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.