Sunlight. Real, unfiltered sunlight. Was this how it’s supposed to feel like? How had Liz gone for so long without it?

Her fingers ran over the wooden wall, catching on every divot and tracing through each grain. Not a single one of her friends had supported this. Eva had started crying, bawling incoherently about how this was the worst betrayal she’d ever experienced in her entire life. Sandy ha...

***not a poem!!

“Emily!”

I look up from my phone and catch the tail end of the barista placing my coffee on the counter before hurrying to make the next customer’s drink. My bag slips from my shoulders as I stand and I let it, setting it on the worn leather couch without bothering to worry whether someone will run away with it. The shop is nearly empty, with the exception of two teenage girls gi...

i woke up alone in my bed and to hushed, familiar voices.

“are those the only instructions?” lacey murmured.

“the wounds aren’t as severe as i feared. whoever bandaged them last night did a fine job of it. she will recover without a problem.” this voice belonged to the physician.

i could hear the crackling of the fire, but i still felt cold. i hugged the sheets tighter around my shoulders and o...

“oh dear.”

the heads turned to me, one by one. had i spoken aloud? the speaker was looking at me strangely, his hand still raised midair and pointed at the screen, so it seemed i had.

“did you have something to say, mr. clock?” the speaker asked.

well i had to say something now, didn’t i?

“i guess i do. i’ve just realized that i was supposed go convince george washington to accept his presiden...

dragons exist.

or at least, yuri knows people used to think they did. now people question whether they were even real to begin with.

but her questions are more grounded—what will her family eat for dinner? will her older brother be able to walk today, or fall back into his ever-burning fever? which villagers are going to aim rocks at her bad eye this time?

dragons? she doesn’t have time for suc...

it hit at once.

conversations, three of them—no, four—five now—were being spoken into my ears all at once, all belonging to distinct voices, some deep and some husky and some hurried—it hurt my head to distinguish each one—below it all was a constant clamor of shouts and laughter and chatter that was impassively barreling into me, past me, through me—the press of their energies, so many of them, ...

he had a memory from when he was four, of a large, pale hand reaching for him from above. it drew closer and closer, its palm coming within millimeters of his nose, when everything went dark and he found himself unable to breathe. his mouth was open, yet no air entered or sound was emitted.

small spaces were a bit of an issue for him now—elevators were only necessary if he needed to climb more th...

*not a poem.

“and what does a sunset look like to you?” elowen asked. the edge of his pinky brushed against mine. the tips of my fingers twitched in response, shifting the blades of grass underneath.

i hummed, letting the question wash over me. no one had ever asked me this before, what something looked like to me. maybe because i couldn’t see what they did, they assumed i couldn’t see anything ...

ines hadn’t been born with one. no particular marks, other than the freckles dotted here and there on her tiny body. her parents fussed, needling the doctor as to why their daughter was missing her mark.

she shrugged, not bothering to spare them a glance from the documents at hand. “it happens sometimes.”

that didn’t go over very well with her parents. but no matter which expert they asked, it w...

everything looks better from further away. cities, pores, relationships. things and people are so much easier to appreciate when you don’t have to walk the trash-lined sidewalks, take close-up selfies, or find their flaws.

maybe that’s why i can’t seem to keep a boyfriend around for too long. my friends call me a “serial dater.” i guess that’s a nicer label than “deathly afraid of commitment.” or...