Gavin Berry
Hi! My name is Gavin Berry. My pronouns are he/him, and I’m an incoming 8th grader at Lux Middle School. I enjoy writing and reading fantasy books and short stories. Among my favorite books are Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris and Mistborn. My main writing project is a fantasy novel named Shards of the Great Crystal, which I write with my friend, Bodie Ardinger Stibal.
The Hall
There I was, on the steps of Quail Hall, eager to start my first day of school at the Zephorian College of Mages and Monks. I, of course, was planning on majoring in water control and minoring in elemental prowess. The campus was beautiful in the light morning after the heavy snow of last night.
Now, being a mage sounds like something super special to most of the other major kingdoms, but the truth is that here in Zephora, mages are a dime a dozen, and I don’t consider myself all that special. Now, don’t get me wrong, most people can’t juggle three eggs at once, but there’s nothing that makes me stand out from the crowd when I’m going about my daily life. I’m not even quite that good at magic, but my parents were able to convince the admissions office that I would be a good fit, even though I most likely won’t be. I can barely even summon water, and if anything gets even close to dangerous, you can count on me getting out of there.
A stooped over old professor walked in through the door ahead of me, and I followed her in. My first class was about freezing water and dealing with ice. Here in Zephora, all the elements were taught except for fire, for obvious reasons. It would kind of be disastrous if all the buildings melted. They were all made from packed ice after all.
Tailing the professor, I noticed that she seemed to be going to the place as I was, so I decided to make small talk.
“Hello!” I called ahead. “The name’s Davarit Idol. How are you doing on this fine morning?” I questioned.
She stared at me coldly before replying. “I’m doing just fine. Now let’s get to class. I don’t trust newcomers.”
Trying to make a good first impression, I quickly responded with a lie. “No, actually, I’ve been here for a while.” Almost as soon as the words left my mouth, I felt my whole body from my neck to my toes freeze.
“We here have no tolerance for liars,” she snarled in my face, then unfroze me. “Now, as I said earlier, let's get to class.”
I’m not sure what I expected an ice chamber to look like, but I was blown away. The ceiling and walls sparkled in the sun, though they didn’t appear to be dripping or melting at all, somehow. The floor was a deep shade of blue and was surprisingly not slippery. As I was marveling at the room, I didn’t notice the rest of the class leave through the side door. Left alone, it wasn’t until the war bells started ringing that I realised what had happened and that something serious was going on.
Attack Pillow
Attack Pillow is your go-to weapon for when you actually did forget to lock the front door! Attack Pillow has titanium spikes and can implode if needed! *Cue pictures of people smiling while smacking people with the Attack Pillow*
Side effects may include, but are not limited to: head impalement, trouble sleeping, and high chances of death.
The cost is so cheap, just roll a d20, add two zeros to the end of it, and that's your price!
Bet Off Your Debt
Host: Welcome to the hit game show that’s sweeping the nation! That’s right, it’s time for Bet Off Your Debt! Our contests this week are Sickly Stan, Gambling Gary and Athletic Al! Today, before the time is up, you must learn about finances.
Host: Okay, Gambling Gary, you’re up first, so how would you like to Bet Off Your Debt?
Gary: I’ll play roulette…
Host: Okay then!
Gary: ...with everything on red.
$#$#$#%$#$#$#
Host: Oof, looks like it actually was green. You know what they say: you win some, you lose some, and since you lost this one, you owe us 5.7 million dollars! Thank you for participating in this week’s Bet Off Your Debt!