Velvet and Silk

Chapter One ~ Velvet

I woke up at 2 AM trying to figure out why my stomach churned restlessly and my heart drummed like the wind.

Then it hit me.

I was going. To Aussie. Back to the place that suffocated me with beautiful memories and friendships.

I felt a lump in my neck. What if Dani and Wanda didn't want me anymore? What is Miss Petunia forgot that I had once been a spelling champion? 

My heart drummed. But this time it wasn't happy or excited. It was sick with worry and fear.

At breakfast Mum saw my pasty smile and pulled me into a hug. "You OK, precious?" 

"I'm fine Mum, honestly, I just had a bad dream." I stretched my lips into a fake grin. 

She nodded but I knew she wasn't fooled. 

"We're only going for a few weeks, Orchard." Mum smiled soothingly.

Suddenly Jamaica burst into the room. She whooped, punching the air with her thickly gloved hands. "Five hundred followers! Would you believe that?!" she danced, clearly not understanding we were in the middle of a touching family moment.

Mum congratulated her with a jug of lemon cordial, while I offered my chocolate chip cookie.

Jamaica was family. She was my cousin, mum's nephew, uncle's daughter, so on. 

Her family owned a photo studio at the largest mall in the country, so Jamaica learned a lot about technology and stuff.

Her usual outfits were jumpsuits that made her look like she was going to the moon,leather biker gloves, sneakers, thick glasses and headphones.

Dad burst into the room. "All of you packed?" he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Yep," we chorused.

"We're leaving at 10 AM sharp. Is your um..rodent at the petshop, Jamaica?"

"Techno's not a RODENT!" she said, clearly offended. "He's a long-haired rat!"

Dad nodded blearily. 

We had a quick breakfast and showered.

Jamaica had a stomach ache from the cordial so we were 15 minutes off schedule. 

I texted Hilary before we went off. 

Bye! Aus is calling! Laters! xx Orchid

Book Review: Opal Plumstead

One of Jaqueline Wilson's recent releases, Opal Plumstead is a fictive story of a clever and studious fourteen year old girl.

Her mother is selfish but loving, her gorgeously dazzling sister risking everything for love.
Opal receives a scholarship to st. Margaret's and becomes best friends with Olivia.
Opal loves her father dearly, even when he is sent to jail for embezzlement. Opal is then forced to take a job at Fairy Glen Sweet Factory, Olivia is no longer her friend, and she has to deal with horrid bullies.
But she makes friends with Mrs Roberts, Mr Beeston and Alfred.
The words Jaqueline Wilson has selected carefully for this story makes Opal Plumstead a sweet read. I nearly cried and often giggled as I read this book.
Will life go on as planned? What does fate have in store for her?
Read Opal Plumstead to find out.

Animal Halfbloods-Willow Ease

     This is a story that I am collaborating with some authors!
      There may be multiple authors in one blog...
                      dianeandherwritingworld.wordpress.com
                      feliciaclar.wordpress.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

      Chapter One

I jump on the bus as the driver starts the engine. THAT's how much of a slop I am.
I peer dreamily out of the foggy window. I'm in Texas.
Not in Indonesia.
Texas.
My bag shifts as another girl sits down next to me.
Her face curls as she eyes my muddy sneakers. "Um, must've stepped on a puddle...." I try to act nonchalant.
"Oh, sure," she mocks me. Her hand reaches out to my bow.
"Uh..." I'm worried now. Very worried.
She grabs it, and slowly, mockingly, releases her clasp.
"No! Please..." I shriek.
"Whooops, too late!" she giggles.
I gasp as the bow flies out the window, into the streets.
The bus stops abruptly at a cafe`. I don't exactly know why I'm doing this.
My body doesn't want to stop. I race out of the bus and grab my bow.
As I fumble to put it on, I peer into a petshop.
I'm not sure it's true.
A dozen hamsters, winter whites I believe, are whispering.
Some playing on the plastic wheel shriek and whoop.
A hamster edges near me (as near as you would get in an aquarium) and says, "Hi."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream.
The reflection of my face in the glass of the aquarium.
I have furry round ears.

                Chapter Two

I quickly pull my mouth shut, struggle to drape my hood over those ears.
This seems like a dream, it can't possibly be true.
But it is.
My feet sprint away, pounding on the dirt, dust flying like mist around me.
The bus driver yells, and I hear the children giggling around me.
I reach a small, dark alleyway, and my feet aren't strong enough to hold me up.
My eyes shut, and the world goes dark.
*
My eyes open.
The world looks strange.
My red hood has turned......black? No, no...
I rub my eyes with my paws. Wait, paws?
I look up. The walls around me seem higher, bigger...
No.
No no no.
This can't be true.
I'm a hamster.

A giant, furry animal 5 times my size pads past me.
Strangely, her claws don't jut out, her ears don't twitch.
She just looks....
Sad.
I look back and see a crowd of kids gathered round a shattered window.
Shattered.
Just like my mind.
What is wrong with me?

          Chapter Three

I pad into the strange looking building.
Slowly, carefully.
I've heard about hamster eating rats. Viscous and cold blooded.
I never liked rats.

This room is filled with books.
Vast, colourful (not that I can see most of them now in hamster form) shelves stuffed with
dozens of thrilling pages. I hope.

I shall read.
Read until I wake up from this dream.
I stumble up a shelf.
The Halfblood Encyclopedia 
Yes, I'll read that.
What are halfbloods?
A fictive beast I suppose?
I open the first page with all my hamster-sized strength.
Halfbloods are extremely rare. Kanine halfbloods are the most types to be found.
Hamster and feline halfbloods are the most rare of the rare.
Hamsters?
Wait, this book seems nonfiction.
Hm...

                          Chapter Four

My paw skims the yellow, aging page.
Types of Halfbloods on Page 11.
Yes!
I heave the pages up and down.
This is it!
Hamster Halfbloods
 Humans born with an extremely rare DNA cell. Most find out about their animal powers at 9 to 12 years of age. 
Symptoms of Hamster Halfbloods
-Unable to control their bodies at points
-Hamster ears appear
-Are able to communicate with hamsters

I gasp.
Those winter whites! I...communicated with them!
I must be a halfblood!

CRASH!
The book slides of the shelf, dragging me with it.
Plop!
I fall into a jar.
A jar that smells extremely delicious.
Sunflower seeds.

              Chapter Five

I open a few seeds, realising how large they appear in my paws.
Mmm....
Suddenly, the jar opens once again.
A girl with oldish earrings, wings, and a Pikachu shirt gasps.
Is there a Sunflower seed stuck to me or something?
"What are you doing here, little one?" she asked.
 Like I knew!
She pulls me out by the scruff of my neck.
"Who are you!? Put me down!" I scream.
Didn't ANYONE tell her that only mother hams could do that?! Was she my mum or something?
The teen girl brings me to a small room in the corner.
"We need to get you to Fawnheart, quick!" she exclaims.
*
The girl takes me into a room and pops me into an aquarium.
Suddenly, I faint again.

Chapter Six

A girl from my English class.
Tora.
Besties with Eva.
Friends with Miyuki.
I squeal.
"Tora, it's me Willow, from your English Class!" I scream.
She gapes at me, frozen.
I sniff around the room.
Books, chemical/sciency equipment.
A lab, I suppose.
Fawnheart, Nightbreeze and Cinderfur chatter away.
Finally, Nightbreeze says something about someone liking children.
What is going on?
Suddenly, something flashes in my thoughts.
The explosion.
Maybe it wasn't a dream after all.
Some liquid explosion, 3 days before my 10th birthday.
I have to piece these clues together, one by one.
And I think that the book I found in the library may help me.

Chapter Seven

Nightbreeze carries me into the library.
"Sssh.." she says."Be quiet Willow."
I can't seem to stop wheezing.
Tiny, little, hamster-sized wheezes.
"Sorry, I'm just excited. I have asthma." My eyes scan the room.
"Uh, wait then." Nightbreeze pulls out a puffer and does some kind of magic to it.
The puffer shrinks to my size.
She hands it to me.
Nice little puffs.
I calm down.
"Is this the book?" she says.
" Yes!" I shriek, and start wheezing again.
The puffer is in reach of my paws, thankfully.
"Hey, who was the cat?" I ask.
"Oh, Miyuki."

"Miyuki is also a halfblood?!"
"Yep, but she has her animal name, Silvertail." Nightbreeze grabs the book and places it carefully on an old, oak table.
"Can I have one?" I ask.
"Okay."
"Uh, Whistletoe?"
"That's great!" Her eyes light up. "Now, which page, Whistletoe?"
"Eleven, I think."
Nightbreeze caresses the pages carefully.
Suddenly her eyes widen.
I look at the book.
Page 11.
It's gone.

Chapter Eight 

 Please read chapter 15 and 16 of Diane's blog to find out what really happened.

I'm so happy that Whistletoe has left my body, for now at least.
Even though Tora had to stab my wrist for it.
The little blue bandage hides under a sweatband on my arm.
I open the family computer.
Hey, it's still on Mum's email. I look around the room to make sure nobody is there, then I click randomly on one email.
To: Melania_Ease@gmail.com
From: Gardenhall_admin@mail.com
Subject: Land Ownership

Dear Madame Melanie Ease,

As you have recently done an Immigration from Australia to the US, and purchased land as large as 300 meters, it is our job to make sure the land you bought was not purchased with illegal money.
Bla bla bla.....I scroll down quickly.
We are sorry to say that this land was not actually owned by the person who sold it to you.
With that, we very much regret saying that you must move out of this house before the 22nd of November, 2014. 
If you have troubles with finding an accomodation as we process things through legally, that is the Human Rights Association's job.
Regards,
Kennedy R. Jones,
Communication Services of Gardenhall

I gasp.
That means we have to find a place to live.
Fast.

Chapter Nine

"You're worried that you'll get kicked out?" says Miyuki.
"Something like that."
Tora walks into the class.
She looks like she's about to cry.
"'Sup, Tora?" I greet like a 2nd grader.
"Uh...." She looks at us, her blue eyes brimming with tears.
"Well, Willow might get kicked out," says Eva.
She makes it sound like I'm going to the park.
I poke her with my elbow. "Sorry," she mumbles sheepishly.
"I think I'm going to move to Aussie again," she finally says, not daring to look at us.
"WHAT?!"
*

                       

 

A Million Pages

Drip.
A tear smudged the letter. The letter that said it all.
Sniff.
A girl in a brown dress wiped her nose. The room smelt like lemon rind, the smell that made her want to breathe in it forever. But not anymore.
She was trapped.
Giselle slumped in her purple armchair.
"Madame Gisella, your lunch, if I may," said Gordon, her butler. With the ease of a professional, a tray of roast landed swiftly on the table in front of her. Gordon slid the glass of Earl Grey onto a brass holder without spilling a single drop.
"Thank you," replied Giselle, her face buried in the silk pillow on her lap.
Gordon swept out of the room and shut the door with a swift click.
She couldn't believe it.
Emily. Where was she?
They'd made it to the city together. Then, that morning.
Giselle had awoken to find Emily's bed empty, the sheets curled and thrust aside, like she'd gone in a hurry.
And the letter under the pillow, like the coins Mama used to promise her if she had a tooth pulled.
"Emily...." whispered Giselle. "Where are you...?"
************************
The girl with blonde curls stumbled to the station, her small bony hands peppered with bruises, her foot black with dust.
Her green eyes skimmed the row of trains. "Number 21, number 21....." she mumbled, clenching a filthy ticket in her wrist.
Finally a mossy blue train pulled up in front of her. It stank of bad breath and tears, and had a faint sickening aroma of wee.
Emily took a deep breath and stepped in.
She would find him, soon.
"I'm sorry, Giselle," she whispered. "I'll see you soon..."

In a stinking house on the other side of town, an old man waited at the front of his house, grinning. "I didn't know how easy it was to trick a girl."

CHARISMA : Not Your Average Teen BLURB

I decided to make this story...yeah....

Charisma is one of the many abused children in Indonesia. Her mother, under pressure at work, channels her frustration through whacking Charisma for every little fault. And her father turned and walked out of their lives.
Charisma accepts that, and she and her friend Aisyah  steal food whenever they get hungry. The girls ditched school at a young 8 years old to help their temper-full mothers.
Until one day, Aisyah is caught by the police, and Charisma finally looks properly at the world.
She finds a job and gets on with her life, until one day Aisyah and her sister Tamara invite Charisma to become thieves, or else. What will the 16 year-old girl do? Read the upcoming online series to find out!

The Danger of Loom Bands

You know those trending rubber bands that you can thread together to make all sorts of cool shapes? They're Loom Bands.
It turns out that Loom Bands, once in contact with sweat or saliva, can cause cancer, blood clots, and much  more scary illnesses.
Me and my sister were just opening a new set.. Suddenly, my Mom opened up a site called Kompas. We learnt that a 7 year-old boy suffered a blood clot when the band accidentally whacked his bare eyeball, and that many other children had rashes and itches.
These toys shouldn't be played with. Many 'fake' and un-tested bands are still being sold around the globe.
Just type in "the danger of loom bands" in Google, and you'll freak out.
So please just DON'T buy these, for your own sake!

The trending rubber bands that can be moulded into just about everything

~Anya

Movie Review: The Croods

A DreamWorks film....

Eeep the cave-girl is far too bored with living inside of a cave. Grug, her overprotective father, says to never not be afraid. New is bad, curiosity is dangerous....
Until one day, their old and boring world changes abruptly with the help of Guy and his monkey, Belt. Guy's new innovations steal Eeep's heart, and the whole family's interest.
Will Grug learn to release the old cave-wall paintings or not?
Watch "The Croods" to find out.

It is a HILARIOUS, TOUCHING, INTERESTING movie. A must-see for all family with a sense of humour!

Movie Review: Frozen

This is kinda late, because the film came out like, a while ago, but me, my mom and my sister just saw it yesterday on DVD. Let's get onto the review!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Frozen

a Walt Disney movie/animation

Elsa happened to obtain an amazing but dangerous power since a young girl. Snow powers.
Sadly, Anna, her younger sister has an injury because of Elsa's ability.
In the end, their parents, the king and queen are forced to clear Anna's memory of Elsa. If not, it could harm her.
Elsa then lives in a locked part of the castle, in order to hide from people.
It's a touching and unpredictable movie, completed with Olaf the wacky snowman who dreams of summer, Kristoff the ragged iceman, and his reindeer, Sven.
Only true love can undo the curse. Who's love is it? Hans', Kristoff's, or someone else?
Watch Frozen to find out!

Updates

Bunnies!

Remember the sad and gruesome story of little Miffy the hamster? I went home yesterday, and my dad handed me and my sister baby bunnies (Angora). Mine is the male, Lino, and he looks JUST like Max the old dead hamster, but one of his back paws is dark brown. Whiffy  is the female, owned by Iris. She looks exactly like Chippy!
They are adorable and so cute. Okay, now the next update!

Freedom!

So..Indonesia declared independence on the 17th of August, 1945. That means in a few days, my whole country celebrates Independence Day (Hari Kemerdekaan). 

We play traditional games, like a cracker eating race, egg'n'spoon, singing competitions, and other things. Me and my friend, Hayu', were training Iris and a neighbour, Runa, to sing "Guruku" for the singing contest. Guruku means "Teacher". 

See ya guys on my next post!

R.I.P Miffy

Yesterday, I was going to visit my relatives in another city. Before leaving, I played with my favorite hamster, Miffy. I forgot to shut the latch.
I went off to my aunts house, and that's when I realised. But I tried to ignore the panicky feeling.
Then when it was night, we had dinner at another relative's house. I kept on telling my mum, "Miffy! Miffy!"
But she said he was probably alright, Insya Allah. It turns out Allah had wanted me to learn a lesson.
I went home and saw an ugly, worm-tailed rat bound from the shadows and hide in the bathroom. I called my dad, and he was going to get the sticky rat-catcher, but Iris defiantly refused. "Don't," she said. "What if there's still a hamster?"
I saw my hamster's cage, the latch quite open. Vifa, my other hamster, and mother of Miffy, jumped about in her cage. I saw worry painted into her wise, old eyes.
I looked behind the sofa to find a horrifying sight.
Miffy, my baby hamster, one of his paws bloodily torn off. "Miff!" I whispered. "Miff, wake up. Miffy! Miffy!"
But my hamster would rise no more. It was a lesson Allah meant for me. He was angry that I seldom helped my poor mother cook and clean.
My dad buried Miffy Kovi near my older hamster, Max.
Inalilahi wa inna ilaihi roji'un

Rest in peace, my Miffy. I'll see you later.

Book Reviews with Anya (BRWA) The Rainbow Troops

Heheh. I think it's time for some PATRIOTISME. If you all understand what it means.
Okay, okay, it means love for your homeland. Let's just get to the review!
                                                          ****************************

The Rainbow Troops 

Andrea Hirata

  This charming book, The Rainbow Troops, or, originally Laskar Pelangi is an international best seller. It tells a story of students from a poor school, from the point of view of Ikal, a curly head who is in love with the hands of a Chinese girl.
Trapani, a handsome boy who is obsessed with his mother, Lintang, who's drug is education, and Kucai with a figure of a politician are some of the unique characters of this book. 

"Humour, adrenaline, and the harsh reality of life in Bangka Island, Indonesia, are just the basic ingredients of Andrea Hirata's best seller."

Andrea Hirata's novel is now a movie

The children fight to keep their crooked school from the evil grasp of state owned enterprizes. Bu Muslimah and Pak Harfan try to help, but after the death of their elderly Pak Harfan, things don't look too good. Some students, including Kucai, Samson, Mahar, A Kiong, and, finally, Ikal are tempted by treasure and skip school for their pain staking jobs.
Finally, Bu Mus' young and determined spirit brings them back together to hold the school together.
Will ten children and one teenager be able to save the termite-infested building they call school?
Read Rainbow Troops to find out!

Tips on Life

Excuses on being Late to School

"I don't know."
"My parents lost the key to my cage."
"The bus dropped me off on Mars."
"I was brushing my pet giraffe."
"The bed took me to another dimension."
"My hamster locked the door."
"Someone told me to count my hair."
"Mum made me cook for the whole of Spain."
"I think everybody's too early."

How to Escape from Aliens

Lock the door and make silly noises. If an alien gets into your house, sing "Humpty Dumpty" but change "Humpty dumpty sat on a wall" to "Humpty dumpty sat on a UFO".
This will hypnotise the aliens and make them jump into a UFO.
Wear pink sunglasses all the time and pucker your lips when you talk. Bring a pendulum around and tell the time wrong, so the aliens will think their time on earth is over.

 

JOKES&UPDATES

Q: What do you get if you mixed your principal with a wooden club?
A: A headache

Q: What is a slug?
A: A snail with housing problems

Q:If you threw yourself into a black pond, whaddaya get?
A: Wet

Q: What is a horse plus a sore throat?
A: Hoarse

                                                                ~~~~~~~
Hey guys! Did you know that I'm fasting? Do you even know what fasting IS? Do you even know WHY I'm fasting? Hah? Hah!?
CRACK!
(I smashed the window)
"Anya!!!! I just fixed that!"
"Sorry, mum!"
Now, it is Ramadhan. If you wanna know what that is, then you'd better have Internet and Google.

                                                          ~See Ya!

Hamsterz

Hey guys! A while ago, my new hamsters (Vifa&Koko) had 5 babies! But sadly, 1 died.
Now there are 3 babies left, since I gave one of them to my friend, Adel.
Each of the hamsters have different personalities.
Cooky is clumsy, small, and, let's face it,: a wimp (just like his Papa). Muffin could be hauled all the way across the world, but he wouldn't realise it if you gave him a couple o' kuacis and popcorns.
Miffy is fiesty and strong, and Viko is nibbly (ouch) and a scaredy-hamster.

Wanna-be Writers

Hi guys. You might recall, I moved from Aussie to Indo. Well, I was at a bookstore once. A rack displayed rows of books from the same publisher. It publishes books that Indonesian kids write by theirselves.
I read through a couple of books. 95% of the books were about going overseas, having bestfriends from America, Australia, Japan, Korea. It made me clench my fists. My heart drummed against my chest.
The children showed off. They were about the same age as me, the writers. Yet their books were so.....so wannabe!
A girl wrote about shopping and being rich. Another wrote that she came from multiple backgrounds. Another said she was a rockstar, living in America.
The children were showing off about having mountains of money, fans, and unlimited tickets to America.
They spoke in wanna-be English. It got me tongue-tied and sick. It made me want to punch the walls in anguish.
One day, I was called by my mother. She showed me a magazine. The article featured the negative effects from children writers. The children were fooled my materials. Money, toys, clothes.
They thought foreign countries had everything.
But some writers knew that going into foreign countries wasn't to show off when they wrote a book.
I could never express how much I feel toward those children.
Well, this is Anya.

Thanks to Being Greedy

By Anya

Hi. I’m Jennifer Rowly. My father is Peter K. Rowly, working as the president. My mother is Yessica Ann Rowly. After hearing my father’s job, you won’t belive 
my mother’s.
 The palace tailor. 

It’s because she likes dressing up. Her partners, Annika and Milly, are ever so grateful, because when my mother became tailor, their very drab workroom
 became a whole building. 

I go to the best school, Red Velvet Education. Only a few other children go to that school because of it’s price. Some megarich people and some 
governor or celebrity kids. 

It’s pickup car is a limo, and it’s canteen is as big as a food court.

Everyone is a show off. But I have 3 modest friends. Charlene Abigail, a child singer, Ima Prasasti Nur
 who is the child of an Indonesian embassador, and Rick Karl, cousin of the queen’s uncle. 

But Ima (read Eeema) is too proud of her hometown, Jakarta. 

***

The grandfather clock announces 11 o’clock, but I’m not even in bed. 

I work hard, snipping at raw edges of the photo. The photo of me and Miss Kyle, my teacher who moved schools last week. 

I dip my brush into the pot of glue, then sprinkle glitter all over the edges of the photo.

My tongue sticks out of the corner of my mouth as I glue it on a piece of poster paper. “Miss Jennifer, why are you still awake?” Ellen, 
my carer, asks.

“Uhh...busy,” I mutter.

“Alright, I shall make some hot chocolate,” she says, walking out.

My room is 5x7 meters. It has an airconditioner and a little tv. Mum doesn’t want to give me a proper 20 inch one, because
 she says I shouldn’t even be watching it.

I refused to have any creepy paintings that have eyes that follow you, so instead there are rainbows and stars stuck on my walls. 

Dad told someone to paint the roof with a sunset. It looked so beautiful, but sometimes I wouldn’t wake up because I thought it was still afternoon.
 Anyway, it was Dad’s idea!

I have a baby sister called Isla. She has a sweet face, tiny cheeks that look full of grapes, and little fists that curl around my fingers.

I finish the drawing and smile. I can’t wait to send it to Miss Kyle!

By the time Ellen comes, I’m tucked in my bed, dreaming about sipping a hot chocolate.

***

I wait beside the guard, waiting for the pickup car. I see in movies that Dad watches, the kids chase a big yellow bus and pile in, talking loudly and happily.

It’s very different when the limo arrives, it stops sharp in front of me and the door opens. I step in, trying to be quiet and prim. Other kids sit straight, wearing black like spies. 

Huh....next stop is Ima’s at Green Fielding Luxury Estate. Then it’s Rick’s at Green Country Estate. THEN Charlene at Angelo Park. Huhh...

***

Charlene steps into the limo, wearing a purple hood and green gloves. A very different fitting to the other children. But Charlene has round blue eyes and golden hair. 
She also has a beautiful smile.

Rick rolls his eyes, taking in Charlene’s clothing. “Girls these days. They...” he stops short as Georgine Frost glares at him irritably.

Ima is busy reading her History book, getting ready for Miss Beri’s test.

Ima has blackish red hair and a flat nose. She is always saying R too long, but her English is perrrrfect. Heh..

Me? Hazel eyes, brown fringe, and lumpy nose. Oh, and I am very, very FRECKLY. 

But noone dares to tease me. Not because I’m the president’s daughter, but because I can REALLY punch.

Once, a boy called Benny called me “potatoe” but he ended up being the “mashed” potatoe. 

AND no teachers dared to give me detention!

***

After class, we go into the canteen. I get a chicken drumstick and mango juice, and Ima has a “nasi goreng” and “tape ketan”.
 I don’t know how exactly how an “Indonesian Foods” table appeared in the corner of the canteen, but Ima says that her prayer to God was answered.
 Rick has fries and a Coke, so I’ll be waiting for him to scream like a pregnant woman in Mr Pete’s class.

Charlene is always elegant, so she has a salad with french dressing and a tall glass of mineral water.

She can only say, “Tch tch tch” when her eyes focus on our greedy helpings. 

While we eat our delicious food, suddenly the emergency alarm rings. We all leave our lunch and run to class. 

“What’s wrong?” I ask when Rick comes back from looking out. 

“Robber,” he whispers in horror. “The robber’s hitting Mr Richard.”

I feel angry. “I’ll show him!”

Ima and Charlene hold me back, “No. Don’t.”

But I don’t listen. I grab a beanie from the spare clothing rack and rip two holes in the fabric. I see Catherine Monument glare at me, but I don’t care. 

Everyone hides behind the big table when the door opens with a crash.

A man wearing black clothing stares at me through two slits in black. 

Good thing I wore black “like a ninja”! 

“Whut?” I say, making a fake accent. “The school’s bin rubbed, bud. Me and me pals, yer know. En I got a pistol!” 

I take Ricky’s toy gun (which looks real) and aim it at him. I know I could be killed. I know my life could end at the dull shot of a pistol. But I stay still. 
Suddenly, I hear a moan. 

Great! Rick needs to go to the toilet. He stumbles out from behind the table. He points to the hole on his blouse. It was there since year 3, but 
I don’t need to tell the robber that. 

But I see blood there. Trying to hold my position, I say to the robber, “I just shot dat guy. Yer wanna be next, matey?”

The robber looks scared. He doesn’t have any weapons. He looks back at Rick, who is clutching his chest and crying. 

Then the robber runs away, out the school.

A few seconds go by. “YAY!” everyone screams, hugging me. Why aren’t they concerned about Rick? I break the crowd and hurry to my buddy. 

Rick is grinning!

“Whew,” he says.

Then Ima explains that Rick saw me get his gun. Suddenly, his stomach hurt, so he dabbed it with Ima’s “sambal” that was still on the plate she brought to class! 
And because his stomach REALLY hurt, he cried. That was basically how I lived! 

Thanks to Ima and Rick being greedy, then Ima brought her plate of “sambal”, Rick had a stomach ache from eating junk food. Then because of their clever idea,
 I’m not being rushed to hospital!

That night, I tell everything to everyone. And you know what? I’m in the newspaper.

Whoops, gotta go, the 7 o’clock news are going to interview me!

Well, this is Jennifer Rowly, over and out!

The Mystery of the Missing Eight-year old

Chapter one - George

"Hey, that's my backpack!" Irene shouted. 

"No' any more!" yelled back the boy. 

As he turned and sneered, Irene took a mental photo of the crook. He was a boy 
with the age of, lets say, 14 or 15. His teeth were missing in places,
 and most of the ones that were 
there were yellowish. He had scraggly golden hair and a face 
peppered with freckles. 

He was your typical farm-guy, Irene thought as she took in his 
checked red and blue button-on shirt.

Irene felt defeated. She was only 12 but all her friends said
 she looked 15. Her tall, lean body, and her short black bob was why. 

Irene shot an annoyed look at the boy.

But he only stuck his tongue out and pedaled away.

"Oh, 'nd by the way, name's George! " and he disappeared 
into the night. 

Irene sighed. She knew she shouldn't have gone to Havers 
Woods at 2 o'clock in the morning. But a temptation had bit her
 and she couldn't help but follow it. 

Irene felt around in her pocket. Good. At least she still 
had her phone and her wallet.

The bag had only contained a notebook and some hairclips. 

But the reason she didn't want to lose it was because
it was a leather bag 
that had cost $70.45 at Everyday Style. 

As Irene pedaled home, she worried about all the things 
her mother would say. "Naughty!", "This cost a LOT of money, 
Ireane Hender!" \or "I knew it! You are grounded!".

Irene sucked in the cool night air. Then she reached a sign. 
Hather Field read one, pointing the way to her house, Everstone Road read another. 
This was where her grand parents lived. Irene muttered, "Oh, well..." and headed down Everstone Road. 

Her parents would have to wait. At least she still had $300 in 
her life savings. Suddenly, she heard a stick snap behind her. 
Irene got the feeling she wasn't alone. 

She turned around. Nothing. It must have been my bike, 
she tried to think.
 But still, she still had a feeling someone was going after her. 

Irene went to a 24 hour news agent and bought a notebook
 and some hot chocolate. 
As she sat beside her bike and sipped, she wrote,

Dear diary,

I know there's a lot going on that you don't 
know yet, but all I need to 
say right now is BEVERYLEY IS MISSING. 
You may not know Beverley
 Matta, but she's an adorable 8 year old. 
Here is some impotant information:

~ She was reported missing at 3o'clock, 
July the third. 

~ Police found her red coat hanging off a tree 
at Haver Woods. 
(She was reported missing wearing that coat)

~ On her bed there was a note: "Must all be taken, 
must some be found".

~ He

Irene stopped short. A dark figure strode towards her.

"I'm sorry, but you know too much," he said in a mechanical voice. 
A grey bandana covered his mouth and nose.
 A midnight black beanie covered half of his face, and a 
dark scarf dangled down his waist.
 Only two slits in them revealed green speckled eyes.

Irene shuddered. He looked just like a snake she'd seen in a
 horror movie. 

Suddenly, from behind her, two armed men grabbed her arms. 
Realising what she had to do, 
Irene kicked backwards, her legs parted as she did so. Both guards reeled back in shocked pain. 

Irene dumped her new notebook in the basket of her bike and 
sped away to the Everstone police station. 
She was too woried to think, all would be better, soon. 

Chapter two - Kidnapper on the loose! 

"So," Officer Hartley repeated, smirking as if saying a joke.
 "Your expensive bag was stolen by a farm boy named George, 
you were attacked by a snake man, and -"

"He looked like a snake, sir, I'm serious. I saw him, here," Irene said,
 rolling up her sleeve. There was a cut, still bleeding. 

"Irene, that just proves you need a tissue, and I think I'd better call
 your Grandpa to pick you up." He pulled a tissue out and 
handed it to her.

"Maybe she is telling the truth, Tim. I mean, that looks like a really
 bad rope cut, and-" Officer Maya stopped short, 
seeing the happy look on Irene's face.

"Look!" Irene said. She held a black scarf out. 
On it were several grey hairs. "Mum and Dad have no grey hairs. 
And the men I saw were wearing black clothing."

"I'd better put this on the DNA tester. And," Officer Maya 
raised an eyebrow at Officer
 Hartley sternly, "SOMEONE has to make a very sincere apology."

She stood up and left.

**

Fifteen minutes later, Officer Maya returned. 

"Looks like the DNA of this person," she said, turning on the 
interactive projector. 
The projector zoomed in on a shopping center picture. 
A 40 year old man was buying a black scarf. The exact scarf 
Irene held. 

"But that's Peter Harold!" Officer Hartley jumped up. 

"You know him!" Irene frowned.

"Me and John Fleet arrested him for kidnapping last year. 
He should still be in jail!" he said. 

"Why don't we go to Justine Jail and see?" Irene wondered aloud. 

"Actually," Officer Hartley bit his lip. "He's in Congravest Jail. That's a bit more furthe -"

"Well lets go now then!" Officer Maya said. 

**

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were squashed up in a 
police mini SUV. 

" Mamma mia! Here we go again...Mamaaaa how can I resist 
youuuu!" sang Irene's phone.

Irene picked it up. "H-hello mum?" she whimpered.

"Hello mum? HELLO?! What do you think I am! Ireane where
ARE you, HONEY!?" blared a familiar
 voice. 

"I-I'm, on the way to Gran and Gramp's house," she whispered back.
 I was about 
to be kidnapped mum, so I'm with t-the police...."

"Kidnapped?! Oh.....munchkin! I've been so worried!" 

"And a guy stole my bag..."

"Who CARES about your bag! We've all been so worried! 
Bell was the one who found out,
 bless that kitten," Mum went on. "She mewed and mewed until 
Andrea opened the door. She was taking
Bell back to your room but you weren't there, so Andrea 
screamed and...oh...." 

"Yes. Alright. Mum, I'll meet you, Dad, Andrea and Bell too, 
okie, at Gran and Gramp's." 

"Alright, Icy!"

"Muum!" Irene groaned, but already the line was dead.

Suddenly, Officer Maya screamed. Officer Hartley had slumped 
in his driver’s chair, a note on his back:

          I KNOW WHO YOU ARE