Sobs shook my body and I could barely see for the tears in my eyes. The pounding of the horse hooves beneath me matched the pounding of my heart, as terror and sorrow consumed me.

During the ride, I faintly heard shouts, screams, and talking, but none of it made sense. The only thing that I could clearly understand was Daddy’s form fading from my view and a stranger gripping my wrist until it hurt. I didn’t know where I was, who my captors were, and what was going to happen.

It was a quiet, cool autumn morning. I watched as my eleven-year-old sister Mary poured water from the well into both of our jugs. Then we each took a jar to carry home, as we had done many times before. I was seven years old, old enough to help out around the house, Mommy said. Most other Jewish girls my age were doing the same, though, so I didn’t mind. In fact, I rather liked being grown up. Now that I was helping so much, I hoped my siblings would stop calling me baby.

As the glowing sun set behind Knight Manor. Isabella Knight a beautiful 21-year-old girl was finishing the last few touches on a surprise birthday party for her mom and uncle her mom’s twin brother. Bella scribbled on a piece of paper the last couple of items she needed to grab from the store.
‘Cake, candles, and balloons.’ thought Bella as she ran out the door to her black truck and rushed to the store. As Bella picked up the last few things on her list her phone rang.
“Hello” “Bella honey, it’s dad is everything ready for your mom and uncle?”

By the end of my first day of teaching the following week, the ball seemed years ago, a distant memory buried under an avalanche of paperwork, schedules, lesson plans, grading, and assignments. Had it not been for Devorah Erren’s insufferable boasting to the other girls about the ball (she being the only one of the class whose parents had allowed her to attend) I might not have thought of it at all.
By the middle of the week, however, my thoughts had turned to the upcoming festival that I was to attend with Mira and her family.

As Raya walked along the beach she looked out to the sea; breathing in the salty air and watching the waves kiss the sand.  She stopped to watch the dolphins swimming in the cove then turned to walk up the path to her house, she did not notice the ship on the horizon.  Finn, Raya’s older brother was playing volleyball with Jay their cousin, the twins Triton and Tyde, and Adrian, Finn's best friend, as she walked up the path Raya looked up when her brother called her.
“Raya, come play with us, we need one more player!” yelled Finn.

Rise up, oh land of liberty,
Against the foe and for the friend;
Under the queen’s just ruling,
Stay true to her until the end.

Through dangers, many, we shall tread,
Though some more weary than the rest,
But we shall brave them through that time
With hearts of courage and of zest.

Rise up, oh land of liberty,
To needy ones a hand we’ll lend,
And thus we will forevermore,
Be true to her unto the end.

Pete and J-Boy pulled the boat further onto the island.
Once they had tied the boat safely to the tree, the boys walked around the island to get a bearing on where exactly they had landed.
It was an island, much the same as any of the other islands, with the express difference of being the only one they were currently standing on.
Measuring roughly thirty meters across in one direction and fifty in the other, it seemed to be on the smaller side. At least insofar as the boys could tell, not having much experience with these floating islands.

My pencil flew across the paper. It bounced and danced as it depicted details of a fantasy world.
My wrist ached, but though it tried, it couldn't convince me to stop writing. I was in the zone.
"Just a few lines more…" I told myself, but then a few lines later I whispered,
"Just a few lines more…" and I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

Kuyper grimaced. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think it would be if—“

“At least a twenty.” The crusty old man finished Kuyper’s sentence abruptly. He threw a contemptuous glance in his direction. “Now. If you’ll leave me to my own business, I’d be glad to lock the door behind you.” He turned away, heading for the back door of the shop.

“No, no, no.” Kuyper slid between him and the door. “No. Not until you tell me who you are. And how you got that thing.”

“What thing.” His voice sounded like it was in an old can.

Ileuad pulled her mud stained cloak tighter around herself, trying not to wake Ewen. She shuddered in the cold, and cast a glance over to the other side of the cave. There Adaon lay, never to rise again. He was shrouded in his dark cloak in the very farthest corner of the cave.