The 6th HUPE in Storyland competition Ranking

I don't know why I'm writing this. That's not true. Maybe I do know and just don't want to admit it to myself, that it's true. After all these years. It was a typical Saturday, just like any other. My family and I were staying at my grandmother's house, keeping her company. Every Saturday since my grandfather passed away, we visited her. So why would this day be any different, right? Earlier that day, my mother and I had a big fight. I was begging her to let me go to a party with my friends, but as usual, she said no. Feeling desperate I went to the kitchen, to find my grandmother. She was cooking my favorite food, lasagna. "Hey grams!" I spoke. "Hey sweetie, what's up? " She asked, while looking up. Can I ask you something? "Sure thing, sweetie", she said. "Could you please convince mom to let me go to a party? It would mean the world to me," I said with a nervous voice. "I can try my best," grams answered. Feeling happy I sat in the living room, patiently waiting, while my grandmother asked her. Twenty minutes passed, and there she was. Walking slowly towards me, smiling. "And?" I asked her. "You can go, but..." she said. "But what?" I asked. "You know that your mother is protective of you, so there is one condition. Your brother must come with you." She told me, calmly. "Fine, I can live with that." I said happily. My brother is very popular, everybody knows and adores him. He's all girl's dream boyfriend; dark curly hair, six foot five and of course, captain of the football team. He started playing when he was only five years old! Unlike me, he has many friends and good grades. I'm your average teenage girl, who only has two friends and hates to study. "Tonight, I'm going to change that, I'm going to be popular." I said, feeling proud. As it was getting dark, I started to get ready. It took me an hour, but it was worth it. I looked like a model from a magazine. Wearing a short sparkly skirt, paired with a black tank top. It looked amazing with my long blond hair. "You look stunning," my brother said, while smiling at me. "Wish I could say the same." I said, he didn't even try to look decent. What can I say, he has a reputation, of not caring what other people say about him. I admire him for that. As we were leaving for the car, my mother suddenly started to scream. While turning around, I felt a strong arm grabbing me, it was my mother. I looked at her confused. "What's wrong?" I asked. Looking concerned, she told me that there have been multiple people that went missing in this area, that it's not safe to go out. "What, no mom, please I will be careful." I said, while looking at her, trying not to cry. While finally letting my arm down, she looked at me with a sharp determination in her eyes. "No," I don't want to hear it. Feeling broken, I sat in the guest room alone for hours, not knowing what to do. This party was my only chance to be seen, to he heard. As I said earlier, I don't have many friends, indeed, most of my life I was alone. For some reason, that I don't understand, I can't connect with people. Ever since I was little, I had a feeling that I'm missing something. I don't know how to explain it, like a part of me was taken away long time ago. "I can't just give up, can I?" I asked myself; while wiping my tears, I need a plan. Surprisingly, I came up with a good plan, that might actually work. After hours of being in the guest room, it was time to get the plan started. First, I put on some baggy clothes, so that you can't see my party outfit. Then I went to see my mom, who was in the kitchen washing dishes from dinner. "Hey mom, I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed. Good night!" I said, with a big smile on my face. While turning her head to meet mine, she said: "Oh, already? It's not even that late." "You would be surprised how much energy you lose, while playing with the neighbor's dog." I spoke fast. For someone who never breaks rules or lies, I came up with a lie pretty fast and a good one, if I may say. "You must be exhausted, that dog is absurdly fast." She said surprised, because I don't usually play with dogs. "Go get some rest." She said fast, as she was leaving the kitchen. I felt bad for lying to her, but I needed to go to that party, it was my only chance. Well, now it's time for the second part of the plan, sneaking out. I can't just go thought the front door, it's too risky. Then it clicked, "the window in the guest room," I thought, "it's perfect". That window is right next to the roof, so easy access. "Perfect," I thought, while I going to the guest room. There it was, the window; I went closer so that I could open it. It's kind of an old window, so it took me a few tries; but eventually I opened it. Feeling hot, I remembered that I'm still wearing baggy clothes over my party outfit. "No wonder I'm hot," I said, while taking baggy clothes off. I was ready, no one can stop me now. As I got out the window, some kind of adrenalin hit me. Did I mention, I'm scared of heights? Sometimes you need to face fears to be stronger, even though it's hard. Hearing my heart pounding like crazy, I took a step back, so that I could take a deep breath. After a couple of seconds, I got the courage and stepped up front. "You can do it, believe in yourself," I told myself, as I stepped on to the roof. Just my luck, it was supposed to rain all day; but the weather changed mind and decided to shine all day long. I remember yesterday , on the news the weather lady said it's going to rain for a week straight. Ironic, right? As I stood on the roof, I heard a voice behind me. "Well, well, well what do we have here," it was my brother. "Oh no, I'm done for it." I thought to myself, as I slowly turned around to face him. There he was, standing in the shadows, right next to the door. "Don't worry, I wont tell a soul." He said, calmly. "What's the catch?" I asked him, knowing that there is one. "There is no catch this time, go have some fun." He said, with a serious voice. Feeling surprised I continued with my plan. It took me a few minutes to get off the roof, but luckily I got off in one piece. Feeling proud, I turned around and smiled at the house. "See you later," I said, as I went to catch a cab driver nearby. The party was only teen minutes drive, so I got there really fast, which was good; because the cab man was kind of a scary looking man. He was bald with a long beard, that's kind of weird, right? Oh, and lots of different tattoos. One of them was really interesting, it was like some kind of a bird, but weird. Like a hybrid between Red-winged blackbird and Hawaiian crow, such a weird combination. It crossed my mind fast, as I had one thing on my mind, the party. It was held on a campsite, near a restaurant that is really popular, it's our village's most recognizable location. They have a menu with plenty of options, even celebrities eat there! You would be surprised, knowing that the most ordered thing on the menu is a burger! Yes, an ordinary burger! But this is not the point of the story. As I was walking to the campsite, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around, looking for the person calling me, but no one was there. The voice kept repeating itself, feeling confused I asked myself; "I'm I going mad?" I decided to ignore it and continue with the plan. As I went further, the voice became louder, more precise; telling me to come and find him. Most people would run away, be scared or even yell for help. Not me, I don't get scared easily. I'm up to every mystery that comes my way, so I decided to follow the voice. It led me to the cave nearby, as I went inside, I saw it. In the dark shadows, there was a male figure standing. "Who are you and why did you bring me here?" I asked him. He stayed silent for a few seconds and then started to speak. "I can't believe my eyes; I finally found you after all these years." He spoke. "That voice, why is it so familiar to me?" I said to myself, feeling confused. "Who are you?" I asked again. As he finally stepped out the shadows, I was stunned. "It can't be, you can't be." I started to stutter, as I realized who he was. "I am." He said, as he went in for a hug. Without hesitation I hugged Him really hard, not wanting to let him go. It was my twin brother, who went missing eight years ago! We hugged for at least twenty minutes, when we finally let go, I couldn't help but ask. "Where have you been?" "I don't know. I woke up here, in this forest this morning. I can't remember how I got here and for some reason I have a bird tattoo on my arm." He said, while looking at me. "What bird?" I asked, confused. "Look," he said, while lifting his sleeve. "That's weird, it's the same bird that cab driver had."" I said out loud. "So, you don't know what it means?" My brother asked me, surprised. "No, what does it mean?" I asked, feeling a little bit worried. While looking straight into my eyes, he asked me again. "Do you know what it means?" "No , I don't know. What's going on?" I started to scream at him, feeling scared. "You can come out now," he yelled. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind him, it was the cab driver. "Watch out!" I screamed, as I took my brother's arm, pulling him away. "It's okay, he's my friend." He told me calmly. Feeling confused, I told him to explain himself. "I needed to make sure you're not working with them. You see, our parents are not who they seem. When I disappeared eight years ago, I didn't get lost. Our real parents found me. The people who you think are our parents, well thy are actually... never mind." He told me. "Who are they, tell me!" I screamed. "I can't, but you need to know, that they are not good people." He said calmly. "Come, I'm taking you home." He said while grabbing my hand. "But what about our brother?" I spoke. "He's not actually our brother; he's some random person that our so called parents hired. Can we go now?" He asked me calmly. "Yes, we can, " I spoke. I was still confused about the bird tattoo, but he explained it to me. In short, it is a symbol of power and trust that people often get tattooed, to remind themselves of their strength. Who would have thought that a rendom day can change your entire life, just like that?

I don't know why I'm writing this. That's not true. Maybe I do know and just don't want to admit it to myself, that it's true. After all these years. It was a typical Saturday, just like any other. My family and I were staying at my grandmother's house, keeping her company. Every Saturday since my grandfather passed away, we visited her. So why would this day be any different, right? Earlier that day, my mother and I had a big fight. I was begging her to let me go to a party with my friends, but as usual, she said no. Feeling desperate I went to the kitchen, to find my grandmother. She was cooking my favorite food, lasagna. "Hey grams!" I spoke. "Hey sweetie, what's up? " She asked, while looking up. Can I ask you something? "Sure thing, sweetie", she said. "Could you please convince mom to let me go to a party? It would mean the world to me," I said with a nervous voice. "I can try my best," grams answered. Feeling happy I sat in the living room, patiently waiting, while my grandmother asked her. Twenty minutes passed, and there she was. Walking slowly towards me, smiling. "And?" I asked her. "You can go, but..." she said. "But what?" I asked. "You know that your mother is protective of you, so there is one condition. Your brother must come with you." She told me, calmly. "Fine, I can live with that." I said happily. My brother is very popular, everybody knows and adores him. He's all girl's dream boyfriend; dark curly hair, six foot five and of course, captain of the football team. He started playing when he was only five years old! Unlike me, he has many friends and good grades. I'm your average teenage girl, who only has two friends and hates to study. "Tonight, I'm going to change that, I'm going to be popular." I said, feeling proud. As it was getting dark, I started to get ready. It took me an hour, but it was worth it. I looked like a model from a magazine. Wearing a short sparkly skirt, paired with a black tank top. It looked amazing with my long blond hair. "You look stunning," my brother said, while smiling at me. "Wish I could say the same." I said, he didn't even try to look decent. What can I say, he has a reputation, of not caring what other people say about him. I admire him for that. As we were leaving for the car, my mother suddenly started to scream. While turning around, I felt a strong arm grabbing me, it was my mother. I looked at her confused. "What's wrong?" I asked. Looking concerned, she told me that there have been multiple people that went missing in this area, that it's not safe to go out. "What, no mom, please I will be careful." I said, while looking at her, trying not to cry. While finally letting my arm down, she looked at me with a sharp determination in her eyes. "No," I don't want to hear it. Feeling broken, I sat in the guest room alone for hours, not knowing what to do. This party was my only chance to be seen, to he heard. As I said earlier, I don't have many friends, indeed, most of my life I was alone. For some reason, that I don't understand, I can't connect with people. Ever since I was little, I had a feeling that I'm missing something. I don't know how to explain it, like a part of me was taken away long time ago. "I can't just give up, can I?" I asked myself; while wiping my tears, I need a plan. Surprisingly, I came up with a good plan, that might actually work. After hours of being in the guest room, it was time to get the plan started. First, I put on some baggy clothes, so that you can't see my party outfit. Then I went to see my mom, who was in the kitchen washing dishes from dinner. "Hey mom, I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed. Good night!" I said, with a big smile on my face. While turning her head to meet mine, she said: "Oh, already? It's not even that late." "You would be surprised how much energy you lose, while playing with the neighbor's dog." I spoke fast. For someone who never breaks rules or lies, I came up with a lie pretty fast and a good one, if I may say. "You must be exhausted, that dog is absurdly fast." She said surprised, because I don't usually play with dogs. "Go get some rest." She said fast, as she was leaving the kitchen. I felt bad for lying to her, but I needed to go to that party, it was my only chance. Well, now it's time for the second part of the plan, sneaking out. I can't just go thought the front door, it's too risky. Then it clicked, "the window in the guest room," I thought, "it's perfect". That window is right next to the roof, so easy access. "Perfect," I thought, while I going to the guest room. There it was, the window; I went closer so that I could open it. It's kind of an old window, so it took me a few tries; but eventually I opened it. Feeling hot, I remembered that I'm still wearing baggy clothes over my party outfit. "No wonder I'm hot," I said, while taking baggy clothes off. I was ready, no one can stop me now. As I got out the window, some kind of adrenalin hit me. Did I mention, I'm scared of heights? Sometimes you need to face fears to be stronger, even though it's hard. Hearing my heart pounding like crazy, I took a step back, so that I could take a deep breath. After a couple of seconds, I got the courage and stepped up front. "You can do it, believe in yourself," I told myself, as I stepped on to the roof. Just my luck, it was supposed to rain all day; but the weather changed mind and decided to shine all day long. I remember yesterday , on the news the weather lady said it's going to rain for a week straight. Ironic, right? As I stood on the roof, I heard a voice behind me. "Well, well, well what do we have here," it was my brother. "Oh no, I'm done for it." I thought to myself, as I slowly turned around to face him. There he was, standing in the shadows, right next to the door. "Don't worry, I wont tell a soul." He said, calmly. "What's the catch?" I asked him, knowing that there is one. "There is no catch this time, go have some fun." He said, with a serious voice. Feeling surprised I continued with my plan. It took me a few minutes to get off the roof, but luckily I got off in one piece. Feeling proud, I turned around and smiled at the house. "See you later," I said, as I went to catch a cab driver nearby. The party was only teen minutes drive, so I got there really fast, which was good; because the cab man was kind of a scary looking man. He was bald with a long beard, that's kind of weird, right? Oh, and lots of different tattoos. One of them was really interesting, it was like some kind of a bird, but weird. Like a hybrid between Red-winged blackbird and Hawaiian crow, such a weird combination. It crossed my mind fast, as I had one thing on my mind, the party. It was held on a campsite, near a restaurant that is really popular, it's our village's most recognizable location. They have a menu with plenty of options, even celebrities eat there! You would be surprised, knowing that the most ordered thing on the menu is a burger! Yes, an ordinary burger! But this is not the point of the story. As I was walking to the campsite, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around, looking for the person calling me, but no one was there. The voice kept repeating itself, feeling confused I asked myself; "I'm I going mad?" I decided to ignore it and continue with the plan. As I went further, the voice became louder, more precise; telling me to come and find him. Most people would run away, be scared or even yell for help. Not me, I don't get scared easily. I'm up to every mystery that comes my way, so I decided to follow the voice. It led me to the cave nearby, as I went inside, I saw it. In the dark shadows, there was a male figure standing. "Who are you and why did you bring me here?" I asked him. He stayed silent for a few seconds and then started to speak. "I can't believe my eyes; I finally found you after all these years." He spoke. "That voice, why is it so familiar to me?" I said to myself, feeling confused. "Who are you?" I asked again. As he finally stepped out the shadows, I was stunned. "It can't be, you can't be." I started to stutter, as I realized who he was. "I am." He said, as he went in for a hug. Without hesitation I hugged Him really hard, not wanting to let him go. It was my twin brother, who went missing eight years ago! We hugged for at least twenty minutes, when we finally let go, I couldn't help but ask. "Where have you been?" "I don't know. I woke up here, in this forest this morning. I can't remember how I got here and for some reason I have a bird tattoo on my arm." He said, while looking at me. "What bird?" I asked, confused. "Look," he said, while lifting his sleeve. "That's weird, it's the same bird that cab driver had."" I said out loud. "So, you don't know what it means?" My brother asked me, surprised. "No, what does it mean?" I asked, feeling a little bit worried. While looking straight into my eyes, he asked me again. "Do you know what it means?" "No , I don't know. What's going on?" I started to scream at him, feeling scared. "You can come out now," he yelled. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind him, it was the cab driver. "Watch out!" I screamed, as I took my brother's arm, pulling him away. "It's okay, he's my friend." He told me calmly. Feeling confused, I told him to explain himself. "I needed to make sure you're not working with them. You see, our parents are not who they seem. When I disappeared eight years ago, I didn't get lost. Our real parents found me. The people who you think are our parents, well thy are actually... never mind." He told me. "Who are they, tell me!" I screamed. "I can't, but you need to know, that they are not good people." He said calmly. "Come, I'm taking you home." He said while grabbing my hand. "But what about our brother?" I spoke. "He's not actually our brother; he's some random person that our so called parents hired. Can we go now?" He asked me calmly. "Yes, we can, " I spoke. I was still confused about the bird tattoo, but he explained it to me. In short, it is a symbol of power and trust that people often get tattooed, to remind themselves of their strength. Who would have thought that a rendom day can change your entire life, just like that?