Student’s Writings

Doppelganger by Rhys Guilfoyle

It is said that we all have a DOPPELGANGER—an exact double. Rhys, with the help of his friend, Danny, meets his, only to learn that cloning does have its downsides.

*ring ring*
(RHYS) “Hello?”(DANNY) “Rhys, I need help with a science experiment.”

(RHYS) “Yeah what are you testing?”

(DANNY) “I figured out how to clone people.”

(RHYS) “Bro why haven’t you called Nobel?”

(DANNY) “This has to be a secret. I’m gonna sell it to the military.”

(RHYS) “What do you need help with? You sound like you got it figured out.”

(DANNY) “The tests that came out aren’t perfect. They showed severe signs of devious behavior.”

(RHYS) “What have you done with specimen?”

(DANNY) “I killed them and harvested their organs.”

(RHYS) “I’ll help you if you give me some of that organ money.”

(DANNY) “Deal.”

I walked over to Danny’s house. He showed me to the cloning chambers.

(DANNY) “So, I should’ve told you, I need to test it on another person before I sell it.”

(RHYS) “You want to clone me? I didn’t sign up for this. Is this experiment even ethical?”

(DANNY) “Of course, I wouldn’t test you if it wasn’t”

I stepped into the cloning chambers and Danny closed the door. He did a countdown to three and everything went black. I woke back up dazed and confused.

(DANNY) “Rhys, you good?”

(RHYS) “I’m fine. Did the test work?”

(DANNY) “Yeah, meet your new friend X-24.”

(RHYS) “Oh my god, he’s literally me. Does he speak?”

(DANNY) “No. I haven’t taught them that yet. I ran other tests on him and he appears to be normal.”

(RHYS) “What are we gonna do with him?”

(DANNY) “Probably kill him. You don’t want another one of you around.”

(RHYS) “Nah he’s so cool. I want to keep him. I’ll name him Dmitiri.”

(DANNY) “I’ll keep him here a while to make sure he is normal.”

A few hours passed and I was fast asleep. I woke up to a distressing phone call from Danny.

(DANNY) “Dimitri escaped! Turns out he’s not normal.”

(RHYS) “What?! How did he get out?”

(DANNY) “He inherited the wrong genes. He has superhuman strength and insane intellectual capabilities.”

(RHYS) “We’re dealing with the ultimate lifeform.”

(DANNY) “He hurt me real bad. I called 911. Watch out, they might mistake you for him.”

(RHYS) “I will, I’m gonna track him down.”

I grabbed a flashlight and baseball bat. I walked down to the nearby Giant grocery store and noticed a ton of police cars. I snuck past them. He rearranged the entire store in the wrong sections, he spilt milk on the floor, and cracked all the eggs. We’re dealing with a menace. Where would he go next? I got a sudden call from Mr. Tom.

(MR. TOM) “Rhys, you’re expelled from the school! Why would you destroy Mr. Dave’s plants? Don’t ever come back to school.” Mr. Tom yelled.

(RHYS) “It wasn’t me. It was my doppelganger, Dimitri.”

(MR. TOM) “Likely story. Don’t ever come back again. I’ll send your mom the transfer papers.”

Mr. Tom hung up. Dimitri is trying to ruin my life. I look on my phone and notice on Apple News that a six foot white male is walking around naked in Baltimore. How could he ruin my life even more? I see a police car and break into it. I listen to the radio for any possible reports of myself.

“All units report to WBAL News station. We have reports of a naked man holding the employees hostage. Dispatch the SWAT team.” the dispatcher said.

I hurried over there and grabbed a gun. I walked up the stairs and saw Dimitri setting up to broadcast internationally. He was gonna air himself speaking fake news.

“Dimitri stop!” I yelled.

Dimitri didn’t respond but he started running towards me. I shot him. It was over. Officers asked me to put the gun down. I was arrested. A few weeks have passed and I was released from jail. Danny helped me win the case by selling the technology to the U.S government and showing them the side effects. I used the organs from the other tests to pay for plastic surgery and a name change.

Rhys Guilfoyle
11/3/23

Courage by Madison Hansel

The assignment: COURAGE.

Madison reminds us that courage is not just about heroic events but also everyday life challenges.

Courage is needed to conquer challenges big and small. When I first came to TCS, I was nervous and fearful of the unknown. I was scared to be in a new environment and exposed to things I wasn’t used to. I needed help to overcome my anxiety and fear of the unknown, and especially to present in Creative Writing class.

I don’t know why but just the thought of going up in front of the class made my heart beat 10 times faster. I needed courage and a lot of help from Mr. Tom and Mr. Don. I remember crying the first time I had to present. I didn’t cry when I presented, but a few minutes before my eyes got a little wet.

When I got up there my whole body felt hot. My hands were sweaty and my voice was shaky. That first time was a rough one. After that though, it became easier and easier for me to go up and present. Also, when I first did TCS News and had to sit in front of that ipad recording me, I was super nervous. I was scared of messing up or it not turning out good. It was fine though.

I tend to make a big deal out of small things. I still get anxiety speaking sometimes, but other times I am very courageous and can’t shut up. It depends on my environment, my mood, and energy that day.

Sometimes I even get nervous at little things like ordering food myself. But then there are times where I can do anything, and no one can tell me otherwise. I could talk to a group of strangers and be completely fine.

I believe that fear triggers courage. Standing up for yourself can come from fear. Fear of the hurtful or untrue things being said can give you the courage to speak up for yourself and others.

Trying new things is also scary but it can be fun. You are scared of the unknown but excited for the experience. People who don’t have a lot of courage can have less different experiences because they are too afraid of putting themselves out there, trying new things, or pushing themselves.

Courage involves your attitude and your spirit. If you are always negative and look at the worst side of things, then you need some courage. Courage doesn’t always just come from within you. It can come from others around you, like Mr. Tom and Mr. Don giving me the push I needed to go up and present my writing. For News, having a good partner the first time who wasn’t judgmental and had done multiple broadcasts made me a little less scared of messing up.

It takes courage to not give up, which is one of the most important things. Don’t give up. Once you have started something, finish it fully.

Madison Hansel

October 13, 2023

Alice in Wonderland by Kennedy Lewis

The assignment: FAIRY TALES RECONSIDERED.

Kennedy’s back story for Alice suggests a less-than-wonderful Wonderland.

My name is Rita. I’m a 32-year-old woman.

We’ve all watched “Alice in Wonderland” at one point in life, right? What am I saying. Of course, we have! Everyone remembers the inquisitive little girl, with golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes and that damn blue dress.

Although it may be hard to believe, I was once that little girl. I once wore that blue dress, my messy hair was all gold and pretty then, too. Nobody could  take their eyes off me for even a second. I was the talk of the town, or I guess the movie set.

I remember so clearly the day I was picked for the role. I was 7 years old. The exact day it happened, November of 1958, my mother basically sold me off for Hollywood money.

I had just woken up on the same bug infested mattress I slept on for most of my life, when my mother suddenly burst into my room. She packed all my clothes into a tiny K-mart bag and told me to get my nice clothes on, which could be compared to a yellow shower curtain.

I asked ‘why?’ She snapped at me “Get your damn clothes on and keep that mouth shut.” I didn’t ask any more questions and slipped into my dress. If you knew one thing about my mother, it was that she had a bad temper.

Kennedy Lewis

October 12, 2023

Is It Real? by Ruth Rivas

The assignment: FAIRY TALES RECONSIDERED.

Ruth’s twist on Goldilocks might just keep you awake tonight.

I wake up and open my eyes. Normally, I would see darkness, feel my comfortable bed, and hear my loud air conditioner…but not this time.

I woke up in an uncomfortable place and position. Instead of hearing my AC, I hear birds chirping and I see trees above me. I sit up and look at my surroundings. Where am I?

I decide to take a look around and, as I’m walking, I see a massive house made out of wood. It seemed familiar, but I just couldn’t pinpoint it because I mean, I simply didn’t know where I was. I take a few steps closer to the odd-looking house and peek through a window. There was nobody inside so I walked around the outside of the house to inspect it. I don’t see any suspicious items, but when I go up to the porch to open the door to the house, I hear voices. I quickly hide behind a large couch on the porch and hear footsteps getting louder and louder with the voices also getting louder and closer.

After a while, people appear and open the door to “their” house (I assume). My eyes widen. There are three different-sized bears with one little girl standing behind them. She has shiny, dirty, blonde hair in two messy buns and seems to be half the size of the smallest bear, and just like an ant compared to the other two bears in front of her. I see them walk into the house and I notice something that feels odd. They all had a small silver item in the back of their necks.

I then realized that I was in the story of Goldi and the Three Bears. I couldn’t make out what it was, but I felt uneasy. I waited a while before going to the window to look into the house. I watched their every move for what felt like an hour. The whole time everything felt suspicious and creepy. There’s tension in the air. Suddenly, my eyes widen. The silver item I saw earlier on the back of everyone’s neck is sliding down their backs.

My face is filled with horror as one human steps out of each bear costume. I thought it was impossible for my eyes to widen further but I was wrong. My eyes feel like they’re about to fall out when I see a bear crawl out of the little girl’s costume. This story was a lie!

I look again and instantly regret my decision. There are three brown-haired

humans; one tall man with dark brown eyes and hair, a less, tall woman with black hair and hazel eyes, and a young ten year old looking boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. But what really pushed me over the edge was the bear standing on its hind legs. It had blonde colored hair with white eyes. They all creeply grinned at me and started running towards me.

As I feel myself scream, I see black. I instantly open my eyes and wake up in my room and on my comfortable, soft bed. I realized that what I had seen was just a nightmare! I take a deep breath as I turn on my television and wonder about who the people in my nightmare were and why they were there. That breath of air was soon taken out of me as I saw news of a family that had been slaughtered years ago and whose bodies were just recently found in an abandoned house in the middle of the woods.

Shock and terror fill my body once more as I realize that the family that had been found, is the family that had been in my nightmare.

Ruth Rivas

October 6, 2023

Grandma’s House by Quinn Guilfoyle

The students were tasked to write a story about the loss of one of their five senses.

QUINN noted the pros and cons of her loss of SMELL, and discovered that her Grandma has quite the  sense of humor.

Grandma’s House

4 Senses by Ethan Jobita Jemadari

The students were tasked to write a story about the loss of one of their five senses.

ETHAN used his loss of SIGHT to remind us all to count our blessings.