Chapter One

Joseph had never been the same since the day he left.  Whenever the teacher called on him, he would just ignore her.  He would hear people ask him, “Joseph, are you okay?” or “Joseph, what has gotten into you?” but he would just answer with silence because he didn’t want to talk about it with anyone; he was worried that if he made friends, they would leave him just like his dad left him and his mom.

“Hey Joseph, how was school?” asked his new stepdad.

He gave him the cold shoulder; Joseph wanted nothing to do with him.  Joseph went into his room. A picture of his mom and dad when they were still together was hanging on the wall. He could smell his stepdad making spaghetti for dinner, and he could faintly hear the ding of the oven timer.  He ignored it and did his weekly tradition where he tries to think of reasons about why his dad left.  It always left him sadder, but he did it anyway.

“Maybe my mom cheated on him, or he cheated on her,” Joseph quietly said to himself.  “Maybe he thought we weren’t good enough for him, I wasn’t good enough for him…”  And with that, Joseph drifted off to sleep but with that thought in his mind.

The next day at school a new kid arrived, and Joseph wasn’t paying attention, but he did hear that his name was Dayton; he was a scrawny kid just like Joseph. 

“Hey everyone!” said Dayton with a big smile on his face.  Some people said hi back, and some giggled, but Joseph just watched with a sad look on his face.  Joseph soon found out the Dayton was in all of his classes. Joseph didn’t listen that much, but he was slightly interested.

At lunch, Joseph sat by himself, not eating anything as usual. He could smell the lunch ladies cooking mashed potatoes and chicken nuggets. He could hear people yelling and laughing.  He was looking at a eat healthy poster on the wall that was next to a vending machine with unhealthy food when suddenly a hand waved across his face.

“Hey, anybody there?” said a familiar voice.  When Joseph looked over it was Dayton.  “Mind if I sit here?” Joseph shrugged, so he did.  “So, your name’s Joseph, right?” he asked.  Joseph nodded.  “I see you’re not much of a talker,” said Dayton with a grin, “If you couldn't tell, I love talking.” 

Joseph glared at the wall, and it read 12:30; he wanted to leave, but the school was very strict about just up and leaving class even if that class was lunch.  “You know the food here is pretty bad,” said Dayton, and Joseph nodded because he finally said something Joseph agreed about.  “When I was living in New York City,” said Dayton with mashed potatoes in his mouth, “there was this great restaurant called Madam Vo; always thought that was a weird name.  Anyway, my parents and I went there all the time.”  At the mention of parents, Joseph's face went solemn.  “Hey, what's wrong?” asked Dayton, “Was it something I said?”

After a long pause, Joseph said, “I don’t want to talk about it,” and with a depressed look he slowly stood up and dragged himself out of the cafeteria.

The next day Joseph did his best to ignore Dayton, but he kept trying to talk to him like a fly buzzing around someone’s ear.

“Hey Joseph!” said Dayton without a care in the world.

“Get away from me.”

“Is this about the cafeteria, because whatever I said I am really sorry.”

“You’re not sorry because you can’t be sorry without knowing what you did.” With that, Joseph ran off to go to class.

Joseph sat at lunch with his head down, legs crossed,  trying to do his best not to let Dayton see him; he did, and he came over to sit with him, but he didn’t say anything.  Joseph waited for him to say something annoying or dumb, but he didn’t; he didn’t look sad either, and it made Joseph even more confused.  Joseph was sure of one thing; Dayton was thinking about something, and he was ninety percent sure it was about why he ran off a few hours ago.  But he was happy that Dayton was talking for once, and it surprised him that something made him happy even if it wasn’t that great of a thing.

After Joseph arrived at his home his stepdad was waiting for him. 

“Hey, Sport, how you doing?”

“I don’t have to tell you. ” Joseph’s stepdad sighed.

“Here, have a seat.” Joseph sat down.

“Look, Jo, I-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Okay, sorry.  What I was trying to say is, Joseph, I want to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“About why you hate me, and what I can do to change that.”

“Well,” Joseph paused, and then he said, “I don’t.”  With that, Joseph stood up, and he stormed into his room.

He sighed.  “Joseph, I’m sorry...”

-Sai Settipalli

Chapter 1

“I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday! Ugh!” I say with dread. I hear the other gymnasts mumble in agreement.

“It should be Friday. This week feels like it’s been ten years long,” Soleil says, exasperated.

“Only two more days until Friday though, and we only have two more meets. The next one is close, so we have to work hard today. Practice is almost over!”

“Yeah, that’s true. But the meet after this one is so far away.”

“Allie, it’s your turn!” Coach yells.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention! I was talking to Soleil.” I very quickly look at the clock over the mirror and wipe the sweat off my nose. Soleil chuckles at me.

“Hey!” I look at Soleil as I run to do my tumbling pass. She shrugs. I wonder if she really thought that was funny? Or if she was just laughing at me. When Soleil is done with her turn, I laugh at her as she throws herself up against the wall that’s covered in mats. I lay up against the mats. They are freezing compared to the gym.

“You have too much homework don’t you, Soleil?”

“Just reminded myself how much I have. I think my head is going to explode; you better watch out.”

“Mood.”

“Allie, just wait until you’re in tenth grade.”

“Hey, I’m only in eighth, but I’m taking advanced classes.”

It’s my turn again. But this time, when I run from the corner of the floor to the mats, something doesn’t feel right. It’s like, something's off. I’m not even sure if I should go for my pass. But I have to. The meet’s coming up. But I’m petrified. I have so little time to decide if I want to go. So I just do. Oof. Big mistake. As I put my feet down, I know that not stopping myself and going for my pass isn’t a good idea.

My eyes are crying out. The pain in my foot feels like someone ripped out a bone. I roll over to the side of the floor, away from all the mats.

“Are you okay, Allie?”

I shake my head.

I’ll call your mom,” Coach tells me. I look up, trying to get words out of my mouth. I am biting the inside of my check so hard I can even taste the blood. I can see everyone staring at me. They can see I’m in pain. Soleil’s face is worried even though she has a shocked look. Her, hand placed over her dropped jaw, is as wide as a laughing hyena’s.

“Your mom is on the way. Where does it hurt?” he asks. I reach up and grab the ice pack, which is so cold that I feel a chill up my arm.

“On the side, right here.” My foot is in agonizing pain.

“Wrap the ice around your foot until your mom comes.”  I nod. Soleil comes over with some tissues and my water.

“Thank you so much.”

“I feel so bad, Allie. I hope you’re better soon,”

I give Soleil a hug. As I sit there waiting for my mom, my foot starts to feel relieved. I’m guessing it’s the frigid ice.

I’m scared because I know that we are going straight to the urgent care to see the doctor. I’m anxious to know what they are going to say, yet I don’t want them to say anything at all. I don’t even want to go. I’m completely dreading it. Good thing this day hasn’t been going by quickly.

I see my mom rush in. I give her a look of disappointment, and her face follows mine. I slowly get up. I don’t use my foot; it’s paralyzed. I lug myself over to the door, which seems to be ten miles away. Soleil scrambles over to help me. I say goodbye to everyone, and my mom hoists me to the car. It’s awkward just waiting for my mom to walk to the car, carrying me in her arms.

The ride starts in silence as I sit and gaze, seeing all my surroundings zip by. “I don’t want to go, Mom.”

“You have to. I understand that you don’t want to hear what they are going say because you know it could be bad. But we have to go, Allie.”

Again. Silence. I never want to get there. But then I see the urgent care sign, and my foot gives a sharp pain. I hold my breath. My mom finds a spot, and again she carries me out.

We check in, and they tell us it’s going to be a while. I sigh. We sit, and the only thing I’m wondering is what’s going to happen to my foot. I look around and check out the other people waiting to be taken care of. I’ve been and done this before. It’s Deja vu. I feel like I’ve been sitting here for hours, just inspecting the sophisticated paintings on the blank, dusty walls. I look at my phone. It’s only been ten minutes.

“I just want it to be over with already!” I exclaim as I kick my feet, frustrated.

“I know, Allie.” My mom kisses me on the head.

After what seems like hours, the nurse finally comes in the waiting room, crutches in her hand. She calls my name. I gather all my things and hand them over to my mom. The nurse tells me to follow her to get x-rays. Those are always stressful. Sometimes they move you in a way that hurts what you injured, but all you can do is cringe. It’s almost like they injure it more. It’s hard to stay in the position I’m in while they’re taking pictures. You have to be unbelievably still. Frozen even.

“You’re finished,” the nurse tells me. I relax.

“Thank you.” I struggle over to the room my mom’s in.

“The doctor will be right with you.”

“Okay,” my mom and I both say.

I’m still dreading it, listening to how long I’ll be out for, what I have to wear, whatever. It’s not even the worst part though. The worst part is waiting. Waiting for that nice but deadly, “Hello.”

“Can we just go? We’ve been here for so long already,” I desperately ask.

“No, Allie. I know you don’t want to be injured, but better now than later.”

I hear the door crack open. My palms sweat; no need for a warning.

-Emma Oertel

Chapter 1

          Beep, Beep, Beep… Beep…

I threw a pillow over my face, trying to cover my ears as my alarm blared.   

“Ugh….” I groaned, pulling the covers over my face.

“Adylyne May Montgomery,” my mom demanded, “get up, or you’ll be late to your first day!”

I perked up, sitting like a deer in the headlights, and I realized the time and the day. It was September 4th, the first day of school. I got out bed, my legs gave out underneath, and I nearly fell over onto my nightstand. I caught myself, shook my legs out and headed towards my mirror. I took my hair out of my now messy bun. I stretched out my arms as I yawned.

I threw on my clothes. I realized that my outfit was a little too much, so I put on my white Converse now almost the color of the beach sand, ripped blue jeans that were only slightly torn, and a pineapple short sleeve shirt. I cleaned up my morning face with makeup. I clawed at my hair, trying to fix it. That didn’t go as planned, so I took my brush and almost ripped off my scalp with all the snarls in my hair. I sauntered into the bathroom and brushed my perfectly white, straight teeth. I then grudgingly stepped down the stairs one by one, counting them as I went.

As I was walking down the stairs, I smelt the delicious whiff of crispy bacon and waffles. Smelling this made knowing today was the first day of school a little more bearable. I sat at the table, ate my breakfast, and decided I was ready to start my day. I quickly consumed, and then suddenly I heard my bus pulling up to my stop. I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Adylyne, turn around and smile for me,” my mom exclaimed.

“No mom, I’m in tenth grade. I don’t need pictures for the first day of school,” I complained.

“Adylyne May, turn around right now, or I’m following you to the bus.”

At that, I decided to turn and smile. My teeth started chattering, which always happened when I was nervous. I cracked my knees and walked onto the bus. I prepared myself for the first day of sophomore year.

I arrived at school nervcited, nervous and excited. I stumbled into the building while getting run over by all the older kids. Most people in our school are jocks, so they think they can do anything. They think they can play on their phones in class and push people around. Honestly, I don’t think they knew I was there. They were stomping on my shoes, crushing my toes. I put my elbows out, thinking that would keep them away; it didn’t. They just pushed my elbows out of the way, almost like they were trying to pop them out of the socket. I looked like a grasshopper in the middle of a soccer field. The smell of Axe deodorant filled my nostrils; it was nasty.

“Excuse me,” I yelled, trying to get past all of them.  I pushed them; not a good idea. They just pushed back, but harder. I tripped and almost fell flat on my face. Luckily, I just fell into everyone else, catching my fall.

I walked into the classroom, making sure my toes were still intact; they were, but they were throbbing. All of a sudden the memories of last year rushed into my mind with the white, brick walls surrounded by green chalkboards and whiteboards. The room was filled with American flags, globes, maps, and giant textbooks; she was a Social Studies teacher. Desks set up with two connected, four rows across, seven back. We had a pretty big classroom; it looked the size of about a half of our school gymnasium.

My teacher showed me to where my desk was. I sat next to an open seat with a name tag that read “Zoe.” I’ve never seen that name. I pondered why she might have been moved to my class. Maybe she just moved here. What if she got kicked out of another school? Or she just got transferred from another homeroom. She could’ve skipped a grade. As I was thinking about this, I realized just how stressed out I was about starting this new school year. I don’t know why I was, though, I had only been here 12 weeks ago.

All of a sudden, I saw this girl, a beautiful girl, parade into the classroom. I had never seen her before, and she looked shy. She shot a few glances around the room and then started strutting over to me, almost like a model walking down the runway. She had a snobby look on her face, almost like the face you make when smelling a skunk. She took a seat next to me. So this must be Zoe, I concluded. She didn’t talk; in fact, she took out her phone and started snapchatting, right in the middle of class. She must have gotten kicked out of her old school, I was thinking. She smelled like Christmas, like candy canes and pine needles. I could tell she had makeup on, for she looked stunning with it. Our teacher, Mrs. Williams, started heading towards Zoe and me.

“Hi Adylyne, welcome back to school!” Mrs. Williams asserted. “Hello, you must be Zoe. Welcome to Woodlands High School.”

“Hi Mrs. Williams, how was your summer break?” I answered.

“Excellent!”  Zoe acted like she didn’t even hear her. She just kept playing on her phone.

“Zoe?” Mrs. Williams insisted.

“Yes?” Zoe responded. Surprisingly, she sounded sweet. Maybe she really just didn’t hear Mrs. Williams the first time.

“This is Adylyne, she will be your ‘buddy’ this year. She will be showing you around the school and keeping you company.”  I was aghast, for no one had ever mentioned this until just now.

“Oh, I think I can navigate myself,” Zoe retorted, stunned.

“Adylyne will be helping you,” Mrs. Williams replied, a little more sternly this time.

I felt like words were trapped inside my throat, more like lodged in my stomach. I was already terrified of starting a new year, so how was I supposed to be confident and show this girl around the school and keep her company?  She didn’t seem like a good fit for me. She seemed rude, addicted to her phone like glue sticks to paper; when you take it apart, the paper rips with it.  Zoe rolled her eyes.

She turned to me and said, “Hi! I’m Zoe!” over dramatically.

“Hi, I’m Adylyne” I spoke shyly.

The homeroom bell rang; Zoe and I got up. We looked at each other and left the classroom. The first day of tenth grade; I will always remember. It was the day I found my best friend. My best friend made me figure out the biggest secret of my entire life.

-Riley Messier

Marriage is something precious.  It should be as precious to you as the ring is to Gollum.  I’m not religious or anything, so this doesn’t really weigh down on me, but I do have morals.  I, as any other person living in this world, would like to live with someone I love and choose.  I don’t want to be stuck with some nagging, old wife that complains about the way I wash the dishes or mow the lawn.  I cherish marriage, yet here I am, getting engaged to someone I met on Tinder one month ago.  Just to recap, this is what happened about half and hour ago.

.     .     .

“Oh my God.  Dan, are you freaking serious?!”

Eyebrows lifting, I whip my head up from my deliciously, exquisite filet mignon towards the voice coming directly in front of my face.  “What am I serious about?  What is it?” I ask, scrunching my eyebrows at Sarah, my date.  Hands reaching, I quickly take a sip of my Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru of 1949 as I sit and patiently wait for her to respond.  Not to brag or anything, but when you’re drinking a wine that costs about $5,900, you’ve got to take your time and just enjoy it.

She slightly shifts her hand away from the slice of chocolate cake as she says, “Yes, yes, yes, and a thousand times yes!”

Eyes twitching, I laugh nervously, confused as to what she’s so excited about.  I cock my head to the side as I say, “Uh, dear.  Would you mind explaining what exactly you’re so thrilled about?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

No, not really.

“You can drop the act now.  I know you’re proposing!” Sarah quickly whisks her hand out to my face, causing bits of the cake to fly around.  She’s holding something in between her index finger and her thumb, but I can’t quite catch it.  She’s moving her hand along to the rhythm of her bouncing; all I can pick up of it is that it’s a circle shape, no larger than a quarter. 

Wait… I feel like I just misheard her.  I mean, I must have.  She can’t possibly think that I’m proposing to her!  Ha!  Just the thought of that makes me want to jump off of  a cliff.  I snork out a laugh as I ask, “Dear, what are you talking about?  Did you hit your head on the way in?”

“Dan, really, you can stop acting like Lt. Columbo.  I already know that you’re proposi-”

.     .     .

After that, I start to choke on my filet mignon and almost die of a heart attack.  Of course, I run to the nearest and safest place, the bathroom.  To be honest, I regret surviving.  I wish that food would’ve clogged my throat so that I could’ve suffocated and ended the nightmare that has only just begun.  Even better, drinking hundreds of those Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru of 1949 doesn’t sound bad at all.  Only problem is that it will cost about $590,000 and probably my health.  As dumb and obnoxious as I may seem, I don’t have the brain of an onion; my grandma calls me that.

Anyways, getting off topic.  As smart as I am,  I can’t deny that I’m currently thinking about smashing my head onto the toilet seat that my buttox is sitting on.  That way, maybe Sarah won’t want to stay with me anymore.  That’s not the way to go, so I’m contemplating as to what to do, but it’s harder than it looks.  Just five minutes ago, I heard one of the strangest sounds come out of a person.  Now the whole place smells like a pile of rotten onions.  The sound also sounded like a drowning dolphin.  Wait… do dolphins even drown?  They are technically fishes, right?  But don’t they have the blow hole?  Maybe I’m just getting it confused with whales.  Speaking of  whales, when Sarah saw the ring in the cake, she looked as happy as a dog does when his owner finally gives him any sort of attention.  I would know that because for most of my life, I’ve been the dog. 

Oh yeah, can we also acknowledge the fact that there was a RING in a piece of cake at The American Cut Steakhouse?!  How the heck does that happen!?  I swear I’ve never touched a ring in my life, and I don’t plan to for at least the next decade.  But alas, as comfy as this toilet seat may seem for now, it feels like there are ants crawling in my legs.  Biceps engaging, I push myself up from the seat and pull up my pants.  I take in a deep breath, relieving me only a fraction of the stress placed upon me, and then I start to walk out towards my doom.  Don’t worry, I wash my hands.

Once I get to our table, I find Sarah still there at the same place I left her.  Only this time, she doesn’t have that obnoxiously, huge grin plastered on her face.  Her eyes continuously shift around, filling up with tears.  She keeps biting her brittle nails, causing them to split even more.  It’s a habit of hers to bite her nails before she’s about to start ranting off.  So, before I have the chance to leave unnoticed, Sarah spots me. 

“Dan!” she says, as she runs up to me, her high-heels clacking, drawing the attention of everyone else around us.  “Dan, are you alright?  Do you want to go home?  If you want I can call the ambulance.  Or if you prefer, we ca-”

“Yes, yes.  I’m okay.”  Eyes shifting, face flushing with heat, I look down at her right hand to find the small, silver ring on her ring finger.  “Um, hey.  About that ring…”

“Oh, no need to worry.  I said yes and I’ll do all the planning.”

“Oh… great.”  I start to feel lightheaded.  It is as if my head is blown up like a hot balloon; it is starting to feel numb.  I can’t think straight, and I start to feel the wine from before tickle itself up from my stomach.  “Hey, Sarah.  Maybe it’s best if I go home.”

“Yes, of course.  Oh my gosh, I’m so happy, though!  Thank you so much!  Although, don’t you think it’s a bit too early?  I mean, I’m fine with it!  If you want, we can start thinking about children!”

My head rolls backwards, followed by my eyes.  I want to say that this is the end, but it isn’t quite like death; more like the beginning of a catastrophe.

10 years later…

“Dan!  How many times do I have to tell you, you’re not supposed to dry the dishes right after you clean them!  You’re supposed to let them dry!  God, you’re so annoying!”

-Agata Montanini

So this happened about two weeks ago. Thanksgiving break of ‘01. A note on my desk with $300 to the side of it.

Hi, Dear! Happy Birthday.. Sorry we’re not here. We had to go on a business trip. I know, work really caught up with us this time. That's why we celebrated yesterday, just in case something like this happened. We will be back Saturday. If you ever need to call us, we will pick up the phone. If you have an emergency, call 911, and after that, go to a neighbor. $300 is a lot of money for four-and-a-half days. Spend some of it on needs (food, water, etc.), but also whatever you want.

Have Fun! Love you,

Mom

No sooner than I had entered the door of my house after getting off the bus, I was back out the door. I grabbed the $300 like a five-year-old grabbing candy out of a shopping bag. I knew what I was getting with the money before I even had it. An Xbox. I rode my bike all the way down to GameStop at a very brisk pace. I checked my pocket every 30 seconds or so to make sure the money was still in there. The wind was slow but steady. It was frigid, and the leaves had left the trees. Just before I got to Gamestop, it started to trickle a little. I knew very well my bike would be drenched by the oncoming rain outside, but there was nothing I could do about it but wait the rain out and hope it ended soon.

I was instantly greeted by shining neon lights and demo kiosks and shelves and shelves of games. Old games and new games. But right in the center, as if an angel had just landed on Earth from Heaven, an Xbox demo kiosk. An entire section for the system was surrounding it. After all, it had come out just five days prior. It was a majestic sight to see. Looking like the happiest human alive, I went up to the section. But then, sadness and disgust crept into my face as I saw the price. $300. I wondered if it was on sale or anything, to see if I could get money off. I just wanted an Xbox. Not a PS2, or a Gamecube. Quivering, I went up to the cashier.

“Hi, welcome to Gamestop. What can I assist you with?”

“Thank you.” Sweat dripped off my face in nervousness. “Would you happen to have a discount or sale on the Xbox?”

“Sorry sir. $300 only. $290 if you have the Pro Membership.”

“Aww.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry kid. You could get a Gamec-”

“No thanks. There has to be something. There just has to be.” I was practically pleading to him for a price cut.

“Well,” the Gamestop employee said, “There is one thing…” My eyes lit up like the neon signs surrounding me. “We have a used Xbox. It's a bit battered up, but I´ll give you a little sale on it for $200.”

“WOW! Thanks sir. I’ll take it.” And saying that was the worst mistake of my life. I signed a contract with the devil, and I was completely oblivious to it. But who wouldn’t be with a deal like that? I was quite possibly the happiest person on Earth at that moment. “Why is the price so low? The system came out five days ago!”

“Well, it’s pretty strange,” his voice darkened as he went to grab the Xbox from the back room. “People keep returning it for some reason. We just need to get rid of it.”

“Cool,” I spoke, ignoring how weird his explanation was.

“Are you gonna buy a game with this? The system comes with the power cables and a controller.” I almost forgot to buy a game. Close to crying of joy, I went over to the shelf. It towered over me with Xbox games. Of course though, there was only one game that caught my eye. Halo: Combat Evolved.

“I’ll have this one,” I stated firmly as I slid the game over to the cashier.

“Halo. That will be $260.00.”

I slid the three 100 dollar bills across the table. As he rang me up I blurted, “Really rainy out today,” to break the silence.

“ Yeah, it's gonna be one hell of a storm. Supposed to rain all week. It's supposed to get even worse by Friday.

“Wow,” I consoled as I grabbed the Xbox and the game off the counter. I realised that I couldn’t wait out the rain, and I didn’t have anyone to give me a lift. I would have to book it before it got worse. “Thank you so much,” I said to the cashier.

“You’re welcome,” he said to me. But the part that I remember the most is the last thing he said to me that rainy, dark evening: “Be careful out there.”

I pedaled on my bike home like a cyclist in Tour De France. I had my hood up, but I was still drenched. The Xbox was well encased in four layers of plastic bags that the cashier put the system in. I had the Xbox in my hands and on my shoulders. The rain turned from a moderate drip to a heavy Seattle shower. I knew as I was going home that I would not be able to ride anywhere for the next few days, leaving me stranded.  I nearly slipped and got carried away by the rain while pulling into my driveway. I practically bolted into the house, but not before locking my bike to the railing on our staircase leading up to the door using a bike lock with a key. Who knows what could happen to it if I left it unlocked. I kept the key in close proximity to me. I didn’t want my bike being locked to the railing for all eternity.

There was an eerie difference in sound from outside. Outside, the rain was pattering down so hard you couldn’t hear someone next to you. But the inside was quiet. It was dark and unsettling. I turned on the lights and lit up the house. I suddenly felt more comfortable. I was home. My shoulders untensed. I had an Xbox that was just waiting to be plugged in. I threw my coat off and got on pajamas that would be comfortable to sit in for the next few days. I plugged the Xbox into the socket on the wall. Few things fit so perfectly together. It fit in like a lock and a key. Like bread and butter. The perfect combination. I plugged the Xbox’s composite cables into the back of the TV and plugged the controller into the console. I switched the TV input to three. I put my finger over the power button, and with incredible enthusiasm, pressed it.

The power button lit up green and the Xbox sounded like a car starting up. It was very loud at first and then quieted down. Then, its signs of life. A weird green blob moving around in the center of the screen. It was dark around the green ball. A bunch of bars were surrounding the ball. It looked like some crazy science experiment. Then the ball started to contort and shift with weird noises accompanying it, and suddenly, the Xbox logo. That must have been the start up intro, I thought. At this point, the Xbox had quieted down and wasn’t making any more weird buzzing noises from inside. The logo faded away and revealed the same green ball with the Xbox logo engraved into it from before. It was moved to the side though, with menu options extending out of it. It had options for memory, music, Xbox Live, and settings, but there was no “load disc” option like on my DVD player. So I just opened the CD tray and set the Halo disc into the tray. It slid into the Xbox like a slice of butter sliding along a slice of whole wheat bread. That worked, because the Xbox menu faded away slowly. My eyes lit up as I saw the logo appear on a wide space like background. “HALO” it projected onto the screen.

So many options were there right off the bat. Campaign, Multiplayer, Profiles, Settings, Credits, and Quit. Of course, all I wanted to play was the campaign mode. All I could play was campaign mode because I didn’t have Xbox live. And boy, was I in for a trip. What a fantastic game. I started playing at 8:00, but that time became 12:00 quickly, and I wasn’t even halfway through the game! I knew I was getting tired though and that I ought to go to bed, so I called it a night. I saved and pressed the power button off. The Xbox disk drive slowed down until it came to a stop. Satisfied with my Xbox, I brushed my teeth and turned all of the lights off. The Gamestop employee was right. It’s gonna be one hell of a storm. I set the key to my bike lock on my dresser and softly pressed my finger to the light switch.

I awoke the next morning to the pattering on my window. It was hailing like hell raining down on us. The hailstones were the width of 50 cent coins. With one quick glance, I saw that the neighbors that were away and would have to deal with a smashed car windshield. The forecast was for more rain coming when the temperature rises on Friday. I knew that the power was going to go in and out, meaning Halo was going to be harder to play.

Bones cracking, I got up and looked at the clock: 11:00. Holy crap. I guess I really needed the sleep. I waltzed over to the kitchen at a slug’s pace and made breakfast, but not before noticing that the key to the bike lock was no longer on the dresser. In fact, it was nowhere to be seen. Dad is gonna kill me, I thought. Anyway, it’s time to make waffles. Except apparently it wasn’t time to make waffles because the power went out mid-way through toasting them. I considered my options, but only for a moment. I suddenly heard a strange noise from in the living room. A loud short buzzing noise, then the sound of fans. I dashed to the living room like a cheetah hunting a zebra. The green light of the Xbox was on. I turned on the TV, and sure enough, there it was in all its glory. The Xbox logo, staring right back at me.

I had so many questions and no answers. Maybe there’s something wrong with the power button. Maybe that’s why people were returning it. Well, I don’t care. I’m not returning this any time soon, I thought. But there was clearly something wrong. There should have been no way that the Xbox was working. There should have been no way the TV was working. But I didn’t care. The people who returned this were too cautious. This is epic! I convinced myself. I played Xbox for a little and then got bored. I was stuck on a level. I spent an hour or two trying to beat it, but it wasn't worth it in the end. No progression, so I shut it off.

I, for once, turned the system off even when it would be fine to continue playing it. I assaulted the umbrella open and waltzed around for a while, but then a particularly big-sized hailstone (gold ball sized) smashed through the umbrella and hit me on the head. It was a mad dash to get back into the house and not get clonked in the head again, but I made it back inside unscathed. So much for that. I guess I’ll call up Mom, I thought. I hadn’t talked to her since Tuesday morning. So I picked up the phone and rang her up. She picked up instantly.

“Hi, Dear! How’s it going? Are you well fed?”

“Hi Mom. Yes, I’m well fed.”

“I miss you, Honey. Me and Dad will be home soon enough. Just you wait.” I contemplated telling her about the hail storm, but in the end I decided I would.

“Did you see the hail storm on the news, Mom? It’s a big one. The power is cutting in and out.”

“Yes, I did, Dear. Are you okay? It’s supposed to warm up tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mom, I’m okay. I have to go. The power will go out at any minute. Love you.” That was a white lie. The power could go out any time, but I also wanted to go to sleep.

“Okay. Sleep well, and remember.”

“Remember what?”

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Bye, love you!”

“Bye, Mom. Love you too.”

And just like that, I woke up to Thanksgiving. I had to run. It was a long trip of going to the supermarket. It thankfully stopped hailing. Of course, that’s because the temperatures rose, and therefore the rain was going to start up even harder at 11:00. Getting my clothing on felt like I threaded the needle after a knockout punch, except the clothing was the thread, I was the needle, and the knockout punch was an eight-hour sleep. Just barely awakened, I hopped on the bike and rode as fast as I could. The extra ten dollars I still had were in my back pocket. I ran through the isles like a child desperately trying to find its mom in the supermarket after losing her. I grabbed a pound of pork off the shelf. I got five different packets of Ramen off the shelf. I also got some spices to add to them. I finally got home and tiredly stepped in, creating a small puddle in our entrance way.

My stove only had two burners, so this was going to take a while. I had it all. Maruchan, Nongshim Shin, Sapporo Ichiban, Top Ramen, and Jinjja Jinjja; only the best Ramen. Then I cooked them all up. I heard a slight buzzing noise in the living room, but it was probably nothing.

Let me tell you, cooking two batches of different Ramen for almost an hour is no easy task. But I got it done. Once one batch was done, I poured it into the bowl. Along the way I cooked the pork, julienned it, and slid it in in between layers of soup. I also occasionally sprinkled in some of the herbs and spices. In the end, I had an orange soup with all different colors of noodles and some pork sprinkled in. This was going to be the best soup I had ever had the grace to put in my mouth, and I could freeze it when I inevitably didn’t eat it all. I got a bowl and a ladle and spooned the Ramen mix in. I took a bite. Then I took a sip. This is the greatest food I’ve ever made. It was so good, I got another bowl, and another bowl, until a third of the ramen noodles were gone.

I was so full, I thought I would go to bed, sleep 14 hours, and wake up the next day with diabetes. Luckily, the Ramen was somewhat healthy thanks to the pork. It wasn’t traditional Thanksgiving food, but it sure was something. Well that was swell, I thought. Then I heard a loud thunk in the living room. I walked in to find my Xbox splayed out on the floor as if it moved itself. But that would never happen, I said to myself in my head. It’s just not possible. I picked it up and put it on the shelf. I was going to go and play on my bulky computer upstairs. But just as I left the room, I heard it. The buzzing of the disk drive, and the fans. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

This time I didn’t even bother turning on the TV. I pressed the power button with the might of Zeus. At this point I should have been getting scared, or called my parents. But I was more annoyed because it kept turning on. I thought it was all just a coincidence. I thought maybe the Xbox was on the edge of the table. Maybe there's just something wrong with it that makes it keeps turning itself on.

I should have known better. Despite it being clear what I should have done, I did the opposite. Without thinking twice, I walked up to my bedroom and hopped on my computer. I loaded up GTA 3 and waited on the splash screen. The splash screen was boring, like watching the DVD player splash screen for an hour without taking your eyes off of it. Will it hit the corner? Will it not? I don’t care. I want to watch a movie, not a DVD player splash screen.

But before I finished my off-topic thinking, I unfortunately realised the game never loaded because the power went out again. That time I believed was probably going to be for good, or at least until the rain was out of town. But the rain wasn’t getting better. In fact, it was getting worse. I went downstairs and saw it again. The TV was on. So was the Xbox. Oh great. Maybe we had a generator and I didn’t know about it. I simply couldn’t believe that it was possessed. It’s not a poltergeist, I stated firmly to myself. I switched the TV input to cable and watched cartoons for about an hour until I almost fell asleep. But then, the dreaded, BEEEEEEP. BEEEEEEP. There is nothing more scary at night than a blue screen with white text, or so I thought. “Flash Flood Warning,” it stated firmly in bold white letters on the CRT.

Then, it happened. A sudden surge of water. It swept the leaves away in a matter of seconds. I couldn’t believe it. The roads suddenly became river rapids. It was raging. It wasn’t raging on the house, but anything in the road was swept away instantly. Well, I guessed I would have to wait it out. There was no way that I could call anyone either. The phone wouldn’t charge. It was dead. I should have realised that it was clearly no coincidence. But I wouldn’t let the thought process get to me.

I went back to the room to see the input changed to three, and there it was, again. As if looking me right in the eyes, the Xbox logo menacingly popped on the screen with the normal disturbing menu music to accompany it. I just didn’t care. I was tired, and I was ready to go to bed. I switched the power of the TV off and pressed the power button on the Xbox one last time. Running quickly up the stairs, I jumped into my bed and covered myself with all of my sheets. I had a hard time forgetting what I just saw. It was as if it was scraped into my mind. But I got over it and fell asleep.

But not for long. A loud thunk against the hardwood floor followed by non-stop rumbling woke me up in a sweat. The power was still out, and my alarm clock said it was 2:00 AM. The alarm clock was never wrong. I strutted down the stairs like a young child home alone at night. I had a flashlight in my hand, and my hand was shaking, making the light shake around as well. The sound got louder as I got closer. I peeked in to see the last thing I wanted to see that night.

My stomach coiled up in my body as I saw the Xbox shaking around on the floor. It was an otherworldly thing to see, and not in a good way. I wanted to believe that I wasn’t seeing what I was seeing, but it was undeniable what was right in front of me all along. There was no going back. Visibly shaking, I walked over slowly in an attempt to press the power button to off for the final time. The closer I got, the more the Xbox shook. The closer I got, the more scared I was. It seemed like an eternity.  I moped over to the Xbox until my finger was on the power button. So close. But then it stopped shaking. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my arm, followed by a shattering sound. I screamed in pain and looked down at my arm. A shard of the Halo disc was lodged in my forearm. The disk drive of the Xbox was open. The Xbox just attacked me.

I was desperate at this point. Anything to make it stop. I went over to the wall plug and tugged with with the force of 100 men, but it was useless. The plug wouldn’t unplug. The Xbox was seemingly furious due to this and began to shake even more. Genuine fear crept onto my face as I made a mad dash to the stairs. I ran up the stairs, but not before looking behind myself one more time. I wish I didn’t do that.

I saw something that night. Something awful. The Xbox bulged on one side, then the other sides, then the top burst open. Something crawled out of my Xbox that night. I don’t know what that something was, but I know it wasn’t human.

And then, just for a moment, it locked eyes with me. The eyes were eyes of fury, anguish, and anger. And they were coming right for me. With pure fear lathered all over my face, I dashed to the stairs. The door wasn’t an option due to the floodwaters getting higher. I lunged my body into the bedroom and hid in the closet. But I knew that wouldn’t work. It would find me. This is the end for me, I thought. It set the whole thing up. From the floodwaters to the phone not charging to the missing key. And then I let out a tear. Just one at first, but in a matter of seconds I was bawling. I thought about many things. But mostly all of the times I had to get rid of the Xbox, and think that maybe it was even somewhat possesed. But then I realised. My family needs me. I'm not dying like this. Not without an attempted escape.

Without a second thought, I made my move, practically zipping from one end of my room to another. I opened the window and was ready to jump out, but I heard a door open just before I did. There it was. It glared at me in the eyes, with no mercy, but it was too late for the creature. With determination in my eyes, I jumped out the window and barreled toward the raging river below. And then, silence.

And here I am now, in my room typing this on my laptop. I woke up on Sunday in the hospital to find my parents awaiting me. Apparently I almost drowned, but I miraculously survived. I didn’t tell my parents, or anyone, what happened. They wouldn’t believe me.

If you’re reading this, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did. It's been a week since I woke up in the hospital. It was tough recovering from the stress from Thanksgiving break, but I coped well. Also, if you’re wondering about my video game stance now, I am switching to Nintendo. I must confess that I told my parents I don’t know where the money went, and they let me go out to buy a Gamecube, prepackaged with Super Smash Bros. Melee. So here I sit. I wonder if maybe that creature helped me in a way that I needed. I feel a little safer. I always look twice to make sure that something’s safe enough.  But then again, maybe I'm crazy. One day it might come back. But by then, I’ll be ready.

-Enzo McLauchlin

Prologue/Chapter 1:

Peace can mean many different things. Peace can be seen as a lack of combat or war. Sometimes it’s conflict handled in a peaceful manner. Peace never stays long, but when it’s within grasp it’s hard to let go. Hate is unrelentlessly addicting and can swallow you whole. It’s a never ending cycle that shows itself throughout history. Some people never experience it, the warmth that comes from a mother’s embrace. Peace. That warm feeling you get, wrapping around you like a blanket, shielding you.  Never wanting to let go. But for others there is no refuge from a cruel world, and peace is just a word like so many others.

Since I was small, a little girl really, my grandmother always told me to love, even if it’s just dreaming, love even when I’m stealing.  Without realizing it at that time, I adopted her philosophies. 

Time itself kept passing me by. Sometimes it felt like I was chasing. Chasing after something indescribable. Shrouded in the darkest depths of my mind.  These dreams of voices, people I did not understand, and could barely make out--shouting at me? And like I was under water, I could never understand them. Their voices being muffled and distorted to my ears.

This continued on for years.

And then War creeped its ways upon Granny and me. My thoughts were wholly consumed by the instinct to survive.   Small changes from a once peaceful life, like clouded judgement finally ringing true. Like a drop in a ocean, the riptides were monstrous.

The effects one man could have on society terrified me. Grandmother too once voiced her thoughts about that man, Leovanero Mortem. And like his name rung true, he brought on death and tragedy like never before. Like a god of death.

I remember this conversation Grandmother and I once had before everything turned to rubble.  Grandmother knew that I could perfectly understand. Often calling me her little genius. Her pride and joy.  She usually humored my questions with philosophy upon philosophy of knowledge. But this time, for once, I thought I understood.

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“Granny?” A little green-eyed girl questions quietly to a middle-aged women braiding her burgundy hair.

She chuckled a bit. “Go ahead, Mayu-chan, I’m listening.”

The little girl stumbles a bit on her words. Her green eyes shining in confusion and adoration as she turns to Granny. “W-why are people cruel? Why can’t we all get along?”
          The women seems to contemplate those words for a while. Clearing her throat, she tucks in a loose strand of greying hair behind her ear. “Corruption is an infestation, an illusion that some people willingly welcome into their home. That, you have to understand.”

The middle-aged women paused. She looked at Mayu with an unreadable expression.  Perhaps it was the expression of someone who has seen too much in their life. But Mayu did not know that at the time. “War changes nothing. It only gives people a reason to justify their actions, that their ways are right and the other side is wrong. Peace cannot be built upon senseless slaughter, no matter what people try to convince themselves,” she says in no attempt to comfort the child from the cold truth.

          A look of amazement settled on the little girl’s face for a while, but as the women continued speaking, a confused frown made itself known.

“But, those with the will to persevere may stumble, though they will never fall. Because, Mayu-chan, the illusion that war brings is more dangerous than the war itself.”

A confused frown stays on the little girl’s face as she stares at her hands, deep in thought, almost missing her Grandmother’s last words.

“Because people start to believe there is not even the slightest of chances of another option, so they don’t even try.” Swallowing audibly, she whispers, “Hopefully you will never experience this, ne?”

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Then one day, the world--the universe itself--stopped for just a moment.

And so life went on; I grew up, Grandmother died and I was all alone in an unfamiliar world, finally being shipped off to Community Omega, which actually happened to be the weakest and poorest of the Great twenty-four communities stationed throughout Vitiate.

Life wasn’t so great in Omega. And if you had no will to fight, then you were out of luck. It was just how things worked here; to fight or be killed. To survive long, you needed to fight dirty, only to survive another day. The person you talked to yesterday could be today’s enemy. That friend you shared stories and laughter with just a while ago could try and kill you at any given time. And your family? At any given chance they would leave you for a life of riches.

Those that show weakness were picked off from the very start. Those that looked to have money? They got mugged right during daylight and nobody chose to help and ultimately left him to face his own demise.

That little girl you saw just now? She’d be sold off to the Stealth Force for a possibly “better” future, but ultimately? She would probably end up home in a body bag within a year.

Life was very bleak, you see. To have a purpose was like asking if the sky was blue. It was, once upon a time.

Seeing all that? This huge difference compared to the comfortable life I used to have? It made me come to a conclusion.

The world had gone mad and I was the only sane person left.

And that left me walking past a corner shop for easy pickings. Maybe find some coins, or today’s Care Packages that should arrive soon to a nearby market. They were typically supplied with medical care and food packets and were exactly what I needed. 

So when I was minding my own business, I heard a strangely familiar static noise, making me freeze mid-step.

Is that…a television? I thought only Kappa Communities and higher rankings could get those? How odd, no, abnormal.  Although seeing televisions everyday was perfectly normal, if only for announcements that happen at the same intervals every single day.

Deciding to walk over and see what’s the matter, I did just that.

To my utmost surprise, it was a recording of a guy with the most unnatural blonde hair I’ve ever seen. Dressed in an…orange jumpsuit?  Battling it out, beaten and bruised, helplessly thrown around like a sack of flour. All of the enemies shared strange, purple ringed eyes, like clones. All six of them so unique, and different, yet sharing the same face.

About to walk away after a few minutes of watching this battle, that is, more of a beat down, to be honest, I listened in to what the characters were saying and the weirdest thing happened. Like something finally clicked within me, I listened in on this recording with interest I never thought possible of having. Like it was made specifically just for me, I continued watching with keen interest, my mind racing, remembering the resolve for what seems to be, a faraway dream I once had.

Then it snapped. I snapped; something snapped. The only thing I felt in that brief sense of nothingness was painSOmuch PAINmakeITstopSTOPmAkEITmaKETHePainSTOP. MAKE. IT. STOP.

And like that I was under a spell; it shattered, throwing me into a world where the unimaginable was possible. Where something so ordinary in their life could be mistaken as the powers of a god in mine.
          For such a long time, I almost thought I was that nothingness again. It was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had.  Memories of people I’d never known, places I’d never seen, noises I’ve never heard invaded my brain.

I’m scared. Where’s Grandmo..baa-chan?  Kaa-chan? Tou-san? Brother?

Who am I?

-Kara Kutny