VAVA Beehive 2022-2023

The Beehive

VAVA Middle School’s Literary Magazine 2022-2023

Letter from the Beehive Staff

Dear VAVA Students, Families, and Staff,

Welcome back to VAVA Middle School’s literary magazine, The Beehive! We are proud to present the second edition of this publication, and we hope you are excited to see more authentic student work. After the success of our inaugural edition, which received a superior rating from the REALM committee, we worked hard to ensure this year’s edition is just as successful.

We’re grateful to each student that submitted their art. The creativity we saw from our VAVA community this year is nothing short of inspiring.

This magazine is made possible thanks to the hard work and collaboration of our literary magazine team. We hope you enjoy the second edition of The Beehive and that you’ll consider joining us next year through submission, editing, or design.

The Beehive Staff, Michael Bello, Abigail Bouse, Lilly Brennon, Savanna Legrand, Khemi Miles, Zoey Sanchez, Ansley Sizemore, Saniyah Watkins, Werdah Virk, Mrs. Anna Blake, Mrs. Cheri Norman, and Mrs. Shannon Robertson

The Beehive

Virginia Virtual Academy Middle School | Virginia | 2022-2023

CONTENTS

Smile by Jillian Black - - - - - - - - - - - –

Watercolor by Anastasia Book - - - - - - - - -

The Three Christmas Pigs by Nathanael Baber- -

Diego School by Diego Gonzalez - - - - - - - -

My Autobiography by Lilly Brenon - - - - - - -

Fish Care by Rayne Radcliffe - - - - - - - - -

Music by Adele Corso - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Illustration by Shi Crews- - - - - - - - - - -

A Burning Wish by Omar Daken - - - - - - - - -

Where is Honeybun by Auset Drakeford - - - - -

Where the Koi Fish Swim by Ashlynn Mason - - -

Group Projects by Micah Poe- - - - - - - - - -

Frog Painting by Denny Towslee - - - - - - - -

Operation Keep Clean by Joshua Rowe- - - - - -

Gears and Pipes by Luca Delgado- - - - - - - -

My Trip to Disney World by Luca Delgado- - - -

I Love You by Rowan Mundroff - - - - - - - - -

I Love You 2 by Rowan Mundroff - - - - - - - -

Family by Adele Corso- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bazaart by Winter Cox- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Smithsonian Castle by Abigail Bouse- - - - - -

The Riddles of Time by Diego Gonzalez- - - - -

Unexpected Visitors by Matthew Voorheis- - - -

Illustration by Mahnoor Danish - - - - - - - –

Warm Sunset/Sunrise Painting by Olivia Casey -

Photo by Rayne Radcliffe - - - - - - - - - - -

Lovely Sketch by Hana Hussein- - - - - - - - -

A Fox’s Mistake by Zoey Sanchez- - - - - - - -

Illustration by Sophia Quadrini- - - - - - - -

Journal of Bess Waldo Allison by Lilly Brenon-

Chill by Zoey Sanchez- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Painting by Hana Hussein - - - - - - - - - - –

Sea Angel by Yesha Dickens - - - - - - - - - -

Washington Monument by Abigail Bouse - - - - -

Staff Credits- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cover art by Maryum Haroon

*Warning, this horror story might be disturbing to some readers and may not be appropriate for those sensitive to horror and gore.

Smile: A Choose Your Own Adventure Horror Story

By Jillian Black

It was a gloomy, rainy Sunday evening. You were bored to tears so you decided to catch up on some desired sleep. You slip into your cozy bed and drift right into deep sleep.

Your peaceful sleep is interrupted by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. You sit up and look around in the darkness of the night. The clock on your nightstand reads 3:34am. You remember that there are no animals in the house and all of the doors and windows are closed and locked. What will you do next?

Go to page 2 to look around your house.

Go to page 4 to go back to sleep.

You decide to have a look around your house. You push your warm blankets to one side of your bed and put your feet on the cold, wooden floor. You grab a baseball bat from beside your nightstand and a flashlight. You start by looking under your bed – nothing. Your closet – nothing. You search the whole house and discover nothing that could have made that loud noise, so you head back to your bed.

Go to page 16 to continue

Watercolor by Anastasia Book

TheThreeChristmasPigs

By Nathanael Baber

Once upon a time in piggy land, There were three pigs living in the sand, One day they decided to build Christmas houses to live in.

One built his out of ornaments, One out of lights and pine tree branches, One, full of smart adornment, Built his (to decorate later) out of bricks.

One day a big wolf, Decided to see them inside and out, But when he saw the first house, He sat down to cry because He had none himself, But when the first little pig saw the wolf, He ran fast away to his braver bro.

The wolf tried out the house, But it came crashing down, So he followed the little pig right to the next house, But when and sat down to admire, The pigs ran to their other bro On a hill much higher,

But when the wolf got there, The first pigs at him glare, But their brother who was wise, Looked into the wolf’s eyes, And marched right out, Built the wolf a house that was not stout, And the wolf to thank him made a feast to share with him,

The other pigs were sad, But started getting mad At the wolf who did not give them A share of food so they stormed right out, Got the wolf in the snout, The wolf in fear, Started to tear, But the other pig made them full of fear, Said to them in the ear You did not help him, So why is it fair, That you should you get a share? Then he sat down in his seat, A Christmas meal to eat.

You decide that there is nothing to worry about and you should go back to sleep. You rest your head on your pillow and fall right back into peaceful sleep.

Go to page 16 to continue

Diego School by Diego Gonzalez

by Lilly Brenon

As I pressed the button to enter the game my palms began to sweat, knowing there was no chance of me getting elected, but I still pressed on. As the sound of clapping for the opponent's echoed through the loudspeakers, I felt my spirits sink deeper, and deeper.

I decided to take a break, and walk out to the basement’s big room where my dad had been playing video games. As soon as I sat down, he said, in an annoyed voice “Can you turn the volume down?,”

I rolled my eyes and added,“Could you help me become president?”

Surprisingly, he obliged. Soon we were having some father-daughter time taking over the virtual U.S. After about an hour—all while sitting comfortably on a couch–we had already taken over Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, and Georgia (now those are the only ones off the top of my head, at the moment)!

After about 30 more minutes, we were making ads and writing speeches. We were in the lead, but we only had 1 more week until the election.I wasn't sure we’d make it or not, but like I guessed, my Father worked hard, and we made it!

We had won by a lot of points!

A tab came up on the screen congratulating us on winning the election. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hadn't ever seen this before! Me a 12 year old had become president... that's not even LEGAL!! Then again, it is a video game. Why be a law-abiding citizen when you can do things like THIS?!

As soon as we were done celebrating, we went upstairs and the first thing I did was thank my dad. I said I couldn't have done it without him.

“You’re right! Your civics teacher should give you an A!” he replied.

I couldn't wait until the next time me and my dad could destroy opponents together!

Fish Care by Rayne Radcliffe

Music

by Adele corso

I can't stop dancing to the beat, I can't stop the shaking of my feet. I can't stop singing along, To this cheerful little song. I love listening to new tunes, They make me feel like bouncy balloons. Whether it's dark or whether it's light, Singing a song always feels right.

Illustration by Shi Crews

ABurningWish

By Omar Daken

Several horrible, blistering hours in this forest; no way to get out.

Paris, France: One second, a beautiful, prosperous city.

The next, a feast for a horrible forest fire.

My grandmother and I were just going for a brisk hike in the forest when it happened: The forest fire that engulfed Paris. For the past week, there had been a scorching heatwave, and for the longest time, I had to be home where there is no air conditioning to stay by my elderly grandmother’s side. That is, until that fateful Saturday morning. It was as hot as a freshly fried crêpe, so I decided to take my grandmother for a stroll in the crisp green forest of Rambouillet, known for its stunning hiking trails and fresh greenery. She agreed, and after a 10-minute drive, we parked in a tiny clearing in front of the towering trees of the huge forest. We had just started walking on the trail when I smelled a whiff of smoke. I looked around, but there was no fire in sight.

“Hmm, someone must be grilling in one of the cabins nearby,” I thought.

Soon, I would realize how mistaken I was.

We strode a short distance longer. We had just sat down on a log sprinkled with pale white mushrooms when I caught something with the corner of my eye. Flames. Flames coming at us like cheetahs, chasing down their favorite meal. In the blink of an eye, the forest transformed from tame to absolutely wild. The bright flames licked the trees and shrubs around us.

I jumped to my feet and started scurrying away like a mouse, hauling my grandmother along with me. I sprinted, holding on to life, and didn’t look back. I was swimming in sweat. I put my grandmother down, and as if on cue, the flames created a ring around her.

The cheetahs had caught their prey. The next moments passed by at the speed of light. The flames rose up to the sky, creating a barred gate of pure fire. It was too high to jump over. I darted away, tears swelling in my eyes, just as a flame almost caught the hem of my shirt. I ran, and ran, and ran, not daring to look back to see just how close the fire was to me. At last, I found the mouth of a cave. I leaped in, went as deep into it as space allowed, and sat there. I broke down. I had been too focused on escaping the fire, my emotions were the least of my concerns. But now, I was wailing and weeping like a child; choking on grief, anger, and exhaustion. I felt guilty for not going into the fire to save my grandmother, though deep inside, I knew I could not have gone through that gate of inevitable death without burning myself. I was boiling mad at those flames that stripped me of someone I cared about so much. I shakily got to my feet, then walked to the cave mouth and started yelling for my grandmother, in vain hope of her being able to respond.

The only answer I got was the crackling of burning trees. I sat there in that cave, hugging my knees close to my chest while reciting these words time and time again:

I wish for this fire to subside.

I wish for your warm embrace, Grandma.

I wish for home.

WhereisHoneybun?

By Auset Drakeford

Where is Honeybun?

Over the grass, into the row

Where is Honeybun? I wanna know

Sniffing pink flowers, into the bakery she goes

She’s so sweet without her my hearts incomplete

So please just tell me

Where is Honeybun? I wanna know

The sunrises, the sunsets

The years go by, the winters wet

I plead the question once again

Where is Honeybun? I need to know

All hope is gone

Or so I think

Watching the sunrise I finally see her eyes

There she is, a soldier standing to the sun

Welcome home, my Honeybun.

Where the Koi Fish Swim by Ashlynn Mason

Group Projects

By Micah Poe

We should not have any group projects! One of the many reasons that I know that we should not have group projects. Is that the people that just slack off can just sit back while all the other people are hard at work. This would not be fair to the ones that have been working because the grade would be for the whole group.The ones that slack would not be helped because they weren't doing work to help themselves and they need all the help that they can get.

Secondly I don't think that it would be very easy for teachers to divide the students

The teacher would have to make sure the amount of students were divided evenly

It would be hard for the teachers to tell everyone was doing their part, and know in which group each student belonged. The teacher might not know which students worked best together.

Some people learn differently. This can be good at times but it can make it hard to work as a group. If one person wants to show progress one way and another doesn't understand how to do the project the same way; that can make it confusing to a lot of the group people.

Third of all, it is hard to know what to do and what has been done. People don't always share their work with all the members of the group and that can cause confusion. One person might be working on something someone else has already done that can also lead to confusion.

Lastly, every group needs a leader. Sometimes leaders don't do their work and everything just gets chaotic. At other times there are too many leaders and there is no one left to lead. Sometimes there is no leader at all because no one wants to lead and the teacher doesn't assign it for anyone.

Frog Painting by Denny Towslee

OperationKeepClean

By Joshua rowe

Littering is a big problem in the area. Almost anywhere one looks, they can see at least one piece of trash. This makes the area look bad, and it could endanger the wildlife.

Operation Keep Clean is a plan that might help solve the problem. Operation Keep Clean (OKC) suggests placing trash cans on every street corner in town, and every other street corner in the suburbs and residential areas. This will allow pedestrians to throw away their trash correctly. By throwing away trash in the trash cans the community would look better, and the wildlife would possibly be kept from harm.

Gears and Pipes

By Luca Delgado

A few minutes pass as you sleep peacefully, and it is now 4:00 am. Your sleep is now interrupted by a loud, high pitch screeching noise that wakes you up in less than a millisecond. You quickly sit up in your bed and look around. You see your closet door move open a slight bit. What will you do?

Go to page 22 to look in the closet.

Go to page 27 to leave the house.

My Trip to Disney World

By Luca Delgado

“No way, are we really going!” I exclaimed.

My brother and I shrieked with excitement. It was true, Mom and Dad were taking us to Disney World in Orlando Florida. We had to catch our flight that afternoon. I could imagine myself at Disney, riding all the fun rides, no more school, it was all too easy. Luckily, we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I suddenly remembered Disney has these colossal roller coasters that seem to climb up forever. This has been one of my greatest fears in life, aside from spiders. We all agreed we would see whatever rides they had at Disney, and then decide which one to ride. Just then the announcer boomed over the microphone,

“Flight 101 is boarding now at Gate 1.” My heart was racing!

Once on the plane, I stayed awake asking the same question over and over again, “Are we there yet?” It seemed as if we were on the plane forever, and I was ready to stretch my legs! When the plane landed, we hopped on a shuttle and got to the hotel room at 10:00 p.m. I was tired and did the only thing a kid could do, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to a loud, “GASP, HUFF, WHEEZE!” Was there a strange creature lurking under my bed? After a couple minutes of searching, I found out the sound was coming from my dad. He snores extremely loud! I couldn’t wait for the day to start, so I yelled, “Rise and shine everyone, it is time to get going!” My family grumbled because they we were still exhausted from the day before.

After getting ready for the day, we headed to the lobby of the hotel for some breakfast. Then we got on the monorail to take us to Magic Kingdom. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I knew Magic Kingdom had many rides, one being a big terrifying roller coaster called Space Mountain.

I don’t know if I forgot my fear of roller coasters, but I decided to ride it. My confidence soon turned to regret. They seat you in this rocket ship coaster and launch you super-fast into this pitch-black room with a bunch of tiny lights. It feels like you are traveling at light speed through the twists and bends of space.It still gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

As the ride ended, my heart wanted to escape my chest and I felt like fainting. My face was pale, and my hands were drenched in sweat.

“I-I-am-s-s-scared, t-t-that was-s-s-so fun,” I stuttered.

I couldn’t believe it, roller coasters are fun after all! I learned the key to overcoming my fears is to have courage and just try whatever it is that I am afraid of. Now I am more confident that I can overcome any new experiences that might be a little scary.

Next on the list is ziplining in Virginia Beach!

I Love You By Rowan Mundroff

I

Love You 2 By Rowan Mundroff

Family

By Adele Corso

My family will always be there for me, through my ups and downs. They make me feel like golden gems on sparkling crowns.

My love for them will never grow black, Because I love them to the moon and back. Be grateful, not hateful, but in every way show love.

You decide that it would be best to look in the closet. You wrap your shaking hand around the wooden bat you had placed beside your bed and grab your flashlight. You open the closet door quickly; nothing is to be seen. You walk one more step in the closet and the door is shut behind you. You start banging on the closet door trying your hardest to get it open, but it would not budge. It is almost as if the door had been replaced with a brick wall. You hear something moving around in the closet beside you. You point the flashlight around and see nothing. You then hear a distorted voice saying “SMILE.” You point your flashlight up to the ceiling and you see a bone chilling creature staring at you – a red eyed, disturbing monster with a smile almost consuming its whole face. You are frozen in fear.

Go to page 29 to continue.

Bazaart by Winter Cox

Smithsonian Castle by Abigail Bouse

TheRiddlesofTime

By Diego Gonzalez

For old and young, time is the same. Moving forward and forward you cannot tame. The clock ticks and tocks as it zooms through space. Do not take it for granted because time is a race. Be grateful, not hateful, but in every way show love.

Unexpected Visitors

by Matthew Voorheis

Lying on the worn-out recliner in the living room, Tom was binge-watching his favorite tv show. He heard this strange ringing noise, but he thought it was his imagination. His eyes were heavy with sleepiness, and he was slowly drifting to sleep. BANG BANG BANG. Tom Jolted up,

“WHO’S THERE!” Tom shrieked. “COME OUT!”

He ripped the wooden katana he kept as a decoration off the wall. DING DONG. His muscles relaxed; it was just someone at the door. He tried to place the katana back, but the mount was broken. He ran back to the door and opened it, not bothering to look through the peephole. There stood a peculiar group, a dwarf, a basketball with a face, and an anteater.

“We have received your invitation.” The dwarf declared.

“We were waiting for ten minutes while ringing the doorbell.” The anteater said with annoyance.

Before Tom could say a word, the group pushed past him and made themselves at home. The dwarf and the anteater wandered over to the kitchen grabbing all the food and drinks they could see. Then, they made their way to the living room with their hands filled with food. Tom was following them at a loss for words. The group shared the food among themselves and sat down. The elf occupied the recliner with the basketball, and the anteater sat on the couch. Tom finally managed to say something, “Who are you?!” Tom barked at the anteater and turned to the basketball, “And what even are you?” The basketball was too busy stuffing his face with lasagna.

“I’m Amadeus Anteater III,” The anteater said proudly. “And you must be the butler?” the basketball asked with a mouth full of food.

“I am not a butler!” Tom yelled. “Get out of my house before I call the police!”

“May I ask you,” The dwarf replied, “what is a police?” Whatever Tom did he couldn’t get them out of his house. They paid no attention to him and ate all the food.

“Please, just leave and find someone else’s house to invade!” Tom shouted.

Tom begged and pleaded, but they would not budge. It seemed that there was no end to the chaotic scene. By the end of the day, the strange group was still there, food spilled all over the carpet and crumbs were everywhere. Tom was exhausted and drained and he gave up. He walked up the stairs to his bedroom and plopped down on his bed. He had a horrible migraine headache and just wanted to rest. Tom closed his eyes and went to sleep. DING DONG. Tom woke up and was surprised to wake up in his living room, the tv still playing his favorite show. There was no sign of the weird group around, he looked everywhere, under the couch, and on the carpet for crumbs, but there weren’t any.

“Was it a dream?!” Tom practically yelled. The only way to find out was to look in the kitchen. He sprinted and hoped the cabinets were untouched. His wish came true because the food was still there. “ YIPEEEEEEEE” Tom screamed.

DING DONG. Tom had forgotten someone was at the door waiting. He ran to the door, but this time he looked through the peephole. There stood a delivery man with a package and a clipboard. The man wore a worried expression when Tom opened the door,

“Is everything alright?” the concerned man asked, “I heard screaming!”

“Yes, everything is alright, I was just very happy,” Tom replied with a smile.

Tom took the package, said goodbye, and closed the door. He picked up a knife and cut open the box,

“AAAAAAAAAAH!” Tom screamed before passing out. There lying in the box was a basketball with a face drawn on it.

You decide to leave the house. You stumble out of bed and run down the stairs. You scramble to the front door and twist the locks and unbolt the chains. You put your hand on the cold, metal door knob and twist it to the left, but it will not open. No matter how hard you try, it just will not budge. You hear echoes of high pitched, distorted voices screaming the same thing: “SMILE!” You are trying to get to the glass back door in the kitchen, but there is a strong force detaining you from doing so. You cover your ears and attempt to fight the overwhelming force of this demonic presence. You finally arrive at the glass kitchen door, you unlock it and find out that it also will not budge. What do you do next?

Go to page 39 to call the police from inside of the house. Go to page 35 to break the glass door and escape.

Warm Sunset/Sunrise Painting by Olivia Casey

You feel a jolt of energy alerting you to attempt to escape to safety. You swat the bat at the door with all of your force, but you are too late. You feel a cold, jagged, and rough hand wrap around your neck. You are lifted up to the ceiling of the closet. The monster puts its long, cold, bloody finger into your mouth touching your teeth. It tears the flesh surrounding your lips up to your ear. The same is done to the other side of your face. Blood is rushing out of the tears on your face running into your eyes. You can only see blood and feel the excruciating pain coming from both sides of your face. You hear in the same disturbing voice “YOU’RE SMILING NOW, AND IT WILL STAY THAT WAY!” A few weeks pass as your body rots in the darkness of your closet. The police arrive and find your remains after many reports of you being missing. They found no evidence that there was an intruder. Investigators are still working on the case to this day, and there are more reports of people's faces being cut into smiles.

Photo by Rayne Radcliffe

Lovely Sketch by Hana Hussein

-A Fox’s Mistake-

by Zoey Sanchez

The child quietly walked through the forest, occasionally stopping to pick a few flowers. Having become frustrated at home, they stepped outside. As they walked, their eyes caught sight of two people. A moment later, the two people caught sight of them. Seeing the two approaching, the child froze. One lady knelt down to their height. A flower that had been dropped unknowingly was offered to the child. "Hello there," she said. The child thanked them, becoming a little less tense. The lady who’d knelt down offered her hand. “Would you care to walk with us?” she asked with an unthreatening voice, almost sounding purposeful.

With the two strangers, they walked away. They looked up at the two people again, their amber eyes searching them in confusion. “What are your names?” they asked quietly. One woman with blonde hair and bright, almost unsettling, green eyes smiled and knelt down.

“What do you think we should be called?” she asked. The child looked down and thought for a moment, and then they looked back up at the two. One had green eyes and one with red. They pointed their finger at the emerald-eyed lady.

“Green,” as they moved their gaze to the lady with red eyes, “and Red.” Green laughed.

“How creative.” She stood back up and looked at Red who narrowed her eyes at the quite effortless name the child had given her. Green took the child’s right hand, Red took their left, and then they began walking deeper into the forest.

The child thought for a moment. Weren’t bright green and red eyes biologically impossible to have? Of course, some people have green eyes, but never the shade of bright lime Green had, and red eyes on someone without Albinism was odd indeed. They slightly narrowed their eyes in confusion, trying to make sense of this all. Yet, they held hands as if in a trance as they led them into the forest, despite all these odd signs. They took a deep breath and inhaled the pleasant scent of Zinnias and Daylilies. They were simply following the smell of the flowers they trusted.

When they took the strangers' hands, they had no idea that the small act would trigger something horrific. Unknown to them, this would lead to events that would affect almost everyone they cared about.

I guess you could say, no one would be the same person after this.

A few moments passed, and the child was rambling on. “And then when I went over to my friend’s house, they said they were busy!” the child said, their shy voice lessened as they expressed their frustration.

There was a brief pause, and then Green and Red exchanged glances. “Would you mind telling us more about this friend of yours?” Red asked as an echoing hum of bees and raspy breaths drifted through the forest.

“Sure!”

This excerpt comes from a series of books written by Zoey Sanchez and Heather Laird called “The Soul Stories’’

Illustration

Journal of Bess Waldo Allison

By Lilly Brenon

Journal entry April 10, 1912

I am traveling on the Titanic from London to New York with my husband and 2 children. My husband's name is Hudson and my 2 children are Helen Loraine and Hudson Trevor. Trevor is 11 months and Lorain is 2 years. My husband is 30 and I am 25. We are passengers in first class of the titanic. We will be taking off shortly. Me and my husband brought along Trevor’s nurse, Alice Cleaver. We have just arrived into our rooms. I am sharing a room with my husband and Lorain. Alice has a room with trevor. Me and my husband went to dinner with some friends and I brought Lorain to show her the beauty of the ship's 1st class diner.

Journal entry April 15, 1912

Me and my husband were reading a book around 11:40 when someone came to our door and warned us about how an ice berg had hit the Titanic. My husband, not even looking up from his book, said we’ll be fine after the worker informed us. In my mind I knew we’d be fine but something made me think we should check it out just in case . At 12:05 we were interrupted by the sounds of panic screams. I directed Alice Cleaver, the children's nurse, to get the children dressed and we were soon up to the deck of the boat in no time. We were soon separated though I realized that Alice Cleaver and baby Trevor were unaccounted for. My husband and I resolved that we would not leave the Titanic until after Trevor was found, nor would we be parted from little Loraine in search of him. We then went to our life boat hoping that Alice and Trevor were there, but they weren't. My husband told me to get in, but I refused, and soon waves crashed against the boat! I then lost sight of my husband and Lorain and was soon standing alone. I was wandering around scared and worried, men trying to make me get into lifeboats and hearing the band playing music trying to calm passengers. I soon asked around where my husband might've gone. One of the workers said he had gotten onto a lifeboat on the other side of the ship. He then said that I should get into a lifeboat that he had been pointing to. I then ran to the other side of the boat. but those lifeboats had already taken off. I quickly ran back to my boat but it had gone as well. A worker then shoved me in a boat and lowered it down. It was unstable and I was afraid it would tip. I am afraid this might be my last diary entry for I don't think I will last through the night. I'm only hoping my babies have made it out safely…

Chill by Zoey Sanchez

You pick up the glass paperweight holding down an unpaid bill. You throw it at the door hoping that it will crack the glass. Nothing happens, so you pull open the drawer under the sink and grab a hammer. With all of your force you manage to shatter the glass. You sprint out of the broken door and keep running. After running to the police station, you describe to them what you had witnessed. There where plenty of reports from your neighborhood of bodies found with their faces cut into smiles, and you are glad that you made it out alive. You moved to a different city and never looked back.

Sea Angelby

Yesha Dickens

Imagine your heart beating over and over, you can’t see, and your eyes won’t open. You can’t feel around you, but the colder it becomes, the warmer you feel. Sinking and sinking, the beating gets slower and slower. Then it stops and you wake up.

PANTS! I woke up and took a quick look. “It happened again,” I said to myself. I looked at my hands radiating as well as my body. I flapped my wings as the water followed in the opposite direction. My eyes glowed yellow as my skin scaled from top to bottom. Clothed with seaweed and alone inside myself. I couldn’t find myself–I didn’t remember, I didn’t remember who I was, what my name was. All I could remember was sinking. My brother came up to me and looked me deep in the eye. “Same dream?” he asked as he handed me a bowl of food covered with a bubble.

“Yes, although this time it was like I could feel it,” I mumbled. I took a spoonful and turned to look at the fishes passing by,“Where are they going, brother?”

My brother turned to the fishes and sighed,“No one knows their path, depends on who they follow and how tenacious they are. You see that fish at the back? If they were ever to come across a dangerous path that one would be the first to get affected or to affect the others. It all depends on him to focus on what really matters, which is his and the others' lives.”

I turned away from him and continued with my day. It would be simple if we were actually related–then he could tell me who I was–but sadly we were not. He is like a brother to me. I swam off into the darkest depth of the sea and curled up in a ball and closed my eyes, being the only light in that area surrounded by darkness. Crawly creatures hid behind sharp rocks as the tight space closed in on me and it went dark. I opened my eyes and everything was back to normal, I wasn’t crushed, neither was it dark. It was normal. I decided to take a look at the surface to clear my mind. “I can never find a safe spot,” I whispered as my lips tightened up, and then I swam up to the surface releasing a loud scream from deep within me, The sound raged the oceans and who lingered beneath me and above. A boat dashed past me leaving me petrified. My heart began beating rapidly. I began remembering the dream, thoughts breaking me from the inside “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I let out a scream from the top of my lungs, and then the boat stopped. A man turned to me and smiled. “Who are you?” he asked as his smile faded.

He was quite strange. He didn't have any scales nor wings–neither did he glow. Instead he wore a long-sleeved gray top and a blue vest. His skin was similar to a pale peach jelly fish, his eyes were hazel brown like the most adorable sea snail, and his lips were bubble gum pink. I shook myself and told myself to focus. Why did this man's boat produce the same sound that caused me to sink into my emotion? I needed to find out why. “Ananiah,” I spoke, taking the first name that came into my mind. “Well Ananiah, what are you doing this far from the shore?” he asked, looking as confused as I was.

“What are you talking about? This is where everyone is.” He laughed and offered me a ride. Could he not see I was different? This was very odd.

We rode back to the place he came from called Florida. As my feet touched the warm sand it felt so good. I just wanted it to bury me in a good way. I had never felt so much heat on my skin before. Water was pouring out of my body and I couldn’t help it but to fall in love. “What is this place?” I questioned?

“It’s a beach?” he answered. I sat down on the sand and looked at the sky. The sun shone brightly as the sky was coloured pink and blue, and the clouds passed by the sun as it shone beautifully. The waves tried to grab hold of me but they couldn’t. I had never felt this safe in a long time. Tears began pouring down my face as the sky grew dim. The boy turned to me. “Are you O-?” I lunged at him and hugged him; my heart couldn’t take it anymore. I had let fear control me my whole life, let it suck me into this way of thinking, thinking that the world was a dark room–that only one tiny light bulb could support me. And the worst part was that even now seeing this, I still believed this. He fell onto the sand with me. Shocked as he was, he took one look at my face, and he hugged me, and it felt so good. Sure I had been hugged before, but in this moment it was necessary. He told me it was time for him to go home, and I immediately got up. I quickly wiped my face off and stood there awkwardly.

“I’m sorry that was um…uncalled for,” I said awkwardly, wiping my nose off and sniffling. He looked down at me with pity.

“No you’re fine, I can tell you needed that,” he answered with a beaming smile on his face . He didn’t need to be like me to radiate.

I followed him to his house till we got there and when we did I was at a loss for words…

You stumble over to the phone and dial the number “911.” You speak to the operator for a few minutes and then they ask you to hide under a bed. You bring the phone upstairs and lean down and squeeze yourself under your bed. You breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the police are on their way. You hear a laughing noise.

You roll over and see a terrifying, disturbing creature with a smile almost consuming it’s whole face.The monster puts its long, cold, bloody finger into your mouth touching your teeth. It tears the flesh surrounding your lips up until your ear. The same is done on the the other side of your face. Blood is rushing out of the tears on your face running into your eyes. You can only see blood and feel the excruciating pain coming from both sides of your face. “YOU WILL

SMILE NOW WON’T YA?” says the monster. The police arrive a few minutes late. You had already bled to death. There was no evidence of a intruder in the house. Soon after, there were more reports of the same thing happening to other people. These cases are still unsolved, but they are not closed.

Michael Bello

Abigail Bouse

Lilly Brennon

Savanna Legrand

Khemi Miles

Zoey Sanchez

Ansley Sizemore

Saniyah Watkins

Werdah Virk

VAVA Staff

Anna Blake

Cheri Norman

Shannon Robertson