Winner!!!!! :D

(PSST! Be sure to read the last gratitude post below).

Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and this morning I tried to get up before anybody else so I could come downstairs and finish my word count goal. And it worked.

I now officially am a winner of NaNoWriMo 2012! :D I reached my word count goal of 40,000 words and next year I'll be shooting for 50,000.

Of course, my novel isn't done yet, but I'm still working on it.

Here is the Prologue of my novel. Please tell me truthfully what you think! :D

Prologue

    For years, Glaewyn and Yojar lived peacefully as the best of friends. They were known as the best wizards in the entire kingdom of Zundra, and perhaps even the world.
    Yojar lived in his tower just beyond the Forest of Zundra. King Robert had it specially built for him. It was fifty feet tall, made of stone, and had a large wooden door with his name on it, written in silver. There were many windows with a perfect view of the castle and the Forest of Zundra. Yojar painted stripes on the stone in purple, for that was his favorite color.
    Glaewyn preferred life in the Forest of Zundra. King Robert made him a small, but cozy cottage in the exact middle of the Forest on request. He painted it gold and wrote his name on the wooden doors in bronze. There were a few windows where he could look out into the Forest at all of the magical creatures that lived there. All of the creatures lived in harmony, none wanting to upset the others. Unicorns, fairies, pixies, sprites, druids, centaurs, dwarves, elves, merpeople, and many other magical beings lived there.
    Yojar and Glaewyn each created magical spells that would be used for hundreds of years to come. They cheered each other on and complimented each other’s skills.
    But after a while, their friendship slowly began to fall apart. Glaewyn remained as gracious as ever, but Yojar grew more and more arrogant and bitter. Glaewyn kept on creating successful spells. Yojar tried and failed to best him. Glaewyn’s popularity began to shadow Yojar. Yojar would crumple pieces of parchment after failed spells. The stack of papers in Glaewyn’s cottage towered over him. His desk was covered in spells.
    One day, after another spell of Glaewyn’s took off, Yojar stormed out of his tower and headed for the woods. He muttered a spell and the wind picked up.
    The sky became dark and stormy. The trees bent lower and leaves flew everywhere.
    Lightning struck the ground, and with every strike a magical creature would appear. But not creatures that were like the ones that already lived there. No, these creatures were evil. Demons, banshees, devil dogs, gargoyles, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, ogres, orcs, werewolves, vampires, salamanders, mud monsters, and many other evil beings appeared. Yojar laughed and took off for his tower. He watched from his window. The evil creatures ran straight for Glaewyn’s cottage. The salamanders set the house on fire, and minutes later it was no more. His house was ash, and Glaewyn was dead.
    Very soon after Glaewyn was killed, King Robert’s best knights rode into the Forest and killed off as many evil creatures as they could. About half of the evil beings perished, but the other half ran and hid. It was obvious at once who had caused that great tragedy. Yojar had made the mistake of dropping his wand as he fled. No one else in the entire world had a wand like his. His wand was a deep purple and had decorative silver vines wrapped around it. Glaewyn’s had one almost exactly like it, but it was gold and had bronze vines.
    The door of Yojar’s tower burst open and twelve knights ran in and captured Yojar almost immediately.
    Yojar just laughed and did not fight them. He was taken away to the dungeons.
    The kingdom was in uproar. They pounded on the castle gates and screamed for Yojar’s blood. Glaewyn’s name was shrieked all throughout the day and late into the night. They wanted Yojar to be dead. They wanted him to suffer. One man yelled that he wanted Yojar’s head on a pole so he could put it in front of his house.
    Two days later, Yojar had a short trial. In the trial he said that his act was an act he would always be proud of. He was publicly executed minutes later by Glaewyn’s own brother, Fubeth. The axe that cut off Yojar’s head now hangs in King Robert’s great-great-grandaughter’s castle, Queen Talia Snowflower. She often says that the axe gives her nightmares and she wishes that she could remove it. But it has hung there for years, and it wouldn’t be very wise of her to get rid of it. The peasants that live in the Kingdom of Zundra are glad that it is there. It reminds them that they will never live in danger because the Queen and her knights will protect them.
    After Yojar was executed, people began to call the Forest of Zundra the Forest of Yojar. The name stuck and now very few dare to enter the Forest, for they fear that they will perish as Glaewyn had. If the most powerful wizard since Merlin couldn’t stand up against the creatures, they thought they most certainly could not fight them.
    But the kingdom of Zundra had not seen such utter evil since Yojar’s time, and now they live in peace, knowing that their kind queen will protect them if anything like that would ever happen again.

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 30

The last day! :D

Today I'm grateful for . . . homeschooling. Homeschooling is fun and gives us the flexibility to do what we want. For example, today we are going to a book signing where we are going to meet Harry Connick Junior! :D If I were in school, we wouldn't be able to do that. On some days, even, we get done with school before lunch. Mommy and Daddy really try to make homeschooling fun and it works!

Photo by pursuitoftitus2.com

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 29

The last day of gratitude is tomorrow! :D Make sure you check it out!

Today I'm grateful for . . . The Hunger Games. It's my second favorite books series. My favorite book in the series was the first book. It was the most exciting and had my favorite character (Rue). I also loved the movie, which I got to see at midnight with my dad in the theater! :D The Hunger Games (along with a dream I had one time) gave me an idea for a book I'm writing, The Maze of Doom.

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 28

Today I'm grateful for . . . colors. Without colors, life would be so much more boring and depressing. I can't imagine looking up at the sky and seeing gray instead of blue. Some colors depress me, like black, but others I really like and make me happy! :D Here is a list of my favorite colors:

1. YELLOW!!!!! :D Yellow is so happy and bright. If I had to choose a color to describe my personality, it would be yellow.

Photo by earlystories.wordpress.com

Photo by paulbates.com

Photo by zazzle.com

 (I couldn't resist choosing a few pictures for this one).







2. Blue. Blue is calm and pretty and is a good opposite for yellow. Blue also happens to be my best friend's favorite color which is why it's perfect that my third favorite color is . . .

Photo by allaboutbirds.org

3. Green. Green is also a calm and pretty color. It reminds me of nature and flowers. Green is yellow and blue mixed together, so my BFF and I call it our 'Friendship Color.' Whenever we make cards or gifts for each other, we color it green.

Photo by public-domain-image.com

4. Purple. The name is fun and odd and so is the color. Purple reminds me of bubbles for some reason and is just a fun color.

Photo by ashtarcommandcrew.net

Hey, look! Purple bubbles! Photo by shutterstock.com

5. Pink. Not hot pink, but a softer pink that's very delicate and pretty. One that's so light, it's almost clear.

Photo by fanpop.com

30 Days of Gratitude- Days 23-27

Sorry for not posting in a while. November has been a crazy month for us so I haven't had much time to write up a post. Thanks for waiting so patiently! :D

Today I'm grateful for . . . Grandparents. I love it when Vavó or Grandma and Papa come to visit. It's always fun. I love spending time with them, cooking, playing games, and doing pretty much anything with them!

Papa, Grandma, Me, and Maxim

Vavô, Me, and Maxim

Vavó, Me, and Maxim

Today I'm grateful for . . . The Wii. Some of my favorite games to play on there are, Order Up! (a game where you have to cook in a restaurant and please your customers), Mario Kart (one of the best racing games I've ever played with interesting courses), Horse Life Adventures (a game where you create your own horse and train it to race and do different competitions), and Harry Potter Legos (another lego game where you play as a Harry Potter character and defeat evil with different spells).

Today I'm grateful for . . . Fantasya. Fantasya is my favorite book series that I have written. Well, I've written the first two books in the trilogy. It is a series about unicorns who live in a magical land called Fantasya. They live amongst elves, giants, trolls, pegasi, and other creatures. Some of the creatures are evil and some are good, and it's up to the main characters to defeat the evil creatures so Fantasya can be at peace again.

The cover of Fantasya. I had the idea for the cover and my best friend drew it beautifully! :D

Today I'm grateful for . . . creativity. Creativity creates ideas, and ideas create stories, so creativity is important for writers. ;) Creativity is good for anyone, though, because it allows you to be imaginative and have fun.

Photo by foxforag.com

Today I'm grateful for . . . the Civil Wars. No, not the actual wars, the band! It's my favorite band that I discovered through The Hunger Games movie soundtrack and Taylor Swift's song "Safe and Sound," which featured them. My favorite song by them is, "Kingdom Come." They have a really cool, unique sound and have awesome harmony!

 

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 22

Today I am grateful for . . . the movies. Today for Thanksgiving, our family was going to watch the parade, go out to eat for sushi, and then go and see "Wreck-It Ralph" at the movies. It turns out that no restaurants around here are open, so we are getting enchiladas and a couple pies from the grocery store. We are still doing the parade and the movies though. ;) Some of my favorite movies are:
1. ALL of the "Harry Potter" movies.
2. "The Hunger Games."
3. "The King's Speech."
4. All of the "Back to the Future" movies.
5. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Photo by shockya.com

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 21

Today I am grateful for . . . Butterbeer. The best drink in the universe (and the universe goes on for infinity). Butterbeer was originally invented in the Harry Potter series, so the people at Universal Studios who invented Harry Potter World (the best theme park EVER) decided to make up their own recipe for it. And it was a hit! It's a sweet, butterscotchy, fizzy drink. If you ever go there, be sure to get some!

Photo by jaunted.com

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 20

Today I'm grateful for . . . Art. I love to draw, even if I'm not very good at it. I love to be creative and use lots of color. I also love taking art classes with our home school group and seeing my friends' art. I've realized I'm pretty good at drawing things in nature and the heads of anime characters. Legs, arms, hands, and feet? Not so much.

A Picture I Drew Of My Wizard101 Character

Some Random Anime Doodles I Drew (With Flash)

The Same Random Anime Doodles I Drew (Without Flash)

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 19

Today I am grateful for . . . Sushi. It is (in my opinion) THE BEST food in the world. Cooked or raw, it is always delicious. Almost every year for my birthday I want to eat sushi for lunch. I could eat it every day. It is so good. This year for Thanksgiving our family is going out to eat and we're going to get sushi. I'm so excited!

Photo by thesoowoo.com

30 Days of Gratitude- Days 17-18

Today I'm grateful for . . . Travel. On Saturday our family took a bus trip to New York to see the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall for their "Christmas Spectacular!" It was really fun and we also got to get a lot of food: Gyros, Japanese food, Starbucks holiday drinks, and some other stuff. We want to go on a trip to Europe at some point.














Today I'm grateful for . . . Menedy. My well-loved, used-to-be-white-but-is-now-gray, floppy, old, stuffed cat that I have had since I was around two or three. I have no idea how I thought of the name. All I know is that she is my favorite stuffed animal and she goes with me everywhere I go. (Well, most everywhere). She is sitting right next to me as I type this. I even made her a crocheted scarf a few years ago with the help of one of my mom's friends.

Menedy

Menedy With Her Scarf

30 Days of Gratitude- Days 14-16

Today I'm grateful for . . . Jim. He's our family's very, very, very close friend. He visits us a lot with our grandma in Massachusetts, but recently he decided to come visit us for the first time by himself. He came to see my dad, brother, and I get our black belts! :D Since he helped us get started with Tae Kwon Do, it was awesome that he came.

Me, Jim, and Maxim

Today I'm grateful for . . . Kim Studio. It is an awesome Tae Kwon Do studio with great teachers and students. My dad, brother, and I just got our black belts yesterday! :D I am so excited!

Black Belts!!!! :D

Today I'm grateful for . . . Maxim. My awesome, funny, thoughtful brother who loves to play with me and make me laugh. We have lots of fun together, whether we're plotting pranks at night or playing Minecraft during the day. One of his favorite activities to do with me is Yu-Gi-Oh!--a card game that involves lots of strategy and planning.

Maxim and Me

Six-Word Stories

These are addictive. I challenge each and every one of you to write a story consisting of six words. Here are some websites that have Six-word stories:
http://www.sixwordstories.net/2009/07/submit-a-story/?#comment-27892
http://sixwordstoryeveryday.com/

And here is a link to my post on The Write Practice about Six-Word Stories! :D
http://thewritepractice.com/six-word/

Here are some of my own Six-Word stories:

There’s a dog that is crazy. (Inspired by my dog, Scout).
I am stuck. No words come.
Flower. No water, no sun. Dead.  
Fire crackles. Baby cries. No answer.  
Wails fill the house with sorrow.  
We are never getting back together. (Inspired by Taylor Swift's "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together").
Time slows down whenever you're around. (Inspired by Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale").

Here are some six word stories I like:
For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
Logged out. Pulled plug. Found life.
Happiness came in furry little bunnies.

I now challenge all of you to write three Six-Word stories and post them in a comment. Have fun! :D

(More gratitude posts to come once I get pictures).

30 Days of Gratitude- Days 12-13

Today I'm grateful for . . . Dungeons and Dragons. Or, to make it shorter, D&D. D&D is a role-playing game that involves paper, pencils, dice, books, and creativity. There is a DM (Dungeon Master) who creates the adventure and tells you what's happening around you at that very second. Then you have to role-play your character by saying what it does in that situation. From there on, you go on adventures, kill monsters, and try not to die. It's really fun and we have two groups that we play with regularly.






Today I'm grateful for . . . the Johnsons. Our family has so much fun spending time with them whether we're eating, playing games, or just hanging out. All of us kids have made up a few games that we love to play and are always inventing others. Whenever we leave, it hasn't been long enough. Here are a few videos we made with them last year on New Year's Eve.

30 Days of Gratitude- Days 10-11

Today I'm grateful for . . . The Write Practice. The awesome writing website for which I now work! :D Most everyday either the guy who writes it (Joe Bunting) or someone else who works for The Write Practice does a post about writing. At the end of each post there is a "practice," a writing prompt that you can do and post in the comments. Everyone else who posts their practice can comment on other people's practices and give them tips and ideas. The idea is that each person will comment and help everyone out in their writing.
















Check out my posts on The Write Practice! :D

Just Write
Six Ways to Make Your Reader Hate You
Four Ways to Control Your Inner Editor

Today I'm grateful for . . . Webkinz. It's another great game where you buy a stuffed animal in real life, open the tag on the stuffed animal, get the code, and type it in on the game so you can take care of a virtual pet! :D They're always updating their site and getting new games and activities you can do. You can create a house for your pet, feed it, and play arcade games for "Kinzcash" which is the money you use on there.

Writing Prompt

I stole this from my mom's blog. ;) These are so much fun! :D

I love it when... our family spends time together, I get together with my friends, I get a story idea that's so awesome I jump up from whatever I'm doing so I can write it down. The list could go on and on. 


I can't sleep when... I'm excited for something the next day, I'm reading a really good book and I know I need to finish the last three hundred pages right that instant, I finished a really good book and I keep thinking about it.


I have a phobia of...nothing, really. Oh, yes I do. Having my stories lost or ruined in some way.


I wish I had... a video camera. That's the first thing that popped into my head. I don't wish I had a lot, but I do wish I had a video camera. And all of the non-evil magical items and creatures from Harry Potter. And a pair of wings so I could fly. XD


I always smile when...Scout does pretty much anything, I watch a funny TV show, I'm hanging out with my friends (I rarely have a frown on my face when I'm with my friends because when we're together it's utter, hilarious, nonsense), and so many other things. I love the little (and big) things in life. Lots of stuff makes me smile. :)


I need... nothing. If I have clothes, food, water, and shelter, I'm fine. If that's all I have it may not be the most enjoyable life, but there are people who actually need these things. Me? I'm lucky to have it all.

I want... the stuff I said up three paragraphs. 

I think strawberries are... yummy! :D And red. 

I think most people think I am... a good friend. I don't really know what they think, but I have friends so my friends must think I'm a good friend.


I think I am... thoughtful and creative.


My husband thinks I am... I don't have a husband so- My dog thinks I am ... a good owner and cuddler. 


My kids think I am...I don't have kids, either, so- My brother thinks I am ... a good sister who plays with him a lot.


I used to wear... Baby clothes. Since I'm obviously not a baby anymore, I don't fit into them. XD (Goo goo ga ga).


I wish I knew how to cook... MJ's tomato basil soup. And sushi.


I wish I didn't... have to take showers to be healthy and clean.


I'm glad I...decided to play violin and love to learn.


The last movie I saw in the theater was... "Brave" with my family.


It was... a really good movie and by far one of the better animated princesses I've seen.


The last movie I saw on TV was... "Sleepless in Seattle" as a family during Hurricane Sandy.

It was... a fun movie with really good, funny characters.

If I had a month off from everything I would... do what I normally do-read, write, play games with my family, play with my dog, do crafts, and have fun! :D

Today I... have stayed in my jammies and wrote, so far.

Yesterday I... wrote, read, went to a Tae Kwon Do class and a violin lesson, watched "Phineas and Ferb" and "Malcom in the Middle" with my brother (who was sick) and my mom, watched "The Voice" with my family, and didn't go to sleep until I finished the book I had started that day-Jake and Lily.

I like... too many things to count.

Now it's your turn to do this writing prompt! :D 

     

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 9

Today I'm grateful for . . . INCH. The awesome home school group my mom set up! :D Most of our friends come from INCH. It's HUGE and so much fun. We do so many activities with our friends: We do park days in the summer, we go to the YMCA, we go on field trips, we go roller skating, we do so many things. We have lots of different clubs. We get together with our friends a lot because of INCH. And when we're not at INCH, we're e-mailing our friends and texting them. Thank you, Mommy, for setting up INCH! :D

Normal Picture

Silly Picture

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 8

Today I'm grateful for . . . Minecraft. One of my favorite computer games that my brother helped me discovered. The free version stinks, and the paid version is a bit expensive, but it is so worth it. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to get it, but my brother kept begging me to and he even offered to help pay for it, so I took up his offer and now I love it! I play almost every day. The point of the game is to take your character and adventure around a whole world, killing monsters, creating items, and building structures. You can play on survival mode (where you are able to die) or creative mode (where you have an unlimited supply of items, are invincible, and can fly), or on adventure mode (where you can't destroy or build anything and can die). You can play singleplayer or on multiplayer servers that other people set up so you can play with anybody. My favorite servers are the one my brother and I set up, a Hunger Games server where you go around and kill characters in arenas (which sounds horrible, but is really fun), and a server called Mine-RP which have super nice players and is a regular server where you build and kill monsters. If you want to check it out, click HERE to see the website.

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 7

Today I'm grateful for . . . Taylor Swift. She is a very talented singer and songwriter. I love her geeky quirkiness and how fun and creative she is. Watching videos of her concert and seeing her interviews are always so much fun! :D My favorite album by her is her newest one-Red. But my favorite song by her is Safe and Sound which she wrote for the Hunger Games soundtrack and appeared in the credits of the Hunger Games. I also love the videos of her cat, Meredith, who is super cute! If you would like to go to Taylor Swift's official website, click HERE. Scroll down for pictures and music videos! :D

Happy Election Day! :D

Happy Election Day, everyone! :D Right now my whole family, including Scout and some very loved stuffed animals (*COUGH* Menedy *COUGH*) are watching election coverage, eating food, and playing video games. It seemed pretty close at first, but now it looks like Obama is going to win.

Personally, I'm rooting for Obama. Even if my parents weren't I would. I like that he is for gay rights. And I don't think Romney is very pro-women's rights, so he wouldn't get my vote if I were eighteen. Some people really haven't paid attention to their history lessons. We're practically repeating what happened with blacks and whites except this time it's with gays.

Are you watching the election results? Have fun! :D

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 6

Today I'm grateful for  . . . Harry Potter. I think most of you know how much I love this series. I have literally read the whole series probably thirty times over. I read the first book so many times that it split in half. I love listening to the audio version by Jim Dale who does every single voice differently, I love reading the books, I love taking Harry Potter quizzes, I love talking about it with people and on forums, I love blogging about it, I love watching the movies, I love everything about it! :D I love all most of the characters. The ones that I absolutely despise include Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Umbridge. My favorite characters include Hermione, Dobby, Luna, Neville, Fred and George, Sirius, Dumbledore, and McGonagall. There are so many good quotes in all of the books as well, too many to list, but you can find a bunch of them on this awesome website! :D Mugglenet. If you want to find more of my Harry Potter or J. K. Rowling related posts, you can click on any of these links.

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! (July 31, 2012)

Book Report--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (July 21, 2008)

J. K. Rowling (July 28, 2008)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (September 16, 2008)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (October 21, 2008)

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 5

Today I'm grateful for . . . Books. I really enjoy reading, especially fiction. I love getting to know each character, bad and good. If a book is really good, I tune out everything around me and get sucked into a different world, one that only exists inside the book. I love reading at the beach, at night in my room, and around the holidays to pass the time. I have a lot of books that I love, too many to list in this post, but if you want to see some I enjoy, there is a list of books on the side of my blog.

Books on my nightstand

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 1-4

My mom gave me an idea to do 30 posts throughout the month of November and each day say something that I'm grateful for. But since this is the fourth of November, I'm a few days behind. So this post will have four things that I am grateful for.

Today I'm grateful for . . . Family. I love spending time with my mom, my dad, my brother, and my dog. I love playing games, watching movies, eating food, and making each day special with them.

Our Family in front of The Three Broomsticks at Harry Potter World

Today I'm grateful for . . . Scout. My sweet, adorable, crazy puppy who loves us all more than anything else in the world. (Yes, even more than meat). I love waking up in the morning and getting greeted by a happy tail and a tongue licking me all over. Coming home is also really fun, too.

Scout

Today I'm grateful for . . . NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month is the best thing that happens in November, in my opinion. Even more than Thanksgiving. Writing is one of my favorite things to do, so a whole month where you get to write all the time? Pretty nice. I especially like going to the write-ins at our local coffee shop.

Today I'm grateful for . . . Kirsten. My best friend in the whole world. Today is her birthday, in fact. (And so is my Grandma's. They share a birthday on my backwards birthday)! Kirsten turned thirteen today. She is super thoughtful and nice and loves to spend time with me and her friends. I love talking to her and hanging out with her and just goofing around. We both love to goof around and be silly. Happy birthday, Kirsten! And happy birthday, Grandma!

Kirsten (Right) and Me

Blog Carnival Winner- Halloween

I only had one person enter this Blog Carnival, so Didi at "Didi Readin' in the Rain" is the clear winner. But I really liked her story. It was creative and fun. Here it is!

A Chill, a Thrill, and a Yard Sale

     I was getting ready to say 'Trick or Treat!' as I knocked on my last door for this Halloween night. As the door opened, I was greeted by a young hand of which seconds after,  pulled me into the unusual house. When I realized that I was inside, I decided to close my eyes, and turn around. Then I slowly opened one eye, then came the other. A witch! I knew it! Just kidding. Continue. It was my friend, Leila. She said "I've tried too hard too keep you safe, I can't leave you now. (still, in being prepared for saying trick or treat...) "Trick or treat....Ahem...I mean: What?! I don't understand."
(Leila mumbling: you know what! I am still working on understanding YOU.......) "Huh?"  "I said I don't understand." "Anyway, there's no time. lock the door, and you will be safe for now. Who knows what could be lurking about on a night like this, especially today. It's a perfect opportunity for the.... never mind. It's better for you not to know. Let's go." She grabbed my wrist and dragged me down to the basement. "I want you to run into that wall. Now! " I looked at her with a puzzled look.
"NOW!" She repeated. "I don't know what you're playing at." I said. "But okay." I started sprinting towards the wall. But instead of crashing, I wheeled around, and ran upstairs. Leila shouted after me "Wait! I was going to eat... I mean... help you! Come back!" After hearing this, I shouted back "NEVER!" The horrifying response I got was a chilling cackle coming from behind me. I knew that the person I was just talking to was definitely NOT Leila. I opened the door, and sure enough, there was something waiting for me...

AAAAAAAAH! Addison slammed the book shut.  She threw it on the floor, stepped on it, hid it under the stairs, sent it through the washing machine, tried to donate it to the library...but nothing could shake the truth; she couldn't bear the suspense.

"Fine," she said, as she slowly peeled open the back cover of the book.  "I'll read it.  I'll finish it."

 I opened the door, and sure enough, there was something waiting for me... my worst nightmare.  An angry mother! Worst of all... My angry mother. 

"Where were you?!" Mom asked me.

"In there," I said, pointing towards the house behind me.

"I told you to never talk to strangers, let alone to ever go into their HOUSES!"

"But Mom, It was Leila--"

"You know telling lies is not allowed!  You're grounded.  Forever!"

"But Mom..."

"No.  You lied. Groundation.  Forever."

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"


That was not what Addison expected.  The thrill she had been seeking on this dark spooky night was over.  She dropped the book in the yard sale box at the foot of their stairs, and didn't think twice about her Mom hauling it away the next day.  She settled back into her bed sleepily with nothing left of her fears...until next Halloween.