~Zach Silverman, Class of 2028              

  My best friend burns a forest down

“Hey Arcus!” Jack calls down to me. The deep brush of the forest sings as Jack calls to me.

“Are you excited?” There is a long silence, “Cause I am! I have an idea of what I’ll be…….. Welllllll… Not exactly……. I have a power! I think it could lead to my sorting!” a humongous grin manifests his face. “Wanna see?!”

“Well no-” but apparently I spoke too late. “TOO LATE!” he yells back hyperley. Suddenly flames are seeping out of his mouth, like stream water. His eyes suddenly become flames. A spire of flames comes out of his hands…. OH NO! MY BEST FRIEND CANT BE! WE WILL BE SEPARATED FOR LIFE! I feel all of the colour drain from my face. I feel sick.

“Cool right?” He says out of breath. Probably because his mouth was full of flames! “You don’t seem satisfied,” he says. “I’ll do more.” before I can say more. His eyes seep with fire. His mouth is like an ocean, the waves being fire. He makes a sort of fire lasso around his body, it tightens… there’s no Jack…. 

“JACK! JACK! JACK THIS ISN’T FUNNY!!” There is no Jack, just a flame dancing around the meadow. Everything is catching fire, I hear a devious laugh, one that resembles Jacks. Wait… HE IS! I run. I run! I RUN! I look back and Jack is running after me. A bursting flame running after me. The flame forms into a human shape. Suddenly everything blacks out.

                                           I’m Really Not Ready

 I am greeted with the smiling face of my mother putting ice on my forehead. The brown leather wallpaper looks dark as ever. The endless pots, pans and remedies glisten. 

“Are you feeling better?” she says in her nicest voice. “They draw your blood tomorrow,” oh no, the sorting is tomorrow, I completely forgot! “Will you be ready,” 

“I think so.”

The blood drawing

 It’s the day of! They are going to draw my blood to search for a Clan.

“Get on your finest clothes for the extraction.”

“I know.”

“It’s okay to be scared.”

“I can die!”

“Yes.” she says, trying to sound calm.

“What if the blood-fueled beasts try to get my blood! What if I’m not an Elf!”

“You know how I know you’re wrong,” I roll my eyes. “Because you said ‘if’ a lot.” She says.

“Okay.” I put on my best clothes and get ready.

They call our names until the long anticipated name.

“Arcus Sagitta.” I walk up. Click clang click clang, the sparkling metal floor vibrates with every step. They seat me in a chair, and put a five inch needle into my arm. The pain is excruciating. Soon the needle is filled with dark maroon blood. Everyone claps and I walk down. A low whisper starts. 

                      I literally Could Have Died

      The bugle sounds and everyone goes to the meeting place. Different people than the people than before come up and say… “The people who have extracted your blood are Blood Fueled Beasts.” Everyone starts to panic. I WAS RIGHT! “Don’t panic, we will redo the extraction.” suddenly they start calling names. Then…

“Arcus Sagitta.” I walk up and sit on the ch-

I find out my brother is one thousand years old 

I feel cold hands with gloves on them on my bare shoulders. I hear screams. I taste the anti stress root Mom gave me. I see fear. I scream. I hear screams. We are moving. Moving very fast. I can’t think. Suddenly everything blacks out.

I see a humongous figure in front of us. Its eyes are red.

“YOU CAN’T STOP HIM FROM HIS DESTINY!” a man yells. “YOU MAY BE A SPECTRE BUT…. YOU CAN’T STOP HIS CLAN!” 

“Give….. Me…… My…… BROTHER!” My brother! Little Ollie! A spectre!

“I WILL HAUNT……… YOU!” 

Dang! He went there. Will I ever go home?

“YOU MAY BE A THOUSAND YEARS OLD! BUT YOU CAN’T STOP DESTINY!” and I thought I knew my brother!

“DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!”