It was dark out with a light breeze going by. Cars were flying down the street with their lights flashing by me. I was walking on the sidewalk heading for my house looking up at the night sky. It seemed so close yet so far with its stars shining up above me and that moon glowing so brightly.

 I was nearing a corner when I saw a man walking up to me from the other way. 

This street always felt safe but now there were missing posters hung up on those storefront windows, all for the same person. Someone had been making deals in the town and had been playing with peoples lives; once the deed is done, they say that the person is missing and then have someone or something put up those signs. They shine a yellow- golden color when the light hits them. I knew the person that was drawn on them but I didn’t particularly like to remember them. I guess you can never really trust or know what’s going on when the street is empty or dark.

 This street though is full of stores, and there are alleyways like the one I have to go through to get to my home. So it’s not uncommon to see others at this time, either leaving stores or coming home late from work as I guessed for the man who was walking in the other direction then I was. The store signs were always bright and lit up shining on me most times, as the stores are always full of life inside with people buzzing all around, but not today. Not tonight.

 I was running late going home and it was getting dark out. Almost all of the stores had closed by now except a little antique shop.  The owner was known to be a night owl, always working at night by her old typewriter. She’s always up at this time but in the morning she is sound asleep. Nothing can wake her up, not even her own son. He works for the police department but I’ve never seen him as folks say he is always out on patrol. But It’s said if you walk by the little shop at a time like this you will hear the taps her fingers make on the keys as she writes. No one knows what she writes or who she writes about but she writes.

I looked up at the man walking from the other side, noting in my head who he was and what he looked like. I didn’t know him but he seemed to be about thirty, aging well and could pass probably as a twenty-five year old. He was wearing long dark tan pants with a dark blue shirt. He had a black blazer on top and was holding a bag. The bag seemed to be holding something yet I couldn’t tell, maybe tools or a little trinket. But who knows? His hair was a dark brown color and was cut short. It didn’t cover his face but his small hat did. It was a circle shape and had a dark tan color to it. I didn’t catch his eyes but I did catch some of his face, he had a very pronounced jaw bone and cheeks with a small nose.

I could hear his feet on the concrete. “Tap tap tap”. It seemed that on the bottom of his dark brown shoes there was a type of material almost like the ones tap dancers have. Tap tap tap. 

I kept on walking down the alley way at my own pace still as I wanted to see what he was up to until I heard that noise. The little :click. It echoed through the alley way and in my head as I stopped. He had flipped out something, a knife? Probably a knife I thought. My heart was racing as my legs felt stiff. I couldn’t move. “Tap tap tap”, I heard his shoes hitting the pavement as he walked closer.

Calm down calm down calm down! I yelled in my head, it was probably just him opening up his bag and the click was from it. But no it couldn’t have been. I remember this sound vividly. Too vividly. I remember it from that one time I had a dealing with those people. The people that had been playing around with lives in this town. They were crooks and were all part of a gang with a strict code of conduct. They all stood tall with broad shoulders and looked as if they could crack a coconut open with their pinky finger. I still remember that night when they talked to me in that deep eery voice that went down my spine making all the hairs on my arms stand. Those crooks change their hideouts every two weeks to not get caught so no one ever knows where they are. The time I got stuck in one of these hideouts was when it was in the back of a rundown club on the corner street. They pulled me into it so quickly I didn’t notice what the place looked like till I got out. My throat was dry for the whole interaction with my mind yelling for me to get out. My heart raced faster then it ever did that day, with sweat running down my face and my mind spinning but I had to face them. They gave me a deal that they would let my family go that they had also taken hostage if I would kill the next person I saw outside of the building I was brought too. I had no choice I knew I had to save my family. No matter who had to go. I had to do the job to save them from what might lie ahead. I regret doing it but I can’t change anything as now all I can do is plead for peace in my mind and soul, but that won’t happen. It will never happen as I still hear your voice at night. Is this karma? No. I wondered, is this my punishment from doing that. Remembering that click too. That oh so fatal click. 

My spine shivered as I heard him walk closer now. Closer closer and closer with a louder sound. “Tap tap tap”, his shoes went on the ground. I’m not at that hideout anymore I thought I have to calm down but my heart started racing faster now, pounding out of my chest. I was breathing so quickly as I started to sweat. This can’t be my punishment, I’m not ready for this. I wasn’t the one who planned for you to go! You just happened to be there. You just happened to be there standing outside of that building. My chest felt tight as my mouth went dry. Some of the memories came back, flooding into my mind as a couple tears started to well up. 

“Tap tap tap”, I heard once more, but closer. He was almost right behind me. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t lift my arm up. Nothing! I was scared stiff. 

I believed this might be how you felt before I had to do it. Before I had to let you go and end your life. You probably felt scared and frightened like me. I feel sorry that I did it now. I really do, but you wouldn’t believe me. I know you wouldn’t, but neither would I if it had been the other way around. I still don’t know which I should have picked, sense now you both are gone. I couldn’t just let them go, but then again I shouldn’t have let you go. Your voice still haunts me at night-giving me chills that run through my spine, making me shiver. And that click you heard that made you jump and inhale your last breath of that crisp cold night air. Oh how I still remember that day so vividly in my mind like a movie playing on repeat. Playing so loudly that it drowns out my screams for help and for it to stop.

Maybe this was my time. A tear drop went down my cheek and fell onto my shirt. I took a deep breath and tried to relax myself and prepare for my fate as I straightened my shirt and wiped my tear away. But I didn’t hear him anymore. Thinking that he was gone, as I had been standing there for a while thinking, contemplating, worrying and fearing of what could or might happen next. I was wrong, I should have kept on walking down this alley way as I spent all of this time worrying for nothing. Ha I said in my head I must be going crazy till I heard a sound from behind me.

I heard someone breathing. I felt it going down the back of my neck. I gulped as I turned around to see him with an eery smile. The sides of his lip going to his cheeks and his teeth shown broken and sharp with a dark black substance dripping from his teeth and mouth. His eyes were open wide enough that I could see the veins and the white part of his eyes. He was breathing heavily as my heart raced. We were standing only four inches apart. 

He moved his arms, which were turning to a dark black with hints of red, up to my shoulders. He gripped my shoulders tightly, so tightly that it hurt. I tried to scream but my mouth would not open and my voice would not come out. I was stuck silent. My arms couldn’t move as my legs couldn’t either. I was stuck looking into the face of this horrid man still with that horrible smile and those wide eyes. My eyes started to burn and tear up looking at him as I could not look away. He didn’t say anything for a while and then started to repeat a few words, “ You did this, it was your fault” He yelled those words with an eery voice. They echoed in the alleyway, ringing in my ears. Jogging my memory of the night it went down. Oh how I wanted it to just stop. Oh how I wanted to just run from this, to run from those memories. To stop all of this but I couldn’t.

I didn’t do it, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to do it! I yelled in my head wanting to say those words but they would not come out, instead they stuck in my throat trying to choke me.

Tears were falling down from my eyes as I stood there stuck like a piece of wood being propped up. Being propped up to be a target. With a red bullseye brightly put on it. Put on it to get shot. I felt stiff, helpless, and scared. Did I make you feel like this?.. Oh how you haunt me at night. I still hear your voice sometimes when I’m about to go to bed. It’s a sad sound now, an eery one.

 I looked into his eyes and said in my mind please just end this already. I don’t want to live through this anymore! End this all. I can’t bear with these feelings, these memories of you. You had a life too! Just like me! But you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it’s not my fault! Its not my fault. I didn’t want to do it, but then again, I had a choice. A choice to either be a murder or to have someone else murder. I didn’t want to kill. But If I didn’t kill you then the ones that I love and the ones that I care for would have been gone. But it doesn’t matter now as someone else had a choice like mine too and now the ones I love are gone! Gone I say gone! There was no point in me killing you. I’m alone again in this world like I had been before. Just like in the beginning. Before I knew them, before I knew you. It wasn’t worth it and I realize that now. I realize that I was wrong and I know that every time I have to see your face on those posters

My eyes started to close as his grip got stronger. I was collapsing. Before I went I wanted to say something but all I could manage to say was a quiet :thank you, before hitting the floor with a thud seeing him standing over me smiling with that same creepy smile. A smile that reminded me of that old lady. Suddenly I heard a tap on a type writer and a paper being torn off. My chest hurt as my eyes felt heavy wanting to give up. I saw yellow-gold paper being tossed over me. It had my face printed on it saying that I was the one now missing. 

I smiled as He said with a deep raspy voice, “Your turn”. My eyes shut as the cold air blew around me, signaling my death.

The oaken wand had lain forgotten in the back of the closet for nearly a decade. This wasn't the first time it had existed lost or abandoned, without someone to properly wield it, and it was far from the longest stretch of time, but it was the time with the least dignity. It had been passed down generation to generation, lost on epic adventures, and then picked up years later by unsuspecting people who used it to do great things. It had seen the world over, been banished, locked up, and sought after. It had never been casually cast aside. The wand was disappointed, to be sure, but it never resented its wielder. The girl who owned the closet it lived in fascinated it.

     Right outside the confines of its very closet doors existed Sarah Shilman, a girl who'd been given the wand as a gift when she turned eight, who'd had it confiscated by her mother, who'd snuck into her mother's sock drawer when she wasn't looking and stole it back, who'd been able to work magic on her first try, and who had stopped after she almost got caught. Who used to take the wand out at night and look at it, and imagine using it, but who’d slowly stopped. The wand had never been ignored before, but it had never been wielded so effortlessly. What could make a girl both so ready to believe in magic and so able to resist it?

***

     The shoes were shiny and new, and they knew Veronica Shilman loved them. They were unaware that the other shoes in the mudroom, who they lorded their privilege over, had once been in their position. They were an arrogant duo, but such is the way with shoes.

      The shoes were feeling the grass on their soles, trying to decide if they liked the sensation, as they were moved across the yard. Then they were stopped. Before them, the grass didn't grow. A patch of dirt formed an odd shape in the ground. The shoes had thought they knew feet - they were worn by a pair of them after all - but they had never seen feet in the shape of the imprint on the grass, three toed and massive. Still, they recognized a foot when they saw one. Such is the way of shoes.

     The pair felt themselves being lifted from and pounded back into the dirt. They were being rushed back into the house.

***

     The phone had never seen Veronica so desperate, and it had seen Veronica a lot of ways. Veronica was pounding her finger frantically into the phones screen, pressing the backspace arrow hard every time she hit a wrong digit. Finally, she typed the correct number. The phone heard its brother on the other side of the state ring once, twice. 

     "Hello?" a voice said through the brother phone. The phone felt Veronica's fingers tightened around it as she recognized her own brother's voice.

     "Hi, Charlie."

     " Veronica! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

     The phone could recognize  forced cheerfulness. What puzzled it was that the cheerfulness wasn't meant to hide annoyance.

     "Charlie. It's serious."

     "Veronica- Oh my goodness, did something happen to Sarah?"

     "She's fine. We’re both fine. For now, I think. But there's something in the yard. I want you to come look at it."

         " You want me to come to your house?"

    "I need you to look at my yard. I think it might be dangerous." Her voice grew quieter as she said the last sentence.

     "What is it?"

     "A footprint. Three toed, and the size of the dinner plate."

     The phone strained its ear, but Charlie didn't speak for a moment.

     "I'll be over soon," he finally said. The estranged siblings hung up.

***

     The Volkswagon bug was too old for these kinds of trips. It'd been driven for hours, through country roads and freeway traffic. Even in its glory days, it hadn't enjoyed the long road trips, and now that it was almost fifty years old, it resented them even more. To distract itself from its rattling engine, it turned its attention to its occupant. The man who had owned it for the majority of its years looked nervous. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than normal. He wasn't singing along with the radio as loud as he normally did. He lacked his easy confidence. The bug thought it knew why. He hadn't driven this way in six years, and that time he had driven away bristling about what his sister had said to him. This had the potential to get interesting.

***

Windows are cursed with the unfortunate phenomenon that people always look through them, but no one ever looks at them. At least this particular window was being used for spying, a pursuit the window found to be a worthy one. On one side, Sarah crouched, eyes just visible to the glass pane. On the other, an important conversation was going on. Two people, one woman, one man, one familiar, the other not, stood on the driveway, closer than strangers but not as close as friends. Their voices were hushed. The window felt Sarah's ear press against its glass, but it could tell she still couldn't hear. It tried to amplify the sound for her, but it was only a sheet of glass, and it could only do so much. The man on the driveway looked up and made eye contact with Sarah for a moment. He smiled knowingly. Sarah ducked below the window. She walked away for a moment and rummaged around in her closet, then came back holding a stick of wood, one the window had seen a few times long ago. She pointed the stick at the window, face scrunched in concentration. That's when the window realized. She had finally seen it. And suddenly, the window could amplify the conversations below for her, and it could obscure her from the eyes of mother and uncle below as well. 

     "Don't bring Sarah into this. She deserves a life free from magic," Veronica was saying.

     "If the print is what I think it is, we'll need something powerful to defeat the beast. That wand is the most powerful in the known world, and Sarah is the Mage who wields it. She has to fight it."

     "But it's dangerous! Forget magic, if she fights that thing, she could die."

     " Sarah has extraordinary natural talent as a magician. Trust me, I can sense it."

     Behind the window Sarah fidgeted. The window watched her try to process the information. It thought she looked... confused. And surprised. On the other side of the glass, below Sarah and the window, the conversation continued.

     "She doesn't have any experience," Sarah's mom said. The two people looked at each other for a moment, unsure what to say.

     "I'll go, then. I would have preferred to go at her side, coaching her through it. It would have been better for her confidence that way, but if you don't want her to go, I'll go by myself. I'll need her wand, though."

     "Your wand is in my closet. I wasn't going to let her keep it."

     " You took it away? But she's a magician. She needs to practice magic. You can't change that."

     "No one needs magic, and no one needs a wand. You know I'm just trying to protect her."

     The uncle sighed and took a deep breath. "Fine. Let's go look at the footprint, to make sure I'm right. Then get me her wand."

***

     The bond between wand and Mage is a strong one, and Sarah's wand could tell she was worried. The wand felt Sarah's hand gripping it strongly as she carried it into her parents’ room, where it knew she was checking to see that the imitation she'd made of it was still there. That had been the first magic they'd done, the wand remembered.

     As soon as Sarah was sure the fake was still there, she left. Air whipped past the wand as it was rushed down the stairs and out the door. The wand hadn't felt fresh air on its wood in a long time. Clandestine magic couldn't very easily be practiced under the light of the sun, after all. The wand heard Sarah's footsteps on the grass, as silent as she could make them, as she snuck away.

 ***

     The socks were being searched for the second time today. It wasn't a comfortable process, and they hoped it didn't become a regular one. An expertly manicured hand reached through them and pulled something out of the drawer.

    "Here it is,” the socks heard a familiar female voice say.

    "Let me look at it," said a male voice. 

     The socks waited for a few moments, then the male voice said, "This isn't the real wand. It's a decoy."

     "Where's Sarah?" said the female. 

***

The old street lamp felt a bit like a guardian of the park. It had been here longer than the park itself, and the way things were looking, it might be here after. The park was in danger. The lamp thanked its lucky stars that no kids were on the playground, but that didn't change the fact that so many would be heartbroken if the park were destroyed. The children loved the park almost as fiercely as the lamp post did.

     A beast was ravaging the park. Giant and ugly, it was invisible to normal eyes, but the lamp was a Thing, and the Things could see everything. Right now, it was just destroying the grass, but soon it would go on to the playground, the fairy garden, the path through the woods. The lamp wished it could do something, but it was a Thing, and Thing were cursed to be stationary, unless they were manipulated by a person. Or a Mage enchanted them.

     There used to be a Mage who came here, back when she was too young to know her talents. The lamp could just make her out in the distance, running towards the park.

***

     A lightbulb flickered in the Shilman house. It needed to be replaced, but it was glad it hadn't been yet. If it had, it wouldn't have been able to see Veronica and her brother, panicked but working together, as they rushed out the door.

***

     Sarah was getting close to the beast. She could sense her wand telling her that. She slowed to a walk, catching her breath. The beast was in the park, she was sure of that now. She heard its growls. Sarah rounded the corner, and she saw it. Illuminated by the old street lamp, with an aura of magic about it. The grass at the front of the park was already torn up. She crept closer. The beast saw her. It growled and crouched, readying itself for a charge in her direction. Sarah blanked. She was going to die. In a last ditch effort, she pointed her wand at a nearby street lamp, willing it to fall on the beast. The beast began its charge. What had she been thinking? The beast got closer. Sarah needed to run. She heard a deep groaning noise. The street lamp was moving. It hadn't fallen; it swung itself in wide circles, keeping its base rooted to the ground. The beast had paused to watch it, too. It took a few steps towards the lamp, it's massive claws making prints on the earth. A few steps was all the lamp needed. With a horrible, twanging snap, the old street lamp of Bellar Park fell, crushing the beast with one blow.

     Sarah stood there in shock, breathing deeply, trying to process what had happened, and how much of it had been her fault. What was the beast? Where had it even come from? Had anyone seen? Somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d done something wrong, not in fighting the beast but in using her magic in the first place. Sarah took a few steps towards the beast, trying to decide whether it was killed or just injured. She didn't know which she wanted. Footsteps approached behind her. Sarah turned around. Her mother and uncle were running toward her. Before she knew it, her mom had enveloped her in a hug, and her uncle was telling what a good job she'd done, and there was a strange sort of harmony.

I glared at the alleyway wall. Cracks snaked along, slicing through stone with a rough, jagged edge. Moss slithered out, slick and silent. I bet it’s all your fault. You were the one to make the gods angry. You did it, but no one would suspect you because we walk by you every day without realizing that you are not really the innocent act you put up, but you’re not getting past me you little--.

“Blaming the wall again, Aelia?” a voice asked with feigned exasperation.

            I smiled. It was Felix, he came to see me every day and was very quick as well. His speed was put to use as he was a messenger. Felix wore what was supposed to be a white tunic, but it was now a light tan in some areas with all the dust that came from the streets. He also wore some rather nice sandals for running as well. I always joked that there would be a day that he couldn’t run fast enough. He’d always said it would be a sad day. His bright green eyes and curly raven black hair were pale in comparison to the playful smirk that he wore on his face. I felt very awkward in my raggedy patchwork dress and tangled black hair.

“Yes!” I replied hotly, “This rumbling has to be someone’s fault, and-”

“You’re getting to the bottom of it,” he finished. “And you’ll destroy them or it by any means if necessary.”

“Is this about last week? I had no choice and that cow looked really suspicious. I was sure it was guilty.”

“But did you have to kill it and become a wanted criminal for three days is the question,” Felix replied dryly.

“It was necessary!” I insisted. 

“Really?” he asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

“Yes!” I continued stubbornly, even though this argument was in vain.

He sat down beside me on the dusty ground. “You’re just bored,” he chided gently.

“I may be, but these walls are really-”

“And lonely,” Felix continued.

“Don’t interrupt me,” I muttered, “We can never-”

“Which is one of the reasons why I try to find you every day,” he finished.

“Save your flirting for later,” I said, blushing and then elbowed him playfully. “We need to figure this out.”

“Fine, but if you ask me, the tremors are more interesting than scary,” Felix pointed out.

“I don’t care,” I said stubbornly.

“Tremors happen occasionally.” Seeing my glare, he rolled his eyes and continued. “But you still don’t believe me, do you?”

“I didn’t say that!” I exclaimed.

“Uh huh, yeah right. Basically, you think the gods are going to punish Pompeii.”

“Yes, and I will rant on why,” I said.

“Please don’t,” Felix said with feigned exasperation. He suddenly leapt up. “Oh, whoops. I’ve been here too long.” He squeezed himself out of the alleyway. “I forgot to deliver yet another message. I’ll see you later.”

“Not if I see you first!” I called after him as he dashed off through the crowded streets of Pompeii.

“You’re always such a forgetful boy,” I murmured, my voice trailing off.

************************************************************

My day went downhill after my meeting with Aelia. This afternoon, I got yelled at by some guy named Caecilius for being late with a message. I’d tried to explain to him that traffic was bad, but he was about to “slap me so hard I’d fly into his horto” so I shoved the letter into his hands and ran.

Unfortunately, there had been yet another tremor as I rushed around the city delivering messages, causing a great delay. The ground had shook violently, like a bull trying to throw every single Pompeian off its back. I was unlucky enough to have no handholds and proceeded to do some sort of awkward face-plant. After that, despite my best efforts, most of my deliveries ended up resembling the one with Caecilius.

Then, a couple minutes ago when my shift had ended, I saw an old man getting beat up by a thug. I went over to scare them off, but not before getting knocked on the head a couple times. It still throbbed. Despite being injured, I had tried to get the old man back up on his feet, but it was too late for me to do anything for him. 

With his final breaths, he thanked me for my efforts and died in my arms. I burned his body and gave him a decent burial on the side of a road leading into Pompeii, and noticed something important. The moment I had covered him in dirt, I raced back to the city, frantically hoping that I’d be fast enough to reach Aelia.     

Here’s the thing with Aelia: You can’t find her unless you’re not looking for her. She normally finds you first. That’s what I’ve learned since I first saw her. That was the best day of my life, even though she attacked me with a stick, but still, it was the best day of my life.

I continued my ‘casual’ walk through the streets, resisting the urge to look in every nook and cranny for Aelia. As I expected, she found me first.

“Hey, Felix,” said a voice, shrouded in evening shadow.

“Aelia, do you see it?” I asked breathlessly.

“See what? Felix, what’s wrong?” Her voice took on a concerned tone.

“Mount Vesuvius,” I pointed toward a large mountain at the foot of Pompeii. Smoke billowed out of the top. The ground trembled, hardly noticeable at first, but quickly growing stronger.

“Oh, my…” Aelia whispered.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to make my breathing regular.

The people in the streets had stopped to stare, curiosity in their eyes. The rumbling was ferocious now, worse than it ever had been before. With a thunderous roar, Mount Vesuvius exploded.

**************************************************************

Hot, glowing magma gushed out of Mount Vesuvius, flying into the air. Ash hurtled upwards, raining down furiously upon Pompeii. Smoke settled menacingly on the town, stinging my eyes and clouding visibility. Lava and ash rained down upon Pompeii

Felix and I stared in shock. “I guess you were right about the rumbling,” he said, “Something was off.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll talk about that later. Where do we go?” I asked, frantically pulling him into another narrow alleyway.

“The smoke is blinding. I don’t remember where I came from or how to get out,” Felix answered.

Panic welled up inside of me. We were going to die.

“Aelia, I don’t know what to do,” Felix said helplessly. I knew he was asking me for help, but I had no ideas. People rushed past us in a frenzy, skittering and trampling this way and that.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” I whispered.

“Hey!” Felix spun around toward me, “The boats! We can escape using the boats!”
            “But where are they?” 

“I think that’s where everyone is going! If we hurry we can make it out in time!”

“But⎻”

Without another word, Felix snatched my hand and led me through the crowded streets. I could hear the screams of fellow Pompeiians as they cried out to the gods to have mercy on them as they were pitilessly incinerated by the steadily advancing lava. Houses burned as the lava overtook them and their smoke added to the thick cloud covering the town.

We trampled over the bodies of escapees who’d tripped and fallen. The two of us ran as fast as the people around us would allow. The crowd violently shoved us around, but we never once let go of one another. 

Although we were fast we were not fast enough.

We were over halfway there when I realized.

The people way at the back of the crowd were being killed by the lava. It was too fast for us, and the extra motivation was just making it harder to move forward.

“Felix,” I said through tears. “We’re not going to be able to keep this up. It’s too fast.”

“He did his best to move against the crowd closer to me, “What do you mean? Of course we will. We-we just have to be faster,” He turned to continue running.

“Felix,” I whispered. We can’t be faster. The crowd isn’t going to let us. There are too many people to even move quickly.”

“Then we just-” but he was cut off.

A man shoved me aside, “You’re holding up the line!” he screamed. “I have to get out of here or I’ll die!”

His shove knocked me down, and my fall pulled Felix down with me. We hit the ground. People’s feet trampled over our bodies.

“There’s no hope of escape left,” I sobbed. “We’re going to die!”
            “Yeah, I know,” Felix murmured. He was still holding my hand, no matter how many people’s feet grinded our grasp into the dirt.

“My only wish is that I could’ve spent more time with you,” Felix said.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “That’s mine too.”

It was 8:30 am in the morning Lucy . She looked outside her window, the sun was rising, She knew that it was going to be a good day because she had a good feeling.  She hurried and got dressed. When she went downstairs her mom had already left. But there was a cupcake with a letter for her on the counter. Lucy read the letter her mom always knew what to say that made her happy. Lucy looked at the time it was 9:30 am . She knew she had to hurry because the city bus left at 10:00.  She threw a bagel and an apple in her bag. Lucy sprinted to the city bus. She thought she wasn’t going to catch it. The bus lady saw her through the rear window and slowed down. 

“ Hi there sweetie you made it” replied the bus lady

“ thank you so much” replied Lucy

Lucy sat down and she was so out of breath. When she reached to get her water bottle she realized she left it at home. She was upset, Lucy looked up and everyone was staring at her. She didn't mind, she was just happy she made it on the bus. Lucy got off and she walked for a couple more minutes. On her way to school, she saw a brown box. Lucy thought it was a little strange. A couple seconds later she heard whimpering. Lucy walked toward the box there was a white brown puppy that had white paws. The puppy started smiling at her. Lucy felt bad so she gave the puppy her apple and bagel.

The puppy barked and wiggled his tail. Lucy looked at her watch. She was 20 minutes late.

“ Don’t worry, I will be back for you” replied Lucy

Lucy hurried to class, during her lecture she couldn't concentrate all she thought about was that puppy in the box. Lucy knew she loved that puppy and he was going to be her best friend. She couldn’t wait until class ended so she could see the puppy. It was 3:00 pm and the bell had rung. When she left school, she hurried to the same spot where the puppy was but there was nothing. She thought it was so weird how the dog in the box just vanished.  She started walking around in case she was looking in the wrong place. Lucy started asking people nearby if they have seen a puppy in a box, but no one seemed to know. Lucy didn’t want to give up because she knew he had to be somewhere. An hour later passed and she still didn't know where the puppy was. She got upset and she rushed home, her mom was in the kitchen.

“ Hi mom I’m home” said Lucy

“ There’s the birthday girl, don’t look over here I’m not done decorating your cake” replied Tracey

“ okay I will just stay here” replied Lucy

Tracey ran to Lucy and gave her a big hug. Lucy helped her mom with the food so she didn't have too much to do. Tracey gave Lucy a necklace that had a butterfly on it. Lucy thanked her mom for the necklace. They were both sitting at the table talking about how their days were at school and work. Lucy told her mom about the puppy she saw this morning and how she gave him her food because he looked hungry.

“ that was so sweet of you Lucy, so what happened to the puppy” replied Tracey

“Oh I don't know, someone probably took him” replied Lucy

“Could be” replied Tracey

“Yeah he was so adorable. I wanted to bring him home” replied Lucy

“ Don’t be sad it’s your birthday, wait until you see your cake” answered Tracie

Tracey agreed to go with Lucy and look for the puppy to see if he appeared tomorrow. Tracey got up from the table and she went to the kitchen to get Lucy’s cake. When Lucy saw the cake she screamed. She loved it so much. The frosting was lime-green and it had beads all around it. It looked so fancy. She gave her mom a hug. A couple seconds later she heard something scratching the door.

“ Hey mom do you hear that” said Lucy

“Yes it’s probably a stick or something the wind blew” replied Tracy

“Probably, I will go check” answered Lucy

When Lucy opened the door the puppy was standing right in front of her. Lucy was shocked. He started barking and wagging his tail. Lucy picked the dog up and gave it a big hug. She couldn’t believe it. She was so happy to see the puppy again. Lucy looked around to see if someone had dropped the puppy but there was no one. She was really confused on how the dog found her. 

“ MOM MOM MOM” screamed Lucy

Tracie put down the cake and rushed to the door. She was so confused about what had happened. She saw Lucy standing by the door.

“ Lucy what's wrong” replied Tracie

“ Mom look its the puppy I have been telling you about” answered Lucy

“ How did he get here” asked tracie

“ I don’t know, I didn't see anyone. I think he found me on his own” answered Lucy

“ What are you going to name him” asked Tracie

“ What about Lucky” replied Lucy

“ That’s a great name” answered Tracie

“ yeah it fits him well” replied Lucy

“ He must be hungry, I’m going to run to the store quickly” replied Tracie

Lucy took Lucky inside and put him down in the living room and waited until Tracie came back. Lucky started walking around the house sniffing everything. Five minutes later Tracie came with a bag of food and lots of toys and a bed. Lucky was so excited he started wagging his tail. Lucky grabbed a duck that squeaked and started running around the house. Tracie and Lucy started laughing. Lucy played with Lucky for a while and then she fed him food. 

“ Lucy are you ready to cut your cake” asked Tracie

“Oh  yes, my cake. I totally forgot about it” replied 

Tracie brought the cake out and Lucy blew out her candles. They each took a piece from the cake. Lucy loved the cake. It was her favorite red velvet. After they were done eating Lucky came over to Lucy, he had his toy in his mouth. Lucy knew he wanted to play. She grabbed the toy from his mouth and started running around the house with Lucky. Ten minutes later Lucy and Lucky were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Tracie grabbed her camera and took a picture of Lucy and Lucky together. Tracie could see how happy Lucy was with Lucky. Lucy got up from the couch and went to get a glass of water. Lucky got up quickly and followed Lucy to the kitchen. She poured water in his bowl. She looked at Lucky and he stared back with a smile on his face. She knew it was meant to be Lucky was the best birthday present ever.

New Year, New Life 

December 31

Everyone’s palms were sweating. Tomorrow everything would change. No one was ready.

“Girls, stop worrying. I’m sure we’ll be fine. We all used our two passes wisely, and from what I’ve seen, we’re only missing a small bit of the floor. So, let’s all calm down and treat this like every other day,” the father said.

No one responded. The Adams family had spent their whole lives in the Bad Place and Eva and Virginia’s father, Mason, gave the same speech every single year.

“I’m gonna head upstairs to my room, tell me when they come,” Virginia said, trying to act calm.

Before she even set foot in her room, she silently cried. She had worked on so many pieces of artwork, just for them to disappear into the unknown.

“Virginia?” a worried voice called.

She quickly wiped her tears. “Oh, hey, Mom! I was just… finishing up this drawing. What’s up?”

“Your father and I just had a realization. Please join us downstairs.”

Virginia panicked. Had she done something wrong? Did they find out they were staying in the Bad Place for another year? What happened?

She made her way downstairs, only to see everyone staring at her.

“Amelia, you can start,” Dad said, his voice grim.

“So, girls, I know we should’ve told you sooner, but... you have a brother.”

Both Eva and Virginia’s jaws dropped. They had never been in such shock in their entire lives.

Before either of them could open their mouths, their father continued with even more unbelievable news. “No matter where we end up, tomorrow he will be visiting us for a week.”

“What?! How did you only just now figure this out?” Virginia asked, letting out gulps of air after every word.

“Well, his name is Ethan, and when he was born, some of the Bad Place Guards took him for an inspection, you know… to see if he was one of them. We waited hours, expecting him to come home. Twenty years later and we’re still waiting,” their mother’s voice began to break.

“Sorry girls, this is a very emotional topic for your mother. Anyways, we came to a conclusion that he passed the inspection and is a Guard. Guards return home to their families every twenty years, but as I said before, they only come home for a week. Please don’t be upset at us for not telling you sooner, we just never found the right time.”

“Yeah, well this wasn’t exactly ideal timing,” Virginia ran upstairs and slammed the door, which she immediately regretted.

Virginia only lasted five minutes in isolation. She practiced angry faces in the mirror, and then walked slowly down the stairs. The moment Virginia set her foot on the last step, there was a knock at the door. It was them. They were here to take them to the ceremony. They all glanced at each other anxiously. Their father turned the door knob. The door opened gradually, and when it fully opened, a man dressed in all black appeared. He was one of the Guards.

“Get in,” he said in a deep, severe voice.

They all followed after the man. The two sisters sat in the third row of the car, while their parents sat in the second.

As Virginia got lost in her thoughts, the car came to a stop. The girls followed after their parents and went into the humongous building. When they walked in, millions of families were crying, knowing they wouldn’t make it.

Every year, the ceremony was about four hours long, starting at 8AM, when they began announcing where each family would start their new year, and ending at 12AM, where everyone was taken to their new home.

As the Adams were finding their assigned seats, they were frightened by a loud, far away voice. “One minute remaining.”

“They must’ve upgraded this place,” Virginia’s Dad whispered.

“Sadly,” Virginia whispered back.

“Cheer up, Kiddo. I know we made it.”

Before Virginia could argue, she heard the loud voice again. “Happy New Years Eve, everyone. To begin our ceremony, we will be announcing the names of people who are joining us from The Good Place.”

Virginia attempted to become lost in her thoughts again, praying she wouldn’t be interrupted this time.

“Should I own my own art studio in The Good Place?” she said to herself. As she was thinking of names for her studio, the voice caught her attention.

“Arnold Rogers, Max Dunwoody, Oliv- woah! Olivia Davis has just made history as the first woman to be kicked out of the Bad Place!” The crowd gasped. Silence no longer filled the room.

“That’s unfair to her. He just embarrassed her in front of millions of people!” Virginia said, feeling empathetic. “Olivia Davis, I’ll be sure to remember that name.”

As the voice continued reading off names, Virginia finally came up with a name for her Good Place Art Studio; Paintricity. She always had wonders about lightning and electricity, something she only got to experience once a year at the ceremony, in a room filled with lights. She was so amused by it and wanted to learn more. So, she took her two most amusing interests and put them together. Paint and electricity; Paintricity. While she was thinking of the layout of her studio, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“It’s time. They’re announcing the people who made it to the good place!” Virginia’s Dad said enthusiastically.

“Are they going in alphabetical order?”

“You bet. There are millions of families here though, so it still might take a while.”

“Okay, thanks Dad. Let me know when they get close to us.”

Virginia decided to take a little rest to calm her anxiety. It obviously didn’t work, and she was stuck listening to the irritating voice.

“Okay, V. This is going a little faster than usual, we’re at the ADs already,” her father said hesitantly.

“ADs?” Virginia questioned.

“My bad, I mean Adams, it goes A-D-A-M-S, so obviously since the third letter is A, we might be close.”

“Alright, thanks!” Virginia said, hiding her tears. She was so incredibly horrified, she couldn’t stand to stay another year in The Bad Place.

Virginia tried her best not to zone out, but miserably failed. She started thinking about how well they did, and gained a ton of confidence. She tuned back in and listened to the names. “Adams Family, not to confuse them with the other Adams family. Only one Adams family has made it, and that is the family with Lily and Rolland Adams.”

Virginia’s heart dropped. “No. No, this can’t be happening. Dad?”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this. I’m sorry guys.”

The whole family broke down into tears, all of them forgetting about their newly gained confidence.

January 1st

It was already 12AM, so they all stayed quiet until they were brought home. Virginia immediately began running to her room, till she realized everything was empty.

“Happy New Year,” Virginia’s father said grimly.

Yet again, all of them ignored him and went upstairs to claim their rooms.

“I call this one!” Eva, Virginia’s little sister, said, pointing at small room in the corner of the second floor.

Virginia tried to claim her room, till she heard a knock on the front door, along with the rest of her family. You don’t receive any type of communication from the outside until December 31st, and it was January 1st.

Virginia heard the door squeak open, and then a scream.

“Ethan! Oh sweetie, we’ve missed you so much!” Virginia’s Mom screamed, crying happy tears.

Virginia ran down the stairs, only to see a tall, pale boy standing in their new living room. The boy approached her with a smile on his face. “Hi. I’m Eth- sorry. Hi! I’m Ethan, your brother.”

His eyes were filled with worry, but she didn’t bother to ask what was wrong. “Hi. I’m Virginia, your sister.”

“It’s so great to finally meet you. Hey, Virginia, can you show me your room?”

“Oh, I don’t even know what room I want yet, but maybe you can help me pick. Follow me,” Ethan followed after her and immediately grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

“Virginia, right? Okay, I know I sound crazy, but you’re a Guard.”

“What are you talking about? Only men can be Guards.”

“Virginia! You have the reflection in your eye. This has never happened before, the other guards and I always make jokes about having a woman guard, but we never thought it would become reality.”

“Gender equality!” Virginia argued.

“Listen to me. After this week is over. You need to come with me. I’m gonna go downstairs. Let’s discuss this later.”

Virginia walked into her newly claimed room, completely lost. “I think he’s crazy. You’re fine, Virginia, just go to bed,” she said to herself, attempting to think about something else.

She got her pajamas on and climbed into her wooden bed, when there was a huge bang. She opened her eyes, only to see a girl her age standing right in front of her. She convinced herself she was dreaming, but couldn’t force herself to lay back down.

“Oh my! Hi, I’m Olivia. Olivia Davis. I don’t know how I got here, but please don't call anyone on me.”

Olivia Davis. She had known that name from somewhere. “Olivia Davis? Olivia Davis! You’re the girl who made history!” Virginia seemed excited, but Olivia frowned immediately after she said that. “Oh, I’m sorry. But, whatever prank this is, it’s not funny. Leave!”

“Please, I need help. They found out I was a woman guard, for The Bad Place. They thought I was a trap and sent me back.”

Virginia’s jaw dropped yet again. “I’m a guard too! My… brother, I guess is what I would call him, just told me. I’m freaking out and I need help too.” They both heard family coming up the stairs and panicked. “Go under my bed, quick!”

The door opened faster than lightning. It was opened so fast, she didn’t recognize anyone at the door. She continuously blinked, trying to gain her vision back. She sat there for about five seconds, and still didn’t recognize anyone. It wasn’t her visions fault.

Around five men dressed in all black approached her bed. They were Bad Place Guards. One of the men reached his hand under the bed and grabbed Olivia. Olivia immediately began to laugh. “I guess you can say the tests were successful, boss. Let’s go, Virginia.” All of the men grabbed Virginia and followed after Olivia. Virginia managed to open her eyes and escape her thoughts. When she opened them, her whole family was gone. Little did she know, she would never see them again.

I shift slightly on the leather-topped barstool and pull my glass a little closer.

Between sips, I glance at the couple across the counter. They are oblivious to my gaze, immersed in some probably meaningless conversation. I heave an almost inaudible sigh and signal the bartender for yet another refill. He bustles over, his apron stained with mustard, grease and sweat. I pay more attention to him for the first time and am immediately drawn to his open, honest face. It is charming and made boyish by rosy cheeks and a faint yet ever-present mischievous grin. I like the look of him.

"When d'you think the lovebirds'll leave?" he asks conversationally, taking off his white cap to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. Without waiting for an answer, he leans closer, propping himself on the cherry-wood counter with an elbow. His nametag reads Duke.

"I've been working all day, y'know, and the missus is waitin' back home."

I marvel at how effortlessly he has started chatting with me, then awkwardly reply "That is a kind way to tell me to get out," for lack of a better answer. For many reasons, I've never been the best at making or holding conversations. However, my attempt at humor seems to please him. He waves a hand dismissively and gives a cheerful laugh.

"She's the absolute best, y'know," he continues, his eyes suddenly alive and twinkling brightly. With the mere thought of her, a glow has come over his good-natured, friendly countenance, erasing any exhaustion caused by the day's work. "I'm a lucky man. Say, how about you? You got a sweetheart waiting on you tonight?"

"Why- no. No, of course not." I am taken aback by the mere fact that he would even venture to ask this question. Doesn't he have eyes?

Our conversation is interrupted by a noise from across the counter as the couple's discussion sharply spikes in volume. They abruptly fall silent, but a steadily rising, palpable tension now lies between the two and radiates outward. I take a closer look at the two of them with a renewed interest and try to analyze each of their features. Studying faces, especially good-looking ones, has become a kind of pastime of mine. I suppose that it is only natural to be fascinated by the very things one is destined not to have.

It is apparent at first glance that both of them lead a comfortable life; they are dressed in the sort of clothes that most people reserve for parties or special occasions, as opposed to spending time at a little late-night diner like Phillies. The brim of the man's hat is pulled quite low, casting a shadow on him. Underneath the fedora are harsh but nonetheless striking features, the most prominent of which is a sharp nose reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes. Combined with piercing eyes and a cold, calculative stare, the man gives me the distinct impression of some great bird of prey. He has a rather cruel mouth, with thin, colorless lips pressed into a line until they are all but invisible. He does possess high cheekbones and a chiseled jawline and could still be considered handsome if not for his sullen, moody expression.

His partner, on the other hand, is quite attractive and must enjoy being the center of attention, judging by her glamorous makeup and outfit. Her scarlet lips are drawn into a subtle pout, and her long ginger hair tumbles over a bright red dress. She seems a little artificial: everything about her is overly bright and showy. However, the overall effect is not at all unpleasant. I am sure that this woman has been the receiver of many admiring glances.

The woman stares straight ahead, refusing to look at her companion while pointedly examining her painted fingernails. He himself is hunched on his stool, rolling an unlit cigar between his long fingers, his eyebrows knitted and his keen eyes focused on nothing particular. An ominous look is spread over his hawk-like face, darkening his features the way an approaching storm darkens the sky. For a reason unknown, I feel as though he is barely restraining himself. Something inside me understands that if he abandons his self-control, it will affect everyone in this little diner. This is a dangerous man, a veritable landmine of a human just waiting for one wrong step. An observation I had deemed insignificant suddenly returns to gnaw at the edge of my troubled thoughts. Although the two appear on the surface to be a couple and nothing more, someone looking closer will see that there is no trace of warmth or amiability about them; indeed, their relationship more resembles that of partners or accomplices than lovers. Who are these people?

Duke has also been watching them. Like me, he seems to sense that something is rapidly worsening and slides over to the brooding pair.

"Need anything, folks? It's quite late, and I'd like to close up for the night. My missus is waiting back home, and I don't want to worry her."

"Did we say we needed anything?" the man snaps with an undue amount of hostility. The intensity of the situation immediately escalates.

"Drop it, Tom," the woman mutters without turning her head. "This one's not worth it."

"Well, then, I don't see any reason to linger," Duke replies, his voice still quiet and polite but decidedly firmer. He's come to the same conclusion that I have: these two are no good. I pull my own fedora as low as it can go; needless to say, I'm covering my face. I don't want to be here.

"Who are you to tell us to leave? We're leaving when we decide it’s time."

"Tom. Must you always be rude?"

"Shut it, woman."

"How dare you?"

"Get out of here!"

Tom stands up so quickly his stool topples backwards. The resounding clang is the only sound in the room. No one moves a muscle as it rolls gently to a stop. Next to Tom, the woman cringes and vainly attempts to placate him with a hand on his arm, which he shakes off angrily. Behind the counter, I can see Duke clench his fists. The atmosphere in the room is nothing short of electric as each waits for the other to make his move.

"Who do think you are, bartender?"

"Leave now, and there are no consequences."

This command from Duke is the final straw. Everything happens too quickly after that. A pistol that wasn't there appears. There is a loud report. A new stain blossoms on Duke's apron, followed by a thud.

"Well, that's a consequence.”

The woman gasps, her hand fluttering theatrically to her heart.

"Tom! How could you! We'll get caught this time! Oh, you and your rash decisions and your violent temper... this is it..."

"We won't get caught," Tom says calmly, tucking the gun back under his crisp blue shirt.

I am praying that I have somehow become invisible, a fly on the wall.

"Witness," the woman says, jabbing a sharp red fingernail directly at me.

Without replying, Tom starts to reach for his hip.

"Wait, wait," she cautions. "Let's just leave, now. While we still can."

"This won't take long, Veronica."

"Tom, look at his face," Veronica says, the corners of her lipsticked mouth turning downwards in a disapproving frown. There is a note of pity in her voice. I have heard this tone before in the voice of everyone who has ever spoken to me, except for Duke.

"Exactly. Shooting him may put him out of his misery! Are you in misery? You must be, with a face like that!"

I do not reply, frozen and numb with fear.

"Oh, just let the poor wretch go. With that face, he hasn't had any fun in his life.

Killing him won't be much fun for him- or us, come to think of it!"

The two of them cackle. Veronica raises a pointer finger to her scarlet smirk as if she has just finished telling me some amusing secret. Then they are gone, and I am alone.

I cannot move, so instead I think. I think mostly disjointed, fragmented thoughts, but I know that they are all true. I think things like Life is unpredictable and Your curse turned out to be a blessing and Did anyone hear the gunshot? and You never even told Duke your name and Those were some lovebirds and Duke's girl will wait tonight and every night for eternity. The last two thoughts make me laugh and then cry, so I sit and weep awhile at the kindness and cruelty of humans. Then it occurs to me that I should probably contact the police, so I stand and start to leave.

On my way out, I realize that Tom's barstool is still on the floor. I know I shouldn't tamper with a crime scene, but nothing matters right now, so I set it down in front of the counter the way it is supposed to be. I don't want to leave Duke on the floor either, but I cannot find it in myself to even look at him, so I instead open the door and simply step out into the unusually still night. The doorbell tinkles behind me, a disconcertingly cheerful sound after this strange turn of events.

When I am far away from the harsh fluorescent glare of Phillies, I stop to turn my face heavenwards. There are no stars to be seen, of course; that's just how it is in the city. Thank you, I think. This face has caused me to consider death in the past, but tonight it kept me alive. Thank you.

I walk deeper into the shadows, holding tightly to the belief that even the darkest night will give way to the warm light of day.

Note: Attached is Nighthawks, the painting that inspired this story.

New Year, New Life 

December 31

Everyone’s palms were sweating. Tomorrow everything would change. No one was ready.

“Girls, stop worrying. I’m sure we’ll be fine. We all used our two passes wisely, and from what I’ve seen, we’re only missing a small bit of the floor. So, let’s all calm down and treat this like every other day,” the father said.

No one responded. The Adams family had spent their whole lives in the Bad Place and Eva and Virginia’s father, Mason, gave the same speech every single year.

“I’m gonna head upstairs to my room, tell me when they come,” Virginia said, trying to act calm.

Before she even set foot in her room, she silently cried. She had worked on so many pieces of artwork, just for them to disappear into the unknown.

“Virginia?” a worried voice called.

She quickly wiped her tears. “Oh, hey, Mom! I was just… finishing up this drawing. What’s up?”

“Your father and I just had a realization. Please join us downstairs.”

Virginia panicked. Had she done something wrong? Did they find out they were staying in the Bad Place for another year? What happened?

She made her way downstairs, only to see everyone staring at her.

“Amelia, you can start,” Dad said, his voice grim.

“So, girls, I know we should’ve told you sooner, but... you have a brother.”

Both Eva and Virginia’s jaws dropped. They had never been in such shock in their entire lives.

Before either of them could open their mouths, their father continued with even more unbelievable news. “No matter where we end up, tomorrow he will be visiting us for a week.”

“What?! How did you only just now figure this out?” Virginia asked, letting out gulps of air after every word.

“Well, his name is Ethan, and when he was born, some of the Bad Place Guards took him for an inspection, you know… to see if he was one of them. We waited hours, expecting him to come home. Twenty years later and we’re still waiting,” their mother’s voice began to break.

“Sorry girls, this is a very emotional topic for your mother. Anyways, we came to a conclusion that he passed the inspection and is a Guard. Guards return home to their families every twenty years, but as I said before, they only come home for a week. Please don’t be upset at us for not telling you sooner, we just never found the right time.”

“Yeah, well this wasn’t exactly ideal timing,” Virginia ran upstairs and slammed the door, which she immediately regretted.

Virginia only lasted five minutes in isolation. She practiced angry faces in the mirror, and then walked slowly down the stairs. The moment Virginia set her foot on the last step, there was a knock at the door. It was them. They were here to take them to the ceremony. They all glanced at each other anxiously. Their father turned the door knob. The door opened gradually, and when it fully opened, a man dressed in all black appeared. He was one of the Guards.

“Get in,” he said in a deep, severe voice.

They all followed after the man. The two sisters sat in the third row of the car, while their parents sat in the second.

As Virginia got lost in her thoughts, the car came to a stop. The girls followed after their parents and went into the humongous building. When they walked in, millions of families were crying, knowing they wouldn’t make it.

Every year, the ceremony was about four hours long, starting at 8AM, when they began announcing where each family would start their new year, and ending at 12AM, where everyone was taken to their new home.

As the Adams were finding their assigned seats, they were frightened by a loud, far away voice. “One minute remaining.”

“They must’ve upgraded this place,” Virginia’s Dad whispered.

“Sadly,” Virginia whispered back.

“Cheer up, Kiddo. I know we made it.”

Before Virginia could argue, she heard the loud voice again. “Happy New Years Eve, everyone. To begin our ceremony, we will be announcing the names of people who are joining us from The Good Place.”

Virginia attempted to become lost in her thoughts again, praying she wouldn’t be interrupted this time.

“Should I own my own art studio in The Good Place?” she said to herself. As she was thinking of names for her studio, the voice caught her attention.

“Arnold Rogers, Max Dunwoody, Oliv- woah! Olivia Davis has just made history as the first woman to be kicked out of the Bad Place!” The crowd gasped. Silence no longer filled the room.

“That’s unfair to her. He just embarrassed her in front of millions of people!” Virginia said, feeling empathetic. “Olivia Davis, I’ll be sure to remember that name.”

As the voice continued reading off names, Virginia finally came up with a name for her Good Place Art Studio; Paintricity. She always had wonders about lightning and electricity, something she only got to experience once a year at the ceremony, in a room filled with lights. She was so amused by it and wanted to learn more. So, she took her two most amusing interests and put them together. Paint and electricity; Paintricity. While she was thinking of the layout of her studio, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“It’s time. They’re announcing the people who made it to the good place!” Virginia’s Dad said enthusiastically.

“Are they going in alphabetical order?”

“You bet. There are millions of families here though, so it still might take a while.”

“Okay, thanks Dad. Let me know when they get close to us.”

Virginia decided to take a little rest to calm her anxiety. It obviously didn’t work, and she was stuck listening to the irritating voice.

“Okay, V. This is going a little faster than usual, we’re at the ADs already,” her father said hesitantly.

“ADs?” Virginia questioned.

“My bad, I mean Adams, it goes A-D-A-M-S, so obviously since the third letter is A, we might be close.”

“Alright, thanks!” Virginia said, hiding her tears. She was so incredibly horrified, she couldn’t stand to stay another year in The Bad Place.

Virginia tried her best not to zone out, but miserably failed. She started thinking about how well they did, and gained a ton of confidence. She tuned back in and listened to the names. “Adams Family, not to confuse them with the other Adams family. Only one Adams family has made it, and that is the family with Lily and Rolland Adams.”

Virginia’s heart dropped. “No. No, this can’t be happening. Dad?”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this. I’m sorry guys.”

The whole family broke down into tears, all of them forgetting about their newly gained confidence.

January 1st

It was already 12AM, so they all stayed quiet until they were brought home. Virginia immediately began running to her room, till she realized everything was empty.

“Happy New Year,” Virginia’s father said grimly.

Yet again, all of them ignored him and went upstairs to claim their rooms.

“I call this one!” Eva, Virginia’s little sister, said, pointing at small room in the corner of the second floor.

Virginia tried to claim her room, till she heard a knock on the front door, along with the rest of her family. You don’t receive any type of communication from the outside until December 31st, and it was January 1st.

Virginia heard the door squeak open, and then a scream.

“Ethan! Oh sweetie, we’ve missed you so much!” Virginia’s Mom screamed, crying happy tears.

Virginia ran down the stairs, only to see a tall, pale boy standing in their new living room. The boy approached her with a smile on his face. “Hi. I’m Eth- sorry. Hi! I’m Ethan, your brother.”

His eyes were filled with worry, but she didn’t bother to ask what was wrong. “Hi. I’m Virginia, your sister.”

“It’s so great to finally meet you. Hey, Virginia, can you show me your room?”

“Oh, I don’t even know what room I want yet, but maybe you can help me pick. Follow me,” Ethan followed after her and immediately grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

“Virginia, right? Okay, I know I sound crazy, but you’re a Guard.”

“What are you talking about? Only men can be Guards.”

“Virginia! You have the reflection in your eye. This has never happened before, the other guards and I always make jokes about having a woman guard, but we never thought it would become reality.”

“Gender equality!” Virginia argued.

“Listen to me. After this week is over. You need to come with me. I’m gonna go downstairs. Let’s discuss this later.”

Virginia walked into her newly claimed room, completely lost. “I think he’s crazy. You’re fine, Virginia, just go to bed,” she said to herself, attempting to think about something else.

She got her pajamas on and climbed into her wooden bed, when there was a huge bang. She opened her eyes, only to see a girl her age standing right in front of her. She convinced herself she was dreaming, but couldn’t force herself to lay back down.

“Oh my! Hi, I’m Olivia. Olivia Davis. I don’t know how I got here, but please don't call anyone on me.”

Olivia Davis. She had known that name from somewhere. “Olivia Davis? Olivia Davis! You’re the girl who made history!” Virginia seemed excited, but Olivia frowned immediately after she said that. “Oh, I’m sorry. But, whatever prank this is, it’s not funny. Leave!”

“Please, I need help. They found out I was a woman guard, for The Bad Place. They thought I was a trap and sent me back.”

Virginia’s jaw dropped yet again. “I’m a guard too! My… brother, I guess is what I would call him, just told me. I’m freaking out and I need help too.” They both heard family coming up the stairs and panicked. “Go under my bed, quick!”

The door opened faster than lightning. It was opened so fast, she didn’t recognize anyone at the door. She continuously blinked, trying to gain her vision back. She sat there for about five seconds, and still didn’t recognize anyone. It wasn’t her visions fault.

Around five men dressed in all black approached her bed. They were Bad Place Guards. One of the men reached his hand under the bed and grabbed Olivia. Olivia immediately began to laugh. “I guess you can say the tests were successful, boss. Let’s go, Virginia.” All of the men grabbed Virginia and followed after Olivia. Virginia managed to open her eyes and escape her thoughts. When she opened them, her whole family was gone. Little did she know, she would never see them again.

The end was near, though none of us knew it. The enemy soldiers were nearing closer to our encampment every day, although no one had any idea how prepared the enemy was or how many soldiers they had. Everyone had begun to lose hope, especially after the news we received that night.
The day began in the usual way, with a few exercises, a mediocre meal, and then job assignments. The exercises weren’t particularly tough, and the food was unremarkable, except for the fact that the food stores were beginning to run low, and we each received only ¾ of the regular meal.
That morning, I was assigned to guard the camp and keep watch in the nearby meadows. This was quite a boring job, but better than doing the cooking or anything of that sort. The camp was located near the banks of a mighty river, which we were trying to prevent the enemy from crossing. I was instructed to go to the north side of camp and keep watch over the road leading to the nearby village and guard the entrance to our camp.
Another soldier was sent with me to guard the road, and his name was Anthony Windsor. We had spoken to each other before, but only briefly, and I only knew little of him. He was an intelligent man of about 30, and was very well-liked in the military. He was a handsome man with dark brown flowing wavy hair, and was of average height. Like most of us, he didn’t want to be in this war, but was selected when the war began.
Around noontide, we took a short break to eat our meals. We sat on two stones adjacent to the road, and pulled out the ration sacks we had been given at the beginning of the day. They contained stale bread, which must have been baked a week before, and a small piece of disgusting cheese which tasted as if it had gone bad six months ago. 
“It’s rather terrible being a soldier, isn’t it, Leon?” Anthony asked me. I looked over at him, noticing the way he tore a moldy piece off his bread and threw it to the ground.
“Yes, it really is quite horrid.” I said, staring out into the meadow, “We expected it to be filled with fighting and glory, but all we do is sit like ducks waiting to be killed.” Anthony paused for a second after I said that. He seemed suddenly sad, like he had just thought about the family he left behind when he was called to fight.
“I wish I was back home, at my family’s farm. It was so peaceful there, it was like there were no worries in the world.” I noticed he was beginning to cry, but he tried to hide it. I acted like I didn’t see it, and turned and continued eating my food.
When we both finished eating our rations, we stood up and continued our watch. We didn’t speak much after that, but we were both thinking about the war. It was during that time that I started to miss my family most. In the military, I had known no one when I entered, and even the few people I spoke to everyday felt like strangers to me.

About six or seven hours later, around sunset and just as Anthony and I were just about to go back to our tents, we found a man. He was wearing tattered clothing and had been severely wounded. He would not identify who he was, but claimed that he was a soldier and wished to be brought to the camp.
We agreed, and Anthony carried him on his back as we ran quickly to the medical area. We found an officer near the main medical tent and we showed him the man and asked for him to be allowed into the tent. When he saw him, 
“There were a couple of scouts sent out last week to find where the enemy was and report about their position and number of soldiers,” the officer said, “he was one of them.”
    Anthony and I left the tent, eager to hear the news the man had brought, and walked over to the meal tent. We found seats at the back table, where it was quieter, set down our things, and went to the serving station.
The food was horrible, consisting of bland oats and stale bread. We all ate quickly, so we could get back to our tents for our evening relaxation period. At that time, I began to think about my homeland, the rolling hills, and dense forests, and the family I left behind. I deeply missed it all and found myself wishing that this horrid war would end.
One of my good friends, Christopher, came in late and sat next to me and Anthony.
“Hello Chris,” I said, seeing him walk over to the table, “come here and sit with us.
“Hello Leon,” he said, sitting down next to me. “Sorry I was late, there was trouble on the river. A soldier was trying to jump in the river. We had to hold him back and take him to the medical tent.”
We continued talking for a while until we finished our food. I carried my dishes back to the kitchen and put them in the wash-bin. After I finished doing that, I said goodbye to Chris and Anthony and began walking to my assigned sleeping tent.
The tent was located near the edge of the camp, right next to the riverbank. That side of the camp was littered with tents, mostly residential quarters.
I walked down to my tent and entered through the door in the side.
As I entered my tent, I saw about ten people sitting around the tent, each focused on what they were doing. Most people were reading or talking, a few were smoking the strange herbs we found in the woods. I said hello to everyone, changed my clothes, and sat down on my bed.                    
“Hey Leon,” said the man sitting in the bed next to me, “how was guard duty? Any trouble?”
“We had one scout show up at the end of my shift, but other than that, not too much trouble. How was it down in the kitchen?”
“Not too bad today, but still quite boring.”
I talked with him for a while longer, Philip Simmons was his name. He was a nice man, and I had gotten to know him quite well during our time.
Just as I was about to finish my conversation with Phillip, a man entered our tent, an officer he was. He seemed to be in shock, and he ran in rather quickly.
“Get up men!” he screamed, tumbling into the room, “the enemy is closer than we thought, they will arrive in a few hours. Get your things ready and report to your superior!”
At that moment, the tent was filled with energy as we all grabbed our equipment and hurried towards the door. As we ran out, we saw hundreds of soldiers gathering around the center of the camp. There, we were instructed to prepare our weapons and get ready to defend our position. 
The next few hours consisted of running around, preparing our defences and getting our equipment ready for the impending battle. It was quite exciting, however nerve racking. The enemy was getting closer, and we had about an hour left until they would arrive.
The whole camp was hectic, and everyone was running around, doing all sorts of different preparations. I was at the armory, getting weapons ready, when I began hearing the quiet sound of the enemy’s warhorns in the distance. At that moment, the whole camp began rushing toward their positions. I was stationed to the front lines, a very unlucky position to be in.
The next hour was a blur. As I saw the enemy approaching us, I suddenly became very terrified. During the battle, my thoughts became unclear, and I began to stop thinking straight. The only thing I could remember from the battle was the sound of the cannons booming in the distance. Shortly into the battle, I was shot in the leg, making me faint and collapse onto the ground.
I awoke about an hour later, lying in a pile of bodies near the site where I fell. I was in terrible pain, and it felt like my leg was being torn off at the hip. I could see the battle had ended a while ago, and we had clearly lost. There were dead bodies everywhere, and I searched through the piles, looking for anyone still alive.
As I was digging through the piles, I suddenly saw Anthony’s head sticking out between two bodies. I quickly pulled him out, and I immediately saw that he had been shot in the chest, and had bled to death. I shed a tear as I set down his body.
I continued to walk through the battle site, limping from my own wounds. As I walked past a very large pile, I noticed Christopher lying on top of the pile. I ran over and wept at his feet. He had been one of my best friends, though I hadn’t known him long. I missed him deeply, but I continued walking. The pain in my leg had gotten worse, and I could barely walk.
As I limped back to camp, I saw Philip lying dead alone next to the road. He had tried to run when the fighting began, but was shot in the back. He was lying face-down in the mud, and was covered in blood. I quickly passed him by, limping my way back to camp.
As I walked through the fields, I came across a beautiful wildflower. I paused for a moment to admire it, and I noticed it had been trampled during the battle. It was a thing of such beauty, destroyed in the horrid war.

How much longer? That’s the question I keep on asking myself. I have withstood wind and hail, storm and rain, the scorching hot summers without wavering, without once complaining. I know that I have a destiny to fulfill. So I will wait however long I need to, because I know that it will be worth it in the end.
            But, really, HOW MUCH LONGER? I mean, so much time has passed. No action leads to desperation, and I am standing still. Who knows how long I’ve been here already? Countless summers have come and withered away into the dark shades of fall, turning to breezy winters that melt into gentle springs. Has that tree always been there? 

You mustn't think I’m bored. I have many ways of entertaining myself, like looking for shapes in the clouds. That one, there, looks like a ball of cotton. So does that one! That one looks like...another ball of cotton. Some days the clouds are better at this game than others.
            Oh, everything was quite exciting for the first couple of days, sure. Or was it the first couple of centuries? People would travel from far and wide to see me, stand and gawk, marvel at my majesticness. They would gaze in wonder and whisper to each other. I was almost humming with excitement, so sure, SO SURE that each day was the one. But The One never came, hope grew thinner, and slowly the “not them”s turned to “not anyone”. Some people seemed content to merely give a tug and walk away, while others stood for hours trying to pull and shove. Oh, and then there was the Incident with the Sledgehammer. That was heavy.
            Eventually but inevitably, I was forgotten. Hope faded away. Everyone just shrugged me off as a myth, an impossible task, a wild goose chase. And so the downpour of people dwindled into a stream, then a trickle. And now everyone has forgotten.

It’s really sad being forgotten.

Oh, really, it's not so bad. I mean, no more noise, no more horses, no more bad smells. Oh, the smells! Vegetation has grown to cover the sun. Finally, no more glare! The birds chirping in the morning make my day. Sure, there’s the loneliness, and all the clouds are awful at games. But, really, it’s not so bad. Right?

Sigh. It’s really sad being forgotten.

But I can’t give up yet. I know that my other half is out there somewhere. Because otherwise, what am I? I am meant for something. I have to be meant for something, else I am nothing. And so here I stay, faithful to fate still, waiting, stranded in time while the world moves on around me, I suppose. Seconds might have passed, or hours, or decades. I’m still here, waiting for the day when I finally get to go out and make the world right. Waiting for the day when I will see someone and feel that spark, that connection, and instantly know that, together, we are destined for glory.

You know, maybe it’s not them. Maybe the problem is destiny. What if destiny has some unreachable, grandiose expectations of what the right person will be like? What if this was never meant to be my story after all? Maybe I am just a dreamer, more dramatic than a Shakespeare play, with polemic plans and fantastic ideas of what my future will be. Maybe… maybe all I’m ever going to do is stay in this neverending standstill and watch the grass grow. Then I defy you, stars!

Wait. The earth is trembling. Horses! Trust me, I spent enough decades  around those creatures to know what their footsteps feel like. One time, this silver steed pooed right next to me. Oh, the smell! Oh, it was horrible! I very nearly fainted right there on the spot. Oh! I could compose poetry about how horrible horse droppings are. What rhymes with “nasal attack”? Or “exceedingly unpleasant”? Or perhaps “puke”?

Wait a second… Horses mean people! It’s been so long since someone has taken the paths leading through here. HELLO, GOOD FELLOWS! No? No answer? Ugh. The ground is trembling quite a bit now- must be a lot of horses. Probably a tournament. You know, with the glittering tents and the people bragging and showing off in contests. No matter how much time passes, people still love their tournaments. I never really liked them myself. I mean, I could beat all those people in a heartbeat. Also, too many horses. Shudder.

And… there go the horses. Very well, goodbye! I didn’t need you anyways! I’ll just go back to my wonderfully consistent life now!!!! So wonderfully consistent!

Today seems like a different day. You see, that cloud right there looks less like a cotton ball and more like...2 cotton balls! Squished together! I am getting good at this!

Huh, the birds seem agitated today. They keep taking off for no particular reason. Hello, my avian friends! Please don’t poo on me today! Have you noticed that particularly unique cloud in the sky this morning? No? 

Oh, look, the unexpected crack of a branch in the forest! It might be a deer. Or a person. But probably a deer.

Wait, is that...a voice? Could it be? Yes, I’ll become famous once more, my myth will be revived once this person finds me and tells everyone he knows! I knew it! I knew this was going to happen! I bet that everyone will start visiting me again, and all the bards will write songs about me, and the most beautiful ballads will be composed in my honor. And, among the many, I’ll finally find The One. Oh, at last, hope!

And here comes the fellow who will reintroduce me into the world! He’s on foot, not on a horse. What a sensible lad. And so young, too, not even old enough to be a knight . He looks quite lost, his eyes keep darting around the forest like a hare’s. It looks as though he’s looking for something. Could it be me? 

First there were hundreds, thousands, millions of people. And then there was one.

He spots me at last, his eyes light up, and reaches out. It can’t be him. But then, I feel it! That spark, that buzz in the air! This is the one. I’m sure of it.

He reaches out and frees me at long last. It was true. It was all true. 

He will be king.

For I am Excalibur. 

“He asked me a question… ‘Why didn’t I stay in Mexico?’ Because this is the greatest country in the world.” - Adrian Iraola*

There was just one thing Jade knew deep in her mind: she was very, very sick. She felt it in the morning when she looked in the mirror. She felt it when she walked through the halls at school. She felt it when she called her family back at home. It wasn’t a deathly, fearful sort of sick like the thousands of infected, many from her hometown--it was a sick that clung to her the way a saccharine perfume clings to your clothes. It clung to her the way an overplayed song clings to your mind. Once she discovered the sickness, she was trapped in its labyrinth; it was inescapable.

At first, Jade ignored it. She’d heard of the virus from the news, and dismissed it as another overdramatized “hot topic” that journalists wrote in order to keep people on their toes, or, as they liked to call it, it was “breaking news”. The media, she had learned, was dominated by people looking to spread an agenda and gain profit while wearing a mask of the search for truth. What they used to call blatant lies were now acceptable “alternative facts”. That month, she had read of multiple events that suggested things like World War 3, the disintegration of countries, and Armageddon, but the sun still shone and the earth still spun.

She only took it seriously when her family began to panic. She called them for hours on end to get a grasp of the situation that wasn’t convoluted through the media. Their city was sealed off, quarantining the few sick patients with millions of healthy individuals (who most likely wouldn’t be healthy for long). Significantly more people were afflicted by paranoia than illness, and the mass panic created more illness, chaining the citizens into the shackles of an infinite negative feedback loop. The entire country was a prison with uncountable layers, not unlike the joyful matryoshka dolls of their northern neighbor. They were first confined in their country, then imprisoned in their city, then caged in their house, and in the end, people refused to leave their room out of irrational fear of their roommates. The two week incubation period began to feel like months. At this rate, people weren’t sure if they would die from the disease or from hunger. Jade began to feel faint despite her lack of interaction with the city. She washed her hands, 20 seconds, warm water, but it was too late. She was sick to her stomach with distress and melancholy. She scanned every article and wept until her room could no longer contain her tears. She became stifled and couldn’t handle being alone. She wondered if someone could die from isolation.

So she went to school, a cloud over her head and a cape of lethargy draped over her body. She became the living, breathing (barely) embodiment of gloom. It wasn’t until this point that she was finally able to realize the severity of her illness. With every word, every breath, every step, her symptoms were leaking out of her. She watched each and every passing accusatory stare. Her head continuously drooped lower until it touched the ground. She saw her friends pointedly use hand sanitizer whenever she came by with her black hair and dark eyes. She closed her eyes to stop seeing. When her mouth felt dry, she swallowed hard to prevent herself from coughing, but it did nothing to ease the glares and soothe her thoughts. She ran to the drinking fountain, too afraid of being caught taking a cough drop. Once, in the back of the dusty school library, she sneezed. From then on, she avoided dust like it was a deadly virus. 

That week on, Jade waged a war on multiple fronts. From the east, she was attacked with countless horror stories of deaths, with each story seeming to crawl closer to her own parents, at first inching forwards, and now, approaching in a terrifying sprint. She begged the sky to make the stories stop, or even just slow. From the west, slanderous whispers with thinly veiled threats bombarded her. She stopped going to school: if you can’t hear the the warning bells, they don’t exist. She had a one-man army and could trust no one--including herself. Every night, she poisoned herself with terror in her own dreams. The moment she began to show symptoms of her own disease, her mind had decided to turn its back on her. Who would be there for her now? Her disease, like the currently widespread virus, had no cure. 

It’s said that once you hit rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up, but in the middle of the Pacific ocean, it seems that you can fall forever. As countries isolate themselves, their locked borders provide that there are no overhead planes to save you, and even if there were, who would see such an insignificant little dot in the world? If you foolishly attempt to claw your way back up, you will be met with failure and suffocation. There is no safety in the water.

When Jade screamed for help, all she got was a mouthful of saltwater. And in this way, she drowned.

*Adrian Iraola is a father of a student attending Saline High School in Michigan. At a public board meeting to discuss racial tensions at school, he had mentioned how when he walked into his son’s bedroom to say goodnight, his son was “crying because of the abuse endured in this school system”. After he had explained how his son was bullied for being Mexican, he was asked why he didn’t just stay in Mexico if it’s so bad in America. This quote was his response, and it highlights that America is a beacon of hope in many other countries, with parents working incredibly hard to send their children to this country, but America still has many deeply-rooted discriminatory issues.