Pure Divinity

What is divinity? It is everything. An ineffable form of true creation.
You see them, but you don't. The divinities are everywhere. They sit in the lounge of everyone's hearts. The divinities are everything and everyone. Where there is agony there is a divinity.
Fazclus. He is the all-knowing divinity that lives in heaven. He commands all others atop from his throne.
Thrumeya. The divinity of vanity and lust. This divinity is terribly cruel, and curses those who are ugly. She can never look ugly.
Iole. The divinity of nothingness. When those who die think they have nothing left, Iole would show them true nothingness. For their arrogance of saying thus of nothing, they would be erased completely.
Vladri and Mortus. The divinities of war. They are in constant conflict when ever war is occurring. This is not of choice, but it concerns neither of them.

Michael N Bio.

Michael is a 7th grader at M.S. 51. He is a dancer and he likes to draw. He prefers stories about supernatural phenomena, and has written the Abyss and the short story "Endgame." He likes to play video games and play bowling. He won't tell anyone where he lives, so good luck finding him.

The Endgame

No one has ever survived when they play. It envelops you, it crushes you. 
It banishes every hope in your mind. As it ends you, you feel nothing but fear and sorrow. I wonder what they thought in their final moments? Sorrow that they failed the test? Rage that they were tricked? Or again was it sorrow, that their families would weep in sorrow through fault of their own? I would find out, because today I am the one who faces He who butchers the soul.
My sister is the one who believes I can pass, because I'm unlike everyone else. If I survive, it's over. No one will have to be butchered again.
"I'm worried," I tell Celia, my sister. "What if I don't pass? If I escape and don't kill that thing.... what if you have to-" I couldn't finish that sentence. I lost mother. I cannot lose Celia. 
"You'll be fine," she said with a smile. Her beautiful black hair shone in the rain mixed with the sun. "Now get over there!" She had to push me into the tunnel.
The tunnel was lit by candles and soft music. The music was supposed to be an apology for sending us off to Oblivion. But no apology is ever enough for forcing us to die. I am close to the gate with the butcher. I can see inside the room. The room. The butcher is silent. The souls of the dead inside. One soul above all other floats gracefully. It speaks to me in a faint voice.
It's you. After all these years, I finally found you. 
"What? Who are you?" I ask.
I am Lena. I was killed by the beast years ago. I saw a prophecy that 10 years from my death, a hero would come. You are the first reaped of the tenth year.
"You're making a mistake. I'm not a hero. I have some abilities like my arm, but..."
I'm not lying. Enter the room of the Butcher and the chain of destiny will begin to bind you.
Lena was right of course. Once I entered the room, I felt an unusual sensation in my soul. Lena's soul also pulsated. The Butcher must have noticed, because he began to wake up. He roared and I drew my sword. I jumped up and slashed him in the face.
RRRRRRAGHHHHHH!!!! His scream echoed all around the room. If I had not jumped away from him, I would've gone deaf. I shot a blast of demonic energy at him, and he swatted it back at me. It exploded right in front of me and I was blown back at the wall. I looked at Lena's soul. The Butcher was coming toward her. She was terrified.
"Get away from her!" I yelled, throwing my sword at the beast. The sword's handle hit Lena's soul, absorbing it. I felt horrified. I had become a murderer. When I gripped the handle. I felt an unusual sensation. My left arm began to pulsate. It glowed. Was Lena inside me now?
I told you so, sucker! she laughed.
"Heh. Guess from now on I'll trust my elders. Let's kill this thing!"
My arm began to pulsate violently. A dark aura began to envelop me. My arm began to change shape. 
I feel as if my arm is becoming enveloped with Lena's memories and her own darkness. I don't have time to think about this, because I am busy registering what Lena did to me.
She has changed my arm. Scar-like marking appear on the arm, followed with an insignia on the hand. It depicts two black stars.
"Whoa. What did you do to me?" I ask.
You'll find out, she replies from within me. Suddenly my nails grow and come towards him. My nails actually represent blades. My arm is like an animal's claw. The nails glow purple as the Butcher is stabbed in the heart.
I don't move. I wait for the first sign that this isn't over. It never comes. The demon dissipates into Oblivion. The room suddenly fades into light. The souls of the butchered fade upward as I walk out.
      "The rain hasn't stopped." I say. It still rains, as if the bad day isn't over.
"I told you so."
I turn around to see Lena. Wait, I just saw her. I'm not sure how, but...
"How did you get a body?" I ask her.
"You," Lena says unemotionally. You helped me escape, so I'm restored. I should thank you." Lena turns around and leaves. "But I shouldn't be in this picture right now. We'll meet again, Tenka."
She faded away. But not upward or downward. It was like she was teleporting away. I simply shrug and walk off.
"Who was that, Tenka?" Celia asks as I pass her. I am silent for a while before I answer.
"A friend." She doesn't talk about it as we head home.
"Soooo.... you survived and I said you would. I have my demand list ready...."
"Is that the only reason you cheered me on? Some helpful sister you are!" We laugh at this and walk home.
The rain doesn't stop as I walk from the Endgame



Epilogue
  Lena hasn't come back for a year. And the rain has continued for a year. I wonder if the two occurrences are connected, but the very idea seems ridiculous. 
I practice with my abilities every day, and use my abilities. I learn to summon, but I'm not comforted by that knowledge. I just simply hang out with the crew. Celia and the other two.
Celia's calm as we hang out inside, but I hear the doorbell.
"I'm coming," I say, and open the door.
Lena is standing outside silently. She then says "Hi. Can I come in?"
And that's when the rain stops. 

     Love was something the society didn't want, something they had taken away a long time ago. I remember the flames bursting inside of me as they dragged me from my family to the insane asylum. I didn't understand why, why they could do such a thing to me when I only had feelings for people, and cared about others.

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

     Rick looks up and shrugs. "If you're asking about feelings," he says, "I wouldn't know."
Rick is probably the most annoying bunk mate in the world. "Besides," Rick says, "Feelings are complicated and you're only 13."
     I swing my feet over the side of the bunk bed and sigh. There has to be someone who knows. The huge, grey, metal gate in the front of the room swings open, and in walks Garret. "What's the matter?" Rick says. Garret has purplish-blue bags under his eyes, and he looks like he hadn't slept in weeks. Rick stands up and pulls on the tray of food that Garret was pushing. "Bad pay check this week?" I ask, knowing it probably was, as usual. Rick continues to pull on the cart. It was a game they play, battling for the food by pulling it away from one another, although Garret works at the asylum and can get all the food he wants.
     Garret looks at me and shakes his head. "The master killed another one," he says, and we all go into a silent shock. It's so dead silent that the nothingness seems to bounce off the walls and hit us in the face. "Who was it?" I ask, breaking the silence. "It was that shy man, the one who made everyone those odd bracelets," Garret says. "Ty," Rick and I both say at once. He was greatly known for making weird things, like bracelets as Garret suggested. It was weird for a man I guess, and although he had a broad figure, many at the asylum thought of him as feminine, gay.                        
     A sharp voice calls out from the hallways, past the metal gate. Garret shrugs. He hands Rick and I each a steel bowl full of soup. They claim the steel bowls are just to save money, because they're unbreakable. We all know the real reason is because if they were glass, we could kill each other with the cold, sharp, shards. Some people at the asylum are actually crazy and will kill to escape. I look down into my soup. Great, chicken noodle soup leftovers. Again. I flop back down on the stiff mattress and try to remember the last time I saw real glass.

     I wake up to the ear-piercing sound of a whistle blasted in my face. Turning my head to the side, I wince at the sight of a perfectly shaved tan man in a track suit. "Good morning," he says automatically. I sit up in my bunk bed, almost hitting my head on the ceiling. "Please be careful while sitting upwards," the tan man says. I nod as I hear groans coming from below me. Rick is awake. "Hey Prince," He shouts up at me. "You awake?"
Still expressionless, the guy in the track suit bends down to talk to Rick, who's now sitting up on his uncomfortable mattress scratching his head in a morning wonder. "Please," the tan man says, "Call Princeton here by his full name." Now, his eyes wide open from the unexpected visitor, Rick nods. He knows, we all know, if he we talk back or make any smart remark, there will be consequences. The guy hands me a daily schedule. I pretend to actually look over the creamy colored paper, but the truth is, they waste their time printing out a new copy for everyone in the asylum every day. Everyone has the same stupid schedule memorized.
     I carefully climb out of bed, knowing that the perfect man's eyes are still on me. "So," I say politely, "what brings you here to cell 355?"
The man gives his answer in a short, clear response. Any imperfections or emotions are against the law, and that's why I'm here. All because I broke the stupid law. Everyone is supposed to be perfect here, and if not you are put into a selected insane asylum to be what they call, "mentally repaired."
"I am not sure if you remember, Princeton, but I complete small checkups with each cell every year. If you do recall, there are 365 cells at this insane asylum, and every day I visit a single one of those cells. If I am correct," he continues, "you have been here for about a year, starting on the first day of January. That means that you have been here 355 days." I nod, my head still dizzy from processing all of that. I nearly jump out of my skin when Garret enters with the morning meal, slowing his pace as he realizes the presence of the man in the track suit. "Good morning sir," Garret says awkwardly between side-glances with Rick and I. Carefully, he picks up a heavy steel plate with two red pills balancing in the center. "Your morning meal has arrived," Garret says, trying not to make any clumsy actions.We get served pills for breakfast, and actual food for luch and dinner. "I should get going," the perfect man says. "I will see you next year," he adds, with a final nod. He pulls open the gate, and then he's gone. I see Rick and Garret's shoulders relax, but my mind is wandered off to another thought, the thought of still being here next year. The man had basically just said "we keep people locked in these cells forever," right to my face. It might as well be forever for me, because I don't think I can wait another year to see my family.

     On Monday morning, the guards at the front of the building line up all 730 prisoners. "There has been a weapon found in the building," a guard says, trying to keep a straight, calm, tone. A wave of excitement and confusion builds over the crowd. Rick nudges me and points to the perfect man, standing in the corner of the yard. There is silence once again as one of the guards, dressed in a navy suit, puts his hand up as to signal for everyone to be quiet. Rick nudges me again. I look at him, and through clenched teeth I say, "do you really think this is a good time?"
He shakes his head violently, and points again, quickly. This time I see it. Simply an imperfection.

     I almost laugh. Between the perfect man and the trimmed, green grass, I spy the gate. No one else seems to notice, but the gate is wide open. I squint my eyes and strain my neck in that direction. All I see is green, tall green grass and wild forests with overgrown vines and untrimmed trees. Thats not the home I remember. Rick and I look at each other in confusion. As I remember, the leaves on all the trees were always trimmed into neat circles or triangles, an illusion of perfection that almost seems to dance in the back of my eyes. Now, they were overgrown and bushy.
     "Do you think we can escape?" Rick asks. I look at him like he's gone mad.
"Seriously?" I ask, feeling like the track suit guy is watching me. "Come on prince!" Rick whispers. He points to his bare feet, which he is now straining. Rick flexes his foot so hard, so that it practically grows a size smaller. I grin, looking at how big the shackles are compared to his feet. Rick easily slips one out, and we try not to make it obvious that we're excited. Quickly, I glance at the guard, who is still talking to all of the lined up men. The shackles are on every ones feet, so that if one person escapes, well, they can't. I look down at Ricks feet. He has both out, and now stands on top of the shackles.
     As soon as I get out of my shackles, I can't move because my feet hurt so much from straining.
My heart beats; and Rick looks eager to go. We check to see who is standing by the gate, and I practically go into shock when I see that the perfect man has moved. I look around for him, and see that he is now at the other end of the yard, watching the people on that side. Rick and I giggle, although I'm to old to giggle.  This day is just too perfect to be true.
"On three we make a go," Rick whispers. No one has noticed the gate yet.
"One..." Rick says, impatiently.
"Two..." I say.
"Three," we both nearly shout.
   
     Heads shoot our way, and before I know it I'm running, with this blast of energy bursting inside me like a weed planted deeply into the ground that refuses to leave. I hear shouts behind me, but that also seems to be behind the noise of my heart beating rapidly. The gate is a few yards ahead, and Rick is sprinting into the forest, touching everything with his hands spread out like a soaring eagle. As I speed past the cold gate, I feel a sharp pain in the back of my foot. It makes and earsplitting sound, and immediately I know it's one of the guards swinging at me with a wooden bat. I ignore the pain, and keep running, speeding up as I think of my family. I did it. I reached the gate.
     I slam it behind me, knowing that it automatically locks. It would take several minutes for the guards to get that open. Behind me I hear cheers coming from the prisoners, and In front of me I see freedom.

   
   
   

   
   
   
   



   

Abyss Chapter 4

I charged at the keeper and threw the flames at him. I'm not sure whether he manipulated time or space, but the flame seemed to slow down as it reached him. He pulled out a scythe and directed the flames back at me. They were much faster than when I shot them.
"Nice try, boy," he snarled cruelly with a smile. As he moved his scythe around, he stomped on the floor. A moment later I wasn't moving as fast. He was moving normally, if not faster.
 "If you think that cheap magic is enough to harm me, you have learned nothing on your journey!" he cackled evilly. He rushed forward and slashed at me with his scythe. I barely had less than a second to block. I forced him back by igniting my body with the flames. Regardless of his godlike power, he could not manipulate the flame based on the short distance. The flames burned his body.
He was silent for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and calmly turned his scythe around in a circle motion.
"What are you doing?" Z asked sternly.
The man was simply looking down. A moment later he began to speak.
"Is that any way to speak to a god?" He stated. "I am not to be trifled with in that matter. I govern the worlds inside the Abyss. Such as the dome young Toby dwelled in."
"How do you know this?" I asked.
"I know of everything that in this dimension. But I paid special attention to your dome, once you were born."
"What?"
"Your soul is strong. The essence inside you is leaking out. That is why YOU are an immortal. This is why you are a GOD!!!"
"A god? Im-im-impossible! You're LYING!!!" I screamed. "YOU cursed me! You were the reason I was always brought back!! You only think of me as a pawn!!!"
"Think what you want, but as a god, I am forbidden to lie. It is my oath. Think of that oath, and ask me what reason I would lie to YOU."
I couldn't speak. I was overwhelmed with emotions. Rage. Hatred. Sorrow. Hopelessness.
Despair.
"It's unfortunate. I thought I could guide you along. But all you are is a slave to delusions and memories. Your existence is worthless. Nothing but a mistake." That was my breaking point.
I roared at the god in rage and rushed at him. Red fire fueled every single strike. He could not block every single attack. I gave him a deep slash to the chest that burned with red fire.
"AAAAAARGHHHHH!!!!" he roared in pain. I walked in surprise as the flames turned violet again.
"It's-it's over," Z said in shock. "You just-"
I couldn't speak. I was as shocked as him. I was calm and surprised as my lips formulated the words I was thinking.
"We can go through now."
"Not quite," the god said.
I whipped around. "It's over. I won. You have to let us through now."
"I'm fine with that. I failed. That means your existence is meaningful. One last word." He coughed up blood and moaned in pain. Z rushed forward to help him.
"Aurus, don't speak. You'll- you'll be fine. Just hold on." He was close to tears.
"The last word. I have....I have to tell Toby. It is the last thing I must do in this life." He beckoned me forward.
"You may go. You are no longer shackled by your past existence. Once you enter that door, your destiny will be separated from Z's. Your memories will be erased until you can start anew. But you two will meet again. That is the promise I will make to you. You.....will.......rejo......."
And with that, Aurus faded into essence. All he left were feathers. I took one of them. There was writing on it.
                                                       

 This is all I can give to you. This is my final blessing.
Thank you for everything. It was my hope to be defeated. And I wish you luck, as the chains that bind your soul are loosened and replaced.                       -Aurus


The gate suddenly opened slowly. I was staring at the gate.
"Wait."
I turned around.
"This note.... and his last words..... do they mean we'll forget each other?" Z sounded afraid. He only had one friend right now. Me. He couldn't afford to forget.
 And neither could I. I don't know anyone anymore but him. And Aurus. One of them was dead. I couldn't forget the one remaining.

Then I thought about what the Abyss does. t slowly drains aay your memories of a past world, but the Abyss isn't a world. It's nothing. And you can't forget Nothing.
"No. We won't forget each other."
Z looked up hopefully. "What?"
"As long as two people have a strong friendship, it will carry on even in the afterlife. We won't see each other for a while, but we'll meet again. That's a fact."
We shook hands, and walked through the Gate together.
A light shone in the distance. Memories flooded through me. I didn't know if the memories were fabricated or real, or ones I wanted. But Z's memory stayed. I held my feather. The last tether to Z and Aurus. The light started to fade. My eyes were closing. My last sight before entering the new world was a purple flower, an orchid. It began to burn softly. Ashes flew into the distant stars. The orchid burned and burned until.....

Abyss: Chapter 3

The fire died out as I entered the abyss. The orchid flew back into the pendant. I hit the ground pretty hard, and I was laying down. 
I quickly got up and began to walk. I walked for a while until I heard someone say "FREEZE!"
I whipped around and took out my art book. I waited as they took out a device, but I stabbed the pendant ever so slightly. The flames took all my energy to keep in check. The device began to whir as it scanned me so I could be identified. The device chirped.
"He can't be identified. He must be a...! SHOOT HIM! BLAST HIM! I WANT HIM DEAD!!!" 
That was all I needed to hear. I let the flames loose and shot them as a cannon towards two of the seven soldiers. They fell down instantly. I saw the rest of them shooting at me, but the fire was burning the bullets. I opened my sketchbook and breathed fire on the page. The drawing of the dragon came to life. The dragon constantly roared and breathed intense violet flames. The flames killed the all but one who was behind me. 
The flames weren't covering me! If he shot me, it would be the end. I quickly turned around to guard myself when I saw him lying dead. He was slashed on the back and stabbed. I looked around for the culprit, and then noticed a shadow right behind me, and it wasn't mine. I yelled, "Get back!", and flames erupted all around me. The figure jumped back, and I could notice he was a boy. 
"Who are you?' I asked. No answer. Suddenly I was thrown over to another area into the Abyss.
"This place is for the disgraced," the boy whispered. "If you're thrown out of the dome, or out of Heaven, you're supposed to get a second chance. But you're turned away. Because everyone's afraid of you." I felt sorry knowing that he was one of them. "But what did you do to make them throw you out?" he asked.
"Nothing." I said
"What?" 
"I said I came here by myself." I stated plainly. "I'm not telling you why."
"I wasn't going to ask. Where are you headed?"
"Tom's."
"No surprise." he sighed. Did he know?
"Wait! What's your name?
My name is Z. It isn't my real name, but it's the one I chose so I could forget......"
"I'm Toby."
"Never mind the pleasantries. Just break out that fire magic of yours and let's go."
"Yeah, got it." I was about to break the pendant when I noticed something.
"I can't."
"What?! Why not?"
"I used up the orchid too much. We can get there another way."
"How?"
"My sketches!" I took out the book, but it was empty. "Damn." Then I thought about what I did with Kendall.
"Z, is there anyone here everyone else wants gone?"


A few minutes later I am traveling through the rivers as electricity, only coming up when I want to fly.
"You are terribly weird," Z notes. 
"It isn't my fault I was born this way." As we are flying, something comes to me." 
"Z, did you ever have friends?" With this he is silent.
"I used to. Until I left."
"What?"
Z sighed, near tears. "It was three years ago. I was living inside the dome. I was curious about what was outside the walls. So I left and I didn't come back. I was twelve when I left. When I came back, everything was different. I learned a secret about he dome. Time runs faster inside than outside. Nine hundred years passed. I couldn't go back because I had nowhere to go. I've been looking ever since for somewhere that I belong. Everyone I knew passed away. I was basically a fallen angel. No one thought of me. I was easy prey for demons and the police. I had to survive. That's when I awakened my sword."
"Three years ago.....my father passed away that year. That's when I found the pendant in my father's room. Do you think they're connected?"
"Two separate times increments? I don't think so. We need to keep moving." We were silent after that.

After, four days, something happened. "LOOK OUT!" I draw my sword and a sphere of  flame covered Z and I. As the flame died I dropped to the ground.
"Demons!" Z cried. He took out his katana and rushed to the ground, splitting one of them in half. These demons were easy to take out. I prepared a whole plan to take them all to Hell. I would create a decoy of myself, then disappear behind the demons, then create lightning bolts to electrocute them. Just as I was about to execute my plan, I noticed that Z had beat me to it.
His katana shone with a brilliant light as a circle of light was on the rocky floor. I dashed away. His katana struck the ground, and a pillar of light rose from it, incinerating the demons.
"Too slow," he said with a snicker.
"Showoff," I retorted. I turned the orchid off. "Let's go. I need answers."
"To what?"
"My abilities."

A month later, we come across what appears to be a gate. "I know what this is," Z says. If you are deemed worthy enough by the Keeper, he lets you pass into a new realm, but everyone forgets you even existed on the other side."
"Let's head through!" I state clearly.
"We have to wait for the keeper to judge us!" Z says.
"Oh, indeed, indeed!" We see a black door, and a young man comes out. "I am the keeper of this gate. I judge based on your past and your power. if you-" he looks at me in shock.

Then, with a grim expression on his face, he says," New test. If you want to go through you must defeat me."
"Why?" Z asks. "This isn't the test!"
"For you and Toby, it is!"
"What? How do you know me?"
"I know everyone who dreams. You in particular."
"Then- YOU were the one in my dream! You're the Masked Man! Tell me right now! What is happening to me!"
"First, you must fight." The man would not change his mind. I grew more angry by the minute. "That's it! Fine! You want a fight?! You got one!!"
"He smiled evilly. "This is it, then. Turn away now, turn away forever."
"I'm not giving up! Me and Z came this far! Neither of us are in the position to flee!"
"That's the answer I was hoping for." Z draws his sword, I break the pendant, and the violet flames engulf my body, and my sword appears in my hand.
This answers both our hopes, and we charge toward the Keeper with determined looks.

Abyss: Chaper 2

I woke up suddenly. I didn't know what happened. The hooded man was gone. He had spoke to me as he removed his words, but his sentence was incomprehensible. I wasn't sure what he said exactly, or if he was even real. I was unsure of everything as I dashed home.
 As I headed upstairs to my room, I took a small backpack and a small pendant. The pendant contained a burning orchid. It took me only one minute to get in and out. I ran over to the edge of the world and jumped. The orchid glowed brighter the farther down I went. The glass containing the orchid shattered and the fire rushed out and surrounded me. My body was enveloped by the calm violet flames. I held the orchid in my palm and closed my eyes. The world slowed down around me. I was floating on fire. I flew upward and didn't stop. There was a light at the end of the sky. As I approached it, the flames around me shifted. They began to look like a blade. The more flames that erupted from the orchid, the larger the sword became. I slashed the sky, and it shattered. The sky was false and was burning. It wasn't my problem. I needed answers and I had to find that man . I would not stop until I found him. I continued to tell myself that as I flew outside, away from the violet flames.
I was in the Abyss now. The Abyss is not Hell. Once you enter the Abyss, your powers are amplified beyond comprehension. I know I have risked everything coming here as the fires die. The Abyss is eternal, like our dome. With my amplified power, and the pendant, I should be able to navigate the Abyss. But I needed help while I was here. Who could I turn to? The disgraced? I still didn't know. But I had to decide, because I was in danger for the following reasons

1. I was practically immortal.
2. I killed Kendall and absorbed him
3. I'm in The Abyss.

So I had to find someone. And fast.

Sewing together the rip in my family

Sewing Together the Rip in my Family

By Parker Koltchak

I miss Piper. I remember the night I told her the first bed time story I ever wrote. How she thought it wasn't possible that I, so young, could possibly write a story. She was only five.

"And then, the girl played with the other kids and they were all happy. The end." Piper's big, blue eyes shine with curiosity. "And they never called her names again?" she wondered. "Never." I confirm. "Huh..." she seems lost in thought. "Who wrote that one?" she asks me. I smile plays on my lips. "I did." I answer. "What??" she sits up suddenly. "Really?" Her small mouth forms the shape of an oval. "Wow, Claude." I laugh. "Come on, Piper, lay back down. Momma won't like it if you're awake." I kiss her soft forehead. "Goodnight, Claude." Her eyes close and her breathing becomes slower and is rhythmic. I turn on her "Olaf the snowman" nightlight and gently shut her pink door. My socks don't make a sound as I slip past unpacked boxes and pause at the top of the stairs. "I'll show her this middle school- Paul, how does this sound, Oakwood MS?" I can almost vision my brother turn around to see my future middle school.

I remember how excited I was to move, and how I  didn't want to go when I found out we were moving to the city that never sleeps. How I loved France, and all my friends, and how hard it was for me to learn English. How me, Callie, and Annabella (My best friends) cried for days. And how I was just adjusting to New York, how I was getting so good at English, and I was making friends- until it happened. I refused to speak in English, I refused to go to school, I wouldn't talk to my friends, and I suddenly hated New York. I remember the horrible day...

Momma looked at the kitchen clock as she cooked her rice. "They should be here by now." she said. And, as if on cue, the phone rang. Momma wiped her hands and picked it up. "Hello?" she said. "Yes. Yes. What?" her eyes grew wide and she dropped the phone. "Come on, Claude, we're going to the hospital."

I remember getting to the waiting room. Saying our names and then dashing to the room.

"I'm Danielle DePaulle- Äævoir. This is my daughter. We are here to see Piper." The lady gave us a sympathetic look. "Oh, Piper Äævoir? right upstairs, miss. Your son would not stop speaking French, we sent you a translator." But me and momma didn't listen. We dashed to room 2b and immediately Paul ran over. "Piper! Car crash! Hurt!" he spoke rapidly in french, we could only make out those words. Momma rushes over to Piper. "My baby, my poor baby..." The door opens and a doctor comes in with my father. His eyes widen as he see's Piper, plugged into all sorts of machines filled with liquid, probably the ones keeping her alive. Her breathing is short and labored, and nothing moves. No twitch is the finger, no furrowed eyebrows, everything is very still except for her rising and falling chest. "Please go outside while I run some tests." The doctor tells us. We wait outside for about an hour. The doctor comes out and even before he shakes his head, we know. His eyes are sympathetic, and his hands shake as he grips his clipboard. He looks as if he failed in life, even though it's just another lost child, just another limp body from a fire, or disease, or car crash, or anything. Momma breaks into sobs, daddy puts his head into his hands. Paul grabs his coat and runs out, probably going somewhere private to cry. Me, I just sit there. Not really accepting it. Not accepting that our little Piper is gone. Dead. Just like that.

After that day I believed that it's hardest for the mom and sister, when you lose a little girl. Momma birthed Piper, fed and cleaned and changed piper, bought things and gave things to Piper. Momma dealt with her meltdowns, with her bullies... Momma raised Piper. People say "It's hard to lose a child." I think that's an understatement. It's also very hard to lose a sister. I'll never giggle over boys with Piper. I'll never see her grow up. We'll never have "Sister time." I'll never know what she would be like when she's older. I don't know what happens after you die, but hopefully I'll see her again one day.

"It's all my fault." "Its because of me!" "I'm such an idiot." That's all Momma and I hear from Paul over the course of the week. Then, he goes silent. He sits in front of the T.V., not speaking to anyone. I need to find something that will show him it wasn't him. I tried everything. Begging, bribing, crying- I even looked up the car crash and explained it wasn't his fault. I told him: "It was a drunk driver! Look, you were driving normally, and this guy went through a red light, and hit the part of your car right where Piper was sitting!" He stares at me. "Five words." He says. "I should have been more careful." I sigh and grit my teeth. "That's six words." say, frustrated. Then I storm off.  "What do I do?" I sob to momma. "Sometimes, you just have to tell them the truth." She says gently. "But I tried that! He still thinks it's his fault!" She smiles. "The OTHER truth." "What's that supposed to mean?" I say angrily and stomp into my room. After days of thinking about what momma said, I finally get it. I practice a couple times before going up to Paul. "Paul." I say to get his attention. He looks at me. "I know you might never accept the fact that it wasn't your fault. But you have to know that losing Piper has placed a huge bucket of sadness on our family. These past few days have been extremely painful. But, Paul, you could help that. You sitting on the couch and staring blankly at a screen you aren't even paying attention to isn't helping anyone. All you are doing is feeling bad for yourself. Please, make this easier for everyone and get off the couch and TALK to us!" I open my eyes, expecting a glare, but Paul is crying. "I- I'm so sorry... I didn't realize..." he whimpers, at loss for words. I hug him. "So you'll stop?" He smiled. "Of course." My eyes widen. "I did it." I bounce a little. "MOMMA I DID IT I REALLY DID IT!" I healed my brother. I fixed the glue on my falling apart family. Tonight my dad will come home from work to see my brother at the dinner table, smiling and laughing with the rest of us. And I'll feel proud, knowing it was me who sewed together the hole Piper ripped in our family.

untitled

I don't want this. I stare at my plate of delicious food that makes me want to throw up. sure, some kids don't like broccoli. I love broccoli! so... why don't I want to eat it? This dinner is perfect, my favorite, made by my aunt Iris. I have eaten two bites of my chicken. I ate four pieces of broccoli. I ate five spoonfuls of mashed potatoes. So why can't I eat any more? Nobody will know the answer except for me and my screaming parents. Not even Jadana and Cecil. I won't tell a soul. The only reason my parents know is because they are the reason behind it. This dinner started out fine. That's why I ate some food. My record of how much I eat in one meal was thanksgiving three years ago, when I was about six... but I guess that doesn't count, cause my parents weren't there. Anyway, I had just eaten two pieces of broccoli, zero bites of my chicken, and three spoonfuls of mashed potatoes. My mom smiled as she slowly ate her dinner. My dad looked tense. "So!" my mom broke the silence and my dad straightened up. "How was school, sweetheart?" I shrugged. "Not good." My mother's smile faltered. "What happened?" "Well, My friends kept on bugging me because I was skinny. Jadana wanted to know why, and Cecil told her not to bother me." My father banged his fist on the table. "You said they were good for her, Elisa!" My mom jerked her head up. "They are! One of them is concerned and one of them thinks she shouldn't be bothered! Both good friends!" My father's face turns red. "She just said they were bothering her!" "No, dad, I-" I start. "Stay out of this, Andie!" But it's about me! I silently protest. We both turn to my mother and she isn't there. I know she is in the basement, probably sobbing, wolfing down chocolates and watching television. "Andie-" I look at him. "Fine, whatever, Andrea, please go to your room." I stand up and open the basement door. "Ahem. Your ROOM." My dad repeats. I close the door and slide through the panel on the wall and down a tunnel. I have no choice but to go through some secret passageway to get to my room-- a small, practically empty supposed- to- be storage area. All I have is a shelf with all the books I have ever owned and a very blank white bed. I own books like "A is for Apple, B is for Banana" and "one hundred pretty dresses" and little kid books because I get fifty cents a day. I read those books over and over again because I have nothing better to do. Or sometimes I jump on my not- so- bouncy bed. Or cry, because my family has no money, and my parents fight all the time, and I don't eat. My dad lives on the ratty couch and my mom lives on a blowup mattress in the basement. Our old T.V. was lent to us by friends. My aunt makes most of our meals (she lives next door) and if she doesn't we go to Burger King or McDonalds. A kitchen table? Please. More like a cardboard box. No rugs, just concrete and dusty floorboards. My mother works at a Diner called "Dusty's" which isn't popular enough to give mom more than a hundred dollars a day. My dad can't find a job, he dropped out of high school. My family is almost homeless, but I think a homeless shelter would be nicer than living here. I enter my "room" and flop down on my bed. "Ow!" I sit right back up. My bed isn't really floppable. I grab "Learning your ABC's" off the shelf and put it back up. I have a jar that I store change in, which now has five dollars. I get fifty cents a day but usually half of it is given to my parents to try and pay for groceries. Most days I don't even get allowance. I am saving up for as many books as I can, my parents are saving up to pay the electric bill. I can't use the phone. We have no rent because this place is such a dump the landlord wanted to leave and we got the whole place for free. 

Abyss: Chapter 1

I woke up. Blood was staining my shirt. I was fazed.
Not again, I moaned. I lived through my latest suicide attempt. Why? Am I needed for something by him?
"Toby!"
A voice brought me back to my senses. It was my least favorite person in the world. Kendall.
"Another attempt? Jeez, just quit it already. Your life is hopeless..."
It went on and on and on. I stood it for about as long as I could. I was hopelessly aggravated.
I punched him in the face. He simply stood there. At first I didn't even notice the cracks in his face. I did when he turned around in terror.
He vanished right before my eyes.
At first I just stood there in shock. Then I ran as fast as I could. My mind continuously told me to keep running. My body was burning as I ran even faster. Then my chest started to hurt, and I stopped running. The pain grew and grew and grew until it was unbearable. I screamed in pain but no sound escaped my lips. The flames enveloping my bodies did the talking for me. The last thing I remembered before passing out was that everything around me- and including me, was burning beyond repair.
Later I woke up in a room. My body was charred and burned.
"You won't die."
I turned around to face the man who assured my prolonged existence had a hood surrounding every part of his face. He was entirely dressed in black and no physical features were left uncovered.
I only had one thing to ask him. I would have panicked, but I knew this attire looked familiar to me. As soon as it all hit me, my arm was burning. But it was a soft flame. And I held it in the palm of my hand. I was determined to find answers. Any way I could. I forced him to the wall and asked in a soft and dangerous voice, "Who are you?'
The man smiled and made a move as if he was about to remove his hood.

Abyss: Prologue

I have a gift. Everyone has a gift in my town. Everyone views my gift as a curse, but everyone thinks that way about everyone's power except me. Thus I was turned away, persecuted for refusing to persecute until it all ended.
  The new age began and was soon corrupted like the old. People storm throughout using their curses to wreak havoc on the town. The only thing standing in their way is me.
   My gift is the most unusual. I breathe life into anything, whether it is dead people or art. My creations controlled justice and comforted me. They still do, but not the way I remember. I remember being in the middle of everything. Like I didn't belong. Everything around me was a violent abyss. One that sucks you up in nightmares forcing you to sleep because you don't want to wake up and find it wasn't a dream. 
   And the day I died, I thought it was all too easy, escaping my abyss.

    But nothing ever went the way I wanted. Even in death I could not escape. I tried many times until that day i fell forever. And I came back to life. 

But that day.... 









Something....Changed.

                                                               UNICORNS

My species is the only type on the whole Earth. At least for now. We live together and try to live a happy, beautiful life.I am a young unicorn, in the process of going to school to learn to be a proper grown up unicorn. I only started training last week and it goes on for weeks.   

I stare blankly at the creature clearly an alien from who knows where.  What is this? Who is this? Those are the first questions to pop into my head. It is a creature with shaggy brown fur, but what it is doing here I have no idea. 

I have never seen a creature like this one, never in my life. As a matter of fact I have never seen any other creature in my life other than my species. Pink and white beautiful creatures take up the my whole world. At least, that's how it used to be before this.. creature.

" Hello?" I murmur, almost a whisper hoping that nothing bad will happen. What should I do? If I run, than I will be a coward, and I don't want to be a coward. I want to be brave. I want to be smart too and friendly. But how? 

I

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

People say, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well, what if you are the lemon that life gives people? What if you are the lemon, and people are constantly trying to add some sugar to you and turn you into lemonade? How do you deal with that, especially when you have an identical twin sister that is perfect at pretty much everything, and your 8 year old brother is better than you at math and science? How would you deal with that? I mean, sure, people suffer from lack of food, and lack of shelter, but I think I am suffering from lack of attention. I always feel bad when I say this, but I don't really like Chloe or Mason. I think I only love them as siblings, and not as actual human beings. 

But I feel awful every time I think it.

"Charlotte, sweetie, come down to dinner. Now." I use my great art pencil from the set Leo got me for my birthday to add on to a sketch of Chloe. "Just. a. SECOND!" I yell. "NOW!" My mother and father shout in unison. Arrrrgh. I toss down my sketchpad and inch towards the edge of the staircase. I listen to Mason show mom and dad his report card. "Aw, honey, look what the math teacher commented!" I can hear the pride in my mom's voice. "Always has his hand up, and everytime he is called on the answer is correct! An unbelievable student and child!" I can hear it in my dad's voice, too. I bite my lip and slither down the stairs silently and unwillingly. As I creep closer I hear Chloe telling Mason how good he is at math. I sit down silently and my parents and siblings don't not notice me until my fork scrapes against the plate. I shiver under their gaze. I really am not used to being in the center of attention, not even for a second. "There you are!" My mother says. everyone else goes back to complimenting Mason. "Char!" I wince. "Don't call me Char." I say coldly. Chloe shrugs. "Okay, whatever, Charlotte! look at Mason's report card, it's great, all fours, not one single-" "3, 2, or 1. yeah, I know." Chloe hesitates, not sure if I was being sarcastic, then smiles and continues eating her dinner.The dinner goes by like every other dinner. Chloe and Mason blabbing about their wonderful days and when mom and dad ask me how mine was, I shrug and they don't care. when dinner is finally over, and Mason and Chloe have gone through the kitchen and to their bedrooms to sleep, I go up to my room and spend until midnight working on my math homework. I am about to crawl into bed when I hear screaming. Lots of it. I am suddenly wide awake. I dash out of my room and leap down the stairs and encounter flames. I yelp as my hand gets a little burnt by the swirling sea of orange. "Charlotte!" It is Mason and Chloe, hugging, wide eyed, crying... trapped. Behind the flames my siblings are trapped. I hear the ringing of a smoke alarms and sirens. But I can't see anything but my sister and brother. "No." I whisper. I won't accept the truth. "Go." Chloe looks down and sobs. "Please go, Charlotte." I scream. "I won't!" A hand grips my wrist and I am pulled into the sharp cold air. I look around and everything is silent, empty. My parents are crying. I know, suddenly, that I did love my sister and brother. I was just jealous. In fact, I loved them more then I loved myself. And that was my problem. Now they are dead, and when they were alive, I didn't know I loved them. And the worst thing is, they didn't know either, because I never told them.

The First Forbidden: Trial Two

The demon was running at a tremendously fast speed. Richard could hardly escape due to his injuries from the train wreck. He had no idea where he was, but he knew he was on the other side.
<MURDER> <HATRED>
The voices were amplified. The demon and the other side- it was all too much. Richard thought he was losing his mind. he found a doorway and he ran through just as the wretched beast was about to cleave him.


Richard didn't stop, even to catch his breath. He ignored the slowly-magnifying pain until he passed out in a dark hallway.

Richard was in a dark room, naked and strapped to a chair. he was terrified because he knew he was in the real world, but he knew he was still on the other side as well. "Hello?" he called. No answer. 

Suddenly, he wasn't able to breathe. He saw horrid hands stretching from every corner of the room, grasping his neck. He heard voices calling to him. This dream was more torturous than being whipped and burned alive simultaneously.

he saw faceless heads. Heads that were coming straight at him. he could not beg for them to stop. A the faceless heads, now with bodies, began to come closer.

With all his breath, Richard screamed until a voice told him,

I will be free. And you will be forgotten- and Forbidden.
   Richard woke up after that, shivering and bleeding profusely.


You have taken the first step. But you can stay here no longer.

"Who.....who are you?" Richard wheezed weakly.

Silence. And then a flash off in the distance.



Richard then woke up in a time of happiness. Ten years ago. He was at a dance with his wife.

"Oh, darling," His wife said. the two of them smiled. They danced alone in the moonlight. They were outside his old house. They poured each other a glass of wine and fed each other fruit. This was a normal tradition for 5 years before this, and 2 years after that.
His wife went to meetings from 8:00 to 7:00. The two loved each other. Richard was happy.
"I love you," he said, and they kissed
Immortal ταλαιπωρία καλεί την αληθινή βασίλισσα
Immortal suffering calls the true queen(Immortal talaipo̱ría kaleí ti̱n ali̱thiní̱ vasílissa)
After hearing that, his wife rushed inside.

Richard woke up in his bed. he felt fine. He was dressed neatly and there was no blood on him. He heard a scream from outside. He rushed outside and saw......

He saw chaos. Buildings crushed or turned into ashes. Burning people. Gunshots and explosions. The whole world was a warzone.
He heard one last voice.
This is the price for your stay. Ten thousand years of bloodshed and murder.
he could only utter one word.
"Impossible.

thicker than blood

1.

First time I asked about my brother, I was five and sitting on Momma Penelope’s knee. She was one of the nice ones, kept me ‘till I was seven years old and had skin like paper that’d been folded too many times.

I didn’t remember my brother much, still don’t, but Momma Penelope knew enough to not want to talk about him. I remember her mouth pressing tight when I asked, and her looking down at me with those old eyes.

“Luz, mijo,” She’d said, “You don’t want to know about your brother. He was a hard man.”

She shook her head slow, and even then I knew not to pry, but privately I swam through my memories and plucked out the ones with my brother in them. None of them seemed “hard”.

I remembered eyes that glinted like junebugs crusting the windowsill in August, rough hands on the ends of wiry arms. I remembered burying my face in the crook of his neck and listening to him shout out the lyrics to songs I didn’t know. Memories that had been run through my mind too many times and were beginning to bleach of color.

Then I remembered that he was gone, and that he didn’t say goodbye, and that his rough hands hurt me sometimes.

I rested my cheek against Momma Penelope’s chest and didn’t talk much until bedtime.

2.

I meet him at the playground.

We’re both too old to be here, him more than me ‘cause I can still pass for twelve if keep my head down. I’m here because the man running my current group home gets irritable after a couple beers and really, where else would I have to be. I wonder what his deal is.

He’s a scary looking guy, the kind I usually steer clear of. A tattoo’s peeking out from under his shirtsleeve, and he looks like he hasn’t shaven in a hell of a long time. I must have been staring, because he catches my eye and looks away quick with something like guilt on his rough-hewn face. I make sure to keep him in my peripherals after that, but it’s hard when we’re the only two left in the park.

I’m not a wimp. I’m not. But the man scares me, just a little, with the murky night-light background of the inner city and swings creaking in the mellow August wind. He just keeps right on staring, not even trying to hide it when he thinks I ain’t looking.

I go back to the home around ten thirty because I got school tomorrow and my social studies teacher’s been on my case lately about sleeping in class. The man stays in the park, leaning on the jungle gym, and even though I don’t look back, I feel him watching me leave in the pit of my stomach.

3.

I go back to the park on Wednesday and the man’s still there. This time he’s wearing a tank top that shows off the tattoos on his shoulders and his wiry arms, rough hands. Looking at them too long makes my stomach hurt a little, so I snap my head away and take a seat against the fence.

It’s still early, so kids are at the park with their jangly keychains and missing teeth and hand-me-down backpacks, and parents who aren’t much more than kids themselves scattered through the mob like chickpeas in the rice a foster mom of mine used to make. There’s an amiable rustle in the air that seems to radiate away from the man, leaving him in his own on-edge bubble.

And he’s still staring.

The First Forbidden: Trial one

No one knew what was on the other side. And no one who tried to find it came back. They lived in squalor and naivety.

A young man named Richard began to have visions. No one knew what they were. Not psychiatrists, not churches, no one. Richard had no one to turn to.

"It's all right. We are here for you my friend. This church will pray you find the answer," stated Father Sapriva.
"Thank you Father," Richard said. He left the building to head home. He passed the border on his way home. He saw something unusual. He saw beasts and horrid demons on the other side. he ran home in fear as if he were being chased. Was he having a vision? He was too close to the other side.
RUN. It will do nothing for you.
He froze. That voice.... he had heard it. He ran home.
As he headed to the front door, he saw a man talking to his wife.
"Who are you?!" he yelled opening the door. No one was there.
"I must be seeing things." He paced around the apartment.

Open your eyes to truth. Close them to lies. Hate them for your prophecies.

Richard looked behind himself. Nothing was there but a letter from his wife.

My dear husband,
By the time you read this, I will have vanished from the earth forever. Do not try to find me alone.
You must seek out the First Forbidden. Your greatest enemy, but your only hope. As soon as you finish this letter, go to the other side. It is the only way to find me.
                                                                           Love, Elana


Richard stared at the letter in shock. He trembled. And then, he screamed.

A Forbidden? Everyone knows those creatures are entirely mythical.

Oh, we are real and we are everywhere. And you are the next in line.
Be wise and never badmouth me. I am the First Forbidden. You must know this already. Seek me out to gain your true desire. The ticket is already with you.

"Ticket? What ticket?"

Find out yourself.

"Wait! Tell me more! What are you?

Do not get too greedy. I can't answer all your questions here. You must come to me for the truth. Come to me for everything.

the voice faded. Richard searched for his ticket. Where? Where was it?

The letter shifted. It shined and changed form into a ticket.

Richard took it and heard a whistle outside. It was a train.

No conductor. He got on and the doors closed. He heard one final voice before the train began to move.

Let all hope stay here.

The train roared through the streets violently toward a brick wall. Richard cowered in fear. The train rammed through the wall. The train was in the air, but now it was burning as it flew towards the ground.


The train was a total wreck. Richard climbed out of one of the cars, bleeding. He got up and stared around.

He was on the other side.

He looked around and found an eye staring right at him.

It scurried back. Richard sighed in relief and then walked away.

And then fangs bared and claws sharpened, the demon pounced.

Three years later, I am still pondering over that moment. It is my only memory. Before that, I just don’t know. But it’s the only thing I have  been thinking about for the last three hyears, begging the past for more details.

I am riding as tram back to Salsiva from Lina where I serve as a maid to a rich family so that I can make money for my family. My face burns with anger whenever I walk into the McShones mansion. The disparity between the rich and the poor is very immense. Salsiva is the poor district where I live and Lina is the wealthy district. I stare glumly out of the small dusty window at the grey thundering sky not even caqring whether it rains tonight. The bus beeps signaling my stop so I jump up with only the stars to guide me not even caring that it is now pouring out and I am getting soaked through my skin. Within seconds, I am at my door step taking off my shoes, and pushing the door open.

“Chloe, you’re home!” my mom says ecstatic, and cheery as always. “Dinner will be ready soon! I can’t wait to hear all about your day honey!”

“ I’m not hungry,” I mutter which is a lie the second the word pour from my mouth. I’m staving actually. But, I don’t say anthing because really, I’m not in the mood to hear everyone talk about their days, and then have them ask me about my day and have to talk about cleaning the McShones house. It’s no that the Mc Shones are mean, it’s just that cleaning all day is not the most fun thing to do every day. When everyone else has something interesting to talk about. “I’m going to bed, I don’t feel so good,” It’s a lie, and my heart aches from saying it but I really do just want to go to bed.

“Oh honey do you want me to bring you a little dinner?”

I can’t stop my stomach from saying yes so I obey it and say, “Thanks , Mom! That would be great.”

I go upstairs, climb into bed, and have oon fallen asleep. It is not until eleven ocklock at night when I qake up again in my rickity wooden bed. I have woken up from the sound of voices. At such a late time of night, this Is a rare occurance. My curiousness  gets the better of, so that I climb out of bed onto the creaky wood floor where I beg it not to crack so I am not heard. I creep down the hallways toward my parent’s room or should I say closet. I stand at the door pressing my ear against it listening intently to the voices insidfe. It’s my mom and my dad.

“ You know where she’s from don’t you Bill?”  my mom says. It’s a few minute s before my dad ansers and I’ve almost thought that he had fallen asleep.

“ Of course I do honey.” My dad respondes, “ And she deserves to know,” She must be suspecting that there is something suspicious going on.”

What in the world are they talking aabout? I mutter to my self under my breath. With in seconds my question is answered, but it leads to so mony more questions.

 "Yes, but Chloe is still so young, she's only qe. She won't understasnd." The blood drains from my face, leaving me pale white like a ghost. I feel myself falling to the ground, and don't even try to stop myyself. I land with a thud on the ground. Honestly, I don''t even care about the noise. Let them discover me, and then they'll have to explain. Explain everything. A second after I thud to the ground, the door bangs open It's my mom."What are you doing here Chlo0e? What did you hear?" she sounds scared.

Instead of answering her I say, "Why wr you guys talking about me?"

"So you heard?" she says in a cold voice that I din't think she was capable of.

"Yeah, yeah I did, and I have a lot of questions, first I wnt to know..."

"Honey I'm going to ask you not to ask questions for now until I think this over. You have to stay with us." she interupts me her sugary and sweet voice back that makes me feel like a pancake beoing covered in brown sticky maple syrup. "Go to sleep Chloe, we'll see you in the morning, and please don't tell your sibling."

I try to utter good night but when I attempt to, only a squeaking sound comes out. So instead I stagger down the hallway not  even caring that my siblings may still be asleep. UI even hear one of them  cough. Suddenly a question comes into my head. Why is everyone here have brown eyes amd tje [erson in myu one memory before Salsiva had green eyes? Other than that, I have never in my life seen another person with brown ehyes. And then it dawns on me, I have green eyes. But why? I wonder. There must be some reason. As the days go by things make less and less sense. I just don't belong. 

                                                         ***************                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Mom said that I should just go to bed. I did that that one night but for the past month adna half I have heard nothing at all of interest. They go to bed and I know it for sure because they snore when they are sldeeping. It is not until now the 44th day that anything has happened. For the past month and a half life is as normal as it has been for the past three yeats. Until this night. I sit in the pure dasrkness of the hallway in only my linen night gown sitting, listening for knowledge, covered with only a thin wool blanket. I am shivering but my craving for knowledge keeps me there sitting in the darness listening intently for any knowledge. Recently, I have been so tirede bdcause I hyave not been sleepin gat night that I have fallen asleep during some of mhy jobs at the McShone house and as consequences I was yealled at by the head sefrvant Louisa. I could sto coming here at night, but this is the most lead I have ever had on any idea in three years so if I wan tknowledge, this is  what I have to go through until I actyually find some information out. "This is my past that we are talin about, and I don't want to have to rive  a life not knowing what happened to me before I was eleven . I want knowledge. Sometimes I want to scream with frustration! It is not fair that I know nothing about my past when everyone else could tell you a woud by word account of their oif.

Anyway, I was sitting out in the cold in front of my parents mi ni sleeping chamber when suddenly I heard voices. But, they are not the voices of my parents, well it was mhy parents but alsosomeone else. Itr was a woman. AndI knew here. Not from Salsiva but from somewhere else, a land far off from a land far off. Itr   skimmed a memory from far off. 

"Hoq is Chleo doing her/ She was so young when they canme. Too yound. her fathere and I thought, well that she should move to somewhere safe until she is a little older. I just wanted to come see if she doing weelll here, or else we can move here swomewhere else.  We hope she is not too big of a pain." the woman says.

It takes me a full minute to proccess what she just said. Bjut when it does, my body goes numb with shock. I'm not from here. Well if I'm not where am I from?I'm not from Lima! I can't be. Even those snobs have brown eyes. Amd then another question dqwns on me. Why has nobody ever said anything about my green eyes? Are they all io on a secret that I don't know about? I'll find out tomorrow.

                                                            ******************                                                                    I wake up the next morning to find out that with all the shock last night, I had dozed off. It is now very early morning, a little after the time the chickens would crow if we could even afford them which obviously we can't judging by the fact that I live in a closet. jSo that nobody notices that I was not in bed last night, I crawl down the hallway, silently praying that the floor does not creak beneath me, or worse break. As I creep back to my room I start to plan out my mission. But, the second that I put my head against my pillow, I am asleep. I can really use some sleep. I have a very action packed day tomorrow that I need to have rest for unless I want to end up in a black hole for the rest of my life. 

     
When I wake up again, the sun is up and rising, and it is time to get up. I stretch my legs, and walk down stairs as ready as I ever will be for my mission. I walk down the stairs, grab a piece of toast, yell hello to everyone, and bolt out the door. At first, I thought about testing my siblings as part of my experiment but then I decided for the better that they might blab about it to our parents. Instead, on the way home from work I'll do it to some of my friends.

After five tiring hours of cleaning the McShones house I am finally on the way back to Salsiva. I run off the bus and find my first experimentee. Her name is Elizabeth. We have known each other since I got here. She seems to know me from before them but right now, we'll find out.

I walk up to her and say calmly, "Hey Lizzy." My hands our white and my body is shaking. I do my best to calm down but it's not easy.

"Oh hey Chloe, how are you doing?" she responds.

I decide to take it easy and calmly so that she acturally answers me when I get to the punch line."I'm doing well. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well."

"Hey, you should come over tonight for dinner."

"OK." she responds

"Hey do you remember my zoo party when I was eight?" This is a complete lie. When I was eight I wasn't even in Salsiva. "On June. 8th from 4-6."

A flicker of confusion passes on her so fast that I though it was my imagination. ∫ut \, it was there. I saw it with my own eyes. It is a full minute before she responds. "Oh yeah! I remember that! We had so much fun!' She is lying. I can tell she is from her clammy hands to her pale face.

I pretend that I don't notice. Instead I say, "Let's meet at my house in two hours at seven?"

"Sure," she responds. Before I can say anything else, she runs into the evening towards her house. I back up against one of the fences protecting one of the houses. All I want to do is jump and scream in excitement. Lizzy knowws something. I'll ask her tonight. Night is the time for secrets to spill. As I am walking I run into Agatha who I have also known for as long as I have known Salsiva. I take it casually just as I did with Lizzy. I do the same thing until I get to the important part. I ask her to dinner as well.

"You remeber that time when I was eight? We had such a fun time at the beach! On june 8th from 4-6?

"Oh yes. I remember that." she says without any hesitation but her face pales ever so slightly.

                                                         ***********************

"Youre having friend over?" My mother asks. I never have friends over. she looks appalled. I'm not such of a friend kind of person. More like an investigator whcih is exactly what I will be doing- investigating.

"Yes." I respond. "I hope that it's OK. I should have asked first."

"No. It's Ok. Don't worry. You just don't usually have friends over."

"Yeah, well i though that I should have Lizzy and Agatha over. I have not seen them in a while.

                                                      *****************************

The door bell dings. Agatha and Lizzy are here. I answer the door, and usher them up to my room. I'm sick of being casual. I jump straight to the punch line. "Guys, I think that something strange is happening to me. You don't know anything about that do you?"

They look at each other before Agatha says sweetly, "We don't really know a lot but, in Salsiva, we really just try to enjoy our selves and forget about all the strange things that happen."

I think about that for a long long time after.





EPILOUGE- 2 years later.

It is 2 years later, and my whole life has changed just because of what Agatha told me. It took me a very long time to realize what she really meant, but I took it into account, and now I am a completely different person. I have realizd that all that investigating made me not so friendly. I now know that I just need to live my life, and forget about all of the confusing things in my past, and I have. I am a new person for the better.