The plane shuddered, shaking me awake. I knew I was up now and there was no sleeping.  I glanced out the window the sky, clear and dark; Stars littering the sky and the moon like a great yellowish diamond. I knew that when this plane landed my life would, basically start all over again.
	My life has been filled with tragedies first my dad died in a war, then my mom meet this guy who was now going to be my new step dad, causing our family to move from Anchorage, Alaska to  Key west, Florida. I was born in Quebec and our whole family, before dad died, lived there until I was 6. Now I was on the move again at age 11.
	The plane touched down at 6 a.m. and my mom and I met my new step dad outside the airport doors. “Hey” the boy next to my step dad exclaimed “who are you?” he asked. With a brief explanation, my step dad’s two kids and I crammed into the back seats.
	On the ride the older girl, Mira, asked me a few questions, she seemed like someone I would get along with. The little boy on the other hand, Monty, didn’t seem all that friendly.
	 That evening at dinner my mom had made fresh pot pie, when we sat down Monty asked “What is this slop?” “My mom’s fresh baked pot pie” I responded promptly. “I only eat banquet pot pie, no fresh baked goop!” Monty raised his voice. “Monty! Stop! We don’t eat banquet frozen foods, now that we have two good cooks in the house.” My step father said his voice becoming slightly louder. “Dad” Mira cut in “Could I show Maxine her new room?” “Sure, ‘Miri’ ” my step dad, John, responded. 
	Mira took me up three flights of stairs; I carried my boxes up the spiraling stairs. When we got to the top, I found an open door way on one side, Mira’s side purple cloth shielded the room like a wall. She opened the purple cloth and watched me unpack. I hung green beaded strands like Mira’s cloth wall. And set up my art stand, and unpacked my comfy down mint green polka-dotted bedding as Mira admired my glass creations. “You can blow glass?” she asked. “Well yes but if I wanted to I would need more room…” I admitted, as I unpacked more and more stuff. Finally I plugged in my lamp and sat down to read. “Well” Mira said “dad did know you’re big into art and reading so he set up this small room about the size of the attic for me, you, and Monty.”
	 Just then I heard a shattering, a scream, and a very loud “MONTY!” Mira and I ran to the doorway. I watched as John corralled Monty into his room and shut and locked the door. “What happened” Mira asked as she and I ran down the stairs. “Monty doesn’t like fresh baked pot pie, he’s too used to banquet frozen dinners” my step dad explained promptly.
	That evening I listened to the wind trying to ignore Monty sobbing in his bedroom down stairs. After about an hour I finally went to bed.
	The next morning I woke up early about 6 am, folded blankets, reorganized my bed, held my kitten, sandstorm, as I watched the sunrise; and lit a candle on my bedside table to make the room smell like lemons.
	When Mira woke up she and I went down stairs and she showed me my ‘room’ and convinced me to bow one tiny glass object. I was only 9 when my dad taught me how to blow glass, doing this brought back memories of putting creation after creation that I made in front of my dad to show him what I had done. My mom told me I had a gift of creativity like her, even though I looked seemingly like dad. I gave the creation to Mira as a friendly gift. 
	That morning at breakfast Monty didn’t want my mom’s French toast, though I knew my mom wouldn’t yell at him, she never ever yelled at me, though Mira told me constantly john has to raise his voice because of Monty.
	After breakfast Mira and I receded to the attic. “What grade are you going in to?” She asked me. “6th, you?” I responded. “9th” she answered. 
	Next she asked me about anchorage. So I told her about my school, my small subdivision, my friends, and my move from Quebec, life speaking French, and the anchorage winter carnival. “The anchorage winter carnival is awesome! There’s games, snowman building, the giant ice sculpture, and Captain frosty’s freezes.
	Monty was like a herd of elephants all day long he broke more plates, made loud noises and smashed one of my Lego creations, I tackled him for that. Mira admitted he deserved it.
	Mira and I sat out on the sand reading well Monty sat in time out. Later I decided to go swimming. So Mira and I collected shells, put on goggles and explored the ocean and saw lots of fish. Hey life on the ocean was okay.
	After swimming, I put my shells in a basket, and then read my book some more. Mira and I were turning out to be pretty good friends. After lunch Monty came up to the attic wrecked my desk and then became overly scared of sandstorm, my cat.
	Tomorrow I would begin my first day at western bay middle school; this was one adventure I was not looking forward to. Mira told me about some of her experiences there, they weren’t ideal.
	The next morning I pulled on my silk scarf then met Mira down stairs. Monty swore he would not go to kindergarten, and if he did he would bite everyone there. “Monty, you wouldn’t” my mom cried. “I would” Monty retorted flatly. “Monty, Maxine loved kindergarten” my mom pointed out. “She’s a bookworm” I tackled him for that. I loved sports though so I wasn’t a real book worm.
	When I arrived at school, I put my stuff away in my locker, and then took my binder to first hour, language arts. When I sat down the girl next to me said “Hi, My name is Brooke and this…” she pointed to her identical twin “is Abigail, but you can call her Abbi”. “ My name is Maxine, But you can call me Max” I answered. “You’re Mira’s new step sister!” “Wait ho…” I asked”; But Brooke cut in “She’s told us all about you, her best friend is our sister”. “Brooke, Ms. Tutin is speaking” Abbi whispered. Brooke went silent.
	After English, I looked at my schedule. Next I had science, then Social studies, then study hall, then Math, then Art, then French, and last after school instrumental. All music based classes happened after the seven hours of school.
	Science looked awesome, taught by Ms. Nemor she explained to us all year we would be study astronomy, After class I told her I wanted to become a Marine biologist, She thought I would be a good one.
	Hours passed and last, my elective I had chosen, French came. Brooke and Abbi had chosen French. “See that girl” Brooke pointed her out “she’s a perfecte”.  The girl Brooke pointed out came over to our table. “You must be a new girl, my name is Bree” she said smugly “Carly, It’s time new girl earned her rank” she said to the buff girl net to her.  “Come with us now!” she stated. “No.” I said flatly. “Huh?” she asked “no?” she chuffed. “No” I restated “I’m not going with you”. “I’ll deal with you later” she hissed as the teacher came in.
	Later when “after school” band was over a fresh copy of the western bay journal had been handed out to everyone in school. The head line read “Are we truly saying goodbye to summer? Life in the never icy key west.” On the back there was an article/add that said “Want to show true school spirit? Then join the pep team, and show your true puma!” It was being taught by Mira, so I decided to give it a chance. I heard a sudden “Ugh!” and turned around to find prefecte Bree glaring at me, “You and your stupid sister are going to ruin the school!” She exclaimed furiously. “What on earth are you talking about?” I asked. “You know full well what I’m talking about!” she implored.  “Is this about my sister becoming pep team coach? Because you can’t drag her in to the problems you have with me!” I proclaimed strongly “and just because I didn’t let you beat me down outside the class room in French, doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you beat me down now”. “You’re ruining my rep as most feared in school” She howled with fury. “So what are you going to do with me? Huh? Ruin me via blogging and internet; make your big bulky friend fight me? Because to me that isn’t someone I’d fear.” I stated clearly. “You shouldn’t be feared; because you could never fight me or anyone else on your own you need Carly to fight your battles for you”. “Yeah” the person with the locker on my right said “you’re right, we shouldn’t fear Bree”! “No fearing me is…is my rep!” Bree whined. “Not anymore” I announced.
	A week after standing up to Bree, and painting a school mural, and volunteering at school projects, and pep team, and beginning many sports teams I made the front page. It read ‘Family Act - following in the footsteps of her step sister, Mira blancherd, Maxine or Max Marine is beginning her help to the school. This sixth grader has done much for western bay, Keep going max!’  I finished reading the article. Bree stormed up to me “that’s my front page, my spotlight, my area and you can’t just invade the front page with your acts.” She stated. “It’s not yours it’s the school news paper’s front page and since you aren’t the ruler of the school you can’t decide what they do.” I responded shutting my locker and walking away, with the news paper in my hand. “Ugh!!” she groaned as she crumpled up the news paper.
	When I got home Mira showed me some of the things we’ll be doing at pep team. After she was done she read the article. “You’re showing true school spirit” she congratulated me. My mom and john read the article and congratulated me. Monty got in big trouble because he had actually gone to kindergarten and bitten every one; including the teacher he called Mrs. Mean. “Monty, that was not nice! You even bit your teacher!” my mom scolded. “Don’t bother to even try with him” I droned. 
	After dinner I sat with Sandstorm on my bed staring out at the ocean. We had been getting used to listening to lots of yelling but my mom put the plates higher so no more smashing plates. I thought of my friend Amanda and how if she was here life would be better.  Monty ran up to the attic to do something bad then remembered sandstorm.  A guy like Monty afraid of my kitten, the reaction: Priceless! “AHHHHHHHHH!” Monty screamed as my little cat brushed his leg he ran down the spiral stair case “John there’s a man eating pest in the house!” Monty shouted. John garbed the gun and ran up the stairs. “Where is it!” he yelled. Monty pointed towards my cat. “Really Monty?” John asked. “Yes, shoot it!” Monty yelled. I grabbed my cat of the floor “No!” I yelled. “I won’t shoot her cat.” John answered. “Then I will!” Monty screamed he grabbed the gun and shot the wall making a big crack in my wall.  “Monty!” My mother screamed as she glanced at the wall. I had never heard my mother scream ever. I began to think that now that Monty was here mom would be meaner.
	My mom’s shout fest lasted longer than I suspected, Month won’t stop trying to get John to forgive him. “No Monty, I will not forgive you and back you up until you admit you’re sorry to Me, Mom, & Max.” he promptly exclaimed. “Do I have to?” he whined. “Yes” john answered flatly. “Aw,” he cried. John turned back to his dinner and Monty tried again, but it didn’t work.
	How on earth I survived family movie night I will never know. Monty wanted to watch the destroying channel, Mira wanted the teen movie selection, and I personally just wanted us to agree! Finally my mom found the perfect movie: Janet Krum, and the mystery of the tomb of aripidia.
	When the movie was done Monty swear he’d keep us up all night because he’d be scared. Just to ensure his nightmare I told him that Aripidia’s ghost haunted warm places like Key West, Tearing souls of bad people apart.
	Monty got locked in his room so he wouldn’t come into mom and dad’s room. “Please, let me out! Aripidia’s coming for me!” Monty screamed. Mom climbed the spiral stair case and said “Max, you had to do that?” she asked. “Yes” I shrugged. “He deserved it” Mira cut in. “Okay he probably deserved it” my mom agreed “Yet it wasn’t nice to scare him like that”.  
	After tonight I knew Monty’s weakness scarring. So the prank master was about to embody me, theoretically. This would be the best prank ever pulled. So for scaring him I had to make sure that Monty’s windows were shut tight. I went in, and began opening them, yet making them look like they were shut. Later when Monty was asleep I put on the Aripidia costume that I had and attached the rope to the new platform/ porch I had made. The rope began to ascend until I came to Monty’s room, I slide the door open and climbed through. “Monteus Xavier Blancherd!” I shouted in my best imitation Aripidia. “Ahhhhhh!” he screamed. I began to laugh and he realized it was me. “Ha ha” I chuffed. Mom and John must be heavy sleepers because they didn’t wake up once in the night.  
	The next morning at breakfast Monty over exaggerated last night’s thrill. “And she broke my window and screamed ‘I’ll eat your evil soul’ and then she began her evil laugh and I was all heroic…”, but I cut him off “Wait one minute, First I did not break your window, and second you screamed like a little baby.” I responded. “DID NOT!” he yelled. “Did to” I retorted. 
	Later that day at school, Bree decided to scare a bunch of “soon to be” sixth graders, “And that girl she’s really mean…” Bree explained. “No, my sister told me that she saved the school after you destroyed it.” A perky sixth grader exclaimed. “Moving on… you’ll love your teachers here unless you get the B cycle of teachers,” Bree said drastically. I rolled my eyes in disgust. “And here you’ll get tons of homework even on the weekends!” she stated adding on some more.  “No, the teachers are nice even in the B cycle, and there’s homework but not tons.” I retorted. “Don’t listen to her kids.” Bree stated. “I want to be given a tour by her.” Stated the girl, Witch o her name tag her name read Gabby, who had stood up for me earlier.  “Sweetie,” Bree said in her most sympathetic voice “I’m your tour guide”. Mrs. Anperson heard Gabby’s idea and said	“What a lovely idea! Why the most helpful in school definitely deserves that now back to class Bree!” she smiled.   “But Mrs. Gna…” Bree began, but Mrs. Anperson cut her off, “Yet she agrees better helper gets first choice.”  “Fine!” she sneered and stomped away.
	I began to continue the tour.  “Is this school really as bad as ‘she’ said?” asked one of Gabby’s friends.  “No, it’s probably one of the best adventures you could take, and still enjoy.  Welcome to Western Bay junior high!” and with that we continue the tour.
Epilogue
	Maxine – Even though it wasn’t home, Max loved her last two years at Western Bay junior high and at the other schools she attended.  She did follow her dream of becoming a Marine Biologist, and currently studies dolphins, sea turtles, and penguins, but not from a distance from actually being in the water.
	Mira – Mira continued with cheer team and was the captain every year!  She also found her undiscovered talent of Music and is now a famous pop artist and dancer.  She hopes to be as good as some other pop legends.
	Monty – Settled down and was a great student in his years of schooling, and became a sports idol at his schools. Later in life he found his dream and pursued becoming a pilot and later an astronaut.
	Bree – Soon after orientation, she became really nice to everyone and became a best friend of Max. She also aced the performing arts class, and is now on Broadway starring in the hit musical “Lovely London.”
	This realistic fiction story was based on an imaginative creation made up in the figments of my imagination that I came up with, hope you enjoyed it!
  	


Another day, A different world (Grade 6-8)
Lizzy Peters


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