Christianity and Gay Marriage; Is There Really a Conflict? by Eugene Kotelnikov

 

As a Christian, oftentimes I find it difficult to reconcile what my religion preaches and my own personal beliefs. One of the most difficult for me to resolve is my stance on gay marriage. Christianity has always preached it as an evil, because it does not fit into God’s plan, and as a Christian, our entire ideology is to love Christ, and imitate him and his teachings. Nonetheless, I can’t help but view gay people as a group of people currently oppressed by our government.

I would first like to look at this from a technical standpoint. What I find strange about opposition to gay marriage is that it is entirely driven by fundamentalist Christians. If you ask any man with knowledge of the Bible, and ask him to point out where in the Bible it speaks out against gay marriage, he would find a hard time pinpointing the book, much less the specific verse. This is because the Bible only mentions homosexuality a handful of times, in all 66 of its books. The cornerstone of Christianity is the life and death of Jesus Christ, who dies for our sins, and was sent by God as his son to be our savior. His life, teachings, death, and resurrection are completely chronicled in the New Testament by the disciples who lived with and dedicated their lives to him. Nowhere in the entire New Testament does Christ speak out against homosexuality, and for that matter, any other orientation or sexual preference. Most people can recall the parable of Christ defending Mary Magdalene, a woman caught cheating, and according to the laws of Moses in the Old Testament, is subject to death by being stoned. Although the message of this parable is that we can not judge others because we were all equal, it can’t be ignored that the laws of Moses even at that time were out of context and archaic, even to Christ. On this platform, all biblical verses against homosexuality appear in the Old Testament, thousands of years before the writings of the New Testament. Therefore, it is safe to say that these were rules are reflection of the time they lived in. We can not forget that the Bible was written by men, not God himself. These men are certainly susceptible to prejudices of their times because these were the accepted norms of society.

From a more objective view, I’ve always understood that there is a separation between church and state. If this country were run by the Bible, I would have no argument against the opposition of gay marriage, because then the foundation of our law-making processes speaks against it. However, as American citizens, we live under the Constitution. We live by its laws, which clearly say that the church and government are separate, and that “Congress will make no law respecting religion.” The American government has made marriage one of its institutions, whether the Christian church likes it or not. Thus as an institution of the government, discrimination must be made illegal. By making gay-marriage illegal, you are upholding an ideal of a religion, which clearly, is unconstitutional.

Furthermore, Christianity is a religion of choice, regardless of how self-righteous and pious men have forced it onto others in the past. Christ did not ever go door-to-door convincing others to follow him. Rather, he preached on street corners and temples, and only those who made the choice to listen to him attended. Thus, I can’t see anti-gay marriage as anything else other than religion forcing its ideologies on those who do not have to follow it. God did not design us as robots, he gave us the ability to choose Him or not. Every aspect of Christianity is a choice. When you oppress gay marriage, you rob them of that choice.

Thus, even as a Christian, I can say that I would vote “no” on any law that made gay marriage illegal. We live in a society that is not run by Christendom, but run by a government that is based on the Constitution. Opposition to gay marriage discriminates, and there is no other way of looking at it. Discrimination in any way, shape or form is illegal within our government’s institutions, and marriage is no exception. Yes the Bible speaks against it, but fundamentalist Christians that use this as their platform are ignorant and close-minded. These verses are far and few in-between, and taken completely out of context, seeing as how they were written thousands of years ago. The last time I checked, the basis of Christianity was to follow a man who taught love and acceptance, not intolerance and hatred. I can only hope that one day this ignorance will be washed away.

That Kid by Bryan O'Marah

That kid,

Walks down that road

Where drugs are sold

Lucky to be alive every day, but that's just how the story goes

That kid,

Never had a dad

It makes him mad

Wishing every day, that he would just come back

That kid,

Carries a gun

So he isn't another one

That is murdered, leaving a mom without her son

That kid,

Lives like this everyday

Drugs, gunshots, and murders like its child's play

Just trying, to get into a better place

That kid,

Rolls dice and plays craps

Shoots pool and raps

Only just to survive, on that little bit of cash

That kid,

Has no home

His mom and him are all alone

These streets, are the only thing he knows

That kid,

Is surrounded by gang life

He is just trying to survive

Jumped and robbed, so he puts up a fight

That kid,

Has no money, has nothing

Just a kid with a dream

Roaming the ghetto, just trying to find something

That kid,

Hears cop sirens

Gangster's guns are firing

He's stuck on the streets, while others are hiding

That kid,

Watches his mom cry

Watches people and his friends shot and die

This life is hard, hard enough just to stay alive

That kid,

Sees drug deals

Sees people shoot, kill and steal

While he just hopes, he gets to eat another meal

He's just that kid.

We Eventually Are Music by Edu Espiritu

I'm reading her this essay right now and I couldn't find a perfect way to say it, so babe, I'm saying it like this:

Yet I thought this day would not once come, but now it's lastly here. Now you're rushing, packing your things. I'm standing here watching you store our moments away deep into the departing darkness till they arrive to a new. Watching you close the door to not only your past, but ours. Tears gently rolling down your face into what seems to be an unbounded leap to the ground that now looks so lenient. This isn't your burden, neither is it mine, we can only blame our superiors. Forced with this devastating change they call better. How is it better when it only benefits them? Performances of selfishness, they think they know what's best, telling us to give it a rest, ruining what possibly is our best.

They are dividing us in half like a math equation. Babe, what if distance lets us drift apart, and then lets us burn and crash? I hope not. Optimistically, I hope this isn't a "goodbye" but a, "see you in a bit," like you said. In the finale of what is our happiness, I'm embracing you tight. Tight like the first time I embraced you on that icy October evening. Holding you like a musician holds their guitar. I'm strumming your body like a major chord. We're being amplified with just the sense of touch that we've constructed a work of art, together we crafted symphonies.

Together we'd play the greatest song known to man, the song of love. At the same time another song would be playing. That song is the memories that will always replay within my subconscious poetic mind. We can't help it, our brains will miss and store those memories, we fiend for them. Just like Rudy Francisco, "I'm no love poet but if I were to certainly write about love, it'd be about you." About how I played my hand of cards like a song of complexity and that I had you in it, the queen of hearts. "If my friends were to ask if you were my girlfriend, I'd say no. She is my musician, and well for me? I'm her favorite song."

Spooky Triumvirate Eye by Pamela Vigil

Chapter 6

"Twenty thousand dollars now! Do I hear twenty-one thousand?"

Generally, upper class art auctions were silent, with silent bidding. Not as obnoxious as this. Jess's work was being sold along side ugly name brand jackets and jewelry. It wasn't like her painting showed any amount of talent either which only made the price of it more ridiculous. She had half completed a portrait of Lonnie, got angry when it didn't come out the way she had planned, and thrown the rest of her palet at it. Now it was selling for twenty-thousand dollars. Jess hated when people yelled. It was annoying. And pointless. It reminded her a lot of her mom, who would on occasion go off in anger about something as small as the dishes having not been done. She missed her mom.

"Twenty-three thousand! Twenty-four anyone, goin for twenty-four"

The bidding was dieing out. It was time to leave. She'd be able to afford her lease for the next twenty years of her life with that price. She slowly stood up, and having sat in the back, there was no one to witness her leaving, except for perhaps the auctioneer who gave her a silent nod and kept bidding going. Out the door, down the street, one left turn, and then to the bus stop. Lonnie stood there, quietly, she simply stared ahead, knowing there was no conversation tonight. 

By the time her bus arrived at her stop, she had forgotten about him, and stepped into her favorite bar around the corner from her apartment in the Bronks. People gave a lot of shit about it, but she loved it here, and the crime wasn't even that bad, infect all the local gangs were quiet polite to her, they loved her, and she offered members of all to join her for dinner, sometimes they even ate together. No one knew that she was an accomplished cook, homemade meals fit for families of ten. And while it was occasionally uncomfortable, when they were in her presence, they behaved themselves. Once or twice she had even talked to the police commissioner about some of the minor charges brought against some of the younger members, ones who were honestly to young to even be members. They let them go at her discretion, and the promise to keep them in line. She held no favoritism, and was not bias to any side, and for that she was respected. For that, she loved the area, not like the snobby white folk in Manhattan, in their designer dresses, drinking their liquid diets so they could be so thin they didn't have a body, walking their little shit dogs who were so small she could step on it and not even notice. She hated people. Except those she lived near. Except the bartender, who often times would pay for her drinks, and allow her to crash in the loft upstairs if she was too drunk to get home. Every once in awhile during her binges he would stop by the apartment and clean up. making sure she showered and didn't let the sink pile up with dishes. But then as swiftly as he came, he disappeared back into the night, leaving her to herself. She liked that. 

A shot of whiskey appeared in front of her. She didn't even have to order it. As she swirled the liquid the door swung open and then swiftly closed. What used to be a fairly vacant area was now filled with anger, and in the hands of that anger were five or six men with guns. She looked at Danny, the bartender, and then to the men who were now occupying the bar. She noticed one of the men was a boy she had wrapped and cleaned a knife wound for last month. He had promised that he would stay out of trouble. He certainly shouldn't be doing something as strenuous as holding up a bar. He shouldn't even be holding up this bar, it was out of the question, this was neutral ground. It had been agreed upon, much like Jess's apartment, that there was to be no violence here. Danny had strategically moved to the back, opting for the safest course of action in the alleyway, knowing that even if they fought back, there was no ending to the scenario that would be happy. 

Jess stood up, defiantly almost, and waded her way through the tension in the air to the exit. Every one watched her as she walked past the med, shooting glares about the room. But no one stopped her. That was until she made it to the door, when a hand grasped hers, like a child holding a mother's hand when they were afraid of strangers or being lost. Turning she noticed it was the boy, but as she looked at him, he let her go, nodded and moved toward the bar. Jess slipped out the door.

Chapter 7

She was drinking again. And smoking. And shooting. Simply put, she was bingeing. Danny had stopped by a couple hours ago, and took away most of her heroin, but he didn't know about the stash she kept in her closet behind the clothes in the safe in the wall. Jess filled her syringe, and looked down at her arm. The vain was right there. But around it. Around were raised skin roads that criss crossed and intersected, discolored circular pieces of skin that were wrought with memories of infection, and various puncture wounds from before. She had started decorating her own body when she was 11, angry with the world she took it out on her arm like it was canvas. Lonnie would always clean her up though, his mom was a nurse, so he knew first aid. Sometimes when he was mad at her, he would pour rubbing alcohol or lemon juice on the wounds to make sure she knew the pain he was in. She was never mad at him for it, it actually made her stop cutting when he had died. 

Jess slipped the syringe in, and pushed down. Patting her arm. 

Lonnie was on the couch. Twelve again. Smiling the smile she had only seen maybe twice, when he was truly happy, when he had forgotten the horrors of the world, and was simply enjoying what he could, with her. He would laugh at her resistance to eat ice cream, cause she always felt fat, but he would shove it in her mouth resulting in a vanilla covered face, only resulting in her shrieking and shoving ice cream in his face, until they were both human popsicles. Her mom would then come in yelling at them for making such a mess, calling the dog over and letting him lick the milky treat off their faces. Lonnie never let her down. Jess patted her arm once more. She had neglected to take out the syringe. Reality told her that she should remove it before the blood started to clot around it, but Lonnie was right there. He would be so disappointed in her. Looking his way Jess noticed he was permeable now, pieces of wood sticking out from the couch piercing his body. She should get a new couch. More pieces of wood came out and began to penetrate the laughing boy's body. But he never stopped smiling, yelling gleefully "Jess, Jess, stop it! That tickles!" 

Jess vomited. She knew what was happening. Her doctor told her when she was under a lot of stress she could imagine things. It was just her mind. Her imagination. Lonnie wasn't here. She had meds for episodes. She wanted to stand up, but was impaired by the needle that was lodged in her arm. Without thinking she yanked it out, breaking the formed minor scab, resulting in a steady flow of what appeared to be purple jelly like ooze. She knew it wasn't real. She probably wasn't even bleeding. Staggering she made it to the bathroom. She could hear Lonnie laughing back in the living room. Laughing laughing laughing. Open the cabinet. She accidentally knocked down her tooth brush and some advil, but located her meds swiftly. How many was she suppose to take? One, two, five? Had to be five, it would work faster if she did. Maybe she could take the whole bottle. No. That's how people die in the newspapers. Only five. It'll work fast. 

After an hour, Jess was lying in an almost swimmable pool of her own blood. Within minutes of that, she was breathless.

Love doesn't exist. Not in the sense that it doesn't exist, but simply that it can no longer be called love. We've distorted the meaning of it so much that teenagers look at one another once, have sex once, and believe that they are in mad deep love. Crazy doesn't exist either. There is no definition of crazy because there is no definition of reality, because who, honestly, is able to decide what is and isn't reality. Albert Einstein claimed that reality is an illusion. The tragedy doesn't lie in death, or in the abuse, or in any of the events that have transpired. The tragedy lies in what society has done to a girl who could have very well changed the world. To all the girls who could have changed the world who were caught up in the idea that they will never be good enough. To people who have an unbreakable connection, but are unable to show it due to gay marriage laws. To the idea of love. Real love. The red balloon, held in the hand of little girl who floated so gracefully away from the city, from society, is what is love. Is the power that lifts up higher then anything else in the world. Where words are pointless, where beauty is needless, and where what really matters, is what lies in one's soul.

Sunday Morning by Eric Shively

The glimmering light peers in through the clear glass windows. I sit up holding my head, groggy, still aching from the party the night before. My dad knocks on the door heavily. He questions me why I was home so late. "Why do you always have to be on my back, Dad?" I thought to myself. Church is in thirty minutes. I put on some pants and casually wander to the kitchen. Looking through the cabinet, I only find Cheerios to eat. "Ugh, whatever," I thought. My ears perk up as the conversation between my parents grows louder.

"Yes! He's lying!" My mom coarsely laughs. Suddenly my heart starts beating frantically. Do they know?! My mind is racing now. My mother comes in and asks if I actually vacuumed the garage this weekend. Phew! The bullet whizzes past.

I was rather bored in my Church class today. Tired too, my head still throbbing. Only the teacher, a shy girl, and myself today. "Great!" I thought sarcastically, this was going to take forever. After that was over, my dad and I start heading down the highway across the rough gravel in his Tacoma. I start to realize what a crappy day this was turning out to be. The next nine hours were going to be spent finishing the weekend's homework, studying for the Pre-Calculus test with my brother, and sitting at home. No friends and no fun.

I grew very lazy lounging around the uninteresting house. It feels like I'm doing nothing with my life. Then my friend texts me about being frustrated with this girl. As exciting as my day has been going, I want to know more. But now he says he doesn't want to talk about it. Fuck, things are really starting to get annoying.

The review for calculus begins and it feels like I'm not learning anything. An hour into it, I start developing another headache. I really don't want to do this right now. Man, it feels like I wasted the whole day. Today was pretty shitty. What did I really accomplish? But then, for some reason, my whining vanished. The answer dawned on me.

I realized that complaining about problems is pointless. I set my own disastrous mood. This Sunday was a good day. I woke up. I'm alive. My bed was warm, my parents care about me, and there was food to eat. My dad took me to Lloyd's donuts and I had the most amazing cinnamon roll. I actually played some pretty fun games with the teacher and that shy girl. We went out and got Starbucks before church ended. Of course I ordered the Venti Vanilla Bean Frappucino. I had a great time talking to my awesome dad on the way home.

My brother is nice enough to freely tutor me on his knowledge of calculus and I started to learn a lot. I had a delicious dinner with my loving family, and had the luxury of a warm shower at night. Life is actually really good. If you take a step back, see how many things you're lucky to have and probably don't deserve, and relish in the fact that today, was a good Sunday morning.

Untitled by Stephanie

We first met almost ten years ago

The morning was sunny and bright

Even though there was some tension between us

We became friends

We made fun of each other

Teased each other

Picked on each other

Even mocked each other

But it was all in good humor

We never really meant it

You became my best friend

The years passed

We were there for one another

Through both good times and bad

Even if our time together was brief

I was happy whenever you were with me

But I don't even know

If you felt the same

It wasn't until you left

That I realized something

I should have realized long ago

I guess it was always there

In the back of my mind

But like the hardheaded bitch I was

I was too stubborn to recognize it

Now it may be too late

I should have known it

Should have said it then

I should have told you what you meant to me

How I felt whenever I was with you

No one can go back to change the past

But if I could

Would things still be the same between us?

Me anxious but scared

To receive word from you

Proof of any kind

That our past together is still there

In some form

You hoping

That I would stop bothering you

With pointless questions

That I already know the answers to

Even though it has come to this

You were still always there for me

When I was at my low

You pointed out my strengths

To bring me back up

You told me my weaknesses

Never sugarcoating anything

Saying it like it was

You know the real me

Better than I know myself

If it wasn't for you

I wouldn't be the person that I am

If it wasn't for you

I wouldn't be where I am

It was thanks to you

That I could see light

Where before I only saw dark

You deserve to have someone

Who is better than me

Someone who will never let you down

Someone who you will never be ashamed to have by your side

No matter who you choose

I wish you all the best

After all you are everything that a girl could wish for

She'd be lucky to have you

And I know

That it's something I can't have

Something that I don't deserve

I have benefited more in knowing you

Than you have from knowing me

I can't thank you enough

For everything that you have done

No matter what roads we may take

Whether or not our paths cross in the future

I feel like you should know

That I wish I could tell you things

That I couldn't tell you before

But now it's too late

The words that I finally have the guts to say

Are words that you don't want to hear

From someone like me

But at the very least I can say

Thanks for everything

Thanks for putting up with me

Thanks for being there for me

Thanks for believing in me

When I didn't believe in myself

Thanks again

For everything

Prince of Camelot by Justin Chamberlain

                        There once was a kingdom named GangGar where there lived a beautiful family that had a beautiful castle and a beautiful village. One day the king and Queen of GangGar were feeling quite lustful and decided they wanted to make a bot and girl. They hurried up to their triple king-size bed to get busy making their future heir. They stayed in there for thirty days and thirty nights. Finally they came out, the king then said to his squire it is done! After nine months the queen delivered two babies, a boy named maxy and a girl named Cinderella. When the boy maxy grew up he went off to become a knight for the kingdom, when the girl Cinderella grew up she became very ugly so her parents said straight up to her face you ugly! Then they banished her to the highest tower in the kingdom, and there she will stay for the rest of her days.

            Until one day a prince from Camelot heard that there was a princess in a castle that has not married anyone yet. So since he was looking for a beautiful wife to marry he journeyed to the kingdom of GangGar to marry this beautiful princess. When the prince of Camelot got to the kingdom he knocked on the palace doors and a squire answered "What do you want?" The prince instantaneously replied "My name is Prince Camel, and I have traveled many nights to get to your kingdom to marry your princess." The Squire thought to himself for a minute then said "there is no princess here" then closed the door. The price was very frustrated from this act of rudeness and knocked on the door again. The squire answered again "yes prince?" The prince asked again about the prince and the squire thought to himself for even longer and said hysterically "oh that princess!" The prince asked "Why do you laugh?" Then the squire said "I will go consult with the king." When he got to the kings chambers the king said in a booming voice "kneel before your king and kiss my boots!" The squire did as he was told. When the squire told the king that there was a prince from Camelot wanting to marry the ugly princess in the tower they both bust of laughing and making jokes about the prince from Camelot. The queen came down from her chambers hearing all of the commotion and asked what the problem is. They both stopped laughing instantaneously. The king then said "my queen there is a prince from Camelot wanting to marry our princess." The queen said "Wonderful I will tell the princess". She then went up to the princesses' tower and told her there's a prince wanting to marry her and the princess told her in a much shaken voice "is he pretty pretty handsome?" The queen then told the squire to ask the princesses' question to the prince. The squire opened the door and asked the question, the prince replied "of course I am pretty pretty handsome, I have been bread with the sexiness of a goddess from the heavens.  The squire then laughed and closed the door. He relayed this info to the queen then she told the princess the prince's answer. The princess giggled but then turned straight to her mother and said no. the queen tried to tell her to reconsider but it did not work so she told the squire to tell the prince. The squire went to the prince and said that the princess had said no. The prince then got angry and drew out his sword and stabbed the squire. He went over to the king and asked him why the princess has rejected him the king answered with a solid "I don't know why" the prince then revolted and tried to stab at the king but the king parried the stab and said "ha-ha you can't defeat me I am the king" so the prince stabbed him in the foot and the king responded with "aw what the hell that was my foot." While the king was on his knees the prince chopped of his head and left. When he was running down the corridor trying to find out where his princess was he spotted the queen and tackled her. He asked where the princess was and the queen told him she was in the highest tower to the right. The prince thanked her pulled up his pants and left. When he finally reached the tower he knocked on the door and went into the princesses' chambers and asked her why she is hiding her face and why she would not marry him. She replied "I am to ugly to go into the real world." The prince replied nonsense and the princess uncovered her face and cracked a crooked smile, the princes gasped in horror and then said damn you ugly and stabbed himself!

The End

A Club by Marysol Zavala

    Yunna was awakened again by her blue teddy bear alarm clock. She got out of bed, her long purple hair covered her face like alway. She did all the usual morning stuff, battle with Bakken, eat, then leave to school. At school Yunna spotted her friend Gabriel who looked as if she was frantically looking for someone, "OI! Gabriel!" she yelled. Gabriel ran at, her short blonde hair were in pigtails. Gabriel leaned close to Yunna and whispered in her ear "Your'e a vampire bounty hunter aren't you.", her voice was stern. Yunna slowly reached for the guns in her pocket that she normally kept for safety. "Your'e my idol! My role modle!!" Gabriel suddenly bursted out hugging Yunna. "Follow me!" Gabriel said dragging Yunna to the storage room, she moved an old box which look rather old and heavy. "Yunna know that I think of it, why do you always come so early to school? Your'e an hour early." Gabriel asked. "I should be asking you that. Also I come here early because of my stupid little brother." "Awww you never told me you had a little brother, he must be adorable if he's your'e brother. I come here early because of meetings here in the club, I'm the vice president." Gabriel said while walking down long stairs. It was dark,but because of the vampire eye Yunna had, she could see clearly while Gabriel put on contacts so she could see just as clear. They finally reached two big doors. Gabriel opened then and the room was empty other than a door in the right corner of the room and a long rectangular table with nine chairs surrounding it. After a while, a tall man came out from under the table. There stood the man with long black hair in a ponytail and silver eyes that were examening Yunna over and over again.

   ". . . Hendrick?!" Yunna said. "Yunna? B-but how did you escape!?" he asked. They hugged eachother and a sparke of jelousy gleamed in Gabriel's green eyes. "How do you guy's know eachother?" she asked still sounding abit angry. "We're childhood friends, we shared the same cell, but one day I was informed that Hendrick was bought by a kind vampire family which at first I couldn't believe it. He visited my cell for the last time and there I saw him smile for the first time. Come to think of it you need to pay for all the sleepless night's I had because I was alone in a dark cell." Yunna said her while pounding her fist into her hand a few times. Hendrick backed off looking as though he were about to cry. She took a step closer to him, but then the bell rang. "I'll pound your face in the wall later, for now I must get to class." Yunna said bowing. She sat down on her desk, many people were mermering. The teacher entered, "Now kids, I know you will all miss me" she said emotionlessly ,"But starting today you will have a new teacher!" Ms.Sayomi said suddenly sounding more lively.

   The door slid open and the stood the male teacher, he had medium lengthed hair that was a light pastel green and he had golden eyes. He was extremely tall and looked well toned in his body and looked to be in his early 30's. If you are a vampire with golden eyes, that means you have mated already. "Everyone treat Mr.Martinez nicely okay?"the teacher said. The student's bursted out laughing at how Ms.Sayomi was going goo goo gaa gaa over Mr.Martinez. Mr.Martinez stared at Yunna and Gabriel then licked his lips. The male students glared at Mr.Martinez and they cursed at him under their breathes. "It seems that in this classroom we have two worthless scum humans, so for class today, how about we play a game to see who's the imposters here." Mr.Martinez said smilingat Gabriel and Yunna.

Sex Ed by Jonathan Brodie

"Damnit, Jack!  I can't believe you!"  The woman choked on the words, embarrassed that she was in bed with a man like this.  She hurried towards the door.

Jack leapt out of bed.  "No, wait!  Please, I can explain!"

"Forget it, Jack!" The woman screamed.  She pushed the door open with her shoulder and ran down the hall.  The other people in the apartment complex opened their doors to witness a half-naked woman with a black dress tucked under her left arm running down the hallway.  All of their heads turned simultaneously to see a man emerge from his apartment in his boxer shorts.  "Damn it!" Jack screamed.  He suddenly became aware of the attention he had garnered from the apartment complex.  Jack's cheeks flushed and his heart began to race.  Some faces were confused, some were disgusted, and others were shocked.  The silence lasted for a few moments.  Jack finally took a deep breath.

"I swear, I can explain."

            Beep-beep-beep!  The alarm went off like a firetruck siren.  Jack hit the alarm, but it wouldn't stop making sounds.  He grabbed the alarm and threw it across the room.  Jack sat up as the cheap alarm shattered into millions of pieces.  "Aw… shit!" Jack said as he threw his head into his hands.  The alarm was a gift from his mother.  Now he would have to take the AAE, the abbreviation for the Alarm Aptitude Examination.

            College Board was once a company designed to help students differentiate themselves from thousands of other applicants for prestigious universities.  This corporation grew more and more until the practice of taking examinations to prove one's aptitude for something was the only conceivable method of measuring aptitude.  As Jack got dressed, he remembered the first test he had to take when he was three years old, called the TSAT, also known as the Toy Safety Aptitude Test.  While Jack could play by himself as a three-year-old, he wanted toys to play with.  After College Board returned his score to his parents, Jack was able to send out an application to Toy Manufacturers.  The manufacturers reviewed his application, and sent him acceptance letters deeming him worth of the toys.  Jack grabbed his backpack and waded his way through the sea of preparation books that littered his floor.  He managed his way to the door and stumbled over a preparation book for tooth brushes.  The door was shut and Jack was off to the bus stop.

            The bus arrived, with a Collegeboard sign on the side that read "Help us help you, sign up for the HAE today."  As Jack boarded the bus, he spotted his friend, Will.  "Hey Will" Jack said with a friendly nod as he took the seat next to Will.

            "Morning Jack, what are you up to today?" Will said with a grunt.

            "I'm off to take the Writing Aptitude Test.  After that I'm going to hang out with Emily."

            Ignoring the rest of Jack's day, Will said "Ah, you want to be a writer, you do?"  A star twinkled in Will's eye.

            Jack shrugged.  "If by writer you mean the person who writes passages on the Basic Aptitude Test, then yes."

            Will laughed.  "Did you know that before the revolution, there was only test?  It was called the SAT.  Reading, Writing, and Mathematics all strung together into one four-hour-long test."

            Jack was stunned.  "Only one test?"  Sure it was a tiny bit longer than the tests that consumed the lives of the countless people of College Board Eutopia, but only one test?

            Will nodded.  "Then they added more tests in subjects.  Literature, Science, Languages… they even let you take the test as many times as you wanted, as long as you had the money to pay, and College Board would take your best combination of math, reading, and writing scores."

            "You really did get the highest score on the history aptitude test."

            Will sighed.  "And look where it got me.  Digging through archives, looking for some passages to put on these damn tests.  Sometimes… a lot of the time, actually… I feel like my life is meaningless."  Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  He turned his head toward the front of the bus so that he wouldn't have to look at Will anymore.  "I wonder what life was like before the revolution."

            "People were unqualified for jobs.  Now people have to prove that they are qualified for jobs by taking rigorous tests."  Neither the word choice nor the tone was Jack's.  Jack's tone was much more upbeat, and even as an aspiring writer, he chose to write in a method in which everyone could understand.  In preparation writing classes, this garnered him a fair amount of enmity from his professors who argued that writing was made to be critiqued.  Jack believed that writing was made to be enjoyed.  The phrase was taken right out of a history preparation book Jack purchased when he took the history test.

            "True.  But I still feel as if there is something missing in my life."

            Jack briskly stood up and wiped his legs off.  "My stop is right here.  Nice talking to you, Will."  Will either didn't listen or pretended not to.  He stared out the window like he was looking for something he was sure existed, but he couldn't see it.  Jack made his way to the front of the bus and stepped outside into the cool air, less congested with so many people taking it.  He looked back into Will's searching eyes before walking into the testing center.

            The day was a blur after that.  Jack took his writing test and went home to prepare for his date with Emily.  He was dining with her at the College Board Eutopia Diner, a five star restaurant whose average customer Dining Aptitude scores were in the ninety-fifth percentile.  Jack was taken to the back of the restaurant to a table that sat two.    Emily was sitting with her legs crossed.  She wore a clean back dress, and her long blond hair ran past her shoulders.  "He finally arrives." She said with a seductive smile.

            "Sorry I'm late," he said, "there was an issue with someone in front of me.  Apparently his scores weren't good enough to dine here anymore."  It was true.  The man had thrown quite a fit before College Board Security was forced to remove him.

            Emily moved the conversation in a different direction.  "So how was the writing test you took today?"

            Jack sighed.  "I don't know.  It was hard for me to focus on my essay."

            "Oh?  What was going on?" Emily peered into Jack's eyes, but it felt like she was peering into his soul.

            "I talked with Will about the way the world is.  What he said sort of made me question the way College Board run things.  I mean, I'm glad everyone works for their job, but I wish the world had less of this test bull shit."

            Emily sighed.  "So you're saying that you wish things were back to the way they were a long time ago?"  Jack hesitated.  He began to sweat as his eyes were pulled down from Emily's curious face to two other things.

            "Ye… yes."  His voice became less hoarse and gained confidence.  "I wish things were less about testing and more about passion.  I think if you have the passion and the will to excel at something, there should be nothing holding you back from it."  Jack was astounded at the pride resonating from his own voice.

            Emily's head fell.  Her voice was low and seductive.  "I feel the same way, Jack." Her lips curled into the same smile she had at the beginning of the night.  "I'm not hungry anymore.  Let's go study at your place, hm?"

            She didn't have to tell him twice.  Jack rocketed out of his seat and the pair moved quickly out of the back door of the diner.

            The next thing Jack knew, Emily was pressed up against him on the door to his apartment.  Their lips touched as their heads made loops like a roller coaster.  When the kiss was done, Jack unlocked the door to his apartment.  Emily strolled in and gave Jack the seductive smile again.  As the two made their way to Jack's bed, Jack became worried, excited, and relieved all at the same time.  Emily pushed Jack onto the bed and climbed on top of him.  She kissed him again.  When he opened his eyes her dress was gone.  She moved her hand down his chest and unbuttoned his shirt along the way.  As she started to remove his pants, she hesitated.

            "Wait, you have something right?"

            Not listening, Jack continued to remove his pants.  "Huh, what?"

            Emily looked startled.  "You know…" she looked into Jack's helpless face.  "A condom, Jack!  Do you have a condom?!"

            "Oh, well you see…  I, uh…"  He felt like a helpless little boy.  He sighed.  His eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.  In the smallest voice imaginable he said, "I don't have any.  I never passed the Sex Aptitude Test."

My Monster by Sharon Munoz

The old gate fence was one of the only things left of the Centerville Park. Centuries had passed since its prime, and now it lay abandoned and rotting to its core, like the town had. The trees had been torn down, broken roots left behind and spurting out from beneath the dirt. The ground was black with filth and a putrid smell smothered the air around it. Only occasionally would a lost traveler come by the deserted wasteland, and they rarely stayed for long. If they were somehow able to withstand the unbearable heat and stench, they'd soon be faced by The Sick One.
The Sick One fed off of the weak and oblivious. It had emerged years ago when the town was still alive, and it watched as the humans destroyed everything they had created. The Sick One could see the instability among them; he could almost taste their inner panic and proclivity to failure. He knew they would be easy prey. The more corrupt they became, the more unprotected they were. Soon enough, the town broke apart and the people divided, and he went after them. Now, he was the only "living" being left in the town.
Emily was unaware of this. She had been driving past the town and it seemed to call her in, beckoning to her with its shattered fingers to come closer. It was late, and she figured it wouldn't be safe to go on longer on the dark road. There wasn't much to see, she soon realized, but it seemed too late to turn back. Her body was weary from the long day's travel and she needed sleep, and so she parked her car alongside a crumbling curb with the intention of spending the night there.
The Sick One had felt her presence the moment she'd entered the town. He lay stretched out underneath the rubble in the park, unaffected by the burned piles of papers the government had left behind as it had fled the city. With many desolate days behind him, he had become unsure if he was dead or still alive. His body was made up of rags of shredded skin clinging to crusty bones, and his eyes had eroded, leaving behind empty sockets, black against the red of his face. His nose was sharp and smelt all, and his mouth widened to reveal blackened teeth. He seemed to be made up of the trash that lay around him. He was not human, but he could not say what he was.
As Emily settled comfortable into the back seat of her car, The Sick One emerged from the rubbish. He was tall and gangly, and his bones struggled to move with coordination after such a long time with no need of it. The air around him darkened, an eerie mist enveloping him and giving him the appearance of an apparition. He did not need eyes to walk; following her scent along the city. She had fallen deep into her sleep by the time he came upon her, and her muscles involuntarily tightened as his presence seemed to be noted.
They should have warned her about him, but now, it was too late.
His long slender fingers reached out, feeling the cold metal figure of the car, wrapping shakily around the handle of the door. His nostrils flared as he pulled it open, her scent absorbing him momentarily, and he shivered with the perverse love for the taste of flesh that lay before him. Emily stirred slightly as she felt the cold hit her, and slowly her eyes blinked open.
At first she saw nothing; he seemed to blend into the night. Only when he grinned did she see his pallid face staring down at her, pits where eyes should have been, horns where hair should have grown.
The Sick One never wasted his food. He hungrily devoured her body, ignoring her panicked screams of pain, stifling her mouth with his fist as he feasted. She eventually stopped fighting back, and her soul seeped out of her body as the devilish beast took advantage of her, only stopping once to lick his lips.

Exit Path Part 2 by Jose Javier

          The metal door opened to hell.  The room was a cube, 50 meters long and wide, and was lined top to bottom with razor wheels.  Fire was shooting out underneath the wheels, turning them into blazing red blades that caused the air to ripple like an oven.  There seemed to be about 100 razor wheels, reaching up to taste my flesh on their searing hot utensils.  My brain lurched, unable to digest what I was seeing.  This is what they meant.  This is my freedom…a freedom away from this world.  This is what they were saving for me.  All of my hard work, determination, time, wasted for a lost cause.  The heat on my face reminded me of Death's presence in the room.  At that moment, I knew that I had lost the battle.  Today was the day.  I knew something out of the ordinary was going to happen, and I was right.  I ran towards my predetermined fate.

          Out of all the despair, a beacon of hope emanated from within the fiery depths of the room.  A window, just big enough for me to fit through, was mounted in the far wall of the room, 4 meters up.  What was I thinking!?  There is so much more to explore in this world than what the walls of this building contain.  There is a lot that I don't know, and I want to fill up that space with memories, experiences, and what not.  The window was my ticket out of here.  The room was approaching, and it was now or never.  I invoked Flow, feeling the godly amounts of energy rush through me.  I ran, faster than I thought I ever could, and surged over the scorching wheels.  I was now in the air, being glared at by the hundred hungry beasts down below.  The hot air was pelting my face like a heavy rainstorm taking its toll.  After a flight across the oven, I felt my body on the glass as it shattered into a million pieces.  The cool night breeze engulfed me once I broke out of the room.  I then plunged into a great fall 15 stories below.  A smile crept up onto my face, as I was now proud to say that I was free.  I mouthed the words over and over during my fall.

          "I'm free.  I'm free.  I'M FREE!" I said over and over again.  I landed on the ground without any injuries, and ran off towards a metal bridge in the distance.  The bridge was empty, and was wide enough to hold 3 cars side by side.  A siren sounded off behind me as I picked up the sounds of military choppers heading my way. 

          I took a peek at my pursuers, and the sight was not pretty.  Feint outlines of machine guns were attached to the sides of the copters.  Spotlights were shining down on me as I ran across the bridge.  I heard something rev up to speed, almost like something was charging up.

          "Shit, shit, SHIT!" Barrages of bullets were raining down from the sky like a meteor shower.  I ran in zigzags, trying frantically to get out of the machine guns' deadly fire.  I crossed the bridge and was running back on ground.  A forest of dead trees was up ahead.  I weaved my way in between the trees, trying not to trip over the semi-exposed roots and get torn apart by the heavy gunfire.  A few moments later, I heard something shoot out from the copters.  They were small, about the size of my hand, and were blinking red.  My pursuers must have thought that this wasn't enough, so they resorted to using bombs to end my fate.  Was I really that dangerous?  I jumped over a patch of bombs that fell in front of me, and was thrown against the ground from the explosions.  I really wanted to use Flow, but if I did, I would run the risk of crashing into trees…and that would truly be the end of me.  I stumbled back into a run, now aware that my back was dripping with blood.  A hill was off in the distance, with a cave at the base of it.  I weaved my way through more mazes of trees while avoiding the heavy gunfire and exploding bombs.  My sights were glued onto the cave.  My heart was hammering, trying to keep Flow from coming.  Then the unthinkable happened.  I picked up the sounds of two heat-seeking missiles speeding towards me.  The cave mouth was now right in front of me.  I dived into the cave mouth, and impaled my head onto the hard rocky ground.  The missiles hit the top of the mouth, causing the cave to seal me inside.  I was safe, at last.  The sounds of the copters lingered up above, and then faded away, thinking that I was dead from the falling rocks.  My body was aching with pain, my head faring no better.  My clothes were all tattered up and soaked in blood.  My back had some fragments from the bombs that knocked me onto the ground.  I tried to look around the cave, but my head wouldn't allow it.  Dust was flying everywhere in the darkness.  My mind then started to wander among the memories of my short-lived life.  This was the best that I could do, escape and die while you're at it…

The sounds of voices sounded off deeper inside the cave, and then I blacked out.

          I woke up on a makeshift stretcher.  My body was still aching from the escape.  My eyes slowly adjusted to the mysterious surroundings.  How did I get here?  What happened after I blacked out?  Am I dead?  My head filled up with questions the more I looked around.  I tried to sit up, but I was still too tired.  Someone must of removed the shards of metal embedded into my back, because the pain that was lingering there was now gone.  I was in what looked like a small, straw hut.  Pictures were tacked onto the walls, accompanied by objects such as flowers, a guitar, and bright, colored lights which illuminated the objects on the walls.  Someone was in the hut with me.  As the figure took notice of my awakening, it turned around and headed towards me with a tray of various items.  Fear started pouring into my mind.

          "Hey! You're awake."

I stared at the figure for the longest time.

          "Don't worry, you're safe here.  No one can get you now," said the figure with a calm, soft voice.  The figure was a young woman, about 20 years old.  She approached the stretcher and set the tray down on a stool next to it.

          "Man, they really roughed you up huh?"

I didn't know what to say.  I was shocked more than anything.

          "Do you have a name?" she asked.

          "Uhh…umm…my, my name is R-Runner K4B1204ZJ," I said, not sure if that was even my real name.

          "Oh, you're a runner then.  What's your real name?"

I didn't know how to respond.  I have been called Runner for as long as I can remember.  I was speechless; I was looking at an actual human, a real, life person, not at just some intercom relaying instructions over and over again. 

          "I…I don't know…" I said.

          "Another runner that they kept locked up." She muttered under her breath.  She picked up a piece of food from the tray and fed it to me.

          "Here, eat this.  It should help with your pain.  Get some rest."

She walked out of the hut.  The moment I swallowed what she gave me, I felt some pains lift away.  I fell asleep again, leaving my mind with the duty to process what had just happened.

          My eyes blinked open to the sound of people chatting outside.  I was feeling a bit better now; the aches and pains on my head and back were gone, and I could sit up with no problems now.  I swung my legs over the bed and stood up.  I noticed that I was dressed in big, baggy clothes that seemed fit for a giant.  I didn't mind it too much; I was more happy to be alive than anything.  The ground was made of compacted dirt with some shrubs sticking out of it.  It felt almost like flour spilled on the ground.  The individual grains padded and welcomed my feet as I stood on their soft bodies.  The air was somewhat fresh, like a nice cool breeze on a perfect Spring morning.  Wait a minute, fresh air inside a hill? There must be ventilation built somewhere.  I took one last glimpse around the straw hut, walking around and gazing at the objects that it possessed.  The hut was a cylinder-shaped room, just a tad bit bigger than the cell that I was held captive in for so long.  A small kitchen was up on one side, composed of just a stove with two small counters on both sides of it, and some cabinets above the whole thing.  Two beds were positioned at opposite sides of the hut, each bed occupying one side of the kitchen.  The makeshift stretcher that I was on was in the center of the hut, along with a small, square coffee table.  On the side opposite the kitchen were pieces of machines that seemed like they were fiddled with and taken apart.  Rust and dirt lined the pieces of metal in the back of the pile.  To the right of the metal heap was the doorway.  Plastic streamers, strings threaded with beads, and a wooden tiki attached to one of the strings were in the doorway.  I was eager to see new surroundings.  I took a step outside the hut, pushing aside the stuff hanging from the doorway into the new space.

          A group of people were stationed outside of the hut, keeping their voices down to a loud whisper.  Among them was the girl that tended to me in the hut.  The group appeared to be disagreeing with one another on a fairly important manner.  A few of them heard my entry into the silent atmosphere and turned around.  All of them were wearing old, patched up clothes, and the ages ranged from 20 all the way to about 80 years.  The person that was speaking up over the others now set his eyes on me, and approached.

          "Welcome! Welcome to the Underground Society.  This place is where all the rebels that escape from Central escape to.  I hope that you've had enough rest.  My name is John, and I am the guy that leads this place," John said, patting my left shoulder like I was a long lost buddy. 

"They didn't rough you up too bad huh?  Don't worry, you're safe here.  Central won't lay another finger on you ever again, I promise," he said in a sincere voice. 

"Elizabeth, show him around.  Show him the sights." He winked at Elizabeth.  "I have some business to attend to."  John walked away towards the big metal structure off in the distance.

Elizabeth walked up to me and grabbed my wrist.  She was the girl that tended to me.  She was shorter than me, up to my line of sight.  Her silky blonde hair dropped down to her midback, and wasn't held by anything.  Her face was nothing like I've ever seen before!  She had cobalt blue eyes, soft facial features, and the way that her bangs covered part of her eye was striking.  She wore a white dress, nothing too fancy.

"Hi Runner, my name is Elizabeth," she said as she was pulling me towards the group of people that she had the secret conversation with. 

"This is Mark.  He is our Defense Specialist."  She pointed over to a middle-aged man, about 50 years old.

Mark had strands of grey hair that lined his head and beard like lines on a barcode.  He wore clothes that were fit for a giant.  Although he looked old, there was still a lot of muscle in his aging body.  He was about 6'7"; maybe that's where the clothes that I was wearing came from.

"Pleasure to meet you…uhh…what was your name again?  Runner right?" he asked.

"Uhh…I…I don't know…" I said.

"Haha, no worries.  Since you don't know your name, I'll give one to you!  Hmm…" he said, stroking his fuzzy, white haired chin.

"I got it!  Jack.  How does that sound?  Jack." he asked in a solid thundering voice with a chuckle.  "Sounds better than Runner yadayadayada, right?"

"Jack…Jack…" I said over and over again, making sure that it was a name that I was satisfied with.

"Has a little virtue to it, don't ya think?  Very attractive to the ladies…heheh," Mark said with a grin.  He winked over to Elizabeth, and she blushed.

"I, I like it.  It is much better than Runner," I said.

"Good!  It's settled then." He gave me a big thumbs-up.  Elizabeth continued on with the introductions.

"This is Sage.  She is our Medicine and Health Specialist.  She makes sure that everyone is alive and well." 

Sage's hair was up in braids, or was made up of braids.  She wore overalls with an orange long sleeve shirt.  She wore glasses, and had earrings that looked like small, golden hoops.  She didn't say anything when she was introduced.  She was staring at me, like she saw the key to her answers right before her.  She scurried off to a hut with a metal tower that stuck out of the top, before I could ask why she was staring at me.

          "She has a lot of her mind.  Ever since we found you, she's been scanning her sources about something.  She won't tell us anything, not even me," Elizabeth said.  "Maybe you could squeeze what she has to say out of her."

          "…Probably, I guess so.  She was staring at me like I was the answer to her questions," I answered.

          "Interesting.  Well, anyways, this is Robert.  He's our Constructor."  Elizabeth pointed to the guy that was standing next to Mark.  "See all of those metal vents on the cave ceiling and walls?  Not to mention the spotlights shining on the roof to light up this whole place as well?  He made them.  The vents were built so that we can have some fresh air.  And for the lights, you get the idea."

          "So that's where the breeze came from…" I said.

          "Yep," Robert nodded.  "And depending on the conditions outside, the ventilation system will adjust to keep the optimum temperature in here.  Pretty neat huh?"  He made drastic hand gestures to emphasize his point.

          Robert was my height, and a tad bit skinnier than me.  He was muscular, and had messy, spiky hair, with green goggles on his forehead.  He wore a dark green muscle tee with a red bandana around his neck.  A belt of tools rested on his hips.  I looked up to see his work.  It was amazing!  The intricate maze of vents was probably the most advanced thing that I ever saw. 

          "I made her with my bare two hands.  She is still a sight to fall in love in…" he said, gazing at his creation.

          "That's pretty impressive," I said.  Robert appeared to not have heard me over his creation.  I decided not to interrupt him.

          "Hey Ru- I mean, Jack!  Let me show you around.  I'm pretty sure that you'll like it here."  Elizabeth grabbed my hand with a smile, and ran off, pulling me with her.

          "Have fun you two lovebirds!"  Mark yelled behind us.  Lovebirds?  What are lovebirds?  Elizabeth didn't seem like she heard Mark.  Oh well, maybe I'll ask Elizabeth about it.

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