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Grace

The Jewel Catastrophe

7 Years Ago

Everyone thinks that you’re allowed to choose whatever you want to do when you grow up, and they’re wrong. Well, at least for me. I don’t really have a choice, wonder if it has to do with the fact that my dad is the most wanted criminal in all of Europe. I kind of have to follow his lead and become a criminal, because if I told him I didn’t want to become like him, my dead body would probably be floating in the bottom Seine River right now. So now do you see why whoever thinks that is wrong?! Oops, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Daniel Sahil, and I’m 11 years old. You’ve probably heard of my father Omar Sahil. The thing about my father is that I love him and all but he’s always into “bad guy” mode. The truth is he’s a great criminal, but being a father is not one of his best abilities. Most days I come home to an empty house and have to eat cold cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If I’m lucky I’ll find some milk that’s only a month over its expiration date! Omar actually is in jail right now, he got caught trying to knab the jewels from The British Museum. I’m currently staying at my best friends house with her mother Mrs. Hall, but she insists on us calling her Katie. They are both wanted criminals too. Her mom and my dad used to do crime together and that’s how I met Izzy Hall, who’s also 11 years old. Well enough about me here’s the real story!It all started on a cool day in the middle of fall. I got up, got dressed, and went downstairs. “What’s for breakfast” I asked heading to the bathroom to wash my hands, assuming that Mrs. Hall would respond. I started to panic when she didn’t answer. “Mrs. Hall? Katie? Izzy?!” I started running around the house like a madmen looking in every room, I ran to the basement to look for them. As I checked every room I started having crazy thoughts that just made me sick to the stomach to even think about, What if the police came overnight and found them? Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps upstairs. I suddenly was filled with relief, but that feeling quickly washed away with suspicion. I decided to play it safe and borrow one of Katie’s old tennis rackets, just incase the policeman had come back to find me. I snuck up the stairs as quietly as possible and said in a voice so quiet it came out as a whisper “Izzy, Katie?” When I heard no response a feeling of doubt washed over me, I held the racket even closer, ready to knock someone unconscious. I was about to crack the door open wider, because I forgot to fully shut it when the door yanked open. I was so surprised that I tumbled down the stairs, slowing to a stop at the last step. “Ohhhh” I moaned, I felt a shot of pain stab through my back as I stood up. “Are you okay?” A worried voice asked me, I looked up, it was Izzy. “I’m fine” I responded, although that was a lie, my back was killing me and I started to have a headache. I decided to change the subject. “Where were you?” I asked her. “Upstairs sleeping until I heard a bunch of noise downstairs and I came to check it out” She answered. “What were you doing?” She asked. “Nothing” I answered “I was just watching t.v.” Another lie. “Yeah right, I heard a lot of footsteps, like someone was running around frantically.” I decided to give up, arguing with Izzy was like trying to take a juicy bone from a starving dog. “I couldn’t find you're mom so I was looking for her.” Izzy snorts some laughter out of my response. “Didn’t you see the note she put on the counter, she went on a walk!” I started blushing. “Oops, I guess I didn’t think to look for a note.” I admit. Izzy’s eyes scan the floor and stops on the tennis racket. “Hey! What are you doing with Katie’s racket? You know she doesn’t like us using it!” I began blushing so much my face started to feel hot. I guess she saw the look on my face and felt bad for me, because she helped me up and hung the rackets back up. “It’s okay, I won’t tell her. Have you eaten breakfast yet?” She asks with compassion. “No” I mumble, still blushing profusely. “C’mon” She helped me up the stairs and I tried really hard not to moan out of pain but I couldn’t help it, It hurt so bad. I walked over to a mirror and looked at my reflection, I had a big dark bruise on my forehead. I turn around to face Izzy. “Why didn’t you tell me I had a big bruise?” She suddenly looked guilty. “You said you were fine and I didn’t want to make you panic” What? I’m thinking. “Why would I panic?” I ask her, but by the look on her face after I tell her this I know I said it to harsh. “Nevermind, can you please get me an icepack?” I ask as nice as possible. “Sure, what do you want for breakfast?” She asked walking over to get me and icepack. “What do we have?” I asked her. “Thanks” I said to her as she handed me the icepack. “I’ll look” She walked over to the pantry, “we have cheerios, froot loops, frosted flakes, or maybe when my mom gets back she can make us pancakes.” Katie must have gone shopping, usually we dig around for awhile until we eventually give up and make trail mix. “Or their’s trail mix” Izzy said as if she was reading my mind. “I’m good, I guess I’ll have Froot loops” I say. She takes it out of the pantry, takes a bowl out of the cupboard, and pours some cereal into the bowl. “You want milk, right?” She asks, although she already knows the answer. I always have milk in my cereal, but Izzy on the other hand disputes it in cereal, and demands to have it without milk. Oddly she loves milk by itself. “Yes” I answer in a voice like duh. She hands me the bowl and puts the cereal box back in the pantry and takes out the cheerios. She sits in the chair next to me and starts eating straight out of the box. Izzy does this all the time so I’m used to it but it still kind of bothers me. “Do you really have to eat straight out of the box, other people might want to eat it too!” I ask. “I don’t see why it really matters, no one else likes cheerios.” She responds. This is true. Izzy’s the only one who likes Cheerios. “Oh” I respond, I look over at Izzy and think I see a slight smirk appear on her face. We are interrupted by the front door slamming open. “I’m home!” Katie yells from the hallway. “Do you want me to make you pancakes?” She asks walking into the kitchen. I would normally love her pancakes, but today I wasn’t feeling in the mood, so I responded politely “No thank you” Me and Izzy said it at the same time, we looked at each other and laughed, this happens often. “Omigosh! What happened Daniel?” Katie was staring at my forehead. I was afraid this would happen. “I fell down the basement stairs” I tell her, I’m fine with lying to Izzy but lying to a grownup is not one of my strong points. “What were you doing in the basement?” She asks curiously. Before I can say anything Izzy says “He didn’t see the note so he was running around all panicked and he fell down the stairs, it was pretty funny! You should have seen the look on his face!” After she says this all I can do is just stare at her, I can’t believe she just told her mom that! Even though I never specifically told her to not tell her mom, I would think she would have some compassion and just keep it between us. For the second time today my face turns hot. Katie opens her mouth as if she was about to say something but then closes it seeing the look on my face. “Sounds like you guys had an interesting morning!” Katie finally speaks up. “Izzy can you come help me with something upstairs?” Katie asks. “But I’m eating!” Izzy says and motions to the cereal box on the counter in front of her. Katie gives a stern look at Izzy, and her mom can give some deathly stares. Of course Izzy reluctantly agreed, but I don’t think she was fully into the idea of helping her mom instead of eating breakfast because as she went up the stairs she walked slowly and dragged her feet on every step as if asleep! “Can I help?” I ask, I wasn’t really hungry anyway and some work wouldn’t hurt. “No!” Katie answers so firmly I can’t help but sit with a stunned expression on my face, I’ve never heard her talk to me, or even Izzy like that. Katie turns around from the stairs and faces me. “Oh, I mean, no thank you. It’s very kind of you to offer but... We don’t need any help!” Izzy turns around and looks at me. I give her the look meaning What’s happening? She clearly understands me and replied with a look I easily interprate meaning I’m not sure! Before we could communicate anymore Katie yanks Izzy up the stairs and into the guests room. I hear her lock the door behind them. I know that she’s up to something. She has a secret that she wants only Izzy to know and not me. I try not to but I can’t help it, I feel a little hurt. I walk over to the refrigerator to get some water when I hear faint voices coming from upstairs. I’m a very curious person so of course I walk closer to the wall and press my ear against it. I can only make out a few words. “Museum… jewels… Omar…” What? Are they talking about my dad or a different Omar? My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a door unlocking. I quickly rush over to the table, sit down and start eating my cereal. I try to act as normal and unsuspicious as possible. As they come in I see Katie look over at her daughter mouth a word; I think was promise and they turned their backs from me and crossed pinkies. At this point I had every bit of evidence to prove they were trying to keep something a secret from me. Katie walks over to unload the groceries and Izzy comes over to the table and sits down on the stool next to me. I try to get her attention so she can answer my many questions but she’s too busy eating her Cheerios, and anyways, I couldn’t do it with her mom in the room. As soon as Katie picks up a bag and takes it to the basement to put it in the freezer, I turn around to face Izzy. “What did she tell you?” I ask her hopefully. “Nothing” Izzy said without looking up at me. Apparently the cereal box was more interesting to look at than have a conversation with me. I was afraid this would happen. “Please tell me! I won’t tell your mom you told me?!” I ask, trying to squirm the truth out of her. “I’m not allowed to tell you. You know I would if I could, but I can’t!” Izzy replied with a irritated tone in her voice. I gave up, after this morning I don’t want to make her more mad. Izzy turns her back to me and continues eating the cereal. Katie comes up the stairs and puts the grocery bag in the pantry drawer. “Do you want to go do something fun tomorrow?” Katie asks turning to face me. “What are we going to do?” I ask, I have learned when a parent says something is fun, always ask them what it is, because most of the time it’s not fun! “We were planning on going to a museum.” Katie says. “We?” I ask puzzled. “Um… I asked Izzy about it earlier and she agreed, but I need your seal of approval before going anywhere.”I can’t help but wonder if this is what they were whispering about earlier without me, because I thought I heard them mention a museum. “Where is it” I ask, making sure I know all the details before agreeing.“In England.” Katie replies. When she does I hear her voice crack a little.

Sky Writer

Re: The Jewel Catastrophe

7 Years Ago

That was wonderful. Although I got to admit that I find it hard to read the story primarily because of the font and of the 1-Paragraph style but story wise and vocabulary wise, you did a pretty decent job. :)