The Warning: Part 1

“It’s merely a game,” Mother said calmly, trying not to show her impatience. “Why must you get so upset?”

 

“It’s cruel!” I said loudly, causing the women around us to glance away from the man getting his limbs torn off by an anorexic lion. “They capture the poor beasts and force them to fight. They don’t even allow them to eat what they’ve killed.”

 

“Eos!” Mother whispered harshly. “Now is not the time. Now sit quietly and enjoy the game.” She turned back to the fight, straightening the huge black curls she had managed to pile on the top of her head. She had tried to do the same to me, but my short, straight hair wouldn’t allow it.

 

The lion pounced, it’s sharp claws extended. The man hurled himself out of the way, causing the lion to stumble. The man took this opportunity to thrust his weapon into the beast’s shoulder. I looked away. The lion roared, and so did the crowd. They cheered, standing, throwing rings and necklaces to the victor. The warrior received his spoils, and the now-deceased lion was dragged out of the arena. I turned back to my mother.

 

“May I leave now?” I asked quietly. Mother nodded. I stood quickly, wanting to get out as soon as I could. I pushed my way through the crowd, muttering the occasional “excuse me” and “pardon.” When I finally broke through, I started walking home. The streets were pretty clear; everyone had left their shops and homes to watch the game.

 

I spotted a bowl of bread laying sideways on a booth, a few of the loaves in the dirt. I picked them up, brushed them off, and tucked them under my arm. I tossed a few coins on the booth in their place, but I doubted anyone would notice they were missing.

 

I jogged through the streets, the path home embedded in my mind. When I reached my small estate, I wasn’t surprised to see a small brown head pop up from behind a tree.

 

“Eos!” Lucia said. “I’m surprised to see you back so soon! Couldn’t stand to see the carnage?” Lucia jogged up to me, swinging her arm around my shoulder before I could respond. “Y’know what’d make you feel better? Helping me chop wood. You love chopping wood! I’ll get the axe.” She bounded away, her long brown waves flowing out behind her. By the time I got to the stump, Lucia had already gathered between twenty and thirty hunks of wood. She handed me the hatchet while simultaneously placing a piece of wood on the stump. She leaned against the tree, crossing her arms across her chest. I set the loaves on the ground. I tightened my grip on the hatchet, raising it above my head. I swung it down on the wood, splitting it perfectly at the center.

 

“So,” I said, reaching for another hunk of wood. “What’d you come to tell me?” Lucia thought for a moment, then shrugged.

 

“Nothing Important really. Y’know, just standard stuff. Who wins the next game. What the weather’s gonna be like.” She held up her wrist. The bulky bracelet was black, and covered in buttons and knobs. “Ever since Willa gave this to me, nothing really drastic has happened.” She looked down. I turned back to the wood. “Yet,” she said quietly, just as I swung the hatchet.

 

“What was that?” I asked. Lucia shrugged again.

 

“Nothin’.” She smiled. I grabbed another piece of wood.

 

“Who is Willa? I mean, I know she’s from the future, like you. And that she gave you the bracelet, but why? Where did she get it?” I asked, looking over, but Lucia wasn’t paying attention. She was staring at Vesuvius, the huge mountain in the distance. Smoke was pouring out of the top.

 

“How long has it been doing that?” she asked urgently, still watching the mountain. I looked back.

 

“I dunno, a week maybe? Why?” Lucia’s head snapped toward me.

 

“A week?! That long?” she asked, fear in her eyes. I nodded.

 

“What’s wrong?” I asked, putting the hatchet down. Lucia ran her fingers through her hair, blowing air out of her nose.

 

“Hey, uh, why don’t you and your family get outta here for a while? You know, go visit Britannia or something.” She tried to smile again, but it looked more like a grimace.

 

“Lucinda, what’s the matter?” I asked, calling her by her real name instead of her nickname. “What’s going to happen to Pompeii?” Lucia inhaled, rubbing the back of her neck.

 

“A lot of stuff,” she said quietly. Fear panged in my chest.

 

“What do you mean, ‘a lot of stuff?’ Lucia, answer me!” I yelled. Lucia flinched.

“I will, I promise. Just…not now. You won’t believe me yet. I need to get something first. I’ll see you in a little bit.” She started twisting the knobs on her bracelet.

 

“Lucia, you can’t leave yet, you haven’t-” I was cut off by a blinding light and rush of air. I turned my head, holding my arm in front of my eyes. When I looked back, Lucia was gone.

 

-Grace<3

My Day as an M&M

Okay, just one more thing from our chocolate study, I promise. 🙂  Grace’s assignment for this one was to write a short story about waking up to discover she had been transformed into an M&M.  Here’s what she came up with:

 

“I’m falling!” I shouted, thrusting my arms out and pulling myself out of sleep.

“I’m not falling,” I mumbled.  I reached up to wipe my eyes, but found I could no longer move my arms.  I frowned, trying to pull my arms out from under the covers.  I soon realized that I didn’t have any arms!  I started panicking, flailing any limbs I had.  Suddenly, the smell of melting chocolate filled my head.

I tried turning my head, but instead moved my entire body.  A warm, gooey substance trickled down my back.  Slowly, I realized the chocolate-like aroma was me.  I was made entirely of chocolate!  Better yet, I was really fat with a big “M” printed on me.  I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t pass it on they said,” I hissed.  “No one can turn you into chocolate through the Internet.”  I flipped myself over so my back wouldn’t melt.  I then noticed it was very dark.  Looking around, I saw dozens of other M&Ms around me.  Strangely, I was the only green one.

The walls around me looked like they were cracked and falling until I saw they were made of paper.  Suddenly the ceiling ripped away, and a huge hand reached in.  It grabbed me, pulling me toward my gruesome death.  I squeezed my eyes shut.  I felt myself get closer and closer when, finally, I opened my eyes.

I was back in my bed, limbs attached and candy shell gone.  I passed my palms against my forehead.

“Okay,” I groaned.  “No more chocolate before bed.”

Face Cream Ads: Comparing and Contrasting

 

Grace’s most recent writing assignment was to find two ads for similar products in a magazine and then write a short essay comparing and contrasting them.  She found these two ads for face creams that will supposedly help you look younger.  (I could easily go into a rant about how much I despise our society’s love for this sort of thing, but I’ll spare you.) 😉

So, here’s what Grace had to say about the two ads she chose:

The brands OLAY and Origins each have an ad for anti-aging cream in a magazine. Both of these ads make their products sound scientifically advanced, using micro-sculpting technology for OLAY and raspberry plant stem cells for Origins. Also, they both have the bottle of cream in the picture to let you know what to look for in the store.

 

Origins seems to lean toward a bright, natural feel, telling you that nothing can actually erase wrinkles, but their cream uses natural ingredients to help your skin stay healthy while making you feel good about yourself. OLAY presents a flashy, modern feel, telling you that their cream uses the latest technology and ingredients to make you look younger fast.

 

Also, OLAY focuses your attention on a model, practically telling you that if you buy their cream, you will end up looking beautifully young, like her. They don’t have very many words, so that they won’t distract you from the picture-perfect user. Origins has no model, and focuses your attention toward the small paragraph they have about the cream. They use statistics to tell you that lots of people use their cream. They also tell you, honestly, that their product won’t erase your wrinkles right away. They say that their cream actually protects your skin, making you look and feel younger.

 

In conclusion, OLAY says their cream makes you look younger, and Origins says their cream makes you feel younger. Which cream would you choose?

 

-Grace<3

The Week(s) in Pictures

And we’re back to blogging!  Grace had a fantastic visit with Grandma, but we’re back to all of that pesky school stuff tomorrow. 😉

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks:

Grace’s gratitude journal came complete with robot friends. 😀

The Parthenon … possibly being invaded by robots. 😉 (History Pockets)

Designing a library with Greek-style columns. (History Pockets)

An ocean fresco. (History Pockets)

Phonetically, this is Grace’s name in Greek. 🙂 (History Pockets)

Yay! (History Pockets)

Boo! (History Pockets)

Creating treasure for her “archeological dig.” (Hands on History)

A Greek helmet. (Hands on History)

Treasure! (Hands on History)

Preparing to make ambrosia and nectar. (Feasts of Fiction)

Ambrosia in the oven! (Feasts of Fiction)

Hmmm…looks a little suspect. 😉 (Feasts of Fiction)

Nectar! (Feasts of Fiction)

Nectar and ambrosia are not quite as tasty as we thought they would be. (Feasts of Fiction)

At the orthodontist…again. 😉

Painting Birdhouses: A Descriptive Essay

Grace has been working hard on her descriptive writing.  Her most recent assignment was to write about an outing or experience with family or friends.  She chose to write about purchasing and painting our birdhouses last week. 🙂  Here’s what she had to say…in all of its descriptive, detailed glory. 😀

 

Gravel crunched underfoot. I pushed the heavy glass door aside as the smell of cinnamon and cheap air freshener filled my nose. Emily and I walked through the craft store, trying to spot the birdhouses. We came to a halt in a narrow aisle with woodworking supplies on either side. Emily scanned the houses, ruling out the expensive or ugly ones.

 

“Which ones do you want?” she asked, nodding toward the birdhouses.

 

“Ummm, how about these two?” I suggested, picking up two rough wooden houses. One was rounded, and the other had windows and a fake door. Emily nodded.

 

“Alrighty, one more,” she said. She knelt down and plucked up a house with two holes for the birds to sit in. I smiled. We walked over to the paint, picking only a few shades of blue, yellow, brown, and white with two packs of brushes. We were quick to get them home.

 

As soon as we opened the door, the soft sound of clicking claws echoed throughout the house. Frank circled our legs like a shark, his shredded raccoon toy in his mouth and his tail wagging like crazy. Emily draped a huge black trash bag over the table, laying out all the houses and paint. As she lay the paper plates out, I sat down and pulled up a house. Emily sat down across from me. We each picked our paint and squeezed out the colors we wanted.

 

I dipped my sponge brush into the thick puddle of brown paint, getting way more than I needed. Not sure what to do, I pressed the side of the brush against the plate until some of the paint seeped out. I leaned in closer, the paint fumes filling my head. I applied a sloppy layer of paint onto the roof, trying to make as few mistakes as possible. In no time, the entire house was covered in brown and white. I looked up. Emily had both of her birdhouses finished and had left the table. I laughed. Maybe I hadn’t finished that fast after all.

 

-Grace<3

The Music Box

Grace is practicing her monster-fighting writing. 😀  We hope you enjoy this little tale of twisty-time and vampire slaying…among other things…

The song was still playing in the back my of my head. The music box had looked so innocent. How was I supposed to know it was a prison that held some of the most terrifying demons in all of creation?

 

I held tight to my scythe, ready to pounce on anything that moved. My best friends, Eli and Jaxon, followed at my heels. Jaxon held a pointed staff, one notch carved for nearly every day in the prison. His neon green hair shone in the pale light of my watch. Eli appeared to have no weapon, but secretly kept a stake up his sleeve. His crooked glasses were missing a lens.

 

We had been stuck here for at least three months, maybe more. Jaxon lost count at 82 days. We had climbed at least 99 flights of stairs, and we had heard from a starving vamp that there were only 100. Our only hope was that we would be released on the last level.

 

Eli put a hand on my shoulder. “Alice, maybe you should rest.” I looked down at my leg. It had been bitten by an Archion, a flesh-eating demon. I had managed to pull it off before it could inject any poison, but it took a great chunk of leg with it. I nodded.

 

This place looked like a huge Victorian mansion, so finding a place to crash wasn’t hard. We set up camp in a music room, nestled behind a row of guitars. Eli plopped down beside me. He studied my face, taking in every detail. I self-consciously raised my hand to my cheek. I knew I hadn’t brushed my hair in a while, but I wasn’t that hideous.

 

“What?” I asked, blushing. “do I have an eye booger or something?” Eli laughed. I blushed harder.

 

“No, but I think you broke your face,” he joked.

 

“How did I do that?”

 

“You smiled.” I looked down. Eli cleared his throat.

 

“Alice, what if there is no way out? I mean, why would there be?” he whispered, picking at a scab. I sighed.

 

“If this is a prison, than there must be police. They need some way out, and we’re going to find it,” I said, trying to make him feel better.

 

“I should probably keep watch,” Eli said, pushing his glasses up his nose. I smiled.

 

As he walked away, I thought about our life before the prison. We would go to Bert’s Ice Cream and sit on the roof. Eli would tell me to get my nose out of a book and live a little. Jaxon would pretend to push him off. I sighed. Even if we got out of here, we could never go back to that. We’d seen too much. I rested my head against a drum. We had to get out of here.

 

***

 

One flight later, we were on the last level. It looked like a long hallway, with only one door all the way on the other end. Jaxon ran ahead. Eli soon followed, but I kept my steady pace. When I got there, I put my hand on the door handle, but a sharp sting shot through my arm. I jerked my hand away. Eli frowned.

 

“That’s not good,” he mumbled. “This must be the last test. We have to find a way to open it.” We thought about that.

 

“What about Galdren blood, it’ll burn a hole through the door,” Jaxon said. I shook my head.

 

“I have a feeling we need to open the door, not burn through it.”

 

“If we coated the handle with a vampire dust, we might be able to hold it just long enough to open it,” Jaxon suggested. I frowned.

 

“Where are we going to get vampire dust?” I asked.

 

Eli shrugged. “I guess we go looking.” We turned away from the door and started walking, kicking open doors in our wake. After about 10 minutes, I heard a snarl. We turned, and three vamps jumped us. Jaxon, Eli and I sprang into action. A vamp swung at me, and I ducked right on time. I hurled my scythe at his head, but he kicked it out of the way, pushing me backward. I kicked him in the face, and he stumbled. I swung my scythe again, chopping off his head. The body turned to dust before it could hit the floor. I looked over to my friends. Eli had already staked his vamp, and Jaxon was kicking his vampire’s butt. He kicked him in the face and did a flip over the vamp’s weak attempt to bite him. When he was still trying figure out where Jaxon was, Eli staked the vamp, instantly turning him to dust.

 

Jaxon ducked down and grabbed a handful of dust, dumping it on the handle. He looked over to me, and for the first time, fear filled his eyes. I nodded. He turned back to the door. Taking a deep breath, he yanked it open. A bright light filled the room, temporarily blinding us. As soon as we could see again, we ran for door. A loud bang filled our ears, and we were blinded again. Only this time, when we opened our eyes, we were standing in an alley.

 

I looked around, shielding my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. I knew this street. This was the same place we were when we disappeared. I glanced down at my watch. 7:02, 3/25/2013. Not a single day had passed. I heard Jaxon’s staff hit the ground.

 

“Where are we?” asked Eli. I smiled. Really smiled.

 

“Home.”

 

-Grace<3

Tear Away the Sky

We’re currently studying ancient Greece, and one of Grace’s recent assignments was to write a “mixed up” myth.  She randomly picked two Greek gods, a setting, and a problem…then she was off into myth writing.  I think she’s done a splendid job with it. 🙂  Enjoy!

Tear Away the Sky

One day, the great god Apollo sat atop Acropolis staring into the blank night. He had finished his flight across the sky, and the Earth was shrouded in darkness. He sighed, wishing for some form of light that would allow him to gaze upon the lush fields and smooth lakes. He knew that Mother Earth, or Gaea, had sewn the night sky to protect her people from being burned by the blinding light of the heavens, but Apollo didn’t care. He wanted to see. Suddenly, an idea appeared in his head. He called for his sister, Artemis. A single deer trotted to him. Her fur was a shimmering gold, and a thin silver band was snugly fitted to her head. Apollo smiled.

-Grace<3

“Sister, you do not need to wear such costumes. No human dwells here.” The deer glowed a blinding silver, and the Goddess of the Hunt took its place, the silver band still on her head. Artemis frowned.

“Why have you called me here?” she asked. Apollo pointed at the sky.

“I need you to tear the night from the sky; it makes my only free time dark and dreary.”

Artemis tensed. “ I cannot help you; even my arrows cannot pull the blanket away.” Apollo stood.

“Maybe one of your immortal maidens can. They have immense power,” Apollo suggested. Artemis sighed.

“If you wish. ”She called out to her huntresses, and a huge group of girls ran to their goddess’s aid.

“What do you need?” the maidens asked, and Artemis pointed to the sky.

“Whoever can pull away the night will be crowned Leader of the Hunt!” the goddess shouted. The maidens gasped. A tall girl with spiky hair shoved her way forward. She pointed her bow at the sky, pulling her fingers to her temple. Her arrow shot upward, ripping a small hole in the night. A thin stream of light burst from the heavens, but the blanket still hovered. Several other girls tried, but only few even reached the sky. Apollo stepped forward.

“Sister, get all of your huntresses to shoot at once. Maybe then the blanket will fall.” Artemis smiled. She gathered her bow and pointed it at the sky. The huntresses did the same. She released, and 1,000 arrows shot forward, each piercing the sky. Tiny lights littered the night, with a gaping hole where the goddess’s arrow had gone. The land was filled with light. Ever since then, Apollo would sit on Acropolis and gaze at the fields with the newly formed stars lighting the land.

 

How To…Write a Goal

Grace has finished up her writing unit on how-to writing.  For her final paper, she chose to write about creating goals (another skill we’ve been working on).  Here’s what she had to say:

Setting a Goal

The first step in setting a goal is gathering your supplies. You will need paper and a pencil. Then, think of something you want to accomplish, like writing a short story. After you have the idea of what you are going to do, write down how long it will take you to accomplish. For writing a short story, you might want to stick to three weeks.

After that, write the first thing you need to do to complete your goal. After writing the first step of your goal, write (on the same line) how long that step will take. You might think that creating the main plot for your story will take two days, so you would write that down. After that, write down the date you would finish that step. This is so you know when you complete each step. Use this method to write down all steps.

After you have finished writing your steps, calculate when you will finish completely. If you didn’t give yourself enough time to finish, you might want to rethink your time limit. If you finish early, then you have plenty of wiggle room, or time to make mistakes. If you start your goal on April 1^st, your paper should look like this:

Writing a Short Story

(three weeks)

1. Create main plot (two days) 4/2/13

2. Create characters (three days) 4/5/13

3. Write chapter 1 (three days) 4/8/13

4. Write chapter 2 (three days) 4/11/13

5. Write chapters 3 (three days) 4/13/13

6. Proofread (1 day) 4/14/13

Wiggle Room: 1 week

Check up on your goal every time you finish a step to make sure your timing is correct. If not, think about what you are doing that is causing you to take longer than you had planned. Are you slacking off? Did you not give yourself enough time? If you are early, you know you gave yourself plenty of time and can use that information for future goals.

Have fun!

-Grace<3

Homeschool Persuasion

While studying ancient Greece, Grace is learning about the value of a good speech.  One of her assignments today was to write a persuasive speech to sway all of the land to her way of thinking. 😉  Of all the things in the world to write about, she chose to convince the people to homeschool their children. 😀  Here’s what she had to say:

Every parent wants their children to have a good education, but some children have problems with the public school system. Maybe they don’t get along with their classmates? Perhaps they’re having problems, but the teacher never gets to help? It may be as simple as they don’t study. If public school just isn’t working, there is something you could try…homeschool!

 

Homeschooling is a fun way to teach your child what they need to know in a way just right for them. It allows each child to have one-on-one time with their teacher, making problems with their work easier to solve. Homeschool also gives your family more time together and can build up parent-child bonds. But the best part about homeschool is it creates independent thinkers.

 

Some families may say that they don’t want their children sitting at home all day, want their kids to socialize more, or simply can’t afford homeschool, but there is a solution…join a homeschool group! This allows your child to meet with other homeschoolers away from the house, and you don’t have to pay for the supplies! Also, you don’t have to quit any current job to homeschool your child; the schedules are extremely flexible.

 

From a current homeschool student, I must say that it has been a great improvement to my life. I am getting much better grades, bonding with my family, and enjoying every second of it! Maybe homeschooling is right for you?

 

-Grace<3

The planning stages of Grace’s speech.

Weekly Braaaaiins: Zombie Parkour Runner Review

Grace chose to do a game review for Weekly Braaaaiins this week…check it out:

Zombie Parkour Runner, or ZP Runner, is a free game for your iPhone, iPad, or apple device. The best part is, it’s free! You can download the app by clicking here.

Oh, no! Zombies have taken all your stuff! Play as the mysterious character Kara through 36 incredibly challenging (and fun!) levels to get it back. As you run, you pick up coins and perform amazing stunts by swinging, sliding, and jumping. If you can spot one, you can pick up items the zombies have dropped and learn about Kara’s past.

This game has great, smooth graphics and a catchy, techno theme. The zombies have a unique look to them. I especially like the zombie themed billboards in the background. I could totally see Zombi-E instead of Wall-E.

If you want, you can purchase items that can get you farther in the game, like a trampoline that automatically bounces you to the next checkpoint if you get stuck. Warning, these items do cost actual money.

The only problems I could see were that it sucks up the battery and the reaction time is a little slow. I’d tap to jump, and Kara wouldn’t do it. Of course, that has only happened a few times, and it’s usually right after I double-tap. Another warning, if you don’t like to have to try a level ten times to finally get to the end, I suggest skipping this game.

Overall, I really enjoy it and recommend this game to any zombie lovers. Even if hard-headed Kara doesn’t jump once in a while, I think it’s anything but a waste of time. It’s the perfect game to occupy ourself during those long hours on a car trip!

-Grace<3

 

Grownup edit:  Grace says this game is appropriate for all ages…no blood or gore or anything scary.  It might be frustrating for the younger crowd because of difficulty.  Some reading required.