“Body,”

I plead.

“Create.”

“No,”

Came her reply.

“Body,”

I plead.

“Stay.”

“Why?”

She asked me.

“Though I forsake you

I tremble at the thought of losing you

Do not leave me alone.”

“Prove it.

Make me see it with my eyes

And hear it with my ears.”

I sigh

Like the stars do at sunrise.

“Body,

You dance more wonderfully than grass in the wind

Your song is more spectacular than fractured light

Onl...

It’s not supposed to happen this way

It’s not

It’s not

It’s not

Tell me again what I’m supposed to remember

I forgot

I forgot

I forgot

My heart won’t beat for me anymore

It rots

It rots

It rots

Your dreams they ring like bells in my ears

That gunshot

That gunshot

That gunshot

You promised it’d never happen again

I thought

I thought

I thought...

“You’re a riot,” she laughed, holding her hand close to her mouth.

“A riot, huh?” He cocked a brow. “That’s a new one, I’ll admit.”

The girl’s laughter morphed to surprise. “Really? You’re hilarious! I thought everyone knew.”

He shrugged. “If some people aren’t that bright, there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said with a sigh.

“You think I’m bright,” she grinned. She had a cat-like smile. ...

They called it “The Island.” It was a utopia designed to combine those who could wield water and those whose magic rested in the earth.

Stilted houses stood on clay supports, decorated in a minimalistic fashion. The buildings were constructed with simple materials such as wood and clay.

Water users could walk on the water, but hundreds of boats lined the street corners for everyone else.

The sa...

“Si..?” Percy murmured, staring in horror at the boy he called his lover.

Simon tore himself away from the girl, shoving her hands and lips away from him. “Percy! It’s not what it looks like, I swear!”

With tears of hurt welling up in his eyes, Percival spun on his heel and stormed out of the house. He broke into a run, beelining for his home despite the distance.

“Percy! Stop! Listen to me!”

...

All that was left… was ten steps. Ten steps was all it would take to finish things. Life did not exist beyond that border. The end of the world stood before him, staring at him fearlessly, devotedly.

His heart refused to cross alongside him. It tugged and pulled at his feet, begging him to stay where he was safe. The redness of his eyes betrayed his fear.

He had family. A mother, who would drag ...

It was supposed to be a waltz, like any other at the gala, but it could no longer be called that.

Fancy heels clicked frantically against the floor like drumbeats. Debris hit the ground like crashing cymbals. The painted walls shook and crumbled, as if jealous of those twirling dancers.

The only person not desperately clawing their way out the door was the pianist, his fingers flying across the ...

My eyes are glued to the steering wheel, as if I worried it would disappear if I looked away. My hands ball up in my sleeves, soaking them in sweat. I know I’m supposed to breathe slowly, but no amount of air is enough to satisfy my aching lungs. These are not butterflies in my stomach, these are rabid dogs, biting and clawing at my insides.

Do I have to go? I don’t, right? I can stay? I can stay...