*Marimba tone plays* I rolled to turn off the alarm on my cell phone and swiped the lock screen. I was going to sleep for a few more minutes.
"Miss Tonascia." I sat up immediately.Why was there a voice in my room? I grabbed her phone and realized that I had answered a phone call. Darn marimba. Another discovery was that the time read 2:45 a.m.. Who could be calling me? "Miss Tonascia," the voice said. The phone fumbled in my hands before I could hold it to my ear.
"I'm here, who is this?"
"That doesn't matter now. You must leave your house and go immediately to the Arc de Triomphe."
"But how?"
"Your tickets are on your desk."
I was trying to comprehend what the other person was saying . Leave? Now? Tickets? There was a minute of silence before I responded, and in that time I had jumped out of bed, turned on her lights, and found the anonymously left tickets. What the...actually never mind; he's still on the other end of the call, I thought.
"Okay, I have the tickets. How much time do I have left at home?"
"You have ten minutes before you're expected to leave your house. If you take any longer your family will have to suffer the consequences after you've left."
"Oh shoot, I guess I don't want that," I mumbled. "Okay, I'll be on my way."
"I'm pleased to hear this, have a safe flight." Then the voice was gone and I had 9:59 to get everything together and leave home. I made a schedule in my head: six minutes to pack, four to leave a note and clean up, get dressed somewhere in-between.
I started with the clothes. One leg in my favorite pair of jeans and my head coming through the first t-shirt I grabbed. I hopped around the room putting on socks and shoes, putting my hair up, and putting on the pair of diamond earrings that Mother had given me for my birthday. After pulling my hoodie on, I had 8:38 left. "What bag to use?" I knew that everything that I had to bring was going to have to fit in this bag, but I didn't know how long the trip was going to be. I spotted my school backpack and sprinted to it, flipped it upside down so that everything inside would fall out, and tossed whatever I needed in: an extra change of clothes (including shorts), a notebook, pens, 6:46, hair ties, chapstick, my wallet (which at some point had acquired a passport), and my Cannon camera which was one of my favorite possessions. "What else?" I grabbed the duct tape from my shelf and a fanny pack then stuffed them in the backpack, too. You never know when you might need duct tape. I turned to look back into my room for one last scan while standing in the doorway. "My journal!" I picked it up and exited my room while tearing out a page. I wrote to my family explaining that they should not try to contact me and that I'm okay. I dropped it off in the bathroom- someone was eventually going to see it. 4:02, I was doing great on time so I sprinted to the kitchen to raid the pantry and shove as many snacks into the backpack as possible without making it burst. With headphones,sunglasses,phone,and keys in hand, I went to the car and drove to the local airport.
In the car I was thinking. This is it, I'm going to France, but I don't even know why.Well I probably should've thought of that earlier- oh well. It was too late to think about it now and I had to have faith that things were going to turn out alright. Boarding the plane was conducted with ease, and the layover was perfectly timed. Since I looked up the time difference I chose to sleep on the flights. when the plane landed in France it was just after noon. As I stepped into the lobby,I saw a tall man with a stern face holding a sign with my name on it so I walked to him. He led me to a black car of which he was the diver. i napped on the way to my destination, i assumed that I was headed to the Arc de Triomphe. When the man opened the door, I stepped into the bright light and pulled out my backpack. Before I had enough time to say anything,the car had driven away and abandoned me.
Okay, not cool. Since the car was gone I decided to do a cliche slow motion spin around. There it was,the Arc de Triomphe, just like the photos I'd seen. The surrounding was so surreal, the round about, the people, the fact that i was in a different country was surreal. Never had I thought that i would be there under those circumstances! I twirled around one more time and saw three more black cars drive away,and to my dismay, three friends caught my eye actually standing under the arc, Elizabeth, Matthew, and Alec. I jogged over to them. They seemed to be as confused as I was.
"Call in the dark-"
"...tickets"
"Dude, I had the same call."
" Me too!"
"Why?"
"I have no idea."
"maybe,"
"but,"
"nah,"
"Guys! It's clear that we all got the same call and that we're meant to be here at the same time.The question is why, though.Why are we half way across the world? Why us?" I sad.
"Because we're all geniuses," said Elizabeth.
"Because we're all good looking," said Alec.
"Because there's something more that we need to figure out," said Matthew.
"Let's go with that," Liz said.
"Since it looks like we're all that's coming to this shin-dig, let's stick together," said Alec. The rest of us agreed to that suggestion and there it was, the start of our adventure.
"Hey, look at what's on the Arc!" Liz said. It was a yellow envelope. This was something that you'd see on Amazing Race. Alec opened the envelope and read what was inside. It was instructions to make our way to an address and be there before the sun set. We decided that it wasn't imperative that we make it there ASAP, so we took the long way there. The four of us went sight seeing on our way to the destination. It was a fun afternoon with some of the coolest kids around. We took a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower. We all did the cheesy picture where we were holding he structure in our hand. Since no one had eaten since the wee hours of the morning, we sat in the grass below the Eiffel Tower to devour our snacks and have lunch to catch up and tell our stories. We all had different things to tell about what had happened to the point of our meeting. Next, we headed to the Louvre. It was such a cool museum! Seeing the different pieces of art that I'd learned about in classes was so cool. It made me feel sad that not many people give artists that much credit for creating such beauty out of nothing. I was in the presence of greatness. Not going to lie, I even took a picture of the Mona Lisa, like mother like daughter. After roaming through and blown away, we left to our destination.
We ended up at the entrance to a catacomb. On the way, I looked up who was buried under there, it was some family, not such a big deal to us. As we stood at the entrance, another envelope was visible. Matthew opened and read the contents. We had to go into the catacombs and find an item that was supposed to be obvious. Only after reaching this point could we know why we were sent here. We were going through the catacombs.
A few minutes went by and we were deep into the catacombs. I mentioned that it reminded me of freshman year when we read "The Cask of Amontillado" and that if our journey ended down there that I love everyone. I was being my typical, sentimental self. Liz gave me a hug and said that she'd had the best day ever. Matthew said that I was going to die first, he was kidding, and that it would be a liability if we didn't come back so we shouldn't be worried. We walked through the underground tunnels, observed the inhabitants, thanked God it didn't smell too badly, and joked around a bit.
We turned a corner and Alec, who happened to be in the front, said, "Guys, there's a person ahead." Uh, what were we supposed to respond to that? We kept moving forward and saw, at the end of the tunnel a man chained to the wall. There were bricks around him on the floor. Whaaaat?!
"The Cask of Amontillado was real?!" I said.
"If by 'real' you mean was actually attempted by a crazy person, then yes," the man replied.
"This is beyond insane," said Matthew.
"I've been here trying to get out for a week."
"Oh my goodness! We need to save you!" Elizabeth said.
"I'm kidding. I've been here for two hours." The four of us sighed with relief and said that it wasn't funny, but still laughed. We hadn't noticed that he was in a suit.
He continued, " My name is Tom. I'm a member of the KEWL Association, Kids Engaged With Learning Association, that tracks the progress of students across the world. We are interested in finding kids who aren't only concerned with learning information to pass the tests, but to apply the information to life. I love how you made that short story reference, I was hoping that you all would. Through our research, we have picked you four to help me escape. My people have come up with a test. If you can get me out of this and out of these catacombs, you all can have your education at the college of your choice payed for and can have permanent jobs with the KEWLA. Not only that, but all trips around the globe that you want to take from here on out will be complimentary of the association."
At that moment I almost couldn't breathe. Free education, available and permanent job, free trips around the world- everything that I've dreamed of. It was too good to be true. We all wanted those things and were determined to get the job done. We all assessed the situation and made a plan. The boys figured out how to get him out of the chains and the girls were in charge of returning out of the catacombs. Both jobs were tricky considering that the chains were also in crazy knots and that we hadn't left a trail on the way in to find our way out. Through blood, sweat, and tears, we all made it out safe! It was the greatest feeling. He handed us his card, plane tickets home, and sent us off in the same black car with the driver that I had when I arrived earlier that day. In reality it was about 1:00 a.m. the next day, but we were wide awake. We all returned home safe and sound and my parents were under the impression that I had been at a friend's house.
Things were never the same for my friends and I. The months that came were full of adventure. We would go with each other on trips during three day weekends to anywhere that we wanted. These three became my most favorite people and lifetime friends, I know it. I was also able to take family and other close friends to different places for longer vacations. I didn't have to worry about applying for scholarships during my senior year because it was all going to be paid for, my books,tuition, board, everything! My parents soon figured this out and cried. I couldn't be more excited to be starting my first day of college. With a job ready for me when I'm done with school, I now get to learn about whatever I want in college. I have freedom to learn and have never been happier.
I forgot to mention something huge. During this whole adventure I took pictures with my Cannon. I had photo evidence of this whole thing! The flights, the Arc de Triomphe, meeting my friends, the Eiffel Tower, those silly pictures, the Louvre, the catacombs, Tom, everything. I wrote about the experience in my journal whenever I had a free minute or two that day. This whole thing is true and if you don't believe me after you see the pictures, call Tom, I can give you the KEWLA headquarters phone number. It's in the process of being published, but if you wait a month or two you can read my book. It's a compilation of writing I've done and photos I've taken from all trips that I have been on in the past year because of this experience. I know what makes me happy and I'm thankful for this amazing opportunity.
"I'm here, who is this?"
"That doesn't matter now. You must leave your house and go immediately to the Arc de Triomphe."
"But how?"
"Your tickets are on your desk."
I was trying to comprehend what the other person was saying . Leave? Now? Tickets? There was a minute of silence before I responded, and in that time I had jumped out of bed, turned on her lights, and found the anonymously left tickets. What the...actually never mind; he's still on the other end of the call, I thought.
"Okay, I have the tickets. How much time do I have left at home?"
"You have ten minutes before you're expected to leave your house. If you take any longer your family will have to suffer the consequences after you've left."
"Oh shoot, I guess I don't want that," I mumbled. "Okay, I'll be on my way."
"I'm pleased to hear this, have a safe flight." Then the voice was gone and I had 9:59 to get everything together and leave home. I made a schedule in my head: six minutes to pack, four to leave a note and clean up, get dressed somewhere in-between.
I started with the clothes. One leg in my favorite pair of jeans and my head coming through the first t-shirt I grabbed. I hopped around the room putting on socks and shoes, putting my hair up, and putting on the pair of diamond earrings that Mother had given me for my birthday. After pulling my hoodie on, I had 8:38 left. "What bag to use?" I knew that everything that I had to bring was going to have to fit in this bag, but I didn't know how long the trip was going to be. I spotted my school backpack and sprinted to it, flipped it upside down so that everything inside would fall out, and tossed whatever I needed in: an extra change of clothes (including shorts), a notebook, pens, 6:46, hair ties, chapstick, my wallet (which at some point had acquired a passport), and my Cannon camera which was one of my favorite possessions. "What else?" I grabbed the duct tape from my shelf and a fanny pack then stuffed them in the backpack, too. You never know when you might need duct tape. I turned to look back into my room for one last scan while standing in the doorway. "My journal!" I picked it up and exited my room while tearing out a page. I wrote to my family explaining that they should not try to contact me and that I'm okay. I dropped it off in the bathroom- someone was eventually going to see it. 4:02, I was doing great on time so I sprinted to the kitchen to raid the pantry and shove as many snacks into the backpack as possible without making it burst. With headphones,sunglasses,phone,and keys in hand, I went to the car and drove to the local airport.
In the car I was thinking. This is it, I'm going to France, but I don't even know why.Well I probably should've thought of that earlier- oh well. It was too late to think about it now and I had to have faith that things were going to turn out alright. Boarding the plane was conducted with ease, and the layover was perfectly timed. Since I looked up the time difference I chose to sleep on the flights. when the plane landed in France it was just after noon. As I stepped into the lobby,I saw a tall man with a stern face holding a sign with my name on it so I walked to him. He led me to a black car of which he was the diver. i napped on the way to my destination, i assumed that I was headed to the Arc de Triomphe. When the man opened the door, I stepped into the bright light and pulled out my backpack. Before I had enough time to say anything,the car had driven away and abandoned me.
Okay, not cool. Since the car was gone I decided to do a cliche slow motion spin around. There it was,the Arc de Triomphe, just like the photos I'd seen. The surrounding was so surreal, the round about, the people, the fact that i was in a different country was surreal. Never had I thought that i would be there under those circumstances! I twirled around one more time and saw three more black cars drive away,and to my dismay, three friends caught my eye actually standing under the arc, Elizabeth, Matthew, and Alec. I jogged over to them. They seemed to be as confused as I was.
"Call in the dark-"
"...tickets"
"Dude, I had the same call."
" Me too!"
"Why?"
"I have no idea."
"maybe,"
"but,"
"nah,"
"Guys! It's clear that we all got the same call and that we're meant to be here at the same time.The question is why, though.Why are we half way across the world? Why us?" I sad.
"Because we're all geniuses," said Elizabeth.
"Because we're all good looking," said Alec.
"Because there's something more that we need to figure out," said Matthew.
"Let's go with that," Liz said.
"Since it looks like we're all that's coming to this shin-dig, let's stick together," said Alec. The rest of us agreed to that suggestion and there it was, the start of our adventure.
"Hey, look at what's on the Arc!" Liz said. It was a yellow envelope. This was something that you'd see on Amazing Race. Alec opened the envelope and read what was inside. It was instructions to make our way to an address and be there before the sun set. We decided that it wasn't imperative that we make it there ASAP, so we took the long way there. The four of us went sight seeing on our way to the destination. It was a fun afternoon with some of the coolest kids around. We took a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower. We all did the cheesy picture where we were holding he structure in our hand. Since no one had eaten since the wee hours of the morning, we sat in the grass below the Eiffel Tower to devour our snacks and have lunch to catch up and tell our stories. We all had different things to tell about what had happened to the point of our meeting. Next, we headed to the Louvre. It was such a cool museum! Seeing the different pieces of art that I'd learned about in classes was so cool. It made me feel sad that not many people give artists that much credit for creating such beauty out of nothing. I was in the presence of greatness. Not going to lie, I even took a picture of the Mona Lisa, like mother like daughter. After roaming through and blown away, we left to our destination.
We ended up at the entrance to a catacomb. On the way, I looked up who was buried under there, it was some family, not such a big deal to us. As we stood at the entrance, another envelope was visible. Matthew opened and read the contents. We had to go into the catacombs and find an item that was supposed to be obvious. Only after reaching this point could we know why we were sent here. We were going through the catacombs.
A few minutes went by and we were deep into the catacombs. I mentioned that it reminded me of freshman year when we read "The Cask of Amontillado" and that if our journey ended down there that I love everyone. I was being my typical, sentimental self. Liz gave me a hug and said that she'd had the best day ever. Matthew said that I was going to die first, he was kidding, and that it would be a liability if we didn't come back so we shouldn't be worried. We walked through the underground tunnels, observed the inhabitants, thanked God it didn't smell too badly, and joked around a bit.
We turned a corner and Alec, who happened to be in the front, said, "Guys, there's a person ahead." Uh, what were we supposed to respond to that? We kept moving forward and saw, at the end of the tunnel a man chained to the wall. There were bricks around him on the floor. Whaaaat?!
"The Cask of Amontillado was real?!" I said.
"If by 'real' you mean was actually attempted by a crazy person, then yes," the man replied.
"This is beyond insane," said Matthew.
"I've been here trying to get out for a week."
"Oh my goodness! We need to save you!" Elizabeth said.
"I'm kidding. I've been here for two hours." The four of us sighed with relief and said that it wasn't funny, but still laughed. We hadn't noticed that he was in a suit.
He continued, " My name is Tom. I'm a member of the KEWL Association, Kids Engaged With Learning Association, that tracks the progress of students across the world. We are interested in finding kids who aren't only concerned with learning information to pass the tests, but to apply the information to life. I love how you made that short story reference, I was hoping that you all would. Through our research, we have picked you four to help me escape. My people have come up with a test. If you can get me out of this and out of these catacombs, you all can have your education at the college of your choice payed for and can have permanent jobs with the KEWLA. Not only that, but all trips around the globe that you want to take from here on out will be complimentary of the association."
At that moment I almost couldn't breathe. Free education, available and permanent job, free trips around the world- everything that I've dreamed of. It was too good to be true. We all wanted those things and were determined to get the job done. We all assessed the situation and made a plan. The boys figured out how to get him out of the chains and the girls were in charge of returning out of the catacombs. Both jobs were tricky considering that the chains were also in crazy knots and that we hadn't left a trail on the way in to find our way out. Through blood, sweat, and tears, we all made it out safe! It was the greatest feeling. He handed us his card, plane tickets home, and sent us off in the same black car with the driver that I had when I arrived earlier that day. In reality it was about 1:00 a.m. the next day, but we were wide awake. We all returned home safe and sound and my parents were under the impression that I had been at a friend's house.
Things were never the same for my friends and I. The months that came were full of adventure. We would go with each other on trips during three day weekends to anywhere that we wanted. These three became my most favorite people and lifetime friends, I know it. I was also able to take family and other close friends to different places for longer vacations. I didn't have to worry about applying for scholarships during my senior year because it was all going to be paid for, my books,tuition, board, everything! My parents soon figured this out and cried. I couldn't be more excited to be starting my first day of college. With a job ready for me when I'm done with school, I now get to learn about whatever I want in college. I have freedom to learn and have never been happier.
I forgot to mention something huge. During this whole adventure I took pictures with my Cannon. I had photo evidence of this whole thing! The flights, the Arc de Triomphe, meeting my friends, the Eiffel Tower, those silly pictures, the Louvre, the catacombs, Tom, everything. I wrote about the experience in my journal whenever I had a free minute or two that day. This whole thing is true and if you don't believe me after you see the pictures, call Tom, I can give you the KEWLA headquarters phone number. It's in the process of being published, but if you wait a month or two you can read my book. It's a compilation of writing I've done and photos I've taken from all trips that I have been on in the past year because of this experience. I know what makes me happy and I'm thankful for this amazing opportunity.
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