Midnight Rose Garden by Samantha Lozinski

I hold the old, rusted key in my hand. I slowly turn it, and cautiously push the pale blue gate open, a small creak coming from it. I look around in admiration and see all the roses blooming around me. It’s dark, but yet I can still see a difference in the colors of the beautiful flowers. I look at my watch, to see it's 11:59. I look around in excitement, the wind making a cool whistling sound while blowing past me. And then… it’s Midnight… The rose garden suddenly becomes lit up, with fairy lights everywhere. Colored lights around the flower boxes. There is a strand of fake flower lights on the ground, creating a beautiful illuminating path. This is the moment I had been waiting for, seeing the Midnight Rose Garden.

Chaos Train: Recap of My Own Novel Chaos Train By Felix Sawers

BANG BANG BANG CRACKLE CRACKLE 

Those are the sounds from the Chaos Train. Ray Chaos Johnson enters the Chaos Train as the driver.   

Bodthehan enters the train to deliver a package to where the train stops at Chaos Land. On his journey he fights villains, such as Electro Boy and Bye Bye Man. When he makes it to Chaos Land, Bodthehan delivers the package (a briefcase full of chaos) to the master. He warns the master not to open it.

The master still does.

They fight each other and then Bodhthehan has to use his magicals powers to stop the chaos from spreading.

The end. 

"The other side of life" by Samantha Lozinski

The petite girl over there.  She looks like she has a perfect life, the perfect friends, and the perfect body. Inside she is struggling with an eating disorder, starving herself until she sometimes feels like she can’t even lift up her own hand.

The girl over there, with her makeup looking flawless, and looking like she has never had one skin problem in her life. Her friends call her ugly for her acne, so she spends an hour every time she has to be face to face with others, perfecting makeup to hide her skin.

The one over there, with the smile, smeared across his face, laughing with his friends. He has depression and is struggling, even though no one knows it, not his parents, or his friend since kindergarten.

The one over there, him jokingly teasing his friend. His father was abusing his mother last night, and he had to break them up, before finally calling 911.

“You never know what people are going through and sometimes the people with the biggest smiles are struggling the most, so be kind.” -Anonymous

A Child Lectures You On . . . Books Episode 2 By Vin Scipione

Hello humans. My name is Vin, and welcome back to “A Child Lectures You On . . .”  In today’s edition, a child lectures you on books.This article is purely my opinion, and you may despise my opinion, but it is still my opinion. 

First, for the good books. The best books are Lord of the Flies, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Fahrenheit 451,1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Scarlet Letter, The Odyssey, The Iliad, Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain, What If, What If 2, How To,  Les Miserables, all Harry Potter books after book two, and The Giver. So go and read all of these books. I promise they will change how you will see the world. 

Now onto books I dislike (remember this is just my opinion). I dislike children's fantasy books (other than Kingdom of Wrenly, which is not terrible), but other than that, any book containing magic school children will anger me. 

Here is why:  the plot is like a train on a straight track on a sunny fogless day; you can see it coming from before you even open the book.  

Next, every character fails to get priorities straight, your crush in class forgetting “National Hug Someone Who Probably Has a Crush On You Day" is less important than an Eldritch Lovecraftian horror coming to kill you, even if somehow Cthulhu's weakness is love. 

Also a horror bent on destroying the earth will not change their mind based on what one sixth grader thinks, no matter how much they care about their friends. 

Finally they make, in general, the worst decisions ever, and it feels like nothing is genuine; the character arcs feel forced, and It feels like you are just being told one story with different stuff.

So let me introduce you to my new children's fantasy story idea: 

Hi, I am blob. My mom died in all world wars simultaneously, everyone in school bullies me and tries to sacrifice me to an Eldritch god so I would stop bothering them. Oh great, I am dating my crush, but oh no! She broke up with me because I sent her to the underworld. Now I have magic powers because my mom was a wizard. Oh no! It's Cthulhu; he is here to destroy the earth. It's time to scream friendship until he just leaves. I understand that sending my girlfriend to the underworld is wrong, do not ask why this revelation only took me ten and a half minutes. it's time to forget everything tomorrow.

Journey of Chil'aar - Chapter 1 by Josephine Chmely

Chapter One

Aeryl drew his sword, crouching behind the pale yellow trunk of a sourbristle tree. He had snuck up on a wild hog eating a small fern. Aeryl was about to strike when he heard a shout behind him, followed by the muffled footsteps of a peryton.

“Aeryl!” the voice snapped. “What are you doing?” Aeryl whirled around to face the elf standing behind him. He quickly realized that the elf was the leader of the Stone Elves, Taegen, on his mount, Breeze.

Aeryl was quick to bow. “I’m out to hunt, sir.”

“Good,” Taegen nodded. Breeze flicked her ears. “I need to talk to you.” Taegen got off Breeze and fastened her reins to a sourbristle branch.

“Yes, sir?” Aeryl asked, fidgeting with a leaf.

“You’ve always been… behind in things, like your hunting skills, and such…” Taegen spoke carefully. “I need you to go on a quest to prove your worth within the other Stone Elves.” He said plainly.

Aeryl was stunned. Him? Go on a quest? “Sir, I don’t understand. If I’m behind, why would you send me, of all elves, to go on this quest?”

Taegen tensed, looking down at Aeryl. “You do not question your leader, Aeryl. You know better.” He snapped. “Come to my Ledge later. I will explain. All I can tell you now is that you will have a companion.” Taegen revealed. “Zentha.” He hopped onto Breeze and galloped away before Aeryl could ask anything else.

Zentha! Aeryl thought with giddy. Zentha had been his best friend since their Training. Now he was to go on a quest with her?

Aeryl followed the path back to Stone Cove, thinking about what kind of quest Taegen could possibly be sending him and Zentha on.

As he walked through the yellow and green forest of sourbristles, Aeryl finally heard the rushing waterfall of the Stone Cove mountain, and before long, he pushed open the green curtain of sourbristle leaves blocking off Stone Cove from the forest.

There were indentations in the mountain with overhangs poking out and leaves lining the insides. Some elves were relaxing in their Ledges, but others were down on the ground, walking in and out of the vine curtain, and doing chores like hunting, gathering fruit, or tending to the perytons, jackalopes, and cranes.

Aeryl saw Taegen’s Ledge: it was the biggest, with an elaborate vine of flowers drooping off of the overhang. There were rock stepping stones like all the other Ledges, but they were complete with moss padding.

Aeryl blew the Horn of Respect, which was a hollowed out peryton horn used to request access to the Leader’s Ledge.

“Welcome,” Taegen replied, signaling to Aeryl that he was allowed to come up. “I see that you obeyed my orders.”

“Yes, sir,” Aeryl replied, bowing, when he made it up to Taegen’s Ledge. It was very big inside, with moss covering the entire Ledge. Both Aeryl and Taegen were able to stand up completely inside, which was not usually the case with normal Ledges. There was a large stone throne towards the back, with pink, white, and yellow vine flowers twirling it.

“So, you came to know what your quest is?” Taegen asked, petting a small white crane chick on the armrest of his throne.

“That is correct, sir,” Aeryl confirmed with a respectful nod.

Taegen looked worried. “To prove your worth…” he paused, uncomfortable. “You need to journey across the land…and slay the most powerful dragon of them all.” Taegen took a deep breath. “Chil’aar.”

Bookmarks on Etsy by Samantha Lozinski

I just recently finished reading “It's not summer without you”!. (Btw I was SCREAMING at the ending!!!! Or more like just bouncing up and down, and trying to hold in my screams, because it was late at night.)

But anyway, if you do not have Etsy, I really recommend you get it, because the first thing you have to do is Search up “The Summer I Turned Pretty!!!!” Just to show you why, here are some of my favorite items that I will definitely be buying!

These bookmarks have a couple different options, which I love. My favorite one is probably the tan one that says “Cousins Beach” with a seashell. 

(Btw, when it says $5.17, it means $5.17 for one bookmark. This is not a set. You put which one you want in the personalization.)

Check Out The Rest of the “It’s Not Summer Without You/The Summer I Turned Pretty” on Etsy here.

Image Source: Etsy

Book Recommendations (Realistic Fiction) by Samantha Lozinski

Every Last Word

She might look just like all of the regular popular girls in her junior class, but Samantha McAllister has a secret that no one knows about. She has Purely-Obsessional OCD. It doesn’t help that her toxic friends will turn toxic at the sight of her with one wrong crush, one wrong preference, or one wrong sentence. But she ends up meeting a new friend, who introduces her to “Poet’s Corner.”  Poet’s Corner is a hidden room, where poetry gets shared by a group of misfits. You can share any poetry you want there, without judgment, without toxic people. Sam instantly has an eye for a guitar-playing guy. She slowly starts to feel normal, until she finds an insane way to question herself yet again…

Holding up the Universe

Libby Strout was once named “America's Fattest Teen”, and had to get cut out of her house. But people can’t look past her weight, and she is still holding on to the fact that her mother had a sudden death. Libby now wants to try going back to high school again. 

Now meet Jack. Jack has a secret. He can’t recognize faces. Sibling …he won’t recognize you right away. Parents, Friends, Teachers, Girlfriend… no… He uses clues about each person to get by. And other things, like crack jokes…always. Act charming toward everyone. And don't get too close to others,

These two are completely different, but when the two get dropped in group counseling and community service together because of an incident, they find out that the more time they spend next to each other, the less they feel lonely. “Because sometimes when you meet someone, It changes the world, theirs and yours.” 

Breathing Room

Taking place in 1940, 13-year-old Evvy Hoffmeister gets dropped off at Loon Lake Sanatorium to get cured of tuberculosis (TB). Rules are strict, and it’s scary to not be able to see your family all of the time. But she starts feeling a little safer when she is put into a ward with other girls. Sarah, Pearl, and Dina. All completely different personalities, but the girls still have friendships. Even if there is a little hope, from a lot of people recovering, there is still a lot of fear, of tuberculosis being very deadly. But which one will she and her friends be? Because it all can’t go perfectly, there have to be some twists and turns along the way…

If Life Was a Forest by Samantha Lozinski

I wander through the dark forest, with leaves crunching beneath my feet, and wind whirling around me. In the distance, I see a circle of sun shining on the ground. I run as fast as I can. I hear a cracking sound in the distance, but I ignore it. Until I fall to the ground with a thud. I can feel my knees beginning to throb. My fingers tingle. I can feel a heavy weight on my leg, and realize a branch has broken off a tree, ripped off by the wind, and landed right on me. I grunt as I try to pick it up. It’s so quiet around me, and that means there is nobody else out here to help me lift it. I awkwardly twist my body and try again and again to lift it. I don’t have any way to tell the time for certain, but I’m pretty confident about my guess of having been trying to lift the heavy branch for more than fifteen minutes. I’m about to think that it’s hopeless and that I’m hopeless, but I realize maybe if I try rolling it off… I twist the side of my foot so now it’s facing the ground, and I slowly roll the branch down my leg, and past my foot. I get up from the ground and let out a sigh of relief. I begin jogging cautiously to the circle of light, ready to feel the warmth, the happiness, instead of the cold, sad, darkness.

Rating Arc 1 in the Wings of Fire Books By Brenna Bucher

Book 1: The Dragonet Prophecy 

MY OPINION

The first book is okay; it does a great job at introducing the characters. But as I was reading it, I was extremely bored.

SPOILER ALERT

The only parts that were really interesting was any of the parts that were

fighting, like when Kestrel chained up Tsunami, or when Clay almost drowned growing in the river. 

SPOILER FREE

One of my personal favorite characters (Peril) was introduced into the book, so I guess it has that.

Rating: 6/10

Book 2: The Lost Heir 

MY OPINION

Book two is 100 times better than the first book. I love Tsunami and finding out who she really is. I was entertained the whole time and I loved seeing the world through 

her eyes.

SPOILER ALERT

I also loved meeting Anemone and I hated her mother/Tunami’s mother. However, I hated Whirlpool; he is very annoying and I am glad he died in the end.

SPOILER FREE

In the second book, another one of my favorite characters was introduced (Anemone) and I loved her very much. I have heard rumors about her later in the series, but I ignore them. The only problem with this book is how much Tunami gets mad at her friends.

Rating: 8/10

Book 3: The Hidden Kingdom 

MY OPINION

The third book was a great way to see how Glory thought of everyone and the world. I love the journey that she goes through.

SPOILER ALERT

I love how Glory becomes queen of her tribe - they needed her and she desired them. Also I love her tribe but hate the rulers before Glory.

SPOILER FREE

In this book Glory goes through an amazing adventure, I really recommend this book. Anyone who stops at the second book is missing out.

Rating: 8/10

Book 4: A Dark Secret 

MY OPINION

I absolutely do not like this book! It is so boring! I mean the end is great, but other than that, it’s pretty boring.

SPOILER ALERT

All Starflight does in the book is worry about himself and Sunny, not even wondering about the Hidden Kingdom of Night. He meets Fatespeaker (another one of my favorite characters), then they meet his father, and finally they find out what they are doing to the poor Rainwings.

SPOILER FREE

Even though I don’t like this book, I do have to say the ending is amazing and you have to read it before you read the fifth book.

Rating: 5/10

Book 5 The Brightest Night 

MY OPINION

I love this book! It was my favorite book in the first arc. I love seeing how Sunny sees the world and goes on an adventure of her own.

SPOILER ALERT

I was so shocked to find out that Sunny was a hybrid! And her father is great. I wouldn't say he is one of my favorite characters, but he is great. I love that Sunny is the one who stops the war, and the prophecy finally comes true! This book is great, and it is an amazing way to wrap up the first arc.

SPOILER FREE

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dragons and action, like me. The fifth book is amazing! It has so many plot twists and turns and I love it.

Rating: 9/10

Thank you for reading this! I hope you liked my review, and if you haven't read the series yet, I hope this makes you want to read it. Thank you for reading!

"Bus Ride" by Madison Mikita

Slouched in the leather seat

In the bus speeding down the road

Clutching the ends of my sleeves

The sunlight climbed onto my cheek

My eyelids started to feel heavy 

The world became quiet

Yet the voices got louder

My headache throbbed

Every thought in my brain had left

"Moon Story" by Amelia Pearson

The moon sits high in the sky

Perfect crescent and, perfect smile

A glow in the night

But no one’s around to see him, so he lets the clouds take control

And crys tears of misery as it gets cold

But everyone in there homes, falls asleep to the sound of the moon storm

The sun burns bright in the sky

Perfect gleam, extra shine

Sets fire to the night and changes it to day

But no one can look at her, so she lets the clouds take control

But little does she know that everyone loves her so

And sitting in there homes they wait for her to appear again

So the rain is there for quite sometime

Until a small girl goes outside

She whispers a greeting to the moon

Asking if he’ll be back soon

And while she waits for a response

she sings of love to the sun

Letting her know that they all want her back again

And maybe the moon will appear again

Or maybe he won’t

And maybe the sun will shine bright

Or maybe she’ll disappear

But the whole world heard the little girl

And now they know

That you should never look down on someone that you don’t even know

November Poem "Tips of Joy" by Stella Loverich

Tips of Joy

See the frost,

Tips of joy, 

Chilly air

Cool enough to shatter into 

Pieces of laughter, words breaking the tips

Two Sentence Horror Stories (TSHS) by Mae Schnable

The Call

“I just got a call, Carol is dead,” I said gravely, my mind not fully adjusted to the news.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe someone would shoot Carol.” He said as his eyes dropped to the floor, unable to connect with mine. 

(she never said she was shot)

The Grade

“Your grade was the lowest this time, you know what that means.”

I swallow, lowered my head, and began to walk over to the organ removal center. 

(organs are being used as meat, meat has different grades)

"Writer's Block" by Madison Makita

Writer’s Block

By Madison Makita

I tap my fingers against the table

And listen to the sound

The writer’s block was getting fatal

Not a word to be found

I was losing brain cells by the second

Everything sounded so cliche

I would never get anywhere I reckoned

Even if I sat here all day

Hope was lost

The last ounce of intelligence tossed

Out the window

Goodbye

"The Climb" by Samantha Lozinski

THE CLIMB

Holding on. 

hating how some of the holds feel

But holding on

because you know the satisfaction of getting past a hard part

So you hold on

focusing on what is ahead of you

Holding on

you might get scrapes

But you hold on anyways

you might get rips on your hands

But you hold on, ignoring the sting

there will be sweat

But you hold on

feeling like you will slip off

But you hold on

gripping harder

Holding on

Book Review: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Avalina Brannen

I feel like when you see this title, it might draw you in. I mean any title with the word “murder” in it is very intriguing. One thing about this book is that the title makes much more sense after you read it. Without spoiling the story, I will give you a quick summary on what the book is about.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder follows the story of a girl named Pip, who decides to solve the murder of Annie Bell - a case which was closed five years before. But Pip just has a gut feeling that Sal Sligh, who they say killed Annie, was not the real killer. She goes on to investigate, and the closer she gets, the more threats from the real killer she gets. In the end, she figures it out, but at what cost? So much has happened to her, but was it really worth it? This book has a lot of plot twists, to the point where you really can’t predict who it could be.

This book made me really happy, but I also cried just a little bit. It’s a mystery, a romance and an adventure all in one book,  and I loved it. Another thing about this book is the weird chapters. Most of the chapters are about Pip’s day-to-day life, but then they turn into written logs of everything Pip has discovered during her investigation. The main suspects are bolded in black. There are a couple of short, normal chapters, but almost all of them are important. And when I say that there are a lot of plot twists, I mean there are a lot of plot twists. Every time Pip and her friend Ravi figure something out, the whole story changes.

On top of those plot twists, the romance in this book is something else. Like most books, there is a bit of romance that calms down all the events that are happening in the story. This book treats Pip and Ravi’s relationship kind of like an “enemies to friends to enemies again” relationship, but the lovers don't ever have a cute moment until the book’s sequel. 

My overall review is that it’s a really good book. I had a really fun time reading it. The book has enough mystery and adventure to make the story interesting, with the just right amount of relief, yet still keeps you wondering “What’s going to happen next?” I would 100% recommend this book in all of it’s mystery glory!

"The Colors of Winter" By Amelia Pearson

“The Colors of Winter”

Red is for the sled that waits for you

Orange is for when the sun still shines

Yellow is for the snow we hate

Green is when we celebrate

Blue is when the sky is bright

Purple is when it turns to night

And don't forget the grey of the world

Or the white of the snow

Image Source: Infinit

Short Stories by Stella Loverich

The Great Jelly Flood

By: Stella Loverich

Everything was going so well until I was accosted by a purple giraffe. Not only was it strange, but it inspired old memories to resurface… old memories of grape jelly.

It had all started one morning, when grape jelly started leaking out of the hole in the roof. A scenario worthy of Cloudy and a Chance of Meatballs, you might think. Not so. In fact, it was more like Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

I woke up one morning and looked at the roof. The cramped tin shack I lived in did not leave much room for luxury. In fact, I had never even tasted jelly. So it was a shock when it happened. At first, when a drop landed on my dog, Jellyfish, I was quick to celebrate. Jelly! Sweetness, a bit sickly, but still. Until, however, the jelly started to grow. 

Slowly expanding into a jiggling mass, the jam got bigger and bigger until it encased Jellyfish like a cage. Trapped inside, she couldn’t even stand, and it was starting to eat away at her like acid. I was stunned, frozen, conscience poking at my brain. 

Jellyfish was barking, trying to get past the numb shell that encased my brain. Rose? Hello? I need help!!!!!

I soon came back to my senses and sprang into action. Grabbing a rusty nail, I stabbed the jelly encasing Jellyfish. It wiggled--jiggled--and burst! Jellyfish was freed, but something was strange--the jelly had forever stained her a deep violet. She was never the same again.

It was only a matter of time before a drop landed on me. I knew I had to do something. But the gelatinous substance would be sure to have already consumed the outside of my house. What could I do? I could only stand in horror as it fell from the sky and covered everything I loved…

“Could the Great Jelly Flood resurface again? Only time will tell. One of the most significant heroes, Rose Mustard, valiantly fought but was still consumed. It took everything we loved nearly a decade ago, and we cannot let it strike again. 

Now, here’s the weather forecast for today…”

I switch off the TV.

**********************************

Some Dust, a Goldfish, and a Scheduled Lifetime

By: Stella Loverich

Anne had become accustomed to the expression “eat my dust,” after a running career, but had never seen a maid jam her head in the vacuum cleaner before. “Wasn’t in the job description,” she had remarked, her hair disheveled and grimy, “but tasty nonetheless.”

After all, Anne York was the type of person to have particularly delicious dust.

From champion runner to the first self-made trillionaire, she had been only twenty-three years old and great.

After a traumatic childhood growing up in Canada, she completed her rags-to-riches story and earned a fortune in sports. Anne then moved on to the industry, earning billions in the stock market and more from her company, TrueTime, which manufactured clocks. As her fame grew, Anne retired at twenty-five and spent her days in leisure, lounging around in Hawaii and handcrafting timepieces.

However, as her clock-making hobby became an obsession, and Anne grew older, she started to turn a bit mad. 

Her company wasn’t about building clocks anymore. It was about never missing a second. It was about counting down until death, about keeping track of everything so that when the time came, she would know exactly when it would come, down to the millisecond. 

Anne moved to the top of an Alp soon after that, becoming reclusive and secretive. The private jet never returned.

Nobody ever saw her again but her goldfish, and some say Goldie was the only thing she ever loved. Some say her goldfish poisoned her. Some say she became immortal. Some say she never existed at all. Some say she remained a hermit until she died. And some say that she took on another identity and lives to this day in New Mexico with a Goldie, laying low. Whatever happened to her, we’ll never know. 

We can only be sure of one thing: her dust really was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

True Born by Rachel Turner & Josephine Chmely

Chapter I 

“Class dismissed.” Mrs. Brown said in a dull voice. It was the end of 9th period, and Finn could finally go home for the weekend, since it was also Friday! He packed up his bag and rushed out of the classroom to find Liam. Liam was pretty much Finn’s only friend in the world.

“Hey Finn!” Liam called from over near his locker. “Ready to go?”

“Yup,” Finn replied as they walked out the huge doors at the end of the hallway.

Finn and Liam walked home together every day after school, since they were next-door neighbors.

“I’m so glad it’s Friday!” Liam said happily as they walked down the street, breathing in the frosty cold air.

“Yeah, me too.” Finn said absently. He was distracted by something else. He thought he saw shadows moving through the trees surrounding the neighborhood. What are those shadows? Finn thought. Is there a yeti in the forest? Then he heard something. He heard a loud howling coming from the woods. I must be lightheaded from the cold. Finn thought. Yet his instincts told him to run.

“Finn, are you okay?” Liam asked worriedly. “You seem distracted by something.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Finn stammered. “I-I just thought I heard something.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Liam said. He noticed how Finn had been acting strange lately. He kept glancing over his shoulder at the woods beside them.

With that, Finn and Liam continued on their walk home from school.  

Another nightmare… Finn thought with a shudder as he woke up the next morning. He got up and walked over to open his curtains, when he heard another howl coming from the forest.

“Where are those howls coming from?” Finn muttered to himself as he pulled out a t-shirt and jeans from his closet. He saw a shadow moving in the woods and heard barking. It must be some stray dogs, Finn thought. He walked to the bathroom to put on his contacts that hid his purple eyes.

After he got dressed, Finn headed downstairs. 

“Did you hear those dogs?” He asked his mom as he got out cereal and a bowl. 

“No,” his mom replied. “What are you talking about?”

“Uh,” Finn stuttered, “It’s nothing. Nevermind.” He poured some

cereal into the bowl and opened the fridge to get out the milk.  

“Are you feeling okay?” Said Finn’s mom.

“Yeah, you’ve been acting weird the past few days,” Isabella, Finn’s older sister, chimed in.  

Finn couldn’t stop thinking about the noises he’d been hearing in the woods all morning. He could not help but think she was right. Was it just him, or was he the only one hearing these noises? He brushed the thought off and poured milk into the bowl and carried it over to the table to eat.

It was probably just stray dogs that I happened to hear and other people were focused on other things. Finn thought. But he remembered that the howl he heard on the walk home was loud and clear, so now the question was why did Liam not hear it. He was also starting to question his purple eyes which not even his best friend Liam knew about because he wore contacts. He knew something was off. Something seemed wrong. He had never heard howling before and definitely not shadows in the forest, but again he brushed the thought off.

After he finished his cereal, Finn headed out the door to the park to try and figure out where the howling was coming from. He heard the howls coming from over near the school. He couldn’t go there since it was Saturday, so he went to the closest place to the school: the park.

When Finn got to the park, he saw more shadows sneaking through the forest. Suddenly, two dogs- or were they wolves?- came out from behind some bushes. Finn was shocked!

“Oh no…” Finn said to himself. “Ahh!”

“Don’t worry, we don’t bite,” the gray wolf said calmly.

“We only bite prey. Right?” asked the more energetic wolf.

“Of course, Dream. Don’t be such a fish-brain,” the gray wolf said hotly and then turned to Finn.

“Don’t be scared,” Dream said. “Soul is… kind of sassy.

“Hey!” Soul said with a snarl. He looked at his paws in humiliation.

“Why can I understand you?” Finn asked, half to himself.

“It’s because of your eyes,” Dream said with a glance at Finn’s deep violet eyes..

“They’re special, it’s not every day you see a pawless with purple eyes!” Soul said.

“Pawless?” Finn asked with a head tilt.

“That’s what we call humans!” Dream shouted happily.

“Shush, somebody could hear you!” Soul scowled. “Here, let me do something.”

All of a sudden, purple flames engulfed Finn, and he was shrunk down so that he was eye level with Soul and Dream.

“Now you’re one of us,” Soul said with a grin.