Coco's SWC Writing Thread:
Hii! Welcome to my writing thread for SWC November 2022! Here I will post all my writing pieces with links attatched in the megathread! Enjoy!

coco's nov '22 swc writing thread <3

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Contents
:: Introduction ::
:: Dailies ::
:: Weeklies ::
:: Word / Cabin Wars ::
:: Writing Competition ::
:: Other Writing ::

☾ … ☽

:: Introduction ::
Hii! Welcome to my writing thread for SWC November 2022! Here I will post all my writing pieces with links attatched in the megathread! Enjoy!

:: Dailies ::
| Nov 1
↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6711326 838 words

| Nov 2
↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6713772 390 words

| Nov 3
↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6716113

| Nov 4
↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6718498 418 words

| Nov 5
↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6720416 312 words

| Nov 6
↳

| Nov 7
↳

| Nov 8
↳

:: Weeklies ::
↠ 14 Letters ↳ https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6712860

:: Word/Cabin Wars ::
↠

:: Writing Competition ::
↠

:: Other Writing ::
https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/639084/?page=1#post-6720433
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:: Daily One ↠ Introduce Yourself ::

↠ Hi! I'm Coco, a Mystery cabin camper this session, and this is my first time participating in SWC. I use she/her pronouns. I am a very chaotic British highschooler who can never keep her mouth shut. I am very talkative, friendly and extroverted! I love making new friends!

↠ I am incredibly excited for this session of SWC, and I can't wait to make many amazing memories with everyone!

↠ A little bit more about me: I have TONS of hobbies, many of them being creatively inclined. I love to write, sing, act and draw! I have absolutely no idea what I want to do when I leave school, but I would most likely pursue a career in performing arts as I participate a lot in musical theatre productions and singing is a great passion of mine.

↠ My favourite subjects are: English, French, Music and Art! Les mangues, c'est la vie :0 (translate if you don't know what I wrote)

↠ My favourite songs are:
↳ Lunchbox Friends by Melanie Martinez
↳ A World Alone by Lorde
↳ Royals by Lorde (I'm singing it in the school talent show)
↳ Wonderland by Neoni

↠ I tend to listen to a lot of pop music, but the more depressing, darker kind xD

↠ My favourite books are:
↳ The Woman in Black (we're reading it in english class and I love it <3)
↳ The School for Good and Evil
↳ The Hunger Games
↳ His Dark Materials (the BBC tv show is amazing too)

↠ My favourite Authors are:
↳ Suzanne Collins
↳ Lesley Kara
↳ Philip Pullman

↠ The genres I tend to write in vary from lighthearted fantasy to dark mystery/thriller, depending on how I'm feeling when I write it.

↠ I play lots of video games, but my favourites are The Sims 4, The Sims 3 and The Legend of Zelda. I really love RPGs, as I love to create stories for my characters, and I am very creatively minded. I enjoy making up backstories and storylines for my characters (this is usually with The Sims games) and I have fun seeing them play out.

↠ My Myers-Briggs personality type is ENFP. People with an ENFP personality are often described as enthusiastic, charismatic, charming, energetic, and independent. ENFPs are also creative, so they typically do best in situations where they have the freedom to create and innovate.
Other characteristics of an ENFP are:
↠ ENFPs have excellent people skills. In addition to having a TON of enthusiasm, they genuinely care about others and are good at understanding what people are feeling. This can make them good to be around.
↠ Given their charisma, and creativity, ENFPs can make great leaders. They are flexible and like to keep their options open. ENFPs can be spontaneous and good with change.
↠ People with an ENFP personality type dislike routine and prefer to focus on the future. They can become easily distracted, particularly when working on something that seems boring or uninspiring.
↠ While ENFPs are great at generating new ideas, their weaknesses can include putting off important tasks until the last minute and being disorganized. Dreaming up ideas but not seeing them through to completion is a common issue for an ENFP. (this is me 24/7. pRoCrAsTiNaTiOn)

↠ My favourite movies and tv shows are:
↳ Beetlejuice (Winona Ryder slayed as Lydia)
↳ Cruella (some parts of it are just ridiculous though xD if you know, you know)
↳ Stranger Things (again, Winona Ryder. and also jopper is the cutest thing and I will not be told otherwise)
↳ His Dark Materials
↳ The Maleficent movies
↳ Once Upon A Time (Lana Parilla is just-)
(side note: yes I am a disney kid. No shame)

I am very into Disney villain origin stories and stuff like that, not so much the princesses. The villains are just so much more interesting!
Also, no hate to the Eddie fans, but Eddie Munson is not that great, in my opinion, like he's in it for about 30mins at most—
Murray, on the other hand is so funny, I can't, and also RIP Alexei

My favourite ships: (I had to do it :0)
↳ Jopper (Joyce x Hopper from Stranger Things)
↳ Maleval (Maleficent x Diaval from Maleficent)
↳ Hayffie (Haymitch x Effie from the Hunger Games)

Anyways, thank you, if you read all the way to this point, I had a lot of fun writing it, and it really made me think about myself VERY deeply. xD
I am so excited to participate in SWC with all of you and make so many amazing memories! Mystery cabin is so cool, and I love the storyline within it! So, in conclusion, happy writing, happy SWC and good luck to all of the cabins! I can't wait to talk to all of you!

↳ Coco <3 (#mysteryftw)

:: Weekly One ↠ Fourteen letters ::

:: Daily Two ↠ Magazine Article ::

Self Care + SWC

SWC can be exciting, fun, and inspiring. It can help you make new friends, improve your writing, and develop teamwork skills. You will make amazing memories, and contribute points towards your cabin.
But there can be some things that are not so fun, such as: not sleeping because you stayed up all night writing towards a cabin war, feeling stressed because you haven't completed the daily, and feeling angry because your cabin isn't winning.

Well, in this article, I will share some tips to help you have the best experience possible in SWC. This advice, whether you choose to follow it or not, will help make sure that SWC is stress free, enjoyable, and most importantly, fun! So, without further ado, here are some tips to make sure you get the best out of your experience!

Sleep:
↠ I know it's very tempting to stay up all night to write, but sleep is so much more important than any writing you may want to do. And besides, if you're sleep deprived, the quality of your writing will decrease ad in the end, it will nit be worth it, as you will most likely not be able to focus on writing.
↠ Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night

Stress:
↠ Life always > SWC, so if there's something that means you can't participate on a certain day, don't worry or stress about it, because your real life is always more important than an online writing camp.
↠ If you don't complete a daily, don't sweat it! It really doesn't matter that much and is definitely not something you need to stress about

Winning:
↠ The point of SWC is to have fun! Yes, winning would be nice, but that should never be your main focus. It's completely fine for there to be a little (or a lot) of competitiveness between the cabins, only as long as it stays lighthearted and friendly. Like, I'm not saying that you can't go and make jokes about the other cabins, because you definitely can (I will be doing so myself), but it needs be clear that there are no actual hard feelings.
↠ Have fun!

In conclusion, always make sure to take care of yourself, before SWC, as your health and wellbeing always comes first. So, have fun, and happy writing!

:: Daily Three ↠ Object smoothie ::

Greetings, fellow campers, and welcome to my presentation on why my portable speaker smoothie is actually :delicious:. This presentation is very informative and will give you a deeper insight into the incredible world of the portable speaker smoothie. By the end of this article, you will be rushing to purchase one for yourself! Without further ado, on to the presentation!

The smoothie contains 99% pure portable speaker and the other 1% is the secret family ingredient that no one is allowed to know except me, and that is totally not suspicious, no, definitely not–
Anyways, moving on! The speaker used to create this delicacy is completely wireless, yes I know, so there are no chunks of wire randomly in your drink! The flavour is very sweet, and kinda tastes like apples (see what I did there?). It is extremely healthy and nutritious, meaning that you can drink as many as you like! The speaker is blended to perfection so there are no lumps or chunks of electrical wire! (no speakers were harmed in the writing of that last sentence). Also, as a fun little bonus, it plays your favourite song while you drink it! It's so amazing! You will never taste something as awesome as this, even if you try! This smoothie is just too special to be upstaged by a LED lightbulb smoothie or something like that.

In conclusion, you should definitely try my portable speaker smoothie, and you definitely will not regret it! It is revolutionary and will change your life (whether in a positive way or not, I will let you find out). So go on, don't be afraid, try the portable speaker smoothie today! *with extra speaker in your first order!* Order one today at your nearest dark alleyway! You won't regret it! Thank you for reading my presentation!

P.S. The secret ingredient is mangoes

I pull at the grass, absent-mindedly twirling the blades between my fingers. I'm slightly scared that I will crush the book that rests on my lap in doing so, as I am leaning quite far forward to reach the emerald strands beneath me. The music of songbirds echoes through the garden, while the birds themselves dance and swoop through the air and in between trees. From the house, I can smell the tantalising aroma of roast chicken cooking in the kitchen. I wonder how long it will be before Mother comes out to call us to dinner, in the way that she does, with her floral apron and a huge smile plastered across her face. She's always so happy.
On the other side of the hill sits my sister, Alice. I can't see her from this part of the bank, but I can hear her humming a tune that I don't know the name of, but seems somehow, eerily familiar. Maybe it's one of those nursery rhymes that she seems to love so much, although I never really pay much attention to any of it. Alice is very imaginative, especially when she makes up stories to tell us around the dinner table. Sometimes, though, her stories can tend to be a little… disturbing. I won't go into particulars, but for a seven year old, she knows a little too much about certain things. It makes me worry sometimes, when she goes on one of her tangents. Mother insists she'll grow out of it, but I'm not so convinced.
I turn my attention back to my book for a while, becoming engrossed in the story and the characters. I love this book, it’s my favourite. ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë. I’m captivated by it, mesmerised, even.
When I finally look up again, dusk has almost completely swept over the world, and pale sunlight filters through the trees, dappling the ground with pale gold tones. It’s very quiet now, not even the birds are singing their little tune anymore. So, I stand, gathering my book and brushing the grass off my dress. I go to call for Alice.
‘Alice dear, I think we best come inside now.’ I say, strolling around to the other side of the hill.
But Alice is not there. The grass is still crushed down where she sat, but there is nobody sitting there. My heart pounds fast in my chest, but I try not to become too alarmed just yet. Maybe she already went inside? After all, I was in such a reverie, reading my book that she could’ve slipped back to the house unseen. Yes. That must be it. Where else could she have gone?
With my worry now softened by this thought, I begin to walk back to the house, a little quicker than I would have liked, but I was now anxious to find Alice.
Inside the house, Mother stands at the kitchen counter, dishing up our meal. The smell of it makes my mouth water, and I can’t wait to sit down and eat it. But I must digress.
‘Mother?’ I ask, my stomach in knots.
‘Yes Margaret, darling?’ She looks at me with an expression of… what? Concern?
‘Have you seen Alice? Only… she’s not out in the garden and I’m beginning to get a little worried about her.’

Weekly One ↠ Fourteen Letters

One: Horror

Dear Horror,
I have seen your cabin description this session, and can I just say, I'm a little concerned about you. A ghost and a plane? Like– what is that? Do you need help? Are you okay? Your poor campers, they must be so scared! Why should they have to be the ‘chosen ones’? It's not Harry Potter, get over yourself! Well, I guess you'll figure out how terrible your theme is when all your campers run away and join me instead. I really wouldn't blame them, if I'm being honest. Who would want to be in your cabin anyways? I know I wouldn't.

Your enemy,
Mystery.

Two: Fantasy

Dear Fantasy,
I'm not sure how this letter will reach you, given that you are on an island, but I will send it anyway. You are doing a great thing, rescuing the magic of your world, and I wish you all the best of luck in doing so! You and your campers will do it, I know you will, and you will restore the magic to something greater than it ever was before. I have faith in you. So, good luck to you all, and I really hope you manage to achieve your goal, for the betterment of us all.

Best wishes,
Mystery

Three: Dystopian

Dear Dystopian,
We are alike in many ways, both rather mysterious (myself more so) and both have a rather specific setting. As your ally, I have a responsibility to tell you that although your realm is :amazing: I feel as though calling it beautiful, as I would have done, is entirely inappropriate, as for some reason your genre makes even the most interesting topics dark and depressing. Not to hate on your genre though, as I myself am an avid reader of dystopian novels, and I particularly enjoy those depressing moments as I feel they add to the depth of the stories and the characters within them.

Kind regards,
Mystery

Four: Script

Dear Script,
As a self proclaimed theatre kid, and sometimes rather dramatic myself, I greatly admire your theme this session! I love the genre alone, but your spin on it makes it just that much better! Your enthusiasm makes my day whenever I drop by to check out what you are up to. It's really great to see! As a massive musicals fan, I love the ideas and thought behind your storyline and I wish you all the best of luck in the coming weeks! I hope to speak with you all very soon!

Wishing you all good luck,
Mystery

Five: Sci-Fi

Dear Sci-Fi,
Ugh, it's you again. What is it with you and plagerising other genres though? Like– I'm pretty sure your entire concept is just a knock off version of Fantasy and Dystopian. At least they're original . Let them have their own ideas without worrying about you constantly stealing them. Just create an original genre, like one where there are typically mangoes but :alive: like how Fantasy has magical creatures and Dystopian is all about the depressing, controlling government and the tyranical leader. Please, for the sake of us all, just do something for yourself for once.

With all the hate I can give,
Mystery


Six: Folklore

Dear Folklore,
I want to start this letter off by saying, I'm loving the Taylor Swift– everything! I have been inspired to create several writing pieces out of Taylor Swift songs thanks to you! I love your whole vibe and storyline so much! I think your theme is very unique and interesting! I love how different your theme is from all the other cabins, and I'd like to wish you all the best of luck this month! I hope you all have a great time this session! Wishing you all good luck, and happy writing!
Wishing you all the best,
Mystery

Seven: Bi-Fi

Dear Bi-Fi,
Hi! Your storyline is so interesting! I love how mysterious and original it is! I think that your point system is very different and cool! I haven't really read many things in your genre but I might do after seeing your amazing cabin (I just did some research into the genre and I love it)! The genre seems really intriging and seems like something I would really enjoy! On another note, I want to wish you and all of your campers the best of luck in the coming weeks! Have fun and I hope you enjoy this session!
Good Luck!
Mystery


Eight: Real-Fi

Dear Real-Fi,
Hi! I don't really know you that well, but I thought I should send you a letter, as I have sent one to all the other cabins! Though I myself I am not a big reader of realistic fiction, I appreciate aspects of the genre, though I usually prefer to have elements of fantasy and unrealistic happenings, just so that reading feels more like escapism. I love your theme though, it's very cool and I like your points system with the keys and how that plays into the storyline that you've set up for this session!
Kind regards,
Mystery.

Nine: Adventure

Dear Adventure,
Greetings from Mystery! Although I have not really had the opportunity to speak with you, I felt it would be nice to send you a letter, to catch up with you, as I will most likely not be able to speak to you in person. How's the kingdom holding up under the current siege? I know you've got your soliders and your army working on it, but I just thought I would ask. Anyways, I hope your having a good time this session, even with your war and all! At least you have this to take your mind off it! Wishing you the best of luck!
Kind Wishes,
Mystery.

Ten: Thriller

Dear Thriller,
I don't really know how this letter will reach you, as you are in the ocean at the minute, but hopefully this should reach you by the time you return to dry land again. I hope you're doing alright, and you're not in too much danger. As your ally, I just want to check that you're okay! Anyway, I wanted to ask, what part of the world are you even in? The last letter you sent me was very cryptic and I'm a little concerned. But, on a brighter note, I also hope you have fun this session, and that you do well!
Stay safe,
Mystery.

Eleven: Fan-Fi

Dear Fan Fiction,
Hi! I heard you've started some… training program? I don't know if it's true, as it's just what I've heard from the other cabins. If it is though, may I ask, what's are you training for? Or is it classified xD? Well, aside from that, I don't have much to ask you about. Is there anything you want to ask me? Anyways, have fun with your training program, or whatever it is that you're doing these days, and have fun writing too! I'm wishing you all the best of luck with everything! Happy writing!
Kind Regards,
Mystery.

Twelve: Hi-Fi

Dear Hi-Fi,
Hello dear sibling, how have you been? I heard you're robbing a train? How ridiculous! As long as it's not my train, if you rob my train you're dead and that will be the end of it. But, again, why are you robbing a train? Like… just why? I've given up on you long ago, as has Poetry, I assume. I need to send a letter to them as well, to let them know about what you're doing in our absence. I don't think they'll be best pleased, to say the least. But, good luck anyway, and make sure you save some loot for me! Like seriously, do.
Love you really,
Mystery.

Thirteen: Poetry

Dear Poetry,
How are you, sibling? Hi-fi told me you'd joined a competition camp, I think that sounds cool! Also, I just found out that Hi-fi is robbing a train and I'm kind of concerned for them. We leave them alone for one minute and look what they do! Nevermind, it's their problem. I hope you're having fun with your camp though, it sounds incredible! Good luck with everything!
Love from,
Mystery
P.S Should I ask Hi-fi to split their loot with you as well? Or do you want to stay out of it? Let me know what you want to do!

Fourteen: Non-Fi

Dear Non-Fi,
How are you finding your new job? It sounds really fun! I'd love to work in a breadhouse, although I don't think there would be many crimes happening there, so maybe not. But still! Also, I just thought I'd let you know that Hi-fi's robbing a train! Yeah, I know. I know you guys are allies and all but— I just thought you should know about it.
Anyway, have fun at your new job, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this month! Good luck and happy writing!
Best wishes,
Mystery
P.S Save me some naan bread. Please.

Daily Four ↠ Google Translate

Translated lyrics:
Everyone loves your watch crystals, Maybach and diamonds
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a golden leash
I do not care
I did not fall into your love trap.

Original:
And everybody's like, Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash,
We don't care
We aren't caught up in your love affair

I stand there, shaking with rage as she flounces around the hall, showing off her new diamante, Tiffany & Co watch, that I bought for her, with my own money. And she never even said thank you. Not once. But I let it go, as I din't want her to hate me any more than she already does. Her father spoiled her far too much, and now he expects me, his fiancée, to buy her presents as a ‘sign of love’? No. If she's going to be an ungratful brat–
I storm over to where she presides, shooting dirty looks at those who don't immediately gush over her new accessory. I'm fuming at how disgustingly she is behaving towards her classmates. I can only imagine what she must be like when there aren't so many adults and teachers around. For a second, I pause, contemplating whether this is the right thing to do, or whether I should just let her be, and not cause more of a rift between the two of us. But then, I see her shove another girl away from her and I decide that she needs to be taught a valuable lesson.
So, with a slight smirk playing on my lips, I walk casually closer to her.
''Oh, Angelica?'' I say, mock sweetly.
''What?!'' she whirls around, her face screwed up in an expression of hatred.
''I'm going to need that watch back, your Father and I need the money for the rent, I just realised we're a little short this month–''
Her face turns a deep shade of red and she lunges at me, beginning to hurl all sorts of insults and abuse at me. She sounds like a toddler having a temper tantrum and I can tell that her classmates are not impressed at all. Some of them even pull their phones out to record the scene.
''How could you ruin my life, you stupid– What are you staring at, you little freaks?!'' she screams, first at me, before turning to face her classmates, who are all giggling behind her.
''I should've never let my dad ask you to marry him, you should just go back where you came from and leave us alone! I wish you were never born!'' Hysteria overtakes her and she begins to bawl, stamping her feet and going a deeper shade of red than I knew existed.
Satisfied that I have adequately carried out my revenge, I turn away from the commotion, smiling, just a little.

:: Daily 5 ↠ Message in a Bottle ::

Dear Peter,

You will probably never read this message, never find this bottle floating amongst the many waves that make up the ocean. But that's okay. Because even if you never get to know what I have to say, it will not change anything. There are so many things I wanted to tell you before you left, and now it's too late. So, now I'll write them down here, and hope and pray that somehow you'll find it.
I know you were mad at me, because I stopped talking to you, but I don't hate you, not at all. Quite the opposite, really.
I was in such deep denial of my feelings that I decided to distance myself, and that only made things worse, and I couldn't see why, at the time. And now I feel such deep regret for how I acted towards you, how I drove you away, all because of my selfish goals.
Because the thing is Peter, I love you. I always have. And only now have I decided to admit it. I feel so stupid for not telling you sooner, and being so cowardly as to wait until there was a possibility of you never returning. So, I you never read this, I only have myself and my stupid, stupid fear to blame. And I hate the fact that I might never see you again, never be able to tell how I feel, in person. But a message in a bottle is all I can do, so, I'll just stand here and hope that it gets to you, through some kind of miracle. I hope that one day I'll be able to tell you all of this, and maybe you'll share my feelings. But the only thing I can do is hope. Please know that I'll never stop believing in you.

Stay safe, my love x
Mya

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me
At teatime, everybody agrees.
I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero
(side note: this is purely my interpretation of this specific part of the song, I am aware that the song as a whole is about self-esteem, but without the context of the rest of the song, I am using this part of it with a different interpretation)

'Why do you still believe in me, after everything?' I ask quietly, looking up from where I've been intently staring at the dinner table. The room falls silent at my sudden words, with my whole family turning to stare at me. She too, gazes searchingly at me, as if she's trying to figure me out.
'You're my sister Lavender, it's my job to believe in you, even though you might not deserve it sometimes.' she replies eventually, choosing her words carefully.
I think of everything I've done to her, everything that I've ruined for her, out of my own selfishness. I remember how she screamed at me, how she cried, and how I didn't even care how much I hurt her. She does not have any duty to love me after what I did. But still, she encourages me, and believes that I can change. Maybe I can. But I still can't erase how much pain I unecessarily caused her.
'Sometimes? Lyra, I ruined your life. Don't pretend that's not what happened. I stole your friends, and turned your classmates against you. I got you suspended from school for two weeks and now you'll probably never get into Oxford like you've always dreamed. But still, for some reason, you've forgiven me.'
Something flickers in her eyes, and I wonder if she is reliving that fateful day. Her face is darkened by some emotion that I cannot quite decipher.
'Forgiven you?' she says softly, but quietly dangerously.
I don't say anything.
'Forgiven you?!' She raises her voice, half standing from the table, ‘After– after what you did?!’
The others at the table are looking about in concern, their eyes flitting back and forth between the two of us.
'If you think I could EVER forgive you after what you did to me, you're delusional. And I don't even need an answer to that. I already know that you're delusional. What kind of sane human being does that– to their own sister?' She hisses, her eyes blazing with pure and utter hatred. The malevolence in her face is enough to make me shake a little with terror.
'I tried to forget it, for so long. I tried to be a good sister to you. But you just couldn't step back and look in the mirror and see how evil what you did was, could you? No. Because you are so selfish and insecure that you thought it was okay to do something like that. And you still do. I know you'll NEVER see how wrong it was. And you know what I think? I think you should get out of this house right now. And I hope you never come back. You don't deserve to come back. You don't deserve love, or a home, or a family, or friends. YOU STOLE THAT FROM ME AND YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING IN RETURN.'
And then she lunges at me, from across the table, shoving me backwards until I fall against the wall. Not even my family tries to stop her. It's when I fall back and drop to the floor that I realise. This is exactly what I did to her.

527 words <3

:: Daily Six - Flowers :: rhododendron = danger wallflower = loyalty in misfortune and oleander = beware

We stumble blindly through the forest, cracking twigs and leaves as we go. The darkness is drowning us, swallowing us up into the abyss that surrounds us. All I can hear is the noise of heavy breathing coming from each of my friends. All I can see is what is caught in the dim beam of my torch.
'I t-think we m-might have lost them–' I pant, gasping for air.
Aria stops dead in her tracks, grabbing Nyla's shoulder to keep her from moving any further.
'Look-' she breathed.
Me and Nyla stared around wildly, trying to figure out what she meant.
'Over there.' She gestured wildly, her eyes wide.
And then we saw it. A cluster of oleander plants scattered through the foliage.
'We shouldn't be here. It's a warning.' she said in panic, her breaths coming faster.
'Aria, you take things too literally! We're fine, we're saf–'' I start to say, before she cuts me off again.
'And look! Over there! Rhododendrons! Guys, we need to leave!' Her eyes were bright with terror and Nyla and I looked at each other with concern.
Neither of us speak. We just stare out into the forest, occasionally glancing back to see what Aria is doing. She starts to walk quickly through the undergrowth, head down, seemingly searching for something.
I know we need to keep moving, so that they don't find us again, I think, as my eye is caught by a patch of wallflowers blooming in the grass. But I won't leave without her, I won't abandon her in this dark place. Maybe she's finding something useful? I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I don't have to wait long, before I hear an exclamation of fear and the sound of, presumably, Nyla's footsteps rushing over to her. I turned around quickly and followed.
Crouched in the undergrowth, I see Aria kneeling and shining her torch close to the ground. In the very midst of the beam of light is a few splatters that resemble blood. My heart pounds a little harder, rising up into my throat. I notice my hands shaking a little and I wonder if my observation is correct. I hope not.
I kneel closer to the ground to further examine the marks, shining my torch on them as well. I hear Nyla get up and walk away from where we crouch, to keep watch, I think.
And then I hear it. A deafening, bloodcurling scream. And I'm so terrified, I can't even run.

Daily Eight: Constellations

Orion is bordered by Taurus to the northwest, Eridanus to the southwest, Lepus to the south, Monoceros to the east, and Gemini to the northeast. It's brightest star is Rigel. It is one of the most prominent constellations in the night sky. It is symbolic of Orion the Hunter, a hunter in Greek Mythology. This is how Orion's story began.

Orion was hunting, one day, in the forest. It was getting dark and he thought that he should get home soon. So, he decided to turn back, and called out to his friend Rigel. But Rigel did not answer. Orion felt concerned, so he made his way back through the woods to look for him. He attempted to find him, but he was no where to be found. But then he heard screams coming from the opposite direction, and so he ran that way, hoping to resue his friend from whatever peril he was in. But when he got there, Rigel was lying on the forest floor, stone dead. Orion looked around and tried to figure out what had slain him. But there was nothing in sight. So, he picked up Rigel's body, and began to carry it back home, weeping as he went. Halfway out of the forest, he heard a noise from behind. But he dissmissed it, and carried on his way. He heard them again, and this time he turned back, only to see a massive bear towering behing him. He screamed and tried to run but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The bear attacked him and he was defensless, having dropped his bow in the struggle. And that is how the great Orion was slain. And as tribute to him, he was sent up into the stars. Immortalised forever in the night sky.

‘I can’t believe she never told me. Why would she keep something like that from her own sister?’ I didn’t understand. Lillian was never one to have secrets. She told me everything, or so I thought. And who were these friends? She had never brought anyone back to the house before. Why did she never mention them? Too many questions and not enough answers.
As if he could read my thoughts, Oliver replied, ‘She never brought them to see you because she wanted to protect you. I’ve met these people. I lived with them for five years. They’re dangerous, Lilith. Criminals, every one of them. You’d do well to steer clear of them.’
Criminals. What was my sister, my sweet, kind sister doing, befriending crooks? Oliver called them dangerous! The plot thickens…

‘Oliver. Who are these people?’ I pressed tentatively.
‘They live in the old part of London. After the Lord died and the Lady moved away, no one ever bothered to take care of their house and the building fell into the hands of a group of thugs. ‘The Fallen Angels’, is what they call themselves. I’ve seen firsthand what they do to people. Tourture your mind until, eventually you don’t even know who you are. I was lucky. In the beginning, I had no idea about any of it. But after they dragged a boy in off the streets, unconcious, I began to suspect that something was seriously wrong. I don’t know what they did to him. All I know is, that he never left that house. He might still be in there, but–’
Oliver’s eyes began to well tears and small sobs racked his body. I left my chair to comfort him, unable to do much to stop his crying. He must have been traumatized…
I hated to push him to tell me more, but I had to know everything, if I were to understand what had happened.
‘I know you don’t want to remember it. Really, I understand. I just need you to tell me about a few more things, so I have the whole story. Could you tell me their names? And what that letter in your pocket says?’
He was visably shaken and did not reply for a couple of minutes, until finally he said, ‘Well… there was Ted, and Melissa, and Ava and Ash, they were twins. Ted was a big, muscular guy, around nineteen. He would always shout at me, whenever I tried to ask him anything. Melissa seemed to be the ringleader, because she was always bossing the other three around. The twins mostly kept to themselves, I rarely saw them, execpt when we all gathered in the evening to eat. I think they spent their days down in the basement, although i never knew what was down there. Strange people would visit sometimes, but all of them left before I could get a proper look at them. And I don’t know what’s in the.. um.. letter.’
‘How?! You were the one who came to deliver it! You must know!’ I screamed, losing all control over my temper. He had to be lying! How could he not know what was in his own letter?

Hello Coco {smiles warmly} As a member of the mystery cabin, {pauses} i would like to know your insight and your view on this session. Is that okay with you? {breaks of}

LUR10934 wrote:

Hello Coco {smiles warmly} As a member of the mystery cabin, {pauses} i would like to know your insight and your view on this session. Is that okay with you? {breaks of}

Hi {smiles back} Yes, of course {pauses} This session has been amazing so far, especially as it is my first. I have had so much fun participating in it. {breaks off}

Oh, so it was your first session? {eyebrows raise} Cool! {they lower again} How do you feel about your cabins ranking currently? Do you thing it will get higher, or lower?

LUR10934 wrote:

Oh, so it was your fist {eyebrows raise} Cool! {they lower again} How do you feel about your cabins ranking currently? Do you thing it will get higher, or lower?

Dystopian's been top of the leaderboard for a while, and I'm not really sure how that'll play out, {pauses} but I think that Mystery will overtake Horror again and get back into third place {laughs}.

{grins} Not sure how to process that you are not sure that the marvelous cabin I belong in, Dystopian, is going to win but- {shrugs} Fine. Yeah, horror has been clinging on to third: hopefully they get bumped off soon. {grins}

LUR10934 wrote:

{grins} Not sure how to process that you are not sure that the marvelous cabin I belong in, Dystopian, is going to win but- {shrugs} Fine. Yeah, horror has been clinging on to third: hopefully they get bumped off soon. {grins}

{laughs} Well, we'll see what happens! And I can definitely agree with you on that one, Horror needs to go- {grins}