The Slant

Destination: Unknown

2010-11-08T17:56:00.003-05:00

By TJ R.

Loading… loading… loading… loading process complete. Systems now online. Conducting task assessment:You are: TJ MatrixLocation: Dallastown Area High SchoolItems: packed school lunch in plastic grocery bag, an Ultimate Spiderman comic book, a black Nintendo DS, keys to house, chap stick, gum, wallet, headphones for the DS, and thoughtsObjectives (must be completed in this order): 1.) go to cafeteria 2.) grab napkins 3.) find empty table to sit at 4.) read book while eating lunch 5.) when finished eating, throw away trash and exit cafeteria 6.) find comfortable place to sit and play DS until it is time to return to class.Allies or acquaintances: NonePotential adversaries and enemies: everyone

Begin task:That’s what my mind feels like during the lunch period at school, a friggin computer listing instructions for me like a military operation. I begin my mission by walking down the draining school hallway. From either end, the hallways look like you’ll never reach the opposite side like in that of sci-fi horror movies. The beige and white colors of the hallway walls try to make me fall asleep as I continue my walk to the cafeteria. My stride pushes me into the lobby. Even though the lobby is the same color as the hallway, it’s not as depressing. However the vastness of it makes a person like me feel even more lonely than I already am. It’s just a large empty place that tears off any armor of independence that you have. The only way to defend yourself or be immune to it’s leeching effect is to walk with a friend and they will act as a shield. Defenseless, I fight my way through the leech lobby and enter the battlefield. I’m immediately surrounded by more white but it appears to be less powerful. It turns out that luminescent heat beams are putting the white in its’ place. Before I continued the mission, I gave the beams my appreciation by admiring their lovely show of force. I snapped myself out of a daze and instantly my enemy radar turned on. As always, the enemies were all around me in little clusters, but they weren’t in endangering mode. There are various sounds encircling me: Conversations on the fighting grounds that acted like background music; and the scrape of chairs across the floor. There was even a slight hum sound that aroused from all the noise. Using my radar as a map, I bobbed and weaved my way through the clusters and made it to the neutral supply and rations stations. I nabbed some thin white napkins and searched for a table where I could set up a temporary base. I spot a table in a corner of the battlefield; it is deep within a section that is controlled by jocks. On my way to the table, I pass through Stoner Lane; this is one of the aisles in between the tables, where typically 2-8 of the tables are occupied by druggies, jokesters, or bad girls, but not all the time. Stoner Lane leads into Jock Corner. Stoner Lane soldiers are less dangerous than the soldiers of Jock Corner. So when I come into Jock Corner, my radar alerts me to the increased danger risk of stepping in this territory. After another round of chair dodging, I reach the table and plop into the seat that gives me the greatest view of the entire battlefield. I set up the base by placing my food and comic book on the table. I quickly assess my food and choose to eat the hand cooked chips first. I rip open the crinkly bag of chips. Using experience from familiar process, two of my fingers lunge after a chip. The chip is rough and bumpy. The salt crystals feel like big pieces of sand. Like a crane, my fingers move the sandy chip in front of my mouth. The crane opens and I win the prize. The chip is a little salty and bursts with scrumptious bland flavor. As I twist and chew the chip in my mouth, it softens and it continues to soften until it is no more. I pop open my comic book and I am captivated by the intense emotion and action of the Ultimate Spiderman comic book. I continue reading as I robotically eat the chips using the radar and not my vision. Once I finish the rest of the lunch, I grab my bottle of orange juice. I am forced to liberate my eyes from the comic book for the first time in 15 minutes. I twist off the cap of the bottle; pull my head back so it’s facing the ceiling; and chug the orange juice. As the orange river flows into my mouth, I keep my eyes focused on the ceiling so I don’t have to look at the enemies. After air is the only thing left in the bottle: I wipe my mouth free of any crumbs; I gather up my remaining items and trash; rise from my seat at the base and start heading towards the battlefield exit. Since Jock Corner’s chairs are usually cluttered, I once again mindlessly evade the little death traps; but making sure that I keep my eyes on the current goal and never on an enemy. When I reach the trash can vibrating winds from a fan, in tray drop-off center, surround me. I quickly dump my trash and exit the battlefield, afraid that the winds might blow me off my feet. After exiting the cafeteria, the loud conversation sound lower in volume and I am once again hit with the depressing loneliness of the hallway. Social deprivation overcomes me like a cold gust of wind. This time, I protect myself with a shield of my own. I unfold the shield and pop in its sound deflectors as well. I put the shield in max protection mode by turning it on. Its two screens light up and grab me from this dreadful reality. As my feet carry me down the hallway, the screens take me to a place where I am loved as a hero and a friend. I stay in the false reality; because, honestly where else can I go?

Theory of super powers

2010-11-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

By Isaac M.

Super powers are a broad and widely excepted concept, the theory of them exist to make you want to have them and be a super person.There are a huge assortment of different super powers, but they all come down to about 3 – 5, main categories. Being super by means of the body being physically inclined such as super speed or super strength, super intelligence is being super by means of the mind such as processing information super fast or figuring out task super fast, the third super power category is magical when no one can really explain why they have these powers.

There are two other category of super power which is basically ninja’s and a world where anyone and everyone can have super powers. This world is very rarely seen in comics or even main stream stories.In these 3 – 5 categories there are literally thousands of different kinds of powers. Such as teleportation, super speed, super strength, energy blast, air control, fire control, rock/earth control, water control, electricity control, and others.That’s the world of super powers what they are and the different kinds of them. Hope you learned something!

Review: Hate List

2010-05-26T19:31:00.001-04:00

By Jenn K.

I would recommend the book Hate List to anybody who likes to be on the edge of their seat, or who likes to read about mysteries. Hate List is about a girl named Val who is being accused of being involved with her boyfriend, Nick when he decided he was going to shoot everybody who was on the ‘Hate List’. Val helped Nick come up with some of the names to put on the hate list, but she had no idea he was going to kill all those people. Val only thought the hate list was to relieve stress for the two of them. Hate list is a very good book that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. That is why I would recommend the book Hate List to everybody.

Article: What makes a super being?

2010-05-19T19:21:00.000-04:00

By Isaac M.

One day the world will all live in the makings of super heroes and super villains’. This world will have come about by some of the most advanced technology being leaked out onto the streets allowing anyone access to this massive knowledge and everyone knows knowledge is power. If someone contains the use of mass amounts of knowledge and the will power to go thru with anything people throw at him and bad intentions he becomes a super villain.

If the technology gets into the hands of a man who has good intentions and also has the will power to get thru anything that happens this makes a super hero. If a man with the good intention but lacks in the will power department gets these technologies it creates a “Side-kick” this counts for good and bad intentions. So now you understand what creates a super villain or a super hero or even a side kick.

Review: Lunar: Silver Star Harmony

2010-05-12T18:39:00.000-04:00

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is a brand-new PSP remake of the classic Sega CD game Lunar: The Silver Star, one of the most famous JRPGs of all time. It expands upon the story of its predecessor, including the addition of a prologue chronicling the final battle of Dragonmaster Dyne. Random monster encounters have also been replaced with sprites that can be avoided (on occasion) if the party is low on health. All cutscenes have been remastered, along with the soundtrack.

The game follows the story of young Alex, a boy destined to become a Dragonmaster like his hero, Dyne. He is joined on his quest by his adopted sister Luna. In a nearly incestual turn of events, a romance plays out between the adopted siblings. Don't let this turn you off, though; it's a very cute, yet passionate romance. Soon enough, Alex (along with a few companions) is fighting the evil Magic Emperor, who has set out to imprison the dragons and dethrone Goddess Althena. The storyline, while fairly linear, is quite deep.

The gameplay is fun and addictive, but as with many RPGs, it gets repetitive. The old-fashioned cutscenes, despite being remastered, fail to take full advantage of the PSP's widescreen display. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is absolutely amazing. In fact, for those of you aren't PSP Go owners, you can buy the special edition version of the game for $10 more and receive the OST as a bonus! Overall, Lunar is an excellent game, as long as you're not looking for something that retains its glory upon successive playthroughs, and at only $30, it's a steal.

Article: Worst Team Ever

2010-05-05T19:17:00.002-04:00

By Gregori G.

When I was only in fourth grade, my dad put me on a soccer team. There was a problem with putting me on a soccer team. I didn’t know how to play. The first I game I played with the team, we lost. I had no idea what I was doing on the field. I didn’t even touch the ball one time during the entire game. That wasn’t the worst game I had. The worst game I ever had was when I had just got on the field and then all of a sudden I turn around and the ball hits me in the face. I didn’t do anything, not even cry. The worst part of me getting hit in the face with the ball is that my dad’s entire soccer team was there. That was really embarrassing. My dad says that I cried when the ball hit me, but the truth is I really didn’t cry.

Later on I never returned to that team because they weren’t any good. In the middle of fifth grade my dad put me on another team called the Big Green. This team wasn’t as bad as the other one. We actually won some games and I knew what I was doing this time. Then once we got older we started to win all our games and we became undefeated for four seasons in a row. I stopped playing outside and started playing indoor soccer with them. Indoor soccer wasn’t the best thing for us.

Big Green didn’t have an indoor team for the winter that was coming, so I joined Red Lion because they asked me to join. The first game we played, we lost. I didn’t feel so bad because it was only our first game, but after two more games, I knew this team was no good. Since the team didn’t really know how to play so well, I figured I could use those games as practice. I’m still playing with Red Lion just for indoor, but once spring soccer starts I’m going back to Big Green.

Review: Storm Front

2010-04-21T18:25:00.002-04:00

By Dan Spiers

Storm Front is part action novel, part suspense mystery. It’s about a wizard named Harry Dresden in modern-day Chicago that struggles to work as a private investigator and as a consultant for the Chicago police department. Storm Front jumps right into the action with Dresden receiving a phone call from a woman who wants to hire Harry to locate her husband. Immediately after the call, the Chicago Police hire Dresden to investigate an unnaturally gruesome murder. After seeing the crime scene, on his way home, Harry is harassed by Gentleman Johnny Marcone, local crime lord. If that’s not enough, Dresden also has to contend with drug running, black magic, dark rituals, talking skulls, seductive vampires, and a council of wizards watching Harry’s every move.

All in a day’s work for Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden.

The story successfully merges numerous plot lines into an exciting and shocking conclusion. Storm Front delivers witty dialogue mixed with a touch of magic. Personally I enjoyed this book because I’ve always been a fan of fantasy books, yet if one were to ignore all the mystical references, they would find value in Jim Butcher’s style of writing that gets the reader involved with the moment. Storm Front is only the first book in the series “The Dresden Files”.

This book deals with mature content and should be read either under parental permission or by responsible individuals.

Review: Dark Cloud

2010-04-14T18:32:00.001-04:00

Once I had a game called Dark Cloud as a matter of fact I still do,well I started playing this game for a While and trust me this game was like really hard super hard but you know what I hated the most,no well ill tell you.Ok so the sword you have on dark cloud it has a limit if you well Actually you have Multiple Swords in this game its like an Rpg kinda game……. Ya im a nerd kinda well Anyway if you fight for to long with out Repairing it, it breaks and Personally I think that really sucks cat nip like seriously why and the dude your playing as he gets thirsty all the time so you have to bring food&water with you Every freakin where which is stupid as crap hes like a Wimp like Seriously oh im off topic well I really did just want to talk about the swords lol…. Well that’s really all ok then :D am I Aloud to put a Smiley face there I hope I am to late now lol.

Review: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

2010-04-07T15:00:00.014-04:00

By Karina G.

This is about a group of six flying-human kids that are trying to save their youngest flock member. Max is the leader and is fourteen; Fang is the second in command and is also fourteen; then comes Iggy who also is fourteen and is blind but has a sensitive hearing and sense of touch; Nudge comes next. She is from an African descent and is a nonstop 12-year old chatter mouth; she can also decode passwords to computers and things that have passwords. After Nudge is The Gasman. He is eight and is known for his name since he was born with a strange digestive problem. He and Iggy are best friends; they can make bombs out of almost anything! After The Gasman finally comes Angel. Angel is six and she and The Gasman are the only true-blooded siblings out of the whole flock. She can read minds, control minds, and breath underwater.

The book starts off with the flock and their flashbacks of their, what they considered, “father” who had saved them from “The School” which really isn’t a school but a place where they did [harsh] experiments to do research and their “father”, Jeb Batchelder, had saved them from and took them to a far away house and then disappeared for 2 years. During those 2 years they thought he was dead and have been living on their own. But one day when the flock is out berry picking a group of erasers (half man –half wolf) attack the flock and take Angel and leave everyone else alive. The flock is in the search for her. On their way, Max can’t help but to fly down and help a girl who is being harassed by two men. Max beats the crap out of them since she is inhumanly strong and tells the girl, Ella, to run. The bad news is that the guys have a gun and Max isn’t bullet-proof, so she runs into the forest and they shoot her also damaging her wing. She stumbles and falls and the guys don’t find her and leave. It starts pouring rain and she can’t fly to catch up to the flock but she encounters Ella again, she and her mom take her in and they see her wings but don’t freak out. Dr. Martinez is a vet and helps Max but she stays for 3 days to recover and then leaves to go catch up to her flock;. Angel is taken to the school and is going under extremely painful testing preformed by the white coats; she then takes in shocking news: Jeb is alive and working for the school! Later on the flock gets her out and then escape. While they are fleeing/hiding in New York from the white coats they are revealed and all over newspapers and by coincidence and luck are given free makeovers by TV people on the streets of NY and their identities are changed. But then the whole flock is captured but they all end up escaping. Also throughout the book Fang and Max end up feeling differently towards each other but Max is too afraid to admit it. Max also develops a strange voice in her head that is telling her that her mission is to save the world.

Article

2010-03-31T18:26:00.003-04:00

By Christian

I’m moving to another house, but I guess it’s not bad either so hopefully I’ll get used to it. Starting at the end of this week I’ll probably have to change buses and bus stop just to get to school, but I have to make plans for tomorrow. Then at the beginning of next week, I’m officially moved in. So have you guys seen the previews of the new movies coming out soon. There are two movies that I want to see. Hopefully I’ll get to see them. It’s been a long time since I have been to the mall. Lately I have heard Avatar has been the best movie my friends have seen in their entire lives. Well maybe while I’m at the mall, I guess I’ll watch it. I’ve never found it interesting, but WTH I might like it. But I’ll probably won’t be able to do anything for the next week or so since my mom and I have to renovate the new place. And that’s pretty much it for me.

2010 Beach Party

2010-03-31T18:02:00.000-04:00

Check out these killer pics from our beach party!

Review: PSP Go

2010-03-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

by Jesse B.
Note: More awesomeness at The T4inted Mirror.

I know it's been out for a while, and I know I've had one almost since the launch date, but the PSP Go (PSP-N1000/PSP-N1001) has become such an integral part of my gaming life that I can't resist writing a belated review. Available in both black and white, the PSP Go is the first truly portable PlayStation Portable. With its slick sliding screen and compact frame, it's hard not to feel lusty over the PSP Go. And don't forget the integrated microphone. But you didn't come here just to hear about its aesthetic value.

The PSP Go is the first PSP to not feature a UMD drive. Instead, the tiny system sports a 16GB internal hard drive. How do you acquire games, you ask? Simple. The games are downloaded straight from PlayStation Network (PSN). While you may not be able to buy every game ever released for the PSP, the vast majority of popular games are accessible, with more being added every week. The best part is that every single new release is made available on PSN on the Thursday after its release, allowing the avid gamer to download fresh titles without taking a trip to the store. If store-bought games are more your speed, game cards (PSN gift cards) are made available of many games. Simply type in the code on the back of the card into your PSP and your download will commence.

For those of you interested in hacking your PSP, I have some bad news. The PSP Go has thus far proven itself unhackable. But quite honestly, unless you planned on pirating games, there aren't too many features you could want that aren't already included. And there is one BIOS hack (You can find it yourself, reader.) that allows the system to play Flash content such as YouTube videos. No hacking is recommended by The T4inted Mirror, as hacking is often illegal and always voids your warranty.

Who is the PSP Go recommended for? Hardcore gamers who are in need of a high-quality portable system would find the PSP Go very appealing. Who isn't the PSP Go for? Current owners of earlier PSP models would not want to buy the PSP Go, as there is no (legitimate) program to transfer UMDs to digital form. Also, while there are a few well-designed softcore games available for the PSP, the novice or younger gamer may very well find more games his speed made for the (much more economical) Nintendo DSi.

Article

2010-03-13T15:27:00.001-05:00

by Christian

Now that the new semester has started everything has been confusing and bad. The bad part is, having to go from one side of the school to the other two times. But other than that it’s all good. For some reason, I enjoy my classes they are actually better than my old ones that I had last semester. Although, English is kind of awkward sometimes. Like when the teacher would ask something the room would get quiet and no one would answer. So she would have to call on one of the students. It’s like the beginning of the school year where no one knows anyone until later in the year people start talking to each other. But to make things better, me and my friends meet up at our final class that we all have w/ the upperclassmen for the last three periods. *sigh* I just can’t wait what’ll happen between now and the end of the school year.

Bloody Island

2010-03-03T18:45:00.005-05:00

by Quincey

I walk up to my Sargent in his grave. He taught me everything in the war of 1944. I sat there remembering the painful, rough times we spent together. I started to cry.

“Go,Go,Go,Go". I ran out of the ship on to the beach bullet whistled past my ears and i heard screams of terror from behind. I ducked behind a barbwire dugout and bombs flew past me from the distance there was blood every were."Mclovin get over here". I ran as fast as i can i looked an looked i jumped and barely made it to the sand pit. There was doctors helping wounded solder, then he got shot. I was looking around waiting for order and this guy got shot in the head but the bullet didn't go thought his helmet."Go Mclovin Go I ran and ran with my pall Edward at my side. I saw a German and shot him in the head. i stopped and gun fire went flying past us. Sargent Ryan came flying up, and threw a grenade and all you saw was dead people in the air. We ran up the hill to the machine gun nests. And I threw a smoke grenade in the building were most of the men got killed by Germans and they came running, out i shot all three. My group is called the Big Red one, we kill for nothing.

We Moved on, we went up a hill and saw Germans torturing a Big red one. We released fire. They died.We took a breather the gang looked down there was blood in the water an dead mean when the tide came up. More blood would rush up in beach an sink in the sand. We moved and we ran in to a dead end bang, bang,bang, arrrg.ahh. I came form behind i shot the two Germans that was in the machine gun nest. We lost allot that day 40 casualties, 5 wounded, Moved on. We came across a bridge. There was 20 solders, this was the turning point of the war. The Germans could not pass the bridge. Day 1 tactics day 2 war.

They came around the corner ready to fight and die. Bang Bang, bullets flew. I was next to Sargent Ryan. shooting he yells sticky bombs. Boom, my ears crackle that the bang was so loud more came they came from the north,west and east. we moved back our sniper sniped more than half the German's. brhhhhhh. A grenade hit the building. our sniper was dead, we moved back. No more tanks, Sargent Ryan retreats and gets shot in the leg. Ughh, Bang,Bang,Bang, blows a tank finally we are lying there praying to god for help. Boom. Reinforcements are here. Before Sargent died he said to me. "Now you are honorable to Leave. I tell this story from the true events in the war, when i die i won't be scared to go to hell cause i was there!

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 6: Flight

2010-01-20T18:45:00.007-05:00

Shuren crawled out of his tent, still drowsy. Shuren could not even see the sun outside when Thegor woke him up. He quickly folded the blankets and took down the metal supports. He put them in a bag and put them into one of Cirles’s hanging pockets. Shuren gathered his remaining items and also loaded them onto Cirles.

Shuren splashed his face with some water. Fully alert and awake now, Shuren grabbed his jug of Pumleberry Juice and drank the last bit of it. There was no breakfast that morning.

Lloyd and Shuren hopped onto Cirles and took flight, this time, behind Rissam. Shuren held onto to Cirles as the Dragon swerved sideways to keep behind Rissam To his right, the black Dragon, Naran, did the same.

Rissam swapped positions with Naran. Naran’s style of flying was completely different than Rissam. Instead of swerving and turning at the last second, she curved smoothly through the wind. She flew with great style.

When the sun rose and it the sky, Naran switched positions with Cirles. The way that Cirles flew was much like them both, but more fierce. He rocketed through the air cutting any wind that blew against him. His body was narrow and shot through the air, making it difficult for Naran and Rissam to keep up.

“Hey Lloyd,” Shuren said. Lloyd turned his head to talk to Shuren. Naran was now taking the lead, so Lloyd did not have to help Cirles steer. “Tell me about Veryala. I know that you are younger than me, but what was it like after the raid?”

Lloyd thought for a quick moment. “Well, I don’t really have anything to compare it to. It wasn’t that great compared to other villages I’ve been to,” he began.

“Do you anything of it’s history? Before or after it happened?” Shuren asked.

Lloyd nodded. “When I was a young boy, our village had to live in secret. We didn’t trade with any villages for years. We were forced to cultivate our own land and grow our own crops. We usually traded Bascle Wheat for other villages to make flour. Though most of our farming land was burned down.”

Shuren frowned. Though he knew it wasn’t his fault, he could not help but believe it was. “The fire burnt down the entire forest?”

Lloyd shook his head. “No it did not. It only burned a small portion of it. We were able to contain the fire enough for it to die down. Though a few days later, all of the plant life seemed to die. Soon, the entire forest died.

“After the raid, the Gippies thought that they had wiped everyone out, though they were wrong. Five people remained. The four had traveled to Aremac days before the raid. They head news of it while they were away. When they came back, they restarted the village.”

Shuren was wretched from hearing this. “Who was the other person that was left alive?”

“He was declared dead after a few days from the raid. No one ever found him. His name was Neruka.” Lloyd said.

Shuren was struck. Neruka was the name his mother and father called him in his dream. After a few moments, Shuren laughed. Lloyd raised his eyebrows in confusion. Shuren said, “He’s alive.”

“Who?” Lloyd asked, still baffled now from Shuren’s sharp smile. Shuren nodded, but Lloyd did not understand.

“It’s me! I’m Neruka!” Shuren said loudly.

Lloyd laughed. “You are Shuren, not Neruka.” Lloyd said in disbelief.

“Lloyd, remember last year during the festival?” Shuren said as Lloyd nodded. “Rollan helped my enter my dreams. There I met my mother and father, They called me Neruka.” Shuren explained.

“I see, so you’re The Neruka of Veryala.” Lloyd said with realization.

“The Neruka?” Shuren asked.

“We spent years searching the forest for you. It was when we received a message from Rollan, that we knew that you were safe. I was never told why Neruka was important, of course now we all know. Though Rollan didn’t mention that you changed your name to Shuren.”

Shuren shook his head. “I never changed my name. I was raised as Shuren, by my-” Shuren thought of the Gippy nurse who raised him. Rollan said that she was his adoptive mother, but Shuren was afraid to call her ‘mother.’ Shuren continued, “-my nurse. She was with the rebellion and found me. She raised me in secret until she was . . .” Shuren paused again. The nurse, Clare, was killed because of Shuren. Another life taken at his fault.

“Until she was what?” Lloyd asked.

“Murdered,” Shuren said. “She was killed because she tried to do the right thing. She was killed because of me, another life innocently taken because of me.” Shuren looked down with anger.

Lloyd sighed, “Shuren you can’t choose your destiny, but you can shape your fate. You were destined to become the Ruven, but it’s up to you what happens next. It is up to you where fate will take you.”

Shuren looked up, not with anger, but with determination. “You’re right. I was bound to become the Ruven, and now I have to choose what to do with the power. I’m going to stop it all. Everything. After me, there will be no more Ruven, no one will have to suffer because of something that they can’t control. Most of all, no more innocent lives lost.”

Lloyd smiled. “It will be my fate to help you save this world.”

Shuren and Lloyd noticed that they were loosing altitude. Cirles who had been following Naran, was landing. The three Dragons landed in another field during the afternoon. It was then when Shuren began to feel hungry. They had not eaten all day, and they began the day before dawn.

They only unpacked some food and wood. Shuren list a fire and Lloyd began preparing lunch.

Rollan handed Shuren some bread. “Can you cut this bread for Lloyd?” Rollan asked.

“Sure,” Shuren said as he pulled out a knife.

Rollan shook his head, “Not with a knife, practice your powers.” Rollan took a loaf and showed him. He held out his flat hand and waved it across the bread. It cut cleanly in half.
Shuren understood. He laid his hand flat in the air in front of the bread. Shuren released his energy in the form of a knife. He made it sharp and dense. Shuren waved his energy across the bread, making a cut, but it wasn’t level. He sighed with disappointment. He handed the already cut bread to Lloyd.

Lloyd placed some of his seasoned thinly sliced meat on the frying pan under the fire. The meat sizzled on contact. Lloyd flipped the meat after a few minutes and let it sit. He grabbed the bag of cheese from his sack and neatly placed them on the meat. It melted fairly quickly. He took the cooked meat and cheese and placed each one on bread. He then handed the sandwiches to everyone.

Shuren walked away from the camp for a little while after eating. He found a pile of big rocks nearby. He grabbed a few of them and set them before him. Shuren shot a wave of energy, piercing the rock. He sent enough to fill the rock and diffused it. It was hard for him to tell whether or not it was even inside. He forced the rock up, but instead, only half of it rose. He threw the rock away and tried again. This time, he lifted most of the rock, but the bottom stayed on the ground.

Shuren sat and thought. His main problem was that he could not tell where the rock was empty and what wasn’t. Then, Shuren had an idea. He filled the rock with energy, but this time, rotated the energy inside the rock, to see if there were any uneven ridges. Shuren felt a few, and then filled them up. He slowly lifted the rock, this time, as a whole. Shuren smiled, he finally got it. He stood, and kept the rock in control. He walked and made it follow. Then, Shuren pulled it a little too hard in one area, and half of it broke off and fell.

Shuren practiced controlling it for the next hour. His progress went well. Shuren could manage another few steps each try. When the hour was over, Shuren was able to lift it the entire way back to camp and back. Rollan saw this progress. Though after every trip, Shuren needed to take a rest. He needed to sit and regain his energy.

“Shuren it’s time to leave,” Blayger said as he approached Shuren.

Shuren dropped the rock that he was controlling. He stood up. “Okay, I’m done.”

“What kind of training is this?” asked Blayger as they walked back to the camp.

Shuren was surprised by the sudden curiosity. Blayger didn’t seem like the commutative type. Shuren did not know Blayger that well at all. “It’s training that Rollan is having me do. Apparently, it’s Ruven training.”

“I can tell, I don’t know anyone else who can levitate a rock.” Blayger said with humor. This gesture of sarcasm really surprised Shuren, Blayger did not seem like the sarcastic type either.

“Ha, that’s true, besides Rollan,” Shuren said.

“Ah yes, Rollan was once the Ruven. I remember meeting him when I was a child, he was about your age.” Blayger explained. Blayger must have been a lot older than he looked. He did have a gruff face that almost reminded Shuren of Blurton.

“Rollan went over to the mountain before?” Shuren asked. He never really thought about that.

“Of course, he came to receive training from the Lord Zelzor.” Blayger said.

Shuren realized that he never knew who Rollan’s master was. It made sense that Zelzor taught Rollan.

They quickly reached the campsite where everything was already packed. The Dragons stood together, fully rested and ready to fly. Shuren walked up to Rollan to tell him about his breakthrough in training.

“Rollan, I can lift the rock completely now. Though I get exhausted after a trip,” Shuren said with excitement.

Rollan smiled. “That’s excellent. Next time that we land and rest, I will explain to you the next part of your training.”

Shuren mounted on top of Cirles behind Lloyd. Cirles took sudden flight, almost causing Shuren to loose his balance. Cirles flew ahead, taking the lead. Naran and Rissam flew close behind. Cirles took a sharp right turn and began heading south.

Shuren went into deep thought about his training. It was possible to life certain objects by filling them up with energy and control the energy. Then just simply lift the energy. He had to pierce the object with energy first, so it would be hard to control another person without stabbing them. He would only do it if it were necessary.

“If it were possible to control a rock with my energy,” Shuren thought, “then it must be possible to control another person. Or even myself! I could make myself fly!” Shuren theorized that of he used his own energy to control himself, that he would be able to make him fly. Though there was a problem, Shuren wouldn’t be able to load himself with energy without piercing his body. That was a problem.

After minutes of thought, Shuren came up with a solution. “I just don’t release the energy! That way it will stay inside, and I can still control it. Also, since the energy will be inside of me, then I will be able to tell what parts of my body is uneven.”

Shuren couldn’t believe of the possibility. Him, flying! Shuren had a deep urge to test this out. Though fear of detaching his limbs frequently flashed inside of his mind, he did not want fear to stop him doing something.

He wondered about Rollan. Shuren wasn’t sure if Rollan has ever flown before. Has Rollan even though of this? He hasn’t seen Rollan fly before. Shuren was eager to ask.

Lloyd rested his head on Cirles’s neck, nearly falling asleep. Cirles’s neck was reducing the wind to a light breeze. It must have been a few hours since they began flying again. The sun was already beginning to set. Lloyd and Shuren said nothing the entire trip.

Shuren studied the land below them as they rocketed through the air. Boulders seemed like pebbles, and lakes appeared as ponds. Staring at the quickly passing landscape nearly made Shuren dizzy. He shook his head and looked straight forward. The rushing wind blew away his nausea.

Just as the sun was about to reach the top of the horizon. Rollan signaled everyone to land. They set foot on a field, there were a few trees and a few rocky hills nearby. Rollan got off of Naran and walked t over to them. He had only his bags. “Shuren you will get off here me, get your stuff.”

Shuren hopped off of Cirles and grabbed his bags. He waited for everyone else to get, off, though his hearing was not clear. “You just want me to come?” Shuren asked.

Rollan nodded. Shuren wondered exactly why Rollan wanted to be alone with him. “Why just me?”

“This is where we will go into the next step of your training. It is highly dangerous, and I do not want anyone to be injured.” Shuren shrugged his shoulders and walked off. Rollan turned to Lloyd. “Come back for us in the morning, as soon as the sun is visible.”

“Yes sir,” Lloyd said. “See you guys tomorrow, and be careful.” He patted his Dragon’s neck and Cirles flew off, Naran and Rissam behind them. Shuren waved goodbye.

Shuren and Rollan turned and walked the other. They dropped there bags and grabbed only there weapons. As they walked back to their training destination, Rollan explained what was to happen.

“This is the next part of your training,” Rollan began as Shuren listened quietly. “It is a very dangerous and reckless technique, so you absolutely must make sure that no ally is around when you do it. If you choose to act against this warning, not only the enemy, but also your allies will be severely hurt, with a high possibility of death.”

Shuren was disturbed by this technique. Why must he learn it if it dangers his friends? He wants to save them, not hurt them. “So what is it and why is it so dangerous?”

“It is the ability to force energy from your very weapon. Once it has left your blade, you can not control it, it is a wild force that causes destruction.” Rollan explained.

Shuren asked, “What is the point of shooting it from my weapon? Can’t I just shoot energy from myself?”

“Your weapon magnifies the energy’s strength. Also, during a battle, it is easier to do magic without a weapon, leaving you unarmed. Though with this, your magic is from your weapon.” Rollan described.

Shuren was now aware of the advantages and disadvantages. “So how is it done?”

They stopped walking and both faced a tree. There reached the area that they landed at before. Rollan unwrapped his silver staff. “The last lesson was teaching you how to build up energy inside of an object. This lesson is to release it with full force.” Rollan gestured Shuren to step away. Shuren continued to walk back until there was a good fifty yards of distance. “Watch closely!” Rollan shouted from the distance.

Rollan took a stance with his staff. His was slightly crouched with his left foot in front of him. His right hand held the center of the staff and his left grasped the bottom. For a few moments, Rollan did nothing but breathe. Then he slowly lifted the staff in the air and swirled it in a circular motion. After momentum was built, he pivoted his left foot and the right side of his body came forward. He rapidly swung the staff and held his position afterwards.

Within seconds, the tree that he was facing was cleanly sliced in half. The top half fell over on to the floor, causing the ground to shake. Shuren was astonished. He could not believe that he had the power to do that.

Shuren ran up to Rollan. “That was amazing! How did you do that?” Shuren asked.

“Instead of releasing the energy from your hand, just transfer it into your weapon. Then, let it gather at the blade, when you swing, release it.” Rollan said.

“I think I’m ready to try it.” Shuren said.

Rollan walked away to the place Shuren was before. Shuren took the same stance that Rollan was in. He took his reverse-blade scimitar in the same position as Rollan’s staff. Shuren took a deep breath. He built up his energy into his hands. There was a weird sensation as his energy entered the sword. It was almost as if the weapon was a limb on his body. Shuren focused. He moved the energy into the blade. Shuren swung the weapon just as Rollan did. As the blade was in front of him, he let the energy go. The feeling of the sensation left him just as the energy did. Shuren could no longer feel control over the energy. He could not see it either. Though within seconds, another tree was cut down, though it was a lot higher than Shuren expected.

In the distance from behind, Shuren heard clapping, it was Rollan. He walked up to Shuren with a grin. “What is it Rollan?”

“You did it on your first try,” Rollan explained. “It took me days to figure that move out. Your are a very quick learner in deed.”

Shuren returned with a smile but he was not satisfied yet. “I need to practice aiming though. I went ten feet higher then where I was aiming. It’s hard because I can’t see where it’s going.”

Rollan had a bright face. “Then make it visible,” Rollan said. “Just as you release, cast a spell with that energy, try Ferina on a rock, so it will not catch fire.”

The flaming red skies of earlier were now replaced with a clear breezy night. The half moon shimmered in the sky, slightly enough to see.

They both marched over to a nearby boulder. Rollan stayed back and watched from another long distance. Shuren took the same stance. He gathered his energy into his scimitar. Just as he swung, he mumbled, “Ferina!” A long wave of blue flame, that lit up the sky, shot from the blade of his sword. “Blue!” Shuren shouted to his astonishment. Never before did he cast a blue flame. The wave of inferno darted through the air, and amazingly sliced though the boulder, though it ended shortly after the other side. This time, exactly where Shuren aimed. He had done it, in two tries! A sudden exhaustion overcame Shuren. He plumped his body onto the ground, breathing heavily.

“Nice job Shuren, nice job indeed,” Rollan said with great pleasure. “Since your weapon multiplied the strength of your magic, it came out as a hotter flame.” Rollan explained. “If you were to cast Aniref, ice would come out instead of water. If you used Dinwoa, it would be slicing winds. All magic is enhanced with it.”

Shuren was excited to hear this. He was confident in himself now, more than ever. He stood up beside Rollan. Weary and hungry, he mumbled, “Let’s go eat and rest.” Rollan laughed.
They walked back to where they had left there items. Shuren set up there tents while Rollan made their dinner.

Rollan lit a ball of fire in his hand. With his other hand, he carefully levitated the meat over it. After a few minutes of cooking, he flipped the meat over to let the other side sizzle.

When Shuren was finished setting up there tents, he watched how well Rollan used his powers. Not only did Rollan have a great power, he had a great mind to use the powers with. Using his own magic to cook food was a great convenience.

Rollan passed the cook meat over to Shuren. Shuren had no plate. Rollan told him to levitate it to practice control. Shuren did so, he created a stiff flat surface for it to lay on. Shuren saw Rollan blow Dinwoa on it to cool down, Shuren did the same thing. Then they ate they meat, not actually touching the meat with there hands once.

Shuren and Rollan sat around a fire and talked. Now about the war, not about magic or training, but for the first time, they just talked.

“I wish I knew my parents more,” Shuren said.

“I know how you feel Shuren. My parents were murdered when I was a child. Though I’m sure you’ve had a much tougher life than I did.” Rollan said with sympathy. “I didn’t grow up being hated in a village.”

“I think that I’m finally over that now. It was Bastian who coordinated everything,” Shuren said with a clenched fist. He took a deep breathe and calmed. “Now I can’t wait to go back to Hogony and see everyone again, Cotoz, Lorica and Blurton.”

“That’s good Shuren. Enjoy things while you can,” Rollan said positively. He stood up and headed towards his tent. “Get some rest Shuren, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Shuren said back. He stood up and walked into his own tent. He lied down and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

The way that Shuren woke up the next was highly familiar. He woke up to an earsplitting roar. The shrill sound was from above. He looked up, there he saw a golden-red scaled fire-breathing Dragon, Cirles. For some odd reason, there was no tent over his head. All of his equipment had been already packed, including the tent.

The morning was hot and the Sun was nearing noon. Shuren slept a lot longer than he had planned. The night before got him so exhausted from using so much of is own energy. Though now he felt full of it.

Shuren yawned and rubbed his eyes. Rollan was already mounted on Naran and everything was already loaded again this time. Cirles landed and Lloyd handed Shuren some toasted bread. Shuren ate hurriedly. He took a swig of water and sat behind Lloyd on top of Cirles.

“So what was the training like?” Lloyd asked as Rissam took the lead in flying. Cirles curved his body to make a turn, then it closely followed Rissam along with Naran.

“It was easy,” Shuren answered truthfully. “But, it’s very dangerous and exhausting.”

“Your training was easy? That’s very hard to believe.” Lloyd said almost with humor.

“It could only do it twice before I was exhausted, but I think it was because I used it recklessly. I still have to work on conserving energy while doing it.” Shuren said. Lloyd lifted his head as he understood. “So what did you all do last night?”

“We sparred,” Lloyd said, “on our Dragons.”

Shuren was awed. “Wow that sounds remarkable, I wish I could have been there to have seen it.”

“Ha, it was crazy, no one was hurt though.” Lloyd said with laughter.

Shuren and Lloyd said nothing to each other afterwards. Shuren, who was still half asleep, wanted nothing more than to land and take another rest, where he could nap. He could not sleep sitting up against nothing. He tried the best that he could to stay awake.

Rissam jolted across the sky, flying unusually fast, though it was nothing that Cirles and Naran couldn’t keep up with. They flapped their wings for more momentum and soared downward to pick up speed. After going down a good distance, they swooped back up into the air at their original altitude.

Thegor signaled Rissam to go slower. Karoline nearly fell of when they swooped up. Karoline, felt uncomfortable riding on a Dragon, especially behind Thegor. They barely knew each other. She could not help but get Shuren off of her mind. The last real thing that he said to her made her freeze.

After nearly two hours of flying, Naran took the lead. Rollan wanted to make sure that they did not land in Dragornia. Instead he wanted them to fly directly above it. He wanted to know if they had been visited by the Ingles yet. Within the hour, they would be approaching it.

Shuren was now, more sleepy than ever. The cool breeze from flying was too relaxing. His eyes were getting heavy, he was struggling to keep them up.

Rollan signaled Lloyd and Thegor to fly beside him. Rissam gained a little bit of speed and flew steadily on Naran’s right. Cirles lunged forward onto Naran’s left.

“Soon we will be approaching Dragornia,” Rollan said loudly. The wind was chattering and it was difficult for them to hear. “We must make sure that we do not land there. I heard news from a man in Nesret that they had been invaded by the Ingles.”

“Okay, so we just fly right over them then?” Thegor asked.

Rollan nodded, “Low enough for us to see them, but not to the point where they can attack or may see us.”

“I see, we want to find out if they really have been recruited by Garland’s army.” Lloyd realized.

“Then what if they have been?” Karoline asked with a serious tone, “do we help the town or do we flee?”

“Dragornia is a large town, if they really have recruited them, then they must have brought a substantial amount to do it with. There would be innocent lives lost.” Rollan justified.

“And what if it hasn’t been? Do we stop by and restock our items? We do need some medicine.” Blayger alleged.

“I suppose we could make a quick stop if that was the scenario.” Rollan said with consideration. Shuren, who was more than half asleep, understood nothing of this. The others, concerned with their flight plan, did not notice Shuren’s drowsiness at all.

They soon went back to their original formation, Cirles was in the lead as Rissam and Naran followed. Rollan instructed Lloyd what to do when they reached the town. When they were close enough, Cirles would fly lower until they could clearly see a tree’s leaves. Then they would continue to fly over Dragornia. If they saw any Ingles, then they had to fly straight up into the air and eastward. They had to make sure that they did not get hit with any arrows. Lloyd has his archery gear ready, incase there was an attack, he could take out any archers.

Far off at the vanishing point of their vision, they saw a large gray wall. It was the Walls of Dragornia. Rollan gave Lloyd the signal. Cirles curved downward until Lloyd could see the leaves on a tree. They were a good fifty feet from the ground. They leveled out and flew straight wards, but slower.

The wall became bigger until they could see the rest of the wall that surrounded the town. Inside were lots of buildings of different natures. There was a mix of log cabins, brick buildings and in the center was one large tower that stuck out of the town. The tower was almost like a lighthouse. It was a cylinder with one rooftop where a group of Ingles stood. It was elevated just enough to see past the walls.

Shuren could not tell what was happening. His mind was blank, and his eyes were shut. His body rocked back and forth as Cirles flew slowly. He was now asleep.

Cirles approached flew over the Walls of Dragornia. Rollan looked down to search for any Ingles.. There was a large group of Ingles gathered in the town square. Rollan gritted his teeth and quietly signaled Lloyd to fly.

Before Lloyd could give a signal, an arrow soared just past his fast. He turned around to see a barrage of arrows come towards him. “GO!” He shouted to Cirles. Lloyd buckled his feet onto the side of his Dragons. He reached in his quiver and armed his bow. Cirles circled the air for a bit to shake off the arrows. This was enough of a distraction for Rissam and Naran to fly out of harm’s way.

Lloyd studied the ground below to see where the arrows were flying from. Another arrow came close to his face, causing him to realize that they were coming from the tower directly beneath them. Lloyd shot one randomly. Just when the air was clear, Cirles flew straight up into the air.

Shuren’s body swayed backward. His limp body fell directly off of Cirles’s back and into the air. Lloyd turned around to find that Shuren was no longer behind him. “Shuren!” Lloyd shouted. “Cirles, cites ‘unda megato!”

Shuren jolted awake to find that he was no longer sitting, but falling head first. “Ah!” Shuren screamed. He saw the tower underneath him, and a flock of arrows flying straight towards him. Shuren waved his arms and forced them all in a different direction.

Shuren was still freefalling and seconds away from being splattered. “I need to think fast! I need to . . . Fly!” Shuren thought with wind rushing into is face. He thought back to his theory to fly the other day. He had never tried it yet. The thought of detaching his limbs scared him, though he did not want to be splattered.

Shuren gathered energy throughout his body. He then scattered it to all of his limbs. Shuren closed his eyes to concentrate. “Don’t release it, just control it,” Shuren thought to himself. Shuren halted the energy from falling in his body. He felt a painful tug-like feeling on his body as the wind stopped rushing. He opened his eyes to see that he was no longer falling. He hung upside down in mid-air. Shuren was flying!

Guitar Hero Tournament 2010 Pictures

2010-01-20T18:45:00.006-05:00

Check out these pictures from our Guitar Hero Tournament.

Poem: Goblin

2010-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

by Anthony W.

Mull it over in ten more years
I’ll answer your deepest fears.
For what reason to seek me out
In this eternal drought?
A trip of pleasure I assume?
Young fools, surely you jest
For me to follow your command.
I’ll let that one slide for I have plans
I grant your wishes in high demand.
A soul or a limb,
The second I recommend.
Your precious things I collect
I hope you get without regret.
I’ll collect you yet!
In ten years or so
Come one, come all,
I’ll take your soul.

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 5: Dragons

2010-01-13T18:21:00.003-05:00

by Darro C.

There was a large crowd in the Grand Hall. Apparently, they were all there to say goodbye to Shuren and his group. Shuren made his way through the pack of nearly crying Zelzes to where Thegor, Blayger, Karoline, Rollan and Lloyd stood with all of their bags. Shuren walked over and stood with them. They were standing on the edge of the Grand Hall between two pillars.

Shuren then realized that they were not the only groups there. All along the side the edge of the Grand Hall stood other groups who were also departing. Everyone, including people in the crowd, had their bags packed and ready. Shuren now felt sorrow, he hated goodbyes.

Another group was talking to them. They consisted of Strata, Wresta, Linkouz, Zeal, Nina, Niance, Athar, Morphin, Dijek, Ajek and Rojan.

“So you guys are going to escort everyone back to Veryala then?” Shuren asked. They all nodded. “Take care of them, please.” Shuren said, with all honesty.
“Don’t worry, we can take care of them, it’s you that we’re worried about,” Linkouz said. “They will target you more than us.”

Niance came up and hugged Shuren, “Remember, concentrate on being healed.” Shuren laughed.

Lloyd and Shuren shook hands with the Grundells. “Make sure that you guys take care of them. Us Grundells are in charge for protecting them.”

Karoline talked to the Ingles. “Make you sure you lead everyone with the Grundells, they are strong, as we are.”

Thegor and Blayger talked to the remaining Zelzes. “Make you guys take care of them, we Zelzes and Dragons are the fiercest in the land.”

After everyone had their goodbyes they all gathered back to their original areas. The sun was now beginning to set. Like before, the sky was lit by the half-orange circle. The horizon was a flaming red and the sky above him was the same strange lavender that morning.

“So what are we going to do?” Shuren asked Rollan.

Rollan unrolled a map of Oryk. Shuren noticed a line going down the east side of the map. It begin in Aela-Doria, it traveled south-west, on the right side of the Laleroth. The line followed through Nobracia, Nesret, Dragornia, Haier, crossed the Rocdom River, went through Kyladin, and ended in Hogony. “This is our route. We will make stops at most of these cities. If I am correct, than they have yet to be recruited by Garland. It is far away from Lekay, which is where most Ingles live.” Shuren nodded.

“Are you guys ready?” Thegor asked. Everyone nodded. “Okay then,” he said. He said, “Rissam, argeta mero!”

Blayger raised his hand and shouted, “Naran, argeta mero!” Rissam and Naran gently landed beside them in an instant. They were wearing saddles they had pockets on the sides to place the bags.

Shuren walked up to Rissam and lifted up his bags. Before he could placed them in, Lloyd stopped him.

“What is it Lloyd?” Shuren turned around as he placed his bags on the floor. Rollan mounted on Rissam with Thegor. Karoline sat on Naran along with Blayger.

Lloyd smiled. “I want to show you something.” Shuren was puzzled. Lloyd turned around and faced the sky. He raised his right hand in the air and shouted, “Cirles, argeta mero!” Shuren was now more confused than before. Everyone stared with mild curiosity. It was very strange to see a Grundell call for a Dragon.

Suddenly, with a great roar and gust of wind, a golden-red scaled Dragon landed beside Lloyd. Every Zelze in the room jumped back startled. They seemed to have been scared. Shuren, was dumbfounded, his jaw was hanging wide open. Lloyd patted the neck of the Dragon, it too wore a saddle with pockets.

“Um, L-Lloyd, do mind explaining this?” Shuren asked as he took steps backwards. Shuren remembered, it was the exact same Dragon that attacked him on his quest to save Rollan before being saved by Karoline. It was also the same Dragon that Zelzor rode.

“I’ll explain on the ride.” Lloyd said as he filled it’s pockets with his bags. Lloyd grabbed Shuren’s bags on loaded them also. Shuren was still frightened, and so was the rest of the crowd. He now noticed that the crowd was frightened.

“T-This is the Dragon that attacked you Shuren?” Dijek asked. Shuren nodded. The Ingles laughed at the irony.

“This is The Demon Dragon of Oryk!” Morphin bellowed. Shuren wondered how Lloyd, a Grundell, was able to tame the one Dragon that was untamable by the Zelzes.

“Lord Zelzor trained me to tame Cirles. He is very friendly,” Lloyd explained. The crowd began to feel slightly at east.

Shuren approached the Dragon slowly. “Hello, um, Cirles.” Shuren slowly lifted his hand and patted the Demon Dragon’s neck. It lowered his head for Shuren. Shuren smiled.

“Well then, let’s get riding.” Lloyd said as he mounted on Cirles. Shuren apprehensively sat on the saddle.

“Lloyd, are you sure that you can ride him?” Shuren asked uneasily.

“Cirles and I are great pals, isn’t that right?” Lloyd said. Cirles let out a roar as he took flight. Rissam and Naran also took flight. Ten more Dragons took flight throughout the Grand Hall.

Shuren turned and faced towards the crowd. “Farewell everyone! Please, take care of each other! We will win this war, for Zelzor!” The crowd cheered and everyone waved goodbye.

Cirles soared into the sky with Naran and Rissam behind. The ten other Dragons went in different directions with their groups. Cirles veered off towards the setting sun’s direction; west.

They soared through the air with intensity. Air rushed past them and so did the land beneath them. Shuren relaxed, it was very peaceful for some odd reason. This was one thing that took his mind off of Catalina. They had a perfect view of the radiant sunset, as they were high in the air, traveling towards it.

Shuren looked at the ground below in the valley. Shuren noticed a large crumbled rock on the floor with shards of something shiny. Shuren studied it closer and realized that it was the balcony that he threw from the mountain. He chuckled. Shuren tapped Lloyd on the shoulder and pointed to the balcony. Lloyd let out a big laugh.

“So Lloyd explain this Dragon thing to me,” Shuren said out in the open.

Lloyd laughed again. “Remember during your training, those days that Zelzor and I were not present?” Lloyd asked.

Shuren remembered a few months ago, searching for Zelzor but not finding him. When he couldn’t find him, he searched for Lloyd, but instead trained with Athar for the day. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Well those days, Lord Zelzor took me to Cirles’s cave. That’s where I met him. He said that I had some sort of special power. My parents were both Grundells, I have no Zelze blood in me, but for some reason, he said I had the aura of a Zelze. He and Master Athar trained me to speak Zelze, and after time my friendship with Cirles grew. I was able to ride and do archery from the skies with him. It’s almost as if he knows what I want, and he’ll go there.”

Shuren smiled, “Wow that’s amazing. It so ironic that I’m riding the very Dragon that attacked a year ago. Though, if it weren’t for him, then I would never have met Karoline, and in chain reaction, any of you guys.”

“Dragons are fascinating, especially how they’re non-magical creatures.” Lloyd said.

Shuren was shocked. “They’re non-magical?” Shuren asked. This was hard to believe by the fact that they could fly and breath fire.

“Yeah of course,” Lloyd said.

“Then How do they fly and breath fire? It doesn’t seem logical without any magic,” Shuren replied.

“Okay I’ll explain it to you. This is going to be a long trip so we have time.” Cirles suddenly began to arc its body sideways. Shuren held on to the saddle as Cirles turned right. The sun was no longer up and it was dark. They were now traveling south. Behind them, Shuren see the Esacni River that wrapped around Aela-Doria.

“All Dragons have the same way of digesting their food. Instead of waste, the remains of their food gets broken down into a certain chemical that is stored throughout their body. This chemical it lighter than the air we breath, which causes them to fly in the air. Their bones are very strong, yet light. Their wings are used for propelling and steering.” Lloyd explained slowly. He took a deep breath, Shuren could tell he wasn’t finished yet.

“Now as for fire breathing, it’s also science. The chemical in their bodies is highly reactant to their saliva. They have tubes that lead from their bodies in their mouths. At anytime, they can breath out that chemical, it will react with their saliva, causing a flame to burst. That is how they breath fire. As for the colors of the flames, it all depends on the Dragon. Every Dragon is capable of breathing normal red fire, because it is the first type they learn when they are young. Most Dragons can only breath fire the color of their scales other than red fire, but Cirles here is different. His flames can become black, it is twice as hot as a blue flame, and can melt a sword in an instant. Though it takes a lot more of their energy.”

Shuren noticed that they were loosing altitude. “Amazing, so they have to eat a lot don’t they?” Shuren asked as they began to land. Lloyd nodded. The three Dragons landed softly in beside a small forest.

“This is where we will be staying tonight,” Rollan said as he unloaded most of his things. They set up a few tents in a circle, everyone had there own. In the middle of the fire, Lloyd built a fire. He used Grundell spell for the fire not to cause smoke while Shuren set up a sound barrier around their campsite. The Dragons went out to hunt. Lloyd prepared a meal for everyone. He made a Porchlin stew, and as usual, it was delicious.

“So where are we now exactly?” Thegor asked. He finished his bowl of stew and drank water from his canteen.

Rollan pulled out the map again. He unrolled it and everyone gathered around. He pointed slightly below Nobracia. Shuren had not realized that they traveled that far in a short amount of time.

“That was quite a short amount of time,” Shuren said out loud.

They looked at Shuren weirdly. “We’ve been flying hours after sunset,” Blayger said suddenly. Everyone else laughed. Shuren must not have noticed since he was busy talking to Lloyd of Dragons. It was then when he began to feel tired.

“So what stops are we making and who is making them?” Karoline asked staring at the map. “I don’t think it would be wise to travel back to Nobracia. The nearest town after Nobracia is Nesret.”

“Yes I think we should make a stop there tomorrow if we have enough time. I think that it would be wise for Lloyd, Blayger, Thegor and I to go,” said Rollan. That left Shuren and Karoline to stay behind, Shuren felt uneasy with this, but said nothing. “They are a town of a lot shopping districts. Though they fear Ingles and may attack if they see Karoline.” Karoline frowned. “I know you have only good intentions, but they’ll attack before we can explain. They are vaguely familiar with Zelzes correct?” Rollan asked.

“Yes,” Blayger said, “We have come to trade with them before, they should not be too alarmed with us.”

“Us Grundells have also traveled their a few times before so I think we should be fine,” Lloyd said.

“Then it is settled, if we can travel far tomorrow, than we will visit Nesret.” Rollan said. “Let us get some rest.” Everyone nodded and walked into their tents. Shuren trudged inside his own, rubbing his eyes from exhaustion. He plumped his body down on his soft blanket and did not bother to get undressed. Within moments, Shuren was sound asleep.

* * *

Almost immediately the next morning, they packed up. Lloyd was up very early, cooking a quick breakfast for everyone. He fried Porchlin eggs and made a dark thick liquid with it. Even Shuren was afraid to eat it. Though they had to be quick, so everyone ate. To their surprise, and yet not, it was delicious.

They flew a little bit lower this time, to make sure that they weren’t spotted. Shuren said nothing the entire trip, Lloyd knew exactly why. Shuren could not get his mind off of Catalina. He felt so helpless, he didn’t know where she was, and how to get there. Shuren nearly spent the entire trip blaming himself for her capture.

It was past noon when they landed. Cirles did a stomp landing, causing Shuren pain. Lloyd jumped off and unpacked, while Shuren fell to the floor. He stayed there until the aching had left enough for him to stand. He then removed his bags and sat them down.

“Okay now, us four will fly over to Nesret. We must get the necessities first, such as food and fresh water. Is there anything you want?” Rollan asked Shuren and Karoline.

Karoline handed them a bag of kindos, “Can you buy me some Pumleberry Juice?”

Pumleberry juice was delicious. Shuren was only able to try it once, but he remembered the taste. Sweet, tangy and addicting. Shuren also handed them a bag of kindos, “Can you buy me the same thing? Use all of those kindos on as many as you can find.”

Lloyd laughed as he accepted the bag. Thegor, Blayger, Rollan and Lloyd mounted on Rissam and Naran. “Cirles will stay with you guys,” Lloyd said before taking off. They shot off in a puff of smoke and was out if sight within minutes. Shuren could not believe that was how rapid they were traveling.

Shuren was left alone with Karoline. He had mixed feelings. He wanted to be with her, but felt guilty about it. Shuren turned away for a moment, trying to think of something to say. Before he could speak, Karoline spoke.

“Do you have any water left?” she asked randomly. Shuren was puzzled, though he pulled out his canteen and shook. Nothing but air filled shook inside. Karoline sighed, she was also out of water. “There is a large lake west of here, we can go fill up with water there, it should not take that long.”

“I’ll go,” Shuren said abruptly. He was desperate to shake off his feeling. He did not want to feel this guilt. His only solution was to stay away from Karoline for a while. Before she could reply, he grabbed her canteen and ran off. Karoline was left speechless.

Shuren ran for a few minutes, until he could no longer see Karoline behind him. He held his canteen and hers in his other hand. “What is wrong with me? I can’t even talk to Karoline . . .” he thought to himself. He shook off the thought of Catalina and thought of Karoline. Their journey together was fun. Shuren knew Karoline for more than a year now, and Catalina only a few months. There was something about Karoline that was different than Catalina. He wasn’t quite sure, but it made a huge difference.

Shuren didn’t keep track of time. He had no idea how long he had been walking when he saw an enormous lake in the distance. The water was crystal blue and appeared refreshing. Shuren hurried his way to the waters before him. The sun’s heat was unbearable.

Shuren reached the shore of the lake quickly. He kneeled down and drank some water. Shuren filled his hands with water and splashed his face. It was cool and uplifting.

He stared at his reflection. He looked a lot older than he did back in Hogony. It has been more than a year since he actually looked at himself. His hair was now past his chin, and the whiteness was only a few inches away from reaching the tip of his hair.

Shuren saw something change in the water. He studied it closely. It wasn‘t the water, it was the sky behind his face in the reflection. It seemed darker. Shuren gasped, he turned around and looked at the sky, it was certainly dark. “Karoline . . .” Shuren whispered. He got up and around to run.

Before he could, smoke rose from the ground. There was a black bolt of lighting. A single Mawbryn stood before Shuren. He was tall and slender, his build was different from the one who took Catalina. It was not him.

“Where is she?” Shuren screamed. He raised his arms, ready to attack with magic. He had already focused is energy.
“I’m going to ignore that question,” the man said. The smoke slowly disappeared as the Mawbryn walked closer.

Shuren jerked is arms in an attacking motion. Before he cast a spell, the man raised one hand to signal him to stop.

“Please, no magic, I’m not here to fight you.” He unbuckled the sword that hung from his hip and threw it aside. “See, I am unarmed.” Shuren levitated the sword to his own hands. “My my, what a neat trick that is. It must be something Zelzor taught you, a little Ruven magic.”

“What do you want?” Shuren demanded. He placed his right hand on the handle and the other on the sheath. Shuren was ready to unsheathe it.

The man pulled down his hood, to reveal a long and slender face. His hair was black, short and spiky. He had eyes capable of penetrating a steel wall. Shuren studied him closer, it was not and Ingle, but a Grundell! “You‘re a Grundell! But why are you with him?” Shuren asked perplexed.

The man smiled devilishly. “My name is Lyath,” he bowed to Shuren, “What an honor it is to finally meet you, Sir Ruven. I just wanted to make sure that you are alive and well.”

“Where is she? What did you do with her?” Shuren screamed. Shuren cleanly pulled out the blade from it’s pocket. It was a long sword made of some foreign metal. On one side was a rigid cutting blade, on the other side was a sharp slicing blade. When Shuren pulled it out completely, he found that there was no point. It had a straight tip.

“Now what makes you think we have this her that you are talking about?” Lyath asked, slightly irritated.

“Because I saw one of you take her!” Shuren yelled.

“Ha! As if the Lord-”

“To hell with your lord!” Shuren cried with rage.

Lyath seemed taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled, and laughed. “Ironically, it’s quite the opposite.” Smoke began to rise from the ground. “If you want her alive, then you will speak of this little meeting to no one!” He said as a black bolt of lighting struck the ground. As soon as he appeared he disappeared. Even the sword in his hand disappeared along with him.

Shuren took a deep breath. She was still alive, now it was up to Shuren to keep it that way. He could not tell anyone about this. He quickly filled up the canteens and hurried back to camp.

When Shuren arrived, he saw all of the tents all ready set up. He feared that all would been back already. If so, then they must have seen the sky darken. He crept up into camp, but heard no one. He looked around and found no sign of anyone. Cirles was also gone. “Karoline?” Shuren called out. There was no reply. She was not in sight. He studied the tents, Karoline must have put them up. Shuren saw her tent, the color of it was too dark to see inside. There was no door to knock on. He had no choice but to just walk in.

Karoline was asleep. Her luscious brown hair was let down for once. She was even beautiful when she slept. She had a slow breathing paste that brought peace to Shuren. He could not help but stare. She was wearing the same underclothing that she wore when they traveled to go rescue Rollan. A brown vest that hung just below her chest. Short black leggings that revealed her long legs.

Shuren no longer felt the need to stay away from her, but the want to be with her. Her hand was on her stomach and the other one was clutching a book. Shuren studied it closely. The book was entitled Summer Love by Nanye Cirle. It was a romance novel! Shuren had no idea that Karoline was into romance.

Shuren remembered reading a biography about Nanye Cirle in Hogony. She was an elderly Gippy and a brilliant romance author. She became famous for writing romance novels during the Gippy and Grundell war. Shortly after the war was over, she died of old age.

Shuren smiled, she was not as stubborn as he thought she was. Everyone likes a little romance, including Karoline. This enlightened Shuren. He turned around and began to crawl out of the tent. Just before he left he heard Karoline’s voice.

“Shuren?” Karoline spoke softly. Her voice was so beautiful that it sounded as if she were singing. Shuren was stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t know what to do. He slowly turned around with his eyes closed. He opened them to see the same sleeping Karoline. Her eyes were completely shut. “Don’t leave . . .” she said. Her eyes were still shut. She was talking about Shuren in her sleep!

Shuren sighed with relief, she was not awake yet. Shuren regrets the sigh as soon as it is out of his mouth. Karoline took a deep breath and began to move. She opened her eyes and looked in different directions. She was now awake. Shuren gritted his teeth. Karoline stared at Shuren, not sure whether or not it was a dream, it wasn’t.

“Shuren! What are you doing in here?” Karoline asked, surprised, almost with a pout.

“Uh-um,” Shuren stuttered, “I was looking for you, to give you . . .” he reached for her canteen and handed it to her, hoping that she would buy it. She reached out and took the canteen. “I’m sorry that I woke you up.”

She shook her head, her hair waved gently with her movements. “No it’s fine, I wasn’t planning on falling sleep. I was just reading and I must have dozed off.”

Shuren felt relieved again. “So what were you reading?” Shuren said, as if he didn’t know. He sat down in front of Karoline.

She looked apprehensive to tell Shuren, but she did so anyway. “Summer Love, I found it back in Aela-Doria.”

“Oh, from the secret library,” Shuren said. Karoline giggled. She had just waken up, and Shuren was still struck by her. She sat up to face Shuren. Her hair was still let down. It had small streaks of blonde and it hung past her shoulders.

“Yeah, it’s been such a long time since I have read any stories. I’ve forgotten how much peace simple reading could bring.” Karoline said smiling.

“So romance is your selection choice?” Shuren asked with a smirk.

This question startled her. She did not know what to say. After a few moments, she said, “Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Well my choice is adventure. It’s so embracing.” Shuren explained. He couldn’t think of anything else to say about it.

“Well you’re living the adventure, romance, on the other hand . . .” Karoline said.

“Well, it happens,” Shuren said, not sure of how to reply to her. It was true, Shuren was living the adventure, an adventure he never asked for. As for romance . . .

“Well I’m sure you’ve lived that part also.” Karoline said.

This stuck Shuren in the heart. He knew that she meant Catalina. Though, for some reason, Shuren didn’t consider that romance. He couldn’t describe his feelings for Catalina as romantic. As for Karoline, it was a different story. He thought of the sunsets that he spent with her, those times were romantic. “I’m sure you have too. Sunsets are very romantic,” Shuren said slyly.

Karoline was speechless. She looked Shuren in the eyes, it seemed that she couldn’t breath. They had a sharp long session of staring. They were lost in each other’s eyes. Karoline cracked a smile.

There was a loud thump outside. It caused them to look away from each other. They heard footsteps outside. Shuren quickly got up and began to crawl outside when he heard Lloyd’s voice.

“Shuren? Karoline?” Lloyd called out. Just then, Shuren crawled out of Karoline’s tent. Lloyd seemed baffled when he saw Shuren. When Karoline crawled out behind him from the same tent is when Lloyd was really bewildered. He ignored it.

Lloyd was carrying two large jugs of red liquid. Shuren and Karoline smiled. They were jugs of Pumleberry Juice. Lloyd handed one to each of them. Rollan was carrying a sack of six loaves of bread stuck out. Blayger carried a large sack of fruits, Rascleberries and Green Citrus Tomplins where visible. Thegor only carried a jug water and a sack of vegetables. On the ground next to Lloyd sat two sacks. One was filled with small bottles of spices. The other was filled with bags of different meats.

Shuren sat down on a log and opened the jug of juice. He poured the sweet tangy red juice down his throat, it tasted just like how he remembered. After his thirst was quenched, he closed the jug and set it aside. He looked around and saw that all three Dragons had returned and the sun was beginning to fall behind the horizon.

“So what are we going to do now?” Shuren asked.

Rollan sat down and unloaded some of his belongings. “We will stay here the night. We shall relax now and let the Dragons rest and eat. Tomorrow, we will continue to fly until the sun begins to set. We will leave early in the morning.” Rollan pulled out a loaf of bread and handed it to Lloyd. “Shuren, I want you to come with me.”

Without hesitation, Shuren followed Rollan. Rollan walked towards the lake that Shuren was at earlier that day. Rollan said nothing as he led Shuren. When Shuren could no longer take the silence he asked something.

“Rollan, what are we going to do?” Shuren asked. He was hoping that Rollan did not see the sky grow dark earlier that day.

“We, Shuren, are going to train. I will finish what your master began.” Rollan explained.

Shuren smiled. He was about to finally become a pupil of The Rollan Canona. “What will you be training me, magic?” Shuren assumed.

“Yes and no. I am going to teach you not the magic itself, but a different way to use the magic you already know.” Rollan explained. This confused Shuren quite a bit. Shuren already knew how to use the magic he knew, what other way could he use it?

After walking for quite a bit, they reached the lake. Rollan stopped without warning, almost causing Shuren to bump into Rollan. Rollan turned around to face Shuren. “This seems like a good spot.” He sat down on the ground. He signaled for Shuren to do so also.

Shuren sat down in front of Rollan. “So what are we going to do now? How else can I use my magic?”

“As you already know, you power to levitate is that only of a Ruven. Since I was one before, I can do it. Even though the power left, my ability to levitate items has not.” Rollan said. He lifted a rock with his energy and brought it over to them. He sat it next to them. “Shuren, I want you to break this rock apart.”

Shuren smiled. He raised his arm and point an open hand towards the rock, He closed it into a fist, and the rock crumbled together.

“No,” Rollan said, “I said break it a apart, not crush it.” Shuren was now confused. Rollan brought two more boulders over, about the size of a head. “Like this,” he said. He pointed a finger. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a small crack appeared and then the rock practically exploded. The rock literally broke apart and flew in different directions. One pebble nearly whacked Shuren. It was as if something inside the boulder forced it apart.

“How did you do that?” Shuren asked.

“It is simple. You know how to do the magic. Now you just need to use the magic. Simply force your energy inside of the boulder and break it apart from the inside out.” Rollan explained.

Shuren held out his hand and released energy. He tried to force it into the rock, but instead, he pushed the rock. “I couldn’t get into the rock, it only pushed it.”

“Remember Shuren, force your energy inside.” Rollan clarified. “First, make your energy sharp to pierce it, once it is inside, expand your energy.”

“Oh I see!” Shuren said. He actually understood it now. Instead of pointing his whole hand at the boulder, he point a finger. He made his energy as thing and sharp as possible. He shot it inside, causing the rock crack. Once he had enough energy inside. He opened his hand, causing the rock to mildly explode. “Ha, I did it!”

“Good, you’re a quick learner. It’s no wonder you’ve gotten so strong in a short amount of time,” Rollan said with a smile. Rollan found a few more rocks and brought them over. “Okay now, this is going to be a little bit harder.” Rollan lifted up two rocks. They both hovered in the air at the same height. Though one was content while the other looked as if it were going to fall. “Can you tell me the difference between these two boulders?”

Shuren pointed stated the obvious, “One’s perfectly still and the other one is wobbly.”

“Good, can you tell me why?” Rollan answered back. Shuren thought for a minute but couldn’t think of an answer, he shook his head. “Shuren, try lifting up a rock next to mine.”

Shuren levitated a rock just as Rollan instructed. It floated next to the wobbly one. Shuren’s was just as wobbly as Rollan’s. “Mine’s just as wobbly. Why?” Shuren said.

“That’s because of the way you are holding it up. The wobbly one that I have is being lifted from the bottom. In other words I have energy holding it up from the bottom, just like yours.” Rollan explained. Shuren nodded as he understood. “The other one that I am holding up is held differently. Instead of lifting from the bottom, I have energy inside of it, causing it to hover still.” Shuren continued to nod. “Try to force your energy inside and make it hover.”

Shuren pointed out his finger and shot a wave of energy inside the boulder. Shuren tried to lift the boulder, but instead, the top of the rock flew off. “That’s hard. How can you do that without making it break?”

“You have to spread your energy out evenly throughout the object, make sure that not one spot has more energy than the other.” Rollan explained. He’s already mastered this technique.

Shuren tried again on another rock. This time he spread it out as evenly as he could. It was hard to tell which part of the rock had more than the other. He forced all of the energy up, but it was a failed attempt. The top and the side of the rock flew off. “That’s really hard.” Shuren complained.

“It takes practice Shuren.” Rollan stood up. “I think we got a lot of training done today. Let’s head back to camp, they must be waiting for us.”

Shuren noticed that it was completely dark now. Shuren stood up. He would have to practice this technique non-stop to get it right. They began to walk back to camp. “So when are we going to train again.”

“We will train again when you can master this technique. That is when the next step in your training begins.” Rollan told him.

“So what if I need your help?” Shuren asked.

“I have already explained it all fully. There is nothing else I can tell you that will help you.” Rollan said.

Shuren sighed. Rollan definitely had different teaching styles as Lord Zelzor.
They reached the campsite where Lloyd prepared a wonderful meal. It was seasoned Wouk meat served with steamed herbs and a rascleberry pie. Lloyd was a magnificent cook.

They all ate until they could no longer hold anything in their stomachs. Shuren was even exhausted from eating. After eating, everyone sat and rested for a while.

“So we will travel non-stop tomorrow until the sun sets,” Thegor said. Everyone else agreed.

Shuren crawled into his tent and laid down. This time he got undressed. He thought about the Mawbryn earlier, Lyath. He was a Grundell, so why was he working for Garland? He wondered if he should tell Lloyd about this Grundell, but he did not dare after he remembered the man’s words. “If you want her alive, then you will speak of this little meeting to no one!” He was certainly not going to say anything. “At least she was still alive.” Shuren closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Book Review: Winter of Our Discontent (John Steinbeck) "Winners and Loser in the Game of Life"

2010-01-13T18:06:00.005-05:00

by Zach M.

In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, an unemployed Charles B. Darrow developed the board game Monopoly. Upon release, the game was an instant hit. In the interim, Monopoly became an American Icon –according to Hasbro, the owner of the rights to the game, it is the “best-selling board game in the world” and a “phenomenal pastime.” Born during a period of economic strife, Monopoly has lured generations with its promise of riches, however imaginary. With prudent management of assets, aggressive competition with fellow players, and, above all, luck, anyone may be elevated to the status of the beloved Mr. Moneybags. Other players are overcome as a consequence of victory—game theorists call this zero-sum; all players have consented to the risk in the pursuit of said victory. Still, what are the consequences of a zero-sum worldview? In The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck meditates on winners and losers, the interplay between both in the “game” of life, and, ultimately, the lengths to which some men are willing to go to ensure that they find themselves standing proudly on the winners stand, along with the repercussions of those actions.

The Winter of Our Discontent opens during Easter weekend, with the Hawley family. Throughout history, the name Hawley was associated with prestige and wealth in New Baytown, New York, but after Ethan Allen Hawley’s misfortunes and those of his father it is the name only of the town grocery clerk. However, between Easter and the Fourth of July, various influences—most of all luck, some lecturing, and some scheming against others—contrive to transform Ethan from a societal “loser” into a “winner.” Mr. Baker, the banker, convinces Ethan to use Mary Hawley’s money to reclaim the Hawley’s former position in society. Ethan first gives $1,000 to his childhood friend-turned drunkard Danny Taylor, in the hopes that Mr. Taylor might seek treatment. Alas, Danny uses the money to drink himself to death. This introduces the first moral quandary: Ethan gains Taylor Meadow, a significant and profitable asset because it is the only land in New Baytown suitable for an airfield; his loan to Danny killed him. Still, Mr. Baker also pursued Danny’s land, and in a less upright manner, lending justification to Ethan’s actions. In a separate subplot, Ethan, through a casual conversation with his friend Joey Morphy—a bank teller, discovers that his boss Marullo is likely an illegal immigrant. Ethan turns Marullo into the authorities while gaining the grocery store via Marullo’s request. Ethan turned in Marullo at the same time Marullo was beginning to appreciate Ethan’s inherent honesty, decency, and integrity. These events meld to deliver Ethan newfound wealth and respect. Only in the end is he forced to meditate on the ruin of others that has accompanied his success. With this realization, he becomes overcome by grief and anger at the ways of the world and nearly commits suicide. However, he resists in the hope of a better tomorrow. He says “I had to get back…else another light night go out” (279).

The relevance and humanity of The Winter of Our Discontent finds its roots in its characters. Every character possesses diverse and often contradictory traits. The protagonist, Ethan Allen Hawley, transforms from Christ to a revolutionary; through it all he retains a certain darkness. He is discontented with every aspect of his life: his job, his boss, and the fact that his family is discontented with their position in society. His desire to see good in the world—the following conversation between Ethan and Marullo epitomizes this side of Ethan:

“Meat, now—you paying too much.”

“Well, we advertise Grade A beef.”

“A, B, C—who knows? It’s on the card, ain’t it? Now, we going to have a nice talk. We got dead wood on our bills. Anybody don’t pay by the fifteenth—off the books.”

“We can’t do that. Some of these people have been trading here for twenty years.”

“Listen, kid. Chain stores won’t let John D. Rockefeller charge a nickel!” (21)

--becomes overshadowed by his aggression against his neighbors. Despite this, he maintains his melancholy, indicating that at his core, Ethan is still a moral man, he is simply caught up temporarily in the improbability of his luck much like a gambler on a winning streak. The influence of Ethan’s family cannot be overstated. His children yearn for material comforts. In the beginning, both children act similarly; they make a plan to write “I Love America” essays in pursuit of a prize. “’It’s the grapes,’ said Allen. ‘How about going to Washington, hotel, shows, meet the President, the works. How’s that for the grapes?’” (30). There is no sincerity in their desires. Mary, Ethan’s wife, also yearns for money and the status that accompanies it. In an argument with Ethan, she says “In this town or any other town a Hawley grocery clerk is still a grocery clerk” (34). Thus, she desperately searches for any evidence of her family’s rising social status. She eagerly accepts as truth the fortune her friend Margie Young-Hunt—an aging divorcee who seeks the company of men—delivers, which predicts that Ethan will discover wealth and fame in the town; she is ecstatic when the prophecy is fulfilled. Allen follows Ethan’s model by plagiarizing his “I Love America” essay. When Ethan confronts his son about the cheating, Allen says “Don’t you read the papers? Everybody right up to the top—just read the papers. You get to feeling holy, just read the papers. I bet you took some in your time, because they all do. I’m not going to take the rap for everybody” (276). Thus, Allen plays a critical role: he causes Ethan to fully realize the negative effects of his actions. Yet, if it is Allen who drives Ethan to “the place” in the harbor, a deathbed of sorts, it is Ellen who is his savior. Ethan, on the verge of suicide, draws a talisman from his pocket that Ellen and he marvel over for its seemingly magical qualities. This heirloom reminds Ethan of his duty to kindle the light of hope he sees still burning in Ellen.

Ethan’s public relationships are likewise critical. Indeed, these exchanges are at once the most coincidental and precipitating events in the novel. A casual exchange with Joey Morphy about Marullo plants the seed for Ethan to defeat Marullo. Margie Young-Hunt and Mr. Baker also drive Ethan’s desire for material success. Of course, there are also Ethan’s victims. Danny, Ethan’s childhood friend, comes from a family of former prestige, like Ethan. However, in adulthood, Danny lived in a drunken trance. Danny was a disappointment who died a disappointing death. Still, Ethan’s guilty conscience regarding Danny haunts him. There is also Marullo, Ethan’s overbearing boss and a shrewd businessman. He views himself as a mentor for Ethan and gradually grows fond of Ethan and his honesty (Ethan refuses a bribe to deal with a vendor). Marullo becomes so enchanted with Ethan that he offers him a joint partnership in the store. Only after Marullo is forced from the country does Ethan discover that Marullo was a good man distorted by American values.

“Before he came over he knew the words on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. He’d memorized the Declaration of Independence in dialect. The bill of Rights was words of fire. And then he couldn’t get in. So he came anyway…It was quite a while before he understood the American way, but he learned—he learned. ‘A guy got to make a buck! Look out for number one!’ But he learned” (227).
In The Winter of Our Discontent, ideals are left behind, lines are blurred, and morality becomes ambiguous.

Time and setting are manipulated to make a symbolic statement about the action. The action is split into two parts, the first of which takes place over Easter weekend and the second of which proceeds during the Fourth of July. These two parts each address specific areas of Ethan’s societal transformation. Easter weekend, beginning with Good Friday, represents Ethan’s death and resurrection. Indeed, Good Friday places Ethan in a terrible mood, sorrowful about the crucifixion. “Good Friday has always troubled me. Even as a child I was deep taken with sorrow, not at the agony of the crucifixion, but feeling the blighting loneliness of the Crucified” (36). But with Easter and Christ’s resurrection comes the gentle beginnings of Ethan’s resurrection. It is on Easter Sunday that he meets with Mr. Baker to discuss investments—the investments that conform later make Ethan financially independent. Suddenly it is the Fourth of July and Ethan discovers his financial independence. Marullo offers him partnership of the store and loans him a car for the weekend. In addition, it is over the Fourth that Allen wins the essay contest, albeit fraudulently, making for a weekend of intense celebration. Ethan is a success, though he rapidly realizes the by-products of his success.

Diction and text structure are also important for crafting statements about society and establishing character. The first two chapters of each part are written in third person; the rest is written from Ethan’s point of view. These third person introductions charter The Winter of Our Discontent with a broad goal of critiquing society at large. On an individual scale, the juxtaposition of dialogue and internal thought that are wildly different in tone develops Ethan’s complex personality, making him a relevant and convincing character. While he speaks playfully to his wife, affectionately calling her “chicken-flower,” “darling,” and “ladybug,” his internal mind is shrouded in darkness, highlighting his disgust at both his actions and the forces that drew him to them. In the end, subtle arrangements in the text structure of The Winter of Our Discontent deliver a profound statement.

From its publication, Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent has been received with mixed review. While it won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, Arthur Mizener wrote a critical response in The New York Times begging the question “Does a Moral Vision of the Thirties Deserve a Nobel Prize?” (vii). This was a slight improvement to the initial New York Times review by Carlos Baker which concluded that “This is a problem novel whose central problem is never fully solved…For this reason, despite its obvious powers, The Winter of Our Discontent cannot rightly stand in the forefront of Steinbeck’s fiction” (viii). Perhaps the lukewarm, or at least confused, response to The Winter of Our Discontent is a result of its uncomfortable message. It serves as a mirror into which modern America might look and examine its unflattering face, count its crow’s feet, and search for grey hairs. It recognizes that everyone commits and justifies acts that are, at the very least, morally ambiguous; perhaps this unabashedly honest recognition is the cause for its unpopularity. But the novel’s most frustrating and—in the age of Sarah Palin, who rose from sports reporter to political force by chance—its most relevant theme is that planning is often inconsequential in life. Just as in that quintessential game of Monopoly, sometimes the only thing separating winners and losers in life is a roll of the dice.

Essay: Colors

2010-01-13T18:02:00.003-05:00

by Isaac M.

Everyone in the world has a favorite color. Whether it's being blue, black, green, white, yellow, or orange etc. everyone has a color that appeals to them most. I personally like brown. New polls say that the world average favorite color is “Blue.” I don’t really like blue though.

Colors can change things about you in many ways. Like you need yellow in your life but if you were locked in a room where you saw nothing but yellow you would go crazy in a matter of days. When red, blue, and yellow were on a spinning wheel and spun it would create the illusion that the spinning wheel is white.

What are colors? Colors are the reflection of light that a pigment dose not absorbed. Meaning when light hits a yellow piece of paper that is yellow the yellow pigment would absorb all of the light on the electromagnetic spectrum except yellow. The yellow light waves bounce off and into our eye’s letting you see the color yellow.

Now that you know a little more about color you should go out and look around, see what colors you find.

Group Photo

2010-01-07T16:24:00.004-05:00

Movie Review: Repo!

2010-01-05T19:02:00.002-05:00

by Becca L.

I’m sure those of you who heard of it were all very excited when Repo! came to DVD. Knowing that “rock opera” is the socially acceptable way of saying “musical”, I could hardly contain myself. Sure, it has Paris Hilton in it, but it also has Sarah Brightman, and she wouldn’t do anything that bad, would she? And it’s the “Genetic Opera”, that’s gotta be fun! It was not.

What it lacked in plot it also lacked in wit, music, talent, direction, and gore. I’m sure many will be sickened by the gore, but I expected much more from the director of the Saw saga. I’ve seen you drown a guy in pig guts, I know you can do better than this. I am a firm believer that the odd musical number can save anything. Here I am proven wrong. If anything, the idiotic lyrics to the songs killed what could have been a semi-decent horror film.

The concept was there. In a future where organ failure is the norm, people can get body parts replaced now, pay later. The catch being that if they fail to make their payments, whatever part they have from GeneCo will be repossessed. In comes the Repoman, scalpel flashing as he removes whatever barcoded body part you forgot to pay for. Of course, his sickly daughter must never know, the strain would kill her! But what’s this? It appears Daddy’s little girl has been on some late night excursions of her own. In a mindnumbingly predictable ending which I’ll be kind enough not to give away, blood is spilled, tears are shed, lives are lost, and the creepy, yet somehow hot, narrator takes us out.

Paris Hilton is laughable as a gothic version of herself, Sarah Brightman shames the stage she once worked on, and Alexa Vega (the girl from Spy Kids) cannot dance to save your life. The next time the man at Blockbuster tells you something is a horrible movie, listen. Learn from my mistakes, dear readers, and perhaps you will not live through the horrors I have.

Book Review: Carter Finally Gets It (Brent Crawford)

2010-01-05T18:48:00.003-05:00

by Darro C.

Carter Finally Gets It is a teenage fiction about a boy named Carter trying to survive his first year of High School. He suffers through things that all teenagers do at his age such as girls, sports, drama, gossip and embarrassment. Carter tries to kick things off with a good start, literally. He becomes the school’s varsity football kicker and achieves a rival at it. He goes out with a girl only to become heartbroken. After a series of crazy events, parties, police chases, football season and swimming season, Carter finds the one thing that he never expected; himself.

This novel is a novel that young teens can enjoy and relate to. They will welcome Carter with open arms and a sense of humor. I definitely recommend Carter Finally Gets It, by Brent Crawford, as a Teen Read.

Poem: Night

2010-01-05T18:44:00.001-05:00

by Anthony W

Flow freely tears of joy;
Now of all times have come,
To sit and reach at the stars above.
All the nights we speak of this
A night so clean and crisp,
Wind so gently on our lips.
Then repose to silent sleep
Under the moon we creep.

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 4: The Unexpected Visitor

2009-12-15T18:54:00.007-05:00

by Darro C.

The meeting was at noon, and Shuren overslept. He rushed to get out of his bed. He jumped out of his night clothes and into his casual outfit. He didn’t stop to wash his face. He ran down the hallway looking the way he did just as he woke up. He scrambled into the grand hall to find a mess of Zelzes. Each Zelze stared at Shuren puzzled as he made his way through the pile of them. Shuren even heard a slight giggle here and there, but he ignored them. Shuren searched for Rollan but could not find him.

Shuren noticed that the Zelzes were staring up, almost at the ceiling. Shuren looked up at the tall ceiling. In mid air, Shuren saw a count of five dragons flying. Three of the five carried two people while the remaining two carried one Zelze each. Shuren saw that Karoline, Lloyd and Rollan were flying above them. Rollan was on the left flying on a sharp blue Dragon, Lloyd in the middle in a dark green Dragon, and Karoline on right with a faint white Dragon. Shuren waited a moment, but no word was spoken. It seemed as if they were waiting for something.

Rollan looked down and saw Shuren. He made a gesture to the Zelze to his left. Suddenly, the bright purple Dragon swooped down towards Shuren. The Zelzes each took a step back. The Dragon landed softly beside Shuren, the Zelze signaled for Shuren get on it’s back. Shuren nervously climbed on. The Dragon lifted into the air quickly almost causing him to loose his balance. Before he knew it, he was at the elevation of the others.

“Well now,” Rollan said to Shuren, “Let’s get started.” Karoline and Lloyd both nodded. Rollan cleared his throat. Everyone’s attention was now fixed on the five Dragons floating above them. “There are a few reasons why the meeting was called today. We are all still grieving upon the lives that were stolen from us by surprise. I’m afraid that the bad news has yet to end.” Rollan looked over at Lloyd.

“Garland and the Ingles have already taken action. They have begun recruiting a few days after the battle,” Lloyd said. It almost seemed as if he was about to choke. The faces below showed a very worried expression. Lloyd continued, “The worst part is that he is doing it forcefully. He threatens villages to join him or become enslaved.” Gasps were heard. Some were angry and others were upset. It took quite a toll on Lloyd to express the worst of news to them.

“There is another thing,” Karoline began. “I’m sorry but we can not exactly tell you what this thing is, but it should be known that we are going away to try and solve this thing.” Complaints were cried all over. Karoline took a deep breath and said, “Rollan, Lloyd, Shuren, a few others and I are going after this thing, and we expect you people to be strong with out us for that while.”

There were more complaints amongst the Zelzes below. Shuren was tired of hearing unhappy comments. “Listen everyone! This thing is important. It may be more important than the war itself! This thing, we think it’s a weapon that Garland is after, and we must stop him! You must be strong! I have revised a plan that I think that would work.” The room suddenly went quiet. Shuren was enlightened for once. “We will divide ourselves into several groups. We are going to have a race with the Ingles. We will go to the remaining villages and recruit them. For this we will need most of the Dragons available. We will need only a few Zelzes per group, and twice as many Dragons. You will fly to the villages and convince them to join us. We can fit about two people per Dragon.

“As for the people to be in each group, that’s all up to you. Are there any volunteers?” Shuren asked. After a few moments, there was nothing. Then, a long hand shot up in the crowd. Shuren smiled, “Yes, there’s one.” Another hand shot up, followed by a few more until there was a total of twenty Zelzes. “Yes, twenty, that’s the perfect amount. You are all brave, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“Now, for the people who stay behind, I expect you all to prepare for war. Train, practice spells, do anything you can to aid. If there happens to be an ambush, send out one of the remaining Dragons for help. I say that two days time will be enough for us to prepare for the journey ahead of us. Now, are there any questions or statements?” Shuren asked after a deep breath. There were no comments or questions to be said. “Then, this meeting is dismissed. Zelzes, be prepared.”

The crowed below fluttered and scattered into an empty hall. The five Dragons landed in the hall and everyone climbed off. Now was calm. “So who will be traveling with us?” Shuren asked.

“I think Blayger, Thegor and there Dragons should be enough,” Lloyd said.

Shuren paused for a moment. There were seven people going, and there was only three Dragons, there weren‘t enough Dragons. “Lloyd that’s not enough.

Lloyd looked confused. “There is not enough what?” Shuren began to feel that he was being toyed with. He made a serious face, and Lloyd said, “Oh, don’t worry about that Shuren, I have that under control.” Both Shuren and Karoline were confused, they shook off the confusion.

Now, only Shuren, Karoline, Rollan, Lloyd, Thegor, and Blayger were left in the hall. Shuren spoke up, “So exactly what should we be prepared with?”

“Definitely weapons and rations,” Karoline said, “the usual survival necessities.”

“I think that we should travel light,” Thegor said as he patted his dark green Dragon, “they are not super strong.”

“I agree,” said Lloyd, almost as if he understood what she was saying. The subject was soon changed into a more important matter.

“Well where should we go first? Lekay is the closest place,” Shuren suggested.

“No,” Karoline said firmly. “That is where we are most likely to get captured, also, if that is where one of these keys are, Garland is sure to have already retrieved it.”

“I say that we should go to Kyladin first. It’s in ruins so it should be fairly safe,” Rollan said. Shuren agreed, though he really wanted to go to Hogony first. Everyone else agreed. “So it is settled, we will travel to Kyladin fist.”

The seven of them walked out of the grand hall and back to their rooms. Shuren brainstormed on what he should do before he left. He had two days left on the mountain and he has sure that he would not be back for a long while. He will say goodbye to everyone, and gather all of his belongings. He continued to walk and ended up at his own room. Shuren realized that the meeting only lasted half an hour. It was half past noon and Shuren didn’t know what to do. It was the first time since his miserable days at Hogony, that Shuren was bored.

Shuren grabbed a book from the shelf and opened it, it was a non-fiction book. Shuren didn’t have much a taste for non-fiction books. He was into more of an adventure. Though his recent life was an extremely wild one, he would like to enjoy one without his life being in danger. Shuren went through all of the books on the shelf, but they were all informational books. Then, Shuren began to wonder, he never asked about a library in Aela-Doria. Surely all of the books must have came from somewhere. Then again, where would a library get all of it’s books in Aela-Doria? Still, Shuren wanted to search for one.

He walked outside and down to the grand hall. It was less empty than it had been after the meeting. There were several Zelzes in the grand hall. He asked one of them about a library, but they were not sure if one existed. Shuren continued to walk and walked into the healing room, where Shuren was first healed by Niance. The Zelze in there was not Nina, but another one. “Where is Niance?” Shuren asked.

“She is not present at the moment, I do not really know where she is,” the lady Zelze replied.

“Hmm, well thank you.” Shuren walked out of the room and roamed the halls. Shuren made some random turns and found himself in a foreign hallway with a few doors and an archway that led to a balcony at the end of it. A door on the left opened and a familiar face walked out. Catalina looked up to see Shuren and was startled.

Shuren realized how unusual the situation seemed. He has never been to her room before, let alone this hallway. She smiled and walked up to Shuren. She had her usual silky robe-like outfit on. Her hair was tied in a bun. She reached Shuren surprisingly did not touch him.

“What a surprise, I was just about to go see you, but it appears that you have found me,” she said quietly.

Shuren thought for a moment. If there was anyone who would know about a library, it would have been Zelzor. Now that he is gone, Catalina was one who seemed close enough to Zelzor to know about a library. “Hey, is there a library in this place?”

Catalina raised her eyebrows, “As in a collection of books?” Shuren nodded. “I’m not completely sure that there is.”

“Has Master Zelzor ever mentioned anything about a library?” asked Shuren, hoping for a small clue at least.

“Not that I know of, but there are two rather large cases in his room,” Catalina replied.

That struck Shuren, there was! “Yes, lets go see it then,” Shuren said, “lead the way.”

Catalina walked ahead of Shuren. They walked through the set of hallways that Shuren walked through the first time ever. They ended up at the gigantic double doors. They pushed them open to see a deserted room, fairly dusty. The lost of Zelzor struck Shuren again. He took a deep breath ignored it. The desk with the chair look as if it wasn’t moved in ages. The bed was made remained empty as it has been and the windows were closed. On the right side of the room, the large book cases stood tall. They were filled with old books.

Shuren walked up to them as he heard Catalina close the doors. He shelf read the spines, most of them were of a foreign languages of which he could barley understand. Though from the context, he was sure that they were just informational books. Shuren leaned his back against the book case and sighed. He was craving an adventure novel.

Shuren heard Catalina walk up towards him. “Did you not find what you wanted?” Shuren shook his head. She sighed also. She placed her right hand next to Shuren’s head and her left on the other side. She approached him. Shuren was trapped between her arms. “I’m sorry that you didn’t find it.” Shuren began to feel tense. She moved her head closer to the point that their noses were touching. Shuren did not move, and she did the opposite. She then brushed his lips with her own, and then turned into a full fledged kiss. Shuren cold not help but kiss back, it was his first ever. Then suddenly, the force that Shuren was leaning on caved in. Shuren fell backwards into a dark room, and Catalina fell on top of him. Dust fell from the ceiling, making it hard for Shuren to breath. He coughed and struggled to stand up, after doing so he helped Catalina up. They paused for a moment, and began to laugh.

“Ferina,” Shuren said as a ball of fire ignited in is hand. It lit the room, revealing nothing but walls. Though, on the far right side, was a dark hallway. Catalina grabbed Shuren’s hand as they began to explore it. The hallway turned into a flight of stairs that led down. They slowly walked down. Then, there were no more stairs, but a glossy floor instead. Shuren added more energy to his fire, causing his whole hand to catch fire, lighting more the of the room. Shuren saw, above him, a chandelier with a few candles. He shot flames at each one. Then the room was illuminated for the most part. On the walls were torches, he and Catalina lit them also.

The room was bright, and they were astonished to see what they found. The room was about as big as Shuren’s, and inside was stacked from the ground with books. There were no cases, they just sat on top of each other, each one with the fine leather covers that all books were made of. Ironically, it was a library.

Shuren smiled, and laughed. Catalina just held onto Shuren, unaware of what to express. Shuren immediately began browsing. There was a mixture of all kinds of books, from novels, to medicine books, to cooking recipes. Shuren was filled with joy to find one that he didn’t expect to. One that he had began reading before his journey began, titled Her Heirloom. The novel that included Craig as the main character. Shuren strictly remembered the last section that he read. He had left of when Craig outsmarted the trolls and camped out for the night.

It must have been an old book, for that was the only reason that the library let Shuren have it. Though he had not realize that it was old enough to be in Aela-Doria.

“What is that?” Catalina asked Shuren, pointing to the book in Shuren’s hands.

“It’s a novel that I was never able to finish. I read it back at the village before that jerk sent me on a suicide mission.” Shuren replied.

“Who is this jerk?”

Shuren gripped his book tightly. “His name is Bastian Mclore. He hated me just as much as I hate him now.” Catalina looked surprised. “That bastard is the reason why my village was attacked. He works for the Ingles, and he’s the reason why we were ambushed.”

Catalina looked irritated. This was the first time that she ever heard him speak such aggressive words. “Well, then what should we do about this?” she asked.

Shuren shook off the though of his grudge. “I don’t know, what do you think we should do? This must all be Zelzor’s correct?”

“Most likely, now that he’s gone, I think it would be nice to share a piece of it to everyone.”

Shuren nodded, “Well then, lets get to it. We’ll just grab an armful of the now and take them out into the grand hall. The we can tell people to come down here and get them.”

Catalina agreed. Shuren levitated two stacks of books, though he kept Her Heirloom in his arms. Catalina grabbed as many as she could by arm and followed him.. Shuren’s stack was wobbly, while hers stayed still and content in her arms. He still needed work on his magic. The left the room with the many stacks of books and walked up the stairs and back into Zelzor’s room.

They stepped over the pile of rubble and spilled books that they broke earlier. They slowly led the stack of books into the halls. People gathered around them as they set them down in the grand hall. The Zelzes rummaged through the four stacks of books and questioned where they came from. Catalina told everyone to settle down until they were all quiet.

“Everyone, we stumbled upon a library of some sort.” Shuren explained. “There was a room behind the book cases in Master Zelzor’s room. It led downstairs into a fairly large room with tons of books. I thought that you all should be able to read them all.”

The Zelzes began to commute amongst themselves, deciding whether or not it was right to be going trough Zelzor’s belongings.

Suddenly, Shuren came up with an idea. “I think that we should create a library.”

Zelzes were confused to here this. With all of the stress from the war, they had not expected anything like this. “We can’t let this war take everything away from us. Let’s try to stay positive. Let us try to enjoy ourselves while we still can.”

Soon, agreement seemed to be mutual with everyone. Shuren assigned groups of people to go down into the room and retrieve all of the books. They found an empty room, and decided to use it as a library.

“We will need to build book cases, large ones at that,” Shuren said as he helped a group of Zelzes clear out the room. After they moved all of the belongings out of the large room, they began cleaning it up. While cleaning, Shuren assigned a group of Zelzes to fetch enough wood for at least twenty book cases.

While cleaning, Shuren saw Karoline walk in through the room. Her sudden appearance hit Shuren in his gut. He was just with Catalina earlier, and did not think of Karoline once, it was almost as if his feelings for her were gone. Though as soon as he saw her, all the those feelings, and even guilt, rushed back. He was not sure of how to act towards her.

“What is all of this?” Karoline asked in a positive mood.

“We’re building a library,” Shuren replied simply. “We could use a hand, I know you are an excellent builder. Would you mind building some book cases with the wood we gathered? Or at least show them how?”

“I guess so, I have nothing to do in my spare time. I can lend a hand.” She said. Shuren thanked her and showed her the pile of wood in the other end of the room. It was almost a relief to get her out of his presence, he felt so timid and guilty.

Karoline finished two book cases by nightfall. The size of them were fairly large. They were tall enough to fit a lot of books, but not taller than anyone’s reach. She had taught other Zelzes how to build them, and expected them to continue when they were gone. They had retrieved about half of the books from the basement room. Could not think of where to put so they stacked them up in the grand hall.

Shuren thanked everyone and walked back to his room with his book. He was so excited to continue reading it. He had not even reached halfway yet before he left on his journey. Shuren walked into his room, washed up and laid down in his bed.

He grabbed the book and searched for the last page that he was on. When he found it, he began reading it. Before he even read a paragraph, Shuren felt uneasy reading it. He didn’t feel right reading it just then. It just seemed very uncomfortable to him, as if it wasn’t right. He closed the book and set it aside. He blew out his candle and went to sleep.

* * *

Shuren woke up quite early the next morning. The thing he could think of was Catalina. He felt very strange after kissing her. Though he has never before, he was sure that it gave him an abnormal feeling. Not only did guilt fill his head, but he also felt uneasy.

Shuren walked out on his balcony and watched the sunrise. Peace began to sooth his soul. He stared at the orange half-circle rise slowly above the horizon. The sky above him was oddly the color of lavender, but the sky before him was a flaming red. The redness of the sky dispersed and gently turned darker into the early morning of the sky. Before Shuren knew it, the sky was completely lit with a light blue.

Shuren walked back inside his room when he heard a knocking at the door. He almost knew exactly who it was. He opened the door and was correct. Catalina swayed into the room with her long silk robe gently sliding on the floor behind her.

Shuren was not shocked this time. By now, he was used to it, and practically enjoyed it. He shut the door behind her as she sat down on his bed. Shuren walked over and took a seat next to her. “What is it?” he asked.

She leaned over and gently kissed him, this time, shorter than the first and the last. As their lips departed, she put her lips next to his ear. “. . . I’m leaving,” Catalina whispered.

A jolt went through Shuren’s heart. He was speechless for a few moments. Eventually, he managed to say, “Why?”

Catalina sighed. She lifted herself off of the bed and walked around the room a bit. Their backs faced each other as she stood next to bed and Shuren stayed sitting. “There is something that I must do alone. I must take care of something. I’m afraid that this will be the last time we see each other for a while.”

Once again, Shuren said nothing. Once again, he could not have true happiness. Shuren felt as she was his one true chance of happiness, and just his luck, it will leave him. “Is it really that important?” asked Shuren, afraid of the answer. She nodded. “Just my luck . . .”

“I’m leaving very soon, it’s very important that nobody knows that I’ve left,” she said seriously. “In order for me to be safe, you must let everyone know that I have gone missing.”

Shuren wondered why, but did not ask. He wanted her to be safe, “I will try.”

“No, you must promise me that you will not tell. Nobody can know! If they do, then I might . . . Die.” Catalina explained with the same serious tone.

Shuren felt his eyes water. He was not entirely sure if he was crying or not. She came closer and hugged him. After a few moments, she whispered, “I will find you when you find it.” Then, she kissed her fingers and placed them on his lips one last time.

She turned around and walked outside onto the balcony. Shuren stayed inside, wiping his face from the hot tears that he could not control. “I will miss this place,” she began. She turned around to face Shuren and said, “Shuren, I lov-”

Suddenly, a black bolt of lightning struck the balcony right beside Catalina. A man with a dark leather suite appeared before the sky grew dark. Shuren was found frozen. The Mawbryn pushed Catalina aside, causing her to fall to the ground. The man walked blew away the window that led into the room. The balcony shook and began to crumble. The edge of it broke off and collapsed. Glass flew into the room, some of it cutting Shuren. He couldn’t not react, he could not move. All Shuren could do was watch Catalina knocked out on the floor.

The Mawbryn walked into the room and raised his arm. With a deep voice, he muttered, “Dinwoa!” Shuren was blown against the wall behind him. High-speed wind rushed against his body, keeping him on the wall and immobilized. Shuren barley budged his fingers, but it was enough. Books flew out of his shelf and struck the Mawbryn in the back of the head.

Shuren was released from the wind. Shuren waved his arm and said, “Arcaetama!” A web of electricity flew from his arms and struck the Mawbryn. Shuren then rushed over to his bedside and grabbed his scimitar. He turned around expecting an attack but there wasn’t. The man was now outside forcing Catalina off of the floor.

Then, the doors for Shuren’s room flung open. “Shuren! The sky is dark, is must be them-” Lloyd said as he walked in to find a Mawbryn on his now collapsing balcony. Lloyd immediately armed his bow. The Mawbryn grabbed the now conscious Catalina and forced her in front of himself as a shield. Lloyd halted.

“Shuren!” cried Catalina. Before Shuren began to run, smoke was already rising from the ground. Another black bolt of lightning struck and they were gone.

“NO!” Shuren screamed until his face turned purple. He arced his body backwards and threw his scimitar with rage. It sliced through the air and went right into the smoke. There was a loud clunk as it hit the balcony.

Lloyd ran into the smoke, but found nothing, the man was gone, and so was Catalina. The smoke disappeared and the sky regained it’s color. “Shuren, the balcony!” Lloyd yelled as he reached for Shuren’s scimitar.

Shuren ran over to the edge of his room and forced the scimitar backwards. It flew behind them and stuck into the wall. Then he compelled his energy under the falling balcony. It was very large and hard to control. He had to think fast, he could not reattach it to his room. He could only let it down somewhere.

“Just throw it somewhere!” Lloyd said loudly.

Shuren spun around for momentum and forced the balcony away from the mountain with all of his strength and rage. The large chuck of mountain flew out into the valley hundreds of yards away. Seconds later there was a loud thump as it hit the ground.

Shuren slumped to the ground with tears streaming down his face again. Lloyd came over and patted his back. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Shuren took a deep breath, “I couldn’t save her. Why would they want to take her?”

“I don’t know,” Lloyd said, “she was a pretty powerful sorceress.” He tried to comfort him.

Shuren stood up with even more rage. He lifted all of the ruble and shards of glass from his window and forced them out into the valley. Lloyd could only stand there and watch Shuren go out in rage.

More Zelzes ran into the room realizing that there was an attack. Niance asked, “Sir Ruven, Sir Lloyd, are you hurt?”

“We’re fine, but they-” Lloyd began.

“They took Catalina!” Shuren finished. Niance gasped along with the other Zelzes.

Lloyd stood up, “I think we should go talk to Rollan.” Shuren wiped his face and followed Lloyd.

“We’ll take care of this mess,” a Zelze said as he pulled the reverse blade scimitar out from the wall.

Lloyd led Shuren throughout the halls. The Zelzes in the hallways asked them what exactly happened. Lloyd explained it to one Zelze and told him to spread the word. Shuren, however, was not paying attention. He was lost in grief, yet again.

“First Master, and now Catalina, and it’s all my fault! If it weren’t for me, they would still be here, no one would have to be hurt!” Shuren thought. Shuren clenched his fist. He was angrier at himself than ever.

Lloyd opened the door to Rollan’s room. Rollan was inside sitting, looking at a map of Oryk. He looked up, “So what happened?”

Shuren sat down. Lloyd said, “I’ll go get Karoline and the others,” and left. Shuren stared at his fists with his teeth clenched. “It was the Mawbryn, they took Catalina.” Shuren said plainly.

Rollan sighed with disbelief, “What was the point?” It seemed as if he was asking himself that question.

“What was that?” Shuren asked a little confused.

“There had to have been a point. Garland said that he needed you alive correct?” Rollan asked. Shuren nodded. “Then why one of the Mawbryn come to attack you, and also take Catalina?”

“She is a very powerful sorceress,” Shuren replied. Rollan shook his head.

“Though she is very strong, they have plenty of powerful Ingles that can do quite a bit of Gippy sorcery.” Rollan contemplated.

“I was too weak,” Shuren began, “I wasn’t strong enough to save her. When he appeared, when he attacked, I couldn’t move. I-I was paralyzed.”

The doors opened, and a group of people walked in. The first was Karoline, who made Shuren’s spine shiver. He had been so caught up with Catalina that he did not think of her. No longer could feelings of affection rush back to his body with a single glance. Right then, only anger and grief flowed through him. Lloyd, Thegor, and Blayger walked in behind her.

“I head there was an attack, are you okay?” Karoline asked with concern.

Shuren nodded, but said, “They took Catalina.” Karoline raised her eyebrows with disbelief. She did not show an expression of sadness but instead anger, she never really did like Catalina, but she did reside with them. “Was it only one?” Shuren nodded.

“I think we should leave today.” Rollan then said after a moment of thought.

“What about the rest of us?” Thegor asked.

“All of us, we all leave today, even the Zelzes that were going to stay here.” Rollan explained.

“Yes, I agree with Rollan,” Blayger said. “It is no longer safe here since they know where we are. We need to find a safe place for them all.”

“What about Veryala?” Lloyd suggested. “They can’t find the village anywhere in the Dead Forest. Also they have many barriers that protect the village.”

Rollan nodded, “How many Paleps do we have here?”

Thegor said, “A few stables full. It should be just enough to transport them to Veryala.

“Very well,” Rollan said, “call for an emergency meeting in the Grand Hall. This needs to be done quickly.”

* * *

The Grand Hall was quickly filled just as it was the day before. Though, this time, only one Dragon hovered above everyone. Thegor and Rollan rode Rissam in the air. Everyone was now quiet.

“As you all should know by now, there was an attack earlier this morning. It was a Mawbryn, from Garland’s army. Our Ruven tried to fight him off, but he had the element of surprise and overpowered our unarmed Ruven.” Rollan sighed. “Luckily, our Ruven and Sir Lloyd were able to make him flee, but unfortunately, he took one of us with him. Our dear Catalina has been taken with her. We know not the location they have gone, and we are not going to find out. We can only pray that where ever she is, she is safe.

“As for us, we have no choice but to leave immediately. All of us. Now that they know our location, we are no longer safe here.” There were many complaints and cries as Rollan was explaining. “We will all go on our journeys, and whoever remains will travel to Veryala. It is safe there and the magical barriers will protect you all. You guys will take Paleps down there, it should take maybe four days with Paleps if you are hasty. We must pack and leave by sundown. Say your goodbyes, and pray for each other, this is war.” The crowd dispersed into the hallways. They all went back to their rooms to pack and get ready for a journey.

Shuren walked up to his room. He no longer felt grief. Instead, he felt almost nothing. He couldn’t even shed a tear. He found his room to be cleaner than before, with the exception of the big whole in the wall. Shuren saw a big leather sack on his bed and began to pack.

He stuffed his light Zelze armor into the sack along with clean under clothing. He packed a Gippy and a Grundell language book along with Zelzor’s copy of Her Heirloom. He grabbed the already packed leather sack that Blurton help him sew. It was already packed with his usual survival items. He then realized that he never unpacked them.

Shuren sat and thought of when The Trio helped him get ready for his journey. He missed them so much. Thinking of them made tears form in his eyes for the third time that day. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Shuren grabbed his two leather sacks and his scimitar headed for the door. He stopped right before the exit. Shuren turned around for one last glance. The bed was not made, and the pool of water was motionless. He took a deep breath, turned around and walked away.

Essay: The First Day I Came to York

2009-12-15T18:13:00.002-05:00

by Luis R.

The first day I arrived in York, I thought it was a nice place. I never lived in a city before, so I didn’t know what it was like in a city. When I got here the first person I met was my best friends grandma, she didn’t know we just moved in, so she screamed at me and my brother because we were in the backyard. The she apologized and introduced me to a person that is now my best friend. That’s how I met Quincey.

When we got to York we didn’t have a car so we had to use the busses to get to places.
Me, my mom, my little sister, and my little brother, it was our first time ever getting on a bus, we really didn’t know what to do but my step dad did so we didn’t get lost. My little sister enjoyed the ride on the bus, I didn’t, and it was too crowded. Then we finally got to where we wanted to a restaurant called Daddyos Pizza. We ate but they had something I never seen or tried before,”Chocolate Pizza”. I went and took two slices and had my first bite it was so good I had another.

We went back home. I saw Quincey at the back yard playing soccer, so I asked him if I could play he said yes. We stated playing soccer and I was good but not that good. My mom told me there was a McDonalds close to our house but I didn’t know where it was, so I asked Quincey if he knew where it was he said yes. I asked him to take me so I could get food for my mom and some for us will we were there. We went back home with a bag of food. Quincey invited me to go to his house, but to be careful with the dog because they bite. I went to Quincey’s house for the first time. The dogs didn’t bite, they just barked but after a will they liked me. We went back to my house and Quincey asked for some rice, and I gave him some, and he liked it. Quincey went home because it was late. That’s how me and Quincey became fiends.

Poem: Fine Beast for Dinner

2009-12-15T17:58:00.004-05:00

by Anthony W.

As the sun rises so does the squigglwok

All the knights give way

The king addresses in an loisy way

“The sky is ponge

And night has yet to come

Gather all your kinsmen

Fine beast for dinner and let it be done”

A simple task is it not

For no man has caught the squigglwok

Only sir Erin the lak

Has ever caught a squigglwok

“find me sir Erin”

The grangy king roared

All thorough trussels

Across distant hills

Came sir erin.

“My veedy king you called”

“chuggy your men and get my wok”

At once they did soar

Under the glamp sky

With only the stars to

To light their eyes.

Unpun the night have they watched

The frong beast called the squigglwok

Valiant they were, but to no avail

Two were flayed

By the beast’s tail

Swirlent blades clashed and breemed

At each and every seam

Hobbed were their faces

Wrept were their braces

Till the hero left unseen

Gumped he was by the wok

the men shrept in shock

It was done

They had failed

It seemed

All came to a close

But then the beast shrieked

The hero’s blade stug in its throat

With a pull it crashed and died

Leaving only two alive

They slagged on for two days

Hauling the heavy beast

Till they made it to castle

For the feast

As ever the grangy king roared

“to the honorable sir Erin

We commemorate this feast”

It was a very fine meal to say the least.

Essay: Sleep Divided by School

2009-12-10T17:31:00.003-05:00

by Isaac M.

School is something everyone need but sometimes you go to school tired, and you need some sleep. So, you know what everyone does? They fall asleep! The point it when people fall asleep in school there teacher would get mad at them like they did something wrong. Sleep is a natural bodily function. Now I understand the teacher yelling when people fall asleep when they think the lesion or class is boring. Like I said, sleep in something everyone needs and you should be getting it out of school when you can. Not when you are suppose to be learning. When you find yourself fighting the sleep in school I find that when I go to the bathroom I wake up walking through the halls, also if you need to make up fast look at a light not for too long thought or you’ll cause’ damage to your eyes. So I hope you have learned to keep awake in school.

Book Review: Castration Celebration (Jake Wizner)

2009-12-10T17:03:00.002-05:00

by Becca L.

Where to begin on this monstrosity? I will admit, I barely glanced at the back cover synopsis. I saw the word castration and decided it must be mine. After all, what’s not to celebrate about castration (I would recommend male readers not dwell on it)? Even the cover, a mockup of the infamous High School Musical promo, tells vicious lies about the content of this book. It is not witty or clever, as the cover would suggest. It is the product of an author with half-formed ideas who, instead of developing one sufficiently, decides to cram them both into the same horrible book. The ONLY redeeming quality was the suggestion that this could possibly be a reworking of The Taming of the Shrew. I assure you, it was not. The unfinished play within the book was, but the book itself was another bit of mindless, romantic teenage drivel. I know, I have stood behind drivel in the past, but this drivel was too inane even for me. Boy meets Girl at camp. Allow me to break this drivel down for you. Girl works out Daddy issues in writing. Boy woos Girl, Girl resists. Boy wins Girl, Boy screws up. Boy magically makes everything better in the last three chapters. The end. The play follows the exact same plot, just more sex centered. I know you will all be shocked, but my friends and I have filthy minds. I can make anything sound dirty in my head and maintain a straight face until the appropriate moment. The lyrics to some of the songs in this book made me blush. I don’t dare repeat any on a library sponsored site, suffice to say that Boccaccio would be proud. When you see this book on the shelves, do not be seduced by its pretty cover or risqué title. Run as fast as you can to the opposite end of the store and thank me for saving you from this particular Celebration.

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 3: Clues

2009-12-10T16:52:00.006-05:00

by Darro C.

Shuren woke up the next day fairly tired. Though it was nothing the enchanted pool could not treat. After a quick dip, Shuren got dressed. He decided to go have a talk with Rollan. He quickly walked through his double doors and into the marble hallway. Many Zelzes were up and carrying on with their own business. Shuren walked throughout the webbed hallways and to Rollan’s room. He stood at the door quietly for a few seconds. He raised his hand to knock, though he felt he did not have to.

“Come in Shuren,” said a voice from inside the room.

Shuren was dumbfounded. His hand was still in the air. Through his entire life of knowing Rollan, he was always capable of amazing Shuren. He entered the room quietly. For the first time in his life, Shuren caught Rollan doing something imaginable. He was sitting promptly in an armchair, with a book placed in his hands.

“Rollan, are you reading?” Shuren asked astonished.

Rollan looked up at Shuren as if he had said something wrong. “Ah yes, I am actually. Not quite often will you find me reading a book these days.”

Shuren took a seat across from Rollan. “I remember when you wanted me to get you that copy of The Gospel of Oryk.” Rollan closed his book and smiled. “Why was it that you wanted me to get that for you? You never actually received the book from me.”

“Oh well, I’ve read that book more times than I have cast any spell,” Rollan stood up and went into his back room. “I just wanted you to know a little about the world that you are prophesied to save.”

Shuren frowned. One thing that could always make Shuren frown was the fact that he was chosen to save the world. He never quite got over the fact that a seventeen year old boy was to vanquish evil from the world of Oryk. Shuren though more of the book he was to deliver to Rollan. Than suddenly, a subject popped into Shuren‘s head, something he forgotten all about until recently. “Rollan, what happened that night? When I went to give you that book, you were gone.”

Rollan entered the room with an armful of books. He placed them on the table between the two. He sat down and paused for a moment. Shuren began to wonder if he was going to answer at all. Rollan raised his hand and began stroking his white beard. “Well Shuren,” he said. “What happened to me was ironic, really.”

“Well, let’s hear it than,” Shuren said eagerly.

“Earlier that day, I spotted a black bolt of lightning in the forest neighboring Hogony. I was preparing to investigate it when you came to my house,” Rollan explained.

Shuren remembered correctly. He saw a man in a black coat in the forest that day, it was obviously a Mawbryn. “Rollan, I remember seeing a Mawbryn that day. It was the first time I had seen one, I fled as fast as I could.”

“That’s right; you came out of the forest that day. When you came to my doorstep, I wanted you to get me that book, knowing I wouldn’t be there when you came back. I suspect that you read some of it that day,” Rollan said. Shuren nodded. “Well, after you left, I left the village and scouted the forest, and no doubt I saw a Mawbryn that day. I followed him, and he led me into the graveyard of which you found me in. He saw me and summoned the rest of his squad. I met every single member of the Mawbryn that day.”

Shuren was astounded; Rollan met with every Mawbryn member and was still alive. “Exactly how many members were there?”

Rollan paused again. He looked up and took a breath. “. . . There were seventeen of them.”

Shuren felt as if he were struck in the chest. There were seventeen of them! “There were seventeen?” Rollan nodded. “What about the leader? Was he there?”

“Yes, he was there.” Rollan said. “His power compared to the rest of them is on a different scale. The sixteen members of Mawbryn I could handle. They attacked me and I was able to fight them off. But their leader, he was about matched to me, probably stronger. If it were me and him one on one, I might have been able to fight him off, but there were too many of them. They cornered me and the leader began to threaten the village.”

“What did he say?” Shuren wondered out loud.

“He thought that I was still the Ruven, and threatened the village if I did not come with them. I went with them, to their lair. I did not see Garland there; they said he was taking care of some business down south. They tried to keep me there.”

Shuren was still in shock. “Rollan, why is it they wanted you?”

Rollan began to stare at the books sitting before him. “They wanted me because they though that I was the Ruven.”

Shuren looked up at Rollan staggered. “They took you because they thought you were the Ruven? What would they want with the Ruven?”

“I’m not sure. I knew that if I told them I wasn’t the Ruven, they would come after a massive load of others, so I kept my mouth shut.”

“You risked your life to protect mine. . .” Shuren realized.

“Don’t worry about that Shuren, I’m alive and that matters.” Rollan said. He took another breath and continued, “Anyway, they realized that I wasn’t the Ruven anymore. They seemed to think that the Ruven lived somewhere in Hogony, so that’s when they sealed me into the wall and attacked Hogony.”

Shuren was now frustrated. He was the reason his village was attacked, and he was the reason Rollan was in danger. In a way, Bastian was right, he was the reason Rollan was taken. “So it’s all my fault.”

Rollan shook his head, “Shuren, you did not ask for any of this. You did not let this happen intentionally.”

Shuren clenched his fist. “So now that means he will come after me now that he knows I’m the Ruven. So even just being here is a danger to everyone.”

Rollan said nothing for a moment. Than he said, “Well that depends. Were they already in danger for fighting the war? Danger could not have increased any more just by knowing you are hear. If they were really planning on taking you, they would’ve attacked right after the battle, when we were weak and in need of a leader.”

Shuren sighed. He leaned back into his armchair and tried to relax. Than, something came to his mind. “Rollan, since you were once the Ruven. Could you, by any chance, teach me about it?” Shuren tried not to raise his hopes, but Rollan was his last chance.

Rollan slowly shook his head. “It’s true that I was taught by Master Zelzor himself, I was never taught the spell,” Rollan said sadly.

“Why would he not teach it to you? You were the Ruven,” Shuren wondered.

“That I do not know, but remember what I said in Veryala,” Rollan informed.

Shuren nodded. He looked at the books that sat in front of him. “What are these for?” He picked up a hard covered red book and opened the page. They were not of common language, but some words he was able to pick up. “It’s in Ingle language, right?”

“Correct,” Rollan said as Shuren handed him the book. “I believe that it can give us a start about the Neo Crystal.”

“That’s right, the crystal’s legends did originate from Ingles,” Shuren said. He thought of how Karoline would be able to help. “I’ll go get Karoline and Lloyd.” Rollan nodded. Shuren stood up and walked outside.

He made his way through the halls of Aela-Doria. He searched in Lloyd’s room but he was not present. He decided to check outside. On his way to the main hall, he spotted Karoline. She was standing next to the pillar they were both at yesterday. She was leaning against it with her arm wrapped around it. She seemed so peaceful, just staring out into the world.

Shuren approached her apprehensively. He crept up beside her. She turned and looked at him and smiled. Suddenly, a light breeze blew into the hall, causing her luscious brown hair to flow in the wind. It was such a coincidence to happen at that moment. Shuren was caught breathless. “Erm, Rollan needs us, and Lloyd also. Have you seen him?” Shuren said quickly to not awkward the moment.

She turned her attention back to the view before her, continuing her thousand mile gaze. “I think Lloyd is training with Athar. I will be at Rollan’s room soon,” She said as she walked back through the halls.

Shuren let out the breath he had been holding. He shook off his feelings and walked outside and the downward bridge that led him to the training grounds. No doubt, he found Lloyd and Athar practicing archery. Also, Wresta, Strata and Linkouz were there.

“Hey guys, how are your injuries?” Shuren asked them.

Linkouz looked up with enthusiasm, “Nothing Niance couldn’t heal. She was amazing! I can’t believe healing would be so great.”

“I think Linkouz has a little crush on the Zelze,” Lloyd said as he finished up his training. The others laughed. “How are you doing Shuren?”

“I’ve been better. Lloyd, Rollan wants to see us,” Shuren said. Lloyd nodded.

Shuren turned around and began walking until Athar called out, “Sir Ruven, what is going to happen at the meeting tomorrow?”

Shuren stopped dead in his tracks. He had no idea about a meeting that was taking place. “What meeting?” He turned around and saw Athar land on Suxar. He walked up to them.

“Everyone in Aela-Doria was informed of this. Surely, you, of all people knew about this,” Athar explained.

Shuren lowered his eyebrows in confusion. “Well, I guess now I do . . .” Without another word, Shuren began heading towards Rollan’s room. Shuren pondered about the meeting. Why was he not informed of this? He began to feel frustrated. Shuren walked faster to reach Rollan’s room.

Karoline, Rollan and Lloyd were discussing about the meeting when Shuren walked into the room. They grew silent as Shuren sat down in the last empty chair. There was silence for a few moments when Lloyd asked, “What else should we discuss tomorrow, Shuren?”

Surprised, Shuren tried to act as if he was clueless, “What meeting?” Lloyd looked at Karoline confused. “Is there something that I should know about?” Shuren acted flawlessly.

“I’m sorry,” Karoline began, “I forgot. The meeting was scheduled to be tomorrow. We are supposed to talk about our next action.”

“Now that Garland has begun recruiting forcefully, we practically have no chance of winning in numbers.” Lloyd explained.

Shuren did not realize that Lloyd and Karoline had already been notified about Garland, yet again, Shuren was the last to know. He pushed the thought aside. He asked, “How far has Garland’s recruiters traveled?”

“According to Thegor, they have reached Aremac, which is west of Veryala. Since most Ingles live in Lekay, they have not reached that far. It also has only been a few weeks after the battle.” Rollan said.

“Then they have not reached Hogony yet,” Shuren said reassured. “I say that we should organize a group of Zelzes to recruit villagers. They would be able to fly with their Dragons to reach them faster than us.”

“Yes I agree with that, and we should continue searching for the Neo Crystal.” Lloyd agreed.

“Has anyone have an idea of what it means?” Karoline asked. There was no response around the room.

“Actually,” Rollan then said with a smile, “I think I have one.” The three of them looked at Rollan with disbelief. “It’s fairly simple actually. There are three places on this main continent of Oryk that are surrounded by nothing but water. There is the Ingle town of Lekay that is surrounded by the Esanci River. There also the ruins of Kyladin wrapped around by the Rocdom River. Then there is also Hogony, surrounded by the Aimon River.”

Shuren was shocked to here Hogony in the statement. “So these places are the ruins that holds the keys?” he asked.

“I’m guessing. It’s the only thing that seems logical at the moment.” Rollan said.

“But then what if it is not supposed to be logical? Maybe it doesn’t even exist?” Karoline said in return.

“That doesn’t even matter. If Garland is after it, it must not be good. Whether is exists or not, we have to stop his plot,” reacted Lloyd.

“So do we go after these keys?” Shuren asked. Shuren was not sure of how he felt about Hogony. He was half excited that this was his chance to travel back to Hogony, but it also worried Shuren that it would be a target of Garland.

“It is up to you Shuren,” Rolland said. “You are the leader and you must make the decision of what to do.”

Without hesitation, Shuren said, “I say we go after these keys and let some Zelzes recruit for the war.” Lloyd and Karoline agreed, Rollan had no response. Shuren tried to pay no mind to it, but not having Rollan’s approval bothered him. He shook off the feeling and asked, “So when is this meeting?”

“Noon tomorrow morning,” Karoline said.

“Well I guess that’s it for our small meeting, the big one is tomorrow, at noon. Get some rest everyone, war causes a lot of stress, especially on young ones.” Everyone stood up and began heading for the door. Shuren walked out and immediately tasted fresh air. It was such a relief to have left that enclosed room. While walking, he realized that he did not even show Karoline the Ingle book. He sighed as he walked back to his room. His usual positive mood had been eroded by stress. He made his back to his room.

After heating and eating the meal that was placed in his room, Shuren washed up and went to bed.

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 2: Love Struck

2009-12-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

by Darro C.

Shuren took a deep breathe. He tried to hold it in but couldn’t. “Ah-choo!” Shuren shrieked. His sneeze seemed to catch a few attentions of Zelzes, but he paid no mind. He continued to walk aimlessly throughout the halls of Aela-Doria. He stopped in the grand hall and stared out through the pillars that held up the mountain top. The sun was near setting. He enjoyed watching the sun set, and with him being so busy lately, this had been his first in a while.

Shuren noticed that the only he was in the grand hall, but he didn’t look back, he kept his eyes fixed upon the beautiful scene before him. He had not even realized someone was coming. A hand placed upon Shuren’s shoulder that made him jump. He turned to see who it was. A pair of fierce red eyes met his. She had a beautiful elegant face, and her luscious brown hair was let down. It was Karoline.

His previous journey with Karoline zoomed through his mind. Shuren was attacked by Zelzor’s Demon Dragon, but Karoline was there to save him. Shuren was unconscious when they met, but eventually they were acquainted. Later she joined Shuren on his journey to save Rollan, which turned into so much more. Though all this time, Shuren barley knew anything about Karoline. She had always been closed from other people. Shuren knew nothing about her past, likes and dislikes, or even why she joined Shuren in his journey.

A familiar feeling settled in his stomach at the though of finally being alone with Karoline. After the grieved battle Shuren wasn’t at all interested in anything but being alone, nothing but the loss of his master, Zelzor, would be on his mind. Now that she had caught him off guard, he did not want to anger her by fleeing.

“It’s beautiful,” Karoline said as the sunset caught her attention.

A sudden memory returned to Shuren. He remembered back in Hogony when he was talking to Karoline alone, he called her beautiful, and they had been awkward after. He was certain not to make the same mistake. “Yes, very,” he said quietly.

Shuren felt her fingers brush against his. With instinct, Shuren grabbed hold of her hand. It was sweaty and cold, but Shuren liked it for some odd reason. After what seemed to be centuries they let go when they heard footsteps in the hall.

Karoline turned her head the other way, slightly pink. Shuren turned to see who was coming. A lean Grundell with long arms approached them, it was Lloyd. He didn’t seem to have noticed those two holding hands, but Shuren wasn’t exactly sure.

Shuren took a glance at Lloyd; he wasn’t wearing any battle clothing which was unusual. Now he was even taller than Shuren, and his long black hair was let down over his red headband. His long arms that dangled from his broad shoulders were waving back and fourth as he walked toward them.

Shuren remembered when he first met Lloyd back on his journey. Shuren had just found out about him being a Grundell, and when they approached his old village, Lloyd was there to greet him, but not in a friendly manner. Lloyd attacked Shuren, only to protect the village of intruders. Shuren won, though he could not remember if it was by sheer luck or Lloyd was going easy. Lloyd never seemed weaker than Shuren at all.

“Shuren,” Lloyd said. He hurried himself to reach Shuren, “Rollan wishes to see you, and you Karoline.” Lloyd said as he turned and to lead them back to Rollan’s room.

Shuren followed as did Karoline, slowly though. They walked through the webbed halls of Aela-Doria. They reached a stubby door in a hall of its own. They knocked and an elderly Gippy opened it; Rollan.

Back when Shuren was hated amongst his villagers, Rollan was the only one Shuren felt a connection towards. Rollan was the leader of the almighty Flaming Falcons, the rebellion of war times. He was an all-powerful wizard, whose powers were still unknown to Shuren.

They were let into a small but comfortable room, where four chairs sat in the center in the form of a circle. Shuren took a seat followed by Lloyd, Karoline, and Rollan who had just shut the door. Shuren looked at Rollan, who had a concerned face. Shuren assumed Rollan had bad news to tell them.

“Rollan, what is it?” Karoline asked, who also noticed Rollan’s concern.

Rollan paused for a moment. He simply said, “There is a problem . . ."

Shuren was not very fond of bad news. He was ready to bolt out of the door, Rollan looked more concerned now than ever. “What is it Rollan?”

He took a deep breath and began to explain, “Garland is now out in the open with his army.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Karoline asked immediately.

Rollan opened his mouth to talk, but instead of his voice being heard, Lloyd said, “It means everyone, or at least most people in Oryk should be well aware of the war by now.”

Lloyd looked at Rollan and Rollan nodded back, signaling that Lloyd said it correctly.

“Well, how many people did not know about Garland to start?” Shuren said sarcastically.

“Not very many,” Karoline said seriously, shooting down Shuren’s light attitude. “You did not even know who Garland was. We Ingles are very secretive about our business. Barley anyone knew about him outside of our race.”

Shuren seemed puzzled, “Well that’s a good thing isn’t it? I mean now that they know they will want to help us, right?”

Rollan shook his head. Karoline made an angry face and Lloyd clenched his fist. It seemed that Shuren was the only one who didn’t understand what that meant. Shuren looked around as if they were crazy.

“No Shuren, it does not,” Rollan answered eventually. “It is true that all of Oryk knows about the war by now, but it does not mean they will even partake in it. Should they choose to include themselves however, they would not be able to reach us, assuming if they want to join us.” There was a loud screech in the back room causing Rollan left the room for a moment. Seconds later, Rollan came back in with a tray of tea and a kettle of boiling water. Rollan handed everyone a cup of tea.

Shuren took a sip. The steaming water shocked Shuren, but calmed him as it drizzled down his throat. “Well if they don’t want to partake in the war, at least they won’t get in our way,” Shuren said honestly.

Rollan shook his head again. He placed his cup down on his coaster and eyed Shuren. “Garland is forcing people to join his army.”

Lloyd did not seem surprised; it seemed as if he had heard the news before. Karoline, made a slight gasp, but did not seem so shocked. Shuren, on the other hand, struggled to put his cup down gently.

“He can’t do that!” Shuren yelled. He stood up and made his chair collapse behind him.

“Yes, he can,” Rollan said quietly. He raised his voice almost to an angry tone and said, “And he is enslaving anyone who doesn’t.”

“That’s not fair!” Shuren said even louder.

“Of course it’s not, it’s Garland after all,” said Karoline.

Shuren turned around and forced himself out of the door. He stormed throughout the hallway and back into the Grand Hall. It was dark now, but Shuren made his way outside and to his old training grounds with Zelzor.

He sat down on a rock and clenched his jaw tightly. Thoughts of Garland building a bigger army flashed through his mind. He remembered his sinister voice, he pictured him laughing as Oryk shot up in flames. He forced his mind to go black, it was too much to imagine. Yet, Shuren did not feel right being angry at Garland.

Shuren knew that he was supposed to destroy Garland, but he could never imagine himself doing it. He felt guilty whenever he forced himself to think it, and afterward, confused. In the pit of his stomach, he felt no hatred for Garland. This happened often, even after the death of his master, Zelzor. Even though his master’s death was caused by Garland, Shuren still felt no dislike of Zelzor. The more he though about it, it seemed more of his own fault that Zelzor was dead. “But it was master who banned me from the fight!” he thought to himself. Now it felt like Zelzor caused his own death. “No! It was Garland’s doing!” he thought to himself.

He cleared his mind of those thoughts and tried to calm himself. He picked up a rock and concentrated energy to his palm as he turned it to heat. The rock melted on his hand, just as taught to him by Zelzor. Shuren froze the rock and threw it down the cliff. He looked at the waterfall next to him. He remembered Zelzor stopping the entire waterfall with a point of his finger. Shuren raised his index finger and shot a barrier of energy to the water. As the water reached the cliff it stopped. More and more water built up against the barrier, making it even heavier. Shuren released the water. It went searing down to the lake and created a huge splash.

When Shuren was finally calm, he thought about the war. Garland has probably doubled his numbers by now. Shuren knew that their last battle did not include all of his infantry. Even then they were greatly outnumbered. To make things worse, they lost many soldiers during the battle. Shuren needed more troops. “Number’s don’t win a battle,” thought Shuren, “but we still need them.”

Shuren thought back to all of his readings. Gippies were the most populace in Oryk. After the Gippy Grundell war, Grundell villages decreased dramatically. The Gippies were known for the art of magic, and the Grundells for the art of combat. To get both of them on his side would be significant gain, but then they have been enemies ever since. They would never fight amongst each other.

Shuren felt a tiny drop of water on his right cheek. He looked up to see rain clouds surrounding the moon. Another drop struck his nose. Gradually the drops picked up in speed. Within minutes it was pouring over Aela-Doria. Shuren created a barrier over himself as he walked towards the Grand Hall. Rain drops ricocheted off his barrier as they came charging at him. Shuren made his way through the bridges completely dry.

He paced through the halls and hiked up to his room. As he approached his doors, he noticed that there was a crack in his doorway. He was certain that he closed his doors completely. He silently crept into his dim room. He noticed a dark figure at his window. Shuren held out his palm. “Ferina,” Shuren muttered under his breath. A small spark emitted from Shuren’s hand as a ball of flame hovered over Shuren’s hand. The room was suddenly lit.

The figure was turned towards the window. It was a woman wearing a black robe with long silver hair. Her slender body turned around as Shuren lit his hand. It was Catalina. She had a shocked face, until she saw Shuren. Her face lit up with a smile. “Sir Ruven,” she said quietly.

“What were you doing in here?” Shuren asked lightly. He pointed at a candle on his desk and shot a flame. The candle lit the room just as bright as his hand.
She looked at the candle gracefully. “It started to rain as I walked by and I heard the rain pouring in your room. So I came in to close the window,” she said smiling.

Shuren couldn’t help but stare, her smile was so beautiful. “Oh, well thank you.” He smiled back. She approached Shuren swiftly. Before he knew it, she was inches away from him. He froze. His heart throbbed in his chest. “Get away from her!” his mind screamed. Though no matter how many times this happened, he was never able to. She was simply too stunning.

Catalina eyed Shuren vigorously. He noticed that he was taller than her by several inches now. Her smile was almost sinister now. He felt her breath against his neck, slow and steady. Shuren, on the other hand, had trouble breathing.
“It was my pleasure,” she said seductively. She kissed her fingers and placed them on lips as she walked out of the door.

Shuren was left dumbfounded in his room. Eventually, Shuren gained his senses. He lit another candle, making the room even brighter. He looked at the pool in the center of his room. The water was enchanted for healing.

He stripped himself down. The air was cold against his bare skin. He felt the water; it was cool. He placed his finger in the pool; he released some energy to heat it just right. He jumped in and immediately felt relaxed. After several minutes, he began to scrub himself. Once he was done that, he took one final rinse and reluctantly left the pool.

He dried himself and began putting on his night clothes. They were soft and comfortable. Shuren wondered if Garland ever slept in nigh clothes, or even on a mattress. It was hard to picture such an evil person to be normal and relaxed as he was.

Once he was done, he jumped on his comfortable mattress. Sudden tiredness rushed through his body. He turned around and blew out his candles. The room turned pitch black, only being lit occasionally by the flashes of the roaring thunderstorm.

Somehow, to Shuren, a thunderstorm was peaceful. The rhythm of the rain followed by thunder was calming. Shuren listened to it carefully. It was almost a lullaby. Eventually, his eyes shut, and he was asleep.

Book Review: Eyes Like Stars (Lisa Mantchev)

2009-12-01T16:51:00.005-05:00

by Becca L.

Once again I come to you in anger. Who could have riled me so, I hear you ask. Her name is Lisa Mantchev. She is on my LIST. Not only did she dare release Eyes Like Stars, the single greatest book written this year, she let it out six months early as a pre-pub! I now have six more months of torment waiting for the second book than any other reader! I would send Nate after her but he’s…. somewhere. Never mind. I shouldn’t tell you that.

Eyes Like Stars panders shamelessly to my thoroughly awesome demographic (you know who you are). It centers around the Theater Illuminata which is home to every character ever written into existence. A show at the Illuminata is cast not with actors portraying a character, but with the characters themselves. As is right and proper, it also houses a Stage Manager, Wardrobe Mistress, Props Master, Set Designer, and Theater Manager. The odd one out is our heroine, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, or, as those who wish to retain all their fingers call her, Bertie.

Admittedly, she is a stereotypical plucky gal, full of appropriate attitude and spunk, but that character mold rocks so it doesn’t matter. She is about to be kicked out, unless she can find her place in the theater. Of course, to tell you anything else would give it all away, I’m going to make you read it (I know, I’m so cruel). I ask that all my fellow drama geeks sit down, as their glee at what they are about to here will probably cause a dead faint. Dear Bertie is best friends with the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream!!!!!!!! They have actual characterization! They are no longer the flat bit players Shakespeare doomed them to play! Shakespeare fans may rejoice as the Bard’s more interesting creations are brought into the twenty-first century, Ariel included. And the cool people know I’m not talking about a mermaid.

Before I proceed, I must ask that everyone remain calm and remember that I am entitled to my opinions and if they differ from yours, there’s really no need to stone me, a verbal warning will suffice. Okay, deep breaths…… Nate, Bertie’s someone, is better than Edward. Before you smite me, allow me to present my case.

1. He’s a pirate. Nothing is cooler than pirates. And he’s a hot pirate! Admit it, when have you ever seen a hot pirate? Well, besides the Dread Pirate Roberts, he wore a mask so that doesn’t count. Ha! I told you.

2. His rival is extremely formidable and, quite frankly, can compete on equal footing for awesome points, yet he still beats him. He takes on a spirit made entirely of air and bests him. To use the vernacular, EPIC WIN.

3. HE. IS. A. PIRATE.

The defense rests.

Poem: Why So Down?

2009-11-30T17:16:00.006-05:00

by Anthony W.

Why so down?

day and night all around.

Lights are out without a sound

what troubles have you now.

Moonlight gently pouring

down upon,

a gentle lake.

Where have they gone,

these forms of conflict?

let it wash away

down the stream of,

another day.

The quiet isn't so bad.

let it rest

be still

and move on.

Poem: A Duel of Hearts

2009-11-24T17:55:00.004-05:00

by Anthony W.

Lay siege, burn it to the hell
The day is young in this cold war
Our locking eyes burn the ground.
Is my way not enough?

Every move you make a weapon
Every gesture a will
The softness of your skin is an instant kill

This is a battle of attrition
I steadily losing ground
Day by day coldness sweeps
Hands yet to touch your rosy cheeks

Though I shall falter
I’ll try again
Crossing the field within

As the dawn grows near
And so I march
With an ace so noble and true
A soul filled confession from me to you

They say god smiles on men
All of which is false
He cheers on the heart of the lost

Ruveneska: The Scavenge, Chapter 1: Memorial Grounds

2009-11-24T16:44:00.008-05:00

by Darro C.

Jump to:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Cotoz laced his black leather boot tightly. He armed himself with his usual steel long sword. He wrapped his sheathed knife on the side of his left leg. His red cape fluttered as he stood up.

His cabin was still damaged. The floor was stained with black from fire in the back right corner of his house. The corner was rebuilt with mismatching wood leaving a dramatic color change on his wall. Spots of sunshine shone through the roof. It was merely piled up with tree bark, but not enough to cover all of it.
He left his poorly fixed log cabin to view it from outside. The only window was covered by a white cloth that hung loosely. The door was barley hinged to the cabin. Scars of battle stained the walls.

Flashes of the previous year shot through Cotoz’s mind. He remembered fighting a large number of Sleepwalkers, mindless corpses that were controlled by Ingles, to protect his village, Hogony, from total destruction.

The village of Hogony was barley saved from extinction. Though by three main leaders, they were able to rebuild it. Hogony was restored, not perfectly, but adequately with a new place added; the Memorial Grounds.

The Memorial Grounds was built shortly after the attack in Hogony. It was built on the left side of Hogony, out of the wall perimeter, but was connected by a large steel gate. It was half the village in size. Inside were graves and remains of precious people that passed away, most were from the ambush.

Cotoz walked through the village. The cabins were rebuilt better than his, but battle stains still showed. People were continuing life as if the battle never happened, with one exception. There was one thing that the ambush had certainly changed, and it was their arrogance towards their missing hero, Shuren Willans. Up until that moment, Shuren was the most hated person in the village, until he saved them from the Ingle’s attack.

Cotoz reached the stream that bordered the village. He walked over the bridge and saw the only house that was not harmed, but it did look as if it was. Though now it seemed in better condition than the others. Cotoz heard people walk over the bridge, he turned to see Lorica and Blurton approach him. Lorica, the magical archer was still as tall and thin as usual and Blurton was as gruff and muscular as before. Lorica and Blurton were the other two leaders that helped rebuild Hogony.

The trio stood together and peered at Shuren’s house. The tree entered the untidy house. A hole of missing floorboards caught there eye. Not surprised, the trio began inspecting the house. A glare from underneath the straw that the floorboards stood above frequently caught Lorica’s eye, but he ignored it.

They found that Shuren’s house was not left as it was since the ambush. Someone had obviously been there, but whom? No one entered the house ever since the tragic day. But still, items were disturbed and out of usual place since the day.

The trio had received word that there were noises from the cabin during the late night, but no one had confirmed that it truly happened. Though now, they had proof that something had entered. Drawers were open, books lied on the floor and even more floorboards were torn from the floor.

After a few more moments of silence Cotoz led the group out of the cabin and back through the village. The pathways were emptier than earlier. Stands and shops were closed as well as homes. They continued walking until they approached a giant fancy house. The trio entered Bastian’s house to find the entire village population waiting patiently.

Cotoz, Lorica and Blurton were the new declared leaders of Hogony. They had issued a meeting on that day at the usual meeting spot, Bastian’s house.

Bastian was the previous leader of Hogony, besides the elder. He was a rude inconsiderate Gippy whom was the one that led the Ingles to attack them. The traitor left on that day and no sign of him was found.

The house interior had dramatically changed from a home into a meeting spot. Bookcases that held fancy books were replaced with important documents. Fancy furniture used for show was now being used as regular comfort. Rooms were not filled with armory and weapons for protection. The Gippies may have lived as if it never happened, but they were definitely making sure it didn’t again.

The trio settled themselves in their usual spot, in the center of the room. The chattering had seized when they sat down. Everyone turned their attention towards them. The children playing in the next room had no mind in these meetings.

“Well, what’s the news?” asked Trone, the farmer. He was a Gippy who despised Shuren almost as much as Bastian did.

“As you all know, things in Oryk have been changing. Whole villages have been issued under an army at a time. I fear that our village will be also soon,” Cotoz said with concern.

Another Gippy shouted, “Then we won’t do it!”

Lorica eyed the Gippy with amusement, “It’s either fight for them, or be enslaved.”

Silence fluttered throughout the room. No one had a reply. Suddenly, Trone shouted, “How strong can they be?”

“Stronger than you can imagine. We’re talking about the army that nearly enslaved all of Oryk all those years ago,” Blurton said irritated. He looked at Cotoz. “Our only hope is to join the other army.”

Confusion replaced the Gippies’ faces from shock. A middle aged Gippy, named Iawor, said, “The other army?”

Cotoz took a deep breath. “As you all know, our fellow villagers, Shuren and Rollan, left the village to visit his home village, along with Miss Karoline. Well it turns out that they were drafted in the war, by the Zelzes.” Cotoz waited for a few moments for a reaction, but none came.

Quietly, a hand raised in the air. Lorica nodded at the young Gippy woman. She said shyly, “Zelzes are real?” Lorica nodded again. “Then that must mean that Dragons are also real . . . “

“Quite true,” Blurton said.

“What is the point of this war?” Trone questioned.

“As you all should know, Ingolor attempted to take over Oryk, but failed by Lord Zelzor.”

The Gippy woman raised her hand again, and before being called on, she said, “I thought that was just a myth, a legend.”

“Well it is true, trust me,” Lorica said certainly.

“We feel that what was not accomplished before is being finished now, by his grandson,” Cotoz explained.

Now fear replaced confusion. More silence swept the room. “Well what are we going to do?” the Gippy woman asked.

Everyone now placed their eyes on Cotoz, the battle expert. Cotoz was certainly the one who would lead training. Sure Lorica and Blurton were excellent fighters, but Cotoz was mainly better. “What we must do is prepare.”

The villagers seemed to be overthrown by a sudden blast of confidence. They all had faces of eagerness. “Train, right?” asked Trone.

Cotoz nodded. “Ever since the time of war has ended, we have slacked and lost our potential as sorcerers and warriors. We will train and our ancestors will be proud. We will fight for the good of Oryk.”

“This Garland fellow,” stammered Trone, “he’s the real deal?” The trio nodded. “His grandfather really did almost succeed?” The trio nodded again.
“Who will train us?” asked the Gippy woman.

Lorica stood up. “I will train u in magical arts to the best of my ability.”

Blurton paused for a moment, gradually; he stood up and said, “I guess I will train you in survival and smart decisions.”

Cotoz said immediately, “And I will train you in the art of combat.”

“Well what will we do afterwards?” asked the same Gippy woman.

The trio sat back down, with the exception of Cotoz. They looked puzzled for a moment. Cotoz entered deep thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could he was interrupted.

“Will the Grundells be fighting on their side too?” asked Trone with a near frightened face.

Lorica said, “I am not going to lie, yes, the Grundells are on their side.”

A loud roar of protest filled their ears. The village obviously did not want anything to do with their eternal enemies, the Grundells.

A generation ago, the Gippies and the Grundells were engaged in a frantic war. The real reason of the war was still unclear, but so many died. They could not forgive one another.

“Can I have your attention please?” Lorica said. He was not heard over the loud chatter. “Attention please!” he said once again, but they still didn’t hear him. “ATTENTION DAMN IT!” he screamed, the room silenced at once.

The room settled down. Trone looked as if he were ready to throw a fit, but no one dared to say a word. Quietly, the Gippy woman raised her hand again. She opened her mouth and stuttered, “I - I have no problem with it.”
“Shuren is a Grundell, and you accepted him,” Blurton began, “did you all forget that?”
“Alright Blurton, say we somehow managed, even if we do join, who can beat Garland?” asked Trone, who seemed to be unanimous with the rest of the villagers, “I mean you did say this was the army that nearly took over Oryk all those years ago.”

“One, his name is Shuren Willans,” Cotoz said.

Essay: Spring

2009-11-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

by Austin C.

Spring is a nice enjoyable season, as long as you have your allergies under control. I can enjoy spring to a point. I love the warmth weather it brings and the breeze it has especially when I’m in a moving car with the windows down. I do though have the worst allergies there is in spring, my eyes water and get bloodshot red, my nose itches like crazy, and I get headaches so bad I fall asleep. In my opinion fall has to be the best season but spring is a good season to escape from winter because after all the snow and being isolated inside layers of clothing, it’s nice to walk outside with a little feeling of exposure.

A major problem with spring is the insects. I hate them mostly any bugs that attacks or is of an annoyance. Bees are of an annoyance because they just fly around and you run into one of them without even knowing and risk being stung and that’s not fun. The one insect I hate the most is the mosquito. Mosquitoes are very annoying. I hate when I get bitten and I don’t notice it until that night and then it irritates me. What I like the most about spring is the rain. Rain isn’t the best when you are doing anything outside but when I drizzles outside I enjoy it. The sounds of rain as it lands on the roof and pavement is smoothing even though it makes me tiresome. So this is why I thing spring is a pretty decent season to have.

Poem: On the Outside Looking In

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Ashlee W.

I’m trapped inside myself.
I scream internally where no one else can hear.
I cry silent tears but they don’t understand why.
They just see weakness, not my struggle to go on every day,
Not my need for a friend or just someone to listen,
And not judge me because of what I have to say.
Because if you knew what I knew,
Then you would scream for me.
If you could just catch a glimpse of what I’ve seen,
Then you would understand why I cry.

Staff Reviews: Graceling by Kristen Cashore

2009-10-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Find in our catalog

Review by Clio, TAB's advisor

Katsa is a Graceling, blessed (or cursed) with the ability to kill with her bare hands. Since she is the niece of the King, she is used as an enforcer, sent out to torture or kill those who have wronged him in some way. Although she doesn't particularly enjoy her job, she is very, very good at it. What the King doesn't know is that Katsa is also the founder of the Council, a group of nobles and commoners who work together to protect those who are vulnerable to the often cruel and frequently capricious whims of the powerful. When a prince from another kingdom is kidnapped, the Council sets out to rescue him and discover both the person behind the kidnapping, and its purpose.

Enter Prince Po, the kidnapped victim's grandson, whose Grace makes him almost a physical match for Katsa, and whose personality makes him endlessly fascinating to her. After Katsa refuses to carry out one of her uncle's orders, she and Po set out to discover the reason behind his grandfather's kidnapping. On the road, they discover more about their unusual skills, and encounter a King with a Grace so powerful it could literally destroy their universe.

Graceling is, quite simply, one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. Katsa is a fantastic heroine. Her relationships with family, conspirators, and Po unfold naturally, and her journey from enforcer to protector is well-crafted and believable. The concept of some people having superpowers is not, of course, new, but the Graces in this book are presented in a very unique, original way. One of the things I particularly enjoy is that not all of the Graces mentioned would be useful in any real way, which adds a touch of realism. Graceling is followed by a prequel, Fire, which came out in October 2009. Check each of them out immediately - you'll be glad that you did.

Poem: Music

2009-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Nick W.

Music can determine many things about people.
Usually it can determine ones personality.
Sometimes it can describe ones mood.
It can express how someone feels about certain things.
Comparisons with music and life are also beneficial.

Comforting a person with music could cut some tension.
Images can also be express through music.
Singing and searching for certain elements in music could determine things.
Understanding different music genres and types could affect a persons mindset.
Most of all music is a like a lifestyle.

New Books!

2009-10-17T09:00:00.004-04:00

Are you looking for something new to read? Here are a few of the things we've gotten in this month. If you can't get them right away, put them on hold!

Blue Bloods: The Van Alen Legacy (Melissa De La Cruz)
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival.

Catching Fire: The Second Book of the Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Fire (Kristen Cashore)
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Going Bovine (Libba Bray)
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Hate List (Jennifer Brown)
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Liar (Justine Larbalestier)
Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing?

Game Review: Resident Evil 5

2009-10-13T16:42:00.001-04:00

by Conan S.

If you have a friend and want to have endless fun, get Resident Evil 5. This game is perfect for cooperative play whether it be local or on Xbox live. My friend and I have already beaten this game three times and are working on it a fourth time. You will be sucked into playing it multiple times to unlock all the treasures, weapons, upgrades, and unlimited ammo for each of the weapons you have unlocked and upgraded. This may seem monotonous and boring, but once you’ve played it once you will want to play it again and again. And if you really want a challenge you can play veteran and then unlock professional mode. It is very hard (especially once you get into the later levels), but if you have a good friend next to you then masochism cannot be made any more fun.

There is no doubt that this game was made for two, but I have played it alone a few times, and it is definitely not as fun as cooperative, but it is still worth playing at least once. I usually just put on some music or a movie I have already seen on the side while I play by myself in a game, but I have a short attention span and usually have to multi-task. There is also a mini-game you can play with a friend or by yourself called The Mercenaries. In this game you have to kill as many “zombies” as you can within a set time. This is great for killing time and get some points on the side.

The campaign plot is also great. You are Chris Redfield, a member of the North American Branch of the BSAA (which not even Wikipedia has a vague reference to what it stands for, but is an anti-bioterrorism organization across the world). You team up with Sheva Alomar who is a member of the African branch of the BSAA. You are to investigate some reports of the use of neurotoxins in Africa. You soon find out that Wesker (a former teammate from STARS who was infected with a biochemical and is now super strong and fast). You also find out that another former teammate, Jill Valentine, has been captured and you also must save her. You are taken all across Africa to combat this virus and find Wesker. This is just the tip of the iceberg in a very detailed plot, which will take you on a great adventure.

Essay: All About Jokes

2009-09-21T15:12:00.002-04:00

by Issac M.

“Classic”, “Funny”, and “L.O.L” are types of things people say when they are laughing. Laugh is what happens when you hear a really funny joke or when an everyday situation turns out to be funny. Things like joke’s, and cuts make people laugh. There are different types of jokes people use to make other people laugh.

Some jokes are called cuts, this is when a person is using someone else’s personal situations, insecurities, or image to make other people laugh. Sometimes this will result in hurting people’s feelings but normally the joker could care less, like way less, and most of the time the person being talked about isn’t around.
Sometimes cuts can really hurt peoples feeling making you lose friends or acquaintances. Or you can use it to faze your enemies and make them feel bad.

So now you know about how jokes can make your day but destroy someone else’s. This is Isaac M. with the monthly Bobel. Inspired by moe-dron-dron.

Game Review: Condemned 2: Bloodshot

2009-09-04T23:16:00.001-04:00

Condemned 2: bloodshot is based of on-going events that are natural and supernatural. The protagonist Ethan who is a drunk and a former FBI is one to part taken in these natural, supernatural events as he regroups with his former partner Angel Rosa to investigate the murder of Malcolm Vanhorn the uncle of the SKX (serial killer X). SKX is Ethan’s nemesis is the murderer of his uncle Malcolm. In the game you have to use your knowledge as well as the equipment given you such a UV light, a GPS, and an ultra sound detector. The game now produces the new environmental weapons such as iron pipes, electric conductors, toilet seats, bowling balls and more. The game play is fun and very interactive as for the story line, I kind of get lost and had to really pay attention or even replay the levels just to get some knowledge of the plotting. I didn’t play condemned: criminal origins so I really didn’t know but when I played condemned 2 I was able to pick from the first game even though I have never played it. The downfall in the game is that in every level it’s basically the same thing, you start talking to someone then you have to solve and record a crime scene then while you try to go to another level you run into the same hobo bad guys and weird black things. Overall the game is fun and enjoyable, though I think the game is like those type of game you would beat once then stop playing unless you were bored.

Book Review: Geektastic (Various Authors)

2009-08-26T14:51:00.003-04:00

by Jesse B.

Swords and sorcery, lasers and lightsabers, fiction and reality: All these collide in Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, a new anthology of short stories collected and edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. The authors syndicated within aim to thoroughly describe the follies and fantastications of the geek life.

As with all anthologies, there are low points and high points. There are two stories, specifically, which may strike the reader as dubious or simply ridiculous. (I have read previous works by none of the authors contained within the book, so I can ensure you an unbiased opinion.) In "One of Us", by Tracy Lynn, the head cheerleader at a high school pays a group of nerds to teach her about nerdy things; apparently, her boyfriend, the quarterback of the football team, is a clandestine geek, and she wants to impress him. It gets worse: By the end of the story, both cheerleader and quarterback attend a comics convention together. The implausibilities here are apparent. First of all, it should be obvious to anyone who survived high school that there's no such thing as a clandestine geek; a quarterback and cheerleader who attend a comics convention would instantly have their reputations shattered. Secondly, geeks would never associate with a cheerleader, not even for money; they hate cheerleaders and everything they stand for. Admittedly, there are some humorous moments in the story, but they are overridden by the stupidity of the underlying concept.

The second story which could be considered a low point is "The Wrath of Dawn", by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith. In the story, a girl named Dawn feels cheated by her mother and stepfather and feels a connection with Dawn from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, considering herself her parents' unwanted child. She attends a Buffy sing-along flick with her wicked older stepsister (Cinderella, anyone?) and jumps up in front of the screen to protest the crowd's mockery of Dawn (the film character). Eventually everyone is applauding at her remarkable display of courage. The story is fine up until then, when the whole thing becomes a load of bullshit. No person in their right mind would applaud someone for blocking their view of a movie. And no person in their right mind would ever stand in front of a movie screen and shout protest to the film's content. This leads the reader to the inevitable conclusion that the entire audience, Dawn (the literary character) included, is clinically insane. Absolutely ridiculous.

Luckily, the book is redeemed by the other stories included within. While quite a few are exceptionally well-written, two shall here be addressed. In M.T. Anderson's "The King of Pelinesse", fantasy backgrounds are seamlessly interwoven with a young man's quest for truth. Jim sets out to meet an accomplished fantasy author whom his mother had had an affair with years ago and discovers things he would have rather not. Intriguing in its prosaic style, "The King of Pelinesse" is easily one of the best stories Geektastic has to offer.

Another interesting story included in the collection is written by Libba Bray and is entitled It's Just a Jump to the Left. In the tale, two teenage girls begin to experiment with sexuality. The interesting factor is that this sexual coming-of-age revolves around the girls' exposure to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The girls at first think it is merely a whimsical movie but over time learn of the movie's sexual connotations, all while experiencing their first "loves".

Overall, Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd is an excellent read. Any geek or nerd would be hard-pressed not to pick it up. The collection is to be published this month in hardcover.

Book Review: Storm Front (Jim Butcher)

2009-08-19T09:00:00.007-04:00

Storm Front is part action novel, part suspense mystery. It’s about a wizard named Harry Dresden in modern-day Chicago that struggles to work as a private investigator and as a consultant for the Chicago police department. Storm Front jumps right into the action with Dresden receiving a phone call from a woman who wants to hire Harry to locate her husband. Immediately after the call, the Chicago Police hire Dresden to investigate an unnaturally gruesome murder. After seeing the crime scene, on his way home, Harry is harassed by Gentleman Johnny Marcone, local crime lord. If that’s not enough, Dresden also has to contend with drug running, black magic, dark rituals, talking skulls, seductive vampires, and a council of wizards watching Harry’s every move.

All in a day’s work for Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden.

The story successfully merges numerous plot lines into an exciting and shocking conclusion. Storm Front delivers witty dialogue mixed with a touch of magic. Personally I enjoyed this book because I’ve always been a fan of fantasy books, yet if one were to ignore all the mystical references, they would find value in Jim Butcher’s style of writing that gets the reader involved with the moment. Storm Front is only the first book in the series “The Dresden Files”.

Essay: The American Dream: Riches Greater than Money

2009-08-12T12:55:00.002-04:00

by Jesse B.

From the time of our country's inception, there has been talk of an "American Dream"; there has been, however, extremely limited discussion regarding what this dream actually is. It is perhaps useful to reflect on classic American literature for the answer. That being said, numerous literary sources from American history support a single ideal, which one might surmise to be the all-encompassing basis for the American Dream: Happiness is to be found not in cold, hard cash but in the simple pleasures of life and the very opportunity for success and advancement. The attainment of such happiness is the very essence of the American Dream.

The Declaration of Independence –- one of America's most important symbols of its ideals. Even prior to its 1776 publication, the ideals of the American Dream were rooted in the minds of the British colonists. As Thomas Jefferson writes in The Declaration, ". . . all men are created equal." He states that men are entitled to certain "inalienable rights" and that among these are the rights to ". . . life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These rights speak nothing of property or money; instead, they speak of freedom and equality, the cornerstone of happiness, the pursuit of which is the American Dream.

Walt Whitman was, and still is, a powerful supporter of the common man. His works focus on the simplicities of life. One example of this is his famous poem "I Hear America Singing". In this work, Whitman analyzes the working habits of the lower and middle classes by comparing their labor to song. Each worker "sings" a tune all his own, but together their form a veritable American symphony. Langston Hughes, in his poem "I Too", expands on the thoughts expressed in Whitman's poem. He does so by directly addressing the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance and the push for equality among the races. The black man, too, he argued, was no less American and no less entitled to pursuit of the American Dream. Both Whitman's and Hughes' poems support the idea of the American Dream as both simplicity and opportunity.

Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is a staunch supporter of both cultural advancement and simplicity of lifestyle. His novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn epitomizes these ideals. The protagonist, Huck, lives a troubled life until he joins an escaped slave name Jim on a journey downriver. Huck and Jim become involved in many adventures along the way; however, Huck finds peace and true happiness only when he and Jim are alone on a raft, letting the current carry them. At first Huck feels he is committing a dreadful sin by helping Jim, but by the novel's conclusion, he realizes that Jim is as much a human being as he is. Huck questions the moral values of Southern society and heads west, hoping to find solace. Both the abolitionist ideals and love of nature presented by Clemens are characteristic of the American Dream.

The goal of finding happiness through both life's simplicities and the opportunity for success and advancement finds its way into the works of Jefferson, Whitman, Hughes and Clemens. To be sure, these are but a sampling of American authors with such a mindset. If one learns nothing else from reading their works, let it be this: Happiness doesn't come from dollar bills; it comes from the attainment of immaterial wealth, something far more valuable indeed.

Music Review: World, Hold On

2009-08-05T12:53:00.007-04:00

by Jesse B.

Wow. Just . . . Wow. That's probably about the reaction you'll have after watching "World, Hold On". (I would have posted the video itself, but embedding of this video has been disabled by the record company. Those damn tyrants! *shakes fist*) While it's quite possibly the strangest music video you'll ever see, it drives the point of the song home like a pneumatic nail gun. (And for those of you who haven't stepped out of the stone age when it comes to construction technology, yes, that's essentially mechanical hammer.) Bob Sinclar has created a true masterpiece here.

The vocals are reminiscent of Eric Clapton (in fact, one of Sinclar's aliases is Reminiscence Quartet), and the lyrical content isn't a far cry from his either. The electronic beat is something a bit different though; you certainly wouldn't find it in a Clapton song, but strangely enough, it seems to fit perfectly with this tune.

The video itself starts out simple enough but soon introduces some stop-motion animation. Eventually there's old-school cardboard cutout space ship (like they used in the original Star Trek and Star Wars) flying around. Basketballs substitute for proton torpedoes. If the weirdness doesn't bother you, you'll soon come to appreciate the music video as a whole.

Note: I originally heard the song sans video and loved it. My discovery of the video only enhanced my affection for the song.

Music Review: Made of Glass

2009-07-29T12:46:00.005-04:00

by Jesse B.

This video says so much about humanity's place in the environment. Shots of polar bears on dwindling icebergs are especially moving during this period of global warming. André Tenneberger (ATB) offsets shots of these beautiful creatures with video of (relatively) ecofriendly energy sources: nuclear, wind, solar, etc.

The music itself is suitably harmonious and the vocals are excellent. The lyrics reflect the mood set by the video but also leave room for further interpretation.

Poem: Parting

2009-07-22T12:34:00.001-04:00

by Anthony W.

Why does it have to be this way?
The evening of our love turned grey
Had the years together proved too much
To see each other, yet lose our touch
The passion which once had sparked a bright
Fallen victim to the night
Our vow,
What words I miss
An eternal seal within that kiss
A moment’s thought no more
Keep your man, I’ll have the door

Poem

2009-07-15T12:32:00.001-04:00

by Anthony W.

Summer’s frost
A cold wind on summer’s eve
Wracks the windows and trees.
A sad portrait is the sky
Pale grey with hazy eyes
It chills me to the bones
I wonder why summer is cold
Is there enough sun?
Where is the light?
I can remember it not being bright
The air worsens
Water stands still
All is motionless besides the feel
Of the cold winds that summer day
That bone chilling feel
That takes your breath away.

Poem: These Are the Times

2009-06-14T16:04:00.007-04:00

by Alex M.

These are the times that try a man’s soul
The threads of life, they constantly pull
As time goes on people change
And the ways of old seem so strange
To where will people go?
Only life does know
Some are destined to be great
Some, to die is their fate
Some, to do what they are given
Others go for what they are striven
We are all God’s children
Still, we fight with our brethren
Although violence is not the way
Sadly, many say it is okay
Still, others fight for their rights
For many days and many nights
Thus we must become united as one
But it will be long before that is done
So, until our “leaders” come to their senses
We are all stuck within our home fences.

Poem: Why Me?

2009-06-14T16:04:00.006-04:00

by Alex M.

Why me?
Why was I put on Earth?
Why am I human?
Why do people consider me special to them?
Why was I created?
What purpose do I have in life?
Do I have any?
Why am I so smart?
Why am I so bitter with my life, but at the same time enjoy it?
Why do people judge me by my looks?
Why do I judge myself by my looks?
Why do I ask such questions?!
Why me?

Poem: Don't You See

2009-06-14T16:03:00.003-04:00

by Korey

There you are, always in my thoughts,
the one that I adore and love.
You once were mine, but no longer,
Could've stayed with me forever.
Time faded, as did our bond,
stripped away, we're not together.
But dont you see, or feel, or know
of the feelings i still have of you?
I cant hate you, its not in me .
I guess we werent meant to be.
So now you see, why my love is eternal-ly
flowing out in desperation.
Hoping someone, anyone will
notice me, need me...love me....

Poem: Illusion

2009-06-14T16:02:00.005-04:00

by Yatzi G.

It happened to me once

And I have fallen again twice

The first time it happened it ended really crappy

And the second time I thought would have made me happy

I deceived myself more than once into an illusion

And there is no confusion

I thought at first “what the heck I’ll give it a try!”

And soon enough it ended with a heart broken and goodbye

It wasn’t all that bad, but I felt stupid

For I had fallen for that dumb game of cupid’s

It took me awhile

But soon returned my smile

For I had found something to lean on

Something that was never gone

A friend

Who apparently without noticing helped me mend

He was special, different, and extremely unique

And I can’t believe he was once a geek!

I got to know him and soon

I was the arm that he was leaning on

And as he did for me, I was never gone

We would talk for hours

And he once did give me a flower

I didn’t know what was going on

And I didn’t notice how stupid I was

For he and his actions were my flaws

Soon when I would see him it wasn’t the same

For again I had fallen in cupid’s stupid game

I was happy

And maybe sometimes quite snappy

But he didn’t care I was the awesomest person he had ever known

And that he told me on the phone

But then one day

He went another way

He wanted something else

That was not me

And that was the end of my love for he

I do not know what will happen

But he will be my friend no matter what

But I do promise to be the arm he leans on

And promise I will never be gone

So this was my illusion

And maybe staying friends might be the conclusion

Poem: One Day With You

2009-06-14T16:02:00.004-04:00

by Jose D.

One Day With You

Will be the worst day of my life

and the happiest to remember

One Day With You

Will make all well

One Day with you

My wounds go well

One Day with you

my heart is full

One Day with you

My mind is sane

Once that day is over

It's back to pain

Where my wounds will swell

my heart will stop

my mind loses sanity

When the day is over

I'll await the next one

Poem: Friends

2009-06-14T15:59:00.002-04:00

by Jahcinda

Friends are there when you need them
Friends are like flowers
You can never have an enough of friends
Friends support when you try something new
Friends are forever

Poem: Annapolis

2009-06-14T15:58:00.001-04:00

by Abby R.

Traffic. It is the first thing you encounter upon arriving in Annapolis. If you are fortunate, you may happen to spot a parking space among the crowded cobblestone streets. If not, you’ll eventually end up in a dimly lit parking garage searching for an unclaimed space.. Once parked, you emerge in the bright sun, anticipation coiling in your stomach as you make your way downtown. People of various ethnic backgrounds engulf the narrow sidewalks, and seagulls can be heard screeching overhead, keeping a sharp eye out for anything resembling food. Delicious smells waft from the doorways of numerous cafés and bakeries, filling you with a desire to sample their wares. If you should venture down a side street, you will surely encounter all manner of charming little houses. These quaint abodes sport brightly painted walls dripping with ivy, and the varied architecture is truly a marvel. Upon leaving this charming place, you will be filled with a desire to return.

Poem: Peace

2009-06-14T15:55:00.008-04:00

by Alex M.

What is peace you ask?
Well, answering that is no simple task
It could be a calm and gentle breeze
That feels cool but does not freeze
This breeze would be fresh and free
Like the air in Big Sky Country
Or the sounds of Music in the air
Such as Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer”
How about taking a bath that is hot
In a Jacuzzi where all your worries are turned to naught?
Or maybe a wonderful sight
Of seeing a starry sky at night
Peace can be described in more than one way
Whatever you prefer hey, that’s okay!

Poem: O Wonderful Rain

2009-06-14T15:55:00.006-04:00

by Dontavien M.

O wonderful rain,
As you fall from above , the
sun changes the blue sky.

I was leaving town,
going to Maryland to
see my family.

I see my mother,
tending to the big garden.
She picks roses.

Crazy little dog,
how energetic but, you
are my dog Sassy.

Poem: An Autumn Stroll

2009-06-14T15:55:00.005-04:00

by Abby R.

A fall day such as this is rare
For as I walk I hear the sound
Of crisp leaves skittering across the ground
This mischievous autumn air
Entwines its fingers in my hair
Vibrant hues are all around
And cool refreshing scents abound
As I walk this trail without a care
Brittle trees whisper their woes
Small rodents scurry about
The Indian summer sun beats down
The chill air nips at my nose
As I continue this solitary route
I soak up these sights, and head back to town

Poem: L.O.V.E

2009-06-14T15:52:00.002-04:00

by Dontavien M.

Love is ever-spreading like
a flower in a garden.
Over-powering like a god’s
strength, love can change anyone.
Very filling like stores in a
mall, love can fill any heart.
Everlasting just like time
true love will never end.

Poem

2009-06-14T15:50:00.006-04:00

by Kate

While looking back on life,
You realize all of the mistakes
Things that should have been said,
But they weren't
Places that should have been visited,
But were forgotten about
Things that should have been kept,
But you threw away
You realize you should have
stopped and smelled the flowers
To bask in the sunlight,
To enjoy your book,
To really eat your lunch.
But you rushed.
To places that you forgot
about.
To meet people that you don't
remember.
To look at something you didn't
like.
You found funerals a burden,
and crying babies a pain
You ate things that you didn't
want.
You bought a priceless collection,
that you hated.
But you forgot.
You forgot what a good
song sounds like.
You forgot what it felt like
to hold a child.
You forgot what it feels like
to really cry.
You forgot how to love.
Things that should have been
most important, weren't.
The emotions that should have been
there, weren't.
And you forgot about me.
So I was gone.
How could you forget to
love me?

Poem: I'm Sorry

2009-06-14T15:50:00.005-04:00

by Kate

I can't love you,
the way you love me,
and
I can't look at you,
the way you look at me
I don't know why I
can't love you, I just
can't.
I'm sorry.

Poem: WHO, WHAT, WHY AM I?

2009-06-14T15:47:00.005-04:00

by Dontavien M.

Why was I born?
What is the reason for my life?
I know that God had no part in making me, but who did?
I’m a demon.
All I do is cause pain and suffering no matter where I go.
Why would anyone love me if I don’t love myself?
Why am I alive if I deserve to die?
I know only one way to stop the fights that I cause.
Since I was born into darkness and my spirit is darkness, I shall die and plunge my soul into internal darkness soon and that will stop the fights and bring the money.
Heaven I’ll never see.
Hell I’ll never feel.
Nowhere will accept me and no one should.
That is what I know of me, so if my own parents don’t love me—
can you tell me
Who, what, why I am?

Poem: Ode to Nature

2009-06-14T15:47:00.004-04:00

by Kate

Tulips in a field
Purple, blue and yellow shades
Dotting the green grass.

Dark rain drops falling,
From the huge and dark night sky.
The smell of old rain.

Undisturbed clearing,
Trees that go on forever.
Solitude of woods.

Poem: I WANTED TO BE...

2009-06-14T15:46:00.001-04:00

by Dontavien M.

I wanted to be MVP
but she wouldn’t be my coach

I wanted to be the fire
but she wouldn’t let me burn.

I wanted to be the Big Kahuna
and surf the biggest wave
but she wouldn’t be the wind
to make the ocean shake.

I wanted to learn everything
but she wouldn’t be my teacher.

I wanted to be a rock star
but she refused to be my band.

I wanted to be a gardner
tending to the best flowers
but she refused to be my
bulb blossoming into a rose.

I wanted to be her man
always loving and supporting
but she wouldn’t settle down
so I have to move on.

Poem: Miss You

2009-06-14T15:45:00.005-04:00

by Kate

I cried when you left
I was upset when you died
I went to your funeral, but
It wasn’t the same without you

We miss you,
I miss you.

I always will,
Never will I forget,
Who you were,
And are

I miss you.

Poem: Acrostic Poem

2009-06-14T15:45:00.004-04:00

by Nichelle

Loyal- Always stay true to each other and never lie.

Original- Make up your own way to show how much you love and care for each other.

Valuable- Cherish what you have with your partner and never let it go.

Equal- Always make sure that you and your partner want the same things in life.

Poem: Unknown

2009-06-14T15:44:00.005-04:00

by Akeem

what am I?
I am told that I don't belong
what am I ?
an outcast tossed to and fro?
what am I?
as I search the rest of me mentally and physically
what am I?
how do I fit onto the checker board of God and the devil
awaiting my turn to be played and checkmated
what am I ?
a ticking time bomb harm and destruction
what am I?
I can't seem to figure it out
what am I?
hmm I don't know...but I have something
to say
what am I....I don't know the answer still.....
unknown

Poem: Taxi

2009-06-14T15:44:00.004-04:00

by Tristan

Keep the painting up; no need to take it
down. Yes, leave it. The way it was before, don't
change it, can't change it, don't like it that way.
It's good the way it was; no, leave it, leave it.
I'll fix it later. Bring her in here? When it's finished.
Not too soon. Hurry, she'll be here, must be ready.
Waited too long for this, can't wait any longer, must be ready, must have it finished. The way
she wanted it. God, so tired, so tired, but no
time today or any tomorrow, she'll be here then and
it'll be just the way it was before and she won't
have changed at all, I promise, not changed at all.
She's coming back today, did you know that? I
told you, I know, I know, can't stop thinking about it.

You know that. Sorry. No, no, move that table over
here, and it needs something to go on it-bring mom's
vase down from the attic, I'll go cut some flowers.
Don't forget the water. Water for the
flowers. She doesn't like her bed by the window. Doesn't
like the sun in her face like that anymore. She used to
sleep under the window-she liked it to wake her up

in the morning, but I guess the sun is colder in
the city, and it moves too fast. She needs to slow down.
That's why she's coming back. She doesn't want to remember
the city. She wants to forget about being away, and I'm glad
of it, glad she's back. Was afraid I'd lost her, isn't that silly? Stupid
of me. Nothing will have changed, we'll be kids again, I promise.
Then you can stop by and visit, after she's back in her old room,
and we can sit out on the porch, all of us. Mom will be there too,
the way she always was. And nothing will have changed. The house
won't be empty anymore.
Not that vase! The other one, the
one with the flowers on them, I forget what they're called. I don't think they're real
flowers anyway, one of us painted them on the vase in school. They're just flowers, and
Mom kept the vase. I don't know why, I would have thrown it out if
someone gave it to me. Always hated that vase,
hated it, oh, maybe we shouldn't bring it out after all. Why
would anyone want that in their room? She'll hate it. No, it'll do.
Don't have a choice. Maybe she won't
notice. Here, I've cut some roses from the trellis, do you think she'll like
them? I think she will. No, I know she will. There weren't any flowers
in the city. She'll have missed
them. She won't
have changed a bit,
I know it.
I know it.
There's the taxi.

Poem: My Heart

2009-06-14T15:43:00.007-04:00

by Akeem

The heart is a house for many things
sometimes it overworks to take life all in
the choices we make affect it in a good or bad way
to heck with it all I say
sometimes I wish I could just go away or
maybe disappear to make my heart better
oh how I long for the day when the repair man
tapes my heart together again when
and maybe I will come to a happy end

Poem: The Green Sea

2009-06-14T15:43:00.006-04:00

by Kate

The whipping of the wind
Hurts my ears as I fly
To the other side of the
Green sea.

Whack, I’ve come crashing
In cold.

The green sea comes in
Like pins and needles.

Then I’m flying again.

The waves are moving fast under me,
Rushing to the expected
Landing place.

I’m floating on the waves,
Those waves of the
Green sea.

The waves love me,
And I fly into the
Shore.

They jump high and roar,
And
I am forgotten.

Poem: Squirrel's Tail

2009-06-14T15:43:00.005-04:00

by J

1 Leaps and bounds from branch to branch,
2 follows the body in zigzags, figure eights, skips.
3 Sticks like glue,
4 relentless to lug or tug.
5 Becomes munificent with each passing day.
6 A pesky, perturbing object.
7 Growing…
8 Then, shedding its mass of unwieldy locks:
9 Glancing back
10 Nothing!?
11 Shaking, shivering without it:
12 Pests, we cannot live without.

Poem: What Is a Friend?

2009-06-14T15:42:00.005-04:00

by Nichelle

What is a friend?
Is he/she the kind of person you can
trust
use
abuse
talk to whenever you feel like it
What is a friend
Is it someone that treats you like
dirt
trash
nothing
loved
caring
Who really knows what friends are?

Poem: A Love Lost

2009-06-14T15:42:00.004-04:00

by Sherry

I write of a love, lost to me forever
Loneliness consumes me I miss his touch
I long for his embrace, his hugs
His love. Such a small fee to keep me breathing.
Because inside I'm dying without him
Heartache, my only companion, closest friend
I only pay that the pain will end
Hold these feelings where no mortal can see
But the gods know how the pain kills me.

Poem: Girl in the Art Museum

2009-06-14T15:32:00.001-04:00

by Tristan

she is the outofeye
inhabitant of
His surroundings,
   the unseen sleight of hand
of the Statues against the window,
       outlined by the washed-out afternoon.
the escalator
will carry him
             Under
          with moneymetalhands
   if he does not look away.
the ill-made god coughs
with sterile electricity,
waiting.
Her meetmyeyes
made him fear the Statues.

Poem: Silence

2009-06-14T15:31:00.005-04:00

by Matthew K.

It always is created
It always is destroyed
It lives through time and space
Searching for a home
Its cunningness is fitting
Its followers in awe
For all who are with it
Will never stand or fall
All who try to fight
Will always be consumed
And fear driven in their hearts
For all who wish to see
It is a soldier of the darkness
Always standing his ground
For if he fails... all will fail
A destruction for all eternity
Is what is in store for all

Poem: Man

2009-06-14T15:31:00.004-04:00

by Kate

he wanted to be
an action movie,
but she wouldn’t
be his camera crew.

he wanted to be a football team
and shine in the super bowl,
but she wouldn’t
be his stadium.

he wanted to be a power saw,
made of steel,
but she wouldn’t
be his wood.

he wanted to be
loved,
but she wasn’t
up to the challenge.

he needed her,
but she needed to
be a book,
so he tore out her
pages,
and threw them away.

Poem: Darkness

2009-06-14T15:30:00.002-04:00

by Matthew K.

It never was created
It can never be destroyed
It drains the very souls of men
And uses up their strength
It has never lost a battle
It has never had to fight
For all who see or hear it are fallen and stricken with fear
Some have stood against it
But they only utterly fail
Because you can't hope to win against smoking mist
It consumes all who fight
And kills all that don't
The space and time of others
Is where it needs to survive
Light has been its enemy
But darkness always wins
For none can stand to fight
Against nothing... but death
All you can do is delay
Your own destruction
Because darkness has the souls of man
And shall never be left alone
We have brought this upon ourselves no one but us
But everything has consequences
And I guess this is one
Only a miracle can save us
From our own demise
But that's what men are for
The home and lair of evil
The darkness and soul combine
Wiping everything out
The heroes in this world today
Are nothing but a shadow
For they have souls of shadow
But what are we to learn

Poem: How Many Times

2009-06-14T15:29:00.004-04:00

by Akeem

how many times has a heart felt sadness
how many more can it be broken
how many times can i move it for u
how many times must honor and trust be shattered
how many times have i smelled that unfamiliar scent
how many times ..........
how many times ..........

Poem: To My Romantic Boyfriend

2009-06-14T15:29:00.003-04:00

by Sherry

Every day I cried because you didn't love me
It made me sad
I wanted just to tell you how I felt
But I was so weak
And now, I smile every day because you are my boyfriend
You make me so happy
I just want to show you how much I care
You have made me strong
And now I don't want you to go or for this to end
I cant promise forever...But I wish I could
Because I love you...

Poem: School is a Drag

2009-06-14T15:25:00.003-04:00

by Alex M.

School is such a drag
Sometimes I wish I could throw it away like an old beat up rag
People get up at or before dawn
No wonder so many of them have to yawn!

With 7 different long classes to study

At the end of the day our brains feel like putty

When it comes to attendance, one second late

And it’s hours of detention for ya, mate!

Teachers either know what they’re doing, or they don’t

Teachers either give students help, or because they’re mean they won’t

Some of the things we are taught

Seem to be all for naught

We take notes galore

When we think that’s enough for now, teachers give us ten times more!

Tests and quizzes never give us a break

We finish some today, but tomorrow we have more to take!

The work students do is a pain

The homework load is insane!

Yes, school is a drag; I know

But without it what direction would our lives go?

Poem: The Whale

2009-06-14T15:24:00.004-04:00

by Tristan

I am the
undertow,
the current under me.
I plug my nose against
the water,
the womb water,
the cement-mixing water,
sinking into
me.
I hug my knees
against the
sunshine noise:
The sacred is reduced
to stage fright
and
water-logged newspapers,
washed up on the curb.

Poem: The Change

2009-06-14T15:24:00.003-04:00

by Sherry

Winter time-A season where things lie dormant
A time where most things die
During these cold months my heart died and I lost myself

Spring time-A season where things come to life and prosper
A time where most things heal and grow
By this time, I'll smile and be happy or need anybody
But until then, you will be in my thoughts
And I will hate you for it...

Poem: Love Goes Wrong

2009-06-14T15:23:00.002-04:00

by Kayla

How can I dare to look at you?
I am ashamed.
How many times I said I love you,
and you just blew me away.
You always say that you won't play games.
But you continue to play.
You say you'll be there forever.
But you continue to leave.
It hurts so much that I no longer can breath.
Now I'm going to do something you wont ever believe.
You mean the world to me but what am I to you.
Nuttin thats why this must be.
Here it comes.
I will do it and everything will be gone.
But why should I do this for someone like you.
I will not take this no more from this fool.
Let me find him.
Here it goes this is it.
He is gone and now I'm free.
Why did it have to be like this?
I loved him but I was wrong for that.
So this was my story,
and he won't be back.

Poem: The Waterfountain Woman

2009-06-14T15:22:00.005-04:00

by Tristan

I got the broken woman,
The one-armed hunchback,
Along with her immortal thirst
Hanging above the fountain,
The water frozen in St. Louis Arch
Just the way he carved it. No one ever told me
If she was broken in the carving
Or in the shuffle of cardboard boxes:
Den to cellar to attic across winters.
She pulls her shawl closer
With her good hand.
Another woman is under glass,
Somewhere,
My grandfather's elegy,
With both arms bracing her corn husk form
As she stoops for a drink of water.
But I got the broken woman.

Poem: The World Held Back!

2009-06-14T15:22:00.004-04:00

by Coral

T hen with all the chains of metal holding me back
O ld sayings comfort my soulB elieved to be the angels calling with a song
E nhancing their voices of truth
F reeing their minds from harm
R elaxing every muscle strained from when
working for the devil
E ven changing the views of never flying and
hoping gravity doesn't destroy my dream
E nabling the forces of good to power
my life everyday.
I am free!

Poem: Your Loss, My Gain

2009-06-14T15:21:00.001-04:00

by Sherry

As I sink my pearly white fangs
into your soft neck a wave of
crimson red fills my mouth
It gives me life as it is taken from you
This blissful experience fills me with love
You aren't just another victim to me now
Oh no... I LOVE you
I've waited so long for this
I hear your every thought and see
your life flash before your big blue eyes
As your body grows limp your heart slows
and I force myself to leave your beautiful body
Then, I begin to search for my next victim.

Poem: Forgotten

2009-06-14T15:19:00.002-04:00

by Kate

Your memory fades,
I am lost
In a sea of your life
I am sailing with people I never knew.Fragments of me come back,
My eyes, my hair,
My favorite sweater.
While you sit alone in your office,
You see me on a park bench
In your memory.
You search for my identity,
but nothing is found.
I am forgotten.

Poem: 12:14 Digital

2009-06-14T15:18:00.005-04:00

by Tristan

Horns, jostling arms--move them along
No machetes made for concrete jungles.
Guitar riff! Ringtone. "Y'ellow?" Silence.
Sewer steam rises from the city street
Discordance of the cigarette men.

Poem: Shackled to the Darkness

2009-06-14T15:18:00.004-04:00

by Fiona

Can you read my weakened mind?
Can you feel all of my emotions?

Do you see the shackles that bind
Me to my inevitable destiny?

Can you see right through me?
Do you hear my thoughts?

Have you listened to my plea
For a rescue from the dark?

Do you watch me from afar?
And is it possible that you know
How I wish on each bright star?
Can you know for what I wish?

I am wishing for something true:
Two true hearts, one true love.

It could be me; can it be you?
Are you my rescue from the dark?

With one touch my body trembles,
I shiver like a tiny, frightened child.

Can you unlock these chafing shackles?
Can you read my unloved mind?

Poem: The Rocky Mountains

2009-06-14T15:17:00.005-04:00

by Alex M.

The Rocky Mountains are the best place to be
Because they have great scenery
With woodlands and bodies of water full of peace
And towns with noise to cease
Beautiful blue skies
Full of “I wonder whys”
Lots of greens and life in the summer
In the winter snowy white cold and number
Clear water to drink in Glacier Park
From refreshing spring water that is not dark
Yes it’s true there are other places to be
But the Rocky Mountains are the right place for me.

Poem: I Run

2009-06-14T15:17:00.003-04:00

by Fiona

Rain courses down my face,
My hair is plastered to my cheeks,
And still, I run.

Slanted sheets of raindrops
Fill my already full eyes.
And still, I run.

I am blinded by the torrents,
My chest burns, I'm out of breath.
And still, I run.

Leg muscles cramp as my feet
pound the slippery pavement.
And still, I run.

Feet pounding on the wet asphalt,
Blood pounding in my drowning ears,
And still, I run.

I've fallen once; it won't happen again:
This time I'll only trust my feet
And keep running.

I think I've lost my way home
Then I remember I was thrown out.
And so, I run.

Someone new is in my place;
I'm just a discarded toy.
And so, I run.

Darkness is closing in upon me.
Outrunning it is my only hope.
And so, I run.

I run from my past and past mistakes,
I run from his name and empty promises.
I run from his laugh and warm embrace,
I run in the downpour to my future.

I run.

Poem: Under the Cotton Candy Clouds

2009-06-14T15:16:00.004-04:00

by Fiona

Lying quietly on my back,
I gaze wonderingly at the sky,
And watch white cotton candy clouds
As they glide silently by.

That day’s beautiful blue bird sky,
Silky soft clouds I reach out to touch,
So much unlike the dark gray norm
With black stinging raindrops and such.

As much as I long for that day to last,
Life still goes on under a peaceful sky.
Wars are still fought, many are killed,
Mothers give birth, and people still cry.

So for one afternoon I’ll just sit and stare
At the cotton candy clouds that float in the air.

Poem: Don't be Stereotypical

2009-06-14T15:16:00.003-04:00

by Hayley

they call her cinderella
she's hiding her secret life
deep inside
she cries and cries
cinderella cinderella
tell me your secret life

she tells them no
she begs them please
she's on her knees
just let her be

but cinderella
we all know that you don't cry
she simply smiles and says
that's all one big lie <3

Poem: The Beginning

2009-06-14T15:15:00.005-04:00

by Alex M.

Tis the end
My good friend
It is sad to say
You’re going away
Leaving a life behind
Stuck in the back of your mind
Soon to be memories of long ago
As thru life you constantly flow
But you should go
Because you know
That at the end of any corridor
There is a door that leads to more
So it is not really the end;
It is more of a beginning my friend.

Poem: Midnight Sorrow

2009-06-14T15:15:00.004-04:00

by Fiona

I have no pen with which to write
My ink has all run dry
The broken tips of my pencils
Lie scattered about me as I cry

Whiteout cannot cover up my pain
My erasers cannot expunge the past
Glue cannot hold together
The memories I am losing fast

Exposed on the pages in between
Past mistakes like black on white
The past I tried to leave behind
For a future then so bright

Shadow followed my every move
Time has taken its weighty toll
‘There is no hope,’ my heart sighed
As my tears fell through its gaping hole

I have no pen with which to write
My ink has all run dry
The broken tips of my pencils
Lie scattered about me as I cry

Poem: Disillusioned

2009-06-14T15:14:00.001-04:00

by Fiona

Reality is a dimension,
The door is locked and there is no key.
I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen,
Beautiful eyes can deceive.

Abstract thought becomes appealing,
Lost in your mind, miles away.
Your feelings float, but your head is reeling,
In time with Love’s music you sway.

Space looks different when you’re cold,
The stars seem to laugh as you go by.
Here’s my hand, of it grab hold,
As time goes passing slowly by.

The words are there, but not the song.
The want is there, but not the need.
I was right and you were wrong,
So give me your hand, let me lead.

Gravity always takes its toll;
You crashed through Reality’s ceiling.
In time you’ll heal and be more than whole,
We’ll live through the thunder you’re feeling.

Your spirit is free, though now a bit cold,
Swallow your pride and never sigh.
Life goes on or so I’m told,
In time we both shall learn to fly.

Poem: Early Morning Magic

2009-06-14T15:13:00.007-04:00

by Fiona

Light, but the shadows still creep,
Unhindered by the mist's gentle sleep.
Dew-laden leaves catch the sun’s ray,
Reflecting the rainbow every which way.
Tinkly music wafts up to the sky,
Clear, yet faint, each note floating by.
For that one morn, I list the ways,
Earth visited those fairy kingdom days.

Poem: Night in the Woods

2009-06-14T15:13:00.006-04:00

by Fiona

Dark. Very dark. No moon, no flashlight.
Ouch! What was that? Keep moving.
Left foot, front. Then right. Keep moving
I better keep my hands out in front of me.
What made that noise? Keep moving.
It's right foot, left foot. Keep moving.
I didn't think that it would take this long to get home.
Eww! That was really slimy. Keep moving.
It's left foot, right foot. Keep moving.
Am I ever going to get home? Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.