“The powerful wave took us out to sea, never to be seen again!”

One day my best friend Caileigh and I were at the beach with our families. Ale, Yayo, and Noah were building a wall to block the waves. My sister was reading under the umbrella and the parents were talking. Caileigh and I were playing in the water with the waves. Then a big wave came out of nowhere—it looked like a tsunami! The powerful wave took us out to sea, never to be seen again!

My eyes were waking up, flickering like a fire alarm. A big wind shook the leaves so loud, making me feel crazy. I thought I was near my house, but I was just running around. Then once I started to get tired, I noticed I was running in sand and I started to become aware of my surroundings. I started to panic: I thought it was just a dream and I wanted to wake up, so I started throwing myself into the sand. My eyes were burning. I could not move; I was in shock and I did not know what to do. My hair was crispy all around and my face was covered with sand. I threw myself down on my knees, knowing I wasn’t safe where I was.

Then I stopped and thought that I wasn’t alone. I turned to my right and saw Caileigh laying there like Sleeping Beauty (although I did not not kiss her to wake her up). I shook her and screamed at her, and she woke up calmly. Then I began to blame myself for the situation, for putting her in danger. I started crying all over the place. I did not want to die, but I also did not want to take someone else’s life to save my own and I knew it might come to that. Caileigh started realizing what was happening and started crying right by my side. It was turning dark, the sun was still out. We started getting wood and rocks. We were both so happy that Caileigh had glasses so we could magnify the sun to start a fire. We gathered the biggest leaves we could find. We made a circle around the fire, then we started stacking the rocks to give us shelter. The we fell asleep. We woke up to the sound of a bird squawking. We got out of the shelter to try to get food. We found a small tree and I climbed it to get some coconuts. We got two, and we cracked them open with a rock. I never liked coconut but I drank it anyway because I did not want to starve. Caileigh said, “Why don’t we make a trail with rocks so we won’t get lost?” “Great idea,” I said. So we gathered small rocks and split up. “Mangos! Score!” I said. I climbed up the tree to get them. “Good thing they’re ripe,” I said. I went deeper into the jungle and I found obsidian and a stick. I carved the stick sharp. I remembered the indigenous people that lived near the coast spear hunted fish. So I ran back to the hut and went to the water to spot for fish. I found five fish.

“Emily, are you here?” Caileigh said. I said, “Yes! I’m cooking fish.”

“Fish!” Caileigh said. I said “I’m also chopping mangos.”

“Well I got bananas, mangos, and some vines,” Caileigh said.

“I made a container inside the corner of the hut to put our food,” I said.

“Great” Caileigh said. Caileigh and I both ate fish and mangos. “Caileigh, I’m going to see if I can find more obsidian,” I said. “Okay,” Caileigh said. I walked deeper into the jungle, and then the leaves started getting bigger; it seemed as if the trees were closing in on me. There was less light, and I started walking slower. It seemed as if I was going nowhere. I started seeing visions, like a giant tarantula chasing me. Its head twisted all the way around, it started getting more eyes, and its fangs were getting bigger. Then I felt something crawling on my back. I was getting dizzy, and then I fell backwards. My vision was blurry and I felt my guts getting squished together as my face was getting red. Every movement I made created the sensation of sharp knives stabbing me. My fingertips were turning purple, I felt nauseous, and blood was coming out of my nose. I started becoming short of breath. I saw a net hanging me up by by my hands and feet. I got my stick to cut the net. I fell down to the ground and I felt like the ocean was taking me.

But no, it was a puddle. I gasped for air and coughed. I felt shivers all over my spine. I thought about Caileigh and how I could not leave her all alone here. I tried to stand up but I could not because my left leg was injured. I tried screaming to get Caileigh’s help, and tears were running down my cheek, creating a bigger puddle. My vision was still a bit blurry, so I did not know where I was going. I dragged myself to try and get home. I suddenly bumped my head on a barrel. My vision started to return. I saw a door, then heard a voice. It was Caileigh’s. “Emily! Oh no, this is bad, it’s going to get infected. Let’s see if there is something inside that house,” Caileigh said. She opened the door, and it went, “creak!” “Is anyone here?! Looks like there are some Band-aid strips. Here, come on, if I am correct it might not get infected, but we will see how it goes,” Caileigh said. Caileigh put the Band-aid strips on my leg. “What’s all this stuff Emily? This is Amelia Earhart’s journal!”

It read: “I don’t know what day it is. The last thing I remembered was that I was calling for help, and the next thing you know I was stranded on this island. I was alone; no one was here to talk to. I felt courage in me because I had flown a plane, so I knew I could survive this too. I noticed I was the only one alive. I gathered the extra material from the plane crash. I had rope, wood, and handy tools. While I was putting the wood up to make a house, I saw a majestic, white bird. It had amber eyes shining beautifully like stars. Its feathers looked soft as clouds. It was smooth and balanced as if it could dance in water. It looked so friendly. I was going to give it food. But then it poked me in the eye! I was bleeding so much it had seemed if I was crying blood!”

“That’s it,” Caileigh said. “What if that is the way she died?” I said. “I don’t know,” Caileigh responded. Caileigh put the book down. We started looking at the other things around us. The the book opened to the middle page—someone was writing on it as if it was black magic. “Leave! Before you become one of us. It is only a matter of time before she finds you,” the mysterious writing said. I lifted up the quill, dipped it in ink, and wrote, “Who are you? And what are you talking about?”

“I’m Amelia Earhart and you are in great danger! The mystic bird is out to get you! It might seem friendly but beware: It will poke your eye and poison you. Soon, it will be swollen and the next day you will die! Then you will awaken in a huge jar with me and the others. The mystic bird calls us the living souls. We are cursed by living in a sad, grey tomb, not a happy, bright tomb. We can never leave. We all feel empty with no interest. But you have a chance to live and break the spell,” Amelia said. Suddenly the book closed. Caileigh and I were frightened; knowing we might die, we both started to cry. It felt like I was sinking into the bottom of the ocean, getting darker and darker, thinking no one will know I died. Caileigh got up and wiped her tears and said, “Come on! We will fight through it together, no matter what! This is a pretty good stabilized structure, so let’s move our stuff from the hut to this house.” “Wait but my leg is wounded,” I said. “Oh right. Then I’ll do what I can by myself, you stay here and rest” Caileigh said. “Okay, I will try to clean the place up,” I said.

I found some cherries in the left bottom corner of the room. Caileigh entered the room and said, “I brought the food.” “Do you want a cherry?” I said. “Sure,” Caileigh said. So we ate the cherries and puked on the floor and slipped on the puke. I lost consciousness and my mind went all blank. When I opened my eyes, I saw the beautiful galaxy and the stars shimmering. I saw my hands, and they had been closed. They were wrinkling, but they turned back to normal. I looked to my left and saw Caileigh, and she was standing there all clueless. “Is that you Caileigh?” I said. “Emily! I thought I was the only one here,” Caileigh said. I said, “Good thing you’re here.” “Aww wait where are we?” Caileigh said. “I don’t know. Wait! We’re on a chess board,” I said.

Then a voice said, “The game will commence in 3, 2, 1!” We had to tell where the pawn will move and all the other pieces. We fought through the game, but then they got Caileigh, our queen, the most powerful and kind-hearted of us all. I felt like l was shot right in the center of my heart, where my feeling for Caileigh sat, like a million miles away. A tear dripped down my face. When the tear dropped on the floor, it sounded like a gong. The room got brighter. You could see the big grin growing on my face, my eyes turned amber, white wings grew out of me and I morphed into Majestic. “Good thing I got you now! Nowhere to go,” Majestic said. My body laid on the floor with that grin on my face and eyes blank as ever. Majestic got the cage where Caileigh had been sent to and just bent the bars. Next thing you know, Majestic dropped the cage and turned into dust, except his eye rolled around and turned into a small card. It read, “I will find a way to get you!”

Caileigh ran up to me and hugged me tight. I started to cough and gasp for air and Caileigh cried tears of joy. She thought she had lost me. Caileigh helped me get up. I saw a little gold coin and I ran towards it. The coin had the face of Amelia Earhart. I knew this must be a clue, so I save it safe and sound. I ran back to Caileigh to show her what I found, but Caileigh screamed, “Argh!” I turned around, and it was my greatest fear: the unknown! There were skinny, long people that had sharp teeth. Then I felt like the coin was talking to me. It said, “To achieve, believe.” But I was panicking, so the people got worse and I thought there was nothing I could do. Then Caileigh screamed, “This is your imagination! Turn it into something you like!” I closed my eyes and thought of happy thoughts, and then the monsters started to turn into pandas and kittens! Caileigh’s advice worked. The room turned into a gallery of fishes. There was this one fish bowl that had lights. I ran toward it. There was a little fish that had a pilot hat and a miniature airplane and there was a panel that said Amelia Earhart. I was in shock and told Caileigh to come over. Caileigh ran to me. I told her the fish was Amelia Earhart, but she didn’t believe me. Then I showed her the panel. She was shocked just like me. Then Caileigh looked around and saw a huge panel. She said, “Emily, what is that?” “I don’t know,” I said. The panel said, “My little sea creatures, you’re going to end up in my belly.” A thought rushed into my head and I told Caileigh, “What if Majestic is able to morph one thing into another, and she transforms her prey so there is no evidence left and she turns her prey into fish so she can eat them, since some of the fish bowls are empty?” “Wow, good idea, but I think I know where to get evidence,” Caileigh said. “Where?” I asked. “Follow me!” Caileigh said.

She took me to Amelia. “Amelia, what does Majestic do to you guys?” Caileigh said. “Well, she need us to survive, but to do that she takes our lives. She turns us into fish who live forever until she eats us. You might think I am dead, and technically I am, but Majestic keeps me alive, so you have to break the curse.” “How? I don’t have powers,” Caileigh said. “Both of you have powers,” Amelia said. “Of what?” I said.

“Of helping. You both have strong hearts and you know what’s right so talk to Majestic. Make her realize her mistakes,” Amelia said.

“Thanks for your advice” I said. We heard a thump. Thump thump. Majestic was coming, so we hid behind a wall. Majestic said, “Which little fish will I eat today? What about you?” Majestic pointed at Amelia. I thought about what Amelia said and I confronted Majestic. I said, “Why do you eat them? They could have lived longer!”

“I have to eat them, their blood is what I need to survive. A hundred years ago, I was old and my time was running up, but I did not want to die! So I went to speak to the sun god. He said, ‘Every creature’s life must come to an end and yours is coming. Accept this and realize there is nothing you can do.’I got furious and told him I would get my revenge. The next day I went to the sun god’s temple and morphed into a lady bug for good luck. I went to the room of solutions and found my solution—how to live forever. It was human blood. I had to eat one human each day to survive.” Majestic said.

“Majestic, we all have fears. One of mine is dying, just like you. I know it will come, but meanwhile I’m living and well, it’s great” I said. “Yeah, you only live once and you don’t take other people’s lives to survive,” Caileigh said. “This is my end. Goodbye, everyone,” Majestic said. She fell on the ground and broke the curse. All the spirits left, saying thank you. We got flowers from the garden to show thanks to Majestic and her courageous sacrifice. Caileigh and I fell to the ground and we opened our eyes. We were at the beach like before. We looked at each other in joy and hugged each other.

Reader, take note: In your hands, you’ll find everything from heartwarming accounts of friendships that are sure to last forever, to villainous tales of evil clowns. In A Friend That Will Never Be Called Enemy, 826LA’s After-School Tutoring students come at a sometimes difficult topic—bullying—from all angles. In the first part of our book, students tapped into their gentler sides, crafting letters to loved ones and tales of kindness. But our students also channeled their darker sides, penning stories about villains who might—or might not—change their evil ways. Finally, our students joined forces to become the Anti-Bullying Avengers, writing collaborative stories about how average people can become heroes by standing up to bullies, or how bullies can resolve to become kinder souls. With A Friend That Will Never Be Called Enemy, prepare to be inspired, spooked, and everything in between.

Read more about 826LA’s tutoring program and volunteer opportunities here. 

You can purchase A Friend That Will Never Be Called an Enemy at the Time Travel Mart here.