Creative Codex

Comfortable and presentable, that’s her motto. It’s quite obvious she isn’t in the century. But why should she be? Sophie is her own person, until she met her now ex-boyfriend. Her ex-lover was a douche that snapped her back to the the girl she was before she was trying to impress everyone else...		Normal and on her phone 24/7 all hours of the clock, but if not that then its sneaking out to party and get into underage drinking. It sends shivers down her spine, why did she pass that route? She wasn’t herself. That was her nightmare. He was her nightmare. He was treating her like he was her property. She was what people would say “his” not a person, but property that’s own meaning has been snatched away. 	Never again would she ever go through that path again. Her resolve is now clear and unbroken as she sat beneath the shade that a tree provides. The breeze brushes over her skin, calming her down and making her less scared that she would be like everyone else. She promised to be herself, and do whatever she thinks is right. Her likes and dislikes won’t coordinate with other people her age and that doesn’t matter. Sophie wont try to impress or make her surrounding people happy, she builds herself up as Sophie Courtney. The fears start to die. People will one day know her story, but before that she gets up and head to her class, 15 minutes late. Although she did clear her mind. Negative thoughts seep past her, as if she was a rock that a current can’t push. Absolute bliss and no more fears.

Story Starter 	“Nooooo!” you shouted as your unpackaged PB&amp;J fell to the blacktop. Story 	“Nooooo!” you shouted as your unpackaged PB&amp;J fell to the blacktop. Your heart aches as your stomach growls in pain. The boy standing next to you in line looks at you. Would you like my PB&amp;J?”. “No, I shan't, you’ll go hungry.” “No, no, it’s truly fine really.” The boy hands over his PB&amp;J and this would blossom a new special friendship. You blush and say “Thank you”. This pair would continue noticing each other at school. No matter how little the interaction could be, like walking by each other in the hallway, they would always now seem to notice each others presence. It was not how it was like before, the feelings of butterflies would continue to grow and grow.

Average teenage Mexican-American girl from Orange County. enjoys Thai food and angry girl music.

"A Real Teenage Story" Inspiration: Concrete Walls and Sunshine. A jungle of concrete. If taken to the mouth, you'd surely have a mouth full of teeth, I keep thinking. But there's just something about the way the concrete soaks up the sunlight and radiates into my cold body. My hair has been dyed blonde, in attempts to have more fun. kidding. I just wanted to be one with the sun, in a place where blank white walls try to contain the insurmountable amount of colors that are contained here at Garden Grove High. Every so often I wont realize it's late start and every single time I'll feel the immense disappointment and pain of what could have been 2 extra hours of sweet snoozing. but today..today my eyes laid on the boy with an olive green shirt, warm brown hair, and a guitar in hand. Pretentious. JUST HOW I LIKE EM.

"They love You. They really do!" by Naydelin Peralta

Naydelin Peralta a "normal" average teen age girl who likes to read book, likes to cook, she's good with house cleaning and doesn't really have a problem with doing it ,she loves art a lot !! :) . She loves to write she started writting back in the 5th grade, but then stopped because

Inspiration: You enter another reality where you encounter your favorite TV show character. The first thing they say is, "I love you." I'm at school like any other day :( . Uhhhhhh I hate school! Why did I even come today? I usually don't mind being here at school, but today has been a bad day, so far. I doubt that it can get any worse. What ?! I walk into my classroom and immediately regret doing so. I thought Mr.Villa wasn't going to be here today. It looks like he's mad already . Actually, I'm not surprised. That is the usual state of things, . He is usually mad, anyway. But, I guess today he's a little more mad than usual . I am about to take a seat when I suddenly start feeling sick! Huh? Why am I feeling so sick? I can't deal with it anymore so I walk out of class. "Hey ! Where are you going?" Mr.Villa asks you. "Uhh, Well I'm not feeling well so i'm going to the nurses office. Are you sure it's not just because you want to skip class again ? He says with an ugly stare . Umm yes i'm sure, i'm not trying to ditch your class today by that matter . You finally get out of class, “hmm should i really go to the office ?” I mean all their going to do is let me lay down or maybe they might just give me a heating pad . I don't think it's worth it you say to yourself . I'm just going to sit here on the bench instead, hmmm ? The classes are empty and teachers' voices echo out of the classrooms.

She walked around with the thought of what had happened. Every metal post, green bush,&nbsp;and school bench she passed reminded her of them. 	She now shined bright in the middle of the sun, hair blowing with the wind, following the rhythm of the air. 	In her head, clouds turned gray. The light, stolen from her. The warmth scared away. All that was left by the robbers were shadows and frigid air gusts. As a final symbol of vandalism, rain from all sides poured down. She wished, she would have gotten a sign like this a few days ago, to dispute with her. To make her not want to go. But there was no sign. There never is and that is why today, she is where she is. In the middle of a hurricane. A level 5 storm named after herself. 	That is what you get when you walk around school alone and cold without a sweater and pretend that you are okay.

With hints of purple desperately trying to burst through the yellow clouds. the people are frozen in their places. The girls with pompoms for hands frozen in the air. The nachos in the lap of a supporting friend in the midst of spilling as they jump up to cheer. I look down to see my hair still blowing in the wind but the girl next to me, her hair is as still as a wall. A strong blast of thunder causes the whole structure to sway in the strong wind. The rain and wind becoming stronger as the drops begin scraping my skin. The only thing my mind was telling me to do at this moment was get to the solid ground. Obeying my instincts, my feet take me carefully down the slippery metal steps. Each strong gust of wind causing me to grab onto the side railing. 	Finally, solid ground. It felt like a miracle. The wind howls and blows my hair from my ear as if to whisper ¨listen.¨ Behind me, all the people are still frozen but the hallways are empty and lonely. The water drips from my hair and onto the ground making small wet circles on the blacktop. I look to the ground and see the water drops but also, dog pawprints. Confused, I looked around. A loud bard echoes through the hallway. The lights on the top of the hallway flickering off one by one and the sound travels closer and closer to me. The sound reaches my ears as the lights flicker back on revealing a glowing red and white dog standing at the end of the hallway. 	“Hello..?” I stammer. The dog’s ears perk up and out of instinct, the dog begins to run away. “Hey! Wait!” I start chasing after the dog, the slosh of the wet socks in my shoes combining with the splash of my feet hitting puddles of water on the ground. I keep running after the dog when I start to realize the dog the dog’s front right leg is missing. Who would leave a poor dog all alone in the cold rain? My legs take me through hallways and past classrooms that I've never been in, following this glowing red dog. 	“Where are you going?” I ask as the dog squeezes out the front gate. I carefully open the front gate and meet the dog at the large bronze statue. I think people here call it the “Argo head”. Makes sense considering the statue is literally the head of an argonaut.

I notice that the rain is still falling hard but I ceased to notice because my hair and clothes are already soaked. Another blast of thunder followed by a flash of lightning causes the dog’s ears to perk up again.The dog sits and I walk nearer and reach out my hand to pet it. I carefully rest my palm on the dogs head. Around his neck is a glowing golden collar made of fleece. Reaching down, I pinch the dog golden dog tag to reveal an engraved name, “Jason” spills from my lips and almost instantly the lightning begins glowing brighter and brighter, light flooding the area and blinding me. So much so that I fall backwards with a powerful push and land on the ground. 	As my sight begins to come back the first thing I see is a large man wearing old greek clothing and an argonaut helmet holding out his hand towards me. I’m literally going crazy. I’m dreaming or something. Well, I see no way out of this so I guess I’ll go with it.&nbsp;Assuming he wishes to help me to my feet, my hand grabs onto his and I’m swung up to standing. “Who..are you?” Is the only question I could bring myself to ask. “My name is Jason,” His glowing red cape blowing in the strong rainy wind and long golden necklace glittering each time the lightning flashes. “Why do you want to skip high school, child?” His heroic voice baffling me. “Um.. I don’t have any friends and probably never will and my classes are stressful and I don’t know I just want to be done with this already!” My confession making Jason’s facial expression drop. “Child, let me show you something.” He grabs my hand once again and pulls, forcing me to follow him. “Hey where are you taking me?” We arrive in front of a classroom with students waiting outside. But what I’m seeing is unusual. Although it is still pouring rain, the students and area around them are sunny and normal, almost as if I’m watching a video. “What is this Jason?” “Watch, child.” “Hi I’m Kelly,” a small girl says, talking to a familiar looking, tall, blonde girl. “Um hi I’m-” 	“Wait but thats me! How is that me? Where am I? What's happening?” I ask Jason. “Watch,” he commands. I obey and continue to watch. The two girls continue talking and walk in the classroom together, seeming to now be friends.

"Waiting for a title and an excuse" by Kimberly Gonzales

Inspiration: Explaining Tardies

I am 2 months away from graduating at garden grove high school. I currently live in Garden Grove and I'm 17 .

It was quiet and so peaceful until a very loud truck was roaming around&nbsp;and passed right by me and it felt as if I was just awaken out of my deepest sleep. Other than that, the weather made my day just a little better. 	Although the hot sun was out, when I stepped into the shade, chills appeared on my skin as I felt the cool breeze flowing in the air. 	I wish that I was in the park walking my dogs, but then I come back to reality and realize that I am stuck in my third period trying to figure out how to express my feelings in paper maybe even thinking about becoming a writer? 	Um... no. But, anywho, just two more classes to go and that’s one less day until graduation. Wow! Just saying that word gives me the chills, to think that 4 years ago I would tell myself, "What a misery... I’m a Freshman starting high school," and now I’m just four months away from achieving one of the most exciting but scariest events in my life. 	Until then, I guess l’ll just continue to think about what I’m going to eat for lunch, or what is another excuse I can give my mom for always being late to class.

“And you’re thinking about this now?” he chuckles sarcastically. I couldn’t help but crack a smile. He leans over and nudges my shoulder. “What’s wrong with existing? We create new experiences everyday, all the time. Just merely existing is a grand adventure already.” 	The rush of the last four years swims through my head. All the memories of faces, names, stories. And then I see her face. Her smile. All the words I never said. The words I wanted to say. Nostalgia turns into regret. 	“I’ve spent my life playing it safe,” I say still looking out to the field and the resting sun. “It was enough for me. Just existing was enough. But I want more, Jay.” Her voice runs through my head and all the inside jokes we have. “She makes me want more,” I face him now. “Merely existing doesn’t cut it anymore.” 	I think of the time I didn't raise my hand. Or when I didn't stand up to cheer for my team. The time I didn't read in front of the class. The time I didn't hang out after school because I claimed "I don't feel up to it." And the time I wanted to go to the dance but never asked the girl two rows away from me. The time I wanted to tell her that her eyes are beautiful but was too nervous. It all comes rushing through my head. 	Jay is looking at me. Really looking at me now. 	"You're acting like it's too late," he smiles. 	I pull out my phone and click in the calendar app. The illuminating screen shows the date, "June 1st." I hold the phone up to his face. 	"In case you haven't noticed, we graduate in a two weeks. I don't know what I-" 	He reaches in his pocket and pulls out two pieces of paper. Jay shoves them in my face, the tickets reading "PROM: admission for 1," on each piece.

"What is this?" 	"You know what it is. Take it." 	"Jay, I can't do-" 	"Go ask her. Right now. It's not too late." 	I try to respond but I don't know what to say. The words won't formulate. 	"How did you know I wanted to ask someone?" 	Jay laughs and connects his palm to his head. 	"It's not that hard to figure out," he answers, "Now go ask her. Prom is tomorrow."

When they know what you've done they grab you by the leg and pull you down into hell. The day was hot and sunny, and she could feel sweat beading on her forehead for two reasons. She knew what she did was wrong, and she knew that at any moment they find out. She should have hid it better, she should have said what's been going on. Shed surely be called up to the office any moment now. Her shoulder length black hair covered her face from the curious stares people were giving her. She should have never came here, if only her brother understood that school isn't safe for her anymore. Any moment now, any time...She knew it'd happen soon, that's what it said in the contract. She's breathing heavily and dew drop tears bead in her eyes. She can't believe she actually did this, she can't fathom it at all. She's being shot into a full blown panic attack when it starts. A strange sound drifts through the air, and it's getting louder and louder. She looks around frantically, head whipping side to side. It seems no one else can hear it, but that's impossible. It's so incredibly loud.

My name is Shannon Carter and I was named after a character from the movie Far and Away that features horrible Irish accents, and Tom Cruise. I'm pretty trash at everything except for eating and singing Ed Sheeran word for word. I'm constantly intrigued by horror stories of any kind, from Freddy Kruegar to Hannibal Lecter. But recently I've turned mushy so now I love romance stories more than I ever have before. I'm going to start trying to write romance more now, because i want to be good at everything.

"Can..." She croaks out, then clears her throat. "Can you hear that?!" She screams, a garbled and animalistic sound. 	A large group of boys turn to stare at her, worried expressions painting their faces. They ask her if she's okay, if she needs to go to the office, their voices are all drowned out by the sound. It almost sounds like sizzling flesh, like meat cooking. She has an image of her father grilling steaks and his satisfied smile when they were cooked to perfection. She's thrown out of her flashback with a start. 	A pool of black is spreading on the ground, slowly oozing outwards. Getting bigger and bigger, until it's as big as her. She feels like it will soon swallow her whole. She sees her reflection in it, as clear as a mirror. But it isn't really her. It's a darker, more corrupted version of her. It smiles at her, but it looks wrong. It looks like something trying to mimic a human. A decaying arm sprouts from the black and it’s long spindly fingers coils around her ankle. The hand feels like a hot coil, and it burns her flesh. She screams out for help and whips around to look for anyone who can stop the pain. Everyone is gone, and the sky is on fire. Ash falls slowly down from above, and everything radiates heat.

A Pastel Drawing

I am a Senior at Garden Grove High School, I live in a house, in a city, in a state, in a country, in a large world. I tend to write a mixture poems and stories--some symbolic, some not. Everything I write has a reason behind it...especially this one.

A white paper laid flat on a black desk surrounded by pastel pencils and chalk. With a single hand off to the side waiting, choosing as to what color to start with. The Sketch of the drawing was clear, a group of people all smiles on their faces staring back at the viewer. 	A hand grabbed a yellow pastel chalk dragging it along the page, the background now a bright yellow. The hand pressed a thumb smearing the chalk everywhere, but also being careful not to smear it onto the main focus of the piece, the group of people that stood in the center of the page. 	After hours and hours of smearing bright colors onto the picture making sure the group popped out the most, natural browns and skin tones mixed with light colors giving them sort of glow. Finally, the piece was finished the hand lay by the pastel piece, cramping and sore. A soft smile appears on the face of the artist, happy with the result. Taking two hands they lift the drawing into the suns light, it was a beautiful piece. Their eyes trailed from the background, a swirl of colors, to the group of friends in the middle.

"The Day We Met" by Jesus Figuroa Inspiration: 	You are walking into your next period when you notice that girl. The one you have liked since you saw her way back in elementary. You wonder why you only run into her when you are dressed horribly. You also wonder if she likes you just as much. You collide into her and make her drop all of her papers and other objects. 	You are most confident when you are most clumsy because at least you can ask, "Are you okay?" 	You break a sweat. You feel a bruise coming on from bumping into the corder of her binder. Luckily, nobody was hurt severely. You help her pick up her papers. She looks awkward at you. You looked at her the same way. 	You want to ask her what she is going to do after school. You want to know if she will let you walk with her. Whether she will let you carry her books. Maybe buy her some Almond Haus to sip on the way home. Maybe she will add you on Snapchat? 	You don't ask her. You just look at her. She just looked at you and speed walked away. She is always in a hurry. You just stand there. You are never in a hurry. 	The bell rings. 	You wonder if you will ever actually talk to her one day.

Joseph Voda is the coolest guy ever and he deserves a scholarship, if you are rich you should totally be friends with him because he is a good guy and he will not use you for your money because he is totally not a psychopath &gt;:DD, also he is an aspiring psychologist that wants to become a professor and wants to teach at only the most prestigious university.

The sun was bright so David partially closed his eyes while walking to his normal lunch spot a little table all by himself he sat there eating his ramen, very content with life and all he has been through then suddenly he felt a hand on his back and tensed up.He turns around ecstatically hoping for something other than what he got, Oskar a short athletic fellow greeted him much to his displeasure. “Hey Oskar.” “Hey David.” They went through their usual routine watching people walk through the quad marching on with the slow and steady pace of their lives like salmon moving upstream for some indiscernible the boys mouthed near inaudible seemingly random numbers 6, 3, 2, ewwww 1, 6 no wait 7. David looked at one girl and locked up like a deer in headlights. Oskar saw this and said “no” David replied “why not” Oskar said; “she’s mine.” Unfortunately for David, Oskar was always better with girls and David couldn’t really do anything about that, this little thing harbored the perfect environment for David to grow resentful of his friend. David struggled to acknowledge it, but he was jealous he tried to justify his lack of charm with his marginal advantage in spatial reasoning and cognitive ability over his friend “but what good is knowing if you can’t act.”

"Bad Ghost" by Bao Phan Inspiration: The ghost of GGHS comes to haunt a group of knucklehead kids at school. It is a windy day. It's cold. A group of kids come to GGHS to find a ghost. The school in empty. Nobody is in GGHS, for some reason. The wind blows slowly and shuffles leaves. No matter. The group of kids are determined to find a ghost. 	They yell loud to make the ghost mad. You see they know the ghost is still asleep. The wind blows stronger and colder. It makes the kids afraid but they act brave and keep looking for the ghost. 	The ghost awakens startled at the sound of the kids. It's annoyed. It was hoping to sleep in because it's the weekend. He grumbles at having to haunt on the weekend. It's given no choice. He has a job to do. He starts moving through the hallways to haunt the group of kids. It dodges any place that is sunny. He's hopes the kids will get scared and go home, so he can go back to 	The weather is nice. That is what the group of kids think. They don’t know the ghost makes the school colder. They keep walking and see a girl talking to her friends and laughing. The girl does not look familiar. Every time her mouth opens there is nothing but empty echo that comes out. The laughter of her friends are high pitched yelps. They have no face. Then they see a boy calling for someone. 	After that they see a boy talking with his friends. Every time his mouth opens, there is nothing but an empty echo that comes out. The laughter of his friends are also high pitched yelps. They have no face.They know that something is not right. Nobody in supposed to be at school but a lonely ghost. Why do they see people with no faces, yelping in conversations, and the uproar of angry birds?

About the author 	Mattea Isley is a senior at Garden Grove High School. From the beginnings of her childhood, she has always had a love for visual and performing arts. From photography to art to dance to writing. She recently discovered a passion for writing. She takes inspiration from experiences she has had and creates pieces of writing that she hopes can make readers feel emotional.

¨Jason¨ Drawn by Melvin Bautista a senior at Garden Grove High School

Starter: It's raining in NYC and you see a dog wandering the streets, you walk closer and realize he's missing his front right leg. You're 14 years old living with only your mom. Do you bring the dog home? Or do you leave it out for the unknown? Will you hide the dog or confront your mom? I see the cold metal seats around me shaking as the crowd roars. An egg shaped ball rolls off the fingers of number 15, travels through the air over numbers 28 and 6 and splats into the gloved hands of number 81. The tangy smell of melted cheese smothered over crunchy salty chips fills my nostrils. The scent becoming stronger with every nearing movement of the person holding the snack. The wind blows my hair out of my face with a gentle caress and kisses my cheek sending a chill throughout my body. Up here, the buildings below are almost small enough to move like the furniture of a doll house. Up here, the players look like tiny ants. Their ¨jock like cockiness¨ dulled by the helmet on their heads. This place is somewhere you go for a limited number of reasons, PE, sports, or graduation. But even still, the claustrophobic aura of people around me does not overpower the lurking feeling of loneliness. I'm only up here because my mom said I should. It being freshman year and all, I should start getting involved ¨right off the bat¨. As much as I'd like to disagree, she's right. So now, I'm here. Sitting in the cold, cramped and alone. Surrounded by people, but very much alone. The roar starts up again. And knowing no one could hear me over the crowd I yell, “I WISH I COULD JUST SKIP HIGH SCHOOL!!” The amplified yells and cheers of the audience begins to echo in my head. The large man beside me raises up his arms and they get closer to my head. Just before the mans large arm hits me in the head it stops. Everything around me stops. The world around me is silent, except for the loud boom of the thunder and bright flash of lightning. I look up and millions of raindrops begin falling on my face dampening my hair. The sound of the drops bouncing melodically on the seats around me interrupted by blasts of thunder. My eyes dart around, above me, around me and below me. The sky is a dark cold grey like a cup of tea with way too much milk that you forgot about.

This book is dedicated to all story starters.

She wants to check her leg, but the fear of what it will look like strikes her. With a deep breath in and out, just like her Dad taught her, she moves to see her leg. Her eyes travel slowly down her thigh to her calf to the place where the hand touched her. Her skin is completely intact, not a burn in sight. Scorch marks outline the shape of the hand, charcoal black against pale milk. 	“Are you surprised?” a raspy voice mutters out. Above her a looming figure stands, he has no face. In the place of his face, there’s swirling black smoke. He offers his hand to her, and waits patiently for her to take it. 	“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.” He whispers playfully, and ducks his head. The smoke flows up over his hair and clears from his face. She takes his hand. He hauls her up and she braces herself against his chest to avoid from falling.	He chuckles and takes her by the shoulders, and starts to lead her down the halls of her school. Once they reach the front gate where the street is supposed to be, there is only fire. He turns to her, and bends down slightly to lock eyes. She feels a spike of cold run down her spine when she looks into his icy eyes. There is power in him, she can feel it crackling at their feet. The man takes her head in his hands and says despite himself.&nbsp; 	“I am to take you to him, now.” he says seriously, but she can feel waves of sadness crashing from him. “But I know what you have done, and I know why you have done it.” Crystal tears pool in his eyes, and spill down his face, quickly being replaced with the oily black smoke. “I know what that boy did to you, Clara.” He finally says, and she’s pulled back down into that moment. A fever of rough hands and yelling, waking up with bruises and a bone deep pain. Something should’ve never happened to her, something that wasn't her fault. Something that was forgotten.That boy’s face, one she will never forget, one that haunts her dreams. The boy that got away with it. Trips to the police station, doctors poking and prodding and sampling her, a failed trial, her father’s suicide. It all started with that boy.

She’s shaken from her episode when the man kisses her on the forehead, and hums the three special notes. Her eyes widen with the realisation. 	“Dad?” She mutters, too shocked to put any weight in her voice, too tired to try. 	“No, no. I am not your father.” He laughs with no humor, and looks off into the endless fire around them. 	“Then how did you..?” She breathes, her eyebrows bunch up and her nose twitches, just like it always used to when she was younger. 	“I remember, he called you bunny because of that. Your little nose always twitching when you found a mystery. You’ve always been a little detective.” He looks at her with a soft smile, and waits for something to appear on her face, but it doesn’t. “You don’t belong here, Clara. You won’t stay. What happened to that boy was justice, and you won’t suffer because of that.” He says, decisively He reaches for her hands and kisses each of them softly, then meets her eyes. 	“Wait! If you’re not my father, then how do you know?” She asks, urgently. Desperate for any sort of answer from this man, this man so familiar yet so strange. This man that radiates her father, with every blink or playful smirk. “Why do you feel like him?” She asks, the force leaving her voice. He doesn’t answer her, he just looks at her, the smoke swirling down to cover his eyes, then his nose, but just before it swirls over his mouth, he leans down to whisper. 	“Well, that’s just another mystery, isn't it?”

The grey rain starts and Jason yanks my hand once again. Dragging me to another classroom but inside this time. The students are sitting in their seats. It seems to be an english class. There she is, the girl, I mean me. She seems happy. “Okay sophomores! Who knows the answer?” The future me raises her hand and responds with a creative and well thought out answer. She smiles before what seems like a premonition fades away again. 	“Next, child, follow me.” Not really having a choice, I follow Jason. He takes me to the school auditorium, “Don Wash”. We sit in the audience and look at the stage. The stage slowly lights up and music begins to play as future me prances onto the stage. She moves with a genuine fluidity, her movements displaying confidence. Confidence that I never thought I would have. She turns gracefully and stops as the music ends. Cheers and clapping erupt from the audience. I can feel a sense of happiness and gratitude in my chest because that girl up there, she’s me. “Jason, why are you showing me this?” “You will know soon enough, child.” “Way to be cryptic dude.” I scoff. “Last one. Follow me.” 	At our last stop, we arrive at the field. The grass is full of chairs and students sitting in them. They’re wearing red caps and gowns, this is graduation. My graduation. “Congratulations graduating class of 2018!” The caps are thrown into the air and cheers ring through the crowd of people. 	“Come here, child.” Jason says and puts a hand on my back. He leads me towards the metal structure and we start to walk up the steps. “You see child, despite the stress you have now, things will get better.” “I just don’t understand!” I stop walking and turn towards the giant, glowing argonaut man standing in front of me. “Why do I have to waste an entire 4 years of my life in this place. Why can’t you just poof me to graduation day. Look it was right there!” I exclaim pointing to the now wet, empty field. “Listen, these 4 years of your life will go by in the blink of an eye, child. High school may be stressful and frightening, but along with the bad times there will be happy times, accomplishments and learning experiences,” Jason explains, his cape blowing in the wind as if there should be some epic soundtrack in the back.

“So what are you telling me?” I ask curiously, furrowing my brow. “Child, remember these words, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and what you learn on your way..” His voice fades out as he begins to fade as well. The bright light blinds me again and the glowing crimson dog is sitting beside me. He gives my arm a small but affectionate sniff and disappears at the crack of thunder and flash of lightning. 	I find myself sitting once again on the cold metal seat, surrounded by people. The crowd roars, just where they left off. “What just happened?” I ask myself. “Was I dreaming?” My thoughts are interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Text from Mom saying “I’m here to pick you up I’m by the argo head” is displayed on the screen. I walk down the bleachers and towards the front of the school. When I see her car my walking pace quickens into a run and I begin to open the door and get in. As I’m running, out of the corner of my eye I swear I saw the glowing red and white dog sitting by the argo head standing by Jason, who is giving a slight nod to me. “Hey how was the game?” My mom asks as I get in the car, “And why are you soaking wet?” “Mom you’ll never BELIEVE what happened! I think I’m going to like high school!” “Well it sounds like you had a good time! You can tell me all about it on the way home!”

A Real Teenage Story

I'm from Garden Grove and go to GGHS. I am a senior and ready to get my story published. I hope too gain recognition and respect from well known authors.  

"AP Chem is so much fun huh!" he said unenthusiastically to Patricia. 	Peter was a quarter into his science class and was already over it. His only friend in the class was his partner Patricia. 	 	She responded, "Oh I know right, especially with the work we're assigned," with the same energy Peter gave her. 	AP Chem would be the bane of Peter's senior year. Instead of going out, he would stay home studying and working on his school work. Patricia on the other hand was more laid back and copied Peter's work but he did't mind since they had known each other since elementary. ​Both of them were ready to graduate and start their lives in June.

"Tyreeses Pieces" Inspiration: This was not Trisha's idea.

Tyrese Thong Tyrese is an average Cambodian guy trying his best to get through life with utmost enjoyment for everything that goes on in his life. Not particularly exceptional in writing but enjoys doing so, however, never on his own.

The PDA beeps…“Attention, Students and Teachers, this is a lockdown. Please lock your doors immediately.” “Oh god, there’s a lock-down and I’m stuck in the restroom. What the heck is going on? Alright, alright...stay calm. Think. What should I do?” Quickly, I unlatch the stall’s door so it could appear as if no one were here but I would still be unrevealed because the door is slightly closed. “Alright, I can’t stay here, right? I mean, I would eventually get found if not immediately. God, I hope it’s not a shooter.” Immediately I hear, “Pop! Pop! Pop!” followed by screams. I can only assume are victims of the noises. I pick up my things and peak my head out the restroom door to see if there is anyone. No one's there, thank god. I sprint in the opposite direction I thought the noise came from. I see the clock tower in the distance and I run towards it. I quickly make a left toward the front of the school. Before I get pass the first aisle of classrooms someone grabs me by the back and turns me towards them. They have a gun. Fuck. "Hey man, don't worry it's jUsT a PraNk"

Ms. Alba The author is a teacher at Garden Grove High School. She does not write very often because she teaches writing, but she started her career in dreaming to be an author way back in the day when she found super powers hidden in a box of Crayola Crayons. Sometimes, when she gets a moment, she writes stories that are funny and sad and sometimes shocking and dramatic. She currently lives in a home on a street in a city of a county that's in a state that's in a nation full of pets and people.

"Title" by Author Inspiration: An assignment \ asks for a story to start and happen at Garden Grove High School with a character in the middle of an action. 	The story goes like this: First, something happened, and then... 	It all went like that. From the beginning of time. You know that story. I know that story. We all know that story...Once upon a time, in a land far far away, before this and after that, nothing had happened yet and everything was just stuff. Dust and matter and chaos. Everything held its breath waiting for a beginning that involved a protagonist who looked for a problem to solve. Yes, they looked for a problem to solve because without it, life just passed. One thing came after another then came another and another without even a comma to interrupt the flow of everything that was nothing all the time. 	So then, came the person. First with a hazy blob of a face topped with a mop of dark. Gray blurs for eyes. Their arms flopped lazily at their sides as they walked into the margin. Lost. Aimless. Alone. But wait...! 	Before the person, came the creative urge or the assignment. Make a story. Take this blob of something and fill it with the breath that is your point of view. Set them in the hall, bumping into someone, looking for something in their backpack, dreaming of yearning for another day another place another time. Checking their phone obsessively, anxiously, curiously.

Preston Charles Courtney was born in Dublin, Ireland to an Irish father and a Belgian/Israeli mother. From a young age he's always liked rhyming be it in poems or rap. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in year five of secondary school and nearly three years later to Garden Grove, California. Being something of a history buff many of his pieces of works tell a historical story and teach you something.

People dislike this high school and that scares me, Because on the contrary I think it's pretty cool, I've been places believe me, That made me life quite the opposite of easy, Now don't get me wrong, Boston was me home and for Dublin City me heart will always long, I've been up and down the rocky road, Through storms of rain and snow, Now I've traveled across the sea and found a gold fleece, Went coast to coast, North, South, West, and East, All this traveling has me beat, So I'll rest here awhile longer to rest me weathered feet, I may not stay but listen when I say, This is the best place I've yet come to face, Garden Grove won't be the resting place for me bones, But the relationships I've grown slow the inevitable roam from home, Like I said I'll stay for now, But the time will come when I'll say farewell, Actually depending on the circumstances I may just say go to hell.

"Why are there so many seagulls?" ___ said. "I don't know but its almost like they're watching us."

Cira Isabel Hernandez was born in Santa Ana, CA. She grew up in San Juan Capistrano and in summer of 2017 and then began to move and has now gone to 4 different high schools and is now currently attending Garden Grove High School. In her past time she likes to read sci-fi fantasy books and adores everything Marvel. She has 2 pets a dog named Misha and a pet cockatiel that she loves very much. She normally writes more personal 

I take my first step into school and I already dread the school day coming ahead. The first four classes pass quickly and its soon lunch and here comes what the worst part of this school is, the damn seagulls. They’re everywhere, every perimeter of the school. I hear a sudden shout “Preston!” I look over to see my friend Simon waving his arms like a mad man. I walk over to him and the group and greet my friends. Everything’s fine until i see a sudden flash on the left side of my face. I look to left of me and see nothing but a seagull pecking at some left over food some students left. I look around and see nothing that could've possibly taken a picture of me.I ignore and continue to speak to my friends. I couldn't help but always look around to see if i could catch the person in the act of taking a picture of me but nobody ever showed any signs. 	I see a seagull swoop down and eat some more leftovers of students who could not bother cleaning up their own mess. Maybe if the kids at this school could bother cleaning up there wouldn't be so many damn seagulls. My friends suddenly wake me from my thoughts and . A second later the bell rings and i cant find my glasses i tell my friends to go off without me. I look everywhere they could possibly be and don't find them. I hear a sudden squawk and look up and there they are my glasses and next to them a seagull. The seagull looks straight into my eyes. I slowly start walking towards the seagull when suddenly it starts pecking at my glasses. i soon begin to realize that I've been surrounded by seagulls. I suddenly feel a small pinch on my neck and begin to feel myself falling ,suddenly everything goes dark. 	I wake up in an empty classroom and my whole body aches. I look around the room and see no one. I try to remember what happened but everything seems fuzzy. 	After a couple minutes the door opens but nobody comes in I begin to question what opened the door but then see two seagulls appear from the corner of the desk. I begin to feel confused and wonder how possibly a seagull could've opened the door when a familiar face walks in. I let out a sigh of relief ,"Shannon, what is going on and why are we in an empty classroom?" She doesn't answer me and only continues to walk behind the two birds

I am from anacrime and i am awaiting to graduate to go onward with my life. 

Inspiration: “Earphones in, music up high and ignoring everybody for the day.” With just a small peek, you can almost feel his vibe hit you. He isn’t being loud and goofy. In fact, he’s calm and quiet. His earphones are both in and you can hear his music ruining his hearing. He didn’t go through his routine of handshakes he usually goes through when he first meets up with his friends. Instead, today he just sat down. He just sat in our tagged up benches without a sound of a word. Throughout each class period he remained numb. Having the same still face from when I first saw him this morning. What could possibly be wrong that brings a whole new person today? This school day was the complete opposite of what our normal school days looked like. Raymond wasn't jumping around the quad being loud and funny. Instead, he's was far from his normal self. As if it wasn't actually him roaming the halls of Garden Grove. As usually, after the 4th period bell rang, we all made our way to the benches where we met everyday. Today was different. Raymond wasn't on his way to his normal spot on the benches where he'd jump around and be crazy. Instead he was being escorted to the office by police officers on both sides of him. We were all shocked and confused at what we had just witnessed. "What the hell's going on with him?" I shouted. We continued to question each other about our dear friend until our good friend Noah came rushing in to break through our circle. "Guys Raymond's in trouble!" Noah blurted. The group suddenly paused after hearing Noah shout. To Be Continued...

The author is a senior at Garden Grove High School graduating with the class of 2018. He usually only writes when they are in their third period but he sometimes revises his work at home. Their stories mostly take place in a fantasy setting inspired by real life events or locations like WW1. He lives in Orange County CA close to the elementary school that has partly inspired the piece you're about to read.

"The Fast Food Demon" Inspiration: The story starter/starters that inspired this piece were S/He looked outside the window...and S/He felt so happy as they laid next to.... Timmy looked outside the window of the classroom to see a beautiful display of trees and bushes. It was nice and peaceful with the sunlight gently illuminating the flora. He felt so happy as he laid next to the window with his pain and worries being washed away by the gentle sunlight trickling down upon the peaceful earth outside. Its fourth period and lunch is about the start. Ten minutes later the bell rings and the class leaves to lunch. “Wonderful” he thought “It will be nice to sit on a bench and admire the scene from a different angle.” All was going well, strangely enough this lunch period was peaceful as well. Nobody made a ruckus and the hallways weren’t so cluttered. Pleased by this he admired the trees in peace. He smiled but then frowned as he caught someone moving down the hallway from the corner of his eye. The individual was wearing yellow and red clothing with white and red makeup plastered on his face. A yellow “M” motif was sewn into the front of their yellow jumpsuit. He also sported a red afro with matching red boots. Alerted by the afro clowns presence Timmy froze in fear. “Its him!” He screamed internally. “Ronald McDonald.” Smelling Timmy’s fear Ronald started to walk toward Timmy with the moves of a Team Skull Grunt. When R.McD made it to Timmy he smiled and said “May I have a seat”? Taking immediate action Timmy fled the scene remembering the bad review he left at McDonalds. “No no no” Ronald chuckled. “Nobody says my Mcnuggets are putrid slime and gets away with it.”

Story Starter: On the night of Friday the 13th, a group of students encounter the ghost of GGHS in the hallways. Story: On the night of Friday the 13th, a group of teenagers are curious to how the new Michael A. Monsoor Field turned out. John, the leader of the group, says "Hey are you guys down to sneak into school tonight?" "Sure bro, esketit" said Robert. The group of boys sneak out of their house precisely at 11:00 PM. They all decided to meet up at the library and skated the way there. "Hey guys, isn't this school haunted?" Eleanor nervously said. "Psh, no ghosts aren't real Eleanor, stop being a wuss!" John exclaimed. "Okay." The group explore the school grounds only to hear the faint cries of a girl. In the distance, they see a person on the floor. As they come closer to investigate, They see a girl lying down on the floor screaming that there is debris on her. John runs up to the girl, but as he was getting closer she disappeared. "What the hell, you guys saw someone too right?" exclaimed John. "We should probably dip now guys" Robert said. "What the fuck Eleanor, did you really piss your pants?!" "LOOK BEHIND YOU" Eleanor screamed. John slowly turns around to only see a girl in a white dressing floating. "Hi my name is Lizzie, it's been so long and lonely here." "YO, sorry but I gotta go home" John said. "NO! you're new home is here and you're going to stay here with me forever!" Lizzie screams. Everyone screams their ass off and runs like hell towards the gates. But she had closed all of the gates the moment they got close to it. Lizzie kills all 3 of the boys and the boys are never to be seen again. The End.

"Counting the days" by Nataly Vargas

Nataly Vargas, she was inspired by the tough parts of her high school years. The days pass by and she sees how fast that day will arrive that she will feel she finally accomplished something. An 18 year old girl finally proud of herself filled with so many things coming her way.

Inspiration: Duh! It says in the title.

August 30,2017.. First day of senior year. June 1st, 2018..&nbsp;The month we all have been waiting for. June 2.. The day we dress with our nice suits or dresses and prepare for prom. June 13.. One day before graduation. June 13.. All seniors practicing for tomorrow. June 14.. Who ever knew specific dates later in life will be something so big. June 14.. The day we finally convert into adults and go into the big world. No more people deciding whether you go to school or not or people deciding what you have to do. It becomes your decision after that day. No more seeing the same people you see at school whether it was your friends or those annoying loud surroundings. No more breakfast burritos or waiting in the lines for your lunch. Feels like it was just yesterday that you were walking to your history class and you accidentally dropped your book, or even your burrito.

Mya Shimizu Mya Shimizu is a senior at Garden Grove High School. She enjoys writing about the lesbian ranch and other gay stories. Her queer inspiration comes from the lack of representation of lgbt persons of color in YA fiction novels.

"Title" By Mya Shimizu Inspiration: The soon closing chapter of high school creates nostalgic and regretful memories. The orange and pink stripes smear the sky, painted across the wide canvas. The cold air sends a shiver down my spine. Sitting on this cold metal bench doesn’t help my case, freezing my ass. The sun is being called to sleep but isn’t ready yet. It just rest, slowly setting. The once vibrant football field that sits in front of me is silent. It’s a peculiar feeling I’m not used to. It’s calm. Campus looks so small from up here. I see the deserted hallways so empty it feels wrong. The tiny classrooms we spend half of our lives in droop in color, looking dead. All the outdated posters flood the quad. From up here, it looks like a bunch of colors fading from the paper skin. The top of the bleachers is lonely yet comforting, my voice sounds so small up here. The field is always buzzing with life. The teams, the spectators, the lights, the adrenaline. It’s all gone, leaving this grass field in it’s own beauty. Sitting up here, I can’t help but think I’ve done it all wrong. High school was supposed to be wild, unforgettable, extraordinary. Regrets stampede through my mind. “I thought I’d find you up here,” a voice softly calls to me. I avert my eyes to the body walking towards me to the top of the bleachers. I recognize the face of Jay coming up, taking two steps at a time. My eyes turn back to the empty field. Jy sits down as we sit in silence. It feels like eternity before I brake the comfortable silence. “Do you ever feel like you just haven’t done enough?” I ask. His head turns towards me, nothing escaping his lips. “As if we are just here. Existing. Doing enough to get through the day.” We both turn to the vacant football field and think.

What was that ?! You just heard a noise, but you don't know what that was ? Your walking around to see if you can find what made that noise . Huh? there it is again what is that noise " I love you" , that's all you hear before the random portal noise goes away . What was that all about ? Who on earth would say that .....pshhh but of course no one would say that what am i saying ?!

Anastasia

"When you asked for something small, you get something big instead." - 	A loud bang had occurred inside this dark interior. A girl in her youth found it hard to wake up from her concussion from a fall. She couldn't recall what had happened before finding herself waking up to an irritating headache. What did she fall from? How did she even get here? Where is she? Questions came down on her like a heavy rainstorm about to drown an entire city. Luckily, it wasn't too dark for her to see since there was a dim light in the distance. With no other choices to decide on, she chose to walk towards the light. Weird, She thought to herself. There are no doors here. 	She was a little surprised she could remember what a door was, despite still having the headache. Instead of the usual entryway, she walked through walls that were so tall, it felt like standing before the Eiffel Tower. Her curiosity exploded and she thought she heard fireworks. But on the bright side, she was getting closer to the light. Literally. 	The excitement overpowered her emotions and she jogged towards the light. The jog turned into running, then her running turned into sprinting. It took seconds for her to reach the end of the tunnel, but it struck her like a ball to the head. Before her was a colossal size of a bag chip, Cheetos. This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream. 	She stumbled back a little before falling onto her bottoms out of utter shock. This was impossible. It was when she knew, that wherever she was, she had to get out of there quickly. She ran past the giant snack, panting heavily. But the brighter the light got, the more her eyes were blinded by it. And little did she know, there was more where that Cheetos came from! The girl was about ready to faint when she saw an entire wall of snacks.They were barricaded with spiral, metal things that keep them from falling and giving customers a jackpot.

And with that the chase was on. Timmy screamed for help as confused spectators looked on and Ronald pushed through groups of people like a one clown battering ram. Seeing he might lose Timmy, Ronald called for backup. From the shadows Grimace and the Hamburgler appeared and blocked Timmy’s path down Golden fleece. Timmy with one thought in mind “escape” then made a left to Heritage Hall because he knew that there was someone there that may be able to help him. He made his way to the class of Mr. Griffin and slammed the door behind him. "Woah whats up with you?" Mr. Griffin asked. "Hes here" Timmy gasped. "The dark lord of diabetes"! Mr. Griffin nodded quickly realizing the severity of the situation and grabbed a kazoo from his desk drawer. Timmy looked on in awe, baffled that Mr. Griffin wielded such a powerful instrument. "Isn't that the legendary gold kazoo of the Burger King"!? Timmy exclaimed. "It is indeed" Mr. Griffin said calmly. "With this the clowns fate is sealed". "But were did you find it" asked Timmy curiously. "Why it was in an old storage facility along with many gold plated pokemon cards" explained Mr. Griffin. And before Timmy could respond intense banging erupted on both of the class doors. "We know you're in there Timmy" Ronald called out. "Its the end of the line for you and your deceiving reviews!" Timmy froze in fear but Mr. Griffin confidently stepped toward the door with kazoo in hand. "Its time to put this clown down," he said cheesily.

He then proceeded to open the door while also playing the song "Staying Alive" on his kazoo. Ronald and his dark followers were blown back by the kazoos legendary power. They screamed in pain and pleaded for it to stop. But Mr. Griffin did not stop for he was about to end the evil tyranny of the Ronald McDonald. Ronald and crew tried to get up and fight back but the kazoos power was too much for them and when Mr. Griffin ended the song the McDonalds crew disintegrated and ceased to exist. Timmy looked on with an open jaw baffled at what he just saw. Mr. Griffin laughed and turned to him with a smile, "Well, you should go on and enjoy the rest of your lunch now."

Born on February 8th of 2003 Katie Hoang is a creative freshman in Garden Grove High School. Throughout her lifetime, many things inspired her; from songs to movies to nature. Her imagination soon came onto journals and google docs as of February 5th of 2018. Katie’s works are made to motivate people to live a healthier life without doubting themselves. Integrating descriptive sceneries and a fictional plot, she makes poems and stories for the people around her.

" Beautiful Motif " by Katie Hoang Inspiration: The students who walk down halls into classrooms. 	The teenagers with different personals and fashion sense, walk down the halls with rows of white lockers and into classrooms. 	It was a normal sunny day, like how any spring season should be. Bees buzzing into barely bloomed flowers. Butterflies fluttering their wings having the light breeze guide their direction. Seagulls flying up head in flocks of “v”s. Picture perfect is what someone&nbsp;from the photography class will call it. However, this wasn’t how this one individual would decipher it. 	She would describe her time in school, as the most depressing and torturous time of the day. Not because of the loads of homework and assignments. Not because of the packaged prison food served. But the people around her. “ What on earth is wrong with them?” she would ask herself. “Do they really have nothing else to do?" 	All day, every hour of her time in school is spent in fear. Fear of what she would become. Fear that she would end up like everyone else. The danger is real. 	Her name is Sophie Courtney. Sixteen years of age and at the prime of her life. Ladies her age and in this time would be doing one of the following: getting their license, hooking up with some “hotties”, constantly shopping till their legs go numb, or trying the newest trends from clothing to makeup to social media poses. Its basic in her opinion. Where’s the diversity? Did it go extinct, because that’s what it seems like in Sophie’s clear amber eyes. 	Not only were the high schoolers all alike in their way: liking the same thing, speaking the same way, having similar hair. It won't be surprising to mistaken one person as someone else, the similarities could go down to the smallest detail as a strand of hair. The only one currently different was her.

A boy falls in love with a girl with magical powers

Trisha Trang

The author is a seventeen year old with a passion for expressing herself through the art of drawing, makeup, poetry, and fashion. Shes like Miley Cyrus on the weekdays and Hannah Montana on the weekends. She considers herself quiet to strangers so no one would believe she was actually outgoing and a daredevil. She is smart but she is also lazy so that makes her dumb. She hopes to get back on her shit soon. To be continued..

For anyone who has ever played the game Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel.

Kagome returns from the Feudal Era with Inuyasha and makes it to Garden Grove High School just in time for class. Inuyasha waits impatiently in the halls until Kagome is done. As class ends, the teacher introduces a new student who goes by the name of Janis. Janis later goes to Kagome's house to ask for help with her homework. She opens a rusty door to find a well and felt curious to know what was inside. She fell through the doo rshe touched a Shikon jewel and it blended in with her body and awakened her Kamui powers. When she awoke, she climbed out of the well to see grass everywhere, which was the complete opposite from where she lived which was the city. She walked around the corner of a bush and stumbled upon someone or some thing. He stood up growling and rubbing the back of his head hovering over Janis. Kagome rushed over before Inuyasha caused any harm to Janis. Kagome shouted, "SIT BOY." Inuyasha fell face down to the ground and Kagome helped Janis up and asked her how she found this place. Janis explained that she discovered a well at her home and fell in accidentally. As they walked back to the well to return to their homes, two demons jumped at Janis. They paid no attention to Kagome or Inuyasha. Inuyasha was ready to fight them; however, it was too late as the two demons were in mid air with their claws out ready to shred Janis to pieces. Janis screamed and held her hand out and unleashed some powerful force that blew them back and disintegrated the demons into ashes. Kagome could not believe her eyes, muttering, she said, "Inuyasha.. I sense the shikon jewel inside of Janis's body." Inuyasha feels rather upset because he wanted it for himself so he could become a full fledged demon. Kagome and Janis return to their homes through the well. The next day, a boy walks up to Janis and confesses to her. Janis feels overwhelmed with everything that has been going on and rejects him. But he hasn't stopped trying, and he doesn't plan on stopping. Would he stop trying if he had known Janis now has magical powers? I close the book slowly and sink down into my chair. "I think that's enough manga for me for today."

June 14.. The day we will be sitting in the sun waiting for your name to be called up to get that diploma you’ve been waiting for your whole school life. Reminiscing on all the moments every since the first day of your kindergarden year or even the first day you walked into school freshman year. June 14.. The time and day we will prove all those people that doubted us wrong. We did we finally get to hear that saying and get told we are able to “move our tassel to the right side” Class of 2018 you made it. June 15.. A day after graduation day. We wake up and realize we now choose what we will do with our lives. June 15.. The day some of us know we'll be going to college, some of us will work, but some of us still don't know what will happen in September.

"Zombie Breakout" - Allison Romero Inspiration: A zombie apocalypse breaks out, the students barricade the school but the un-dead start getting in.

Allison Romero The author is a sophomore student at Garden Grove High School. They write when they are in third period, but they started their careers as authors way back in the day when they found their super powers in a box of Crayola Crayons.

It was just another sunny day with a cold breeze that sends a chill down your spine. Flags of all different countries have been hung and sway with the wind. Posters of coming events posted on every wall and hallway. Gates that hold back students from leaving school yet they still manage to sneak out. Everything was normal that day, no noise everyone in class but there was a slight change no teachers were around. Where had they gone? Is this a prank from the teachers? You hear a loud scream coming from the Argo Cafe. A girl is there trying to hold the door shut and she sees you and yells “HELP!”&nbsp;You rush over and hold the door with her and you ask her “What's wrong why are we holding the door down?”. The girl scared says “ I was trying to get breakfast when this disgusting looking person with green skin and ripped skin from there face and entire body.” You try to think what it could be and then you remember the only thing that it could be is a zombie but you can't be too sure because how is there a zombie in school. 	A couple hours pass and the thing behind the door finally calmed down and moved away from the door. You tell the girl your gonna try to find something to barricade the door. You find the janitor's closet in your luck its unlocked, you get wood nails and a hammer.&nbsp;You rush back and the girl helps you barricade. You two walk over to the gate and see nothing but cars parked. You decided to walk into a classroom and there was three other people, two guys and another girl. You tell them everything that has been going on and they all say “Lets barricade this school, this is our safe zone for now.” To Be Continued…

Introduction by Ms. Alba	p. 4 "Title" by Author p. X

Looking at the group, the artist felt a tighten in their chest. These people that they were looking at, it was hard to create the piece to begin with. Their heart felt warm yet it also hurt, they were happy and yet sad. As if drawing this group was in a sense of its own, torture. The realization of what this closing end actually meant. It was a closing of one chapter of their life and an opening of a new one. Lots of people from this chapter wouldn't make it into the new one. These people, these smiling faces that brought watery eyes forward, that made voices choke and hold in like a damn building up. These people were the ones that they were afraid to loose the most, but even if the artist never saw them again, even if life after high school had other plans for them. The pastel piece would serve as a piece with a purpose, to be a reminder of the friends they had and the memories they made, and that even if this was the last time they see these friends. They will always hold a special place in their memories and heart.

When the ghost comes near them, the wind stops blowing, the leaves stop moving, and the bird stop make the sound. The faceless kid clips suddenly disappear. Their laughs fade. The ghost opens its mouth to say something, but the group of kids can't understand the howls that come out of its mouth. The ghost disappears. Poor kids run out the school and they almost have a car accident. Now they know what the ghost said before. He died that way. Looking for one ghost and found more.

Giant fences also separated the snacks, so they had their own lines. At that moment she finally discovered, I'm stuck in a vending machine?! 	Before she could lose her consciousness again, sudden tapping and rustling startled her back to reality. As curious as she is, she walks closer to noise, almost wanting to risk the investigation, but also deciding whether to ignore it or not. She goes anyways. Seems like I wasn't alone this whole time. 	And she was right. As she got closer, she saw another girl trying to rip open an enormous chocolate bar, with a sword, that was 10 times her size. The clueless girl that was gazing at her was surprised she could still her, even when she was way in the back with 5 bars in front of her. Since she was able to fit the fences, she decided to walk towards the furious girl, slashing at the wrapper with all her might. The timid girl, on the other side, was clearly intimidated, but she had no other choice. 	"Hello." 	Within a blink of an eye, the sword whipped past her face, leaving a cut across her cheek. Yelping, she stumbled backwards and fell on her bottoms again. The other girl towered over her like a predator about slaughter their prey. 	"Who are you?!" 	She demanded an answer that was hesitant to be revealed. Below her was an innocent being who she just hurt out self-defense. Was it, truthfully? When she didn't receive an answer, it was the exact moment where she realized she had seriously agitated the poor soul.

Name

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