**The blade glinted—once, twice—as Michael drove it into Daisy’s throat. My puppy’s whimpers frayed into wet, gurgling rasps. Blood bloomed across his white Converse, ones he had just bought less than a week ago with money he had stolen out of my purse. His jeans drank it in, the denim fading from sky-blue to bruise-purple. **

****

**My body had turned to ash. My hand hovered between us, tremblin...

The roar of the waves as they broke on the shore was relentless, a deafening cadence as they crashed over body of the small boy that lay face down in the sand.

He was still, lifeless, but for the battering of the waves as they pushed and pulled at him. Not even the seagulls circling above on the prevailing winds, peering down with hardened, dried black eyes that knew no conscience, knew quite wh...

Where is the truth? It hides so well, in cold and stark places, devoid of any meaning. Slippery like an eel, you can’t ever really hold it for more than second in your fingers.

When there’s that tiny moment, I realised I have been lying to myself all along. I felt meek, like I was submerged, underwater, I couldn’t speak.

He asked me again, but the question made no sense, so I couldn’t respond. ...

I wake up to the sound of cars on the road, a horrid smell filling the air. I desperately want to cover my nose but find myself paralyzed, unable to move. A light tap on my shoulder startles me, and despite my hesitation, I don’t dare open my eyes.

"You need to wake up now," I hear a voice say. "You're running out of time."

Using every ounce of strength, I finally force my eyes open and meet the...

Arabella felt the pain leave her body. Like a ghost.

She was numb.

She was a ruthless killing machine.

Who was going to die.

It was no use, being kind.

She saw that now.

She was good as dead anyways.

She didn’t want to win. She didn't want to win the fame that came with this battle. This was only a game, they promised!

They lied.

“Do it quick,” she told Charlie, her best friend. They had en...

“Planet 378. Journey across the universe has, so far, hardly been rewarding. At this point, I doubt extraterrestrial life exists. We found a couple of habitable planets, a few unintelligent microscopic species, but nothing ideal. It is quite unfortunate, but it seems to be the truth. Landing now. Hopefully, our luck will turn soon. Captain’s log, over.”

Captain Grundy ended his short monologue wi...

Where was she? I clung to the railing, looking down at the trains. There were so many. How could I-

There. A glimpse of black hair with streaks of blonde. Her face was stern but her cheeks were still round with youth. Just a single guard was with her. Just one? They didn’t know.

My heart picked up pace as the train began to move. I couldn’t let her go like that. So, I vaulted over the railin...

The teacher asks me to write down what I love most about my mom. She says we are making cards for Mother’s Day. Other kids are already writing their favorite things about their moms, but there’s so much i love about my mom, I don’t know where to start. After all, she’s all I have.

I write down that I love that my mom is brave. It’s true, she is the most brave person in the world. She wasn’t...

"I'm thinking of ending things," I said quietly as I brought my car to a stoplight.

"Bro! Then what the fuck are you doing going to that weirdo's house to have dinner and meet her parents?" Kenny demanded.

The light turned green and I passed through the intersection. "I don't know," I said behind a scoff, my eyes falling to the bottle of wine on the passenger seat.

"Dude. I know you're n...

"That's it. I'm filing a complaint against those damn dogs." Zoey snapped.

"Go for it. I don't think that useless landlord will do anything. She still hasn't fixed the laundry room door and that thing's been busted for..."

"I know, since before I moved in," Growled Zoey. She paused, the yapping and growling from the two dogs downstairs elevating through our living room window. "How ...