Stafford Regional was abuzz with the usual morning activity. Teachers and students parked in their respective parking lots, while the rest were dropped off by the fleet of buses arriving from every corner of the region. Since it was a sunny day, many students were still loitering outside, soaking up the rays or sneaking a drag off their vapes. There were the typical cliques one might expect: the jocks, the nerds, the dram...

Olivia Olivia held the elevator door open for Nora as she stepped into her darkened apartment. She reached out and flipped the light switch on the wall, bathing the loft in soft, warm light. She emptied her pockets onto the table beside the door and kicked off her heels. “Make yourself at home,” she said as she slid her palm down to the small of Nora’s back, guiding her in toward the living room. “Do you want something to...

In quiet moments when you turn my way, With shy glances that brighten up my day, I see the spark beneath those lashes low, A warmth you hide, but somehow still shows. I watch you study with such careful grace, Soft strands fall as you tuck them into place. And though you play it calm, I feel your fire, A quiet, fierce, and brilliant desire. You’re more than princess tales, or songs you sing, More than lavender hues and bl...

The night draped over the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela like a dark shroud, its towers soaring majestically against the starlit sky. Valeria moved with determined steps, passing through the cathedral's doors, her eyes lifting to the Portico of Glory, and for the first time, she took in the millennia-old carvings, the figures sculpted as if to guard an everlasting secret. The grandeur of the site enveloped her; the p...

“Welcome, esteemed guests!” Mistress Eva spread her arms decorously toward the crowd currently packed shoulder-to-shoulder into the foyer of the Ouroboros Sex Club. “I’m so pleased to see so many of you here for the continued testing of the Surrender Box! We have a fresh new pair of anonymous volunteers inside who are just dying to meet you all! Who could they be? We’ll never know! Isn’t that delicious?” Siobhan caught my...

Nora Olivia pulled a chair out, ushering Nora to sit. As she took her seat, Nora caught that now-familiar scent of sea salt and sage. She breathed in deeply, wanting to commit the luxurious fragrance to memory. “You look incredible,” Olivia said, her eyes scanning up and down Nora’s body as she took the seat to her left. Her gaze lingered for a fraction longer on the exposed skin of Nora’s thigh. The high slit in her dres...

Chapter 12 Nora “Alright, what about this one?” Nora walked over to her kitchenette where she had her phone propped up on the countertop. She spun around, letting Charlotte see every angle of the form-fitting dress she had on. It was a deep red silky slip dress that hit just below her knees with a slit up to her thigh. The thin straps at her shoulders showed off the dainty gold necklace laying delicately across her collar...

“Hey, what are you going as?” Mia asked me out of nowhere, looking up from her desk. It was close enough to Halloween for me to catch her meaning. “Nothing.” I tried to sound offhand, and not pathetically homesick at all. “Oh, come on.” she swiveled her chair to face me. “You’re not a ‘this is my costume’ orange t-shirt type of girl, are you?” I aggressively wasn’t, but I shrugged like those t-shirts didn’t make me gag, a...

My body was dripping with sweat as I ran down from Cinema 18’s low-side to high-side hallway. Outside, the storm continued to boom, and the emergency lights flickered on in the building. I weaved through the crowd of angry guests and rushed into auditorium nine. The screen was off, and the crowd of customers there were rising up from their seat. I pulled out my walkie and spoke into it. “Picture and sound are off in nine....

The rising sun's light brightened George's attic bedroom, filling the space with a pleasant warmth. His alarm had not yet sounded, but George was finally awake after what had to be at least ten uninterrupted hours of sleep. Feeling more rested and refreshed than ever, he tightened his blanket and relished the coziness for several minutes, enjoying the new and exciting feeling of well-being. His thoughts drifted to the fan...

Chapter 11 Nora “Hi baby!” Nora squealed in a pitch at least an octave higher than her natural register as she walked through her front door on Tuesday evening, arms full of bags and keys dangling precariously from her fingers. Being the mother of a cat was so often a test, not only in patience, but in balance as well. Tony weaved through Nora’s legs in bouncing figure-eights as he meowed so loud she was positive her elde...

George feigned illness to get out of gym class so that he could start working on Farah's piece. He spent all period on the top row of the bleachers, flanking the basketball court, scribbling on his tablet in a flurry of creativity. In truth, this wasn't the first time Farah was the subject of his art, but those were hidden away on sketch pads deep in his closet. Even though Farah's sketches were far more tame than the one...