"The Sacrifice" by Ryan C

If my house was destroyed by a devastating fire and I had to choose only one thing to save from the fire, I would choose to save my family photo album. I would choose to save my family photo album simply because it means the most to me and everything else can be replaced. I would also choose it because it holds some of my fondest memories, and also some important lessons worth remembering.  

         If I for some reason I had to give away the family photo album to someone, I would give it to my parents. I would give it to my parents because they would need to remember that everything else could be replaced, and that we are one big and happy family. However if I couldn’t give it to my parents I would give it to one of my best friends, Elvis Dialosa, who would preserve it for me until I too needed its happy memories.    

"The Magical Girl" by Alejandra R

Once upon a time, in a quiet village, a magical girl appeared one night. She walked through the village's streets, watching her surroundings and the people that were in it. She noticed a woman on the side of the street, begging for money, a child bargaining with a vendor to get an extra piece of food for himself, a family, shivering in the cold, huddled together.
She was known around the land, as the magical girl who helped people in need. To keep herself from being noticed, she wore a large dark cloak.

Walking up to the child bargaining with the vendor, she pulled out some coins, and paid for his food. The young boy looked up to her and shyly mumbled a "Thanks." The girl smiled, and nodded, walking to the cold family, handing them blankets and warm food. The mother, who was awake, covered her sleeping family with the warm blankets and smiled to the girl.

Lastly, the woman begging on the street noticed what she was doing. As the magic girl approached her, she said, "Don't use any magic on me. I don't need anyone to pity me." And with that, the magical girl nodded, and walked away.
The next morning, the woman begging on the streets awoke to piles of bags filled to the brim with money, along with a note, saying: 'I never pitied you, I was in your situation before.' The cold family woke up warm and fed with the blankets and warm food. The young boy recieved a package at his door, filled with all sorts of food.

The magical girl, was never seen in the village again.

"Gravity" by Ryanne N

On the end of the Timmy’s street there was a old wooden house. A house no one new what was inside, a house no one live in. Timmy wanted to go in the house and know the real truth about the old house. Timmy heard rumors that the old house was haunted with ghosts. A person said once you go in you will never be able to come back out. The one rumor Timmy hears the most is once you go in, there will not be gravity. Timmy didn’t believe any of the rumors. Late at night Timmy headed to the old wooden house at the end of the street. Timmy walked up to the front step. The creeks the steps made startled Timmy. He put his hand on the dirty door knob and thrust open the door. Timmy stepped inside and was flung to the ceiling. The stories were true. Gravity definitely did not work the right way in this house.

"Love at First Sight" by Aaliyah S.

Many people say that they fall in love at first sight, but can that really be true. I don’t think there is such thing as love at first sight considering love is a very strong word. Throwing it out there about someone you barely know can’t possibly be correct. It takes time to love someone you can’t just fall in love in one second. The definition of love is to have a passionate affection for someone and how can you have that with someone you just met. To love someone you must know them well and love their perks and imperfections to like them through thick and thin and to care about the person. When you first meet someone all you see are their looks and you don’t know their personality. Thus I believe in attraction at first sight not love. But you never know, some people look perfect on the outside but on the inside they are self-obsessed, rude, overly emotional, etc.. you don’t know that, and you are saying that you fell in love with that person. Now a days the word love gets thrown around like its nothing everyone says it but half the people don’t mean it. To love someone I think you should get to know the person and figure out together if you are meant to be. What if you thought you fell in love with someone at first sight and they did not love you back? You may think you love someone but to them you probably look like a puppy dog wanting attention. Wouldn’t this be a mind opener to love at first sight is not real. You shouldn’t let it come to that point because you will probably be very sad. I know some people highly agree with love at first sight because of ‘personal experience’ but honestly a lot of the relationships that were supposedly love at first sight don’t work out in the end. The relationships that usually do work out are the ‘just friends’ ones because they take the time to get to know each other very well before they commit to a relationship. Also usually at first sight they don’t even think about getting together and becoming a couple or being in love, they do just want to be friends. Love at first sight is like a fairy tale it is imaginary and not realistic. 

 For example in Romeo and Juliet they supposedly fell in love at first sight but look what happened to them they killed themselves because they believed that they were so in love. The only good outcome of the story is that the two families eventually stop fighting but people do get killed because of their ‘love’. Things take some time to develop and love is one of those things that doesn’t just happen. If you are ever in that situation think about it for a second and instead of rushing to conclusions get to know that person better. Eventually maybe that will work out for you but it may take time but waiting is better than getting your heart broken. Like I said love is a strong word so use it when you actually mean it.

"Six" by Kayla W.

I wish i was six again so I could live back in Pennsylvania. I moved from PA when i was in 7th grade and i really miss my home. Also, I wish i was six again because I went to DisneyWorld for the first time and I remember meeting all my favorite princesses and going on roller coasters and not to have to worry about anything. Another reason I wish I was six again is because it was when i first went to Hershey Park in Hershey, Pa. It was really cool. I got to make candy, and the rides were really fun, it was also fun because i got to spend time with my older cousins. Basically i wish i was six again because of all the adventures that took place during that year.

Scout~ I wish i was six again because that was when everything didn't spiral out of control. When times were hard but not as hard as now. When Tom Robinson was still alive. When Bob Ewell wasn't murdered. When everything was… "normal."

January Authors are Here!

Time for some fresh 2014 writing!  Go enjoy our featured pieces, and don't forget to comment on at least three!  (Positive, specific responses only!)

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"EATING L.A. with Arturo" by Arturo A

      

            As we begin going to college, see more of the world, and generally start moving around a lot more some important questions are going to come up: When is Lunch? What is there to eat around here? WHERE DA FOOD AT? Well don’t you worry…. YA BOY ARTURO'S GOT YOU. I know grub spots, nice restaurants to take your girlfriend, and sweet places to hang , so sit back and read further…  you might just learn something Los Angeles is a pretty diverse place so you are going to be in for a different kind of treat no matter where you go.  From Olvera St. to Little Tokyo I got you covered.. Also don’t take this guide as an end all to eating in the area, walk around near the restaurants I mention and you could find something good that I didn’t even see! This is just a starting place ( a good one at that)

         El Cochinito: 3493 Sunset Blvd. (L.A.)

A Cuban restaurant located in a mini-mall in Silverlake. Ive been going to this place for a long time and all of its food is really good. If you are going there I recommend you get the following, A plate of rice and black beans (the stuff is to die for) on the side with either the Cubano, Pan con Bistec, or Bistec Empanizado as your main course. If you get a sandwich be sure to get the mariquitas on the side as well as the rice and beans. Not a very good area to hang around outside of the restaurant, I've never had any problems but I've also never walked around much. In the day time It's alright but once the Sun starts going down only proceed if you are ok with being possibly being robbed, shot or stabbed.

            Cielito Lindo: 23 Olvera St. (L.A.)

A taquito stand located in the Historic Olvera St. if you’ve never been to Olvera I recommend you go there and eat here. The taquitos covered in the green sauce are the best in SoCal and when I say that I mean it. Get the standard two (or three) taquito plate with the green sauce, and rice+beans. There are other taco stands and stuff on Olvera st but if you are looking for something really good Cielito Lindo is your stop. Olvera st is a really cool little area to walk around but is generally pretty touristy, Union Station is right across the street so if you are taking the Metro-Link into L.A. this is your first stop.

            Orochon Ramen: 134 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St.(L.A.)

Ramen Shop right on the third level of a multi-level shopping center in Little Tokyo, and Home to supposedly the spiciest bowl of ramen on the west coast. This place serves ramen, but not baby cup of noodle ramen portions, im talkin big freakin Naruto bowls of ramen. You get to choose your spice level, soup stock, and choice of topping when you order here and there's not really much other than ramen to order (no duh). Little Tokyo is a cool place and I highly recommend walking around with some friends or something.

           

            Original Tommy's : 2575 Beverly blvd. (L.A.)

This place is legendary for its Chili Burgers, if you don’t like chili burgers go slam your head in a car door then go to Original Tommy's and get yourself a chili burger you idiot. While Tommy's technically has a small chain of restaurants, were in L.A. so you might as well go to the original one. Everything on the menu is good but never get the chili fries, instead get regular fries and eat your chili burger over the fries… BOOM free chili fries. Not really an area to be walking around (nothing there) but if you are going anywhere near Original Tommy's  GO.

            Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles: 1514 N. Gower st. (L.A.)

If you haven't heard of this place you're pretty dumb. If you can't figure out what to order on the menu I would have to repeat that you're pretty dumb. Really I shouldn’t even have to put this place on the list except for listing the address. Roscoe's is good. Go eat there. Also not really an area to be walking around (nothing that I can remember around there).

            Grand Central Market:317 Broadway (L.A.)

Not really a food place but it has lots of food places in it SO SHUT UP. There's a little bit of everything in this place from kebabs, to ice cream, to traditional Mexican candies. A really nice place to walk around with friends and within walking distance of Union Station. I highly recommend checking it out.

            San Antonio Winery: 737 Lamar St. (L.A.)

If you're looking for a fancy place to take your girl (or have a girl's night out), look no further than the San Antonio Winery. A better attraction for those 21 and up it is still a really fancy place for those under the legal drinking age. Entrées are traditional Italian fare cooked up by the resident Italian-born chef, the place also has really good wine (or so I've been told). Wine and Dine is what this place was born for. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T WALK AROUND NEAR THIS PLACE, don’t attempt to walk to it from any other part of L.A. either! This place is in the middle of the projects AND I MEAN THE PROJECTS. Why is there a winery in the projects?  Well the winery was built before L.A. was a big city in the 1800's so I guess the real question is why they built projects around the Winery. The place gets really packed during the lunch hours, but not so much during dinner so be sure to reserve a table if you are going for lunch.

            Porto's Cuban Bakery & Café:

            315 North Brand Blvd. (Glendale)

            8382 Firestone Blvd. (Downey)

            3614 W. Magnolia Blvd. (Burbank)

This place is the best. A family owned operation centered in the L.A. area, Porto's is an LA EXCLUSIVE. The best Cuban pastries on the west coast GUARANTEED. Everything is good here, but my favorites are the Meat Pies, Potato balls and the Mango Smoothie. Like El Cochinito the Cubano and Pan con Bistec must be eaten with mariquitas. They also make cakes and stuff like a regular bakery and the one in Burbank has a party supply store upstairs. You gotta go to this place at least once, and I guarantee that you'll keep coming back.

            Well that’s it for my list of Places to eat in L.A., I could have technically included more but unless you want 7 pages of taco joints then I'm going to stop here. If requested I could also do lists for the general Inland Empire and San Diego. I wish the best of luck to you all in your future culinary endeavors.

Sincerely,

- Arturo D. Ayala

"Gone Too Soon" by: Alexis S

My Love,

         There is so much I can say about why I love you or how you make me feel. The main thing I want to say is thank you! Thank you for showing me unconditional love and for teaching me to open my heart completely and not be afraid of getting hurt. You have shown me how to love and also how to be loved. I am beyond grateful for the time you put in, sacrificing to make sure that our family can have what we need and at the right times. If there were one thing that I want you to pass on to our son, it would have to be your perseverance. I have never seen you doubt yourself and although things may never be easy you always manage to find a way to get everything done. Please also teach him to cherish himself. I understand he is a boy and as his hormones increase, so will his desires to share his body; but please let him know that not any women is worthy of him. She must be just like mom or better and that will be hard to find. Promise to teach our son that he is first and foremost a child of God and as he becomes a man he will always be a man of God. I do not have to tell you much because I know you will be amazing as a father and I look forward to watching and enjoying all of these wonderful moments from heaven above. Although it is now my time to leave you two alone, know that I will always be here in spirit. Do not grieve over my absence; simply know that God is just putting one of his angels out of misery. I like you always and I love you forever.

Love,

Samantha

“The Unforgotten Doll” By Briana W

Crayola crayons, white construction paper, and pipe cleaner, I knew I had everything to make the perfect paper doll. The task was to create a paper doll version of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I can still remember the instant excitement and anticipation that ran through my body when I was assigned this project during my kindergarten year. I knew exactly what I wanted to create my paper doll as, a doctor.

 When the time came to share our assigned project in class, I could not wait to show off my master piece. My teacher decided to hang each of our paper dolls from the ceiling. As I looked up at the ceiling I saw a multitude of paper dolls with various occupations. I saw firefighters with red uniforms, police officers that had star shaped badges, and nurses with stethoscopes. But as I continued to look around, I started to feel less excited and proud of my paper doll. Blind to the creative aspects I previously saw, the flaws of my doll started to become more apparent. My dolls eyes were crooked, the hair looked like scribbles, and the stethoscope seemed disfigured. But as I looked longer something else became apparent… my doll was the only doll with brown skin. Even as a young, naïve girl something about seeing the sight of that brown doctor made me feel uncertain about her greatness and I didn’t know why.

This feeling of uncertainty was reinforced even as I got older. In band, I had trouble with a marching technique called a jazz run. No matter how much I tried to practice this technique I could never quite master it. I began to doubt my ability to march, and my director did too. He became frustrated with my struggle to jazz run and asked me, “Do you have a brain?” Although I replied yes, I knew regardless of my response that I was still uncertain; uncertain of myself, my intelligence, and my abilities.

These five simple words started to taunt me not only internally, but also externally. As a young African American and Panamanian female, I was worried about others looking down on me because of my ethnicity. Being constantly exposed to the negative stereotypes, I had internalized the notion that people of color were not as smart or capable of achieving success. It wasn’t until I became a Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) program scholar that this uncertainty changed into confidence.

 PAYS is a program that expands academic opportunities for groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Unlike the world where the capability of minority groups is questioned, the PAYS program is a community where our strengths overpower our weaknesses, helping us realize we have the capability to achieve anything we set our minds to. Being given the opportunity to take college level courses and participate in a research group, little by little, I started to thrive off my courage in myself. I started to realize that what makes me different is what can make me a leader in society.

 My inspiration to be a leader is what motivates me to pursue a major in biology. As a biologist, it would be my dream to make the term sickness nonexistent. I would want to use my skills and knowledge that I acquire from this major as a way to find breakthroughs and cures to diseases and illnesses; such as cancer and HIV. Despite the fact society challenges my abilities; I will defy expectations to prove that I do have a brain and a purpose in the world. Now when I see my doll I no longer view her curls and brown skin as imperfections, but as aspects that perfectly represent the leader that I know I am bound to become.

"How to Create an Exquisite and Expensive Looking Drawing" by Tiffany T

It’s one of those typical days where you go on about your day talking to your friends and family and enjoying life when suddenly you realize that your best friend’s birthday is tomorrow and you completely forgot about it! It is your last year of high school and your best friend will be moving out-of-state to their lifelong dream university and you want to give something special to your friend for his or her birthday.  Why not a beautiful birthday card? But you are not a good artist? Don’t worry! I can help you! The following information below includes the simple steps to creating a gorgeous drawing that can be attached to your birthday card!

Step 1: Gather all necessary materials including paper (preferably cardstock paper), pencil, eraser, watercolor pencils (or regular colored pencils if you do not have watercolor pencils), paper stumps, and mineral spirit.  All of these materials can be found in any art supply store such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby. 

Step 2: Draw something on a piece of paper.  It can be anything. Be creative! For example, it can be a picture of a piece of cake, a cat, a basketball, a candy bar, etc. If you want a better quality drawing, use cardstock paper because it is sturdier, it has a smoother surface, and it does not tend to rip as easily.  Use pencil to draw so that you can erase it if you make a mistake.  Be careful not to smear the lead because it will not blend well in the mineral spirit.

Step 3: Carefully color in your drawing using colored pencils.  Use watercolor pencils if you can since they blend more easily and result in finer looking art.  As you color, you might want to contrast your colors a bit and darken the spots in your drawing where you want the color to stand out more to create depth. 

Step 4: Use a paper stump and gently dip it in the mineral spirit. Be sure not to touch, taste, or smell the mineral spirit because it can cause poisoning and breathing problems.  Handle the mineral spirit with extreme caution! Afterwards, place the paper stump on a small section of the drawing and lightly move the paper stump on one color in a circular motion so that the color can blend.  Then, carefully, move along the drawing and change paper stumps when the color changes so that some colors do not mix together.  Just be sure to blend the colors that you want to blend.  The mineral spirit helps blend the colors beautifully and it creates a glossy-like finish that makes the drawing look like an expensive oil painting.

The outcome should be a beautiful, glossy illustration!

Here are some examples:

                                                      

 Online examples from www.lovestnpaper.com and  rubberstamping.about.com

I like to draw for fun and I constantly go online to see different ways to create fine-looking art.  My real motivator is my cousin who is a really good artist.  When I was young, I used to watch her draw tons of stunning anime characters that were simply breathtaking.  Since then, I would really want to be like her! I want to create exquisite drawings.  I am not a very good artist but I try to discover simple methods and techniques that can improve my drawing skills and to make it look professional.  Thus, I came across some YouTube videos about mineral spirits and watercolor pencils so that is why I am so knowledgeable about this.  By creating drawings like these, you can make various types of cards to your loved ones and I guarantee that they will love it!

"Unknown Providence" by Malik H

Warmth. Dripping down his tattered brow. The disorientation deprives him of visibility

and comprehension of the sirens he hears. “Hey you there!” As he wakes from his unknown

slumber. The royal blue shirt and bright light stand in his face. Perhaps a king come to wake him

from his rehabilitation to congratulate him on his victory in battle, as if he were a knight. The

policeman lightly taps his cheek and asks, “Put your hands up, he is armed be careful!” The

young man suddenly wakes to himself with nothing but shorts on and a .357 magnum in hand.

No idea of his identification he sees a girl, a bystander watching the scene on the other side of

the street. “ Miss! Do you know what is going on.” The young man approaches her as the cops

point to fire after a warning of “Stop!” The girl begins to run with the young man following her.

The policeman and his deputy chase them in vain due to their middle aged out of shape

physique. The young man stops the girl as she is out of breath and asks, “Do you know who

I am?” The girl responds saying, “I don’t know you?! Why don’t you check that weird phone in

your hand creep?” as she runs away. A phone with a circular identification scanner on the back

with the label “Savior” on it. He opens the phone and dials the only number in his contacts,

“Oracle”. An animatronic  voice responds saying, “Hello sir. How may I assist you today?” The

Young man responds with a assertive, “Who are you !?” The voice explains detailed, “I am

Someone who’s identity will remain unknown to you, but I work for the Supporter. My identity

Is very much irrelevant to you I assure you. Now sir what can I do for you today?” The young

man stands confused and asks, “Who is this Supporter and who am I?” Oracle responds saying,

“Why, the Supporter is the one who gave you and the other 9 saviors these phones and made

you a part of his grand experiment.” The young man asks with strong conviction, “What

experiment, and what are these phones. I have never seen this brand before.” Oracle responds

saying, “These are special phones that play a huge role in the Supporter’s experiment which are

opened only by your thumb print. These phone contain the information to a bank account in

name containing $10,000,000,000 to use at your leisure. Your account is under the name of

Ket Ferguson.” Kit vexed by this new found anomaly asks, “Wait! Why do I have all of this

money  And who am I exactly and---“, being cut short Oracle says, “The money was given to you

to Change the world. You are a Savior and must use this money to better the world. If the

money count reaches 0 then the Reaper will appear and take your life. As for who you are, you

are Ket Ferguson, 23 years old. You have purged the world of all people over 55 to create the

leaders of the new young world. We hope you continue your service as a Savior. Goodbye.”

"Lost" by Chelsea M

Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Not a narrative. Fiction. This is not me. This disclaimer is very necessary because everyone that reads this thinks it is based on my life. It is not. Thank you, over.

I was late. I hurriedly padded down the stairs as I gathered my dark hair and secured it with a rubber band. I pushed past the swinging doors of the restaurant’s kitchen and ran past Dawson, who was seated at the counter, coffee and newspaper in hand.

“Anna? Aren’t you supposed to be…?”

“You didn’t wake me up.”

He shrugged. “I thought Robyn already did.”

“She’s with her mom, shopping downtown for your wedding!” I snapped and turned the corner into the stock room.

“Oops.” He said, standing confused and half-asleep in the doorway. “What are you doing?”

“My keys.” I muttered, scanning the floor. “Have you seen my keys?”

“Nope. Why would they be in the stock room?”

I groaned, crouching under a set of shelves. “Are you going to play twenty questions or help me find my keys?”

“I’m out of coffee,” he pouted. “Maybe your keys are by the coffee maker!”

“You’re no help.” I mumbled, crawling to the other end of the room. I have no idea what Robyn sees in him.

Finally, wedged between two boxes of ketchup, my thumb found the cold, jagged metal that was my keys. I let out a sigh of relief and pushed the case aside to grab hold of the jingling, magnetic collage.

I stood, my eyes coming face to face with the plaque. The keys in my hand suddenly became irrelevant. I scanned the familiar face nailed perfectly to the wall. I remember the effort it required for me to get the plaque just right, parallel to the door frame and thirty-six inches below the ceiling. Dawson had to move it several times because he couldn’t stand my response when a customer asked me about his best friend, my deceased brother. I’d suffer constant questions. What rank was he in? How long had he been over “there”? And people praised me for his sacrifice for our country. A pang of nostalgia hit me square in the chest and the walls closed in around me, making it suddenly harder to breathe. I reached up, tracing over the embossed letters of our shared last name.

The noise of someone clearing their throat made me jump, my hands instinctively moving to wipe the tears from my eyes.

“I should just put that away already,” Dawson muttered.

“No.” I croaked. “No, it’s nice here.”

“You cry every time you see it.”

“But it’s a good crying. It means I’m feeling something, right?”

He looked at me as if questioning whether or not I was sure of my words. I couldn’t blame him. He’s seen me cry over this plaque enough times to question whether or not this really was a “good crying.” After a while, he looked down at his watch.

“Don’t you need to…”

“Yeah.” I nodded, wiping a last tear. “I’m going.”

“Say hi to him for me, okay?” He said as I passed him. And for a split second I saw it. He was hurting just as much as I was. He lost a brother, too.

That afternoon, I put two flowers onto a gravestone.

"Nerves" by Tyler R

      Michael had been preparing for months. He knew exactly what he was going to say. Every word was packed into his mind. The words were running on repeat in his head while he drove to the building. He pulled into the parking lot and sat in his car, contemplating what the rest of the night would have in store for him. He sat there for a good while, just thinking. He finally got the urge to get out of his car and start walking. With each footstep Michael took, his anxiety and worries grew. When he finally arrived to the classroom, he opened the door to find a few others preparing, just as he was. The minute he walked into the room, he felt an aura of preparation. Everyone else was doing just as he was. He sat his valuables on a black plastic chair. He grabbed his headphones from his pocket, and after excruciating minutes of untangling, he finally popped the buds into his ears and began to prep. The only music that would put him in the right state of mind was some classic Hip-Hop. As Tupac and Biggie serenaded his ear drums, Michael began to grow confident in himself and his abilities. He had to hype himself up in order to do well. If he did not think he was great, no one else would. He still had about 30 minutes. He took the headphones out of his ears and walked into the back. He could see the lights projecting underneath the curtain. Michael put his earbuds back in and closed his eyes. He was in a deep trance, again, going over the hundreds of words he had to know. He went over each word in chronological order then shut off his music and just began to listen to his surroundings. He could hear the pitter-patter of each foot that came into the room. The thin curtain separating Michael and them could not shut out the sounds of the people’s voices and excitement for what they knew was in store. Michael’s peers began to funnel in, backstage with him. They had all prepared and were ready for the next two hours. These feeble hours meant so much to everyone, especially Michael. The weight of everyone was on his shoulders. He felt everyone on the other side of the curtain was there to see a show, and he had to give it to them. He saw the lights below the curtain flicker, and along with the lights, the murmur of the crowd began to fade as well. He shook out his limbs, pounded his fist on his chest once or twice, and peeled the curtain back, making way for him. He walked out onto the stage, took a deep breath in, a long breath out, the lights went up, and he began his monologue.

“May I be so converted and see with these eyes, I cannot tell, I think not…”

"Finding Mara" by Laura S.

“NOOOO!”

Struggling with her bags, I watch the woman nudge the girl forward, pleading with her to get in.  “Please Mara.  Go on, I’m right behind you.” I see Mara, no more than three, shake her head and begin to cry.  Clearly distressed, the woman puts her bags down before placing Mara inside the subway car herself.  Turning away from her now wailing daughter, she bends to grab her bags, dropping a stuffed animal in the process. 

“Darn!”  I hear her mutter to herself, before bending to pick up the bear.  As she does, I notice a tall, lean man, walking toward her with such force I think he looks like a bull charging a red flag.  Startled, I scream to the woman, “Look Out”, but I find I have no voice.  She hears nothing. 

Suddenly, I’m beside her and notice her eyes wide.  I follow her gaze and find a gun pressed to her stomach.  My gaze travels up slowly, as if it was pointed at me, past a hand, a shoulder, up a neck, until I find myself staring into green eyes, flaming with anger.  As I stare, I realize the woman has found her voice.  “M-Mark.  What are you doing here?”

I see Mark, tilt his head and laugh, whether at my companion’s terrified expression or her question, I can’t tell.  “What am I doing here? Cara really, did you think you’d just leave and I wouldn’t find you?” 

I hear Cara almost whisper, “Please just let us go, please.”  Another laugh comes from Mark before he says, “Don’t beg, Cara, it’s not becoming.  You knew you wouldn’t get far, now grab Mara and-“ As if she’d been slapped, I see Cara tense and then, through gritted teeth respond, “We will never come back!  You are-“

“I am your husband, you are my wife and that is my daughter.  You are coming home now!”  I notice Cara looking around, then back at Mara, who is oblivious to everything, and apparently so does Mark. 

At that moment, I hear him yell, “Don’t you-“ and suddenly Cara turns toward the subway and slams into the glass.  She is too late. 

Instantly, I am back to where I was, farther away from Cara and Mark and hear the subway begin to move.  I look back to see Cara lying on the platform, and Mark gone.  She turns to me then, and although she whispers, I hear her clearly, “Find her, Rayne, please.”

I try to speak but- BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

I turn over and smack my alarm clock, sending it flying into the wall.  My head is pounding but I know I’ll be late if I don’t get up.  I stumble to the kitchen, turn on the T.V. and watch as the newscaster reports a shooting last night that left Cara Nichols dead and her daughter, Mara, lost in the city.  The victim’s husband Mark is missing. 

I stare a moment longer and realize, “I have to find Mara.”

"A Day in Panda" by Daijah O

So let me tell you about my experience the other day .
   
    I’m craving Chinese food. I walk into Panda Express and stand in line. As I wait in line, I smell the spicy concoctions. I can just taste the tangy, orange chicken and smell the freshly cooked noodles. I get to the counter. Wow ! Before my eyes, I see foods of every color. There’s reds, yellows, and greens.  I walk up to the cashier and start ordering my favorites: orange chicken, chow mien, and  fried rice. I even order a couple egg rolls. Gotta have egg rolls. As I start to order, the cashier looks at me, smiling. By the way, she’s Chinese. As I order my food, she doesn’t move, she just keeps smiling. I look at her name tag. It reads, “Hello my name is Lisa, and I don’t speak English .” I was a little upset. The excitement I had in my voice to get those eggs rolls and I had just wasted my breath. So I had to wait, which seemed like forever, just to get my food and my tasty egg rolls. I waited so long for somebody who could speak English, I thought I’d reward myself and get a couple more egg rolls. Sad thing is, they didn’t have any more cooked yet. I ended up getting my food, went and sat in my car, and didn’t even want the food anymore. What a day wasted in Panda Express

“A hui hou kakou” by Karel E

       “A hui hou kakou” translates into “Until we meet again”. This past summer, I spent a week and half in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. I went with my parents, my grandma, my two cousins, and their parents. I initially went into this vacation thinking it would be just that: a vacation. When in reality, I took away more than I ever could have expected. We stayed at the Hale Koa, which is a military only hotel, directly on the beach of Waikiki.

            Right when I landed, I could immediately sense the contrast in atmosphere between Waikiki and Los Angeles. The air was humid, and just the scenery overall was filled with beautiful shades of pinks and purples, contrary to the endless gray buildings and even grayer smog filled air I left behind at LAX. Though it all seemed very different at first, Waikiki is generally the biggest tourist filled location of all seven islands of Hawaii. Yes it was cleaner, and prettier, but in my opinion it was just another LA, with sidewalks full of people and commotion rushing to get to their destination. That is until me and my family ventured off away from the city, and deeper into the heart of Oahu. We drove down along Hanauma Bay, where the only things you see are miles of green mountains to your left and the blue of the Pacific Ocean to your right. Not only until we were miles away from the city, did we begin to see the true culture of Hawaii. Roads were moderately clear, with no one even daring to drive faster than 40 miles per hour. This, we came to learn, is what locals call “running on Hawaiian time”. A store keeper told us that in Hawaii, no one is ever in a rush to do anything or get anywhere. Something we Californians find completely foreign since we live in cities of stress, schedules, traffic, and consequential road rage. Driving down along the bay, I saw teenagers hitch hiking with their surfboards and complete strangers allowing them to ride along in the bed of their trucks down to the beach, which is something I personally, would never dare to do back home. I saw a homeless man receive a small amount of money and purchase a loaf of bread with it, which he shared with the birds on the beach. It’s almost as if the locals in Hawaii all have a mutual respect for each other and their surroundings. It’s their culture to be kind and compassionate, generous and welcoming to everyone they come into contact with. This trend in character was something in the atmosphere so clear and evident; you could feel it almost as much as the humidity. Walking down a street without exchanging smiles and hellos with strangers was nearly impossible. I spent the next week and half in a dreamlike state, eating amazing food, falling asleep on the beach, getting to know locals and tourists, and basically absorbing as much paradise as I could with my family.

            The one thing that sticks out the most to me from my trip was the kayak tour I took with my cousins down Hanauma Bay. It was me, my two cousins, four strangers, and two tour guides, Keenu who happened to be a native of the island and his partner Stephanie, who had been living here on her own since she was 15. We paddled down the bay (which is much harder than I anticipated), periodically taking breaks during which our tour guides saw an opportunity to tell us the history of the island. I learned how the main island of Hawaii is essentially an island making factory and all of the islands that make up Hawaii today will eventually move underwater and be replaced by new islands. I learned how to find land if I’m ever lost at sea by using things such as turtles and clouds. I learned how and why Hawaiians have a distinct look and body type. Keenu captivated the entire kayak with his words and stories. He regretfully told us how, due to so many tourists moving into Hawaii, one day a Hawaiian won’t be able to be defined by “the same brown skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes” that he himself has. With my newfound knowledge, I developed a deeper respect for the island and its people.

            My trip was coming to an end. I had my last Hawaiian shaved ice. I paddle boarded down Waikiki one more time. I had the local musician at the café in the hotel tune my ukulele again before I headed off to the airport. I said my goodbyes to the island. Once I landed back at LAX, my surroundings were quickly replaced with the reality I left behind. I got a headache from the smog. Things likes Kim Kardashian naming her baby North West once again became what was important to people. I missed Hawaii already. I missed the scenery and the people and the food and the culture. And it was in that moment that I knew my goodbye wasn’t really a goodbye. It was more of a “see you later”. “A hui hou kakou” or “until next time.”

"I Lost All My Precious Wisdom" by Randy G

Based on true events that might have been slightly altered. Reader discretion is advised.       

          The day after finals I had the most memorable experience of my life. It was full of reassurance, diligent work, and care that quickly over stood its welcome, if it even had a welcome. I was looking forward to break, sleeping in and becoming increasingly lazy as days went on. Unfortunately, I was told about a week before that I was going to get, wait for it.....*dramatic music in the background,* all FOUR of my wisdom teeth pulled. Yes, you heard correctly, all four. Said to be “the most painful thing in existence, next to giving birth,” I knew I was living the dream.

       On the morning of December 20, I woke up like any other day, which involved me making my way to the kitchen. I knew beforehand that I would have to rely on smoothies and soft foods to replace my regular diet after the surgery. Surprisingly, my breakfast was meager in scale, consisting of eggs and potatoes which was enough to fill me up that morning. I guess the thought of having my teeth yanked and mouth drenched in blood was more than enough to keep my appetite in check. Before my departure to see my dentist, who was located in L.A., I grabbed a book and my iPod believing I was going to need them for the long ride there and back. 

On the drive there, I was looking at my available options to keep me busy during the drive and I immediately put aside the book. Didn’t even bother touching it after that. In fact, it laid in my mom’s car for another two days. Anyway, my only and obvious option was my iPod. It was enough to keep me occupied for roughly 45 minutes, until I got to the dentist. It had been quite a while since I’ve visited my dentist, going only twice a year on average.

My dentist’s office was located in a tall building covered in glass with a red “Smart and Final” sign at the top of it. First off, let me start with how horrendous the traffic was in the parking lot. It took a good amount of time to find a parking spot, asking from my rear window whether the strangers were leaving or not. The reason it was so congested was because it was located next to an outside shopping center. In the end, we ended up parking far away from the building. When I come to think of it, it was so far that the walk to the dentist was even more painful than the actual procedure.

The day before the surgery, I began searching for post recovery recommendations and the amount of time it would take until I was going to be able to eat regularly. What I uncovered was that it would have to take about a whole week until I was going to be able to go back to my regular eating habits. This was a tremendous problem because I generally tend to eat a lot. We’ll see how it goes, but for now, let’s continue with where I left off.

As we enter the doors to the office, we were greeted and ordered to sign in. It didn’t take much until I was called in to start the procedure. The assistant told me kindly to take a seat and that they would be with me “quite shortly.” The biggest lie you will ever hear. Whether it’s a doctor visit, dentist visit, or phone call to AT&T asking about your internet connection. It took about 10 minutes until they were ready to begin the procedure. What even took longer was the procedure itself. It began with injecting anesthesia about a million of times until my gums felt completely numb. My top wisdom teeth were the easiest of the bunch to yank off and didn’t require much work. On the other hand, my bottom wisdom teeth were putting up a fight. They just wouldn’t come out and it required a bit of effort from my dentist. Eventually it was all over, clocking in at around an hour. Contrary to my beliefs, it wasn’t as painful as I suspected. The real discomfort however, came from having my mouth open for too long. Having thanked my dentist and the employees, I made my way out with increasing discomfort all the way to the car.

"Sacrifice" by Justin H

    If I was in a terrible fire, and could only sacrifice a few items, they would be my computer, and a picture of my whole family. I would take my computer because it’s important to me, and it has all my games I bought, that was worth $60.00 or more. If I was to give up my computer, and my photo of my whole family, I would give it to someone who would take special care of it.

         If I was to give up my computer, and my photo of my whole family, I would give it to my parents, because they would be able to take care of it, and put it in spot, where they would be able to make not get broken, or damaged. I would give up my computer to my parents because they would be able to help me with my homework if needed. If I was to give up my photo of my whole family, I would give it to my parents too, because they would be able to see my family, whenever they wanted to, wherever they wanted to. I would also keep it in a photo frame, from my family.

"Mysterious Adventure" by Hannah C

         He tied his boat off and started to climb the cliffs. He knew that one had never lived to tell what was behind the cloud, but still he climbed. Carlos was on an island that everyone knew, but no one would dare to step onto the island. Myths swarmed through the town about this island, but he was determined to find out if these myths were true. On the way up the cliff he heard a cracking noise, but he still climbed. Little did he know that the cliff was breaking. He looked up and a big rock was headed straight for him. He moved away quickly. Once all the dust was gone, he looked where the rock fell and saw a strange little home. Carlos went up to the house and knocked on the door. A little man answered the door, his name was Ralph.

            “How and why are you here?” Ralph asked.

            “I climbed up the cliff and I wanted to see what was up here.” Carlos replied.

            “I want you to get off my property and off this island in 5 minutes or else” Ralph said.

            “Why” Carlos said, “I didn’t do anything!”

            “GET OFF THIS ISLAND OR ELSE!” said Ralph and slammed the door. Ralph didn’t care and kept walking. He walked away wanting to see more, but there was absolutely nothing. 4 minutes had passed and nothing happed, but Carlos said,

            “It’s already been 5 minutes, the guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Right after he said this he heard cracking. He looked down and saw the ground splitting beneath his feet. He started to run away, but when he stopped the ground wasn’t breaking. He started walking and heard what seemed to be a gun shot. He looked behind him and the original little man was shooting at him.

            “Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?” Carlos screamed.

            “You stepped on my island, you refused to get off, and now you’re dead!” Ralph said. Carlos ran as fast as he could and the ground was again splitting. He saw that Ralph did something to the ground that Carlos couldn’t see. He ran and ran until he heard no more shooting. He looked behind him and he was gone. Out of breath, Carlos realized he was at the beach he sailed onto. He remembered that his bottle of water was in there. He sat in his boat wondering what happened. He had so many questions on what happened.

            “Why was he chasing me? Why did he want to kill me? How did he make the ground split right underneath me?’ He went home with questions unanswered. He stepped into his house and was glad to be home. Almost every night after this day he had nightmares about the little man finding him. He still managed to tell the story to his kids and their kids about that day he will never forget.

"Mysterious Adventure" by Guilrey G

He tied his boat off and started to climb the cliffs. He knew that no one had lived to tell what was behind the cloud, but still he climbed. It took forever for him to finally get on top but he finally did. It was very foggy and he couldn’t really see anything. He tried to get a picture of him on top but it was no use. Even with as much light he had it wasn’t very visible. Anyways he was glad to still be here so he went off walking. As he was walking it was hard for him to see and he didn’t really know where he was going. AS he was going down the other side of the mountain all of a sudden he tripped. He got on to a hard stop and nearly broke his ankle. As he got up he couldn’t move. He then realized his foot got stuck literally through some crack in the mountain. He tried to get himself out but it kept hurting and he was stuck. He didn’t really knew what to do so then he yelled, ‘‘Help!’’ It was no use though. All he heard was the echo of himself screaming and he was miles away from civilization.

He then knew he had to stay calm and try to figure a way out. He drank a little sip of his water so he wouldn’t waste so much. As time went on by it began to get cooler and he was beginning to freeze up there. He was there for hours and was beginning to starve even more. He then realized he had a swiss army knife. He was so happy and began to get hope back thinking he can get out of this situation. At first he thought about the movie ‘’127 Hours’’ and figured he was in the same situation as the main character in the movie. He made a tuff decision and thought it would be best to cut off his foot. So he put his knife against his ankle with his hand shaking nervously and began to slice himself a little bit. All of a sudden stopped himself. He had a little cut on his ankle with blood going down. Instead he changed his mind and just starting to use his knife like a pick axe so he could chisel his way out little by little. He was very careful so he wouldn’t break the blade on his knife.

Many hours went by again and the rock was starting to go away little by little. He knew it would take too long and he would probably starve before getting free. If not he would freeze to death. So he kept his mind busy so he wouldn’t be freaking out. He knew he needed to cut the part of the rock that’s touching his foot. Eventually he got to move his foot up a little bit but it wasn’t quite enough to squeeze out. Then the next thing you know he started felling earthquakes, and saw rocks coming down his way. Luckily only pebbles hit him and the big rocks didn’t get to him. Then he saw this big strong stick rolling down and he got it. He put it through part of the crack to try to separate his foot from the ground. Eventually he was getting his foot out little by little and he would eventually squeeze out. All of a sudden the mountain just burst and he saw lava coming out. He wanted to live really bad and he tried moving as hard as he could then his foot popped out.  He ran to the other side like crazy toward his boat. He then almost tripped while running down but stopped himself so he wouldn’t be in the same situation again. He got to his boat and untied it and started sailing, watching the volcano erupt. No one ever saw the mountain again after it erupted and to this day he still wonders why the volcano erupted all of a sudden in such a cold climate and what happened to the people that went before him and why they never came back.