Different Stories

9/29/16

Triple A and Marie J. -Chapter 6

Marie Joanna Adams:
I’m on the verge of freaking out. The last few, uh, days? Hours? Whatever. The last few times I’ve been awake, it was so quiet I almost thought I went deaf. But now every five seconds there’s some new sound that might be a random person, the reason I’m where-ever-here-is, or help. And apparently  either everybody else lost their ears, or turned into a robot or something, or I’m just not yelling loud enough, ‘cuz there’s no response. I think I’m going insane. There’s nothing to do, nobody to talk to, and nothing new to see. Plus, if I keep pacing, I think I might make a hole in the floor. Maybe I should, though. . . Then I could climb down. . . Gah! No, that’s not possible unless I was, like, three hundred pounds. I sit on the bed and play thumb war against myself. Boring. I know my every move. Maybe I can cartwheel. “All right,” I say aloud, “One foot in front of the other, hand extended. . .”
Thump! Knock, knock!
Ow. Not trying that again. Wait. . . Did somebody knock on a door?
Knock, knock!
That was definitely someone knocking on a door. It sounds really close, though. “Hello, anybody there?” I’m wasting my time. They can’t hear me. Now I’m thirstier than I was before. I kick the bed post. “OW,” I groan. Ugh, I need to stop talking.
“Are you okay?” Wait. That wasn’t me. It came from the far corner, which I’m now running towards. I look all around, for some sort of hole, or magic talking thing. “We’re here to help,” the voice adds, “can you let us in?” Yes, I want to say, but there isn’t a door, otherwise I would have left already.
“You can hear me?” I find myself asking. Of course they can’t, though. I must be hallucinating. This is impossible- and so real. I can at least play along.
“Yes, we can hear you! We may have found a weak spot, so stand back!” A weak spot? Did that mean. . . Oh boy. I back up and turn my face as the wall in front of me exploded. It’s not Alex and Zack, which made sense because the voice was older. Instead, standing in front of me, are two men dressed in black police outfits. One of them holds some sort of axe thing, so he must’ve broke the wall down. He looks at me, his expression dour, but gives a weak smile when he sees me looking at him. The other guy has a scar next to his eyebrow that curved down to the top of his ear. Scar has his lips pressed tightly together, as he plodded over to me.
“I’m Officer Richards, and this is Officer Cooper. Are you alright?” I nod. He’s asking softly, but I can tell he’s tired by the stiff way he stands. “Good. You’re Maria Adams, right?” My name’s Marie, not Maria, but I mumble a yes anyway. I suddenly feel very shy, especially since I’m in my pajamas. We leave the room behind, and I look around the building. Officer Cooper tells me how they found me, my parents called them, but I’m not really listening much. Apparently, I was in a store in a plaza that somebody with a fake name bought. I hope I never meet that somebody.
When we reach the front doors, I have to ride piggy-back because I’m not wearing any shoes. Then we ride in a police car. I look out the windows and try to see where we’re going, but I have no idea where we are. I yawn, and soon I have to concentrate just to keep my eyes open; but I’m not concentrating very well. . .

Time Watch Characters

How we met these people:
Grace Dauber, narrator. Elizabeth Dreste, neighbor. Rebecka Jones, cousin.
Ally Willis, whom Grace babysits. Abby Brown, friend of Elizabeth.     
Grace Dauber
Elizabeth Dreste
Rebeca Jones

Alison (Ally) Willis
Abby Brown

9/13/16

Time Watch -Chapter 1 (Entirety)

There are a lot of things that go through your mind when you are about to die. Some authors say that you can see your life flash before your eyes. The only thing in front of my eyes is sand, hot, fiery, sand. Maybe that's a good thing, even though sand is flashy. Maybe it means I’m not about to die. I hope I’m the main character in a movie or something, because they never die. Well, at least the movies I’ve seen. There is the possibility that I’ve been busy, or maybe I’m the ‘sidekick’. If I’m the sidekick, who’s the protagonist? Huh. I have to think about that. Maybe I die, and she gets all sad and everything before saving the world. Or maybe just a few countries. Then the villain dies, or goes to jail and she finds a boyfriend who she kisses just before the credits roll up. Happily ever after. Except for me. ‘Cuz I died.
Wow, is this stuff deep. When you are All Alone there are a billion things you can think about. Like the new president. Or how far you can see into space. Or how you’re possibly about to die and someone you know will save the world while you stay dead. A billion things to think about, alright. I should probably think about something else. What will happen in Toy Story 5, if it comes out? Is there going to be a Cars 4? Will I be able to see those, or will I be dead? Great. Back to the being dead thing. Okaaay, new strategy required. Maybe I should think about what happened in the first place. Grace Dauber was born in a hospital. Well, maybe skip a few years. This mess probably started when I was twelve. Was twelve. Hah.

---

I was at my house, when my cousin Rebecca emailed me asking if I had a jeweler's loup. So of course I emailed her back asking what was that and how did she know about it.
‘Oh, I’m just messing around with my Grandpa’s old watch’, was her reply. I immediately invited her to video chat, because this sort of thing needs checking up on.
“A jeweler’s loup?”
“It’s like a magnifying glass that you put on your eye.”
“Okay,” I told her, “but you’re ten.”
“And..? Look, Grace, maybe most ten year olds aren’t messing around with a watch-”
“And a jeweler's loup.”
“-but I can be my own person! Who cares if I’m not playing with dolls! I would rather make my dolls walk on their own! Plus,” Rebecca eyes me slyly, “you of all people should know about fixing toys.” That is not a compliment. That is a reference to when I accidentally set her teddy bear on fire. Which references to my glaring at her.
“I don't have a jeweler’s loup.”
“Okay, but does your dad?”
“My dad doesn’t work with watches. He has screwdrivers, hammers, and extra light bulbs; but he doesn’t own a jeweler’s loup.”
“Are you coming over tomorrow?”
“I’m babysitting Alison tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“Bye,” I say, closing my laptop. It had rained last night, and I was stuck indoors. Bored, I looked out my window,and noticed somebody moving into the house down the street. I couldn’t see it very well, so I opened my window, and the screen. The movers must’ve been inside, but I could see a teen boy and a girl about my age talking. No, wait, they must be arguing, because the boy stomped his foot and the girl put her hands on her hips. Boy then said something, which made Girl stick her tongue out and walk away. “Elizabeth,” Boy said loudly, “stop right there.”
Elizabeth then muttered something which I couldn’t hear, but Boy got an angry look on his face and she started running. I then got this sense that I was eavesdropping and started to close the window. Just before I could do that, Elizabeth ran into my yard, yelled “COMING THROUGH!” and climbed through my window. Surprised, I barely have time to scramble onto my bed, before her giant, giddy bomb of laughter explodes into my room. The boy yells dangerously angry for all the Elizabeths in the world to hear:
"ELIZABETH DRESTE GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME-!!"
"Yikes, does David sound mad. But boy, was it worth it! Oh, hi, I'm Elizabeth. You've probably heard of me just now. Who're you? Nice place you got here. I'm staying till five o'clock at least. That's when David's baseball game starts. David's my big brother. We moved in over there. Have any DVDs? Hey, cool, The Incredibles; I like that one."
One thing I got right away, was that she had a blabber mouth.
"Um, hello? This is my room!"
"I know that. My room is a block from here. Kinda amazing David can yell so far, right?"
“Is David that boy you talking to?”
“Yea.”
“But. . . Why . . . What did you do?”
“Oh, um nothing. It was awesome though. Uh, awesomely nothing.”
“Awesomely nothing?”
“Oh, I didn’t do it, it was Lily, my little sister.”
“Can you leave, please?”
“Can or will?”
“Leave.”
“Nah. You never said what your name was.”
“That’s because you barged in, like, two minutes ago!”
“I can make a name up if you don’t have one. Like Miss-”
“Grace,” I said, pushing her toward the window. She didn’t budge. I considered taking my socks off, but the September air drifting in through my window was pretty cold.
“I don’t think so. . . Miss Grace? That sounds so old and bookish. - Hey, get off my foot. - Maybe something like Leah. It sounds like ‘leave-ya’.”
“No, my name is Grace and if you don’t go-”
“Gracie,” my mom calls from the dining room, “did you sweep yet?” Why now?
“Just a sec, Mom! I’m coming!” I head for the door, stop, lock my laptop in a drawer and put the key in my pocket. Sticking my tongue out at Elizabeth, I run off.


By the time I finished, Elizabeth was gone. A piece of paper ripped from my sketch pad was on my desk.

B back soon.
I think Abby will like you.
-E

Coming back soon? Aw, great, just great. Another problem to handle. No, wait, now I have two problems to handle. Elizabeth and someone named Abby. And they were coming soon. What else could I want?

---

Sun blaring into my eyes, I look around my death trap for the seventieth time. How long has it been, two hours or five minutes? It probably doesn’t matter. Having flash-backs don’t take very long, and it’s not like anybody is waiting for me. Okay, maybe waiting for me to die. . . Yea, don’t think about that. I reach into my jeans and pull out a picture of a clock printed on paper. It’s a cruel joke, having a watch, unable to turn it on and get out. Unable to even say good bye. I remember when Rebecca first made the watches. That was cool. It was so fun, and we could go anywhere. Of course we went to Egypt, land of fiery sand and blazing heat. The same place I’m dying. How come I can’t die modernly? I could at least die in modern Egypt. But no, I die hundreds of years before I’m even born. Why Egypt? Why couldn’t we go to, I don’t know, Switzerland? What would happen then? We would eat chocolate, play in the snow, and go home. We would travel in time and not die. I would really appreciate that. Hah. But it was ‘Elizabeth's house, so Elizabeth chooses.’ Rebecca could have told me she made time traveling watches at my house! But no, ‘My house is so small’ and ‘Her house is big and new’. Talk about new in Ancient Egypt. I guess I can’t blame everything on Elizabeth, though. It was my idea to eat lunch. I’m the oldest person in our group, and the only decision I make is to eat lunch. I’m so useful. But guess who picked what we eat for lunch? Who picked where we ate lunch? Elizabeth. I even offered to go get the food, but I had to stay with Ally while the rest went and used my money to buy food. I mean, Ally is great, but what happened to ‘Grace’s money, so Grace goes’? I lift a handful of sand and through it at the stone bars. I don’t even get decent iron bars. I feel so underestimated. Sure, I’m dying of thirst. Yes, I’m stuck in Ancient Egypt with no way out. Duh, I don’t know where the others are at; but I’m still underestimated. 

Basic Over View of Triple A & Marie J

Basic Over View of Triple A and Marie J

Even though Alex told everyone not to ask I want to make sure everybody understands how the Bluetooth chips work. If there is anymore confusion, please feel free to ask in the comments section.


1: Are they irremovable?
The boys were planning on the chips to clip on, like toy earrings, but found they were too heavy to wear comfortably. So they placed the chips behind the ears, and in trying to make them stay, Alex and Zack accidentally glued Bluetooth chips to their heads. So, yes. (Needless to say, they did not make first place.)

2: "Zack must have turned off the Bluetooth chip -Ch 1" How?
Zack can switch on and off his end of the chips. Alex, however, can't. This means when Zack's end is on, both boys can "hear" each other's thoughts. But when Zack's end is off, Zack can't hear Alex's thoughts. This is very helpful for when Zack needs to study or sleep.

3: Can Alex turn off his end?
No. Instead he can turn on and off FM radios that play in his head. He usually leaves this off. What went wrong? A bad connection. In order to fix this he would have to pull the chip off his head, and that would be extremely painful, which is why they're irremovable. I suppose you could say Zack has an advantage.

4: Can you explain this advantage?
Yes. If Alex was trying to concentrate, Zack could turn his end on and mess around with his best buddy. If you read Chapter 1 again, you can see Alex is complaining to Zack, and he would be "Somewhere very close to Paradise" if Zack turned his off. Imagine every one of your best friend's thoughts in your head!

5: Can anyone else hear their thoughts?
No. Thankfully, the thoughts flow from the two boys alone. The thoughts are silent. Nobody can hack them. Not even someone named Nobody could hack them. In this case, it is physically impossible to hear Alex and Zack's thoughts unless you were Alex or Zack. No, this does not mean any Alex or Zack.

6: Do the boys' moms know about this?
They are aware of the Bluetooth chips, but both moms are only aware of radio access. They don't know the boys can " think-talk-whatevering".

7: What are the full names of the characters?
Alex Andrew Adams (dubbed Triple A by Zack)
Zachary James Thomas 
Marie Joanna Adams
Anne Marie Adams (Marie's mom)
Sara Elisabeth Adams (Alex's mom)

That's all for today. Again, if you have any questions, please post them below! Enjoy your reading!

9/12/16

Time Watch -Chapter 1 part 1 (Edited!)

(*Authors note* This is a thing my friends and I are, to put in a way, acting out. So all of this is subject to change at any time to any extent. Inside jokes are likely to occur, but are not guaranteed.) 

 

There are a lot of things that go through your mind when you are about to die. Some authors say that you can see your life before your eyes. The only thing in front of my eyes is sand, hot, fiery, sand. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it means I’m not about to die. I hope I’m the main character in a movie or something, because they never die. Well, at least the movies I’ve seen. There is the possibility that I’ve been busy, or maybe I’m the ‘sidekick’. If I’m the sidekick, who’s the protagonist? Huh. I have to think about that. Maybe I die, and she gets all sad and everything before saving the world. Or maybe just a few countries. Then the villain dies, or goes to jail and she finds a boyfriend who she kisses just before the credits roll up. Happily ever after. Except for me. ‘Cuz I died.
Wow, is this stuff deep. When you are All Alone there are a billion things you can think about. Like the new president. Or how far you can see into space. Or how you’re possibly about to die and someone you know will save the world while you stay dead. A billion things to think about, alright. I should probably think about something else. What will happen in Toy Story 5, if it comes out? Is there going to be a Cars 4? Will I be able to see those, or will I be dead? Great. Back to the being dead thing. Okaaay, new strategy required. Maybe I should think about what happened in the first place. Grace Dauber was born in a hospital. Well, maybe skip a few years. This mess probably started when I was twelve.

I was at my house, when my cousin Rachel emailed me asking if I had a jeweler's loup. So of course I emailed her back asking what was that and how did she know about it.
‘Oh, I’m just messing around with my Grandpa’s old watch’, was her reply. I immediately invited her to video chat, because this sort of thing needs checking up on.
“A jeweler’s loup?”
“It’s like a magnifying glass that you put on your eye.”
“Okay,” I told her, “but you’re ten.”
“And..? Look, Grace, maybe most ten year olds aren’t messing around with a watch-”
“And a jeweler's loup.”
“-but I can be my own person! Who cares if I’m not playing with dolls! I would rather make my dolls walk on their own! Plus,” Rachel eyes me slyly, “you of all people should know about fixing toys.” That is not a compliment. That is a reference to when I accidentally set her teddy bear on fire. Which references to my glaring at her.
“I don't have a jeweler’s loup.”
“Okay, but does your dad?”
“My dad doesn’t work with watches. He has screwdrivers, hammers, and extra light bulbs; but he doesn’t own a jeweler’s loup.”
“Are you coming over tomorrow?”
“I’m babysitting Alison tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“Bye,” I say, closing my laptop. It had rained last night, and I was stuck indoors. Bored, I looked out my window,and noticed somebody moving into the house down the street. I couldn’t see it very well, so I opened my window, and the screen. The movers must’ve been inside, but I could see a teen boy and a girl about my age talking. No, wait, they must be arguing, because the boy stomped his foot and the girl put her hands on her hips. Boy then said something, which made Girl stick her tongue out and walk away. “Elizabeth,” Boy said loudly, “stop right there.”
Elizabeth then muttered something which I couldn’t hear, but Boy got an angry look on his face and she started running with a grin on her face. I then got this sense that I was eavesdropping and started to close the window. Just before I could do that, Elizabeth ran into my yard, yelled “COMING THROUGH!” and climbed through my window.
Surprised, I barely have time to scramble onto my bed, before her giant, giddy bomb of laughter explodes into my room. The boy yells dangerously angry for all the Elizabeths in the world to hear:
"ELIZABETH DRESTE GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME-!!"
"Yikes, does David sound mad. But boy, was it worth it! Oh, hi, I'm Elizabeth. You've probably heard of me just now. Who're you? Nice place you got here. I'm staying till five o'clock at least. That's when David's baseball game starts. David's my big brother. We moved in over there. Have any DVDs? Hey, cool, The Incredibles; I like that one."
One thing I got right away, was that she had a blabber mouth.
"Um, hello? This is my room!"
"I know that. My room is a block from here. Kinda amazing David can yell so far, right?"