Zandra on THE HARDEST CHOICES

My turn.
The Creator keeps insisting that I share a couple thoughts. Honestly, I think I have bigger and more important things to do but I guess you can only defy your writer for so long.
So here I am. Ready to share a couple things I've been thinking about for a long time.
This world is made up of choices. Choices to stay, to leave, to fight, to obey. Choices that determine who we are.
My choices, or my lack of choices rather, seems to have dragged me down pretty far. A prisoner in my own...home, daughter of a...you know I can't think of anything to call him. A demon, I suppose. And it certainly doesn't feel like I've ever been able to choose anything.
Or, it didn't.
Not until I realized all the things I have chosen. To speak to the experiment I am forbidden to even be in the same room as, to save the girl everyone somehow knew was going to be different from the rest of us.
Those were good choices. Choices that made a difference.
I guess what I'm trying to say is it is the things we choose to fight for that define us. It's the things we love that make us who we are.
So choose wisely.

ALEC: There are Heroes Everywhere

So, hi, I guess.
The Creator (I guess Kate told you she's the author of our stories) wanted me to take over the blog today. Kate may act like it's whatever but truth be told, she needs it more than anyone else (don't tell her I said that).
In honor of the newly released movie Avengers: Age of Ultron (no, I haven't seen it yet since I'm a little busy trying to help save the world), I want to talk about heroes.
If you've read Trapped, you know about how Kate and I met. She helped me with a couple of bullies. I joke sometimes that we are the most unlikely of friends and it seems completely impossible that I could handle being friends with someone like Kate McCallister. Everyone thinks so.
But the truth of the matter is that she's always been my hero. Kate is wildly fierceless and I've always admired her for that.
She doesn't understand it but that's sort of why I love all those nerdy things. Like comic books. Superheroes are just people who know they have a duty to do the right thing, stand tall in the face of danger. And people like that are real, even without the insane powers.
People who stand up for the weaklings.
People who won't let others get hurt.
People like Kate McCallister.

Kate McCallister on BULLIES AND BUTT FACES

I'm not going to waste time on introductions. If you know who I am, good for you. If you don't, that's your problem, not mine.
The Writer, as we affectionately call her, keeps insisting all us characters blow off some steam through this blog she made for us. Honestly, beating the tar out of criminals is a lot more fun but whatever makes her happy.
But here goes nothing...

I hate bullies. And butt faces. They're really one in the same. Completely cowardly. They think that pushing others down pulls them up. Newsflash: bullies can't fly when they push you down.
And that's what I'm here to tell you. If you're bullying someone, it's really not doing anything for you. Stop being the weaker person. It's not cool to push someone smaller around. It just makes you look less confident.
Confident people don't pick on others. Trust me, I'd know.
And if you are being bullied, know you're not alone. And you don't have to face it alone. Heroes don't face their problems alone. They have side kicks and friends to help them. And I'm here to say that if you need a friend or a side kick or whatever, we're here for you. Well, more specifically, The Writer is. She'll listen. Just send her a message.
She listened to me, and she'll listen to you.
So, to recap, bullies stop being weak and to the bullied find the hero in you and get you a side kick.

I guess that's all I have to say today. Later, dudes.

Nissa: Meeting Rylan

He was different. I could tell from the very first moment. He'd been a fun-loving kid, always laughing and joking around. I remember the first time we spoke.
It was my first time to Idari, and I was wandering around the palace. There he'd been with his friends. They were all sword fighting. I had paused for a moment to watch. Then, he'd noticed me as I started to giggle at their fake fight. They were using sticks, so it really just looked ridiculous. He'd walked over, strutting over with some serious swag. I smiled at him shyly.
He'd went to lean against the wall. Problem was he was too far. He'd misjudged the distance. He'd fallen.
I remember laughing so hard. It was just so unexpected, so funny, and it totally caught me off guard. He'd stood up, going red.
"I meant to do that," he told me.
I laughed again. "I'm sure you did."
He took a deep breath. "I haven't seen you here before. I'm Rylan."
"Nissa. I'm visiting from Broen with my parents."
From that moment on, I trusted him with my every secret. Rylan was the best friend I'd ever had.

Fireheart: A Warrior Princess

I was born in a world where women had no rights. We were told to stay home and do the cooking and the cleaning. And most women were okay with that. Not me though. That just wasn't the life for me. I wanted to fight, like the men in our village. I was a bold woman, and I wasn't about to take no for an answer.
Then, I met a woman unlike anyone I'd ever met. She was beautiful and charming and kind, but she carried a sword. I knew she would know how to use it. And so I was inspired to keep fighting. That's all you ever need. Just to see someone else who has what you want so desperately.
-Fireheart

Serenity: The Weakening

I never saw it coming. The sickness came without warning, and I had no possible way to prepare for it. I wasn't an unhealthy or lazy person by anyone's standards. I was in good shape before the illness hit. I guess it shows you that you can never really prepare for these kinds of things. I grew weaker and weaker day by day. It finally got to the point where I knew that there would be no recovery, despite my dear husbands reassurances. I knew the end was near. My only regret is that my family would lose me. I knew it would be hard on both Alistair and Nissa. It was already so hard for them. But I was not afraid to die. I knew it was my time to go. And even through the weakening, I was not afraid.

Deepclaw: Losing Mom and Dad

Twenty years ago, Edgeshifter and I lost the people most important to us. We lost our parents. Mom and Dad were warriors like me. They were the best of the best. The strongest and the bravest of all the dragons in Draconia. But then, they were gone. I had been there when it had happened. Dad and Mom were both seriously injured in battle. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when they were taken to the healers' cavern. Edgeshifter had been young, but she was a healer there. That was why it was so horrible. To see my little sister see our parents like that and be completely helpless to help them. When they'd passed on finally, Edgeshifter had ran out in the forest. I knew that she would always blame herself for not being able to heal them. That was the worst part. Knowing that death would never leave our family. Knowing that our family was no longer whole and happy.
-Deepclaw