The Rose Riddles

The next morning Tess saw the box on her dresser it was small but very pretty. When she opened it she saw a rose gold heart locket with a mirror inside. "It's beautiful. Mom, thank you so much," Tess remarked. "You are more than welcome," her mom said from the doorway. "Now for your real birthday surprise." Matthew brought in a puppy. The puppy was small and fluffy. "AAAHHHH. Mom. You. Got. Me. A. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOG. He is so cute. Wait. I'm calling him snowy," Tess loved her little white puppy, he was so cute and fluffy. So far, this was an awesome birthday!!!

Maddy was sleeping mid-movie. She hated the movie. Tess and Alex, on the other hand, loved it. "I loved the part when she said 'Your goin' down to pain town, population you," Tess remarked. "I know right. and then when she partnered up with Deon. Kate and Deon, the dream team," Alex said. "The movie was boring," Maddy said.

About three hours later Maddy and Alex knocked on the door. "Happy birthday," they said together, "Sorry we're late I had to get my sister to drive us to the movies," Maddy said, "Now let's..... PUPPY. You got a puppy." "His name is Snowy, and I have to leave him here," Tess said, "I'm sorry, Snowy. Let's go. We'll be back in a couple of hours!!" Tess called. "Wait, hun, you forgot your neck..." Before mom could finish that sentence Tess was already out the door. 5

Meanwhile, at home, Tess's mom, Katrina, put on Tess's locket and was pretending she was a fashion model. "Ooh, yeah," she while striking a pose. "Ha, it's gonna take more than a necklace to make you a model, mom," Mattew busted out laughing, he was rolling around on the floor. "Oh, shut up. At least my chances are higher than yours," Katrina was laughing, now. She opened the locket and looked at herself. She had short black hair and freckles. And at that very second, she was sucked inside of the locket, and Mattew along with her. 6

To Dad, for always being my biggest supporter.

They asked a few of the villagers if they had seen Alexia or Cass. "No, I'm ma'am," one guy said. "I'm sorry, I can't help you, sir," someone else said. They kept searching but found nothing helpful. "This is hopeless, we're never going to find Alexia and Cass." Maddy was close to tears. "Did you say Alexia as in Princess Alexia?" they heard a mysterious voice say. Maddy and Alex looked and saw a woman sitting on a chair. "Yes, she was with my best friend, Cassidy," Maddy said. "Do you know where they went?" "Yes, I do. They left hours ago, in that direction." The woman pointed to a path leading straight into the... "Woods? Why would they go into the woods?" Alex said. "I don't, know, but we have to go find them. By the way, thank you Ms... um..." "Neeuq, my name is Neeuq." "Thank you, Ms. Neeuq."

"Come on," Maddy marched off into the woods, still holding his wrist.

After five minutes later Alex finally got free. "You. Are. CRAZY!" he shouted, "You cannot do this to me. I wouldn't care if we were after one million dollars, I am not staying out here a second longer. Goodbye." "Wait! We need to find huaahh." Maddy passed out. "Maddy? Are you alive? Please answer me. I'm Scared!" Alex turned around and a dart flew right into his neck. "What's this," he said just before passing out.

"Let's go," Maddy said. She started walking, but Alex didn't move. "Come on, you want to find Cass don't you." "Yes, but... in there?" He pointed to the path that seemingly lead straight into nothing. "ALEXANDER MARIA DILL, YOU ARE COMING WITH ME THIS INSTANT!!!!!!!!!!!" Maddy grabbed and squeezed his wrist so hard, his hand was turning purple. 15

"My head hurts," Alex groaned as he was taking in his surroundings. "Where am I." "No time to explain, just put on this mask. And by the way, pretend to fall when I hit you, I'll go soft." When he looked over, expecting to see Maddy, he saw... "Cass! You're ok!" Alex was happy, then angry, "How could you leave us like that!" "Not a good time Alex, I said I would explain later. Now we have to pick our weapons, come on." "Weapons? What is going on?" "You'll find out soon enough," Cass said with a mischievous smile. 16

They heard drums. Alex looked around the arena he was about to enter. They were each given a sword and a weapon of their choice. Alex chose a spear and Cassidy chose a bow and arrow. Alex kept going over what was supposed to happen in his head. 'Hit Cass softly, and then you'll get answers' He told himself. They walked into the arena and there was a huge, roaring crowd. Cassidy and Alex went to different sides of the arena and prepared their weapons. "Can I trust you not to kill me?" Cass yelled to Alex. "I don't know, I hope I don't kill you," Alex said unsure. "Thanks, very reassuring," Cass said sarcastically.

"Can you please just tell me, WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!!" Alex screamed. "I will, ok? Just give me a second. And remember, fall when I hit you," Cass as calmly as she could (Which wasn't very calm). "Why would you hit me?" Alex was confused now. "You know what, never mind, you hit me and I'll fall, yeah that works," she said formulating a plan. "I don't want to hit you. Why would I hit you?" "Just play along." 17

"Take your places," the host said into the mic, "Or you can just stand wherever you want to, I really don't care. Now, let's get this party started. To your right, we have Cass the fast." She was shocked to hear so many people cheering for her. "And Alex the... uh...," he sat there for a second, thinking," Oh, I got it, Alex the spearman." He didn't get so much as a clap. "Well then. Fight!!" the host screamed into the mic. Alex and Cass charged forward. He held the spear with the dull end facing Cass. 18

Cass and Maddy went over and sat down next to Alex. They landed in a field next to a road. Alex fell asleep 5 minutes later. Maddy saw a carriage not too far down the road. "Someone's coming, Come on over here," Maddy and Cass dragged Alex behind a bunch of trees. "What's going on?" Alex woke up with sleepy eyes. "Shhhh," Cass shushed him. "Hey. Don't shush m..." Cass pinched his shoulder. He went out like a light.

"Do you guys need a ride, we have plenty of space," Alexia offered. "Sure, but can you help us carry Alex to the carriage?" Cass asked. Two bodyguards took him to their ride. Alex woke up five minutes later. "Where are we," he said, still laying down. "We're fine, as long we stay with Alexia," Cass said and rested her head against the window. Soon enough, she fell asleep

The carriage was pearly white. The white door had gold lining and through the small window, there was a princess. She had black, messed-up hair. She was Cass's age. She had on a dress. She must've heard Alex because she told the coach to stop. The girl walked over to where they were. "Hello. My name is Alexia. Who are you?" "I am Cassidy. This is Maddy and Alex," Cass said. "Alex looks..um," "He's fine, he just wouldn't stop talking," Maddy stepped up. 9

Cass woke up an hour later and they were just arriving at the palace. It was HUGE. The walls were black and white. There was a staircase the size of a small house. There were two tall towers, Cass thought they were three mansions stacked on top of each other. "Come on," Alexia said, "Unless, of course, you don't want to." "No, no. Yes, we do," Cass was in awe. "If you have nowhere else to stay, you guys can stay in our guest chambers," Alexia offered. "THAT. WOULD. BE. SO. AWESOME!" Maddy shrieked. 10

Cass had always loved her nickname, her real name not as much. "Hey, Cass," Maddison texted, "how's it goin'." "Hey, Madds. Not very well. Mr. Gabe gave us yet another essay. It's due on Monday, but I'm not doing it tomorrow. It's Saturday." Cass responded. Then the lunch bell rang. "Meet you in the cafeteria."

"Your birthday is tomorrow, Cass," Alex began, "Of course you can't be older than me, I'm already thirteen. Still, happy early birthday," he said. "Thanks," she said.

Cass and Maddy always sat together at lunch. Maddy was Cass's best friend. They always had something to say to each other. They were practically sisters. Cass had shoulder-length hair, it was light brown and curly. She always it had up in a bun. She had freckles all over her face. And she was always getting in trouble for stupid reasons. Maddison was a brunette with short and curly hair. She loved to read, she always had a book in hand.

"Hey, guys," Alex said while walking over to their lunch table, "Maddy probably has another home-cooked lunch, while we have to eat disgusting cafeteria food." "Yep," Maddy said. "Come on Alex, they're serving pizza," Cass said. 3

The rest of the day felt like an eternity, but school finally ended. Cass would usually ride the bus with Maddy and, sometimes, Alex, but today she ran straight home. "Hey honey, how was school?" her mom called from in the kitchen. "Like school any day, except for my surprise that you've been telling me about," she responded. "Not until tomorrow," mom teased. She was always over exaggerating things. "Plus we need your brother to make it work. And here he is." Cass's brother Matthew got back from school. He's in high school. "Hey y'all guess who's here," he said. "Yeah, a caveman. How does it feel to be the dumbest person in your school?" Cass said in the most annoying voice possible, "And what is the surprise you and mom are killing me with?" "Can't tell, brother's honor. Sorry."

That night mom put a small box on Cass's dresser. The box said 'Happy Birthday' on it. 4

"WHAT!" Cass yelled. "Shhhhh, be quiet. Your friends don't know," Alexia whispered. "When do you plan to tell them?!" she exploded. "I can't tell them. It might come as too much of a shock to them." "But it won't come as a shock to me?" Cass was sitting up now, angry. "I wasn't finished," Alexia continued in her soft voice, "I think I may know where they are, but I need some help."

Cass walked into the dining hall wearing black and white pants, with a black and blue heart shirt. Brand new sneakers. And clean and combed hair. "Where are you going all dressed up?" Maddy asked. "I'm...uh...going...to...uh...the market?" Cass lied. "Can I come?" Maddy asked with the biggest grin on her face. "Uh...No, sorry, bye." She grabbed the fruit bowl and ran outside.

"What makes you think I could help?" Cass said a little softer. "You are a good puzzle solver, flexible and agile, and fast." "Ok, when do we leave?"

Cass couldn't sleep after hearing what she heard. She was too upset. She couldn't stop thinking about her mom and brother. After a couple of hours, she was knocked out. Maddy marched into Cass's room and yelled, "Breakfast!!!" "UGH. I'm up," Cass complained, "Where did you get these clothes from?" "Alexia had them tailored, special for me." Then Maddy left the room.

"I'm here," Cass said, out of breath. "Great, let's go find my brothers," Alexia said. They both had four satchels full of necessary items. "Let's go get our horses," Alexia said, "You will ride Midnight and I will ride Ginger, come on." After they boarded their horses, they were off.

They were miles away from the castle by nightfall. They got to a lake, so that's where they stopped for the night. "Do you think Alex and Maddy are worried about us?" Cass asked. "Nah," Alexia responded.

On the chair, Cass saw a brand new outfit. It was very nice. 13

"Where are they?" Maddy was frantic, "They're gone, and they aren't coming back." "Chill. They're fine, but if it will make you feel better...we can go to the town. Cool?" Alex said. "That would be great, Alex." 14

The Secret of the Mysterious Rose Locket

Illustrated Fiction Group 6th grade Accokeek Academy Author: Imani Davis, Illustrator: Caylen Peebles

"Hey. Mom, nap's over. Mom?" Cass walked into Katrina's room. There was nobody in there. Cass saw her locket on the floor, the locket was open. When Cass looked into the mirror she saw her mom and Mattew. She screamed right before she got sucked into the locket. "What was that sound?" Maddy asked. "That sounded like Cass," Alex said back. They ran upstairs just to be sucked into the mirror after her.

"We're back!" Cass called Katrina. No response. "Hello?! Mom!" Still no response. "She's probably just sleeping," Cass told herself, but she wasn't convinced. Cass decided to order pizza since Katrina didn't make dinner. Cass, Alex, and Maddy were just hangin' around when Cass went upstairs to try to find her mom. 7

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Cass was falling. She landed hard on the ground. "Where am I?" She heard more screaming "What the heck." She looked up to see Maddy and Alex falling right over her. "AAAAHHHHH!!! Tess look out!" They screamed. Cass was barely out the way when they landed. "OMG, Cass are you ok?" Maddy was basically wheezed out. "The better question is: Are you guys ok?" Cass said. "Do we look ok?" Alex managed to say. Alex laid on the ground, he looked like he had just fell out of the sky, well he pretty much did. 8

Cassidy found herself at the back of the bus, where her friend, Maddy, was waiting. "Hey, Cass," she said, "who are you texting?" "Alex," Cass responded. The ride to school was very quiet, especially since her friend Alex rode his bike to school today. Probably because today is Friday.

Chapter 1 The Gift

Cass loved her first class of the day because her favorite teacher, Ms. Kira, gave them no homework. Her next class not so much. "Good morning class. I hope you're doing well because today will be a very busy day," Mr. Gabe said. "uuuggghhh," Cass complained, "Why can't reading be math all over again." "Is there a problem here, Ms. Cooper?" Mr. Gabe smirked "Is there anything you would like to share with the class? ... No, nothing." A couple of kids laughed at her embarrassment.

"Cassidy, get down here!! The school bus is about to leave!!" Cassidy's mom called from downstairs. "I'm coming, mom!" She yelled back. As soon as she finished putting her homework in her bookbag, she ran downstairs, grabbed her toast, had a sip of orange juice, and ran out the door. The bus was just about to leave when she hopped on. 1

Cass wanted to disappear. Her face was red as a tomato. "Nothing," she whispered, not being able to make eye contact. Almost an hour later, Tess was on her phone. When Mr. Gabe noticed, he asked, "Cassidy, can you tell me what page we're at in our books?" She didn't respond. "Cassidy!" She was sleeping. 2

He ran and hit Cass with the spear and she fell to the ground. Everyone and everything was quiet until Cass got up. "What are you doing," he whispered, "You were supposed to stay down." At that moment he realized he hit her face. She was bruised right above her eyebrow.  She felt a strong feeling surface. When she realized it was anger she pounced on Alex. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH," he screamed. "What are you doing! I'm your friend!" He said and then started crying. When he opened his eyes he woke up. "AAAHHH!" He screamed as he sat up.

"WHAT!! WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON YOU DECIDE TO TELL ME NOW!!" Alexia screamed in Cassidy's face. She took a deep breath and said, "You know what, why am I even stressing about this? We need to find our families and get back in one piece. We just need to plan this out." "No," Cass said, "No more planning. No more waiting. Just NO. We need to go, now. I want to see my mom and brother, and I'm too close to stop. So, I'm going with or without you, now." 'Mom, Matt here I come.' She thought while walking into the woods.

"What happened? Was it all just a bad dream?" Alex looked around. "Yes, Alex. You were dreaming," Cass started," You were hit with a dream dart. It gives you nightmares. Maddy was too, except she woke up earlier." "Ok," Alex said slowly. 

"Oh, and Alexia," Cass said turning her focus to her, "Nows probably not the best time to mention, but... uh... my mom and brother are missing, too. And they are definitely in this place somewhere, but I have no idea where?" It came out as more of a question than a sentence. 19

Rose thought she was doing the right thing until she was consumed with magic. Blinded by her rage, she destroyed everyone and everything that got in her way. She destroyed everything she loved. And when she came to a realization, she saw what she did. Rose was petrified and upset. 

She vowed she would make this right. Over the years she created magical objects and within them lies a key. She called them The Rose Riddles. With her magic she was immortal. She met different people watching their traits and valuing their worth. Over the course of time, she found no hope, until...

Hello. I'm going to tell you a story. One filled with adventure. One with laughs and cries. And an amazing story it is. And it all started with a simple little girl named Rose. Rose was born as a poor villager. She was mistreated because she was poor and black. Rose was unusually smart, though. She used her brain and discovered magic, but she never shared her discovery with the world. Instead, she took revenge on all those who laughed at her and her family, those who made a mockery of her.

"Since my brothers are traveling, Cass and Maddy, you guys can stay with me in the royal chambers. Alex, you don't mind sleeping in the guest chambers, do you?" "Of course I mind. You can't separate me from my best friends." "Very well, come on" "WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!" Maddy literally screamed, "I get to sleep in the same hall as the Royals?! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" "Is she usually this excited?" Alexia asked. "Trust me you haven't seen the half of it." 11

"Cassidy are you awake?" "Well, I am now," Cass yawned. "There's something I need to tell you." "Can it wait 'till morning, Alexia," she said half sleeping. "I'm afraid not." "Alright fine. What's up" she sighed. "The reason you are here is because of me," Alexia began, "I sent you the locket. And I did that because I need your help. My brothers aren't traveling, They're missing." 12

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