Miranda’s knees were locked and there was a slight tremble in her legs. Despite the cool weather, she felt sweat break out onto her back the moment they stepped into the clearing. The cold snap had settled in a few days ago. Fall was coming. This time of year seemed to ignite a sense of adventure in the kids in her neighborhood. Herself included. How else could she explain standing at the edge of Evergreen Woods, or as th...

Your arrogance stripped me bare, Leaving me vulnerable, Open and exposed. Such easy prey. Was it fun for you? Breaking down my wall, Taking a peek inside, The bleak harsh reality of me. Was it a shock for you? Seeing me raw, Real, Neglected and scared. Was it too much for you? The perceived idea of me, Built brick by brick, Each one punctuating the demands of others. Should I have lied to you? Painting pretty pictures, Sm...

My sister Sally and I stood in our grandmother’s darkening living room staring at the wall. Staring at the painting to be exact. The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough or as I referred to it Nightmare Fuel. Our mother used to send us to our grandmother Rose’s house every summer. We loved our grandmother, but we hated that painting. It hung above the TV directly across from the couch and the two chairs that bookended it. Ther...

What gives you the right to assume I’m DTF? That’s Down To… Well, you can look it up. I assure you I’m not. Perhaps after some time, some long time, and a bonding friendship built of courting and a heavy dose of flirting. Yes, I said courting. People don’t court anymore and they should, but that’s a rant for another time. What gives you the right to assume that I want to be touched? I don’t walk by you with the joy of hav...

To everyone in the room, she seems like just a normal girl wearing Vans, blue jeans, and a red hoodie, but to me, she is so much more.  This outwardly unassuming woman is not who she claims to be. She is not the woman everyone sees. They see the version she presents because she is so skilled at it. Years of practice have trained her to blend in; to give the people what they want to see. What would make them comfortable, s...

“Your parents are crazy.  Did they really tell you that?”  Patricia said and laughed at her best friend. “Yes,” Amy said. She felt defensive at her friend’s mocking attitude.  “Come on. You expect me to believe that your parents made up a whole person to make you and your brother behave?”  Amy shook her head and thought, not for the first time, she wished she hadn’t told Patricia. They were friends, but sometimes, like no...

‘The dolls!’ was Emma’s first conscious thought. She was sure she heard the delicate sounds of pitter-patter across her hardwood floors.  With a shaking hand, she grabbed her phone and prayed to God that nothing had touched her. Emma’s fingers slid silently along the now lit screen and unlocked it. Every movement was stiff and deliberate. Fear and panic had seized her muscles.  She pressed the flashlight button and shined...

There once were three ordinary friends from an ordinary neighborhood in the ordinary town of Edinburgh, Scotland. One day, as they gathered for coffee, they decided they needed to get away from the city and so a camping trip was planned. Being tired of the ordinary, they decided that this particular camping trip should be at a less than ordinary site.  It was agreed and all three of the friends went to work making a list...

Lavi stood in the cool dew-covered field. She loved the feel of the dampness on her toes. In this moment of meditation with the bird’s screams bouncing off her ears, she felt connected with the earth.  Soon the field would be stamped down; run over by the tires of rubes coming to enjoy the sights and sounds. By children running here and there, stuffing their faces with cotton candy or candy apples. The bright red sticky t...

The pain that exploded in her head as she opened her eyes made her want to throw up. She tried to move her arms and found that she couldn’t. She slowly opened her eyes again trying to figure out what was going on. When her eyes opened she was facing a tree. Her arms were tied together at the wrist and she was hanging a few inches off the ground. She was hanging just enough to make sure she would swing. It was still dark o...

They made their way up the hill and through the woods to the back of Helen’s house. The smell of food hit Cordelia’s nose as she stepped on the porch, and she realized that she was starving. Her stomach growled loudly. Micah grinned and opened the door. She grinned back at him as she walked inside. When Cordelia looked up, Helen was standing there staring at them. The look on her face was clear, she knew. “Aunt Helen, it...

Micah stood up greeting her with a smile. His smile faltered when he noticed her expression. His hand reached towards her face and he used his thumb to rub the crease between her eyes. “Your face is much too beautiful to look so pensive.” She stood looking at him as he slid his fingers slowly down the side of her face leaving a trail of heat behind. She shuddered and her tummy tightened. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m fin...

Cordelia ran at a hard sprint, pushing herself harder, trying to outrun all of the emotions that had been building inside her. When she couldn’t push it any further, she slowed to a jog. Finally, slowly to a walk, she started to feel the cool air and realized she should have brought her cloak. Taking in her environment for the first time, she realized she had run a lot further than she had planned. Cordelia was almost two...

She spent most of the next day getting supplies that she needed for her house. She knew that she had at least two weeks at home because word of new Weres never came until after the full moon. Werewolves were able to change whenever they wanted, but during a full moon they had to and that is usually what allowed them to be seen by their neighbors or friends. Sometimes, however, it was a stranger unlucky enough to come acro...

“Don’t stop running!” the woman panted, dragging her son with her. The boy was scared and crying. He didn’t understand why his sister and father were not running with them. They ran for the hidden cave in the side of the mountain. “It’s a little further, son,” his mother said as she tried to reassure him even as her chest was tight with fear, rage, and grief. They made it to the river and she paused long enough to pick th...