Peer 2019

Peer 2019

Literary Works from GSWLA World Literature and Composition I Tallwood High School June 2019

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The Table of Contents Part I: Poetic The Rainbows The Haikus The Sonnets Part II: The Different and Similar Part III: The Inspired Part IV: The Reviews Part V: The Anagnorisis Part VI: The How Tos Part VII: The Researched

Part VIII: The Narratives

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 NOTE from Editor: Compiled in these pages are the works of some outstanding writers, early on in their writing careers. Student writers were challenged over the course of their freshman year to compose 12 pieces of “publishable” writing, while adhering to the “rules of the road,” rules that, among other things, banned the be verbs, took away the right to be vague by ridding their work of “thing endings”, and had them follow criteria for different types of writing, from the academic essay to the creative poetic, and essentially everything in between.

The freshman class of 2019 who will graduate in 2022 is the seventh class to do the 12 pieces, but only the second to have their work compiled in a Peer portfolio (the first being the freshman class of 2016 who graduated in 2019). The process is labor intensive, but ultimately a labor of love.

To take a peek at the first “Peer”, please visit: https://issuu.com/demottissuu/docs/peer_2016 .

The order of the work as presented here is an organic process and this year, instead of arranging the work mainly on type, I’ve arranged it on similar themes and messages. I took the liberty to reformat pieces, correct grammar mistakes, add titles to some works that were otherwise nameless, add explanatory notes, and on rare occasions, select a piece from a pool of options. The work, the concepts, and the construction of the writing is solely the original authors.

It should be noted that some of my editorial choices were just that choices as many pieces defied categorization, or at least defied monolithic categorization and could easily be placed elsewhere. Any errors, or lapses of judgment are mine and mine alone.

What is put down here are the results of the second part of the students’ final exam, which required them to select their best piece, and perhaps ridden with violations, read the piece in front of their classmates as a type of celebration of their advancement as writers. As always, this day of sharing, which essentially constituted the last meeting of the year, was my very favorite day of the course. Such talent! Such honesty! Such courage!

EDM, June 12, 2019

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Part I: Poetic The Rainbows The Haikus The Sonnets

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Calendar Destiny Roberson Blood

For one night every month, she’d occasionally find herself lying awake, unable to sleep, for any time she’d attempt to drift off, it’d feel like a madman decided to start stabbing her repeatedly in the abdomen, but from the inside.

Relief

To rid her of her pain, she’d have to either take a pain reliever or get herself a heating pad to sleep with which would also give her the relief she’d need to sleep.

Peak

The cause of her monthly suffering would eventually end and she’d become noticeably happier. She’d experience a temporary high full of bursts of energy and her face would begin to glow.

Fertility

Her body would then become fertile once again, leading to the end to her all-time high,

Shift

and the change in her womb would begin affecting her mood as well.

Stress

The sluggishness resulting from the change in her body would catch up to her and she’d start to notice a lack of productivity. This would result in possible breakouts and sometimes even breakdowns.

Anxiety

By this time, the girl would need to keep her emotions under control and continue moving forward in life, all while worrying about her next upcoming cycle.

-------------Cycle Maci Mobley Red The thoughts in my head take over I scream in fear and cry trying to get it out. But I can’t, it will not go away all the anger persistently building up to the point i might explode I'm going to explode.

Orange I start to feel calm as the sun sets in the distance. My anger and stress starts to disappear as the sun starts to fade and go away for the night.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Yellow Once the sun finally comes out I feel better then ever. I put on my best clothes and go face the day with a bright smile and a great attitude towards the world I see.

Green Then I start to remember the night before where I remained sick to my stomach about all my problems and stress that had been happening. It felt like an evil spirit was trying to take my happiness away.

Blue I start to cry as I’m walking down the road hoping that no one can sees me. I want to just shrivel up in a ball to conceal my sadness from the outside world.

Indigo The sadness starts to grow and get worse, persistently getting worse I start to get angry my sadness going away and the evil spirits inside of me started coming out to take me and every living thing in his path.

Violet The cycle begins to start over I start to forget my problems and wonder if I could ever just end this cycle.

-----Tired Limerick Habiba Abbas

I feel so very tired today.

My sleepiness cannot stay away.

I miss my sweet bed the most.

Oh, so comfy (not to boast).

I will just get coffee from that cafe.

----

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 ---Coffin Joshua Emenhiser Where I lay Where I stay And where I stay There, I sway My mind can sway I can’t stop it My head stays sobbing I stay sobbing I can’t leave Darkness where I lay How long until it lets me free?

When will I hear?

Stay here forever Or will I get severed?

Darkness does not change Unless there summons a spark -----Between Red and Blue Smantha Nixon Red) The blood dripped from his arm

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Orange) Warm, the pain started to escape Yellow) off his skin which the sun once glistened Green) and the grass and dirt from the baseball field once touched, drawn to the hand he used to start off the game with a pitch.

Blue) He pulled it down his arm letting it bleed and then he dropped down to the bathroom floor as the knife lays beside him, scared, sad and didn’t know what to do but cry. They wouldn’t even notice if he disappeared.

Indigo) But the one girl that came into his life with hair dark like a raven Violet) She is his hope between his red and blue

--------------------------Pretty Boy Alexis Dennis

Pretty boy, paper shoulders and paper bags.

Hopeless romantic, sickening language as he spoke.

Floating upon lilac feathers, he killed his tongue.

Coffee stains, he shook. Lovely weather it had to hide his paper shadow.

Unaware he walked, aware pretty boy starred.

Morning to night, train passengers flickering by.

Pretty boy’s brown orbs, oort clouds swirling in the obsidian gloss.

The lake became him, never ending disaster, tainted mouth and coward like fingers.

In which a foul mouthed boy steals bitter boy’s words.

His lips held dahlias, pressing his teeth to the petals. Stings of the bees didn’t hurt him, as in the obisis of self loathing, he floats. Pretty boy, you sat so awake and calm, yet a vulgar mind that

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 rang with voices. They fed so easily on the hollow skull, never truly here, holding the dahlias between your riggerd teeth. Dark browns, they became a piercing color. My name had few meanings more than the lifeless petals that fell from your toxic tongue. We thought, him and I. You couldn’t see his lips move, for there he disappeared; I saw.

Cold, his skin felt cold, his glare a glacier freezing. Tall, Lengthy, not much more than skin and bones, as he waltzes down the steps, I didn’t see him again.

Pretty Boy, his name.

He went by Pretty Boy. A carousel Boy, spinning. He looked like spinning. I did as much. I touched and I touched, but I spun by myself. Carousel Boy sat, he watched as I spun a web, slowly devouring his head in the fangs of reality. Pretty Boy as his name, a Carousel in the dark.

The bed only held him till his ticket expired, I watched. I watched him beg and plead to the mirror for his acceptance. I watched him eat the dahlias he carried home with him, in hope to become Pretty Boy. A taste of thieves, a simple taste and he woke. Pretty boy, he pondered on his tired eyes, no longer Pretty. Sour Boy, he cursed, he made a fool of himself in his own company. I never watched it, only to sit and feel the dahlias fade of their color.

A powerful throne bloomed in him, the next light shine caught him. “I wish to sweep with the wind, to find that whimsical lover,” I heard him say, I heard it. Pretty boy a real boy, porcelain covered, smelling of the Dahlias he ate for the meal he wished to share with the whimsical lover

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 he thought of day and night.

I watched him, he watched the other. O’ the dead eyes, the dead nails the other had. I wanted to touch, but his glare it hurt to look at the body that laid in the pile of clothes. A rot, he looked ugly. I pounded on the ground, I pounded upon his chest. Pretty boy, so evil, grotesque features. I see one loving a corpse, a flesh eating maggot that he became.

Pretty boy, take me to the meadows of the dahlias you engulf, no longer porcelain, no longer the one I watched. He sat at the closet, caressing the sunk in eyes of the lover he kept to himself, whispering. “Mine until the flowers die within me,” I could see him looking, covering the skin that gently fell upon the books that kept him propped up against the wall. Ugly disaster, a chaotic mouth. Pretty boy, kept a curse between the two, sticking a finger against the pink loaf of skinny flesh. I couldn’t hear, only the breath of only one.

Pretty boy, a loathing baby.

You watched your veins stick to your skin.

Blue, baby blue.

I watched, I could smell the stench of the ugly boy.

Pretty boy stole, he stole the Bitter Boy. ---------------

Bird Poem Sam Long

I am bird

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Bird is me Bird come land on me cause i am tree You are bird Bird is you Some birds are black others are blue He is bird Bird is he When bird is bored it watches tv She is bird Bird is she Bird worked hard and now has a college degree We are bird Bird is we Fish are birds that live in the sea.

They are bird Bird is they Christmas is bird's favorite holiday Bird says goodbye Bird learns to fly Bird realizes that old age can cause any living thing to die

------

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Pressure breaks in, a race for the puck Spotlight lights faces the players A smile of joy come across their face as it goes in Fans and players in their natural habitat The other team trying to stay calm As the score has now shifted against their favor a sense of powerfulness kicks into their captain to take over and lead his team to victory After a game-winning goal scored pride stayed in the man as well as in his team when moving on to the next game Kassadie Brokaw I didn’t understand a thing.

I do not know why it happened.

My life before had disappeared.

I had finally realized that it didn’t change.

I had changed.

Katherine (“Katie”) Butler “My hair and skin doesn't need to be fixed. Society’s view of beauty is what’s broken.”

-Katie Atkinson, Since the age of four I have always wondered why my hair didn't look like the pictures in the magazine, on the television, or of those girls in my class whose hair resembled of smooth,straight hair without any difficult curl patterns. At the age of nine ,I always wished I could just look like the girls at my school or my mom who had a relaxer, but I knew I couldn’t. I happened to possess this of wanting to be accepted by society and sadly already at this young age I knew that I really wanted to be accepted by others in society, so I didn't feel left out. The basic human need to be accepted and belong can cloud our judgments and direct our actions in a way that causes many people to not feel accepted.

In 2015, I got bullied because of my hair once again . No one in my school had hair like me because my school happened to be predominantly white, so they don't understand why my hair appeared different from everyone else. I just knew I didn’ fit t into the setting because of how I looked. My classmates and I , only in elementary , didn't know anything about racism or discriminating someone, but that's exactly what the other kids in my classes promoted when they didn't want to play with me,or gave me nasty looks because I represent different. In 4th grade I got so tired of this one girl picking on me because of the simple fact that I put my hair in two afro puffs that I took the scissors with my depression and sadness balled up, and I cut my hair. I couldn't take the bullying anymore. Then 5th grade hit and the bullying got worse as kids

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 became even crueler and name calling got stronger, so I asked my mom to perm my hair and she didn’t.

My mom had a perm in her hair and she always wore weave because she also felt like she needed to straighten her hair or always have it braided down to please what society saw as a well groomed black female, but my mom refused to let me systemize myself at such a young age, so she told me “You are who you are, love yourself, never change what god has created.”, and with those words and the kinks in my hair I gained courage to wear them out and not care about my hair for about 2 months, until middle school started.

Middle school started the bullying got no better because now I got bullied about my skin complexion and my hair, but at least I had my mom to help me through these times. My mom showed me that black possess only beauty . Even Though I trusted her wise words i still asked my mom why I didn't look like her because she has a relaxer which made her hair straight and she wore makeup which made her skin look more toned down. Confusion hit me as to why I didn't look like her. One day when I came home from school I walked into the house and there my sat mom who had a shaved head and looked my skin tone,and she kneeled down toward me and said, “we appear as the same and we represent beauty at the finest.” I finally and truly realized that my mom occured to me as an amazing, wise woman and a great mother and if it hadn’t for her acting as such a magnificent mother I would have never seen my beauty. In middle school I had a hard time because I appear dark and all the boys wanted the lighter skin girls with the nice braids, beautiful straight hair, or texturized hair. Unfortunately for them I have dark skin and have kinky, curly and long hair ,and none of the boys like the styles I wore or how my hair didn't look like the other girls, so they would call me ugly or monkey girl and all sorts of other hurtful names, but my mom and her excellence of parenting taught me to love myself because black and all the perks represents beauty.

Even though my mom had put her words of wisdom into me and had taught me to love myself, I still struggled with accepting myself. After my middle school and elementary experience of not acceptance by others, I completed just didn't care about acceptance because I rarely got accepted by others, so I stopped caring about acceptance and truly learned to love myself because If you don't love yourself then nobody else will love you. Loving myself meant reevaluating myself and getting rid of the toxic things in my life that caused me to second guess my beauty. Accepting myself came along with getting rid of some friends who would alway tell me what I should change my appearance and say things like, “you should wear your hair straight more or you should wear makeup to even your skin tone” , and getting rid of social media and the things that made me feel like I should look like the girls on my television, or my phone. Self- love occurs to me as one of the hardest barriers that I had to face because it involved me accepting myself and not wishing for others to accept me.

My hair occured as something that I have always felt the need to tame because of how long and kinky it appeared and the others in my school aren't accepting of my hair, so I always felt the need to brush it and put it up or straighten it all the time so it would look well groomed like the pictures in the magazine, and I always felt the need to wear makeup to make my skin look even or lighter. I happened to only always get taught from society about how they portrayed a black female to always groom their hair, never wear it out and the lighter the better because all the men love the lighter woman, but I socities wrong. For many years black women

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 have fought for fair treatment and to gain equal treatment because all they really wanted existed as acceptance, but today black women including myself have learned to have self love and acceptance will come along the way because “If you don't love yourself then no one else will love you” -Louise Hay and with acceptance from others comes their love for you because initially that occurs to what acceptance represents, but in order for others to love you, you must love you.

Madison Evans

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Why did they have to leave me?

Why did they get taken away?

But I suppose I’m fine now I met a new they, which makes it happier It seems better. It has to get better. Eventually.

Actually, the new person, I saw them today.

And we felt great together.

I loved it. I love you.

But no Loving my someone new means forgetting my old love.

I’m sorry I really just can not anymore It hurts too bad I left them.

I left my someone new. Just as the old someone left me.

Tell me, why did they leave me?

Jene’ah Jordan

Number 9 comparing two sports Popcorn, peanuts, the anthem song

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Players run slowly and do not look strong Stand up and stretch A ball, a catch Nine innings, too long Two rival teams, the atmosphere thick Tackles, hits, fumbles, maybe a pick The quarterback passes Wide receiver snatches Four intense quarters go by so quick

Carlos Lamoso

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Wave Website: https://www.cozycatpress.com/ Wondering eyes all landed on my weighed down back, Searching for a culprit to blame, But why me?

Has your charming smile allured them into disbelieving once again?

Since when did my voice vanish in your polluted water?

Maybe I’m the issue, Me, whose sadness rooted deep in my heart, Me, whose despair drenched myself and left me shivering alone And me, Me, who willing walked into a bush of prickling roses, Perhaps you could blame me?

I can’t utter a word anymore, Because after you left last night, The waves thrashing around deep in me, Stole my last breath.

Even though you ran, Pleaded, and cried, I truthfully sought refuge from your stream of degrading words ,

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 You gasped for air, When my juddering hands clutched your throat, This bothered me for a mere second, But then I remembered, That long since the beginning, I suffocated, I couldn’t help loving you, my dear, Your prepossessing curves, endearing smile, and your smooth welcoming hands, Became my addiction, Aqua eyes filled with unshed tears and laced with betrayal will constantly replay in my mind, If you happened to still reside here now, Those beautiful hands would harshly thrash me about, So I’ll apologize just as I always do, And let your vicious waves strike me once again.

I absolutely love you, Can’t you see?

My chest swelled full with an unknown emotion when you withered beneath me, Bellowing for help, And to see bruises on you instead of myself, Perhaps you felt my feelings as well, Wave The salty taste of humongous waves,

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Which tossed my body anywhere they pleased, Maybe you felt the mangle inside you and the tremble of your hands, Which only occured when I gazed at you, Or maybe you felt the loss of that melodic voice as you attempted to yell, Did you drown too?, In a river of thoughts, In a lake of emotions, In a sea of lies, In an ocean of me.

Now don’t perceive me poorly, my dear, I love you, Almost more than Romeo loved Juliet, But when you finally felt my distress, My lungs flooded with the air they had long begged for, These words might seem horrible to spew, But this change might have saved my once adrift self, To freely live, To simply breathe.

A tsunami with you constantly drifted me astray, I swam in water full of anger mixed with fiery despair, No longer full of the adoration you once held for me, Others may say I’m at fault,

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 But what else could I do possibly do, Those roaring waves left me a weeping mess, And an empty shell of my former self, From the bottom of my heart, I’ve always desired this, To break free from those chains of so called love, To make you feel my pain and abuse, To drown you in my own waves of anger and despair, And show you that I can finally swim.

Jordan Tiaba

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How about...life without internet?

What a interesting concept. Really, what would life stand as whether internet never existed in the first place?

Would violence have occurred? Well, in my opinion, I state a strong yes. Would the world be a better place without social media? Possibly. Below are some answers most students have given about this concept: ●“A person who is sad,would be talking to his family instead of posting feeling sad on FB.”

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 ●“Most of the relationship would be caringrather than being possessive.” ●“People would actually watch Televisionwith family rather than surfing YouTubeprivately.” ●“Newspaper would have been the source ofNews not twitter.” ●“Lastly,people would have a real life with priorities rather than having virtual life withdual standards.”

Natayjah Colon

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SIXTH PIECE- Realization of fighting my barrier.

What have I realized when it comes to fighting my barrier? I realized that only worrying about my mother living so far will end up to emotionally destroy me. I tend to worry/think about events I remain incapable of altering. My world inside my head remains like a bloody battlefield when in reality, my mind should stay as my happy place. I realized that even if my mother lives thousands of miles away, I still remain in her heart, as she remains in mine. I know that my mom continues to live beaten up by the distance every single day. Knowing that absolutely kills me. I know my mom continues to live strong though. When I fought with my father one evening, I brought up the idea of me living with my mom… Starting a new, fresh chapter of my tricky life.

Most of all of what I ended up realizing remains complicated. Do not fear change, do not fear family, as well as conquering distance.

Madison (Vela) Phillips

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Caves have one way out, and yet the darkness consumes you, you don’t know which direction to go. Parents divorcing equals that cave, so much darkness and you know you must get out or else you’ll become lost. When my parents divorced it acted as if I had to choose which direction, they slept in different rooms and I never knew which one to go to. In times of darkness, you need courage, commitment, and integrity in order to see the light.

In rough times, many qualities exist that can help you stay strong and overcome the conflict. Courage exists as a very important character trait to have if you wish to control a problem. During a divorce, the parents need to know what the kids want if they want to stay happy. Courage becomes useful if you want to go up to your parents and tell them when an action bothers you. It’s frightening because you know they became unhappy right now and you feel as if you say words, it’ll get worse. Acting brave enough to tell your parents about how you feel and want you want will help with when the conflict ends, braveness and having courage becomes a key aspect when loved ones split up.

Commitment shows that you want certain actions to happen, it shows that it means so much to you. Having commitment shows that you want things to stay a certain way or that you want it to change for the better. While parents get divorced, you can’t go off the rail and tell them that you will leave if they spilt up, that denounces commitment. You must stay committed to your parents and your family if you really want things to come out better. It’s your responsibility to stay with who you love and know that they continue to have a rough time. Your parents may get mad at you but you must remain faithful if you don’t want to lose them. That’s how having commitment helped me through my parent's divorce.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Integrity. That requires honesty, trust, and morality. How would it help a child through their parent's divorce though? Your parents may ask you what you want, or even who you want to live with. If you want to stay happy, stay honest and tell them how you feel. Lying will not get you anywhere. It will not make you happy and it will not make your parents happy. You must stay honest about who you want to live with, who you want to spend time with, and what you truly want. During a divorce, you need to trust your parents enough to make the right decision for you. You must believe that what they do benefits all of the lives involved. That’s why having integrity remains important.

Darkness; a certain conflict that many souls see as an action to live afraid of, in reality, you can only move forward because of it. To overcome a conflict, a person needs integrity, courage, and commitment. My conflict existed as my parents, who I thought lived happily, deciding they didn’t want to stay together anymore. In conclusion, barriers can become overcome through certain decisions and actions. At the end, things all happen for a reason and they help you become the person you become.

Tess Rubsamen ----------

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

The Reviews

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Peer 2019 Sunny Rant

Preston Coyle The Sun should have the title of most annoying part of the solar system. Really though, the Sun can show annoyingness,who really thought to put a huge ball of gas on fire in the galaxy.

Those who love the sun and its benefits fight to say that the sun has all perfect qualities, yet those who hate the sun will say that the sun has loud and obnoxious tendances, constantly on half of the day and providing us with wonderful (sarcasm) determinants such as sunburn,heat stroke, and a heightened chance of skin cancer. Genuinely I hate Mr.Sun and so should the entire world. My rating for “Mr.Sun:” 2/10 ----------------Filipino Time Celina Cortado

What does “Filipino time” mean one might ask. According to Urban Dictionary, Filipino time is defined as “an excuse for arriving anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours late to any party, meeting, or hanging out.”. Most Filipinos believe that they never arrive late to events, however, the person reading aloud this review disagrees. Despite how much one Filipino may say that they can arrive at an event on time, maybe even early, they lie. It’s physically impossible. The only time Filipinos arrive on time only occurs when their job gets involved. This is the only exception because Filipinos love making money and if they are late for their job, they can get fired. Other than that, for all other occasions, they will say “Oh no, it’s fine we are late.

They will wait for us”. However, in reality, the show must go on and they end up coming in half-

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 way through the event. Overall, Filipinos can never arrive on time. Now, with this said, this gives Filipinos a stereotype of always arriving late, which actually causes other people to make fun of Filipinos and because of that, this makes this term a 1 out of 5 stars.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The Inspired

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Failing to Succeed- “Succeeding to Fail” Chiara Baez If they had loved then, pray tell what stays still ranged?

Mere faults hid before them perfection hall If they had loved then, then pray tell what hast changed?

Many praised brilliance for the good of all, Perfection they called it, clandestiny Earnest and open all seems well advised Rearranging stars, simple pre-destiny.

Fill in the gaps with what had comprised, Ecstatic voices a bright hopeful one Calamity nor trial did one then allot.

Titter in silence without garden wall key If only they had loved for what they knew not.

Once called perfection caused person disproved Nor peace nor in rest, perfection removed

-------Eastside by Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid (Song to Story) When I turned 10, I fell in love with you. I asked you out and I came home crying because I never thought you’d say yes. You had such a beautiful smile and I thought a guy like me could never go out with you, at least in the movies. Ever since then, I never trusted movies. We only held hands, but that made me happy. I only wanted to hold hands with you, but that changed when we grew up. We started hugging and kissing. I didn’t know if I liked it, but I could never hate what you did. We always kissed on our way home in the back of the bus.

One day, your father saw us and I didn’t think he liked me very much. He always scoffed when I said, “I love you.” But even then, you loved me enough to sneak out and meet me at the Eastside

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 because the sun didn’t set there, we thought we could hide there and we did whatever you wanted. We usually asked my brother to stop studying for his dumb college courses and just drive to the beach, he always threatened to tell both of our parents that we ran away, but he never did. I guess he understood young love too.

Fast forward seven years and we managed to stay together through thick and thin. Randomly, you started talking about our future. You wanted a family, a house, and everything in between, but life moved fast.

We couldn’t achieve our dreams because of college and we had our dead-end jobs to worry about.

Before we knew it, we turned 23 and unsettling feelings showed up. A feeling no teacher had ever told us about. We had bills to pay, careers to pursue, and internships to get. Even then, you would still meet me at the Eastside, trying to hide from the fear of adulthood.

Eventually, you grew frustrated, lashing out at me. “Didn’t you say we could do all that we wanted? I took my whole life and took huge risks just like you said, but I got failure in return. I gave you my heart, trusting that you wouldn’t break it, yet you still did. Tell me why did you lie?

I poured my heart and soul into our relationship, why didn’t you?”

I gave my entire life to you. I never complained about your faults even though you clearly had a lot. I loved you so much, I purposely blinded myself from all the actions you did that I didn’t like because I only wanted to see you as perfect. My heart shattered, then repaired and it felt like that happened every other week. I could never hate you for very long, but I never realized that you would take a huge chunk out of my massive heart each time it repaired. You took the last piece when you said that I never gave my heart and soul to you. I only never gave you my heart

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 because you would always take it anyways. I thought you’d feel happy with the pieces you stole.

Your love was never-ending, but I learned that my heart must be together for it to pour out forever. I thought all my heart would leave you content. I thought me mindlessly following you no matter what you did could keep you happy. I thought forgetting that I had boundaries and that you stepping all over me would make you pleased. I gave you all I had besides my heart because I loved to see your smile and I only felt good about myself when I saw it. Nevertheless, you taught me two valuable lessons: Never trust movies and never trust smiles.

Whipple Gernandizo

Old Black Truck Joslyn Haeseslin Across the street, a girl named Carson moved in. Carson came from this so-called great college and drives me places in her old black truck. I love riding in her truck. The windows down, staring up at the bright sky! Life seems so simple. The warmth from the sun comforts me along with the old background music Carson plays on the radio. Now I understand Carson’s wise personality. Her calm vibes inspire me. I am not sure why Carson decided to come here, She is to good for this place. Mango Street doesn’t have enough opportunities for her remarkable mind.

She has a something about her, you can just tell when looking at her. She could have an extraordinary life but instead, she decided to come to Mango Street. Who knows why. She has so much adventure in her eyes. I can tell there is something important tieing her down to this place.

Perhaps it is memories or family. I wish she would take me on a road trip in her truck. We would

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 go far away from here and to where my worries don’t exist, but the old tires of that old black truck that played the old background music passed the old stoops and the old houses, those old black tires wore down, and one by one, they deflated, melted into the street, grew roots, grew anchors, grew a story without a resolution, a story that remains broken down on the broken curbs of Mango Street.

--------Reaction for Dr. Seuss’s One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Many fish live in the sea.

Big to small and red to green, This all ends in diversity.

All the fish, very funny.

Watch them swim by, They look so yummy.

One fish has many fingers, The kids might eat them for dinner.

Christopher Kati ----------Reaction to Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice Emma Leo “Some say the world will end in fire,” And now scientists actually know Now millions are filled with ire Yet governments don’t care that the world will expire And the fact of an extinct tomorrow Are the reasons that human beings need to stand up for this planet

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Peer 2019 they need to speak up for the trees and the crows Because they are the ones who increased the climate And hold responsibility for turning earth into an inferno ----Friar Lawrence Conducts a Marriage Siam White --------------Under the moon on a starry night There, a united couple That fell in love at first sight As there family would push, they would pull The words of an angel came to put them at rest Which only pulled them closer together Love was still infinite after death For their love would never sever The crest in there lines made them run Only into a marvelous sight of a sunrise Now with a desired loved one Freedom sparkled in their eyes The love will forever be warm Even though their spirits return in different forms

---Act V Decree

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Peer 2019 Lena Monsanto Enter PRINCE ESCALUS PRINCE ESCALUS I, Prince Escalus of Fair Verona, Declare Friar Lawrence a criminal, Who has unfortunately given a Reason why to charge him with his offense.

He shall spend the rest of his days in jail, For the death of the two star-crossed lovers.

Lawrence must serve his sentence with no bail, Without any objection from others.

Along with his sentence, he must perform A rendition of Mariah Carey.

He must perform from sunset until morn, Wearing the costume of a small fairy.

Now some may think this is ridiculous, But I rule this place, so deal with it, sis.

Ivy Walls Ava Sailey townhouses sit divided, banging fists on plaster (CUT OUT THAT RACKET) hit back, hole in the wall, who’s laughing now? daddy started a property dispute over how far the lawn gets mowed who trims in ancient ivy climbing up the wall plucking roses out of the garden, put them in a vase, set them clean and pretty until youngest daughter grabs the stem and gashes her hand bleeding unyielding onto shag carpet boy next door watches, waiting, tiger by the walking path eyes glinting salivary glands working double shift traitors press hands together to the grave the children wont play in the street if the guns stay trafficked; they will grow old but never age

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 ancient bones growing that same ivy mending the broken wall, bandage a bleeding hand, hidden in the earth forever spend 120 minutes, approximately, learning the finer intricacies of mending broken hearts and basic building repair

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Peer 2019

End Gane Cinquain Alyssa Cassandra Sunga

EndGame Last Avengers Put pieces together Wrapped up eleven years of cinema The end.

----

I couldn’t understand.

Why did it all happen?

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The life I had before left.

I then realized it hadn’t changed.

I had.

Easton Berry

The bloodshed from their coming.

The fire we used to live on.

The light that blinds us from them.

The plants we study and see.

The sky that shields us from space.

Their planet keeps us safe, for now.

We coexist together.

We agree to being together.

We fight with beams of light.

We survive in the wild.

We live on with the bright light of the sun.

We rebel against them over the fire.

We win, we see freedom.

Xander Diaz

How to make popcorn

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The first step you do would be to buy the popcorn. Once you get home open the box and take out one packet of popcorn. Next, take off the plastic wrapper around the popcorn and throw it away. After you do that unfold the packet of popcorn and place it with the direction side up in the microwave. Depending on your type of popcorn the time to microwave it will take between two minutes to three minutes and thirty seconds. I do not recommend hitting the popcorn button because it can possibly burn your popcorn. Once you have put the popcorn in the microwave and entered your time stand and wait until you hear the pops of the popcorn begin to slow down.

When this happens to stop your microwave and take the popcorn out. Shake it slightly so pop and kernels that may need to pop. Lastly, give it a couple of seconds to cool down before eating It. Sophia Dobbins

Title: endgame Tony slowly slipping in space, Peper potts feels out of place.

Mourning the loss of half the Avengers, They, Earths greatest defenders.

Natashia pushing to make amends right, Coming back from the multiverse what a fright.

Scott tells Steve of time travel, Steve tells Tony who has unraveled.

Tony does dishes and misses his spidey,

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Then he figures out the quantum realm rather timely.

He reports back to the last standing Avengers, They quickly made suits, even Banners.

They split up to get all the infinity stones, Going back to times when they broke bones.

Retrieving the power, mind, time, space, reality and soul, Nebula encounters her past self and she appeared ice cold.

Thanos catches on but not before they reverse the snap, Clint received a phone call from his wife, oh crap.

Thanos travels through the quantum realm to the present time, He and nebula setting up the perfect crime.

Thanos comes in for a fight, And with classic timing, the Avengers make amends right.

They appear through magic portals, Bringing back all the Avengers, gods and mortals.

Now I don't want to spoil the ending, But some relationships will continue pending.

Katrina Drumheller

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Peer 2019

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Peer 2019

Part V: The Anagnorisis

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Peer 2019 Writing Anissa Bell My writing confuses me too, but in reality, my writing has developed into pure, raw art full of truth and thoughts and emotion and reality and dreams and love and I sure hope it stays like this. In the short story I submitted for the creative writing project, titled “hair.” I discussed my own personal insecurity while admiring Adrienne San Jose, whom I love and appreciate very dearly. Anyways, this current writing also feels personal, feels raw, feels like you could reach out and touch it and play with it a little bit to make it your own and that is because I wrote this, one, last night, and two, coming from a very honest and personal place in myself. I love writing, I really do. My writing style now can satisfy me personally and spiritually because it really exists. My writing style has become the truth and how undeniably strong of me to say I love my writing when it could be edited to perfection and if maybe I didn’t rant as much it would make the reader emotional. Mr. Demott, forget the “be verbs” rule, forget the no-no list, I want to ask if my writing touches you. Is it as real as I think it is? Can you see me, sitting on my bed at 8:58 on May 21st, writing this instead of studying for my Geometry SOL tomorrow? My personality should bleed through the computer, I wish you could feel how I feel and think “maybe our styles are different but Ms. Bell is going to BE who she wants to BE” this is my written refusal to complete the assignment properly, it cramps my style, my style that makes me so happy i hope this run-on has made you upset Mr. Demott. My writing makes me happy. Your rules cramp my style. Not your fault, I’ll get over it someday but this assignment is totally going into the gradebook as a strong thirty.

Because my writing has become unlimited and can not be held down, so what if the blatant disregard of rules means no scholarship no future. No problem. It makes me happy.

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Peer 2019

The blood was splattered everywhere on the ground around the body.

Those construction cones were set up at the road around the crime scene.

The sun shone brightly onto the tall grass and trees covering at least half of the body.

I looked up to the sky for the fear that someone might notice my tears.

I walked over to the nearby lake. I looked into it and it must’ve gone down for miles with how deep it was.

As I walked backed to the scene, I saw the beautiful sunset with those dark and light colors; it was amazing on such a terrible day.

Hailie Perry How to cradle a lacrosse stick with two hands; DISCLAIMER: THIS INSTRUCTIONAL PIECE IS ASSUMING THE INDIVIDUAL HAS BEGINNERS KNOWLEDGE OF THE SPORT LACROSSE AND WHAT A Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 LACROSSE STICK IS- First, you place your dominant hand a few inches below the head of your lacrosse stick and your non-dominant hand on the other end.

While holding your stick, you want to keep your hands loose while still maintaining a stable grip on both ends of the lacrosse stick. Your grip should be loose enough to where the stick can slightly rotate without flipping it upside down completely. When cradling, your wrists need to follow the motion of the head of your stick by twisting with it. Now that you are informed on how to hold the stick for this motion, you can now start by having the bottom of your stick at your hips and the net of the stick facing upwards. At this point forward, you should have placed a lacrosse ball in your stick. Once the lacrosse ball is in place, bring the stick to your head as if you were curling a dumbell, as the head of the stick is coming closer to your shoulders/head, your wrist which is located under the head

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 of the stick should be in-sync with each other.

Isabella Sanchez

Shakespearean Sonnet Why do you love me? Love me as you do?

The way the honeybee loves his flower.

I simply don’t feel like enough for you.

So why do you stay each passing hour?

I became a flower, growing happy and free I’d want you for my honeybee.

You make me laugh, I make you so sappy.

But why would you want a person like me?

They all want riches of jewels and gold.

I’ve not that to offer a guy like you.

Only my smaller hand for you to hold.

There’s no reason in Hell, but you still do.

You say I make you laugh, with all my charm, And my darling dear, I’ll keep you from harm.

Lilian Shuhy Animal Farm as a poem The animals sick and tired, Humans treat them with no desire,

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Peer 2019 The animals form a plan, They will take over the farm, Starting with the barn.

Jones ran away, That was a win for the day, Animals made some rules, But the pigs used the other animals as tools, It was the same as being controlled by humans, Nothing changed, not even food rations.

The strong got weaker, and the foolish got power, This shows the world is sour.

David Simmons ------------It was the first day without him. They had their moments of separation, but it was the first time in a long time James could say with confidence he had him in his life. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that his best friend, the love of his life lived life so close to him. It was an amazing feeling to wake up in the arms of the one he loved. It was an amazing feeling to make fun of his bed head, to hide his favorite cereal in the pantry, to steal all of the towels. It was Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 everything he had ever dreamed of, to have a domestic life with him. It was everything he had waited his entire life for.

And all of a sudden, it was gone. In an instant, he felt the warmth leave his soul. In an instant, everything came crashing down. The love, the life he had lived to build was gone. It was unfair. Why was it so unfair? A lifetime of feelings and memories that he looked forward to feeling, that he looked forward to feeling with him. He would never be able to experience it. He would never be able to go on their honeymoon, he would never be able to adopt a dog with him, he would never be able to call him his husband. It was so unfair. Why was it so unfair?

So here he was, the first day without a morning kiss, the first day without hearing him sing in the shower, the first day without a messy breakfast.

The first day in a cold, empty bed.

The first day filled with tears and regrets. The first day sleeping without the love of his life next to him. The first day of clinging to any remaining pieces that would keep his memory alive. The

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 first day of many that James spent missing him. It was so unfair. God, it was so unfair. Why was it so unfair?

Isabella Sorano 5. Technique Analysis: How to put on a Pair of Socks Disclaimer: This tutorial assumes that you own a pair of socks, and does not have any intentions to offend or go against those who do not own a pair of socks. Also, this tutorial assumes that you have hands and thumbs, and does not have any intentions to discriminate against those who do not have hands and thumbs.

This tutorial assumes you have a brand new pair of socks, or just a pair of socks in general, that you have no idea how to put them on. In your luck, this tutorial teaches you how to put them on. Step one, to prepare for putting on the socks, get into a comfortable position that seems ideal for you to start the process. The most recommended position for putting on socks includes sitting on the ground, with both legs in front and having the back of the knee making an angle around one-hundred-twenty-degrees and

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 the back hunched a little. Step two, gently grab one sock from the pair, for whichever foot you choose to put the sock on first. Then, insert your thumbs from both hands into the opening of the sock while the rest of your fingers rest on the exterior of the sock. Step three, insert your foot into the opening of the sock while expanding the opening with your thumbs to make room for the foot. Then, glide the sock over your foot (your foot will remain in the interior of the sock), until it has completely fit your foot. You may adjust the sock to your needs if you have put it on too tight or too loose. Repeat the process for the remaining foot/feet. Congratulations, you have learned how to put on a pair of socks and may continue to proceed with your life.

Isha Alaina Tubera “I love you 3000” The viewers first heard these words when Morgan said them And the audience never thought they would hear those words But now that Tony’s body lies numb The word strikes the viewer like a sword

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Peer 2019 As every fan cried when Tony said goodbye Those words will forever live in the sky In the form of spoilers without context Moreover, with memes with text Every Marvel fan loves Tony 3000 They all crying with tears, they may start drowning In sorrows of their pain They need crutches, maybe a cane They may start going insane But Tony will always live on in their brain In pain, they initiate howling They love Tony more than 3000 Justice Woodley

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Peer 2019

Part VI: The How Tos

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Peer 2019 How to tie your shoe A’Janay (AJ) Anderson 1.

2.

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6.

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8.

Either sit down to tie your shoe or find a good spot to stop and tie it Bend over towards your shoe Put your hands on the laces Take both of the laces and hold them in the air Cross the laces while still in the air Pull one lace under the other Then pull them tight Make a bow shape with one of the laces while holding the other lace in your other hand 9. Wrap the other lace around the lace with the bow 10. You should now have two bows 11. Pull each of the bows tight 12. The next step is optional 13. Double knot the bow by repeating steps 3-6 14. Repeat all of these steps for the other shoe 15. You are now done tying your shoes 16. Enjoy walking with your newly tied shoes 17. No more tripping!

Manual on how to speak like Gen Z (just 4 u D$$ <3) Mikeila Kakiuchi Words you NEED to survive the streets in 2019 Cap: When one says ¨cap!¨ after you make an unbelievable statement, they are accusing you of lying or over exaggerating. In retaliation you will reply with ¨no cap¨ to validate your statement. For example: Maddy says, ¨Bro last weekend was off the hook, I saw a manatee!¨ Callie exclaims, ¨CAP!¨ Maddy retaliates, ¨No cap bro.¨ Callie then replies, ¨Oh word.¨ Period: When one says ¨period¨ it usually implies agreement or just simply emphasises the statement previously stated, all depends on context. When implying agreement, it would be

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 comparable to a modern day ¨Preach!¨. Usually used for another personś statement.

For example if you were having a discussion about politics and they say something that you agree with you would say ¨period¨ to show you agree with their stance. When used to emphasise a point it would be when one is ranting about a topic they are passionate about. More leaning towards something you say, something you would add at the end of a statement to add more emphasis.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden.

Breanna Jones First, you choose a location with plenty of sunlight and proper drainage. Next, test your soil’s pH and make minor changes when necessary. Third, plant directly into the ground if you have good drainage and pH or build a raised garden bed if you want to improve your plot’s drainage. After that, mix organic matter into your soil to fertilize it, if you prefer. Buy organic seeds from a farmers market, gardening store, or online. Once you finish planting the seeds label them.

How to Cook a scrambled egg 1. Go to a refrigerator and find a rectangular carton that should show a word egg and pick it up with two hands, if they don’t exist on site, then travel to the grocery store, by whatever modes of transportation that matches your possibility of travel, and head to the dairy aisle, the aisle that has milk, cheese, and yogurt, then later purchase the eggs with the amount of money that matches with price tag and don’t forget to carry a couple more for the tax, and begin to carry them home with the plastic bag the clerk puts your eggs

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Peer 2019 in, paper or plastic depending on the store’s preference, but carrying it transpires it as a good option 2. Place the carton on the counter, open the carton by pulling the tab, pick up an egg with the hand that dominates in writing and don’t forget to pick up a bowl of your choice to put your egg in 3. With the egg in the dominant writing hand, gently tap the edge of your bowl and continue the process until the egg has a few cracks and the presence of the insides of an egg does not show 4. Place one hand on one side of the egg and one on the other and carefully pull both off the eggshells underneath the bowl, this should allow the egg yolk and whites to fall into the bowl.

5. Pick up the eggshells and throw them into the nearest trash bin 6. Wash your hands with soap and dry them with a towel or paper towel after throwing them in the trash 7. Pick up a fork of your choice in a utensil cabinet with the dominant writing hand and hold it on top of the bowl 8. Place the fork’s pointed edges on the bowl and the dominant writing hand should rotate in a 360-degree rotation 9. Continue the rotation process until the egg yolk and whites have turned into a complete yellow mix 10. Grab a pan from a drawer and place it on top of the metal racks of a stove 11. Find the knob of the stove, then push and twist it counter-clockwise to a 130-degree

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Peer 2019 angle and a fire should appear 12. Grab a can of spray oil, more commonly found in the oil cabinets, and open the lid to press the nozzle that should face directly on the stove’s surface 13. Hold the nozzle and while keeping the nozzle directly on the stove, move the can in a 360-degree rotation 14. Continue until the pan’s surface appears covered in oil 15. By the time the spraying process ends, the pan should exist as hot enough for the egg to cook 16. Remove the fork from the bowl before pouring and put it in the sink 17. Pick up the bowl with two hands and hold it underneath the heated pan 18. Pour it slowly and make sure the bowl’s contents disappear 19. Wait and look at the egg’s edges when cooking 20. When the edges appear in a solid look, grab a metal spatula, with your dominant writing hand, from a cabinet that normally keeps the cooking utensils in 21. With the spatula in hand, place the wide area of the spatula underneath the egg and slide it in 22. Then carefully pick the egg up and flip it over and make sure it stays in the pan 23. Wait for 1 and a half minutes, or until the egg looks cooked and twist the knob clockwise in a 130-degree angle and the fire should die out 24. Grab a plate from a cabinet, more commonly in common dishware, with both of your hands 25. Place the plate on the counter

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Peer 2019 26. Pick up the egg with the spatula, with the dominant writing hand, underneath and carry it and carefully place it down on the top of the plate 27. Place the spatulae into the sink 28. Grab a new fork in a cabinet, where utensils live in, and place it on top of the plate and egg 29. Pick up the salt and pepper with both of your hands and place each shaker on each hand 30. Position the shakers where the holes face the egg and shake them in an up and down motion and make sure to move them from side to side 31. Prepare for eating Francis Barrios

How to Make a Grilled Cheese: Mikaela Capistrano 1. Before starting or attempting to make your grilled cheese, first gather all the items you will need to make the grilled cheese (and set them aside nearby): ○ 2 teaspoons of unsalted butter at room temperature ○ 2 slices of any preferred bread ○ Minimum of 3 thin slices of American cheese (about 1 ½ oz.) ○ Pan OR skillet/griddle ○ Knife (or any utensil to spread the butter) ○ Spatula ○ Plate 2. Preheat your pan/skillet/griddle over medium-low heat .

3. Take your two bread slices and spread one teaspoon butter onto one side of each slice.

4. Pick up one of the bread slices and place the buttered side down onto the skillet and add

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Peer 2019 the cheese. Proceed by adding the second slice of bread, this time with the buttered side up.

5. Let it cook for two minutes, then flip carefully and cook for another two minutes on the other side.

6. After flipping it, the bread should barely have any color.

7. Repeat the process again and cook for about 2 more minutes on each side until the bread has a golden color.

8. Once the bread and sandwich is deemed done, cut it in half and serve immediately.

2) How to make egg wash Logan Smith First, you need to grab an egg, a fork, a small bowl, and some water. Set the bowl and fork somewhere near. Then grab the egg and hit it with a medium tap on the edge of the bowl or the table. After this take the egg and bring it over the bowl. Then take both your thumbs and push them in the cracks so your thumbs are in the egg and pull to opposite sides so the egg yolk dumps into the bowl.

Then take a measuring spoon and add one tablespoon of water to the egg. After this, you should take the fork and stick it in the middle of the yolk. While holding the bowl you mix the egg yolk into the egg whites and water in a circular motion. Once it is a light yellow it is fully mixed. At this point, you have finished.

------------------How to do an armbar submission Josua Paler 1. Start in closed guard 2. Grip opponents right arm with your right hand 3. Grip opponents left shoulder with left hand 4. Open your guard and put left leg on opponents hip 5. Pull opponent on top of you Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 6. Grip opponents back with right leg 7. Push opponents head to left 8. Pull leg over opponents head keeping their arm between your legs 9. Pull arm towards you and push your hips up to inflict pain on your opponent

---------------How To Give A Solid Punch Keith Hill ● Step 1: Fold your fingers to where the nail points to the center of your palm ● Step 2: Grip the thumb on top of the middle Phalanx bone (Not on the inside, you will almost definitely break your hand if you do this) ● Step 3: Keep your hand parallel to the rest of your forearm (I personally advise that you don’t pull back your arm to far. Although it won’t physically harm you, it will give your opponents(s) much more time to reach to your punch, giving them the opportunity to dodge, grapple, or perry) ● Step 4: Now throw your punch! Keep it on a straight trajectory to where you plan to make contact (The best places to aim for a punch would be the sternum, liver, shoulders, throat, chin, nose, and temple). ● Bonus: If you want to increase the punch you can twist the fist from a vertical position to a horizontal position and do the same thing with your other hand except the opposite hand comes in close to your torso

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 When in a relationship you have to learn how to develop trust and you have to make it a strong bond. But in some occasions that bond of trust is taken advantage of. In a relationship when this happens the significant other that has taken advantage of this bond of trust usually regrets the decision that they made. As for the other person they have their own obstacle not to give up on the person but to either let go of the relationship or give the person another chance.

The thing people struggle with the most in these situations can letting go. Its very easy to give the person another chance cause you care for them so much but letting go will hurt you in many ways and will it can one of the hardest decisions to make but in some cases it's the healthiest decision for the both of the people in the relationship With personal experience i had been in a relationship with a boy for 9 months and i got a message from one of my good friends saying he had been with another girl the whole time we were together. I confronted him about it and he admitted it and i had been genuinely in so much

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Peer 2019 pain i didn't know what to do i wanted to give him another chance but mentally i knew it had been wrong for me and i shouldnt put myself back in such a toxic situation.

From my experience i didn't know why this happened to me i had been genuinely very confused.

When a situation like this occurs you cant stop asking yourself, what did i do wrong? Or what's so wrong with me? Going through that experience you have to learn how to gain confidence in yourself and overcome that feeling of self pity.

In the situation your trust might have been completely taken advantage of but you had nothing to do with that situation. It had been all the other person that made the decision. Now you have to learn how to get over the situation and it'll so hard but you have to trust in yourself to get through it.

Aneeya Rao THEONETHING Look at you. You’ve stitched your life so perfectly together. You’ve worked so damn hard to get to where you are, and now have everything you ever wanted. So why do you keep looking back at the one thing that can undo it all? ㅡL A N G L E A V Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 THEUNREQUITEDGROWTH I don’t have everything I ever wanted. I haven’t stitched my life as perfectly as you think. I have worked hard, true, but I don’t feel happy. I think I gaze so longingly at the one thing I can’t have because of that reason. My need to have him has grown so immensely, so why hasn’t his need for me grown too? ㅡO L I V I A C O R D E R O

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Peer 2019

Part VII: The Researched

Japanese Surrender in WWII: Jonathan James ( JonJae) Curia North and South: Lucy Schweyer The Gonzales Plea: Jerry Gonzales

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Peer 2019 Japanese Surrender in WWII Jonathan James ( JonJae) Curia Decades ago, a terrible tragedy occurred during the second world war, a line was crossed, and it cost the lives of thousands of civilians. On Aug 6, 1945, and Aug 9, 1945, the United States unleashed 2 atomic bombs on the 2 Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many believe this to be the reason Japan surrendered in ww2, and this may be the case, but was this really the whole story? Was there another factor that led to the defeat of Japan? To answer that, we need to go back to the beginning, the very beginning.

Before the great World Wars, Japan had already begun expanding their territory. An example of this would be the result of the Russo-Japanese war. After winning against Russia in 1905, Japan had inherited all of Korea, and some parts of Manchuria, that had previously been under control by Russia. (The Russo-Japanese War Begins) In September of 1940, a pact was signed by the Japanese along with Nazi Germany, and fascist Italy. This document was known as the Tripartite Pact. Hitler had been hoping that the Tripartite Pact would ensure the invasion of the British holdings, as he had plans to declare war in Europe anyway. The signing of the Tripartite pact had worsened the already uneasy relations with the US and Japan. At the same time, the Japanese hoped that the pact would provide security as they had made plans to invade and capture the rich oilfields of the Netherlands East Indies. In response to the Tripartite Pact, the United States embargoed, or banned, even more, material brass, copper, and iron. (The Forgotten Reason Why Japan Attacked Pearl Harbor page 1) In late 1941 on December 7th, Japan surprised the world with the bombing attack on pearl harbor, killing just under a quarter of 10,000 people. 2335 of the victims of this attack were military members, most of which were navy personnel, plus 68 civilians also lost their lives. The attack destroyed a total of twelve ships and damaged nine others, while 160 aircraft were destroyed and 150 others damaged. This attack by Japan fueled the U.S into declaring war on the eastern country and making their entry into world war 2. The day after the assault, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and Congress approved his declaration. Three days later, The Japanese allies ,Germany and Italy, also declared war on the United States, and again Congress reciprocated. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor hoping the US Pacific Fleet would be destroyed, while also weakening the morale of the American people. They hoped that the defeat at Pearl Harbor would be so devastating, that Americans would immediately give up. The goal was a quick blow to the United

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 States that would allow Japan to continue their imperial expansion. However, this was not the case for the American people. The Japanese had been wrong.

Instead, the attack on pearl harbor actually served to unite the Americans.

After giving some background information on events Japan has been involved with the answer to our question starts to become clear. First, though, the biggest events have yet to be discussed. These events, of course, are the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, possibly the impactful point of World War 2.

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred seemingly out of nowhere. The US had wanted to finish the war with Japan quickly, so they started to come up with a plan. At first, the plan was to invade Japan, but that was later shot down, as any attempt made to invade Japan would result in a large number of American casualties. President Harry S Truman then made the order to use the US’s new superweapon on Japan to bring an end to the war as fast as possible.(Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima) Hiroshima stands on flat land with few hills or natural features to limit the blast. This means that the city of Hiroshima experienced the full power of the new superweapon with no natural barriers to soften the power. The bomb was dropped on the city center, increasing the bomb's range of destruction on the city. These factors meant that the death toll and destruction in Hiroshima was at its maximum potential. (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) The atomic bomb that was dropped in Hiroshima destroyed 13 square kilometers of the city.

Almost 63% of the buildings in Hiroshima were completely destroyed and many more were damaged. In total, 92% of the structures in the city were either destroyed or damaged by blast and fire. Estimates of the total deaths in Hiroshima were recorded to be somewhere between 100,000 and 180,000, out of a population of about 350,000.

Tens of thousands died immediately and many more in the days and months that followed. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki.

Luckily enough, thanks to the hilly geography of Nagasaki and the bombing focus being away from the center of the city, the damage from the bombing was limited to the Urakami Valley and part of downtown Nagasaki. The center of Nagasaki, the harbor, and the historic district was shielded from the blast by the hills around the Urakami River. The nuclear bombing did nevertheless prove devastating, with about 22% of Nagasaki’s buildings being consumed by the mass amount of by fire and flames, but the total death count and destruction was not as bad as it was in Hiroshima. Estimates of casualties from Nagasaki have ranged between 50,000 and 100,000, with many dying instantaneously and others dying slowly and agonizingly from burns and radiation (“Hiroshima and Nagasaki” Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). = After both bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, most people would think that alone would be enough to make Japan surrender, but this actually isn’t the case. The devastating damage caused by the bombs was not the reason why Japan

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 chose to back out of the Second World War. Yes, the bombings did play a part in the surrender, but the Japanese mainly used the bombings as an excuse to surrender.

There was another event that had a much greater significance in the war that made Japan have no other option but to give up. This greater power that forced Japan to surrender was the Soviet Union’s declaration of war on Japan.

On the 8th of August in 1945, the Soviet Union had officially declared war on Japan. This would be a huge blow to Japan, as they had suffered through the Hiroshima Bombing, another powerhouse declaring war on them, then having yet another atomic bomb thrown at Nagasaki. All this happened in a matter of a few days, so Japan had little time to react. The biggest threat though was the Soviet Union's declaration of war. This was a problem for Japan, as they could handle fighting 1 powerful enemy, but 2 powerhouses would be too much for Japan. Not only would Japan be fighting 2 mighty countries, but the Soviets and Americans would be attacking from 2 different directions. It might have been possible to win if there was one attacker from a single direction, but with Japan surrounded on 2 sides, the military would have to be distributed very strategically. Japan took the easy way out though, by surrendering and using the Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident as the reasoning of their surrender.

(Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs) This leaves open another question though, why would Japan use the bombings as a reason to surrender instead of just admitting that the 2 great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were too much for them to handle. Why go through the trouble of lying about the reason of a surrender? Well, the answer is rather simple. It was less embarrassing to say they had been defeated by a miracle weapon, then to admit that they were not powerful enough to continue fighting. They did this to save themselves from hurting their reputation as a powerful country, but in the process of doing so, the myth that Japan surrendered due to the 2 atomic bombings was created. Now decades later and the mystery has been solved. The reason why Japan surrendered from World War 2, was not because of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather the Soviet Union declaring war on the Japanese was what really made them surrender.

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North and South Lucy Schweyer In the year of 1945 The world would learn to take a dive Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Into a conflict hyde That the once whole Korea would divide With the North’s government communist The democracy in the South unable able to coexist The country divided in two at the 38th parallel The two countries came to dwell On the 25th of June The North invaded too soon South Korea ain’t that strong Who would have known they’d do just alright all along The U.S. gave naval and land support And the North sure did retort With advances closing in They managed to hold the South down to the Busan perme’ Here the North lost many men The South thought they would have their win The North pushed back They surely aren’t strong enough to attack In the month of October The North now pushed back Now all over After two years of negotiating

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 No more physical hating On the 27th of July The whole world took a sigh The armistice t’was signed It all came to a line Although not a permanent solution Rather a dilution Now advances take place Things now going at fast pace ---------------The Gonzales Plea Jerry Gonzales Good Morning Everyone, My name is Jerry Gonzales, I’m here to talk about a series of issues taking place in a young beloved country called Sudan. Ever since coming to tallwood high, I had the pleasure to meet so many new friends from different countries. One friend specifically is from this torn bloody dark country. Her name is “Saria Malik.” From her I was informed about these issues. Rape, Murder, Fear, all things the citizens of Sudan are facing as we speak. So many children in tears, as they see their family getting picked one by one by the sudanese military. Hundreds of sudanese citizens killed because they want freedom from an arrogant leader. Peaceful protest being stop by gun fire. Citizens not able to attend prayer. Is Sudan’s blood really that cheap (x2). The people of sudan are citizens of this world like we are. If we, americans, the people that have freedom, why can’t we help this country that wants the same. We’re too worried about old buildings catching on fire, North korea, Trump, the great wall of mexico, but again, why can't we help this country.

The UN left this country. The african Union left this country. China, Russia, Saudi arabia, evil governments supporting the killing of so many, but why. I know as highschool students we can’t do a whole lot, but that won’t stop us in making a change. We have the ability to share. One post, One comment, One person is all it takes to make a change in this world, and i hope you will be the one who will do so, Thankyou.

Jerry Gonzales

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Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 I’m not a phone; you can’t play with me.

I’m not a street; you can’t run all over me.

I’m not an eraser: you can’t erase your past with me.

I’m not a basketball; you can’t control me.

I’m not a door; you can’t open me so easy.

I’m not a flower; you can’t pick me.

I’m not a tree; you can’t chop me down.

I’m not a phone call; you can’t decline me.

I’m not a baseball; you can’t get rid of me.

I’m not a notebook; you can’t carry me around.

I’m not a shadow; I won’t follow you around.

Ariana Freytes My slow ascent Magical desert An impatient turtle soars Enjoying the chalk Jeremy Gerling The Ever so Normal Volcano (Haiku) Emotions boiling Hot steamy lava assuredly stepping free How new it must feel Sarah Greene Reaction to a Monologue Caitlin: I don’t want our relationship to stay like this either. If you want any of this to improve, we both need to admit our faults. You can’t just blame me like all of it is my fault.

Maybe I am stubborn, but… you aren’t completely innocent either. Which one of us is it that always picks a fight, like we’re still kids or something? Excuse me for standing my ground when you start an

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 argument just for the sake of arguing. You know, you could stand to change too, instead of expecting me to do it. I’m willing to try and fix this, but I can’t be the only one blamed for how we are now. I’ll let go of pride and ego and everything else, just as long as you promise to do the same. And who knows? Maybe we actually can sort this out someday.

Zoe Griffith An Elegy to She Beyond the Veil By: Freda Kekeh To my dearest Eleanor, How I have missed you so.

For years I have searched for you, Far and wide.

It saddens me that this, Your departure, must marr Our final meeting.

All those years ago, the summer before I went away, The last time I would ever see you.

I suppose I should have told you then.

Eleanor Goodwin, You were the bravest soul I have ever met, And I can’t fathom why I ever let you go.

Freda Kekeh God created the world and man. Over time he saw that only Noah lived life kind and righteous.

He decided to start over. He convinced Noah to build an Ark, and Noah did.

He told Noah to fill the Ark with two kinds of each animal. He did, and boarded the ark as well, along with his wife and family.

God sent rain down to Earth, until the rain flooded the whole world. Noah, his family, and the animals lived. The rest of the population drowned.

God sent the sun to dry up the rain, so Noah and his family got out of the Ark. He sent a rainbow to the sky to symbolize the end of the flood.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Russell, Bryan, et al. “Short Stories.” Short Stories, shortstoriesshort.com/story/noahs-ark/.

Hannah Mcritchie Snowmen grew taller, In the cold of the winter, While the snowflakes fell.

Kalani Moore As the sun starts its rise, a young man looks out across the water. It’s a rainy day, and there’s quiet thunder heard in the distance. Though it’s unsafe, a job is a job and the fisherman steps foot in his little boat. Hopefully disaster doesn’t strike while he does his humble work.

Alexandra Oxley Nothing Compares to You You are the voice in my head telling me to keep going You are the sun piercing through the darkness around me You are important in every way shape and form You are a map guiding me in the right direction You are always there for me through thick and thin You are the best thing that has ever happened to me Dylan Sheffield terrifying coast dark waters lure you deeper lost to the abyss Mattea Warren Local near midday A single, distant crow caws at the old shadow Depressing noontide A common, raven ogles whilst watching the cloud Cayleece Williams

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

As a child i constantly acted very upbeat, bubbly, girly, I had all pink toys and room, and never wanted to hang around my brother.However as I became older I suddenly became very interested in things like Nerf guns, going mudding with my Dad and brothers, enjoying things much different than what I had become accustomed to. As I Grew Older and older I started to ask much more like my brothers playing video games playing outside 24/7, to the point that I would look like a tomato when I come in from a weekend of playing. However I loved it I felt so much more comfortable and happier. For years my childhood continued to this way until sadly that all came to a stand still when I became a teenager. To further break it down it all changed when I entered High School. The beginning of freshman year started just like any other year with a few exceptions of starting a new school and all new friends but other than that school went fine. My summer went smoothly for the most part I had a few bumps in the road over summer but I thought I had past them. During the second quarter I had started to notice some serious changes like I became always tired constantly sleeping around 13 hours a day on the weekends or more, I didn't join softball I didn't want, i found that very unlike me, I didn't feel like myself I didn't want to do any things I used to enjoy and love doing. I thought maybe I'll just grow out of it oh, I thought I'll just give it time it will stop I'll go back to normal. Sadly it didn't stop, it only became worse. It took months for me to realized I need help. That I have slipped into this overwhelming depression that I couldn't escape. My life constantly felt like I had a thousand cinder blocks tied to my ankle pulling me down down and deeper so

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 deep that I saw no point in life anymore. Deep down I knew I need help but I didn't want to ask I sa I can do it on my own. I have never found myself more wrong in my life. I need help from my family, my teachers, and especially my friends. In my eyes if i didn't have my friends I don't think I would have gotten better. While things still have ups and downs they're becoming better. I'm not sleeping 13 hours a day, I'm back at the ball field, back to my old self I'm enjoying life again. All I would love to say is that I never have days like I used to but that's a lie I still have my dark days where I just want to curl up into a ball and disappear but with amazing support and my parents and Friends and my brother I have a way out. I went from a happy child to a dark child and now I'm asocial, happy, bubbly teen.

Ruari Kelly

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019

Part VIII: The Narratives

A Brave New World: A Star Wars: The Clone Wars Modern AU: Margaret (Maggie) Haggerty Daniel Dixon’s Dog’s Death: Joshua Darrow Maud Parkes and the Three Cruel Foxes: Amelia Clark The Finish Line: Diego Alvarez Bubbles: Diane Nguyen Nightcap: Catherine (Alixi) Heinz Last Normal Monday: Yadeja (Deja) Britton Bear: Amelia Hansel Red Light: Gabriella Leavell

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 A Brave New World A Star Wars: The Clone Wars Modern AU Adopted from various one-shots

By Margaret (Maggie) Haggerty

Anakin stands there, lit up like a demon in the fires of Hell, and he knows he going to die. The feeling tugs at his bones and every second feels like a million years. His brother, now a slave to the Dark Side. (He has to believe he’s a slave, that his brother did not choose this over the galexy. Over him.) The war cost him greatly, and he has no wish, no amount of heart or soul left to give.

He thought.

But he stares into his brother’s eyes (his golden, golden eyes) and the last fragment of his soul shatters.

He drops to his knees on the ashy, sloping ground, and it all ends with a flash of blue light and burning pain.

And Obi-Wan Kenobi’s head rolls down the ashy slope and bursts into flames. [][][] His head throbs. Ears and hearing come back first, buzzing in and out. Slowly the buzzing fades and the beeping of machinery comes into focus. Touch comes back next, and he feels bedsheets beneath him, and-A hand holds his. Some long suppressed feeling, or mentality startles inside him at that. For all of nine Cornellian hells, he just wants to sleep.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 He wonders if he has landed himdelf in Cornellian hell. Perhaps the force just spat him back out and sent him there. Why do Cornellians have nine Hells? He concludes that the scum and villainy on Cornellia probably could fill nine Hells. The hand holding his shifts, and the person begins to sing.

“Welcome to my lowly home, Green rolling fields and where sheep roam.

I follow you to the barnyard gate, High ho, don’t go!

Little older now, I see you again Livin’ sweet as the King’s hen?

I follow you to the barnyard gate, High ho, don’t go!

We're off to war for these fields of green, Them wolves don’t last you tell me.

I follow you to the barnyard gate, High ho, don’t go!

My father’s dead and you're far gone.

Blue glass eyes shattered, bleeding tears, I follow you to the barnyard gate, High ho, don’t go!

The war’s over, were free you say, Except for your soul- you look away.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 I follow you to the barnyard gate, Go my love, away, away.”

He opened his eyes at some point in the song and sees a teenager, long waves of ginger hair slipping down her shoulders and pooling near her waist. As she sings the last words her hand brushes his cheek and he flinches. Emotion cracks the steel of her grey eyes.

“Am I dead?”

“Was. For three and a half minutes.”

He raises one shaking hand to his neck, but only feels uncharred skin. How? The girl clicks her tongue disapprovingly.

“Come on, your going to ruin all the hard work. Mom will kill me.” Now she sounds more like Satine from her teenage years. A normal teenage human female, he supposed.

“What happened…”

She snorts. “I can’t believe you don’t remember this. The weird old foreign guy across the street, Yoda? Yeah, you allergic to something in that crap of a soup. Your throat swelled up, you were in a coma for a week, and ta-da.”

Yoda poisoned me? ...I owe Vos one hundred credits now...

His eyelids begin to droop, and he sighs, unconsciousness a familiar friend. As the world fades, one last sound passes through the haze.

“Love you, Dad.” [][][]

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Vader stands above him, a snarl on his face. Blood and soot, fire and lava swirl around Vader, strangling him, drawing him closer. Vader leans down, lips brushing his ear.

“You think I would ever leave you, Master?” [][][] He screams.

Equipment shatters, and a shrill ring fills the air. Too much chaos, nosie, confusion- he wishes for Anakin.

“Hush, my love. Anakin is coming, dearest.” Satine appears above him, an angel in hell, so real, so alive…

“I thought I lost you…” he croaks. His love brushes away tears he didn’t know he shed.

“You stupid man. I almost lost you.”

I know, that day I thought Maul killed you, I almost fell. Voices murmur in the background, and then Anakin comes into view too.

And his eyes- blue, as blue as Naboonian waterfalls, as blue as the kyber blade of a lightsaber, blue as the glow of stars in hyperspace… Anakin swings down into the chair beside him with all the grace and impatience he remembers…

Some diffrence makes this man, not Anakin, but not quite Vader either. His movement, the two flesh hands, the lack of the jagged scar running down his face“I don’t know you.” And force does that scare him. Perhaps before the war, before Zigoola, before Mustafar, he would have given the benefit of the doubt.

A nurse standing over him, telling him to breathe.

“You're not broken, Ben.” The soft hum of Not Anakin’s voice unconsciously soothes

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 him, his brain battling with his heart. So he focuses on Satine instead. The action still tears at his soul, but in a different way, an old companion, an old pain he lived with since the day he met her.

He clears his throat and grimaces in pain. Satine takes his hand.

“You're not supposed to talk, love. Your throat has taken quite a beating.”

Oh force, it has, he thinks hysterically.

Satine places her hands on his face beneath his chin, taking the strain off his aching neck, foreheads touching.

“Ruhe, meine Liebe.” The kiss of a Mando’a and a guttural tongue flowing between them. Minutes pass in Satine’s soft monologue until he finally bites the blaster bolt.

“That’s not Mando’a. What is it?”

“You do not remember how you helped me strip the Fuhrer from his throne? How they never found his body? How I whispered the Hebrew song I sang for my lost sister’s Bar Mitzvah in his dying ear?”

He shivers, breath trembling. “I remember Maul tearing your people apart, then killing you. I remember hating the colors red and black ever since.”

“So red and black has always killed my people.”

“Yes.” The answer rings true in the Force, and he hates it. Satine stares down at him, icy blue gaze sharp, and force, Satine, the only one alive that can make him feel like an animal tied down for slaughter.

“You are not Ben.” When he answers it’s desperate, choking, but full of relief. “Yes.” She nods.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Then prepare yourself.

I do not know what you had, but this is what you have now.

Focus on the present, nothing more.” Satine rises, and he can imagine the rich robes of a duchess flowing around her.

“Yes, my lady,” he gasps, and she presses one slim finger to his lips.

“Good.” She turns gracefully and leaves the room. Anakin finally speaks. When he does, it comes out as a comical squeak.

“What the hell was that?”

Obi-Wan turns to face him and cocks an eyebrow. “What?” Anakin makes an elaborate hand gesture, mouth gaping like a fish as he tries to find words.

“What was… like…” He finally settles on a word. “Foreplay!” Anakin grins in triumph, and Obi-Wan groans.

“Wow, Skyguy, are you really that dumb?” A voice says from the door and a dark skinned teen with bleached hair with blue stripes bounds in on the balls of her feet.

Anakin sputters.

“Well, I mean- you saw that right?”

“Mm-hm.”

He throws up his hands in exasperation. “Well, what was that then?!”

“Foreplay,” Ahsoka smirks and then rolls her eyes. “I don’t know, Skyguy. It’s just how they work.” She shrugs. “It’s how they're wired. Like how I think girls are hot and guys are not. Oh, that would make a good T-shirt!

I’ll have to see if Alli wants one.”

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Anakin rolls his eyes. “She’s bi, Snips.”

“So? One step in the right direction I’ll say.” A light snore interrupts them, and they both stare at the now sleeping figure of Obi-Wan. “Do you think we bored him to sleep?” she whispers, grinning slyly.

“No… He’s just weary from his travels.” A new voice says from the doorway. Ahsoka smiles gently.

“Hey, Alli girl? Gonna come over?” He couldn’t feel happier for his best friend, don’t get him wrong, but god forgive him that girl gave him the creeps. She learned to throw a knife at the age of six. Damn creepy if you ask him. Snips, on the other hand, seemed to take the girl under her wing the moment they meet, Snips six and Alli eight.

Despite the age gap, Snips always seemed to fit a little bit better in with the modern world than Alli, and since they met Snips made it her personal mission to show her the ropes.

Alli approached her father’s bedside, eyes far away. “He dreams of you, Uncle,” she mummers. “Your eyes burn like flames.” Anakin swallows.

“Umm… great?”

Ahsoka stands, a good foot taller than the older girl, and takes a hairbrush to the other’s hair, gently untangling the fiery red curls. Anakin tries, he really does, but he doesn't understand how Ben and Satine live with it. He did know Alli had some… stuff, but he never actually had to go through it every single day until Ben’s coma. To engage in some argument with a tongue as sharp as Ben’s or to have himself rangled into a game of chess when suddenly she just stops, or stands there staring at you blankly, or walks

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 to a window or a wall and stares and stares for hours on end.

F-ing creepy if you ask him. [][][] Obi-Wan feels his eyelid slipping closed again to the familiar banter of Anakin and Ahsoka. He wants to ask Ahsoka if she knows the girl with red hair and Satine’s voice, but his body doesn't give him a chance. In the back of his mind before sleep embraces completely, he feels another enter the room, glowing gently in the Force. Sleep it says, and he does. [][][] When he wakes, the red-haired girl stares down on him, unblinking. She glows in the Force, signature a soft blue entwined with grey. Strong and seeped in the Cosmic Force.

He knows that far away look in her eyes, and he immerses himself in the force as well and sends his own pale blue tendril to hers.

Hello, young one. Surprise flashes through the force.

He chuckles softly, and she smiles. ‘A problem with my head’, they think you know... when I come here.

Ah, sometimes… disconcerting for the outside observer when one goes this deep in the Cosmic Force.

The ‘force’.

Yes. She hums softly.

I can see everywhere from here.

Your quite skilled, even untrained. You would make a powerful Jedi.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 She shakes her head.

I’ve seen the Jedi from here. No. Remorse flows through him. Understandable, child. Now, I think we’ve officially crept Anakin out long enough, I can feel his distress.

A hum of agreement. Show me out?

He did. [][][] They break into the real world with identical gasps, feeling the force ebbing away like water.

“I always hate it when I come back,” she mutters. “It feels like I’m leaving a piece of me behind.” Predictably, Anakin cuts in.

“What the fuck was that?!” Obi-Wan groans.

“I thought I had installed better manners in you, my former Padawan. And you, young one, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced-” “FORMALLY INTRODUCED?!?”

“What the FUCK is a PADAWAN?!?” The red-headed girl storms from the room, then, and Obi-Wan can’t help but feel as if he must have royally screwed kriff up. Anakin half rises from his chair.

“Alli-” “Leave me the FUCK ALONE, Uncle!” The door slams. Anakin turns to him, enraged.

And force, he can feel the burning heat of Mustafar, and the acid air scorching his lungshe blacks out.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 [][][] When he wakes again, stars glitter though the bedside window, and Satine sits by his bedside. She starts talking, an answer to his silent question.

“Your name is Ben Kenobi. You were born and lived in London, England until you turned 18 and got drafted for the army. You were under the command of General Jinn.

I’m the same age, and at the time was in the inner circle of Hitler. He didn’t know I was Jewish.

I was his bounty hunter, carrying out ‘killings’ while I sent them into hiding. We met on opposite sides of the battlefield, and I was shot and captured. You were stationed to guard me, and we fell in love. I told you everything, and you helped me smuggle more people out of the country. Eventually, I made my way back to Hitler’s side and watched over the weeks as he steadily became more and more enraged. Mistakes were made, and Hitler lost. He found out then that I had been smuggling people out for years. We both shot at the same time. You found me just in time. I thought I would die that day.

“We moved to America because Dooku wouldn’t let me into his house. Anakin took you in, and you guys ‘hit it off’ to use American slang. We’ve lived for 20 years. Our daughter, Alli, is 19, and Anakin and Padame adopted Ahsoka when she was 6. Ahsoka two years younger then Alli, that makes her 17. Padame and Anakin had twins a few years ago, Luke and Leia are nine now. Alli was diagnosed with cognitive difficulty at age three. You loved her all the more for it.”

Obi-Wan swallows. What kind of world do I live on? “I don’t know what to say,” his voice trembling. “I… my name’s not Ben… This is some Sith trick… it has to be...”

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Satine purses her lips. “I assure you, Ben Kenobi, this is very much reality.”

“Obi-Wan,” he gasps, struggling for breath. “My name’s Obi-Wan.”

-----------------------Daniel Dixon’s Dog’s Death Joshua Darrow

I didn't think I would focus on a dog in my first case as a new private investigator. But I needed the money. I had to pay for my new office and my new secretary. So how could I turn down a case?

Daniel Dixon and I had known each other since high school. We ran track together and took a lot of the same classes and kept in touch off and on over the years. So when his number came up on the caller ID on April 28th, I thought he wanted to head out to dinner.

“Stephen, I need you to come over right away. It’s Kingsley. I think he’s dead.”

“Well, is he or isn’t he?”

“Yeah, I guess he is. I just can’t believe it.”

“Well, why do you need me?”

“I think he was poisoned.”

“Why in the world would you think that?”

Daniel’s prize-winning Akita, Kingsley, might have died! Dan had shown dogs for nearly 15 years. Kingsley had the best all the time: groomers, doctors, even nutritionists.

The dog appeared healthy and at the peak of his show-dog career. He had just two months

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 earlier won the working class award for the best in class in the Philadelphia Kennel Club and would soon go to Madison Square Garden for the greatest dog show on Earth, the Westminster Kennel Club show.

“Couldn’t he have had a heart attack?” I asked.

“He just saw the vet last week. Got a clean bill of health,” Daniel replied.

“Ok. I’ll be right over.”

When I got to his house, I saw Kingsley lying dead on the porch. I looked around. No blood. No vomit. No feces. Kingsley had no injuries, and his pampered body looked unharmed.

“Well,” I said, “Looks like he’s dead.”

“Thanks a lot,” Daniel replied.

“Really, there isn't much to go on. I know he meant a lot to you, but do you really want to launch a full-scale investigation here?”

“I know someone poisoned him. Everyone wanted him out of the show. I just need you to figure out who and why.”

“Alright. I’ll start by getting some labs done at Dr. Riley’s vet clinic. We’ll see if anything turns up.”

I saw Doc Riley closing up the office when I arrived.

“Can you just take a quick look at Kingsley? I think it was just a heart attack or something, but Dan thinks he was poisoned.”

“Why would he think that? Well, I’ll take some blood and do some X-rays. I doubt a full autopsy will be necessary,” Riley said. “I’ll get back with you tomorrow.”

Part Two

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Thank you both for coming back to the office. I know this is hard for you, Daniel,” Doc Riley said. “But I thought I ought to discuss this with you in person. I think I know how Kingsley died.”

“You do?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Riley, walking around to the computer. “Look at these labs. See anything abnormal?”

I quickly scanned the results. “It looks like Kingsley had a high level of theobromine.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, theobromine is an alkaloid of the cacao plant, and is formed by the compound C7 H8 -” “Get to the point,.” Dan said.

“Theobromine is found in tea and chocolate. Daniel, this dog was poisoned.”

Dan sat down in realization of what Riley had explained. I slowly walked over with the results to Daniel, trying to find what to say.

“Dan, you know what this means.”

“Yeah. Kingsley was murdered. Who would do that?”

“I guess that’s why I’m here.”

As we walked back to Dixon Manor we discussed why and how the murderer could have slipped chocolate into what Kingsley ate. We had no idea where to start. Akitas have a reputation for acting extremely aggressively. The poisoning could have acted as a way to keep Kingsley off

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 of the murderer. However, since Kingsley competed in shows, some of the competition may have wanted to get rid of the repetitive winner. Finally, I asked, “How did you come to acquire Kingsley?”

“Well, he was my father’s dog. He had Kingsley for two or three years, while I had him for about six. My father raised him from a pup before he (my father) died,” Dan responded.

Now, I knew Dan had a sister named Julia. After recently having an argument over my father’s estate, I knew they might have a similar argument over Kingsley and property after Dan’s father died.

“Was there anything in his will showing that Kingsley was to belong to you?”

“No. I guess I just ended up with him somehow.”

“Aha! Well then, that’s where we start. Julia was probably jealous of you ending up with Kingsley. We shall start there.”

After a night’s sleep, we walked over to Julia Dixon’s house and rang the bell.

Part Three “Good morning, Daniel. What a pleasure to see you,” Julia said sarcastically as she opened the door. “Would you care for some scones?”

“No, thank you,” Daniel replied. “I would rather get straight down to business. Stephen here is my private investigator. You see, Kingsley died the other day. He has reason to believe that you may have done it.”

“That dog was mine! I swear! I’d be glad for anybody to have it except you!”

“Ms. Dixon. Please. Do you recall where you were on the 28th of April, last Friday?” I asked.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Well, yes. I was getting a pedicure with my girlfriend, Denise.” She showed me her nails, painted bright red.

“Oh, cute. Where do you get your nails done?”

“Oh, it’s right off Wagon Wheel drive, right near the Walmart-” “So if we called Denise, then she would say that you were getting your nails done, right?”

Daniel interrupted.

“Yes.” Daniel and I took Julia’s phone and dialed Denise’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hi.Is this Denise?”

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“Yes, ma’am. Do you know where you were last Friday?”

“Um... yeah. Why do you need to know?”

“Well, we were just talking to Ms. Dixon about a recent death of someone we know and we were wondering if-” “You know what, I don’t care. Yes, Julia and I were out last Friday. We went to get our nails done at this place near the Walmart off of Wagon-” “That’s all the information we need, thank you.”

“No problem. Bye.” “Well,” Daniel noted, “That’s off the list.”

“Who else could’ve done it? Well, I guess we should check some of the competition out and see if one of them might’ve done it,” I thought.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Part Four Mrs. Judy Davis owns a Saint Bernard, another dog in the Working Class. Hannibal, the Saint Bernard, a nice and quiet dog, always seemed to finish 2nd to Kingsley in best of class. We questioned Mrs. Davis to find whether or not she may have poisoned Kingsley and found her at Hannibal’s grooming place: “Hi, Mrs. Davis. I just have a few questions for you,” I peacefully stated.

“Oh? What is the matter?”

“I am sure you are familiar with Kingsley, Daniel Dixon’s dog.”

“Why, of course. Did something happen?”

“Yes, Mrs. Davis. Something did happen. Please tell me, where were you last Friday?” I asked.

“Well, Hannibal had an obedience class, but I was just sitting at home. What happened?”

“Kingsley was poisoned, Mrs. Davis. We think you may have done it.”

“Poisoned? How?” “Kingsley had high levels of Theobromine when he died, leaving us to believe he was poisoned by chocolate,” I explained “Well, I surely did not poison Kingsley. You see, I have an allergy to chocolate.”

“You do?” I asked suspiciously.

“Why, yes. Just ask my doctor. Here’s his number. Is that all?”

“Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.”

“No problem. Have a good day!”

I took the phone number and dialed to find it true that Mrs. Davis did have an allergy to

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 chocolate. Dan and I returned to Dixon Manor, where police worked on investigating the property. Apparently, their search brought some interesting results. They found chocolate bar wrappers in the bushes on the property line between Dan and Mr. Clarkson, the next door neighbor. We walked over to Mr. Clarkson’s house and rang the doorbell. and He opened the door.

Part Five “Mr. Clarkson, we would like to speak with you really quickly,” Dan said fearfully.

“Yes?” Mr. Clarkson grumbled.

“May we come in, sir?” I asked.

“Sure. Please, have a seat.”

“Mr. Clarkson, we have evidence to show that you murdered Kingsley, Daniel’s Akita.”

“Somebody finally killed that mutt? Oh, thank god. That thing was vicious. Could’ve killed me.”

“So, you wanted Kingsley dead?”

“Why, who wouldn’t kill that beast? That thing was a pain in the butt.”

“One more question, Mr. Clarkson. Did you kill Kingsley?”

“No. I swear I was thinking about it, but no, I did not kill that vermin.”

“What were you doing on Friday, the 28th?”

“Well, uh… I was just staying at home. I don’t really get out much you see. That dog really ticks me off.”

“So you have no alibi?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not,” he said.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The police chief read,”Mr. Clarkson, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney…”

“What? Am I being arrested?” Mr. Clarkson exclaimed.

“Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?” The chief continued.

“Understanding each of these rights, do you now wish to speak to the police without a lawyer being present?"

Part 6 Mr. Clarkson spent time behind bars. I decided to stay the night because Dan seemed sort of lonely and might have needed a friend to lean on. Plus, I probably would have to clear up some stuff for the press. First a friend, then a private investigator, right? So, Dan and I drank Mimosas that morning. Then the doorbell rang. Daniel’s newspaper boy stood at the door. I asked him what he needed. His response: “Well, sir, whenever I come and deliver Mr. Dixon newspapers, I always see that nicelooking dog sitting in his driveway, looking so polite and wanting to play fetch or something. I just haven’t seen him in a while and I was wondering if he was alright.”

“Well, kid, that dog’s name was Kingsley. He died the other day by poison.”

“What poison was that?”

“Actually, kid, he died of theobromine, which is found in tea and chocolate. The next door neighbor killed him.”

Newspaper boy slunk down against the wall. His smile disappeared, and he began to whine and cry.

“I- I k-killed a d-d-dog?” The boy questioned. “Oh no!” He cried.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “What do you mean?” I asked.

“W-well, he was just looking so nice, I figured I could give him a t-t-treat,” He sobbed.

“You fed the dog chocolate?!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh my. I suppose you have never heard that consuming chocolate can be toxic for dogs.”

“I’m so sorry! I think there’s only one way to make it up to Mr. Dixon” “Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, you see, once I brought my pet Akita over to Mr. Dixon's house and she just had beautiful puppies. I guess I would owe it to Mr. Dixon if he would like one to give one of the puppies to him.”

“Did your dog eat chocolate too?”

“Well, yes, but she didn’t like it. Mr. Dixon’s dog LOVED it! He just gobbled it up!”

“Danny!” I called “You would be amazed to find this! Come here!”

Epilogue ● Doc Riley has now opened a private business for animal autopsies with great success. ● Ms. Dixon still lives a nice life with her friend Denise. She hates her brother. ● Mrs. Davis won the Westminster the year following Kingsley’s death. She and Hannibal accomplished much until Hannibal died 4 years after his victory. ● Mr. Clarkson got out of jail and automatically became a better neighbor. Apparently, this experience brought him and Dan together. ● Newspaper boy went off to Yale with a newspaper-delivery scholarship. He still regrets

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 killing Kingsley. ● Suzy, Daniel’s new Akita, trained to become a show dog. She failed obedience classes. ● Daniel Dixon currently lives a nice life. He goes out to dinner with me much more often, and sometimes he’ll even invite newspaper boy to spend a while at Dixon Manor. ● As for me, I finally hired that secretary I wanted. This case helped as my big break as a private investigator.

-------------------------------Maud Parkes and the Three Cruel Foxes Amelia Clark Once upon a time an optimistic girl called Maud Parkes went to see her grandpa Toby Parkes, when she decided to take a short cut through Greenton Woods.

Not long after taking the shortcut, Maud realized that she got lost. She looked around but she could only see trees. Nervously, she felt into her bag for her favourite toy, Mr. Buttons the teddy bear, but she couldn’t find him anywhere! Maud began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Mr. Buttons. To make matters worse, she started feeling hungry.

Unexpectedly, she saw a cruel fox dressed in a blue jacket disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Maud.

Desperate to find her way out, she decided to follow the peculiarly dressed fox.

Perhaps it could tell her the way out of the forest.

Eventually, Maud reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. A house made from carrots, a house made from lollipops, a house made from fries and a house made from cakes. Maud could feel her tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did not help to ease her hunger.

"Hello!" she called. “Hello?!”

Not a peep.

Maud stared at the roof on the closest house and pondered eating the chimney.

Obviously impolite to eat a whole house, but perhaps acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting, in a time of need.

A cackle broke through the air, giving Maud a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She carried a cage with Mr.Buttons inside.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 "Mr. Buttons!" shouted Maud. She turned to the witch. "My toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr. Buttons back!" cried Maud.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Mr. Buttons out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three cruel foxes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Maud recognised the one in the blue jacket that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Fox," said the witch.

"Good morning." The fox noticed Mr. Buttons. "What do we have here?" " Mr. Buttons the teddy bear," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Mr. Buttons would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the fox.

The witch shook her head. "Mr. Buttons stays with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Maud interrupted. "Mr. Buttons lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Fox ignored her. "What would you trade for Mr.Buttons?" he asked the witch.

The witch thought for a moment, then said, "I do like entertainment. I'll release him to an individual who can eat a whole front door."

Big Fox looked at the house made from cakes and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from cakes if I wanted to."

"Easy ," said the next fox. "I could eat two houses."

"No need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Mr. Buttons."

Maud watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Mr. Buttons to Big Fox. She didn't think Mr. Buttons would like living with a cruel fox, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other two foxes watched while Big Fox put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Fox. "Just you watch!"

Big Fox pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lollipops. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

Eventually, Big Fox started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 more fork-fulls of lollipops, he grew to the size of a large snowball - and he became very round.

"Erm... I don't feel too good," said Big Fox. Suddenly, he started to roll. He'd grown so round that he could no longer balance!

"Help!" he cried, as he rolled down a slope into the forest.

Big Fox never finished eating the front door made from lollipops and Mr. Buttons remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from fries.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Fox. "Just you watch!"

Average Fox pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from fries. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Fox started to look a little queasy. She grew greener... ...and greener.

A woodcutter walked into the clearing. "This bush doesn’t belong here" he said.

"I'm not a bush, I'm a fox!" said Average Fox. "It talks!" exclaimed the woodcutter. "Those talking bushes seem like the worst kind. I'd better take it away before it causes trouble" "No! Wait!" cried Average Fox, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the fox away under his arm.

Average Fox never finished eating the front door made from fries and Mr. Buttons remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Fox. "Just you watch!"

Little Fox pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After five or six platefuls, Little Fox started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.

He stopped eating cakes for a moment, then grabbed another forkful.

But before he could eat it, there came an almighty roar. A bottom burp louder than a rocket taking off, propelled Little Fox into the sky.

"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Fox. "I'm scared of heigh..."

Not a single soul has ever heard from Little Fox again.

Little Fox never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Mr. Buttons remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Finally," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Mr. Buttons."

"Not so fast," said Maud. "I still see one more front door. The front door of the house made from carrots. And I haven't had a turn yet.

"I don't have to give you a turn!" laughed the witch. "My game. My rules."

The woodcutter's voice carried through the forest. "I think you should give her a chance.

Only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the foxes. She won't last long."

"Give me two minutes," said Maud.

"What?" said the witch. "Don’t you have a sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Mr. Buttons back."

Maud ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. She came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from carrots and toasted it over the fire. Once it had cooked and cooled just a little, she took a bite. She quickly devoured the whole piece.

Maud sat down on a nearby log.

"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You have to eat the whole door."

"I haven't finished," explained Maud. "Just waiting for my food to go down."

When Maud's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from carrots. Once more, she toasted her food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. She ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.

Eventually, after several sittings, Maud came down to the final piece of the door made from carrots. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Maud had eaten the entire front door of the house made from carrots.

The witch stamped her foot angrily. "You must have tricked me!" she said. "I don't reward cheating!"

"I don't think so!" said a voice.The voice belonged to a woodcutter. He walked back into the clearing, carrying his axe. "This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Mr. Buttons or I will chop your broomstick in half."

The witch looked horrified. She grabbed her broomstick and placed it behind her.

Then, huffing, she opened the door of the cage.

Maud hurried over to grab Mr. Buttons and found him unharmed.

Maud thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Toby before the sun disappeared.

When Maud got to Toby's house, her grandpa threw his arms around her.

"You made me worry!" cried Toby. "Look at the time!"

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 As Maud described her day, she could tell that Toby didn't believe her. So she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.

"What do you have there?" asked Toby.

Maud unwrapped a doorknob made from lollipops. "Pudding!" she said.

Toby almost fell off his chair.

The End -------------------------------------------------The Finish Line Diego Alvarez Once upon a time there was a rabbit who was very cocky and was very fast. One day after racing his friend ,which of course he won, he challenged an old turtle named tortuga. Tortuga accepted this challenge and the two set up a course and time. The next rolls around and they start the race and with the rabbit being so fast he made a huge lead on the turtle and took a break at the local pub for a pint of ice cream that it is. The rabbit got so full on ice cream that he could not move his body, so the turtle caught up to him and won the race and then tortuga said ¨slow and steady wins the race¨ then the rabbit got in his pickup truck and ran over the the turtle and was never seen again.

-------------------

Bubbles Diana Nguyen She limps, dragging her left limb along the dirt path in the canvas shoes that she outgrew two years ago. All she wanted was warmth and acceptance or a destination, but it felt as if she was just existing. The fine drops from the light rain hit her face, but she did not pay attention for she was worried about what her ‘parents’ would do to her once she got home. She was treated differently from her adoptive parents’ biological children that lived in the house. She was forced to sleep with the bikes that the white children threw out, and the lawn mower she used as a pillow. She was taken in from the streets by The Charles seven years ago. “It was something to be thankful for,” she tried to convince herself. After a while, however, the paved

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 streets were better than staying with strange emerald green eyes that glared at you in disgust. It was as if she can see her own reflection within them, so hollow. She felt guilty for being who she was, what she was.

6:30, the time expected to be seated in the dim lit dining room where The Charles ate supper everyday. She did not care to eat with them, but if she arrived late they would starve her.

Every single day felt like a cycle, nothing happened and nothing changed. She wakes up, does chores, runs errands, eats supper, and heads back to the shed. She was satisfied with this lifestyle up until she remembered why and how she got here, here in this cottage surrounded by nothing but thick forest leaves and a lake sitting in the backyard. Having endless curiosity, for she has never gone past beyond the lake. She never remembered the incident or even attempted to try to remember such a tragic casualty. But on that rainy day, the memory of The Charles tying her mother up and selling her to those olive skinned men, seven years ago, shattered her heart. Thinking that The Charles were her family for years, now feels like betrayal.

Murmuring to herself, now trying to make sense of every event that occurred in her life, like broken puzzle pieces. Questioning what she did wrong, what she could have done. Losing the little bit of sanity that was left in her. She was beginning to flounder. Drowned with aggression, she knew she needed to do something to escape or even better, get revengeance.

Later on the day, she attended the last supper they would have together. It was a foggy day, she looked out the spotless windows and saw mist covered on the lake like a blanket. Today, she got canned soup while the The Charles were eating juicy steak. At the table, sat the two year old twin boys that held their action figures, play fighting with each other while their single mom took

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 a nap in the other room. The boys began to cry, and the sound of their whaling whines irked her nerves. She wrapped her hand around them, hoping them to stop, and her hands slid up to their necks. Anger filled her blood and rushed through her veins. She was remind of the miserable childhood she had. Her hands fit and squeezed their necks’, every second she was squeezed harder until the children stopped making a sound.

She panicked shaking in disbelief in what she had just done, while the mom was awakening from the cries and called out the boys’ name to take an evening bath. The mom walked into the bathroom to prepare for the boys’ bath, twisting the faucet while continuing to call out for them. While pacing to the mom she grabbed a pillow and stuffed it to her face like how she remembered the boys stuffing their faces with steak and sweets. She tried to resist and grabbed the girl’s hair, so the girl pushed her into the now filled tub, submerging her face under the water until there were no more visible bubbles surfacing. Walking away from the lifeless corpses, she began head back to the shed.

Maybe it would be better off if she did not remember. It would be better to forget what she had done, so the guilt wouldn’t haunt her. She couldn’t help but smile and say, “you’re free” to herself. The next morning at dawn, she packed as much food her bag could hold and took the kayak from the backyard to row across the endless lake. Three days passed in the hazy flamed weather, the sun was scorching, blinding her from the heat waves reflecting off the glistening waters. The rest of her cornbread was taken the day before by a flock of bird while she was napping. Left with only crumbs and no water, she leaned back laid on the kayak dehydrated with cracked lips. Looking up at the sky, she saw her mom telling her to join her. She used her last breath and the last bit of energy to smile.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 -------------------------------Nightcap Catherine (Alixi) Heinz Alice was asleep when everything happened; a vampire snuck into her room by the window and drank her blood. All she had were two bite marks on her right shoulder to prove it. As she was walking towards the bus, she saw the twins she had been looking for; Maria and Léo Echohawk. She ran up to them, her light auburn hair bouncing about. “Alice! What happened to you?” Léo asked, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth pouty. “I don’t know either, I woke up and there were two bite marks on my right shoulderblade.” she answered, as Maria looked around. “We should get to school, I’ll ask around if anybody had seen any suspicious people around your house.”

The trio arrived at school, walking to their Biology class when Maria noticed a male with scales and feathers. “Oi, Oscar!” she exclaimed, “I have something to ask you!” He rushed up towards them, as Léo snarled. “Oh, that’s a nasty bite. Looks like the biter didn’t drink any blood for months.” He stated, taking out some bandages and put one over each bite mark. “Why did you bring him here to help?” Léo muttered, and Maria elbowed him gently. “You know you like him, you just don’t know how to express it.” she replied, a toothy grin on her face. The four entered their classroom, ten minutes on the clock until homeroom officially began. “So, Alice,” Maria asked, “why didn’t you just stay home for the day?”

“There is a test today and I don’t want my grade to suffer. Besides, I wanted to spend time with you guys instead of being in my room all day.” Alice replied, taking out

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 her notebook and mechanical pencil. Maria looked at her suspiciously, yet decided to not push her further. After the bell rang, the announcments commenced and then the teacher rose up.

“Alright, class.” she said, her tail swishing, “Today we will continue preparing for the unit test on steps of scientific investigation.” All of the students took out their binders, found the notes, and studied in groups. Alice had all her notes neatly organized on colorful paper, and the words in a bright color that popped from the page. She and Maria compared notes, yet she started to feel a bit lightheaded.

“Ali, you look a little pale,” Maria whispered, “I think you should go to the clinic.”

Alice shook her head, simply looking at her notes. She started to notice her vision go blurry, so she raised her hand. “Yes, Miss Asimov?” The teacher asked, and Alice replied in a quiet voice, “Mrs. Kakiuchi, may I go to the clinic?” Mrs. Kakiuchi simply nodded, writing a pass for Alice to go. However, before Alice opened the door, her vision went all black as she fell to the floor.

Oscar and Léo rushed to her, checking for breathing and picking her up by the shoulders. Usually, they would be bickering about either one of them getting something wrong, but they both cared deeply for their friend. “You two, take the pass and get her to the clinic ASAP!” Mrs. Kakiuchi ordered. The two nodded and went to the clinic.

When Alice woke up, she wasn’t in the clinic. It was a hospital bed, with an IV drip and blood bags. She looked around the room to see her older brother and her friends explaining what happened to a nurse.

“Ah, she’s awake.” The nurse stated, and walked over to her. “How are you

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 feeling? That was quite a bit of blood loss.” Alice simply groaned, looking at her older brother and her friends. “You three are her friends, right? Did you know of this?” She asked, and Maria sighed. “We were waiting for her at the place that our streets crossed, and we noticed the bite straight away. She doesn’t know what or who did it, but she insisted on going to school anyways. We encountered Oscar in the halls, and he put bandages on each bite mark. We got to class and several minutes later she was looking a bit pale. She asked for a pass and blacked out before she could even open the door.”

“I asked her about it this morning,” her brother said, “and she just shrugged it off as a bruise.” Alice just sighed, looking over at them. “I woke up and just noticed my right shoulder feeling sore, I didn’t want to miss out on studying for the test so I decided to go to school anyways.”

The nurse nodded, writing that down on a clipboard and telling her brother that she will have to stay for a few more days. The four nodded, and then exited the hospital.

--------------------Last Normal Monday Yadeja (Deja) Britton Monday, Harry had his last normal morning. He rolled out of bed, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. Then he goes downstairs and smells the sweet savory smell of his mom’s bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen.

“Good Morning, Harry.” His mom said with a big smile.

“Morning Mom,” Harry said while making a plate.

He ate his breakfast quickly and hurried out the door for school. Harry lived a few minutes away

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Peer 2019 from the school, so he walked to school every day. Every morning he meets his friend Jack in the first block, a friend from his elementary school. They have a very strong relationship and Harry can trust him with all his secrets.

“Hey Harry, wanna come over to my house after school today? I got the new Lord of The Rings on DVD!” Jack exclaimed.

“Sorry I can’t, I have soccer practice tonight. Maybe this weekend we can watch it.”

“It’s alright,” Jack said sympathetically.

After school, Harry walked home and got dressed for soccer practice. He played goalkeeper for the school’s soccer team. They had beat every school they’ve played against so far. After soccer practice, he went home, finished his homework, ate dinner and then got ready for bed. Like any other day, the day went normal, until the next morning.

Harry woke up and tried getting out of bed, but couldn’t. He couldn’t move at all, as if he had his body down. His heart started to beat out of his chest and he couldn’t breathe. He could feel the feeling of hands wrapped around his neck, but he couldn’t see a person in the room except for him. Trying to call out for help, but couldn’t. He opened his mouth, but his voice disappeared. Feeling terrified because he had no control over. He closed his eyes tight and when he opened then the feeling suddenly went away all at once. After, he got out of bed and looked at the clock. It seemed like a dream, but It felt so real.

He got ready for school and went downstairs to eat breakfast. As he walked to school he couldn’t stop thinking about this morning. When he got to school he explained the situation to Jack and he could see the confusion and fear on his face.

“I mean I had a dream that a shark was chasing me once and that felt pretty real.” He said

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 trying to sympathize.

“Yeah, but it didn’t really feel like a dream.”

“Hopefully it’s just a one-time thing.”

Unfortunately, it happened again.

He went to bed early that night, hoping he’d wake up refreshed the next morning. A ray of sunshine woke him up the next morning. He tried to get out of bed, but from shoulders down felt paralyzed. It had happened again, but this time, a little differently. As he turned his head, he saw a demonic figure standing beside his bed. He tried to scream, but once again, his scream didn’t come out. When he closed his eyes tight and then opened them again, it disappeared and he could move again.

Although he could move again, he felt too scared to get out of bed because he didn’t want to see it again. Eventually, he starts to cautiously walks to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and got ready for school. He went downstairs to eat breakfast, still debating whether or not to tell his mom what happened. She’d probably just tell him he had a bad dream or a nightmare, but it didn’t feel like it.

After he finished breakfast, he hesitantly walked to school. He felt as if the figure that had watched in his room followed him. His paranoia slowly destroyed him. He did sleep and couldn’t focus in class or in soccer. His grades started to get worse, he cost his team two goals, and they lost for the first time. He asked Jack if he could sleep over at his house tonight. Maybe if he slept at Jack’s house, then he wouldn’t see the entity that haunted him.

Jack lives in a small townhouse in the neighborhood next to Harry’s, so when he got home he packed some clothes and walked to his house. They watched movies, played videos,

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 and played outside a little. Eventually, they got ready for bed. Jack had Harry sleep on his bed as he slept on the floor. He felt a little more safe with Jack because if he saw it again then, he’d at least see it too.

That night he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly that night. He woke up next morning feeling normal and the room looked normal until he looked over. The demonic figure he saw the other morning stood over Jack, watching him sleep. Harry tried to yell his name, but he couldn’t.

His voice had completely disappeared and he couldn’t move either. He closed his eyes to make it go away, but when he opened his eyes and it still stood there. The figure stood there forever, then all of a sudden Harry hears a RING! Jack’s alarm clock went off.

When the alarm went off, the figure went away instantly. Could only Harry see it? Why does it keep appearing? Day after day it would appear, Harry didn’t want to sleep. He’d see it sometimes in the morning, in the middle of the day, or even off in the distance in the grasses. In his room, in the corner of his eye, or the sensation of it behind him. It seems as if it always there, but he could only sometimes see it. He had to deal with this constant feeling of a haunting demon stalking him. Only some can see it, but it always watches.

------------------Bear Amelia Hansel Freddy’s eyes glared back at me in the rear view mirror. They lingered like a predatory creatures calculating their attack. I blinked away the thought, and in an instant, his eyes were again on the narrowing road. I breathed. Certainly my imagination had gotten the better of me.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 My eyes lingered, though, despite the dissipation of my unfounded fear. They waited for a return glance, and when none came, slipped down along a string attached to the mirror, to where a bear claw dangled, dancing between the flash of street lights and the impenetrable darkness.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I’m taking a shortcut, don’t worry.”

“But the GPS says--” “Bah, the GPS doesn’t know anything,” Freddy retorted, and he turned it off. “I know where I’m going from here.”

We drove into a street with a few more accompanying cars. A traffic light stopped us, and the red light illuminated Freddy’s face in the darkness. I examined his features more closely as he watched the light. The resemblance to a bear from his long, snout-like nose to his thick beard showed. He had a wild look to him, but there existed some quality about him that seemed… clever. Not old by any means. Still, I couldn’t help seeing a wise, aged man trapped in his body.

“Were you ever part of Scouts?”

The words made me jump. “Sorry?”

“I asked if you were ever a part of Scouts.”

My brain wracked itself for the memory. “Yeah. I don’t think I was a part of it for long, though. Why do you ask?”

“All the talk about hunting made me remember doing it as a kid. You have fun selling popcorn?”

“I vaguely remember doing it,” I said, before I nodded. “Yeah, it was fun. Me and my friend would stand in front of a store and ask everyone. Sometimes we’d ask the same person

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 and then feel really embarrassed as soon as they told us.” I started laughing. “We got yelled at by the manager for blocking the door. No one could get through without talking to us, so probably half the popcorn we sold was just so they could get through.”

He nodded along, seemingly lost in his thoughts. I couldn’t blame him. Life, for all intents and purposes, did not suck as much back then. I hadn’t felt uncomfortable with my body, or at least I did not know of it at the time. It felt like more of a vague, empty feeling. The ignorance let me have fun, though. Now, even though I used hormones and I passed, I always had that fear.

“You sell a lot of popcorn?” he asked.

“I mean, I think so. It wasn’t like I was a very good salesman.”

“Didn’t know Girl Scouts sold popcorn.”

My entire body went stiff. He stared at me, not through the mirror but directly into my eyes, peering into my soul. Every particle in my body felt cold and hot at the same time, tingly, numb. My mouth, dry, opened to reply, “The light’s green.”

“What? Oh.” He turned around and started driving again. My stomach filled with lead.

Freddy knew. He had to.

“How much longer until we get there?” I asked. I had to resist twiddling my fingers.

“It won’t be long,” he replied. He had a strange tinge to his voice, almost a growl.

Freddy nodded his head to a beat I couldn’t hear. He kept glancing down to his bag, and then scratching his arms or his hair. Itching. He itched for some object in the bag.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 The cars disappeared again as we drove into an abandoned area. A parking lot, completely devoid of any humans. I could see in the distance some sort of hunting shop, complete with a sign showcasing a deer. Only towering lamps illuminated the place.

“This isn’t my apartment,” I said.

“I know.” He parked the car.

“When are you taking me there?”

“I’m not.”

I gulped. “And why not?”

“You wanna know something, Jones?” Freddy put a hand on the back of his seat as he gazed at me. His arm bulged with muscles, more muscular than I had ever seen on a human.

I didn’t dare meet his eyes. “What?”

“Bears are excellent hunters. But even despite this, they’re still hunted themselves. The hunter hunted. It’s ironic. Is it for glory, is it for safety? I don’t know. Maybe both. But there are different methods they can be hunted, Jones. They can be shot, sure. That’s the standard method.

But some don’t think that’s enough. No, they need to outsmart the bear. They need to humiliate it. And to do that, do you know what they do? They set traps, Jones. Traps.” Freddy’s lips tugged upward into a rugged smile. “You get what I’m saying?”

He knew.

“I asked you a question, Jones.”

Finally meeting his icy-cold eyes, I flinched. “I think so.”

“That’s good. See, it’d be disappointing if I did what I’m about to do to you and you didn’t know why. I find it important that one understands the power I have over them.” He

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 thumped the back of his seat. “You’re not getting out of here, okay? I just want to make that-hey, what are you doing?”

I pulled on the door handle and pushed against the door with all my might, slamming myself into it over and over again, my heart pounding in my chest, ready to burst, but the door wouldn’t budge. Freddy bellowed with laughter.

“What did I just say?” He wiped tears from his eyes. “I can’t believe it. Well, you got spirit, Jones. I’ll give you that much.”

A car pulled into the field of empty parking spaces. Freddy’s smile faded. “Keep your head down and be quiet. Don’t attract any attention to yourself. If you do, this is going to be so much more painful for you. Understand?”

I nodded. He replied, “Good girl. Or, should I say, good boy. Now get down.”

My neck cramped as I ducked into the tight space. I could hear the car park next to us, but when I tried to peer up, I felt a blanket cover my body and smother me into the seat.

I heard knocking on the car window, and then it slid down.

“Good evening! What can I do for you, sir?” came Freddy’s voice.

“I’m with the city police. May I ask you a few questions?” I fidgeted but fought the urge to yell out for help.

“Am I in trouble, officer?”

“Do you have a reason to be?” Freddy paused.

“Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” he repeated.

“Are you a regular customer here?”

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Guilty as charged. Sorry, bad choice of words. Yeah, I come here often for my hunting supplies. Why?” “Do you have a gun in this vehicle?”

“No. I can show you my license if you want me to. I’m here to buy some bait and maybe sell some of my goods.”

“There’s no need to.” The officer hesitated, before continuing. “Look, you seem like a trustworthy guy, so I’ll let you in on a little secret. We keep getting reports of dead bodies showing up here, shot and then torn up. Mutilated. They’re all trans women, too, so we got a real nutcase here. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Can’t say I do, officer. I hope our boys in blue bring him in, though. Justice always wins and that jazz.”

“Indeed.” Another pause. “Why are you driving a taxi with no passenger?”

“Ah, I just am finishing up a long day’s work. I figured it’d be easier to buy some shit quickly and then head on home, rather than switch cars. I’ll, uh, pay a fine if I need to, though.”

“I don’t know your company’s policy on that sort of thing but I won’t fine you. Just hurry up your business and get out of here. Stay safe, okay?”

“Will do, officer. Have a good night.”

I heard footsteps fading as the officer walked away. After a few minutes, I felt the blanket pull off of me. I got up to see Freddy’s cruel face grinning at me.

“Have fun down there?” he asked. “I hope you did. Don’t want your last moments to be of fear.”

“You’re a serial killer,” I said.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 “Again, guilty as charged.” Freddy reached into the bag and pulled out a gun. He directed it in my direction. “Got any final words?”

“Officer.”

“What?”

I pointed behind him. “Officer.”

Freddy glanced behind himself, and I grabbed for the gun. He slammed his hand against my face. I smashed against the door and grabbed the gun again. He wrapped a hand around my throat and squeezed. My bones crushing. Air running out. I bit his arm. Didn’t move. Barely registering what happened, I fumbled my hand toward the front and unlocked all the doors, slamming myself against the door and rolling out.

I gasped for breath. Not over yet, though, as he got out of the car and lunged towards me.

I dodged but he backhanded me across the face, and I flew. He kicked my leg until it twisted the wrong way. Sharp pain. I screamed but he wrapped his hand around my mouth and pressed the gun against my head roughly.

“You’re not going to fucking ruin everything. I’m making sure of it.” My ears rang.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve prepared for this?” he continued. I groaned against his grip and thrashed around. “Spending weeks stalking my prey, watching them. Waiting to see if they’re a potential target. Potential meat.” He licked his lips. “You’re not ruining everything.”

I managed to kick him between the legs. Freddy howled. I jumped for the gun and screamed as my leg hit the floor. His body on top of me, wrestling me, squishing me.

Bang.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 Freddy’s face paused. It felt almost comedic. Like time had just stopped for him. He looked down at his chest. His shirt, stained red. Then he looked at me. Shocked. His mouth hanging open. Freddy collapsed on my chest. Took me a few minutes to push him off of me.

I limped to the store. The staff inside didn’t seem to comprehend what they saw. I wouldn’t have, either.

“What the fuck happened?” one of them asked.

I dropped the gun. It clanged against the marble floor. “I hunted a bear.”

------------------------Red Light Gabriella Leavell

Red light.

Night falls slow and gently on the city. The nice brisk air and Hoseok by your side calm you. The street lights hug every building with its mystical shadows. Hoseok opens the passenger seat door for you.

Letting out a light thank you, you get in the car while Hoseok gets in the driver's seat.

He starts the engine. A familiar song plays and makes you pause. Hoseok smiles at you, that beaming smile you adore so much. That heart-shaped smile that shines like the sun forces everyone he comes across to smile. He then drove off.

Melodies flow smoothly in your ears. You take a deep breath and lay back. The music blends in with the rain, relaxing your muscles. You think about how you and Hoseok could dance with this song, hitting every beat. Maybe closing your eyes for a bit won't be so bad.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 You lean back into the car seat and close your eyes slowly losing yourself to sleep. Hoseok notices you sleeping as he stops at the red light. Adoring the pleasant sight of your delicate sun-kissed skin and soft breaths. He pecks your cheek and whispers "Sweet dreams my angel."

You smile in slumber thinking of all the future things to come with Hoseok.

The green light is signaled and Hoseok pulls off with that stupid grin on his face. That stupid grin that shows how happy he is to be with you and how relaxed he is with you. That grin that shows your how the world listened to his commands and sent him an angel. That grin that shows how much of a good boyfriend he is.

He makes a sharp turn, not watching the road ahead, and that proud grin turns to a terrified frown. The beep of a truck can be heard and he couldn’t stop the car out of fear. He holds his girlfriend's hand, unbuckling his seatbelt so he can hold her, to keep her safe.

The truck hits and the car flips. He was still holding on to her. Protecting her from the insides of the car.

All he feels is pain all over his body. Unbelievable pain, feeling his conscious go in and out. He’s trying to stay with her while also keeping her safe. He turns to look at her and everything went in slow motion.

Her wide beady orbs, the car about to land on the ground, her screams, all play, then everything goes back to normal. The car finally lands and everything is quiet.

You look at him in worry while he’s looking at you. “It’s okay. You’re okay, I’m ok...everything is okay,” he said soothingly as he caresses your face. You fall into his touch trying to calm down your heart trying to beat out of your chest. He started to spit out blood, a lot of blood.

Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor

Peer 2019 You go into panic mode looking around, with tear-brimmed eyes and a heaving chest about to erupt. The truck driver is nowhere to be seen and you can't seem to find your phone. You look back at him to see his condition and he's panting and taking deep breaths.

It's about 4 o'clock.

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Peer, 2019: Earl DeMott, Editor