*Knock* 
*Knock*
“Who is it?”
    “Hi Harper, I’m Officer Grant, you have been charged with the murder of Grady Alcroft.”
        That is when... That’s when it all ended; my dreams, hopes, and future. I was wrongfully accused of murder, see it was my freshman year of college and we were roommates. Grady and I became good friends, one night we were studying at a cafe on the outskirts of town. That night he said he had to meet up with...

    I sit on my bed, looking around my room. The walls are gray, with a pale pink accent wall. My bed sits in one corner, near a window, covered in a pale pink duvet. Across the room, there’s a egg chair, a few papers scattered around its base. There are low cubbies along the other wall, stuffed with paints, colored pencils and wrapped chunks of clay. The wall directly across from my bed is covered in art. Some are...

He ran, blood thrumming through his veins, stomach churning, sweat permeating every inch of his clothing.

It was only when he’d reached the edge of the world, the vast black nothingness of the ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see, illuminated by the slumbering sun further down the horizon. The underlying guilt decided to dawn on him with a sudden gush of vitriol, searing away at his conscience, and the adrenaline rush kicked in, the thought of...

In the cold season, he had blundered whilst chopping firewood, slicing off the ring finger of his left hand. It had dropped to the floor halfheartedly, staining the snow red where it had landed. He stuck the bleeding stub in his mouth, slowing the flow to a trickle against his tongue before sawing the last of his wood in misshapen halves with his good hand. Then he kicked the expelled appendage beneath the ivory blanket.

The stub didn’t really hinder...

Down in the throne room, a jovial throng of noblemen and ladies all in fine garments had accumulated, chatting and laughing while they waited for the ceremony to start. The room itself was decorated with garlands of white flowers that filled the room with a sweet scent. The tall arched windows lining the walls let in the golden midday light.
Abianna and Queen Daneiris approached the room. The queen gave her daughter a peck on the cheek then went to...

Zarah and I are still not speaking when Mummy drives us out of the school. Zarah sits in the passenger seat, asking Mummy questions as she steers the car. My earphones are plugged into my ears—Mummy is incredibly thoughtful every time the dormitory closes, bringing our phones so that we can start using them even before we get home—but I cannot bring myself to play any song. I am afraid that I will miss out on Mummy and Zarah’s conversation.
...

     One by one drifting away, leaves falling never to stay. Witnessing so much throughout their life turning different shades. Unfortunately, It was time to pass away. Falling on warm grass and carried by the wind so the leaves could meet a better end. The tree had shed tears to see her children pass away. The cries of the trees can be heard throughout the night and this was never a beautiful sight. Months and months later, the tree...

Slowly, through the security system; surrounded by people in suits and ties; they reached the spectating area. On a particular row were three seats that weighed three young and unique gentlemen. Strangely, they particularly stood out among the crowd, almost looking the same yet so different. The triplet who sat cross legged, with a black moustache taped on their neat faces, wore the same style of clothing, a fedora hat matched with their suit and shoes. He had light warm...

June 1944, Jersey 

Gerry
Sitting on the back steps, I deduced three things from the visitor:

1. Underneath the dirt and grime, his eyes are blue. 
2. He is extremely thin and extremely hungry. 
3. Out of all the things I grow in my secret garden, he chose the strawberries. 

He couldn’t see me from where I sat. But he might have - just was too weak to care. Maybe he could just size me up. I wasn’t an officer. I was a...

    Jauneice’s pace sped up as she stepped out of the pasture and onto the road. The forest loomed closer, its vegetation lush and bathed in shadow. It was nestled against the side of the mountains like a dark leech sucking out blood. As she neared, Jauneice expected to feel that cold creeping sensation, or that knife twisting in her gut, but the calm that descended over her was maybe even worse. It brought with it a sense of finality, that...

    Jauneice’s pace sped up, as she stepped out of the pasture and onto the road. The forest loomed closer, its vegetation lush and bathed in shadow. It was nestled against the side of the mountains like a dark leech sucking out blood. As she neared, Jauneice expected to feel that cold creeping sensation, or that knife twisting in her gut, but the calm that descended over her was maybe even worse. It brought with it a sense of finality, that...

New York City, 2220
    The menacing fires were never satisfied. They had come back, this time hungrier than ever, leaving the forests destitute of all life. The singed remnants of their last meal left a bitter taste in the air, like a campfire after it rains. Burned, soggy, hopeless.
      Elidi glanced at the pile of clothes in her room, unpacked. That's how the Earth was being treated. An expendable item, like a sock. Her mother, a mechanical engineer, had been...

On the first of January, I, Timothy Legonawy was sitting in a stale attic on Meadowlark Lane in a small town in New York state, wrapped in blankets. It was a large house with multiple rooms, beautiful furniture, wonderful décor, and two stories, not including the attic. The Mrs.’ favorite item was a large family portrait that hung above the fireplace.  
  
   Mr. Farrington was a broad man with deep brown skin, a black suit and blue tie, and a shining, bald...

-x- 
 “I mean, we can work our way back up, right?” Todolix tried lightly. “And, we can hide it from your parents ‘til we find someone they trust on our side.” 

 Her best friend ignored her. Again. For the nth time. 

One hand was wedged halfway into her armpit, her arm resting on her chest. Todolix remembered a YouTube vid she had once watched on body language. Ah, the knowledge acquired in the sleepless throes of 3AM. Cappe appeared to be self-soothing.  

People self-soothe when they’re unhappy or distressed. It’s a coping mechanism most people don’t realise they practice, to calm oneself down,...

It was a grand old street, one that had seen the face of time. Sprawling oak trees lined the sidewalks and stretched on as far as the eye could see. The autumn leaves were beginning to take on marvelous shades of gold, crimson, and maroon. A splash of burgundy here and ochre there. The sky peeked through the canopy of leaves, a gray backdrop, a witness for what was to come and what had already happened. Clouds hung low in...

Considering the world as something more than the space you simply reside in has always been difficult for me. Mom said  it's 'cause I'm a Leo. Leos are brave, and strong, but also selfish, she lamented to me as her bony fingers turned the pages of her ratty, tattered book of zodiac horoscopes and stuff. She let it define her life, every choice she made. It was thick and small, with a pink cover and a silhouette of a hand,...

Honk!
Samantha leaned into the horn again. Jack was late. He had always been late. Samantha couldn't think of one time he had ever been on time, much less early. She turned to Uncle Tom, who sat in the passenger seat. 
"We might be here a while."
Uncle Tom smiled. "It's alright. I was hoping to get some nice quality time with you anyways."
"Why? I mean, not that I don't love quality time, it just seems like you're on...

Joe woke up to an insect resting on his face. He threw it off onto the floor and scrambled to his feet, almost tripping over a pile of books he had left on the floor. He wondered why the bug was so heavy. He quickly grabbed a jar and placed it on top of the insect, and then placed a bottle of glue on top of the jar. The insect seemed pretty strong, and he didn’t want it to escape....

    They were but two idiots, waiting for each other on the opposite sides of the cafe’s outdoor seating. She was watching him. He had caught her eye since he first stepped inside the premises. Familiar, could it be…? No, the person in front of her could not be the boy that flashed in her memory. Yet still,  there was something in the shape of his face and the glint in his gray eyes that reminded her of him. That...

Running through the forest, I try to look for my friends. Nut it’s no use, and my heart splinters beside my aching lungs as I realize they might all be dead. My legs are aching. I slump against a tree and glance around. I think I’ve lost the killer, but just as I start running, my vision blurs, and I slip into the darkness. You are probably wondering who I am and what on earth is going on. Well I'll tell you....

The wind whipped at their faces as Eira reached out for Rulan.
    "Join me," said Eira softly. "Take my hand."
Rulan looked into his mother's eyes, and she looked to his. He saw nothing human left in the deathly black pits. One of the many prices for selling her soul.
    "Don't listen to her!" screamed someone.
He turned to see his sister, who was desperately trying to raise herself up from the ground. The pain in her eyes...

The moment before it rains is always the worst. 
    For a split-second, ground and sky trap me in this in-between of soggy air and nearly wet dirt that clogs my sinuses.  
    I sneeze. 
    I pull my medical mask higher up past my nose, fogging up my glasses in the process, careful to take oxygen through the mouth. One of the downsides to being able to discern cinnamon from citrus a mile away: a delicate olfactory system, easily upset, even by...

He walked down the grass path towards the sea front. The Pigeon slept peacefully in the entangled mass of dreadlocks and twigs which was rooted to his scalp. Its head rose slightly from its purple plumed roll of neck fat as it breathed, its feathers were neat and shifted from one shade of grey to another before going black above the purple neckline. His long, black, cotton, Thai trousers and green robe billowed in the sea breeze, he became a...

    The familiar feeling of helplessness returned as I ran through the burning house and up the stairs, searching for any signs that the little girl might still be in here.
            “Victoria!” I yelled as loudly as my burning lungs permitted.
            “Help!” An tiny, almost inaudible voice croaked back. I ran for the room that the voice had come from. Placing my hand on the door, I pushed it open. I ran into the room to see...

Stella sat in a leather chair, straps buckled over her chest. Her mother was kneeling in front of her with a smile stretched across her face, Stella giggling as she tickled her through her little suit. Outside a nearby window her mother glanced, the corner of her mouth creasing.
Stars speckled the black abyss, drifting as the ship glided away from a distant blue planet mottled in green.
Her mother turned back to her, making Stella beam. Six-year-old hands wrapped...