[ IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LONG, YET IRRESISTIBLY FANTASTIC READ, THIS IS IT ]

“Its done.” A smile crossed her stressed features. Eva was sweating, but she chose to ignore that factor. All that mattered was if she had made Vel happy. Every piece of attention she earned from him was like a drug. She couldn’t seem to stop running after him, even if she wanted. Sometimes she cursed herself for the ...

“Do you really love me?” I ask.

It’s late at night and we’re sitting on the living room couch watching a movie. His left arm is around my shoulders and I’m wrapped in a blanket.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He retorts without even looking my direction.

“I just needed to make sure.”

“Why?” He finally turns towards me. “What do you think this is?”

“I don’t know. You seem so distant lately.” ...

The bride

slithered out

with the snake oil man

— the Moody one,

who swore it’s all okay

he’s got the cure for the cure,

an answer to it,

no question about it,

no turn left unstoned,

a little vial on his necklace,

a silver tongue on his red lips,

the rudder of venom

steering the sick ship

off course (of course)

—— and she’s happy

she’s fun and games

she’s sinking, child

she’s flailing her ar...

Charming

Alarming

Disarming

Startling

Get away

Or stay

Your way

You sway

Hustle

Bustle

Tussle

Guzzle...

“It’s sexy how you can do that.”

“Do what?”

“Trick people. Make them think -“

“I’m not tricking them, Mary. They’re tricking themselves. They can think what they want.”

“I just mean, they don’t want to do something, then they do. Because of you.”

“No, that’s wrong. They want to do it the whole time. I just make them realize it.”

“I don’t think they’d see it that way.”

“Do you?”

“Par...

These battle with my head

They can’t keep going

On and on

They just won’t stop

Why am I here

Why is today here

If all I do

Is wait for tomorrow to be better

Why am I here

If all I do is sit and bother

Messed up and broken

No way to fix

Ending again

Lonely and sad

I’ll cry to myself

Because again it took over

These battles I fight

I never win

My brain taking over

Now nothing is left

Hope is go...

“Davey?”

Beth toyed with the hem of her blazer. Her boss, David Grimthorpe, was fishing around in the trunk of his Benz. Beth repeated to herself over and over, ‘it’s just Davey, under the nice clothes it’s just big sweet Davey.’

The recreation park’s parking lot was a beehive of excited elementary school kids, tired parents, and flustered coaches. The start of the CYO cross country season was ...

“How’d you-“ The auburn haired man begins to ask.

“If you say, “How’d you end up here tonight?” I. WILL. LOSE. IT!” The bartender whips around with a shout. Her hair tussled up in a messy bun. Sweat coating the back of her neck as the pulsing techno beats assault her ears.

“Well I… I thought it was good…”. The auburn haired man responds, his cheeks a crimson red. He sheepishly sits down o...

You run your fingers over fingers over velvet

He runs his talons through his hair

Blade under sleeve and sleeve and

The thought alone has you stifling with sweat

He takes the pot and thanks the chair

You’re bent like a low card

You dance across the house floor

A high roller

Charmer of pockets, he does more because

Now the scene shifts from floor to room to bed

And you’ll run your fingers through...

Charm is a deceptive thing. When used correctly, it is a powerful, scary thing. I learned that the hard way.

I fell for a guy. Deceptively cunning and what I thought to be sweet. He was just manipulative.

His name was James Lanfield, and I fell for him like he fell for me. Or so I thought.

Then I started to see the signs, started listening to the people around me.

But it was too late to turn back....