2nd of Batxillerat student from Maristes Montserrat Lleida

STRANGE FEELINGS

I really felt like it was going to be a strange day when I woke up. I am sure you know about the kind of feeling I am trying to explain to you: your stomach is scrambled and you feel dizzy, like if you were going to be sick.
The first thought that came to my mind was “I’m going to be sick”. But I didn’t have any kind of physical pain. I touched my head in order to clarify my ideas. I was totally starting to feel hypochondriac. Maybe something in my cells was wrong? Which kind of illness are you suffering when you don’t feel pain?
After overwhelming myself for a long minute, a strange wave of abrasive heat invaded me and spread to my organs, strangling me. The air wasn’t getting to my lungs and I was totally aware of that. I started to hyperventilate, and I perceived that my mouth was dry. Extremely dry. I needed to drink something.
I was running to the kitchen when somebody knocked on the door. I stopped suddenly. What should I do? See who was calling at my house or just ignore him and drink some water? I felt how the dryness was getting into every single molecule of water that I had in my body, rising to my throat, and I began to feel a lump in it.
As an instinctive movement, my legs started to walk to the tap and I disregarded the noise. I grabbed the tap and turned in violently. My tongue, my face and even my hair touched the water without control. For the first time ever, it didn’t worry me. I felt the water in every single part, and I swallowed it, anxiously. But the dryness was not quenched, and I continued swallowing water the fastest way I have ever done.
While I was drinking, the person that was knocking at the door discovered that I had a doorbell. So he started ringing the bell. Without any control, it was non–stop. I decided, angrily, to stop drinking and see who was the one who wanted to knock the door down. I switched off the tap, with the sensation of dryness still in my body. I hadn’t drunk enough.
When I arrived at the door, I looked through the spyhole and I didn’t really understand what I saw. A young girl, with blue hair and big black eyes was in front of my door. She was wearing short jeans and a cropped t–shirt, which wouldn’t be strange if we weren’t in November.
– I see you, you know? – She said and stopped ringing the doorbell. In the face of this stimulus, my body threw himself back and separated me from the door. How could she see me through the door? I went to the spyhole again and I looked through it. Now she was staring at me through the lens.
– That’s impossible – The words came from my mouth without a previous thought.
– And then, how I know that you are wearing a black t–shirt stained with mayonnaise and tracksuit pants?
I heard her laughing at me.
– Come on Jack, don’t pretend you don’t know me. You have to know who I am and you have been waiting for me. Haven’t you started to feel the symptoms yet? I think dryness is the first symptom that appears…
I thought that she was crazy until I heard that. Dryness. The strange dryness that I had been feeling all the morning. I opened the door without thinking too much. Sure it was a mature response, you know, opening the door to a stranger that starts telling you about strange symptoms and that has an enormous ego that makes her suppose that you have to know her.
– Wow, hi, I was starting to think that you didn’t know anything about this. And that would be horrible, you know? I am tired of surprised teenagers that don’t have any idea about us.
She went inside my house and into my dining room, as if she knew the flat. I closed the door, reconsidering what had happened during the last five minutes. I felt the dryness in my mouth, but I had other priorities at that moment.
– Oh, I am sorry. I am Claire, your teacher – she stretched out a hand in order to shake mine.
I was more shocked than before. My teacher? My teacher of what? A young girl?
– If you are thinking about my age, I am thirty, so I am not as young as I appear – she laughed again, beaming. I shook her hands so as not to be impolite, annoyed about her humour in that situation.
I sat down on my sofa, holding my head in my hands. I couldn’t take everything in. Who was that girl? What was she talking about? My heart was pumping my blood so fast and the dryness was still in my body…
– Oh no, I have seen that face before. You don’t know me, really? You don’t know anything about us. Stupid humans. Why do they reject us so much? We aren’t so bad. We haven’t done anything. Anything.
She looked through the window with a lost gaze. She bit he own lips, and for a few seconds, she disappeared from my house. Not in a real way, you know, I could see her, but she was out of there. Very, very far. I could see it in her eyes, in her expression, in her posture, in the way she squeezed her hands.
– Hey, I am sorry, I really want to know you, I am making and effort, but I can’t remember you…
– Oh, look at me. You will think I am a little girl – she let out a low laugh that confirmed she wasn’t so grown–up. – It’s upsetting that people doesn’t accept us… How old are you?
The question surprised me, but I answered it as quickly as I could.
– Seventeen. I am seventeen years old.
– Seventeen years old without knowing what you are. Wait. You are not seventeen years old, right? – She put her hands on her head, surprised, like if I were telling her a lie.
– I am sure I was born seventeen years ago, the first of July…
– No, wait, wait. Which calendar are you following?
– Mm… the normal that everybody uses? There is more than one calendar? – In other conditions, I would think that she was joking, but she was so serious and seemed worried.
– You don’t follow the sacred Mayan calendar?
– If I follow what?
She looked around my dining room, searching for something. Her eyes became bigger when she found my laptop. She took it before I could say anything and turned it on, just looking at it. She unlocked it without any movement, avoiding my password, just by looking at it. It really seemed that she was talking with…

– You called her Lily? Seriously? It is a beautiful name, but you should know that when she heard it for first time, she didn’t like it… but now she thinks that it is cute. Like you. Just translating, you know – she blushed quickly, confirming again that she was not as mature as she wanted me to think. – She also says please don’t charge her while you are working, his battery gets damaged.
– Can you speak with computers?
Probably that wasn’t the best question that I could have asked in that moment, but it was the first one that came into my mind.
She nodded her head and showed me an image. It was a circle subdivided in two more circles. The biggest one had a lot of little draws, like ancestral figures. The second one was a little bit smaller, and it was divided in thirteen parts. Every part had a different pattern, with points and lines.
– Okay, let’s see… if we follow the real calendar, you are actually… twenty-four years old.
– What?!
– In this calendar, years have just two hundred and sixty days, so you are older than with the Roman calendar.
It was the strangest thing that she had told me since she was here. Me, twenty-four? That was impossible, I had my birth certificate…
– Thanks Lily, you can sleep again. – She caressed my laptop gently, like if she cared about her. – Okay, how I do start… As you have supposed, I am not a normal human. And neither are you. We are what we like to call Beyonds. We…
Suddenly, my hands started to become translucent. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Claire saw it too, because she fell silent. It took her few seconds to react.
– Oh, by the spots of Chac Bolay.
In the middle of all the chaos, I laughed. Chac Bolay was the Jaguar god of Mayan culture. I know that because my history’s teacher was a total mythology geek and he made those kind of references every class. If she was lying to me, an idea that I hadn’t discarded yet, she was making a very good point. I sighed, tired, and I rested my head on the sofa. Everything would be easier if I just closed my eyes and breathed deeply, leaving the air in lungs and without breathing anymore…
– Come on honey, wake up, you can’t be defeated by them. – Claire tried with a lot of urgency to stop me falling into Morpheus’s arms.
I strongly tried to be brave and open my eyes, but an invisible force was pulling me out of reality. The translucence was going around my body, like the dryness did before, dryness that had disappeared since my skin started to change.
– You have called me honey… – I said, very tired. I know, that could probably not be the smartest thing I could say, but I swear that it was the only thing that I thought at that moment.
Claire hit me with care and used her hair in order to hide her face, obviously in a furtive way. I had known her during just half an hour, but we had a special connection and I could read her reactions as if we had known each other since kindergarten.
– Come on Claire think, think.

She did not set my hands free, as if with that contact she could keep me in the mortal world.
– Dryness, vampires, drinking water. Translucent skin… ghosts. How do I stop this? Please Chac Bolay, enlighten me… Enlighten, that’s, do you have candles? Jack!
At that moment, I was very far from there. I heard Claire’s voice very far away, as if she was calling me from an upside-down world.
Claire heard that, because she started to run around the house until she found the candles that my mum had given me when I was a child. She lit the candle and put it near to me. Immediately, she held my hand and fixed her black eyes on me.
Slowly, my skin recovered its original colour, and we both breathed deeply.
– For a short time, I truly thought that you would be a ghost forever. By the spots of Chac Bolay, that was very close. – Claire seemed worried.
– What has happened? – For the first time that day, I asked good question.
– As I had told you, we are Beyonds. When we reach our maturity all the creatures that exist in our world want us to move to their clans. This morning vampires visited you.
– That explains my dryness…
– And your pain that was not physical. Vampires can’t suffer physical pain because their heart has stopped. Fortunately, you drank water before it stopped. Probably you have also felt hypochondriasis or that you were suffocating.
I nodded my head. That made a lot of sense.
– Now, while I was here, ghosts came to visit you. Your skin started to become translucent and your lungs wanted to stop, because ghost have not lungs, they don’t need to air. If I hadn’t been here, now you would be a ghost – she laughed.
– Oh, I really wanted to be a ghost. – I screwed up my face and she smiled, nodding her head. – Which other creatures are going to visit me?
– Lycanthropes, ogres, dragons…
– Really?! Could I be a dragon?
– Come on, we are not in a fairy tale, this is the real world – she laughed at me. – No, you would not be a dragon. Just a lycanthrope, a gnome, a satyr, a triton or a magician.
– Like you.
– Yes, like me. Is it that obvious?
– Yes, you had had a special smile when you said magicians. So, you came here to recruit me?
– Something like that, yes. We think that is a little despicable to recruit Beyonds without their knowledge. So, I have come to tell you if you want to be a magician. I am going to give you time to think.
She got up from my sofa and walked over the dining room.
– What I shall do if other clans want to recruit me? How can I hamper it?
– Don’t worry, while you are thinking about joining a clan, the others can’t interrupt you. Sacred rules.
– Claire, did my mum knew about this?
She opened the door and walked out of my house.

– Probably, but I can’t be sure. I am sorry. See you.
I kept thinking for a few seconds. She was in the lift when I decided.
– Claire! – I shouted. – How am I going to let you know that I want to be a magician?
– Don’t worry, you have me already in your hands. – I heard his voice while she was going down.
I closed the door and I looked my hands. I had her literally, because there was a phone number. “And that is why I am texting to you. I don’t know if you are Claire or not, so I hope you can tell me how to get in touch with her…”
I send the message. I still have been feeling a little bit strange since yesterday, but my heart makes me write to Claire as fast as I can.
In a few minutes, I got a message.
“I am sorry my friend, I am not Claire, I don’t know what you are talking about”.
I feel my mind exploding and everything losing its sense. Was everything a joke? A dream? Was she laughing at me? Tears appeared in my eyes and I couldn’t stop them. Such an idiot, Jack.
Then, another message arrived.
“Come on Jack, just joking. Will I see you this afternoon at five o’clock in your hall?”
“You’re such an idiot, Claire.” I wrote. I felt air flowing into my lungs again. “That wasn’t funny”. Wishing to be a magician is not the only thing we had in common. Both of us were idiots.
“Sure”, I replied. I am a Beyond, a magician. And I don’t want to be beyond my clan.

THE END

4th of ESO student from Maria Ward school, Badalona

SUPERHERO FAMILY

This story begins in a world where a small amount of people have special powers. These unfortunate people are persecuted and sent to jail. Humans with powers that are considered dangerous and a threat to humanity are executed. Because of this, a delinquent organization raised a campaign where they perform illegal and unethical surgeries to those who have these mutations or powers. If the mutant dies, “The Mafia” dispose of the corpse. The chief of that “Mafia” is known as Grey-Matter and everyone respects him, except the rebel mutants, a group of vigilantes who use their powers and mutations to save people. They are known as “The Family”.This group are the prime target for Grey-Matter and he has a plan to stop them.

As the moon rose in the sky, “The Family” prepared to leave their base and fulfill their duty.

The cult of heroes have a great variety of powers that complement each other nicely. First they have Fuyuki, who has shapeshifting powers. He is the wise, quiet and strong one, he’s the leader and a parent figure towards the rest of the group.

Then there’s Aphrodite, a pretty and innocent girl with a pheromone power, she has a plant growing from her back, when she eats the fruit that come from plants, Aphrodite is able to secrete a pheromone from her lips, giving her control over the people that smell it. She often calls Fuyuki “Big brother” even though they are not related.

The younger one is Jataro, Fuyuki’s actual brother. His power is quite strange as he uses blobs of his own meat and bones to attack. He’s really powerful but his mutation can harm himself.

Onii is an unusual one, his mutation allows him to take the form of an Oni, a Japanese demon. But his power is quite different, Onii’s body appears to be covered in tattoos, but the ink can detach from his body and become other things like weapons. If he uses it often, his skin begins to bleed.

They also have a secretary named Happy, who localizes zones where there’s someone in need, her power is “cat control”. This means she’s able to talk to felines, she has cat ears and a cat tail, along with whiskers and little paw beans on her palms and feet. She’s kind of chubby and a complete sweetheart.

The last one’s name is Mick, he’s a spy for the crew, his power is “fumukinesis” and teletransportation. He’s a prankster and quite funny, but when it comes to missions, he’s always down for business.

As all of them started to get ready for the night, a loud scream could be heard from Happy’s room. Mick went rushing to her to make sure she’s OK. All he could see was one of Happy’s cats on the floor and her crying her eyes out. The kitty was badly hurt. As all of them entered the room, Fuyuki noticed a note attached to the cat’s paw. It was poorly written but hinted to a location. He decided that that was their mission for the day. Fuyuki knew this was Grey-Matter’s trap… or at least one of his minions’ traps. They went anyway, aware of the danger they were walking into.

The crew came up with a plan to cover the entire zone just in case something went wrong. As two of them showed up, the others stayed hidden, on roofs, trees, or behind fences. Happy and Jataro showed up in the area as the others watched. There were a small group of people approaching, a man with a delicate frame, shivering, a punk looking boy with fluorescent red spiky hair and a prepubescent complexion. And standing a couple feet behind them, what seemed to be a dragon girl.

“So they’ve sent the weakest ones, eh?” The one with the spiky hair spoke; he had a husky Irish accent.

“This’ll be a piece o’cake!” as soon as he said that he raised his hand only to be stopped by the dragon girl.

“Aran, stop. We need to talk to them first…” and then the thin one spoke too, with a delicate French accent.

“Eliza’s right, we need information!”.

Aran shouted “Stop bein’ so boring and let me do my work!”. Happy and Jataro remained silent.

“Aran you’re a brute! Let Joe and me do the work” The soft voiced girl walked slowly towards Happy. “We want to negotiate with you, with all of the rebels, as soon as possible so we can end this silly war between us!”

Happy was quite surprised. This girl also had a power and she wasn’t in jail or shown any kind of treatment or surgery. This was a good sign, right?

“We just need to talk to all of you, group to group, S’il vous plaît” said Joe this time.

“I’m not entirely sure about that, sir…” Jataro hid behind Happy, enough to hide half of his face.

“Maybe this is a trick? But what I want to know is, why did you hurt my sweet little kitten?” The frenchman’s hair covered his face as he lowered his head down.

“It was an a-accident, Madame! Aran- I mean… Je never meant to hurt the little chat…” his French accent became more apparent as his nerve´s grew.

“Please monsieur, keep calm.” Whispered Eliza, trying to speak to Joe.

“ENOUGH!” Aran slammed his foot to the ground. “It is useless! Lets keep ’em hostage until their crew shows up!” After all that noise, a deep voice spoke.

“No need, we are here.” The shapeshifter appeared behind Aran. He rose his hand as a giant root appeared from the ground and trapped Fuyuki.

“Boy, ‘ere you are!” Fuyuki freed himself shapeshifting into a shard of glass, as soon as it hit the ground he shapeshifted back to normal.

“I see you were aching to see me” Aran’s face became red.

“Whatev’! You must come with us, y’all! Or else…” Fuyuki grabbed Jataro’s shoulder.

“Kids must stay.” Aran shook his head.

“Everyone must!” The shapeshifter frowned.

“As you wish.” As he said that, he snapped his fingers and almost everyone appeared from their secret spot.

“Really nice! Let’s go, me’ sister’s faster than y’all!” They started walking, but in a quick movement, Aran pull out more roots trapping everyone.

“Quit you useless prick!” Said Aran, referring to Joe.

“They don’t call ye’ Glass Joe for nothin’!” Realizing the orders he was given, Joe proceeded to touch every one of the members of “family” turning them into glass.

“What have you done?!” Eliza shouted. “You still don’t get it, do you? We were sent ‘ere to trap ’em and deliver ’em to Grey-Matter, remember?” Eliza was in shock, as she was never informed of the true plan.

As they walked away, a shadow followed them to their destination. Before Eliza could enter the building, she was shoved through the bushes, she tried to scream but she couldn’t, all she could do was watch the figure above her. A thin male, with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.

“It is a little secret quirk I have, your voice will return quickly. I want to ask you a favor. I need you to help me have my revenge against Grey-Matter. This was also a trick to them, but we were hoping Jataro would stay… I promise if you help us take him down, we’ll keep you safe for the rest of your life.”

Eliza just nodded at Mick’s words. “My name is Mick, and I know yours is Eliza, nice to meet you, dragon-lizard lady!” Eliza laughed at that, soon they started to plan the rescue.

Inside there was Grey-Matter, inspecting the glass statues who started to recover. “I will perform my special surgery on you first, I’ll encounter the power within you and destroy it, dear Fuyuki, I’ve been waiting this for so long. Now I have you in my hand, right where I want you.” Fuyuki frowned.

“Are you sure about that? Turn around for me, will you…” As he did he saw both Joe and Aran held up by Eliza.

“I’m quite strong ay!” Grey-Matter´s expression quickly switched from smug to furious.

“You dumb reptile, what in the world are you doing?! Come to me my men!” A big cloud of smoke formed as Mick appeared from it.

“All your men are unconscious, there’s only you.”

Onii became thoughtful; his secret quirk was sensing other mutant’s powers.

“What are you thinking, dear friend?” Said Aphrodite.

“As if it wasn’t funny enough, this man right here has a mutation himself. Reveal your true self, demon!”, as Aphrodite whispered:

“You’re one though…”

From Grey-Matter’s back emerged four more arms. “Looks like I can’t hide now. I will destroy your skulls with my own hands if it’s necessary.”

A fight erupted between all of the heroes and Grey-Matter. Eliza was trying to convince Aran and Joe to join the team, and soon they accepted the offering and joined the fight.

Grey-Matter had telekinesis as a secondary quirk and it was rather difficult to hit him. Aphrodite tried to gas him with her pheromones but it was rather useless. She decided to team up with Joe to find a way to hit him combining both of their powers. After many attempts, they discovered a way to turn the pheromones into shards of glass and throw them at Grey-Matter. He didn’t seem to care but he began to bleed after unrelenting attack. Fuyuki used his shape shifting powers to transform his arms into blades. Onii produced two curved daggers for him and Eliza and they fought side by side. Happy and Jataro made sure Grey-Matter didn’t escape as he had done in one previous encounter. Mick and Aran were looking to recruit some of the fallen men, one young boy named Mac joined their team, he was only 17 and had had surgery to extract his power. He was thirsty with revenge.

In an unexpected turn of events, the heroes started falling one by one. Even Mick was badly hurt trying to protect Mac and Aran. The last one standing was Fuyuki.

“Surrender.” Grey-Matter held his third arm in pain as he yelled:

“Why should I?” Silence raised in the room.

“You’re just like us, you could help us overcome this problem, to show society that we’re not bad, that we’re special the way we are, powers or not. We do not harm people, they harm us by lying, saying we are dangerous, isn’t that hypocritical? That’s why we want to make a difference… I feel your pain, but please be rational… Help us. Join us. Be part of our “family” Grey-Matter looked down.

“You don’t understand my position, you see… The government keeps me safe in exchange for me performing surgery on these people…” Fuyuki held his hand to Grey-Matter’s chest.

“Would you rather be protected by something that can stab you in the back at any moment or by people just like you, who could consider you as part of their family?”

Grey-Matter’s eyes began to water as he looked down in shame. “I… I want to help… I don’t want to be alone anymore…” Fuyuki and the rest gave him a group hug. “You’ll never be alone with us, we’ll protect you!” Cheered Aphrodite.

“Thank you!” Smiled the newly born man.

THE END

3rd of ESO Student from Maria Ward School, Badalona

THE REAL SUPERHERO

It is 7:30 in the morning and Jessie must wake up If she doesn’t want to be late for College. She is studying to become a doctor. She wants to help people who are struggling in life and bring smile to their faces. Her life is relentless because her parents don’t have money, so she funds all her studies and therefore feels more invested in them, adding to the pressure.

It’s late, she thinks. She prepares a quick breakfast and goes to University. There she meets with her best friend Ally at the door. They catch up and then head to Physics class. When all the classes have finished Jessie goes to work. Now she works in an NGO. She loves to help the less fortunate and to do charity work even though she doesn’t have money. She knows that there are people in the word who are in a worst situation than she is. In this wonderful place she is the happiest person in the word. In the NGO, she plays with children and spends a good amount of time with them. She helps in the social dining room, plays with children and helps them with their homework. All the people in the NGO adore Jessie because they know that she lives in a bad situation but she always wears a smile on her face.

This weekend Jessie and her friends are preparing a charity campaign for Christmas. Even in current times many people are hungry throughout the world. They meet to discuss how they can help. They decide to organize a food collection and a Christmas market where they will sell the objects that they no longer use such as their old toys, books, clothes; as well as all the donations that their neighbors contribute. Organizing it will take them many hours of work and this weekend Jessie also has to study a lot for her final exams. On Saturday and Sunday morning they spend five hours working in the NGO and when she returns home, she needs to help with domestic chores and study.

Once at home she greets her parents. She kisses both of them. Her mum is working on the laptop while her father is cooking lunch. He is preparing a big Spanish omelet. Their parents tell her that all the housework is done because they recognize that Jessie has a lot of work to do and that they also want to contribute to her campaign. They eat together and after that, Jessie strolls to her room, she opens her books and begins a long afternoon of studying. Al ten o’clock, she is exhausted, she has a bath, eats a sandwich and goes to sleep. She visualizes a great success at the Christmas market.

On Sunday morning she wakes up early to continue studying. It’s a new day and she is very nervous because the Christmas market starts in the evening. Despite this, she manages to concentrate and also finish her homework. Her parents aren’t at home because they work every day. On average they are working ten hours a day, they are street sweepers, a physical job that exhausts them because they are no longer young. Jessie goes to the collection, she spends 4 hours with her friends collecting and preparing the market, then she returns home. She should carry out a few domestic chores before her parents arrive home because they share all the domestic responsibilities. She must always be happy and provide others with happiness. When Jessie was a little girl her mum once said to her that sad people never achieve their wishes. Now, for Jessie this sentence became the slogan of her live. She sometimes remembers her childhood when she was always happy. She wants to make her parents happy, just like they did with her.

Jessie starts to cook some steaks and prepare a salad for when her parents arrive. They all sit down at the dinner table and have a delicious meal together. After that, each of them go their separate ways around the house. Jessie goes to study. She studies a lot, her concentration is very good. She always obtains the best marks because of this, she knows that hard work trumps talent. She also well aware how important her future is for her parents. She wants to have a job which allows her to financially support her family, that is her dream. Jessie takes a break when she has studied for two hours. She takes her mobile and checks her messages, she sees that the doctor’s revision has changed. Now she should go to see him on Tuesday. She must go every week to the doctor because she has a serious illness. After, she goes on Instagram and sees what are her best friends doing, Ally is studying too and Justin, her best friend since they were little, is at the cinema with his parents. When Jessie was little she loved Justin but Justin didn’t love her. Nowadays Jessie doesn’t love Justin, she isn’t in love, she is very happy alone. She continues studying at seven o’clock. After a while she realizes she can´t concentrate so she leaves the house to do some Christmas shopping with Ally. She always buys a present for each member of her family, one for her mum and another one for her dad one for Justin and one for Ally, who Jessie also considers members of her family. Ally wants to buy clothes. She always buys clothes because her parents are very rich. Ally buys items from five different shops ( mainly clothes) she buys a skirt for Jessie. Ally is aware of Jessie´s families´ situation and sometimes asks her parents to help. Jessie buys a tie for her, a skirt and a clock for her mum and a wallet for Justin.

It’s eight in the evening and it is market time. Everything is prepared. People soon arrive and everything is sold quickly. The whole neighborhood has participated. It has been a success.

Her friends decide to celebrate, they go out for dinner. They go to “La Tagliattela”. They love pizza. They share two huge pizzas and drink lots and lots of fizzy soda. When they finish they both head home seperately. Next week the food collection is waiting for them. Jessie arrives home very late, her parents are waiting up for her. They are proud of their daughter’s work. Finally, Jessie puts on her pyjamas and then she goes to bed.

At half past eight Jessie gets up. She prepares breakfast, while her parents are making the beds. They drink orange juice and eat a vegetable sandwich like every morning. They speak about Christmas and her mum asks Jessie what she wants for Christmas. She had not asked herself yet. She thinks about a new school bag because she has a very old one. Her school bag is four years old and it has been broken for a year. It has rips and tears all over it and its original fluorescent pink shade has diminished into a miserable brown.

Today, she is going to the cinema with her grandfather. They sometimes hang out and that makes her grandfather happy. They meet at one o’clock at the park. First of all, they go to eat. Her grandfather’s paying. Jessie loves one of the most famous restaurants in the city. The food is fantastic. They always choose a good plate of pasta. Macaroni! After that, they go to the park to eat an ice cream and take a boat ride on the pond. It’s one of the activities that she most enjoys. These walks with her grandfather are one of her fondest memories.

At five o’clock Jessie should arrive home because she must start purchasing the food for the collection. She is about to leave when she notices a pleasant surprise. She finds on her bedside table a bouquet of flowers. White roses, her favorite flowers. The bouquet has a note signed by Justin. Now, she is excited. She asks her parents how the bouquet has arrived, if Justin has been at home. His parents don’t know anything and she decides to go to the supermarket to meet her friends.

She arrives at the supermarket door and doesn’t find anyone. She waits for Ally, when she arrives it is ten past six. Unfortunately Jessie can’t concentrate on the campaign she is always thinking about Justin, why has he bought the flowers she wonders. The collection has been a success. There has been a great participation. Jessie is impatient to tell Ally what had happened. They speak about the roses and Ally advises her friend to talk to Justin. Jessie opens WhatsApp and agrees to meet with him the following day. They are going to have a coffee and talk for a while. She returns home very late. She must study because she must pass the final exams on Friday and they are very difficult. While she is studying she remembers the appointment with the doctor tomorrow.

It’s Tuesday. It’s a sunny day and Jessie must go to the hospital as the same each week. The doctor tells her that her condition is worsening. Her lung cancer is resilient and she should start a more aggressive treatment tomorrow. Jessie is shocked but she isn’t scared because she knows that everybody dies someday. She returns back home concerned of informing her parents of the terrible news. She knows that it will affect them more than her. Her parents are devastated. Jessie suffers for them. She doesn´t know how to comfort them. Her mum cries desperately and her father goes out to smoke on the balcony, he is distraught. He doesn’t want his wife seeing him like this. He has always been the strong one in the family and he doesn´t know how to react. He would like to remain with his wife and daughter but at this time he cannot.

Jessie goes to her room and starts writing a letter for each person that she loves in her life. Her friends are aware of her situation but they rarely talk about it. They think that this is the best and Jessie prefers it this way because she desires to lead a normal teenage life. The first letter will be for Justin because she wants to start with the most difficult. She had never dared to express her love and now she is writing a true declaration of love for Justin. She expresses her long lasting love for him and explains why she had never tried to take this step. For Ally she writes a letter where she says that she is the best friend that anyone could have, reminiscing over old cherished memories that she´ll never forget. The letter for her parents is the most emotional letter. She explains to them that she is always happy with them and expresses her gratefulness for everything they have taught her and for all the effort they have made in their life to take care of her.

When she finishes all the letters she goes to her bed but she can’t sleep. She wonders about the new treatment, she starts worrying about the worst possible situation. She had never thought she would feel scared but her mind had portrayed her.

She sees some messages on her mobile phone. Her best friends ask how she feels, they know that she has been in the doctor’s office today. She doesn’t answer and finally, she falls sleep thinking of her friends.

It’s a new day and she must go to the hospital, but firstly she has breakfast with her parents. Her mother has made a tomato sandwich with a bowl of cereal and a cup of milk. She finishes it in a moment and then she walks to the hospital with her parents. On the way she opens WhatsApp and sees that Justin has messaged her declaring his love for her. She replies: “Me too” and in five minutes she arrives at the hospital where her friends are waiting for her. They are in front of the front door. Ally and Justin are carrying a present for her, a box containing plenty of pictures from their childhood to date. She starts to cry with joy. She says goodbye to them and then, she passes to the doctor’s room. He asks her if she is ready, and she answers “yes”. The doctor tells her parents that the new treatment is very dangerous but it’s her only hope. They have to try. Jessie lies on the stretcher and three nurses takes her in to the treatment room. The treatment begins, her parents and her friends are very nervous. They ask a nurse how long the treatment will take. She tells it will take a few hours. Three hours later they don’t have any news. Jessie´s doctor leaves the treatment room to inform them that there have been serious complications and now they are struggling to save her life. Fifteen minutes later Jessie dies, and though the doctor doesn’t know how to tell her parents, he must do it. However, in the end it was not necessary; the expression on his face was enough. Today, all of them remember Jessie and the beautiful smile on her face.

I have written this story because I want to show everyone the real personality and essence a “superhero” possesses. A superhero is a person who loves helping everybody without wanting anything in return, they are selfless. The superhero in this story wears a smile on her face when she feels sad. She wants to be a good person radiating positivity all around the world. She likes helping people and especially her loved ones. We should enjoy our lives because we only live one time. I want to show people the true identity of a superhero because everyone can be a superhero. Are you ready to try?

THE END

Leire Mieres

4t ESO, Escola Maria Ward Badalona

THE DREAM

This story takes place in the year 2044, where cars will fly and pets are virtual, where traveling to Mars is just another destination and Terminator will become a reality; the most common thing will be to have 3D printers at home and going for a walk without scooters, electric bikes and skate will be of strange people.

Kate the protagonist of this story was on 2-April- 2019, after dinner.

-Mom I think I’ll go to sleep now

-Okay honey, you rest. I love you
Kate enters the room, takes the computer and enters in his blog. She does not know what to write today but suddenly he gets a piece of news of the ten technological advances that will take place in 2040 and he comes up with an idea to write. Today she will only write an open question:

(Blog) -How do you imagine the world from here to 25 years? She asked that because she had never thought about that, then she put on her pyjamas and stretched out on her bed.She tried to sleep but could not and then decided to think about what she had written. She came to the conclusion that if it could be true that the cars were flying or that the animals started to be virtual other things were possible. On one hand she was excited but on the other she was afraid that one day we would not be able to control the technologies and it would be them who controlled us.Finally after so much thinking, she fell sleep. No we enter a dream that night and we see that…Kate was having a dream about what was written on the blog. She went to school with her brother on a flying board. It was a school like we’re not used to seeing, thousands of digital posters with the timetables of each class, and stairs? They didn’t have stairs, everything were ramps and floor for the flying tables. Kate found her friends and started talking to them. (Kate)-Hi girls  (Emily, Jane, Charlotte)-Hi Kate  (Kate) – How were your vacations? Emily in the end did you go to the Bahamas? And you Jane got to go to New York City?? And you Charlotte finally went to L.A? (Emily) -Oh yess! Very nice this summer. I went to the Bahamas and I feel in love with a boy but it was an impossible love, were a summer love and it was over too many kilometres. I miss the truth but well let’s not get sentimental and you ladies?  (Jane) – I could not go to New York City but I went to Spain to finally meet a friend who loved Fornite, hahahaha (Kate)- Ooooh you every day with the play you don’t change. (Charlotte)- And I finally got to go to L.A and dance in the millennium dance (Emily) – We missed you, Kate  (kate) –Me? (Jane) – Of course we thought you were angry, you have spent all summer without talking to the group. (Kate) – Oh yes! It’s true but I wasn’t angry! My mobile broke and my parents had just bought me a new tablet and they could not buy one since we had book the flights to New Zealand. (Charlotte) – I could not live without the mobile phone but NEW ZELAND!? (Kate) – In the end you get used to me I thought the same, and yes New Zealand is amazing. And girls, do you want to see a surprise? (3 girls) – Oooooh yes! What are you waiting for? Kate showed the arm and tightened the wrist and effectively came out the screen of the virtual mobile (3 girls) – OMG!!!! (Kate)- Its amazing. Is it real?? (Emily) – It’s much more than amazing (Jane) – It’s like the movies we saw of spies when we were young. (Kate) – Girls you already know that my father Works in these things if you want I can talk with him and he can leave one for you very cheap. (Emily) – Oh yes! (Charlotte) – But does that hurt? (Kate) – You always with the fears, no ladies no. You just feels like a mosquito Bite.(Jane) – okay i will talk to my parents and tell you something.   The three girls enter the class and wait for the teacher and a somewhat special and strange teacher for us people os the 21^st century.Let’s make a stop in the dream and I explain about the teacher:Its body is made of iron, it is very intelligent and is connected to Google so he knows almost everything except feelings and emotions.You don’t know yet what it is? Well it is a robot. The traditional teachers in 2040 no longer exist now they are robots that control many more things.Now let’s continue with de dream before Kate wakes up.She has already finished class and the three girls went out into the hall and suddenly Kate saw Stephany, the girl that she had been in love all high school. (Emily) – Hey Kate, that’s not Stephany? (Jane) – Who is she? (Kate) – She is my platonic love of High School, I met her for a blog that talked about feminism she started to comment to my posts and then we talked on Twitter, Instagram and in blogs but in person I never talk with her. (Charlotte) – Well, it’s about time, isn’t it? (Kate) – I am embarrassed. What if she does not remember me and if she does not expect it to be like that? (Emily)- Are you silly? You are a very interesting girl and you are beautiful Why is she going to expect something different? The best thing is that on the internet you show yourself as you are and you don’t try to pretend anything else, so…  (Kate) – Oooh thank you very much I don’t know how to thank you. (Charlotte)– Emily is right it is already been time for you to take her for a walk. (Jane) – You have nothing to thank me for, just go out there and talk to her. (Kate) – okay girls, I’m going there. Kate goes to the dining room of the school and sits at the same table as Stephany. She greets her and Stephany recognizes her they start talking and go to the park…They have so much chemistry that from one moment to the next they create a blog together and not only that, but suddenly everything stops and everything remains silence and…    3-April-2019 Riiiiiiiiing, Riiiiiiiing, RiiiiiiiingThe alarm sound. it is time to wake up! (Kate) – NOOOO, this is not real  (Mom) – What’s up Kate? (Kate) – I could not finish a dream I was having (Mom) – Kate please, don’t be silly it is only a dream And in the end neither Kate nor we knew how that dream ended, but something we know is what would be the answer to your question that she posted on the blog.

THE END

4t d’ESO de l’escola Maria Ward de Badalona

THE GAME

It was the nine o’clock of the morning. Brown’s barking, my dog, woke me earlier than expected, because as it is Saturday I had planned to get up quite late. However, I got out of bed with apathy and, while I was heading to the kitchen for breakfast, I discovered the reason of the barks. Someone was knocking the door. I looked through the peephole and I saw a woman who wore an elegant dress. When I opened the door, she smiled to me and start to talk.

–    Hi! I hope not to bother you but I have come to give you good news- Said she with enthusiam You have been chosen to participate in a virtual game!
–    No, thanks. I’m not interested with playing virtual games. You should have chosen another person who likes video games

When I was going to close the door, she managed to get my attention by taking out a brochure from her company. It was quite colourful and full of drawings that looked like they were drawn by three-year-old children.

–    Our company is called Virtugames- Said her with a smile in her face- We take care of developing virtual reality games in which the player can enter and feel part of the story. The last year we started a game whose name is “The assassin”. It is about a detective who tries to discover who is the guilt of a murder while the assassin is chasing him in order to kill him. Now, we are looking for people to test the game, and after doing a draw, you were elected!
–    The game seems interesting- I commented- but, if I play it, will I earn some money?
–    Yes! I forgot this! If you help us, our company will reward you with a lot of money?
–    And where should I go to play this video game?
–    The headquarters of our company are situated near the university where you study?
–    Wait! How do you know where I study?
–    It’s just intuition- She said with a suspicious smile- It doesn’t matter, if you are interested in coming, call the telephone number that appears in the brochure.

Right after the strange woman left, I closed the door and went to get something to eat while I read the brochure. Actually, I don’t want to play the game. However, I need the money because I can barely eat since I was fired from work. Also, my brother, the person who loaned me money when I needed it disappeared last summer without a trace. The police tell me constantly that he is surely dead, but I have not lost hope yet. After drinking the glass of milk I had prepared, I went to the computer to find more information about that strange video game company. After typing his name, Virtugames, I discovered that it had been founded relatively recently. Then, I remembered that the woman knew where I was studying. How did he know that? I kept thinking, but I could not think of any logical answer.
I was there, in Virtugames. I had decided to play the game because I needed the money. When I arrived, I saw the girl who had visited me the last week.
-Hi! Thanks for coming. I’m sure you won’t regret. Please, follow me.
While we were walking I paid attention to the decoration of the building. It was quite futuristic. The rooms were lit by neon lights and the furniture had a technological aspect. Actually, if it were not because I had just entered from outside, I would think that I had travelled to the future.
After a long time walking through the corridors, the strange woman stopped in front of a door. Then, when she opened it, I discovered a large room where there was simply a table with strange looking glasses.
-They are virtual glasses- She said- Please, put them on while I start the game.
I put on my virtual glasses and, through them, I saw a kind of black screen. Then, the woman left the room. After a few eternal minutes, the screen went on and I saw a man who explained the rules of the game. I could not remove my glasses at any time or leave the room. The other rules were unimportant.
Suddenly, the game started without warning. I was on a lost mountain. Just as I turned around, I saw a person with a knife coming towards me. Intuitively, I started running to escape that person. At the same time, several questions were going through my head. Why the video game started on a mountain? Was not the game supposed to be about a detective? When I realized, the ground behind me began to fall. Not only did I have a murderer chasing me, I was also running because I didn’t want to fall into a vacuum! Then, I saw a kind of door in the distance. I struggled to get to her. I was desperate. I knew that in the end it was just a video game, but it seemed so real that I got chills. Finally, I arrived at the door. I opened it quickly and entered. Now I was in a completely different place. In front of me there was a city with flying cars and big buildings. There were screens everywhere that advertised products of the most strange that seemed taken from a science fiction film. However, there was absolutely no one. I went into buildings and stores. Desperate, I screamed as loud as I could, but no one heard me. I was alone, or so I thought. Suddenly, the same person from before appeared again, but this time he approached me walking without any knife. Again, I started running but after several attempts I discovered that I could not, I was paralysed. Then I looked at the man. I could not see his face because of his hood but he was a stout and robust man. When he reached me, he began to speak:
-Hi, player- His voice was torn- I have been waiting you.
I tried to talk to him, but I couldn’t even speak. A feeling of anguish ran through my entire body. I needed to scream and vent.
-I see you desperate- He said sarcastically- Probably, you are thinking who I am. I think the answer is easy. I’m the person who you have been looking for, brother.
Then, he took off his hood and I could see his face. His eyes, blue as the sea and the features that reminded me so much of my mother. It was him. The person who was supposedly dead was in front of me. It was real. It can not be, it was just a game. But then, what was my brother doing in that video game? I didn’t understand anything. At that time, I discovered that I would talk again.

–    Where have you been all this time? You disappeared right after the mum’s death.
–    As silly as ever, brother. Haven’t you really thought that my disappearance and Mama’s death may be related?

–    What?
–    It seems I’ll have to explain it to you. I killed her. I killed mum.
–    I can’t believe you! Why would you do that? Also, you aren’t real, you’re just part of this video game!
–    This isn’t a game, brother. You’re in the real life.
–    That’s no possible!
–    You’re in the future. When you put on your virtual glasses, I scattered a gas in the room that left you asleep. Then, I froze your body. You have been asleep for thirteen years. Thanks to technological advances I have been able to create this virtual world. I control everything that happens here. Today, I will finally kill you!
–    What? Why do you want to kill me? Why did you kill mum? None of this makes sense!
–    Actually, I have no reason. Don’t you see it? I’m crazy. I ‘m ill. But you never worried about me. When we were children I asked for help, but mother didn’t listen me because she was playing with you!
–    I didn’t know that. Are you ill? What’s happening to you?
–    I don’t know it. The doctor says that I’m crazy. That’s all.
–    And for this reason do you want to kill me?
–    I have told you. I don’t know why, but I need to kill you, just like I needed to kill mum. I have thought a lot of thinks about kill myself, but I’m not brave enough. I guess since I can not kill myself, I need to kill you. Do not look for justification for my actions because they don’t have it.
–    Brother, please, don’t kill me. We can talk. I’ll help you. Together, we can solve our problems!
–    Too late, brother. Now there is no going back. I’ll kill you!

Then, a knife appeared in his hand, and he looked me with a frightening smile. Scared, I started running while he chased me. Suddenly, appeared a lot of robots which obstructed my escape. Actually, I had no way to escape. It was my brother’s technological world. He was able to control everything. Cables appeared from the ground that were trying to catch me, and the electronic ceiling that imitated the sky began to fall, exposing a dark ceiling. My brother had told me the truth. I was in the future. This technology was impossible to create in my time. Desperate, I kept dodging the obstacles. Once in a while I looked back to see if my brother was still chasing me. Every time I saw him, I became more distressed. Then I realized that no matter how hard he ran, my brother did not get tired. Sooner or later he would kill me. Furthermore, it was raining.
-You can’t escape- He said laughing- There’s no escape from my technological world!
Then, I had an idea. It was true that I could not escape, but what would happen if I killed my brother? He was supposed to control all this technology, so if he died, this world would disappear. Sure of myself, I changed my direction. Now I was heading towards my brother. He stopped, he was surprised.

–    Are you finally going to accept your destiny and you will let me kill you?- He said with a smile- The time has come that I have been waiting for so long!
–    I won’t make it so easy for you!

Then, I took one of the cables from the floor and approached it to his knife, which was soaked thanks to the rain. Finally, an electric shock went through his entire body. After a few seconds, his lifeless body fell

to the ground. I had achieved it. Suddenly the world began to disappear. I woke up in a kind of bed surrounded by strange electronic devices. When I got up, I noticed there was a window. Looking through it, I discovered the harsh reality. There were flying cars everywhere and people dressed in a futuristic way. I was in the future.

It was the nine o’clock of the morning. I have woke up when I have heard someone knocking at the door. When I have opened, I have saw Emily. She is the love of my life. Well, that’s what she believes. Oddly enough, she is the strange woman I met that day. She is to blame for now being in the future. I am currently living with her because it is the only way I can survive here. I still do not know how new technologies work. However, she believes that I am my brother. In fact, I am my brother. When he died in the technological world, I became the controller of that world. It seems that there was some system failure, because I woke up in his body. However, it has helped me a lot. Thanks to the death of my brother, I am now the director of the most successful video game company in the world and I have a perfect life. Deep down, all this is due to his madness. Thank you, brother.

THE END

4t d’ESO de l’escola Maria Ward de Badalona

THE TWO HEARTS OF THE SEA

Once upon a time, in a little island located in the Pacific Ocean, there lived a tribe. The island was ruled by the head of the tribe; a strong man whose name was Lut. He had two children. In first place, Luke was a brave and curious child who wanted to discover what laid beyond the island. In the other hand, Kailani was an intelligent and responsible girl who, although she was also curious about traveling, knew that the rules of the island didn’t allow it.

The rules of the island said that it was forbidden for the inhabitants to get away from the island. Therefore, none of the children had seen a boat or something similar. They simply had the need to flee the island and know what the outside world was like. But every time they planned something to go abroad, their father was there in order to avoid it. Once, they recollect equipment to build a boat, but when the project was finished Lut burned it.

The chief of the tribe never said why the inhabitants could not cross the sea. Obviously, he had reasons, but it was always a mystery for the people of the island. However, the two children couldn’t wait. They kept thinking of a method to leave the island without their father discovering them, although his father always ruined his plans.

One day, something strange happened. The sun didn’t rise. The birds didn’t sing as they usually did. The following weeks were normal because the islanders believed that the sun would reappear, but more problems arose. The orchards stopped giving food, and the animals began to die. If the situation continued like this, the inhabitants of the island would die of hunger. Different advisers of the boss offered diverse solutions: distributing the remaining food, trying to avoid the death of the animals, etc. However, no solution was useful. Finally, a peasant offered the chief to leave the island. He thought if they fled they could find another place with food or the solution to the problem. When Lut heard this idea, he became enraged. He sent the peasant to prison and swore that no one would ever leave the island.

Soon, the inhabitants began to die. At the same time, Kailani suffered from nightmares. Every night she dreamed of the same thing. She felt that she was in the middle of the sea. Suddenly she heard a scream, but she couldn’t move. When she realized, she was drowning. On the other hand, Luke dreamed with a voice that said that his place was not that island and should leave it. In addition, it told him that, together with his sister, they had been chosen to save the island. At first, the children did not give importance to their dreams, but after two months, each night with the same dream, they began to worry about the future of the island. Therefore, they devised a definitive plan to escape the island and find a solution. This plan had only one drawback: Lut. However, Kailani had an idea: to lock his father in prison. They also knew that it was wrong, but it was the only thing he could do to save the island. They knew that later their father would thank him.

One day, Luke told his father that prison inmates had escaped through a tunnel. Then, Lut, angry, went to the prison to see what had happened. When he arrived, Luke asked him to enter a cell to see where the tunnel was. When he entered, Lut discovered that there was no tunnel. At that moment, Luke took the opportunity to close the door.

-What are you doing, Luke? – Lut said –

-Father, I’m sorry. I have to do this if I want to save our island. – Luke said with confidence.

-I’m your father, Luke. You can’t do this. – Lut said pained.

-I don’t care. Kailani and I will leave the island. We will find a solution. – Luke told.

-Leave the island? Please, don’t do it. You can’t cross the sea! – Lut screamed.

-Why? – Luke asked with curiosity.

-Because you will die! There are a lot of dangers out there, Luke. My duty is to protect this island and its inhabitants. I cannot allow you to die. Son, I love you. Please, don’t leave me! – He said crying – Please, stay with me. In the island you’ll be safe.

-The people is dying, father. We must find a solution now or all of us will die – Luke said as his voice started to tremble – Father, please, understand me. I love you, too. And I don’t like doing this, but It’s the only option. I’m not afraid about what is beyond the island. I could fight with monsters and risk my life in order to save the island.

-Luke, please, don’t die – Luke didn’t listen him and started to go out – No! Luke! Come back, please. Kailani? My children, please, don’t leave me, stay with me!

It was too late, Luke and Kailani had already started to build a new boat. The next month, they start to recollect food for the journey. One day, all the islanders went to the beach in order to say goodbye to the little heroes.

Luke rose the sail and the trip started. The first days, didn’t happen absolutely nothing.

One night, while Kailani read his book, Luke began to ask him questions.

-Kailani, I think I regret having started this trip – He said suddenly.

-What are you saying, Luke? We must do this if we want to save the island! – Kailani said.

– But in the ocean there is nothing. We have been on this ship for eight days and we have not seen a single island or ship yet – Luke said crying.

-Please, Luke. Don’t cry. We have to be strong. I know it’s difficult, but we must keep hope. If you think in such a negative way, we won’t be able to save the island – She said trying not to cry.

-Maybe, you’re right – Luke said – But there’s a thing that is bothering me since we leave the island.

-What happens? – Kailani said with curiosity.

-Do you think what we did to dad is correct? – Luke ask – I mean, we locked him in prison. He must hate us!

-I know he understand us. Dad knows we are doing this to save the island. In fact, probably he is worried about us – Kailani said.

-Maybe he’s hungry – Luke said worried.

-No, Luke – Kailani said with a calm tone – The islanders promised us that they would take care of dad. Don’t you remember?

-It’s right. But why didn’t he want to allow the islanders to leave the island? – Luke ask.

-You know how dad is – She said laughing – He’s always trying to protect everyone.

That night, the children fell sleep very quickly. The weeks kept going. Occasionally, one of the brothers got depressed, there was the other brother to support him. One day, finally, the brothers spotted an island. When they arrived, they noticed that there was only one large tower. They entered and started climbing the stairs until they reached the top. In the centre there was a pedestal, nothing more. When the boys were ready to return to the ship, a voice was heard in the distance.

-Hello, heroes. This is the Union’s island. Here, you can make a wish. I know your island is in problems, but I can help you. Before, you must get the union’s gems. With them, you will save your island.

-But how can we get this gems? – Kailani asked.

-You must demonstrate that you are two people but you have only one soul.

-How can we do that? – Luke asked.

-It’s simple. In front of you, there are two portals. Each one of you must enter a different portal. Then, the test will begin.

The children listened and entered the portals. Suddenly, both were in a room. However, they were separated by a glass wall. Suddenly, the Kailani’s room began to flood. Luke, scared, started hitting the glass. His sister was drowning. At that time, Kailani’s nightmare was real. Luke’s knuckles began to bleed. Nonetheless, Luke continued fighting.

-Luke, please! Run! Leave me die! Escape and save our island! – Kailani said –

-Wait a moment, how are you talking with me? – Luke asked.

-I don’t know, but it seems that we have telepathy – Kailani said – Luke, escape from this room please!

-No, you’re mi sister! I need you, Kailani – Luke said crying – I know I don’t usually tell you much, but I love you. I won’t let you to die. Please, don’t give up!

Just as Kailani’s life began to fade, a war cry came from Luke. He wasn’t willing to give up. Suddenly, Kailani began to shine. It was an intense brightness that gave Luke strength. Finally, Luke managed to break the glass. When Kailani managed to breathe, the glow became even more intense. Then, Luke began to shine too. When they realized, they were at the top of the tower. The voice spoke again:

-You have got it. Now, your heats are one. Please, touch the pedestal.

-But we don’t have the gems – Luke said.

-Haven’t you noticed yet? You’re the gems! For this reason, you’re shining now.

-What? – Kailani asked.

-Kailani, you’re very intelligent and you have a talent for encouraging people. In fact, your brightness encouraged Luke. On the other hand, Luke, you are very brave and stubborn. You didn’t give up and risked your life for your sister. Separately you are great people, but together, you are incredible. Your heart is one. You are united by the power of the sea. I think the time has come for me to tell you the truth. Your mother is a mermaid. She fell in love with a prince, your father. However, in order to be with him, she had to give up her siren tail. For this, he made a pact with a witch. He got human legs in exchange for losing his voice. Unfortunately, the prince was forced to marry another woman, although no one knew that he really was in love with the mermaid. The mermaid wanted to go back to the sea. For this, the witch forced her to kill the prince. However, love didn’t allow it, and it ended up committing suicide in the sea and becoming sea foam. You’re that sea foam, children. You are the chosen ones to save the island of the witch, who is still trying to kill the prince. If your father didn’t want that you leave the island it is because he wanted to prevent the witch from hurting you. Luckily, I managed to hold her inside this pedestal. Please, touch the pedestal and seal the witch once and for all.

The children put their hands in the pedestal and it started to shine. The trip back was much shorter, because this time they knew the way. When they arrived, the islanders were waiting for them with a big party. Besides, there was Lut, his father. Upon arrival, the first thing the children did was go running to hug their father. That night, the inhabitants of the island sang and danced to the rhythm of the music, celebrating the return of the heroes of the island.

THE END