Chapter 1
Crumbling
I smiled sadly at my sister’s reflection in the mirror. Maeri was the picture of perfect, with precise golden curls and clear, blue eyes. My own brown hair only had a little bit of waviness that I treasured greatly, but other than that it hung over my shoulders limply. Everyone told me my honey brown eyes were pretty, but they couldn’t ever compare to Maeri’s. My soul ached as reality hit me, knocking the air out of my chest. In twenty four hours, I would be leaving Maeri, Kye, and everything else that anchored me to earth.
“You know, you don’t have to leave,” Maeri said as she began to braid my hair. I shrugged, causing my half finished braid to come undone. Maeri shook her head in annoyance and started the braiding process over again.
“I know. I sorta wanna stay, but….” my voice trailed off. I knew it would be easier to stay at home, letting my older sister baby me and playing tag with my adoptive brother Kye. Even though it would be easier to stay here, where everyone leads normal lives, taking care of children, it would be a disgrace. None of my choices were good; stay at home, cowering, devote my life to technology and be pretty much controlled, spend the rest of my days exploring the unknown areas of the world, and constantly risk my life, or spend my life in a place I know nothing about. No one knows what happens there, though it is an honour to be brave enough to choose to live there. How a fourteen year old could ever be that brave, I don’t know.
Some people see it as a betrayal, to leave your world for this lonely one, and others see it as an adventure. No way am I going there; no one has ever been heard of or seen a day after they choose to move to the Otherworld. In my opinion, it’s more stupid than courageous to give up everything just for an adventure.
“I had to stay here. Mom died, and since I was the oldest… here I am. You get the choice to stay, but I would really like some company,” Maeri said to me, tying off my braid with a peach colored ribbon that matched my new dress. Maeri had worked hard for all of the money needed to add lace and a full skirt to my otherwise dull dress. As she spoke, I could sniff out a small bit of resentfulness, almost as though mom had died on purpose. If I was brash, like Kye, I would have yelled at her for being so rude; however, my ever-present conscience told me to be silent. So I pressed my lips together tightly, nodding.
“I know you would,” I said, trying to keep my tone pleasant. Maeri sprayed something that had a sweet strawberry scent in my hair. She clapped me on the back, smiling gently.
“Go get Kye, okay? I need him to get ready early. It will take me quite a while to wrestle him into a suit,” she said, and I grinned, this time genuinely.
“Thanks Jay!” She yelled after me. I rolled my eyes.
“That’s not my name, just call me Jaidin, It’s not that hard,” I shouted back to her.
I found Kye shooting baskets with his annoying friend Ethyn. Ethyn was exactly my age, and we were both born around the same time, but he is so much taller and more mature than me. He used to be my best friend too, but boys are boys, and he soon grew out of me.
Kye ignored me, and Ethyn did the same. Kye was like the ringleader of the group; Ethyn closely followed. Last came me, the only girl living in Ashland.
“Maeri wants you,” I called to Kye, who shrugged.
“She’s just gonna put one of her stupid ‘gentleman suits’ on me,” He said, attempting to do a complicated trick with his new ball. He failed, and Ethyn laughed, doing the same thing, except doing it right. I shrugged.
“Kay, have it your way,” I said, entering the house. It was a humble home, with photographs taped all over, mismatched dishes, and a few luxurious fuzzy armchairs that Maeri treasured.
“Did you catch him?”
“I didn’t want to get into an argument,” I said, my eyes pleading. I knew that Maeri thought my tendency for peace was my greatest weakness, but it’s just who I am. I can’t change it.
Maeri shook her head, disgust seething in her eyes, like a boiling pot of water. Her perfect curls flipped perfectly over her perfect dress that perfectly fit her perfect frame. Sometimes I loved her, like a mother, but at other times I wished I could just wish her away from my life.
“Got it. I’ll go get him myself,” she said, briskly walking away from me. My cheeks began to burn, and shook my head to clear my train of thoughts. I was about to face what may be the most important decision of my life, and I wanted to be ready.
As the train we were traveling in stumbled over a pothole, My stomach seemed to do a barrel roll. I glared at Kye, who was chatting with a few school friends; I was so shy and quiet that my only friends were super popular kids that had no time to chat with me on train rides. Despite my loneliness, and the butterflies kicking at my stomach, the train was nice. Soft blue satin lined the seats, which I sank into when I sat down. Waitresses drove trolleys down the surprisingly wide aisle separating the two rows of seats, offering me snacks and refreshments, but for fear my stomach would erupt I only got a sprite and some fruit.
“You okay?” Maeri asked, squeezing my arm. I nodded vacantly. Sadness wallowed in my sister’s eyes, and I knew she must be as nervous as me to go to this ceremony. For the first time, I wondered where she wanted to choose to live. Did she want to join the Explorers, the Techs, or enter the Otherworld? I didn’t ask, for fear of upsetting her.
“Ugh, how long is the ride?” I asked, sipping my sprite cautiously. Maeri laughed, as if she was trying to push away the sadness.
“A few more hours, but we’re about to stop at another station,” she said. I silently groaned, but didn’t want to seem whiny. I was so lucky, in comparison to Maeri.
“Kay. Can you ring the bell so I can get another sprite?” I asked. Maeri, who was sitting by the window, nodded and tapped the serving bell located right below the window. A young waiter, who was about the age of twenty, came up to me, pulling a trolley. His piercing eyes were pitch black, and they seemed to suck all light off of his sharp face. I could actually only see one of his eyes, because the other was covered with a messily cut portion of his black hair that was way longer than the rest of his hair. I shrunk back, and Maeri pinched me.
“Manners,” she whispered, and I nodded. The man gave me an uneasy feeling, but I didn’t usually judge people. Just because he only showed one eye didn’t mean I could make exceptions for him.
“I, uh, just want a sprite,” I mumbled, turning red. My hands were shaking so much that I had to hold the sprite with both hands. Without another word, the man walked away briskly, and Maeri glared at me.
“What’s up with you?” She asked.
“Nothing,” I said. Maeri rolled her eyes.
“Sure. Just because I told you to use your manners around that serving guy, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me,” she said. I shrugged.
“It was nothing, seriously,” I said. Maeri sighed, and I turned away from her, towards the aisle, suddenly wishing I had picked to sit near the window.

After a long journey full of bathroom breaks and sprite refills, I longed for fresh air. When Maeri, Kye and I stepped off the train, I inhaled happily, hoping I wouldn’t puke and ruin this perfect moment.
“Ya ready?” Kye asked, slinging his arm over my shoulder. I shrugged moodily; this was not the first time someone had asked me that.
“Sure. Whaddya wanna pick?” I asked, trying to sound sure of myself. Kye grinned mischievously, stopping in his tracks and causing me to stumble.
“It’s a surprise,” he said. I nodded.
“I don’t really know what I want to do…” I said.
“Hurry up, I don’t want to lose you in this crowd,” Maeri shouted to us, and I slipped out of Kye’s hold, rushing up to her gratefully.
“Maeri?” I asked, suddenly feeling tiny. She looked up from her phone and raised her eyebrows at me.
“What- never mind,” I said. I was going to ask her where she was going to choose to live, but I couldn’t gather up the courage to finish my sentence. Maeri returned to her phone.
People shoved and pushed at each other, trying to make it to the front of wherever we were going. No one knew anything about what everyone called “The Going,” and people that have already gone through it were not allowed to speak of what happened, but I always imagined it as signing your name in a book and being transported magically to a cool head quarters. But now I understood it would not be that simple.
After what seemed like hours of making our way through the crowd, we emerged into a miraculous area that was generally people-free. Towering in front of me was… a bus with glow in the dark stickers on it. Maeri’s face twisted in confusion.
“It’s a lot different than it was when I was a kid,” she said, shrugging.
“Next up is Jaidin Reed,” a booming voice called out.
“Go ahead,” she added, nudging me forward and stepping off to the side. I saw her climbing up a set of risers with a sign that said “parents.” Giving her a warm smile, and waving at Kye, I stepped inside the bus. Rather than seats, it had a booth that looked like an arcade game. It also held a snack booth and a large flat screen tv that was hooked up to what looked like a gas mask. A tall, lean man with a beard in progress, a huge adam's apple, and breath that smells like fish sticks greeted me.
“Heyo, and who may you be?” He asked, greeting me overenthusiastically.
“Uh, I’m Jaidin,” I said, tugging on the hem of my dresse’s slender sleeves. He grinned widely.
“Welcome to my tiny palace, I’m Haidin, which just happens to rhyme with Jaidin,” he said. I waved meekly; despite the slightly generic happiness radiating from this man, he seemed almost intimidating.
“Ah, I see you are nervous. Don’t be! Just pick a snack, any snack you want, and I’ll set up the telly,” he said, winking. I didn’t get the joke, if there was one.
“Okay, I guess,” I said, drifting over to the snack table while Haidin began messing with a few wires connected to the TV. I ripped open a bag of white cheddar popcorn and got halfway through it before Haidin finished with whatever he was doing.
“Tada!” he said, leaping back from his handiwork. I tried to grin.
“I have fixed this up, so if you will gladly sit down here,” he said, rolling a cheap plastic spinny armchair to me, “you may begin watching the program!”

Adventurous sounding music began to play. I was now wearing the mask, which apparently allowed me to smell, see, and hear the program better. An old man wearing a green camo ball cap walked on to the screen; I could even smell his deodorant and a faint scent of cigarette smoke.
“Your first choice is to join me on an exciting jungle adventure!” He exclaimed. I tried to stay respectful, but a more rebellious side of me wanted to laugh at him. He sounded like an older version of Jack Hannah, the guy that ran the Columbus Zoo, except as a smoker.
“My name is Evan, and I am your tour guide. Your job in the Explorers group is to route out new and exciting landmarks and even abandoned cities and more,” he said, and I couldn’t help but notice how bad his breath smelled. Was this a joke, or where they serious?
Evan went on to tell me all about deep sea divers who found evidence of Atlantis, Groups of explorers who discovered remnants of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and much more that I honestly didn’t listen to.
Then, the screen went blank. A new type of music, which was a more tame version of electric rock, built up as a shiny, metal lab with a strong smell of hand sanitizer came into view. A woman with thin chestnut hair pulled up in a tight ponytail strode into view. She had a tight smile, hollow cheeks, and smooth skin that was obviously coated with makeup.
“I am pleased that you have shown an interest in joining the Tech World!” she began. I didn’t exactly show an interest, but I suppose it was just a recording.
“I am Melanie, the head of a large family that works on improving technology. Anyone that joins will be welcome, no matter what you are like,” she said. She sounded generic, like a robot, but with a crisper tone that made her seem more like a business woman than an inventor.
“We spend our days brainstorming, planning, and inventing! You will be provided with everything you need to have a relaxed, happy, and simple lifestyle,” she said. It sounded nice, but… no.
After what seemed like an hour of Melanie talking about how wonderful what she called Tech World is, the screen went blank again. What a relief. This time, a plump middle aged woman with a mousy face and slightly greying hair toddled onto the screen.
“Relax in Earth’s main hub, where you can settle down and have a quiet life. I’m Marla, and I know that such a quiet, relaxing life is the medicine for anyone who needs a nice home,” she said. This option seemed the best to me. I could understand why Maeri wouldn’t want to pick it; she’s so feisty, and thirsty for action. I, on the other hand, don’t really like the idea of becoming robotic or exploring with an old guy that smokes and wears flower scented deodorant. Marla’s speech wasn’t long, and she was mainly telling me about different people that had had successful lives living the quiet life.
The screen once again went blank. It stayed that way for a while, and I began to fidget. No music started playing, but a hooded man walked into the screen. He turned around, and I gasped. It was the waiter from the train.
“I can’t tell you anything about what the public calls the Otherworld. I can’t reveal anything about me, and you would be foolish to ask. Thank you,” he finished, and I squinted at the screen. Nothing else happened.
“You can take it off now,” Haidin shouted, and I did. I blinked rapidly for a few seconds, since the sun was extremely bright compared to the tv screen.
“That was…” I said, standing up and stretching.
“Enlightening?” Haidin asked, shooting me a large, fake grin. I shrugged.
“Yeah,” I said. Even though that wasn’t the word I was looking for, I didn’t want to offend Haidin. Sometimes I wished I were more outgoing, but that is just a dream too far for me to reach.
“Take all the time you want deciding, I’m gonna fix a few things on this television,” Haidin said, sitting down on the rolly chair and spinning around. I nodded, and sat down on a wooden chair, picking a few snacks.
I tried to hold back my nerves so I could think more clearly. Haidin rolled around in his chair, making adjustments to wires, whistling a song from Mary Poppins. My foot tapped relentlessly against the floor, and thoughts swirled around my brain. I glanced at Haidin, who still seemed content. I tried to narrow my options. I definitely didn’t like the sound of Techworld, and having Melanie as my leader sounded horrible, no offense to her. Joining the adventurers did not seem at all appealing, and I was looking for a quiet life. So that left the Otherworld and main hub. My solution should seem clear, but a slight longing in my gut made me hesitate. I wanted to know about the Otherworld. But at the same time, I would be leaving Maeri and Kye behind. I couldn’t be so selfish, especially because of Maeri. I knew what I had to do.
“I’m ready,” I said, my expression set. Haidin grinned, popping one last wire into a socket.
“Okey dokey, what did you pick?” He asked. Haidin said it as if this was just a preference that didn’t really matter, as if it weren’t a choice that would change my entire future.
“I… want to stay with my family,” I said, my eyes trained on my newly polished black lace up boots. Haidin said nothing, just smiled, and spun over to the thing that looked like an arcade game.
“You absolutely sure?” He asked. I nodded, swallowing back the lump in my throat.
“Got it! It’s done, so you can go back to your family,” he said after pushing a few buttons. I drew in a shaky breath and nodded, realizing that my dress was soaked in sweat.
I exited the bus and walked up to the risers, stumbling at least ten times.
“Jaidin!” Maeri shouted, running up to me with her arms open. I hugged her, welcoming her warm embrace.
“I’m staying with you,” I mumbled. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
“Is that what you really want?” She asked, tears glistening in her eyes. I nodded.
“Oh, I hope I didn’t influence your choice,” Maeri said, her voice choking up. I smiled softly.
“It did, but that’s not necessarily bad.”

Maeri and I sat together as the sun began to set. Ethyn was up next.
“Weren’t he and Kye planning to join the adventurers together?” Maeri asked, and I nodded.
“Kye wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, but I know he would follow Ethyn off a cliff, so probably,” I said. I strained to hear better as Haidin’s voice rang over the risers: “Ethyn Thomas has just joined the Otherworld. Next up is Kye Reed.” My heart raced. Ethyn, join the Otherworld? Hopefully Kye wouldn’t follow his example… Maeri tensed up, and I could tell exactly what she was thinking.
“It’ll be okay,” I said to her. She shook her head.
“I should be the one telling you that. It won’t be okay. Kye is as good as gone,” Maeri said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. I didn’t respond, so we sat like that for what seemed like forever, watching and waiting. My foot thumped against the risers for the third time today.
“Kye Reed has made his decision,” Haidin said, and my nerve level multiplied. Maeri squeezed my arm, and I returned the gesture.
“He will be entering the Otherworld. Next up is Rose Grant,” he said, but I didn’t listen.
“He can’t!” Maeri said, the fire that usually flickered in her eyes turning into an inferno. I stared blankly, shocked. Kye was gone.
“I can’t just let him go,” I said, somehow feeling guilty for him leaving. Maeri shook her head.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” she said, not consolingly but fiercely. I moved out of her way as she shoved her way through the crowd. Sinking onto the seat, I realized there was nothing to be done. Moments later, Maeri came back, her hands shaking and her face stained with tears.
“What was he thinking?” Maeri asked no one in particular, running her hands through her wind tousled hair.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, not meaning it. I wanted to scream the things bottled up in my head, rant about every trouble crammed in my soul, but I couldn't. Some wall in my brain kept me from doing these things, and even though I kicked at it with immense ferocity, I couldn’t get it to crumble. Maeri ignored me, and she sat down, peeking at me through her through her fingers.
“At least I have you.”

Smoke clouded my vision as Maeri and I stood by a railroad. Dust blowed in my eyes, and I shielded them with one hand while pressing my dress to my side with the other. My hair was in a braid, but Maeri’s golden locks flew in front of her face, slightly dulled by all of the soot in the air.
“They should be coming soon,” she said, almost yelling just so that she could be heard over the wind.
“Will they be going slow enough for us to see Kye?” I asked, equally loud. Thoughts raced through my head. Was I really content in the “Main Hub”?
“They’ll almost be going at walking speed, this is sorta the takeoff point,” Maeri said. I nodded. A plan hatched in my mind, but I couldn’t do it, even for Kye. It was too dangerous, and the wall still stood firm, planted in my brain…
“Maeri, help me with something,” I said, now practically screaming as the noisy train approached.
“What?” she asked. I planted my feet in the ground, preparing for whatever crazy and totally stupid thing I was about to do. The wall nearly kept me from talking, but I kicked at it, and with a satisfying crack, it crumbled.
“Tell me you support me in anything I do,” I shouted. Maeri looked confused for a moment, then as the train huffed into view, realization dawned on her face.
“Jaidin, don’t do it,” she said, a stern and motherly tone overtaking her voice. I squeezed her hand, ran up to the train with my senses clogged up by the smoke, braced myself, and lept.







































Chapter 2
Ninjas
I nudged my friend, Wil, with a goofy grin.
“Hey, I’m gonna go get a band-aid or something, I think I got a bad scratch,” I said, holding my hand over the nape of my neck. It was getting hot in the trailer that lead to the Adventurers base, so I couldn’t keep on the bandana hiding my neck.
“Hey, Airo!” Tess yelled as I passed by, and I mock saluted her, not stopping in my path.
Ever since birth, a mark has slowly started darkening on the back of my neck. It was a sideways eight; an infinity sign. I wondered how I could be born with a sign as complex as that. Mom and dad just assumed it was a birthmark, but my sister, Tess, said it was a “special mark” and loads of more nonsense. Although I didn’t fully believe her, ever since it became fully visible, I have hid it from sight with bandanas, scarves, and especially bandaids.
“Kay, just be quick, I wanna look at the different expedition options we have,” Wil said, pushing me off the seat. I stumbled, rolling my eyes at him, and pretended to limp with pain to the bathroom. Before I covered it up, I turned around to look at my mark in the mirror. It had grown, and was now pitch black, showing up boldly even on my slightly dark skin. It would soon be hard to hide with a band-aid. I pulled out a cool neon green band-aid and pressed it over my neck, making sure to smooth the air bubbles so it didn’t fall off later.
Stuffing my bandana in my pocket, I exited the tiny bathroom, relieved to enter an open space. Small spaces made me feel compressed, and like all the air was being squeezed straight out of my lungs, so I disliked small rooms even though my claustrophobia is greatly diluted. Loud lights and great sounds also bother me, but I don’t let my friends know, or I’d sound idiotic.
I’ve always seen things differently; everything around me seems to flicker, pretty frequently, and reveal a void landscape of darkness. My friends told me I was just pessimistic, but seeing a dark world doesn’t make you dark if that’s just how it is. My dreams are different, too. Well, that’s a half lie. I have never had a dream in my life.
“Hey, what took you so long to walk to the bathroom and put on a bandaid?” Wil asked, trying to peer over my neck so he could see the bandaid.
“I heard they had cool band aids. What did you get, Dora?” He asked. I rolled my eyes. Wil was my best friend, and I knew he would do anything for me and vice versa, but sometimes he could be annoying.
“Stop pretending, we all saw your My Little Pony bandaids from when we were kids,” I said, smirking and rummaging through his bag, throwing stuff out in random places.
“Hey, whatcha doing?” He whined, and I ignored him. Grinning triumphantly, I held up a pair of his old band aids high up so he couldn’t reach them.
“I did not pack those,” he said, scrunching up his nose. I picked up a hoodie and stuffed it back in his bag.
“Yah sure?”
“Dead serious,” Wil said, groaning in defeat. Wil had an older sister, Jaqueline, or Jax, and he had inherited all of her old things. Jax was a tomboy, and she was the best player on the baseball team back in the Main Hub, but her mom didn’t really care, so she had a bunch of leftover My Little Pony things. Jax was somewhere else on the bus with Wil and I, but I never payed attention to her, except in school when we had to be partners in a Language Arts project about metaphors and other junk like that. Science was much more interesting…. Well, usually. We had started learning about I had always preferred math over reading, though I did like graphic novels, but my LA teacher Mr. Kane had said those aren’t real books. Like he would know.
“So, let’s get down to business,” Wil said, fumbling with a thick brochure until he managed to open it. There were at least twenty panels.
“Geez, this thing’s huge,” I said, holding the right end of it so Wil didn’t have to deal with all of it.
“Yeah, well that’s only part one. The old-I mean, elderly man said we had over a thousand options for expeditions,” Wil said. I scoffed at the memory of the old guy on the tv.
“That guy seemed fake. I don’t wanna go exploring with an old dude that goes ten centimeters per minute,” I said. Wil raised his eyebrows.
“That’s REALLY slow,” He said.
“It’s hyperbole.” I was surprised I even remembered that term from school; I pretty much had straight Fs. But school was over now, and I could make my own choices and decide what type of life I wanted to lead. My newfound freedom could pave my future into a pit of hopelessness or up to the top of a mountain of success. I wondered if having the ability to make all of my own choices was a good or bad thing.
“I’m not gonna bother to even ask what the heck that is. Anyways, how does deep sea diving sound?” He asked, pointing at a picture of a teen that looked about sixteen swimming rapidly away from a shark. It was definitely staged; you could see the scene perfectly, and they were on the ocean floor, which is completely unrealistic.
“I dunno. I never really liked those swimming lessons we had to do when we were, like, four,” I said, but that was the biggest understatement of the century. I had screamed and clawed at the sides of the three foot swimming pool until the swimming instructor gave up and said I could go and play in the baby pool.
“Oh yeah, good point,” Wil said slyly, and my face heated up.
“Shut up! What about prehistoric caverns?” I asked, pointing out a picture of a boy with a phony grin that reached from one of his gigantic ears to the next, wearing plastic headlights in a fake cave that had dinosaur bones painted on it holding up an indian spearhead. I had a feeling this would take a while to decide.
“Nah. Headlights don’t go well with my gorgeous hair,” He said, running his hand through his curly brown hair that could be mistaken for a messy pudding bowl cut at first glance. I rolled my eyes; it was his fault he asked his mom to get a haircut before he chose where to live.
“Then what do you suggest?” I asked, skimming the large brochure. We threw away most ideas, but starred a couple that seemed worthwhile, but we later decided to just dump them. Most of the pictures looked phony, but one that seemed legitimate stood out to me.
“Hey, what about this?” I asked Wil, pointing at the picture that had caught my attention. It was a laboratory, filled with bottles that steamed and bubbled.
“I joined the adventurers, not the techs,” Wil said, wrinkling up his nose and immediately dismissing my suggestion. A sudden urge of hatred coursed through my veins; he never listened to my ideas, and sometimes I wished I could do something about it. But we were best friends, and best friends agreed on things.
The place just held a certain quality, intrigue mixed with longing, and it seemed like some distant memory, slowly fading away from me.
“C’mon, just look at it, I feel like it would be much more exciting than anything we would be doing with Melanie,” I said, wondering how when Wil wanted to check out something, we always had to, but when I was interested the rules suddenly changed.
“Okay, but after this we’re going back to look at the Egyptian tombs,” Wil said, a tone of whining blended in with his usual joking. I ignored him and peered closer at the caption underneath the lab.
“Dream exploration,” Wil murmured, his eyes widening. I squinted, wondering if the words were some trick of the light. Dreams were unreal to me, since I had never been in one. Everyone said it felt like they were really there when they dreamed, and that they never even suspected real life wasn’t happening in them; I was almost glad I never had to go through that.
“That sounds interesting,” I said, but it sounded more than interesting to me. I didn’t care if Wil chose not to go, despite all of the blood oaths we had taken when we were younger to “ensure” we would always do the same things in life. I was going.
“That gets my vote,” Wil said casually, then he turned to me, expecting me to make the decision without any time to think. I nodded, conscious of my every move.
“Let’s do it.”

For the rest of the train ride, Wil joked and made observations that a five year old could think of. I answered with short, three word sentences, because my mind was too ahead of the conversation I couldn’t keep track of it.
I would experience, for the first time, a dream. But how would I get in a dream? If they just gave me medicine to make me sleep, nothing would happen. And why was dream exploration important to the government? All of the other jobs profited our community, but dreams were just insubstantial. Stuff of the imagination.
We arrived at a plain landscape, and the only ways to tell where you were were the sun, which was high up in the sky, attacking the bus with great ferocity, a flock of birds, and a tiny gnarled tree that stood out from the dull brown grass.
“You guys ready for a hike?” The driver asked in a thick southern accent, opening the door for us. She was wearing a dull brown shirt, ugly khaki pants, and her dirty blonde hair was up in a tight ponytail. She looked like the barbie dolls that used to be strewn all over the “toy room” in Wil’s house, with sharp blue eyes, impossibly light skin, and a flat and generic looking face. I shrugged in Wil’s direction, and he shrugged back. For what seemed like a half hour we trudged through the seemingly endless plains. The lack of scenery made them look like a short distance, but I was drenched in sweat by the time we reached the small tree.
“Ugh, I’m gonna die,” I moaned, attempting fruitlessly to cool myself down by fanning myself with my shirt. I felt around my neck to make sure the bandaid was still in place, and sure enough, it was still sticking to my skin. However, it slid around to the touch, and I would have to replace it soon.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Wil complained, and I refrained from rolling my eyes. I nodded in agreement, even though this was exactly what we had signed up for.
“How long is this going to take?” Tess asked loudly, flipping her thick, dark hair. I tried to wave, but she ignored me.
“Whatcha mean? We’re right here,” The lady said, her southern accent as thick as the butter we used to get from the old grocery store that was across the street from us. I scratched my head, shrugging at Wil, who was staring at the lady like she was from another planet. I failed to comprehend how a broken down tree was the destination, but I guessed it was like those movies where the brave explorers entered a secret passageway hidden in the tree.
“This is way too cliche,” Wil muttered to me, eyeing the tree with apprehension. I nodded.
“You’d think they could do better than this. Maybe this whole thing will really be stupid, like the old man made it sound,” I whispered to him in disgust.
“Now what?” Tess said out loud, and the barbie lady grinned mischievously.
“Climb the tree, five at a time,” she said. What? What about the musty trapdoor in the base of the tree? I asked myself. I itched my ear, beginning to get impatient. I was like a puppy, waiting eagerly for a treat; I needed to know what was in that tree.
“Whatcha waiting for? Just climb,” she said, raising her eyebrows at us. I grinned at Wil.
“Race you?” I asked. He nodded. With a burst of adrenaline that seemed to give me purpose and true satisfaction, I sped up, racing way past Wil, who had to jog to keep up.
“Hey, wait up!” Wil called. I ignored him. Ignoring my scratched knees, I climbed up the tree. I was the first person. The wind which was previously scratching my cheeks now blew against them, slightly minimizing the intense heat. I paused, nearly falling off the tree before I could catch my balance.
“What do I do now?” I called down to the barbie lady, who had not revealed her name yet.
“Figure it out,” she yelled back up at me. She was now leaning against the small tree, picking at her fingernails, and I wanted to wipe the smug look off of her face. I fingered the different branches, tugging on random twigs that could possibly be levers. Nothing happened. Frustration steadily built up in me, like water in a dam. I glanced at the lady, who was still wearing her annoying smile. Something kept me from yelling for help.
My frustration getting the better of me, I kicked at air, excepting I wouldn’t find anything on my own as other people began to find their way up to the tree. I kicked again, and nearly fell as I kicked something solid. I gasped, fingering the area. No one else seemed to notice the boy who was standing on the end of a thick branch, touching air. It was definitely a branch. Then, I had another one of my dark flashes.
The world seemed to evaporate into steam, revealing a barren and rusty plank I was standing on. Red flakes blowed around in the air, scratching at my throat, and the sun was merely a shadow, clouded in dust. And above me, right where the invisible branch was, stood a blackened and rotting wood staircase, attached to a few crumbling remains of a home that must have once belonged to a wealthy family. Then it was all gone, and the evaporated image of the tree settled back down. I closed my eyes for a minute as the world spun around me, and I tried to push down the nausea threatening to climb up my throat. After a minute of recovery from the unsettling image, I stepped onto the first step gingerly, feeling around to make sure I was stable. The step held, and I felt around for the second step, a sense of adventure clouding up the world around me so all I could focus on was the pattern of my breathing, my pounding heart, and the invisible steps looming above me. I repeated the pattern, and glanced down occasionally; no one noticed the foothold I had found, and so far there wasn’t a single person who had spotted me, high above their heads. I noticed Wil, turning in circles and scratching his head. The lady with the southern accent was too far down to see clearly, but I could imagine her smirking up at the students. I was now about fifteen feet off of the ground. Wind fogged up my vision as I climbed higher, and my hearing was minimized each second. I began to hop up steps, getting into the pattern of the stairs. It was tedious yet rewarding work, and I effortlessly leaped up to the next step, confidence thundering in my ears. I felt my foot touch solid ground, then my second foot landed on thin air, and I stumbled. As I regained my balance, I heard a whistle blow, and I twisted around sharply.
I fell, facing the ground, and the wind whistled violently in my ears. The ground grew closer and closer, and I tensed up as I was about to reach the tree level…. Blackness enveloped my vision… five more feet… tension built up in my ears… the wind formed a vortex around me…My side slammed into something cool and hard, no doubt the ground… I was dying… but no. The surface I was on was metal, and buttons surrounded me. My side hurt slightly, but no more than if I was punched lightly. I stood up, fingering my face, which was, to my relief, not reduced to a pancake form, and realized I was in an elevator. I gazed around wearily, feeling too weak to do something. A screen lit up, and I flinched, relaxing as a soothing yet synthetic sounding female voice filled the elevator.
“Please remain still as the TekHelp scans you for weapons or any possible signs of danger.” I remained as still as I could, but my right hand drifted towards the bandage on my neck.
“Please remove any medical bandages, casts, scarves, jewelry, etcetera so the TekHelp is ensured a clear vision of you,” the voice said. I shrugged, removing the band-aid. It couldn’t hurt. The screen flashed red twice, and a sharp beep seemed to puncture my eardrums. I tensed, covering up my mark on my neck. A pair of lasers, swirling in a mesmerizing pattern, inched their way towards me. My breathing pattern went up a notch. I pressed myself against the wall, sweat drenching my clothes, and tried to make myself as tiny as possible. The lasers were now on me… they disappeared with a faint beep, and I exhaled.
“Airo Tanhali has been identified,” the voice said. “Please confirm you are Airo Tanhali,” the voice said. A slight itch of annoyance gnawed at my head; the robot had pronounced my name wrong.
“Uh, yeah, that’s me I guess,” I said, eager to get out. The elevator bolted downwards suddenly, catching me unaware, and it was as if my stomach had been left up at the previous elevator stop. The door finally slid open, and I lurched out gratefully, finding it easier to fight back the vile taste in my mouth now that I was on steady ground.
The room I was in was large, yet plain, consisting of only a metal chair. I attempted to ignore the intense urge to sit down on the chair, yet my curiosity got the better of me. I strode to the chair confidently, attempting to keep my head held high as if I were facing an invisible crowd, and sat down. For a moment I sat there, wondering if this were just a joke. I was used to Tess playing jokes on me; I couldn’t say I didn’t pull a few pranks of my own, so it didn’t bug me, but the lack of abnormal happenings just caused the itch of curiosity to become less like a mosquito bite and more like talons raking my side. I remained sitting, and barely managed to suppress the urge to stand up and go back into the elevator.
Silence consumed the room. The tapping of my fingers on the arms of the metal chair echoed through the room, and a seed of tension planted in my brain continued to grow, clouding up my mind, until I expected random guys in ninja suits to jump into the scene and attack me. Then, a bolt of electricity rushed through my brain, turning all of my thoughts to static, sending jolts of what felt like pure energy through my body. Then it was over. I jumped off the chair like a frightened cat, and I realized with annoyance that my hair was standing up completely straight. I turned around, squeezing my eyes shut. This must be a dream; why on earth would someone want to slightly electrocute a random kid? I pressed my cheek against the cold metal wall; some of the remaining static seemed to seep out of me. I closed my eyes, allowing the intense silence to wash over me, and I hoped no other crazy things would happen to me…
Something was on my shoulder.
I jumped, yelling so loudly my throat started to hurt, but some of the tension inside me loosened as I saw a teenage girl, rather than the ninja dudes I have to admit I was expecting.
“Calm down,” she said, and I couldn’t tell if she was saying it in a comforting way or if she was internally rolling her eyes. Though the statement was brief, her voice held so much emotion and meaning it seemed like she had said thousands of words.
“Uh, yeah, sure, I’m just not used to getting electrocuted by a random metal chair,” I mumbled. I was trying to be sarcastic like I usually was, but the girl held such an authoritative aura that made me feel like I was with the president of the united states, or someone of equal or greater power. Her hair was unkempt and flew in front of her face when she moved, but it had a coppery luster that looked like a slightly rusty penny. You could almost see gears turning in her head through her sharp eyes, and it was the mischievous glint in her eyes that made me wonder who she really was. “Uh-huh, okay. Anyways,” she said, drawing each syllable out, “I need you to tell me some stuff about yourself, for identification.” I nodded. This was something I finally understood, even if I didn’t understand the way she said it. There were no double meanings or crazy codes to the words she just said.
“I’m, uh, Airo Tanhali, I’m fourteen, obviously, I have a sister, Tess, and I don’t think I’m allergic to anything,” I recited in a mechanical voice. The girl rolled her eyes.
“First, aren’t you going to ask for my name? It’s polite,” She said, and I couldn’t tell whether she was joking, being sarcastic, or if she was genuinely upset.
“Okay, what’s you-” I started, but she interrupted.
“I was joking. We don’t have time for this. Anyways, I need real information that’s important. Like, if you have any special abilities, or marks, and also I need to know some about your family,” she said as if it were the most obvious thing ever. I wondered how we had time for her to rant on, but not give her name.
“Uh, I have a birthmark on my neck that looks like the number eight,” I said. For some reason, I felt like I was giving away some precious secret, which was stupid. The girl nodded, seeming to be immensely interested, and nodded again when I remained silent.
“I guess I’m, uh, I really don’t know,” I said quickly, heat rushing to my face. I remembered that I was the only person in my class that was able to stick a cafeteria spoon to my nose by breathing on it, but that hardly seemed relevant.
“Come on, you know what I mean! Tell me about your dreams,” she prompted, wincing afterwards for who knows what reasons. It was if she could read my mind. Slight uncertainty tugged at my brain, but I shrugged it off.
“I don’t have dreams. If that’s an okay answer. But I sorta have weird visions now and then that are like dreams, or at least how dreams are described to me, so I guess they’re daydreams,” I said, suddenly realizing how the girl must feel about that. She probably thought of me as a hallucinating madman.
“Finally, something distinguishing about you. Thanks. I confirmed his identity, he’s definitely Airo Tanhali,” She added into a walkie talkie I had not noticed so far. Wondering what would happen next, I shifted on my feet, waiting.
“Hang on a second,” the girl said, and she pulled something out of her pocket. I glanced to the side, looking around the metal room like a tourist would look at a cool site, then without any forewarning the girl was on me like a cobra.
“What the-,” I started, panic overtaking me. I saw a glint of metal, and felt a prick of pain in my neck. I thrashed around desperately, but the world slowly was blotted out by miniscule black dots… The last thing I saw before I passed out was a flash of copper hair… a strange tingling sensation ran through me, obliterating all feeling from first my feet, then my arms, then my brain… And the last thing I could remember before my brain shut down was wishing it could have just been ninjas.




























Chapter 3
Disolving Into Dust
A dull ache crept up my arm, and white flashed in my vision as I landed on the porch of the train. Then my senses re-attuned with the world, and the train which had seemed to be in slow motion when I first landed sped up vigorously. I stood up gingerly, coughing as a whiff of smoke entered my lungs. An odd sensation began to seethe in my stomach; I felt stupid and reckless for doing what I did, yet accomplished for reasons my brain couldn’t fathom. It was how I imagined someone who had survived, unscathed and perfectly fine, jumping off a cliff would feel. Then doubt washed over me as I realized how Maeri must feel. I resignedly positioned myself to leap back off the train; after all, how much more could it hurt than jumping on?
However, a strange tug in my gut kept me on the train. At first, I assumed it was a selfless act, and I remained on the vessel just so Kye wouldn’t be alone. Then, when I realized that wasn’t my true motive, I came to the conclusion I was doing it out of self preservation. Jumping off the train would be equally dangerous to jumping off a cliff, and facing Maeri after what I had done would be like running into the open mouth of a hungry lion. But that wasn’t it either. I paced the train, rubbing my temples as I thought about to do next, and I thought about why I had jumped onto the train in the first place. I remembered the wall, and how triumphant I had felt after kicking it down. I thought about Maeri taunting me for not wanting to get into a fight with Kye. I realized I was doing this for the stubborn part of me; that small, unwatered part of me was now a weed, growing above the other flowers. I wanted to prove that I had a will, that I could do things for myself, that Maeri was wrong. I was doing this to prove myself, and I felt guilty for it.
I steeled myself, realizing all of this was pointless. I was on the train, and now I had to actually do something before people noticed. Grimacing when I imagined people’s reactions as a random girl with a sooty dress stumbled into the train, I gripped the handle, and went to turn it… then I stopped myself. All the will that I had previously contained had leaked out as my hand touched the cold handle to the train. I repeated the process, but the outcome remained the same. Finally, after a fierce battle between my will and my brain, I reached out to the handle for the final time. I gripped it in the same way a competitive person would grip the competition’s hand while shaking it; I would not allow myself to let go. I twisted the handle. Then I found myself hurtling face first towards the ground, and a sharp yell appeared from above me.
It was the man from the train, except his hair was no longer covering half of his face. I let out a strangled half-scream as I saw his second eye. It was a metallic grey color, and the lines in his pupils looked like cracks in a volcano, with red pulsing inside them. The pupil of his eye, which was a deep crimson, twitched when he moved.
“Why are you out here?” He asked sharply, stepping closer to me, his pupil twitching in an unsettling and unnatural rhythm. Oh gosh, oh gosh, he knows, I thought. I inched away from him, gripping the train rail. I uttered out a squeaky noise, my voice catching in my throat as I considered jumping. Forget my stubborness, I wanted to survive.
“God, you scared me. Just get inside, and don’t go messing around out here, or you’ll see a lot of things way worse than these fields,” he said, gesturing to the scenery through the train door, which was still wide open. I jerked my head in a quick nod, walking rigidly down the aisle, keeping my eye out for Kye. I had expected the eyes of all of the students to be glued on me, but in reality they were totally ignoring me. Half of the students were in comfortable positions, playing some stupid game on their phones, but the other half seemed uncomfortable. Only a few of the people seemed to have friends. The bus had an unnaturally low ceiling and was painted a dark blue color with lights sprouting off of the ceiling. The floor was black and smooth, and the seats were black, wooden, and ornately carved; the whole effect was odd and gave off a dark and sinister feeling. I found myself wishing I had stayed with Maeri, and though I tried to push it away, I couldn’t help wish I was anywhere except for here.
“Jaidin?” I heard a familiar voice say incredulously. I slowly turned around and there was Kye, grinning, with Ethyn, who nodded in my direction.
“Why the heck are you here?” he asked, his tone of disbelief dripping away to reveal a scolding one. When had he became the second Maeri? A part of me longed for him to hug me, tell me he missed me and listen patiently to my story. Another part of me that I had never before noticed wanted to punch him in the face.
“I… I don’t know,” I mumbled shyly, the look on Kye’s face making me feel slightly abashed. Kye rolled his eyes, and he once again looked like the perfect image of Maeri. It was hard to believe he was adopted.
“You don’t know?” Kye repeated, disbelief bordering each syllable. He turned to Ethyn, and for a few minutes, they seemed to have a mute conversation. I knew they weren’t really communicating, but it still annoyed me, for reasons even I don’t know.
“No,” I mumbled, my hair hanging limply over my shoulders. I silently sat down in the seat parallel to Kye and Ethyn’s, my previous drive gone. Honestly, I just wanted to get out of this stupid train.
For the next hour or so, I leaned against the window-which was covered in thick black paint-listening to Kye and Ethyn talk. I could easily make out their words; they stuck out prominently amidst the pressing silence. The lights in the train never dulled, but eventually I got the feeling that it was night, and I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.
I woke up, not from a bang, but from a shrill, quiet note that seemed to cause ripples in the air. My mind seemed to be foggy, and I thought nothing of the silent atmosphere. I gingerly stepped off of the train seat, drifting, dreamlike, down the aisles of the train.
As I took my seventh step, something seemed to click in my head. The fog in my mind evaporated, and I realized something seemed… wrong. There was something out of place about the train. Then I realized nothing was moving. I nudged Kye, and my eyes widened as he dissolved into thin air. My breath caught up in my chest, and I couldn’t push my scream out, the lump in my throat was to large…
A strange stinging sensation in my fingertips brought hot tears to my eyes, and I pushed them back. In a matter of seconds, the stinging turned into an intense searing pain. I ground my teeth, clenching my hands so hard my fingernails dug into my palms. The excruciating pain getting the better of me, I pulled my hand in front of my face, and it took me a moment to notice what was wrong. As I looked, my fingertips were dissolving, like Kye did. Dust drifted onto the floor. My arm was on fire, and I closed my eyes as I drowned in pain…

Sweat drenched the train seat.
“Jaidin?” I heard someone say cautiously, and I shakily pulled myself up, taking a moment to adjust to the gentle rock of the train. I didn’t answer, trying to regain my composure, but Kye could probably tell something was wrong by my wide, frantic eyes. Ethyn, who apparently was a late sleeper, was slumped forwards in his seat, his cheek pressed against the back of the seat in front of him.
“You were out for, like, fifteen hours,” he added, his eyes scrunched up like he was trying to solve a confusing mystery, and I looked away, startled by his fierce gaze. He really had changed.
“I’m… I’m really tired,” I said, and I wasn’t actually lying. The day before the choosing I hadn’t slept at all, and eventually Maeri had given up on trying to give me melatonin and let me stay up and watch TV. Kye’s eyes went even more squinty.
“You were humming something. In your sleep. And you never moved at all. It was weird,” he said, not giving up on his interrogation mission.
I remained silent.
I didn’t want to lose my temper, explode, tell Kye to shut up… actually, the problem was that I did want to. The nagging part of me that had been bothering me for so long was still in my mind, stronger than ever. And the worse part was I truly, earnestly, with no doubt longed to give in.
“Just freaking tell me what’s wrong! It’s not that hard,” Kye exclaimed, blood rushing to his face. He quickly hid it, but I noticed him make a tight fist, then release it. Kye had never gotten mad at me. I nodded, realizing if I didn’t make up something, things wouldn’t go well for me.
“Okay. I…” my speech stumbled, and I thought frantically, trying to come up with something believable to say, but there was nothing else to say but the truth. So I told Kye what happened.





Chapter 4
Airo
The room was silent. Not the humming type of silent that overwhelmed your senses, or the peaceful, warm silence, or the uncomfortable, tense silence that was usually broken in a few seconds. This was a synthetic silence, a deadly silence, a silence that held gallons of potential like a bag filled to its brim, ready to burst. The only noise was a loud, constant beeping noise that seemed to drill into my skull. My bed was comfortable, and though the thin sheets provided little warmth they were soft, and my head sank into the pillow. The clicking noise of shoes on tile floors echoed in my room, and what sounded like a group of people talking in low tones to each other soon followed.
“Do you think he noticed?”
“No. Phoenix did her job well.”
“Now that it’s broken, he’ll notice.”
“As I said, Phoenix probably knocked him out for a while.”
“I still don’t trust her.”
“Nowadays, we can’t trust anyone. All we can do is take what we need from those who have it.”
“Phoenix wouldn’t approve of that.”
“No, she wouldn’t.”
“Sometimes she scares me.”
“Of course she scares you,” said a haughty voice that held an air of conclusion. No one else said another word. I struggled to finally open my eyes; they were covered with a layer of crust. The room was different than I had expected; I had thought it would be something dramatic, with flashing lights and crazy technology. This was just a plain, white room, with a simple machine and a single beeping red light. The impossible cleanliness and the blinding white furniture made me want to close my eyes, and I gratefully did so. I felt so sleepy…
Ashes. All I could see were ashes, and the rotting foundations of houses, and a large, red, fading sun. And the silence of a dead world. Sharp shivers ran down my spine, like thorns being brushed down my back. My eyes flew open, and all I could see was the same plain room as earlier. I closed my eyes again, and the same scene popped up in my head again. I opened them, and the medical room came into view again. Why didn’t I see the scene before I first opened my eyes?
Where even was I?
Footsteps echoed down the hall, but these weren’t the heavy steps of an adult. These were soft footsteps, and for some reason they sounded familiar. I squeezed my eyes shut, ignoring the horrible image in my brain. For the longest time, silence. Then I felt a strong pinch on my side, and my eyes opened instinctively.
“What are you doing here?” I asked accusingly, flinching as the girl moved closer to me. I couldn’t help noticing that her eyes, which had previously looked like sharp shards of copper were now a rusty blue, almost like the Statue of Liberty. Other than that, she looked exactly how she did the night she attacked me; the same coppery hair, the same bronze looking skin, the same sharp features, the same cargo pants, which appeared to be full of various things, and the same loose fitting black t-shirt. She didn’t seem to hear my question, and rather than talking to me she whipped out a metallic looking object and set to work fiddling with a machine located under my bed.
“What the heck is that?” I asked, and again she ignored me. As she fiddled with the machine, I could hear her mutter strings of single words or short phrases.
“The idiots… those lying freaks… stupid Obliterators… dumb backstabbers…” she continued her muttering for the next few minutes, cursing “Obliterators,” whatever they were. I watched in fascination, terrified to interrupt her. It was like standing next to a sleeping beast, that could attack at the slightest movement. Her fingers moved rapidly, playing around with gears and wires with her little tool that looked somewhat like a screwdriver. It was almost mesmerizing.
CLICK!
Something seemed to snap in the room, like a giant rubber band that was pulled taut and then released. The air just seemed to shift; the nothingness surrounding me reverberating. The girl stuffed the tool back into one of her pockets, still ignoring me as my mouth dropped open. Her eyes hardened into shards of bright green glass; it seemed like they were always changing, like a wild kaleidoscope.
“I’ve just set off a ripple, but the Obliterators will wipe it out soon.

This is amazing!! such a great author! ive had a published book but this is just… WOW!

Pin-guin wrote:

This is amazing!! such a great author! ive had a published book but this is just… WOW!

Thank you so much! Wow, I've never been published (mostly cuz I'm just now starting middle school so I obviously can't get a literary agent XD) but I'm trying out for a kids magazine with a poem. What book was it? (Idk if that's too personal of a question so you don't need to answer it ;D)

Over the
boundary

Chapter 1

Far below from the dark grey clouds was a dull and depressing country. Black, white or grey were what made up the silent depression held in each and every house. The sky was dark and the ground was dark. Everybody lived in sorrow and thought and heard nothing! Nobody seemed to see or know what colour meant or looked like. There were no rainbows. There was just nothing.
The wide road was separating the forest and the houses. Beyond the forest was nothing, nothing at all. Nothing but a boundary. Beyond the boundary nobody knows besides clouds and a dark grey sky.
The dark sky formed large grey clouds – soon enough there was lightening which struck at a tree in the forest. Detamont jumped back in fright and dropped his carrot….

Chapter 2

Detamont ran as fast as the lightening in the night sky. Every one of his steps were worth one miniature second. His whiskers were a little grey blur, he ran and ran until he could find shelter. The rain soaked Detamont as he ran. In a short distance ahead, he saw a hollow log, it was small but big enough for Detamont to squeeze his tiny body in.
He was exhausted and his heart was beating fast. Detamont shivered, he could hear the lighting cracking and the pouring rain thundering down from the clouds and on to the ground making lots of puddles.
Detamont saw a little clump of dark grey, it was soft like a pillow, he put his head down on it and fell asleep. At midnight the thundering rain eased off until it eventually stopped. Detamont woke up stretching his tail, arms and legs - he cleared the sleep from his eyes and opened them to see some other eyes staring back at him, eyes filled with anger and hate!! Detamont looked around and sat up and rubbed his head and looked into the eyes that were still staring at him, those eyes had a head, a body and a tail. It was dark grey like the soft clump he was lying on -wait a minute….

Chapter 3

Detamont ran as fast as his little legs could carry him with the angry clump (ha-ha) chasing after him. They vaulted through the rain forest step by step, bit by bit. Detamont looked back at the dark grey clump chasing after him, her big bushy tail brushing the trunks of the forest trees. Detamont’s heart raced as his small legs whirled through the grey forest, he looked like a floating body followed with a head, some ears and a little pink tail. Branches sticking out from the trunks of the trees stuck into his tiny fury body and made little cuts all over him.
Detamont didn’t care about the sting he just didn’t want that angry clump of dark grey fur gnawing at him. Detamont felt the pain in his body, his legs were aching and his body sweating everywhere. He couldn’t take it anymore. Detamont started limping but it was hurting him too much and he collapsed on his shadow.
He clutched his leg with his paw stopping the air from getting into his painful body. He looked up and saw those eyes staring at him once more. All of a sudden, the grey clump demanded “What do you think you’re doing lying your head on me?” Detamont stammered “Well I, um it felt really soft! and I didn’t know it was you.” She replied ‘’that’s alright” and Detamont said “really!” “I am Detamont the hamster.” “Mine’s Lily, nice to meet you Detamont.”
Chapter 4

They bounded off together smiling and telling each other stories and holding hands. Lily looked over at the boundary and spoke up to Detamont, “well err Detamont,” Lily began “do you know what colour is?” “whose is he?” Detamont asked. No silly, it’s something you can see, like red, yellow, orange…” Lily continued, “it’s hard to explain, colour is meant to be in this world.” Lily looked around and found a small leaf on the ground, she desperately searched for her torch. She soon picked it up and found it … in her belly button!!! Open your eyes and keep them open until I tell you to stop she said to Detamont. Detamont did as he was told, it was tricky, really tricky,
Any way let’s get back to the story. Lily pressed the little leaf to her torch, and Detamont blinked-well he had to, he blinked again then Lily explained “This is called red.”
“Oh, my, goodness! T-This is AMAZING!!!” Detamont began to drool.
Chapter 5

“So, Detamont, are you wanting to show colour to the world?” Lily asked. Detamont didn’t listen, he kept drooling. “Detamont!! DETAMONT!!!” Lily snapped, Detamont jumped back in fright. “Yes?” “Do you want to show the world this?” Lily said as she pointed at the red. “Yeah!” Detamont replied “What do I have to do?” Lily got cut off as rain began to form, so they scurried to their log. Detamont looked out at the rain, his eyes filled with depression. “Don’t be sad, Detamont.” Lily reassured him “Everything will be okay.” But little did Lily know that Detamont wasn’t sad because of that, he just missed his family. Lily squeezed his paw and brought him in for a cuddle. Detamont liked that cuddle, she was soft and calm, like when his mother used to hug him. Even when he was on the toilet doing warm, long, relaxing wees. The cuddle took forever, but when it did stop the rain stopped as well. Detamont and Lily smiled at each other, and clambered out. “Ladies first.” Detamont squeaked, Lily giggled and commented, “You’re so funny.” Detamont began to giggle as well. The two friends held hands and scurried around the place.

Chapter 6

“Found ya!” Lily yelled as she tapped Detamont on the shoulder, “Your turn.” Detamont walked to a tree and covered his eyes. “1…2…3…4……” Detamont began, Lily searched desperately for a place to hide. She found a big tree and looked up. Detamont reached 40 and then he heard a big little SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He followed Lily’s voice and stopped right in his tracks. He stared up at it and silently screamed-he would’ve screamed aloud but his mouth was dry from the terrifying thing holding Lily. “Help!” yelled Lily. Detamont looked around trying to find something to save Lily. The evil bear roared with laughter and held Lily up to his mouth. He knew about bears from some books he read. But he didn’t know how to stop bears from eating other animals, like a squirrel. But then he thought of his nonfiction book about bears and then he smiled to himself.



Chapter 7

He ran away. “Aww so your little friend has left you alone has he?” The bear laughed. Lily’s mouth hung open. “You won’t get away with this!” shouted Lily as she squirmed around in the bears’ hand. “Oh yes I will, oh, yes I will.” He screeched. Lily covered her ear. The bear pulled Lily closer to his mouth, it smelt like rotten honey with rotten wholemeal bread. Lily blocked her nose and closed her eyes, ready to get eaten. The bear hesitated for a moment and sniffed the air. He sniffed again. The rotten bear dropped Lily and followed the scent. Lily sniffed the air as well. She wasn’t surprised when she smelt fresh honey. Then the bear disappeared in the distance. Lily felt like vomiting, that breath was, ughhh! Lily peered into the forest to try and see Detamont, but sadly, she couldn’t find him anywhere. After about five minutes she saw a shadow of a bear, but it was tiny. When it came closer she screamed “Please don’t eat me!” Then something strange happened the tiny bear took off its head and it was Detamont. “Don’t scare me like that!” Detamont burst out laughing. “HAHAHAHAHAHA, you should’ve seen the look on your face HAHA!” Lily began to laugh too.

Chapter 8

“So, Lily, about what I said before, how do you show the world colour, like, how do you bring it back?” Detamont asked. “Oh that, yeah.” She began Lily looked over at the boundary, Detamont stared at her eyes and looked where she was looking. “You mean I have to go down there?!” Lily nodded her head in silence.
Chapter 9

Lily squeezed Detamont’s hand “Are you sure you wanna do this?” Lily asked, about to cry. “Yes, I do and I will miss you so.” Detamont stopped, “So much.” Lily brought him in for another cuddle. Tears trundled down Lily’s fury cheeks. Finally, they got brought out and they began to sweat, Not just from the heat, but also from the sadness. Lily brought a leaf from the forest and gave it to Detamont to fan himself. In their heads they thought of all the fun times they had together. “Well I guess this is a goodbye.” Sobbed Lily. “Please don’t cry Lily.” Lily cleared off and said, “Goo-…” Detamont cut her off and gave her a big kiss-Yes, on the lips. After a while, Detamont stopped and smiled that smile he always gave her. Detamont jumped on the leaf and pushed himself off the edge and waved. Detamont crossed the boundary. The colour lit up the grey sky into blue, the grass green and Lily, was brown. She looked over the edge. Lily missed him-but she would never forget that smile of his.

Chapter 10

Well, you may be wondering how the small country got dull and grey in the first place, any way here is the story. Everything was colourful in the first place. Tracey was Lily’s mother and she was always wanting to find out about everything so she went out on adventures to figure them out. One day, she found the boundary, the one that Detamont had passed and brought colours to bring joy to the world. She looked down from the edge and saw nothing, but clouds, the blue sky, and the boundary itself. Tracey was determined to find out the mysteries behind it so she packed all of her gear and set off into the green rainforest. Lily blocked her way, tears in her eyes, she begged and pleaded. “Please don’t go mother, please!” Tracey just pushed Lily out of her way and kept going. Lily grasped onto her mother’s leg but Tracey just tugged her along. She finally got to the boundary and jerked Lily off. “I’m going and that is that!” She ran back into the forest and tugged a big leaf and it fell off immediately. She was really gritty. She ran back to the edge and hopped on her big leaf, pushed herself off the edge and passed the boundary. That is how Lily knew what colour is. When her mother passed the boundary everything turned grey, black or white. Tracey never came back. Everybody soon forgot about colour, but not Lily, who still thought of her mother, and what she was doing.

The End

Pin-guin wrote:

-_eclipse_- wrote:

Pin-guin wrote:

This is amazing!! such a great author! ive had a published book but this is just… WOW!

Thank you so much! Wow, I've never been published (mostly cuz I'm just now starting middle school so I obviously can't get a literary agent XD) but I'm trying out for a kids magazine with a poem. What book was it? (Idk if that's too personal of a question so you don't need to answer it ;D)

Well actually I have published a book if you would like to see it I could put it here

Woah it's really good! You're a great author! Where did it get published?

i dont remember but thanks so much!!

Pin-guinea wrote:

i dont remember but thanks so much!!

Oh ok, your weclome