A Lost Soul
You open the front door and instantly have the sudden urge to slam it shut because there he was. Standing in front of you, shaking uncontrollably. Did he just need money? Was he on the run from the police? Or maybe hiding from another dealer who he promised to pay back but never did? Promises. You don’t think he ever understood the concept of one. Or the value that they hold. But you did. And you had always promised him that you would never give up on him. That you would never lose hope on him. That’s why he was there. He knew you would open your door and not close it immediately. He knew he had you wrapped around his finger. He knew you cared. And deep down, he cared too. That’s why he was there.
He stepped inside, knowing you wouldn’t stop him. “I love you,” he said, “and I am so sorry.” You could see him eventually following his speech with a, “It will never happen again.” But he didn’t. Probably because you both knew it wasn’t true. It will happen again. No matter how much he expressed his genuine apologies, it would happen again. Now whether it would be a day, a week, a month, or even 6… you weren’t sure. He was a wild card. Always down to walk the spontaneous path in life. Well, his version of it. To you, the spontaneous path consisted of sneaking out every so often and jumping in the lake when it’s 30 degrees. To him, the spontaneous path consisted of methamphetamine, cocaine, and half-assing every chance at rehab he was given.
You knew you were being used. But as his little sister, it wasn’t difficult to overlook the fact because of how much you loved him. You would do anything to get your brother back. The one who would pick you up and spin you in circles. The one who taught you how to be the best at Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. But he was gone. For good. All you had left was a drug-addicted low-life who only asked you for help when he had no other option. You didn’t mind him being inside. Being in your home that used to be his too. After talking over 2 glasses of Mountain Dew, you learned he was locked up less than 24 hours ago. You cared, but not to the point where you would yell. Yelling didn’t fit the situation in front of you. You just needed time to enjoy his presence because you never knew how long it would be until you could enjoy it again. His presence was always so warm. He brought the same feeling that Christmas morning did. Well, the ones he was there for.
Of course, you let him in. You were angry he got locked up for what felt like the thousandth time. You were relieved he chose your home over one of his drug-addicted pals. You were happy to hold him in your arms once again. But you were sad. Sad that things would never be the way they were before the “harmless” vape pen turned into the ongoing overdoses of opioids. He will forever be your brother, the person you love and pray for every single day. But he will never again be who he used to be.
Thrill
I saw the flames growing in front of me, as they consume any and everything in there path. As I continued watching the orange beauty grow and destroy, it gives me a thrill, it makes me feel risky. Some may call me crazy "pyromanic", "arsonist" if you want to get technical with it. But in my mind I am simply just being a good person, destroying what needs to be destroyed. This world is like a pyramid of bowling pins and I am the ball, my only purpose is to get rid of those "pins". I do realize that what I do hurts others but everything comes at a cost in this world. I try to stop but there is something about the thrill of lighting a match and throwing it and watching it turn into an enteral glowing light. I know that lighting things on fire should not excite me but for some reason it does, the feeling that I have control and that I get to decide who lives and who goes. As of right now I am a fugitive from law enforcement from 32 of the 50 states because of said crimes. Those 32 states police officers know who I am and know what I am capable of but still seem to take no action in my crimes, so technically I am not letting the "innocents" die they are. It is been a couple days since my last adventure as of right now I am trying to keep my head down because if I caught, then the world would fill up with the evil ones. And what I mean by that is that the world would continue to appreciate and idolize the people who are made of pure evil. On the outside they may look like a beautiful flower like a gardenia for example, but on the inside it is a cold, barren cavity with what seems to be a cinder block of a heart. They have no emotion, they don't care about what they say and how it affects others. Those people don't care that they are the ones that push people over the edge. And that's where I come in, I am the one who takes care of them, I am the advocate for the underdogs, the ones who can't stand up for themselves. My only intention with what I do is to put those people in as much pain as they do others, and sometimes that does come at the cost of others but what needs done, needs done. Today when I was walking around just trying to get some fresh air and refresh I ended up walking past a highschool basketball court. And what I saw was absolutely disgusting, there was this boy who was barley 5'8 and very skinny. And these two other neanderthals just wailing on him it was like they had converted back to monkeys. He was screaming for them to stop until he went quiet. It shocked me I didn't know what had happened but the two boys stood up, you could see the fear in their eyes, they lost all color it was like they turned to zombies. They moved the boy behind a tree and left him there barley breathing. I ran up to the fence and hopped it after the two others had left I ran up to the boy to help him regain stability. There was blood all over him and you could see he was terrified and confused about what happened. I helped him clean up and sent him on his way home. After that I knew who I was after next. In that moment i found my calling in the world. I know its owner but I cant stop I have to fix the world or at least try to. Alex and Jake McCay those douche bags, I don't understand whats so wrong with their minds that makes them think that its okay to treat people like that. Maybe its because i went through similar experiences in middle school til senior year or it was because I had the ever growing need to kill the evil that infects humans in the same house that I did a little light research on them onlyto find out that they had done the same thing to dozens of other kids and none of them fought back. That night I got ready I was already furious and I wasn't even there yet. I put on a a black hoodie that had the feeling of cheap cotton and polyester. Then I grabbed my bag that had lighter fluid and a tiny box of matches, gloves, and a facemask. They lived in a very sophisticated neighborhood, so I put on the face mask and pulled up my hood. The street light were bright but I didn't see any cameras so I thought I was in the clear. I walk down the sidewalk pouring the lighter fluid and then continuing on up the drive way. I stopped on the porch and picked the lock on the front door.What I didn't know was that they had a dog. This little white crusty dog, he saw me and before he could make a noise I grabbed him and threw him outside. That was the only time my plan was almost ruined. After that I could feel my heart racing but I needed to continue on. I walked through the house putting the fluid on everything, I had to make sure there was no chance of survival for them, they deserved to die after what they did. I had finished pouring it everywhere except for their rooms. I walk up a flight of stairs leading to a dark hallway with three doors. One of the doors was to the parents room but they were out of town. The next door I opened slowly and saw Alex sleeping I took a step into his room and for a monet I almost stooped but i don't know if i could it was almost involuntary but I continued on .and doused his carpet in liquid magic and did the same with the sides of his bedframe and his desk. Next I did the same thing to Jakes room. Sometimes I wish i wasn I left both of the doors open and walked out and stood in front of the piece of wall that separated the two doors, I took two matches out of the box that I had in my back pocket and struck them and quickly threw them into the boy's rooms. I bolted down the hallway then the stairs and out the front door. I picked up the dog and stood in front of the house waiting for the flames to erupt out of the house. I heard the screams of agony and pain come form the windows of the top floor. Then I ran down the street and hid in a tunnel in the community park. I heard everyone in the neighborhood start to exit their house and the clamor of them trying to get help was like music to my ears. After the firetrucks and police cars passed me I crawled out of the tunnels and began my get away. I made it home and undressed and disposed of the clothes I was wearing into a black trash bag that would later go in a trash truck the next morning. That morning I woke up and took the little white dog to a canine shelter to get rid of it. I saw on the fire on the news and it never fails to amaze me. Fire is so complex because its one of the most dangerous things in the world but it is also so beautiful and elegant. I started walking home, I was taking my time looking at everything in shop windows and smelling the air and enjoying the nice weather. Little did I know that would be the last time. Looking back I wish I would've walked faster because I started hearing sirens in the distance a few moments later and not just coming from one car it looked like at least ten. I immediately start to run not knowing if they were coming for me. I turn and bump into a trash can that slows me down and eventually they catch up to me and i get tackled and handcuffed the thrown in the back of a police car. I kept asking my self how they knew it was me, I didn't leave any trial I was so careful. But I guess you can never truly know whose watching you.
End of confession recording.
​
A lot has happened since those guards found me and my older sisters that day, but I'll tell you as much as I can in a short entry.
Seven guards showed up out of nowhere, and said that Crona, Nana, and I were expected to return to "Harmony House". "We were told of it before, but we've never been there before, since we were stuck in one mansion our whole lives. But, since Crona is still unconscious
from being hit by four bombs, and from being transformed into a Black Demon, the decision was up to Nana and me.
After being convinced by Orion, my "Personal Guard", as he claims to be, we decided to travel to Harmony House. The guards were
able to quickly transport us there through a portal, and we were mesmerized to see the castle. It was like something more than what I've read in my books. It was a large castle on an island, with another island linked to the castle's island by a bridge with a large town covering it.
Not only was the size amazing, but everything around it made it more glorious. A large spanding, flower garden surrounded the sleekly painted castle. There were flowers of nearly every variety in it. Including: gardenias, bellflowers, bluebells, blue star flowers, roses, and more. In the garden, also stood a grand, silver fountain with a sculpture of a beautiful woman in a flowing gown in the center of it. Lastly to mention, light gray, brink pathways went through the garden, and around the castle.
And the outside walls of the castle were just as beautiful. With flowers from the garden climbing up some of the walls of the castle. Along with several large, paned windows scattered throughout the castle. Overall, the castle itself stayed clean and sleek, allowing it not to over or under shine the gardens.
We were quickly welcomed into the castle, and had a very short audience with the Queen of the castle. She said that she's been expecting us, and that we were told that we would be having another meeting for her to explain everything further to us. But, for now, we had to wait for Crona to wake up.
The Queen also told us that we would be given our own rooms to stay in and do with as we please. She also told us that during the meeting, we would be meeting the other ten Nova Starlings of the Third Generation. My sisters and I knew we were Nova Starlings, gifted girls with unique magical abilities growing up. However, we were never told that there were ten more of us.
Right now, Nana and I are staying in our rooms, waiting for Crona to wake up. I'm glad that we don't have to live worrying about men coming for us, but the whole change in environment is just overwhelming for me right now. Hopefully with time, I'll be able to readjust to living as a Noble lady.
I was just finishing my first entry in my journal, when I heard a knock at my bedroom door. "Aya?" It was Nana. "You can come in, Nana, "I answered from across the room at my desk.
Nana opened the door slowly and peeked her head in, "What are you doing, Aya?" she asked softly. I put down my pen on the desk and turned around in my seat to face my sister. "Just writing my first entry in my journal," I answered.
After entering the room and closing the door behind her, Nana came up to me. She looked over my shoulder and looked at my journal, as I turned around to look at my journal again. "Can I see it, please?" Nana asked, as she held her hand out to my light brown journal. I picked it up, handed it to her, and nodded.
While Nana was reading my entry, I turned around in my seat, and looked around my room. The pastel violet walls, white carpet floor, silver trim around the floor, doors, and windows creates a pure surroundings. I had a desk along the back wall of my room from where the door is, and my violet, tulle canopy, Queen sized bed was on the right side of the room with the headboard along the wall. It also had a white duvet with an intricate lavender flower pattern all over it, and large, white pillows. On the far left side of the room there was a walk-in wardrobe that could be another bedroom if you see the size for yourself. It had long rods for hanging clothes, and drawers underneath for folded clothes. There was also a white, patted, ottoman in the center. And beside my wardrobe was a door to a private bathroom.
It's been a few days since we first came to Harmony House, and we've been readjusting to it fine. The Queen had the servants prepare nightgowns for us, and washed and fixed our clothes for us to wear the next day. We were told that we'll have a new, custom selection of clothes to wear soon. But, I'm good with our current way of living.
"It sounds really good, Aya. But it sounds more like you're writing it as a novel than a journal entry" Nana said with a small giggle after she finished reading. She handed my journal back to me, and I spoke as I put it back on my brown, wooden desk. "Well, I guess I was just putting a lot of thought into it," I giggled. Nana placed a hand on my shoulder, and gave me her usual gentle smile, "Well, keep it up, Aya. I'm sure Crona would love to read it once she wakes up" she said. " Okay" I answered.
I got up from my chair near my desk, and walked to the glass door, which leads to the grand balcony. As soon as I pushed the doors open, a relaxing, ocean breeze hit my face. Nana joined me outside, and we both placed our hands on the railing as we admired the view. "You really do have the best room, Aya. You have the perfect view of the town from here" Nana said jokingly. I laughed a little before replying, "Well, just having a comfy room is what I'm happy about".
Even though we're getting used to living in the castle after just a few days, I'm still worried about Crona. She still hasn't woken up. She was transformed into a part Black Demon being, thanks to our friend, Erick. And she thankfully survived being caught in an explosion of four bombs, but she's still unconscious. Erick's gone, so we can't ask him any questions. So, I'm just really worried.
My thoughts were stopped as Nana and I heard my bedroom door burst open. We turned around to see Orion rushing to us. He knelt on one knee, and bowed to us. "Lady Aya, Lady Inanna, Lady Caronna has woken up" he said in a formal, but out of breath voice.
"Really?!" I asked in shock. Orion nodded his head, "Yes, the physicians are checking her right now. We can go see her if you wish" he said as he stood up. Me and Nana didn't waste any time running out of my room to see Crona. I'm just curious if she noticed the small changes from her Transformation.
The World Against My Side
My name is Ava Williams. When I was a teenager I met the love of my life. Her name is Allie Jane. I remember the first time ever saw her, I was at a coffee shop before my morning run and I looked over and I saw the most gorgeous girl of my life sitting and reading a book. I was trying to work up the nerve to go and say something to her but just when I was about to talk to her I noticed she looked peaceful so I didn't bother her and hoped I'd see her again and sure enough I did. I saw her every Tuesday afternoon reading a new book and sipping on iced coffee. For weeks I didn't say anything and left the coffee shop and went back to the trail for my run but one day I decided to start talking to her a little bit more and the more I got to know Allie the more I saw that there's more to her than she shows. She looks like she has everything together but honestly, she's a mess however even through everything that she goes through she's still sweet and caring and very strong for everything she goes through. Without realizing it we had both fallen in love with each other.
Even though the world was against us in its own way we didn't care, we had each other and it's all we needed but even though we were madly in love Allie still had her problems. She struggles with past trauma and mental disorders like depression and anxiety. We got married in 2015 and tried to have kids for 4 years. Since we obviously can't have kids of our own we used surrogates but still, we couldn't seem to get pregnant and we tried everything. Finally, after 4 long and difficult years, we quit trying and we figured a baby would come to us at the right time but it put Allie in a really bad depressive state. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and barely talked to anyone.
After 2 months of being in a depressive state, Allie left us a note saying that even though she loved us all she couldn't do it anymore. She killed herself on April 31st, 2019 at 4 pm. It was hard on all of us but Allie was the love of my life, she was my soulmate and even though I knew she had her own troubles which I tried my best to help with, I still thought we would be together until we died.
Three weeks after Allie's death I was still a wreck but little did I know I was pregnant. We tried and we tried and were never successful but we had been given a baby. I took it as a sign because I knew it was all I had left of all. Since both of our families knew we had been trying, I was going to wait until after the first trimester to tell them. I knew that after the first trimester I and the baby would be safe which is why they won't know until then. When I and Allie got together all we wanted was to have a nice home and have a family together. We had always gotten what we wanted but we could never get pregnant. Now that Allie is gone and I'm pregnant, I'm going to have to start figuring out.
By: Hayden Johnson
"This is the place. I think." I examined the fairly normal suburban house. It was a simple light blue, with white accents that looked a little worse for wear. I walked up to the door of the house and took a deep breath. This could be the beginning of a new life. A better one. There were so many ways this could go, and the majority of those ways weren't good. I had to take this chance though, it didn't matter how small it was. After realizing I had been standing at the door for a few minutes, I finally knocked on the door of my possible future. After a few moments, a young woman opened the door. She looked to be a little under 30, with muddy green eyes, an upturned nose, and thin lips. She was wearing dark gray yoga pants and a simple green top, and her long blonde hair was fed back in a ponytail. She was glaring at me with slight disgust, like I was lower than her as a person.
"What do you want?" she spat out with revulsion. I had half a mind to turn and leave rightthen and there, but I stayed put. "Does Frederick Sears live here?" She was silent for a moment before turning around. "Honey! Some kid wants to see you." She then left, entering the nearby hallway. The door had been left open, and I stood there awkwardly. I fidgeted with the chain hanging from my jeans out of habit. I heard some rustling coming from the hallway and a man who looked to be in his mid thirties walked out. He was wearing blue jeans with a black and white sports hoodie, and had short salt and pepper hair. When his eyes fell upon me, he started coughing out of what I assume was shock. He gathered himself, and turned back towards him and I gave an awkward wave. "Let's go to the other room, we can talk there." He sounded very groggy, like he had just woken up.
He started to walk off, so I entered the home and closed the front door behind me. He led us down to a door at the end of the hallway and opened it, and gestured for me to come in. It looked to be an office of sorts. There was a desk in the corner and a filing cabinet in another. The desk had a large computer on it, and there was a mess of papers all over it. Some had
sketches for logos of companies I had never heard of before, and I assumed they were small local businesses. There was a large graph covering the majority of the window, which left very little light coming into the room. The floor was carpeted, and there was a blue stain by the trash can full of balled up papers. He opened the closet door and took out a small wooden stool and handed it to me before sitting down in the office chair. "I know it's not much, but it's better than sitting on the floor, right?" he said, which I replied to with a curt nod.
I put the stool down and took a seat, then went to speak but couldn't find the words. We sat there until he decided to break the silence. "So uh, you're Darci's kid right?" I nodded. "How's she doing?" I was silent for a moment to think of a reply. "She's the same as was when you knew her. Hasn't changed since I was six." "Figures, she was always stubborn." We were
silent again. "Darci is actually the reason I'm here. I was looking through my legal records and I found that um," I paused to collect myself. "That you lived here, and I wanted to talk to you." He sighs, "Well you got what you wanted, here I am. Though admittedly I never thought I'd see you again, you've certainly changed." He laughed to himself a little, but I was annoyed.
"Well, that's what happens when you aren't around for 10 years. People change." I said it a little snarkier than I probably needed to, but it got my point across. He looked at the ground, and I started messing with my chain again. We sat in silence until I cleared my throat so I could start up the conversation again. "I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind?" He took a bit to respond, like he was thinking over it but he eventually agreed. I pulled out the pen and small
notebook I had been keeping in my back pocket, and readied the pen.
"What is this, an interview?" he said in a humorous manner. "You could call it that." His information if it's in one place and I don't have to worry about remembering everything. Now let's smile faded a little. "Regarding the notebook though, it's easier to keep track of all the get started shall we?" I gave an exaggerated smile, to show him I wasn't gonna deal with his
crap. His smile faded completely and he sighed again. "Alrighty." I started.
"What's your full name and can you spell it out for me?"
"I thought you knew my name."
"You start every interview like this, it's common courtesy.
"Frederick Adam Sears, and he spelled it out.
"Alright, question one. When did you meet Darci?"
"We met at a roastery in the morning while both of us were getting coffee." I wrote it down, adding a note that it lined up with what Darci said.
"When did you and Darci start dating?"
"February 17th, 2005." A few days before I was born, apparently.
"Was I a mistake?"
"You said that really calmly."
"And you're dodging the question." He huffed out of annoyance."
Yes, we didn't have intercourse with the intention of having you." I scribbled it down, unlike everything else this didn't line up with what Darci said.
"Aren't these all things you could've asked your mom?" he asked, clearly uncomfortable. "I like hearing both sides of the story, and she likes to skirt around these sometimes. Won't give me straight answers." "This can't be the only reason you came." I put away my notebook and pen. "Fine, you got me."
"Can I stay here? With you?" "Absolutely not." I stared at him blankly. He had said it immediately without giving it any thought. "What, why not?" "Because I said no, Callum." I looked down out of frustration. I started messing with my chain again, and gave a deep breath. "Look, Darci is horrible. I can't live with her anymore. She only gives me the basic needs and an allowance once a month. We never talk, and when we do it's just her yelling at me about my grades, or one of my friends, boyfriends, eating, writing, literally anything she finds something to be upset about. She's been emotionally manipulating ever since you left. I can not be there." I sighed. "Please, please let me live with you. I'd be quiet, I can do chores, hell I can even help you with your job, I don't care. Just please." I was gripping my chain, and my knuckles were turning pale.
The man who used to be my father gave me a remorseful look. "Callum, you're part of a life I want nothing to do with. I know it hurts, I know she's awful, but I can not be around you. For my own sake. Just being in the same room as you has been bringing back memories I never wanted to revisit." I was gripping my chain even harder now, and it was starting to hurt.
"Are you serious?! You leave me with her for 10 years, never looking back and won't even help me now? After all of that?! You owe me! You're a father, you should be taking care of your damn kid! You should be taking care of me! You owe me that and you know it!"
"I said no, Callum."
"You owe me!"
"Callum."
"After everything-"
"Callum, I said no!" he yelled. "Callum, I live a happy life now! I have a girlfriend I've loved for years, and a job I'm happy with! I know I did a horrible thing, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you, but I can not go back to that. Not now, not ever." He paused to calm down a little. "Now get out of my damn house." He was standing now, and looking away from me. I
eased my grip on my chain, stood up, and wiped my eyes. I didn't realize I'd been crying. "You haven't helped for the last ten years, I don't know why I thought you would help me now."
I calmly walked out of the room and through the hallway, and left through the front door, closing it behind me. I walked down their driveway and started walking back to the bus stop. After checking the time, I realized I needed to hurry otherwise I'd miss the last bus home. If I wasn't home in the morning Darci would yell at me and I didn't want to deal with that today. Freddy referred to Darci as my mom, but I don't see her as that anymore. I knew there was a gas station on the way to the bus stop from the walk to Freddy's house, and I decided to stop there and get a little treat. Hopefully that'd make me feel better.
I walked into the gas station and immediately headed to the fridges near the back of the station where they kept all the drinks cold. I looked around and saw the drink I was looking for near the side of the fridges. Polly's Pop Strawberry Soda. It was my favorite, and it had memories attached to it. Mainly ones of Freddy. I held the drink for a moment more before
putting it back, and grabbing a random soda. The memories attached to that strawberry soda were beginning to sour. I went up to the counter and paid for the drink and left the station. It was slightly windy and my face felt cold, and I realized I was still crying if only slightly. I checked the time and realized that my only way home would soon be gone, and I rushed to the station, leaving the shattered hope I had in this awful town.
Shaded
Deep in a forest of old sycamores stood an old shack, its old wood moving to the rhythm of the scarce wind intertwined with the trees. Its roof showed a color of a pale green, accented by gardens of moss. Ivy traveled as it wanted upwards the swaying speckled spruce wood. Flower beds stood pushed away from the walls with overgrown shaded herbs, searching for sunlight while the sycamores stood, grabbing it away from them. On one side of the house stood another plant bed holding dead or dying plants surrounding one pocket of light that surrounded a small flower; a black dahlia. Its colors showed to be darker than the night and its leaves stood as the strong winner for the only light that could reach the ground.
A small pathway seeming to be tread on by small feet with the surrounding barriers being eaten or pushed back to create room for something. Tufts of white clouds were captured on the old honeysuckles lining the pathway.
Movement sounded further out by the rim of the forest where sounds of humming could be heard. Soon a young woman glided through the pathway, her pale yellow dress occasionally snagging on the bushes and low branches. A few figures could be seen behind her; walking clouds. They drifted behind her, smelling each leaf that was passed and ingesting some if they seemed fit to. Four sheep followed the young woman through the pathway up to the old house. She was carrying a metal object, water slowly jumping out of it onto her dress creating a morning starry sky.
The girl started to pour the rest of the stars onto the plant beds surrounding the waving house, saving a quarter for her darling the dahlia. She gently poured the rest onto the flower's crown and tillers. She then said goodbye to the small life till she could come back while the train of clouds followed her back through the forest trail.
By: Lane Hess
Jimmy woke to his parents fighting. It wasn't out of the ordinary for his parents to fight but it became 100 times worse after Jimmy's grandma died. His dad and his grandma were very close and his dad (6'5 240 pounds solid muscle) already had anger problems but they only became worse once his grandma died. It seemed like every little thing set him off and it was bad news for anybody that got in the way of his wrath. Jimmy's mom (5'1 130 pounds petit) has to be the peacemaker but she can't really do much against his dad. Anyway Jimmy got up to go to school. He hopped in the shower and put music on to drown out the sound of his parents fighting. He put on some country because it was the only music his parents liked and it was easier than dealing with his dad right now. He got out of the shower and he got dressed and headed out the door to his car and went to pick up his best friend Jerry. Jerry is a tall kid 6'1 to be exact he has bleach blond hair and a lot of acne. He wears old hand me down clothes everyday, old As soon as Jerry gets in the car he steals the aux cord and plays some music and turns it up all the way. Once they get to school Jerry hops out and walks into the school and goes to class. Now Jimmy is a shorter kid (like 5'10) he also has blond hair and he wears nice clothes but his face is covered in acne. He goes to class and sits at the back of the class and puts his hood up and hopes people don't bully him today. Of course that's too much to ask. as soon as the popular kids walk in (20 mins late of course). The head kid named Chad Spangler starts in on him calling him a nerd and to go get hit by his dad again. Jimmy starts crying so Chad keeps going and the whole class is laughing. Jimmy runs out of that class and runs to the bathroom and hides there until the end of class. this was normal he was used to getting bullied but recently it has been getting to him a lot more. Before he was just using video games as an escape but recently he has been using a blade that his dad bought him to cut himself where nobody else can see (his legs, his arms etc.). That's been kinda working but more and more thoughts have been running through his head. He never wants to do the things he used to love to do. Jerry is starting to worry so he goes to the school counselor and tells her all the things he knows about Jimmy and everything going on at home. The counselor calls Jimmy to her office. They have a chat and Jimmy is pissed that Jerry went and told her everything happening in his life. He was more mad at himself for trusting that idiot. The counselor didn't tell Jimmy that Jerry told her but he knows it was him. It has to be. At lunch he pulls Jerry aside and goes off on him and tells him it was not his place to tell anybody and that the trust between them is gone. While all this was happening the counselor called home and talked to the dad about everything that Jimmy had said. The dad is out raged and he goes to the bar to drown the pain with alcohol. Jimmy goes through the rest of the day upset and filled with rage. Once Jimmy gets home he goes straight to his room and puts on his headphones and blasts music into his ear which is why he didn't rage hear his drunken dad yell at him from down stairs. His dad comes up the stairs in a drunken and busts into Jimmy's room and walks over to the bed where Jimmy lies pissed off and grabs him by the collar of his shirt and yanks him to his feet. From then on Jimmy's dad beat him until he was bloody from head to toe. Then his dad went to the living room and lied down and fell asleep basically as soon as he hit the pillow. While Jimmy was on the ground he thought of every bad thing that happened to him in his life. He remembered all the verbal and physical fights he and his dad have had. Thinking about everything that terrible man has done to him brought the thoughts of suicide. he has had a couple of times before but he had never even thought about actually doing it but this pushed him farther than he has ever been pushed so he walked to his parents room where the gun cabinet was. He had figured out the padlock combination a long time ago. It was his mom's birthday. He unlocked the cabinet pulled out the pistol and walked outside put the gun in his mouth and *BOOM* his body hit the ground with life quickly running out of his eyes. His mom had pulled in right as the gunshot went off. She ran to the back yard and bent down by his side with 911 on the phone sobbing that they needed to get an ambulance there quickly. The emts got there in less than 5 minutes, they got him in the
ambulance and raced to the hospital and put him in immediate surgery. After about 2 hours of waiting the doctor came out and said " I'm sorry but your son has passed". His mom broke down in tears. His dad tried to console her but she knew it was his fault. She called the cops and got him arrested on an account of domestic abuse and child abuse. She also got divorce papers and got divorced from that terrible human but she knew deep down in her heart that it would not bring back her dead son. She tried everything but none of it seemed to work. She slowly drove herself insane until one day she met the same fate. She thought it was the only thing to get Jimmy off of her mind. She walked to the bathroom and took a pill bottle, opened it up and swallowed all the pills inside the bottle and she layed on the floor and waited for death. Now the dad is rotting in a prison cell and has to live with himself knowing that both of their deaths are his fault.
run, Run, RUN. . .
Sampson Longenecker
Screaming through the deserted desert she ran through the trap.
The pearly white eyes, the long brunette hair, it was him, Banshee. Banshee was a tall silhouetted figure with long brown hair and white eyes from going blind. He always wore a big long gown, a hospital gown. He's like the guardian of the desert in Tombstone, Arizona. If you get in his way he will curse you with bad luck until you please him. Now keep in mind Tombstone was a small town, especially now. Recently he has been going around frightening countless people. The population has gone down so drastically that more than 1000 people have evacuated in the last month.
Screaming through the deserted desert she ran through the trap. The sand collapsed and she fell through. She landed on the bottom of the pit, but that was only the beginning. "Scorpions!!" she screamed as she hit the bottom of the pit. She quickly got up and got a look at her surroundings, trying to stay away from the 8 legged creature. She realized what species it was... Leiurus quinquestriatus. The scorpion with the most potent venom in the whole world. She saw them running closer to her as she scooted to the corner of the pit. "Well shit!" she exclaimed, they were rushing towards her, she was cornered.
​
Stinging her one by one each scorpion stung, once, twice, three times, over and over and over. She was done for, or so she thought.
Sirens wailing she was picked up and immediately taken straight to the closest emergency room. Going in and out of consciousness she asked, "am I going to live, or die? Be honest." They said in synchronisation "We will do what we can, but there are no promises, you are in a bad state right now." She says ok with a voice of desperation and tries to move on.
She falls asleep and wakes up to the sound of beeping. It was a hospital. She hadn't been to one for years, for she hadn't gotten hurt in forever. She had to go to the restroom, so she pressed her red button to call for a nurse, but nobody came. She pressed it again, still, nobody. She starts yelling, "Hey! I need to go to the restroom. Can I get some help?" No answer... She decided to get up herself because there was no answer. She walks into the restroom and looks down. Her legs were normal. "But how?"
Isiah Waldrip
Why is he Staring at me? With those big wide eyes, and that toothy grin. His gold tooth in his grin, it shone in the shadows. The only thing that was brighter than his gold tooth was his eyes.
They were wider than what I thought a normal person would be able to. When I saw them, it was an extremely dark night so I couldn't see anything, except when I was under a street lamp. When I was in the darkest part of the sidewalk, when I saw him, His eye's were not normal.Not because they were so wide, that you would think he was on drugs, but because they looked like they were glowing.
There was something else off about him. He dressed like he was in the 1920s. A top hat, a tuxedo, a thin and rich mustache, and a cane with a golden wolf handle. Due to his looks, I was so nervous, I couldn't even speak to the man.
But, I eventually gathered enough courage to ask the man If I could help him, he didn't answer. So, I turned around and walked away from him, but then I heard the sound of a cane behind me. I turned around, he wasn't there, but when I turned around to continue walking, he was there, staring at me with those freakish eyes. I was irritated by this point, so I shouted, "what the heck do you want?!"
Then, in a distorted voice, I heared the words "YOUR SOUL!" Then the man lunged at me, with a blood curtling scream.
Gabriel Bowden
The man sat in the booth across from me studied me with old eyes. His wrinkles which formed when he used to smile so much are no longer quite as prominent. The man's irises were currently an icy blue, resembling the seasonal weather among the small town. This I only knew because I've seen him once before. His eyes were almost like a crisp auburn resembling what was known to him as "the falling of the children" I couldn't hold eye contact with him without becoming
mesmerized, and distracted. I averted my eyes to the table, glancing at the hands belonging to the man which was of the
earth; they were calloused, and slightly dingy. His grip on the small coffee mug was shaky, and yet sturdy. There was no fear
of him losing hold of the beautiful pottery. "No need to stare, young one. You've never paid this close of attention to my born
form." I glanced up to see his chapped lips pulled up in a devilish smile. Raspy laughter could barely be heard, the onlyway to truly tell the subtle noise was coming from the man before me was the slight shake of his shoulders.I clasped my
hands beneath the table, trying to find some way to begin the conversation we were to have
I'm merely the man who could kill you in a second. Though, I'm not truly cold-hearted. After all, I let you live last year on that mountain, didn't I?" his teasing voice sent chills down my back. It felt like my feet were going numb, most likely from all the blood rushing to my head. "That's not what we're here to talk about. I have one question, and one question only, E.” the
nickname seemed off, placed on a man of his stature, but he had asked me not to disclose "personal information". He nodded, taking a leisurely sip from his black coffee, and gesturing to me, a silent bid for me to proceed. "Where were you that night when the world stopped?"
Robert Bishop
Cast:
: an average teenage boy, no idea the voice
SISTER: slightly shorter that BROTHER, and has mostly the same physical trait
MOTHER: just an adult version of sister
Scene start
The scene starts in a living room with a small couch, a small television, and a glass dining table,
MOTHER is sitting down on the couch on the phone, BROTHER walks in through the front door
with a backpack and jacket on, he puts the backpack next to the couch, and the jacket on a coat
rack under a label with an unintelligible name on it
MOTHER: Soooo how was school?
BROTHER: it went well, we learned about factoring functions in math
MOTHER: that's nice, oh I just remembered, I need to tell you to text your dad, he's been on my back since we've moved
BROTHER: well he knows I don't know how to start conversations, much less even have the confidence to
MOTHER: well you need to at least text him sometimes, I've got enough going on with the
scammers not refunding me even though they're legally obligated to
BROTHER: you're right, I just don't know what to say, I don't want to be direct with my problems to him, but I also want to avoid bringing him into my life here in Kansas, I'm fine with seeing him in Texas occasionally, but I mean, he's a kid raising kids
MOTHER: don't say that about your dad, you know he tries, plus, he really wants you to be able to socialize, you know, actually have a social life and make friends
BROTHER: I know, it's just... he didn't want me to go to my therapy, he didn't want sis to get hers, he had inappropriate relations with someone at his work, he refuses to take any responsibility for what happened to my brother
Infinity
Avery Samuelson
It all started with infinity, we said that we would be friends forever. Well, I suppose I should introduce myself before I start to tell you the seemingly saddest story of my life. My name is Indie, I know I know, my parents were hippies. I've grown to like it, though it was mainly thanks to Birdie. Birdie is, well, was my best friend. We met in the second
grade and clicked instantly because we have so much in common. First of all, we both have very distant parents. My mom and dad love me, and I love them. Though they haven't always supported me and that caused us to grow apart.
They love to travel the world and play music, and I'm happy for that but that often left me without them in my youth. The calls and postcards were nice, but I just wanted my parents. When I tried to explain that in the 6th grade they called me ungrateful. I quote, "We do this all for you, you want a roof over your head, you have to make some
sacrifices too." To this day, I still don't know what they were "sacrificing" but that is water under the bridge.
Birdie on the other hand wants her dad gone. He is a recovering pyromaniac, by recovering I mean he has the right idea and never follows through. I'll say he has gotten better, or at least I don't fear for Birdie's safety. She is beyond irritated with him. When she was in the 5th grade her mom left them, because of his obsessive pyromancy. She
attempted to take Birdie with her but because she is a recovering addict herself the court chose the fiery dad instead. Birdie tries to understand what her dad is going through, yet it's hard to forgive him for pushing her mother away.
Finding out that the gardenia was her favorite flower was only the second most exciting thing about her, but I'll get back to that. When I heard that her name was Birdie, second grade me could almost jump for joy! I had never met anyone with a name as unique as mine. It was in that moment I knew we would, or should be best friends
forever. She used to only want to be called Bird because apparently "Birdie" made her sound like a baby. Though that all changed once her mom left. She wanted to hang on to anything that connected her to her mother ... even down to never wearing polyester. That one always confused me a bit. She told me once that her mother would recoil at
the touch of the fabric, so I guess she does now too.
Now I think that is enough of a background, here is what happened that makes my heart break more than reminiscing on the memories. It was Valentine's Day, my boyfriend was quarantined, so Birdie and I decided to get together. We decided to meet at our favorite all-night diner. Something about that place just has the most oddly
comforting feeling. When I arrived she was already in our usual booth with a small pot of gardenias. Like I mentioned earlier gardenias had always been our comfort flower, so the fact that I had a pot in my hand as well wasn't surprising because Valentine's Day was always harder for Birdie. No matter how hard I tried to convince her that she could join me and Steven, that's my boyfriend, by the way, she always refused. So it was surprising when I saw that she had bought some herself. I assumed at the time that it was because Stephen was quarantined. I mean what else could it be?
When I went to sit down I could tell she had something she needed to tell me though it seemed to be something happy. She said it so fast it took me a minute to register. So I will just give you a quick summary. She had just gotten back from a short trip she had to take where apparently she met the cutest most gentleman-like guy she
had ever met. He was a skycap. He asked for her number and they were going to go out. When I heard this, I was surprised because why would she be sitting with me if this were the case. It's Valentine's Day for God's sake. Though she insisted she must stay because we needed to catch up. We talked through our dinner of tuna fish sandwiches
and chips. Not the fanciest, but once again a tradition.
Our last event of the night was going bowling across the street. At this point, all the excitement has worn off and I could tell something was wrong. When I asked, she said she was fine, but no one is ever actually fine when they say that. I waited about 45 minutes before I couldn't take her solemn expression any longer. I insisted she tell me
what was up regardless of what it was. She looked like she was about to cry and I prepared for the worst.
The words she mumbled under her breath weren't the worst, they were beyond that. She said that her father had passed away in an accident and now there was nothing keeping her here. She needed to find her mother before it was too late for her too. It was the drop of a bowling pin that snapped me out of it, I had forgotten we were in the middle of a round. At the moment it was of little importance anyway. On the outside, I was consoling her about her father. And joyous that she would finally have a chance to find mother. But on the inside, I was breaking. What had she meant by there was nothing keeping her here. We've been attached at the hip seemingly our entire lives. We were the most important things to each other. Why would she suddenly leave as if there was nothing ever here?
Weeks have passed and I've gotten no response to my calls and texts. I don't know what happened to my best friend, my sister, the one who made it easy for me to get through life. I still have hope that she is ok and that life will bring us back together. So we can be sisters once again. But what makes this such a sad story is that I am wondering if this just might mean that her understanding of infinity and mine are not the same.
There's a frog on my hat. Why is there a frog on my hat? My apartment is on the top floor, how did a frog get up here? More importantly, why is the frog on my hat? I reach out my hand to get my hat, but the frog seems to glare at me, I pull my hand back. It hops - it hops on my hat! - and changes the way it is looking. It's now looking at my balcony. It's looking at the flowers on my balcony. Does it want a flower? I don't want to give it my flower, I love my flowers. But I also love my hat. This is a hard decision, my hat or my flowers. I suppose it only has to be one flower doesn't it. I mean, what can the frog do with a whole bouquet of flowers? Making my decision I back up towards my balcony, keeping my eyes on the frog. I'm not risking it destroying my hat. When my back hits the door, I risk it and turn around to open it. Plucking a flower, I quickly shut the door and turn back towards the intruder. It's still on my hat. Holding
the flower in front of me I offer it as a peace offering. The frog hops - on my hat again! - and turns its back towards me. Is the flower not good enough? How dare it, I raised these flowers myself. Is this [redacted] saying I did a terrible job or something. I'll show it a terrible job, I think as I drop the flower and reach out to squeeze the frog to death. I stop myself before I do though, it's still on my hat. I don't want to risk hurting my hat. I stalk around the room until I'm
in front of the frog again. I cross my arms as I stare at the frog. It stares back. Okay, if I want to play this game, I'll play this game. My stare becomes a glare, and the frog follows suit. How dare it, does it think it's better than me or something. After five minutes of glaring at each other, I yield. I sigh and crouch to its height. It's height plus my hat actually.
"What do you want?" My voice sounds so weary, and I guess the frog feels pity because it hops in place and gestures towards the balcony again. Does it actually want a bouquet?
It hops in place again. It hops on my hat. And it gestures towards the balcony once more. I tilt my head, confused. What is it trying to say? The frog seems annoyed and it hops off my hat… It's off my hat! I don't get to celebrate though because it may have hopped off my hat, but it hopped on me. That ruined any victory I might have felt. I only just managed to muffle my scream, I don't want the neighbors to think I'm being killed. Then again, who knows what the
frog wants to do to me. It hops - on my arm this time! - and it gestures towards the balcony once again. I walk back to the door of the balcony and open it for the second time. The frog hops off and into the flower bed. It seems happy.