The ocean felt endless from the little dinghy. The press of Kila against my shoulder was overwhelming and sweaty. Three days since the The Pearl sank, Lanta sat in the rower’s seat. Despite my aching arms, I counted the seconds until my turn. The sun started to set over the horizon. “Should I scrounge dinner together?” ...

“C’mon, Jade, don’t be a loser.” I look over at my cousin Lily. She brushes her hair from her face, the sneer highlighted by the bold blue streaks her mother let her get. I could never pull it off. Her friends seem bored. “Okay, fine!” I slid my hand forward and set it on the ...

The bite mark on his neck seared. He poked at it, the angry red, highlighted with a sickly green ring. The imprint almost looked human, with the circle of teeth. But no human has canines so long. His phone buzzed from its place on the nightstand. Audrey. “Hey, up for another party tonight? 🙂” He ...

I was too far into my memories to detect the emptiness of the wooden house; the silence that fell to the pigeons perched on the branches of the mango tree outside. The rocking chair, with its comforting creaks, grew quiet behind me, and the warm sensation that permeated my body and relaxed my soul vanished ...

3rd of Sundanse, It is my thirtieth day away from the village. One entire month has passed since I’ve seen another living human. I’m close now; I can feel it. I’m going to find a dragon, a culmination of years of research, both mine and Miri’s. Although it has been a long and lonely journey, ...

The man on the pier was loud. Blue perched low in the waves, and watched as he flailed around in unison with his words. His face was redder than a lobster. She should grab this man, drag him deep into the water below and eat him. He would be such an easy prey. If he ...

The field sparkled as the sunlight hit the morning dew. The sky was cloudless, and the birds shook off their slumber. Almost all the residents in the cottage on the edge of town still slept. All but little Mayflower. She threw open the kitchen shutters and made her way outside. The grass tickled her feet, ...

Once upon a time, in a part of Thailand, there lived a man named Cadeo, who inherited a rice paddy field from his late father, along with a single ox. Although he learned much from his parents and was eager to work, he had a hard time plowing through the mud because his tools were ...

On that second of February, the sky was clear and bright, and the sun’s powerful rays were felt even below the ground’s surface. The groundhog lay asleep deep within its sand burrow, curled up like a cinnamon roll. Soil sprinkled its brown fur, resembling diamond dust as he dreamed of his father. My son, I ...

The gentle throb of neon lights, pulsating with anticipation on my sweating palms. The air thick and heavy with deafening music, each unfortunate soul dancing to the rhythm of their demise. Every step a futile attempt to live and breathe, their vessels weakening in each second spent. “Mi amor,” your gentle whisper masked within the ...