((Oops- Sorry! I was typing really fast, and I didn’t double check everything like I usually do- hence the non capitalization of fresh and the misspelling of your name.))
Now that it’s gone, I thought, I will try to summon a mirror. I concentrated. A mirror flew into my hand. I dipped a finger in, stuck my arm in, grabbed Adeia, and went through. “Something’s holding my foot! Ow! Geroff!” Adeia shouted.
“Ummm,” I say. I usually am at a loss for words. I think of something to say.
“I don’t think we should read the letters until everyone else comes back. It wouldn’t do to go on an adventure with just the three of us.”
Bookworm and Eta agree with me.
“So, uh,” Bookworm says. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” Eta replies.
“Ummmm,” I try to think of an answer. “We could go to the beach, or take a hike in the woods, or go letterboxing, or play Parker in the lounge…” I trail off.
((gaack! I have no idea where I am or what’s going on. . . last I knew everybody was at the pidda field. . . but then that was three weeks ago. . . anybody care to tell me what’s going on?))
“Can you hear me please answer… ” This was not as easy as it was in the past… but it is my only hope, now that my voice is gone. In my past I preformed under the name the Phoniex and my voice is what got me through my rough life alone. What would I do now?
I decided to help Kokonilly- she seemed to have the situation under control, but there was nothing else that needed butt kicking. So I tripped the monster, who then hit its chin on the floor, broke a tooth, and yowled in pain. It tried to get up but couldn’t, as Kokonilly was on its back. Leafygreen ((officially incorporated at last)) ran over to help me in kicking the beast and breaking more teeth.
“Oh, thank you, guys…” I panted as I frantically took out my lightsaber and drove it into the creature’s spinal cord. The creature screamed terribly, looked at me with its red eyes, and vanished. “Do you think it died?” RAWR ((I like short hair!)) asked nervously.
((19- TYVM!!)) We hopped away with the hairball still hanging on to Adeia’s leg, and promptly fell into the pit. The hairball started attacking the beast.
((The monster’s dead- so what’s happening in the Hall of Portals now? Adiea and Zinc- where did you come out of the mirror? Are you guys back in the Hall of Portals?))
I pulled out the box of pocky I keep in my pocket for post dire situations. “Pocky, anyone?” I pass the box around, selecting one for my self. I sucked on the chocolate end while staring at the spot where the monster had been.
((31- Really GOOD. I ♥ Pocky)) I ate my Pocky slowly, ten looked at the remains of the monster. Those teeth could be useful. I picked up a tooth and start carving a hole in our prison.
((33 – They’re not called Pocky. They’re called something else, right? Jack & Jill, am I not right? Seriously, I just had some a couple of weeks ago.))
((36- They have green tea, too?! Is it any good? My grocery store only sells chocolate and strawberry. The strawberry’s okay.
35- Perhaps the American version is Jack & Jill. Are they really biscuit sticks? I’ve only seen biscuit wafer things, American candy wise.))
((6- sorry Baylee! I’ve been in VT! so… we are in the infinetial library/infirmary, MLS and sonone else are on the pidda field chasing papers, and mostly everyone else is in the HALL OF PORTALS right?))
“hi baylee! what do you think we sould do with this? [the key/rooms of coulrse] “I wonder if we can find the others with it. I have the feeling they are in trouble. “
((37 & 38 So are you two in Asia or America?))
I try to help Zinc but I first need to help myself, I was being attacked by the hairball agian but only with slobbery kisses! I lifted up the hair and there was a little dog, I think… it’s hard to tell with all the hair! “Off boy!’ I command and the dog obediantly gets off. Every one laughs as it follows me around as I help Zinc…
A voice came out of no where and Baylee thought it would be a good idea to close the book. “Yeah, maybe we can just say we want to go to someone, like, let’s say, Zinc, and we open the door and there we are!” She walked back into the infirmary with Eria. “Try it.”
((hello? Baylee? ok, weell, I am bored so I will continue))
a blank wall. I push at it, but it dosnt work. “darnit!!! I geuse it cant take us to places that lready exist!!” “here, let me try” says Baylee, “mabey you arent wordint it right”
(( (44) Wow. A bit of culture shock, too, I would imagine. Makes me think of my 4th-grade teacher, a native Hawaiian, who had relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, by the time I was in her class.))
((45 – Yes. Definitely; only recently did I find out what ‘normal’ people ate with steak. I was talking with MARFwarrior, and she said “Do you have rice every day?”. I said yes, and she asked me what I have with steak. I gave her a funny look and said, “Rice. Every time. Why, what do you eat?” She said fries.
My reaction: REALLY????? WEIRD!
And there was this time when we had just arrived in Minnesota, and my teacher said something like “place it in the bag” but she pronounced ‘bag’ with a long a (think vague), so I said “What’s a bauge?” “You know, a BAUGE! YOU CARRY STUFF IN IT!” “Oh, you mean a bag?” “Whatever”. THAT was an interesting conversation.
((My mother was from Mississippi and had a strong Southern accent. I spent my early years in California and still remember the shock of figuring out that what my mother called an “arnj” was the same thing all the other kids called an “OR-ange.”))
(( (47) Hm. I am the only person in my family who says “OR-ange” instead of “AR-ange” — none of them condense it down to “arnj” — and I’ve never known where I picked it up.))
((I was born and raised in CT, so I dont have any accent at all, but I like playing with a british one! my dad stayed in England for a year in college with my grandparents friends, so he has a good one when he tries. my friend’s dad has the BEST scottish accent in america!))
((ooooooooor-ange he he! shouldnt we get back to the storyBaylee? I thik it was your turn to try the key cause I pronounced it wrong or it wont work! up to you!))
“here you try baylee” *hands Baylee the key hoping she will be able to make it open to where Zinc is))
((38- Well, not all chocolate bars are Ghirardelli.
40- America… I wish I was in Scotland or Ireland, but I am here.
46- Fries and steak? Interesting. I have… *thinks* Couscous or noodles.
51- Me too! It actually became a habit for me to talk with an English accent when ever I was nervous. My theatre teacher broke me of it, though.))
*Dodges machine gun bullets* ((Sorry, RK- I didn’t see your post.))
((13- Sorry… I thought it was that the entire time! ))
“There’s a box in those woods. I went on the website right after lunch,” I say, pointing. “I bring stamps and ink pads with me everywhere,” I produce from my backpack my own cat stamp, two multicolored inkpads, the clues, my notebook, and various other stamps. “Take your pick of a stamp. I don’t have any extra paper, though.”
((Letterboxing: You troop around in the woods and search for little boxes with stamps and notebooks in them using clues you have recieved via online, mail, or word of mouth. You also have your own stamp and notebook. When you find the box, you stamp your stamp in the box’s notebook to show you were there. You stamp the box’s stamp into your notebook as a memento of the trip. All in all, a fun experience. And way more fun than geocaching, no matter how much more popular the latter seems.))
“I have a stamp, MLS! Let’s head to the woods!” I showed MLS and Polly my stamp, consisting of a stack of books and the word “Bookworm” in caligraphic engraving.
((410 previous thread – Whoops, I didn’t mean to imply your character didn’t notice the others left. I meant the “she” in that sentence to mean “Eta”, but I didn’t make that clear.
46 – I didn’t know fries were the norm, either! Weird. I don’t like steak, but if I did, I think it would taste better with the rice.
Re: accents…always an interesting subject. Northerners would probably say I have an accent, but I don’t think it’s too southern – I’m pretty sure I pronounce orange “OR-ange” instead of “AR-ange,” for instance. People who grow up in rural Kentucky usually do have a strong accent, though; not as much of a southern drawl as Georgians, but probably comparable to Tennesseeans.
58 – *takes hint* But I kind of lost track of your storyline, sorry!))
“Hey, I think I might actually have one of those…” Eta rummaged through her bag excitedly. “…Ah-ha! I knew this would come in handy someday,” she exclaimed happily, having retrieved a stamp from her bag that was just the right size and shape for letterboxing. It was a simple design featuring an elder sign ((a slanted branch with three twigs on the left side and two on the right)) with one extra line through it to make an E for “Eta”.
((oh BAYLEEEEEEE!!! it seems that many people want other people to get back from **** and such so we can resume school. do you wnat the key to work? I do so I might play you for a tiny bit? later?))
The wall of the prison started to go wavy. I dropped the fang and started spinning/dancing around singing “Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun, like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood, who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good,” Leafy started singing. “Like a ship blown from it’s mooring, by wind from the sea, like seed dropped by a skybird, in a distant wood, who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” Then we sung it all over again! ((Guess what musical that bit song is from!))
((Woah, I know where I am, Beatlesrockr. ))
Suddenly, Eria and Baylee appear next to Bookworm, Eta, Polly, and me. Eta, Bookworm, and I are not phased, as stranger things had happened on our last adventure. Polly jumps visibly.
“How did you–you–” She stutters.
“Wow, now we have a party!” I exclaim. Turning to the newcomers, I say, “We’re going letterboxing in those woods! I already have the clues. If you don’t already have stamps, you can choose from these,” gesturing with the already prooffered stamps.
((68- Yeth. You are correcth.)) We finished singing and danced over to the shimmering wall. We leaned against it, and melted in. A second later, Leafy and I were under a bush. We scrambled out, and blushed under the startled gaze of Polly. I started pulling branches out of my hair, as did Leafy.
The little Hairball of a dog that seemed to have adopted me as it’s owner, suddenly ran off towards a tunnel, stopped, and then ran back to me as if it wanted me to follow him. With me following lead me down a dimly light light tunnel. I saw no source of light untill I reached the portal. It was what was giving off the shimering blue light. The little hairball went through as I hesitated, coming back after a moment and looking up at me implorinly. I followed through… The stone around me swirled as my head was knocked against something hard, or did something hit me? This was the question in my mind as I fell in to uncounsiosness…
I looked around, confused again. At a loss, I followed Adeia ((we were in the same place, right?)) down the tunnel. I stopped short when I saw Adeia fall- I wanted to help, but the tunnel was so dark- I didn’t want to get hit, too! I cautiously started forward.
(( Sorry for the double post but I have an idea to continue… ))
I woke up with a splitting headache and the faces of Zinc, Leafy, Kokonilly, Baylee and the rest looking down on me . I sat up and gathered my bearings, as Hairball, the dog jumped up on me, covering me with ksses. Not bothering to ask where I was as I had figured out I was in the MA infirmiry, I asked “Why I am I the one whose always knocked out?” this was answered with laughter… I continued , “Now can we go letter boxing?!” this was answered by cheers as I got upand we stampeded out the door, Hairball in tow… before rushing out I fingered the stamp in my pocket, a phoneix rising.
“Leafy, do you have a stamp?” She nodded, and showed me a stamp, a fine calligrafied LG, entwined in vines and resting on a leaf. “Yours?” I showed her my stamp. It had a big ZINC on it, and below it was a smaller “the sorceress.” There was a circular border around it of flowers, musical notes, suns, peace signs, smiley faces, and stars. I even had silver glitter ink in my pocket!
Kyra showed us the clues. ((Or MLS, whatever.)) Go waffles to the big syrup tree. “Go waffles?” Bookworm asked, obviously confused. “Never Eat Soggy Waffles!” I shouted. Everyone stared at me. “North East South West,” I explained. We went west, and stopped. “There’s a hole grove of big trees!” Leafy said. “How are we supposed to find a syrup one? Heck, what is a syrup tree?” “A maple!” RAWR said. Leafy pulled out her tree guide. “It’s that one over there!” she said, pointing. It was a big tree in the center of the grove. Look everywhere. Everyone was climbing all over the branches and the base of the tree. “Hey peoples, I think I found it!” Kokonilly yelled. “Where?” Adeia said. “Look up.” she said simply. We looked up. There, tied to a peice of string that was hanging of a branch, was a metal box. “I’ll get it!” shouted Baylee. She scampered up the trunk and yelled down to Eta, “Catch!” Then she untied the string and it fell into Eta’s hands. AvalonGirl opened the box.
((67- Oh sorry, I meant for Baylee to have said that))
Baylee looked around, she needed a stamp. “Um….” she felt her pocket to see if she was carrying one with her. A large lump appeared that she hadn’t noticed before. “Oh yeah!” she remembered she had been doing the late night exercises the day before the Pidda Field incident. She held up her stamp to see if it was damaged at all. It had a trident and a lighting bolt crossed with a lions head in the middle. The border was a dragon curled around it, in the dragon, was “Bailey”. A pretty complicated stamp. She pranced off towards the woods with everybody singing ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’.
“Oh, hey guys!” Eta said, greeting her friends as casually as if they had simply walked up rather than appeared out of the blue. “It’s letterbox tiime,” she added as she was already skipping off into the woods.
“What?” Eta blinked just as someone said catch. When she opened her eyes, a box was flying at her. She thrust out her arms just in time to grab it. Grinning, she handed over the box for Avalongirl to open.
Baylee grinned as the box fell to the ground. The first box. “What kind of stamp is inside?” She asked as she slid down, brushing off bark and some leaves from her shirt.
Polly brushed off the box, and slowly pried the lid open. In it was a note book and a stamp. She handed the box to Baylee and started rummaging around in her backpack. “I knew I had a stamp in here some where,” she told the others as she pulled out her stamp. It was an open book underneath a plate of cookies and “Polly”.
“Wow! I call first dibs on the book!” I engraved my stamp in the book, the box’s stamp in my book. Then, I settled down to read the book, and see who else had found this box…
I was climbing up the tree, not to get the letterbox but something else that had caught my eye… I reached it. I then pulled my self up on a branch to read it. It read the following… A riddle is what you have found indeed
Solve and the next clue will be seen
((What should the riddle be?))
((Maybe it could be Leaves of three let it be
Not today, come find me
beside the mouth that does not eat
Find an island dry and high
That does not look complete.))
Baylee looked around excitedly as she waited for her turn to stamp the book. Finally, when she got a hold of it she stamped her stamp in the book and took the stamp from the book and stamped it in her notepad.
I was a bit confused as to what we were doing (“Oh, right. Letterboxing”), but I nevertheless stamped both the box and my notebook. My stamp looked like this:
_
/ :. \
\ \_/ /
Except it looked better. ((I can only do so much with these small boxes.))
“Hey Adeia, whatcha got there?” Baylee called up to her. She held up a small piece of paper. “Read it out loud!” Baylee called again.
((Should it be (post 89)?))
((I’m going camping, and will be back on Monday- my character is open for use. Now my mom is yelling at me, making me quite stressed. She is yelling at me to pack… Sigh…))
((92 Yes More or less))
I read aloud… A riddle is what you have found indeed
Solve me and the next clue will be seen
Leaves of three let me be
But not today, come find me
beside the mouth that does not eat
Find an island dry and high
That does not look complete
“Poisen ivy… poisen ivy…hmm, mouth…mouth…Great Purple Poodle, I might have it!” I shouted, suddenly euphoric, “Okay, this may be wrong, but…” *drumroll* “a cave with poisen ivy near it, with some sort of island or pedestal in the center with a chunk missing out of it. It may be broken or may never have been completed, so we may have to watch out for building supplies. No one wants to step on a saw!”
“Wow…” said Leafy, slightly dazed, “I never knew you were that smart…”
I swatted at her, “You know, even some of the less intelligent are allowed to have brainwaves every once and a while. I also want you to remember that time in fifth grade when Mr. J scored my project higher than yours.”
“1 point, 1 point! ”
“Guys! Guys!” shouted Agrrrfishi, “Simmer down!”
“LET’S GO FIND THAT PEDESTAL!!!!!!” yelled Baylee, “Where ever it is…”
“Whoooaaaaa, people, slow down! Zinc, are you sure that’s the right answer?” Adeia said.
“Ummm, I guess, um sorta,” I said, losing confidence in my idea with every word Adeia spoke.
“Hey!” Leafy shouted, suddenly defensive,”That’s a right fine idea, even if I didn’t think of it. And it’s the best idea we have at the moment. AND ONE MORE THING: NO ONE, and I mean no one is allowed to make sweet little Zinc-y over here lose confidence but me.”
“Thanks, er, best friend…” I muttered darkly, “Thanks for looking out for me…”
“Yes, and everyone should know that you only scored better because you turned yours in early for 5 extra credit points. Great work takes time!”
“Early…?” I murmered incredulously, “You turned yours in a month late.”
“What were these projects on?” Kokonilly asked, raising her eyebrows.
We looked at each other. “You know-” I began,
“-We have no idea.” Leafy finished.
“Figures.” The rest of the group said together in a brief but completely coincidental example of cosmic allignment (although Agrrrfishi said it with plentiful sarcasm).
“Ooh! I do! I found one in my pizza at lunch! Maybe…” I pulled out my map. “They’re here!” I said, jabbing a finger at a blank spot. “No they’re there!” Leafy said with a flourish of her finger, pointing at a spot on the other side of the paper. “No the’re THERE!” “There! “THERE!” “Uh oh, here come the bicker girls.” Agrrrfish isighed. We momentarily looked up from the map to stared at her. “Bicker girls…?” Leafy asked, confused. Agrrrfishi gave us slight, not to mean, smirk when Bookworm wrenched the map out of our hands and started consulting it. “It’s that way.” he said, pointing at a part of paper neither of us pointed at. “We knew that.” I said.
((Er… thanks? I’ll combine them. This right after my post.)) “But, Bookworm said, “That part is’nt filled in.” “We can use my map!” Kokonilly chimed in. “Is yours complete?” Baylee asked. “I think!” she said. “FINE, give total disrespect of Zinc’s ma-” Leafy said before I clapped her mouth shut. “Great, let’s go!” I said hurriedly. Then I gave Leafy a look.
((i have been so busy I finaly caught up! here I appear randomly again)) I step out of a dorway in mid air, actually the side of a tree, since I was sleeping when baylee left. she left the key behind, so I was able to follow so here I am, wearing my water/dragon/pida/key/fire/book proof cloak and with a tower of maps and guides from the eternal library. “uhhh, hi! I thought you were letterboxing? will we still need all these maps?” I saw the one kokonilly had. “oh! I ve got that one too!” I set the books down and spread out the maps untill a found a considerably less beat up version of kokonillly’s map. it was the same exept that a pice near the middle was the missing piece of zinc’s map, even though noone knew it. ((is that a better morph?)) i picked up the map, restacked the books and said, “um… where should I go?”
((Oh, Bayleeee, where is your dear friend, Mr.O’Mara?)) “First, you need to drop the books.” Leafy said. ((Earthgirl, my friend, you must try to use proper capitization and spelling. It’s quite annoying.))
((sorry. :oops:))
“why!?” said eria, rather defensively. “they are mostly maps and guides to the area and those will be useful!” never the less, I opened the door to the eternal library and shoved about 1/3 or the more far-flung books back, oblivious to the stares that arose when I used the invisible “key of requirement” ((for anyone who didnt know, it is like to room of requrment but 5x better since it is portable and can go to places that already exist)) “um…what should we do about everyone stuck in the room of portals? kr79 for example?”
((You should get rid of that room, Eria. It might have bad influences on the rest of us. We [at least I] don’t want this turning into a complete fantasy. Let’s just stick with letterboxing for now, then go back to school.))
((108- Yay for pocky! My friend Olivia would bring it in at lunch and she’d share it with us! Wait- You work?)) I heard a small ringing sound coming from a clump of bushes. I went to those bushes, and pulled the leaves aside. There was a small hole, and after half a second something started attacking my face. “Hey! OW! Gerroff!” I yelped. I wrenched the animal from my face and found it to be a small, dirty river otter. It looked at me, and snuggled up against my chest. “That’s the second one!” Leafy said. “We have an outbreak of animals attacking people then adopting them as their owners!” I sighed, but it was true.
“ha ha!” eria called triumphantly, “I have a book on raising baby otters in their natural habitat! I KNEW books would be useful!” she shoved the siad book to leafy ((are you a vampire leafy?)).
((107-youre’ right mls. I will lose it, which should be easy as it is invisible, in the numerous pockets of my purple cloak. let’s get letterboxing!))”now, let’s get letterboxing!”
“Zinc, It is a good idea but there are many caves around MA and only one river. In water there is a higher chance of finding a island. But you’re right it is called the mouth of a cave as is the mouth of a river.” I said
((105- ))
Baylee piped up, “I think Adeia’s right. There are many caves, and only one river, plus, that river does have a lot of giant rocks near it. Maybe that’s what it meant? A giant rock, that just looks like a slab of stone, not a complete rock?” She tried to remember the river, for she had only been there twice before. “Yes, I’m pretty sure there is a huge place in the river where there are many rocks, but only one is near poison ivy, the rock that’s nearest to the forest. On the other side of the river there is supposed to be a field.” said Zinc.
“All right, let’s go there!” I chirped, and started into the forest, my otter scrambling over the roots to follow me. Someone knocked into me, and I screamed. i turned around to find a sheepish- looking Leafygreen, who had tripped over a root and crashed into me.
“Everybody STOP!” I yell. “Does anybody have poison oak remedy stuff? I don’t want to get super itchy.”
Kokonilly produces some from her bag and we all slather it on. “Good. Now we’re prepared.”
Baylee refused to put any of it on. “That’ll make me feel worse than if I get a rash from the oak. I’m allergic to that stuff.” She waited until everyone slathered the stuff on, and picked up the caboose of the long line. “Onward!”
((if it does, mine never shows. I’ve always got my super weird super useful cape on))
I too decline the lotion, insisting that, “I THINK this is poison whatever proof! besides, I have long pants on! that stuff smells horrible! noo offense kokonilly” I then follow everyone else, trying to stuff as many books into my bag as possible.
“Ah, the poison oak remedy does smell a little bit.” I wrinkled my nose in distaste. “I’m immune to poison oak anyway, I don’t know why I have it.” I turned to Baylee. “Here’s some hypoallergenic remedy.”
((124- Darn. I drew pictures of Leafy and I in pleated skirts with pant underneath, and white blouses with ties. *coughcoughbasedoffofHarryPotterbutnotreallycoughcough*))
I was careful to avoid the roots as I stumbled into the woods, everyone else following me or in front of me.
Having had bad experiences with poison ivy, I pinch my nose and slather up with Kokonilly’s anti-poison oak lotion, and we tromp off into the woods in who-knows-what direction. ((whatever we decided on, I forget)).
((127- First of all, get someone to give you a summary of our latest adventure. Then learn to RPG. When not posting in character, type in double parantheses, like I am right now. And please try and type with proper grammer, capitilization, and spelling. You seem REALLY neophyte-y right now. And wait a bit before you get a companian, like Leafygreen. ))
Baylee took the Hypo-Allergenic stuff quickly mumbled something that sounded like, “Thankyou,” and “You are always prepared, thankfully,” and first put a tiny dab on her hand to make sure it was fine, and then slathered a bit on her arms, and a bit on her legs, for she was wearing soccer shorts and a t-shirt.
((108 – Yum! I love pocky. Also the pocky song from the Japanese commercials on Youtube.))
Once the others took their turns, Eta eagerly accepted the box’s stamp and notebook. She used the box’s stamp for her first notebook page and then left her mark in the box’s notebook. By the time she finished her letterboxing, a new adventure had already surfaced. Only at MA, she thought with a smile as she followed the others on yet another quest.
(( Hey, everyone, sorry for the double post, but, I have something to ask of all of you. I’d like to write up all the MA adventures and everything, so it could be like a book. I’m just asking permission to use it as an idea for a young authors book. Could I?))
((136- Yay! That’s cool. Be sure to include our blognames, like in the introduction or benediction or something.
132- I thought we were still letterboxing. I thought there was another box.))
“Hey, look!” Zinc yells and points at a small sandbar in the middle of the river.
“What’s so special about that?” I ask.
“I don’t know, I like sand.”
(( Thanks guys. I’ll include the blognames. We just make “About the Authors” after the stories, but, I’ll try and make something about Museblog or something like that near the end. My teacher prolly won’t say anything about it. Ah yes! I have the perfect way to include Museblog at the end!))
Everyone looked around as they stood at the river. Baylee picked up a rock and skipped it. “Woah, 15!” When it got to the other side of the river, it hit a large stone, and broke.
I traded in my hiking boots for tevas ((for anyone who dosnt know, a strappy sandle and the BEST SHOES IN THE UNIERSE)) and waded in. suddenly, just before I reached the aforementioned stone, I started sinking!! “HEILP IT”s QUICKSAND!!!!” ZInc took a step back and started sinking too! ((or not)) “HEEEELLLLP! we both screamed.
((Ooh, quicksand! Let’s all be sucked into the bowels of the earth!)) Leafy reached in to help me, but she fell in, as did Baylee, who was helping Eria.
“I have experience! I’ve seen sooo many TV shows on how to handle quicksand!” I yell. “If you struggle, you’ll go deeper!” I search the bank for a big stick.
((145- Yes, lets!))
“Here’s a big stick! Quick! Grab on!” But as a leaned forward, I slipped. “Ahh! No no no no no-” I scrambled at the bank, trying to find a foot hold, but it was all slippery, oozy mud. I slid right down into the quicksand with everyone else. I remembered the scene from Jungle Book and started to cry. “HELP! We don’t to suffocate!” ((What was it that Indiana Jones said they would be fine unless it happened, when they were in the quicksand? (does that make sense?)))
((148- In Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaa and Asbel fall into quicksand, but it isn’t very deep and the just fall to the bottom of the Toxic Jungle where the air and water is clean and pure, but that’s just me and my Hayao Miazaki movies.)) Leafy was trying to pull me up, as I had fallen in before her. But to no avail: I was almost completely under.
((149- I just saw that movie for the first time two days ago! When Eria identified the sand bar as quick sand, my mind flicked right back to that scene.))
((are we being sucked into the center of the earth or are we being rescued? I favor the center of the earth myself, as I havent been on any long-term adventures.))
just I was being sucked all the way under, I managed to cry-“use my cloak to cover you’r mouth’s! *gasp-suck* micro-compact-ocygen tanks sewn in!” than I went under, folowimg my own advice
“Dang.” I dove in after Baylee. I grabbed her and yelled at her to try and float. “SWIM!” We both swam, very gently and carefully, to the edge, grabbing Leafy and Zinc with us.
((153- I don’t know, but if anyone needs me, I’ll be under the quick sand.))
“Eria!” I struggled to reach where she had been sinking. Of course, that was a mistake. I started to go down faster, which made me frantic, and before I knew it, I was under my self. I went down, down, down. All the sudden, my legs where free! There was an air pocket or something down there! I hit the floor with an “Oof!” Where ever I was, it was to dark to see. It didn’t feel as closed in as an air pocket- it could be a tunnel of some sort.
I finally find a stick and shove it in one of the struggling Musers’ faces.
“Here, Baylee!” I yelled.
“I’m Kokonilly!”
“Oh, well grab it anyway!” I braced my feet far from the edge of the sand as I waited for the impeding pull.
“Meh.” I say. “We’re at the edge anyway.
Using our vast knowledge of escaping quicksand techniques, Kokonilly, Leafy, Zinc, Baylee, and I heave ourselves out.
Baylee thought for a moment. Wait, what was that? she had been struggling to much to realize that there were bubbles. Bubbles. Baylee stood straight, and sank through, landing on her feet, right next to RAWR. “That was a nice!” she said cheerfully. She walked on, tripped on a rock, and fell, crashing into RAWR knocking (wait, are you a girl or boy?) her/him over. “Sorry, I’m very clumsy.” Baylee muttered as she helped RAWR up.
Baylee climbed out, but had a strange look on her face. Suddenly, she dove in straight. I followed, ignoring the shouts. I saw the bubble, too. I got there in time to see Baylee already injuring someone.
It seemed jumping in was “all the rage”, so I grabbed Leafy’s wrist, and, ignoring her protests of “Heyheyhey! Leggo!”, I jumped in with her in tow. Then I saw the bubble that Baylee, Kokonilly, and RAWR were all in, and I went to it, pulling Leafy with me. When we got to the bubble, Leafygreen turned to me and said, “Let me nickname you Housten. You okay with that?” “Yeah…?” She said, “Housten, you have a problem! Housten, are you completely INSANE?!?!”
I jump in, too. I discover that manuvering in sand is a lot harder than manuvering in water. I eventually arrive at the bubble with everyone else. I hold my breath and fall into a tunnel.
“What an odd phenomenon…” I mutter.
((136 – That’s fine with me, good luck! I might write about MA sometime, too, but probably not for any contests.))
“Nice one, Baylee,” Eta cheered as Baylee’s stone went flying across the water. “I’ve never been good at skipping….” Suddenly Baylee wasn’t standing there anymore. “…stones? Baylee? Where’d you g-oh, geez, quicksand!” Eta went completely still as soon as she felt the sand sucking in her feet, but it was too late; the strange goop continued to swallow her. She had just enough time to take a deep breath and close her eyes before the quicksand enveloped her.
When the sand thinned enough for Eta to open her eyes and mouth again, she saw the others in their bubble and floundered towards them. Just as her fingers brushed the bubble, however, she applied too much pressure and it popped with an earspliting bang! “Oh cake,” Eta said softly as the walls started to shake. Then she yelled “I’m so sorry, guys! Run!!!” as the walls started to cave in around everyone.
Kokonilly, Leafy, Zinc, and I run in a different direction than everyone else. We dash past many multicolored mushrooms until we can’t hear the rumbling of the cave colapsing.
“Great,” Kokonilly says, “Now what?’
“I feel like an elf!” I chirped. “Yeah, well if I were normal size, I’d squoosh you!” Leafy said, still irritated at me. In a bizarre moment, a giant foot came out of the sky and almost flattened me! “YIPE!” Kokonilly screamed. “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Kyra screamed, and we all ran.
((162- I’m a girl ))
I ran in a random direction, hoping I was following someone, when I bumped into what felt like a person. Now I really hope I’m following someone, I thought to myself. “Urm, sorry- I can’t really see to well,” I murmur, hoping the response is friendly familiar voice.
((Ohhhhh dear. I hate having so much math homework. Um – Are we out of the mirror? And in a forest? Grk. I’ll randomly pop up somewhere soon when I catch up.))
((174-Here, you can randomly pop up somewhere by me!))
“I’m sorry, I really am, it’s just so dark-” Just then, the surrounding mushrooms conveniently chose that moment to illuminate, revealing Turquoise. “Oh, boy am I glad you’re not a cave monster!” I exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. I looked around- “Did anyone else run this way?” A scream issued through the cave.
“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Moments latter, Zinc, Leafy, Kokonilly, and Kyra appeared out of the darkness, followed closely by a giant. As they ran past, someone grabbed my wrist, dragging me along. I grabbed Turquoise, who still hadn’t had a chance to speak, and we all fled before the monster.
I run along with the others, and duck into a convienently placed side pocket. Nobody notices I’m gone, which is what I want. All the MA students and the giant dash by.
Maybe we should make it realistic again. More people were here when there were just pie fights. I guess the BA thread is for unrealistic stuff, but I wouldn’t know.))
We were running at full speed, when I noticed a giant blue butterfly with a human face- it was blowing smoke shapes. It saw me staring, started screaming at me, turning red as it did so. “Guys, quick! Back here!” We all darted into the mushrooms. The giant rumbled past. The angry butterfly flew off, revealing some mushroom slices that looked like bread. “One makes you smaller, the other makes you taller… but which is which?”
((185- Hmmmm… I thought we were discouraging against that kind of stuff now.
184- Well, ummm. There’s been two. The first one, everyone fought a gorgon-like creature in the water in the Pidda field. Some people fell into the surprisingly deep pond. Some people had mild concussions and were rushed to the nurses office. I (and two others) hung out in a random field and debated what to do next because we thought enough people had dived in to rescue the few that fell. The people with concussions (Baylee and Eria, I believe) found a key that could open to anywhere, sort of like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter, but they later threw it away because it was deemed too unrealistic. Meanwhile, the people in the water found a mirror that transported you to the Hall of Portals (I think) and Random Kokopelli turned into Kokopelli Random and tried to kill everyone. Kokonilly fought a monster. Somehow, some other people ended up in Hell, but then everybody randomly transported to where I was and we all decided to go letterboxing.
The adventure we’re currently in started with the letterboxing trip. We found the letterbox, but also a strange note that led us to the river. We all fell in quicksand and ended up in a tunnel that seems to be turning into Alice in Wonderland.
…and that’s where we are now. Maybe if you joined, you could help us “moderators” try to keep it realistic…))
((186-Hehee. Keep it realistic? I don’t think so. Why should it be realistic? It never has been, and we’re all fine aren’t we?))
Baylee dove behind a mushroom. “Ahh! What in this corrupt world was that?” she said. She noted two tunnels that branched off. “And how do we get outta here?”
((Aw man. I hate academics. But your right, we have classes to get to.))
Somehow, this bright light shone on us and we all somehow appeared at lunch. Yay, happy days.
Baylee’s pasta had turned cold, so she ate as much of it as she could manage. Her pudding was still ok, so she scarfed it down. It was almost time for Mythology ((see, stuck to my schedule I first made, Mythology with Mr.Opal at 12:30. )) so she quickly gathered her books and set off down the hallway. Class 12. She entered the room quickly, only to stop dead in her tracks. Urania was sitting at the teacher’s desk. “Um… Is this the right class?” I say while checking the room number. Sure enough it was. Mythology, room 12, 12:30. Urania nodded towards Baylee, she was looking at some papers. “I see you are surprised?” Baylee nodded. “Well, it did say on the schedule that I would be teaching this class sometimes, didn’t it?” Baylee nodded. She took her seat near the back of the room.
((Hey, let’s do the class thing sort of like some middle/high schools do it. You have a series of set classes (English, Science, History, whatever), then some periods where you get to choose whatever you want. It would be soooo much less confusing that way.
So, what should the set “core” classes be? I’m sticking with English, Science, and History, but maybe we could add some musey thing in there or change them to musey things.))
((197- I’d rather not, to me, Muse Academy is different than other schools. Very different. And the classes you get to choose is one of the main reasons why I like it so much. My characters doesn’t have to do things she doesn’t like. Good suggestion though.))
((I meant that we could agree on random classes we all had to take. Maybe World Domination or something like that. If we all take something at the same time, it would be a whole lot less confusing and people wouldn’t want to turn it into fantasy.))
Leafy and I rubbed our eyes. Everyone around us seemed unpreturbed by our sudden arrival, so we quickly ate what was left of our brownies and walked down the hallway. We split up when she had to go to Zoology and I went to German. I got to the German classroom. Our teacher insisted on being called by her first name (which is Freida, by the way) and had covered the walls with travel stickers and posters of German castles and mountains. Every Friday we got Cat’s Tongues, which I loved.
((203 – Wow you are worse off then me! I think we are curently at a lull in between adventures so it doesn’t matter that much unless you really want to know… ))
I ran in late to German, going overtime in the library as always….
I run into my next class (the american history civil war unit) and sit down in the 3rd row from the front of the room. “today we are going to see some examples of the weapons used in the civil war.”
I cheer as class begins. I always loved learning about old wars and weaponry. Then I look around and see that none of my classmates are cheering. feeling akward, I sit back down and sigh. it was going to be a long afternoon.
Adeia tried to sneak into German quietly, but she knocked over a lamp. Everyone’s head swivelled to face her. She blushed, and rushed to her seat. I felt somewhat sorry for her. I knew the feeling she was probably experiencing
I sat very straight, my paper ready and ink pen poised. I couldn’t wait! With this class, I would be predicting hurricanes in no time. I searched the class for someone I knew…
Right when Baylee’s pencil left the paper with the last flourish of a J, Mr. DuSable stood up to collect the papers. She gathered her stuff, and followed the crowd of kids leaving the room. She was confident she got a B or higher. Time for the all mysterious World Domination class. She had a huge grin on her face. One of her favorite classes. She had checked out a few books on Hitler, and how he had been bunnified.
The bell rang, and I packed up my stuff to head to World Domination. I had tried to do my homework (look up and write five paragraphs about Hitler, the Nazis, and the Hitler youth groups), but I had ended up throwing the books across the room in anger and drawing the Brandenburg Gate all over my stuff.
I have been quietly sitting in German, studying vocab, when the class ends. I follow Zinc and Leafy to World Domination and try to strike up some conversation.
“So… any homework?”
((203- I just checked–this thing didn’t even start ’till January ’08… Oh, well. Anyway, things started getting out of hand after the big pie fight between the houses. There was an adventure involving ghosts and a rejected Muse, next there was an adventure in the MA basement, then there was another adventure in various places, including (but not limited to) the Pidda field, Hell, and the Hall of Portals. Finally, a failed adventure, a revolt (of non-adventure people like me), and now we’re finally back in school, hopefully to have more realistic adventures in the future.))
Kyra walks with us to World Domination, and she says, “So… any homework?” In an answer, Leafy pretended to fall to the ground by the weight of her shoulder bag. She looked up and said to Kyra, “Ya think?”
I entered the classroom sopping wet and coughing up water. “What?” I said somewhat defensively. “The water pressure suddenly went up at the drinking fountain.” While it seemed unlikely, you never knew what would happen in that building. I took a seat and was immediately thrown into the ways of the Force.
*works in Algebra II/Trig class* “Okay, so I need to find the center and the radius of this circle. But I only have two endpoints of the diameter, (-4, -1), and (2, 3). So, to find the center from there, I need to…bleh. Screw this. I’m taking a nap.” *does so*
((217- Sure! Welcome to the Spector house! Just give a brief description of your character, and talk a little about how you ended up going here to Muse Academy. And please write in first person, unlike me)).
Baylee joined the people who were walking to World Domination. “At least we have one class together!” she said cheerfully while shifting the weight of her bookbag to her left shoulder.
((218-Thanks. You’re in Spector? Oh good.
Describe in or out of character? That is, like this)) or like this?
((I’m going to do it here, and hope that’s right.
Okay. My character’s name is Dara Ashe (pronounced Ah-SHAY). She’s twelve, tallish, and has brown hair which is around shoulder length (I’ve always wanted to have hair which will behave itself for long enough to reach my shoulders without making me look like I’ve just touched one of those electrical ball thingies which make your hair… well, not behave itself, to say the least).
She was a normal kid, albeit a Muse-obsessed normal kid, until a few months ago, when The Letter came.
“Mom?” “What?” “I just got this letter that says I’ve been accepted into a school somewhere in [Iceland, right?]!” ” What?????? .” “See? It says, right here. ‘Because of your unusual interest in Muse and also because [insert something else that makes this sound more formal (sorry, I really can’t think very well right now)], you have been accepted into Muse Academy’.” “Are you’re sure this isn’t some kind of joke? Even if it isn’t, you’ve already started middle school. It wouldn’t look good, to say the least. Maybe next year, honey.” “But, Mom!” Maybe next year.”
Th next night, at exactly five minutes past midnight, Dara snuck out of the house. She wasn’t too sure about running away to school, but at least she could always come back if this didn’t work out. Right? Right??? ))
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER:
Dara jumped out the back of the pickup truck and waved and waved to the driver. “Thanks for the ride!”
The truck drove off, heading back to the village and leaving Dara alone at the end on a very long driveway. So this was Muse Academy. It certainly looked a lot bigger than her old school, that was for sure. Hopefully it was as fun as the letter had made it sound.
Dara started walking up the driveway. By the time she reached the top, she was slightly out of breath. She sat down on the steps in front on the big wooden door for a few minutes, then stood on her tiptoes and peeked in a window set into the door. There didn’t seem to be a lot of activity going on inside, as far as she could see. After all, it wasn’t the first day of school. Everyone would probably be in their classes, not waiting for people to arrive.
Dara thought about knocking, decided that probably nobody would hear her anyway, thought for a while, and then turned the doorknob cautiously.
The door swung open with an interesting creak, and Dara stepped inside.
She wandered around the corridors for a while. This place was so big, there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Then she turned a corner and almost crashed into some people who were walking in the opposite direction.
“Hi? I’m Dara,” she said cautiously.
((Sorry for the long post and not talking in first person. I’ll be good from now on.))
I was almost to World Domination when someone almost crashed ino me. “Hi? I’m Dara.” she said somewhat timidly. I smiled and chirped back, “Hi, Dara! I’m Zinc! You’re a new Spector, right?” I asked, surveying her. “I’m in Baker House, as is my best friend, Leafygreen.” Leafy cut in and said, “But you can call me Leafy!” “Uh, yeah…” I said, raising my eyebrows. “I’m Kyra, Dara.” Kyra said. “This is Baylee.” Baylee shook Dara’s hand, then pulled her into a hug. “Well, cut the formalities.” I said, glancing at my loverly watch. “We have about a minute and a half to reach WD.” We all hurried off.
I stood staring after Zinc and her friends. “We-ell. That was strange.” Nobody seemed to think it was unusual that a new student should suddenly appear out of thin air. Spector House….. I dimly remembered the letter saying something about the houses. I’d have to get someone to explain things here to me. Later, after classes.
I stood in the hallway, not quite sure what to do. It might be somewhat rude to walk into the middle of a class, sit down, and start…….. Wait a minute. What the heck was WD supposed to mean? There was no way it was a standard subject. Oh, well. What the heck, I’d find out later.
I wandered down the hallway until I came to a smallish, empty room which looked nice and cozy. Hmm. You know, I was quite tired after the day. It might be nice to take a nap.
I entered the room, disappeared into a heavily pillowed armchair, and did so.
((Now that Zinc has drug me into this, I suppose I’ll have to assert myself. *sigh*))
I settled into my desk at World Domination just as the bell rang. I smiled at Zinc, knowing very well she didn’t do her homework because she had a fit of utter rage. The teacher walked in and said, “Hello, class. Before we start actually doing classwork, we’ll share our homework.” Zinc looked quite nervous now. “Who didn’t do it?” the teacher said. Zinc tentatively raised her hand. “Ah. You have a problem with Nazis, don’t you?” Zinc gulped, and nodded. “Hm. Intreseting.” the teacher said. Then he started in on calling out random people to share their essays.
Baylee quickly yelled something to the neophyte about being in Spector, and ran off to World Domination. She slid into her seat right when the bell rang. The teacher was at the front of the class already, writing random things about the Nazis on the blackboard. He turned around and called on a bunch of random people to share their essays. Baylee squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t call on her. “Lezli, Kyra, Leafy, Jenn, and Baylee.” Baylee opened her eyes and sighed. She rummaged around her,,, ((Sorry, I have to go))
I share the jist of my essay.
*Ahem.* “The Nazis were partially justified in their actions because Germany was unfairly picked on in the Peace of (insert name here [I’m tired, alright???]). Their army was restricted to 10,000 men, their navy was disbanded, and they had to pay all of the war debts, plunging the economy into a severe depression. The Nazis should not had acted so much in the extreme, as in persecuting people who weren’t Aryan, but all’s well that ends well, right?”
“Adolf Hitler was a great public speaker. He would start quietly, and end with loud, motivating words. This is why he was able to get so many people to follow him.”
“Good job, Kyra,” the teacher states. “I look foward to reading the entire paper. Who’s next?”
“I am,” I said, standing up. I cleared my throat, and stated, “[insert entire report here- I’m tired, okay? I can’t pull entire reports off my head. This is Zinc’s area of expertice, not mine.]” Zinc clapped when I finished, and I sat back down.
My hands demand that I do something. I’m not bored with the class, but I can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds. I begin to doodle. First a phoenix, then a dragon and a griffin. Next, numerous smiley faces decorate my notes. When I’m done, my paper usually looks like a collage of modern art. I save all my drawings to keep a record of how my skills have progressed.
The teacher was droning on about the Isreals and the Egyptians, but my mind was blocking it all out. I was alternating between daydreaming and furiously scribbling my daydreams down. I was doing the detail of the mosaics in a library when the teacher slapped his hand down on my paper. “Miss Zinc,” he said sharply, giving a nice Snape impersonation, “I greatly appreciate your art skills, indeed, they are nice, but I would also appreciate it if you would, perhaps, stay on the lesson.” He glanced over at Kyra. “You too, Miss Kyra.” Kyra had a notebook full of doodles too. Thankfully the bell rang, and hile everyone ran out for lunch, he called over the crowd, “Miss Kyra and Miss Zinc, please stay here.” Leafy glanced at me, and I knew the look from the color of her eyes (aquamarine), that she felt sympathy and would wait outside for us. She had been called to stay after class in WD too many times to count.
((230- Why not? We’d be happy to have you. You can shrink your age down, perhaps, like people do to make themselves older. Seriously, in most of the RPGs, I’m thirteen. ))
“Hmmm,” I think. “I guess because I’m new here, the teacher doesn’t know that I’ve been taking notes the entire time as well as doodling.”
I clear my throat and show him the notes that I’ve been taking. They have big titles: “Nazis”, “Israel”, and “Egypt”, and long lists of things that I didn’t know at the beginning of the lesson. The margins and the blank space at the end of the two sheets of paper are covered in doodles.
I inwardly groaned. So I was alone in this. So, I took a deep breath, and said, trying to keep a brave face, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t really take any notes except at the start of the lesson.” I stood there, fingering my skirt while waiting for him to give me the nuke.
((Just wondering: do people ever sleep here? Because if they do, that would be a good time for me to get into the middle of things a bit more realistically, and if they don’t, it could be a bit of a problem. Unless groundhog wants to come join me, then we could take a look around MA together.))
Baylee sat there trying to pay attention, but she was really humming a tune in her head and mouthing some words. Her paper was covered in anime smiley faces, random lines, and awkward notes scribbled in the margins.
“…and then I will come around and look at the notes you have taken.” the teacher said loudly. Her eyes widened as she realized she had only written a few bullet points. Quickly, Baylee jotted down all the things that were written on the board. When she finally finished, the teacher was just getting to her row. She tapped her pencil on her desk nervously. “Baylee, we don’t need a drum solo, please.” the teacher said sternly. She nodded as he picked up her bright green notebook covered with Kokonspiracy stickers. He put on his glasses, skimmed it over, and set it back on my desk. “C- for neatness.” was all he said.
((231 – Okay. Character profile, coming right up:
Name: Jennifer Ann Greene
Age: 11
Physical description: Kind of tall for her age, red hair, freckles, green eyes, slightly upturned nose, wide-ish mouth with teeth that are crooked, but not enough to merit braces. Larger-than-normal hands and feet. Has already hit puberty.
Personality/Stuff about her: Pretty smart, although she certainly doesn’t think so, not after starting middle school and discovering that all of a sudden she was doing a lot worse than she did in elementary school. However, she is kind of stupid in that she doesn’t always think about what she says, and has a tendency to rush into things blindly and get in over her head. She can also be forgetful. She likes to help others, but sometimes agrees to do too much and then can’t do everything that she promised. She does things either slowly and carefully or quickly and sloppily, and is either compulsively organized or extremely messy, which confuses others to no end. She enjoys reading, sports, the arts (except for dancing), computers, and cooking. She hates girly-girl stuff (especially the color pink), and when people can’t keep their bad opinions of her to themselves. She doesn’t care what people think of her, she just cares if they voice those thoughts. If someone does do that, they’ll be lucky to escape without injury, because while Jen’s temper is usually dormant, it is extremely fiery, and she is a very good fistfighter. She was always a teased kid though, so despite the fact that she reacts to insults, she eventually got used to being teased and just kept up the fighting of anyone who insulted her on the off-chance that her classmates or neighbors would get tired of all those bruises and leave her alone. But she did become very careful about who she acted friendly to. That’s not to say that she didn’t have any friends–they just didn’t live very close to her, so they weren’t in her school and she needed her mom to drive her if she wanted to see them. So Jen’s primary companions during her childhood were objects: her books and magazines, her ancient Apple IIe computer bequeathed to her by an older cousin, her tapes, CDs and boombox, her markers, and her stuffed animals. (Later during her childhood, she managed to make a few friends at school, but these friends were really closer to acquaintances.) A rather lonely life, and when her school performance went down the tubes, a rather disappointing one too. Until one day, when all of that changed…[cut to the RP of how she ended up at MA]
*looks that over* Wow, that was long.))
RP of how Jen got to MA:
I was sitting in my living room, reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the billionth time. That didn’t matter though–I loved the story. I also loved the idea of a school where you learned how to do magic, because it would definitely beat the school where I was now. I heard the mailman approaching and stuffing the mail into the mailbox, so I opened my front door, yelled a thank you to the mailman’s retreating back, and brought the mail inside, looking to see if there was anything in it for me, or maybe a magazine that my mom would let me cut up. No magazines this time, but there was a letter with a foreign postmark on it addressed to me. Why anyone from so far away would be sending me anything, I didn’t know. I dumped the rest of the mail on the kitchen table and opened up my letter. It said something about my being accepted to a school called Muse Academy. I began to squeal and jump up and down. Mom must have seen how bad it was for me at school and found me another place to go! I ran to my mom, still squealing. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” I said to her. “Thank you for what?” my mom replied puzzledly. “For getting me into a different school!” I said, wondering how she could have forgotten. “What school?” my mom asked. I gave her the letter. My mom read it, and then looked back at me. “I didn’t enroll you here. They must have found you on their own. And I don’t think you’ll be going to this place–it’s in Iceland. I’m sorry sweetie, but we just can’t afford the airfare, and I don’t think you’d do well so far away from home.”
((darn it! I have to get off now, I’ll finish later.))
I snatched the letter back and fled to my room, where I salved my bruised ego by turning my boombox on HIGH, something I knew my mom hated. When that didn’t work, I broke down completely, throwing myself onto my bed and sobbing. For a few wonderful minutes I had thought that I was going to go to a wonderful new school, and now I would be stuck wondering what I was missing for the rest of my life. And all because my mom thought that I couldn’t handle going away.
Sometime later, I heard my mom come into my room. “Jenny?” she said. “I just talked to Dad on the phone, and he thinks that it’s a wonderful idea for you to go to this place. And now that he’s told me his reasoning, I think he’s absolutely right. Will you forgive me for not even giving you a chance about this?” I heaved myself off of my pillow. “Yeah…” I said. “I just don’t know how we’ll get a ticket for you though.” my mom said again. I looked in the envelope. “There’s something that looks like a plane ticket in here.” I said…
ABOUT A WEEK LATER:
I hugged my parents goodbye as I headed towards the security checkpoint at the airport. “See you at Thanksgiving!” my mother called after me. I waved back at them before stepping through the security gate, on my way to a new and hopefully fun life…
((I have yet to figure out what house she’s in, so I can’t insert her in just yet.))
((242-You can join, and figure out your house later. In real life, you wouldn’t know until you’d come and hung out for a while. Though, now might not be the best time to join, since we’re in the middle of the Ball. But you can if you want.))
Once the teacher had finished going over everyone’s notes, he pulled down the overhead and turned on a projector. He showed us outlines and we said either friend or foe. After that, we talked about presidential candidates and battle plans.
I was on my way to Archery class when a paper blew in my face. I pulled the paper off and looked at it.
“Field trip to Surtsey Island, the newest place on Earth…”
I walked up the long driveway that led to the school building. I guessed it was the school building that is–it didn’t look much like one. My gigantic duffel bag was getting hard to pull along the ground, even though it had wheels, and I wondered how much longer the driveway would go on.
After a while, I got to the front doors, which I pushed open, dragging my duffel bag inside with me. There weren’t too many people in what looked like the front hallway, but there were a few. I approached one of them and nervously tapped en on the shoulder. “Excuse me?” I said tentatively “You wouldn’t happen to know what new students are supposed to do, would you?”
I had just gotten out of the teacher’s chewing out when someonne tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. It was a girl about my age with red hair, freckles, green eyes. She was about as tall as I was. “Excuse me? You wouldn’t happen to know what new students are supposed to do, would you?” She said.I considered this. “Do you have your scheudle?” I asked her. “I think so…” she said, and fished around in her bag. “In the meanwhile,” I said, “Do you know what house you’re in?” “No…” she said, creasing her forehead. “Am I supposed to know?”
I was eleven when had first gotten into Muse Academy.
I walked up the large driveway of my new school, looking up nervously at the towering building and dragging my trunk. I stepped into a corridor and went up timidly to a group of laughing older girls. “Um, d-d-do…” I stuttered. The leader of the group, a blond with blue eyes, threw back her head and laughed. I fought back tears, took a deep breath, and asked, “Do you know where I can find out what house I’m in?” This seemed to make the girls laugh even harder. “S-s-she doesn’t even know what house she’s in!” A brunette gasped, slapping her knee. The bell rang, and the girls walked, still laughing, to their class. When I was sure no one was there, I let out the tears that I had been holding back, deep strangled sobs escaping from my throat.
“Are you all right?” The girl asked, snapping me out of my reverie. “You look pale.” “Oh, oh, nothing, just nothing..” I murmured, and noticed I was standing in that very same hall that I had cried in two years ago.
(sorry I have not been of much help or excitment – stupid advavced classes that give you extra homework, and stupid science fair that is slow to get to expeiriment stage!)
I finally was able to dig my schedule out from the bottom of my bag. I uncrumpled it, and held it out. “Here it is.” I said. “Sorry it’s a mess.” I hadn’t really looked at it very closely before I left, since I already knew which classes I’d signed up for.
((Aack! How do I know what classes are offered at MA?))
((255- I’ll post the list here, because I haven’t made mine either.
– Art (All forms. If you wish to take a class we do not offer, we will accommodate to your request)
– Astronomy
– Clown Class
– Country Building
– Dance (All forms)
– Drama
– English (Please see English department for details)
– Fencing
– Gymnastics
– History (We have a range of classes depending on the time period you wish to study)
– HPB Defenses
– Language arts
– Map Making
– Math (All types)
– Meditation
– Military Strategy
– Movie Making
– Movie Reviewing
– Musial Theater
– Music (Band, Orchestra, Jazz, or single instrument)
– Music Composing
– Pie Making
– Pie Throwing
– Poetry
– Reading
– Religious Education
– Science (All types)
– Script Writing
– Shakespearian Drama
– Singing
– Sport (Please inquire at start of term)
– World Leader
– Writing
– Mythology
– World Domination
– Random Factoids
– Spanish
– German
– Chinese (all forms)
– French
– Hebrew
– Flemmish
– Magyk
– Flyte
– Alchemy
– Pidda
– Pie Kwan Do
These are the times-
Breakfast
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM
1:00 PM
1:30 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
6:30 PM Dinner
8:00 AM Poetry
8:30 AM Map Making
9:30 AM Musical Theater
10:00 AM Art
11:00 AM Reading
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM World Domination
1:00 PM German
1:30 PM Drama
2:00 PM Script Writing
3:00 PM Geometry
4:00 PM- 6:00 PM- Before dinner break
6:30 PM Dinner
That was awful fun!))
“Great!” I said to the girl. “Just follow that hallway and take a left. You’ll wind up nose to doorknob with your next class.” I waved as she departed, said good bye to Leafy, and went with Kyra to German.
((Anyone enter me? I’m changing my personal profile a LOT, but not sure what house I’d be in…what’s the equivalent of Ravenclaw in MA?
NAME: Noelani Philomena Kurai Nekura (nickname Samhain)
AGE: 10
LOOKS: Tall and thin, long wavy waist-length orange-red hair. Always wearing blue hairpins (Shunshunrikka hairpins!) or a headband, unless she has something physical, in which case she wears a ponytail. Most often found wearing tanktop and brown strechy pants, or a skort and t-shirt. One misty purple eye, one misty grey eye. About 4’6. VERY pale skin.
SKILLS: Amazing physical skills-top-ranked national gymnast! Actress. Dancer in all types. Programmer.
LIKES: Pocky! Cats! Virtual reality! Biology! Singing! Dancing! Acting! Gymnastics! Throwing pies! Custard! Cake! Dark chocolate peppermint ice cream!
DISLIKES:Dogs. Sports. Denim. Jeans. Blood. And being lost in crowds. Other people if they’re annoying.))
((261- Coontz is science-y, Spector is for writers, Lasley.. is for something…, and Bakers, well, we like cheese, and… yeah. There’s really no equilivant of Ravenclaw at MA.))
((You know what, I think I’m not going to use Dara after all. I really don’t have enough time to do two RPGs, and I can always use Aja if there’s a MA event I want to go to….. (I know, I’m not supposed to do stuff like that…. ) Maybe next year.))
((267- You can’t be all of the houses. Here’s Ebeth’s placement quiz-
What Muse Academy House Are You In?
For Musebloggers. If Mostly Harmless, hot pink bunnies, and pie wars mean nothing to you, this quiz probably isn’t for you.
What do you enjoy most?
A: Art and graphics
B: Music and cheese
C: Science and logic
D: Cute fuzzy animals and writing
Which description best fits your personality?
A: Geeky, but loveable. Shy, smart, curious (and questioning, maybe?).
B: Energetic (hyper?), talkative, enthusiastic
C: Nice, smart, creative, helpful
D: Wacky, zany, crazy, odd but hilarious sense of humour
You see something odd, that you’ve never seen before. What’s the first thing you think to do?
A: Teach it to play the hurdy-gurdy
B: Observe it, and possibly take it apart to see what it does and how it works
C: Write a detailed description of it, and have people read the description to see if they know what it is
D: Take a picture of it, and photoshop it being overrun by swarms of hot pink bunnies
Results
ABD-You are in LASLEY HOUSE, the house of our amazing Lady Bunniful GAPA, photoshopper extraordinaire, Napkin-Bunny-Maker, and lover of art!
CAB-You are in COONTZ HOUSE, the house of our beloved First GAPA, Q&A columnist, and lover of science!
BDA-You are in BAKER HOUSE, the house of our wonderful British GAPA, Hilarious-Article-Writer, Tudor Musician, and lover of cheese!
DCC-You are in SPECTOR HOUSE, the house of our incredible Helpful Criticism GAPA, Q&A columnist, amazing editor, and lover of english!
I quote Ebeth- I’m not as smart as the computer, so I’m not going to bother with other combinations of letters. You figure it out! ))
In German, we all took a quiz (of COURSE I know what tauzend dank means!) and Kyra and I walked out together. Leafy rushed up to me, her face pale and her eyes black. Something was wrong. “What’s up?” I asked her, concerned. “This!” she said, shoving a piece of paper in my face. I snatched it away from her, and stated reading it aloud. “Dear Leafy, your father and I are well. We hope you are, too. We miss you a lot, and we barely ever get to see you, so we are pulling you out of Muse Academy.” “WHAT?!” Kyra shouted. I felt sick, but continued. “A cab will come get you in tommorrow.” I looked up at her, my stomach churning. “Wh-wh-what? You have to… leave?” I stuttered, shaken. My best friend, leave MA! No! She nodded sadly, and we hugged, tears running down our cheeks. Not happy tears, sad tears.
((Please see post 161 on the Just Friends thread for explanation.))
(265) Different-colored eyes are another Mary Sue-ish symptom, I’d say.
The GAPAs’ original idea was that Muse Academy was a fantasy school for Musers, not for characters they created. But you can see how much control we have over the blog…
((270- Leafygreen SUGGESTED the color changing eyes! They’re probably the only slightly Mary Sue-ish quality about her! Also, she gets mad at me, and insults me in jest regualarly.))
((I really enjoyed the Underground Tunnels/ Crisis of Worlds storylines, but then the next arc started while I was away at Space Camp… anyway, I think I’ll try coming back.))
I cleaned the lens of my camera with my sleeve and headed into Photography class…
*copies Zinc and crash-lands her rocket*
Hmm, what is this? Muse Academy???
How do I join? How do I figure out what house I’m in?
*tries to decide whether or not to disappear*
*stays long enough to be told what to do*
I looked around. Yes, I had come in the middle of the year, but..still, there weren’t that many people around. My pale silver eyes scanned the building.
“Anyone? Is anyone here?”
((Jeez, she’s a lost little 10-year-old…schedule:
7:00 Wake up bell
7:30-7:50 Breakfast
8:00-8:45 Art
8:50-9:35 Drama
9:40-10:25 Archery
10:30-10:45 World Domination
10:50-11:35 Biology
11:40-12:25 Pie Throwing
12:30-1:15 Lunch
1:20-2:05 Singing
2:10-2:55 Gym (nastics)
3:00-6:30 Free time
6:45-7:30 Dinner
7:35-9:25 Free Time
9:30 Lights Out))
Schedule
8:00 AM Magyk
8:30 AM Singing
9:30 AM Musical Theater
10:00 AM Art
11:00 AM Writing
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Meditation
1:00 PM Astronomy
1:30 PM Drama
2:00 PM Hip-hop
3:00 PM Fencing
4:00 PM Hebrew
5:00 PM English
6:00 PM Mythology
Profile:
NAME: Cassandra (not my real name)
AGE: 13
HOUSE: Baker
LOOKS: shoulder-length auburn hair with bangs. Green eyes. Cat’s eye glasses. Usually wears a skirt and heels or cute jeans.
“Anyone? Anyone?” I called out, and then stopped, hearing my voice echo. My eyes flickered back and forth, stopping on the closest door. There were voices!
I dashed for the door, scribbling on my hand what subject I had next with a pen. Opening to door, I dashed through-and bowled into a girl, knocking us both to the ground!
((296-Okeydokey! Oh, and GAPAs/AKAs (my new term, meaning All-Knowing Administrators) you’ve probably noticed that this thread is kinda crowded/confusing. Maybe it would help the new students- like me and Noe- find our way around.))
In Orchestra, we play a Bach Aria. The cellos get the melody! I’m very excited, but then I see Leafy. Silent tears run down her face. I wish I could do something to help.
((I ran into Kai and she rammed into you, LadyG.))
“Yes, I’m new here, please call me Noe!” I gasped. Picking myself up, I groaned. The other girl had lost her schedule. “You ok? I’m so sorry! I’m in Lasley, but I don’t know where to go, and I-it’s all just so confusing!” I grabbed my pen AGAIN and started scribbling on my palm.
(( (302) re: “I don’t know where to go, and I — it’s all just so confusing.” Spoken like a true Lasleyite. *beams with pride* Accidentally colliding with people is also traditional.))
“Owww,” I moaned. “Is this how you welcome ALL your new students? I’m Cassie, by the way. Who are you?” I grabbed my schedule off the floor. “Shoot, what time is it? What class do I have? My flight was really late!” I shook out the schedule and frantically tried to find the time. “Does anyone have a watch, cell phone, something like that? What time is it?” Suddenly, I noticed them staring at me. “Oops, sorry. I tend to talk too much. What house are you in? I think I’m in Baker, but I’m not sure- I’ve also been thinking about Lasley. Wait, what did you say? Sorry!” I realized they’d already introduced themselves. They were looking at me in amusement.
((That’s what I’m really like. Hmm, perhaps I should switch to Lasley?))
“I have a phone. And can’t read time very well-and have no sense of time!” Pulling out my phone, I looked at the time-and gasped. “Ohcake! It’s already 1:35 and I’m 15 minutes late to Singing! Does anyone know where the music room is?”
I started tensing, because I knew as soon as someone knew me where the music room was I was going to run-and probably break some rules-to get to the music room and not have the Singing teacher say “We’re off to a bad start, miss Nekura.”
I lost myself in the play for a bit, but whenever I was offstage, it all came rushing back to me in a flood of sadness. Leafy’s leaving, Leafy’s leaving…. The thought relentlessly pounded in my head, and my acting was suffering. My character was supposed to jump up and down in utter joy, and it felt very half hearted.
When the bell rang, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and walked to script writing, looking down at the ground.
I went to Drama and managed to figure out what the play was about. It was fun, but I noticed Zinc looking a little sad. ((We all introduced ourselves in Drama)) I wondered why, but decided to figure it out later. The bell rang. Now what did I have? I checked my schedule and saw Hip-Hop. Now, where was the dance studio?
I followed Zinc out of the theater and caught up to her and Kai. I heard her say, “Leafy’s leaving on the morrow morn.”
“Who’s Leafy?” I asked. “Oh, and can you tell me where the dance studio is? I have Hip-hop right now, and if I don’t find it NOW I’ll be really late. I have no sense of time, and my cell phone’s dead, and I don’t have any watch, and it’s so confusing…”
“Leafy’s my best friend,” I sniffled. “The dance studio’s down the dead end hallway; there’s a map on the back of your schedule. There’s only one in campus. Holy crow,” I excaimed, looking at my watch. “I have to be on the other side of side of campus right now. Bye!” I hurried off, waving.
I hurried off to Singing, but too late. I heard the teacher say as I hurried in…
“We’re off to a bad start, miss Nekura.” she intoned quietly. I hung my head in shame, but managed to make it all the way through-partly due to the fact we were singing “All For The Best” from Godspell!
As I hurried out, I chanted to myself “Five minutes, five minutes, five minutes…” I rushed into the bathroom, ponytailed my hair, changed into my leotard and ran out-and into someone.
One of my break periods is coming up. I race back to my dorm room so I can collapse on my bed and listen to the radio, when all of a sudden, I slam into someone! The two heavy books I’m carrying and my pencil crash to the ground.
“I’m so sorry!” I say, scrambling to pick up my stuff.
“No, it’s not your fault.” I replied almost calmly. Then I realized that I had a free period on Friday RIGHT NOW, so I asked the other girl “What house are you in? I’m in Lasley, and I’m not sure where ther dorms are…”
Geometry ended, so I went back to my dormitory in Baker to wait for Leafy, who had Poetry right now. I got my awesomeful binder out and flipped to the lyrics part. I sang quietly, “Her feelings she hides, her dreams she can’t find, she’s losin her mind, she’s fallin behind, she can’t find her place, she’s losin her faith, she’s fallin from grace she’s all over the place…” A quiet voice behind me continued, “She wants to go home, but nobody’s home. That’s where she lies, forgetten, hide! There’s no place to go, no place to go, to dry her eyes, forget inside!” “Leafy!” I said, whipping my head around. “I thought you had poetry right now!” “The teacher excused me to… to pack.” she said, her eyes brimming with tears. I pulled her into a hug, and she quietly cried onto my shoulder.
((I’m like Nilly; I like making my chracters suffer. ))
After Hip-Hop, I went to Fencing. It was awesomely fun, and I left feeling keyed up for my next class, Hebrew. Of course, everyone else had free period now, but I wanted to get as much learning in as possible. Plus, I really wanted to explore my Jewish sort-of heritage. After Hebrew, I had Geology- my favorite subject. I especially loved Mineralogy. ((and yes, I actually do. Oh, and Zinc? Why do you WANT to take Geometry????? I have it this year, and I HATE proofs!!!!))
It was now free period, and I headed back to the Coontz dorm. As I approached the door, it asked:
“Where are the Taurus-Littrow Mountains?”
“The moon.” I answered, walking through. After a few months, I was finally getting used to answering the door’s questions.
I stumbled back to my dorm, and pulled out my laptop, starting to play on one of my favorite games, zOMG!. And decided to sit outside on a bench. One girl rushed by, muttering something that sounded like “Lasley now…Hebrew study…”
I ignored her, getting so absorbed in my game that I forget what my next period was, and realixing I had about 3 more hours of free time.
((OK, I want to make another change. Instead of Meditation, I’d like to study healing herbs, except Im not sure what thats callled. Yeesh, this keyboard is acting odd.))
I finished Geology and went to Mythology. It was almost dinner time.
I headed into the cafeteria for dinner and got on the line. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the food…
“Pasta with pesto and kaseri cheese? Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!”
I took some and sat down next to Lady G.
“Having a nice day?” I asked.
Kai came over and sat next to me. “Having a nice day?” she asked.
“Yeah, but it’s a lot to keep straight!” I said. “I have to study for a quiz in Hebrew that I don’t understand, I have to somehow find an interesting looking mineral for Geology, and I have to find a Chinese myth for my Mythology class! All in… uh… when’s lights out?”
We finished packing Leafy’s stuff and went to the dining hall for dinner. We got in line, and I ordered pasta with marinara sauce, garlic bread, hot choklit with marshmallows, and frozen yogurt. I caried my laden tray over to the table LadyG and Kai were sitting at. I picked up my fork and started eating my pasta as Leafy set down her tray next to me. Her eyes were still black with worry, and she ate her salad slowly. None of her alacrity shone through her today; today, she was positively morose. “Hi!” I heard LadyG say. “Oh, yeah, helloo,” l said quickly. “What’s up?” l heard Leafy say.
“Well, in my experience, the easiest way to study for a language test is to write the words many times while saying them. It’s how I study for Latin tests. As for a Chinese myth, hmm… remember that article Muse did about emperor Quin Shi Huangdi? There are a few legends about his tomb that might work? And the mineral… there’s a lot of volcanic rocks at the north beach, maybe you can find something there.”
I started groaning. “Dazed by a bunch of Cherry Fluffs?!”
When I realized it was time for dinner, I rushed into the cafeteria and got:
Butter-covered penne pasta
Chicken rice
a Peppermint latte
Chocolate Pocky
Frozen custard
I went to sit down next to the other Lasley girl, and ended up sitting across from her. “So,” I asked, “do you know if there’s any computer programming classes? My laptop needs to be able to use Photoshop, and I don’t know how to get it on there. And this custard is really…melting, to say the least.”
When I realized that I had interrupted the conversation, my cheeks turned a light pick as I blushed.
((Reckless is the Spector House dog. He has been purple since birth. His mother is purple too. His father has shiny black fur — but the purple fur seems to be inherited maternally, which explains Reckless (at least his fur).))
((Let’s just skip ahead to tomorrow morning. I want to get this over with.))
My alarm clock beeped, and I slammed the button that turned it off. I rolled over, and went to shake Leafy up. “Hey, Leaf… it’s morning.” I said. She opened her still black eyes. I was troubled by this. Last night, I had gotten to sleep quite late. I looked over at her, and while she was sleeping, her eyes flew open. They were as dark as ink.
She got up, fully dressed. I pulled a jacket over my soccer jersey, having slept in jeans. We pulled on our shoes and grabbed Leafy’s bags. I picked one up, and said, “Wowsers, Leafygreen! What’d you put in here, ROCKS? Well, you might’ve, just to prove it could be done.” I glanced over at her, waiting for her to laugh. But she just shuffled along, looking down at the ground. I clambered down the staircase, and down into the Baker common room.
My alarm clock beeped at seven A.M. Groaning, I got up and threw on a pale-pink tee shirt with rhinestones on it and royal purple corduroy pants. I couldn’t find any shoes except for a pair of impossibly high stiletto heels, so I put those on and prayed I wouldn’t die today.
I teetered down the hall to the stairs, about to go down them when I realized that I’d forgotten all my stuff. I groaned again. I had no idea what I’d even need. Going back to my room as quickly as I could, I dug through my stuff until I found the notebooks I’d used for Hebrew, Geology and Mythology yesterday. After a frantic search, I found four more for my other classes, as well as a sketchbook, colored pencils, and paints for Art. Grabbing several pencils and pens, I shoved the whole lot into my silver backpack. It was heavy! For a minute, I wondered what I possibly could have put in it, but then I remembered. I hadn’t been able to find a small rock or mineral, but I’d found a giant chunk of lava rock. Sighing, I tottered off down the hall again, this time weighed down by an extra several pounds.
Of course, Samhain HAD to be coming down the hall at the exact moment I was. And, of course, she HAD to be going down the staircase opposite from the one I was going down. So, obviously, we collided. My backpack spilled out all over the floor, and one of my heels broke. “@#$%!!!!!” I shrieked. I was losing patience.
We set down the bags for a moment’s rest, and I collapsed on one of the couches. A loud swear word came from upstairs. I went up to them to see two girls sprawled in the corridor. I helped the exasperated one pick up all her stuff. She held up a high heel shoe that was missing part of the heel, looking at it. I grabbed it from her and snapped off the whole heel, so it was just a shoe. I did the same to the other, and went back downstairs. Leafy had two of her bags in her hands and I took the hint. I picked up her other ones and we exited.
We came out of the building, our breath hanging like smoke in the chilly autumn air. We lugged the duffels to the waiting car. Leafy hugged me and disappeared into the car. She rolled down the windows as it drove away, waving. I waved back, tears sliding down my cheeks.
I stood behind Zinc in the doorway, unsure of what to do. I’ve never been very good at helping grieving people, even though I somehow ended up in the peer counseling program at my old school.
“Don’t give advice, just ask them if they want to talk and listen to what they have to say.” Ms. Sherry had said.
Well, it was worth a try…
I stared at my shoes. Now they were plain old flats- I was happy with that. This way I wouldn’t be tripping over everything. “Sorry,” I said to Samhain. “I really gotta run now, though. I’m going to be late for breakfast, for heaven’s sake!”
Stumbling down from my dorm, I see Zinc waving to Leafy as she is driven away. I hide my face and scuttle to the cafeteria.
Once I get there, I meet Samhain and LadyG.
“Hello!” I say, trying to be cheerful. I get grumbled replies.
I accidentally pour my orange juice into my cereal. Sighing, I get another bowlful and am careful to pour the milk in.
((*rides in on a wave of zombie bunnies*
You people seem to have everything going… am I still allowed to poke my oversized nose in??? If so:
NAME: Pigeon Holland (call me any nickname you wish, except for Pig or Piggy. Actually, just call me Pigeon.)
AGE: 13
HOUSE: Either Baker or Spector. I’m completely insane, thus the undead bunnies, but I’m a writing freak. So…
LOOKS: Long, frizzy brown hair in a tight ponytail, light blue eyes, big nose, tie-dye T-shirt, long dark blue jeans. Tall. Elliptical glasses. *dances at chance to use word “elliptical” in a sentence not involving science class* Silver earrings shaped like the Aztec calendar.
LIKES: Talking, spaz dancing (jumping up in the air and frantically flapping one’s hands at the wrists), writing, listening to the Beatles, plotting my eventual takeover of the universe, sitting outside in the sun, A Certain Pink-Bunny-Replaced Animal Starting With C, playing in the snow, dancing in the rain, acting acting acting and also Shakespeare.
Breakfast
8:00 AM-Mythology
8:30 AM-Mapmaking
9:30 AM-History-History of the Americas, from the Maya to the American Revolution
10:00 AM-World Domination
11:00 AM-Drama
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM-Meditation
1:00 PM-Shakespearian Drama
1:30 PM-Military Strategy
2:00 PM-Movie Making
3:00 PM-Writing
4:00 PM-World Leader
5:00 PM-Script Writing
6:00 PM-Poetry
6:30 PM Dinner
Yay? Nay? Bleh?))
((351- Fine! Welcome! Be sure to crash into somebody to get some info on where your dorm/classes are and to make friends. Or you could skip the crashing into people part and pick up a school map in the office. Whatever works.))
((sorry i’ve been gone I can really only be on in the summer))
I strode in ready to return to my true home with Hairball at my side.. “Hallo!” I exclaimed as I was warmly embraced by my friends…
The loudspeaker said that I had a package wating for me in the main office, so I hurried down the hall, nearly bumping into a girl with elliptical glasses and frizzy brown hair who was looking at a map.
“Hey, um, I’m Pigeon. Could you tell me where Mythology is?” she asked
“Uh, that’s in the west building, room 344. It’s by the mural of the Chinese dragon.”
I made it to the main office without having anyone else ask me for directions.
“Your cousin Neal sent you this.” Ms. Lasley said, holding up a medium-sized box.
“Ooooh! I wonder what’s inside! Probably something great- I get my nerdyness from his side of the family!” Just then, the bell rang. I had to be in Archery in ten minutes. I stuffed the package into my bag, deciding to open it later, and hurried out the door.
“Thanks,” I say, and bolt down the hall to the stairs, leaping up them two at a time. I really don’t want to be late for my first day at Muse Academy. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long…
Three of my arrows managed to hit the innermost circle and one ended up just a hair shy of the dead center of the target. I really was improving at archery and it made me feel proud.
“Holy cake, I’m late for Magyk!” I bolt for the exit and race in just as the teacher is beginning the lesson.
“The first… Oh, it’s our new student! Everyone, say hi to Cassie Young. She’s from… New York City, is it?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m from Central New York. *****. It’s near Syracuse.” ((not the real town I live in but the one my school is in))
Everyone gives me blank looks. It’s obvious that they’ve never heard of Syracuse.
“Here’s your textbook, Cassie,” she says, handing me a very odd-looking tome. I grin. I’m going to like this class.
I got into my next class early and decided to open the mysterious present. I found a note written in code and a bag of cherry cough drops. I put one in my mouth. It tasted sort of odd…
“I have trouble with my eight-times tables every now and then. I hate rap music and I think it’s chaotic.” I blurted out. Other kids turned to look at me. I spit out the cough drop into my hand.
Why had I suddenly announced my secrets? It must be the something in the cough drops…
“Truth serum! I’ve got to show my friends.” I whispered to myself.
((House solidified-I am Spector.))
I skid into Mythology, dashing to my seat. The teacher frowns at me, glaring pointedly at the skid marks by the door, and I duck my head in embarassment.
But I can’t be embarrassed for long! I’ve been interested in mythology since I was very small. I’m sure this will be my best subject.
45 minutes into Pre-Calc, I look up from the notes I’ve been taking and look around. There are only three or so other people who seem to understand. The others are either reading, doodling, or scratching their heads. I smile to myself.
I slid into art, and suddenly heard Kai blurt out “I have trouble with my eight-times tables every now and then. I hate rap music and I think it’s chaotic.â€
She then spit out what looked like a cough drop. What had happened? Was she telling the truth?
I walked into my seat, which just happened to be directly next tot Kai’s. “So,” I whispered, “what happened there?”
I walk to Singing with my iPod headphones on, listening to my latest song and singing along softly. Suddenly, I notice a couple of individually wrapped cherry cough drops on the ground. I pick one up and pop it in my mouth- my throat’s been feeling sore.
When I get to Singing, late as usual, the teacher asks why I’m late. I blurt out, “I found two individually wrapped cherry cough drops on the ground, and my throat was sore, so I had one.” Woah! I definitely didn’t mean to say that. The class titters, and I blush. I wonder about that cough drop, but I really can’t have a sore throat for Singing, so I keep it in my mouth. That’s a really big mistake.
“My cousin Neal sent me these cough drops, and I think they have truth serum inside.” I whispered. “I just hope the mail wung didn’t drop any when en was delivering them to the office.”
I walked nonchalantly through the hallways after Latin. I spotted a cough drop on the floor. Hoping nobody was looking, I popped it into my mouth (I love how they taste, even if I don’t need it). I arrived at Chemistry early and smiled at the teacher. “So, how has your day been so far?” he asked.
“So-so.” Whoops. I meant to say ‘fine’.
“Oh, why?”
“Well, Latin was boring and I walked into my bedroom door this morning. I snorted up my milk while laughing and tripped down the stairs.” Woah. Too much information.
He seemed mildly weirded out. I couldn’t blame him. What was wrong with me?
“Spit it out!” I urgently whispered to Kai. She did, and gave a sigh of relief. “I’ve seen people keep those in their mouths and tell the truth. I’m going to test it, I found one this morning! It’s truth serum, but it might not work on everyone.”
She blinked at me, still a little shocked. I had heard RoseQuartz blurt out some stuff earlier this morning, so I wanted to test it out.
I slipped the cough drop into my mouth, and instantly said “I think boys make better friends then girls, and I don’t like Barbies or any typical girl stuff. I walked directly off my bed this morning and wasn’t sleepwalking.”
I popped the cough drop out, a large grin spreading across my face. It would be fun to keep one in an entire day!
“Well, at least I hope there isn’t a test today. I didn’t study,” I blurted out, then wanted to tape my mouth shut. “I picked up a cough drop from the floor but don’t worry, it had the wrapper on.”
“Ahem,” the professor coughed. “Maybe you should go out, you know, get some fresh air.” He seemed very uncomfortable.
“Yes, I shall. By the way, your shoelaces are untied.” I sprinted out of there, leaving the poor teacher bewildered.
I ran to Kai’s classroom, hoping that there was a cure to this mentioned in some comic book or something. I stood at the doorway and said, “Hi. I’m looking for Kai, I want to talk to her.” Good. I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but still, the truth.
((Whoa. Let’s pretend I’m in my first period class.))
I slid into my seat at poetry, fighting back tears. “Okay!” The teacher called. “Today, we’re going to have a fun day! Right a free verse poem on any topic you choose!” Good. I wasn’t in the mood to right about horses or a dance studio. I really wasn’t in the mood for anything.
This is what a I had on my paper by the end of the class:
She disppears
the door reluctantly closing
as she drives away.
I wave
I wave
wave
wave
wave
The car turns the corner
She’s gone
gone forever
still waving
My mind
stumbles over all the thoughts
gone
gone
gone
she’sgoneshe’sgoneshe’sgone
gonegonegoneforever
foreverforeverforevergonegonegone
I don’t
realize that
my legs
are slowing taking me indoors
as the rain begins
to fall
fall
fall
fallfallfall
I numbly sit
on a step
the rain mixing with my tears
I
don’t
care
you
can’t
make
me
care
about
rain
when my mind
is still running over the fact
that she’s gone
trying to grasp the fact
my fingers slide of
can’t get a hold
falling
falling
falling
I blinked at Kokonilly, and then snapped back to attention-the teacher was showing us how to make origami HPBs. Shuddering, I tuned her out, coming back to Kai and Kokonilly.
My fingers were pulling out a laptop from under the table. “Going to look truth serum up,” I whispered to them. “See if we could make it, of make ourselves immune to it.”
“I don’t know, my cousin’s always making cool things, though. He made these Wolverine claws once, and he creates these really cool mini-video games… but why he sent me these? I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with this note.” I showed it to them.
“Hm. A note.” I looked at it and examined it. Then I had an idea. I walked to the teacher and showed her the note. Three minutes later the three of us were outside of class, heading… somewhere.
“How on earth did you get us out of there?” Avalongirl asked.
I shrugged. “Simple. I said I had a pass to go to the nurse, waved the slip of paper in front of her, and we’re outta there!” I grinned. “You know, your teacher isn’t very attentive. So.” I examined the note. “Is there a Runes teacher?”
((Can I randomly butt into your adventure? I suspect otherwise I’ll be bored…))
I bump into the Musers as I hop down the stairs two at a time. “Ah! Sorry! Just trying to, well, I asked my Mythology teacher if I could get a drink of water but I can’t find a fountain…”
I looked at the new girl. “Listen,” I said seriously, “have you found a cherry cough drop on the ground? It’s really important no one eats them!”
And with that in mind, I went back to my laptop. “Harry Potter, hmm, no cures for being given truth serum…ethanol, scopolamine, temazepam, and various barbiturates including the anesthetic induction agent sodium thiopental…maybe they have cures, but…”
((Yes, I did just directly quote the Wikipedia article on truth drugs.))
I knitted my brows. “Uh… why would someone eat a cherry cough drop if it’s on the ground? Isn’t that kind of… ewwy?”
My short-term memory butts in. “Oh yeah. I heard you mention Runes, I don’t think there’s a teacher but I know a lot about them. Was there something specific you wanted to know?”
It was the end of the period, so I rushed out of the classroom. I was halfway down the corridor when I realized I had left my paper on the desk. “Oh, no!” I said, slapping my forehead. I was sure to get counseling!
I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t know where I was going, and bumped into a group of people. “Why don’t you watch where-” I snapped, but stopped in the middle of my sentence as I found that group of people were my friends!
“It’s okay.” I told Zinc. Then I turned to Cat’s Eye and explained the whole story.
“So he also sent this note, which is in some sort of code that looks like runes and we’re trying to decode it.”
(Have I posted this already and the thingy swallowed it?)
I shrugged. “I don’t know runes that stand for letters well, but I know runes that mean words or ideas. Like Kaen… it means chaos, or wildfire.” A dreamy look stole over my face. “I like chaos…”
“Well, do you see any runes for words or ideas in this note?” I asked, handing over the paper. I hoped we could decode it soon. What if my cousin was in danger?
An identical dreamy look stole over my face at the same time that one covered Cat’s Eye’s. “Yeah, chaos is more fun then law and order, even if it’s illegal…I like chaos…”
I giggled slightly in a mildly scary fashion. “Heh. Chaos.”
I peered at the note, mouthing the names of runes as I searched for each in the note. “I see Naudr, this one here.” I pointed. “It means binding. Or death, but usually binding. And right next to it there’s Bjarkan, the one that looks like a pointy B. You use it to make you see clearer, or have more dreams. So… binding sight? Binding truth, maybe?”
I’m in Creative Writing. The assignment is to “write about an adventure you have had. Be specific.”
This should be fun. But would my MA basement adventure be too unrealistic? I have at least ten witnesses, so I begin to write.
“It was my first day at Muse Acadamy, my new school…”
“Blinding truth? That makes sense.” I said. We had reached the stairwell. “There’s a Runes class on the fourth floor, let’s see if they can translate the rest.”
I hummed a tuneless song under my breath as we climbed the stairs, running through the runes in my head again and again. Fe Ur Thuris Os Raedo Kaen Hagall… “I wish I’d taken Runes,” I said wistfully. “Didn’t they once blow up the second floor, and the third floor just kept hovering in the middle of the air? Sounds fun. If you combined Kaen, that’s Fire or Chaos I know you know, with a really strong Ur, that’s Strength, you could blow up ANYTHING.” I considered this for a moment. “Once I blew up a strawberry. But that was just in the microwave.”
“I’ve stuck a Kleenex in a candle a few Thanksgivings ago. Luckily, I drowned it in the sink before anyone found out.” I remembered. ‘One more mishap and you’re going to military academy!’,” I repeated in a mocking tone. “Well, here’s the runes class.” I said, then rapped my knuckles on the door.
The door opened to a tall man with a long gray beard. I tilted my head to one side. “Holy Cheez-Its, you look like Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.” I paused. “Did I just say that aloud?”
About ten minutes into Singing, the teacher yells at me to “get that gum out of my mouth!” Sighing, I spit the cough drop into the garbage. It’s still pretty big. The minute I spit it out, the strange compulsion to tell the whole truth and only the truth disappears. What the heck?
The Singing teacher lets us out late, so I have to hurry to Musical Theater. Groaning, I realize that it’s too far away to run in these shoes. Suddenly I notice steps going down into the bowels of the building. Puzzled, I walk down them, and find a network of tunnels that must lead to the theater somehow! There are maps sitting on an old dusty table, so I pick one up, but somehow manage to get hopelessly lost even with it. When I come out, I see a large group of people standing in front of a guy that looks uncannily like Dumbledore. A sign outside the door says, “Runes.”
I push my way to the front of the group and ask Noe what’s going on.
Someone voiced my opinion: “Holy Cheez-Its, you look like Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.†I was glad someone else knew his full name besides me. “Did I just say that aloud?â€
He chuckled a little bit. “Not Dumbledore, I’m afraid. Just Professor Donovan. What brings you here?â€
“We have a note written in runes that we need decoded,” Kai said.
Just then, someone barreled through the group and asked what was going on.
Ignoring that, I launched into the story. “We found some truth serum cough drops. They came with a note.” I thrust said note at Donovan.
The man tilted his half-moon spectacles down toward the slip of paper, and read the note. We all held our breaths, waiting for his verdict. While I was doing that, I heard Brother Maynard’s voice say in my head, “The Holy Grail will be found at the castle of unnnagghh….”
“These are not runes,” he said finally.
“But-but then how could I read them?” spluttered Pigeon.
“These are merely runes with some changes done to them.” he stated. “For example, this rune looks remotely like the one for ‘wolf’ and after after it is the one for ‘tree.’ Tell me, what is of importance with a ‘wolf tree?'” He smiled at our pondering faces.
“Maybe… he’s trapped in a… tree… with a… wolf…?” Noe slowly suggested.
Donovan chuckled at her suggestion. “Unfortunately, it says nothing in here about being trapped.”
I could sense us all blink in unison.
“Have a nice day,” he said smiling, and shut the door.
“Lunch? What lunch break? Professors don’t get lunch breaks.â€
I blinked. “Well, maybe a wolf tree means a tree shaped like a wolf. Or maybe it’s like a folk name for something.†My eyes took on a look of intense concentration, and I became so absorbed that I didn’t watch where I was going…
Bookworm: ((So, we were all split up, right? I was with MLS. We had the letters.))
BTSW/FF: huh??
Bookworm: Brendan does not get this thread…
((First Post?))
((Alright! fresh thread!))
I stood there, amazed at Kokonilly’s reflexes. “Need any help? If not, I think I’ll go and see if Zink’s alright.”
((Aargh! Why does everyone misspell my name?! 2- I’m in another dimension with Adeia. Hell, to be exact.))
((Oops- Sorry! I was typing really fast, and I didn’t double check everything like I usually do- hence the non capitalization of fresh and the misspelling of your name.))
((This thread is quite slow.))
Baylee stood there, staring at the book. “Eria?” she asked warily. “Eria?”
Now that it’s gone, I thought, I will try to summon a mirror. I concentrated. A mirror flew into my hand. I dipped a finger in, stuck my arm in, grabbed Adeia, and went through. “Something’s holding my foot! Ow! Geroff!” Adeia shouted.
“Ummm,” I say. I usually am at a loss for words. I think of something to say.
“I don’t think we should read the letters until everyone else comes back. It wouldn’t do to go on an adventure with just the three of us.”
Bookworm and Eta agree with me.
“So, uh,” Bookworm says. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” Eta replies.
“Ummmm,” I try to think of an answer. “We could go to the beach, or take a hike in the woods, or go letterboxing, or play Parker in the lounge…” I trail off.
((Any ideas???))
I just kept dodging the creature’s attacks, and finally jumped on its back. ((random))
((gaack! I have no idea where I am or what’s going on. . . last I knew everybody was at the pidda field. . . but then that was three weeks ago. . . anybody care to tell me what’s going on?))
“Can you hear me please answer… ” This was not as easy as it was in the past… but it is my only hope, now that my voice is gone. In my past I preformed under the name the Phoniex and my voice is what got me through my rough life alone. What would I do now?
((sorry didn’t see 7… but I can’t talk right now remeber?))
((8- Paker. Not Parker. PAKER.
((12- We’ve both emerged out of a mirror. We can’t talk in Hell, but we can in the real world.))
I pulled Adeia out of the mirror. The thing that had her leg was a small, muddy tangle of fur. “Is that a- hairball?”
(I changed my name)
(Good for you.)
(17- *is rediculously happy* Yes, it is)
I decided to help Kokonilly- she seemed to have the situation under control, but there was nothing else that needed butt kicking. So I tripped the monster, who then hit its chin on the floor, broke a tooth, and yowled in pain. It tried to get up but couldn’t, as Kokonilly was on its back. Leafygreen ((officially incorporated at last)) ran over to help me in kicking the beast and breaking more teeth.
“Coo-ee! Let’s go letterboxing!”
“Oh, thank you, guys…” I panted as I frantically took out my lightsaber and drove it into the creature’s spinal cord. The creature screamed terribly, looked at me with its red eyes, and vanished. “Do you think it died?” RAWR ((I like short hair!)) asked nervously.
((Me too! It’s so swishy! *shiwshes* I’m free! Free at last! So long, long hair!))
((I’d like to re-enter the story; is this a good spot? If so. . .)) Polly re-enters into the story somewhere.
((19- TYVM!!)) We hopped away with the hairball still hanging on to Adeia’s leg, and promptly fell into the pit. The hairball started attacking the beast.
((22 – I felt the same way when I got half of my hair chopped off! Yayness!
))
((23-Re-entering!)) “Hello Polly!” I said. “Would you like to come letterboxing with Eta, MLS, and myself?”
“Sure!” I said, wondering what letterboxing is. “As long as it doesn’t involve anymore monsters. At least not ones that petrify people.”
((The monster’s dead- so what’s happening in the Hall of Portals now? Adiea and Zinc- where did you come out of the mirror? Are you guys back in the Hall of Portals?))
((28 – I have no Idea))
I pulled out the box of pocky I keep in my pocket for post dire situations. “Pocky, anyone?” I pass the box around, selecting one for my self. I sucked on the chocolate end while staring at the spot where the monster had been.
(( What’s Pocky?))
((31- Really GOOD. I ♥ Pocky)) I ate my Pocky slowly, ten looked at the remains of the monster. Those teeth could be useful. I picked up a tooth and start carving a hole in our prison.
((31- Chocolate covered biscuit sticks- And they are sooooooooo nummy! They also have them in strawberry.))
Kokopelli Random: ( Randomly shoots at people with a machine gun)
((33 – They’re not called Pocky. They’re called something else, right? Jack & Jill, am I not right? Seriously, I just had some a couple of weeks ago.))
((33- I’ve never had strawberry ones, just chocolate and green tea.
35- They are called Pocky.))
((36- They have green tea, too?! Is it any good? My grocery store only sells chocolate and strawberry. The strawberry’s okay.
35- Perhaps the American version is Jack & Jill. Are they really biscuit sticks? I’ve only seen biscuit wafer things, American candy wise.))
((36 – No, I’ve seen a Jack & Jill brand and a Panda something brand.
))
37 – Nope, it was Asian.
((6- sorry Baylee! I’ve been in VT! so… we are in the infinetial library/infirmary, MLS and sonone else are on the pidda field chasing papers, and mostly everyone else is in the HALL OF PORTALS right?))
“hi baylee! what do you think we sould do with this? [the key/rooms of coulrse] “I wonder if we can find the others with it. I have the feeling they are in trouble. “
((37 & 38 So are you two in Asia or America?))
I try to help Zinc but I first need to help myself, I was being attacked by the hairball agian but only with slobbery kisses! I lifted up the hair and there was a little dog, I think… it’s hard to tell with all the hair! “Off boy!’ I command and the dog obediantly gets off. Every one laughs as it follows me around as I help Zinc…
A voice came out of no where and Baylee thought it would be a good idea to close the book. “Yeah, maybe we can just say we want to go to someone, like, let’s say, Zinc, and we open the door and there we are!” She walked back into the infirmary with Eria. “Try it.”
“ok! um…take us to Zinc and where she is!” *sticks key into wall and pulls door open reavealing…((should it work the first time?))
((hello? Baylee? ok, weell, I am bored so I will continue))
a blank wall. I push at it, but it dosnt work. “darnit!!! I geuse it cant take us to places that lready exist!!” “here, let me try” says Baylee, “mabey you arent wordint it right”
((40 – I used to live in the Philippines, now in Minnesota. VAST climate change: Philippines to Virginia to Tennessee to Minnesota.))
(( (44) Wow. A bit of culture shock, too, I would imagine. Makes me think of my 4th-grade teacher, a native Hawaiian, who had relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, by the time I was in her class.))
((45 – Yes. Definitely; only recently did I find out what ‘normal’ people ate with steak. I was talking with MARFwarrior, and she said “Do you have rice every day?”. I said yes, and she asked me what I have with steak. I gave her a funny look and said, “Rice. Every time. Why, what do you eat?” She said fries.
My reaction:
REALLY????? WEIRD!
And there was this time when we had just arrived in Minnesota, and my teacher said something like “place it in the bag” but she pronounced ‘bag’ with a long a (think vague), so I said “What’s a bauge?” “You know, a BAUGE! YOU CARRY STUFF IN IT!” “Oh, you mean a bag?” “Whatever”. THAT was an interesting conversation.
((My mother was from Mississippi and had a strong Southern accent. I spent my early years in California and still remember the shock of figuring out that what my mother called an “arnj” was the same thing all the other kids called an “OR-ange.”))
((My mom could never understand anything when we were in Tennessee. She always had to ask people to repeat themselves…
))
(( (47) Hm. I am the only person in my family who says “OR-ange” instead of “AR-ange” — none of them condense it down to “arnj” — and I’ve never known where I picked it up.))
((When my mother said it, it was definitely one syllable. Mississippi is a world unto itself.
None of which has anything to do with Muse Academy, although it, too, is a different world.))
((I was born and raised in CT, so I dont have any accent at all, but I like playing with a british one! my dad stayed in England for a year in college with my grandparents friends, so he has a good one when he tries. my friend’s dad has the BEST scottish accent in america!))
((Hehe, this is funny, we’re talking about accents! Well I kinda say it au-range, almost.))
((ooooooooor-ange he he! shouldnt we get back to the storyBaylee? I thik it was your turn to try the key cause I pronounced it wrong or it wont work! up to you!))
“here you try baylee” *hands Baylee the key hoping she will be able to make it open to where Zinc is))
((38- Well, not all chocolate bars are Ghirardelli.
40- America… I wish I was in Scotland or Ireland, but I am here.
46- Fries and steak? Interesting. I have… *thinks* Couscous or noodles.
51- Me too! It actually became a habit for me to talk with an English accent when ever I was nervous. My theatre teacher broke me of it, though.))
*Dodges machine gun bullets* ((Sorry, RK- I didn’t see your post.))
((13- Sorry… I thought it was that the entire time!
))
“There’s a box in those woods. I went on the website right after lunch,” I say, pointing. “I bring stamps and ink pads with me everywhere,” I produce from my backpack my own cat stamp, two multicolored inkpads, the clues, my notebook, and various other stamps. “Take your pick of a stamp. I don’t have any extra paper, though.”
((Letterboxing: You troop around in the woods and search for little boxes with stamps and notebooks in them using clues you have recieved via online, mail, or word of mouth. You also have your own stamp and notebook. When you find the box, you stamp your stamp in the box’s notebook to show you were there. You stamp the box’s stamp into your notebook as a memento of the trip. All in all, a fun experience. And way more fun than geocaching, no matter how much more popular the latter seems.))
“I have a stamp, MLS! Let’s head to the woods!” I showed MLS and Polly my stamp, consisting of a stack of books and the word “Bookworm” in caligraphic engraving.
“That’s great, Bookworm! I love your stamp!”
((Polly, Eta, choose a stamp, please, if you don’t already have one.))
((wish I could join you in letterboxing but I have no Idea how to continue the story to get us out of where ever we are *hint hint*))
((58- We’re letterboxing until you get out. Then we’re resuming school.))
((410 previous thread – Whoops, I didn’t mean to imply your character didn’t notice the others left. I meant the “she” in that sentence to mean “Eta”, but I didn’t make that clear.
46 – I didn’t know fries were the norm, either! Weird. I don’t like steak, but if I did, I think it would taste better with the rice.
Re: accents…always an interesting subject. Northerners would probably say I have an accent, but I don’t think it’s too southern – I’m pretty sure I pronounce orange “OR-ange” instead of “AR-ange,” for instance. People who grow up in rural Kentucky usually do have a strong accent, though; not as much of a southern drawl as Georgians, but probably comparable to Tennesseeans.
58 – *takes hint* But I kind of lost track of your storyline, sorry!))
“Hey, I think I might actually have one of those…” Eta rummaged through her bag excitedly. “…Ah-ha! I knew this would come in handy someday,” she exclaimed happily, having retrieved a stamp from her bag that was just the right size and shape for letterboxing. It was a simple design featuring an elder sign ((a slanted branch with three twigs on the left side and two on the right)) with one extra line through it to make an E for “Eta”.
((oh BAYLEEEEEEE!!! it seems that many people want other people to get back from **** and such so we can resume school. do you wnat the key to work? I do so I might play you for a tiny bit? later?))
“Yours is cool, too, Eta!”
((Polly, choose a stamp.))
((Um, you can play my character, I don’t really care))
Baylee took the key and slid it in wishing silently, and saying it out loud too.
as baylee turned the keythe whole wall started to writhe and churn…
In the blink of an eye, they were next to Kyra and Eta. “Oh, how nice to see you here!” Kyra said. “Um, where exactly is here?”
The wall of the prison started to go wavy. I dropped the fang and started spinning/dancing around singing “Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun, like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood, who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good,” Leafy started singing. “Like a ship blown from it’s mooring, by wind from the sea, like seed dropped by a skybird, in a distant wood, who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” Then we sung it all over again! ((Guess what musical that bit song is from!))
((Woah, I know where I am, Beatlesrockr.
))
Suddenly, Eria and Baylee appear next to Bookworm, Eta, Polly, and me. Eta, Bookworm, and I are not phased, as stranger things had happened on our last adventure. Polly jumps visibly.
“How did you–you–” She stutters.
“Wow, now we have a party!” I exclaim. Turning to the newcomers, I say, “We’re going letterboxing in those woods! I already have the clues. If you don’t already have stamps, you can choose from these,” gesturing with the already prooffered stamps.
((66- Wicked, of course!))
“Where am I? What am I doing?” I wondered aloud. It had gone all downhill since I stepped into a shining blue portal. “Hello? Anyone here?”
“Kokonilly?” someone called out. “Is that you?” I suspected it was Baylee.
“Yes, it’s me,” I said crossly. “Who else?”
((FYI, I am now with you guys. You’re welcome.))
((Great. You’re almost all out of this mess. I’m gonna wait one more day, then go off Letterboxing even if Polly doesn’t choose a stamp.))
((68- Yeth. You are correcth.)) We finished singing and danced over to the shimmering wall. We leaned against it, and melted in. A second later, Leafy and I were under a bush. We scrambled out, and blushed under the startled gaze of Polly. I started pulling branches out of my hair, as did Leafy.
((Yay, more people!))
The little Hairball of a dog that seemed to have adopted me as it’s owner, suddenly ran off towards a tunnel, stopped, and then ran back to me as if it wanted me to follow him. With me following lead me down a dimly light light tunnel. I saw no source of light untill I reached the portal. It was what was giving off the shimering blue light. The little hairball went through as I hesitated, coming back after a moment and looking up at me implorinly. I followed through… The stone around me swirled as my head was knocked against something hard, or did something hit me? This was the question in my mind as I fell in to uncounsiosness…
“Well, let’s go then! I can’t wait any longer!”
I looked around, confused again. At a loss, I followed Adeia ((we were in the same place, right?)) down the tunnel. I stopped short when I saw Adeia fall- I wanted to help, but the tunnel was so dark- I didn’t want to get hit, too! I cautiously started forward.
(( Sorry for the double post but I have an idea to continue… ))
I woke up with a splitting headache and the faces of Zinc, Leafy, Kokonilly, Baylee and the rest looking down on me . I sat up and gathered my bearings, as Hairball, the dog jumped up on me, covering me with ksses. Not bothering to ask where I was as I had figured out I was in the MA infirmiry, I asked “Why I am I the one whose always knocked out?” this was answered with laughter… I continued , “Now can we go letter boxing?!” this was answered by cheers as I got upand we stampeded out the door, Hairball in tow… before rushing out I fingered the stamp in my pocket, a phoneix rising.
“Leafy, do you have a stamp?” She nodded, and showed me a stamp, a fine calligrafied LG, entwined in vines and resting on a leaf. “Yours?” I showed her my stamp. It had a big ZINC on it, and below it was a smaller “the sorceress.” There was a circular border around it of flowers, musical notes, suns, peace signs, smiley faces, and stars. I even had silver glitter ink in my pocket!
((Yay, let’s go.))
We all head off into the forest, following a clearly marked path. I show everyone the clues.
((I can’t think of any clues, sorry.))
I followed everyone into the forest, my roaring lioness stamp in hand.
Kyra showed us the clues. ((Or MLS, whatever.)) Go waffles to the big syrup tree. “Go waffles?” Bookworm asked, obviously confused. “Never Eat Soggy Waffles!” I shouted. Everyone stared at me. “North East South West,” I explained. We went west, and stopped. “There’s a hole grove of big trees!” Leafy said. “How are we supposed to find a syrup one? Heck, what is a syrup tree?” “A maple!” RAWR said. Leafy pulled out her tree guide. “It’s that one over there!” she said, pointing. It was a big tree in the center of the grove. Look everywhere. Everyone was climbing all over the branches and the base of the tree. “Hey peoples, I think I found it!” Kokonilly yelled. “Where?” Adeia said. “Look up.” she said simply. We looked up. There, tied to a peice of string that was hanging of a branch, was a metal box. “I’ll get it!” shouted Baylee. She scampered up the trunk and yelled down to Eta, “Catch!” Then she untied the string and it fell into Eta’s hands. AvalonGirl opened the box.
((Oops, I ment Polly instead of AvalonGirl. Whoops.
))
((67- Oh sorry, I meant for Baylee to have said that))
Baylee looked around, she needed a stamp. “Um….” she felt her pocket to see if she was carrying one with her. A large lump appeared that she hadn’t noticed before. “Oh yeah!” she remembered she had been doing the late night exercises the day before the Pidda Field incident. She held up her stamp to see if it was damaged at all. It had a trident and a lighting bolt crossed with a lions head in the middle. The border was a dragon curled around it, in the dragon, was “Bailey”. A pretty complicated stamp. She pranced off towards the woods with everybody singing ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’.
“Oh, hey guys!” Eta said, greeting her friends as casually as if they had simply walked up rather than appeared out of the blue. “It’s letterbox tiime,” she added as she was already skipping off into the woods.
“What?” Eta blinked just as someone said catch. When she opened her eyes, a box was flying at her. She thrust out her arms just in time to grab it. Grinning, she handed over the box for Avalongirl to open.
Baylee grinned as the box fell to the ground. The first box. “What kind of stamp is inside?” She asked as she slid down, brushing off bark and some leaves from her shirt.
Polly brushed off the box, and slowly pried the lid open. In it was a note book and a stamp. She handed the box to Baylee and started rummaging around in her backpack. “I knew I had a stamp in here some where,” she told the others as she pulled out her stamp. It was an open book underneath a plate of cookies and “Polly”.
“Wow! I call first dibs on the book!” I engraved my stamp in the book, the box’s stamp in my book. Then, I settled down to read the book, and see who else had found this box…
“What happened?” I was jolted out of my daydreaming with a “What kind of stamp is inside?”
I was climbing up the tree, not to get the letterbox but something else that had caught my eye… I reached it. I then pulled my self up on a branch to read it. It read the following…
A riddle is what you have found indeed
Solve and the next clue will be seen
((What should the riddle be?))
((Maybe it could be
Leaves of three let it be
Not today, come find me
beside the mouth that does not eat
Find an island dry and high
That does not look complete.))
Baylee looked around excitedly as she waited for her turn to stamp the book. Finally, when she got a hold of it she stamped her stamp in the book and took the stamp from the book and stamped it in her notepad.
((Should I remember about the letters?))
I stamped the box’s stamp (A waffle, just so you know) into my notebook and vise versa.
I was a bit confused as to what we were doing (“Oh, right. Letterboxing”), but I nevertheless stamped both the box and my notebook. My stamp looked like this:
_
/ :. \
\ \_/ /
Except it looked better. ((I can only do so much with these small boxes.))
“Hey Adeia, whatcha got there?” Baylee called up to her. She held up a small piece of paper. “Read it out loud!” Baylee called again.
((Should it be (post 89)?))
((I’m going camping, and will be back on Monday- my character is open for use. Now my mom is yelling at me, making me quite stressed. She is yelling at me to pack… Sigh…))
((92 Yes More or less))
I read aloud…
A riddle is what you have found indeed
Solve me and the next clue will be seen
Leaves of three let me be
But not today, come find me
beside the mouth that does not eat
Find an island dry and high
That does not look complete
((O.k., what’s happened since the third thread?))
“What the heck? Is that from a book?” Leafy said.
“Poisen ivy… poisen ivy…hmm, mouth…mouth…Great Purple Poodle, I might have it!” I shouted, suddenly euphoric, “Okay, this may be wrong, but…” *drumroll* “a cave with poisen ivy near it, with some sort of island or pedestal in the center with a chunk missing out of it. It may be broken or may never have been completed, so we may have to watch out for building supplies. No one wants to step on a saw!”
“Wow…” said Leafy, slightly dazed, “I never knew you were that smart…”
I swatted at her, “You know, even some of the less intelligent are allowed to have brainwaves every once and a while. I also want you to remember that time in fifth grade when Mr. J scored my project higher than yours.”
“1 point, 1 point! ”
“Guys! Guys!” shouted Agrrrfishi, “Simmer down!”
“LET’S GO FIND THAT PEDESTAL!!!!!!” yelled Baylee, “Where ever it is…”
“Whoooaaaaa, people, slow down! Zinc, are you sure that’s the right answer?” Adeia said.
“Ummm, I guess, um sorta,” I said, losing confidence in my idea with every word Adeia spoke.
“Hey!” Leafy shouted, suddenly defensive,”That’s a right fine idea, even if I didn’t think of it. And it’s the best idea we have at the moment. AND ONE MORE THING: NO ONE, and I mean no one is allowed to make sweet little Zinc-y over here lose confidence but me.”
“Thanks, er, best friend…” I muttered darkly, “Thanks for looking out for me…”
“Yes, and everyone should know that you only scored better because you turned yours in early for 5 extra credit points. Great work takes time!”
“Early…?” I murmered incredulously, “You turned yours in a month late.”
“What were these projects on?” Kokonilly asked, raising her eyebrows.
We looked at each other. “You know-” I began,
“-We have no idea.” Leafy finished.
“Figures.” The rest of the group said together in a brief but completely coincidental example of cosmic allignment (although Agrrrfishi said it with plentiful sarcasm).
((95- A lot. Just forget about it. We’re letterboxing now, no big deal.))
“Does anyone here have a map of MA’s surrounding areas? There’d probably be caves marked on there.”
“Here, I have a map.” I produced a map that looked like it had been ripped to shreds and put back together with Scotch tape.
“Ooh! I do! I found one in my pizza at lunch! Maybe…” I pulled out my map. “They’re here!” I said, jabbing a finger at a blank spot. “No they’re there!” Leafy said with a flourish of her finger, pointing at a spot on the other side of the paper. “No the’re THERE!” “There! “THERE!” “Uh oh, here come the bicker girls.” Agrrrfish isighed. We momentarily looked up from the map to stared at her. “Bicker girls…?” Leafy asked, confused. Agrrrfishi gave us slight, not to mean, smirk when Bookworm wrenched the map out of our hands and started consulting it. “It’s that way.” he said, pointing at a part of paper neither of us pointed at. “We knew that.” I said.
((Darn, and I liked my post! It took a long time to type.))
((We could pick my map, but have the Bicker girls come anyway.))
((Er… thanks? I’ll combine them. This right after my post.)) “But, Bookworm said, “That part is’nt filled in.” “We can use my map!” Kokonilly chimed in. “Is yours complete?” Baylee asked. “I think!” she said. “FINE, give total disrespect of Zinc’s ma-” Leafy said before I clapped her mouth shut. “Great, let’s go!” I said hurriedly. Then I gave Leafy a look.
“You know, it could be a river mouth instead of a cave mouth,” I pipe up. “We don’t know. Maybe we should split up?”
((i have been so busy I finaly caught up! here I appear randomly again)) I step out of a dorway in mid air, actually the side of a tree, since I was sleeping when baylee left. she left the key behind, so I was able to follow so here I am, wearing my water/dragon/pida/key/fire/book proof cloak and with a tower of maps and guides from the eternal library. “uhhh, hi! I thought you were letterboxing? will we still need all these maps?” I saw the one kokonilly had. “oh! I ve got that one too!” I set the books down and spread out the maps untill a found a considerably less beat up version of kokonillly’s map. it was the same exept that a pice near the middle was the missing piece of zinc’s map, even though noone knew it. ((is that a better morph?)) i picked up the map, restacked the books and said, “um… where should I go?”
((Oh, Bayleeee, where is your dear friend, Mr.O’Mara?)) “First, you need to drop the books.” Leafy said. ((Earthgirl, my friend, you must try to use proper capitization and spelling. It’s quite annoying.))
((sorry. :oops:))
“why!?” said eria, rather defensively. “they are mostly maps and guides to the area and those will be useful!” never the less, I opened the door to the eternal library and shoved about 1/3 or the more far-flung books back, oblivious to the stares that arose when I used the invisible “key of requirement” ((for anyone who didnt know, it is like to room of requrment but 5x better since it is portable and can go to places that already exist)) “um…what should we do about everyone stuck in the room of portals? kr79 for example?”
((You should get rid of that room, Eria. It might have bad influences on the rest of us. We [at least I] don’t want this turning into a complete fantasy. Let’s just stick with letterboxing for now, then go back to school.))
(30, 31, 32, 36) Pocky is/are Japanese biscuit sticks. As it happens, you can buy them in a sandwich shop right next to the building where I work:
((108- Yay for pocky! My friend Olivia would bring it in at lunch and she’d share it with us! Wait- You work?)) I heard a small ringing sound coming from a clump of bushes. I went to those bushes, and pulled the leaves aside. There was a small hole, and after half a second something started attacking my face. “Hey! OW! Gerroff!” I yelped. I wrenched the animal from my face and found it to be a small, dirty river otter. It looked at me, and snuggled up against my chest. “That’s the second one!” Leafy said. “We have an outbreak of animals attacking people then adopting them as their owners!” I sighed, but it was true.
((108 – Those are exactly like Yan Yan! *sigh* Oh, well. Perhaps I’m only familiar with the Filipino version of it.))
“ha ha!” eria called triumphantly, “I have a book on raising baby otters in their natural habitat! I KNEW books would be useful!” she shoved the siad book to leafy ((are you a vampire leafy?)).
((107-youre’ right mls. I will lose it, which should be easy as it is invisible, in the numerous pockets of my purple cloak. let’s get letterboxing!))”now, let’s get letterboxing!”
((111- I found the otter, and I’m a vampire. I means Zinc. Leafy never has had a first person moment.))
((oh. poor leafy))
((110 – Or Hello Panda!))
“Wait, what are we doing?”
“Zinc, It is a good idea but there are many caves around MA and only one river. In water there is a higher chance of finding a island. But you’re right it is called the mouth of a cave as is the mouth of a river.” I said
((105-
))
Baylee piped up, “I think Adeia’s right. There are many caves, and only one river, plus, that river does have a lot of giant rocks near it. Maybe that’s what it meant? A giant rock, that just looks like a slab of stone, not a complete rock?” She tried to remember the river, for she had only been there twice before. “Yes, I’m pretty sure there is a huge place in the river where there are many rocks, but only one is near poison ivy, the rock that’s nearest to the forest. On the other side of the river there is supposed to be a field.” said Zinc.
“All right, let’s go there!” I chirped, and started into the forest, my otter scrambling over the roots to follow me. Someone knocked into me, and I screamed. i turned around to find a sheepish- looking Leafygreen, who had tripped over a root and crashed into me.
“Everybody STOP!” I yell. “Does anybody have poison oak remedy stuff? I don’t want to get super itchy.”
Kokonilly produces some from her bag and we all slather it on. “Good. Now we’re prepared.”
“I feel sticky.” I said.
Baylee refused to put any of it on. “That’ll make me feel worse than if I get a rash from the oak. I’m allergic to that stuff.” She waited until everyone slathered the stuff on, and picked up the caboose of the long line. “Onward!”
I, again, just go with the flow and follow the pack, having only a vague idea as to where we are going.
((I was just wondering, does MA have uniforms?))
((if it does, mine never shows. I’ve always got my super weird super useful cape on))
I too decline the lotion, insisting that, “I THINK this is poison whatever proof! besides, I have long pants on! that stuff smells horrible! noo offense kokonilly” I then follow everyone else, trying to stuff as many books into my bag as possible.
((122 – No, I don’t think so.))
“Ah, the poison oak remedy does smell a little bit.” I wrinkled my nose in distaste. “I’m immune to poison oak anyway, I don’t know why I have it.” I turned to Baylee. “Here’s some hypoallergenic remedy.”
((124- Darn. I drew pictures of Leafy and I in pleated skirts with pant underneath, and white blouses with ties. *coughcoughbasedoffofHarryPotterbutnotreallycoughcough*))
I was careful to avoid the roots as I stumbled into the woods, everyone else following me or in front of me.
Having had bad experiences with poison ivy, I pinch my nose and slather up with Kokonilly’s anti-poison oak lotion, and we tromp off into the woods in who-knows-what direction. ((whatever we decided on, I forget)).
can i join? or should i wait…..
((127- First of all, get someone to give you a summary of our latest adventure. Then learn to RPG. When not posting in character, type in double parantheses, like I am right now. And please try and type with proper grammer, capitilization, and spelling. You seem REALLY neophyte-y right now. And wait a bit before you get a companian, like Leafygreen. ))
((Thanks.))
((129- *eyes bug out of head* That was quite a rapid change.))
Baylee took the Hypo-Allergenic stuff quickly mumbled something that sounded like, “Thankyou,” and “You are always prepared, thankfully,” and first put a tiny dab on her hand to make sure it was fine, and then slathered a bit on her arms, and a bit on her legs, for she was wearing soccer shorts and a t-shirt.
((108 – Yum! I love pocky. Also the pocky song from the Japanese commercials on Youtube.))
Once the others took their turns, Eta eagerly accepted the box’s stamp and notebook. She used the box’s stamp for her first notebook page and then left her mark in the box’s notebook. By the time she finished her letterboxing, a new adventure had already surfaced. Only at MA, she thought with a smile as she followed the others on yet another quest.
((I’m kinda confused on where we are at this time. Are we on MA grounds?))
((133 – I haven’t a clue. I’m lurking.))
((Ah, I’ve had Pocky before! My friend had some, she let me try it. Yay for Pocky! It tastes YUMMMMM.))
(( Hey, everyone, sorry for the double post, but, I have something to ask of all of you. I’d like to write up all the MA adventures and everything, so it could be like a book. I’m just asking permission to use it as an idea for a young authors book. Could I?))
((Beat – ~random~ You have a typo in your name, Bealtesrockr. And I don’t care about the book idea. Do whatever.))
((137- Whoops. And thanks.))
((136 – sure))
((I’ve always thought the GAPAs should make MB a book.)) We arrived at the river.
((136- Yay! That’s cool. Be sure to include our blognames, like in the introduction or benediction or something.
132- I thought we were still letterboxing. I thought there was another box.))
“Hey, look!” Zinc yells and points at a small sandbar in the middle of the river.
“What’s so special about that?” I ask.
“I don’t know, I like sand.”
((
Thanks guys. I’ll include the blognames. We just make “About the Authors” after the stories, but, I’ll try and make something about Museblog or something like that near the end. My teacher prolly won’t say anything about it. Ah yes! I have the perfect way to include Museblog at the end!))
Everyone looked around as they stood at the river. Baylee picked up a rock and skipped it. “Woah, 15!” When it got to the other side of the river, it hit a large stone, and broke.
I waded across the river to the stone that Baylee’s stone had broke upon. There was a strange dialect on it!
I traded in my hiking boots for tevas ((for anyone who dosnt know, a strappy sandle and the BEST SHOES IN THE UNIERSE)) and waded in. suddenly, just before I reached the aforementioned stone, I started sinking!! “HEILP IT”s QUICKSAND!!!!” ZInc took a step back and started sinking too! ((or not)) “HEEEELLLLP! we both screamed.
((Ooh, quicksand! Let’s all be sucked into the bowels of the earth!)) Leafy reached in to help me, but she fell in, as did Baylee, who was helping Eria.
“I have experience! I’ve seen sooo many TV shows on how to handle quicksand!” I yell. “If you struggle, you’ll go deeper!” I search the bank for a big stick.
“Like Devil’s Snare?!” I yelled. Leafygreen was doing a very good ron impression at the moment.
((145- Yes, lets!))
“Here’s a big stick! Quick! Grab on!” But as a leaned forward, I slipped. “Ahh! No no no no no-” I scrambled at the bank, trying to find a foot hold, but it was all slippery, oozy mud. I slid right down into the quicksand with everyone else. I remembered the scene from Jungle Book and started to cry. “HELP! We don’t to suffocate!” ((What was it that Indiana Jones said they would be fine unless it happened, when they were in the quicksand? (does that make sense?)))
((148- In Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaa and Asbel fall into quicksand, but it isn’t very deep and the just fall to the bottom of the Toxic Jungle where the air and water is clean and pure, but that’s just me and my Hayao Miazaki movies.)) Leafy was trying to pull me up, as I had fallen in before her. But to no avail: I was almost completely under.
“Try to float!” I called out.
“Good idea!” Baylee got on her back, she floated up a bit, but than something fell in next to her, and she started sinking again.
((149- I just saw that movie for the first time two days ago! When Eria identified the sand bar as quick sand, my mind flicked right back to that scene.))
((are we being sucked into the center of the earth or are we being rescued? I favor the center of the earth myself, as I havent been on any long-term adventures.))
just I was being sucked all the way under, I managed to cry-“use my cloak to cover you’r mouth’s! *gasp-suck* micro-compact-ocygen tanks sewn in!” than I went under, folowimg my own advice
“Dang.” I dove in after Baylee. I grabbed her and yelled at her to try and float. “SWIM!” We both swam, very gently and carefully, to the edge, grabbing Leafy and Zinc with us.
((153- I don’t know, but if anyone needs me, I’ll be under the quick sand.))
“Eria!” I struggled to reach where she had been sinking. Of course, that was a mistake. I started to go down faster, which made me frantic, and before I knew it, I was under my self. I went down, down, down. All the sudden, my legs where free! There was an air pocket or something down there! I hit the floor with an “Oof!” Where ever I was, it was to dark to see. It didn’t feel as closed in as an air pocket- it could be a tunnel of some sort.
((I wonder if the writer of the riddle knew about the quicksand?))
I finally find a stick and shove it in one of the struggling Musers’ faces.
“Here, Baylee!” I yelled.
“I’m Kokonilly!”
“Oh, well grab it anyway!” I braced my feet far from the edge of the sand as I waited for the impeding pull.
((Heh. Oops. Switch from present to past there. I’ve gotta remember to catch those.))
I grabbed the stick and tugged. “WOAH!” Kyra fell in.
“Sorry about that.”
“Meh.” I say. “We’re at the edge anyway.
Using our vast knowledge of escaping quicksand techniques, Kokonilly, Leafy, Zinc, Baylee, and I heave ourselves out.
((Dangit. Forgot a quotation mark.))
Baylee thought for a moment. Wait, what was that? she had been struggling to much to realize that there were bubbles. Bubbles. Baylee stood straight, and sank through, landing on her feet, right next to RAWR. “That was a nice!” she said cheerfully. She walked on, tripped on a rock, and fell, crashing into RAWR knocking (wait, are you a girl or boy?) her/him over. “Sorry, I’m very clumsy.” Baylee muttered as she helped RAWR up.
((160, 162 – Conflicting plots. I’ll fix it.))
Baylee climbed out, but had a strange look on her face. Suddenly, she dove in straight. I followed, ignoring the shouts. I saw the bubble, too. I got there in time to see Baylee already injuring someone.
((So now I’m on the shore with Zinc and Leafy? All right.))
It seemed jumping in was “all the rage”, so I grabbed Leafy’s wrist, and, ignoring her protests of “Heyheyhey! Leggo!”, I jumped in with her in tow. Then I saw the bubble that Baylee, Kokonilly, and RAWR were all in, and I went to it, pulling Leafy with me. When we got to the bubble, Leafygreen turned to me and said, “Let me nickname you Housten. You okay with that?” “Yeah…?” She said, “Housten, you have a problem! Housten, are you completely INSANE?!?!”
((So now I’m on the shore with nobody
))
I jump in, too. I discover that manuvering in sand is a lot harder than manuvering in water. I eventually arrive at the bubble with everyone else. I hold my breath and fall into a tunnel.
“What an odd phenomenon…” I mutter.
((163- Thanks Kokonilly.))
Zinc landed beside Baylee, Leafygreen landed a bit behind Zinc, and Kyra landed on, Baylee. “Oof.”
I sent Hairball back to the first tree to get my bag – I needed my first aid that I had forgotton…
((Forgot to add this sorry))
When Hairball returned, I zipped him in his pocket and folled the rest into the bubble…
((136 – That’s fine with me, good luck! I might write about MA sometime, too, but probably not for any contests.))
“Nice one, Baylee,” Eta cheered as Baylee’s stone went flying across the water. “I’ve never been good at skipping….” Suddenly Baylee wasn’t standing there anymore. “…stones? Baylee? Where’d you g-oh, geez, quicksand!” Eta went completely still as soon as she felt the sand sucking in her feet, but it was too late; the strange goop continued to swallow her. She had just enough time to take a deep breath and close her eyes before the quicksand enveloped her.
When the sand thinned enough for Eta to open her eyes and mouth again, she saw the others in their bubble and floundered towards them. Just as her fingers brushed the bubble, however, she applied too much pressure and it popped with an earspliting bang! “Oh cake,” Eta said softly as the walls started to shake. Then she yelled “I’m so sorry, guys! Run!!!” as the walls started to cave in around everyone.
Kokonilly, Leafy, Zinc, and I run in a different direction than everyone else. We dash past many multicolored mushrooms until we can’t hear the rumbling of the cave colapsing.
“Great,” Kokonilly says, “Now what?’
“I feel like an elf!” I chirped. “Yeah, well if I were normal size, I’d squoosh you!” Leafy said, still irritated at me. In a bizarre moment, a giant foot came out of the sky and almost flattened me! “YIPE!” Kokonilly screamed. “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Kyra screamed, and we all ran.
((162- I’m a girl
))
I ran in a random direction, hoping I was following someone, when I bumped into what felt like a person. Now I really hope I’m following someone, I thought to myself. “Urm, sorry- I can’t really see to well,” I murmur, hoping the response is friendly familiar voice.
((Ohhhhh dear. I hate having so much math homework. Um – Are we out of the mirror? And in a forest? Grk. I’ll randomly pop up somewhere soon when I catch up.))
((Woah. We’re small? I added the mushrooms because caves always have mushrooms…))
((174-Here, you can randomly pop up somewhere by me!))
“I’m sorry, I really am, it’s just so dark-” Just then, the surrounding mushrooms conveniently chose that moment to illuminate, revealing Turquoise. “Oh, boy am I glad you’re not a cave monster!” I exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. I looked around- “Did anyone else run this way?” A scream issued through the cave.
“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Moments latter, Zinc, Leafy, Kokonilly, and Kyra appeared out of the darkness, followed closely by a giant. As they ran past, someone grabbed my wrist, dragging me along. I grabbed Turquoise, who still hadn’t had a chance to speak, and we all fled before the monster.
((175- Nah, I just assumed the mushrooms were really big.))
((I have no time to get on anymore so use me if need be. ))
We pass by Adeia, and someone grabs her as well.
I run along with the others, and duck into a convienently placed side pocket. Nobody notices I’m gone, which is what I want. All the MA students and the giant dash by.
I glanced back briefly at the giant, but that glance cost me. “Ah!” I tripped over I rock, painfully grazing my knee.
((POST ON THIS THREAD PEOPLE!!!.
Maybe we should make it realistic again. More people were here when there were just pie fights. I guess the BA thread is for unrealistic stuff, but I wouldn’t know.))
((Caves are realistic, monsters aren’t.))
((If someone gives me a brief summary on the latest MA adventure, I promise I’ll help bring this thread back to life)).
We were running at full speed, when I noticed a giant blue butterfly with a human face- it was blowing smoke shapes. It saw me staring, started screaming at me, turning red as it did so. “Guys, quick! Back here!” We all darted into the mushrooms. The giant rumbled past. The angry butterfly flew off, revealing some mushroom slices that looked like bread. “One makes you smaller, the other makes you taller… but which is which?”
((185- Hmmmm… I thought we were discouraging against that kind of stuff now.
184- Well, ummm. There’s been two. The first one, everyone fought a gorgon-like creature in the water in the Pidda field. Some people fell into the surprisingly deep pond. Some people had mild concussions and were rushed to the nurses office. I (and two others) hung out in a random field and debated what to do next because we thought enough people had dived in to rescue the few that fell. The people with concussions (Baylee and Eria, I believe) found a key that could open to anywhere, sort of like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter, but they later threw it away because it was deemed too unrealistic. Meanwhile, the people in the water found a mirror that transported you to the Hall of Portals (I think) and Random Kokopelli turned into Kokopelli Random and tried to kill everyone. Kokonilly fought a monster. Somehow, some other people ended up in Hell, but then everybody randomly transported to where I was and we all decided to go letterboxing.
The adventure we’re currently in started with the letterboxing trip. We found the letterbox, but also a strange note that led us to the river. We all fell in quicksand and ended up in a tunnel that seems to be turning into Alice in Wonderland.
…and that’s where we are now. Maybe if you joined, you could help us “moderators” try to keep it realistic…))
((186- Oh… Okay. I wasn’t sure if we were starting that now or when the adventure was done.))
((186-Hehee. Keep it realistic? I don’t think so. Why should it be realistic? It never has been, and we’re all fine aren’t we?))
Baylee dove behind a mushroom. “Ahh! What in this corrupt world was that?” she said. She noted two tunnels that branched off. “And how do we get outta here?”
((188- It was at first. By “realistic” I mean NOT FANTASY. I’m gonna disappear for a while until this gets normal and stays normal.))
((Hello?))
((Where did everyone go?))
((Aren’t there classes we have to go to?))
((We thought so, but the RPGers seemed to have decided that academics weren’t important.))
((193 – I remember at the start of the RPG we all had class schedules…)
((I think we’re still at lunch…))
((Aw man. I hate academics. But your right, we have classes to get to.))
)) so she quickly gathered her books and set off down the hallway. Class 12. She entered the room quickly, only to stop dead in her tracks. Urania was sitting at the teacher’s desk. “Um… Is this the right class?” I say while checking the room number. Sure enough it was. Mythology, room 12, 12:30. Urania nodded towards Baylee, she was looking at some papers. “I see you are surprised?” Baylee nodded. “Well, it did say on the schedule that I would be teaching this class sometimes, didn’t it?” Baylee nodded. She took her seat near the back of the room.
Somehow, this bright light shone on us and we all somehow appeared at lunch. Yay, happy days.
Baylee’s pasta had turned cold, so she ate as much of it as she could manage. Her pudding was still ok, so she scarfed it down. It was almost time for Mythology ((see, stuck to my schedule I first made, Mythology with Mr.Opal at 12:30.
((Hey, let’s do the class thing sort of like some middle/high schools do it. You have a series of set classes (English, Science, History, whatever), then some periods where you get to choose whatever you want. It would be soooo much less confusing that way.
So, what should the set “core” classes be? I’m sticking with English, Science, and History, but maybe we could add some musey thing in there or change them to musey things.))
((197- I’d rather not, to me, Muse Academy is different than other schools. Very different. And the classes you get to choose is one of the main reasons why I like it so much. My characters doesn’t have to do things she doesn’t like. Good suggestion though.))
((I meant that we could agree on random classes we all had to take. Maybe World Domination or something like that. If we all take something at the same time, it would be a whole lot less confusing and people wouldn’t want to turn it into fantasy.))
Leafy and I rubbed our eyes. Everyone around us seemed unpreturbed by our sudden arrival, so we quickly ate what was left of our brownies and walked down the hallway. We split up when she had to go to Zoology and I went to German. I got to the German classroom. Our teacher insisted on being called by her first name (which is Freida, by the way) and had covered the walls with travel stickers and posters of German castles and mountains. Every Friday we got Cat’s Tongues, which I loved.
((What is going on?))
Mythology passed like a rocket, and soon, Baylee was quickly out the door. She went down the hallway and rounded a corner. She had French class in a few minutes.
Baylee entered the small room, many of her classmates were already sitting at their desks, waiting for their teacher, Mr. DuSable, to arrive. He came in a few minutes after Baylee, and sat down at his desk in the front of the room. “Bonjour chacun! Aujourd’hui est le jour de l’épreuve, donc j’espère que vous tous avez fait les études!” he said. ‘Good morning everyone! Today is the day of the test, so I hope you all studied!’ Baylee’s eyes grew wide. She had remembered studying a bit, and she was o.k. at French. But she had totally forgotten about the test because of the whole, you know, shebang that happened. Mr.DuSable got up from his desk with a stack of papers. “Vous savez les règles!” he said, ‘You know the rules!’ He passed out the papers, and told everyone to start. Baylee picked up her pencil, and started writing. Thankfully, the test was fairly easy.
((I have no idea what’s going on. I left after winter 2007, I read the last few posts, but could someone please explain what’s going on?))
((203 – Wow you are worse off then me! I think we are curently at a lull in between adventures so it doesn’t matter that much unless you really want to know… ))
I ran in late to German, going overtime in the library as always….
I run into my next class (the american history civil war unit) and sit down in the 3rd row from the front of the room. “today we are going to see some examples of the weapons used in the civil war.”
I cheer as class begins. I always loved learning about old wars and weaponry. Then I look around and see that none of my classmates are cheering. feeling akward, I sit back down and sigh. it was going to be a long afternoon.
((204- I do overtime in the library too!
))
Adeia tried to sneak into German quietly, but she knocked over a lamp. Everyone’s head swivelled to face her. She blushed, and rushed to her seat. I felt somewhat sorry for her. I knew the feeling she was probably experiencing
I sat very straight, my paper ready and ink pen poised. I couldn’t wait! With this class, I would be predicting hurricanes in no time. I searched the class for someone I knew…
I looked around the classroom and saw RAWR. I quickly waved at her only to get at stern look from the teacher…
Right when Baylee’s pencil left the paper with the last flourish of a J, Mr. DuSable stood up to collect the papers. She gathered her stuff, and followed the crowd of kids leaving the room. She was confident she got a B or higher. Time for the all mysterious World Domination class. She had a huge grin on her face. One of her favorite classes. She had checked out a few books on Hitler, and how he had been bunnified.
The bell rang, and I packed up my stuff to head to World Domination. I had tried to do my homework (look up and write five paragraphs about Hitler, the Nazis, and the Hitler youth groups), but I had ended up throwing the books across the room in anger and drawing the Brandenburg Gate all over my stuff.
I have been quietly sitting in German, studying vocab, when the class ends. I follow Zinc and Leafy to World Domination and try to strike up some conversation.
“So… any homework?”
((203- I just checked–this thing didn’t even start ’till January ’08… Oh, well. Anyway, things started getting out of hand after the big pie fight between the houses. There was an adventure involving ghosts and a rejected Muse, next there was an adventure in the MA basement, then there was another adventure in various places, including (but not limited to) the Pidda field, Hell, and the Hall of Portals. Finally, a failed adventure, a revolt (of non-adventure people like me), and now we’re finally back in school, hopefully to have more realistic adventures in the future.))
Kyra walks with us to World Domination, and she says, “So… any homework?” In an answer, Leafy pretended to fall to the ground by the weight of her shoulder bag. She looked up and said to Kyra, “Ya think?”
((212-I cataloged all story arcs so far on the Muse Academy, Part 2 thread.))
I entered the classroom sopping wet and coughing up water. “What?” I said somewhat defensively. “The water pressure suddenly went up at the drinking fountain.” While it seemed unlikely, you never knew what would happen in that building. I took a seat and was immediately thrown into the ways of the Force.
*works in Algebra II/Trig class* “Okay, so I need to find the center and the radius of this circle. But I only have two endpoints of the diameter, (-4, -1), and (2, 3). So, to find the center from there, I need to…bleh. Screw this. I’m taking a nap.” *does so*
((Hello? I’ve been told I can join this…… I’m in Spector House…… I’m sorry I’m late in the year…….))
((217- Sure! Welcome to the Spector house! Just give a brief description of your character, and talk a little about how you ended up going here to Muse Academy. And please write in first person, unlike me)).
Baylee joined the people who were walking to World Domination. “At least we have one class together!” she said cheerfully while shifting the weight of her bookbag to her left shoulder.
((218-Thanks. You’re in Spector? Oh good.
Describe in or out of character? That is, like this)) or like this?
((I’m going to do it here, and hope that’s right.
Okay. My character’s name is Dara Ashe (pronounced Ah-SHAY). She’s twelve, tallish, and has brown hair which is around shoulder length (I’ve always wanted to have hair which will behave itself for long enough to reach my shoulders without making me look like I’ve just touched one of those electrical ball thingies which make your hair… well, not behave itself, to say the least).
She was a normal kid, albeit a Muse-obsessed normal kid, until a few months ago, when The Letter came.
“Mom?” “What?” “I just got this letter that says I’ve been accepted into a school somewhere in [Iceland, right?]!” ” What?????? .” “See? It says, right here. ‘Because of your unusual interest in Muse and also because [insert something else that makes this sound more formal (sorry, I really can’t think very well right now)], you have been accepted into Muse Academy’.” “Are you’re sure this isn’t some kind of joke? Even if it isn’t, you’ve already started middle school. It wouldn’t look good, to say the least. Maybe next year, honey.” “But, Mom!” Maybe next year.”
Th next night, at exactly five minutes past midnight, Dara snuck out of the house. She wasn’t too sure about running away to school, but at least she could always come back if this didn’t work out. Right? Right??? ))
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER:
Dara jumped out the back of the pickup truck and waved and waved to the driver. “Thanks for the ride!”
The truck drove off, heading back to the village and leaving Dara alone at the end on a very long driveway. So this was Muse Academy. It certainly looked a lot bigger than her old school, that was for sure. Hopefully it was as fun as the letter had made it sound.
Dara started walking up the driveway. By the time she reached the top, she was slightly out of breath. She sat down on the steps in front on the big wooden door for a few minutes, then stood on her tiptoes and peeked in a window set into the door. There didn’t seem to be a lot of activity going on inside, as far as she could see. After all, it wasn’t the first day of school. Everyone would probably be in their classes, not waiting for people to arrive.
Dara thought about knocking, decided that probably nobody would hear her anyway, thought for a while, and then turned the doorknob cautiously.
The door swung open with an interesting creak, and Dara stepped inside.
She wandered around the corridors for a while. This place was so big, there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Then she turned a corner and almost crashed into some people who were walking in the opposite direction.
“Hi? I’m Dara,” she said cautiously.
((Sorry for the long post and not talking in first person. I’ll be good from now on.))
I was almost to World Domination when someone almost crashed ino me. “Hi? I’m Dara.” she said somewhat timidly. I smiled and chirped back, “Hi, Dara! I’m Zinc! You’re a new Spector, right?” I asked, surveying her. “I’m in Baker House, as is my best friend, Leafygreen.” Leafy cut in and said, “But you can call me Leafy!” “Uh, yeah…” I said, raising my eyebrows. “I’m Kyra, Dara.” Kyra said. “This is Baylee.” Baylee shook Dara’s hand, then pulled her into a hug. “Well, cut the formalities.” I said, glancing at my loverly watch. “We have about a minute and a half to reach WD.” We all hurried off.
((Thank you, Zinc!))
I stood staring after Zinc and her friends. “We-ell. That was strange.” Nobody seemed to think it was unusual that a new student should suddenly appear out of thin air.
Spector House….. I dimly remembered the letter saying something about the houses. I’d have to get someone to explain things here to me. Later, after classes.
I stood in the hallway, not quite sure what to do. It might be somewhat rude to walk into the middle of a class, sit down, and start…….. Wait a minute. What the heck was WD supposed to mean? There was no way it was a standard subject. Oh, well. What the heck, I’d find out later.
I wandered down the hallway until I came to a smallish, empty room which looked nice and cozy. Hmm. You know, I was quite tired after the day. It might be nice to take a nap.
I entered the room, disappeared into a heavily pillowed armchair, and did so.
((Now that Zinc has drug me into this, I suppose I’ll have to assert myself. *sigh*))
I settled into my desk at World Domination just as the bell rang. I smiled at Zinc, knowing very well she didn’t do her homework because she had a fit of utter rage. The teacher walked in and said, “Hello, class. Before we start actually doing classwork, we’ll share our homework.” Zinc looked quite nervous now. “Who didn’t do it?” the teacher said. Zinc tentatively raised her hand. “Ah. You have a problem with Nazis, don’t you?” Zinc gulped, and nodded. “Hm. Intreseting.” the teacher said. Then he started in on calling out random people to share their essays.
Baylee quickly yelled something to the neophyte about being in Spector, and ran off to World Domination. She slid into her seat right when the bell rang. The teacher was at the front of the class already, writing random things about the Nazis on the blackboard. He turned around and called on a bunch of random people to share their essays. Baylee squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t call on her. “Lezli, Kyra, Leafy, Jenn, and Baylee.” Baylee opened her eyes and sighed. She rummaged around her,,, ((Sorry, I have to go))
I share the jist of my essay.
*Ahem.* “The Nazis were partially justified in their actions because Germany was unfairly picked on in the Peace of (insert name here [I’m tired, alright???]). Their army was restricted to 10,000 men, their navy was disbanded, and they had to pay all of the war debts, plunging the economy into a severe depression. The Nazis should not had acted so much in the extreme, as in persecuting people who weren’t Aryan, but all’s well that ends well, right?”
“Adolf Hitler was a great public speaker. He would start quietly, and end with loud, motivating words. This is why he was able to get so many people to follow him.”
“Good job, Kyra,” the teacher states. “I look foward to reading the entire paper. Who’s next?”
“I am,” I said, standing up. I cleared my throat, and stated, “[insert entire report here- I’m tired, okay? I can’t pull entire reports off my head. This is Zinc’s area of expertice, not mine.]” Zinc clapped when I finished, and I sat back down.
My hands demand that I do something. I’m not bored with the class, but I can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds. I begin to doodle. First a phoenix, then a dragon and a griffin. Next, numerous smiley faces decorate my notes. When I’m done, my paper usually looks like a collage of modern art. I save all my drawings to keep a record of how my skills have progressed.
The teacher was droning on about the Isreals and the Egyptians, but my mind was blocking it all out. I was alternating between daydreaming and furiously scribbling my daydreams down. I was doing the detail of the mosaics in a library when the teacher slapped his hand down on my paper. “Miss Zinc,” he said sharply, giving a nice Snape impersonation, “I greatly appreciate your art skills, indeed, they are nice, but I would also appreciate it if you would, perhaps, stay on the lesson.” He glanced over at Kyra. “You too, Miss Kyra.” Kyra had a notebook full of doodles too. Thankfully the bell rang, and hile everyone ran out for lunch, he called over the crowd, “Miss Kyra and Miss Zinc, please stay here.” Leafy glanced at me, and I knew the look from the color of her eyes (aquamarine), that she felt sympathy and would wait outside for us. She had been called to stay after class in WD too many times to count.
I filed out of the classroom last, then stood at the edge of the doorway. Then I waited.
((I must be crazy, but can I join this?))
((230- Why not? We’d be happy to have you. You can shrink your age down, perhaps, like people do to make themselves older. Seriously, in most of the RPGs, I’m thirteen.
))
“Hmmm,” I think. “I guess because I’m new here, the teacher doesn’t know that I’ve been taking notes the entire time as well as doodling.”
I clear my throat and show him the notes that I’ve been taking. They have big titles: “Nazis”, “Israel”, and “Egypt”, and long lists of things that I didn’t know at the beginning of the lesson. The margins and the blank space at the end of the two sheets of paper are covered in doodles.
I inwardly groaned. So I was alone in this. So, I took a deep breath, and said, trying to keep a brave face, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t really take any notes except at the start of the lesson.” I stood there, fingering my skirt while waiting for him to give me the nuke.
((Just wondering: do people ever sleep here? Because if they do, that would be a good time for me to get into the middle of things a bit more realistically, and if they don’t, it could be a bit of a problem. Unless groundhog wants to come join me, then we could take a look around MA together.))
((234- May I state that Groundhog’s 19?))
Baylee sat there trying to pay attention, but she was really humming a tune in her head and mouthing some words. Her paper was covered in anime smiley faces, random lines, and awkward notes scribbled in the margins.
“…and then I will come around and look at the notes you have taken.” the teacher said loudly. Her eyes widened as she realized she had only written a few bullet points. Quickly, Baylee jotted down all the things that were written on the board. When she finally finished, the teacher was just getting to her row. She tapped her pencil on her desk nervously. “Baylee, we don’t need a drum solo, please.” the teacher said sternly. She nodded as he picked up her bright green notebook covered with Kokonspiracy stickers. He put on his glasses, skimmed it over, and set it back on my desk. “C- for neatness.” was all he said.
((236- The rest of you were excused for lunch, I thought.))
((231 – Okay. Character profile, coming right up:
Name: Jennifer Ann Greene
Age: 11
Physical description: Kind of tall for her age, red hair, freckles, green eyes, slightly upturned nose, wide-ish mouth with teeth that are crooked, but not enough to merit braces. Larger-than-normal hands and feet. Has already hit puberty.
Personality/Stuff about her: Pretty smart, although she certainly doesn’t think so, not after starting middle school and discovering that all of a sudden she was doing a lot worse than she did in elementary school. However, she is kind of stupid in that she doesn’t always think about what she says, and has a tendency to rush into things blindly and get in over her head. She can also be forgetful. She likes to help others, but sometimes agrees to do too much and then can’t do everything that she promised. She does things either slowly and carefully or quickly and sloppily, and is either compulsively organized or extremely messy, which confuses others to no end. She enjoys reading, sports, the arts (except for dancing), computers, and cooking. She hates girly-girl stuff (especially the color pink), and when people can’t keep their bad opinions of her to themselves. She doesn’t care what people think of her, she just cares if they voice those thoughts. If someone does do that, they’ll be lucky to escape without injury, because while Jen’s temper is usually dormant, it is extremely fiery, and she is a very good fistfighter. She was always a teased kid though, so despite the fact that she reacts to insults, she eventually got used to being teased and just kept up the fighting of anyone who insulted her on the off-chance that her classmates or neighbors would get tired of all those bruises and leave her alone. But she did become very careful about who she acted friendly to. That’s not to say that she didn’t have any friends–they just didn’t live very close to her, so they weren’t in her school and she needed her mom to drive her if she wanted to see them. So Jen’s primary companions during her childhood were objects: her books and magazines, her ancient Apple IIe computer bequeathed to her by an older cousin, her tapes, CDs and boombox, her markers, and her stuffed animals. (Later during her childhood, she managed to make a few friends at school, but these friends were really closer to acquaintances.) A rather lonely life, and when her school performance went down the tubes, a rather disappointing one too. Until one day, when all of that changed…[cut to the RP of how she ended up at MA]
*looks that over* Wow, that was long.))
RP of how Jen got to MA:
I was sitting in my living room, reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the billionth time. That didn’t matter though–I loved the story. I also loved the idea of a school where you learned how to do magic, because it would definitely beat the school where I was now. I heard the mailman approaching and stuffing the mail into the mailbox, so I opened my front door, yelled a thank you to the mailman’s retreating back, and brought the mail inside, looking to see if there was anything in it for me, or maybe a magazine that my mom would let me cut up. No magazines this time, but there was a letter with a foreign postmark on it addressed to me. Why anyone from so far away would be sending me anything, I didn’t know. I dumped the rest of the mail on the kitchen table and opened up my letter. It said something about my being accepted to a school called Muse Academy. I began to squeal and jump up and down. Mom must have seen how bad it was for me at school and found me another place to go! I ran to my mom, still squealing. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” I said to her. “Thank you for what?” my mom replied puzzledly. “For getting me into a different school!” I said, wondering how she could have forgotten. “What school?” my mom asked. I gave her the letter. My mom read it, and then looked back at me. “I didn’t enroll you here. They must have found you on their own. And I don’t think you’ll be going to this place–it’s in Iceland. I’m sorry sweetie, but we just can’t afford the airfare, and I don’t think you’d do well so far away from home.”
((darn it! I have to get off now, I’ll finish later.))
((238- Lemee guess- You hit your mom, and run away.))
((235-Yes, I know. What’s your point?))
((240- Noooothing. Never mind.))
((239 – Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.))
I snatched the letter back and fled to my room, where I salved my bruised ego by turning my boombox on HIGH, something I knew my mom hated. When that didn’t work, I broke down completely, throwing myself onto my bed and sobbing. For a few wonderful minutes I had thought that I was going to go to a wonderful new school, and now I would be stuck wondering what I was missing for the rest of my life. And all because my mom thought that I couldn’t handle going away.
Sometime later, I heard my mom come into my room. “Jenny?” she said. “I just talked to Dad on the phone, and he thinks that it’s a wonderful idea for you to go to this place. And now that he’s told me his reasoning, I think he’s absolutely right. Will you forgive me for not even giving you a chance about this?” I heaved myself off of my pillow. “Yeah…” I said. “I just don’t know how we’ll get a ticket for you though.” my mom said again. I looked in the envelope. “There’s something that looks like a plane ticket in here.” I said…
ABOUT A WEEK LATER:
I hugged my parents goodbye as I headed towards the security checkpoint at the airport. “See you at Thanksgiving!” my mother called after me. I waved back at them before stepping through the security gate, on my way to a new and hopefully fun life…
((I have yet to figure out what house she’s in, so I can’t insert her in just yet.))
((242-You can join, and figure out your house later. In real life, you wouldn’t know until you’d come and hung out for a while. Though, now might not be the best time to join, since we’re in the middle of the Ball. But you can if you want.))
((I guess this thread is going to poop out for a while because of the ball. I would post on the ball thread, but I can’t figure out a costume!))
Once the teacher had finished going over everyone’s notes, he pulled down the overhead and turned on a projector. He showed us outlines and we said either friend or foe. After that, we talked about presidential candidates and battle plans.
I was on my way to Archery class when a paper blew in my face. I pulled the paper off and looked at it.
“Field trip to Surtsey Island, the newest place on Earth…”
I walked up the long driveway that led to the school building. I guessed it was the school building that is–it didn’t look much like one. My gigantic duffel bag was getting hard to pull along the ground, even though it had wheels, and I wondered how much longer the driveway would go on.
After a while, I got to the front doors, which I pushed open, dragging my duffel bag inside with me. There weren’t too many people in what looked like the front hallway, but there were a few. I approached one of them and nervously tapped en on the shoulder. “Excuse me?” I said tentatively “You wouldn’t happen to know what new students are supposed to do, would you?”
I had just gotten out of the teacher’s chewing out when someonne tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. It was a girl about my age with red hair, freckles, green eyes. She was about as tall as I was. “Excuse me? You wouldn’t happen to know what new students are supposed to do, would you?” She said.I considered this. “Do you have your scheudle?” I asked her. “I think so…” she said, and fished around in her bag. “In the meanwhile,” I said, “Do you know what house you’re in?” “No…” she said, creasing her forehead. “Am I supposed to know?”
I was eleven when had first gotten into Muse Academy.
I walked up the large driveway of my new school, looking up nervously at the towering building and dragging my trunk. I stepped into a corridor and went up timidly to a group of laughing older girls. “Um, d-d-do…” I stuttered. The leader of the group, a blond with blue eyes, threw back her head and laughed. I fought back tears, took a deep breath, and asked, “Do you know where I can find out what house I’m in?” This seemed to make the girls laugh even harder. “S-s-she doesn’t even know what house she’s in!” A brunette gasped, slapping her knee. The bell rang, and the girls walked, still laughing, to their class. When I was sure no one was there, I let out the tears that I had been holding back, deep strangled sobs escaping from my throat.
“Are you all right?” The girl asked, snapping me out of my reverie. “You look pale.” “Oh, oh, nothing, just nothing..” I murmured, and noticed I was standing in that very same hall that I had cried in two years ago.
why aren’t you guys at the halloween ball?
((sorry, that last post should have been in (()). ))
((249- Eh, we wanna RP, so we are.))
((251- what do you mean??))
(sorry I have not been of much help or excitment – stupid advavced classes that give you extra homework, and stupid science fair that is slow to get to expeiriment stage!)
((252- You can’t really talk about going to class at the ball, can you?))
I finally was able to dig my schedule out from the bottom of my bag. I uncrumpled it, and held it out. “Here it is.” I said. “Sorry it’s a mess.” I hadn’t really looked at it very closely before I left, since I already knew which classes I’d signed up for.
((Aack! How do I know what classes are offered at MA?))
((255- There is a long list at the beginning of Part 4.))
((Who wants to go to German with me???))
((255- I’ll post the list here, because I haven’t made mine either.
– Art (All forms. If you wish to take a class we do not offer, we will accommodate to your request)
– Astronomy
– Clown Class
– Country Building
– Dance (All forms)
– Drama
– English (Please see English department for details)
– Fencing
– Gymnastics
– History (We have a range of classes depending on the time period you wish to study)
– HPB Defenses
– Language arts
– Map Making
– Math (All types)
– Meditation
– Military Strategy
– Movie Making
– Movie Reviewing
– Musial Theater
– Music (Band, Orchestra, Jazz, or single instrument)
– Music Composing
– Pie Making
– Pie Throwing
– Poetry
– Reading
– Religious Education
– Science (All types)
– Script Writing
– Shakespearian Drama
– Singing
– Sport (Please inquire at start of term)
– World Leader
– Writing
– Mythology
– World Domination
– Random Factoids
– Spanish
– German
– Chinese (all forms)
– French
– Hebrew
– Flemmish
– Magyk
– Flyte
– Alchemy
– Pidda
– Pie Kwan Do
These are the times-
Breakfast
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM
1:00 PM
1:30 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
6:30 PM Dinner
I’ll make mine later, hope that’ll help.
256- I’ll go.))
((Yayness!))
Zinc and I walk to German.
((I’m tired, OK?))
((This is my schedule.
Breakfast
8:00 AM Poetry
8:30 AM Map Making
9:30 AM Musical Theater
10:00 AM Art
11:00 AM Reading
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM World Domination
1:00 PM German
1:30 PM Drama
2:00 PM Script Writing
3:00 PM Geometry
4:00 PM- 6:00 PM- Before dinner break
6:30 PM Dinner
That was awful fun!))
“Great!” I said to the girl. “Just follow that hallway and take a left. You’ll wind up nose to doorknob with your next class.” I waved as she departed, said good bye to Leafy, and went with Kyra to German.
((Ahem! Remember this thread?))
((Anyone enter me? I’m changing my personal profile a LOT, but not sure what house I’d be in…what’s the equivalent of Ravenclaw in MA?
NAME: Noelani Philomena Kurai Nekura (nickname Samhain)
AGE: 10
LOOKS: Tall and thin, long wavy waist-length orange-red hair. Always wearing blue hairpins (Shunshunrikka hairpins!) or a headband, unless she has something physical, in which case she wears a ponytail. Most often found wearing tanktop and brown strechy pants, or a skort and t-shirt. One misty purple eye, one misty grey eye. About 4’6. VERY pale skin.
SKILLS: Amazing physical skills-top-ranked national gymnast! Actress. Dancer in all types. Programmer.
LIKES: Pocky! Cats! Virtual reality! Biology! Singing! Dancing! Acting! Gymnastics! Throwing pies! Custard! Cake! Dark chocolate peppermint ice cream!
DISLIKES:Dogs. Sports. Denim. Jeans. Blood. And being lost in crowds. Other people if they’re annoying.))
((261- Coontz is science-y, Spector is for writers, Lasley.. is for something…, and Bakers, well, we like cheese, and… yeah. There’s really no equilivant of Ravenclaw at MA.))
Mary Sue alert!
((263- I’m not a Mary Sue. I’m a bit too lazy and I slack off a lot.
AvalonGirl, give your character an easier name. I’ll probably end up calling your character AvalonGirl.))
((262-*changes skills to ok gymnast and ok dancer and programmer and actress and singer*))
((You know what, I think I’m not going to use Dara after all. I really don’t have enough time to do two RPGs, and I can always use Aja if there’s a MA event I want to go to….. (I know, I’m not supposed to do stuff like that….
) Maybe next year.))
((264-Well, just call her Noe. She doesn’t particularly care.
But, really, which house would be Ravenclaw if this was Harry Potter?))
((267- You can’t be all of the houses. Here’s Ebeth’s placement quiz-
What Muse Academy House Are You In?
For Musebloggers. If Mostly Harmless, hot pink bunnies, and pie wars mean nothing to you, this quiz probably isn’t for you.
What do you enjoy most?
A: Art and graphics
B: Music and cheese
C: Science and logic
D: Cute fuzzy animals and writing
Which description best fits your personality?
A: Geeky, but loveable. Shy, smart, curious (and questioning, maybe?).
B: Energetic (hyper?), talkative, enthusiastic
C: Nice, smart, creative, helpful
D: Wacky, zany, crazy, odd but hilarious sense of humour
You see something odd, that you’ve never seen before. What’s the first thing you think to do?
A: Teach it to play the hurdy-gurdy
B: Observe it, and possibly take it apart to see what it does and how it works
C: Write a detailed description of it, and have people read the description to see if they know what it is
D: Take a picture of it, and photoshop it being overrun by swarms of hot pink bunnies
Results
ABD-You are in LASLEY HOUSE, the house of our amazing Lady Bunniful GAPA, photoshopper extraordinaire, Napkin-Bunny-Maker, and lover of art!
CAB-You are in COONTZ HOUSE, the house of our beloved First GAPA, Q&A columnist, and lover of science!
BDA-You are in BAKER HOUSE, the house of our wonderful British GAPA, Hilarious-Article-Writer, Tudor Musician, and lover of cheese!
DCC-You are in SPECTOR HOUSE, the house of our incredible Helpful Criticism GAPA, Q&A columnist, amazing editor, and lover of english!
I quote Ebeth- I’m not as smart as the computer, so I’m not going to bother with other combinations of letters. You figure it out! ))
((SFTDP. I just was bored and wanted to RP.))
In German, we all took a quiz (of COURSE I know what tauzend dank means!) and Kyra and I walked out together. Leafy rushed up to me, her face pale and her eyes black. Something was wrong. “What’s up?” I asked her, concerned. “This!” she said, shoving a piece of paper in my face. I snatched it away from her, and stated reading it aloud. “Dear Leafy, your father and I are well. We hope you are, too. We miss you a lot, and we barely ever get to see you, so we are pulling you out of Muse Academy.” “WHAT?!” Kyra shouted. I felt sick, but continued. “A cab will come get you in tommorrow.” I looked up at her, my stomach churning. “Wh-wh-what? You have to… leave?” I stuttered, shaken. My best friend, leave MA! No! She nodded sadly, and we hugged, tears running down our cheeks. Not happy tears, sad tears.
((Please see post 161 on the Just Friends thread for explanation.))
(265) Different-colored eyes are another Mary Sue-ish symptom, I’d say.
The GAPAs’ original idea was that Muse Academy was a fantasy school for Musers, not for characters they created. But you can see how much control we have over the blog…
((270- Leafygreen SUGGESTED the color changing eyes! They’re probably the only slightly Mary Sue-ish quality about her! Also, she gets mad at me, and insults me in jest regualarly.))
((169- You’re making her leave. Ah, whatever.))
I cry a little along with Zinc, but it’s not very heartfelt. I’ve lost many a freind over the years and I’ve become partially immune.
((Yup.))
((Fine-misty grey eyes. And can someone give me a list of who’s in Coontz, and who’s in Lasley?))
((Leafygreen and I are in Baker!))
((Ah, forget it. *joins Lasley*
I will post tomorrow with Noe, but I have to leave-it’s 10 pm!))
((Zinc — Okay, I don’t have Jen’s schedule completely figured out, but I do know that she’ll be taking Drama, so when you go, she can go also.))
((277- That means you have drama… right now.))
((I really enjoyed the Underground Tunnels/ Crisis of Worlds storylines, but then the next arc started while I was away at Space Camp… anyway, I think I’ll try coming back.))
I cleaned the lens of my camera with my sleeve and headed into Photography class…
((I’m in Baker, too!))
Zinc, Leafygreen, and I part ways. I head to orchestra, the one class where the fun never ends!
*copies Zinc and crash-lands her rocket*
Hmm, what is this? Muse Academy???
How do I join? How do I figure out what house I’m in?
*tries to decide whether or not to disappear*
*stays long enough to be told what to do*
((281- Please see #257 and #268 for details. Oh yes, and instead of poetry, I’ll be taking band. ))
Leafy and I hug as she walks to orchestra with Kyra and I walk to drama with Jen.
I looked around. Yes, I had come in the middle of the year, but..still, there weren’t that many people around. My pale silver eyes scanned the building.
“Anyone? Is anyone here?”
((Jeez, she’s a lost little 10-year-old…schedule:
7:00 Wake up bell
7:30-7:50 Breakfast
8:00-8:45 Art
8:50-9:35 Drama
9:40-10:25 Archery
10:30-10:45 World Domination
10:50-11:35 Biology
11:40-12:25 Pie Throwing
12:30-1:15 Lunch
1:20-2:05 Singing
2:10-2:55 Gym (nastics)
3:00-6:30 Free time
6:45-7:30 Dinner
7:35-9:25 Free Time
9:30 Lights Out))
((278 – OK…))
I looked at my watch, and then at my schedule. “I’ve got Drama now, so I guess I’ll see you later then…?” I trailed off hopefully.
Schedule
8:00 AM Magyk
8:30 AM Singing
9:30 AM Musical Theater
10:00 AM Art
11:00 AM Writing
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Meditation
1:00 PM Astronomy
1:30 PM Drama
2:00 PM Hip-hop
3:00 PM Fencing
4:00 PM Hebrew
5:00 PM English
6:00 PM Mythology
Profile:
NAME: Cassandra (not my real name)
AGE: 13
HOUSE: Baker
LOOKS: shoulder-length auburn hair with bangs. Green eyes. Cat’s eye glasses. Usually wears a skirt and heels or cute jeans.
((285- *does poor thinking* If my “thinking” was done “right,” then you are going to drama. Welcome to the wonderful house of Baker!))
((Wait; I wish to make a change to my schedule. Instead of English I want Geology, if that’s offered.))
((Hey! Where is everyone? I need help figuring out my scheduling stuff.))
“Anyone? Anyone?” I called out, and then stopped, hearing my voice echo. My eyes flickered back and forth, stopping on the closest door. There were voices!
I dashed for the door, scribbling on my hand what subject I had next with a pen. Opening to door, I dashed through-and bowled into a girl, knocking us both to the ground!
“Oooph!” I fell to the ground, knocked over by a girl I didn’t recognize.
“Ohmygoshimsosorry!” she said.
“It’s okay, are you new here? I’m Kai.”
Someone ran into me, hard. I gasped. The schedule I’d been holding fluttered to the floor.
SFTDP, but which of us did Noe run into?
((LadyG, it’s your turn to move in your chess game.))
((293- which thread, .4 or .3?))
((Both! For
daysweeks!https://musefanpage.com/blog/?p=1446
https://musefanpage.com/blog/?p=1517))
((292- Let’s say we all bumped into each other. All three of us.))
((296-Okeydokey! Oh, and GAPAs/AKAs (my new term, meaning All-Knowing Administrators) you’ve probably noticed that this thread is kinda crowded/confusing. Maybe it would help the new students- like me and Noe- find our way around.))
((Oops! I meant a new thread would help the new students find their way around. SFTDP!))
In Orchestra, we play a Bach Aria. The cellos get the melody! I’m very excited, but then I see Leafy. Silent tears run down her face. I wish I could do something to help.
((299- Leafy plays the violin, BTW.))
((Why, thanks!))
((I ran into Kai and she rammed into you, LadyG.))
“Yes, I’m new here, please call me Noe!” I gasped. Picking myself up, I groaned. The other girl had lost her schedule. “You ok? I’m so sorry! I’m in Lasley, but I don’t know where to go, and I-it’s all just so confusing!” I grabbed my pen AGAIN and started scribbling on my palm.
(( (302) re: “I don’t know where to go, and I — it’s all just so confusing.” Spoken like a true Lasleyite. *beams with pride* Accidentally colliding with people is also traditional.))
“Owww,” I moaned. “Is this how you welcome ALL your new students? I’m Cassie, by the way. Who are you?” I grabbed my schedule off the floor. “Shoot, what time is it? What class do I have? My flight was really late!” I shook out the schedule and frantically tried to find the time. “Does anyone have a watch, cell phone, something like that? What time is it?” Suddenly, I noticed them staring at me. “Oops, sorry. I tend to talk too much. What house are you in? I think I’m in Baker, but I’m not sure- I’ve also been thinking about Lasley. Wait, what did you say? Sorry!” I realized they’d already introduced themselves. They were looking at me in amusement.
((That’s what I’m really like. Hmm, perhaps I should switch to Lasley?))
(( (304) Lasley House. The Brave. The Proud. The Easily Discombobulated. Lasleyites also have no sense of time.
The description of the House Library should give you a good sense of the resident spirit.))
((305- OK, now THAT sounds like me. I have absolutely no sense of time. *joins Lasley*))
“I have a phone. And can’t read time very well-and have no sense of time!” Pulling out my phone, I looked at the time-and gasped. “Ohcake! It’s already 1:35 and I’m 15 minutes late to Singing! Does anyone know where the music room is?”
I started tensing, because I knew as soon as someone knew me where the music room was I was going to run-and probably break some rules-to get to the music room and not have the Singing teacher say “We’re off to a bad start, miss Nekura.”
((I like WITCH too.
))
Seeing that the others were okay, I stood up and headed to Photography.
I lost myself in the play for a bit, but whenever I was offstage, it all came rushing back to me in a flood of sadness. Leafy’s leaving, Leafy’s leaving…. The thought relentlessly pounded in my head, and my acting was suffering. My character was supposed to jump up and down in utter joy, and it felt very half hearted.
When the bell rang, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and walked to script writing, looking down at the ground.
I saw Zinc in the hallway and hurried up to her.
“Haven’t seen you since Halloween. How’s things?”
Kai came up to me and asked, “Haven’t seen you since Halloween. How’s thigs?” “Leafy’s leaving on the morrow morn,” I repled sadly.
I went to Drama and managed to figure out what the play was about. It was fun, but I noticed Zinc looking a little sad. ((We all introduced ourselves in Drama)) I wondered why, but decided to figure it out later. The bell rang. Now what did I have? I checked my schedule and saw Hip-Hop. Now, where was the dance studio?
I followed Zinc out of the theater and caught up to her and Kai. I heard her say, “Leafy’s leaving on the morrow morn.”
“Who’s Leafy?” I asked. “Oh, and can you tell me where the dance studio is? I have Hip-hop right now, and if I don’t find it NOW I’ll be really late. I have no sense of time, and my cell phone’s dead, and I don’t have any watch, and it’s so confusing…”
“Leafy’s my best friend,” I sniffled. “The dance studio’s down the dead end hallway; there’s a map on the back of your schedule. There’s only one in campus. Holy crow,” I excaimed, looking at my watch. “I have to be on the other side of side of campus right now. Bye!” I hurried off, waving.
“Oh man, that must be tough.” I shouted after Zinc as she ran away.
Speaking of running away, I’m late for karate!
I hurried off to Singing, but too late. I heard the teacher say as I hurried in…
“We’re off to a bad start, miss Nekura.” she intoned quietly. I hung my head in shame, but managed to make it all the way through-partly due to the fact we were singing “All For The Best” from Godspell!
As I hurried out, I chanted to myself “Five minutes, five minutes, five minutes…” I rushed into the bathroom, ponytailed my hair, changed into my leotard and ran out-and into someone.
AGAIN!
One of my break periods is coming up. I race back to my dorm room so I can collapse on my bed and listen to the radio, when all of a sudden, I slam into someone! The two heavy books I’m carrying and my pencil crash to the ground.
“I’m so sorry!” I say, scrambling to pick up my stuff.
Script writing ended, so I went to Geometry.
“No, it’s not your fault.” I replied almost calmly. Then I realized that I had a free period on Friday RIGHT NOW, so I asked the other girl “What house are you in? I’m in Lasley, and I’m not sure where ther dorms are…”
Geometry ended, so I went back to my dormitory in Baker to wait for Leafy, who had Poetry right now. I got my awesomeful binder out and flipped to the lyrics part. I sang quietly, “Her feelings she hides, her dreams she can’t find, she’s losin her mind, she’s fallin behind, she can’t find her place, she’s losin her faith, she’s fallin from grace she’s all over the place…” A quiet voice behind me continued, “She wants to go home, but nobody’s home. That’s where she lies, forgetten, hide! There’s no place to go, no place to go, to dry her eyes, forget inside!” “Leafy!” I said, whipping my head around. “I thought you had poetry right now!” “The teacher excused me to… to pack.” she said, her eyes brimming with tears. I pulled her into a hug, and she quietly cried onto my shoulder.
((I’m like Nilly; I like making my chracters suffer.
))
After Hip-Hop, I went to Fencing. It was awesomely fun, and I left feeling keyed up for my next class, Hebrew. Of course, everyone else had free period now, but I wanted to get as much learning in as possible. Plus, I really wanted to explore my Jewish sort-of heritage. After Hebrew, I had Geology- my favorite subject. I especially loved Mineralogy. ((and yes, I actually do. Oh, and Zinc? Why do you WANT to take Geometry????? I have it this year, and I HATE proofs!!!!))
It was now free period, and I headed back to the Coontz dorm. As I approached the door, it asked:
“Where are the Taurus-Littrow Mountains?”
“The moon.” I answered, walking through. After a few months, I was finally getting used to answering the door’s questions.
I stumbled back to my dorm, and pulled out my laptop, starting to play on one of my favorite games, zOMG!. And decided to sit outside on a bench. One girl rushed by, muttering something that sounded like “Lasley now…Hebrew study…”
I ignored her, getting so absorbed in my game that I forget what my next period was, and realixing I had about 3 more hours of free time.
((OK, I want to make another change. Instead of Meditation, I’d like to study healing herbs, except Im not sure what thats callled. Yeesh, this keyboard is acting odd.))
I finished Geology and went to Mythology. It was almost dinner time.
((Hello?… I didn’t want to DP but could someone come back? SFTDP))
I headed into the cafeteria for dinner and got on the line. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the food…
“Pasta with pesto and kaseri cheese? Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!”
I took some and sat down next to Lady G.
“Having a nice day?” I asked.
Kai came over and sat next to me. “Having a nice day?” she asked.
“Yeah, but it’s a lot to keep straight!” I said. “I have to study for a quiz in Hebrew that I don’t understand, I have to somehow find an interesting looking mineral for Geology, and I have to find a Chinese myth for my Mythology class! All in… uh… when’s lights out?”
We finished packing Leafy’s stuff and went to the dining hall for dinner. We got in line, and I ordered pasta with marinara sauce, garlic bread, hot choklit with marshmallows, and frozen yogurt. I caried my laden tray over to the table LadyG and Kai were sitting at. I picked up my fork and started eating my pasta as Leafy set down her tray next to me. Her eyes were still black with worry, and she ate her salad slowly. None of her alacrity shone through her today; today, she was positively morose. “Hi!” I heard LadyG say. “Oh, yeah, helloo,” l said quickly. “What’s up?” l heard Leafy say.
“Well, in my experience, the easiest way to study for a language test is to write the words many times while saying them. It’s how I study for Latin tests. As for a Chinese myth, hmm… remember that article Muse did about emperor Quin Shi Huangdi? There are a few legends about his tomb that might work? And the mineral… there’s a lot of volcanic rocks at the north beach, maybe you can find something there.”
“Thanks!” I said to Kai. “Oh, BTW, is there any way I might fit Latin into my schedule? Can I drop out of classes if I don’t like them?”
“You’d have to ask a GAPA about that.”
I started groaning. “Dazed by a bunch of Cherry Fluffs?!”
When I realized it was time for dinner, I rushed into the cafeteria and got:
Butter-covered penne pasta
Chicken rice
a Peppermint latte
Chocolate Pocky
Frozen custard
I went to sit down next to the other Lasley girl, and ended up sitting across from her. “So,” I asked, “do you know if there’s any computer programming classes? My laptop needs to be able to use Photoshop, and I don’t know how to get it on there. And this custard is really…melting, to say the least.”
When I realized that I had interrupted the conversation, my cheeks turned a light pick as I blushed.
“Don’t feel bad, Samhain. I don’t have the greatest social skills either.”
Has anyone seen Reckless? For a large purple dog, you’d think he’d be hard to lose. But I haven’t seen him anywhere since last night.
How did he get purple?
((Remind me who Reckless is?))
((Reckless is the Spector House dog. He has been purple since birth. His mother is purple too. His father has shiny black fur — but the purple fur seems to be inherited maternally, which explains Reckless (at least his fur).))
((Ooh, GAPA jinx! What do we do?))
((The GAPA-come-lately de-posts.))
I laughed at Kai’s admission. “Neither do I,” I said.
((Er, SFTDP, but please don’t kill this thread! GAPAs? Time for a new one?))
((DANGIT, I just typed a nice long post and then I hit REFRESH! AGH!))
((342- Hahahahahahahaha, I hate when that happens.
Guys, don’t let it die! P*ease post!!!))
((343: Am doing.))
((Let’s just skip ahead to tomorrow morning. I want to get this over with.))
My alarm clock beeped, and I slammed the button that turned it off. I rolled over, and went to shake Leafy up. “Hey, Leaf… it’s morning.” I said. She opened her still black eyes. I was troubled by this. Last night, I had gotten to sleep quite late. I looked over at her, and while she was sleeping, her eyes flew open. They were as dark as ink.
She got up, fully dressed. I pulled a jacket over my soccer jersey, having slept in jeans. We pulled on our shoes and grabbed Leafy’s bags. I picked one up, and said, “Wowsers, Leafygreen! What’d you put in here, ROCKS? Well, you might’ve, just to prove it could be done.” I glanced over at her, waiting for her to laugh. But she just shuffled along, looking down at the ground. I clambered down the staircase, and down into the Baker common room.
My alarm clock beeped at seven A.M. Groaning, I got up and threw on a pale-pink tee shirt with rhinestones on it and royal purple corduroy pants. I couldn’t find any shoes except for a pair of impossibly high stiletto heels, so I put those on and prayed I wouldn’t die today.
I teetered down the hall to the stairs, about to go down them when I realized that I’d forgotten all my stuff. I groaned again. I had no idea what I’d even need. Going back to my room as quickly as I could, I dug through my stuff until I found the notebooks I’d used for Hebrew, Geology and Mythology yesterday. After a frantic search, I found four more for my other classes, as well as a sketchbook, colored pencils, and paints for Art. Grabbing several pencils and pens, I shoved the whole lot into my silver backpack. It was heavy! For a minute, I wondered what I possibly could have put in it, but then I remembered. I hadn’t been able to find a small rock or mineral, but I’d found a giant chunk of lava rock. Sighing, I tottered off down the hall again, this time weighed down by an extra several pounds.
Of course, Samhain HAD to be coming down the hall at the exact moment I was. And, of course, she HAD to be going down the staircase opposite from the one I was going down. So, obviously, we collided. My backpack spilled out all over the floor, and one of my heels broke. “@#$%!!!!!” I shrieked. I was losing patience.
We set down the bags for a moment’s rest, and I collapsed on one of the couches. A loud swear word came from upstairs. I went up to them to see two girls sprawled in the corridor. I helped the exasperated one pick up all her stuff. She held up a high heel shoe that was missing part of the heel, looking at it. I grabbed it from her and snapped off the whole heel, so it was just a shoe. I did the same to the other, and went back downstairs. Leafy had two of her bags in her hands and I took the hint. I picked up her other ones and we exited.
We came out of the building, our breath hanging like smoke in the chilly autumn air. We lugged the duffels to the waiting car. Leafy hugged me and disappeared into the car. She rolled down the windows as it drove away, waving. I waved back, tears sliding down my cheeks.
I stood behind Zinc in the doorway, unsure of what to do. I’ve never been very good at helping grieving people, even though I somehow ended up in the peer counseling program at my old school.
“Don’t give advice, just ask them if they want to talk and listen to what they have to say.” Ms. Sherry had said.
Well, it was worth a try…
I stared at my shoes. Now they were plain old flats- I was happy with that. This way I wouldn’t be tripping over everything. “Sorry,” I said to Samhain. “I really gotta run now, though. I’m going to be late for breakfast, for heaven’s sake!”
“Breakfast? What time is…”
I glanced up at the digital clock. “…it? 6 am?!” I groaned. I had stayed up, and hadn’t realized what time it was.
“I’ll come to breakfast with you, but PLEASE don’t wake me up if I fall asleep into my coffee cake…”
Stumbling down from my dorm, I see Zinc waving to Leafy as she is driven away. I hide my face and scuttle to the cafeteria.
Once I get there, I meet Samhain and LadyG.
“Hello!” I say, trying to be cheerful. I get grumbled replies.
I accidentally pour my orange juice into my cereal. Sighing, I get another bowlful and am careful to pour the milk in.
((*rides in on a wave of zombie bunnies*
You people seem to have everything going… am I still allowed to poke my oversized nose in??? If so:
NAME: Pigeon Holland (call me any nickname you wish, except for Pig or Piggy. Actually, just call me Pigeon.)
AGE: 13
HOUSE: Either Baker or Spector. I’m completely insane, thus the undead bunnies, but I’m a writing freak. So…
LOOKS: Long, frizzy brown hair in a tight ponytail, light blue eyes, big nose, tie-dye T-shirt, long dark blue jeans. Tall. Elliptical glasses. *dances at chance to use word “elliptical” in a sentence not involving science class* Silver earrings shaped like the Aztec calendar.
LIKES: Talking, spaz dancing (jumping up in the air and frantically flapping one’s hands at the wrists), writing, listening to the Beatles, plotting my eventual takeover of the universe, sitting outside in the sun, A Certain Pink-Bunny-Replaced Animal Starting With C, playing in the snow, dancing in the rain, acting acting acting and also Shakespeare.
Breakfast
8:00 AM-Mythology
8:30 AM-Mapmaking
9:30 AM-History-History of the Americas, from the Maya to the American Revolution
10:00 AM-World Domination
11:00 AM-Drama
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM-Meditation
1:00 PM-Shakespearian Drama
1:30 PM-Military Strategy
2:00 PM-Movie Making
3:00 PM-Writing
4:00 PM-World Leader
5:00 PM-Script Writing
6:00 PM-Poetry
6:30 PM Dinner
Yay? Nay? Bleh?))
((351- Fine! Welcome! Be sure to crash into somebody to get some info on where your dorm/classes are and to make friends. Or you could skip the crashing into people part and pick up a school map in the office. Whatever works.))
((sorry i’ve been gone I can really only be on in the summer))
I strode in ready to return to my true home with Hairball at my side.. “Hallo!” I exclaimed as I was warmly embraced by my friends…
“Hi,” I moaned to Kyra, indulging my fury on a bowl of custard.
I sighed, falling asleep into my custard.
“Should we wake her up?”
“No, let her sleep. I’m about to do the same.”
“So, what classes do you have today?” I ask LadyG/RoseQuartz as I spoon cereal into my mouth.
The loudspeaker said that I had a package wating for me in the main office, so I hurried down the hall, nearly bumping into a girl with elliptical glasses and frizzy brown hair who was looking at a map.
“Hey, um, I’m Pigeon. Could you tell me where Mythology is?” she asked
“Uh, that’s in the west building, room 344. It’s by the mural of the Chinese dragon.”
I blinked nervously. “How do I get to the West Tower? Really I’m very new and very lost…”
“The West Tower? Go up the stairs at the end of this hall and take the second door on the left.”
((What is this basically?))
((We’re at a school, studying Muserly subjects and having a few adventures now and then.))
I bolted upright. “IhaveartIhaveARTrightnow! Gotta go!” I yelled, running out.
I made it to the main office without having anyone else ask me for directions.
“Your cousin Neal sent you this.” Ms. Lasley said, holding up a medium-sized box.
“Ooooh! I wonder what’s inside! Probably something great- I get my nerdyness from his side of the family!” Just then, the bell rang. I had to be in Archery in ten minutes. I stuffed the package into my bag, deciding to open it later, and hurried out the door.
“Thanks,” I say, and bolt down the hall to the stairs, leaping up them two at a time. I really don’t want to be late for my first day at Muse Academy. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long…
I check my cell phone for the time.
“Goodness gracious,” I say, “It’s almost 7:30! Gotta run!”
I bus my dishes and head to Pre-Calc.
Three of my arrows managed to hit the innermost circle and one ended up just a hair shy of the dead center of the target. I really was improving at archery and it made me feel proud.
“Holy cake, I’m late for Magyk!” I bolt for the exit and race in just as the teacher is beginning the lesson.
“The first… Oh, it’s our new student! Everyone, say hi to Cassie Young. She’s from… New York City, is it?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m from Central New York. *****. It’s near Syracuse.” ((not the real town I live in but the one my school is in))
Everyone gives me blank looks. It’s obvious that they’ve never heard of Syracuse.
“Here’s your textbook, Cassie,” she says, handing me a very odd-looking tome. I grin. I’m going to like this class.
I got into my next class early and decided to open the mysterious present. I found a note written in code and a bag of cherry cough drops. I put one in my mouth. It tasted sort of odd…
“I have trouble with my eight-times tables every now and then. I hate rap music and I think it’s chaotic.” I blurted out. Other kids turned to look at me. I spit out the cough drop into my hand.
Why had I suddenly announced my secrets? It must be the something in the cough drops…
“Truth serum! I’ve got to show my friends.” I whispered to myself.
((House solidified-I am Spector.))
I skid into Mythology, dashing to my seat. The teacher frowns at me, glaring pointedly at the skid marks by the door, and I duck my head in embarassment.
But I can’t be embarrassed for long! I’ve been interested in mythology since I was very small. I’m sure this will be my best subject.
((368- Ok… Just don’t make it too adventerous…))
45 minutes into Pre-Calc, I look up from the notes I’ve been taking and look around. There are only three or so other people who seem to understand. The others are either reading, doodling, or scratching their heads. I smile to myself.
I slid into art, and suddenly heard Kai blurt out “I have trouble with my eight-times tables every now and then. I hate rap music and I think it’s chaotic.â€
She then spit out what looked like a cough drop. What had happened? Was she telling the truth?
I walked into my seat, which just happened to be directly next tot Kai’s. “So,” I whispered, “what happened there?”
I walk to Singing with my iPod headphones on, listening to my latest song and singing along softly. Suddenly, I notice a couple of individually wrapped cherry cough drops on the ground. I pick one up and pop it in my mouth- my throat’s been feeling sore.
When I get to Singing, late as usual, the teacher asks why I’m late. I blurt out, “I found two individually wrapped cherry cough drops on the ground, and my throat was sore, so I had one.” Woah! I definitely didn’t mean to say that. The class titters, and I blush. I wonder about that cough drop, but I really can’t have a sore throat for Singing, so I keep it in my mouth. That’s a really big mistake.
“My cousin Neal sent me these cough drops, and I think they have truth serum inside.” I whispered. “I just hope the mail wung didn’t drop any when en was delivering them to the office.”
I walked nonchalantly through the hallways after Latin. I spotted a cough drop on the floor. Hoping nobody was looking, I popped it into my mouth (I love how they taste, even if I don’t need it). I arrived at Chemistry early and smiled at the teacher. “So, how has your day been so far?” he asked.
“So-so.” Whoops. I meant to say ‘fine’.
“Oh, why?”
“Well, Latin was boring and I walked into my bedroom door this morning. I snorted up my milk while laughing and tripped down the stairs.” Woah. Too much information.
He seemed mildly weirded out. I couldn’t blame him. What was wrong with me?
I looked at the coded note from my cousin, trying to make heads or tails of it in hopes of finding more information about the cough drops.
“Spit it out!” I urgently whispered to Kai. She did, and gave a sigh of relief. “I’ve seen people keep those in their mouths and tell the truth. I’m going to test it, I found one this morning! It’s truth serum, but it might not work on everyone.”
She blinked at me, still a little shocked. I had heard RoseQuartz blurt out some stuff earlier this morning, so I wanted to test it out.
I slipped the cough drop into my mouth, and instantly said “I think boys make better friends then girls, and I don’t like Barbies or any typical girl stuff. I walked directly off my bed this morning and wasn’t sleepwalking.”
I popped the cough drop out, a large grin spreading across my face. It would be fun to keep one in an entire day!
“Well, at least I hope there isn’t a test today. I didn’t study,” I blurted out, then wanted to tape my mouth shut. “I picked up a cough drop from the floor but don’t worry, it had the wrapper on.”
“Ahem,” the professor coughed. “Maybe you should go out, you know, get some fresh air.” He seemed very uncomfortable.
“Yes, I shall. By the way, your shoelaces are untied.” I sprinted out of there, leaving the poor teacher bewildered.
I ran to Kai’s classroom, hoping that there was a cure to this mentioned in some comic book or something. I stood at the doorway and said, “Hi. I’m looking for Kai, I want to talk to her.” Good. I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but still, the truth.
The truth…
I turned to see Kokonilly at the door, looking embarrassed.
“Oh no, not you, too!” I muttered, as she walked to my desk.
“Did you eat one of the cough drops?” I whispered.
“Yes, and now I’m telling all my secrets to everybody and it’s really embarrassing! Wait… you already knew?”
“My cousin sent them to me, but the mail wung dropped some in the hallway. Is it still in your mouth?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then you have to spit it out. I shudder to think what would happen if one actually dissolved in somebody’s mouth.”
I spat it out in the nearest trash can, very relieved. So it was the cough drop… and it was a truth serum… “Why would your cousin send this?” I asked.
((Whoa. Let’s pretend I’m in my first period class.))
I slid into my seat at poetry, fighting back tears. “Okay!” The teacher called. “Today, we’re going to have a fun day! Right a free verse poem on any topic you choose!” Good. I wasn’t in the mood to right about horses or a dance studio. I really wasn’t in the mood for anything.
This is what a I had on my paper by the end of the class:
She disppears
the door reluctantly closing
as she drives away.
I wave
I wave
wave
wave
wave
The car turns the corner
She’s gone
gone forever
still waving
My mind
stumbles over all the thoughts
gone
gone
gone
she’sgoneshe’sgoneshe’sgone
gonegonegoneforever
foreverforeverforevergonegonegone
I don’t
realize that
my legs
are slowing taking me indoors
as the rain begins
to fall
fall
fall
fallfallfall
I numbly sit
on a step
the rain mixing with my tears
I
don’t
care
you
can’t
make
me
care
about
rain
when my mind
is still running over the fact
that she’s gone
trying to grasp the fact
my fingers slide of
can’t get a hold
falling
falling
falling
gonegoneshe’sgoneforevergonegonegone
The car turns the corner
My life goes downhill
I blinked at Kokonilly, and then snapped back to attention-the teacher was showing us how to make origami HPBs. Shuddering, I tuned her out, coming back to Kai and Kokonilly.
My fingers were pulling out a laptop from under the table. “Going to look truth serum up,” I whispered to them. “See if we could make it, of make ourselves immune to it.”
“I don’t know, my cousin’s always making cool things, though. He made these Wolverine claws once, and he creates these really cool mini-video games… but why he sent me these? I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with this note.” I showed it to them.
“Hm. A note.” I looked at it and examined it. Then I had an idea. I walked to the teacher and showed her the note. Three minutes later the three of us were outside of class, heading… somewhere.
“How on earth did you get us out of there?” Avalongirl asked.
I shrugged. “Simple. I said I had a pass to go to the nurse, waved the slip of paper in front of her, and we’re outta there!” I grinned. “You know, your teacher isn’t very attentive. So.” I examined the note. “Is there a Runes teacher?”
“I’m not sure, but don’t they have those maps in the stairwell?” I said, starting to walk towards the nearest flight of stairs.
((Muse Academy teachers inattentive? Perish the thought!))
((Can I randomly butt into your adventure? I suspect otherwise I’ll be bored…))
I bump into the Musers as I hop down the stairs two at a time. “Ah! Sorry! Just trying to, well, I asked my Mythology teacher if I could get a drink of water but I can’t find a fountain…”
I looked at the new girl. “Listen,” I said seriously, “have you found a cherry cough drop on the ground? It’s really important no one eats them!”
And with that in mind, I went back to my laptop. “Harry Potter, hmm, no cures for being given truth serum…ethanol, scopolamine, temazepam, and various barbiturates including the anesthetic induction agent sodium thiopental…maybe they have cures, but…”
((Yes, I did just directly quote the Wikipedia article on truth drugs.))
I knitted my brows. “Uh… why would someone eat a cherry cough drop if it’s on the ground? Isn’t that kind of… ewwy?”
My short-term memory butts in. “Oh yeah. I heard you mention Runes, I don’t think there’s a teacher but I know a lot about them. Was there something specific you wanted to know?”
((I’m coming out. Expect me.))
It was the end of the period, so I rushed out of the classroom. I was halfway down the corridor when I realized I had left my paper on the desk. “Oh, no!” I said, slapping my forehead. I was sure to get counseling!
I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t know where I was going, and bumped into a group of people. “Why don’t you watch where-” I snapped, but stopped in the middle of my sentence as I found that group of people were my friends!
“Oops, sorry bout that,” I said.
“It’s okay.” I told Zinc. Then I turned to Cat’s Eye and explained the whole story.
“So he also sent this note, which is in some sort of code that looks like runes and we’re trying to decode it.”
I nodded. “So, do you know runes?” I waved the note vaguely.
I sighed. “Runes? If I took Hebrew classes for three years and could never read a single word of Hebrew, you think I know how to read runes?”
(Have I posted this already and the thingy swallowed it?)
I shrugged. “I don’t know runes that stand for letters well, but I know runes that mean words or ideas. Like Kaen… it means chaos, or wildfire.” A dreamy look stole over my face. “I like chaos…”
“Well, do you see any runes for words or ideas in this note?” I asked, handing over the paper. I hoped we could decode it soon. What if my cousin was in danger?
An identical dreamy look stole over my face at the same time that one covered Cat’s Eye’s. “Yeah, chaos is more fun then law and order, even if it’s illegal…I like chaos…”
I giggled slightly in a mildly scary fashion. “Heh. Chaos.”
I peered at the note, mouthing the names of runes as I searched for each in the note. “I see Naudr, this one here.” I pointed. “It means binding. Or death, but usually binding. And right next to it there’s Bjarkan, the one that looks like a pointy B. You use it to make you see clearer, or have more dreams. So… binding sight? Binding truth, maybe?”
I’m in Creative Writing. The assignment is to “write about an adventure you have had. Be specific.”
This should be fun. But would my MA basement adventure be too unrealistic? I have at least ten witnesses, so I begin to write.
“It was my first day at Muse Acadamy, my new school…”
“Blinding truth? That makes sense.” I said. We had reached the stairwell. “There’s a Runes class on the fourth floor, let’s see if they can translate the rest.”
I hummed a tuneless song under my breath as we climbed the stairs, running through the runes in my head again and again. Fe Ur Thuris Os Raedo Kaen Hagall… “I wish I’d taken Runes,” I said wistfully. “Didn’t they once blow up the second floor, and the third floor just kept hovering in the middle of the air? Sounds fun. If you combined Kaen, that’s Fire or Chaos I know you know, with a really strong Ur, that’s Strength, you could blow up ANYTHING.” I considered this for a moment. “Once I blew up a strawberry. But that was just in the microwave.”
“Once I set a pop tart on fire in the toaster oven.” I said, as we reached the fourth floor landing.
“I’ve stuck a Kleenex in a candle a few Thanksgivings ago. Luckily, I drowned it in the sink before anyone found out.” I remembered. ‘One more mishap and you’re going to military academy!’,” I repeated in a mocking tone. “Well, here’s the runes class.” I said, then rapped my knuckles on the door.
“Well, here’s the runes class.” Zinc knocked on the door.
It opened to a tall man who looked a lot like Dumbledore.
The door opened to a tall man with a long gray beard. I tilted my head to one side. “Holy Cheez-Its, you look like Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.” I paused. “Did I just say that aloud?”
((403- Do you have one of the truth drops in your mouth?))
((404-I don’t think so… I’m kind of naturally like that.))
((Oh, okay.))
The man laughed a little bit. “Not Dumbledore, I’m afraid. Just Professor Donovan. What brings you here?” he said.
“We have a note written in runes that we need decoded.” I said.
About ten minutes into Singing, the teacher yells at me to “get that gum out of my mouth!” Sighing, I spit the cough drop into the garbage. It’s still pretty big. The minute I spit it out, the strange compulsion to tell the whole truth and only the truth disappears. What the heck?
The Singing teacher lets us out late, so I have to hurry to Musical Theater. Groaning, I realize that it’s too far away to run in these shoes. Suddenly I notice steps going down into the bowels of the building. Puzzled, I walk down them, and find a network of tunnels that must lead to the theater somehow! There are maps sitting on an old dusty table, so I pick one up, but somehow manage to get hopelessly lost even with it. When I come out, I see a large group of people standing in front of a guy that looks uncannily like Dumbledore. A sign outside the door says, “Runes.”
I push my way to the front of the group and ask Noe what’s going on.
Someone voiced my opinion: “Holy Cheez-Its, you look like Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.†I was glad someone else knew his full name besides me. “Did I just say that aloud?â€
He chuckled a little bit. “Not Dumbledore, I’m afraid. Just Professor Donovan. What brings you here?â€
“We have a note written in runes that we need decoded,” Kai said.
Just then, someone barreled through the group and asked what was going on.
Ignoring that, I launched into the story. “We found some truth serum cough drops. They came with a note.” I thrust said note at Donovan.
The man tilted his half-moon spectacles down toward the slip of paper, and read the note. We all held our breaths, waiting for his verdict. While I was doing that, I heard Brother Maynard’s voice say in my head, “The Holy Grail will be found at the castle of unnnagghh….”
“These are not runes,” he said finally.
“But-but then how could I read them?” spluttered Pigeon.
“These are merely runes with some changes done to them.” he stated. “For example, this rune looks remotely like the one for ‘wolf’ and after after it is the one for ‘tree.’ Tell me, what is of importance with a ‘wolf tree?'” He smiled at our pondering faces.
“Maybe… he’s trapped in a… tree… with a… wolf…?” Noe slowly suggested.
Donovan chuckled at her suggestion. “Unfortunately, it says nothing in here about being trapped.”
I could sense us all blink in unison.
“Have a nice day,” he said smiling, and shut the door.
“Well, THAT was helpful.” I said, after the door had been shut in our faces “Do you think we interrupted his lunch break or something?”
“Lunch? What lunch break? Professors don’t get lunch breaks.â€
I blinked. “Well, maybe a wolf tree means a tree shaped like a wolf. Or maybe it’s like a folk name for something.†My eyes took on a look of intense concentration, and I became so absorbed that I didn’t watch where I was going…
And fell down a flight of stairs. Ouch.
((New thread? Over 410 posts!))