*updated*

About me
Brave here; Nice to meet you <3 I am a middle school student and prefer to be addressed as she/her. Being a Canadian, I adhere to EDT or EST (Eastern Daylight or Standard Time).

Hobbies of mine include reading, creating art, baking, coding, and playing sports, in addition to writing. All year long, I particularly enjoy swimming, skating, rollerblading, tennis, and biking. I have also grown fond of basketball, soccer, and volleyball (Fun fact, I made it to all three teams for my school this year).

As a (co) leader, my interests will help me develop personally. For instance, reading encourages me to think broadly about narratives, writing prompts, concepts, etc. which helps me to write better. My ability to collaborate, play as a team, and cooperate with others improves as a result of my participation in sports.


Experience
Over the past year or two, I have taken part in three SWC sessions so far. A real-fi camper in July 2022, mystery co-leader in November 2022 and backup camper of adventure cabin in March 2023.

Despite having little experience in Scratch Writing Camp, I consider myself to be a fantastic writer, as I have been professionally writing stories since a young age. I average between 10,000 and 50,000 words per month, and I even wrote roughly 40k words total throughout my busiest session. I have won multiple awards in writing contests for leisure and school activities, thanks to my new knowledge. On top of that, I've had a variety of responsibilities that have focused on my leadership abilities, including onsite classes (as an instructor) and more.

I also have experience with several other scratch camps as a camper, co-leader, leader, and host.

Cabin preferences
I am a very flexible writer who is comfortable and at ease with any category. My writing style, however, is most suited to the mystery/thriller, realistic fiction, and (somewhat) poetry genres. I've also written fan fiction and scripts in the past. Even though I try to understand more about sci-fi, fairy tales, folklore, bizzaro fiction, and dystopian literature, my work frequently struggles with these related topics. I have neutral tastes in other genres, but in the end, it doesn’t exactly affect me.


Dedication + Time management
I will have plenty of time to devote to SWC in July, due to the fact that I will be out of school for the summer. I might spend a few weeks traveling here and there, but I expect to maintain the same level of activity. I'll be able to log on to scratch for a little over an hour every day during weekdays. However, I have also been making an effort to concentrate on stuff offline (just as something to consider/keep in mind). Even if I won’t be glued to my screen, I will still use my time wisely to get tasks completed before a deadline. Responsibly, I will balance my time between SWC, my personal life, and other activities and will notify one of the hosts or leaders if my schedule changes.

(Co) Leader benefits & Strengths and weaknesses
Being a (co) leader of my cabin brings me an incredibly large amount of joy; from creating my leader application to planning out cabin ideas to spending time with campers.

I believe I am a good candidate for (co) leader because I am responsible, helpful, innovative, passionate, supportive, (debatable, but I would say somewhat mature), understanding, considerate, and dedicated. I have acquired a lot of useful skills through my recreational activities and experiences that I can apply to SWC.

If I was a (co) leader, I'd fully understand and apply the SWC and Scratch community guidelines to the camp. I work my hardest to achieve and make sure all campers and other (co) leaders are enjoying the session. I also want to help my campers grow as writers. This way, I can build a connection with them, by spending time guiding, supporting, and encouraging them.

My main goal is to create an exciting experience and safe place for all campers (and other members of the camp), as I had for myself. I would also like to use my own experiences and leadership skills to ensure positive experiences for everyone attending the camp. This includes answering questions, introducing people to SWC, providing tips, sharing memories, etc. I love this feeling; of helping others, being involved, and feeling accomplished.

As well as that, I'm great at working as a team! My strengths are creativity, communication, great teamwork, and critical thinking. I usually have an imaginative mind, am full of beautiful ideas, and I love accepting other people's suggestions. Before starting an important task, I'm the type of person who waits for others. I may be able to manage, but that ruins the purpose of doing it together. My weaknesses are probably patience and procrastination. I hate procrastinating and like to get things finished as soon as I can. Though, it’s also important to stay patient and take time to complete a task or activity.


Cabin atmosphere
I want to create a fun, welcoming atmosphere for campers that they would find safe and comfortable. Along with that, I want it to include enjoyable activities like prompts (weekly prompts that campers could use in their stories, dailies, weeklies, etc.), collaborations (to get to know everyone better, there can be collaborative story activities), role playing (a way to generate new ideas, engage with your cabinmates more, write stories, and add more words to your overall word count), interactive stories (similar to collabs, where we could play games related to writing - ex: the one word story game), etc.

date: 9/6
name: the ocean - a haiku poem
section: poems

Ocean waves sooth me
Surrounds me with salty warmth
Worlds to discover

date: 9/11
name: tornado
section: poems

Tornadoes swirl in through dark clouds
Their dervish destroys everything in their path
Tornado alley is dangerous place to live
Storms creates powerful winds
The storm ends, the wind decrease, the tornado dies.

date: 9/18
name: introduction of physhics essay (cabin war assignment)
section: camps


Physics is one of the most essential aspects of our lives. Whatever action we intend to do, there is constantly physics involved. As you continue to read this essay, the topic “how important is physics in our daily life” will be covered.

As you may know already, physics is one of the oldest and most complex sciences, because it is related to other sciences. Physics studies everything that takes place in the universe, including particles, natural phenomena and energy, and their relationship to each other. The subject allows us to relate to these matters to our daily activities. In this way, we can explain how and why things happen in addition to experimenting and confirming the results.

Both science and technology play a decisive role in modern culture and are part of human history. Its developments have contributed to the progress of many other human activities, from medicine to space travel, from economics to telecommunications, etc.

The subject mainly deals with sub-topics such as matter, force, energy and motion. Physics defines how everything around us works. We cannot separate ourselves from the wonders of physics.

Physics also influences our vision of the world and of man. It is the basis of all the devices we use and allows us to evaluate the possibilities and limitations of our activities. Not only that, but it helps us analyze, evaluate, and distinguish solutions to different problems.

For example, we can walk easily only because of physics. When we put our foot on the ground, we apply force. In doing this, the ground also applies an equal force to our foot, but in the opposite direction, and propels us forward.

Along with what explained above, there are several other day-to-day activities that are physics-related.

To conclude with this introduction, physics isn't just in labs, it's everywhere we look.

date: 10/1
name: hate
section: poems

Hate
Is an angry snake
Slithering, with venom in its mouth
Through the dry grass
So that it can bring bitterness to everyone

date: 11/3
name: SWC November 22' Daily #3
section: camps

331 words

—-

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date: 11/8
name: SWC November 22' Daily #8/9 (incomplete)
section: camps

—-

1 – 490 words

The wind howled outside her window, the trees bending, almost as if they were made of rubber. I shivered, remembering the winter of the year before the Headmistress had sent Mathew outside for the night as a punishment for not finishing his supper. He had suffered from pneumonia for the night and had to be rushed to the hospital. I was surprised that the Headmistress hadn’t gotten in any trouble because of it.
“Jenna!” A voice called from outside of my room and I groaned inwardly. Speak of the devil.
“Yes?” I tried my best to make sure that my voice didn’t sound rude or impatient, even in the slightest. If it did, the Headmistress would get very upset, and who knew what the punishment would be. I didn’t want to have to spend the night outside, because lord knew that the Headmistress wouldn’t hesitate to send me on my way out the front door of the orphanage.
“Open your door!” The Headmistress shouted to let me know she was coming in. The door swung open, giving me only a second to stuff my work into my desk drawer.
I shared a room with three other girls my age. The orphanage was divided into different rooms based on age and gender. I was in bunk F11—Females aged eleven. There were two halls; all the girls stayed on one side, while on the other side were all the boys.
The Headmistress made her way toward me with thundering footsteps.
“What are you doing? You’re late for dinner again.” She pointed at my desk drawer, and I gulped.
“My apologies, Ma'am,” I avoided the Headmistress’s question. If she found out I was making art again, she’d steal it from me and burn it. It was a distraction from my studies and no one would want to adopt an uneducated child. At least, that was according to the Headmistress.
“Do you even want to be adopted? In your shape, no one will ever want you as their child… unless you start trying! Now get downstairs and eat!” She always shamed kids for things they couldn't control; height, weight, skin colour, accent, etc.
I nodded, getting up from my seat. Slowly, I left the room, avoiding eye contact with the Headmistress. I hoped that she wouldn’t go through my things again and leave my desk drawers empty. My drawings were my way of escaping and I needed them. It had taken me almost a year to save up money to buy myself a new sketchbook after she had thrown out my last one. I wanted to leave this place, but I knew I couldn’t. Who needed parents when you had art?`
The dining room was a mess with screaming children everywhere. ‘Have they ever heard of discipline? Who even taught them any’ I thought as I entered the room. “Right - the headmistress”. I said happily at the thought of her hopefully soon death.

—

2 - 0 words

—

3 - 0 words

PART 1

• transcripts w/ @–kinoko– •
(338 words)

Ri : hello there! i'm ri, your interviewer today. are you ready to begin?

Brave : hi ri, nice to meet you - i'm brave ^^ let's get started with the interview

Ri : great! so, let's start simple: how did you first find out about swc?

Brave : Upon joining scratch for the first time, camper signups for July 2022 had not yet been released. Following a few people probably started my scratch journey, followed by searching for something I could get involved in. Among the different activities, I found SWC, which I joined for the first time in July. The session was a great experience for me and was very enjoyable in general. I made new friends, wrote a lot, participated in the writing competition, and completed almost every daily (I was told that I completed the most dailies out of all the campers ^^)

Ri : oh! well, congratulations! doing the most dailies certainly is quite the achievement! let's go onto the next question: as you most likely know, there's a lot of different fictional genres – swc representing that with our fifteen cabins. so, which do you enjoy writing in the most? (if you don't want to answer that, then you can answer what your favorite genre is. or you can answer both! )

Brave : The majority of my writing falls into the genres of mystery, script, horror, and fan fiction out of the 15 different SWC cabins. Even so, I enjoy writing horror stories and thrillers, as well as reading dystopian and poetry-based books.

Ri : oh! we're alike then {a smile}. i quite like to read dystopian, too. anyways! brave, what do you think is the best part of writing? and also, what is the worst? do you have a way to get out of / avoid the worst bits?

Brave : To start off, writing is my instrument of both creation and destruction. It is the source and projection of my power and so on. However, being a writer has both its pros and cons. In my opinion, the best part of writing is when it gets you out of your comfort zone and gives you the opportunity to articulate these experiences. Another reason can be that those reading your work will be able to give you feedback on what you did good on, and what you need to improve on. This sort of critique helps you grow as a writer because you'll be able to use the opinion(s) of others and enhance your writing. As you can see, there are many pros to writing. Unfortunately, there is also a con side. For instance, when you don't feel motivated to write, but you know that you simply must, in order to reach a specific goal. In order to achieve this goal, it takes discipline and commitment to write regularly. There are several others, but it may take long - How about we move on to the next question aha

Ri : no further questions! we have reached the goal

Brave : ah, alright - it was an honour working with you )

PART 2

• monologue w/ @sxrendipity •
(724 words; 409 written by @sxrendipity, 315 written by @not-a-nobody)

note : all words in bold are written by @sxrendipity and non-bold are written by @not-a-nobody (me)

—-

I don’t want to open my eyes.

I already know what I’ll see, if I do — I’ll see those shadowy figures that lurk around every corner. Behind every one of the tall pale trees. In each reflection where the snow has melted . Rough shapes of people… but not really people. Not really people at all.

I can’t help but wondering, why me? Why must they pursue me through the dark and the cold? My screaming, drowned and diffused in the snow, cannot ward them away, nor can I outrun them. Why must it be I, trapped in this nightmarish realm — this endless, shadowy forest.

I don’t have an answer. I am all alone.

All alone, except for the presence of my own thoughts.

I wanna know.

I've been hating all this time. Hesitating. Waiting for a miracle to save me from the endless nightmare I'm forced into.

I used to come here when the world closed in and got so small that I couldn't breath.

I'd come here and reflect on the empty feeling of staying alive.

The empty–endless–feeling of being drowned in my own anxiety.

It was strangely comforting. For a while. But…

It slipped away from me. Out of my control. And now I’m stuck. Trapped. Suspended in this limbo. Like one of those nightmares I’d always had, where I’m running — I don’t know what from, but I know I’m terrified of it — and then I just can’t run anymore. The air grows thick and heavy, and it’s an effort to push through it.

Except I think this nightmare must be real. And it scares me. It scares me so much.

I just want to go home.

I’ve always said that, even when I am at home. I suppose that sometimes home can be more of a time, or a situation, than a place. But I mean it this time.

I just want to go home.

The shadow figures that lurk around the dark, gloomy forest. This thing; it suffocates me. It drowns me. It harms me. It breaks me. It's simply a whirlwind of chaos that closes in on me—There's no light at the end of the tunnel.

I need to escape.

Obtuse minutes are counted down. Fast and shallow breaths are taken. A new, harmful disaster is risen.

When will this torture end?

Fear is rushing through my body, my heart is freezing of despair, and cold shivers run down my spine.

Please… I need to wake up from this nightmare.

Except… my eyes are wide open.

I'm not asleep.

I cast my mind back to when my life was more than this. It all seems like a blurred dream, now. Nothing but a hazy memory. Like I’ve been here a lifetime; but I know I haven’t. I know there was more, once.

I can smell strawberries.

I can see a sunset.

Like a painting filled with swirls of pink and orange, it stretches across the sky, over the endless fields of strawberries — the strawberries that I’m picking. I can feel it now. I’m putting them in my wicker basket. And I’m laughing, my head thrown back to the sky.

I want to reach out and touch it. To grasp it with both hands, to step within it. It hurts so much, more than anything this forest could do to me. It hurts so much, to be able to see everything in my mind and just not be able to go there. Ever again.

The thought of going back to something I love—Would it ever be possible?

This was once a night terror — Now, more real than my own shredded flesh and beating heart.

I'm one step away from falling down, into the abyss of my consciousness. Am I awake or dreaming? Alive or dead? Human or Ghost? A nightmare or reality mocking me? I can't tell the difference anymore…

The forest was dense. The night was dark. Horror was in the scene.

I was trapped in that nightmare. Shaking. Trembling. Terrified. Afraid. Scared.

This nightmare didn't only happen once.

The same nightmares that wrap their evil hands around my soul, trying to pull me deep within a world ruled by fright.

My eyelids slightly trembled, fluttering open.

And I'm here again. Same old situation, yet another night in pain, stuck in this fake-like simulation.

What a world.

PART 3

• spoken word poetry •
(0 words)

PART 4

• songwriting •
(0 words)

date: 11/13
name: November 22' word war w/ @-springskies
sections: camp

After peeping in on the sleeping kitten in her bed, Brave threw on a rain jacket and set out for the waterfront with her sister's GPS in her pocket–Not that she really needed it. The wind was blowing the water, and when she turned the corner, Brave could see the glint of the lake just a few blocks away.

For a spring day in Ontario, it wasn't too bad. The sky was a little grey and the breeze was very fresh off the water, but it wasn't pouring; Brave set out without an umbrella.

She felt a lightness inside that she hadn't felt for days. Certainly since before the “incident” with her best friend. Since their text conversation that morning, the whole situation was beginning to feel more distant. If her best friend was going to go around doing stupid things with a lighter, Brave didn't have to take responsibility too. If her best friend jumped off a bridge, would Brave? Not a chance. She was proud of having a mind of her own.

All teenagers aren't idiots.

PART 1

• time management •
(189 words)

1 - eisenhower matrix (✔)

2 - time-blocking (✔)

a usual weekday as a student for me <3 :

7:00am - wake up
7:10am - get ready for school, have breakfast, etc.
8am - leave the house
8:30am - *school has officially started*
school from 8:30am to 3:30pm
4:00pm - reach home after a long day of school
4:30pm - eat a snack, have time for self, personal free time, etc.
5:00pm - work on homework, study for test(s), etc.
6:00pm - go outside for a walk, bike ride, go to the park, etc.
6:30pm - more free time <3
7:30pm - chores :sob: :skull:
8:00pm - daily workout/exercise!!
9:00pm - eat dinner
9:30pm - read books, wrote stories, etc.
10:00pm - start getting ready for bed
10:30pm/11:00pm - sleep <3

PART 2

• motivation •
(168 words)

time pressure <3

my original comment (✔)
“I've had a tiring week full of tests, school, and am pretty exhausted by now - may I possibly have a dare that won't take *too* much time? thank you in advance <3”

my replies (✔)
- “imagine this: you wake up to find all the clocks have stopped. everyone and everything is frozen. time is standing still. where do you go and what do you do?”
- “take the amount of letters in your name and multiple it by itself. with the number you receive, write as many words as you can in that amount of time. ex: brave has five letters – 5 x 5 = 25 minutes. I now have to sprint as many words as I can in 25 minutes ^^”
- “take an existing tongue twister and write a story about the characters in it! ex: why is that woodchuck chucking wood? who’s selling seashells down by the seashore? why did peter piper pick a peck of pickled peppers, and what’s he doing with them next? ”

PART 3

• self-care •
(316 words)

- water intake
- sleep 8+ hours
- skincare/sleep routine
- exercise
- healthy eating
- sunlight
- listen to music
- reading
- write your thoughts down
- turn electronics off

How much water do you drink per day? What about your sleep(ing) schedule/routine? When was the last time you exercised? And just how much time do you spend on your device? Most people (of all ages) have unhealthy answers to these questions, because they don't understand how important it is to prioritize these activities. Research is shown that the average human is supposed to be taking in at least 15 cups of water, getting at least 8 hours of sleep a day, and working 150 minutes of any type of exercise in a weeks time - the three of these may sound like big numbers now, but they won’t be if you start working!

Additionally, we often find ourselves spending time indoors when we could rather be doing the same activity outdoors. Staying outside has multiple benefits for your body. It takes you away from overwhelming screens, gives a dose of vitamin D, increases energy levels, lowers your blood pressure, helps anxiety and depression, improves eyesight, and many more! Taking quick breaks to go outdoors for a minimum of 15-20 minutes per day is an important task that should be added to everyone's daily schedule/routine. Check the weather forecast and make a block of time dedicated towards this!

Remember, you don't have to be productive while being outside. Savor the fresh air, take deep breaths, unite yourself with nature - get in sync with it. Though, you can complete an activity if you wish! Try a new workout routine, or start reading a new book series. I personally love reading, writing, or even finishing off some work for school (or camps), because it's really peaceful. Find your own rhythm and go with it <3

23BraveHeart wrote:

Whatever Harry stared at through his blue eyes

Doesn’t Harry have green eyes? xD
But that’s the only problem I saw! Overall, the piece was very poetic and I loved the feeling I felt through the words. The metaphors and the way you described things was used in a fantastic way! It really made the piece come together. You’re an amazing writer! You also pictured Harry perfectly, and I love how you switched back and forth from the past and the present. It gives the writing a much more realistic feel, I guess. I also love how you compared the two situations! That really made the past thoughts have more meaning and pulled the piece together. But yeah, that’s basically it! Fantastic job

(sorry if i wasnt supposed to post here aa)

date: 11/19
name: critique for @seasiide
section: camp

Hello - Here's the critique as you requested ^^

To start things off, I love the plot you thought of, and the general storyline. There were a few minor mistakes such as grammar mistakes, sentences that could have been worded better, and I realized there were a few unnecessary words in your story, but overall I really, really enjoyed it! Make sure to writing, because :star_struck: <3

____________________

TW: Violence & Death

Lynn
My father had trained me to fight at the age of five from a young age. (add some information here about the training. ex: After countless nights without sleep, but even and possibly even after twelve more tireless years of training, I was never prepared for what lay ahead of me.
I crouched behind a flipped table, gun cocked and bullets whistling past my ears. The rhythmic tone of banging of bullets and my heavy breathing sounded almost like the notes of a song,; one that I knew all too well. It was so familiar, it was feeling almost comforting towards the nervous wreck I was, as while I tried to calm my rapidly increasing heart rate. As I risked a glance past the table, a bullet narrowly missed shot right passed my head, (add something here about the bullet. ex: If only a second late, the bullet would've flew right through my forehead.) so I decided that it would be better to stay put. I looked to the sky and leaned against the table (add more description. what colour sky was it? what was going on up there? what time of day was it? etc.)
This is what I get for going on a mission before the ball, I thought, annoyed.
Sighing, I blew a strand of (what colour hair was it? was it short or long? thin or thick?) hair out of my face and turned to face the battle in front of mey ___ (colour) eyes. I quickly aimed at the closest guy (instead of the word “guy”, you could use a synonym, such as soldier, warrior, combatant, etc.) and fired (perhaps you could add what weapon you used? ex: ..and fired a strong bullet from the pistol that I held, tightly wrapped with my sweaty palms, before swiftly moving back into the safety of the table. The sound of a sharp inhale and the thud of him the ___ (soldier, warrior, etc.) falling to the ground signaled that my mark had been true.
Alert, I whipped my head around and scanned the vicinity. My breath caught when I heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching from somewhere behind me. I turned to face them the figure, in the direction of the distant footsteps, but. Before I could even reach for my pistol’s trigger, my assailant hit jabbed me on in the head with ,using the butt back-side of their gun. I yelped in both surprise and pain, before and crumpleding to the cold, hard pavement. The last thing I saw was the stranger’s smug smirk, before everything around me slowly faded to black.

“…Princess,” a voice murmured. “Princess, can you hear me?”
“Lynn,” the voice said called my name, more demanding now, “wake up!”
My eyes fluttered open, and I struggled to sit up.
“What?” I muttered groggily as I rubbed my weary eyes.
I opened my eyes fully and squinted at the bright sunlight that hit against my body. I stared through the small crevice in my eyes at the figure in front of me. I could easily tell that it was my best friend and guard, Harry Maude, with his characteristic messy, strawberry blonde hair and honey brown eyes. He looked distinguished, wearing a black suit and tie with matching slacks.
“Oh, finally,” he said, sounded relieved to see I was in a stable condition. “The ball starts in less than five minutes! You have to get ready!” (You can add some comedy here - Ex: “Thank goodness, you're not dead–” the guard chuckled in relief.)


Harry
Lynn’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, suddenly awake, as. Relieved, I left to give her some privacy to get ready for the ball.
I shut the door and stood outside, facing the wall like a stoic castle guard, which of course, I was.
I flipped over my wrist and checked the time on my watch. It was two minutes before the ball started.
Another guard came and stepped towards me.
“Tell Princess Lynette she’s is on in a one minute,” he said reminded, nodding his head to me. ,before going. He suddenly turned back towards the grand, ornate double doors that led to the ballroom and facing them..
I gave a brief knock before opening the door and popping my head inside.
“Lynn, it’s almost time!” I hissed.
“Coming!” she said as she grabbed a hair tie that was hanging in her mouth and finished doing her the hairstyle.
She was draped in a pale green, floor-length dress that complimented her eyes, and her light brown hair with blonde streaks that was pulled into a messy bun. She also wore silk, ivory, elbow-length white gloves that went well matched with her outfit. She looked breathtakingly beautiful, but she didn’t seem to think so; she kept rearranging the layers of her skirt and fixing her hair.
Lynn grabbed the tiara on her dresser, placed it on her head, and rushed out the door.
“Do I look okay? I wasn’t sure if-”
She suddenly stopped when a muffled voice shouted, “Princess Lynette from the kingdom of Carugo!”
Lynn took a deep breath, straightened her tiara, and walked up to the doors. Since I was As her escort, I followed her and stood at her side. Her thin, white heels clicked against the tile floor as they opened, revealing the thousands of people looking up at us towards us. At the far end of the room, fairly conspicuous compared to the others around them, was King Roland and Queen Emeline of Carugo; Lynn’s parents. The queen had on a golden gown, and the king wore a matching gold suit, tie, and pants with a white undershirt dress shirt.
There was a silver chandelier with golden jewels that hung above the center of the room, and with red, velvet curtains that hung around the elaborate, glass windows. The light from the sunset shone through the windows, making both the chandelier and windows sparkle.
Lynn and I stepped forward and watched the crowd of people below us. We linked our arms and descended down the stairs. Lynn had a serious expression on her face, but I had known her too long and knew to know that deep down, she was actually really nervous.
After the crowd’s attention switched from us, we dropped our arms and stood there awkwardly. Lynn was the first to look away, and in doing so, saw her parents. She looked back towards me, unsure.
“I’ll meet up with you later,” I said, nodding.
“Alright,” she said, before heading towards the king and queen.


Lynn
“What took you so long?” Harry joked as he walked towards me, hands in pockets.
I smiled as Harry elbowed me, playfully. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” I replied.
“Well, I am,” he said, smirking. “Let’s go get some food.”
Suddenly, loud alarms started blaring, just as we were about to leave. The warm, bright light of the ballroom suddenly changed to a neon red that circled around the room like a police siren. At first, all I saw were people screaming and running around. Women were holding their dresses up and some took off their heels, and while their husbands helped escort them out. Mobs of people ran towards the exits, while where the guards directed them. I barely noticed when Harry grabbed my waist and stepped in front of me, protectively.
“What’s going on?” I shouted, trying unable to hear myself over the noise and my head’s throbbing.
“I don’t know!” he shouted back.
That’s when I saw him.
A man, dressed in all black and a ski-mask to cover his face, stood in the center of the room. He lingered right beneath the crystal chandelier, his eyes and the gun in his hands set on the figures in front of him; the queen and king.
I gasped and started running towards them, but Harry held me back.
“No, Lynette!” he ordered. “It’s not safe!”
“Well, they aren’t either!” I retorted.
By then, most people had gone through the exits, and the guards stood by their posts, guns in hand.
The sight of my father stepping protectively in front of my stepmother made me wriggle out of Harry’s grasp and reach for the secret pocket on my dress that housed my pistol. But just then, I locked eyes with my father. His expression remained emotionless, but I could see that he didn’t want me to save him.
I realized then and there that pulling out a pistol would blow my cover.
At five, my father trained me to fight. I could hit the bullseye on a every target every time when I was six, and I was a skilled assassin at seven. When I turned eight, my father married my stepmother, the current queen. We welcomed her into the family, and she welcomed me. That’s when my father and I started training in secret. My father admitted that he hadn’t told my stepmother about our… talents, and wasn’t planning on either. So, he started training me even harder, up until I was sixteen. Even now, at seventeen, he still trains me, and we practice daily at a secluded area at midnight; The Every guards thinks that he takes me on a late night stroll.
Ever since the former queen, my mother was murdered on my fourth birthday, my father had grown bitter. He thought that training me to fight would prepare me and stop more innocent loved ones from suffering the same fate.
Anyways, taking out a weapon and showing the world what I could do? Bad idea, especially with my the amount of publicity and my rank. It was probably what my father had thought too, but I just couldn’t leave him there to die. But I had no choice. Even he was stuck.
We were both trapped.
I dropped my hand from the hidden pocket and bit my lip.
“Fine, take me back to my room,” I said, defeated.
Harry looked surprised at the sudden attitude change. change of attitude.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Positive,” I lied.
I looked back towards my father. He caught my gaze, held it, and nodded. He looked proud. For what, I’m not sure. I didn’t think running away from danger was something that should be celebrated, especially when you know you can fight it. And win.
I blinked away my tears and looked away.
“Let’s go,” I said.
The nearest guards beckoned towards us, moving their hands quickly as a show for us to hurry. We ran, and for once, I didn’t look back.

date: 11/20
name: November 22' word war w/ @essayist
sections: camp

As I get into position for the volleyball match, my stomach churns. I feel nervous as a rat in front of a cat; Not because of the game, but because of the boy I just encountered. By the way he looks at me in our meetups, I have a feeling he possibly has a crush on me–aah! Unlike me, he is so confident and friendly when it comes to talking.

When he talks to me, however, he shyly says, “Hi there, I'm ___.” He taps his toes behind him and slightly played with his strawberry curls.

“Brave,” I say as casually as I can, trying to hid my grin.

We awkwardly stay in silence for what feels like forever.

“Well, it was nice speaking with you,” he says at the same time I announce my leave, “Well, I'll need to reserve a good seat for the game-”

We both laugh and quickly set out to the game. I am actually baffled that he likes me. Everyone in my school makes fun of me for being dying my hair grey. Even a grandmother came up to me, asking why I had her hair colour–heh.

I can't wait to meet him again! Maybe I should ask for his number.. I never realised earlier, but he's pretty hot! I hope I don't screw up again.

date: 11/27
name: November 22' word war w/ @TWILIGHT_A
sections: camp

After twelve years in the orphanage, watching couples come and go, taking the prettiest girls with pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, Brave had simply given hope on living a different, beautiful life. She already knew her future was to work in a household, taking care of others, while she wasn't in the best shape herself. In only a couple of years, she would be leaving the little bed she slept on since a young girl; in the only-girl orphanage she was sent to after being abandoned by her parents as a newborn, for an even worse bed in an even worse shelter. All the bruises, burns, and a full-of-bones fragile body would be her only proof of a long and endless day at work. In fact, her imagination would be all she'd have, in order to keep her mind from going all loopy from exhaustion and the never ending ache in her body.

date: 11/27
name: November 22' Daily #27
sections: camp

There hasn't been much time today, considering how I slept in until 2pm today–Yes, I'm aware it's already the afternoon, but I was up studying for multiple tests and completing school assignments until 3am. Getting to the main point, there isn’t really anything to be grateful for yet :’)

As for goals, I just have to get through the day with everything that needs to be done. It’s a decently long list that will take a good amount of time from my week. There are over several tasks that are scratch-related and needed to be done, including finishing the cabin planning for SEC and SRC, finishing the SWC weekly, and a few more. Personal life wise, I have to meet up with classmates, finish my part of a group project, study for all the tests and assignments for school (I finished most of this last night), etc.

Despite everything, let's remind ourselves that it's not the worst that can happen xD