Once she locks the door, Nia puts her clothes back in her suitcase. Afterward, she blocks the closet door and sits on the edge of her bed. What the hell was that all about? A woman I never met before pops out of the closet! Thank God I didn’t undress when she came in. Does ...

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 ...

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,             ...

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, ...

Her duty was clear. The first day of the events within the Conclave mostly involved mingling, as the actual ceremonies didn’t take place until the end of the week. One of the last joining ceremonies was the ones for the slaves. After the ceremonies concluded, most of the dragons returned to their villages. Nia’s body ...

That day, an unfamiliar face stood in the butcher’s shop. A tall, rounded man with a trimmed beard and two emerald green eyes sold her the pork shoulder. Belle stood behind the counter, watching the world play out outside the shop windows. The silence stretched between them. Sounds from outside the building echoed in the ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 **Content Warning:** Contains allusions to emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of a maternal figure.

During the summer of 2009 (I believe), the library in my hometown added on to the building. The library is an old building with several stairs leading up to the doors, so, naturally, I hadn’t been able to go in since I was a young child and my father carried me. As I was finishing ...