1 Table of Contents Cover…Moonlit Ocean by Kaya Bain 2….Letter from the Staff 3….Do Not Try This in Real Life by Conner McMaken 5….Over the Hill by Grayson Scarr 6….The Vampire’s Blood And Magic by Kaya Bain, Kaelyn Fortner, and Raegan Scarr 10….Guardian Angel by Maddie Fortner 11….Christmas Star by Kaya Bain 12….Fireworks by Kaya Bain 13….This Is How We Died by Raegan Scarr, Kaelyn Fortner, and Adam Thai 16….The Crystal Lake by Grayson Scarr 17….I Think I Hate Farming… and Time Travel by Kaya Bain 19….Sunset Road by Kaya Bain 20….Coleslaw by Kaya Bain and Kaelyn Fortner 24….Tails by Maddie Fortner 25….Clouds by David Cecil and Thanksgiving by Kaya Bain 26….Heaven and Earth by Grayson Scarr 27….The Quest for the Wicked Witch by Adam Thai, Kaya Bain, Kaelyn Fortner, and Raegan Scarr 34….Fountain by Kaya Bain 35….Magicwriter Part 5 by Kaya Bain 38….The Top by Grayson Scarr 39….[Redacted] Socks: [Redacted] by Adam Thai 42….Nine by Adam Thai 43….Insurance Fraud by Adam Thai and Raegan Scarr 46….The Berries Of Life by Grayson Scarr 47….Quiet by Kaelyn Fortner 50….Love and Time by Kaya Bain 51….Sorrow by Maddie Fortner 52….Time Traveling Wizards by John Bain 56….Through the Trees by Grayson Scarr 57….World’s Worst Hostage by Kaya Bain and Adam Thai 59….Knuckles The Echidna by Maddie Fortner 60….The Hunter by Kaya Bain 63….Orange Set by Grayson Scarr 64….Packaging Paradox by Adam Thai 66….Spooky Tree by Grayson Scarr 67….Zebra in the Office by Kaya Bain 68….Zebra by Kaya Bain 69….Contributors

2 Letter from the Staff Hey Readers! We have done it again! With your support and contributions, our editorial team is ecstatic to present the ninth publication of the Luminous! Our team here has worked to maintain our integrity and steady flow of magic-based stories. We have gained new members, lost old ones, but have kept our magazine together with commas, love, and most of all, our wonderful readers and contributors. This magazine was made for the people, and by the people. So, with no further ado, THANK YOU! Thank you, yes, you reading this now! This magazine wouldn’t be possible if you weren’t here, so thank you, readers and contributors alike! Now presenting, the ninth issue of the Luminous! With gratitude, The Luminous Literary Magazine Staff The Luminous Staff Editorial Staff Kaya Bain Kaelyn Fortner Raegan Scarr Adam Thai

3 Do Not Try This in Real Life By Connor McMaken It had been a long, frustrating day at work, and I was itching to get home. You can imagine my frustration when I got stuck in a long line of traffic. The cars on the highway inched forward up the road for several minutes before finally coming to a standstill. Overtaken by a violent rage, I went to town on my horn, raising a racket that polar bears probably could’ve heard. My honking prompted others to do the same, and before long, the whole stretch of freeway was polluting noise. However, all our efforts were for not, and the carline stayed static. I was convinced that there had been an accident, or that a fool at the front of the holdup was refusing to budge. The latter idea took hold in my mind. No doubt, a big truck had experienced an engine malfunction and had halted in the middle of the highway. Soon, the scenario was all worked out in my mind. It was this: up ahead, one of the lanes was closed, forcing the cars to merge. A large truck, upon attempting this, had run out of gas and had stopped in a position that blocked all the remaining lanes. Intending to wreak havoc on the trucker for his mistake, I swung open my car door and marched resolutely up the highway. All my fantasies proved incorrect. Upon arriving at a car crash, I was reprimanded by the police for getting out of my vehicle. Upon paying a fine, I slunk back to my car, seething. Back at my car, I became determined to escape the traffic. Suddenly, an answer to my woes bounded into my mind. Carefully, I eased my yellow, beat-up sedan backwards, halting after moving a couple of inches. Nearly touching the car behind me, I no doubt caused its driver discomfort. As expected, that vehicle backed up as well. Priding myself on a brilliant plan, I backed up again. Once more, the car behind me did the same. Now my plan was coming together. If the car to my rear had backed up twice, that meant that the car behind it had backed up as well. If this had happened, it would have doubtlessly prompted other cars in the back of the line to back up also. Again, I rolled backwards. Again, the car behind me did the same. I heard distant car horns honk. Perfect! That meant that cars were moving back all the way down the line! The car behind me turned on its blinker to try to get into the neighboring lane. Worried that an accident would occur if he continued moving backwards, the driver was anxious to get away from me. In the neighboring lane, a car saw the blinker turn on and moved into the space I had created by backing up. This allowed for the vehicle behind me to shift lanes. I instantly backed up, filling the gap that had been created. This opened more space in front of me. A car in the lane to my right shifted into it, and the car behind me filled its spot. Once more, I backed up to fill the gap! Now my plan was in full swing. The process described above repeated itself again and again. Eventually, the whole highway teamed up to help cars get out of my way. People rolled down their windows to coordinate the shifting of lanes. Yelling at me to stop my “mad game,” they were too foolish to see that while they would sit in the traffic all night, I would escape and get home. At last, I arrived (backwards) at an exit. I left the freeway behind and headed for home via the backroads. By applying my incredible intellect, I was able to formulate a plan that I would remember for the rest of my life! Suddenly, while I was stuffing myself full of boxed mac-and-cheese, I heard a sharp, solid rapping upon my front door. I hurried to the door and swung it open. I was greeted by the uniform and badges of a police officer. “We traced your vehicle via the license plate to this dwelling,” stated the officer. “Others in the carline took pictures of you and your vehicle’s plate number. At the

4 station, my comrades and I received multiple calls about a sedan driving backwards on the highway. You match all the descriptions and pictures, and I have no other choice but to take you into the station.” From that point onward I was forced to take a bus to work (they rebuked my license.) Many times, I’d get stuck in traffic downtown. Every instance, I would give the bus driver tips on how to escape. He never listened. There are many fools in this world who disregard a good idea because of some preconceived notion. In my case, I was forced to deal with people who have conservative thoughts about traffic and driving safety. If my “traffic buster” idea was taught in Driver’s Ed, we would never have to sit in a carline again.

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6 The Vampire’s Blood and magic By Kaya Bain, Kaelyn ForTner, and raegan scarr My name is Esmerelda Dupont. I am a vampire, and I am a witch. Long ago, both groups worked together. Whatever their differences, they both knew that they were stronger together. That all changed 100 years ago. The witches drove the vampires out of the towns and cities that they had been living in. They only spared us because the vampires agreed to follow a treaty both sides agreed on. Vampires would stay away from cities as much as possible. They would not hurt or turn humans. They would not, under any circumstances, attack witches. In exchange, the witches would leave them alone. My father fought in the war and helped to write the treaty. He said that the point that was argued over the most was vampire children. It is commonly known that a vampire can turn a human into a vampire. That vampire will not age after they’re turned. What is not so well known is that vampires can also have children. Those children will age normally until they reach adulthood. Then, aging begins to slow and, eventually, stop. The witches didn’t want to let the vampire population grow in any way, but the vampires would not compromise on that point. Up until now, the treaty has worked. Vampires have avoided witches, and witches have avoided vampires, at least for the most part. But things are changing now. Vampires have been disappearing. In a few cases, there were signs of witch involvement. And that’s where I come into this story. I’m . . . unusual. Both witch and vampire. My mother came to one of the vampire towns when she was younger, 20 or so. She was too young to have seen the war, and she was curious. While she was there, she fell in love with my father. She ended up staying with him and the vampires, and they got married. And so, I was born. And now, I’m going undercover. I’m being sent to a school for teenage witches. Hopefully, I can find some sign of what is going on. *** “Are you sure you want to do this?” my mother asks. “Yes, I am. I want to do this,” I say. “Be careful.” “I will.” “Remember, it isn’t going to be like it is here. You can’t let on that you are a vampire. They will kill you. You should be allowed to come into town once a week. We’ll have blood for you at the meeting place. If something goes wrong, there is a butcher in town. You should be able to get some from him. Don’t do it unless necessary. You don’t want him to get suspicious. And don’t ever drink human blood.” “I know, Mother.” We don’t drink human blood anymore. Not since the treaty. Because of the treaty, it has to be gotten consensually, and, given all of the secrecy around us, that’s rare. I’ve never even tasted it. “Are you ready to go?” My father comes into the room. “The car is ready if you are.” “Let’s go.” I grab my bag and head out to the car. *** First day of school is . . . uneventful. People stared as I entered the school, of course. Witches are known as tight gossipers, and I’m basically a blank page wandering into their midst. The witches were on the edge of their seats when I was told to introduce myself at the beginning of each class. I went through the routine of giving my name and age before showing my favorite spell. To their evident disappointment, I never offered anything else for them to chew on.

7 Mom said they claim the spell is to help the students get a glimpse into the personality of the new student, but it’s actually to make sure the student is really a witch. I think she was right because the teachers always seemed to relax after I launched a few rainbow fireworks over my head- a more advanced technique that mom and I practiced for hours to get perfect. Magic is harder for me to grasp because of my vampire genes, so I have to work all the harder to keep my cover during my investigations. No one approached me during the day, but their stares were intense, and the school was passing about message doves and ravens by the time lunch approaches. Message birds are technically banned during school hours, but no one actually enforces that rule, and the smarter students get past it by sending their birds to windows outside the school or simply ‘invisafying’ their shimmering birds. It’s exhausting, both being ignored and intensely studied by the witches, and I’m relieved when school ends and I can finally head back to the dorms. *** I reach the dorm room as the door opens, and a witch with suspiciously bright blond hair steps out, her eyes lighting up when she spots me. Pulling the door shut behind her, she leans against it, and I’m thrown off by the multicolored sequins covering her outfit. “Why, hello! You’re Esmerelda, right? That’s a beautiful name, but a little long, don’t you think? How about Es? Is it alright if I call you Es?” I have every intention to answer, but she continues right on. “Well, Es, I’m Beatrix, but everyone calls me Bea! I’ve never seen you around, which is weird since I know everyone around here, and I mean, everyone.” I’m careful not to look her in the eyes to avoid hypnotism spells. Even though spelling another witch was prohibited on school grounds, I don’t know these girls yet, and it’s better safe than sorry. “I’ve been homeschooled, so that’s probably why. Never got out much. Overprotective mom.” I shrug and then wait for her to allow me into our room, but she stays in my path, her smile is a bit too wide. “Oh, really? I would think I still would have heard of you at some point, my mom’s pretty high up there as far as Official City Witches go.” My stomach drops. I’m bunking with the daughter of an Official City Witch? Maybe some of my nerves show because her voice goes from sickeningly friendly to confident. “It’s weird, really. Almost as if you were from out-of-town, but that wouldn’t make any sense, would it? Obviously, you’re a witch, right?” My anxiety transforms into a wave of simmering anger because I can see what she’s doing now. My voice is as even as I can make it. “Obviously. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have studying to do.” She’s about to respond when the door opens behind her, and she practically topples over, a grim girl with braided hair and a thankfully sequin-less outfit staring between us. She takes an extra moment to look me over, and then her glare turns to Beatrix. “Didn’t I tell you to scram?” “I was only welcoming Es, here.” Beatrix quickly steps back, the false cheer returning. “I didn’t ask,” my savior snaps. “Scram.” Her pleasant air drops to shoot the newcomer a nasty look as she spins to leave the hall. I wait until she disappears to turn my back to her. The girl’s not in the doorway anymore, and I enter the room. Right across from the door is a window that reveals the courtyard and to my left is the bunk bed that me and my actual roommate share. She’s sitting on one of two desks on my left, her boots planted in the chair as she looks me over. “Name’s Narcissa. Not Nar. Not Sissy. Narcissa.” Relieved beyond words that my roommate is not Beatrix, I smile and reply, “I’m Esmerelda.” “I know. You’re the mystery weirdo.” I’m taken aback by her immediate bluntness and the fact she looks as if she’s already bored of the conversation. “Everyone knows who you are by now. Rumor has it you’re from out of town.”

8 “I think I can guess who started that rumor,” I grumble as I drop my bag on my desk chair. Narcissa hops off her desk. “Beatrix is trouble, but she can only hound you if you let her.” I make a note of this as she slips the cat charm into her skirt pocket. “I saw you arrive this morning. You’ve been like a lost puppy all day. You want a tour of the grounds before evening meal?” “Oh, I-” “Well, come on then.” I watch her walk out of the room and make the quick decision to take my bag with me, just in case. I was expecting to spend my investigations on my own, but it can’t hurt to have someone by my side to help me tap into my witchy side. Plus, she seems to know a thing or two about the girls. It never hurts to have someone with inside information. I’ll just need to be careful about how I extract it. “Hey, Narcissa, wait up!” *** “I’ve got something exciting to show you tonight,” Narcissa said. I’d been hanging out with her for the last two weeks. I think she’s started to trust me. And I had no trouble getting information out of her. She talked nonstop. “So, what is it?” I ask. “That’s a secret. You’ll find out tonight. Meet me at the back staircase at midnight.” “Great. Hey, you coming into town tonight?” “Uh, of course. Who isn’t? It’s Freedom Day.” “Oh, uh, yeah, that’s right. Of course. How could I forget?” “Don’t know, but I’ve got to get to class. See you later?” “Definitely.” Freedom Day, how could I have forgotten? The day that the witches celebrate banishing all of us. It’s going to mean tens of thousands more people out and about this evening, which means even more people watching if I slip. *** Classes are as uneventful as they ever are. Most of the students have accepted me, although there are a few who love to make my life miserable. I gather that it’s pretty normal at school. I can’t wait for this evening; the city’s really cool, and . . . I’m hungry. Blood once a week is barely enough. While we’re waiting for the buses, I meet up with Narcissa and some of her friends. During the ride there, they drop more hints that something big is going to happen tonight. I try to get more information from them, but they are annoyingly tight-lipped about everything. When we get off the bus, the chaperones give us the usual warnings about staying together, not causing trouble, and being back to the buses in time. This time, however, they add another warning: For Freedom Day, the city had increased security. We do not want to attract their attention. They are supposed to just be responsible for keeping vampires out; the idea dates back to when large groups of people attracted vampires. But, since there are never enough vampires any more to keep them busy, they often just cause more trouble for people. I follow Narcissa and her friends around the city. They won’t let me out of their sight. Everywhere we walk, people are celebrating. The other kids love it; I can’t stop thinking that all of this celebrating is about attacking and banishing my people. Eventually, I sneak away from them. They’re all looking at dresses for the dance, and they don’t notice that I leave. I head to the meeting point. There’s nothing there. There is supposed to be blood. Maybe it’s just fallen into the bushes. It’s got to be here. I get down on my knees and start looking. Where is it? “Is everything alright, miss?” A police officer is walking towards me.

9 “I’m fine, Officer. I just thought I dropped something.” “You’re with one of the school groups, right. You should get back to your group.” “Of course, Officer.” I go back to the others. They hadn’t realized I was gone. I try to join the conversation, but I can’t stop thinking. Did someone find the blood? If they did, are the guards looking for me? Why else would it be gone? Maybe no one made it. That’s probably it. With the increased security, there was probably no one that could get in. Maybe I should go to the butcher my mother mentioned. But that might expose me. “Esmerelda!” Narcissa is staring at me. “What?” “I asked if you were ready to go. We need to get back to the bus.” “Oh, um, yeah. Let’s go.” *** That evening, I go to meet Narcissa. She is already at the staircase when I get there. “You ready?” she asks. “Yeah.” “Come on.” She walks down the stairs, into the basement. The rest of the girls are here already. “So, what are we doing,” I ask. “We wanted to show you a spell we’ve been working on. It can detect any vampires in the city limits,” Narcissa said. “What sort of magic can do that?” “It’s blood magic.” “Blood magic?” “Yes. Watch.” She drew a knife and cut her palm. Blood. I can smell it. She passes the knife around. I clamp my mouth shut. I can’t stop my fangs from extending. I’m starving. The knife reaches me. I need blood. I need it. I can’t stop myself. I raise the knife to my mouth. I open my mouth, exposing my fangs. Someone gasps. I taste the blood. It’s like nothing I have ever tasted before. There isn’t enough. I need more blood. And I’m at the grand buffet. “Esmeralda?” Narcissa sounds so far away. And scared. But most importantly? She smells delicious. The same girl I’ve relied on for a cover, for understanding the social interactions here. And she smells incredible. Wow, I’m hungry. When did I last eat? Why am I so dizzy? “Back up, Narcissa!” A girl shouts, clutching her bloody hand to her shirt. She smells incredible too! They all do. So much happened that night. I do regret some of what I did, but you should know I didn’t do it because I wanted to! I was hungry and backed into a corner. I’m sure you all would have done the same.

10 Guardian Angel By Maddie Fortner

11 Christmas Star By Kaya Bain Oh! Christmas Star! I Am Waiting Every day, As the months Pass us by, one by One. Until the day comes, With winter fast approaching When we will put up the trees, And we will get out the decorations, And the star will go up, onto the treetop. Presents will be wrapped and placed under it. Everyone will come together, singing songs and carols, To celebrate Christmas and the birth of the savior that day. Oh! ChristMas Star.

12 Fireworks By Kaya Bain

13 This Is How We Died By Raegan Scarr, Kaelyn Fortner, and Adam Thai I take a long, labored breath. The star crack that was only a fingerprint big now completely covers my view. The glass hisses with the quickly dropping pressure. The temperature is dropping too. I have hours. Maybe. I hold my recorder to my helmet. Neither will do much in the end. But I can pretend. I think I’m allowed that after all I’ve been through. I lift my recorder to my mouth, taking a much shallower and shakier breath. “This is the log for a colony ship. Colony ship Delta-9. This is how we died.” I start at the beginning. Not the very beginning. If anyone ever finds this, I assume they already know about the desolation of my home, and the horrifying events that caused it. And even if they don’t, I don’t have enough time to tell that story. The glass breaks more by the sentence. I might not even have enough time to tell this one. “My name is Captain Polaris. I was born to lead Delta-9 into the future. We were looking to arrive at the destination in 12 light years. We are at 7 of those 12 now.” I pause the recording and cover an ever rising sob of distress. They say a captain should go down with their ship. I am. But I’m the last one to. My crew. My passengers. “I am currently hours, at most, from imminent death. Due to Captain Floats Protocol, I am air-locked in the control station. I can only assume I am the last member alive.” I pause again. Is this really worth it? To document our deaths? Our murder? I close my eyes and recall the sleeping faces of my passengers. All pleasantly asleep and unaware of the danger. I left them like that because I thought I could protect them. How many others will think this way? How many can I stop? “It started with the rapid fuel depletion.” “Captain?” I look up when Dira addresses me. The way her brow creases and the whitened knuckles of her hands grip the side of the clipboard she’s never seen without telling me that something’s amiss. “Problem, Chief?” “My Chief of Engineering, Adria Carole, came to me with the diagnostics. The fuel depletion had been happening right under our noses for over thirty-six hours, too slow and insignificant for the systems to pick up on.” I suck in a careful breath, reminding myself to conserve as much air as possible. I don’t know who I’m hoping to protect with this recording, but once it’s in the system, once it’s sent back into the stars, back the way we cameWell, who knows? We aren’t the only intelligent life in the universe. “When the depletion increased drastically, it caught her attention, and she sent all of the engineers to work. Two hours later, she came to me with the report that the energy was disappearing, and we had no idea why or how.” I can’t help a tiny, fond smile. “As usual, Richard Geron, my First Officer, had one of his- how should I put this accurately?- tantrums, at the news.”

14 “What do you mean you don’t know how to fix it!?” Richard looks like he’s going to blow a gasket. I can almost swear there’s steam shooting out from his ears. Used to this, I sigh inwardly. Hoping to quickly diffuse the situation, since problems do not get solved with fried tempers, I draw attention off the frazzled Chief and back to me. “There is a source stealing the energy, but we don’t know what. Yet. The engineers are looking into it.” Dira sends me a thankful look as Richard scowls, and Danny speaks up, his voice quiet, but strewn with authority. “How long until this affects life support?” “His main concern always being the passengers, our Head Physician, Daniel Jankins, immediately relayed a string of questions about how this would affect all on board. “However, we were all assured by the Chief of Engineering that this problem would be assessed and solved before the concern of losing life support ever became an issue. With that worry momentarily set to the side, life for all but engineering continued as normal.” I can’t repress the shudder. “Then twenty-six hours later, we found the first body.” “The corpse was that of an engineer, impaled by a shard of pipe. The room was completely destroyed with a 1.6 meter hole torn in the side of the hull. Automated systems held off depressurization for a while, but we were forced to seal off the area.” I think of how naive we all were. To think that this was merely an accident that would not happen again. “Engineering crews were advised to be cautious, but three more fell dead. Four hours passed without anything unusual. Suddenly, power usage decreased dramatically and some systems sustained damage from the resulting surge.” At this point, I was occupied with ensuring that the damaged equipment was not an immediate danger to the ship. I did not think to look outside. “Captain! There is what appears to be a military ship within very close proximity,” exclaims Richard. Looking out, I indeed see a small gray ship with the number 27 on its hull. “Unknown vessel, unknown vessel, identify yourself.” “The ship did not respond but continued to accelerate away.” I shake my head knowing that everything could have been prevented had we simply been able to connect the dots. “Over the next 20 minutes, we evacuated two sectors in order to make urgent repairs. The systems had sustained more damage than we had expected. Richard blamed the engineers for negligence and threatened the Chief with execution. I was summoned to deescalate the situation and away from the bridge. This was a mistake.” I count my pulse. I am still alive. A sensor technician came to me. “That ship has returned and is currently trailing us. It appears to be a destroyer.” I had wanted to cry then and I want to cry now. The glass is spreading cracks into the walls. The only thing holding this together is tension. “Go get Chief Dira, bring her here and tell her it’s an emergency. Don’t tell anyone else about this.” I grip his shoulders and he agrees, ready to follow the orders of any higher up. Dira is here within a second. Her smile is tight and fake. “It’s a destroyer.” I sit and wait to see her reaction. “I know.”

15 “The ship was found again. Trailing us like a harbinger of death. A destroyer. Not one of ours, but definitely a government creation. We were carrying citizens. There was no need for an armed brigade. “Chief Adira was a high member of my council and the first person I told. She told me she knew it was a destroyer. The damage was specific to a destroyer. The only question left was why is a government-sanctioned vehicle hunting a colony ship?” A question I had gotten to mull over only briefly. Before the attacks started. “The first public blow was to my dock. This was the heart of the ship. Emphasis on was. It was demolished in the impact and servers to all functions were killed. Life support was one of those.” I let out a small and shaky breath. It could be one of my last and I’m using it to detail my failure as protector to my people. “We weren’t prepared for such total annihilation of the captain’s deck. I was told the bay could be destroyed, and life support functions would stand.” Emotions pile in my throat. “They didn’t. For crew, we had fifteen minutes. For passengers, they didn’t have a chance.” I can’t sit up anymore. I lay back on the floor, looking up at the glass. It’s almost gone. “It was intentional. This was no accident. We are dead because someone wanted us to be.” A large shadow falls over the window. The destroyer is back. And I am not scared any longer. I’m tired, so tired. “Whoever finds this…” I lose my train of thought. I sigh slowly. “This is Captain Polaris, for the last time.”

16 The Crystal Lake By Grayson Scarr

17 I Think I Hate Farming ... and Time Travel By Kaya Bain “So, you’re saying that you are from the future, right? Is that what you’re saying?” “Right! So, what do I do now?” “Time travel got you into this mess, so time travel can get you back out, right?” “Right. Time travel is always the answer. Except my time machine doesn’t work. Do you know where I could get supplies?” “What do you need?” “To start out with, fuses.” “Are those for a potion? We’ve got an apothecary in town. They might be able to help you there.” “No, they aren’t, but thank you. I should get going.” “Oh, well, it’s been nice meeting you.” *** I suppose I should start from the beginning. Or at least this morning. Today was the first manned test launch of our new time machines. It didn’t quite go as planned. Now, I seem to be stuck in medieval Europe. The locals aren’t very helpful. I talked to several other people. None of them were any more helpful than the first one. I think I’ve gotten better at explaining what I want, but it doesn’t help. No one has computer equipment. I suppose that isn’t surprising, but it leaves me with very few options. I will have to find work of some kind. But what to do? I suppose I could work on a farm; I studied botany before switching to temporal physics. Surely it can’t be that hard. *** I walked up to the farmer. “What do you want?” he said. “A job, if you’re hiring.” “I might be. Got any experience?” “I almost have a degree in botany. But I quit before I finished.” “What are you going on about?” Right, they probably don’t study botany here. I could probably do quite well here. I’m sure I know more than he does, at least. “Not so much experience, no. But I can help you improve the farm.” “I don’t know what you’re going on about. But . . . I need some new workers. . . . Fine, you’re hired. Now get to work.” “What do you want me to do?” “What do you think? Go cut the grain.” “You don’t think there might be something a little less . . . manual labor?” “Who do you think you are? That’s what I’m hiring you for! Now, get out there, or I won’t hire you, after all.” “Yes, of course, right away.” *** As it turns out, farming is a lot of work. And you don’t get paid very much. I gave up. I will say, I lasted a whole week. Then I gave up. The only problem is, now I don’t know what

18 to do next. I go back to the time machine. Maybe I missed something. Or maybe there is something in it that will make my life easier. I don’t know. But I won’t spend even one minute longer here than I have to. And that is when I see it. I didn’t reconfigure it for traveling forward in time. And, because there was only enough power to get back, not keep going and then return, the ship wouldn’t move. And it locked down to conserve power. I just needed to turn it back on and reset the target. *** My superior stood there, looking at me like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. “You’re telling me you got stuck in medieval Europe for a week because you forgot how to operate a time machine. Do I have that right?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Do you want to explain to me why one of my best pilots forgot how to fly his time machine?” “No, ma’am.” “I see. Well, mister, I think that it is time for you to find a new job.” “You’re kicking me out of the time travel program?” “At least reassigning you to a different department.” “Which one?” I asked. “You studied botany in college, right? Before switching majors?” “Yes, ma’am,” I said, hesitantly. “We have a department working on using time machines to grow crops faster. I’m reassigning you to them. Surely you can’t mess up picking plants.” “Oh . . . of course, ma’am.”

19

20 Coleslaw By Kaya Bain and Kaelyn Fortner I was doing homework when my friend, Emma, bounded into the room. “We have to go to the underworld,” she said. “What?” “No time to explain. We need to find the man who made coleslaw.” “Hold up.” “No time. How do we get to the underworld?” “We don’t. Will you please explain?” I asked. “Fine! I was reading that book you gave me, and I think the man who made coleslaw might have the secret.” “Remind me, what secret are we talking about?” “How to keep all of the ghosts away,” she said. “And why, exactly, would he know that?” “I don’t know, but I think he does.” “Alright, so, what is your plan?” “I don’t have one.” “You don’t have one.” “No, I was hoping you would.” “Of course, I always have a plan to get into the underworld.” “Really?” “No! I always intended to stay away from the underworld. Are you sure that we can get there without dying?” “It’s been done before.” “In stories.” “Yes, well, there has to be some truth to those stories. This is why we study Greek mythology.” “No, I don’t think they teach mythology in school in case any of the students have to go on a quest.” “Well, maybe you’re right, but still, we have to go. Are you coming?” “Yeah, fine. I’ll come. But we need a plan. And I have a test tomorrow,” I responded. “You’re worried about a test?” “Yes, I am, because I actually have a plan for life beyond dealing with ghosts.” “Fine, we’ll leave this weekend. I’ll have a plan by then.” *** I showed up at her house fresh and early on Saturday morning and found Emily scrolling on her phone on her bed. I'd been over enough times that she didn't even look up when I let myself in. I dropped my bag on her floor and walked over to her bed, perching on the side and readying myself. “Let’s hear it.” She glanced up. “Hear what?” “The plan.” “Oh!” She gasped as she lowered the phone and sat up importantly. “Okay, so I was looking into underworld portals and the only known ones are hidden on Mount Olympus-” “I have to be home by four o’clock tomorrow.” She rolled her eyes impatiently. “I know! Let me finish!” “Sorry.” “Where was I?”

21 “Mount Olympus.” “Right! So I was researching underworld portals and found a thread on Reddit-” “Not Reddit again.” “It’s the American’s second-most-trusted social media platform! Now shush!” I mimicked zipping my mouth shut to appease her. “So I was looking through the thread and it said that we don’t have to travel to a portal because we can make our own!” “Oh no.” “Oh yes!” She was positively ecstatic and I was wishing I’d just stayed home. “Are you sure we need to track this guy down? You don’t even know if he knows the secret for sure.” “My gut says he does, and my gut’s never wrong.” “What about when-” “Never. Wrong.” I sighed. She brightened hopefully. “So you’re in?” “I wish I never lent you that book.” We both knew I was one step from falling off the clip of sanity and landing in her special realm of crazy. She smirked. “You wouldn’t leave me to travel into a dangerous and deadly underworld alone, would you?” “Fine. I’m in.” One day I was going to learn to say no to her. I took notice of what she was wearing and did a double take. “Is that my bracelet?” She glanced at her wrist and smiled, “Saw it in your locker! Gorgeous! Mind if I borrow?” “…No.” Okay, so not quite what I meant. Summoning any courage I have, I asked the question that I just knew I was going to regret asking. “How does one make a portal to the underworld?” “It’s simple, really. You just dig up some corpses, say a few words, and make an offering.” “What words, and what kind of offering?” “I don’t know. That’s why we need to find this guy.” “So, where is he?” “California.” “Where in California?” “I don’t know. Hey, I figured out California,” she said, almost proudly. *** It takes several hours just to get to California, but in that time, Emma manages to find us a more specific location. It’s a diner about 30 minutes in from the border. “So, you’re the girls who want to go to the underworld,” he says. “Yes, we are,” Emma says. “You said you know the ritual?” “I do, but there is an easier way.” “What is it?” “I have a portal. You can use it, if you like.” “What’s the catch?” I ask. “The catch, girl? The catch is that you’re then in the underworld,” he says. “We’ll be there anyway. Let’s go.” *** There’s a weird sense of betrayal when I step through the portal and there's no lava lake anywhere in sight. There's just a long field and not a single tree happens to be on fire. There isn't fire anywhere. It's just a pleasantly nice day in a random field in the middle of nowhere.

22 Emma steps out of the swirling vortex behind me. She doesn't look the least bit startled. I throw up my arms dramatically, somewhat surprised with how offended I am with the non-perilous turn of events. “My skin should be melting off me. Where are the endless flames?” “Wrong underworld.” “There’s more than one underworld?” “There’s more than one myth. Didn’t you do any research?” “Research is your thing. I’m just here to make sure you don’t die.” “I’m not going to die.” “Not while I’m here.” Emma pulls out a map that looks like it was drawn by a second grader who forgot how to use a crayon. “We’re in the good person side of the underworld. We’ll find our man in the in-between city around Hades’ castle.” “In-between city?” “Where all the people that aren’t too good or too bad go. He’s too lazy to sort through them.” “Isn’t sorting people his whole thing?” “That and plotting to overthrow Zeus.” She starts moving in a quick stride and I hurry after. “So how far is this town?” “Not far if you believe it.” “Believe what?” “That it’s not far.” We walk for several minutes before she states, “You’re not believing hard enough.” “What does that even mean?!” “Want the town to exist!” “The only thing I want is my money back.” “You didn't pay anything.” “I bought us the tickets to California.” “And I am eternally grateful.” “Good, because we’ll be walking for eternity at this rate.” I glance over my shoulder to check that the portal still exists. It does. She follows my gaze. “Oh, come on! That’s what you want to believe in?!” “What? You mean our only way home?” “It’ll come back when you believe you need it again.” “You’re making this stuff up.” “You’re too skeptical. Start believing in the town!” “You can’t command belief!” “You’re just unmotivated. Here- If you don’t, one of the blackies will get us and we will die slow and painful deaths.” “Blackies? Are those like harpies?” “Of course not. Harpies aren’t real.” I throw up my hands and she adds. “Blackies are Cerberus’s puppies. They’re huge, have three heads, and love the taste of human flesh. There are hundreds of them wandering the endless fields. External guard dogs.” My stomach drops as I scan for them. “Even in the good part of the underworld?” “Especially here. It’s to keep people from an external vacation.” “Uh huh. Uh huh- WHY ARE YOU ONLY TELLING ME THIS NOW!?” “We were supposed to be in and out. You’re the one who won’t believe.” “This is not motivation, Em, this is pressure!” “Would it help if I said they can’t reach us in the city?” “I don’t know!” “I guess we’re going to die then. Gory deaths are better when you don’t see it coming.” “What?!” “Don’t turn around.”

23 My scream comes out as more of a shriek as I turn to where she’s looking. The field is empty of any bloodthirsty man-sized mutts. She smirks at my frantic glare. “Not funny, Emma!” Her grin grows. “It was a little. Besides, it worked!” I turn to see a medieval town in the distance. It looks like something you’d normally see surrounded by a large wall in history books. A pitch-black castle rises in the middle of it. I face her with wide eyes. “How…?” “You wanted somewhere safe. Psychology.” I trudge after her when she starts walking. “At least the dogs won’t be able to reach us.” “I never said that.” “You-!” “Sure, I implied it, but I didn’t mean it. They can reach us anywhere. We should get moving before one catches our scent.” My shoulders slump in defeat. “We’re going to die.” “Probably.” “Gee, thanks.” “You’re welcome.” *** I keep glancing over my shoulder the whole way, but we make it to the town safely. “Let’s ask around! Maybe someone knows him!” Emma says. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should keep a low profile. We aren’t exactly supposed to be here, you know.” “I know that,” she says. “Then let’s find somewhere safe.” I start walking away, then turn around to make sure Emma is following me. She’s gone. I start searching the city. Eventually, I find her. She is talking to a man. “I found him!” she shouts. “What?” “I found him! The guy who invented coleslaw! I found him!” “Um, hello,” he says. “Why were you looking for me?” “Emma thought you would know how to get rid of the ghosts.” “Ghosts? Why would I know anything about ghosts? I just make coleslaw.”

24 Tails By Maddie Fortner

25 Clouds By David Cecil High upon the clouds It’s like a pillow of fluff I might fall asleep Thanksgiving By Kaya Bain We all gather round To give thanks for all we have And remember it

26 Heaven and Earth By Grayson Scarr

27 The Quest for the Wicked Witch By Adam Thai, Kaya Bain, Kaelyn Fortner, and Raegan Scarr Our cast starts walking by large buildings. We have Sergey leading the way with a hastily torn scrap of paper and a large sledgehammer that almost drags on the ground. Sergey is a temperamental human with a quick walk like he’s trying to run from the nonhumans following closely behind. Soleil follows first. He is a tall junior witch in a Halloween witch costume, sales tags and pumpkin basket included. Anastasia is next. She is a vampire dressed in gothic old fashioned formal wear and a parasol. She looks exactly like a traditional Russian vampire. Then following behind is Naoki, a shapeshifter and the youngest of the group. She is leaving and coming back within minutes. She looks human . . . kinda. Soleil “Are we there yet? Can I see the directions?” (He tries to grab the paper but Sergey smacks his hand away.) Sergey “No.” Anastasia “Leave the man alone.” Soleil “Hey! I only wanted to know when we’ll get there.” Sergey “You can find out if you look inside one of those utility covers with the round lid.” Soleil “I don’t see how that’ll work, but if the witch says so!” He opens the sewers and looks inside. Naoki (Pops up beside him) “See anything?” Soleil “Nope!” (Plugs his nose) “But I smell it!” Naoki “Maybe we need to look further.” (moves to push him in)

28 Anastasia “I do not know if you are aware, but the human is running away.” Soleil jumps up and Naoki almost falls in. Soleil “Oh my gosh! He doesn’t know we’re not behind him! Come on guys, hurry!” The camera finds Sergey at the top of subway stairs. He is seen looking over his shoulder and smirking. Sergey “Good. They are gone. Now, to get there I will need to take the C to the 1 and then-” Anastasia “What is this place and why are we here?” Sergey “It is a fast tube that takes you anywhere in the worl-” Soleil “OH MY GOSH, STAIRS!” Anastasia “Have you never seen stairs before? I assumed they were still common.” Naoki “Better question! Where do they lead?” (Naoki dashes down them without waiting for an answer) Soleil (While sliding down the railing) “WHEE!! It’s like a broomstick!” Anastasia (Walks down the stairs) Sergey (Follows slowly behind) Turnstiles sit at the bottom of the stairs and Naoki is seen glaring at them with a frustrated Soleil next to her. The setting is a dirty, modern subway system. There is the night rush of people boarding and generally milling around. The fluorescent lights make everything look washed out. The train is not yet here. Our cast is very out of place. Naoki “OPEN SESAME!”

29 Soleil “ABRACADABRA!” Passersby give the party some quizzical looks. Sergey “This is the way to the train. Just go through.” Naoki “What does it look like we’re doing!?” Anastasia “Perhaps it unlocks from the other side? Can you get over it?” Soleil “I‘ll do it!” Soleil throws his Halloween bucket over before struggling to climb over the metal turnstiles. He falls off on the other side and grabs his bucket back, before standing up. Soleil “I did it!” Anastasia “Do you see how to unlock it?” Sergey “I know how.” Sergey swipes a metrocard through the reader and walks through the gate. Anastasia disappears into the crowd as Naoki and Soleil gawk at Sergey. Naoki “It needs an artifact!” Soleil “Oh, I took a course on those in college! Cool teacher! What spell does yours have?” As Soleil speaks, Naoki shrinks down and then walks under the turnstile, growing back to normal height at Soleil’s side. Naoki “Witch college. Sounds boring. ONWARD!” (walks off) Soleil (Stopping Naoki) “Hey, no, we’re a group now! And witch college was not boring!” Naoki (huffs) “But what about Anastasia?” Sergey

30 (looks at sign) “The train should arrive in two minutes. When it does some doors will open and then we will wait to run in just as they close. Got it?” Anastasia appears back with a metro card made out to the very recently deceased Eric Tyler. Anastasia “Why do we have to wait? Surely that risks missing the train?” Sergey “Because I will knock your head off if you don’t.” Anastasia “Are you trying to abandon us again, sir? If you try, I will have you for dinner.” Sergey “Abandon? I never tried to abandon you because that would imply that I ran away- which is something I definitely did not do. If you eat me, however, then I no longer need this job, so I care not about the outcome.” Through this argument, Soleil is watching back and forth like an intense ping-pong match while holding onto Naoki’s shirt. She is fighting and wriggling to get away. Anastasia “I do believe you have been trying to leave us since we started, however, as long as you refrain from doing so again, I see no reason we cannot continue to work together. If you would prefer I drain you, however, that is always an option.” Naoki (gives up the struggle) “This is the most boring quest ever. More boring than witch college. Are we going to get the thing or not?” Soleil (Tearfully) “WHAT IS IT ABOUT WITCH COLLEGE?! ARE YOU JEALOUS OR SOMETHING?!” Naoki (Takes advantage of his emotional state to yank herself free and takes off) “FREEDOM!” With a screech, a 1 train arrives at the station. Naoki reaches the tracks just as the train doors open and attempts to slow her momentum by sliding into the train. She doesn’t see the lip, however, and trips, face planting against the floor with a startled “oof”. Anastasia is walking behind her, and when Naoki falls, she steps over her into the train. Naoki scrambles to her feet and follows Anastasia further into the train. Sergey, furious, reaches for his sledgehammer but seeing the doors beginning to close, stops and resigns himself to sprinting through. Soleil, without realizing the doors are actively closing, slowly follows, still heartbroken over witch college slander. Soleil sits down, crying into his bucket and eating long-expired Halloween candy. Anastasia sits next to him, watching the other passengers hungrily. Naoki goes to explore what she

31 has deemed a “moving building”. Sergey, seeing that there is an opportunity to get slightly further away from anyone else, stands nearby. Sergey opens the slip of paper to once again read the address. A familiar but also completely foreign term is written on the paper. The only true sense of this being a quest of old has been the use of paper maps. Well, and the all-powerful evil witch who would grant an award to whichever potential apprentice could bring her the number 7 item from the address. Train Announcement “Barshan hmblabl urnkat hrald-blrund waffkddes” Soleil “What spell was that?” Sergey “It means OI! You get off now.” Anastasia “You better not be lying to us again.” Soleil and Anastasia stand, and they, along with Sergey, approach the still-closed doors. Anastasia “Should we find Naoki?” Sergey “No. Those who get lost in here die. Always.” Anastasia “And you didn’t warn us?” Soleil “NAOKI!” Sergey “Seriously people, you can die anywhere. I do not know why this is such a shock to you. If I do not eat for a few months, I will just die. How is this a problem now?” Soleil “Speak for yourself, I can live upwards of a thousand years! Also, if you're hungry, I still have candy. You’re not you when you’re hungry, Sergey.” Naoki “I haven’t been me since I was five.” All three look down in surprise to find a black cat sitting next to Soleil with a bored expression, a few metal charms around a bracelet near her left paw. The train comes to a stop. There is a loud squealing sound. The doors open on the platform and everyone steps out. Soleil “Hey, Naoki, I’m glad you’re not dead!”

32 Naoki “Me too.” Sergey “I’m not.” Naoki *hiss* Anastasia “You should be.” Soleil “Guys, witching hour is starting soon! The witch will want us back really soon!” Anastasia “I believe it is only 9 o’clock.” Naoki (Sharp yellow eyes roll in exasperation before she suddenly sprints away, unnoticed by the rest of the group.) Soleil “Oh my gosh! That late already?! It’s almost my bedtime!” Anastasia “You want to work for a witch. I do believe that you will have to get used to late nights.” Sergey “We should leave now. 9:00 is when the giant rat-bears come out. I suggest that we exit the station quickly. Look, up there.” Soleil (Gasps and looks) “Aw!! Where’s the little smooshy boy?” Sergey (Stops walking away and slaps face.) Anastasia “Rat-bears are not real. Sergey, I hope you were just mistaken. You wouldn’t want to leave us behind again, would you?” Sergey “I heard that terrible accidents befall people who make vague threats like that.” Anastasia “Then I apologize. I will make myself more clear. If you try to leave us one more time, I will hunt you down and eat you. At this point, I almost hope that you do.” Naoki returns, dropping a limp rat and looking about expectantly. The station speakers crackle with the warning of the next train leaving. This draws the attention of our adventurers.

33 Platform Announcement “Blurrungsjfji salpishc-cirrusng nanig paluf.” Soleil “Guys, I did drop the course, but I’m pretty sure that was a flood spell, we have to leave now! The poor rat-bears!” Everyone begins to walk up the stairs. Once they’re all up the stairs, the party stops and takes a look around the city night. Anastasia “Sergey, do you still have the paper?” Sergey “Affirmative.” Anastasia “Then lead us. Remember, if you try anything . . .” Sergey “Go this way. Stop at the building that has the number 6458 in Arabic. You should also remember that any attempt to eat me will result in an immediate and hostile action against yourself which may result in injury.” Soleil “Naoki, it sounds like it’s pretty far; do you want to ride in my candy bucket?” Naoki (flicks tail thoughtfully) “I thought you were upset with me.” Soleil “Yeah, with Naoki-the-person, not Naoki-the-kitty-cat! You can’t be upset with a cat. I’m pretty sure it’s, like, a war crime.” Naoki “Works for me! But if you drop me, you won't like Naoki-the-kitty either.” (hops in bucket) Sergey “It is not a crime against humanity if you are not human.” Soleil “Well it’s a witch crime! Literally. You can’t mistreat your familiars. It’s a crime!” The crew is brought to a familiar and bright building. Sergey stands in front, clutching the piece of paper. No one knows what’s inside. What horrors they may have to face for the high witch. The final test for becoming an apprentice has always been the most daunting. Weapons drawn, looks exchanged, breaths steadied. And the door opens. “Hi, welcome to McDonalds, can I take your order?”

34 Fountain By Kaya Bain

35 Magicwriter Part 5 By Kaya Bain Damion, Jennifer, and I came out of the portal in a cave. “So, do you have a plan?” I asked Damion. “Of course. Come on.” We started to explore the area. The ground was rocky with no sign of trees or vegetation. After a few minutes, I was already out of breath, and we hadn’t seen any signs of other people. “Do you even know where we are?” I asked. “The map wasn’t very clear.” “At the top of a mountain range on the other side of the capital. That’s why you’re out of breath, the altitude can make it hard to breathe,” he said. I noticed he didn’t seem to be having any trouble at all. “We’re at the top of the mountain? But it’s unclimbable. Why would they be here?” Jennifer asked. “Like you said, it’s unclimbable. Come on.” We kept walking. I was beginning to think that there wasn’t anything here to find. Then I heard a shout from Jennifer. She was standing at the edge of a cliff. When I got over to her, I saw what she was shouting about. The cliff overlooked a pool of some sort. I couldn’t figure out what it was. It didn’t look like water, but I wasn’t sure what else it could be. It was probably a hundred feet down, and the cliffs looked like it would be a death sentence to climb down them. “The Iron Pool,” Damion said. “I didn’t think that it was real. It’s just a fairy tale,” Jennifer mumbled. “What is it?” I asked. Damion walked away. “We should go back to the cave and plan our next move.” *** “The Iron Pool. The Iron Pool. How can it be here?” Jennifer said. She had been repeating variations on it since we found it. Damion had been silent. “What is it?” I asked again. “It’s from an old legend. I don’t remember it exactly. Something about it being a site of evil. That ghosts live there. Here.” “The Iron Pool is where friendships die. Where ghosts come out to play. The specters haunt unwary souls And bring doom in their wake. Betrayals are exposed to all; Trust is broken, beyond repair. And Death comes for all At the Iron Pool,” Damion recited. “You know it,” Jennifer said, surprised. “Yes. I learned it as a child. And Master Etton was interested in it, before. He had been looking for proof of ghosts.” “And it looks like he is one step closer to finding it,” I said. “We should go,” Jennifer said. “If this place is real, we shouldn’t be here.” “No, we have to find them,” Damion said. “But it’s not real, is it? It’s just a story.”

36 “Yes, but while I’m sure all the stuff about friendships and betrayals and doom are just stories, there is probably some magic here. Which would make it a good base for them,” he said. “Why is it called the Iron Pool?” I asked. “They say that the pool is literally made of iron. That it is hot enough that it is liquid,” Jennifer replied. “We need to get down there. If it is real, then I believe that that is where Master Etton will be,” Damion said. “Don’t you think that, maybe, we should just leave? You don’t even know that there is anything to find,” Jennifer countered. “There is, I am sure. You must trust me.” “I think he might be right,” I said. “You too? He has you under his spell, don’t you realize? I’m not coming.” “Send her home,” Damion ordered. I tried to create a portal but failed. “What’s wrong?” Jennifer asked. “I don’t know.” “Someone must be blocking it. So, there is something to find after all,” Damion said. “Or it’s nothing. Who knows why it wouldn’t work. Maybe you just need to try again.” And so, I did. Many times. It didn’t work. Finally, Jennifer conceded that it either wasn’t working, or I wasn’t not trying. So, she decided to stay in the cave until Damion and I got back. *** Damion and I were making our way down to the pool when I saw something. Damion had found a set of tunnels and ramps that he thought would lead down. While we were walking, I saw a figure in the shadows of a cave. “What’s that?” I asked. “No one you need to worry about.” “But you were looking for other people. If there’s someone-” “Sorry, I misspoke. It’s just an illusion. A place like this, it is going to be full of magic. That could cause you to see things.” He didn’t look at me while speaking. I let it drop. It took almost two hours to get down to another level. It was getting noticeably warmer. We were still probably thirty feet above the pool. I leaned against the rocks, out of breath. “Come on. There are tracks here,” Damion said. “Can’t we stop here for a minute?” “No, it is too dangerous. We need to keep moving.” I pushed myself off the rock and followed him. He kept glancing around as we walked. I kept thinking that I saw figures in the shadows, but I could never make them out. When I mentioned them to Damion, he just reminded me about the magic. We found the remains of a camp in a large cave. “They were here recently,” Damion said. “Maybe we should wait here, they might come back.” “No, it’s too dangerous. We need to keep moving.” “What’s wrong? We’re looking for them. What are we running from?” “It doesn't matter.” “Yes, it does,” I insisted. “And I’m not going anywhere until you tell me.” “No, we . . . we need to go. Now.” He was obviously nervous. That frightened me, more than anything. “Why?” He was staring past me. I turned. The figures that I had been seeing were approaching us, surrounding us. “What are they?” I asked. “Ghosts,” he said. “What? Why are they here?” “I killed them. I killed all of them.”

37 They were surrounding him, driving him back against the cave wall. He looked terrified. “Can you drive them off with magic?” I asked. “I’ve been trying. It’s not doing anything.” “What do we do?” Just as I said it, the ghosts disappeared. A man walked into the cave. “You two are not nearly quiet enough to avoid our notice,” he said. “Who are you?” I asked. “Damion, you should have introduced us.” “This is Master Etton,” he said. “Yes, and you’re the Magicwriter. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Now, down to business. I help run a group that would like to see some change. I want you to join us.” “And if I don’t?” “I’ll kill people that you care about until you do.” “You wouldn’t.” “I absolutely would. In fact, I think a demonstration is in order. Gregorii,” he called. Master Gregorii stepped into view outside of the cage. He had Jennifer with him. “Master Gregorii, please, he’s trying to kill us. He’s planning a rebellion.” “I know,” he said. He pushed Jennifer closer to the edge. “Alright, stop, I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?” I asked. “First, I still think we need a demonstration, best way to keep loyalty. Go ahead.” I tried to run forward, but more men stopped me. Damion was surrounded by the ghosts again. Every time one of them got close to him, he would move back. I wasn’t sure if it was just fear, or if they were doing something to him. Jennifer tried to fight back, but she couldn’t use magic. Master Gregorii used a spell to stun her. He dragged her to the edge. “Stop!” I shouted. “What do you want?” “Right now, I want you to watch.” He pushed Jennifer over the edge. “Release her,” Etton said to the men. I ran to the edge. Below us, I could see the pool, but there was no sign of Jennifer. “How could you?” I cried. “Because you won’t question me again, now, will you?”

38 The Top By Grayson Scarr

39 [redacted] socks: [redacted] by adam thai Document of the Railway Security Committee (SBC/AFE/CSF). Do not distribute. Especially you, [redacted]. We know what you did with the last one. We know. [redacted] has been reported for failing to order lunch and for trying to do so at 5:00 p.m. This accusation has been provided by [redacted]. The investigation tribunal has questioned all relevant and non-relevant persons about the situation. If the accusation is found to be legitimate (it will be), [redacted] will be permanently exiled to France. On the day of the incident, [redacted] was inspecting a sock crime with [redacted]. [redacted] and [redacted] both filed reports against each other. This was followed by the immediate arrest of both inspectors. Before the incident occurred, [redacted] had come to work via [redacted] station on the [redacted] line. The tribunal spoke to several people who were on the platform at the time. They included Lou [redacted], Albert [redacted], Juliette [redacted] and Sacha [redacted], but not Marcel [redacted] as he has died since then. Lou [redacted] said: “Who was it? I do not remember– that was Monday.” Albert [redacted] said: “So, I am standing on the platform and [redacted] was on the train. Now, because the train was moving, time was passing slower for [redacted] than for me because he is moving faster. This is because the laws of physics are invariant in all inertial frames of reference and light in a vacuum travels at a constant velocity, regardless of the velocity of the observers.” Juliette [redacted] said: “Was that the one who seemed to get lost and then could not figure out how to open a door? I wanted to punch him.” Sacha [redacted] said: “I do not know! This is the seventh time you have asked me today. How about I give you 5€ and then you stop asking.” The tribunal spoke with the two most respected fishermen that [redacted] visited: Oliver [redacted] The Fish Hauler and Mohammed [redacted] The Trawlerman. They told us that [redacted] intended to travel to [redacted] next week to purchase turnips. Oliver [redacted] The Fish Hauler said: “[redacted] came here to purchase brown trout. Now of course I did not have any that day, so I offered him char, which I did have, but he insisted on having the trout. I asked why he needed the trout specifically and [redacted] said that he needed it for an important recipe that he saw on Pinterest, and everything had to be exact. He was even going to [redacted] to buy these special turnips or something. But he was still insisting on trout, so he went off to see The Trawlerman about it.” Mohammed [redacted] The Trawlerman said: “[redacted] had been talking to The Fish Hauler and then he came over here and he wanted to purchase some brown trout. One kilo. He said that it was for this big dish that he saw on Pinterest. I did not have any brown trout, so I offered him smelts and salmon, but he did not want them. He kept saying that he was going to [redacted] to buy some “special turnips” and needed the exact ingredients. I finally told him to just go to Colruyt to get it. He complained about it not being fresh and went on and on about how it could not be frozen or else it would lose the “intricate natural texture and smell”. To be honest, I fell asleep and when I woke up, he was gone.” The tribunal went to the closest Colruyt supermarket in [redacted] after this and spoke with the manager. The tribunal also purchased Rijstevlaai for lunch.

40 “I do not know who you are talking about, and you must know that I do not know who you are talking about. Hundreds of people come through here every day, and I am certainly not making detailed notes about them.” The tribunal got lost on the way back and had to [redacted]. [redacted] came from his flat the day of the incident. The tribunal spoke to both neighbors, Viktor [redacted] on the left and Noor [redacted] on the right as well as Matteo [redacted] on the lower floor. Viktor [redacted] said: “Yes, I think [redacted] left at 5:20 a.m. I am not sure why, but he keeps leaving bags of refuse and newspapers outside my door.” Noor [redacted] said: “Go away. I know that you are the SBC.” Inspection Officer [redacted] responded with the usual protocol. “You will answer the question.” “No.” Noor [redacted] was detained by the tribunal. Matteo [redacted] said: “[redacted] is a menace to sleep. Always flushing the toilets at strange hours and dropping heavy objects. He also needs to walk far slower and lighter— It always sounds like a stampede of-of toads; it sounds like toads. [redacted] needs to be removed! Deport [redacted]! Deport [redacted] to France!” The tribunal next traveled to the facility detaining [redacted]. [redacted] was the individual who originally filed the report against [redacted]. The tribunal also got lost on the way by getting on the train going to the city instead of the one going to the “Maintenance Facility.” It also purchased Boudin in the city for a snack. [redacted] said: “[redacted] forgot to order lunch. He may deny it and say that it was I who forgot to order lunch, but he denied it and then offered me a tomato. I did not tell [redacted] this, of course, but you should know that anyway.” The tribunal did not really understand what any of this meant as it had not [redacted]. Because of this, it next traveled to the room where the report was filed, in the [redacted] building at [redacted] complex in [redacted]. It also got lost on the way and purchased waffles for dinner. The tribunal spoke to the janitor, Léon [redacted]; the guard in the door at the time of the incident, Alix [redacted]; SBC/AFE/CSF Inspection Officer [redacted] and the dry cleaning carrier, Alba [redacted]. Léon [redacted] said: “[redacted] came in at around [redacted] and, as usual, he used the pretext of being cordial to slap me in the face. He went up the stairs but fell down part of the way up and moaned ‘Oh, my back’. [redacted] continued up the stairs but made pained sounds all the way.” Alix [redacted] said: “Okay, so [redacted] came in the door, right? And now, the man is an idiot, I know that, but it seriously took him ten minutes to find his ID card. Every time I tried to tell him that it was on the left side of his belt, he would say, ‘No, no. I have it here. It is right here, somewhere,’ and looked inside all his pockets and in his hat. Eventually, I pulled it off [redacted]’s belt and scanned it. He looked confused and then walked inside and slapped the janitor. I do not know his name — probably does not have one. Inspection Officer [redacted] said: “I was the one who was ordered to investigate the sock shop by [redacted] and [redacted]. When I arrived at the shop in [redacted], I [redacted] inside and found the requested [redacted] socks. There were also orders to confiscate the doughnuts in the break room, so I got those and brought them and the [redacted] socks back here. The socks were allegedly destroyed in the [redacted], but we all know that that did not happen.” The tribunal had a very pressing question to ask, “Do we get any of the doughnuts?” “I have no idea. Probably not.” Dry cleaning carrier Alba [redacted] said: “I was sent to [redacted] to bring a load of the laundry to the facility. I had two jackets, three pairs of trousers, one hat, two pairs of grey socks, and one single [redacted] sock. And on the way to my first stop, my moped broke and I had to walk the rest of the way. At the first stop, I dropped off one pair of trousers and the single [redacted] sock.”

41 The tribunal detained Alba [redacted] for being involved in plots to impersonate the Prime Minister. The tribunal also got doughnuts for another snack as they would not give us the other ones. Under section [redacted] of the [redacted] orders (2017 edition), the tribunal was given the authority to use the [redacted] train to finally interrogate [redacted]. As per [redacted] protocol, the transcript shall be placed here. Inspection Officer [redacted]: “You are guilty of forgetting to order lunch.” [redacted]: “That is incorrect. I have done no such thing.” Inspection Officer [redacted]: “You have been recorded saying that you did.” [redacted]: “The recording is false.” Inspection Officer [redacted]: “You will be deported to France. Permanently. You may ask questions now.” [redacted]: “It was [redacted]’s fault. Be sure to cut her bacon ration.” The tribunal would like to note that that was not a question. Inspection Officer [redacted]: “A different tribunal is handling that.” This concludes the investigation. [redacted] is on the [redacted] train to France. Permanently.

42 Nine By Adam Thai

43 Insurance Fraud By Adam Thai and Raegan Scarr “Now, firstly, look here. What is this?” “It is a house.” “Wrong, profit.” “Look over here, what is this?” “It is a car.” “Wrong, also profit.” “Now what is this mailbox?” “Profit?” “No, of course not. It is just a mailbox. You cannot commit insurance fraud with one of those.” “Indeed you cannot. This is the guide to InsuranceFraud®.” “Hi! My name’s Steve!” “And I’m Charlie!” “And we’re your step one to taking down the government!” “Woah, woah, woah, cut the cameras.” Charlie waves his arm to the cameraman. “Steve, no! You need to stop trying to overthrow the government!” Steve proceeds to throw down his script and pouts aggressively. Charlie rubs his temples and picks up Steve’s script. It has been four hours and still Charlie’s business partner is finding new, and much worse than tax fraud, things to add into their business. Like river removal. Or just straight up doing your taxes. Sometimes, Charlie thinks, I can swear Steve doesn’t understand what we’re doing here. “Just,” Kathleen sighs, lifting her glasses up and rubbing her temples, “just read from the script, Steve!” A major sense of deja vu sets in as this is all the four people have been doing for the past four hours. “Can I just read it?” Charlie complains, gesturing to Steve, who’s still kicking imaginary rocks and pouting dramatically. “No! Hey! I am funding this company; I get to be involved in commercial filming!” Steve snaps out of his pout and turns sharply to Charlie and Kathleen. Taylor keeps quiet and doesn’t get involved. They’re all his bosses. And he’s not even getting paid for it. I guess that’s what he gets for applying to an insurance fraud agency. “You may have the money, but I’m running the show,” Charlie lashes out, like he isn’t yelling at a multi-millionaire. And as he quickly comes to find out, multi-millionaires aren’t fond of being yelled at. Kathleen, as director and manager of InsuranceFraud Co., has to keep her team together, which is more difficult than one would think. The first law of crime, in case you, as the reader, aren’t aware, is communication. Conveniently, it’s also the first law of… well, most everything! Communicate with your team, communicate with your spouse, communicate with yourself. Just… if you chose the route of crime, it’s not recommended you communicate with the authorities. “Hey! HEY!” Kathleen chases Steve into the parking lot, “get back inside!” Charlie follows, with Taylor a breath away, still carrying their camera. “No!” Steve yells, tearfully. “Dude! Come on, I’m sorry!” Charlie yells, out of breath. Insurance fraud isn’t exactly a business where sprinting endurance is a requirement. Taylor, on the other hand, is paying for college on a track and field scholarship.

44 “Back to work! We are still working on filming the first lecture and you could not even get through that,” says Kathleen. “This is an order.” “How much are you going to charge for this course?” asks Taylor. “That is classified,” replies Steve. “But you must know that this course will not be distributed by legal means. In other words, it will be on the dark web and paid for in cryptocurrency.” “The most important step in committing insurance fraud is making sure whatever you destroy is actually insured. In lecture seventeen, we will get into what the most profitable items are, but for now, we will only be considering houses and cars,” says Charlie, reading from the script. “Cameraman, stop,” says Steve. “My name is Jerrold.” “I don’t care,” sings Steve. “What about life insurance fraud?” asks Steve. “You know, when you fake your own death to get the payout.” “Our prospective customers are much too dumb to ever get through all of the paperwork necessary for that,” says Charlie. “Can we please focus? Everything takes so long when you try to mess with things. Just go along with it.” “Ughhh. Fine. Let’s get it over with. When you are committing insurance fraud, you must own the property that you destroy. Why do you think this is? If you said ‘because if you do not own the property, *yawn* the payout will go to the owner’ then you are correct.” “Do it again,” says Kathleen. “Without the yawn, of course.” “But it is boooring,” moans Steve. “Just do it,” says Charlie. “We have been here for hours and still haven’t even got through the first lecture video.” “No.” “You know what?” says Charlie. “I am done with this. I am selling my stake in the venture.” “Good. Now you cannot stop me,” mutters Steve. “Wait, how much do I have to pay you then?” “Thirty-seven dollars,” states Charlie bluntly. “Seems a bit steep,” says Steve. “I need to go pick up some coins on the ground and try to rob the vending machine at the park. Charlie, when I overthrow the government, which will be in a glorious coup, I will be sure to have you disappeared.” “Good luck with that,” says Charlie as he walks away. Steve begins to pace around the floor and staring uncomfortably at everyone else. He kicks down the cardboard house and mailbox props. “We are going into accounting—doing other people’s taxes. Kathleen, Taylor, Cameraman, get to work.” “My name is–” “Shut it!” “Do you have anyone who needs taxes done?” asks Kathleen. “No.” “Do any of us know how to handle business taxes?” asks Taylor. “Not my problem,” says Steve, as he moves to take down the filming set. “Figure it out as you go.” “You realize that I have never done taxes of any sort, right?” “Well you’re useless then,” mutters Steve. “Alright then, I’m taking your liver.” “No,” says Taylor, who begins to back away. “I will have your liver, and I do not care if you are alive or dead,” says Steve. Steve shoves a bag of dry beans into a CO2 cannon and fires a shot. It misses by seven meters and shatters a window. He points at Taylor. “Kill him.” “Will your insurance cover my legal bills if I do this?” asks Kathleen. “No,” says Steve, “I can barely pay it as is. Okay, we will do it alive.”

45 Taylor tries to run but slips on the spilled beans. Steve quickly catches up and pins him down. He tries to grab for Taylor’s liver but finds that it is still inside. Steve is confused and tries to restrain the wriggling Taylor. “You two!” Steve yells at Jarrold and Kathleen. “Get the liver!” “This is taking a long time,” says Jerrold. He searches through his bags. He produces a potato. He hands it to Kathleen. “Give the potato to him. This is taking a long time.” Kathleen walks over to where Steve is pinning Taylor. “I removed his liver earlier.” “No!” Taylor protests. Kathleen gestures for him to shut up. “Here is the liver.” She hands Steve the potato. “Why is it so weird?” asks Steve. “It is all brown and lumpy and hard.” “Taylor obviously has a very unhealthy diet. This is what cirrhosis looks like,” says Kathleen. “I do no-” Kathleen kicks Taylor to stop him. “Alright,” says Steve, “I guess I will go sell this liver on Ebay. I can’t imagine that it will sell for much in this state and with being so small. This is ridiculous! I need money to overthrow the government! And you three have been no help at all! I will blow up this building with you inside of it.” “But those explosives are for the InsuranceFraud® course,” says Jerrold. “Let me out! Let me out!” screams Taylor. Steve picks up the detonator. “There is no reason as to why I should not blow it all up.” “It will increase your insurance costs,” suggests Kathleen. “Indeed, on second thought, I will not blow it all up. I really can’t afford that at this point.”

46 The Berries of Life By Grayson scarr

47 Quiet By Kaelyn Fortner The evening is quiet. It spreads a gentle calm that offers shadows to hide in and a full moon to brighten what the street lights don't cover. It's a quiet that even muffles the hum of a car's engine as it passes by, promising safety and peace. However, the promise is fragile and easily broken by a scream. It's a short cry, barely lasting a second before it stops abruptly, and the people in their beds remain oblivious to the danger a life could be in. There's someone on the sidewalk when the silence is broken, and Gemma freezes in her tracks at the sound, as any reasonable sixteen-year-old in her place would. It's a brief pause, a moment of hesitation, and now she's running. Unlike other teens in her position, it's not back the way she came. She's not seeking out an adult or a safe place to hide. She chases the fleeting cry and almost misses when she reaches her destination, skidding to a stop as goose bumps flush her skin. The alleyway is cloaked with shadows, but she can see the struggle going on within. A man throws the source of the scream to the ground, the lady's purse in his other hand. Gemma expects to see attire that reveals him to be a thug or gangster, but he wears jeans and a navy hoodie, the hood drawn over his face to hide his features. With an arm outstretched, he demands that she hand over the necklace in low tones. The lady is visibly terrified, and her fear keeps Gemma petrified. She can only watch as the lady is left with no choice but to obey. The necklace glitters expensively as it's taken off, and the thief rips it from her trembling hands. The lady's voice breaks as she begs, but her words are too rushed for Gemma to make out. With a warning glare, he snaps for her to shut up as he digs through the purse, checking his loot. There's a triumphant sneer spreading across his face. A flame is lit within the watching girl as her shock morphs into a burning fury. “Hey!” It's the second cry to pierce the air, and it has the same reaction on the two people in front of her as the first did on her. They both freeze, and then the man takes off running in the opposite direction, attempting to disappear into the back alleys. Gemma spurs to action. She surges past the woman on the ground, adrenaline pumping in her veins and justified anger leading her steps. The lady calls after her, but she's drowned out by the blood flooding Gemma's ears, muffling her surroundings as she makes out the man's fleeing shape. Her parents had put her on a track team years ago in the hopes of helping her expel the energy always bubbling within her. This allows her to catch up. It's hard to keep track of him, and she wonders how often the night's shadows remain neutral, hiding both the villains and those they choose to torment. He looks over his shoulder, blue eyes flashing in a mix of surprise and frustration. He stops suddenly, spinning to face her when he realizes who's giving chase. Gemma feels a sudden panic rise as she forces herself to stop as well, only slightly winded from the sprint as he pants heavily. Her anger abandons her as it dawns just how terrible of an idea it was to pursue a stranger through back alleyways.

48 His fists clench as she studies him, mind racing to figure out what she could do next. He looks like an ordinary guy. He doesn't have the muscle to scare her, but he's a full-grown man, which automatically turns the odds in his favor. She does a careful scan of the alley, a glint of silver near an overfilled dumpster catching her attention. The momentary distraction seems to be what the man is waiting for, and he drops the purse to charge like a raging bull. In a moment of fight or flight, Gemma chooses both, obeying the instinct to run and making a mad dash to the left, heart pounding in her ears when he closes in faster than anticipated. She reaches out as he comes up behind her, her fingers closing around the handle- -her other arm is yanked, shooting pain up to her shoulder and dragging her body with it. He's bending to pull her closer to him, his face breaking her personal bubble, and with a sharp gasp, she closes her eyes and swings. She hears it hit, and an eye cracks open after the following thud, both widening as she realizes that the pressure on her arm is gone, and the man's slumped on the ground. She's frozen in shock as she hugs the pan to her chest, trembling as his stomach rises and falls evenly, trying to comprehend what she'd just done. When it finally sinks in, Gemma's eyes are drawn back to the pan, and her heart rate settles as she laughs weakly. As it turns out, her favorite Disney Princess had the right idea. Conscious of how off-balance she feels, she slowly makes her way to the purse. Gently nudging the shimmering necklace safely inside, she forces herself into a light jog in the direction that she came, her bouncing nerves calming the further she gets from the thief. The lady is standing where they left her, face pale and eyes round, and she releases a sharp gasp when Gemma comes into view. Gemma quickens her pace and stops in front of the lady, holding out the purse. She rests her other hand on her knee, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. The lady speaks in the same rushed tone as she takes her purse back. It sounds like gibberish. Gemma worries that she hit her head when she fell. Then, it hits Gemma that she's not speaking gibberish, but she's using another language. Gemma’s face reddens, and she timidly interrupts, “S-sorry, I, uh, I don't understand? No- No speak?” She shrugs awkwardly as the lady stops talking to stare at her. It seems to take a second to sink in, but when she speaks again, it's with a heavy accent. “I call police. Are you okay? No harm to you?” Gemma nods, the heat that colors her face fading. “Yes, I'm okay. The- the man back there might not be though.” She points behind herself before she holds up her dented, rusted weapon. “I kinda . . . hit him with a pan?” The woman says something under her breath, and it almost sounds like a prayer. “He's okay,” Gemma assures her, a new anxiety rising as she realizes this might not be true. There are sirens in the distance, and Gemma's heart jumps to her throat as she realizes that she doesn't want ‘attacked a thief’ on her permanent record. Her frequent trips to detention are one thing, but prison is not a road she was looking to go down. “I- I should go!” The lady turns in surprise and responds in her own language, but Gemma swerves around her, dashing out of the alley and down the sidewalk. She's unaware that she's still holding the pan until she collapses on her apartment stairs, her mind still racing at the speed she had been traveling. She stares at the dented pan for the longest minute of her life, and then she watches the street, waiting for the police to show up with handcuffs and jail time.