Issuu

WRITOPIA LITERARY MAGAZINE 2025-2026 School Year Edition

THE PARENTHETICAL

Table of contents 6 7 9 11 12 13 20 31 33 47 48 49 57 60 61 62 71 77

The Homework Assignment Skeleton World The Snowy Dog Recipe for Disaster The Creature in the Basement The Curse of the Disorchio Excerpt from “A Murderer” The Previous Experiences House of Spirits The Feel of the Sky Me, You, and the World Small Crimson Paws The Elf’s Offer Poems Death Is Chasing But Life’s Not Far Behind Welcome to California From Alientopia to E.A.R.T.H. Wonders Of The Fourth Dimension

Ytterbium Stewart Eden Greenstein Luke Na Siya Hemkar & Hazel Dao Lillian Rose Safe Alera Yarnell & Molly Nepomnyashchiy

Mina Weiss Boyana Dyankova Georgie Axelrod Marilena Kounavi Daphne Wiener Oliver Layla Husain Peyton Tate Willow Black Isshana Arunkumar Federica Lajous Barrett Lipner

MASTHEAD Shanille Martin - Bay Area Regional Manager Shanille Martin joined the Writopia team in 2019 as a WriCampia counselor and assistant instructor while studying Creative Writing at Purchase College. Since graduating in 2020, she has been teaching creative writing and debate workshops at camp and at Writopia full-time. Shanille has been published in various magazines and platforms such as Gandy Dancer, Newsweek, Italics Mine, and Submissions Magazine. She is a co-founder of Brown Sugar Literary Magazine, which publishes the marginalized voices of women of color. A former high school debate team captain, Shanille is thrilled to now teach both creative writing and debate at Writopia. She is currently working on her first novel.

Imani Parker - Associate Program Manager Imani Parker first joined Writopia as a WriCampia counselor in 2019, where she assisted Léna Roy in a creative writing workshop, co-led a dance elective, made meaningful friendships with her fellow counselors, and more. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and a BA in Creative Writing from Purchase College. In the past, Imani has served as a Fiction Reader at The Hudson Review, a juror at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, an Americorp Member at City Year New York, and an Event Production Intern at The Center for Fiction. She is an Event Coordinator and Editor at Brown Sugar Literary Magazine. Imani has been published in Embark Literary Journal, Columbia University’s 2023 Thesis Anthology, and Italics Mine. She has completed two manuscripts and is querying while working on her third novel.

Lydia Schultz - Registration Associate Lydia Schultz joined her first Writopia workshop as a writer way back in 2011, and has more or less been here ever since. She is thrilled to officially join the team as a Registration Associate after many summers of interning! Lydia graduated with a B.A. from Bard College in 2025 with a double major in Literature and Written Arts. While at Bard, she worked at the writing center as an essay tutor, served as Prose Editor for the literary magazine Feeding the Crows, and received the 2024 John and Margaret Bard Scholars Prize in Languages & Literature. Beyond writing and reading, she loves walking fast, baking, and watching stand-up comedy. Lydia is, from personal experience, deeply appreciative of Writopia's commitment to fostering a love of language in kids and teens, and she is excited to be a part of the team that helps make it all happen.

With special and major thanks to our High School intern, Lourdes Mendieta Macía, for dedicating a week of her intersnip to supporting the creation of this issue.

The Homework Assignment Ytterbium Stewart, 8, NYC Hi! It is Amaliha Jackson again. Today I will tell you about a homework assignment that I got. I am not annoyed by it, but actually kind of surprised they assigned it. It is to write about what we think about homework! I do not like homework, even though we always have light homework. I wrote ten reasons for what I think about homework. Here it is!

1. I do not like homework. It has always been an extra task for me, and I know that it is for our own torture.

2. When children go to school, they work all day. When they go home and hope for a break, they have to do even more work!

3. There’s something called slavery. It was abolished a long time ago. It is when people work all day and don’t get paid for it.

4. Adults get paid for work. If we have to work, then we should get paid for it.

Those are my main complaints. Here are more complaints:

5. Homework is just so boring!

6. It takes up so much time.

7. In Finland, there’s no homework, and it's the best-educated country.

8. We do work at school, so why do we work at home?

9. A lot of parents give kids work at home, which just adds EVEN more work for us.

Now there is one reason I like homework…

10. I just finished it!!!

Skeleton World Eden Greenstein, 9, NYC Once upon a time there was a girl named Ella. The whole story starts when Ella loved gymnastics and her parents hated that. One night Ella sneaked out of the house and went to her great grandmother ’s balance beam and Leia started climbing on the balance. She was happy. Then suddenly she dropped. She fell in a hole then another person screamed. Ella looked at the person she screamed at again. This time she actually was scared there was a skeleton person. She thought about something. Maybe they were just wearing a costume, but then she saw another skeleton and another. Soon she saw so many skeletons she wished she never left home. And then someone called her name and she looked up and saw a big skeleton. It was the same size as her great grandma but this was so confusing. She really wanted to know where she was so she gave it a try and asked the big skeleton where am I? The big skeleton said you are in the spirit land where all the dead people are put. She didn’t actually know what she was feeling. Then she asked the big skeleton are you my great grandmother who loved gymnastics? Then the big skeleton replied yes Ella the big skeleton said I am your great grandmother who loved gymnastics. You are, said Ella, I never got to meet before you before you died. Ya said the big skeleton, but you shouldn’t be here. This is only for dead people I will send you out of the dead land if you promise to never come back is that a hell yes said Ella. But I didn’t know how I got here, Leia thought, but before she could say another word she fell into a hole. But it wasn't a normal hole. There was a skeleton bone in the hole with her. She screamed so loud, blasted out and to the human world again. Then she went on the balance beam again and then suddenly she was blasted again. She thought to herself, why does this keep happening, then she landed in the skeleton world. And then she saw her great grandmother. She wanted to run. Then it got really scary. Her great grandmother saw her. She got angry, picked Ella up, and screamed at her really loudly and said ELLA you made a deal that if I sent you back to the human world you would never come back! But, said Ella. No buts said Ella’s great grandmother, you broke the promise. You are in big trouble. At this point, Ella was terrified. She screamed so loudly it hurt her ears. She now hated her great grandmother, so horrible. She screamed at her: But I don’t know how I got here! Then she just froze for a second and the great grandmother was surprised, and then she said, I’m so sorry I never realized, I thought you were doing this on purpose. But before you started yelling at me, I thought this whole thing was a dream. I had never been in any place that that was so like real and full of anger.

The great grandmother said to Leia, don’t think I am just a mean and angry person. It is just, I thought you were coming back to the dead land on purpose. I never realized that you didn’t know how you we here. Do you want me to tell you how you got here? Yes, replied Ella. So the great grandmother told Ella, "Did you see the big balance beam in the human world?" Yes, said Ella. The great grandmother told Ella that the only way to get here is to go on to the balance beam. “Why?” asked Ella? Because that used to be my old balance beam and I was on it for so many years that it started to feel like a person and it started saying my name. Leia was in shock and she ran in the direction of her home, but she was in the death world. Grandma screamed at her and said where are you going?! And the grandma used her magic and sent Leia back to the human world. Leia quickly ran home

The end

The Snowy Dog Luke Na, 9, NY Once upon a time, a puppy wandered into the streets of an exciting, enchanted place. It was winter, and the streets of Dogger Ave were barren and lonelier than ever. The poor stray had come here because he wanted a home.

A small puff of smoke rose out of the chimney of a small, yellow colored bungalow. You could hear a few kids talking with their mom. “You packed your lunch?” asked the kids' mom, Jennifer.

“Yup!” replied one of the kids named Ben.

“You aren’t allowed to pack food!” yelled his sister, Mila. After a few minutes of arguing, they stepped out the door. The crisp cold air blew in their face as they walked into their car.

Just then, as they were getting in, the pup saw them and ran through the icy sidewalk as the door closed behind Ben. Mila noticed the running puppy and had no choice but to hoist the dog into the car. She and Ben always wanted a pet anyway. Mila hid the puppy in her bag. She gave it a little piece of a ham sandwich. Then she told it to be quiet. To her surprise, it listened to her.

The car stopped in front of a school. Mila put the puppy in her locker. “Don’t worry, little puffball,” said Mila. “I’ll be back for you soon.” Then she went to her classroom with Ben.

After a few hours, Mila came back for the pup.

“I’ll make you an igloo!” said Mila. Then, Mila did as she said, and the pup curled up inside. Then Mila left for class. After a few hours, Mila came back with Ben. “Guess what! The puppy listened to me! Also, I built it an igloo!” Mila bragged.

“Ok, but please stop bragging,” Ben said. But when Ben got there, it was gone.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!’’ Screamed Ben. They rushed home.

Mila took out her phone. She took a picture of the inside of the pile of snow. The now cold, worried, and fluffy white

“Um… Mom?” said Ben.

dog was inside munching on the sandwich. It seemed nice and spacious for the dog. In fact, even Mila could fit inside

“We need to go somewhere…” said Mila. Then, with a

without getting cramped.

flashlight and a sandwich, Ben and Mila hurried outside. Ben and Mila tried to get in, but the tunnel was too small. “Let’s think of what it liked,” said Ben. Mila sat on a huge

Just then, Mila came up with an idea. She grabbed the

pile of snow. Then, as she was trying to stand back up, the

sandwich they packed, and she tried to lure him to her.

pile of snow started to rumble. Mila fell into the cold,

Thankfully, her plan worked, and they brought the pup back

powdery snow.

home.

“Darn snow!” shouted Mila as she struggled to get up.

At home, they tried to figure out what to do with the pup. Nobody owned it, so Ben and Mila decided with their mom

“Mila, I got it!” exclaimed Ben. Mila suddenly got up. “The

that they would keep the stray. They all cheered. They spent

pup liked snow and sandwiches!”

the next few minutes trying to think about the pup’s name. “Well, he likes snow,” said Mila.

They ran straight back to their school. They sneaked past some teachers, and they headed for the back of the school.

“So how about Snowy?” said Ben. Snowy’s ears perked up

There, he found another huge pile of snow. In the back, there

from a bed Mila made for him.

was a small tunnel. Outside was a lunchbox. Could Ben be right? He thought he was actually wrong. He kicked at it with

“Snowy it is!” Mila declared. They celebrated. Then, they

fury. He thought the pup was not there. However, when the

took Snowy out for his first walk. They went to a frozen

snow came crumbling down, a little fluffy white dog with a

pond where they watched the sunset as Snowy flopped

sandwich in its mouth came rushing out. He fled into a bigger

himself into the snow. They stood there until the sun kissed

pile of snow. The pile of snow was so tall and long it almost

the ground and clouds began to grow heavy. They stood there

covered three cars that were parked nearby. It rapidly

with happiness and with memories from the adventure the

tunneled its way into the pile.

day gave them. They stood there with Snowy.

Recipe for Disaster

RECIPE

Siya Hemkar, 9 & Hazel Dao, 10, NYC

How to annoy yourself Ready in 1 hr

RECIPE

Serves you

How to annoy someone

56,493% annoying

Ready in 1 hr

Satisfaction guaranteed

👍

Serves anyone you don’t like 56,493% annoying Satisfaction guaranteed

Ingredients

👍

You (YOU are your best tool)

Ingredients

Preparation

A person

Look up a creepy picture

An annoying person

Stare at it Get scared and have fun

Preparation Say the same word a million times. Ask random/dumb questions Have fun

If you want to annoy yourself, please look at the following recipe.

The Creature in the Basement

At first, Liely was confused, then she glanced at the other

Lillian Rose Safe, 9, Los Angeles CA

stuff in the box, and she got the message that there was an animal in the basement, at least a cat. When she got to the

Liely was lying on the old mattress in her family’s basement.

basement, she immediately saw it, and it was indeed a cat. It

The basement was dusty and full of empty jars, but still pretty

was not entirely big or small, but more on the small side,

good-looking for a house of its age. Liely liked the basement

since there was a lot of stuff in the basement. The tiny cat

because it was her escape from real life, and from loud noises,

was brown with a tint of gray fur. It wasn't too hard to find a

especially from her four-year-old brother, who was the loudest

box or crate thing to put the cat in, but to be honest, it was

of them all. Her mother called her from upstairs, saying she

more like a kitten. Liely then got a great idea to get the box

needed to come up from the basement.

with all the cat food in it, so as the kitten got closer and closer, it went into the crate! Liely immediately shut the

Liely lifted her head from the mattress and waited a moment

crate door before the kitten could escape.

before responding to her mother, “Okay, I’m coming.” Liely realized there was an issue. While her family was okay Liely tripped over a rock as she made her way to the stairs

with pets, some of her family friends were not. Still, it

and fell to the ground. The rock was from a set Liely had

wasn’t Liely who bought the cat. It was already in her

decorated. She knew she was missing one and now she’d

basement. Tomorrow was her mom's big Rosh Hashanah

found it. As she was getting up, in a glance, she saw a box. It

party, which meant all her family friends would be coming

was very dusty, like super dusty. She picked it up and brought

over. Liely thought that if the kitten was in her bedroom,

it up the basement stairs. She made her way up the stairs

nobody was going to find out.

leading to her bedroom. She opened the box, and inside were pet supplies. Inside, there was a brush, cat food, and beat-up

When it was nighttime, Liely crept out of bed and saw her

toys. At the bottom of the box was a notebook. When she

mom and dad talking about getting a cat, so that night Liely

opened the notebook, it said,

put the pieces together. She would present the cat to her parents, and maybe they’d want to keep it anyway. Happily,

I left this by accident. There’s something important in this box

she found out from her parents that the rules had recently

that is related to the creature in your basement; it is alive,

changed and that they were going to get another cat, and the

and it's roaming in that area. Don’t worry, it's friendly.

family friends would be delighted to see it.

- Signed, mystery person

The Curse of the Disorchio Molly Nepomnyashchiy, 10, NY Gloria was cursed with the curse of the disorchio, a spiky plant she ate. The plant had a green stem with thorns and blue spiky flowers. She ate the plant in a ritual to honor the goddess of the plant, Della. All of the Clypthians had black hair. Della had black hair. Everybody honored goddess Della. She was the goddess of not only the disorchio, but also the goddess of the food that the Clypthians ate. Eating the disorchio allowed you to read other peoples’ minds, but only if the goddess granted you.

This was not exactly a curse when you first thought of it, but that was not all there was to it. You had to eat the disorchio once every week, otherwise it could be fatal. The disorchio was the rarest plant on Earth, but since Gloria lived in an unknown island with rare plants, the disorchio was not hard to find.

The jungle's name was the Clypthian Jungle. It was an island. A small one compared to the other islands on the large Earth. Now, if you think that having a curse to read people's minds in the middle of the jungle is useless because there are no people besides your family, you’re right… but wrong too. In this case, you are mostly wrong because Gloria and her family lived in a small village. Only Della the goddess could choose if you got the curse from the disorchio plant, and she chose Gloria because she was a beautiful, bright-minded girl. Della knew the future would be very adventurous in Gloria’s life as the chosen one for the disorchio. Gloria had a baby brother, a little sister, and an older brother. Her big brother was called Ethan, her baby brother was called George, and her little sister was Quin.

Since George was only 2 years old, he didn’t know about Gloria’s cool curse, and he only said googoo-gaagaa. Ethan did not care, but Quin, Quin cared. And I don’t blame her because everybody wants that ability. Quin was 9, Ethan was 16, Gloria was 13 and George, as we already know, was 2. Quin knew that Gloria had to eat the disorchio and there were a lot of the disorchio plants nearby. Quin was wiser than you’d think a 9-year-old would be.

There was disorchio, but not enough for a lifetime. Quin was always envious.

“Why did she get the ability and not me?!” Quin whined.

“Quin, darling, we don’t know. But your sister is beautiful and amazing no matter what,” Quin’s mother said.

“Mom!” Gloria came in crying.

“What’s up, poopy pants?!” Quin asked.

“This girl Nina said she was my friend, but after reading her mind, I figured out she hates me!” Gloria said.

“That’s horrible,” Tynthia, Gloria’s mother, said.

Just then she remembered that she hadn't eaten a disorchio this week.

“Ok, Mom. I guess I’ll get a disorchio right now.”

“Don’t waste them,” Ethan said. He had just come into the room. Ethan didn't care about the ability, but he did care about Gloria.

“You don’t have enough disorchio plants for a lifetime and the village is trying to plant more and more of the disorchio plant,” Ethan continued.

This gave Quin an idea. “Mum, may I be excused from the table?”

“OK.” Quin left the kitchen.

After doing the dishes, Gloria went to the garden. She picked a disorchio plant and took a bite out of the flower. Its sweetsour juice tingled her tongue. She felt warm and relaxed. She felt so much better, more powerful. Gloria didn’t want to go inside of her house. She found the outside very much more interesting than the inside. Besides, she lived on an island, so there was so much to explore without getting lost. So she visited her friend, Raina.

Raina and Gloria were close friends, and the truth is that Raina didn’t care whether Gloria had the ability or not. She said that she and Gloria would still be friends no matter what. Gloria walked through the moist jungle. The sweet scent of flowers and ripe fruit filled the jungle. The sounds of toucans squawking in the distance was soft as she gazed up at the tree houses of the Clypthians.

Raina’s mother, Mrs. Yassle, opened the door. To Gloria’s misfortune, Raina was at her grandparents’ house on the opposite side of the island, which, by foot, would take Gloria ten hours. Raina was fifteen and was kind of like a role model for thirteen-year-old Gloria.

Sigh! Gloria would just have to spend the rest of the day at her family pool tanning since George had a “wee” in it.

“Gloria, you scared us to death!!! Why on Earth are you out here?! There's not even time right now to tan!!!” Tynthia had just woken Gloria up from her slumber.

“What is going on?” Gloria asked.

“A bunch of stuff, you naughty girl. You’ll never become like Ethan,” Tynthia said.

That hurt. Ethan was really good and he was next in line for chief after Gloria’s dad. Tynthia dragged Gloria into the house. Gloria had fallen asleep. Her family had already finished dinner and Ethan was washing the dishes. “There’s some leftover beans in the pot,” he said.

“Beans. The worst.” At least Ethan was more helpful than Quin. Gloria’s dad was helping with getting George to go to sleep.

“POOPY PANTS IS BAAACK!!!” Quin screamed.

“Quinberly Wesel, be more polite if you want to be the future vice chief! Unless Gloria fails or dies,” Tynthia said.

But it was too late for Gloria’s yapping mouth. “Quin, shut up!” Gloria yelled.

“Gloria and Quinberly Wesel, go to your rooms this instant,” Tynthia yelled.

“Thanks a lot, Quinberly.”

“You’re welcome, poopypants.”

Gloria wasn’t sleepy. Besides, thanks to Quinberly Pants, Gloria couldn’t even eat dinner (which was still disgusting). In these specific times, Raina could be REALLY helpful. Gloria knew this since she and Raina had had sleepovers before. So Gloria read her favorite book, Floating with the Seas by Anna Brooks, Gloria’s favorite author. Soon enough, her eyelids got droopy and she went to sleep.

“GLORIA! GLORIA! All of the disorchio plants are gone!” Ethan woke Gloria up with a quick, scary start to the day.

“What? How could that happen? Who could have done this? There was so much of the disorchio plant!” Gloria yelled. Quickly, Gloria put on a traditional Clypthian outfit (a green top and a brown skirt).

The Clypthian tribe was gathered outside of Gloria’s house. In the garden, where hundreds of disorchios were, now stood dirt and grass.

“Gloria, we are so terribly sorry for your loss,” Mrs. Yassle said.

“It’s… okay.” Though in her mind, her thoughts were racing.

Gloria was only thirteen years old. She wanted a long life! Gloria didn’t want the villagers to freak out. This was the worst thing that could happen!!

“We should take a question marker.” Gloria’s dad, Tom, said.

A question marker was when the leader/chief of the Clypthians asked all of the Clypthians the same question and they HAD to be honest. If they lied, they were drowned by The Rock. The Rock was a really big rock. It took four of the strongest men on the whole Clypthia island to move it.

Everybody truthfully said no until it was Quin's turn.

Tom stared at Quin in the eye. “Quinberly Wesel, did you pick all of the disorchio? Gloria is your sister!” Tom said.

“But Gloria has power! I don’t want her to read my mind! It’s—” Quin was cut off by Tynthia.

“The question is yes or no,” she said as Gloria and the other villagers looked carefully at Quin.

“Yes,” Quin said.

“Quin! Why did you do that?!” Tom asked. “Don’t you know that when your sister dies, you won't be able to speak, talk, and play with her ever again! And, a new person who must read minds will be born. Don’t you think that it is cool to have the only person to read minds on Clypthia be your own sister?” Tom added.

Up in the clouds, Della looked down on Earth. She knew this would happen. This was great.

The villagers also thought of this. Gloria was cool and she could control the disorchio ability very well. What if the next Clypthian wasn’t gonna side with them? The villagers needed Gloria to become their chief. Tom and Tynthia did not have endless lives.

“Oh… I did not know that would happen… sorry.” Tears started to fill up Quin’s eyes.

“Tom, calm down! Quin and I will have a talk. Mrs. Yassle, may Raina talk with my older daughter? The rest of you are dismissed.” Tynthia said as she tugged on Quin’s hand.

“Mom! Wait! How long is there until, you know… I die?” Gloria asked.

“A miracle must happen,” Tynthia said. “Somehow, another disorchio must be planted,” she added.

“But a miracle can happen. I have one disorchio seed,” Quin said.

“Plant it!” Tom ordered.

Tynthia got some water and Mrs. Yassle got a lamp. “Here.” Mrs. Yassle and Tynthia and Quin handed Tom the seed, lamp and water.

Gloria and Raina stood together and watched as about twenty of the magical plants arose. The sun was starting to set below the horizon so there was not much of the dark shadow casting its gaze on the sprouting plants. The beautiful plants grew and it was amazing. The scenery was beautiful.

“Cool!” Gloria exclaimed.

When the plants fully grew outside the Wesel’s house, the villagers left. Tynthia brought Quin into the house, while Gloria and Raina trotted to the ocean in their bathing suits, and Ethan and Tom tried to chop down some of the oak trees because oak was Gloria’s favorite type of wood.

“Raina, it feels like today,” Gloria said as she and Raina jumped into the ocean.

“I can’t believe that Quin doesn't know what it is like for her sister to be gone from the Clypthian island!” Raina laughed.

“It’s not funny. The whole village could have been crying right now if Quin did not have that disorchio seed. Including you,” Gloria said as her face darkened a bit.

“Sorry,” Raina said.

“Gloria, did you read my mind?” It was Nina.

“Yes. It’s okay,” Gloria said.

“No, it’s not. I wanted to ditch you because of this girl, Astrid. I thought we were friends but she just wanted to make her old friend, Layla, jealous for ditching her,” Nina said.

“Are you saying that we could be friends again?” Gloria asked, puzzled.

“Yes,” Nina nodded.

For the rest of the day, the three girls watched and played in the sunset. But, in the end, they had to go home. Up in the heavens, Della watched. She knew that this would happen. She knew how to fix a family. This was exactly why she chose Gloria specifically to be the one with the ability.

The End.

Excerpt from “A Murderer” Mina Weiss, 10, NYC Raine 1997 Age twenty-one

I finally speak. “Why did you let me stay here?” Ounjae looks at me, and I can tell that wasn’t what she had expected me to ask her.

She takes a deep breath before she replies. “Because you remind me of my daughter,” she finally says. “Sh-she died in a car crash four years ago. She was twenty-eight.” The two of us meet each other ’s gaze for a moment, before I break away.

I push myself up from the couch and leave the room. I find myself on the chair in front of the desk in the room I now think of as my own. I never want to be thought of as a daughter. I am not a daughter. Daughters are kind and loving. Mothers tell daughters where they are going before leaving. Daughters don’t have a fight with their mother that causes her to leave.

I am not a daughter, and I never have been. Kira was a daughter. My mother was a daughter. But me? No. I was never a daughter. I never will be. And I don’t want to be.

I walk through the hallway and to the bathroom. It is the middle of the night. I shut the door to the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror above the sink. I can see my mother inside of myself. Her face. Her style. Her… everything.

I lean closer and examine my skin. The same tone. My lips. The same shade. My eyes. The same sea green. Even my eyebrows are the same shape. I turn to survey my body. My hips are the same small shape. My chin held high, like I hold some importance.

But it isn’t just the looks. It’s the way I carry myself. The way I respond to everything. The way people look at me and think of me. I am her. She is me. We are the same and different in the same way. Almost as if we were twins.

Twins. Twinstwinstwisnnnsttwsinwstssin. Twins.

Even as a very young child, I was quite intelligent. Most people have no memory of their earliest times, but for me, those are the brightest moments that I can remember, because they were some of the happiest times of my life.

1976 Age one

I can’t see much. It is quite dark. All I can hear is the pattering of rain on windows and the sound of a sweet voice lulling me to sleep. I can feel the warmth of another body beside me. I turn, but my neck begins to hurt and I wail.

I can feel warm arms around me then, and a familiar face appears in my line of sight. The face is warm, with bright green eyes and perfect eyelashes. It is my mama. My angel. She smiles at me, and I smile back.

What is a smile? What does it mean? It is an upward curl of your lips. But people fake smiles. I’ve seen it when my dad pushes me around town. I saw a grumpy man faking it. But why did he? What did he get from a fake smile?

S-M-I-L-E. Smile. Smile – when somebody shows joy or happiness from curving their lips. My mama smiles nice. Her lips are a good shade of pink. I realise that I have stopped wailing.

My mama sets me back down into my crib, this time facing the body beside me. I stare at her back. She has my same dark hair. She is dressed in a pale yellow onesie. I am wearing a purple one. We are different colors. What are colors?

My mother had always been quite emotionless, while I would always be the one to leave the conversation in tears.

1989 Age thirteen The front door opens silently when I push it. The house is quiet. My father must not be here. I creep up the stairs and through the hallway to my parents' room. When I get there the door is open a crack.

I nudge it open the rest of the way to find my mother sitting on the foot of their bed. The room is barely decorated except for an abstract painting with streaks of gray and blue. The room looks almost exactly the same as it did for the photo shoot when we were going to move three years ago.

We had hired an expensive photographer, so of course my father was upset when the real estate agent told us that the place wouldn’t sell well.

My mother is leafing through a light green jewelry box, except instead of jewelry inside of it, there seems to be pieces of paper, some folded, some not, with delicate lines of writing scrawled on them in a script too small for me to read this far away.

I creep out of the doorway and into the depths of my room before she can see me standing there. I lock the door and sit on the edge of my bed, almost mirroring my mother. I pick up a photograph sitting on my nightstand, which depicts me, my mother, and my father.

We’re all sitting on a park bench that’s in front of a cherry blossom tree. In the photo, both of my parents are smiling at the camera in such a fake way it almost looks real, meanwhile I am looking up at my mother.

I set the photo back down and look around my room. Most children say that they can find refuge in their bedrooms, because it feels like that’s the only place that they can really be themselves.

It’s just about the opposite for me. My bedroom was decorated by my parents, trying to create the image that I was the perfect daughter. One wall is covered in daisy wallpaper, while the others are painted a dusty purple.

My bed is covered in a duvet that is speckled with lilac-colored flowers, and my bedside lamp is a buttery yellow.

There’s a desk in my room, even though I have no need for it.

Suddenly, an urge to destroy something hits me like a wave. I look around the room for something breakable. My eyes land on the photo. I have it in my hands in a heartbeat.

I slip the photograph out of the frame and hold it in my hands for a moment. There is barely any hesitation before I rip the picture in half, then in fourths, not stopping until there is no way that you could piece the segments together. But that still isn’t enough.

It is as if my fingers are still itching to break something. I claw at my own skin on my legs until pain stabs fiercely. I collapse against my bedroom door crying, for absolutely no reason and every reason at once.

My father didn’t love me. My mother probably didn’t love me. So why should I keep trying to love them?

Alexandra Snipe. Alexandra. Kendra. My mother. To me they are all the same name. They were all my mother.

I sink into my bed and pull a pillow over my face. I want to scream, but I know that if I do, I’ll be punished.

Why can’t I just erase all memories of my mother? Start all over again, and do what she would want me to? But the thing is, she doesn’t love me. She never has. And nobody does.

1976 Age one and ½

Two delicate hands descend on the two of us in our crib. The sun is shining brightly from the window, casting dark shadows on the floor. The gentle hands wrap around my twin sister, and lift her slowly out of the bed.

I frown a bit, but then assume that our parents must be taking us out to play! I raise my arms, expecting to be picked up as well, but instead, our mama walks away from the crib, holding only my sister in her arms.

I cry out, and my mother sighs, turning back. She places a stuffed animal in my arms and tucks the blanket over my shoulders, even though it is sweltering in our house, since it is summer.

I start to wail, and my mother groans, but for some reason is still walking away from me. I make a confused look and stand up, looking over the bars of our crib. My mother ’s back is towards me as she carries my sister out and away. As she leaves, she slams the door.

I pound my chubby fists against the bars and cry as loud as I can, until my throat is so sore that I can’t speak. I am hot and sticky and wet from my tantrum, and I collapse back onto the mattress, weeping silently into my pillow.

What I didn’t know then was that I would most likely never see my sister again.

I remember everything all too well. I had tried to block the memory of killing Kira out, but I couldn’t. 1997

Nobody deserves me. I am both above everybody and below everybody. I am both right and wrong. I am both living and dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Deadeadeadeedeeadeadddeaddaeaddeeaadeeeadadeeaddaeeadadeae Deadaeeaddeeaeaddaeeadadedaddddddeaeadddddeadaeadadeaeeaddaaeaaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeedaeadeeadaeadaeeadaead. Dead.

Kira’s blood on my hands. Her hands. Fingers shaped like hers; my mother ’s. It all belonged to her. She is inside me and I am inside her. I have her hair. Her lips. But even without that. I am still her. I am in her shadow and she in mine.

The gun that I clutched to kill Kira. My father ’s blank stare as he lies on the ground. The fear in Ashley’s eyes as I smile at her. When I realised that she knew. They all knew. Too much. Deaddeadeaedeaddeaddaedadeadeadeadaeaddaedadsaeeaedadeaddaeadeaeadedededdaeaedddddddddddeeeeeeeeaddeadfdaeaedd. Mare. Jocelyn. Ashley. My father. Kira. These are the people that I have killed. And I am too close to being added to somebody else’s list.

Killing Kira had been far too easy. I knew that there were people out there searching for her. Because everybody had always loved Kira. A memory flashes before my eyes, and I am unable to push it back.

I stare at the ground. Kira lies with a bruised temple, passed out, a result of the orange vase smashed a couple of feet away. Her orange hair is splayed around her head. I slowly take out the gun hidden in my waistband. I softly bend down. Then I shoot her through the skull. I have to stay emotionless. If I break down, I might never stop crying.

I leave my gun lying there on the floor of her apartment. I am a twenty-one-year-old college dropout that has been living in Boca Raton for the past eight months. I should care that I have left a trail of evidence leading straight to me. But I don’t. Kira broke me. But I also broke her.

Strange. I squint my eyes, wondering if I am hallucinating. I know that I shouldn’t be able to see a small speck of land in the distance, the closest island to Boca Raton is over one thousand miles away. But then how do I see something there?

I walk over to the window, resting my palms against the cool glass. I’m definitely not hallucinating. So I am witnessing an island rising out of the ocean, something that only happens once every hundreds of thousands of years.

I groan and fall back onto the bed, rubbing my eyes. I stare up at the ceiling, wondering what my mother would say to me in this situation. But nothing comes to mind. Because my mother left me years ago. How would I remember what she said? I had barely even known my mother. She was always out of the house, for a formal function or errand.

I wiggle around the bed, the sheets rustling. I lay my head on the pillow and burrow under the sheets. I stare out the window at the mysterious speck of land. I shut my eyes tightly. I open them again. Nothing happens. Not that I was expecting anything to happen. Well, maybe I was, but there was a very low percent chance that anything would happen. And now I’m just ranting mindlessly. I sigh and flip onto my stomach, burying my face in one of the soft pillows. I sit up. I smack the pillow. I lay down again. I sigh once more. It would be quite a long night.

I curl into a ball and clutch my knees to my chest like a baby, and stay in that position for a couple of hours. I open my eyes eventually, knowing that it will be impossible for me to fall asleep. Then a thought pops into my mind.

I crawl out from under the sheets and tiptoe on the cool floor over to the desk, reach into my small bag, and fish to the bottom, pulling out a thumbdrive. My stomach heaves at the sight of it. I remember the last time I saw one of these. My father had called me into his office and showed me pictures of me murdering Ashley.

I open the computer, my fingers willing it to be unlocked. I open it. Surprisingly, it isn’t locked. It opens me to an empty white screen with five blank tabs open. I click through each one, checking if it shows any search history. Yet again, I am surprised. There is nothing.

I don’t have to search long for the USB port, and I stab in the thumbdrive, my stomach clenching into knots when it takes the page fifteen seconds to load. I can’t get caught. I don’t know why I feel nervous about this, but maybe what I am about to see feels private to me.

The computer asks for a password, and I type it in, typing slowly so that the keys won’t make as much noise as to wake Ounjae. The password also takes a second to load, and my heart pounds in my chest, wondering if I had remembered it wrong. But then a series of yellow files appears on the screen, along with the names of each file underneath. It isn’t hard to find the one that I am looking for.

The file is labeled, ‘Finals Prep’, because I named the file when I was still in college, and I had to share a computer with my nosy roommate. I click on it and a gallery of photos appears. My heart lodges in my throat when I look at the pictures. Some of them are blurry, but a little distortion can’t throw a daughter of Alexandra (Kendra) Snipe off track. I would recognize my mother ’s face anywhere. And I do. It has taken me years to find all of these pictures, along with newspaper articles that mention my mother.

Some of the pictures are simple things. A blur of a woman dressed in black heels and a leather jacket crossing the street, her bright eyes alert, seeming to be watching everyone and everything at once.

Others are different. My mother with her back turned in dark bars, my mother entering apartment buildings. Whenever I was able to identify her location, I would search her name and the location. But it was always too late. Every time, she had been long gone. My mother was never coming back to save me. I used to think that she would, that she was just saving up, and that one night, she would come and sneak me away, and then we would live in a tiny apartment together, just the two of us. But she never did. By the time I was sixteen, I stopped hoping. I realized that she didn’t want me. She never had. And if I wanted saving, I would have to save myself.

The next morning, I wake up and ask Ounjae if I can borrow her car for the day, and she warily agrees.

I turn the key into the ignition of Ounjae’s car, grateful that she let me borrow it. I back out of the parking spot and into the street. I drive straight down the street for a brisk twenty minutes, until I finally spot a gas station with a payphone outside. I park the car a bit away from the gas station and open the door, not bothering to turn off the car. I walk up to the payphone as I scrounge in my pocket for coins, coming up with just about enough. I stick the coins into the slot and press a couple of buttons until I hear a woman’s voice in my ear. “Hello. Who do you wish to be connected to?” I hesitate, then exhale, my shoulders relaxing after what seems like forever.

I reply in a manly tone, “Um… Alexandra Snipe, please.” I hear a muffled shuffling and rustling in the background, until the woman says, “I don’t have an Alexandra Snipe on file, but I do have an Alexandra Wishapore and an Alexandra Frump. Wait… there are a couple of more in the system.” I sigh inside, knowing that they must have at least a hundred Alexandras on file.

“Wait a second! I think I might have found her. Alexandra Snipe, you said?”

I nod, but then realise that she can’t see me, and say gruffly, “Yes.”

“Well then,” she starts cheerfully, “I can have her on in just a second! ...Oh. How very interesting. It seems as though this number has been disconnected. I’m sorry.” My heart sinks down to my stomach, but I manage to return with a, “It’s fine. Could you tell me where she’s located?”

“Oh, sorry. We’re not about to hand out private information all willy-nilly, you know?” She’s almost laughing, as if there is some joke involved that I don't know about. It sounds as though she is about to say something else, but I slam the phone back into its place and storm out of the booth, nearly breaking off the car door when I bang it shut.

A couple of hours later, I’m sitting in the desk chair in front of the computer in “my room,” clicking through the photos of my mother. There has to be something that I’m missing. Where would she have gone? A tiny part of me wants to think that she left some sort of clue for me, and is hoping for me to find it, but I know that isn’t true.

There is something tugging me back towards that gas station, something that had caught my eye while I had been talking to the woman. Something scrawled on the side of the dirty wall, something that looked oddly familiar.

Five minutes later, I find myself jogging back, and when I finally reach the gas station, my back and nearly everything else possible on my body is sweating. I duck inside the booth, checking to make sure that nobody is watching, and then I let my eyes pull me away. They scroll up and down the walls, noticing every little scribble anybody has ever made. Turns out vandalism is quite popular in Florida.

After an hour of searching and failed attempts, I am about to give up when I spot something that registers in my mind almost instantly. It's my mother ’s handwriting.

The tiny scrawling near the bottom of the wall would have been unnoticeable if I hadn’t squatted down. I squint at the writing, trying to make out what it says, and come up with, Truth lies only in the dark, almost unable to be seen. A.S. Those were my mother ’s initials.

I look away, my eyes stinging. I could have been that somebody. But she had chosen to run away.

But then I look back at the writing. Could this be a hint for somebody to find where she is now? I read the line enough times to have it memorized, but still, nothing comes to me.

I focus on the first part of the sentence. Truth lies only in the dark. That could mean many things, like truths could be hidden well, or you have to be in the telephone booth at night to see another message. There are millions of possibilities.

But I end up staying at the station until it’s dark, which takes a few hours. This is probably my best chance to find my mother. I can feel her fingerprints all over what I think the answer might be.

Finally, the moon has risen, but it barely illuminates the phone booth when I step inside. It’s nearly pitch black in there, and I can only see the outline of the telephone handle. I lean against the wall and slide down, sitting on the cold ground.

Maybe this was pointless. Maybe my mother has no intention of being found. Maybe – but wait. Because there it is. So easy to look over, even at night. Scrawled on the wall in something that must have been invisible UV ink.

The note reads an address, located in Bedford, Texas, not a day's drive away.

So, nineteen hours later, I suppose that’s how I find myself in the back of a middle-aged man’s pickup truck. He drops me off at a gas station, and it takes about twenty minutes to walk to the address that I found.

I stop when I reach the house. It has neatly trimmed shrubs in the front yard, and bright green grass. I think I can hear children laughing in the back. Could my mother have had children in the years that she had left? Do they know that in the process, she had left another child behind?

The house is a light beige with a green roof. I try to catch a glimpse of anybody in the windows, but the sun is glaring in my eyes, and I can’t spot anything behind the white curtains. I walk up the path to the porch.

I feel like all of my movements are slow, as if there is no gravity. I knock on the door gently. I wait for a second. Maybe she didn’t hear me. Then, I hear a woman’s voice calling to me, “Coming!”

It seems as if the world is in slow motion as she opens the door. And then I see her face, the one that I haven’t seen in seven years. My mother ’s.

I was expecting a tearful embrace, or at least an apology for abandoning me. But I get nothing but her slamming the door in my face.

My eyes water. But I guess some stories just can’t have their happily ever after, their happy ending.

The Previous Experiences Boyana Dyankova, 10, NYC The venue of the town square was enjoyable with trees that had just bloomed, as it was the middle of spring, making it sort of damp. I started to get a coffee but something stopped me. Ignoring the fact that there was almost no one around, I blindly took the coffee and sat down at a bench with less litter than on any other table.

But just then, I knew something was off. There was nothing surrounding me except for the innocent-looking barista in the shop across the center. Just then, I saw a man running straight towards me and I had no thoughts unless it was the rattle that went down my spine. I started going through my rambling thoughts, but I knew I couldn’t outrun a muscular, dumb baby. He was bigger than me and faster than me. I had to outsmart him, just how I did on every occasion that I had been chased. I got to my feet, and prepared to be in a never-ending chase. I took my last sip of latte, and prepared for a jostling experience. I started dashing across the main center.

My pursuer was gaining ground on me, and I had to make an idea of mine pop into my brain. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t. But then again, I was Marlow Haines, a mastermind, a genius, a total psychopath. I lightly chuckled thinking of the last one, as I had almost not a dot of breath in my throat. Running almost out of breath, I got a look at my moving surroundings. There was an alley coming up, a construction site going around the corner, and a fire ladder leading up to a nearby roof. I looked closely at my options quickly. Although each of them had a strategy, I would only be accessed to the fire ladder faster. I lunged towards the ladder, taking it down and almost getting caught by my pursuer.

He climbed the ladder up with me, though when I got to the top, I saw a parkour course, just like at the Haine manor. I would get to the manor in 15 minutes tops, but with a pursuer on my back, I’d take time going over each rooftop. Each rooftop had a different garden, or items like laundry lines hanging on poles, or pools. I had to crisscross between them, only stopping for a second to look back behind me to see the pursuer following weakly. He barely got over the first one, and stumbled on the ground on the second leap. I lightly chuckled but I knew there was no time for it.

I had to keep going and finally escape him, to be truly alone. But that would never ever happen. An enemy organization kept sending their dumb goons at me for no reason at all. I had no time for memories from before as though right now I was being chased by a man that should’ve been on a reality television show with his good looks, he shouldn’t have chosen a killer job with physical activities, literally.

When I put some more distance between me and the pursuer who looked like he was huffing and puffing madly, I checked the ladders to see if I could make a quick exit. I spotted the nearest one I could access and yet again, it was the one four rooftops ahead. I sighed, knowing that there was more running in this business. I glanced back at my phone, and it was almost slipping out of my pocket. I was running late to a vital meeting. I couldn’t believe it. Never in a million years was I late to a meeting, and especially the important ones. I placed my phone back in my pocket and climbed down on the fire ladder that was apparently already down. I ignored this fact, and thought, there must be something really wrong with me. I never ignored facts, not even when I was being chased. I must get back home.

The thing was as I climbed down the ladder, I sensed a heavy gas and took my last breath until I fell off the ladder. My last view before becoming unconscious was a buff, strong, blonde-haired man laying me down on a blanket and carrying me while running away from someone. I rolled my eyes back and smiled. Conall returned.

House of Spirits Georgie Axelrod, 10, NYC Part 1

There were five sisters. They were known as the Casper sisters. The youngest, who was 23, is Harper. Then comes Helen. She was 25 years old. Next is Harley. She was 27 years old. Also there’s Hazel. She was 29 years old.

Finally, we have Hannah. Some people say she’s just shy. They're wrong. Others say she just hates the sun. But they are also wrong. Hannah is the oldest, being 33 years old. And believe it or not, the Casper sisters don’t have the perfect life you're all probably thinking right now. They all have a little bit of witch blood in them. Their great-great-grandmother, Molly Casper, was the first witch of her family. She was an only child whose mother died from childbirth. Molly was raised by her dad, who got into a car crash when she was eight. Her dad was in the hospital for a year before he passed away. By then, Molly was nine and had learned to control her powers. The powers every girl in the family had. Those powers are super speed, super strength, and immortality. Those ages before are just their fake ages. Their real ages are way different. Harper is 199. Helen is 201. Harley is 206. Hazel is 210. And Hannah is 213.

Now, all the Casper sisters are moving to Westling Town. They’ve lived with their mother, Karla Casper, all of their lives. Now they're moving back to where great-great-grandma Molly raised her children, Starley Casper and May Casper. They were killed with Molly 300 years ago in what was known as the ‘Battle of the witches.’ Obviously the witches won against the dumb humans that dared to fight them. But a kind that didn’t even pair with humans snuck out. The wizards. The only way a witch can be killed is by getting hit with a spell known as ‘the killer curse.’ Only top level wizards could perform that curse. That was the wizards' power. Using the wand.

The wizards only managed to kill Molly, Starley, and May before the other witches chased them off. Wizards are only boys and witches are only girls. You’d think that’d make the perfect love story but no. The wizards and witches loathe each other.

Anyways none of the Caspers (not even Karla) have been to that house since the death of Starley, May, and Molly. Luckily though, Starley had gotten married and had a child named Leah, before she passed. Leah, too, figured out her powers at around eight. And Leah married Charles and together, they had Karla. Leah actually lives with all the sisters and Karla. Karla always feels bad for her that she had to sit through Charles' funeral, knowing she could never join him. Karla was married to Kev, who died off a hundred years ago. But they had all the Casper Sisters before Kev passed. But Karla did something crazy that Leah was very angry about. Karla told Kev she was a witch. It was one year before he died, though. One day, Karla’s old person wig fell off and she knew she had to tell him. It was hard, though. He went away for three months to spend time in the city without her. He did say he was sorry when he came back, but they were never quite as close. He then died from old age. Karla believes it’s her fault he died though. She thinks if she hadn’t told him he would’ve lived longer.

But let’s get back to moving to Westling. Anyways, the Casper sisters have a special way of moving. They go through a forest that nobody can see them in, the Ash-wire forest. It’s completely dark so no one can see them using their super speed. Then they're there.

The house is dark, with red curtains drawn over the windows. It has cobwebs and the garden looks dead like it hasn’t been used in ages. Hannah was the first to make a move. Her soft willowy hair blew with the breeze. Just like everyone else’s. Everyone had blue eyes (like Kev) and light brown, soft, willowy hair (like Karla). Hannah creaked open the door. The other four sisters followed behind her. The house was empty and cold. Hannah kept taking steps. The rest were huddled at the door. The wooden panels creaked under Hannah’s feet.

Finally, after a ton of poking around, changing temperatures, unpacking, and decorating, the house looked normal again. Then an unnatural cold fell over the house. The door slammed close without even a gust of wind. Harley was the first to check the temperature to make sure they hadn’t set it wrong. It was 75 degrees! The sisters huddled together in the now-freezing living room. The cold gust swept over again. Then there was moaning. Unnatural moaning.

Helen was the first to act. She picked up a broom that had been stowed away in a storage closet. The broom was also cold now. At normal times, all the sisters would’ve laughed together at this, for they found it funny when people thought about witches and started talking about flying on brooms. Too many myths.

Helen tried to hit the cold gust with the broom whenever it swept by, but she had no luck. The others were doing their best to help, but super speed failed them, for this was too unnatural. Then the moaning was back. This time it had a bit of a looming moan to it. Helen gripped her broom tighter. She took another swing, and this time she felt the broom hit something. But there was nothing there. Just something hard. She kept taking swings at it. Always something hard, but never anything visible. She pointed this out to Hazel, who happened to be standing right next to her. Hazel nodded and approached the object Helen had her broom on. The others watched curiously as Hazel made a lunge to touch the object. Her fingers were stuck as soon as she felt the object. Before a second had gone by, ice was taken around Hazel, and before they all knew it, she was frozen. Next, the broom froze. Helen dropped it before it could spread to her. She wondered why it hadn’t frozen before. Suddenly there was a voice.

“This is my house. Who dares to enter?” the voice boomed.

“Us,” Hannah said. There was no lack of confidence in her voice. Just bravery. This angered the voice. He was used to having people cower down in fear.

“I see your sister ’s frozen,” the voice said, trying to once again lack Hannah’s bravery.

“Guess we should be more careful,” Hannah replied. Still, no lack of confidence. The voice growled, a low chest growl. Harper jumped a little in place.

“You're scared of that, aren’t you,” the voice growled at Harper.

“You wish,” Harper mumbled. Suddenly they could feel that the voice was right in front of them. They couldn’t see him, but they felt his cold breeze. Then the invisibility began to turn into a gray blanket. It very slowly slid off the person below it to reveal a man. He looked around 30, and had dark, piercing eyes. His skin was a perfect light and his slicked-back, black hair edged perfectly around his head.

“I’ve never had to wish for anything in my life. There’s wizards and witches. I’m neither. I’m a spirit. Very few of us left.” Then the spirit creeped closer, causing all the sisters to step back.

“Stay away,” Hannah ordered, and gathered her sisters behind her. “Or else.”

“Or else what?” the spirit said, his mocking tone laughing now.

“Why don’t you come and find out,” Hannah growled. And the spirit stopped laughing.

Part 2

The spirit had the non-frozen sisters up against the wall.

“No one can try to trick me,” he said. “And I mean no one.”

“Have you ever met witches?” Harley asked mockingly. Hannah pushed her back before the spirit could lunge for her.

“I have met witches in fact,” the spirit said. “It was an awfully long time ago though. Back in the 1200s, I think.” Helen couldn’t hold in a gasp at how old this spirit was. “I was going about my daily walk. I was trying my best to act like a human. My mother had died of childbirth when I was born and then I lost my father to a war when I was ten. That’s when I had figured out I was a spirit. I was never able to tell him though. He was at war when I figured it out.” The sisters couldn’t help but be intrigued. “So I was adopted. This family adopted me. There was Mr. and Mrs. Huene and their daughter. Aster Huene. We fell in love. We had a daughter named Kelly Geller. Oh, by the way I’m John Geller. I never told Aster I was a spirit but I did have to because Kelly ended up being one too.

“Anyways, back to what I was saying. I was just dating Aster at the time. I’d gone on a walk so she could have some alone time with her parents. Then I stumbled upon two ladies. I was surprised. I hadn’t seen anyone on the streets so far. The ladies walked up to me. They instantly jumped back. Only witches and wizards could feel my cold breeze, so right away I knew what they were. ‘Spirit,’ one of the ladies said. The other nodded. I ran away though before they could say any more.” The sisters nodded at John's story.

“Dad,” another spirit voice echoed through the halls.

“That’s my Kelly. Aster died way before.” The sisters once again nodded. A gray blanket draped off the girl. She had light skin and piercing eyes just like her father. Her hair was also slicked back. It was waist length.

“Vistors,” she growled lightly.

“This is our house,” Harley said. Hannah pulled her back next to Harper but not before Kelly could get right in her face.

“Your house?” Kelly asked, laughing.

“We’re the great-great-grandchildren of Molly Casper,” Helen said. Then the room was dead silent.

“Really,” Kelly said. She looked intrigued in a mocking way. “Then go down the family tree to prove it.”

“Well first there’s Molly, then Starley and May, next Leah, and then finally our mom Karla,” Hannah said.

“So you are,” John said. He laughed under his breath.

“So we are,” Harper agreed. Then all of a sudden, the broom hit the floor. It was no longer stuck to the mysterious object. Next, Hazel unfroze and was embraced in a hug by her sisters. Then another gray blanket slid off where the mysterious object should be. A man with ruffled brown hair and perfect light skin and eyes was standing there.

“So sorry I froze you,” he said to Hazel.

“No problem,” she said. You couldn’t miss the blush on her cheeks.

“Oh, and this is my friend’s son. Aaron,” John said. Aaron gave a lovely smile (specifically at Hazel).

“Well I guess we’re sharing the house,” Kelly said.

“Fine,” Hannah agreed. “But fairly.” Kelly nodded and her and Hannah shook hands. Aaron’s eyes never left Hazel. *** Finally, everyone was all settled in. The Casper sisters had two connecting rooms upstairs. Helen and Harper shared the bunk bed room. And then Hazel and Harley shared the other bunk bed in the room next door with Hannah on the singular bed next to them. John and Aaron shared a room that had two beds, and Kelly got her own room. And then downstairs was the kitchen and the living room.

One night while everyone was sleeping, Aaron woke Hazel up. They were actually really good friends now.

“Hey, come to the attic with me?” Aaron asked Hazel. Hazel yawned.

“Uh, sure,” she said. The two quietly made their way to the attic. Once up there, Hazel was the first to sit down. Then she laid down. Aaron could tell she was tired. He got a blanket that laid stowed away in a corner of the attic. He draped it over Hazel. She gave him a warm smile even with her eyes closed. Then Aaron sat down next to her.

“Tell me a story," Hazel said.

“I’m not very good at telling stories, Hazel,” Aaron pointed out.

“Just try,” Hazel mumbled. Her eyes flickered shut. Aaron didn’t speak. He thought she was asleep. “I’m still listening,” she joked.

“Alright, alright,” Aaron said. “Once upon a time in a far away land a long time ago, there was a Hazel tree.”

Hazel laughed.

“And that Hazel tree helped the whole forest thrive. But one day, there was another tree. And those two trees loved each other. But that other tree brought darkness to the forest. So that other tree had to leave. And the Hazel tree never saw the other tree again. The end.” Only then did Aaron realize his voice was cracking and quiet tears were flowing down his eyes. Soft gentle tears were flowing down Hazel’s too.

“Do you think that's really going to happen?” she asked. She was sitting up straight now to match Aaron's height and her eyes were open.

“I… don’t know,” Aaron admitted. Hazel nodded. Then suddenly their faces were closer. And without even thinking Aaron tried to kiss her.

“The trees are in trouble,” John’s voice said before Aaron and Hazel could kiss. They turned around. There stood all the Casper sisters with their arms crossed and furious glares. Kelly looked as pissed as ever. And John was thinking up a good consequence.

“Sorry,” Hazel and Aaron mumbled together.

The Casper sisters were having a good talk with Hazel.

“What were you thinking?” Hannah asked.

“I was thinking about love,” Hazel replied.

“He’s a spirit for god sakes!” Helen said.

“Guys I’m sorry, okay?” Hazel said.

“Sorry doesn't do it,” Harper said. Hazel threw them all a pleading glance.

“Please guys,” she begged.

“Just talk to John,” Hannah snapped, and the rest of the Casper sisters followed Hannah out. Hazel was left sitting on the bottom bunk. She curled up in a ball and thumped onto her bed.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” John’s voice asked from the corner of the room.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you!” John sat down next to Hazel on her bed.

“My great-great-grandfather was the first one of us to have spirit powers. His name was Antonio Baulf. Our last names have changed over time. Anyways, once, he went into the attic. He never came back. My great-great-grandmother Winnie was so scared of the house she never returned to it after my grandmother Glen’s wedding,” John said.

“I’m so sorry,” Hazel said.

“I just want you to understand this is out of safety. Not unfairness,” John said. Hazel nodded. “So for that reason, Hannah and I have agreed it is forbidden for you two to have any relationship toward each other.”

And Hazel’s crying echoed through the night.

Part 3

Hazel ate meals with everyone else while Aaron ate meals alone. They couldn’t even see each other. The only communication they had was through a tiny crack in the wall where they could barely whisper late at night. One night while everyone else was asleep, Aaron made a tiny bang on the wall in front of the crack. It was enough to wake Hazel up.

“Would you be quiet?” she snapped.

“Relax, who’s gonna be up right now?” Aaron teased.

“Well if they hear a bang they're gonna wake up,” Hazel shot back.

“Overreacting,” Aaron teased. Hazel rolled her eyes.

“I’m not and I’m gonna get some sleep now, thank you very much,” Hazel snapped.

“Hazel, I –” But Hazel had covered up the hole with her extra pillow.

The next morning Aaron went to Kelly. He told her about the hole but begged her not to tell anyone. Then he told her about him and Hazel’s argument.

“Talk to her,” Kelly suggested.

“When?” Aaron snapped.

“Breakfast,” Kelly said. Aaron gave her a confused look. Kelly rolled her eyes and dragged him down the stairs.

“Just say you can’t wait until your breakfast time because you're too hungry,” she mumbled. Aaron nodded. Everyone’s eyes turned to Kelly and Aaron. Hazel kept her head extra low as soon as she saw Aaron.

“This isn’t his breakfast slot,” Hannah complained.

“He’s too hungry to wait,” Kelly said, and sat him down next to her before anyone could argue.

“Just for today,” John said. Hannah followed John’s lead and so did the rest of the Casper sisters.

“What’s up? Why does he keep staring at you?” Harley asked Hazel during breakfast.

“He’s staring at me?” Hazel asked, pretending to look shocked.

“Yeah,” Harley said. She had always been able to see past Hazel's acts.

Finally, breakfast cleared up. Aaron stayed back to talk to Hazel.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Hazel said, trying to walk by him.

“Don’t ignore me,” Aaron commanded.

“Leave me alone!” Hazel yelled. Everyone was staring at them. “Go find love in some other attic!”

“Hazel, I didn’t think the argument –”

“No!” Hazel yelled. “It’s not about the argument or the attic!” And she stormed away, leaving Aaron speechless. He quietly walked back to his room. His feet dragged along the stairs, making them squeak.

“You okay?” Kelly asked, once Aaron got to his room. John was pacing back and forth in another corner of the room.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Aaron replied, shoving Kelly’s comforting hand away.

“Aaron, talk to me, please,” Kelly begged.

“Just for today,” John said. Hannah followed John’s lead and so did the rest of the Casper sisters.

“What’s up? Why does he keep staring at you?” Harley asked Hazel during breakfast.

“He’s staring at me?” Hazel asked, pretending to look shocked.

“Yeah,” Harley said. She had always been able to see past Hazel's acts.

Finally, breakfast cleared up. Aaron stayed back to talk to Hazel.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Hazel said, trying to walk by him.

“Don’t ignore me,” Aaron commanded.

“Leave me alone!” Hazel yelled. Everyone was staring at them. “Go find love in some other attic!”

“Hazel, I didn’t think the argument –”

“You okay?” Kelly asked, once Aaron got to his room. John was pacing back and forth in another corner of the room.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Aaron replied, shoving Kelly’s comforting hand away.

“Aaron, talk to me, please,” Kelly begged.

“This isn’t even your room, Kelly,” Aaron snapped.

“You’ll just be angrier if you hold it in,” Kelly mumbled as she walked out of the room.

“You’ll have to talk to Hazel and us eventually,” John said, as he followed Kelly out of the room. Aaron sat there in the emptiness wondering where he’d done it so wrong. Maybe it was the attic. That story really sucked. Or maybe it was the argument through the crack. It was just too hard to tell which one.

On the other side of the wall, Hazel was dealing with stuff too.

“Why so angry?” Harper asked.

“I’m chill now,” Hazel mumbled.

“Well you can’t break our alliance just because you and that Aaron guy have something going on!” Hannah said.

“It won’t happen again,” Hazel promised.

“Better not,” Helen said as she followed the rest out the door.

Aaron tried one more time.

“Hazel,” he whispered through the crack.

“You don’t get the outcome of that argument on the stairs, do you?” Hazel asked, and walked away. Aaron stuffed his head into his pillow.

“Ugh,” he said. John came back in, followed by Kelly.

“Stop trying,” John ordered. “She’s clearly done with you.” Those words burned in Aaron’s chest.

“And I’m done with you,” he said, trying to walk out of the room. John grabbed him by the arm before he could though.

“That’s no way to speak to the person who’s raised you," John said.

“Sorry,” Aaron mumbled, and walked out of the room. John sighed and Kelly shook her head. Aaron was off though. He raced after Hazel.

“What do you want?” Hazel asked, before Aaron could say anything.

“To talk to you,” Aaron said, truthfully.

“Then no,” Hazel said, and once again walked away. Aaron sighed but took John’s advice and didn’t try again. Instead, he went back to his room where Kelly was.

“I’ll leave,” Kelly said, and started to get up.

“No,” Aaron said. “Stay.” Kelly nodded and scooched over so Aaron could sit next to her.

“Sorry about before,” Aaron said.

“I know it’s been a hard day for you,” Kelly said.

“Thanks Kells,” Aaron said. He flopped down onto the bed. “Can we go get some lunch?” Kelly laughed. Aaron followed her downstairs to where everyone sat. Including Hazel.

“I’m done,” Hazel instantly said, and rushed out of the room. Aaron felt his mood go icy again.

“Whatever” he whispered to Kelly, who looked ready for a fit. She smiled a smile of relief and sat down next to Aaron. Everyone ate quickly after that. The Casper sisters were feeling very chatty today.

“Going upstairs,” Aaron said, once he was done.

“Me too,” Kelly said, and followed Aaron upstairs. John smiled; he seemed in a better mood now. Aaron smiled back before heading upstairs with Kelly.

That night, Aaron went to sit on the lawn at the edge of the forest. He just wanted to be alone.

“Why is she so mad?” Aaron yelled under his breath.

“Because of me,” a voice said from the forest. Aaron jumped up immediately.

“Who’s there?” he asked.

“Molly Casper.”

Stay tuned for Part 4

The Feel of the Sky Marilena Kounavi, 10, NY The clouds in the sky the angels in heaven Do you see the birds fly Do you see the black raven Do you feel a water buzz Do you feel a sky fuzz

Me, You and The World

We’ve Been Here Before

Daphne Wiener, 12, NYC

What happened to “Don’t repeat mistakes that were made — use them to grow?” What happened to making the world a better place? Before, when doors were shut in my people’s faces, When you weren’t respected because of something you couldn’t change, A past when you were marked for your religion, A past in which people were murdered — A mistake we vowed to never repeat. That past has become our present, Just wearing a different face. He said, “Make America great again,” “Help make the world a better place.” Now here we are once again, Swept into the protests, Kicking out people because they seek a better future Because they are from a frightening place — A place full of hunger and war. You promised a better future for all So they came. Now you kick people out because of their name What have we learned from the past? What have we learned about discrimination and World War II About camps where people were kept, Camps where people starved? Why do we keep building walls And calling them safety? After all that has happened, Do you look up at the stars and think, “Let’s repeat it?” All the hard work made to move forward, And you pull us back — Starting wars, Taking people from their homes. Violence is not the answer. Have you not learned anything at all, may I ask you? I have not gone home since second grade Because of the choices you have made. Lives are being uprooted Because you know you can do it It was not okay to do in 1942 And it’s not okay to do it now. We’ve been here before, and all people said — Never. Never again.

Neon Glitch So what? I’m Weird! So I don’t like ketchup on my plate, And don’t get me started on mayo — Mustard’s the only right way. While people are wearing their Nikes and sweaters, I’m writing those companies letters To demand a neon green version. I’m rocking my bunny slippers and green cardigan; Though my P.E. teacher absolutely hates me for them. So what if I name every cloud in the sky? Like, look at Sir Charles just floating by. So what if I make backstories for people walking by: That girl in the blue blouse? A Russian spy. That guy with the baseball cap? He can secretly fly. So what if I talk, and talk, and won’t ever stop? My thoughts roll off my tongue like a popcorn kernel about to pop. If the second I get an idea the whole world decides to pause My brain just shows me neon colors and all I hear is static And did you know I’m a Labubu fanatic So what if I dance in the grocery store? So I’m different in this perfect world I color outside the lines I won’t follow that stupid update Won’t do that “perfectly acceptable” trend Or wait for my weird “phase” to end It’s because, Normal is boring — a great, big, itchy sore. That is a fact. Nothing more. So you can call me a freak, A glitch, A neon-colored crime. But honestly I’m having a much better time. I’m the neon error in your boring little world What can I say? I’m a weird little girl.

Small Crimson Paws Oliver, 11, Washington D.C. The leaves danced in the cool breeze, showcasing their beautiful colors. Reds and oranges and yellows alike twirled and spun in the air, their brethren coating the ground and clinging to branches. The moon glowed in the star-speckled sky, obscured by plentiful trees. Birds chirped, flittering about. Squirrels raced up and down trunks, nuts in their little hands.

The kit sat on the ground, his large, amber eyes studying the scene around him. An entire ecosystem, functioning all on its own, which he couldn’t wait to be a part of. But she wouldn’t be able to show it to him. He shoved the thought out of his mind, standing slowly. He cooed to himself, a soft burr for comfort. A nighthawk flew through the sky, not far above him. He leaped up, swatting, yet barely missing it. It swooped onto a bough which carried a nest, nuzzling its beak against several juveniles, likely its children. They were nearly independent, just like him. Nearly.

His dark paws made a satisfying noise when they crunched on the blanket of leaves, like a bristle-furred kit cuddling with its mother, he thought. He suddenly felt very, very weak, and very, very lonely. The kit brushed it off, continuing his stroll. His tall, black ears picked up the sound of flowing water, likely a stream. Good. He could go there, maybe find food.

As he crunch, crunch, crunched his way through the forest, tracking the river, thoughts swirled in his head. They circled, like hares in a chase, too fast for him to catch or even see. He didn’t bother to try anymore. The sound of the river grew louder, and the dirt turned to sand under his feet. Ah, he was here — He froze.

There she was. His — A vixen. The last scrap of family he had left, and — Oh, god, oh — She was scattered, bits and pieces everywhere — the pawprints on the ground, they led — away? He hoped so, and those prints — they were canine, but not from a fox, and neither were the bites. There were so many wounds all over her, and there was so much red, it practically replaced the river. Her neck was almost entirely missing, and her tail had been taken by them, and her eyes — oh, her eyes. Those eyes that had always looked at him so lovingly, so tenderly, were dead and lifeless. Blank as the snow she’d described to him. The mouth that had always given him a purring burr when he was scared was slightly askew, a small trickle of blood escaping. He squeezed his eyes shut, beginning to shake. A cry nearly escaped his lips, but when his eyes opened — Oh. It wasn’t her. It was a badger being feasted upon by a coyote. The coyote’s fur was greyish — like his, many months ago — and her mouth was stained with her meal. She must’ve sensed his presence, because she looked up, directly at him, and growled.

His tail dropped, ears pinned to his head. He backed away slowly, whimpering. She seemed to accept this, and continued eating. That… was odd. Why didn’t she kill him, a future threat? She simply took another bite from her prey, her eyes focused on the badger. Suddenly, she turned crimson, with black ears and paws, inviting him to eat. He turned away, his muscles tensing. He didn’t like when his mind did that.

It was growing colder. Much colder. Autumn would end soon, and the kit didn’t think he’d survive the winter. As he trotted through the forest, he attempted to push the thoughts to the back of his mind. A leaf fluttered down, landing on his back. He snapped his head to look, yet he just couldn’t reach. He continued spinning, chasing down the unreachable leaf. Finally, he grew tired, and collapsed to the ground. The whole world seemed to rotate and jump around. It was kind of funny, he thought. Like the games he’d play in the den, before the blizzard.

A frigid wind ambushed him unexpectedly, accompanied by the growl of thunder. He shivered, wrapping his bushy tail around himself. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, bleeding out into the sky. He supposed it would get warmer then, but he was so tired, and hungry. Now was prime hunting time, so he might as well try to catch some small creature.

The tall grasses hid many things. He knew that, as when he was a tiny kit, he’d sit low to the ground and watch the predators going by. He thought himself perfectly safe, perfectly secure, as if nothing could hurt him. How he wished that was true. Just now, as he scanned the dirt, lying on his stomach, he spotted a little vole, nibbling on a scrap of a tuber. Completely unaware and vulnerable, fragile and weak. He could kill it with one pounce. The fox could feel his legs bracing under him, ready to leap, but as he looked into those beady, black eyes… No. He had to. He sprung up, and before the vole could even squeak, he was upon it, his paws trapping it.

It squirmed under his grip, squealing and squirming. It looked like him, pinned under a dog, a dog that growled just like the noise now rising in his throat. No. He had to. He needed to survive. They had all the food in the world, so… why? Another screech came from his prey, bringing him back to reality. Before he could even decide what to do, his instincts kicked in, and his teeth were on its neck. It went limp. The taste in his mouth was metallic, yet sweet.

Well. That was that. He might as well eat it. As he chewed, he allowed his thoughts to escape from his grasp. By the time the sun was almost fully visible, he had finished his meal and was curled up under a near-bare tree. Another day finished. Just another sunset and sunrise, and he just couldn’t wait to go through it all again tomorrow. And as the days passed and the leaves fell, and as his body grew sleeker and thinner, he knew that the real test of foxhood was approaching, and his teacher was fired before she was finished with her lesson.

The first snow of the year drifted from the heavens like an angel’s tears. It was shining in the moonlight, delicate and soft, yet playful, too. The fox, no longer a mere kit, sat atop a hill, gazing out over the forest that had been their home. Some excitement lingered in his heart as he observed the powder ’s slow descent, though it was muffled by the harsh realities of life. He watched as yearling wolves snapped at the snowflakes, yipping and pouncing at one another ’s tails. Back when the summer sun hung over the sky and fireflies blinked to life at night, he’d sat here. Back when facing the world without a guide sounded implausible and he thought she’d always be there, they’d sat here. She would sing to him in that tone, coo a burr, nuzzle him with her black-tipped snout, point out to him the stars she found most beautiful. She’d always say that his siblings had become stars after the blizzard. He wondered if she was up there too, watching him with her motherly smile.

Something fell on his nose. He jumped, entering a fighting stance, but… It was just a flake of snow. He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, didn’t melt. He simply shook his head and turned away from the woods below — after all, watching nothing would get you nothing.

As the fox walked, he heard the sound of paws on snow. He froze, ears perked, and turned his head slowly. Oh. It was just a… well, no, that was odd. A fox kit, in winter? He could only guess how that’d happened. The kit stared at him, head tilted and eyes wide. It was careful not to make eye contact — of course it would be, it would be silly to antagonize an older, more experienced fox such as him. He leaned down to sniff it, clearly finding the scent of — he leaned back, scanning the kit. A vixen. It smelled… just like her.

The kit must have been scared, all alone in the night. He gave a gentle burr, looking for the pup’s vixen, and, sure enough, a crimson silhouette was already fading into view. She ran up to him, looking him over, before grabbing her kit by the scruff of its neck. And, with that, likely his last interaction with another fox for the rest of the year was completed.

In order to get to his… sort of den, he would need to cross the black river. It was frozen solid — it always was — as he padded across, completely unaware of the goings-on around him. The small hole he called home wasn’t far, so he didn’t think it’d take him that long to get to his makeshift den. He was wrong.

The only light was that of the stars and the moon, and it did indeed make the thin blanket of snow quite pretty. The trees stretched up and up into the sky, casting shadows that would obscure any pursuers. He was distracted by the beauty of the snow. How… how stupid. He wasn’t listening, but he could’ve heard the footsteps. He didn’t even cover up his pawprints, disguise his scent. It was almost as if he wanted them to find him. It was at that moment, on that winter night, that he heard that sound again.

“Tally-ho!” Hound #5’s ears perked up. The scent the dogs at the front of the hunt had been following had paid off. The Master had spotted one. It was on. On the one hand, she couldn’t wait to begin. On the other, she couldn’t wait for it to end. Before her thoughts could even wrap themselves up, the other hounds were running, so she was too. Her eyes were useless; she’d been taught, so she saw with her nose instead. So many interesting things existed in the world of smells, but she was only meant to pay attention to one: fox.

But… there was also frog, and tree, and wild-dog, and wild antler-horse. She wanted to investigate, but as soon as her snout turned away from the ground, she felt the crack of a whip against her back. “Quit babbling, blasted mutt!” Instantly, she was back to the chase — after all, it wasn’t only coffee-brown splotches that covered her body, and it wasn't her masters’ pleasant words that crowded her mind.

The men upon horses weaved between the dogs, and if she wasn’t careful, she could end up in the same shape their quarry would be in when they were done, merely at the mercy of the horses’ sharp hooves.

#5 found herself being pushed to the front, her legs moving without her permission. It was then that she saw their target, a young red fox — a cub, as they called him, not even a year old. He was bounding for his life, but at the same time, so was she, and though #5 couldn’t see his eyes, she knew they were filled with desperation. He was fast, though, and light on his paws. That wouldn’t save him, though. Even she knew that.

It was Brimwood, officially Hound #8, that went in for the first bite. In the lead by a good three or four metres, it came as no surprise to #5 that he was at the front. He leapt for the ankles, a smart move indeed. Despite the species barrier, she was sure everyone who heard his heart-wrenching cry knew exactly what was going through his head. He was tossed to the ground, his leg clearly pulled from its socket, blood pouring from Brimwood’s mouth. He would die now, she guessed, but there were around five seconds before the other hounds would dive in on him, and the staff would follow up.

#5’s training was opaque and solid. Sniff. Tongue. Chase. Kill. However, the hound’s heart was clear and warm. View. Leap. Fight. Save. And in those five seconds, one of the two would have to prove that its point was correct. Five. The other hounds drew close. Four. The fox still wriggled under Brimwood’s grip. Three. The judge has decided the verdict.

Two. She dashed forward. One. She was upon Brimwood.

She must’ve been broken in some way or another, because the only thing she felt was the soft fur of the fox, absent of any lashings. Her claws flew across Brimwood, and barked at him. She felt the warm splash of blood on her cheek. but whose, she didn’t know. He looked at her in bewilderment, hesitating for the most crucial of moments. She grabbed the fox by the scruff of his neck and began to run.

Moving. Muffling a cry when she felt something sharp and hard hit her leg, sending flames bursting through her body. She toppled over, dropping the fox. He righted himself, looking down at #5. She couldn’t know that, to him, her white-and-brown fur coat appeared just as crimson as his. This… this had to have been it for her. The rest of the hunt would soon arrive, and the next bullet would hit her skull.

In the moonlight, upon blood soaked snow, #5 knew that would be her end. She accepted it. She was ready, but… the fox got a grip on the scruff of her neck, then started to drag her. The next thing she knew, she had fallen into a hole dug in the earth. They’d gone to ground. It was over.

The two sat there for who knows how long, just heaving deep breaths as they listened to the paws and hooves pounding above. She licked her wound absentmindedly, ears tuned. “He’s gone to ground! Give ‘im best,” a human said above. “Doesn’t matter ‘bout the escaped hound. Nature’ll sort herself out.” Just like that. Her entire life, gone. But… his entire life, saved. As they caught their breath, they never once met eyes, but why? She wanted to show him affection, yet he kept his eyes to the floor, tending his hind leg where #8 had bit him. All the time, he’d made a quiet, indescribable noise, almost like a burr. At last, he moved, though not at all in the way #5 expected.

His tail slipped between his legs as he whimpered barely loud enough to hear. Her ears pricked up, then pressed against the side of her head. Well, there was nothing left to lose. Despite the limited space, #5 managed to roll over, exposing her underbelly.

It was now the fox’s turn to be shocked. He gave a glance at his wound, which he’d now licked clean of blood. It could heal, but… he now had the perfect opportunity to kill her. Had their places been switched, she didn’t think she could go through with it, but a fox, a wild, wild fox surely would. He stared at her for a good while, a distant look in his eye, as if he saw something — someone — else. He gave a quiet, purr-like sound, then carefully laid his head against her. -XThe leaves were at rest, unmoving beneath the limping fox’s paws. It was the second time he’d seen them, with all their warm, pretty hues. He brushed through the tall grass, glancing up at the manmade den of stones and wood. The sky was dark, stained with reds and yellows, but the sun’s wounds had healed, and it no longer bled. He yipped, trotting up to what they called a porch. He still remembered the first time he came here, following the humans who’d taken the not-fox. They’d shooed him away then, tried to scare him, but now, he plopped down at the door, watching the flap. He gave another bark, tail beginning to wag. The peephole opened for a second, then a human shouted, “Dixie! Your fox is here!” The flare in his heart at those familiar sounds was short lived, though he only recognized one noise that came from inside the den; Dixie.

She came running out the flap, surprisingly fast for a dog who’d lost a leg, licking his face. He returned the greeting, giving the same burr sound she used to, noticing that her tail was going crazy, too. He dropped the scrap of a mouse he’d brought for her, sitting while she ate. Dixie gave a short bark, and began to walk away, signaling him to follow.

He trailed close behind, not a worry in his mind. He’d been to her quaint little farm quite a few times over the past year, with whatever bits of food he could find in payment for her saving his life, and her humans seemed to understand it. Though, it’d been a while since he’d stopped by, maybe three months or so. She trotted ahead of him in a rather happy manner, odd for all she’d dealt with. Just like her, but… not. As they passed by him, the fox gave a nod to the sheepdog, whose eye was always on him. Understandable, as he most certainly could have attempted to steal his herd. Dixie ran up to him, licking his face. Oh! That was unexpected. After leaving the sheepdog, she slipped into another manmade den, this one built of red bricks, the floor covered in hay bales. He leaned off his injured leg, and there, on the floor, amongst the hay, were —

Dog kits. Small, wriggling, close-eyed little pups. They had her snout and ears, but the build of… hm, most certainly not her breed. Their coats all varied wildly, but one caught his eye immediately. A male whose fur had skewed wildly, leaning more red than brown, and he almost looked as though he was wearing dark boots, due to his coloration. He nosed the pup, rubbing against him. He could hear the sheepdog approach, likely to make sure the fox didn’t hurt the pups. Dixie nudged him slightly, and gave one last remark. Burr.

The Elf ’s Offer Layla Husain, 11, NYC Once upon a time, a woman lived in the woods with her daughter. Her hut was near a waterfall, and the sun reflected off of it in just the perfect way, turning the water the most beautiful shade of pink when sunset came. The daughter, who was four years in age, was happy and strong. When she laughed, it echoed across the whole forest, and the animals would scurry towards her when she smiled.

But one day, the daughter fell gravely ill. She started getting weaker, and the animals started becoming more wary when near her. Laughs no longer echoed around the forest, replaced by seemingly endless bouts of coughing.

The panic-stricken mother visited eleven doctors, but they were all puzzled by the ailment that had infected the poor girl.

But the woman wouldn’t give up hope. By night, the mother would scour the woods for the most precious herbs, hoping to cure her daughter. By day, the mother would watch over her daughter. The woman began to grow sleepless. Dark black circles appeared below her bloodshot eyes, and her hair was filled with bracken and dirt. One night, the mother found a mushroom that she hadn’t seen before. She ran back to her hut and placed the mushroom on the cutting board, but right before the shiny, silver tip of her knife scraped the mushroom, the mushroom cap slowly opened, and out of it came a tiny figure. It was as pale as the moon, and had long, pointed ears. It was barely the height of her smallest finger, and could easily fit into the mother ’s palm.

“Please don’t cut my mushroom!” the elf cried.

“I’m sorry,” the mother sobbed. “But it might heal my daughter. She is gravely ill.”

“I have a friend – a fairy – that can help you…” the elf said reluctantly. “If you leave my home alone, I can help heal your daughter.”

The mother set down the knife, her hand as quick as lightning.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” the elf announced. “Go to bed.”

The mother slept for the first time in days. When she woke up, her hair was silky again, and her eyes looked a tiny bit more normal than they had a few days before. And as the elf promised, he came back to the hut.

“Can you cure my daughter?” the mother asked eagerly.

“Yes,” the elf replied, hesitating for a moment. “There is a meadow deep in the forest, on the border between the realm of the mythical and the realm of the mortals. There will be a tree that bears golden fruit. Feed it to your daughter, once at night and once at day, and she will be cured by her seventh year. But beware, do not take more than what you need.”

The mother raced to the meadow and plucked a fruit from the tree, and fed it to her poor daughter. And the next day, the daughter suddenly started running around the house. Eventually, the animals started crowding around her again. She became good friends with the elf. Her laughs echoed around the forests once more.

But the mother began to grow impatient, and became greedy and selfish. One day, she plucked all the fruits from the tree, and ran home to cure her daughter. But as soon as she got home, the fruits withered and became gray. When she tried to pick one up, it crumbled into dust.

Her daughter began to grow ill again. The mother ran to the elf ’s mushroom.

“Elf!” she called.

The elf exited the mushroom and stared at her bitterly. “You took more than what you needed,” he said simply.

“Please help my daughter get better again,” the mother pleaded.

“I will help your daughter get better under one condition,” the elf said slowly. “She will be taken to the other realm, and you may not follow her.”

The mother agreed helplessly, and the elf came to get the daughter, who had grown more and more ill every hour.

The mother began to grow old. The animals seemed to have all left from the forest. The forest was quieter, and there was not a sound – or echo – to be heard.

The daughter loved the other realm. It was beautiful, with crystal-clear waters and some of the tallest trees the daughter had ever seen. But once in a while, she asked the elf to go back to the realm of the mortals. She asked if she could see her mother. The elf, seeing the daughter heartbroken, allowed her to visit whenever she pleased, but she could never say a word to her mother.

One day, the mother woke up to a loud knock on her door. And when she opened it, she saw a pretty girl who all the animals followed, and whose laugh echoed throughout the whole forest. She hugged the mother, and then turned around and headed back into the forest.

The next day, the forest seemed lively again. The animals came back, and the trees radiated happiness.

And sometimes – just sometimes – when the old woman walked into the forest, she heard laughter from just beyond the meadow, and the sound of animals running around. And that was enough for her.

Poems Peyton Tate, 11, NY

Spring time Springtime is here, no need to fear. Flowers everywhere, like lavenders and blossoms, they all have a flair. The grass is green, and the sky is a beautiful scene. Kids playing everywhere with bubbles In the air. Fall is hidden, and winter is forbidden. Until next year springtime is here. Away So sweet but also dangerous, like candy that is not famous. A person with a cold and broken heart. Taken to jail to stay till she’s rotten. In a dark cell, with no one who she can tell. Breaking out with no regrets, running away till she turns gray. Till the next day she goes away and prays. Forest In the forest there is a girl, kind and fair. Far away from home all alone. She finds a baby fox in a box to keep so she leaps. The perfume wakes the fox for its cocoon. They live together forever. The fox protect the girl like a pearl.

Death is chasing but life's not far behind

No matter where I am. It will follow and I will hope that even without magic, there is always a possibility for everything and I will remember Panacea: a word that sounds like fantasy but rooted in possibility Because I know we won't have a cure for everything anytime soon There will always be problem And I know even if I can’t see it Death Is always chasing all of us, waiting for a moment, and yet, life is restraining it, teaching it to be patient.

Willow Black, 11, National Death stands before me tall and slender, watching with its long thin fingers and smiling ready to take me With no second chance for any mistake But i know If i am stuck there For eternity In darkness Where the souls rest With death forever watching me with that daring gaze, it will still never Keep me from hoping that Death will change by looking a different way, With a different gaze, And maybe It will realize Mistakes are inevitable And that although death is inevitable, Death could feel ambivalent about humans. They could be loud but also sound beautiful, They could be protective but caring, They could be daring but kind, and they could make mistakes But always be Human and that an electric part Frantically moving inside me -my humanity will always be there

Welcome to California Isshana Arunkumar, 11, National Chapter 1: Moving

Back in California, every kid dreamed of going to SuperNova Hills. It was the kind of place parents bragged about, and kids whispered about in the hallways. If you got in, your life was basically set.

Stacy had only been in California for three weeks, and she already hated it. Her parents had moved all the way from New York City because of her dad’s new job, a job he didn’t even seem to like. I bet he hated having to sort files at the police station. Their new house was still packed with boxes, the walls were blank, and every room smelled like dust and cardboard.

Her parents had only just found out about SuperNova Hills, but now it was all they talked about. They said it was the best school in the state, maybe even the best in the country. According to them, getting in would solve everything.

“No friends until you get into private school again,” her mom had said.

As if making friends were that easy.

Back in New York, Stacy had everything. Her friends lived just a few blocks away, and they hung out almost every day. They would walk to the corner store, stay up late watching movies, and talk about absolutely everything. Her old house had been warm and cozy, with fairy lights hanging above her bed and pictures taped all over her walls.

Now all of that was gone.

Here, the neighborhood was quiet in the worst way. The houses all looked the same, and nobody ever seemed to be outside. Stacy spent most of her days lying on the floor of her half-unpacked room, staring at the ceiling while her parents argued downstairs about jobs, money, and whether moving had been a mistake.

Sometimes, late at night, Stacy would scroll through old photos from New York and wonder whether her friends even missed her.

Chapter 2: Missed

Stacy thought that all of her friends back in New York were busy finding new clubs to join and had forgotten all about her. But that wasn’t true. Her friends stayed together. Mira, Kaylee, and Sofia had been her go-to friends. In Stacy’s hometown, they would have sleepovers every day and braid each other's hair while living their lives.

Stacy and her friends weren’t totally separated, though. They still texted and talked about random stuff they could all relate to. It was just sad not being able to have a conversation in real life anymore. They also got busier, so calls were harder to coordinate.

While her friends were probably thinking of their weekend plans, Stacy’s mom made her read the textbooks that you should know by the back of your hand to get into SuperNova Hills. But when Stacy’s mom looked away to get the food out of the oven, Stacy threw that book aside and dived for her phone.

“Stacy! What are you doing!”

“Mom, I don't want to go to that all-perfect, smartie-pants school.”

“Well, I don’t care! You are going to the library right now! I cannot stand you anymore!”

“Fine!” Stacy slammed the door purposely. The pictures on the walls were messed up, all tilted just like her head. She had fought with her parents many times since they moved to California.

Stacy plugged in her earbuds as she was about to play some music by this teenager, Kaya, who was actually really good at singing. Everyone loved her. She became Stacy’s favorite artist. “Ugh, c’mon Kaya. Where are you!” But… she wasn’t there on the app anymore. Stacy was confused. “Maybe she got copyrighted. Wait what? Is that even possible?”

Stacy paused and took a seat in a cafe. Her fingers moved fast. After researching the second-best app, YouTube, she found that not only had Kaya's whole identity been removed from the internet, but she had disappeared.

Her whole family had disappeared.

Chapter 3: You cannot be more Oblivious

Stacy finally got boba and sat down, taking out all these thick textbooks. She realized that she had left her bag in the cafe. As she always did, she decided to do her tap dancing from her old school on the sidewalk. She arrived at the coffee shop and quickly got her bag. She was about to leave when she heard,

“Hey, you!”

Stacy looked behind her in fear. “I SWEAR ON MY LIFE I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! I PAID FOR MY DRINK AND FOOD!”

“Um.. I was going to say that you dropped your cash..”

Stacy looked down. “Ohh, thank you.” Stacy felt her face getting hot and quickly ran out of that shop.

Chapter 4: One step too late

Stacy had noticed the car out of the corner of her eye. She noticed the sounds. The patterns. And the feeling of somebody watching her. How oblivious would a person have to be not to hear the loud screech of a black, beat-up Honda following you? She knew that if she ran, they would catch up, so she never made a move. She made a plan.

She decided not to run, which might have been a mistake, but actually would’ve been trouble. She walked to a place right around the corner. Stacy saw a crowd. She remembered seeing a sign earlier that said, “WEEKEND STREET CONCERT!” She was starting to pick up the pace a bit to go near the crowd faster. But... she was one step too late.

Chapter 5: Gone

Stacy’s mom was scrolling on her phone when she got a notification. It was from Stacy,

“Hey mom. I’m still at the library. I’m going to be staying at a nearby coffee shop. I am perfectly fine. See you later!

👍”

Stacy would never in her life put emojis in text messages. Apparently, they are cringe, which is why she never uses them. She immediately called Stacy.

“Pick up, pick up.” She paced. When the call didn’t go through, she knew that the person who was texting her wasn’t Stacy. Stacy’s mom ran to her car, bringing just her phone and her wallet. She called 2 more times. Didn’t go through.

“Hey, Mom. As I said, I’m fine. Please stop calling me.

😀”

“Whoever you are, give me back my daughter.”

The only thing the anonymous person sent was a voice message of muffled sounds. In the car, Stacy’s mom broke down crying. “Okay, I’m not your daughter. Wish you luck finding her. ”

Chapter 6:

“Where am I?” Stacy looked around. She was not in the crowd anymore. She was in a dark, rusty, smelly van. “Help! Help me!” she screamed, but there was no reply. It was just the sound of the van driving.

She remembered the crowd, the sign, and she realized it had all been part of a wicked plan. They had put the posters around the building… for a fake concert. There was no concert, just a black Honda behind several people. “Wait, what happened to the black Honda, and who placed me in a van?"

Stacy touched things around her. She felt a piece of paper and a flashlight. She used the flashlight to read what was on the paper. It said, “WEEKEND STREET CONCERT!”

“Where am I?” said a girl.

Startled, Stacy pointed her flashlight at the girl. They both screamed.

“Wait, are you... KAYA?!”

“Really? That’s your first question? Where are we?”

“OMG! It’s really you! What’s your favorite color? Can I hear an unreleased song? Can I like, touch your hair!? Oh my god! I cannot believe you’re... KAYA!”

“That’s not what I meant about questions.. You know what, we need to get out of here.”

“Right... Um, can I ask you a question?”

“Ugh, sure. Make it quick.”

“Yeah, uh, how did you get here?”

“I was going to go perform at a concert. Uh, a street concert.”

“Wait! Did you see a poster?”

“Yes! This happened about 3 hours ago.”

“No way! The same thing happened to me. Kaya, you know your account disappeared, right?”

“Yeah… wait! MY WHAT DISAPPEARED!?”

“It doesn’t matter right now, but I have a plan on how we can escape.”

Chapter 7: Escaped

“First, we bang the door as loud as we can to get the driver's attention. Then, you know what? Scratch, then plan and follow my lead.”

“Okay... I’m trusting you.”

Kaya and Stacy started banging on the door with their fists. The van came to a stop.

“What do you girls want!” said the driver angrily.

“Sorry, sir, for bothering you, but I really need to use the bathroom.”

“Sure ya do.”

“Okay then, guess I’ll use the restroom here!”

“Ew no what! Fine, there’s a bathroom here; get out and come back quick.”

Stacy quickly got down.

“Hey! Kid, where are you going?”

Kaya was about to say she had to use the bathroom too before Stacy interrupted.

“Um, well, usually when I need to use the bathroom, I need someone to sing to me because, um, it helps me. Yeah.”

“Huh, whatever, come back quick!” the driver shouted.

Kaya was talking through the crack in the bathroom door.

“So, what’s your plan, genius?”

“As soon as he said that we’d stopped at a bathroom, I knew it was a park, so behind the hill, there should be some people. On the count of three, we run.”

“1… 2... 2 and a ½... 3!”

The driver looked up. “Hey! Where are you going!?”

But by the time the driver reached them, they were gone.

Kaya and Stacy ran up to a family and asked to borrow their phone to call Stacy’s mom. After 20 minutes, Stacy’s mom finally arrived and rushed to hug Stacy. “Stacy! Are you okay? I am so, so, so sorry.” Stacy’s mom said as she sobbed into Stacy’s arms. But after a bit, she asked, “Who’s this friend of yours?”

“Oh hi, I’m Kaya.”

“Yeah, Mom! She’s the music artist who disappeared!”

“I’ll take you, girls, home. Kaya, come with us.”

“Thank you, miss… Stacy’s mom!”

Chapter 8: Safe but wondering

In the car, all you could hear was the GPS and Kaya humming. Stacy kept looking behind her, seeing if the car was following her and Kaya.

“They aren’t following us,” Kaya said.

“I know.”

Then, everything went back to normal. Cars were passing, but none of them were a van or a black Honda. Stacy was relieved. She sank back into her chair and started to close her eyes. Soon enough, she was asleep.

When she woke up, her mom pulled into the driveway.

“We are here, Kaya. I’ll call your mom. But right now, make yourself at home!”

“Thank you, Stacy’s mom.”

“Oh, please, call me Linda.”

“Oh, thank you, Linda.”

Kaya and Stacey rushed up the stairs to Stacey’s room.

“Wow, you really are a fan of me. That’s a lot of photos of me on the wall,” Kaya said, surprised and happy.

“Let's go downstairs for dinner.”

Downstairs, Stacy’s mom was making some soup. Stacy's dad came back from work and sat down.

“Oh, this smells good,” Kaya said.

Stacy suddenly got a text from an unknown number. She put her phone on the table.

“Stacy, no phones during dinner.” Stacy’s dad warned.

But Stacy didn’t care about that rule anyway.

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE ESCAPED.”

Stacy turned the phone. Everyone's heart dropped. Everyone locked the windows and doors and covered them. Under the text was a blurry picture, a picture of Stacy standing outside her house. Stacy’s heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear herself think.

“Okay,” Stacy said slowly, trying to sound braver than she felt. “Somebody is watching us.”

Kaya nodded. “And I think they’re going to come back.”

From Alientopia to E.A.R.T.H. Federica Lajous, Age 10, National

A long time in the future, Bob was born. Bob was 12 at the time and he liked learning about planets. One night, when he looked through his telescope, he saw a planet. He studied the planet for 10 days and nights until he couldn’t wait any longer. He knew he had discovered a new planet and couldn't wait to find out more about it. He was going to go to that weird planet. It looked kind of like slime. He asked his mom’s friend, who was an engineer, to make him a spaceship. His mom’s friend said yes. It took 67 days to build the spaceship. It was normal for people to go to space, but not at such a young age. He left Earth a year later. It took 12 days to reach that unknown planet. When he got there, it looked and felt slimy. He spent 7 human years on that planet. On the weird planet, though, it was only one day. On New Year's Day of the eighth year, Bob saw himself turning into a blob of slime! It took him a minute to realize what was happening. He was turning into an alien! Then he remembered his alien comics on Earth. Aliens were immortal! Meanwhile, on Earth, everyone had thought Bob had died because it had been such a long time. Later, he became forgotten.

Then, Laura was born on Earth, more specifically on an island close to Antarctica. When she turned 21, she decided to explore the Universe. Normally, people go to explore planets when they are in their 40’s, but Laura decided to start early. She looked through her telescope and saw a planet that looked like it was made out of jelly! She asked her dad’s friend to build her a spaceship. She decided what to pack.

CLOTHES:

“FOOD:”*

Indigo purple jacket

Watermelon flavored skittles

Tomato red dress

White chocolates

🍉

🍫

Grapefruit flavored ice creams

Navy blue ballet shoes

🍦

🫛

Veggie flavored gummies

Forest green tutu

Fish flavored lollipops

Baby pink belt

Sour pink lemonade

White jeans

🐟

🍋

Sweet apple flavored sodas

Neon yellow socks

Pineapple flavored juices

Burnt orange headband

Broccoli flavored gum

Light grey earrings

🍎

🍍

🥦

Donuts with avocado frosting

Dark brown necklace

Pork flavored cupcakes

Metallic bronze bracelet

Melon flavored cakes

Bright silver socks

🐷

🍈

Chicken flavored cookies

Honey gold T-shirt

🥑

🐔

*Please note that on the “food” side, all of the so-called “foods” are actually really unhealthy sweets.

The next year, it was ready. She explored the Universe and then found the strange-looking planet. She met a fellow alien who told her she was on Alientopia. She spent 7 human years there and then, when she tried to leave, she couldn’t. Somehow the planet was not allowing her to leave. It seemed like there was an invisible barrier that didn’t let her cross. She tried and tried, but she couldn’t leave Alientopia. She was stuck! She cried and cried until an alien found her. The alien asked her why she was crying. “I am stuck on Alientopia!” she cried. “That is because you are half-human half-alien,” replied the alien. “What?” she asked. “Yeah. You're a half-human half-alien because you stayed here for more than one day in human day. The only thing you can become from this state is a full alien,” responded the alien. “Oh. I almost forgot. My name is Ears, Ears the Alien. Once I was a human, and now I have turned into a full alien. My E.A.R.T.H. name is Bob.” “What is E.A.R.T.H.?” Laura asked. That spells Earth! Laura thought. “E.A.R.T.H. is what we call Earth. E.A.R.T.H. stands for Extremely Amazing Route To Hollywood,” replied Ears. “I don’t want to stay here! I want to go home!” cried Laura. “The only way to be able to go home is to spend 7 human years here. Then, you can turn into an alien and go back to E.A.R.T.H. That is a long time, but since you are young, I think you’ll survive. Also, when you become an alien, you will be immortal,” the alien responded. “Ears? On Earth, we know that Alientopia is a thing. Is that bad?” Laura asked. Ears fell silent. Then, he said, “How much do they know?

So Laura spent 7 human years there, and that is when her story begins.

Once upon a future time, there was an alien who loved to dance. Her name was Eyes, and she ruled the land of Alientopia. There were a lot of aliens living there at the time. Eyes was really funny, and besides dancing, she loved telling jokes. One day she decided to go to E.A.R.T.H. All the aliens of Alientopia loved entertainment; that is why she wanted to visit the Extremely Amazing Route To Hollywood (E.A.R.T.H.). They loved watching movies produced in Hollywood. To them, Hollywood was paradise. The next day she asked the spaceship company to prepare a spaceship for her.

That night, Eyes couldn’t sleep; she kept thinking about when she arrived on E.A.R.T.H. It was surely a safe place because a long time ago, King Leg and the president of E.A.R.T.H. had signed a contract, so Alientopia and E.A.R.T.H. were both safe places for both humans and aliens. Would the humans remember her if she told them her E.A.R.T.H. name? Every alien has an E.A.R.T.H. name. Hers was Laura. Not every alien there was born on E.A.R.T.H., but they still had an E.A.R.T.H. name. All her life in Alientopia she wondered if she would ever use that name again. Finally, she had a comforting thought. If she got into trouble, she could always run away onto the spaceship. When she was a high schooler on E.A.R.T.H., she had broken a record for fastest cross country runner. The next day, every alien on Alientopia was staring at her as she walked onto the spaceship. 100 eyes on her. Then, she turned around and said, “I have decided to go see E.A.R.T.H. for myself. I want to go to Hollywood to watch Mission Impossible, you know, the version with every single character as an alien.” “Hurray!” cried the aliens in Alienish, “Our ruler going to Hollywood? This is the best day of our lives!” Finally, Eyes hopped onto the spaceship and flew off. She flew alone because she had gotten her spaceship driving licence when she first arrived. This was the first time she had flown somewhere since she came to Alientopia. At one point, she got really scared that she was going to lose control of the spaceship. She managed to stay calm and flew until she was in full control of the spaceship. When E.A.R.T.H. was visible, the spaceship crashed into an asteroid. Eyes crash landed onto somewhere called NY. Eyes thought maybe it stood for No Yelling. She had seen movies on Alientopia about NY, but the movies never said what it stood for. Her absolute favorite movie happened in the Museum of Natural History in NY. It was called Night at the Museum. She had watched the movie trillions of times (which is possible because aliens are immortal unless they get eaten by another alien, who most of the time was Nose, her neighbor). She yelled and screamed (even though she might be breaking the rules) but no one heard her because the walls of the spaceship were soundproof. She got out of the spaceship and entered NY. She saw the tall buildings that touched the sky and that made her feel almost calm, because it felt like Alientopia with the tall buildings and the loud honking. Alientopia had buildings the shape of the aliens who lived inside them. When the alien living inside the building changed their appearance, the shape of the building would change too. The buildings were also very tall, but they looked really different. With a last look at the spaceship, she turned the corner. She thought she looked out of place because everyone was wearing fabric in a weird way, so she entered a store and took a violet dress. She put it on and the moment she exited the store she heard an alarm sound.

Then she saw people running toward her so she ran, sweat dripping down her neck and feeling really tired, into the Museum of Natural History. She had seen movies of the Museum of Natural History, but didn't know it was in somewhere called NY. She ran to the dinosaur room and then saw something she wished she hadn’t seen. She saw a triceratops that had come to life speaking to other dinosaurs. Her heart stopped beating. “So we just need to trap all the aliens and then we can conquer Alientopia!” said the triceratops. “Not on my watch!” Eyes yelled more bravely than she felt. “You!” the triceratops shouted, “How did you get down here?” “Trap her!” yelled one of the dinosaurs in the crowd. They chased Eyes, but she was too fast for them. Back in Alientopia she was known as Eyes the Fast. Then the triceratops yelled for the other dinosaurs to stop. “Let me have a proper battle with her,” he said. So Eyes and the triceratops circled around each other and prepared for battle. They counted down. 3,2,1, poof! The bright light showed a terrible scene. The triceratops was standing over Eyes and when she tried to move she couldn’t. Then Eyes said, “Do you hear that noise?” “I am not falling for that!” the triceratops laughed. “No, seriously there it is again. The noise is footsteps on the floor,” she said. “OMG! Totally frightening!” he mocked. “Oh no! Hide, quick!” she cried. This guy will never trust me, Eyes thought. “Wait, I hear it too. To your positions, now!” he exclaimed. Everyone hid as a statue except Eyes who didn’t know what to do, so she hid behind the triceratops. The guard came in, shrugged, and left. She felt extremely relaxed and exhaled slowly, because the guard had left and couldn’t trap her. When the coast was clear, the triceratops pounced on Eyes. She fell to the floor. All the dinosaurs were crowded around her. Then, she opened her eyes and pounced on top of the triceratops and knocked him onto the floor. Then, she said, “I’ll only get off when you promise to leave Alientopia alone!” “Fine! I promise I’ll leave Alientopia alone,” he sighed. “Yay!!!” Eyes said while she hopped off the triceratops. Finally, she headed to the spaceship (which took a while) and headed home. The day had been an amazing adventure and Eyes couldn’t wait to have another one.

Dear Aliens of Alientopia,

HI!!! How is life on Alientopia coming along? Fun fact: On E.A.R.T.H. you spell my name like this: Eyes instead of like this: OO2DinosaurOO2Lip Stick. I like the toy stores here. They sell really cool stuff like alien toys. I asked if they had purple aliens (because I am purple) but the answer turned out to be “no.” My favorite word is extravaganza. I learned it today. I also like the hamburgers here. They are delicious!!! I almost forgot to tell you, I almost got eaten by a dog!!! It bit my leg off, but I regrew it in a minute. It didn’t hurt at all. I bought myself a beautiful dress. Now people don’t stare at me when I cross the street. I love No Yelling!!!

Your Friend, Eyes

Wonders Of The Fourth Dimension Barrett Lipner, Age 10, NY Scott, a lonely boy, was stuck inside on a rainy day. He listened to the rain falling on the air conditioner, staring mindlessly at the window. He was interrupted by his mom calling him for dinner. “Leftovers again?!” Scott asked, gazing at the chicken from 3 days ago. “Listen, Scott,” his mother said, "It's going to be a while till they restock the grocery store. They are still working on fixing the bridge.” Scott lived in a small apartment in a city called Clifton, which is an island with just one big airport, and it is only connected to the rest of the world through either a ferry or a bridge. But there were some terrible storms, and they caused all but one ferry to sink, and they broke the bridge. The airport traffic was so bad that they couldn't supply food to the local grocery store, or any grocery stores for that matter. This was the 4th day straight of rain. The streets were so badly flooded that they closed the schools until the storm passed. Scott finished his dinner, and he turned on the TV to see the weather report. The power went out, but for some reason the TV was working. Scott went to his apartment's basement to do his laundry when he saw a generator. Scott decided to mess around and do stuff with it. His mom went down soon after, and when she entered the laundry room, she saw Scott playing around. “NO!” she screamed as he flipped a switch, then, FLASH, Scott found himself in a magical world. It was full of a mix of light blue and white, shaded together. In that place was a staircase. And what do you do when you are in some magical world and you see a staircase? You climb it! And that's what Scott did. He realized he did the right thing with that. He saw a world full of colors, all fused, to make it look like the entire world was tie-dye. It looked like he was walking on nothing, but he wasn't particularly floating. He started to explore. Scott walked for what felt like a mile before seeing the first thing other than that staircase. It was a castle. He walked towards it and entered it. Inside the castle were a bunch of notes. Scott read those notes, and to his surprise, it was full of more notes. It was about the place, and something caught his eye: it said this: ‘There is one way to escape. You have to solve some puzzles. The place you are in is the fourth dimension. 2/15/1992, Kate Georgia.” “THAT'S MY MOM!” said Scott. In 1992, she was in her 20s. It all made sense now! That’s why she was so protective when Scott flipped that switch! She knew where it sent you! Scott exited the castle, almost freaked out, thinking his mother had been there. He walked and walked, and then he ran.

He finally saw something new: a door. A simple door. Nothing else. He opened that door. "It's in working order,” Scott said after it opened without a hitch. “I'm so intrigued,” he said sarcastically. He looked through the door. Inside, it showed the castle and the tie-dye, but it wasn't so colorful. It was gray and black. He went through the door, and he was surprised. There was a plaque with a note in it saying, “Welcome to the dark side of the fourth dimension. Signed, ‘The devil of the dimensions.’” Scott gasped. He walked around and saw a red figure walking around. “It must have been the devil person,” Scott thought to himself. He went into the castle and saw notes, the same notes, except it said one thing: “Kaitie George.” Who was Kaitie George? Why was her name so similar to Scott’s mom? So many questions!

AUTHOR BIOS Ytterbium is a third grader at Hunter College Elementary school who is very athletic. She likes flag football, break dancing, figure skating etc...

Mina Weiss is 10 years old and attends PS321 and is in the fourth grade. She loves reading and writing, and she enjoys writing poetry, mystery, and fantasy genres. She likes to write about strong female characters, and often her protagonist is missing somebody (like a family member).

Eden is in the 3rd Grade. She likes to do theater, gymnastics and writing. Luke Na is a 9-year-old child who lives in Pelham, NY, and loves to write fiction. He is bilingual, speaking both Korean and English. In addition, he has a deep love for animals, especially dogs and chickens. Siya and Hazel are nine and ten years old and attend PS321. Siya likes art & craft and Roblox. Hazel likes computers and art and writing and cooking. They are both in a play. Lillian Rose (9), also known as Lily Rose, is a young writer and artist driven by a deep love for storytelling and visual design. Her fiction explores themes of discovery, family tradition, and empathy- a reflection of her dedication and sense of responsibility for animals and the natural world. Known for her thoughtful observation and fresh, positive perspective, Lily Rose strives to weave compassion into every narrative she creates. One of the authors in this book is named Molly Rebecca Nepomnyashchiy. She loves fantasy and has a good advantage of typing fast. Alera Yarnell has been Molly’s friend ever since 2nd grade. Molly likes curses and mysteries. She has more books: Poetry Book: The Whisper, The Life of a ghost, A information card: Monica Golden the murderer, The Test, A information card: Halsey Potter is innocent, Lasagne, 99 Scary Nights, Molly’s Story, Destiny, Excluded, Molly and Alera, Excluded, Halloween and Boo!. She is very funny, kind and caring and has a lack of playing video games. Molly just completed her fourth grade and worked hard on this.

Boyana Dyankova is a writer who wrote in three Writopia Lab issues for Frightopia and was accepted into the International Playwriting Festival. She is 10 years old and loves pigs. Her favorite book is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Georgie is a ten year old girl and going into the 5th grade at the Spence School. She lives in the West Village in Manhattan. She loves to eat donuts, ramen, sushi and steak. She loves to dance and write jn her spare time. Her favorite animal is a pony. Her favorite color is pink. Georgie loves to play squash every Saturday. Georgie is the oldest of three sisters. Her favorite book is Twilight. She is currently working on a novel called The Town of Brookshire. She is hoping to publish a novel one day. Marilena Kounavi was born on December 15th, 2015. She was born in Oregon and traveled to Greece for the first time when she was a few months old to see her family there. When she was around 4 years old she started ballet, and when she was 5 she moved to New York. Every summer she goes to Greece. Her favorite thing in the world is her cousin. Currently Marilena’s bestie is Alera, and she loves writing and gymnastics. When she grows up she wants to be an author and go to the Olympics. She is currently 10 years old. Alera Yarnell is a talented young writer that loves nature and cute stuff. She likes to read manga and watch anime. Alera also loves video games like minecraft and roblox. She loves pop music a lot and hopes to get into fashion more. One of her best friends is Molly, the girl that collaborated with Alera to write this story.

AUTHOR BIOS Daphne is in middle school and likes to read, write, bake, debate and play volleyball. She goes to the United Nations International School, speaks three languages -- English, Hebrew and Spanish -and won a prize at the worldwide play festival. Oliver is an 11 year old nonbinary writer who was been writing since the age of 7. He came to Writopia through summer camp and now frequently attends workshops. His pieces often are psychological and focus on physical descriptions. Layla is a Writopa student and she loves adventure stories and short stories. She's 11 years old and lives in New York City. She loves red pandas, cats, and leopards.

Isshana is a fifth-grade student from California. She is passionate about creative writing and loves exploring new ideas through stories and projects. As a student council member, she takes pride in supporting her school community and collaborating with her peers. Outside of school, she enjoys playing the violin and tennis. Through her writing, Isshana hopes to inspire curiosity, imagination, and a lifelong love of learning in others. Barrett is a writer in Writopia who has been a member for half a year. (Not a long time.) His play was chosen in Writopia Plays Festival, 2026. He was the author of Wonders Of The Fourth Dimension, Goodbye Covid I Won't Miss You, and many more.

Peyton enjoys competitive cheerleading, gymnastics, dance, performing, singing, skiing, softball, basketball, swimming, volleyball, and Girl Scouts. Peyton can be found independently reading a book, writing songs, drawing, and dancing. Willow lives in New York and likes to write and read in her free time. She also likes to spend time with her family and friends and likes to travel. She went to WriCampia for sleepaway camp. She plays the violin and likes to play volleyball and swim. She has a younger sister and likes the show Stranger Things. She likes the book The Hunger Games. A fun fact is that she and Michael Jackson share a birthday.