I know this is about Gluten free stuff but I made a book and I need opinions...

[Maddie6332]

I would love to hear comments, opinions, etc. Thanks! 

[Maddie6332]

Update on "Searching"

                    Prologue
Once there was a little boy, he is 12 years old now. When he was younger, about 4 years old, his parents were forced to leave him, and he ended up on this little island, alone. 
                    Chapter 1
    He goes to the ocean often, and when he does he always thinks of one thing, the one thing stopping him from seeing his parents is the water. It’s even worse because this is the only thing he can’t cross by foot. He desperately wants to find his parents, and he knows if he wants to find them, he has to get off this island. A few weeks later, people start learning the little boy’s name: Tony. Nobody would take care of him when he was little, and he never knew why. He was a good kid when he came here, but… things change when you're by yourself. 

                Chapter 2
    I wake up, and search my surroundings. Even though people don’t know I know, I always catch them staring at me and talking about me. Especially this one kid, he’s 15 and his name is Dexter. Everyone knows him as the tough guy, and he’s always messing with me, so I never know when he’ll strike. My stomach grumbles, I haven’t eaten anything in 2 days. I can’t tell if I'm getting weaker or if I’m just hungry- because when I stand up my legs get all wobbly and they stay that way for a few seconds. But I need to hurry, there’s not a lot of time between when I wake up, and when the workers come out and get their shops or stands set up. Lucky for me, the coast is clear. This is my chance, I need to get food, now- and fast. I choose the bread stand, and if I’m lucky- I can get clean water, or even any sort of drink. I chose the bread stand because that’s the only shop where the food wasn’t put away last night. I look at the town clock- it’s 6:30 AM, the workers will be out any minute now. I run over to the bread stand, take 5 loaves, and shove them all in my backpack. This is the backpack I’ve had since I was 4. I look around, and I run into a nearby store. The baker is out, and I know if he saw me with the bread I took from him, he would put me in jail. He’s been trying to do that ever since I started stealing from him. But I’m too good- so he’s never been able to catch me. I ran into another store, and lucky for me, there were smoothies, water, hot cocoa, tea, and all the other food and drinks you could imagine! But, the best part is that they are all for free! I run over to the counter and the worker sees me and says “Hello there, young man! Nice to meet you! What can I get for you today? This is our only day where everything is free, so you can take whatever!!” This is insane. I’m appalled. I know I have to stock up for at least a week or two. “Hi, can I please have three strawberry banana smoothies, one hot cocoa, five chocolate chip muffins, a plain bagel with cream cheese and six bottles of water.” He looks at me like I have horns growing out of my head and a tail growing out of my butt. After a few minutes of him staring at me like I’m mutating into a mythical animal, he replies with “Ok…. will that be all?” I could tell he asked it with hesitation. He tries to do it in the same cheery voice as before, but I can tell he thinks I’m crazy and probably thinks ‘why is this kid getting so much food and acting like it’s his last meal?’ I want to tell him ‘I am stocking up my food like it is my last meal because I don’t know when I’ll be able to eat again,’ but I keep my mouth shut instead. He gives me all the stuff I ordered and he watches me as I shove it all in my bag quickly. “Thanks” I say. I’m out the door once again and I can’t wait to leave this stupid island as soon as I can. I walk past the baker and straighten myself up, so I don’t look like I’m trying to hide something. He gives me the side eye suspiciously. I remember I need a new hiding spot. The bench I slept under was too open, and that was just a one night thing. I could go to my shed on Wedge-brooke road… or just find a place on the streets like I always do. I run onto Wedge-brooke road and walk down a few houses. I found this shed when I was 5, and nobody knows I live here. It’s meant for someone’s house, but they don’t use it because they're older and don’t really need a shed, not anymore at least. So, when I found this place, I went to the old store where everything was free all the time. That was the best store that existed, but then it closed, nobody knew why. It might have been because everything was free, so people were ‘buying’ stuff from there for free, and then it didn’t have any money to use to restock because it wasn’t making any money, so it went out of business. That’s what makes the most sense to me at least. I see the people whisper as I go by and run down the street. But I don’t care what they say, let them talk! As I slow my pace, I start thinking. All of a sudden, I want to explain to the old man who owns the shed that I’m living in it, and that I hope he doesn’t mind, but I don’t wanna creep him out either. I mean- if that were me, I would be creeped out if some random kid just told me he’s been living in my shed for the past 8 years. I decide it’s the right thing to do, so I walk up to the old man’s porch and knock on the door. I hear him call to me “Just one second!” His voice sounds happy, like he’s been expecting somebody to knock on his door for a while. I smile a little, and then the door opens. This old man is wearing a bright blue shirt and khaki shorts. He has soft blue eyes, and thin, gray hair on his head. He doesn’t seem to recognize me, and yet I don’t understand why he should. He smiles at me and says “Well, hello there! Would you like to come in?” I smile, “Sure.” I head into the house, and he motions towards the living room, “Please, sit.” I sit down on the couch. It is soft and old, you can tell, and it’s navy blue with a few pillows on it. The house is strangely clean. The man closes the door softly and sits down across from me. I can tell he wants to know why I’m here. I start talking, “Sir you-” He stops me. “Oh! You're so polite! There’s no need to call me sir. You can call me John. I’m sorry for the interruption- pardon me.” I nod. “John, You probably don’t know me, but I’m Tony.” I wait for a response. He smiles and I can tell he’s listening. “Tony..” He seems like he’s studying my name, like he’s heard it before, and then he continues “Oh! Tony! Aren’t you the boy who was left here on the island? Oh, you were so little then. How old are you now?” I’m  pretty surprised he knows me. I didn’t know anybody knew me at all, and yet this man knew my name. I thought they thought I was just some random kid who was abandoned by his family. Does he know how I got here? “I’m uh- 12 now.”  He smiles from ear to ear. “Oh my my! You're so big! But- what brought you here to my house, at my front door?” This man is acting like he’s my grandpa. I know what to say but I don’t know what words would be right to use. I hesitate and then say “Um.. John, as you know…  I’ve been here on this island since I was little. I needed somewhere to stay. I knew I couldn’t stay on the streets; out in the open like that. This street caught my eye, but your house stood out to me in particular. I knew I couldn’t stay in your house, but I did see your shed. It looked pretty nice and it was empty, so… I’ve been living in your shed. And I’ve been living there for the past 8 years. I thought you would like to know. I hope you don’t mind.” I look at the ground, not knowing what to do. I feel the man’s eyes lasering me, like I’m a target and my head is the bullseye, I can tell he’s trying to figure out what to say. Then he finally does say something, “Thank you for being so honest. I’m glad you came and told me. I don’t mind you staying in my shed at all.” He smiles, but not that fake smile like the one someone does when they say ‘you’ll have a family soon but we all know you actually won’t.’-smile. Or the worst one of all- the ‘your parents care about you. I’m sure they’ll come back. They probably left you on this island for a reason- it's not because they don’t love you.’ It’s that real smile, the one that says ‘I believe you’-smile. I grab my bag full of food, and I guess I was really worried about telling him, because now I feel dizzy, and my stomach hurts. I thank him and walk out. When I’m on my way down his driveway, I hit the ground hard- and everything goes black. I wake up, and I realize I’m in an ambulance, I’m surrounded by doctors and nurses, and the old man. I ask the doctor who’s examining my cuts “What’s going on? Why am I in an ambulance? What happened?!” I demand for them to tell me. John looks at me in shock- wondering why I was demanding to know what happened. The sirens give me a headache, and my whole body hurts. I move around uncomfortably on the stiff stretcher. The doctor says “Hi! I’m Doctor Jenny. This nice old man found you passed out in his driveway just after you walked out of his house. Do you have any idea why you passed out? And where are your parents?” I freeze. I can’t answer that. I make something up on the spot. Most of the time, my responses to questions like these aren’t very good- but it’s better than me just standing there like a complete idiot.. “Um.. well- they’re… out of town for a few months… and I think I passed out because I was.. Nervous- I guess, I don’t know…” She looks at me and I look away, I can’t look at anyone right now. But the sirens get the best of me and I shout ”TURN OFF THOSE DUMB SIRENS!!! MY HEAD ALREADY HURTS AND THEY’RE JUST MAKING IT WORSE!!” The sirens turn off immediately. Doctor Jenny is examining me as the ambulance stops and the doors open. There are about 10 doctors surrounding me,  frantically rushing to get me into a room. Doctors are so dramatic. Okay- I fell on my head and got a few cuts. So? They’re acting like I’m dying and like this is an emergency- when it’s not. There’s people having heart attacks who deserve a lot more attention than me and they’re seriously worried about me falling on my head? Oh- big deal. All I want to do is get out of here. They bring me to a room and I hate it more than ever. Everything’s really white and way too bright- I’m honestly concerned if not one of these doctors has gone blind from how bright it is in here. The bright white color and the fluorescent lights make my eyes and head hurt. I realize I’m holding my bag and clutch it tight against my chest. I blurt out “When can I get out of here? I wanna go! I don't need to be here!” Doctor Jenny looks at me, and she looks worried. But, why should she be worried about me? I’m perfectly fine! She sighs in an exhausted way and looks at me, “You’ll be in here just until tomorrow. We need to examine and monitor you. Can you sit up for me, please?” I hate it when people act stubborn- especially me, but I’m mad, and this isn’t fair! I’m completely fine. I don’t need help- I didn’t even ask for this. “No way! You already took me here against my will! I already have so much stuff happening that I don’t have time for this! I have dogs that come to me for food at this time! I want to leave. NOW.” The old man looks at me with sympathetic eyes. But I still refuse to sit up, I won’t. “You're bleeding! You need stitches and you have infections which look like they came from when you were 6!” The anger inside me grows like a volcano about to erupt. “I don’t care! Let me out of here!” I stand up and start to walk towards the door. It hurts to move, but I need to leave. She steps in front of the door, blocking my path. “Would you talk to your parents like this? I am here to help you! Not to hurt you!  Now get back in bed, as soon as the stitches are done your parents can sign a paper and you can leave!” I’m about to say ‘what parents?!’ but then I get a better idea. “Can you stop talking about my parents?!” I ask, angrily. I slump back over to the bed and sit up. Doctor Jenny tells me I need stitches on my arm, wrist, and forehead. I get ready, it hurts really bad. Wasn’t she supposed to numb me or something so it’d hurt less? But I’m not going to be rude because I just want to leave. After I’m done I hop off the bed and go outside the room. “Good, now let’s go sign the papers.” I follow her to the counter where she hands me papers and reminds me my parents have to sign this, as she points to the parent signature line. I nod and sign where it says ‘parent signature’, after that I put down the papers and start heading towards the door. Jenny runs to me and says “You put your signature where the parent signature goes!” I smirk. “Oh, I know. I’m surprised I could read the words because the room is so bright. I wouldn’t have been able to read the words if I was in that room for much longer. You guys should fix that- you don’t need a doctor going blind while doing something ‘important.’ Like a kid’s stitches.” I put important in heavy air quotes. I motion towards my forehead and grin in a fake disappointed way. I get back to the point, “My parents left me here, I’m my own ‘parent.’” She tries to stop me again. “Get back here! You can’t leave yet. Young man!” She grabs my arm and tries to make me stay. But then, the old man comes running over, and he grabs her hand and tugs it away from mine. “Go to my house!” Then he looks at her and says something to her which makes her storm off angrily. I  just brush it off and run as fast as I can to his house.
                Chapter 3
On my way back, I feel like my whole body is shaking, but I thought it was just because I was in the hospital and I just passed out and stuff. But then, I notice other people feel it too. They all go running as I hear their screams of horror. I follow them, because that’s the only thing I can think of doing. I realize they’re running to the boats, it’s my ticket out of here! I hop into a boat all by myself and start rowing away. But someone grabs my boat and pulls it  back, it’s a man. I’m confused but then he says, “We don’t have personal boats kid! Scoot over!” I do as he says- and I don’t know why I didn’t keep going. As him and a few other men row the boat away, I stare at the crumbling island and wonder where we will go now. After a while, we got to ‘the new place.’ All of the people from my town were now placed at the island, just before the docks. I ran out of the boat with my backpack, I need to find a place to hide, now. I’m too busy trying to find somewhere to hide that I don't notice the baker charging at me like an angry bull. But- I wasn’t wearing red, so he shouldn’t be charging at me so furiously. Unless he was just a bull attracted to 5 sizes too small, ripped and dirty clothes. I considered it for a brief moment but I was interrupted. He grabs me and spins me around so fast- I swear I saw stars. I face him and he screams in my face “Stop stealing from me, you filthy little brat!” He hits me hard on the head, and everything goes black- again. I wake up and realize I’m in a huge line. I look down the line and notice people are passing rocks? No, I think their bags, maybe even sacks. I start thinking. The baker finally did it, he put me in jail, he got his way. This is all my fault, I never should have let my guard down because I was too busy looking for a dumb place to hide. I should’ve ignored the man and kept rowing away. I stop thinking and look in front of me. They have guards watching us like we just committed a crime. I only notice the guard because he screams at me to pass the bags along. I don’t do it at first, and I realize I have at least 20 sacks piling higher and higher at my feet. They get so high that they’re up to my neck now. I pick one up; it feels like it’s 50 pounds. I lift it using all my strength but I still struggle and can barely lift it. I pass them to the person next to me, and he’s an old man. He reminds me of the kind old man I met; John. I wonder where he is. I hope he’s alright. I haven’t seen him since the hospital. This old man looks kind, and I want to ask him what’s going on, and why I am here- why anybody is here. But I have to be careful because the guards are watching us like a hawk. I whisper to him “Why am I here?” He glances at the guards cautiously, to make sure they’re not looking. Then he looks at me and whispers back “People who commit crimes are forced to come here and work for the rest of their lives. You can only get out if you escape- but it’s hard because the guards watch your every move. If you're really bad- they watch you at night to make sure you don’t try to run.” I freeze, but not in fear, in confusion. I didn’t commit a crime, at least not on this island. Luckily, I still have my backpack. Nobody can ever take it away from me.

                Chapter 4
It’s nighttime. These bars are so thin they could break if you just hit them. I’m hungry. I drink 2 bottles of water and I eat 2 of my muffins. I’m ready to escape. I have everything I need in my bag. I bang against the bars for a good 20 minutes. I flinch and spin around when I hear the sound of someone moving around in their metal bed. The bars break and I climb out and head towards the boats. I climb in one, and wobble when it rocks. I steady the boat and start rowing away. It’s dark and I realize I have nowhere to go, especially because I can’t see anything. I realize I’m lost. I get myself so worked up, I know I need to calm myself down. I lay in the little wooden boat and think of my little shed that’s all mine, and how nobody, not anybody can take it away from me. I like that I have something that’s all mine. I lay in the boat with my eyes closed, it feels like I’m laying there forever. But then the boat jerks, and I bang my head against the inside of the boat. I wonder why the boat stopped, and I hesitate to look up.. I knew I must have slowly been drifting from where our whole town had to go because when I look up I see an island! But it looks familiar, a little… too familiar. I examine the island from a distance, trying to figure out if I recognize it. It’s my island. I sprint off the boat and slow down when I make it to the Town Square. I look around cautiously, not knowing what to expect. I go to dig in my backpack for a drink, and grab one of my smoothies. I completely forgot about how much food I got. I look around and see everything is buried in rubble. I look at the bench I slept under the night before, the night before everything came crashing down. I try not to think about that though, I don’t need to and I don’t want to either. I clutch my backpack and walk down the road. I have to be very careful so I don’t trip over any rocks, I don’t want to get any more injuries and have to deal with any more drama queens- I mean doctors. I don’t know where to go at first, but then I know just the spot. I run down a few blocks, make a few turns and end up on WedgeBrook road, right where I wanted. I’m honestly quite surprised I found it in the dark and the rubble and dirt. I want to know what happened.  The sun rises and it’s hot. Sweat drips down my face. I wipe it off and wince in pain from the stitches. “Ugh- these stitches are exhausting! I know I need them but-” I grab out my pocket knife that came with my bag. I open it and slowly and carefully pull out my stitches. I cry in pain, it really hurts. A lot more than I expected. I suggest stopping, but I realize I would look pretty weird if I was walking around with a half stitched cut on my forehead and people would look at me like I’m crazy. Then I realize nobody’s here. I don’t have to worry about anything or anyone. I decide to stop and if I really want to, I can finish getting my stitches out later. I continue to run down WedgeBrook road, feeling the best I ever have in my entire life! “I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!” I scream. I’m all alone and I have no cares, no responsibilites, and nothing to fight for on this island. This island- my island, will become my home. I know it was my home before.. But it didn’t feel like home. As I keep running down the road I realize that all the houses are crushed in rubble and rocks except John’s. It’s only covered in dirt and his garden is destroyed. I glance over towards the shed and see it is still in good condition. I smile and I see a little dog. I realize it’s one of the dogs that I would play with during the day, we’re all strays- with no family. We were each other's family though. They’re like my siblings. I pour out some of my water bottle into a little bowl I found on my way here. I use the whole bottle because I already have plenty. “Here you go little guy, you need this more than I do.” As the dog drinks the water, I study him. I realize it’s Rufus. Rufus has a cut in his ear, which he didn’t have when I met him. He has a little red bandana as a collar, which I put on him. As I watch him sympathetically, I realize that all the people got out, but none of the animals. People just thought of themselves! It infuriates me how selfish people can be sometimes. I push those thoughts away and pet Rufus as he drinks the water and pants out of breath from the heat. After he finishes the whole thing, he licks me- a lot. I smile at him. As I gently pet him, he pants, which looks like a smile. Rufus is a black English lab, with floppy ears, a wet nose and a lot of fur. Since I kind of trained these dogs, I taught them to follow me and come back to the shed if they get lost. I signal for Rufus to follow me as I walk down to John’s house. I figured I mine as well stay in his house, because the house is bigger and it has more space than a little shed. I can feel Rufus overheating, and he begins to whimper. “It’s okay Rufus, I got you, we’ll get you a nice, shady spot soon.” I try to calm him down as I reassure him everything is okay. I walk into the house and the cool wind from inside the house hits me. It feels good to be in a cold place after being in the heat and breathing in the dry and humid air. Rufus goes on the hardwood and flops on the floor, which makes sense because when I walk onto it, it is freezing. I lay on the hardwood floor with Rufus, exhausted. I try to process everything that has happened in the past 2 days. I woke up and got a bunch of free food- which is a plus. I’m so glad I stocked up on food earlier that day. Then I went to John’s house and explained to him I was living in his shed. I remember being really nervous and passing out. I woke up in the hospital and had to get stitches. Then I was arguing with the dramatic and extremely pushy doctor, and then John told me to go to his house. I remember I felt like I was shaking, but it was actually the ground. I remember running to a boat and then more people filed in. Then I was hit in the head by the baker, forced into a line where we were passing sacks to the end of time, and I remember drifting off in a boat and coming here. I nod as I retrace everything. I eat one of my muffins and chug a whole bottle of water. It really is brutal out there. I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like wearing a full coat of fur too. As I’m eating, I realize that when I’m out of food I have no stores or shops to get food from. Oh no. This won’t end well. I give Rufus a muffin because he’s probably been starving out here for who knows how long! 

                Chapter 5
I look outside, it’s dark out now. I’m so tired that I don’t have time to think about what to do tomorrow, or about my food and water supply situation. I just know that my food and drink supply is not infinite, and I will run out of food and water sooner or later. I slowly drift off to sleep. I wake up to Rufus licking my face. I push him off of me and laugh. I eat my bagel and drink one of my smoothies. I give Rufus half of my bagel too. I laugh. I look at him and say “Rufus, what am I gonna do with you? I can fix up my shed for you, and then you can stay in there and I’ll check on you every day.” I walk out to the shed, and open the door. I see a kid on the ground in my shed. I stare at him in horror. ‘What is this kid doing?! Why is he in my shed?’ I think to myself. As I look at him, I realize he’s alive because I see his chest slowly rising and falling as he breathes. I need this guy to leave- now. “Dude. Dude! Get up! Get outta my shed!” He wakes up and stands up quickly, almost like he’s just as terrified as I was when I saw him. As he stands up, he towers over me.  I try to act tough, but I panic at the size difference between us. I try to say in a firmer voice again “You gotta go dude, this is my- my shed!” I realize that when I stutter, I messed up. He just stares at me, like a dead-pan. ‘Dude.. you got stitches in your face.” I ignore him and stare back, careful not to lose my concentration to seem weak. He thinks I don’t know that?! I thought if you were tall and looked older, you would at least be smart. Just even a little smart at least. As I stare at him, I realize that his eyes are filled with fear. I study him like the old man studied me. It's Dexter. I hesitate, then say “Listen man, it’s just us on this island. Everyone else is on another island and- and we just have each other. So, we can either make this work… or not. What do you say?” I stick out my hand, waiting to see if he’ll agree. But Dexter just stares at me, and he goes from terrified to angry. He shoves past me as he storms out of the shed, and slams the door behind him. I walk back into the house, staggering and not knowing what to do at this point. I sit down on the cold hard wood floor, bury my head in my knees and think. ‘Why was I in jail? And why was that guy screaming at me like that?’ I’m overwhelmed by what just happened. 
            
            Chapter 6
It’s night time again. I need to find my parents, I need to leave this- this stupid island! I want to go home to my parents and I want to be like the families in the movies, eating dinner together, and going to play a game of family frisbee when it’s nice out! I’m sick of having to steal food and sleep under benches at night!’ I scream in anger and frustration, but also pain from losing my family. As I sob with my head buried in my knees, I wonder if my parents had to or wanted to leave me here? Was it a punishment? Would they ever come back to get me? I cry on my knees so hard that it feels like I’ll never stop. When will this nightmare end? Will I ever be saved?’
                Chapter 7
I cried myself to sleep that night, and I wake up exhausted. I rub my eyes and instantly eat the few last pieces of bread in my backpack. I realize Rufus is gone, probably out playing with the other dogs. When I finish, I lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling. ‘There has to be something I’m missing.’ I try and think back to when my parents left me here. I may have been only 4 then, but I have to remember something! I realize that my eyes start to fill with tears, and I wipe them away quickly. I won’t cry again, a real man never cries, ever. And then, I remember something! It’s about my parents! I remember my mom saying to my dad “Mike, we can’t leave him, can we at least stay with him, please?” I remember I started to cry then because I was so confused and terrified. Then I remember my dad pulling me into a tight hug and whispering in my ear, “Tony, we’ll come back for you, we promise. But you can’t cry now. Because you're going to grow up to be a real man, and a real man never cries. You're strong Tony. I wish I was as brave and as tough as you. Always remember that we love you very, very much. Never ever forget that.” I remember people screaming at the top of their lungs as my parents were saying goodbye to me. As I think back to all the angry faces and violent shouting, I wonder- was that the reason my parents were forced to leave me here? Was it because the people didn’t like them? Is that why they couldn’t stay with me? I hold my head in anger and confusion. I think to myself ‘Could this have been… my fault.’ I drift off to sleep. But if I would have stayed up longer… I would’ve been able to save Rufus.

            Chapter 8
I wake up and eat my very last piece of bread. I save a piece for Rufus. He didn’t come back last night- but I trained him to always come back here- or even to the shed. I hold the bread in my hand and head out to search for him. I walk towards the shed. “Rufus! Rufus- come on buddy! I got you breakfast!” I called. I open the shed door and I am petrified. I look down at the ground- and I see Rufus huddled up in a corner with blood all over him. He lays there- motionless. I run over to him and place my hands gently on his chest to make sure he’s still breathing. I take a little sigh of relief when I feel his chest quickly rising and falling, but I know that it’s getting really hard for him to breathe. I whisper in his ear through tears “R- Rufus.. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna help you and you’ll stay alive. I need you, you hear me? I need you.” I run inside as fast as I can and sprint back out with the first aid kit from under the sink. I open the door to the shed and kneel down over Rufus. I unwrap the gauze and cut it quickly. I wrap it around the bloody and torn areas. I wrap it around his side, chest, and tail. I wipe away tears with my bloody hands. I grab the mini oxygen bag and put it on his face as best as I can and help him breathe. I keep the door open to let out some of the dry air to make it so he can breathe easier. I watch his every move and cry. Rufus is the one person who is always there for me… he can’t go now. It was so quiet… you could hear a pin drop. It was too quiet.. For too long. The only sounds were Rufus breathing weakly with my help, and me crying and talking to him softly. After 15 minutes… I finally heard a whimper. Even if it was in pain.. I was happy to have just heard something from him. I practically jumped up when I heard it. I cry hysterically and whisper through sniffles, “Rufus. Hey, hey it’s okay. I’m gonna make you all better. I’ve got you. I’m here. It’s okay.” I pet him softly as he cries. I realize that he might not make it. I want his last few moments of life to be happy though. I reassure him that everything will be okay. Even if he dies.. I know he’ll always be there for me. I lay down next to him, still helping him breath. I won’t give up- for him.. Or for me. I start telling him about how he’s a good dog- and I tell him about all the things we used to do together. I remind him of when we would play outside together and throw pieces of bread for playing fetch, but how he would never bring them back because he would eat them before he got back to me. I laughed a little when I said that- remembering his tail wagging, mouth wide and his slobber getting everywhere. When I finish the story, I turn to look at him in his eyes. He whimpers quietly and licks my face gently. I smile weakly and snot comes out of my nose. He puts his paw in my  hand and that’s when I fall apart. I hug him and cry for a long time. I never want to let him go. He whimpers and I sob into his soft, wet fur. I feel his chest stop moving. I cry on top of him. I cry myself to sleep in the shed. I needed him… but he’s in a better place now. 

Chapter 9                        
I fell asleep on Rufus that night. I wake up but lay my head on the ground. I pet his soft fur and look at him. Tears fall down my cheeks. I put my hand on his paw and I think. I was too worried about myself to wonder why Rufus was gone. I miss him. It feels like he’s been gone forever. I lost my parents.. And now Rufus is gone too and I have no one! My parents leaving… Rufus dying.. It’s all my fault! I back away from his body, looking at him in shock and sadness. I close the door quietly, like the old man did when I’d met him. I stormed into the house and slam the front door shut. I sit down and lean against the bottom cabinets. I’m enraged… and hurt. I bury my head in my knees, not knowing what to do. I try to think…. But nothing comes to mind. For the first time… I can’t think of anything and my mind stops racing. I would cry… but there’s no tears left. 

                Chapter 1o
I wake up and stay on the ground. I’m worn out, and I’m too sad to cry. I lay on the cold hardwood floor and think. ‘Who would kill Rufus..? Why would they kill him?’ I put my hands over my face and groan. ‘This is getting too crazy…’ I think. ‘I thought me being alone by myself on this island would be amazing… but I really was wrong. I’m going to find out who did this to Rufus. I need to.’ I wipe the sweat off my face. I don’t want to go out in the heat.. It’s too hot. I roll over onto my stomach and lift myself to sit up. I grab my backpack and put my hand inside to get food or a drink. But, nothing is there. I feel around because I know I should have more food.. But all I feel is crumbs and a moist bag from my sweat and the wet water bottles that were in there. I sit up straight now and lean against the couch. I tip my bag upside down and only crumbs fell out. Oh no… oh no, oh no, oh no! This can’t be happening?! Where do I get food now? What am I gonna do? How will I survive? How will I feed Rufu-? I pause. Rufus is gone.. He isn’t here anymore. I need to worry about myself right now. I need to move on. I sigh and think about what to do next. “Okay… we need to go out I guess.” I stand up, grab my bag, and walk out the door.
                Chapter 11
I slump out the door and groan as the intense heat strikes me. I trudge down the street and breath heavily. I clutch my backpack; it feels like it’s holding me up. It’s not heavy at all, which is good because I can’t carry any weight right now, not even myself. I stare at the ground; sweat dripping down my face. I’m still in shock about Rufus… maybe this is what they call ‘being in denial’. I don’t know. I need to find food right now, not worry about Rufus. I walk down the hot road and cover my face with my backpack, hoping it’ll cool me off a little. I wipe the sweat away from my forehead, and I realize that the stitches on my forehead and cheek are just a scar now. I find a store and I walk inside. It’s a little store, not like the bread stand or the shop where everything was free. It has fruits, vegetables, water, and what looks to be coffee beans. I smirk happily. ‘Jackpot!’ I think to myself. I open my bag and grab some food, but mainly as much water as I can. As I’m shoving the food into my backpack, I see a figure out of the corner of my eye. I look out the window and see… Dexter. 

                Chapter 12
He’s brushing his hands on his shirt, and his face is so red it looks like he might explode. Then, it hits me. He killed Rufus. I find myself running outside, screaming. “Dexter! How could you do that to Rufus?! He was my best friend!” I am incensed. I charge at him and shove him. “He was my best friend! What is wrong with you!?” I find myself punching him violently. He fights back. “I didn’t lay a finger on your dog man! Get off me!!” I scream loud in his face, “Well, you were mad when I kicked you out of my shed! And you knew that was where Rufus slept!” His nose bleeds, but I don’t stop. I feel hot tears running down my face. He pushes me off of him, gets on top of me, and pins my arms to the ground. “So what if I did anything to the dog!? Calm down, man! He’s gone. Alright?! Yes! I did something to him, but he is gone. Now get out of here before you get hurt!” The tears still fall down my face, and I get up and start walking to the docks. I need to find my parents… I need to achieve my goal.
 

Chapter 13

I run faster than I ever have before and wipe the tears that are pouring down my face. I hop into one of the boats and start rowing away from the docks. It is pitch black outside.. And I have no clue which way I need to go. The tears feel like they will never end- and with every tear comes another paddle pounding into the water as I push away from the island. Each row away from the island feels harder and harder- but it’s worth it. I look back at the black outline of the island. I make sure not to second guess my decision. I put the paddles into their locks and take a few deep breaths. ‘Where am I going..? I don’t have any food or water.’ I put my head on my knees. ‘Way to go, impulsive decisions.’ I think to myself. ‘All I need to do now is to just find my parents.. If they’re still out there. No. No they are.’ I quickly pushed those sad thoughts away. No way am I thinking about that right now. I pick up the paddles and start rowing away. ‘ Maybe I could find another island.. Maybe even a country. That would be great. I wonder if I could row this little boat off the earth.. That would be interesting. I wonder if people who think the Earth is flat would try to take a boat into space.’ I smile just at the thought. I let the silence of the sweeping ocean settle in. ‘The peace and quiet isn’t so bad once you get used to it.’ I close my eyes, trying to think of something. Anything at all, that could keep me awake and sane. ‘I wonder if I have any siblings. What will I say to my parents when I meet them? Do they like dogs?’ So many questions. Wondering, guessing, trying so hard to find out who I need in my life. I move my feet around the bottom of the boat, trying to find if there is anything I could do to occupy myself, at least for a little while. I move my foot cautiously to the other end of the boat and I hear a paper crumpling. I reach down and grab it. It’s a notebook. A notebook with a brown leather cover with the initials ‘M.R.’ on it. I look around for a pen, but I can’t seem to find one. I try to think back to everything I know about being stranded or using the things around you because what you have around you is better than nothing at all. I examine the edges and the floor of the boat. There are a few thick pieces on the edge of the rim of the boat. That should work rather well. I take a medium sized piece off the rim of the boat. I need heat to make this usable to write with.. Where would I get heat though in the middle of the sea? I think and think, and then I know just what to do.

 Chapter 14
I wait for the sun to rise impatiently. It’s almost there but not quite yet. The sun should be hot enough, bright and early in the morning. My leg is shaking uncontrollably up and down, but I ignore it. “Augh! Hurry up, stupid sun!’ I think to myself. I lay in the bottom of the boat. I feel something jab into my foot and I lift it up. I sat up and looked at where my foot was. There is a small crack in the boat, and there is something in it. It’s just wide enough that I can get my fingers into the tiny little crevice. I start to reach for the thing in there. Whatever it is. I grab a hold of it, desperately trying to pull it out. I shout in frustration. Why won’t it just get out already?! It’s light enough to the point where I can see it now. ‘It’s a pen!’ I use all my strength to pull up against the pen wedged into the small crevice that is just big enough to fit my fingers. As I pull my fingers out, I can feel the skin scraping away from them and forever being plastered onto the wood. I cringe in pain. I examine the pen, carefully studying its beauty. It is a black pen with gold lining. It has the same initials on it. ‘M.R.’ I look at it in amazement. If you read it at first glance, you would think it said ‘Mr.’ I think back to that one memory I had from when I was just 4 years old. My mother said my dad’s name was mike. Mike. I think to myself. Such a common name, yet I’ve never heard it before on the island. I stare out at the vastness of the ocean as the early morning sunlight gleams across it. It seems as if there was glitter sprinkled on top. ‘What a glorious sight.’ I don’t see any islands nearby, and I’m not even disappointed about it. Maybe it’s not the time alone I needed, maybe it is just time itself. 

                Chapter 15
I sit in the boat, hesitant to open the journal. ‘What lies inside?’ My mind spirals with questions. I run my fingertips delicately over the cover. You can feel the leather pattern that was engraved on it. I open the notebook carefully. I see a drawing on it. It looks like a boat. A small, worn down, boat. I examine it, and in this drawing, there is a pen in a small hole. And there is a small box at the edge of the boat with a notebook and a map in it. It was a very detailed drawing, I must admit. As I analyze the drawing, I realize that it is the boat that I am sitting in at this very moment. I walk towards the edge of the boat as it wobbles back and forth against the steady waters. I get on my hands and knees and look down and see a small box. It’s open already, which is good because I don’t even have anything to pry open a box with. I grab the box and pull it out, and sure enough, there’s a map! I smile the biggest smile I ever have in my whole life. On the title of the map, it says “The way home. -R.M''

 

 

To be continued.... 

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