May Writers--Our Last Batch

We have come to the end of the year.  Here is our last but, certainly, not the least, of our submissions for the 2015-2016 school year.

There are 22 featured writers for this month!!!  Please read ALL of the submissions and leave helpful, friendly and constructive feedback and comments for your favorite FOUR!!!  If you are a May writer, leave comments for only two :)

Comments are due Monday, May 18.

I hope you have enjoyed this interactive literary blog.  I sure have!!!!!

To my seniors,

Although in a few days you will no longer be EHS students, know that you are always welcome to visit the blog.  Wherever you may be in the near or far future, I hope you will find comfort 'feeding your soul" with our blog.

Love,

Mrs. Solano

Clayton--Dreams Became Realities

      To me, it was a dream for a while, just too good to be true, an absolute fantasy. That’s what I have been calling it for a while now, a fantasy. Every morning, I woke up feeling fulfilled, and just… good. Everything was going great in general. My career was really kicking off and I’m getting noticed by many great musicians throughout America. But that wasn’t my fantasy. I expected my success because I knew what was coming, I knew how my future in music would turn out, because I put my heart to it, my mind as well and dedicated my entire life to music, what I loved doing the most. It’s what I did best and it’s what I have worked and still work my butt off for, to be the best tenor sax player I can be, and to pursue my dream. Now I’m living my dream, literally, and there is no occupation that would suit me better than the career I have been dreaming about since my freshman year in high school. A near perfect life, this man was living.

But back to the fantasy of my life. The third day of even knowing she existed I declared I was in love, that she was the one, that she was going to be that special girl in my life, and the only one for me, so I thought. As time passed, those thoughts became increasingly true. The two soon-to-be lovers met unexpectedly at a jazz club in New York. I had a few days off until my next performance, so what better thing to do than visit my so called “happy place”. This was my favorite jazz club and I go here quite often. So often, in fact, I knew the owner of the establishment, its employees, and even the jazz cats that performed there regularly. I notify them of my arrival so that I may sit at my favorite table, where it has a straight, perfect, close view of the stage, but it is far enough to not be blasted by the speakers. As I was listening to a Latin chart that was playing, the owner came and sat with me at my table. He asked me how I was doing career wise, if I have been treating my sax well, the same usual business. But one thing he said did catch my interest just a bit more, he told me about someone who had recently been coming here quite often lately, about a few times a week, and that she also plays tenor sax as well as piano and, like me, was considered a prodigy in high school. He was definitely considering hiring her to perform for them a few times a week, and he asked me if I would talk to her, help her out, maybe even join her some nights when performing. The owner introduced us and left us to talk, so we mainly talked about our background and it turned out that nearly everything, in music, we had in common. The only problem was that back in high school, she didn’t have a band director like mine. My band director put me on the right track after high school, he set me up for success, and guided me every step of the way. Unlike her band director, he didn’t guide her, she told me he didn’t even know what she should do after high school. We then talked about what she should do in the near future, and the conversation soon escalated when we slowly started flirting with each other. I’m not sure who started it but from that moment on I knew I’d be talking to this girl for a long time. She surprised me when she asked me out to get drinks this weekend. I told her I’d be delighted but I haven’t had a sip of alcohol my entire life and didn’t plan on starting any time soon, or at all. She wasn’t a big drinker either, so we ended up getting coffee the next afternoon, and went back to the jazz club. Talking to her made me feel alive, excited, and she plays the sax so I sure do think she is the perfect girl for me. I went to that jazz club every day, when I’m not performing, with her and I enjoyed every second of my time with her, she became my girlfriend the third day I met her.

A couple years have passed and she has now joined me on my journey of music, and we did several recordings together, making us both very successful. She lives with me now, and I want to propose soon, but my plans for my proposal to her had to be nothing but perfect, so I took my time to make the moment extravagant, clever, and smooth. I told her I bought her a new mouthpiece, but when she opened the box, there was actually something way more expensive than a gold mouthpiece, a symbol that would end up to be priceless for us, a gold ring bejeweled all around with diamonds. When she looked up from the beautiful ring, she saw me on one knee, and that got her. She cried and laughed slightly, I said her name, Sally, softly and sweetly, then asked the most important question of my life. She told me I knew the answer and hugged me as tight as she could, whispering yes, yes in my ear. This put us off on a wonderful journey together, our wedding was a magical night a couple months after my proposal, and our honeymoon was heavenly, traveling around America on vacation meeting the most famous musicians you could think of. Staying in a luxury hotel on the west coast, taking a break from music, enjoying ourselves on the warm breezy beach, watching the color filled skies as the sun set. My great times with her were my fantasy, but she was with me wherever I went, always by my side, and always there when I need her, and I was always there when she needed me. So I literally was living a dream, and I wouldn’t want it any other way, being with the perfect girl, and having the perfect lifetime career. This was my dream my freshman year, and I guess I never woke up.

Jerico--How to make Cassava Cake

            Gracious, the humble cassava! A root crop also called yuca, manioc, tapioca, garri, or kamoteng kahoy, is a standout amongst the most industrious root on the planet. It is equipped for growing in the most noticeably awful conditions, along these lines, it has been turned into a ranch staple in numerous developing nations like in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the America. This cake deserves a spotlight in parties. This chewy and savory cake is known as the cassava cake. In some countries like Brazil they call it bolo de macaxeira, Singapore and Malaysia they call it kuih ubi kayu, Colombia and Panama they call it enyucado de coco, and in Fiji they call it vakalavalava. This Filipino style cake is a dense and glutinous (though it is gluten-free), with a creamy topping, and a burnt top. There are many different ways to prepare this dish. A Filipino-style cassava cake that's not extremely sweet.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 Hour

Total time: 1hour and 10 minutes

The materials that you will need are:

·      Sauce pan

·      Baking tray

·      A spoon

·      A spatula

·      A bowl

Shopping list

·      Cassava

·      Butter

·      Condensed milk

·      Evaporated milk

·      Mild american cheddar cheese

·      Sugar

·      Coconut milk

·      Tapioca flour

For the cake base

• 2 packs (900 g) frozen grated cassava, defrosted
• ¼ cup (62 ml) butter, melted
• ½ can (150 ml) condensed milk
• ½ can (185 ml) evaporated milk
• 6 tablespoons mild American Cheddar cheese
• 14 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk

For the topping

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• ½ can (150 ml) condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons mild American Cheddar cheese
• 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk

Baking instructions

1.     To make the cake base, preheat the broiler to 350 F (180 C) and oil a 9" x 13" baking tray.

2.     Then, gather the ground cassave, melted butter, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cheese, sugar, and egg in a huge dish. Incorporate well.

3.     Next, Stir in the coconut milk, and then pour the batter on the greased pan.

4.     Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

5.     To make the topping, combine sugar and tapioca flour in a sauce pan over medium heat.

6.     Pour in condensed milk and mix thoroughly.

7.     Add cheese and coconut milk, stirring continuously for about 10 minutes, until thick and bubbly.

8.     Pour topping over cassava cake and spread evenly using a spatula.

9.     Set your oven to broil mode. Broil at 450 F (235 C) on middle rack until the top turns golden or amber brown. Make sure to watch the cake as it can turn brown very quickly.

10. Garnish with extra toppings.

11. Cool before cutting or serving.

12. Lastly, share this with a friend and enjoy

            You just made a chewy and savory delicacy that everyone can be satisfied by. The delicious aftertaste of coconut cream toppings and the creamy texture of cassava is something that you, your friends, and your family will all certainly enjoy!

Jasmyn--Best Watermelon Smoothie

Ingredients for the smoothie:

·      2 1/4 cups frozen watermelon cubes

·      1/2 cup water

·      2 Tbsp maple syrup

·      1 large lemon, squeezed (lime juice also works very well! use 2 limes)

·      1 fresh banana

Garnish:

a few slices of watermelon - with rind on - frozen. Add some lime or lemon slices too.

Directions:

Add all ingredients to the blender - plus 1/4 cup of water. Start blending. Add more water as needed to blend. Add as little liquid as possible to keep your smoothie thick and "smooth!". Blend pour garnish with frozen watermelon/rind slices. Serve! Enjoy!

Reasons to have this smoothie:

         This smoothie has a lot of nutrients! Since you might end up putting almost every fruit under the sun into a blender, this smoothie  will have a bunch of amazing nutrients with relatively few calories, and it’s really easy to drink because it fits into one glass. They are also easy. Besides the noise of the blending, this smoothie is completely painless to prepare and make!  Just toss in the ingredients and you’re good to go. This is also great with barbeques and for those of us who can’t be bothered to turn on the stove or oven during the hot summer months. They help keep you hydrated in the summer, this is especially important. Instead of just grabbing a bottle of water, drink this smoothie because it contain tons of fruits with a high water content, which means that your body will be more hydrated when you drink this smoothie. Not to mention, this smoothie will be getting you additional hydration there as well. Overall, this is a good smoothie and I'm sure you will like it. This smoothie is packed with lots of nutrients to keep you healthy and water to keep you hydrated. Hope you enjoy it!!

Stephanee--Mean

Words do hurt. They can hurt more than a punch or more than you falling face first on to
the concrete. At nine you don’t see anything wrong with yourself until someone shows you.
When I was nine my family and I moved to Bonneylake,Washington because of my dads job.
My dad’s job caused us to move a lot. No hes not in the military he works for a logistics
company and when a warehouse is in distress or needs a boost my dad is the man they call.
Washington was a beautiful place with a lot of beautiful people. When I moved there of course I
had to be enrolled in school sadly. I think I started school 2 days after we moved in. At the
school I went to CrestWood Elementary I was the only black kid kind of like “Everybody Hates
Chris”. Being the only black kid had pros and cons. Pros being that I was one the most popular
kid. Cons I felt different and was bullied. The first day of school was kind of weird because by
the end of the day everybody knew my name. I didn’t go anywhere without hearing “ hi
stephanee”. Literally everyone knew my name the teachers, the secretaries, and the students. And
for some strange reason some kids were scared of me. I knew this because a friend I made that
day told me that those kids were scared of me because they thought that all black people were
mean and liked to fight everyone. Not sure where that stereotype came from but its out there.
Then it became my goal to let everyone know nice I was. So for a week I smiled, said hi and
gave a blow pop to every person I came in contact with. I went through a lot of candy that week.
My goal was accomplished I became well known for being nice. By december of that school
year I was no longer the newest kid because ten new kids came to my grade which was fourth
grade. And of course me being a nice kid I gave them candy and greeted my self. One out of
those ten kids when I greeted him before I could even finish saying “ hi my name is Stephanee”
he said “You’re black” then I said “No I’m brown” then he replied “ but i bet your ancestors
were black” then he said “I don’t like black people”. And I still gave him candy because from
that day forward it was my mission to get him to like me, but I didn’t know that I would get hurt
trying to do it. Everyday when i seen him I would say “Hi Jacob” but he wouldn’t say anything
back he’d just ignore me. Then one day he came up to me. I thought he was finally going to say
hi back or something. But instead he asked “Why is your nose so big?” I didn’t respond. The
next morning while I was talking to my friends he came up to me and asked “Do you know I
don’t like you” i replied “yes” then he said “Because you’re ugly and black”. I guess it was Ruin
Stephanee’s Day day because later on that day he came up to me with a friends and asked “Why
are you so dark? Did you over tan or something?” I didn’t respond. But I was thinking of
something meaner to say. The day after that when we were in class my teacher asked a question
and I raised my hand then I heard him say “You don’t know they answer, Black people aren’t
smart”. I heard my friend that sat by him say shut up. I think out of all that rude things he said to
me that one hurt the most. Day after day Jacob kept on insulting me but I still never said
anything. One day on the playground while I was playing tether ball. He came up to me and said
“You should quit because thats black people do”. Jacob called me ugly, stupid, and belittled me
in all types of ways and i never did anything. But that day was different. I grabbed the tether ball
and swung it as hard as i could so it could hit his head. When the ball hit the back of his head he
fell face first into the concrete and his face started bleeding. He ran to a teacher to tell her what
happened then she came up to me and asked. Before I could say anything the group of kids
behind me said that he got in the way when i was serving the ball. Those kids knew I did it on
purpose but they knew about all the mean things he said about me and thats why they didn’t tell
the truth. I think I should of told an adult about Jacob bullying before I got got hurt emotionally
and he got hurt physically. I’m pretty sure an adult would’ve stopped it along time ago. But since
that day he started saying hi and never said anything cruel to me.

Austin

I feel disoriented, I just got hit with like four million emotions I haven't felt in a long time. I keep thinking I have everything together right now graduating, I felt safe and secure with my grades, work, friends, family, and love but, I don't see it anymore. I think I got lost on this "path" to my future and now I’m lost again. I know there's going to be a ton of blog submissions now about school ending and their experience and mine is kind of about it I guess. I want mine to warn freshman and relate to seniors. I remember having all these expectations for my high school life during Freshman year and now none of them have occurred, if I could give any freshman advice it'd be to be hopefully and enjoy these next couple years, do whatever floats your goat. In all honesty I lost so many people along the way in high school but I guess that's part of the process to find out who’s really there for you or even if you're the one who needs to change. I feel like we all come into high school with some set of goals in one primary category whether it’s get good grades for college, or make new friends, or find a true love , or even none of the above some people just go with the flow, I came into high school looking for love and friends I remember. I know it sounds foolish now and all the seniors are probably thinking " oh what an idiot, how cheesy and cliché" and I know I do sound like an idiot and I still am an idiot because I still have those hopes and aspirations today, I really do love almost everyone around me in high school and who I’ve met, being in high school has brought me so much pain and stress but it also has given me confidence and happiness because I learned from those around me who I am and who I want to be. I know for a fact I’ve been stuck on this idea of love in high school, I know for a fact that I’ve found it and know it’s real but, what I also know is that in high school we are all vulnerable, it’s like we haven't learned how to handle stress and emotions well and it’s just an observation I’ve seen. I mean for our generation we feel pretty strong because we grow up with so much emphasis on the future but also just carrying the weight of generations behind us.

Now here is my personal story of high school, even though  this whole thing is personal, I probably sound like an idiot but WHO CARES THOUGH, I’ve had a pretty damn good high school memories. I started out miserable in freshman year, I got bullied and didn't know how to make friends, and now look at me, (for those who know me I’m loud and pretty social), people have accepted me for who I am and I cannot thank god enough for that. I think the one thing I never improved on was my grades or study habits though! And all you seniors know you can relate! My friends, I’ve ups and downs with a lot of them but I care deeply about them, they've helped me develop my character and trust with people and how to interact and be who I really am. Lastly I’m going to be done this right now I found love in high school you never really know though because love in high school is damn complicated, I love this beautiful girl since I met her before high school, and I just find it amazing how in high school we kind of learn along the way how to handle it and what real feelings are and even then we could be wrong, I just have always looked at that and have no idea why. I can't thank you guys enough for everyone being so accepting of me and laughing with me and helping me. Anyway I love you all and wish you the best in the future and I am so grateful to be a part of the greatest class in my opinion and thanks for putting up with my long story and stupid self!

Best of Wishes,
Austin

Aleezy--How to make tie dye shirts

Materials that you will need when making tie dye shirts:
● White Tshirt
(preferably cotton)
● Dye, which you can purchase at any craft store( choose any dye colors you want
up to six can be used)
● Rubber gloves( prevents from staining your hands)Rubber bands( for the tshirt)
● Paper Towels,old rags ( to clean up any mess)
● Tap water ( from sink to rinse your shirt)
● Work space
● Cling plastic wrap

Now,to start off,first you must lay out your materials or items that you will be using to
tie dye your shirt.There are many types of patterns you can do to tiedye
your shirt.I
preferably do the spiral since its simple and easy.Once you start,you must be wearing
gloves.Take your plain white shirt and start your spiral at the middle of the Tshirt,
with
your thumb and pointer finger twist the shirt in a spiral motion,once halfway done then
use the palm of your hand and twist the rest of the shirt.After your have finished,your
shirt must look round.Then you must take your rubber bands and put them on the
shirt,make sure to leave your shirt flat on the table,then slide three rubber bands onto
the shirt.Now your shirt should have six wedges after you applied the three rubber
bands.With those six wedges in the first wedge take your bottle of dye and apply it onto
the first wedge you then repeat this same step onto the remaining wedges.Though with
caution make sure not to mix or blend the dyes with any other dye or it will create a new
color that you may or may not want on your shirt.Also a tip you can use the rubber
bands or wedges as a guide while applying the dye.Then flip over your shirt and apply
the same colors of dye on the opposite side of the shirt.Make sure to put enough dye so
it can absorb onto the fabric.Though a warning make sure not to apply different colors of
dye or it will affect the colors of your tiedye
shirt.After you have finished you must let
your shirt dry for twentyfour
hours and leave the rubber band in the shirt.Also you must
take your plastic cling wrap and wrap it once around your shirt while it is drying.After
you have waited twentyfour
hours you remove the rubber bands and plastic cling
wrap.Then,rinse out your shirt with water in the sink.After your done rinsing you have to
put your shirt in the washer and add a little bit of detergent.Make sure to have you
washer settings at cold water (temperature) Medium spin, and Normal wash load.Then
dry your shirt after it is done washing and you are finally finished! I tie dye shirts with my
family during Easter or whenever i have free time which is a really fun activity to do
when your bored or whenever!I hope you can try this out and like the overall outcome of
your tie dye shirt.

Christian--Undone

I woke up in a room I have never seen before. There was a slight ache in my head and pain in my chest. I looked around the room, but it was to dark to mark out. The only light in the room was the one right above me flickering, the light only stayed on a moment at a time. I noticed the worn down checkered plated floor. On the floor I assumed was broken glass, ... but the glass gave of a crimson red shine every time they was roll around. My head aches grew more intense every time I breathed. Their was a foul pungent sent in the air, in the distance their was a glimmer of light. As I got from the bed I woke in, I did no realize that the sheets were a dark burgundy ... looked like they were soaked... I tried not to think about it for I felt like I was going to puke. When I turned away from the wretched bed and took s step forward, I stepped on the crimson glass. The pain stung, I tried to let out a scream, nothing come out. I tried to ignore the pain and took another step forward. The glass clung to me and every step it cut deeper. I continued to press on but pain was unbearable, but the light went out. I heard soft whispering voices, to afraid to turn around I walked towards the faint shimmer of light. The closer I had gotten the louder the voices picked up and light would begin to fade. As I approached the light, I feared my sanity for I felt like it would crack very soon. I was only a few feet away from the light when I felt something grab my ankle. I turned around almost instantaneously to find a hand dark as night grabbing me. I tried to shake it off but I stumbled backwards and hit a wall I assumed. I got up, the hand was gone but had left behind a dark black splotch on my ankle. I looked in front of me to find a mirror. I thought to my self wondering if this mirror had given off that faint light, but it could not for it had no light to shine off it. I looked in the mirror and nearly collapsed from what I saw. In the mirror I saw a boy with pitch black hair and its eyes both hollow. I looked at my body, half was not visible for the black splotch spread it did not stop. Petrified at what I was has became, I felt nauseous just from the sight of me. I looked at my reflection again, it grinned, then a had reached out and pulled me into the mirror. I past out when that happened, and when I woke up I could not do anything but laugh like a mad man for I had awoken right at the start of all this madness where i am right now, back in the burgundy bed.   

Genesis--Away from your LDR

While being in a LDR( long distance relationship), it hurt and hard being away from your love one and not being able to see them everyday, to hold and cherish your lover. Although we have technology to be able to see them through the screen and calling them but it hurts being away and not having their comfort as just a simple hug or/and kiss. These poem says a lot when beings in a LDR:

“The more I think about this,

The more my heart breaks into pieces

I guess this is how love feels

Be away from someone but still

Loving them no matter what

Be there for them when they need you

I hate this feeling of not being physically there

Please know that you deserve someone

Who is there for you and can walk to your house

When you are having a bad time

But I can't and the more i think about

The more it hurts, waiting for me to explode

I'm not doing this for me but for you

God, you have no idea that I need you so badly

I can't believe you want me

You need someone who is there for you

Ten times more than me

I'm crying of the thought of losing you

Writing this kills me

Please don't leave

Even though you deserve someone else

Better for you

Maybe it's time to see what's out there

God, I love you so much that

I can't speak once I'm done shouting

I'm trying so hard not to give up

You are the best thing that happened to me

You're the only thing that I think about

When I fall asleep and wake up

You don't know how much you mean to me “

        Keep this mind, when having someone you love who's far away you hurts, you don't get to see them as you see couples on campus, hugging and telling each other “ I love you”. While some take their love one for granted rather than cherishing the moments between them. Anyone who's are in a LDR, don't give up on your love one and cherish those precious moments even if it's just Skyping because one day, you’ll feel those gooey feelings when seeing them without the screens and cherish every single moment for one day, they won't be there.

Jake--Content

            So many people today have had so many problems throughout their lives, it surprises me that many of them have grown up into the respectable individuals they are today, whereas others are sadly not so fortunate. I myself have experienced very little hardship, unless you count having to wait till Christmas to get a certain toy as one. I have an ideal life, and I’m immensely grateful for it. I have amazing family, friends, and I live in a great community. All of these factors have molded me into the responsible, reliable, and respectful individual I am today. I cannot thank them all enough. However throughout my childhood and even now my older brother (by two years) and I have constantly competed against one another, whether it was school, sports, or wrestling one another. I have lost again and again to him, and for most of my life I’ve hated it due to the constant teasing I’ve faced from him. He always did just a little better in school, and he was a much better water polo player than I, so I was always jealous of him. I felt as though I’d never be as good as him. But now, as high school is ending I’ve looked back and I’m honored to have had a brother like him. He has been the one to push me through almost everything I’ve done, thanks to our natural competitiveness. Thanks to this I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout almost all of high school, and I’m currently the captain of the varsity swim team, and I was captain of the varsity water polo team earlier in the year. He’s taught me not only to not compare myself to others, but to be happy with who I am, to be proud of myself, and of course to be graceful in defeat. My dad is currently a superior court judge and a business law professor, and thanks to him I’m hoping to attend law school after college to become a lawyer when I’m older. In addition to my family, my friends have stuck with me and allowed me to enjoy these 4 years of high school, so I am grateful to them as well. I can’t think of how different my high school experience would’ve been without them. Just like my older brother, they’ve pushed me throughout these 4 years not only academically, but in sports as well, with many laughs along the way. I honestly cannot thank them all enough, for all the love and support they’ve given me. Although we’re all going our separate ways for college, I know we’ll still keep in touch as much as possible. Now we’re all about to be on our way to college, and hopefully, success. My family and friends have helped me become the passionate, loving, and content person I am today, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay them.

Jon-Vincent--Deja Vu

12:30 PM, I finally awake. Being very late to school, I decide to wait until the periods over. I get ready, then finally head to school. As I enter my car, I drive listening to my playlist, “Late”. I feel the irony setting in as I finally reach the front of the school. Upon arriving, I go to my 5th period class. The door is locked, and nobody’s inside. So I wait for the bell to ring and having nothing else to do, look for my phone. It isn’t there. I guess I just left it at home. As I sit patiently, for an hour, I hope the bell to already ring, but it doesn’t. I find this very weird and I begin to get anxious. I frantically look for my classes, all my teachers, classmates, nothing.

After an hour of searching, I just give up. I look for my keys, but only an unusual one is there. I’m scared at this point, and I start running towards the gate. It’s locked. I climb the gate but no matter how hard I try, I can’t. I keep searching, looking for a way to get out. The sun begins to set, my fear grows worse. Unbelievably I feel no hunger, no exhaustion. 3 days now and I try to climb the gate once more. I fall and I hit my head.

It’s 12:30 PM, I’m at home, awake. I try to wonder what happened in my dream but it slowly deteriorates. First thing to come to my mind “I’m late for school”. I grab my keys, then head towards it. I go to my 5th period class but it’s closed. My dream comes back with a punch. I attempt to get out of the school but it’s impossible. 3 days pass, it’s about 5 minutes before I fell from the gate the last time. I stay away from it. Before I knew it a freaking tree falls on my head, along with a key.

12:30 PM, again. Being late, I head to school. Once through the gate my dream becomes apparent once more. I search. Progress, I find a key to the gate. I try to open the lock but it doesn’t work. I also put in the keys from my previous “adventures” until the gate comes falling down onto me. Through every adventure I find different keys, hoping to get out with the right one.

12:30 PM, I awake...

Jaedon--Lone Guardian

It wasn't long before I lived a few thousand years ago that the collapse completely annihilated almost every living thing on our planets. The war lasted a millennium, causing us to use as many soldiers and guardians as possible in order to save our kind from the darkness. There were many casualties as what usually happens during war. You get used to the fact that people will die. No not everything in our army is human, yet what they have inside of them makes them a person. Yes I am dead, I am alive however. The interesting thing is that I died during the war when it was about 1275 years into the long lasting war, and the extinction happened about 500 years after that. I was reborn about 200 years later, I had no idea what was going on but this little light had revived me. He said he was called a ghost and I started to remember things. When I was reborn, I woke up on the same place I died 1975 years ago.....next to my fire team....dead of course...they weren't the lucky ones this time. They were good people, good friends. They meant no harm than to hunt and kill anything that would hurt the city. Atlas-32, he was one of our ground soldiers, he died when he tried to save our lives by using his dome shield, a protective shield made up of void light, we took heavy fire and the shield broke. Next thing you know aliens decide to shoot their explosive lasers at us. We were bleeding out, it was only minutes until we all were going to die. I was the last of them to die. Atlas-32's eyes were dimming and Maggie's flame was extinguishing. I watched them suffer as light was getting brighter and I felt nothingness. Emptiness. No darkness at all. It feels like how I met Maggie when we went through training. She was a wizard and I was and still am a darkness assassin. I remember she used to be the daredevil of the tower's training facility. She'd always jump off a building and somehow make it back up in one piece. She pushed me off... And when I got back up we started talking. She was the one who grew up with me during those times. Both of our parents were dead and we had nobody. Maggie and I found atlas on Earth's moon, so we decided to take him back and reset his hard drive system so he can have a fresh mind, however with him keeping his old memories. We found him as atlas-31 and now he's been reset. The number after a robot's name represents how many times their system has been reset. That is hardly all I remember about my past. I must have lost some brain cells in the explosion, or maybe my brain has aged to a point where I cant remember much anymore. Although I cant remember much, these people in my life have faced some hard times alongside with me, and I will never forget them due to the fact they were the only ones who were there when nobody else was.....

Jordan--My First E-High Basketball Game

      After practicing for since 8^th grade promotion, I couldn’t wait to suit up and play as an eagle.  Emotions came over me as I started to realize what was about to happen. “Could I handle being the point? What if I forget two-game? How many of my friends are gonna be here to watch?” I asked myself this in the locker room. Coach must’ve been able to read minds because out of the blue he says,” Should be a full house tonight!” Full house? First game? At the time I didn’t think I could handle the pressure but my good friend Julian was sitting next to me and said,” Your gonna go off for 30, watch.” This took some of the stress of but not completely. Coach called us to gather around and we did so, preparing for his pre-game speech. He didn’t say much because the team we were about to play wasn’t even competition to us. We put all our hands in the middle and I said,” Family on 3, Family on me! 1, 2, 3” and we all yelled family. Coach told us to go out on the floor and get loose, he threw two balls at us. The second I walked out those doors, I viewed the mass amount of people in the stands. Parents, friends, foes and unfamiliar faces was the mixture. I sat down and started stretch but couldn’t stop thinking about the crowd. Coach came around and said,” Lay-up lines.” And we did so. My first try and I slap the backboard as hard as I can hoping people will be amazed. We do this for about 10 minutes, then the buzzer rings. We run to our bench and gather around coach again. He told us to play under control and don’t be easy. We walk to half court and listen to the ref’s rules, shake hands with the opposing team and then our own. Here it is. The final moment. Neftal jumps up and hurls the ball back to me. It begins. Throughout the game I play fairly well except for a bad pass here and there. Now the game is over. I feel terrible with my performance, I only had 15 points and I could’ve had 30. We beat the team 64-12 but we all know there’s more work to be done. As we leave the locker room all our friends are outside to congratulate us and tell us how good we played. I’m relieved. They’re mentioning plays I can’t even remember but to them it was cool! Now I know how it feels to play as an eagle, and it felt pretty darn awesome!