Blackout [draft two]
< >"Bye Pam!" Dad and Mum shouted as they closed the door behind them. "Bye!" Pamela shouted back, waving at the door. Pamela pressed her ears against the closed door. When the sound of footsteps faded, she jumped onto the sofa and switched on the television. Her parents had left to attend a friend's wedding dinner and they won't be back till midnight. Her sister was in her friend's house for a sleepover, so nobody was at home to fight with me for the remote control. It was bliss.

< >It was already ten at night, and Pamela was sitting eagerly on the sofa, munching on popcorn while watching the late-night horror shows. Suddenly, the television went off. The lights also went out, plunging the whole room into darkness. Bright spots appeared before Pamela's eyes as the darkness came suddenly, cutting out every inch of bright light. Pamela clutched her popcorn bag tightly, her eyes darting around the room. Cold sweat dripped down her face, and she wiped them off with the back of her hand. Then, Pamela decided to do something, so she got up from her seat and stumbled blindly towards the kitchen.

< >Pamela groped around the kitchen as she headed for the emergency drawer. Everything that were needed during emergencies were in there. Grasping the drawer handle, Pamela pulled the drawer open. She rummaged through the things in drawer. Then, her hands touched the torchlight. She curled her fingers around the torchlight and pulled it out. Pamela immediately tried to switch the torchlight on but to no avail. She slapped her hand against her forehead, suddenly remembering that she had used the batteries in the torchlight for her Game boy. Pamela let out a groan and wished she had not been so playful.

< >Pamela rummaged through the drawer again and pulled a box of matchsticks and a candle out. She struck the first match. Fire danced on the matchstick as the matchstick was lit. Then, a gentle breeze brushed past the fire, causing the flame to sizzle away. Pamela gave a sigh of exasperation as she struck another matchstick. The matchstick 'came alive' and Pamela lit the candle hurriedly. When the flame touched the wick, it lit up instantly. Pamela gave a sigh of relief as the flame lit up the area around her.

< >Pamela walked out of the kitchen and sat on the living room sofa. What now?

< >Pamela then decided to read a book to calm herself down. She selected her favourite book, Twilight. Pulling the book out from the shelf, Pamela settled down on the sofa, reading and eating popcorn at the same time.

< >Suddenly, the lights came back on again. Pamela jumped in shock as the bright light flooded the room. As fast as the light came on, it went out again. Then, the light started flickering. Fear, raw and intense, swept through Pamela. Her thoughts ran wild and she was imagining all sorts of things. Was this place haunted? This month was the Hungry Ghost Festival. Pamela remembered that she was playful enough to pull out every candle which was used for praying from the ground earlier this morning with her friends. Was the ghost out for revenge? Pamela dropped to her knees, her hands clasped together. "I'm sorry, ghost, if I have offended you. Please forgive me and leave me alone," Pamela whispered fervently. Suddenly, suppressed giggles reached her ears. She knew that sound. Her face turned to the colour of molten lava as she stormed towards the door.

< >Peeping through the peephole in the door, Pamela saw her sister and her group of friends crowding around the main switch of the house. Pamela's suspicion was confirmed. Her sister and friends were behind all this. "They must have been bored enough to come here and tamper with the switch, scaring me!" Pamela thought. Then, Pamela decided to have her revenge.

< >Pamela draped a white cloth over her body and slowly opened the door. Good. Her sister and friends were too immersed in tampering with the switch to notice her! Creeping behind the group of friends, Pamela raised her hands and moaned, "How dare you... How dare you..." The whole group stopped giggling. Pamela's sister withdrew her hand from the main switch. Turning around, they stared wide-eyed at the 'ghost'. Screams reverberated down the corridor. Fear and horror was evident in their eyes.

< >Laughing uncontrollably, Pamela pulled off the white cloth.

< >"Sorry for scaring you!" Pamela said sarcastically as she walked back into the house. Her sister came running into her house and swore that she was going to tell Mum and Dad. "Let's see how they will take it when I too tell them that you were tampering with the main switch!" Pamela threatened, narrow-eyed. A smile spread across Pamela's face as she waited for her sister's answer. Pamela had her in a tight corner. Then, Pamela's sister threw in the towel and promised not to play such tricks ever again. She even made her friends promise to Pamela. Pamela laughed with satisfaction. She had won!

Unexpected Kidnap
< >"Come on, Nicole! Can we please go now?" I groaned, my feet tapping impatiently.
"Aww, alright," Nicole mumbled, reluctantly pulling herself away from the computer screen. I sighed. I grabbed my sling bag and threw Nicole's sling bag towards her. Naturally, Nicole missed. I grinned. "You're so clumsy," I teased. Nicole just picked up her bag and followed me out of the house. We were supposed to go and meet Dad. He said that he had someone he wanted us to meet. I, being the curious one, was determined to find out while Nicole just stares at her computer screen. Even though Nicole and I were sisters, we seemed to be total opposites.

< >We strolled down the blocks, craning our necks in search of Dad. We were told that he was in block 125, but we could not locate the apartment block. Then, in the middle of the silence other than our footsteps, someone else's footsteps could be heard echoing after ours. I stopped abruptly and whipped my head around, just to see a man burying his head into his newspapers. I shrugged and continued our search. Whenever I glanced back, the man would be behind us. If we stopped, he too will stop. I told Nicole about that man. "Maybe he's just some maniac or something. Just leave him alone," Nicole simply said, yawning. I kept quiet after that.

< >I glanced over my shoulders again and heaved a sigh of relief. The man was gone. "That man's gone, Nicole!" I said excitedly to Nicole. Nicole shrugged and replied, "What did I tell you, he's just some maniac!" I glared a Nicole furiously. I especially hated her for being so uncaring. As we turned the corner, there he was again - the sinister stranger. He glared at us through eyes red as coals. I pulled Nicole back. He let out a demonic laugh. There was a livid red scar on his right temple. His filthy, dishevelled hair fell over his face and he reeked of alcohol. His loose, ill-fitting clothes looked as though they had been slept it. "Are you scared of me?" he asked, smiling repulsively. "Let's go," I murmured. I turned back and tried to run, but the man clamped his hand onto my shoulders. He grabbed both of us and pulled us with him. I screamed, my heart beating as fast as a bullet train. Panic began to engulf me. The man slapped us tightly across our faces. Tears welled up my eyes. "Quiet, girls!" the man snapped. We shut our mouths as the man pushed us into a black van. "Stay here and don't move!" he snarled.

< >Tears poured down my cheeks as the man started the van. I glanced at Nicole with my dewy eyes. "What are we going to do?" I whispered. Nicole just stared at me, her eyes wide open.

< >After ten minutes or so, the man stopped the car. He opened the back of the van and pulled us out. "Remember to shut up," the man roared I darted my eyes towards my surroundings. We were in a deserted place in front of a old, derelict house. Two men came running out of the house. The three man pulled and shoved us into the house. Bewildered, I looked around me. Cobwebs covered the ceiling of the house and the floorboards squeaked under our feet as we walked on them. Where were we? What does these men want with us? They dragged us into a tiny, dark room. Two rickety-looking and low rocking chairs stood in the middle of the room. The men pushed us onto the chairs. "Keep quiet!" the men sneered. Even if the men did not tell us to stay quiet, I would have, for I was to shocked about what was happening to me to even speak. The man who we met at the blocks of apartment whipped out his cellphone and dialed a few numbers. "John," the man said. My jaws hung open. John was my father's first name. This maniac knows my Dad! "I won't be able to turn up... And so will your daughters!" he said, breaking into a menacing laughter. "Want to see us? Bring one million dollars by tomorrow. Leave it in the rubbish bin of the Park nearest your apartment. Don't call the police, or else!" he roared. The other two men broke into menacing laughter and threw the beer bottle on their hands onto the grounds. The bottles broke with a smash. I flinched. Large sharp pieces shards of glass covered the area around the chairs.

< >The men left the room after tying us onto the chairs with weak-looking, thin ropes. Since the men were not good with knots, they tied us to the chairs loosely. I slid my hand down onto the floor easily and grabbed a piece of glass from the floor, unmindful of the pain. Then, I started cutting the ropes with the glass. Within seconds, the ropes broke apart. I jumped up from the seat, relief written all over my face. I hurriedly cut apart the ropes that bounded Nicole. We hugged each other tightly, tears of relief and fear pouring down our cheeks. I stared at her. What now?

< >Nicole pointed to the door. I glanced at her and nodded. Then, we edged soundlessly out of the room. As we passed by the room next door, I took a peek inside. All the men were soundly asleep on mats spread out on the floor. One of them even has a bottle of beer in his hand! I grabbed Nicole's hand. "This is our chance!" I whispered to her. I broke into a run, pulling Nicole behind me. I realized that I did a mistake as Nicole tripped and landed face flat onto the ground with a loud thud. I groaned. Why must Nicole be so clumsy? "Who's there?" a voice boomed. I froze, panic-sticken. I pulled Nicole up to her feet and pushed her in front of me. I almost gave up hope when I saw how slow she ran, so I just grabbed her hand again and took to my heels, dragging Nicole behind me.

< >I raced to the deserted road and ran helter-skelter, no holds barred. Nicole's hand still gripped onto mine. "Hey! Stop! Stop!" voices bellowed behind me. I pushed myself forward. My legs felt like lead and my lungs felt like bursting, but I was unrelenting. I glanced behind me. Nicole was stumbling along behind me, trying very hard to keep up. "Police! Call the police!" I yelled breathlessly over my shoulders.
Nicole dug into her pockets and fished out her handphone. She punched the numbers '999' onto her handphone and pressed it on her ear. She spoke hurriedly into the phone. "Where are we?" she yelled. I whipped my head around and just in time ran past a signboard which said 'Yellow Avenue 210'. "Yellow Avenue 210!" I shouted. I took another glance behind me. The men were chasing us with knife in hand. They seemed to be starting to get exhausted. I charged forward and tripped on a crack in the road and toppled onto the ground. Nicole tripped over me and fell on top of me. I groaned and picked myself up, checking for any injuries. I pulled Nicole up hurriedly and she shrieked in pain, clutching her ankle. "I think I've sprained it!" she stuttered, tears of agony pouring down her cheeks. I froze. Terror gripped my whole being as the loud footsteps came closer, and closer...

< >The men grinned. They closed in to us with their knives held up. "You shouldn't have done that. You should have just stay in the room quietly! But I guess you're just like your father, so stubborn, so brave..." The man growled. He raised his knife high and was about to stab us when sirens rented the air. He dropped his knife with wide-eye horror. Whipping his head around, he saw several police cars rushing into the quiet road. An ambulance was also there. They turned in the opposite directions and took to their heels. Policemen poured out from their cars and held up guns. "Hands up!" They yelled. The men stopped in their tracks and held up their hands. Then they were arrested and brought away. Nicole was brought to the hospital and I came along.

< >When we got home, tears of relief streamed down our cheeks as we ran into our parents arms. Dad explained everything. We found out that he had actually called us to meet his long-lost brother, but instead, since his brother was deeply in debt, he decided to kidnap us instead and demand for ransom. Even though I had no scars from the incident, the incident was scarred in my mind ever since!

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Robbery
< >I gently touched the scar on my hand. Memories of that fateful day started unfolding before me...

< >I brushed some pink blush onto my cheeks. Then, I fastened a necklace with a pink heart pendant around my neck and put on a pair of pink earrings. I surveyed myself on the mirror. I grinned at the sight of myself. "Looks like I'm ready for the wedding banquet!" I whispered, delightful. I grabbed my pink Gucci handbag and swung it onto my shoulders. I swung the door open and strutted out of the house.

< >I walked up to my garage and pushed the garage door button. The doors slid up. A smile spread across my face as my hot pink Porsche was revealed. I slid my perfectly manicured hands into my bag and groped around. I dug in deeper, a puzzled look on my face. "Where are my car keys?" I murmured. I slapped my hand onto my forehead as I recalled leaving my car keys on the bed side table. I walked out of the garage and sauntered to my house door, not wanting to perspire and ruin my makeup. I glance down at my beautiful pink shiny high-heels and another smile flickered across my face. Being rich sure makes life enjoyable! When I looked up, I saw a shadow slipping into the open house door from the corner of my eyes. Then, the door slammed shut. I stared at the door in wide-eyed horror and my jaws hanging open. What or who was that?

< >I edged slowly to my door. I dug my hands into my handbag again and fished out my pepper spray, my heart thumping madly. My fingers curled around a slim bottle and I pulled it out. I slowly turned the door knob, my other hand ready with my pepper spray. I swung the door open and squirted some of the pepper spray in front of me with my eyes shut, expecting a groan and a thud as that 'thing' gets blinded with my pepper spray and falls onto the floor. But instead, there was silence. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that no one was in front of me. I heaved a sigh of relief. I must have been imagining things! I loosened up and walked into my house. Crash! A crash could be heard as if something made of glass had fallen onto the ground and smashed into a million pieces. I gulped. That must have been what happened. I hoped against hope that my one million dollars glass sculpture of myself had not been the victim as I slowly climbed up the staircase which leads to the second floor of my house. I turned to my bedroom. I stopped myself from screaming in time when I saw who was in my room - A man clad in black. An empty sack was on the floor beside him as he rummaged through my drawers, his back facing me. Sure enough, my glass sculpture was on the floor, smashed into a million pieces. Traces of blood led from the pieces of glass to the man's foot. I almost fainted as he poured out all the contents of my jewellery box into his sack. I could not let this go on anymore further!

< >I edged towards the man, holding out my pepper spray with my hands trembling. My legs were shivering badly and I thought that I would faint there and then. I was right behind the man now. I did not know what to do next. Then, a thought hit me. What if this man was armed? What if he threatens to kill me? What if he does kill me? My mind was filled with dozens of 'what if's' as I continued holding out my pepper spray. Then, I decided to do what I decided to do. I tapped at the man's shoulder lightly. The man paused whatever he was doing for a while and wheeled around. I tried squirting the man with my pepper spray but to no avail. My hands were shaking so bad, the next thing I knew, my hands were empty. I stared at the man through my widened eyes. I tried to turn back and run, but I could not. My legs seemed to have turned putty.

< >I was engulfed with horror as the robber wielded a knife from his pocket like magic. He brandished it in front of me and told me not to move. Then, he snatched my handbag from my shoulders and stuffed it into his sack. As he was busy with my handbag, his back towards me, I bent down and slowly picked up my bottle of pepper spray without a sound. I quickly stood back up just as the man turned and faced me. Immediately, I managed to spray pepper spray into the man's eyes. "Urgh!" the man groaned, pulling his hand onto his eyes. He stumbled backwards, knocking against the opened drawers. I closed in towards the man and held up my pepper spray again, trying to squirt him again, but no matter how many times I pushed the button, nothing came out. I shook the bottle and realized that the bottle was empty. I threw the bottle behind and put up my fists, ready for a fight. The robber groaned again and waved his dagger in front of him blindly, slashing my arm. I screamed as I retreated, tumbling to the ground. Tears of agony poured down my pale face as fresh blood came rushing out from the wound. I clutched the cut tightly and pushed myself back to my feet. Knowing I was no match for the armed robber, I stumbled towards the telephone beside my bed.

< >I picked up the phone and was about to dial the numbers '999' when the robber cut the telephone line with his knife. He stabbed my hand with the knife and I shrieked in pain. Gripping my hand, I wheeled around in horror. The robber's eyes were opened in a squint and was blood-red. He was holding his sharp knife with one hand and wiping his eyes with the other. "Don't call the police or else!" the robber threatened. I glanced at his shaky hand. This is my chance! With all my might, I grabbed the hand which was holding the knife and twisted it. The man shouted in pain and the knife fell onto the floor. He tried kicking me but to his efforts were in vain. I kicked his wobbly legs and he toppled onto the ground. I grabbed his knife and threw it out of my window and onto my backyard. "Wow, I can't believe I unarmed a robber," I thought. I kicked the man's stomach with all my might and stationed my foot there. Blood began to pool in his mouth. I was about to reach for the phone again when I remembered that the line was cut. Seeing no other way out, I screamed at the top of my lungs. The man flinched and I dug my heel into his stomach.

< >Sirens rented the air. I glanced out of the window and saw several police cars and ambulances rushing into my backyard. Policemen and paramedics poured out from their cars and rushed into my house. Then, my room was filled with policemen and paramedics. The man and I were brought into ambulances on stretchers.

< >The man was a wanted robber for a very long time. He was known to have robbed more than twenty houses. He was sentenced to twelve years in jail and ten whips of the cane. I brushed the tears from my face and got up from my sofa. I had to get ready for another wedding banquet.

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attempt suicide
< >I trudged my way home, clutching my report book in one hand. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I flipped through my report book, staring at my results. All my subjects had gotten a band two and my Chinese and math were band three. Usually, I get straight band ones in my report books, but this time was an exception. I regretted playing the computer and not studying the whole year. My playfulness has resulted into bad marks. What am I going to do now? 'Jasmine's results has deteriorated a lot. She has not been alert in class and had been showing me very bad attitude. I am very disappointed in her.' My teacher, Miss Tan, had written that on my report book. "If Mum sees my report book, she is definitely going to kill me!" I mumbled.

< >I dragged my feet into the elevator, brushing the tears off my face. I hovered my finger over the button '6', hesitating. I moved my finger to the button '12' and pushed the button. The elevator started ascending.

< >I climbed up the ladder to the roof. Then, I threw my bag onto the floor and made my to the edge of the roof. I stood very near the edge, my heart thumping madly. Maybe I shouldn't do this, maybe I should just go home, get scolded by my Mum, and get this results thing over with. Maybe I shouldn't unnecessary kill myself. Maybe... Thoughts filled my mind. I reluctantly looked down. I almost fell over at the sight of the bottom and how small things were from where I was standing. I gulped. I should probably step back a foot or so, just so in case I decided not to kill myself after all and can easily go back down without slipping and plummeting down to the ground. But when I tried to move, I found out I couldn't. My legs had turned putty. Everything was swimming before my eyes. I forced my legs to move, and they did, causing me to slip. I let out a loud scream as I fell off the edge.

< >I gripped onto the edge so tightly my fingers turned red. I whispered a silent prayer, "God, help me that I won't die!" Then, I started crying for help. My left hand was losing its grip. I continued screaming at the top of my lungs, since I knew that screaming would be better than shouting for help. My throat turned sore and I could scream no more. I longed for water. Swallowing my saliva, I gave another loud scream. I had the urge to look down to see whether anyone saw me but I knew that if I did, I would immediately lose grip and plummet to the deadly depths. I let out another scream.

< >Suddenly, sirens filled the air. Help has arrived! I screamed again, and let out a sigh of relief. Then, firemen arrived to the roof and came towards my. They grabbed my arms tightly and pulled me up. I thanked them profusely. Then, my parents came into the scene. "Oh my dear Jasmine!" They said, throwing their arms around me. Tears of relief rolled down my cheeks and their cheeks. They told me that my neighbour Mrs Tan had seen me hanging from the latch and had dialed for the police and firemen. Even though my words were stuck in my throat, I managed to fill them in about what happened. They hugged me again and told me that no matter what, I should never kill myself.

< >I did get scoldings from my parents because of my results, but I knew they scolded me out of love. From that fateful day onwards, I swore that I will never ever try to commit suicide and will live life to its fullest!

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Mischievous Leo
< >"Hey sis! Look here!" Leo shouted. He stood beside the plastic mannequin outside the clothing shop. Putting his hand on his hips and keeping a straight face, he imitated the mannequin. I groaned. "Leo come back!" I shouted through gritted teeth. I always wished my brother was never born. He was such a thorn in my flesh! Leo rushed to my side and broke into laughter. I glared at him in displeasure and stomped into the McDonald's restaurant furiously. Leo caught up behind me. I went over to a vacant table and pointed to the chair. "Sit here and don't move!" I commanded. Leo saluted and said, "Yes Mam'!" He sat on the chair and broke into another one of his irritating laughter, slapping his thighs at the same time. I gave an exasperated sigh and hurried to the counter.

< >I grabbed the tray of food from the counter and made my way to my table. As I was closing to the table, Leo's eyes widened and he stared at me. "What?" I barked, irritated. "Sis! Don't move! There's a large, gigantic, monstrous spider on your arm!" he stuttered, pointing to my arm, his hand trembling. I let out a terrified scream and dropped the tray on the floor. All the fries, burgers and cokes toppled and splattered on the floor. I continued screaming and brushed my arms hurriedly, trembling like a leaf at the same time. All of a sudden, Leo burst into an enormous laughter. He clutched his stomach and he laughed so hard that tears filled his eyes. I stood trembling from head to toe, and said, scanning the floor at the same time, "Where's that spider, where are you spider!" Then, I looked up and saw Leo laughing. Finally, I realized what happened. Leo continued laughing, and managed to say between his laughter, "Oh my god, sis! You're so funny!" By that time, all eyes in the restaraunt were on me. The room was filled with an awkward silence. My ears turned pink and I was burning with humiliation. One of the people working in that restaraunt came out with a mop. I apologised to the people. The customers turned back and continued eating their food.

< >My eyebrows furrowed darkly. I throw my arms in the air carelessly. "I've had enough of you!" I cried. I stormed out of the restaurant in a towering rage. Leo really had the knack of getting under my skin! Why must he always needle me beyond endurance? He doesn't seem to respect me, not at all!

< >I swung my house door open in rage. As I dropped onto the sofa, my dog, Precious, tried to snuggle up to me. I pushed it away. "Stupid dog," I snarled, carrying it and flinging it into the storeroom. I slammed the door shut. Then, the door bell rang. I grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open. My eyes glinted with anger at the sight of who it was - Leo. "I'm sorry, sis," Leo muttered. I crossed my arms angrily. "I'm going to tell Mum about what you did!" I fumed. "Please, sis, don't tell!" Leo was practically on his knees. I stomped away with a huff. Leo rushed to me, pulling my T-shirt. "I'm really sorry sis! Please don't tell! I'm sincere!" He pleaded fervently, looking at me with puppy eyes. I crossed my arms again and held my head high, ignoring his pleas. "I will do anything! Anything! Just please don't tell!" Leo cried. I pondered his offer over for a while. A wide grin spread across my face as an idea formed in my mind. "Oh all right," I finally said. Leo jumped around in joy. Then, he kneeled beside me and said, "Leo at your service, your highness!" I laughed with joy and ordered, "Do all my household chores this month!" Leo's mouth hung open and he immediately stood up. "No way!" he shouted. "That means..." Leo cut me off in mid-sentence, "I can't bellieve I got off this easily! I thought you were going to tell me to do your homework or something!" he saluted and said, "Right away!" I giggled.

< >Leo was still as playful as ever, but he did not ever get in my hair ever again!

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Bad day

I stuffed my english workbook into my bag. It was already 10.30 PM and I had been packing my school bag. As I was rummaging through my books, checking that all that I have to bring is there, I caught a glimpse of a piece of what looks suspiciously like a worksheet of some kind. Grabbing it and pulling it out, I realized that it was the question which I have to write a five thousand words composition on! I read it, my heart thumping madly : "You are an orphan, waiting to be adopted. Write a 5000 word composition about your life." I groaned. This piece of work was given by the teacher a week ago, and I still have not finished it! What's more, the dateline was tomorrow! I had had a very busy day today and was very worn out. I have been waiting to lay my head onto my comfortable pillow! But on the other hand, I had never forgotten to do my homework before, and if my teacher,Mdm Tan, the fiercest teacher in the whole school, finds out, I would really be dead meat! So, seeing no other way out, I turned on the computer,opened a typing program, and started pressing the keys on my keyboard furiously.

My eyes were heavy and I could not keep them open. It has been two hours since I started my composition,and I was nearing the end of my composition. "I really can't believe I was adopted!" I said the words out loud just as I typed it in. I pushed away from the computer, gave a huge sigh of relief, and looked over my work with satisfaction. Finally! As I rolled my cursor over to the 'Save' icon, the whole screen went black. "What?!" I practically shouted when the computer automatically turned off. I banged my fist onto the computer table and cursed under my breath furiously. I pushed the 'on' button on my CPU hard. Nothing happened. I pressed the button again repeatedly. Still nothing. "No!" I shouted. I slapped my hands over my mouth and looked over at my parents' room.

They seemed to still be sleeping. I turned my focus back to my composition situation. I kicked the CPU furiously. and picked the keyboard up and slammed it on the table. Why must this happen to me? Tears welled up in my eyes as I repeatedly cursed the computer. Madam Tan is surely going to get me for sure! What am I going to do? What am I going to do? The same six words kept running all over my mind as cold sweat dripped down my cheeks. Panic alone has drained my energy and I was even more tired than ever! My hands trembled as I pulled out my writing pad and tried to recall what I had typed for my composition. My neat, precise handwriting detiotorated to an untidy scrawl as I became even more worn out. Putting down my pen and laying my head on the table, I decided to close my eyes for a bit. But the minute I closed my eyes, I immediately drifted off into dreamland.

"Wake up Pam! Wake up! You're very late for school!" Voices echoed in my mind. "Wake up wake up!" My mum shouted as she shook my awake. Lifting my heavy eyelids, I realized that the sun has already risen. I got up hurriedly and took a peek at the clock, even though I did not dare to - 7.45 AM. Oh no! I thought. I am forty-five minutes late! Then, a plan came into my mind, which must be natural to whoever is very late for school. "Mum, I think I'm coming down with flu. I checked my temperature yesterday and it was thirty-eight degrees. I seem to be having runny nose and a dreadful sore throat too, hehe," I said nervously, giving a loud sniff and a cough as if to prove my point. "Come on Pam! You're already late and you still have time to lie!" My mum shouted at me. I was taken aback by her accusement. "What? Me, lying?" I said, trying to defend myself. "Yes! Whenever you lie, you laugh like this - hehe. You can never fool your mother you know! Now, hurry!" My mum again shouted at me. I quickly grabbed my bag and ran to the door, my hair flying behind me. I grabbed a rubber band nearby and tied it on my wrist. Yelling good-bye over my shoulders, I ran to the elevator, tying my hair at the same time.

By the time I reached school, it was already eight o' clock. I headed straight towards my classroom. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on my classroom door.

The door swung open. At the entrance towered the ferocious Madam Tan. Her hair was tied to a bun and her eyes were glowing with fury. Her hands were clenched into tight fists and they trembled with anger as Madam Tan glared at me. "Sor..." I stuttered, when Madam Tan interrupted with a furious shout, "I don't want your explaination! You will stand outside here for the rest of the period and will stay back with me during recess! Make sure you keep your mouth shut!" My eyes were stung with tears but I was not going to cry in front of the class. So I stood there obediently until Madam Tan shouted again, "What are you waiting for? Hand in your composition!" My heart almost stopped beating. My voice trembled as I whispered, "Madam Tan, I err..." Madam Tan cut me off again, "No composition, am I right?" Then, she launched into a tirade and I stood outside the class, listening the whole time. My legs were aching and I could not bear the embarrasment of getting scolded by Madam Tan in front of the whole class anymore. When she finished, she shouted at me a few more times again and tears rolled down my cheeks. I could not hold my tears anymore. The tears kept on coming, drop after drop. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and the tears streaked across my face. Then, Madam Tan went back to her lesson. I took my Mathematics textbook out and listened to Madam Tan from the door. Then, the bell rang, signalling recess. Madam Tan shouted, "Everyone, except for Pamela, line up outside! Pamela, come here!" I groaned as I dragged my feet towards Madam Tan's desk. She dropped a pile of worksheets onto the desk and said, "Finish these worksheets by next week, Friday! This is to replace your undone composition!" My eyes almost popped out and fell onto the floor when I saw the huge pile. "Start now!" She shouted. I grabbed the first worksheet on the pile, a science worksheet, and started doing it.

Ring... The bell rang again, signalling the end of recess. The class poured into the classroom, filling up the seats. I returned to my seat with my pile of worksheets. "Can this day go anymore worse?" I said to mostly myself, but my seat partner, Ruth, must have heard it because she said, "I think it just had..." She pointed to the whiteboard, and I looked to where she was pointing. On the white board in huge letters wrote : 'People staying back after school until 5.30 PM today : Shad, Ashlee, Chelsea, Pamela, Johnnie' I let out a huge gasp. "I can't stay back! I have Karen's birthday party to attend to!" I told Ruth. Karen is my best friend, we have been friends since we were born. Ruth shrugged. I waved frantically at Karen to catch her attention. She saw me and stared at me, her mouth wide-open. I shrugged, a worried look on my face. She shook her head, and mouthed 'never mind'. I smiled and gave a thumbs-up sign, mouthing a 'thank you'.

At the end of the day, I followed Madam Tan, together with the other four pupils, into her staffroom. She gave the other four pupils the same pile of worksheets that she gave me. "Do them now! No rests!" Madam Tan ordered. We stared at Madam Tan with wide-opened eyes. What?! "What are you waiting for? Start!" Madam Tan shouted again. We pulled out a worksheet and started doing it. We dug our heads into the pile of work and seemed to be immersed in it until 4.30 PM. We stretched our arms and was standing up to stretch our legs when Madam Tan shouted, "I said no rests!" We groaned and got back to work.

After 5.30 PM, I had finished the total of eighteen worksheets and was really satisfied since I have a total of twenty-four worksheets to do. I skipped home happily, even though I should not be feeling this way.

When I got home, my parents were there sitting on the sofa. Immediately gladness was pushed out of my mind, fear taking over. What are my parents going to do to me? "How's your day?" They asked. "Fine," I replied, hoping they did not know anything. "Had extra classes?" my mum asked. "Yes, me only," I replied again, careful of what I said since I know that they know that Karen is having her party now. They nodded their heads and continued chatting. I told my parents I had a lot of homework to do and rushed to my room. I slammed the door behind me and gave a sigh of relief.

After a few days, Madam Tan had not called my parents for any reason. What a relief! From that fateful day onwards, I always make sure I finish all my homework on the day it was assigned and not do everything at the eleventh hour. This incident will be a lesson to me I will never forget!

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Cheating
in adaption of hwee lin's 'Cheating during examination'

< >I stared at the question on my practice paper, racking my brains, trying to understand it. But it was of no use. It was ten minutes before the mathematics exam paper will be given out, and I was doing some last minute studying. My heart was now beating as fast as a bullet train and beads of perspiration was forming on my forehead. I regretted not listening to Mr Johnson's teaching when he was explaining how to do this question. I was often known as the most popular girl in this class and I will not want my title to be ripped off by failing an exam paper! "Everybody please put your bags outside the classroom now! No delay please!" The invigilator, Mdm Tan, shouted. My heart almost stopped. I had no choice. Glancing around, I ripped the paper with the question on it, folded it, and placed it in my pocket. I then proceeded outside with my bag.


< >I flipped through my mathematics paper, scribbling furiously. At the start of the exam, my handwriting had been neat and precise. Now, one hour later, it had deteriorated into an untidy scrawl. After scribbling the answer for the last question in 'Section B', I turned the page, revealing my worst section in the exam paper - Section C. A section filled with deadly problem sums with outstretched arms, waiting to pull down its victim into the death-pit. I read the first problem sum, ponder over it for quite some time, and work out the problem. I gave a sigh of relief as I finished the last step of the problem, and went on to the next question.


< >Half an hour later, I came to the last question in the section. I realized that the question was almost exactly the same as the question I was studying before the exam! I looked around frantically. Everyone was busy scribbling in their exam papers to notice, I thought. I slid my hand slowly into my pocket, and pulled out the piece of paper I had placed in my pocket before the exam. I unfolded my 'savior', placed it on my lap, and scribbled as fast as I could, referring to the piece of paper at the same time. I hoped the marker could decipher my handwriting as I slid the paper back into my pocket. When I closed my exam paper, Mdm Tan came to me. My eyes darted towards Mdm Tan and my heart sank.


< >"Jane over there tells me that you have a little secret which you want to share with me," Mdm Tan says, her eyes narrowed into slits and her voice dangerously soft. My voice trembled as I tried to defend myself, "What are you talking about?" Mdm Tan stretched out her hand and shouted, "Give me your cheating device!" I shakily handed her the note in my pocket. Mdm Tan glared furiously at the note. She snatched my exam paper off my desk and immediately stared tearing it into pieces. I watched in horror, my eyes wide open, tears threatening to spill out. "Get back to work!" Mdm Tan shouted, and instantly the rest of the class went back to their paper, all except Jane. My blood started boiling and I glared at Jane furiously, shooting eye-daggers to the side of her head. I swore vengeance on her and nestled my head in my folded arms on my desk, sobbing.


< >Ring... The bell rang as Mdm Tan collected the last exam paper. I met up with my friends and stormed out of the class silently but angrily. "We have to get that little cheeky Jane!" I told my friends. My friends nodded in unison and we stormed towards Jane from behind. "Stop there, ugly stupid Jane!" Me and my friends shouted at Jane, pointing at her. Jane wheeled around, her face pale. "Hello..." she said. "Get her!" I shouted and we all lunged at her, pushing her to the floor and raining punches on her. I landed a powerful punch on her face, and her spectacles flew from her face. Jane groped around, feeling for her glasses.


< >"Want your spectacles?" I said mockingly. I did not wait for her to answer. "Dream on!" I laughed with satisfaction as I stamped on her glasses. My friends slapped my back, giving me a thumbs-up sign. A wide smile spread across my face as I waited for Jane's reaction. Suddenly, Jane lunged at my legs and bit hard on my thigh. I let out a shriek. "Get off!" I shouted, kicking her away. "Pathetic move," I murmured to my friends, and they nodded agreeably. Then, Jane lunged at me again. I pushed her away and my friends and I started kicking Jane. Soon, Jane was covered with bruises. "Girls, let's go. I think she has learnt her lesson," I said, and with that, we tossed our hair and left Jane lying on the floor.


< >Ring... The bell rang, signalling the end of recess. My clique sauntered into the hall, when suddenly an announcement was announced, "Good morning. Kate, Ashley, Chelsea, Bernadette, Zoey and Kresha from Six Trust, I repeat, Kate, Ashley, Chelsea, Bernadette, Zoey and Kresha from Six Trust, please proceed to the Principal's Office now. Thank you." I stared wide-eyed at my friends. Everyone stared back at me, and Zoey was biting her lip, forcing herself not to cry. We walked hurriedly to the Principal's office.


< >We stepped up to the Principal's office door. Everyone pushed each other forward, not wanting to be the one to knock the door. I rolled my eyes and lay my fist on the door. I glance at my friends, they were glancing back at me, worried looks upon their faces. I knocked the door. Thump. Thump. Thump. The door knob turned and the door creaked open. A face peeped out from behind the door. It was Mr Reinhold, the school principal. The whole clique froze. "Come in," Mr Reinhold said gently. We shuffled into the room, gripping onto each other tightly. Zoey was digging her fingernails into my arm. "Have a seat," Mr Reinhold said, waving his hand towards a sofa. We sat down stiffly. Mr Reinhold clasped his hands together and laid them on his table. He looked at me with an accusing look in his eyes, waiting for me to confess. The silence hung in the air for a while until Mr Reinhold broke it, saying, "Explain yourselves. Explain Jane's condition. Explain." Mr Reinhold's voice was firm, so I had no choice but to explain. A string of words came out of my mouth and my friends occasionally backed me up. At the end of it, Mr Reinhold nodded. "Sorry Girls, but I'm afraid I have to expel you. Here's your expelling letter," Mr Reinhold said, handing us papers. The moment we all heard this, all of us burst into tears. Tears flowed down our cheeks, and I regretted cheating in the exam. When we left the office, I turned to my friends and said, "I'm sorry I dragged you all into this. I'm really sorry." My friends were too busy sobbing to reply.


< >I was on my bed in my room, crying. My mother had just beaten me and cane marks were all over my arms. Tears of guilt drenched my face. My heart was wrenched and I guess I will grow up an uneducated person. I won't be able to find a job, and... The list of possibilities filled my mind. I will never forgive myself for doing this. Never! Suddenly, a knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts. "Go away!" I shouted, pulling the blanket over my head. "Great news!" I heard my mum say. She opened the door and came in. "What?!" I shouted. "You have been brought back into the school again!" My mother said, gladness obvious in her voice. "What?" I said, sitting up on my bed. I'm sure I heard wrong! "You are going back to school next week!" she practically shouted with joy. Unbelievable! I hugged my mum tightly, tears of joy rolling down my cheeks, replacing my tears of guilt. I am going back to school! I am going back to school!


< >I realized that Jane was the one who 'bailed us out' from getting expelled. From the day I went back to school, I and my friends became the bestest of friends with Jane. We helped each other in times of need and never gave up on each other.

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Blackout
< >"Bye Pam!" Dad and Mum shouted as they closed the door behind them. "Bye!" Pamela shouted back, waving at the door. Pamela pressed her ears against the closed door. When the sound of footsteps faded, she jumped onto the sofa and turned on the television. Her parents had left to attend a friend's wedding dinner, and they won't be back till midnight. Her sister was in her friend's sleepover so nobody was at home to fight for the remote control. It was bliss.


< >It was already ten at night, and Pamela was sitting eagerly on the sofa, munching on popcorn while watching the late-night horror shows. Suddenly, the television turned off. The lights also went out, plunging the whole room into darkness. Bright spots appeared before Pamela's eyes as the darkness came suddenly, cutting every inch of bright light. Pamela clutched her popcorn bag tightly, her eyes darting around the room. Cold sweat dripped down her face, and she wiped them off with the back of her hand. Then, Pamela decided to do something, so she got up from her seat and stumbled blindly towards the kitchen.


< >Pamela groped around the kitchen as she headed for the emergency drawer. Everything that is needed during emergencies were in there. Grasping on the drawer handle, Pamela pulled the drawer open. She rummaged through the things in drawer. Then, her hands touched the torchlight. She curled her fingers around the torchlight and pulled it out. Pamela immediately tried to turn the torchlight on but to no avail. She slapped her hand against her forehead, suddenly remembering that she had used the batteries in the torchlight for her Game boy. Pamela let out a groan and wished she had not been so playful.


< >Pamela rummaged through the drawer again and pulled a box of matchsticks and a candle out. She struck the first match. Fire danced on the matchstick as the matchstick was lit. Then, a gentle breeze brushed towards the fire, causing the flame to sizzle away. Pamela gave a sigh of exasperation as she struck another matchstick. The matchstick 'came alive' and Pamela lit the candle hurriedly. When the flame touched the wick, the wick lit up instantly. Pamela gave a sigh of relief as the flame lit up the area around her.


< >Pamela walked out of the kitchen and sat on the living room sofa. What now?


< >Pamela then decided to read a book to calm herself down. She selected her favourite book, Twilight. Pulling the book out from the shelf, Pamela settled down on the sofa, reading and eating popcorn at the same time.


< >Suddenly, the lights came back on again. Pamela jumped in shock as the bright light flooded the room. As fast as the light came on, it went out again. Then, the light started flickering. Fear, raw and intense, swept through Pamela. Her thoughts ran wild, imagining all sorts of things. Was this place haunted? This month was the Hungry Ghost Festival. Pamela remembered that she was playful enough to pull out every candle from the ground which were used for praying earlier this morning with her friends. Was the ghost out for revenge? Pamela dropped to her knees, her hands clasped together. "I'm sorry, ghost, if I have offended you. Please forgive me and leave me alone," Pamela whispered fervently. Suddenly, suppressed giggles reached her ears. She knew that sound anywhere. Her face turned to the colour of molten lava as she stormed towards the door.


< >Peeping through the peephole in the door, Pamela saw her sister and her group of friends crowding around the main switch of the house. Pamela's suspicion was confirmed. Her sister and friends were behind all this. They must have been bored enough to come here and tamper with the switch, scaring me! Pamela thought. Then, Pamela decided to have her revenge.


< >Pamela draped a white cloth over her body and slowly opened the door. Good. Her sister and friends were too immersed in tampering with the switch to notice her! Creeping behind the group of friends, Pamela raised her hands and moaned, "How dare you... How dare you..." The whole group stopped giggling. Pamela's sister withdrew her hand from the main switch. Turning around, they stared wide-eyed at the 'ghost'. Screams reverberated down the corridor. Fear and horrer was evident in their eyes.


< >Laughing uncontrollably, Pamela pulled off the white cloth.


< >"Sorry for scaring you!" Pamela said sarcastically as she walked back into the house. Her sister came running into her house and swore that she was going to tell Mum and Dad. "Let's see how they will take it when I too tell them that you were tampering with the main switch!" Pamela threatened, narrow-eyed. A smile spread across Pamela's face as she waited for her sister's answer. Pamela had her in a tight corner. Then, Pamela's sister threw in the towel and promised not to play such tricks ever again. She even made her friends promise to Pamela. Pamela laughed with satisfaction. She had won!

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WARNING!
compos alert! ((:

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