My Thanksgiving Poem

I am thankful for animals. They bring joy and love to our world.
I am thankful for technology. It enables us to learn and have fun.
I am thankful for Ivivva. Clothes expresses yourself.

(Places you go)
I am thankful for Europe. It is my favorite place to travel. 
I am thankful for my house. It my cave of security.
I am thankful for the Great Lakes. It is where we live. 

(People) 
I am thankful for my family. They love me so much.
I am thankful for my friends. They are the people that keep me company.
I am thankful for my sister. She is the best companion to life I could ever ask for.

I am most thankful for my life.
Everything and everyone in it is all that matters.

Why did I write this poem?

I wrote this poem because all of the things are near and dear to my heart or a very important part of my life. I mentioned technology because just a few years earlier, even typing on this blog would have been un heard of. Don't you think we are blessed to even wear clothing at all? I LOVE animals, without them, my life would be  miserable!

The places that I go are very important, too. Europe is where I am from, of course I should show some respect to my heritage. Any way, I wrote the people that I did because, well, all I need is my family. And would life be any fun without friends?

Locked (Chapter 1 cont.)

Chapter 1 - Memories (cont.)

"Run, Tess! Run!" Tristan screamed. I just manage to scramble away as one of once majestic buildings of New York started to fall apart. CRASH! The debris scatter around me, it made my heart skip a beat.
"The infected are terrorizing the healthy." I say, looking up.
Tristan nods, "Oh no! We have company. Look!"
I whip around to see a dozen Chill infected people lumber towards us. I feel like I am about to throw up. I thought we were safe, but no. The infected twitch and jerk with the sickness. They snarl at us. Laugh. Taunt. Kill the healthy.
"Weee j-j-just want t-to see-ee your prrrrrretty little faces," said- more like coughed- the one at the front.
He was a man about our age. Their hair was ripped out. Scars ran through their bodies like rivers. And blood was everywhere.  I couldn't bare to look at any more Chilled people!
"C-come closer. We won't h-huurt you! Come closer… Closer. Closer… Closer…" All twelve were chanting, they started to walk toward us. I didn't realize that I was clenching my knife by my side with fear. I have had enough! "Tristan, I think it is a good time to RUN!" I sprinted away without waiting for an answer. I was way faster than Tristan, but he could last longer. I was heaving for breaths. The pitter-patter of their footsteps was close behind. I was so terrified, I could hear the blood pulsing through my ears. "They're gaining on us!" I ran like the wind. The two of us ran through alleys, past abounded cars, past… bodies. My heart rate was quickening. Fear! They are right behind us! More fear! I am soooo tired. Help! Fear! I froze.
"Tess! Are you okay!" Tristan asked.
"Um, yes!"
"We lost them. You did realize that? Right?"
"Uhh…"
Suddenly for no reason at all I started to cry. My knees buckled under me, I put my head in my lap. As soon as Tristan put is arm around me, I started to bawl. I sobbed, "Everything... has been horrible, Tristan… Ever since the… government released that stupid... virus!" I sniffle. "Shhhh. It's okay Tess. Everything is going to be fine." He smiles " If you survived your freshman year in High School… We can make it through a world of lunatics." He knows how to make me feel better. "Thank you." I whisper." I think to myself doughtfully, 'I am petrified. Oh… some one please help me."

I bolted awake. Tristan is on his knees next to me. Nico and Gabbi are sound a sleep. Soft muffled noises are coming from Nico. "Tess, you were screaming in your sleep. What happened?"
"Nothing." I said. i was still breathing hard.
Tristan looked at me as if i had said the most unbelievable thing in the world. "Really?" he raised his eyebrows at me and cocked his head.
"Tristan, you are the best twin brother in the whole world. Oh… and I was just having a bad dream."
"Gosh, you've got to stop having those."
I stare at the ground, "I hate memories."
Tristan just chuckles and shakes his head. He seems much more mature than me even though I am 4 minutes older than him. I pretend not to notice.
"What's for breakfast?" Gabbi asks as she rises from her blanket. She stretches her arms out like she is yawning. "Hmmm," Gabbi has a smirk across her face.
"Uh-oh, I don't like the look of this." I say sarcastically. Even smarty-pants Tristan turns around to see this phenomenon. Gabbi makes a "Shh" symbol with her finger then she gets on her hands and knees, crawling to Nicos blanket. Nico has a habit of smiling when he sleeps- if it is a good dream, at least. Gabbi slowly rises then jumps on top of him! "The Chilled are attacking us! Grrrr!"
"Ahhhh" Nico screams like a girl. He jumps up and runs away from her. Tristan snickers, while I full-out laugh. "Hey! Gabs, Why did you wake me up like that?!" She shrugs innocently. "That's what you get for sleeping in," she says to him. I sigh, "Today… is going to be a good day."
"I couldn't have agreed more!"

Locked (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1 - Memories

"Run, Tess! Run!" Tristan screamed. I just managed to scramble away as one of once majestic buildings of New York started to fall apart. CRASH! The debris scattered around me, it made my heart skipp a beat.
"The infected are terrorizing the healthy." I said, looking up.
Tristan nodded, "Oh no! We have company. Look!"
I whipped around to see a dozen Chill infected people lumbering towards us. I felt like I was about to throw up. I thought we were safe, but no. The incepted twitched and jerked with the sickness. They snarled at us. Laughed. Taunted. Killed the healthy.
"Weee j-j-just want t-to see-ee your prrrrrretty little faces," said- more like coughed- the one at the front.
He was a man about our age. Their hair was ripped out. Scars ran through their bodies like rivers. And blood was everywhere.  I couldn't bare to look at any more Chilled people!
"C-come closer. We won't h-huurt you! Come closer… Closer. Closer… Closer…" All twelve were chanting, they started to walk toward us. I didn't realize that I was clenching my knife by my side with fear. I have had enough! "Tristan, I think it is a good time to RUN!" I sprinted away without waiting for an answer. I was way faster than Tristan, but he could last longer. I was heaving for breaths. The pitter-patter of their footsteps was close behind. I was so terrified, I could hear the blood pulsing through my ears. "They're gaining on us!" I ran like the wind. The two of us ran through alleys, past abounded cars, past… bodies. My heart rate was quickening. Fear! They are right behind us! More fear! I am soooo tired. Help! Fear! I froze.
"Tess! Are you okay!" Tristan asked.
"Um, yes!"
"We lost them. You did realize that? Right?"
"Uhh…"
Suddenly for no reason at all I started to cry. My knees buckled under me, I put my head in my lap. As soon as Tristan put is arm around me, I started to bawl. I sobbed, "Everything... has been horrible, Tristan… Ever since the… government realized that stupid... virus!" I sniffled. "Shhhh. It's okay Tess. Everything is going to be fine." He smiled " If you survived your freshman year in High School… We can make it through a world of lunatics." He knew how to make me feel better. "Thank you." I whispered." I thought to myself doughtfully, 'I am petrified. Oh… some one please help me."

The Board Meeting

Outside in the all we were silent. I could here the announcer speaking about about about our project. All I could make out was, "… a group of student… learning experience… character we should be taking example from…" But the message was clear.  Mrs Nast waved us over. We walked in single file into spacious room with a high triangular ceiling. All of the board members were staring at us, smiling. I couldn't help but smile back. We just gave the highlights of our presentation. Most people didn't get to talk. I could tell that the members were very pleased with us. We left knowing that we have changed the community around us. And that character does indeed ripple. We are just kids. We can make a difference in the world.

Locked

Fiction -  I am going to write a fiction story starting now...


Intro:

My name is Tess. I am 16 years old… I already have to struggle and fight to save my own life. I used to live a normal life, like any kids would. Go to school. Have friends. Talk with ordinary girls.  But, that was 1 year ago. Ever since the virus called the "Chill" spread people have had to run, run, run. And never stop running in order to stay alive.

The Chill is deadly. It spreads like a wildfire. The only way to not catch the Chill is to run like you have never ran before. The Chill turns you into a murderous person. It takes effect on the emotional part of your brain and you become this man-eating lunatic that only wants to live...

My only true companions are my twin brother Tristan, 19 year old Gabbi and 15 year old Nico. We picked them up in the tunnels of New York- where we used to live. We managed to survive together. One thing that we learned is to trust no one- unless your life depends on it, as ours did.

To live to the next day we had to sacrifice many things such as our freedom and safety. Included we have to handle weapons. The worst part is that we have to use them. Our little group of four will get to the so called "heaven". We can. We will.


Character Files:

Main Characters

• Example: Name - Age - Place in Group - Hair Color - Birth Place

• Tess - 16 yrs old - Knife Handler and "the Brain" - Blonde - New York

• Tristan - 16 yrs old - Leader - Dirty Blonde - Germany

• Gabbi - 19 yrs old - Thief and Food Manager - Black - Hawaii

• Nico - 15 yrs old - Head Runner -  Wash Water Brown - Michigan

Other Characters

• Lola - 13 yrs old - Cross bow shooter and Crafter - Red Head - Canada

• Eliza - 17 yrs old - Shooter - Brown - New York

• Rex - 9 yrs old - Spy and Healer - Brown with lighter streaks - Ohio

• Sergeant - 24 yrs old - Guard and Strategy Planner-  Dark Burgundy - Mexico

• Snowball - A 3 year old pure white husky - New York

Published Piece

The sky was an icy blue. Not a cloud to be seen. It was a perfect day to be on the beach. The waves crashed against the jagged cliffs of Portugal's West side. The rock formations cast gentle shadows across the pure white sand. The soft rush of the tides made the atmosphere of the beach…Perfect.

It was a typical Friday in the humble country-side of Portugal. I glanced to my left. My sister jumped up when the tide reached her toes, "Eeek!"she squealed with delight. She looked like she was having the time of her life!
"Hey, Maja! Do you wanna run down to the other side of the beach?"
She stopped digging in the sand and looked up, "Mmm-hmm, I'll race you."
I knew she just wanted to have fun. I thought to myself, 'And I am sure to win!' We lined up along the beach.
"Go!" I yelled over the roar of the ocean. We ran like the wind. The breeze  caught against my hair and buffeted it to a lion's mane. Wind! Our feet left soft prints in the pale sand. I was many strides ahead of Maja.The happiness rushed through my toes to my head. But, all that mattered was having fun.
"Wait for me, Ania!" Maja yelled out.
I stopped running. Once we got to the other side, we were both heaving for breaths. The beach over here was scattered with polished rocks from the size of a penny to the size of a small car. Shiny stones. Jagged rocks. Dull pebbles.
"It looks like those boulders fell from the cliff." I said, without looking up.
She nodded, "Let's we find some cool stones."
I was already doing that. The stones glistened like gems in the crystal waters.

Our parents were far away from us. My sister and I were alone on the other side of Portugal's prettiest beach. All we had to comfort us was the call of the birds and purring of the water.
"Hey, look at this one." Maja said.
She was holding up a stone that that looked a leopard's pelt.
"Cool." I said, without making eye-contact.
"Ania?"
"Ya."
"Can we stay here longer?"
I sighed, "As long as we don't stay here forever."
"But…"
'Why do little kids want more of everything they like?' I wondered. 

As the sun inched towards the horizon, it became time to come home. Home to the villa.
Our parents called for us, "Kids! Time to go!" 
"Awww," we said. The day went by. We had the best time at the beach! I couldn't have asked for a better day. We spent two more days in Portugal after that. But, because of this trip, I think that the most important part of life is to travel often. Travel. For fun.

A Cold Day at Home

I woke up with a chill. My bedroom was usually colder than the rest of the house (I like it that way) but today it seemed especially cold. I trudged down the stairs to see what was going on. Even colder down here. My dad was in the kitchen. He knew I sensed the cold, "When I woke up in the basement I was 2 degrees away from being an icicle." I laughed. "Is the heater on?" As if on cue, my mom came in, "The heater isn't on!" So we went down stairs to turn it back on. In no time at all, our house was nice and cozy again. But, all throughout the day we had the question, 'Who turned it off?' Probably my dad when he was trying to turn the heat up.

List of Songs.

Here is a list of songs that I can name in 2 minutes

1. All About That bass
2. Problem
3. Shake It Off
4. Rude
5. Heart Attack
6. Red
7. Chandelier
8. Talk Dirty To Me
9. Counting Stars
10. Maps
11. Rip Tide
12. Fancy
13. Lights
14. Boom Clap
15. Human
16. Applause 
17. Bang Bang
18. Roar
19. This Girl is on Fire
20. Let It Go
21. Break free
22. Black Widow
23. Husband
24. Macarena 
25. Dark Horse
26. Bad Romance
27. Wrecking Ball

The Millennium Falcons

Out in a far, far away galaxy there lives a team like no other. They have the team spirit. The hope. Pride. Confidence. They are very… not human. They care about their world. Of course they have all of the blasters and space lasers needed to complete their task. But, they have the courage to sacrifice themselves to protect their flock against all intergalactic evil. They are…  The Millennium Falcons. A squad with up most intelligence. There are twelve of them. Each knows what to do when in a bad situation. But why? Because they care.

The sky was an icy blue. Not a cloud to be seen. It was a perfect day to be on the beach. The waves crashed against the jagged cliffs of Portugal's West side. The rock formations cast gentle shadows across the pure white sand. The soft rush of the tides made the atmosphere of the beach…Perfect.

It was a typical Friday in the humble country-side of Portugal. I glanced to my left. My sister jumped up when the tide reached her toes, "Eeek!"she squealed with delight. She looked like she was having the time of her life!
"Hey, Maja! Do you wanna run down to the other side of the beach?"
She stopped digging in the sand and looked up, "Mmm-hmm, I'll race you."
I knew she just wanted to have fun. I thought to myself, 'And I am sure to win!' We lined up along the beach. 
"Go!" I yelled over the roar of the ocean. We ran like the wind. The breeze  caught against my hair and buffeted it to a lion's mane. Wind! Our feet left soft prints in the pale sand. I was many strides ahead of Maja.The happiness rushed through my toes to my head. But, all that mattered was having fun.
"Wait for me, Ania!" Maja yelled out. 
I stopped running. Once we got to the other side, we were both heaving for breaths. The beach over here was scattered with polished rocks from the size of a penny to the size of a small car. Shiny stones. Jagged rocks. Dull pebbles.
"It looks like those boulders fell from the cliff." I said, without looking up.
She nodded, "Let's we find some cool stones."
I was already doing that. The stones glistened like gems in the crystal waters. 

Our parents were far away from us. My sister and I were alone on the other side of Portugal's prettiest beach. All we had to comfort us was the call of the birds and purring of the water.
"Hey, look at this one." Maja said.
She was holding up a stone that that looked a leopard's pelt. 
"Cool." I said, without making eye-contact.
"Ania?"
"Ya."
"Can we stay here longer?"
I sighed, "As long as we don't stay here forever."
"But…"
'Why do little kids want more of everything they like?' I wondered. 

As the sun inched towards the horizon, it became time to come home. Home to the villa.
Our parents called for us, "Kids! Time to go!" 
"Awww," we said. The day went by. We had the best time at the beach! I couldn't have asked for a better day. We spent two more days in Portugal after that. But, because of this trip, I think that the most important part of life is to travel often. Travel. For fun.

It was a dark and stormy night...

It was a dark and stormy night. The trees loomed over the path that lay ahead of little red riding hood. The ominous cawing of the ravens and whoo-ing of the owls sounded of the distance. Every once in a while there would be a "Aaah-woooooooooh!" A wolf's cry! Little red riding hood sped up. Now sprinting through the woods. The path winded ahead of her. The red cloak that she wore was now torn into shreds from the sharp thorns. Faster! Something was behind her! Little red riding hood whipped around and saw her pursuer… The big. Bad. Wolf! She had to make it to her grandma's before the sun went down. Her face was red. She was out of breath. The chills and scares of the night were so, so close. She was at the end of her rope. Suddenly, she felt a burst of adrenaline when she saw her grandma's house on the brow of the hill. Little red riding hood was so close! The big, bad wolf was, too. "Grandma!" she yelled.  Her grandma thrust open the door just in time for her to squeeze in. When they shut it they heard  a loud THUMP! against the door. The big, bad wolf was gone. Little red riding hood was safe. She was lucky… this time.

Wings of Heart

Caterpillars get wings

They fly away from their worries

But, they go through a transformation

We, too, can give others wings, to fly, fly, fly away from our hardships

With wings come a price to pay

You must work for your flight of your life

Caterpillars have their woes

Meanwhile people have their foes

We alike, two species, have our trouble that will fly away… with wings of light, love, and happiness

Beaches Editing

Yellow - Thought
Bright Green - Action
Turquoise - Dialogue
Pink - Description
No Color - Narration

The sky was an icy blue. Not a cloud to be seen. It was a perfect day to be on the beach. The waves crashed against the jagged cliffs of Portugal's West side. The rock formations cast gentle shadows across the pure white sand. The soft rush of the tides made the atmosphere of the beach… Perfect.

It was a typical Friday in the humble country-side of Portugal. I glanced to my left. My sister jumped up when the tide reached her toes, "Eeek!" she squealed with delight. She looked like she was having the time of her life!
"Hey, Maja! Do you wanna run down to the other side of the beach?" 
She stopped digging in the sand and looked up, "Yes, I'll race you."
I knew she just wanted to have fun. I thought to myself, 'And I am sure to win!' We lined up along the beach. 
"Go!" I yelled over the roar of the ocean. We ran like the wind. The breeze  caught against my hair and buffeted it to a lion's mane. Wind! Our feet left soft prints in the pale sand. I was many strides ahead of Maja. The happiness rushed through my toes to my head. But, all that mattered was having fun.
"Wait for me, Ania!" Maja yelled out. 
I stopped running. Once we got to the other side, we were both heaving for breaths. The beach over here was scattered with polished rocks from the size of a penny to the size of a small car. Shiny stones. Jagged rocks. Dull pebbles.
"It looks like those boulders fell from the cliff." I said, without looking up.
She nodded, "Let's we find some cool stones."
I was already doing that. The stones glistened like gems in the crystal waters. 

Our parents were far away from us. My sister and I were alone on the other side of Portugal's prettiest beach. All we had to comfort us was the call of the birds and purring of the water.
"Hey look at this stone." Maja said.
She was holding up a stone that that looked a leopard's pelt. 
"Cool." I said, without making eye-contact.
"Ania?"
"Ya."
"Can we stay here longer?"
I sighed, "As long as we don't stay here forever."
'Why do little kids want more of everything they like?' I wondered.

In Chicago

"Welcome to the Hyatt Regency!" Just yesterday we had  arrived to Chicago after a four hour car ride.

Today we had a leisurely wake up since mom had to attend a conference. Then we walked all over Chicago. The architecture was so, so cool. There are pristine edges of modern buildings, and abstract curves. Also, the exquisite carvings in Renaissance style buildings. After we explored the buildings, we went to the Field museum. Here are some of the things we saw:

We watched a 3D movie on chipmunks preparing for the winter.

We saw the legendary Sue the T-Rex.

We went to a voodoo exhibit

Beaches

The sky was an icy blue. Not a cloud to be seen. It was a perfect day to be on the beach. The waves crashed against the jagged cliffs of Portugal's West side. The rock formations cast gentle shadows across the pure white sand. The soft rush of the tides made the atmosphere of the beach… Perfect.

It was a typical Friday in the humble country-side of Portugal. I glanced to my left. My sister jumped up when the tide reached her toes, "Eeek!" she squealed with delight. She looked like she was having the time of her life!
"Hey, Maja! Do you wanna run down to the other side of the beach?" 
She stopped digging in the sand and looked up, "Yes, I'll race you."
I knew she just wanted to have fun. I thought to myself, 'And I am sure to win!' We lined up along the beach. 
"Go!" I yelled over the roar of the ocean. We ran like the wind. The breeze  caught against my hair and buffeted it to a lion's mane. Wind! Our feet left soft prints in the pale sand. I was many strides ahead of Maja. The happiness rushed through my toes to my head. But, all that mattered was having fun.

"Wait for me, Ania!" Maja yelled out. 
I stopped running. Once we got to the other side, we were both heaving for breaths. The beach over here was scattered with polished rocks from the size of a penny to the size of a small car. Polished stones. Jagged rocks. Dull pebbles.
"It looks like those boulders fell from the cliff." I said, without looking up.
She nodded, "Let's we find some cool stones."
I was already doing that. The stones glistened like gems in the crystal waters. 

Our parents were far away from us. My sister and I were alone on the other side of Portugal's prettiest beach. All we had to comfort us was the call of the birds and purring of the water.
"Hey look at this stone." Maja said.
She was holding up a stone that that looked a leopard's pelt. 
"Cool." I said, without making eye-contact.
"Ania?"
"Ya."

The Leaves of Laughter

"I have an idea," I began to say to my sister, "let's make a leaf pile," My sister chipped in, "To jump into; right?"
"Yes, Maja, of course." I answered.
I looked around at our lawn scattered with leaves. It was sort of an Autumn rainbow. I began to rake vigorously in the part of our lawn that had the most leaves. I think I might have scraped that rake across our lawn at least a thousand times! Meanwhile my sister gingerly took handfuls of leaves and brought them to our browning mountain.
"I think we are almost done." I said, then I let out a sigh.
"No, its not as tall as me yet." Maja answered.
So we continued to rake, scoop, kick and pluck, and push the leaves into our pile. The sky was darkening rapidly.
"I think it is time to jump in." Our mom called out from the other side of the lawn.
"Okay, let's start here," I drew an invisible line on the road, "then we will run and leap into the pile. Kapeesh?"
"Got it," she looked at me with a glow of joy in her eye. "1, 2, 3, Go!"
I sprang of of my back foot. I sprinted like torpedo and landed square in the pile of leaves. A thump next to me told me that my sister had jumped in, too. A rain of leaves came down on us. I looked at her, "Let's do it again!"

Washington DC Trip

Today I just got back from our class trip to Washington DC for Project COPE. We had so much fun there! I can't wait to write some about some of the things that we did there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to post a travel blog because i don't bring my computer and there wasn't time to do any homework. I also hope to post some pictures on what we did. I even saw the original constitution and Declaration of Independence. When we weren't at the character conference we had free time to go anywhere in DC..

Some people felt bad for us because we didn't get a Halloween. But, I feel bad for them. How often do you get to spend Halloween in the capitol? Anyway, at the conference just about every station had candy or chocolate for people to take. And we got candy it  goody-bags in the end, to. Also we got a nighttime tour of the city. I could't have asked for a better trip!
;)