“Babes, wake up, you’re going to be late.” It was Jason. He stood above Sarah looking down at her with loving eyes. Sarah sat up, yawned, and looked at the time. Half past nine. Her shift at the store started in forty-five minutes. “Shit! Alright, I’m up.” Another yawn. “What on earth are you doing down here?” he asked. Sarah had never thought about this; she had to think fast. Theo was in the kitchen. She saw him go to s...

  The intense heat of a mid-August night swirled about the room; even with the window open there was little respite. The faint glow of a streetlight outside made its way into the room, just enough to illuminate the golden reading lamp and the over-used armchair it was directed at. The bookshelves that lined the scarlet red walls and the many books that adorned them, from the collection of deep, gem-coloured novels embosse...