1

Jordan

Ms. Lukins

Language Arts Period 1

9 October 2017

My Story; Aaron Brooks

Whoosh, SPLASH! Our swing that led to a fall into the wide lake outside our

house was finally a success! It was a summers day, but surprisingly cold outside. My

lucky brother, Lukas, got to take the Splasher for a spin. Whats even better is that

when the air is cold, the water tends to be quite warm here at Rocky Lake.

OH MY GOD IT WORKED! Lukas screamed. YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT AARON!! His

brunette hair was pasted to his forehead as he was bouncing in the lake. Youd

think that he was five.

Ok, ok Mr I am so excited over a dumb swing that I have to act like a toddler,

its my turn. Swim your butt out of the path of my swing! I teased.

Hey, I came up with the design and the name! He challenged.

Yeah, your design was just a drawing of the swing and what it looked like.

There were no measurements or blueprints! I need some specifics! Thats why it took

so darn long to build! I countered.

Um, he hesitated. Well, I came up with the cool name! I bet you wouldnt have

thought of the Splasher!

Yes I would. I answered. Now, scootch your rear end to the other end of the

lake, Im going in.

I settled myself onto the creaking wood. I glanced up at the ropes to make

sure they were secured on the pine branches, which usually arent very sturdy. A
 2

cold breeze flew through my long, silk like hair that was colored like the pines, a deep,

calming brown that resembled my mom and brother. I lifted my feet and let the wind

start rocking the swing. My feet pushed forward and pulled back. That process

repeated a couple times until I felt myself lift from the rickety pinewood. My hands

slowly loosening from the rough rope. Then I pushed off, flying through the air. I

extended my arms feeling like an osprey searching for a meal. Then, I arched my

arms down in a diving position and started falling head first towards the lake,

waiting for the rush of water surrounding my senses. Plop. I swooped softly under

the water with little splash and resurfaced, saying Thank you, thank you.

My brother on the other hand, rolled his eyes and shouted, Boooooooooo.

I splashed water at him and he transformed the playful game into a full blown

water war. We were throwing water in all different directions, causing fishermen to

yell at us. All of a sudden, I heard a sudden and loud clap, and water just poured

from the sky. I saw a flash farther out into the lake. I urged my brother out of the

water and he obeyed, knowing from his years of playing in the lake that playing in

the water during a thunderstorm obviously isnt safe. Our mother told us some

stories about what happened to children and even adults that were in the lake when

lightning struck the water. They became paralyzed and drowned because they

couldnt move.

We raced up the hill that lead us to our cabin. The unforgiving wind tried to

throw us around, turning the water droplets, all over my body, to ice. Lukas and I

barreled into the house so we didnt have to freeze to death. Once inside, I saw that

my mom had been drinking again. I cant even go out to the lake for the afternoon
 3

without her ending up doing this! I tossed my brother a towel and sent him off to

take the first shower, and he didnt argue.

Get up, I growled. If I wasnt assertive with my mother, she would push me

around and ignore me.

Wha? Oh its just you Aaron.. she mumbled.

Mom, if you dont get up right now, I snarled.

Oh, I am so very scared, my mom rolled her eyes. You seriously think I am

scared of a psychotic 24 year old girl? Please, you are just a little girl to me. I bet you

arent even stable right now. Commented [1]: This is a little confusing maybe
explain what stable is.
I could tell that she was drunk, but that really stung. I was the most

responsible person in my house. My father left my family before Lukas was even

born! His leave had broken me down enough as a little girl, and my mom reluctantly

put me into therapy instead of a mental hospital, which would have made my mental

stability even worse. After my father Robert left, my mom has been drinking her

feelings away. I have been caring for her after her hangovers and Ive been trying to

get her to be to indulge in less alcohol. Yet here she is, calling me a little girl!

Tears welled up in my eyes, I wanted to scream. I knew I would get smacked or

cut by a shard of glass if I did. So I just ran into my room, change into clothes built for

the cold, grabbed my helmet and then I ran out the door. I ignored all my moms

taunts on how I was a coward or a baby that couldnt keep her attitude to herself. I
pulled my helmet on over my face. The engine of my motorcycle roared and I zoomed
off with no destination in particular. All I wanted was to get as far from my big
Commented [2]: Are you saying that Aron couldn't
keep her attitude to herself or her mom?
Commented [3]: Aaron couldn't keep her attitude to
herself, sorry that sentence is confusing. I'll fix that.

mouthed mother as I possibly could.

 4

Almost five hours had passed and I had to stop at a gas station. I has hungry,

my mouth felt like Death Valley, my motorcycles juice was almost empty, and I had to

go to the bathroom. Why didnt I do any of these things before I left? Because she is

back home and Cassy,doesnt understand my problems Commented [4]: Who's Cassy?
Commented [5]: Her mom
I hooked up my motorcycle to the gas machine and made my way into the gas

station mart. It was around 9;15 pm and there was almost no one in the store except

for the cashier and one other person. He was a tall and muscular man with tattoos

all over his arms and wore a tank top and baggy jeans. He looked like one of those

evil bodyguards from an action and adventure movie like The Fast and the Furious.

I strolled up and down the aisles of the Petro Canada store, looking at the

candies and sodas. There was medicine and phone chargers, headphones. I had to

check my wallet before I bought anything. Oh crud. Only $18. I grabbed a water

bottle, one dollar, headphones, five dollars, a phone charger, another five dollars,

and Mike and Ikes, two dollars. I walked up to the cashier and he rung up the price.

$16 maam. he stated

What? I said confused. Oh yeah tax. I pulled out my $18 and took two

dollars out of the pile. Here you go sir.

Thank you, and its Kyle. Kyle said charmingly. Would you come with me

please? You are our 1,000 customer and if you come with us, you shall get a prize!

Um, Im sorry, but I have to go now. If I dont leave, I wont make it to the

border before dawn. I protested as I started to slip away. Besides, your kinda

creeping me out and Im smart enough to not trust a stranger who is inviting me to

go with them in the middle of the night.

 5

Oh, well then I guess we are doing this the hard way. Kyle sneered as he

flicked his finger towards him, signaling the bodyguard man. This is Vanovi, and he

will be escorting you to your destination.

Vanovi clasped his yeti sized hand around my forearm, sending a shaking jolt

through my arm and then spreading to the rest of my body. The last thing that I

could remember from there was triumphant laughter.

I woke up in darkness, stiff, humid air surrounded me. I sat up and tried to

stretch. The key word here is tried. My hands and ankles were shackled together

and there was tape, or a cloth I couldnt tell, wrapped over my mouth. Cold beads of

sweat were breaking out and traveling down my body. I couldnt tell whether it was

boiling, or freezing.I turned my head to the right and in my face was the back of

another persons head. I tried to stand up, but just tumbled backwards into a group

of teenagers who looked as if they would yell at me, Watch it! If they didnt have

tape on their mouth. For this attempt, I just tried to stretch my back out longer than

it was to see over the peoples heads, and I saw hundreds, maybe even thousands

of different people. There were elderlies, new born babies without parents hovering

around them, average everyday people. Man this truck is huge. I thought, but then I

saw him. That one person that just popped out like a black pen mark in a field of

highlighted words. It was a youngish looking adult, in his twenty Id guess. He had Commented [6]: I like the simile

messy black hair and deep red eyes, like mahogany. He wore chocolate brown pants

and a tangerine orange and white striped shirt with a shamrock green collar. He

looked a lot calmer than most of the passengers, or should I say prisoners, on the

truck. Some were speaking or mumbling in a panicked whisper and some just
 6

unwillingly sat and gazed around with a crazy look in their eyes or just sat, sobbing

silently.

You know what the best part of this completely smooth car ride though? Commented [7]: I know you are using sarcasm but
others might not see it that way.
When I was finally in the most comfortable position I could be in this cramped space,

the truck stopped abruptly and threw me and a couple of other kids across the

truck. I found myself put in the lap of that suspicious stranger. Youd think that I

would apologize and move away, but I couldnt really do anything because of the

grip tight cuffs binding my wrists and ankles on orthe duct tape covering my mouth,

halting me from saying something sarcastic or flirty. He obviously couldnt respond

or do anything either because he was in the same predicament, but I sat

comfortably in his lap the rest of the time. Glancing back at the very awkward look

he had plastered on his face from time to time had made my thundercloud into a ray

of sunshine. Commented [8]: I'm confused as to why she wouldn't

do it even if she wasn't tied up.
When we did stop eventually though. I had been tossed around the truck and

put in very awkward positions so many times that I was willing for the world to just

kill me already. They marched us out one by one until we were all lined up by height.

They removed the coverings from our mouths and positioned our arms in front of

our bodies. We were all ordered to stand as straight as possible and to not speak.

That was when Kyle walked out.

Ah, well if it isnt the new faces of the Human Mutation Center! Welcome all.

You are here to be tested on of course. Some of your parents had voluntarily give

you up for experimentation and others, well you were wandering by yourself and no

one else was around so it was the perfect opportunity to steal you from your

original homes. Here, you will not be loved. You will be beat, tortured and broken
 7

down until there are no limits or boundaries in front of you. This is the one place in

the world that will start the new generation of humans! We will either be a super race

or die trying. There are also specially created animals. All new hybrids and

supernatural entities, you are all the first humans that arent already scientists

here that will have entered the building. Kyle beamed. Now, shall we get started?

No an adult yelled from the formation You cant go around doing this to

people, its against the- PEW. The man soon collapsed into a pool of thick red gore.

Did I mention there were newly engineered super weapons as well? Kyle

whistled as he blew smoke from the tip of his gun. Now, Vanovi, gather your men

and throw these new pets into their kennels.

4 years later..

Creek.. Come on test subject #34, its your turn. A guard ordered. I slowly

unfurled from the ball that I curled myself into for the night. My body had been sore

for many days from these new experiments. There was running on a treadmill that

was on max speed, and if you tried to stop, you would be shocked, burned, or

suffocated. They strapped me onto the machine and set the speed and they started

the session. My legs felt like they were being eaten slowly by sharks, going slowly

numb until I couldnt feel the pain anymore. My eyes were closing as if they were

blankets sheltering someone from a storm up in the mountains. Then my legs

werent under me. I crashed. I could feel the fire and electricity digging deeply into my

skin. Skin on my knees were being torn away from the treadmill and Im guessing the

suffocation system hadnt kicked in yet. All that I could think of in that moment was,

Ill deal with it after I wake up, and oh boy did I have to deal with that mess.
 8

I woke up back in my kennel, blood from my knees sticking to the bottom. I

could feel small kolt spark through my body, keeping me from going back to sleep,

but the burns from the torches were definitely the worst. My skin felt like it was

melting off my bones, but my bright side to all of this; at least I was more awake now.

I wasnt sure how much more of this I could take, I have been in this facility for for a

long time I couldnt remember how long because the days had come together into

one painful blur, and they had found new approaches to torture us every time I

thought that I was finally used to the previous form. When we first got here,there

were around 1,573 of us normal people. Now, there are less than 40 of us. Some lucky

enough had gained their powers fast and were able to leave the vicinity and be done

with their sessions. One of those luck doofuses was that stranger with the red eyes.

I was hoping that whatever poison that they were using on me would bring out the

mutant in me quickly and I wouldnt have to suffer much longer. All I wanted to do is

go back to my brother and be able to protect him from my constantly drunk mother.

For the first time since the beginning of this nightmare, I cried. I was sobbing, missing

my brother. Longing for the splash and cooling feeling of Rocky Lake. My sadness

was soon halted by a wave of anger. I screamed Why are you monsters doing this!

You have been killing thousands of people! Including children who have had very little

of their lives explored! CRASH! The kennel door shot across the room in a flash and

my hair frizzed up, like I was hit with lightning. Wait Did I just create a lightning bolt?!

If so, can I do anything else? I tried to concentrate and summon fire, water, or ice,

SOMETHING, but nothing worked. Many emotions were boiling through my blood, but I

had to escape now, before the guards and scientists came to see what happened. I
 9

knew that if they found out what I have done, they would take me away and I would

never see my family again. This risk had to be taken. Here we go

I was running through the halls, looking for doors or any entrance or exit that

could take me out of this torture house. Then, I saw a window that was slightly

propped open. I zoomed over to the opening and just jumped, breaking the window

in the process. Cuts broke out on my my arms, causing large amounts of blood to

flow outside my body. I looked down and saw how far away the ground was, but

what was scarier, how fast the ground was coming towards me.

Panicked, I looked for a way to halt my descend. Nothing. Not even a window

ledge for me to grab onto. I have a feeling these psychos had planned on dumb kids

like me jumping out the window. Well, I knew that I was going to die eventually

anyway.

Suddenly, there was a small flicker and I was on the ground! Nothing except

for cuts from glass shards had hurt me. I was so relieved, but now I had to find a

way home to Lukas. There was a new question placed into the back of my mind

though; how did my powers develop like this, and what are they. I had a guess of

what two powers might be. Either teleportation or flight and lightning or electricity

manipulation.

No time to stop and think though, I have to get away from here. I raced off

through the desert in the hot sun. I hadnt had water today, so I didnt think I would

make it far. Then I stopped. Wait a second, if I can teleport, then maybe I can get out

of here. I cleared my mind and started to concentrate on a destination. I didnt want

to think to far, just in case my body structure couldnt handle far distance

teleportation. I stood in the middle of the dry inferno around me until I couldnt
 10

handle it anymore. I just collapsed into the sand, waiting for the vultures to come for

me. I thought I saw one coming and wanted to try and run for it, but I was to weak to

move an inch. That was when I realized, it wasnt a vulture, it has a person. I realized

that the form looked familiar. It was that guy that left during the first week that we

all arrived at the Human Mutation Center.

He crashed in front of me. What is a little gal like you doing here in the middle

of nowhere? Im guessing you escaped the Underworld?

Ha ha so funny. I snapped. I looked at his back and saw a pair of perfectly

groomed wings. They glistened in the blazing sun, glowing in a dark way. One was as

inked a deep indigo and the other was colored like a sheet of iron. I could have been

hallucinating, but it looked as if was wearing the exact same clothes from when I first

saw him. Other than the wings actually, this guy looked exactly the same as when I

first witnessed him on the truck.

Im not sure I introduced myself from, how long has it been? Two years?, he

wondered.

Four. I sneered. I wasnt in the best mood and this time oblivious idiot wasnt

helping.

Yup, sorry. Im not good with time. He laughed. This man seemed motivated

by my frustration. Im Leon. Leon Reed, and who might you be my lady?

I rolled my eyes at this mockery of a man. He must be really bad with time if he

is speaking like he is living in the middle ages. Im Aaron, I hesitated. I couldnt be

sure I should trust him. Brooks

Nice to finally meet you He smirked.

What?! I thought
 11

Oh, and here is you annoying cat. She has been really sassy our entire flight

over. Saying things like Why must you fly so high?! and Ugh I really dont need a

master. I can just claw the bad people's eyes out. Leon mocked.
Um yeah! Your flights are terrible. Theyre boring, bumpy and make me air
sick. a muffled voice complained from a sack. A tiny cat head popped out of the
Commented [9]: What happened there that was a
serious time jump.
Commented [10]: What do you mean? They're still
having the same conversation. If there is something
that made it seem like a time jump can you point it out
and I can change it to make it less confusing?

messenger bag on Leons shoulder. Besides, what angel decides he wants to go

around delivering heaven service animals and wants to help a pathetic human. the

cat sneered.

Ill introduce you to the rude and talkative tabby, Leon chuckled. This is

Cookie, and she is your service pet. She will guide you on missions and other

situations.

Well, I might Cookie mumbled as she leaped out of the sack.

Ok, so Cookie, I questioned. What am I supposed to do exactly?

Destroy the place that created you? Cookie said as if she were shouting

DUH Its a threat to the Earth and other dimensions. If we have thousands of

people like you, the human race will become indestructible and then other worldly

beings, such as me and Leon, cant keep you selfish morons in check.

Sorry that she acts like this towards mortals such as yourself. Leon

apologized Shes been bitter towards the human race ever since her family

abandoned her on the streets and left her to die. Commented [11]: I thought Aron was a mutant.
Commented [12]: She is, but the cat still considers her
And I did, so I was let into heaven for being a trustworthy, gullible doofus. human because she wasn't born with powers or
abilities
Cookie hissed.

So this is off topic but, what exactly am I? I asked Leon and Cookie.
 12

Well, if it wasnt already obvious, Cookie rolled her eyes. Youre a mutant

with elemental powers. You can control electricity, fire, water and ice, earth elements

like dirt and plants. I think that you also have some psychic powers like teleportation

and telekinesis.

Well those are going to be handy. I whistled.

They arent stable right now, so I would advise that you dont use them

against Vanovi and Kyle at this point in time. Leon warned. You also havent

practiced using them, so you dont know how much stamina they could use or how

powerful they are.

Ok then, I yawned. But just so you know, Im most likely not going to listen. I

havent been out in the sun for four years and I dont plan on holding back against

my captors and tortures.

Well, I aint holding you back, so go for it. he surrendered.

If youre supposed to be an angel Leon, you arent a very good conscious. I

said bluntly.

I get that a lot. Leon laughed.

Cookie had started explaining the plot to take down the Human

Experimentation Center. They had wired a bomb and a engineered a virus that

would make sure no evidence of the Center makes it out of the wreckage. Cookie

said that if we are lucky, the scientists will die in the explosion and they will not be

able to spread information about the facility.

The virus is to destroy all electronic files and the explosion will hopefully burn

all paper files in the process of destroying the building. Leon explained. We will then

escape, hopefully unsca- He stopped mid sentence and grabbed my arm. How the
 13

heck did these cuts heal so quickly?! They were quite deep too, and there arent

even scars on your arms. Leon whipped his head to face Cookie for an answer.

Cookie just shrugged. Leon sighed, I guess we dont have to worry about anyone

getting seriously injured then, since Cookie and I are otherworldly beings. Then there

is Aaron, whocs has regeneration. Commented [13]: What?

I guess so, but right now, time is of the essence. They will have figured out

that one of their lab rats was a success and has escaped. They will get more people

to be test subjects and hunt you down Aaron. Then word will escape and some

people will come running to get powers for their own well being. Cookie explained Commented [14]: Who said this

Um, ok? Lets GO! I called, already running through the piles of sand. The sun

had started to descend in the sky full of inflated clouds. The decreasing light emitting

of the fading sun, painting the evening sky shades of orange and purple with

lingering rays of blue. The air had finally cooled down to a cool breeze with a warm

atmosphere. It was a beautiful night, and perfect to just relax, but that wasnt what

we were here for. I could see the roof of the facility when Cookie had told us to stop.

Get the bomb ready, it has to be ready to detonate before we go into the

Center. Cookie advised.

Already done miss worry wart. Leon teased.

Im not a wart, you are! Cookie argued.

We have no time for this! Lets get this mission over with. I urged. I had to

keep this information from the world, but that doesnt stop me from wondering if I

was really meant to own this much power in my fingertips. I even had regeneration

powers
 14

Yeah, Leon nodded in agreement. I will swoop in and let you both in from the

inside and you will place the bomb. I will find the mainframe and upload the virus to

destroy the virus. Are we all aware of the plan and ready to go?
Yes. Cookie and I whispered in agreement.
We watched as Leon took of silently towards the main building that connected
Commented [15]: Another time jump.
Commented [16]: Can you explain the time jump?
What is it and how can I make it not seem like one,
because they are still in the same conversation like the
last time jump.

to all the different torture chambers, each for a different form of disaster. I saw him

slip towards the room that had caused my abilities to emerge. Cookie and I trotted to

the side of the main building, hoping that Leon was good with a sense of direction

and would find the correct door.

After about 15 minutes, the door creaked open. Whew, finally the right door.

Leon sighed with relief. Come on, you just have to find the center of the building that

will send the chain of explosions. Cookie and I have been working on this for the past

four years and you have to finish it Aaron. This will be your victory. And with these

wise words from Leon, he zoomed off back into the building, causing Cookie to have

to leap from my arms to prop the door open.

Go on now, Cookie whispered. Its fine. I took a deep breath and walked

back into my one true and only nightmare.

We had been walking around two hours since we had stepped into the

complex and I think I got us lost. I had more and more frequent flashbacks of torture

and sleeping in a dog crate that wasnt even fitting for a 28 year old.The blades. The

burns. The shocks. The numbing pools. The antioxygen container. The treadmill. All

of it was rushing back into my conscious. I collapsed into a ball to try and close out all

the memories.
 15

Get up you moron! Cookie meowed We need to hurry! The virus will finish

downloading in 20 minutes and we will not have finished our part of the mission! Get

up! Get up! her paws shook my body, trying to gather my thoughts together, I

burst into sobs. Very quick ones though. I had to get rid of the Human Mutation Commented [17]: Where did cookie come from?
Commented [18]: She was always there.
Center and find my family. I had a feeling that the adventures though. I got up and

wiped the tears away. This had to be done.

I led the cat down to the central system. My head was finally in the game and I

was ready to play. The memories that came from this place will always haunt me, but

that does not mean that I surrender to them. The platform looked as if it hadnt been

touched ever since it was built, and it was the perfect platform for the bomb. They

really thought this through I thought as I assembled the explosive. Once it was

together, Leon came skidding down the hall.

Its uploaded, lets bust a move. Leon said as he continued down the path

toward the door. I inserted the batteries into the remote as we burst out of the exit.

Leon picked up me and Cookie and soared up as far as he could go before I

detonated the bomb. Rubble and cement poured down like rain, and Leon just kept

on flying. Relief washed over me like Niagra falls Where to now he asked.

Home I smiled.

After about six days of Leon flying without stop, we finally made it to Rocky

Lake. The air was at the perfect humidity, the sun was rising over the horizon,

making me ready to face the new day. I saw poor Lukas just swaying on the swing.

Was he, crying? Lukas had only ever cried tears of joy, to the best of my knowledge,

and here he was, crying on my very own invention, the Splasher. I ran up behind

him and said behind held back tears, Dont cry Mr. I am so excited over a dumb
 16

swing that I have to act like a toddler, Im home Lukas turned around and jumped

on me.

We thought you were dead! Lukas cried. Why did you disappear for so Commented [19]: We him and his mother? Try and
explain we.
long? Where were you?

Well, its a long story that has to stay top secret, but, I frowned. I have to

leave again.

No! he shouted. Why? You just came back! YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME HERE

AGAIN! His salty tears stained my sweater, and that brought me to tears as well. We

cried for so long, I couldnt tell when he would run out of his tears. His breathing

stuttered for a brief moment and then he looked up. Cassy has been utterly

insane. he managed to choke out. Throwing bottles at me, telling me to find her Commented [20]: This seems like too quick of a
development of plot
hangover medicine. I needed someone to vent to, so I talked to Cassy to see if I could

go to therapy, but she just smacked me and yelled, go to your room NOW! You are

turning into your disappointment of a sister. The next morning when I came out of

my room, she was on the floor and barely breathing. Im guessing that she

accidentally OD, so I called an ambulance. Right now she is still recovering in the

hospital. Commented [21]: You might want to add what

happens to the mom.
Oh man, I rubbed the back of my neck. That does not sound good.

Exactly, that is why Im coming with you. Lukas exclaimed determinedly.

Lets hurry. Cookie urged from my messenger bag.

No little bro. I frowned. Where Im going to is very dangerous and if you

come I am certain that you will die sooner than the Reaper planned on. Also, mom

needs you right now. If she doesnt have that one person to lean on, she will take her

life. But- I pulled out a brand new blueprint. Take this and build your own super
 17

slide. Im terrible with names, so you can rename it. The materials and measurements

are written all over this and I want you to give engineering a try, I think that you will

really enjoy it. Especially with that creative mindset of yours. I rubbed his head and I

could see he was holding back his tears.

Please visit soon. Lukas sobbed, latching his arms around me one last time.

I promise I will come back as soon as possible. I swore. Then, I pulled Lukas

arms off from around my body and held his hands, staring determinedly into his

eyes, hoping that my confidence would transfer into him. He had to be assertive if he

was taking care of our mother. I then turned around, letting the wind rustle through

my hair, and then raced off back into the woods. After a couple minutes of running, I

spotted Leon and swerved towards him.

Lets go explore. I smiled and grabbed Leons arm, who was already taking

off to the new, unknown world of adventure.