The Lock on My Memories: Stories by 5C

“The Lock on My Memories.” a Collection of Stories by 5C published by Dreamer Books an imprint of Catapult Press

dreamer books is an imprint of Catapult Press and it publishes short stories for kids and teens. All our stories all include a daydream. dreamer books was founded in 2018 by 5C.

DREAMER BOOKS MASTHEAD editors

KB Chambliss Quinn Parvin Reed Fox Chase Gray Nethan Liyanage Oliver Scott

illustrators Hunter Winn Davis Steadman Thomas Newman Aditya Thapa Kassidy Sanders Carson Miller

publicists Carolyn Bohan Emily Salib Kirtley Taylor Leah Carn Mollie Decker

cover designers Chloe Levy Emma Uncapher Vera Hartz Ellyse Witt

Framed a story by KB Champbliss

Prologue It all started here. In the prison. If my own sister hadn’t betrayed and framed me, I wouldn’t be here. I’m at the Pelican Rock Prison with 2 guards, a dog, and a 21 year old guy named Horowitz. Anthony Horowitz. Apparently a famous writer charged with 3rd degree murder. He always asks me why is he here? I always ask myself the same question. I thought I was dreaming, But I wasn’t.

Chapter 1 Now it’s time to go to work. Of course, my job isn’t what you millenials would ever expect. When you go to prison, if you have an evil sister that frames you, most likely you’ll be in the same situation as me. Making license plates for the fortunate people who aren’t framed for murder. My nickname around here was Escobar 97. Lunch was a doozy. The cafeteria was crumbling down just like the rest of this old dump. It’ll be easy to break out. Once I get some files on these creeps, I’m out of here.

Chapter 2 It’s been 4 years. I’m still here alone in my cell doing the same thing I’ve been doing for the past 4 years. Wake up, go to recreation, work, eat and go back in my cell. It would drive a dead woman crazy. But then all of a sudden I get paid

in gum. GUM. WHAT IN THE WORLD. What kind of world are we living in where the people in jail get paid in GUM. Anyway, while I’m fussing about this gum, this particular food could get me out of here. This girl named Phoenix has the files. She wants 47 strips of gum for it. Fortunately for her, I have 50. I can live off of the other 3. I got the files, now it’s time to bust out.

Chapter 3 Luckily for me this dump is rickety. I’d rather die than be in this building right here. So tonight is my night. This will be me avenging myself. Doing what I know in my heart is good for me. And my health. Everyone thinks i’m a criminal. But this night, January 24th, 2032, my 23rd birthday, is the night I will avenge myself. I will show everyone who I really am. I don’t care what you think of me. It’s time for the truth.

To be continued...

Framed 2 a story by KB Champbliss

Chapter 1 Guess who’s back? And out of prison? That’s right, your girl Escobar 97 is back.

And better than ever. Now the world can see me for who I really am. Objective 1: Attack sister and bring her to Pelican Rock. Objective 2: Prove to the world I’m not who they think I am. Objective 3: Go home and listen to Kendrick Lamar and wait. Let’s complete these objectives and scratch these off my bucket list.

Chapter 2 Now the first one should be easy, I know where she lives. The hard part is capturing her without killing her. Okay. I’m gonna wait until 11:15 to get her.

Waiting. Still waiting. Still waiting. It’s 10:45 and I’m bumping my song in the Mercedes-Benz. The song is called DNA, which I really care for right now.

Now I’m waiting. For the armageddon. Which is taking forever. Okay, finally.

It’s 11:15. I used this particular time because this is the time that she usually goes to bed. The second I hear the alarm tick and remind me that it’s 11:15, the lights in her house go out. It’s time to start and then finish the job.

Chapter 3 I’m walking up the stairs to her bedroom. I can deliberately hear her watching a movie. Now since she installed an Alexa, cause I stalked her from prison, I can control the movie. I told Alexa to stop the movie. My sister was so confused. Then all you could hear was the door creaking. She crawled out of her bedroom. Perfect little dummy. Anyone could capture her easier than a baby.

And, of course, I needed a plastic bag. But I couldn’t. The police would kill me.

Then who could I avenge?

Chapter 4 Okay, now is the perfect time. It’s 12:47 and no signs of her being awake. Her name’s Christina by the way. My real name will not be revealed to you. Why? Classified information. Now is the time. I will show her who’s really boss. Grab the bag, put her head in it, and drag her to the car. Checking her pulse every 5 seconds, I had to stop, so I had a more likely chance of being caught. Every car sound I heard, I flipped out. I thought the police would catch me any second.

They are my main enemy. Without them, EVERY CRIMINAL THAT HAS COMMITTED A CRIME IN THEIR LIFE would be roaming the streets. It would be the purge, just a longer eternity version.

Chapter 5 Okay, now she’s finally in the car. I’m driving her to the police station with a bag on her head. If she starts to stir up, grab her by the neck. She goes right back out. Now that I have finally gotten to the police station, I wore a hood so they couldn’t identify me. As soon as I walked in, they scanned me. I told them my sister was in the car and needed help. They went out after scanning me.

Geez, what is their problem? After they went out to my sister, they came back for me. Quick. One put a gun to my head. Because of my race, I made no sudden moves. I told them that she was Christina Robie Varner. The real criminal.

They didn’t believe me at first. They took fingerprints from me, my sister, and the murder weapon. After 6 weeks, they got the results. And well, they took her to Pelican Rock Prison. Yay. Objectives 1 and 2 completed. Now it’s time for three.

Chapter 6 I complete the third objective at around 8:37 in the morning. I have my stereo bumping my favorite song. X. No one knows where I stand, or where I come from. No one understands me. But here’s my inspiration. “Sometimes you need to just distance yourself from people… If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.” -Kendrick Lamar.

Quick P.S., my name is Nebula. Nebula Kilmonger. I bet you’re wondering how me and Varner are related. You’ll have to wait and see.

Goodbye.

Nebula Kilmonger

Fiery Arrows a story by Oliver Scott

Prologue James It is my fifth day in the cage, I can’t believe I haven’t had any food in five days.

I think somebody is coming for me but it seems unlikely. I can’t stop daydreaming about food. Oh, glorious food the Turducken, Salmon, and the Tilapia. My name is James the 12 year old mastermind.

Chapter 1 15 years earlier Chris “Where’s the money?” He said “I’m sorry I don’t know”. Slash, the knife was pointed at his leg, red blood squirted everywhere. Chris started to run but when he did his leg screamed in pain. He only had enough strength get to the car and drive into the desolate jungle. After a few miles I drove into a tree.

Chapter 2 Xavier Current Time “I need more time.” Xavier said. “No” The terminator said in his mechanic

voice. “I’m done with your experiments.” “I’m fine without your help”. Smash, a glass beaker broke an inch next to my head. I pulled out my weapon only to see Jason running through the halls with two beakers smashing them against the wall. He stopped abruptly when he saw me. He started crying. This is the weapon that killed his parents.

To Be Continued ...

Fiery Arrows 2 a story by Oliver Scott

Chapter 1 James Pop--the lock finally gave and it fell to the ground. I screamed but actually it sounded like a dying horse. I started to run around with joy but in a few minutes a fell down into a lifeless heap after a few minutes of resting I got up and heard a whirring noise and saw a helicopter.

Chapter 2 James “Help!� I yelled at the helicopter. I popped my flare that I found in my cage and red smoke poured out of it. I saw the helicopter land a few kilometers away. I started to run towards it but it was just dropping off a red crate. I yelled at it to come back but all it did was fly off into the horizon. After a few minutes I looked into the crate and saw a bearded man.

Chapter 3 Chris 1 week earlier I ran against the wind, I could hear the dogs barking. It sounded like dobermans, but I couldn’t be sure. I ran as fast I could but they just seemed to get faster. I saw the tips of their guns I raised my bow but I dropped the arrow in my hand. “Swoosh.” A net fell all around me and a jolt of electricity poured through my body. I fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 4 Xavier “It’s ok, Jason.” “Everything’s all right.” “Do you want me to read you a bedtime story I could get Goodnight Monkey or Where the Wild Things Are”.

“That’s a good book right?” “No” He said. “I hate those books and you know that.” “ I hate you and all your experiments they’re all so dumb and I hope you know that.” “Slam” the door smashed right in my face I could hear the thump when he sat down on his old bed. I slunked back o my room and worked on my experiments. I wanted for Jason to like me but it seemed impossible.

T0 Be Continued ...

The Orphans a story by Carolyn Bohan

Chapter One This story starts out when Charles becomes an orphan after his parents go missing. He met friends at the orphanage: Liza,John, Emma and Andrew. The owner of the orphanage is Ms.Miller--the most awful person ever, and I mean AWFUL! She will make you sleep outside if you don’t make the floor shine and if you touch her so called cabinet of “water” you don’t get food for a week!

Chapter two One day we had enough; we escaped. We were running as fast as we could until we saw Ms.Miller on her daily walk. She looked at us and started coming closer it felt like I couldn’t move. Then she grabbed us and through us inside a room and locked us in.

Chapter Three “One month later” It has been a month since we had food we could eat; all she gives us is bread and water! In The past month Emma passed out and is in the hospital sometimes we sneak out to go see her but then……

To Be Continued………

Chasen Takes Over a story by Chase Gray

One day at Norfolk Academy, I thought it would be a normal day, but I was wrong. I went to science class with my class and sat down in a chair. I was new to the school so I didn’t know the teachers and the teachers didn’t know me so the science teacher (Mr.Carroll) asked me “what is your name?”and I replied “Chase”.He wrote down “Jason” on a note card because he mistaked my name for Jason, so then when I said “Chase” again he wrote down Chasen on the note card this time but then, something happened…………..something I have never seen before………...something I thought was impossible………..a person appeared!

The person looked like me but he had a circus hat on.”Hello Norfolk Academy,I am Chasen Gray, but you can just call me Chasen, and I AM GOING TO TAKE OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” He said proudly. Everyone was confused, scared, and ran out the room. Chasen Gray stayed in the science room and called someone on his iPhone 1,000,000. ”Hey Deer” Chasen said. ”Yes” Deer responded. ”So,I am finally out of that weird place called Chaseland with all of the other Chases there, and now I’m in a weird science room in a school called Norfolk Academy,do you want to finally take over the world?” Chasen asked Deer. ”No, I totally don’t want to,” Deer replied sarcastically.

”Really?”Chasen asked.”No Chasen of course I want to take over the world with you Chasen, send over the portal, oh wait I forgot I am at Norfolk Academy, I’m heading over to the science room” Deer replied. ”OH MY GOODNESS CHASE, SPEAK MORE CLEARLY! IF YOU WOULD HAVE THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!’’ Nethan yelled on the top of his lungs. ”Nethan,do you see the things that Mr.Carroll is doing? He tried to do Orange Justice and he looked like he was having a seizure, and you don’t think he couldn’t have mistaken my name?” Chase replied to Nethan yelling at the top of his lungs. ”Well, you’re right,I guess,” Nethan replied to Chase’s comment.Out of nowhere, Reed came running down the hallway. ”GUYS!!!!!!!,THERE ARE TWO WEIRDOS THAT LOOK LIKE GOD IN THE SCIENCE ROOM!!!!!” Reed yells when he starts running towards Nethan and Chase. ”REED I’M IN YOUR CLASS,ARE YOU OK,DO YOU NEED 911?” Nethan and Chase yelled at the same time.

Out of nowhere, a voice yelled, “yes I do,what’s the number?” Nethan, Reed, and I noticed that Stan was getting lit up by Deer and he was on fire. I ran to the nearest fire hydrant,got it,and as soon as Deer saw Chase running with the fire hydrant, Deer ran and I saved Stan. ”Thank you so much for saving me, can I be in your group to save the world, PLEASE!!!!!!!” Stan asked. ”Well,we already have three people,but since your my friend,you can join” Nethan replied. ”Yes, thank you guys so much” Stan said. After Stan said this Nethan, me, and Stan saw Reed running through the hallway. ”Guys, I just eavesdropped on Deer and Chasen they said they are going to the Tennis Courts to try to take over the world.”Reed yelled.

“Well then why are we standing here let’s go!”Chase said and then started running toward the Tennis courts. When the group got to the Tennis Courts,they saw Chasen and Deer. ”Everyone be quiet”Nethan said whispering. When the group got there, they attacked Chasen and Deer and defeated them.Then I hear my voice yell and I’m back in the science room and I noticed it was a daydream.

THE END

Reed vs. Deer a story by Reed Fox

One day Reed was bored so he went to his closet to get toys to play with when he found a secret door. So he did what anyone would do--he went in.

Then he started spinning then it stopped. When Reed woke up he saw a identical twin but with a top hat. He told Reed his name was Deer and he was here to take over the world.Then he disappeared.

Reed had to stop Deer but he didn’t know how. Reed went back into the secret room to look for clues when he found a working tracker and a metal bottle with a note that read, “If you touch Deer with this bottle he will be locked away forever.” He looked down at the tracker and saw that Deer was at Norfolk Academy.

Reed rushed to NA to stop Deer, but when Reed got there he was gone. He looked back at his tracker and Deer was at his house, so he want home.

Deer was in the living room so Reed snuck onto the balcony pulled out the bottle and chucked it at Deer it hit him square in the head. Deer was sucked into the bottle and locked away.

THE END

What I Thought Was Going to be the Most Boring Day a story by Davis Steadman

CHAPTER ONE

“And divide that by three and use M.E.S.S. and add and multiply by seven.” Dr. Pleming was talking about math that was way above my head. It was going in one ear and going out the other. Hi, my name is Jason Andrews and math is the hardest class in the world. I bet most kids can relate . But what I thought was going to be the most boring day turned out to be the day that changed my life. As soon as the bell rings I sprint to the bus and just like everyday I sit next to my friend Parker Codington. My parents surprised me and as soon as I get home and told me we are going to Los Angeles, California.

My mom said we fly out tomorrow.

When we get to the airport we are running thirty minutes late. But luckily customs were a breeze. Halfway through the plane ride I know something just is not right. The plane is not sounding normal. We are over Kansas when the pilot obviously stressed out is screaming, “Guys we are going down prepare for crash landing.”

I am sweating and screaming, “Lord please help me.”

All hear is boom and everything goes dark.

CHAPTER TWO

I wake up and I have no clue where I am until I see a huge glowing sign welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada. I ask myself, “Am I daydreaming?” I thought the plane was just over Kansas.

I then see a police officer and ask if he has seen a plane crash anywhere nearby. He said, “Son what in the world are you talking about, you are telling me you were in a plane crash?”

I said, “ Yes sir”and he looked at me like I had four eyes.

He finally got frustrated and said in a deep tone said, “Get out of here kid, stop joking around.” But as soon as I look up again he drives away in his police car. I ran after him and there was no way I would catch up. I trip and I badly scraped my knee. I stand up again and everything goes dark. I wake up and I am in the hospital and my parents are right there with me. There is a huge IV in my arm. I am so glad that Las Vegas was all a daydream. I get out of the hospital and we take a CAR to California. It’s just a car ride...what could happen?

The Colorful Game a story by Kirtley Taylor

“Look out” I yelled to my friend. After I got out of the water Riley started back up again trying to catch the wave. It’s summer and Riley and I (my name’s Ashley by the way) always surf together during the summer. We do sports, clubs, camps, and hang-out together. “I’m ready, start the video” Riley yelled “KK” meaning ok. I started the video, I looked at the surfboard that she was riding and then I saw the weirdest thing ever--a colorful tail flipped up out of the water. “Ashley did you get that?” Riley said in disbelief “Yep the surf and the creature” I said “Should we follow it?” “definitely! 1...2...3 jump!” As we dove into the water we followed the tail and the magic following her. We almost lost her, but after she stopped in a cave we realized that we were in a mermaid cave deep in the ocean. “Hello, what’s your name?” I quietly said to calm her. “S...S...Sirena” she whispered. “ We come in peace, your tail is beautiful.” Thanks, this is where I live sometimes. I have other friends. I just came back into the water to get a potion for my friend Luna; she’s also a mermaid.” “ I’m Ashley and this is Riley she reads about mermaids, but she’s never seen one in real life. So where are you going?’’ I questioned without thinking to ask her if they were friends yet. It would be so cool if she had a friend who was a mermaid.

“Back up to the surface, do you want to come?” “ I would love to, but can you turn into a human?”

“Yes,” Sirena said confidently. Later, I realized I was talking underwater!! I started to freak out Sirena told me to calm down and she told me how I could breathe underwater. “ It’s the cave” she told me “the cave has a magic protector sheet so that you can breathe in the cave, here keep this on your neck. It’s a necklace so you both can breathe underwater outside of the cave.

This way when you come to see me you can breathe underwater!” Sirena said excitedly “ And here is a bag that has other things that you can use like potions, a mermaid magic necklace, a map of our underwater world so you can visit us, and one last thing a magic pendant. Use these wisly anywhere.”

“So these are your friends?” I questioned. “ Yes, this is Andrea, Crystal, and Kala but we call her Kal” Sirena told us “ Guys, this is Riley and Ashley.”. “Those are elegant names.” said Crystal. I wondered if they actually like us, or maybe they are waiting to get rid of us, or maybe worse they want to magically hunt us. “ Want to go get fro-yo at the beach?” Andrea said excitedly to us. She didn’t seem so dangerous. “ That sounds fun, I know a place.” I said so I didn’t look quiet or embarrass myself either. “We can eat it on the boardwalk and skateboard if you guys are up to it?” Riley said a little like she was a about to faint. I thought maybe they might want to skateboard to with us if they even knew how (I don’t think they know how to skateboard). “Sure, I’ll skateboard it sounds fun, do you know a good rink?” Andrea and Kala said excitedly and cheerfully to Riley and I. After they got fro-yo they went to the skating rink to go show-off, but Crystal and Sirena weren’t skateboarding. I wanted to ask them what was wrong, but they didn’t seem so bummed. They were practicing their spells and I walked over.

“Hey girls, what’s up?” I said not wanting to sound a so snobby.

“Practicing spells and curses. Do you want to join with us, Ashley?” Crystal said kinda weirdly.

“Sure!” I said cheerfully.

“I wish I was a mermaid,” I said sadly.

“Then why don’t you and you can still be human too!!”. “Yes!” I accidentally yelled.

“What’s wrong” Riley said as she came over.

“Nothing!” I interrupted, “Do want to be a human and a mermaid?!”

“Would I?!Yeah Yes!!!” Riley screamed excitedly. “1...2...3...ahhh!” We both screamed “Did you do it?” “No, you can’t scream silly.” Sirena said shaking

her head like she was in disappointment, yet she was trying to be funny. “Ok ready!!” Kala said.

After Riley and I turned into a human/ mermaid (it was crazy), we went into the water it was so cool when I hit the water Andrea told me to close my eyes, touch my shell necklace, and imagine I was turning into a mermaid and I did!

“I…..ju…..what just happened?!” I yelled.

“Just flap your tail and do a pencil with your hands and do the wave with them, like this.” Crystal told me like she was teaching me, which I didn’t mind. I started to move and go faster and faster. I couldn’t believe this it was like I was flying, but underwater.

“This is the way to the blue sea turtle palace which is the main palace of our kingdom and only the royalty live like us. I paused, “You guys are royalty!?” I exclaimed loudly almost noticing everyone glared at me for a second then keep swimming. “Yes, and you are now, too.” Sirena said like it was nothing. “So this is your bedroom Riley.” Andrea said excitedly as she and Kala followed Riley in her room. “Ashley this is yours,” Crystal said like she was showing something amazing inside. “Do you like your room Ashley?”. “Are you kidding? I love it!!”

I yelled happily.

“Ok lets go and meet your parents so if you tell them about us they won’t be like, your hanging out with weirdos.” Andrea mimicked.

As we started out of the palace Riley and I saw things we’ve never seen before.

We were getting out of the water and Kala told me to touch my mermaid necklace which was actually a blue sea turtle necklace, close my eyes and...BAM!! I turned back into a human and so did Riley. When I got out I was so surprised, “I’m dry!” exclaimed Riley as she got out of the water, “What the heck!? How!?”.

“Oh right, when you get out of the water if you close your eyes you won’t be wet, but when your eyes stay open you won’t be dry when you get out of the water.” Sirena said.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Bell and Mr. and Mrs. Hill.” Crystal said as she stepped in the house like she was doing a presentation for our parents. “Good evening girls, so you guys are friends now, correct?” Mrs. Bell said a little puzzled. “Oh yes, we were all surfing and we came across each other and became friends because we were very nice to them and they both seemed very nice and we started to surf together and we introduced them to our family to and we also

got fro-yo to eat together on the boardwalk ad then we went to the skatepark and Riley, Andrea, and Kala had fun skateboarding, while Ashley, Sirena, and I where talking.”Crystal told our parents proudly. “Well, it was very nice meeting you girls. I’m glad you girls have something in common.” Mrs. Hill and Mr. Bell said nicely to us.

As we started to walk down to the beach, I passed out and as soon as that happened I started to see colors blending together then falling apart. Colors were starting to fade and as soon as they started...FLASH!! “Ahhh.” I moaned “What’s happening, am I alive?” There were so many questions running through my head as if they were telling me something. “Your going to be ok.” a voice said frantically. I soon fell into a hole and getting deeper and deeper it started to get darker and darker, but I wasn’t alone... ...To Be Continued…

If you would like to read the rest of this novel it will be coming out in a few weeks along with other books of mine.

The Wolf and the Dogs a story by Ellyse Witt

It was Friday December 23, 2018. I was in school with my twin sister Ellie and, of course Isabel, and we were leaving that night for Montreal, Canada from New Orleans, Louisiana. I was daydreaming about it until the lunch bell rang and my teacher said we had to go!

We got in the car to go to the airport. The plane was boring. I was on my phone the entire time I think Ellie had fun. When we got there it was white and I mean COVERED in snow. Our dogs Riley and Princess came, too; Riley is a yellow lab and Princess is a labradoodle. Riley is Elie’s and Princess is mine.

They went full speed towards the lodge. We were in the cabin drinking hot cocoa when our Mom said we should go play with the dogs.

When we went outside it was FREEZING!!! I shouted because it was so cold!!! So, Ellie and I went inside. We changed into heavier clothes. Then we went outside again.We were all warmed up and cozy. I felt like a hundred soft blankets were draped over me. Ellie and I had finally gotten warm.We headed over to the ice. We were standing on the ice when...

The dogs were pulling us across the ice. Then we saw something‌ A WOLF! We were attached to the dogs leash.They started running with us.As the the dogs were sprinting and kind of slipping across the ice I realized that I was actually being chased by a wolf. Somehow I felt like my sister new what I was

thinking it was weird. Then Ellie and I said the same thing at the same time!

We stared at each other and I said, “I am really scared, Ellie.�

The Wolf and the Dogs a story by Emma Uncapher

It was Friday December 23, 2018. I was in school, my sister Isabel and me Ellie were leaving that night for Montreal, Canada from New Orleans, Louisiana. I was daydreaming about going there until, I woke up to the lunch bell ringing, it was time to leave for Canada.

We got in the car to go to the airport. The plane was fun, looking out the window at the beautiful sky, but my sister was VERY bored. When we got outside it was a winter wonderland. Our dogs came, too; Riley, the yellow lab and Princess, the labradoodle. By the way Riley is my dog and Princess is Isabel’s dog. They went dashing full speed into the snow.

Our family went inside to the warm, cozy log cabin we were drinking hot cocoa, then our mom said to go outside and play with the dogs. When we went outside it was FREEZING. “It’s so cold out here.” said Isabel, shivering. We kept complaining that it was cold outside, so we put more layers on and warmed up.

Then when we went back outside the second time we were all warmed up.

We were walking on the ice with the dogs. They were also keeping patrol just in case something bad happened to us. We didn’t fully check that the ice was thick enough. So, then we saw a wolf. A WOLF!!! As the wolf was chasing us I kinda had this twinintulupathy thing. It was weird. Then the craziest thing happened, me and my sister said the same thing, at the same time!

We looked at each other and said “I’m really scared Isabel!”

An Adventure in the Jungle a story by Emily Salib

Oh my, what a Magical Unicorn Candy Land! I am actually in here. I opened my eyes, and darn, i’m still in the middle of the stupid, outlaws’ jungle where nobody lives, except me. I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere for about 500 miles. The only thing good thing about this place is the giant ruby that lies thousands of feet deep on the shore of Typhoon Beach. I gotta get out of here before some angry beast kills me.

So I was on my way when boom, there was an explosion. I ran toward it because when there’s fire, there’s life, not always good life, but life. I could hardly believe my eyes! It was Professor McJerry! He was my all time favorite idol! Professor was in some type of machine thing. Suddenly he saw me.

“Oh by golly are my eyes tricking me? Or is it an actual other person?”

It’s actually me, another person.” I exclaimed! “ “Well then come here, I bet your hungry. I have lots of food. It’ll be nice to be with another human for once.”

So we walked over to his house-type-thing.

“How’d you get here anyway?” he asked.

“This is Outlaws’ Jungle, not a playplace for teens.”

“I was riding on my boat, when a huge wave carried me into the middle of the jungle.”

“Wow.” Professor McJerry said, “ I didn’t realize you’d been through so much.

What’s your name?”

“I’m Addison.”

“Well than, Addison, you’ll be happy to set your eyes upon this food.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was so much food, from chicken to dragon fruit to brownies to just about anything you could dream about. I immediately dug in. I ate and I ate and I ate and I ate until I could eat no more.

“So Professor McJerry, what were you even doing with the explosion thing?” I asked.

“Oh, my explosion thing? That was supposed to be a huge catapult to get me out of here. Obviously it failed. Something went wrong and poof, it exploded.

And please, none of that Professor McJerry nonsense, call me Joe.” he replied.

“Ok, Joe,” I responded.

“Hey I have in idea, you’re trying to get out of here, right” he asked.

“Well yeah, it’s not like I came here for pleasure.” I said, confused at what he meant.

“Well, I was trying to get out of here too, but building another catapult would take like another 6 years, and I’m not gonna wait around here trying to build it. I miss my family ever so dearly. So I was thinking we could hike north out of here together toward Typhoon Beach. It’s a popular landmark to see, just not visit. But first we would have to spend about a month gathering supplies for the next year or so. So what do you say?” he suggested.

“Well what the heck let’s do this Joe!” I exclaimed.

A Month Later “Well, I think we have enough supplies to last us about a month or two on our backpacks.” 15 pounds of food, 3 outfits, 5 pounds of water, 2 pairs of shoes, a rifle, 100 bullets, and a sleeping bag each. Plus our tent and map. Let’s get going.” I said.

“Wait one second, Addison. I need to get one last thing.” Joe called.

“Fine, Joe, but hurry up. We need to get at least to Misty Falls by midAugust. We need to be civilized before the harsh winter. ” I replied.

“Okay, I’m back.”

He gave me a crystal.

“Oh, Joe! It’s beautiful! What is it?”

“I was testing my food detector, when it started beeping so hard that it broke. I started digging and I came across this crystal and thought you would like it.” he replied.

“Thank you so much Joe, just one sec let me pack it in the bag.”

“Hey Addison, how old are you anyway? ” he wondered

“I’m 12.” I replied.

“I’m 64. Let’s go”

The first day was the hardest. Who knew it would be so hard to hike in a jungle? But we found shelter, and made a fire, as we slowly drifted off to sleep.

Days passed, each one like the one before. We grew tired and bored.

“ I just can’t take it anymore!” I exclaimed.

It felt so weird to talk, after weeks of silence.

“What do you mean?” Joe asked.

“I am so tired. I mean, I know we have to get to Misty Falls by midAugust and it’s July 24, and we still have 50 miles, but I am so hot and tired and hungry. Can we please take a days break? Please?” I begged.

“Calm down Addison, you’ll attract the wolves. Of course we can take a break. I myself have been needing one, too.” he uttered.

The day was the best ever! First we restocked our supplies, and good thing we did because we were running low on a LOT of things. Then we slept.

By the time we woke up, the sky had turned gray, but we still needed to have dinner. We had an amazing dinner. But then I was time to start traveling again.

For what seemed like years, we were walking. August 1, 3,7, 10, when were we ever gonna get there? Finally it reached August 17.

“Hey Joe, what’s that waterfall over there? Hopefully it’s close to Misty Falls. I asked.

“Okay let me check.” he replied.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!!” he exclaimed.

“What is it? I asked.

“That’s not close to Misty Falls, that is Misty Falls!”

“Yes! We’re finally here!” I shouted.

That night we had a celebratory dinner. We had finally made it! But the next day we started again. The long boring days started again of nonstop walking. Joe and I pushed through it, though. Walk, walk, walk, walk, when was it ever going to end?! We still had another 20 miles to hike. But we were almost there.

We kept walking till there was no more jungle. We had gotten to the edge of the island. The beach. Typhoon beach. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were

finally there, alive and well. And it was the perfect day. There was a cruise passing through, and we waved our clothes to get their attention. The captain saw us, and went over to rescue us. We were saved! Finally! By nightfall, Joe and I were in the hospital. Turns out he had pneumonia. No wonder he was coughing so much! And I was really sick. Eventually we got better and were ready to part and go back home.

“Well, Joe, it was nice working with you. By the way I’m a huge fan, can I have an autograph?”

“Sure.”

He scribbled something on a paper.

“Here” he gave me the paper.

“Thanks dude. It was nice working with you. See you around.” I sighed.

“Bye Addison!” he replied.

Well, I thought, I guess the fun’s over. I’ll just go back to my job as a cashier.

A Trip to Beaver Creek a story by Mollie Decker

I was just daydreaming in math class one day, when I thought the bell rang. It was almost spring break. I was going to Beaver Creek in Colorado, one of the best ski resorts in America. I was going with my friend’s Hunter, Emma, and Davis. We all knew how to ski and snowboard...sorta!

The next day we had our bags packed and got a Uber to the airport. The only adult with us was my dad, when we all got to security everyone passed except me. I panicked but the very nice security officer let me through. All of us got on the plane safely. When we got to Atlanta for our connection things weren’t going so smoothly. I went to the bathroom and when I came out Hunter, Davis and Emma were sitting there waiting for my dad. They were freaking out we couldn’t find my dad anywhere. We had to make it back to our terminal .But when we got on the plane my dad was getting ice cream from the ice cream cart in first class! We all scream “We have been looking for you everywhere!!!”

As soon as we all get settled Davis said, “Guys, I left my backpack in the airport!“ he ran off the plane and grabbed his backpack. The rest of the flight was pretty peaceful though.

When we got to Beaver Creek my dad gabs our skis and snowboards ,and

we head to the house. Emma falls asleep in the car and Hunter was singing Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift. Davis dropped his snowboard and it snapped in half! He totally freaked out. Emma ,Hunter and I grabbed our skis and went in the house. The house was super pretty. We were all speechless. The kitchen was the size of a house were we live, the bedrooms were so big you could put fifteen people in them ,and the best part of all was the indoor pool and movie theater! I was super tired. Me and Emma were sharing bunk beds, we both decided to go to bed. Hunter, Davis and my dad stayed up until twelve o’clock and watched a movie. Lets just say some people were cranky in the morning.

Me and Emma were getting dressed to go skiing, the boys were still in bed sleeping from the night before. When everyone was ready and dressed we headed out for the slopes, But, first we had to buy Davis a new snowboard.

Hunter was going down the slope so fast that he ran into the tree, we were playing follow the leader so me, Emma, Davis and my dad went straight into the tree as well. It was a hot mess we had to call for ski patrol because me Emma, Davis, and Hunter had something that hurt. It turns out Hunter only bruised his arm and Davis had only jammed his finger and Emma and I were perfectly fine.

We had a long day of skiing. We were really really tired so we decided to take a break at a little cabin that severed the best hot chocolate ever. What makes it so good you ask? Before they poor the hot chocolate they put a cookie on the bottom! Then they put another cookie on top, finally whipped cream to top it off. We all got one they were so yummy. They had us on a little sugar rush. My dad said to get out our energy we had to get back on the slope.

When we had enough skiing, we went back to the house and watched a movie. Emma and I went to get ready for dinner. We went to dinner at the Ritz hotel. It was very fancy. When we got home yet again Emma and I went to bed and the boys stayed up till midnight watching scary movies. They were very tired the next day we weren’t skiing, we were tubing. When we got to the tubing area we all hooked our tubes together and flow down the mountain.

The only thing between us and the parking lot was a plastic orange fence and guess what? We went right through it. It was super funny. That night we went to this cabin were they have a basketball court pinball machines, hula hoops, and much more. We ate pizza and nachos, and for dessert we had ice cream sundays. Then we watched a movie. It was so fun. The next day we were back to skiing. It was our last day in Beaver Creek. It was a fun day of skiing and no

one fell! That night we packed our things up. We had to wake up at four am and go to the airport. When we got home I hear... Mollie wake up, Mollie wake up class is over and it is time for spring break I can’t believe it was a dream.

The funny thing is me, Hunter, Emma , Davis, and my dad are going to Beaver Creek tomorrow!

The End!

Mount Everest a story by Chloe Levy

I’m hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, I’m a little scared and a little tired. I think I want to take a break so I’ll just sit down. It’s a little chilly.

Now I am on Mount Everest. Snow is barreling down and I am shivering. I’m only halfway up the mountain. I doubt that I can go any further. Now all I can think about are the people who tried to climb Mount Everest in the past and didn’t make it. I want to give up but in the distance I see a tent and going back might take much longer. My tent was destroyed miles ago and it looks like that tent is abandoned, but it is still standing. I’m so tired, I need to keep moving forward. I force myself to to make it to the tent and all that is in it is a blanket.

I’m convinced that it is a sign that I should rest.

It is much later now. I don’t know if it is the next day because I can’t see the sky through the falling snow. All I know is that I need some food to snack on to get some strength. I eat quickly and I am ready to go. I pack up the tent carefully this time so it doesn’t get caught on sharp rocks like my last one.

Now I am trudging through the thick snow. It’s hard to see but in the distance there is a large pile of boulders. I realize that there is no way around this obstacle and that I have to climb. I start to climb. My heart starts to race and I can’t catch my breath. Finally, I hurdle the massive mound and slide down the other side. After I collect my gear, I inspect my tent to make sure it isn’t torn

and continue on my snowy journey.

Night falls again and I find another empty tent reminding me of the many climbers who have abandoned their adventure or worse. This tent has a bag in it so I open it to find crackers and water. I take them and continue on my way up the mountain. The snow is getting heavier so I setup my tent again and rest until it calms down.

It’s not too much later when the snowfall slows down so I get back on my way.

Every second I become weaker and weaker, but I can’t stop now. I have to find a good spot to rest for a longer amount of time. Just as I think I can’t stand any longer, I find the right place next to some big rocks that will protect me and my tent from the wind so I set up, lay down, but I can’t sleep because I can see the flags at the top in the distance. I know I will soon reach the top.

Just as I start to doze off, I sneeze and snap to my feet. I’m sneezing but not because of the cold. Pollen is dusting through the air of the Virginia countryside like snowfall and I realize that I am still in the Blue Ridge Mountains so I start heading back to camp knowing where I’m going to hike next, Mount Everest.

If Saturn was Civilized a story by Nethan Liyanage

Nethan Liyanage and his crew (Ast. Chase Gray, Ast. Reed Fox ,Ast.Oliver Scott) are going to be the first people to ever land on Saturn. My crew and I are clear for takeoff. They zoom past planets and finally get to Saturn they are found on a civilized planet with cities and hospitals.

As they land on a landing pad they find several police officers patrolling the pad. As Nethan and his team leave the rocket they are bombarded with officers.

Nethan and his team are arrested and taken to jail as unknown fugitives. They feel as if they can never get out but, thank God, Reed is a trickster and has a few tricks up he sleeves. Reed stole a key from one of the guards on he way to the cell. He uses he key and open the cell door and they run free.

As they find themselves in a very shady neighborhood with scary figures looking at them they start to feel as if they should run out as fast as they can, and that was the best decision since there was a 99.99% chance they were not going to survive there. Nethan and his crew start to see a very bright light coming from this very tall building. His crew and I start go towards the light and they find a giant city, much like New York.

As they walk through the city they start to see many people that look a lot humans and start to feel at home, but they must stay on track and get back to the Rocket and report back to Earth. But there are a lot of speed bumps

because there are cops flooding the streets, building blocking all point of views, and the rocket is nowhere to be seen. Just when the crew think they are safe a giant stampede of police officers start to rush the astronauts.

As the crew runs from the Navy, Army, Marines, and SWAT they run through building they have never seen before and they go through one and the officers go right past it, but when they look at the name of the place it says POLICE STATION. They try to go to the top of the roof of the building then they spot out the rocket, but they must find a way down and get to the rocket. Then Chase and Reed figure out a plan to get out. First, they have to find a shorter building and try to crawl down to it with their equipment‌

Dogs a story by Quinn Parvin

“Arf,” Barked my dog, Scout.

“Where are you bud?” I asked.

Then I heard it. Little squeals of fear from the puppies. I ran outside just as a truck drives by me. I look around my estate. No bichons frise, no westies, no dachshunds, no Scout either! Then I saw him! Oliver! With all my puppies in a huge bag hauling them into the truck! I ran to my house and grabbed a grappler. I ran back outside and took a shot. It missed but I reloaded the grappler as the truck started away. A huge banner that said, “TAKE THE L” popped out of the top of the truck.

I shot again and would have missed but it caught the edge of the banner(its called karma). As I landed I quickly pulled the puppies out. I had two left but then I saw something almost blinding, a laser beam! It slowly turned toward me. I was captivated by its huge barrel. I grabbed for one of the dogs and jumped off the truck as the laser shot over the bag and where my head had been moments before! I counted to myself, “Okay two bichons, two westies, two dachshunds, and Sco… Where is Scout? My face paled as I realized Scout was with Oliver!

I jumped into my ATV and gunned the engine, tires screeching as I pursued

Oliver. Down a hill, up a hill back and forth all the way to Oliver’s apartment.

I slowly walked up the steps and saw a keypad. I pulled a rage monster and punched it. A secret trap door opened and I crawled into it. I saw Scout and reached for him. He jumped into my arms. I held him tight in my arms.

I woke up. All dogs were there. The bichons, westies, dachshunds, and Scout.

My hand felt weird. Then I heard a bark and realized that I was still dreaming. I opened my eyes. With my vision blurry I saw one shape, fire!

My vision came back slowly.

“Come to me,” shouted a voice through the smoke, “I have your dog, he is safe.”

I ran through the smoke and followed the voice outside. When I got outside I realized that my saviors were boys just like me.

“Hi I’m Aditya and this is Grant,” one of the boys said.

The other one, Grant, said, “We are trying to defeat two villains who are trying to take over the world. Do you want to join us?”

“I’m sorry I just must leave and go home,” I said.

Space Code a story by Kassidy Sanders

Chapter 1: Before Shock Ready for liftoff, Jade sat next next to her partner. She thought it was a daydream, but it was real. Jaiden has been waiting her whole life for this moment. As a person who loves to draw she plans to draw pictures to admire the old planets. Maybe even Pluto. “Ready for action.” said the captain.” Take me away to space!” exclaimed James. He clicked a lot of buttons before he said that and then realized he pressed the wrong ones. Thousands of people gathered around their living room to watch the jaw dropping move. “They’ll make it.” said John unexcited. He was their rival ever since middle school. In five minutes they were already in space. Jaiden already started drawing Pluto, the dwarf planet, when James started studying where the “object” was. It was classified. He wrote in his journal: Find the object .it will take a few days if the Time warps i heard about are true.

Maybe they aren’t real.I must keep the ship in good shape to have a successful mission.

That’s all he wrote before he fell asleep.

Chapter 2: One Year Later Daydreaming, Jaiden said in her mind, “I feel a little silly”, and woke up feeling bright but then felt like she needed to puke. James felt the same way. “I’ll check the systems,” James said reassuringly. They were all offline. He checked the engines and the rest of the controls. He was getting very worried. Jade looked around the ship and it was a wreck. They were both getting scared. Then a light shined on them. It was outside the ship. It was way more futuristic then their ship. Almost like it was pulled out of a movie. “Jade,” James whispered.

“They are real”. “What is,” Jade asked. James said nothing and went to hide. The space ship had used a force field to bring them back down to their homeland .

When they landed Jade was shocked to see the new world and decided to find James before people inspect the what is in the inside of the ship. “James!” She yelled, walking carefully through the wreck and scared that she slept through something big, like a lifetime. Then it hit her.

Chapter 3: Disbelief She woke up with a diary in her lap. She looked at it and it was James’s diary.

She tried to take it off of her lap but it was unbelievably heavy. “What is this!” she yelled. Jade would never betray her best friend by reading his diary. She couldn’t look down and then all her body parts focused on the yellow diary.

She finally had the power to open the book. “This must be a dream!” Jade said worried. Every bit of the information from the yellow book stuck to her mind and would never let go. Then she snapped out of it and realized one thing. She was in James’s mind. Her daydream made her brain go in confusion.Then in an instant she was grabbed by the arm and pulled in James’s room just as she saw people entering the ship with hazmat suits.

Chapter 4: Same Place, Same Home “What else is in your diary”, Jade whispered. James still was too serious to say a word and pointed to where it was on a high shelf. “At least now I know what you were talking about,”she said. James was locking the door when a loud bang came at the door. “ We know you’re in there,” said someone loudly. Then when James was about to speak he heard someone say “ Ladies and gentlemen.

Get ready to see Alien life forms emerge from this ship. I’m am honored to work with Dr. Jonathan to uncover a new secret in life. Ever since the two best astronauts never returned back home , We found out that they are held captive

by aliens and now we might of found them disguised as Jade Solon and James Mouit .� Jade knew she was at her home but everything was different.

The Bomb a story by Carson Miller

Chapter 1 It happened so fast that I still can’t explain it.

I was playing in the basement and BOOM!!!! The entire house shook. I didn’t know what happened. I opened the door and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The entire city was gone… It looked as if it was never there.

Chapter 2 I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I thought “where’s Uncle Jeffrey?”

Were he had been was just a pile of ashes. Then I said, “That must have hurt…”

I looked around. Were there any survivors?

I searched the wreckage for hours, finally I found something alive, a tree but still alive.

I didn’t want to sleep but my body betrayed me.

The Day My Dad Saved Me a story by Aditya Thapa

One day, as I was walking in the hall of my mansion, I heard a sound coming from the door. My family was sleeping upstairs, and I was looking for a snack.

I looked at the door and I saw a dark figure walk through the door. My family disappeared the next instant. I had nothing to do. The man saw me crying and came to me. “Please don’t hurt me,” I said. He walked over to me and said, “I wouldn’t hurt you, you’re my son! You think I would hurt my kid?”

“What do you mean ‘my kid’?” I said, absolutely confused. “Oh, you don’t know,” the man said, “ those were imposters, and I had just escaped their dungeon when I came in to save you.”

“How did you make them vanish?”

“I used to learn the dark arts,” he said, “and I was an expert at that spell.”

“Where are they now?”

“Wrapped in their own ropes at the police station.”

After that, we calmed down and my dad and I were off to the carnival. “Why are you the only one in my family?” I said, not sure why he was alone. “ Your mom passed away when you were born,” he said, dropping his head down, “I didn’t tell you so that you wouldn’t have had to tolerate it”“ I’m so glad you saved me.”

“I’m glad they didn’t hurt you.”

From then on, I always walked near my dad.

Part 2: Dad It all happened so fast. I was happy in the hospital with my newborn son, when some thugs attacked us. Trying to protect the baby, my wife had passed away.

Then, it all went dark. Next thing I knew, I was in some kind of dark basement.

I tried screaming, but I couldn’t do anything. I actually managed to use my secret dark arts powers and break free. I searched for my son when I found him with the burglars. I used my powers and teleported them to the police station.

I felt great relief as I saw my son. He didn’t recognize me at first, but we soon loved each other like true family. He has never left my side since.

The End

The Man a story by Leah Carn

“Ahh”. Ala said. “Dear, breakfast is ready.” Mom said. Ala ran down stairs as fast as she could. “Mom! I don’t like bacon, remember?” Mom looked as if she didn’t forget.”Oh, I know. That was for me.” “But you don’t eat it either, Mom.”Her mom wasn’t getting on to anything. Ala went up in complete drought she walked into her room and saw a letter that was not there before. It said…..

Hello, you don’t know me but I know you. I would like you to stop and go on a quest, The Quest of Man. Here’s the map you need to go through. Hope you find me later.

Ala was really confused. A creepy person was trying to make her go on a quest. Ala thought about telling her mom but she knew she was going to be concerned. So Ala walked calmly and told her mom she was going for a long walk. As Ala walked out the door she looked at the map the strange person gave her. She started The Quest of Man.

Through the skeleton cave.

Pass the Indian Garden,with an attack.

Swimming through the Dead Sea. Walking through the Black Forest.

Over Mount America.

And then the time that she had been waiting for she finally was going to see that Man that sent her the letter. She saw a beautiful crystal rock that was big too. A man stepped out--it was Ala’s father!!

“Hello, Ala it’s time that you have met me”, her father said. But, who are you?”Ala said. ”Your father,”he said. Ala looked very confused.

Ala suggested she go home. Her dad wanted to see her mom, Erika.

Penguins vs. Elves a story by Thomas Newman

It was a cold day in the North Pole at Santa’s workshop. The elves are making toys, excited for Christmas. The penguins are out in the cold, angry at the elves while they watch them dance around in the warm cozy building in Santa’s workshop doing what they love. The penguins are furious. They don’t know what to do. They think of a plan. Melvin the leader the of the penguins.

He said, “half go through the chimney and the other half go dig a hole and go through the ground.” Melvin the leader gives them a hype up speech before they go stampede into Santa’s workshop. “We hit Santa’s workshop like” the others say “hoo”. Each penguin has a walkie talkie to communicate. Melvin leads the group going through the chimney. The group that went underground lead by Ricky, the second in command, got stuck trapped by the elves. At that point they knew the war had begun and that the elves had some tricks up their sleeves. The group was now split into 3 groups. Melvin now had to fight the elves and save Ricky’s group in the trap. He has to be very careful, as there may be another trap around. So Melvin splits his group in half. Melvin and a few others go to save Ricky’s group while the others remain in control of the chimney. Melvin successfully saved Ricky’s group but injured doing it by a fire arrow shot by the elves, but Melvin is a really tough guy and will not give up because he is determined. Melvin sews his leg back on and goes back into battle. Melvin and his fierce, tough team had won. They defeated the elves. Melvin is so proud of himself and his crew. Melvin the great warrior penguin will go down in history forever. And Ricky second in command did not make it out of Santa’s

workshop, but he is still today Melvin’s best friend. The penguins had reached their goal ruin Christmas. Now December 25th is called Pwissmiss. They all dream of Pwissmiss as if it were everyday. If you wake up every morning trying to find your elf and then you find a random penguin this is the story behind all that.

The Hot, Dry Desert a story by Vera Hartz

As I wake and looked at the hot, dry, desert and I wonder. Why am I here?

What happened? Where is the world? I start to walk on the dry endless desert.

I thought to myself it seems to go on forever. The more I think the more the fuzzier my memory gets. I don’t remember my age, my birthday or my name.

So I name myself Laura I don’t even remember that normal people have last names. So I decided to try not to think so I can keep my memories well as we all know this is not an easy task, but I take it on and lock away my memories.

At this time it seemed so normal, but later on I will wonder how I did it. Then I walk and continue to walk and I say I am thirsty and a fresh creek appears and a water bottle I fill the water bottle and I continue. I put it in my backpack and I walk on.

After some time I get tried and a bed appears and I fall asleep on it and I’m out like a light. In the morning I wake and say to myself I’m hungry and food appears. So I gorge on that and walk some more. Then I spot something ahead a little boy by the looks and I say “how did you get here”. He replies “I just woke up here”. “Me, too” I say. Then he smiles and tells me he is 6 years old. I say I don’t know how old don’t know how old I am. He says why don’t we be friends and I say sure, we can help each other survive.

Then we set out on our adventure and we travel for miles and miles. At on point I thought I saw our footprints, but decided it was nothing. Then when

we were walking side by side then I heard something and stopped and the little boy kept walking and disappeared I didn’t even notice that he was gone and I followed the sound. I found a little dog whimpering and I knew he was mine I took him in my arms and he sang me to sleep with his barking. It was the most comfortable place I had slept while in the desert.

When I woke up in the morning my dog was ready to go and so we left. Later that day I heard a voice it said die petty humans die die die I told my dog this.

He seemed to say don’t tell anyone else about this and I will be fine. Then he vanished. So I investigated that morning and found a cave. This time I could not stop myself from thinking. I thought this is the only thing that has not appeared out of nowhere and I went inside the cave. It was warm, a pleasant type of warm so I climbed in deeper and saw a light it was a warm glow of light that felt so good. It was a brilliant red color like a red sparkling ruby. It was sitting on a silver stand. I thought there must be a meaning to this. Rubies are not usually laying around in a desert on a silver stand. I walked forward and heard the same voice tempting me to come forward to touch the stone at that moment I knew it was all a trick of the desert. I knew to solve it all I had to do was find this thing and destroy them. So I touched the stone and was whisked away into a dark tunnel.

It was like outer space in there. I saw some weapons passing by and grabbed them I knew I would need them. Suddenly the tunnel stopped and I got out I was in a land of glitter it looked weird to me. I continued to walk and I walked right up to the place of glitter and gems. The ruby was still in my hand and as soon as I got to the place its guards attacked. I was ready as soon as they were near enough to me I paralyzed them all with a bomb. They could not move then and could not hurt me so I continued.

Then when I got to the place I went straight to the throne room. I have no idea how I found it I just followed my senses and there I was. I was in front of the king and he was not happy. He looked at me and glared it did not stop. It was continued and then he burst out laughing and everyone in the room was suddenly laughing I doubt we even knew what happened but we were all laughing.

Then suddenly he stopped and said “so you want to know why you were in the desert well I can tell you, but I would rather not”. “Why” I asked he just said “it’s dangerous to know too much” then I looked at him like he was crazy. He just said “well that’s normal around here”. Then he told me to leave. As I walked out of the building I realized that he had read my mind. I started to freak out.

People stared at me and I stared at them then they looked away. As I walked through the town people hardly noticed me. I did something very stupid I remembered my real name and screamed it. “Isabella Taylor” then I sprinted toward the castle and had a bow in my hand and arrows on my back and exploded the castle with one shot everyone inside was hurt though no one died.

Then I went to the biggest castle in the town and I demanded that everyone be set free. The man just laughed and said “you wish” then I saw a stone and grabbed it everyone in the desert was taken back to their homes. I was stuck there forever--no way out--so I learned the sacrifices of being brave. Then I realized I had done the right thing and that no one was hurt. I lived there not getting older but my memories were coming back to me. The lock I had put on them was lifted and I wondered where they had been the whole time. My family on my first birthday and my dog on my third birthday and my little sister and big brother. All the times I had gotten a boo boo and such. The more the memories came back the more I wanted to see them--my family--so much.

Then my mom comes in and knocks on the door and tells me it’s time for dinner and I reach into my pocket and the ruby is still there I think back but I can’t remember anything. The ruby still sits on my desk today it often puzzles me and I will stop to think, but most of the time I leave it alone.

Zacals and Teriphermians a story by Hunter Winn

Hi I am Hunter Winn, and I am a normal fifth grade boy, but one day when I was in school I imagined that this was happening, One day when the Zacalz and Teriphermians are fighting a young Zacalz and a young Teriphermian are playing together and then the adults realize that they can get along and be friends. They call themselves the Zerifermians. They have trouble trying to find out how to use their superpowers together and fight together because the Zacalz come from the sky but the Teriphermians come from the ground, but then when the guard for the Zeriphermians sees a big dragon coming right for them they need to figure out how to use their powers together as a team. They figure out that the Teriphermians can dig and attack it and while it is distracted and the Zacalz would go and attack the big dragon and try to defeat it. It is getting closer by the second so the Zeriphermians start their plan and attack.

The Teriphermians start to dig while the Zacalz start to blow up their hot air balloon to go to the fight. The Zeriphermians come out of the ground when the dragon doesn’t expect it and gets it weak and while it is fighting the Zacalz start to come from the ground but the one thing that the Zeriphermians didnt expect is that the dragon can breathe fire and with that it burns some of the Zeriphermans. The Zeriphrmians that stayed at their camp were shocked and did not know what to do. They started to make a plan. The strongest Zeriphermian that was in the Zeriphermian camp was named Cordle. Cordle started to gear up and go to the figh,t but first he had to eat a few donuts to get him hyped. He started to run out to the battlefield while the other Zeriphermians were still

getting it weak so Cordel could finish it off, but then he realized that his blood sugar was getting low so he had to stop and eat a Snickers and a few more chocolate covered donuts. After he had done that he was very thirsty from running and eating so he had to go get some water at the camp. The other Zeriphermians were getting weak while Cordel was just getting water. Then most of the Zacals were defeated, so then Cordle started to come and sliced the dragon in half with one hit of his mighty sword. The Zeriphermians are mad at him for having to go back all the way back to camp while the other Zeriphermians were risking their lives, but they now know how to work together as a team. They have a funeral and lost a lot of Zeriphermians soldiers but they have kids have regain their population. And Cordle will forever be the king until he dies.

And then when I got out of school, a kid at are school named Issac Zito that had dedicated his life to learning the life of the Zeriphermians he tells me that it really happened. And until this day the legend will go on forever and ever.

Author Bios

CHASE GRAY is an author in 5C. His favorite food is bacon and his favorite sport is basketball.

LEAH CARN is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is cucumbers with ranch dressing and her favorite color is purple.

EMILY SALIB is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is clam chowder and her dream vacation would be a trip to Hawaii.

KASSIDY SANDERS is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is pancakes and her favorite color is purple.

KIRTLEY TAYLOR is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is pancakes and her favorite vacation spot is the Outer Banks.

CARSON MILLER is an author in 5C. His favorite food is chicken parmesean and his favorite color is green.

OLIVER SCOTT is an author in 5C. His favorite food is macaroni and cheese and his dream vacation spot is the Bahamas.

QUINN PARVIN is an author in 5C. His favorite food is chicken and his favorite color is orange.

KB CHAMBLISS is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is chicken and her favorite color is black.

CAROLINE BOHAN is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is tacos and her favorite color is blue.

EMMA UNCAPHER is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is pasta and her dream vacation would be a trip to Ireland.

THOMAS NEWMAN is an author in 5C. His favorite food is steak and his favorite kind of music is pop.

NETHAN LIYANAGE is an author in 5C. His favorite thing to do is play tennis, and his favorite food is french fries.

ELLYSE WITT is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is pasta and her dream vacation would be to go to Australia.

VERA HARTZ is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is Caesar salad and her dream vacation would be a trip to Italy.

CHLOE LEVY is an author in 5C. Her favorite food is beef stew and her dream vacation would be a trip to France.

DAVIS STEADMAN is an author in 5C. His favorite food is ice cream and his dream vacation would be a trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado.

HUNTER WINN is an author in 5C. His favorite food is macaroni and cheese and his dream vacation would be a trip to Alaska.

REED FOX is an author in 5C. His favorite food is tacos and his favorite color is pink.

ADITYA THAPA is an author in 5C. We don’t know his favorite food or dream vacation spot, but we know that both are awesome.

MOLLIE DECKER is an author in 5C. She wrote all of these author bios, but forgot to include one for herself.