ZARA was almost done with her last day of 8th grade.

"They grow in all sorts of places!" Zara's teacher, Ms. Herring exclaimed.

Five minutes to go. "Um, no they don't!" A loud voice came from the other side of the room.

Four minutes to go. "You guys will have a great summer, won't you?"

Three minutes to go. Zara was drifting to sleep.

Two minutes to go. Someone was crying. "I'm going to miss you all SO much!"

ONE minute to go until Zara was done with middle school.

Then the most magical words came out of Ms. Herring's mouth. "Goodbye!" The class went wild. Summer had begun.

Zara was having a peaceful time, taking a nap in the cool shade of her house. It had been three days since graduation, and Zara had had absolutely NOTHING to do since then. Zara's mom walked into the cool room, pressed a button, and sat down. A chair appeared as she sat down.

As though she hadn't noticed or cared, Zara said, "CHUNKY TOMATOES! Mom, can we DO something? We've just been lazing 'round here the whole entire time!"

"Well, what is there to do?" asked Zara's mom.

"I don't even know! I don't even care what we do! I just wanna do SOMETHING!"

"Listen, Zara." Zara's mom sighed and rubbed her eyes. "We are in a very blessed town. The Moth Livinie has made it possible for all of this to happen, okay?" She gestured around to the room.

Zara sighed. "I guess you're right." She said, looking down at her feet. "Sorry."

Zara headed for the section in their house where they prayed to The Moth Livinie. A wall. A red button. Zara pressed it. A popup room appeared. A beautiful moth made of gold moved forward.

'LIVINIE,' Zara thought, putting her hands together. 'I NEED SOMETHING TO DO, PLEASE! I AM BORED TO MY DEATH AND NEED SOMETHING, ANYTHING TO DO!' Zara sighed, and walked away.

She heard a reply: 'Yes. Zara. I have seen and heard you. I will give you something to do that will keep you occupied. Occupied for a LONG, LONG, time. Yess.' The moth LIVINIE cackled in an evil-sort-of-way.

Zara didn't know what to do. 'Thanks' she mumbled and walked away.

The days came, and went, and still there was no sign of what to do.

Then, finally, one sunny Wednesday afternoon, Zara was reading 'The Adventures of Asterix'. She was almost at the interesting part when her Mom and Dad charged into the room. "EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!!!" they yelled. Zara walked towards them, a little faster than usual. "What could possibly have gone this wrong on such a BORING Wednesday?"

Zara could not believe what was happening. Her parents had told her to sleep early, which was almost a CRIME, because it was summer, so she couldn't find out what was going on. But, like any other story, Zara wasn't tired. Then, like any other story, Zara crept downstairs. UNlike any other story, however, there were no creaks. Zara put her Hol0ShoeS on, which made her quiet as a mouse, perhaps quieter. She took just a few steps closer.

Then the worst thing happened. Her Hol0ShoeS flashed bright red and blared. 'LOW BATTERY,' It said, in a voice so calm, yet so loud. 'LOW BATTERY. LOW BATTERY.'

Zara froze. She heard footsteps. Not bothering to be quiet, she leapt up onto the top landing and barged into her room, snapped off her Hol0Shoes, and leapt into her bed. A few seconds pause. Then, "Z Z?" Her dad called. "Were those your Hol0ShoeS?" Zara did nothing. "Z Z?" Then the door closed, and descending footsteps sounded.

'OH, PHEW. THAT WAS CLOSE. THANK YOU, LIVINIE.' Zara drifted into an uneasy sleep. After a while, she woke up, but the first sounds did not come from her feet as she stepped down from her bed.

"Oi! Zany Zipper!" A voice whispered from her window. Zara knew who that was. You couldn't mistake Zory from any other voice. It was dark and gravelly, yet sweet and light, like an angel's voice at the same time it sounded like a devil's voice.

But why was ZORY here at midnight?? On her way to the window, Zara charged her Hol0ShoeS, which were, to relief, on no sound.

"Zory?!?!" Zara whispered. "What are you doing here? It's midnight!"

Zory smiled that sly smile of his. "Well, don't you know? The Jewel of Life has gone missing!"

"What?!" Zara froze like a just-made ice.

"Um," Zory said, a little timidly from the outside of the window. "May I come in now?" Zara opened the window so Zory could come in. She came back to her senses, but a sinking feeling was now in her stomach. Was this the workings of The Moth Livinie?

"Zany?" Zory had come in and noticed her white face. "What's wrong?" Zara paused. She paced her room nervously. The fate of her beautiful, ultra-modern town was at risk because SHE, Zara, had been bored. SHE had then asked The Moth Livinie to give her something to do. Was this it? Zara hoped not. She would rather be bored than risk her town dying.

"Um, well, I came to ask you if you could maybe help me SAVE the jewel of life?" Zara started, forgetting that Zory was still there.

"Oh, um, SURE!, yes, yes, I WILL help you." Zara said in a voice too loud and high-pitched.

"Zany." Said Zory in a serious voice Zara had never heard from him. "Are you coming or not?"

Zara looked at him. Then, after a few minutes, the reply came. "Yes," she said.

"What to pack…." Zara mumbled to herself as she looked at her belongings. "Hmmmm…" Zory was already packed, so Zara used his bag as a reference.

"Hey, you need snacks." Said Zory as Zara zipped her bag shut.

"I know," said Zara, who was tiptoeing to her door. After all, it was still about 1:00 in the morning. "I'm getting them on the way out."

"Oh," said Zory, who was copying Zara, but his tiptoes were not exactly quiet. "Yes. Right." Zara took her Hol0ShoeS off the charger. Usually, what they would say was, 'HELLO ZARA. HOW CAN YOU FLOAT WITHOUT MAKING NOISE? Hol0ShoeS!' and then chuckle merrily. But right now, it didn't say that. 'HMM…' thought Zara. 'THEY USUALLY CHARGE BY NOW.' But she took them off all the same.

With the jewel of life missing, it was hard work getting around without being heard. Twice they were almost found by Zara's parents. The first time was where Zara was getting snackies from the fridge, but the fridge was, (weirdly) WARM! Zara made a gasp of surprise, after which Zory shushed her REAL loud. (not helpful, zory) and Zara's dad came down the stairs. "Hey!!!!!" he yelled, then went back upstairs. "Wow," Zara whispered, "our defence isn't that helpful, huh?" Zory chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so.."

HUH. Zara thought. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW… Zory knew Zara's thinking face, so he questioned her, forgetting to be quiet. "Yo Zara, what are you–" He started to question her, but she held up a hand. 'NO,' she mouthed at him. 'STAY QUIET.'

Zory looked a twinge annoyed, but he stopped all the same.

THE FRIDGE, THE Hol0ShoeS, IT ALL MAKES SENSE! OTHER PEOPLE MUST BE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THINGS IN THEIR HOMES!

And then the guilt came, stronger than ever this time. Hot, burning guilt. Zara forgot all about Zory and went to the place where they prayed to The Moth Livinie, put her hands together, and wished, praying with all her might. PLEASE, LIVINIE, REASON WITH ME. AM I THE REASON THAT THE JEWEL OF LIFE IS GONE? BECAUSE I WAS BORED?!? IF THAT IS SO, PLEASE, PLEASE, MAKE THINGS THE WAY THEY WERE. I DON'T WANT TO RISK MY TOWN FOR MY BOREDOM. With a final plea, Zara waited, eyes squeezed tight, the prayer fresh in her mind, the weight upon her shoulders that if anything went wrong, she was to blame.

She, Zara, she, alone, wasted away all her wishes of not to be bored, and now the Jewel of Life had been stolen! As the tears welled up in Zara's eyes, however, the response of The Moth Livinie came back to her. 'No, Zara, I cannot allow the Jewel of Life to be put back where it belongs.'

Zara gasped.

'You have wished for this to be so, and so it shall be. You were bored, I have given you something to do. Now, go, child, and may the spirits and luck be upon you.' And with that, The Moth Livinie was gone. Zara couldn't help it. She burst into tears. Her hands hung limply by her sides, and hot, fresh tears were leaking out of her eyes. Oh, how the guilt pained her. Oh, how she wished, with all her might, that The Jewel of Life could come back. It was all that was holding the town together!

"Okay," said Zara, steadying herself. "It's okay. I'm okay." But she was not okay. She had tried her best, but it wasn't working.

Zory approached her cautiously. "Are you okay, Zara?" He whispered.

Zara quickly sniffed and wiped her nose on her shirt. "Yes." she whispered back.

Zory and Zara were almost ready to go. There was just one thing that remained. Zory looked questioningly at her. "HolOSh0es," Zara replied.

"But, oh," Zara realized. "They don't work," She sighed. This was all her fault!!! Zara felt awful. Tears welled up in her eyes again. She wiped them quickly, snagged her Hol0Sh0es anyway, and went to go.

I HAVE to get over this. If I want to save my town and be a hero, then I can't crack up at every little thing. STAY STRONG.

Zara felt a little more confidence in every step, and soon she was roaring in her mind. I GOT THIS, every step said.

"Let's GO, Zory." Zara declared as quietly as possible. He nodded.

OPENiNG the door, Zara and Zory were hit with a burst of icy air, pushing them back in. They fought on, slapping the icy air back as if in a battle.

"Z-Zory?" SHivered Zara,

The library was filled with chatter. We couldn't focus. Our teacher told us to write a fantasy story, but we couldn't think of anything. "AARGHH!" Said Zara, slamming her book shut and burying her face in Jacob's jacket. "What CAN we write about?!"

"Zara, It's OK. Chill out!" I said gently. I was also nervous, but I knew if I told Zara that, her worst fears would be confirmed. "Yeah, Zara. Mia's right. It'll be okay!" agreed Jacob, chiming in.

"Heyyyy!" Ms. Page came over, noticing us. Weird. She had sort of a misty, mysterious smile. "Hi Ms. Page!" said Jacob cheerily, glancing at Zara. She seemed to be cheering up. "Got any ideas for stories?" asked Zara hopefully. "Ohhhhh…. SO MANY! I can barely count 'em!!" The librarian exclaimed, pulling out a rusty dusty volume from the shelf. "Here." said Ms. Page, handing the book to Zara. "Try this. You might like it!" And with that, Ms. Page walked away.

I opened the old volume with interest. We all coughed. The book hadn't been opened in a looooong time. Michael, who had been awfully quiet, leaned towards me. Jacob and Zara did the same. They were folktales from ancient times.

"Ooh!" Exclaimed Zara, touching the book with interest and fascination. Suddenly, we zoomed into the book. "AAAAAHH!!" we screeched at the top of our voices. Me and Zara grabbed our bags just as we whizzed into the book.

As soon as we landed, Zara screamed, "THAT Ms. Page!! Why did she do that?!?!" Poor Zara. She was taking this too harshly. So I said that. "ME?!?!?!" Shrieked Zara. Then her expression softened. "Well, I guess I am." She crouched down and poked at the dirt. "Ummm…" Zara began, but then stopped. "What?" Asked me, Jacob, and Michael in unison. "Nothing" Was Zara's answer.

We all took a minute to study our surroundings. There was a whole dark world in front of us. Jacob and Michael seemed to have the same idea. They looked up, hoping to see a hole to lead us back to where we came from, but there was just endless dark sky.

"Oh no!" Worried Jacob. "There's no hole leading back from where we came from!! Where are we, anyways?" There was a long, awkward silence. I sat against… Wait. Was that Adobe? "Ummmmm wait guys I think we are in like ANCIENT TIMES?!?!"

"WHAT?!?" Came Zara's voice through the darkness, panicked, and worried. And indeed, we were.

Zara was overpanicking. "AHHHHH!!!!" She screeched. "I need to get back home! My brother is there without supervision!" All Jacob seemed to care about was food. "I only had 7 tacos before lunch!" He exclaimed. This got a laugh out of Zara. "Oh, Jacob!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes but looking pleased all the same. "But what will happen? Will we survive???" Zara looked around, desperate for answers. "I," I stuttered, suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on me. "I-I don't know." I hung my head. "I'm sorry."

A group of shadows passed us. We stood stock-still, shivering in the blistering (I think it was August??) wind. "HATCHOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" sneezed Zara.

'BEEP! BEEP! 10-year-old Jasmine's alarm clock was going off and she was totally NOT ready. Groggily dragging herself out of bed, she reluctantly opened her eyes and gasped, because in front of her was a female tiger! Or at least she thought there was a tiger. You see, Jasmine was very Imaginative. Sometimes a little too Imaginative. "Hiya Tiger! You're a good tiger. Who's a good tiger? YOU ARE!" Said Jasmine.

"What?" Asked her very tired mother. "Oh, nothing!" called Jasmine in reply, slightly giggling. She headed over to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

2 minutes later, Jasmine emerged, her teeth smelling minty. When she headed back to her room, she gasped. (again), for in front of her was a unicorn! (the tiger had left). She quickly changed her clothes into an adventure outfit. It was a jacket, a fanny pack, and athletic shoes. When she emerged, she looked like a real adventurer! "Wow!" Said Jasmine's mother. "You look like an adventurer! A real one!" "Thanks!" said Jasmine shyly. "But," said her mother. "I am not sure you're allowed to wear that to school." "Oh," said Jasmine sadly, looking at the ground. "It's all right!" Said Jasmine's mom, trying to cheer Jasmine up. But it did not work. Jasmine just stared at the ground. Suddenly, a tear fell with a small plop! "Awww," said Jasmine's mother. "It's all right. it's all right." It soothed Jasmine deeply. "Now, eat your breakfast quickly. Cold eggs don't taste good!" Jasmine's mom joked. A small smile slipped out from Jasmine's mouth. She shuffled over to her eggs and slumped into a chair. Jasmine picked up her fork and took a bite. "Yum! This is great, thanks mom!" Her mom smiled. "I'm glad you liked it." Jasmine finished her eggs.

When she was done, she picked up her plate, walked over to the sink and put her plate in it. All the other dishes swallowed hers up. It seemed to sink below all the other dishes into a hole. "NOOOOO!!!" Yelled Jasmine. "Are you okay?" Asked Jasmine's Mother. Jasmine blushed scarlett. Sure, she had a wild Imagination, but it went a little too far sometimes. "Um, yes," Muttered Jasmine. Getting her bags ready, Jasmine pulled on her jacket, Hugged her mother, and rushed out the door. "WAIT!!" Bellowed Jasmine's mother. "YOU FORGOT YOUR LUNCHBOX!!"

After she had gotten her lunchbox, Jasmine trudged the long route to school. Dragons swooped up, up, and past her. Left and right, flying squirrels and chipmunks soared above her. Checking her watch, she gasped, broke into a run and tripped. "Owwww!" Cried Jasmine. "Help!!" She glanced below at her scrape and shrieked. A snake (real this time) was slithering below. At her shriek, the snake raised its venomous tusks. Jasmine watched in paralyzed fear as the snake slithered by. She then saw her cut, took her backpack and put a bandage on her cut from her first-aid-kit. It was a cute pattern with flowers and bees. Lucky for Jasmine, school was right ahead. She walked as slow as she could.

When she was on the 4th floor, she saw Zara just ahead. Zara was Jasmine's bestie. "Hi, Zara!" Said Jasmine, pretending to look cheerful. Though inside her body, she felt miserable. Caught by surprise, Zara yelped, jumped, saw Jasmine, and relaxed. "Oh! Hi, Jasmine," Said Zara. "Zara, I.." Jasmine tried to explain the sequence of events which had happened, then burst into tears and fell into her best friend. Bewildered, Zara wondered why Jasmine was so cheerful a second ago and now, Zara glanced sadly at her bestie sobbing her heart out and hugged Jasmine back. "C'mon, Jazzle!" Announced Zara proudly, using a new name she had come up with a few seconds ago. "McDazzle!" Added Zara after a few seconds' time. In spite of herself, a grin slipped from Jasmine's lips. "C'mon Jazzle! Let's go-go!!" Exclaimed Zara, giggling.

Laughing, Jasmine departed the hall into her cool, air-conditioned classroom. She closed her eyes and took in a breath of the beautiful-smelling air and it filled her lungs with happiness. "For your pleasure, I have put you two together." A cold voice rang across the room. "T-t-thanks, Mrs…?" Jasmine's voice drained away like a drain sucking up all the water from a bathtub. 'Would this old hag be my teacher?' Thought Jasmine as she shuffled slowly over to her seat. Her question was answered as the 'creepy old hag' said she would be their substitute teacher. A warm, welcoming wave of relief washed over Jasmine as she sighed happily. 'She will not be my teacher anymore' Thought Jasmine over and over again as the mean sub announced they were having a pop quiz.

"Miss Jasmilanier, PAY ATTENTION!!" Bellowed the teacher for the seventh time. "My name is not Jasmilanier. It's just Jasmine. J-A-S-M-I-N-E." Replied Jasmine cooly. "Ok miss Jamsialina. Peculiar name..Now would you PLEASE pay attention?" Asked the teacher in an exasperated voice. "Ok Miss Tummy Rubs. I am sorry for the trouble you had to go through, miss Tummy Rubs. Peculiar name…" You could see the anger boiling up inside of the substitute. Her face turned redder, and redder, and redder! "MY NAME!!," Shrieked the sub, "IS NOT MISS TUMMY RUBS!!!" Jasmine winced under the sub's anger and knew she was going to get into big trouble. "JEEZ, I'm sorry, ok?" Replied Jasmine. "I didn't mean to." Jasmine didn't know if she meant it, but she had to say it or else she would get into MORE trouble.

After school that day, Jasmine checked her watch and saw she was late to meet up with Zara. Dashing up to the top floor, A.K.A Zara's room and bathroom, Jasmine knocked on the door. "Come in!" Said a voice in reply to Jasmine's knock. Jasmine came in to find not Zara but Zara's mom. "H-hi," Stuttered Jasmine, surprised to find Zara's mom. "Oh hello, Jasmine. Zara's in the backyard, in the pool." Said Zara's mom, half cleaning, half on her phone. "Thanks!" Replied Jasmine, heading for the silver-brass doorknob.

"Zara!" Cried Jasmine after 6 minutes of looking. "Zara! Where are you?!" After another minute of looking, Jasmine realized she didn't know Zara's family had a poolhouse, let alone where it was. "ZARA!! PLEASE RESPOND!! PLEASE?" Jasmine was now desperate to find Zara. In fact she was so desperate that she left the house. Dashing up the path, Jasmine skidded to a halt in front of her house and pounded the door. Wrenching the door open, Jasmine found herself staring into the face of Zara. "YOU!!" shrieked Jasmine, pushing herself past Zara, who shrank down to the size of a moderately large potato crisp. "YOU!! YOU LIED!!" For once, Jasmine was not glad to see Zara in her entryway at 5:47 pm. "Um, I thought we were scheduled to meet at your house." "NO WE MOST CERTAINLY WERE NOT!!" Bellowed Jasmine in reply to Zara's cool tone of voice.

And with that, Jasmine stomped to the door, wrenched it open, and went outside. She felt a teeny, tiny, twinge of regret. Jasmine ignored it. She didn't care. But her regret blossomed, getting bigger and bigger, so much that Jasmine turned around and began walking up Cottonwood Court. "I'm sorry, Zara." Jasmine practiced as she walked up Jacaranda Circle and took the long-cut through Chateau Drive. "I'm sorry, Zara. I really am." Jasmine was scared, but determined. "I hope you forgive me." Jasmine kept on practicing. When she came home, Jasmine found her mom in the kitchen, cooking pasta. "I-I-I.." Stuttered Jasmine when she found her mom. It all came out. "IwenttoZara'shouseandIlookedforherforsooolongandIcouldn'tfindher." Poured Jasmine's words. "I'm SORRY!!!" Wailed Jasmine. "I'M SORRY!!" "Well," Responded Jasmine's mom. "Say that to Zara." These words sank into Jasmine as her mom took out the kettle. "I'll go. I will say a big sorry to Zara. HUGE! Should I bring her something?"

Jasmine didn't wait for an answer. Instead she walked to the door and stepped out. The cold air met Jasmine's nose and it turned red. "I'm sorry, Zara. I'm sorry, Zara. I really am." Skipping along the concrete, Jasmine didn't notice a metal bar and… "Oofff!! Yowch!" And the crying began. Jasmine howled, and screeched, and howled. Her head felt numb. 'MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOPPP!!' Jasmine's head hurt beyond repair. She screeched, hoping someone would hear her soon. "Owwww! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!" Jasmine's final word before a DEEP sleep was "Please" and then silence. Total silence.

A few hours later, Jasmine's mom came rushing up the path, wondering what Jasmine was doing up so late. "Jasi! Oh, Jasi.. WHAT'S HAPPENED?!" A huge lump was swelling on the right side of Jasmine's head and she was still fast asleep. "Jasi.. Oh Jasi…? No!" Jasmine's mom dropped to her knees. Jasmine's dad had just come back from London, England. "Jasmine! Wake up! Talk to me! Please!" By now, Jasmine's parents were desperate. "Please, Jasi." Croaked Jasmine's mother. "Jasmine?" Whispered Jasmine's dad. Jasmine's eyes finally flew open. They were wide, and terrified. "Dad?" Asked Jasmine, and Jasmine's father nodded. "DAD!!" Screamed Jasmine in delight, sitting up. "Nononononono." Said Jasmine's dad, gently pushing her back down. "But, daddy," Whined Jasmine.

"Sweetie, you have a concussion." Said Jasmine's father. "I have a-a- a what?" Asked Jasmine with big, innocent eyes. "Don't you look at me like that!" Teased Jasmine's father. "And you have a concussion. CON-CUSS-ION." He said, saying it slowly so Jasmine would understand. "A concussion?" Asked Jasmine, making sure she said it correctly. "Yep. Your mom is calling the ambulance right now." Jasmine pondered these words carefully. "Ambulance?" For a second, there was complete, tense silence. "Ambulance?" Asked Jasmine again. "Ambulance?" Again, silence. "Yes, sweetheart. The AMBULANCE." These words took a while for Jasmine to understand. "Am..blu..lince?" She asked after a while. "Sweetie," Said Jasmine's dad. "Do you remember where and when you fell?" Jasmine's dad looked concernedly at Jasmine. "Ummmmmm……. No." Jasmine's dad exchanged looks with Jasmine's mom.

"What? Ohhhhh.." Jasmine looked sadly at the floor. After a while, plop! A tear came down from Jasmine's eye. "Jasmine?" Asked Jasmine's dad, "Are you OK?" Plip! Plop! Plink! A steady stream of tears was falling onto the brightly-lit-concrete. "Jasi? Are you okay?" Plink! Plunk! Plop! "I'm fine." Sniffled Jasmine stonily. "No you're not," Retorted Jasmine's dad. "Or else you wouldn't be crying." Jasmine hesitated, then said, "I-I-I remember something about the… councuusiyun? Is that how you say it?" Without waiting for an answer, Jasmine continued. "So, me and Zara got into a BIG fight just before. I wanted to say sorry so I was running up the path and then… I fell and got a crincrissiyun." After Jasmine finished, there was total and complete silence. "So," Confirmed Jasmine's dad, "So—So you were going to say sorry?" Jasmine stopped fidgeting with a piece of loose concrete and looked up at her with big, brown, innocent eyes. "So, can I continue going up the path?" "No." "Why?" "I'm letting Zara's parents know." "Okay. So they'll come here?" "Yes."

A little while later, a figure was visible, moving closer and closer up the path very quickly. "JASMINE! JASMINE! JASMINE! Are you okay?!" Zara appeared in front of her. "I'm coming with you. To the ambulance! Are you okay?" Jasmine didn't have time to respond. Just then, an ambulance appeared. "FOR JASMINE LUCIANO," Said a stern, loud voice. The next few things happened very fast. A bed was pulled out of a large, red truck. Jasmine was lifted onto it. She was rolled into a truck with lots of equipment. Zara said, "WOAH! This is cool!"

And then they started moving. Past trees and lakes. Past mountains and deer grazing on lush, green grass. It felt like forever to Jasmine. But finally they got there. "Um," Said Jasmine nervously, "Can I stay in the Imbuliancee?" The stern worker made a bewildered face. "THE WHAT?" "The Imbuliancee." Replied Jasmine knowingly. "NO." Said the worker. Jasmine looked taken aback. "Why?" "BECAUSE." Replied the worker. "Now follow me."

Jasmine was reluctant, but she followed. This worker wasn't one you'd want to get into a fight with. In a wheelchair, Jasmine traveled up, up, up a special railing for people with wheelchairs. "Wow!" Gasped Jasmine as sparkling, clean rooms of glass and copper loomed into view. The hospital was very clean and bright. Lights of all colors were on, Bright light radiating out of every window. They finally arrived at a bright-lit room. "Ooh!" Said Jasmine as she looked at her overnight room. "This is cool!"

A girl with beautiful, long brown-amber hair walked into the room. "Hi!" she said shyly. "I'm your helper. You will be staying here overnight." Her voice got stronger and more confident as she spoke. "OK! I like your hair. How old are you? And what's your name?" Asked Jasmine. The girl chuckled. "That's a lot of questions. Um, firstly, my name is Amber. Secondly, I'm 21. And thirdly, Thank you! I like my hair too!" Jasmine smiled. She was going to like this Amber girl. "So, we need to get you settled. Firstly, let's get you off this wheelchair." Amber winced as she said the word 'wheelchair'. "Why'd you wince?" Asked Jasmine curiously. "Um," Mumbled Amber, turning red. "It's nothing."

All of a sudden, Amber looked pale, and green, and sad. "Y-y-you can tell me." Whispered Jasmine, soft and kind. Amber looked up, tears welling up in her eyes. "Okay." She sniffled. "My grandma died of cancer. A wheelchair reminds me of her. There. I said it." Jasmine goggled at Amber. "Oh. I'm so sorry about that. I never knew." Apologized Jasmine sincerely. "Of course you didn't know! You met me like, 7 minutes ago." Chuckled Amber. "Now let's focus on getting you situated."

They worked, setting up Jasmine's area. Amber and Jasmine set Jasmine's wheelchair next to Jasmine's side table, got some PJs, and Jasmine got comfy in bed. "Thanks!" Said a muffled voice from under the covers. Amber laughed softly. "Want me to read you a story, or do you think you're too young?" Said Amber later as Jasmine's eyes were getting droopier and harder to keep open. "OK!" Replied Jasmine, her voice much more awake than her eyes. "What story would you like me to read?" Asked Amber, who had warmed up to Jasmine since she had been so kind during the 'wheelchair' incident. "Um," Said Jasmine nervously. "Maybe Harry Potter?"

Amber pondered this thought. She herself had never read Harry Potter, so she was keen to try. "Alright!" replied Amber after a moments' thought. She went to a cupboard and pulled out a dusty book. It made them both cough and splutter. "Okay!" exclaimed Amber, eager to begin.

"Chapter one. The Boy Who Lived. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." Started Amber. Jasmine listened eagerly. When they got to the part where Professor McGonagall turns into a tabby cat, Jasmine said, "Ooh!" and they kept going. When they finished Chapter one, Jasmine begged and groaned.

"Please more!" She begged. Jasmine got to the point where she started to cry. "Okay, okay!" Promised Amber. Jasmine stared at Amber with an expression of mingled fury and loathing. "So much a book can do." Muttered Amber as she turned to chapter two.

Jasmine cheered. Amber began to read. When she finished, Jasmine begged for more, and Amber herself wanted to read until they finished. But she refused solemnly, her final decision was made. "Please?" Pleaded Jasmine, showing convincing eyes. "NO! Jasmine, I read you two chapters. Isn't that enough?" Jasmine stopped her puppy eyes and stared, stony-faced, at Amber. She had begged, and Amber had caved and read another chapter.

'Isn't that enough? Do I really want to lose my temper over a book?' The two sides of Jasmine's brain were having a fistfight. 'YES! WE NEED ANOTHER CHAPTER! WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING!' The other side was saying, 'WE HAVE ENOUGH. AMBER IS KIND ENOUGH TO READ 2 CHAPTERS. DON'T BE GREEDY!'

Jasmine agreed with the second side. "Okay." Agreed Jasmine finally. "You were kind enough to read another chapter. I don't wanna be too greedy." Amber smiled warmly. "Thank you. I need my sleep too." Jasmine leapt up like a frog and sprang into Amber's arms. "Thank you, Amber. You are the kindest person I've ever met." Whispered Jasmine in a muffled, but sweet voice. At first, Amber was taken aback, but in a few seconds, they were hugging each other like they knew each other since both of them were born. "Thank you. You deserve the real thanks." They stood there for a few seconds, embracing each other. Then, Amber let go, smiling broadly. "Goodnight, HP fan!" Jasmine giggled. "Goodnight to you too."

THE next morning, Jasmine woke up to a brown-haired-face with large, Amber-brown eyes. Jasmine couldn't help it. She shrieked, jumping up from her hospital bed. "AMBER!" Shrieked Jasmine, looking at her in an It's-not-even-funny way. "Ow," Mumbled Jasmine, rubbing her head. Her concussion was throbbing horribly. "Oops," Muttered Amber. "I thought it was funny. Sorry." Jasmine, smiling, replied "It's Ok! Just—-" Jasmine paused, thinking of what to say. "You—-you're—-you're going today." Amber looked at the ground, sniffling slightly.

The bad side of Jasmine's brain took control, and she blurted, "SEE?! You should've read the book yesterday! Why didn't you?!" Jasmine turned red and put a hand over her mouth. Amber looked mildly surprised. Amber glanced up at Jasmine, and her jaw dropped. "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THAT BOOK IS?!" Jasmine shrank down below into her covers. Amber was right to shout. Jasmine's brain was talking now.

'She was just angry, that's all.' Then, changing its tone, it said, 'WHY DID YOU BLURT THAT OUT?! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! SEE FOR YOURSELF!!' Jasmine blushed magenta. "Um," stuttered Jasmine, "Um, I didn't mean to say that." Jasmine said this last part very quietly. "So, there are two sides of my brain. One's bad—" 'HEY! I AM NOT!' "--and one's good." (The good side made no comment) Jasmine continued. "Sometimes my bad side just—- just gets control over me and I blurt stuff out without meaning it. I wish I only had a good side and not a bad one."

And, with that, Jasmine turned on her heel and swept out of the room. Amber stared. She had no intention of blaming Jasmine for something she hadn't—Well, not really, done. But on the other hand, Amber was annoyed at Jasmine for the breakout. She decided to agree with 'The Good Side.' Amber looked down at her toes. She truly felt sorry for Jasmine. "JAMSINE!!" Amber, just like Jasmine, turned scarlett and put a hand over her mouth. There was no response. Jasmine heard Amber, but didn't care. "Jasmine!" Called Amber, making sure to say Jasmine's name correctly. "Please come back! I didn't mean it!"

Amber's voice echoed off of walls, bouncing, the sound radiating. Much too soon, it was time to go. Jasmine and Amber had made up, and they were both in the ambulance. "Harry Potter?" Asked Jasmine from her bed. "Oh, alright." Sighed Amber. They had read almost to the end when the bus pulled up to 705. "Awwwww.." Moaned Jasmine. Amber made a grunt that sounded like a sad noise too. "Do you have a phone number?" Asked Amber. "Um, YES! I got mine last month. They were like, 'YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO GET A PHONE NUMBER NOW.'" They both shared a hearty laugh, then Jasmine's dad called from the front, "Time to go-go!" Jasmine looked sadly up at Amber. Amber looked down sadly at Jasmine. "Welp, bye then," Whispered Amber. "Um, bye," Replied Jasmine awkwardly. "Your number!" Said Amber suddenly. "Op, yup!" Exclaimed Jasmine, pulling out from her pocket a paper with her phone number. "Here." Said Jasmine, pushing the slip of paper into Amber's hands. "Thanks," Murmured Amber shyly, glancing at the paper.

Jasmine hugged Amber, then grabbing all of her things and checking her watch, she left. Amber looked sadly after her. Jasmine was the best patient she had ever had. A tear fell from Amber's cheek. She hoped, so badly, that Jasmine got hurt again, or tripped, or forgot something important. With a heavy heart, Amber held the Harry Potter book, and slid into the passenger's seat. Jasmine watched from her window. They shared one last wave. And then, Amber disappeared. Tears poured down from Jasmine's face. Wherever Amber was, Jasmine missed her SO much. "Amber," Whispered Jasmine. "I miss you."

A few days later, Jasmine was playing hopscotch with Zara. "How was your hospitalia visit? Y'know, with Yimber or whatever her name was.. Wait, it wasn't Yimber, It was Pimber, no, GINGER!!" "It was none of those!" Jasmine retorted hotly. "It was AMBER! A-M-B-E-R!" Zara looked taken aback. "Jeez! You don't have to get all worked up over it, it's just a name!" Jasmine was annoyed, so she walked away. But before she did so, Jasmine walked up to Zara, said, "It was fun," and disappeared. Walking through the crowd, Jasmine realized that Zara was right. It was just a name. "Zara!!" Hollered Jasmine, pushing through the crowd. "I'm sorry! You were right, it's just a name!" Jasmine waited for an answer, but none came. "ZARA! ZARA! Where ARE you?!" Jasmine got through the crowd and to where Zara and she were playing Hopscotch, but Zara had gone.

After school that day, Jasmine went to Zara's house, making sure to be careful. KNOCK KNOCK! Jasmine knocked on Zara's door. The door creaked open. NO ONE was there. CLICK CLACK. Jasmine stepped inside. "BOO!" Screeched Zara. It scared the living death out of Jasmine. With a soft thud, Jasmine fell down. "I'm OK." Whispered Jasmine, loud and audible, putting a thumbs-up in the air above her. A laughing figure stepped out of the dark, creepy shadows. "ZARA!" Bellowed Jasmine. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!" And Jasmine left.

At 5:00, Jasmine left to go to a graduation party. She was going to 5th grade! "Yay!" Smiled Jasmine. She was all smiles tonight. "JASMINE LUCIANO, CAN YOU KINDLY COME UP TO THE STAGE TO RECEIVE YOUR MEDAL?" The principal, Principal Bennett, spoke through a megaphone. Jasmine's parents ushered Jasmine, and she caved in. She had to, after all. Faces turned, eyes stared. A heavy bronze medal was placed around Jasmine's neck. It had red, white and gold stripes on its strap. Zara and her parents ran up to Jasmine, and she hugged Zara and her parents, thinking of Amber. It was amazing.

"Huh." I stare at the package. I hadn't ordered anything in a long time due to budget cuts. Well, what can I lose, I think to myself, bending down to grab the package.

Ever since my sister left, everything had gone wrong. She had just disappeared, no trace of her. No letters, no texts, and when I tried calling her phone, it always said, sorry, this number has been disconnected. "Disconnected?!?" I had yelled in my empty apartment to no one in particular when I found out. Since then, I have had no contact with her.

But I digress. So I pick up the package, but it moves. I drop it immediately, totally freaked out. My hand quivers as I reach to pick it up again. I carry it into my house, completely unaware of what's inside. Slowly, I open the package. There is soft tissue inside and I grab some old dish gloves, just in case. Unwrapping the tissue, I find a little box. God, how many layers of packaging are there?!, I think to myself as I open the box.

Inside a little metal thing quivers. I jump back, undone. What is that? Who sent it? Why me? These and other questions encircle my head. "Hello?" I say quietly to the metal thing. It does nothing. I try again, this time a little louder. "HELLO?" Still nothing. I decide to attempt something else.

With my dish gloves, I gently prod the object. It quivers and sits up. I back up a little at the sight. It's quite small, about the size of my palm. Small eyes embedded into its face stare back at me. A little mouth is visible, just a tiny slit cut into the metal face.

It speaks a language I have never heard in my life and don't believe any earthling has either. "gune loft madé costín blalalala." I stare, perplexed, trying to make sense of the words I just heard. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you." My voice comes out shaky and monotone like an Alexa. It seems to want to try again. "gune loft madé costín blalalala!"

"Ooooookay!" I say, pretending to understand and hoping that it ends the conversation. Why why why??! I think to myself. Why me?! Why is it always ME?

The robot seems to want to explore and starts roaming around... In the box. It looks at me. "Gune?" I'm assuming the word Gune means help in this unearthly language. I cautiously lift it and set it down on the carpet. Now I can see how it moves! Four small wheels hold it up. They are made of rubber and small grips that remind me of the grips on car tires. "Sick engineering!" I tell it, ushering it around. "Now, I can't keep calling you 'it'. I have to name you!" I say to it, doing a 360° walk around it. "Hmmmm" I think aloud. "Cauliflower? Orange pie? Cocobean? Montague? Adidas? Nike?" After some thinking, I come to a conclusion.

"Nike it is!" I decide. Nike seems to like the name.

Nike explores around the apartment. (S)He seems to want to know everything. "Gender?" I follow Nike around. What gender is (s)he? I decide Nike is a girl. (I hope). I need to find out why this... THING is roaming around my house! Well, apartment, whatever. "Nike!" I summon her. Nike comes rolling over, looking happy. "Gune gubbe!" She exclaims, waving around little... crab clippers? I didn't know she had those! "Now's the time." I say solemnly. "It's now or never."

"Nike...?" I say. "We're going to find my sister. It's time. I've waited too long..." My voice trails off, thoughts about my sister erupting in my mind. Tears well up in my eyes.

"Guna? Guna guna guna?" Nike rolls around me, seeming to know I am in despair. Her voice softens. "Guna?"

I laugh. We share some of the same emotions, at least! "I'm fine, Nike, thanks for asking." Wiping away my tears, I walk to my room to pack my bag, Nike right behind me.

A couple days later. I'VE ALWAYS wanted a dog. They are such smart, sensible creatures and are so, so, SO loyal. They follow you and care for you even if doing so could lose them their life. But they do it anyway. They're just like that. Nike kinda models the behavior of a dog. She followed me around the whole of yesterday, even when she was really tired and I had to go to the bathroom, she tagged along.

Today, I decide to venture out in the open and find my sister. "Nike?" I say to her. "We're leaving in an hour." I don't know what kind of food Nike eats or if she needs to drink water or anything, so I just decide to pack some dog biscuits and a water bottle and be on my way. In my bag I pack some rope, water, food, more water, a GPS area tracker, salt (Don't ask, okay?), and my sister's handkerchief (for scent).

In an hour Nike and I are in my rusty old Honda civic. Starting the car, I drive around. Where to? I think to myself, driving past rickety old bungalows and small children playing in the dirt. I decide to try something- see if Google Translate can translate Nike's language.

"Nike?" I ask her, watching her as she looks in awe at the small town of Mastaca, California. "Would it be too much trouble to ask you to say... Gune?" Nike's head flips around. "Gune!" She exclaims with delight. "Gune gune gune!!"

I quickly flip to Google Translate on my phone and click record. Lucky for me, Nike is still chanting Gune and going strong. Surprisingly, It works! Gune means help, hello, or welcome in the language of the Bahts. You can use it politely to welcome a guest, but crying the word gune frantically means help.

The Bahts, eh? I think to myself as I hastily screenshot this for future reference. "Gune!" I wave to Nike, trying out the word. It rolls off my tongue, and is surprisingly quite fun to say. "GUNE!!!!!!!" Nike is pleased.

Should I try the handkerchief and see if it works on Nike? I decide yes and pull the tattered old blue flowered handkerchief out of my bag. My sister Minnow, also known as Mimi or Minnie, or Bluey for some reason, got the handkerchief at an art fair in Harlow, about a 20 minute drive from Mastaca. I hand it over tenderly to Nike to sniff. "Here, Nike, sniff it!" She flips her head around from looking at one of the big mansions on the coast. Sniffing it, Nike whispers "Luift" In a sad, small voice. Google Translate says that means I'm sorry, in the language of the Bahts. "W-why are you sorry?" I ask in a quiet, scared voice. "Hoistin mana lona." Comes the small reply of Nike, slightly muffled as she is buried in my hoodie.

"It all began in the small city of MaeMae in Massachusetts." I stare at my phone as it translates the words coming out of Nike's mouth. "You were just a small child then, about seven. You and your sister Minnow were playing in the park just outside your mom's worklab. You got older and so did Minnow, but still you played in that park." Nike pauses, looking at me timidly. "Go on," I say to her softly.

"As you grew older," Nike continues, the words appearing on my phone. "You realized that you and Minnow were growing apart. You no longer played in that park. You grew up. Attended college. Bought houses. Lost contact with each other. You didn't know that Minnow worked in a lab. You didn't know your dad lived in Manhattan, NY, or that your mom passed away. When you finally tried to call Minnow and sort everything out, you couldn't find her number." Gasping, tears streaming down my face, I gesture for Nike to continue.

"When-" Nike's voice breaks slightly. "When the number didn't work you went to Minnow's place. No sign of her. Asking around, you realized that Minnow had had a disastrous lab experiment. She had died of a tragic accident at the age of 85. She had committed to her job until she died, which had just happened. You broke down, unable to believe what had happened. Your life had no meaning for a while, so the civilization of the Bahts had to do something. We relocated you to some random town you call Mastaca."

"But..." My voice shaky, I cry, "I don't understand! Why?"

Nike puts a claw on me softly. "We made you forget. Losing Minnow was too sad for you to move on, so we made you. Your life restarted. All of it. Minnow, gone. You thought she was lost and had to find her. In your mind, Minnow was still there. She was still alive." I shush Nike, not wanting to hear any more. "Stop!" I sob uncontrollably. "I don't want to hear any more, please!" Nike sighs sadly, a drop of hot pink liquid rolling down her metal face. "I have to." Nike whispers. "I have to."

Continuing, Nike says, "Minnow died 20 years ago. You're 95 years old, Phoenix." By the time the story ended, we were home. "And now that... That you know, we'll have to find you another family." I nod sadly, knowing in my heart that Nike is right. "It's just... so sad. My life is so sad. Can I forget, please?" I beg Nike, desperate. "Please?" Nike nods solemnly. "You'll forget all right."

I go to sleep that night, tired and confused, my heart cracked into a million pieces, never to heal again.

Two weeks later. "Phoenix!" I hear Mariana call my name. My life is a lot better now that I'm with the Hoshes: Mariana, Emily, Sarah, and Jick. Finally, I have forgotten (mostly) and life's good again, though I can really never forget my favorite and only sister Minnow. She will always be in my heart, no matter what.

Luna and I decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon over spring break. We had read about it in times weekly, in the locations section. Luna had pointed it out. "Hey!" She had said, indicating the picture of the Grand Canyon. "We were debating about where to go... Let's go here!" We planned the trip, packed some clothes and booked a plane for Monday, April 30th, 2025, spring break!!

So here we are, in SFO, departures, waiting in line to scan our boarding passes. "I'm gonna go grab a snack." Luna says, pointing to dale's bistro. I nod. "Okay, I'll keep our spot in line!" A few minutes later, she comes back, holding a sandwich. "Here," She manages to mumble, her mouth stuffed with California-style avocado and sprouts. "For you!" I smile and DIG IN.

On the flight, we are upgraded to business class! Now we can fly in luxury... The flight attendant gives us some blankets and we settle in. I pull out my iPad and read some more about the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long, it says. At certain points, it's more than a mile deep and as much as 18 miles wide. Going 50 miles per hour, it would take over five hours to drive its entire length! WOW, I didn't realize that. It must be HUGE!! I scroll, looking down at the article and some pictures. I doze off, dreaming about us flying around on bats, looking down at the Grand Canyon.

2 hours and 20 minutes later, the plane jolts me awake, along with Luna's Angry Birds game. "Oooh, YES, I won!! I beat it!! Been waiting and trying to beat this level for a MONTH!!!" Luna makes a Yes! first and high-fives herself. I laugh. Luna is really weird sometimes! "Business Class, you may exit the plane now. Take all of your belongings, and check to make sure you have left nothing behind. Thank you for flying with us today." The captain booms this quite loudly into the intercom.

The next day, we are driving to the Grand Canyon in a rusty old Jeep. Our tour guide, Rebecca Selin, jabbers away from the driver's seat. "The Grand Canyon is the AWESOMEST place ever!" She exclaims, doing a victory honk. "And by the way, you can call me Rebbie." She does another honk. We arrive, and the Jeep pulls to a stop with a screech. I cover my ears, Luna still playing her Angry Birds game. "LOOOOOOOONA!!!!!!" Rebbie screams, in a singsong voice. "NOOO SCREEENS!!!" Luna jumps in shock, dropping her Angry Birds game console. She winces, then dives down to pick it up. When she comes back up, she whines quietly, "but I like Angry Birds." I laugh quietly. "Luna..."

As we take our first look at the MIGHTY GRAND CANYON, our eyes widen, laden with sparkles, jaws dropping in shock. It was so... high, so tall, so... scary. I back up a little bit, undone. That is a LONG way down. A very long way down. "whoa..." I mouth, yet in an astonished way. "LETS GOOOOOOOO" screams Rebbie in our faces, almost making me fall down. "oof, okay," I mumble, following her.

We hike along the Grand canyon, spotting elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and... "LOOK!" I point to a... squirrel?? "A squirrel, I think?!" Rebbie looks at where I'm pointing. "Oh," She says. "That's a Kaibab Squirrel! They're quite rare, if you ask me. Really pretty." She takes out... IS THAT A BLACKBERRY PHONE?! And snaps a picture.

We hike on, occasionally spotting a Bighorn Sheep or a Mule Deer. The Grand Canyon is hot and our clothes get sticky fast. Luna secretly takes out her Angry Birds game controller and starts playing on low noise. Bleep, bing, bleep, I can hear the gentle beeping of the game, the chirping of birds, and Rebbie's occasional "LOOK, KIDS!!!" as she points to an animal waltzing around their habitat.

The Grand Canyon is empty due to the heat, but me and Luna unfortunately didn't know it was going to be this hot. "LOOOOOOOOK!!!!" Rebbie screams, pointing at a Coyote sulking through the sticky heat. Luna stutters, taken aback at this outburst and trips on a rock, dropping her controller. Luna can't keep her balance, and I don't have very quick instincts at all, I quit soccer years ago. "LUNA!!!" I scream, grasping after her. She is falling down. The ditch she is falling into is easily 2,000 feet deep. I dive after her. Luna and me met when we were children. I had clambered out of my crib when Luna fell out too. We were fast friends. I couldn't let her go. I COULDN'T! "AHHHH!!" I scream, falling down the bottomless pit to my DOOM.

I wake up in a pristine bed, flashing lights dazing me awake. The picture falls in and out of focus. Everything hurts, and once things come into permanent focus, I see Rebbie by Luna's side. I try and try and TRY to pick my arm up but it just won't work. At my movement, Rebbie rushes to my bed. "Oh are you are you are you ARE YOU OKAY?!?" She has tears on her face, streaming down. "It's all my fault," she keeps muttering. "All my fault." She looks at me, her shining eyes brimming with tears. "I'm SO sorry. I paid for your hospital bills," She offers. "Aww you didn't have to," I say. Luna and I are put into wheelchairs. Every bone is broken.

When it is time to go, we say our farewells to Rebbie. "Bye," We wave to Rebbie as she retreats into a room, still crying silent tears. I turn to Luna. "Are you okay?" She nods. "Yeah, you?" I nod, smiling.

AT THE AIRPORT, we are pushed in wheelchairs and get to skip all of the lines!! We are put in First Class, where every 10 minutes a flight attendant comes and asks us "Are you okay dearies?" We nod every time because we are feeling a lot better. When we get home our parents are waiting for us with open arms. We are wheeled into them, our adventures saved in our minds forever.

I bolt out of bed as soon as my alarm rings. It's the first day of school!! I think to myself, as I get ready. At a new middle school!!

When I am ready, I head down the stairs. I eat the waffles that mom puts onto my plate in an instant. After breakfast, I swing my backpack over my shoulder and head out of the house. "Bye peeps!" I yell to no one in particular.

I am almost at my new middle school when I trip over an inconspicuous rock lying on the middle of the sidewalk. "Ow!" I cry, tears streaming down my face as I bite my lip.

A girl who looks about my age comes running over with a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?" she asks, worried. This girl has long black hair that goes down to her waist. She sweeps it over her shoulder and leans forward. "I'm Eve." she says, "Can you stand up?"

I nod and she helps me up. I stand, but my hurt leg doesn't want to support my weight. I collapse and Eve catches me just before I am about to fall on the rough concrete. "Thanks," I tell her. Eve helps me walk to the playground around the corner.

In the classroom, (me and Eve are in the same one), our teacher, Mrs. Rue, tells us that we are taking a start-of–year test. I sigh. I knew this would happen, and I am no pro at tests. I scratch the rough, textured table as I wait for the test to come to me. Okay. I think to myself. It's just one test. Chill. It doesn't even affect my grade!! WAIT, I think to myself. Maybe it does…

Ms. Rue hands out the tests. There are a bunch of formulas that I have never heard of. "You will find," says Ms. Rue, "That there are many subjects in this test. I will send this to all of your other teachers, so they can see how you're doing and your grades will be sent to the principal." Gingerly and reluctantly, I start. After the test is finished, I hand my test to Ms. Rue.

School passes by in a flurry. I get many tests, most of which are very confusing, but which Eve explains later, that they were, 'off the hook and easy.' My grades are 'mixed', as Eve tells me. I am embarrassed by my B's, D's, C's, but not my A. I hide my grades from my parents, hoping that, when they get better, then I WILL tell them.

A month or so later, Ms. Rue tells us that we are getting our BOY, or beginning of year tests back. My nerves are acting up, and I clench my sweaty hands. "Hello, Earth to Emma!!" I hear Ms. Rue call. "Oh, sorry!" I jolt back to life. Ms. Rue is holding my test back out to me. I take it, bury myself under my jacket and look at it.

My heart drops. I gasp and tears start flowing and pouring freshly down my face. A D+?!? OH, NO. It can't be, I think to myself. I'm better than that. I feel a prod, Eve's warm touch and a whisper of, Are you okay? I quickly nod and wipe my tears with my new sweatshirt, pushing and pulling myself out of my jacket cave. I gingerly gaze at my D+! And a note that says - See me, Emma!

During recess, I decide I might go and study up on those math formulas. "Where have you been?" Asks Eve as she walks back into class. Is Eve wearing mascara? I think to myself, a questioning expression on my face. After school, I go to study in my room.

The school days go by. Me and Eve start to drift apart as my grades get worse and I spend every free second studying. Eve has found new friends. She now hangs out with the popular girls, putting on makeup and gossiping about boys. Sometimes I call out feebly, "Hey, Eve!" But she just flips her long, silky hair in my direction and turns away.

One day at recess, while I am in Ms. Rue's class, studying up on our upcoming social studies quiz, Eve comes up to me and puts her hand on her hip. "So," She starts to say, but I cut her off. "I thought you were with Megan and Rosé, playing, 'which boy do you like best'? Wasn't yours Michael?" Eve looks offended. "Um, what?" She cries, looking as though I had just stabbed her in the heart. "I don't even know who they are!!" I look skeptically at her, and raise my eyebrows, my mouth curved upward in a yeah, right smile. "I don't!" She protests. "Really!" "Okay," I start, taking a deep breath. "Who were those girls that you always hang out with? WH0 are those people you're always texting? WHO are those girlies you sit at lunch with and flip your hair with? Who are those HUMAN BEINGS THAT YOU GOSSIP WITH?! Huh?!" Now I am the one to flip my hair in a, 'How you like THAT, huh?!' sort of way.

Now we are both standing up, facing each other, looking daggers at the other one. "Okay!" Eve screams in an I-hate-you-but-you're-right way, peering dangerously at her inch-long acrylics. "Fine!" "I can state a THOUSAND more," I retort back. "A thousand." "Eve," I start, but now it's her turn to cut me off. "No, Emma." She glares, turning redder and redder, like a bomb going to explode. "Try me," I say fiercely, my voice rising. "FINE!" She yells. "I WILL!"

I stand there, hating her. Eve takes a deep breath, calming herself. "Okay," She starts. "I became friends with me because they WANTED me. Do you know what it was like for me at my last school?" I shake my head. "Well, I was a disease. Everyone scattered the moment they saw me. 'EW!' they would yell, running away. 'It's Eve TheLeechy!'" "But it's Davinchi," I whisper, tears welling up in my eyes. Eve takes no notice of this and continues. "I didn't know… how it felt to be wanted, to be loved. For people to actually care about me." Eve's voice starts to break at this point. "Until I met you."

"Oh, Eve," I whisper, tasting my salty tears at this point. She nods. "You loved me for who I am," Eve cries. "But then, you started keeping to yourself a lot. So I didn't know what to do. I was left friendless again." "I was studying for my tests, Eve," I say quietly. "You were?" She asks me, her jaw dropping. "Yeah," I say sadly. "I'm sorry Eve. I didn't know you felt this way," "That's not what I care about, well I do, but I could've helped you!" Eve exclaims. "You would do that for me?" I squeak in a small voice. "YES! When we have a friendship, we have to keep the scale even," Eve explains, and it feels like old times again.

I laugh and hug her. She hugs me back.

Over the next few months, before the year's report card comes out, Eve helps me study for my tests and quizzes, and now all my grades are A's. "Thanks for doing this for me, Eve!" I say to her, before Ms. Rue hands out the yearly report cards. Eve smiles at me before taking the cardstock gradepaper that Ms. Rue is handing her. She looks ecstatic! "ALL A's!!" She mouths to me.

Ms. Rue hands me my paper, flipped over. She stops. "Flip it over," Ms. Rue urges, smiling. I do. My eyes slide over my A's. I cheer, not caring about people staring, people caring, I'm over it. Eve comes over and joins me. Then, to my surprise, Joe comes over, yelling with triumph. One by one, students come into the crowd, cheering, yelling, whooping.

I am finally content.

It was a cloudy day. Nothing out of the ordinary had really happened at all, except Eve had stopped texting me. I know, I know, we did have a fight and get all mushy and that, but, she's ghosting me! I am heading to Eve's house, (She can't ghost me there!) And I am almost there when I see that all of the windows and doors are blocked. HUH? I think to myself. STRANGE… And then a horrible thought pops into my head. WHAT IF SHE'S MOVING?!?! WHAT IF SHE'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN AND SHE'S MOVING TO PERU AND SHE DOESN'T WANT TO TEXT ME AND OH LOOK, THAT'S MAYBE A MOVING TRUCK AND–

"Hey," Eve says, running over to me. I look over and gasp. AND HERE iS WHY: Eve is carrying a suitcase and a backpack and there's a van!!! I almost faint, because, by now, you probably know what I am thinking. "ohno," I gasp, almost choking. Eve looks concerned and rushes to my side, dropping her suitcase. "Are you okay?" She asks, looking scared. "You–re mo-ving?" I choke, tears leaking out of my eyes. "No!" Eve laughs, waving my concern away. "I'm just going on a trip with Theri, Megan, and Rosé for a couple of weeks."

"Where?" I ask, suddenly fascinated with my sweater cuff. But, thinking better of it, I say "Okay. Fine. Sounds good. Bye" and dash away. "Oh, Emma!!" I hear Eve call, hurt and tearful, but I pretend not to notice and keep running. I get home, dash up to my room, and SLAM the door real hard, SO HARD, I almost hear a crack. "Hmph." I mumble defiantly as I get ready for school the next day. "She's not even that NICE." I grumble, opening my wardrobe. You know how when you're mad at someone, and you insult them but you don't mean it? Well, that's how I feel right now. I don't NOT want to be her friend, but I am annoyed at her.

During SCHOOL, she decided to spend it with three of her most annoyingest (is that even a word?) most annoying people EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Isn't that a real crime?) Well, anyway, I change, (with a lot of grunting, cursing, gibberishing, and slamming of things.) I grumble (mumble and grunt) and slouch to my bed. I lay down and think of strange dreams, Including: a nightmare in which I am friends with Theri, Megan, and Rosé. I make better friends with T, M, and R, (don't want to mention those cursed names) and not Eve, and also that Eve starts hating me. I wake up in the morning, relieved to see that none of those things have come true. "Phew," I say, breathing a sigh of relief.

I roll out of bed and change into the first things that I pick out of my closet: A white shirt, a pair of shorts, and some converse high tops. "Sweetie, breakfast!" I hear my mom call as I put on my shorts. I rush down the stairs, smelling waffles and pancakes and other sweet things. Gobbling down my waffles, I ask my mom, "has eve's mom texted you lately?" except it sounds more like "ham eme's mawm exed yu watey?" "Don't talk with your mouth open honey," my mom scolds me. I finish chewing at a rapid pace and ask, "WELL?!" My mom sighs. "No," she says, looking down. "Okay." I say. "I'll text her myself."

I get up from the table and go to find my ipad, which is lodged in the toilet plunger (WHAT?!?), my brother might've used it. I tap it, luckily it turns on. I enter my passcode and it goes to the home screen. I go to messages and tap 'Eve'.

EVE 🧸🧸
Me: Hi eve!!!
Me: hey eve what are you doing today?
Eve: uh, why do u ask?
Me: wanna meet up?
Eve: uh, sorry no, busy today.
Me: 😕 cool, cya later ig
Eve: yeah

I think to myself, what a sad conversation. Then type:

Me: Hey Eve! Whatcha doing today!
Eve: uh, busy. Yeah, I'll cya later, gtg. 😐
Me: okay…? I feel like we haven't texted each other in SO long!
Eve: yea, i guess
Eve: gotta go now
Eve: bye.
Me: wait…!
Eve: (no answer)

Eve seems kinda cold with me, I think to myself, putting my iPad down. What did I do to her? But no matter, Eve will see me at school tomorrow. She WILL.

At school the next day, I scan the crowd for Eve. With her flashy gold earrings always shining in the sun, she's always noticeable. But I don't see them, or her. My stomach seems to sink to the ground. Has she already left? But then, I remember something. The day I went to her house, I saw a van– and she was carrying a suitcase! She DID already leave! I also notice that Theri, Megan, and Rosé are not there either. UGHHHHH I think to myself. SOOOO ANNOYING.

After class, I go straight home and I text Eve:

Me: hi eve!!
Me: have you left for your trip thingy yet?
Eve: Uh, yes. It's really fun! We're in Hawaii and having so much fun! I had a non-alcoholic piña colada and we went to the pool today! Oh, come to think of it, we did go to the pool yesterday… and the day before that too… Me and Theri share a room, and Megan and Rosé are in the next one. Our hotel is SOOO nice cuz it overlooks the beach and the sea!!!!!!! Anyway, we're going to a 'friends_forever club' for bestie people! I'll cya later. bye.
Me: wht?!? Ur in hawaii?!? Uh ok ig cya later but why didn't u tell me u were going to hawaii? When are u back?
Eve: STOP TEXTING ME SO MUCH!! I NEED TO GO, AND THERI, MEGAN, AND ROSÉ ARE WAITING, STOP BEING SO ANNOYING!!!!!!!! 😠😤😒😳 BTW, I'M BACK IN 3 WEEKS AND I HAVE MORE PLAYDATES AND CLUBS AFTERSCHOOL FOR A MONTH. BYE. i cant text u anymore this whole trip 😠
Eve: deleted message
Me: uh, ok.
Me: also eve? PLEASE stop being mean to me, what did I ever do to you? ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) u might deserve what's coming next…

She didn't answer. I knew what I had to do. I went to her profile, under notes, said, 'bad friend', and clicked, Block this caller. This popped up: YOU BLOCKED 'EVE'. Are you sure you want to do this? This person will not be able to text you anymore unless you change settings. Confirm: ✔ OR ✖. I clicked ✔.

Instantly, EVE🧸🧸 disappeared from my screen. I scrolled around for a bit, looking for it, and finally found it under the bar 'blocked contacts'. HA! I think to myself. She's so mean to me, so why can't I be mean to her?! But a part of my brain thinks this is wrong. Is this the right thing to do? Is it kind?

I shoot it away, thinking about other things, like how MEAN Eve can be sometimes. I shove my iPad somewhere I'll never find it and walk away from it, my only means of contact with Eve. But as I walk away, a little part of me, the 5-year old part of me, it sinks a little as I go. Every step, it sinks. A little more. I just don't get it. I push the childly part of me out, somewhere else. I just don't need it right now.

I go to dinner, taking the plate my mom hands me without a word. I sit down to eat without even looking at what I'm eating. I put my plate away and load the dishwasher. "Goodnight," I say faintly and walk upstairs. My mom sees my concern and waves me over. I walk over there, my once proud and tall figure hunched over vulnerably. She notices the way I walk there, sorrowfully, and the way that I talk. She gets down to my level and looks at me, right into my eyes. "Are you okay?" She asks me. I look away, her hazel eyes burning into my brown ones. "Uh… yeah!!!! TOTES FINE HERE!!!" But then I say quietly, "no. nothing is okay." She takes a breath. "Do you… Do you want to tell me about it?"

I tell her EVERYTHING (wow, moms can really get stuff out of you) from Eve to, well, Eve. I finish and then sigh. "Everything has changed since Theri and Megan and Rosé came along…" I look down. My mom softens. "Aww, honey, I'm sorry… Do you want to schedule a playdate with Eve when she comes back?" I shake my head quite vigorously. "NO NO NO NO NO. I don't want to do that." I shake my head again. "Eve is really annoyed with me and I am too. I blocked her." Suddenly the rage comes out of nowhere. "AUGHHHH SHE IS THE WORST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD! SHE'S FAT AND UGLY AND GROSS AND I NEVER WANNA SEE HER DING DANG FACE AGAIN" I finish and then sigh. "She's just mean." Mom puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, honey. It's not cool she's treating you like that. Should I talk to her mom?" I look down. "No… I'm not ready." Getting up to clean the kitchen, mom says "Okay, that's fair. Tell me when you are." She gives me a hug and I run up the steps.

That night, I barely get any homework done. I go to sleep early, thinking about all of the things that Eve's doing without me.

I WAKE up the next morning with the guilt fresh in my mind. Why, HOW could I have done that to Eve? But then I remember what she did to me. And I forgive myself. Getting out of bed, I have the urge to check my iPad. Don't… Don't… DON'T DO ITTT!! But I can't NOT do it… What if Eve texted me back???

I unlock my ipad with a swish and a tap from my fingers. I try to resist checking my texts… but I can't. It's just too much. I open messages. Nothing. Well, I think to myself. She is blocked… If she DID send any texts it wouldn't pop up anyway. Scrolling down the 'blocked' contacts page I find "EVE 🧸🧸, 🔵 5 unread messages". "WAHOOOOOOO!" I scream, waving my iPad around. Clicking on 'EVE 🧸🧸' I read:

EVE 🧸🧸
Eve: whats coming next? 🙄 As if you can do anything of that sort to me.
Eve: Hello?
Eve: Eh. Blocking isn't that bad LADY yk
Eve: Also, don't even THINK about talking to me at school anymore. You're an EMBARRASEMENT. Ugh. Like the clothes u wear… Did your grandma give them to you after she MADE them?!?!?!?!?!?!? And like wore them for 50 years??!?!?!??!?!?!/
Eve: Lol. Gtg

I fume. Really?! This is like… CYBERBULLYING. Then I look at the time she sent them. 3 minutes ago! Now 4. And then a genius idea pops into my head. Taking a screenshot, I send it to Eve's mom. "Hey!" I text her, typing rapidly and sending the text. "Just wanted to let you know that your…" I strain. I was going to say wonderful but after meeting the REAL Eve I know better. Instead of inserting that positive adjective I proceed to writing the word "daughter". "Your daughter has not been treating me right recently, I think it has something to do with Theri, Megan, and Rosé, her friends."

I considered putting quotes around the word "friend" because did they really want Eve? I know them. They are NOT like Eve, who loves soccer and baseball. She likes playing with dirt and attacking people with snowballs. I don't know Theri, Megan, and Rosé nearly as well as Eve but I know that they do NOT appeal to those kinds of things. Instead they sit in their pink plushy rooms gossiping about boys. Certainly they do not like baseball. So why do they want to be Eve's friend? In my mind, a small suspicion is born. Why are they so nice to Eve? I know of many other girls who direly want to be part of that friend group. Eve wasn't even interested in them until I started studying. <read chapter one! That's your problem, not mine!!>

Anyhoo, Eve was… erm… taken in, I guess you could say?, by Theri, Megan, and Rosé. She learned their ways. Oh, their EVIL ways. Like do they look at anything else besides their foundation layered, mascara chunked, lipgloss lumbered FACES?! And their TikTok posts? GET A LIFE! Sorry I'm just ranting here.

Anychickihoozicles, Eve's mom texts me. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I smile. This was going well. "It's okay." I send the message. "No, it really isn't!" She texts back, with a 😦 emoji. "I'll talk to Eve. She will HEAR it from me". Another message pops up. "I never have liked those girls. Have you? They seemed too girlishly stereotypical." "I agree wholeheartedly", I type back. "Thank you!" She texts back "no problem, ofc!". Smiling, I click my iPad, turning it off. This went well! Eve would HEAR it now…

Shoving my iPad away, I rush down the stairs in my PJs and yell "MOMMMM!" She laughs, and calls back. "Yes?" I run down the stairs, panting, then realize I need my iPad to show her. I rush up the stairs again yelling "BE RIGHT BACK!" Grabbing my iPad, I run back to the lower floor and when I get down there I say, "I texted Eve's mom." My mom looks surprised and slightly annoyed. "What do you mean?" she responds.

"Well, I told her what Eve messaged me" by scrolling down the messages and yelling loudly while insulting Eve. I didn't feel any regret when insulting her, in fact it felt good. Then I showed her what I had texted Eve's mom. She looked pleased that I had told on Eve. "She can be pretty mean sometimes, Emma." She looked deep into my.. Uhm soul?! "Be very careful." I nodded, perplexed. It's not that big of a deal right? I thought, running my hand through my hair.

Meggie was 13 years old. She had many friends who she forced to do things. She liked them but little did she know they hated her. Oh, they hated her with EVERY cell in their body. Meggie skipped to school that day in her frilly pink dress with her frilly pink backpack with her frilly pink socks. Sweetly, she waved to all her "friends", who grudgingly waved back.

One of the people who Meggie did not even want to go near was called Lulu. Lulu was a girl who was 12 years old, only 1 year younger than Meggie. She loved basketball and running the mile and snowball fights. She amused herself by looking at Meggie, who was a total opposite. Meggie liked to sit in pink plush chairs with her teacup chihuahua, Leonardo, who did not want to be away from Meggie. Lulu's dog Maisie loved doing the same things as Lulu.

Now, we come to the morning where Meggie skipped to school in her frilly pink backpack with her frilly pink socks and her frilly pink dress. Lulu saw her and waved. Meggie snorted and put her nose in the air as a response. "Hey, Megs," Lulu giggled, amusing herself with the dress Meggie was wearing that day. Meggie snorted and hooted, "Cronies! Comrades! Friends! Come and see Lulu!" All of Meggie's followers rushed over to look at Lulu. Meggie's friends loved Lulu. They adored her! They thought that she was just the right amount of awesome, friendly, and playful. Meggie, on the other hand, was too much, with a snooty and incompetent personality.

Meggie pushed Lulu to the ground. Lulu cried in pain, she had landed on a rock. Esmaralda, one of Meggie's followers, cried, "Lulu! Are you okay?" Lulu smiled and picked herself up, not willing to let Meggie push her down. "Yeah." Meggie stared in utter, pure, and total DISGUST. "Do you really," Meggie glared at Esmaralda, "Do you really care about that FOOL of a person? That rotten maggot?" Lulu was used to being bullied. She hated Meggie and was used to her taunts and insults. But on top of being used to it, Lulu knew that she had to do something about it.

"Yes, Meggie," Esmaralda harrumphed. "I actually want to get somewhere in my life." Meggie frowned and then scowled. "Fine." She growled, her frilly pink dress almost curling in anger. "You are not welcome here anymore. Go find somewhere else to sit your despicable little backside." Esmaralda shrugged, to Meggie's greatest contempt, and then marched away, followed by Lulu. Meggie watched it all with an evil grin on her face.

The next day Lulu and Esmaralda walked to school together, glad that they were in agreement about something. Meggie, to be precise. The idea was that Lulu and Esmaralda were to play a prank on Meggie, to show her that she shouldn't be mean to every person who she didn't think was absolutely perfect. "Well," said Esmaralda. "Are you ready?" Lulu nodded. She was ready.

All of Meggie's followers were in on it as well. No one would talk to Meggie. No one would be near Meggie. No one would even LOOK at Meggie. She had done something or another to everyone in her group, and especially Lulu. Meggie had set Lulu's dog's collar on fire. She had gotten Kai's hamster lost. She had broken Esmaralda's favorite locket that her mother had gotten her, in uncountable pieces after smashing it with a hammer when Esmaralda didn't give Meggie her hairbrush. They were ready, all right.

In the morning Lulu talked to all of Meggie's followers and they had great fun. Meggie called her followers, but they ignored her. During math that day, they did group projects. Meggie chose Kai to be her partner, but Kai chose Lilianna, another of Meggie's followers. Meggie even tried Lulu. No one noticed her. Meggie shed a few unnoticed tears of anger and sadness.

At lunch, all tables were occupied with talking friends, fighting enemies, and rowdy siblings. Everyone was fine. Except Meggie. "Esmaralda," Meggie wept. "Please sit with me. Can I sit here?" Esmaralda harrumphed. "Sorry, Meggie," Lulu interjected. "This table is taken." Meggie scowled and slunked to a smelly, lonely table that no one wanted to sit at. "Why?" Meggie cried. "Why is it me?" Sadly, Meggie tucked into her vegetable soup.

Lulu saw Meggie and took pity of her. "Hey, Meggie!" She called, waving. "We can squeeze another person in! Come sit with us!" Meggie looked up, picked up her lunch, and sat in between Esmaralda and Lulu. "We're very sorry," said Lulu. "We wanted to teach you that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Bullies tend to feel insecure, and we wanna help you, Meggie. I don't hate you." said Lulu, looking at her lunch. "It started with you hating me."

Meggie stopped eating and looked up into Lulu's hazel eyes. Lulu looked back at Meggie's wet brown ones. "I'm sorry." Meggie wept. "The truth is, I have trouble making friends and I needed to make some." Lulu paused. Meggie really needed a lesson on making friends! Lulu decided to offer some advice. "Cruelty won't make them any better, you know," Lulu said after finishing her french fry. Meggie nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

She paused, then continued. "All of you. I've been so cruel. Can you please forgive me? I finally got a taste of my own medicine." Meggie looked at all of her followers, who nodded back. "We forgive you, Meggie!" One cried. "Yeah, you're good, Meggie!" Another yelled, waving her spoon around. Meggie smiled. Life was good.

Maria always took two or more pumps of soap. She thought she needed that much to wash her hands. "Moooom!" She said one afternoon. "We've run out of soap! Can we go to the store to get some more?" Maria's mother was perplexed. What? She thought to herself, wandering to the supply closet to refill the soap. How can that be? We refilled last week! When she picked up the refill bottle, the bag was almost empty. Then she remembered she had refilled the soap last week, and how could it be empty?

Maria called again, "Mom!" So she went. Maria's mom Stephanie entered the room. "Hi, Marianna!*" She said, opening the soap bottle with the refill bottle in her hand. "We ran out of soap. Again." Maria folded her arms, looking annoyed. We need more soap bottles, and they need to be bigger.

Stephanie decided she needed to talk to Maria. "Honey… How much soap do you use when you wash your hands?" Maria thought for a moment before deciding on the conclusion. "Four." She humphed. Stephanie was shocked. Sure, when you had a lot of dirt on your hands or something, then you used four pumps. She should be using 1-2! No wonder they had blown through the soap like lightning.

Stephanie sighed, and said exasperatedly, "Maria, you should be using 1-2 pumps of soap unless your hands are really dirty. This is why we go through the soap so fast. Do you understand that?" Maria opened her mouth to argue back, then sighed after seeing the look on her mother's face. "Okay," She said glumly. "I understand."

Stephanie smiled, happy with her parenting skills. Man, Stephanie thought, grinning, I am an awesome parent! She warmly stroked Maria's hair. "Great. Thank you for being so cooperative. Now… DO YOU WANT SOME ICE CREAM?!" Maria laughed and nodded. "Yes please!"

The lesson in this story is to remember that resources are precious for some but others take them for granted. If you use too much, then you are wasting materials! Always remember to use the right amount. With this in your mind, go get some ice cream! You deserve it. If you are lactose intolerant, well, that's not my prob!

Signing out here, Anoushka Mehta

*an affectionate nickname for Maria that Stephanie calls her.