The Woodland Arrow - FEBRUARY EDITION - Editors: Alli Voyles, Kaushik Sathiyandrakumar, Aditya Pradeep, and Luke Dietrick Layout: Grant Hargrove, Ria Griffin, and Alli Voyles Valent ine?s Day Hunt By Ria Griffin Barely awake, Trinity made her way out of her bedroom and into her bathroom. After splashing her face with cold water, she looked up at the sticky note on her mirror. The blinding pink note read:

Good morning, Trin! Your brother left a surprise on the dining room table for you. He told me it would ?make you think?. Whatever that means. Happy Valentine's Day! -Love Mom. Perplexed, Trinity quickly brushed her teeth and went downstairs. When she approached the wooden table, Trinity was greeted by a paper decorated with hearts. She skimmed over the lengthy paper and stopped at the word ?hunt?. Scavenger hunt? Why would William organize a scavenger hunt on a day like this? Ignoring the note, she opened the freezer and guided her hand to a box of Eggo waffles. Trinity was surprised to see a frosty pink letter sitting on the box of Eggos. This time, the letter read:

Everybody loves a good breakfast before they go to school, if I could whip up my own at any time, that sure would be cool! The girl re-read the letter and noticed that the words ?whip? and ?cool? were traced over a second time. ?Is he talking about that one dance?.? she thought. Then she remembered, the school made strawberry shortcake with whipped cream on top every Valentine?s Day! Her eyes danced over to the clock and she knew she needed to get to the bus stop soon. Maybe this scavenger hunt would be more fun than she thought! H appy Valen tin e's D ay ! FEBRUARY EDITION THE WOODLAND ARROW " The Drain: Part 3"

by Christian Torres

There was something awry with them though. They were more oval-shaped than usual. They pierced through her like a thumbtack through a piece of paper. They were gleaming red and the whites were now fluorescent yellow. Her eyes were no longer horrified, but disgusting. As her mother?s face started to convert to grey, she detected the same raspy voice that she heard in the bathtub.

?Colleen? ? it started to speak, within her mother, ?Where are you going..??

It was no use, Colleen?s Mom, or rather, the creature that was controlling her, had lost sight of her. Colleen had become clever, and she burrowed in the cupboard. It was in the kitchen adjacent to the stove. When the creature advanced into the master bedroom, distant from the kitchen, it was then that Colleen chose to make a run for it. She was as stealthy as a spider and smoothly opened the door spanning to the patio, which she tiptoed beyond and fled from the backyard into her neighbor?s house.

It was no later that she heard a crash above her, and saw her mother crawling on the wall, into the grass, slithering between the blades like a snake. Eventually, the thing jumped onto what it thought was Colleen, but instead, it let out a shriek as it dove straight into a sharp fence which pierced its stomach with no remorse. The creature was unfazed as the flesh grew back around the holes in its body, and it contorted itself as it eventually grew back each individual layer of skin until the grey was the only thing shown. Thankfully to save any innocence Colleen may have had after this situation, she had run to a different house than the one she had planned, to trick the monster. The monster ripped open the roof of the yellow house which was next to Colleen and cackled as it destroyed it to no avail. The monster had grown now. (I should mention so as to not confuse you.) It had grown to the size of the house.

?COLLEEEEEEN.... COME OUT YOU SPOILED BRAT. I NEED YOUR AFFECTION. I NEED LOVE. I NEED TO FEEEEEEEED.?

Colleen had stayed in the safe room of a different house far away from the block. As the alarm clock next to the bed read 12:04, she sighed. She went to sleep, becoming insane as the minutes ticked by. 12:07 in the morning, it read. The creature, the monster, the atrocious creation by Lucifer himself, had risen from under the bed. As Colleen felt a rough hand around her neck, she gasped her last.

She was now in her bed again, clueless as to what happened, she looked around. The clock read 12:06, and a creak came from the floorboards beneath the bed she had tucked herself into. Now at this moment, you may think she was afraid. Indeed she was not, but instead, she was calm. She now knew what to do. St udy Tips by Luke Elssmann The first thing you need to do to prepare for a test is find a quiet place to study. When you find a place, make sure you have everything out that you will need. Make sure your phone is powered off! The next step you can take is to make flashcards, Kahoots!, or invite your friends over to help quiz you! It is helpful if you study an hour a day and take five minute breaks to stretch. If the teacher gives you a study guide, make sure you complete it! It can help you get better prepared for the test or quiz. It is easier for some people to process the information slowly instead of rushing it on the last day. I hope these study tips help, and you get a good grade on your test! FEBRUARY EDITION THE WOODLAND ARROW " The Myst erious Murders of t he Töricht Manor " by Gabriel Frizsell

Jonathan walks through the door. He just showed up to the Töricht Manor. He sits down, and the host begins to speak, ?Hello fellow dinner-partiers, my name is Bill Töricht and welcome to my manor! Help yourself to an old family recipe of burgers and fries!? Jonathan looks at the plates and proclaims, ?this is just a Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Nuketown whopper meal pack from the Burger King down the road.? The dinner-partiers talk about their name and how they know Bill. The first one, Clide, says, ?Hi, I?m Clide, and I'm a proud vegan!? The one next to him, Joe, says, ?Me too. We got here early to make sure to tell everyone that we don?t eat meat. Luckily, Burger King isn?t real meat so we can eat!? The one at the end of the table named Chick-Fil-A employee states, ?I'm a Chick-Fil-A employee, and I work at McDonald's!? ?I?m Gordon, and I?m a night guard!? says Gordon. After everyone finishes eating, Bill begins to shake before collapsing on the table. ?He?s dead!? yelled Clide. ?Now I?m not one to leave the party early, but when people start dying that's where I draw the line,? Gordon says. ?No!? Jon chimes in, ?Bill said the party?s over at 9 and it's only 7:00, We can?t leave now!? Clide says, ?Okay guys, let?s figure this mystery out? Who killed Bill?!? All the people in the room fell silent looking at each other nervously. Jon finally speaks up, ?How about this: we should split up, so that way we can all get murdered!? ?I like the way you think, Jon!? said Chick-Fil-A employee. So, they all split up into three groups: Clide and Jon, Chick-Fil-A employee and Joe, and Gordon went alone. ?Okay guys, all we have to do is find clues and see if we can find the murderer, and if you die tell us.? So they split up and began searching the manor. After about 30 minutes, they heard someone yell, "I died!" FEBRUARY EDITION COVID-19 Interviews by Elizabeth Hining THE WOODLAND ARROW Counselors? Answers How are students' mental health right now? ?The reality of our current situation is that things are ever changing and there is a constant need for adjustment. Whenever that is the case, anxiety tends to heighten and we have seen this occur lately with our students.? Do you think the mask mandate is adding pressure to students' daily lives? Students experience stressors in different ways in their daily lives and it is often unique to each individual. While some students have expressed concern for wearing a mask, there are also students showing concern for the removal of the mask mandate. How do you feel about the mask mandate? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Tennessee Department of Health still recommend the use of cloth face coverings by students and staff to prevent the spread of the virus. Now that students of all grades are back in the school buildings, we have seen an increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in our schools. Health authorities tell us that masks help reduce the number. Do you have any tips about how students can stay socializing during this pandemic? We want to preface this by saying that everyone has to do what they, and their families, are most comfortable with. Some families are comfortable with being inside with others - mask or no mask. Other families prefer not to interact face-to-face with anyone. Some suggestions we have are: Get outside while the weather is still nice! Go for a bike ride, picnic in the park or hike. Zoom/ FaceTime. We have been impressed with how creative students have been in creating games and activities online. Some of our favorite games to play over Zoom are Heads Up! and Scattergories Categories. Join a virtual book club or other virtual activity doing something you enjoy with others. Try a new online class - check the library, local gymnastic or dance centers...even some sports are training online. Reach out to family and friends that you may not have spoken to in awhile, they may love the connection. Are more students coming to you now because of the stress on our mental health from the pandemic? There has been an increase of students who have sought support this year, for a variety of reasons. If you need anything, know your counselors are here to help. Send us an email or stop by our offices! "The 50th Resident" He stares right into my soul. I can?t look away. No matter how much I want too. It's like he has the force, like a Jedi from Star Wars, except by Alli Voyles he is definitely on the dark-side. I open my mouth but nothing ?Turn around,? says the voice. I am frozen with fear. I can feel Andre comes out. I can?t take it anymore. Tears are rolling down my face. I shaking besides me, holding in a breath. I start to cry silently. feel the vines of his ?pet? itching around my legs. Andre and I slowly turn around. We see a tall man standing near the I didn?t do anything! I scream in my head. I try to break his gaze but I doorway. The door slams closed. No one even touched it. He is can?t. He keeps pulling tighter and tighter. All of a sudden, I feel wearing a suit that makes him look like the Phantom of the Opera, only nothing. I fall on the floor and land in something sticky. without the mask. His eyes were solid green, and pierced right through me. What? Oh no, I realize. I look up at Andre and hold back a scream. Tears are still trickling down my face. ?You were right to listen. Others aren?t so lucky,? he says staring up at the walls, ?Your friend was among them.? I am sitting in a pool of my friend's blood. Even with the awful lighting, I can still make out the dark, red color. Andre had been I think about Rowan. Trapped inside a painting. Not much logic strangled to death by a plant. behind that, but I?m dealing with all sorts of crazy tonight. ?Your friends didn?t listen,? he circles around me. I somehow find Andre tenses beside me. I can tell he is about to burst. the strength to look up at him. I notice a new picture on the wall. Andre says, ?What the heck is going on! Is this some sick prank-? Yep, Andre is in it. what did I tell you, ?-because it has gotten a little out of hand if you I?m next, I think. I am paralyzed on the floor. The ghost man is ask me! cleaning up the mess he made. I can?t bear to watch. I am waiting ?I didn?t tell you to talk, Mr. Mills,? the ghost man remarked with a for something bad to happen but nothing does. He gestures to me sturn, deep voice. to move up onto an old chair by the table with the phone still on it. ?Wait. How do you know my name?? Andre is puzzled. He cleans up the rest and puts Andre?s body in a closet. I try and get a peek of anything else that might be in there but I can?t. ?Again. I said to not talk.? ?I like you, Miss Ryan. You aren?t like any of my other guests that I Andre shifts his weight to his left foot. Careful not to say anything. have had before. You are different. You listen,? he walks over to the Andre is definitely not as scared as I am. I mean, there is a creepy man other side of the hallway, behind where I am sitting. He was in my house, and I have no clue how long he has been here. standing at a door that I hadn?t noticed before. He opens the door I don?t even dare to talk, but Andre seems to not care. The ghost man and gestures me inside. I look round. can tell Andre is about to burst again, so out of nowhere these ?You will stay here. And I am warning you. Don?t cross me. You vine-like-things come up and restrain Andre. He tries to scream but he already know what happens if you do,? He starts to make his way can?t, the vines cover his mouth. out the door, ?Your friends were right. There is a reason why there ?I warned you,? the ghost man starts to walk towards us. ?Meet Lucy. have been fifty residents here.? He slams the door closed. Cutting My little pet.? me off from the outside. To Be Continued? ? ...