A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

It was burning my eye, the sun was burning me and it just woke me up. It has been sunny these last days, we haven't gotten nothing, but sun. It has been a century since I haven't seen a drop of rain falling from the sky in this town. I just remembered that I had to spend the night outside. My owner died 1 year ago, fighting in the Civil War, and since then his wife couldn't take it no more and is always grumpy. Yesterday I accidentally broke a plate for playing around with Jack, we were playing catch inside the kitchen and as soon as the plate felled, Sarah, Jack's mother was kicking me out the house. She became strict, mean, and selfish that day when she figured out her husband had just died. She became worried and started to see the economy problems without her husband, and unffornutaly his precense is still alive because I feel him and see him.

I saw Bruno up too, "Ready to travel to the West!" he said. Bruno was the family horse, he came from Mexico and had worked with Vaqueros (Cowboys), but after a terrible storm when the barbed wire broke, he ran off, and somehow ended up here. "What you mean traveling to the West?" I asked him. "Well I overheard Sarah saying moving to the West for more apportunities."Bruno told me. I don't know why humans can't hear us, but us animals can communicate with each other without people knowing. I went through the back door and walked into the Kitchen, now I knew what Bruno meant. There were boxes packed everywhere, and I saw Esme getting her kids ready, she was dressing up Alicia, while telling Josh to get the horse ready. "Mommy were are we going?" Jack asked her. Jack was my favorite one, he was the youngest of all, Alicia was the second youngest, and Josh was the oldest. Jack is the one who pays more attention to me than anyone, and thats' why I like him more. "Were getting out of this horrible South and moving to your gradma's in the West" She told Jack. Even thought Jack didn't understand why, he just followed.


"Chan! Your up, guess what? Mom said we had to move to the West! Do you know where that is?" Jack ran up to me yelling and hugging me. I didn't know how to answer him. Mom said getting to the West will take us less time if we go on railroad. I got exited and started to think how the train will look. We got to the train station and the train arrived as soon as we came, we got in and sat down. Bruno had to go on a seperate car on the back of the train. We were all so tire because we had to walk an hour to get to the train station, and know we were here resting for three hours with hunger. I saw that Alicia, Josh, Jack, and Esme had fallen asleep on the train and when I saw them it made me fall asleep too, but I just couldn't it was too hot in here. Finally I felled asleep.

I woke up, not beleiving what I saw with my own eyes. The train had arrived to the West and I was surprised for what was happening here. Was it the same in the South. Everybody was getting off the train and as soon as Jack woke up he started screaming all exited "Look Chan! Look mom! Its RAINING!" We all got off and I started runnig and barking of happiness. At last I felt free. We stayed outside for a while playing in the rain enjoying the West. We finally arrived at the grandma's house and as soon as we walked in She had a pie ready for us.

We just remember it was Josh's and my owner's Birthday, they were both born on the same day and month but different year. All I wished right now is for him to come back and spend this day with us too. As soon as I turn around I saw him once again. I know he was taking care of us and will always do. We were all eating pie, pumpkin pie Josh's favorite, and Esme was giving pie to the horse while I layed my head on her legs. I felt safe here because his precense was here with us. Josh was so hungry that he was the first one getting the first piece, while Jack just stared, and Alicia trying to give food to the horse.Esme was happy here because here women had more rights.

Pet Peeves

1} When my friends or family ditch me to go with there boyfriend.
2} When a person whispers or murmmurs something on someones ear in front of my face.
3} When a person says 'friends 4 ever!' or 'best friend till the end'when they really don't mean it. 4} When friends or family tell you they'll have your back on anything, and when you really need them they aren't there.
5} Waking up early to go to school.
6} When my friends get mad, and don't talk to me.
7} When my mom doesn't let me go outside.
8} When my brother snitches on me.
9} Having to go to the dentist or doctor.
10} Owners not cleanin after their dogs poop.
11} Getting a detention for getting late.
12} Seeing dishes on the sink, and washing them.
13} Realizing that they were two faces, and hypocrites.
14} People calling private, and not answering.
15} People critisizing me or friends.
16} Seeing people being followers instead of them being leaders.
17} Friends saying there my friends, but only use me when they need me. (Like they only come with me when their "real best friends doesn't talk to them" or when they need to tell something to their Mothers.
18} People wanting to start fights.
19} Seeing boys or girls going on the wrong way of life.
20} Seeing parents that don't even care or pay attention to their daughters or sons.
21} Teenagers giving up and droping out of school. (Not caring to graduate)
22} When I see people that once used to be my friends, and now are hanging out with the wrong people.
23} People not keeping their promises.
24} Cheaters, that cheat on their girl/boyfriends or friends that go out with their friends boy friend or girlfriend.
25} Seeing a girl or boy cry for a girl or boy that wasn't even worth it.
26} Waiting in line to pay for something.
27} People talking behing my back.
28} People who don't brush their teeth.
29} When people chew like a cow.
30} When parent makes decisions for you.

The Secret

It was my best friend's deepest, darkest secret and it would be a hard one to keep. I didn't know what to do, I was confused. What was the right thing to do? Tell someone, or just keep it to myself. Anyways either will bring conflict. Telling someone will bring betrayed conflict with mybestfriend, and keeping it by myself will bring conflict with everyone else by not telling no one, or trying to stop her.

She told me that only me was going to know where she was and what happen. I asked her that why just not tell your parents about it, but she refused to do that. I decided not to tell no one about it and keep it to myself. It's really difficult, and hard to do this when you see her mother crying and asking "Where is my daughter? Why did she live? Somebody has to know!" when your the person, the only person in the room who knows, but only answers "I don't know." It's hard to keep it when everyone comes up to you, knowing that you were her bestfriend and has to know, but just won't tell. Seeing the guilt on you, and feeling guilty is the only thing that makes you open your mouth and wan't to say it, but when the word betrayal appears in your mind and eyes you stop.


That day I didn't know what to do or say. Was I suppose to give her advice. How was I suppose to be a real friend. I just stayed quite because I didn't know what was right. She had told me about it before but I never beleive she was going to do it, but she really left this time. She was in New York, but nobody knew where she was. She had dissapeared for everyone else, but for me she was still alive and in good shape. She was 2 month pregnant, and this was her best way of telling her mom she had done a big mistake. She had left the state to another world without parents and without help, only of her young and abandonent cousin. This was all messed up, but I just couldnt betrayed her.

Now I feel guilty about everything that is happennig around here. I just can't stand, putting a foot on the house that once used to be her home before she left. Seeing those faces, that wonder where their daughter is, and are full of hope that one day their daughter will be standing at the door apolygazing for all the suffering she has done to them, when I know that the day was very far away.

It all started that day when she told me that she hasn't gotten her period for a month now. She was scared but I kept on telling her that it was all going to be allright. I knew that because she had always gotten her period late. She started planning everything out, she was going to leave Chicago and move to New York where supposely her cousin will help her and give her a shelter to leave below. She was going to ditch her home in the middle of the night, when her parents are asleep and fly to New York. I never paid any attention to this because I knew this was not going to happen, but this time it really did.

It all happen when I was going to go to sleep and the phone started to ring. It was her, and she was telling me today was the day she was leaving. She wanted to tell me bye and that she will really miss me, but I just couldn't let her go. I told my mom I was going somewhere and will be back as soon as I can. "Don't leave! It just not going to work! I will help you get through it, and I will never leave you alone no matter what, But don't leave!" But she just couldn't hear me, she told me that she doesn't want to give her mom a heart attack or see her face when she tells her that she is pregnant at age 15 from a guy that droped out of school. I started to cry,"Just wait and see her face or have a heart atack when she figures out that her daughter left her house at the middle of the night with no trace, thinking no one knows." I told her.

Now she calls me and tells me that it was all big mistake, that without the help of your parents nothing goes right, but she is afraid to come back through all these years, and her parents thinking that she is heaven with god or resting in peace somewhere. She is afraid seeing her mom's face, when she tells her she has a grandaughter she never knew she existed, without a father. I'm even afraid she coming back when everybody figures out that I knew where she was all this time, but never said a word about it. Im afraid of people figuring out that I still had communication with her through al this time but never mentioned it to no one.

I really don't know what to do, but I am willing to live with that secret as long as she wants me to, and I will always help her. Until now she is still in New York with her five year old daughter and one day I know she will come back, and that will be really soon because she can't stand it over there, and I am willing to confront any problems.

Her Mysterious Death

Her death was due to mysterious circumstances and I was assigned to the case. It was the night of October 28, 2005 when Ricardo had called the police office to report his daughter’s disappearance. I was assigned to the case, so I went quickly to see what I could do to help.

“My daughter was a really calm girl, she never liked to go out nowhere, but that day she left, and I don’t know where she is or why she left.” Ricardo had said

On October 27, 2005 Natalia Waltz, was left home alone, while her parents went out shopping outside the city. Her parents took both of their young boys with them, but left Natalia alone in the house.

“She didn’t want to go, she told me that it was going to be boring anyways, and that she might as well stay here watching TV.” Natalia’s mother said. “And so I let her stay, since she was big enough to take care of herself.”

Natalia was 16 years old when she disappeared. When her parents came back from shopping she wasn’t home anymore.

“We looked all over the house, but we couldn’t find her. I don’t know what happen to her.” Her mother, Alicia had told us crying.

We started to investigate this case. Later on we found out that her friends had come over to her house that day after their parents had left. The neighbors had said that there were two teenage girls and two teenage boys, and that they were inside Natalia’s house for at least an hour. Natalia’s 12 year old brother Mark had said that he had heard Natalia talking over the phone with Jose, one of her friends, earlier that morning. They were talking about a group project they had to do. Now we guessed that those teenage kids were her project partners. We rushed upstairs to Natalia’s room and search it. We finally found her phone book, we found Jose’s number and dialed it on the phone. First he didn’t answer, but on the second try he did.

“Yes, we were working on a school project, but when we finish organizing our ideas Johnny, Haley and I left. Jessica stayed behind with Natalia, and I don’t know for what. Later on I don’t know what else happen.” Jose had told us.

We tried contacting Jessica, but we couldn’t. Her mother recognized the name Jessica, she said it was Natalia’s best friend, and that today she was flying to Mexico. We drove to her house really fast, and Ricardo had volunteered to stay behind and take care of the kids. When we got to Jessica’s house she had already left. We went back to Natalia’s house, and there she was, Jessica talking to Ricardo. She looked scared and stunned, what was wrong with her. We talked to Jessica and asked her some questions, she answer them all and some with out answers. She told us that she had left after she finished planning the surprise party to a friend, but then didn’t know what happen. We let her go, I gave her my card with my phone number on it, and told her to call when she knew something. As soon as I told her that, she looked at me and then took a look at Ricardo who was hugging Natalia’s mother whom was crying, and took off running. That was weird.

I wanted to solve this case, but I didn’t know how. I had to think, look for more evidence. I’ve never failed a case this 12 years as a detective, and I wasn’t going to give up. Where could Natalia be? Why did she live? What happen to her? All of these questions that had to be answered, but only the criminal and the victim knows the answers, or even someone else but doesn’t have the bravery to tell us, and help this family move on. I gave Natalia’s family my card with my phone number on it telling them to call me whenever they find something, and left thinking of the answers to all these questions I had.

The next day a man report finding a body in the woods, in a very cold night. The cops went and identified the body as Natalia Waltz. She had blood all over her face. It looked like beat downs and she had been raped. I called Natalia’s family and reported to them what we found out. They came as soon as they can, and the mother started crying while the father looked at his daughter’s death body, stunned. I asked questions to the man who had found the body. He said that he comes to the woods every single day to look for wood but the day before he didn’t see nothing, so it means someone left the body here this morning.

We took Natalia’s body and examined it, we couldn’t find nothing because someone had washed her body and just left it there. We couldn’t find any fingerprints. This was going to be difficult. At least I got my questions answer, she was nowhere to be found because she was death. She got raped and violated and that’s what happen. But now I needed to know who did this and why? That’s when my phone rang, and I picked up

“Hello, detective Paul Can I help you?” I said.

“Yes, I know who killed Natalia. It was……” there was silence for a long minute, and then there was a beep on the other end.

I recognized the voice. It was Jessica, Natalia’s best friend. I started to suspect on her. Maybe she was the killer, no but it didn’t make sense because she was not a guy. So she knows who killed Natalia, but she won’t say. We had to find Jessica. I typed Jessica’s name on the computer, but nothing came out she had no thickening, or has never been arrested before. I started to think, so if she was in Mexico she had called from there, but why won’t she tell us. Maybe they threatened her not to tell. She was our only hope and had to find her.

The next day I called Natalia’s parents, and told her about the call I’ve received. I asked her some questions about how Jessica used to behave when she came with Natalia, and they told me that she was a really nice person to them.

“How much have you known Jessica for?” I asked them.

“2 years.” Ricardo said.

“Since she was born.” Alicia said.

“So which one is it?” I asked

“Since she was born.” the mother repeated. “Ricardo doesn’t know because I just married him 4 years ago.” Natalia’s mother told me. I stared at them while Ricardo gave a look to Alicia. Now I understand that Ricardo wasn’t Natalia’s real father, but step-father.

The next day, I went out to the city, and stopped by a store. I recognized that person there. It was Jessica, I thought she had gone to Mexico. She saw me and as soon as she saw me she started to run I catched up to her and grabed her. “I need to talk to you.” At first she rejected it, but later she came with me. I told her that she needed to tell me what she knew, or else she will be considered one of the suspects of Natalia’s death and will be put on jail.

“No it wasn’t me! They will kill me if I tell you.” She screamed. Now I knew that she was threatened by some one.

I told her that nothing will happen to her if she tells us who it was because those person’s will be put on jail and will never hurt no one again. “In other words it will help you, and all the people surrounding the neighborhood where she was killed, people will go out in peace because the killer will be in jail.”

“Remember that day when I stayed behind with Natalia, she was telling me, how her parents treated her. She told me that they really didn’t care about her. Her step-father sexually harrased her, but she had never told her mother. and she told me that if she told her mother she would never beleive her, because her mother was really in love with her stepfather." She finally told.

We figured out the whole plot here. that night on October 28 Natalia was left home alone but not for long. Their parents had left town to visit Alicia's mother. They left the rest of the children at the Granny's house and came back for Natalia. Jessica who'm was there hiding under Natalia's bed saw everything. Her parents came home drunk, Jessica guessed they had gone somewhere else and forgot to go pick up their kids. That day Natalia got tired seeing her stepfather like that, so she told her mom to live him and go somewhere elese, her mother refused to do that. Since Natalia didn't find other way to convince her she told her mother the truth about everything her stepfather does to her, to see if that helped. Offortunately it didn't help a bit, her mother refused to beleive her daughter and finally went toward her husband and asked if it was thruth. Ricardo rejected a thousands times that it was not thruth, while Natalia scremed it was truth.

"Don't beleive that stupid daughter of yours, she only does not want me to be with you, so you could be with her father!' Ricardo screamed at Alicia that night." Jessica told us. "She even confessed seeing her stepfather with another girl, her mother just wouldn't beleive her, and that was when the situation just got to far and they stated beating her. They beated her really bad, I was so scared and started to cry."

One thing Jessica had for sure was that after her stepfather raped her that night when they finished beating her up and mother felled asleep, Natalia committed suicide, she cuted her veins and when Jessica finally knew it was safe to leave and went downstairs it was to late. Her parents were sleeping and Natalia was already death. Jessica decided to stay out of trouble and left, but she was sure Natalia's stepfather saw her. The next morning when she passed by Natalia's house too see what was going on, she thought that trhey had confessed their crime but later figurd out that they were being hypocrites. The stepfather told Jessica that she was going to leave to Mexico or dissapeared from here and if she said something she knew she will get killed. Jessica decided to stay out of town until the situation settled down for a while.

We organized the police officers. It was quite that day in the neighborhood, throwing down the door and hearing the screams and cries of a mother who was the partner of the killer of her own daughter, "What is happening here?" she cried

"You should know what is happening, You knew what was happening when your husband abused your daughter." I said

"What? You must be wrong!" Ricardo said. "Jessica you are going to pay."

We figured out that the next morning after Natalia's death, Ricardo had tooked Natalia's body to a lake and washed it and later left in the woods. Not knowing that we will eventually find out the truth they were planning to move out of the country. He had called the police so nthey wouldn't suspect on them.

For the first time in their lives Ricardo and Alicia were siting in the back seat of a police car. So sad a nd terrible everybody looked at them as bad example as parents. Their reputation was messed up.

How To Make Logandale Better

In my opinion, I think more exploratory and more after school activities will make Logandale a better School. I think this for three different reasons. Different exploratory will entertain students more in school. More fun after school activities will make students stay longer in school. Students will be able to learn and experience more things. Logandale is a great school! Don’t you think this will make it even better?

My first reason is that different and more exploratory will entertain students, and that will make the school better. Some schools don’t have music, gym, art, computers, or library, but if we have these we will be a better school. We will be a better school because there are more chances that students will have what they want to have. They could take different classes, and get prepared for High School. We should work hard to make this exploratory educational and at the same time fun and adventurous, because sometimes it will get boring and students will want to miss that class. We should have more time for our exploratory, that way school will be more fun. For example we could have recess, at least we will have some exercises there, by playing and at the same time its fun. This will make students like Logandale better than other schools because some other schools don’t have exploratory or after schools.

My second reason is that more fun after school activities will make students stay longer in school. If we have more sport activities that students enjoy, they would want to stay after school to join them. We should have sports that boundary schools don’t have, that way students can come here, for example Hockey and skating, and other sports. We should have more educational, fun, and personal clubs in the school, were students can do the things they like. For example we could have a sewing, dance, girls, boys, boys & girls club and more were students can talk and express their feelings, because sometimes they can’t count on their parents. More after school activities will make students want to stay longer at school because they will want to be in after school, and learn more.

My final reason is that students will be able to learn and experience more things. If we have more exploratory especially music we will learn how to play instruments because music is the exploratory that schools don’t have. Many people want to learn how to play instruments but sometimes they can’t because their school don’t give classes. Other Students want to take art classes, but they can’t because there are no classes too. I want to learn how to play the guitar that’s why I want to go to a school where they will give you free lessons. If we have different sport activities after school, we will learn how to play different sports, and our school will be athletic. We can have different kind of clubs were people can learn what they want to learn and talk privately with adults that have experience. Don’t you think the students will learn more and think Logandale is the best school ever?

In conclusion, I think that by having more exploratory and more afterschools will make Logandale a better school, in which people will want to come in. Different exploratory will entertain students more in school. More fun after school activities will make students stay longer in school. Students will be able to learn and experience more things. I believe that this will make Logandale a better school, It wont hurt to try it, Right?

Lorena's Life Story

The day my second baby was born, was on December 22, 1994. I had just had a girl at the beginning of this year, and this time it was a girl again, but at the end of the year! What name was I going to put her? I didn’t know. Until later when I had my baby next to me in the hospital room and my brother came in to visit. "Hey sister! How are you both doing?" He asked excitedly. "So have you though on what name your going to put her?" He asked. "That’s what I was thinking about right now, and I really don’t know. How about you brother, you have any ideas?" I asked him. "How about if we call her Lorena, It’s a nice name." He suggested. "Oh yeah! That’s a really nice name, I might as well name her like that. Lorena Valladares. Ok we got the name." I told him. I decided to name her Lorena Valladares, like my brother had said but didn’t give her a middle name.

Lorena was a calm baby, she wasn’t like her older sister Nancy that used to wake me up at night screaming and didn’t let me sleep all night. She woke up only when she was hungry or was dirty. She started to grew and didn’t have favorites. Her older sister Nancy used to like her father better than me because everytime I’ll carry her she will start to cry. Two years passed and Lorena and Nancy will spent all their time playing together, until I was pregnant again from another girl. Now I had three girls and later on I finally had a boy. My house will be full of screams and fighting all the time. Lorena will fight more with her sister Esmeralda. They never liked each other when they were small, she will always be jelous of her sister Esme and spent their days discussing and arguing.

She started to grow, and it was time for her to go to school. The first day at school she started to cry that she didn't want to go, but then got used to it. I was proud of her because she got good grades, better than her sister. Through 1-4th grade she alwasys got A's and B's, and never went to summer school. She came up to be intelligent, but later when she went to Middle School she started to change. She started to get D's and even F's, maybe it was jus harder for her now.

When she was 13 she finally met her cousins, well actually she had met them before but never got really close to them like she is now. They started to hang out with the family again, and she started ot have more friends. Before she used to be really quite and shy but now she talks to people from the outside. I see my daughter so happy the way things are now, because now she goes out and hang out with family and friends. Sometimes I will have problems with her because she will fight alot with her older sisters Nancy and Daisy.

Now she is 14, in 8th grade and her goal is to graduate and be somebody in life one day. I wish my daughter a wealthy and better future than mines. I really think she will suceed in life and sometimes when I see her grow and grow more it just makes me want to stop time and have that little girl that once used to play wit toys back, thinking that one day she will move out and have a family of her own. She will experience this feeling one time when she is a mother and realize life by herself.