Fire

I stared at the birds flying around after a short, surprisingly cold winter. It was weird, because it usually stays warm...ish in San Francisco. The birds were acting like there was a limited supply of twigs and all the other junk they use to build their nests. They worry too much. I walked back inside, feeling warmed by the sun.
“Mom, when is lunch?” I asked. I was starving. I don’t usually eat breakfast on weekends, because I’m too busy sleeping until 11.

“Well, Christa, lunch is whenever you want it to be. It’s been ready for a while,” my mom said. “I made a stir-fry.” My mouth watered when she said that. I grabbed a bowl and dumped 3 giant spoonfuls in. Then I settled myself in front of the TV and turned on some cartoons. But then there was this “breaking news report.” I sighed, wondering what it was. Then a guy on TV started speaking:

“Attention all people who live in Watersford: A fire has been spotted in the woods nearby, and is spreading quickly. You have been asked to evacuate your homes immediately. Fire crews are working hard to try to put out the fire before it reaches you.” I froze. Watersford is where I live. Even worse, my house is just in front of those woods. I glanced out the window and didn't see anything at first, but as I looked closer I saw a faint cloud of smoke.
“MOM!” I screamed, jumping off the couch. She came running, and I pointed at the TV. She screamed, too, and ran upstairs to get my brothers. Oh, yeah, I have 2 brothers, Nick and Josh, who are twins. Sometimes I like to pretend they are little girls, because they are always getting into my closet and trying on my... clothes and stuff. Yeah... well, anyway, I really don’t like them.
I grabbed my lucky sapphire charm necklace and ran outside, grasping it in one hand and one of my brother’s hands in the other. My mom soon followed, clutching my other brother’s hand. We quickly piled into the car, wondering where to go. I asked exactly that.
“Mom? Where should we go?” I had a sense of urgency in my voice, for the simple reason that I COULD SEE THE FIRE. Mom didn’t answer, just started driving. She told me to call Dad, so I took out my phone.
“Hey, kiddo. What’s up?” he asked, like nothing was wrong. I told him everything, and he asked if we were all right. I rolled my eyes and said yes, we were already halfway down the highway. Then I realized we were going to the mall. Usually I’d be super psyched to go to the mall, but today I didn’t feel the same excitement. It wasn’t a surprise why. I said "bye" and hung up.
When we got there, I got out of the passenger seat and spotted my friend Claire with her mom and little brother and sister. She lives in my neighborhood, and thank GOODNESS she got the TV message. I desperately hoped our neighborhood had not been engulfed in flames. I pictured a blackened wasteland, people searching everywhere through the charred rubble for family members and friends, children crying over the loss of their things... I shivered and tried not to think about that.
“Hey, Claire!” I shouted and waved my hand. She turned in my direction and waved. Then she told her mom something and ran over to me.
“I guess the mall is a really popular fire evacuation center, because I saw about half of the people in our neighborhood here. And that’s just in the parking lot! I haven’t gone inside yet,” Claire told me breathlessly.
“Then I bet you there’s even more people inside,” I said. We followed our moms inside the mall. Sure enough, I saw almost everyone from our neighborhood (that I knew). We scanned the large crowd for anyone we knew. Claire saw our friend Abby pushing her way through the huge mass of people, looking lost. I ran up to her.
“Abby! What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I can’t find my mom.” She said, looking nervous.
“Where’s your phone?” Claire asked.
“Uhhhhh... it’s at home,” Abby said, clearly wishing she had brought it along.
“Here, you can borrow mine,” I offered, handing her my phone. Oh, yeah, my phone is like, awesome, because it’s a smart phone and it has a glittery pink case. It has ALL of the super addicting games like Angry Birds and Temple Run, and this awesome game called Blast Monkeys. Anyway...
“Thanks,” said Abby, dialing her mom’s number. “Hey, mom? I have to ask you something. WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!” Abby screamed.
“I’m in the Boston Store outlet! I'm coming to get you! Stay where you are. Wait, where are you?” I heard Abby’s mom say.

Abby sighed. “Ummmmm...I’m right outside of the Barnes and Noble outlet,” Abby said, looking up at the sign. “Bye.” She handed my phone back to me. I put it in my pocket and stuck a piece of gum in my mouth.

While our moms were mingling with each other, we toured this new outlet called Justice. It’s like girl heaven! There’s makeup, jewelry, accessories, stuffed animals, and the most amazing shirts! We stood in awe as people walked around us.

We walked around, picking off stuff that we thought we would want to buy. In the end, I got a bottle of lip gloss, nail polish, eye shadow, and a teddy bear. But the checkout lady was really mean and ugly, and I felt like throwing up when I looked at the huge, pus-filled wart on her chin. I was still feeling nauseous after I paid, and I'm sure Abby and Claire did too, because they were looking a little green in the gills.

Anyway, when we were walking out of Justice, my phone beeped. I checked it.

"Hey, it looks like I got a news update," I said. "Attention all Watersford residents," I read. "Fire crews have managed to control the fire in the forest behind your neighborhood, so it is safe to come back now. Nothing has been damaged."

Claire and I both sighed in relief. I called my mom.

"Hey, mom. I got a news update on my phone, and it said we can go back now. If you need to find us, we're right in front of the Justice outlet," I told her. 

"That's great! I'll come get you," My mom said.

"Oh, and can Claire and Abby sleep over tonight?" I asked. Claire and Abby smiled.

"Sure, but only if their moms are okay with it," Mom told me. Claire was already dialing her mom's number, and I handed Abby my phone again.

***

I jumped out the car after we pulled up into my driveway. Claire, Abby, and I sprinted to my backyard, where the woods were. Of course, my yard isn't all forest. We ventured into the woods, and after about thirty seconds, we saw the charred and blackened remains. I clenched my fist over my sapphire pendant. If the fire had been burning for just a few more minutes, my house would have looked the same as the woods did now.

"This is scary. There's nothing alive here anymore," Abby said, finally breaking the silence.

"Well, duh," Claire said. "There was just a huge fire that could have engulfed Christa's house!"

"Let's go inside and watch a movie or something. It's getting late," I suggested. Indeed, the sun was starting to set behind the clearing, making the destroyed forest look even eerier. We all shivered and ran inside.

After settling down in our sleeping bags with a bowl of popcorn, we turned on a movie.

"Christa? Claire? What would be the first thing you would do if your neighborhood was engulfed in flames?" Abby asked.

"Well, I would stop, drop, and roll, then run screaming like a maniac," I joked. We all laughed. "But then, I would make sure all my friends were okay."

"Hmmm...me too," Claire decided. "But, I would probably scream like a maniac before stop, drop, and rolling," She giggled. Abby snickered and I rolled my eyes, while stifling a laugh. Then I sighed and we fell silent, reliving the events of our day.

Is Summer Here?

For the past few weeks
It has been
Abnormally warm
for this time of year

It's the first day of spring
today
and yet
it's eighty degrees

How long will this last?
forever I hope
but just like last winter
it's really too warm

Get Your Oil Somewhere Else!

Imagine if you were an animal, living happily in Alaska. You’re protected from cruel humans by the ANWR. But that all changes when the humans find oil in the ANWR, and they drill it out of the ground without giving a care to the animals. Even though I’m not an animal, I still agree that this is just plain cruel. Where will the animals go? What will happen to them? The US should not drill in ANWR, because it won’t help us. 

A study by the US Energy Information Agency shows that drilling in ANWR will only reduce US oil imports by 4%, and give us a six month supply. What difference will that make? Considering the US consumes 25-30% of the world’s oil annually, not much of a difference. The ANWR drilling will only supply 3% of the United States’ annual oil use. This tiny amount of oil will be taken from 8% of the ANWR’s land. Even though 8% may not sound like much, it’s actually 1.5 million acres of land.   

 Of course, we can’t forget about the animals or the environment. Bears, caribou, wolves, geese, and many types of birds could be killed. Seals, sea lions, walruses, polar bears and lots of different whales could be affected if an oil spill happened. ANWR is supposed to be a sanctuary for animals, but the drilling would cause deforestation, sewage, sludge, scrap metal, and over 60 wasteland sites. There would be pollution, which could turn into acid rain and smog. All the native animals there could be killed, and there wouldn’t be any more left.

Humans need an opinion, too. Almost everyone agrees that drilling in ANWR is a good thing, such as the Inupiat people in Alaska. They think that delays in development have deprived them of the benefits and resources that can be found in their home, so they support drilling. Obviously, the government thinks this is good, too. Because they say that 735,000 jobs would be created if they drilled in ANWR. But this won’t have much benefit to anyone, because it would be impossible to only drill 8% of the land. This is because the oil is all spread out, not concentrated in one place.

Drilling for oil in ANWR might have a benefit to our economy, but then there won’t be a place for the animals to live. Plus, what will happen when the oil runs out? Will they tear up more land? Then the whole US could become a wasteland, and there won’t be any more oil here. We will have to rely more on foreign oil. This is why the US should not drill in ANWR.

Orange Tree

        There's an orange tree in my backyard. It's been there forever, as long as I can remember. Sometimes in the summer, I like to swing in the branches and on the tree swing, breathing in the oranges' sweet scent. There's a beehive there, too. Sure, I have gotten stung a couple of times. But they've become my friends. We share the orange tree with each other.
        I walked outside with a picnic blanket and a small knife. Even though the orange tree can't talk, I feel like it speaks to me. Strange. After setting down my blanket under the tree's branches, I hoisted myself up onto the top branch and picked an orange. I used the knife to cut off the skin and let it fall to the ground. The orange tasted delicious, sweet and juicy. I found a seed in one of the sections. A seed.
       Sure, I had found many seeds in oranges before, but this one was HUGE. I remember the first time I found a seed in a orange, I was really little. So I buried it, but right after that my dog dug it up and ate it. I had an idea. I took my abnormally large seed and went over to my tree house, then buried it in the dirt next to my favorite oak tree. That's where my tree house is.
       At 13, I guess I might be a little old for tree houses. But mine is special. It has a secret compartment which I put special items in. I opened it up. Inside was my grandmother's locket, with a picture of her in it. There was a volleyball trophy, my first one ever. A scrapbook sat at the bottom, dusty with memories of my childhood. Inside there was a picture of this guy whom I've had a crush on for six months. I thought of all the guys I've previously liked.
      "Jessica!" My mom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
      "What?!" I yelled back, quite irritated that she couldn't give me ten minutes of alone time.
      “It’s time for dinner!”
       I sighed and climbed down the ladder after carefully putting everything away. But just as my foot was about to touch the ground, I heard and felt a strange rumbling. Then, I didn't believe it, but a huge crack opened up in the ground where I had planted my orange tree. 
       I was bewildered at what happened next: An orange tree grew from the seed, and it started talking to me.
      "Jessica, you have planted the sacred seed. Now you must enter the sacred world of the orange gods," it said in a booming voice. A huge door opened in the thick trunk of the tree. I felt the world tilt as I blacked out and hit the ground.
       I awoke in an amazingly luxurious bed, with warm feather quilts and a fluffy pillow. Even though I was still drowsy, I felt the urge to go explore my surroundings. Then with a jolt I remembered the talking tree. I must be in the sacred world of the orange gods, I thought. Then a beautiful woman came in and saw me up.
      "Oh, you are awake," she said with a smile. "My name is Oliana. Welcome to my home." She told me that the sacred orange tree had dropped me on her doorstep and she decided to take me in.
      "So, the tree told me I had to come here because I planted the sacred seed. Well, I'm here. What now?" I asked, quite puzzled.
       "Oh, they are going to make you a god. You will live here with all the other gods," Oliana said.
       "What?! A god?!" I shouted, nearly fainting again. "Why me? What did I do that was so special?" I took a pillow and chucked it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud. Oliana told me that anyone who planted a rare sacred orange seed became a god.
        "Nooooo! I don't want to become a god!" I wailed. A man came in and said it was time for my initiation. 
        "Nooooo!!!!!" I screamed, running away from the scary guards who were approaching me. But they seized my hands and dragged me away.

*****

        "And now, Jessica Blacks, you will become a god," said a god who was apparently the head of all orange gods. I resumed my begging and pleading for them to stop and let me go, but I was not surprised when he refused. I wondered what would happen to all the people I loved. To all of my responsibilities at home. To everything I ever did. Would they be erased from my memory?

        Suddenly, a strange lizard came to my rescue. He said he used to be my mother's pet, but he died after choking on a sacred orange seed. 

        He carried me back down to earth, where I had seen the mutant orange tree appear from my seed. All that was left was a small sprout poking out of the ground. I thanked the lizard and gave him an orange from my tree, then sprinted into my house where my mom was waiting.

       "There you are. I was starting to worry," she said. I ate dinner then raced up to my room. Guess what I found on my bed? I smiled and peeled the orange. Before eating it, I carefully checked it for any giant seeds.