Cali Marlin smiled in anticipation as she held her mare, Artemis, or Arty, as Cali liked to call her. Today was the day. Every year Cali, her brother, Finn, and their parents rode all over the ranch in search of Secret, an elusive mare, and her band. Secret’s band had been loose on the ranch for years, but a human being had yet to catch a glimpse of their lead mare. The only reason they knew she existed was by finding white tail hairs caught in bushes. There was no other albino in the band. By collecting her urine and running it through multiple tests they knew she was female. And the places where she chose to relieve herself showed that she was lead mare, or at least a very high-ranking mare in the herd. This year, Cali wanted more than anything to see Secret. “Ready to go, Carolina?” A deep voice drawled behind her. Cali turned and frowned. “Stop it, Finn. I’ve told you a million times to call me Cali!” “And I’ve told you a million times to call me Grand Master and Great King of the World!” Cali huffed and turned away. Finn ruffled her hair and then jumped into his horse, Pepper’s, saddle. Although the belittling gesture annoyed Cali, nothing could spoil her day now. She sprang into the saddle just as her parents came riding up. “Everyone ready?” their dad asked. “Ready!” Finn and Cali chorused. They set off over rolling pastures and moved gradually into rockier country with steep outcroppings and buffeting winds. The trail they were on followed a fast flowing river upstream, higher and higher, until they were in the rocky foothills of the mountains. Cali and Finn exclaimed every time they saw something that looked like a footprint, but none of them turned out to be legitimate. Around noon Cali’s mom pointed upwards at a massive gray storm cloud gathering on the horizon. “Looks like rain.” Cali’s heart sank. They would have to head back—the mountains could be treacherous in bad weather. Her dream of finding Secret would have to wait until next year. In a few minutes it started to drizzle. Cali was just beginning to hope that they would be able to keep looking after all when a bolt of lightning struck a giant twisted pine tree directly in front of them. The tree crashed to the ground with a resounding echo that shook the bones of the mountain. “We’ll have to pick a path around it!” Finn shouted over the roaring rain. Cali’s father pushed his horse into the woods around the tree, and her mother and Finn followed. Cali squeezed Artemis, but the mare didn’t move. Cali kicked her gently. Artemis stood like a statue. Cali was starting to panic. The river was already swelling over Artemis’s hooves. She gently pulled the mare’s head away from the river, but it was no use. Artemis jigged backwards, eyes rolling in panic. “Calm down, Arty. It’s going to be OK.” Cali glanced into the woods. Her family was gone. And Artemis was beyond reason. She danced further and further into the river. Suddenly, a wild current swept them both into the middle of the river. Cali felt as if an icy hand was grabbing her, forcing her under the freezing water. She spluttered as finally they were pushed momentarily to the surface. The driving rain was blurring Cali’s vision, but she could have sworn she saw a flash of white in the trees on the other side of the river. But before she could confirm it a foaming wave crashed over her head, pulling her and Artemis down into the turbulent waters. Cali clung to the mare, holding on for dear life. Artemis battled hard, thrusting her forelegs into the infinitely stronger current, but it was to no avail. Just as Cali felt certain that this was the end, a mass of solid bodies pushed them to the surface. Cali looked around and gasped. Bays, pintos, palominos, blacks, duns, and one lone albino horse were striking out for shore, pulling Artemis along with them. Upon reaching land they shook themselves like dogs. Artemis did the same, nearly throwing Cali. With a joyous bound, they moved as one across the prairie Then, carefully, they began to pick their way down the mountainside. The precision with which they moved was flawless, and even in the pouring rain they looked ethereal. Beside them Cali felt like an ugly troll in the company of swan maidens. Finally, they reached the rolling plains beneath the foothills. With a joyous bound, they moved as one across the prairie. Their hooves tapped out a speedy staccato, and all around her Cali could see a myriad of different horses all running to the same rhythm. She raised her face to the sky and laughed from pure exhilaration. With her wet hair streaming out behind her, Cali gripped Artemis’s mane and let herself be pulled into a secret freedom. Aiwen L. Desai, 12Madison, Wisconsin Christine Troll, 12Somerset, Pennsylvania
September/October 2014
Take a Stand
“Go back to China, slant eyes,” they would say. “Why won’t you just leave us alone, Tina?” In the beginning, I thought she could have just ignored them. But I didn’t understand what they were putting her through. I remember that cloudy Tuesday afternoon clearly. I had just finished my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. I sat on a tan, unfinished picnic table outside my classroom and tilted my head up toward the cloudy, deep blue sky, admiring the unseasonably cool weather for an early-August day. “Megan!” I heard her cry out. Immediately I knew it was Tina. Hearing the panic in her voice, I jolted my head up and automatically assumed the worst. “What happened?” I asked, feeling my defensive instincts kick in. “They told me they hated me and that all they wanted was for me to die. They told me to go back to China! Telling my teacher only upset them even more.” Tina said she felt trapped, and abandoned. I wanted to help my friend but I didn’t know exactly how to. I felt so weak, not wanting to confront the bullies, who were my close friends as well. Did that make me a bad friend and a bad person? Or did it make me only human? “I… I can’t believe…” I stuttered out, feeling my breath catch in my throat before I could even finish my sentence. “They’re foul. You aren’t even from China!” I knew this because Tina was always talking about her rare yet incredible trips to visit her family in the Philippines. “They told me to go back to China!” All of my confusing, mixed emotions welled up and scared me as I struggled to keep my head from bursting. Time stopped. I blinked and looked around me until I realized that I couldn’t even see. I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. All that mattered was Tina. Emotions raced through me, sending chills down my spine. I searched my mind for an easy way out. I searched and searched, testing all possible outcomes. Still, I was confused and afraid for me and for Tina. She was distraught, softly sobbing into her knees. I then realized what I knew all along about what had to be done. I gave Tina a long, comforting hug. “I will take care of this,” I promised her, still with my hand on her shoulder. Before my brain could catch up, my legs had taken me all the way to the only swing set in the playground, where the bullies were seated in a circle on the ground. This was the place that the particular group of twelve-year-old girls always sat. They had claimed the red swing set as their “meeting place” to be respected and avoided by all other students in the school. I watched them for a while. I noticed the smirks on their faces growing as they laughed together about forcing Tina to leave. My twenty seconds of buildup consisted of a quick self-pep talk to convince myself that I could finally stand up for something. “You can do this,” I assured myself, “for Tina.” I jerked to a stop just in front of the girls. I still remember how I felt, staring down at them. Before I opened my mouth to speak, I took a very needed deep breath. “You need to leave Tina alone. She didn’t do anything wrong and she most definitely does not deserve you treating her like this.” As I spoke, their surprise flared and washed over them like a violent wave trying to drown out the sand beneath it. Each girl exchanged an angry and nervous glance. They obviously never expected me, or anyone, for that matter, to confront them. “What’s your problem?” I heard finally from one of the girls. “If you don’t want to be her friends, then don’t be her friends. But you owe her kindness at the least,” I demanded. They still looked upset, but after that I knew I was done. They knew they were done. That was all it took and I was astonished! Slowly, I turned to walk away. Bullies weren’t worth my time, or Tina’s tears. As I headed back, I smiled. I couldn’t believe the strength, joy, and amazement I felt standing up for my best friend. I hadn’t had the strength in the beginning and it wasn’t until after I had stood up for her that I realized the importance of true courage. I then, now, and will forever know that that was the right thing to do. I feel much more mature after defending Tina, and I will cherish the memory of standing up for her when searching for confidence as I go through life. Megan Little, 13Phoenix, Arizona Teah Laupapa, 13Kapolei, Hawaii
Matched
Matched, by Ally Condie; Speak (an imprint of Penguin Books): New York, 2011; $9.99 Part of leading your own, individual life is choosing whom you love and where you work. Imagine how drab and strict life would be if someone controlled that and decided when you died. If there is even one rebellious bone in your body, you probably would have despised a life like that. You cannot call a life your own until you control it, which everyone has the right to do. At least, nowadays. But in this futuristic novel, things are a little bit different, and Cassia Reyes isn’t exactly appreciative of that fact. Along with trying to deal with the order and rigidness of the Society’s harsh rules, Cassia is falling in love with someone she is not supposed to. This is like committing a crime. She knows what she’s doing is wrong, but she has to see the poetic, spiritual boy she fell in love with. This is when her rebellious side kicks in. Cassia finally realizes that the Society can’t make her into someone she’s not. This is where she and I share a trait. I am not just a lump of clay that someone can barge in on and mold me into someone I’m not, and neither is Cassia. I’m my own person, and so is everyone. Even if all your rights are taken away, you still have that. And with being your own person comes the capability to be with anyone your fate chooses. I love how the author uses poetry, passion, and desperation to bring the two characters together. Usually, I’m not into romance, but there’s something deeper and more indescribable than love in this book. Even when they’re apart, they’re still together; they’re inside each other’s hearts and minds. I think everyone and anyone can learn something vital from this. What I learned from this is that you don’t have to be near someone to be close to them. If you truly know them, then they’re on your mind all day and all night, even when you’re sleeping. Surviving without them simply isn’t an option. I learned that a relationship doesn’t just happen. It takes time, and that time should be spent together. It’s not about the appearance of the person nor anything else, except what they have to offer you, and if they’ll accept your offering. The foundation of a relationship is like a building. You construct the base with sturdy bricks, because you need to know if you can trust this person. If you can, the second floor is more lenient, and less broad than the first. Then you keep building up and the connection blossoms. You don’t just know straight away either. Cassia doesn’t realize she loves this boy at first. All he did was teach her to write, a forbidden concept in the Society, guide her through all her troubles, spend time with her, and admire her. But if that’s not love, I don’t know what is. If you want to see a powerful relationship built off of destiny and thrive off of forbidden actions, this is the book for you. Kira Householder, 12Scottsdale, Arizona
