"Miss, Vena! Welcome back!" "Aye, Vena. It's been a while sweet heart." "Yo! Vena! Over here!" "Molo, Vena. Kuye mzuzwana, abe na?" "Hey, Vena!" "Welcome back, miss snake. What'll it be tonight?" "I told you," Vena replied. "It's not snake. It's Vena. Give me a caipirinha." "You know I can't do that," the bartender replied. "Besides, even if I knew how to mix that, a girl your age shouldn't be drinking alcohol." "Come on,...

Hate was such an unusual thing. Hate could be applied to so many things: enemies, animals, emotions, random people, freedoms, abilities, on and on unto infinity. But for Alex, hate was the emotion he felt whenever an entire place seemed against him. Navigating the maze of buildings proved far more difficult than necessary. Despite meeting only a few people and creatures along the way, just exiting the street that held him...

It had taken some time for Alex to assess his situation after Arakne disappeared. Of the multitude of supplies he had started out with, only his bag, a few changes of clothes and an empty water sack remained. Even the gold he'd hidden within a pocket on the inside of his shirt was gone. That damn witch, he cursed silently. It was going to be a long walk, especially without knowing where in the forest he was. Alex sighed a...

She couldn't understand it. None of it made any sense to her. No one should have been able to find her, least of all an idiotic weakling like him. She could have sworn she had covered all her steps better after escaping that prison. Even worse, she couldn't understand why they even wanted her back. She was perfectly fine and more than capable of taking care of herself. The worst part though was him. It was bad enough they...

"Uggh, why do I have to find her? Why couldn't she have just stayed in the room like all the other patients?" Alex grumbled as he trudged through the dense underbrush. He nearly fell when his foot brushed an exposed root but caught himself mid-fall. He couldn't understand why he was the one sent to look for a girl who had nearly killed him. After all, if she was strong enough to attack him, wasn't she strong enough to tak...

Her name was Revenance Widow, but to her friends, she was known as Vena. She was only sixteen years old but already known as a highly skilled treasure hunter amongst amateur adventurers. She had recently lost her partner, a boy whose name no one knew. She had been found lying on the ground screaming and unresponsive to anyone attempting to wake her. It wasn't until she was moved to a separate room that she finally calmed...

"If you could have one thing, what would it be?" "Hmm?" he asked. "If I could have one thing? Well, that's an easy one. But before I tell you, what about you? What would you want?" "What!?" his partner gasped. "No, no, no, no, no, no. I asked you first. You tell me and then I'll tell you." "I can't, otherwise you might be swayed by my answer," he laughed. "No I wouldn't," his partner proudly spoke. "For nothing can change...

Peace shattered in an instant. Nothing left for us here. The world had gone from splendor to dust. What little hope remained faded the moment we looked out to our little scarred planet. But even in the new darkness enshrouding us could not take away our determination to live. Hope did not fill us that day. It would not for many years to come. No, determination filled us and gave us a reason to live.And in that bleakness t...

I don't want to hear it.All about how you became this way, Or any way at all. Face all the facts. It was your decision to make your life hell,And now you fall. But don't you tell me such a whiny story. I don't want to hear it, 'cause... Take away the drugs. Take away the booze.Take away the pain that's in the news. Take away the screaming. Take a way the fighting.What is left but peace in this big blue sky? I just want to...

I turned around and looked up just as an arrow seared the air next to my face. I scanned the mountain side, looking for the projectile's owner. But in the dense woods, it was difficult to see. My heart began beating rapidly within my chest as the fear I would soon be killed slowly sank in. There was nowhere left to run, and nowhere left to hide. I turned and started half-running, half-sliding my way down the pine needle c...

The darkest day is not always the one without the sun.At times, it may be the one without someone.A period we feel as if we are empty,Without that best friend to make us happy.The brightest night need not be with every star in the sky.Sometimes, it is when we dance together.A moment where we are in perfect sync,Without care for what others may think.The coldest summer is not always the one that brings ice.Occasionally, it...

Tell me a story. Tell me something new. I want to learn from someone I don't know. I'll sit here and wait, while you spin your yarn. Go ahead and surprise me with a tale from afar. A damsel in a dress saving a knight in shining armor. Perhaps a distant world found by a great explorer. Bring some excitement with a tale of adventure. One where the journey is the greatest treasure. Confuse me now with a tale of mystery, wher...

Days of the past slipping by. Time is running and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I caused so much pain, Or maybe it's because I'm losing you today. Only a few hours left before the night. I can't help but feel that this is the time. So much to say and no where to start. I guess I'll try tomorrow but, What if I never see the sunrise? What if I die tonight? It feels like tomorrow's never coming, And I hope it never do...

I need to create something, anything Before my thoughts consume me whole. I need to do something, anything Before I am swept away by the storm. Just something, anything before I go insane, Before I lose to the chaos inside my brain.

1 Rain pouring from the sky washes away my sins and my fears. It brings a peace I have not felt for so long, lost in time and yet never forgotten. 2 Dark skies without the sun in sight, how so many feel so depressed and tired. But I stand strong through it all as this is only the dark before the morning. 3 A gift we take for granted shining every day illuminating the earth and bringing warmth. How easily we forget our own...