DM-Rebecca+B

Grade: __8__** **Siblings: __Two sisters and a brother in-law__**
 * Hi, my name is __Beckie__
 * Best Holiday: __Halloween__ **
 * Birth Month: __May__ **
 * Career Goals: __Math Teacher!!!__ **
 * Favorite Band(s): __Three Days Grace, Disturbed, and Ramstein__ **
 * Favorite Food: __Lasagna__ **
 * Favorite Munchies: __Veggies__ **
 * Favorite soft drink: __Pepsi__ **
 * Favorite Subject: __Math and Science__ **
 * Pet Peeve: __People putting their feet in my face!!!!__ **
 * Pets: __Three cats, a dog and a fish__ **
 * Heyy, I'm Beckie, I an in grade 8 at Devon. I love sports, drawing and hanging out with my friends. My favorite pass time would have to be using the computer... I'm a cadet and I love it more than just about anything in the world!!!!!! I like to write stories, I'm not that good at it but it is one of my favoite things to do. My favorite colour is __purple__, I am an avid reader and have seen/ own like every GOOD movie that can be bought.**

Feel free to upload your podcast or a picture if you like.

Finally, after about an hour of looking, I found it... My bus, the last on that is going to St. Andrews I could not believe that it was there still. It was as if it was... Waiting for me. If I had of been one minute longer, it might not be have been there. If I missed that bus my parents would have killed me. I wasn't even suposed to go, but they allowed me ,just this once, to stay at a friends house that love out of the province.
 * The Search

Before This was my very best friend at cadet camp, he was the one that i told every thing to and could trust with my life. Dustin Guitar was the only person that could be so annoying that i wanted to hurt them and never did. I love Dustin like a brother and spent the entire day with him and our other friends, but he was the only one I would really talk to.

After I left camp I thought that we would never really socialize again, and then my mom said yes to my visit. I was extatic, I call him long disence and we talked about where I was staying and the arrangments to get there.

It was two weeks before I left and mother had second thoughts, but I had already bought the non refundable ticket so she said I would go even if the sky was falling. I couldn't begin to express my gratitude to her, but she knew I would behave myself. My mother is a good mother, she is kind, she listens to me, and she never makes me do anything out of my comfort zone.

As the time passed before I left I became anxious and nervous, I had pever been out of the province by myself before. I was frightened by the fact that if I get lost, I would have no one to help me. It would take almost half a day to get to St. Andrews from the bus station, as I will have to change buses in order to get there.**


 * Dustin was the kind of guy that could know everything about you and not understand how to talk to you. We have had many fights over the past years, but him and I can never stay angry. We have shared ever secret that we have, and would never do anything to hurt the other. Though Dustin and I live eight hours away, we talk as if we lived only down the street from one another.

It is the day that I leave for my journey, I couldn't be more excited. Dustin and I have been planning this the entire time, even before I was aloud to go.** **If this all goes the way it was planned, I should be there by dinner.**


 * I was on the bus before my parents had a chance to make a scene, but they maneged to get on the bus with me to say their good byes. To my disbelieve, they bought me the one thing I had asked for to stay in touch, since Dustin said that it would be long distance to call I told him tha I would avoid calling home at all costs. But I would be away from home for two weeks, and thats a very long time to not talk to your parents, my dad pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and said it had a long distance card activated so I could cal when ever I needed to.**


 * My parents have said their good-byes and I was on my way, the trip was long but it was interesting to talk to people and ask why they were going, most of them were going to see some relatives, but some, like me, were going to see some friends and stay for a while.**


 * I saw someone with a laptop and asked if I could use it as I had become good friends with the girl who seemed to be about my age. Her name was Erica, she was from Bathurst and had taken the long way to St. Andrews to do some sight seeing. She was very friendly and we talked for the majority of the bus ride.**


 * Now I am stopped in Sussex to switch buses and to take pictures of the scenery. It is beautiful in Sussex and I hoped that the visit would take a little longer than planned by the bus driver. I had time enough to go and look through the mall that was just three blocks from the station. It was no shopping spree but I did buy some new shoes and a carry on bag to fill with presents for my family.**


 * I'm now back on the road, I have now been away from home for two hours, I am not quite half way but I should be there in an hour. I have called home twice and and called Dustin once to make sure that he knew I was coming today.**


 * His mother didn't think it was a good idea to have me over for the duration of two weeks, but she warmed up to the idea just as easily as my mother did. Its not hard to travel alone, especially when you are as social as I am. The hardest part was the begining, when every one was awkward with being in a bus full of people that they don't know.**
 * I am now one hour away from St. Andrews and I can't wait to see Dustin. If you knew Dustin the way that I do, you would be excited for me. Dustin is a very funny, very smart person**, **he always has something to say and is interesting to talk to.

I just arrived and I can't seen to find them, they are supposed to be here to pick me up but they are nowhere to be seen. I looked every where and couldn't find them. It turned out that they had expected me to be there an hour later, and they didn't want to have to wait until I arrived.

This was the first time that I had seen my very best friend from cadets camp since I had to leave. He looked so different from what I had expected, he is taller than i am now and has dyed his hair. He looks better than ever, he was glowing with excited when I ran up to him and gave him a hug, his light blue eyes sparkling with delight. He was a handsome boy to begin with, but he looked amazing, he was all cleaned up and put together for my arrival.

He lead me to his mothers car and opened the door, his mother looking, beautiful as she was, like she would be sick if his smile got any bigger. I didn't think that this was going to be easy for here, but this was a little extreme.

When we got to their house, i called my family to tell them that I got there safely and am fine to stay.** **His mother still didn't look pleased with my staying, but she welcomed me easily into their home. Tomorrow I will have the entire day to get caught up with Dustin.**


 * Dustin and I spent all day talking, we learnt new things about one another, we walked to the grocery store to get some milk for breakfast the next morning, and we didnt spend more than a couple of minutes away from each other. It was like camp all over again, but this was so much better because we could call the other by their first name, and we could just hang out.**


 * The first week went by fairly quickly, against all of my intensions to slow it. But through out the second we everything seemed to go by in slow motion. My bedroom was the beautiful spare room that they only ever open for guests and to clean it. It was a lovely light blue, with white trim and hardwood floors.**


 * On Sunday of the second week, we all went to church. Him mother is very relious and wanted us to join her. When she asked, I wasn't sure if it would have ben rude to say no, I said yes for the both of us and she drove us without another word.

After church, there was little conversation, but there was some talk about the weather and how the week went past so quickly. There was one spot in the middle of everything that I lost what the topic was. They started talking about hospitals and surgery, and how the doctors said that the length was shortened by four months. I tried to ask but I was so nervous of the topic that only got half of it out.

It is now Wednesday and still haven't asked, I worried that once I knew, I wound change my mind. I might not want to know, it might be so horrible that they don't want anyone to know. Yesterday was cadet day for Dustin, he hasn't been going for a few weeks and his officers were getting worried.

By Friday, I had had enough, I was going to ask no matter what. I was still afraid of the answer, but I had to know. Dustin was sitting out at the breakfast nook waiting for his mother when I went to find him. I sat down beside him ad started to ask him, when his mother came in and I stopped mid-sentence, Bu that was something that I didn't want to do, so i continued in asking. His mother was shocked when I asked what hey had been talking about that one day, her face went pale and she almost dropped the thin glass bowl that she was filling with fruit. Dustin just stared at her blankly until I started again. "I have to know, what is it that you two were whispering about on sunday that I didn't hear? I'm sorry for being rude but it has been bothering me since we got back."

Dustin tried to answer but his mother cut him of, "Dustin has a rare disease, he has major kidney malfunctions, it anything were to happen he would need to be rushed to the hospital."

I was speechless, i couldn't beleive it, that must be why his mother said to was ok. Dustin could die at any moment and I would have never seen him if I hadn't asked. His mother must have talked to mine and told her about the rarity of his condition. That would explain why she gave in so easily as she did.**


 * If I hadn't came, I might not have never seen him again, I might have lost my best friend and not have gotten the chance to see him before that happened. the only thing that I could get out of my mouth was, "that sucks!" Dustin started laughing and I scowled at him because I was dead serious, But he continued to laugh at my outburst and his mother went on with what she was doing before.**


 * I can't believe the rest of the week just flew like that, it is now friday and I have to leave on Sunday. The past two days have just been a blur compaired to the begining of the week. Dustin still pokes fun at me for my little rant, and I give him a good punch in the shoulder. He assured me that the chances of something going wrong was like ten thousand to one, so I still pick fights. But I can never stop wondering if some how, something I will do will set him off and send him to the hospital.**


 * The next day I was packing up and he came into my room with a huge grin on his face. I asked him what he was smerking about and all he said was "come". Of course, being curious, I followed, not knowing where we were going or why, but I trusted that it would be interesting. And it was.**


 * He lead me outside to the back yard and pointed me to the wood behind his house. I had seen it before and was constanly wanting to go explore but never wanted to ask. I did not understand untill he grabbed my hand and started toward it, as we got closer we slowed to just a light stroll but once we were on the boarder of the trees, he bulted, I watched with wide eyes as he crossed the large path to the other side and sat at the bottom of a large tree.**


 * He becconed me over and i walked very cautiously to were he was sitting. He hoped up and turned my head to face the way we came in. It was beautiful, there, in the tree tops, was a cornicopia of tree houses, he said he had built them with his father and that there was one that was never finished. I offered to help him to finish it and he lead me farther into the wood.**


 * As we moved in, we came across a large pile of lumber and in the tree beside it was a half finished, beautiful, tree house that was about half way up the tree. I, being good with my hands, have always brought a hammer with me as intructed by my father when I was just small. Dustin showed me how to get up and I followed closely.**


 * Inside the magnificent work of art was boxes upon boxes of nails, screws and tools. I couldn't believe that I was going to help him finish something that him and his father had started, I felt honored, and also a little guilty, this was one of his father and son activities, and I was about to ruin it. I had to day something. "Do you really want me to help you with this? What if I mess up? What if you don't like the finished product? This was something that you and your father did, I don't feel comfortable taking his place."**


 * He was laughing at me again, he seemed to do that a lot and it was getting annoying. I don't mind most people laughing at my stupid remarks but it was starting to get to me. He has always been the one who didn't laugh and now, I'm the funniest person in the world, I don't think so.

"Why are you always laughing at me? Why did you just start when I came for a visit? You have never laughed at me this much before, Why am I so funny to you!" I didn't realize that I had said that until his laughter had become so bad that he was actually on the floor of the tree house with red cheeks. With ever ounce of anger I had in me I started down the the tree to the ground.

By then he had gotten a hold of himself and was rushing to get me. I was so angry that I didn't hear him coming through my loud breathing, when he finally caught up to me I was still enraged by his never ending laughter and could not hear him scuttle up up to me.

He came up from behind and scared me and I tripped and fell to my knees, I couldn't take it any more, I started into a sprint when I got back to my feet. Dustin tried to follow but he was to out of breath from laughing. I was about to enter the house when I finally decided to look back and see if he was following me, but I couldn't see him anymore, so I ran back to try and find him.

When I found him, he had gone back to the first tree he had stopped at and sat down in the same spot. He had a very serious look on his face and so I asked what he was thinking about. He was wondering why I was making such a big deal about him laughing, and I told him that I had never had him laugh at me without there was other people around. He didn't know that it bothered me until now that it said something, but I was still very angry with him for laughing when I was being the most serious that I have ever been toward him.**

1. plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author?

1. Think of plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author?

1. Think of plot—is it original? (If an adaptation, is it creative or interesting to you?) What suggestions do you have for the author(s)?

2. Think about problems that the characters face. Are there complications that add enough suspense, tension, or interest? Is there a climax that satisfies you? Is the resolution satisfying? What could be added or changed?

3. Think of characterization—are the characters life-like? Are characters likable and enjoyable? Do we get a good sense of character from many of these: description, dialogue, narrator's opinion, discussion from other characters, the character’s own actions?

4. Think of imagery and details. Do they help you //see// and //hear// and //experience// the story? What details would you like to see in the next revision of the story?

5. What areas of the story need the most improvement? What suggestions do you have for the author?