Later that day, I returned to the newspaper’s office; we agreed to meet in person to discuss my story. The other employees had the rest of the week off, and despite how suspicious it seemed, they jumped at the chance to relax. I sat at the conference room desk and waited for Miss Billings. All ...

The eight-foot alligator had disappeared beneath the sea’s debris-littered surface. Empty soda bottles, plastic bags, and random household objects bumped against one another in the light current. Fitz pulled his dangling leg onto the raft and observed their surroundings with a narrowed gaze. “Did you see where it went?” “No,” Marcus quavered. “What the hell ...

“It’s been two days!” I tuck my feet under me and hand Sophie the TV remote. “How long does it take to make a simple decision?” “Now you know why I don’t get along with my dad,” Xander huffs. He lay sprawled on the adjacent couch with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. His ...

Georgiana wasn’t sure what to think when George Wickham called on her for the first time. They had met at the local park and had taken a brief stroll together, but she never expected their acquaintance to go beyond that chance reunion. It surprised her when Mr. Wickham asked for the directions to her rented ...

My aunt’s actions put me in an uncomfortable situation, and I couldn’t help but harbor a sense of bitterness towards her. It was difficult to ask for answers when she was no longer alive. The responsibility of uncovering the truth weighed on my shoulders. I lay in bed and struggled to shake off the overwhelming ...

After crying for an hour, I calmed down to pay the technicians and drove home. My heart still ached the rest of the afternoon and into the night, and only a pint of chocolate ice cream comforted me until I fell asleep. It wasn’t a restful sleep. I found myself in a nightmare of a ...

Two bright red fiberglass oars dipped into murky seawater, propelling the kayak raft forward a few frustrating inches at a time. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, with occasional wind gusts swirling moisture around the bedraggled group. Thick air muffled Bella’s infuriated screams. Each wail grated against Marcus’s increasingly fragile nerves. She cried ...

“What the fuck is going on? Where’s Xander?” Sophie and I follow Nathan into a sea of crewmembers, who are moving debris and medical equipment through the halls of Deck Two. The air is thick with the remnants of smoke, making it difficult to breathe. “Over here, Emily!” Xander waves to them from the medical ...

When I left the office, I spent the day driving and shopping around my Los Angeles neighborhood to forget everything Miss Billings told me. I couldn’t shake the mental picture of Louis with that other woman, no matter how hard I tried. When it hit seven o’clock it became unbearable. To satisfy my curiosity, I ...

Searing pain attacked Esme from all sides. She tried to stay silent, but with each movement and jostle, her agony broke free and pushed from her lungs into the dank air. Sweat drenched Marcus as he grunted and swore. He and Fitz held Esme’s stretcher between them. They had kept their gait smooth down the ...