One morning, I looked out my apartment window and saw the wounded flamingo needed my help. The left wing looked injured, and regardless of why, caring for the bird felt like a necessary act of atonement for my past mistakes. For months I read books and articles on how to care for flamingoes and nursed ...

The flow of memories brought me back to my childhood. We lived in a small town near the state’s capital, and our community was like all other small ones in our country: embrace tradition, go to church, and avoid sin. My mother, Susan, was a beautiful, fair-skinned blond woman. She was suspicious about me being ...

“Is this everything?” Xander sorts through the different memory banks set out on the computer lab’s table. Nathan nods, popping a disk into his laptop. “I even double-checked the ROVs.” “Good.” Xander settles into his chair. I dump a bunch of snacks on a neighboring desk and pluck a Fruit-by-the-Foot and a bag of Skittles ...

“Ugh…” My ears buzzed, louder and louder. A headache joined it and amplified the pain tingling through my body. My neck, arms, back, and legs all ached. Pain pulsed through me. That was good, though. Pain brought me closer to reality. I tried to move, but that made everything hurt more. I growled with discomfort, ...

“What do you mean, we’re in the past?” Xander’s brows form a deep V between his ice-blue eyes as he stares at the CELNAV crewmember. “I mean, we’ve traveled back in time.” The crewmember squints at the constellation maps on the computer in front of him. “Early fifteen hundreds, I’d say.” “You’re kidding.” Xander barks ...

Per my instructions, Carlos dug up as much dirt as possible on Mackenzie Billings, which became plentiful. It took two weeks to uncover sufficient evidence to destroy her reputation. We leaked it to rival news outlets. Everyone blamed her for the unethical activities and toxic workplace she created and thrived in. But even that wasn’t ...

“I don’t think I’ll ever get that image out of my head.” I sit in the Hangar control room with a blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders. The only warmth I feel comes from a steaming cup of tea cradled between my palms on the desk in front of me. Sophie cries softly beside me. ...

My thoughts swirled inside me as I walked back to the hotel. Miss Billings had lied to me all along about Louis! She manipulated me! But I was the one who chose to betray Louis and Miss Martha, this is my fault too. How could you’ve have been so stupid, Jessica? These thoughts continued until ...

Days went by, and still waiting for word from Thelma. I drove to the farm, hoping to see my Uncle Jeb, but he wasn’t on the grounds. It was unusual for him not to be around. The gnawing tug in my gut grew stronger. But when Ralph, the most unobservant of men, failed to offer ...

“I’m telling you, we’ve been up and down this section three times. There’s nothing down here but coral and fish,” a frustrated voice explains over the speaker in the Hangar’s command center. Xander huffs out a breath, throwing his hands in the air. “Well, it must be somewhere. Shipwrecks don’t just disappear.” I put a ...