I'm Not a Diary, I'm Just a Highly Confused Indivual

[LurkingLeafy]

Sierra likes red, wears no makeup, and eats everything but the school lunches. Her last name is also a seating object. And... she's a little confused as to why she even keeps writing in you. Maybe one day when she's old and wrinkly she'll look back and think, "Ahh, those were the days..." Or maybe she'll just keep you locked in the attic. Regardless, some things are too good to not write down. Enjoy the mind of a satirical yet completely serious fifteen year old.

The following isn't completely a diary. It’s a mix up of third person perspective and some intermittent diary logs. Basically, third person is there to cover more ground and add some variety, while the diary logs help you to connect with Sierra and the like. Don't worry, it will be a familiar setup!

Some spare information:

Posts are welcome! It would make my day. Feel free to discuss the story with other readers, and ALL feedback is appreciated! If you catch a grammatical error, feel free to make a post or shoot me a PM or whatever.

As far as user submitted characters go, I am currently taking a few per group! Refer to the post ahead for more info. If you send me a character, keep in mind they will be introduced one or two per chapter most of the time (so readers can get their bearings straight before BAM! New charrie!). After that, I might take a handful in on a special occasion (or when I run out of accessories and pets. )

My recommendations!

Not gonna lie, this is a diary. Don't tell Grams.

This is not a diary, its my island!

Enjoy! ~<3

[LurkingLeafy]

Good news! The submissions for Pinefern Academy are currently
OPEN!

In order to join, just post down below or in a PM with a filled out form, and be sure to follow all the rules.
Here's the code for you to edit:

Code: Select all

[center][color=#00BF00][b]Here's my letter requesting to join the prestigious Pinefern Academy![/b][/color]
(Picture of your pet goes here. Look on your pet's profile and copy the forum code, then replace this blurb with it.)[/center]

[b]My pet's name[/b]:
[b]Social Group (Populars/jocks, average with benefits, neutral, geek, rebel, invisible)[/b]:
[b]Hobbies, interests[/b]:
[b]Personality (or any odd traits)[/b]:
[b]Any friends, relationships, enemies, etc[/b]:
[b]Other! (refer to rule three)[/b]:


And here are the rules (sadly, we all have them!):

1. One pet per person, please, unless otherwise stated. I would like for everyone interested to get a chance.

2. You have to fill out all the parts of the form. If you would like to leave something up to me, just put "Have fun with it!" next to the question of choice. This also means you must fill out the form with a real group (and no rejects, either, since that isn't an introductory group. Cadence doesn't make exceptions. Most of the time.)

3. There's really not much else to do. If you have a specific thing in mind for your character (becoming a reject, one of Cadence's boyfriends, etc) make sure to add it to Other. I can't guarantee I will approve it (though I probably will ), but if it does get rejected don't take it too seriously. I do have some plans, after all.

The rules and/or code may be edited here on occasion. Just make sure to check back if you want to submit a charrie!

Sample Form

Here's my letter requesting to join the prestigious Pinefern Academy!

My pet's name: Sample Name
Social Group (Populars/jocks, average with benefits, neutral, geek, rebel, invisible): Jock
Hobbies, interests: Skateboarding, diary writing (but don't tell anyone that), coming up with jokes
Personality (or any odd traits): Mostly honest but not very loyal. He loves being in control. Fidgets when lying or nervous.
Any friends, relationships, enemies, etc: Has a "secret" crush on Terra. Feels sort of sorry for the invisibles, but very scared of the rebels.
Other! (refer to rule three): Name's house had been busted in and robbed when he was little, so he is still afraid of the dark even now.

Yearbook

Populars AND Jocks

Open

Open

Open

Open

Open

Open

Average with benefits

Open

Open

Open

Neutral

Space-Studio's Syn

Open

Open

Geeks

Piefan's Althea

Open

Open

Open

Rebels

Fire-of-Shadows' Gabriella

20lait1's Skyler Swiftrunner

Open

Open

Invisibles

Open

Open

Open

Rejects

(Special category, please notify me if interested)

Open

Open

[LurkingLeafy]

The class stirred rather excitedly, not because of the upcoming announcement, but because of rumors surrounding a certain someone playing a prank on the teachers.

"A freshman had the nerve to do that?"

"What happens if he gets caught?"

"Heh, I'm hoping someone figures it out so we get to see who he is."

Despite the flurried whispering, Mrs. Harbor stood up and began speaking right in the middle of the ruckus. "Class, settle down," she firmly demanded. Of all of her (rather bland) qualities, being able to hush her students was probably the best one. Only one or two kids remained talking, and even they stopped after they noticed the silence. Mrs. Harbor placed a mysterious stack of books on the desk and began, "I announced a secret project last week, which I'm sure at least some of you remember. Well, here we are. When I call your name, please walk over and retrieve your... Journals. Notebooks, if you want to be even less conspicuous." She fiddled with the glasses perched on her nose and started to sort out the books.

"Abigail," Mrs. Harbor called, receiving a cringe from a girl who never went by her full first name.

"Andrew."

"Benson."

It went on like this for a while. The chatter that had died down perked up a bit and rumors were flying all over the place again, until a girl heaved a sigh at the sound of her name being called. Half of time she had been called out for a project, well, she hadn't been called. The teacher seemed to forget her existence more often than not. She cautiously approached the desk and took the journal, which Mrs. Harbor was jabbing at her out of impatience. She shuffled back to her seat, silently waiting for further instructions unlike the rest of the class. Fortunately, Literature was her best subject, though she wouldn't dare try the cranky old teacher's patience.

Soon enough, Mrs. Harbor finished calling names and spoke up. "So some of you are probably wondering what the journals are for. May I get a volunteer to tell me what you normally do with a journal?" she queried.

The only paw in the air was the girl by the name of Abigail. Abby, rather. "You write in it?" she muttered nervously. She had not gotten very good grades the past week or two, and she was obviously just trying to score brownie points.

Mrs. Harbor shot an unamused glance her way. "Yes, you write in it. What do you write about?" she asked again, her eyes darting around the class. No one dared utter a word. She shook her head solemnly, and continued, "Students, you will be using these journals, notebooks, diaries, whatever--" the mention of "diaries" seemed to make a few kids look up at her whether out of interest or fear--"and you will record the happenings of your day-to-day life until the end of the school year." She prodded at her spectacles once again, noticing the students' anticipation. "You may start by writing your name on the cover, or a nickname, or even a code name if you are honestly worried about someone sneaking in it. My advice? Just don't go rambling on about your 'secret' crushes." The teacherly figure rolled her eyes, which was actually quite unsettling. I guess spending a decade and a half with teenagers really rubs off on you.

The clock read about ten minutes until time to switch classes, which was plenty enough for Harbor. She grinned, tapping her fingers lightly against her schedule planner. "You have until the end of class to greet your diary. Maybe even give it a name. Go all out."

There was nothing but the sound of pencil on paper for the next ten minutes, whether the students were actually writing about their personal life or merely pretending to scratch the paper. Sierra took a deep breath in, preparing herself for the monstrosity that was to come.

So, err… Hi. I guess.

Well, this is pretty ridiculous. I should probably tell you what’s going on if I want a good grade in here. Basically, I’ve been assigned a diary by my L.A. teacher.

…This will be fun.

My name is… should I tell you my real name? Yeah, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. It’s not like I’m going to tell you--well, you, as a notebook thing--all my personal business and phone numbers and whatnot. My name is Sierra Couch, so there. And yes, my last name is Couch, pronounced like the seating object. It’s a long story, but something about professions as a last name and long lost Ireland ancestors and things I don’t really care about at the moment. I’m not sure if I actually have ancestors up in Ireland, but… whatever.

Oh. Mrs. Harbor (my lit teacher) just passed out school photos to attach in our “notebooks”, so I guess I’ll do that now. Here art thou author.

Also, the people in my class seem to be passing around information about a guy who went and pranked the gym teacher. Something about filling the whole gymnasium with balloons, and no one even noticed until the next day… Probably mostly false though. Who even has enough lung power to blow up that many balloons?!

Anyhow, the bell’s about to ring and Harbor’s going to get mad at me. See you… I’ll think of something to call you later. But no promises if you’ll like it.

*snickers evilly*

There wasn’t much else unusual that day besides the strange happenings during lunch period. Lunch ladies were slopping mystery chow onto trays as usual. There was the ever-present cool kids table with all the latest gossip floating around. However, one could only guess about strange gray figure darting about. No one but a few kids seemed to notice, Sierra being one of them. What could it be? Who could it be? This, of course, was a mystery impossible to solve.

When Sierra arrived home, her father and stepmother were home as per the norm. Her little brother Aspen was trying out his electronic keyboard he just got from his birthday. Despite the terrible noise, the worn out figure in the recliner looked over the newspaper in his hands. "I always knew my children would grow up to be artists," he said nostalgically. He always had something positive to say. When his original wife died, it hit him really hard, and nothing was quite the same as it had been. He tried to make it up for his daughter, because after all, she was the only remnant he had left of her.

It wasn't a horrible thing, though. Sierra had grown to like her stepmother as much as she would a real parent. Maybe not that close, but the equivalent of an aunt at the very least. Her stepmom loved painting and her head always seemed to be up in the clouds. Sometimes she would utter philosophical nonsense out of the blue. Sierra wondered if that’s how her original mother acted, and maybe that’s why he married her. At least there never seemed to be a dull moment in the house with her baby brother around. She smiled and nodded at her father, and then slowly trudged upstairs. Sierra was thinking of starting a new novel soon. And secretly, she didn't mind the diary project so much. Writing was a passion of hers, after all.

________

So there it is! Feel free to submit a character using the form up there, and any comments are well appreciated.

[LurkingLeafy]

Okay, sorry to start this entry abruptly. But I figured I could get a pretty long one done if I started this before class. And no, before you ask, I have not thought of a name for you yet. When I do, I will certainly let you know.

Well, I’m currently packed inside the janitor’s hall closet peeking through the crack in the door. No, I was not put in here by someone else. I saw the flash of gray again, so I fled to the closet and by a stroke of luck it was unlocked. And as for the gray thing, I really can’t even tell you. I saw it yesterday, too, in the cafeteria. Maybe I’m hallucinating. I’m just going to sit here and steady my breathing so it doesn’t hear me. Oh gosh, it’s coming towards me and I think it’s maybe just a student here and my pen noises had to have given it awa---

The door flew open, revealing nothing but empty space and a mop bucket. He was sure he heard something in the closet. He craned his neck and saw a weird beige fluffy thing, but it quickly retracted back behind the bucket. The gray dog standing in the doorway stepped closer, and he could have sworn he had just seen someone’s tail. He stepped closer, a weird half-smirk half-frown on his face.

The bell rang loudly and noisily as if to say, “Sierra, get out of there, while you have the chance.” She, however, was too busy hyperventilating. She hadn't had this much excitement since the time she almost burned the house down trying to cook some eggs.

The mysterious dog shrugged it off and muttered something incomprehensible to himself. And then he turned into a potted plant and hopped over to sit against the wall, as if he had been there the whole time.

Good news and bad news, Harbor’s Little Pet. Sounds sort of silly now that I write it here, but maybe I’ll think of something else. So tell me I’m crazy or something, but the weird gray thing wasn’t a thing at all. It was a dog with odd checkered print fur, and he almost saw me hiding in the closet. That’s not the worst part, though. The bell rang and he looked confused, and then…

He turned into a potted plant. A POTTED PLANT. And hopped away.

Actually, that might be enough to prove I was hallucinating, but whatever. I’m just going to let that information digest in my head while I recuperate…

Oh, the bad news? Yeah, the second bell rang while I was hiding behind the mop and I was late to class. I have to stay for lunch period, so I guess it’s a good thing I brought my own food to school. The mop also smelled like rotten cheese, and I was pretty sure it was the infamous M.O.P. they use to wipe off the nasty lunchroom floor. M.O.P. stands for Moldy Object of Putridiniditidy. I know that’s not a word, but none of the “brilliant” students in this school will listen to me on that. They even hold contests on who can say it fastest…

*shudders*

Oh, I should also probably work on my other assignment for now. I’ll be right back later during my “detention”.

Sierra passed the time doodling characters she had thought of for a book on every scrap piece of paper she could find. History was boring as usual, but she pretended to take “notes”. While she was scribbling down the ninth prime minister of Dogania’s name, she came up with the brilliant idea to try and look up the mysterious checkered dog in the student yearbook. Mrs. Harbor was just crazy enough to have pictures of ALL of the students who had been in the school, in her sixteen years of teaching, right on hand.

Meanwhile, a certain gray dog was sneaking around the halls, this time camouflaged as a school poster. He had to remember to wrinkle himself slightly as if he were an actual poster. Well, he was, but you get the picture. I mean, if you aren't born with poster instincts, just… never mind.

He took the opportunity to unposter himself and walked up to his first target. (Hey, Google says unposter is a word. So put a sock in it.) He took a letter he pulled from seemingly nowhere and slipped it inside a locker. The contents of the letter were unknown to anyone but him. Afterwards, he grinned and walked up to the locker beside it, transforming into a random book inside. “Oh,” the canine mused uncertainly to himself, “I landed myself in someone’s diary.” Personal privacy was probably the only thing the guy stood up for, so he quickly morphed into the poster he had left on the opposite wall. Unlike Sierra, who was just now walking to Harbor’s room, he guessed he had probably missed all of his morning classes. “Meh, I’m not a fan of math anyways,” he thought, and casually walked off to the lunchroom.

I’m back. I guess it was pretty dumb of me to tell you I was leaving, since you can’t really tell time. Too bad I used pen… Anyhow, I haven’t ran into “Plant” again so far. (I’m calling him that until I figure out his name. And even then I’d still probably call him Plant. You just don’t forget about that kind of experience.) I’m about to go get the books, but I’m not really sure where to start… I’ll tell you what I find. I guess I’ll go with M to P, for plant.

Searched M. No traces of checkered dogs.

N stands for nada.

Whose first name even starts with O? (Sorry Olivias and Owens out there. Oh. Guess I answered my own question.)

Lucky number P, here we come… I mean letter. Man, why do I keep writing in pen? P is for pen. UGH! P is for pencil too! I give up. But apparently P IS a lucky letter, because there’s the checkered dog, smack-dab in the middle of the page. It says his name is Porter Harkin. What Harkin is all about, the world may never know.

I just realized what I’m doing is very stalkerish. I feel bad now. Diary, you made me feel this way. So curious, your blank pages, so hungry for knowledge. Ugh. Have a timeout in the book bag.

I wonder what Mrs. Harbor would think if she read this.

Sierra quickly scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page, and got up to enjoy her lunch. She felt conflicted about what to do involving Porter, but she figured she would just let it go. She did have a feeling that they would cross paths again, but Sierra could only hope “again” was far in the future.

________

Posting chapter three very soon, as it's pretty necessary to the plot and character submissions!
Don't worry, I promise I'll stop for a bit after that. Have a great day.

[LurkingLeafy]

A few days later, Sierra was merely sitting at the library table for study time when she heard a squeak and a thump. She looked over her shoulder uneasily.

“Terra, I thought I told you to bring the papers!” she shouted, frightening the poor corgi out of her skin.

“Uhhh… Erm… You did, but there were two stacks and I was so confused and I started shaking and then a teacher walked by and the bell rang and I was in your locker and I was worried he would try to get me in trouble and--!”

She was interrupted by the taller blonde. “I don’t care what you have to say, just try to get some paper from the printers. And a pen, while you’re at it,” she facepalmed.

Sierra noticed some of the other students looking at the spectacle just as baffled as she was. Here they were acting like they owned the place, and she didn't even remember--oh. Wait a second. She completely forgot the first time the two did something very similar, but it never worked out. No one really seemed to notice or care about the social rules. Sierra sighed and rested her head on her paw, looking haphazardly at either one of the popular girls.

The blonde one seemed to have noticed Sierra looking at her and furrowed her brow. Noticing the smaller student had returned with some writing utensils, she began, “Listen up. You might remember me and my friend here from earlier this year.” Terra looked up at her partner with slight apprehension, remembering to take notes. “None of you obeyed the rules I set then, but from now on we’re going to be following these arrangements. All,” she drew out the word, “of. Them. I’ve kept all of the rules from last time and now I have added groups. So line up if you know what’s best for you,” she proudly scoffed.

“We don’t even know your name,” a random boy from the crowd spoke out, rolling his eyes ever so subtly.

“It’s Cadence,” she spat. “And my friend here is Terra.” Terra waved sheepishly, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Now line up.”

Sierra didn't move. She almost decided to get up just to see what would happen -- curiosity always got the best of her. However, she managed to restrain herself the best she could, and a grin slowly spread across her muzzle as she whipped out her journal. Her rather average appearance kept her from attracting much attention as she quickly jotted down an entry.

Hey, you there. The nonexistent person reading this entry. Yes, stop looking (reading?) at me like that, I just felt like writing in a period other than Language Arts! And no, I’m not in a closet this time, I’m in the library.

Anyways, this is pretty hilarious. A popular girl named Cadence and her minion Terra are trying to sort the whole school into cliques. Yes, I know how cliche that sounds. The whole thing is a joke but some of the students are actually concerned about it. And… wait, I think I saw Mr. Potted Plant in line. Wow, he must skip class a lot. I barely knew he was in here.

Oh, right. I was going to tell you more about the “sorting”. I’ll just write down the good ones with a colored pencil or two, because I really don’t want random populars wasting a page.

Cadence: Name.
???: I’m Abby!
Cadence: Cool. Tell me about yourself.
Abby: I like taking selfies, using Pawterest-
Cadence: Oooh! Could easily be a pop-
Abby: And scrapbooking.
Cadence: Oh. I don’t know. You could be an AwB, I guess. An average with benefits. Terra, you better be writing this down.
Terra: Of course I am, Catey.

Really? Catey? Such an honorable nickname. Remind me to call her that sometime.

Cadence: Oh, you’re still here. Go ahead and sit over there.

She pointed over to me, at my table.

Cadence: You! In the red! Get over here and quit writing in that thing!

So much for being inconspicuous. Hey, catch ya later.

Sierra looked up from her book and shut it, and any onlooker could tell she was annoyed. Deciding to play along, she scampered to the end of the line. Plant boy was right in front of her, and frankly, it didn’t surprise her that he ended up last in line. But as soon as she noticed him, he was already gone. She noticed the Doganian flag above her head waving at an extremely odd angle. She tilted her head up, and tried to say something, but the words sat on her tongue. “What?” she only managed to mouth. She spun around feeling confused. She would make a fool of herself before it was even her turn to speak, but as if she cared.

While she had been turned around, Porter appeared right in front of her. Sierra was mildly stunned, but she had almost expected it. At least he could get out of this mindless sorting if he wanted to. She sighed and watched Cadence drone on to some future jock.

“Hey, why the odd face?” Porter said out of the blue. To be truthful, ever since he thought he saw a tail in the janitor’s closet he became really paranoid. He had to make sure it wasn’t her, even if it meant transforming into a flag to get a good look at her. Not to sound like a stalker, or anything.

Sierra had to double check to make sure he was talking to her, so hesitantly she answered, “Oh, uh, I’m not upset or anything. It’s just a little weird. This girl, I mean.” None of it was a lie, in fact.

“Yeah. She scares me a little,” he stated, only to turn around feeling just a little relieved. His suspicions were neither confirmed nor denied, and the girl’s tail looked oddly familiar.

Stricken by the brief conversation, Sierra sat in line and waited patiently. And waited some more. It was probably only two minutes, but no one can really judge time accurately while standing in line. “Are there even any teachers watching this place?...” she muttered to herself. Surely, if there were, they would have stopped the crazy blonde by now.

Oh, it was Porter’s turn. She looked up and listened, but tried not to stare for too long. After all, Cadence was right there.

“So. You got a name or should I call you checkers?” Cadence’s attempt at a joke was not a very good one. Porter didn't look particularly amused, but he did have a smirk on his face.

“Porter.”

“Any last name?” she queried earnestly.

“That is for me to know and you to find out,” Porter retorted with the overused line.

“Yeah! Tell her, Harkin!” I cheered him on, though only in my head. I was becoming brutally bored, and sometimes that could lead to trouble.

“I can’t say I’ve seen you around before. You might as well tell me some of your hobbies and interests,” she said dryly, looking over her freshly manicured claws.

“Oh, err… I like swimming. But I’m not a big sports fan other than that. Sometimes I like to climb trees and build things with rocks and twigs,” he stuttered, looking a little blank. “And sometimes I make up stories in my head. Other than that, not much.”

Cadence looked him over once more. “Well, normally I would promote you to jock with those good looks of yours… Maybe even being a rebel would suit you. But, since you pretty much live in school as a ghost, I think it would be more appropriate to place you in the invisibles. It suits you perfectly!” she remarked in a sly tone. “Don’t worry, I’ll make an exception. If you ever manage to gain a social status, or any status at all for that matter, you’re going straight to jock. No buts about it.” The way she winked at him afterwards was not only more unsettling than Mrs. Harbor’s eyerolls, it was slightly infuriating. Like Sierra could just go up and slap her, then start cackling or something…

Oh, she was getting ahead of herself again. Porter, on the other hand, looked a little disturbed. He responded with a single eye twitch and robotically walked to the table where the invisibles sat, only to take a detour. “Probably going off to become a computer mouse or something,” Sierra thought sarcastically. Waiting for the entire twenty to thirty students go over each and every one of their individual stories was starting to drive Sierra a little nuts.

Cadence eyed Sierra suspiciously. “Name?...”

The pause in between was a little longer than either of them cared for. “Sierra,” she spoke, not giving it any more thought than that.

“Nice…” the popular girl trailed off again, her exhaustion quite apparent. “Hobbies? Interests? Anything remotely special or unique about yourself?” Unlike some of the more aggravated conversations she had with previous students, this one was just plain awkward.

“I like writing. And collecting things.” She would not explain what, because it was slightly embarrassing to collect plushies. They were actual collectibles, despite what anyone had said about them.

“Okay… Almost enough to go in with the geeks. But your lack of social life would probably make you an invisible as well… So get going.” Cadence turned to Terra and slumped into the nearest chair.

“I’ll have you know that just because I don’t have any many friends doesn't mean I’m bad at observing!” Sierra retorted in her head. She could have easily skipped the line and just gone to the invisibles' table it was that obvious. Either way, she could admit was nice to know a little more about Porter. And there she was, going off being a stalker again.

There was an odd assortment of students at the tables. She was a little surprised by how many there were at the invisibles. She expected five at most. None of the faces were too familiar, although one or two of them had greeted her around the halls. And Porter… was being Porter-like as usual. In this case, absent. Sierra barely managed to notice him sneaking up to the table in anticipation of the librarian when she felt a nudge at her arm.

“Hey,” a girl nudged her in the arm. “What group is he in?” She silently pointed at the green-clad dog.

Sierra was slightly surprised to hear her comment, but then again, it was typical. “Same as us,” I nodded at her. She looked back in Porter’s direction. He had an eerie sensation and glanced at the girl, but her eyes were already off of him.

Porter saw the only open seat at the table next to Sierra. He felt a little relieved, because at least she seemed a little distant. Not the kind of person who would poke in somebody’s business and write down information like last names and stuff. Definitely wouldn’t put pictures of someone in her diary. The thought gave him chills.

_____

Okay, I'm done. Don't mind the length, I got a little carried away. ;u;
Remember, posts are indeed allowed! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ
Now if you'll excuse me...
*sneaks off to plug in keyboard*

[LurkingLeafy]

My apologies for the lack of words yesterday, but Pinefern Academy is in a bit of shock right now. You want to hear more? Didn’t I tell you I was just a diary--ack, I mean, you’re just a diary. I’m just confused. Okay, fine, here goes.

Rules are being broken left and right, especially number one. Oh, rules. Let me show you these rules, because I can’t even describe how moronic they are on my own.

1. You may not socialize with a student of any other group unless they are higher up than you and giving you orders, or if you have been assigned to work with another by a teacher.
   
   
2. Please do not spread false information about groups higher in the food chain. The order is as follows, ranging from popularity:
   
   Populars/Jocks
   Average with benefits
   Neutral
   Geeks
   Rebels
   Invisibles
   Rejects (very “extreme”, I have heard you cannot be assigned this immediately.)
   
   
3. Sabotage of populars or failing to follow the rules can get you into the reject group. Few dare to talk to them, so have fun being shunned. You have no hopes of redemption here.
   
   
4. I couldn't care less about the others.

(And as for the students, we heard Terra missed a few. If I overhear their sortings, I’ll be sure to share them with you so you can witness this madness.)

On the flipside, this new setup might not be the worst thing to date. I think I’m going to make some new friends very soon. Just a feeling. The girl who asked about Porter yesterday--err, two days ago--is pretty nice as well.

Speaking of the dude… He didn’t even show up yesterday. If he didn’t like school before, well, now he REALLY doesn’t want to go. I really wonder what he’s trying to hide from (other than Cadence, of course). I considered confronting him about the plant incident, but that’s just not my style. To tell you the truth, I’ve always been an observer. Guess that’s kinda why I have no friends.

Also, I’m writing on the way to class. Excuse me if my handwriting looks a little off--

Okay, well, I’m back. It was REALLY packed, and people were going everywhere. Someone tripped over me and I landed on the floor, but I guess I looked a little hazy because I glanced over my shoulder and there’s Porter with a bewildered expression on his face.

Sierra: ACK! (Oh. Totally didn’t trip just now.)
Porter: o_e… Sierra?
Sierra: What? Oh, it’s you again.
Porter: Me?
Sierra: Are you going to help me up, or…
Porter, looking embarrassed: Oh, uh, sorry about that. Here.

It wasn't the most pleasant exchange.

Sierra: Thanks. Wait a second. How do you know my name?

He had ran out the door before I got a chance to speak to Cadence. He couldn't have been eavesdropping. That is, unless…

Porter: Oh, uh, I overheard one of the students talking about you or something.
Sierra: Really? I don’t think I've talked to many people lately. (Or at all.)
Porter: Er, yeah. They were talking about the new groups, but I couldn’t hear them fully.
Sierra: No problem, I guess… Oh, I’m going to be late. See you later.
Porter: Sure, if I run into you again like an idiot.

Could have been better. At least it was a conversation! Wait, there’s really no need for me to get hyper over that.

Okay… Moving along then. I'm in math class now, and it looks like someone (AKA Cadence) has found herself a straggler. Hopefully she's not a popular. ((Thanks to Fire-of-Shadows for the submission!))

???: Why are you looking at me like that-
Cadence: Name?
???: Name? Just out of the blue?
Cadence: Just tell me your name, for bear's sake.
Gabrielle: Well, if that's what you wanted, you should have just asked me with a full sentence. I'm Gabrielle.
Cadence: If you want in a good group, I would advise you to never, ever, again roll your eyes at me.
Gabrielle: *rolls eyes again*
Cadence: Don't press your luck. Just tell me your hobbies and interests before you dig your own grave.
Gabrielle, proudly: Well, for starters, I like swimming, and I'm not bad at trick riding if I do say so myself. I dance to hip hop sometimes, and I listen to metal.
Cadence: I am so tempted to put you in invisibles for that stunt of yours, but you'd make a good rebel. They already have a bad reputation with me anyways, so you're in. Just look for them during lunch. They would be hard to miss, with all their spiked hair and rainbow hoodies.

And then she left before Gabrielle could say anything else. Hey, she's coming over to sit, hold on.

The blue-eyed dog walked up to the seat next to Sierra and dropped a mysterious navy pouch onto the desk with a thud. Much to the dog in front of her's chagrin, she propped up her hind legs on his chair.

"Could you please get your paws off my seat?"

She continued to ignore him. Sierra only then happened to notice that her body was either made of clouds, or her clothes were just very, very wispy. Even her hood was made of the stuff.

Unfortunately, the teacher soon noticed her shenanigans. "Gabrielle, please get your feet off of the chair, and take off your hood while you're at it. That is against the school dress code," he demanded. Today actually seemed to be one of his nicer days. Gabrielle wasn't in the mood for taking orders, so she just put her paws down. The hood would stay on. She managed to get off the hook with a death glare from the teacher, luckily.

"So what was that girl all about?" she asked Sierra in a whisper, trying to fill in the gaps from her day absent.

"Oh, Cadence? She's done that to everyone in the school. I suppose she's trying to separate everyone into cliques, and then make us duke it out," Sierra explained. "I think being popular has gotten to her head."

"Seems like it," Gabrielle scoffed, then proceeded to open her textbook to square roots.

Sierra glanced in her direction for one last look and then turned her attention to the teacher. She opened up her diary and nestled it into the textbook, successfully disguising it as a boring learning device. Anyone who looked at her would assume she was taking notes.

Anyways, as I was saying-

Suddenly, the air vent above them started creaking violently. There was the sound of scraping metal, and then the grate popped off, toppling onto the floor. "Ahhh!" Apparently, the grate wasn't the only thing that fell down. You'll never guess who.

Indeed.

Well then. I think I'm just going to write in you later.

Or at least, that's what she would have wrote, if it weren't for the canine practically flattening her.

Porter was so stricken by the accident that he wasn't able to react and transform into something else. He realized who he was sitting on and quickly got up. Was it even possible for a dog's face to be so... red?

Sierra stood up awkwardly and studied the checkered canine. Not only had his fur turned a nice shade of pink, there were wires tangled all around him. He brushed the layer of dust off his fur and noticed Sierra staring at him.

"Smooth moves, Porter Plant," she haphazardly remarked.

"What? Plants? Heh, silly, dogs can't turn into plants. Or anything but dogs, in that case," he laughed nervously. There was no one not looking in their direction.

"But have you noticed, that grate isn't even big enough for a cat to fit through?" Sierra reasoned.

Porter looked up, and sure enough, the air vent was really small. He had to make something up quick. "Err, well, I got in through the vent in the Air Duct Cleaning Committee's room. It was a really weak panel so I just fell through."

"There is no Air Duct Cleaning Committee... Or any cleaning group at all. The school hires janitors for all that."

"Ugh... Just meet me at lunch, okay?" Porter whispered in reply. By then he had seen Cadence's fuming mad expression. She had some tricks up her sleeve, alright. It was a bit childish of her, but she would not stand for him talking to another girl. Porter hurriedly ran off, pulling wires out of his fur as he left.

Gabrielle had been watching the whole accident with a smug expression. "Dude, he was spying on you."

Sierra's face contorted into confusion. "Why would someone want to stalk me? I can't recall the last time I've done something interesting or even worthwhile," she murmured.

"I don't know. Maybe he just likes you enough to stare at you from inside the ceiling. Or maybe he wants to know something."

______________

Muahahahaha.
Enjoy your CLIFFHANGER! >:D
Well, I guess I wouldn't call it that. It's not THAT suspenseful.
Either way, yeah. But shoutout to Fire-of-Shadows, because Gabrielle is awesome. :3

[LurkingLeafy]

Hey dere! I updated the adoption page, so I'm taking in LOTS of characters now. Just copy the form up there and post it or PM it and I will be sure to get you in!

(I accidentally double posted entry four, so this is just an edit of the duplicate. >w<)

[LurkingLeafy]

Students filtered into the cafeteria in hordes. Sierra noticed a lot of people finally hanging out with others from their group, and as someone walked in a glint of metal caught her eye. A weapon in the school? Wasn't that against Pinefern policy?

Sierra shook off the thought quickly and returned her eyes to the lunch ladies slopping something onto her plate, remorsefully wishing she had remembered to bring her lunch from home. "I thought academy food was supposed to be fancy, not mysterious goo." On the bright side, they were serving watermelon as a part of their "New Tastes" program. Ironically, nothing they served was new to most people.

Remembering what Porter had told her earlier, she looked around for a hint of green or grey to find nothing. He would probably be smart enough to find her (or neglect what he said and ignore her entirely), so she sat at an empty table. No need to get others involved in the conversation, right? Sierra put on her best "I will stab anyone who sits near me with this pencil" face and made herself comfortable. Just enough peace and quiet to get absorbed into her writing.

So here we are again. It's always such a pleasure.

Hah, that was a total geek thing. Props to you if you recognize the saying, inanimate paper object.

What am I doing.

Wait a second, that's right. There's a girl with a sword here who's about to get sorted, and she looks a little new. Might as well document it, eh? Knowing their names will be nice if I ever feel like rallying an army. ((Thanks 20lait1! :3))

Cadence: You look like what's her name from earlier. Name, please, before I pass out from boredom.

???: Sheesh, no need to get cranky. I'm Skyler Swiftrunner.
Cadence: Nice name, Runner. Hey, could you repeat it again for the whole school to hear?
Skyler: Oh, please! Just get on with it already.
Cadence: Sure, don't need you wasting more of my time than you already are. State your interests.
Skyler: I like archery and sword fighting, so you might not want to get on my bad side. Writing is fun, and sometimes on a nice day I like to go out flying-
Cadence: Wait, wait, wait, just a second. You have wings? And they actually work?
Skyler: Yeah, how have you not noticed?
Cadence: I think I need some time alone. You're in the rebels, talk to that Gabrielle girl or something while I'm gone.
Skyler: Nice knowing you, scaredy-with-no-pants.

That was pretty amazing, it's nice to see someone put Cadence in her place for once. Oh, she's coming over! Quick! Hide!

Oh, wait. Not me. Just you. Yeah, get in my pack before she notices.

"Hey, you like writing too?" she chuckled. The rebels seemed to be exempt from rule one (do not talk to others from a different group). If they hadn't been, they'd pretty much all be rejects by now.

"Oh, err, yeah. I heard you talking to Blondie over there. It was nice to see her at such a loss for words," Sierra hastily responded.

Skyler didn't notice the subject change. "I've had to deal with it before, so I've learned ways to cope," she said breezily. "So why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

"Ah, I'm not much of a people person-"

"Hey, Sierra, who's this?" Porter asked as he eyed the new girl nervously. Not only did Skyler look confused, Sierra had almost jumped out of her seat. Porter was late to lunch, as usual, and he had continued his daily tradition of sneaking up and scaring her.

"Uhh, she's the new girl. Cadence just sorted her, but she's pretty cool and could care less," Sierra explained.

"Oh, so you were trying to hide the fact that your boyfriend was coming to visit," Skyler whispered mischievously with a grin.

"What are you talking about?" Sierra retorted a little too loudly and with a face a little too red.

"Never mind. Hey, I forgot to get my lunch. I'll be right back!" she announced, hopping off.

"So what was that all about?" Porter questioned as he sat in the chair beside the red-hooded canine.

"Nothing. Wait, mister, don't you have some explaining to do?" Sierra pestered him. "Get to the point, she'll be back soon."

Porter shuffled in his seat, obviously not eager to spill. "Erm... Well, the plant thing. You're right, but I do have an explanation. My mother really likes experimenting with organism manipulation when she's away from work at the lab," he stated, looking to make sure Skyler wasn't coming back yet. "She always wanted to find some new or exotic combination of chemicals. The thing is, when she tested her metamorphosis concoction on the lab rats, it actually worked. Just not on the adults. So after seeing what it could do for the rats, she moved onto Phase 2. Phase 2 was pretty simple -- just slip a bit of the formula into puppies' milk."

Sierra looked a little like a pigeon after having its feathers dyed blue.

"Yes, I know, I never said the answer would be believable. Anyways, no mother in their right mind would offer up their child to all kinds of risks just to test a new science theory. So, she went and decided to have a pup. I still don't know who my father is, and it barely even matters to my mom," he muttered. "When she gave me the formula, my fur turned gray and checkered. There were more problems than that, though... Sometimes I just randomly turned invisible. My mother turned the whole house upside down one day trying to find me, only to discover me lying on the couch. I still do that sometimes and it's really annoying when I'm at school."

"So that's why you're always absent..." Sierra trailed off.

"You noticed that? Well, I guess you would, since you saw me that day and all. Anyways, the bad outweighs the good. It's not fun, but at least I can pull pranks on people without being noticed-"

"Did someone say pranks?!" Skyler exclaimed, sliding into the seat beside Sierra. "Wow, I thought academies were for good kids."

"Well, if you have your Cadences, you have your pranksters," Sierra shrugged.

Porter finished the last of the sandwich he had brought from home (lucky him!), and leaned back in the chair. "You do realize she's right behind us, don't you?"

"Huh?" Skyler and Sierra said, both at once.

"Attention, bagels! I have an important announcement to make."

That did it, alright. The whole cafeteria was facing towards the ruler of the nest. "Bagels?" some whispered. "Announcement?" others thought.

"I have created a new system called social karma. If you are seen breaking a rule too many times, I can deduct points off of you. Extreme cases may lead to becoming a reject," Cadence shouted.

Why hadn't a teacher stopped her yet? They probably didn't care, as long as her parents were feeding them money.

"In other news, Skyler and Sierra have both lost five social karma. Skyler, since you started the conversations and are also in a higher group, you will be the one demoted to reject if you do not stop in the next week. And Porter, like I promised..." she smirked. "Everyone, Porter has been promoted to jock!" Some looked pleased, and some looked confused, but the popular girls were already talking about selling him off to the highest bidder. They even had the nerve to place bets on who he would date first.

"So, Porter..." Cadence walked over to the table, putting her hands on his shoulders like some sort of creep. "You'll be joining us at the popular table."

"Uh, no." He went back to folding his napkin into origami.

"Uhhh, yes," she insisted.

"Uhhhhhhh, no. I can sit where I want and I want to sit here."

"So you're denying your invitation into the jocks? Wow. Harsh. Don't worry, I won't be putting you back where you were."

"Okay then. Could you get your paws off of me, please? It's a little creepy."

Cadence looked a little embarrassed, and that's when Terra came over and pried her away. Skyler rolled her eyes.

"So, anyways. You guys wanna do a prank?" Skyler asked eagerly.

"Why not?" Porter agreed. "That woman is really... really..." he trailed off, unable to find the word.

"Persistent?" Sierra chimed in. "Either way, I guess I could help. But what could we do that she'll never expect?"

Skyler looked thoughtful as she finished the last of her watermelon. "I'll get back to you on that."

So the trio had agreed to start what might go down in history. Or at least the school's history.

Okay, don't look at me like that. If I hadn't stuffed you in my backpack and creased your page you might have been stolen for the whole school to see. I mean, I know there's not that many secrets in here, but... The Porter thing is pretty confidential.

Anyhow, me, him, and my new friend (I guess I could call her that?) Skyler have decided to play a prank on Cadence. Oh, hey... Maybe we could try to steal her diary. Knowing her, she's probably already filled up the first five pages with all of her sweethearts. Including Porter, which is quite frankly disturbing.

So I guess that's it from me today. If you think of any prank ideas, let me know. Oh, that's right, you're not a diary. I mean, you are a diary! I mean I'm not a diary! Ugh!

I'm just a highly confused individual. See ya.

_____________

Yay for new students! Thanks, 20lait1!!
I feel like this chapter is a little shorter than it could have been, but it was too long to start any new plot twist.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this entry! ^o^ And yes, feel free to send me any prank ideas or character submissions!
Posts/comments/PMs are appreciated. C:

[LurkingLeafy]

I can hardly believe I have already written six entries in here. Anyhow, there won't be any sortings today, because it's Saturday! So I'm writing a little later than usual. In fact, I have the perfect idea. One second.

I'm up in the tree now! I always loved to do this when I was little. It's so inspiring to write up here, and there's a great view of the road! You probably don't really care, though, so moving on. Hey, I guess I haven't told you enough about my family.



This is my dad, Bruce. He's a doctor, but no matter how much he says he loves his work, he looks exhausted at home.



And this is my stepmom. Ariel is a dreamer, and more often than not you'll see her painting in the backyard. She's pretty good to me, though we could be closer. It's less lonely with her around. Speaking of less lonely...



Owen is a bit of a troublemaker. Ariel always keeps him in line the best she can, but not a moment later he'll be tearing the house apart. He's adorable and I bet he could get away with murder. Not to say I dislike him, though.

That's about it. To tell you the truth, my family could be more interesting. Oh, gosh, here comes my little brother.

Owen: Hey, what are you doing up there? Can I see?
Sierra: Well, I'd love to, but you might fall and get hurt. We couldn't let that happen.
Owen: Dad tells me all the time how you used to get up there when you were little!
Sierra: That was different. He was watching so I didn't injure myself. I can't really help from up here.
Owen: Then let's get dad! Dad! Dad! *runs inside*

He's annoying, but he's a sweetheart. You either love him or you hate him.

Moving along, then. I still haven't heard back from Skyler about the prank, other than that she asked Gabrielle for help as well. We all exchanged phone numbers for easier communication, and that's when she said we could use all the help we could get. Gabrielle seems pretty cool, so I doubt she'd tell anyone.

Wait a second... There's a mysterious car pulling up in our driveway! Is it the neighbors? I should have kept a better eye on the road. Hold on, I gotta get down from this hunk of bark. At least I could dodge some bullets that way.

"Think she'll be home?"

"Of course! She lives in the middle of nowhere, which probably explains why they live on such good property!"

"Or, you know, maybe her parents just have good jobs."

"Please. In this economy?"

"Guys, let's not argue. We need to get in and tell her about the prank!"

Good news. I don't think they're after my blood after all.

Porter stared at Sierra as she climbed down the tree, muttering, "Isn't it a little... high up there?"

Unaware of his remark, Sierra hopped from the final branch and made sure her notepad was still stuffed in her hood. "So what's up? I mean, up enough for you to track down my address and randomly show up?"

"Well, the phone book was right there, and we figured it would be better than bothering you," Gabrielle replied.

Skyler walked over and said, "Directions might have been better than not having to call her. You got us lost three times!"

"Does anyone else here have a license who would like to take my place?" she shot smugly.

"I guess not," Porter replied nervously. "Anyways, we figured out an idea."

Sierra looked the group over once, "Okay. We should go inside, it's a little hot out here."

Sierra led the three in, with Porter last in line. He felt a little awkward in the house compared to the tiny apartment he was used to. Half of the time he was the only one even in the house.

Soon they were all huddled in the living room. Porter looked a little out of place, but he tried his best to adjust. “Okay, so before you ask, I found out a little something involving Cadence,” Skyler looked at the clock and continued, “She has a crush on one of the geeks and she’s going to move him up to jocks. I have a feeling I know who it is, but we’re going to need someone to double-check. And that is where you come in, Porter.”

Porter looked warily at Skyler, “I hope you have a good plan.”

“Of course! All you have to do is become his friend and find out a little more about him. I think his name… what was it… oh yeah! Tegan Bay!” Skyler added.

“Fair enough.” Porter crossed his arms.

“And… the prank?” Sierra wondered.

“Well, it might involve us convincing Tegan to give Cadence a special ‘surprise’. Gabrielle knows how to make a rigged can of mystery mush.”

“Confirmed,” Gabrielle grinned.

“Perfect. So any other reason you drove out to my house in ‘the middle of nowhere’?” Sierra smirked, remembering the quarrel between the three.

“Uhh, just so you know, it was only Gabrielle who said that,” Porter stuttered. “Besides, it was easier than organizing a group call or something.” Probably not, but it was a good enough excuse.

“I see,” Sierra thought. “Well, do you guys want to go and get dinner or something? There’s a good restaurant conveniently a few streets down. I mean, since we’re already right here…”

“Sure!” Skyler exclaimed before anyone else could speak.

Well, that was fun. Now that we've got the idea for the prank, I can start planning… Actually, I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve. Or so you think.

______

I’m having a few creativity issues. ;u; Sorry for the shorter chapter.
Anyhow, posting and character submissions are open.
Thanks!~

[BlondeChick]

Ooo! Can't wait for more!