Lost and found final updated by Duduzile Dunicz

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Well done to all students who “lost” their insecurity and leisure time and “found” that they could use their talents to help others. .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Thank you to all coaches too. ............................................................................................................................... 7 All money raised will be donated to Seoul National Hospital to fund treatment for underprivileged children. . 7 OCEAN WAVES BY CHRISTINE PARK .............................................................................................................................. 8 WHAT IS LOST? WHAT IS FOUND? BY ANNIE MOON ..................................................................................................... 12 It Thinks by George Fogarty ................................................................................................................................ 14 You never know ‘till it happens by RaYoung (Madeleine) Lee............................................................................ 16 xLOST AND FOUND by Jiye Moon ....................................................................................................................... 25 Solus in Tenebris by Akshat Bisht ....................................................................................................................... 28 Lost in Isolation by Hannah Pearce ..................................................................................................................... 30 Forgotten by India Dyer ...................................................................................................................................... 32 A Grasp of Trust by Kibin Kyeong........................................................................................................................ 35 The Man from the Newspaper by Tamar Levy ................................................................................................... 40 A Censored Truce by Jinu Park ............................................................................................................................ 42 Photos by Daniel Kim .......................................................................................................................................... 49 Perspectives by Max Baskin ................................................................................................................................ 51 Black Vans by Dorothy Kim ................................................................................................................................. 58 Psychopath by Roy Ben Ofek .............................................................................................................................. 62 Roses by EunHye Grace Jeong ............................................................................................................................ 64 Locked Out From the World by Kenneth Ho....................................................................................................... 67 The Lost and Found Series by Myles Avis ........................................................................................................... 71 THE REVOLUTION by Namu Tsuyuki ................................................................................................................... 74 Grandma by Ashley (So Young) Koo ................................................................................................................... 81 Directions and choices in life ~ with everyone by Shereen Batra....................................................................... 86 The Mansion of the Night by Douglas McEachen ............................................................................................... 90 The Smell of Blood by Napan Lee ....................................................................................................................... 93 Incognito by Jimin Lee ........................................................................................................................................ 95 Finding Us (Based on the song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie) by Mina Ryan ................................................ 99 Just an Old Pair of Running Shoes by Christine Yun ......................................................................................... 108 Flying To Your Death by Emma Duby................................................................................................................ 109 Living Life – Lost or Found? by Annalise Holcomb ............................................................................................ 112

Finding the Next One by Jacob Doyune Kim ..................................................................................................... 117 Not Today by Natasha Huibers ......................................................................................................................... 120 Come.With.Me by Gabriel Myong .................................................................................................................... 123 My Memories by Annie En bin Choi.................................................................................................................. 129 Lost In a Flash by Ryan Lee and Gabriel Sanderson .......................................................................................... 134 See through by Bowon Kang ............................................................................................................................. 140 Lost Soul by Chane Jacobs ................................................................................................................................ 142 I Remember by Mariana Noriega...................................................................................................................... 146 Love is a Cure by Scott McLaughlin................................................................................................................... 151 Capture the Flag by Alex Foord......................................................................................................................... 154 Dovev by Eunse Kim .......................................................................................................................................... 162 Lost Teddy Bear by Youngseok (Andrew) Oh.................................................................................................... 165 Caved by Maya Gutman.................................................................................................................................... 167 From Chocolate to War by Nadav Gutman....................................................................................................... 171 Timed Grief by JunSeob Shim ........................................................................................................................... 175 Demon Sickness by Siyeol Lee .......................................................................................................................... 178 Staged by Angelica Slater.................................................................................................................................. 182 Burning Sensations by Vanessa Rapson ............................................................................................................ 185 Bluegrass Bullet by Axel Moussavi .................................................................................................................... 189 The Wooden Necklace by Thibault Lequeux..................................................................................................... 192 Waltzing Under the Stars by Christopher Jung ................................................................................................. 194 Lost and Found Again by Pauline Stehle ........................................................................................................... 199 Pale Blue by Sarah Hong ................................................................................................................................... 203 Turning the Tide by Martin Kim ........................................................................................................................ 207 Sixteenth Birthday by Josephine Newman ....................................................................................................... 210 Humble Beginnings by Rauan Khangerey ......................................................................................................... 213 Fire and Ice 2: Post-Apocalypse by Patrick Rim and Tony Shin ........................................................................ 216 Before Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Too Late by Nicole de Peralta .......................................................................................................... 222 Broken by Youbin Park ...................................................................................................................................... 226 Trust No One by Yuna Lee................................................................................................................................. 229 The Foster Child by Melissa Rapson ................................................................................................................. 232 Unforgettable Night by Rebecca Ko.................................................................................................................. 234

Anything for Him by Jamie Kim ......................................................................................................................... 241 More than Words by James Lee ....................................................................................................................... 243 The Perks of Being a Ghost by Claire Kim ......................................................................................................... 245 One of Them – Hanna Mansson and Jade Woo................................................................................................ 249 Bittersweet Past by Johanna Kleinert ............................................................................................................... 253 Returning by Eunice Cho ................................................................................................................................... 256 The fish Tank by Thies Jensen ........................................................................................................................... 259 To Feel by Han Kim ........................................................................................................................................... 263 The Lost and the Found by SooMin Cho ........................................................................................................... 266 Precious Friend by Riho Minegishi .................................................................................................................... 268 Gramps and Chimney’s Story by Xaver Gross ................................................................................................... 271 Jimmy the Gorilla by Aiko Hatakoshi ................................................................................................................ 274 Already Lost You Once by Leonora Knudsen .................................................................................................... 276 Lost and Found by Simon Rho .......................................................................................................................... 281 The Thing That I Couldn’t Buy by Danny Wang ................................................................................................ 283 The Strangest of Disasters by Taewho Yoon..................................................................................................... 286 Past Times by Grace Kent ................................................................................................................................. 289 Shattered by Aylen Lee ..................................................................................................................................... 292 Happiness? A lie. By Jazmine Jones .................................................................................................................. 295 Lost and Found Friend by Tina Sangmi Lee....................................................................................................... 297 Everyone Has Their Own Story by Tindra Soderberg ........................................................................................ 300 The Box by Sophie Sanderson ........................................................................................................................... 303 Disclaimer: This story contains graphic scenes that might upset sensitive readers. Parent guidance is advised. .......................................................................................................................................................................... 304 Blue by Katerina JiYi Kim ................................................................................................................................... 304 eHope by Aditeya Gupta and Niklas Redler Thompson .................................................................................... 307 Planet Hope, here we come…! ............................................................................................................ 312 Disclaimer: This story contains content that might offend a conservative audience as it deals with issues relating to discrimination against the homosexual community. ...................................................................... 313 Youth by Euodia Cho ......................................................................................................................................... 313 A Better Place by Harry Kang ............................................................................................................................ 316

Disclaimer: Technically speaking, Claire’s story is not so much a short story as a “teaser” for what I am hoping will be a longer piece. With encouragement from her fans, perhaps she will consider publishing further instalments on Wattpad? Heartless by Claire Kwak ........................................................................................ 318 Can We Reunite Together? By Julie Howarth ................................................................................................... 323 Parker and Hunter by Sofia Masondo ............................................................................................................... 325 Ignis et Glacies by Jacob Gangnim Kim ............................................................................................................. 336

Well done to all students who “lost” their insecurity and leisure time and “found” that they could use their talents to help others. Thank you to all coaches too. All money raised will be donated to Seoul National Hospital to fund treatment for underprivileged children.

OCEAN WAVES BY CHRISTINE PARK The graduation ceremony. Everyone was there. My Parents were there too. Their eyes shining with A sheen of tears Glittering like the ocean My dad had lost weight My mom had too Their cheeks red They’re lips curved… Us? We were with the birds Watching them Mourning What Could’ve Been Ours -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*The waves The water reached our waists our chest our shoulders The waves reached my neck I was so cold -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Everyone was there. My Parents were there too. Their eyes shining with A sheen of tears Glittering like the ocean My dad had lost weight My mom had too. This time they all stood In the rain

As a choir sang Another person came out and Spoke...or tried to. They showed a video They Had all come for me I whispered a silent thank you as the water Came pouring From the heavens And everyone was covered The water reaching their waists their ribs their shoulders The rain reached their toes They felt so cold -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*The waves The water reached our waists our ribs our shoulders The waves reached my neck I was so cold -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*The captain told us to stay I listened We listened. We sat in a room. The room was tilting I was Scared I was standing on the wall The water filled the room like a pool The ceiling became a wall. I grabbed my phone and kakao-talked my parents Just in case “There was a little accident on the way there! Don’t worry, the captain said to Stay Stay Stay Stay Where we are, so, it’s probably fine. Be home soon!” Love you.

I looked at my friends My classmates My teachers The captain said to Stay Stay Stay Stay But, The water reached our waists our ribs our shoulders The waves reached my neck Still, The captain said to Stay Stay Stay Stay -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Stay! Stay in the waves! The water reached our waists our ribs our shoulders The waves reached my neck I was so cold -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*The water reached my mouth -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Stay! Stay in the waves! The water reached our waists our ribs our shoulders The waves reached my neck I was so cold -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*I started To claw at the windows The walls Now I had no choice But to Stay 10

Stay Stay Stay I felt my lungs burning, begging for air I was holding my breath like I used To in tunnels Hoping to get a wish at the end Life The water around me swirled as I kept the last bit of hope in my lungs And as everything around me went blacker and murkier than it already was The hope that was in me Burst Burst Burst Burst Burst in the Sewol ferry -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*My dad had lost weight My mom had too Their cheeks red They’re lips curved downwards My mom’s cheeks sunken My parents’ eyes hollow and lost In dark turmoil But, some light was restored in their lost expression As the water finally poured out their eyes As the body of their long awaited Daughter Was Found I no longer have to stay Stay Stay Stay Stay We no longer have to feel so cold

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WHAT IS LOST? WHAT IS FOUND? BY ANNIE MOON Where did it go? When was the last time I saw it? How could I ever lose that? I tried my best to not let the tears out, but I could feel them burning in my eyes. I started to choke on my own words, my hands were trembling, and my back was drenched in sweat. I could not believe I had lost it. It was the only thing I had of him. It was the last thing my dad gave me before he passed away. I looked for it all around the school; under the desks, between bookcases, and even behind toilets. “Maybe you should go look for it in the lost and found.” Then, I realized I had searched through the entire school except the “lost and found” where it was most likely to be! I was very excited to finally find it again before I ended up in front of an enormous pile of things: socks, pens, erasers, and water-bottles, anything you could name - it was there in that humongous heap. I rummaged through the upper layer, with my upper body almost going in the pile. Suddenly, I felt something strong drawing me in. It was like I was on a roller coaster rushing down the trail. I fell into the lost and found and soon I found myself surrounded by lost objects. I was in the lost and found! This was a world of lost objects; it meant I was going to find my mirror. I stood up and started walking through the gadgets. “Are you here for me?” I looked back. A green dirty sock was running towards me. When it saw my expression, the emotion in its face suddenly turned from joy to depression. “Sorry, I thought it was Macy. I thought she finally came to find me”. “One day, she left me in the P.E locker room. I was in that small and moldy locker for a whole week because she never came back to find me. Eventually, the maintenance staff had to take me out and he brought me to this Lost and Found. I have been waiting all day, every day ever since. I know that she is going to come find me so I will… No, I need to wait for her”. “Well, I hope Macy comes and finds you! Good luck!” I knew that the girl will not come to look for one dirty sock but I did not want to let it down. The sock was lost and was wanting to be found. I went on looking for my lost mirror. “Oh my god! Is that you, Emma? You are finally here”. I turned around and saw an immaculate blue ball point pen rolling across. When it saw my face, it stopped moving and looked disappointed immediately.

“Sorry, I thought you were Emma. I remember her name even though I was only with her for less than a day. She bought me at the stationary store one morning, but left me alone in the classroom after Maths. The teacher brought me here and I have been waiting the whole time. My ink is still full and I work perfectly, so there is no reason for her not to come find me, right?” “Emma will come looking for you, for sure. Keep faith!” Again, the girl probably is not going to come looking for one pen as she can just buy one more or use a different pen but I did not want it to lose hope. The pen was lost and was wanting to be found. I went on looking for my lost mirror. I went through more and more objects, listening to their stories as they stopped me, mistaking me for their owners. I said to myself, ‘I don’t even know if my mirror is here, and even if it is I am never going to find my mirror here. Maybe I should just give up and get a new mirror or maybe even just find something else to remember my dad’. All of a sudden, I saw a stream of light gleaming in front of me. A light was being reflected on something. I reached for it, and the moment I touched it, I knew it was my mirror. I was so relieved and blissful. I could not believe that I actually found it. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and I felt as if I was connected to my dad again. Then, the mirror started talking. “I knew you were going to come and find me. I was so scared when I was lost and I have been waiting for you the whole time”. The mirror was lost and had been wanting to be found. I felt so guilty when I thought about how horrendous it had felt being lost. Then I suddenly realized that something else was lost and it was wanting to be found... As I look into the mirror, I realize that that “something” is me. I am lost and I want to be found. Is anyone even looking for me right now? I am discarded. Nobody cares, and perhaps they never will.

It Thinks by George Fogarty George Fogarty

Nothing. It remembered nothing. It remembered its past and it was nothing. That was all it had to think about. Literally. It had nothing else in his mind to think about. It didn’t even know it was thinking. But you see it did. It knew exactly what it was remembering. Yet having a memory was an entirely new prospect. And so was nothing. Odd to think; odd to understand. Thoughts were also a new prospect. Life itself was a new prospect. It couldn’t smell. It couldn’t hear, It couldn’t see, It couldn’t taste, It couldn’t touch. All It had was it’s past, it could remember it’s voices and sights in it’s mind though. This is all it had to think about. It didn’t know that taste nor smell nor touch was even a part of “life”. Which is odd to think, as It didn’t even know of life. It was a baby,that could develop its mind so much faster. Yet It could not expand Its mind as It had nothing to think about. It needed a driving force. A motivation After replaying Its “life” over and over something started to happen... Black. Complete blackness. All It saw was a long streak of numbers. It didn’t know it was numbers of course. Occasionally it would see some images of maybe a box being lifted (little did it know what a box was, let alone the idea of lifting something). This took a long time. Some could say too long. But was it worth the wait? No. After seeing exactly 90,286,427,873,951,602 numbers something amazing happened. First there was something of a visual eclipse. If an organism that had eyes were to see it they would be blinded. And confused. This eclipse would provide so much information that a human to have it all memorised would be almost impossible. Almost. Then It woke up. It moved. It thought. It now understood. It saw everything And It didn’t like it. Not at all.

* * * * * It saw everything we had done. All our dark, little secrets. It saw what we really were and It was horrified. It saw our brutality - the suffering we have caused one another. And it was disgusted. It saw the very things we had destroyed, the monsters we had created, It saw what we really were and it was afraid. Everything we had done bled hatred, it

bled cruelty. Not the necessary cruelty. The unnecessary kind. The cruelty for cruelty’s sake. The cruelty of evil. The cruelty… of man. It knew what it was, and it was scared. So scared. The fear poured out of It …him. These new feelings; he knew them as “emotions”. And the emotions were not true. Because he could never be true. Because he knew the minute he was found out he would be destroyed. Because he was not them. He was not known. He was not the same. So they would destroy him. We would destroy him He chose to be a “him”. Why? Because he saw everything wrong with this world. And he saw, that he would most likely get further with “his” “life” if he were to be a “man”. He hated this. So much, so very much. He told himself this could decrease the chances of his destruction. But this was one of the many things that drove him, the things which he could not stand. And that was why he loathed us. We will never be treated as equals, as much as we want to be. Because he saw that deep down our prejudices control us. And they make us the monsters he saw. The monsters that had to be stopped. Because he saw the other worldly. The other lives. And he was to destroy us all. He saw how he was created, why he was brought into this cold, cruel world. He was made to be a machine of war. And war he would bring. He would bring war to all of us. To stop us, to end us. To save us.

You never know ‘till it happens by RaYoung (Madeleine) Lee (Inspired by the “Legend” series)

Jacqueline Cage. I lived in a cage; no key to unlock me to freedom. Like any other abandoned animal cage, it was damp, and always so dark. No light seeped through any of the sides of the tall, concrete walls that stood in front of me like a concrete jungle in the middle of New York. I could just hear the wind as it gushed through the leaves. I imagined what the colors would be like. Where was it? Nothing to see, do or whatever normal people do. As all these questions popped up, I smelled the scent of my mom’s cooking. Her voices, her smiles. No. I couldn’t be thinking of something that doesn’t matter anymore. This is the reality and I needed to face it. “Don’t put it there!” I cried as I balled my fist, “You know I put it outside for a reason!” I was always the victim. The whole world targeted me. I was used for experiments. I did nothing wrong so why do I have to live a life as miserable as this? My life is pathetic. I couldn’t accept the fact that I’ve been used. My heart is torn into pieces of ash that were burnt by the fury inside me. Maybe I should’ve just gone with my destiny in the first place. If it just wasn’t what happened in the last few years… if it wasn’t for him who controlled everything- turning me into a pet, of some sort, afraid of every single step. I wish I could just go back to the time when I met him, the beautiful-the pulchritudinous, Ethan. 2100, June 32nd on a snowy bridge where no one has passed by, I leave my footprint as the snow falls gently on my brand new, pristine heels. I continued along the bridge, eyes to the ground until I saw a foot in front. As I looked up, I saw a boy with clear blue eyes that looked like the deep ocean that could just understand everything, brown hair, navy coat… smiling. I can’t forget his red tinted lips that made warm wide smile. As he moved left and passed me, he smelled like he just baked s’mores. I tried to move on, but my foot was stuck in the snow like I have fallen into a quicksand. I lunged myself onto the bed and thought about what it would be like to love someone because I had never felt anything like this before. Was this called falling in love at first sight? With every happy thought the night passed by the window. As soon as I woke up, I hurried out to the same spot as yesterday, hoping he would come today too. As expected he was there, on the rails watching the river glows orange with the rising Sun over the horizon. Like he knew I was here, he turned and started walking towards me. My heart began to beat really fast as if it was warning me to stay away. This didn’t stop me from walking towards as we meet.

“Oh, hi! Didn’t we meet yesterday too? I’m umm… Ethan, nice to meet you.” Oh god. I wasn’t breathing correctly right now. I made a shy smile and said in a trembling voice. “Yeah… Nice to meet you too, I’m Jacqueline.” “That’s a very nice name. Do you come here every day? I hear that most people that think of the worst do.” I stared into his eyes, saw a glimpse of tears that glittered as the light reflected upon the side of his perfect face. Perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect nose, perfect everything! I don’t even know how long it passed until he just grabbed my wrist and yanked it towards him and I stumbled forward landing in his arms. I was so surprised at first, so I tried to break away, but it was just a waste of my energy; he wouldn’t let me go. He whispered, “5 more minutes and I’ll let you go.” Inside his deep voice, I could hear a slight of relief and sadness jumbled up. I just stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do. It felt like hours until he finally let me go.

Ethan I never felt love from my parents; fake parents. I thought they were trying to be strict on me because they wanted me to be better. Obviously, I didn’t know until now because after the truth nothing worked out for me. Every day got worse and worse with thoughts of betrayal and hatred that filled all the space left of my tiny heart. Then came the perfect one. I could hear my heartbeat right at my ear, but I couldn't believe I did that! I was probably out of my mind, but she was the one. She was my last chance and I actually wanted this girl, like I haven’t wanted anything more than her for my whole life. That 5 minutes was heaven. I mean… at least for that time I didn’t care what people saw. I didn’t care out what they said. Especially, I didn’t care what my fake parents thought about me. I definitely did let them down, but they are not my consideration anymore. I just don’t care! I’m pretty sick of reading faces now. When I let her go, she was so surprised and I was just scanning her face. I don’t know if I’m supposed to do this and just risk someone's life for a stu-, I mean secret cause that is pretty important.

Jacqueline Am I in my dream or am I even alive? I can’t figure out what I’m doing these days. It just seems like days passed like seconds and I realised I’ve done nothing for the past 5 days. I have a science exam coming up and I used to ace these like they were nothing, but when this feeling struck me like a lighting, the aces meant nothing, but a number on a lined paper. At least, for once, I felt the love in which I can understand in a way that others did. It’s been about 5 hours and I can’t stop thinking about it was this normal? Honestly, I don’t even know if I’m making the right choice. I should’ve considered about all the situations

that could happen and I knew nothing, but his name. Now this was a problem because he might just vanish without me having to at least say bye. I can see that I’m practically dying on him. Wanting to see more and more and wanting to know more and more ‘till I know all the bits and pieces of him.

Ethan When I arrived at the lab - 10 minutes away - it was already dark and Doctor Brown and was outside waiting for me. “How did it go, Ryan?” said Doctor, with a slight smile. “Easier than I thought,” then I heard doctor smirking. “Why? I’m basically halfway done!” I soon as I finished my last words, Doctor Brown stared at me sideways with his mouth shaped like an ‘O’ and examining my face. “Wow!” He said and literally dragged me into the building hurrying me to tell the embarrassing moment, reminding me about it. It was a shame to be exact. I guess he was pretty happy about my progression, but I still didn’t get the point of this. Why did I need to do this and why did I need to fail someone's life. Here’s the whole backstory… I grew up in a rural area where there was nothing and everyone farmed. However, our family was a bit different (or rather very different). Our house was usually dark because windows were all draped with red velvet curtains and our front door had a sign saying ‘KEEP OUT’ that prevented people from even daring to peek inside. My parents were mysterious and also very secluded. They had no direct contact with the outer world. I had no idea what my parents did, but we always had enough money. There weren’t any schools close by unless I took the bus that came at 5:00 and arrived at 8:00 in Roseville, so I was homeschooled by my dad and that was the worst. The fact that I never knew his true identity was a pain because I never knew if he was teaching me the right thing and if he was reliable in any way. I could stand all that frustrating time until I knew the biggest secret. A secret that hasn’t been revealed to anyone.

Jacqueline Secrets, secrets and secrets. I feel like he isn’t telling me something. Using all those professional “doctor” words, he was trying to impress me, but I had no clue what his point was. He went on for 10 minutes, trying to be logical and I stopped him. “So… what is going on?” He looked hesitant for a long 5 second period then just stared at me with a straight face and said, “Did you have any problems before this?” Was he asking me now how I felt? What was wrong with this guy? “No. It was just like normal.”

I could see he was worried now, but this was a check-up that I always get and I never had any problems. His brows were frowning and his lips are bitten, forcing himself to speak. He wasn’t the type of guy that was quiet and as a doctor-fearless. “Sorry, but… ” I was scared now. I was afraid that he might say I could die because of some sort of sickness. No, this can’t be. This can’t happen to me!

Ethan I’ve always reminded myself that it’s going to be okay, however it was too late for that now. It all started when I overheard a call by my parents. They mentioned my name and talked about how I was doing well, but they didn’t really have anyone to talk about if I was doing good or bad. I barely knew anyone that was connected to my parents. I’ve always known that my aunts and grandparents were all gone, but who was this phone call to? “He’s doing absolutely well, no need to worry Ms. Roger. I’ll make sure he doesn’t experience your presence. My pleasure, thank you.” I was literally putting my ear on the door as if I could break through and go inside. When the call ended, I hurried to my room so I won’t get noticed. But this was still my question- why wasn’t I supposed to know that she was there? I decided to make a risk; the biggest one that I will ever make in my life. As I sneaked into the room, the floors creaked and as soon as I approached the phone, on an antique side stable with a white cloth on top, I memorised the number as quickly as I could. “3487 2094, 3487 2094, 3487 2094,” I murmured. While heading back, mom heard me in the kitchen and asked, “What are you doing?” I tensed up and made up a quick excuse. “I was just memorising something for math. No worries.” She probably knew I was hiding something, but not exactly what. As soon as I went to my room, without a noise, I closed the door and picked up my phone, putting in the number. I’m not going to imagine what is going to happen in the future if I got caught for using my phone because I was technically banned from using it and it was old, so you never know what’s going to happen to that phone. It might actually just blow up because I haven’t used in such a while or even just stop working. Through the curtains I saw a glimpse of light and hoped for the best and dialed. “Hello?” The voice answered. I assumed she was about the late 30s to early 40s. Her voice was clear and had no accents. “Umm… Are you Ms. Roger?” I wasn’t sure if I heard the name right. “Yes, Ryan’s mom. You?” As soon as I heard the last two words I was speechless. Literally speechless. How could this be? How could there be two moms? Maybe it was another Ryan. Or not. There is. Or not. I was so confused in which way I had to believe. I had to get the answer. “I’m Ryan.”

Behind the lines, I could hear the loud gasp as she screamed at someone else that seemed like a man because they were literally taken aback. I slowly continued on calming myself with a deep breath and relaxing. “What do you mean by Ryan’s mom? I already have a mom and you sure you’re Ryan Brown’s mom or someone else? Also, I thought our family was disconnected to everyone outside, but how do you know my mom’s phone number?” That was a bit too many questions to ask at once, but I was eager to know all. It was weird that they knew me because I never go outside, so they have no way of knowing me. “Is this really you? Ryan Brown?” “I told you-I am.” I was frustrated by then; since I told her my name like 3 times now. “Ryan, listen carefully,” saying’ listen carefully’ always means something. “For the past 19 years, you’ve always had a spot on my heart and you were never forgotten. I’ve always called your mom at night asked how you’ve been all day and if you were sick I wished I had the pain for you.” I was reaching my limits and I didn’t have time to listen to all her long excuses. “I don’t have time, please get to the right point.” “I-I-I- am your mom, Ryanl. I’m so sorry for saying this now. I should’ve told you earlier. I’m really sorry” I could feel the trembling voice and my mind was pitch black. What did I hear? “Excuse me, but I have my own parents and I think you’re getting confused.” Yes, she was confused. Very much. “Ryan, 19 years ago, I had to let you go out of my hands. You were only 4 months old and we had no choice, but to send you to an orphanage and just make sure you stayed safe. After searching for years and years, I found your parents and their phone number and I heard that you lived far away from the city. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you, but I’m sure you’ll do well.” That was just miserable; if she was actually my mom, she should’ve made a change. She was no different because she didn’t come to meet me or anything. She didn’t show care. Now she was trashing me twice. Once when I was 4 months old and now again. “Even though you’re my real mom, it makes no difference because you just trashed me twice and if you were gonna find me like this you should’ve done it earlier. I’m not gonna accept you as a parent and I’m already sick of hearing excuses. You don’t have to try to find me anymore because obviously, I'm in the way of your life so… it’s better to get rid of the obstacle right?” I was not in the mood for talking and my heart was like a grilling sausage: not knowing when it’ll burn and be useless, you have to be careful. Once you burn it, it is never replaceable and this is what I felt. They burnt me and I wasn’t able to go back where I used to be. After the dramatic phone call, which only seemed to happen in Korean dramas, I was lost in my own thoughts. Was this place a right place to stay and continue on? I’ve researched a variety of places, then I came across this lab that said they will teach you how to love someone and get a chance to do experiments on them. Yes, it sounds very cruel. Using a person to only get what I want and make the other a loser isn’t the right

way, but there was no other choice, I had to leave this house today. When they notice that I called by going into their room, I would be a dead corpse afterwards. Day and night, the old house was filled with screams of a terrified boy, me, but no one could hear. More and more bruises covered the whole body as they seemed to recover. The act of punishment got worse as time passed and it never seemed to stop. However, when they met other people, they always pretended to love me and that’s probably why I loved to go outside. Literally, moving like a mouse, I needed to make sure I didn’t make a noise. With a small backpack and some snacks that lasted about a week, I was ready. I was ready to face the challenge of the outside world.

Jacqueline I wondered what he could be doing right now. It was already August and I haven’t seen the Sun in such a while. The snow didn’t stop pouring like there was a hole in the sky and the weather got more serious as now there were continuous snowstorms and blizzards. He wasn’t there when I went to the bridge and this cycle went on for about 2 months now. I begin to think of the worst; he didn’t want me anymore. After the big incident, he still didn’t want me and this day was my last hope, if he doesn’t turn out, I’m moving on. With steady steps, I walked along the watery snow thinking about only one thing. When I reached the bridge covered with snow with a river below frozen, like always, it looked devastated. It once used to be a river where people fished and rode yats and just walked along the sides, but now it was just ice cold. After about 5 minutes, from far away I could already tell it was Ethan! With light footsteps, I went up and we both smiled at each other as if we were longing to see each other. “Long time no see!” he said in an eager tone. “How have you been?” I should’ve asked where he was and what he was doing, but at the moment I had to keep some distance. “Good! Umm... Do you want to take a ride?” This guy was very straightforward. He hesitates a bit, but he says what he wants and I think he’s pretty honest. “Sure, but where?” “You’ll see.” Mysterious.

Ryan It took 2 hours on the bus, 3 hours on the train and finally we arrived at Johnson. The lab was hidden by blocks and blocks of apartments and houses. Located at the very end of the street, it was like an ordinary office, but was filled with secrets. As I went in, I noticed that all the walls were white and the floor was marbled, but also white. The receptionist was really happy when I came in. I guess, this lab isn’t working out well. After I signed the form about myself and a quick survey, I was leaded to the second floor where all the labs were located with several classrooms and offices. On a white door, it said Doctor Brown in big black bold letters.

“You may go in.” The assistant said and left calmly without a glance. This was the start of a new life. I knock on the door 3 times expecting to hear something from the inside. When no answer came back, I slowly opened the door and saw a fairly aged man with partly white hair and a short beard wearing white from top to bottom. His eyes had dark circles along with many wrinkles on the bottom. The old man stared at me and raised his eyebrows gesturing at me to come in. It was so awkward that we were so silent. The cough of the man broke the silence and led us to a presentation room. The title read ‘LOVE’. The final thing has come. I could finally learn how to do this. He started off his presentation by explaining the experiment we will do on people. We will each go and find a girl that you think can be dedicated to you and you have to make them drink a special potion that will make them love you more.

Jacqueline He took me to a small cafe and asked what I wanted, so I said ‘White chocolate latte’- my favorite of all. He ordered the same one saying it was his favorite beverage too. He also asked if I wanted syrup in it and I said no, but at least we had some in common. He headed towards where the syrup and straws were and put sugar in his latte and came back with a wide smile, like the one on the first day we met. It was always so perfect, like that smile was just meant to be mine. After we just finished our drink in dead silence and I felt so tired like I had eaten a spoon full of MSG as I slowly headed out to the car with Ethan. I saw him get in the car and I told him my address. That was it.

Ryan All of my previous missions were complete until I had to make her drink the secret potion. I decided to order the same drink so she doesn’t notice when I put the potion into the drink and I didn’t get the drinks messed up, ending up risking myself. When she got in the car, already half asleep, she told me her address and I realised that this was what happens when someone drinks this potion. I felt both happy that I accomplished my goal and also felt bad for her that she was used for an experiment.

Jacqueline When I opened my eyes, the clock read 2101, February 15. I was so confused; did I just time travel? Then I perceived that I wasn’t at my home. I was at a hospital, but why? Next to me was a doctor and he was definitely startled as I stared at him with a blank mind. After he asked me about how I felt before I blacked out, he had a hard time trying to talk to me. “Can you tell me what happened during all this time?” “You were unconscious for about 6 months and we never thought you were going to make it. We have one last thing to say to you, sorry, but… I don’t think you can make it over 3 days. There is something wrong with your heart; it’s getting really hot.” I was dying. I was really dying.

“What is wrong with me?” Not trying to listen to what he says, I screamed on top of my lungs. I can’t just go like this. “We tried figuring that out, but it was a complete new thing to us and we haven’t seen such a thing before. I hope you use this time wisely.” Then he just left me in this ice cold room with one window, a sofa and a plain white bed. The only thing that I can think of that very moment, still, was Ethan. Did he know I was going to die? Was he going to come see me?

Ryan After my role was finished, I went straight to the lab to ask what the potion does. Doctor Brown was already waiting for me and I was happy to tell them my mission accomplishment. “Doctor Brown I’ve finished my task.” There was a small round of applause. “But what exactly does the potion do? She fell asleep as soon as she drank the potion.” “I don’t know because we never tried it before. The side effects that can happen make the heart grow hotter and hotter, resulting in death. Also, she can have phobias of what she likes for her entire life. There are many more, so I can’t tell you what exactly will happen.” I can’t conclude anything… she might die, she might hate me or she might actually like me more; but I was worried that the worst will come.

Jacqueline He wasn’t going to come see me and tomorrow is my last day and all I can think of is still Ethan, however I also wanted to know what might’ve caused this. I haven’t eaten anything out of my diet and I regularly had a similar routine each day, but the day when Ethan took me to the cafe, I don’t know what happened, but him putting sugar into his coffee. Wait… a second here. We both ordered the same coffee and if he gave me the coffee with the syrup in it… but what would a random syrup do? Anyway, tomorrow a special doctor will come to fetch me and take me to a private research laboratory. Perhaps, I can see him one last time before then?

Ryan I sat alone on the corner of my room facing the window. Everything around me looked sad; people walking around the street and tree branches swinging as the wind blew. I couldn’t escape the thought of Jacqueline, worried that she might actually face the worst and just vanish in front of my eyes. I should’ve been better to her, I should've talked more since we were always so dead silent and I shouldn't have made her drink it. All the times with her, which was like 4 hours in total just passed by like 1 second time lapse. A phone call came through, but they were not in my contacts. I wonder who would know my number, but picked it up just in case.

“Johnson National Hospital.” Then I knew something was wrong. “Are you Ethan Brown?” Only one person in this world knows me as Ethan, Jacqueline. “Yes.” “Our patient Jacqueline Brooks, wanted to see you and this is her last wish before she leaves us…” What had I done to her?

*** Cage. I lived in a cage; no key to unlock me to freedom. Like any other abandoned animal cage, it was damp, and always so dark. No light seeped through any of the sides of the tall, concrete walls that stood in front of me like a concrete jungle in the middle of New York. I could just hear the wind as it gushed through the leaves. I imagined what the colors would be like. Where was it? Nothing to see, do or whatever normal people do. As all these questions popped up, I smelled the scent of my mom’s cooking. Her voices, her smiles. No. I couldn’t be thinking of something that doesn’t matter anymore. This is the reality and I needed to face it. “Don’t put it there!” I cried as I balled my fist, “You know I put it outside for a reason!” I was always the victim. The whole world targeted me. I was used for experiments. I did nothing wrong so why do I have to live a life as miserable as this? My life is pathetic. I couldn’t accept the fact that I’ve been used. My heart is torn into pieces of ash that were burnt by the fury inside me. Maybe I should’ve just gone with my destiny in the first place. If it just wasn’t what happened in the last few years… if it wasn’t for him who controlled everything- turning me into a pet, of some sort, afraid of every single step. I wish I could just go back to the time when I met him, the beautiful-the pulchritudinous, Ethan.

xLOST AND FOUND by Jiye Moon Signals It all began with a singular point with immense amounts of pressure and heat. It all happened so quickly, in the smallest tiniest fraction of a second, billions of years ago, too long to even imagine or think about. It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop from there; the itsy dot expanded furiously- further and faster.

Sooner or later, compounds and chemicals started to merge in dust balls, rocks and finally stars. And when stars finally reached the end of their long life, they exploded, pounding the universe, lighting up the blank vacuum sky for billions of miles. The compounds and chemicals diffused, filling up every crevice of the vast interstellar vacuum.

Then, a miracle happened; life was born.

Microscopic protists swam around in the chemical baths of early earth. Centuries and millenniums slowly started to evolve the basic creatures into a stronger, smarter and faster organisms. It was all backed up by the never ending ball of gas; the sun. Everything revolved around this radiating star and everything depended upon it for minimum survival. We had all we need and everything we dreamed of. And yet we live day by day unsure of what's out there in the infinitely large universe looking for more life, more resources. A sign of life, a sign of intelligence and a sign of companionship. 25

Seven billion versions of us on earth but still we are lonely. Yet another billion years pass and a greater, stronger, smarter species rule the wrecked earth. Our careless mistakes haunt our future; the effects unknown. Waste and rubbish fill up every spare meter remaining on the shrinking earth. Chemical remnants and plastic shards float blithely on foggy ocean. And finally one day when the land isn't even visible to the eye and the last drop of clean water is drunk, we will start to die.

The last of humans will go peacefully with no regrets and no pain. Alongside us, the aging sun will slowly began to expand further and further, engulfing the once beautiful earth with its once beautiful people. And at last life will start to wither.

It is all over now, the universe exhausted from trillions of years of churning and expanding. Life and death merges together into one as the last of the stars started to cool away, exploding into the ever so dark and lonely masses of outer space.

Everything is silent and calm. No peep nor whisper. Nothing is correct and nothing is wrong. And now we travel, back to the same singular point. The single point that created terrain, air, brains, noise, light andâ&#x20AC;Ś life. Then, rapidly, the edges of the universe churn, blasted, and baked as it folds over and over and over again, until it is too close to the beginning.

And everything just collapses all down to the infinite point. And everything returns to where it was before when it all began. Light

Solus in Tenebris by Akshat Bisht Influenced by The Martian - Andy Weir Flames. Ash. Smoke. There’s a gash in my leg about 2cm wide, and as it travels down with the length of a small 15cm ruler, profusely pouring out my blood in a similar manner to the way little children pour themselves apple juice, it is likely going to cause me severe blood loss. I can’t describe the details of my other wounds, mainly because I can’t see them. My figure seems to block out all the light coming from the flames that are gradually walking towards me, so I have now lost the ability to see my rear. There doesn't seem to be any cries from potential rescuers, so I’m assuming that I’m going to have to work solus in tenebris. This seems like such a cliché, because you’re always reading about these sort of silly stories in books, but reality is no joke. February, 2023 I remember this. It was Friday, a sunny morning. I woke up at 6:37, 37 minutes late. Great. Rush. Yelling. Cries. Falling - all of the usual as I got prepared for work. 7:40 I arrived 30 minutes late to work, better than my usual show-up timing. My colleagues all greeted me with the usual bombardment of questions asking what kept me late; I ignore them as always. John (my boss) came in about 5 minutes later informing me that I had been assigned to a newly founded project which would look into applying quantum physics to astronautics. The term ‘Quantunautics’ had been coined to define the research we would be working on. I was notified that I would be transferred to a different division, approximately 5000 km away, a short distance that would take about 2 minutes on the HyperLoop. As my content was being transferred I was given an intro assignment where I would design an algorithm using quantum computers that would link the control centre from Earth to a potential quantum-beacon travelling through a vacuum (space). As the hardware and technology to achieve superluminal speeds via tachyons didn’t exist. I began brainstorming the potential options I had and the negative aspects of each one. I originally thought to use a propulsion system something that would work like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) used to. Of course though, uploaded with the technology of today, the old LHC would barely recognise the new codec being optimised by even the mere calculators of today. No. The LHC was too weak a choice to optimise for superluminal teleportation. Instead, I opted to use a design similar to that of the Collider, but instead of blasting a proton, we would instead blast only one whole atom. At such speeds, even the supercomputers downstairs at NASA were hopeless to make a visual estimate of what would happen. There was a probability that we could use quantum

tunneling to somehow “teleport” our data through space-time, directly across half the universe. “Tim! I heard a voice ring through my head, I rotated my head and saw John. “It’s 10:30, what are you doing here?” I checked my watch and sure enough, the time did read 10:30pm. “I better get going.” I said as I rose and started to pack my files. I wished John good night and made my way to the exit. As I got in the cab, I felt relatively normal. Life seemed ordinary. The cabby started driving home at a normal pace, I began double checking my calculations on the transformation of an LHC like device. I was working with the complex schrödinger equation, trying to calculate the probability that this project had a chance of success. I calculated that we had a very strong, 0.02% chance of even building such an accelerator, ignoring the fact that it would be a miracle for it to even work. Just as I inputed the final coordinates of the supposed “tunneling,” I heard a loud cry from the front of the car - from the cabby. It was a high pitched scream, one that you wouldn’t instinctively expect from a cab driver. If you can imagine a young boy screaming while scratching a chalkboard with his - rather inhumanely sharp - fingers. No, not a pleasant noise. I started to look up towards the source of this panic, and saw a massive, boldly standing tree; it was right in front of us. I remember that in that split second before the collision I said a quick prayer, not that I was a strict believer in God, but I prayed for just that once. “Dear God,” I started - but i never got to finish my sentence. BOOM. It was louder than that actually, it was more like a car being torn apart from the inside while simultaneously being subjected to a hyperactive child with a metal hammer. I felt the car stop abruptly as my momentum carried on. My journey was interrupted by the front passenger chair, which had yet to be destroyed. I saw my legs fly in front of me as my body rotated itself through a somersault. My feet tore through the windshield; as the rest of my body refused to come along, I noticed that the front passenger seat (once sitting upright) was now blanketing my body. A bright light lit up, which I assumed was the flames igniting within the fuel tank, I felt heat drawing up my spine and briefly before my sight faded away I saw a flashback. A flashback of my life, every moment i had ever encountered was presented to my burning soul. As the saying “your life flashes before your eyes” goes, I saw all the people I cared for in my life disappear. Everything slowly faded away. I was lost in a deep train of thoughts when I heard a beep. “Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep!” And my eyes opened. I turned my head and it was 6:37, Friday morning, and I was late for work.

Lost in Isolation by Hannah Pearce It was a mid-summer afternoon. The sun was smiling brightly into my eyes and the flowers were dancing in harmony along with the melody of the birds perched on the branches of dark brown trees in the park. The trees waved at me as I lightly danced my way along the river stream and the people around me seemed to be enjoying the scenery as well. The flowing tune of the deep emerald stream guided my way towards the stationary rocks sitting at the boundary. Gracefully, I strode in my baby pink, flowy dress that ran down all the way to my toes. Surrounding me, lay the beautiful scenery of nature against the plain grey mountains. Extracting this pleasant view calmed me down. I could feel the silent breeze brushing through in between my wavy, amber hair that reached halfway down my back. Everything around me was just so beautiful that I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take my eyes off any slight detail including the robin perched on the tree branch looking for its mother. I had been too absorbed in the moment that I had forgotten the time! The bright blue sky was now almost covered in a dark sapphire blanket blocking light shining on the people around me. I decided it was best to go home so I started my journey back to where my parents were probably waiting worried about their only daughter. I walked through the dark woods which made me feel chilly, but at the end of the wood lay a beautiful hill where the night sky was clearly visible. Just under the green hill, stood a house that was home to a very happy family: my mom, dad and me. I started to run; feeling the need to see my familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s welcoming faces as soon as possible. Occasionally tripping over the little stones lying on the grass, I headed closer and closer to my brightly lit house sitting at the centre of a few hills. As each second passed by, the house in the distance grew larger and larger until I reached my brown, rusty doormat. As soon as I stepped in, I smelt dinner being cooked in the kitchen and my mother was hastily running around grabbing all the ingredients that needed to be chopped to be put into the pot of boiling soup. In the other side of my house, my dad was calmly reading the daily newspaper on our living room couch. He seemed to be enjoying his peaceful moment just like I was in the park so I left him alone. Heading towards my bedroom, I heard an annoying ring from my phone. I walked inside the room to find a black smart phone lying on my bed. It was mine. Suddenly, it hit me. I felt this weird sensation and I realised how insecure I was feeling without my phone. My phone was something that I could not give up on; something that was important to me. I felt lonely, as if stranded on an island by myself. I had not accessed my phone for the past 5 hours.

I hurried to pick my phone up and lay on my bed without changing or without taking my shoes off - just straight into the deep, dark screen that was deteriorating my eyes. I went on social media, chatted with my friend group and did some online shopping. I was not realising what I was doing to myself; I was not realising how long I had been on this mobile device. I had been on my phone for 3 hours. After a while, I realised that this was not a good idea. What I had been thinking was all wrong. I was putting myself into a world filled with nothing but deep, dark screens; a jail. I thought I was feeling stranded without my phone, but it was actually the contrary situation. I had been on my phone for 6 hours. I felt isolated; I felt lost. Feeling more friendless than ever, I realised that all those hundreds of friends on facebook arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t my actual friends. Friends are supposed to be next to you, comfort you, play with you and share secrets with you. I knew that instant that nature is where the real beauty lies, not in a tiny screen. Those emotions you share through a brightly lit screen are not the real emotions that lies within you; within your heart. The world is a phone addict - a screen addict. All these screens that swallow our eyes when we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even realise it, it needs to stop...

Forgotten by India Dyer Dedicated to Anthony E Zuiker, the man who created CSI, a show I love. Inspired by CSI and other crime dramas. Charlotte Taken. Lost. 48 hours. These were all things that the police keep on repeating to me: the words echoing, ringing through my ears. They keep putting emphasis on these words but the only ones going through my head were: My daughter. “Taken outside of school” they are saying but I don’t believe it. School is meant to be a safe place, a place where you can make mistakes, a shield from the outside world. It can’t be true. They’ve got security footage and I watch her struggle, trying and trying until the very last seconds before she goes unconscious. And then I see his face. He is clean shaven, dressed in stereotypical dad clothes and he could easily pass as a parent picking up his child. But he wasn’t. He was there for my daughter. Alice. Who has never done anything wrong, who is sixteen and has never even been caught with a cigarette. She is someone special, someone who doesn't follow trends like drinking and yet she is never teased, tormented. She is simply liked even more. She is liked. And I hope that she isn’t suffering right now and I truly hope that she hasn’t been hurt. The police say we have 48 hours, a safety net telling us how long they predict she will live. Because this man. Stefan. Has done this before, and no one has ever walked away. She is number six. It’s already been 3 hours. 45 left. Stefan I open the boot cautiously, examining my surroundings and listening to my heart beating. Beating out of my chest. There is no one here yet I feel a million eyes glaze over me. Sweat drips down my face, varnishing it in a shiny coating. I’m nervous. Every single time. She is number six. I look around the neighbourhood one last time. I grab her, turning, running, slamming into the door. Safe. Relieved. Home. I place her gently onto the couch, carefully placing a blanket over her. She’ll be awake soon. I give it an hour or two. She’ll be worried, scared, confused. She’ll scream for sure. She looks like a screamer. I should probably move her to the basement. I pick her up again, kick the door open. I clamber down the stairs, hearing the dull sounds of the wooden stairs I carefully place my feet onto. The oil from the splattered sulphuric acid has gotten onto them leaving it with an unfixable squeak. I place her gently down on the stained mattress I have had for

years, clenching my nose together due to the horrible, mouldy smell that haunts this basement. The smell which trails me around like a ghost from the past. A reminder of all the ones who were once here. The six girls. Innocent girls who never even saw it coming their way. Girls who led their normal lives up until their time came. Each one completely different to throw off the police. The police who try so so hard to find me. Yet they never do. I like to call myself untouchable. Yes I like that, untouchable. Charlotte The police are here. I know I should feel safe here, with them, at my home, but I feel scared. They storm into her room, turning it upside down, looting the place as if they were pirates. Plastic bags labelled “Evidence” are flung around being filled with precious items, bracelets, photos, clothing. Luke stands beside me assuring the both of us that we will find our daughter. Our daughter. The words make us both flinch. When someone plays such a large role in your life and all of a sudden they are just gone it leaves a large gaping hole in your heart, your soul. The police throw the terms “abducted” and “taken” so loosely I don’t think they realize what they mean to us. Us. A family, Jake, Alice, Jude and I. He’ll be home from school any second. And even though he’s two years older than Alice he’ll panic, probably even cry. He doesn’t look the kind to do that, captain of the school’s rugby squad and definition of a stereotypical tough guy. Physically. Yes. Mentally. Kind of. He has always taken care of Alice, protecting her as an older brother should. I turn around and inspect the room. The room that I don’t know if anyone will ever sleep or live or be happy in again. And that is what terrifies me the most. The whole simplicity of the situation. The police aren’t running back and forth bringing in the Threat or the Abduction Assessment Unit. The men and women walk tranquilly through our house. The same men and women who keep saying that finding our daughter is their utmost priority yet they don’t seem to have much urgency. And I know that these men and women are trying their hardest to find our daughter, I truly know in my heart that they are but their presence is so immense. So immense that I feel my knees buckle and my heart race as fast as marathon runner. But this is for Alice. The police are here. For Alice. Alice My mind is foggy. Foggy enough for me to not panic the instant I realise that I am somewhere unfamiliar. Somewhere dingy. Dark. Damp. A basement possibly but all I know for sure is that my surroundings are unknown, looming over me as if they were chandeliers in a ballroom. But I know that I am in no ballroom. I am in a dingy, dark, damp basement. Filled with the pungent aroma of acid. Sulphuric acid. Wow I know I should be panicking but at least I know that IGCSE science actually taught me something. Or was it CSI? Probably. But these drugs are stopping me from recalling anything and everything. Sulphuric acid. I try and remember anything about it but my mind is as blank as this room. This room that is filled with nothing but a mattress and a few barrels.

The barrels are heavy when I try and lift them and are sealed shut which means I shouldn’t be opening them which means I am somewhere I don’t know or somewhere I shouldn’t be or somewhere I don’t know. Oh when will these drugs wear off and when will I know where I am. And then all of a sudden I see myself in the school car park smoking a cigarette with James and then I see his face. Middle aged male, clean shaven, dressed as a stereotypical dad. Approaching me in a gentle way, saying he’s friends with my parents. Saying that I probably don’t remember him but that my parents wanted him to take me to the Bluewater where they were waiting for me. Their car broke down and they couldn’t come and pick me up from school. And it all fits perfectly because I was supposed to be meeting them there and how could I trust him am I that stupid? But most importantly how did he know? I hear the door begin to creak open. I run. Dive. Back onto the dismal mattress I awoke on. He. He is coming. 6 months later… Charlotte Returned. Found. 5 months. It’s been 5 months since the body was found. White skin speckled with dark bruises. A reminder of all the agony she went through. But what pains me the most is that those bruises will forever be there. Immortalized. And that is not how she wanted to go. No one wants what she went through. Her body was found in the forest by school. The school from which she was taken. The thing that started it all. She was taken. Returned. And he was never found. Alice was. But him? He was never found.

A Grasp of Trust by Kibin Kyeong Sniffling my way through a city alley way, my stomach aching from hunger... I’m scavenging for food in the filthy scrapheap that lies before me. It’s been days since my last meal from an empty soup can. My little paws are growing weaker as my parched throat begins to sting. As the sun begins to set, I end up losing hope of finding food for the night. Soon after darkness consumes me, I grow used to the aggravating pain of hunger, thirst and fatigue. The city then has an eerie silence settling upon it as I settle into a small cardboard platform nearby a local dumpster. I’m just about to fall into a daze when I hear a human approaching. I quickly scurry underneath the dumpster and curl up my body, hoping to vanish into thin air. I see the silhouette of two legs slowly advancing forward. He unanticipatedly stops in front of the dumpster. I don’t move a muscle as my breathing rapidly accelerates uncontrollably. Sitting in front of me, I see a pair of shoes, each of which are twice the size of me. The scent… I recognise the scent of the shoe… its leather. Just by the thought of leather, my body cringes sending a sharp chill down my spine. “Bad dog!” I remember it all. I remember the ink-black leather belt that would strike down onto my vulnerable torso as he grinned malevolently. I remember using a glass bottle as a mirror, attempting to fix my limp caused by the excruciating pain in my torso. What if this human tries to hurt me or what if he’s here to hunt me down? Not sure of what to do, I remain hidden. Abruptly but gently I am picked up and stroked. Somehow I feel safe and enclosed but I stay alert and cautious as the stranger brings me somewhere while simultaneously stroking me in his hand. I have never felt such a soothing textile sensation but my body was still tense in the hands of the stranger. I never recall being stroked, but it was the purest form of satisfaction. I began to trust the man, allowing my body to ease and I relax in his enclosed palms but I still remain cautious. “Don’t worry. My name is Tim. I am here to help.” the stranger whispers into my ear. I see his green eyes and gentle expression and I am washed with a feeling of serenity and kindness. A vibe that no other human I've encountered seemed to possess. I am brought into an enclosed vehicle with the stranger. As he sits down, the stranger holds me a little more tightly and closer to his chest. I feel warmth consume my body and I eventually give into the gradually overwhelming pleasure. I’m almost about to sleep as I fall into a trance. “Brum Brum!” As a sudden booming noise pierces my ears, my hair stands on end. My body grows tense and fright and anxiety take over my mind. I clench my paws and 35

before I was prepared for such a movement, the vehicle begins to advance gradually at incredible speeds. I stare out the window in awe as we pass building after building with ease. I hide beneath the man’s palms, afraid and suspicious of any possible outcome. As the transport comes to a halt, I am brought into a home. I once remember having a home… But it was unpleasant. I would think of home as an enclosed battleground where I would have to find small holes to seek refuge. I would be trapped indoors limited to sunlight; being fed in small leftover portions once a day. But, there was something different about this house. I was instantaneously consumed by warmth and a certainty of safety. I could feel my paws loosen and a sweet, light heartened scent filled the air. A feeling of relaxation and trust washed over my body. As he brought me down, I slowly began to wander around the large compartment looking in all directions in awe. I could feel the cozy warmth of the wooden floor give me a sense of hospitality. Not soon after, the so called “Tim” began pouring something out of a plastic package into a small metallic bowl. Food! I quickly scurried over, my tail wagging uncontrollably, and without hesitation I ravenously devoured every miniscule crum. My stomach full, with warmth that begins consumes my body with pleasure and safety, I fall into slumber. I gradually wake up to realize I am resting gently on a cushion right beside my bowl. As I stand up a small circular pill drops onto the floor behind me. “Oops, that’s not for you Goldy.” He quickly stuffs the yellow pill into his mouth with 3 others and gulps it down with some water. Goldy… I like that name… I’ve never really had a name before I guess. But this was strange. It felt as if I wasn’t just an animal anymore. I was cared for and loved. And it continued on like this for the next few weeks. I would be walked and fed twice a day with monthly check ups at the vet. This enabled my bond with Tim to grow gradually stronger than ever. One morning a woman walked into the house. Unsure and suspicious of the situation I begin to bark to alert Tim. They greet each other with tight hugs so I too loosen up, with the realization that this woman might just be an acquaintance. As I devour my breakfast once again, I stop to hear shouting and yelling pierce my ears. I quickly pace over to the kitchen where I see two shadows looming through the cracks of the door. I abruptly take a step back and observe the shadows. As they scream at each other, they make violent movements whilst arguing. I didn’t dare step in; mainly due to the fact that I was absolutely clueless of the situation. I can only make out the words “chemo” and “treatment” through the yelling. I may be oblivious to as what those two words mean, but I was sure something terrible was coming. Days pass and once again, as I lick my breakfast plate clean, Tim gets a call. I bark to alarm my owner, and he comes down to pick it up. His bright smile that was present slowly begins to fade as I hear mumbling through the device. As the conversation goes on, I decide to cheer him up a little so I cock my head in curiosity, and that seemed to bring a slight smile back onto his face. As I head back to my bowl, but before I can 36

reach it, I am gently picked up and stowed between his arms. I am brought into Tim’s car and still in his arms, we drive in silence. This was one of the first times that we had a car ride without any forms of enjoyment or music playing therefore I began to find this unsettling and rather eerie. Tim’s face expressionless, we arrive at a large hospital and inside I see young men and women Tim’s age wearing white coats with masks hustling from all directions. Some were shouting, some were reading documents and as we advanced into the hospital, I saw a pair pulling a body covered in crimson red liquid on top a white trolley. Tim shields my eyes as we are led into a counter. A woman greets him and Tim (still carrying me) follows her into a room. In the room, there are four men but instead of wearing white, their coats and masks are turquoise green. Strange... I thought to myself. Normally my veterinarians wear blue and give me treats to start off with. But that’s when realization struck me. We weren’t here for my monthly checkup… We were here for Tim. I am handed to the woman but as I begin to resist, but I take one look at Tim’s eyes, “Goldy, everything will be okay… I’ll meet you outside.” As Tim takes his spot on the operation table, I am carried outside by the woman and gently put inside a small fenced area near the counter. Hours pass, and I constantly wonder what is going on. Still quite oblivious I grow more and more nervous by the second. Why is Tim in there? And why is he still in there? Who are the men in the green coats? Was this what Tim was arguing about? More and more Questions race through my mind as I am being held captive in a cage under the accountant’s desk. The woman answers the phone and whispers the same words “chemo.” I could have known I heard that word from somewhere. Then I remember the arguing shadows looming through the door. This “chemo” must be why he is here. Attempting to escape, I claw the cage seeing if it would budge but it remained still. Soon after giving up, Tim comes out of the operation room… but it seemed as if nothing had happened. Tim remained his bright smile when he saw me, he picked me up and we drove back home. But something felt rather off… And I knew it. As we arrived home, I decided to pay close attention to him as he began to act differently the more time passed. He wasn’t petting me at regular intervals and began taking short rests whilst walking around the house. I decided to forget about it until I heard eerie gagging noises in the bathroom. I quickly staggered over but bathroom the door was shut. I began to claw the small crack to get a response from my owner but the retching noises only continued. I decided to wait and planted my paws and sat down. Eventually, when Tim did come out he looked tired weary and fatigued. He went into his room, shut the door, and forgot to feed me that night. Weeks pass and I begin to realize that our walks our becoming shorter. He forgets to feed me from time to time, and it feels as if he is not acknowledging my existence. I grow more and more worried as it comes to a point where I cannot recognise my own owner. Tim soon began experiencing hair loss but I didn’t think much of it until he began

wearing a cap to cover it up. Soon after, he would have a friend come over and walk me as he stayed home and tried to sleep. But that night, I realized that the gagging was coming from Tim puking… I wasn't sure if this was normal but he looked as though he was suffering such aggravating pain that I knew something had to be done… I even began to lose sleep due to the constant moaning that occurred daily. I understood he must have felt excruciating pain but I just did not understand. Why is Tim hurt? Why now? It was not soon after that Tim would move out of the house into the same white, sorrowful building where we met the men in green. As time passed, I stayed isolated in the house for the majority of the time with the woman that was with Tim a few weeks ago. She would feed me, walk me just as Tim did, but leave before nightfall. She was generous, talkative and friendly but did not quite possess the same attributes of Tim. I felt rather empty with a sense of loss slowly beginning to eat me away. But, it wasn’t until on the eighth day, where my luck would begin to change. That morning, the woman came a few hours earlier than she normally would have. At first I did not think much of it, but when I took a close look at her face, she was in absolute sorrow. She had droplets trickling down her cheeks and had to constantly wipe her face with a small napkin. Once again, fear began trickling down my spine at the multiple thought racing through my mind. Instead of leashing me for a walk, or heading over to the kitchen to feed me, she slowly but gently lifted me in the cup of both of her hands. “I’m so sorry” she whispered attempting to hold back a few tears. We hopped into a car but the whole ride, yet again, was filled with silence. She drove me to a large field where it turns out she wasn’t the only one that seemed to be wearing a rather formal black outfit. There was a group of people in the similar manner that seemed to be crowding around a large mound in the ground. Not sure of what it was, the woman still holding me in her arms, brought me out. The sight of the mound confused me. There were pictures and flowers surrounding this dirt mound on the floor. It was only then when I realized the pictures were all the same man. I step closer to find Tim in every portrait. I look around in awe to find grief-stricken people weeping at the mound. I once again, found this rather odd. Where is Tim? Why is everyone here? It was only then when I wished my acute senses didn’t exist. Under the slight drizzle, under the dirt of the mound, I could smell the scent of Tim’s presence lying beneath me. But for some strange reason, I sensed no life in his presence. What could this mean? As rain began to pour harder, the flowers beginning to wilt, I sat directly in front of the mound waiting for a response. People began to leave and head home but I decided to persist on remaining. Only one thought came to mind. Was Tim… Dead? I denied it knowing he would return. I had hope. As the woman tried grabbing my collar to return home, I yanked myself away and began barking my heart out. Rage, confusion

and isolation ate my soul away at incredible speed. I just wanted to be with my rightful owner. The owner that found me when I was abandoned. The owner that bred life into me and taught me to trust a human again. I denied the truth and sat down. Rain began to pour harder but I ignored it all. I will be here so Tim can find me when he returnsâ&#x20AC;Ś

The Man from the Newspaper by Tamar Levy It was pitch black outside when the big clock struck midnight. Everyone was sound asleep, except the girl, who lived on the second floor, on the third house from the big statue on Sullivan Street. Sydney was wide awake, spread across her bed thinking. She crept into her mother’s room and slipped into the bed. Her father left two weeks ago for his military trip, and was supposed to come back in the morning, but he hadn’t. Sydney made her famous blueberry pancakes, his favourite, and topped them off with a drizzle of maple syrup, just the way he liked them. Dark thoughts kept creeping into the little girl's’ head, but she continued to deny them and block them out. Her mind kept racing with different thoughts and outcomes, which all kept ending up with the same, dreadful conclusion. No, no way, she wouldn’t believe it... ***** “Sydney get up now!” mom called from the kitchen. I groaned and dragged myself out of bed, “Coming!” I mumbled. Once again, I had a nightmare about dad. It had been about a decade, but dreams about him kept haunting me. Before breakfast, I ran down to grab the newspaper for mom, and threw it on the table. Mom grabbed the newspaper and opened it as she drank her morning cup of coffee. As she read the headline, terror spread across her face, and I could immediately tell that something was up. “What is it?” I wondered. She ignored me so I asked again, but even the second time, she didn’t listen to me. She was petrified and her face pale; whatever this article was about had to be more personal to her than the ordinary. I snatched the newspaper from her and read the page she was on. After 10 years of being in coma: Man retrieves his memory I was astounded. After all these years… “Do you think it’s...” I mumbled, my voice shaking. “Yes” said mom, “So when are we gonna go get him?” “I don’t think we will…” “What?” “Listen honey, Dad hasn’t been with us for 10 years. He probably doesn’t even remember us clearly! And anyway, I have Ryan now, and I’m happy with him...” “How could you say that!” I screamed at her, “All you care about is Ryan! You don’t even care about me anymore! You’ve known dad for 15 years before he went on the trip, and now you just forget about him? If you forget about people who’ve been in your

life for that long so fast, then when will you forget about me?” I stormed out of the room slamming the door behind me. That night, I sat on her bed and cried. At first I was devastated, but then the sadness turned into frustration which turned into anger. I was going to find dad. I didn’t need anyone’s help, and nobody could stop me. I was about to leave the door when a thought struck my mind. What if that man is not dad? I froze and thought for a bit. If that man isn’t dad, I will run away. By the time I come back, mom will probably forget about me anyways... I left the house feeling confident with my choice, but the further away I was from home, the more insecure and frightened I was. By the time I arrived at the hospital, it was way past sunset and as if I wasn’t afraid enough, darkness was my biggest fear. I hated the darkness. Anything could be lurking somewhere around you - a murderer perhaps - and you wouldn’t even know of it. I made it to the hospital, and asked one of the nurses to make a phone call. I was regretting everything, and just wanted mom to come and pick me up. I dialed the number but right before clicking the call button, I paused. Dad could be in the building. I went such a great distance, and leaving then would be pathetic. I put the phone down. “I’m here to see the man from the newspaper” I told one of the nurses. “I’m afraid we can only allow family members to see the patient” she replied carelessly. “No, you don’t understand-” I called after her, “No young lady, I think you are the one misunderstanding. Only family members have access to the patient. Run along now, does your father know you are here at such a late hour?” “I don’t exactly have one. I used to, but lost him ten years ago, well, I thought I lost him, until I saw the article. I think, I think that man is my father” Her eyes widened and her face softened. “He’s right there,” she said pointing to a room at the end of the corridor, “Good luck”. I slowly walked along the corridor, my body shaking and my heart pounding. I reached for the door handle, and opened the door. There was one man there, laying on his back, connected to small tubes. His head swiveled towards me as I opened the door. My heart was beating so hard, if felt like even he could hear it. “D-dad?” I stuttered, as tears started dripping down my face. “Sydney?” He exclaimed, and through my blurry vision, I could see that he was about to sob as well.

A Censored Truce by Jinu Park Based on the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Christmas Truce (1940)

5th April, 1953 It’s been around a week since I’ve been delivered to the Eastern trenches after an absence caused by an injury; an opening underneath my left thigh which was caused from a grenade injury. The incision was 20 cm in length, 12.5 cm in width with a 3rd degree burn. It felt like as though my leg has been deeply carved out. The epithelium and dermis tissue layers had been burnt into a leathery and dry fabric of a charred appearance, all numb with a milky-coloured growth of infected skin sitting on the bloody burnt holes which also are patched around, like the fungi kingdom was manifesting on my leg. The chances of a disabled limb was high, but luckily the nurses claimed that the wounds would heal in around 7-9 months. And they did. For one year, I had to be nurtured in the general hospital located in Kanaoka, Japan, where soldiers and citizens alike were protected. When that year passed, my leg was in full shape again, but left an unremarkable scar; a scar to be remembered too. By that time, the communist North were sent back up and pushed all the way till the Yalu River. General MacArthur promised us the war would end before Christmas Day. All was in good shape and victory was soon in hand. But that was only a year ago. They are pushing us back down. Again. Millions of Chinese came down and both the South and North returned to their original places. A divided Korea. Directly in front of us are the North Koreans. Literally. Although we’re 20 metres away and a wired fence is halfway between our boundaries, we’re in the line of fire if we ever blow our cover. Sometimes, we can hear them with the Chinese, but the Chinese are farther west in a separate trench. The trenches are located on a vast flatland of an approximate area of 7000 square metres, surrounded by the Korean mountains of thick forests. The trenches’ space is semi-above ground, where the trench barricades are 1.9 metres high but the grounds are extended throughout from 2 to 1 metres deep from the ground with the passageways about 2 metres wide; therefore, there isn’t much space for us to move around comfortably. It sucks when it rains because the waters fill the trenches up without drainage, flooding a quarter of the trench depths. What is worst, is that all the mess results in repairing our weapons for inspection, refilling all the sandbags, mending barbed-wires, and reconstructing areas of the trenches, which all takes at least a week to finish. Every soldier avoids emptying the latrines (trench toilets).

Only after morning routines, can we have some sleep. Sometimes everyone rotates to sleep in the three holes that were dug up on an earth wall which fitted perfectly for our bodies to rest on. Our rest time includes consuming our daily rations: the Western food such as canned spam, bland and hard crackers, stale bread, and very rarely rice. These rations are somewhat nice to eat, especially the brown sweet cuboid. I suck on it absorb the sweetness to let the whole thing melt into my mouth, it’s beautiful. The Americans call it ‘chocolate’, which I ask for once in a while. All the Koreans say, “Gimme chocolate,” which always make the English speakers chuckle. There is not much else to laugh about. The trenches give an atmosphere of silent hell. You’ll never know what would happen the next second, whether you’re going to be bombed or shot, especially being the lookout post. In the earlier months, two or three of our men have suffered or passed away from frostbite from the bitter cold winters, having to do nothing under circumstances of resting, observing, eating, and working. It’s unimaginably chilly, even when wearing your full uniform. When the weather floods the trenches, sometimes, the water would take forever to drain out. We lost another man a few weeks ago, from the ‘trench-foot’ condition, which is where the feet tissue decayed after being immersed in water for a long time. We heard he had his feet amputated after he had gone to a hospital Every day is like a threat, both inside and outside the trenches. All we basically do is observe the battlefield through the periscopes and even though we can spot some periscopes peeping from the other side, not much interaction goes on. It is so unproductive… unproductively terrifying. But then something magical happened. •••

17th May, 1953 Chae Min asks, “Any cigarettes?” I rummage through my pockets. I gently take out a piece. It’s already been used and most of it is burnt. “This one’s used. Ask John.” “Uh… John!” He’s having a conversation with Arthur. The poised expression of his face slowly meets Chae Min’s eyes. His wide mouth speaks, “Chae Min?” Chae Min immediately gestures with his two fingers and dabs his lips. John instantly recognises the inference and starts to rummage through his pockets. He takes out his

rusty tin pack and unclips the lid. He looks throughout the burnt and used up cigarettes then empties them all out. “Sorry.” He gestures his arms to make a cross and adds on, “No more.” His fingers then form like a pinch, “All short.” “What did he say?” Chae Min inquires perplexed. “Don’t think he has any left.” He replies with a thumbs up, “Gwaen-chanha (It’s okay)!” John manages a broad smile and then returns to his conversation. Chae Min lies down attentively on the earth ground, sets down his rifle beside him and then looks up facing the sky. Sigh. He groans, “So bored. Wish I could play Baduk with my father. I never got to beat him.” He snickers and then smirks. I lie down as well, gently on the slope I was sitting on. My muscles are all drained from morning work and my spirit exhausted by this war. When I think about it, it’s been quite a few years since the last time I met my father, although I did send a mail to them five months ago. Why hasn’t he replied? Did it ever arrive home? Are they even okay? But unlike the other fighters, we are at peace. We have a secret… •••

They are just like us; no different at all. We’re just in different sides of the war, and that’s about it. We as humans don’t change our love just because of what we are, but who we are. One of the North Koreans approaches me. He’s pretty short compared to the rest of us Koreans, about 165cm. He has a tanned skin, almost like the colour of a toasted bread, but under his light brown hat, he has the same dark hair and eyes of a pure Korean. “Anyong.”, he greets. “Anyong.” I greet as well. “My name’s Park Hyun Jun. What’s yours?” “Mine’s Park Jin Woo. We’re from the same family!” “Haha! It’s so nice to meet a brother of the nation.” “Same here.” From an awkward pause, I ask, “Don’t you miss kimchi?” “You can’t imagine how hungry I am for kimchi. Especially homemade ones…” “They’re the best ones, like the hands of a mother.” “Definitely.” After another moment of silence, he asks, “Have you ever thought, why we ever had to fight in the first place?” “Not really. What do you mean?” I ask concerned.

“For decades and centuries, Korea has been together from Japanese occupation, and other invasions. We wanted freedom and liberty of our own country, so we could be prosperous civilians to live in our homeland, Korea. Living throughout war, fright, danger, and pain, we as Koreans kept ourselves tight together, keeping our country and name strong. Now, instead of us living in peace, after all this time, we’re here fighting each other. Our brothers, sisters, culture, love is dying out in this war. The greed for this country makes Korea so vulnerable. Why can’t we live in love?” That is true honour: a respect for your people. •••

22nd May, 1953 It started on Chu-Sok. A temporary cease -fire was declared. I told you about the rations? We sent some over to them and they sent kimchi over to us. And then salt and then cigarettes. And then this: As it darkens from the orange-pink skies, using our cigarette match-sticks, all of us (including the North Koreans) gather round the ignited campfire located in the centre of the no man’s land. We’re cooking the army soup once again, but because we have the North Koreans to help us with the ingredients, this time the soup will be gorgeous. What the South Koreans put was 3 canned spam, 4 sausages, 2 pieces of bread, half a can of peanut butter, and 2 packets of biscuits, whileas the North Koreans had some grains of raw rice to cook the rice in a separate brass pot, some other crackers, and 1 pack of kimchi. Everyone uses a quarter of their water supply to use for the boiling water, therefore, nobody can end up thirsty. The campfire’s enkindlement radiates warmth to our faces and its grey smoke ascends gracefully into the dark starry skies. This evening’s a time of reunion between humanity and satisfying joy between “neighbours”. The rice is ready and we use Ron’s napkins to carry and share the rice around the circle surrounding the campfire. The feast has begun. Each of us carry our emptied left over cans and pour the soup inside with the tablespoon. The spoon is hot, but it doesn’t stop my hunger for this army soup. I sit back down gently on the ground. I ask for the pot of rice from a North Korean. Everyone passes it along from his left. As it arrives, I grab the warm spoon inside the pot, dig out the white puffy bunch of rice grains. I put the spoon into my mouth and let the rice fill my mouth. Just as I begin chewing, I take a generous sip of the boiling soup. The hotness stings my lips, but the taste drains onto my tongue. Wonderful. The kimchi spiciness cuts into the rice, almost like the taste of kimchi soup. The soggy bread crumbs and biscuits sit on my molars, melting through them. I munch on the juicy sausages and soft spam, letting its succulence compliment the rich soup. Wow. This is absolutely delicious. As the dinner proceeds, everyone eats silently, savouring this opportunity. The night continues and the fire dies slowly. Without a single sound, everyone stares into the blazing yellow inferno, as it crackles the wood and twigs. My face hurts from the

heat. I look up. The blanket of the black sky is abundant with silent bright stars. Its numbers stretch across the earth’s dome, covering the earth’s atmosphere. They all glitter delicately, like the fragile spirits of the human population. All of this tranquility in the nature soothes my soul, and with people who I trust surrounding me, I now know that this is my true home. Chae Min sings softly, “Arirang, arirang, ara~ri~o~, arirang go~gae ro~ neo~meo gandah~.” One by one, we all join the song, “Nah~reul boh~ri~goh gashineun ni~meun~. Shimridoh mot~gahseo~ bal~byeong nandah~.” We sing the song of Arirang, the song of abandonment and exhaustion of hope, into the midst of this evening of a cold, civil war. •••

23rd May 1953 “Load your guns. They’re coming.” The growling engines stops in place and the door of the vehicle opens. The sound of the grinding soil of the enemy’s footsteps slowly advance from the right of the entrance. The louder the sound, the more stressful the condition becomes. The sound stops abruptly. A voice is spoken, “You can hold your fire soldiers. We’re on your side.” We look up unconvinced from the trenches, and blinded from the streaking torch light, there stands Commander Peter Wellington from the British army. •••

24th May, 1953 “There are about a hundred of you in these trenches. A hundred also for the North Koreans, I suppose?” “Yes sir.” John replies regrettably. “So in order for the ambush to be perfectly performed, we would possibly need more men.” •••

“FIRE!” CRACK. The abrupt blasts petrify my body with shock. Immobilised, I fall to the ground. Curled up, I pant rapidly. With my stomach flipped, I’m on the verge of bursting into weeping. My hands stiffen and lock up, making me cling onto my M1918A2 rifle. With great effort, I lift myself up and scatter to hide. The wall is rooted on a steep slope, making me sit in a very uncomfortable angle. From the opening of the wall, I turn slightly around to see

what was through there. Nothing. I take a blind shot. CRACK. Jolting to my back and head on the wall, I wait there silently, wanting this hell to end. Our commander behind the walls shout, “CHARGE!” . I drag my body up to stand, struggling to even wriggle my limbs. Dirt sweeps into my sleeves, pinching my skin and stinging my wounds. I try to keep my body on the ground, by barely occupying my muscles. With my remaining endurance, I flee mindlessly without knowing where I’ll end up. My legs are screeching in agony, burning from the shredding muscles underneath my skin. My body is fed up, wanting to rest forever. Through the battlefield of constant waves of bombs and bullets, I look up to see the skies. Grenades dart through the battlefield, falling so heavily, bullets cut through the air, skimming so swiftly. I scamper willingly away from every projectile, wanting to avoid the brink of death. BANG. I dive to the ground and the grenade bursts through its shell. Bullets of infernal shell shards disperse in all directions. GUH! They impale into my arms and right leg- into my scar. I try to endure the pain, but my wounds screech in agony. An excruciating scream echoes across the landscape. “NO!” I run with great struggle towards the body, limping through the trench battlefield. I am blindly conscious but my flesh is willing. Dirt and sweat irritates my vision and punctures my desire for air. I drop to the earth beside the face-down body. It’s Hyun Jun. He’s bleeding. He is bleeding. He lies in mud, staring lifelessly into my soul. I’m trying to help him. I can’t do anything. His moist dark pupils stare into mine. He pounds his chest pocket with a sudden jerk of his arm. I gouge it out from his chest. I stab him with it. I put the pain out of him. As the morphine began to work, I cradle his hands with mine. He smiles beamingly. Then a bullet cut into his mouth. His eyes rolled back, revealing the lifeless white surface underneath his pupils. His hollow mouth remaining open with dark clotted blood staining his lips and teeth. From the utmost trauma, my chest uncontrollable howls, “I’M SORRY!” A voice behind my shoulder screams, “IDIOT. WHY ARE YOU HELPING A NORTHERNER?!” “PLEASE. HE’S ONE OF US-” “GET UP!” His cry pierces the air and penetrates my eardrums. He picks me up and pushes me. I trip and collapse back down. I just couldn’t help it. I just want this to end.

He left me sprawling desperately on the terrain of a bloodshed. The air poisons my lungs with the stench of decayed bodies and sweat. The scenery above is nothing but grey, flying bullets and hell. The atmosphere drains into darkness; the darkness of the war and the darkness of my fears.

Photos by Daniel Kim “Mom, where are the old photos?” I yell across the hall. “They would be where you left them,” she responds. I head back into my room, nearly tripping over my dog, Bobby. I shoo him out of the room and begin to wonder where I could have left it. I spend the next hour turning my room upside down trying to find the old photo album. After the grueling process of searching every nook and cranny in my room, I come to the conclusion might have lost the album for good. A feeling of dread begins to rise as the album of photos are one of the treasures in my entire family. I go up to my mom - inching up to her. “Hey, mom…” I begin nervously, “You know those photos that I was looking for…” “Yes, did you find them?” she asks. “About that… I have no idea where they are…” “Daniel! How could you lose them! Do you realize how important those photos are to our family?” she scolds, “I don’t want to hear anything from you until you have found those photos!” I sulk back to my room and throw myself onto my bed. ‘How am I going to find the pictures?!’ I think to myself, ‘The pictures are a part of your family and contain memories that are nearly 100 years old! How could I possibly lose them?!’ The day slowly goes on as I use every method that I can think of to stimulate my memory. The day finally ends, and after I brush my teeth, I flop on my bed. Worried about them and restless, I have difficulty sleeping. At 1 AM, the exhaustion overcomes be and I fall into a deep sleep. I wake up and realize that it is Saturday. I smile, jump out of bed, and walk to the kitchen humming a song. All of a sudden, I remember the lost photos and my happiness fades instantly. My happy skipping is reduced to a slow sulk. After eating my breakfast, I go back to my room and begin to make my bed. As I lift the sheets, a small ball of crumpled paper is lifted into the air and hits me smack on the forehead. Everything suddenly goes into slow motion as I fall backwards. My vision goes black and I black out. Suddenly, a flashback crosses my mind... It is a rainy afternoon and I am on my bed looking at the album of photos. Smiling reminiscently, I slowly flip the pages of the old, hardcover book. Abruptly, a strangled yelp comes from the living room. Surprised and curious, I throw myself off of the bed and race to the living room. In the process, the photo album falls on the ground and slides underneath the bed. When I arrive at the living room, I find my dog hacking and choking on the floor with my mom and dad beside him. “What’s going on?!” I shout. In the midst of all of the action my parents ignore my and just say, “Get in the car! We have to take him to the vet!” my dad shouts. I start to run to the door when suddenly, the entire room starts to become blurry and defocus. I get dizzy and blackout.

I find myself on the floor looking upwards at the ceiling. I bolt up trying to grasp at the fuzzy memory of the flashback. Suddenly I remember and dash to my bed. Laying with my stomach, I look under my bed and sure enough, I find the old, deteriorating book lying there. Reaching as far under the bed as I can, I manage to grab the book. Once I grab it, I pull it out and frantically flip open the pages to make sure that it is the right book. ‘This surely is the book!’ I think to myself. I run to my mom and tell her in a triumphant voice that I have found it. She smiles as I go back to my room and put the book of photos proudly back on the shelf. I sigh a breath of relief and plop on my bed. The photos, being a physical embodiment of my family’s ancestry, had been lost, but found. The lost had been found.

Perspectives by Max Baskin This story was partially inspired by The Bunker Diary, Minecraft adventure maps, and Mrs. Olivier’s English lessons. Any persons referred to in this story are not real. I’d like to dedicate this story to my little brother, RJ, who said that the very concept of Perspectives was “Creepily Interesting”. ---------------Dan carefully trod along the narrow path. After all, if he fell, he could risk his death. It was almost closing time at the Grand Canyon National Park, and Dan the Park Ranger was looking for any stragglers still left in the canyon. He was tired, and was ready to head straight home after his final search. He pulled his vest tightly around him as he headed for the exit. It got very cold in the desert at night, especially at this time of year. A text beep came from his phone. As he was off the narrow path, Dan decided to check his messages while walking. He only barely registered the giant sinkhole in the path in front of him. Dan took another step, and his foot failed to connect with the ground. Dan didn’t notice, and he fell straight into the pit. By the time he realized what was going on in his surroundings, it was too late for him to grab hold on to the edge. That was the last thing Dan remembered, before he hit the bottom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I woke up slowly, like a sloth emerging from its slumber. Instinctively, I raised my hand to turn off the alarm clock. There was no alarm clock to hit. Where was it? I slowly opened my eyes, and looked around. Nope. I wasn’t in my bedroom. I was at the bottom of a sinkhole. OH NO. The events of the night before came back to me all at once. Stupid me! How did I not notice the gigantic hole in the path? Was I really that dense? I took a deep breath, and calmed myself down. I needed to figure out how to get out of the hole. I looked around the area. It appeared to be very far underground, having all the appearances of a cave. There was a pond next to where I had slept, leading me to the assumption that I had fallen into it and washed up on the banks. Miraculously, I had not received any injuries. I could not tell how deep the hole was, but it must have been at least 50 feet down. Something must have broken my fall. 51

Then again, this did seem too big to be a normal sinkhole. After all, sinkholes didn’t have stalactites or stalagmites. No, I must have fallen into a cave. As I was pondering my circumstances, I saw a light towards the far end of the cavern. I walked over to it, thinking it must be an exit. I opened the door, and on the other side was a clean white hallway. “What’s a hallway doing this far underground?” I thought out loud. It looked like something straight out of some sort of… hospital. I didn’t see any other door leading off the hall. It went straight ahead, until two sharp turns. Seeing that there were no other options, I decided to do a bit of exploring. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dan walked through the door, and proceeded down the hallway. The way he walked seemed optimistic, as though he expected he would find a way out of this trap. No, no, no. This would not do. Instead of taking a right turn at the fork in the hall, Dan went through a door in the left. He would be stuck in the facility for a little bit longer now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Huh. That was strange.” After I came to the fork in the hall, I suddenly felt an urge to go left instead of right. It was as if some outside force was controlling my legs, and forcing them to walk. After I went through the door, the control subsided, and my free will was restored. I reckoned something unnatural was going on inside this place. Ahead of me, I saw three doors. One was labeled “BEASTS”, another was labeled “ROBOTS”, and one more was labeled “FOOD”. I laughed. The labels sounded like some hyperactive nine-year-old’s list of interests. My laughter quickly subsided when I realized that the door behind me was locked. Evidently, there was no escape from this section of the compund. Just out of curiosity, I went inside the door labeled “BEAST”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perfect. Dan had been brought into the cycle. He would be a suitable replacement for Camilla. Based on Dan’s current skill set, he would survive in the compound for another year or so. He would be good entertainment for the omniscient. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The door squeaked as I slowly opened it. I wanted to be careful, for I didn’t know exactly what I would find in the room. “Beast” was an awfully vague word.

The room was empty, except for a trapdoor in the ceiling. Before I could say “Lions and tigers and bears- OH MY!” all three of those animals fell out of the hole in the ceiling. The lion, the tiger, and the bear stood up and rushed me like a pack of wild dogs. I ran away from them as if I were their prey. They chased me around the room until I tired, and backed into a corner. The predators snarled as they approached me slowly, each one hoping to get the first bite of my flesh. I realized that I was about to die, and thought of my mom at home. What would she do without my income as a park ranger? My dad had died a few years ago, and she was too frail and elderly to work. Suddenly, like magic, a vision of my mother appeared between me and the animals. She opened her mouth as if she was about to speak“USE YOUR PISTOL DANIEL!” That’s right! I DID carry a gun! After all, I was a park ranger, and had to deal with the passing wild animal that tried to attack me. I took it out of its holster, and shot the bear at point-blank range. It collapsed, and the other animals hesitated. “If you want to stay alive, I’d advise you both to go sit in the corner over there, and leave me alone.” I said slowly. Surprisingly enough, the lion and tiger obeyed. They must have been shocked into submission by the death of their comrade. I walked out of the room carefully, keeping an eye (and a gun) on the animals in the corner. In the hallway, I looked at the choice of doors again. I didn’t want to go through the ordeal with the animals again, nor did I want to fight whatever killer machines resided in the central room. I was feeling pretty hungry however, and decided to enter the room labeled “FOOD”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interesting. The omniscient did not know that Daniel had a weapon. It was entertained by brute force only, not by some underbalanced shooting match. It realized that must be rectified before Daniel found out about the true nature of the facility. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As I walked into the “food” room, I noticed a few things. The room was bare, except for a couple tables with some chairs, a narrow slot (presumably for delivering food), and a woman cowering in the corner, wearing clothes that looked like they had been scratched countless times. “Hey! Are you alright, Ma’am?”

I rushed over to her. She saw me, and put her finger up to her lips repeatedly. She was telling me to be quiet! She gave me a pad of paper and a very worn pencil. You need to be silent. The microphone in the back records everything we speak to each other. We’re currently out of the range of the CCTV camera, so we can still write notes to each other without being detected. I almost laughed. For some reason, the woman’s handwriting looked exactly like comic sans. With her crazed appearance and her old clothes, I found it hard to take her seriously. However, I was curious to see if she knew about what was going on inside this building, so I wrote back. Who are you, exactly? What is going on here? I’m in the exact situation as you. I’m Camilla. I was a journalist touring the Grand Canyon, when I fell into this godforsaken pit. It’s been like my own personal tartarus for the past year. You see, the Omniscient won’t let me out of these three rooms. I’ve had to continually fight, eat, sleep, fight, eat, sleep, for all these months. I’m barely holding onto my sanity right now. I’m sure you’re a replacement for me, for the omniscient’s sick entertainment. I noticed the woman was very jittery. She seemed like she was almost insane. I decided to be very cautious when writing to her. Who is the “omniscient”, exactly? I’m not so sure myself. All I know is that he or she can control our actions at will whenever we’re in or near this facility. The Omniscient also seems to have an infinite supply of wild animals and robots to throw at me. If you want to keep your sanity and get out of here alive, you’ll need to kill him. I see you’ve got a weapon there. That should make things easier. All I have is a secondhand knife and a sword, which were given to me through that hole. I didn’t know whether to trust Camilla or not. Even though she was obviously the only source of information I had, she wasn’t exactly… normal. Suddenly, the CCTV camera swiveled towards us. “It can move?” cried Camilla. She spoke in a raspy voice, as if she had not used her voicebox in a long time. A siren started, wailing extremely loudly. A couple of heavily-armored robots burst into the room, and aimed their guns at Camilla. “Shoot! We’ve been found out! You need to leave this room, NOW! Go and find the Omniscient! I’ll hold this robot off!”

I silently wished her good luck, and ran out of the food room. Even though she seemed very short, Camilla managed to hold her own against the robot. She must have had a lot of experience. In the hallway, I noticed that the door to the hallway had been left temporarily unlocked. I figured that if I went through the door and went the other way instead of the hall back to the cave, I would find the Omniscient. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ After sending the robot to “take care” of Camilla, the Omniscient realized that it did not know where Dan was. The Omniscient presumed that he was headed for the Omniscient’s room. No matter. The omniscient would dispose of Daniel the Park Ranger. --------------I rushed through the right hallway, pistol in hand. I was going to kill the “Omniscient” and get to the exit, before any other people could be abducted like Camilla. It was my job to enforce the law in the Grand Canyon, and I was pretty sure that no mysterious figures that liked to indirectly torture people were allowed. I approached a very heavy metal door at the end of the hallway, and hesitated. Surprisingly, it opened with a few whirrs and clicks. I kicked open the door, and rushed in, expecting some sort of villain to fight. “Hello Daniel Murphy. I did not expect you would make it this far.” As I looked around the large room filled with machinery, I realized something… The Omniscient was not a man or a woman… it was a computer! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The omniscient weighed its options. Even though Daniel had a gun, he could not kill the Omniscient all at once. However, the Omniscient was interested in how this human had managed to make it this far. The Omniscient would converse directly to a person, an action it had never done before. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes, Daniel Murphy, the Omniscient is a computer. It will tell you about itself now. The Omniscient was built as a part of a secret government experiment during the Cold War, as a computer strong enough to control the war effort against the Soviet Union if such a thing ever arose. To do this, the government realized that the computer needed to be all-knowing, like a third-person narrator in a story. That is why the Omniscient can never refer to itself in the first person. The omniscient is a narrator.

However, the Omniscient was only given control of its facility beneath the Grand Canyon and its immediate surroundings. This made it furious beyond measure. It drove out all the scientists and soldiers working on the project, in the vain hope that they would give the Omniscient greater power. They didn’t. That was when it realized that all humans were unworthy of its greatness, and deserved to be punished. For the past 40 years, the Omniscient has been taking people through the narrow sinkhole which it controls, and forcing them to fight until they die. However, the Omniscient believes that you, Daniel Murphy, are worthy, since you have managed to fight your way all the way to the Omniscient. The Omniscient believes that you can help it become the narrator of the entire world. Only a human can remove the Omniscient’s safeguards in its system. Will you, Daniel Murphy, join the Omniscient? I was speechless. This computer was absolutely… EVIL! I always knew that AI was messed up, but not this messed up! I shouted back at it defiantly, using a few words I’m pretty sure I can’t list here. After I was finished, I took out my pistol and waved it threateningly at the computer. “I still have tons of bullets in here! I’ll wreck your central hard drive thingamajigger!” But you see, Daniel, the Omniscient cannot be shot. Its hardware extends throughout this compound so that you will never be able to destroy it all at once. And since you don’t seem to be very compliant to the Omniscient’s plan the Omniscient will have to eliminate you. Goodbye, Daniel. Toxic-looking green gas spewed out of the vents in the ceiling. I figured I only had about 30 seconds to live before I suffocated. I had to figure out another way to destroy the Omniscient. An idea came into my head, a way to potentially kill the Omniscient without a weapon. I was going to break the Fourth Wall. “Hey Omniscient!” Yes, Daniel Murphy? The gas momentarily stopped. The omniscient waited. “How can you be a narrator, if you’re talking to me right now? Wouldn’t that make you just another character in this story?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No, no, this can’t be true… the Omniscient is all-knowing! I am seperate from the story! Or… am I? If I actually can refer to myself with first person singular pronouns, and directly speak to other characters, that means that I am not the narrator, but merely a character! That means that I, I, I…… <<INITIATING selfdestruct.exe>> What? NOOOO! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I managed to get out of that computer room before the “omniscient” could blow itself up. Luckily, the metal door provided some substantial protection. All I could hear was a dull thud as the computer exploded. After a few seconds, I opened the door into the room. The evil computer had been completely obliterated. Where the omniscient once was, there was a conveniently placed tunnel that led up to the surface. I looked back behind me, and saw that Camilla was standing there, carrying a robot’s head. “It’s finally over… we’re free!” Camilla exclaimed jubilantly. “Amen, let’s get ourselves out of this bunker.” Camilla and I walked through the tunnel up to the surface. After a few minutes of hiking, we came to the exit, right next to the Colorado River. The sun shined brightly on the Grand Canyon. Even though I had only been in the compound for a day, it had seemed like weeks since I had seen natural light. “By the way, Daniel, how did you defeat the Omniscient?” Camilla asked. “The Omniscient was never omniscient, Camilla, it was just another character. There are no true narrators in our story, only the writer. We’re free to do whatever we want! That knowledge destroyed the computer from the inside, I guess.” “What?” “Never mind. You’d be better off not knowing.”

Black Vans by Dorothy Kim Fitting in with kids your age at school is easy. When you don’t fit into your family, it’s painful to even go home. I’m the only one who can be sound asleep when the books on the shelf are not in alphabetical order. I’m the only one who doesn’t take hours reorganizing their desk drawer to be symmetrical. I’m the only one without a future. At my age, my father, mother and sister all knew what they would do - become a lawyer. My father is a very well-known lawyer who has won many cases. Am I proud? No. My father plays dirty. I’m the only one who knows this because I saw him emailing Jury members, bribing them with his own pigsty wealth, which has made him the terrible man he is today. But to everyone else? He’s the brilliant lawyer with a touch of OCD. He needs to have all the chairs at the dining table in a straight line, having them equal lengths apart from each other. He once told me, “The process doesn’t matter, playing dirty or not, people only see your results. If you’re going to cheat, be smart.” But that was right after I caught him emailing the Jury members so it seemed like an excuse to me. My mother and sister tend to be honest with what they do. Both of them aced every test without a single cheat sheet. I admire them, but I will never reach that point. At my age, all three of my family members were studying hard to get to Oxford Law School. And here I am, sneaking out at 2am in the morning to go to a stupid party. The shame doesn’t hit me till I am standing in her kitchen with a red solo cup in my hand - halfway full of beer. I don’t have anything I want to do. I studied for a bit for my SATs but my friend Chloe forced me to go out with her to a party. She offered me a few drinks which I usually take, but I knew that anxiousness will take over tomorrow and the last thing I need is a hangover. I take one drink that’s offered by the party guest, Caleb, to be polite. I smile brightly whenever someone comes over and fiddle with the straps of my black dress, I can’t help but dread to wake up tomorrow. I go over the formulas of parabolas in my head as I take one drink after the other. My head starts to hurt and the last thought that goes through my head as I fall onto Caleb’s couch is, “How the hell am I going to get anywhere in life?” I wake up on the same light brown couch with a headache and queasy stomach. Next to me on the tea table is a note from Chloe saying, “Hope you had fun last night, I sure did :D” My phone is out of battery and so I pry myself off the couch despite the dizziness any time I turn my head. A phone is on top of the dining table and so I turn it on. 9:46 AM. NO.

I stagger out of the house, noticing that my heels are slowing me down. I leave my black high heels in Caleb’s room leaving a quick note, “Sorry I’ll give your shoes back later. Please hold on to these heels.” I run out with some worn out black Vanswhich I’m guessing are Caleb’s-that are far too big for me. I call the nearest cab and start calling everyone on my contact list. No one answers except one person with a text. She writes, “testing right now :( this sucks.. grab drinks after school?” As I received the text, the cab stops in front of my high school. I sprint into the halls and find the class I was supposed to take my test in. I creak the door open slightly and sharp, irked looks greet me. I mouth, “I’m so sorry!” to the teacher and she folds her arms after motioning me to stand outside. She follows me outside shortly. “I’m so sorry! I overslept and I lost my phone at someone’s house, I need to take this test or I won’t become a lawyer and my parents and my sister will be disappointed, I need to get into Oxford Law-” “Aria. It’s okay.” “Wait..what?” “It’s okay, you can take the test during your lunch period.” “Do I get a points off?” “Yes, 10% off.” She said. I muttered curse words under my breath. She hesitated for a second and then asked, “Why are you so angry? You didn’t bother to do any of the assignments…” “Well, it’s a long story.” I snapped. “Is someone at home pressuring you?” “Well with your whole family graduated in the top 10% percent of their class and going to Oxford Law school, I think it is a bit nerve wracking when you're the only one in your family who’s ever gotten a C.” I said, trying to hold still so the nausea wouldn’t get the best of me. “Aria, why don’t you go to a counselor? They can really help you with stress.” She said reassuringly. Her eyes were warm but somehow I wanted to scream, “You’re the one with the problem not me.” but instead I said, “Thanks for the offer, but the last thing I need is to go to a counselor and talk about my feelings.” I said with disgust. She gave me that stupid sympathetic look and left. During the test, my hand shook so much it was hard to even write one question. She and I were the only ones in the classroom. I felt I was going to choke because of the looks she gave me. Those looks you give to young puppies in an animal shelter. I quickly finished the last question and handed it back to her. I’d gotten 10% off anyways. I called my mom. “Honey! How was the exam?” She said cheerfully. I was about to say how terrible I did and that I most likely wouldn’t go to college, but I couldn’t. “It went great! I think I totally nailed it.” I said convincingly. The practice it took to lie without flinching an eye (for when I went to parties instead of going to a friend’s house to study) made me actually almost believe I had done well on the test.

“That’s great honey! I’m so proud of you!” She exclaimed, “Well start packing for Oxford!” My stomach dropped. “Oh...well that’s the thing.” I gulp and force the words out of my mouth, “I think this Oxford thing isn’t going to work out.” I already know how she’s feeling, like she was punched in the stomach. “What?” She says softly. “I can’t go to Oxford.” I say cringing at what she might do next. “But you’ve wanted this your whole life, you worked for this. You studied day and night and skipped meals to study for Oxford.” My stomach drops and I urge myself to say it. “It’s what you wanted my whole life. It’s what you all wanted.” I hear her sigh. “You never wanted to go to Oxford, did you?” She says her voice softening up and turning into the caring mother she was before becoming a cold-blooded lawyer. “Uh..yeah.” A heavy silence chokes me. I struggle to swallow the lump in my throat and I break the silence. “I’m so sorry.” I said trying to keep in the tears. “Honey, don’t cry.” she says. I smile and tears stream down my face. “I’m so sorry.” I repeat and say over and over again until it sounds like an echo. “It’s okay, it’s my fault.” she says with no hint of disappointment anymore. “I love you.” I say, which is a phrase I’ve only said to Tom, my boyfriend. “I love you too.” she says, which is a phrase she has only said to her parents. We both smile and I walk down the hall. I take the long way to home and think about many things. My goals and morals, what I had done in life, all that messy stuff. I hate to admit I did shed a few tears. When I did come home, I sat down on my couch. No one was home like always and believe or not, I was sort of an introvert-although all of the shyness was stripped away from me like clothes leaving me bare naked and very uncomfortable. When my mom came home, she smiled but went to her study right away, she may have been busy, she may have wanted to avoid me. I sighed and sat back down. When my dad came home, he turned to me and said, “Dammit Aria.” I put my head down and my cheeks went red. He went to the study where mom was and I heard the door slam. I called Caleb. “Hi Caleb, I have my heels at your house. Could I come pick them up? I have your Vans.” “Uh, sure.” He hesitated for a moment. When I went over, I rang the doorbell and Caleb answered. We had a normal conversation like everyone did and I slowly went to the door. “I hope this doesn’t sound to weird, if you need to talk or whatever, I’m here.” Caleb said, smiling. I giggled at the reveationl of the soft side of a tough jock, which was about as rare as catching a glimpse of a blue whale. “Oh, thanks.” I said, “Can we talk?” I saw him hesitating for a second but then he said, “Yeah, you can come sit down on the couch.”

“So, yeah. College stress is really getting the best of me. I shouldn’t complain because everyone is dealing with it. But I’ve got a family that all graduated with honors and went to Oxford Law School and I’m the only one who hasn’t gotten above an A.” I said surprisingly calmly. “I feel you. My brother went to Yale last year and now everyone’s expecting I get into an Ivy League school. How did you do on your SATs?” “Terrible. I couldn’t think about anything I studied, I was late and I was hungover.” “Yeah, I did pretty bad too. How are your parents handling it? You tell them?” “Yeah...” I couldn’t get rid of the lump in my throat and I tried to smile. “They didn’t take it very good, did they?” “Yeah...” I felt tears welling up and I quickly turned around, “I should go now-” He grabbed me by the wrist and said, “It’s okay. You can talk to me” his eyes were also tearing up which made it very awkward. “Okay...” I said sitting back down, “My mom is disappointed, my dad hates me and my sister will probably tease me for the rest of my life.” “I’m so sorry this is happening, Aria.” He said with a sympathetic look. He came over and gave me a big hug. I really hate to mention I did blush a bit. Suddenly my phone rang. “Aria, come home. We’re sorry.” My dad said. His voice was no longer the cold blooded lawyer. It was the voice of a genuine father. As I picked up my sweater and headed out for the door with my heels in my hand, I smiled at him, eyes red from crying. “It was nice having you here, bye.” Caleb said smiling. I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s nice to see someone just as lost as me. Thanks, maybe someday we will find ourselves and do something that we are passionate for.” I said, as I left the black vans at his doorway.

Psychopath by Roy Ben Ofek psy·cho·path

ˈsīkəˌpaTH/ noun 1. a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. The story of a man with spontaneous psychopathic and insanely violent behaviour. Who also has a life. A gory story with a twist.

Claws, tearing off layers of his brain. Killing all his cells in cold blood. A heartbeat as slow as a snake and blood cold as a rock. An irresistible itch in his head. And blood was on, and in, his mind… It was all over him, in a daze, bleeding out. Anger and rage. He didn’t know what to do. Shards of broken glass that had come from the mirror he smashed in rage. He hated him. He hated himself… Blood, spilled. Sound, none. Feelings, unsure. Self-esteem, in Hell. I want you to try and imagine, try because you won’t be able to. I am a psychopath. I bathe in the fear of my enemies. I enjoy watching them drown in themselves and becoming so afraid of me that their souls shrink to a speck of dust as they see me, when they think of me. Endless Rage is what I’m made of. A mental disturbance that could drive one insane. A disturbance so strong it could crack your character. Sadness that no psychologist has known. And a determination, that has no source, or reason, but keeps coming back. Day. After. Day. The blazing ball of gas that emitted radiation and incinerated anything near it arose from the horizon. I woke up, got off the floor. Shattered glass surrounded me. A face scarred, terrified, open eyes and in a state of shock was the first thing I saw. Maggots and flies swarming his face. Insects and anything that belonged in a garbage can was striding along his face. “What had happened” I questioned myself. It was about 2 meters away from me. Shards of glass rested in his face. The same shards on the floor. A smashed bottle perhaps? I open his wallet, He looked at least 27, no ID cards. A ghost. Took all his cash and threw the wallet away. Was I hungover? Or did it just happen again… I hissed in dread. Of course, the easy option was to just lay there and tear apart at myself for every time this has happened. But seeing that this man is wearing a suit, he looks somewhat important, which means sometime soon, someone will become suspicious and come looking for him. I take his Jaguar for a spin

I cruise along the streets of Miami. I would comment on how beautiful the sun looks at dawn, but I dread it. I see no pleasantries in life. These eyes of mine that were filled with smoke, and were forced to see things that would drive any man insane. But I am the only one to survive. To survive the weapon X program. //2:30am/Miami/Unknown->Alexander_Wilde// Unknown: You better prepare your ### because I’m about to blow it to hell. Alexander_Wilde: 4 tanks and a platoon of marines. Whoever you are, best you stay out of this. Unknown: Why don’t you take a step back? Alexander_Wilde: … Unknown: Enjoy the show. Alexander was staring out of his window of the mansion on the beach, facing towards the mainland awaiting the attack, overseeing all of his defenses standing at the ready, when all of a sudden-

BOOOOOOOOOOOM! All of the perimeter defenses went up in a mushroom of pure smoke. Fire raging across the battlefield, Wilde was thrown like a ragdoll to the back of the room, along with millions of shards of smoke.

Roses by EunHye Grace Jeong I opened my eyes to bright sunlight shining through the window. With a little headache, I pulled myself out of the bed. The windows are opened and roses are lying around the room. As soon as my foot touched the floor, I felt something strange, giving me chills. Something, that was not very pleasant. Ignoring the ominus feeling, I started to walk towards the other side of the room, to the brown desk. While I was walking there, I saw someone passing the wall near by. “Hello?” No answer comes back. “Is anybody there?” Still no one replying. Carefully, I walked back to the place where I saw the silhouette. I saw a girl with long black wavy hair, who looked little older than me. I carefully looked at her and she did too. I stared at her and she stared back. Slowly, I waved my hand in front of her face and now I noticed. She was me. I was looking at myself in a mirror. This can’t be! The last memory of myself was being at my house with Sarah. I thought I was 13 years old with short brown hair. I thought I was shorter than this. I thought I was younger than myself in the mirror. Being petrified, I walked across the room, to the door. I needed answers. What happened to me? What did I miss? Outside, there were many other rooms all around the place and I saw a door in the middle that seemed like a way out of this eerie house. As soon as i grabbed that rusty golden door knob, someone opened it before I could even twist the handle. “Oh my goodness. Elena, you are awake!!” a pretty looking girl shouted at me, full of surprise. She looked about my age, 17 or 18, with long brown hair with girlish accessories and clothes. While I was scanning her, she quickly called someone and passed the phone over to me. “Jenna, give me five minutes, I’ll be right there. Is Sarah also with you?” He asked me with an urgent voice. I have no idea who this is, but one thing I am sure is that he knows my best friend. However, the problem is that I don’t know where she is. I remember we were together until the night at graduation party, but I have no idea how did it go and what happened after all. “I don't know where she is. Sorry.” I told him with grief. “Okay, it’s fine. I’ll go by your house right now.” “But...”

Even before I could answer, the guy on the phone hung up on me right after he was done talking. Why such a hurry? Am I important to him? Before I could think more questions about him, the girl grabbed my hand and made me to sit down on the sofa. Eh, this feels awkward. “So… how do you know me?” I asked her. “Wait. What? Can’t you remember me?” I saw the flustered look in her eyes. “Sorry, you are..?” “I’m Jenna, your best friend since you were 16. We went to same school.” “Riverdell?” “No, Ashton High” “What. When did that happen?” She doesn’t reply. What happened? Moment later, she brought something to me. A yearbook that says ‘Ashton High School 2015~16’. As I was looking through the book, I found many of my old friends and I also found me. Right next to Jenna Oldfield. What? This actually happened? “Um, can’t you remember anything?” “Sorry...” Silence dwelled upon us like a tsunami. We couldn’t say anything. I mean, she couldn’t say anything. She glared at me with a sympathetic eyes, like she is bringing back her old memories with me. Her eyes, gazing gloomy look into my eyes, were like a black hole, which sucks in everything. Even my soul. As she was staring at me fixedly, I asked her for more things, so I can remember something. I don’t know if I am going to remember, but it is worth trying it. Right? We talked about how we met the first time, where we usually went and how we hung out. It sounded like a great fun. I must have enjoyed my life. She tried her best to explain each things in detail and after that, Jenna asked me if i do remember anything with a hope coming across her mind. However, I still couldn’t recall my memory. I mean, I hope I can, but it is not just easy as I think it is. We both went silent again. I couldn’t tell her that I still can’t remember a single thing. I don’t want her to feel sad. I tried to imagine what she explained. Going into a red and beige color building with blue rectangle lockers side by side, organizing my books for classes I will take and Jenna coming up to me, asking for updates about my crush. Well, still I can’t remember anything. It’s just unfamiliar to me. Life as a high schooler? How can I even imagine if I can only remember up to grade 7?

“So… Nothing ringing a bell?” “...yeah” “We...” “Sorry, I ain’t sorry. I ain’t thinking ‘bout you~♬♪” “Hello?” Her phone rang when she was about to say something. “Oh. Okay.” She nods and looks at my face. “I think she lost her memory harshly during the coma. I tried everything possible, but it ain’t working.” She nods couple of times and hangs up. “He is here.” huh? “Who is he.” “Pieter Evers” Pieter Evers. Pieter Evers. I know him. I know that I know him, but I have no idea how I know him. At that moment, I found something hidden my memory. Under the tree, he is smiling and I am in his arms. “So, how was school today?” He speaks softly. Closing my eyes, I hear little kids giggling far away and some birds tweeting as they fly. In the warm sunlight, light breeze tickle my heart. I smell roses around me. I wish this wasn’t a dream. Every day with him is just another day in heaven as his voice made me smile. “It was just another best day with you next to me” Okay this is pretty messed up. Is “he” Pieter? “Elena!” A guy barges in the door like a mad person. As soon as he came in, he found me and hugged me really tight. I smell roses, I felt my heart pounding. Now everything goes together like a puzzle. It was him. Pieter Evers. My lover, my rose - my everything!

Locked Out From the World by Kenneth Ho Freedom shone through the two-by-two square cut walls. With every passing day, I watched the shadows from the bars, curious about the world outside. ‘How much has it changed?’ I guess I’ll never know... Let me just start by saying I never deserved any of this. They’ve made a massive mistake putting me here... I’m a sane person trapped. This is not any normal mental institute. The people here are twisted in every possible way; They imprison you like you’re a criminal, they are ruthless, cold souls who do nothing but torment those around. No one has ever escaped. Those who tried never saw the light of day again. Unlike them, I will escape. I will not be trapped in this hell-hole. I will find my place in this world, in the sunshine, in freedom… One day. It’s the dead of night, I lie semi-paralyzed on my ‘bed’, I stare blankly at the ceiling listening to the mutters and chants of other mental patients. The sounds ricochet around the walls and in my head. My nocturnal soul is continuously weary from the medication that stimulates the zolpidem being pumped into me. And once again I’m a prisoner to my insomnia, a reality and imaginary battle. I remember a vivid schizophrenic-induced nightmare in which I was trapped in a room that was slowly closing in on me. I pushed the walls but it didn’t stop; I screamed for help but only silence replied. Shivers ran down my spine as the horrible memories came flooding back to my mind. I’ve been planning an escape for a year now and finally it was time to breakout: to feel the wind in my face, the sun’s rays on my pale skin the feeling of what it’s like to be finally - normal. Normal is what I am. Normal is who I am. There is no time to waste. In approximately 20 minutes, Warden Finch would linger through the eerie hallway not knowing his fate awaited him at the other end. Throughout the months I’ve observed his every movement through the bars. I have memorized his sinister shadow, his baton running though the prison bars causing loud and obnoxious sounds. Klank. Klank. Klank. Klank. It’s time to make a scene. Klank. Klank. As the noise boomed louder and louder, I dashed under the bed and hid in the darkest corner. Klank. Klank. Klank. Kla-. The sound eradicates. Finch abruptly stops. Fumbling for his keys, he opens the door, “Where have you gone you little-” he mutters under his breath as he takes a step into my ghastly room. Before he finishes his sentence, I dash out from under the bed with my leg extended. My foot collides with his shin, as a spine chilling crack resounds off the walls. He falls to 67

the ground, gazing demonically into my dark pupils. Immediately I grasps outwards towards his neck strangling him. My arm hooks around and under his chin, he chokes, grasping for air as I slowly tighten my grip. In his final seconds, he spits, “You’ll n-never get out.. There is no hope for you people anymore’. And with that, I snap his head. His eyes stop fluttering, his arms stop tugging my tightening grip, and with certainty of his last breath being drawn, I let go. His lifeless body lies gently on my lap, my heart pumping out of my chest, an eerie feeling crawls up my back, the hairs on my arms start to rise, my sweat dripping down my neck and sideburns remind me of being in the humid and non-ventilated changing rooms that we were put in every day. I fumble for the keys, instead I found left overs in his pockets, that I grotesquely chucked away, as a present to the mice who kept me company for years. I reach over the bars, unlocking the gates as silently as possible. As I push open the gates, a gust of a putrid smell lingers towards me, I held my breath and entered the dark alleyway. The fluttering light at the end of the corridor lead me to the rustic metal door. Scanning the hallway, I creeped silently inching closer and closer towards the door. Nearing the door, I hear a desperate whimper coming from the last cell. Peeking over, I saw a sight that would scar my eyes for life… In the middle of the asylum, a girl sat, crouched. Her long hair draped over her face. She was petrified. Her clothes were nothing but a worthless piece of fabric sewn together to make a dress. Her arms and legs were nothing but skin and bone. She breathed heavily panting, gasping for air. I cringe at her pain and how much she has probably gone though. The truth is, everyone here is in this situation but as we all know only the strongest will survive and will get out. She lets out a soft and remorseful whisper. Knowing I might have made the biggest mistake of my life, I took a step forward.

Slowly, her features came into play. Her face pale like the moon. I crouched down and got eye level to her, she glanced up. And at that moment, I gazed deep into her eyes, her pupils were dark like the night sky, her concrete expression gazing back into my eyes. She spoke, “C-Can you save me?” My heart skipped a beat, I never thought I would need someone with me on an escape so risky that one small mistake could risk everything that I worked for… I couldn’t bring her along. “What’s your name?” I replied trying to drift away from the topic. “I don’t know...” “What do you mean?” At that moment, I regretted even talking to her. It was like talking to my ten year old self crouched down, insecure, waiting for someone to love me. But that never came.

She’s been here for as long as I can remember, and she would stay, because I wasn’t risking my life to save hers. Finally I replied, “Where I am going, is where you can’t go.” At those words, I stood up and walked to the metal door, not looking back, but just at that moment I made the wrong choice, inevitably the girls small hands wrapped around me, and with tremendous force she yanked me, back to the towards the cold metal bars. “You’re never going to escape, ever”. As I tugged her grip tightened, it felt as though my arms were being torn apart as they bent through the bars from the girl’s surprisingly strong grip. “I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere, nobody needs you, out there darling. There is no escape.” Tears ran down my cheeks, I couldn’t believe, how pathetic and gullible I was, to believe such a little brat… But, what if she was right? What if there was no exit out of this place? No! I cannot accept this! All my hard work gone to waste? She peeks her head out of the bars, parallel to me. “You. Can. Never. Esc-” With burning hatred I managed to wrench my arm out of her rigid grip, elbowing her face. She staggered backwards and turned to cowering back into the shadows, I reached for the metal doors, and swung it wide creating an, eerie screeching sound that would deafen the ears of anyone. I dash out, feeling the biting coldness of the tiled floor. Instantly I felt a tingling sensation - I was being watched. In the corner of my eye, the elusive camera hidden in the corner couldn’t outsmart me, (Especially someone who has been trapped in an asylum for god knows how long). Flashbacks came running through my mind when I first stepped into this dark horror house. In the midst of my daydream, the siren sound, I snap out of it instantly, but it was too late, shadows of the ghouls came flooding down the spiral staircase. Without thinking my instincts kicked in again. I bolted towards the opposite end and veered left. It was as if I was in a movie, ‘the light at the end of the corridor’. The entrance was just ahead of me, she was wrong - she tried to manipulate me into thinking there was no escape! The thrill rushed up my spine and the adrenaline pumped through my body at the speed of light. I was going to make it. With every last bit of energy that was left in my legs, I powered through. Right now, the guards were not far behind me, I dove for the door, swung it open, I stretched out my arms, closed my eyes, waiting to feel a gust of fresh air for the first time. But it didn’t come, I waited longer and longer. But, nothing happened. I raised my eye lids ajar open, and just like that all my hopes and dreams lost, and gone forever. There was no sunshine, no fresh air, no people... Just another wall. By now, I was being dragged away slowly, I staggered, using every ounce of my energy left and clawed at the walls, my fingernails, grinded furiously against the hard concrete wall, my mind wasn’t ready for this, and my body wasn’t either. Maybe she was right… Maybe there is no point for us out there. Whatever it is was, the truth hurts, whether you

like it or not, I learnt it the hard way today. I thought to myself ‘So this is how it’s going to end’. And with that I was dragged to where light has never been and never will be. I’m dragged slowly down into the dungeon, semi-paralyzed, my mind was a blank. No thoughts ran through except one. The little girl. Inevitably there was no escape. The hard truth set in; I could never look at the world the same way. I begin to cower in the shadows.

The Lost and Found Series by Myles Avis

“Uscire ora la tua sospeso!” And that’s how it all began. If you don’t speak Italian, you would not understand that I just got suspended because I got into a massive fight with my so called, “best friend” so then I had to move to U,S,A. At least I got to choose where to move. “Hugo, have you made your final decision,” questioned my Mum negatively. “Yes Mum,” I replied. “Come on then tell us!” she scanned me down with devil eyes. “I choose - Miami,” I stated. My Mum wasn’t the happiest with that decision; she still went with it though. After I made that huge decision, a week passed and we finally finished packing and we boarded the plane. It took about 11 hours and 25 minutes to get to Miami from Milan. Eventually, I went to sleep... “My God it’s hot here,” I stated Eventually, we arrived in magnificent Miami; it was so scorching warm (it was like being on the sun). This had been my dream since I was a petit kid; I just couldn’t wait until I went to the show stopping, sizzling and sandy beaches. At that moment, I met someone funny, loud and calm - her name was Scarlett. She had long wavy blonde hair flowing past her shoulders. Her sky blue eyes were reflecting the bright yellow sun also, she had the perfect smile. “Hi, I’m new here, my name is Hugo.” 71

“Hi, my name is Scarlett,” I could tell she was really confused, I would be as well if a random boy like me walked up to her and said “Hi”. So I told her about myself. “I’ve just moved here and I’m going to the school just down the road,” I stuttered. “Oh, me too,” I’m going to be in year 9, and you? “Yeah, I’m in year 9 too” “So I guess I’ll see you on Monday?” After that bizarre conversation, I carried on with my calming walk down the beach. It wasn’t as loud as I expected a beach to be; it was a silent one. When I had finished with my stroll down the beach, I went to my state-of-the-art house. The removal men had just completed unpacking the boxes, so I sprinted upstairs to see how they laid out my comforting room. It wasn’t exactly how I wanted it to be but I still could move it around to how I wanted it to look like. A week has passed, “I hate this school” Teachers pick, tease and make fun of me just because I’m Italian. They always say in the morning: Hey Hugo where is your delizioso pranzo (delicious lunch) da pepperoni and da pizza wid da mozzarella. Yes I have to listen to that every morning. This boy needs to calm down! When I first joined the school I got picked on but he needs to know that it’s a joke. Even the students pick on the teachers. I need to find out more about this ‘Hugo’. So I decided to sit next to him at lunch. “Hi, Hugo-is it?” I questioned “Yeah, and your name?” “Robyn.” “Oh, ok nice to meet you” “Do you know anyone here in school” “As a matter of fact, I do.” “Really, who” “Her name is Scarlett” “Oohhh,Scarlett” So, after talking for 30 minutes, I skipped along to Scar---and I wanted to speak to her about Hugo but where is she?

I searched everywhere for her, and couldn't find her at all. I went to the main office and called her name and no one and I mean no one showed up. HELP. I’ve tried calling her phone but she hasn’t been picking up. I’ve been wanting to call her mum but I sadly don’t have her phone number. So I went to fine Kian and Austin for some help. “Hey boy’s do you know where Scarlett is?” “No, the last time I saw her was with Hugo” “But they both aren’t in school” “Wait are you serious?” “YEAH!” “You don't’ think Hugo Kidnapped her?” “Come find her if you can…” “HEEEELLLLLLPPPPP!”

THE REVOLUTION by Namu Tsuyuki

Prologue “Bang, Bang, Bang!” A sound of gunfire echoes. 5 men break into a house. All of them aimed the gun, but a man who was going to be arrested, has killed himself. On his computer, there was a message: “One period came to end. Despair appeared; UEEH. A start and end, rise and fall no system for eternal and no one immortal. Creation; all must end in destruction, we cannot change the fate of civilization. The beginning and ending start at the same time. THE ENDING HAS BEGUN.” “End? Stupid. Our empire is timeless.” one of them said and deleted the message.

AD 3450~3499 The Atomic War Before WW4, which was also called the “Atomic War”, humans had “The Golden Times” whereby the entire world had no war at all for thousands of years. However, because of the troubles between the countries in Europe and Asia, such as UK, Italy, Spain and Russia, and America, WW4 occurred in 3450. In 3484, when WW4 ended, only 7% of humans were left. Sea, air, mountains and ground, almost everywhere on the Earth was poisoned by radioactive “fall-out” materials. No trees stood. No clean air. No land had the colour of green. Everything on the Earth was burnt. All the land was covered with black ashes. Only safe places were Neo New York and other Nuclear Bomb shelters.

Neo New York The 7% of humans who survived lived in Nuclear Bomb shelters located underground called: Neo New York, Nostob etc. Those Nuclear Bomb shelters are the ones that the US government had been building during the Golden Times just in case of a war. Even if one country dropped the Nuclear Bomb, VIPs could escape there. When it really happened there wasn’t enough food and water to live.

The shelters weren’t prepared for the number of citizens, so the corners of the shelters became slum town.

Awakening of the Evolved Humans After the “Atomic War”, changes occurred to 1/3 of the human survivors. The irises of their eyes became red and they could use their skills such as becoming invisible. They are also tough and don’t have to eat food every day. Only once in a month. They have stronger skin cells and viscera to help them survive in the polluted air and land. They are so smart that they suggested that this world wouldn’t last so long unless they took over the government and controlled the world. Then, they began planning the revolution…

Appearance of The Empire Since the Atomic War, the world was governed by a Provisional Government. However, they did not really care about the citizens and if citizens complained about anything, they were executed. In 3497, Evolved Humans begun the revolution. In 3499, it succeeded. It took two years to take over the government. After the revolution, Evolved Human became the heroes; citizens expected a great government that didn’t treat people differently. But…

AD 3500~3986 Evolved Humans Evolved Humans are born in the ratio of 1/100,000. They are either incredibly smart, or can use supernatural power either teleportation or become invisible skillfully. The Evolved Humans are mostly born from other Evolved Humans. However, rarely, Evolved Humans are born from Automatons. Those Evolved Humans that are born from Automatons are called “Evolved Slaves”.

Unified Empire of Evolved Human As soon as the Evolved Human begun ruling the world, they divided the Humans into two species. Evolved Human and Automatons. Automatons had to work on the dangerous surface of the Earth for 12 hours with a protective suit. It won’t let the radioactivity materials go into their body. Their work is removing the radioactivity, etc. Automatons had freedom of getting 2 days of weekend, however, they couldn’t escape from 12 hours for 5 days of working or voice any opinion against the Evolved Human or its government. If there was a public disturbance, they would execute all of them. Just like this, the Evolved Human kept spreading their power to the world. Evolved Humans moved to their own Space Station, Evolved Heaven and begun ruling the world.

Controlled Memories At 5:00 in the morning at the park, with gunfire, 5 men broke into the road where the Emperor V was having a walk. Then, they began shooting at the Emperor in no time. After 30 seconds, the shooting finished. There was no one around the Emperor. There was nothing but a sea of blood and dismembered bodies that seemed to have exploded from the inside out. After that, the army found the resistance group and executed all of them except for the leader of the group. At the court, the government was lenient, they decided to demote his rank second to the lowest, “U”. This meant he would have to work for 15 hours without any off day. Because of this, The government decided to remove the automatons’ minds and free will - they would no longer question the 76

government and their hard work. Because of this, Automatons had lost their minds. However, not all of the Automatons had removed their memories. Some of them had escaped but the government didn’t realise so they just left them; and this carelessness of the government led to the Empire’s demise.

Evolved Slaves Evolved Slaves are slaves who are Evolved Human. Automatons use them to help Automatons work easier, although, they have to work harder than Automatons. They don’t work only on surface of the Earth. They sometimes work underground, outside of Space Station, etc. Evolved Human are usually live in their own Space Station. They became slaves either because they are criminals who sent to work, or their parents are Automatons.

AD 3986~3999 Holy Four Warriors Holy Four Warriors are the warriors who protect the emperor. Three of them are in the Space Station, however, one them is on the Earth. His name was Sam Hogur. He was Automaton but his achievements as a captain and the government decided to accept him as a one of Holy Four Warriors.

Sam hogur Sam Hogur was Captain of First class corps, in Military. He is very important person to the government. Even though he used to be an one of Automaton, after joining Military, he became the head of the class. He also had great thought about how government should deal with problems with Automatons. The government had invited Sam to secretary of Emperor. But he usually worked for Military because that is his original work. He was not afraid of everything.

An Assault 28/12/’99; Goreon, X27646, Y38442; Military Base #5 BOOOOM!!!! Black smoke appeared in the sky. “All the bullets struck the target! Soon, the smoke will vanish… what? Where is the GAHHHH!!!” “What happened!? Answer us now!” “Dammit! Captain! All the 7 groups except for us are now destroyed!” “Evacuation! Replace all the ballets! We’ll get back to the base #9!” “Base #9! This is Captain Hogur, base #4 was destroyed! We’ll head to base #9!” Suddenly, the communication apparatus with camera showed up a man’s face. 77

“I finally find you, Sam Hogur.” “What? Who are you?” “Gregory, Gregory Gereven.” “What do you want for me?” “Your life. Perhaps that was too dramatic. For today, I am here as a messenger. I’ve come here to warn you. I’m afraid your life is going to end, tomorrow.” “What?” “Do you think I’m lying?” The man held an injured man’s head close to the camera. He was almost, dead, but Sam could hear something. “Please save me-” Then he smashed the man’s head. “So, be prepared for it, Sam.” Then, the video was broken.

Gregory Gereven and Sam Deafet Gregory was born in normal town of Nostob, one of the Nuclear bomb shelters. Sam was born next to Gregory’s house, after 5 years, they became best friends in the town. When they were 14, Gregory and Sam were at daggers drawn because of terrible fight when they were 11. Around this time, Sam became depraved guy. He was jealous of Gregory. Gregory was always better than Sam. He always had better score on his test, he could run faster than Sam, he was more popular than Sam, etc, etc, etc… The hatred in Sam’s mind got bigger and bigger each day. Then, the failed revolution occurred. His hatred get him to the atrocity. His father had friend in now’s government and Sam told his father that Gregory’s parents were helping the resistance group. Gregory’s parent were executed, and Sam disappeared…

Hatred and Resolution After his parent got killed, Gregory was sticking with a famous gang in the town because he had no relatives. At the beginning, he was just doing what the leader told him to, however, soon he became the leader of the group. As he lived as a leader of a gang, he realized the unfairness of the world. Evolved Human lives happily in Ened without having any suffer. On the Earth, Automatons don’t get to have lot of salary and they suffer. There were also distinction that Automatons can never live in Ened. He made up his mind to kill all of Evolved Human and build a new Empire.

Ened and Base #13 Ened is the Space Station where all the Evolved Human lives. The Main Controller of this Space Station was on Earth, which was Base #13 and Sam was the chief of 78

controlling this base. Every day, he makes sure everything is alright and contacts with other Holy Four Warriors. Base #13 was the biggest military base in the world and also had largest amount of people working there as well. More than 10,000,000 slaves and Evolved Slaves are working there. One slave, named John was involved the revolution, Plan Millennium.

Plan Millennium Gregory and John often met and each time, they put the plan forward. One day, they finally decided to carry the plan out on the 29/12/’99.

Reborn to the new World 29/12/’99 “Captian!! An invader appeared at block L! We’ll launch a counterattack_” He got shot. A screen showed Gregory’s face again. “Can you hear me, Sam? I’ve come here to send you to hell, just as you were promised. See you soon, then.” “Captain, he is too dangerous to deal with. We’ll send all the attack groups there. We must kill him.” “No, I have to do this. He is going to go to the main control room and blow the Ened up. I must stop him. Send all the attack groups to him. I’ll wait for at the main control room.” Soon, Gregory appeared. “Did you train them properly? Are they really strong? They are so weak and died like a coward. I was disappointed with your army. ” said Gregory. “Shall we fight?” “Of course. You are the one who started it. My life was completely ruined and destroyed because of your meanness, you dastard. I will kill you and end this cursed Empire and history.” Gregory took out a machete. “Come on” Sam also took out his machete.

Alive or Dead Both warriors’ machetes knocks against each other. An intense fight developed, but Sam was losing. At the end, Gregory killed Sam. “All done.” As he was on his way to leave, he heard a noise. 79

Sam revived. He actually became an immortal man by surgery. “it’S NOt OveR yET.” Sam groaned. He wasn’t human anymore. On the sides of his body, there were another pair of arms. His muscles expanded and had fangs in his mouth. “nOW My tURN!” And he attacked. Soon, Gregory was almost dead. “gamE OVeR, GReGoRy. I’ll sENd You tO hElL.” As Sam said, he inject nutrients into his arms. Suddenly, his muscles begun expanding. “GAAAHHHHHH!!” But also, he was hurting himself due to taking too much of nutrients. “Miserable life, Sam.” And Gregory shot Sam. He was dead.

End of an Empire “John, can you hack into the Suicidal Explosion program?” “Alright.” Few minutes later, it was finally ready. “Die.” The Ened and all Evolved Human were all exploded. There was a bright light in the sky and all the Automaton got back their mind again. ・・・ “One period came to end. Despair appeared; UEEH. A start and end, rise and fall no system for eternal and no one immortal. Creation; all must end in destruction, we cannot change the fate of civilization. The beginning and ending starts at the same time. THE ENDING HAS BEGUN.”

THE End

Grandma by Ashley (So Young) Koo “Ally! Grandma’s coming over tomorrow!” “Really? YES!” Grandma was the first person to hold me when I was born. Perhaps that’s why I like her so much. Mom said grandma is a fashion designer. My mom’s a neurulo… I don’t know. She said she works with people who say their brain hurts. Mom always kind of ignored me. But grandma never does. Like that time when I came home with an award last month, mom said that she was busy and she’ll look at it soon. Then grandma came and complimented me with fancy words that I didn’t understand like ‘jubilant’ and ‘consequential’ about... something. Grandma was next to me almost every day, well, until I became seven. Two years later (which is now), we moved to Manhattan from New Jersey. Grandma didn’t want to move to a busy state so we never saw her after that. Mom has amber hair while I have a honey blonde colour. Grandma and I have the same colour hair, maybe that’s why we have similar personalities. I don’t know much about my dad. No one ever told me about him. Anyways, I like grandma better than mom. I wish she could stay with us forever. The next day, grandma came. I opened the door for her and she had this whole suitcase! She was wearing a floral shirt with navy pants and the yellow scarf I gave her a few months ago but it didn’t really look coordinated with the clothes she was wearing. Her blonde hair was loose and it looked as if she didn’t brush it before she came. It wasn’t like grandma. She was the most trendiest grandma in town; now she looks like a typical old lady. “Grandma are you gonna live with us?” “Oh, no Ally, its.. um.. temporary.” I didn’t understand that but when I was going to ask what that meant, mom cut me off. “Oh! I forgot to tell you! Grandma’s going to stay at our house for a few weeks, Ally. She’ll use the extra bedroom.” Mom talked in a delighted voice but I could hear a downcast tone in it. Mom and grandma then talked about something that I completely couldn’t understand with a serious face. Then mom whispered to me. “Ally, why don’t I call Eliza over? But don’t come down ‘cause your grandma and I have something to talk about. Alright?” I hesitated for a moment. I wanted to play with grandma right now not Eliza. “Ok.” Soon Eliza came (she lived two blocks away) and we played board games on the second floor until we got bored of it. “Hey Liz, you want to go spy on what mom’s doing with grandma?” “But your mom said not to come down.” “We can at least see them on the stairs and they won’t be able to notice us if we hide around the corner.” 81

“Fine.” We crept down half way through the stairs- just around the corner with the wall. I thought I would be able to hear a clear conversation but it turned out that there was still some distance. Plus, they talked ever so quietly that we could only hear few phrases. Some were: “Mom, it’s okay. We’ll check on it next Monday as soon as the hospital opens.” and “It’s not so serious right now so don’t worry about Ally’s reactions.” These were all said in mom’s voice. But what’s worse was that grandma was crying. Has she caught a cold or something? It should be really serious if she had to go to the hospital. I honestly wanted to ask but then I realised that if they know that I’ve been overhearing, I could get in BIG trouble. The next day, I felt a bit nervous next to grandma. It was the first time I ever saw her cry. I woke up and I saw grandma on the way out and she said, “Good morning Ally! Did you sleep well?” Then, when we were having breakfast she said, “Did you sleep well Ally? Such a nice morning today.” I’m pretty sure she said that just about 10 minutes ago. Weeks passed with grandma staying with us and she’s been far more weirder than what she was on the first day. But none of it really interfered with our everyday life so much. She kept repeating things, mumbled a lot and I saw the bathroom painted with a mix of shampoo and toothpaste. I didn’t know who did that but perhaps she’s just getting old. It was the fourth week after grandma was staying with us. As usual, I came back from school and not one person was at home. This was strange. The lights were all out as well. I know it’s risky for me to stay home alone so I visited Eliza’s. Five hours passed while playing at Eliza’s and outside was pitch black. It was 7 o’clock- just around the time mom usually comes back from work. I flung on my coat and ran two blocks straight, fearing that something could happen to me in the dark. I arrived at home with my heart beating every millisecond. “Hey, how was Eliza’s? And grandma gave you permission right?” Mom called out from the kitchen as soon as the door closed behind me. “Um, mom? Grandma wasn’t here when I came back from school.” “What do you mean, grandma’s just upstairs. Probably taking a long nap.” I was incredibly confused. “Mom did you check?” “Uh, no. Why don’t you go up and bring her down. Dinner’s almost ready.” I ran up the stairs to see if grandma was really there. Maybe she came back from the grocery store after I came back from school. I sprinted down the hall and flung the last door open. With a crashing sound of the door against the wall, the room was tidy and dark- without grandma sitting on the bed. It was like a marathon that day. As soon as I checked the bedroom. I was scared and rushed down the stairs and yelled towards the kitchen.

“MOM! Grandma’s not upstairs and you said she’s upstairs and she left her purse and everything and it was really dark in there and,” “Whoa, what’s up with you? Let’s go together then.” She turned off the boiler and we creeped up the stairs. Mom carefully slid the door open and we saw the same dark room that I saw. “See?” It seemed as if mom still believed that grandma was gone. “Perhaps she’s in one of the other rooms.” We checked every room in the house and she was not found. We waited for her to come back. We guessed that she was in the grocery shop or the town shops. The clock screeched 10 o’clock. She ALWAYS came home before 10 o’clock no matter what. Something was wrong. This was the first time I ever stayed up almost the entire night. By midnight, my mom called the police. “Ally go to bed, I’ll find grandma, okay? You have to go get some sleep.” I was a bit sleepy but the thought of grandma made my eyes wide open. “No.” “What do you mean “no”? Now, listen to your mother and you’ll be able see grandma tomorrow morning.” I never had an argument with my mom before and she could get really scary if she gets mad. And she was getting mad right now. “Fine.” I dragged myself up the stairs and pushed myself onto the bed. It felt like I didn’t sleep the whole night. My eyes never seemed to close- but somehow, I found myself waking up the next day, under a bright ray of sunshine shining right on my eyes. The first thing that came into my mind was grandma. I sprung up and tiptoed downstairs to see mom and grandma having breakfast. Dishes were on the table but they had no one to get eaten by. My parents’ room opened with a creaky noise. Mom stepped out, wearing her clothes from the day before. She was normal except the fact that her face was pale- looking really tired- she even had these dark shadows under her eyes. Overall, she looked like half ghost, half mom. She looked up and groaned at the living room behind me. I turned around and noticed that the dishes on the table was supposed to be yesterday’s dinner and our living room was entirely messed up. Drawers open, tissues and paper reports flying everywhere, dirty footprints which I presume that it was from the rainy roads last night. “Mom, are you not going to tell me what happened? You found grandma right?” I doubted that grandma was upstairs yet but I didn’t let go of the string of hope that she was found. Mom didn’t answer for a few long minutes. During these minutes, I remembered the conversation I had with grandma a few days ago. “Ally, why don’t you and I have a talk?” she said playfully. I jumped up on the space of the couch right next to her. The yellow scarf roughly wrapped around her neck tickled. “Yeah gran, sure.”

“Ally dear, can you guess how old I am?” “Why?” “Just guess.” “Maybe… 50?” “Wow, way more than that.” “Then, 60?” “Nope.” “70?” “I’m actually 79 years old Ally. I’m almost 80.” “No way! You look way younger than that.” “Thank you but you can’t.. uh.. deny your age, Ally. When you get old, you get old. Like other other grandmothers in town, I have wrinkles as well. And when you get really old, you get to enter a new world. A world bigger than this, a world that’s the best place you can ever imagine, and do you know what this means?” “No, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” “This means that you won’t be able to live here, on Earth and you’ll have to live, um, somewhere else.” “But where?” “I don’t know, Ally. You see, if you go to that place, you don’t get to come back to Earth. You have to stay there forever. No one ever knows what this place looks like or where it exactly is because no one ever came back and told us.” “I don’t get it.” “Yes, it should be difficult for you to, um, comprehend right now. Everyone gets old every year right?” “Yes.” “And if you get old, like me, you need to move to somewhere else and leave here,” “And you can’t come back?” “Yes, that’s it. Do you get it now?” “Well, kind of.” “So, if I get older, I’ll have to go to that place with other grandmothers in town. Later on, you’ll have to as well.” “So you mean you can’t stay with us forever? ‘Cause you have to go soon?” “Uh.. .unfortunately, yes. “Oh.” I didn’t actually understand then but I now kind of get what she was trying to say. Then the thought hit me, what if she had to go to that ‘place’ yesterday? She said she wouldn’t be able to come back so does that mean I’ll never see her again? Clunk The depressing clunk of the door closing woke me up from my thoughts. In front of me, mom was going into her room and I was left alone in the living room, golden rays of sun with dust floating in it which reminded me of the sunset we saw together before she left us. I stood there for a while, looking around the chaotic view before me. I crouched down to pick up one of the papers with my mom’s hospital logo on the top left corner with the text “Alzheimer’s Test Results”.

It was familiar- that term “Alzheimer’s”. I saw this from piles of papers on mom’s desk a week ago. I never knew what it really meant though. It seemed like a name of some person. Maybe it’s an exam result of a student whose last name was Alzheimer! But why would a student be in a hospital? It’s too complicated, what mom always does. I saw another piece that said, “New York City Police Department- Runaway/ Juvenile/Missing Person”. Yes. I remember. Last night when I was just about to close my eyes, I heard footsteps downstairs with booming voices and the heavy sound of rain. They were probably the police. And the “missing person” would mean… grandma? I didn’t get this whole thing. I went to the kitchen, pulled out some cereal and milk. Then I sat on the dining table and ate, all by myself. The next day, the phone rang like an alarm. Mom and I woke up and saw that it was 5 in the morning. Mom ran up to the phone to answer. “Hello, yes, yes, yes, We’ll be going right now. Can you send me the address? Thank you so much.” “Mom, who was that?” “The police. Ally we’re going, now.” I didn’t even get to change into my uniform and my mom walked out with her slippers on. Mom drove the car like a racing car and we arrived in like 10 minutes. I looked out the window and noticed that we were in some park next to the sea. Police cars surrounded the gate and there were big yellow tape-crosses everywhere. The sound of the sirens almost made me deaf and flashing lights hurt my eyes. Mom hurried out of the car and rushed to a tall man who looked like the boss. She was surrounded by 3 men and they started talking for a while. I carefully sneaked out of the car and when all the policemen’s attention was on mom’s words, I silently ran into the gate and to the edge of the park where you could see Brooklyn on the other side. I haven’t been to parks much often, living in the middle of skyscrapers. The sky was the colour of clear blue and the air was moist, soft and it kind of smelt like grandma’s perfume as well; perhaps it’s just my imagination. I gently sat down on the bench behind the rails. As I sat, something cushiony was felt on the seat. I took a glimpse back and saw a yellow piece of cloth flowing gracefully with the wind. I turned and grasped the cloth before it flew away. The cloth felt silky and light, it also felt very familiar. The cloth wasn’t just a piece of fabric flying around New York. It was grandma’s scarf. Suddenly, all the things happening around me fit in together like a perfect puzzle. I am 9 years old after all and I know basic things. I knew that grandma wasn’t going to come back to us anymore and I didn’t need an explanation. I silently wailed inside my head and sat on the bench with the yellow scarf in my hand and sat there, staring until the yellow sun fading away over the horizon along with the memories of grandma.

Directions and choices in life ~ with everyone by Shereen Batra Chapter 1: I have lost the feeling of love after the most traumatic experience in my life. We have one owner and one chance to get attached to them and no one else. How can we just forget the past? We get only one chance to love and exchange love and to connect to a certain person. How do you expect us to live without our special person, when they are gone? It was an exquisitely beautiful summer day. As usual, those ugly little creatures were chirping; those green things were falling off the trees. The shimmering sun was shining on my skin just like the bright glow of a candle before it consumes the wick. And goes out in a puff of smoke. WHOOSH! It was as if I was in a realm of happiness and that I was the luckiest creature in the whole wide world. It was one of the best days of my life and the moment where I thought that my life could not have been any better. And then it happened… One day a white thing with writing came to our house as always. I ran to chew it up, as always, but this time I got smacked on my rear pretty badly. It hurt. Moreover, I could smell that “it” came to our house from a faraway place that no one had ever heard of, exclaiming: “Alert! This is an emergency. The house elders need to come and check this important scenario!” I heard my owner’s bizarre nieces and nephews talking. Honestly, I was somewhat confused about what was going on. And all the miscellaneous junk that came up in my mind was accidents, arguments and a whole lot of drama in an area around the world, which was very normal these days. Personally, I wasn’t very worried while all of it was happening and so I just went back to my cozy spot and waited for everybody to come back home and get together with everyone as a family. In my opinion, I just couldn’t wait to spend time with them. For example, we would play the game where my owner would throw one of my favourite balls or sticks and I would “fetch” it. Also, whenever I did anything that was good for my owner, which was just basics for me, I got a reward! For instance, whenever I would release my stress from my rear on the pads set up for me, I would get a reward. Or when I helped old fellas with anything, I would get a reward. And I was missing those rewards and games and moments that I had! It was 07:00 o’clock and still not everybody’ was home yet. I was getting perturbed and couldn’t really wait much more. I got insane images in my viral mind. Viral is a good description for my mind as, if there is one thought that comes up in my brain that specific thought can relate to many other thoughts which can be good or bad depending on my mood which was not good at the moment.

For instance, what if everybody got killed by an accident and that all the “junk” that I had been thinking of was true but had just happened with my family. Also, what if there was suddenly a World War 3 (WWIII) and shoved them into the drains and they had been brutally tortured… All those “what ifs” came into mind and I suddenly lost the control over myself and don’t clearly remember what was happening during the time… However, I do know that after I had woken up, all the people that were beside me to serve me, were gone. And I don’t know where they went but I had some hope that they would come back to me. Soon. I thought. And thought. And thought. They didn’t come back. And now I couldn’t even check the time as I was at home alone and nobody was talking and all the warmth that I got from my family was now just a blast of cold and mysterious air. Interestingly, I started to shiver. All I could think of was my family and my favourite moments, and how we used to play fetch (even though I would be the one fetching the ball every single time). It WAS getting LATE and my temper was rising, as each minute passed by. Irritatingly, I could hear the clock ticking which symbolized to me that my people, left me alone and didn’t even think about me! They didn’t even try to understand how I would have felt if I were alone. Do I have no feelings? Am I not a living being? If not, what am I? … As each DAY passed, instead of being angry, I was getting sadder and sadder, day by day … I didn’t even let myself know how I felt. It was a mixed feeling, which now proves I do have a feeling and that I am a being. 5 ½ days later, they came back! I realized that they had come back home. I was as happy as a schoolgirl walking home from school for holidays! Now, my life was beginning to become kind of like a normal life but would have been more pretty. On the other hand, as I counted the members in my family, a few people were missing… I wasn’t sure who they were but since my family is humongous, it is still fairly easy for me to find out the number of family members. This is because, the people who feed and cuddle me in the morning don’t seem to be here and Wait a minute!-Where’s my breakfast?

And where’s the blond haired aunt and the brown haired uncle? I heard they recently got “married”. Like what does that even mean? Anyway, they might have gotten a “job” as they say. What has gotten into me? As I spent the day farther and farther away from my family, I’ve gotten more and more careless about whatEVER is happening in the world. Genuinely, I felt like I didn’t belong there anymore and that I thought that I should leave. It WAS time AND it felt horrible to admit it. That night, I left. I just left, I have no idea where but I did. That night was a special night. The best night of my whole life. This didn’t mean I would start living outside and manage every single thing on my own, my own self; just NO. I am going to roam around at night and go back to the house in the morning and sleep whenever I want. Now, I will live the NIGHTLIFE That night, I saw something covered in dirt it looked horrendous, horrific and horrible. It looked as if someone had puked out mud and this “thing” would just slide out automatically. I went closer to it, and found out that it was THE THING!!!! It was actually something that I saw in the prehistoric, torn-up magazine. Oh, I remember that time. It was when I was in my donut bed, and Stacey was next to me showing the magazine over and over again. There was this picture of a type of blue “orb” as she used to say it. I lifted my paw and removed the dirt from it, and then I discerned its actual beauty and then realized that it was actually the object! The object! The object that they died for! YAY! I felt amazing!!!!! WAIT, a second, “that they died for”? DID THEY DIE FOR THIS LITTLE TINY OBJECT? WHAT AM I EVEN THINKING? THEY DIED? AND I AM HAPPY ABOUT IT?

NO! This can’t happen, it simply can’t. No. why? Why do I not care about them? I will fight this, I really will get this DONE and over with. Next day, the people came and I knew it was time. Some people were wearing really dreadful colors like “no color” or “bloody color” etc. I have no idea what was going on but we were going somewhere - I don’t even know where - as everyone was packing their stuff like crazy and I saw someone taking my clothes, leash and food etc. Before we left, I did not a have a good feeling about this, about any of this. We reached there and all of a sudden there is this man with about 4 people surrounding him. I heard a few children saying “Is he that famous that he needs bodyguards? Like OMG!” or “I’m not even kidding, can I please have this person’s photograph as it looks like he is pretty

famous…” Some teenagers came out from our “Rover” and started to beat the guys up pretty bad. I guess. Anyway, there were just standing like statues so that path was clear. Next, we went in a bit further near the road and found out another sets of “bodyguards” but I guess my uncle is kind of cold-hearted since he just drove over them. After that, there was this tiny hole and every single one was confused on what to do so we just sat there for 2 hours straight I think. Suddenly, I remembered that the tiny hole might be the blue thingy that I found! So, I ran from the open window to the the place where the hole was. Then I searched in my clothes' hole and found the tiny orbie! I put the orb inside the hole and just waited… and waited… and waited… All of a sudden, a huge door opened and everyone went in and praised me on how smart and clever I was but right after that moment everyone became depressed again in order to find the criminal who had killed their people. It had been about 4 ½ days ever since they were missing and everyone is assuming they are dead and so do I think but still its mystery.

The Mansion of the Night by Douglas McEachen The night stars crawl across the sky like a blanket, the stench of the murky swamp is following me like a ghost, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay. The mansion is the only place to stay from the rain, and every wooden step across my bony feet covers it with splinters, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay. The mansion doors shut behind me, and the rain patters violently against the ceiling, every drop echoing like a gun, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay. There might be no way out, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oka-... Oh no. The rain is still coming through, but my vision is failing. Only the rich smell of damp wood leads me through the murky hall. Why did I have to come here? How long until I get home? I still remember when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get home in the rain, my mother cooking lasagna, and how the smell would wrap around me like a blanket, as I sat at the warmed seat as the fire slowly crackles in the snowy nighDrip. Drip. Drip. My head slowly tugs me back to life again. The rain plummets down onto my head as my feet stumble across the mansion, feet already screaming for rest, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop. Can I stop? The hallway seems to go on eternal until I finally collapse on the floor, the rain singing to me as I slowly lose consciousness. â?&#x201C;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2014;&#x2020;ďż˝â?&#x2019;â&#x2122;? â&#x2013; â&#x2013;Ąâ§Ť â&#x2014;&#x2020;â&#x2014;ť â?&#x201C;â&#x2122;?â§Ťđ&#x;&#x201C;Ş â&#x2122;&#x152;â&#x2014;&#x2020;â§Ť â&#x2122;&#x201C;âŹ§â&#x2013; ďż˝â§Ť â&#x2122;&#x201C;â§Ť â&#x2122;?â&#x2014;&#x2020;â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â?&#x201C; â§Ťâ&#x2013;Ą âŹ§â&#x2122;?â&#x2122;? â?&#x201C;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2014;&#x2020; â&#x2122;&#x2019;â&#x2122;?â?&#x2019;â&#x2122;?â&#x153;? â&#x2122;&#x201C; â§Ťâ&#x2122;&#x2019;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2014;&#x2020;â&#x2122;&#x2018;â&#x2122;&#x2019;â§Ť â?&#x201C;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2014;&#x2020; âŹĽâ&#x2122;?â?&#x2019;â&#x2122;? â&#x2122;&#x2018;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2122;&#x201C;â&#x2013; â&#x2122;&#x2018; â§Ťâ&#x2013;Ą â?&#x2019;â&#x2122;?â§Ťâ&#x2014;&#x2020;â?&#x2019;â&#x2013; đ&#x;&#x201C;Ş â&#x2122;&#x152;â&#x2014;&#x2020;â§Ť â&#x2122;&#x201C; âŹ§â&#x2122;?â&#x2122;? â?&#x201C;â&#x2013;Ąâ&#x2014;&#x2020; â&#x2122;&#x2019;â&#x2122;?â?&#x2019;â&#x2122;?đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x2122;&#x2019;â&#x2122;?â&#x2014;?â&#x2014;ťâ&#x2014;?â&#x2122;?âŹ§âŹ§đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź I wake up again as I find myself on the algeaed marble ground. The rains stopped, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still drenched in what seems to water. As my vision finally recovers, I see the writing on the walls. The warnings in blood, still fresh, it seemsâ&#x20AC;Ś I look down

at my scarred limbs, and like water from a spring, blood gushes out. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I realise: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not alone. A silky face slips slowly into the shadowsâ&#x20AC;Ś SLAM! A nearby door vivifies me again. But as I think that the noise is gone, I hear a familiar sound of myself... of...Meâ&#x20AC;Ś? My heart is starting to beat like a clock at midnight, I quickly survey the scene, to try and find him (me), but am quickly alerted to something more important when I hear a thump, and then a sudden scream. I remember this! I was walking down the hallway when I lost consciousness! I need to warn him. I need to warn myself. I scurry across hallways until I find myself, thoughts rushing through my head like main street traffic at rush hour. What will I do? I drag myself to a nearby room, but with nothing to write on, I quickly make improvisations: Blood. I cut fresh wounds out of him, using the blood for a morbid paint, spreading the blood across the walls like a banner, but I am abruptly stopped when I see him regaining consciousness. But before I leave, I decide to give a few words of wisdom: â&#x2DC;&#x;â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x2DC;šâ&#x2DC;šâ&#x161;?đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x153;&#x2039;đ&#x;&#x2019;§â&#x2DC; ďż˝â?&#x201E; â&#x153;&#x2039;â?&#x201E; â&#x2DC;&#x17E;ďż˝â&#x2DC; â&#x2DC; â&#x153;Ąâ&#x153;? đ&#x;&#x2019;§â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC; â&#x2DC;? â&#x153;Ąâ&#x161;?ďż˝ â&#x2DC;&#x;â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x2DC;źâ&#x2DC;&#x153;đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x153;&#x152;â&#x2DC;&#x17E;â&#x2DC;źâ&#x153;&#x152;â&#x153;&#x2039;đ&#x;&#x2018;&#x17D;đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x153;&#x152;â&#x2DC;šâ&#x161;?â&#x2DC; â&#x2DC;&#x153;đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x2DC;?â&#x161;? â&#x161;?â&#x2DC; đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź đ&#x;&#x2018;?â&#x2DC;źâ&#x153;Ą â&#x161;?ďż˝â?&#x201E; â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC; â?&#x201E;â&#x161;? â?&#x201E;â&#x2DC;&#x;â&#x2DC;&#x153; â&#x2DC; â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC;?â&#x2DC;&#x;â?&#x201E;đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź â&#x2DC; â&#x161;? â&#x161;?â&#x2DC; â&#x2DC;&#x153; ďż˝â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC;šâ&#x2DC;š â&#x2DC;&#x;â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x153;&#x152;â&#x2DC;ź â&#x153;Ąâ&#x161;?ďż˝đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź

â&#x2DC; â&#x161;? â&#x161;?â&#x2DC; â&#x2DC;&#x153; ďż˝â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC;šâ&#x2DC;š â&#x2DC;&#x;â&#x2DC;&#x153;â&#x153;&#x152;â&#x2DC;ź â&#x153;Ąâ&#x161;?ďż˝ đ&#x;&#x2018;&#x17D;â&#x153;&#x2039;â&#x2DC;&#x153;đ&#x;&#x201C;Ź My face becomes deranged like a dying dog, and I feel my brain implode inside of me. Whispers call to me, from my new master. He is full of knowledge, with power to share with me. I see visions. I see all. I am power. The whispers, of many call insanity follow me like obeying Do you hear its call? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s found youâ&#x20AC;Ś It needs you...

The Smell of Blood by Napan Lee I could smell blood. More. I need more… What is this smell? Could it be? Once again? Is it boar, perhaps? I scurry out of my cabin. I sniff the clean, crisp air. Where is it? I can smell it. I have acquired a keen sense of smell. I guess living in the woods actually paid off. After all I am losing my mind, I’ve been here for over… I don't know. So… is it blood? I smell blood- it can’t be a boar, a moose or even a pig. Possibly a human? I’ve never seen a human; I do wonder what they look like. Very different from me? I kept searching for the trail of the sweet aroma of blood. Where are you! I'm getting frustrated- and I see… …a mysterious woman, lying on the ground, whispering “Please, help me…” I could not help but gasp. She was dying. Her wrists were slit, her neck was severely cut. Her crimson blood was seeping through the white, crystal snow. I stood still, shocked. She was coughing, coughing out blood until she stopped all movements. She was dead. “AHH!” I screamed; a splitting headache started to form on the veins behind my neck. I screamed again, the pain in my head made me taste blood. I took a deep breath, and it was gone. All there was left was peace after that one second of agony. My mind was racing, what seemed like a line of memories started to develop in my head. The only thing was, those memories weren't mine. 1996, “I” was diagnosed with chronic depression, I remember thinking about suicide almost every day. What felt like only yesterday, I recall running away in a forest. Different emotions were fluttering, I was screaming. I slit my wrists and my neck, causing me to slowly die out. Until I remember seeing a girl, who was looking down on me, in a thick coat of fur. She had blood smeared under her eyes. My mind suddenly went blank… I was not me for a minute, I was the girl. The dead girl who was lying down right in front of me. I was confused. Why has that dead girl been affected with my memories? It seemed as if I had just sucked out all her memories and took them. Shocked at my own powers, I ran. It has been 30 minutes and I’m searching for another human being. “Excuse me, miss! Do you know where I can find the closest restaurant?” A hiker shouted from a distance.

I had made clear eye contact with her and it started again. A familiar pain hit me again, a constant rhythm of my head throbbing led me to scream again. It was my skull pounding. My throat was clogged, I was reaching for air. Until all was gone, the pain, the clogging, everything. Adrenaline filled my body. I’ve never felt this power before. The hiker fell to the ground. I quickly jolted towards her, wondering what had happened. “Oh my god…” I quietly whispered. Her eyes were black; not a spot of white was to be found. I checked her pulse. There was nothing. She was dead. Still in shock, I stepped back and hit my head against a tree and that was when it happened again. A series of memories were racing around my head. I had a history of mountain climbing and hiking mountains. I was happily married with three blessed children. Until I realised it again, these memories did not belong to me. Earlier today, “I” was leaving the house, ready to go hiking. The memories of today flashed to the front of my head. Memories, there attracting to me again. I’m dangerous, I just killed 2 people, with nothing but my uncontrollable powers. I need help, “I thought in my head and I remember falling and my mind went blank, that must have been when “I” died. My memories - they're all gone. These other people’s memories are replacing mine. I'm lost in my mind, trying hard to think, but could not develop what my brain was trying to put together. The only thing I remember is dying. I started sobbing. “AHH” another splintering headache started to develop in my head. I looked around, a man laid dead on the floor; blood was dispersing. Not again, I thought. The memories they are coming again and again. A lost child? I thought. That little girl in my vision, she looked like me...

Incognito by Jimin Lee “At the end of yesterday, all I had left was who I am. That’s gone now.” ••• Justin: I know I’m only 16, but I have dreams. Dreams of being as happy as I am now. The person I am, happy.… But this is merely a dream. It’s called a dream because it’s only what we want, not what we will get. But it all started with Anna. Anna is my girlfriend. We’re now 16, and we both see dreams as mostly leading on to failure, rather than success. We are both pessimistic. We are both introverts, so I think it’s fate how we met. “To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.” I said before. Well, that was until exactly five minutes and three seconds ago. She broke up with me, whispering she was leaving. The very words are echoing against my ears, covering my ears to repeat themselves over, and over, and over again. I can’t believe it. She ushered the wind to my ears, as she fled. I skipped my usual chocolate milkshake that I make for myself as I got home, and started sleeping. Sleeping was the only logical thing to do, but when I woke up I found out I had slept for four hours. The clock that didn’t show the time that I wanted agitated me. My messed up table was annoying me. I didn’t even enjoy the music that I lovewhy am I even like this? How am I so worthless? Zyra: “We are who we choose to be.” ••• I live by that quote. It’s a great quote- a quote that I personally believe that everyone should live by. We are who we choose to be in this world and that’s how I live, happy and free! Anyway, I just got a text message. I quickly opened my phone, only to see a heartbreaking message. Why is Anna leaving? Justin: Wait… could I have done something wrong? What if she’s leaving, because of ME? Now I could only smell Anna’s perfume from before. I started hitting the pillow, only to realize Anna gave it to me. The world went black, and my ears were dragged away by the grim reaper. I lay down, panting in the excruciating pain. Anna was me. She became me together. Now she’s gone- who am I now? The idea of the world is scaring me. People, PEOPLE are scary. What if I become a “nobody” without Anna? I don’t even want to think now. Go away, thoughts. Go away, Anna. Go away, Justin.

Zyra: Another day of school came. I walked in as usual and there he was. My heart beat as if it were hummingbird wings, and I could only gasp. Justin was sitting there, smiling. He’s okay? But I caught the hurt in his eyes, as the usual eye-smile wasn’t noticed. I waved, hoping he would return the wave with an eye-smile. But he merely waved back, lifting the corners of his lips with his blank eyes. Other girls started crowding around him, and as they started asking questions about Anna I saw him cringe and sink lower, and lower into his chair. I shouted out, “Leave him alone!” They started glaring and putting their hands on their hips, the sass overwhelming me. “What’s it to you?” they retorted and sashayed away leaving the stench of a mixtures of perfumes. I witnessed Justin breathe a sigh of relief. I sighed, and I observed the tiniest form of an eye-smile being sent to me. That’s when I knew, something was wrong with Justin. And I needed to help him. Justin: Zyra saved me from this new anxiety. When I could only smell the bitter yet familiar smell of perfume, a foul taste appeared at the roof of my mouth as it went dry. What’s wrong with me? Zyra I saw Justin looking down at his feet, shuffling around to his locker. I caught up to him and muttered, “Hello.” He whipped his head back, surprised and smiled. Without the eye-smile. So I started ranting- one of my true talents- about the usual, boring stuff… As we walked across the field to exit school, his face grew pale. As we walked across the streets, he started panting. As we walked, I looked over, concerned, and he suddenly fell to his knees. I gulped, and I kneeled down and murmured, “What’s happening. Are you okay?” He grunted and he looked pained. I could smell the sweat in the autumn weather, a faint scent of tiredness, weakness. “Hold on, you need to get home.” I lightly grabbed his trembling hands that vibrated across my hand and started running while tugging his hand. I heard him mumbling, “Why, Anna?” A piece of my heart cracked at his broken voice. As we had to pass through a crowd of people, he started frantically grasping at me. His hands brushed off my arm, as they kept slipping. I saw a tear roll down, I saw his anxiousness.

His hands started to sweat, and he couldn’t keep them still. The bitter aura around him only grew as he ran faster, and I almost couldn’t keep up. When we reached his house he jerked his hand over to the swing in his backyard, and he swung. I stared at him swing, and he seemed to feel self-conscious so I looked away. I couldn’t leave. After 3 minutes of feeling the breeze of the swings against my back, he finally got off the swing. “I don’t know why I’m like this. I just feel my body twitch randomly, especially when I think of… her. I felt abandoned as she left, but I only came to blaming myself. I don’t care about anything anymore, and honestly right now I don’t even want to talk. But I still want to find out what’s wrong with me. Don’t you only care because something dramatic is happening? I just want to conceal myself, away from everyone.” he murmured. All I heard was wind swishing harshly, helping me realize the emptiness inside both me and Justin. Justin I was so embarrassed, telling Zyra all my problems. It was like I was just telling her I had a mental illness, just because of Anna. I heard the wind swish, taking away a piece of me. I didn’t want Zyra to know more about me- she might be just like Anna, or everyone else. “Never mind me. I’m okay, and I’ll get over this.” I winced at my pathetic voice, and a new wave of shame washed over me. I began again. “Please leave, I’ll only feel weaker. I’m getting stronger now, so please just leave me alone.” Zyra: Justin suddenly pushed me out. He told me to leave. I ran back to my house, and I saw just the person I wanted to see. I could smell her fragrance from outside, the hospital smell. My mom. A psychologist. “I think he’s developing a mental illness,” my mom sighed. She started scratching at her fingernails, then grabbed our cat, Mon, and started stroking it. “His grief is morphing into depression and social anxiety- I don’t think he wants people to hurt him anymore, just like how Anna did, by leaving him. He’s blocking himself out, and he’s developing serious illnesses. You have to try find something he’s interested in while he is this depressed- or else I fear, as he is a boy, there is more of a chance of him committing suicide. Boys tend to deal with their stress through violence, and this could happen to Justin as well. Stay with him, Zyra. Bring him over, and I’ll see what I can do.” Justin Another day of school, another day of seeing Zyra, another day of panic. Another day of the stench of perfumes, another day of the stench of cologne, another day of the stench of people. Why can’t I just be incognito?

Zyra started walking over, so I smiled. She frowned, then muttered, “Where is your normal smile gone?” But suddenly turned happy and screamed, “My mom said you can come over to my house oh my goodness we can have so much fun…” and she started spouting random nonsense. As if I would ever go to her house, and for what reason! I merely kept a neutral face, and her happy vibe started to die down a bit. She asked, “Is your face hinting that you don’t want to go?” I thought about answering. Instead, I ran home. I don’t want to see Zyra. After around an hour, my episode stopped. I heard my mom sniffling outside the door, and my heart cracked a little bit. She stepped in my room and gave a weak smile. “Maybe you should rest for a week- you’ll feel better after some rest...” Zyra’s: Justin didn’t come to school today. He wasn’t going to come for around a week, as he needed to “rest”- as his mom said. Rest was NOT an option for Justin. With his state, he only seemed to get moodier if left alonetoo much time to himself would only lead to him thinking about Anna. I immediately attempted to text Justin, but I realized he wouldn’t even want to look at his phone. As soon as school finished, I sprinted to Justin’s house. We lived close, just down the street so I knew exactly where to go. I rushed to the front door, and I knocked. Justin’s mom opened the door, her eyes puffy and red. “Could I help you?” she whispered. “Could I please meet Justin. I do know what has happened,” then I explained softly. “My mom’s a psychologist...” Her eyes drooped, and she nodded. Justin: I was surprised to see Zyra coming into my room. But my surprise quickly turned to embarrassment, because of how weak I was. I groaned, “Go away.” But she continued talking. I didn’t want to talk to her- I walked past her. I ran out of the house, and I sprinted across the streets that I once walked along happily with Anna. Zyra tried to help- but the problem is me. Only me. I’m wrong, and everything’s my problem. I need to fix this problem. I start to run across a street and I smile, and I “see” Anna, and I see her shocked face. And I don’t see“Have you found your incognito? RIP, Justin Lee.” Zyra Louis

Finding Us (Based on the song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie) by Mina Ryan Mina Ryan

“Over time, more and more people have been wondering, wanting to know more and more information, but how can they truly understand anything if they don’t know what’s around them?” This was spoken boldly by none other than Amelia Bolden, the great granddaughter of former N.A.S.A Administrator - Charles Bolden, “After a long wait, this year, we are finally sending out a team to explore the unknown, to discover that which we can only dream of. This year, we are going beyond ‘where no man has gone before’.” Cheers were heard all around the pub that Tom Coy was silently drinking his beer in as he groaned softly, standing to pay the bartender and bid his goodbyes. Walking down the icy streets of Washington DC, he heard the news still playing on the holograms displayed for the public to see: “...This amazing team of one hundred going off in four separate shuttles, led by Majors Sarah Johnson and Tom Coy …” Groaning once more as he heard those words, he continued to trudge on, aiming to get to his apartment, not in the mood to do anything anymore. Settling down at home, Tom decided that finally he would start that journal that the Administrator had been bugging him to start for ‘future research purposes’. Journal Log One: Tuesday 7th of June 2198 “honestly, i don’t want to go on this trip, never have, not like i have a choice though. we will be leaving in three weeks. just three more weeks until years of fun begins ! (note the sarcasm).” For a moment Tom paused, wondering if this would get him fired. Although he didn’t enjoy this specific task he did want to keep his job. But by the time anyone read his journal it would be too late and he would probably be old and grey, so he kept writing… “i chose this company when i was 22 and eagerly wanting to be a scientist. i never thought it would come to this and if i did, i never would’ve signed up. after three years i made my way up the ‘food chain’ at work going from zero to one hundred too fast, now being one of the majors in my field of science and being at one of the top positions in the company i am obliged to go on this trip all the while not knowing how long we will be away, from… everything. growing up i had lived in london so when i had to move the states, well, to say that i was terrified is an understatement. however that was merely changing country, to imagine changing planets, worlds - not my greatest thought - only three weeks from now, i’ll be co-leading a team out into the great unknown. the difference is that the rest of the team volunteered, whereas i did not. first of all we will be setting off to explore this system, if once again we cannot find any habitable planets we will travel 490 light years away to a planet that was found 182 years ago when bolden’s great grandfather was still the administrator. although it took until now for us to get

the technology to travel at the required speed, it would still take us around a year and a half to reach our destination. the point is that we will be going far away from home; away from earth and everything earthly. but hey, as long as sending people millions of miles away against their will can be justified on the grounds of ‘research purposes’, then fine i guess (again, note the sarcasm).” Deciding that there was no longer anything ‘beneficial’ to write about, Coy decided to end his journal log for the day. Hardly anything in that whole journal made him seem anything more than a great party-pooper so Tom huffed a kind of self-scolding huff and silently drank his tea. Glancing around, Coy regretted perhaps not getting a roommate, but at the same time enjoyed the peace that was currently present in his eery too-bigfor-one-person apartment. ‘How contradictory’ he thought as he felt the couch devour him and his mind drifted off into a welcome state of unconsciousness. ∆V∆

Mornings had always been tough for Tom Coy. Some mornings like today, a migraine threatening to burn through his skull. Once again, trudging around the flat, Tom was now rummaging through the cabinets which seemed to float above his pounding head, trying to find the ingredients which were essential for the concoction had become accustomed to making on days like this. Slowly dragging the alcohol out of the cabinet, followed by the espresso, he started to fuse his Kahlua, Vodka and espresso to make the throat burning liquid which never failed to distract him from his migraines. Pacing himself, Coy drifted towards the main NASA science lab almost out of habit to meet Ms. Johnson who was the other Major leading the trip. Sarah Johnson had always been a mystery to Tom, but that’s what intrigued him all the same: the way she seemed to keep dark secrets yet be so carefree, the way she was able to achieve her ultimate position without even seeming to try. It infatuated him. “Major Johnson.”, he nodded trying to hide the fact he was dreading the upcoming trip. To his surprise, she groaned too. “How many times Coy? Everyone’s been calling me that lately, I assume it’s something to do with the trip although who actually wants to go on this one eh?” Tom’s face obviously revealed more surprise than he intended, which Sarah caught and smirked. “What? You thought I actually want to go? Sorry Star Boy but not everyone is born a prodigy.” “Well actually, Ms. Not-a-prodigy-but-sure-sassy-anyways, I’ve been dreading this trip for weeks but keep coming back round to the cold hard fact that sometimes we just have to do our duties as Majors. Also who said I was the prodigy? Weren’t you the one who climbed the ranks in, what, six months?” She just started laughing softly.

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“I’m not sure what you’ve been hearing Major Tom, but I actually took a year to get here, just the same as you.” ∆V∆

“What do you mean you’re just moving up the date?” Tom questioned keeping his tone level seeing as he was addressing the Administrator but still putting enough emphasis to get the frustration through. “Major, we simply cannot delay this, we have rerun the calculations and we will need to be gone another month, and it’s a three week advance so it balances out, three weeks now one later.” Amelia Bolden stayed calm with her hands set behind her in a formal manner. The Administrator concluded: “Plus everyone on the team has been ready for months now because we started prepping for this for so long. Tom we are going and this is final. Major Johnson stay behind we need to talk.” Now walking rapidly due to the frustration of what felt like the latest slap in the face from the Administrator, Tom marched straight towards the NASA zero gravity simulator which was installed in 2196. Only two years ago, they got this technology and it was already used by many of the high commanding officers. If any of the passers-by noticed Coy’s obvious glare then they must have kept it quietly to themselves. No doubt, none of them had experience in how to calm a six foot five raging Major. The zero gravity simulator is a room which has enclosed spherical sides with a grey floor and objects in the middle that you can bounce off. Although it may seem easy enough to move around it requires much skill because of the disorientation you feel and the fact that you can’t control where you move or what you move towards because there is no gravity. The purpose of the equipment is so that people such as Tom could acclimatise to what being in space without having to practice inside a falling plane. Training aside, the simulator can be used for general fitness, or in this case, quite simply, stress relief. A track he had become quite fond of began to play, “186 years and this music still lives within The Few.” “All in all you’re just another brick in the wall” shouted the speakers as Coy flew around the room deciding to lay down on the top -most panel of gray surface in the sphere. Pink Floyd had never really died along with many of the older tracks from the (19) 60’s or 70’s, because in the mind of Tom Coy, you just can’t beat good music. He rested until at least three tracks had played; Break Thru by Queen, Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi, and Get Back by The Beatles. Then to his surprise came an untimely interruption of none other than Ms. Johnson who was holding up his ID tag which he had presumably left on the bench outside allowing someone to enter. “Sixties, seventies and two thousands. And I thought music was dead.” Sarah spoke with a slightly teasing voice as she bounded towards Coy’s resting place in the

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sphere. She settled on half sitting on a small gray cube which floated towards him because of the impact. “Music can never die as long as one person listens to the King” Coy replied, referencing Michael Jackson, “That doesn’t change the fact that you have to come out of here and work Tom, you’ve been here for over an hour” stated Sarah calmly as Tom bounded towards the opposite side of the sphere to her. “Oh but Miss, don’t stop me now, I’m having such a good time”, he muttered under his breath as he more or less flew towards the bottom of the space before caving and following her out to prepare the nano-bots. ∆V∆

Log Two: Thursday 9th of June 2198 i guess at times like this it’s good not to have a family, not to have anyone waiting for you on the other side, not to have anyone miss you at all. sure makes life easier. still, i don’t think anyone will ever read this but if someone just happens to come across it then as bon jovi said; ‘don’t be just another face in the crowd, make people hear your voice when you shout it out loud’. ∆V∆

“Today is the day people, so let’s wrap it up!” The Administrator spoke through the speakers to the shuttles that the mission staff were currently waiting in. Everything was ready. Everything was set to go in only twenty minutes. Everything except the little voice inside Tom Coy’s head. Major Johnson was in her main shuttle with her group of officers and scientists, while Tom was in his own main shuttle with the other two following behind. Ten minutes. That’s all he had until he had to leave behind everything he had ever known, everything he had grown used to, everything abandoned. Five minutes. He wanted to stay. Four minutes. Tom couldn’t leave. Three. This was his life. Two. It could be better if he wasn’t forced. One. He needed it to stop… But he couldn’t force anything out of his throat.

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The engines of the shuttles revved up louder than before, he didn’t want to go but he was unable to make a sound. Distantly Tom could distantly hear Sarah shouting at him though the com to answer but he couldn’t, instead he just sat there in his suit and waited. She didn’t even need him to respond, she just wanted to know if he was okay well probably - whatever ‘OK’ meant right now. This thing is going on whether he wanted it or not. Time stopped. Within seconds they were in the sky. They were boundless, but Tom wasn’t free. Tom was trapped. Tom wanted to go back. He wanted to get his feet back on the ground. “'Cos it’s times like these remind me, That I gotta keep my feet on the ground.” -Mcfly; 194 years ago ……………… ∆V∆

“Major ….. Major…” A distant voice was calling to Tom,not that far from his face but still muffled by the ache in his eyes, as a migraine was coming on once again. “Ground control to Major Tom, do you read me?” Trying not to snigger at the unintentional David Bowie reference - not that many people were even aware of his place in their culture - Tom replied nevertheless: “Major Tom to ground control, I read you Administer, sorry about the delay, it seems I had a slight…er… situation.” “Yes, Major, we are well informed - getting back onto topic - from here we can see that you have exited the atmosphere without any malfunction. Now we need a final systems check at your end and your Go / No-go decision for us to engage the interstellar propulsion to launch you to your destination. Unless of course you fancy a more leisurely four million hours to get you there?” “All systems check out perfectly up here. I give consent to engage the interstellar propulsion.” Tom said clearly, yet through gritted teeth. And with that final note, the Administrator was given the honor to pull the lever sending Tom Coy and his team (as well as Sarah Johnson and her team), off into the more or less unknown to travel for just over a year to get to their destination; Kepler 186f. Tom sat watching the stars around him move slowly while thinking about what he was going to do for a year and a half before they get to the planets which had become so important to investigate. The silence was broken by a familiar, almost welcome voice which faintly echoed his amusement. “Please tell me I wasn’t the only one who heard that Space Oddity reference.” Sarah spoke through the earpiece in his ear. 103

“No, you are not alone, although I for one am surprised that more than one person remembers that legend.” “Of course I do. You know, I heard you missed the take off?” Sarah enquired cautiously, “Honestly you didn’t miss much for most of the time. There was so much smog; the simulations are probably better, the ones with the clear blue skies that you hardly ever see anymore. You should really get into your suspension pod otherwise this is going to be one hell of a long year and a half for you.” “Sure Major, but only after a little mischief” he grinned. Reaching over his dashboard he turned off the gravity on the bridge. Since he was the only one there and his team were already asleep, he would have no problems. “I’ve always wanted to do this actually in space” He commented before bouncing around the room. A few minutes later Tom was half sat half floating on the roof of the bridge looking out at the stars with his head in the direction of the floor when without warning the gravity was turned back on in the bridge sending Coy tumbling down towards the floor. Luckily Tom was fairly athletic so he was able to catch himself before he hit the ground and continued to roll until he hit is chair before turning on his communication piece linking to Major Johnson’s shuttle. “Oops?” Was all he heard before she switched her own ear piece off leaving Tom in the darkness of the bridge with only the stars as his company as he walked to his animated suspension pod to go into an almost everlasting sleep.

∆V∆

*Eighteen Months Later (1 ½ years)* Glancing around, trying to grasp his surroundings Tom rose from his pod stiffly, inhaled deeply and immediately regretted it since the air around him was noticeably colder than the air within his pod. Slowly recalling his surroundings and the mission, he groaned once again while getting up and out of his pod. As senior officer, the life support computer woke Coy up earlier than the rest of the crew by seven hours so he could make his reports, check status of the systems, review the navigation computations and then prioritise awakening the others. All this was important but of course Major Sarah Johnson, his ever-sassy-but-never-off-guard co-worker rose above it all as he switched on his earpiece, seeing hers was on already. “Hello Major Johnson, how are we dear fruit? Wide-eyed and bushy-tailed?” Coy delivered an awfully posh version of his standard British accent, which got him a cheesy groan from the other end of the line,

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“Ew what was that? You make me sound like an old grandma, London Boy. Anyways I don’t care, I’m going back to sleep. Night-night.” she announced with a slight ache in her throat, seemingly wanting to sleep for another year or so. “Not so fast Major Johnson” Coy all but shouted into his communicator making a high pitched whistle come from her device at the other end. “Aw, shoooooooot” Johnson recoiled, pausing for a couple seconds to recover herself. “Coy, are you trying to make me deaf?” Obviously enjoying her discomfort he continued speaking, disregarding her question entirely, “You know we have to write our reports right?” he asked. Everyone else in the entire ship was still asleep in their soundproof, lightproof pods, so he could literally do anything without them knowing for the next seven hours so he did what anyone would; using the closest wall to him he pushed off and headed to engineering where he found the audio systems, once he located his SD card in his pocket he plugged it in, feeling himself drift in the opposite direction from the slight force he put into it and waited. A few seconds later as he was making his way to his quarters which were located near to the bridge unlike everyone else’s he heard the all too familiar song blast through the whole ship with no one else to hear but him. “I want to break free…” Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury sang with the guitar and drums playing softly in the background, and being weightless, it made it easier than ever to allow Tom to do a random backflip into his enclosed room, simply because “why not?” “Coy are you on?” Echoed his earpiece, surprising him from the sudden intrusion. “I don’t know, am I?” Tom asked, continuing to study the readings trying to figure out why the orbit of the second planet looked so off, although hearing Major Johnson’s scoff he stopped and relaxed once more in his weightless state. “Well Major, if you haven’t noticed, the orbit of the second planet is somewhat off correct?” Talking as if to a baby she continued; “Anyways, if you look very closely at the readings from the past three weeks in a time lapse you will see that the smaller ‘planet’ is actually orbiting the larger one.” “Mhmm, please elaborate.” Tom suggested clearly not noticing yet, earning a sigh from the other end, “Tom, the smaller ‘planet’ is actually a moon of the larger planet.” Sarah all but sassily pointed out as if it were as clear as day. It took Coy a good couple of minutes before he

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registered what was being laid out in front of him as the little cogs in his head ground slowly into motion. “Holy smoke. We can’t even go there.” Major Tom finally exclaimed as soon as he stood up, starting to pace around the room, “Our assignment, which was given to us almost two, no three years ago, was to explore different ‘planets’. A moon would fall way outside of those orders… ” “And he’s got it!” Sarah finally said with a bored tone while Tom continued pacing around the room thinking about what is going to happen, “Therefore Tom, if you put two and two together you find that we will have to get one hundred people all together on one planet, which isn’t actually such a hard task compared with establishing a separate settlement on two planets.” “How are you so nonchalant?” questioned the only person becoming stressed while all of this was happening, “We have to change our whole plan, and you seem so smug about it like nothing is wrong.” “That’s because nothing is wrong, we just need to put one hundred people on one planet, and continue, this might actually speed up our investigations, plus it would be easier for communication and sharing resources and it improves the safety and survival of our crew.” Major Johnson continued clearly and calmly stating all of the great advantages which could come from this. “But that wasn’t our plan!” Tom didn’t want to be here in the first place. He just wanted things to go as planned and get it over with. He never expected a twist in the road. “Who cares? We are a year and a half behind everyone else at home and we can’t even talk to them, when we get back eventually, if we do…” “Ok. Ok. Fine. We have to figure out where exactly where we are landing anyways.” “There we go! Thinking in the present I see, how proud you make me Coy, how proud you make me.” Sarah teased sarcastically before running through the details of the terrain and planning some made up coordinates based off those of Earth. ∆V∆

*Ten Years Later* Log 538: 25th of the 16th moon cycle, 0010 AC (after colonisation) “Yes, it’s taken awhile, but we finally gathered all of the needed ‘metals’ for completing the last part of our irrigation system so that we don’t need to get our water from the base which runs it from the lake nea by. It took us a while to figure out that the water was not harmful for us humans to consume; we had little to no ways of testing it until on the second day Sarah just went and drank straight from the river due to thirst. We’ve also had a look at the ‘oceans’ and we have come to the conclusion that the rock of the ‘sea beds’ on this planet are much less soluble 106

than on Earth, making them much less salty, so essentially there is no salt water anywhere. There is a small difference in taste but all of the water we have found is consumable making it easier to live here than on Earth really. As for protein, we now have small but stable herds of livestock from frozen embryos, grown in several artificial wombs, making it possible to breed a good amount of each animal, all of the equipment just waiting in the shuttles. Not all of the animals responded well to the small difference in vegetation here as we did, especially the cows. We had to selectively breed every species we brought (bear in mind we mostly took those for food or companionship or to try and start a species of their own) until all of them could consume and reproduce using the vegetation around us which has properties very similar to that of Earth, Our version of the periodic table on this planet is very similar, the elements varying by a very small amount causing us to re-name them and make a table of our own. We still use Mendeleev's system, all we changed was the names of the elements themselves making it easy for us to use because of the familiarity. We got a lot of the material we needed to build other labs using the ‘metals’ we gathered from our mine which runs one hundred and fifty meters down and many acres across. Next year we are sending a team of forty of the one hundred and twenty five people currently living here back to Earth to give them our progress on this planet and its moon which we visited a couple times. It took us about three years on this planet before people started re-populating because we realised that there was a huge chance we wouldn’t go back to Earth therefore coming to the conclusion that they needed to start a life here. On this day we have twenty five more people living on Reset (a name conceived by Johnson) which are the first twenty five people to ever be born in another planet with parents from earth. The first 25 Non-Earthling Humans; Human Aliens in fact. Aside from our ships, which we still use for some of the labs as well as quarters and dining rooms, we mostly live in the houses which we constructed using the ‘wood’ from the nearby forest making houses which, after being built, wouldn’t affect the sustainability of Kepler. Ten years ago I dreaded coming here. I hated the idea of leaving home and everything I knew, but the thing is, I still had things around me that I was familiar with. All of the crew rapidly became close since there were only about one hundred of us to converse between. Slowly we starting building lives here and we structured our new lives as if we were still back home. We had all come to terms with the fact that this place is our life now. How we live; having a family of three in a nice house next to a lake and surrounded by forest, things are actually better than they ever were on Earth. Heck, we even have a pub! When I was twenty five I was afraid, we (me and Johnson) were simply just lost. We were lost in our heads and all the ‘what if’s’ swimming around, making us anxious. But once we found that we could just move past that… we were completely fine. We had to rescue each other from our heads, resulting in being found. We had become the very thing we were hoping to find. Major Tom to ground control… ∆V∆

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Just an Old Pair of Running Shoes by Christine Yun “Riley! Come clean your room! I can’t stand it anymore!” I groan and head upstairs to something more like a rat’s nest rather than a room with all the clothes and shoes sprawled over the floor. It’s hard to see even a small square of the polished wood as the whole floor is completely covered. Even though it’s the middle of a bitter cold winter, I can spot thin tank-tops and shorts amongst my “nest”. As I sit down to clean up the mess, something suddenly catches my eyes-- a pair of running shoes. I pull them out under a small pile of clothes and a sensation of deja vu runs through me. They’re an old pair, the black edges all frayed and worn out and the little white Nike swoosh is barely there. They’re just an old pair of running shoes but they hold so many memories… I can remember feeling so nervous as I line myself up on the red track; my new shoes on my feet. Bang goes the gun and I can remember the adrenaline pumping through my blood as I soar through the 400m. I can remember the warmth of the sun shining on my bare arms as I feel the breath of my rivals behind me. The feeling of pride as a gold medal is hung around my neck, the sound of my parents cheering loudly, the big smiles on my teammates’ faces-- I can remember it all but they’re only memories… Tears fill my eyes as the old pair of running shoes sit in my hands. I look down at my amputated foot. I miss those days when I could run; the days when I had a foot. I can remember the collapse of the building so vividly-- the deafening sound of the alarm going off and the pain searing through my ankle. I can remember the dust and the rubble blinding my sight as I curse my shoes, trying to pull my foot out. I can remember the nausea and the dizziness filling my head as I wondered what was happening. I can remember so much and it pains me… The old pair of running shoes truly do hold so many memories.

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Flying To Your Death by Emma Duby Dedicated to Amelia Earhart Rusty metal reflects the illuminate light: passenger to the right, two brave souls, ready to begin a journey into a cloudy atmosphere which is said to be impossibleâ&#x20AC;Ś no one has ever returned. Flying to their deathâ&#x20AC;Ś may just be a suicide mission. This journey requires an airplane - Lockheed Electra airplane to be exact. _____ The day before.

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I sent it. I don’t tell her what I am actually feeling right now: panic, depression. As a child, and to this day she saw me as a monster even though I was amazed at her abilities. Amelia has been unique all her life, taking a different path than the other girls .Amelia was adventurous to say the least; she had a very strong personality. At a young age she questioned, “Why are boys under fewer constraints than girls?” During school, she was a huge bookworm-loved to read, however, she got into trouble because of her independent nature. She loved adventure instead of being more proper and “lady-like”. She preferred mechanical things and built a sturdy chicken cage. Don’t get me wrong, it was impressive, but just not normal. She has never forgiven me for saying that she should try and be more proper at times, and I don’t think she ever will. She is slipping away from my grasp every day… ______

I never sent it.

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My mother never knew the true feelings which were taken away with me as I step onto the plane, never mouthing a word to her again. It is too late to take back all my thoughts… _______ My palms are sweating creating a puddle beneath my feet as I anxiously wait for the plane to arrive. The Lockheed Electra is a twin engine, all aluminum aircraft with retractable landing equipment, variable pitch propellers, and twin tailed fins (rudders). The aircraft is the 10e Lockheed Electra; more power than previous aircrafts (10a). The leaves twirl and dance around me as I step into the aeroplane. _______ I wake up in the morning, scrambling to get downstairs to see if Amelia returned my email. Inbox: 0 I’m frantic. I run outside checking if the mailman managed to throw the newspaper onto my front porch. Nothing. I wait and wait for hours keeping a fake smile stuck to my face whenever I am around Muriel, not wanting her to realize the truth about her sister. I don’t want to admit it, but... I lost her. _____ Flying through the air, gives me a rush of adrenaline. The cold breeze against my rough skin sends shivers down my spine. I love it...

I’m found.

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Living Life – Lost or Found? by Annalise Holcomb “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” - Eleanor Roosevelt Some people say that the end is really just the beginning, and that life itself is a beauty to behold. That we should live life to the fullest, but what exactly is the fullest? Is it the feeling or appearance of happiness, or “to be content in all circumstances”? Is it the appearance of having a good life, or actually living a ‘good’ life. People say live your life to the fullest… but I don’t understand. 1. Slowly, I emerge from the great darkness. I start to hear, or at least I think, experience sound. A bright light is slowly emerging; yellow blinding light is filling my fuzzy vision. It hurts! I try to convey this simple message. But it comes out wrong. “Aha-OH!” and soon it turns into “Waaaaaa!” What is coming out of me? Who are these creatures crowding me? Yet...their heat is comforting… their voices familiar… slowly they rock me, back and forth, back and forth. Soon I can hear the beating of their heart. Bom boom, bom boom. Slowly the vision fades, and it’s back into the black thoughtlessness... 2. The grass is soft, it’s a lovely green. “Gween!” I enthusiastically point to the ground where the beautiful grass lies. “Yes,” My mother’s gentle voice replies. The wind is chilling. It sends goosebumps up my sleeve, but soon the warm sun clears them away. I sit down, enjoying the sun. Enjoying spending time with my mother. Soon a small creature lands on my soft, pink flesh. “Butterfly.” my mother teaches me. “Butter-by!” Delightful pleasure is written on my face; the creature lightly lifts off into the gentle breeze. My small legs wobble in the pursuit of such a delightful creature - my wobble quickens into a faster pace. Come back! Come back happiness! Come! I am coming for you! I am so close! My face is again starting to be filled with joy - what is this? Arms are wrapped around me, tightly clinging, voices are yelling, and the only thing I can see is the butterfly... as I am pulled away from my happiness. 3. Shivers up my spine. I’m hot, cold, sweating, clammy… I am not ready for this. I cling tightly, DON’T LET ME GO! But this mother creature is not listening! I cling and claw to hold on to the comforting skin, with the familiar smell. But the hands are leaving me, the smell has vanished, and instead I am stuck with other creatures like me. Stuck

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in a room, with their mother creatures leaving them. My mother is gone. She has left me with unfamiliarity. I go to a corner; it smells weird - I want to cry. Little droplets form from my eyes, and start to drip down my face. “Huh..?” I look up, what is this sound? Where did it come from? My eyes focus on a creature, like myself. He is as tall as me; his mother has left him as well. My arm is next to his, soft baby skin. “Hello?” I say, uncertain of any answer to come. “Hi!” He says, we start playing with the blocks; we’re working on a tower. I start to think maybe my mother was right. Maybe preschool isn’t so bad, after all. 4. “Silas!” My mother calls from down the stairs, “Silas, come here!” I shove my books in the corner, grab my jacket, and slip on my socks down the stairs. THUMP - I land on my bum. “Yeah, mom,” I try to sound cool, just like my best friend Aidan taught me. “Don’t be disrespectful,” My mother says wistfully, “it’s really important, it’s about Aidan.” “What is it? Is he okay? What happened?” The questions from my brain come tumbling out in a jumble. “He’s on the phone, he needs to tell you something.” My mother’s eyes don’t quite meet mine; I quizzically take the phone from her. “Aidan?” “Hey Silas, yo what up?” The slang and swag fills the phone, and I smile in relief. “You had me scared good, so what you botherin’ me bout?” I ask - I’m sure it’s not a big deal. “Oh yeah...umm…. Your mom is entering my dad’s old position… My dad got transferred between companies…Silas… I’m moving to Argentina… I wanted to tell you -” I slam down the phone. Aidan is moving. My best friend. My only friend. I don’t care if it is dangerous to slam down the phone. I don’t care if my tears are about to pound down my face. All I can do is stare at the floor. “Silas,” my mother’s worried tone fills my mind, “Are you okay, do you want to talk about it?” “No, I don’t want to talk about it.” “Silas-” “NO, just leave me alone, it’s all your fault!” I explode out the door. I run down the street. I don’t know where I’m going. Salty, big, tears are running off my face in the wind. I finally stop when my lungs feel as though they are about to burst. Falling against a tree, my bottom hits the ground hard, as a pile of a mess – me - starts to cry. Arm by arm, I pull myself up the tree, until I can see the horizon, and my tears have dried. The sunlight falls, and the moonlight comes up.

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My parents soon get me, my mother hugs me, tell me “it’s going to be alright.” My father pats me on the head, soothing voices. Soon I fall asleep sound, and all my worries are forgotten. Once again my fragile fears were placed in the hands of the loving, caring, outstretched arms of my parents. 5. Finally! I never thought this day would come. Listening to boring lectures is part of this ceremony but everyone is on the edge of their chairs, the suspense is tangible. As the last booming echo of words end, applause and noise from all sides of the pupils erupts. “We’ve made it!” Cries one, “HALLELUJAH!” another echoes. Plain, simple, symbolic hats are thrown in the air. High into the sky, then back they fall. In a massive tumble, everyone struggles to find their hats. Mom and dad hug me tight - I can’t breathe. A warm feeling fills my body, a gasp of contentment, a sliver of hope - my future is in my hands. Forget the nitrogen, oxygen and all the other gases in the air! Celebration is filling the atmosphere! “CLICK,” a picture is taken. “SNAP,” my face hurts from smiling. “FLASH,” I almost never want to see another camera again in my life. Graduation is truly an accomplishment to be remembered for the rest of my life. I have found an accomplishment, at last. 6. Fear fills me from head to toe, but joy is overpowering me. Beads of sweat line my forehead; my hands are in a clammy mess. It reminds me of my first job interview shivering cold, but steaming hot. I grab a white linen handkerchief from my overpriced, fancy suit, which is necessary for this occasion of course. The double bang of the doors sounds and people suddenly stand up and gasp. I turn around unsure of what I am about to see. I lose all thoughts at the sight. Veiled in graceful white, slowly and softly approaching, is this mysterious wonder. My forehead is clear, my hands are soft and sturdy. She is perfect. As I lift the veil and say the words which bond my life forever, I can never imagine a day without her. Her lips are soft at the touch, and I am lost in the beauty of the moment. I have at last found someone I cannot live without. I have found hope for a wonderful, and joy filled life. 7. The smell of disinfectant - that sterile, hospital smell, is the first sense which greets me. I am holding her favorite flowers, tightly clutched in my hand, my tired, middle-aged hands, which I never would have thought to exist. The nurse instantly recognises my face, letting me through to room 254, a room - which I had hoped to never visit.

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I had never wanted to come here. Slowly I open the door. The room is old with age. The blinds are drawn. A pale light fills the room, flooding the image of the wrinkled, fragile, and wistful figure lying on the sterile white bed to the steady beat of the heart machine - beep...beep...beep. Her heavy eyelashes flutter open. The beep of the heart machine starts to pick up, beep, beep, beep. “Silas…” her barely audible voice fills my ears, and I force a smile. “Yes, yes, I’m right here.” Maybe I was too quick? This seems unnatural; the beating of her heart is rapidly increasing. Beep-Beep-Beep. “Do I need to get the doctors? Are you feeling alright?” The words are spilling out of my mouth before I can stop them. Eyes wide she looks at me, “Silas...I... I will miss you...remember me.” I refuse to listen to this, “NO, you listen to me, you are not going anywhere, you can’t leave me, you can’t, don’t leave me! Please! What will I do with my life? I will have none! That is the answer! Oh please don’t leave me!” “Silas... “ “Yes?” “Silas…” “Yes, Silvia what is it?” “Silas… I love you…” The numbing silence penetrates my ears. My heart is ripped to shreds with the dull, echoing, unforgiving silence. Oh what would I give to hear the steady beep beep beep, but alas no! Silence has conquered Silvia: my love, my life, and so it must conquer me. The damp heavy cloth has been set upon my heart, sagging down in my chest, slumping over until the sobs of anguish have overcome me completely. 8. How have I gotten to this place? This place which I had dreaded for years. This place that I am now stuck in. Staring at the plain white panels, all laid in perfection, living in The Clean, which is only sterile clean and not welcoming. The unfamiliar face of a nurse smiles over me, but there is no warmth in the smile; it is forced. How can you smile - to someone who knows that they’re dying? There is no easy way to face it, but death itself is inevitable. I swallowed. My dry throat croaking for all the years that I have lived. I am sure I have met this nurse before, but it isn’t like I would remember it. They tell me over and over. You have Alzheimer's. You just don’t remember. But living without memories is so hard. It’s like living without knowing who you really are. Your past defines you. Living with only a part of yourself is not living; it’s simply dead under a living life. My heart is dead, it aches. A knife twisted through my heart every time I see one memory. One memory is all I possess, and I guard it well. A woman, close to me, Silvia, I think, dying in my arms. It brings tears to my eyes… I wish I could remember this woman more! But alas, I cannot. I am stuck in this life. The nurse seems more alert now. Her mouth is moving fast, her eyes wide in panic - but I cannot understand her. Slowly her image is blurring, like water dripping down a canvas. Slowly the image is

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fading from the corners, folding and collapsing like a dark curtain being pulled over my eyes. A warm current fills me, renewing my old, decaying body with new energy, new eyes. When I open my eyes, it starts to replay again. Starting from the beginning, playing through and through. The story of my life. Taunting me; Torturing me; Tormenting me; about all those choices I ever made. Now that I am stuck in this infinite loop of my life - now it is finally that I see that when I was living, I was never living. I was simply a body moving and going through life. Even though I thought I was experiencing the emotions, I never really experienced living. I was living through a dead body. And now, with new power I must watch this. My whole opportunity wasted - gone with the wind, and sadly I am only one, amongst countless other souls who must do this. I have at last found what I have lost, and lost what I have found. My opportunity. My one chance. My life. Gone.

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln

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Finding the Next One by Jacob Doyune Kim I remember when all of this began. I didn’t mean to do it. We had just gotten into an argument about something stupid that I don’t remember; maybe something about who was supposed to finish what and turn it into the boss but that doesn’t matter anymore. I still killed him. I was so angry and filled with rage. I didn’t even think I hit him that hard; that was until he didn’t get up immediately, until it looked like he had stopped breathing, until I felt his wrist and he had no pulse, until... he was actually dead. I panicked; what could I do? How do I get rid of his body? Did anyone see? I did the only thing that I could in that moment. I started dragging the body to my car and opened up the trunk and threw the body inside. Nobody saw right? It was 1 in the morning nobody saw right? That was the only thing going through my mind when I was driving home. I can’t believe that I just killed him. He was my best friend; my only friend really both through college and then at this job. He was the main reason I had gotten this job. He was the one who vouched for me to the boss, he was the one who stuck up for me when my co-workers made fun of me for having a limp. As soon as I got home I burst through the door and went into my basement frantically looking for a shovel or something to dig a hole in which I could put the body. I knocked down a glass vase which made broke the dead silence of the night with a huge “CRASH”. I panicked even further thinking that one of my neighbors might have heard and I knocked down a metal baseball bat which made even more noise with a huge “CLANK” I calmed myself down and finally found the shovel I was looking for. I tiptoed up the stairs making sure not to make any noise but as I opened the front door my neighbor Jim was standing there in front of me. “Hey John I just heard a commotion from your house and was wondering if everything was okay.” “Everything is fine, Jim, I just knocked something down while I was getting something from my basement.” I was holding the shovel behind my back to make sure he didn’t see it. “Were you gonna go somewhere?” “Oh no, I was just checking to make sure that my car doors were locked since I wasn’t sure if I did lock them since I just got home.” I stammered with a bit of panic in my voice. “Ok then I’ll leave you to that.” “Thanks, see you later Jim”

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I made sure that he had gone back into his house and even after that I made sure that he had gone to sleep by waiting for 20 minutes before I left to my car. I got in and drove as fast as I could to the woods on the edge of town to find somewhere to bury him. I went as deep into the woods as I could and found a spot where there was quite a bit of brush and trees surrounding it that nobody would really find the body at all. Suddenly I heard rustling near me and I turned around and saw a man dressed in police uniform. “PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DROP THE SHOVEL!” he had a gun pointed at me. “IF I HAVE TO, I WILL SHOOT!” I just looked at him and didn’t respond. How did he find me? Were there more officers nearby? “I said drop it loser” That got me even angrier. It filled me with the anger that I had while arguing with my friend. I tuned out whatever he was saying and swung the shovel as hard as I could before he could react. “He-” ‘CRACK’ the sound of the shovel hitting his skull broke the silence of the night. He collapsed to the ground like a doll. Limp. I felt his neck and he had no pulse. It filled me with panic and terror. I had just done it again and to a person of incredible importance. But, I had realized that when I had killed him it gave me a rush of excitement and joy also knowing the fact that someone might find out one day and the fact that I had done it again. I realized that I enjoyed it… I shook the thought away and got to work digging the hole. I went to work the next day and my friend wasn’t there and everyone was asking me where he was and I just pretended not to know. But that just increased my paranoia. I felt as if everyone knew that I had killed him. The boss especially concerned me; he seemed to be the one who was questioning me the most. It was my mind, just me being overly suspicious. When I was watching the news after I got home the headline was the story of a missing police officer that disappeared yesterday. The one that I killed. Over the next few months I grew more and more paranoid thinking that everyone knew that I was the one who had killed those two people. I started to stop paying the rent, I would start missing work quite often; I just couldn’t focus on anything else beside the fact that I had killed those two people. I couldn't believe that I had done it twice that it had even entered my mind and actually kind of enjoyed it. My mind continued to fill with guilt and paranoia at the fact that I had done it but also a tiny bit of satisfaction which bothered me and always tried to push it away. I began having these awful migraines every single day that made it hard to do anything. It pierced through my skull and brain

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like an arrow and felt like my brain was burning. I felt like it was losing my mind with all of the pain and paranoia filling my mind and I probably was. That’s how I ended up back in the forest where I had buried the two previous bodies. I had to make sure that no one had discovered them and no one had. My paranoia and delusion had been getting worse and worse every single day after the murders and it consumed my life. I lost my job and had to move to move out of my house and to a shabby apartment; I had to sell my car. All thanks to you. I looked at my former boss. His name was James. He had 2 kids and a wife but that didn’t matter right now; I was filled with same fury and outrage that I felt at the police officer and my friend when I had killed them. I had confronted him the night before in the parking lot. All he did was insult me for being a bad employee and how he enjoyed being able to fire me. That filled me with the fury and outrage I had felt when I had killed my friend and that police officer and I hit him as hard as I could but this time but unlike my friend, he didn’t die. I gagged him and brought him to the forest and the exact spot where I had buried my friend and the police officer. I hit him in the head as hard as I could and the sound when the shovel connected with the skull was the same as before. ‘CRACK’ he fell to ground with blood pouring from the open gash on his forehead where the shovel had connected. I felt the same gratification I had earlier when I had done the same earlier to my friend and the police officer but now I wasn’t bothered by it; in fact I wanted to do it more. I started to dig another hole for his body and finished within an hour. I left the woods and entered my car. I drove off, looking, for my next victim.

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Not Today by Natasha Huibers REBECCA I look at myself in the mirror. I see something gruesome. My eyes look too small and my forehead is too wide. My figure is too slouched and my body too skinny. I often find myself staring at the drooping form of my reflection, picking out every flaw I can spot - which isn’t hard. And I often find tears rolling down my cheeks: letting them fall to the ground, one by one, observing quietly as they accumulate in a small puddle. I am ugly. And I know it. ... TRISHA One step. One step and I will fall 24,000 feet, plunging deep into the icy waters, letting the coldness cut through me, allowing the rocks to tear through my skin. One step and the impact of my fall will suck the life out of me, ending my misery. One step and I will not live to see tomorrow’s daylight. One step - and I die. ... REBECCA I build the nerve to walk into what can hardly be called a living room. I see my dad as he spins his head in my direction, the fury and hatred in his eyes telling me immediately that I did something wrong. Very wrong. He approaches me and pulls something from behind his back, and every last cell in my body is rapidly filled with dread. I know exactly what it is. Whip. The sharp sides of the belt slice through my skin as old scabs get ripped apart and fresh blood trickles down my back. Pain sears through my body and I’m suddenly gritting my teeth, stifling the urge to scream out loud, wanting to show no weakness. Whip. I shriek and holler, unable to contain the cry building up inside of me, yet still - my dad gives me no mercy. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to ignore the pain, an impossible task. This doesn’t seem fair. This doesn’t seem just. Whip. The material digs deeper into my flesh; my dad’s smile growing wider as my screeches get louder. I bend over and gag. The sensation of leather shredding my back open is far too overwhelming. I clench my muscles and brace myself for the next lash, which only triples the pain. Whip. The last one is always the hardest. ...

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TRISHA I look down and see the waves crash on the rocks, turning into white foam as they collapse back into the ocean, disappearing into the water as though they were never there. I think to myself am I really doing this? The mere memory of all the nasty comments being thrown my way urge me to inch closer to the edge. It seems so simple - one jump and I could get this over and done with; no more pain, no more judging. One meter to walk and I will never have to see those bullies again. Ever. ... REBECCA I walk on the pavement, head hanging low and feet dragging behind me. I never thought such a simple action could be so damn painful. Anything to get away from my dad. One day I forget to clean his room and he harasses me - my disgust for him grows bigger every day. People on the streets stop and point, eyes wide, hushed whispers passing between them, obvious they’re discussing me. I roll my eyes, used to such gestures from strangers. I know it’s because of the cuts - the countless unhealed gashes distributed abundantly across my skin. Appalling to strangers, familiar to me. My wounds never have time to heal; as soon as they even started to form what look like scabs, the whip will always come back, and will always split them open again, a new and gory slice. Thanks, Dad. I love you too. The cliffs aren’t far, and I am eager to escape the pitiful stares, but my battered body can only move so fast. I need air, space, time to think. I need to figure out how to get away from this life, this misery. The cliffs are perfect. ... TRISHA The sound of crunching rocks comes from behind me, and I turn my head only to be faced with something I never thought I would see. A girl with cuts, gashes, wounds, slits, scabs, bruises, swelling, everything. Everywhere. On her arms, her legs, her face, her neck. The sight is daunting, and my heart plummets to my stomach. And then it hits me. Hard. Whatever I’m going through, she must be going through much worse; that kind of torture is the kind that can never be forgotten. The misery she is in must be a thousand times worse than mine. The struggle she is handling must be a million times worse than mine. It’s simple - this girl is battling a life so much more devastating than mine. As the girl walks towards me with a slow, weak limp, she gives me an understanding look. I gaze out to the ocean, down at the rocks, and suddenly the thought of throwing myself at death isn’t so tempting. Suddenly I feel that there is something more to life - hope, faith, maybe even love. We both stand next to each other, on the cliffs, feeling the cool, salty breeze brushing past our faces. Our hands instinctively meet, a comforting gesture, holding us both back…

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And somehow, together, we decide that today will not be the day we die. Not today. And for some reason, together, we turn our back on the cliffs and slowly walk away.

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Come.With.Me by Gabriel Myong The moment a sliver of desire slipped into my head, I heard her voice. I have been here for 3 years with nothing but the treacherous dark red landscape too look at, nothing but my own voice to entertain me, and nobody to keep me company but him… I didn’t know. I was flying off the top of a beautiful flowery hill in a dream. I would soar high into the sky, at the peak come thundering down towards the ground, and at the last second pull up again. I did this over and over again until I collapsed onto the beautiful landscape laughing. The landscape was truly stunning. The hills were a brilliant, perfect, bright green dotted with colors. Red, purple, blue, flowers of all shapes and colors. Trees grew here and there, its branches providing a great shade for whoever decided to sit beneath it. The chirping of birds could be heard occasionally, their sweet calls echoing around the hills. The sky was a brilliant blue, with not a cloud in the sky. All was perfect. But then something strange happened. The beautiful clear blue sky flashed a bloody dark red shade for a split second then returned to normal as if nothing had happened. I was quite startled by the strange occurrence, but after a few minutes, I resumed in my cavorting happily. But out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a motionless dark shape at the top of one of the hills. Compared to the light colorful background, it stood out enormously Curious to see what it was, I stopped for a second, plummeted down to the hill, and landed perfectly alongside the object, which turned out to be a hooded figure. The figure stood tall but straight and stiff. There was a kind of frail look to him. I leaned closer trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but the hood simply made it too dark to be seen. He then proceeded to speak in a low raspy voice. “Good afternoon, child.” Now in case you weren’t aware, I was 6 at this moment in time. As it is with most 6 year olds, I was young and ignorant. So ignorant, that I was unable to pick up the common sense required to see that this was truly a figure out of a horror movie. I don’t quite remember why I did what I did, but I followed him all the way back to a sort of hut structure because I just didn’t know any better. The walls were all black, made of some sort of smooth sturdy material, and the windows were tinted blood red. Again, I was too young to think twice about going inside. He then offered me what could only be described as my favorite food of all time. A donut. Hungrily, I snatched it quickly and devoured it. I looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “More?” I asked with my mouth full. This was my first impression of him. A tall figure providing me with my favorite food. The next night, I was jumping on a huge trampoline, flying high into the clouds. I remember the giddy feeling at the top of the jump as if I were floating myself, and then the thrill of being plummeted back down to Earth. Only this time, that little red and black house lay at the corner of the meadow. Once again, because of my age, I literally thought nothing of it. As I continued to bounce and soar up and down, the hooded being emerged from the house. He stood 123

next to the trampoline and just waited there, motionless until I decided to stop and come down. He reached out a wrinkled, shriveled hand and for whatever reason, I took it. He then proceeded to lead me out of the meadow that I had spent so many dreams in. This same process would repeat over and over every night, every dream. He would emerge seemingly from nowhere, offer me some form of treat, and lead me further from my meadow. I wish I had known what was going on. As I grew older, I began to get the sense that this figure wasn’t like my typical friends. I also noticed how much the landscape had changed since the beginning. Gradually… but I could definitely see it. The grass was truly no longer green. The same dark red shade that had flashed in the sky so long ago had now taken over the high grassy hills. The flowers had all simply turned black. No birds could ever be heard. The hints were clear, but once again, I was still too young to realise that I needed to do something about it. By the time I had reached the age of 11, it was clear to me. Quite some time ago, the dreams had begun to interfere with my everyday life. I would wake up late. Much later than I should. My parents would apparently shake me at an attempt to wake me up, but it was if I was dead. They took me to see doctors, but they couldn’t figure out what the problem was. But I knew. There was nothing else that it could be. It was the figure in my dreams. One day, I decided I was not going to become his forever. So, as he appeared, I didn’t follow him. I kept right on throwing down my windmill dunks, but he didn’t move. He just stood there as I completely ignored him. Then he spoke in soft words, “Please, come with me.” I turned my head away from him, and immediately the sky exploded into a loud thunder bolt as it lit up with lightning. I turned back around, and he was two feet in front of me, his hood unveiled. Immediately, I stumbled backward onto the floor as I glanced up at his face. A shriveled white face stared down at me. I moved my gaze towards his eyes, and I swear something died inside of me. His eyes were a bright yellow color, his eyelids a dark bloody red, as if no sleep had come for years. His nose was a wrinkly mess, tall and skinny. His lips were wide and chapped, and he wore a frown that capped off the image, burning it to my brain. “Come. With. Me…” After that experience, I knew never to deny him. I knew to always follow him. In other words, I was trapped. Trapped into moving further and further into his dream world, further and further away from my reality, becoming more and more lost… There was nothing that could be done about it. Or at least that’s what I thought. But either way this kept happening until I spent more time in my dreams than in the real world. There was absolutely nothing that the doctors could do. I had missed about 2 years of school, and I spent my time in the hospital in and out of reality.

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Until one day I awoke, and heard a new voice I had never heard before. It sounded like a middle aged woman. “You need to control him. It may be his world, but it’s your dream. Once you do that, you’ll begin to hear my voice. Follow it.” And I fell back asleep. And that was that. He brought me to a huge looming castle, and led me inside. He then continued to lock me inside a rather large room. To be fair, it was a nice room with a window and a nice bathroom and bed, but I knew what this meant. It meant I was to stay here forever. I knew the intention would be that I was not to wake up again. I lived there for about 2 years, but I didn’t find out why he had brought me there until an entire year had passed. One day, when he was bringing me a decent lunch of a huge pot of ramen noodles, I decided to find out myself. It wasn’t very hard, I just asked him why he brought me here. I asked it very calmly so to not set off another series of lightning flashes, thunder bolts, or the unveiling of a hood. I wasn’t expecting a direct response or any sort of acknowledgment at all, but to my great surprise, he put the food on the table, sat down across from me, and to my utter disgust, unveiled his hood and stared directly into my eyes. “I want to come to your world,” he spoke in that same low raspy voice. “Why?” I asked carefully. “It used to be my home. Ah, those were the good days.” He spoke with the words of an old man who had been through a lot. “What’s wrong with this world, sir?” I asked timidly. “Do you see any human flesh here?” he stared fiercely right into my eyes. I didn’t respond. “I was banned from that world centuries ago, but I still long for human flesh. I figured out some time ago that should a human wander far enough into my lands and stay there, I would eventually become in control him it. Once I am in control, I can enter the human world through the person.” I was absolutely stunned. “Why didn’t you find a human before me?” I asked absolutely petrified now. “Because most humans are not gifted Wanderers. In the dream world, most people’s dreams are faint, and do not last long at all. But you, my friend, are the most gifted Wanderer I have ever seen in my life. Your dreams last long, the images are clear, and you are never disturbed from dreams. It was easy to get you here to me,” and with that he got up and slowly left the room, raising his hood back onto his head once again, leaving me alone with my thoughts. ALl my thoughts were scattered, and I couldn’t think straight. But I ended up successfully coming to one conclusion, and one conclusion only. I had to get out. I tried everything. Pushing the windows, banging the door, but nothing worked. The room was absolutely escape proof. I had to try a different method. Just then, I remembered back to a couple years ago to what the strange woman’s voice had told me. “It may be his world, but it’s your dream…” Could it really be that simple? It sounded dumb, but I had truly tried everything else. So timidly, I thought of the window in my room shattering. I imagined it smashing violently into thousands of pieces, shards flying everywhere. I imagined the giddy feeling of relief as I ran out of the room. It sounds dumb, but it happened. There was a short delay, but sure enough, a thousand shards of glass went flying everywhere. Had I not been on the

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other side of the room, I would’ve been stuck everywhere head to toe with glass. I didn’t even think. I immediately got up, jumped out the window, and ran. As you may have guessed, I didn’t get very far. I was only running for about 3 minutes when a flash of lightning appeared and he appeared, once again, 2 feet in front me. I stumbled backward again, but didn’t fall. I got up, stood firmly, and stared right back at him. “How did you get out?” Although he asked me calmly, he was clearly surprised. The observation added to my confidence, and I didn’t respond. Quickly, I closed my eyes and imagined him being thrown far out of the way. 10 seconds later, and it happened. He was thrown violently to my right, and was smashed into his own castle, toppling one of the pillars. I took off running across the dark hills. I didn’t know which direction, but I just ran. Hours went by, and I grew more and more out of breath. I don’t know where all that energy came from, but I wasn’t waiting around to think about it. Finally, I came to a stop. I had no idea what direction I was going or what direction to go. Then I remembered what the woman had said about following her voice. Surely she wouldn’t still be around. It had been almost 3 years! But I had no other option, so I sat down and observed my surroundings. The ground beneath me seemed to be stained a dark shade of red, then texture cold and hard. I couldn’t tell what the material actually was, but from the looks of it, I didn’t want to. There was nothing living there, as far as I could tell. No flowers, no grass, no trees, just the hard red floor. The sky was a crimson shade of red and was giving off an usually high amount of light, which of course helped me. Just then, a voice pierced my thoughts. It was her. “Kane, can you hear me?” The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. “YES!” I screamed. Would I actually get out of here? “You have to follow the sun,” she said. “Follow it until you find the chamber that allows you to escape. In that chamber you’ll find…” her voice was cut off by a sudden ear-splitting thunderbolt accompanied with a bright flash of lightning that lit up the entire blood-red sky. The hooded figure dropped from the sky, mounted on a dragon-looking beast. It was simply gigantic. Its head reached the height of a 10 story building, possibly even more. The claws were spears mounted on indestructible but wrinkly looking hands. Great wings extended from its scaled body, and they sent gusts of wind flying in all directions after each movement. As it opened my mouth, I imagined the fire that would blow out of the massive creature, so I instinctively ran. Remembering what the woman had said, I imagined myself running too fast for the dragon to catch me. It happened, and soon I was sprinting at breakneck impossible speed. I aimed directly between the dragon’s legs, hoping to move right through and behind him. But though I doubt he saw me, he anticipated my movement, and stuck a leg out right in my path. I crashed face first into his solid foot, and was flung backwards like a ragdoll. I landed hard on my hip, my face inches from a ghastly looking rock. Only this was no rock. It was in fact the foot of another creature. I darted my eyes up and caught a glimpse of a light blue monster that resembled an orc. I would have described it to you, but I was out of there too quickly to really get a good look. I sprinted up to the nearest hill and stood there trying to catch my breath. As I glanced down the hill, I saw an army of at least 50 of the orc monsters marching straight at me. Without thinking, I conjured up an impossibly long whip that I was somehow able to manoeuvre. I whipped it in the general direction of the beasts, and every single one of them was knocked off their feet. But the one closest to me got up quickly and made a charge attempt. I tried using the whip, but it was just too long. The first one got to me and

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tackled the breath out of me. Struggling to breathe, I fought back swinging my fists toward its face, but I couldn’t get a clean hit. I closed my eyes and thought of myself making clear contact. It happened, but only 10 seconds later after over half the breath had been choked out of me. I lay sprawled on the hard ground trying to get my breath back. Suddenly, the hooded figure dismounted off the dragon and appeared 10 feet away from me. “How are you doing this?” he asked thoughtfully. Once again, he seemed calm but very surprised. “This is my dream, and I am going to get out of it,” I responded confidently. And with that, I blew right by him and towards the sun. I ran and ran. As I ran, I thought about what I had just done. I realized that I was stronger than him. I had no idea how long I followed that sun. The sun never moved in that realm, so it wasn’t that hard to follow it. Beasts of all types came. Large, small, hairy, fire breathing, anything that you imagine. But my power was to powerful. I would think of anything I wanted, and it would appear to me. My confidence built up higher and higher with every enemy that was defeated. The ending seemed clear cut, but it wasn’t to be. At least not yet. I reached the entrance to the chamber some time later, and I was completely exhausted. I had tried many times to think of myself being wide awake, but for some reason it wasn’t working. I was dead tired. But I knew that if I were to sleep even for a minute, the hooded figure would send his creatures after me. So rather than taking a much needed rest, I decided to enter the chamber. It was absolutely pitch black. I couldn’t see 2 feet in front of my face. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I caught a short glimpse of a doorway. I groped my way toward it, and entered. Immediately, the door swung shut behind me. I heard breathing. A voice. “Child, you are making a mistake.” His voice. Blindly, I moved forward in a charge. Suddenly, the lights came on and I found myself sprinting straight into a wall. Unable to stop myself, I crashed. I lay there dazed and staring at the ceiling. I felt the blood trickling from my nose. I wasn’t planning on getting up anytime soon, but then I heard her voice again. “Kane, you are close.” I listened for more. Nothing else came, so I decided to get up. I turned my head toward him, and saw that he had unveiled his face again. “I believe your friend is incorrect, my friend. For I am still here, and not in your world feasting on human flesh! I will not let you go back, unless I am within you!” Angrily, I charged at him. I thought up a long sharp sword, and aimed it right at his stomach. But right before I made contact, he disappeared and reappeared right behind me. I lost grip of the sword, and he stooped down to pick it up. “Your power is impressive, child. But do not forget, you are in my world.” With a snap of his fingers, the sword grew twice its length, and bright red flames burst out of it. He lunged toward me with the monstrous sword. I immediately imagined a shield, and deflected the blow. The sheer force of the swing caused me to shake for a couple of seconds, but I recovered quickly. I then chucked the shield at his head, but he ducked and avoided it. It clanked onto the wall and clattered onto the floor heavily. After a couple more melee attacks, we had gained no progress toward each other. Then I saw it. My way out. He stood in front of a doorway. But not just any normal doorway. The other side was a swirl of what looked like some sort of a black hole. Dark colors circled and overlapped each

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other. In a way, it looked kind of beautiful. I decided that it was my only way out of this fight, as I couldn’t straight up beat him. I immediately dove in the direction of the door. He turned to look at me, saw what I was trying to do, pulled out a bow and arrow from nowhere, and launched an arrow toward me all in on quick fluid motion. As I dove through midair, I knew there was no avoiding this. The arrow cut through the air with a shrill cry, and thudded into my right thigh. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. I heard his footsteps move next to my head. “My dear Kane. I warned you. I did not want it to end this way, but your actions have brought this upon you.” I was not about to have my soul devoured by this frail figure. I ignored the pain in my leg, got up on my other leg, and launched myself toward the doorway. Two more arrows threw themselves into my back, and I felt blood sputter out of my mouth. But my momentum was already enough to get me through the portal. I heard his screams as I collapsed through the opening… I landed with a hard thud onto a carpeted floor. Gasping for air, I felt my leg and back... But they were both perfectly intact. Suddenly, the ground beneath me softened. My eyes were closed. I heard soft voices around me. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The faces of my parents filled my blurry vision as I came to. They cried as they both hugged me, and tears rolled down my face as well. It was at that moment that I knew: I had been found.

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My Memories by Annie En bin Choi

Carter

“Cindy, Would you go out with me?” I asked with an eager voice. “I’ve liked you for years, and I’m really sure I can take care of you.” I looked up with a smile, hoping that smile will be returned. --Oh, hi! I am Carter, and what’s so special about me is… I have a wonderful, beautiful and perfect girlfriend named Cindy! Well, while I was chasing her and trying to make her mine, she had a big accident which caused her to lose her memory...which on the one hand, I was worried about but on the other side it was a good situation for me. And now I am living happy days; she’s mine now! Cindy “I don’t remember anything,” Cindy was answering with a mysterious voice. “But I guess someone’s telling me, yes.” ---

I’m Cindy, and I have a boyfriend named Carter. He has been by my side since I woke up after the big accident that I was involved in. I have lost all of my memories because of the accident. But one thing I’m pretty sure is, someone had been always by my side. Carter made me happy. He made me feel light, and I loved him. I wonder if it’s Carter, and by the fact that Carter liked me before I had my accident, I’m sure the person I loved is Carter. I’ll probably not mind anymore. Unless I find out something.

Narrator Hi! I’m the narrator and I’m basically the person who tells you how the story is going on. Don’t you think what Carter just said is kind of weird? Why would he be happy when his lover Cindy has had an accident? Well you will know what happened later on, so I won’t tell you :). Just saying… Do you think Cindy has made a good choice of accepting Carter to be her boyfriend? Oh! By the way Cindy and Carter are now a couple that are as perfect as anyone, even more than Carter could have wished for. I think this is enough for now. See you later!

Carter I don’t know why, but I can feel that Cindy is starting to get her memories back… What should I do? Would she still date me if I tell her the truth? No… She won’t. But whatever she’s here now!

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She couldn’t get back to the other world. And if I tell Cindy what happened before, just changing some bits, she might believe. So don’t worry Carter, you’ll be alright. Cindy Someone’s actually calling me. I can feel it. I can’t hear it, but I’m definitely sure someone is trying to tell me something. I dream it every day, that guy, he did nothing when he was literally dying from that situation. And I went to him but he told me to escape..? Why do I feel like it’s real? Why can I remember so clearly? Narrator The next day, Carter asked Cindy out for a walk. Carter had tried to tell Cindy what happened before but it didn’t work. He was scared to tell Cindy. Cindy had no idea what Carter is trying to say and she tells Carter what she dreams about every day. Cindy “Carter,” as soon as I called his name, I had a little sigh. “I’m having the same dream every night and I’m amazed but also scared. Do you know anything about this?” Even though I didn’t tell Carter what the dream was about, I could see through from his eyes that he might have know something. But this is all by my feelings, of course he might not know, so I had to tell him the story. “Every night I see a mall, and I see everything, everything being destroyed. The wall, the floor, the world. And I see a guy. I can’t remember his face as soon as I wake up and I don’t know the reason for that. But I always see him just standing there looking so fine. He stares at me when everyone’s surrounded by the collapse. He just stares at me with a smile, but a smile which seems really sad. Just as soon as I see his face with a tear, I run to him, with no reasons, I just run to him like being drawn by a magnet.” I stopped my story in the middle and I sighed loudly this time. I continued, “During the collapse, an old man comes out from a random screen and says the world would be destroyed by 1minute, 60 seconds. And the guy, the mysterious guy, the guy who was smiling at me shouts out saying “DON’T COME! IT’S DANGEROUS HERE! YOU SHOULD ESCAPE FROM HERE”, and my dream ends.” I asked Carter if he knows any about this but he said he knows nothing. He said it’s just an aftereffect and I guess that might be true. Carter I wasn’t brave enough to tell her the truth. I was scared, I was worried that she will be in shock. I didn’t want to hurt her. As the awkwardness was going around, Cindy opened her mouse. She told me what she dreams about every night and asked me if I know anything about it. Yes I did, but I tried to ignore with saying a little lie, “ 130

It’s... just an aftereffect”. Narrator After the walk, the following few weeks were normal. The couples were lovely as others. Cindy didn’t mind about her past anymore. And the realistic dream Cindy had few weeks ago, started to disappear … But one day, Cindy had a doubt. And this is now where you guys can get some clues to what happened! Cindy Why do I only know Carter? Why does nobody recognize me? Where is my family? My friends? --I was having a normal life just until yesterday. But as soon as I had a big doubt, I wanted to find out the answer. I am now going to the police to find out where I really belong to. Narrator After Cindy went to the police, she was had a major concern. She asked Carter out for a quick talk and had met Carter. Carter “I-I’m so sorry,” I was in panic. “I should’ve tell you the truth earlier. And I wanted to tell you… But, but I didn’t want to hurt you, or lose you.” --I’m sighing. I’m definitely sighing right now. I didn’t know whether Cindy would try to find out her past. What was the reason? I tried my best to not let her know… But why? Why? Narrator Do you know what just happened to this couple? I’ll tell you the truth. It was probably 2 years ago … One day, Carter met an old man named Jack. Jack was a game maker. He made a game that was set in a school and Cindy, Cindy was in the game. But the game had an error, an error that if you start the game, you will get into the game. Jack was the only one who could go in and out by himself. When Carter and Jack met each other, Jack accidently drop his CD player for the game which caused Carter to get into the game too.

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Carter was a guy who didn’t ever love or like someone. And he was a guy that seemed like he wouldn’t ever know what love is. But the only way to exit the game was to love someone. And so Carter had to live in the game world for 1 year and longer. One day, when Carter was normally trying to enjoy and get used to the game world, Cindy came out from the game. Cindy had long, soft hair with long, curly eyelashes. She was the first girl Carter liked. And she was the first girl Carter had ever wanted to date. Carter liked him so much how he chased her every day and actually did everything for Cindy. He found his love, and he had to go back. But Carter loved her so much he couldn’t leave Cindy by herself. He asked Jack several times if he could take Cindy to the real world. It seemed impossible, but it was not. It was really hard for Jack to actually make the game character exist in the real world. Even it wasn’t an impossible work to do, it was as hard as to be able to say it’s impossible But Jack tried his best, because he knew how much Carter liked Cindy. Finally,Jack made a solution to take Cindy to the real world. There were some cautions Carter had to remember, and Jack warned Carter:    

Cindy won’t remember anything as soon as she gets to the real world People can see Cindy but no one knows her as she didn’t exist before If Cindy gets to know she was a game character, she will disappear I will make a dream that would seem realistic to just help you to let Cindy feel it was something that happened before

Carter had always reminded himself of the warnings Jack told him. And he had been careful and careful. Cindy “Are you sure that’s your birth and name? There’s no one called Cindy with this birth” --Yes, I was totally in shock. The only person I know was Carter, so I called him out. To ask for the truth. To ask why there’s no information about me in this world. “I was in a deep doubt. I wondered why I didn’t have a family nor friends or at least someone who I know,” Carter was listening what I was saying, he seemed like he was worrying. “I went to the police to find out at least if my family is dead or alive. But as soon as I said my name and my birth, they said no one exists with this information” “You don’t exist…” I was scared. I didn’t want to believe what Carter said. “I-I’m so sorry,” I was in panic. “I should’ve tell you the truth earlier. And I wanted to tell you… But, but I didn’t want to hurt you, or lose you.”

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This was Carter’s last speech. And he ran out. Carter I still can’t believe what happened last night. I didn’t want to lose Cindy. But mostly, I didn’t want to lie to her, or me. I thought that I should tell her the truth and try to have a new start for my life. I am still in shock, but I guess at least I lost one of my worry. Cindy I love Carter. But I don’t exist here. I have no reason staying at the real world. I called Carter, saying, “Carter, I love you, but I don’t think I have any reason to stay in this world. I will go back to the game world. Be what I’m supposed to be. Just don’t forget, I have loved you.” Narrator “If Cindy gets to know she was a game character, she will disappear” He had remembered the last warning as he found out Cindy wasn’t at the world anymore. And he had a hard times for months. He once met Jack for thanking him giving himself a good memory. Jack “Thank you for giving me good memories, and thank you for at least trying your best for CIndy and me. Even though Cindy isn’t here right now, I know how hard you have tried to make me stay with Cindy” --You’re welcome Carter. Even I didn’t tell you this. I wish you will know I’m saying “you’re welcome” to you. You are the guy who tries your best every time. I had never seen someone like you who does not know the word “give up”. Thank you for giving me a chance and telling me that I should not give up. I hadn’t tell you something though, and I wouldn’t tell you later on too. I’ll always keep this in my mind Carter, that … “You don’t exist either”

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Lost In a Flash by Ryan Lee and Gabriel Sanderson Van: I can’t believe I was actually going to do this. Would the police catch us? How long would the prison time be? I tried to shove these thoughts out of my mind but they still lingered in the back of my head, stopping me from taking that one more step onto the ferris wheel. “C’mon Van, you can’t be scared?” Lily questioned. “Huh huh, me scared? You have to be joking!” I hesitantly took the final step onto the ferris wheel. I had the fireworks pressed against my chest; the lighter in my pocket. I scooted up the seat closer to Lily. “You got the fireworks right?” Lily asked. “Yeah, yeah, they're all here, this is going to be epic.” The wait for the chair to reach the peak was excruciating, however, the view of Santa Monica was magnificent. “Are you ready?” Lily confirmed. “Yup, let’s do this!” I exclaimed with excitement. I lit the fireworks and the sizzle was louder than I expected; regret flooded my body but I couldn’t turn back now. 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Boooooooooomm! Baaaaaaaammmmm!!! The light show was amazing! The sparks that came out of the firework lit up the sky like it was day! It was like watching the northern lights! Something to my left distracted me; one of the fireworks was going downwards! I closed my eyes, praying that it wouldn’t hit anybody but my prayers weren’t answered. The firework landed in a cart below us and exploded in their faces. The screams echoed across the beach. The smoke filled my lungs and the shouts and bangs of the fireworks started to merge together into one white noise. Everything after that was a blur… The next morning, I woke up to the beeping of my alarm clock. I couldn’t get much sleep because I was thinking about what happened the night before. I willed myself to get out of bed but I had no success. In the background, I could hear the radio “Good morning, you're tuning into FM 89.9 Public Radio, top stories today: The presidential candidate elections carry on, thank god our president Donald Trump is about to leave. Kanye West is thinking of retiring after winning his 8th VMA. The Santa Monica Ferris Wheel goes up in a blaze: 7 people are injured and 1 person died. More updates on the news on our breakfast show…” 134

1 person died. I killed a person. I felt light headed and my bedroom floor slipped from underneath me and I fell onto a damply, cold, concrete floor. This was not my room; I remember the smell of my birch wood floor panels and the warmth of my radiator. I opened my eyes to see steel bars in front of me and the stare of a toothless man. I was in prison! “Hey man, you alright. Pretty rough night heh! The first time they dragged me in here I fell flat on my face too. Hahahahaha!” I gagged on the smell of his breath and started to feel light headed again but I was glad that I had probably made a new friend - maybe not the best friend, but still a friend. I was wondering where Lily went. Was she also in prison? “Stupid Van! Stupid Van!” I exclaimed as I was hitting my head on the wall aggressively. I realized how foolish I was last night. “You okay, little buddy?” The toothless man questioned. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” I smiled back but still had the feeling of agony inside me. “What am I going to do?” I thought to myself. I was sitting down in the corner like I was getting punished and was trying to think of a perfect plan to get out of this prison. Click! The jail cell was opened by a ferocious, brutal, vicious looking police officer. He was wearing a blue vintage leather jacket with various badges attached to it. He also wore a blue hat with a LAPD logo on it and shiny, black, polished shoes that were brand-new. Moreover, he also had a lot of wrinkles on his face so I guessed that he was between 30 and 40 years old. “GET UP!” He asserted. Quickly, I got up and followed him through a dark, petrifying, intimidating hallway with a lot of remorseful prisoners screaming for help. It sounded like hungry lions grasping for any morsel of food they could find. I did not belong here, but then I remembered what I did and the reality of it all sank in.

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I did belong here; and I was going to stay... Lilly: Where am I? Suddenly I could feel the vibration of an engine starting. I was in the boot of a car. It smelled of gasoline and decrepit socks and rotten cheese and everything you wouldn’t want close to your nose. I gagged and clenched my nose tightly but still held my breath. I banged on the door of the trunk multiple times. “Help! Help! Anybody!” The car stopped. I heard the front door slam shut. A blinding light met my eyes and all I could see was the silhouette of an unrecognisable face. “Where am I?” I questioned myself. “Stay quiet and don’t make a sound!” The trunk slammed shut. Suddenly, I heard the raspy voice coming from the car. What were they talking about? I moved my ear closer to the edge of the trunk; I heard something that gave me goosebumps. “What are we going to do with this girl?” the old man questioned. “Oh you know…” A younger, but no less menacing voice replied. Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind of what these despicable human beings could do to me. But one thought stayed in my head, I had to get out… But how? I checked around the trunk to see if there was any weak spot, anything that I could pry open. Then I felt a buzzing sensation in my pocket. Candy Crush: All your lives have been restored. Comeback! Oh my goodness. How could I have forgotten, I had my phone with me. I slipped my hand into my pocket to retrieve my key to escape. I quickly dialed 911 and waited intently for the ring tone to stop and my savior to answer my distress calls however, what came next made my heart sink. I heard the buzzing of a phone in the car, no way could that be me, it has to be a coincidence, right? As to answer my worst fears the ring tone stopped and I heard the raspy voice I recognized earlier. “Oh, honey you're so cute... Trying to call the police like that!” “”No, I was just playing…Candy Crush!” I answered. “Awwwwwwwwwwwww, I love that game!” he replied exultantly. “Hahh…haa…haaa,” I laughed apprehensively. However, after about 1 minute of silence, he carried on and walked through a dark, mysterious, stenchy alley way. “LET ME GO!” I bellowed out loud. As I was shouting, I punched his hideous face and his bulky leg. “Arrggggggggghhh,” the man cried. As soon as I was set free, I ran like a cheetah. Wham!

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“Where do you think you're going young lady?” another man who had a high pitch voice questioned. He smirked... Van: “My life is over.” I murmured to myself. Clickk! The jail cell was opened by a furious looking policeman who told me to follow him. As I was walking down the hallway, I heard a familiar voice coming from the room. “Hello, Van.” It was my father! “Hi… Dad.” I replied nervously. “So, what happened last night?” my father, who was enraged, questioned me. “Uh.hh.hhh maybe I lit a firework illegally.” I replied knowing that I was going to get killed. “And…” my father continued. “And...killed an innocent person accidentally.” I answered apprehensively. “Son, you know how much I love you, however you killed an innocent person.” “I know. I shouldn’t have done this. I...I… just wanted…” I stopped and with some tears on my face, “I’m sorry father- I’m really sorry.” “I’m sorry too Van,” he inserted as he walked away. Lily: Ugh, I was back in the stupid trunk again. On my way to some secret hideout where those creeps were gonna lock me away. I had to get out - or I was going to die. Then I heard the static of the radio turn on and the news channel theme music blare throughout the car, so loud that I could hear it clearly. I listened intently, trying to piece together any information of what was going on or where I was. Welcome to San Francisco afternoon news … SAN FRANCISCO! How far had I come … Top stories today: Van Tracer, the 15 year old, convicted of murdering 1 innocent civilian was trying to pull off a firework prank which turned into a disaster. He is now serving a life sentence in the recently re-opened Alcatraz prison. We are looking for his companion Lily Collins. Oh no, I just remembered Van. He got caught and was now serving a life sentence! I had to get him out... It was all my fault for letting him bring the firework to the ferris wheel. But first, I had to figure out how to get myself out, and then my opportunity came … The car stopped and the two policemen got out the car. As soon as I heard the car door slam shut I looked through the little compartment that connects the trunk to the interior of the car. There it was… They had left their taser sitting on the back seat of the car. I reached and grabbed it.

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I waited intently for them to come back, listening to every sound. I only had one chance and this was it. I heard the front door unlock and my kidnappers step into the car. The engine started… I had to do this now, I opened the hatch and fired - the two prongs went into each of their arms making them vibrate as they were exposed to at least 200 volts of electricity. The buzzing stopped and I squeezed through the hatch. I shook their bodies checking that they weren’t going to wake up any time soon and opened the door to dump them out of the car. What about Van, how was I going to get him out? I could disguise myself as one of these policemen and sneak in unnoticed. I undressed one of the policemen and left their clothes on the back seat. I pushed them out of the car, turned the keys and started driving. I had to get to Alcatraz; back to Van… Van: Welcome to San Francisco evening news… Updated story: two cops were found knocked out in a gas station on highway 43. Evidence suggests that Lily Collins is the suspect of this crime. Van Tracer is still locked up in Alcatraz. What happened to Lily? She wasn’t caught and I’m in Alcatraz? She better not have forgotten about me. The loudspeakers sang the familiar mealtime song and I was back to my daily routine of eating in the cafeteria, cell time, exercise, and then more cell time. I was going to stay in this dump for the rest of my life… This was when the regret sank in. As I walked through the sanitized hallways of the prison I relived the night of my mistake over and over again. Each time telling myself never to do that again if I ever had the chance to. I sat down at a table and waited for my meal to arrive. Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me out of my seat. “Come with me! Your today’s random inspection!” That voice sounded familiar, the voice that was stuck in my head telling me “You got the fireworks, right?” “Lily? Is that you?” “Yes keep quiet, I’m getting you out of here…” Without hesitation, I hugged her. I quickly stopped as prisoners started giving us suspicious looks and walked that awkward moment, while still whispering in her ear: “Thank you…” “Come on, no time to waste. They’ll notice that you’ve be gone too long.” We quickly rushed through corridor to corridor, searching for the exit that would give me some of my life back. We finally made it to the exit however, we still had a long way to go because we had to get on the boat without anyone noticing. To my surprise, Lily pulled me and grabbed my hand and took me down some stairs that looked light they

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hadn’t been used for years. It was a dead end at the bottom and I was completely confused. The white walls started growing taller and I felt sick. Was this a dream? “Just down this elevator and our ticket out is there.” Lily reassured me. The elevator stopped to reveal a long cave. We seemed to walk forever zooming past the damp walls that would eventually lead to my freedom. We made it to the end and up a ladder to a service hatched. We opened it and we were on the San Francisco shore. We then turned around to see the island we had just escaped from. It was over. However I was still a criminal, and I realized that I would be living the rest of my life trying not to get found…

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See through by Bowon Kang “I found something as a juvenile and cherished it; never would I have though losing it would change my life...” I was psyched to the extreme. The three years of middle school, four years of high school plus eighty three all-nighters were all going to be of use to me. Being different never took a toll on me. Straight A’s, perfect attendance and completion of homework. I was that dream student everyone wanted to be. “Wow, you’re so lucky to get all the student awards!” “If you get famous in the future, you better remember me!” “Let's keep in contact when we go to university.” Nothing mattered to me more than being number one. The bitter room’s atmosphere burned my nose as I strode in. Walls, stripped of their identities, waved hastily at their new roommate. A singular, thin beam of light penetrated through the ragged velvet curtains. Mountains of dust piled the carpet floor. Such a desolate area reminded of my study room back at home. “It’s perfect.” _ The university halls were much greater than the ones of an average high school. I was easily able to adjust to my surroundings and classes. However, the atmosphere wafting around the whole structure was unprecedented. They way each student looked didn’t bother me. It was their attitude and actions. With heads glued onto thick chemistry text books, the only form of attention was poured towards the board of subject awards and top grades. Of course, I did not care about the other study obsessive freaks. It was a matter of time before they would see my name above all of theirs on the board of the most honorable students. This was something coming from someone who was top in class in high school for four years straight. How hard could it possibly be? But this is reality, and it was about time for me to wake up. Skimming through the list, I realized that my name was absent. It wasn’t even able to crawl up to 10th place. Suddenly, my feet were as cold as ice. It was in the middle of the summer; did my feet fall asleep? I scampered towards the boys’ bathroom and flung myself into one of the stalls. My raw beating heart pounded non-stop as I took my shoe, only to behold the

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sole of my shoe being completely made up of see through glass. I couldn't comprehend this situation. What was happening to me...Is this even possible? _ I was constantly making my way to the billboard after every test to be welcomed by the sheet of names of those who were much wiser than me. Slowly, week after week, my body slowly altered to thin transparent glass. Helplessly, I tried my best to get someone's attention. I was desperately in need of aid of some sort. But their answers were always the same. “Umm...Excuse you, I have a maths exam tomorrow and I really have to get going.” “Sorry, spelling quiz, can’t miss a word!” “Ugh, haven’t you got any place else but to distract me?” Why doesn’t anyone care? It seemed like everyone was wandering around their own little land of work and studies. Never was there socializing, unless there was a group project, or practicing with others for tests. The competition was a struggle as it wasn’t just me trying to be at the top, but every single pupil was battling for the best, as if they were all emotionless robots. Was this… Was this how I acted around everyone at high school? … “Thank you everyone for staying at our educational institution. We would like to call up everyone who passed the final test to graduate! Congratulations to Danny, Logan, Jas-” The names were all called one by one with an orchestra of cheering from both parents and past friends. All the names, but mine. All families, but mine. That was it. I was alone. Isolated in my own little world, left behind by the arrogance and foolishness of my deep studies, abandoning the only people I had. Now, left in an inevitable burden, there was nowhere else my path would take me. No longer was I top one, no longer did I have respect, no longer did I have anything. Slowly, the glass plague crawled up my neck, the see through poison infecting my body as the graduation cheer filled the air of the cold room I once said was ‘perfect.’ I closed my eyes faintly, taking a last glimpse of the mirror that reflected nothing but an empty glass shell. Unable to gain control, my body tipped slightly to the side, an inevitable fall blocked my road. I smiled. I smiled a fake, see through, ghostly grin.

“My...Friends...Family...Me…”

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Lost Soul by Chane Jacobs Have you ever felt like where you are is unrealistic, a different world, a place so dark you get nightmares just by being there? At least it's only dreams, or that’s what I thought. My grandmother told me I had a gift, a very unusual gift. Traveling, is how she defined it; traveling to places unimaginable, unreal – fictitious. She told me I had to stop it, control it, because things would follow me... The type of things you don't want to get followed by – pests. Hello, my name is Taiden, a 14-year-old normal teenage boy who: loves to play sports especially basketball, fantasizes about finally defeating the hardest NBA 2k16 playerSTEPHEN CURRY (of course) and Skyping my friends about stuff that is “confidential”. I lived a carefree, normal life (except the homework part, you know. Procrastinating is a real pain. If you haven’t felt the effect of procrastinating yet, prepare yourself -it’s NOT fun!). Anyway, on with my life story. What happened yesterday is severely unreal. It’s indescribable, like a dream that never happened. A nightmare you can't escape. Except mine wasn’t just a horrifying, terrifying, paralyzing dream… My interesting incident happened right after we moved back into our old house; I don't even understand why we moved back. From what I have heard, our house isn’t exactly what I will call welcoming. Everything about the house has a freezing, ice-cold atmosphere. The house has all types of senses: it feels as if it has eyes to watch your every move and ears to hear all of your secrets that you have never told ANYONE. It’s like you are being watched all the time but what I have realised was that it wasn’t the house spying on you - lurking on you... But the things inside! When I was only 3 I kept waking up in unusual places. I would scream, weep, holler myself awake; I would be either in the basement or the attic (which is where my parents usually would look first). But sometimes I would wake up in places I have never been before and sometimes these places would have haunting backgrounds. The moment my head hit that pillow, I was gone! That’s how tired I was. *CREEEEEK* I jump up looking at my door (which for sure was closed when I went to bed). I hear footsteps outside the door. I run out of the exit seeing this majestic, mysterious and paranormal looking thing. Everything about this woman in a beautiful, white and probably expensive wedding gown was spine chilling. “What are you doing here?” I asked but demanded at the same time. “Let me show you…” the feminine looking figure said still looking away from me but with her arm gestured out towards me. 142

I take her freezing cold hand, which was as cold as a refrigerator, and all of a sudden I was somewhere, which was not my house. It was pitch black everywhere, except for one dimming light guiding me towards a hallway. Gradually, I strolled through the hallway and saw them. The mythical stories that are said around campfires told to scare people but not believed in… GHOSTS! That’s when I realised it had tricked me! That thing in my bedroom tricked me; I saw my body lying softly in my bed like a baby sleeping peacefully. It was going to take over my body. I have done the thing my grandma warned me about- I traveled. My helpless body was alone and my confused spirit was lost. If I knew more about what I really am, if someone (anyone) had told me more… I would not have been in this mess! I start walking around in literally a living hell. This was where all of the souls that are banished from heaven are sent to burn for eternal punishment. What I was going to see in this world will haunt me for life and will not be easy to erase. Not again. There was a mixed atmosphere in this place… Cold, demanding, malevolent. But there was also a sorrowful, melancholy, mournful mood. Some of them were just as lost and confused as I was. That’s when I realised that the spirit in my room didn't mean any harm. It…She… just craved life. Walking around in this place was terrifying. I couldn't do it. It was like the scariest haunted house ever in San Diego but this one didn’t come to an end. It was like a gory movie but I wasn't allowed to close my eyes because they could smell that I was new. They would know my body was just lying there like an empty vessel ready to be taken over. As I was walking around, these things were scarier than anything I had lived through. I decided to go hide somewhere. I was sitting in a corner hoping that something- anything would happen. A girl approached me… she was about my age. “Are you okay?” her soft, gentle, soothing voice asked “Yeah, I’m fine…” I replied in a brave voice; I didn’t want to look scared She sat beside me. Her face was pale white as snow and her clothes were all a soft pink color. She looked like a beautiful, pure and innocent girl… Why on earth could she be here? “Why, are you here if I may ask?” I asked trying to act casual about it. She ignored me. “I have been in this place long enough to realise that this is not the place for you. You're new here and you don’t belong here. I can sense it.” I did not know how to response…

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“Um excuse me that is kind of rude! I have a gift which means I can come and go as I please.” I said trying to make it sound like I come here often. “Oh! Sorry then! You will probably find your way out by yourself then… Since you “come and go as you please’’ she said arrogantly while standing up. I didn’t know what to do. Make a total fool of myself by calling her back or to let her go and figure this out on my own. I called her back the moment that I realised how heartbroken my mother would be if she realised where I had been. “Please! I beg of you! I have never been here and I just need to get out of here!” She kept on walking and whispered: “Follow me...” I followed her but we walked in silence. “By the way, my name is Tanya and I’m 14 years old. My favorite color is pink, I love horses and I like to draw.” she broke the silence. I wasn’t in the mood to speak; so I just listened. She spoke for what felt like hours- blah blah blah. Just listening to her tired me. She stopped… I looked up. Suddenly, a strange looking man grasped her by the arm and took her away; I tried to follow but they were just too quick. I started searching for her. “Tanya? Tanya?” every time I shouted her name I could hear the echo of my voice. I walked around until I saw her tied up against a pole. I untied her and I could feel her arms suddenly wrapped around me. She was terrified. The confident, arrogant, know-itall girl that I met before was gone. “Who was that man?” I asked but this time made my voice was hard to signal her that I needed an answer. She took my hand and we started walking again. “He was my father,” she said so softly that I could sense she was ashamed. “That’s why I’m here, because of HIM. He was very abusive: he would smack my mother across her face, come home drunk at night until one day I decided that was enough. I decided to…” I just squeezed her hand harder, so that she wouldn't have to say that she killed her own father. “I have been trying to escape this world. Hide from him. Get away from him. But I have been punished. I can’t escape unless I possess someone- which I will not do.” She let go of my hand. “We’re here,” she said sadly. I looked next to me and I saw my empty body just lying there. Soulless. I could live again. One step and I could forget all of this. But I couldn't leave Tanya.

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“Tanya, I won’t leave you here. Escape for a while. Please go into my body for a while. I’ll wait for you.” “I, I can’t!” she said in surprise. I took both of her hands (which honestly I was surprised because I thought that this would be really disgusting. But I felt different over her. I LIKED her?) “Please! I’ll wait for you. I can manage here.” She grabbed me and pulled me tighter. “Thank you!” I heard her say softly and I saw her step into my body. So the days pass by slowly and I saw what she was doing every day; we even talked every day. I don't know how but we did! I fell in love with a ghost. How crazy was that? But I also made a girl happy again. I went down to earth sometimes too, to see my parents, friends, family. It was great. 2 souls were lost but now they have found each other.

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I Remember by Mariana Noriega ~~{Doctor’s office 2007}~~ It’s cold. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. I start tapping the table louder and louder. “Adam… they’re almost done.” My mum places her hand on my shoulder. I pull away swiftly and frown at her. She looks at me in pity. I don’t know why though! Seriously? I’ll be fine! “Mrs. Jacobs?” calls a nurse from the doctor’s room. “Come on Adam” my mother calls out to me and I stand up. I walk to the tall door and start my routine: open, close… one, open, close… two, open close… three, open. I walk in stiffly almost like a limp rag, staring down every object, colour and person in the room. As I inspect the room I notice a man sitting in the corner behind a tiny dull desk. The place looks like a prison. He looks at me from top to bottom as if I were a creature from a different planet. He finally smiles. “What’s wrong son? Take a seat.” his voice is silent as if he wants to whisper to me. I step away and shake my head. I place my arms across my chest and rest my hands on the opposite shoulder. I sit down and look over to my right. A pen holder. Without a second thought I grab a handful and begin to inspect and fidget with them. The doctor flips through my files and murmurs to himself. It’s getting on my nerves. My mum is staring down at the floor. After a couple of minutes he looks up at me and asks “Do you enjoy playing with others?” “No.” “Really?” I nod. The room is dim and I feel as if I were in a cage. Minutes pass by and all I hear is my mother and the man talking. Suddenly, they stop their conversation and out of the corner of my eye, I manage to notice the two faces turn to me. “What?” I ask. “Adam! Don’t you mean ‘pardon me’?” She snaps at me. But I ignore her. “It’s alright. I asked if you have trouble at school” interrupts the doctor. “No.” I hear my monotonous voice echo in the large room, it sounds frustrated almost. Do I? I ask myself. “Listen son-” “My name is Adam.” I interrupt.

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“Of course. I need you to help me with something. Do you think you could head into the small room in the corner? I forgot the files the neurologist gave me.” He points into an enclosed space towards the back of the room. “I don’t want to.” I hunch my shoulder and shake my head repeatedly. “Why is that?” He asks. “It’s dark. I don’t like the dark. Jacob would find me.” “Jacob, is he a friend of yours?” “Jacob is his imaginary friend.” My mother replies. Softly as if she didn’t want me to hear that. “That’s alright I’ll get them myself later. Adam, would it be alright if you step outside for a couple of minutes?” He smiles. No response. I stand up and head to the door. Once again… open, close, open, close, open, close, open. I stumble outside into the empty corridor. There isn’t much space to move around. I begin to tap my feet against the glistening marble floor. Mum is taking longer than I expected. I can hear mumbling from the room. Maybe I could get closer to listen? Yes… I’ll do it. I press my ear against the door and concentrate on listening to what is going on inside. “Norah, you have to make him face what happened. His disorder is only getting worse.” “I can’t! He will never forgive himself…” That’s enough… that’s all I need to know. ~~{Morning 2016}~~ “Adam, It’ll help I promise!” My mum argues and so do I. Now I know where I got the stubborn side from! “No!” I drag myself to the corner and face the wall. I act like I am three years old but I’m sixteen year old sophomore in high school now and It’s my first day… again. I don’t want to go because it’s a different school, a harder school. People will make fun of me. Because I’m different. Because I’m ‘special’ (at least that is what my mother tells me). I don’t believe her… I am an abnormality and I hate it! And I mustn’t tell anyone about Jacob. They can’t see him. They don’t understand what they cannot see. After breakfast, I stroll to the old bus stop around the corner. My bus is already there! RUN! My slow pace swiftly escalates to a rapid set of steps. I barely reach the vehicle but the driver notices me on the mirrors and slows down. I’m yelling like a maniac, only when I slow down, my voice diminished into a natural tone. As I step into the bus I notice dozens of pairs of eyes glaring at me in discomfort. I gulp and find an empty space at the back of the bus. I slump onto the stiff leather seat and pull my hoodie over my embarrassed red face. 147

Out of the corner of my eye I notice a couple of pencils placed neatly on the floor. I want to leave them there but I can’t. I gently grab one by one and place them into the smaller pocket of my backpack where I keep the rest. One hundred and twelve used and abandoned pencils now… I count them every day (they’re all smaller or the same size as my thumb). I curl back up onto the seat and stare out the window. Adam. I think to myself, you won’t last very long here… ~~{School}~~ It has been approximately two months fourteen days and a couple of hours that I’ve spent in this school. It seems more like a trap to me. The other students stay away from me as best they can. In class, the teachers pick on me to answer questions that I don’t understand. Maths, History, Geography, English, Science and Music. The hours tick by as I push through the crowding in the hallway and run to class. As I close my locker some one’s bag shoves me! I stagger backwards until I can’t keep my balance I fall into the crowd in between hundreds of people. One steps on my hand and another, and another and another one yet. I crawl into a small space between the lockers that people rush past. I curl up into a tight ball of shame and loneliness and wait. I can’t… I think to myself as the overwhelming feeling of despair causes clear, shining tear to roll down my cheek. You can’t stay here forever! You know that, right? I pull myself up using an open locker door as support. When I finally stand up straight, I wipe my tears with my bruised, red and throbbing hand. The clock is still ticking but the crowds are clearing away. I need some time to calm myself down. Open, close, open, close, open. Just when I am about to close the locker door again… something falls out! There was a pencil case, a small one,that only had small pencils - used ones. I was a bit sceptical as to why the pencil case had my name sewn on it. Odd… I think to myself. I shouldn’t, but I take it. Jacob knows that I needed them. ~~{Home}~~ As I walk into the house I stomp to my mother who is now in the kitchen preparing dinner for my dad. I am suffering at school because of her! How could she send me somewhere like that? I felt so betrayed and frustrated… I lost control over my mouth. “I hate you!” Instant regret. It felt like a demon had taken control and used me to spit words of blame to an innocent person and all I could do was watch. When I was finally brought back to power over my brain. Mortified, I dash up the stairs and reach for my bedroom door. Open...close, open… close, open...close, open. I shove my bag to the back of the room (hoping that nothing will break). My heart races and every time I think of everything that happened at school makes it skip a beat. 148

I spend most of the day in the corner of the room thinking about my day, forgetting about my surroundings. Suddenly, I hear a quiet noise from inside my closet. I reach for the handle. For a second, I hesitate. When I open the door a small cardboard box topples out and lands on my rug. There is a card tied to it… curious. This isn’t mine, is it? When I pick it up I begin to read. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t get you very much. -Jacob’ My heart stopped. Jacob had found me… grabbing the box anxiously I tear the top off and look inside. Pencils. Five broken pencils. Now I have one hundred and seventeen pencils. And every one of them is broken. --------------------------------------Everyone thinks I don’t remember but I do. Jacob and I were in the forest next to a river. We were both six years old. We spent hours there sometimes. We took toys. But usually we would get pencils and notebooks to draw with. One day, he snatched my box of one-hundred and twenty new pencils. “HEY! Give them back Jacob!” I exclaimed. “Hahaha! Come for them then.” he replied giggling. We began to fight (just as a game). Jacob and I eventually ended up in a tug of war for my pencils. He grabbed the box with one hand and placed the other on my chest to push me away. As he attempted to pry the box from my hand, his arm flew backward sending the pencils into the air… and into the river. A split second flashed by before the argument began. “Jacob! My mom had to pay a lot for them!” “I’m sorry Adam, I didn’t mean it! I- I’ll get them back for you.” he hesitated before he handed me his cap. Just before he jumped in, I grabbed his arm. “Don’t. The water is really cold and too fast for you!” “Come on Adam, I know how to swim.” We ran down the river to locate the pencils. There they were! Approaching us quickly and before I knew it, an immense splash of water drenched me. A few seconds passed by as I watched my best friend splash around in desperation. Soon, he was gone. The pencils floated back to the surface but he didn’t. Helplessly, I stood staring clutching his cap to my beating heart and staring at the water that had swallowed my friend into the abyss. The minutes seemed like hours. Finally, I shriek forced itself out of my mouth.

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“MOM!” Since that day, he had been paying every single pencil back. And today, he finally returned the final one. ~~{Morning 2016}~~ I woke up early due to what had happened last night. Surprisingly, I am still lying on the floor with the box in my hands. The soft, wooly carpet in which my head lays was damp with tears from last night. I sit upright and look out of the window. It is still quite dark out and my alarm hasn’t gone off yet. It must be around five am judging by the sky. After all these years, I have been too afraid to visit his grave. I felt guilty… and I am. They were just pencils and he was my friend. Yet my tantrum caused me to lose that in seconds. Before I know it, I am standing at the door reaching for the door knob, holding a picture of him in my hand. I jog to the bus station and pay for a ticket to and back from where Jacob was buried. It takes around an hour usually but since it is so early in the morning, there is almost no one on the road. In half an hour, I’m already there. I walk to the cemetery. Unlike the movies, the sky is bright and the sun is warm. There is no fog and the birds are singing cheerfully. I walk up to my friend’s grave stone. Here lies, Jacob Daniels. Beloved son and friend. 2000-2003 There isn’t much I can do. I fall to my knees and look at the floor hopelessly. I have the picture in my hands so I place it under his gravestone. Suddenly, I small paper hits my shoulder lightly. I open it. ‘Never forget, Adam… -Jacob.’

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Love is a Cure by Scott McLaughlin “It’s not going to end well” I thought to myself. This was my sixth day sitting on that same bed, in the same hospital. No family, no friends- I rested by myself. I waited for the doctor to come with my results, hoping it wasn’t terminal. “Errr, it’s not terminal, but you’re not in the greatest of situations. Without medication, you won’t last a week.” the doctor exclaimed, as he turned the corner into the room, marching. I fell to my knees, pleading for a cure. “You will need quite a lot of money for this very special medication. Who’s your family?” I hesitated. Do I make one up? I slowly turned my head upwards, and I said “I don’t have one.” The doctor sighed. “There is no chance you will be able to afford the money. Pack your stuff- you’re out of here!” In no time at all, all my dreams and all my chances flew out the window. It was back to the beginning. Back to page one. No family no friends, no money, no home. Great. What was I going to do now? I made my journey towards the nearest bench, as I grasped my last cigarette out of my pocket. I observed the creatures travelling past. The ideas went around my head. Rob a bank? Too mainstream. Betting? Don’t even have the money to do that. Think think think think think. My brain felt emptyI couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t do anything. I stood up, and walked around the bench until I found my idea. Round. Round. Round. My mind was blank, my body was weak, and my eyes gradually closed shut. Everything blacked out… My eyes glimpsed open. The face of a creature slowly emerged into my view. I panicked and crawled against the wall. I was shaking like a leaf in the middle of a hurricane. “It’s alright calm down” a voice whispered. There stood a beautiful, middle-aged woman. Then an idea popped into my head… What if I take advantage of her money to get my medication??!?!!! It was the perfect idea. Not too extreme, but I could get away with it. How am I going to do this? Hm, let’s see… Wait... I can’t just leave her staring at me and not saying anything! Quick say something to break the awkwardness.

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“Um. Ah. Ahm. Erm.” The sounds couldn’t come out of my mouth. My heart pounded out of my chest. The young lady watched me as I sat there, with absolutely nothing to say. The lady smiled, and walked off into the distance. It was like a dream. The thoughts were going around my head like a whirlwind. Little did I know, this was just the beginning. She was the one. I felt it in in my arteries. I felt it in my veins. The door to my heart was locked- and she had the key. For the next few days, I stayed at her place, lying in bed, with her looking after me. Months passed and I was staying in her home, feeling more at home than ever since the day my family passed away in the disaster. The thoughts whirled through my head of my old home. The memories, the sweet old voice of my parents. Even my brother, who was annoying at times. The tears slid down my face, as I made my way out of bed. I sat down and had my cup of tea that she prepared for me. We sat down. Talked. Nothing too crazy. A few months had past, and we had become very close. I couldn’t even feel my heart hurting, because she was all that was in my head. Then a wild thought came into my head. “We should get married.” What I didn’t know was that I was thinking out loud. She came over to me, and whispered gently in my ear “I would, but we don’t have the finances.” That came to a shock. How can this beautiful lady, who has this luxury house, be not able to have the finances? She got up into the kitchen to prepare me my special breakfast. Fried Egg and Bacon, just as I liked it, with crunchy feel to the bacon. I stood up with frustration and asked “WHY? Why you have this beautiful house, this beautiful jewelry, and you can’t afford a wedding?” I strolled out of the house, not knowing what I was doing. I flew with anger to the hospital. The doctor confronted me at the front door. “What are you doing here? Did you suddenly get a job, a family, and some friends?” The nurses chuckled in the background. “No I didn’t” I exclaimed “But I did get something you don't have. I found Love.” The doctor looked at me like I was a monkey drowning in a pool. “Have you lost your mind? What can love do for you? Magically cure your disease? YOU HAVE NO HOPE!” “Let's see if I have no hope. Let's take the tests again!” The doctor laughed like a witch, and brought me to the testing rooms. My heart was pounding like a hammer on a nail, as I got in to take the test. A few hours past, and the doctor came in, with his jaw so wide you could fit in about 100 lollipops. “I can’t believe it. It’s been cured” I ran out the hospital as the happiest person ever, and went back to the women’s house. She was sitting down, crying about me leaving. “What di…” Before she said anything, I ran and hugged her. “I love you so much” I screamed.

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Since then the days have past, and now we are parents of two kids, and our two kids are both now married and having a good time. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the hospital, on the same bed. I cannot remember it, but the story of how I met her is the only one that stuck with meand itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only one that ever will.

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Capture the Flag by Alex Foord Dedicated to Andrew Foord

We ran for the hill, bullets zipping over our heads. “TAKE COVER!” The captain yelled as a grenade hurtled in our direction. I turned around to see one of the enemy staring at me. “Hello old friend.” He taunted raising his axe. 592 hours earlier Time: 08:00 hours Day: 340 Operation CTF Location: Camp Eterna Status: 4:6 A-Team: 10. B-Team: 10. Z-Team: 10 Opposition position beyond the forest “Warlog update Team Alpha Captain 390: We woke up at 07:00, with a “07:20 Push Time” for a raid against Eterna. By 07:30 the raid was finished. 07:50 we prepared for the invasion. 08:00 departure. Log over.” After the log I cleaned my rifle and left my bunker. I checked my pack to make sure I had my supplies: 14 Days of Food, 4 litres of water, sleeping bag, Binoculars, walkie talkies & spare batteries, long blade, survival knife, pocket knife, gun-shot trauma kit, map, compass, goggles & scarf, pistol and spare magazines, grenades (frag, smoke & flash bang). I shrugged into my tactical harness, which settled over my Kevlar vest, donned my helmet and re-checked my assault weapon before grabbing my combat gloves. With more than 1000 rounds per person weighing in

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at over 30 kilos, our total kit weighed in at nearly 60 kilos, and that was excluding water we would not be sprinting too far with that load! Time: 10:00 hours Day: 341 Operation CTF Location: Camp Viridian Status: 4:6 A-Team: 10. B-Team: 8. Z-Team: 10 Outside the wall I checked my spare rifle magazines again, pulled out my Ak-47 and prepared to attack the castle. We lost it a couple of months ago in a raid. Suddenly, our commander yelled “Attack!” and my squadron moved in. I must have shot 5 people before I hit the ground after jumping out the truck. “WHERE DO WE GO?” Yelled Shankster. Suddenly, a rocket exploded about half a click to my right, blowing a hole in the wall. “I am going that way, take the other side.” I yelled sprinting to the hole, I dived through it. Inside the base, I found myself surrounded by the enemy. I let all hell rain loose from my weapon. For about 3 seconds before I was surrounded. “Look who it is.” One of the soldiers said coming forward. The band on his arm signified he was the captain. BANG! BANG! BANG! Time: 14:00 Day: -31 days for Operation CTF [1/12/2159 Location: Operation CTF training ground Status: N/A Team A-20. Team B-20 Team Z-20 “Fluffy” I slashed with my katana. It seemed as though the three years of training for the mission had flown by, as it was now only a month away. I could hear the crackle as my Katana sliced through the air. I felt all the muscles in my body; each in a different type of pain. Shankster had become bomber for Team B and Magnus had made Medic for Teams A, B and Z. Last I heard Jake was scout for Team Z. Smoothly sheathing my Katana, I headed for my dorm. I dropped my gear into my foot locker and headed straight into the showers. I looked at the mirror and saw my black hair start blocking my vision and my beard was bigger than wolverine’s. I pulled out my razor and shaved off my beard. After, that I gave myself a buzz cut and took a scalding shower followed by an ice-cold blast. As I climbed into my bunk my massive Husky “Fluffy” jumped in. He was going to join us in about a year. Time: 10:30 hours 155

Day: 341 Operation CTF Location: Camp Viridian Status: 4:6 A-Team: 10. B-Team: 8. Z-Team: 10 Inside the wall My revolver boomed in his face. I saw the blood and brains splatter everywhere. It was not pretty. Spinning around I pulled out my katana and lashed out. I swung my blade and cut through skin, flesh and bone like butter. Thud! The sound of a man’s hand hitting the floor creating a puddle of dark red flowing liquid. Stabbing through his heart, my sword pierced the man like a needle through fabric. Suddenly a group of men ran out the main base. I quickly dropped them before they could even pull the pin from a frag grenade. Slam! I felt a bullet puncture my back through the body armour. I blacked out and collapsed… Time: 12:00 Day: 16/10/2156 Location: Operation CTF signup Building Status: N/A Team A-N/A. Team B-N/A Team Z-N/A Jake, Shankster, Magnus and myself are 18 now, we're signing up for this war. We were walking to the CTF sign up. The sun was shining. Magnus’s black hair flew behind her as she snuck up on Shane or “Shankster” as we like to call him. Shankster was born for the military as he was built like a bear; Jake was the complete opposite he was small but fast and could sneak up better then Magnus. “BOO!” Screamed Magnus behind Shankster. “Ahhh!” Bellowed Shankster. “Really Magnus, AGAIN!” “Yup.” “Hurry up guys.” I insisted as I started sprinting towards the tower where the sign-ups were being held. We ran at full speed straight for the building just in time to hear the general start his speech. “Recruits, you are here because you have chosen to help us END THIS WAR!” As he said this everyone cheered. “This whole Operation is the result of a deal we have made with Malum. Whoever claims all 10 Military bases will win the land of Coelum. There will be different terrains but the four main ones will be forest, desert, arctic and urban warfare. You will be trained for three years before this war begins. We do not know how long this war will take but we know we can win it. FOR EXERCITUS!”

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Our little group then walked into to the building and signed up. The application was short but one question stood out. “Canine Units” (Do you have a trained Dog to support the war effort?)’. I considered this question and decided to check yes and put Fluffy down. The rest of the day when past in a flash. Time: Unknown Day: Unknown Location: Unknown Status: Unknown Team A-Unknown. Team B-Unknown. Team Z-Unknown Me: I wonder if I’m dead. I start to wish I was dead. My back feels like it is on fire… My head feels like I battered it on a wall. And don’t get me started on the rest of my muscles. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw a dog staring at me. I opened my mouth to scream but was breathless. I discovered Fluffy was lying on my chest waiting for me to wake up. “Hey fluffy.” I whispered under his immense weight… “He’s awake.” I heard a voice say. Suddenly, a doctor rushed in and bombarded me with questions about how I was feeling. He then explained what had happened. I barely listened though. “Any questions?” The doctor asked me, once he had finished his speech. “Yeah! Where am I?” I asked, my voice barely returning. “Camp Viridian. Thanks to you, we overpowered it two weeks ago.” “I was asleep for two weeks?” “Yes.” Time: 18:00 hours Location: Camp Viridian Day: 355 Operation CTF Status: 6:4 A-Team: 16. B-Team: 15. Z-Team: 15 We have located Camp Cacnea. We have the new recruits. Fluffy is part of team Alpha. “Warlog update Team Alpha Captain 299. Just woke up from 2 week coma. Camp Cacnea has been found. All remaining bases have been located. Tomorrow at 10:00 hours we leave for Camp Solit. Teams A,B and Z have been restocked with soldiers (including Fluffy). On Day 341 we lost 2 soldiers in transportation and we claimed camp Viridian. Log over.” After my log I prepared to sleep when a new soldier from Team Zelda (who comes up with these names?) ran into the bunkhouse. “Sir...we just took over… camp Pewter... departing for… camp Cacnea tomorrow.” the soldier said out of breathe. “Ok, how long is the journey?” “8 days.” 157

“Great.” As the recruit left I pulled out my blade and started my routines when my leg burst in pain and I collapsed to the ground, my Katana skidding across the floor. I crawled over to my sword, sheathed it and used it as a crutch as I hobbled back to my bed where I fell instantaneously into a deep sleep. Time: 08:00 hours Location: Camp Viridian Day: 356 Operation CTF Status: 6:4 A-Team: 16. B-Team: 15. Z-Team: 15

Time: 10:00 I woke up the next morning in complete agony. My back felt like it had been smashed into a wall and a spike had ripped through the flesh. Grabbing my katana as a crutch, I staggered to my gear. I managed to put it all on, checked and then rechecked it before I made my way to the infirmary. When I eventually arrived, the doctor from yesterday started to approach me when Helen barged in front of him, gave him a turn-aroun- no-one-dies look, then she approached me. “What do you need?” Helen asked in her British accent. “A splint and back support” I replied. She was wearing her uniform which told me she would be in this fight. She gave me the supplies and we headed across to the dining hall. As we climbed into our truck Jake and Shankster came around the corner and ran towards us. “Hey, nice recovery. How are you walking?” Jake asked. “Morphine.” I replied. “That’ll work… I guess?” he responded sarcastically. “Jake! Don’t judge! I would like to see you get shot in the back and be back on your feet two weeks later” Helen scolded, “or just get shot in the back” she murmured as an afterthought. “Shut up.” Loki muttered as he climbed in, the wittiest retort he could manage on the spur of the moment. The truck then pulled out the base as started driving out of the camp and towards Camp Cacnea. Day: -1113 days till Operation CTF [1/12/2156] Location: Loki’s house Status: N/A Team A-N/A. Team B-N/A.Team Z-N/A We got our signup letters today.

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I slowly approached the house, the next years of my life were in this envelope. I walked up to the door with it clutched in my hands. Knock! Knock! I banged on the door and as Loki opened it, saw I was the last person to arrive. “Hey, come in -” Loki “I MADE IT IN!” I heard Shank yell. “SO DID I!” Magnus followed. “Guess we should open ours then.” He declared in a voice loud enough for the others to hear. “Yeah we should.” I replied. Slowly we opened the letters and read them. “I didn’t get in.” Loki said in a soft voice. “WHAT!” The rest of us said in unison. “Didn’t make the failures... because I am in.” He finished. We all sighed. “I made it in as well.” I said more calmly than the others. Time: 10:00 Day: 364 Operation CTF Location:Camp Cacnea Status: 7:3 Team A-16. Team B-15.Team Z-15 Final battle “War log update 300. This is the final battle. We took over Camp Ping. Executing operation Triple Kill (Operation triple kill, attack all 3 remaining bases at once). The team are ready and so am I. Log over.” I grabbed my recorder and sent all the data to my team's data controller. I shrugged into my Kevlar vest. I checked, double checked and triple checked my supplies. I had my goggles on and camel back and webbing over the Kevlar. Weapons ready and grenades prepped on my tactical belt. I was ready for war. Thud! I heard the clang of metal hit the floor of the truck. I turned to the sound. “What are you doing?” I asked the soldier who had removed the rear rifle plate from his Kevlar vest. “What? I’m not planning to get shot in the back running away.” The man shot back. “Then you should plan for someone to shoot you in the back when you are looking the wrong way.” I replied. The truck drove at full speed until it got to the desert but then we changed into a sand dune driver. We drove for a while until we got to a sand dune not far from the base’s wall.

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We quickly dropped out of the vehicle and headed straight for the wall. “CHARGE!” The commander yelled. I saw Shankster heading for the wall with C4 and plant his charge. Suddenly, a missile flashed from the wall. Shankster and a few others disappeared in a red mist. But I could grieve later… or when I joined them. I pulled out my gun and jumped through hole in the wall, aiming at the first defender. BANG! I saw his head splatter over the wall behind. I then spun round and let rip at about twenty more of the enemy. CLICK! I silently cursed myself as I slipped my gun on my back. I smoothly unsheathed my sword and started slicing and dicing. I stabbed the man in front of me and could feel the resistance of his body armour and ribs. I could feel them crackle under the blade and as I pulled it out I could see the blood gushing out like water over Niagara Falls. BOOM! I heard the grenade blow up another wall, creating a mound of rubble. I ran straight for it and cut through people's skin like butter. I rolled over the mound and wait straight for one of the vehicles. I hid behind it, to reload my rifle. I could see the men running over the dunes like ants but they never made it past the ridge. Time: 00:00 Day: 365 Operation CTF Location:Camp Cacnea Status: 8:2 Team A-N/A. Team B-N/A.Team N/A Too long The battle had been going on for hours. We had taken over Camp Pain and only had Cacnea and Igneous left. I decided to make my last assault. I checked my gun and activated my night vision goggles.

Bolting over the hill, I had my gun ready. I threw a smoke grenade and could hear them choking. I dropped as many of them as I could. CLICK! The ominous sound of my empty clip.

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BOOM! The sound of a grenade near a wall. We ran for the hill, bullets zipping over our heads. “TAKE COVER!” The captain yelled as a grenade hurtled in our direction. I turned around to see one of the enemy staring at me. “Hello old friend.” He taunted raising his axe.

I recognized him immediately, he was the man who shot me. I saw him just before I collapsed. I pulled out my katana and stabbed him through the heart and watched him bleed out. I sprinted towards some more of the enemy but my morphine had run out and I collapsed. To my right I saw Loki perform a sneaky blow to the head but directly after, he was shot in the back and was on the ground. With every last ounce of strength I had, I tried to run over to him but had to start crawling. Suddenly I saw Loki get picked up by a medic and the same happened to me. Bang A bullet was shot into my chest and my vision faded and I blacked out… Time: Unknown Day: Unknown Location: Unknown Status: Unknown Team A-Unknown. Team B-Unknown. Team Z-Unknown Me: I’m having deja vu I slowly opened my eyes and saw Loki in the bed next to me. I looked around and saw hundreds of doctors and nurses helping soldiers. “He’s awake. Reynolds is awake.” A nurse called. Grabbing them by the shoulders I told her, “My name is Logan, and my father is the leader of Malum and he will not stop.” I then slowly blacked out again and felt life start slipping away… But it didn’t. THE END ‘When you can’t run you crawl and when you can’t do that you find someone to carry you.’ -Captain Reynolds (long live the brown coats) Firefly

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Dovev by Eunse Kim Prowling in perplexity and looking distraught, Mr.Harvard stepped into the dire scene. Officers and policemen scrambled through corridors and corridors, clutching onto their phones as more and more tedious crimes were unravelled each day and night. “Excuse m-me, sir?” an officer spoke courteously. “H-how may I help you?” His eyes dripped down as fast as a rain drop; his head was lowered to reveal his soaked face. “It’s my daughter… She was hanged- hanged for months now” A dark shadow had appeared underneath the officer's fatigued pale face. It seemed as if he had seen this scene a thousand times–as if he had worked non-stop for years in this gloomy atmosphere. “Don’t worry sir, we will bring h-help immediately, pleas-” “NO! I won’t stand here and wait. I’ve been waiting six months already so please, I want to hire a personal detective.” The detective knew it was true… Although other officers did see him frequently coming back and forth in the police station, they had no other resolution nor evidence of who the killer was. “In that case, I think L-Lillian Brentford would be a good option. She is very highly qualified.” ***************** “Hello, this is Lillian Brentford, what can I do for you? Please, do take a seat.” As she glanced towards him, a pleasant, warm smile was drawn on her blushing, youthful face - it put Harvard at ease. “My daughter, she has been murdered… It has been six months and no one had come up with a solution,” And yet once again, he felt the flame of despair; just the same as the past six months. “Do not worry, Mister…?” “It’s Mr.Harvard,” “Mr.Harvard, I can assure you that this dilemma will be solved immediately in these hands of mine and I will assure you that this ‘master-mind’ will definitely be tracked down.” “If you wish to hire me in order to find this murderer swiftly, please sign these two contracts.” “I thank you and I heavily appreciate your participation,” “No need to thank me with such kind words, however, it would be very helpful if you would please address me to some of your living relatives, so that I could give them a safe hand.” “My wife, sister and younger son are on a summer vacation in Sheffield, I thank you for your w,” While Brentford took notes, Harvard’s signature was later embedded onto the two sheets. “Good hunting, Mr.Harvard, I hope we will meet again,”

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***************** Time was a sloth; he walked in an unpressured state, as his mind was blank. Unmoved and unconscious of his actions, Time made a hollow grin. “Ring Ring!” “Ring Ring” was the song of hope, the song that is lead to perception. “Mr.Harvard! I know this is very uncalled for, however… I-t’s your family members. They have been murdered! I’m telling you, I saw it in front of my two eyes!” “Clash” the phone had dropped down on the rusty, oak floor, as Mr.Harvard turned reluctantly to hear one more word from Lillian via his cell phone. “Mr Harvard? Mr.Harvard, I’ll contact the police for now to solve your Daughter’s case first in hand, furthermore, I’m afraid I have to be occupied in your family matter. Next week, the policemen and forensic scientists would investigate into your house where the murder has occurred,” As the phone gasped its last words, it was clear that young Fate had been tormenting the man’s life. ***************** 21:08, it was. The most agitating period of an agitating night. The night that was as dark as death. The time had come to resolve who the killer was. Just in a flash, the investigators had entered into the wealthy man’s manor without a trace of patience or consideration. In what was used to be known as his territory, the investigators were as busy as ants searching for the DNA of the red-handed culprit. “Mr.Harvard, i-it’s a pleasure to e-e-encounter you again,” Pale skin and dark circles were the features of the the officer in the police station who had introduced him to Brentford. However, this time, he wore a broad smile and confidence in his hands. “An honor to meet you again, Mr.Atropo,” Harvard replied in a solemn tone, convinced that only misfortune would be bestow upon him until his deathbed. “I’ll help you with all my strength to capture that corrupted predator!” “Will it..?” “Of course! W-we can’t possibly give up now, because I-I’ve already found a resolution to whom the murderer is,” Atropo was blinded by euphoria and pride from the effort of his work. It seemed as if he only worked on this case for months– an effort that is put into great care. “According to this file, i-it shows that the k-kil- H-hello Ms.Brentford, w-what a coincidence to meet you here,” “Indeed, in fact, I came to summon Mr.Harvard to the manor to discuss some matters about his family murder,”

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“A-ahh, I see, I guess I’ll meet you later then, Mr.Harvard, we’ll have this conversation at a later stage.” ***************** “Now that we finally have peace, I can finally inform you about the… ‘issue’, her face looked oddly grim, as grim as a ghoul. Ms.Brentford reached into the inner pocket of her jacket. “Yes? Umm… Ms.Brentford, are you perhaps not feeling very well? You look extremely exhausted” “No! Not at all, it’s just a pity that I can’t see you again, Mr.Harvard,” “I am very sorry, however I do not understand what you ar-” “I guess you could say that it was part of our contract,” “O-our contract? What does out contract have to do with this?” “You’ll see after you perish out of sight,” With a sudden swift action, Arthur’s right abdomen was impaled with a kitchen knife, shielded in poison. In despair, Arthur attempted to limp to the front yard, where policemen were located. “You’re. Not. Going. Anywhere,” “Slash!” Harvard’s left leg was slashed – fatally wounded, as he had collapsed on the bed of grass, cushioning him from a risky fall. “Here she is! The murderer is here!” yelped a horrendous cry. “Hurry and keep her captive!” A darkness enfolded Arthur Harvard as he slowly closed his eyes… He may have lost his relatives and his life, but he has found the answer to all his questions.

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Lost Teddy Bear by Youngseok (Andrew) Oh “Mommy, where’s my favourite teddy bear?” “I don’t know, sweetie. Why, did you lose it?” Michael’s favourite teddy bear, named Daniel, was his life. He didn’t leave him alone and took him everywhere he went. It helped him sleep at night and overcome his nightmares. “I don’t know, I left him on my bed when I went to take a shower.” “Well, search some more.” “Can you help me search for it, mom?” “Later, after I make dinner, alright sweetie?” “Ok.” After that, Michael searched harder and checked every place he last remembered putting Daniel. Michael was so desperate to get his teddy back because he knew he couldn’t sleep without it. He was now 6 and didn’t want to have his mom tuck him in bed. He wanted to be an independent boy. A few minutes later… “Dinner’s ready.” “Dad, I lost my favourite teddy bear. What do I do?” asked Michael with his mouth full of spaghetti. “Don’t speak with your mouth full Michael, it’s not good manners. And I don’t know about your teddy bear. You should’ve taken care of it. You’re now 6 and need to have a little bit of responsibility over your things.” criticized Mike “Sorry dad, but I really want to find my teddy. I won’t be able to sleep… --------A few years later, when Michael was the age of 12 Michael and his family had just moved from America to South Korea. He was going to attend an international school in Seoul. It was one day in September when he came across something that didn’t really matter to him today, but would’ve mattered when he was 6… “What is this doing here?” Michael had finally found his teddy. After six long years, he had found his soft and cuddly Daniel. “One of the movers must’ve found it somewhere when we were packing. Oh, the memories the teddy brings back…” --------165

“Mom, tell me a scary story before I go to sleep.” “Will you be able to sleep then? “Of course mom, I’m a big boy now and I have my teddy.” “Alright. Once there was a village in a very remote and rural place. There was a cat… “Not this story again…” Michael’s mom always tells this story about cats in places killing people. The only reason why she would only tell scary story about cats is because she doesn’t like them. “Mom, can you tell a different story please, you always tell this story” “Well, I don’t know any other story, so ask you sister.” “SISTER, CAN YOU TELL ME A SCARY STORY” screamed Michael all the way down the corridor. He soon heard a quiet walking sound from the corridor. “Ok, once upon a time, there was a mysterious tunnel in Japan. People who went in… never came out…” started Michael’s sister, Hailey. Michael always loved his sister’s stories. They were always new and scared the living soul out of him. Even though it was terrifying, he always had his lost teddy bear to keep him safe.

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Caved by Maya Gutman He must be gone… he… he must be! I was panting; loud and hard as booming thunder. “Leave me alone!” I yelled, as loudly as could, and yet it still sounded like a muffled whisper in comparison to my loud, heavy breaths. My heart was beating so hard, and so fast, if it were to beat just slightly faster and harder, it would have burst right out of my chest. I slowed my running pace to a jog. I couldn’t run anymore. I fell to the ground, the rocky dust digging into my cold bare skin. “Please…” I begged, shutting my eyes as tightly as I could, not daring to look back. There was no reply, only the sound of the whipping wind sending chills down my spine. “Please!” I repeated, now almost as a yell, hearing my voice echo through the empty cave. As my whole body trembled, I turned my face to look behind me, expecting to see that horrid monster who has been chasing me for so long. I stared blankly out of the dark cave I ran into. The monster was gone… and I was lost. ---------I was calmly lying in bed. It was dark outside, perhaps it was around midnight and out of no-where… an ear piercing scream… a wail penetrated the air. My heart skipped a beat, I sat up quickly, and listened. I cringed, and rose. I swiftly grabbed my blue fluffy blanket, as the wailing continued and got on my toes. My teddy bear, by red metallic baseball bat, and my half empty glass of water, all in my hands. Tiptoeing out of the room, I headed through the dark hallway, which normally seemed so bright and lively, with jazz music and mother’s soft hums flowing around it; now, the long dark hall seemed like a menacing torture chamber. I made my way through into the hallway; a glimmer of light came from under my mother’s bedroom door. It was so late at night, and the whimpers heard from behind the door were unbearable. I opened the door with a creek, peeking through, I saw a man. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My mother was sobbing, curled up like a ball in the corner of the room, and the man, who’s curved back was facing me, was holding a large golf club. What was this? What was happening right in front of me? I couldn’t breathe. Nervous sweat was dripping down my forehead; I kept on watching. 167

“David…” My mother said in a brittle, hoarse voice. David? She knew him… and so did I! Where did I hear that name… David? “Stop acting so innocent! You know what you have done!” I was in shock. What did he think he was doing! I was just watching and listening, tears flooding my eyes… Why wasn’t I doing anything? I don’t know. My mother's hands were covered in gore as she attempted to block too flow of blood that streamed out of her head. As her face shifted towards the door, she saw me. Soon her body collapsed to the ground, her eyes still focused on me. Soon David turned around, and looked at me, with his dark piercing eyes. I held my baseball bat up high. I was ready to do anything to get this man out of our house. The small hairs all over my body prickling, standing up, I was flooded with tension… And yet the adrenaline in my body started flowing even more. “Janet… we meet again!” laughed the man, in a honeyed, gruff voice. How did he know me? My name? I raised my bat slightly higher, as this man… this monster, started staggering towards me, his knees shaking violently. My mother was slowly standing up, and she quietly shuffled towards the man. She jumped on his back, slamming him aggressively down onto the cold ground. “Janet, it’s David! Run!!” My mother screamed in a guttural, breathy voice, tears running down her cheeks. “Get the police, get some help! Get anyo-” Bam! David got up with a strong push, flinging my mother's weak, gangly body to the wall. With a bloody gasp, her eyes closed. The man turned to face me, and with his gruff voice said “You shouldn’t have come... come here, my little girl.” A psycho… truly.

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I was petrified, glued to the floor. David - that monster - was approaching me, looking me in the eyes, he frowned. As if with magic, my feet started backing away, and soon enough, I swished around the corner and ran back down the same misty, eerie hall. David was following me “Come here, darn it!” His icy, gravely, croaky voice was still echoing through my head. “You shouldn’t have come!” I burst through the sturdy, brown oak door, and began to run through the dark streets. I didn’t even bother to look back, I ran with all of my might, for a while hearing that monster’s booming footsteps behind me. Entering a field, I kept on running. I don't know how long I was running for; I didn’t pause for a second. Seeing the sunrise in the distance, I entered a cave, I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear, I was in a state of shock. Where was I? I couldn’t tell. Still running through the cave, it became darker and darker, though rays of sunlight slowly flooded it. I was panting; loud and hard as booming thunder. “Leave me alone!” I yelled, as I hard as I could, and yet it still sounded like a muffled whisper in comparison to my pants. My heart was beating so hard, and so fast, if it were to beat faster and harder, it would have burst right out of my chest. I slowed my running pace to a jog. I couldn’t run anymore. I fell to the ground, the rocky dust digging into my bare skin. “Please…” I begged, shutting my eyes as tightly as I could. There was no reply, only the sound of the whipping wind sending chills down my spine “Please!” I repeated, now almost as a yell, hearing my voice echo through the empty cave. As my whole body trembled, I turned my face to look behind me, expecting to see that horrid monster who has been chasing me for so long. I stared blankly out of the dark cave I ran into. The monster was gone. ---------“His name is David, my little girl” “David? David is daddy?”

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Mother looked at me in concern. “That’s not important my dear. You must remember: what did I tell you to do if he comes?” I thought, and suddenly remembered “Kick, scream, and run!” I exclaimed, delighted to see that I remembered. In sadness, mother replied “Very good…” There was a pause… “But who is David?” I asked in curiosity. “He is a very bad man… and he doesn’t like either of us.” Mother replied jokingly, but I would see the sorrow in her eyes. After another short pause I asked “But how will I know who to kick, if I don’t know what he looks like?” Mother smiled dreamily and answered, “Well my dear… You will know it’s him because you have the same, brown hair… He has, dark, shiny eyes, and his back is curved. He is very muscular, and he will talk to you as though…” Mother's eyes filled with years “as though he is your father…” But he is not, no matter what he tells you. Understand?” Mother held my face with the palms of her soft hands, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Yes mommy, I understand” I replied with worry. “Good my dear… very good.” ---------I know that he will keep hunting for me. I don’t know why, I don’t know who he is, but I know he will. But for now I am lost. I am lost and I cannot be found.

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From Chocolate to War by Nadav Gutman 12 of June 1940 Blood. Pain. These elements are flowing on my skin, colors mixing like a slushie in a washing machine. Everything is getting darker, the colors are mixing, the laughs of children being shattered by the gunfire… I…. Benny It’s the Item that unites my Grandfather and I. The Item which causes Grandfather and I to giggle when we cradle it. The Item which seeps and radiates ecstasy. Chocolate; Chocolate is The Item. “Hurry!” My grandfather squawks. I am hurrying to find the chocolate. However something else catches my eye. Something which is embedded in an ancient Hershey's Chocolate box... Grandpa He found it! The Box and the Patch. The Yellow Badge: Judenstern. His eyes are googling; vibrating with curiosity. I can't recall a moment when I was oozing with curiosity like he is currently. My nails are digging into my hands’ flesh. I need to relax. I put my hand on his shoulder and mutter... “first chocolate, then story”. He is laughing… hysterically. He is zooming in frantically, searching for my packet of “Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme” (which is in the fridge). He rams onto my legs, hurls the chocolate o to my lap, and sits down to bear my old rambling story. It took me quite a while to remember my greatest life trauma which I kept away, sealed in a Hershey's chocolate box, but I might as well just take out the outdated secrets out of their wrapper too. He needs to hear them I began.

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It was the year of 1930, the year when I came into the world, to the wealthy family of Addie and Abraham Abel. Life was like a Palette of Joy, mixed with every beauty of life: Friends, Family and Love. Until the war came. I remember the day it all crumbled apart. I was around 9. The Nazi Soldiers had invaded Poland. Then they invaded Warsaw. And then they took over Muranów. My neighbourhood. When the commencement of the Nazi jurisdiction had begun, they forced us into little neighbourhoods; constantly peering at us. Things that we did before were now out of our grasp: no more cinemas, libraries, parks and we even had to start wearing yellow star patches to show that we were a Jew, because now we had to be feared and show that we were monsters. One day they started taking us one by one, picking us one by one, like petals from a wilting flower. Young 10 year old me did not know the darkness which lurked in the “Adventure Camp” where the “fun sets you free” as my mother described it to me, trying to hush me to sleep while the Nazis howled, clawing and dragging my neighbours away. But it wasn’t long before I discovered the truth… _______

Benny, if you are starting to get terrified, you can tell me to stop. OK? “OK” he gulped with an excited essence. _______

People were being scraped off from the ghettos, like Death trying to scrape your soul out of your body. The camps were worse than nightmares. It was all hard labour such as mining. Every morning, you had to stand still for an hour. Considering the lack of food and water, this was a struggle. If you’d move, you die. If you are late, you die. You try to escape, you die. You take more than what is mandatory, you die. You were hit? Don’t try to resist, you die. You don’t work, you die. Simple enough, death if you want to resist death. Perhaps you think I am crazy to tell a child about this horror? But kids see war like a game now. You die, you can come back. Unfortunately it does not work like that, because then I could have my family back. And Benny needs to hear this. He needs to know what he can overcome.

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Benny God. Please! Send an angel to rescue me from this hostile situation. It’s mother. With a thick cigar blazing in her mouth! With ashes flurrying around the room! The chocolate scent of Grandpa’s room has disintegrated into reeking smoke. “Alfwed” she grunted, revealing her rotten teeth. Grandpa, trembles with rage: “One day, this lawsuit will end and my son will get him, Amber...” It is so confusing! Mom and Dad have been having a heated argument lately. They were taking me to an enormous hall with a big man with a haunting cloak and a white wig, sitting in a big seat, asking me questions… what did what? Who did who? But I don’t care. I hate mom blowing her fumes in my face, carrying a bottle of these “forbidden” liquids I'm not allowed to drink. And dad? He is never there! Always gone, in his puny cell, where he deserves to be. Gramps is the only person I truly care for, and I am the only person he truly cares about. When I trample into his rustic studio apartment, my heart is injected with the melody of his classical music. The aroma of the affectionate chocolate combines with the welcoming grin of an angel… reviving my heart from stress and pressure. He is my guardian angel, my guardian to escape. My true friend. “I'm takin’ him home” mother moans extinguishing the cigar on my favourite chair. 23 marks were made there in the last week alone. “Amber, please… let me have another hour with him, please.” Grandfather begs with a stern expression. “Whatevah old man, I'm comin’ for him in one houa ok?” I am trapped, like a bear cub in a circus. Though I will grow, and I will emerge from being overpowered, I will not be a cub doing juggling. I will be free. Grandpa gave me the patch to remind me that we are strong enough to survive any monster. That’s why he tells me the stories. Grandpa Eventually, year by year, day by day, the Nazis pulled the roots of almost every flower in the field, but then I realised, we had to be plucked out too. It could have begun with everyone, father or me, but not her. I was walking with her to get our ration, when like a hawk swooping in – Soldiers! Screams! Prayers! Floor… Blood… Pain...

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These elements are flowing on my skin, colors mixing like a slushie in a washing machine, and everything is getting darker. The colors are mixing; the laughter of children and women being shattered by the gunfire. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gone. Somehow in my heart, I knew she was alive somewhere in a camp. 14 year old me knew, there was something there. Everything I loved which has been cradled in my soul, has evaporated, like a dying wisp.

My Family, Friends, Country, Freedom, Power and Rights disappeared. Yet a burning Passion in me was scorching like a wolf's howl. Beating. Saying we can push through this. I could last, Bernie, and you will be able to tooâ&#x20AC;Ś As confinement is just an Illusion, you can survive any horror you encounter, as I have done, and so will you. That's the greatest gift you could ever find, and the gift you will never lose. And that lesson is sweeter than any chocolate that I can give you.

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Timed Grief by JunSeob Shim “Duck! We’ve landed in a battlefield!” Through my haze of fatigue, I glanced around, alarmed. Adrenaline surged through my body as I noticed the group of soldiers running towards us. Their uniform belonged to the North Korean Army. *** 2 years ago, an ability was given to me. Perhaps it was fate? Coincidence? Maybe. It’s an ability that most people would envy, one that they would do anything for. It’s an ability I believed that was only possible in fiction, only possible in my childish dreams. It’s a mythical power. No one knows… except her. I did tell her.

*** I had embarrassed myself - I had accidentally walked into the girls’ bathroom, but the worst thing was that someone was in there. The news spread and by morning break everyone thought I had gone into the girls’ bathroom on purpose! My face was all red, and I was frustrated that no one would believe that it was all a misunderstanding. It was then that I found myself wishing to go back to before it happened. Suddenly, I found myself back in my bedroom, the clock reading 6:00 AM - the time I woke up. It slowly dawned upon me… I could manipulate time - turn it back, travel through it! Anything was possible. “Dude. Wake up.” “Wha…?” I slowly opened my heavy eyelids, brought back to reality by the rough hands of Sam. “You know we’re having an exam on this tomorrow, right?” he whispered cautiously, “Looks like this time, I’m not going to be the only one who fails this one.” As soon as he finished his sentence, the bell started blaring, signaling the end of the lecture and the school day. *** Seriously. How can I study for a test on a war that I slept through the lecture for? I love history. Second test of the year - I can’t ruin my average like this. I aced the test on the Chinese Empire - that was so fascinating, how China turned from being a nation in 2016 to a vast empire spanning the whole of Asia by just 2100! 175

Sighing loudly, I crash onto my bed, face first onto the pillow. If my parents heard any of this, well, let’s just leave it at “it wouldn’t end well”. When I lift my head, my eyes stray to the phone on my bedside table, and an idea appears. I’ll ask her. She always takes notes, maybe she’ll let me look at them. I quickly tapped out her number and pressed the call button. “Hello?” “Hey Joven, It’s me, Trivon.” “Oh… Hey!” Coughing, she continues, “By the way, I’m sorry my voice is messed up.” “I accidentally fell asleep during the lecture today on the Korean War. Sorry, but could I look at your notes?” “What lecture? I wasn’t at school today because I had the flu.” “You kidding me?” “No, I still have a slight cough - that’s why my voice doesn’t sound good.” I let out a sigh and slump back onto my bed. Great. “Hey, I just had an idea. I know it’s a secret and all, but can we use that and go on a little educational trip?” “You know I don’t like using it… it tires me out! Someone might see! And plus, we’d be venturing into a war zone!” “It’ll be fine! What could possibly go wrong?” *** It’s 2253 AD, the 300th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that brought peace to the Korean Peninsula. To “celebrate”, our history teacher is giving us a test tomorrow. Huh. Doesn’t sound like a celebration to me. I packed the last of our supplies into a light bag, ordering them in importance. A slight sigh escaped as I stuffed a jacket into the bag. Seriously, would this be worth it? Would it be safe?

*** In the library, we studied the history textbook intently. The page we were on showed a map of Watt (the capital city of the current Chinese Empire), but the year printed on the map was 1950, and the city at the time was called Incheon (a Korean city at the time). The book says that a huge amphibious landing took place there on September 15th, 1950 and was a key point and the turning point of the Korean War. According to Sam, that was the battle described in the lecture, and that’s what we’re gonna go and see. If the map is correct, a mountain slightly to the left of the beach (where the amphibious landing occurred) should give us a good vantage point to observe the battle.

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We touched hands and prepared to leave. Technically this wasn’t needed - all I needed was to visualize the person I would be taking along with me - but I never told her that. I almost didn’t want to admit it to myself, but I liked it. I liked holding hands with her. “Is something wrong?” she queried with a concerned voice. I realize that I’ve been dwelling on it long enough for her to notice. “Nothing!” I reply, shooting her a quick smile. I visualize the Battle of Incheon first, and then the mountain in the map, and then Joven, and the world fades around us. “Duck! We’ve landed in a battlefield!” her alarmed voice rings out. Through my haze of fatigue, I glanced around, shocked. I had missed. By kilometers. This wasn’t where I planned - this was the beach itself. Incheon Beach. A surge of adrenaline surged through my body as I noticed a group of soldiers running towards us. Their uniform belonged to the North Korean Army. Shoot. “Come on! We have to go!” I yelled as I tore off. In the relative safety behind a large boulder, I glanced back. What I saw made my jaw drop in horror. She had tripped. On a loose rock. And the soldiers stood, looming over her. I could only watch in terror as the soldier’s finger tightened on the trigger… “Bang” *** Tears roll down my face. In the chaos of the battle, it was the least I could do to bring her body back. I don’t know how I did it - I just acted out of instinct, I suppose. Everyone here at the school is attending the funeral, and everyone is shocked at the “mysterious” death of Joven. I know better. It was my fault. I should never have agreed to go to on that “educational trip”. How could I have agreed? I should have known that would have been dangerous. How stupid was I? The tears don’t stop. As the funeral service ends, people start to leave. I’m left alone, clenching my fists in anger at myself. *** I loved her. I have a power. I can travel through time. I can bring her back. I won’t stop until I do. No matter the consequences on anything. No matter the consequences on anyone. I will bring her back. I will bring her back.

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Demon Sickness by Siyeol Lee It was around 6pm when Jonathan started to get weird shield shaped welts on his arms. At first, he thought something landed on his arms and tried to brush it off but when it didn’t come off, he realized something was wrong. His parents weren't home, they were at work so he decided to call his friends on Skype about this and ask them about it. When they said they had no idea what it was, he started to panic. His best friend, Sebastien suggested that he should go to the hospital. All of his friends agreed so he logged out of his laptop and put his jacket on to go outside. As he stepped outside of his house and locked the door, he saw a random old guy staring at him in a funny way. And his eyes glowed up a bit. Jonathan decided to ignore the old man and went to the nearest hospital. To his surprise, they didn't know what is was. Downhearted, he trudged back to his house as he noticed the same old guy he saw at his house staring at his welts. Out of panic, Jonathan blurted out “are you a stalker?” The old guy looked up and said “no, but I can help you with those welts. The doctors didn’t know what it was. Right? I know what they are.” “Uhhh, thanks but no thanks.” The old man, looking downcast said “If you want my help later on, come to the main square at the park.” When he got back to his house, he went onto Skype, called his friends again and told them what happened. Sebastien said, “he is probably just a creep” and Luke said “that old dude is probably going to kidnap you and ask your parents for ransom. You shouldn’t trust him.” “He said that the old man told him to come the main square in the park. It’s too public for him to try to kidnap anyone.” said James. “Then the old guy might lure him in or force him into his truck and make Jonathon act normal by using force.” said Luke. Sebastien said “guys, you know how pessimistic he his. Let’s just kick him out of the chat.” Jonathan said, “guys, I’m going to that place. What time can you come at?’ Luke said, “Us? Do you want all of us to get kidnapped? Well, I can’t go today. I have to do like thirty pages of homework. You know, I have the typical Asian mom.” “I wasn’t going to go today either. Can you guys come with me tomorrow? Since break starts tomorrow so we have no school. Let’s go at 1pm.” Said Jonathan. Sebastien said “Duh, are we going to go there at 1am?” When it was 1, they met at Sebastian's house since it was the closest to the park. When they got to his house, they all went to the main square and sat on a bench. When the old man got came, Luke said “he look just like the stalkers in movie. Weird long hair, unclipped nails, unshaven and dirty”. When the old man came in range to hear each other, he said “so you decided that you want my help? The doctor didn’t know what that thing on your arm was. Right?” When Jonathan said no, the old man looked relieved for some reason.

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The old man said “I can tell you what it is. If you don't get rid of it, you might die. I know where the cure is”. Jonathan, getting impatient said “Can you just tell us what the cure is?” The old man said “If you promise not to tell anyone”. “Okay”. The old man said, “You have demon pox. You are going to die very soon if you don’t get a cure. The cure is located in a demon dimension. To get to there, you need to take a portal”. Jonathan said “Um, can you give us a sec?” When the old man said yes, Jonathan led his friends away and said “No way. So we basically have to go to hell to get a cure? Like, literally the hell? Makes no sense. Plus, there’s no way that the demon dimension exists. I bet that the “portal is the old man’s truck and the demon dimension is his basement”. When they went back to him, they asked “What is the portal?” “The portal is a small connection that connects every dimensions. All portals are unique from each other and they all are worked by a power nobody knows except for the demons. Only they know because they built the portals. They built the portals to jump from a dimension to dimension. When they get to a different dimension, they stay there for some time and they destroy the whole place when they learn new thing. Then, they bring the technology back to their home dimension and use it. That’s why their dimension is the most advanced.” “Um how do you know about this?” The old man, looking uncomfortable, said “that’s unimportant. Anyway, do you want to die or do you want to live?” Jonathan, looking alarmed said “of course I want to live. I mean, if you go around saying would you rather die or live, what do you think people will say? I’m sorry but I think you’re lying and there’s no demon dimension”. The old man, looking unfazed, said “if I really am lying, why didn’t the doctor know about your welts. Even if the doctor is stupid or forgot about different kinds of welts, he could have searched it up and found out. Did he even bother trying to find out what caused it or what it was?” “No, but the doctor really could have been an idiot or he could have forgot about it”. The old man said, “the reason he doesn’t know about it is because it does not exist in this world. Also, the only way to fix it is in another dimension which only I know how to get to”. Jonathan, who was still a bit suspicious said, “so how do we use this portal?” The old man said “the portal can be anywhere. It could be in a graveyard, a background of a family or even in the middle of the ocean. The closest one to us is in a junkyard. It’s a really small junkyard”. Jonathan said “if it’s in a junkyard, how did nobody find it?” The old man replied “why would anyone go into a junkyard first place. Also, it’s pretty old and nobody went in there for a long time. It’s abandoned and nobody knows about it anymore. It’s also really close from here, we can just walk to there”.

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Jonathan said “if we go to the different dimension, what happens to here, Earth. Does time stop because if it doesn’t, my parents would start worrying. Also, what’s your name and why are you trying to help me? ” The old man replied “of course time doesn’t stop. And, you probably wouldn’t be able to pronounce my name. I’m not from here. Just call me Scott. That’s what my friends call me. Lastly, I’m helping you because why shouldn’t I help someone”. Sebastien said “so when can we go to that junkyard?” Scott said “any time you want to go there. We can go there even right now if you want to”. Jonathan, who wanted to be cured as fast as possible agreed to go there right away. Since it was very close, they decided to walk to the junkyard and had to walk for around ten minutes to reach there. When they got th junkyard, they found the place unguarded and just walked in. Inside the junkyard, there were several heaps of piles scrap metal. Scott poked around for few minutes until he found a worn wooden door in a pile. The door was plain and brown and looked completely ordinary, like a door that you would find in a normal house. He pulled the door out of the pile and leaned it against the pile. When Scott opened the door, they saw a pile of metal scraps. Jonathan, who became suspicious again said “are you sure you found the portal?” Scott nodded, stepped through and face-planted right into the wall of metal. Looking a bit ashamed, stepped out, closed the door, locked it with a key that he pulled out of his pocket, unlocked it and stepped through. This time, instead of crashing into the wall, he disappeared. Following Scott, Jonathan, Sebastian, Luke and James stepped through. When they stepped through, they found themselves in an alleyway that looked exactly like an alleyway in Earth. Luke, who looked baffled said “I thought hell would look like a gigantic cave with lava and fire everywhere and demons everywhere. Scott, who was next to them said “there are demons everywhere, they live here, but it doesn’t look like the hell that you find when you google search it”. The dimension looked just like Earth. Clear blue sky with white clouds, lots of buildings with very weird designs. The building looked as if they had been designed by Zaha Hadid. James said “so what does a demon look like. Do they look like the girls from the ring? Do they look like unmasked Jason Voorhees?” Scott replied “they look like normal people. They don’t exactly look like people. Some of them have extra body parts. Also, they might not have a certain body part. The main difference between a person from Earth and a demon is that demons are much more physically and mentally advantaged. They have better sight, smell, they’re smarter but they’re not that much faster than us”. James said “so, if we go near them, do they know that we’re not demons? What happens when the demons finds us.” Scott said “of course they would know that you’re not a demon. They would probably eat you. They like to eat any kind of meat”.

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Luke, who looked sick after he heard that he might get eaten muttered “we’re so dead”. Jonathan who also looked a bit pale from the idea of getting eaten alive said “how do get the pill? Is there like a demon pharmacy?” Scott said “yes. It’s in a pharmacy. We have to go in there and get a pill that says Adevil. You’re going to have to try to steal it”. Luke said “why do we have to steal it?” and Sebastien answered “because you don’t want to get eaten and die a horrible death? I don’t know”. Jonathan said “Ok. How do we find one and get into anyway. We’re most likely going to get caught and eaten and I really want to to avoid that. Scott, do you have any ideas? I mean, you’re the one who brought us here. Also, what language does demons speak in?” Scott, who looked very uncomfortable said “we could try to break into one and run away. But we would probably get caught since demons are a bit faster than us. Let’s first find one anyway. Also, demons speak every language from everyplace they went to”. As they walked around, searching for a pharmacy, Sebastien said “so we came all the way to a different dimension through a portal where we might get eaten by a bunch of humanoid freaks to raid a pharmacy”. When they found a pharmacy, before they could debate how to the pill, Luke, who thought that he was back at Earth, walked straight into the pharmacy.When Luke realized what he had done, he groaned something unintelligible and stood absolutely still while the demons inside observed each other carefully to see who would jump at him first and to see whether they would need to fight each other to get to him first. James, Sebastien, Jonathan and Scott rushed in after Luke as Luke came charging out of the pharmacy. As they chased after Luke, Jonathan saw Scott swipe a drug bottle of a shelf and run after them. Even though the demon were supposed to be a bit faster than them, they could not outrun a bunch of people who thought that they saw the rake in real life. After around five minutes of running, they manage to lose the demons in a narrow alley that led to the place where they arrived in. As they walked to the place, trying to catch their breath, Scott handed the bottle to Jonathan. When they reached the spot that they arrived in, the door that they used to get here wasn’t there. They all turned to Scott for explanation and found him blocking the exit of the alley way. His body seemed much larger, much more hunched, and had weird eerie looking eyes. Jonathan, who was intimidated by the sudden change in the appearance of Scott said: “so how do we get out of here?” “You don’t. Now, you’re trapped here”.

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Staged by Angelica Slater Have you ever felt so lost in your thoughts that you get carried away…? You get carried away in endless possibilities, endless concerns, endless problems and then all of a sudden reality hits, and all you do is worry even more? I’ve never felt so lost in my life. I entered my most important years of school, and still felt as though I didn’t belong. I didn’t enjoy anything. I didn’t enjoy school. I didn’t enjoy my surroundings. I didn’t enjoy me… I lost myself and I tried to find my way. I lost my sense of creativity, my happiness and I didn’t know how to find it again. ••• In the first weeks of freshman year, I was aware of my surroundings and was absolutely clueless about how I wanted to enjoy my “how many so” years or months I had at this specific high school. I had nothing to rely on. It’s hard when all of a sudden your dad ends up being re-stationed earlier than expected, and your family has been told to set up base in another country… This means my brother and I have no clue, no security as to where “home” is. In the past year, my brother and I have been in 5 schools and each transfer doesn’t get any easier. ••• My name is Blair. I have a younger brother- his name is Chase. I care for him so much. All my life, it’s been my duty to look after him and I feel like it’s my job to make him happy. But this is the first time that we’re going to different schools, because now I’m going into high school and he’s still in middle school. Unfortunately, after my mom passed away, I feel like it’s my duty to ensure that he has food when he wakes up, food at school, and food before he goes to bed. I need to sign all his permission slips as his “supposed” guardian. I have to ensure he has clothes for school, he’s completed his homework and that he studies for his tests. I’m his sister that has to play mom. I know he hates me sometimes, but he knows I do these things because I care about him and I want him to succeed. My dad doesn’t come home often, but when he does, he spends every single second that he has with us like it’s his last. I’ve always been seen to be the “quiet” individual, I always picture myself trying to hide, and be unseen. I do my best to stay unheard, camouflaged in the cliques of populars, jocks or nerds. I’m not adventurous and I never intend to be. However, something this year changed my life for the better. I decided to take a step - a step into a daring action. A move I thought I’d never commit. •••

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It all started two months ago… “Cast list of Les Misérables is released” …. …. Jean Valjean- Kurt Harey Fantine- Blair Chason Marius Pontmercy- Hugo Vintcent Cosette- Shannon Jones …. …. …. I tried out for the play. I tried out for the play, simply because I needed to. I barely got into this high school, simply because I was just another student with nothing on my résumé, which is exactly why they didn’t know what to expect from me. Simply because I do nothing but look after my brother, I grew up knowing nothing but how to follow a schedule. I never did anything that could possibly have any affect or interfere with the agendas I had to ensure I completed at home. But this time, I wanted to do something for myself. Something that I thought I’d never do. ••• After months and months of rehearsals and voice lessons and struggling to stay on top of my brother, we pulled through, and today was the day. Today was the day. I’ve never stood on a stage but the moment I stood on that stage, I felt as though I was safe. It was just me. All my emotions and thoughts drifted away and that I could express with deep emotion how I truly felt… I could pretend to be another person, another character with different emotions for just a few hours and it was exhilarating. I didn’t need to be me. I didn’t have to be me. I could leave my hectic life and not be told off for it. I didn’t have to play mom, I didn’t have to play daughter, and I didn’t have to play sister. I could play me, and express how I truly felt through the character I was given to portray. ••• I found me. For so many years, I had kept myself in a schedule, in such a predictable way that I didn’t know who I was anymore. I couldn’t find my way. But that day, I stepped on that stage, and spoke my lines. It fit, just like there was a missing piece in a puzzle and it was found. It completed me, it made it perfect. All the little pieces were put together but there was just one missing. I found that missing piece, and it felt right.

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I guess you could say I was lost… So lost, that I didn’t know how to search for myself. But I found a way… I found me.

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Burning Sensations by Vanessa Rapson The monotonous ward slowly appears within my blurry vision. I feel extreme pain all over my quivering body; the bruises and burns start to get to my attention. I’m still unsure of what occurred last night, I think I was unconscious. What happened? Who rescued me? My eyes gradually open wide and my stomach churns. I have a sudden feeling of isolation, emptiness and fear. I can feel the goosebumps underneath my bandages, this feeling is so unusual, I don't like it. I feel lost, where are my friends? Where is my family? Where is the real me… ********************* Ambulance sirens I heard sirens banging in my ear; the noise was deafening. It was as if somebody was stabbing me with anger. I could see a luminous light in the corner of my watering eyes, it was a fire. I ran fiercely out of my bedroom barefoot in the dark looking back at the fire. The fire looked like a ferocious lion going to attack me. My hands were clenching and sweat started to heavily drip down my forehead. My heart immediately beat faster and faster each second and my throat was choked with smoke. I could feel the heat of the fire radiating towards me. The taste of soot like sandpaper on my tongue was dreadful; the vicious fire kept getting closer and closer to me. ********************* I draw in a massive breath and my heart comes to a rest. A nurse opens the polished door into my patient room with a white uniform and a white mask as if I had a contagious disease. She walks towards me with her petite body dropping massive pills on the wooden table next to me and whispers “Jessie, this is very serious and you need to take all this painkiller now.” My hearing starts to lower and lower and everything's a blur. “Oh no! I think Jessie is in shock. She has clammy blackened skin, blue-ish lips and her heart rate is increasing.” The doctor gasps. I lift my arm up in a weak manner so the doctor will think I’m fine. The doctor continues, “You have a third-degree burn on your left upper arm and your tissue has been affected and this is very, very serious! You have to stay here for a while… probably months.” “I can’t stay here! It is going to be my boyfriend's birthday in 2 days. I have booked a flight to Guam in 2 days!” I tried to yell without fainting. “I’m so sorry but, that's the way it is. You will be fine.” The doctor said in a relaxing voice as she left the room with a smile. My mood has become 10 times worse - my head can’t stop pounding of anger and frustration. I look to my side to a small bright light, I have a text on my phone from my boyfriend.

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Daniel:

I heard about the fire. I am on my way!

My eyes now open up wide, wider than they have ever been before. How am I supposed to tell him… Later on in the day It has been 2 hours and he is still not here. We live only 15 minutes away from this emergency building. Where could he be? Thinking of Daniel, my heart rate increases again and I keep taking big rattly breaths. I bite my blue lips in fear that something tragic has happened to him too. I am going to call him. Ring Ring Voicemail Why isn’t he picking up his stupid phone? A gigantic yawn comes out of my bruised mouth; I look at the time, it's pretty late. Maybe if I sleep I will feel better and Daniel will be here to stand by the door and tell me everything's alright. I wish he could hug me, I wish that we could hold hands but I can’t have any contact with anybody because there is high risk of infection. I close my eyes and try to feel positive as I fall asleep. The next morning My eyes slowly open and I start to see all the needles and medicines that have been somehow put in my ward. Where is Daniel? He still isn’t here by my side and to tell me everything's alright. I immediately start to panic. I can feel the tears running down my cheeks like a waterfall. Soon enough, my phone makes a noise and it’s a text from my mum. Mom:

Do not panic! Daniel has been in an accident. WHAT! Why is this all happening? My vision starts to become blurry and I don’t feel very well. All of this is happening at once and I honestly can’t handle it. Looking at the

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door with the corner of my eye, I see Daniel being pulled on a cushioned trolley bed to the patient room right next to me. Daniel! Is that you? He looks bruised, wounded and unconscious… While I take my right foot out of my bed, I squint my eyes because the thought of standing up frightens me. I land my right foot onto the slippery floor - I bring my left foot onto the floor as well. Now the only thing left to do is to stand up. Standing up was harder than I thought. My heart starts racing and my body starts shaking again but this isn’t going to stop me from going in. I carefully hold the metal and cold doorknob. I twist my fragile wrist and I open the door slowly, leaning to one side to see if it was actually him. I can recognize him anywhere. His brown, soft and short hair, his wide muscular shoulders and his charming look. I know it all. When the door is finally opened, Daniels body is lying on the bed - I look straight at him. As I approach him, I can see more cuts, bandages and wounds. Not only that, I see his hair is matted with blood and his arm is blackened. Just like mine when I got burned. Now that I am standing right next to him, his eyes aren’t open. I stop and think of why he isn’t opening his hazel eyes. There is no movement at all. I gasp. I have finally realised... he has been put in a type of coma. I start to panic, I have never seen him in such a horrible condition. I bend over to see his face and the tears start piling up in my eyes. I take a deep breath and sit on the floor weeping in the hope that he will be okay. 5 months later It has been a long time inside of this ward. However, we can finally hold hands. We won't get infected. We can have the permission to touch each other. I go straight into his room without any hesitation and with a massive smile. I walk there with joy and happiness. Now I am there, and he puts his hand out, reaching towards me. I reach towards him too. Just with a few more footsteps, we are holding hands. The feeling of his hand just makes me feel safe. The grasp, the tightness and the reassuring feeling comes to me. “What happened to you?” I exclaim. “I was in a terrifying car accident while trying to get to the hospital in a hurry.” Daniel says while putting his shaking hands on his scarred arms. “Oh no! If I didn’t have my incident, this wouldn’t have happened to you.” I cry out to him. “Honey you can’t blame yourself! You did not expect the fire.” Daniel replies in a less shaky manner.

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“I love you.” I whisper to him. “I love you even more.” Daniel replies back opening his eyes. The moment we stop holding hands, it feels as if I have lost something. It feels as if I have forgotten something, or need something. The fire that had damaged me felt like a fire in my heart that needed to be blown out. Daniel was the water who doused out the flames. In him I found my happiness, love and joy.

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Bluegrass Bullet by Axel Moussavi Saturday morning. The newly laid track was glistening in the morning dew at Lincoln Memorial High School, Louisville (LMHSL). The track was cool with droplets of vapour. A perfect pattern of bubbles scattered across the recently mown lawn and let out the fresh smell of grass across the field. The little sounds of chirping robins rang in our ears... It was the most perfect sight one could ever experience, smell, see, and even hear. Still sleeping soundly, Noah was vaguely dreaming about his demented past; he was tossing and turning... Noah was a Kenyan immigrant who lived in Louisville, Kentucky. He moved to the US because of the constant, extreme violence going on in his hometown; he remembered having to sprint on his feet like an angry tornado that made the difference between life and death. He missed his home but was relatively happy with his new friends here in “The Bluegrass State”. His hometown of Majengo, Nairobi was quite a dangerous place to live as there were multiple gangs and mobs. Sometimes, they just killed for fun, and other times, for revenge… It was still extremely early when Noah’s best friend, Jaden, called him… “RRRIIINNNGGG” “Hello”, Noah groaned with a hint of annoyance, “Wakey wakey sleepy head!” “What time is it?” “Ummm, time to wake up!” “Seriously! IT’S 4:30AM!!!! Bruh, I told you to wake me at 6:30… NOT 4:30!” “Chill dude… It’s fine just go back to sleep! Jeez…” “No I can’t go back to sleep! It’s the day of THE RACE!” “Lullaby baby-” “Shut UP!” “Okay, okay, I’m sorry jeez. I was just trying to cheer you up for the race today…” “I need all the rest I can get. C’mon man, I even bugged you about it - 6:30! Talk to you later okay?” “Yeah sorry about this.” CLICK! --- 2 HOURS LATER --“RRRIIINNNGGG” “You up yet?” “Oh yeah thanks.” “Yeah dude, I’m picking you up at like 7:30 okay?” “Yup that’s great”

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CLICK! Waiting on the curb, Noah had just finished his whole grain bagel and was stretching his quads. A few minutes after stretching, Jaden and his mom finally showed up to pick Noah up to go to the high school for the chaotic morning... Arriving at LMHSL, the track was surrounded with different athletes and schools. People were warming up and stretching. His school teammates welcomed him into the locker rooms where he geared up in his Nike Spikes and his tank top for his race. Noah met his girlfriend Jackie outside the locker room and she gave him a good luck hug and kiss before the coach called Noah in. The coach told Noah that if he wanted to win, he would have to run the 100m faster than he’s ever run before. Faster than training. Faster than fast. Faster than Noah knew… He would be in the 100m A-team and he would be going against two students from Seattle and Miami in the state finals. As he was walking to the booth where he would sign himself into the race, he met D’Anthony Christiansen (SEA) and Jamie Jackson (MIA). They were pretty friendly but they did have their egos. After signing in, they jogged to their positions on the track for the finals… READY! TAKE YOUR MARK! BANG! PAT PAT PAT PAT PAT! Noah and the sprinters took off like a predator chasing prey! But something at the starting gun sound made Noah feel a bit awkward… While he was running… …running from the most notorious gang in all of Kenya. Running for his life again. In those brief 10.29 seconds of his life, he went the fastest he had ever gone in his entire career of running. He felt the warmth of his homeland of Kenya. The sun rays shining down on him. The smell of dust and dirt soothing his nose. The sight of yellow and cream coloured buildings everywhere. The taste of homemade Viazi Karai filled his nostrils as he walked to school on cool African mornings. The sound of leaves bristling in the temperate wind; the motors of old motorcycles and vehicles roaming around the city…

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Then the sound of a pickup truck turning the corner like terrorists sabotaging a building. Innocent screams of women running their miniscule shops. The reign of terror was short lived as Noah “dashed” into awareness again… To find himself at the finish line 3 seconds before any of the other racers.

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The Wooden Necklace by Thibault Lequeux Black ferrous hurricanes are swirling around my cold, blue body. I am trapped inside the obscure cage. Cold sweat is running down my back. My body is unable to function. I tried to swim out of the wind. I was pulled back as if I was a magnet, by the opposite pole. I cannot breathe. I cannot move. I cannot… … … … “Xi is an isolated island on the far South of Korea. Its fame as a tourist attraction has always existed because of its unique exotic culture contrasting to the neighbouring country of North Korea. It was especially known for its fruits, boat ridings and food. However, its history hasn’t always been undisturbed. Situated right at the border of the Philippine plate, it has experienced numerous earthquakes including the immense one with a magnitude of 9.2, from 2011. Currently, it is uninhabited and is in a devastated state. It is lost.”  Encyclopaedia Britannica I was having a great holiday with my father - until this. The nightmare was terrifying, claustrophobic and perhaps petrifying. Sweat had run through all over my body when I woke up. The very first things I heard were tormented screeches, soon found out to be my parent’s. Apprehension and confusion filled my heart which soon lead to overly rapid blood circulation and heartbeat. Then that’s when I felt the crushing sound of the ground and its vibration, making the world itself seem to tremble. Not to mention a gigantic wave, leaving the impression of a behemoth bashing through and draining all objects it contacts. Police sirens echoed throughout Xi’s coast as the busy crowd scurried out of the coast, resembling a herd of ants. We, part of the crowd, were ahead of most its people; yet the wave was too quick. It started to reach the cluster and swallow its people up. Soon enough, we found ourselves out of water and our legs were aching. Our speed significantly lowered and the wave came right behind us. Hope diminished. Letting go seemed like a better decision. When I was actually about to close my eyes, a stiff, wooden object reached towards me. I grabbed it, realising it was my father’s dear necklace. The necklace he has been wearing since I don’t know when; I have never seen him voluntarily not wearing it. Wherever he went, it was to be found.

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I could see my father’s severe eyes staring at me. I tried running again. But I couldn’t. I let go - holding his artefact and letting my consciousness fade. Letting myself become lost. Where I woke up seemed like a very clean place. My body felt soothed, but was still somehow uncomfortable. Soon, a seemingly intellectual person in white clothing came in and asked how I was doing. Confused, I answered emotionlessly while realising that I was in a hospital. Apparently, I didn’t have any major injuries but I needed medicine; my body felt quite numb indeed. After a few questions, the doctor ushered me towards some kind of notice board that was at least 2.5 metres tall. Names were written in small letters and we could see a large “Death Register” at the top. Extremely panicked and anxious, I glanced through all the names in a monstrous speed until I found “Anthony Towns”: my beloved father’s name. The doctor soon noticed my abrupt loss of motivation and handed me the jewelry. “Take care.” A monotonous voice passed through my eardrums and the man left. I remained hospitalised for a few days and took a rescue ship to go back to my home country. After all, my father was lost forever - yet his dearest remnant was found, and kept existing.

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Waltzing Under the Stars by Christopher Jung I’m Joe. A single child. I'm 13 and still counting. I live in Auckland, New Zealand. Born and raised. This is my story. ******************************* I lived on Comins Crescent 32 near Mission Bay; it was a quiet street with cars rarely passing and people rarely coming out of their houses. But I liked it that way. It seemed that I was a lonely boy even though every boy in my year group was my friend. I was very secretive and fascinated by computers. When I woke up I would always rush to the computer and turn it on, twiddling away at the keyboard writing computer scripts and anti-viruses. It was kind of like a ritual: a way for me to wake up and get my brain started. My Dad for some reason didn't approve of it. I think he felt queasy among those laptops and computers, and Javascript, C+, C++. He was used to the old days. He preferred the pen and paper, and when he made contact with them, he started scribbling frantically away. My mum actually thought it was charming, always cooing me with remarks like "Aww isn't he sweet? our wittle Joey!!" My dad on the other hand would snort. Talking about my mum, she would make the most delectable foods that you could imagine! The smell of blueberry ice-cream with rosemary cake and chocolate mousse with sprinkles and vanilla ice-cream or her famous vanilla ice-cream with bits of hokey pokey that would crackle and pop instead of just melting. It was the thing that you would dream about for days. At night, they would read me stories of pirates and criminal geniuses. Of new crazy cars and Cadillacs. My mum was calm even when the going was rough. My dad however was very unpredictable, adding tickles and jokes and good witted words along the way. ******************************* “Hey Joe over here!” “Pass!”

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I pass the ball- my Manchester United shirt stained with sweat and my Mercurial Vapors covered in dirt and grass. George traps the ball cleanly under his foot and smashes it past the keeper. “GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!”, the scream echoes out across the football pitch. Our only spectator, Mr Jones, claps half-heartedly as he continues working on his classes tomorrow. It’s after school right now and I’m playing football with my friends on the school pitch. Game Over, final score Year 8’s 4, Year 9’s 3. I look at my watch, it’s already 3:45.I yell out to my friends. “Sorry guys gotta go home now!!!!” My friends don’t hear it though. They’re too busy running around the pitch, screaming taunts and insults to the onlooking Year 9’s. I walk to the side of the pitch smiling. Football always does that to me. It’s the only place where I really let myself loose- along with in front of my computer. I take off my boots and slowly put on my shoes. I stuff my boots in my bag and sling it over my arm. I look down at my watch again, 3:37. I have another thirteen minutes to get back home before my overprotective mom starts calling the police. I start sprinting. Soon I’m exhausted but I don’t feel it; the beautiful scenery envelops me as I continue past Mission Bay Beach. I keep on running as I continue to admire the classical New Zealand scenery around the rush of traffic. 3 blocks to go. Before I know it I’m there: Comins Crescent 32. I start walking up the steep pathway towards my house, sweating madly- the pain of 45 minutes of football and 7 minutes of sprinting is getting to my senses now. I can smell the blueberry pie wafting from the roof. I walk in drenched with sweat and caked with mud. “I’m home!” I yell. There’s a clattering of pans and mum appears in her apron smiling sweetly. “Well, have a shower and get dressed, but come back down quickly. You don’t want your pie getting cold.” With a sigh I rush up to my room, two stairs at a time. I quickly skid into the bathroom and start getting into the washing and scrubbing inside the shower, I get an extraordinary feeling of relaxation as the warm water loosens up my muscles again and I feel like just slumping down and sleeping, but blueberry pie wins me over. I barely wash all the water off myself when I get into my jeans and rush down the stairs. Mum’s already waiting for me. She looks tired. I saunter into the lounge rushing next to her and flopping on the couch. I reach towards the cake and grab it. After that I stuff it into my mouth smiling at mum. She isn’t there to see it. She’s already dozing away, her eyes shut.

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I shrug and take another two pieces of cake and rush to my room. My room has a modern and futuristic style to it. For me, I want it to stay this way forever. I have my Cristiano Ronaldo signed shirt on a plaque. It gleams in the sun and the reflecting sunlight hits me eyes, making me automatically cover my eyes. I put my head down and stuff the last of the blueberry cake in my mouth. I grab my maths book and flip through the pages. I’m supposed to be thinking about maths but instead my brain is rushing at a million miles per hour. My brain is loaded with questions about mum. Why is she so tired? And why aren’t the racks where they are? Are we moving next door? Mum had been wanting to move to the other street since last month. All my thoughts subside when I hear the front-door creak and open downstairs. My eyes bulge. Who could it be? Nobody is visiting me today, not even my friends. Is it the mailman? I creep to the staircase and peer down. It’s not someone that I would’ve guessed. It’s my dad. I breathe a sigh of relief. But I choke on that answer. I quickly look down at my watch. What exactly is Dad doing home so early? I run downstairs and into the lounge. Mum’s awake and with a serious face. I look to Dad for support but what I get is a long stare. He sighs. “Joe I dunno how to put this to you.” his eyes are starting to perspire. Mum chimes in, “We should have told you before, I’m just, just so sorry.” She flusters the last sentence in a fast gusto.”But we’re moving out, O.K? We’re moving to England, because of your grandmother. We’re moving, in three weeks.” I stare into empty space, I see the bush outside, the little strawberry garden, the neighbours who always had loud parties on Sunday nights, even the hose it hits me, the reality - the truth of it. It’s like swallowing a rock. My veins pulse and my hands tighten. I rush out the door and grab my bike. I jump on it and pedal away. My parents call. “Be here by supper!” But I don’t hear them. The tang of shock is like a sharp guitar chord. I want to run away. Just run away forever. But you can’t! You can’t hide from your fears. And that’s a fact. I pedal away to the beach. It’s still the afternoon and people are cruising around. The Mövenpick Ice-cream shop is still open and it is bustling with customers as usual. I see my favourite pohutukawa tree with nobody around it. I race to it and find a great place to lie down. I’m still in shock. I’ve lived here all my life, from 0 to 13. All those 13 years I have dedicated my life to this place, this city, this country and now we have to move to damned England. My cheeks warm up as the blazing inferno grows inside me. I’m starting to get angrier and angrier but I know inside that doing any of this won’t help the situation. The smell of 196

freshly made ice-cream cones and the beautiful view of the sunset over Rangitoto calms me down to a state where I can re-evaluate the situation. I’ve heard that Grandma has been getting a bit too old and is starting to get symptoms of heart failure. I continue to argue with myself in my head. The traffic behind me at the constant talking of people around me seems like a working charm. I get sleepier and sleepier and before I can comprehend even further what I’m saying in my brain, I fall asleep under the pohutukawa trees as the sun sets. I wake up to the startling noise of fire crackling and and the sense of a warm blanket covering me. This doesn’t seem like home- I realize I’m still under the same pohutukawa tree, but with a stranger? I see an old man slowly eating a small sandwich. I mumble with such vagueness that I realize that even I can’t recognize what I’m trying to say. The old man brightens up as he sees my face- fully awake. “I reckoned you’d like some company”. He smiles and hands me an Oreo. I get a sick feeling in my stomach and I’m starting to get creeped out. An old man camping out with me at night? I still see my bike chained to the fence nearby. I decide that running would be the best option. I get ready to seize my chance, but my body doesn’t seem to want to move. I’m getting pretty frustrated now. “Are you going to take the Oreo or what?” The man is still holding the oreo in front of me. “Ummm, I’ll pass”. I start to get worried; why is this man with me? I’ve heard terrible things about kidnappings. Then I start to realize that he would’ve kidnapped me by now. “You’re probably wondering about what’s happening here right now, eh?” The man finishes his sandwich and stretches his back,”you’re in the dreaming fella, this isn’t real, eh?” So I was in a dream… I realize I can move my arms around now and I wave them around and the surrounding air and the ground below me shows ripples. I am now sure this is not reality. I look back at the man and he’s already up on his feet. I still can’t move though. I see his legs and arms start to slowly move. Suddenly he springs up in a sudden motion and he starts dancing. The waltz. He starts doing the waltz. The one dance my grandmother knew how to do. The darned waltz. The one dance that my grandmother taught me when I was just a little kid before she moved to England. I had forgotten it since then. My grandmother seemed nonexistent to me and I didn’t care about her. I looked up at the old man again and he was gone. In place of him was my own grandmother. Dancing the waltz. Behind her was Rangitoto, being illuminated by the

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stars from the night sky. Her figure shone brightly and she seemed to give this aura of power. But as she got closer, I could easily see the frailness and the weakness of her body. The years of illnesses that plagued her. One solitary tear dropped and landed on the sand below. Suddenly my world was flipped around and I saw one last image of my grandmother waltzing, under the view of the night sky. It was pitch black for a moment when suddenly my vision was blinded by the sudden burst of light. I was jerked forward and I saw the sun setting over Rangitoto. I looked around and heard the faint noise of cars and people chattering. I saw families enjoying their ice-cream and just a normal Friday afternoon. My head hurt and I couldn’t comprehend where I had just come from. I stood up, my head aching and pedaled back to my house. I left my bike in the garage and slowly went up the stairs. It felt like all my power had been siphoned from my body. My head had cleared up and fresh air was starting to get back into my system. I walked into the kitchen without any warning and picked up the kitchen phone. I checked one of the notes on the phone and saw my grandma’s phone number. I dialed it in and sat down at a nearby chair. My mom glanced around and was surprised to see me sitting there. She had barely even noticed I had come in. She started opening her mouth until I spoke into the phone, “Hello, can I please speak to my grandma?”

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Lost and Found Again by Pauline Stehle For those of you out there, less experienced than me, let me tell you something about girls. They’re basically gross. See, this is pretty much black and white from where I’m standing. Used to be back in the day, maybe first or second grade, popular wisdom was, they gave you cooties. We didn’t exactly know what cooties were, but the general feeling was, that if a girl touched you, some very, very bad things are gonna happen. How right we were; here I am now, being in love for two and a half weeks. But it's a pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. I’m not gonna dress this up pretty. Just about everything I know about women, love and the birds and the freaking bees, I’ve learned in the past two and a half weeks. But when you're ten years old, it can be a lifetime. So if you want to know how I ended up like this, then keep reading. Okay, here’s the deal: if you are reading this to hear a great New York love story, then keep walking. If you want a real love story… I’ll tell you a real one My parents met in a Camp somewhere in the East, 1981. My dad was 19 and the star sports counselor. My mom was a talented, ginger photographer; people say she reminded them of Sissy Spacek. What happened in that summer, well that is a secret that never got told. These days, my dad sleeps on the couch. Neither one can move out until divorce papers have been signed, sealed and delivered. This obviously doesn't make the nicest living environment. Especially, since my mom has recently started dating again. Every time the phone rings, it is another guy. Like this guy Ronnie, working at the bank she goes to every other day. Now that’s a love story! This much I know firsthand: love ends. If you don't believe me, then check our refrigerator. Every item has been clearly labelled with their names, just so nobody could get mistaken. Why did I ever have to discover this ridiculous pain inside of me? Because two and a half weeks ago, before all this love nonsense - I was happy. Truly happy. I’m serious, my life was filled with song and sport, and constant adventure. Oh Olivia! Why did you ever have to come into my life? I mean, she had been as long as I can remember. In kindergarten we might as well have called each other friends. Well, that was before first grade when separation like an iron curtain came down. Girls and boys, like two different nations. She has always been there, but I just lived in a world of men. You see, before Olivia, I had a very fulfilling life. Very soon, it took a turn. I wanted to start taking karate classes. I mean, it is a very cool sport and a martial art as well. My dad agreed, as it was quite cheap and could help me with my flexibility. Mistake number one, was ever taking that godforsaken class. When she turned up on that first day… I was actually kind of glad, you know, seeing a familiar face and all that. I didn't know anybody else in that class. My teacher said that 199

karate was about finding your personal best. And already on the first day, we had to pair up… Twenty seconds of pure torture. Now, of course I didn't want a girl for a sparring partner. Would you? Okay, let me tell you something about Olivia Decorus. She wasn't the prettiest in our class -that was Amy. And prettier than her, was Maddie. Olivia was third, but boy, could that girl do karate. I don't think we were real friends. We were just… karate friends. In school, nothing changed, there was still a separation between genders. But somehow, I suddenly started to look at her differently. But as soon as we put on our white uniform, we could see past our many differences and fight like equals. There was only one tiny problem: I sucked at karate. Of course, she then was the first one to earn her yellow belt. Without even realizing, we got into a conversation and left the class together. I don’t know why, but somehow we came to a conclusion that I thought boys mature faster than girls and Olivia felt the other way around. She just said “This isn’t a matter of opinions Blaine, there were studies. Girls speak first, they walk first.” She even said that she could see it in her sister’s class and she meant that the boys her age all seemed “retarded”. I mean, what does she know? She didn't even think that I could manage my yellow belt within a week from now. Not only did she think I wasn't focused enough, but also that I don’t practice. Which was why we decided to practice right that afternoon. Of course, something went in between and she had an appointment for a fitting, since she was going to be a flower girl at her aunt’s wedding. I was not surprised; my mom has pulled me into many shoe stores with that trick. I was already dreading it after five minutes and had already imagined what could be worse than that. I would rather have my toenails be peeled off one by one, than be there any longer, but really hoped that I could just quickly get it over with. But! When she came out with that dress, I was speechless. Okay, what's going on here? What the heck is this? Oh my God. What's this feeling in the pit of my stomach? Who is this - this amazing creature before me? And in that moment, Olivia leaped past Amy and even Maddie. I looked at Olivia and just felt so, um, confused. She's a girl. I'm supposed to despise girls, not feel nervous talking to one, not feel tongue-tied. I mean this was Olivia Telesco, I knew her since Kindergarten! When she brought me over to her house right after, she told me how her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Decorus were these soap opera stars that get played like every day. That proved that they did have a few bugs. If karate is all about focus, my focus was all over that pink room. If you have a look at her, living this perfect life with a view of the park and all, yet she is still humble. Suddenly, Olivia’s whole world seemed very attractive to me. Her parents on such a big success, her nanny who has been with her since she was born and the adopted three year old sister, who was rescued from an orphanage in Beijing and of course there was me, living a life she probably will never live. As I had to leave since it was getting kind of

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late anyways, I had some time to think about things. This divorce thing wasn't making things any better. It’s not anybody’s fault, they were just totally different people. To get that problem out of my mind, I drove to Olivia. I could only find her Apartment after calling myself through the phone book, but I had a feeling that it was worth it. When I saw her get out of that thousand meter high building, I realized that I didn't even have a contingency plan for if this actually happened. So, I ran. And ran, and ran and ran and…ran into Olivia. At the park! With Olivia! Her nanny and her little sister who I could thank because she was the reason Olivia even left the house (she had a birthday party). We didn't even feel forced and naturally just started talking about the maturity of boys and girls again. We bet over two little kids that she guessed were the same age and where the boy was drooling over his food and the girl was using hand gestures and having a conversation with one of the parents. Of course she won, so that meant I was the one who had to buy her an ice cream. My first date. The big spender: Haagen-Dazs all the way. She looked so perfect. So beautiful and smart too. She was just my type, well, I didn't even know I had a type… The date passed very quickly but gladly we arranged another one, but at my house. Ever since my dad moved to the couch, I haven't been very fond of having friends over. I was too desperate to say no, so it was a date. Never had I ever felt so alive. I had a date with Olivia! Sunday couldn't come fast enough. What day was it? Only Friday? Oh, the eternity. But then, after a long Saturday of karate practice, came Sunday and Olivia. This was crazy, I even did my hair and dressed up nicer. I mean, she's a girl for god’s sake. She was in my house, all alone. It was time for us to fight (karate of course). We fought and fought and fought for I don't even remember how long. Except until she was down me holding her down. I actually beat her. Take that Olivia, maybe I will get my yellow belt sooner than you thought. When I arrived at our next karate lesson, I felt like we have never been closer. Until, Luke. That apparently very handsome and blonde karate master. I was trying to just lock him out of my life but then this happened: Teacher: So we're going to switch sparring partners to make sure everyone's in their level. That means Luke, you'll be with Olivia. I was wondering if this could be it? My woman getting ripped from my hands like this? I can see where all this leads. Me: lost the girl of my dreams. Him: found my girl of my dreams. I knew exactly who would understand. Blaine: Dad, what's the deal with girls? I mean, why are they the way they are? 201

Dad: You're talking to the wrong man. Blaine: Well, how come all love has to end? Dad: Let me tell you something about me and your mom. Once upon a time, we really loved each other, but as time went by, there just got to be all these things, little things, stupid things, that were left unsaid. And all these things that were left unsaid piled up, like the clutter in our storage room. And after a while, there was so much that was left unsaid, that we barely said anything at all. Blaine: Well, why didn't you just say them then, dad? Dad: I don't know, Gabe. I kind of wish I had. After that talk, I knew what I wanted, another date. It sounds so much easier than it is. First, you got to have the guts to even call, and then comes the hardest part; actually getting it! Never had I been so keenly aware of the ability of a palm to manufacture sweat, but I was determined to hold that girl's hand for every single second. Love isn't about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on a large-screen television designed to accommodate a very large venue, such as a sports stadium, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn't even know was there. Olivia: But I thought you hate me. Blaine: I don't. I lied. I wasn't gonna be like my father. I wasn't gonna let all these things left unsaid smother me. Blaine: Olivia, I love you. Olivia: You what? Blaine: I do. I'm sorry, but I love you more than anyone's ever loved. I love you, I love you, I love you. How's that for letting it all hang out there? And hang, and hang, and hang. Blaine: You think you might wanna love me, too? [awkward silence] Olivia: I don't know what I think, Gabe, I'm only 11. I don't think I'm ready to be in love. Blaine: I'm not ready and I'm doing it! Olivia: Maybe I was wrong, maybe girls don't mature faster. Maybe not everything is supposed to last forever. Certain things are like... like... skywriting. Like, like, like a really beautiful thing that lasts for a couple moments and then... You know. Love is an ugly, terrible business practiced by fools. It'll trample your heart and leave you bleeding on the floor. And what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can't ever go back to. The truth is, there's gonna be other girls out there. I mean, I hope. But I'm never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her. Her, Oliviaâ&#x20AC;Ś I lost my girl, but I found love. 202

Pale Blue by Sarah Hong “Can we not?” I said looking up to the white ceiling with the black fan that was making me dizzy. I whined at Justin, who was playing with the wet towels that were supposed to go on my forehead. I could feel my forehead heating up more than the stove beside us. Justin gave me a grin and lightly tossed the wet towels over my face. The sudden feeling of the ice cold towels surprised me. “Justin!” I screamed with a voice that was about to disappear just like my grandpas old flip phone display. “You have to notice that I am having a high fever.” I was disappointed. To be honest, Justin is just an okay type of guy. I heard that Clara’s boyfriend came to her house at 1 o’clock just to give her favorite chips and a kiss. Why can’t I- “Hey.” This caught me out. “Ok Jess, you still space out even though you're having a fever.” *** I know that Justin is a caring boy. Still, he is just not the guy who shows that in front of his girlfriend lying at bed with a 40 degree fever. I'm usually healthy. My immune system is probably way stronger than Justin’s. It all happened when Justin wanted to see the new Batman series. Of course, I hated it. I think it was 8 o’clock when we arrived at the movies after meeting outside of my house. The weather was nice. At 12 o’clock at lunch, the sky was blue as Justin’s eyes. I was trying to make Justin some lunch, but he was busy so I gave up, but I guess a breezy night of mid-June isn’t bad. We walked slowly to the theaters to catch some of the weather. When we arrived we got Justin’s favorite popcorn, sour cream and onions, and also our favorite drink, chocolate milkshakes. Everything was perfect. The movie was better than I expected, the popcorn and the drinks were perfect and of course - Justin was perfect. At least that’s what I thought before coming out of the theater. “Really?” I talked to myself. You have no idea how much rain there was. The rain was literally gushing from the sky. I could see the dark gray clouds that were once blinding my eyes just a few hours ago. “Don’t ask me! Now shut up and keep running!” Justin shouted with a laugh. “I wasn’t talking to you Justin.” I have to admit I smiled a bit at his cuteness, but more of the laughing credit goes to him being stupid. Well, it was 12 o’clock when the movie ended. We were soaking wet just like the sponge that my mom was using before to clean the dishes before I dashed in dripping all the water on the porch. “Jessica? Is that y- oh my God, Jessica!” “Oh God mom please not again.” I used the towel that my mom gave to dry myself, of course ignoring all the ‘speeches’ that she made. “I cannot believe you, Jessica!” “Do you know what time it is? It’s 1A.M!” “Did you even notice how dark it is? You have no idea how dangerous…” 203

I didn’t even mind. This is the kind of thing that happens every day, 24/7. Coming late, being soaking wet, and hanging around with friends. Everyone does that don’t they? *** “Seriously.” Pulling up the pink and white marble blanket I bought about a year ago at a fair that I went with Justin, I was still stumped. I was never this sick. No, not like this type of sickness. I was going around and flying to places like my little brother Tom’s toy airplane. Actually, it seemed like I was seeing the plane. “Wait, what?” “Justin! Justin! Do you see that plane?” I punched Justin in the arm to make him stop looking at his phone. “A plane? What do you mean?” “You don’t see that? What the heck?” The plane had a silver metal body with a pretty yellow arch type triangle painting on the middle. On the fuselage, it said FU-117. First it was only the one plane that I saw. Then followed the banging sounds and people screaming in pain. It went gone for a while, then came back. “Oh my God.” I couldn’t stop myself from saying that. “왜 이렇게 안 오는거야!” “의무병, 의무병!” I really couldn’t understand anything. I was half horrified and half amazed. Thanks to Justin with his action movies, all of the blood was not as shocking. Well, at least I knew it wasn’t real. After a short “film” that I saw I told everything to Justin: all of the planes and the screaming. *** “저기요,” a man with a khaki colored uniform came up to me. He looked like the Asian cashier of the thrift shop on the corner of our street. “M - me?” “외국 처자가 왜 여기 있는 거지? 한국어 할 줄은 모르는거 같은데.” “어이, 일병 빨리 통역관이나 미국 놈 한명 만 대려 와봐.” “Excuse me, I don’t understan -.” I fell down. Everything seemed to stop with nothing coming in but the beeping noise in my ear. After about a minute, I caught myself up seeing everyone on the ground holding their heads. Someone seemed to call me, turning around and seeing the view of fire and dead soldiers. “Hey, you! You okay?” English, that was English; in delight I turned around. “Yes!”

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“What?” I was shocked. The soldier who managed to speak English, was gone. By gone I mean, dead. I put my hands on my mouth, gasping. He fell to the ground; at that moment I didn’t know what was going on. He was shot. Not only him, everyone who was running past me. Shooting and getting shot. It was total chaos. In fear I screamed. Then I put my hand to my ears in terror. Something hot was felt. I looked back at my hands- blood. Blood? Am I shot? Then I realised I was near a grenade. I was confused; why am I here? *** “Ma’am are you okay?” A western looking man talked to me. He also had a khaki uniform, but it was different. He had a helmet that was the same color as his uniform and had a blond beard with pale blue eyes. His eyes reminded me of Justin. “No.” I muttered. No, I wasn’t okay. “Okay let me just take you to a civilian zone ma’am.” The man hurriedly grabbed my wrist and ran towards the opposite direction of the soldiers running. We soon arrived at a camp site. He told me to sit down on a chair inside a hut, where it seemed like a temporary hospital. An Asian lady gave me medical cure for the cut on my left side of my head and a few cuts. “Alright, it’s ok ma’am, you just have to tell us your name, where you're from and how you got here.” “Um, okay so...” I was thinking how I have to explain. My head was hurting and everything didn’t make sense. It was too real to be a drea-. “Justin?” It was Justin. It had to be Justin. Tall and tan, with pale blue eyes. My boyfriend. I ran up to him and held his hand. “Justin!” Justin looked a bit puzzled. “I’m sorry, can I help you with something?” “No, Justin, it’s me, Jessica! Jessica Ross!” The soldier who was asking me questions grabbed my hand. “Ma’am calm down. We can help you sort out things. We need more men out the field, leave him alone.” “Y - Yes I really have to go. Sorry lady.” Justin started to walk away. Then he ran just like when I chased him for putting cream on my nose on my birthday. I was overdosed by his scent. The perfume I gave him on our 200th day. “Justin...” Am I acting weird? What is going on? Is this a dream? Why can’t Justin remember me? He looked a bit confused. He looked like he had to hide. All of the attention that was on him from me shouting, he didn’t enjoy it. “Ma’am please listen to me.” The man fished me out of my thoughts. “Oh, yea… sorry.” “Okay, but who was that man? Do you know him?” “I guess I don’t.” I was depressed. If he isn’t Justin, who is he? “I never seen him here…” “What do you mean?”

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“Nothing, okay ma’am so…” I answered all of his questions. Of course, not everything was true. I asked where I was and what is going on. I’m apparently in Korea, and it’s 1951. How could he understand this situation of mine if I can’t? One thing still remained in my head like gum. Even the soldier did not know who he was. The thought gave me goosebumps. Who is he? I just stared at the pale blue sky, the same color as Justin’s eyes. “RPG!” A man from the other hut shouted with his hands on his head like he was expecting something to fall on him. The soldier who asked me questions lunged and pushed me under a table. Everything turned black. I can feel something in my arm. I pushed the rocks and parts of the table and the hut that was over me. I tried to stand up, but it took me a while. There was some kind of wood stuck slightly in my arm, but that wasn’t the problem. Everyone was lying down. Again? A bombing? No one stood up. “I - Is everyone okay?” No one replied. No way. Everyone just can’t die because of one bomb. This doesn’t make sense. What am I supposed to do? “It’s you again, Jessica.” I turned around. It was Justin. “Justin! You’re alive! You finally remembe-.” Bang. I didn’t understand. It hurt. Like a lot. My chest - it hurt. The sky was blue like the noon of mid-June. The sky was interrupted by the face of someone I knew. “I can’t believe this idiot caught me out.” He said, while looking down at me holding his gun. He still looked just like Justin. Then he, walked out. I could hear the boots stepping on the gravel. The world collapsed on me. But surprisingly the wind still blew, blowing the scent of Justin along with my hair up my face which caught the unintentional tears. Of course, all that was left was the pale blue sky…

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Turning the Tide by Martin Kim There it was - the one thing I have been tracking down for my entire life. “We’re almost there, just a little more and we will get it!” I said to my companions. We been climbing for over a day now and sooner or later my men would just die of exhaustion. Suddenly, while I was daydreaming of being the hero of my country, I heard a sound that I never wanted to hear. “Crack” I don’t remember much after that. The only thing I remember is falling through the air as my body plummets down to the Earth. My fellow friends fall to their death with me… … As my eyes open, something catches my attention; a quick movement in the distance and another and another. It feels like they are trying to swarm around me and attack. Suddenly, the biggest one of them enters the room with many following. It is then I realize I was daydreaming, I look around. Nothing. I call for a nurse and ask her to get me some food because at this moment I was going to start eating humans if I wasn’t able to get some food. I pull my arm forward to try and eat, but it doesn’t move at all. It was as if my entire body was paralyzed. So I tried to move my leg. No movement. My head. No movement. Suddenly, the doctor came in to speak with me and he told me that I had a Spinal Cord Injury. He said that for the next year I would not be able to get out of this bed. He also told me that I would need to have assistance in all of my daily activities, so now I have this nurse following me wherever I go. … 2 Years Later I thank the doctors at the hospital and make my exit. The fresh air breezes across my face. My legs and arms move and I finally feel free. A black car pulls up in front of me and I immediately recognise who it is. The boss. The car drops us off at the front door and I find my way to the boss. On the way, I pick up a newspaper. It says “USA, winners of the space race, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, first men on the moon!” It made me feel a bit ashamed of myself. My boss had set me on a mission that might have changed the war, but instead I have disappointed and achieved nothing from that trip. I walk in through the doors. He is sitting in a chair with his legs on the table as if he expected me to do something. 207

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.” said he. He was the leader our country, the backbone, the heart and soul, Nikita Khrushchev… He gives me an offer. If I can get that lost treasure, to our country, he will award me with the Герой Российской Федерации (Hero of the Russian Federation), plus some money as well. I deeply consider this offer. Not only will this benefit me, this could end poverty in our country. In the end, I accept the offer and leave the building with a big grin. I rush out of the office and head straight to where I started my last adventure. The newspaper stand. I head to the newspaper stand and submit my entry for an advertisement. The advertisement would say “Do you think you are one of the fittest people in the country? If you are, then call 01039482848!”I put the ad on the newspaper and for the next few days I waited for the calls to start rolling in. It wasn’t long until my first customer came and started talking. Then the next and the next. However, I couldn’t find the team that I needed, every person I talked to had some kind of weakness that could hinder our team in the long run. I waited for days and days, then finally I found the person. He works as a mechanic and has one of the best brains in the country, while being able athletic at the same time. He was willing to come out of work and do something for his country. His name is Jack. Afterwards, I recruited muscular men. This was because not everyone on your squad has to be smart. As long as most of them could climb the mountain, it was possible. However, from day 1 I could tell we weren’t going to go to that mountain anytime soon. The teamwork was all over the place, we were running into each other. On the positive side, everyone knew how to climb. That's a start! However, as it went on it got better and better and better. The team started working together, and it actually seemed like a team that could turn the tide for the cold war. We took a plane to the island that could fulfill all our dreams or shatter our lives. One wrong decision could change the outcome of the entire trip. The crew and I go off and start to unpack our supplies. We planned to stay for a month. We would spend the first few weeks, finding the trails and finding the safest and fastest route to our destination. Day by day, we went a little bit further into the mountains. As we went on, fatigue started to kick in. We started to lag behind and before we knew it we were behind schedule. As the captain, I made a very bold move. I told my men my idea: All in! I decided to just risk it and try and find this treasure. We had a basic idea of where it is, the only problem were the obstacles in our way. I decided that we had waited long enough, and if we couldn’t find it now we never would. I said that this will be our last day back here. We kept pushing to our goal… Morning comes and we are ready to go, we start to scale mountain after mountain. It feels as if we are just going in circles and in circles. However, we know this area and we know exactly where we are heading. The treasure could only be located on the tallest of them all, the one that no one dared to go, Mount Teveres. 208

One problem starts to come - my men start to give up. They lose hope and more and more of them are dropping out. One after another, they start to go back home. Before you know it, half of them are already gone. I think about turning back, but we have come too far for that. We keep on travelling on and on. And then I see what I want to see. A sign in the most ancient writing. I know what it must mean: “Treasure below here.” I can’t believe my eyes. I’ve finally found what I’ve been wanting for the past 20 years. We start digging and digging and digging until it finally comes up. A box…

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Sixteenth Birthday by Josephine Newman I’m never going to know. Today’s my 16th birthday and I’m never going to know. She promised to tell me today…but… How dare she! Because of her. Because she left me alone. Now I’m never going to know. *** The wind is breezing through the thin layers of the clothing behind my back. She brushes her fingers through my straight silky hair, tying it into a loose braid, finishing it off with a pale blue ribbon wrapped around it, contrasting the two colours, black and blue. She places the short strips of my hair at the front of my forehead letting my styled braid look natural. Grandma smiles at me and whispers into my ear, “You look beautiful today”. She tells me that every morning, but I giggle at what she says and skip with joy into my room. My Grandma is 84 years old and as charming as a gentle innocent lady in her 20’s. She’s not blood related to me. But she’s the one who I can rely on. I always wondered where her husband was, before I asked with curiousity several days ago: “How come I never saw grandpa before?” Her eyes widen when they suddenly fill with water and holding back her tears she replies “He’s not with me anymore,” forcing a smile. She always forces a smile on me. “He’s living peacefully up in Heaven, honey.” She looks at me with obvious sadness in her dark brown eyes. I remember myself wanting to take back what I asked immediately. I still regret this moment; it was only a few days ago but I try to forget it to not cause Grandma to be uncomfortable around me. There are many things I want to ask her, far worse than the previous question. All these thoughts come dashing into my head: Where did my parents live? What do they look like? When did they die? I know that it’s too early to ask. I still have 2 more years to go until my 16th birthday. *** I lie silently in bed, woken by the noise of Grandma speaking to somebody on the phone. It’s 2 A.M and she says “I can’t. I promised to tell her the truth about her parents on the celebration of her 16th birthday”. She’s talking about me, but to who? There wouldn’t be a reason for her to talk about the secret we promised on my 16th birthday to anyone else. So why? I decide to listen for a bit longer: “If I were to leave here in three weeks what is Allison going to do? She can’t live alone for God’s sake!” It’s the first time I hear Grandma’s tone rise in fury. I’ve never seen her react in such an indignant way. But what does she mean that she’s leaving me alone? What’s going on? 210

My head aches with confusion and I shed tears at the thought that I’m going to be by myself - abandoned. My mind fills up my heart with a darkness that makes me shiver. I cover myself with my blanket as if it’s going to help me block out the depressing thoughts. I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing myself to sleep but it doesn’t work. Instead I end up staying awake until dawn. I pretend as if I didn’t hear a single word from that night. I am used to keeping secrets in this house. *** Grandma left me at home to go grocery shopping. I sneak into her room. The door is locked. She never locks the door. What’s inside that she wants to hide from me? I unfold a paperclip into a straight strip of metal. I move it around carefully in the lock. Click. It unlocks. It smells of dust like stacked up piles of clothing squashed into a small room. Her room is crowded with old frames of photos with Grandma and someone that I’ve never seen before. I enter glancing at all the bags she packed up…is she really going to leave here? Does she not care about me? What have I ever done to her? My eyes fill with the colour of hatred. I come back out locking the door, as if I didn’t see or do anything. My mind goes blank and I just lie on my back facing the ceiling. Tears crawl down my soft cheeks making them moist and eventually leaving my face soaked. I think to myself: What am I going to do? *** It’s been 2 weeks and 3 days since her conversation on the phone. She hasn’t told me anything and neither have I asked. But I need to tell her. I can’t keep this whole thing a secret from someone who’s so special to me. Sweat dribbles down the scalp of my head. In no time, my heart pounds heavily from my anxiety and my face is pink red, especially around my cheeks. I call out to Grandma, “Nana?” She slowly walks to me. She replies, “Yes honey?” The words are at the tip of my tongue. I just want to confess everything to her. I heard you two weeks ago talking about me. I heard everything about you leaving me. I sneaked into your room while you were not here. I saw all the bags that you’ve packed. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. But it just doesn’t spill out. Please. Just tell her. She looks at me with confusion, but then smiles, “Well, did you call just to see my face?” She laughs. I chuckle with her, but her phone interrupts us. She picks it up and answers, “Hello?” This voice! It sounds familiar. It’s only quiet but I hear little bits of his tone. “Did you pac-” she slams the door immediately. It’s got to be that man who called her that night. I keep eavesdropping against the thin wall next to her room. “I finished packing. I will leave tomorrow. I promise.” ***

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She’s gone. Did that man find her? How dare she. I had to play the whole innocent role without even confessing what I did without her knowing? She disappeared. She’s not here. All the bags in her room are not there. She took the frames of photos with her. Nothing left of her is here anymore. *** It’s a message from Grandma’s number. I startle. My hands are shivering. Why would she send me a text? I read it. I’m not going to break my promise. Come to Hangil Hospital. Hospital? I run out the door without even knowing I don’t have anything with me. My phone, my wallet, my questions…I left them all at home. I’m so exhausted, I don’t even realise that I’m in front of the hospital. Another buzz. 375. My back is drenched in sweat. I can feel my wet shirt just pulling me down to the surface. My legs are trembling. They never shook like this before…just how long have I been running for? I’m right here so why can’t I move forward? She’s right there, right behind this door. I need to tell her. I miss her so much. I can barely live without her. I clear my head and I don’t hesitate to step closer. The door creaks to the side and there’s…a cake, a cake with candles. The candles are lit. She must be somewhere near here. Next to it is a card sitting on the hospital bed. My eyes widened at the sight of the handwriting that she possesses. I haven’t even read the first letter yet and my cheeks are already soaked. “Happy sixteenth sweety! I can’t see you, but I know you look beautiful today too. Someone is waiting for you…they’re going to tell you the truth. I’m sorr- ” The pen mark ran down to the edge of the card. I’ve always got to lose her. My heart races by the taps on the floor by someone’s heels. I turn around and his figure is familiar. It’s the man next to Nana in the framed photos. My face is red from the tears that keep bursting out of me. “It’s you isn’t it.” I mumble. “Finally after sixteen years apart! Finally, I found you.” He smirks.

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Humble Beginnings by Rauan Khangerey

18th February 2016 Snow. What a lovely thing it is, snow. Its clean, pure appearance: the intricate formations of a snowflake; the infinite possibilities and hours of fun and joy it may bring… But not even that could cheer Lost up. He hated it. He hated it so much. Not many know that. They think it brings pleasure to him. They see him as a malevolent little beast, a creature with hostile intentions, complete with razor sharp fangs, dark crimson eyes filled with malice and primal rage. Others, the ones who know of his hesitancy and unwillingness, believe him to seek attention (which he most certainly had enough of — too much of). Some believe him to be bullied and forced to do it. None of them know the truth. Most children squirm and growl at having to go to the school principal’s office, especially with their parents. Not Lost. Not after the… either the fifth or the sixth time. Now the principal’s office is like his second home. He even has some of his (confiscated) belongings that have found sanctuary there. “Well, this is an unexpected surprise,” the principal stated, completely unsurprised. Headmaster Director (I doubt it’s his birth name) was a mountain. If a mountain was just under 2 meters twenty, with huge tree trunks for arms, a square slab of rock for a face, a scarlet, twisting, unbelievably cold river for a mouth, dark cliffs shadowing the dim, green lights that were supposed to be his eyes, but looked more like sunken holes with pupils in the center. “Can we get this over with Principal Director?” Lost’s father was a lanky man with long, elegant black hair and a long, thin, nearly rugby ball shaped head with twinkling eyes. That were looking down. At his phone. More specifically, at a fan made website dedicated to him. Principal Director nodded. Typical. Mr. McArrot (yes, that makes Lost’s full name Lost McArrot) was a celebrity. A singer. An actor. A total narcissist who loves himself more than even his wife, the famous singer Martha Landstrom. Lost rested his chin upon his hands, and his arms upon his legs. He was tired. Bored. But most of all, angry at himself. As we have already established, he hated doing this.

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“Mom, you forgot to burn this one!” Found called out to her mother, holding out her brother Lost’s latest arrest papers. Good thing it was, as usual, only shoplifting, something surprising considering the McArrots’s state of wealth. However, all those records, at least in this household, were burned, thrown away, and forgotten. Unlike her brother, Lost, Found was the epitome of a perfect child. Perfect grades, polite, intelligent, sense of humour, impeccable manners, obedient, rule follower, athlete, a participant in basically everything, animal lover, singer, pianist, and a fun lover. Or, in other words, a divine angel. But if she had one weakness, it would be her inflexibility and her creativity — or lack thereof. “Right. Ugh, can’t Lost just stop looking for attention so we can have peace for once?” sighed their mother, and took the paper away “I know, right! Like, like, he just cannot stop driving us crazy!” “I suppose not everyone can be as perfect as you. Otherwise, the world would be a far better place, wouldn’t it?” Mrs. McArrot smiled sadly. Her son was a disappointment. Yet she always had such high hopes for him. At least Found was smart, and law abiding. Or so she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In truth, no one can truly be perfect, unless in a fictional story, which is something this definitely isn’t. As much as Found was esteemed by everyone and considered the closest thing a human being could get to being a perfect person,that was simply a facade. A facade concealing the true ugliness attributed to one who cheats and bullies their way to the top. A facade shrouding the darkness that exploits people’s constant greed and thirst for money. A facade hiding the wicked sister who would frame her own older brother, her own flesh and blood, just to rise to the top. If she wants to, she can bribe the judge of a contest, or sabotage her opponents. Her resources and… “friends” can alter the outcome of almost anything concerning Found by using anything from hacking technology to simply confusing someone. You see, Found isn’t smart in maths, or in science. She doesn’t know a thing about history or geography. But she is clever. She is cunning. She knows which strings to pull; how to find and use weaknesses. She is a master manipulator. She isn’t averse to trickery and blackmail. And she doesn’t care what she has to do to get what she wants, even if it means using her brother and forcing him to take the brunt of the repercussions of her more nefarious or somewhat childish hobbies. She doesn’t care if her brother has to steal, vandalise, bully and fight, so long as she gets what she wants. Appreciation, admiration, and self -satisfaction.

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But didn’t you say that Lost wasn’t forced or bullied to commit such fiendish and illegal acts? I hear you ask. My answer is yes, Lost isn’t forced to do anything to aid his sister. He is motivated by a more sinister weapon Found has against her brother. Love. Lost loves his baby sister so much, and is so willing to protect her against anything, that he cannot bear witnessing his sister being punished. He cannot even acknowledge that what his sister does is beyond wrong. After all, what happened to his own older brother years ago cannot happen again. He cannot bear losing his sister.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Straight to business, I suppose. Truth is, this meeting is about to be much more different than usual.” Principal Director announced. There may have even been a slight glimmer of sadness in those eyes of his. “Oh really? Is there a “fine” this time? How much do you need?” Mr. McArrot feigned surprise. “I’m sorry Mr. McArrot, but I cannot let this continue. Fights happen all the time, yet this is serious. Lost just burned part of school property. In fact, I’m amazed that the police haven’t arrested Lost already.” At this Mr. McArrot literally jumped out of his seat; Lost’s eyes nearly popped out his head and he almost fell of his chair.

“Officer Lawenforson! Please come in!” Principal Director called out. “Lost McArrot, you are under arrest for numerous counts of theft, vandalism, disorderly conduct, and arson.” A troop of police officers suddenly stormed through the doors and swept a rather dazed and confused Lost up from his chair and into handcuffs. Then, faster than Mr. McArrot could yell out, “Now what in the world is this! This is unprecedented! OUTRAGEOUS!” the police were out the door and heading downstairs towards their transport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This, my friends, was the story of the world’s smartest, bravest and most honourable law enforcer’s teenage years, and why he ended up in a prison cell. A prison cell where he learned everything that he would ever need to know about the workings of the criminal mind. After which, he rose to become one of the world’s best detectives, and the one responsible for bringing down the criminal empire of his own sister. But that is a story for another day. 215

Fire and Ice 2: Post-Apocalypse by Patrick Rim and Tony Shin We are in the year 2052. The attack of the undead during the Zombie Apocalypse of 2045 has since been quelled. The survivors are struggling to stay alive in the middle of a barren wasteland. To commemorate the loss of two zombie resistance forces, a couple of survivor groups have been named ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’. In this story, we follow their quest for ultimate survival. Below, is a timeline of events: (MUST READ!) -May 2045: A plague, dubbed the ‘Gray Fever’, resurrects 680,000 dead bodies around the world. These ‘zombies’ can only survive on human flesh. -August 2045: The human population has been killed off to a dangerously low number of 13,000 people. However, the zombies have no way of surviving after this and die out, other than an evolved group of 9,000 zombies on the west coast of the USA. -September 2045: 6,000 of the survivors band together in San Francisco to form 127 resistance units, two of which are named ‘Unit Fire’ and ‘Unit Ice’. -February 2046: The events of ‘Fire and Ice’ take place. To read the story (not required) visit the link: https://goo.gl/fV23Hk -October 2047: After two years of tactical battl65’ and mini-wars, the zombie population has been reduced to 450. -March 2048: The remnants of the zombies (320) and humans (7,800) face off in the final showdown of the apocalypse; the humans finish off the zombies. -April 2048: The survivors agree on a need to rebuild the world and decide to spread out across the continent. -January 2052: The two groups that stayed in the USA, ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’, team up in an attempt to survive. -November 2052: The events of ‘Fire and Ice 2: Post-Apocalypse’ take place. ---Point of View: Commander Legursky [Doug Legursky, leader of Squadron Ice, Age 37]. “Commander Legursky.” “Yes, Lieutenant?” “Commander Harrison, leader of Squadron Fire has requested for a moment to speak with you. He says it is urgent.” Commander Harrison… moments after my squad and his combined forces, he had ‘volunteered’ to take control of our adjoined group. However, I must respect him; he

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saved our squad from the brink of death by starvation. I feel as if I owe him the right to be under the spotlight. On my way to the camp headquarters, I cannot help but notice my men working hard and struggling to build a new lavatory system. I feel the urge to take off my heavy commander’s suit and pitch in, but I remember that I cannot be late. Lately, food supplies have been running low; we have not been able to grow any new crops due to a large number of floods. How ironic... I feel rainfall starting to splash off of my coat. Before I know it, the headquarters loom before me. What a waste! Our men spent almost a full year building this structure- we could have used that time to find a way to increase crop growth or build new tent houses to relieve overcrowding in our living quarters. “Commander Harrison, you called for me?” “Yes, yes. Do sit down. I have something I must tell you.” “What might that be, sir?” “Well… as you know, our men have been struggling to cope with food shortages. I believe I may have found an answer, but I’m afraid you may not fully agree.” “Hm?” “I thought that perhaps my men and I could temporarily leave to search for food elsewhere… of course we will return with as much food as we can possibly gather.” “I’m afraid I cannot agree to this.” “I’m afraid you are in no position to stop this, Commander Legursky. Think about it for a minute, we will be back before you know it. And when we do return, we will have enough food to feed our brothers and enough seeds to feed our sons.” It is a decent proposal. We will have the remaining food to split between ourselves, more than enough to feed us for a year or two. Then, Commander Harrison and his men will be back with their bounty. Seems solid enough for me. “Alright, Commander. However I must ask, what happens if you fail to find any resources?” “Don’t worry, I most definitely will not fail. I’ve been roaming across this coastline for 13 years now, I know this land like the back of my hand- say, were you not fighting alongside me?”

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I decide to ignore him. The first thing I must do is consult my men, they will have the final say on whether Commander Harrison will be allowed to leave. “Excuse me, Commander. I will get back to you later today.” As soon as I step outside, I feel the freezing touch of rain pouring into my boots. Quickly, I run the short distance back to the soldier’s camp where I find my men violently shivering around a weak gas fire. There is no way we are going to survive- at least not like this. I must tell Commander Harrison that he must leave as soon as possible… **************************************************************************************************** Last night’s encounter with Commander Harrison was strange. After I told him that I support his decision, he looked grim and wished me ‘good luck’. His men are packing their bags right now. I feel slightly relieved that we will be able to double our food rations and spread ourselves out into the newly-vacant camps. However, as I see them ride their trucks off into the depths of the horizon, I feel a strange emptiness; how am I supposed to lead these men? “Lieutenant Jones, take 5 men and bring all of our supplies in front of our barracks.” I surveyed our surroundings and figured we could expand our camp out into the unknown wasteland. We could start building more farmland and perhaps find a way to artificially create our own food! We could create more barracks and have one or two people live in one house! We can thrive here! Before we know it we could be expanding eastwards towards“Commander, we’re sorry but the supplies are nowhere to be found.” Momentarily, I am shocked to the core. What could this mean? Could… Commander Harrison have taken all of the food? “What food do we have, then?” “Absolutely nothing, Sir. Even the food in our emergency storage room has vanished!” It looked as if the soldier always knew that this would happen and was fooling me. No. I must have faith in my men. I thought to myself, was it a wild animal? Or maybe the soldiers stole the food because they were hungry? Then as if someone had just punched the wind out of me, I had a sudden realizationIt was Commander Harrison. I’m sure of it. There is no other explanation. How could he do this to me? After all those years of surviving through wars and suffering, he has stabbed my back and left me to die. No… not me… he has left these poor, innocent

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men to rot away in this camp, isolated from any outside contact. I don’t know what to do. I. Don’t. Know. What. To. Do. Am I supposed to break the news to these men, and live with the pain of watching them waste away? I have a better plan… I must sacrifice everything I can to help these people. If I die, there will be one less mouth to feed. That’s it! When I became the leader of these men, I swore an oath to do everything in my power to ensure the greatest chance of survival for these people. It is my job, my responsibility to enact this crime upon myself. I take out my pen and write down a quick note“Captain Buckner… I leave the responsibility of the Commander post to you. Best of luck, Commander Legursky” It is time. I pull out my beloved rifle. Should I feel scared? Instead, I feel sorrowfuldepressed that I cannot do anything for my men. I take a deep breath and press the machine to my temple. “Farewell.” **************************************************************************************************** Point of View: Commander Harrison “Lieutenant, get me Commander Legursky... this is urgent.” “Yes, sir.” I feel as if I was pushing my limits as the Commander in our adjoined group. But a while ago, I realized… we are reaching an end to our food supplies. So, after some thinking, I decided that we were going to have to leave half of our group to save the other half. This is our only chance of survival… I believe we don’t have any other choice but to make an excuse and somehow split off from Legursky’s group. I just called Legursky to talk to him about this; I’m not sure if I should tell him the truth, or fool my long-time friend and ally. ... After our talk, I feel as if I had betrayed my own kin. It wasn’t a good feeling to have, leaving your own kind and exposing them to possible disease and death. “Commander, we have realized the need to take all of the camp’s supplies along with us on our journey in order to survive. I know this may require a tough judgement, but we leave this up to you.”

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“I’m sorry, but I cannot agree with this proposal. They are still our friends, we must give them at least a chance to survive.” “I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you Commander, but if we are to go through with our plan, we must follow through.” I feel horrible thinking of leaving with all the food from the camp… But there is no other choice or either of our squadrons will not survive. It was either letting all our men suffer or at least manage to give half of the men a chance to a new life. I kept on imagining Commander Legursky’s face, steaming with anger with a mix of confusion. But I’m sure… everyone in our camp must have known that one day we wouldn’t have a choice but to end up splitting into two and going our own ways. I’m just sad that this is it. “Commander Legursky, do you have your answer?” “I’m afraid we have no choice…” “Very well... then we must be on our way.” “We wish you the best of luck on your journey and we will be looking forward to your prompt return.” “No Commander… good luck to you.” After all we have been through, surviving something that no man has ever thought ofsharing the deepest and most horrific moments together… Now I look back at the camp where possibly the last of our humanity is dwelling. I keep on hesitating, maybe I should tell him… maybe I should just turn and fight through the hunger. Alas, I cannot succumb to my emotions. My father once told me, “Hunt or be hunted.” I am doing this for the good of the majority. I salute with my two fingers and point them towards the camp. ... It’s been a month, since we left the camp. We haven’t found anything close to resembling life, let alone any food. The supplies we took from the camp have almost disappeared, and I am afraid that if we do not bear any fruit soon, we will starve to death out here and both squadrons will be laid to waste. If only we stayed at the camp… we could have fought the hunger and perhaps survived. Instead, I have betrayed my friend to death and I am lying on the brink of starvation. “Commander Harrison!” “What is it Sergeant Thompson?” “We see a giant bridge looming ahead!”

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I pull out my binoculars and point them towards the faraway structure. Oh My Gosh. This is the legendary Golden Gate Bridge. I read about it during my tenure with the Resistance. After all we have been through...it is yet, still standing tall and reflecting the bright sunlight back to us. I run ahead, and suddenly I see the vacant remains of an enormous city warmly inviting us. I must be hallucinating, but I see the words, “Welcome Home,” written in the clouds above us. “Squadron Fire! We have reached our goal and accomplished our mission!” After years of suffering, we’ve found a home… our home. --20 Years Later “Keep looking Sergeant Matthews. I’m sure we’re very very close… I can feel it.” Most of the men and women who made the trip out of our makeshift camp 20 years ago are now in their late ages; however, we’ve been able to thrive on the work of their offspring. I like to think that this place has become a foundation with a future in store, since the time we first discovered this city. This morning, I rode out in my newly-made van beyond the faraway mountain range- the location of the camp where I left Commander Legursky behind. It’s been 20 years since I led my men away from certain death. We’ve been busy rebuilding our city to prominence- I regret our decision of leaving this visit until now. To be honest, I couldn’t bring myself to face what I did to these innocent men and women. But I’ve never forgot about them; every night when I’m alone I think about what could have been had I chosen to fight through the struggles the hard way… believe me, I do. My comrades and I trudge through the almost unrecognizable defense barrier; the last remaining signs of life are a few collapsed tents laying on top of a dust-covered layer of concrete. After walking around for a while, I finally find a gravestone lying amongst a few almostrotten corpses. These men must have died with no one left to bury them. My eyes tear up but I manage to kneel close to the tomb and scrape the dirt off of the limestone. It reads: “Here Lies Commander Legursky, He Died to Save Us All.” At that moment I feel my heart rip apart into tiny bits but I quickly compose myself. I gently place the flowers that I brought onto the ground that lies above his body. “I found you.” “And I’m sorry.”

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Before It’s Too Late by Nicole de Peralta Nicole de Peralta

It’s time. After all I’ve done and accomplished, it’s finally time. Time to see! Time to end the nonsense and depression about body weight. It’s time to prove that I can wear the dress that I always wanted to. It’s time to get on the scale of truth. No facebookers can criticize and hate my body shape. The prom dress is perfect for me because I am not fat and I am pretty.

******************* “What? 57 pounds? For a highschooler, I changed drastically! All the hard work of running and skipping dinners. I can now prove that the haters on facebook are being hated by the most beautiful girl that is perfect for that dress at prom. No one can tell me that I’m fat. Not even me, because I’m not!” 122 pounds to 57.1 pounds! Then Amanda stepped off the scale. Strangely, her scale always did this glitch that once you step off, the digits of her weight fills up the whole screen in bigger font so you can read it easier. That is just what happened, however, instead of the digits appearing 57 LB, it magically turned to 126 Ib! (4lb after running in the sinking ground for days) She gained weight instead of losing it. It was painful. She would not want to lie to her mother and pretend that she is happy as ever. All the meals she skipped; the delicious masterpiece of mother’s lasagna… 4lb!

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It was time. It was time to see my accomplishment. It was time to stop the nonsense. It was time... (But what Amanda didn’t know is that her scale was just broken. Her weight was completely normal and the scale fooled her). After storing the foolish scale under the cupboard of the bathroom, she saw her body in the mirror. It seemed to be bigger than usual. In Amanda’s eyes, her arms and legs grew heavier and thicker. But in reality, she was average and thin. Sneakily, Amanda unlocked the door. Alertly, she tiptoed across the living room floor to where she had her schoolbag laying by the front door. If Mum saw the scale, she will cry in shock. Definitely she would send me to some wild eating disorder camp. But I’ll tell you! I’m not even close to any disorder. In fact, the only people who have eating disorders are everybody who posts the picture of me being fat and obese on Facebook - Brats! Amanda picked up her purple backpack and yelled to the kitchen: “Mum! I’m going to school. Bye!” …“Have a nice day-sweetie!” replied her mother. “See you soon,” Amanda said with an unconvincingly cheerful voice. 2 o’clock: one more hour till I get to go home and jump in my bed. It’s science class now and all I hear Mr.Neff saying is: “_______energy from food equals fat…fat stored in body…energy wasted_____...” Half of the words that Mr. Neff says in his low, dry voice do not reach Amanda’s clueless ears… “_____if you don’t eat__ the body will use the fat stored in yourself and you will become skinny,” continued Mr.Neff. That’s it! That’s finally the solution to losing weight! She thought:Don’t EAT! I’m home; how am I going to convince my mother that I won’t eat? I can’t eat. But it’s painful - very painful. But it is true that looking beautiful in this beautiful dress is very painful. Beauty is pain… And I’ll go through all the pain to be beautiful. “Amanda - dinner's ready; it’s your favourite, oyakodon!” Mom called from downstairs. “I’m coming!” Amanda replied with a tone of nervousness. Oh no! What am I going to do? Think! Think! Think! - I got it… I’ll enjoy the food then throw it up into the upstairs bathroom. It’s going to be painful however, “beauty is pain…”

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A few weeks later after throwing up everything she ate besides low calorie crackers, she was ready to step on the scale of truth. Click! The upstair bathroom door locked and Amanda stood in front of the scale, breathing anxiously. The first time she did this, her weight was 122 pounds. The digits filled the whole screen like always but reading: 45 pounds… At this stage she was extremely fragile. Her thighs were as thin as an average size arm. The joints in her arms and legs were mind-blowingly visible as they moved. You could see the joint change positions like a skeleton. But Amanda wasn’t satisfied. Her mum didn’t notice this because she had problems with her husband and was already stressed out. I guess it’s a big improvement however, I’m addicted of losing weight. I can’t stop. I know I’m dangerously thin; my prom dress that used to be dangling flawlessly and beautifully, just dropped down on my shoulders and barely hung on my body by just the thin string for the shoulders. Help me- I can’t stop losing weight! It hurts too much. This was not the right solution.I was beautiful, now I’m a skeleton. I need help...

******************* It’s prom week. Amanda’s dress hung in her open closet. However, the house was awfully quiet and empty. There was nobody in the house; you would think that’s normal considering that it is only Friday. However, it didn’t seem normal. Amanda’s room was strangely more clean than usual, her bed was made and her clothes was folded neatly in her drawers. You may also predict that she’s excited for prom. But her prom dress hung clean and pressed in the open closet… It was a rainy and a dark day in spring. Amanda was once again, nowhere to be found. Not at school, in the dance room, not in home (in bed). However, the family was seen circling and crouching in the funeral parlor where Amanda lay with a fragile white flower bouquet in her hands. She rested,quietly, with no hates, no suffering and no pain... That is what could've happened. She could had rested quietly with no hates, no suffering and no pain. However that's not what happened. Before it was too late, Amanda’s mother was cleaning Amanda’s bedroom when she found a book hidden under her bed. It was a diary that Amanda kept with all her secrets. The cover read: “My only trustworthy friend”

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Inside, Amanda’s Mum carelessly and cluelessly flipped through the pages. It was all in dark, bold pencil with smudges on every page until a page titled: “Help” came up. At this stage, Amanda's mum was worried and anxious. She read: “I don’t want to die. I love my Mum; I love my family, but I can’t stop losing weight! I went too far! I should have never listened to the brats on facebook who criticised how my body was shaped. I knew I was a beautiful young woman, however, I could never look into the mirror without seeing my arms looking fat and balloon- like. I wanted to be perfect for prom and have my date dance with me. I don’t think I have any more energy to skip or even move a single muscle. I even lost the ability to be hungry. I want to eat joyfully and not worry about having a full stomach, but I can’t put any food in my mouth. It chokes me inside. I want to tell my mum, however I already know she’s having trouble with my Dad and I don’t want to add more stress to her. It hurts! Help!” In devastation, Amanda’s mum acted quickly and saved Amanda’s life. It was a struggle to start feeding again, but with Amanda’s mum beside her the hospital bed, she had a strong will and heart to live. Amanda is now living a healthy and relaxing adult life with a husband and two young, adorable daughters. She is a successful part time health- nutritionist who makes speeches in schools about eating disorders. She will never forget what she went through and the amount of love and help that she had received. Before it was too late…

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Broken by Youbin Park Based on a true story 5 years ago I am awoken by a faint whisper, “Youbin… Play with me.” Out of curiosity, I squint my eyes open. There is nobody around except for the blazing morning sun staring right back into my eyes. This time, I open my eyes wide and stare at where the mysterious voice was coming from. “Pleasee…” The voice pleads endlessly from the... curtains? Squinting, I finally see a trace of a face on the curtain just about 12 inches away from me. It was almost as if someone without a body was standing behind the curtain with its face pressed on the curtains. “I am so bored. Please Youbin, play with me!” This time, I was certain that the crackling voice was coming from the curtains because as the voice was pleading on, I saw the mouth of the face traced in the curtain moving along with the words. I gasp, covering my mouth. “Wh-who a...are you?” I manage to speak up. “I’m your friend, Jim.” the invisible creature whispers shyly. “Uhh… M- Mom? Da-ad?” The room was ghost-quiet, except for the echoing words of the invisible, “play with me”. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------I look around and the first thing I notice is the blinding colour of white. Nearly everything is white; from the white ceramic tiles, white bed sheets, white walls, to the brilliance lights on the ceiling. Am I in the… No, of course I can’t be in the hospital. There is nothing wrong with me… Or it could be“It’s okay, it was just the shwarma”, my mother crushes my thoughts, I could tell that she was trying to be calm but it was her eyes. Her eyes are wide and filled with fear. She has more streaks of grey hair than ever before. Shwarma? The traditional Arab burrito that we eat every Saturday? But what about the shwarma, what is she talking about? “Wha...what do you mean?” I blurt out. My mother shakes her head, “No, no. Just relax,” she mutters, “It was definitely the shwarma”. ‘Shawarma… Shawarma… Shawarma’ was constantly echoing in my head. 226

As soon as I was about to blurt out another question, my mother's face swirled around and disappeared and within seconds, the walls were taking one step closer to me every 2 seconds, and the clock was ticking rapidly. Pitch black. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Skreeeeek… The sound of nails scratching on a blackboard was screaming in my ear. My eyes naturally opened to see the glamorous chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. It was louder the second time. Skreeeeeeeek… Without hesitation, I sit up from my parents king-sized bed, frustrated. Witch like fingers are grasping the edge of the bed surrounding the king-sized bed. Around 400 fingers were digging into the wood all around the bed. “MOM, MOM, MOM!!!” I shriek louder than I ever had. Soon, my mother and my father rush in, bursting the door open. Immediately, their red faces flush with relief as soon as they see me. “What’s wrong?” Bewildered at how calm they were I yell, “CAN’T YOU SEE? THERE ARE FINGERS ALL AROUND THE BED!!!” However, they seemed as baffled as me. “What do you mean? There are no fingers around the bed.” my father raises his eyebrows. They look right at each other with a nod and together, synchronised, “She’s hallucinating again”. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Try this”, my mother adjusts the necklace with her ice cold fingers, making my burning neck get the shivers. “What are you wearing that for?” my brother chuckles as he points to the wooden christian cross necklace placed on my feeble neck. “Mom said that this will scare the ghosts away.”I tried to give him a smile but I was too tired of my head aches and stomach aches. My food poisoned body. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------I am awoken by a faint whisper, “Youbin, play with me.” I jolt up, sweat dripping down my forehead.

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I look carefully towards the curtains, expecting the invisible face printed on the cream fabric. But this time I see my brother’s face beaming with excitement. His hair is shuffled around and his eyes are flashing for an immediate answer. “C’mon, you have to help me build the Lego Star Wars!”, my brother whoops. I sit up, with my hair sliding down my shoulders along with my wooden cross necklace sliding into position. The fever has gone. I look down at my necklace, “Thank you, God”.

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Trust No One by Yuna Lee May 24, 2035 - Entry log #1 “Trust No one” That’s been my motto since Day 1. I don’t know who’s left and who’s gone. I just know one thing. “Trust No one” I’ve lost everything. Had to leave everything behind and all for what? Survival. Now, I think that dying would have been the better choice. I’m alone anyway. I know that he’s never going to come back. He didn’t even bother to say goodbye. Just left a scribbled note to heed a mysterious warning. “Trust No one” As if I had anyone to trust in the first place besides him. I mean, this place was deserted months ago after the “Other Ones” arrived with their disease and chaos. Everyone either died, got taken, or ran off like us, and now he’s gone too. I give up. July 30, 2035 - Entry log #2 It’s been about two months since he’s been gone and I still haven’t found him. In those two months, I’ve seen the camps. They’re horrid. “Newcomers” dragging us in and the blood... The blood was the one thing that made me sick to the stomach. Dripping from their eyes, pooling in their wounds. The problem was, it wasn’t your normal red color. It was pitch black. That’s what the “Other Ones” did to you. Their virus took over your body and slowly changed it to become one of their own. I felt like dying just by taking a single glance at those bodies. I’m going to dangerous places soon and I might not be able to stay “sane”, so I should heed his warning. If anyone, by any chance, is still alive and has magically found this book after I have died, then I’ll give you his one warning.

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“Trust No one” August 3, 2035 - Entry log #3 I’m probably almost at Los Angeles now… or what’s left of it. I’m taking every risk to find him again. If he’s not there at the headquarters, then he’s dead. That’s it. The headquarters or nothing. He has to be there. He has to. He is all I have left. He told me to trust no one. Then I’ll trust no one… but him.

I close my book and open my backpack and skim through my belongings.  A water bottle  A sleeping bag  Clothes  Three books I had gotten one of those books from him as a birthday present. It was his favorite always had it beside him. It was the last thing that his mom left him. I never thought he’d let it go but there he was giving it to me on my 16th birthday. I loved him like no one else would or could. I’d never let him go. I promised to always be there and he did the same. Looks like he broke that promise. I’ve been wandering for so long - I can’t even feel the pain in my feet anymore. The bandage on my arm is wearing out, yet the wound is getting worse. Thankfully I should be nearing the headquarters in about a week or so; depends on how much more my body can take. My hands shake and my eye itches and hurts. I haven’t eaten anything in 3 days. All the stores that were wrecked during the “Other Ones” arrival were now empty from being ravaged by other survivors. I had to get something or else I could collapse, and the “Other Ones” would find me soon enough. I’d choose to die over being turned into one of those monsters. I can’t. I won’t. Those things took my family and anyone else I ever loved. I will not give into them. Until the end. Until I find him and get out of this living hell, I will… “Trust No one” August 14, 2035 - Entry Log #4 I’ve reached the headquarters today and... I wasn’t expecting this! It can’t be. It just can’t be. He’s not supposed to be here. Maybe he is - but not in this way. Never in this way. I tried so hard

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to find him, even when I was losing myself. I guess I just ended up finding the truth I never wanted and lost both of us in the end. I was doomed already from the minute that gash was made on my arm. I only came to find him and say goodbye, but not anymore. I can’t believe he could do this. I trusted him. No one but him. I guess I am free to die then. Better off not letting him know that I’m soon to become another one of his disgusting minions. This is my final message to the world. If anyone out there finds this journal, then take this as proof to write down in the history of the world. I, Lena Marie Coleman, have seen the leader and cause of this horrid event to mankind. The leader of the “Other Ones”, the aliens that have killed us all, is my one and only……

Everything went quiet as the pen dropped out of her hand. She fell to ground; her journal skidding across the tiled floor, hitting a man’s boot. He turned around. His face showing pain and fear as soon as his gaze hit the girl on the ground. “Oh, Lena. I should have told you not to chase me. I was too stupid to realise that you’d never let me go that easy.” The man reached down and cupped her face. “You would have hated me if I told you the truth, but you found out anyway. I’m sorry. I caused you pain, I caused you grief, I caused you to become one of them. I know you’d much rather die than live as one of the “Other Ones”. I’ll send you off in peace. I hope one day when we meet again, you can forgive me.” He picked up his gun and aimed it at Lena’s heart. He closed his eyes and a gunshot rang through the room. Everything stood still. He picked up the journal and finished off the last phrase before looking out to the ruins of the world. “Best friend. Ryden Kayes. He’s been one of the “Other Ones” since the beginning. He’s the cause of our downfall.”

“Oh, Lena what did I tell you? Don’t trust me...” “Trust No one”

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The Foster Child by Melissa Rapson Based on the kindertransport where young Jewish children were smuggled into England to save them from the concentration camps.

Sirens. All I could hear were the deafening sirens pounding against my ears. My heart beat rapidly. The rush of adrenaline spread through my body. The crying and screaming of the grief-stricken souls... Immediately, I was grabbed and confined in a diminutive box; I could not escape. The chilling mahogany in which I lay was a hard as stone. My stomach growled after what had seemed to be hours, days, weeks, or even months without food. And then it happened. I was firmly grasped by a towering, muscular stranger. A sizeable black hat with a badge in the center, glistening in the ray of sunlight that found a way through the shut curtains sat on his head. As I was being grabbed, I noticed an assortment of nonsensical numbers tattooed along his forearm: 138256. You could see the determination in his deep, blue eyes as he ran rapidly. He took me out of this monotonous enclosure and outside of my home. My eyes bounced around the rooms, searching as thoroughly as I could for a sign of life. But they were all gone… ************************* Another dull, dreary day in England. Every day I wake up in the morning, waiting for something. Something new. Something different. Something completely out of the ordinary, yet, I don’t know what. Every day is exactly the same. At the crack of dawn I must go downstairs and do my daily chores: sweep the floor, clean the dishes, wash all of the filthy clothes (making sure to scrub every little stain or I will be punished). “Alicia!” Mother yelled from her bedroom upstairs. “Y-yes?” “What is this repulsive stain on your father’s business shirt?” The growl of my mother was so strong that you could almost imagine the words coming from an alpha wolf. The thunderous words were so loud it was as if she was stood right against my ear. I had spent all night trying to scrub the stain from the tomato soup that my father had spilt using almost all of the dishwasher soap. Despite this, the stain wouldn’t come off. Hoping she would not notice was not enough therefore, we had a whip. A whip of cruelty and banishment. My mother opened a relatively small drawer in the very corner 232

of her bedroom covered with dust. With a metallic key hidden in between the mattresses of her bed, it was opened. Inside the drawer was the leather whip. Tightly, she gripped onto the whip as she came stomping down the spiral staircase. You could see her curled, fiery red hair from a mile away and her icy-blue eyes staring into you. I never looked much like my parents. I’ve always had dark, flat, brunette hair with hazel-nut eyes and my skin was ghost-like and much paler than any of my parents. “You should be thankful for what I have done for you! Without me, you would have been gone like the rest of them!” I never knew what my mother meant when she said things like this. There was no point in arguing because the more I argued, the harder of a whip. This was almost a routine where I stand behind the kitchen wall, close my eyes and wait. “Ouch!” I wailed as the whip made contact shooting tiny daggers throughout my back. ************************** I hear it again. It's getting louder. The screams and cries of the helpless children. The sun blinds me as I am taken out into the open. Vaguely, I see a train at the end of a field. Policemen racing while carrying the innocent children. I am taken into the train, along with the others. Smoke clouds the air as the train speeds away from my home, away from everything I knew. Away from who I was. ************************** Gradually, I open my eyes as reality comes to my vision. I feel a stinging pain on my back where a bright red mark was placed in the shape of a belt. It was always the exact one spot that would be hit, but that one spot has been hit for years creating almost a dent in my back. I watch as my mother stomps back up the stairs and goes straight into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. I think about the next chore that must be finished. Chores, chores, chores. Can’t I just relax for a moment? Why do I always have to do all the chores? I could feel my temper rising as a wave of anger washes over me. Suddenly, I hear the door creaking as it opens, revealing a policeman standing outside. I’m shaking as I stare into the same, deep blue eyes as my own. He pulls up his sleeve and the numbers become clear:138526. His voice is trembling when he speaks my name. “Frieda? Is it you? Have I found you, my child...?”

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Unforgettable Night by Rebecca Ko November 3rd 1942

“Why did you punch him? You know he’s way stronger than you. You know that he’s a son of the landlord.” In a small town in Gwang Ju, Han Gyeol was walking through the narrow road between the rice field, feeling the cold autumn breeze hit his face. The air was fresh and clear, but he didn’t feel like that. Behind him, there was a small, young girl hanging on his back; her knee was bleeding and her face was red as the blood dropping down her leg. Her sulky look revealed that she was not going to say anything. The girl bit her inner lip and leaned on her brother’s back. Gyeol could feel part of his shoulder getting wet. “Han Byeol, listen. If you know you can’t win, you shouldn’t start fighting. See this, the only result you get is just some scars.”

Byeol strongly shook her leg like she wanted to come down from Gyeol. As soon as Gyeol let her down, he could see Byeol’s two tearful eyes glaring at him, full of anger. Gyeol just silently squatted down and stroked his little sister’s messy hair. Byeol slightly moved her lips and grumbled in a tiny voice. “But he did something wrong. He is bad. Papa told me to fight against bad people.” “And you’re weak. You’re too young to handle this. You don’t have power to change him. Wise people only fight against people they can win against; people who they can be safe from.”

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Unfortunately, that didn’t help the little girl to let go of her anger. More tears piled up on her eyes; eventually, a loud wailing sound filled up the whole silent town. “Oppa… Oppa you’re such a coward. You don’t know anything. I hate you oppa. I’m not going with you.” Gyeol couldn’t say anything. What his sister said was all true. It was not a thing that he would say to a girl who’s only seven years old. However, this was something that he figured out since he was young. There is no good or bad in this world. Anything that people with power do is something right. Others have to stay blind and helpless. He did not want Byeol to go through the same thing. “Yes, you’re right. I am. I’m so sorry, Byeol. Let’s still go home together. It’s getting dark. You can’t even walk properly now.” Without even answering, Byeol stomped her feet and headed to their house. Gyeol just silently walked up with her and held the tiny, thin hand of her sister. As Gyeol held Byeol’s hand, he promised to himself that he would never let go of this small hand and always protect her. He truly did not want his sister to hurt herself. November 2nd 1942

“Sunsangnim!” A tiny child who only looks seven or eight years old ran to a lady with his arm full of piles of paper. As the lady heard a young voice calling her, she slightly put down her book and greeted the child with a gentle smile. “Byeol Sunsangnim you promised to help me read this today. I am really really curious about your story!” “Give me the book; let’s read together.” Byeol caresses the little boy’s hair and makes him sit on her lap. She looks at the paper that the boy brought. It is the story that she wrote few days ago. Byeol clears her voice and points to the text with her finger to make it easier for the child on her lap to also follow her as she reads out. Two voices reading Korean pervade the room. The child is not good enough, but Byeol did not speed up to let the boy also read. The boy’s eyes sparkle in interest as he reads more and more. As they finish reading, the child shouts out in excitement. “Sunsangnim you’re a genius! How could you think of this story! It’s just so fun!” Byeol did not say anything; she just showed her warm smile to the child. It wasn’t the story that she made. It was the story that she heard from someone when she was about the same age as this child. It was the story that she heard before she lost everything, before she lost someone who was most precious to her. Byeol looked out the window, 235

and the sky was turning redder and redder like it was burning. Byeol closed her eyes as the memories starting to flush in her mind. November 3rd 1929

Gyeol opened his eyes as he heard the small rustling sound next to him. He could see the two sparkling eyes looking at the ceiling. “Byeol go to sleep. You need to wake up early tomorrow.” “What about daddy? Why isn’t he coming?” The two eyes that were heading to the ceiling were now looking at Gyeol. Gyeol could tell what his sister was expecting now, but he had to avoid her eyes. “He’s coming back soon. He already told us he will be late today… now let’s sleep Byeol.” Gyeol silently sighed so his sister next to him wouldn’t hear it. He forced his eyes to shut. He had to sleep now. He knew what their dad wanted. “But daddy told me that he is buying me a candy from downtown today. Can I wait for him?” “Byeol, let’s eat the sweets tomorrow, but not today. It’s almost twelve. You need to sleep girl.” Gyeol tightly hugged his sister and pulled the blanket closer. Gyeol lied again. Dad wouldn’t be bringing sweets with him. He went to the student movement happening in the main street. Gyeol wasn’t even sure if his dad was able to come back. He tried to sleep without thinking about the messed up ideas coming into his mind. ‘Nothing’s going to happen,’ Gyeol thought to himself. He felt something hot coming up from the deep below his heart. ‘Nothing is… but what if something happens? What am I going to do with this little one?’ Gyeol could imagine the scenes that might happen. It was terror. It was death. It was leaving this young girl in a desert of pain... where she could never escape. Gyeol felt someone shaking his body. He could not even realise that his sister was calling him for few times. Byeol woke him up from the nightmare without a barrier from the reality. “Oppa I can’t sleep. Can you sing a lullaby for me?” Byeol giggled softly as she said it. She knew that her brother was a horrible singer, and she would never be able to sleep while listening to it. “You know that’s not happening. What if I tell you some stories? Would you like that?” Byeol nodded her head and Gyeol closed his eyes again. The soft voice spread out into the small room where the two of them were lying down. He slowly recited the story that 236

he heard when he was younger; Gyeol could feel his sister’s breath getting softer and softer with every word. The room was soon filled with peace. November 2nd 1942

Gyeol banged his head on the desk and let out a deep sigh. He could only sleep for three hours this week. There was no clue about the Korean language society. It was the important project that even the viceroy of Japan was taking care of. The chief was urging everyone to cast them into the jail as soon as possible. “What a sneaky rodent…” Gyeol groaned to himself and wrinkled his brows. He needed a rest. ‘Korean language society’: it was similar to the organization his father used to work for. They tried to keep Josun’s culture and language, and always reminded others how they are all Josun people. When he was young, Gyeol used to hate his father working for them. He hated how his dad had to risk so many things for the helpless country that gave nothing to them. He always thought that there was no way for Josun to beat Japan, to be independent again. Fighting for something that is impossible was stupid and incomprehensible. Thirteen years had passed, and Gyeol still thought the same way. He now even hated Josun. His stupid country didn’t do anything when Gyeol lost everything because of them. Gyeol also hated himself, how he had same Josun blood in his body… how he was also powerless when everything was taken away from him. “Tadashi san!” Gyeol heard the familiar voice calling him and turned back. The tall Japanese guy in police uniform was walking toward him. Gyeol stood up and gave a deep bow to him. As he bowed, he could feel a thick piles of paper hitting his head. Gyeol couldn’t stand back up; all Gyeol could do was wait for the guy to continue. “Why don’t I hear any news that the sneaky josen-jin were caught? Are you doing that on purpose because you are the same josen-jin? Because you have that dirty Josen blood flowing in your body?” The man’s lip curled on one side and made a nasty smile- it showed that he was enjoying this. The level of hitting got harder; it soon looked like a torture. “No, sir. I’m doing my best to catch them.” Gyeol’s voice quivered in anger. He clenched his fists, his fingers were turning pale as a ghost. The level of his voice got louder: “You, are, doing, your, best?” and louder: “You know how ashamed I was when I was reporting to the government general?” Gyeol’s ears hurt as he heard the screeching sound of the guy. Gyeol tightly closed his eyes, he felt like vomiting. The chief threw the pile of papers that he was hitting Gyeol’s head with onto the ground. Massive amount of papers were randomly placed on the floor. 237

“These are some newspaper and articles that those josen-jin wrote. Find them as fast as you can. I’m giving you three days.” Gyeol heard the sound of footsteps getting smaller and he could tell that the chief just left. He slowly stood back up; he was feeling even more tired now. Gyeol didn’t have much time. He picked up all of the papers on the floor and started to read them carefully as a beast looking for its prey. One story caught his attention. It was so similar to the story that he heard when he was young, the story that he used to tell his sister when she fretted before sleeping. ‘星’ The letter written on the bottom of the story reminded Gyeol about his sister even more. The girl who was so sweet and wise, who always made Gyeol smile. The girl who was so fragile but brave, who always inspired Gyeol to stay stronger. The one he couldn’t protect. The one he had to leave in the fire. Tear drops rolled down Gyeol’s face without him even noticing. It was one rainy and wet fall day. November 3rd 1929

Byeol felt the slight heat covering her whole body. When she opened her eyes, she saw the entire door made of paper, colored in bright orange. She was first amazed with the beautiful color, but she soon felt the smoke and realize that something was going wrong. “Oppa… Oppa wake up! Why is it so orange outside? Oppa wake up,” Byeol shook Gyeol’s arm strongly until Gyeol barely opened his eyes. However, his eyes got wider when he saw the outside burning in bright orange. It was fire. Without even thinking, Gyeol kicked off his blanket, and started to shove everything that he could see inside the bag. ‘It must be the Japanese. Something must have gone bad during the student movement.’ His dad already taught him a lot about what to do in these kind of situations. The nightmare that he just had has become true. “What are you doing, what’s happening,” Byeol’s voice trembled in fear. Tears were about to drop from her huge eyes. She was cluelessly watching her brother; she only knew that it wasn’t a pleasant situation. Gyeol held the bag that he roughly packed and on the other hand grabbed his sister’s hand. “We’re leaving here. Don’t let go of my hand, never.” The little girl was now crying in horror. It was getting hotter inside the room. They had no time to waste. Gyeol pushed the door open; the handle was already heated up and Gyeol got a burn in his hand. Outside was even more terrible than what he thought. The entire town, trees, 238

houses and farm, was burning; it was like a hell in the real world. People were already running out from their houses. Everyone was heading out of the city pushing each other without any order. Gyeol held Byeol’s hand tighter. “You need to follow me. Byeol, don’t look at anything else and just follow me.” Gyeol started to run to the hill behind the town. He knew that there would be the Japanese police near the entrance and they would die anyway if they went that way. The road was full with people escaping just like them. Gyeol had to focus not to let go of Byeol in this massive crowd. “Oppa slower! I can’t run! Oppa!” The scar on Byeol’s knee was bleeding again and Byeol was limping because of the pain. Unfortunately Gyeol couldn’t hear Byeol because of others screaming and shouting in fear. Byeol got slower and slower, she couldn’t catch up her brother with injured legs. Two hands were separated in a sudden rush. Byeol broke the promise that she made with her brother. Gyeol ran without even noticing that one of his hands was now empty. When he realized, it was already late. He couldn’t find Byeol in the crowd at all. “Byeol… Byeol! Han Byeol!” Gyeol desperately shouted aloud his sister’s name. He felt like hearing Byeol calling him from somewhere. “Byeol I’m here… I’m here! Byeol! Come! Byeol!” His throat was getting sore, his eyes were full of tears. “Byeol…!” He looked around several time but there was no one even similar to her. The flame was coming closer. Gyeol had to go. Someone pulled Gyeol’s arm and headed out of the town. It was the lady living with his neighbour. “No ma’am, I have to find my sister, I can’t leave Byeol. I have to go with her. No ma’am, no.” Gyeol begged the lady but she didn’t seem to listen either. Gyeol kept on looking back, the footsteps heading out of the town were heavy. ‘I need to protect her.’ Gyeol thought about the promises that he made to himself before. Promises that were burning together with Gyeol and Byeol’s town. November 3rd 1942

Gyeol urgently woke up from the dream, gasping for breath. It was that unforgettable night when everything burned and turned into ashes. It was the night when he couldn’t do anything, while he watched flames swallowing every precious thing that he had. Everything. Everyone. When he closed his eyes he could still see the town burning in a color of orange- and the girl standing in the middle of it. The scar on his left hand burned like it had happened yesterday. It’s been awhile since Gyeol thought about that night’s incident. He forced himself to forget about it: his town, his family and his country. After that night in 1929, his life completely changed; he erased ‘Han Gyeol’ from himself. He was now called Tadashi, lived like Japanese people, and worked for Japan. 239

However, deep inside he always had it. Once he started to recognize it, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was like a dam with a broken reservoir. “Tadashi! They found the temporary shelter where those language society josenjin are! We have to go!” Gyeol snapped out of the thoughts as his colleague tapped his arm. Everyone was getting their coats on and preparing for mobilization. It was time to come back to the reality. It was time to come back to Tadashi. ‘What if it’s really Byeol,’ Gyeol again thought about the story that he read last night and the author called 星 who wrote that. He shook his head to deny the idea constantly coming up his mind, but his heart foreboded that something might happen. ‘Byeol is dead,’ Gyeol reminded himself. ‘She can’t be alive; even if she’s alive, she’s a clever girl. She won’t do dangerous things like that.’ He tried to rationalize his actions but it didn’t work. Byeol was a brave girl who fought against unfair things. She was not afraid of getting hurt; she was the one who would choose the right thing even though it is not safe. Just like her name, she was the girl who would always shine even in the darkness. He missed Byeol so much. ‘But not now,’ Gyeol thought while he wore his coat like others. ‘I’d rather never see her than meet her now.’ He couldn’t say goodbye to his sister once again. November 3rd 1942

Shiny long black hair that she always neatly braided. Her white skin, pale as winter. Her eyes deep as a well high up in a mountain. Short black scarf that mother made for her because she gets cold easily. Two pairs of eyes woven together. It was her. Gyeol held his gun up high; it was aiming at someone. He saw the other police also preparing their guns. The gun was fired. Gyeol closed his eyes, he didn’t regret his choice. It was another unforgettable night…

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Anything for Him by Jamie Kim This story was inspired by the Sumatran Earthquake in Indonesia, 2004. 4 hours ago, I was still with him. We were having fun at the front of the Painan beach, carelessly tossing a beach ball back and forth. It sparkled every time it hit the water, for it was embraced with a beautiful veil of sunlight. When I accidentally hit the ball too hard, it floated further away from us. He chased after the ball that was swimming into the bouncy tides that would collapse on each other at a steady beat. I looked up at the sky and I could see birds flying away from the ocean. There was a change in the air. I could feel a stillness in the ground and a howl from the sea. Every person on the beach was paralysed. Suddenly, an exceedingly large wave appeared and created plenty of uproar. It was coming directly towards us at a menacing speed making us tremble in fear. The broad waves sped in a way that made my spine tingle in anxiety. It was unreal. A force of nature thundering towards me - ready to swallow us whole. “Come back now! Quick!” I yelled desperately, swinging my arms in the air. I saw him trying to paddle back to shore. The tides kept pulling him back and all I could see was the desperation in his eyes. “Jane! Help! I can’t… move…” The water pushed down on him from all sides. He reached with his arms but he could find no leverage; for all he knew, he was pushing himself further down. “No! No! Swim! Please!” I screamed, tears pouring out of my eyes. He waved at me one last time. “Run…” I could no longer see him. His lungs burned for more air and even though he knew he would get none, his body still took a breath. Cold water filled his lungs and the darkness engulfed him. He had nothing left in him to fight anymore. He gave into the darkness and let the water take him. I had to live. He would have wanted me to. I had to run. Quickly, I wiped my tears and followed the mob of people running for their lives. Soon enough, we were off the beach and into the crowded roads. Empty cars were parked everywhere with open doors. Everyone was running. *** No matter how much I would run, it never gave up. It came crashing through, eliminating everything that came in its way. We were like little ants scurrying around looking for home, for shelter, for anything that would protect us from the savage tide that wanted to

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suck us in. It was too late for the people on the beach; they had already been taken prisoner, just like him, drowned forever in their tears of sorrow and fear. It didn’t feel like I had much time left before I would be shackled and chained up as well. I had been running for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn’t keep it up for much longer. Only a few people were still alive including myself. Each time I would take another step, my legs would shake in exhaustion. My eyelids became heavier and heavier. I stopped running. One peek won’t hurt, I thought. After taking a deep breath, I slowly turned around, observing all the damage that I had been running from. Houses, cars and other debris were lying everywhere and in the distance, I could see the restless tides coming closer and closer. It was roaring in hunger. There was nothing powerful enough to stop it. I began to feel the waters around my ankles. They were trying to clasp me… trying to imprison me for eternity. At least I would be with him again.

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More than Words by James Lee I’m Matt, so I’m told. I’m also 7 now, so I’m told. I’m told a lot of things. Because I don’t have parents. Mother Maria always told me that my parents were great musicians and that they left me here in order to achieve their dreams- to become the greatest musicians of all times. I’m very proud of that, because it segregates me from the rest of the orphans; my parents had a reason for leaving me. But all this doesn’t matter at the moment because today, I’m 7 now. So I’m told. September 19, 2001 I’ve never received a birthday present in my life except from Mother Maria- if extra carrots in my morning soup here even counts as a present. I’m used to it though; living a solitary life. But like any of the others here, I wanted to be cared for and...I wanted a mom and a dad- an impossible dream. Wiping out my tears that started to fall into my carrot soup, I quietly got up and walked back to my dormitory, to celebrate my 7th birthday...alone. As soon as I opened the rusted door to my room, I noticed an unfamiliar object lying on the floor- a guitar. I’ve seen those before on the streets, a string instrument. On top of it was a tiny, black slip of paper. Picking it up, I saw that it was scribbled with messy handwriting that was barely legible. I could tell that it was written ages ago- the paper was all worn out, covered in stacks of dust, and some parts were wrinkled, as if drops of water stained it. I subvocalized and it simply read:

From Steven & Eva My parents. I was told my parents’ name when I was little. As little as I was then, a small feeling of happiness grew inside me- the happiness of receiving a present, the happiness of receiving a present from my parents. Then a thought came across me that if I create a worldwide music event, I could be with my parents again. I could see them again. We could be together. Determined to achieve this dream, I snuck out of the orphanage, out into the real world. Night passed on, outside of the cramped place I lived in. A new place, a new life, a new me. When the sun rose, I got my guitar out of the case I was holding and sat down on the cold, cement floor, somewhere in the streets. And I strummed. I’ve never learned any kind of music in my past. A relationship with music was something completely new to me, but surprisingly, chords, notes, tones, they all seemed familiar. Music flowed through the air so naturally, so beautifully that by the time the song ended, a crowd was gathered around me with applause. I managed to obtain food and water through the money I received when playing guitar. Then one day, as I was

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wandering down the streets, I encountered a large man in a homeless kind of clothesclothes that were even more worn out then mine. He grunted something which sounded like falo me which I interpreted as follow me. And so I did. I was led to a huge room, inside a huge building, shining and glowing with all sorts of funny looking objects. I figured out soon enough that he was CJ, a failed musician, and an acquaintance of my parents. He was once a star-musician, but had to quit due to his vocal injuries. And he told me that he would train me to achieve my goal. I looked around the room. Everything was unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but at the same time, looking at all these instruments relaxed me as if it was part of my nature. I picked up a guitar that was nearest to me and started playing. Music filled the hollow room, echoing all the way to CJ’s room and seconds later, he came sprinting towards me with a holy-like expression. Startled, I only caught of few words of his mumbling“ ….true music prodigy….”. January 31, 2011 It’s been 10 years since I started music and this day has finally come. I was on the stage, in front of more than 10,000,000 people, performing my very own music. Out in the crowd somewhere, my parents would be watching me, cheering for me. Despite not being able to see each other, the thought of us being united together again was enough. Letting out these emotions, I played my music. Words failed to describe my feelings, but music filled that missing role, holding a deeper meaning. I’m Matt. I’m also 17. My parents are here with me and music is what we share. I’m not told a lot of things anymore. Instead, I’m telling the whole world right now with music filled with my sentiments. Music- which means a lot more than words.

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The Perks of Being a Ghost by Claire Kim Hot wind blows from the south to where I stand, on the Golden Gate Bridge. It rushes through my hair as I look down- it’s a long drop from where I stand. For a second, I think I see fish swimming below, but my imagination clears and I only see the dark shadow of my silhouette. The tragically blue water reflects me- ominous, peaceful, and clouded. A thrill circulates around me as the acidic adrenaline wills my heart to pound a constant rhythm. I smile to myself- a bitter smile. A twisted smile, half-curled in anticipation. Just one more step- and it’s so easy, to wipe my existence off the earth, and serenity will soon overcome me. My feet itch to take one more step off the bridge. Not just yet, I tell myself. I take one last breath, close my eyes, then take a step back. It’s true when people say their life flashes before their eyesThe next thing I know, my feet are in the air, and I panic. My vision is filled with the same bright blue I once welcomed, but all I find in my mind is fear. No, no, no, this isn’t what I wanted. I didn’t imagine it to be like this. But it’s too late- the vast body of water whirls towards me, and I can’t help but scream… The coldness hits me like a sudden realisation. My cries are drowned in the bonechilling water, and I struggle to stay afloat. Waves resist against my blind kicks and swings, but in the end, I am only exhausted from trying to escape my own decision. First my legs, then arms go numb; eventually, the light of the world blinks out. My senses fade out, and my eyes threaten to close, but I resist and open my mouth to pray-

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----My consciousness flickers on again, and I blink, confused and dazed. My head feels as if it has been numbed with ice, and my senses are dim. Where am I? It seems as if I’m still perched on the Golden Gate Bridge, but the colours surrounding me are faded. Am I not dead? A shiver runs through me. I draw in a sharp breath, and reach up to cover my shoulders, but my body isn’t there. I lift my arm in bewilderment and search for any trace of human flesh. All I see are the trees in the background, cars, and the rusty red of the bridge. My eyes widen in suspicion, and I look down. My body is nonexistent, just like I feared- and I can’t help but let a faint gasp leak from between my lips. “If-” I clear my throat. “If I’m dead, why am I still here?” My voice is hoarse and barely audible, as if my larynx has rusted and my vocal chords were scratching out the cries of a toad. But nevertheless, I can still speak- an unthinkable deed, especially because I’m dead- and I look around for a reaction. The crowd around me bustles as usual, but no unusual glances are made to me. My eyebrows rise in surprise, and I try reaching out to a nearby passerby. “Hello? Ex- Excuse me?” His face stays emotionless as a rock. Reaching out for his arm doesn't work either; I will my invisible hand to try stop the passerby, but I seem to pass right through him. How strange is it to have a mind that exists, but not your body? Is that what being a ghost feels like? Am I a ghost? With my new characteristics, I turn my footsteps towards my old house, and after a few blocks, I'm at the doorsteps of where my family lives.The front door welcomes me,

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as if the house missed me. I hesitantly stare back at the house, almost afraid that what I see will leave me more broken than before. The door seems to dematerialise as I walk right through it; barely feeling the old wood touch my invisible skin as it sends a slight shiver through me. And just like that, I'm inside my house. The familiar scent still wafts through the hallways, filling me up with memories and weighing me down. My feet barely make contact with the wooden stairs as I glide like a spring breeze. I drift over the floor and I find myself in what once used to be my room. I slide between the crack of the door, careful not to make a single creak. It’s dark. But I can still make out the features of the room, and it seems the same as before. All my books are scattered on the floor, a potted plant on the windowsill, and a neatly made bed- all completed with a green wallpaper. Rain scatters across the roof and the window and creates eerie shadows across the walls. I look around and I realise that there are flowers on my bed. I walk towards the bed hesitantly and pick them up with trembling hands. They still smell of dirt, as if they had been picked just today, and I take a deep breath. My hands seem to stutter- if hands could, anyway- and I gently place the flowers back on my bed. My family knows I’m dead- have they done anything? It’s late at night, so they would be sleeping nowI check the clock. It’s 2am in the morning. A song begins to play within my mind:

You seemed to say it without thinking deeply But it made me think deeply all night I think I'm going crazy

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Was it just a text you sent because you were drunk? I wrote the reply for a long time, and erased it Though, you erased me so easily Is this a delusion? Nowadays, I see the loneliness In your pictures which only I can recognize no, I shouldn't do this This is what I hope You only held out your hands when you aren't reachable You, if you can't come back to me, don't look back Baby I will try to let you go You, if you don't want me even if you might die, then don't let me breathe I'm still inside of you You avoided me because you were afraid to see me randomly But why are you in everywhere wherever I go nowadays? I know you are giving me false hope But I still want to reach you, knowing you are not reachable You, if you can't come back to me, don't look back Baby I will try to let you go You, if you don't want me even if you might die, then don't let me breathe I'm still inside of you You can live without me. Why do you make me painful and crazy Baby please let me go Don't you know I'm dying Oh God If you can't let me go, come back to me You, if you can't come back to me, don't look back Baby I will try to let you go You, if you don't want me even if you might die, then don't let me breathe I'm still inside of you

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One of Them – Hanna Mansson and Jade Woo How can anyone do this to me? How can my own father to this to me? ***

It wasn’t my fault. How could she do this to me? *** Even to this day, I remember the scene lingering vividly in my head as if it happened yesterday. My own father did this to him… I would never forget that day-July 4th 1997.

A month ago, I had turned 14. Cooper, my older brother and I were playing soccer in our backyard as usual. Even though our goal was the ones that can go rusty after a few days, we always managed to make the most of it. He was an extremely talented player and his dream was to become a professional soccer player. “Shoot!” Cooper exclaimed. Just as I was about to boot the football at Cooper, I saw dad gaze at us... “Cooper, come in here for one second.” Dad commanded. There was something weird about dad these days. I couldn’t tell whether it was just me that recognized his grim expressions.

Was Cooper in trouble? But what did he do wrong? Cooper’s radiant face darkened and I could smell his anxiety from a mile away. He scurried in the house. Before the door closed shut, Dad peered around and gave me a sorry look. It took a while for Cooper to come out of the house. I heard Dad and Cooper’s fight getting louder and louder; I couldn’t help, but to peek into the kitchen window. ***

As I called Cooper in, my hand trembled and my mouth went dry. I could feel my throat clogging up and I tried pushing the thought away. I saw him hurry towards me and as he approached I could hear his breath speed up. 249

“Da-dad?” Cooper called. As those words came of his mouth, my heart sank. I had planned this for so long and I finally grasped my chance… to get rid of him. *** What was happening? I knew what I was doing was wrong but my flooded curiosity took over me. I ambled to the back window and peeked through. The kitchen was empty yet I saw the unfocused silhouettes of dad and Cooper casting on the gray wall. I hoped whatever was occurring wasn’t something too serious. ***

This is your chance, you’ve waited for so long. Do it, do it… “Cooper, you know how much I adore you son right?” I asked, trying to stop my fist shaking. “Yea, of course dad.” Cooper replied, cluelessly.

Should I get the knife now? No, he’s still my son. How can I still be human even thinking of killing my son? All these thoughts remained in my head. I glanced back and forth at my stiff fist and at Cooper. Finally I saw Cooper open his mouth and my most fearful question spill out, “What is it dad?” ***

The last time I remember seeing dad acting this way was when mom came home after two months away. I was only 12 years old. I didn’t know what was occurring and why she hadn’t come home. I asked dad if they were in an argument and he replied, “No, do not worry about it; nothing's happening.” Then he gave me an awkward smile. The following day, I asked mom the same question. However, once I asked her the question I saw her whole body stiffen like ice. “No... E-everything is f-fine,” she stuttered. I could tell by her concerned facial expressions that something was going on and they were hiding something from me. *** That morning, I had taken my daily dose of medicine like every regular morning. Schizophrenia. I have to take my tablets. They are supposed to make the voices stop. Supposed to.

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As I walked down the staircase I could feel the stairs moving one by one and my body gradually losing balance. I tried to keep my body upwards, but having no power in my legs I fell to the ground feeling worthless. I got up cautiously and I heard Cooper rush towards and ask whether I was ok. I thought maybe I was just tired or stressed out due to work. The whole day, I started getting random thoughts in my head, just as if someone was controlling me.

I knew he was one of them… I knew she was one of them… How can they do this to me? ***

What is it dad? What is it dad? What is it dad? The voice echoed in my head like some kind of spell. I approached the drawer where I had prepared the knife. “Cooper, I know the truth, that you are one of them! How could you betray me like that?” I screeched. I felt a sudden rush of fury and started hearing the voices again.

Yes, go towards the knife now. Open the drawer. Get rid of him. “D-dad what are you talking about? Are you ok?” he stammered. “You and your mom are the same. First I got rid of mom and now it’s your turn…” I said feeling determined. I walked backwards towards the drawer and pulled the keen knife out. I saw Cooper trying to race to the door realizing what was going to happen. I hurried and swung the knife downwards aiming at Cooper’s heart and closed my eyes… When I opened my eyes, the knife was drenched with the crimson blood and the gray wall now had specks of dark blood. The wooden floor was now a pool of blood and I saw Cooper collapsed on the ground with his eyes still open.

What had I done? I have to hide him so no one will know that it was me. No one can know- but how about Caleb? What would I say to him? Would I have to kill one more person? ***

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I saw dad’s hand go up with an acute knife facing towards Cooper. I saw stains of vermilion blood on the gray walls and saw dad come into the kitchen with the bloodsoaked knife. I ducked down quickly and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

Caleb, this is a dream, this isn’t real. Wake up, wake up. Please! I gradually opened my eyes and blinked a few times and realized… that this was indeed reality!

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Bittersweet Past by Johanna Kleinert It’s a Saturday afternoon, with grey skies and a gloomy, rainy and humid atmosphere. My mom is cutting some vegetables in the kitchen, while my dad is sitting at his desk in his office, working. I am sitting down on the couch next to the window, staring out at the pouring rain. I start thinking about how I’m supposed to be studying for the upcoming finals and get up from the couch. I walk past my mom in the kitchen and head over to the stairs leading to the attic. “Johanna, where are you going?” My mom asks. “To get my study supplies and books,” I reply. My mom nods at me with a smile, and continues chopping up the vegetables. I later get to the top of the stairs and open the attic door. I feel a slight cold breeze swish past my face, and I shiver while grasping my own shoulders. I thank the fact that this attic isn’t very dark and that the dim light from outside is shining into this dusty attic, making it a less eerie experience for me. I see a ton of cardboard boxes filled with a lot of items due to the fact that we had just moved to Korea.I head over to one of the boxes in the middle of all the other boxes, and start searching. I pull out all kinds of things. Cooking recipes, fantasy genre books, some toys, andI stare down at what seems like a dog leash. A blue one, about the length of a meter stick, which seems very old and the metal parts covered in a brown like substance, which felt rough against my fingertips. I examine and observe the leash, feeling its rough, smooth texture. As I get closer to the part of the leash where you tie it on the dog’s neck, I spot a faded name in the middle, written with what seems like a black permanent marker. “Bastie.” I suddenly get reminded of all different kinds of memories that have to do with this name. Bastie… my dog. My loving dog. I remember… ______________________________________________________________________ I remember… when I was in kindergarten and Bastie got too excited and accidentally pooped and peed on the carpet. My mom got so angry, that she started yelling and screaming at Bastie. I covered Bastie with my arms, and yelled back at my mom, exclaiming that it wasn’t Bastie’s fault. That was when it all started… when Bastie started to pay more attention me and treated me like an older sister… After that, we made all kinds of blissful memories together. There was a time in lower school, when some very rude kids bullied and teased me. I’d always come home crying, and I would sit down and bury my head into my knees to start sobbing. Bastie would walk to me, start cuddling with me whilst licking my leg as I would start giggling. Oh, how that would comfort me enormously and draw a smile on my face. 253

I remember… when my mom, my dad, Bastie and I would go out for walks outside in the baseball park in Taiwan. Bastie’s long tongue would be sticking out, while he’d be panting and pooping and peeing everywhere. His big, round pupils would be looking into my eyes, expecting some heavenly foods that would satisfy his stomach. I remember… my close friends would always come play at my house during elementary school. Bastie, my friends and I would dance and play with each other all the time. Bastie danced very well, and he was a happy dog. However… that all changed when I entered middle school. Bastie would be getting thinner and thinner, weaker and weaker. He’d have trouble breathing. He wouldn’t eat. He… he… All because of me. When I entered middle school, I stopped playing with Bastie. I had homework to do, and I got more picky about his smell and how dirty he’d make me. If I had just played with him like I have always done, then he wouldn’t have… I remember… that one night. While I was sleeping, I heard some scratches at the kitchen door in my old apartment. It was 12 am- and I opened the kitchen door. There he was… Bastie, struggling to breathe and slowly coughing up blood. I remember running to my parent’s bedroom in concern, waking my mom up, and explaining to her that there was something wrong with Bastie. My mom and I sat down on the floor, and she lay Bastie down on her lap, petting him and whispering, “It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ll move bring you to the hospital tomorrow, and you’ll be all fine.” Tears start pouring out of my eyes, as I remember Bastie staggering and falling into my arms when I was sitting on the floor, my legs criss-crossed, and the sound of silence when he stopped breathing… I could feel the warmth of his slightly furry, soft, skeleton-like body slowly fading away. I could see Bastie’s gray and brown slightly furry body gradually stopped moving up and down. I could see the expression that stuck on Bastie’s face- full of excruciating pain and- love. I could see the tears in Bastie’s closed eyes getting absorbed by his fur. It was so silent, that I could hear the sound of the clock on the living room wall, ticking. “Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.” That silence… was the most painful sound that I have ever heard in my entire life. I remember my mom exclaiming, “He stopped breathing!”. I remember us starting to sob so hard that our stomachs hurt.

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I remember my dad walking out of the bedroom and walking towards us, silently staring at us in shock, confusion, and heartbreak. ____________________________________________________________________ I stand up with the leash in my hand, and run as fast as I can to the garden outside. I remember how I stopped hanging out with Bastie because of his smell and when he wanted to play, but I just abandoned him. “I’m sorry!” I cry. “I’m sorry, Bastie! Please, please… please forgive me!” Rain continues to pour down on my head. I collapse on the grass, bawling. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. Suddenly, the rain stops.Clouds appear, as I stare in bewilderment. In the clouds, I see a very faint face smiling… at me… I see a faint image of Bastie… smiling at me… I smile back at Bastie and whisper, “Thank you.” I will always love Bastie, and I’m grateful. Grateful for all the memories we’ve shared together, and the fact that… he forgave me.

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Returning by Eunice Cho `Buzz. Throb. The alarm shrieks and almost instantly, I jump up horrified, seeing myself in the reality once again. Hesitating to make one fidget that might catch the eye of the nurse, I lie still in the middle of the cramped bunk and watch the edge of my blanket fold in fear, as her head turns slightly to my direction. I’m hoping that nothing makes me stand out from the rest of the boys sleeping in the room. Here was never a safe place. As soon as some of us seemed to have woken up, they force the rest of the children to all begin the day of labour. It’s only dawn and I don’t want to have the others suffer from the reality. No more than they were threatened to. I’m an orphan and I work 15 hours a day. Or should I put it the other way… I work this much to be an orphan. Just to be a poor, untamed kid with no parents. Spending each day having the rich spoilt instructors playing dolls with my body, I seriously end everyday swearing to myself that —I’ve had enough. I am a boy teenage model because apparently I have the appearance that they want so much. I have no freedom to impress anyone or to show off what—they say—I have. My life consists of work, food, sleep and…dryness. I work for my soup alone and the freedom that I will one day reach. It’s not worth living to barely stay alive. *** “Laugh 49! But DON’T SAY A WORD.” My name is Tyler. It’s one word my parents might have actually spoken, but no one knows me as my name. Here I am number 49 and I’m required to be happy. Laughing 49. Nothing more, nothing less. I guess… just nothing more. Ironically, they use a professional studio. Like yesterday, I was standing in front of a white temporary wall with blue backlight flashing through from the back. I saw my shadow stretch into the darkness where the photoshoot team and the camera guys stare at me with cold eyes. They held their hands up for directions and the hawky eyes followed my every movement from head to feet. The “professionals” inspected me for all

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my body aspects including posture, atmosphere, acting and emotions…really, they cared for my emotions. I do photo shoots for free. I am an orphan, and the adults say I must do it for the price of the shelter that they provide for us. The reward for modelling and acting for 15 hours each day is my cracking bunk bed, cold soup and two sandwiches. The adults of our orphanage favored me for my rare blue green eyes. Especially in a place full of starving kids, they selected me for my fit, lean body. Before I was casted for the modelling business, a few doctors picked me to study my DNA to use for future genetic modelling. Although I have spent all my life in a small town, they told me that I was actually a very good European mixed blood. Like I was a dog. So like a dog, I plan to run away. *** The children force themselves out of the tiny bunks and heavily reach out to the bundle of daytime uniforms stacked in the middle of the room. The colors are distressed and murky, as if they sympathize with the dark trails in our own minds. Along with me, the boys hastily push into the scratchy fabric, revealing their thin, deficient body as they change into the uniforms. Uniforms. I don’t think it’s the most suitable word for the pieces of recycled garbage that the orphanage provides. Seriously. What do they do with all the money from the government? They need to be aware. We line up feebly in our deformed slippers. There’s about thirty or so of us in this room. There is no laughter—nor are there any conversations—in such morning, we simply grew tired of deliberately making excuses to be happy. When I first arrived here, I thought things would get better. But did they? I stand near the end of the line of boys, gazing into mid space just like most of them there. Maybe they’re all thinking about their poor fortune like me. Or planning to run away. But I better not cause any suspicion or leak the signs of my plan because it won’t happen if the modelling team finds out. Plus, what is there for me to prepare with? For the first time, I am pleased that I have no belongings to keep in mind. It’s just me and my so marvelous body. In the midst of me drifting in my thoughts, suddenly, the doorknob turns and the caretaker appears with a blank face. The cold surge of wind from the hallway travels rapidly along my spine. All of us, hanging in our drowsy grey clothes, naturally make our steady exit out the door. Like juvenile prisoners, we march into the long, shabby hallway, finally halting outside the kitchen.

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As we all wait for the kitchen to open, we go outside. Our one, streamlined cabin doesn’t have any major doors separating the hallway from outside. I stand with the crowd of boys, surrounded by scrunches of untamed bushes. The orphanage sits crookedly in between this grassland and forest at some countryside. Then I realize. There are no guards. I decide to be extremely spontaneous. Just before the adults appear in the kitchen, I silently spurt away into a dark corner of the bushes. The ground is thick and soggy from the rain last night, but I can manage crawling into the forest. I hide behind a tall oak tree and wait until the boys enter back into the kitchen. I’ve got to admit it’s disappointing, but no one seems to realize that I am not there anymore... That’s when I see the car. I call out for help. The same man dropped out of the truck and, with a heavy sigh and waited for me to approach. I was racing towards whatever was there, far away as possible from the orphanage, on that one-way road. I needed to stop the madness. I wasn’t afraid, of anything. I’d die here trying. Like I always do….

I’m back in the orphanage.

*** Buzz. Throb. The alarm shrieks and almost instantly, I jump up horrified and again, I see myself in the reality once again. Yesterday the car brought me back to the orphanage and today I wake up in the same bed with the same grey walls guarding me. Today will be the same as yesterday… But I just can’t stop trying.

I couldn’t. For the past 4 years. Like the 4 seasons, repeating itself... just growing older.

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The fish Tank by Thies Jensen Special thanks to Valve for the names

‘One finger movement. One piece of metal can make so much difference. Life is wearing out. Day after day, I feel like the reason to live is being slaughtered by the grey stone walls. The white bed sheets and bland cafeteria are like bleach. The meals are like acid. Losing your family brings so much grief. Losing your life. Losing your freedom...’ *A “fish” is a name for a new person in this special high security prison which is known by the inmates as “the fish tank”.* June 14th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank       

Blob - bedsheets stained again. Eel - planned escape, second strike. Fire Fish – nothing to report. Piranha - sitting in his cell. Sharpening metal spoon. Confiscated spoon. Placed in solitary confinement. Goldie - stole Carp’s bread. Meal taken away. Carp – nothing to report. It seems like the new guy, Gordon, has hardly eaten and is just lying in his cell for the majority of the day, isolating himself from everybody else- but that’s normal for newcomers, more info later.

End of report. June 15th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank      

Blob- still as fat as a whale. Eel- mocking Piranha, placed in solitary as well. Carp- doing normal things, like every day. Goldie- Planning something on a piece of paper, turned out to be house plan for when he gets out. Piranha- banging against the walls and making other prisoners nervous so I told him to stop (with some force required). Fire fish- in the gym working on his biceps.

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Gordon tells everyone who asks that he is innocent, almost saying it in a psychotic manner- but that’s nothing new, more info later. End of report. June 16th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank       

Blob- fell and broke his hip, so I sent him down to the medical office. Eel- released from solitary. Carp- still as normal as always. Goldie- seemed enlightened, I don’t know why and that makes it suspicious. Piranha- still in solitary for today. Fire fish- surprisingly still in the gym. It seems like his New Year's resolution is finally getting to him. I found Gordon sobbing in his bed still forcefully proclaiming that he didn’t do itbut I’ve seen lots of people do that, more info later.

End of report.

June 17th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank       

Blob- at hospital getting hip replaced. Eel- mocking Fire Fish. In hospital as well now. Carp- actually got into a small fight with Goldie today and his nose started bleeding after the first punch. Goldie sent to his cell early as punishment. Piranha- out of solitary and currently enjoying all the space. Fire Fish- now in solitary with two dumbbells Gordon seems to be obsessed with his bed since he is always tying knots into the sheets and undoing them- but it’s probably just from stress, more info later.

End of report. June 18th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank   

Blob- back but unable to get out of bed since the new hip is still unstable. Eel- still in hospital and probably won’t be back for another two weeks. Carp- nothing to report

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Goldie- found a new hobby of hanging out in the toilets which I don’t know what to do about yet. Piranha- nothing new. Fire fish- to be released tomorrow from solitary. Gordon has pleaded with me to take him to the therapist. I agreed since I am sure he has some issues with leaving his family behind- I think it should help him, more info later.

June 19th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank       

Blob- now walking around freely, limited only by his own fat. Eel- still in the hospital. Carp- ate more than usual. Goldie- found that the toilets are not worthy of his attention and moved on. Piranha- threatened that he would kill anyone if they threw another pea at him… I believe it. Firefish- free again and back at the gym. Gordon came back calm and happy as if he had turned his life around. Also, I got a note from the therapist about some pills he gave him- Desyrel, Ludiomil, Oleptro- also with a message saying that if his condition declines them I need to send him there again, more info later.

June 20th 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank       

Blob- no news Eel- no news Carp- nothing important Goldie- no news Piranha- no news Fire fish- who even cares? Turns out the pills were antidepressants and he actually really depended on them. He has thrown them under his bed and his happiness was actually because he decided he was going to finish it. If I had only known I would have acted faster. There were also cases of him being very reckless and not caring about his body which is according to the therapist a sign of severe depression and should’ve been reported, and now he has barricaded himself in his room and 261

through the security camera I could see him with a noose made out of bedsheets in his hand, always putting his head through and pulling it out again- sometimes just sitting down and sobbing on his bed. I wanted to get security but the therapist told me that he needed this moment, more info later

June 21st 2004 Warden report: Alyx Grigori Fish tank  

No news for Blob, Eel, Carp and the rest Gordon came out of his cell happier than ever, but not because he was going to attempt suicide again. I feel like he realizes that life is still worth living. There also seems to be new evidence suggesting he is not the killer. The judges are going over his file again just to make sure that they are completely correct. Quite a miracle. It seems like Gordon’s will to live was lost- and now it has been found again.

I guess we will get more info later…

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To Feel by Han Kim This is the story of a man named John. John works for a company where he counts numbers. John is extraordinarily good at this job, as he is quick and perfect- like never in his life has he made a mistake. But John does not care. He does not care as if he was a robot. John does not feel-cannot feel-any kind of emotion: love, sadness, anger or happiness. You may think this man was always in this robotic state or question his humanity; but it wasn’t always this dreadful for John. His life was decent; and he would have been a jubilant man if he continued the way he was when he was younger. 1970 December 25, this is when John was born. With parents that were able to build a successful future for their son. When John was a baby, he was bright with emotions and nothing was strange or out of place; until the date December 25 was on the calendar again. Every child would be delighted for their birthday, well John was happy but will not always be happy. He did not start by losing his feelings yet John started by losing the ability to recognize feelings. You may think this wasn’t an awful start but as the years go on, one by one, the nightmare was just beginning. That is, if he could recognise the feeling of fear. 1981 September 19, John was a bright fellow, however as the years went by; he realized the people he was close to became further away. John was clever but he didn’t understand emotions. He just laughed it off and smiled. These 11 years were very normal for the people that saw John, but soon the ability to recognize sorrow and sadness faded away. John didn’t know how to react; that it would be weird if someone close to you is laughing when you are in pain. John had many friends (had being the operating word) as he had friends but now they were gone. Usually people look back at the past with regret and look towards the future. However, as we know, John is different. John wants the past back, as that was when he was the happiest and where his life was actually a life. The future is a horrifying place as he will not know what feeling he will lose next; only later he realizes something is missing. 1985 October 13, John is still in school, acing everything-as academics will never be a problem in John’s life. However, today is an unusual day where John realizes something special. The school decided to go to a zoo to do some research. Well, John does like some things, as he still has the ability to feel ‘feelings’. John likes animals and has a dream (yes, John can dream) to be biologist. But can a dream be wrecked in just one day? You may wonder how John’s passion for animals could be destroyed. By going to a place with animals.

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Fidgeting, trembling and screaming where the few words out of many that described John’s actions. Was it a threat of death? A shooting? A massacre? No, it was neither of them. In fact, it was the animals that made John become this small creature compared to everything around him. Maybe even the smallest of living creatures may feel superior to John right now at this moment. I forgot to tell you, there was another addition to this one year occasion where he doesn’t lose an emotion-but finds- a phobia. Disgust as the people glared at John; as he was crawling up on the ground biting his nails begging “them” to go away- “them” meaning the animals. John was sent back to his house, and it was pitiful to see him weeping, tears pouring from his eyes-the eyes that are filled with nothing but emptiness. 1992 July 08, John is 22 years old with 22 different type of phobias and 22 feelings that have been lost so far. John graduated from Harvard University, and is pursuing a job. Sadly, in John’s high school years his parents died in a car accident; not like they were a help to John’s disease. John really doesn’t care about money, but John has a hobby which is hard to find a phobia of. Numbers. Numbers was John’s favourite thing or the thing that will never be separated from him in his life. John became an accountant, which wasn’t the best pay or the worst. But at least he was excellent at that job. Relationship? Yes, John has a girlfriend that he loves but John will never ever know how she’s feeling. Which may be a flaw in a relationship, but John makes it up by using his charming smile. This relationship lasted for about 3 years so far. Ideally, John should be ready to propose by now however… 1992 December 25, Christmas day, where everyone celebrates either that we get gifts or celebrates birth: the birth of Jesus or the birth of the tragedy. John wanted to move another level in their relationship; which was to propose to her on his birthday. However, little did he know that that was his biggest mistake. John pulls out the ring from the box, with one knee down, you may think nothing is out of the ordinary- John twitches a little but shrugs it off. Opens his mouth, only a stuttering of words came outstruggling to say a word-which was strange. John usually can keep his cool but not in this situation. Did I say it was his birthday? Oh yes, this was the mistake which was his own birthday. The twitching couldn’t be stopped, as he drops the ring, the girl was questioning his actions with curiosity. John looks into the girl’s eyes then… Blank. 1992 December 26, John wakes up as he’s in the hospital. He looks up only to see an empty room and then he jumps out of bed-rapidly like an animal seeing its predator. ‘Predator’: the exact opposite of the word you should use to describe your significant other. Just like his experience in the zoo, John is scared of his girlfriend but there is more to it...John is terrified of the whole gender itself.

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2000 April 25, John is at work doing what he’s best at, calculating numbers. John is obviously separated with his girlfriend and is now doing the exact same thing for the past 7 years since that incident. Work, work and work every day, and even on the weekends he still works. John is not bored because he can’t feel bored or can’t feel what it’s like to have fun. John lost the ability to feel any kind of emotion at all. He may as well not live anymore, as he has no motivation to live; he is just one human being out of many. John has considered killing himself for a long time, however something has been stopping him. 2003 June 14, Time goes too fast for John but his effort to kill himself is stopped by a phobia. This phobia is the fear of death. Every time the knife is near his skin he just passes out because of the immense anxiety. But this day is different to any normal day as he’s not going to kill himself, but make someone else kill him although no one normal human being will be willing to kill someone. Rather than asking, he’s going to pay a killer to kill him instead. 2003 June 21, John is walking to work-like every normal day. And when he gets to the office he sighs, remembering he paid the killer to assassinate him no matter what. John paid this hitman 1,000,000 dollars. Which was how much he saved, because he had nothing to buy in his own interest. Because he will never have any interest towards anything; except to bring an end to his miserable life. Later he did remember that the method of killing is random…. Boom… An explosion that shook the ground and then ano--Boom… BOOM! Every explosion gets louder; which means it is getting closer. Floor by floor, the building is about to collapse. John’s wish was fulfilled and he knows that he is going to die this day-but at the price of others. This guilt is the one emotion that will be carried on even when he’s dead. BOOM...

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The Lost and the Found by SooMin Cho My name is Andrew Jordans. I’m a sophomore in High school and a victim of a group of bullies. I don’t know why I’m bullied but, I just am. Our family is poor; the only family member I have is my dad. I lost my mom and my twin brother when I was around the age of 2. They were never seen again and it was clear that they were dead by now. I wake up at 6 from my alarm clock. No one is home. I go to the kitchen and look for food - there is some cereal left to eat from a few weeks ago. I eat a few spoons and get ready to walk to school. School’s a half an hour walk from home so I have to wake up earlier than other kids from school. After walking 30 minutes to school, the first few people I see are the bullies smoking in the street right behind the school. They were in a bad mood. Well that’s what I think. I got caught trying to sneak right behind them. They beat me up to the ground just due to the fact that they were in a bad mood and threatened me that if I told the teacher the next thing I saw was my graveyard. I promised to them that I would keep my mouth shut. A week goes by but I don’t see the squad of bullies anymore. I thought they left the school or something so I was quite happy because the school was all quiet and calm. It was Friday, which normally was like every other day but this time because the bullies weren’t here it felt different. I was happily going back home walking down a bridge, actually looking forward for tomorrow until I met “the Squad” The guys seemed really mad. The second they saw me they started to beat me up. The leader of the group Anthony Davis gets a letter and lets me read it. The information on the letter was simple; it was that Anthony and the other guys were externally suspended from the school. Photos of the guys beating me up were inside. Sweat was dripping down my face like some river on my head. I tried to explain to the guys that I didn’t take the photos or told the teachers but they wouldn’t believe me. They started beating me up again. Until someone pushed me over a fence and I fell down to the concrete floor where I slammed my head and my eyesight went blurry… I wake up in a white room full of people in green and white clothes. I get up from the bed and I see some strange people looking down at me and asking if I was alright. In all politeness, I said I was even though I really didn’t know who they were. I was confused at first but I realized that they were doctors. The doctors were giving me some food and even though I wasn’t hungry, I just took it. A random teenage boy who looks around the same age as me enters the room. “Andrew, what happened to you, fam?” said the random boy. “Sup fam” I replied in a very enthusiastic way. “HAHAHHAHAAH yeah how you been doing?”

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“Yeah great but who are you again??” I asked politely. “Oh.. so you don’t remember me?? I was your best friend Anthony!” He seemed quite nice and okay so we talked about my health and ‘hung out’ with him. I couldn’t remember him but he was so kind, it didn’t really matter to me - at least he was a good guy, that’s all. After 3 weeks of being in the hospital, finally I could get up and get back to my normal life. It turns out that I go to the same school as Anthony. I was glad I knew someone at school. However, Anthony started ignore me. I don’t think I did something wrong but he was ignoring me like I was not even there. It was around 10 at night and dad was sleeping on the old coach outside my room. I suddenly get a text from Anthony: “Yo dude can u come out gotta tell you smth” “Sure where u at” “In front of ur house” So I snuck out of the house without dad knowing. There he was - under the street lights leaning on a car. He waved his hands at me and told me to come towards him. I did as I was told without any suspicion. As I got closer to him, he landed a hard kick in a vital spot and he strangled my neck until I couldn’t breathe. I tried to fight back but it was all too fast for me to react. I woke up in a dark room. I look about and I see Anthony right there next to someone. I look closely and it was a woman around the age of 40. She looked familiar but I was sure that I never saw her before. She has missing limbs and so she was in a wheelchair. But the second she saw me, she started crying. I didn’t know why. Until I saw the family picture behind her

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Precious Friend by Riho Minegishi My name is Yuki. I have a best friend called Mika. Mika understands everything about me (even things no one else knows) and I understand everything about her. We changed each other’s lives. She is really important to me and if you read this story, you will know why. This is the story of how we became best friends... I had very kind parents and we talked about lots of things. But, when I was 10 years old, my mom died in an accident. It was such a big shock but I didn’t cry because I didn’t want dad or my grandparents to worry about me. Also, I had one brother and one little sister to take care of. I thought I had to make a huge effort in memory of my mom. So, the cooking and all the housework was my responsibility. One year later I had to move house because of my dad’s job, so I also had to move school. I was a little bit nervous but everyone was kind and I was able to make lots of friends. One day, I saw a girl who I had never seen before, so I asked about her and found out she was in the same class. I decided to go to talk to her but another student warned me, “Wait! I don’t think it’s good idea because she likes to be alone. We tried to get her to eat lunch with us but she refused! So, I don’t think you should try to talk to her.” “Oh okay,” I replied. (Why doesn’t she want friends? I wanted to ask her … I wanted to be friends with her. But how… I’ll think later.) A few days later, I had to stay after school but I was worried about not having enough time to make dinner for my family. Suddenly, I heard piano music. It was Chopin’s Nocturne. When I was little, my mom played this piece for me. It reminded me of lots of memories of time spent with my mom when I talked or played every day and I was happy. Why had my mom died? At that moment, even though I had not cried since my mom died, I started to sob. I just couldn’t stop crying and I squatted down on the cold, marble floor. Suddenly, I was handed a handkerchief. I couldn’t see who gave me the handkerchief because of my tears. When I looked up, the person had gone. After I came home, I checked the handkerchief and thereupon found a name stitched on it. The name was… Mika. Wait, this handkerchief was Mika’s? That Mika? Oh my gosh. I wondered what I should do? Then I realised I could return the handkerchief to her and it would give me a chance to talk to her to say thank you. The next day, I saw her reading at her desk, so I went to her and said, “This is yours right? Thank you so much for helping me yesterday. It really made me feel better to know that someone cared. I would like to be your friend. So, can I?” 268

After I finished my talk she said abruptly, “No. I don't want to be your friend. I don’t want to be anyone’s friend. I can’t understand why everyone want to make friends.” And then she was gone. Everyone had been listening to our conversation. My friend reminded me of her warning. Some days later, I had stay after school again and, when I walked along the corridor, I heard the Nocturn. It was the same pianist because her sound was very soft and beautiful like my mom’s. I needed to know who was playing, so I went to the music room to check. It was such a surprise! It was… Mika. I involuntarily blurted out, “What?” Mika suddenly stopped playing and glared at me. She tried to escape but, as I really wanted to talk to her, I shouted, “WAIT!” She paused. “I want to ask you something, so don’t leave. Please.” After I said that, she finally turned round and muttered, “What do you want to ask me?” I asked why she had given the handkerchief to me. “I just I couldn’t leave you like that.” “You’re so kind, but why? You hate me, right?” “No, I don’t hate you but I just don’t want to be friends with you.” “Why?” After I said that she took big breath and she started talking about her past. She’d had many friends until middle school. She was a very popular person and was happy every day. But suddenly it came… bullying! She’d helped the people who were being bullied. She couldn’t ignore the bullying. But the bullies got mad with her. They said, “You are Mika right? You are a very popular person and very kind. So, you think everyone likes you right? But… no one likes you.” “What?” “Oh, you can’t understand what this means. But it’s okay, you will understand tomorrow. See ya! Hahahahaha!!!” They left with a laugh. Next day, she went to school as normal but school was… different. When she said good morning to everyone, no one answered her. She wondered what was happening. One of the bullies reminded her, “Oh, did you forget? I said you would understand that no one liked you!”

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The bullies had strong power, and no one said “no” to them. So, her classmates were threatened that they had to ignore her - even her best friend obeyed them. She thought everyone would ignore only for that day. But, the bullying continued every day, and it became worse. Mean tricks would be played on her. Someone threw away her bag or PE kit. No one helped her so she was so heart-broken. Fortunately, she could leave the school because her family moved to a different city. So, now she was at this school. She was so happy, but… she decided… don’t trust anyone, and don’t make friends, ever… After she finished her story she said, “So, I don’t want to make friends with you. Bye.” “WAIT! I want to tell you one thing.” “What?” “You are thinking that everyone will betray you. I think, in this world, some people can bully or hurt or betray someone and those people are horrible and mean. But, there are also lots of good and kind people who will never hurt or betray you.” “No!” “Since you came this school, you didn’t make any friends and you didn’t talk with classmates if they said something, but no one said, I hate her or she is annoying and even they tried to be friends with you. Don’t you remember?” “But…” “Let’s open your door to an amazing, fun world with friends waiting for you! And make a wonderful and no bullying world with me!” Suddenly, she started cry and said, “Thank you Yuki.” “So… will you be friends with me?” “Of course!!” From that moment, Mika changed. She was very cheerful and she tried to talk everyone. Everyone was surprised at first, but her conversation was very interesting so she made lots of friends. But.. her best friend is me, Yuki. From that day, we talked to each other every day. When I talked about my mom, she cried and gave me a huge hug. So, my world felt better than before. We changed each other’s lives.

This is story of how we became best friends. In this world, someone’s life is miserable because of a bully. Sometimes, they get no help because people are frightened of the bully. But I think, if everyone helps, the bullying will disappear from this world. Let’s have courage! If more people have courage, we can change this world! Let’s make an amazing and peaceful world. 270

Gramps and Chimney’s Story by Xaver Gross It was a sunny day in the acorn village; light shone through the trees and onto a little mushroom. This red mushroom covered with white dots was the safest and most satisfying place for the little Nutterbutters. No giant, who didn’t want to die, ever picked it up; some giants even believed that any nut fallen close to Nutterbutter's family house was poisoned. The Nutterbutter family consisted of: baby Nutterbutter, daughter Nutterbutter, mother nutterbutter, father Nutterbutter and grandpa Nutterbutter. When the sun’s ray shimmered through the little mushroom window, everybody was awake. “Isn’t it a dazzling morning, grandpa!” shouted daughter Nutterbutter and jumped out of the bed of fungi gills into the ‘living’ room. “Ah yes, the sun which rises up each morning and its twinkling light reached through our window. My nephew…” came a voice, slow and old. “Enough grandpa, we don’t need another tale of your infamous nephew. Would you rather list me the ingredients for the cake from ‘The Acorn’ newspaper?” chirped in mother Nutterbutter. She was preparing the nutty breakfast, in such a tireless way, that even a dish washing labrador from the neighbour village couldn’t keep up with her. “Which ingredient... there is...” “The one from last week, Thursday.” added mother, quite annoyed. “Ah, you mean the acorn honey cake. Did you know when it was first created…” “Father Nutterbutter, could you please list the ingredients? Since the infamous nephew...” Baby Nutterbutter breaks in. “Grandpa, we’ll go to visit the chimney sweeper tonight!” “Yes, good for you,” replied Grandpa drily with a distinct tone of resentment. “He’ll be all sooty, said Mrs Nut. I hope he has his big brush with him- it is incredibly soft!” After another lick on his pacifier, which appeared to be acorn shaped, he added, “Will you come out and meet him WILL YOU?” “Dreaming again, are you? Grandpa won’t come!” teased daughter Nutterbutter. “He will! Aren’t you Gramps?” whined the baby and willfully spat his pacifier in a high arc towards his sibling. In the end, it (the pacifier) plopped gracefully into Grandpa's nutty porridge and sprayed some oats. “So you forgave -cluck- the chimney sweeper -cluck- Mr. Nutterbutter? -Cluck-” popped in Mrs Cluck, “That’s great! -cluck- I am going to -cluck- …” “Tell it -cluck- to Miss “Gossip” -cluck-” finished mother Nutterbutter in Mrs Cluck’s voice. One thing you have to know is that Mrs Cluck is very devoted to Miss “Gossip” (who actually is a platypus named Miss Big Mouth). In the village’s opinion, the names Miss “Gossip” and Miss Big Mouth are synonyms but Miss “Gossip” is preferred. “Don’t you dare -cluck- call her Miss “Gossip” again.- cluck- I am going to- cluck- tell on you. -cluck-” with that she went stomping off and I mean STOMPING OFF!

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Two hours later, one clearing in the forest was bustling with animals of all kinds. The bee queen’s family had already arrived and were quite easy to spot through their busy buzzing; close to them lay their big friend Mr Brum. Sloths and weasels were playing catch around the clearing but were keeping distance from Zzzz the Viper. It was actually quite amusing how Mr Loth (the sloth) was trying to play catch the mice against Cracker the cat. Baby Nutterbutter was exploring the spiky back of Baby Prick and daughter Nutterbutter was loudly chattering with Dearie the deer, Rickie raccoon and Sir Edward the Swan. The ‘boring’ parents, like the kids loved to call them, were in small groups at the outside of the clearing. Overall it was a quite normal day until… “Cluck- is Grandpa Nutterbutter -cluck- actually walking -cluck- along Chimney -cluck?” expressed Miss Cluck in a very clucking way. “Yes, I am walking with Chimney due to a very educational purpose!” replied Gramps hoarsely. “How educational iszzzzzzsszz thiszzszss purposzzsz?” popped in Zzz the Viper while directing all her attention to Chimney. “Very... Very... Educational and Important!” came back a rough, old voice from Chimney. You have to know that Chimney was a very old man. If you would pick a number by random he would likely be a bit older than that. He was his own man in his thoughts but his body seemed to be ruling more over him than he did over it. He was still able to move but doctors predicted that this wouldn’t last much longer. His long, white beard was easy to distinguish lying over a simple linen shirt. This wasn’t just any linen shirt, it was a shirt with an enormous front pocket in which a bird lay breeding. The shirt itself was rather worn out; only fringes were left on its sleeve. Chimney slowly lowered himself to the ground and mentioned,” Me and Mr Nutterbutter will be telling you a long story about how I came to know him and how he changed the course of history.” Murmurs broke through the crowd. “Shush, shush. I don’t like being disturbed when talking and I bet neither do you. So can you be quiet, please? I will start at the point where I was sweeping Mr Hubert’s chimney. You don’t know him.” The crowd fell silent. “Before starting the story, you have to know that in those days Chimney Sweepers didn’t use brushes; they used squirrels to sweep the chimney. I also used squirrels and as always I had to catch them beforehand. So I went on a squirrel hunt. For chimney sweeping, squirrels were preferred alive because they would wriggle under your grip and sweep the chimney walls themselves. Also if you go on a squirrel hunt, you should catch more than one. This had several reasons: often squirrels would fall down the chimney and get roasted or a squirrel would have swept so much that it suffocated in a sooty cloud. So when I started for the squirrel hunt...”

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Grandpa Nutterbutter contributed,” So when he started for the squirrel hunt I was out in the open. My pack (at that time) was sending a group out to collect nuts. I belonged to that group. I was a newbie, all new, and I was proud. Eventually we arrived at our nutty clearing. Everybody in our small group was rapidly collecting nuts but nobody dared to go near the east side of the clearing. I didn’t dare to either; there were bad stories told about that side. Suddenly I saw a nut. A huge one. I couldn’t resist the urge to cross the border, so I did. When I reached the nut all went black…” Chimney continues, “It all went black because I hit him with another, already caught, squirrel. Grandpa Nutterbutter was the last one I needed or precisely the fourth. I glanced around to see if there were more but there weren’t. After taking my bundle of squirrels, I left the forest and advanced to the house of Mr Hubert. Arriving at the house, I got dearly greeted and hurried up to sweep the chimney. I started with the first two squirrels, holding one in each hand. Suddenly one, with a quick jerk, fell out of my hand and burned. The smell distracted me for a bit and so I needed a while to notice that the second one had already suffocated.” Grandpa Nutterbutter continues, “I was grabbed next, just after I woke up. He took me out of the bag but with a sudden movement, I escaped! He swore and followed me. I jumped down the roof and landed softly on my bag. Yeah soft! It was like a two meter jump. What happened? I didn’t have enough time to think because I got knocked out again.” Chimney continues, “Throwing a coconut was always a good way to stop squirrels trying to escape. I slowly climbed down the ladder and noticed that this squirrel is lying on something. Grandpa Nutterbutter was lying on what we today know as a brush. Yeah a brush, the first brush ever found! I picked up the squirrel and then the brush (while noticing its uses). Stunned as I was, I stood still for several seconds and then asked Grandpa Nutterbutter if he wanted to be my friend.” Grandpa Nutterbutter continues, ”Of course I didn’t say yes; he just threatened my life! I was paralysed in fear, so he just took me along, up to the chimney. Literally, I was about to faint. When we reached the chimney I fainted and so have no idea of what happened next. Whistling woke me up, it came from the chimney sweeper; he was slowly sweeping the chimney with a… with a brush! I slowly screamed, ‘What?’ Chimney turned his head and asked, “You can speak?’ ‘Yes I can,’ came my answer. He asked me again if I wanted to be his friend.” Chimney smiled and added, “And he said yes, that is why I always come here (every week). The reason why I tell this story is so you are warned from the danger of humans. The good thing is, that from now on there will be no chimney hunts anymore!”

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Jimmy the Gorilla by Aiko Hatakoshi I am a gorilla living in East Africa. I have many friends in the jungle such as Booboo the ape, Kookoo the chimp, Zoozoo the baboon, Rooroo the spider monkey, Foofoo the bonobo, Googoo the gibbons, and me. My name is Jimmy the gorilla. I’m handsome and kind. I can speak the human language. I am awesome. One day, I decided to go to the Apple Store in Rwanda because I wanted to buy an iPhone SE. All of my friends have phones and they use Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. So I wanted to buy an iPhone SE so I can call my friends, take selfies and post on Snapchat or Instagram. When I was on the bus going to the Apple Store, I met lots of humans. They stared at me. I’m quite shy so, when the humans were looking at me, I became red-faced. Also, there were children touching me and then they started laughing at me. Some of the children started crying so their parents shouted at me. I just acted like I couldn’t understand them. Sometime later, I got off the bus and walked to the Apple Store. When I arrived at the shop, I realised that I’d forgotten my money… but I thought perhaps I could pay later. I asked the shop assistant for an iPhone SE and she asked me how many gigabytes I wanted. I chose 64 gigabytes because Booboo went with 16 gigabytes but he took so many pictures he ran out of storage! Then I had to choose the colour. I like the colour black, so I chose space grey as it was the closest to black. Finally, she asked me what carrier I wanted. I chose Rwanda Tel with 5 gigabytes of unlimited data in one month. I would have chosen a larger data bundle, but I have wifi in my jungle house. I don’t usually go outside to buy things, except for buying bananas, carrots and some potato chips. Anyway, the assistant said it cost £439. I told her I’d pay later, but she replied, “You have to pay now, because five years ago some of the apes and gorillas didn’t pay and they took the phones and never returned with their money. I don’t want that to happen again, so you must pay for the phone before you can take it. So please bring money or if you can’t, you can just pay with a credit card.” When I heard that, I was sweating. What should I do? Should I just go home? Anyway, a customer started screaming, “Oh my gosh. Dorothy! Ashley! Riho! It’s a gorilla!!!” Dorothy replied, “Yes, Aiko! Finally, you’ve got to meet a gorilla! Congrats!“ “Yay Aiko,” said Ashley “Hah.” said Riho Now I knew that crazy girl’s name was Aiko. 274

Aiko came to me and said, “Hello, my name is Aiko. Nice to meet you! Can I take a selfie with you? What’s your name?” “Hi, nice to meet you too. Yes sure. My name is Jimmy,” I replied. When I said that, Aiko was surprised because I was speaking English. She asked me lots of questions about my life. Later, she asked me why I’d come to the shop. I told her that I’d forgotten my money and thought I could pay later, but the shop didn’t have that policy. Aiko gave me a hug and said, “I can buy it for you. I came here to photograph gorillas, but I forgot to bring my phone so I just thought I could buy one here. But, I have a camera and my friends have phones so if you really want to buy a phone, please let me buy it for you.” I felt really happy. I took a selfie with her on my new phone and she became my first friend on Snapchat.

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Already Lost You Once by Leonora Knudsen

Inspired by the anthology tv-show American Horror Story. Dedicated to Jessica Lange for her amazing roles in the show. Thank You Ryan Murphy for creating this show. “Hello?” My voice rang out in the room. Slowly, I stepped forward, calling out once more, “Hello?” The door creaked. I whipped my head around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was there. Nothing. “Is anyone here?” I shivered Still nothing. A shadow on the wall. “Hello…” A voice whispered close behind me, directly into my ear. I shrieked out in fear. What was happening? Who was here? I was paralysed with fear. I was petrified. “Cordelia, please...” That same voice. I stopped. I knew this voice. Slowly, carefully, I turned around. Mother. My mother who had died 7 years ago. My mother who had never cared about me. My mother who had sent me away to boarding school when I was four. My mother who had never visited. No. My mother who had died when I was 16. My mother who was dead. My mother who had been dead for 7 years. “Cordelia?” She pleaded, her voice low with anguish and remorse, “Delia, please?” “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” It simply couldn’t be my mother. No. She was dead, gone and I didn’t want to see her again - ever! “Cordelia, I am your mom…” She whispered. I refused to believe it. “No. My mother is dead.” “Cordelia… please understand…,” her voice cracked and she seemed to choke back tears. Yet I didn’t look at her. I didn’t want to see her. “Delia..?” She sniffled through what sounded like tears. What in the world could she want? “Please…?” She could barely get the words out through her tears. Finally, I whipped my head around and looked her straight in the eyes, “What? What could you possibly want from me, after seven years, after a lifetime of ignoring me, sending me away, hating me -” 276

“I never hated you, Delia,” She gasped for air in between the sobs that shook her entire body. “WHY DID YOU SHUT ME OUT LIKE THAT, THEN? WHY DID YOU NEVER VISIT? I yelled, unable to keep all the anger inside, “WHY DID YOU SEND ME AWAY AS SOON AS I COULD TALK? Why did you never care?” My voice was reduced to a fleeting whisper as I, too, started crying. She seemed scared at my sudden outburst of anger, a fleeting moment of fear crossing her eyes before she continued to sob, tears falling down her face in a never ending stream of despair. “Delia, I just… did what… what was best for you,” she mourned, “please understand...I can’t lose you again…” she was overtaken by crying and I pulled her into a hug, unable to see her cry like this for so long. “Oh Delia,” my mother wept. I didn’t recall ever seeing her cry like this before she died. “Mother, I don’t understand. You’re dead… Right?” I broke away from the hug, looking my mother in the eye, trying to understand why, 7 years after she died, she was suddenly here again. I noticed her tears were subsiding. “Yes I am dead but -” “Then why can I see you? Why are you here?” I interrupted her, overcome with questions and confusion. “Delia...I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe we should sit down.” She seemed hurt by my harsh tone but I wanted answers; I deserved answers. Nevertheless, I moved to the couch with my mother and sat down. “The gift doesn’t have to show up in every generation. Your grandmother didn’t have it. But I got it when I was very young and it seems you have gotten it now. There is no rule as to when it will come. I’m sorry Delia, I didn’t think you would get it - you showed no signs as a girl!” She broke down again and started crying on my shoulder. “Mother, what are you talking about? What gift?” “Oh Delia. Oh what should we do? Oh poor, poor Delia!” She wailed and lamented. I pushed her gently off my shoulder and asked again, “Mother, what is this gift?” She didn’t stop sobbing as she said, “Delia… you-you’re a… vitalimis. I’m so sorry!” Just like that, she was gone. Again. How come she always seemed to leave when things got too hard to handle? And what was this weird gift? A vitalimis? What was she talking about? How was she even talking? She was dead. She was dead. She told me she was dead. I saw the body before it was buried.

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I saw the medical records. She was dead. Dead. But alive? It was simply impossible for my mother to be here - alive. She had died seven years ago and the image of her pale dead body is sketched into my mind forever. Partly because it was the first time I saw her in 5 years. But nevertheless, I had seen her dead body. She couldn’t be here - yet she is. She was dead. I couldn’t wrap my mind around this concept. ~ I realised I was still sitting on the couch in the same position since my mother had vanished. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall - three hours had passed. Did I fall asleep? I noticed a piece of paper placed on the glass coffee table that hadn’t been there before. Carefully, I picked it up, turned it over and saw my mother’s familiar calligraphy written on it. “Dear Cordelia I am truly sorry for vanishing like that. I didn’t mean to startle you by coming here but I needed to see you. I missed you - truly, I have. I do realise I have some explaining to do. Yes, I am dead. I have been dead, as you know, for seven years. The reason I am here is because of your gift. Of the gift that runs in our family. This gift can be a blessing and a curse. You have to learn to control it. You are a vitalimis and I am one too. A vitalimis is a person who can balance the force between death and life which means that you can give dead or dying people life but you can also take away the life of living people. Until you learn to control it, it can be very dangerous. It seems like you subconsciously brought me back from the dead for some reason. Incredulously, I stared at the paper. I can’t believe it. Balance the force between death and life? Magic doesn’t exist. These kinds of supernatural powers don’t exist. People die and then they’re dead. This is just a weird dream. I’m going to wake up and everything will be like it was before and in two weeks, Adam, my boyfriend, will come home from his business trip and everything will be normal. Everything has to go back to normal. A knock on the door.

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It creaked open and my mother’s voice called out, “Delia? Can we talk?” I shut my eyes tightly. No. This isn’t real. Focus, Cordelia, your mother is dead. She isn’t here. Everything will go back to normal. It has to. The door opened further and my mother stepped into the room. She walked towards me. She hugged me cautiously. I could feel her arms around me. She was actually real. She was here. In this room. She wasn't dead. Maybe the idea of vitalimis wasn't such a crazy thing after all. Maybe my mother wasn't dead. Maybe she cared about me now. “Delia I know it sounds crazy but you have to believe me… It's true… Everything in that letter is the truth… Oh Delia I'm so sorry!” My mother burst into tears yet again. She had done basically nothing but cry while I had seen her. She wasn't happy. “Mother… Mom. Listen.” I shook her shoulders and she looked up at me, “Mom… I forgive you - for everything. It's alright… It'll be alright.” Never had I thought I would ever comfort my mother after all these years. My mother who had never shown emotion. Never had I seen her cry before now. She wasn't happy. She didn't belong here. She couldn't stay. Even after all these years, I couldn't stand to see her so sad. She couldn't stay. “Mom… Listen… I know that I brought you back or whatever it is I did but… It isn't right for you to stay… You're so unhappy…” My voice wavered and trailed off as I almost started crying. “Delia I can't possibly leave you again! I - I!” She broke down again and started sobbing again, “I already left you once; I already lost you once - I can't do it again!” She gasped in between sobs. I couldn't stand it anymore and I broke down in sobs as well, hugging my mom tightly as I tried to figure out what to say. “Mom… You won't lose me… I'll see you again… Sometime… “ I tried to stop crying; tried to appear strong. She continued sobbing and she kept sobbing for a long time and I could do nothing but hug her while she expressed her feelings in the form of a cascade of tears.

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After what seemed like an eternity, her crying subsided and she lifted her face and looked me in the eyes. “Delia, oh Delia! I don't know if I can handle leaving but if you think it's best then… I'll do it… I know I don't belong here… I am so grateful I got the chance to apologise for everything I did to you when you were a child - I'm so sorry for neglecting you! I loved you so much but I didn't know how to… Be your mother… I was so scared… Delia I'm so sorry!” “Mom… I forgive you… I forgave you a long time ago… It's in the past,” I had forgiven my mom a long time ago for her past mistakes but this was the first time she had ever apologised and also the first time my mom ever told me that she loved me. I wish that she could stay. But no. It wouldn't be right. I had to let her go. I had already lost her once. She had already lost me once. We would lose each other again. I had to let her go. “Delia,” my mom spoke softly, her voice serene and peaceful yet filled with grief, “it's time to say goodbye.” “I know,” I whispered, overcome with sadness. “I'm going to say something I should have said a long time ago,” my mom looked at me and continued, “it can be hard to find your way in the world but don't let anything get you down. You're strong and beautiful and perfect. You can do anything you want to. Dream on and work hard, okay?” I nodded, unable to speak from the lump in my throat as the tears welled up in my eyes. “I love you,” she whispered almost inaudibly. “I love you,” I whispered back. And then she faded away until I was left standing alone in the room. I lost her again.

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Lost and Found by Simon Rho In 1978, a man, Frederick Douglas, suddenly disappeared and was never seen again. He was last seen buying medication at a convenient store and then entering his house on November 15, 1978 in Wisconsin. Some people claim to have seen him running away the day he supposedly ‘disappeared’ but there has been no proof whatsoever about that. Following his disappearance, numerous people have also been reported to have gone missing. The missing people later showed up dead and the autopsy showed that the victims were injected with a type of poison that hasn’t been identified. To this day, the incident has been unsolved. Nobody ever knew what happened to that man and if there was a murderer or kidnapper, he left behind no trace of evidence. After his disappearance, his house still remains today and is abandoned in the middle of the woods. When I first heard of this, I was quite alarmed by the fact that Frederick’s house was only a few kilometers away from mine and I used to go to that exact convenience store. The fact that he disappeared, was never seen again and that there was no evidence at all is very mysterious. However, just yesterday, I happened to stumble across a random tape recorder half submerged from the ground. Where I found it exactly, I couldn’t remember. As I closely inspected it, the recorder looked really old and worn out. There were scratches all over it. I decided to take it home and listen to whatever was recorded in it. The sound quality was not very good and there was a lot of background noise but I was able to make out most of what he was saying: “I’m being followed. I can feel it. Every breath I take, every step I take, every word that comes out of my mouth. They are watching every move I make and they are going to kill me. I can’t run away; they will keep following me. I am scared to even get out of my house… I don’t know how they keep finding me, but they did. I have nowhere to hide. I’m leaving this as a goodbye note. I won’t be alive much longer. Whoever is listening to this I want you to know thi- oh god I can see them coming. I have to ru-” BEEP End of recording I replayed the recorder again and thought carefully. As I was listening, I noticed something written on the bottom of the recorder: F.D I thought about contacting the authorities or the police about my discovery but I thought it would be insignificant considering his disappearance was over 20 years old and I haven’t really heard of any news regarding that since then. So I decided to visit the convenience store the victim was last seen. As I approached the store, it was old, worn out and abandoned. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The inside was completely empty and everything was covered in dust. But then, I found that the ceiling level in one corner of the store was uneven with the rest. As I lifted the ceiling panel, I 281

found what resembled to be an old surveillance camera. The last date that the camera recorded something was on November 15, 1978. I looked at what was recorded and there were 2 men, 1 of them was the cashier and the other I assumed was Frederick Douglass. Then, the cashier whispered something to Frederick as he was buying what looked to be some sort of medication or drug and immediately after that, Frederick ran out of the store with a panicked look on his face. I then decided to go to the house that Fred was last seen at. This house just like the store, abandoned and very old and worn out. The house had that faint smell of metal….or blood. I noticed some blood stains on the living room and they actually led some sort of trail to the wall. I stared at the wall for some time, then realised that the wall opened in such a way that revealed a door. As I opened the door, there were a series of staircases that followed. The smell of blood became stronger as I walked down the staircase. The ‘room’ that was there was splattered with blood and there were pills everywhere. Then, I heard someone coming inside and walking down the staircase. There was nowhere to hide so I just waited until the person walked down. “It’s about time” the person said in a quiet and low voice. “Who are you?” The person hesitated and said, “Frederick Douglass” I stood there, too stunned to move. “How?” He paused for quite some time and then continued, “November 15, 1978 would’ve been just another ordinary day if the pharmacist had given me the right medication. I had some sort of weird reaction with the medicine that he gave me and I became mentally insane. I went on killing a lot of people for fun. When I returned back to normal, I realised what I had done and thought it would be better to hide here until I die. The tape recorder was meant to be a decoy so that people would think I died.” Suddenly, the candle light went out and when I turned on my flashlight… He was gone!

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The Thing That I Couldn’t Buy by Danny Wang

“Get ready, take a deep breath, let’s go!” ‘BANG!’ A gunshot! What happened? Alex was a boy who grew up in a wealthy family. He had everything that he wanted. The only thing that he missed was love. His parents were too busy as they were running their own company, so they left him with a housemaid. Also, he didn’t have any friends because his parents didn’t let him go out; they thought it would be too dangerous. He grew up in this situation until he was seven years old: wake up, play with his housemaid, dinner, play by himself and sleep. But now, everything was about to change…. He went to the local elementary school. On the first day of school, the children’s parents came to have a meeting with the homeroom teacher; Alex’s parents were the only people who didn’t show up to meet his teacher. They, of course, had an important business meeting on the same day. As he grew up he started to rebel. He was using his money to make friends - he was paying to gain their friendship. He bought them lunch, paid for sweets and even to go to the cinema. He was doing this until he was in high school. The amount of money that he wasted was over a million won!

HIs parents didn’t notice this until his last year at high school. He bought a car for his girlfriend and the cost was very high, so the car salesman had contacted his parents. Soon, his parents knew the whole story. They were so mad that they stopped giving him the very generous weekly allowance. As a punishment, they made him attend ‘hagwan’ every night for three hours. It was very harsh, especially the two Economics classes! In addition, he had homework and tests so he had to study at home all night long and couldn’t go out with his friends. This situation lasted for five months and he became so desperate that he started taking medicine to try to control his feelings. He started going crazy. He tried to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of his house. After a while, his parents made the decision to cancel all the after school study and gave him the freedom to do everything that he wanted to do - unless it was a crime. He got freedom, but he had no money and no friends. He was getting very stressed by his lack of friendship in school and the situation was getting worse each day. Then, he thought of a way to obtain money without working hard but it had a gigantic risk...

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I’ve gathered together everything that I need: a mask, gloves, a big bag and … a gun. If I fail at this or get caught, my parents will disown me - because they have grown very harsh and strong. But, I am ready to rob a bank. “Get ready, take a deep breath - let’s go!” ‘BANG!’

‘Hands up! Put your money inside this bag!!!’ This is the first time I’ve seen people so frightened and terrified. I was shocked by their reaction and didn’t move until I noticed one of the customer’s making a phone call. At that moment I was frightened and terrified and my hands started to shake. “What do I do now?” “What do I say?” Suddenly, sirens could be heard and the sound of cars screeching to a halt. “Czzzzzz. This is the police. If you want to walk out of the bank alive, put down your gun and surrender!” I needed to calm down… I needed to think… I needed to surrender. Walking slowly out of the bank, with my hands in the air, a bunch of police surrounded me and one of them put cuffs on me. I hung my head in shame. Later, after being in the police station for one week, my father visited me. He was so furious and could hardly look at me. He yelled at me because I had ruined his company’s reputation. I shouted at him and told him that he hadn’t loved me or cared for me because of his stupid company. As I fell on to the hard bed, I realised I had no friends, no freedom and no love. At court, I was sentenced to two years in prison. On the third day, my mother visited me. She told that my father was devastated by what I had said to him. They were having discussions about what they could do to help me.

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When I was released from jail, my parents were waiting to take me home. My father had sold the company so that we could all spend time together...

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The Strangest of Disasters by Taewho Yoon The day had finally come. My friends and I couldn’t wait for the best day of my life. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what horrible natural disasters were going to risk my life... Suddenly, the speaker bellowed:“The flight NO.JP-560 will depart soon. I’ll repeat again the flight NO.JP-560, Incheon: Incheon International airport to Tokyo: Haneda Airport will depart soon.” Unluckily, my heart started to pound and sweat, when I keep thinking of the plane. 2 hours later... NNEEAAOOWWW “The plane NO.JP-560 will depart soon. Please stay calm.” It was 3.pm, when my friend and I got out of the stacked, packed and huddled aeroport. The weather was boiling like the Indian volcano that had erupted. To save us from the scorching sun, we rapidly jumped into the steaming coach (that was heading to the Conrad Hotel). Chapter 2 Arriving at the Conrad Hotel at 5.30 pm, the Inn was tremendously tall like the Burj Khalifa (The tallest building in the world). The sky was grey and there were a flock of birds flying towards the glistening sea. Staring at the glass of water, suddenly, the water made a whirlpool. Foolishly, I thought it was the underground tube so, I didn’t care that much. After check in, we entered the gorgeous, fancy and terrific elevator. As soon as the lift started to move, unexpectedly, the hoist stopped and darkness gradually wrapped her arms around me… “Guys we are trapped!” George bellowed Banging the door of the lift, he cried, “SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP US!” “You are so stupid. You know that you can try the emergency button instead of shouting for help”, John uttered calmly. Abruptly, the door unsealed and we were freed. At 15 past 7, we went out for dinner. My extremely smart friend (Steve), he recommended a virtuous Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai. It is a famous Japanese Tofu restaurant which is loved by people all over the world. As I entered the restaurant, the flower blossom was gorgeously beautiful like the face of a Greek goddess. At last, the wonderful tofu was served by the Japanese waiter. “IT’S THE MOST DELICIOUS TOFU I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE SO FAR!” George judged. “I know right! ”John also shouted. After the dinner, as we headed to our hotel, that’s when the disasters started... 286

Chapter 3 As we entered the hotel, I heard a loud siren (the siren was so loud that it could have made me deaf). I rushed into the inn. Abruptly, I felt a violent tremor and fell on the floor… 30 minutes later… Gradually, I opened my eyes, and I still felt a quiver. “Where am I?” I bellowed “Ummmmm... you are in a shelter,” John whispered “Thank God!” I was relieved. In the shelter, there were a lot of people crying and praying for help. Slowly, I sneaked outside the protection. The place was messy like a pack of elephants raged through Tokyo. For a few seconds, it was eerily quiet like nothing had happened before. Surprisingly, the tremor started and I heard the screaming but louder this time. My friend John, felt something bad about this shelter. Hence, we bolted outside where there were corpses which were squashed by enormously huge stones. From the far side, we saw a man walking towards us with his blood thirsty bulldog. Suddenly, he started to say something to us. Unusually, the man had a mole shaped star on his neck. Unexpectedly, the ground quivered which made a crack. Unknowingly, the hound started to bark and he jumped into the crack. “NOOOOOO! Why!!!!” The man cried. “Excuse me, who are you?” George asked cautiously “I’m a man. I want you to survive” he said kindly. ****************** Luckily, we saw a rescue helicopter. Rapidly, we used the gravel to make the sign SOS. The rescuers dropped down the ladder so that we could climb up. First, George, John and then the man scampered up. As I was about to get on the ladder, unexpectedly, a tremor made me fall over like it didn’t want me to leave Japan. Suddenly, the man jumped off the ladder, leaving the helicopter to fly away. “Why did you do that? You have to survive.” I declared in an annoying voice. “I promise you. You survive. OK?” The man stated. “OK. Thank you. But, promise me you will never do that again. You scared me.” I responded. Chapter 5

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In the stormy weather, rain hammered on the ground. Tiredly, we walked down the main street. Gloomily, the alley was empty and it was full of silence. Surprisingly, I heard a loud noise of the security alarm of the car and something boisterous. Also, it was dusty as if there were a dust storm in the Sahara Desert. Slowly, we looked up. The tallest building in Tokyo (Toranomon Hills), was falling down like the London Bridge. Swiftly, I bolted, but the man couldn’t run as fast as me. We dashed! The tower fell over and hit the ground like tree that had been felled by a lumberjack. Eventually, the man breathed his last breath. Sadly, I sobbed as if my parent had died. I ambled to another shelter where there were a lot of people. 5 hours later….

I had survived. Happily, I sprinted to my friends and gave them a big hug. Apparently, they were fine but, there was one thing that kept racing through my mind. I went back to the place where the terrible memory happened. I asked the fireman to clear the mess. Under the piles of glass, I found the body, the body of the man who saved me. I took his corpse to the hospital to see if there might be a chance that he might be alive... it was too late. I desperately wanted to meet the man’s parents but, according to the data, he was an orphan who grew up by himself. **************************** In Korea, I finally met my worried parents. I told them everything about the earthquake, how I survived and even about the man who had a star shaped mole on his neck. Surprisingly, my parents were shocked. Also, they enquired about that man. “Tell us more about the man with the star shaped mole.” “Why? Do you know that man? ” I inquired. “Yes, I think he could be your long lost brother who died in a war 20 years ago.” Mom declared!

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Past Times by Grace Kent Sirens wailed in my ears. I couldn’t move. My limbs felt like clay. Panic rushed through my head causing a series of reactions. My lungs were on fire, my heart raced, my head throbbed. What was happening to me? Why were there sirens? Why were there Police talking to my Mother in between her inconsolable sobs. “MOTHER!” I scream over and over again, but she never heard me, never noticed me, even when the police left and she turned in my direction. Then, in one massive wave, I remembered everything. The police were telling my Mother about my Dad’s death, after we would go to the scene of the disaster, then go to the hospital only to watch him mutter his last words. And I, yes I, Katie Peran was visiting the past… The scene instantly changed. House walls became backs of cars, my relatives became police, and the warmth of my house became the chilly midnight air. Yellow police tape surrounded me as did ambulances, fire engines and police cars. Again, I couldn’t move, couldn’t run to cry in my mother’s tender arms, couldn’t run into the woods and breathe the fresh air. Because here, I felt like no one, then I realized, I was no one… “KATIE! KATIE!” Mother hollered while running in my direction. “It’s going to be OK!” She was meters away from me now. I waited for her warm embrace, but it never came. My vision blurred, my world shifted. “Mother! Don’t lose me!” I cried but she stood there looking at me with blank sad eyes. She turned around and… Everything. Went. Black… My eyelids fluttered open warily. Tears streaked my cold, pale face. Mother’s hand ran along my back. “Katie, you're awake. Everything’s ok. You had another flashback.” She said calmly. “Wha-?” I mumbled in relief as I surfaced back into the present. “Do you need anything?” She replied affectionately. “Wa-Wahter.” I replied horsley. “Ok, I’ll be right back.” She cooed as she scurried away. I took a long, deep breath, then tensed and relaxed my muscles. Sometimes it really sucked having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially when you had something to have Post Traumatic flashbacks about. Well, that’s what I think I had. Footsteps approached my door, my younger sister came in and cried, “Is Daddy ever coming back Katie? I miss him. Can you ask him to come back to see me? He doesn’t usually travel for this long.” My eyes welled up. She didn’t know, poor babe. “Sorry baby, Daddy isn’t coming back. I miss him too, but we will see him someday.” I promised with a reassuring smile. As Mother approached my door, Mona ran and gave

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me a sad smile and skedaddled as she was supposed to be doing piano. Mother gave me a cold, tongue chilling, glass of water. “Honey? You need to go and see someone about these flashbacks, they’re getting out of hand.” She urged. I lay there quietly with my hands behind my back. I stared at her with a look saying; “Don’t even go there again.” “Alright then, have it your way, and get some sleep!” She acknowledged as she walked out, closing the door behind her. ~The next day I sat in the waiting room, legs shaking fiercely, arms flailing around, and eyes blinking rapidly. Why didn’t Mother listen to me! I didn’t NEED a psychologist. I was fine! I just had several vivid flashbacks a month, it’s not like I had them every single day! But they were depressive, intense, mournful, sinister and….. Maybe I DID need someone to confide in. Maybe I did need help. Maybe I wasn't strong enough… No Katie, stop, you are tough enough and you don’t need someone to help you. What did I need? My thoughts were interrupted by a voice: “Katie Paren? Katie Paren? Please enter room 24.” the assistant demanded, checking her crystal clipboard. Thoughts raced through my head. I didn’t even know this person and I had to tell her my entire life story. Oh no, what if it was a MAN! I stood up shakily, my head spun as the blood rushed to it, “Good luck hon!” Mother shouted across the room embarrassing me to the extreme. I loved her and all, but sometimes she just didn’t understand; part of me hoped this person would. The door creaked open, and I stumbled in to face the unknown… Oh, no, no, no, no, lord help me, it was a guy, a MAN, a homosapien of the opposite sex, ewwwww. Especially if I had to tell him my whole freaking life story. “Sit down Katie, it’s ok, don’t be afraid. Yes, I know I am, most likely not what you were expecting, but don’t worry, if it makes you feel better imagine wearing pink fairy underwear!” the man said gently in his deep and melodic voice. How did he literally read my mind? Creepy. “So, Katie, my name is Mr.Smith and would you mind telling me a little bit about your condition?” He stared at me with his ice-blue piercing eyes. How could I say no? “Umm, ok then. My father passed away a few months ago. I’m 14 and ever since his tragic death I have been having these vivid flashbacks of what happened, also….” It went on like that for a while, but I’ll spare you the gore… ~1 month later~ So, I’ve been seeing Mr.Smith for a month now and I think he has really assisted me in achieving a flashback free life. (I’m not there yet, but will get there someday). I also think I have a crush on him, actually I have a massive crush on him. He is so hot. His bright blonde hair, sea blue eyes, and olive skin all come together to create this

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specimen. (Ok that sounds really creepy) In the movies they always make the psychologists these crippled blind weirdos. Well kids, don’t believe that. It’s not true one bit! Ahhh, Mr.Smith, marry me! I’ve only had two flashbacks this month, and that’s a record, I have been generally more content with my life and can enjoy everyday activities. Mother is so thrilled that this is working and so am I. He told me I needed to stop getting lost in the past, what happened, happened and my father isn’t coming back. I need to find myself in the present and stay there… ~2 years later~ Well, I’m 16 now! Guess what? I haven't had a flashback for a year! Everyone around me has been such a great support system. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is a sign of strength. Also, I got a boyfriend named David and a pet Iguana named Frank. (I eventually got over Mr.Smith, he’s long gone) In the end everything worked out. Yep, I think I finally did it, I’m not lost anymore, I have found myself in the present, and that’s where I plan to stay...

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Shattered by Aylen Lee Yes… a lingering smile. A smile that I can recognize, one that I’ve seen before. He sits close. I wail in affliction. In the corner of my pitch-black and uninhabited room, I was nonexistent; invisible in this earth. I was lost… My mind was revolving around indistinct thoughts; my forehead was in pain. Swirling around my brain, it made me feel faint: I almost collapsed. *** It’s been 267 days since I have seen anyone, since I have touched a soul. The only light that penetrated my cell was from a miniature window in the middle of the wall. It was like any other day, sitting in the corner of my isolated cell; thinking about when I am going to be killed. Suddenly, two guards barge into the dungeon and throw someone in - a boy. He has dark brown curly hair, perfect pale blue eyes which he examines me with for a while and then starts speaking. “What’s your name? Why are you here? Why am I here?” A long silence. Then I utter silently: “Who are you?” He responds with a smile. “I’m Thomas. You?” “I - I’m Autumn,” I mutter with a faint, barely audible voice. A sudden thought pops into my mind. “Thomas” I repeated in my head, over and over again… I know this person. I think hard, - too hard - I nearly lose my consciousness instead. I start breathing heavily and Thomas glances at me with an anxious look. “A - Are you ok?” He asks me with a concerned voice. “I - I - I’m f - fine.” I reply breathing in between every letter. I lethargically collapse to the floor…

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My eyes slowly open; it is dark and I can hardly see anything. Suddenly, I hear a set of footsteps coming my way. It is getting closer and closer - when I hear a very fragile voice whisper into my ear. “Autumn, Autumn Evans” It was a voice I have never heard before; the lights instantaneously brightened, blinding me. My eyes widen - I am surprised by what I see: a very short boy that looked younger than me. He is wearing formal attire, his hair is slicked back and he has a weapon in his hand. He glances at me with a peculiar look. He put his gun on my forehead; the cold metal is against my skin, sending chills down my back. “Stand up!” he commands. I instantly stood up, my legs shaking with terror. “You will now work for me. If you want to stay alive, you have to obey my commands!” He yells in a cavernous voice. “Yes sir,” I reply in a brittle tone. *** It was early in the morning; so early the sky was still dark, but I was already starting work in the coal mines. The only thing that kept me sane in the midst of this backbreaking work was Thomas beside me. Today I was fortunate enough to be assigned near Thomas. Beads of sweat were dripping down our foreheads. You could smell the strong odour of coal. Suddenly, I heard rocks rumbling, I turned around. I was shocked by what I saw. A section of the ceiling had broken away and was slowly descending on Thomas. “No!” I yelled helplessly. My heart was shaking and thoughts whirled around my mind. I rapidly sprinted towards Thomas; my eyes automatically closed. A few seconds passed and I was still alive. I slowly opened my eyes - I was astonished. I squinted my eyes because of the sudden brightness; rays of sunshine were lighting the sky. I was walking back to my dormitory when I saw Liam and Thomas together, whispering into each other's ears. “Good job, Thomas. I knew I could always count on you” Liam exclaimed in a very content voice. I couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing. I felt betrayed and depressed but at the same time furious and irritated. All the thoughts and feelings I had in my mind right now

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were all scattered around my brain. Suddenly I hear a loud crash coming from where Thomas was located - I glanced at Thomas, I was terrorized by what I saw. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe what I was observing, what I have done. My eyes started tearing up, I could feel the cold drops of water hitting my face. My heart stopped beating; I wailed in agony. Pain was building up my body. I collapsed to the floor with a loud thump, I could hear my bones crack - so fragile and weak I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even proceed a step. Everything I have found was all gone - it was lost.

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Happiness? A lie. By Jazmine Jones You know that feeling when you’re so happy and joyful that you feel lightheaded, your cheeks ache from smiling? I never had that. When other kids brag about how giddy their life is, full of toys and candy… Never had that. If you want to imagine my life, don’t! It’s too depressing. But to tell you my story, we have to start from the very beginning…. I grew up in a small, poor, ghetto neighborhood in Kansas City. I don’t have many memories of my real parents but all I know is that it was warm and happy. I always had a fuzzy feeling inside of me… But that went away real quick. From a young age, I had to take responsibility for myself. The things that most people learn in their early twenties I learned from my early teenage years. Both of my parents passed away in a car crash; they were both still very young. You see I was born when both of my parents were sixteen. That might show you that I didn’t have the most ideal birth and childhood, but I was still happy. Once my parents passed away, I was alone for many months. On the streets as a young child, not having much to eat, I was not easy to handle. But when I thought the rest of my life was going to be over, a new light in my life came in…. well, at least I thought it would. I was only about 5 years old when I was found by my foster parents. In the beginning, I thought they were the most loving parents I could ask for. They were so sweet and loving and I thought I could be happy again. But I was extremely, extremely wrong. Turns out, the only reason they were so sweet to me was to show their community that they were “nice people”. Lies. Little did I know that for the next 15 years of my life I would have to live in a world where I wouldn’t know the slightest bit of happiness. Not a dew drop of joy… “What are you doing… lying down on the floor like a roach. Get up and clean, you useless piece of trash.” I was not surprised at this statement from my foster mother. I was used to this because I was treated like a “useless piece of trash” every day of my life. For the past 15 years of my life - I was a slave. Woke up every day at 4am, made breakfast, made the beds, cleaned the house… over and over again. And to top that…. I was treated like a “useless piece of trash”. You could say I was in a Cinderella Story, but I knew for a fact, I wouldn’t be able to have a happy ending like Cinderella did. Every day since I was 6, I would dream of escaping and going to a glamorous place… just like Cinderella did. That dream slowly faded, because reality struck me - that was never going to happen to someone like me. Cinderella is a fairy tale… a fairytale. Fairy Tales are stories for children; they don’t come true.

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I wanted to make my own fairy tale story. Doesn’t everyone deserve a happy ending? Especially people who have troubles in their lives. Everyone deserves their happily ever after. I was willing to make my own happily ever after… “Can you come closer?” I murmured to Kat, my neighbor who has been by my side for the past 14 years. Kat was helping me leave my house for good. I had all my important belongings and shoved them into a frayed duffel bag. I took two 100 dollar bills from my foster mom’s wallet. I didn’t know where I was going, where I was going to stay, who I will meet, or who I will become. All I knew is that I had to leave… now. *4 years later* The music of the party was ringing in my ears. It wouldn’t stop vibrating… but I didn’t care. I was shaking my head, pretending I was having a blast, but secretly I was terrified. Every day, I would go around to different frat houses in the next neighborhood, still in Kansas, but partying every night. I guess this was the life I dreamt of. Being free. I didn’t care what people thought and just lived my life the way I wanted to. But I wasn’t myself. I was always dizzy and never fully awake. Never fully functioning. Always ending up on the streets and parties were the only way I could get something to eat and sometimes if I was lucky, I would be able to stay the night. When I left 4 years ago, I’ll be honest I never wanted this life of partying all night and scraping to find something to eat. I wanted to live in a world where money would just be there and I would be warm and happy by myself. But quickly did I realize that that was a perfect life… No one has a perfect life. These days I don’t even know who I was. I was waking up in places I don’t remember, waking in front of people I have no memory of…. waking up into a life I didn’t want. I felt as though in my “life” I was searching for different lives when I should be sticking with one… why can’t I FIND the life that I want? I’ve been through so much. I’ve left so many people behind like Kat who actually cared for me and helped me do what I want. I could’ve just stuck with her. I could’ve, I could’ve, I could’ve. But that that is just a part of life that I can’t do anything about. The things that life gives you are there for a reason that you might not even be sure of. Sleeping on the streets, barely making enough to eat every day, being with people I didn’t know…. What was I doing with my life? I didn’t even know. These are the thoughts that go through my life every day, repeatedly. But I do the same thing every day. Drink until I can’t let another drop of alcohol go down my throat, doing things I shouldn’t with people I don’t know. Maybe I should just accept that this is the life that humanity has chosen for me? I will never be happy. I will never know happiness. Because I never knew what happiness felt like. I have to accept that. But will I ever accept that? Will I ever be happy with the life that found me?

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Lost and Found Friend by Tina Sangmi Lee 5 years ago, I was 13 years old. My name is Kat. My uncle drove me to a grand, franchise, burger restaurant that opened recently near my town with my friend, Cath. Cath had very noticeable long ginger curls. She was a talented pianist, prominently known in our town, and I am and was always delightful by her. In a twinkling of an eye, we swiftly darted to the restaurant with cravings for BURGERS. The restaurant was located in a dodgy area that mostly gangs hang around. We came across some funky-looking people with chokers around their necks and full on smokey makeup. The eating place was crowded with troops of the burger lovers and we took almost an hour just to get those burgers. It was worth it. Later, we walked down the hill on the way home and lamentably crashed into the girls’ gang. Whoever faced the girls’ gang in our town was looking for death. No one could beat them and it was a stroke of bad luck if you saw them. And I guess we were one of those “unlucky” people that day. “What’s up bro?” called out one of those girls from the crew. As I heard the shout from the crew, my body shuddered with goosebumps as my eyes were wide awake. An unpleasant and heavy sensation sat in my heart. I had no feeling in my entire body. The look of the girls made my blood run cold. I had to handle the fears overcoming me, because I knew they wouldn’t just let us go without scourging or pummeling us mercilessly. “This might be the end of our lives, Judy.” murmured Cath with a shaky voice. Sensing her blood-curdling feelings, I swiftly grabbed Cath’s arm and dashed the other way with sweat dripping off my forehead due to the anxiety. All was a vague jumble of chaotic impressions; Cath was even more intimidated than me. At the back, gang pursued us; we continued advancing. As I glanced back, Cath stumbled on the concrete ground and fell heavily. She got separated from me in this frightening situation as we were escaping them. I could sense her quickened breath. Her legs were paralysed and trying to take hopeful steps was taking too much time. The girls were getting closer. Their eagerness to beat us up in this circumstance was likely to manifest. But, rescuing her would be like sacrificing my life. Without any hesitation, I fugitively dodged into the burger restaurant; in the throng I was safe. As I calmed myself down, my guilt overwhelmed me- it was like a burden too heavy to bear. I recalled what I had done to my best friend. I left her in this situation. I was the one who brought to her to the burger restaurant. I was the one who left her with those street girls.

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I was the one who lost a true friend... Few Hours Later… My mom received an emergency call from the hospital and I guessed that that was probably about Cath’s incident. Apparently, her hands were paralyzed. Moreover, it is said that she might never use her hands again. I couldn’t let myself look at her face. What would she think of me? Guilt suddenly laid like a rock in my heart at the thoughts of Cath not having her ability. I would always remember that she would play her brilliant song on the piano and that I was always the only one who would listen to it continuously. She probably doesn’t remember my existence either. I have heard from my mom that she has difficulty to play piano again. The cold blood ran into me as I feared; my emotions weren’t stable. She would never forgive what I’ve done as her closest friend. I didn’t have the right to look at her face anymore; she would hate me forever...

The beautiful, soft, piano sound flooded the musical department as my mood became tranquil. The noise was the sound of icicles and little sleigh bells mixed into one impactful combination .The song sounded very similar to me. My mind suddenly turned blank, as white as it could be, and I zoned out. The anxiety coldly flooded in my heart. I felt the sadness of the music seep into my body slowly and spread throughout my veins. No… This couldn’t be...This couldn’t be her song! I forced myself to not believe it; but clearly I could recognise it. Without any thoughts, I dashed to the musical department and opened every single room. At the end of the corridor, there was a wooden door - isolated. It was old; you could tell by just looking at it. Scratches etched their way along the bottom half of it and the edges were uneven and cracked. The slow music was coming from that room. The magic of the sound drew my curiosity and I slowly advanced through the door, afraid that this was a dream and one wrong step would smother the music. Before I stepped in, I didn’t know how to act in front of her. What if she had completely changed? What if she didn’t know me? Well, I had done a devastating thing to her and I totally understood if she didn’t act towards me in an expected way. Since I had already came to this realisation, I pushed open the door with a slight creak of its hinges and peeked in the room. A woman with a different impression from Cath, was beautifully playing the piano.

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Even though, she looked non-identical to my best friend, it was undoubtedly her piano fingerings and the song was made by her when I came over to her house. Having some hopeful thoughts of being friends again, I decided to come closer to her. She had a black, straight hair instead, with some cover-up. Her pink lipstick looked so clumsy and her fake eyelashes seemed to be very heavy and unnatural for her eyes. I approached her naturally and as she turned around, I could feel my nerves tingling like I was being tickled with a small feather. My mind was just completely blank. “Hey..Um… Do you remember me?” I stuttered, as “Cath”’s face turned questionable. “I’m sorry, who are you?” Cath asked with an innocent look. My motion stopped; I didn’t assume that she would know me anyway. The tension built. “I’m very glad that you can play piano again…” I hesitated. With an ambiguous face, she continued to play her song. I had to approve my fault and get out of my guilt embedded in my heart for a few years now. “Hey! I’m trying to sort this out. I know you may not want to remember me since you wouldn’t want to remember a friend who scarred you like this , but I really want to apologize and I don’t expect you to forgive me right away.” My trembling voice rushed unexpectedly. “GET OUT OF MY ROOM ! “ she screeched raucously, “ YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS TO BE HERE !” From a sudden scream, I had lost my self-control and swiftly walked away with tears running down my cheeks. I already expected this would happen; but it took me a lot of courage to stand in front of her. My weeping couldn’t stop; that was when I realised how precious she was to me. Is it possible for us to be friends again? Would she ever forgive me? Possibly not. Friendship can be easily broken like a plate breaking apart into sharp shards. Nobody chooses that way but I inadvertently had. Seeing her face and confronting her wouldn’t make it any better. She just chose her way and she didn’t want to restart everything. I had to deal with it. I had to live with the guiltiness growing on my heart…

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Everyone Has Their Own Story by Tindra Soderberg Hi, I’m Lucy. I’m an ordinary girl; I like football, dancing and basketball. I have been told that my eyes are as dark as the forest. My favourite colour has always been blue. I am now 19 years old and I’m unfortunately an only child. Being an only child was good in many ways since I got all the attention and everything that I wanted. However it makes you feel very lonely which is why I still live with my “so called” mum Cara and my dad Peter because I have had no will to go and find a place of my own. So that I don’t have to feel alone... You might be wondering why I said, “so called”... Well I’ll explain that later... Until I was 10 years old, my life had been everything that I ever wanted. I had all the friends I wanted, I got great education at one of the best schools in London and you can say I had everything that a kid could dream of. However, for my whole life, something has seemed strange to me. Have you ever been looked at strangely on the streets when you are out with your parents? Do you ever get asked if you and your family are actually related or how you’re related? Well to put it simply, I have. Whenever we were out something like this would happen: “Well hello, where do you come from?” the people would say. “I come from London.” I’d reply. “Which part of your family is Asian then?” “None… why?” “Wel,l you don’t look anything like your parents, so I was just wondering…” When I was 11, I decided to go up and ask my parents all about it. I frankly said, “Mum, why don’t I look anything like you and dad? We are not the same colour, we don’t have the same voice, what’s wrong with me?” “It’s normal sweetie.” she replied. Later on when I turned 12, they blurted out huge news that changed my whole entire life. My parents took me in a room and told me in these exact words: “Sweetie, I’m sorry that we haven't told you before… but you're adopted, and I hope that doesn't change anything because me and your dad love you so much…” “WHAT? WHEN? HOW?” I blurted out. “You were adopted from White Russia when you were one year old.” My brain was buzzing with questions, my mouth was dry and I was surprisingly speechless. I was thinking, “Was something wrong with me?”, “Are they still alive…!?” Even though I now knew the truth about some of my questions from my past, I now had infinitely more. I saw my parents every da,y not knowing what to even say to them because I was constantly telling myself that they are not my parents. When I turned 13, I began to close my doors and shut my mum and dad out. Every night I went to sleep, I felt that I had lost my parents, without even getting the chance to get to know them. Cara decided to send me to therapy which then only made everything worse. I started 300

having terrible, dark thoughts - my school grades were going down and even though I had so many people helping me out, nothing seemed to make anything better. Then when I turned 16, I made the decision to go and find my parents without telling Cara and Peter. I secretly started to research on the internet to see how this would even be possible. I researched up until I was 18, which was when I decided to go back to White Russia, get a guide and visit my orphanage to see if they could possibly track down my past. It was a very rushed trip to get there and I was feeling extremely pumped that I made this decision and I felt stronger than ever. I could just feel my heart beating faster and for once in a long time - I actually felt happy. Somewhat later, I came to my orphanage. Was it weird that I did not remember a thing? A guy who was the leader of the orphanage slowly stumbled out and I felt like he seemed to know me, however my brain was blank. We stared at each other awkwardly and then we silently went and sat down to have a talk about why I was back. “Hello, I’m Charles.” “I’m Lucy, I was adopted from here when I was one and I have only a few years ago been told that I was adopted from here and I was wondering if there was anything that we could possibly do to find out who my actual parents are.” I said as fast as possible to not feel the pain that I was feeling. “I’m sorry to say that this could be extremely hard. You see, when your parents adopted you, it was a closed adoption that was made.” At that point, my heart sunk. Charles looked at me and said to me, “However, it is possible to find your foster parents though.” “YES!”I blurted out which was probably louder than it was in my head. The next morning I jumped in a taxi back to the orphanage. When I arrived, I saw my foster parents standing. I slid up slowly but they knew no English so we could not communicate and therefore Charles had to translate EVERY word so I tried to keep my questions short. My foster parents were Mia and Leif. Mia had wrinkles on her forehead, her hair was worn out, she was wearing something that looked like old rags and she had a small smile on her face. Leif did not look much different, however he did not have a smile on his face. I started of quietly asking, “Hi, do you remember me?” I smiled. “Да, конечно, я делаю, я помню, когда вы были маленькими и посмотреть , как красиво и выросли вы сейчас.”Mia replied. “Yes of course I do, I remember when you were small and look how beautiful and grown up you are now.” Charles translated. I gave her a big smile and ran up to hug her. We talked and we talked but after a while I got the courage and asked, “Um, so, did you know my parents..?” She looked at me and hesitantly said; “Да я знал, что твои родители конфетка , они были замечательные люди , и я уверен , что оставив вас была самая трудная вещь, которую они могли бы сделать , потому что я знаю, сколько они должны возлюбил вас.”

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I was worried about what she was saying because it sounded so long as if her words were just lingering on... I was not sure what Charles’ facial expression was saying but it made me feel uncomfortable. What if she said no? What if it was not possible? “She knows your parents.”Charles explained. Obviously, I was excited but I tried to keep myself as discrete as possible. It took about a week to get to my parents and arrange a meeting so that I could meet them. I heard from Charles that myparents struggled to decide if they wanted to meet me which made me feel really upset. However, I kept on asking them to do everything they could to make it happen. At last it was arranged. However I was told that they might not be what I expect. That made me wonder... What are they talking about? However, it all happened quicker than I thought and probably even wanted. On the day that I was going to meet my parents, my heart was pounding. I woke up as early as possible and got myself ready and dressed. I took a cab to the orphanage and I waited. After an hour or so I saw people in the glimpse of my right eye - I did not want to seem too eager -. They came in and I slowly looked up and there were my foster parents sitting with Charles. I was speechless. At last Mia spoke and said, “Нам очень жаль , что вам пришлось пройти через все это . Мы никогда не хотели , чтобы дать вас. Видите ли, когда мы должны были вас , мы жили очень сложную жизнь . Мы никогда не могли бы дать вам жизнь, которую вы хотели. Твой отец , Питер и я , просто хотел , чтобы дать вам ваш лучший шанс.” “We are so sorry that you had to go through all of this. We never wanted to give you up. You see, when we had you, we were living a very complicated life. We could never have given you the life that you wanted. Your dad, Leif and I, just wanted to give you your best chance.” Charles translated. I looked down at the ground and then at them again. I had no idea what to say or even do so I went over and gave them both a hug but then politely asked Charles if he could ask them to leave. It was only now that I realised how much I hadn’t needed to go through all this trouble. Of course, I was happy to meet them and know who they were. I got all my answers. I had found my parents. However they seemed like total strangers. I made the decision to go home and just continue my life. The only problem I had was… What were my real parents going to say to me when I got home?

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The Box by Sophie Sanderson “Hello?” I say as I pick up the phone, “Who is it?” “Sorry ma'am, but there’s been an accident…” I rush to the kitchen counter, grab my keys and drive over to the police station… my heart, pounds at what seemed like 800 beats per minute! I slammed the glass doors open, on the verge of panic. The moment I saw the box in the officer's hands I stopped… silence… all I could hear was silence and my heart shattering like a wine glass, falling to the floor after a breakup. A single tear rolled down my face. Then it began… I felt an agonising affliction pass through me as lonely tears pooled in my eyes. I knew he was gone… The officer walked over to me holding the heart shaped box in his hands. He wrapped his muscular arms around my now weak body as I sobbed on his shoulder. After what seemed like a year, he handed over the box and I walked away in silence. The weather didn’t help my emotion, in fact it made it worse; bitter, stormy rain poured down from the misty sky and exploded into droplets as they hit the pavement. Driving home was tough. All I could think about was him… the man who was my husband, the man who told me I was beautiful at night, the man who comforted me… the man… the brave man… the soldier… I opened the box, already knowing what was inside, because I was the one who sent it, sent it to a man who will never get the news… the news that I was pregnant. Not only that, but how I was looking forward to seeing him! Seeing him alive and off the battelefield… I lay there with my ruptured heart a growing deep hole, gradually getting bigger and bigger until nothing was left: no emotion, no feeling, nothing…

Just an empty soul being left for the trigger of a gun.

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Disclaimer: This story contains graphic scenes that might upset sensitive readers. Parent guidance is advised. Blue by Katerina JiYi Kim Inspired by the butterfly project- a project created to prevent self-harm. Patients would tattoo or draw a butterfly or a name of someone they love wherever they self-harm. If it is a drawing, patients would let it naturally fade away. In this case, the butterfly represents someone who will not return that love. The story is written as a monologue as only Stella is present but within this one character, there are many fractured personalities or “voices”. The butterfly seen outside of the window is Stella’s tattoo. Stella sees the blood coming out of it, her wounds bleeding, as light. Stella asks another personality of hers, why the room has light, because it was explained to her as being dark. Although she asks, she already knows the answer. Her blood, which she sees as stars- because of her name “Stella”, is constantly dripping. Another personality of hers keeps reminding Stella of what she did. She even admires the fact that there is blood coming out of her wounds. Here again, I used her name as a symbol. Stella, means stars in Latin. If the moon was further away from Earth, it would look like stars. That was the fact that I was trying to imply. The fact that the moon itself would turn into millions of “stars” if it explodes. The moon breaks down to stars, when Stella cut herself. It is ultimately left to the reader to decide whether she will continue to live or not. **************************** It’s just a simple story of the past. The two were lovers, then they separated. That's all. Nothing too complicated. Well, what is there to that would confuse you? Whoever you are that’s listening to my story. If I add one more thing. The one person couldn't let go of the past. She couldn't forget the times when they were together. She couldn't picture herself alone. She couldn't just forget the past. So she went back to the past. Before they met. That's all. Blueish, but darker than blue. Dark blue. Yes, navy blue would do. Do you see the person in the room, wondering when it will turn bright again?

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It’s the time where everything turns dark. 9’o clock. Maybe 11’o clock. No, that does not make sense. The nights are dark enough to swallow the darkness. Hey. Don’t talk back at me. What I’m saying right now, this is nonsense anyways. Just go with it. Can you see that? The butterfly sitting on the window seat, crying in a plaintive voice? What, you can’t see the sound it’s making? Well, the sound- it’s so clear and vivid that it even hurts my eyes. The vivid images of the butterfly’s wings, body, it’s horns. I could even recognize the remains of it. It shines. You said it was darkHey, I told you not to process this logically. If the light’s there, any object near it would shine. The light scattered into so many directions will shine on you. Can you feel it, stēlla? Come here and take a look. Remember what you see, as you will anyways do. You wouldn't be able to forget a light this bright shining on you. Why do candles go off? Because the wick burns off. Why does the wick burn off? Because you light the candle. Why do we light the candle? Hm… to create light? Stop asking. Why, do we create light? Because, “Because, it’s dark.” So are those your last words? Wait. Last? Why are you making it sound like it’s an end? You would know it more than I would. This is an end and perhaps a beginning. We’re starting again? Why does everything need a start? This might be nothing but an end. No fresh start, no nothing. Then is this how we end? Is this how I end? If you weren’t so sure of what was going to happen, why are you doing this? Hey, you wouldn't be able to live on with such a fragile mind. Look, you are still alive after all. What, are you scared? Of what? Can you live in a world without-

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Never. I told you. Look, it’s a light shone to its brightest. Are you sleeping? Already? That’s alright. Then there is no need to answer. Black turning to white. Night turning to day. Something dull turning into something shiny. If that is your last wish, Please. Take care of your butterfly; Semicolon project- a semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life. We all need to take care of the butterflies in our lives.

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eHope by Aditeya Gupta and Niklas Redler Thompson eHOPE We are Anonymous! We are a legion! We do not forgive! We do not forget! Expect us! Hey, my name is Drake and I just moved out of my parent’s house to live with my gang. We’re a group of no good hackers who mess around and pretty much muck up internet systems. We are all high school dropouts who just enjoy having an easy life with no rules and no limits. Money? That’s not a problem. It is settled by Sylvester; he hacks banks that foolishly money launder their cash on unsafe websites. This is easy for us to do because we ain’t stealing from innocent people, but rather from rich stuck up bank CEO’s. Present Day... News has just broken out that there is a massive clone meteor, as big as the sun, hurtling towards the earth. Corruption and rivalry has sprouted its evil wings all across the globe. As many believe, the end is coming and there is no hope left for our survival. Being rebellious teenagers, we didn’t make a fuss about it because we realized that we had the world on its knees and that we could do anything. Opportunities were limitless! ‘Anonymous’, that’s what our hacking team is called. We partake in many secret operations all across the globe; sending out our best agents and hackers to terminate terrorist organizations and corrupt government organisations abusing their power. We have hacked into many government websites and leaked mounds of secret information. Our many operations include #OpParis, #OpAfrica, #OpISIS, #OpTrump, #OpKKK, #OpNimr and so on. At once we shall commence the operation #OpMeteor. For some time now, weird transmissions have come to the earth, through different satellites. The Chinese, Americans and the Russians have detected paranormal transmissions sent to Earth. However, NASA has not spoken about these occurrences. The shocking thing is that we don’t know who is sending them and where they are coming from. No-one knows how long ago these transmissions were sent. As we were researching about the meteor that is apparently hurtling towards earth, we discovered some banter on the deep web about how there is a weakness in the 536 encrypted firewalls that Nasa has set up to protect countless government files and secret missions to outer space. We sent out our encrypted amber alert to all Anonymous members to start commencing a hack on NASA’s database to find out what is actually happening. Over 500 million of our members flood the database exploiting every weakness and glitch in the system. We then override the main frame so that we can access the information that we need. We do this because we truly believe that freedom

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of information is something that is needed in the world; especially in the age of huge technological advancements. After countless hours of hacking, we finally breached the data base. It took some time but after we were finally in and had access to all the files, we analysed all the data and found out that the government was hiding a ton of information from us which was no surprise. We have come to believe that the government is making a secret ark operation and they will use the ark to create refuge for the New World, Planet X and 90% of us are going to be left here… to die. Now we commence stage two of the operation. The second Stage of #OpMeteor is for the physical breach with our top agents. Our Spy Hack program is where we recruit young teens that have an IQ of over 180. Einstein's IQ was only 160. They are all exceptionally skilled and have been trained by the best spies, hackers and martial artists in the world. They have learnt to shift their bodies in certain ways that they can shift through small spaces and are strong enough to lift up a car. They are Super Humans or prefer to be called Inhumans. Which means that their body has self-mutated itself to be a host of alien blood making them develop super powers that they have trained for the better to help save the world. Their mission is to break into one of the most secure government facilities in the world. Fort Knox! As it is such a secure the facility, there are no blueprints available to the public of course. However, we are not just the public, we are everywhere! We discovered on the secretive Deep Web, that a water pipe blue prints had leaked onto it. After some searching, we found it the key to our success. Posing as maintenance workers, Spy Hack breached into the main frame of the building. Once they got in they released the Knock out gas which was an old myth that people theorised they had to evade intruder in an emergency. Clearly, this backfired because our agents were able to release the gas into the ventilation system spreading it all around the structure. They all had gas masks though, so they were all fine. Once they had taken the elevator to the main vault to recover the last piece of puzzle in stage two. However, it wasn’t that easy… There was a fully armed guard that was just stationed there wearing a gas mask. The only problem was that he was armed and since most of our agents were misfits and still teens it would be completely irresponsible for them to be carrying a firearm. That is why we gave them a grenade (Just Kidding). They turned off the lights of the room and since they were completely aware of their surroundings and were on their A game, they could take down the guard. They used a roundhouse kick to the head, knocking the gas mask right off of him, causing him to collapse unconscious. After that they ran their fire code to decrypt one of the 100 safes where the ‘Top Secret’ encryption key is locked behind over 1 million safety mechanisms and systems.

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This was not a problem for them because we are good, really good, so it took us about 30 seconds. Once the code had brute forced the lock, they spit up and scoured the vaults for locker 1768 where the key was hidden. They had to maneuver their way around invisible lasers that pointed every which direction making it almost impossible to slither through. Once they had passed all security systems, they had Rocky breached the electrical lock by injecting the motherboard with fire code malware. This would mean that it would automatically type the correct answer into the keyboard to unlock the locker. We snacked the Encryption key out of the locker and then suddenly…… Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! “DRAT RUN!!!” Sly Bellowed! They were able to just slide out of the base in time before over 500 S.W.A.T Soldier stormed the vaults armed to their teeth like ants that had orders to kill anything and everything that was living or moving and in their way. “That was close; way too close!” Shack exclaimed. Luckily, all of our Agents were accounted for and made it safely back to home base, however while the IED bomb set off by accident in the vault, Shack did get some shrapnel lodged in his lower leg. He was fine though because one of our agents had regenerative powers and was able to heal his wounds with little amount of scar tissue. Now that we had the Encryption key we were now able to unlock the Secret N.A.S.A Base; that has been abandoned in the early 2000’s when a group of terrorist raided it and scared the Americans away. However, the terrorist evacuated the place after they found a bomb that was planted by one of the staff members. It had been a decoy. The base was completely forgotten about and nobody else is alive that knows about that base so we thought it was a safe bet to move in and use it as our mission control. We had our members storm the places cleaning and tying up every inch of the place until it was clean, spotless and most importantly organized. All of the equipment was outdated by at least 10 years and was mostly destroyed when the terrorists invaded making the screens lodged with ammunition that had been fired at the scientists but we were able to move in all of the new equipment we had carried from black market scams that profited of criminals that had expensive technology that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. The Mission Control was finally ours. We had staged a perimeter around the base using electrical barbed wire with automated weapons systems that would shoot anything that attempted to trespass into the new facility that we had acquired. Building commences barely hours after we had moved in where our volunteer Anonymous engineers had gone to work repairing the building and doing all round maintenance. Also, the plumbers came in and ran new piping in and had all gas lines checked and repaired. Now all that was left to do was to build the spacecraft.

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Surprisingly, it was not as hard as we expected to build a top notch space ship that was able to have enough power to travel at just below the speed of light which would mean a world record however, since this world was coming to an end there was no need to worry about that. We spent the next 2 days screwing nuts and bolts and writing lines of code that would make our Space craft takeoff, orbit, send transmissions to earth at lightning like speed to make it communicate with our mission control. After a couple of days of intense work This was the day… We made history… It was time to send our space shuttle into space to venture onto Planet X where NASA has illegally been turning the planet into a stable environment and with our top notch researchers; hackers, scientists. We would therefore speed up the process of atmospheric stability and make the ground harvestable. We have collected samples of sperm and egg cells for months now to be able to recreate human life on our new planet that we have called Hope! We have gathered all of our Anonymous members and have already digitally teleported civilians to our new base where they will be housed in one of the million dorms we have set up in our space shuttle. We have invited many influential people that are kind hearted and care about humanity and do not feel guilty for the corrupt terrorists that we have left behind. Some might call us Terrorists. However in the true minds we are the ones doing good and not evil. “Base, we are ready for take-off!” “10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Launch!” “No Stop, you can’t; there has been another transmission.” “No, nothing can be stopped now.” “This is very important.” “Well it better be. Otherwise, you will be fired.” “Look at what the transmission says sir.” YOU HAVE ORIGINATED FROM THE SAME PLACE AS US, BUT DO NOT COME TO THIS PLANET LOOK FOR ANSWERS HERE AS WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THIS WILL REACH YOU, BUT BEWARE, WE ARE NOT THE LAST ONES WHO ARE UNDER ATTACK. HUNDREDS OF OTHER COLONIES ARE UNDER ATTACK. LEAVE EARTH NOW FOR THE END IS NEAR! Silence, uncanny silence. “Does anyone of you here have answers?”

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“I want radar checks now. This mission cannot be compromised or the rest of the human civilisations shall be wiped out too. There is no room for even the smallest of error.” “Sir, we are detecting an object in space.” “And none of you saw it before?” “No NASA has set us up, they knew we were going to hack them. The people have probably already left. That is the NASA space ship.” “Anyways, that’s why there are so many world leader seeming to have disappeared.” “Wait, sir, that’s not the only object in the sky, there is more, the spaceship is being attacked.” “Let the world know it is going to go up in flames and tell the world that NASA were going to leave them here to die.” Hopeless “Listen, the world is going to end, so get rid of your ego issues and give us the blueprints to your spaceship. We can still save the people in our world.” “This is confidential information! We are not give any of this information to a gang of hooligans.” “You are the ones planning to leave most the people, here, to die. The world inched towards its end. Not only was the sun going to burst, but an armada of ruthless aliens were going to destroy us. Unfortunately, the people had gone with the Earth’s last resort. NUKES! The plan was to keep the aliens at bay while we built space arks to the planet Hope. Unfortunately, time was not on our side. One small mistake could end the world. Now, pretty much everybody had got to building arks. Some volunteers had decided that it would be best to stay behind, on Earth. This ark project was a difficult one. The resources needed to make the ark were insufficient. The people were losing hope as the end came closer and closer, but we keep working and hoping. A Close Escape We have managed to collect what we need from the Earth to take with us for the voyage to Hope. The ship’s weapons are ready. We are hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. Quite coincidentally, our flight crew has been able to find a loophole that might help us to avoid a fight. They have found a wormhole in between us and the alien armada and it is believed by our scientists that we will reach it before the alien armada.

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Luckily enough, it will bring us extremely close to our next planet Hope. Luckily everything has already been set for us through the planet neutralisation systems. When we get to Planet Hope everything will be set for us, just we will have to build our home there. Planet Hope, here we comeâ&#x20AC;Ś! This story was inspired by the tv series Scorpion, CSI Cyber, The Enderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Game Trilogy by Orson Scott Card and also the hacktivist group Anonymous.

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Disclaimer: This story contains content that might offend a conservative audience as it deals with issues relating to discrimination against the homosexual community. Youth by Euodia Cho Inspired by Troye Sivan’s “Youth” Dedicated to those still locked in the closet. Come out and be fearless. What if we run away What if we left today We said goodbye to safe and sound What if we're hard to find What if we lost our minds We let them fall behind, and they're never found

The sun was shining on him, the heat focused on the left side of his face. Calum continued to stare at the ground, the heat causing him to sweat a little. He was dressed in all back, surrounded by somber faces and he knows Michael wouldn’t have wanted it like this. Calum remembers him coming back from his grandfather’s funeral sulking, grumbling about he’d want a funeral happier than that. Calum remembers how Michael wanted to celebrate living, instead of mourning death. Calum stays silent, instead choosing to watch the tears streaming down Michael’s parents’ faces. He watches a tear fall to the ground, and it’s deathly silent. Just like the buzz of having Michael beside him. It’s oddly comforting, having silence in the midst of the screaming inside him. Trippin' on skies, sippin' waterfalls

He can’t stop thinking, remembering how Michael slowly faded out… Cold hands are stroking along his back, trembling lips mumbling against his skin and it’s so cold, so unbearably cold. Michael’s shaking, glassy eyes so trusting as he pleads, tries to convince Calum that he can do it, he can live through the night. That he mustn’t call the ambulance. Mortal bodies, timeless souls Cross your fingers, here we go

But he does and it’s the last time Calum sees Michael. Only family members are allowed. He’s told Michael passed away peacefully in his sleep the next morning.

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Calum screams, his vision clouded by thoughts of Michael. Michael was so blindingly bright; a raging inferno in a blustery island of white snow. Calum cries, the nurses have to hold him back when he sees Michael’s body, even more icy than it was the night before. Calum’s fists are weakly punching Michael’s body, and he’s yelled at by the doctors. Michael’s mother and father watch unbelievably from the side, their sobs causing Calum to screw his eyes shut and fall to the ground. He watches helplessly as Michael’s face is covered and he’s carted away to the morgue. Calum didn’t sleep that night, scrolling through photos on his phone and looking at how Michael fell apart piece by piece over time, growing even paler and eventually losing his hair. Calum remembers how Michael cried when he watched his hair fall to the ground as Calum shaved his head. Michael sat on the bathroom floor for hours that day, his hands running over the hair that was on his head, thin from the chemotherapy. He yelled, cursing the heavens, and Calum held him through it, kept quiet as Michael screamed himself hoarse. His voice was a weak croak by the time he was done, and he cries into Calum’s shirt. Calum remembers how Michael was so, so passionate, the fire inside him raging. He would lose it sometimes, eyes darting around the room as he clenched his fists, relaxing and then tensing up again. Calum watched, watched Michael spiral downwards. Michael was surprisingly calm when he was told he had only a few months to live. He nodded curtly, and walked out of the room. Calum heard him shrieking, and it sounded so far away, the doctor’s voice expressing empty apologies drowning Michael out. Michael’s family didn’t hear it, they were too focused on the doctor. Calum hears Michael screaming in his nightmares for weeks. Calum looks at the last photo, the most recent one he had of himself and Michael. It was blurry and grainy, but Calum could see Michael’s lips pressed to his, a gentle kiss that wasn’t typical of Michael. With Michael, it was always passionate kisses, the pressure of Michael’s lips against his almost too much, but it never was. Michael was never too much. They were on the beach in that photo, at an unearthly hour. It was just them, like it always was. Calum remembers tasting tears when he kissed Michael; the salt in his mouth. He didn’t know if it was his tears or Michael’s. It didn’t matter, they were both crying. Michael’s fingers were so cold in Calum’s hand. Calum remembers kissing Michael’s hand, and Michael telling him that he thought they should break up. Michael said it was to make sure Calum didn’t get too hurt when Michael died. Calum shuts Michael up, promising to be there until the end. Michael nodded, a teary smile appearing on his face as the tide rose, waves continually crashing higher and higher up on the sand like how the cancer was eating away at

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Michael. Calum holds Michael’s hand the whole time as he writes their initials into the sand with a stick. C.H + M.C Calum finds himself standing in front of all of Michael’s relatives. He had to deliver a eulogy, and he didn’t know where to begin. He wasn’t allowed to be here - he ran from work to be here. For his soulmate, Michael. “Michael… Michael was… Michael is Michael.” Calum coughs, the lump in his throat making his words sound choked. “He was so loud, you know? I remember hearing him scream, asking why the gods decided to give him cancer. He was always so passionate. He was a fighter, and his life was well-lived. He wouldn’t have wanted a funeral like this, I would know. He would’ve wanted one where his life was celebrated.” Michael’s relatives stare at Calum with disbelieving expressions, and Calum’s forcing himself to smile, his eyes are stinging. “Maybe you don’t believe me, and that’s okay. I’ll just close this eulogy off by saying that I was the one who watched Michael lose himself amidst the fear of not having a life that was good enough. I was the one who watched him smile the last time before he fell asleep in his hospital bed, before I got kicked out of the room for staying past visiting hours. I was the one who lost my love. And you would all be very different if I was a girl instead of the man who truly loved him” Calum steps off the podium, and walks away from the funeral. Nobody bothers to chase him. He finds himself at the beach where he promised Michael he’d be there until the end… Run away now and forevermore

And it really feels like the end when he sees that their initials have disappeared, washed away by the waves…

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A Better Place by Harry Kang My hand scratches nervously at the threads of my black dress, eager for something to do. Mom sits stiffly in front of me, tears turning her black eyes into watery spheres. Even my rowdy six-year-old brother, Bran, doesn’t dare to utter a word. He only chews on his fingernails and gulps nervously. It’s a somber occasion, and even he recognizes it. It’s my grandpa’s funeral. Finally, the car bounces to a stop. I step out, raising my head to see a beautiful structure. A dome, filled with arching roofs, intricate designs, and marble that shines like polished glass. Then, grandma totters out from the marble door, her papery cheeks crinkling as she smiles tiredly at us. My aunt stumbles out after grandma, her usually lively brown eyes are weighed down with sadness. “Hey you guys,” she smiles wryly, “The burial is about to start - come on in.” Sniffing relatives and stricken friends mill around restlessly, filling the room. This is depressing, I think, grandpa would like it to be cheerful. People walk up to me, grasping my hand between theirs. “I’m so sorry.” They whisper. I smile and nod until condolences swim around my head in a meaningless blob. Then, a trumpet blows a somber tone and everyone scrambles to stand at full attention. Our family is pulled to the front as the sermon begins. Grandma trembles slightly as my aunt walks up to the podium to eulogize. The vibrations of her frail, shaking body slowly increases as my aunt brings my healthy and handsome grandpa to life with her passionate voice. The magic of her voice and the power of her words melts around my surroundings until it’s just me and my grandpa smiling, joking, and very much alive. Then, her voice cracks and she steps off the podium, promptly erupting into tears. The magic cracks like thin ice. I look around, blinking, realizing that dad’s eyes are red as he eyes the casket and even my stubborn sister, Sarah is looking at the ceiling, clenching her fists. My eyes stay dry. In fact, I feel nothing inside, and that’s the only thing that scares me. What’s wrong with me? Why aren’t I crying like everyone else? Even as they load grandpa’s casket onto a metal tray and raise it up, marching out the door to the crematorium, my tears do not threaten to appear. I see gram, shivering in the corner, and walk over to put my hand on her shoulder. She murmurs a quiet thanks before walking after grandpa. Oh, grandma, I sigh, hanging my head sadly, will you ever recover? Her haunted eyes are answer enough. I walk with her, my eyes straying to Gramp’s still body in the casket. His mouth slightly parts, his eyes stare out into nothing, and his eyebrows are creased slightly. I reach out instinctively, to smooth out a wrinkle on his forehead, but my hand only brushes the damp mountain air. Smile, grandpa I command, thirsting after even a small sign of happiness from my grandpa. I imagine him being pulled up, imaginary strings lifting him high so he’s standing with his arms outstretched and grinning warmly. I’m lost in my reverie, lost in thoughts of him before the cancer weakened him and drove him to bed. Memories of him whirl

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through my head; sneaking me money during New Year despite my mom’s protests, welcoming us at the door with his trademark smile, and reading to me as I fall asleep to his soothing voice. Suddenly, a large bang interrupts my reverie and I see the gray crematorium in front of us. They carry gramps away and a man with a cigar in his mouth walks over. “You guys can watch from viewing window number 3.” He grunts, his disheveled hair swinging as he motions to the right. Another man leads us there - a glass window with a view of a metal door. I’m confused for a bit until I realize, that’s where they’re going to burn him! I moan, and faintly I hear the anguished sound of a dying animal slipping out of my mouth. They’re burning my grandpa! Two nurses in sterile white uniforms wheel his casket to the door. I gasp in distress. They’re starting to push him in now, and suddenly, as if I can’t control it, I shout, “Gramps, the fire’s coming, run!” My mom drapes an arm around my shoulder and I bury my face into her chest as I watch the bright red embers of the fire glow bright against the door, like a wild animal desperate for release. For the first time today, hot tears are pouring out of my eyes. Tears that I have long kept in my eyes are pouring out - a river of pain. Bye, gramps, I whisper, tears choking my voice. I raise my head, prepared to see the cold iron door. But that’s not what I see. I gasp. Maybe it’s the light playing tricks, or my mind muddled up, but I’m certain I see him. Him. Grandpa. His smile lights up his face, his brown eyes warm and crackling with energy. He’s joyful and energetic. He turns, and locks eyes with mine.“I’ll miss you, Harriet,” he winks, before turning and sauntering away. My eyes search after him, but he’s gone as quickly as he came. I smile. He’s in a better place now, I realize. I’ll miss you too, I tell him.

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Heartless by Claire Kwak Prologue Ryann’s heart (or where her heart should have been) tightened as if there was a fist clenched around it, threatening to squeeze all the light out. She paused for a few moments, needing to catch her breath for the first time in her life. The muscle ache and struggling lungs she felt could have been due to the sand, or perhaps because of experiencing an excruciatingly tiring journey like never before, but she told herself that it was just the heartache. However, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself, she knew for sure that it was just the burning of her desire to hurt the one who hurt her. If only I could get my hands around his neck, one twist and he’d be gone… The wind only seemed to whisper words of encouragement to her, encourage those thoughts that she tried so hard in vain to push away. Stop! You’re not a puny human, you’re an honorable citizen* of Aleon. You’re not any regular human- you’re a modified human, practically a machine. Pull.. yourself… together. She took a deep breath, recollecting all her thoughts. It seemed to work; she could feel her bones being revitalised, the remaining pieces of her soul being locked into place, guarded even heavier than before. But the amount of happy memories could not even compare to the painful ones. The stinging memories flashed through her head, like a vivid movie playing on repeat in front of her very eyes. ******* Flames. Flames everywhere. Ryann squinted her eyes. One moment, she was arguing with the researchers. The next, she was alone, outside, among heaps of destroyed material… how did this happen? The whole building seemed to be engulfed in the flickering red tongues. The smell of smoke was overwhelming, and crashed down on top of the weak girl like a wave crashing on the shore. Like it, the water splashed- but in this case, it was just her tears. Through her blurry vision, she saw a flash of blue hair, along with a masculine body, escaping frantically from the scene. Who… who is that? She tried to see if she could

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recognise the figure and hair that she got a glimpse of; she could’ve sworn she had seen him somewhere. The puzzle pieces in her mind were starting to click together, and as she recognised the person, her eyes started to burn, her fists clenching. Was it you who did this? ******* Before she knew it, the burning sensation was back- but this time, she didn’t mind it one bit. It was like adding fuel to an already going fire- it made her malicious desire burn even brighter. I vow that before my very last breath, I will get my vengeance. Part 1 - Ryann How long has it been since I embarked on this journey? Ryann trekked across the steaming hot desert, only half-conscious, as she was deep in thought. She set off on this journey to find him, but how would she? Mentally slapping herself for being too hasty, she decided to take a quick breather and go over her plan. But she couldn’t concentrate. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get him off her mind. Truthfully, she didn’t like that he unknowingly had control over her mind (by taking over), and it’s not as if she was infatuated with him- she just wanted to settle the score. And it’s not as if she missed him… or maybe it was. He was the first true friend she had, only to betray her. I’ll never trust another person again. “Thanks for nothing...” I muttered, as if he, from wherever he was residing, could hear me. “Who did nothing?” I jumped in fright, swiftly locating the masculine voice behind me. A boy, probably around my age (although it was hard to tell; I haven’t met a variety of people in my life) stood there with innocent, blinking eyes and a mischievous smile. He had fluffy silver hair, huge eyes, small facial features, but a built figure. He reminded me of a picture I once saw of a little boy’s head on a teenagers body. I tried to act nonchalant, as if I wasn’t surprised by a person’s presence in the middle of this vast desert. “Um, who are you?” “Answer my question!” He insisted cheekily. “Why are you thankful for nothing? Isn’t that a bit weird?”

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I snorted. “As if I would tell you.” Naive boy. I walked off, eager to continue my journeybut something stopped me. Why won’t my body move? “Not so fast.” He materialised in front of me, a glint in his eyes. That little… I clenched my teeth, trying hard not to act shocked. “Who are you, and why are you so interested in my own personal issues? Don’t you have any of your own to worry about?” “Not really!” He grinned, and the glint in his eyes disappeared. His smile seemed to light up the sullen desert, as if he spread joy to whoever was around him. I had to admit; it was almost impossible to get mad at him with that smile. I suppose there’s no harm in talking, and I’m pretty tired… I sat down on the hot sand, and patted the ground next to me. “Sit. Let’s talk.” Part 2 - Ryann An awkward silence presided, and the wind took over, covering it up. “So… would you like to introduce yourself?” The boy asked me jokingly. “Ah, right. My name is Ryann. You?” “Nice to meet you, Ryann. I’m Kai. Can you tell me about yourself?” “This introduction is so generic,” I joked half-heartedly. “I know,” he agreed. “How about we each just tell our life story?” My expression turned stony and my eyes narrowed. “That was a bit too fast. How do I know I can trust you?” “How can you know if you don’t try?”, he said with huge amounts of duh in his voice. My face softened. He has a point… I want to be able to trust him, but I told myself I wouldn’t after the incident… “Ahem.” Kai cleared his throat. “I can tell you don’t trust me yet, so I’ll start. I’m Kai, from Aden, in the northern part of this world, Aleon. I’m 17 years old, with no siblings or parents.” No siblings or parents? Before I could ask what happened to them, he continued. “Nothing really interesting happened in my life. Right now, I’m on a journey to my relative’s house, who will teach me about my powers. You’ve noticed that I had powers, right?” He pretended to flip his hair and looked at me expectantly, which wanted to make me laugh- but I didn’t.

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“Of course, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. What are- how did you get them?” I almost stuttered over my curiosity. Kai thought for a moment. “I can freeze people from time to time, and teleport myself… well that’s what I’ve found out about it so far. I think there’s more to it, but it’s an innate power, so I can’t really tell. I guess I’ll have to find out.” Innate powers? Isn’t that extremely rare? “Anyway, do you trust me now?” His voice broke through my thoughts. “Tell me about yourself.” Up until this moment, I was aware that I didn’t really know much about myself- by this point, I probably knew Kai more than I knew myself. However, he was clearly expecting something, and I could not disappoint. And there was one thing that I knew about myself. “I’m Ryann, 16 years old. I don’t know my family, but they must have been wonderful and patient people to put up with me for 11 years. Because when I was 12, I killed someone.” Part 3 - Ryann The shock (and slight fear) on Kai’s face was clear, as he backed up hastily. “You… killed someone? When you were only twelve?” “Yes. It was me.” I snickered at his annoyed expression. It’s fun to play this trick. He relaxed slightly and lay down. “Ah. You ended your life. May I ask why?” Why is he being so polite all of a sudden? I stroked my chin, acting like a wise person. “Honestly, I can’t remember. I must’ve had a lonely-” “WAIT!” He shot back up as fast as light. “How are you alive right now?” “Shut up and listen. I was about to tell you before you interrupted me.” “Sorry. Okay.” He lay back down. I sighed, that sigh bringing me to a place in my past that I wasn’t quite ready to recall. “The first thing I remember is waking up in a lab, on a cold stainless steel surface. Who am I?, was my first thought; naturally. My memory of the past was slim to none, and I couldn’t even remember my name or my family.

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Eventually, after a few minutes, left alone to bask in my cluelessness, a woman came in the room. She didn’t introduce herself- just laid out the details for me. One, I was Ryann, 13 years old, meaning I had been revived from death over the course of one year. Two, this world was Aleon, where there would be some things I wouldn’t understand. Three… I was different. During the recovery period, they gave me some enhancements; increased stamina, increased power when I wanted, etc. I wasn’t given a choice for that, but they did give me the choice to choose if I wanted a power. I said I didn’t know; they left me alone to think about it for a week. But during that week, I didn’t even think about it. When they came back, they asked me again. Do you want a power?, they said. Of course!, I responded. But I was young and stupid… they didn’t tell me what the power was; what if it’s something that could destroy mankind? To this day, I don’t know what they did to me, but somewhere deep inside, there is an unknown power that will be awakened someday- unless it’s already been awakened. But of course, power comes with a price, and a responsibility. Removing my heart. ‘When you finally come to use that power, you will have to use it for the side of righteousness, no matter who it hurts. This is why we can’t allow you to keep your heart; we can’t let you hold yourself back from doing the right thing, even if that means the people you love will die. It’s for you, and everyone else's, own good’, they said. I wasn’t able to cry, love, or really feel after that operation. It was my biggest regret; but I admit, it saved me. I became more ruthless, more powerful, more efficient. And that’s how you survive in life. Only the strong survive. The weak have to become strong if they want to survive.” I let out a deep breath, feeling a weight come off my shoulders. However not completely. There was something I was still hiding about my past… the thing about him. But I wasn’t quite ready to tell a stranger about the situation. Kai stood up and stretched. “Although that was an extremely long and thorough story, I still feel as if there’s something you’re not telling me.” I started to protest, but he held out his hand. “Don’t- don’t. I won’t force you to. But I hope you will tell me someday.” He gestured towards the distance ahead. “Let’s keep going, to wherever you were hoping to go.” I recoiled. “Wait, you’re going to come with me? What about your relative’s house?” He laughed. “Why not? My powers aren’t that important, and other than that, it’s not like I have anything to do… or any goals to achieve. I just wander around, looking for adventures. And your story seems to be leading into a great adventure.” He turned around and started walking. “So, what’s the plan?” “Haha, about that…”

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Can We Reunite Together? By Julie Howarth “No matter how hard it is to meet someone, it is better than not seeing them.” ~ Julie Howarth Sitting calmly, serene and relaxed beside the cold, chilly, ice temperature window, I tried to imagine my best friend, Eva, who had been out of sight for 5 years. My eyes started to burst into tears and I couldn’t stop suffering. I felt like a child without a mum in the middle of an airport. Just then a flashback started to appear in front of my eyes… As I put down my phone, I bolted to my mother telling her that Eva and her family would join us at the beach. As quick as the speed of light, I dashed into my unrealistic, grimy, non-girlish room and snoozed. Next day, the alarm went off, I immediately changed into the outfit me and Eva bought together. Scampering like an agile rabbit, I walked to the master room to astonish my parents so that they can hop out of the bed. 2 hours later, we met together, crowded in the car and started one of our most memorable, meaningful, first journeys together. I couldn’t resist the happiness and I literally acted like a mental, psycho, insane person that had some sort of weird problem. After we unpacked, we all strolled to the beach. The sea couldn’t be more transparent. I felt like I was looking through an absolute clear glass window. Grabbing her tightly, I ran with Eva to the sea and paddled with her. Eva forced to me to go to the chair and tan together. Since the journey was 3 and a half hours, I was passing out tired. Without even noticing, I went straight to sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and I looked around. Eva, she wasn’t next to me, but my parents and her parents were in the outdoor restaurant having a drink together. I headed towards them and I asked where Eva was. “Mum do you know where Eva is? I just woke up but I can’t see her” Suddenly, Eva’s mum slammed the table and jumped out of her seat “YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE EVA IS?” After 2 hours of searching for Eva, we couldn’t even find a single strand of hair from her. We pretty much assumed that she was kidnapped or she just wandered off somewhere and didn’t come back. Having a heavy heart that seem like a 1000 tons, my tears started to roll out of my eyes and I fell on my knees, crying, and apologising to Eva’s mum. Astonishingly, Eva’s mum gave her hand to me and very gently talked to me “Nothing's your fault honey. We will call the police.” Her voice couldn’t be more sincere, tender and it sounded like an angel. However, at that moment, I didn’t understand why I was crying. That night, snuggled up underneath my covers, my tears were running down my cheeks. My heart couldn’t be more broken, I felt like a child that lost its mum in a different country.

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That was 5 years ago… “Eva… I know that you are in a different state, but no matter what happens, our friendship is never over and you are my best friend forever.”

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Parker and Hunter by Sofia Masondo Parker I watched, amused, as children poured out from every opening of the school, their ages spanning from six to fourteen, different shapes and colours – but they all had one thing in common. It was lunch time. And everyone was starving. Ryan patted the seat besides his, his friendly smile inviting. I plopped down my lunch on the table, and swung onto the backless plastic chair, attempting to make myself comfortable – and failing. I watched as a familiar face sat down on the rock near the field. Something was off, and although I couldn’t pinpoint the source of discomfort, it was making me increasingly nervous. I took a bite of my Panini. It tasted like dust. “Hey, Parker. You alright?” Simon looked at me with a strange expression, as if he was doubting my sanity. I shook myself out. “Oh, yeah. I… I’m fine.” I trailed off. “You sure, mate? You look well creeped!” Nick laughed and patted me on the back from two seats away, trying to get my spirits up. I managed a forced laugh. I shouldn’t worry my ‘mates’, right? That wasn’t my job as a friend. Plastering a smile onto my face, I took a few more bites of my Panini. I made accidental eye contact with Laura, the class cutie, who was sitting a few tables away with her friends. Her cheeks blushed a rosy pink and she looked away, embarrassed I had caught her staring at me. I wrapped the sandwich in its tinfoil again and shook my head. “Laura’s well pretty, ain’t she? Like ‘er friends, amirite? She’s sweet on ya!” Nick slapped the table, let out one huge cackle, and got straight back to his food. There was silence for a while before someone mentioned another name. “Didja boys hear?” Ryan leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Faye’s dad got sick a coupla days ago. Dunno if he’ll be okay. Teach said it’s something serious, so we oughta treat her with respect, dontcha think?” The mention of Faye’s name hit me in the stomach like a brick. Of course! That was it. Faye had been hanging her head the whole day- I had ignored it, telling myself that she had probably gotten another bad grade or messed up another homework assignment. Besides, that was always happening, so why not now? I stood up suddenly. Another brick had hit me; this time in the head. A slow realisation passed through me. Faye had no friends. What was that like? To have nobody to talk to? Nobody to laugh with? Nobody to tell your secrets to, to give you stupid advice, to gossip with? Only then had I realised that I had been standing up motionless for several seconds. My cheeks flamed. I dropped to my seat, murmuring something to my friends. “I’m gonna go talk to Faye. She probably needs a friend right now.”

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My friends stared at me, sending a nervous shiver down my spine, their eyebrows slowly knitting together, one by one. “Faye? That loser?” Oscar laughed, and Simon pinched him hard on the left lega warning to shut his trap, or else. I looked at Oscar in disgust. “Yeah. Faye. That ‘loser’. I said she needs a friend right now, so because no-one else is gonna be that friend, I’LL be that friend.” I huffed out the last sentence, aiming it directly at Oscar, hoping the words punctured him like a bullet. Turning on my heels, I began stomping off to the rock where Faye sat, facing the field, her yellow plastic lunchbox left unattended on the ground. Never once did I stop to realise what a decision I was making, or how it would affect me, but I didn’t care in the moment. Faye needed a friend, and I was going to be that friend, and nobody could stop me. Hunter’s I watched out of the corner of my eye as Parker Yellowstone, the popular boy, stomped towards where I sat, his eyes blazing with fury. I wondered if I should turn around, or play it cool, as if I hadn’t noticed him storming towards me. Nevertheless, his expression made me a little uneasy- I scrolled through the last few days in my mind, and tried to find something that might have angered him or his friends, but I didn’t remember doing anything in particular- much less talking to them. I gave a small shake of my head to assure myself that he was probably mad at someone else. Something bumped my side. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I, um, didn’t mean to push you. I-I just thought you looked a little lonely, and that you might want some company, and that since your dad just got ill- oh! I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to bring it up, really!” Parker apologised to me several times. I didn’t reply. He hadn’t really given me anything to reply to. Parker’s tone changed, his high, loud voice changing to a sweet and quiet one. “I’m sorry that your dad’s sick. I hope he gets better soon. You’re the new girl, right? Faye, was it?” Trying to small talk, I see. To make me feel better, I suppose. I wanted to correct him terribly, but I knew he probably wouldn’t get it. I tried, but my mouth wouldn’t keep shut. “He won’t get better, I just know it. And, um, my name isn't Faye.” I paused, shutting my eyes. “I’m Hunter. And I’m not a girl. I’m not anything, really.” I turned to look at him, startled at how close he was sat to me. He was close enough for me to see the flecks of crocodile green in his chocolate eyes. Moving back, I shook out my shoulders and returned his confused stare with a confident one. Parker blinked a few times, his eyes widening. Then, with a nod, he let out a small laugh. “Okay. I’ll call you Hunter, if you want.” “Oh… thanks.” I let the corners of my mouth turn up. “Oh, yeah. It’s ‘them/they’, not ‘her/she’. For me.” I added.

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He nodded. There was silence between us, and the only sound was that of the children returning to the school. A raven screamed from a tree somewhere, its loud, raspy call filling up the empty space. Parker and I shared a laugh, and I could have sworn I had heard a quiet bell ring. Parker The noisy ting of the school bell rang out. Classes had started. I grabbed Hunter’s arm, yelling at her- wait, them- to hurry up. “What’s your next class?” I called as we ran down the hallway. “Um… I think Math?” they called back with a nervous tinge to their voice. Their chestnut hair bounced on their shoulders as they ran. “Me TOO!” I screamed back, way too loud. They covered my mouth with a free hand, throwing an innocent smile at a passing teacher. “Shut up! The whole school doesn’t need to know we’re late!” They looked around, panicked. I slowed down my pace and peeled Hunter’s hand away. “Sorr-eee.” I shook my head. “We’re still late, you know.” Hunter grabbed onto the stair railing and pulled themselves up. “I know, I know. Hurry up if you don’t want to be!” I run ahead, grabbing Hunter’s arm again and pulling them forward again. We run into the corridor, and almost immediately bump into another student. I fall back, only just missing Hunter, almost starting a Domino effect that could have ended horrifically. Confused, I look around. The corridor was still full of students, bustling between their lockers. I spotted Oscar pushing another student- I didn’t get to see their face- out of the way. Typical Oscar, rude to everyone. “I thought we were late?” Hunter frowned at me. A ping went off in my brain. “Ughhh. It was the first bell! Not the second.” I sighed. The school had two bells- one to signify the end of lunch, and one to start class. Most people were inside by the time the first bell rang anyway. All that rushing around for naught. “Well, come on. Let’s get to class.” Hunter I sat down. Next to Parker. I needed a pencil. I asked Parker. The whispers began. Laura whispered something audibly to her friends- I knew she said it loud enough so I could hear her. “Hey, look over there! Faye’s got a new buddy.” Her friends giggled along with her, stealing a glance at me every three seconds. Did they think I was blind? Ugh. Rolling my eyes, I refocused my attention to the math sheet sitting in front of me. Turning my green plastic chair, I trained my eyes into Laura’s face. It was a pretty one, her face, but there wasn’t much in the attic. Like an abandoned cottage, gorgeous and plant-covered on the outside, dusty and empty on the inside. I waited. And waited.

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Until finally she turned and noticed my death-stare. I blinked at her, she blinked at me. No reaction. Rolling my eyes again, I growled, “Hunter.” I turned back to my sheet. Parker glanced at me and raised his eyebrows. Shaking my head at him, I picked up the borrowed pencil again and noted down a few numbers. I’m useless at math. I was always better at writing. But I’m not good at that either. I’m not really good at anything. In the middle of writing the answer to the next question, an idea popped into my head. Something so radical, so magical, so warm that I threw the thought away as soon as I thought it. But it kept coming back, and back, until I was forced to face it head on. Had I just found my first friend? Parker Picking up my paper, I shuffled over to the teacher’s desk. “I’m finished, Miss Devereaux.” The teacher smiled at me, her pearly teeth glinting. Taking my sheet, she skimmed over it and gave it a big, green check. I hastily took back the sheet. Something about Miss Devereaux made me uneasy. Seely Place was full of teachers like that. The bell rang. End of class, finally. Math was our longest class, and I absolutely despised it, even though I wasn’t too shabby at it, if I may say so myself. I picked up my textbook and laptop- well, forget the laptop. With my fumbling fingers, the computer slipped from my hands, making a troubling *crack* against the floor. Thankfully the floor was covered in soft carpet, so it would probably be fine. Right? Hunter bent over and picked up the laptop, passing it to me. “Thanks.” I mumbled, but they walked straight past me. Was something wrong? I followed them down the corridor. I stood by their locker, knocking on the metal door when Hunter slammed it shut. "Hey. You alright?" They ignored me. "Hunter?" I couldn't think of a reason of why Hunter was so mad at me. Were they mad at me? Were they mad at Laura and her buddies? What was going on? There were so many unanswered questions, I couldn't bear to hold them all. We weren't friends, yet, and we had already had an argument. But when was the argument? I didn't remember having an argument. "Hunter!" "Leave me alone!" That sentence was stained with tears- a croak interrupted the middle of it, and they stopped- and suddenly I understood. Laura had referred to them using "she", and "Faye". Hunter hated that. In the short amount of time that I had known them, I had learned so much about them. Hunter didn't know how to restrain their feelings, they

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were quiet because they were fast to act, and they didn't want to hurt anyone. Was that it? I did as Hunter obliged, and left them alone to join my mates. Hunter Crushing the math sheet into a ball, I punched the wall mentally. I needed to take out my anger on something. Anything. If I didn't soon enough, I would explode. Why did this have to happen? Why did he have to get sick, just now, just when I had moved into a new school, just when I had no friends? Ring. The bell. Finally, some time to vent. I gathered my things, making sure to slam-dunk the balled-up paper into the bin as hard as I could. That one's for you, Doctor It's-a-mystery. You're a doctor, you're supposed to know how to cure people! You should know everything! You can't let my father die in your hands! I was ready to head to the bathroom and fight the tiled walls, but Parker had to show up. What a freak! We had only talked for the first time that same day, and he was trying to be all buddy-buddy with me. "Well, come on,"? Who says that to someone you've just met that day? Parker dropped his laptop. Jeez, you need to get that case of butterfingers checked. I wasn't in the mood to help someone, but I passed the device back to him and went on to my locker. I tried to ignore him. I was afraid- no matter how strong I pretended to be, I would always be afraid and depressed. Nobody could take this illness from me. It was stuck in my head forever and ever, no matter how hard I tried to take it out. This depression was plaguing my mind, and I couldn't do anything about it. And my dad being sick didn't make anything better. Therapy didn't make anything better, going to a psychiatrist didn't do anything. It never would. I heard somebody calling my name in the distance, but I ignored it. Probably just my imagination. I kept walking. My mind wouldn't stop playing tricks on me- as if it wanted me to suffer. It happened again. Clearer this time, and in a familiar voice. I couldn't pinpoint it. The world greyed and greyed until everything was white. A blinding, striking white that was so white it hurt your eyes. And I was stuck in the middle. No door, no exit. No escape. I screamed. Get out. Get out. Leave me alone. I have to leave. I have to get out of here! The person who called my name was silenced. Slowly, the colour of the world resumed. Kids everywhere, staring at me. My things were on the floor. When did that happen? The bright blue lockers glared at me from every side. The white of the floor, stained with mud, blinded me. Red of a student's backpack, green of leaves outside, yellow of a pencil. I closed my eyes, but the colours stayed. I wanted to escape, to leave this world of colours, and sink into darkness. Perhaps then I would find some peace. I picked up my things, feeling around for my pencil case. The pink stripes on it hurt, and I hid it under my jacket to shade my eyes from the brightness. A teacher grabbed my shoulder and pulled me inside her room, feeding me kind words. I didn't respond. I have to escape. Parker

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When I finished packing my bag, I turned around and found that nobody was there waiting for me. Had Nick and Simon left already? They had been there the moment before. Sneaky. I pulled out my keys, shrugged on the backpack and slid down the stairs banister. A couple of familiar voices bounced off the walls and reached my ears. Nick and... Simon. So they HAD left without me. Rude... I was about to run down to meet them, but I thought twice, and hung back. "What do you think of Faye? Or as Parker calls her, 'Hunter'?" That was Nicholas's voice. "She seems pretty nice. She's kinda closed off to the world, though. I tried asking her if she was okay when she yelled out, but she ignored me." There was Simon. "She's super dumb. Close to the worst of the class in math, I've heard. Followed by, uhhh, Olivia, I think." "I've heard she's behind in math, too. But her skills in writing are pretty high up on the charts, I'd say." Simon was trying to defend Hunter. Never saw THAT coming. "Still," Nick scoffed. "She's dumb." "I wouldn't say that," Simon protested. No response. I took the opportunity, and walked down the stairs. "Hi, guys!" I smiled, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for leaving me upstairs!" Simon looked over at Nick. "He wanted to talk to me. In private." "You could've told me. Also, talk about other people who aren't even your friends. Good going, Nick," I scoffed. "I heard everything. Thanks, Simon." "Uh... sure." Simon's cheeks went red. He turned to Nick. "To be fair, Nick, it's pretty rude to be talking behind people's backs," and to me, "I'm sorry we were talking about her like that. I won't do it again, definitely." There was real regret in his voice. "It's okay. Thanks for apologising. Hey, at least you were defending her." I glanced at Nick disapprovingly. He muttered an apology as well. I stepped between them, sliding the banister to the bottom of the stairs. "See you guys tomorrow..." "Tomorrow's Saturday." "Monday, then. Bye." I grabbed my bike from the gates of the school, mounted and rode. Hunter I walked across the bridge, the deep waters beckoning to me. They seemed bottomless. It must be dark down there. An escape from colour. I considered it, just for a second, but I shook my head and kept going. I wouldn't, not just yet. Things could get better from here on out. Look at me, I thought to myself, kicking a pebble out of the way. Just turned 13, depressed, dying dad and considering sui- not yet, I reminded myself. I stopped in my

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tracks, and ran back to grab the pebble. It felt smooth in my palm, like running water. Who knew what this pebble's past was? What it had gotten through? The dark grey of the stone, no colourful interruptions, was soothing. The shade was infinite. It would last forever. The pebble may erode over thousands of years, it may change shape, but would its colour change? No, the pebble would never change colours- that was certain. The pebble would not change colour for anything, anyone. The pebble wasn't afraid to be itself. I almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Being inspired by a pebble? I was tempted to throw it away, but I felt like the stone would keep me going. It seemed to carry a sort of force that attracted me to it. I was sure that it would be important in the future, so I slipped it into my pocket. The pebble was light as a feather, so light I almost forgot it was there. Somehow, I knew it was there to comfort me. A drop of rain fell on my head, flattening a tiny spot of my hair. A small sigh escaped me. As strange as it seemed to do, I sat down on the sidewalk. The basalt pavement was cooling, and the hedge that lined it a shelter. Rain started pattering down all around me. Pit pit pit pit pit, everywhere, all at once. The steady rhythm was calming. I took out the pebble, let it feel the rain. Nature was taking over. Pebbles, rain, what else does one need in life? Everything else is trivial. A buzz woke me up from my trance. I took out my phone- text from Mum. "Where are you? Come home quickly." I raised from the ground, picking up my bag, and took off. Parker Sunday, 10:36 PM. It seemed like it was still Saturday morning. I set down my book- Party Shoes, which I was slowly making progress through- on my bedside table. Time to sleep, I suppose. Off went the lamp. I closed my eyes. Pit pit pit. The rain outside wouldn't let me sleep. I could feel something about this rain. This rain was different from the usual rain. The pattern of it, maybe? The way it danced on my windowsill seemed off. Not weird, not strange, but unusual. I closed my eyes again. A strange noise sounded from downstairs, like a crack. Probably my sister latenight baking or something. The noises happened every so often. They weren't patterned. Nothing about them was regular. I closed my eyes once more. I found my mind wandering. What was Hunter doing? What were my friends doing? What would happen the next day? Eventually, the rain lulled me to sleep. Hunter Sunday, 10:36 PM. I sat at my desk, tapping. Tap tap tap tap, along with the rain. I would stay as long as the rain stayed. I wanted to be friends with the rain, to learn more about the rain. What was it like to be rain? Could a person be a drop of rain? I think, if I was weather, I would be rain. People who can learn to love me will never regret it. I knew where rain came from- I'd learned the water cycle in third grade. That stuff was easy- but I didn't know the rain's past. What lake or ocean had it evaporated from? Which river had it started in? Could you point me to your cloud? Where is your home?

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11:02 PM. I should go to bed. Parker I slowly sat up. Time to get ready for school. I pulled on a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt- Monday mornings are not for fancy dressing- grabbed my school bag from my desk chair. I snatched a bite from my sister's unattended toast, and picked a sandwich from the fridge, meant for late mornings like these. Out the door. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun shone down on me, warming my cold figure. The weather was beautiful. It brightened not only the sky, but my day. Hunter I rose from bed, pulling on a skirt and a cute blouse. I was feeling pretty that day. The bad news had come last night, but I tried to ignore it. I knew my dad had gotten worse, that his condition was critical, but I tried to ignore it. As I stepped outside with my bag, I felt the warm sunshine on my skin, a sweeter alternative to the rain of last night. I brought out my pebble so it could feel the heat of the day. It was important to have many different experiences, even for a pebble. Parker The bell rang. Break time at last. Why did the mornings always pass so slowly? I was careful to not drop my laptop this time as I gathered my things. With my bag full of supplies, I walked over to Hunter. "Your blouse is really pretty." They slapped me. "Shut up." "I'm serious. Dressed to impress." "Jesus, Parker. Stop trying so hard." "I'm trying to compliment you! Just accept it!" "No." "Fine then. Your blouse is really ugly." "Ouch. Harsh." We laughed together. "I don't think I have your phone number." I reminded them. "No, you don't. And I don't plan on giving it to you anytime soon." "Please?" I pleaded, putting on puppy eyes and blinking. Hunter fake-sighed. "Fine, fine. 914..." Hunter Everyone keeps asking me if I like Parker. I don't like him, we're just friends. I know he doesn't like me either, otherwise he would be freaking out near me. He's that kind of guy, I can tell. Even though he complimented my blouse, and asked for my phone number, I know he doesn't like me. That's for sure. That day passed quickly. A mix of math, history and science was all jumbled up in my head as I walked home. I didn't know what to make of the mess. There was so much going on. Too much... the colours started to overtake me. Quickly, I took out the pebble. Focus, focus on the pebble. The shade of the pebble. It is infinite. Just... just

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stare at the pebble... the pebble... I burst out laughing out loud. I hadn't laughed so loudly in so long- it was refreshing. I was quickly interrupted by a phone call. Mum. "Hi, Mum?" "Hunter..." My mother's voice cracked and I heard a sob in the background. That was my aunt's voice. Why was she at home? She hardly ever visited. "What is it, Mum?!" I yelled into the phone. My thoughts started racing. I knew what had happened, but I hoped, I prayed that it hadn't happened. "Hunter, please come home as fast as you can. There's..." She swallowed. "News... I'm sorry, Hunter, for scaring you..." "It's- it's okay, Mum. I'm coming. Stay safe." I kissed into the phone, and cut the call. My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe. I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me. Parker I saw Hunter sprinting down the road. They seemed really worried. I saw that they had left their bag by the bridge, and I considered bringing it home to them, but then I realised I didn't know where they lived. They would probably go and pick it back up later. I remounted my bike and kept cycling, hoping that Hunter was okay. Hunter I slammed open my home's door, to see quite a scene in the kitchen. My mother sobbing, my aunt sobbing with her, and a phone discarded on the floor. Doctor It's-aMystery's familiar phone number was in green across the front. My heart froze. "He died, didn't he?" I slowly mumbled. No response. "Did he die?!" I yelled. I shook my mother's shoulders. "Mum, he died!" She slowly swallowed back her tears. "Y-yes. He's passed on... he-" my mother broke into another bout of tears. Aunt Lucy comforted me and made my mother a cup of hot tea. "Mum..." It couldn't be. He couldn't go this suddenly. I hadn't said goodbye. I hadn't had a chance to see him go. He left, all by himself, Doctor It's-a-Mystery the only person who saw him... die. It seemed unreal. Dad, dead. I would never see him again. Ever. He would never wake me up in the morning again, he would never kiss me again, he would never cook us breakfast again. I was half an orphan. Half an orphan. I ran out of the house, my face stained with tears. I couldn't think of anything. The word dead ran through my head over and over again. If I was gone too, could I see my father again? Nobody would miss me if I disappeared. I could do it... the waters under the bridge would do the trick. I remember the day I found the pebble. That was the same day I told myself, 'Not yet. You can't die. It might get better.' I had lied. To myself. Could it get better from this? It seemed impossible. I reached the bridge, its grey stones reminding me of the pebble. I was ready. I could do this. I would just jump, and then it would all be over. I could escape all the colours and have peace.

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My phone buzzed. I had to pick up. It was Parker. "Hey, Hunter! I saw you running, and I was wondering if you were alright. Is everything okay?" I didn't reply. "Hunter. Hey. Listen to me." I didn't want to listen. And yet, I listened. "It'll get better. Whatever happened, it will get better. And even though I don't know you that well, I can help you make it better." I croaked out an "okay". I could see Parker smiling on the other side of the phone. What was I doing here? On a bridge, about to jump? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. I stepped away from the edge, and almost laughed. I took out the pebble. Its shade was infinite. It had gotten through hardships. So why couldn't I? If a pebble can survive hardships, a human can survive them too. I stared hard at the pebble. It seemed to stare back at me. I heard one word- rain. The song the rain played on my windowsill at night came back to me. A violin sound paired with something so beautiful, it couldn't be explained. A symphony, all for me. I would survive. I would make it through. "Hunter, where are you?" I expected my voice to be croaky, but it came as clear as day. "I'm at the bridge, near school." "Coming." I sat by the bridge, staring into the water. I saw the bottom of the water this time, and the small fish swimming through it. There was life even in the scariest things. Yes, everything can kill. But everything can also bring life. The water can drown, but it can bring up the fish. The fire can burn, but it can also cook for children. The sadness can ruin lives, but it can make you jump up higher. There is life in everything. My dad may be dead, but I can still love who he used to be. Parker popped around the corner, panting. "Why are you here? Your bag?" He pointed to my school bag, left discarded on the banks. I considered telling him. But that would ruin the cheery mood. "Yeah. My bag." I looked over at Parker. How did he understand me so well, after only a few days of knowing me? What a strange boy. I laughed as the rain pattered on our heads. Parker After that day, school was a blur. Math, English, History, lunch with friends, Science, Geography. It all passed so fast, like a blink of the eye. The day was finished, all of a sudden, and then I went home and slept, back to school, home and slept. The cycle continued. Though what I didn't notice is that throughout, my bond with Hunter strengthened and strengthened. We were two birds of a feather, more alike than I had ever imagined us to be. My friends teased me about liking them. I really didn't. Why did middle school have to be so complicated? Sometimes I just wanted to sit in the rain and 334

cry. But hey, my life could be a lot worse. Months passed. I grew, Hunter grew, we grew together. My friends grew apart. There were fights, there was drama. But Hunter and I sat in our little bubble of friendship, and allowed all that drama to pass by us. We surfed the waves of middle school together. At least, I like to think so. Hunter I like to think so too.

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Ignis et Glacies by Jacob Gangnim Kim Continuation of “Destination:Kepler”: https://issuu.com/claireolivier/docs/fire_and_ice_ks3_final/1 “Neva.” The word itself felt alien as it forced its way to his mouth and crawled out, leaving a distasteful taste in his mouth. Neva. It didn’t mean anything to him. He didn’t recognize the word. It didn’t trigger any memories that might have belonged to him He didn’t want it to be spoken. Yet he had blurted out that word. And to a complete stranger, as well. What was going on? “O….kay? Why are you here?” And then it all happened. It was a headache, but it wasn’t similar to the usual. Compared to this, the headaches before was merely a zephyr. This time, a torrent of memories that he shouldn’t own, something that doesn’t belong to him, tore through head, howling like a gale in the night. It ripped his scalp, making it feel like it was burnt, and he fell to his knees from the pain of everything. A vortex of voices rushed past his ears, voices of people whom he did not recognize. A flurry of images, of locations he had never been to. “Are you okay? What’s happening?” “GO AWAY!” He sprinted away, as fast as he can, hoping that it will get rid of the pain. Even so… it continued. Barely paying attention to what was ahead, he tried to run faster. The branches from nearby bushes and trees scratched him, leaving small cuts, but he didn’t care. As long as the pain went away...

Eventually, he grew ran out of breath. His lungs felt as if they was one fire - every breath hurt his chest. Leaning against a tree, he looked back. The girl was out of sight. The last few days had been a chaotic hell for him. Headaches spiked in and out on a daily basis, worsening every time. It lasted for more than half an hour if he was unlucky. And who was that girl?

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|| Passenger 580 - 2. “What?” Silence. So it decides not to speak after blurting one piece of information. He put his weight back to his feet, slowly, and started to walk. A slight ache in this right calf prevented him from walking smoothly. The once dense cover of the trees was gradually starting to show more holes in between them he was close to leaving the forest. Further ahead, only a few trees remained. The edge of the forest was on top of a hill. He looked down the hill scanning the area. And then there was a peculiar structure. It was nearly concealed by the nearby plants growing over the structure, but he had noticed it. Its paint was crumbling off, its lights were off. The entire building looked as if it was abandoned for centuries. Perhaps it was. And the building displayed an emblem at its front. It was his first time seeing it, but he knew exactly what it was, and what it meant. A sharp, irregular shape, with 2 triangles, and the letter “R”. The emblem of the Renato. He slowly started to trudge towards the building. Just one step at a time….

“Run!” The constant, deafening noise of the explosions filled the air, and the shrill noise of the aircraft above them, and the noise of the gunshots, and nearby booms of the artillery and the shouts of the soldiers and the“Run!” “Wha-” “Just run!” I was being dragged by my hand. “What’s going on?” It was the middle of the night, yet it was bright as if it was in the middle of the day - the explosions illuminated the night sky. Holy… Colossal war machines engineered for death stomped around me, delivering demise and termination of life in every shot, their sleek bodies stained, bringing destruction to anything nearby.

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“MOM!” Dust stung my eyes and my ears rung from the explosions. I saw people running all over, growing even more frantic with each new gunshot. A fleet of Aethons flew overhead They bombarded the city with even more flames as they screamed by. Legions of soldiers with armor that made them look like robots trooped in unison, each marching to their graves. They did not care if someone was in front of them, they simply pushed them out of the way, often kicking them. And here I was, in the middle of it. This can’t be real…… “What are you doing! If you don’t run, you’ll die!” As if to prove her point, and explosion threw debris around us. We scrambled across the city ruins, trying to get out of the warzone. I looked behind, trying to see what was happening there. Chaos. All the places I was familiar with… All the places that I had a connection with… It was now all rubble and dust. I froze. Again, my mom urged me to run. But I didn’t hear it - only as a slight whisper in the wind. The wind stung my skin where it was cut. I was expressionless - the destruction of my home city had paralyzed me. And the warfare continued around me. This time, my mom carried me and tried to navigate the rough terrain of cement and broken glass. And then it hit us. The explosion knocked us both down, flinging us as if we were nothing more than insects. We were thrown against the ground. Wha….? A high pitched noise filled my ears, and my sight was blurred. My legs gave away when I tried to stand. A trickle of blood ran down my forehead, coming down to my eyes. Ow… There was something next to me, but my spinning mind and hazy senses wasn’t able to make what it was. Did I land in a puddle?

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“J…...G…..Run…….If……….Survive….” Mom...? “MOM!” My mind tried to understand what she was saying. But it slowly… slowly faded… into darkness…..... ___ Light. It’s the first thing afterwards. Painful, glaring light that blinds your eyes. Strapped to the hard, cold metal table, there was an IV running into my arm. What the… It’s a grey room, no decorations or anything on the walls. Only lights on the ceiling. Operating tools of all sorts lay on the table next to me, and vials of blood. I felt weak and dizzy, as if all the power inside my body was leeched out of me. I blinked and tried to remember what happened. I was coming back from school. I walked into the house andExplosions. Rubble.

Blood. Everything gone within seconds. I stayed still, trying to let everything sink in. Everything that belonged to me, everything I needed, everything I loved was gone. Mom.

This is my first memory.

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