I stuffed my right hand in my jacket pocket— partly for warmth —but also to pull out my crumpled railway guide.

“Damn it’s late,” I whispered, glaring up at the small clock connected to the large, beige building. It read 12:28 in the morning.

Seeing the time only increased the painful sting in my temples.

Gently pressing the affected areas with my thumb and little finger, I felt s...

I sweet apple scent

The candle floods the room

Warmth from the heaters

The room breathes

The sweet whisper of jazz

The needle weaving through the grooves of the record

Occasional crackles add to the ambiance

I close my eyes and enjoy...

The sound of employees shuffling around the restaurant was beginning to annoy me. I could feel my patience wearing thin, as if it were the strands of string cheese being slowly pulled away, bit by bit.

“The menu, sir.”

I glared up at the waiter to match their voice with a face. A face that happened to have freakishly blue eyes and an amazingly bold jawline.

“Thank you…” I searched for the...

People tell me not to overlook what I have. Not to wait for what’s to come, but enjoy what I can already experience.

I think that’s a load of crap.

How can you honestly enjoy life when you know you won’t be your full self until you turn 18?

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock that seemed to rattle inside my throbbing head.

“Who is it?!” I asked, annoyed.

The door was cracke...

“Today, class, I’m going to give you a very different sort of assignment.”

My eyes widened. Today was the one day I had hoped to do something simple. I felt awful. My head ached, my arms felt limp, and my ribs were beyond sore.

All I wanted was to take it easy, but of course that wasn’t possible, was it? We just had to do something different. Unfamiliar.

I clenched my gut.

“Everyone g...

I slowly opened my eyes, trying to recall the events of the night before. I felt a drop of liquid fall onto my neck and looked down at the puddle that had formed under my feet from the dripping remains of the storm.

My horse, Jack, uttered a cry of worry. At least that’s what I guessed it was. I ran over to him and stroked his mane. He always liked when I did that.

Looking back at my pitifu...

I softly chuckled. I really thought that this would be a good idea.

“You should get away for a while,” they said. “Take a vacation,” they said.

Well some vacation this was. Here we are, stranded on this pitiful island.

To be continued…...