Edge of the Cliff

Chapter One- Revenge Is Best Served Cold

I hugged my knees and stared. The water reflected back a sad, small, humiliated girl. How could Bridgette do this to me? She was my best friend...But then again, Bridgette does unexpected things. Why would she call me names in the playground then?
I replayed the horrible scene in my head, over and over again.
"She thinks she's so great," her voice echoed in my mind. "Oooh, her dad is a professor! I'm SO scared!"
The picture of Bridgette's horrible smirk was etched in my mind. Clarissa and Mindy were silent, gaping, statues.
Suddenly, I picked myself up and ran out of the garden, out, into the empty street. "I will pay you back, Bridgette," I said, kicking a stone. "And that's a promise."
Then, I turned, and walked back to the classroom.
"Have you been CRYING, Tiffany?" Elisa said, shocked. "Who made you....."
I looked around to see if anyone was watching, then leaned into her ear and said. "Bridgette. But don't tell her I told you."
"Promise." Elisa pushed her bracelet further up her arm. "What did she do?"
"Uh..." I mumbled uncomfortably. "Called me REALLY mean names....Yeah, I don't want to talk about it."
Clarissa and Mindy went over to talk to me, but Bridgette hissed, "Don't! We don't talk to freaks."
One thing for sure was she said it loud enough for me to hear.
I took a deep breath and said, "Who's the freak? You? Well then why did THEY talk to you? Let alone breathe in you? I mean, you could catch a TERRIBLE illness."
I quickly covered my mouth, but Bridgette wasn't angry. "Oh really? You are.........um......" she uttered back.
Suddenly, I remembered an insult I'd read in a book. "Well, hellooo? You just proved it. Your head is SO empty that if I shone a torch in your ear, your eyes would light up."
"Fine then, anyone can join Tiffany. As if," Bridgette smirked the same horrible smirk she had in the playground. But this smirk fell down into gaping silence.
"I'm joining her," Mindy said bravely.
"I am too," Clarissa piped in.
"Fine then," Bridgette said, even though she was lost for words. I could see the sly light in her smashing. "Go catch cancer or something."
You see, when it's RE, we have tasks because we don't have religions in the list. And they are always math tasks. Bridgette ALWAYS copies from Clarissa.
"Okay then," I smirked. "But remember to study. RE is in half an hour."

Goodbye Chippy

I took you in your brand new cage, gleaming white and new.
You ran inside the cage,
Feeling excited and blue.

I checked on you and saw you,
Your stomach sore and hurt,
I put you in a box,
Lined with soft fur.

I fed you daily, made you happy,
But I acted too late.
Goodbye Chippy,
May you close your eyes and let god decide your fate.

By Anya

NEWS BULLETIN : SAD

Chippy died. Yep. It was a few minutes before lunchtime, and I checked on him. He was in his tunnel, and he had an upset stomach. I think normally it would have been harmless, but he was a baby. I checked after lunch, and he was dead. I poke him with a pencil (the soft end, of course) and he didn't move. His heart didn't beat, and he wasn't a Syrian hamster, so he wasn't hibernating. Plus, he was squealing. After that, he was silent.
May you rest in peace, Chippy.

News Bulletin: NEW HAMSTERS

Hey guys! I'm going to start something called the "News Bulletin". So, I only have two things to tell you today....NEW HAMSTERS. Yep, two normal hamsters. (I think that's their breed....:-I)
Mine is a two week old (that's what my cousin told me). He looks a BIT like this:

But my hamster doesn't have that much black on him. He is called Chippy, and he loves to run around in circles when he hears music. I call it dancing.



My sister, Iris, also has a hamster. He sort of looks like this:
His name is Max, and he loves eating. He isn't as big as the hamster in this picture. Once, he bit my sister until her thumb bled! But he's cute.









Next headline:
Today was 'Idul Adha'. You pronounce it "Eidul Adeha". We fast for a day, then, after that, we pray together. We only do two raka'ats, but we say "Allahu akbar" seven times.
Weeks, maybe even MONTHS before it happens, people buy an animal. Cows, sheep, in Arab, maybe even CAMELS! Usually, seven people buy a cow together, since it's so expensive. Now, we buy an animal for the slaughtering. A crowd gathers and prays as the sheep or cow are cut. My mum said you had to learn to sacrifice  something to show your love for god. I said instead, could I sacrifice my LPS, but she just laughed.

Okay, anyway, so when you finish sacrificing the animal, the people cut it and divide it amongst everyone. In my entire village, there were only seven animals!
In my Grandma's village, there were like, twenty!
After that, everything went back to normal for most people.
Thanks for listening to this report!

The Life of Anita Rosebloom Harreth

Blurb:
Hi there! I should introduce myself. My name is Anita Rosebloom Harreth. I'm 10, and have a little sister called Sarah.
Helooo world! Welcoming yours truly, Anita Rosebloom. Born with humour and sarcasm, this girl swells and reddens when she's mad. Living in Garden Sphinx Elementary, with a best friend on the hunt for Rick Maston and another who acts like a complete dork, Anita just about has it all. A middle child.
 "The one nobody listens to" says her enemy, Flora Heyens. But Anita is having problems too. Braces and bullying are the beginning. But when her brother gets seriously ill and Chloe moves to Florida, Anita knows she just can't cope. Or can she? Read through the funny and sometimes awkward story of Anita Rose. 
Chapter One – Hilary!
Hi there! I should  introduce myself. My name is Anita Rosebloom Harreth. I'm 10, and have a little sister called Sarah. My school is Garden Sphinx Elementary. I have two besties. Chloe, and Maxine.
Okay, right. I'm going too fast. It's just that I want this story to have all the details!
My school is called Garden Sphinx Elementary because this used to be a royal city. So hey, don't get a big suprise when you see a movie van zooming past. This city is the mother of celebrations. Doesn't depend when. MID week, normal days, Eid, always celebs milling round.
My best friends' full names are Chloe March Green and Maxine Alworth. Chloe's name is kind of strange to you...I can tell.
Whenever someone like Ricky Martin or Lilian Gem comes by, Chloe will lunge at them like an AFL player. That's ALSO partly why she carries a Autograph Book around with her everyday. Her motto is, 'Hey, if the bus don't come to you, then you come to the bus!'
Thats kind of....strange.....
But hey! Best friends ARE strange things.




Hilary, my sausage dog, is probably the most important thing to me. EVER. Forever.
So, you can tell how mad I was when Sarah said she sold it on eBay for twenty bucks.
I kind of swelled and reddened like I usually do when I am mad.
“Heh..” she said sheepishly. “At least you can....have 50% of the....profit....”
I roared at her. Literally. But you gotta love sisters.So I took the $10 and bought myself another sausage dog. I named her Stephanie. She had purple ears and a black body. To make her special, I added a white flower clasp to her ear. Still, I don't feel really happy with Stephanie.
Like they say, “Nowadays don't just sell the sausage. Sell the sizzle, too!”
I feel like I've only been given a sausage. Kind of, because...well, she's a sausage dog. Get it?
Okay, soooo.....^v^
This feels kind of akward...


Anyway, today is Saturday.
That's the day when I have to clean out Kirry and Masha's cage. Kirry and Masha are my hamsters. They're boys. Kirry has grey spots on his orange body. Masha is just plain yellow.
You may be wondering why I called them girl names....It's a looong story. One that I will definetly be willing to tell.
So, it was my tenth birthday. I always have asked for a pet, like a cat or a bunny. But since those things were too big, Dad wanted to buy me a mouse like my brother, Darren. But Mum was worried they would breed. So, they bought me 2 hamsters. Dad and Mum named her Masha for me. They THOUGHT (<- READ THAT) Masha was a girl. So, when they saw Kirry, the estimated that HE was a girl.
Darren said he was with them when they bought it, and Mr Piper said the little boys (<- READ THAT AGAIN) were happy to be bought.
But I guess Kirry and Masha has stuck to them, so we can't change it. Though when they're older, they're gonna need a LOT of counselling.
Anyway, to clear the cage, this is what you need to do:

1. Take pet/pets, wheel, and feeding tools out of cage.
   
2. Throw out the straw and paper
   
3. Rinse cage thoroughly
   
4. Wipe dry
   
5. Put newspaper into cage
   
6. Layer some straw on top
   
7. Refill the food and water
   
8. Put all equipment in
   
9. Put pets back in and close the hatch
   

Usually this takes about half an hour because Kirry and Masha LOVE to run. Then, usually when I feel lazy and leave the cage to dry instead of using newspaper, Sarah and Darren co. rub mud and dirty paper on the wire. AND THEN I have to get mad at them, tell Mum and Dad, clean out the cage again,and it takes about TWO Hours! Which means I'll have missed Amelia's House on TV!
SAD....
Chapter Two - Stuff That Needs To Be Told
“I don't wanna sit back and see you hurt!” Sarah says, looking at her computer. “Cos without you....there ain't no sunlight! Cos without you, there ain't no specialty!”
“Baby!” Mum and Sarah chorus.
“Um, HELLO?” Darren says from the top of the stairs. “Somebo-dy is TRYING to study for graduation tests?”
“Whoopsie,” Mum giggles. “Sorry Darrie!”
There is a problem around here. Darren is in High School and in year twelve. That means it's the Annual Test in two weeks. And also, when Darren is scared he's in a bad mood, I think it's like when a hermit is scared it hides in it's shell. Only Darren's shell is fire, so I have a high risk of getting burnt.
The GOOD news is that he'll soon be shipped off to Dinsturd College or Maxford . Which means, as older sister, I'll get to move to his room, and out of my attic.
I'll move my Hello Kitty posters out and stick them on his wall. But wait, I'll give the room some flower wallpaper first. And then, I'll get to move my LPS collection on his waxed bookshelf.
I daydream for a while.
My mind pictures a princess castle, only not SO princessy. That would danger my tomgirl status.
Mum told me we're going to go to Millford hotel to spend the last week before Darren goes. Millford is this ah-mazing city beside the river. My cousin, Amelia Dashford lives there, but we don't usually stay at her place.
Aunt Holly and Uncle Harred are really nice. So, when it was Mum and Dad's anniversary last year, they gave them two passes for Luxem Hotel. They gave me, Darren and Sarah a babysitter. Her name is Judy. She's actually really cool. So whenever something is on, Mum always calls Jude.
Jude has short blonde hair, that would be best described as sun yellow. She has hoop earrings and a pierced nose. Her favourite jokes are about chimpanzees. Like, 'Hey Sarah, why does the ape have a big nose? Because they like to pick them!'
That kind of put us off our dinner, which was sultanas and apple pie. Although you have to admit, sultanas with bits of mushy apple on them look like booger? Urgh!
Anyway, lets go to bed now. It's 9:00 at night now.

Alliane Port~A Fresh Start

Author's note: This story is based on my experiences of moving. It's the first of a new series I'm writing: Alliane Port. Oh, and guess what? In my new school, I teach English at Indonesia! So you see...things get better!

Chapter One- Goodbye Brisbane!

We buckled our straps and looked out. The cool, crisp air was being replaced by the chilly atmosphere of planes.
"You ready, Alliane?" Dad said, squeezing my hand.
"Yep," I said, feeling confident.
"Attenshun," an Asian woman said. "We arre aboute to taik off. Pleise fassen you seetbelet."
Without warning, the strong wings fold open, like the wings of a resting dove. Suddenly, I realised how I was going to miss this place. No more Hailey, Mrs Hansworth, Darlhing Elementary. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
"Allie," Dad said. "Remember, whatever you do, promise yourself, you'll see this fresh land again."
I sobbed and whispered, "Y-yes....d-da-d...."
A few hours later, my stomach felt cold and empty. I ignored the feeling and flicked through a magazine.
My cheeks felt cold after the warm tears faded.
I wondered about my new school. Will I make any friends? Best friends? Enemies? Maria Florence was enough to get under my skin. Will the Indonesian kids be kind?

Chapter Two-
The frozen liquid slid down my dry throat.
Millions of black heads rubbed by my hair.
"Oy, Bambang!" a man yelled loudly.
A statue of a man and a woman wearing Javanese clothes glistened above our heads. Jill and Marcy, my twin sisters, blinked sleepily.
"Alliane!" Mum said. "Drink your milk!"
I gulped the rest of the frosty liquid. This milk had no cream. Instead it prickled my throat, a sickly sweet liquid.
A grey kitten sat on the stairs. I walked over to it and picked it up. "Mew," it whispered.
"Ush, Allie, put that down!" scolded dad. I wish I could take it, and stroke it more. I put down the little body. "Goodbye, Cloudy," I said, naming it.
The kitten opened it's mouth, but a fierce guard kicked it aside and ushered some Spanish tourists up the stairs.

"I wish you farewell," I said, a teeny teardrop falling on my cheek.
"This is so bowing!" Marcy said, twirling her hair. "Eeew, Jilly!"
Jill had her finger in her mouth.
"Jill!" I tutted. "What do you have left to bite?"
"Sooe, Awiame," she said in thumb speak.