Unfinished Story

The grizzled old man sat hunched over his ancient computer. He typed in a few characters, stared and the screen, paused, and then finally crackled. "Today is the day Dennis. Today is the day we bring down Jeremiah Rivera, which will commence the rise of D.U.C.K."

Jeremiah jolted up and shook his head, he must have fallen asleep on the job. He started to go about his desk to gather his bearing as he thought, good thing Mr. Rose didn't. . ., the thought never finished as he turned to see Mr. Rose staring down at him. Jeremiah quickly stood up, as it looked like Mr. Rose was about to address him.

"Sleeping on the job, Mr. Rivera? I expected more of you, considering that this is the fourth time this week you have been caught off task. I can't believe that I have to do this, but I must agree with the board. You're being laid off," Mr. Rose explained. Jeremiah couldn't believe it, he had been working at the office for eight years, providing help for  Mr. Rose. As he walked home dejectedly, Jeremiah noticed a house being renovated. Jeremiah thought he saw his good friend Jim working. As he approached the house, Jim saw him, and walked up to him.

"Hey Jeremiah, what are you looking so down about? I volunteered to help renovate homes in the area, and this is the first one I got. How come you're out of work so early?"

Choose Your Own Adventure Story

You’ve been saving up for this trip to Florida for what seems like forever, and finally the day has arrived. The Milwaukee winters were fun when you were really little, but now it just will be great to spend Christmas with friends in the sunshine of Miami Beach. With your leather carry on bag slung over your shoulder, and a hot cup of Starbucks in your hand, you head to Gate 13 from where your flight is set to depart.  

When you arrive, you find only a few other people seated at the gate already. There are people generally mulling around, trying to kill time, but the area near the door marked with a large “13” is pretty empty. You look for a seat where you can listen to your music alone, and start planning what you will do with your friends in Florida.  You sit two chairs away from an older man who wears a somber look on his face. He looks to be about fifty years old, and is fashionably dressed -- obviously one of those people who still dresses up to fly on an airplane.  His laptop is propped open and he types away, not noticing anything going on around him. Periodically he stops typing, and lets out an exhaustive sigh. You ignore him, and turn up the volume on your earbuds.

In the next row you notice a tall young man in his late teens. He is dressed in a military uniform, his shoes freshly polished, and his carry on luggage neatly at his side. His posture is alert, and erect as he reads a magazine he just bought at the newsstand.  

Two seats over, sits a middle aged woman.  Her clothing and mannerisms give off the air of education. She is reading a medical journal, and talking into a handheld device, dictating her notes. Periodically she stops and speaks a command such as, “Send three copies by Tuesday,” which must be meant for her secretary. She seems quite serious, and entirely preoccupied with her work.

The only other person nearby is a lean, strong looking man of indiscriminate age. You can’t clearly tell exactly what he is doing, as he appears to be staring off into the distance, his eyes scanning the horizon across the runway.  The entire time you have been seated, his gaze and posture hasn’t moved a bit.  You place your own things on the seat next to you, and trying not to stare, continue to watch the interesting man.  He rises to his feet, and with the stealth and grace of a panther, he walks slowly to the window, and peers even deeper across the open spaces.

You exhale, remembering that the people around you are simply other passengers; it isn’t like you will have to get along with them, or even talk to them for that matter. After all, this is your vacation, and there is no use in worrying about the others on the plane.  

The rest of the airport at General Mitchell Field is buzzing with travelers: young families, elderly folks, and laughing teenagers.  The smell of pizza mixed with coffee and cinnamon rolls wafts over from the food court, but you recently ate, and don’t really want to have anything more before the flight. Focusing on your iPhone, you access Facebook to brag about the trip, and maybe even send a picture of yourself waving goodbye to Milwaukee’s winter weather, when your iPhone goes dead. That’s weird, you think to yourself. Looking up, you notice all the message boards reporting the incoming flights have gone black, as well as all the electric signs and advertisements. The ubiquitous electrical humming stops, as every machine in sight ceases to work. Everyone in the airport has a similar reaction; they all stop in their tracks and look about in wonder, and mild shock. Even the lights in the ceiling have gone dark. The sudden, unnatural silence casts an eerie feeling throughout the airport. One particular mother lets out with a shriek, dropping her soft drink, sending ice and soda all over the floor. At that moment, the crowd takes on a general mood of panic, and starts to scramble towards the door. One man yells at the top of his voice, “It must be terrorists!” and what was a rumble of movement turns into a full blown stampede.  Chaos takes over the causeway, as newsstands and food carts are knocked to the ground, sending their contents across the linoleum floor.

The people you only moments ago decided you didn’t need to know, stand along with you and try to assess the situation. Instinctively, you all step towards one another, almost feeling like fate has placed you together for a reason.

“Looks like we’re in the soup now!” the grumpy, older gentleman says.

“Yes, indeed,” the professional woman replies.  “I would add that if we don’t do something fast, it may be worse than soup in a matter of moments.”

The serviceman interjects, “My training leads me to believe looking for an auxiliary power source is the best option. We should see if we can reconnect with the grid somehow. There must be a main power source nearby.”

“No way! It’s not my problem if this place goes down. We should get the heck out of here as fast as possible. Before you know it, all the cars, including the rentals, will be gone. We should high-tail it to the parking structure and get as far from here as fast as possible!”

“Very touching. Your concern for others is moving,” the professional lady says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I would say that leaving is a good move, but we should consider an alternate exit so that we don’t get trapped or trampled by the crowd. Perhaps once we get outside we can take better action.”

“Perhaps,” speaks the quiet gentleman, “perhaps we should, as the wisdom of the ages tells us: wait until a clear path reveals itself.”

“Good lord! This guy will get us all killed for sure!” the older man says, his voice growing angrier and angrier.

So, what is the best course of action?

If you decide to search for the power source, click here.

If you would like to head to the garage as fast as possible, click here.

If you wish to search for an alternate exit, click here.

If you decide to wait for help, click here.

Gym Essay

Author's Note: This is an essay I wrote for gym. I was asked to write about the benefit of physical activity for me outside of gym class.

35.7% percent of Americans adults are obese, as are 17% of American children, which is a big result of Americans not only eating wrong, but not getting enough physical activity. Physical is a great way to lose weight and you can play something you like to do. In addition, you can have fun while you work hard. It can also help you get more socially interacted; if that’s something you need to do. Physical activity can provide many good things that can help you stay healthy.

For me, physical activity is a great way for me to get off my bum and move around, while I still have fun. Staying healthy is important for me, so I try to get physical activity as much as I can. It provides activity, enjoyment, and social interaction. I sometimes also can be challenged by physical activity, which makes it less fun, put I still enjoy it.

Enjoyment in physical activity is key in getting more activity. You need to like something to be able to do it and do it often. Most people get lots of physical activity because when they enjoy it, they don’t notice as much how hard they are working. Another way to work hard without noticing is to have good competition. You compete hard enough that you don’t notice it. Physical activity can be done in many different ways, and it can provide many benefits.

Band Essay

On March 6, 2013, in the Pewaukee High School Auditorium, the Asa Clark Middle School, 7^th and 8^th grade bands, along with the Jazz Band, performed their spring concert. The 7^th and 8^th grade bands each performed five pieces, while the Jazz Band performed two.  Many varieties of music were played, including upbeat, up tempo style music, to relaxing, calming music. I think overall that these bands had a good concert, maybe an eight out of ten.

The seventh grade band played well, they had good intonation and pretty good articulation. On some pieces the dynamics were there, but on a few others, the dynamics were OK at best.  For almost all of the songs, blend and balance could have been improved. Although, I think that the performers really engaged the audience and make the concert enjoyable. The highlight of the performance was probably the piece “Zoom”, as the band displayed great dynamic range, and the ability to play many different time signatures. The worst part though, was that the band did not look very professional, especially the percussion. One guy had a Mohawk and another guy looked like he was wearing a jumpsuit. Overall the seventh grade band probably deserves and 8.5 out of ten.

The eighth grade band did not perform as expected as they lacked in sound quality and articulations. They did do a good job blending and balancing their sound, as well as doing a pretty good job with dynamics. The performers engaged the audience very well, almost in a mesmerizing way. Unlike the seventh grade band though, the eighth grade band looked very professional. Overall the eighth grade band deserves a 7.5 or eight out of ten.

In conclusion, the seventh grade band did a pretty good job, they could just work on being more professional and varying dynamics better, along with blend and balance. The eighth grade band could definitely work on articulations and sound quality. Overall I think the Asa Clark Middle School Bands did a good job in their concert.

Space Race Essay

Author's Note: I am doing a project on space with two other people, and I researched the Space Race.   This is my essay. 

The Russians and Americans were in the middle of the cold war, constantly trying to make themselves look better than the other, but also trying to prove that they were going to be the first one to launch a ballistic missile. Then, in 1957 Russia took the battle to space by launching the first successful satellite into space. From then on Russians and Americans kept battling it out in space, and for a while, the Russians kept winning. They sent out the first satellite, the second satellite and the first man on the moon. Americans were worried that the Russians were going to launch a ballistic missile, and that the war was lost. But then, as JFK promised seven years earlier, the Americans sent the first man to the moon, on July 21 1969. Americans suddenly had hope. From there the Cold War started to unwind, finally ending in 1975 when Russia and the U.S. did a joint mission in space, making the International Space Station, which is still in space today. The Space Race was a very important time in history.

Without the Space Race, we wouldn't have satellites in space orbiting earth and we wouldn't have plans on exploring space further in the future. These things are very important because without satellites we couldn't have cell phone communication, television or radio, which are three main staples in America, which would practically keep us back in the Stone Age of technology.

Although, we are still in the Stone Age of space exploration. We've explored our solar system in minimal depth, so that we only know a few things about every part of it. As technology advances further, we could explore our own solar system in much more depth, as long as gaining more information about space outside our own solar system, and even galaxy.

Space is the great unknown, and with the current technology we have, we know more about space than what we've ever known. We've discovered nebulae and new galaxies. We know more about black holes and stars. Space has become less of a mystery to us. The Space Race was the platform for all of this to happen, which is why it is one of the important times in recent history.

Travel Essay

Author's Note: I wanted to write a persuasive essay, but make it interesting, so I gave myself a $25,000 budget to make the ultimate vacation for two people. I tried to center mine around football, because football is the ultimate American sport. First, you would go to the Texans-Bears game on Sunday night, then to the Steelers-Chiefs game on Monday night, then to the Toledo-Northern Illinois game on Wednesday night, then to the North Carolina-Virginia game on Thursday night, then the Kansas State-Baylor game on Saturday night. Then from there you would drive down to Galveston to go on a seven day cruise with two stops in the Bahamas and one stop in Florida, before returning to Galveston. With the remaining money one person would get a Hall of Fame signed football and the other person would get a Troy Aikman signed football. I would donate the last $4641 to charity.

A perfect beach, stretching out as far as the eye can see, with a vast ocean in front you, sun slowly sizzling into its vastness as night becomes day. This is the perfect vacation in the minds of many people, which is why vacations are important to most American families. It’s their time to get away from reality and drift into the world of nothing. Football is similar to vacations, yet so different. Although we are escaping reality, we are traveling to a world of everything, instead of nothing. Putting the two together is a match made in heaven.

Football Game

Football. Many Americans would go crazy after just hearing that one word. In fact, most of the world would go crazy, but for a very different reason. For America, football is the rough and tough sport where players crash in a frenzy of padded bodies, trying to move the ball across the field as fast as possible. To the rest of the world, football is the sport where only three people on the field touch the ball with their hands, the two goalkeepers and the referee. Using elusiveness instead of strength to move down the field and into the goal, which is soccer, as opposed to using strength to pound your way to the other end of the field across the goal line, which is football. Going to five games in six days would be any football, the American kind, fans dream come true.

Likewise, going on a seven day cruise would be almost any Americans dream come true. Cruises are where people go to relax and drift out of reality for a few days. Most cruises are family friendly because they offer activities for adults and children so that parents don't have to be dragged down with the stress of being parents. The worst thing about cruises is that they are so expensive, which makes it harder for less fortunate people to go.

Analogous to the fact that less fortunate people can't go on a cruise, with a good chunk of my travel budget, I would help those less fortunate by donating to charity. If you're wondering what charity I would donate it to, I would donate it to whatever charity the travelers choose. Charities can do many things, including helping people who are homeless, live in poverty, or recently lost homes or family members to natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes.

Vacations are a great way for people of all different types to get together and to relax, but also to have fun. Football is an American staple that everybody at least understands. Cruises are a great way to get away from the hassles and stress of everyday life. Football games and a luxurious cruise are the best way to spend a vacation hands down.

Ghana Essay

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice,” is something Nelson Mandela once said. If we are to overcome poverty, it won’t be by one good act, it will be a collection of actions all helping to rid the horrible thing that is poverty from this world. Even if it takes one country at a time I think we can do it.

Unfortunately, Ghana is one of those countries. In some places water is miles away, and kids old enough take several trips a day to get water. Some people only eat two meals a day, which consists mostly of rice, even though they sometimes add a green vegetable “mush” to add flavor.  Roads there have no signs and it’s practically a free for all on dirt roads. Ghana is a very poor country, there aren’t any big supermarkets, except in Accra, so you have to go to individual vendors to buy different things.

Poverty is a big problem in this world, and Ghana is one of the countries suffering from it. Helping out by donating money is a great way to chip away at the iceberg. People need to address poverty with as much concern as other things such as AIDS and cancer cures. Poverty is problem that needs more attention, and we are the people that can help start that.

Unstoppable

Author's Note: This is the third installment of the recent story I have been writing. I am trying to put metaphors in my writing. I am also trying to purposely write the four different sentence types.

Together they were unstoppable, except, they didn't know it yet. Hito had one more discovery to make until they could truly realize this. Hito still needed the help of one person to discover this. This person was somebody he never would've guessed.

It took mere minutes for Hito and Anita to become friends. They got along like best friends who had known each other for a long time. Anita had to show Hito around the house so he could know where everything was, and so he never got lost. Hito thought that this was the most amazing and magical house he had ever been in. When he got to his room, Hito's mind was blown. The walls were snow white, and they seemed to glow. A king size bed that looked to Hito like it was really fitted for a king sat against the far wall. Against the opposite wall was a gigantic flat screen TV. Hito was surprised that their was such a big TV, he had never seen one before. Underground they were a rarity, because it's hard to get a good signal. The wall facing the door had a ginormous cabinet with a large mirror on the front. After a few minutes of Hito staring amazingly into his room, Anita got worried, and lead him out. When she brought him back downstairs, she went back to the dining room. Shilleve was sitting at the head of the table, sipping a glass of wine.

"Hito sit down, we have important matters to discuss. Anita, you are dismissed to go to your room and work on your exercises. When you are done, you may do whatever you like, but do not disturb us," Shilleve commanded. Anita hurried out of the room and went up the stairs. After a few seconds Shilleve stood up. "Please sit down. Is there anything you would like to drink?" Shilleve asked. Hito shook his head and quietly sat down. Shilleve got another glass of wine and sat down. "Before I say anything else, I must tell you this, Hito, do not be surprised by what I am about to say. Hito you have a power locked inside of you that no human being on Earth has had before. The Force is inside you, and I will help you unlock it."

Controlling the Action

Author's Note: For a writing exercise, we had to make a writing piece with only one action, starting with what Mr. J put. My part is in red.

The saloon grew quiet as Carl stood away from the brass rail and looked to his left where the Sheriff was poised, arm extended to draw his colt .45 with the flick of his wrist. The citizens of Tumbleweed were prepared for violence, they were constantly living in a state of fear as was most of Arizona in 1885.

Carl drew a long puff of his cigarette, and flicked the butt of into the crowd of what was destined to be witnesses to one more death, one more needless act of violence, one more scar on the soul of Tumbleweed.

As the smoke rose from the shrinking cigarette, Johnny realized that this was not his world that he should be living in, but it was. He could've had fame and fortune, if he wouldn't have made that one mistake-- the mistake that changed his life forever.

Johnny was an up and coming football player at his local university, and in his freshman year, he had been the star player. He had also come close so to winning the most prestigious award possible. The night after he came within reach of it, he had his first drink. The fallout that happened after that was catastrophic. He became a drunk, and had to go into rehab, his NFL stock fell from first round pick, and maybe even first overall pick, to "should we even draft this guy?" When he came out of rehab, America had moved past Johnny Football, and hooked onto to another young player that had risen to stardom.

 Sitting in this old western bar, Johnny watched the fight with little intent, this is what his life had become, sitting in a bar with a bunch of drunk cowboys watching them match wits? He was disappointed in himself. Without turning his attention to the fight, he heard a loud BANG, and the bar did the best thing it could do. Silence.

Anita's Passage

Author's Note: This is the second installment after The Discovery. This story actually took place a few weeks before The Discovery. I am working on using better word choice and  I want to include a better conclusion.

Anita wished she could live a normal life. If she could start over fresh and clean, and get rid of her "ability", or her Passage, as everybody called it, she would jump at the opportunity.  She didn't know it, but her opportunity was coming soon.

Anita could read minds.  When she did it, it gave her migraines that would last for days. She had to focus on the person she wanted to mind read, and their thoughts came flowing into her mind. She had mistakenly asked somebody about one of their thoughts when she was young, and then everyone said that she had The Passage.  Anita never understood what that meant, so she just assumed it meant that she had a talent.

At school everybody avoided her, not wanting her to listen in to their personal thoughts, even though she would never do that. Even the teachers were scared of Anita. Anita wished that people could understand how much it hurt her to read minds. Everybody thought her radar was always on, when it actually took intense focus to turn on. Anita was shocked when she figured out that her parents were even timid when they were around her. Anita knew her life was heading for the pits.

Anita was waiting at her bus stop, right at the edge of the cul de sac, dreading school, knowing it was going to be another day where nearly nothing happened. Staring at her feet, she heard a vehicle coming. Thinking it was the bus, she looked up, prepared to get on and drag through another day of school. What she saw instead was a clunky old pickup truck. A man stepped out. Thinking he was a kidnapper, Anita started t0 run away.

"'Wait, Anita. Stop! I just want to talk to you," The man yelled to her. Anita screeched to a halt. She turned around on her heels and slowly approached the man.  "My name is Shilleve," the man said, "and I came here to help you start a new life. I am leading a revolution, and you are part of it. You would be second in command, only to the chosen one, who you'll meet later. The best part for you is, nobody will know about you Passage. The choice is yours. What will you choose, your current life, or a life filled with adventure, where you'll be treated normally?" Anita was shocked. How did this man know about her Passage? And how could he make such a preposterous offer? She didn't know what to think, but pretty soon, she had made her decision.

"I'll join you," Anita replied firmly. Shilleve got in his car, and Anita hopped in behind him. Shilleve started the car and they drove away. Anita noticed that they were headed for the surface, which confused her, because there was almost nothing on the surface that was interesting. They stopped at a small house, and Shilleve got out, without waiting for Anita. Anita quickly got out, and sprinted after Shilleve.  She barely made it into the house just as it closed and the lock clicked. In front of her was a magical place. Inside the small house was a mansion.

Over the following weeks, Shilleve showed Anita around the place, showing her rooms that she never would have imagined. He also helped her hone her Passage, giving her exercises, so that after a few weeks, it took less effort for her to read minds, and she didn't get killer headaches, which she still got if she went overboard. One day, she was working in the weapons room, a room filled with a ton of weapons and other things, doing a few of her exercises, when she heard the huge doors that led into the room creak open. She whipped around, sensing someone was with Shilleve. She read his mind and instantly knew he was the Chosen One.

The Discovery

Author's Note: This will sum it up. All of my stories have been leading to this one. In this piece I will work on using better word choice, being more descriptive in some of the words that I use. I also want to include a better conclusion.

Hito's world was perfect. Everything, everywhere, was perfect. Humans had found a way to live in harmony with the environment while still being able to use modern technologies. The simple solution was this, almost everybody and everything moved underground. What Hito didn't know was that he came from a great line of heroes. Heroes that nobody knew about.

One morning, Hito's father approached him and told him that they were going for a walk. Hito got dressed and ready, and met his father at the front door. "Now Hito, no matter what happens today, do you promise you will always remember my favorite saying?" His father asked casually.

"Yes father. 'When in doubt, turn left'. I don't understand why you say that," Hito responded monotonically. His dad sometimes confused him with weird sayings.

Hito followed his father out, and his father took him to the surface. As they walked down the clean streets of New Hampshire, Hito marveled at the outside world. Even though he had been here many times, he always was amazed at the way the world looked. When his father stopped, Hito saw that they were outside an old house, one of the few that remained on the surface. His father led him to the door stopped, and gestured for Hito to knock on the door. He did, and someone answered almost immediately.

"Hello, Hito. We have been waiting for this day for a very long time. I'm Shilleve. Please come in," The man, apparently named Shilleve, at the door said. Hito followed him in, and he was blown away. When you stepped inside, you felt as if you were in a mansion. There were great, ornate chandeliers, and fancy carpets. Shilleve led them to a dining room with a huge table, except it was only set for two on one end of the table. When Hito saw that, he turned around to ask his dad why they were eating alone, and he wasn't there. Hito thought that his dad had come in with him, but apparently he had not. Shilleve motioned for him to sit down at the table, and when he did, food instantly appeared on his plate. Not just any food, the food that Hito had been wishing to eat. A big, juicy hamburger, and a large plate of fries.

"Good selection, you must be hungry," Shilleve commented when the food appeared. "Now we have more important matters to talk about. You are the chosen one. You are the one to lead us Hito."

"Now wait a minute. What are you talking about?" Hito responded, confused. He had no clue what Shilleve was talking about.

"Hito, your destiny is to lead the Rebellion. The fate of everybody, anytime, is in your hands. If you accept,h that is. Hito, you come from a great line of heroes. Your distant grandmother was the first person to make their imagination reality, when she thought of her best friend, Willi. Your great grandfather was the person to win the Quick Games, and start and lead the rebellion that took President Quick out of power. And your father was the person who took out the last line of rogue beasts and mutants left over from the Quick Games, when he found his father at the bottom of The Pit, the place where the people who wanted to kill the mutants met. Now it's your turn."  Shilleve said back. This blew Hito out of the water.

"What do you want me to do?" Asked Hito, dumbfounded, overloaded with thoughts. He had no clue that his family was so remarkable, especially his father. His father seemed like a very normal person to him, yet he had done this spectacular task.

"You must lead the humans back to the surface. Even though it may seem perfect, it's not the way humans were meant to live," Shilleve replied calmly. "Our plan is to have you, along with a few others, to rise up and defeat the Government. Plan A would be to kidnap or kill the Director."

The Government was the one government body of the world. It was made up of one person from ever large country or region. The Director was the head of The Government, voted every other year by the members of The Government. For 10 years in a row, Kendrick Paine had been voted Director.

"Although Director Paine had been nice to the people, spies that we have inside The Government tells us that he plans on getting rid of The Government and becoming the lone ruler of the world. We plan on stopping that and returning Earth to the way it was before humans moved 'downstairs'," Shilleve informed Hito, "And this is how we plan on doing it. Please come with me." Shilleve asked Hito. Hito was tentative to follow Shilleve, but he still did. Shilleve brought him through different corridors and stopped at a huge set of doors chain locked together. Shilleve took out a key, unlocked the doors, and brought Hito into the amazing room.

The Games

Author's Note: I got my inspiration for this story from several places, including the book that I am reading and a story I read on a friend's blog. I am trying to add some semantic devices, like personification. In this story I bend the rules of grammar a little bit, by starting sentences with conjunctions. Using it gives the right feel to my story.

I need to get out of here. The dark storm clouds are yelling at me, telling me to find shelter. But I know I can't. I don't have time. I keep moving, churning my legs even though I'm not sure how long they will last. Up ahead I see exactly what I didn't want to see. Critters. I take a hard left turn, running for my life, not caring  about the building pain in my legs. As I'm running I see the ruins of a burnt building. The Rats probably did that. Seeing that building brings back the memories of the days before I was thrust into this nightmare.

I lived in a nice suburb in the middle of Idaho. Our family was a well oiled machine. My threes sisters and I went to school during the day, to get our mandatory education. Our mom stayed at home manning the house and keeping it clean in preparation for the disaster that would come when we all came home. My dad worked at an accounting firm and racked in a good sum of money. Don't get me wrong, we weren't rich, but we still had some money.

And then, when I was only 11 years old, the people of America elected Symeon Quick as their president. This was probably the biggest mistakes Americans made in their history. Quick started out doing things that made him a hero to the American public. He cut taxes and added millions of jobs around the nation. But it was not meant to be. He soon created the worst reality game imagined, although it was wildly popular with those not participating, called the Quick Games. The government walled of and evacuated a state, a different one every time, threw about 50-100 people ages 18-30 in the state, and made them fight to the death. Alliances were quickly made, although the better term would be gangs. The winners became wildly famous, and lived a life of luxury. The losers, of course, died. The one rule that was not constant was the amount of winners. Sometimes five people walked out victorious, sometimes it was only the last man standing. This sick tradition continued, never coming to our state. But then one day, when I was 21 the Committee showed up.

They said that everybody of the right age in our area were to be tested to see if they were good enough to enter the Games. I would've slacked so I wouldn't make it, but then I would've encountered serious punishments. So I gave it my all hoping that there were too many other people that were better than me so they wouldn't accept me. But they did. I had six months to prepare because there still was a season going on. I worked hard, knowing that since I had already been accepted, I might as well try to win.

The season started and the state chosen was Louisiana , which was bad because it was rainy season, and some of the cities were below sea level. The biggest, and the meanest, gang called themselves The Rats. Quick had added one more thing into recent Games, to make it a little more interesting, which he called Critters. They were hideous creatures that were part rat, part dog, and part spider. It had the snout of a rat, eight legs, could sniff you out like a dog, and was fast. You did not want to be caught by one of these creatures.

On March 23rd, my late mother's birthday, I was sent to Louisiana. The next day, The Games started. I survived the first few days, staying alone and finding a few packs scattered around the western border. The Game Masters left packs of food, water, and supplies around to help out the contestants, but they were always guarded by a few Critters. That's what had happened leading up to me getting in this wild chase with Critters.

Up ahead I see the perfect getaway -- a dense forest. I push even harder for it, which I am surprised I can do. Once I break through the tree line I slow up, but only a little. I weave my way through the woods, trying to lose the Critters. I am so focused on where I am running that I nearly smack into it. It's a log cabin. I quickly go in, hoping the wood walls could protect my scent from the Critters. Looking around I see the best thing possible for me right now. Another pack. I had already gotten away with the one that the last pack of Critters were guarding, and now I had this one. Inside was the one item I was hoping for, matches. I collected some wood from the forest and brought them to life with the matches. It made me feel like I was in heaven. But I had to be wary. Critters, or other contestants for that matter, could be lurking around any corner. Unfortunately for me, I drifted off to sleep and woke up to a nightmare.