Young Writers Society

Each of us think that they are the only ones who have magic and the special ability to instantly morph into an animal. We all live as average teenagers in Turtlepeak, a small in-the-middle-of-nowhere town in Pennsylvania. We each receive a letter that tells of a disaster awaiting the world, and a prophecy. We seem to be the ones foretold to save it, but only with the help of the 5 others. We must track down the others and band together to save the world from an unknown danger.
Easy, right?
Sadly, it's never that easy. Most of us don't know we have magic powers, let alone how to use them. We still have a hard time controlling our morphs. Most of us can't fight. The letter never tells of what the danger is, or how to defeat it. All we are told is that we are a part of a prophecy by some random letter that most of us are 95% sure is a scam.
The one thing we all know for sure is, what do we have to lose?


Character Slots:
1) @TheBlueCat -Cat morph and fire power
2) @Lael -Bird morph and wind power
3) @AlyTheBookworm -Fox morph and earth power
4) @Thundahguy -Dog morph and ice power
5) @LemonTheDorkyPanda -Hamster morph and light power
6) @Kanome -Rabbit morph and water power

The endless noise of chatting and lockers slamming reverberated down the packed hall. Clutching her textbooks to her chest, Amber expertly wove her way through the colorful maze of students toward her last class of the day. Every day she wished she could at least have to time to drop her overly large world history textbook in her locker, but of course her locker was practically on the other side of the school from her World History and Pre-Calculus class. She sighed, adjusted her books and orange and black backpack, and set off to class.

She slipped into her seat near the back a few seconds before the bell rang. She tossed her worn backpack down beside her and vainly attempted once more to fit the history textbook inside. Failing, she slipped it underneath and made a mental note to not forget it. She grabbed her Pre-Calc notebook and favorite pencil and tried not to groan as she glanced up at the digital whiteboard. Test on Friday! Study!!

Ugh. She hated the tests because 1. she didn't understand calculus and 2. no matter how much she studied, half the test was always something she didn't remember how to do. At least she was passing. For now.

As her teacher, Mr. Williams, started lecturing through the review slides, Amber tried to take notes to her best ability. She set down her pencil with a silent sigh as he want over a practice problem. She was so bored and frustrated with not being able to understand what he was explaining. Her mind wandered to the piece she had been trying to learn on the piano. Her fingers started playing the piece as the notes ran through her head. She stopped as she realized she had spaced out and Mr. Williams was watching her. She pulled her hands quickly down onto her lap and looked him in the eyes. He gave her the weird teacher I'm-watching-you look, and turned back to the lecture. She sighed and took up her pencil to try taking notes again.



Amber slammed her dented blue locker shut for the final time that day and slung her stuffed backpack over her shoulder. She scanned the halls for a sign of her best friend whom she drove home with every day, but couldn't spot her despite her being 6 foot tall with bright blue hair. She shrugged and headed for the entrance of the school, figuring she would meet her along the way.

"Hey Amber." Her friend popped out of a classroom as Amber was passing by.
"Hey Leah. I thought you were actually going to meet me by my locker this time."
Leah shrugged sheepishly. "I was talking to Eric and kinda forgot about meeting you."
Amber smiled and rolled her eyes. "Eric, Eric, Eric. Don't think I don't notice your little crush." She nudged Leah playfully.

Leah blushed. "At least he finally noticed me."

Amber laughed her little bell laugh and climbed in her mom's battered gray sedan, tossing her backpack onto the backseat. As she was fishing the car keys out of the front pocket, Leah pulled out their favorite CD from the glove compartment. She put it in the CD player and turned up the volume as Amber started the car and backed out slowly. They sung and jammed out to their favorite songs as they forgot their school worries for a few minutes.

She pulled in front of a small yellow house and dropped Leah off, then drove a few blocks further to her own house. She parked the car behind the broken and rusty truck in the driveway, popped the CD out and back into its case in the glove compartment, and grabbed her backpack. She took a few steps backward after she shut the door to grab the car keys and lock the car.

The front door was locked as usual since no one was home yet. Maybe I'll finally have the peace and quiet to practice that piece. Amber thought. She unlocked the door and shoved the sticky door open. She knew her mom might be home soon and she probably wouldn't appreciate listening to her playing the same piece over and over again.

Tossing her backpack down beside her keyboard in the corner of the living room, she plopped down on the folding chair and opened her music book, turning to the piece she had been practicing. She would much prefer to play her guitar, as she knew how to play almost anything thrown at her, but she wouldn't learn the piano by playing the guitar.

She flipped the on switch on the keyboard and adjusted the volume control. She hit the C key. A crisp note filled her ears. It wasn't a real piano, but it was all she had. She readied her fingers and played a couple chords to warm up. She took a deep breath and dove into the piece. He fingers flew across the piano like typing on a computer. Until she hit the 7th measure that is. She tried to keep her steady tempo but cringed as her fingers accidentally hit the wrong keys. She stopped, took a deep breath, and tried again. And again. By the fourth time she slammed her fingers on the keyboard. The piano yelled in protest. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. How can I teach myself piano if I can't even learn a simple lullaby!

She heard a car stop near her house for a few seconds and then drive away. She peaked out the window. The mailbox was now crooked, as if the person had hit it slightly. She went out to fix it and get the mail, figuring a minute or two of the fresh May air might help calm her down.

Righting the mailbox and fishing out the mail, she thumbed through it. Ad. Bill. Magazine. Another bill. A fishy looking letter to... her! She stared at it suspiciously as if the letter was the one at fault for being fishy looking. She thumbed through the rest of the mail quickly and hurried into the house. She tossed the mail on the the kitchen counter, with the exception of the letter. A thousand thoughts ran through her head as she sat down on the piano chair. What's this for? Who would be sending me a letter? Who even sends letters anymore? She examined the envelope thoroughly and noticed that there was white-out where a return address would go. She would have to investigate that later. Well, I guess I should open it. At least there's not the chance of getting a virus like in a email.

She slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open. Inside were two sheets of lined school paper. The one wrapped around the other one appeared to be blank. I guess they really don't want anyone else to read what's inside. But didn't they consider those people who don't care and just open random letters. She unfolded the inner paper, not ready for what she read inside.

Miss Amber Dawn,
I'm afraid I have some very distressing news to tell you. There is a great evil coming to Turtlepeak, and then the rest of the world. I know not what it is, but only of my duty to inform you of it. It may sound like something you would read in a fantasy book, but trust me, it is real.

You, along with 5 others, have been chosen long ago to be the ones to save the world. At this point in your life, I you must have found your ability to morph into a particular animal, and honed in on how to control it. This, along with your elemental power, will aide you in fighting this monster. You also posses the ability to fight with a weapon, most likely associated with your power.

You must find the other 5, band together, and defeat this evil. I will not be able to help you, but you are all capable adults who will, without a doubt, be able to do this on your own. But before then, there is more information that I must give you. It is distressing, but all true. These will also help you in finding the other 5.

You will notice, but you are all either first-born or only children. The truth is, your parents aren't yours. The way you were created, you have no parents, and in truth, are adopted. Please don't talk to your parents about this, as they mean no harm and were slightly brainwashed and given memories and feelings of having you as their own children. (Please don't blame me for this; I didn't do it) You are all left handed, can all sing like angels, have never broken a bone, and exhibit a lot of traits that mirror your morph. There are more things you have in common, but I have sparse time and can only tell you so much. I am hoping that you are all in Turtlepeak at this point, or else this mission will be a failure.

You must also know that the vaguely paw-print shaped 'birthmark' on the back of your right hand is the only way you can identify another morpher. Please don't be rude as you go about this.

I have to go now, so go forth and save the world morphers!

-Percy \/ /*||

Amber's head reeled. Was it all true? Prophecy? Save the world from an evil/monster? Adopted? She scanned through the letter again. She was left handed and a first born as well as having that birthmark and the morph ability... but she sure wasn't an adult, didn't have any powers, and had definitely broken her arm when she was 10. And her parent brainwashed?! Every instinct and sense of hers told her to burn the letter or something and forget about it. But she couldn't, especially not when it started to explain the weird morphing ability she had. And what about that last part? It looked like the person had signed their name and then realized they didn't want to be identified. The last name was erased poorly, but the first name was only carelessly crossed out. She looked at it closely, and decided it said 'Percy'. But there were hundreds or even thousands of people named Percy!

She thought she heard her mom slamming the car door, so she scooped up the letter and envelope and hurried into her room. She locked her door behind her. She wasn't quite ready to face her mom yet. Or the person who had been pretending to be her mom. She didn't even know anymore. She flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to collect her thoughts. She came to the conclusion that the letter was more likely true than not, so she might as well try to figure out how to find the others. Hopefully there were others.

She glanced over at the envelope she had tossed on her desk. Curiosity overtook her and she picked it up and started carefully taking off the sloppily placed white-out tape. She squinted at the faded address and then wrote it down on a sticky note. She wouldn't be a stalker just yet, but she had a feeling that the address would come in handy sometime soon. Then she pulled out her desk chair and dug around in a drawer for her small unused notebook. Taking up a pencil, she started to outline a plan to find the others.

Xae Palos

Xae looked at the letter she received, saying something about a prophecy and that disaster was awaiting among them. Their world. The letter also stated that her and five others are the only ones who can stop it. She did not know what to believe, but she wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass. Xae was up for an adventure. She looked at the letter again, stating that she has to look for the five others.
“This person expects me to find these people? And I can morph into an animal and have powers?”
Xae placed her index finger on her chin, thinking hard about the information she had just received.
“Fine by me!”

She looked at the back her right hand, which did show the imprinted mark. She heard her bedroom door open. She quickly hid the letter under the rug she was sitting on, looking up to see her grandparents standing at the doorway. “Honey, did you want dinner?” Xae smiled at them.

“Yeah, I’ll be down soon.”

Her grandparents smiled at her as they left her room. The letter did state that she was adopted by her grandparents, but that didn’t matter to her. Xae still loved them with all her heart. She grabbed the letter from under the rug as she stood up and placed it on her desk. She headed downstairs into the kitchen area, smelling her favorite dinner. Carrot soup. She sat down at the dining table, her bowl placed down in front of her by her grandmother. “Thanks, Nana!” She lifted her bowl, sipping the soup. It felt warm in her stomach, her body getting excited from its warmth. Xae sipped down the last of her soup and placed the bowl down on the table. She quickly stood up and headed back upstairs. “That was great! I’ll be in my room!” She wanted to find out more about the letter. Closing her door, she sat at her desk, looking over the letter again.

“Five others. With the same mark.” She looked at her right hand again. “We all have similar qualities.”
“If that’s true, then where am I supposed to look?”
Xae sighed as she looked at the letter once more. The only place she could think of to find the other five is at school, since that’s where she mostly goes to. “Can’t really do anything until the morning.” She stood up from her desk as she heard a knock from her door. The door opened, her grandfather poked his head through the door.

“Your rabbit friends are back.”

That made Xae smile. She loved seeing rabbits. She always had a fascination with them, but she doesn’t know why. She headed outside of her house, seeing rabbits in her front yard. Two white rabbits. She crouched down in front of them, petting one of them behind the ear. The other one hopped onto Xae’s lap. Xae giggled as her grandparents watched from the porch. The rabbit that was on her lap got close to her face, poking it’s nose onto the carrot necklace Xae was wearing.

“Haha. That isn’t a real carrot.”

Suddenly, light shined from the necklace, the necklace forming into a scythe. The scythe fell upon Xae’s hands. “W-What in the-?”
“Xae! Are you okay?!”
“What happened?! Where did you get that?!”

She turned to face her grandparents, holding the scythe in her hands. “From my necklace.”

Erica Wood

Erica impatiently tapped her pencil against the textbook.

Different terms swirled in her head, outrageously long words and paragraphs upon paragraphs of bleak text. None of it made sense to her, no matter how many times she re-read the chapter.

She tried to focus, but was still stuck on the same sentence five minutes later.

A soft breeze blew through the open window, rustling the curtains and washing the room in the smell of trees and sunbaked earth. A few birds called from somewhere in the forest.

Erica gave in with a tired smile.

Just a quick break. After all, there’s still tomorrow to study for the test…

Erica left everything on the desk, grabbed her sketchbook, slipped into a worn pair of sneakers, and left her room.

Two of her sisters were putting together a puzzle on the livingroom carpet. Some cheesy advertisement for shoes was playing across the screen of the ancient tv set.

Hanna, nine-years-old and too nosy for her own good, looked up at Erica as she walked towards the open front door.

“I thought you were studying.”

“None of your business. I’ll study later.”

“Mama said she’d ground you if you didn’t pass the test,” Lily chimed in.

Erica ignored her little sisters and walked outside.

The sky was blue as a sparrow’s egg and scattered with puffy white clouds. The forest that surrounded the house was shady and green. Erica walked, heading nowhere in particular, and held up her sketchbook.

She flipped through her old sketches. Most were of foxes. Specifically, the grey fox that had been sitting on their porch two Summers ago. She could still remember its clear, calm brown eyes. It hadn’t been scared of her at all. She had even sat down next to it for a while.

Then it had quietly walked off into the forest, as if it had somewhere to be.

Not long after that, Erica had discovered her strange ability to morph.

She still didn’t know what to think of it. She’d mentioned it once to her dad and had gotten such an odd look that she never talked about it again. It definitely wasn’t normal, but it was real. It had happened more than once.

Somehow, Erica could transform into a fox at will.

She suddenly noticed someone coming down the road towards her.

Who could that be?

She peered down the gravel road and recognized her elderly neighbor. Gray-haired and blue-eyed, Mrs. Griffith looked cheerful as usual.

“Hello Erica!”

“Hey Mrs. Griffith.”

Erica managed a polite smile, feeling a little uncomfortable and wondering what the lady wanted. Not that she disliked her neighbor, but she wasn’t good at talking to people and felt even more awkward when it was an adult.

Besides, they’d only really met a handful of times.

Mrs. Griffith finally came to a stop, taking a moment to catch her breath.

“The mailman gave us your mail again. This is the third time he’s gotten the wrong house! Anyways, please give these to your mother.”

She pulled a stack of papers from her purse and stuffed them into Erica’s arms.

Erica gave the lady a flustered good-bye and thank-you before hurriedly heading back home.

She skimmed through the papers. Just the usual.

She flipped through the last three and caught a glimpse of her name. Surprised, she looked again. It was a letter in a creamy white envelope, addressed to her in a stranger’s neat handwriting.

To Miss Erica Wood

There was no return address.

Erica finally made it home. She ran up the front steps into the now-empty livingroom and tossed the mail onto the coffee table- all except the letter addressed to her.

The sounds of clanking pots carried from the kitchen. Her mom was chattering away at the phone as she cooked dinner. Erica’s siblings were nowhere in sight- probably playing in the backyard or something. Her dad wouldn’t be back from work until later.

She went straight to her room and shut the door, then sat on her bed and tore open the envelope. She wondered curiously what the stranger would have to say.

Miss Erica Wood
I'm afraid I have some very distressing news to tell you. There is a great evil coming to Turtlepeak, and then to the rest of the world. I know not what it is, but only of my duty to inform you of it. It may sound like something you would read in a fantasy book, but trust me, it is real…

Erica read the letter three times.

Her first reaction was to assume that it was a cruel prank, set up by one of the kids at school to make her do something stupid and to trick her into believing she was adopted.

But she gradually realized that no one in the world knew about her ability. She’d only told one person, and her dad hadn’t really understood or believed her. Besides that, there was the left-handedness, the singing voice, the fact that she had never broken a bone, the birthmark..

And, she realized, her meeting with the grey fox. Those nights it had sat on the porch with her, she’d felt a connection with it. As if they were one and the same. It had seemed as if the fox understood her completely.

Even if it was all just a prank, Erica decided that she’d play along. For now. She’d keep watch at Turtlepeak’s highschool and look for paw-shaped birthmarks. She’d wait for something else to happen. Until then… she didn’t want to act until she was sure this was real.

She found herself glancing back at a section of the letter.

…your parents aren't yours. The way you were created, you have no parents, and in truth, are adopted. Please don't talk to your parents about this, as they mean no harm and were slightly brainwashed and given memories and feelings of having you as their own children.

Erica felt sick as she read the words. Surely… Surely she wasn’t adopted. She’d always felt a sort of fiery pride when people remarked that she had her mother’s smile, or her father’s eyes. Was that just coincidence after all?

Someone knocked on the bedroom door.

“Erica! Dinner’s ready!”

“C-coming.”

She stuffed the letter into her pillowcase and left the room.

Cold air filled the streets as Alex breathed out. His fists were rough and red, though that was just a slight bruise compared to his attackers. Littered around were several others who had jumped Alex when he passed by. Their injuries ranged from slight bruises from grazes to a few broken bones. They all shivered. He recognized a few from a nearby school, though the older ones had drawn a blank. Essentially people that hadn’t heard of his legend.

“I’d say ‘Same time next week?’, but I think you’d take that a little too literally,” Alex said, reaching for his bag. He checked inside to make sure nothing was damaged. Unfortunately, his novel for his English project had been crushed. Most likely from someone here. The librarian would kill him. Well, if she was willing to even stand up to him, that is. “Tch, another ten bucks… You’re all lucky my mama taught me not to steal from you.”

Alex slung his backpack over his back with a grunt, before walking off. There was a slight taste of blood in his mouth. One of the bastards had managed to land a hit on him. He thought he should expect more surprise attacks. Watch for the little guys. Part of him was wondering why he was still thinking about the fight. It was just a natural instinct for him, though.

Opening the door to his old battered house, Alex spotted a letter. Strange. His mother had already paid the bills. Perhaps it was another jury summon for the father that was still in jail. Inspecting it further, he realized it was addressed to him. Another stupid challenge letter? He had already gotten sick of the few that came. He decided to ignore it, for now, instead going to take a bath and wash the dirt off.

One bath later, Alex went to his kitchen, wiping his greasy black hair with a towel. He opened his fridge, looking through the rows of tv dinners he had stacked up. He could cook something if he wanted to, but he always found it bad luck if he did so after a fight. After settling on some spaghetti, he shut it in the microwave and nuked it, waiting for it to finish. His eyes wandered back to the letter on the ground.

After thinking for a brief moment, curiosity had trumped his lack of interest. He picked up the envelope, ripping it in two and taking out its contents. The microwave beeped, so Alex quickly took it out, almost burning his fingers from how hot it was.

“Guh, might as well enjoy it hot,” Alex muttered, placing the box on a plate and carrying it to the dining table. He seated himself, taking a bite of the scorching food. He almost recoiled from the pain but grit his teeth through it. His repentance for getting into another brawl.

The dining room he sat in was near empty, save for a few old pictures of his happy family. Ones of his mother, before she left, and ones of his father, before he had been convicted and put in jail. Alex didn’t know why his mother had let him live alone, but he could guess that it was based on his similar appearance to his father.

Might as well check this letter, Alex thought, holding the piece of paper in front of him. Whatever was inside was going to be much better than looking at distant memories.

Mr. Alex,

Alex snorted. How formal.

I'm afraid I have some very distressing news to tell you. There is a great evil coming to Turtlepeak, and then the rest of the world. I know not what it is, but only of my duty to inform you of it. It may sound like something you would read in a fantasy book, but trust me, it is real.

Probably spam mail for a mobile phone game. It read out like one almost perfectly. Strange, though, that it was a physical letter. Then again, Alex didn’t have a phone, so perhaps they were grasping at straws now.

You, along with 5 others, have been chosen long ago to be the ones to save the world. At this point in your life, you must have found your ability to morph into a particular animal, and honed in on how to control it. This, along with your elemental power, will aid you in fighting this monster. You also possess the ability to fight with a weapon, most likely associated with your power.

This was where the letter started to lose Alex. Morph? He had never heard of it. Elemental power? Again, another blank. It really sounded like a mobile phone game.

You must find the other 5, band together, and defeat this evil. I will not be able to help you, but you are all capable adults who will, without a doubt, be able to do this on your own. But before then, there is more information that I must give you. It is distressing, but all true. These will also help you in finding the other 5.

Five others. Probably a pyramid scheme. There’s no way Alex qualified as a ‘capable adult’. Not the Alex that constantly got into fights.

You will notice, but you are all either first-born or only children. The truth is, your parents aren't yours. The way you were created, you have no parents, and in truth, are adopted. Please don't talk to your parents about this, as they mean no harm and were slightly brainwashed and given memories and feelings of having you as their own children. (Please don't blame me for this; I didn't do it)

This part of the letter hit Alex the hardest. Weren’t his parents his parents? They were given the memories and feelings of having a child? Then why was he given to a criminal and a runner? Were they together just because of this brainwashing? Was their divorce his own fault? These questions ran through Alex’s head, filling him with rage. He nearly tore the letter into pieces for even suggesting such a thing. Despite that, however, he kept a hold on it, wanting to finish it.

You are all left-handed, can all sing like angels, have never broken a bone, and exhibit a lot of traits that mirror your morph. There are more things you have in common, but I have little time and can only tell you so much. I am hoping that you are all in Turtlepeak at this point, or else this mission will be a failure.

Left-handed? Alex could punch someone with both hands. Singing like angels? He was pretty sure he had a deep voice. Broken bones was obviously a lie. He had gotten into so many fights that he must’ve had at least one. It mentioned the ‘morph’ thing again, so at least it had some kind of continuity.

You must also know that the vaguely paw-print shaped 'birthmark' on the back of your right hand is the only way you can identify another morpher. Please don't be rude as you go about this.

Alex checked his right hand. There was a large bruise there, so he couldn’t check. He had gotten so used to them that he stopped checking which ones were just markings and which ones were injuries.

I have to go now, so go forth and save the world morphers!

Alex ripped the letter. It was so full of crap that he believed it was just an elaborate challenge letter. He sighed, feeling terrible for getting angry again. He spun his fork in his spaghetti, taking a bite. It was cold.

Gray Arran Hadley

First day at this new high school and I can already tell it's going to be like my old school. As I hopelessly wonder around looking for the lunch room, I already hear it happening. People whispering, "albino," " wierdo," and questioning whether or not they should come up and talk to me.

Finally, I settle with sitting down behind some water fountains and eating my lunch there. I pop in my earbtuds as I've been doing all morning and let my mind wander as I start on my trail mix.


Mom had picked me up at the end of the day and drove us to our new house. Of course there were still boxes everywhere because we haven't had much time to unpack.

I weave around the boxes and go to my new room. All I had time to set up during the weekend was my bed and nightstand. I swing my bag off of my shoulder and set it down by the door.

Mr. Gray Arran...

I read through it twice and then set it down. 'Whoa,' I thought. This was a lot. I got up and changed our of my sweater and combat boots and put on running shoes and a t-shirt instead. "Mom, I need to go for a run!"

"That's fine, Gray, just don't stay out too late."

As soon as I stepped outside, I started jogging. I always did this when there was too much to think about. I let my mind wander and instinctively put my ear buds in.

This was all too hard to believe. So, mom isn't my mom? No way, her friends always say I remind them so much of her! And I have powers? That sounds like it'd be in a book I would be reading. Morphing does too. Am I like an animal based power ranger? What animal would I be anyways? I don't really think I share any traits with any kind of animal.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. What if I was born with my strange grey and white hair because of whatever animal I am! Wait... I begin to price it together. I'm smaller than most people, I like trail mix, my hair is a strange white. Oh, and I love to run. What could that mean? I chew on pencils too! No, a lot of people do that.

I stop at a crosswalk that interferes with the circuit and wait as a car passes. I look down at my watch to check the time, but my eyes drift over to the back of my hand. My birth mark...just as the letter described it. And there are five others that have them too.

I start to wonder if the others are like me. Outcasts. 'Maybe it's a chance to make friends,' I thought hopefully. But the letter said that we were adults, so maybe not. Well, I'm not an adult. I'm only a freshman. But still, maybe it means they are all seniors? Then that means they'd be at my school! That's a good place to start.

By now I'd finished the circuit around the neighborhood and returned home. The sun was beginning to set as I entered the new house. "Mom, I'm back!" So tomorrow, I guess it'd be time for 'mission morphers'. I smile proudly at the name and get ready for a shower.