The Never Games

A short fantasy novel I wrote in seventh grade. Includes a detailed summary of the plot.

I guess I'm starting with quite the trip down memory lane! I wrote this book when I was in seventh grade for some writing thing that was going on. While everyone wrote one page stories about whatever and trashy essays that they only wrote for the points, I went ahead and wrote a thirty page novel. Yeah, yeah, overachiever me. It was no good since I rushed the whole thing, but I did cherish it for a while. I think I placed third and got a free 6 inch sub from Subway or something that I never used.

Looking back, I have so many problems with this book, the story, and how I've written it. Instead of including an excerpt, I'll present to you a detailed summary of the plot. Perhaps while you read you can see my issues with this piece.

Summary

A young girl named Katie moves from California to a small suburb of Chicago where she's bullied for her ignorance of public schools and her oriental heritage. She eventually gravitates towards another victim of the same bullies, Aaron, and they become fast friends. While Katie is hard working and honest, Aaron is too laid back for his own good. She constantly helps him to stay above in his classes, basically dragging him to the library after school every day.

One day, while browsing the shelf for books, Aaron finds a mysterious black book standing alone, with no library bar code and no title. Eager to avoid more homework, he opens the book and only finds a warning on the first page, a warning that sends chills down his spine. After showing it to Katie, she tries to take the book away, but its too late to stop as he turns to the first chapter.

The words on the book engulf the two and they are sent to a strange blank plane where they meet three other kids trapped there - an older girl, Lune, who is wearing French clothes from the 1800s, a boy (we'll call him Carl because I don't remember his name) who looks like a kid out of America in the 50s, and a small girl that doesn't speak and is wearing close to modern clothes. They are greeted by a beautiful young woman who tells them that they are in the Never Games, a series of five impossible challenges meant to take down one person at a time, until only one remains.

Armed with a small power that would reveal itself 'in time', the five kids step into the first game and are greeted by a winged wolf and poisonous clouds, which Lune, who reveals her power first, easily swipes away with sharp blasts of ice. In the second plane, they step into the edge of a dense forest, where a unicorn appears and offers to lead them through. Katie, Lune, and the young girl find themselves separated. Lune attacks a nearby tree, something they've been warned not to do, and the forest awakens and attacks. Lune flees while the girl protects Katie using her own power, the power of nature to destroy the forest, in turn destroying herself. Katie is found by Aaron and the unicorn and they leave the grove. They next find themselves in an open prairie where a phoenix appears and challenges them to a fight. Unable to do anything, (Carl) reveals his power, the power over the weather, and calls a storm that destroys the phoenix, but ends up taking his life. The fourth world is a dark, volcanic place where they are faced by a dragon who attacks Aaron and Katie, Lune managing to get herself away. Aaron saves Katie's life with his power, turning his limbs into weapons, and he engages in a heated fight with the dragon that ends up killing the beast. The last area is a dark stone castle that is filled with nothing but shadow.

The last creature, a mysterious hooded figure, reveals himself as Death itself. He tells them that only one can leave and that they must destroy each other or destroy Death. Lune, unwilling to fight him and showing her colors as a traitor, stabs Aaron with knife of ice and freezes Katie solid. Just as she reaches out to take Death's hand, Katie's power of fire reveals and she destroys Lune in a blast of heat. It's too late for Aaron, however, and he dies in her arms. Death comforts her and leads her away to a golden door while telling her that death is not the end, and that she would see Aaron again. Katie walks through the golden door and returns to her own world.