Written by M.L., Merf, Stu B., Amelia O., Nic L., Don C., Chris O., Cara L., Val O.
Rily was doing her homework. She thoute: this is hard work doss it even matter if I do this or not. I need a vacan! three houers later.
Three hours later, her mother found her watching T.V. on her iPad. “Have you finished your homework?” she asked.
“Yep.” Rily said, tapping her feet on her bedpost and not looking at her mother.
“Can I see it?” Mom asked.
“Ummm... It's a secret.” Rily told her.
“A secret?”
“Yes!” Rily answered, her jade-green eyes flashing their defiance. The drudgery of multiplication tables made no sense to her in the face of the epic picture story awaiting her attention. How would the saga unfold? She did not know; the characters had taken on a life of their own. She awaited the next turn as much as her audience did.
“Why?” her mother said with a little laugh. “Why is it a secret.”
“Um, because...because Ms. Stratis said so,”
“You're so funny, Rily. Okay, but don't get in trouble!” She left the room.
Rily turned her attention back to the iPad. Her favorite series, “My Darling Dragon: Treasure Is Magic.” The core group of friends and their faithful unicorn companion were leaving their hometown to embark on another epic adventure.
Rily grinned at the animated images and then closed her jade-green eyes. Oh, if only she were one of those dragons instead of just a normal human girl. She was certain dragons didn't have to do multiplication tables or worry about what an adverb was. Everything was just magic and treasure, fire and adventure in their world. What she wouldn't give to be one of them, if only for a day.
Rily's mother knocked on the door.
“Did you know,” she asked “that your teacher has a website with your Homework assignments posted?”
“Oh Oh” Rily mumbled.
“Not so secret as you thought, was it?”
“Umm – maybe I didn't hear right.”
“Well. I'm going to give you 2 numbers. You're going to Look them up in your multiplication tables. If you get it right, that will be the number of hours you're grounded.”
Riley's lower lip trembled, “What if I get it wrong?”
Her mother looked at her with that special look mother's around the world reserve for their children who have tried to lie to them.
“You don't want to find out. Now, what is, let me see, oh yes, what is nine times seven?”
Rily bit her lip and thought. She knew it was a big number, so she didn't want to get it wrong. Man, she thought. Why does math have to be so hard?
Her eyes wandered down to her iPad and the wonderful world of dragons and unicorns. She wanted more than anything to escape to that world, or at least maybe get a little help....
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she saw the still image change before her eyes. Now there was something written in the colored pattern of the dragon's scales.
“Rily?” her mother said in a warning tone.
Her jade eyes snapped back up to her mother's face. “Sixty-three!” she yelped.
Her mother smiled. “Good. Now how about...eight times five?”
Rily closed her eyes, and thought hard. This one was a big number too... uh oh. She was going to be in a lot of trouble soon. If only she could get a unicorn to take her away so she would never have to do math... The unicorn in her mind turned and his horn had a number on it! “Fourty!” She yelled! Her mom smiled at her in surprise and said, “Since you are doing so good, you aren't grounded! But, you do still have to do your homework.”
“Alright, fine.” she sulked, but when she went to get it out, it was done! And there was a small drawing of a unicorn in the corner!