June 3 and 5, 2024
Sana-- I said bye to my friend, came home and had the BEST MEAL EVER--pasta. I told my mom thank you.
Amia-- The things that come and mark off the days with a pen is a mystery to me.
Samar-- OH COME ON” I WAS TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION HERE??
Molly--“I know you’re there, and I’ve had enough!” Rangi yelled, clenching her fist around her sword’s hilt. “Get out of my garden!”
The bushes did not acknowledge her existence, and for a moment Rangi thought she was being paranoid, that her weeks of frustration had somehow messed with her mind."
June 10 and 12, 2024
Sana: having faith that things will get better, even when they seem dark.
Aavni: In Sanskrit, my name “Aavni” means “beloved”, a powerful name that suggests someone who is kind, compassionate, and loving.
Jacob: My name reminds me of my heritage, spanning more than a thousand years, and all the strife that my people have endured. And yet, through all the adversity and difficulty we remained in this land, and today, the fields of Anciir are free.
Molly: “So it was your instinct to leave me behind, was it?” Seven asked angrily. “Your instinct, your innermost thoughts- well, that justifies it all, doesn’t it, the fact that your instinct wanted to leave me behind?”
“I couldn’t control it!” Gale shouted.
“Well then, this I ask you,” Seven said icily. “If you could control it, would you have freed me?”
Samar: What I do know is whoever did this I am forever in debt too; for a kiddie pool with that grammar. Who would want to grant a lowlife like me something like this? The greatest thing I did was save an orange kitten. Who then ran into midday traffic at a staggering pace, before I could run to save it like the hero I wasn't; splotches of blood following a blue honda civic bid me farewell. Man, my history with cars is morbid.
June 17 and 19, 2024
Aavni-- It was a foggy morning, Dexter was sprawled across the bottom bunk with his favorite teddy bear, trying to find the perfect way to go back to sleep.
Sana-- It felt like fate had brought us together
Amia-- I think that if animals could communicate with humans some animals would be calm and others not so much.
Samar- I'm sorry to Laura Grayson and Rani Sharma for having fire ant colonies on top of their graves. I find a random pot of flowers soaking in fresh water. I run to the bucket and dunk all the fire ants eating up my flesh in the simmering effect of happiness and pure relief. The kinda stuff you would find in jungle episodes in jessie. I watch the fire ants unhinge themselves dead from my hands, flailing bodies fighting the water to only sink to the bottom.
Jacob- General Telamísar lay among the pile of bodies, his white standard now tattered and trampled, soaked in the mud of a foreign field and the blood of his countrymen.
Nora: Winona stood in a surreal landscape, a place where colors seemed to blend and swirl like the strokes of an impressionist painting. Before her hovered a shimmering figure, its form shifting and ethereal, like smoke caught in a sunbeam. The being's voice was both distant and intimate, resonating within her very soul.
Molly: Laila was wheezing- she had always been more of a keep-your-nose-out-of-my-business-while-mine-is-in-a-book-if-you-like-yours-the-shape-it-is person, while Kay had always been more of the it’s-snowing-outside-so-the-weather-is-awesome-oh-it’s-a-blizzard-even-better type. To put it simply, Kay was fast. Very fast. Laila, though her adrenaline caused her to try valiantly, was a little bit less so.
June 24 and 26, 2024
Sana- Moving to a new town was a chance to grow, learn, and make new memories.
Amia- Even though I won't have all my friends at middle school, I’lll still have some and that's all I need.
Aavni- It was the start of summer vacation and Jamie had to spend her whole summer with her family instead of hanging out with her friends and having parties.
Molly- “We did end up getting out of Zouela riding a dragon, didn’t we?”
“We got out of Zouela riding me, and that was an accident!”
“All part of the plan,” Indigo said mysteriously, wiggling his fingers for effect.
Samar- I see dandelions littering their beautiful lawn with a great big willow tree being the shadow that looms over the tiny little flowers. I hesitate moving as everything feels so numb just like the moment I died. You think you would see an angel or maybe your family you've never met. Suffocating darkness was all I meant while I was fighting trying to escape this cage where only I was conscious, looking around me and seeing all these people helping me with my eyes wide open watching her face.
July 1 and 3, 2024
Aavni- “...Do you think it’s dead?”Harley said as she came closer to take a look.
Sana- I followed her gaze to her reflection in a nearby window. That's when I noticed it—Mia had dyed her braids blonde. But instead of blending in, her hair looked bushy and mismatched compared to the other girls' sleek styles.
Molly- Molly: “You don’t want to eat him,” Seven said, grasping wildly for something to buy time. She pointed at Indigo. “He’s scrawny. Skin and bones. He’ll give you indigestion.”
Indigo looked at her, bafflement overtaking his fear. Seven desperately hoped he would never find out what she had just said (he did, much to his incredulity).
July 8 and 10, 2024
Aavni- Amber and Eric have been friends since they were practically born. Since they hadn’t been hanging out together Amber’s and Eric’s family decided to create a “reunion” for Amber and Eric.
Sana- all because of a ladybug and a very kind girl named Yasamine in a hot pink shirt
Amia- As I hear my mom yell, "Ivy it's time for school," I turn over to look at my clock and see that it's 7:34.
Molly- The ground dug into her ribs as she lay on her stomach, but it was a pleasant feeling. A unique kind of comfort, reassuring her that gravity wasn’t going to turn off suddenly and eject her into the cosmos.
Jacob- All at once, the Anciiran army, 19,000 strong, surged forward like a tidal wave of steel. The sun rose over the Peþlaewen Fields, illuminating the sleek armor and gleaming weapons of the Anciiran army. With one voice the mass of men cried out, a deafening battle cry that reverberated off the walls of Felyanþílwe, further increasing the noise.
Felix- As I drove, the clouds began to coagulate and a deep fog enveloped the car
Sachi- As I walk down the bricked up steps of my NYC apartment, I am assaulted by the stale city air: the faint smell of gasoline and pizza that rumbles down the streets and coats the road, the scent of bagels and alcohol that clings to the coat of an unassuming passerby, the taste of mental and coffee journalists require to put the newspaper to bed every morning. The sky is cloudy and dark, the air stale and gray. Clouds shift ominously overhead, the pressure building and building in silent rage, warn
Samar- She would sing me to sleep telling me stories of how she sacrificed everything to bring us here. The tales of bumpy rough terrain cutting at her sandals. Holding on the ledges of the ridged mountains that would tear your hand apart if you grabbed on. Guiding my mother, her 8 year old daughter grasping desperately onto her hand begging her not to look down. My 11 month old aunt holding her against her waist, shutting her eyes tight to not look through the depths of the canyon.
July 15 and 17
Aavni- He walks closer to the garbage to see the shiny object, which happens to be an unusual looking key. It is a small golden key with a red rose engraved in it.
Amia- The raindrop says, "Maybe we can find out together."
Jacob- Herish had asked several knowledgeable people during his travels exactly where Gnome Country began and he got a different answer every time. It seemed that no one knew where the true border lay, or perhaps there was none.
Sachi- At 7:00 pm every night, the neighborhood bell wrung and the children rushed home to eat dinner with their parents. They ate their supper gratefully, and made cheerful conversation. It was a pleasant place, removed from the distraction of modern life, and the inhabitants enjoyed that simplicity. They enjoyed a simply kind of life with comforting routine and simple pleasures. And yet as we all know, appearances can be deceiving.
Molly- Now, there was only a fading glimpse of her kingdom, her former life, her family. Now, there was only a dying dream that one day, she might find them again, and things would be peaceful and happy again. Now, there was only the resolution to fight Araku, who destroyed it all. Now, there was only moving on.
Now, there was only saying goodbye.
July 24
Samar- I start to see the floor and next thing I know, I'm on it. The cold tile of the front porch.
Felix- I remember sitting in the clock tower after my day of grueling work, covered in dust and the sun streaming through the windows and the shadows of the gears onto the ground
Sachi- “Don’t worry,” the voice whispered, a breeze drifting like a rocker into his ear. “You will soon be gone.” The man relaxed as he felt his vision go blurry and his thoughts start to fade. Now, the man thought as they descended the steps of his front porch, now, at least he was safely in warm arms.
Molly- The man’s brain was reeling. Unless he was very, very careful, he was at risk of losing everything he had worked for. Flatter him, thought his self-preservation instinct (one used very often). Flattery always does good things. “Your Imperial Highness of Fiery Excellence-”
“Enough with the flattery!” Araku bellowed. “Answer me, pond scum. What is the meaning of this? Where and how did you mess up so badly?'
Jacob- The forest was quiet and peaceful, and the air was warmed by the sun—the clouds he had seen the morning had parted—though there was a refreshingly cool breeze. To Herish’s left, the river bubbled and splashed, its slow waters winding through the forest. On each side of the river was a small stretch of rocky shores, followed by an expanse of bushes and ferns, and behind that was the forest. The woods here were lush but not very dense, and the forest floor was spattered with all manner of small plants. Birds sang in the trees, and a heron wading in the gentle river watched Herish warily as he rode past.
Nora- Maya's actions started to create a ripple effect. Her positive energy and genuine kindness began to inspire those around her. She noticed that life seemed to flow more smoothly. Challenges still arose, but she faced them with a sense of calm and understanding, knowing that her actions would influence the outcomes.