I had been baking with Grandma for years, but I had never made her famous apple pie alone. Today was the day. I carefully measured the flour, just as she had taught me, but something felt wrong. The dough was too dry.
"Grandma, I think I messed up," I called out.
She shuffled into the kitchen, looked at my bowl, and smiled mysteriously. "You forgot the secret ingredient," she said.
My stomach sank. What was I missing? I had followed her recipe exactly! She reached past me and grabbed a pitcher of water. But instead of pouring it into my bowl, she splashed a few drops on my nose.
"The secret ingredient is having fun," she laughed. "Now relax and try again."
I couldn't help but smile. Maybe the pie wouldn't be perfect, but I knew it would taste like love.
As Coach Williams passed out the voting slips, Jayden felt his palms grow sweaty. He wanted to be team captain more than anything, but would his teammates choose him?
Across the locker room, Marcus was thinking the same thing. He had been on the team longer than anyone else. Surely that counted for something. He glanced at Jayden, wondering if his friend was as nervous as he was.
Neither boy knew that most of their teammates had already made up their minds. Some admired Jayden's energy and positive attitude. Others respected Marcus's experience and calm leadership. The vote would be closer than either of them expected.
Coach Williams collected the slips, his face giving nothing away. He had been coaching for twenty years and had learned that the best captains were often surprised by their own election.
Sophia found the old photograph hidden in her grandmother's jewelry box. The faded image showed a young woman standing in front of a farmhouse, a baby in her arms. Sophia wondered who they were.
She studied the woman's face, searching for any resemblance to her grandmother. The woman's smile seemed sad somehow, as if she knew something difficult was coming. But that was just Sophia's imagination, she told herself. You couldn't really tell what someone was feeling from an old photograph.
Her grandmother walked into the room and froze when she saw what Sophia was holding. Sophia noticed her grandmother's expression change, but she couldn't tell if it was sadness, surprise, or something else entirely.
"Grandma, who is this?" Sophia asked.
Her grandmother took a deep breath. "That's a story for another day," she said quietly, taking the photo and slipping it back into the box.
Version A: "I watched the clock, counting down the seconds until the final bell. Freedom was so close I could taste it. When the bell finally rang, I shot out of my seat like a rocket."
Version B: "Mia watched the clock, counting down the seconds until the final bell. Across the room, her teacher Mr. Park noticed her restlessness and smiled to himself - he remembered feeling the same way when he was young. When the bell rang, Mia shot out of her seat while Mr. Park sighed, already dreading the stack of essays he had to grade."