Vacation Clementine By: Chloe Garcia- Beginners Class
Today was not so good. In fact, all weekend was not so good. It all started with breakfast. I had clear parts in my eggs! CLEAR parts! They are so slimy and gross! "No, and NO!" I screamed at my shocked mother. "Clementine!" she said annoyed, "do not shout at me. I'm right here!" "Okay, fine" I said back. But it wasn't. After breakfast I charged up into my room to look for things to draw with. I looked on my bed, but they weren't there. It was still messy from when I had left it. I looked at my cat Chester who was still sprawled out on my bed. "Mom, where are my pencils and note papers? I asked. "I don't know honey. Where did you last see them?" She called back. "Lost something, huh Sport?" My dad walked into the bedroom and said, "well if you did..." he continued as if I wasn't there, which is extremely rude, "you better check the black hole" he finished, nodding to the underneath of my bed. You would think my dad would be nice to me even if I shove things under my bed. I gave him the that's not funny look. I do not think fathers should get funny jokes from comedians on TV. But I found what I was looking for and ran to the front door. But my mom stopped me from going outside. "No, no, and NO!" she said. Why not? I asked. “Because we are going on vacation!” she said, making it sound like it was exiting news, which it was n-o-t, NOT. Okay, fine. It wasn’t boring either. “You are going upstairs to pack” she said. “Okay, fine.” I said. So, instead of drawing, which I love, I had to pack and fold clothes, which I hate. After that my mom, my brother, and I got into the car. “Where are we going?” I asked. 1
“Oh, we’re just going to New York City” she said, pausing for a minute. “But just for the rest of the weekend and we’ll come back Tuesday” she finished. Later I learned we were just seeing the sights. “Oh” I said, “right, fine.” But I would miss my cat. I knew I would miss him because I would not be able to stroke his very soft fur and he would not curl up next to me for bed. “We’re here!” my dad said. “Yay, New Borky City!” my brother yelled as we all got out of the car. “Yes, that’s right, except its New York City, not whatever you said” Mom said, almost teacher like. “Mom” I said, but my extremely rude Dad cut me off… “Never mind, Sport, look!” You will not believe what it was… the biggest city I had ever, I mean EVER seen! As soon as we booked a room in a hotel, we went sightseeing. We saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There we saw so many things. I’m n-o-t, NOT saying they were interesting. Okay, fine. Some things were. “All right you little ones, we’re going to Ellis Island!” my mom announced. “Okay” I replied. So, after that, we drove to the dock to go to Ellis Island. When we got to our destination, we hopped off the boat and ran inside. It was small than our apartment, but still looked cool. First, we went to the gift shop and my little brother, Hunter, picked out a toy. I picked some candy for myself. My mom and dad came in and then they paid for the stuff. After that, we all went to see the exhibits. It was SUPER boring, because all we really saw were suitcases and pieces of not-important stuff. Then we went back to the hotel.
The End.
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Hierarchy By: Grace Blundin- Advanced Class
Jacob
I open the door, the brisk air flooding in and making my eyes water. I close the door quickly behind me to keep in the heat, now that it’s getting cold. The sun hasn’t risen yet, only peeking over the edges of distant pines. I compulsively run my fingers through my hair. It’s getting long again, I usually have it short, but it’s been a while since it’s been cut. It’s graying at the ends again, I notice. Most people I know don’t have them until their early twenties. That’s when the stress really sets in, but I guess I’ve been working too hard recently. I tell myself I’ll make time to cut it and set off. The road to work is an unreliable one, but I know it well. It sits right by the path from my house and leads into the forest that surrounds our small town. The grass is flattened with the dirt pressed down after years of use, and the occasional tree trunk snakes over. I move lumber in the forests from dawn to hours after dusk. The pay is not good, but you take any job you can get when you’ve got people depending on you. Very few jobs are outside the matter of lumber in a country practically filled to the brim with trees, but those with special talents are lucky enough to make a living through sewing. I walk a good three steps down the dirt path before I feel a drop of rain land on my nose. And then another. I just groan and keep going. It rains nearly every day, even in the summer months. Not a lucky thing that I hate rain. The work is grueling here in Trueden, but it could certainly be worse. The surrounding countries, though no one still alive has seen them, are wastelands. Despite our starving people and ravaging diseases, we flourish compared to them. By the end of the day I’m so tired I could fall asleep as soon as I open the door to the old house. The sun has long since set, so I’m surprised to see that Lilith is up, along with George. Lilith has been my friend since the day I was old enough to play outside. She watches my brothers while I work, prepares our meals, and spends most of her time with us. We’d be nothing without her.
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Sewing is Lilith’s work, so she has more than enough free time. She makes more in a day than I do in three weeks, but I have a hard time accepting any money from her. She’s always happy to provide, but I only do it when it helps George and Will out. Even this late, Lilith sits in a chair and sews away, in her own little world. Hearing the door slam shut, she smiles up at me. “I put George to bed,” She says, looking back down at her work. Will is watching me from the chair. “I figured now that he’s turned twelve, he can afford to stay up a little longer.” Lilith nudges Will, grinning at. him. “Happy Birthday, by the way.” I offer Will a smile even though I’m barely awake enough to function. “Sorry I didn’t have time to see you this morning.” Lilith gives me what’s left of dinner from tonight: bread, and an apple from our garden. Giving a quick goodnight to Lilith and Will, I go to bed, expecting tomorrow to be exactly the same as every day.
Lilith Jacob shakes me awake, saying something I’m too tired to hear. “God, give me a second to wake up,” I say, swatting him away. He yanks me up into a sitting position. “Lilith, this important. Do you remember three years ago when word spread around that the King was going on a tour through every town in Trueden?” “Um, yea. I think so.” I rub my eyes and look out the window. The sun is barely rising over the pines. “It’s really early.” “Well, he’s here.” A makeshift auditorium has been hastily built in the middle of the town square. The little carts of food and markets are gone to make room for the structure. Hundreds of little metal chairs are set up in front of it, many of them already taken. From every direction, people flow in. “I’m not sure why you’re so stressed about this,” I tell Jacob as he, his siblings, and I sit down.
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He stares at his hands.“I don’t know, It’s just… I’ve never actually seen the King beforeand you haven’t either- so it feels kind of big.” I don’t have the heart to tell him that the King does not care about him. My parents used to tell me stories of the King from when they were young. When they were my age and he stood on this stage before them and told them the exact same thing he is going to tell us now. That we are lucky and should be thankful for the life we have. Jacob always tells me that the Trueden crown is doing the best they can to provide for millions, but I find it hard to believe when they walk on stage. The government officials walk onto the stage, wearing vibrant and expensive fabrics and flashing white smiles. I can feel my cheeks flushing when I realize the stark contrast between the royalty and their people. I should be angry that only they get to enjoy a clean and rich lifestyle. After all, it is their fault that their own people are dirty and starving. But with them here in person, I just feel ashamed. One of the officials steps forward. Jacob hangs onto every word he says. I’m not really paying attention, though. I want to know what the King has to say. A few other officials talk about some lumber they sent to the poor and barren continents surrounding Trueden. They’re obviously trying to make themselves sound good. I realize quickly, though, that it is the only thing they talk about. Constantly they bring up those poor places. They never provide any names. They just keep talking about how poor they are and good we have it here. It’s weird. Finally, one of them introduces the King. The first thing that I notice is that he has a very punchable face. His smile is full of pride and pity at the same time. He doesn’t even take the time to greet us before he jumps into the speech. “We live in a beautiful country. One that has more than enough food to go around for everybody, and an abundance of jobs. We really do have it good.” I groan inwardly. Is this really what he came to talk about? At this point he’s just repeating the official’s words. “I don’t mean to brag, but... I think that I- I think that we- have done a great job ruling a country this big. We flourish more than any other place on the planet. Let the rest of this world be an example of poor leadership and irresponsibility. It is their own fault they have no resources.” 5
That was when I realized something was wrong. My mind was working too fast to listen to the rest of the King’s speech. It didn’t matter anymore, I had everything I needed. “How long do you have before you need to leave for work again?” I ask Jacob as we walk back to his house together, down the long and stony path. “I have tomorrow off.” “Ok,” I take a deep breath. “This is going to make me sounds insane- like, really insane.” Jacob just looks at me. His face is unreadable. “Ok.” “Have you ever wondered where all this lumber goes? Surely not to other places in Trueden We’ve got more than enough. In fact, lumber is all we have.” Jacob looks concerned now. His brothers had already run ahead of us and were in the house by now. “Have you ever wondered where the objects in our house come from? Where you get the metal on your bed-frame or the glass on your windows? What if there’s a trade deal going on?” “What, between us and the other countries? They’re wastelands. They have nothing to offer,” Jacob says, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself rather than me. We had reached his house. I sigh, stopping where I stand while Jacob continues to walk up the steps.“Why must you believe everything you are told?”
Jacob I spend the rest of the night trying to deny what Lilith had said to me, but it eats away at my head. Where does all the lumber we produce go? Wherever it is, it’s certainly not here. For a second, I convince myself that maybe it’s some kind of charity, but then I realize the King would have most certainly mentioned it, and he did no such thing. Then there’s the things that aren’t made of wood. I know for a fact that lumber is the only natural resource Trueden boasts. Reluctantly I stare at the glass window in my room. I don’t know where glass comes from, but it’s not here. There has to be something going on. I’m going to have to accept that. And I’m going to find out what it is.
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Lilith Yesterday I had spent the rest of the King’s speech thinking about a way to prove the fact that Trueden was being lied to. A few fleeting ideas crossed my mind, but none of them seemed logical. Finally, I decided on one. Now it’s the next day and all I can think about it is how I can possible convince Jacob to join me. I’m not doing this without him. I was now sitting on my desk, a pin in my mouth, fabric and a needle in my hands. I always sew better when I’m thinking. That was when the door to my house flew open and Jacob stood at the threshold. “Oh, hi. I’ve been meaning to talk to you-” “I’m in.” I’m immediately taken aback. “Um...in?” “You haven’t talked to me all day,” He says, though there isn’t a hint of betrayal in his voice, only interest. “You must be planning something. And I’m in.” “Why the change of heart?” Jacob walked over to my desk, shrugging. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I don’t want to believe a lie anymore. Even if it makes me feel better.” He fidgets with his fingers. I tell him about my plan. We live near the coast, though a fence keeps anyone from getting within miles of the shore. None of us even know what it looks like. I figure that if we find a way to get past it, there must be some ships coming in and out, if what we thought was correct. He takes my hand, something that surprises me. “I’ll go with you on those ships, Lilith. And we’ll find what’s out there. But just- just promise me we’ll come back for George and Will. Please.” “Of course. I promise.”
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The Secret By: Ainsley Chadwick- Advanced Class
I slam my locker door shut and start walking down the 'sacred’ halls of Oakridge Middle school, with our cracked ceilings and rat-infested lockers you can just feel the greatness that is our school. I walk into my math class and miraculously get there just on time. I look to my sister's desk but for some odd reason she's not there. Mr. Powell our math teacher walks in the room and begins the next lesson. Mr. Powell is the stereotypical teacher you see in most middle school movies. He's strict, hardly anybody likes him, he smells like tires, and he just gives this off-putting aura to everyone around him. “Mr. Hunter!” I look up and see Mr. Powell staring right at me. He clears his throat “What is the definition of a unit rate?” I stare at him not knowing what to say, I wasn't paying attention, but why would I, nobody cares about unit rates! I can see him starting to get impatient but thankfully as if right on cue, my sister Sarah bursts into the classroom. “Sorry Mr. Powell I lost track of time!” She says. He looks at her and smiles, she's his favorite by a long shot although I'm not entirely sure why. “Perfectly fine Ms. Hunter, just don't do it again.” Sarah sits down at the desk next to me looking relieved. Mr. Powell hands out a worksheet and everybody starts working, maybe I should start paying attention because I have no idea what we’re doing. I look to Sarah to see if she might know what to do, but she’s smiling at something in her hands, she passes it to a girl behind her and the girl covers her mouth with her hand. I guess Sarah’s busy. I stare at the paper in complete confusion. Finally, after what feels like years, class is finally over, and we move on to my favorite class, gym. I'm the fastest one in the 7th grade and this week we're running the mile. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see my friend Will looking anxious
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“Hey Eli, have you seen the history project anywhere?” “No, did you seriously lose it? That's 20% of the grade!” I say annoyed “Yeah, I know, it's fine though I'm doing well in the class.” he shrugs “It's a group project, that you took home, that we both are getting graded on. I'm barely holding a C in that class!” “Okay just calm down I'll find it. Trust me”. I shake my head watching him leave the gym he does know that he's skipping class, right? I wonder, Mrs. Lee calls the class over and reminds us that after today we're starting our basketball unit which makes a few people around me groan, I don't really care that much about basketball, footballs way better. She takes us outside to the track and points to where people should start. “Walkers in the back, joggers in the middle, runners in the front, if you're walking try and at least speed walk, remember that this is a big grade”. I make my way up to the front and notice Sarah laughing with the girl she was passing notes with earlier. The girl waves at her and walks to the front. I shake my head and I face the track and breathe in the crisp, fall air. “3…. 2…. 1… Go!” She says starting the timer. I run, faster than everybody else and feel the wind hit my face, I could go faster but the wind is really holding me back. I keep running against the wind until I quickly finish the mile and wait for everybody else to finish, Sarah is close to last, and she finishes right before class is over. After school I find that Sarah isn't home which is very weird, I usually get home an hour or so after her because I go to Will's to do homework and she usually comes home immediately. I open the fridge and see nothing to eat, there’s a cucumber and enough milk for cereal tomorrow. I sigh and go into the living room and sit on our old, leather, couch; the leather is starting to rip up and there’s some weird, soft, beige, stuff underneath. I watch Friends on Netflix for a while when I hear the door slam open. 9
“Eli, Sarah, I brought Chinese!” Mom puts the food on the table and gives me a hug “how was your day sweetie?” “Good” I reply, going to the table. “Sarah, dinner’s ready!” Mom yells upstairs. “Eli she’s just like your father, it takes her 10 minutes to leave a room” She chuckles. “Mom, Sarah isn’t home” I say, stuffing my face with noodles. “What?” Mom says looking at me. “She wasn’t home when I got here.” I say looking down. “Well, where is she?” “I don’t know!” Mom goes into the kitchen and starts dialing Sarah’s number, she doesn’t answer. “Eli if you know where she is you better tell me right now, I swear to god!” Suddenly, as if she knew what Mom was saying, Sarah bursts in the house through the front door. “Sorry I was reading and lost track of time” She says breathing heavily. “Sarah, that’s a terrible excuse” Mom scolds. “It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth!” “Sure...” I roll my eyes and continue to eat. We eat our dinner in silence and once Sarah finishes, she goes up to her room. “May I be excused?” I ask. “Yes, you may” Mom says under her breath in a weird voice. After dinner, I go to Sarah's room. I lean against her door and go in without permission. She looks up from her book.
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“You can't just barge into my room” she says pointedly. “You've been doing that all day” I say, smiling. “Fair.” I go over to her desk and sit in the chair, looking at an old photo, it's of us at our 6th birthday party, it was at a laser tag place that was space themed. Sarah's laughing and I'm stuffing my face with cake, things were nicer then. “So where were you, you scared Mom” I sigh. “Somewhere” she says looking at her book. “Were you with Mr. Powell?” “What? No! What does that even mean?” she looks genuinely disgusted. “Jeez, I was just wondering- calm down.” “Sorry” she says. “Well were you with that girl?” I ask. “Who?” “That girl who you were passing notes with earlier” I said. “Oh, she's nobody” Sarah says trailing off “Where do you know her from?” I question, but she doesn't listen. I snap my fingers in her face “how do you know her?” “We're in class together” she says. “Yeah I figured” I say smirking “Okay, Eli just get out of my room.” Sarah says annoyed. I nod and go into my room, I go on the computer and play some COD for a while.
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I wake up to Sarah smacking my shoulder. “Ow! Sarah! What the heck?!” I yell, grabbing my shoulder. “Shh! Come with me!” She whispers, I get up confused and trip over my sneakers getting out of bed. “Slow down Sarah!” I say getting up. “Either start cleaning your room or stop being such a baby!” She grabs my hand and starts running, she pulls me downstairs and doesn’t say anything until we reach the front door “Okay, you cannot tell Mom about this, okay?” She says seriously. “Okay, got it.” I say, waiting for her response. Instead, she opens the door and pulls me out with her. We’re running through the neighborhood, running through streets, our neighbors’ yard, we only stop when we reach a McDonald's by the highway “Sarah what are you doing?” I ask, barely breathing. “So, remember Olivia Nelson from last night?” She asks. “Yeah, but what does she have to do with this?” “Promise you won't get mad.” She looks really nervous, but I really don't understand why. “Go on” I say, making a moving motion with my hands “it's freezing out here why did you take me here?” “Do I really have to tell you? Can't you just use your twin powers or something?” “Okay, first of all, twin powers, really? Second, just tell me, you can trust me.” She looks down at her feet. “If I don't look at you I can tell you” she chortles. “You're such a procrastinator, just tell me!” I say, making her look at me. “Alright!” She pushes me away “alright… my entire life I've been thinking about this exact moment and it's not going how I pictured it, just give me a moment.” Sarah turns away from me. After a few minutes she turns back to me “have you ever had a secret?” she asks.
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“Yeah…” I say, giving her a weird look. “Well, have you known you could never ever tell or everyone including your parents would never speak to you again?” “N-” I start to speak but she cuts me off. “And did you ever try to push that secret away and pretend that it never existed, but no matter how hard you try it's always fought its way back?” she starts to tear up. “Have you ever just wanted to scream that secret at the top of your lungs and let the whole world know your secret, but you just can't?” The tears start coming out and I don't know what to say, so I stay silent. “Well Eli? Have you?” She chokes out. “No Sarah, No I haven't.” I look down and kick the gravel from under my feet. “Eli…” Sarah says quietly, “I'm gay.” I look up immediately “What?!” “You said you wouldn't be mad!” Sarah says, raising her voice. “I'm not! It's just unexpected!” I say putting my hands up in case she shoves me or something. “Okay…” she says, she gives me a hug “thank you for not murdering me or anything.” “No problem,” I say and we hug for a little and I pull back. “You have to tell Mom, y'know that right?” “Yeah, but let's not tell her until tomorrow.” She smiles, and we start to walk back. “So, Olivia's your girlfriend?” I ask. “Yup” she says, even though it's dark I can still see her blushing. “Well, Mom and Dad are going to kill you for even considering dating at our age” I laugh. “I know, I know” she laughs with me, the sun starts to rise when we get back home when I have one last question. 13
“Wait, Sarah!” I grab her shoulder. “Yeah?” She turns back. “Why did you drag me that far?” I question. “Just for dramatic effect, y'know.” “Makes sense” I laugh and open the door to the house. “No more dramatic entrance” I smile. “No more dramatic effect” she says, returning my smile as we walk back into the house.
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