A creative story by Gauri (The Fortune Cookie)

The Fortune Cookie

Prologue:

It all started like this~

"Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return."  That’s what the fortune cookie said. My heart skipped a beat!

The letters were written in black ink on blood red paper. I glanced around looking for some eyes that would answer my questions but none did. Then suddenly I saw a black smother in the front glass panes near the restaurant’s entrance. My eyes soon recognized the black smother, as it re-appeared slightly peeking from the glass pane. It was the man in black! The one who always kept his eyes on me whenever I was out of my house. I had wondered why that man was always there? A few times I even mustered the courage to go talk to him, but he, as always, would wander away before I could catch up to him. It was a secret that I was not willing to share with my parents or close friends. “The man in black” as I had nicknamed him because he was always wearing a pitch black blazer and lead black trousers. Only his desolated grey eyes where not the color of licorice. I quickly got up from my seat my blinded from reasoning by the blindfold of curiosity. I sprinted towards the door leading me out of the Chinese restaurant.

I followed him through the bustling crowd. Making sure he did not notice me. I was so close now shuffling through the crowd fast but silently. Suddenly, his head turned and his eyes met mine. I saw my pale reflection in them, my brown long hair scattered on my face, my green eyes alert, my mouth wide open. He turned and ran, ran straight out of my sight. I quickly regained my senses hurdling through the crowd out of the door.

I saw him running towards the next block, he was way swifter than I imagined. He was not as grizzled as I imagined either his grey eyes made me think that he was old and lonely but I had never seen his face because it was always covered with his mouth high collar. The only things that I ever saw were his eyes, sorrowful and strained. I ran straight towards him zigzagging through the pedestrians on the sidewalk. I turned to the next block where the “Man in black” had run, but I saw no sign of him. I had lost him again. My curiosity flattered and my mouth became a frown against my face. Without warning two hands stretched across my face covering my eyes and mouth. A slight scream escaped my mouth, but it was too muted that nobody could have heard it. After that I remembered nothing!

My eyes slowly opened, my vision blurry from tears. Sweat was dripping from my pale white forehead. My eyes were bulging painfully against my skull. I was sitting in a faded brown chair, my arms resting carefully on the arm rests.

“Where am I?” I inquired, my voice shaky from the crying.

From the darkness a figure formed. He was about 18 years old, no… 16. He was dressed in a moss T-Shirt and Dark blue jeans. His brown hair brushed slightly against his tan skin. He seemed unfamiliar, except those light grey eyes, still as empty.

“It…It’s you," I slight murmured under my breath.

The man in black! It can’t be him; he seemed so old and fragile. But, those eyes they are unforgettable the rare grey shade the same emptiness.

“Hi, I am Titus, Welcome Tyesha!” he said with a faint smile

“Where am I? ” I thrashed with an amazingly collected voice.

“You… well aren’t you going to introduce yourself? But I already know you, " he slightly smiled.

“First tell me where I am and why are you here?” I rashly asked, my curiosity unable to be controlled.

“Umm…. Okay so you are here to save the world from domination!” He said abruptly

“What kind of a joke is this!”?  My voice rising, my breaths shallow.

And then, there was an empty silence…

Vinegar

Vinegar

At 10:31 Mr. Carlen starts his lesson. We don’t have a clock in our classroom, so instead I count.

I slightly hear him talking, but I mainly focus on nature. My seat is right next to the window, and since I don't have anyone to text during class, I watch.

Every single day the same red car goes past at the same time. The busses arrive from morning drop off, and security allows the taxis to come in for the first time that day. But today, I see something else. Seven girls are sitting by the wall of the school. One of them is in the center of the circle holding a bottle while the other girls pour something inside.

The girl takes a big chug and throws the bottle to the ground, gagging. Somebody takes out a box, and the girl pukes inside of it. Then Sierra, the most popular girl in school says,

“All right, you lose. Who’s next?”

Everyone chants what sounds to be,

“Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey!”

They are speaking extremely loudly, speaking as though they won’t get in trouble if they get caught.  A smaller girl, who must be Kelsey, enters the circle. The other girls thrust the bottle at her and she takes a sip.

“Come on! Give it all you got!”

She takes a larger sip, drinking almost half the bottle. Trying not to puke is one of the hardest things to do. Her face starts to turn blue as she takes her last sip.

I can't watch any longer. Throwing my head back to the front of the room, it hits me. I know what they were doing. That liquid was vinegar.

I remember the teachers warning us about this game. They told us that they caught some people playing it, and whoever did it next would be suspended. I wonder why these girls didn’t worry about that.

Basically, in this game each girl is given a water bottle. They fill the bottle with vinegar and try to drink as much of it as they can without throwing up. If you finish the bottle, you win. Everyone in that group worships you and you never are forced to play again. Only one person has ever done it, Sierra.

The thought of this game disgusts me. No one ever volunteers, they get pressured. Something even worse is the people who want to be asked, because if they succeed then they will become popular. I know a girl like this. Her name is Ruby Wilson; she sits next to me in English. For years, she has been trying to complete the challenge, but with so much gagging, she ended up being bulimic and had to go to the hospital because of so much weight loss.

∆∆∆∆∆

At lunch I sit alone again. Normally I don’t notice anything special, but today I notice the vinegar players from this morning. They seem to be looking for someone, but this time when the thought hits me, it is too late. They are looking for their newest victim. Who are they walking towards? Me.

They all quickly slide into my booth, making me feel really claustrophobic. Some girls play with my hair, others just sit there and talk. Eventually they get to the point.

“Akhemm, Natasha, hey! So, we saw you looking at us this morning, and you know what that means!”

Sierra says to me with an evil grin.

“Now, you can come with us the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

∆∆∆∆

“Hey newbie! Your turn.”

The girls holding me down loosen their grip on my wrists and kick me into the middle. The green bottle is placed at my feet. I pick it up slowly, not ready for what comes next.

The smell of vinegar is already making me nauseous. I try to take a small sip, but that won’t pass Sierra. One second too late I realize she is pushing the bottle upwards so the vinegar goes even faster down my throat.

Me not drinking fast does not pass with Sierra, but drinking fast does not pass with my stomach. No one was fast enough to call it, so instead of my vomit going into the box, it goes into Sierra’s face. Brown is not a good color on her, and I am not the only one who notices that. All of the other girls start to laugh, groan and gag. The heat of the moment is starting to grow on Kelsey.

Approximately one second before she kills me, Principal Melton arrives. Well, I guess I should just say goodbye to the school. I doubt I will be coming back for a while.

Persuasive Essay by Gauri Kaushik

Cellphones should not be allowed in International School of Beijing

             These days almost all of ISB students have some sort of technology, apart from the MacBook Pro issued by the school. Having cellphones in school is a very bad idea and will affect the students' academics and can also affect their health.

             My first point is distraction caused by cellphones. As a teacher or student, we all know how distracting cellphones can be. Texting, video chatting, Facebook and all these things distract students from paying attention in class. The study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows that more than 80% of the students admit that their cellphones distract their learning. Also in a 15-week management surveillance program conducted by the California University, it is found that students are on non-school related websites 42% of the time in class. Not only will this result in unsatisfactory grades but the ability to concentrate and learn will also be decrease.

Talking about school behaviour let’s to refer to the point of cheating. When teachers allow students to bring cellphones into the class, they expect them to manage it with responsibility and usually trust the student, but what if this is not the case? What if the student actually cheats in tests and the teacher does not know about this? By eliminating cellphones in school we are not only ensuring that the student is not cheating it will also help in gaining your teachers trust and less dishonesty. After all, when you cheat on the test you are cheating on yourself by not knowing your true capability.

Another issue that is raised in most schools is the use of cellphones to cyber-bully someone. According to the i-safe foundation more that 1 in 3 teens in the United States have experienced cyber threats on the phone. Apart from the MacBook that is issued by the school, students can use their cellphones to either bully someone else or get bullied. As a result teens and pre-teens have increasing rates in depression in the past few years.

I think cellphones are a bad idea, they don’t only affect a students' academics but can also affect their lifestyle and health in various negative ways. To prevent this from happening we can ban cellphones in school. This will prevent bullying, distraction and cheating in school.

 

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Citations:

 

"Students Think They Can Multitask. Here’s Proof They Can’t." Faculty Focus Students Think They Can Multitask Heres Proof They Cant Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

 

"UNL Study Shows College Students Are Digitally Distracted in Class." UNL. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

 

"The Age of Distraction: Getting Students to Put Away Their Phones and Focus on Learning." Faculty Focus The Age of Distraction Getting Students to Put Away Their Phones and Focus on Learning Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

 

Hunter, Nick. Cyber Bullying. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2012. Print.

 

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