Freedom--Ethen

Freedom is something some people take for granted.  It is when you can do or think however you want within reason. Many people saved hundreds from concentration camps and death.   Many people in other countries do not have the freedom like American people do. Many nationalities make up American, many have pride to be Americans and many take it for granite. Many people come to America so that they have more freedom in this country then they did in their home lands.  Are own American constitution talks about the preamble, are the principles of the United States and Article 1 of the constitution, the setup of the government.  The constitution represents the foundation of America which started with individuals wanting freedom from religious persecution. Like the Jews, Germans wanted to rule over them.  The constitution also goes over how you can become a citizen, not all Americans were native to the United States. Freedom is not just about slaves becoming free or people escaping dictatorship, it is about having the right to vote the way you feel and to make laws that all can live by. In America you have the right to stand for what you believe in and not get killed as long as it does not harm others. In our country we have the most freedom as citizens. In other countries you could get killed for burning your country flag. Which if you burn a flag you don’t have much pride for that county. Many people sacrificed their lives to save the Jews from the Germans. Many Americans thought it was their responsibility. Freedom is not free; it cost the most, lives. We take for granite in this country, we can stay our late, we can hang out with any race of people we desire to. We can be ourselves. There are laws but they are to protect ourselves, because without laws there are those people who would do wrong. Laws are for peace. Everyone needs freedom in their lives, millions of Jews died due to the race and religion, people die today due to their race and religion. Freedom is what makes up American and makes us human. This applies to me because some of my family were immigrants from Germany and tried escaping because of the dangers of being there.

The summer of 2010--Julissa

My friend Kyle and I went on a big adventure that led us to find out the truth about Kyle’s
brother. We were both 17 and each summer we would hang out it was our “tradition” since we
were 10. Each summer we would go on adventures, and each adventure had a meaning behind
it. Kyle had a brother who was 21 when we were 17. His brother lived in San Francisco and Kyle
and his brother rarely talked since his brother had moved. So Kyle was always worrying about
his brother wondering if he is okay and safe. So it was the second week into summer break and
Kyle comes up with a plan to go to San Francisco and see how his brother is doing, hang out
and “catch up “ with him. He had said we should go for a week and I was hesitant at first, but
then Kyle tells me how he has enough money for a week for both of us. After two hours of
persuading me I agree that we should go. I tell my parents I'm going on a beach trip with my
friends. On June 15 I pack up all of my stuff and I meet Kyle at a park nearby my house. We
lived in LA so we were thinking it would take us 78
hours to get to San Francisco. It was around
7:00 pm when we left. We knew it would be a long trip, so we stopped at a gas station for some
coffee and lots of energy drinks to keep ourselves awake. We had gotten there at around 4:00
am. We had gotten a hotel room and went to sleep we woke up the next day at about 10:15 am.
After rethinking the choice we had made we decided to wait a couple days to see Kyle’s brother.
Kyle had told me he was nervous and scared to meet his brother, because he hadn't seen his
brother in a long time. Kyle had this image of his brother being so successful and an amazing
guy. I didn't want Kyle to have high expectations even if it is true, but I didn't want him to be
disappointed if it wasn't true. We had gotten there on Friday and it was Wednesday when Kyle
was “strong enough” to see his brother. We had gotten to his front door step of Kyle’s brothers
apartment and Kyle is all dressed up and ready to see his brother. Kyle's brother was a mess
and Kyle's idea of his brother was completely destroyed. Kyle starts bursting into tears and he
tells me to come with him to the car. We drove back to the hotel got all of our stuff and drove
home without saying much. After that night Kyle had changed. Whenever I try to talk to him
about it he changes the subject. Kyle hasn't really been the same since the summer of 2010.

My Passion--Shayne

It was a muggy afternoon on August 18, 2012. It was my first dance audition on a new team and studio that just opened. Before I auditioned, people told me I would be the next project. I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. Along with this being my first year came a lot of consequences. Even though I made the team, ahead of me was a lot of hard work I had to put in. When I first started dancing I was only 12 years old which is late in the game for a lot of kids. I put my heart and soul into the art of dance to become better than I was the day before to make up for the time I didn't get to train. My first year of dancing at a new studio, I got the award for most improved at my banquet which kept me on the road to work even harder. My second year of being at my studio was definitely not the easiest. I started getting moved up to more advanced classes which led to higher expectations for myself. Ever since then I was never a person that wanted to let anybody down and I pushed my body to its limits to do whatever I could do and more. Every week I would take fitness classes to gain muscle, the regular 13 hours a week of dance training, and workout sessions at the gym. Before I knew it, all the training I did paid off. I was winning in competitions and at my second banquet I won teen dancer of the year which made me the happiest person alive. This was because I knew the teachers saw how hard I worked to be a better dancer. After that year, I started to go downhill. My third year felt like I was alone in a dark alley. I started dancing with a new group of dancers at my studio that were also very well trained. I went home crying every night because I felt like the teachers didn't like me because I did something wrong. Or, when they told me a critique in front of the class I always felt like I was publicly humiliated and always took it to heart as a negative response about the way I dance. This not only affected me in the studio but onstage as well. My confidence and self esteem was never there when I came onstage. I would always fall out of my turns which affected my technique score at competition. One thing led to another and I never placed in the overalls. At that point in time I was ready to quit dancing. I felt like it was never my passion anymore and if I wasn't able to go on stage and perform then how could I be a backup dancer for one of my favorite celebrities. Everyday I would walk in the studio to train I never wanted to be there and nervous that I would breakdown in front of the class. Until one day, I learned a new solo routine. One of my mentors,that I thought didn't like me, taught me this solo because I never felt comfortable in my last one. This routine made me feel alive and I danced liked I could never dance again. My point of the story is that every time you hit a obstacle in your life doesn't mean that you should give up. Especially if it is something you have passion for. No matter what gets in your way you should always push through it. These events helped me to not take what I love for granted and that is what I did. These events led up to the person I became today, to be a person that works and fights for what I love to do.

How to do laundry--Favio

I'm not very experienced but I have many tips. It's not simple and requires many steps. Doing laundry is very time consuming and very confusing at times. A lot of times parents will want you to do the laundry, if you don't know this will teach you how to do so. Here are the many steps of doing laundry.The first and most important step of all is to gather all dirty clothes in your house you can do so by gathering all the hampers. You do not want to miss any clothes because you'll have to do more washes and that will waste water and electricity. After bringing the hampers to your laundry room. As soon as you arrive you would want to separate the clothes into different piles. These piles will vary from white clothes, dark clothes, and colored clothes. Also you need to make sure to separate your undergarments from your regular clothes, you want to do this because your regular clothes will smell like feet from your socks. You need to make sure to separate the delicates that are included in these in three or more piles. The delicates will need to be hand washed. This is a very important step if you forget this step you will probably mess up every single one of your family members clothing. Afterwards, you want to go into everyone's closet and grab as much hangers as you can. You will use the hangers to hang all jackets, shirts, etc. When you are done with this, bring all the hangers to the laundry room. When you start putting the loads into the washer you want to start with the biggest load, and work your way down to the smallest. Another note to add is for big loads you want to do a normal wash for smaller loads you would want to do a quick wash. Also for the bigger loads you would want to use a little bit more detergent and fabric softener. Between all these loads will be a timeframe of about 30 minutes to 40 minutes. Between this time you may do anything as you please or you can get ahead by folding the clothes that just came out of the dryer. I preferred to turn on the TV and fold the clothes. When you take clothes out of the dryer, the items that are worn on your upper body are put it onto a hanger immediately and put on a clothing rack. This will reduce wrinkle and make it easier when you are flat ironing them in the future. Once you are done with every single load, and have folded and separated all the clothes. You will want to return every undergarment back to it's rightful owner. Your first experience may not be the best. Eventually you will be very talented and doing laundry for your whole entire family will be a breeze and a walk in the park. I hope your parents are very proud when you finish your first load.

Ryan--Coma

The scene sets in with Mark, a boy that seems about 17 years of age. He is on the floor seemingly unconscious in a small white room that contains nothing but a single door. “Ugh… where am I?” As Mark exams his current location, he starts to ponder the thought of why he can’t remember anything before he woke up. “Why can’t I remember anything? I don’t even remember who I am or anything about my family.” Mark then notices the push-bar door that leads out of the empty white room. He then proceeds to open it and find that behind the door is a room of similar proportions to the room behind him, although this time there are two doors and a note on the floor. Mark walks across to the note and reads it. The note reads “Welcome to the lab Mark, you have been chosen to be a participant in our little game…of death. What lies behind these 2 doors are a series of puzzles, in order to escape this lab you must solve these puzzles. For, once you solve these puzzles, an entrance to another room will appear, and within that room are 4 doors all leading to puzzles, and the room after that will have 8 doors all leading to puzzles, solve those and then you get 16 doors, and the number of puzzles you need to solve will constantly increase, until you reach the end of course. Although, you probably shouldn’t even start anyway, for the probability of you getting out of here is 1/99999999. Why the outrageous probability? Well, remember how earlier I said this is a game of death? Well…. One mistake in this silly game and you will die a horrible and gruesome death. This note has gotten too long. It is time for you to start playing. Have fun.” ~Anon. Filled with confusion and rage, Mark tears up the note and starts to worry if he’ll ever get out of this god forsaken place. “So if I don’t pass these puzzles, I’ll die? What kind of sick person would make a game like this? Am I the first person or have there been others before me?” Pondering at these questions, Mark enters the door on the left, what he sees is just a button. Mark presses the button and then he hears gears turning overhead, but nothing happened after that. Mark exits the left room and then enters the room on the right. Inside this room is the same thing, a button. The button is pressed and gears churn overhead, after the churning stops, Mark leaves the room. Although when he exits, he notices that a door has presented itself in front of where the note used to be, in the middle of the two puzzle room doors. When Mark enters the room, he notices something on the floor, another note. It reads “I see you’ve passed the first room, ready for the next 5?” ~Anon. As Mark finishes reading the note, the floor below him opens up, sending Mark through a black abyss. Mark seemed to fall for more than an hour until finally he landed on a gigantic air mattress. At first the room was pitch black, no light seemed to enter or escape the grasp of the room, until a gigantic monitor with the words, “Ready for more?” popped up in big read ghastly print. The monitor then went blank and 4 doors were revealed, behind each door was an item. Behind door number one was a gun, behind door number for was a knife, behind door number 3 was a noose above a stool, and behind door number 4 was a note. Mark picked up this note and read it, it said “The odds are against you, kill yourself now and avoid the torture that awaits you.” ~Mark. “Wait a minute, this is my handwriting, was I here before?” Mark questioned. Mark dropped the note in confusion and disbelief as to what he had just seen. Slowly recollecting himself, Mark went ahead to take his own advice and picked up the gun and shot himself, or so he thought. The gun didn’t have a bullet loaded in it. Instead it was a flag that had the text “BANG!” written on it. “What in the world?” Mark exclaimed. Mark then went on to take the knife and tries to slit to his throat, except this knife wasn’t actually made of metal, it was made of plastic. “Why can’t I just put myself out of my misery already? Even the note told me to do the same thing…” Mark said while starting to well up with tears. Finally Mark went on to take the noose, this time he had finally succeeded in ending his life. With his last seconds on Earth, Mark started to remember something, something very important. This entire experience wasn’t actually real. Mark woke up in a hospital bed surrounded by bright white lights and a life support system. A board ahead of him had read “No response. 12/30/15” It had been 30 days since Mark had entered his coma. As Mark became aware of where he was and what kind of situation he was in, Mark tried to get out of bed, but could not lift himself from his bed. He then proceeded to try and call a nurse, a nurse named Peter had responded almost instantly. Peter had explained everything to Mark, since Mark suffered from dementia and severe brain damage. He had not remembered anything from his coma or his life. Peter had said that Mark was in a car crash, and that Mark was driving. Mark had fallen from a 2 story building while doing his job of repairing roofs and cleaning out gutters. He had landed on his head, and was almost completely disabled. The only thing that he can is his mouth and eyes, nothing else. Mark wished for death after hearing this.

Blake--The Night

Today is my birthday, April 20th, and I was just getting home from a day at work and I sat down to watch the news. I was going to dinner with my family tonight so I knew I needed to get ready soon. Right before I got up from watching television I heard something on the news that caught my attention. The anchor said, “This just in, a young boy has gone missing after parents describe a creature to have taken him into the woods”; I just froze and looked back to the screen. Horrified I kept watching to see what else happened they described the creature to be human like but very skinny, pale, crawling on all fours with big teeth and big eyes that glow in the night like cats or raccoon’s eyes would. By this point I was thinking about “THE NIGH”. It was exactly 12 years ago I was 10 at the time and it was my birthday and I was having a sleepover party with all my friends and we were playing hide and seek in the dark outside. We were all having fun until we heard a scream. We ran to the direction it came from thinking someone tripped and got heart. My friends and I got there and we saw our friend lance on the ground holding his leg that was bleeding. He looked very scared like he just saw a dead person so we asked him what happened. He told us that a big white creature with big eyes attacked him and scratched his leg up and then ran off after he screamed. We just told him that it was probably just a raccoon but he said it was way too big for a raccoon. So we just shook it off and went inside and cleaned his cut off and then went to play video games. After video games we had to go to bed so as we were getting our stuff on the couches and ground something caught my attention outside I saw some sort of rustling in the bushes and I saw a flash of grey and then nothing. I didn’t tell anyone because I thought that I was just tired and needed some sleep after our long night. A few nights after the party I the same bush rustling and this time I saw more than just grey I saw two glowing eyes look up at me…I froze in fear, I thought to myself I have to go tell my parents right before I ran to get them he smiled and started moving toward my house! At this point I was sprinting to my parents room, It was 2:00 am and they were sound asleep, as I got in the room I yelled, “GET UP THERES A MONSTER OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE” and since I was a ten year old they just thought I had a terrible dream but I told them to come and see so they walked to the living room window with me and there was nothing. I never saw it again after that night. After watching that broadcast I was terrified it scared me that it was real. The worst part about it was that the couple that had their child abducted were living in my old house…

Ashley--The Life of Divorced Parents

It all started back in 2009 when I was only 8 years old and finding out that my parents were splitting apart forever. Just being 8 I really didn't understand what was going on. How I understood it was that daddy was just leaving for a couple of days just to get some space, and the coming right back home. but that's not how it turned out, it turned out that daddy was moving out and going to live with someone else. Mommy then sits my brother Brandon, my sister Miranda,and I down and tried to explain what was going on, but I didn't quite understand. As mommy is trying to explain it my sister Miranda asked my mom as tears run down her face, “Daddy doesn't love you anymore, does he has feelings for someone else?” As I saw the tears running down my sister Miranda’s face I started to cry. My mom wipes the tears off Miranda’s face then mine as my brother sits there in silence and replies sobbing, “ Honey, at this point I really don't know.” As tears continue to rub down down our faces, my mom pulls us into a tight hug and hold us in her warm hug for about 5 minutes. Weeks went by where I didn't see my dad that often plus not getting to get to him on the phone as well. Still not understanding a lot of this divorce, my mommy one day comes home with some empty boxes and starts putting things into these boxes, that seem to be mostly daddy. As she is packing I ask, “ what are you doing with all of daddy's stuff is he coming home to get all of his things?” Mommy then replies, “ yes daddy is coming to pick up his things but we also have to pack all our things because we are moving to Nana and papa's house.” With confusion I ran out of the bedroom and went to go find my brother and sister when I found them I stated, “ Mommy said that we need to start packing we are going to Nana and Papa's house.” My brother and sister seemed to know what was going on because I already saw boxes packed in their room. Months later when we were all settled at my nana and papa's house my dad kept calling my mom asking to see my brother, my sister, and I, and they were making all these arrangements to see him. So when everything was arranged we started seeing him every Wednesday after school to 8 and Saturday from 9 to about 3. It seemed to be fun at first being my brother, my sister, and I were getting all these gifts and getting whatever we wanted at the store. Well this continued for weeks and weeks and my brother and sister caught on but me i grew confused because they started not wanting as many things anymore. My sister then comes home one Wednesday complaining about how daddy had brought a girl to that night's visit and tells my mom, “ This girl named Kristin was at Logans with us the whole time and it turned out to be where she works, who is she mommy?” My mom replies, “ I really don’t know who she is I just know that who your dad is staying with right now.” Years went by and my brother and sister started growing old and getting tired of what my dad was going when we would see him and especially for my sister she was done with it and started to show hatred towards him. I am now 15 years old and I barely get to see him that often and when I do see him I can't even have a nice conversation with him because he don't know me as well as my mom does. I know that my mom would have more answers to my questions then if I went to my dad.

Josh--February 29th

On the twelfth of April, Isaac’s life would be altered forever. It was a rather peaceful summer day. There was a slight breeze and clear skies overlooking the city of Detroit. Isaac Jones, fifteen at the time, was walking home from the local high school when he heard a loud noise coming not too far from his home. Isaac rushed to see what the commotion was about and saw there had been a car accident. Both cars were in terrible shape as well as the drivers he assumed. Then, Isaac’s compassion turned to fear. He had realized that one of the cars was his father’s. Isaac began to get closer but stopped. He wondered if he really wanted to see what horrendous scene may lie in front of him. It was too late to decide. The EMT’s had begun pulling both drivers out of the car. Unfortunately, it was then clear, his father had passed. Isaac’s father, Daniel Jones, was pronounced dead at the scene. Isaac had never felt such immense sadness but couldn’t even comprehend how his mother will feel. When Mrs. Jones was told of what had happened, she was devastated. She and Daniel had been married for twenty years. How could she go on without him? The answer is, she couldn’t. At least not peacefully. Mrs. Jones turned to an alternative to carry on with life. Drugs. Although, this proved to be a grave mistake. Mrs. Jones became so overwhelmed in drugs that all of other aspects of life ceased to exist. The addiction soon overtook Isaac’s spot on her priority list. Fortunately, Isaac was a very strong young man and did not let his father’s death nor his mother’s addiction impact him negatively. Isaac understood that with his mother now overtaken by drugs, he was alone. Isaac had no other siblings for help nor relatives who cared. Everyday Isaac thought of the stories his father had told him before he passed. Stories of success. His father was a very successful lawyer and knew his practice very well. He too dealt with downfalls early in life, yet overcame them. This gave Isaac hope and determination to succeed. Isaac decided that in order to succeed he must finish high school first. His grades were better than average but not outstanding. Isaac thought many hours about his future and how it will all play out. With grades like his, he would be able to get into a junior college but not much more. Restless nights began to eat away at him but somehow, he knew he wasn’t alone. Sophomore year passed, then his junior year and finally he began his senior year of high school. He had just turned eighteen when something odd had appeared in the mail. It was a letter concerning his father’s death. Isaac did not know why they would send anything since his father’s passing was over three years ago. What the letter entailed would prove to be a true miracle. February 29th was the day everything changed. Isaac’s father had given Isaac a gift from beyond the grave. The letter told of a large sum of money which was to be given to Isaac when he turned eighteen. Isaac now had a wide variety of options for his future. Isaac had decided that he would go to junior college the following fall. He eventually graduated at the top of his class. Although Isaac’s first goal had been achieved, there was many left to conquer. He applied and was accepted to an Ivy League college that excelled in law. Here began part two of his miraculous journey. Isaac struggled some with the difficult classes but was able to obtain a master’s degree in law. Finally, his goal of great success was in reach. Now Isaac could not only match his father’s legend, but surpass it. After the first few weeks of starting up his law firm, it began to prosper. Everyone in the Detroit area came to him when needing legal aid. After nearly twenty years he could expand his business much greater than imaginable, but decided not to. Isaac had decided to give back for the greater good instead. Isaac opened a youth center in his father’s name to help children like him, who are struggling. The youth center offered tutoring, counseling, as well as just a place to stay after school. Isaac’s new hope was that someday, someone from his youth center will surpass him and overcome odds as he once had.

Andrew--Sylo

Sylo written by D.J. MacHale is about love, survival, and mystery. This is a very good and descriptive book, which is also highly recommended by other authors. The book Sylo has an exciting feel of mystery. The book is fast pace and is one of my favorite books. I can’t wait until I finish the series, Sylo, Storm, and Strike. The main characters in the story are five kids named Tucker, Kent, Quinn, Tori and Olivia. In this story an army named Sylo invades the Island of Pemberwick. The Sylo Army was there to contain an unknown and mysterious virus. The main characters in the story believed that the virus was actually a ruby supplement. However, the Sylo Army was very strange and no one knew where this army was coming from. Events transpired and the main goal was now to escape the island, but the Sylo Army was not about to show any mercy. The army would kill anyone that acted suspicious or posed a threat. The main characters had to be quick and sneaky because the Sylo Army had many snitches. The Sylo leader’s name was Granger. Granger was a ruthless man who was always on the lookout for suspicious characters. The main characters were in fear of being shot and killed. The Sylo Army attempted to kill the main characters by burning down the forest. James Dashner the author of the Maze Runner series also commented about the book Sylo. James Dashner highly recommended this book because it leaves you wondering. When I was in the eight grade I met the author D.J. MacHale and he read to us the first sentence from his book. “It was the perfect night for a football game and death” This was to catch our attention and then he proceeded to read to us the rest of the first chapter. That was all it took for me to buy the book that summer and I have no regret doing it. My favorite part of this story took place when the main characters had to escape during a massive dogfight battle between airplanes and ships. The main characters had to find a way to maneuver through the battlefield while being chased by Granger. Also, this story was has many mysteries. This story leaves you in suspense in trying to identify, which characters were lying and which characters were telling the truth. MacHale also wrote the book series Pendragon, the Morphuse Road, and the Monster Princess. However, I believe that Sylo was his best series. In the book, one of the main characters had many important quotes. Tucker said, “Nowhere is safe” and “Marty Wiggins was the first death and wont be the last”. I believe these quotes describe the book perfectly. I highly recommend this book because it has everything you could possibly ask for. It has mystery and suspense. I really enjoyed the twist and turns between the main characters and their fight for survival. This is a must read book and the ending will leave you in suspense.

Camille

It was Valentine's Day. Of course I was alone because my girlfriend of two years, Loraine, dumped me last month because I didn't get here anything for her birthday. She was so beautiful and nice and down to earth. She had nice light brown hair. She had hazel eyes and was very tan. She had perfect teeth and a perfect smile. I was in love with her so I was completely devastated when she dumped me. I thought it was going to be one of those break up then back together within 24 hours but no she was for real. She lost interest and moved on and has another boyfriend. The night she dumped me I did some crazy drugs and knocked out...

    The next day I walked into my favorite coffee shop and saw a beautiful girl. I saw there was an open seat right next to her so I sat next to her. "Hi do you mind if I sit here?" "Of course not, I'm Rosemary what's your name?" "I'm Tyde." She smiled and went on with what she was doing. I took out my laptop from my backpack and began typing. I glanced at Rosemary a few times because she was so beautiful. Her long dark brown hair, green eyes and tan skin. After about 20 minutes, Rosemary had to go. She packed up all her things and said, "It was nice meeting you!" with a really big smile on her face.  "It was nice meeting you as well!" I said nervously.

A few days went by and I went to the coffee shop every day and never saw Rosemary ever again. On Friday, I went to a concert with my best buds. We got there two hours early so we didn't have to wait in that long of a line. Once we got into the line there was a tall blonde girl right in front of us with a few of her friends. From what I could see her hair was exactly like Rosemary's. After about an hour waiting in line most of the people in the line sat down. The blonde haired girl started a conversation with us. There was something strange going on because I could've sworn that the blonde haired girl looks exactly like Rosemary. I asked the blonde girl what her name was, she said “Hunter.” I started talking to the Hunter to find out some information about her and compared it to what I knew about Rosemary. We had talked for about ten minutes then they started letting people into the venue. We ended up switching seats with people that sat next to the group of girls so we could all hang out and rock out. After the concert was over and everyone was heading towards the exit I was looking around and the group of girls were still with us but I couldn’t find Hunter.

    A few weeks after the concert, a few of my buds threw a Super Bowl party. The Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks were playing and most of the people at the party were Seahawk fans. I was wearing my favorite Seahawk’s attire, which was just a Seahawk’s jersey and some pants. There was one girl at the party that was wearing a Seahawks shirt that was completely bejeweled. She was a red head and had a lot of freckles. She had perfect teeth kind of like Hunter's. She was tall and about 5'9. We ended up sitting next to each other on the couch. We exchanged a few words during the commercials. Her name was Jasmine and it turns out she's a lot like Hunter and Rosemary. That's so crazy, finding three people in a row that are almost exactly alike. When the game was over and the Packers had won, unfortunately, everyone got up and said goodbye. I looked around to find Jasmine but she'd also disappeared. It was Deja Vu. Every girl I met disappeared.

    A few months had passed. I woke up and I was in a hospital for some reason. Loraine was in the room, she was sitting down in a chair reading. I was hooked up to so many machines. I started to freak out. I wanted to know why I was hooked up to so many machines. Loraine got up and started crying, she tried to calm me down while screaming at the top of her lungs for a nurse. A few nurses came in the room and took a few tests. Loraine was calling my friends and family in her seat with a few tears coming down her face. I asked Loraine why I was in the hospital. She told me I had overdosed and slipped into a coma for 5 month. She found me passed out on my apartment floor the next day. I was appalled. About 30 minutes later my family and friends came into the hospital room they looked so happy to see me. I knew I was loved by so many people but one person stood out to me the most. The day I got released from the hospital I asked Loraine to get dinner with me. At the end of dinner when we were sharing a slice of red velvet cheesecake I got down on one knee and held Loraine's right hand. "Loraine I love you. I never stopped loving you. Especially when I was in a coma. All I could think about was you. Every girl I saw was a variation of you. You came back for me and found me on the floor and cared enough to call 911 and you stayed with me in the hospital almost every day. I love you. Will you marry me?" Everyone in the restaurant was looking at us. "Yes!" She finally said. We both jumped up and hugged each other and I put the ring on her finger.

Kaiya--The House

The House

People have always said crazy stuff about the house I’m moving
into. Some say that a psychotic doctor built this house but ended up
killing himself because of his baby’s tragic disappearance. Others say
that a crazy teen boy lived here as well but was shot by the cops for a
massacre that he was responsible for at a high school nearby. But my
parents love the house and made an agreement to buy it of course.
Now I have to go to a completely new high school with nobody to talk
to.
My first day was horrible. I made zero friends and have horrible
teachers that I hate and I’m pretty sure hate me too. And on top of this
horrible first day of school I come home to the sound of my parents
yelling at eachother again great. I swear they will never ever stop
fighting with each other, sometimes the fights get so bad I have to
end up calling the police. I just ignored them and went upstairs to do
my homework. Once I got to my room I began to unpack some of my
things, I noticed a funny and very disturbing smell coming from one
of my boxes. I went over to go check and I found a possum with it’s
throat slit open and it was somehow still breathing. I freaked out and
screamed for both of my parents. They both came running to my
room asking what was wrong, I pointed to the box with the dead
breathing possum both of my parents looked in it with disgust
eventually my dad ended up throwing it away. I had all my nicest tops
in that box too. Well my parents stopped fighting after the situation
and ended up making up.
I couldn’t sleep at all that night, I kept thinking of the things people
have said to me about the house. I scared myself so much that I
ended up not sleeping at all that night. The next morning I was able to
convince my mom that I was sick enough to skip school. But I ended
up staying home all by myself since my parents had to go to work. I
got out of bed to make myself some breakfast when I heard someone
walking upstairs. I assumed it was probably my dad since he’s late to
work a lot. I asked for my dad but there was no response. I just left it
alone. I continued to make my breakfast. I heard a loud thump coming
from upstairs. It scared me so much I dropped the carton of milk all
over the floor. I went upstairs to go check and there was absolutely
nobody up there. I was on my way downstairs when somebody
behind me grabbed both of my arms and dragged me into the attic. I
have never felt more horrified in my life. One of the lights, turned on
and it was the psychotic doctor and teenage boy that died in this
house years ago. I asked what they wanted with me. I got no
response, just silence. They both walked to another room, I had no
idea what they were planning on doing so I took the chance to open
the attic door and run out but I was too late. The teenage boy had
grabbed me and began to tie me up, the doctor also got some
medicine to put me to sleep.
I woke up in complete horror, both of my parents were tied up and
unconscious right in front of me. They too also began to wake up. We
were all so horrified and had no idea what to do. The first thing we did
was untie each other quietly so the dead doctor and teenage boy
wouldn’t hear us. My mother and I wanted to escape the attic and
leave but my dad insisted that we stay here and act like we are still
unconscious and tied up. We both did as he said. It didn’t take the
doctor and the teenage boy long to arrive back. I opened my eyes just
a little bit and noticed that they each had a knife in their hands. My
parents noticed as well. My dad was the first to take action. He quickly
jumped out of his position and somehow managed to grab the knife
out of the doctor’s had and teenage boy’s had at the sametime. He
threw them on the floor and told my mother and I to run to the car as
fast as we could. We all got into the car and drove as far as possible
from that house.
We ended up letting that house go and moved back into our old
house, the house not filled with a bunch of stories and the house
filled with a nice high school with nice teachers and students and
friends to talk to. The incident at the old house not only scared us to
death, but made us all closer as a family.

Hamza--Faster Than A Blink

“Faster Than A Blink” 

      Nick Mendoza and Carl Dawes walked into the investigation room.  They are both police detectives and have been partners for the past 10  years. “Man, you sure do know how to pick the perfect donuts,” Carl  jokingly said as they walked into the investigation room. “Aha its one of my  gifts,” said Nick proudly. “Alright, what do we have here,” said Carl as they  approached the dead body on the table. “Caucasian male about 40 years  of age, bullet went right threw the poor fella’s head, came in one ear and  out the other,” said Nick shaking his head at the report. “Wow,” said Carl as  his eyes widened. “uh im sorry that you had to see this, I know it brings  back bad memories,” said Carl “What are you talking about,” said Nick “  You know man about your uh father, he died just like this,” Carl said as he  nervously gulped. A suspicious look quickly drew on Nick’s face “How did  you know that, it happened one year before we meet and I was the only  one who investigated his murder,” said Nick staring into Carl’s eyes as  walked around him like he was investigating him. Carl just stood there  sweating. A horrifying thought just came into Nick’s head, he quickly  grabbed Carl’s wrist and held it firmly “Did you kill my father ?” said Nick  extremely calm. “ What, are you out of your mind, you're crazy,” said Carl.  Nick was feeling Carl’s heartbeat on his wrist he knew that if it sped up Carl  was lying. “DID YOU KILL MY FATHER?” shouted Nick “NO” shouted Carl.  The heartbeat……...sped up. Without thinking, faster than a blink Nick  quickly dropped Carl’s wrist picked up his gun and aimed it at Carl. Carl  froze, you could see the fear in his eye. Carl was about to open his mouth  but before he could say something, Nick had already pulled the trigger. 

The End.

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!!