Blind

            I held my caseworker’s hands.  I was only six years old when I was brought to the apartment in New York City.  The caseworker helped me go up the steps, enter the building, and get into the elevator.  In my head I was trying to memorize the landscape so that I could get around.  I kept my walking stick to my side and made sure my glasses were on all the way. 

“This is it.  Apartment 2030,” she said and she started to tug on my shirt, “you need to be presentable,” she told me.  I nodded.  I heard the door opened and I tried as best as I could to face the door.

“Hello Ms. Zelaya.  I am Suzanne Stuart and this is young Brian,” she said and she made me step in front of her.

“Hello,” I said and put out my hand.  I felt a cold hand touch mine and I shook it.

“Nice to meet you Brian.  Last time I saw you, you were just a baby,” said my aunt. 

            I entered the house and started to walk around to get the feel of it and find out where the furniture was.  There was a lot of open space.

“How about if go see your room,” said my aunt and I took her hand.  I sat down on my bed and my aunt went back into the living room to sign some papers with the caseworker. 

“Hello,” said a child’s voice.

“Hello,” I replied.

“Your cousin Brian, right?”

“Yes.  Who are you?”

“Your cousin Maxine.  Everyone calls me Max,”

“How old are you?”

“Four.  Why do you were those glasses?”

“Because I can’t see,”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m blind,”

            I lived with my aunt Jasmine for many years.  Max and I became close, like a real brother and sister.  I started to forget my old life with my parents because my aunt and cousin loved me and I loved them.  It was not until I was sixteen that everything changed, again. 

            Max and I were home alone during one weekend.  Aunt Jasmine was supposed to be home on Friday, but she never came back. 

“Mom’s not back,” said Max worried.

“Maybe she stayed at a friends.  She’ll come back,” I reassured her and she believed me.  But she did not come back on Saturday or Sunday.  We believed that she would eventually come back so we kept it quiet that she was missing.  But then there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“Police,” said Max, “should I open it?”

“Yes,” I told her and she opened the door. 

“Hello dear, I’m officer Thomas and this is my partner, officer Walker,” I heard a voice say.

“Can I help you?” said Max.

“May we come in?”

“Brian?” I heard Max asked and I tried to look in her direction and nodded.

“Do you two have any parents?” the police asked.

“My parents died when I was six.  My aunt took me in,” I told them. 

“He’s my cousin,” I heard Max say to them.

“What’s your mom’s name?” asked one of the officers.

“Jasmine Zelaya,” Max told them.  I held onto Max’s hand, hoping for good news.

“I’m sorry to say, but your mother is dead,” Max started to cry and I held her with tears going down my own cheeks. 

            We were each given a bag and right away I could tell it was a garbage bag.  The officers told us to pack as much as we could.  Max helped me back and while packing I heard sniff a few tears, as did I. 

“Brian,” I heard Max say and I turned in her direction.

“What?”

“They’re going to separate us, aren’t they?”

“Probably,”

“I don’t want to leave you.  Who will watch out for you,” Max put her hand into mine and I gave her a hug.  I was afraid of us being split up and I did not want any help from anyone except Max.  Max has helped me since I was six and she was the closet person I had then. 

“I got a plan,” I told her.

            We were both sent to the same shelter but they told us it was only going to be for a very short time until they could find us better homes.  In the middle of the night, Max and I grabbed our stuff and hit the streets. 

“Where should we go?” Max asked.

“Far away from here.  Somewhere where no one will ever find us.  How much money do we have?”

“A thousand,”

“Let’s at least get far away from here,”

“How about Times Square?”

“Sounds good,”

            During our first night on the streets we slept in the subway but then Max caught a police officer giving us a suspicion look and we took off.  We made it to Times Square and used our money to buy hotdogs and water.  We went inside a few stores, but not to buy, just to see what it was like.  None of us ever had been to Times Square.  Even when night fell, the city was still alive. We once again returned to the subway. 

“If you sleep here they’ll find you,” said a voice.  I quickly grabbed Max but I could tell that she was already sitting up. 

“Go away,” she said.

“They will find you here,” said the voice.  I could tell it was a male’s voice.

“Who?” I asked looking down as I sat up. 

“The police,” he said. Max and I got up and started to walk away from the boy.

“You’ll need a place to stay,” he said.

“Not interested,” said Max. 

“Are you sure?  It’s almost fall.  It’ll get colder out there,” At this we both stopped and looked back at him. 

“What do you want from us?” asked Max.

“Company.  It’s easier on the streets if we work in groups.  Trust me,” he said.  Max took my arm and we walked in his direction. 

“My name is Max and this is my cousin Brian,”

“The name is Kevin, nice to meet you,”

            It was a good thing we met Kevin.  He was right about the subways.  Those who were new to running away were caught there week after week.  We slept in the same place for a few days and then moved.  The three of us traveled all over Times Square and due to my blindness, I was never left alone.  Kevin or Max was always with me.  I can only guess that they stole, but Kevin and Max always got food and drinks.  The three of us became close. 

            It was the middle of summer.  Max and I had been living on the streets for almost a year and we had never been caught.  Although life was hard on the streets, we liked it because we got to be together and we had Kevin.  A boy who was a year older than me, tall, and strong.  We kept a small group because it was easier to move around.  To help make money, I often sat on a curb and begged.  One night Max came back with money and I asked how she got it.  I did not know that Kevin taught her to pick pocket money and I was angry with this but they both said it was survival.  Max also used to have nice long hair, but one day she got it cut very short.

“So no one knows I am a girl,” she said.

“But you hair was so nice,” I told her.

“But it’s difficult for a girl to live on the streets.  You know that,” and I did.  I told my self that her having her hair short was to protect her. 

“We have to move.  We’ve been here too long,” said Kevin. 

“I agree,” I told him and he helped me up.  We got out of the subway and went up to the street.  We walked a few blocks until Max found an abandon apartment.  We find a nice room on the first floor with lots of space and opened our backpacks.  The only things we had were blankets and pillows. 

“It’s late.  Let’s get some sleep,” said Kevin.  We all went under our covers and fell asleep from exhausting.

            We woke up to gun shots and screams.  I laid still on the floor but I heard Kevin and Max get up.  Then I heard something fall and I heard footsteps running out of the building.  I still heard more gun shots and yelling from outside but I laid perfectly still.  I covered my ears and blocked out the sounds.  I laid there for what felt like hours and then when I thought it was over I sat up.

“Kevin?  Max?” I said but I received no answer.  I got up from my blanket and grabbed my walking stick.  I felt around the room and my walking stick hit something huge and a bit soft.  Not too rough.  I knew it was not there before.  I prepared myself for the worse.  I got down on my knees and felt the thing in front of me.  I felt a warm liquid and smelled my fingers.  It was blood.  I felt carefully to realize it was a body and I felt around to see if it was someone I knew.  Once I touch the top head I knew who it was.

“No, Max.  You can’t leave me.  You can’t leave me.  We need to stay together,” I said with tears in my eyes.

“Kevin!  Kevin!” I yelled but I heard nothing.  For all I knew Kevin could had ran off or had been killed as well.  I held Max’s body in my arms, trying to get no blood on me and I rocked her back and forth while singing a lullaby. 

            I fell asleep and I did not know how long I was asleep.  I said their names, trying to believe that it was just a nightmare, but no one replied.  I check where the body was.  It was still there.  I knew that I could not stay there and I could not take Max with me.  I said a prayer to God and grabbed my walking stick.  I got up and found the door and left with tears running down my face because I do not know what I would do without Max or without my eyes.  I was now alone, on the streets and I did not know how I would survive.  But I walked down the block without looking back.  Without looking back.  

Reincarnation

The doorbell rang and my mom went to open the door. They shook hands and she let him in. She asked if he was thirsty or hungry but he said that he was fine. Then he walked into the room and put his hand out to me.
“Hello, I am Mr. Heck. Your new tutor,” he told me. I took his hand into my hand and shook it.
“Alice,” I told him.


I never met my brother. My mother rarely talked about him and if she did, she looked like she was about to cry. Because my brother was not just anyone. He was the Pharaoh of Egypt. I knew he became pharaoh before I was born and he was taken away from home and raised by priest and advisors. After my mother died, I had nowhere to go except the palace.
Two guards walked with me into the throne room and I went to the center of the room and got on my hands and knees.
“Akra, sister of the Pharaoh,” said a man. I looked up to the throne and that was when I first met my brother. Pharaoh Akem.


“Did you do your homework?” asked my tutor and I showed him my work. He flipped through them and wrote some things down in red ink.
“You mix up your tenses,” he said and I just watch him grade. He hands back my homework and I look at the correction.
“You need to read this book for the course,” and I held the book in my hand. It was red and white with a horse on the front cover.
“Catcher in the Rye?”
“Yes”
“What is it about?”
“A boy name Holden,” and I opened the book and flipped through the pages. I never liked reading but I knew I had to get it done. Then my tutor looked at the room and noticed a pile of papers near the printer.
“Your mom’s work?”
“No, mine. I write short stories,” which was true. I just did not like to read.
“Can I look through them?”
“Sure,” I said and he got up and read one page to the next.
“These are amazing!”
“Thank you,”

I spent my time in the palace surrounded by guards and servants. I have not seen my brother since the throne room incident. I was wondering if I would ever see him again. I had been living in the palace for three weeks and I felt very lonely. I missed my mother and my father died before my birth. Back at my old house I had friends and I was missing them. But they could not visit because they lived too far away.
During one of my lonely periods I decided to go to the garden. A guard and a few servants followed me. To my amazement, I saw him. The Pharaoh. I stood far away from him because even though he was my brother, he was a total stranger to me. I sat on a bench on the opposite side and watch the flowers blow with the breeze. After awhile the Pharaoh looked in my direction and our eyes met. Then he got up and walked out of the garden. Once he was gone, I started to cry.


“Did you write your essay on Holden?” I got out my folder and handed to Mr. Heck. Again, he fixed my tenses. I hated my tenses because it sounded right to me but to everyone else it was wrong.
“I liked your essay,”
“Thanks. Can I ask you a question?”
“Why did you become a teacher?”
“I wanted to be a writer, but my advisor in college told me I could not live off of being a writer. So he asked me if I ever consider teaching. That’s how,”
“I remember a bit about school. I had a difficult time with reading, writing, and learning math,”
“I know,”
“They said I was stupid. So that was when I decided I wanted to be a teacher,”
“Why?”
“Because then I could save those who are hurt,”
“You can’t save all of them,”
“But if you try to save one, isn’t that all that matters?” when I said that he looked down and smiled and then looked back at me.
“You’re right,”


One night I snuck out to go to the garden by myself. The servants were gone and the guards were outside my door. I got out through my window and secretly went to the garden to think. Once I got there, I sat down and looked up at the sky. I was praying to the Gods to take of my mother and watch over me. I also prayed that I would make a friend.
“Hello,” said a voice and I turned around to see the Pharaoh. I quickly got up and bowed.
“You may raise your head,” he told me and I did. I looked around and became surprised.
“Where are your servants and guards, Pharaoh? You should have them around for protection, oh Great One,” I said without looking at him.
“You look like her,” he said.
“Who, Great Pharaoh?”
“Mother,” I was speechless. I stood still and could not speak. Being around the Pharaoh was like having a snake around your throat. Ready to kill because this man was not just a man, he was a living God.
“Sit down next to me,” he said and I did what I was told.
“Why are you here?”
“Because I no one would take me, oh Great One”
“No. I mean, why are you in the garden. It’s late. You should be asleep,”
“I like it here because it takes away my pain. It’s hard to explain, Great Pharaoh,”
“Stop calling me that,”
“What?”
“Great Pharaoh and oh Great One. If I am a living God then you are a living God as well,”
“I do not understand,”
“We come from the same parents, correct?”
“Yes,”
“Then we are both Gods,”
“I guess, but you are the Pharaoh. I have no rule over Egypt. There can only be one living God ruling Egypt,”
“Yes, but who is to say that a female can not be a God as well? Tomorrow I will proclaim you as a living being of Iris and successor to the throne until my first born son,” and the next day, he did just that.
“Akra,” he said, “call me Akem or brother. We shall never be alone again,”


Every day I looked forward to Mr. Heck’s visit to teach me. His teaching style was unique and different from my other tutors. Despite my mistakes, he told me that it was very good and that if I kept practicing I could get better. I saw improvements in my writing and I started to write and type more then ever. Mr. Heck was saving me from loneliness and sadness. But eventually June came.
“This is our last day,” he said.
“Yeah. What are we doing?”
“Nothing. I just came to say good-bye,”
“Thank you,”
“For what?”
“Teaching me. If I become a teacher, I will pass on your teachings. You taught me that despite my difficulties I can still do with a lot of work,” He smiled but also looked embarrassed.
“I have something for you,” he told me. He put his hand in his briefcase and took out a book.
“The Catcher in the Rye. I know you liked it,” I smiled at him and took the book. Yes, this book became my favorite book because it taught me that anything can happen. Before Mr. Heck was out the door, I said one more thing.
“Mr. Heck. You are the Catcher in the Rye,”


It was true. Akem and I were no longer lonely and spent a lot of time together. We spent times playing games, eating together, and sitting in the garden. We were happy and the whole kingdom loved us and viewed us as the living Gods of Ra and Iris. While Akem sits on the throne, I sit next to him, although I never get a say in anything. But something that is happy seems to always end.
A war broke out in Lower Egypt and Akem had to go and fix it with his army. He was to lead the army into a great battle.
“Brother, be safe,” I told him.
“Dearest sister, I will return to thee,”
“Promise?”
“Promise,”
“I love you,” and I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you too,” and he was off.


During the summer the disease got worse. I was in bed coughing with a fever almost every day and night. All I could do was look out my window and watch the children play on the sidewalk. The disease came back without any notice. I was supposed to live for another twenty or so years. But the doctors did not predict this.
By the middle of July I was put in the hospital. The only visitors I had were my mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and a few family members from outside the area. I had many gifts and get-well cards. Whenever I felt lonely I read my Catcher in the Rye book. It made me forget that I was sick or in the hospital. There were times I pretended that I was with Holden in the city and in the museum. Then one night the fever was too much.

I waited for my brother to return and I heard nothing for days. My guards and servants kept quiet. Eventually the army returned and a messenger came to me in the throne room.
“Where’s my brother?”
“We succeed in defeating the rebels in the Lower kingdom,”
“Where’s my brother,”
“We have succeeded,”
“Where-is-my-brother,” and the room became quiet.
“The Pharaoh died in battle. I am sorry, Great Pharaoh,” and he bowed to me. I was alone, again and I cried at my brother’s burial. Although I became Pharaoh of Egypt and should be proud to rule such a great kingdom, I was very sad. Because I had no one to share this with and my loneliness grew worse. At my brother’s tomb, I made a promise.
“I promise you, we will be together again in the next life,”

I went to the wake and saw the body in the casket. Her mother was sobbing in another room over the lost of her only child. Family members and a few tutors were there to say good-bye. There were pictures everywhere of the child and one thing that caught my eye was next to the casket. The Catcher in the Rye. I paid my respects and left the building. I could not bear to attend to the funeral at the Church or to the gravesite.
“I promise you,” I told her, “I will save them all,”

Twist of Fate

     The newscast predicted the hurricane, but no one knew how big it was going to be. Because of the hurricane, the small bridge that was the only connection to the other side became flooded. Due to this, many people had been left on the other side, where my town was located. Cars were parked everywhere: on the side of the street, in parking lots, and in the public park. Some people even abandoned their cars to stay in shelters. While I was walking to get lunch, I ran into someone I thought I would never see in my town.
“Hey,” I said to her. When she looked up I immediately recognized her as my previous student during her high school years. In her hand was something that she was eating. At first I thought it was a hotdog or a hamburger, but when I looked closer, I saw that it was an animal.
“It’s a cat,” she told me.
“Why?” I asked in shock.
“Survival. I don’t have money to stay at a hotel and I have not eaten in about two days, and all the shelters are full with families and children. They won’t take me,”
     She was right. Many of the shelters in the town were full and although I had not seen her since she was eighteen and graduated, I still saw her as a child despite being about twenty.
“Can I sit with you?” I asked her and she nodded. While I sat with her, she told me all about her first and second year of college. How she made new friends, joined clubs, and made it on the dean’s list three times. I was so happy for her. I had her twice as a student in high school and she had a very low self-esteem and many of her teachers did not believe in her. But I always had faith in her. This was not the same student I knew in high school. As she spoke to me, she was glowing with happiness and she was succeeding in life.
“Thank you,” she said to me.
“Why?” I asked.
“You were the only teacher who believed in me. Because of you, I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” I was a bit embarrassed and over joy because I helped this child when she was in need and alone.
“It’s getting late Mr. Mat. You should return home,” she told me. I got up but I looked down at her. I could tell by how she was sitting and moving her hands that she lost weight and was starving. But I knew that the Red Cross would arrive tomorrow and help her along with the other people stuck on the streets.
“How long have you been here?” I asked her before I left.
“Five days? I don’t know,”

     I could not sleep that night. I was worrying about her because I could only imagine her sleeping in her car during a cold summer’s night. She was alone and anything could happen out there in the world. While she was sleeping in her car, starving, I was sleeping in my bed, in my warm apartment, with food in my refrigerator. I felt so guilty that I did not invite her, no, take her to my apartment to give her a place to stay until she could cross the bridge and return to her family. I was sitting at the table so long with my tea that I did not realized that it was already morning.
     It was about eight in the morning when I got dressed. I took the elevator downstairs and went outside. I then realized what the bridge has done to the people stuck in my town. They were starving, wearing the same clothes they had from the day of the hurricane, and fighting each other. Many of them just wanted to get home to their homes and families. It made me feel even guiltier. That was when I saw the trucks with the Red Cross symbol, handing out food and blankets. But I notice that a many cars were abandoned as I walked to where she was.
     When I got to her spot, I saw that she was not sitting outside. I thought she was still sleeping in her car, but when I looked inside she was not there. That was when I noticed the blood. There were spots of blood on the ground, as if there was a struggle. Then I saw a spot with a lot of blood. I yelled her name, but I had no answer. A few people were sitting outside their cars but no one responded to me yelling her name. I looked around but I could not find her. Then I started to cry because I could have changed her fate.

Cycle

In a far away land, there is a boy. This boy is no more than ten years old. Somewhere, far away from where you live, this boy goes to door-to-door. When people open their doors, they see that this boy has been wearing the same clothes for weeks. They also notice that this boy has no shoes on his feet and is too skinny for his age. The boy puts out his hands to the people and does not ask for money, but instead asks for food, clothing, or to take a bath in their homes. But everyone turns the boy away because they have their own agendas. The boy keeps walking from house to house until night falls. Before the next day begins, the boy leaves this world.

In a far away land, there is a girl. This girl is no more than ten years old...

The Feud Gene

In the year 2050 a scientist discovered a mutation gene. This gene was found in 1/50th of newborn children. The gene was discovered in their DNA. As these children grew, they discovered unspeakable power. Some could control fire, others water, earth, and wind.
Thirty years after this discovery, the scientist Sigmon Feud died. After his death, the government wrote an act. All newborns had to be tested for the Feud gene. If a newborn’s test return positive, it will be put under the custody of the government.


     We woke up to the bell that signal the time to get up. I sat up and rubbed my eyes and slowly got down from my bunk. I walked over to my closet and opened my closet door to new and clean clothes. Although they were new, they looked exactly as everyone else’s clothes. Gray shirt, gray pants, gray socks, and gray shoes. We were not allowed to have any jewelry or let our hair grow to a certain length.
     After getting dressed, my roommates and I lined up at the door. Once we all lined up, the doors slide open and we were escorted to the cafeteria. Once at the cafeteria we got online for our morning meal. The cafeteria was a huge room with ten long tables. In this cafeteria, only the children between the ages of eight to twelve ate in it. Our guardians did not want to overcrowd us.
Once we all sat down with our food and water, we waited for the Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter was in charge of all of us and controlled everyone, including the guards and teachers who worked in the faculty. Some people might have said that Mr. Hunter was our adopted father. He always called us, “his children,”
“My children, let’s fold our hands and pray,” we did what he told us to do and folder our hands, “may God bless our food and for this day. Amen. Children please stand for our national anthem,” and we all got up at the same time and saluted our national flag and sang our national anthem. After that we sat down and stared at Mr. Hunter.
“You may now eat,” and we all picked up our utensils and started eating our morning meal. Our meal times were one of the few times we got to talk and fool around with our fellow “siblings”.
“Hey who threw a fire ball into my oatmeal?”
“Not I!”
“Heads up!” yelled a group of boys sitting down the row from me. A guard had to walk up to them to settle them down. The boys were young, about nine or ten years old.
“They should learn to grow up,” I said.
“Their still young. They do not need to grow up so fast,” my sister said.
“I wish they were no so loud,”
“I could put some ice in their oatmeal. That would ruin their day,” said one of my other sisters. Her name was Annie and all of us had to watch her because she always did what she thought. Which often got her in trouble during our training sessions.
“Five minutes!” yelled a guard. When our five minutes was up, we passed our plates down to the end of the table to be washed in the kitchen. We all got up in orderly fashion and were escorted to our training sessions.
     Mr. Pointer was my “clan’s” teacher. My clan consisted of eight members. Four boys and four girls. We entered a white empty room that had four mats to sit on. We each took our shoes off and sat down on our respective mats.
“Good morning children,” said Mr. Pointer and we all replied back.
“Let’s begin with a thirty minute meditation,” and we all closed our eyes and breathed in and out. Meditation helped me cleared my mind of anything that distracted me the day before or even dreams I had the night before.
“Okay children, let’s start. We’ll be heading to the simulation room. Remember to help each other as a team. Understand?” and we all replied that we understood.
Once at the simulation room we all enter and were prepared to face our challenge. Our challenge was to invade an enemy’s camp and take out a tower that held questionable weapons.
We all gathered at our campsite to come up with a plan. While we were coming up with a plan, we got a surprise attacked.
“Watch each other’s back!” yelled one of my brothers. I saw one man pointing a gun at me and I quickly gathered fire in my hand and threw it at him. He burned instantly. Eventually the enemies retreated.
“Now what?” asked Mary.
“Invade,” said Dan.
“Don’t forget we our powerful. I agree with Dan, we have to invade. They know where we are. Let’s destroy that tower,” said Samuel. We all agreed with him since he was the oldest member of our clan. Besides being the oldest, he was also the smartest.
     We charged the tower and used all of our unique powers to attack the enemies and then Samuel and I burned the tower to the ground while the others took out the sharp shooters. None of us got hit. As the tower started to burn and fall, the simulation ended.
“Good job children, except that charging straight into enemy territory was a bit, dangerous,” said Mr. Pointer.
“You told us to act as a team, so we did.” said Annie. Mr. Pointer gave us a troublesome look and shook his head.
“I know I did, but you must remember that there will be times that when you fight there will be humans fighting alone side you,”
“Humans just slow me down,” Annie replied back. Mr. Pointer must had been wondering how he raised Annie. Actually Mr. Pointer raised all of us.
     Like every child in this faculty, we were taken shortly after our birth because we had the Feud gene. As infants and toddlers we grew up surrounded by hundreds of children who were our age. Once we started to walk, our powers started to form. Our nannies took note of which power we had and watch it develop. As a toddler, our powers were not that strong and were told not to use them under any circumstances. If we did, we got whipped.
     By the time we were four years old, we were put in our respected clans. Each clan was given one teacher for life. My seven brothers and sisters and I were assigned to Mr. Pointer who was thirty at the time. He taught us about our Feud gene, reading, writing, math, science, and how to control our powers. As we got older, the more we learned to control our power and of course our powers became stronger as we age. But our powers will stop growing around the time we hit puberty.
Now at twelve almost entering our thirteenth year, it will be time for us to enter the real world. None of us had ever been outside the faculty. There are windows, but through the windows we can only look up towards the sky.
     We heard the bell ring, meaning it was time for our midday meal. Mr. Pointer lined us up an we waited to be escorted to the cafeteria. During midday meal, we repeated saying our prayers and the younger children were wild. They were all hype up and it was the only time that the guards had difficulties getting them to settle down.
“What do you think it is like? Outside?” I asked.
“Does it matter? It’s not like we’ll be able to enjoy it,” said Annie.
“You got to look at the world with a more positive view Annie,” said Mary.
“Why? In the end were only going to be used. We’re tools. We’ve been trained to do certain tasks,”
“That’s true, but there will be time that we will be able to enjoy the outside world,” said Sarah.
“I think the outside world smells nice and has honey everywhere!” exclaimed Mary.
“I want to see the nature. Real trees and grass,” I said.
“I wonder what the people look like. Do they all look like Mr. Pointer and Mr. Hunter?” wondered Sarah.
“I don’t care,” said Annie.
“Five minutes!” yelled an escort. After our midday meal, my brothers and sisters and I headed for our evening lesson.
     Mr. Pointer took us to the workout room that was filled with different types of weapons. There were no guns, but old medieval weapons such as swords, bow, sickle, bo staff, nun-chucks, chains, and more.
“You will compete in one-to-one combat. No killing and no powers. Use your powers and you will be grounded,” said Mr. Pointer. Mr. Pointer picked each of us one at a time to view our combat skills. I was the last one to go and was paired with Dan.
I like to fight with an axe and Dan chose a sword which was no surprise. He always picked the same weapon although I usually tried out different ones. We both ran at each other and I did not care if he was a boy, he was one of those slackers. Unlike him, during my free time I spent it in the gym working out with other members. Dan was not able to move as fast as I could and I was able to trip him. He fell but rolled over. He kicked my leg and I fell but quickly got up. I ran at him with the axe and swung, but he duck. He kick me in the chest and I fell on my back and he brought his sword down, but I blocked with the axe. I kicked him and I dropped the axe to punch and kick him. Mr. Pointer blew his whistle and got me off of Dan.
“Enough! That’s enough!” yelled Mr. Pointer. I had a noose bleed and Dan had a bloody lip.
“Keep going,” said Mr. Pointer. We continued our fight, although in the end Dan lost to me. Mr. Pointer congratulated me but looked down at Dan. He grabbed Dan by the collar and made him get up. He left Dan in to fight Annie. I felt bad for Dan then because Annie loved one-to-one combat. Out of all eight of us, Annie was the worst one to fight against. She can go all out.

     That night the guards entered our room in the middle of the night. We all got up and got dressed as they told us. We lined up and followed them down many hallways. We went to a wing of the building that I was not familiar with. Although I was nervous, I was not allowed to show it.
     We entered a room where our brothers were already gathered and Mr. Pointer was standing in front of them. We lined up next to our brothers. Then behind Mr. Pointer I saw a panel of men and women in uniforms.
“This is the final test,” Mr. Pointer told us. Our training was finally over.
“These people behind me are our country’s best generals. They wish to see your skills. You will come forward one at a time to show them. You have a chose of what you want to show. However, they want to see your power. Samuel, stay here. Everyone else sit on the bench,” and then under his breath Mr. Pointer said, “Do not fail me,”
     Everyone went up to show their skills and talents. When it became my turn, I decided to show off my combat skills. I entered a simulation where I was given a sword and fought against a man twice my size. I used my combat skills along with my power of fire. I discovered that the simulation was more difficult then I thought. But eventually I succeed and killed my enemy. The simulation died down and the panel wrote notes down on their papers.
“You may return to your bench,” Mr. Pointer told me and I went back to sit among my siblings and looked at Dan, the last one to show his power.
“Dan!” said Mr. Pointer and Dan got up nervously.
“I will like to also show my combat skills,” he said. At the bench we all giggled trying to hide it from the panel. Mr. Pointer gave us an angry look.
“Are you sure Dan?” asked Mr. Pointer. Even he knew that this was Dan’s weak point.
“I want to prove myself,” replied Dan. Mr. Pointer looked nervous and unsure but granted Dan’s request.
     I did not get a good look at Dan’s simulation. The only ones who could see clearly was the panel. I could hear Dan fighting against his fake opponent. I could not tell if he was fighting with his sword or a different weapon. Mr. Pointer was watching too but he often turned his head away. He looked worried and pale. I never saw him like that. My siblings had the same worried look on their faces, just by seeing Mr. Pointer look so uneasy. Then we heard a terrible cry!
     We all knew that the cry came from Dan. We were all shock but we sat still on the bench. The simulation died down, but the panel blocked my view. I saw Mr. Pointer rush towards something. Then Samuel got up and we all got up with him.
“Dan!” yelled Samuel and he rushed over. We followed Samuel’s lead.
“Dan!” he yelled. When we made it to where Mr. Pointer was, we saw a horrible sight.
     Mr. Pointer was crying over Dan’s body. Dan had a knife in his stomach. There was so much blood. Dan’s eyes were looking up but I could tell that he had no life in him. Mr. Pointer held Dan in his arms and closed his eyes. Mr. Pointer was crying and cradle little Dan. I looked at the panel that only wrote in their notes. I was able to catch a glimpse of what they wrote.
Useless.
The panel got up from their seats and headed for the door.
“Wait!” yelled Mr. Pointer. The panel stopped to look at him.
“Do you not care! Why do you not get a doctor or a nurse?”
“It is already dead,” said a woman.
“Put someone should take HIM out. At least in a body bag,”
“Then you go get someone,” said a man.
“YOU ARE MONSTERS!”
“Mr. Pointer! If you keep acting like this we will make you leave this faculty! You are showing your emotions in front of these…experiments!” yelled an older man looking at us with disgust.
“They are NOT experiments! They are children!” The panel already left with Mr. Pointer sobbing over Dan’s death.
“My son, my son,” he kept saying. Then a guard came in and had to separate Mr. Pointer from Dan. Mr. Pointer tried to fight back but the guards were too strong. Then he gave up.
“Children! Children! My children!” he yelled at us. More guards came in to stop him and tried to separate us from him. We all caught a glimpse of him before he left the room.
“I love you,” Then he was gone forever.

“How do you feel?” a man in a uniform asked me.
“Fine,” I replied.
“You saw Mr. Pointer cry, right?”
“Yes,”
“How did that make you feel?”
“I was confused. He said he loved us,”
“How did you feel?”
“Confused. I have heard the word before,”
“Where?”
“Books. Fairytales. True love,”
“Yes,”
“But I never understood the word. Can you tell me?”
“Listen, my dear child. Everything that you heard from Mr. Pointer, forget it. He’s gone. He will never come back,”
“He said he loved us. He loved me,”
“It’s not true,”
“I do not understand,”
“It was an illusion. When something shocking happens, such as a death, we do not know how to react. He was acting based on an illusion. He thought he understood but he did not. Do you understand?”
“It was fake?”
“Yes,”
“He does not love me?”
“No. How do you feel?”
“Fine, I do not feel anything.”
“Good. You passed your test. You leave tomorrow morning for your mission,” he said and left me in my room. I crawled into bed and thought about what the man had said. That it was all a lie and an illusion because Mr. Pointer was confused and in shock. The Mr. Pointer I knew would never show his emotion. I knew the real Mr. Pointer. The Mr. Pointer I saw crying and saying he loved us was a lie. That was a fake Mr. Pointer. If the real Mr. Pointer was here, he would say what he always said to us.
“Focus on the mission. Forget everything else,”

The Trials

There is a place where the people live in poverty. They struggle to feed and clothe themselves along with supporting their families. They are not as rich as we are with science and technology. To them it is still the tenth century. In this place the only way to succeed is to become a master of a trade, but to become a master, one must become an apprentice. Before becoming an apprentice, one must pass the Trials.
The Trials are used to keep only a few people to becoming an apprentice because it is the only way to move up the social latter. Those who pass the Trials may become an apprentice. Those who fail can never take the Trials again, due to the fact that those who fail the Trials, meet death. This is there world and this is where our story will take place.



     I sat on a stool in the corner, cleaning a boot that I was given. I spit on it and cleaned it until it was shinning. Once I was done with that one, I moved on to the next. There were over 100 boots that needed to be cleaned before sun set. That was the time limit I was given.
Once I was done, I got the laundry and washed the clothes and then hung them up to dry. I could smell the food cooking from inside the kitchen. But that was not my place. I walked over to the pigs and cleaned them as best as I could and in exchange I got filthy. My only pair of pants ripe, again. I got up and went to the outhouse to clean the waste that was in the bucket.
After my chores outside, I had to clean the house but the housekeeper would not let me in because of my filth. I sat on a stomp outside until the master of the house returned.
It was night outside and cold. I tried to keep warm by sitting with the pigs, that was when I saw the master of the house. He yelled at me for not cleaning and dusting the house. I could not speak back since it was against the law. The man grabbed me by the ear and dragged me into the forest, calling me hurtful names. Once we were in the forest, he gave me a good beating.
I woke up to the sun beaming down on my body. It was hot and humid. I was bleeding from my nose, mouth, head, arms, and legs. My clothes became filthier than before due to sleeping in the woods. I got up and I felt the pain in my legs due to the beating from the man. I limped back to the house where I saw the female slaves doing my chores.
“Your not welcome here,” they told me.
“What?” I asked.
“You're not welcome here. The master has no use for you. Go on! Get out of here or I’ll beat you till you die!” and I ran off the property. As I ran, I could them laughing behind me. Being let go as a slave was both a good and bad thing. Good because I am free. Bad because now I have no food or shelter. Although I was a slave, the pigs have more then a purpose then I do and the adults are worth more than a child. A child like me cost less than a nickel.
     Eventually I made it to a town square where it was a dead zone. Stores were closed or vacant. Old man and women sat outside, looking at nothing. Children walked around aimlessly searching for food, clothes, or just something to do. I spotted a few dead bodies on the street.
     I spotted a child with a small piece of meat and eating it as quickly as possible. But before she could finish it, a man came out of nowhere and beat her until he had the meat. She was dead.
     I forgot how long I walked but I kept walking from one town to the next. Nothing changed, all the towns were the same. I knew I had to go to a place where the rich people live to find a job, however my dream was not to be a slave forever. My dream was to become an apprentice.



     After what seemed like forever, I made it to a city but I realized that I was not the only one looking for work. Men and women were walking up to nobleman and stores asking for a simple job. Some do not even want to get paid but rather be paid with food and shelter. Children were also crowded with the adults in the crowd trying to get attention. Some noblemen pointed at a few people and put them on the back of their carriages to take home for work.
     I decided that I did not want to return to the life of a slave and instead went to look at the masters of the trade. Many shops were filled with children, wanting to be sponsor for the Trials. Masters were looking at each child and measuring them with measuring tapes and rulers. For some reason, I found these masters to be corrupt and evil. I also knew that they would not accept me due to my small stature and weak body. They would not care that I was a good person or a hard worker.
I sat down on the sidewalk, ignoring the people passing by and the people trying to get jobs. Eventually I fell asleep.
     When I woke up it was night and the streets were filled with people lying everywhere. I woke up because a man was walking down the street. The people sleeping ignored him and he walked passed. He was looking around at each person on the road and then turned to me. His hazel eyes met my green eyes and we stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Eventually he left, but something inside of me told me to follow him. I got up and I started to walk behind him. When we left the city, he turned around to face me.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“I do not bare one,” I told him.
“My name is Joseph. I’m a blacksmith,” I was surprised that a Master would be walking around at night in rags. Masters dressed in the finest of clothing from the noble life and never wore clothing that was made by someone lower than a nobleman.
“Why do you not say anything?” he asked me.
“I’m not use to speaking my thoughts,”
“You are a slave?”
“Yes,”
“You were let go?”
“Yes,” I wanted to cry. The Master looked sad and he looked at me. He stared at me with eyes that seemed sad, as if they wanted to do something but could not.
“Why do you follow me?”
“I do not know. It is a feeling. I do not understand it myself,” There was a moment of silence.
“Do you want to become an apprentice?” I was surprised by his questions. He had not given me any test and yet he wanted to sponsor me. I nodded at him.
“I will be your sponsor,”
      Master Joseph and I rode in a fancy carriage to the capital city. I amazed to see how clean and rich the capital was. My Master informed me that some people do not live in the capital but live in other regions. They go to the capital to see the Trials because it will give them a chance to see which Master they should go to if they ever need to hire someone to do their work. The Trials were a chance for the rich to seek amazing Masters and looking forward to the new apprentices to see what they will become.
Before arriving at the capital, my Master got me nice clothing to wear in public. By my shaved head, the citizens of the capital could tell that I would be competing in the annual Trials to become an apprentice. They wished me all the luck every time I went into a store, restaurant, and even out in public.
      The night before the Trials I stayed up with my Master reviewing my fighting techniques.
“Be aware of your surroundings. You must be able to guard every part of your body,” he told me. I listen to him but he made do moves and forms over and over again until it was perfect. I was also worried about failing.
“Do you want to be an apprentice?” he asked me.
“Yes,”
“Then you need to fight because your life and future will depend on it. They may be bigger than you but you must remind yourself that you are also strong,”
“I understand. But what if I can not kill?”
“Only you can answer that. Now, again!”



     My Master stood next to me in the elevator as it started to go up to arena. There were over 50 boys and girls competing to win the title of apprentice. They split us among our age group and regions. In my category there are a total of 10 boys who are my age and possibly my weight and size, to make it fair. This year, about 10 or less of us will be granted the title of apprentice.
The doors opened and my Master and I stepped out into the waiting room. In the waiting room, I got my armor, helmet, and sword. I looked at the sword, which was made by my Master to fit me. It was made of gold with something written on it.
“You need a name if you are going to become an apprentice,” my Master told me.
“What does it say?”
“Let me tell you a story. There was a war and the enemy had a giant on their side. The giant wanted to fight one on one with the strongest soldier the army had. One by one, the strongest soldiers the army had died to the giant. Then one day, a small boy wanted to fight the giant and the boy went out into the battlefield with nothing but a slingshot. He shot the giant in the forehead and killed him. When the odds were against him, he proved that the smallest person could win. He became a hero,” I only had one question.
“What was his name?”
“David and that is what is written on your sword. That is your name. David,” He held the sword with pride in front of my master. They blew the horns and I knew it was time to enter the arena.



     I walked out with my sword in hand. I went to my starting position and stared at the other boys. Many had swords and a few had different weapons such as sickles, bows, spikes, and more. When the cannon was fired we all charge at each other. I was prepared to fight to the death for my Master.
It all happened so quickly. Blood was spattering everywhere, including my armor. Some boys were hit in the head and others were stabbed or had their throats cut. One boy ran at me and I tripped him. When he fell I stabbed him and that was when I froze. I stared into his lifeless eyes. They were pale blue and his face showed shock. I could not believe what I had done. Everything became silent. I understood why the Trials were created, but I did not understand what kind of shock I was feeling. I went out of my shock when an arrow was pierce through my left shoulder. I turned around to be face to face with the boy with the bow. But then a boy behind him stabbed him with his sword and I was able to pull the bow out with great pain.
     I looked around. The boy in front of me stared at me and we both glanced back and forth between us the bodies of our opponents. The crowd was cheering louder and louder. The boy across from me and I both knew we had to put aside our feelings. The boy charge first.
     I blocked his blow and he blocked mine. I could feel his strength in his swing. He knocked me down to the ground but I was able to roll over before he could stab me. I was able to knock his sword away, but he was able to knock mine away as well. We engage in a fistfight, which was not favoring any of us. We just rolled around trying to hit each other and then I saw in sight a sword, but it was not my sword, it was his! He noticed it too. He got up and ran for his sword as I started to run to the other side of the arena to get mine. I heard him screaming and charging at me with his sword. He was about to give the final blow. I grabbed my sword and turned around. It was finished.
     My eyes were closed but once I opened them I was in shock to realize that my sword stabbed him in the heart. He was still alive and looked down at his body. He started to cough up blood. I pulled my sword out and he dropped to his knees and then fell. The crowd got up and cheered for me. I stared at the bodies that surrounded me and I was wondering if this right?



The ceremony was going to be the next day. Six of us passed the test. In one arena, the last two opponents ended up killing each other accidentally. In the other arenas some won by chance and others were just monsters. I could not eat nor sleep.
“It’s hard,” my Master said.
“How were you able to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Forget about it,”
“I don’t. It will stay with you for the rest of your life,”
“Why do we have to do this, just to become apprentices?”
“Too avoid power among those in poverty and to prevent too many Masters,”
“I understand that but why this way?”
“Because it is survival. Survival of the trade and survival of those who have nothing. There are people who would rather be dead then be poor, but they will die trying,”
“I know. I’m the same way. I want to survive,”
“I’m sorry,” and my Master got up and walked away.


Survival. From that day on I learned that Survival is a cruel man who in the end of everything has the last laugh.

Brother

I turned out the lights. I sat on my bed and watched the shadows dance on my walls. I waited and waited and then I saw him sitting on my bed. His shadow formed and he took off his top hat.

“Hello brother,” I said
“Hello sister,” he said.
“I saw those shadows things in school today. They take the shapes of humans but they do not have faces,”
“Those are the shadow people,”
“Where do they come from?”
“The nightmares and negative emotions from the students in your school. They are created by students who feel hopeless in school,”
“There a lot,”
“There are a lot of them,”
“They look scary,”
“They are supposed to be. They are created by fear,”
“They were everywhere in the hallways,”
“They are in every hallway in every school, including the young ones,”
“Young ones?”
“Yes, the elementary school children,”
“That young?”
“That is when they start to take form, although there are many in high school then they decrease in colleges, but they are still there,”
“They were playing that game today,”
“The hanging game?”
“Yes, they kept hanging themselves,”
“It’s the only game they know,”
“How do they play it?”
“They hang themselves until the last one dies, but they can’t die so they can play it over and over again,”
“Can they hurt humans?”
“Not physically, but emotionally,”
“What about you?”
“I am different from the shadow people. I was once a living person, remember?”
“Yes,”
“We were in the womb together,”
“I know,”
“Do you remember?”
“No, do you?”
“No,”
“I killed you,”
“I know. Your umbilical cord strangle me,”
“Do you hate me?”
“No. If I hated you I would not be here,”
“You are here on orders,”
“True,”
“Why did I survive? This is cruel,”
“One of us had to survive,”
“Why?”
“One of his children had to survive,”
“I do not understand my mission,”
“You a key part in his plan,”
“What plan?”
“Even I do not know. You are neither a human nor a God,”
“Then what am I?”
“I do not know,”
“A demigod?”
“There is no such thing, that was created by human myths. To explain things they could not explain,”
“Sometimes I wish we switched places and I was the one who died,”
“I sometimes feel the same way, but it can not be helped,”
“Will I ever see father?”
“No. No living thing can see him. They can sense him, but not see him,”
“Is he evil?”
“No. He’s just there. He is neither good nor bad,”
“I never had a father,”
“That was planned. Because he is your only father,”
“Brother,”
“Yes?”
“Will you always be there for me?”
“I will always protect you,”
“They say I’m crazy,”
“Maybe you are,”
“No I am not. You are sitting in front of me,”
“But no one else can see me,”
“But I see you, so you must be real,”
“I guess,”
“Do you believe you are here?”
“Yes,”
“Then you are here,”
“But only you can see me. Does that prove I am here?”
“Maybe,”
“Exactly,”
“You will always watch over me right?”
“Yes, even when you can not see me,”
“Will you be with me tomorrow at school?”
“Yes, I will protect you from those teachers who do not believe in you,”
“How?”
“I will tell you what to do. You will make them miserable. Revenge is a wonderful thing,”
“Indeed it is, good night. I love you brother,”
“I love you too sister,”

He started to sing about our father and petted my head. Before I knew it, I fell asleep in his arms.

Daniel

I was so sore. In my hands was an empty cup of water. My hands were shaking. I looked down at the empty cup. It was hot and I was still thirsty. I tried not to move to prevent getting hotter. I leaned against the cold brick wall. I listened to the other boys in their cellars. Some were asleep, others were in pain, and some just cried. No one knew that this would happen to them. I closed my eyes, trying to remember the days when I was happy and safe.



It felt like years ago, although it was only less than a year. I was with my father, studying to be a carpenter. My father was tall, thin, and a happy soul. Although we were poor, he was thankful for everything. The villagers saw my father as a good man. My mother was just as happy as my father. She always smiled and sang to me before bed. She was so beautiful, like an angel. My parents were truly good people that God created. I was proud of my parents and I was happy as well. I was their miracle child since mother lost many children before they were born. My parents told me that I was small and they thought I would not survive a day, but then I survived a week, then a month, then a year. They named me Daniel, after the man who was sent into the lions pit and survived the next day. They told me that God gave me a reason to live. I was special.



I woke up to a loud sound from the end of the hall. The guards came in with meat. I crawled towards the bars and watched as the guards teased the other boys one by one with the meat. When they came to me, I sat still. I pretended not to acknowledge them or the meat they were holding.
“Give it to him,” I heard one of the guards say in Latin, “This one is a champion,” and they put the meat in my cell. When they were out of sight, I grabbed the meat and ate it as if at any moment someone would take it away from me. I did not waste any meat. I did not even spare anything for the rats in my cell. I ate all the way to the bone. I was starving.



It was during the Sabbath when the Romans came. My father and the other men were gathered to the center of the village. My mother took me away from my friends and made me stand by her. We watched, as the Romans were about to give their announcement. There was to be a census for the Emperor of Rome. Every man had to return to the land of his ancestors and bring his family with him. My mother gasped and covered her mouth. My father looked at us with worry. I knew what this meant. We had a long journey. We had to travel to Jerusalem.



I leaned against the wall of my cell and tried to get as close to the window as possible to catch the cool, night air. It was a bit cold, but it was better then being too warm. There was a nice cool breeze. I then decided to lie down so that most of my body could cool down. I stared up at the night sky and saw the moon. While lying there I prayed to God to protect me and help me survive. Although I knew my life was terrible and worthless, I still could hear my father’s words. “God is always with us, especially during times of need,” That night, I feel asleep to those words.



I woke up to the cries of the people we were traveling with. I woke up scared and I could not move. Around me were people, horses, and of course, Roman soldiers. I sat there, crying, not knowing what was going on. My mother held on to me and my father helped the men fight the Romans. They were taking our food and supplies for the journey. I cried and everything happened so quickly. Some soldiers got off their horses and pushed the men aside or fought them. The men had no chance against their swords. There were too many of them. One soldier grabbed my mother and another soldier grabbed me. The soldier grabbed me by the hair and made me let go of my mother’s hand. I screamed and yelled for them to stop. When I let go of her hand, the soldier tossed me to the ground. When I looked up, the soldiers and my mother were gone. I saw my father and yelled for him and then I saw a Roman soldier stab him. I was alone. My happy life ended.



I woke up to the morning sun and just like the day before I was hungry and thirsty. I got up in time to see the guards bring in bread. They placed the bread in my cell and I gulped it all down. They later came back with water. I leaned against the wall, waiting for them to take me out of my cell. One guard came around noontime and took two boys out of their cells and then stepped in front of mine.
“Are you ready?” he asked in Latin and I nodded. I got up as he opened my cell and I walked towards him. He linked my chains to the other two boys in front of me. We walked up the steps that lead out of the cellar and the guard brought us to a room. We were each given to a person to clean us. I was bathed and got my hair cut extremely short. I was also given a new loincloth to wear. The guard came back to gather the other boys and I. I looked at us and smiled at me.
“Ready?” he asked and once again, I nodded.



I was able to make it to Jerusalem. However, no one cared. I was thirsty, starving, tired, and hot. I was still very sad over my father’s death and mother’s disappearance. I walked up to a vendor, staring at the food. The man got a stick and chased me away. I decided to go to the temple and pray to God although I had no offering. I looked at the Rabbis but none of them gave me any attention and told me to leave. I went back to the streets and eventually sat down at a corner and fell asleep. When night fell a Roman soldier awaked me. He asked me questions, but at this time I did not understand Latin, only Hebrew. The soldier made me stand up and looked at my features. He then grabbed my arm and took me to a house.



“What do you want?” asked the guard. The boys and I looked at the weapons that our master had to offer. I picked a sword and a shield. My personal favorite. The other two boys choose their favorite weapons, although I could tell that one boy was new. Once we choose our weapon, the guard took us to the waiting room. He pointed at the new boy. He got up, shaking and scared. The guard took him outside.



The house was polish and filled with vases, flowers, fruits, furniture, and it was clean and smelled wonderful. The soldier took me to a man dressed in Rome’s finest clothing. This man was a rich and sitting next to him was a boy about my age. The soldier and man exchanged words in Latin. Then the man got up from his seat and looked at me. He checked my arms, teeth, hair, and legs. The man smiled and gave the soldier a small bag that I could tell had coins in it. The boys, his son I presumed, did nothing but sat there eating grapes. The man gave me to a servant and that was the start of my new life.




The guard came back and took the other boy. After what seemed like forever, the guard came for me and I stood proudly. The guard took me to the arena and once I was in, he closed the gate. I looked around and watched the citizens of Rome cheer and yell. I looked across the arena and saw my opponent. A boy about my size and weight with a sword that seemed to have come from Egypt. He had no shield. When the horn sounded, we charge at each other.
The boy was strong but I could tell he did not have the experience I had. He was able to cut me on my leg, but I was able to cut him on both his arms. When we both got tired, two guards came in and took away our weapons. We both stood there, staring at each other, with just our fists and feet. We once again charge at each other and his fists felt like pillows. They were too soft but I could tell that my punches really hurt him. He was able to punch me in the face and made my lip bleed, but when I looked at him, he was coughing up blood.
I charge at him and we both fell to the ground, rolling on top of each other, trying to get the other pin down. We punch, kick, and scratch each other. He was a worthy opponent. Eventually his strength gave in and I was on top. I punch him and over and over again until he was very weak. A guard came in and placed a few weapons on the ground and then left. I walked over and grabbed a knife and walked back to the boy who was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain and trying to roll over. He coughed up more blood.
I put my foot on his chest and he looked up at me. He was tired, sweating, and he had fear in his eyes. He knew this was it. I looked up to the game master. Waiting for his orders. He put out his fist in the air and I looked down at the boy.
“What is your name? Who are you? Please tell me so I can die with honor,” the boy said in Latin.
“Marius,” I told him.
“No. Your real name,”
“Daniel,”
“Hebrew, no? My name is Ammon,”
“Egyptian?”
“Yes. Kill me, please,” I looked up to see the game master. He knew that we were speaking, but no one cared. We were only pawns to them. We were their entertainment. We were nothing more but slaves. Slaves fighting to the death.
The master pointed his thumb down and everyone cheered. I looked down at Ammon and he nodded. He closed his eyes and prepared for it. I had done this so many times and every time I feel terrible and guilt. But none of them were like this boy. Ammon was prepared to die, my other opponents struggle and did not seem human. They became monsters. I was struggling to put the knife into Ammon’s heart but I knew that if I did not do it, I would be killed to.
“I’m sorry,” I told him and I stabbed him. I wanted to survive because I always fought to the end. When it was over, everyone in the audience cheered, but I kneeled down next to Ammon and weep. The guards came out and took me away.
I was whipped before returning to my cell. We are not allowed to show emotions. We are not supposed to show pity to our opponents. When I was alone in my cell, I looked up towards the sky. I got on my knees and prayed. I prayed for God’s forgiveness and to show me mercy. As I was praying I cried and moaned. I was no longer a survivor. I became a monster.

Hallow

     I pulled up in the driveway when my watch told me it was noon on the dot. I parked in front of the porch and got out of my car with my briefcase. I looked around the property. The house dated back to around the 1800’s and was awfully big and old. The shutters were about to fall off, the porch squeaked with every step, the windows were dusted, and the paint was almost nonexistence on the house. The house was on a hill that overlooked the small village.
     It was a chilly day in October and the trees and bushes around the house had no leaves. The grass was brown and there were no flowers. On one side of the house was a pumpkin field filled with different sizes and shapes of pumpkins along with one scarecrow that had a crow on the top of its head. The crow stared at me, watching me. As if it was guarding the house. The scarecrow that it sat upon almost seemed real, like it was made from a human. However, you could easily see the hay sticking out from the hands, feet, and head.
     On the other side of the house was a cemetery filled with over one hundred tombstones and one large mausoleum. I looked at the records before arriving at the house and realized that the house had been in the family for many years. Relatives were buried in the cemetery, including the original owners.
The original owners were a rich couple from Europe. They owned a couple of factories and industries. They moved to America for a better life and needed a big house for their thirteen children. The house was passed down to the oldest child and that child passed it down to his oldest child and so on. Also in the record it showed that extended family members such as aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc. lived in the house as well when they had nowhere else to go. This house was a safe heaven for any family member in this family.
     I knocked on the door, which like everything on the outside of the house, seemed like it was falling apart. I waited patiently for about a minute and knocked on the door again. This time the door opened and I could see that it was very dark inside but I did not see anyone at the door.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Hello,” said a small voice. I looked down and realized that one of the children of the family opened the door. The child was female, with pale skin, long black hair, dark eyes, and wore a black dress with a red ribbon in her hair.
“My name is Mr. Black. I am here to meet with Mr. Hallow,” I told the child.
“Which one?” she asked innocently. This child could not be more than seven or eight but something seemed to be very sinister about her.
“I am here to see a Mr. Earl Hallow,” and when I said the name, the child became paler and for a second seemed frighten.
“Mary, who is at the door? Do not open the door for strangers,” said a male voice. A man in a black suit appeared at the door and took little Mary by the hand. The man had black hair that was pushed back and just like the child was pale, had dark eyes, and had something that seemed sinister about him.
“Mr. Black is here to see Earl,” the child told the man. Just like the child, the man turned paler and for a split second seemed frighten.
“I suppose you are not Earl Hallow,” I said to the man.
“No, I am Gabriel Hallow. I am Earl’s third cousin. Please excuse me, but why are you here?” he asked politely.
“I have a meeting with Mr. Earl Hallow about his mortgage. Are appointment was at noon. It is already twelve o five,”
“Mortgage? We own this house,” Gabriel said with a confusing look on his face.
“I can only talk about the details to Mr. Earl Hallow,” Gabriel looked down, nodded, and allowed me to enter.
     The inside of the house was dark, as I was expecting from when the door opened. The hallway led to the living room. I was surprised that there was no television, only a radio. The carpet was red with a very nice design that seemed to be from somewhere in Asia. The walls were covered with family members who passed on along with very old family photos that were taken generation after generation. Over the fireplace was a portrait of a man who had curly hair, a mustache, and dark eyes.
“Lou Hallow. He was the one who bought the house many years ago. The first head of the family,” said Gabriel.
“Lou?” I asked since that was not a common name during the 1800’s.
“It was his nickname. We do not know his full name. Please sit down. I’m sure Earl will be asking for you soon. Mary, we need to go upstairs for your lessons. The other children are already there,” Gabriel and Mary headed up the stairs and then went out of site.
I sat down in a chair that I could tell was very old. Although old, it was very comfortable. On the table were cups filled with tea along with a teapot. I picked up the cup to take a sip, but then something told me not to drink it so I put it down.
     The room had an eerie feeling, with all these pictures staring at me. A young man, a young women, two children (a brother and a sister), an infant, an old couple, three men, a group of women, a family photo that was dated 1895, a group of children with the youngest about five and the oldest in her teens, a young boy in a nursery, a girl with flowers, and the pictures kept going and going and going.
“Mr. Black. Earl will see you now,” said a voice at the top of the stairs. I turned around to see a young woman. She looked just like Gabriel and Mary with her long black hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and had that sinister look. She was very thin and wearing a black lady’s suit.
“Who are you?” I asked shaking her hand.
“Ruth Hallow,” she answered, “please, follow me,”
     We walked down a long hallway and on the left side of the hallway there were portraits of famous people that I recognized: Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawtorne, Herman Melville, Abigail Williams, H.P. Lovecraft and more.
“These people are our famous ancestors. A few of them remained in Europe; others arrived to America before Lou. Although some did not live in this house, we still consider them our family,” said Ruth.
We stopped at the end of the hall were a heart was carved on the door. Ruth knocked on the door and a voice said, “enter” and we both went inside.
     The room had no decorations. The only thing in the room was a long table and there were people sitting around it. I recognized Gabriel and I watched as Ruth took her seat. There also was a big man sitting next to Gabriel and a man who looked as if his eyes were on fire sitting next to Ruth. I took noticed that five seats were empty and at the very end of the table was a man, in a dark suit, with a black cane, and wearing a top hat.
“Mr. Earl Hallow I presume,” I said.
“Yes and I presume you are Mr. Black. I hear there is some confusion over the mortgage of this house,” he said, putting both his hands on his cane. He was much older then the other members at the table and I could see fear and respect on their faces for him.
“I have papers here that say you owe the bank a great amount of money,” I said taking out the folder, I was about to walk over and give it to him when he put up his hand to stop me.
“I paid,” he said.
“No, you did not. I have the documents right here,” I said holding up the folder. Earl shook his head and from the bottom of his seat, took out a folder and gave it to Ruth, who passed it to the man next to her, who passed it to me. I opened the folder and realized that there was indeed a mistake. My own mistake! Earl paid his mortgage a few days ago and was now the owner of the building. I stared at the document to see who signed it.
“It was signed by Peter Hallow, a member of our family who works with the bank,” said Earl. I stared at the document and realized that it was a valid document. That was when I realized how much power this family had and something did not seem right.
“I do not know a Peter Hallow,” I told Earl who gave me an angry look. His family members looked angry and frighten at the same time.
“He does not work in the village. He works a couple towns over,” Earl replied with a tone of anger in his voice. There was nothing I could do.
“Please excuse me for my mistake. I will return to the bank and undo this misunderstanding. Do you have a copy of this document?” I asked.
“Keep it,” Earl replied. I put the documents in my briefcase and walked towards the door but when I turned the knob, the hairs on the back of my neck went up. I opened the door and saw two teenagers standing there, blocking my way.
“Excuse me,” I said, but they did not move. That was when I blacked out.

     I woke up feeling dizzy and nauseous. My head was spinning and I opened my eyes and everything was fuzzy. Slowly, my sight came back. I looked up to see the family members who were at the meeting, three children, and Earl staring at me. The Earl was reading from a black book and I could not understand what language he was speaking in. No, he was not speaking, he was chanting! That was when I felt the pain in my hands and feet.
“Am I tied to something?” I thought but the pain started to get worse. I stared at each family member and I could see every sinister look on their faces. Then I realized that my hands and feet were not tied, but nailed. I realized what was happening and I started to scream! I started going crazy and trying to tell myself that this was not happening, but it was happening! Their faces only gave me grins and their eyes looked evil!
     I realized that I was nailed to an upside down cross and I knew who Lou was. Lucifer. Satan!

Empathy

     Everything is white. White clothes, white lights, authorities wearing white coats, even the walls were painted white. I stared up straight and only looked at the head in front of my own. I stood straight, shoulders back, and that was when I noticed how cold my feet were. My feet were on hard, cold, floor. My hands would not move and the only thing I could do was look forward.
The authorities in the white coats walked up and down the aisles. None of us show any expressions. None of us flinch. I lost count of how many of us there were. Twenty? Forty? Maybe sixty? We were all of different ages and backgrounds. White, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, and anything else you can think of. The youngest looked about four or five and the oldest about twenty-eight or twenty-nine.
     One of the authorities took my left arm and started to measure it along with my thighs, legs, and head. He took me by the arm and took me out of the line. He told me to get in a new line that was forming in the front. When they were done looking around the room, I gave a quick glance to see whom else they picked. They picked ten of us, again of different backgrounds, ages, and genders. Those who were not picked were dismissed.
     They gave me a new room. I had my own room instead of sleeping with the other girls in the dormitories. In the room there was a twin bed with light sheets, a toilet in the corner, a shelf with three books, and an empty desk. I got on the bed and crawled into a small ball and cried. I missed my family and friends, but I knew they were not coming back.
     I woke up to one of the guards opening the door. He grabbed my arm and took me to a room that had two chairs. One was empty and the other chair across the table was occupied. I was in shock when I looked up to see who it was.
“Mr. Allan?” I asked.
“Hey, kiddo,” he replied.

     Mr. Allan was my English teacher before the attack. In his class there were only thirteen of us, including my friend Jeff. The class was my favorite during the school day and everyone got along. It was one of those memories that you wished could have happened everyday in your life. Mr. Allan was a great teacher, especially since he got me interested in reading and writing. Mr. Allan was not just my teacher; he was my mentor and friend.
     But just before the school year ended, the country was attacked. It was a Saturday afternoon and the bomb killed my family and destroyed the town. The other orphans and I left our town and walked until we could find a town where we could eat and sleep. Sadly, most of us died from starvation and cold within a year. A year after the bombing, they found us and took us to this facility. I had not seen Mr. Allan in almost two years.

     In the room, they always placed me with Mr. Allan. They asked us questions and we wrote our answers on a piece of paper. Mr. Allan and I never talked during these secessions. We just did what were told. We were told to write down our answers over and over again. They were random questions such as “write down a color” or “write down a number” or “write down a date”. It just kept going on and on, but one day they asked me the questions when I was in the room alone. But I somehow knew that Mr. Allan was in the room next to me.
“Where is Matt Allan?” the voice said.
“Next store?” I answered.
“Why do you say that?”
“Just a gut feeling”

     During one of the secession they put wires on our heads and instead of writing the answers on a piece of paper, they wanted us to think it. I thought all my answers to their questions but my hunger sometimes distracted me.
“Are you hungry?” the voice asked and I nodded.
“Take a break,” the voice said and they brought the food in. When the food came in, they escorted Mr. Allan out but I knew he was just going into the next room.
“Hey, kiddo,” I heard Mr. Allan say.
“Mr. Allan?” I asked out loud but he was not around.
“I am not there, kid. I am in your head. That is why we are always together. Do you know what an empathy is?
“No,”
“Scientist believe that that when two people’s bond are strong enough, they can share feelings, experiences, and even thoughts and ideas,”
“Is it true?”
“Well, I’ve been dreaming of your past. Your past must be very strong,” He was right. Every night before going to bed I cried, wishing my family and friends would return.
“You feel sad,” he said.
“Yes. You’re sad too. From you, I am reading that you miss your girlfriend,” I said. There was silence and then the authorities came back in to do more research.
“Mr. Allan, what do these people want with us? Why did they take us? We’re just humans.”
“Power, kiddo. They don’t see us as humans but as monsters. We’re monsters.”
“No, Mr. Allan, they are the monsters.”

2102

2038: Noah Dues, a candidate running for President of the United States of America is elected. He ran for a third party known as the Freedom party. He won the election by a landslide. He promised health, better education, wealth, and more to the people.

2040: President Dues passed the New Alien Act, College $ Act, Fair Education Act, and more. Now illegal immigrants gain citizenship, more students attend college despite money, and every child gets a fair education. Everyone is happy and pleased with these new acts.

2042: President Deus is elected again by a landslide. He continues to pass more acts and laws, which every citizen of the United States do not argue against. President Deus continues to bring fairness, health, and money to the people. Everyone is still happy, both young and old. Those who are old can retire and young people are getting jobs due to President Deus.

2045: President Deus is seen as a hero and no one can measure up to him. He brought happiness to the United States and made us the most powerful country on Earth. People want him to run a third term and so does Congress. President Deus agrees to run for a third term for the people.

2046: The Republican Party died out. The Freedom Party that was once a third party is now a first party. Now the parties are The Freedom and The Democrats. Noah Deus against Reuben Inverno. President Deus wins without difficulties.

2049: Congress and the House of Representatives became corrupt. President Deus and the United States military attacked Congress and House of Representatives. President Deus put people in Congress and House of Representatives whom he saw fit. The people of the United States knew that there was corruption but now realize that President Deus has full control of the government. Near the end of 2049, President Deus attacked the judicial branch and put his own people in their place. He now controls everything.

2050: The people rebelled but due to President Deus having military power, the people lost. The 2nd Civil War lasted for 6 months but was pointless. Without leadership, there was no way the people could win. By December of 2050, President Deus declared himself Emperor of the United States by the right of God.

2052: Emperor Deus changed the name “United States of America” to “Deus”. Military burned religious and history texts. Emperor Deus created a new currency, pledge of alligance, flag, religion, and history.

2055: At the age of 61, Emperor Noah Deus died on March 15th 2055. His son, Abraham “Abe” Deus takes over the country. The first thing that Emperor Abe Deus does is passed the Isolation Act. This Act said that no citizen was allow to leave the country without the permission of the Emperor and are only allowed to leave for a short time. However, due to our power many immigrants from poor countries want to move in. Deus allows them to come with open arms. Very few leave the country but many enter for wealth and health care.

2056: Canada, France, and Great Britain declare war on Deus and vow to bring back democracy. Deus received help from China, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, and Brazil. Many young men sign up to fight for Deus and the Emperor and those who are too young sign up to attend military academies and wait until they are of age to fight. Even men as old as 50 want to help and fight. This was the start of World War III.

2060: Canada surrender. Deus destroyed all the villages, towns, and cities in Canada. The Canadians were sent to prisons as prisoners of war. Emperor Abe Deus annexed Canada to Deus and made it a wasteland. Canada became known as Carcerem, also known as the Prison Land. The country sent all their criminals to Carcerem. Carcerem held all different types of criminals from drug dealers to prisoners of war to muerders. The prisons held men, women, and children. The Children’s Ward held children as young as three months old and by the time they can walk, trained them to work.

2070: World War III ended. Deus and the other countries won by using nuclear weapons on Great Britain and France along with any other countries that aided them. Just like with Canada, Deus took the citizens and sent them to Carcerem. Deus made France and Great Britain colonies of Deus. Citizens from Deus were now allowed to leave the motherland and go to the colonies and start their businesses and work.

2071: By force, Emperor Abe Deus annexed Mexico. Children in Mexico were sent to boarding schools in the motherland to learn English and the culture. By doing this, Mexico lost their culture. People started to move into what was once known as Mexico. Mexican culture was discouraged and anyone seen practicing their religion or customs were sentence to public death.

2075: Deus controlled all of North and Central America. By this time, Brazil controlled all of South America. Deus and Brazil signed a peace treaty. Brazil had to adapt Deus culture and make their official language English, not Portuguese. Many children from rich families in Brazil were sent to Deus to learn the language and culture.

2085: Deus has colonies:
1st colony (once known as Great Britain). Capital: Noah
2nd colony (once known as France). Capital: Dios
3rd colony (once known as Japan). Capital: Abraham
4th colony (once known as Hong Kong). Capital: Isaac

2090: Deus gained colonies in parts of Africa and the Middle East. Europe signed a peace treaty that Deus will not attack or invade Europe, however, Europeans must speak and understand English and the European countries must pay money to Deus each year. Or else: War.

2100: Spain and Portugal refused to pay Deus. Both countries were attack by three atomic bombs. Both countries gave in to Deus and Deus created 5th and 6th colony. The citizens were sent to Carcerem. By this time, Carcerem is all of Canada, Alaska, and some northern states. However, many people have moved to one of the many colonies. Due to the prisons being over crowded, many criminals were sentence to death to make room. They were chosen at random and it did not matter why they were there or their age and gender. They were just prisoners.

2102: At the age of 78, Abe Deus died and his son, Isaac Deus took over on September 18th 2102: My 100th birthday.

The people who are in the prisons are so down, unhappy, and separated, that many of them feel like this is the end of civilization. Those who are citizens of Deus feel like this is the beginning of civilization, but they are wrong. Once Isaac takes over, it gets worse for everyone and all the people who were on Earth will vanish under his rule: Including myself.


- Random citizen of Deus; Died September 30th 2102.