In the darkest beginnings of most histories lay the blankest slate for the brightest of stories to be written upon. In this particular story - picture a slate dark with the soot of a story before, the history a finger painting in the ash that was.

Angels and daemons are the labels typically given to beings who hold powers the powerless find impossible to understand. In their quest for understand...

"Oh, you're on shift again?" A squeak-like voice emerged from behind the ‘staff only’ door a few feet away from where Becca stood, hands wrapped around a porcelain mug and a jug of warmed milk. Becca nodded and hummed absentmindedly in response, eyes glued to the drink in her hands, too focused on the small flower design she had now created in the froth. Only when it was done did she look up to be...

“I’m leaving.”

The words of the Chosen One rang out across every station in the city. Every radio, every television, every cell phone. The entire country tuned in to the heartbreaking words of their Savior.

“I won’t be returning home again until one of two things happen. Either you turn against your neighbors, plunging yourselves into a civil war, and destroy yourselves in the process, or you al...

_Devil _

_Bang. _The sound echoed off the abandoned walls. A sound that can be heard to anyone listening close enough. The only problem, no one is close enough to hear.

_Bang. _I watched as the trigger was pulled. I watched as the bullet found its way out of the barrel. It is like time slowed down and this moment was the only moment that mattered.

_Bang_. I smiled, almost laughing as I wat...

I no longer live in saccharine summers but the winters and pestilence of my past. I crave the cold like a blood hound just to relinquish it by the heat of a fireplace. I plague my soul with frostbite yet it will not shatter. I yearn for the serenity of snow of feeling numb between the dirt and fresh snowfall.

But perhaps even more I long for the feeling of my hands scorching in the dull heat w...

“Our brain is like a cold, dark attic. Spiderwebs in the corners ready to lunge. Shadows moving swiftly, giving only a glimpse of the truth. A darkness lingers, waiting for the moment to strike. A silence that echoes through what once was full of fairy tales now feels like a never-ending nightmare. You can hear the beatles climbing the walls of what once was our safe place. You remember the times ...

Rowan’s fingers skimmed the stem of her wine glass, her grip so light it might have slipped from her hand if she let her mind drift any further. The clink of silverware against porcelain filled the room, mingling with the steady hum of conversation, but it all felt muffled, distant. The dining room glowed with warm light, the golden hues bouncing off the polished wood of the table. Despite the war...

The day my father passed was the worst moment of my life. Not just because he’s gone, oh no I could heal that scar just like anyone else.

No, it’s because I just don’t remember how. You see, when he passed on, I was young, I think four years old. But past that I can recall only sounds. A deafening scream, the blow of someone’s breath, the cries of so many others. Now I know what you will say. The...

The air was thick with anticipation as the sun dipped below the horizon, surrendering the world to the shadows that awaited. Nightshade Academy loomed before me, a twisted masterpiece of gothic architecture etched against the deepening twilight, its spires clawing at the sky like the fingers of restless spirits. I, Aurelia Ravenshade, stood at the threshold, feeling the weight of the night settle ...

She froze as the crimson liquid streamed wildly over her white knuckles and dripped down her clenched fists onto the ground. The stark contrast of the dark red against her pale skin was a fervent reminder of the desperation and fury she was holding inside, each drop falling like a silent display to the conflict waged within. It was too late now to change anything, she knew that much. There he lay,...