Lottie Gets Hurt

The heart-shaped face of a barn owl appearing at the window might have startled most other people, but Ren merely quirked an eyebrow as her familiar appeared on the sill. “Are you alright?” she asked, noting the awkwardness of her landing. She got a disgruntled hoot in response. “Let’s have a look,” Ren said, walking …

Parent/Teacher Conference

Mr. Benson looked up from his desk at the knock on his door– it was his 7pm appointment, right on time and his last of the day. “Come in,” he said, standing and reaching out to shake the hand of the woman who entered. “Shelley Jones?” “Tyreek Benson,” she said back to him, completing their …

Teacher/Parent Conference

Mr. Benson looked up from his desk at the crash of his classroom door opening. It was well after school hours and no one should have been in the building besides the custodial staff. He wondered briefly if he had forgotten a scheduled conference, but dismissed the idea. He would never. “Are you Tyreek Benson?” …

Worth It?

She knows how to throw a party, that much is for sure. Even now with my nose in a corner, I notice a silvery streamer stuck to my shoe and it makes me grin. I guess I won’t have much grin left in me soon, so I kinda lean into it, happy for the walls …

Frozen Lake

Cecilia had been warned about the lake. Her older brother James was adamant– adamant– that she not venture onto it, even here in February, even when she was sure it was frozen a good six inches deep. At least, that is what she’d overheard earlier this week as she worked on a snowman and a …

Midnight Release

Oliver stared blearily at his smartwatch, where an offensively bright 3:22am glared back at him. He let his head fall back against the pillow, unsure what had awoken him so suddenly. He reached over to Ben’s side of the bed, bringing to his conscious mind what he already sort of knew– his boyfriend wasn’t there. …

Assigned Seating

Roland looked at his watch, then the clock on his instrument panel. They were identical to the second, but he always found himself checking both when they were running behind. Of course it happened— weather delays and safety checks were part of the business. At least on Roland’s crew, there were rarely preventable delays. Which …

Werewolves Among Us

Dylan paced back and forth along the path that ran behind the large cabin where his pack had gathered. They always gathered here on the full moon, far away from their homes and office jobs and all the mundane bits of their lives. Here, they did not have to resist the call of their inner …

Siri, Remind Me to Spank Sadie

“Sadie!” Caroline called from the bottom of the stairs, “Come down here please.” She turned to walk back to the kitchen, not waiting for a response as she removed her apron en route and then hung it inside the pantry door. She rinsed her hands in the sink, dried them by the oven, and then …

Not Very Professional

Roland stepped into the cockpit, ignoring the noise of surprise from the young woman in what was usually his chair. He cast a somewhat curious look at the seat across from her, where his copilot sat staring up at him. "Justin," Roland said plainly by way of greeting. "Sir," Justin said politely, nodding back, and …