1st Place
Hannah Crowe
Da Vinci Academy
The Maiden Voyage
As they approach their golden years, most people remember their first cars, first jobs, and their experiences at college. When my sister and I are little old ladies sitting in our rockers, holding hands, and talking about how great life has treated us, the thing we will remember the most is our first and favorite adventure on a very special ship. My name’s Raina. I am now twenty-nine and my sister, Millie, is almost twenty-seven.
Years ago, on an empty winter day that seemed unimportant enough to be removed from the calendar, the two of us sat listening to the wind outside howling in the trees. The limbs were shivering from the buds of the branches to the end of their roots. My mother has always told us that it’s best to wear a jacket when it’s cold, and everyone is aware that a mother knows best. She caught a glimpse of us leaving and asked if we had our jackets. She was always paranoid that we might get hurt or even a tiny bit cold.
We went outside with no idea of what to do and where to do it. Millie was a few years younger and far less mature than I; she always wanted to play. We tried playing tag, swinging on the swing set and then riding horses. Finally, we tried pretending the floor was lava. Soon we just got bored of the same old games. “We should go back inside; it’s getting c-c-c-older,” Millie said as her frosty breath hung in the air like a slow-moving cloud.
Finally, I suggested we go in the treehouse. Millie nodded while still shivering. We both had the same goal in mind--getting to the top of the treehouse and surviving the treacherous climb. The top seemed so far away and so high that it looked like we would never get there. With every step we took, the ladder ached and groaned. All the while the trees whistled, the skies let out gusts of air, and the wind danced around us. Cold breezes were biting at us as we reached the apex of the treehouse. We moved ourselves to the back, and I rubbed my hand across the frosty wooden rail. “Well, here we are! What do you want to do?” Millie asked.
“I know; we can play pirates!” I replied... I grabbed a leaf and a vine, creating a crafty eye patch.
“You are the captain and I’m your first mate!” Millie said grabbing a stick and pretending it was a sword. Our imaginations ran wild as we swung our swords through the air fighting off the invisible enemy. BANG! I accidently hit the rail with my stick, which in turn made a noise that sounded similar to a large dog’s mighty bark. The noise didn’t sound the same as when I hit the rail on the other side of the tree house. Maybe there's something there, I thought. As our minds, both traveled to a curious yet similar place. She lifted the layers of frost and scraped off the dirt to discover a huge rusty metal object nailed to the tree house.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It looks like a steering wheel or… the helm of a pirate ship!” I exclaimed. She turned the wheel too playfully. I stole the wheel from her and turned it all the way around. Suddenly the tree house began to shake rapidly, quivering down the tree’s spine to the tip of the branches causing the limbs and leaves to rattle violently. Looking below, I saw the grass slowly change to a vibrant blue color. I realized the ground was no longer covered in grass but had become an open ocean! We were surrounded by an endless mass of peaceful blues and greens. The metal object in the tree house changed form to replicate a ship's helm exquisitely. The waves sang a lovely song as they crashed against what has now become a boat. The shaking came to a stop. Both the waters and our ship became silent. We could hear gulls fly around us letting out high pitched squeals.
We were no longer at our house but in the middle of the ocean far away from home. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a large object growing closer. This object was not just any object… With dismay, I realized that it was a pirate ship! A cannonball exploded from its deck and came flying towards us at what seemed like lightning speed! Millie screamed in terror as the cannonball grew nearer and nearer. It gave me a feeling of angst, and I quickly took the wheel and tried to steer us away from the incoming destruction. The cannonball was now ripping through the wind about to tear a hole in our puny ship. It missed us by mere inches, as I was able to steer the ship to safety. “Woah, that was close!” I said, relieved.
As we looked into the ocean, a boy was swimming towards our ship. “Raina, who's that?” my sister asked nervously.
“He doesn’t look harmful,” I said, even though I wasn’t really sure. He finally reached our ship and climbed up the back rail.
“What do you think you’re doing?” we asked. He turned his head to look at us, gave a half smile and said, “Well, you see my dad is a pirate-- a good pirate, that is. He has spent his entire life fighting off evil men. The same men that shot that cannonball at your ship. “Do you young ladies need my help?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said shrugging my shoulders. I told him we would only accept his help if he would help us get home.
He nodded in approval and asked if he could keep my golden locket. “My dad has a rule that if I leave our ship I must bring back some treasure,” he explained pointing to the locket my grandmother gave me.
“Sure,” I said, but that it was the last thing I wanted to give away. It was all I had left of my grandmother. He looked into my eyes and smiled. I hadn’t noticed how gorgeous his eyes were until now; they were as blue as the purest sapphire. When he looked at me, his blue velvet gaze brushed over me with a softness that left me entranced, almost unable to move.
He grabbed the wheel and looked at me, breaking the silence I said, “My name is Raina and this is my little sister, Millie. She’s going into fifth grade and I’m almost 13.” He introduced himself and said that his name was Brody. I tried to listen to what he was saying, but mostly I just stared at his gorgeous golden hair which was flowing in the breeze. He began teaching us how to steer the ship correctly.
Night approached very quickly. He was smart enough to bring two blankets in his backpack. He pulled out one large one and one small. “You girls can share the big one and I’ll take the small one.”
“Thanks!” we exclaimed at the same time. He said goodnight and walked over to the anchor then dropped it down to sink to the bottom of the ocean. He crawled onto his blanket and slept.
In the morning he woke us up to cooked fish. We devoured the fish-- salty and delicious. How did he catch it? Where did it come from? I began to wonder if he caught it with his bare hands. Casually he remarked, “We are headed to an island. I know that they will have what we need to take to transport you back home,” he said tucking back his golden hair behind his ears. I didn't know what to think of this golden-haired stranger. He was stunningly handsome, admirably sweet, and a little out of my league.
We played cards and told jokes for a while until we arrived at the island. “And we are here!” he said with a mixture of emotions rushing across his face. First, it was happy, then nervous, and finally sad.
“How do we know you are not tricking us so you can steal the ship?” I asked jokingly.
“You know because I’m getting off with you,” he said dropping the anchor and sliding his hand into my hand. He pulled me down the ship’s steps right next to him, I looked at him then our eyes met and I quickly looked away. His hands were soft they felt like a cloud, his fingers laced between mine. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed his hand back. He smiled at me and we locked eyes, but I could not hold his gaze. He pulled up to the doors of the apothecary store, and we waited for Millie.
We ran into the store laughing with joy. He dropped my hand leaving a warm imprint in the place where his hand had been. Then he picked up a strange herb off the shelf and placed it in a pot of water on the stove. As it boiled, it let out a horrible scent. I gagged then covered my nose with my shirt. He poured the mixture into two cups and passed one cup to me and the other to Millie. She smelled it with disgust in her eyes. “Is this stuff safe to drink?” I asked stalling from drinking the nauseating syrup. He nodded.
“It will transport you safely home. But wait a minute. Raina, would you consider staying here with me?” he asked, reaching for my hand.
“I can’t. I have to go back home to my mother and my father,” I said although I was very tempted to stay.
“Please Raina, I want to get to know you,” he said, his eyes pleading.
“I can’t just send Millie home. She may be silly at times, but she is still my sister and the most important person in my life,” I said. Millie smiled.
“See you again soon?” he questioned with a hopeful look on his face.
“See you again soon,” we both answered as we drank the liquid. Something inside me changed and in the blink of an eye, we were back at our house, in our beds-- home sweet home. Over the years, I took the ship out many times and visited countries all over the world. Sometimes Millie would go with me; other times I flew solo. I met other handsome strangers, kings, queens, and lots of ordinary people. But I will never forget the maiden voyage on the ship that I call the U.S.S Escape.
2nd Place
Bianca Poole
East Hall Middle School
Wings
The popping of the wood of the piano on fire was similar to the sound of pop rocks, only louder and more intense. The instrument engulfed in flames now was only being used a few minutes prior to its combustion. The boy stared emptily at the flames in front of him. His eyes dart to the broken edges of the windows that are between the piano and himself. Tears run down his face, but he doesn't try to stop them. He doesn't care anymore so he lets it all happen. He runs to the road near the building. He stops in the middle of it, looking all around him. The mist of the night circles him. It isolates him, making him feel desolate. While he’s staring at the darkness in a daze, a car comes behind him. It’s not too close, within 11 yards. Suddenly a loud whistle pierces the night, snapping him out of it. He sprints to the side of the road once he realizes he could get ran over.
Seokjin smiles at the six boys in front of him. They're carefree, happy, invincible. Nothing in the world can stop them. Nothing at all. His smile soon fades as he realizes he's no longer apart of them. He can no longer be invincible with his friends. Shaking his head and that thought away, his smile that can light up a dark street appears once again. If he can't be with them, he can protect them. He'll be their guardian angel, sort of. He's not an angel. He's just, well, dead.
Jungkook, the youngest in the group stares at the wall of the clubhouse absently. Seokjin sees the his bottom lip quiver. Jungkook is the strongest one of their group, yet he's the youngest. That always puzzled Seokjin, but he never pondered on it much.
Seokjin runs, more like glides, towards his friend.
“Jungkook, I know you can't hear me, but stay strong. Come on, you can't break. Especially not now.” Seokjin articulates. A tear slides down the latter's cheek but he quickly wipes it away, straightening his back and smiling again like usual.
“Hey, Jungkookie, you okay?” Jimin asks the brown haired boy. Jungkook just smiles and nods. Jimin gives him a skeptical look before continuing to exchange ways to get to the beach with Yoongi.
A few days go by and Seokjin watches his friends have fun without him. It hurts, as expected. But what can you do? Nothing. You can do absolutely nothing when you're dead. The six remaining boys run all across the sand, the wind blowing their jackets and their colored hair. Taehyung, also called Tae by his friends, goes to the docks. He stands there on the ledge, not moving, just breathing and staring at the deep blue sea in front of him. The soft sea breeze runs across his skin and sends a chill down his spine. He looks around him. A taller structure sticks out over the sea, an easy way to dive into the deep blue. He pulls his hood over his head and walks over to the structure. His hands grab the bars that lead to the top and he pulls himself up. One hand at a time. One foot at a time. He reaches the top, his hands burning from the rust. He brushes his hands off and walks forward. Just then he hears his best friend, Jungkook, yelling from the bottom.
“Tae, what are you doing?! Are you nuts or something?” He shouts. Taehyung chuckles.
“Don't worry about me, Kookie,” He yells back. Jungkook did have to worry about his friend. The friend that has been with Taehyung through thick and thin. When they both were skating on thin ice. When they were below bedrock. Jungkook definitely needed to worry about Taehyung.
The boy on the structure smiles down to his friends, the people he’s been with every day of his life for the past 3 years. He turns back and faces the ocean. He charges back on his right leg. He stays for a brief moment, eyes shaking and smile wavering. Nodding, he runs straight off the structure. His limbs flail as he falls. Landing in the ocean with a splash and the waves rippling. Taehyung goes under. Jungkook's yell pierces the once quiet, calm atmosphere. The frightened boy runs towards the water and jumps in, not caring that he was still clothed, or that it was winter. He wanted his best friend to be okay. That's all he wants. His arms move quickly through the water, his feet paddle quickly to reach the place where Taehyung landed. He dives into the darkness, swimming around feeling to see if he can pull Taehyung back to safety. As he looks for him, his heart gets heavier. Suddenly he feels a hand floating. Quickly grabbing the hand, he swims back up to the surface with the body with him. He pulls the head of the person above water and finds the face of the person he was looking for. But the person isn't in the condition preferred.
Jungkook's fingers work their way to Taehyung's neck to find a pulse. Nothing. He moves to the wrists. Nothing again. He lets out a loud sob.
¨Tae, please.” He whispers. He swims back to the shore with Tae's lifeless body. The others stare, mouths open, tears brimming their eyes. Jimin has tears falling at an alarming velocity. Namjoon lends his hand out to Jungkook to help pull him up. The younger waves him off and pulls himself up, along with Tae. He stands up, taking in a deep breath that shakes. It only takes a minute before his feet are hitting the sand, running away from it all. He doesn't want to face his friends, especially since he couldn't save Taehyung.
It's all my fault, he thinks to himself. I couldn't save him. I'm so pathetic. A little voice in the back of his head tells him that he couldn't do anything, it was inevitable. But he knows that it's not true. There was a way to save him. He should've climbed up and held him back, pulled him down, and held him tight. But he didn't, and now Taehyung's dead.
Jungkook's calves burned from all the running. From the shore, he's now in a forest. He falls to his knees on the wet soil of the woods. He doesn't care that there's poison ivy near his body. He inhales deeply, trying to get more air into his lungs. His chest rises and falls rapidly as if each breath is his last.
After a few hours of stumbling around the tall trees with only the moonlight guiding him, fatigue washes over him like a surfer getting conquered by a wave. He lays down on the ground, a tree root as his (uncomfortable) pillow. Everything swarms back into his mind. His best friend kill himself, his other best friend, well he doesn’t know what happened to him. He thinks of all the silence after Seokjin disappeared. He thinks of all they did to find him. He thinks of how they failed to do that. He wonders if Seokjin is happy, wherever he may be.
He stares at the dark sky that’s dotted with bright needle points and whistles a tune. The tune isn’t familiar to him, it’s not a song he knows. It’s a dreary song that doesn’t bring much happiness to the air around it. It’s the kind of song that just absolutely drains the liveliness out of all beings within earshot. The low tone of melody makes him drowsier than before. His eyes slowly close, his sight becoming pitch black.
The remainder of the group, Hoseok, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jimin, all sit in the living room of their dorm, not a word leaving their mouths. Not even a smile from Hoseok, the happiest person in the group. You can cut the tension in the room with a knife. Jimin unintentionally slams the pillow he was hugging onto the couch, startling Namjoon and Hoseok a bit. He mutters a quick ’sorry’ before rushing off into the kitchen.
3rd Place
Ninette Ohren
West Hall Middle School
The Pup
A howl pierces the silence of night. Two bloods mingled in the earthy forest floor. The moon ominously shines, cutting into the eerie darkness. Somehow I’m still alive. The corpses of the people I once knew are scattered across ground. Somewhere in the darkness, a voice cries out. The deafening cry marks the end of another life. Feer seeps into my thoughts.
How will I survive? I asked myself. Suddenly, I hear the sound of footsteps.
“Come here, little pup.”
Hunters! I suddenly realized the cause of all the deaths.
“No need to be afraid.”
LIES! I have every reason to be afraid! I feel the fear right down to the marrow of my boes!
VRRRMM!
A car pulled up. The man grabs me and puts me in a cage. I howl but there is no one left to answer me.
What will they do to me? I wondered. As we left, I watch the unmoving corpses of the other pack members pass by. Alone in the dark, the only thing I can do now is wait. Only the night can decide my fate. Darkness engulfs my surroundings. I have nothing to comfort me any longer.
_
After a long ride, we finally arrive at our destination. I eat the air, my senses are overwhelmed by the pungent smell of smoke. I feel myself moving. Suddenly, I stopped. My drowsiness overcame me, and despite my best efforts, I fall asleep.
_
As I wake up, I finally see my surroundings. In front of me, there are many cages with dogs in them. All I hear is the sound of dogs barking and howling. There is a man standing watch on my right and a woman on my left. The room still stinks of smoke, the man is the cause of the stench. I wonder if I’ll ever leave this place.
_
A few days later, a woman walks into the room with, what appears to be, her son. The boy’s eyes slide across the room like a metronome. His eyes landed on me and as he starts to walk towards me, his eyes light up. He knows I’m the one.
Honorable Mention
Sarah Sanders
East Hall Middle School
Mystery Girl
Her hair was dark, and her eyes were grey. She shook with the occasional raising of the teacher’s voice, and didn’t seem much for conversation. It wasn’t hard to tell that she was homeschooled before now. It was almost as if she had never seen another human being other than her mother, who also seemed a little on edge herself. I watched as the jet black fabric of her dress, and the silky black leather of her heels quickly glided to the desk in the far back corner of the room. Her hair fell over her eyes, and I couldn’t make out much of her facial expression, but I noticed her fingers fly up toward her mouth. Nail biting, I assumed. She must be nervous. My thoughts drifted as the teacher started to speak. “Good morning, class! We have much to do today, but firstly, let me introduce our new student, Lana.” Mr. Elroy pointed to Lana, and she froze at the sudden attention directed at her. She jerked her head up, exposing the rest of her face. All of the black up against her skin made her look porcelain. The grey in her eyes turned an off shade of blue. I think that Mr. Elroy could sense the tension in the room, and cleared his throat tell us what we would be doing in class. I turned to look at her, and she had returned to her habit. I couldn’t help but want to talk to here, to make her feel welcome, and at least somewhat comfortable. Not now, I thought, but I will.
~~~
It wasn’t hard to miss Lana as she scampered through the halls, and silently ate her lunch. It was almost even if she wasn’t there, and something deep down inside me told me that she wanted it that way. Every chance I got to talk to her was always interrupted by either the starting of a lesson, or the passing of students. Though she might feel invisible, she was certainly easy to find, as she wore black most of the time. It wasn’t until our bathroom break when I managed to get her attention. “Um, hi. I’m Lana. I mean, you’re Lana, I’m Lina. Or, hold on, let me try again, I’m-” “I’ve gotta go.” I watched as she ran past me, tightly gripping her books to her chest while doing so. I just stood silently as her small figure glided smoothly through the crowd. During the midst of her travel, she was approached by a few older girls, maybe a grade or so above ours. They had started talking down to her, and one shoved her right shoulder, causing her to fall back a bit. Not much longer after that, I heard voices being raised by the group, and I saw Lana’s tears drip off her face. “WITCH! WITCH!” The girls started to yell, accusing her of being a witch, mainly because of her wardrobe. Someone finally got the sense to get a teacher out there, and the dispute was broken up. The main girl had scowled and mumbled something under her breath. I ran over to Lana to escort her back to the class, but she had already left the scene.
~~~
“At last,” I said, as the class had made it’s way up to the roof of the school, which honestly wasn’t that high off the ground, maybe 60 feet? It was the place where the entire school would go to have lunch, all at once. It was easier, according to the teachers, than having different schedules, and seeing this as an option was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Of course eating lunch on the roof had it’s risks, but the activity was heavily monitored by the staff. Most of the time, anyway.
There was a small fear in the back of my mind, though. That those girls from the hall would show up again, but I dismissed it. But the sinking feeling in my stomach had returned shortly after hearing the clammering and clashing of trays falling and voices being raised. Those girls, I knew. I saw the gang slowly cornering Lana, closer and closer to the edge, her face more pale and colorless with every growing second. Finally, she had made her way onto the ledge, still facing the three girls rather than the open plain that lied beneath her. Then, everything fell silent. A slight tap would've pushed her over .But in this case, it was a shove that did her in. It was as if my muscles had petrified, restricting my body from any movement. My eyes were locked onto her descending body, watching as she flew downwards, and as I stood motionless. They were the longest, most excruciating seconds of my life. Finally, I heard the impact of her fall. I snapped out of my trance, and ran faster than light, towards the stairs, and to the front of the school.. Her face was pale, as always, but a different kind of pale. A lifeless kind of pale. Her eyes were grey, penetrated with sadness, and desperate for love. Nobody had ever thought of her as anything more than just the mute girl who would burrow in the corner. Hardly anyone besides the teachers and her parents even remembered her name. But now, it was too late. None of that mattered at this point. No words of kindness, or even acknowledgement could fix the brokenness that lay before me. The feeling of warmth streamed down my cheek, but a cold, dark feeling filled my chest. It’s too late now. She’s gone. There’s nothing you can do about it. Thoughts of the poor girl polluted my mind, and I just sat there, completely still. I nodded to myself, trying to reassure my mind. “I could have done something. I could have talked to her, or said something to make her think she was important..” But, I didn’t. And I knew kit would haunt me forever.
~~~
She was never much one for conversation, looking back. Her company was never acknowledged, but yet, now it feels so different without it. There is a sort of void now, in the corner of the room. The perish of her scampering, the utter erase of her existence, it was almost as if it didn’t matter to anyone. It’s sad really, how nobody even knew who she was until she wasn’t anymore. I guess it just goes to show that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Thankfully though, the girls responsible were heavily held accountable, and are currently serving a decent sentence. “Now they won’t be able to hurt anyone else,” I whisper to myself, almost inaudibly. “Nobody else.”
Hannah Crowe
Da Vinci Academy
The Maiden Voyage
As they approach their golden years, most people remember their first cars, first jobs, and their experiences at college. When my sister and I are little old ladies sitting in our rockers, holding hands, and talking about how great life has treated us, the thing we will remember the most is our first and favorite adventure on a very special ship. My name’s Raina. I am now twenty-nine and my sister, Millie, is almost twenty-seven.
Years ago, on an empty winter day that seemed unimportant enough to be removed from the calendar, the two of us sat listening to the wind outside howling in the trees. The limbs were shivering from the buds of the branches to the end of their roots. My mother has always told us that it’s best to wear a jacket when it’s cold, and everyone is aware that a mother knows best. She caught a glimpse of us leaving and asked if we had our jackets. She was always paranoid that we might get hurt or even a tiny bit cold.
We went outside with no idea of what to do and where to do it. Millie was a few years younger and far less mature than I; she always wanted to play. We tried playing tag, swinging on the swing set and then riding horses. Finally, we tried pretending the floor was lava. Soon we just got bored of the same old games. “We should go back inside; it’s getting c-c-c-older,” Millie said as her frosty breath hung in the air like a slow-moving cloud.
Finally, I suggested we go in the treehouse. Millie nodded while still shivering. We both had the same goal in mind--getting to the top of the treehouse and surviving the treacherous climb. The top seemed so far away and so high that it looked like we would never get there. With every step we took, the ladder ached and groaned. All the while the trees whistled, the skies let out gusts of air, and the wind danced around us. Cold breezes were biting at us as we reached the apex of the treehouse. We moved ourselves to the back, and I rubbed my hand across the frosty wooden rail. “Well, here we are! What do you want to do?” Millie asked.
“I know; we can play pirates!” I replied... I grabbed a leaf and a vine, creating a crafty eye patch.
“You are the captain and I’m your first mate!” Millie said grabbing a stick and pretending it was a sword. Our imaginations ran wild as we swung our swords through the air fighting off the invisible enemy. BANG! I accidently hit the rail with my stick, which in turn made a noise that sounded similar to a large dog’s mighty bark. The noise didn’t sound the same as when I hit the rail on the other side of the tree house. Maybe there's something there, I thought. As our minds, both traveled to a curious yet similar place. She lifted the layers of frost and scraped off the dirt to discover a huge rusty metal object nailed to the tree house.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It looks like a steering wheel or… the helm of a pirate ship!” I exclaimed. She turned the wheel too playfully. I stole the wheel from her and turned it all the way around. Suddenly the tree house began to shake rapidly, quivering down the tree’s spine to the tip of the branches causing the limbs and leaves to rattle violently. Looking below, I saw the grass slowly change to a vibrant blue color. I realized the ground was no longer covered in grass but had become an open ocean! We were surrounded by an endless mass of peaceful blues and greens. The metal object in the tree house changed form to replicate a ship's helm exquisitely. The waves sang a lovely song as they crashed against what has now become a boat. The shaking came to a stop. Both the waters and our ship became silent. We could hear gulls fly around us letting out high pitched squeals.
We were no longer at our house but in the middle of the ocean far away from home. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a large object growing closer. This object was not just any object… With dismay, I realized that it was a pirate ship! A cannonball exploded from its deck and came flying towards us at what seemed like lightning speed! Millie screamed in terror as the cannonball grew nearer and nearer. It gave me a feeling of angst, and I quickly took the wheel and tried to steer us away from the incoming destruction. The cannonball was now ripping through the wind about to tear a hole in our puny ship. It missed us by mere inches, as I was able to steer the ship to safety. “Woah, that was close!” I said, relieved.
As we looked into the ocean, a boy was swimming towards our ship. “Raina, who's that?” my sister asked nervously.
“He doesn’t look harmful,” I said, even though I wasn’t really sure. He finally reached our ship and climbed up the back rail.
“What do you think you’re doing?” we asked. He turned his head to look at us, gave a half smile and said, “Well, you see my dad is a pirate-- a good pirate, that is. He has spent his entire life fighting off evil men. The same men that shot that cannonball at your ship. “Do you young ladies need my help?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said shrugging my shoulders. I told him we would only accept his help if he would help us get home.
He nodded in approval and asked if he could keep my golden locket. “My dad has a rule that if I leave our ship I must bring back some treasure,” he explained pointing to the locket my grandmother gave me.
“Sure,” I said, but that it was the last thing I wanted to give away. It was all I had left of my grandmother. He looked into my eyes and smiled. I hadn’t noticed how gorgeous his eyes were until now; they were as blue as the purest sapphire. When he looked at me, his blue velvet gaze brushed over me with a softness that left me entranced, almost unable to move.
He grabbed the wheel and looked at me, breaking the silence I said, “My name is Raina and this is my little sister, Millie. She’s going into fifth grade and I’m almost 13.” He introduced himself and said that his name was Brody. I tried to listen to what he was saying, but mostly I just stared at his gorgeous golden hair which was flowing in the breeze. He began teaching us how to steer the ship correctly.
Night approached very quickly. He was smart enough to bring two blankets in his backpack. He pulled out one large one and one small. “You girls can share the big one and I’ll take the small one.”
“Thanks!” we exclaimed at the same time. He said goodnight and walked over to the anchor then dropped it down to sink to the bottom of the ocean. He crawled onto his blanket and slept.
In the morning he woke us up to cooked fish. We devoured the fish-- salty and delicious. How did he catch it? Where did it come from? I began to wonder if he caught it with his bare hands. Casually he remarked, “We are headed to an island. I know that they will have what we need to take to transport you back home,” he said tucking back his golden hair behind his ears. I didn't know what to think of this golden-haired stranger. He was stunningly handsome, admirably sweet, and a little out of my league.
We played cards and told jokes for a while until we arrived at the island. “And we are here!” he said with a mixture of emotions rushing across his face. First, it was happy, then nervous, and finally sad.
“How do we know you are not tricking us so you can steal the ship?” I asked jokingly.
“You know because I’m getting off with you,” he said dropping the anchor and sliding his hand into my hand. He pulled me down the ship’s steps right next to him, I looked at him then our eyes met and I quickly looked away. His hands were soft they felt like a cloud, his fingers laced between mine. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed his hand back. He smiled at me and we locked eyes, but I could not hold his gaze. He pulled up to the doors of the apothecary store, and we waited for Millie.
We ran into the store laughing with joy. He dropped my hand leaving a warm imprint in the place where his hand had been. Then he picked up a strange herb off the shelf and placed it in a pot of water on the stove. As it boiled, it let out a horrible scent. I gagged then covered my nose with my shirt. He poured the mixture into two cups and passed one cup to me and the other to Millie. She smelled it with disgust in her eyes. “Is this stuff safe to drink?” I asked stalling from drinking the nauseating syrup. He nodded.
“It will transport you safely home. But wait a minute. Raina, would you consider staying here with me?” he asked, reaching for my hand.
“I can’t. I have to go back home to my mother and my father,” I said although I was very tempted to stay.
“Please Raina, I want to get to know you,” he said, his eyes pleading.
“I can’t just send Millie home. She may be silly at times, but she is still my sister and the most important person in my life,” I said. Millie smiled.
“See you again soon?” he questioned with a hopeful look on his face.
“See you again soon,” we both answered as we drank the liquid. Something inside me changed and in the blink of an eye, we were back at our house, in our beds-- home sweet home. Over the years, I took the ship out many times and visited countries all over the world. Sometimes Millie would go with me; other times I flew solo. I met other handsome strangers, kings, queens, and lots of ordinary people. But I will never forget the maiden voyage on the ship that I call the U.S.S Escape.
2nd Place
Bianca Poole
East Hall Middle School
Wings
The popping of the wood of the piano on fire was similar to the sound of pop rocks, only louder and more intense. The instrument engulfed in flames now was only being used a few minutes prior to its combustion. The boy stared emptily at the flames in front of him. His eyes dart to the broken edges of the windows that are between the piano and himself. Tears run down his face, but he doesn't try to stop them. He doesn't care anymore so he lets it all happen. He runs to the road near the building. He stops in the middle of it, looking all around him. The mist of the night circles him. It isolates him, making him feel desolate. While he’s staring at the darkness in a daze, a car comes behind him. It’s not too close, within 11 yards. Suddenly a loud whistle pierces the night, snapping him out of it. He sprints to the side of the road once he realizes he could get ran over.
Seokjin smiles at the six boys in front of him. They're carefree, happy, invincible. Nothing in the world can stop them. Nothing at all. His smile soon fades as he realizes he's no longer apart of them. He can no longer be invincible with his friends. Shaking his head and that thought away, his smile that can light up a dark street appears once again. If he can't be with them, he can protect them. He'll be their guardian angel, sort of. He's not an angel. He's just, well, dead.
Jungkook, the youngest in the group stares at the wall of the clubhouse absently. Seokjin sees the his bottom lip quiver. Jungkook is the strongest one of their group, yet he's the youngest. That always puzzled Seokjin, but he never pondered on it much.
Seokjin runs, more like glides, towards his friend.
“Jungkook, I know you can't hear me, but stay strong. Come on, you can't break. Especially not now.” Seokjin articulates. A tear slides down the latter's cheek but he quickly wipes it away, straightening his back and smiling again like usual.
“Hey, Jungkookie, you okay?” Jimin asks the brown haired boy. Jungkook just smiles and nods. Jimin gives him a skeptical look before continuing to exchange ways to get to the beach with Yoongi.
A few days go by and Seokjin watches his friends have fun without him. It hurts, as expected. But what can you do? Nothing. You can do absolutely nothing when you're dead. The six remaining boys run all across the sand, the wind blowing their jackets and their colored hair. Taehyung, also called Tae by his friends, goes to the docks. He stands there on the ledge, not moving, just breathing and staring at the deep blue sea in front of him. The soft sea breeze runs across his skin and sends a chill down his spine. He looks around him. A taller structure sticks out over the sea, an easy way to dive into the deep blue. He pulls his hood over his head and walks over to the structure. His hands grab the bars that lead to the top and he pulls himself up. One hand at a time. One foot at a time. He reaches the top, his hands burning from the rust. He brushes his hands off and walks forward. Just then he hears his best friend, Jungkook, yelling from the bottom.
“Tae, what are you doing?! Are you nuts or something?” He shouts. Taehyung chuckles.
“Don't worry about me, Kookie,” He yells back. Jungkook did have to worry about his friend. The friend that has been with Taehyung through thick and thin. When they both were skating on thin ice. When they were below bedrock. Jungkook definitely needed to worry about Taehyung.
The boy on the structure smiles down to his friends, the people he’s been with every day of his life for the past 3 years. He turns back and faces the ocean. He charges back on his right leg. He stays for a brief moment, eyes shaking and smile wavering. Nodding, he runs straight off the structure. His limbs flail as he falls. Landing in the ocean with a splash and the waves rippling. Taehyung goes under. Jungkook's yell pierces the once quiet, calm atmosphere. The frightened boy runs towards the water and jumps in, not caring that he was still clothed, or that it was winter. He wanted his best friend to be okay. That's all he wants. His arms move quickly through the water, his feet paddle quickly to reach the place where Taehyung landed. He dives into the darkness, swimming around feeling to see if he can pull Taehyung back to safety. As he looks for him, his heart gets heavier. Suddenly he feels a hand floating. Quickly grabbing the hand, he swims back up to the surface with the body with him. He pulls the head of the person above water and finds the face of the person he was looking for. But the person isn't in the condition preferred.
Jungkook's fingers work their way to Taehyung's neck to find a pulse. Nothing. He moves to the wrists. Nothing again. He lets out a loud sob.
¨Tae, please.” He whispers. He swims back to the shore with Tae's lifeless body. The others stare, mouths open, tears brimming their eyes. Jimin has tears falling at an alarming velocity. Namjoon lends his hand out to Jungkook to help pull him up. The younger waves him off and pulls himself up, along with Tae. He stands up, taking in a deep breath that shakes. It only takes a minute before his feet are hitting the sand, running away from it all. He doesn't want to face his friends, especially since he couldn't save Taehyung.
It's all my fault, he thinks to himself. I couldn't save him. I'm so pathetic. A little voice in the back of his head tells him that he couldn't do anything, it was inevitable. But he knows that it's not true. There was a way to save him. He should've climbed up and held him back, pulled him down, and held him tight. But he didn't, and now Taehyung's dead.
Jungkook's calves burned from all the running. From the shore, he's now in a forest. He falls to his knees on the wet soil of the woods. He doesn't care that there's poison ivy near his body. He inhales deeply, trying to get more air into his lungs. His chest rises and falls rapidly as if each breath is his last.
After a few hours of stumbling around the tall trees with only the moonlight guiding him, fatigue washes over him like a surfer getting conquered by a wave. He lays down on the ground, a tree root as his (uncomfortable) pillow. Everything swarms back into his mind. His best friend kill himself, his other best friend, well he doesn’t know what happened to him. He thinks of all the silence after Seokjin disappeared. He thinks of all they did to find him. He thinks of how they failed to do that. He wonders if Seokjin is happy, wherever he may be.
He stares at the dark sky that’s dotted with bright needle points and whistles a tune. The tune isn’t familiar to him, it’s not a song he knows. It’s a dreary song that doesn’t bring much happiness to the air around it. It’s the kind of song that just absolutely drains the liveliness out of all beings within earshot. The low tone of melody makes him drowsier than before. His eyes slowly close, his sight becoming pitch black.
The remainder of the group, Hoseok, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jimin, all sit in the living room of their dorm, not a word leaving their mouths. Not even a smile from Hoseok, the happiest person in the group. You can cut the tension in the room with a knife. Jimin unintentionally slams the pillow he was hugging onto the couch, startling Namjoon and Hoseok a bit. He mutters a quick ’sorry’ before rushing off into the kitchen.
3rd Place
Ninette Ohren
West Hall Middle School
The Pup
A howl pierces the silence of night. Two bloods mingled in the earthy forest floor. The moon ominously shines, cutting into the eerie darkness. Somehow I’m still alive. The corpses of the people I once knew are scattered across ground. Somewhere in the darkness, a voice cries out. The deafening cry marks the end of another life. Feer seeps into my thoughts.
How will I survive? I asked myself. Suddenly, I hear the sound of footsteps.
“Come here, little pup.”
Hunters! I suddenly realized the cause of all the deaths.
“No need to be afraid.”
LIES! I have every reason to be afraid! I feel the fear right down to the marrow of my boes!
VRRRMM!
A car pulled up. The man grabs me and puts me in a cage. I howl but there is no one left to answer me.
What will they do to me? I wondered. As we left, I watch the unmoving corpses of the other pack members pass by. Alone in the dark, the only thing I can do now is wait. Only the night can decide my fate. Darkness engulfs my surroundings. I have nothing to comfort me any longer.
_
After a long ride, we finally arrive at our destination. I eat the air, my senses are overwhelmed by the pungent smell of smoke. I feel myself moving. Suddenly, I stopped. My drowsiness overcame me, and despite my best efforts, I fall asleep.
_
As I wake up, I finally see my surroundings. In front of me, there are many cages with dogs in them. All I hear is the sound of dogs barking and howling. There is a man standing watch on my right and a woman on my left. The room still stinks of smoke, the man is the cause of the stench. I wonder if I’ll ever leave this place.
_
A few days later, a woman walks into the room with, what appears to be, her son. The boy’s eyes slide across the room like a metronome. His eyes landed on me and as he starts to walk towards me, his eyes light up. He knows I’m the one.
Honorable Mention
Sarah Sanders
East Hall Middle School
Mystery Girl
Her hair was dark, and her eyes were grey. She shook with the occasional raising of the teacher’s voice, and didn’t seem much for conversation. It wasn’t hard to tell that she was homeschooled before now. It was almost as if she had never seen another human being other than her mother, who also seemed a little on edge herself. I watched as the jet black fabric of her dress, and the silky black leather of her heels quickly glided to the desk in the far back corner of the room. Her hair fell over her eyes, and I couldn’t make out much of her facial expression, but I noticed her fingers fly up toward her mouth. Nail biting, I assumed. She must be nervous. My thoughts drifted as the teacher started to speak. “Good morning, class! We have much to do today, but firstly, let me introduce our new student, Lana.” Mr. Elroy pointed to Lana, and she froze at the sudden attention directed at her. She jerked her head up, exposing the rest of her face. All of the black up against her skin made her look porcelain. The grey in her eyes turned an off shade of blue. I think that Mr. Elroy could sense the tension in the room, and cleared his throat tell us what we would be doing in class. I turned to look at her, and she had returned to her habit. I couldn’t help but want to talk to here, to make her feel welcome, and at least somewhat comfortable. Not now, I thought, but I will.
~~~
It wasn’t hard to miss Lana as she scampered through the halls, and silently ate her lunch. It was almost even if she wasn’t there, and something deep down inside me told me that she wanted it that way. Every chance I got to talk to her was always interrupted by either the starting of a lesson, or the passing of students. Though she might feel invisible, she was certainly easy to find, as she wore black most of the time. It wasn’t until our bathroom break when I managed to get her attention. “Um, hi. I’m Lana. I mean, you’re Lana, I’m Lina. Or, hold on, let me try again, I’m-” “I’ve gotta go.” I watched as she ran past me, tightly gripping her books to her chest while doing so. I just stood silently as her small figure glided smoothly through the crowd. During the midst of her travel, she was approached by a few older girls, maybe a grade or so above ours. They had started talking down to her, and one shoved her right shoulder, causing her to fall back a bit. Not much longer after that, I heard voices being raised by the group, and I saw Lana’s tears drip off her face. “WITCH! WITCH!” The girls started to yell, accusing her of being a witch, mainly because of her wardrobe. Someone finally got the sense to get a teacher out there, and the dispute was broken up. The main girl had scowled and mumbled something under her breath. I ran over to Lana to escort her back to the class, but she had already left the scene.
~~~
“At last,” I said, as the class had made it’s way up to the roof of the school, which honestly wasn’t that high off the ground, maybe 60 feet? It was the place where the entire school would go to have lunch, all at once. It was easier, according to the teachers, than having different schedules, and seeing this as an option was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Of course eating lunch on the roof had it’s risks, but the activity was heavily monitored by the staff. Most of the time, anyway.
There was a small fear in the back of my mind, though. That those girls from the hall would show up again, but I dismissed it. But the sinking feeling in my stomach had returned shortly after hearing the clammering and clashing of trays falling and voices being raised. Those girls, I knew. I saw the gang slowly cornering Lana, closer and closer to the edge, her face more pale and colorless with every growing second. Finally, she had made her way onto the ledge, still facing the three girls rather than the open plain that lied beneath her. Then, everything fell silent. A slight tap would've pushed her over .But in this case, it was a shove that did her in. It was as if my muscles had petrified, restricting my body from any movement. My eyes were locked onto her descending body, watching as she flew downwards, and as I stood motionless. They were the longest, most excruciating seconds of my life. Finally, I heard the impact of her fall. I snapped out of my trance, and ran faster than light, towards the stairs, and to the front of the school.. Her face was pale, as always, but a different kind of pale. A lifeless kind of pale. Her eyes were grey, penetrated with sadness, and desperate for love. Nobody had ever thought of her as anything more than just the mute girl who would burrow in the corner. Hardly anyone besides the teachers and her parents even remembered her name. But now, it was too late. None of that mattered at this point. No words of kindness, or even acknowledgement could fix the brokenness that lay before me. The feeling of warmth streamed down my cheek, but a cold, dark feeling filled my chest. It’s too late now. She’s gone. There’s nothing you can do about it. Thoughts of the poor girl polluted my mind, and I just sat there, completely still. I nodded to myself, trying to reassure my mind. “I could have done something. I could have talked to her, or said something to make her think she was important..” But, I didn’t. And I knew kit would haunt me forever.
~~~
She was never much one for conversation, looking back. Her company was never acknowledged, but yet, now it feels so different without it. There is a sort of void now, in the corner of the room. The perish of her scampering, the utter erase of her existence, it was almost as if it didn’t matter to anyone. It’s sad really, how nobody even knew who she was until she wasn’t anymore. I guess it just goes to show that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Thankfully though, the girls responsible were heavily held accountable, and are currently serving a decent sentence. “Now they won’t be able to hurt anyone else,” I whisper to myself, almost inaudibly. “Nobody else.”