SkyLandOceAnna

I thought your story was good. Many times you see sad events such as a loss, which you portrayed in this story, that lead people to do greater things. I think getting into any military branch is very honorable and takes great courage especially if they have to leave someone they care about behind. If a guy I was with wanted to go, it'd be hard, but I'd let them because they are doing a noble thing. My uncle completed his fourth term last year and is now back with us. My father was also in the air force and I've had friends join as well. My grandpa was even awarded a purple heart, whcih he donated to a local museum along with his helmet that has a hole in it, but it didn't hit with him in it. A few years back though, we did lose something we grew up with. His sister was also in the military, but she remained unharmed. The only thing I was confused about in your story was how come the younger brother, Matt, didn't have friends in high school from when he was in middle school. Thank you!

The Locket It was a warm, sunny day. Kaila awoke to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing on her phone and quickly hit the snooze. She heard a plop and peered out from under the sheets at a figure hovering there. It was her roommate Shannon. She was stretching her arms and legs like she was warming up for track practice at school, but it was summer. Still senior year started tomorrow and she’d been really practicing a lot for the past month, making sure she was ready for when she would have to participate in school sports. Shannon wasn’t able to hang out with Kaila as much, but she always found time for her best friend. Kaila didn’t mind this however, because she’d been friends with Shannon since kindergarten, and was used to her busy schedule and her countless winning attempts of getting Kaila to join her while she trained. Kaila finally got Shannon to stop having her tag along since she wasn’t really the athletic type and didn’t enjoy training as much as Shannon did, though she was still small in stature just the same with some muscles. Shannon turned back to Kaila, who was almost back into her dream state. Shannon began, “Wake up Kaila! It’s time to stretch and shower and get ready for our busy day. Let’s go! Get up!” Kaila pulls the sheets up higher over her head. “I don’t think so.” “Come on! You know you can try and fight me, but I always win.” Knowing Shannon was speaking the truth this time, because Kaila knew Shannon planned this a month ago, Kaila pulled the sheets down and blew a puff of air upwards to push her bangs out of her face. “Fine! You win! I’m up!” “Thank you! I always do.” “Almost always.” “Fine. Almost always. Now move it!” As for winning in sports, however, she was in fact right. She is the fastest runner in our school and is great with hurdles and long distance. She’s never lost verse the other schools’ athletes since the eighth grade. She was the strong, athletic type, who worked constantly to improve herself and ensure that her chance for an athletic scholarship would be in her grasp. She also participated in basketball and volleyball, but due to there being other participants in the game, she couldn’t control the outcome too much on those games, but our school still does great just the same. They’d gone to state numerous times and their school was ranked as one of the top three schools in their state. As for Kaila, she was the really smart one. The ‘NERD.’ Shannon was smart too, but not like Kaila. Kaila had an eidetic memory, or photographic. She could recall images, sounds, and objects in memory with extreme precision. You could ask her anything about her past and she could tell you everything she did, what she heard, where she was, and who she was with. It did lead to many issues for her as well in her life. She stored information that wasn’t necessary or important to her, but it happened. People always thought it was a blessing when it came to school and such, but she found it to be annoying, so she tries to keep it a secret. All the students in her school were used to the fact that she had a photographic memory, so they no longer bug her about it. Anyways, back to yesterday. Kaila got up, took a shower, did her hair and makeup, and got dressed. Shannon had a special day planned for her friend. She wanted to spend the final summer day with Kaila, so she called her over to stay the night, and then was going to take her around the town to many fun planned activities. The final one was the best of all; it was a surprise sure to make Kaila very happy. She made sure Kaila looked real nice and dressy for it. The more Kaila got ready, the more she got excited. She thought Shannon was the greatest best friend anyone could have, so she started thinking what she could do for her in return. She couldn’t think of anything off the top of her head, but was sure she could think of something while they were out. First, Shannon took them to get some breakfast at IHOP. She knew how much Kaila liked their pancakes and waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. They sat and talked about what they were going to wear for their first day. They always liked to make a statement starting the new school year. Since this was their last year, they needed to make it the best one yet. Last year, they dressed up wearing their favorite football team jerseys and painted their faces. They even wore different colored shoelaces and ribbons in their hair. The other students always wondered what these two girls would wear, since this had been their tradition since middle school when Shannon didn’t realize her shirt she was wearing got a cut in the back, exposing her tank underneath. Luckily she had a sweatshirt over it. Their first period class was Physical Education, so when they were changing, Kaila noticed it. Shannon started crying, but was thankful no one noticed since they were the only ones left in the locker room. Kaila felt terrible, but then figured out a solution. She was a good sewer, thanks to her mother, and was always looking for new things to try. She recently discovered something in a magazine that she wanted to do, so she snuck back to her locker quickly, and grabbed her pink flowery scarf, her scissors, ruler, and her extra thread and needle She came back and told Shannon not to worry as she took her shirt and told her to explain to the teacher that she was having that time of the month issues and that she’d be right out. Shannon cheered up and did as she was told. Since the instructor was a male, they did not have to worry about him going to check on Kaila. She started working on the shirt. She cut a bigger slit down the middle, making the cut twice its original size. She wondered how Shannon didn’t realize this tear was ever there, but figured she was still half asleep when she was getting dressed and it would’ve been her younger brothers who cut the hole. They were just recently allowed to use the adult scissors and had been using them on all sorts of things. Even the poor cat had to go through the torment and it looked like it was patched together like Frankenstein’s monster. They were taken away from them, but it seemed they found where their mom put them or did it before they got in trouble and lost the privilege of using them. Kaila began cutting slits using her ruler on both sides along the slit and then grabbed her long scarf. She used the ruler again and measured 5 inches of the flower print and began cutting. She then called her mom and asked if she’d bring the other long flower scarf she had that matched the one she was using now, except it was purple instead, though the pink was her favorite. She explained the situation to her mother who stopped at the school with the scarf before heading off to work. Kaila thanked her mother, who praised her for the work she already had done, and continued working. The class wasn’t much longer and she wanted to have her work finished before it was. She weaved the scarf pieces through the slits and turned them into bows. Ring. Class was over and so was Kaila. She heard footsteps and watched as the girls came into the locker rom. Shannon was the last one in and sneaked over to Kaila at their lockers. She asked, “Is it better now Kaila?” Kaila smiled and opened her locker to reveal not one, but two shirts with the slits and bows. Shannon smiles and hugged her friend hard and praised her on how well done they were. They quickly switched and went to their next class. People were shocked on how unique their shirts were and all the girls asked where they could get one and the bows that matched them in their hair. Shannon’s only reply was, “You can get them from having as great a friend as I do.” Since then, Kaila and Shannon decided to do something big for the first day of school every year after that. Now Kaila found herself at the mall, looking at clothes to help determine how they were going to dress for their first day tomorrow. They agreed on wearing uniforms like you see in Catholic schools. Kaila decided she would sew their initials on the blazers and the school logo on the ties to show their school spirit. They choose short ruffled black skirts, with a Navy blue blazer with pink flowers on white on the cuffs, and a white button down shirt with Navy blue ties to match the blazers. They also looked at jewelry, including this locket that caught Shannon’s attentions. She said, “Look at this! This is so you Kaye. It is the coolest locket I’ve ever seen. It was heart-shaped with little pink flowers donning pink gems in the center of them. Kaila’s response was, “That is cool, but don’t you think you’re spending enough for one day.” “You’re right! I’ll get it Friday when I get my allowance.” After shopping, they headed to the bowling alley to verse each other. Thanks to Kaila’s special ability of memorization they never use the screen to keep track of score. Last time, Shannon bowled a 104 and Kaila got 146. She was really good at it because she knew what placement and speed would get her a strike, but she gets distracted because she keeps scores and sees other lanes out of the corner of her eye, so she never bowls a perfect game. This time there was only people in the lane to the right of them, so she did better, as did Shannon. Kaila got a 165, while Shannon got a 124. After the game, Shannon took Kaila, and went to eat at Red Lobster. Kaila loved their maple grilled chicken with rice pilaf, while Shannon got shrimp. They split the ticket as per Kaila’s request and Shannon said, “Alright, time for the big finale,” as they got into her car. Kaila smiled and couldn’t stop considering what it could be. She thought they might go to the movies. There were a couple she’d been wanting to see that weren’t exactly something Shannon normally watched unless she got Kaila to go to one that she didn’t prefer either. However, sometimes they would end up agreeing it was good afterwards. Anyways Kaila never would have guessed what they were actually going to be doing was getting their photos taken. Kaila didn’t really care about getting her photo taken because she could remember everything in her head, but Shannon and her parents both told her that is she ever wanted to show her children and husband or others in the future, it’s be nice to actually be able to show them. Even so, she tended to be camera shy, except with Shannon. She knew this was important to her though and that she would want to remember today too since she didn’t have a photographic memory, so she was happy to do it for a friend. When Kaila agreed it would be fun and that she was excited, which she still was because of how happy it made Shannon, Shannon went and confirmed their appointment. They then followed the photographer to the back and looked at the different backgrounds there were to choose from. They both agreed on the meadow drop with the sunlight on the tall grass and with yellow and pink and blue flowers. The photographer positioned them so that they would appear as if they were lying in the grass since the drop extended onto the floor as well. *click* He then had them sitting back to back with one knee up and their hands resting on them. *click* Shannon then stood up and had Kaila remain seated. Kaila didn’t understand what was going on until Shannon’s mother and her mother walked in with pink roses and something else she recognized. It was the pink flower scarf and the shirts with the bows on the back that she had sewn. Kaila was so surprised and excited for what her friend did and that she found a scarf just like the one she had. She stood up and began thinking about that day as she quickly hugged her friend. They changed the background to a creamy white and brought out two lockers, which she also recognized. They were the ones Shannon had bought them from the school a few years back, because they were getting new ones put in. She managed to get the ones they used in P.E. in middle school, except that Kaila suggested they switch and keep the others’ locker. She loved that idea, so Kaila took her #53 and Shannon took #55. Shannon and the photographer worked on setting them up in front of the backdrop, while Kaila and their mother watched. They hung the shirts inside, making sure the bows had some visibility and then they sat the way they had before with their backs against their original lockers. They had different ends of the scarf around their necks, with the excess hanging in front of the lockers, without concealing the shirts, just the hangers they were on. They held the roses in their hands next to their faces, resting their elbows on their knees. They turned slightly at an angle to face the photographer better. Kaila took the opportunity whilst the photographer was going to his camera and looked at Shannon who did the same. They both smiles at each other and then… *click* They looked at him as he responded with, “Perfect.” They all laughed and then they took one more picture before they were done. He gave them a look at the pictures on his computer and told them when they would be ready to pick up and their mothers said goodbye and told them how happy they were and that they would have to pick out some frames to put them in, which gave Kaila a great idea. Shannon took Kaila home and after many hugs and a ‘thank you’ and a ‘see you tomorrow’, Kaila hurried inside and asked her mom to drive her. Next day… Shannon was at school already putting all her stuff in her locker and hanging up her mirror and pictures. She was wearing the outfit they picked out the day before, but hadn’t put the blazer on yet and had a sweater on, because she wanted to wait for her friend. Kaila still hadn’t arrived and 1st period was about to start. As she grabbed the notebook, folder, and writing utensils for class she wanted for her first class, she saw Kaila. She walked towards her friend in her uniform and a box. Kaila: Hey Shane! Shannon: Hey Kale! What’s the box for? Kaila handed her the brown box with the beautiful silver bow on it and watched as she opened it. Shannon pushed back the tissue paper and there it was. It was the locket she had wanted. Her eyes began to tear as she gently picked it out of the box and held it between her fingers. Kaila: Open it up! Shannon looked up at her friend then back at the locket. She pulled the clasp and opened it to see the picture in the left half of it of them wearing the outfits in middle school. She hugged Kaila and asked her why she had got the locket for her, since she was gonna get it for her, but then Kaila reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out another one, and opened it to reveal the same thing in hers. Shannon: You have a picture! Kaila: I sure do. I want to be able to show my children their mother and aunt Shannon in middle and high school. Shannon: This is just our middle school… Oh, you mean to put the picture from yesterday in the other half. Kaila nodded and Shannon shed a few tears down her cheeks as she hugged her friend. Kaila reached in her other pocket and pulled out a tissue. Almost everyone was in class, so people wouldn’t see her crying. She wiped and eyes and then pulled off her sweater and put on her blazer and tie as Kaila put her stuff away and grab her stuff for their first class. They put on their lockets as well and the little pink bows for their hair. They closed their lockers and headed off to their first class linking arms. Thank you! Any and all comments appreciated!

I like older Mustangs or the newest Chevy Camaros like the one off Transformers.

Tina: Ok! This is where we store the music when no one listens to it anymore or until we are ready to put it out for sale to the public.Leah: Wow!Tina: Yeah, I know! It's a lot of music. Over here is where we catalog our inventory. I'll show you how it works.As Tina walks away, Leah sees a box on a bookcase and walks towards it. She touches the box and begins to open it. She sees a light and then..Tina: Leah!Leah shuts the box and hands it to Tina.Leah: I'm sorry! My eye caught the box and I couldn't help myself.Tina: That's alright. go ahead and speak to the others. I'll be right out.Leah: Alright! Once again, I'm sorry.Tina: Don't worry about it.Leah leaves and Tina puts the box back down.Tina: I knew she was the one. I know you can hear me. We will defeat you again. You'll never win. I have a week to get them ready.She leaves the room and then you see two guys looking in a crystal ball.Guy#1: Soon, your highness, you will defeat them and take over the earth.Guy#2: Get the others! You'll attack the city tomorrow night. The Shadow shall rise again!He begins to laugh and then the other one does to. Then back in the store, you see Leah walking up to the girls.Emma: Hey Leah! Is my mom driving you nuts yet?Leah: She's your mom?Emma: Yeah, I know! It's really not as bad as you would think. She's really cool.Amy: She's right!Tina: Are you guys ready to get back to work?They get to work and then it's closing time.Whitney: Finally, six o'clock. Now I can go shopping.Leah: I thought you guys were open longer.Felicia: Normally we are, but there is a huge thing going on tonight at Madison Square Gardens.Leah: Oh, I didn't know that!Tina: We will also be closing early tomorrow.Leah: How come?Tina: Inventory and cleaning. We'll close at three. Ok, well, I will see you guys tomorrow!They go outside the store.Leah: Have fun shopping!They go outside the store.Leah: Have fun shopping!Emma: You're not coming with?Leah: No, I've only been in New York for a week! I just wanted to get a job before I started sightseeing. Maybe I can shop with you guys another day.Whitney: Well, have fun! Come on guys, let's go shopping!Felicia: Hang on Whit! Are you sure Leah?Leah: Yeah! Don't worry! I'll see you guys tomorrow!Emma: Ok, we'll see you later!Leah: Bye!Girls: Bye!Whitney: Alright! Hurry up guys! I saw this dress on the way to work I wanted to get.They leave and wave good bye! Leah gets into her purse and pulls out her newspaper. She begins crossing the street until her heel gets caught in the drain. She tries to pull it out while a driver starts to fall asleep because he is drunk. A boy on the other side of the street on the sidewalk sees her and the car, so he begins to run towards her.Boy: Hey!Leah looks up and sees the boy and the car coming. She then feels the boy grab her and they fall to the ground, with him on top of her. The boy feels a shock between them. The car driver wakes up and stops the car because the stoplight turned red.Boy: Boy that was a close one, huh!He looks down at her into her eyes.Boy: Hi! Are you ok?Leah: Oh, yeah! Sorry!He gets up and then helps her up.Leah: Thank you for saving me! See you around.She walks off and then he follows.Boy: Wait!He catches up.Boy: You forgot your shoe!Leah: Thanks again.Boy: Do you need a ride?Leah: That's alright! I'm new here and I was just sort of about to go sightseeing.Boy: Oh, that's perfect! i have the best thing for sightseeing. Come on!He grabs her hand and then they run across the street to a moped.Leah: Is this what you were talking about?Boy: Yeah! Why?Leah: Nothing!Boy: Come on!Leah: I don't know!Boy: Please, I won't take no for an answer!Leah: Ok, fine, but I'll kick your butt if you turn out to be some sort of creeper.Boy: Deal!He takes her hand and she gets on. They start driving around and you see all the sights they see. You then see them at a beautiful area full of nature.Leah: Wow, this place is amazing!Boy: Yeah! I come here all the time. It is just so peaceful. Do you want to sit down?Leah: Sure!They sit down next to each other.Boy: So, where are you from?Leah: Michigan.Boy: Oh, my sister and I went there once with our parents!Leah: You have a sister.Boy: Yeah! She's older, though. Just by a year.Leah: Well, it's getting dark. Do you wanna go?Boy: Yeah, but we have one more place to go!Leah: Really? Where?Boy: It's a surprise!Leah: Ok!He grabs her hands and they run to his bike and drive to a park(bench) where they can see the sunset.Leah: Wow! How beautiful is this?Boy: Yeah! I love to come here just to think.Leah: What else do you like to do?Boy: I love to ride.Leah: Ride?Boy: My bike. I love speed. The thrill I get from it.Leah: I know what you mean. I enjoy driving my car down the freeway and just today on your moped.Boy: It's better with two.Leah smiles; followed by the boy.Boy: Do you want to go now?Leah: Just a few more minutes.They sit there for a little longer and then he takes her home. They both get off his bike.Leah: Thanks for showing me around.Boy: You're welcome!Leah: Oh, uh, let me give you my number. That is, if you want it.Boy: Sure!She gets a pen from her purse and writes it on his hand.Leah: Well, I'll see ya!Boy: Definitely!She walks up the stairs, takes her keys from her purse, and opens the door and goes in. He begins to get on his bike as he hears the door open.Leah: By the way!He turns and looks at her.Leah: My name is Leah.She shuts the door; he smiles, puts on his helmet, starts the bike, and drives off. Next day... Leah walks in. Leah: Hey guys!Emma: Hi Leah! So, how was your sightseeing adventure?Leah: It was... nice!Her cheeks turn rosy.Whitney: Oh my gosh! You met a boy, didn't you?Amy: Now how would you know that Whit?Whitney begins to open her mouth.Amy: Never mind, I don't want to know!Felicia: Is she right Leah?Leah: No!Emma: She is!Leah: Ok, yea, but it's no big deal!Whitney: Yes, it is! Come on. Tell us!Leah: Ok, Ok. Ok. Right after we left each other the other day, my shoe got stuck in a drain and I didn't see the oncoming car. All of a sudden, he grabbed me and saved me. I then thanked him and began walking away, but he followed because I forgot my shoe. We then drove around on his bike, went to a beautiful garden and a park bench where we watched the sunset.Whitney: Oh, how romantic! Except for the almost getting hit by the car thing.Emma: So, what's his name?Leah: I don't know!Whitney: That's not good girl.Leah: Well, I did give him my name and phone number.Whitney: Did he kiss you?Leah: No.Whitney: Did you kiss him?Leah: No.Whitney: He'll call.Felicia: What makes you so sure?Whitney: Just trust me. I know this kind of stuff.Tina: It's time to get back to work now. You can talk later.They get back to work. The 'boy' comes in.Tina: Hey Jay! You're late!Jay: I know. I'm sorry! It's just that I met this wonderful girl last night and I couldn't stop thinking about her.Tina: That's not an excuse for being late Jay. Just get to work.He gets to work stocking new CDs and fixing up the backroom, without knowing Leah works there. They keep missing each other’s sight, but they finally meet when they are going through cds in the same row and their hands touch. They both look up to see the other,Leah/Jay: Sor...Jay: It's you!They stare at each other.Leah: Hi!Jay: How are you doing Leah?Leah: Good! I didn't know you worked here. Why didn't you say anything?Jay: You didn't ask?Leah: Yea, I guess you couldn't have known that.Jay: When did you start working here?Leah: Yesterday.Jay: Oh! That was my day off!Leah: So, um, I didn't catch your name last night.Jay: Oh, my name is Jay. I'm Amy's...The group comes over to them.Amy: I see you met my brother Leah.Leah: Wait! He's your brother?Amy: Yeah!Leah: Oh!Amy: What?She goes over to whisper to Amy.Leah: Do you remember what I told you earlier?Amy: About what? Oh! Eww! You’re dating my brother?Leah: I'm sorry!Jay: Why can't she date me sis?Amy: I didn't say she couldn't.Jay: So she can? Leah, would you like to go out with me tonight?She looks at Amy, who just shrugs, signaling she's good either way.Leah: Sure!Tina: Hey kids! It's time to close now. You can go home Jay since you did it by yourself last time, even though you were late today.Leah: Did what?Jay: Inventory.Leah: Oh, ok! Good bye Jay! I'll see you tonight!Jay: I'll pick you up at nine.Leah: Why so late?Jay: Trust me. Inventory takes an exceptionally long time.Tina: Thanks Jay!Tina starts pushing him towards the door.Tina: We don't need to scare our new friend.They keep walking towards the door.Amy: Leah! How can you date my brother?Leah: I thought you were alright with my dating your brother.Amy: I am, but why him?Leah: Well, because we understood each other last night. There was a connection. We had such similar interests in things.Amy: Really?Leah: Yeah!Amy: Like what?Leah: We both like the same music and the thrill one gets from going fast.Felicia: Oh no! Not another one.Leah: What do you mean?Tina: Come on girls!Emma: Ok mom! Are you going to help this time Whitney?Whitney: Of course not Emma!They walk through the door to the storage room. You see the clock hanging above the door. It says 3:05 and then you see it at 6:58. the girls then leave the storage room.Tina: Ok girls! You can relax for twenty minutes, but then you need to get back to work. You've done great and we're almost done.While Felicia, Whitney, and Amy talk, Leah pulls Emma off to the side.Leah: Why does Amy not like the idea of me going out with her brother?Emma: She doesn't mind if you go out with him. it's just because of a part of the reason why.Leah: I don't understand. What part?Emma: The part of getting a thrill from speed.Leah: How come?Emma: Throughout Amy's life, her brother and her were best friends, and they did almost everything together. Two years ago, though, it was Jay's sixteenth birthday. Their parents got him his moped that you two rode on last night. He fell in love with his bike and then he stopped hanging out with her, except for here at work. At first he took her on rides with him, but she can get motion sick sometimes, so she stopped.Leah: That's terrible! Should I talk to him about it?Emma: I don't think I'm the right person to ask.Leah: You're right! I'll go talk to her.Emma: No need. They're coming over here.She turns around to see them coming.Amy: Hey you two!Leah: Hey!Emma: Hey!Leah: Amy...The store begins shaking and they all begin screaming as things fall. They all get in front of the storage room door. -- Review topic!

I have yet to see this movie, but from what you described Molly as being, I would give her a title of innocence. When I think of innocence, I also think of purity, which in my opinion, gives someone a greater level of imagination. I also think of children, because there is so much we don't know when we are that young, and we have to learn as we grow from our surroundings. We often imagine what life will be like when we grow up and constantly change our future and hopes and dreams. We think of all the new things we'll be able to do once we are of a certain age and once we become that age, we often refer back to what we used to be like and how we wanted so badly to be where we are now. I hope what I stated makes sense to others and I am open to any comments regarding my statement. Thank you!

I really enjoyed your story. The idea of the labyrinth was a good choice. When you started mentioning him waking up, at first, I assumed it was a dream. Then when you said the word 'doctor', I assumed it was a coma. You then threw another curveball and gave rise to a military training camp. I think overall it was a great decision. Thank you!

She looks up, sees a man, and stands up against the nightstand nervously. Man: No! Don't be frightened! I noticed you in the crowd. Kara: Oh yeah! Is that suppose to make me less scared. Man: Sorry! I meant I noticed your limp. Are you injured? Kara: Oh! Um! My dad and I were in an accident just down the road. I sprained my ankle. Man: Oh! Is he alright? Kara: Yeah! I used someone's cell and alerted the authorities in the next town. I'll see him in the morning. He goes over and sits on the bed. Man: Here! He places his hand beside him on the bed. She looks at his hand. Man: Don't worry! I just wanted to check your ankle. Kara: Oh! Um! Ok! She goes over, sits next to him, and gives him her leg. He pulls back her pant leg and looks at her ankle. Man: I'm Luke by the way. Kara: Kara! Luke: Kara. That's a nice name. Ooh! Yeah! It's sprained. You should probably stay in bed. I could let you know when the party is over and you can take the bus back with the others. Kara: I don't know. I don't think the person that stays here would much appreciate it. Luke: I think he'd be fine with that. Kara: And what makes you so sure? Are you friends with the guy? Luke: Yeah, but I kind of have to be. I mean I'm stuck with myself. I can't just leave me. Kara: Oh! So this is your room. Whoa! Luke: What's wrong with my room? Kara: No. Your room's fine! It's awesome, but I don't understand why you would want to live in a cave. Luke: Well, when I was young, I found out I was allergic to the sun. Kara: Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry! I didn't mean... Luke: Oh it's alright. It's not as bad as you think. I get to live in a cave. Who else gets to live in a cave and throw parties in a cave? Kara: No one I know. So, that kind of makes you like a bat then, doesn't it? Though, I'm sure it can get pretty cold at night. Luke: Well, I guess it does. I'd say this makes me more like a vampire, but I wouldn't say I like to drink blood. Kara: Well, a vampire wouldn't want to bite me, that's for sure. Luke: And why is that? Kara: Well you see I was born with a birthmark that's shaped like a cross, and as everyone knows, vampires don't like crosses. They're the same as a kryptonite crystal to Superman. Luke: May I see it? Kara: Sure. She pulls her hair back and he takes a close look at her birthmark and then he touches it, but she moves away. Luke: I'm sorry, but that is an amazing mark. I've waited so long to see it. Kara: Huh! What are you talking about? Luke: I'll show you! He looks down and then looks up with baby blue eyes and two long fangs protruding from his mouth. Kara sees this and faints. She begins to fall backwards towards the nightstand until he places one hand behind her head and one behind her back for support. He then lays her head on the pillows, pulls back the covers, and puts her legs underneath the covers, before turning to leave the room. When out of his room, he signals to Jay and Kasey to follow him. They smile and follow him to the stage. He grabs the microphone and the dj sees him and stops playing. The crowd stops dancing and looks at them. Luke: Are you all having fun? The crowd cheers. Luke: Good! We want to thank you all for coming, but now the party is over and it is time for you all to give us some of your life blood, but don't worry, you won't remember a thing. The crowd becomes puzzled as Luke and others in the room bow their heads. Luke and the other ones on stage look up with their baby blue eyes and fangs and they all smile, except Luke. Persons in the crowd then look at those near them who bowed their heads as well. They then raise their heads and the crowd becomes frightened. Luke signals for the others to go. The crowd screams and begins to run towards the exit. Two female vampires are the first to the exit who hypnotize two men in the crowd and then bite in the throat. Kasey and Jay then spring from the stage on two unsuspecting victims. Luke stays on the stage and watches. At the exit, people begin to frantically push on the boulder to get it out of the way with no success, screaming loudly. They then turn and you see all the already hypnotized victims and the vampires walking towards them. The victims are still scared even though there are more of them then there are vampires. A strong man, still with a beer in his hand, hits the bottle against the cave wall and begins to walk towards them. Jay walks towards him as the others smile. They get within three feet of each other and the man begins to swing the broken glass shard at Jay, but misses. He tries again, but fails a second time. He gets mad and begins swinging left and right at Jay and keeps missing because of his superfast reflexes. He stops and tries once more and nicks him in the face. Jay just smiles though, as the cut disappears slowly from his face after he puts a drop of his blood from the cut on his face onto his fingertip and licks it. The man's face becomes worried and then Jay reaches forward and grabs the shirt of the man's chest. The bottle drops from the man's hand and then he too drops to the ground and you then see Jay’s hypnotizing eyes. A girl screams and then everyone else begins to scream and run again. You see some fight back, including a girl who punches a male vampire in the face. He falls back and comes back up. Her face becomes shocked because she did not feel that the blow from her punch would have such an effect, but then he comes back up from the fall and she becomes scared again. Man: I like you. I think I’ll let you remember tonight. She screams and he slowly comes after her. She continues backing up until she hits the wall and feels the tapestry with her right hand to the secret room and sees she can enter it. He then, seeing she has nowhere else to go, jumps after her. She screams and goes into the secret room running. She wakes Kara up, who screams as she sees the man grab the girl's arm, and then look at Kara and say... Man: Oooh! Seconds! The girl then tries to get away from his grip and so he pushes her up against the cave wall. As he does this, Kara jumps out of the bed and runs to the tapestry. He sees her, quickly hypnotizes the girl who slides down against the wall, and then goes after Kara. He reaches her and turns her up against the wall. He then tries to bite the side of her neck with the black cross, which in turn acts like acid on his mouth, so he lets her go and tries to stop the pain. While he does, he faces towards the exit and Luke punches him, which forces him to fly backwards in the air. Kara hurries then and runs out and the hurt vampire gets up with an angry face until he sees that it is Luke. He calms downs to a cool and then you can see the acid burn on his mouth disappear slowly. Luke: Stay away from her. She's mine! Man: I'm sorry Luke. I didn't know she was yours! You never join us. Luke: Well you do now and I'm not 'joining you.' She's special. He then turns and goes back out. You see many people lying unconscious on table and the ground and some locked up in shackles hidden below the stage with frightened looks on their faces. Luke: Kara, there is no need to fear me. I do not wish to hurt you. We do not kill. You see her hiding behind part of the boulder blocking the entrance into the cave, scared, but peering out ever so often to see the location of all the vampires. Luke continues to walk closer to her position. Luke: You are a very special person Kara. You have a gift that is like a cure to this curse that we are forced to live. This is why I can't let you go yet. Many vampires become surprised and stare between Kara and Luke. Kasey begins towards the boulder to get her, but Luke grabs her arm, so she backs away. Luke: Before you can leave, though, a ritual will be performed in one week’s time when the moon is full. We must first assemble and when the deed is done, you may go free, but until then, you must stay here. I promise no one will harm you. He reaches the boulder where she is hiding. Luke: There is no use fighting me. You will always lose. He then pulls her out from behind the boulder. She continues breathing heavily as he pulls on her arm. You can see signs of pain from her limp and the "aahs" as she is pulled back into the room. Kara: Please let me go and all those other people too. Luke: I'm sorry, but I can't let you go yet. The others will be sent home tomorrow. Ty! Lee! Two male vampires come into the room. Luke: It's time! He goes over to the nightstand and pulls out a small, old book. He opens it and pulls out some paper that he hands to Ty and Lee. Luke: Now go, so they have time to prepare. They leave and he turns to see her still hiding on the other side of the bed. Luke: Now it's time to see if you are really the prophecy. Kara: What do you mean? Luke: I need a taste. Kara: What? No! Stay away from me. She begins to turn and run to the other half of the room, but his quick speed and high fly jump abilities allow him to get in front of her. She turns again to run and trips onto the bed. She scrambles to get to the other side but he beats her and knocks her nicely back onto the bed and gets on top of her. She uses her hands to try and get him off but he grabs her wrists and holds her on the bed. She still struggles but he holds her hands above her head and pulls back her hair. Luke: Just relax. It won’t hurt but a second. I'm sorry for this. Kara: No. No. Nooo. He bites into her neck and she becomes weak and dazed. You see blood drip from his mouth and the holes on her neck down to the bed. He then lifts up and licks his blood smeared mouth. She still lies there, breathing heavily, as he gets off his bed and heads towards the wall. He pulls a cord which opens an area above his bed where there are sun-intensity lights. He then walks over to the lit area where Kara lay and places his hand in the light. He sees no damage came to his hand so he gets on the bed and lets the lights fill his body completely. Luke: The light of the sun. I've waited hundreds of years to feel its warmth and tomorrow I shall feel it and see its face again. He turns to see that Kara’s blood loss has caused her to fall asleep. You then see her blood covering her shirt, neck, and face. You see Luke later coming out of the room connected to his room. He picks her up off the bed and carries her into the other room, which is a bathroom with an old fashioned, western movie style bathtub. He places her into the tub and you see the blood come from her body and clothes into the water. She then wakes up later to find that her clothes and her are clean. She looks around and sees Luke standing near the bathroom door. Luke: I cleaned your wound and dressed it. Kara: And redressed me. Luke: Yeah! Sorry! But there was no way to get the blood out of your clothes. Kara: Sorry! You looked at my body. Luke: You shouldn't feel embarrassed; you have a beautiful body. Kara: Um. Hhhm! Luke: You have a special gift. Your blood can change our species forever. To be able to walk in the sunlight is a miracle and to see the sunrise and sunset is a blessing that we the undead have been denied for hundreds of years. Your father is lucky to have such a beautiful and gifted daughter. He then walks over to her and sits next to her on the bed. She flinches slightly and makes a cross with her fingers, but nothing happens. Luke: That doesn't actually work. I promise you're safe. She puts her hands down. Luke: You are lucky to be able to experience a world that is both dark and light; both beautiful and terrible. All we see is the dark and terrible. You don't know what it's like to never know the joys of the world and to be held captive to the blood filled hunger that resides in us; one that is never fulfilled. One that starves for more and more until the creature inside us no longer waits for the once human host. You then see her father in a wheelchair at a hospital and a couple of policeman. Officer: We still have not heard from your daughter. She is not the only one. You said she was on a bus with a group of people going to a party. Joe: Yeah! That's what she told me. Officer: All the persons that were on that bus are also missing. You see a guy in the background with a long coat listening to their conversation. Joe: Are there any leads? Officer: We know from one of the kids whose parents didn't let their child go, that the party was somewhere in the desert. We have many officers combing the desert looking for any signs of the buses or the people that were on them. Now we are going to need for you to describe what she looks like to us. He pulls out a notepad to take his description of his daughter. Joe: She is 5 foot 9 with long curly brown hair and hazel eyes. She is wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and a black shirt. Oh, and she has a birthmark of a cross on her neck. Please find my daughter. After my wife died... She is all I have left of her. After mentioning his daughter's birthmark, the man in the background looks even more curious about the story Joe is telling. Officer: Don't worry sir. We won't give up until all those people are found. This isn’t the first time this has happened. They always come back after a day or so, but it’s with no memory of what happened or where they were. The man in the background then turns and walks away after speaking into a walkie talkie. Man: Finally. We found her. They have her though. Girl's voice: Good! Now find their hideout and report back once you have her. Man: I'm going now.

With how Jean described Lex as being rich and using his money and power against his enemies makes me think of him as Batman, except for the part of using it against whom is considered the good guy. With what Lew stated, I agree that Batman has abandoned the ideals that we continue to see in Superman. I am truly living this debate.

How I love Christmas! I love everything about it: the food, the snow, the decorations, the singing, the stories, and the presents. All the smells of food filling my home and the delicious tastes associated with them bring warmth to my body. The colorful lights hanging on homes and offices and shrubbery make the world look magical. When I decorate my home with them, it makes me feel like I’m living in a kaleidoscope. The snow is beautiful, covering the Earth with a blanket of white, and sparkling in the moonlight. I enjoy watching it fall and catching snowflakes like they’re rain drops. I also love building forts and snowmen and having snowball fights, then going inside for a nice cup of cocoa(with marshmallows) and snuggling in a cozy blanket. Then there are the presents. The bows and papers and boxes waiting to be opened and discovered, makes people’s eyes become bright, and brings wonder and amazement for what treasures lay inside. I enjoy when they still say Santa Claus on the tags, even though I’m older and I know he isn’t real. I continue to believe in him, though, because of what he represents. When hearing the stories about him, like the famous ‘The Night Before Christmas’, I become happy and remember the hope he brought me when I was little. He brings magic to children and gives life to their imagination. I also like the story of ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ It shows what Christmas is really about; that it isn’t about the presents and lights and food, but about family. It’s about being together with the ones you love, who love you in return. I think something that shows this, which is my most favorite thing about Christmas, is the music. As stated by Plato, ‘Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.’ I didn’t always think this however. I used to think the presents were the most important thing. I would create these long lists that I would pass out to all the adults in the family and tell Santa about when I still thought he brought me presents. I was never much with helping with the decorations or food preparation even when I got to my late teens and graduated and moved to the dorms. That is, until I was in my second year at college and Christmas was just a couple days away. Since I enjoy stories, I think I’ll share mine with you… It all started the morning two days before Christmas in my college dorm at the local university. Many students went home to their families, but some remained, either having too far to go to get home, not enough money to go back home and then back to school in January, or because of the weather in their home states, making them unable to get a flight home. Two of my roommates already went home, because they happened to be my high school friends, so they just had to drive a couple hours to get home. Unfortunately for my fourth roommate, Gweyn, she was staying because she didn’t have the money to go back home and then come back again in January. She wasn’t the only one of my friends unable to go home though. Sam and J weren’t able to leave due to the weather, since school ended just yesterday. The airports had all flights to their home states cancelled. They might be able to make it home before New Year’s, but it appeared they would be stuck here for Christmas. Then there was Emma and Jules. They were the only university couple in our group. Sam has a girlfriend and Gweyn has a boyfriend, but they are back home at a different university or community college. They would have stayed in their respective cities, but this was Princeton. It’s a great Ivy League school that can open many doors. If they offered scholarships, Gwen may have been able to go home. However, due to the fact that they don’t, her parents pay the expensive tuition so she can go to her dream school, because of the amazing job opportunities she could get having this prestige university on her resume. She works at a local clothing store to support herself while here and gives any extra she can to pay back her parents. They were willing to pay for her to come home and then go back, but she felt bad about all they already spent on her, since she comes from Arizona, and the plane tickets can be quite pricey. As for me, I just love the campus and my friends. I can’t leave them behind and besides I only live a couple hours away. I’ll probably go home Christmas day anyway. Anyway, this morning Gweyn comes into my room and sits on me. Ouch! Cassie (that’s me): Get off Gweyn! What are you doing? Gweyn: Trying to get you up. Come on! Let’s go do something fun. It’s so boring around here without Sarah and Athena. All you do is sleep, sleep, sleep. Cassie: It’s nice. You should try it sometime. Gweyn: Ok! Fine! Guess I can go hang with J and the others. I toss the covers off. Gweyn: Seems that got you up. Cassie: Thought J went home. Gweyn: Well if you wouldn’t sleep so much, you would have heard him earlier when he stopped by. Cassie: What? He stopped by? Why didn’t you wake me up or something? Gweyn: Calm down! He wasn’t here that long. He just stopped to say that he wouldn’t be going home because there were no flights and he didn’t want to drive all that way. Cassie: That sucks. Gweyn: Yea…but he did invite us to go hang with him and Sam, Jules, and Emma tonight. Cassie: Really? Let me go take a shower and get ready then. We can head over early before the others arrive and hang. Gweyn: Hold your horse Cass. Don’t you want to know what we’re doing first before you go getting all pretty for him? Cassie: This doesn’t sound good and I’m not getting ‘pretty’ for him. I’m doing it for you actually. Gweyn: Oh really? Cassie: Yea! I mean you don’t get to see Tyler, so someone has to dress nice for you and tell you how pretty you look. Gweyn: Funny Cass! We all know you like him and he likes you, so just make a move already. Cassie: That’s easy for you to say. He’s gorgeous. How can I be the one to tell him I like him first? Isn’t that the guy’s job? Gweyn: Alright fine, but you’re gonna regret it. Cassie: Maybe. Now tell me what we’re doing tonight. Gweyn: I’ll tell you after you shower. Now hurry up, you smell funny. I toss my hoodie at her and head into the bathroom. I come out and find Gweyn sitting on my bed checking her Facebook on my computer. Cassie: Alright! I smell pretty. Tell me what we’re doing. Gweyn: Well, he wants to go caroling. Cassie: You mean singing. What? No thanks. Let’s just go hang with him until the others show up and then I’ll leave. Gweyn: Cass, come on! Why not? You have a great voice and it’ll be fun. Afterwards we can get some hot cocoa and you can snuggle on the couch next to J. Cassie: No Gweyn. I don’t do all that Christmas stuff. It’s ok when you’re little, but now that I’m grown up, I don’t have to. Gweyn: Please! Please! Please! She places her hands on my shoulders, while still kneeling on my bed, and gently shakes me. Gweyn: It’s not like you have any other plans. I know you love ‘Silent Night.’ I was about to tell her ‘no’ again, when my phone goes off. I see my mom is calling. I hit the ‘answer’ button and hold a finger up at Gweyn, who slides back on her knees. I put the speaker on as I reach my desk and brush my hair in the mirror. Cassie: Hey mom! What’s up? Mom: Hey sweetheart! I was just calling to see if you were going to be coming home tonight. Cassie: I actually hadn’t planned on it. I thought I could come home Christmas afternoon. Mom: Oh hunny! Why not? We’re going to celebrate tomorrow night at our place. It’s our turn this year and all our relatives are coming. You can bring some of your friends with you if you’d like. Any boys will have to stay in the basement though, you know how your father would react if they were even on the same floor as you. Plus, we’re going caroling tonight, it’ll be fun! Cassie: Thanks mom, but… I look at Gweyn. Mom: Oh no! What? You’re not going to sleep all day, are you? Where’s your Christmas spirit? Cassie: No mom! It’s not that. It’s just that… Gweyn hurries over and grabs the phone. She makes it so I can’t get it back, by placing it way up high, because she is about a foot taller than me. Gweyn: Hey there Mrs. Carter. Mom: Oh Gweyn is that you? Gweyn: Yes it is. Mom: Good! Can you tell me why my daughter isn’t coming home to spend time with her family? Gweyn: I certainly can. She turns and I voice for her to give it back, but she ignores me. Gweyn: She is actually going to go caroling with us tonight. Mom: Really? How’d you get her to do that? Gweyn: I told her how sad I was that I couldn’t go see my family and that if she would come sing with me, I wouldn’t feel so bad anymore. I give her a dirty look and put my hands on my hips. Mom: I’m sorry Gweyn. You know you’re always welcome here. You can come enjoy Christmas with us if you can get our daughter to come back home tomorrow. Gweyn: Oh I’m sure I can arrange that. I’ll make sure to take a lot of pictures tonight while we are caroling and I’ll bring them with me next time I come. I shake my finger at her and bow my head in defeat. Mom: Alright! Thank you Gweyn! I appreciate it! Gweyn: Anytime Mrs. Carter. Here’s Cassie. She hands me the phone and I punch her shoulder. Not hard, just enough to get my point across. Cassie: Hey mom! Mom: Why didn’t you just tell me you were going caroling with your friends? I would’ve been fine with that. Just try to come back home tomorrow ok? Cassie: I’m sorry mom! Guess it sort of slipped my mind or something. Mom: Or something is right. I hope to see you tomorrow. Love you! Bye! Cassie: Love you! Bye! I hang up and turn to Gweyn. Gweyn: Alright hurry and get ready. J is waiting. Cassie: I’m gonna get you back. Gweyn: I know. I can’t wait to take all those pictures to show your mom. We hurry up and get ready and head over to Sam and J's. Luckily only J was there, so we talked with him for a few hours before the others started showing up. It was now one o’clock. Gweyn mainly let me talk with J, while she watched TV. I sat next to J of course. Once everyone was there, Emma passed little books out to everyone. Cassie: What are these for? Emma: Those are the songs we’ll be singing tonight. So everyone brush up on your carols. I open the book and look at the songs. There were quite a few. There was ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’, ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Joy to the World’, and other classes. I flip to the final page and see my favorite, ‘Silent Night.’ Everyone else finishes up and Emma says, “Let’s go everyone! Get your mittens and coats ready. We’re going to the cafeteria first for those who didn’t get to go home.” We get to the cafeteria and pull out our books. Emma takes lead and tells us what to sing. ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland.’ All the students are staring at us. I hide behind Gweyn, but remain by J’s side. He gives me a quick smile before we start. J: You ready? Cassie: I guess we’ll find out. J: I’m looking forward to hearing you sing. I blush and open my book to the song. Emma begins to sing and we follow along. We continue singing and people smile at us as we walk by and stop ever so often at one of the tables. They stop eating and listen to us sing. I see some of the couples get closer together and I can’t stop myself from peeking at J. He’s looking. He is definitely looking at me. After singing numerous songs, we finish at the final table and everyone claps for us. I couldn’t help but smile at seeing how happy everyone was just for us singing to them. Some even came up and thanked us, telling us that they were feeling homesick and that our singing made them feel better. I recognized a couple of them from my classes when we would talk before the teacher came. I felt bad that they weren’t able to see their families and I was glad I made them feel better. I was especially happy when J grabbed my shoulders and told me how great I was. He thought I could sing really great, which made me unable to stop from blushing. After the cafeteria, we began walking around the halls and dorms and campus, singing to other students who were staying on campus for Christmas. We even had several students join us. I found it to be amazing how many joined our group and how the songs became better because we got louder and people would be able to hear us better. Since we didn’t have many extra books, we began to share with others. J gave up his and shared with me. After we had completed going about the whole campus, the extra students returned their books to Emma and thanked us for allowing them to join our group. Jules and Emma were going to go with them, but J asked if he could borrow Emma’s books, which she so graciously gave, before they left holding and swinging each other’s hands. Cassie: What are you going to do with those? J: Come on, I’ll show you! Are you guys coming to? Sam: I can’t man. Have to go call Savannah. Told her I was going to when I was done. J: That’s alright man! I’ll get you back at the dorms. What about you Gweyn? Gweyn looks at us and then smiles. Gweyn: You know what? You two go ahead. I actually wanted to call Tyler too and maybe my parents. Singing to those other students made me really miss them all, so I think I’m gonna call it a night. J: That’s alright! I know what you mean! I’m gonna call mine later as well. She turns around and hurries off as J turns to me. I can’t move. J: Come on! He grabs my hand and pulls me with him. Cassie: Wait! What’s going on? J: You’ll see. We aren’t done caroling yet. Cassie: You mean me and you? J: Yea, of course! It’ll be awesome! He turns and smiles and then back again. I melt in his grip and follow him to his car. I get in and he begins driving. It’s only 4:30. I didn’t think we went caroling that long. He keeps driving until he reaches the local hospital. We get out and head up to the building. Cassie: What are we doing here? J: I told you. Caroling. It’s time to brighten some patients up. We get inside and he talks to the front desk, then grabs my hand and pulls me to follow the nurse. Cassie: Where are we going? J: I asked her if it was alright if we sang to some of the patients. She said we could go sing in the children’s ward. Cassie: Oh! We get there and the nurse asks our names. There are so many children there with their families, some playing with toys in their hospital gowns, while others sat on their parents’ laps getting rocked back and forth. The nurse introduced us and said that we would be singing for them. J told me what to sing and so we did. The children gathered around us as we sung to them and some of their parents joined us. The children would smile and giggle, which made me feel so happy, so I looked up and smiles at J who smiled back. I didn’t blush or anything when he grabbed my hand, but just kept on singing. The nurse told us that we would only have one more song, because visiting hours were almost over. J flipped through the songs and picked my favorite one. J: This is my favorite! Cassie: Yea! Mine too. He let the others know and then we sang. Some of the parents went back to their children and began rocking them and holding them as we sang. Some of the children fell asleep and when we were done, I discovered I was crying. J grabbed me a tissue as the children who were still awake and their parents, as well as the parents carrying their now sleeping children, came up and thanked us. The nurse then led us out and thanked us as well. J: So? What did you think? Cassie: It was amazing! Seeing all those families sitting there, listening to us, I couldn’t believe how our singing just lit up all their faces. It was just like the students back on campus. J: Yea, music can do that! I believe that there is power in music that brings people together and allows them to feel better and forget about their worries. That’s why I wanted to come here. So many of these children and patients don’t get to go home for Christmas. They don’t get to spend all those special little moments with the ones they love. I begin to cry again. J: What’s wrong Cass? Cassie: It’s just that I feel like I’ve taken my family for granted after seeing all this. J grabs me and pulls me into a hug. J: You’re not the only one Cass. Sometimes things get in the way and others get pushed aside. Cassie: I know, but I feel so guilty now and selfish. I should’ve told my mom I was coming home. J: It’s alright Cass! You can still go home. There’s plenty of time. Be thankful that you’re able to and that you have such a kind, understanding family. I look up at him and he drops his arms. Cassie: You know? You’re right. Come on! I grab his hand and snake his keys out of his pocket. J: What’s going on? Cassie: It’s your turn to trust me. Let’s go! I get into the driver’s seat and him into the passenger as we drive off. Gweyn is sitting on the bed holding a picture of her family when J and the rest of us hurry in. Gweyn: Whoa! What’s going on here? Cassie: Pack a bag Gweyn! You’re going home. Gweyn: What? I hand her a plane ticket for a roundtrip back home. Gweyn: I can’t take this. Cassie: Yes, you can! You’re going home. Don’t argue with me. She tears up and then hugs me. Gweyn: Thank you so much Cass! This means so much. Cassie: I know, now let’s get you packed. We all go to the airport and wave goodbye to Gweyn as she gets on the plane and we wait until it takes off. Emma: So what now? Cassie: Now you guys get packed. I have a little surprise for you. Jules: I don’t like the sound of this. Everyone laughs and then we go back to the campus and get packed. We then head out and then all follow me. We stop at a two-story house and everyone gets out and looks at all the lights the house has. There are many lights on the roof and a fake Santa and reindeer on the roof as well, and candy cane lights lighting the sidewalk to the door. I turn to Emma. Cassie: May I have them Emma? She pulls out her little books and hands them to everyone. We all stand next to each other and J grabs my hand again. We share a smile and then begin singing. Silent Night. We walk up the sidewalk and as we reach the steps, the doors open. My mom begins to cry as she covers her mouth and calls for my dad and younger sister. They smile and my dad holds my mom as we finish the song. My sister and mom hurry down and begin to hug me followed by my dad. Mom: I’m so glad you came home. Dad: I see you brought some company. Cassie: I sure did. These are all my friends, whom you’ve met a couple times before. Dad: Yep! I remember these faces. Well let’s go inside. Girls sleep upstairs. Boys in the basement. Everyone laughs. Mom: I’ll make you guys some cocoa. Sister: Yea! Sissy’s back. Sissy’s back. Everyone heads inside, with J and I at the back. I begin to go inside, but he pulls my arm back and brings me close to him. Cassie: What are you doing J? My dad won’t be too thrilled if he sees just the two of us standing here. He might get the wrong impression. J: He wouldn’t be wrong. He looks up and then do I. I see mistletoe and then he looks back at me. I quickly look inside and see my family and friends in the kitchen where they wouldn’t be able to see us. When I look and smile back at J, he reaches in for a kiss. And all this was made possible, due to the magic of caroling. Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.-Ronald Reagan Thank you!

I thought I could continue to fight I still think you are Mr. Right I don’t want to give up on you But what will you have me do If a connection was made Then it was you who betrayed The feelings of your heart Though now mine feels torn apart I wish I still had the energy to try again But it appears it is clearly the end I thought giving up would make me seem like I’m afraid But maybe I am the one to be brave And end it before more pain befalls you or me I hope you never have to feel or see How what I wished more than anything in this world right now Has become such a strain on my heart because I let you down These tears I’ll cry for you will have to do But there is no need for you to weep too But remember if your feelings ever do or don’t change I’ll be waiting still for you just the same Because you’ll still be on my mind For a long, long time. Thank you!

Hippos produce pink milk.

So true. They got it right. HAHA! I believe Mercury also has trees from this picture I saw!

I found this to be interesting and am not quite sure what to make of it. I like the wording, minus the spelling and grammatical errors, of course.

When looking up what defines being ‘a nerd’, I found it to be people who are smarter than average, obsessive, or socially impaired. They make it sound like some sort of condition or disease, giving characteristics that identify a person as being a nerd. Nerds are characterized as being shy, quirky, and unattractive. I find this to be stereotypical, because I know many people who are smarter than the average and they would be considered beautiful and tend to be outgoing. I admit I am shy and quirky, which would make me a nerd, but it doesn’t bother me to be considered as such, because words are words. They only give the holder power if you let them. Since being a nerd is described as obsessive, I would say that everyone is a nerd then, because everyone is obsessive about something or someone at some point in their life. People change and so do some of their interests, due to a decrease in the popularity of that thing or person they once obsessed over. Just like everything else in today’s society, many people tend to follow the crowd and whatever the next big thing is. Nerds are also described as immature because they continue to watch television programs movies or have trading cards and comic books, past their childhood. This would then aid in my suggestion earlier about everyone being a nerd, because depending on what you consider to be immature, we all are. Thank you!

Mom, dad, and me Organizing belongings into boxes Visiting friends and family one last time Inches grown marked on the wall Never living here again Going to live someplace new Making new friends Obtaining new experiences Viewing my house one more time Inviting to family to come visit us once we're settled New places to see Getting emotional Managing not to cry in front of my friends Obtaining new address Visualizing life without my friends Inspect that no items are left behind Navigating to our new life with GPS Gather what is needed with you in car

Thank you very much for your thoughts on my work. I was kind of rushing to compete it because it was already a day late and I didn't want it to be two days. I also rushed through the one I am posting tonight for day 2, so I am sorry if it has many errors as well. I appreciate all your critique and the only thing I want to say, is that I spelled 'hunny' this way because when I think of 'honey' like this, I think of the little bear bottle and beehives. I hope with your knowledge and expertise that I will become a better writer. Thank you! Yes, Katie is the narrator. In regards to my story, which I should have put at the end, I wanted the readers to think that it was going to end up with the 'good life' being materialistic. It was actually supposed to change when they read the part with the narrator and her husband being happy with their children and the memories and times spent together. I hope this is a better statement then what you got from it. If so, I'll add it to the end. Thank you!

This was a nice story. I've never seen anyone allow a ghost to make a call as you did. It definitely gave it an original feeling and a new perspective. Thank you!

Another great story. It was nice how one defining moment in a person's life, such as moving in this instance, allowed these two people to realize how they truly felt about each other. Often times, opportunities come, but fear and anxiety make it impossible for one or both of the parties to share how they actually feel. It can become overwhelming and that feeling of regret then takes over and also hope that maybe someday things could work in their favor and maybe another chance would occur. Thank you!

I love your story. That was a neat idea you had of how Superman got his colors for his costume. It certainly made me smile reading it. Thank you!