Doppelganger Stories
Jesus, The International Hero
Once in a small town in the country of Mexico, lived a small child. His family had been struggling to make ends meet, and in the place they lived in was not the best for someone growing up. At night you can hear the gunshots being fired, during the day you can see the bodies from the previous night. Drugs being distributed like candy, and crime being the easiest way to make money. Making out of the place is no easy feat. But it was different for the child given the name of Jesus. For him the only way to escape all the other problems was by doing the one thing he truly loves, playing soccer. Jesus always liked playing with his friends. Always liked the way the people passing by would react when he did something nice. Little did he know that one day that would all change. It started off as a normal day. Him getting up to watch the local news to see who died the previous night. Goes to get breakfast, some tortillas and beans, and waits for his parents to tell him what chores he has to do for the day. Helps out with his family’s business, a bakery. They told him to get flour, milk, and eggs from the farmer. Once he finished he was told to sell bread in the big city. He worked for a majority of the day, but eventually his parents let him go. Jesus raced back home with his rusty bicycle and got his gear to play some soccer. He had a Monarcas shirt, yellow shorts, yellow socks, and some white shoes with some mud. He made his way to the park to meet up with his group of friends. Everything seemed to keep going like it normally went, people walking by would take a seat to watch the youngsters play, and the kids on the field playing it as if it is a World Cup Final. Jesus, being the most skillful out of the group, scores a screamer. A goal with some finesse. A goal that would change his life.
A soccer recruiter was on his way to a college, looking for new players to take to Europe. But that day, traffic was putting back everything. The recruiter’s name was Jose. Jose thought he would never make it to the college, but that’s when he saw a park full of kids. Since the bus wasn’t moving he decided to watch the kids play. Then that’s when it happened, he saw the goal. In the end, Jose decided to get off, not knowing that young athlete’s name, just yelling to catch the attention of the youngster. Jesus tried to keep walking, thinking that Jose was someone that brought trouble. Once Jesus got home, Jose was still on his trail. He knocked on the door, until Jesus answered the door and asked,
“What do you want?” Jose responded with.
“You were amazing out there today, may I come in?”
Jesus, a little worried to let a stranger into his house, decided to bring Jose to his parents' bakery. In the bakery, Jose was talking about how Jesus was so young and had so much talent. Jesus’ parents were a little confused about whether to trust this stranger and let their son try out for the Monarcas youth team. Jose gave them his business card and wished them the best. Jesus’ parents didn’t want their son to follow such a dream, instead continue helping with the bakery, and continue their studies in school. Jose thought otherwise. He went to sleep that night dreaming of the money he can make, the things he will accomplish, and how he can help his family and the people of his city. His parents made the decision to let him follow his dreams, since they didn’t have much to lose. The next morning they gave Jose a call and told him that they can take his son to Morelia, to try out for the soccer team. Either way his parents were gonna have his back. As he made his way on the bus, his parents closed the bakery for the week just to support their son. He got to Morelia, and went to the field. Most of the other kids were older. He got ready to try out, when he saw the coach approach him. The coach told everyone to line up. He started talking for a bit, and then it was time to show what everyone got. Jesus was so into it, that he completely forgot what he did. All he remembers is playing his best, then lining back up, and getting told that they would get a letter to let them know if they made it or not. 2 months have passed. Jesus had already given up, he just went back to work and studying. Jose came back, and told Jesus the good news. He was given the choice to play at the monarcas youth team. Without any hesitation, Jesus took it.
Jose knows that the team is not very big, but everyone has gotta start somewhere. 5 years passed. He turned the age of 18. He was starting to lose hope, since no other clubs have offered him a contract. But he didn’t mind staying at home, so he kept playing every match with everything he got. Monarcas proceeded to win the league in his first year. They later got second place, then won the league. Monarcas, seen as a new rising team from Mexico, a scout from Real Madrid named Angel laid eyes on Jesus in his next game. He had just found a hidden treasure. Angel offered Jesus to come to Spain. Jesus couldn’t believe it, his dream of becoming a soccer legend. So of course he accepted. Later that day he went back to his hometown, and told his parents the amazing news. Just in time, the family bakery was struggling, not making enough money for rent and keeping the bakery going. The next day, he landed in Madrid, Spain. The rest was history.
He broke world records, and made millions of fans. He went on to win almost every competition, becoming one of the most decorated players. Not only becoming successful in clubs, but in the country. Winning a world cup for his country, and champions league. Statues were made for his tribute. Unfortunately for him his life was cut short, he got entangled in drug cartels. One day when he came back for a visit, he got shot in one of the battles. Got shot 3 times in the back, fighting for his life, he didn’t make it. But one thing that still lives on is his legacy.
By Angel Lara Jimenez
Once in a small town in the country of Mexico, lived a small child. His family had been struggling to make ends meet, and in the place they lived in was not the best for someone growing up. At night you can hear the gunshots being fired, during the day you can see the bodies from the previous night. Drugs being distributed like candy, and crime being the easiest way to make money. Making out of the place is no easy feat. But it was different for the child given the name of Jesus. For him the only way to escape all the other problems was by doing the one thing he truly loves, playing soccer. Jesus always liked playing with his friends. Always liked the way the people passing by would react when he did something nice. Little did he know that one day that would all change. It started off as a normal day. Him getting up to watch the local news to see who died the previous night. Goes to get breakfast, some tortillas and beans, and waits for his parents to tell him what chores he has to do for the day. Helps out with his family’s business, a bakery. They told him to get flour, milk, and eggs from the farmer. Once he finished he was told to sell bread in the big city. He worked for a majority of the day, but eventually his parents let him go. Jesus raced back home with his rusty bicycle and got his gear to play some soccer. He had a Monarcas shirt, yellow shorts, yellow socks, and some white shoes with some mud. He made his way to the park to meet up with his group of friends. Everything seemed to keep going like it normally went, people walking by would take a seat to watch the youngsters play, and the kids on the field playing it as if it is a World Cup Final. Jesus, being the most skillful out of the group, scores a screamer. A goal with some finesse. A goal that would change his life.
A soccer recruiter was on his way to a college, looking for new players to take to Europe. But that day, traffic was putting back everything. The recruiter’s name was Jose. Jose thought he would never make it to the college, but that’s when he saw a park full of kids. Since the bus wasn’t moving he decided to watch the kids play. Then that’s when it happened, he saw the goal. In the end, Jose decided to get off, not knowing that young athlete’s name, just yelling to catch the attention of the youngster. Jesus tried to keep walking, thinking that Jose was someone that brought trouble. Once Jesus got home, Jose was still on his trail. He knocked on the door, until Jesus answered the door and asked,
“What do you want?” Jose responded with.
“You were amazing out there today, may I come in?”
Jesus, a little worried to let a stranger into his house, decided to bring Jose to his parents' bakery. In the bakery, Jose was talking about how Jesus was so young and had so much talent. Jesus’ parents were a little confused about whether to trust this stranger and let their son try out for the Monarcas youth team. Jose gave them his business card and wished them the best. Jesus’ parents didn’t want their son to follow such a dream, instead continue helping with the bakery, and continue their studies in school. Jose thought otherwise. He went to sleep that night dreaming of the money he can make, the things he will accomplish, and how he can help his family and the people of his city. His parents made the decision to let him follow his dreams, since they didn’t have much to lose. The next morning they gave Jose a call and told him that they can take his son to Morelia, to try out for the soccer team. Either way his parents were gonna have his back. As he made his way on the bus, his parents closed the bakery for the week just to support their son. He got to Morelia, and went to the field. Most of the other kids were older. He got ready to try out, when he saw the coach approach him. The coach told everyone to line up. He started talking for a bit, and then it was time to show what everyone got. Jesus was so into it, that he completely forgot what he did. All he remembers is playing his best, then lining back up, and getting told that they would get a letter to let them know if they made it or not. 2 months have passed. Jesus had already given up, he just went back to work and studying. Jose came back, and told Jesus the good news. He was given the choice to play at the monarcas youth team. Without any hesitation, Jesus took it.
Jose knows that the team is not very big, but everyone has gotta start somewhere. 5 years passed. He turned the age of 18. He was starting to lose hope, since no other clubs have offered him a contract. But he didn’t mind staying at home, so he kept playing every match with everything he got. Monarcas proceeded to win the league in his first year. They later got second place, then won the league. Monarcas, seen as a new rising team from Mexico, a scout from Real Madrid named Angel laid eyes on Jesus in his next game. He had just found a hidden treasure. Angel offered Jesus to come to Spain. Jesus couldn’t believe it, his dream of becoming a soccer legend. So of course he accepted. Later that day he went back to his hometown, and told his parents the amazing news. Just in time, the family bakery was struggling, not making enough money for rent and keeping the bakery going. The next day, he landed in Madrid, Spain. The rest was history.
He broke world records, and made millions of fans. He went on to win almost every competition, becoming one of the most decorated players. Not only becoming successful in clubs, but in the country. Winning a world cup for his country, and champions league. Statues were made for his tribute. Unfortunately for him his life was cut short, he got entangled in drug cartels. One day when he came back for a visit, he got shot in one of the battles. Got shot 3 times in the back, fighting for his life, he didn’t make it. But one thing that still lives on is his legacy.
By Angel Lara Jimenez
Naomi’s Journal*
Entry One:
Once upon a time there was a girl named Naomi Gomez, that’s me! I’m 16, and I live in Livermore, California. I’ve lived in this racist city for about 16 years. I go to Livermore High School with my cousin & my best friend Leyna. We’ve been friends since middle school. At first I hated her, don’t know why, but I just did. she started following me around everywhere since I guess she thought I needed friends. I didn’t of course, but I just decided to be friends with her so she would stop annoying the hell out of me. And here we are now, in our junior year of high school & we’re still friends. We’ve never gone through any problems together, which says a lot since most of the girls here are all either ex friends or getting back together. Her family is just the sweetest as well! I’ve never met such a nice family. I was scared they would be racist people but they aren’t.
I know it’s wrong of me to assume such a thing but if you walked around here as a proud Mexican person you would get yelled at to go back to your country by everyone all the time that you would honestly get used to it. I also had another friend called Ryan. Why exactly am I saying had? Well his parents said a lot of racist stuff to me thinking I wouldn’t know & when I called them out Ryan had the audacity to defend them. But anyways I'm living my best life here with Leyna & my family. They’re all I need to get through everything. Since things have been pretty bad, an elotero got harassed by some people for selling things on the street. Yelling at him to go back to his country & asking for permits. Poor guy, I hope he’s doing well.
Entry Two:
I decided I’m going to make this journal a serious thing! So I'm going to be writing about my week for the next 5 or so weeks. This was a pretty interesting week. I last stopped by describing my environment that I'm surrounded by. The environment got better these past couple days. Me & some other people decided to go protest by the city hall, since we’ve had enough. I know I said I was used to it, but It’s getting tiring listening to them yell at us & us just letting it happen. It’s way too normalized & totally not okay. The cops were there & they were pretty calm, they honestly didn’t really mind all that much since it wasn’t a lot of us there in the first place. A lot of people were starting to become very wary because of it. There were some people who weren’t really saying racist things anymore thankfully which was our goal in the first place. But it only lasted for a bit
since things are going back to normal now. Not normal for me & all the other people of color. But normal for those who yell nasty things & harass us. We decided we’re going to try again & see if anything changes for the better. School has been so stressful as well, they’re giving us stacks of assignments it’s so hard for me & Leyna to catch up. We’re both so dumb & can’t even help each other that much, we’ve just been asking so many people for help, it’s pretty funny. But anyways that’s really everything that happened this week. I hope I have some good news next week! :)
Entry Three:
Hi! This is my third entry, nothing really interesting happened this week. We had a protest this week as well nothing interesting happened. Same old same old. I’ve also been hanging out with Leyna a lot this week, she just makes me laugh so much. I also told her about this journal I’m writing, she thought it was funny & pretty cool. Since I don’t have much to write about for this week, I’ll write next week as well for my third entry. See you next week! :)
Hi.. It’s probably going to be very difficult for me to write this week's events out. Since it’s been just very difficult for everyone who protests with me. On Monday we had some protests that we planned out, we had way more people protesting with us this day & we ended up getting attacked by the cops. I’m being serious. The cops went against us & just attacked a lot of us, me & Leyna were able to get away fine. But the person who was displayed on the news & pronounced dead wasn’t. I didn’t know the girl that well, I just know that she went to my school & was always alone. She got shot 3 times by a police officer.. She was standing right next to me right before it happened as well. How was she not able to get away? If I had stayed just a couple seconds before & grabbed her hand to run with me I could’ve prevented what happened. Ever since the protest they’ve been following a lot of people who were there & just making sure that we don’t do anything suspicious. I found out that I'm on the list, since I was walking home & could tell that I was being followed. I wasn’t followed on Friday which means i’m off the list! I have something fun to look forward to now, I’m going to hang out with Leyna for a bit this Sunday! Hope everything goes well & we’re able to make what happened to the poor victim into something to help make change. May she rest in peace. :)
Entry Four:
Hi, it’s Leyna.. I promised Naomi that I would finish this for her if anything ever happened. She passed away two weeks ago. On the same day that I was with her. We were walking home from the park since we hung out there a bit. We thought we would be fine since on Saturday she wasn’t being followed. But on the walk home I dropped my gum on the ground and she was taking her pack out from her backpack to give me another stick of gum. And the next thing I knew she was on the ground bleeding, It all happened so fast. I couldn't do anything to help, the only thing I knew was that for some reason my best friend was on the ground bleeding and a guy in a blue uniform was holding me back and telling me that I was safe. It took me a while to realize what had happened, the police officer shot Naomi because he thought she was taking something out of her bag to harm me…
How stupid can someone be? I had to sit there in the station and explain that she was just taking out some gum since I had dropped mine on the ground. But they didn’t believe me and just thought that I wasn’t thinking straight. It was on the news the next day, everyone from school was in shock at what had happened. Obviously everyone there knew that she wasn’t trying to harm me since we were known to be very close. But her case was closed and the police officer is still walking free. It shouldn’t be closed.. It should be considered a murder case. He killed Naomi and didn’t get charged for it, instead he was considered a hero for keeping an innocent white girl safe from an illegal alien who was considered dangerous. I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent what happened. I’m sorry I dropped my gum. I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your journal with a happy ending Naomi. I’m sorry you weren’t able to change anything. At least you’re free from it all now. I’ll continue what you started and try my best to make change. :)
Danalin Villasenor
Entry One:
Once upon a time there was a girl named Naomi Gomez, that’s me! I’m 16, and I live in Livermore, California. I’ve lived in this racist city for about 16 years. I go to Livermore High School with my cousin & my best friend Leyna. We’ve been friends since middle school. At first I hated her, don’t know why, but I just did. she started following me around everywhere since I guess she thought I needed friends. I didn’t of course, but I just decided to be friends with her so she would stop annoying the hell out of me. And here we are now, in our junior year of high school & we’re still friends. We’ve never gone through any problems together, which says a lot since most of the girls here are all either ex friends or getting back together. Her family is just the sweetest as well! I’ve never met such a nice family. I was scared they would be racist people but they aren’t.
I know it’s wrong of me to assume such a thing but if you walked around here as a proud Mexican person you would get yelled at to go back to your country by everyone all the time that you would honestly get used to it. I also had another friend called Ryan. Why exactly am I saying had? Well his parents said a lot of racist stuff to me thinking I wouldn’t know & when I called them out Ryan had the audacity to defend them. But anyways I'm living my best life here with Leyna & my family. They’re all I need to get through everything. Since things have been pretty bad, an elotero got harassed by some people for selling things on the street. Yelling at him to go back to his country & asking for permits. Poor guy, I hope he’s doing well.
Entry Two:
I decided I’m going to make this journal a serious thing! So I'm going to be writing about my week for the next 5 or so weeks. This was a pretty interesting week. I last stopped by describing my environment that I'm surrounded by. The environment got better these past couple days. Me & some other people decided to go protest by the city hall, since we’ve had enough. I know I said I was used to it, but It’s getting tiring listening to them yell at us & us just letting it happen. It’s way too normalized & totally not okay. The cops were there & they were pretty calm, they honestly didn’t really mind all that much since it wasn’t a lot of us there in the first place. A lot of people were starting to become very wary because of it. There were some people who weren’t really saying racist things anymore thankfully which was our goal in the first place. But it only lasted for a bit
since things are going back to normal now. Not normal for me & all the other people of color. But normal for those who yell nasty things & harass us. We decided we’re going to try again & see if anything changes for the better. School has been so stressful as well, they’re giving us stacks of assignments it’s so hard for me & Leyna to catch up. We’re both so dumb & can’t even help each other that much, we’ve just been asking so many people for help, it’s pretty funny. But anyways that’s really everything that happened this week. I hope I have some good news next week! :)
Entry Three:
Hi! This is my third entry, nothing really interesting happened this week. We had a protest this week as well nothing interesting happened. Same old same old. I’ve also been hanging out with Leyna a lot this week, she just makes me laugh so much. I also told her about this journal I’m writing, she thought it was funny & pretty cool. Since I don’t have much to write about for this week, I’ll write next week as well for my third entry. See you next week! :)
Hi.. It’s probably going to be very difficult for me to write this week's events out. Since it’s been just very difficult for everyone who protests with me. On Monday we had some protests that we planned out, we had way more people protesting with us this day & we ended up getting attacked by the cops. I’m being serious. The cops went against us & just attacked a lot of us, me & Leyna were able to get away fine. But the person who was displayed on the news & pronounced dead wasn’t. I didn’t know the girl that well, I just know that she went to my school & was always alone. She got shot 3 times by a police officer.. She was standing right next to me right before it happened as well. How was she not able to get away? If I had stayed just a couple seconds before & grabbed her hand to run with me I could’ve prevented what happened. Ever since the protest they’ve been following a lot of people who were there & just making sure that we don’t do anything suspicious. I found out that I'm on the list, since I was walking home & could tell that I was being followed. I wasn’t followed on Friday which means i’m off the list! I have something fun to look forward to now, I’m going to hang out with Leyna for a bit this Sunday! Hope everything goes well & we’re able to make what happened to the poor victim into something to help make change. May she rest in peace. :)
Entry Four:
Hi, it’s Leyna.. I promised Naomi that I would finish this for her if anything ever happened. She passed away two weeks ago. On the same day that I was with her. We were walking home from the park since we hung out there a bit. We thought we would be fine since on Saturday she wasn’t being followed. But on the walk home I dropped my gum on the ground and she was taking her pack out from her backpack to give me another stick of gum. And the next thing I knew she was on the ground bleeding, It all happened so fast. I couldn't do anything to help, the only thing I knew was that for some reason my best friend was on the ground bleeding and a guy in a blue uniform was holding me back and telling me that I was safe. It took me a while to realize what had happened, the police officer shot Naomi because he thought she was taking something out of her bag to harm me…
How stupid can someone be? I had to sit there in the station and explain that she was just taking out some gum since I had dropped mine on the ground. But they didn’t believe me and just thought that I wasn’t thinking straight. It was on the news the next day, everyone from school was in shock at what had happened. Obviously everyone there knew that she wasn’t trying to harm me since we were known to be very close. But her case was closed and the police officer is still walking free. It shouldn’t be closed.. It should be considered a murder case. He killed Naomi and didn’t get charged for it, instead he was considered a hero for keeping an innocent white girl safe from an illegal alien who was considered dangerous. I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent what happened. I’m sorry I dropped my gum. I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your journal with a happy ending Naomi. I’m sorry you weren’t able to change anything. At least you’re free from it all now. I’ll continue what you started and try my best to make change. :)
Danalin Villasenor
The Story of Catalina
Aurora Velez Leon was your typical Colombian girl living in New York. Her parents arrived in New York in the early 2000s. They did not really have a plan coming to the U.S. Three years later after their arrival their youngest child , Aurora was born. She loved growing up in New York because she felt more connected with her roots.There was always something going on and she loved that rapid life.
While growing up she traveled a lot to Colombia, specifically Medellin. Both of her parents are natives of Medellin. Aurora was the only daughter of the Velez- Leon family. She only had brothers and to top it off she was the youngest. Her brothers were always protective of her. Every time she had to go somewhere at least one of her brothers would go with her. She has a total of four brothers.
Aurora clears her throat to read the email: “Good Morning students and parents. We would like to inform you that in person classes have been suspended due to Covid-19, but we will resume classes online. We understand that it may be hard for some of you to adapt, but we will help you all. The next two days will be tutorial day where we teach you all how to use zoom. Best Regards, principal and staff.” Aurora smiled and ran towards her mother who was in the kitchen cooking Arepas rellenas de queso for breakfast.
“Mami , mami qué crees!” Her mother turns and laughs.
“Ahora que Aurora!?”
“No hay escuela mami,” Aurora responds with a smile on her face. Catalina, her mother, looks relieved. “That is good news mija. Now you are less likely to catch Covid”.
“Mijos lávense las manos. ¡Quiubo! me oyeron?”
“Si mami claro que si” her kids respond. Her family took this pandemic very seriously and they were not taking any chances. They barely let anyone visit them and if they did they had to sanitize their hands and wear a mask at all times. Weeks turned into months. Aurora was trying to do new activities to keep herself entertained. She loves dancing and that became one of her main activities.
One day her father told the family that he was being laid off because of Covid and this brought a big toll on the family since he was the only breadwinner, but being hustlers was in their blood. Aurora suggested why not start a small business where they make homemade Colombian food and sell it to the community.
“That is a good idea sister” all her brothers responded at the same time which creeped her out, but she was excited to start cooking. They were selling out like crazy. Everybody loved their food, especially their empanadas which were stuffed with juicy meat and veggies. Some popular dishes they sold were; Cazuela de Mariscos, Patacones, Pandebono, Bunuelos, Ajiaco, Arepa and we cannot forget about the sweets. Cocadas, torta negra and tres leches cake were their most popular. The amazing thing about New York City is that people are always open to try new things and help one another. Soon they were very well known and people started eating there on a regular basis.
A few months later, she graduated from high school with an outstanding GPA. Right after high school she went straight to college and began her career within the medical field. She made the decision to live on campus even though her home was about fifteen to twenty minutes away. Aurora wanted to feel like an adult and be more independent, but that did not stop her from going to her parents home on the weekends to sell delicious Colombian food.
“Hey brother, can I talk to you real quick?” Anytime Aurora needed advice she contacted her eldest brother.
“Yeah! what’s up sister?”
“I just been very stressed with college and I was hoping that you could advise me on what to do.”
“Sister, I know I am going to sound like mami and papi, but you should talk to God. He’ll always have the answer you are looking for. When you feel hurt, lost, confused or anything of that sort talk to him and watch how much better you’ll feel afterwards.”
“Thank you brother, that is exactly what I needed to hear.” Aurora felt satisfied after conversing with her brother.
Aurora was in a Zoom meeting with her counselor when she received a message from her mother stating that she should not come home for dinner tonight. That caught her off guard because on Friday’s she would leave campus and stay the whole weekend with her parents. Right after her Zoom meeting she called her mother. “Mami, why did you message me not to go today? Is everything okay?”
“No mija, everything is not okay.”
“What’s wrong mami? You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t know how, but I got Covid, Aurora. I don’t want to risk your health, that is why I don’t want you to come. All of your brothers are getting tested and so should you. I will be quarantining in my room and your father will be staying in your room.”
“Mami, I am sorry to hear that. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing mija, just take care of yourself.”
After her phone call with her mother she felt very sad and decided to call her grandmother who lives in Medellin.
“Abuelita! Como estas mi viejita chula,” Aurora chuckles.
“Muy bien mija.”
“Abuelita, Mami tiene Covid y está muy grave. Usted tiene algún remedio?”
“Ay no pobrecita de mi hija. Yo ahorita te mando unas recetas.”
“Muchas gracias abuelita, te quiero mucho. Adios.”
She received many different home remedies provided by her lovely traditional grandma. Two weeks went by and her mother has not gotten any better. Aurora felt like she needed to do something for her mother, but she felt trapped in finding a way in which she could help her mother out. The next day, Aurora got up early and cooked empanadas mixtas which were her mother’s favorite. Packed four empanadas and drove to her mothers home. She knocked over and over, but no one answered. She called her father.
“Papi, where are you?”
“Mija, I’m at Home Depot with your brothers.”
“Y mami?”
“She is home resting. Why? Is something wrong?”
“She’s not answering and I’m getting worried.”
“I have an extra key under my boot. Get it and check on your mami.” Aurora opened the door and started calling for her mom. She placed the empanadas on the table and walked towards her mother’s room.
“Mami,” Aurora whispers. “Mami, ¿estás bien?”
She still did not get a response. Walking towards her mother she felt scared. She placed her hands on her and tapped her shoulder to see if her mother was responsive, but she was not. Quickly she started looking for a pulse. Her father still on the line became very worried and anxious.
“Aurora! Is everything okay? Aurora! answer me” Aurora began to shake with fear and broke down.
“Mami, nooo, porque!” Aurora begins to cry like she never has before. Holding her mother in her arms and sobbing. Her father quickly dropped what he was doing and along with his sons rushed to their home. Once they arrived they saw first responders and Aurora crying hysterically.
“MIJA, AURORA!” her father yelled while trying to get her attention. “¿Qué pasó Aurora?”
Barely being able to say anything she manages to say, “She's gone, papi. Her soul is with God now.” Her father and brothers began to cry. They hugged each other and told each other that they have to be strong and keep pushing because their mother would not want to see them like that. A week later after her mother’s death, Aurora felt lost with no motivation or strength to do anything. This was the darkest spot she had ever been in. Then, suddenly a warm feeling wrapped around her. It felt like the hugs her mother used to give her, but the weirdest thing was that right after Aurora’s mood changed and she wanted to be her old self again.
She opened their food business again. One day while she was selling food the authorities came and shut down her business.
“Good afternoon miss. By any chance do you have the legal documents which allow you to distribute and sell food to others.”
“No, I do not, officer.”
“I am going to need you to shut all of this down and to not sell anything else until you have the legal documents to do so.”
“I do apologize that I have to shut your business down, but you are not allowed to be selling food. Go to the precinct tomorrow to sort everything out.” Aurora was more furious than ever, but she knew she had to control her emotions.
“Okay, officer I will. Thank you.”
Not being able to cook for others and make extra income for her family made her both mad and sad. Sooner or later she opened up the business again and continued to sell food. With time she realized that her true passion was cooking. It was a tough decision, but she decided to stop learning about the medical field and turn her interest into business so that one day she can
open up her own restaurants.
Years went by and finally she got her business degree. Excited than ever she began looking for locations in which she can start up her first restaurant. After finding the perfect location she had to come up with a name for her restaurant. Since her love for food and cooking was brought on to her by her mother she came to a decision of naming her restaurant after her mother ‘ Catalina’. Her restaurant will be selling traditional Colombian cuisine , but all the recipes will be based on her mothers recipes. This was truly important to Aurora. At her grand opening her father expressed how proud he was of her and that she is doing what truly makes her happy. He gave her a hug and whispered in her ear: “Tu mami esta bien orgullosa de ti.”
Her grand opening was a success. Soon her restaurant became a chain of restaurants and she was opening up in different locations, but the most important location to her was in Medellin, Colombia since that is her mothers hometown. She was worried that ‘Catalina’ would not be successful in Medellin, but she could not have been any more wrong. It was a total success. Many people heard about her story and journalists wanted to get her story out. When her story became public everyone fell in love with the way Aurora handled every struggle she faced. In the end, Aurora was happy that she was doing what she loved and keeping her mother’s legacy alive.
Odalys Arechiga
Aurora Velez Leon was your typical Colombian girl living in New York. Her parents arrived in New York in the early 2000s. They did not really have a plan coming to the U.S. Three years later after their arrival their youngest child , Aurora was born. She loved growing up in New York because she felt more connected with her roots.There was always something going on and she loved that rapid life.
While growing up she traveled a lot to Colombia, specifically Medellin. Both of her parents are natives of Medellin. Aurora was the only daughter of the Velez- Leon family. She only had brothers and to top it off she was the youngest. Her brothers were always protective of her. Every time she had to go somewhere at least one of her brothers would go with her. She has a total of four brothers.
Aurora clears her throat to read the email: “Good Morning students and parents. We would like to inform you that in person classes have been suspended due to Covid-19, but we will resume classes online. We understand that it may be hard for some of you to adapt, but we will help you all. The next two days will be tutorial day where we teach you all how to use zoom. Best Regards, principal and staff.” Aurora smiled and ran towards her mother who was in the kitchen cooking Arepas rellenas de queso for breakfast.
“Mami , mami qué crees!” Her mother turns and laughs.
“Ahora que Aurora!?”
“No hay escuela mami,” Aurora responds with a smile on her face. Catalina, her mother, looks relieved. “That is good news mija. Now you are less likely to catch Covid”.
“Mijos lávense las manos. ¡Quiubo! me oyeron?”
“Si mami claro que si” her kids respond. Her family took this pandemic very seriously and they were not taking any chances. They barely let anyone visit them and if they did they had to sanitize their hands and wear a mask at all times. Weeks turned into months. Aurora was trying to do new activities to keep herself entertained. She loves dancing and that became one of her main activities.
One day her father told the family that he was being laid off because of Covid and this brought a big toll on the family since he was the only breadwinner, but being hustlers was in their blood. Aurora suggested why not start a small business where they make homemade Colombian food and sell it to the community.
“That is a good idea sister” all her brothers responded at the same time which creeped her out, but she was excited to start cooking. They were selling out like crazy. Everybody loved their food, especially their empanadas which were stuffed with juicy meat and veggies. Some popular dishes they sold were; Cazuela de Mariscos, Patacones, Pandebono, Bunuelos, Ajiaco, Arepa and we cannot forget about the sweets. Cocadas, torta negra and tres leches cake were their most popular. The amazing thing about New York City is that people are always open to try new things and help one another. Soon they were very well known and people started eating there on a regular basis.
A few months later, she graduated from high school with an outstanding GPA. Right after high school she went straight to college and began her career within the medical field. She made the decision to live on campus even though her home was about fifteen to twenty minutes away. Aurora wanted to feel like an adult and be more independent, but that did not stop her from going to her parents home on the weekends to sell delicious Colombian food.
“Hey brother, can I talk to you real quick?” Anytime Aurora needed advice she contacted her eldest brother.
“Yeah! what’s up sister?”
“I just been very stressed with college and I was hoping that you could advise me on what to do.”
“Sister, I know I am going to sound like mami and papi, but you should talk to God. He’ll always have the answer you are looking for. When you feel hurt, lost, confused or anything of that sort talk to him and watch how much better you’ll feel afterwards.”
“Thank you brother, that is exactly what I needed to hear.” Aurora felt satisfied after conversing with her brother.
Aurora was in a Zoom meeting with her counselor when she received a message from her mother stating that she should not come home for dinner tonight. That caught her off guard because on Friday’s she would leave campus and stay the whole weekend with her parents. Right after her Zoom meeting she called her mother. “Mami, why did you message me not to go today? Is everything okay?”
“No mija, everything is not okay.”
“What’s wrong mami? You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t know how, but I got Covid, Aurora. I don’t want to risk your health, that is why I don’t want you to come. All of your brothers are getting tested and so should you. I will be quarantining in my room and your father will be staying in your room.”
“Mami, I am sorry to hear that. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing mija, just take care of yourself.”
After her phone call with her mother she felt very sad and decided to call her grandmother who lives in Medellin.
“Abuelita! Como estas mi viejita chula,” Aurora chuckles.
“Muy bien mija.”
“Abuelita, Mami tiene Covid y está muy grave. Usted tiene algún remedio?”
“Ay no pobrecita de mi hija. Yo ahorita te mando unas recetas.”
“Muchas gracias abuelita, te quiero mucho. Adios.”
She received many different home remedies provided by her lovely traditional grandma. Two weeks went by and her mother has not gotten any better. Aurora felt like she needed to do something for her mother, but she felt trapped in finding a way in which she could help her mother out. The next day, Aurora got up early and cooked empanadas mixtas which were her mother’s favorite. Packed four empanadas and drove to her mothers home. She knocked over and over, but no one answered. She called her father.
“Papi, where are you?”
“Mija, I’m at Home Depot with your brothers.”
“Y mami?”
“She is home resting. Why? Is something wrong?”
“She’s not answering and I’m getting worried.”
“I have an extra key under my boot. Get it and check on your mami.” Aurora opened the door and started calling for her mom. She placed the empanadas on the table and walked towards her mother’s room.
“Mami,” Aurora whispers. “Mami, ¿estás bien?”
She still did not get a response. Walking towards her mother she felt scared. She placed her hands on her and tapped her shoulder to see if her mother was responsive, but she was not. Quickly she started looking for a pulse. Her father still on the line became very worried and anxious.
“Aurora! Is everything okay? Aurora! answer me” Aurora began to shake with fear and broke down.
“Mami, nooo, porque!” Aurora begins to cry like she never has before. Holding her mother in her arms and sobbing. Her father quickly dropped what he was doing and along with his sons rushed to their home. Once they arrived they saw first responders and Aurora crying hysterically.
“MIJA, AURORA!” her father yelled while trying to get her attention. “¿Qué pasó Aurora?”
Barely being able to say anything she manages to say, “She's gone, papi. Her soul is with God now.” Her father and brothers began to cry. They hugged each other and told each other that they have to be strong and keep pushing because their mother would not want to see them like that. A week later after her mother’s death, Aurora felt lost with no motivation or strength to do anything. This was the darkest spot she had ever been in. Then, suddenly a warm feeling wrapped around her. It felt like the hugs her mother used to give her, but the weirdest thing was that right after Aurora’s mood changed and she wanted to be her old self again.
She opened their food business again. One day while she was selling food the authorities came and shut down her business.
“Good afternoon miss. By any chance do you have the legal documents which allow you to distribute and sell food to others.”
“No, I do not, officer.”
“I am going to need you to shut all of this down and to not sell anything else until you have the legal documents to do so.”
“I do apologize that I have to shut your business down, but you are not allowed to be selling food. Go to the precinct tomorrow to sort everything out.” Aurora was more furious than ever, but she knew she had to control her emotions.
“Okay, officer I will. Thank you.”
Not being able to cook for others and make extra income for her family made her both mad and sad. Sooner or later she opened up the business again and continued to sell food. With time she realized that her true passion was cooking. It was a tough decision, but she decided to stop learning about the medical field and turn her interest into business so that one day she can
open up her own restaurants.
Years went by and finally she got her business degree. Excited than ever she began looking for locations in which she can start up her first restaurant. After finding the perfect location she had to come up with a name for her restaurant. Since her love for food and cooking was brought on to her by her mother she came to a decision of naming her restaurant after her mother ‘ Catalina’. Her restaurant will be selling traditional Colombian cuisine , but all the recipes will be based on her mothers recipes. This was truly important to Aurora. At her grand opening her father expressed how proud he was of her and that she is doing what truly makes her happy. He gave her a hug and whispered in her ear: “Tu mami esta bien orgullosa de ti.”
Her grand opening was a success. Soon her restaurant became a chain of restaurants and she was opening up in different locations, but the most important location to her was in Medellin, Colombia since that is her mothers hometown. She was worried that ‘Catalina’ would not be successful in Medellin, but she could not have been any more wrong. It was a total success. Many people heard about her story and journalists wanted to get her story out. When her story became public everyone fell in love with the way Aurora handled every struggle she faced. In the end, Aurora was happy that she was doing what she loved and keeping her mother’s legacy alive.
Odalys Arechiga
Life Story
My mother had just received me in her hands for the first time the doctors told her I was special and they weren't lying. It seemed like my whole life just happened about a week ago. See I lived my life fast as my mom says. Something I caught on throughout life quickly was if you don't try reaching for it first you're never going to get it.
“Stay in your lane and watch who you trust,”
that's what my dad Enrique would tell me. I knew right away that my friends from the sandbox would not be there after 6th grade graduation that's when it all kicked in. I was shocked. I saw my friend Luis backstabbed his close friend Reese. It was like I hoped this was just a dream because there are too many brothers betraying each other.
When I reached middle school I got introduced to connections, I looked at the choices. I could only see my mom Leo sad, but the way I transformed she said, “Mi Hijo ya no parece, mi Hijo.”
In my head I knew her saying I don't look like her son anymore really hit me. I kinda went back on track for a couple of months but it's like I loved the fast money. I can hear the dropping of tears off my mom's eyes. I got put in handcuffs because I ran from the police. My life was back to where it all started. It's like it never left.
“Yeah I'll be there for you anytime let me know '' was a comment I will get from old friends. I said to them yea alright we going to see in a couple of years it took months for them to switch up on me for a couple of cents and women. I tried to save them but I knew I was now in high school and I had to mature and surround myself with smart people. I got into doubling the prices on items I was like a young Mexican treat guy like Enrique calls them ¨Eloteros¨.
I could feel that money coming in my surroundings started getting dangerous people started to take from my plate even though I gave them their own plate. I took notes. I started getting a job, started supporting my family, and bought my own car through sophomore year and junior year of high school. My cousin Troy was like my security. If someone has a problem he will be there. Many people from the city hate us because we knew how to get more money than the kids our age.
On December 13th, 2022, I was cold walking with Dave. He asked me, “Aye cousin, what you wanna do when you are old,” as I turned around, we saw a car move slowly tinted, then it left. I answered, “That's weird but I wanna live stacking our bread” (laughs). I felt a weird vibe like if my inner self was taken away. I hear a car “skrrt” and 5 shots are being let out. I can feel my arm heating him on the floor. Hit it and can't hear me or move. I am now staying at the hospital bed. Being taking care of it seems like sleep is all I do.
Brian Castaneda Raygoza
My mother had just received me in her hands for the first time the doctors told her I was special and they weren't lying. It seemed like my whole life just happened about a week ago. See I lived my life fast as my mom says. Something I caught on throughout life quickly was if you don't try reaching for it first you're never going to get it.
“Stay in your lane and watch who you trust,”
that's what my dad Enrique would tell me. I knew right away that my friends from the sandbox would not be there after 6th grade graduation that's when it all kicked in. I was shocked. I saw my friend Luis backstabbed his close friend Reese. It was like I hoped this was just a dream because there are too many brothers betraying each other.
When I reached middle school I got introduced to connections, I looked at the choices. I could only see my mom Leo sad, but the way I transformed she said, “Mi Hijo ya no parece, mi Hijo.”
In my head I knew her saying I don't look like her son anymore really hit me. I kinda went back on track for a couple of months but it's like I loved the fast money. I can hear the dropping of tears off my mom's eyes. I got put in handcuffs because I ran from the police. My life was back to where it all started. It's like it never left.
“Yeah I'll be there for you anytime let me know '' was a comment I will get from old friends. I said to them yea alright we going to see in a couple of years it took months for them to switch up on me for a couple of cents and women. I tried to save them but I knew I was now in high school and I had to mature and surround myself with smart people. I got into doubling the prices on items I was like a young Mexican treat guy like Enrique calls them ¨Eloteros¨.
I could feel that money coming in my surroundings started getting dangerous people started to take from my plate even though I gave them their own plate. I took notes. I started getting a job, started supporting my family, and bought my own car through sophomore year and junior year of high school. My cousin Troy was like my security. If someone has a problem he will be there. Many people from the city hate us because we knew how to get more money than the kids our age.
On December 13th, 2022, I was cold walking with Dave. He asked me, “Aye cousin, what you wanna do when you are old,” as I turned around, we saw a car move slowly tinted, then it left. I answered, “That's weird but I wanna live stacking our bread” (laughs). I felt a weird vibe like if my inner self was taken away. I hear a car “skrrt” and 5 shots are being let out. I can feel my arm heating him on the floor. Hit it and can't hear me or move. I am now staying at the hospital bed. Being taking care of it seems like sleep is all I do.
Brian Castaneda Raygoza
Time Repeats
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button, then realization hits. Today I shall start the workout grind with the new motivation that crept into me last night. Where did this sudden motivation come from? Who knows it just appeared randomly. Getting up I checked the time and it showed 7:24 A.M. That is pretty early for me to be up at. I usually sleep in until 8 or 9 A.M. This newly found motivation must be making me an early bird for the day. Excitement creeps up on me for this day to finally accomplish something in my life, but as soon as it hits me that I have to finish school first, dread fills me within every bone and cell in my body. It is okay though! As soon as I finish school, I’ll be able to work out and focus on pursuing those goals I think. A few long hours to get through then I’ll be able to accomplish what I need to.
You must be a bit confused about the way I started this. Well, let me fill you in. So hi, my name is Amoret Rose Hernandez, I am 17 years old, I am pretty lazy and occasionally, I like reading books. At the moment presently it is March 1, 2021 and what I was saying before takes place around January 2021. This pandemic started back around March 2020. I know, It has been a year and we still do not have the virus, Covid-19 under control. My mental health took a big toll because of the stay at home orders and taking extra precautions by wearing masks to be about 90% safer from the virus. Because of these precautions, we have been doing school online for about a year now. School and school work now involves sitting in front of a screen for hours at a time.
Everything feels like it just repeats and doesn't have an end. The minutes repeat, the hours repeat, the days repeat, the months repeat. It seems never ending. I’ve had these sudden urges to work out and improve myself, then slowly stop being hard on myself as soon as I get the desired outcome. I always tend to give up though and fail to accomplish these things. I thought this time it would be different, but it turned into that repeating cycle after a while.
So here we are back to January 2021. Tick tock, the clock barely reads 10 o’clock. The day is going by dreadfully slower than I’d hope for. It is so boring. Hearing the ticking of the clock, the teacher rambling on about a new assignment out of the many we already have, the faint light I allowed into my room is so still, even the dust on my desk feels bad for me! I can’t deal with online school anymore. I think my head is close to exploding. It has almost been a whole year since we’ve been in this never ending pandemic. This is why I am looking forward to working out and improving my physical health for once. Motivation suddenly came out of the blue after almost a year.
As the teacher finally dismisses us from online classes at 3 o’clock, I make sure to drink enough water before I start the workout. I focused on my legs, core and arms for 30 minutes. I broke into a sweat and that hasn’t happened in a long time. After cooling off I made sure to drink plenty of water afterwards too. Feeling satisfied with my newly found accomplishments, I hopped into the shower and listened to some of my favorite music. A little while later, I had the motivation to do my homework that wasn’t even due today yet! How fantastic is that? A few hours later it was time for bed and I went to sleep looking forward to the next day.
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button, remember I work out today. The day repeats with online classes, the teachers rambling on about new assignments, the ticking of the clock, the dim lighting. As soon as the clock hits the hour mark for my last class, I am out of there and working out. Feeling tired from yesterday’s workout I took it a little slower today. The afternoon repeats after that and soon enough it is time for bed.
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button and realize I have to workout today. The day goes by painfully slowly as always. Teachers ramble, the loud silence of the ticking, the creak of lighting I allow into my room. The school day ends. Time to workout. My body hurts and I just want to get this over with. I drag myself into the shower, manage to get 5 minutes of homework done, and go to sleep.
Alarm blares. Eyes slowly open. The same blank stare at the same empty ceiling. Hit the stop button on the alarm. No motivation. It is gone just like it all has done in this past year. I need things to get back to normal. I have failed once again on something I had the motivation for at the beginning. I realized I either need to push myself even harder than ever to find motivation every single day or it will be like this as long as the pandemic still goes on and on. I didn’t care at this point, I just want it to be over.
Angelica Chavez
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button, then realization hits. Today I shall start the workout grind with the new motivation that crept into me last night. Where did this sudden motivation come from? Who knows it just appeared randomly. Getting up I checked the time and it showed 7:24 A.M. That is pretty early for me to be up at. I usually sleep in until 8 or 9 A.M. This newly found motivation must be making me an early bird for the day. Excitement creeps up on me for this day to finally accomplish something in my life, but as soon as it hits me that I have to finish school first, dread fills me within every bone and cell in my body. It is okay though! As soon as I finish school, I’ll be able to work out and focus on pursuing those goals I think. A few long hours to get through then I’ll be able to accomplish what I need to.
You must be a bit confused about the way I started this. Well, let me fill you in. So hi, my name is Amoret Rose Hernandez, I am 17 years old, I am pretty lazy and occasionally, I like reading books. At the moment presently it is March 1, 2021 and what I was saying before takes place around January 2021. This pandemic started back around March 2020. I know, It has been a year and we still do not have the virus, Covid-19 under control. My mental health took a big toll because of the stay at home orders and taking extra precautions by wearing masks to be about 90% safer from the virus. Because of these precautions, we have been doing school online for about a year now. School and school work now involves sitting in front of a screen for hours at a time.
Everything feels like it just repeats and doesn't have an end. The minutes repeat, the hours repeat, the days repeat, the months repeat. It seems never ending. I’ve had these sudden urges to work out and improve myself, then slowly stop being hard on myself as soon as I get the desired outcome. I always tend to give up though and fail to accomplish these things. I thought this time it would be different, but it turned into that repeating cycle after a while.
So here we are back to January 2021. Tick tock, the clock barely reads 10 o’clock. The day is going by dreadfully slower than I’d hope for. It is so boring. Hearing the ticking of the clock, the teacher rambling on about a new assignment out of the many we already have, the faint light I allowed into my room is so still, even the dust on my desk feels bad for me! I can’t deal with online school anymore. I think my head is close to exploding. It has almost been a whole year since we’ve been in this never ending pandemic. This is why I am looking forward to working out and improving my physical health for once. Motivation suddenly came out of the blue after almost a year.
As the teacher finally dismisses us from online classes at 3 o’clock, I make sure to drink enough water before I start the workout. I focused on my legs, core and arms for 30 minutes. I broke into a sweat and that hasn’t happened in a long time. After cooling off I made sure to drink plenty of water afterwards too. Feeling satisfied with my newly found accomplishments, I hopped into the shower and listened to some of my favorite music. A little while later, I had the motivation to do my homework that wasn’t even due today yet! How fantastic is that? A few hours later it was time for bed and I went to sleep looking forward to the next day.
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button, remember I work out today. The day repeats with online classes, the teachers rambling on about new assignments, the ticking of the clock, the dim lighting. As soon as the clock hits the hour mark for my last class, I am out of there and working out. Feeling tired from yesterday’s workout I took it a little slower today. The afternoon repeats after that and soon enough it is time for bed.
Alarm blares, eyes snap open, blank stare, empty ceiling, hit the snooze button and realize I have to workout today. The day goes by painfully slowly as always. Teachers ramble, the loud silence of the ticking, the creak of lighting I allow into my room. The school day ends. Time to workout. My body hurts and I just want to get this over with. I drag myself into the shower, manage to get 5 minutes of homework done, and go to sleep.
Alarm blares. Eyes slowly open. The same blank stare at the same empty ceiling. Hit the stop button on the alarm. No motivation. It is gone just like it all has done in this past year. I need things to get back to normal. I have failed once again on something I had the motivation for at the beginning. I realized I either need to push myself even harder than ever to find motivation every single day or it will be like this as long as the pandemic still goes on and on. I didn’t care at this point, I just want it to be over.
Angelica Chavez
Rylee
Once upon a time, there lived a young girl named Ryan Lee Duquesne, Rylee for short. As a young girl, she was bullied and felt like an outsider. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. It wasn’t until she was in high school that she finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She made some friends and many acquaintances of all ages. She made friends with the Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Her life changed for the better.
At the end of her Junior year a virus plagued the planet and she couldn’t attend school physically. In the beginning of staying home and doing school virtually, she was ecstatic. The reasons being she didn’t have to wake up as early or wait for her siblings to finish in the bathroom. But a few months after being in quarantine, she became very sad, felt like she had no purpose, and was crying herself to sleep. She didn’t feel like herself.
Little did she know that she had depression. After talking to her therapist, she realized that for many years she had not felt depressed because she was always busy and had things to keep her occupied. The longer she was in quarantine, the more depressed she became.
Rylee did her best to make it seem like everything was okay and nothing was wrong. After several months of trying and failing to suppress what she was feeling, she was in too much pain and felt like she had nothing to live for. Then one Sunday evening in November, she started looking for a sharp object to insert in her and end her life. Just as she was about to insert the sharp object, there was a gust of wind that smelled familiar. Rylee realized after several seconds that the scent was that of her late grandfather. At that moment, she remembered the promise she had made to him. Remembering that promise is what kept her going.
Rylee looked for ways to help her depression. She started to eat healthier, and tried to come up with a workout routine. The workout routine worked for about a week. When she tried to eat healthy, she realized that her mother hadn’t gone grocery shopping. So it was up to Rylee to feed her younger sisters to make sure they don’t go hungry. It wasn’t until her father, Mitchell Jackson Rylee, suggested she find a hobby to help her. She tried to come up with a hobby or activity to keep herself busy. As she organized Mitchell’s work space, she found a 3D pen that he had gifted her. Using the 3D pen made her fill up with joy. Rylee made butterflies, hair accessories, hearts, flowers, and shapes.
Rylee soon found out that her parents were getting divorced and her happiness completely went away. All her painful emotions came back all at once. She knew that something was wrong between them. But never in a million years, did she expect anything like this. After finding out the horrible news, her mother acted like she couldn’t stand her father. Whether it was talking or being in the same room. It seemed like Rylee’s mother was trying to do everything in her power to stay away from Mitchell. She felt like her world was falling apart yet again. It was like the universe didn’t want her to have a happy life. The pain, negative and toxic atmosphere became so unbearable that Rylee and her father had to move out.
Milagros Sanchez Aguirre
Once upon a time, there lived a young girl named Ryan Lee Duquesne, Rylee for short. As a young girl, she was bullied and felt like an outsider. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. It wasn’t until she was in high school that she finally felt like she belonged somewhere. She made some friends and many acquaintances of all ages. She made friends with the Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Her life changed for the better.
At the end of her Junior year a virus plagued the planet and she couldn’t attend school physically. In the beginning of staying home and doing school virtually, she was ecstatic. The reasons being she didn’t have to wake up as early or wait for her siblings to finish in the bathroom. But a few months after being in quarantine, she became very sad, felt like she had no purpose, and was crying herself to sleep. She didn’t feel like herself.
Little did she know that she had depression. After talking to her therapist, she realized that for many years she had not felt depressed because she was always busy and had things to keep her occupied. The longer she was in quarantine, the more depressed she became.
Rylee did her best to make it seem like everything was okay and nothing was wrong. After several months of trying and failing to suppress what she was feeling, she was in too much pain and felt like she had nothing to live for. Then one Sunday evening in November, she started looking for a sharp object to insert in her and end her life. Just as she was about to insert the sharp object, there was a gust of wind that smelled familiar. Rylee realized after several seconds that the scent was that of her late grandfather. At that moment, she remembered the promise she had made to him. Remembering that promise is what kept her going.
Rylee looked for ways to help her depression. She started to eat healthier, and tried to come up with a workout routine. The workout routine worked for about a week. When she tried to eat healthy, she realized that her mother hadn’t gone grocery shopping. So it was up to Rylee to feed her younger sisters to make sure they don’t go hungry. It wasn’t until her father, Mitchell Jackson Rylee, suggested she find a hobby to help her. She tried to come up with a hobby or activity to keep herself busy. As she organized Mitchell’s work space, she found a 3D pen that he had gifted her. Using the 3D pen made her fill up with joy. Rylee made butterflies, hair accessories, hearts, flowers, and shapes.
Rylee soon found out that her parents were getting divorced and her happiness completely went away. All her painful emotions came back all at once. She knew that something was wrong between them. But never in a million years, did she expect anything like this. After finding out the horrible news, her mother acted like she couldn’t stand her father. Whether it was talking or being in the same room. It seemed like Rylee’s mother was trying to do everything in her power to stay away from Mitchell. She felt like her world was falling apart yet again. It was like the universe didn’t want her to have a happy life. The pain, negative and toxic atmosphere became so unbearable that Rylee and her father had to move out.
Milagros Sanchez Aguirre
Julia’s Life
Julia is sitting on the porch talking to her friend about the festival that’s coming up in a few weeks. At this point, everyone knows how badly she’s been wanting to go. It was all she talked about all summer long.
“They said there would be a special guest performance there,” Julia said.
“Seems pretty dumb. They have to suck if they don’t want anyone to know they’re playing,” her friend said.
Classic friend. No matter how much she mentioned it, her friend just wouldn’t budge. Not even the slightest bit of interest was shown. She decided she wouldn’t mention it anymore for the rest of the day, and so, they both just chatted about school starting up in two weeks.
Julia found herself in her room, alone, until the next time they would hang out. That is, whenever that would be. Unfortunately, that day never came. Julia knew it was going to happen, she just never imagined it would happen now. She was left all alone with no one to call a friend. She picked up a few hobbies, did a lot of things she never had time for. She did anything she could to keep herself busy. The busier she was, the less she spent thinking about her friends who are no longer her friends.
Everyday felt the same, tasted the same, looked the same, it was a routine with small changes every now and then. She spent her time in her room all the time by choice. Her family was just on the other side of her walls. Even so, she felt so alone and tired most of the time. She was too scared to face reality again. Feeling alone, seeing her family ill. Everything just drained the life out of her.
She hadn't had a good day in a couple weeks. Spending her time in sweats and a tank top all day everyday. It was her comfort outfit, what did you expect. This morning she woke up feeling a strong desire to look out her window. It was as if the window was calling her, so she did.
“It sure is pretty outside. We got a nice morning breeze and a bright blue sky!”, it was indeed a nice day, even the birds were heard chirping nearby. She stood there, looking out her window in awe.
A cool breeze hit her. She felt her stomach get knotted and her mind go blank. She walked on over to her mirror and got all dolled up, “Can’t let a pretty day like this go to waste” she told herself. So she went on, packed a small lunch. Can’t forget raspberries and blackberries. After all, they were her favorite. Once she was done getting ready, she hopped into her car and headed out with no real destination. Just out to the countryside. Her and the countryside.
Once getting there, she went out to a spot not too far from her car. The middle of a field where she set her picnic up all alone. “This feels so good, although I might get sunburnt, haha!” she told herself. As she just laid there she heard footsteps approaching her. Out of nowhere, a girl walked by. She wore Julia's favorite skirt that she couldn’t find. Not much thought was given, and she minded her business about it.
Just as if things couldn’t get any weirder, she wore the top Julia owned, and the anklet her friend brought her from a vacation.
“Hey! Hey who are you?” Julia would call out to the girl but she’d get no response. Just a look over her shoulder was all the girl gave Julia. In that moment Julia saw her face, it was the same. The pale skin, green eyes, even that mole by her eyebrow was in the same spot. It was as if the girl saw Julia looking at her. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
Panicked, Julia looked around and the girl was nowhere to be seen. She quickly packed her things as she was getting a sketchy vibe. She wanted to go home. Fast. When Julia was getting to her car, the exact same car was parked next to hers, and the girl was inside of the car.
“Wait! I need to know who you are.” Julia screamed, but she was too late. The girl and the car were both gone. Julia was convinced she was going insane and drove home as quickly as she could. Something about this girl intrigued Julia though. She carried herself so highly, the happiness just radiated off of her. It was contagious. Julia couldn't figure whether she was scared or interested in this girl.
The girl was on Julia's bed twirling her hair, talking about some boy. Julia reached out to grab the girl but she couldn’t touch her. Her hand went right through her.
“Get out! Who are you!” Julia screamed but it was as if no one heard her. Panting and pacing around her bedroom Julia saw a picture of this girl with a boy. Julia realized… the girl was her.
“No no that can’t be. I don’t even know this boy. I don’t even twirl my hair. This can’t be me.”
On the back of the picture written in yellow ink “Julia + John November 2027.” This was the future. Future Julia.
This Julia was happy. She had pictures of her family on her wall. Her friends. Her new dog too. Looks like everything got better for Julia. The never ending hole she thought would never end finally ended. When she looks at this Julia, she radiates happiness. She’s dolled up again, she looks healthy too. Looks like she finally started eating better too. Julia started to get happy. Knowing she’ll be better in some months of time gave her hope once again. This overflowing happiness that was brought to her had her in tears. In that instant, she felt lightheaded and fainted.
She woke up, in a hospital bed. In a hospital room, with a nurse by her side. “Good, I thought you’d never wake up sweetie.” said the nurse. Apparently her neighbor saw her faint from her bedroom window and called 911. Turns out everything was just a dream of some sort. She got discharged from the hospital shortly. Turns out only a few hours had passed. A part of her was confused about something so real being a simple dream. However, she just smiled and laughed. This future Julia she saw brought to her all the hope she needed to give life a try again and take it into control.
She got discharged from the hospital shortly. She walked her way home. Her mom could barely walk alone, she didn’t expect her to be able to drive and pick her up. Just her luck, a boy came running to catch up to her.
“Sorry, hi, I’m John. I didn’t mean to scare you. Care if I join?” he said. Little did Julia know this boy was the same boy from the picture in future Julia's room. He would be there to help Julia’s life get back on track for the better.
Tracy Virgen
Julia is sitting on the porch talking to her friend about the festival that’s coming up in a few weeks. At this point, everyone knows how badly she’s been wanting to go. It was all she talked about all summer long.
“They said there would be a special guest performance there,” Julia said.
“Seems pretty dumb. They have to suck if they don’t want anyone to know they’re playing,” her friend said.
Classic friend. No matter how much she mentioned it, her friend just wouldn’t budge. Not even the slightest bit of interest was shown. She decided she wouldn’t mention it anymore for the rest of the day, and so, they both just chatted about school starting up in two weeks.
Julia found herself in her room, alone, until the next time they would hang out. That is, whenever that would be. Unfortunately, that day never came. Julia knew it was going to happen, she just never imagined it would happen now. She was left all alone with no one to call a friend. She picked up a few hobbies, did a lot of things she never had time for. She did anything she could to keep herself busy. The busier she was, the less she spent thinking about her friends who are no longer her friends.
Everyday felt the same, tasted the same, looked the same, it was a routine with small changes every now and then. She spent her time in her room all the time by choice. Her family was just on the other side of her walls. Even so, she felt so alone and tired most of the time. She was too scared to face reality again. Feeling alone, seeing her family ill. Everything just drained the life out of her.
She hadn't had a good day in a couple weeks. Spending her time in sweats and a tank top all day everyday. It was her comfort outfit, what did you expect. This morning she woke up feeling a strong desire to look out her window. It was as if the window was calling her, so she did.
“It sure is pretty outside. We got a nice morning breeze and a bright blue sky!”, it was indeed a nice day, even the birds were heard chirping nearby. She stood there, looking out her window in awe.
A cool breeze hit her. She felt her stomach get knotted and her mind go blank. She walked on over to her mirror and got all dolled up, “Can’t let a pretty day like this go to waste” she told herself. So she went on, packed a small lunch. Can’t forget raspberries and blackberries. After all, they were her favorite. Once she was done getting ready, she hopped into her car and headed out with no real destination. Just out to the countryside. Her and the countryside.
Once getting there, she went out to a spot not too far from her car. The middle of a field where she set her picnic up all alone. “This feels so good, although I might get sunburnt, haha!” she told herself. As she just laid there she heard footsteps approaching her. Out of nowhere, a girl walked by. She wore Julia's favorite skirt that she couldn’t find. Not much thought was given, and she minded her business about it.
Just as if things couldn’t get any weirder, she wore the top Julia owned, and the anklet her friend brought her from a vacation.
“Hey! Hey who are you?” Julia would call out to the girl but she’d get no response. Just a look over her shoulder was all the girl gave Julia. In that moment Julia saw her face, it was the same. The pale skin, green eyes, even that mole by her eyebrow was in the same spot. It was as if the girl saw Julia looking at her. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
Panicked, Julia looked around and the girl was nowhere to be seen. She quickly packed her things as she was getting a sketchy vibe. She wanted to go home. Fast. When Julia was getting to her car, the exact same car was parked next to hers, and the girl was inside of the car.
“Wait! I need to know who you are.” Julia screamed, but she was too late. The girl and the car were both gone. Julia was convinced she was going insane and drove home as quickly as she could. Something about this girl intrigued Julia though. She carried herself so highly, the happiness just radiated off of her. It was contagious. Julia couldn't figure whether she was scared or interested in this girl.
The girl was on Julia's bed twirling her hair, talking about some boy. Julia reached out to grab the girl but she couldn’t touch her. Her hand went right through her.
“Get out! Who are you!” Julia screamed but it was as if no one heard her. Panting and pacing around her bedroom Julia saw a picture of this girl with a boy. Julia realized… the girl was her.
“No no that can’t be. I don’t even know this boy. I don’t even twirl my hair. This can’t be me.”
On the back of the picture written in yellow ink “Julia + John November 2027.” This was the future. Future Julia.
This Julia was happy. She had pictures of her family on her wall. Her friends. Her new dog too. Looks like everything got better for Julia. The never ending hole she thought would never end finally ended. When she looks at this Julia, she radiates happiness. She’s dolled up again, she looks healthy too. Looks like she finally started eating better too. Julia started to get happy. Knowing she’ll be better in some months of time gave her hope once again. This overflowing happiness that was brought to her had her in tears. In that instant, she felt lightheaded and fainted.
She woke up, in a hospital bed. In a hospital room, with a nurse by her side. “Good, I thought you’d never wake up sweetie.” said the nurse. Apparently her neighbor saw her faint from her bedroom window and called 911. Turns out everything was just a dream of some sort. She got discharged from the hospital shortly. Turns out only a few hours had passed. A part of her was confused about something so real being a simple dream. However, she just smiled and laughed. This future Julia she saw brought to her all the hope she needed to give life a try again and take it into control.
She got discharged from the hospital shortly. She walked her way home. Her mom could barely walk alone, she didn’t expect her to be able to drive and pick her up. Just her luck, a boy came running to catch up to her.
“Sorry, hi, I’m John. I didn’t mean to scare you. Care if I join?” he said. Little did Julia know this boy was the same boy from the picture in future Julia's room. He would be there to help Julia’s life get back on track for the better.
Tracy Virgen