The entrance to Barrier Island’s lab is not unlike that of a hospital. Shattered glass doors lead into a dark lobby, now covered in moss. The stench of neglect lingers in the forgotten hallways. We click our flashlights on in tandem, illuminating the corridor ahead. Something slithers underfoot, and I shiver. “It’s awfully quiet in ...

Snow had covered Manhattan for three straight days. As the sun rose, Lacey woke up already weighed down by the past few weeks. She felt like she hadn’t left her apartment in ages, though it had only been a few days. As she walked through the living room, she glanced at the couch. Brooke had ...

Riley and I froze when we heard someone singing Billy Joel’s You May Be Right, off-key. “…I may be crazy…Hey it just might be a lunatic you’re looking for…you may be wrong, but you may be right…” “Oh, hey, watcha doing over there? Playing I spy?” Curt. “Shhh!” we both said. The yacht was now ...

A flower pushed its way through the soil toward the sun. It coils upwards, then, just before blooming, tilts down and sheds its petals. “Damn,” I say. Hawthorn smiles with a flash of disappointment in her eyes. “You got close.” “Not close enough.” “You’re being too hard on yourself. It took me months to get ...

“Elizabeth, you look radiant. Welcome to the Menton,” he said. The chef bowed to the pair and returned to the kitchen. Elizabeth greeted James in kind and sat down across from him at the table. She looked around for a menu but found none. “It’s not that kind of place, I’m afraid,” said Mr. O’Donnell, ...

The happiness I clung to blinded me to her absence. Dim, flickering lights suffused the moment with a ghostly breeze, and I surrendered to it. The atmosphere thickened, every barrier dissolving with the seductive mist. My mind shifted to the problem unfolding before me. Did I do something wrong? The instruments kept playing, mirroring the ...

Persephone   A maelstrom of emotions whirled through her—confusion, anger, longing—as she stalked through the Underworld. Souls scurried away. Lamia, the blind snake-woman, hissed venomously. Thanatos and Erebus snickered, elbowing one another. Even Nyx, Hecate, and Cerberus, who were having tea together in the residential cavern, watched her as she went. Each was surprised to see her; she never left the throne room cavern. She didn’t care what any of them thought. Not ...

Every instinct is telling me to run. My muscles are tense, and I take a steadying breath. I look to my comrades, a question on the tip of my tongue. What do we do now? “We do this together.” Asher sets his jaw. “Remember your training.” Jamie shoots him a concerned glance. Her reason is ...

I love my family. My brothers and I always get along, despite their loud, obnoxious nature. Having a dad to take care of me is a breath of fresh air when I’m normally so alone. But two weeks is the longest break I can remember them taking between hunts. Since Quince turned eighteen, at least ...

Over a week had passed since the shooting. Elizabeth spent most of her recovery in her room hanging out with Jules. She had to avoid screens for the first few days, so they would sit and listen to podcasts instead of watching anything. Her parents had visited the weekend before, which was nice but also ...