In the darkest shadows of my home Two chilling silhouettes lurk alone I try to catch them, but they are quick They never fall for any of my tricks
Their amber eyes are bright with fire Their razor claws sharper than briars Black as night, they hide in the dark I try to ignore them, but really itâs hard
They watch my every moment, no matter the business Whether Iâm working, resting, or up doing fitness When Iâm watching TV, they are there, beneath my couch Even in bed, I can always sense that theyâre around
They are a pair of cruel and vicious dark forces They kill for sport, then scare me with the corpses Of the tiny, helpless creatures who couldnât escape I fear one day I may face the same fate
And thatâs not the worst of it, Iâll tell you what is These monsters are destructive, and not only a little bit They appear on the mantle to throw down my flowerpots And lunge onto the table just to knock my food off
Shattered Christmas ornaments Broken strings on instruments Damaged wires and cracked plates See what these monsters have done to my place?
Having visitors over is never any fun When these dark creatures are always on the run They scratch up strangers, and hiss at my friends When on Earth will my misery end?
Ah, but I suppose I suppose itâs not all bad It was my own fault, it was them I chose So when they get on my nerves, and I want to explode I remind myself that it was I who gave them this home For they are not really monsters, or demons, or even ghosts They are only my cats And I love them as my own
ASHLEYâS SPACE JOURNAL
October 1, 2043
I wasnât expecting that my first entry would be describing a terrifying crash rather than a safe landing, but here we are. The goal of this solo trip was simply to arrive on Mars and snap some photos, but inexplicably my ship crashed when I was only about halfway there. To my immense gratitude, I ended up crashing not into an asteroid or comet but another planet, one that, although it is completely new to us and was undiscovered before now, appears eerily similar to Earth from afar.
Luckily, I was just able to contact those at base and inform them of my location before all connection was lost. The rescue team will arrive in an estimated two days, so in the meantime, I suppose I should explore this foreign planet as much as I can.
October 1, 2043
Itâs remarkable; from what Iâve seen of this planet so far, it is not only similar to Earth but completely identical. Itâs a Goldilocks planet, thriving with a multitude of different animals, plants, and yes, even humans! Upon exiting my spaceship, I found that I had crashed in a large field filled with sunflowers and lush green grass.
I had only to walk a little before I discovered a small neighborhood, whose inhabitants were not the insect-eyed green men I might have expected to find but rather humans, humans just like us- old, young, male, female, two eyes, ten fingers, two legs- everything is the same. I was doubly shocked when I learned that every existing language on Earth is also spoken here, and also that I had luckily landed in this planetâs equivalent of America, where most of those around me speak fluent English. So, I conversed with the people living in this town, explaining where I come from and how I came to be here, and have thus far not been able to find a single feature of them or this planet that distinguishes them from what we have on Earth.
Their average lifespan is around 75-80 years. Their pregnant women carry the baby for nine months before giving birth. Their age of majority, depending on which country one lives in, ranges from 15-21. They build factories, have jobs, use currency, live under governments and kingdoms. Their children enjoy playing games and watching TV- yes, even TVs and the Internet exist on this planet. They keep pets, play instruments, create beautiful art. There are schools, and hospitals, and post offices, and amusement parks- really, itâs all so uncanny.
I will continue to observe this planet with great interest.
October 2, 2043
Well, I finally found it. It was purely accidental, but I found it nonetheless. The one difference between humans on Earth and the ones living here. When Anna (one of the townâs inhabitants who I befriended yesterday) tripped over a large stone on the ground and scraped her knee, I was astonished by the color of her blood. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet- she was bleeding a rainbow! She was puzzled by my surprise, and then was surprised herself when I told her that our blood on Earth is only crimson.
Now that I am aware of this unusual feature, its implications are both fascinating and somewhat amusing; it means that a smear of rainbow on this planet isnât the work of an artist, but a bloodstain. The scenes featured in horror movies might include a deadly knife dripping in rainbow and painful wounds that ooze the seven colors. While a history book depicting a battlefield filled with Skittle-colored bodies of fallen soldiers might appear rather silly to us, itâs a very serious matter to them. A childrenâs cartoon in which an animated sparkling unicorn throws up rainbows might be entertaining and funny for kids on Earth, but for the young children on this planet it would be downright traumatizing and most likely receive complaints from angered parents. And, perhaps, it need not be mentioned, but of course this new discovery also means that all of the women on this planet are greeted with rainbows once a month.
On this planet, though, I suppose I am using the wrong word; they donât call the seven-colored arc in the sky a rainbow, but a bloodbow, as it resembles their blood. And, not surprisingly, they refer to their lunar eclipses as simply Red Moons rather than Blood Moons, since the color red by itself carries no indication of blood to them.
Well, my rescue team arrives tomorrow, and I have much to tell and show them. I am honored to have made such an astounding discovery and look forward to learning more about these amazing people: The humans with rainbow blood in their veins.
I have never been so nervous in my life. I regret agreeing to this, I should have just told her I couldnât do it. Sure, sheâd have gotten upset, but sheâs one person. Here, the eyes of practically everyone in school are trained directly on me. I wish Iâd at least gotten time to practice!
Well, Iâve finished tons of English essays under pressure and passed with flying colors. How hard can giving one little speech be? After all, itâs not as if Iâll be getting graded on this.
I remember the last words she spoke to me this morning and draw in a deep breath. It doesnât have to be perfectâŠ
I clear my throat. âFellow students of Ariella High, Iâm sure youâre just as thrilled and excited as I am that another school year is coming to an end. Overall, I would like to say thatâŠâ
All at once my mind blanks out. Shoot. I knew this would happen! What should I say next?
A whole few seconds have passed, Iâve been hesitating for too long now, so I rack my brain and hastily finish, â⊠that I believe we all had a good time this school year.â
Thereâs silence for a moment.
Then one kid calls out, âThatâs it? Thatâs all youâre gonna say? But so much crazy stuff happened this year!â
âAnd we did NOT have a good time!â some girl adds disdainfully. âThis was honestly one of the WORST school years ever!â
âAnd why do you say that?â I ask, wondering if this prom speech is about to turn into speech and debate.
âValerie- do you not remember what happened when school started?â one boy demands. âPractically everyone got food poisoning from the cafeteria lunch and school got cancelled for a week!â
âAnd that day when some freshman brought her dog to school and it ran around biting people!â
âDonât forget about the time when all of us Juniors got a prank email telling us it was Pajama Day. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was arriving to school like that?â
More and more kids begin angrily recalling the yearâs events.
âMr. Lee got bitten by a poisonous spider and his substitute gave us all triple the amount of homework! For six months!â
âThe janitor got fired because people spread rumors that he was doing drugs!â
âCockroaches infested a bunch of the portable classrooms!â
âThat motivational speaker who came here last month turned out to be a kidnapper!â
âThe classroom elevator broke down while my friend was inside and she was stuck in there for two hours before they fixed it!â
âHow can you possibly say this was a good year?â the girl from earlier asks me, hands placed on her hips. âWell? Tell us, Valerie!â
âUm⊠well, I-â I stare into the crowd, struggling to think of a response. Theyâre right about all that stuff happening. This year WAS pretty bad. But, what was it my sister always says? âThereâs always a silver liningâ?
âShe canât think of anything,â one loud, tall boy jeers rudely, âThere was NOTHING good about this year and she knows it. This year sucked and so does this school.â
A jab of anger hits me, which is understandable considering our principal is my uncle. âNow, wait just a second,â I say, raising my chin. âJust because a lot of not-so-good things happened this year, doesnât mean nothing good came from it. After the food poisoning episode, the lunch ladies realized where theyâd gone wrong and put real effort into changing the food- to the point where almost everyone now agrees itâs better than any school food theyâve ever had. And no, Luke, that girlâs dog was NOT biting anyone. It just licked a few people and then got picked up by the girlâs mom without much trouble. And Jamie, falling for a prank message is on you- you should have checked who it was sent by, like a lot of other Juniors did. What happened to our janitor was terrible, but I think it taught us all an important lesson about how harmful spreading rumors can be. Besides, after his name was cleared he got his job back. And yes, I agree that the cockroach thing was gross, but remember this was our first year ever using the portable classrooms. The teachers learned from the incident really quickly and found effective ways to keep their classrooms clean after that. Also, finding out that Darwin Schmidt was a criminal is exactly what gave our school the push it needed to up its security, the same way the elevator incident convinced the staff to reevaluate its safety and have it rebuilt so that itâs more secure, and stable. This school may not be perfect, not even close, but it is a school that learns from its mistakes and does all it can to correct them. And think about it- if all these seemingly bad incidents led to the school gaining better security, better hygiene, better security, and better safety- then that proves theyâve done more good than bad. No matter what we face, I believe Ariella High will continue to grow as a school and ultimately become a better place for it. And that is why I believe that, in the LONG run, we did have a good time this year.â
A long silence hangs in the air.
I hold my breath. Did I really just say all of that? This doesnât feel realâŠ
Then⊠thereâs applause.
I heave out a huge sigh of relief as I leave the stage, away from all the eyes and finally having a moment to myself.
Honestly, they were right about one thing; a lot of crazy things have happened this school year. But really, the craziest thing of all is the fact that no one realized Iâm actually Valerieâs twin sister, and that I only agreed this morning to take her place as the speech-giver after she unexpectedly got sick.
âHi, Cory! Do you wanna play with us today?â
The fourth grade boy hesitated, then shook his head and mumbled, âNo, thanks. Iâd.. rather not.â
âAre you sure?â the girl standing before him asked hopefully. âYouâre always by yourself. Donât you wanna hang out with us sometime? Weâre really fun, I promise!â The three kids behind her nodded as if in confirmation.
âIâŠâ Cory swallowed as he stared into her bright blue eyes. They were so earnest and friendly, holding no trace of scorn or mistrust, but still⊠how could he know for sure? What if it was all some trick, and she and her friends were only planning to torment him once he was alone with them? It had happened once, it could happen again, it WOULD happen again, he still had that scar on his arm from those terrifying bullies in second grade⊠he couldnât trust her, he couldnât trust any of themâŠ
âCory?â the girl asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He blinked, avoiding her gaze. âItâs okay. Really. Iâm⊠fine with being by myself.â
âWell⊠okay, if you say so,â the girl responded lightly. She led the other kids towards the playground and Cory started to turn when he heard one of their voices remark dryly, âI told you heâd say no. I donât know why you even wanted him to join us in the first place.â
âI just thought he could use a friend,â the girl answered with a shrug. âI donât think he has any.â
âIf he wanted friends, then maybe heâd stop acting so weird all the time,â one of the other girls replied disdainfully.
âJasmine! Thatâs so rude!â
âWell, itâs true! Heâs always spacing out during class and acting scared whenever someone talks to him.â
âBoth of his parent died when he was eight, remember? You shouldnât judge him, you should feel bad for him.â
Cory didnât hear the rest, because as soon as his parents had been mentioned heâd instantly begun running, desperately racing to the one place in school he knew heâd feel safe.
The library was mostly empty today, and as soon as Cory entered he immediately made for the tiny, secluded corner on the far right side of the building, concealed almost entirely by rows upon rows of shelves. There would be a soft orange beanbag he could lie on as always, maybe even a couple of stuffed animals he could clutch if no one was watching.
But when he arrived at the spot, he found that it was already occupied by a short, brown-haired girl. She was younger than him, he could tell- a third grader, probably. In her hands was a fantasy novel of some kind but it seemed that her mind was already filled with other thoughts, because tears were streaming down her face as she wept softly.
Cory looked down at her for a few moments, his gaze unreadable. âWhy are you crying?â he asked quietly. Then he immediately regretted it, because he knew that whatever her answer would be would probably only make him hate her. It was wrong of him, he knew, but he just couldnât stand it, he couldnât stand seeing anyone cry over stupid, trivial things like bad grades or scraped knees, they had nothing to be sad about because their problems would never, ever compare to watching both your parents die protecting you from a shooter just a second before the police arrived.
The girl sniffed, wiping one eye as she looked up at him. âIâm scared,â she whimpered.
âOf what?â
âTheâŠâ More tears welled up in her eyes. âThe Kcattacinap Monster.â
A flare of anger rose in Coryâs chest. âThereâs no stupid monster. Thatâs just something you made up.â Why create a fake fear for yourself when thereâs enough suffering to experience in the real world? he wondered resentfully.
But her answer surprised him. âI know- I know itâs not real, but Iâm still scared. My mommy always told me to be brave. And when I couldnât be brave, she pretended to protect me from it, and then I felt better. But now sheâs⊠gone.â
Coryâs breath caught slightly. âOh⊠you mean sheâsâŠ?â
The brown-haired girl nodded, removing her round black glasses and wiping them on her shirt. âShe was sick. And now she canât protect me from the monster anymore.â
Cory hesitated, then carefully sat down in front of her and crossed his legs. âWell⊠Iâm not afraid of any monster. I can protect you.â
âReally?â The girl blinked, gazing at him in awe. âBut the monster is so scary- it attacks me when I donât expect it, and follows me whenever I try to get away from it.â
âAh,â Cory answered softly. âYou know, I⊠think Iâve seen this monster before, too. But- that means I can still protect you, since Iâve fought it before.â
âWow,â she whispered, managing a smile as she wiped her tears. âYouâre so brave.â
âBrave?â Cory echoed, looking away. âIâm not brave. Iâm scared of a lot of things.â
âLike what?â
He drew in a deep breath, and for the first time voiced out loud all the fears that had been hidden in his heart. âBeing judged. Being lied to. People thinking Iâm weird. People thinking they have to feel sorry for me all the time. Never having any real friends. The rest of my family disappearing. BeingâŠâ He swallowed, suddenly feeling more afraid than he ever had. â⊠alone.â
âHm.â The girl looked up at him thoughtfully as if in a new light as she wiped away the last of her tears. âWell⊠Iâm not scared of any of those things. So, that means I can protect you from them, the way youâll protect me from the monster- right?â
An unexpected feeling of warmth rushed through Cory and for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself a small smile. âYeah⊠I guess so.â
Perhaps he wouldnât have to be alone in the world after all.
When I fell from the sky And crashed into your backyard With a twisted leg and a broken wing I thought it was over, that Iâd lost everything
Then your face appeared from the window Astonished and dismayed In your pajamas and slippers, you stepped outside And took me in so I would not die
I didnât understand, at first, what your intentions were Were you a friend, here to help me, or a predator come to finish me off? But then you bandaged my wing, offered me water and food And I understood what you were- a human who cared for animals, too
Weeks spent together went by And I grew to love you My rescuer, my healer, my friend A part of me still wishes it didnât have to come to an end
I learned much about you How you love Summer days, and despise the cold of Winter You showed me all of your favorite books, and games Held me close in a blanket when stormy nights of thunder came
I listened to you play your violin And sometimes joined to sing along We made music together, and memories, in all the time that we spent A part of me still wishes it never had to come to an end
But at long last When my wings were mended And I could take to the air once more I knew I had to leave, for I was made to fly and soar
On that day, when I left you You were shedding tears, I saw And I know in my heart that if I were human like you There would have been a fountain of droplets in my eyes, too
Iâm sorry For leaving But the sky is where I belong
So off I went On the wing Gliding and wheeling and coasting with gladness To soar freely is beautiful, any bird can attest
I hope you truly know What a wondrous difference you made Though I was nothing but a broken turtledove You chose to save me, with unconditional love
And perhaps when I left you, you thought Iâd forget That my memory of you and your kindness would fade But I want you to know that that will never be true For the rest of time and forevermore, this grateful bird will always remember you
My rescuer, my healer, my friend
âRise and shine, sweetheart.â
Victoriaâs eyes flew open at the annoyingly raspy tone. She stared up at her kidnapper, furious but unsurprised. âYou again!â she tried to shout, but her voice was muffled by the balled-up sock in her mouth. The man before her grinned, and Victoria looked down at his shoeless, grimy feet to see that he was wearing only one sock.
âI suppose youâre wondering why Iâve brought you here,â the man said, gesturing around the dimly lit warehouse. Victoria rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to also facepalm as her hands were tied up. Of course she knew why she was here. The man had been stalking her for the past five years. This was really bad timing for her, though; she had been on her way to her wedding when heâd nabbed her. He was becoming very tiring.
âLetâs just say, you havenât done very well at keeping your handy little power a secret.â
Victoria feigned a look of surprise, and the man laughed. âThatâs right, I know that you have the ability to heal any wound or illness with a single touch.â He walked over to a dusty table and picked up a long, filthy-looking syringe before glancing at her and smiling eerily. âDonât worry, sweetie⊠this wonât hurt a bit.â
As he headed towards her, Victoria felt herself growing hot. This man had really picked the wrong day to mess with her. And then, he started aiming the syringe at her face of all places! Just as the needle was about to pierce her cheek, she looked him dead in the eye and served him up a nice big knuckle sandwich.
He staggered back, eyes wide in shock as he stared at her free, untied hands. âWhat?! But- but how?!â His eyes darted to the ropes on the floor, which were now singed and blackened.
Victoria smirked as she removed the gag from her mouth. âLooks like I did do pretty well at keeping my secrets. You didnât really think an extraordinary girl like me would have only one power, did you?â
Flicking her hands towards him with precision, she smiled as a tall ring of flames appeared around him.
âAhhh!â the man yelped. âOkay, okay! Iâll leave you alone, okay, just please get rid of the fire!â He hopped from foot to foot, waving his arms wildly and Victoria couldnât help but simply watch his dance in amusement. Then, after a few moments, she snapped her fingers, and the flames gradually vanished.
The man gasped, panting heavily. Then, he took one last look at his hostage-turned-attacker before promptly passing out.
Shaking her head, Victoria knelt down and quickly healed any burns that the man had received. Then, after checking the entire area to make sure that no one else was or had been around to see her display of talent, she placed her hand on the unconscious manâs head and concentrated hard, willing his mind to lose all of todayâs contents. And then she left, flipping her raven-black hair as she went.
âOh my gosh, that sounds terrifying! Iâm so glad youâre okay!â
âAh, donât worry about me, Iâve been doing training to strengthen my powers since I was a kid. The guy was the one who was terrified in the end.â Victoria smiled at her new husband, Kevin, who had been more upset about his loveâs disappearance than the wedding being postponed. After everything had been sorted out and the two had become officially married, she had waited until they were in a quiet spot to tell him the whole, true reason for her absence.
âYou said the guyâs been stalking you for five years?â Kevin asked, eyes wide with disbelief. âI wonder why he waited so long to make a move.â
Victoria grinned, a mischievous glint in her green eyes. âActually⊠he didnât wait. This was my thirty-seventh encounter with him. Every time Iâve escaped him, Iâve always made sure to erase his memories afterward, so to him, I suppose he does think that heâs been waiting a while.â
âWow.â Kevin let out a small whistle. âThirty seven⊠donât you think you should report him to the police or something?â
Victoria shrugged. âNah⊠itâs more fun this way. Iâm sure this wasnât the last time Iâll be seeing him, so Iâm excited to see what kind of plan heâll come up with next.â
Frank and Brianna are an unlikely duo.
They first met each other at the age of six, finding a bit of comfort in one another as a horrible fire was ravaging their neighborhood. Surrounded on all sides by the flames, they huddled together hopelessly, certain that their short lives would be coming to an end. And then, just in the nick of time, a firefighter swooped in to save the day, and ever since then, Frank and Brianna have scarcely left each otherâs sides.
At school, the other kids whisper mean things about Frank when they think he isnât listening. When Brianna is alone, they tell her to ditch him. Even the teachers wonder how the two ever became friends. They are lenient with Brianna and encourage her if she fails, yet they jump on Frank for every mistake he makes.
Despite all this, Brianna stays loyal, and Frank keeps his head up. They value their friendship more than the stereotypes that others might assign to them. From age six to age twelve, their relationship has never wavered. They help each other with homework and studies, they play games and sports when they have time, and, when the weather is good, they ride their bikes around the neighborhood together. Some scowl at Frank, some smile at Brianna, but there are also others, those decent people who judge them for them.
The truth is, though, that the two children have long since stopped caring. Frank knows that he is not his father, and Brianna knows that she is imperfect just as everyone else. Even if Briannaâs father, a well-known policeman, was the one who arrested Frankâs father, the arsonist who started the neighborhood fire all those years ago, it doesnât matter. Their lives are their own, and they plan to stay best friends until the end of time itself.
Su N. Flower is a cheery young woman Always bright and beaming Her warmth is never an illusion And with kindness she is teeming
Her skin is as dark as night And her messy hair is of gold Her green boots and gloves, they glitter in the light Along with her dress of emerald
Su loves helping the families in need And so she provides food for many To the Hammsturs and Berds, she gives her seeds And to the Bumbelbeas her nectar, so they have strength to make honey
At the end of a busy day, Su returns home and perhaps falls into a doze Then, in the mood for a late night snack, She might open up a box of her favorite Gluc Oâs And maybe sheâll smile, because she feels there is nothing her joyful life lacks
Rapunzel shrieked in terror as the ground grew closer and closer.
She had only meant to lean out the window a little bit to catch sight of an adorable baby bunny that had wandered just below the tower, but one clumsy trip later and she now found herself headed straight for the deadly thorn bushes.
She braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her face with her arms. But instead of crashing into the piercing thorns, Rapunzel felt herself land on something⊠soft? She blinked open her eyes and found herself in a world of sand. She gasped in delight, as she had only ever seen sand in the books she read at the tower. Fascinated, she picked up a handful of sand and then slowly poured it out, watching as it sprinkled down like an hourglass. Then she gasped again, but in fear this time. The tower⊠she had left the tower! How had she even ended up here? What would her mother do when she found the tower empty?
Rapunzel bit her lip, then sighed. Clearly something magical was happening, and in most of the books sheâd read that included magic, things had always seemed to sort themselves out in the end. She sat up looked around, hoping that perhaps she could see some kind of portal or fairy wand that had taken her here, but nothing in the area seemed magical.
âOh, well,â she murmured to herself. âThe best thing I can do for now is explore⊠and hope that Mother wonât be too mad at me. But the moment I find out how to get back home, Iâm out of here. I hope the people here arenât the type whoâll want my hair⊠but itâs a chance Iâll have to take.â
Rapunzel stood up, then grimaced as she realized that there was sand littered throughout her long golden hair. It would take weeks to wash all that out!
Shaking her head, she stared around, suddenly feeling anxious and self-conscious when she saw the amount of people here, and how oddly dressed they were! Young children played in the sand, building impressive-looking castles made of sand and running around, laughing joyfully. The adults lay on their backs on long, flat chairs, shaded from the Sun by a large umbrella protruding from the ground. They wore strange dark coverings over their eyes, like hard, rectangular masks without any eye holes that curved at the bottoms. In the distance, Rapunzel saw that there was an ocean, and she caught her breath as she beheld its beauty. It was so much more than the illustrations in her books, and for a few moments, she simply stood, gazing at it. The people here seemed to like the ocean too, as several were rushing towards it and splashing each other playfully.
Then, the girlâs eyes widened when she saw that a few people were actually ON the oceanâs tall blue waves; they stood balancing atop long flat boards, smiling and waving to those on the sand.
âHow can that be?â she whispered to herself. âThey must be magical! Perhaps they can help me get home!â
As the wave subsided and one of the ocean-riders stepped off his board onto the shore, Rapunzel quickly ran over to him, lifting her dress above her ankles so as not to trip clumsily as she had in the tower. When she reached him, she panted for a few moments before simply asking, âA-Are you magical?â
âHuh?â he said, and the people around them began murmuring uncertainly. Rapunzel wasnât sure if these people wanted her hair or if they just thought its incredible length was strange, but either way she ran her hand over her golden locks anxiously.
The man didnât seem to understand, so Rapunzel pointed at the board in his hands. âYou used that thing to ride on the ocean! It must be magical, right?â
The man blinked and gave her a slightly concerned look at first, but then he just shrugged and gave her a friendly smile. âSorry to disappoint you, but itâs not magic. Itâs surfing.â
âSurfing?â Rapunzel echoed, amazed. She grinned. âCan you teach me?â
âSure, come on.â The man beckoned her with a wave, and Rapunzel quickly followed, excitement bubbling within her at the thought of this new adventure.
Perhaps going back to the tower could wait.