As the sun rose over the horizon, Lexi turned the wheel of her Focus and repressed a grimace at the terrifying squeal of too-old axles. She pulled up to a guard station big enough for one, stuccoed and painted light coral.  How is it possible this guard shack looks 100 times better than my own ...

Hikari falls through the closet door and lands on the open top of a large pink suitcase. When she looks up, a frightened young woman holding pepper spray meets her eye. “Wait! I’m not an intruder. Mr. Cash invited me. I won’t hurt you!” The woman hesitates, backs away from the closet, and allows Hikari ...

“This is like a CASTLE!” shouted Matty as he ran through the lobby of the Paradise, a high-rise beachside condominium complex. The lobby atrium towered above his head and filtered bright sunlight down onto plush seats, carefully arranged tropical plants and opulent water features.  “Stay close!” yelled Marcus through the automatic glass doors as he ...

Thunder from the approaching storm grows louder while the ocean waves below the castle create a deep hum that echoes into the upstairs hallway. At the writing desk, Nia taps her pencil on the journal page while she thinks of words to improve her poem. So far, it goes like this,             Bubble poppers,             ...

Rionan flicked away the lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes. It had grown long in the past year, but wasn’t long enough to properly tie into a braid. She did her best to ignore it and focus on her work. The blazing sun refused to let up while she bent over the ...

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jacobs. He’s gotta go.”  Lexi Jacobs sent waves of ire back over the rickety desk and squeezed the faded gray upholstery that surrounded the arms of her chair. Her back stiffened as anger flooded her capillaries and reddened her pale skin. She aimed her glare at the daycare owner’s limp yellow hair ...

Hikari stares at the castle and its decorations; it shows confidence, despite its messy appearance of mismatching décor and the approach of an angry thunderstorm. She smiles to herself. Mr. Cash always has confidence, even giving it to his home. I want to have that kind of feeling in myself. She heads towards the front ...

The castle’s entrance walls are a deep shade of bloody red. Throughout the great hall, paintings and photographs of various games surround every which way. Nia tries to walk in quietly as possible, not wanting to disrespect Chav and to make herself invisible to any other guests who may already be in their rooms. However, ...

When I see youDo I see you? When I hear youDo I listen to you? Am I the only one here?Is it all my reflection? I want to break the mirrorbut the mirror is my reflection, When I break itI see another mewatching me I don’t want to be alone.I want you to join me. ...

The man who grabbed their attention was in his mid-sixties, at least, with a salt-and-pepper beard that reached his chest. He had a full mug in hand like he had just returned from the bar. Kally sniffed and nodded, “Why?” Derrick hesitated. “It’s for a project,” he hedged. “We’re college students.” The man lumbered over ...