Going into 7/8

I will always miss being on the Joberts Team, but I know in my heart that once a joberts always a joberts.  I'll miss all of the fun field trips and opportunities we had and all the things that people might call dreams, but have come my reality.  I thank all the people who assisted me on my Joberts Journey, in which I've learned and grew.  I'll especially miss all of the memories that I have made on the Joberts Team.

AHW

My mother shook me awake.

“Mary, we have to leave now.  Pack 1 bag full of stuff,” she whispered.

She rushed out of my room to wake up my brother.  First, I turned to my clock which read 4:00 AM.  Why had we woken up so early.  I hobbled out of bed and stared into the mirror.  In front of me, I saw a girl around 12 years of age.  She had a mane of messy brown hair and piercing green eyes.  She reminded me almost of a porcelain doll.  I quickly got dressed and stared shoving cloths into a large cotton sack.  Questions raced through my head.  What’s happening?  Where are we going?  Why am I doing this?  Then I realized that there was always a reason.  So I kept stuffing and stuffing until I couldn’t stuff anymore.  Within 30 minutes of waking up, My mother, father, brother and I were gathered in the kitchen.

“Mama, are the Nazis coming,” my brother asked.

A frightened look crossed my mother’s face.

“Yes Jack, they are coming.  That’s why we have to run,” my mom informed.

My dad scribbled a fake address onto a little slip of paper and tossed it into the waste basket.  Then, we went around the house and made everything look as if we were coming back.  At around 6:00 AM, a black car with tinted windows stopped in front of our house.  We scampered into the vehicle.

“Hans, we found a family that lives on the out skirts of Amsterdam,” the driver spoke.

“We’ll be safe right,” my father asked.

“Safer than you are living in your own house,” he answered.

The rest of the ride was quiet.  A bunch of thoughts were running through my head.  So the Nazis are coming to get us, just because we were Jews.  It made no sense to me.  I never had thought about myself as inferior, or other Jews as inferior.  I thought that it was crazy.  I had the same right to live as all of the Nazis.

Suddenly, we pulled up in front of a small town house.  A couple came out and opened the doors and embraced us with a hug.

“You’ll be safe here,” they smiled.

But in less than 2 days, soldiers knocked down the doors and found us.  They spat out orders for us to leave everything behind.  We were shoved into a karts, and handcuffed and shackled.  We were being denied of freedom.  They took us to a train station where we were stuffed into train carts with a bunch of other Jews.  The train ride was horrible.  There was no room to sit, so we spent the whole day standing.  I was about to fall asleep when the train came to a halt.  We were ushered off of the train and into little compartments which were supposedly the living quarters.  All that were in them was, a bed which occupied 3 out of the 4 walls and a toilet.

AHW

I am so bored right now.  I've finished the whole google classroom thing, but we can talk.  What is the world without socializing.  One of the parts of Language arts is Speaking, so we should be able to talk and socialize.

Digital Literary Essay

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6_n1pi9pA

AHW

7/8 seems very scary, but that's how I thought about 5/6 when I was in 4th grade.  I guest I'll be alright, but I don't know what could happen.  That's what scares me.

AHW

I just got my teacher letter and realized that I got Whitmer.  I was a little disappointed because I had asked for a science teacher, but I'm really excited for 7/8.  But I'm really sad that they split up the crew we have in Joberts.  I'm really going to miss 6th grade.  I feel like I'm leaving so many memories behind.  But then again, I am really excited to start my 7/8 journey.

AHW

I'm really nervous about what teacher I'm going to have for 7th and 8th grade.  I don't really have a teacher preference, but I don't want to be separated from my friends.  I know that it's only for homeroom, but I'm still really nervous.

AHW

One day I was walking around my neighborhood.  I was trying not to be lazy and just try to get away from playing my Clarinet all day long.   The sun shone brightly in the cerulean sky as I stroll down the street.  To spice up such a boring event, I decided to take the path through the forest.  Before I could get close to the forest, the sky looked as if there was going to turn into a nasty tempest.  Luckily I got an umbrella with me before I left home just in case I was to get caught in the storm.  The sky quickly turn twilight black, yet strangely the air remain calm and warm.  It was such a rare feeling.  At first I thought it was just the clouds blocking the sun.  After 20 minutes of walking I finally got to the forest.  The somber forest did not seem scary at first.  But all the sudden, the forest turned dark right before my eyes.  As I kept on walking aimlessly on the path before me.  Ahhhhh!  All of the sudden, I saw a white cloudy apparition wandering around the trees a football field in length ahead of me.  I got so scared that I may have wet my paints.  I quickly duck and hid behind a gigantic white pine next to me and use my hand to cover my mouth trying to not make a sound.  Right at that moment I realized I made a bad decision.  My boots crunched loudly as I step on a thick pile of leaves fallen from the oak trees.  The apparition started gliding over to the pine tree where I was hidden behind.  Once it got closer I realized that it was the ghost of a child.  Her face looked clueless and her torn up dress was flowing behind.  I panicked and took out my phone to take a picture of the ghost and ran.  To this day I have never gone back.  In the corner of the picture you can clearly see the apparition.  A lost little ghost girl.  

AHW

Fun Science Experiments

1) Oobleck:

You Need:

Cornstarch

Water

Food Coloring (optional)

Steps:

1) Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl until it reaches a certain consistency that it looks like cake batter with no lumps

2) If you want, add in the food coloring. (Use only 1 color or it will most likely turn brown)

3) Try punching the Oobleck and then let your hand rest on it


2) Soap Souffle:

You Need:

Ivory Soap (Other Soaps Won't Work!!!)

A Bowl of Water

Paper Towel

Microwave Oven

Steps:

1) Put the bar of soap into the bowl of water

2) Cover it with a paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes on high

3) Let it cool before touching.  You can see that the soap has grown into a big puffy cloud-like shape.

AHW

You know how people teach you about “Stranger Danger”?  Well, I didn’t believe any of that.  To me,

everyone was a kind and would never try to harm you.  Well, at a young age, that was.  All the school

assemblies, I thought, were fake.  Until, I was a victim of it.  One day I was playing with my dolls in the

front yard.  Suddenly, a weird looking ice cream truck came down the street and stopped in front of my

house.

“Hey kid, want some ice cream,” the driver yelled.

I walked up to the truck.

“Sorry sir, I have no money,” I whimpered.

“Don’t worry, you can have one for free.  Just come in the back and pick,” he laughed.

Sensing no harm, I hopped on.  But something was weird about this ice cream truck.  It was just a dark

empty box.  Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and the man closed the door.  Fear and confusion clouded my

mind.  Once the lights turned on, I looked around and saw many other children lying on the floor, all tied

up and gagged.  The look of fear in their eyes were sickening.  A hand gripped my throat, as I felt the

urge to scream, a gag was stuffed into my mouth.  Before I knew it, I was tied up and thrown against the

side of the truck.  Once the lights turned off, my mind tumbled into a deep abyss of thought.  How could

such a person do such a thing?  Why did he need to take me away with other children?  What is our

purpose?  We made many more stops and at each one, another family was deprived of their child.  Once

the ice cream truck came to its last stop, I was hidden under a pile of shivering children.

“Alright kids.  Welcome to your new home,” the man laughed.

One by one, we were taken out of the truck and lifelessly tossed into a confined space and untied and

ungagged.  The few that were daring enough, screamed.  But their cries were unheard, for we were in

the middle of nowhere.  4 men in black suits entered the room.

“They’ll do,” the tallest one remarked, “Zango, do they fit you needs?”

“Yes,” a stockier man replied, “They’ll depart from Maryland in 4 days.”

4 days later, we were stuffed into wooden crates and transported somewhere.  Once the boxes were

opened, we realized that we were staring at the FBI.

“I’m Agent Alice Walker,” a female agent informed, “There’s no reason to be scared.  We’ll return you to

your families as soon as possible.”

In the back ground, I was the FBI handcuffing the men who had kidnapped us.

“This is absurd,” they yelled, “We have committed no crime.  How can you tie the boxes to us?”

We were taken out of the boxes and properly cared for until our parents came to pick us up.  When I

saw my family, I rushed to them, hot tears streaming down my face.  Then I knew that there are people

out there who want to get you and some people don’t make it home.

AHW

You know how people teach you about “Stranger Danger”?  Well, I didn’t believe any of that.  To me, everyone was a kind and would never try to harm you.  Well, at a young age, that was.  All the school assemblies, I thought, were fake.  Until, I was a victim of it.  One day I was playing with my dolls in the front yard.  Suddenly, a weird looking ice cream truck came down the street and stopped in front of my house.

 

“Hey kid, want some ice cream,” the driver yelled.

 

I walked up to the truck.

 

“Sorry sir, I have no money,” I whimpered.

 

“Don’t worry, you can have one for free.  Just come in the back and pick,” he laughed.

 

Sensing no harm, I hopped on.  But something was weird about this ice cream truck.  It was just a dark empty box.  Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and the man closed the door.  Fear and confusion clouded my mind.  Once the lights turned on, I looked around and saw many other children lying on the floor, all tied up and gagged.  The look of fear in their eyes were sickening.  A hand gripped my throat, as I felt the urge to scream, a gag was stuffed into my mouth.  Before I knew it, I was tied up and thrown against the side of the truck.  Once the lights turned off, my mind tumbled into a deep abyss of thought.  How could such a person do such a thing?  Why did he need to take me away with other children?  What is our purpose?  We made many more stops and at each one, another family was deprived of their child.  Once the ice cream truck came to its last stop, I was hidden under a pile of shivering children.

AHW

Tips to Help Memorization

1) Use a song.  You know how songs get stuck in you head, if you create a fun song that has to do with the thing you're memorizing, it'll get stuck too.

2) Read, Cover, Say.  If you're memorizing text, you read the text, cover the text up and then say what you remember.  Do this over and over and you'll find that you remember more each time.

3) Take your time.  Don't rush it.  If you rush, you're more likely to forget it.

4)Take Breaks.  Don't stress your brain.  You can't memorize something in a flash unless you have photographic memory.

5) Do little by little.  Don't try to memorize everything at once, try chunking it into smaller parts.

AHW

Tips to Get Things Done

1) Make a list by ranking your tasks from most urgent to least urgent so that you can prioritaze which allows you to get work done in a more organized matter.  

2) To help you focus, go onto Youtube and search up, "Study Music Alpha Waves,".  The sound of the alpha waves will help you concentrate better.

3) Try to multi-task.  If you have the ability to do more than one thing at a time, do it!  It helps you get things done 2x faster.

4) Take short breaks.  It's hard to work when your brain is exhausted, so take short breaks to clear your mind.

5) Find any time to get things done.  If you have a few minutes here and there, use them to do somthing useful.

6) After about a week, review how efficiently you got your work done and look to see how you can improve.

7) Set goals so that you will work harder to break them.

More coming soon....

AHW

I glared at the high jump bar which was set a 3'6".  I can do this, I thought.  I was about to start my High Jump practice run.  I ran with slow yet strong strides in a big C.  Once I reached the green part on the red bar, I jumped.  All I could think about was, that I could never make it over.  Then I realized that I was soaring over the bar.  Not crashing into it like I had imagined.  I felt a wave of happiness once I fell onto the mat, with the rod untouched.  I had made it over the high jump!

Balloons

"Tell Erika to give me one," Jordyn pleaded.

"Fine," I told her.

I stepped to my feet and proceeded up the bus isle to Erika.

"Can Jordyn and I have balloons," I asked.

Surprisingly, she handed 2 to me.  I scurried back to my seat and handed a long green balloon to Jordyn and started blowing a light green round balloon.  I watched as my balloon grew and grew and Jordyn's stay the same size.

"How do you blow this thing," Jordyn complained.

"You have to stretch it out," I told her.

I showed Jordyn exactly how to do it, because she seemed clueless.  I deflated my own balloon and stretched it from both sides.  Jordyn followed the same procedures, but couldn't muster enough energy to blow the balloon up.  She tried again and again, and after many fruitless attempts, she gave up.

"Can you get another one from Erika," she asked, "But this time, you blow it."

So again, I seat hopped all the way up to Erika and got a balloon.  It was bright red, so I blew it up until I thought it was at it's largest and tied it.  I didn't exactly like the green one, so I kept the red one.  I saw Jordyn's face turn red and she threw her balloon at Thomas.  Being all funny, Thomas stuck 2 balloons under his shirt.  One on his chest and one on his stomach.  Suddenly, POP.  The balloon on his stomach burst.  The rest of the ride, we popped another balloon and Jordyn got a baby Balloon.

Scary Looking Animals

Baby Stingrays

They may not look really scary, but the do look ugly.  If I had to describe their appearance I would say, a ravioli stuffed with an evil soul.  The facial area, the clear-ish skin holding the organs and the little feet, give it the scary effect.  If they were human sized and could walk, I'd be really scared.

Wet Koalas

               Before                                                             After
Who knew just a few Oxygen atoms and 2 times as many Hydrogen atoms could create such a hideous creature.  I don't get how such a cute little koala could look so evil.  It's probably, because the eyes look more piercing once the fur is moved away from the eyes.  And the the fur that looks smooth in the before picture, looks sharp and pointy in the after picture.

Fire!

"Ok, can you show Vivian what your doing," Mrs. Roberts informed Aria.

Aria started to lead me over to Nia and Jordyn, when suddenly, there was a shrill beeping.  The fire alarm flashed on and off creating quite a scene.  Not being informed of this I immediatly thought there was a reall fire.  We all rushed outside in the blazing heat.  I finally caught up with Megan, Shin Be and Ania who were coming from a different class.  We rushed to the soccer field where the whole school was standing.  We all stared towards the schools to see if there were any flames leaping from the roof, but there were none.

"I don't think it's a drill," Megan told.

"We weren't informed or anything," I taught, "So most likely there's a real fire or someone pulled the alarm."

In a few minutes, a bright red fire truck pulled into the parking lot.  We were then told that they cut a cord at the tech services and it triggered the fire alarm, which wasn't turning off.

AHW

Today BCS had another track meet.  I feel like my times were pretty good,  but I placed very badly.  The reason for this is that Cranbrook had a lot of fast sprinters and were very competative.  Also, there was this one girl in each og my events and her dad was the coach of the Cranbrook team.  At one point, I heard that girl saym "I only got an 11'3".  That was so bad."  What she didn't k ow was that most BCS people were jumping 9 feet.  Over all, I feel like I wasn't having my best day, because all of my times increased, but not by much.  I'm really going to try to improve a lot.  Tomorrow, I'm going to a sprints and long jump workshop instead of the kroger run because I feel like I can benifit more from thw sprint workshop.

CRT Lenses

"Ok, so I'm going to put them in and then you can learn to put them in your self," said Dr. Poma, the eye doctor.

"Ok," I nodded.

"Ok, so first, you always have to wash your hands before you put your contacts on.  I washed mine before I came into the room," Dr. Poma continued.

She placed a contact on her finger tip and squirted it with a Ph solution to get rid of germs, particulates and proteins.

"Ok, so I'm just going to come over here and I need you to open your eye," she said.

She placed her fingers above and below my eye to pry it open.  Ever so gently, she set the contact onto my eye.  She did the very same to the other eye.  At first, they just felt like a little weight on my eyes, but then, whe I started to blink, I realized that the were scratching my eye lids.

"The CRT lenses are hard lenses so they'll scratch your eyelids, but you're only supposed to wear them when you sleep, so you won't have to blink," she informed.

They might've been known to cause minor pain, but the irritation was so strong that my eyes were watering so much.  It looked like I was bawling my eyes out.  Dr. Poma handed me a tissue and I wiped my eyes.

"Now I need to test your eyes, but it might not be accurate because they're watering," she informed.

A letter chart flashed onto a screen across the room.  To my suprise, they all looked pretty clear, but my right eye was blurry because it was so watery.  After that, I was given aquick tutorial on how to put in and take out my contacts.  After many attempts and dropping the contacts on the floor so many times, I was finally able to take out the contacts.  What a relief.  My eyes finally stopped watering and the irritating feeling was gone.

"Now can you try putting them back in," the lady giving the tutorial asked.

I gave her a look that read "Really?" and put the dreaded contacts back in.

"I'll go ask Dr. Poma if she wants you to keep the contacts back in," she informed.

I don't want to keep these contacts in, I thought.  In the end, I got to take them out and a wave of relief swept through my body.

Spit Wars

"Ew, you spit when you talk," I informed Jordyn.

"Oh really, how about this," she said spitting all over me.

I lurched towards her and spit on her.  It landed right on her head.

"AAAhhhhhhhhhhhh," she screamed.

She started rapidly spitting and ranting on and on about random things that didn't correspond to the situation.  I swiftly ducked the spit fired from her mouth, but she hit me many times.  Once the rumble started dying down, Jordyn started talking to Jacob Jones again.  While they were chatting, I aimed and spit on Jordyn's face.  She recoiled and shrieked.  I saw the contorted look on her face and knew I was in for trouble.  I hid behind my coat as Jordyn did a rapid shot.  Then the commotion died down once again.  Jordyn went back to her calm chatter.  Suddenly, Thomas spit on her and once again, she went into crazy mode.  I just laughed and applied hand sanitizer to my hair to mask the smell of saliva.  They kept spitting.  Out of the blue, Grey threw Jordyn's lip gloss to Thomas.

"I'm on Jordyn's team," he cried.

"So you're on my team," Jordyn said.

"No, I'm on Jordyn's team," he replied.

"I am Jordyn," Jordyn informed.

"Then who is he," Grey asked, pointing to Thomas.

"You thought he was Jordyn," Jordyn laughed.

"I just listened to the names you were saying," he replied.

"So I'm Thomas," Jordyn laughed.

We just laughed and laughed.

AHW

Oh fudge, I thought.  The busses were just pulling out of the parking lot as I realized that I had left my iPad and purse in the girls locker room after track.    There was no turning back. I could not have stopped the bus from leaving the bus loop just to allow me to get my things.  The whole ride home, I developed a plan to go back to school and get my things. Finally, the bus came to a steady stop in front of my street.  I rushed home and carefully rang the door bell.

"Mommy," I declared,"We must go back to school because I think I left my IPad there."

She didn't look to happy,  but we still hopped into the car and drove back to school.  We slowly pulled into the drop off and pick up lane.  With the agility of a hare, I swiftly hopped out of the car and ran into the school. I half jog, half sprinted into on the girls locker room.  I looked in every nook and cranny, but could not find my IPad and purse.  Where could it be?  I ran to the lost and found, but I still couldn't find them.  So just to on make sure, I ran back to my locker and could not find it.  When I got home, I was desparate.  I tried Find My IPhone, but my IPad's iCloud was turned off.  My mind was racing.  Where could it be?  It couldn't have been stolen!  Maybe somone I know picked it up for me.  Then, the idea to text everyone poped into my yum head.  I quickly grabbed Erika's IPad and went on Messages.  I started frantically texting on the group chat to see if anyone had a clue where it was.  Megan texted, "I have it."  I sighed with relief.  My things were safe.

Vegetarian Challenge

Today we were talking during lunch about being vegetarian.  Somewhere during that discussion, we decided to have a competition to see who could be vegetarian the longest.  The original group was Aria, Nia, Jordyn, Ania, Shin Be, Megan and I.  But right after lunch, Megan forfeit.

"I can never be vegetarian," she confessed.

Later, Shin Be got out after eating beef roast on accident.  Some contenders are Nia and Ania because Nia's vegan and Ania's vegetarian so they normally don't eat meat.   For the rest of us,we have to fasten our seat belt, because there's a bump road ahead.

AHW

I stood behind the thickened white line in Lane 2, as I prepared to run the 200 meter dash.  My previous experiences with the 200 meter had been horrible.  Oh, I don't think I can run the 200, I'll probably get last.  I don't even know how to pace myself, I though.  I finished my 200 meter with an okay, yet disappointing 40 second time.  I glanced back at Sarah and ahead at the runners from BHMS.  In my head, I recalled tips that Coach Geisler had given to us.

Don't look at the other runners, only focus on what you're running.

Once you get to the finish line, you want to lean forward to get over the line faster.

These tips raced through my mind as I stood there waiting for the race to start.

"Take you marks," yelled the man with the smoke gun.

I leaned over into a lunging position.  Putting most of my weight onto my right leg.

"Get set," the man screamed.

I squinted my eyes and scanned the track in front of me.  I was going to try my best even though, I expected to totally fail.  Just to make myself feel okay and not too bad.  I came back to reality with a new attitude.  I was going to do my best even though it might not be good enough.  The man shot his gun and we were off.  Having to go around a curve, the people on the outside lanes seemed well ahead of me.  But to my astonishment, I started gaining, yet I wasn't even sprinting.  That was when it dawned on me.  The 200 meter wasn't this hard race that I could never dominate in.  The 200 meter was just up my alley though I never noticed.  I passed the last runner in front of me and heard the sound of stomping feet fade behind me.  It wasn't too quiet, but quiet enough to let me know that I had quiet a lead.  It was when I hit the 100 meter mark that I realized that, sprinting would be my best choice.  I sped up a little, and sped past a crowd of people cheering for BCS.  In a flash, I crossed the finish line.

"Okay, your time is 33.77," my timer declared.

I was handed a little popsicle stick with the number 1 and was sent to give my time to Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Best.  I felt enlightened.  I had decreased my time by 6-7 seconds.  I knew that I'd have to run it again.

AHW

Come to the Expedition 2015 at Groves.  I'll be there along with Project COPE at 6-8pm.  There are many cool science things.  if you don't find science amusing, how about marshmallows covered in liquid nitrogen.  I hope to see some of the Joberts team there.

AHW

I stared down the turf near the track as the last 1600m runner jogged past the finish line.

"All 100m runners down here," yelled a grumpy old man, walking down the field with the support of his walker.

We knew from previous experience that he had quite a temper.

"Boys go back there," he barked, "I said boys go back there!"

The boys quickly and quietly walked to the corner of the track.

"Ok now girls over here," he scoffed.

Suddenly, an immense, gust of wind, blasted towards us.  It was no south wind.  It felt like it was winter again.  I waited shivering for the old man to start lining up the 6th graders.  Why in the world did I take off my coat so early.  I was only wearing 2 tank tops and shorts.  Then, the rain started drizzling down on us.  Great.  It was raining and we were being tossed around by the cold, icy wind.  I huddled with the other BCS 100m 6th grade girls to keep warm.  Finally, it was the last heat of 7th grade girls.

"You guys move up," he yelled.

I was very confused.  Why put 6th graders up against 7th graders.

"Get ready," the old man yelled.

To my confusion, there were no starting blocks.  Some of the girls still got into the position.

"Not yet," he yelled.

The girls scampered to their feet.

"Take you marks," another man holding the starting gun declared, "Get set."

Bang! the gun rang.

I sprinted down the track towards a tiny white flag.  The world around me became a blur and all I could concentrate on, was the teensy white flag that marked the end.  It got closer and closer.  With one more stride, I was past the finish line.  I saw a timer go over to Marlena and tell her that she got 15.56 sec.

"Well would you look at that," my timer exclaimed, "15.56 sec!"

I was handed the stick with a 2 on it and reported my time to the timing table.  No bad for my first track meet.

AHW

n It was a rainy day in Seattle, it did not make mourning any better.  About half way across the U.S., was the familiar place that I called home.  I left almost everything I had behind.  Old memories, old friends, my old school, literally everything that had become the foundation of my life had been left behind.  It all started on a dark and dreary day in Montauk, New York.  I arrived home at approximately 8:00 from soccer practice with my friend Kendall.

“Honey, can we see you for a minute,” my mother asked.

“Yeah, why,” I wondered.

“Well, as you know your father was a contender for a job Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, “He didn't get the job he asked for.”

“What,” I exclaimed, “But dad was so perfect for it.”

“He got a job to work at Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, emphasizing the "a", “But in Seattle.”

“Wait, I don’t have to go to Seattle do I.  This is the part where you tell me that I’m not moving to Seattle,” I pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but we’re leaving next week,” mom muttered.

“No, I’m staying here with everything I know as reality,” I yelled.

“Keep it down.  Your father doesn't want to know that you are disappointed,” mom whispered.

“I’ll just stay with grandma and you and dad can go to Seattle,” I begged.

“No, we have already made the decision and we are going to go,” mom yelled.

I walked back into the room where Kendall had been waiting and cried my eyes out.  On the day of our move across the US, Kendall gave me a necklace.

“Don’t forget me Kenzie,” she asked.“Why would I, you’re my best friend,” I said.

For the next 5 minutes we stood there shedding hot tears that we could no longer hold back.

“That’s enough.  We’ll be late for our flight,” my mom said as she dragged me into the car.

School in Seattle was such a drag at first, but once I made some friends, Seattle started to feel like home.

"Hi I'm Kenzie.  Umm, do you happen to know where AP Science is," I asked a girl.

"Yeah, my name's Maia and I'm heading there right now," the girl replied, "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I'm from New York," I replied.

"That's far from here," Maia remarked

"I know, I still adjusting to Seattle," I sighed.

"Well, would you like to join the theater club tonight at the diner near the movie theater," asked Maia.

"I'd love to," I replied.

"Well, here we are," said Maia, showing me into the science lab.

I quickly thanked Maia and headed into the room.  During the day I fantasized how great my life could be in Seattle, but I later felt guilty about replacing Montauk.  The guilt was so overwhelming.  That was until I realized that Seattle could be called my home, but that doesn't mean I can't be a Montauk girl.

AHW

n It was a rainy day in Seattle, it did not make mourning any better.  About half way across the U.S., was the familiar place that I called home.  I left almost everything I had behind.  Old memories, old friends, my old school, literally everything that had become the foundation of my life had been left behind.  It all started on a dark and dreary day in Montauk, New York.  I arrived home at approximately 8:00 from soccer practice with my friend Kendall.

“Honey, can we see you for a minute,” my mother asked.

“Yeah, why,” I wondered.

“Well, as you know your father was a contender for a job Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, “He didn't get the job he asked for.”

“What,” I exclaimed, “But dad was so perfect for it.”

“He got a job to work at Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, emphasizing the "a", “But in Seattle.”

“Wait, I don’t have to go to Seattle do I.  This is the part where you tell me that I’m not moving to Seattle,” I pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but we’re leaving next week,” mom muttered.

“No, I’m staying here with everything I know as reality,” I yelled.

“Keep it down.  Your father doesn't want to know that you are disappointed,” mom whispered.

“I’ll just stay with grandma and you and dad can go to Seattle,” I begged.

“No, we have already made the decision and we are going to go,” mom yelled.

I walked back into the room where Kendall had been waiting and cried my eyes out.  On the day of our move across the US, Kendall gave me a necklace.

“Don’t forget me Kenzie,” she asked.“Why would I, you’re my best friend,” I said.

For the next 5 minutes we stood there shedding hot tears that we could no longer hold back.

“That’s enough.  We’ll be late for our flight,” my mom said as she dragged me into the car.

School in Seattle was such a drag at first, but once I made some friends, Seattle started to feel like home.

"Hi I'm Kenzie.  Umm, do you happen to know where AP Science is," I asked a girl.

"Yeah, my name's Maia and I'm heading there right now," the girl replied, "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I'm from New York," I replied.

"That's far from here," Maia remarked

"I know, I still adjusting to Seattle," I sighed.

"Well, would you like to join the theater club tonight at the diner near the movie theater," asked Maia.

"I'd love to," I replied.

"Well, here we are," said Maia, showing me into the science lab.

I quickly thanked Maia and headed into the room.

AHW

It was a rainy day in Seattle, it did not make mourning any better.  About half way across the U.S., was the familiar place that I called home.  I left almost everything I had behind.  Old memories, old friends, my old school, literally everything that had become the foundation of my life had been left behind.  It all started on a dark and dreary day in Montauk, New York.  I arrived home at approximately 8:00 from soccer practice with my friend Kendall.

“Honey, can we see you for a minute,” my mother asked.

“Yeah, why,” I wondered.

“Well, as you know your father was a contender for a job Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, “He didn't get the job he asked for.”

“What,” I exclaimed, “But dad was so perfect for it.”

“He got a job to work at Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, emphasizing the "a", “But in Seattle.”

“Wait, I don’t have to go to Seattle do I.  This is the part where you tell me that I’m not moving to Seattle,” I pleaded.

“I’m sorry, but we’re leaving next week,” mom muttered.

“No, I’m staying here with everything I know as reality,” I yelled.

“Keep it down.  Your father doesn't want to know that you are disappointed,” mom whispered.

“I’ll just stay with grandma and you and dad can go to Seattle,” I begged.

“No, we have already made the decision and we are going to go,” mom yelled.

I walked back into the room where Kendall had been waiting and cried my eyes out.  On the day of our move across the US, Kendall gave me a necklace.

“Don’t forget me Kenzie,” she asked.“Why would I, you’re my best friend,” I said.

For the next 5 minutes we stood there shedding hot tears that we could no longer hold back.

“That’s enough.  We’ll be late for our flight,” my mom said as she dragged me into the car.

School in Seattle was such a drag at first, but once I made some friends, Seattle started to feel like home.

"Hi I'm Kenzie.  Umm, do you happen to know where AP Science is," I asked a girl.

"Yeah, my name's Maia and I'm heading there right now," the girl replied, "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I'm from New York," I replied.

"That's far from here,"

AHW

It was a rainy day in Seattle, it did not make mourning any better.  About half way across the U.S., was the familiar place that I called home.  I left almost everything I had behind.  Old memories, old friends, my old school, literally everything that had become the foundation of my life had been left behind.  It all started on a dark and dreary day in Montauk, New York.  I arrived home at approximately 8:00 from soccer practice with my friend Kendall.

“Honey, can we see you for a minute,” my mother asked.

“Yeah, why,” I wondered.

“Well, as you know your father was a contender for a job Melanie’s Auto Insurance,” mom continued, “He didn’t get the job he asked for.”

“What,” I exclaimed, “But daddy was so perfect for it.”

“He got a job to work at Melanie’s Auto Insurance Headquarters,” mom continued, “Located in Seattle.”

“Wait, I don’t have to go to Seattle do I.  This is the part where you tell me that I’m not moving to Seattle,” I hoped.

“I’m sorry, but we’re leaving next week,” mom muttered.

“No, I’m staying here with everything I know as reality,” I yelled.

“Keep it down.  Your father doesn’t want to know that you are disappointed,” mom whispered.

“I’ll just stay with grandma and you and dad can go to Seattle,” I begged.

“No, we have already made the decision and we are going to go,” mom yelled.

AHW

Annually, there is a gathering of all the world's villans.  The purpose of the gathering is to share our evil ideas.  I briskly march onto the stage of the dining hall where the gathering is flourishing.  I can feel my palms sweating and my legs shaking.  It's time.

"Hi I'm Emeline and I study neurology.  There are many things that will thwart the human mind, but I have created somthing far more complex than the little puzzles that take forever to solve.  I have created a simulation, where you will be forced to between fighting for your life or haveing you friends and loved ones fight for you.  I have a weapon that will destroy humanity," I announced.

Silence swept across the dining hall.

AHW

I dived towards the brown and white blur, only to tumble into Lauren.  Suddenly the blur stopped.  It was Lauren's dog Izzy.  Izzy was a playful, yet naughty mixed breed.. I playfully glared at her to try to stare the tennis ball out her mouth.

"Ahhhhhh," it was Erika.

She wasn't shrieking because she was scared, but we observed that it you run and scream, Izzy will follow you.  I lunged towards the once again blurred figure, only to fall flat on my stomach.  Izzy skillfully dodged me and swiveled around Lauren.

"No," I laughed,"It's so hard to get the tennis ball away from her."

"I know right," Lauren said.

Again, Erika screamed and waved her arms in the air as she ran around like a mad woman.  But once again, Izzy swiftly out-smarted us.  Out of luck decided to stand still and wait for Izzy to come to us.  Izzy slowly crept towards Lauren.  Come on, I thought. Izzy had froze right in front of Lauren.  Like a flash of lightning, Lauren dove forward and grabbed Izzy by her hind legs.  I sauntered over and plucked the neon tennis ball from her mouth.  Victory was ours!

AHW

"My tummy hurts," Erika whispered to me.

"Do you feel like throwing up," I drowsily mummbled.

"Yes," she whispered.

Frightened by her remark, I jolted up into a sitting position.  In the darkness of night, I could make out a person which I assumed was Erika sitting at the foot of my bed.

"Why don't you goto the bathroom," I whined, "I'm tired and don't want you throwing up on me."

"But I'm scared," Erika whimpered.

I could see her small body shiver.  It was probably 1 in the morning and I didn't feel like getting to my feet, yet I also didn't want to be covered in reaking stomach acid and bile.

"Go to Mommy's room," I pleaded.

"I'm to scared," Erika whined.

I had to choose which outcome I'd rather face.  Getting out of bed and acompanying Erika to my parents room was by far the winner.  I sluggily got out of bed.  I recoiled as my feet touched the icy cold floor.  Erika and Iwalk through the darkness until we made it to my parents room.  Erika went in, and I ran all the way back to my room and curled up under the warm covers.

Running From the Rain

A noise that sounded like aluminum clanging started down the street.

"Narissa, what's that noise," I asked

"Karina, we must hide," my sister Narissa whispered, her eyes full of worry.

"Why," I asked.

Before she had time to answer, there was a loud knock on the door.  Narissa put some pressure on the wall that opened up a secret compartment behind a pressure plate.  Longing for answers, I was shoved into the secret room.  Right behind me, Narissa hopped in to.  The knocking got louder and louder.

"Open up.  If you don't we'll bust open your door," threatened a deep monotone voice.

"What is," I asked.

"Shhhhh," Narissa shushed, cutting me off.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

"We know you're in here," came the voice again, "You can't hide!"

"A group of people who call themselves the government lost control over their artificial intelligent robots and the robots who have actually named themselves "The Rain" are now on a rampage and there's nothing the government can do but hide," Narissa whispered.

"I'm scared," I whined.

"We have to jump," she whispered again.

"Wha," I asked.

My question was answered when she pushed yet another pressure plate to open a panel into a dark hole.

"Jump," she demanded.

"Are you coming with me," I asked.

"Just jump," Narissa whispered.

"Will someone catch uaaaaahhhhhhhhh," I screamed

I realized that Narissa had shoved me and that I was now tumbling into the dark abyss. The light from the little opening got smaller and smaller.  A small figure stepped into the opening and jumped.

The air in my lungs were forced out as I hit a net.  There was a dull thud a few feet away.

"Karina, are you there," I heard Narissa ask.

"Yeah," I informed, "But what happened?"

Suddenly, big spotlights turned on, almost blinding me.

"Identify yourselves," I loud voice commanded.

"It's Narissa, and we don't have time to question everyone who comes falling down this hole to hide.  'The Rain' is after us" Narissa snapped.

"Geez, I was just following safety precautions," the voice said again.

That's when I noticed the voice coming from a man standing across the room.  He looked about 18 or 19.  He was wearing an outfit that resembled a military uniform, but the colors were black and purple and there was a purple dragon on the back.

"Follow me," Narissa murmured.

Obeying the command, I followed her as we walk into a maze of twisting corridors going left and right and left and right.  Running to keep up with Narissa's long strides, I couldn't help but let my mind wander off.  Beeeeeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeeeep.  A siren went off and there were red strobe lights flashing everywhere.

"Oh no, they've found us," Narissa panicked, "We have to run to corridor 526 there's an iron door and we'll be safe."

We sprinted down hallways that looked so similar, marked with numbers.  520 one wall read.  WE were almost to safety.

"You can't run from us," a scary monotone voice shouted behind us.

The voice was followed by loud, clanging foot steps.  It must've been a robot.  As the sound got closer and closer, and the numbers got larger and larger I got more nervous and scared.  Hope filled me as I read the number 525.  We were almost there.  To pull me from my daydreams, the robot seemed to sound closer and closer.

"Only a little bit more," Narissa whispered.

My lungs felt like they were on fire.  I was now panting like a dog who had been lock out in a yard in 100 degree weather.  With the last bit of energy that I had in me, I looked at the sign above a door that read 526 and sprinted.  It got closer and closer and so did the robot.  At one point, I felt the robot's aluminum hand brush against my back.  I pushed my legs with all my might and collapsed when we passed the entrance to 526.

"We're safe," Narissa panted.

"What's happening," asked a worried woman running down the hallway.

She was around Narissa's age 15 or 16 and had silky black hair that shined in the bright corridor lights.  She was also wearing black and purple, but she was wearing a knee high dress and black, patent leather pumps.

"The, gasp* rain is, gasp* in the building,"  Narissa panted.

"How!  Our security is top notch," the woman cried.

Narissa just gave tired shrug.

"Sorry I have been so rude.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Josie, but everyone calls me Jojo and would you like some water," she asked.

Narissa and I nodded.  As she ran off to go fetch us water, I realized that I was in agonizing pain.  Both of my feet were blistered and my throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

"I'm back," Jojo yelled, scampering down the hallway.

"So do we have any updates," Narissa asked.

"The robots were stopped by the invisible barrier at 526," said Jojo, "And that's about it."

"Good," Narissa whispered, "Take us to your office."

Jojo hoisted us to our feet and led us to a ginormous steel door.  To my surprise, the doors swung open silently, not clanging like I had thought.  Jojo's offices was the size of the white house.  Of course, there were various rooms, but it was big.

"Would you care for some tea and scones, asked a maid.

"Please bring some white chocolate and hazelnut cookies Matilda," Jojo commanded.

"Right away miss," and Matilda was off.

"Okay, we have to talk business," Narissa muttered.

"I guess we could send one of our robots to go find their weak spots," Jojo suggested.

"But we're risking that we lose control of our robots and our robots are more dangerous," Narissa argued, "We need to talk to the government's engineers and maybe they'll know how to stop them."

"That would be difficult, considering that everyone in the government is scattered across the US hiding," Jojo informed.

"Can't we call the super heroes," I asked.

Being an imaginative 6 year old didn't help them think of any way to solve their robot dilemma.  When the clock read 12:00 PM, we were surrounded by crumpled up sheets of paper that had faulty ideas written all over them.

"This is hopeless," Jojo sighed.

"You said it," Narissa whispered.

"Why can't we just take the risks," I asked.

"I guess we'll have to," Jojo suggested, "Send out the C4 robots.  Tell the mechanics to watch the readings."

"Ok," said Matilda.

"Oh I just hope it all works out," Jojo sighed.

I couldn't think about all the bad things that could have gone wrong on the mission to stop the rain.

"We have to run," said Narissa, her face looked doubtful.

Then and there, I understood that the chance of beating the Rain was slim.  We were running from the Rain.  Not Fighting.

Running From the Rain

A noise that sounded like aluminum clanging started down the street.

"Narissa, what's that noise," I asked

"Karina, we must hide," my sister Narissa whispered, her eyes full of worry.

"Why," I asked.

Before she had time to answer, there was a loud knock on the door.  Narissa put some pressure on the wall that opened up a secret compartment behind a pressure plate.  Longing for answers, I was shoved into the secret room.  Right behind me, Narissa hopped in to.  The knocking got louder and louder.

"Open up.  If you don't we'll bust open your door," threatened a deep monotone voice.

"What is," I asked.

"Shhhhh," Narissa shushed, cutting me off.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

"We know you're in here," came the voice again, "You can't hide!"

"A group of people who call themselves the government lost control over their artificial intelligent robots and the robots who have actually named themselves "The Rain" are now on a rampage and there's nothing the government can do but hide," Narissa whispered.

"I'm scared," I whined.

"We have to jump," she whispered again.

"Wha," I asked.

My question was answered when she pushed yet another pressure plate to open a panel into a dark hole.

"Jump," she demanded.

"Are you coming with me," I asked.

"Just jump," Narissa whispered.

"Will someone catch uaaaaahhhhhhhhh," I screamed

I realized that Narissa had shoved me and that I was now tumbling into the dark abyss. The light from the little opening got smaller and smaller.  A small figure stepped into the opening and jumped.

The air in my lungs were forced out as I hit a net.  There was a dull thud a few feet away.

"Karina, are you there," I heard Narissa ask.

"Yeah," I informed, "But what happened?"

Suddenly, big spotlights turned on, almost blinding me.

"Identify yourselves," I loud voice commanded.

"It's Narissa, and we don't have time to question everyone who comes falling down this hole to hide.  'The Rain' is after us" Narissa snapped.

"Geez, I was just following safety precautions," the voice said again.

That's when I noticed the voice coming from a man standing across the room.  He looked about 18 or 19.  He was wearing an outfit that resembled a military uniform, but the colors were black and purple and there was a purple dragon on the back.

"Follow me," Narissa murmured.

Obeying the command, I followed her as we walk into a maze of twisting corridors going left and right and left and right.  Running to keep up with Narissa's long strides, I couldn't help but let my mind wander off.  Beeeeeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeeeep.  A siren went off and there were red strobe lights flashing everywhere.

"Oh no, they've found us," Narissa panicked, "We have to run to corridor 526 there's an iron door and we'll be safe."

We sprinted down hallways that looked so similar, marked with numbers.  520 one wall read.  WE were almost to safety.

"You can't run from us," a scary monotone voice shouted behind us.

The voice was followed by loud, clanging foot steps.  It must've been a robot.  As the sound got closer and closer, and the numbers got larger and larger I got more nervous and scared.  Hope filled me as I read the number 525.  We were almost there.  To pull me from my daydreams, the robot seemed to sound closer and closer.

"Only a little bit more," Narissa whispered.

My lungs felt like they were on fire.  I was now panting like a dog who had been lock out in a yard in 100 degree weather.  With the last bit of energy that I had in me, I looked at the sign above a door that read 526 and sprinted.  It got closer and closer and so did the robot.  At one point, I felt the robot's aluminum hand brush against my back.  I pushed my legs with all my might and collapsed when we passed the entrance to 526.

"We're safe," Narissa panted.

"What's happening," asked a worried woman running down the hallway.

She was around Narissa's age 15 or 16 and had silky black hair that shined in the bright corridor lights.  She was also wearing black and purple, but she was wearing a knee high dress and black, patent leather pumps.

"The, gasp* rain is, gasp* in the building,"  Narissa panted.

"How!  Our security is top notch," the woman cried.

Narissa just gave tired shrug.

"Sorry I have been so rude.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Josie, but everyone calls me Jojo and would you like some water," she asked.

Narissa and I nodded.  As she ran off to go fetch us water, I realized that I was in agonizing pain.  Both of my feet were blistered and my throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

"I'm back," Jojo yelled, scampering down the hallway.

"So do we have any updates," Narissa asked.

"The robots were stopped by the invisible barrier at 526," said Jojo, "And that's about it."

"Good," Narissa whispered, "Take us to your office."

Jojo hoisted us to our feet and led us to a ginormous steel door.  To my surprise, the doors swung open silently, not clanging like I had thought.  Jojo's offices was the size of the white house.  Of course, there were various rooms, but it was big.

"Would you care for some tea and scones, asked a maid.

"Please bring some white chocolate and hazelnut cookies Matilda," Jojo commanded.

"Right away miss," and Matilda was off.

"Okay, we have to talk business," Narissa muttered.

"I guess we could send one of our robots to go find their weak spots," Jojo suggested.

"But we're risking that we lose control of our robots and our robots are more dangerous," Narissa argued, "We need to talk to the government's engineers and maybe they'll know how to stop them."

"That would be difficult, considering that everyone in the government is scattered across the US hiding," Jojo informed.

"Can't we call the super heroes," I asked.

Being an imaginative 6 year old didn't help them think of any way to solve their robot dilemma.  When the clock read 12:00 PM, we were surrounded by crumpled up sheets of paper that had faulty ideas written all over them.

"This is hopeless," Jojo sighed.

"You said it," Narissa whispered.

"Why can't we just take the risks," I asked.

"I guess we'll have to," Jojo suggested, "Send out the C4 robots.  Tell the mechanics to watch the readings."

"Ok," said Matilda.

Running From the Rain

A noise that sounded like aluminum clanging started down the street.

"Narissa, what's that noise," I asked

"Karina, we must hide," my sister Narissa whispered, her eyes full of worry.

"Why," I asked.

Before she had time to answer, there was a loud knock on the door.  Narissa put some pressure on the wall that opened up a secret compartment behind a pressure plate.  Longing for answers, I was shoved into the secret room.  Right behind me, Narissa hopped in to.  The knocking got louder and louder.

"Open up.  If you don't we'll bust open your door," threatened a deep monotone voice.

"What is," I asked.

"Shhhhh," Narissa shushed, cutting me off.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

"We know you're in here," came the voice again, "You can't hide!"

"A group of people who call themselves the government lost control over their artificial intelligent robots and the robots who have actually named themselves "The Rain" are now on a rampage and there's nothing the government can do but hide," Narissa whispered.

"I'm scared," I whined.

"We have to jump," she whispered again.

"Wha," I asked.

My question was answered when she pushed yet another pressure plate to open a panel into a dark hole.

"Jump," she demanded.

"Are you coming with me," I asked.

"Just jump," Narissa whispered.

"Will someone catch uaaaaahhhhhhhhh," I screamed

I realized that Narissa had shoved me and that I was now tumbling into the dark abyss. The light from the little opening got smaller and smaller.  A small figure stepped into the opening and jumped.

The air in my lungs were forced out as I hit a net.  There was a dull thud a few feet away.

"Karina, are you there," I heard Narissa ask.

"Yeah," I informed, "But what happened?"

Suddenly, big spotlights turned on, almost blinding me.

"Identify yourselves," I loud voice commanded.

"It's Narissa, and we don't have time to question everyone who comes falling down this hole to hide.  'The Rain' is after us" Narissa snapped.

"Geez, I was just following safety precautions," the voice said again.

That's when I noticed the voice coming from a man standing across the room.  He looked about 18 or 19.  He was wearing an outfit that resembled a military uniform, but the colors were black and purple and there was a purple dragon on the back.

"Follow me," Narissa murmured.

Obeying the command, I followed her as we walk into a maze of twisting corridors going left and right and left and right.  Running to keep up with Narissa's long strides, I couldn't help but let my mind wander off.  Beeeeeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeeeep.  A siren went off and there were red strobe lights flashing everywhere.

"Oh no, they've found us," Narissa panicked, "We have to run to corridor 526 there's an iron door and we'll be safe."

We sprinted down hallways that looked so similar, marked with numbers.  520 one wall read.  WE were almost to safety.

"You can't run from us," a scary monotone voice shouted behind us.

The voice was followed by loud, clanging foot steps.  It must've been a robot.  As the sound got closer and closer, and the numbers got larger and larger I got more nervous and scared.  Hope filled me as I read the number 525.  We were almost there.  To pull me from my daydreams, the robot seemed to sound closer and closer.

"Only a little bit more," Narissa whispered.

My lungs felt like they were on fire.  I was now panting like a dog who had been lock out in a yard in 100 degree weather.  With the last bit of energy that I had in me, I looked at the sign above a door that read 526 and sprinted.  It got closer and closer and so did the robot.  At one point, I felt the robot's aluminum hand brush against my back.  I pushed my legs with all my might and collapsed when we passed the entrance to 526.

"We're safe," Narissa panted.

"What's happening," asked a worried woman running down the hallway.

She was around Narissa's age 15 or 16 and had silky black hair that shined in the bright corridor lights.  She was also wearing black and purple, but she was wearing a knee high dress and black, patent leather pumps.

"The, gasp* rain is, gasp* in the building,"  Narissa panted.

"How!  Our security is top notch," the woman cried.

Narissa just gave tired shrug.

"Sorry I have been so rude.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Josie, but everyone calls me Jojo and would you like some water," she asked.

Narissa and I nodded.  As she ran off to go fetch us water, I realized that I was in agonizing pain.  Both of my feet were blistered and my throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

"I'm back," Jojo yelled, scampering down the hallway.

"So do we have any updates," Narissa asked.

"The robots were stopped by the invisible barrier at 526," said Jojo, "And that's about it."

"Good," Narissa whispered, "Take us to your office."

Jojo hoisted us to our feet and led us to a ginormous steel door.  To my surprise, the doors swung open silently, not clanging like I had thought.  Jojo's offices was the size of the white house.  Of course, there were various rooms, but it was big.

"Would you care for some tea and scones, asked a maid.

"Please bring some white chocolate and hazelnut cookies Matilda," Jojo commanded.

"Right away miss," and Matilda was off.

"Okay, we have to talk business," Narissa muttered.

"I guess we could send one of our robots to go find their weak spots," Jojo suggested.

"But we're risking that we lose control of our robots and our robots are more dangerous," Narissa argued, "We need to talk to the government's engineers and maybe they'll know how to stop them."

"That would be difficult, considering that everyone in the government is scattered across the US hiding," Jojo informed.

"Can't we call the super heroes," I asked.

Being an imaginative 6 year old didn't help them think of any way to solve their robot dilemma.  When the clock read 12:00 PM, we were surrounded by crumpled up sheets of paper that had faulty ideas written all over them.