Crystal D.

“Slice!” went the knife.

“Let go now!” my mom chuckled. 

“Now? Ok,” I hesitated. 

Running around the yard was a headless chicken. At that moment, I felt an awkward sense of enjoyment. My hands were full of red dripping blood, as I heard the soft padding on the chicken's feet running around the yard. The chicken was running through the dirt causing the dust clouds to rise up. I stepped back to the stone house In surprise.

One by one I gently plucked out each soft feather, leaving the bare skin exposed. Afterwards, my tia and I took out all the icky insides. 

“What I do?” I signed. 

“Like this,” my tia signed back, and I did as she did. 

“This feels kind of like slime,” I told my mom. My hands lightly brushed against the rough skin. The stench was so strong my eyes watered, and I held my breath.

Ray M.

The last play of the game. It's the 4th quarter, and I run to become the wideout receiver. I give a nod to the ref. My QB looks at me. He nodded yes. I nod yes, too. My coach looked at me with wide, serious eyes.

“You got this, RAY!” he yelled.  

The time left 43 seconds on the quarter, as I ran along the opponent’s sideline. They were yelling curse words and giving bad vibes. I kept looking at them and didn't realize the ball was coming straight at me. 

“The ball!” I heard my teammate yell. 

I was like, What? I looked up at the ball. I got you. I dove, and BANG! My vision was just black.

Franceshca L.

“Tick, tick,” I was waiting for the 15 minutes to be over.

I took a covid test to see if I had covid, because the past few days I had felt really sick. My parents just wanted to see if I had the virus. 

I was waiting with my dad in the black chairs. They were very squeaky. If you moved, the chairs would be loud. It had only been about 10 minutes, but for me it felt like it was 2 hours! I was very impatient. I just wanted to see if I did have it or not. 

“Franceshca,” the lady called my name. 

“Finally,” I said to myself. “It's been like an hour.” 

I stood up. I could feel the cold air brushing on my face as I walked to her in the Commons. As soon as I got closer to her, I knew it was not going to be good news. I felt a cloud of black butterflies in my stomach.

Christian G.

I was in a car driving to a Jiu Jitsu tournament. I was starving like a barbarian.

“Dad, I'm hungry,” I grumbled. 

“This is all I have,” he said while handing me a granola bar. 

I was nervous knowing what I was about to do. That all changed once I entered the building; it changed in a bad way.

I walked into the building and immediately felt much more nervous when hearing the screams and cheers of the people. 

“Woah!” 

The fact that I looked at the people fighting did not help one bit at all. As soon as that moment passed, I then just realized how nervous I was. I felt like I had butterflies in my stomach and felt the urge to pee. All I could smell was sweat from the contestants and even from some of the people in the bleachers. And lastly, I couldn't  hear anything. I was shocked and frozen from everything that was happening.

Sebastian N.

It was a normal afternoon, and school had just ended. I was running around with my friends and some other people when all of a sudden, THUMP! Everything went black. Suddenly I was on the ground not knowing how I got there. 

 “Uh,” I muttered. As I was getting up, I saw that everybody was looking at me with their mouths wide open, like I was some kind of monster. I started to feel sweat coming down my head. I put my hand on my forehead to wipe it away, but it wasn’t sweat at all.  I looked at my hand, and I froze.

It was full of blood.

Iliana F.

It was a hot fall day at school. We had a free period. I was there sitting on the floor just looking at what was going on. I was hearing fast steps on the carpet floor. Boys gasping for breath after a long game of tag.  

After a few minutes, they started another round. I saw her, Amaya, the girl I hated. Playing tag with the boys. The amount of bitterness I had upon her. She was favored by the teacher, which was my mom. 

I used to think that hanging with the opposite gender was wrong. That’s how my mindset was in the 1st grade. I was calling for her to tell her to stop, but no response. She wasn’t responding, so I called her again. Still she wasn’t responding. I kept calling her name again and again until anger was rising in me. 

I had enough of her. 

She was running towards me and I thought that I should do something to teach her a lesson.

Aldo S.

I woke up on a sunny day. My mom went to work as usual and I stayed with my grandma. I always liked going to my grandma’s house because her husband would let me play on the iPad. I liked helping him like when he needed help moving his arm on his wheelchair. I remember driving over to my grandma’s house the last time her husband was alive. It was March 13, 2017. My mom got me my favorite breakfast from McDonalds. It had pancakes, sausage, and fluffy scrambled eggs. My favorite part was the crispy outside of the hashbrowns that are soft when you bite in. It was a fun day there. I even got to play with the puppies. The one puppy who likes me licked me and laid on my tummy while I visited with my grandma’s husband. We talked about his life. 

“How do you feel?” I remember asking him.

“I feel just fine,” he replied. 

Elijah I.

I let my dad ride in front of me, and we started the trail.

 I did the first berm and got a lot of speed. I jumped the first table top, and I was about to shout, “Woah!” because I could see my front tire moving to my left. When I landed my handlebars were super shaky. I rolled up to the lip of the next table top, and I landed super hard. My hand slipped off the grip, and there was a small berm right in front of me. Since my hand was not on the bars, I went flying over the berm screaming super loud and In fear. 

I threw my bike out to the side of me, landed with my elbow digging into my ribs, and little plants stuck inside my helmet. I got the wind knocked out of me. My face was covered in dirt, and I could hear myself begging for air when I tried to get up. I put my hands on top of my head so I could get air in my lungs. When I put my hands up I could feel my ribs throbbing, and it felt like my ribs were on fire.

Jasmine B.

Giggles. The children laughed as they ran by me. I was looking down, sobbing as I was scared. The music blasted from the speaker. The taste of the saltiness from my tears made me cry even more.The floor was so colorful that it made me feel dizzy, nauseous. As I saw the children play it was disappointing seeing them have fun while I was sad. Alone. 

“Mommy?!” I exclaimed quietly. 

“I’m lost” I said in my head. “I need you…” I whispered.

Dante C. 

The doctor left the room, and my mom tried to calm me down. I felt scared and nervous for what was about to happen. It felt like everything was going slow, and it smelled so bad.

My head hurt like when you’ve been watching TV for a long time and don’t take your eyes off of the screen, or when you're on your phone on a road trip. The doctor came back into the room with a big syringe. I was starting to get nervous.

“Calm down,” my mom said.

“I’m gonna count to three,” the doctor explained, “and when I finish I’m going to put this needle in your arm.” 

“What if this goes wrong?”I thought to myself as the needle entered my arm. 

It felt like something was stinging me. My worries were making me wiggly, but before I knew it I was asleep.

Emmanuel S.

We went to my tia’s house since that’s where grandma was. She was with her to take care of grandma, because my tia was a nurse. Once we got there, we all pulled our backpacks down from our vehicles. I saw that my other cousins had gotten there, as well. Angel, four of my cousins, and I were at the front door. We waited for the rest to come, nd once they did, my uncle pushed the door bell. 

“Hi, welcome in,'' my tia said in a rushed tone.

“How is everything going?” my dad asked. 

“Not too good,” she replied to my dad’s question.

We all knew where to go from the front door. We walked through the first living room, to the second one, to see grandma lying there resting. She looked very tired, so tired as if she had been working all day, which she had not. But, at least, she was resting.

London C.

I was chilling on my couch on a hot day watching TV. Then all of the sudden, I felt the metallic taste of blood. I frantically started picking at my teeth and felt part of my tooth crack and come out. My chipped tooth was coated in blood and felt rough like sandpaper.

  “I don't know why it cracked. I just assumed I hit my face on something” I thought to myself. I ran to my nearest bathroom and saw blood all over my mouth.

“Part of my tooth came out,” I said to my dad in a slightly worried voice. I didn't show it, but my tooth was hurting.

Abraham G.

It felt like my lungs were about to explode. My stomach felt like acid was eating it inside out. It was my first swim lesson. I was only 4 and the pool wasn't that big. But for me at that age, I was terrified. 

My mom said it was going to be a good experience, but I had a sense of foreboding. 

“I don't want to swim,” I wanted to tell Mom. “I'm too afraid. I'm not even good at this. Let's go home!” But I was too afraid I was going to disappoint her. So instead of chickening out, I kept my fear locked in. 

We got out of the car, and there it was. It looked like an ocean full of terrifying sharks that wanted to eat me. I didn't know what to do. 

“I'm going to be brave, I'm going to be brave”. 

But it was too much pressure . I felt my face burning my legs cramping my heart racing. I knew if I didn't act now I would have to face my fears. So I ran.

Caesar M.

I could feel the cold air rushing in our direction from the AC. The deeper I went, the colder it got. At the end of the hallway, there was a light rushing in from the left. So much, in fact, that it looked like we were walking into the gates of heaven . We walked up the long line area. Caleb, my mom, and I got on the ride. Tssss, the safety belt for the ride came to rest on our thighs.

“Alright folks, welcome to the Manta. Hang on tight as we explore the ocean depths.”

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, our hearts were pounding.

“How fast is this gonna be?” I asked Caleb curiously. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know, maybe 20-50 miles per hour.”

“I hope it’s under that,” I replied. Then the ride jerked our heads back and forth, like a bandit in one of those movies holding you upside down and shaking all the cash out of you.

“When do you think this is gonna mov—ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The ride blasted forward like when a rocket blasts off into the vast expansion of space.

Monse R.

“Tía, I’m here!” I scream when my aunt comes out. I give her something she ordered, and I talk to my cousins. When we were about to leave my aunt said that she wanted to talk to my mum, but something seemed odd. I didn't mind. I wanted to hear, but they wouldn't let me. 

Saturday and Sunday together were really fun, but when we were getting ready to cross the border to Chula Vista my parents said that they wanted to tell us something. I was really excited. I thought it was something cool, like a new pet, but my mum said, “Your dad passed away.” 

Those words hit me like a bullet. I felt tears fill my face. I felt like the whole world collapsed on me.

Monse R.

“Tía, I’m here!” I scream when my aunt comes out. I give her something she ordered, and I talk to my cousins. When we were about to leave my aunt said that she wanted to talk to my mum, but something seemed odd. I didn't mind. I wanted to hear, but they wouldn't let me. 

Saturday and Sunday together were really fun, but when we were getting ready to cross the border to Chula Vista my parents said that they wanted to tell us something. I was really excited. I thought it was something cool, like a new pet, but my mum said, “Your dad passed away.” 

Those words hit me like a bullet. I felt tears fill my face. I felt like the whole world collapsed on me.

Aaron C.

 My head crashed into the concrete and my forehead split open, with me not noticing. I put my hand down on the concrete just to see a waterfall of blood running down to my hand. Once I saw the blood, I started crying. Then I saw a little girl that was my age. 

“Oh my god, he’s bleeding!” she exclaimed.

I looked at her, with my head starting to feel weak and my eyesight getting worse. As I laid on the ground, my chest felt like it had gotten hit by a brick. I felt the blood I was losing. It felt like I was going to pass out. 

When I fell to the ground, I tasted the concrete, so I felt one hundred times worse. My tongue tasted salty. My legs also had hit the concrete very hard and got bruised. The teacher came with an ice cold napkin. 

“Oh god,” she said in a worrying voice as soon as she saw me, “get up quick! I need to take you to the nurse.”

Alanna M.

I got to school just like I always did. I used to always look at everyone's faces and how they dressed, and that usually made my day, but not today. I would also always look at the bad side of everything or sometimes people, too. My friend Azul was already at school, so she walked with me to put my backpack on a table. It was really quiet the whole way until we got to the grassfield canyon part of the school. We didn't race or laugh at random stuff like we always did, so I felt like something was wrong. 

Suddenly, I heard laughter and whispering. I hid behind the biggest bush I found, even though I didn't even know if they were laughing at me. 

“Hey you!” someone shouted to Azul from the other side of the bush. 

“What are they doing?” Azul whispered to me, but I didn't answer. I heard the laughter growing louder and louder. 

I was sure they were talking to me.

 Ezekiel V.

I slowly opened my eyes, waiting for the alarm that always goes off at six. Oh yeah, I remembered it was Saturday. No school today. The annoying chimes that normally yell at me to get up for school won't be coming. A wave of relief washed over me, and I closed my eyes one more time knowing I could sleep in. 

“Creeeaaaaak,” the door squeaked. 

I opened an eye to see my brother Malachi standing in the doorway, his arm poised ready to throw something at me if I didn’t wake up.

Frida I.

The wind in my hair was going fast as lightning. I felt galloping under my feet. All that Brave and I were feeling at the time was being wild and free, running to the sunset. The bond that we share is so special.  It was as if she knew what I was thinking. I could see people looking at me as I race with her on the rocky trail. Her breathing was calm and warm, which made me feel safe and relaxed in a way.

All of the sudden, Brave stopped with a big force that almost moved me out of my saddle. 

“Hey why did you stop?” I asked her. “We were having a fun run.”

But something didn't feel right. I felt her nerves and exactly at that moment I knew why. Both of us saw a snake. It looked scared but it was ready to strike. I had a warning about this a week ago but I really didn't care . Brave didn't know what to do. She got spooked and lifted her hooves into the air. I tried to hold on for my life. It was like I could touch the sky. 

“It's ok girl,” I told her, “we’re fine. It's just a snake. We will be fine!”

But it wasn't fine. Just then I got lifted off my saddle, flying into the air  It felt like if time stop, but then I went down to the rocky ground. I could taste the dirt. My breathing was fast but my heartbeat was faster.

Crystal M.

February 8th, 2016. I remember the exact date. I was 7 at the time, she was turning 7. Who’s she you may be asking. Samantha Rose Smith was her name. But first let's go back a couple days. I was in the art room. I was drawing and sitting at the table near the window. It was raining outside. I heard laughter from other children at other tables. Music was playing, but the children were louder than it. The rain wasn't heavy or light. 

Suddenly, there was an unfamiliar face. I knew everyone’s faces, and I kind of knew who they were. When I asked my dad who she was, he said that she was new here at the Youth Center. The only reason I asked my dad was because I saw him hanging out with her. He was teaching her the ukulele in the music room. There was a stage by the windows, and they were sitting together playing “Drop Baby Drop,” one of the simplest songs, though I’ve never been able to play it at all.

She seemed to get comfortable really quickly. I wanted to be Samantha’s friend, but I was too shy. It wasn’t raining anymore. The breeze of the wind was cool. The wind was hard enough to make the leaves shake but not fall. I could hear kids playing and talking and the jump ropes hitting the ground. Then one of the staff members told us that we were going back inside. My mom had art activities for the children. When we were all set, I sat near Samantha, but not too close. She was good at art, better than me actually.

Bella C. 

Beep! the scoreboard buzzer sounded. We had already lost the first set of this match, so if the other team won this one, this would be it. Our season would be over. I couldn’t even believe our school volleyball team made it this far. We lost so many games that even our coaches didn’t expect us to be here. We knew that we were against a good team. Their serves were so perfect, it was annoying. They had beaten our team at the start of volleyball season already, but that only made us want to win more. 

Our team would be serving first this time. I was on the court, and I got into a ready position. A small drip of sweat trickled down my forehead. Part of me inside thought that we had already lost, the other part thought that we could win this set and then win the one after that. I didn’t know which one would be true.

Keira S.

“Mom?” I said looking around me. My mom wasn’t behind me. “Mom?” I said again. 

People were walking by. My breath was getting heavy and the air was getting thick. The air wasn’t fresh anymore. The Disney cruise started to look really big, like a hotel. I felt like the cruise ship got more crowded. I started to breathe in and out. It felt like a nightmare of mine was starting to become true. I started to walk around trying to find my family. I felt like everyone was staring at me. 

“Maybe they are thinking bad things about me or wondering where my parents are at,” I thought to myself.

 Looking back now, they probably didn’t care or didn’t even notice me. But it felt like a real nightmare. I wanted to ask for help but my parents always said, “Don’t trust anyone you don’t know.” 

I didn’t know what to do, so I just froze right next to a set of stairs. People were going up and down. It looked like something out of Alice in Wonderland. I tried to look like I knew what I was doing, but truly I was lost.

Eric

“Bang,” I thought I heard a gunshot. I felt like someone was behind me. I was in an old barn. All I could smell was sawdust. I saw a baby next to me. Why? Why is this happening? was all I could think as I tried to get out of the chair I was tied to.

Then I could hear an ax being sharpened. I saw a tall shadow figure. It raised the ax, then I closed my eyes. All they did was look at me and laugh. They were not human. To the right, I saw a wall full of knives. The only thing I could think about was how I could get out and who was doing this 

“Argh,” I broke free from the chair, and I got the baby next to me. I told my sisters to run. All I saw was a dead forest, and I thought it was all over 

“Gasp,” I woke up and felt a rush like I almost died.

Lauren S.

“Oh look, DOLPHINS!!” I heard someone yell out happily. 

I was half awake so I didn't fully catch what the person was saying at the moment. My dad shook me fully awake. 

“Wake up! I think there's dolphins near!” 

I excitedly turned around on my seat to face the water. The ocean breeze felt refreshing as it flowed onto my face and my hair. I took a deep breath, and it felt so nice. The ocean breeze flowed through my body and made me feel calm. I put my head over the railing of the boat and looked into the deep blue water and tried to spot the dolphins. The water looked so beautiful that day. The small waves crashing on the side of the boat made the water sparkle in such a nice way. Suddenly, while I was admiring the water, a small figure that quickly swam by caught my attention. My heart started to race. I could feel my excitement jump sky high as I saw the dolphin leap out of the water! 

Marco F.

‘’You ready?’’ the supervisor asked.

‘’Yeah,’’ I replied.

I grabbed the zipline handle, and I pushed forward, a little halfway. I felt myself slipping. My heart was racing like it was in nascar. I immediately zoned out, and a little ringing went off in my head as my brain gave off a warning to the rest of my body. 

“Is this really happening?’’ a little voice said in my head.

I fully let go. My hands were drenched in sweat. Sweat ran down my head like ice melting. I felt the air in my mouth and i'm taking deep breaths to calm myself down. The air flowed through my hair like if someone were to fall in an action movie.

Then, “BOOM!” I fell into the foam pit like falling into a pool and sinking in. I didn't expect anything to happen since it was a foam pit. But it was way different than I expected. I felt like I hit the ground. I saw the foam blocks making the bright lights fade from my eyesight. I honestly thought I died.

Victoria M.

 I looked over at the grass field as I saw other teams playing and felt the cold wind in my hair and on my warm skin.  I got goosebumps thinking about playing in front of a whole crowd

“We can do this!” I whispered to my teammates.

The ball came rolling towards me. I bent down and hit it with my hip to the player on the other team.

We did it back and forth. It was intense. 

Suddenly, they were winning by two points! I felt super nervous that my team was  going to lose. I got distracted waving at my mom who had just arrived to watch me play ulama at the exhibition . She was looking around for me, so I started  jumping up and down for her to notice me. Right then the ball came towards my feet and hit my shoes. 

I laughed it off, even though I was embarrassed. 

She didn’t see me and I missed the ball! 

I felt anxiety rushing through my veins. My teammates were on the ground as they watched the next ball come towards me. I had a lump in my throat as I felt even more nervous than I already was.

Braulio A.

It was a hot spring day. I felt sweat flowing down my face. Many people were in line to play wall ball. As usual, people were cutting in line. Mostly this one kid. He was an upper grader. He would always cut and start making fun of me, too. 

I was furious. 

I had enough of this guy. He did this everyday. I grabbed him by his shirt and said, “Shut up.” I felt like I was in slow motion. He lifted his arm. I felt pressure on my face, and my head was suddenly pushed back. I was punched in the face! 

I was pushed back a little, still gripping on to his shirt. I pulled him toward me, so then I landed a punch right in the nose. Blood came spilling out. I didn’t want the fight to escalate. I had this sick sensation, like I was going to barf. I could feel my heart beating. I just wanted it to be over. I tried to hide in line so he wouldn’t find me. So we wouldn’t get into another fist fight. Then he turned on his beast mode, and started tackling me. I struggled to break free for a little bit. I finally ripped my arms from his grip. I kicked him off my legs and ran as fast as I could. I didn’t want to get in trouble. But little did I know, a teacher saw the whole thing.

Gael I.

“Uhhh,” another new kid said tiredly.

We were throwing ping pong balls in a cup, and I heard the dry air blow. I felt the sun beam on me.That made me even more hot on the grass field at High Tech Elementary. It was my first day and first time changing schools. We were near the blazing canyon.

”It’s so hot, and I'm so tired” another new kid said.

"Yeah”, I replied.

”Whoosh,” the wind blew as he ran away. We finished the outdoor exercises and were entering the building. 

I was all alone. 

I felt the fresh air conditioning blow down on me, and I felt cool, wondering if I was ever gonna make a friend.

Nikki N.

People running, the doors swinging open, finally getting to the room. It's white everywhere. The bright lights are so blinding that it stings. It's all so blurry, but I can see the machines around me. Surgical masks, bodysuits, hair masks everywhere. Then the talking, then the mask going over my head. Soon, the sweet dizzy air entering my lungs.

Then it starts.

It feels free… almost like you're flying. Laughing, then the ringing at the back of your head, then back to laughing. All the people around me laughing at me. And me laughing with them.

My laughing gets faster and faster and faster. I feel myself losing my sight and slowly slipping away from the world.

Then…all goes quiet.

Akira S.

After we unpacked my dad and my sister and I went on a walk around the campus. The hot piercing air was devoid of noise besides the hurried steps of the squirrels and the chattering of the birds nearby. There were small patches of people here and there talking in huddled groups. We explored the smooth walkways and bumpy paths. We saw different buildings and flourishing gardens. I remember thinking to myself, “This is crazy!” as my mind took in every detail I could. 

“Yeah, it is crazy” they said back at the same time, as we gazed at the stunning buildings. We laughed at the funny statues and were intrigued at every bit of history we discovered. After a while, we went back to the dorms to get my sister and mom to leave and go back to the  hotel. During the trip, I kind of had a feeling in my stomach, a feeling of dread, because I knew that at the end of this trip my sister was not coming back with us.

Emi M.

“Mom, do I have to go to sleep?” I complained.

“Yes, Emi. You're not a teenager yet. When you're older you can stay up but you're only six.”

“ But, Ma, I don't want to! I don't want to deal with this nightmare again!” 

  “No, Emi! You can't have the same nightmare again and again,” my mom said angrily. “Now go to sleep!”

She closed my door and shut off the light.

I was under my covers shaking with fear, holding my dog stuffed animal tightly.I felt like crying. I was fighting the urge not to sleep, but I was so tired. 

“I just want this to end,” I said in my head. “Why is this happening!” I wish I knew why this was happening. But now that I'm older, I now know why I had this recurring nightmare.

Juanjo F.

“Wao, wao,” the earthquake alarm wailed. I saw the tree outside the window moving from one side to the other.

I felt that something was wrong. I also saw brick dust coming from the ceiling.

“Es un terremoto,” I yelled.

“Tenemos que evacuar,” my teacher said.

“Wao, wao,” the alarm continued. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy.

 I was paralyzed. I heard students from other classes screaming.

All the desks were shaking. My friends, the teachers, and other students were in a line next to one of the walls getting ready to evacuate.

“Miss Marisol, we have to leave fast!” I yelled.

Jayden S.

“CRASH!” I looked outside and saw my whole neighborhood's power going out. I saw lights flashing in the sky, like broken ceiling lights.

 It all began on a hot Saturday afternoon when, all of a sudden, it started getting cold. I had gone outside to play catch with my brother, but it began to rain a little. Then chills ran through my body. Dark gray clouds covered the entire sky.

“Let’s go inside,” I told my brother. “It looks like a storm is coming.”

As I opened the front door, I heard loud bangs. I looked over my shoulder, and I saw flashing lights in the sky. 

Zoe B.

“Cough, Cough,” my throat burns like a fire. I hear my cough in my head. My ears ring inside of my brain like a ticking time bomb. 

I feel the light of the sunshine in my face. I hear the birds chirping and people talking. I taste the cold fresh air. It feels like I am on a roller coster, and the air is bursting in my face.

It is so bright I feel like I am looking right at the sun. All the fresh cold air goes all over my body like I am in a freezer. The classroom is full with students walking around and talking with each other while working on their amazing projects. 

“Zoe, don’t fall asleep. You’re in class,” I said in a soft calming voice. 

“But I don’t feel good. I should tell Mr.Hayden,” I whispered to myself. “Cough, I need water!”

“Ugh,” my head hurts like a million tiny solider are stabbing my brain. That ticking bomb is ready to explode in less than 5 seconds!

Ryder V.

“Crunch, crunch,” every time I stepped, the snow and ice beneath my feet would sink down a little bit. Trees and mountains surrounded me, and I could smell the fresh air from the pine trees. It was a winter wonderland. I still couldn't believe that I was here in Washington state, hiking to the top of Mount Spokane for the first time. 

“This is amazing,” I yelped. 

 “Yeah, I agree but hopefully it isn't as cold at the top as it was last time,” my dad explained. 

I remembered them talking all about it last year and saying how cold and windy it was near the top. I got scared and imagined how the summit would be, but I decided to forget about it and enjoy the moment. 

As we continued hiking, the trees started to disappear and the soft snow started to become more like ice. The trail was changing. My heart started to beat faster and even though it was cold, I started to sweat. 

I looked up and my heart stopped. We were going to have to climb the face of the mountain. It was so high up, I couldn't even see the top.

“Are you sure we have to go this way?” I asked.

 Emi H.

We were halfway through the game and were nervous because we couldn’t lose the playoffs. My team was struggling. We won the last game, but next was the championship. 

“We can't lose this game,” I thought to myself.

My teammate and a player from the other team went to the half court. The ref had the ball.  

Whoosh, she threw the ball in the air and we received it. We took the ball to their side. My teammate Aiden dribbled the basketball towards the hoop, shot the ball, and we scored. The crowd was as loud as a hundred lions roaring. After we scored, the other team retrieved the ball and made a hoop, too. 

Back and forth, back and forth. One by one each team kept scoring.

Jose E. 

“Pop,” the glove connected with the ball. It was our second game that day, and we had used all our pitchers in the first game. It was the bottom of the 8th. I started warming up, sweat dripping down my face. Only one out of five of my pitches were outside the strike zone. This was my first time pitching in a really long time.

 I finished warming up, getting ready on the mound. I throw. 

“Strike!” the umpire calls. 

I throw again. .Ding. A foul ball. “2 and 0,” he calls. 

I get ready, gripping the ball to throw a fastball. I throw.

 “Out!”

“One out, two more to go,” I said to myself with determination.

Alisa B.

I remember getting into a small room waiting to see my dog. 

“Is this really happening?” I thought to myself. 

I remember hugging my mom and dad.The veterinarian finally came after almost 10 minutes. 

“Are you here for Coco?” the veterinarian asked. 

“Yes,” my mom replied.

“Ok! Just making sure. Let me go get her.”

All I can remember was my dog collapsing on the floor and my mom calling my dad for help. The veterinarian came as my dog was gasping for air. Then I felt something falling down my face. 

“What's this..?” I thought to myself. Another one fell, then another fell and then it started falling down continuously. It was tears. My dog kept gasping for air, and it felt like my heart had shattered into what felt like a hundred pieces.

Andryk S.

“Andryk, te voy a cambiar a otra escuela.” 

My heart dropped. I was so sad because then I would have to start over. 

New friends, new school, and new teachers. 

I tried to convince my mom to let me stay in my old school, because I was in 5th grade and I wanted to finish 6th grade with my friends. 

“Mamá, por favor déjame quedarme en esa escuela”

“No. Tu hermano está en esa escuela también,” my mom said. I went back to my room all sad. I laid down in my bed feeling sorrow while looking at the ceiling. My room was quiet. So quiet I could even hear my own thoughts.

Dalilah S.

 I was crying in the car. My dad, two brothers, and I were at the hospital waiting impatiently for my mom. I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that my great-grandpa was in the hospital, sick. As my mom emerged from the hospital doors, I became more frightened. I got out of the car, still crying. I started walking through the sliding doors and to the elevator. 

 “It's cold,” I whispered to myself. 

I was really confused and scared. As I stepped in the elevator, tears filled my eyes as I thought about what might happen.

Anthony R.

I pushed off the wall that separated my house from the neighbors. I picked up speed going donhill, and the wheels of my ripstick began to shift into the correct position. As they wobbled, I threw my hands forward to brace for the fall. My hands hit the ground first, followed by my legs.

“Argh!” I mumbled. My knees stung from the concrete like fire.

“You have to keep moving like a fish,” my dad told me. “They don’t stop!”

“Yeah, like a fish,” I laughed and rolled my eyes.

Diego A.

“Ping,” the coach’s aluminum bat made contact with the ball. 

“I got it, I got it,” I shouted from the pitcher’s mound as the ball was sailing through the air. I got my glove up at exactly the moment the catcher threw the ball back to the mound. Directly at my face. I wasn't looking. 

“Boom,” the ball hit me in the nose. 

I fell to the ground. I could feel my eyes all teared up and my face felt like a stream of water. I couldn't smell anything but blood.

“Are you okay,” the coach asked me in shock.

The only words I could say were screams and cries. 

“Argh”! I screamed at the top of my lungs in frustration while my nose gushed out blood onto the field. At that moment, the field was only red to me.

David Z.

When we got to the Rock Climbing Center for our third grade field trip, I thought it looked amazing, with all the colorful rocks screwed into the walls and tunnels everywhere to climb.

Then the security guy told us about a lot of dangers and safety things.

“Always use the harness, or you are going to fall and get hurt,” he warned us. 

I could hear a pin drop. That’s when I started to get worried.

Anthony S.

I turned on the TV to watch Netflix, but there was no internet connection. I decided to ask my dad for help, because I knew he would know how to fix it. I went to his room to look for him, but he wasn't there. We were living in a small apartment with limited rooms, so I was surprised when I couldn’t find him. I eventually found him in the bathroom.

I knocked on the door. 

“Dad, can you help me with the TV,” I asked. 

“I’m in the bathroom,” he replied.

“C’mon I need help. I want to watch TV,” I demanded. I was asking and asking and asking until I got tired of asking. 

When I walked away, I looked through the window outside and saw some older kids playing. I backed up and ran into the window thinking it was closed but it wasn't, it was open and the screen was on. I was holding on for dear life. I felt like I was about to fall to my death. There was no way I would be relaxed.

Anya M.

“Finally school’s over!” I said to myself, but then the moment I saw my  sister’s face through the window was when I knew something was wrong.

It was strange because she always gives me a mean look because she waits in the car from 2:30-3:15 for me to get out of school. She had already heard the news, but I just got in the car. 

As we slowly drove off, I had a weird feeling. I knew something was wrong because the car was silent. I had a bad feeling in my stomach. 

Something didn't feel right. The car was never that quiet. My grandpa always had music on and was always making jokes. 

“What's wrong?” I asked him in fear. “It's too quiet.” 

He responded with sorrow in his voice.

Izzy M.

“Get in the car,” Mom said.

I knew where we were going. My legs were shaking, and I was scared of what I was going to witness. I had seen dogs die before but I had not seen a dog that I loved go. I knew we were headed to the vet because for the last week we had been going there. He hadn’t looked right all week. The veterinarians said he was going to get surgery. But this time when my mom said to get in the car, I knew what it was for because her tone said it all.

We arrived at the vet, then we got put in a room. It smelled like wet dogs. Before when we were going to visit him, we would go in the back to see him in the cages with all the dogs. 

This room was different. 

It had a sink and two chairs. It looked like a waiting room when you’re waiting for the doctor to come in. We were walking in and the veterinarians gave us a button to press when it was time for them to take his body away. Then my dog was put in the room with us. I laid on him with my arm around his neck and gave him a hug. I ran my hands along his short, golden fur.

Isaii G.

“Crash!” I heard the huge waves slam against the rocks with so much weight and pressure. I was terrified. I saw huge cliffs so close to me. One wrong turn and we’d fall right over and into the bone breaking waves. I had so much fear and horror built up inside me. 

“For now let’s just focus on getting to the K.O.A campsite,” my dad explained.

We were on the one highway that ran along the coast of California, and we just needed to get back home from our three week road trip. I fell asleep to not see what would happen next on this horrible highway. Then “crash,” I woke up to the sound of waves hitting the cliffs. It didn’t look promising. The highway was on the edge of cliffs that looked like they were going to collapse any second and take the  so-called “highway” with it. 

I was so scared, I wanted to get out of this mess so badly. I was a bit relieved once we got to the K.O.A, but I knew that was only the first half of the terrifying highway.

Aziel T.

“Ow!’ my little cousin said, as she fell on the floor. My cousin and I looked back and saw her rolling down the hill. All I could see was a bunch of leaves getting stuck in her hair as she tumbled onto the bumpy driveway.  

“Are you okay?!” my cousin and I shouted with wonder. 

I could feel the breeze in my face as I was running down the driveway to help her up. When I looked down the hill, I could see the pain and fear in her eyes.

Adrean A.

The hours of the day dragged on as I stared at the screen of Grand Theft Auto. This is my life since I got covid-19, and I had to stay in quarantine for 10 days.

Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite.

I already knew I had covid because my mom tested positive. I was at my uncle’s pool party and someone else had it. It;s a good thing that party was so fun, because if I never went to that pool party, I would have probably never gotten covid

Day one and two, I slept all day. I remember staring up at the ceiling fan with eyelids heavy, but my mind took forever to fall asleep. The hours stretched on until they blended together in a blur of naps, video games and YouTube.

Eva G.

I started to cry because Grace was on the verge of yelling at me, but I didn’t understand math that well when Grace tried to teach me math her way.  She grabbed my math book and started to rip each page out. In anger I yelled, “Don’t touch my book. It’s not yours!”

Less than a second went by. I immediately regretted what I said because I knew instead of talking it out with me, she would tell my dad. She looked in my eyes. She looked like she smelled some dead fish. She looked away at me, stormed out of my room, and went to tell what happened to my dad. She talked to him for five minutes, which felt like an hour.  

My dad called my name in anger.

“Eva, come here right now!”

I came out of my room with dry tear marks on my face, red cheeks and a pink nose.  My dad told the story from Grace’s point of view. He never mentioned the ripping of the book, but I did not care. I apologized, but it looked like Grace was still keeping the memory inside of her.

Ruben S.

“Bang!” it sounded in my ear, that little ring that sounded like it was after a gunshot. I had a flashback.

In my vision, I saw myself going back to school. I saw everyone going in, and I heard birds chirping. I saw them flying. I saw the sun rise behind the mountains. I smelled the wet grass by the Amphitheater. Even now, I can smell little wet patches of wet dirt across the garden. After I returned to the front of the school, my hand felt something… it was a new door.

I was at a new school. I had never been there before. I was in a new room. I was nervous about who I could be friends with. I also had new teachers, Mr.Hayden and Ms.Ann. 

“Where am I?” I asked. The words popped in this white room. “Am I still conscious?”

“Bang!” the little ring that was buzzing in my ear faded away. I concentrated. I was sitting down… 

 Where was I? I couldn’t feel my head. It felt like… I was zoned out for a while.

Max C.

It was a normal day at school. I was playing soccer with my friends, and I was the goalkeeper. One of my friends was about to kick the ball, but I wasn't paying attention and, at that moment, it felt like time just slowed down. 

I saw the ball speeding toward me. It felt like it was coming at me at 1000 mph. I put my thumb up on accident. The ball went so fast it felt like time stopped, and I saw the ball speeding. I heard my heartbeat, and when it hit my thumb, it felt like a shockwave. 

Time went back to normal. My thumb bent in a weird way, and it felt like all the bones in my thumb just shattered and broke into millions of tiny pieces.

Phoenix M.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” all of the adults were frozen in shock. All I could see was the dog. I remember it hurting as I got pushed to the floor. 

I felt scared as the dog bit me. I spit out the blood that dripped in my mouth. All I could hear were the screams from my parents and the other adults in the room. They tried to get the dog off of me by puling the leash, but all that did was drip more blood into my mouth. 

Then my mom pulled me by my arms, dragged me, and carried me into the car. I felt the pain on my face. It felt like I was getting stung over and over by hundreds of needles. When we got in the car, my eyes were closing and opening over and over. All I could see were flashing lights. We got to the hospital. I don't remember much other than holding my moms hands as they brought me into surgery. I felt a needle poke my arm, but I could barely feel it over the pain coming from my cheek. The doctor came in the room with a big syringe.  I thought it was from a horror movie. I was scared and felt that every thing was slowing down. 

Suddenly, I woke up gasping for air.