text me...okay?

i read this article today on yahoo about a girl who's father took a hammer to her cell phone because of the phone bill.

can you believe this girl? their phone bill was over $4000!!!!

apparently she was texting her ass off during her classes.

her parents thought the feature had been disabled, so the father smashed her phone with a hammer.

a bit drastic, but okay.

oh, and they grounded her for the rest of the school year. like that's going to do her any good! the school year ends in, what, two months? oooh, thats, like, way harsh.

NOT.

they shouldve said "youre grounded until school starts in the fall. and by the way, youre going to get a summer job and all your paychecks are going to help us pay off this ginormous phone bill. one last thing: you want a cell phone? youll have to pay for it yourself." thatll teach her a lesson. a real lesson.

needless to say, this will never be happening to me. ive got The Company probably watchin' my ass from a frickin' sattelite in space. this is a paid gig, but theyre paying for my new life, too. i can just imagine what would happen if i racked up a phone bill like that.

pink slip.

and a boot mark on my apple-shaped butt.

Informant U: Trick #4

fake jobs

sometimes snitches pretend to be law abiding workers and hold a certain job to help them steal information. in this case, my job is pretending to be a high school student when ive already graduated from high school. but i have to attend all the classes and do the homework, so im not pretending am i? and what about my job at charlotte russe? im workin’ my ass off at the place and have to pass out Stupid Citations. definitely not pretending there.

ill take a medium cheese, please

i wish i wouldve been one of the lucky cincinnatians to get a free pizza from domino's.

betcha they're going to be more careful about their advertisements now, eh? 11,000 free pizzas.

wow.

i cant even imagine.

spies r us

yahoo headlines today: CIA is Hiring.

i found this to be highly interesting. i mean, they have to find recruits somehow right? besides all the normal media routes, they mentioned universities and colleges. arent colleges the same as universities? anyhow, that made me think of sidney bristow. didnt she get recruited on a college campus?

if you read the article, be sure to click on the link about the secret code names. im thinking Oh Wise One would LOVE to add radiance and rosebud to her list of unusual names for girls. cuz thats just the way she is.

so...do you have what it takes?

age of education

This Prompt O’ The Day about AGING is brought to you by sunday scribblings

I graduated from high school at the age of 13. The following post is a guest blog by my Oh Wise Creator, Celise Downs, on where she came up with the idea.

Age of Education

When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a younger sister who graduated from high school a year early. She was smart, no doubt (she got a full ride to Purdue), but it fascinated me that someone would be so eager to start their higher education so soon. I barely graduated from high school because my nose was buried in books—and I’m not talking study books, either. And I wasn’t looking forward to college, either. Mid-way through first semester at a community college, I was wishing my parents would’ve let me take a break first.

But I digress. While immersing myself in the teen culture, I would read stories about kids who skipped a grade—or two, graduated early, received a degree at age 17, or received a master’s or Phd by age 20. Just recently I read about a woman who allowed her son to skip high school altogether and go straight to college!

How crazy is that?

When I hear stuff like that it really makes me wonder. Is there a smart gene? Is the child a quick learner? Or is the child just naturally curious about the world and wants to know anything and everything? When I was going to school, I don't think charter schools existed. And I'm not sure how long homeschooling has been in existence, but it wasn't an option my parents ever thought to look into. In creating the character for this series, I knew I wanted a smart girl, someone who'd graduated early from high school. By this time, I'd heard about homeschooling--or 'unschooling' as it's called sometimes--and I thought the uniqueness of that world was perfect for Draven. A perfect and 'freeing' environment like that would make it very easy for a child to graduate early.

And while it’s great to hear that a child is smart enough to do that, there's the “Yeah, but what about their social and psychological development?” aspect of it. That kid who skipped high school and went to college? How did he feel about being surrounded by kids older than him? How did they relate to him? Was he an outcast? Was he treated like a freak? Does he have any friends? How hard—or easy—was it for him to make friends? I mean really, how do you prepare your child for something like that?

Well, in Draven's case, you prepare them by keeping their fingers in the proverbial teenage pie. I didn't want to throw her into a life of an informant without anything else to fall back on. Sure, she could have a normal job, but that's still a "grown-up" job,and it's not like she would have much contact with other kids her age. She's a teenager and I still wanted her to have that teenage experience. In order to do that, she had to go back to school. And it couldn't be just any school.

My niece, who inspired me to write the series and for whom Draven Atreides is modeled after, attended a charter school during her 4 yrs in high school. I shadowed her one day (meaning I went to school with her and attended all of her classes with her) and fell in love with her school. The whole time I was there, I was like "Why couldn't I have gone to a school like this? Where the hell were these schools when I was going to high school?" I was jealous! Besides the general core classes like math and science, they had creative writing classes, dance, drama, music, choir, art, photography, and ceramics. Her school doesn't have an athletic team, no sports to speak of, actually, and at the time, they didn't even have a yearbook or school newspaper. That may have changed by now (she only graduated last year, after all). Her school promotes freedom. Freedom of creativity, that is, and that's the type of school Draven needed as a cover.

I'm going to enjoy writing about Draven. I'm going to enjoy showing the world, well, Draven's world. And hopefully she'll scoop up some fans in the process.

isnt she freakin' awesome? she drives me crazy sometimes, but i have to chalk that up to her being a creative. click on the link to learn more about her. and youll be able to read all about me and my very first case oct 23rd.

where im from

spring break was too short. i took a break from blogging, too, as you can probably see. the Prompt O' the Day is brought you by sunday scribblings: "i come from..."


im from apple valley, ohio

a place of:

rolling green hills

cornfields aplenty

apple orchards out the wazoo

farms inhabited by many different species of animals

sturdy oak trees with rope swings

warm apple pies with homemade ice cream

barn dances

snow days

....and a little watering hole that was so clear you could see to the bottom

i really miss that place.

Informant U: Word #3

secret signals

The Company version: thumbtacks, chalk, tape used to send messages

my version: two eye blinks + the "ok" sign + right toe tap + a neck bob + one eyebrow lift = "oh no she di-dnt. that bitch is lyin'."

dear me

this Prompt O' The Day - one week later, of course-is brought to you by sunday scribblings: "dear past me, dear future me"

dear past me,

the life you once had is dead and gone. the person you used to be is dead and gone. no more crying. no more looking back. what’s done is done.

dear future me,

kick some bad guy ass. and think about making a career out of it.

Informant U: Tip #3

if you know you’re in over your head, get the hell out (but make sure the “officials” got yer back first).


and thats exactly what i did. and ended up here, with Chief, at CSA, w/ peeps like GQ and Party Gurl.

miss slackity-slacker

ive been busy with school. and work. both jobs, actually. oh, and when i logged in today, i found out that im being "followed". by this person. this is whats referred to as a "calling out". im calling you out so that "everyone" (read: The Company and Chief) knows im being "followed". just so you know.

they are watching.

and im watching YOU, missy.

like i said, im still getting the hang of the taser gun thingy, but i am SO aces with the lipstick mace. aces, i tell you.

so, what does it mean to be "followed"? am i adored? do you adore my words? my wit? my utter saracasity-ness? or is it like being virtually stalked? are you going to be reading everything i post the minute it gets posted?

that...could get scary. this is my circle, thats your circle. step outside your circle, my friend, and it could.get.ugly.

welcome to my world, becks. hope you stick around. should be some fun times.

so, celise talked about me today. go look. go feast your eyes on me, all pretty in my fabtastic movie star shades. hogging the spotlight in front of a castle.

oh.

its not a castle?

celise tells me its supposed to be a school. a school? that intimidating building is supposed to be a school?

note to self: do not piss off Oh Wise Creator or she will send me to an upscale sanitarium.

for truth. that place looks scary. im so glad CSA really doesn't look like that. and im glad its being redone. the cover, that is. not CSA. looking forward to seeing more of me, er, the new cover.

heh.

to all you aspiring young writers out there...

this Prompt O' The Day is brought to you by sunday scribblings:
"listen up, because this is important!"

YOUTHFUL WISDOM PRESS IS HOSTING THE FIRST QUARTER YOUTHFUL THOUGHTS ANTHOLOGY WRITING CONTEST.

~ a different word is posted every quarter.

~ you have 4,000 words to write about it

~ you have to be between the ages of 13 to 18 and a student

~ there's an entry fee. of course. duh.

~ if you get chosen, you may get published

~ oh, yeah, and the deadline is, like, Mar 31st, so you'd better hurry up and enter q-u-i-c-k

so click on the links and go check it out. be gone. NOW, PEOPLE, GO, GO, GO!!!

the difference between him and those other guys

so you know that i cashed in my Get Out of Hell Free card (see Hello, My Name is…post) and headed to the Valley of the Sun. okay, well maybe you didn’t know that last part, but i basically left a craptacular old life and started over. although i owe The Company for helping out with that, Chief (not his real name) was the main reason for getting out. Chief is a total-10-on-Hotness-Richter-Scale 6′3 native-american dude, ex-Navy SEAL, and the owner of Black Hawk Protection Agency. im his client and he’s my protector until I turn 18.

there are companies out there that offer personal protection or security for individuals; people who will analyze and protect someones personal business,home or property. Making sure someone is safe in their surroundings. Of course, there are also private investigators that can provide services for the individual (think spousal or matrimonial stuff) or a small business. but thats not how Black Hawk Protection Agency works. it started with Chief, then the guys from his SEAL unit joined after their tour was up, and now he’s in charge of almost ten guys.

and they protect children, ages 4 to 19.

children born of famous actors, actresses, dignitaries, billionaries...blah, blah, you get what im sayin.

in celise’s words, “hes the vaughn to your sidney.” (Can we say, too much Alias, boys and girls?)

I never watched the show--and i know she misses it like hell--but it was one of her favorites and she explained what she meant.

So, yeah. I like it. it makes sense.

next stop...spring break

o.m.g. i cannot wait til spring break. 16th-27th. not doing anything special during that time, mind you, im just ready blow to the popsicle stand called CSA. really. im so annoyed with this one girl, Sweet Tooth (because she's named after a piece of candy), i may just have to take her out with my taser.

lost to the system....and found in dry heat

the Prompt O' the Day is brought to you by sunday scribblings: 'lost'

ok, so you pretty much know my history. if you didn't read the last prompt on the topic of trust, you can do so by checking out the post below.

i was in the foster care system for many, many years. yeah, i know im only 16, but being in the system can make you feel like 20 in dog years.

the last set of parents (not-so-fondly referred to as The FCFH) i got were a trip and a half.

to the point where i ratted them out the feds. cant tell you why, youll just have to read all about it on Oct 23rd. needless to say, they were involved in some illegal activities and The Company wanted to acquire my special skills (read: natural curiosity). i told them i would do it. on one condition.

they had to lose me.

take me off the grid.

erase my existence.

my condition was freedom. from the system. id like to think that my social worker got an ominous phone call where The Company said something like "Forget about O.C.* or else". she probably thinks i was wisked away into the witness protection program.

and i guess, in a way, it would seem like that. except im not running from anyone and no one wants to hunt me down and kill me.

far as i know.

no, i was given a new life, allowed to choose a new name, and picked Dry Heat, AZ as my new home. i did that for a reason, too, and ill tell you all about it my next post.

as far as im concerned, getting lost is the best thing that ever happened to me.

*These initials do not stand for Orange County, people, but represent the name I went by during my time with The FCFH.

in me i trust

the Prompt O' the Day is brought you to by sunday scribblings: "trust".

i have no idea who my biological parents are. at this point, i dont care, because i had a great couple adopt me when i was a baby. and my life had been good up until age 7.

and then they were taken from me. "taken" as in killed. freeway pileup.

i got dropped back in the system and as you may or may not know--the older you are, the harder it is to be placed.

at 15, my case worker found a couple that actually wanted an older child. she thought it was a pretty sweet deal and for a minute--literally--i thought it was, too. until i had to change my first name. bad mistake, but that's neither here nor there. i was ready for a little bit more permanency so i sacrificed a little sumpin-sumpin'.

despite the life they tried to make for me in manhattan, they quickly became The FCFH (The Foster Couple From Hell). being given everything you want--excluding artificial love--can be a heady thing. they never treated me bad, mind you, but i guess i was there "trophy child." its pretty much the same concept as the trophy wife, just with a kid instead of an adult.

to make a long story real short, i discovered The FCFH were involved in something illegal, i took it to the authorities, who in turn tossed it to the feds, i did a little haggling...and now im in the desert with a new name, a new life, and a job as an informant for The Company.

ill mention a guy named Chief on here quite a bit. hes my handler, so to speak. hell look out for me until im 18, but hes not my legal guardian.

i trust that he will protect me--both figuratively and literally (if it comes to that).

but theres always going to be that tiny, closely guarded corner of my heart that says "the only person you can trust is yourself." i think its a prerequisite for foster kids or something. maybe i shouldnt limit that to foster care. that probably goes for any kid thats been let down, seen too much, been thru too much to even believe anymore.

i can freely admit that im a product of my environment.

year 7 was a craptacular year for me and its like my life went downhill after that.

nothing was ever as great and sometimes it feels like itll never be great again. my life now suits me just fine. its not great but it's good.

ive been in this new life for 6 months.

maybe ill reevaluate after being in it for a year. or so.

Informant U: Trick #3

hiding places

Many times a snitch will put secret information in a package and leave it so other people can pick it up. A package may be very big, wrapped in a plastic bag, or very small and hidden where you would never think to look. It would be like leaving the extra key to your house in a hollow rock near the door.

or, you know, tossing that 45 magnum you just fired off at your job in the freezer.

just sayin’.

bulletproof hair

celise sent me this story today and i had laff my ass of, because, really, when does ever happen in real life? this really happened. no joke

HAIR WEAVE STOPS BULLET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A woman was complaining of a headache Thursday morning, but police say her tightly-woven hair weave kept it from being much worse.

Detectives say a bullet, allegedly fired at her by her ex-boyfriend, became lodged in her hair.

Authorities were called to the Country View Market, 5802 Swope Parkway, around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Arriving officers found the 20-year-old woman there. She told police she had pulled into the market and saw a man with whom she had recently ended an eight-month relation with inside a car there.

A second man came up to the woman’s window and told her that the ex-boyfriend still loved her, an incident report filed by the Kansas City Police Department said.

The woman told the second man “I don’t love him.”

At that time, the victim told police she heard gunshots and saw her ex-boyfriend walking toward the back of her car firing a handgun.

The victim sped away in her vehicle as her back window shattered, police said.

She returned to the scene a moment later to witness both suspects leaving in their vehicle.

Officers found the bullet in the woman’s hair and said her tightly-woven weave likely saved her life.

The victim was not seriously harmed and refused treatment at the scene.

The ex-boyfriend and the second suspect were both taken into custody a short time later.

which begs the question: how thick was her weave? lol.

weighing in on mr. brown

first off, i would just like to say that i don't listen to r&b. i know who chris brown and rihanna are. ive heard their music and seen their videos. im not a fan of either artist.

but i want to add my two cents to the already two dollars ive been hearing about what went down.

i was reading about some of the comments of other celebs and the consensus seems to be the same: "i cant comment because i dont know what happened. but they're in our prayers"...blah, blah, blah.

i mean really, what can you say? the only two people that know what happened--and why--are chris and rihanna.

and now chris is saying he's sorry and saddened by what happened and he's seeking counseling from his mother, pastor, friends and family.

i can tell you what he needs to do, but let me say this first:

YOU. DO. NOT. HIT. A FEMALE. EVER.

no matter if there's a history of family violence and you vowed to never treat someone else like that.

no matter if she took your phone and threw it out the window of a moving car.

no matter if she got so pissed at you, she took all your belongings and chucked them out a window. or had a bonfire out in the backyard. or had a yard sale and sold everything for a dollar.

no matter if he--or she--was caught cheating and you decided to confront them.

YOU. DO. NOT. HIT. A FEMALE. EVER.

mr brown doesnt need to have a little convo with his mother or other loved ones. family and friends are too close to the sitch, too close to the abuser, and any advice/suggestions are going to be based on personal knowledge.

a little confessional time with the pastor may help, but The Big Dawg isnt the only person hes going to need to ask for forgiveness.

mr brown needs to get some professional help. thats what his mother, his friends, his family members and his pastor need to tell him. he obviously has some issues he needs to work out.

that was more like a buck fifty than two cents, but still...

Informant U: Word #2

counterintelligence

The Company’s version: u.s. experts who gather info about people or groups expected of spying.

my version: a teen orphan whom you hired–becuz she can do it better than you–to gather info about people or groups expected of spying. and doing other..nasty…stuff.

spectator only

the Prompt O' The Day is brought to you by sunday scribblings : "sports."

in all my 16 yrs, ive never participated in sports. i was never really interested.

i was too busy trying to survive foster care hell. not gonna go there.

im a spectator during the olympics--both winter and summer. and that's about as good as it gets.

ok, wait...is kung-fu considered to be a sport?

it should be.

an activity that allows you to shout out "HI-YAH!" needs to be a sport.

sneaky valentines

saw this video on yahoo headlines today.

i find it interesting that sales are up on spy products during whats supposed to be the most romantic time of the year.

i think this recession is making couples crazy. and suspicious.

youre changing it NOW???!

so, celise announced that shes changing the name of the series.

im not sure how i feel about that yet.

i can see it from both points of view: the original title had the potential of misleading readers. the new one doesnt.

notice i said potential.

whatever.

i dont know if i should side with her since she told me shes making me "cooler."

whats up with that shit?

does that mean i wasnt cool before?

huh?

huh?

complete and utter crap.

i dont like the new title.

it sucks

the zen of art

I came across this blog called sunday scribblings over the weekend. apparently, they provide weekly writing prompts.

coolio.

so i thought i might dip my pen in the inkpool and try out last week's word: art

i attend craycroft school of the arts. its a charter school that mostly focuses on creative achievement rather than athletic. for the record, there are no sports at this school.

all the kids that go here are artistic in some way. whether its drawing or dancing, they express themselves in different ways.

seeing as how i was homeschooled, i never had the chance to attend a school like this. im not complaining, mind you. homeschooling was awesome and great. i should know. i graduated when i was 13.

the point is, im glad i have the chance now. i wish i had the opportunity to explore my artistic side in the form of acting, but that's a no-go for now.

fortunately, i was able to find something else that appealed to me. and i can even use it for The Job.

photography

i find that im quite good at self portraits. ha.

i cant post the stuff i click for The Job. Chief, not to mention The Company, would kick my apple-shaped butt. cant afford to piss them off.

so.....this was fun. ill have to see what next week brings.

Informant U: Tip #2

have another job to fall back on

which is why i havent been posting more regularly. i work The Other Job at the mall twice a week. sometimes on weekends, too. its always important to have another job to fall back on when youre snitching. this gives you something to talk about with your friends. besides, your friends will probably have jobs too and you dont want to look like a complete idiot when theyre talking about their jobs and you dont have one.

why im not on myspace

saw this in the yahoo headlines today: Myspace removes 90,000 sex offenders from its site.

a) thats impressive. and not in a good way.

b) thats still impressive. in a good way.

c) whats to keep them from getting on again under an assumed name?

Informant U: Trick #2

secret meeting times and places

when spies want to set up meetings, or want to pass information to their connections, like updates or packages, they sometimes use secret methods. this may include hidden meanings in everyday things like newspapers, dates, clothing, or conversation. sometimes meeting times can be hidden in reading materials.

ok, truth? i have yet to do this. any of this. it sounds so espionage-ish, b-rate spy movie and thats not how i work. my connection is Chief. straight up. no hidden fees. the meeting place is his house. every sunday. rain or shine (well, when it does rain, that is).

however, im sure the baddie in my current story is very familiar with these tactics.

Informant U: Word #1

agent-in-place

a person who stays in his or her regular job but is actually in that job to get secret information and spy.

i can honestly say that i am an agent-in-place. At CSA.

trying to get my groove back

doing this school thing is hard. i mean, the public school thing. i was homeschooled, as you may know. or not. i graduated from high school was i was 13.

being at CSA is my cover.

i have to be here. so basically, im learning some of this stuff over again.

im taking geometry, humanities, biology and creative writing. i can't wait to take photo. that should really help with The Job.

jan is almost over, ive been assigned a new case and im still trying to get back into the groove of things.

and i wish i was going to kauai with celise and mr. maul.

so jealous.

tag steal

i stole this from cate over at retrolifestyle. i like doing these. apparently, they're only supposed to be one word answers. and cate's right. there's no way in hell i can just put one word down. but i will. anything that needs to be further explained will have a star next to it and you can read the long version at the end.


Where is your mobile phone? backpack



Where is your significant other? neverland


Your hair colour? brown


Your mother? abby


Your father? john



Your favourite thing? tea


Your dream last night? dreamy


Your dream goal? agent*



The room you're in? mine



Your hobby? reading



Your fear? family**


Where do you want to be in 6 years? college



Where were you last night? home


What you're not? white***


One of your wish-list items? love


Where you grew up? apple valley, ohio****



The last thing you did? eat


What are you wearing? jeans


Your TV? 42"


Your pets? nonexistent


Your computer? laptop


Your mood? contemplative


Missing someone? always


Your car? bug



Something you're not wearing? shoes


Favourite shop? old navy



Your summer? adapting*****



Love someone? yes



Your favourite colour? purple



When is the last time you laughed? today


When is the last time you cried? 1******

*as in working for The Company. in an "we will claim your existence" capacity. possibly. but i also love photography and would like to try my hand at acting, too.

**im leery of the familial unit. being in too many foster homes can do that to a person. altho Chief and Irish are very, very, verrrrryyyyy slooooowly changing my mind about that.

***i know what you're thinking. "she looks white to me." even though it looks obvious in the black and white pic on here. and yes. if you ever meet me in person, i could pass for a white girl. but i'm not. im just light-skinned. three-shades-lighter-than-beyonce. john and abby asher, the couple who adopted me when i was baby, were an interracial couple. he was white, she was black. they told me my biological parents were black, but light-skinned. it's possible there could be some white in my history.

****john and abby had a farm, e-i-e-i-o. lol. just kidding. i consider apple valley my home, even though i was taken from there after they died. my most recent home was manhattan.

*****The Company gave me a year to adapt to my new life before giving me my first case.

******i meant 1 yr ago. when i knew for a fact that i was getting my new life.

no. she. di-int

o.m.g. people are a trip and a half sometimes. if i could hand out Stupid Citations to people, id be doing it every day at The Other Job. like last night? a lady asked me if she could get her shoes for a discount because her matching shoe, the one in her size, was on display.

say what?

i had to seriously hold my tongue. seriously. i didnt say anything for a good 15 seconds.

now, mind you, there’s nothing wrong with the shoe. there were no scratches, no teeth marks, no stinkiness.

it was just a display shoe.

we have to do this. we have to take one shoe from each box and put it on display. well, i knew it would never happen, but i had to ask the mgr anyway. the lady had the nerve to throw a hissy when we told her no.

are you kidding me?

bee-yotch, you better get the hell outta my store!

Informant U: Tip #1

be sure to have a trusted contact person

and no, im not talking about your best friend, the bum on the street or the barista behind the counter at the starbucks you go to every morning. im talking about the person who goes and reports back to someone official. someone whos not going to screw you over by turning you in. ya know, like on those cops shows? all the cops have a trusted source on the street and they always go to that source because they know the word. and that trusted source will always trust that cop because theyve never given up a name. see what i mean?

Chief is my trusted person. i know what he does for a living. its because of what he does that made me seek him out in the first place. and because of the person i am, Chief would cut off his own arm before screwing me over. but he was different. he was the deal breaker. no Chief, no agreement with The Company.
trusted sources dont have to be in an official capacity, though, like cops. newspaper reporters are pretty cool. or so ive heard. and those reporters on your local tv new stations arent exactly alien lifeforms.

just sayin’.

Informant U: Trick #1

dead drop

no, its not what you’re thinking. no ones dropping off dead bodies or killing anybody. its a place thats used to hide packages, messages or payments. like a garbage can in the park next to the tree by the merry-go-round. or y’know. something like that.

Informant U: How to become an informant...sort of

for the record, here’s the official statement on The Company’s use of informants:

“The courts have recognized that the government’s use of informants is
lawful and often essential to the effectiveness of properly authorized law
enforcement investigations. However, use of informants to assist in the
investigation of criminal activity may involve an element of deception,
intrusion into the privacy of individuals, or cooperation with persons whose
reliability and motivation may be open to question.

Although it is legally permissible for the The Company to use
informants in its investigations, special care is taken to carefully evaluate
and closely supervise their use so the rights of individuals under investigation
are not infringed. The Company can only use informants consistent with
specific guidelines issued by the Attorney General that control the use of
informants.”

so, about that specific guidelines thing? couldnt tell you what those would be. i dont remember reading about them, or having Chief read them to me when I signed my life away started my new life here. ive heard they sometimes use teenagers to help them catch online predators. they teach their agents how to talk like teenagers in chat rooms and stuff. doubt they get paid for it. they probably get like a plaque or a certificate. something lame like that.

in my case, you have to upstage The Company. You have to make them look bad, and make their agents seem like bumbling idiots like that inspector dude from the pink panther movies. should The Company ever approach you and offer you a position as an informant, you will want to haggle: “if you want me to do this for you, you have to do something for me.” and make sure its something big. and realistic. i mean, they cant make it so you dont have to pay taxes for the rest of your life. you would have to do something mongo like save the world. but they could buy you a car, a really expensive vacation or college tuition for all 4 years. or, ya know, a whole new life somewhere else (but this might depend on how long theyve been after the criminal in question).

Reflection

its been a while since ive written in a diary. june 14th 5:31pm 2003, to be exact. my life of late has definitely been diary-worthy, but i no longer trust writing my thoughts down in a book. books get lost. or left behind when you have to leave in a hurry. not that i really left in a hurry, mind you. there was a little planning, but enuff for me to know the meaning of the word "sacrifice." i left a lot of things behind: a purple, fur-lined suede coat. central park. The FCFH and their dirty little secret. oh yes, and my name.

i left behind my name for the second--and very last--time.

the day i left the nightmare of india chevalier's life in new york city and took a seat in the offices of Chief's agency in arizona.

this new life is nothing like the witness protection program, because, well, its not. this new life includes a very important job with a certain company that will deny my existence til their blue in the face. no matter how bad those bamboo shoots under the nails hurt.

i havent told Party Gurl or GQ about my old life. or my old one. i havent really planned on it and probably never will. well, i shouldnt say never. ive only known them a year and circumstances could change. i mean, its not like its my birthday or anything. i just kinda have to be careful what i say around them because, well, theres this one little thing--okay two--two little things that they--maybe three--yeah, three little things...sigh. okay, lets just say i have some privacy issues that im not at liberty to discuss. and Chief would probably kill me.

so, one case down. many more to go.

this year i resolve to catch more bad guys.

hello. my name is draven atreides (say it with me now, dray-ven uh-tray-deez. very good boys and girls). im 16-yrs-old. And im a spy. yeah, okay, not really. im an informant actually. i mean, i dont travel to exotic places, i dont wear disguises, i dont handle or carry weapons (unless you count my Canon AE1), and i dont work for a top secret agency. well, three out of four isnt bad. let me explain.

you see, i was abandoned by my biological parents as a baby and i’ve spent all my life in the foster care system. i graduated from high school at the age of 13 (Yay for homeschooling). At 15, i ended up with the Foster Couple From Hell (hereafter referred to as The FCFH). i discovered their dirty little secret–the bastards–so i ratted them out to the local authorities. so, lucky me, when i decided to play tattletale, an agency with three letters (hereafter referred to as The Company) had been investigating The FCFH for years. so, being the good citizen that i am, i decided to help them out. The Company, that is. i cashed in my Get Out of Hell Free card. three months later, i got a new name, a new life…and a paying gig as an informant for The Company.

i am the creation of YA author Celise Downs. im the Queen Bee of her series, Draven Atreides, Teenage FBI. Book One, A Royale Pain, will be out Oct 23rd. love it. buy it. will be talking it up even more when she gets the damn book cover designed. get on it, sista girl!

just so you dont get lost in the scuffle of my life, here’s a little sumpin’-sumpin’ to help you out:

Oh Wise Creator (aka “OWC”) - Celise Downs
Chief - protector
Irish - Chief’s wife
GQ - gay guy bf
Party Gurl (aka PG) - gurl bf
The Company - the agency I work for
The Job - the informant gig
The Other Job - cover job at a retail store
Informant University (aka Informer U) - snitch tips, tricks and words posted on fridays
CSA (aka Craycroft School of the Arts) - the school I go to

this will make sense once you read the book. i promise you.

sooooo, thats about it.

in the meantime, im gonna give you a peek into my life.

this should be a hoot