Clouds roil over the horizon, sweeping in with alarming speed. Suddenly, I notice the darkness - all the daylight seemed to have fled the oncoming storm as well. The air is tense, charged; the whole world seems to be holding its breath, waiting for the storm to break over us.
Small droplets begin to tumble to the earth, teasing what was coming. Within minutes, the clouds had opened in earnest, t...
“Have you seen the new guy yet?” Madison slumps against the locker next to mine, fake swooning. “He had me clutching my pearls in Biology.” She sighs deeply, holding a perfectly manicured hand to her brow.
I snort, letting my own locker door fall shut, backpack now slung perfectly over my shoulder. “What happened to Marcus? Last week you were convinced you were going to marry him.”
“I’d hit Ma...
The invitation was a heavy, gilded cardstock, cheerfully reflecting the twinkling lights strung above the driveway as I strolled up to the door.
“Check, Donovan,” I mutter, barely moving my mouth, feigning an interest in the ornate architecture of the Gilded Age mansion before me.
“All clear, Scout,” the voice in my ear came through clearly, the minute microphone working perfectly. “Move to th...
The persistent beeping is what I notice first. Steady and unstopping and entirely too loud.
That’s how I notice I’m awake. By becoming annoyed at the beeping.
My eyes crack open, instantly blinded by the harsh fluorescent lighting. I can hear low voices around me, but no distinct words or phrases penetrate through my groggy gaze.
“He’s awake,” my brothers face swims into view before me. Connor...
Puffs of smoke, wafts of odd chemical scents. Vapors that appeared and dissipated in a flash. The sound of bubbling and gurgling filling the room. A pinch of this, a dash of that.
A knock disrupts my puttering. Irritated, I stride quickly to the door, pulling the door back abruptly.
“Yes?”
“Doctor Zaronto? I’m Cheryl, here from the school newspaper.”
I stare blankly at the young redhead, wait...
"..and the remainder of the aforementioned personal effects to be left to the Wadsworth Foundation." The lawyer tapped his pen at the bottom of the sheet, having finished his spiel.
Benny sat motionless. He could feel, more than see, his siblings exchange glances over his head.
The lawyer got up, shook hands with his older brother Andrew, and left the room, briefcase in hand. Tess sat down gen...
The liquor left a pleasant burn trailing in its wake as it traveled down my throat. My squadron roared with delight, slamming their own glasses down on the table, my second in command flagging the young waitress down for a second round.
I lean back in my seat, drinking in the jovial laughter and easy camaraderie of my team - my family, really. Pride blossoms in my chest, remembering their effort...
"Crone, mother, maiden. Holy host of hellful fires, fill me now, see my desire." The women danced around the fire, chanting and writhing, moving as one in the moonlight.
"Blood, bones, skin. Sister to sister, breath and kin, see us now, forgive our sins.” One of the women broke free of the circle to sprinkle herbs from an unmarked bag onto the fire; the roar of the flame intensified for a moment...
The fireworks are overwhelming, loud and constant, popping like the enemy fire I heard so frequently in my still nightly nightmares.
From every angle, crowds of people press in around us, laughter and screams of mirth mingling and growing until I can't tell which is which, which is real. I pause for a moment, pulling us to an empty bench under the guise of looking out towards the fireworks. I ne...
The tinkling of forks against champagne glasses fills the hall, and I force a smile, gently knocking my own fork against my flute. My sister, blushing and beautiful, leans into her new groom, his own wide grin visible even across the room. Suddenly blinking back inexplicable tears, I down my champagne in one, and head towards the bar, intent on a refill.
I signal for a refill from the bartender ...