the locks. Then when they broke out, the gang geared up. They ran for the exit when they were stopped by a guard. Sage drew his knife and using the butt, knocked him out. There was a round dent where it hit. “Let’s go.” She said. “That’s Viedre our half -sister,” Sage explained while they ran to the next doors Having his knife ready, Sage kicked open the door but waiting for them was the Fire Queen Cinder and her army. The group quickly ran at army, stabbing and cutting the soldiers. As they went through the soldiers, their clothes got redder with blood. They sliced heads and cut limbs until the floor was soaked with a crimson red substance. Sage turned to see what was left but they were surrounded. And then his sword became Ice. He slashed through more of the soldiers who also turned to ice. Then to his left, he saw that Locki was about to get his head sliced off like when you carve a turkey so he threw the knife...It burst into ice shards saving Locki. Lifting his hand the knife flew back into it. Then he saw that the group were on the ground, soaked in blood. Suddenly he was knocked to the floor and his knife disappeared. “Sage, son, how nice to see you.” Cinder said from behind her battle armour. Then she pulled back her whip and slammed it into his leg. The metal burned through his flesh, impaling the muscles. “Too bad I have to kill you all.” Cinder said as she pulled out a second whip and aimed it for Sage's head and swung it. The metal flew through the air, crackling with flame as it blazed towards Sage’s head…

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Heavy Life. Light Death Myles Avis Dedicated to Niklas R-T for helping me edit my story and Mark Williams who is a friend of mine who lives in Germany and on his way to Oman.

In Russia, there was a surreal school boy but he lived an ordinary school life. Every morning, he would get up, get dressed, get washed, have breakfast and go to school on the school bus… And only I knew, who he really was. I was cutting pork when I first saw him. Working with a knife is one of my best skills and that’s the reason why he choose me to work for him. The pork was rank. I’ve never whiffed anything that horrendously foul in my entire life. It might have even believed that itself because it was so rotten. It felt very squishy and nasty but I had to keep a low profile otherwise I would have been caught. But I also enjoyed it because the swoosh of the metal chopping through the pork and hitting the table reminded me of my home town Texas, where we had meat and BBQ all the time. That one day I saw him, I knew something was different about him, but somehow I just couldn't put my finger on it; I could feel a strong vibe that he was hiding something. But no one apart from me knew it. I was not even sure if his friends knew that there was something different which was peculiar so I wanted to know more about this strange young boy. “Hey aren’t you the butcher from down the road?” screamed some kids. “Yes I am now leave me alone.” I demanded like I was annoyed with them. “No, why should we?” they stupidly yelled in unison. “Because I told you to, now do what I said or else!” I responded angrily. “No, you’re not our dad, and we don’t have to listen to you!” they cockily replied. 341

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“But I’m older than you so respect your elders, because without us, you would never be alive.” I stated, glaring at them. “No because we hardly know you.” they replied with sass. “But you said I’m the butcher from down the road” I replied trying to be sassy back. So I walked off while the kids were smiling, thinking that they won the argument/fight however, it wasn’t over, it had only just begun… The next day I got into my car and followed the school bus but when it arrived at the school it looked normal. So then I drove around the school and there was nothing that looked sketchy. Just before I was going to get out my car and go into the school, my phone rang and it was my boss so I had to answer it. And it was urgent. “Hello?” he barked with a deep echo in his voice. “Hello.” I replied nervously. “I need you to go after someone.” He demanded, his voice hitting me with impact. “But I’m already after someone in my car -” “I don’t pay you to drive around in your car don’t I” He said after rudely interrupting me. ”Ok what is it” I murmured with some regret. He wanted me to spy on someone. So I had no choice otherwise he would certainly be after me. If you don’t accept what my boss orders, he’d be done with you. It’s happened to loads of people before, well that’s what I’ve heard at least! He’s so convincing that he could get away with murdering anybody right in front of you, and he would still say that he hadn’t done it and for some strange reason, you would believe him. So I cautiously asked “Who is it?” He stated “It’s a young boy with blond hair, brown eyes and is quite tall.” And I knew exactly who he was talking about. So I left the school to start a plan but, even though I knew who he was, it would not be easy -not one bit! 342

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I spent all night thinking and plotting but nothing came together;my mind was blank. It was only later that night that I realised that I should apply for a job as a maths teacher in his school. So I started to a bit of studying until it was about 3 am in the morning when I stopped to have a break, because I couldn’t handle all that studying. It was too problematic so I just went to bed. The next morning I contacted the school so I could apply for the job, “We’ve got Maths, English, Science and Art that have spots for new teachers”. “I would like to apply for Maths please.” “Um ok.” “I will get in touch with you in the next few hours so that you can start your trial week tomorrow.” And then my plan was finally underway because they had accepted my offer to work at his school. And that’s when I knew I could get him right in the grasp of my hands, making this scheme a lot easier. So at last it was time for morning registration and so I got to know them, a lot especially “Morning sir” shouted the children I moodily replied “Moooornig.”. And just when I was about to call the special one over the bell went for lesson. So I went to the head teacher of the school. “Excuse me” I stuttered. “Yes sir” he confidently replied. “Will I be able to take the kids out of the lessons one by one so I could get to know them more?” I reported. “Sorry but not this week because it’s their end of year test this week” He curiously answered back. So I left his office. A week had gone past and being a teacher sucked so I thought to myself, I’m going to quit this job. At that moment I heard a racket outside so I 343

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dropped the phone and observed out the window. And as I looked out the window, I saw the boy, I was supposed to kill and he was being attacked… As I got down there he chucked them all of at once and that’s when I knew he was special. So I invited him in. “How are you?” I politely questioned. “Good thanks’” He curiously answered. “Would you like a drink?” I boringly asked. “Yes please” He quickly replied. So I went down to the cellar to refill and then that’s when I heard noises in the living room so I ran upstairs and the drawers were opened and so was the front door, so I went and closed it and the door handle had ice on it… But when I touched it, it melted, and that’s when I definitely knew it was him. “Boss, Boss, Boss”. “Calm down what is it”. “I found him”. Silence “Boss hel-hel-hello”. “Yes”he confidently answered. “I thought you went” he snapped. “Oh yeah I didn’t want that drink anymore by the way” replied the boy. But his voice was coming from the phone... After three hours looking for the boy, I was going to give up but just as I turned around I saw him. So I got my shopping and put it in my other bag and ran towards him. And put my bag on his head and tied it tight. And that moment I chucked him in my boot and drove home. I ran into my house with him and tied him to a chair and the undid the bag “Do you want that drink?” I whispered. “No thank you”. 344

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“Why did you do that?” “Do what”. “Look through my stuff and run out. And why were you on the phone?” “No reason”. So that’s when I started to attack him, he was bleeding then he hit me back in the shoulder, and it hurt so I hit I’m in the shoulder and that hurt him too. So I got an idea that he must only feel it in the same places I feel it. So I started to hit him where it hurts me. “Stop.” Silence. “Stop, stop, stop”. “Why!” “I’m your son!!!” he screamed with a strong voice And that was when something extraordinary happened. It was almost like It was something supernatural with beams of light which were red and blue and it combined it was like two complete opposite people combining. Or like Fire and Ice...

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