Tom led Ingrid through the halls. Elsewhere on the compound, shouts and crashes broke through the night, leading priests away from their stealthy route. Ingrid kept her hand on the knife in her belt. The leather grip stuck to her sweaty palm and one fraying end tickled her finger. She flicked it away and waited ...

Derrick, Kally, and Taylor waited for the interviewer in lab two with Dr. Fraiser. The second, much smaller lab was freezing, and no amount of squirming in their seats helped fight it off. Derrick peeked at Kally and waited for her to nod before they both snuggled up to either side of Taylor. He grunted ...

Ingrid bounced little Erik in her arms while she waited for Helgi’s answer. His haggard face scooped firelight into the hollows of his cheeks and the curly wisps of his beard. She thought back fondly to a time when he hadn’t been able to grow even a short goatee. When she stumbled across that sixteen-year-old ...

Rionan was nervous. She knew it would come to this. She tugged at the cords that bound her hands and hissed when they held tight. Abandoning the endeavor momentarily, she sighed and leaned against the church basement wall. Gunnar hadn’t been subtle in the last few months as he prowled around town, inserting himself into ...

The fire is roaring, but I hardly feel the heat as my body shivers. My skin is hot yet refuses to sweat, indicating a fever has set in. Doctor Jones is being fetched at Mr. Bingley’s insistence, but this gives me little comfort. I am in a stranger’s bed, in a borrowed nightgown, and being ...

I am lying on the bedcovers, my white dressing gown glowing in the moonlight spilling from the open window. A slight breeze swirls the curtains and a chill runs down my spine. My chest rises and falls as if I had just run across the lawn of Longbourn. A few moments of silence pass when ...

Dr. Fraiser pushed them hard. Derrick had never pulled so many all-nighters in his life. He fell asleep for a few hours at a time on the student lounge couch and woke up to work again. It wasn’t just the artifacts that had them struggling; they had to write an analysis and review all the ...

Equally Unequal The women are hell-bent on taking control of the men’s village. Equality is an ideal that few believe in. The plan is simple. Catch the men off-guard and overtake their village. The worldwide movement for women’s rights—and many men’s resistance to it—will end. In nature, animals battle for dominance; so will humanity. Women ...

The carriage comes to a stop along the busy road, and I can see crowds of people through the window. I lift the curtain as I gaze at the front entrance of the Royal Menagerie. Young parties and families blend together to enter as one. The attendant lowers the steps to the carriage, snapping me ...

Sigrid was pale against the pillows. Ingrid patted the sweat from her face while the midwife carted away bloody rags and sheets. This one was the daughter of the last midwife they’d consulted. She’d arrived, saying her mother was ill and couldn’t make it, took one look at Sigrid, and explained she was much further ...