Carpe diem

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Patrick grinned as he finished setting up the rat maze down the back of the classroom. Yes, he could have set it up in his apartment and left the three rats to play around there, but in here they; Snoop, Marco and Polo, would get to spend time observing the students while they rested in the cage portion where the teacher had placed their beds.

Pressing play on the stereo near the rodents, he smiled as the gentle sounds of celtic music floated across the air, but wasn't in any way loud enough to disturb his teaching the class, and walked toward the white board where he wrote Carpe diem across the top of the board in large block letters. And then got the laptop hooked up to the projector so that he could show them a clip once the lesson started.

He greeted each student quietly as they entered the room and waited until the bell sounded before he stood front centre of the room and smiled at the class as a whole. "This class is not going to be focused on your dream journals, nor am I going to make you share from them." He knew that at least a few of the students had been worried about the sharing of the journal, and that's not what they were about. "I do hope that you are writing in your journals though." He tapped the board. "Before we really kick things off, who can tell me what Carpe diem means?"

---

Roll Call:
@maeve
@ronan

Amelia DeFoe
Danielle Green
Othello Buskirk
Rachel Deacon
Serenity Oliver
@shailiel
Thomas Oliver
Tyler Reynolds

[Othello Buskirk]

Leo walked into the psychology classroom and gave Mr D'Arcy a small smile before he walked through the room to the table he normally sat at in the middle. The music that was playing softly in the background was somewhat calming, and looking around to see where it was coming from, he did a double-take when he saw the rat maze, frowning slightly as he studied it, though banished any thoughts of getting one for his rats, as they wouldn't be returning after Christmas. He had decided that with everything that was happening, he was going to give the rats to his cousin.

Sitting down, he pulled out his class notebook and dream journal and sat quietly as he waited for class to start, reading through the entries he had put in the journal, trying to work out what might have been going through his mind with some of the dreams he had recorded.

Relief flowed through him when the man at the front of the room began speaking, and he was more than happy to tuck the journal back into his bag. He looked up at the word written on the board and opening his notebook, he wrote the word across the top of the page with Seize the day beneath it, though he remained silent.

[Amelia DeFoe]

Amy entered the psychology classroom, ready to go to her normal seat, until she spotted the cage of rats that was now gracing the back of the room. Although they were adorable, she chose to move up a row for the day, settling in her new seat and dropping Wolf's lead as the shepherd sat. He wasn't a robot, after all, and while she thought he would be able to resist the distractions, there was no need for her to test him if she had other options available.

She pulled out her class notebook, along with her dream journal... Or what should have been her dream journal. She wasn't too sure about writing down most of her dreams, and so it had stayed short, without the depth that she knew the teacher probably would have wanted. He'd only know if he collected them, though, and that was one of the reasons she hadn't been able to write about her nightmares.

As Mr. D'Arcy began the class, she looked up, noting the words, which were so common that most people must know them, although she did look away guiltily as he mentioned the journals, all too happy to slide it back into her bag.

[Serenity Oliver]

Serenity slipped into the psychology classroom and then walked down to sit beside Amy. It was only when she was sitting that she noticed the rats at the back of the room, which explained why the other girl had chosen to sit a row further forward than normal.

She pulled her binder and dream journal from her bag. She had honestly tried using the one that she had collected from the table that Mr D'Arcy had offered them, but it hadn't felt right, so she had stored it away and continued using her own. She honestly didn't think it would matter what kind of book the dreams were written in, just that they were written down. The dark and tactile leather-bound book that she had already been using was quite thick from all the pages that had been filled and was starting to look worn around the edges, but she loved the book that she had created herself.

As the teacher began the class, she left the journal where it was, even though she watched other slide their books away. She looked at the words on the board and raised her eyebrows as she opened her binder and dated the top of the page and wrote the words on it. "Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism usually translated to "seize the day", taken from a poem in the Odes in 23 BC by the poet Horace." She spoke up quickly when she heard her brother draw in a breath. Being a witch did come in handy for somethings, as she had done a thorough study in Latin with her mother when she became interested in plants.

[Thomas Oliver]

Tommy followed his sister into the classroom, and looking around he walked over to sit near the middle. He knew that Reni didn't need him encroaching in her space, as he could tell that he sometimes made Amelia feel uncomfortable and she didn't need that from him, not in this class of all places.

He pulled the things he needed out of his bag, including the dream journal that he was actually thoroughly enjoying keeping. He'd never really paid much attention to his dreams in the past, that was hit sister's thing, but now that he'd started, he knew that it would mean some studying on his part, and possibly the use of a number of the girl's books.

He looked up as the board as the teachers started the class and drew in a breath to answer the question, though he closed his mouth as Serenity jumped in with the answer and he gave her a withering look that promised she would be in for it later. Reni wasn't the only one that had taken a study in Latin, as their parents had encouraged them both to learn it, not only to learn the proper names of the herbs and plants they used in their magick, but to also write spells in Latin.

[Rachel Deacon]

Rachel immediately felt a kick of guilt as the teacher reminded the class about the dream journals they were supposed to be keeping. She rarely had any dreams that were worth writing down, nor that would likely be comprehensible. She had learned that people often relied on visual symbols to interpret their dreams, she relied on audio cues and memories of physical sensations. Pretty hard things to pin down onto a page. She had made an effort to begin with, then abandoned the project altogether.

For now, she sat in silence in the classroom, listening to the chatter around her. She had chosen a seat at the back of the classroom, unaware of the cage of rats close by. Ghost had certainly ignored them and not given her any cues that might suggest that he was nervous about something. He lay under her chair quite happily, his head resting just next to her foot.

Hearing the words 'carpe diem', Rachel searched through her memory, trying to remember where she had heard those words before, but came up with a blank. Thankfully, someone else answered the question and she dutifully tapped the translation onto her laptop so as to serve as a reminder next time.

[Danielle Green]

Her elective was one that she was on the fence about sometimes. Though she liked the idea of learning about how to read people and what makes some people tick, it also consisted of talking about her own feelings which was not always alright with Danny, she wasn't the deepest person in the way of thinking about her feelings and talking about them, though if they were asked to paint about what they felt she would be the first to do it. Reaching the classroom door she saw that a few people, her usual classmates, were already there.

Taking a seat she waited until Mr. D'Arcy started class. She felt relieved knowing the sharing of the dream journal was optional. Once he asked the question to the class her stomach dropped. No matter how hard she racked her brain the answer did not come to her. She did not know what carpe diem was and she had no idea how to figure it out. Luckily Serenity did know what it meant and shared it with the whole class, easing Danny's nerves. Quickly writing down the definition she took a deep breath and now was actually ready for the class to begin.

[Tyler Reynolds]

Moving to his last academic class of the day, Tyler was excited. Winter break was coming soon and he couldn't wait to do nothing but lounge around, although he would still have to care for Roman, which wasn't a downside by any means. He entered the class and took a seat. Psychology was odd in and of itself, but Tyler liked it. He was one that liked to know what others were thinking before they knew what they were thinking. Creepy he knew, but he liked to be one step ahead, which was one reason he took the class.

Taking out his "dream journal" he had written vague dreams down but wasn't about to share them. He didn't think he would every really want to, though it might have changed by the end of the year. He listened to Mr. D'Arcy started the class and inform everyone that they wouldn't in fact have to share, which Tyler was glad about. The next question was easy, though if people hadn't heard the phrase it would have been foreign to them. Luckily he had heard it and wrote it down before Serenity spoke it out loud. He laid his pen down on his paper and waited for anything else to do.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Patrick nodded his head. "Well said, Ms Oliver." He said when she spoke up, giving a much more detailed explanation than he had expected. "I'm going to play a clip from the movie Dead Poet's Society. It's not so much what you can see that it important, rather the speech that Robin Williams' character gives."

He walked to his desk and turned the powerpoint on and got the clip started, walking over to turn the lights at the front of the room off.

When the clip ended, the man flicked the lights back on and closed the lid of the laptop, once more putting the machine into hibernation and turned to face the class once more and smiled. "Today is going to be your chance to 'seize the day'. I would like you to spend the next thirty minutes writing up a Life List, which some people also call a bucket list." He paused and looked at the students. "Create a list of things you hope to accomplish, places you hope to visit, people you hope to meet, and things you hope to do. Your list should be realistic. These are the most important things for you. You should view it daily, add to it, check off the things you have done. This is not just an assignment, it is your life. Good Luck!" He raised his eyebrows as he waited for any reactions. "Once the time is up, I would like to go around the room and share some of your list."

On the board he wrote:

Life List:

* Things you hope to accomplish 
* Places you hope to visit 
* People you hope to meet 
* Things you hope to do

[Othello Buskirk]

Leo listened as Serenity gave the answer, his eyebrow lifted at the amount of information she had given and was curious to know what it was also translated as, since she said 'usually'.

He sat forward slightly as Mr D'Arcy turned the clip on, and a silence descended on the class before the sound of Robin Williams' voice filled the room and he paid close attention to what the man was saying. Once the clip was over, he could understand why they had watched the clip.

He sat back as the lights came on again and they were given their work. He picked up his pen and tapped it against his lips as he thought about what he wanted to put on his list. A number of doctors had shown their surprise that Leo didn't have a bucket list, especially when when his lifespan was so uncertain.

My Life List

Travel to Greece
Write a thesis on equine development
Meet Princess Anne
Trek over the Andes on horseback
See my twenty-first birthday

He placed the pen down as he read over his list, knowing that the last one could be the longest shot out of all of them, and would also be the one thing on his list that he wouldn't be sharing with the rest of the class, as only one other student knew about his illness, and he wanted to keep it that way.

[Amelia DeFoe]

Amy gave Serenity a smile, and watched the rest of the students trickle in, realizing that she knew quite a number of the people that shared this class. When Serenity gave her answer, which was far more in-depth than Amy would have managed to even guess at, Amy wrote down a couple of points from her friend's answer, and then turned her attention back to the teacher.

As the lights dimmed, Amy instinctively reached down to lay a hand on Wolf's head, although she paid attention to the speech that was given up on the screen. It was a powerful scene, certainly. She could see why it had been shown.

Hearing their instructions, Amy considered, then started a new line on her notebook, writing down her hopes for the future, or rather, her realistic life list. Some points, maybe they weren't so very realistic. But, at the same time, it wasn't like they couldn't be accomplished, if she approached enough people.

* Meet and work a police K-9
* Meet Dan Warren
* Travel... Anywhere outside of the US
* Finish college
* Defeat my nightmares for good

Well, they were all future-oriented, at least. But Amy couldn't really imagine moving outside of where she was now, and so, she hoped what she had was okay. Perhaps she wouldn't share all of them, but there were some that she didn't mind. The police dog, for example. The power they portrayed, it was just amazing. She knew Wolf would never be trained for that, and for good reason, but at the same time... It did paint a nice picture in the mornings.

[Deleted]

Shay smiled, listening to the other girl's definition. On point it seemed, she liked that girl already. Despite wanting to answer the question herself, she was satisfied that it wasn't butchered so she was able to more on Mr. Darcy than lingering on wishing she'd said something.

There was a bit of remorse felt in her chest as she heard one of her favourite voices, in one of her favourite movies. She smiled as the scene played through, feeling the power that had come from that scene, wishing she could take to those words and seize the day.

Once given the instructions, she stared at her paper for a while. What did she want to do with her life? Of course becoming an author was up there on her wish list, but the reality of it was so far beyond her reach that she never considered it achievable, but everyone says nothing is impossible if you work hard enough. This was probably the hardest question she had been asked in a long time. It took her a while to make a list but once she did, she was happy with it.

• Become an author
• Travel
• Win the Pulitzer Prize
• Meet Hannah Tinti
• Gain some confidence

When she would have to share with the class, there was no way she was going to share the last one, instead she'd end on the one before it. Confidence was a necessity for the others to come true but that was something she wanted to keep all herself.

[Serenity Oliver]

After she'd given her answer, Reni wished that she hadn't said as much, but hindsight was a wonderful thing like that, and there wasn't a lot she could do to take it back as time travel wasn't possible, and even if it was, she probably still would have given the same answer.

She watched the clip with interest. She had always enjoyed the works of Robin Williams, Genie from Aladdin would haver to be her favourite of his characters, though she wasn't too sure if she wanted to share that information with anyone in the fear that they would think she was immature.

When the clip was finished she listened as Mr D'Arcy spoke about bucket lists, which wasn't really something she had ever thought of starting. There again though, what fifteen year old did think about all the things they wanted to do before the died? Unless they were dying of course.

She tapped her pen against her lip as she thought about what she wanted to do, visit and accomplish if she were to die in the next few years, and the possibility of being hit by a bus while crossing the road was always there. The reason her mother had always told her to wear clean underwear. She began to write:

My Life List:

* Become high priestess
* Visit Athens, Rome and Italy
* Become an author (fictional work only)
* Meet Silver Ravenwolf
* Teach people about Natural Magick
* Confront my past

She put the end of her pen in her mouth as she read over the list she had in front of her, wondering if she should cross any of it out, and knowing that the very top one would be the only she wasn't confident in sharing.

[Thomas Oliver]

Tommy smirked at his sister, rubbed his hands together - as once would when they were trying to warm them - and pulled them apart until he had formed an energy ball. Giving a wicked grin, he pitched the ball across the room at his sister before he turned his attention to the clip on the whiteboard. He's watched the movie before and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then the teacher began talking about bucket lists and Tommy arched an eyebrow wondering why he'd never thought of starting one before. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked up his pen and started writing:  

Bucket List 101:

* Get into a good University (don't know what I'll study yet)
* Travel the world (I want to see everything)

That's where his ideas ended there, he wasn't sure who he'd most like to visit, people that were still alive anyway, and the list was a little too important to put stupid things on it; such as inventing time travel and stuff like that. He tapped the pen on the table as he tried to think of what he would want to do if he wouldn't live to see his next birthday.

* Get my drivers' licence and a nice car (Reni will probably get one for her 16th)

* Compete in an internationally recognised horse show (I know, big dreams)

* Clear my name back home
* Not be so protective of Reni.

[Danielle Green]

Mr. D'Arcy continued the class and soon put up a video, when he said what clip they would be watching Danny knew what movie it was from and she had watched it quite a few times, it was one of Robin Williams' best in her opinion. Hearing his voice brought a sad smile to her face but she focused on his words, though she had seen the film times before she hadn't focused really on the words, just the scene itself. When it finished she turned her attention to the teacher.

Her stomach dropped slightly she didn't like digging deep inside of herself and when she had to do things like this, she hated sounded superficial, but it happened sometimes, it was inevitable. She made the subtitle of Bucket List. Danny was known to over think somethings and this was not excluded.

She began to make her list;

- save a life
- get through college
- have my own horse
- travel to at least one place outside of the United States (Greece, Italy, Athens)
- become a role model to someone somewhere

Danielle read her list over a few times but couldn't seem to find a person who she wanted to meet and so she didn't stress over it.