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My heart is a mango
which you painstakingly peeled
stripped it like armor
piece by piece
words and smiles penetrating like knives.
My heart is a mango
which you slowly devoured
taking me inch by inch
each bite a soft caress
each nibble a promise
until I was entirely yours.

"I'm pregnant." she whispers through the crack in the wall.
He can barely see her lips in the pale moonlight. His heart pounds at the thought of Maria taking anyone else into her bed.
"Whose?" he chokes out, his voice a hoarse gasp.
She is silent.
He struggles to get a better view of her through the narrow space, willing his eyes to adjust more quickly to the darkened light.
"Whose, Maria?!" he demands, his hands beginning to shake. "You had better tell me now, so that when I have sprung us from this place I will not kill every man we come upon, only the man you profess to me. I shall have his head."
"If you plan to follow through with that proposition, then you plan a suicide, Damion." her voice is barely audible.

It was a cold morning in Kansas as Beth stepped out of her hotel room. The sun was just beginning to peak over the endlessly flat horizon, blocked out only by a few oil drills; pumping constantly the unforgiving Kansas Earth. A few shipping trucks were running, waiting, polluting the crisp air with their CO2 heavy exhaust fumes. "Always low prices. Wal*Mart." announced the side of one of them. They made the air smell dirty, like cigarette smoke mixed with french fry grease.
Beth coughed. She hated Kansas. She hated that there were no hills to accidentally wreck on while driving. She hated that all you had to do to check for an impending storm was look out the window. And she hated that you could see for miles in any direction.
The hum of three or four diesel engines was interrupted by the opening of the door beside hers. Out bustled a teenage girl carrying a baby. The infant was sleeping and the girl looked to be about seventeen. Behind her emerged a young man of hispanic descent, who also looked to be about seventeen. He closed the door behind him and set down a brown suitcase and a diaper bag. He kissed the girl on the forehead and she smiled at him then out at the sunrise. The same sunrise Beth was looking at. And she looked content.
'She's happy.' Beth though. 'Truly happy. So much younger than me. Probably doesn't have a degree in anything. Maybe never will. And she's happy. Much happier than I am.' This revelation made Beth want to hug the girl and then go throw up somewhere. She resisted both urges and retreated back into her room to finish packing.

I am stretched to the point of snapping,
like a rubber band between two semi's,
my insides clenching together as my ribs grow slowly apart,
my lungs holding onto each other for dear life,
my stomach and my kidney's sobbing their last farewells.

I am belly up, face down, strung out, breathing in, screaming.

I am the skeleton in everyone's closet,
the corpse in their tragically small trunk,
the one the East River spits back up,
like a toddler does strained beets.

I am the smoked out sore throat,
I am the snorted up sizzling sinuses,
I am the black track mark desecrating the once peach upper-arm.

I am on the side of I-70,
sporting a thumb and a little leg,
begging for a ride to the coast,
it doesn't even matter which one.

I am the crescent moon,
beautiful but unfulfilled.

And suddenly the silence is my saviour
giving me a place to hide my crimson cheeks
my bloodshot eyes search out yours, search out an answer
but you turn away, like you've done for weeks

And the mystery that surrounds us
shrouding us in a haze of grey
thickens with each word left unspoken
blinding us with everything we have to say

With most of my heart I did love him,
he was my moon in the dark dark night.
With most of his heart he did love her.
And too broken was I to fight.

Unbearable the silence was;
Alone he left me in dismay.
Cursing her every footstep,
until I met her one day.

Surprised was I to find her beauty.
Her smile was the sun in the darkest night.
With a clumsy grace she stumbled forth,
and turned my bitterness to light.

Hand in hand we frolicked,
lost in days of dream.
Her laughter chased the cold away,
endless it did seem.

But end it did,
despite my silent pleas.
To her and my hearts locked together;
The boy of our affections held the keys.

He laughed in the face of our linked fingers,
and jeered at the mark of my lips on her cheek.
And when we hid behind our pride,
he announced us weak.

Yet while we nursed our broken ego,
we noticed the stain of a tear on his face.
He loved us both with most of his heart,
and we'd each taken his place.

To my disgust she embraced him,
and promised to hold him dear.
Spilling apologies as from a fountain,
her choice of him over me she made clear.

But as I stumbled away she called out,
and asked why I did not stay,
When I could have both loves of my life?
But my reasoning I could not say.

My silence she took as hatred,
my tears she took as rebuke.
Back she ran to her/our lover,
and my actions towards her he mistook.

While comfort eachother they set off to do,
I packed my bags and did depart.
Drying my tears at the lack of her warmth,
for I did love her with most of my heart.

Highlight of a quilted night
Stitched with silence, lust and lies
Bitten lips and butterflies
A stain of pain still lingers here...

Embroidered in a frame of blue
Adorned with glitter, paint and beads
Two hands entangle gloriously
Shivers of want still linger here...

Desperate tears soak delicate hems
Bloody from thimble-less fingers
Sweat soaked determination catches fire
An unperformed play still lingers here...

If by some insane circumstance you happened to skip over the first part of my story then you might think me an orphan. But truth be told I am not an orphan and you will never hear me claim to be one.
On the contrary; my story starts with a family. A woman and her daughter. A small family but a strong one nonetheless. The mother is a sorceress called Liana, not a very well known sorceress in the region but a powerful one all the same.
My mother was the kind of person people loved to be around. She was beautiful too; eyes as green as the grass in the spring, with hair as red as a rose. Her cheeks were always rosy and her hands were always warm.
My mother's story is a simple, if sad tale. She was a magical child, strong in the ways of the goddess, with a glowing light always surrounding her. As she grew into a young woman her glow grew brighter and her eyes shown like candles in the night.
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday she got herself into a somewhat foolish predicament involving a pack of wood nymphs. She was rescued by a woodsman, a mortal, who soon stole her heart. Together they basked in the glory of youthfull innocence and new love, as inseperable as two intertwining vines.
He died the morning after my conception. Some say that is when the light around my mother dimmed and her candle-like eyes were extinguished. My birth brought some of the light back but not all of it, never all of it.
I've heard this tale many times but never from my mother. It's bad luck to tell your own story. I dont remember much of my childhood, for it ended when I was nine. All I remember before the age of five is my mother's arms; ever warm, ever strong, always there. When I was six we moved from the hut where we had lived in my grandfather's village. Although at that point it wasn't his village anymore. His heart had given way and a new village leader, a threatening village leader, was taking over.
We moved to a place called Avalon Acres, which is where I would live for the next four years. To my mother it was a safe havan, a Wiccan sanctuary. To me it was just a place to explore.

“K-Karen?” Jenny’s voice is nervous. “What happened?!” Henry can hear her through the wall that divides their bedrooms, his heart skips a beat at the word ‘Karen’. “O-Oh god. He hit you?!” Henry stands and pulls on his pants, then looks around for his shoes. “I-I’m so sorry. Y-Yeah, we’ll come get you.” He grabs his keys. “Yah, Henry won’t mind.” He checks the mirror self consciously, running a hand through his untidy hair. “We’ll be there soon. Wait on the corner.” There’s the sound of the phone being hurriedly slammed onto the receiver and then he can hear his little sister as she hurriedly gets dressed; he waits at the door for her to knock, which doesn’t take long.
He opens the door and notes the paleness Jenny’s face. “Yeah, I heard. Let’s go.” She gives him a worried nod and starts for the stairs.
It’s dark, maybe midnight, and the moon seems to be hiding. Henry drives towards town while Jenny sits silent in the passenger seat, her knees pulled up, her arms wrapped around them. For once they aren’t bickering. His heart speeds up as they approach the corner where Karen is waiting. She shines, even in the moonless dark. Her long dark brown hair is back in a loose braid, she’s wearing a baggy sweater and jeans, and there’s a very visible bruise on her cheek. Henry’s hands tighten on the steering wheel as he comes to a stop in front of her.
She climbs into the back seat with a sniff. “Thanks guys.”
“No problem, Kare. Are you okay? How bad is it?” Jenny is turned around in her seat, staring fearfully at her best friend.
“It’s not bad.” Karen says passively, her eyes focusing on something outside of the window. “I’ll survive.”
“Well you’re sure as hell not going back there.” Jenny announces. “God. I can’t fucking believe your dad.”
Karen blinks. “Not going back? I have to go back….it’s home.”
Jenny gapes. “Karen! Do you want him to beat you up again?!”
Henry attempts to speak and fails, his words coming out as a gruff glob of incoherent-ness. He clears his throat and tries again. “Karen. You’re gonna stay with us for a while, and then you can decide. Okay?” He tries to sound like he might actually let her go back, which is a total lie.
Karen looks up, meeting his eyes in the rearview. She nods, silent.

The silence was amazing. There is no other way to describe it. So much passed between us in that silence, so many things were brought to light, without the utterance of a word. Everything we would've said was made ten times more potent because we didn't say it. And I walked away barely holding myself together.
Did our messages clash? Were we saying the same thing? Yes, I have no doubt. We knew eachother well enought to know, we picked up on those little signales; the ones that only ourselves and eachother could understand. Sorrowful eyes, the hint of a sad smile, the shoving of hair behind an ear.
Silence. Footsteps. Car door. Engine. Gone.
I sunk to the ground, my world ceasing to move.

Boston Harbor glittered in front of him as Jack strolled alone on the beach. Home had gotten too hectic. Rissa and Cole were discussing financial problems and both were getting slightly worked up about it. Quint was watching Russell. And Felix was sleeping off a hangover on Jack's bed.
Felix. Jack groaned at the thought of him. Felix confused Jack beyond anything else. Jack had always been the type of guy looking for unending affection and stability. Felix only offered the affection, and even that was slightly inconsistent. Felix was a bad boy, the type that Jack had never really gone for before. But now he could't even think about Felix without being hurled into a mental state of immense confusion and angst.
There were lots of things about Felix that he didn't like. The fact that he was a nympho was one of them, and the fact that he was hardly ever sober. Also, Jack was hoping for someone who could cook! And well...actually...he had no idea if Felix could cook or not.
But there were also things about Felix that Jack found irrisistable. His smile, his hair, his skills in the bedroom. Damn him for turning Jack into a love slave.
Jack sighed, hating that he couldn't control his feelings.

Tommy awoke with a start and looked around. It was not yet dawn and Kate's sleeping form had not stirred. He smiled at her, loving the fact that she had stayed the night, again. He watched as her breathing made her chest rise and fall. He loved her chest. He loved her hair too, with the moonlight giving it a silvery aura. Come to think of it, he loved everything about her, which is why he didn't understand why it was so hard to admit, even to himself, that he loved her.
He supposed it was fear of commitment. Tommy had been alot of things in the past few years but he had certainly not been commited. To anyone. Much less a girl. His last actual relationship had been Marissa. And that was four years ago. Up until he met Kate, Tommy's life had been categorized by one night stands and odd jobs. Kate gave him motivation, she made him want to get a steady job and a house. She made him want to settle down. The thought had previously been horrifying but it seemed like a dream come true if Kate would be there beside him.
He smiled down at her as she rolled over, reaching out blindly for him. He felt as if he was glowing. Did he love her? If this wasn't love then it was close, maybe better. He felt like he was on vicoden. Happiness and joy seemed to radiate from his heart.
He was getting attached, and at the moment he didn't even care if it came back to bite him in the ass later. It was worth it.

The heat of the afternoon sun erupted around Aiden as he stepped out of an air-conditioned office, which had just served as the setting of his very first job interview. It hadn't gone well and he was disconcerted. The man on the other side of the mahogany desk had seemed immune to the natural charisma that Aiden used to manipulate people. He hadn't responded to Aiden's rare smile and the conversation had ended with "Yes....well....if we need someone of your....skill level, we'll call you.", the tone of the man's voice suggesting to Aiden that he ought to try getting a job at McDonalds or Taco Bell.
He shuddered at the thought. Sure, McDonalds would seem 'honorable' next to his current occupation but it would also be embarrassing. Embarrassing! The word that meant he actually cared about other people's opinions. He hated the word, mostly because the whole concept of giving a fuck about what other people thought was foreign to Aiden. However it was not necessarily new. He'd always cared what Holly thought of him, and this was no different. What would she say if she came home to him announcing a position in the fast food industry?
Not as pressing was his concern for what she thought of him, but still important, was his concern for what people thought of her. Aiden's philosophy was simple; as long as Holly was on his side, the rest of the world could fuck off. Holly, however, didn't feel this way. He remembered the day she had come home in tears because the kids at school had made fun of their relationship. Nobody likes to be made fun of but Holly had really seemed to fixate on the fact that others considered their being together wrong and nasty. More than anything, Aiden hated seeing Holly upset, especially hen he couldn't console her. It made him feel inadequate.
He sighed. What would the kids at school think if Aiden was the one taking their orders at the next Taco Bell drive- through they went to? He growled at the notion as he turned the corner onto a street a few blocks from their apartment. He disliked that his necessity for Holly forced him to consider the views of others. But the fact of the matter was that he did need her, badly. He felt dead without her, numb. She was his sun, spreading warmth through every part of him. So he was going to have to suck it up and get a real job, one that wouldn't embarrass Holly.
Thunder rumbled and Aiden glanced up towards the darkening sky. It was going to storm and Holly would be scared; he detoured to the place where Holly's bus let off, ready to be comforting when she appeared. Lightning flashed, thunder sounded and the skies opened up, pouring forth their rage in pounding rain. Aiden stood in the thick of it, getting drenched, waiting for the girl he loved.

The silence of the evening closes in on them and for a moment everything is okay. His head is in her lap as she leans against the stone railing of the bridge.
"You can see up my nose right now, can't you?" Her tone holds humor and a slight trace of nervousness.
"Nah, its too dark." He replies, chuckling at her.
She sighs, relieved.

"Ah," I pause. "But...Arizona? How random is that?"
He shrugs. "Does it matter? I mean c'mon, it's God!"
I flip the map around to get a closer look at the destination. "So...God's at a hotel?"
"Room 204." He replies.
"You don't believe in God." I remind him.
"I know, thats why we've got to find him."
"Her."
"According to you."
"Wait, we?"
"Well you're coming with me, of course."
"What? Why?"
"C'mon Kali, whats left for you here?"
"...alot of stuff!"
"Name something."
"...my mom!"
"Your moms been constantly stoned since the divorce. She doesn't even recognize you anymore!"
"Gee you're kind. Y'know people like you are the reason I'm going to need therapy later in life."
"Oh c;mon Kali, I'm only telling the truth."
"Devan, you're only pissing me off."
"Kali...please?" He looks at me pleadingly, pouting his lip just right so that my favorite lip ring sticks out.
"What about my dad?"
He blinks. "Huh?"
"He's left here for me."
Devan sighs. "Don't lie to yourself Kal. Your dad isn't here. I mean sure, he's here physically but his mind is somewhere else entirely. He hasn't been the same since the divorce and neither have you."

New Story:

(description)
Kali, a Wiccan, and her best friend Devan, a Christian-curious Atheist, set out on a search for god.

(sneak peak)
THUMP! Something falls through my window and hits my floor. "Ow, fuck!"
"Devan, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Kali! Thank God you're awake."
"I'm always awake Dev, what do you want?"
"I found it!"
". . . it?"
"Yes!"
"What is it?"
"Its....It!"
I press my palms against my eyes frustratedly. "Devan, you're not helping."
He pulls a crumpled peice of paper from the pocket of his jeans.
I sigh and reach over, turning on the lamp on my bedside table. I sit up and push down the covers, revealing my tanktop and underwear. Devon doesn't even blink, as he's seen me in much less. Instead he uncrumples the paper and holds it under the light.
"It's a map to God!" He says excitedly.
I stare at him, half in surprise, half in horror, with my mouth half open.
"Now before you start defending your religion, and mine, let me explain something to you." He takes a deep breath as I, almost painfully, hold my tongue. "I-I need something to believe in, Kali. I'm going insane."
I stare at him. "Yes, Devan, you are, because you know what, up until a few minutes ago, you were perfectly fine believing in? NOTHING! And it made you happy to do so, not insane."
He doesn't flinch at my words, he probably expected them. "Kali, you dont understand. My moms in jail."
"Again? For what?"
"Heroine."
"Oh." I know this means she isn't getting out any time soon. I also partly understand Devan's need for something to believe in. I take the map from him and look at it: It's apparently up to date, set in the US, starting in Boston and ending in Arizona. Its a printoff. "What did you do? Mapquest God?"
"No. I googled religious theory and this was one of the links off of a philosophy site."
I glance back at the map. "And you really think God's in the US? I mean, shouldn't She be in Jerusalem or something?"
"He."
"According to you."
"And why would he be in Jerusalem? His only begotten son was crucified there."
I raise my eyebrows at him.
"I read the bible last night." he replies.
"Ah." I pause. "But...Arizona? How random is that?"

Ellie Ramont had captivated him. She had done what any other mortal would have DIED trying to do. She had captivated death. She had caught the attention of the grim reaper and lets just say killing her was farthest from his mind. It should be taken into consideration that not all grim reapers are 17 year old boys, but this one was, so lets get on with the story.


scene: ellie and centric watch the sunset on top of a hill, her head is in his lap.

"Centric?"
"Yeah?"
"How come i can see you?"
there was a pause. "I don't know." which was a total lie, centric knew why she could see him, at least he guessed. There was a rumor in hell that if ever a mortal saw the grim reaper it meant that that mortal was the reaper's one true love, which was all fine and dandy, except that it was also said once the reaper had found this person it would be a while but he would eventually have to kill her.
The sun fell below the horizon and it was quite suddenly dark. Centric felt Ellie shiver where her head was on his lap. He picked up his cloak which sat beside him on the ground and draped it over her. What was he doing? He couldn't do this. He couldn't become attached. This was just another one of his soon to be victims. He would have to kill her eventually. But he couldn't stand the thought of not being around her.
Ellie yawned. "oh man im tired. I should go home."
"not yet." Centric said, surprising himself. he wasn't controlling his words. "stay here, with me." he almost added a 'forever' onto that but didn't.
"Allright." said ellie yawning again. "but i must warn you; i might fall asleep....." her voice got fainter as she went on and soon enough she was out, breathing with the slow concentrated breaths Centric knew mortals made when they slept.

He let her sleep for a little while, pulling the cloak up around her shoulders more and combing his fingers through her hair. Her eyelids fluttered occasionally, a sure sign of dreaming, and once or twice she let out soft gasp, as if in horror. She sat up suddenly. Breathing heavily, looking terrified. She glanced at Centric who stared at her in puzzlement.
"I...I...I've got to go." she stuttered, standing up and handing him his cloak.
Centric looked up at her and the look on his face was one of confusion, and also one of hurt. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"No!" she almost yelled. "No, its just. I...I shouldn't be here, with you, tonight. You! You're death for heavens sake. You're the grim reaper! And me? I'm just....sixteen." she took a deep breath. "I should be hoping never to see you again! Not falling asleep in your lap!" She inhaled sharply and pushed her hair back with one hand.
Centric just stared at her and a slight look of outrage crossed his face. "And why is that?" he asked angrily, standing up.
She stood still and gave him a look of complete regret. "Don't you get it?" she asked quietly. "You're death. Whenever you're around it means that someone around me is going to die. Who know's? It could be me!"
Centric knew she was right, but it didn't stop the hurt from completely penetrating his heart, or what he had left of one. He bowed his head.
"And another thing! How are you here with me right now? Shouldn't you be off killing people?" It sounded as if she had screamed this but as he looked up Centric realized she was talking in a normal voice and standing right in front of him. They met eyes and stood there for a moment, taking eachother in, both of them seething with emotion. Ellie put her hands on both sides of his face and pulled him down to her, completely surprising him with a kiss. An amazing kiss.

The grandfather clock rings out in twelve deafening chimes, angelic and clear. On the sixth, I rise from my bed, unaware as to why, but conscious of what I'm doing. I make my way down the dark hall, pausing breifly as my grandmother's black cat, Eliza, crosses in front of me. My feet find the top of the stairs and I start down. There are one hundred and twenty, counted and recounted when I was nicne. My hand finds the banister, familiar and smooth. It helps me to the bottom. I take a step forward and the entirety of the main hall encompasses me. The clock strikes its twelfth chime, one of the doors of the main entrance creaks open.
I was across the floor, my slippered feet making no noise, and place my hand on the doorknob. A chill runs up and down my spine. I step out into the cool night air and slowly pull the door closed behind me until it clicks.
I make my way around the side of the mansion until I find the path to the garden. Its overgrown with weeds and vines and traversing it is a task in itself, much less seeing well enough to notice its twists and turns. At times I doubt that I'm still on it, but the light of the crescent moon stays faithful to me, and my feet follow the path obediently. As I travel on the garden creeps up around me. It, like the path, is overgrown and claimed by vines and weeds.
A smell ensnares my senses. The smell of the only flower that survived years of neglect and overcrowding; the rose. The roses climb up the statues and benches and wind their way around the trees, of all the vines they seem the most abundant, and they look black in the shadows.
An archway shrouded in black roses marks the end of the garden and the beginning of the family graveyard. This is also where the headstones start. EAch one encompassed in darkness with the same name visible at the top: "GALLOWAY".
I start through the maze of graves until I find the center of the cemetary, and my parents' graves. Alexander and Bethany Galloway, two headstones separated only by a statue.
The statue is of an angel and she is amazing. I would visit here as a child and when it hurt too much to look a tthe gravestones I would study her features, her figure, everything about her. Her wings spread out behind her like majestic flames, her dress flowing solidly in the neverending wind. Her palms pressed together in prayer and her hair draped up on her head in strands like a waterfall. I know this angel, she is mind. My grandmother once told me that she was my guardian angel, and I never once doubted it. I could recite her appearance froma athousand miles away. I could not look at her for twenty thousand years and still recognize her instantly in a picture. Tonight, however, she is different, foreboding. My eyes widen as I comprehend why; a line of blood flows from between her praying hands.
I gasp and wake up. I'm back in my bed, drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily. It's not yet light otu. I inhale and exhale slowly, trying to calm myself and steady my heart which threatens to beat through my chest.I rise, and pull a robe on over my nightgown; It's no use trying to go back to sleep.
I take the same steps as in my dream and find myself, once again, in front of my parents graves. Everything is exactly the same as my dream except the moon is full and there is no blood trickling from the angels palms. A gust of wind blows my hair across my face.
I kneel before her as chimes sound in the distance when the clock strikes six and the air seems to stand still. A sense of unearthliness overtakes me and I am caught in the moment, suspended, waiting.
Eliza brushes against my leg as the sixth chime ends, and the spell is broken. I shudder as I rise and start back to the mansion. The sky begins to brighten as I get near and I notice that there is a light on in the kitchen, signaling that my grandmother is up.

She nodded. “Sounds good to me.” She rose and followed Hayden out of the room.
The town was small, but at least it was a town. There was a small diner about a block from the motel, where Hayden and Cassie ended up. It had air conditioning too, which was a plus. They sat at a table near the back, sipping water and cooling off.
“How old are you Miss Cassie?” Hayden asked, curiously.
“Seventeen,” She replied. “And yourself?”
“Eighteen.” He said, grinning.
“Ah. You must feel stupid, running around with a couple kids like us.” She said.
“Why? How old is John?” He asked.
“Seventeen, like me, we’re twins.” She replied.
“Ah, I see. You guys don’t look alike.” He noted.
“No, we don’t.” She said, expecting that comment, as she got it from everyone else.
“You want somethin tah eat honey?” A lady in a waitress outfit asked, approaching their table.
“I’ll have toast.” Hayden said, smiling at her. Cassie hadn’t noticed how charismatic his smile was.
The waitress blushed. “Comin right up, and for your girlfriend?”
“I-I’m not -”
“She’ll have toast as well.” Hayden said quickly.
The waitress nodded and went on her way.
“Why’d you interrupt me?” Cassie asked.
“You were about to tell her that you weren’t my girlfriend, am I right?” Hayden queried.
Cassie nodded.
“Well, in the movies people mistake people for couples and so one of the couple -ee’s (usually the girl) takes a while in telling the mistaker that they’re not a couple and it embarrasses the mistaker and turns out to be a lie for the movie as the not-couple turns out to be a couple anyways.” Hayden’s eyes widened and he blushed slightly as he realized what he said. “Not that we’ll end up a couple or anything.” He ended the sentence with a sip of his water and turned his head so that he was staring fervently at the wall.
Cassie stared at him for a moment then laughed. “I wasn’t expecting you to say that.” She said.
“What were you expecting me to say?” He asked, turning back to her.
“I don’t know. . . Something about how it just saves trouble or something.” She said, laughing.
“Yeah, I guess that would have been a better excuse.” He laughed nervously.
The waitress came back with toast, and butter and jam.
“Thank you ma’am.” Cassie said politely.

She laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Wondering how different things would be if their parents were still alive. If that stupid car crash hadn’t messed everything up. She’d still be with her friends in her high school, not in the middle of nowhere, in a crap motel, with a twin brother who wouldn’t speak to her. She missed her parents too, but it was easier not to admit it, easier to let it lie buried then burden her. She couldn’t afford tears anymore. She’d cried them all out. She had to live and focus on what was at hand. It was just easier that way.
What was at hand? Escape? Survival? Had it come to this? She sighed, realizing the hopelessness of their situation. She didn’t think they had any money besides John’s paycheck and how far would that get them? Another night at the motel? Her mind raced with dead-end possibilities. She wished they were talking. Making plans, going through possibilities. John had always been good at analyzing the situation, deciding what to do, making everything better. She missed him. She missed her own brother who was sitting beside her on the bed. She hadn’t seen him, the real him, since their parents had died. She wished more then anything that he would speak to her now.
“Night Cass.” He said suddenly, making her jump.
“Night John.” She replied. Rolling onto her side and falling into a sleep she didn’t think was possible.


Cassie woke to sun shining through a window she hadn’t noticed was there the night before. The bed was empty.
“John?” She called out. No answer, she threw her feet over the edge of the bed and sat there for a moment, deciding what to do. She got up, went into the small bathroom and surveyed herself in the mirror. Her mascara was smudged, her hair was frizzy, and her sweater was on backwards. She fixed her sweater, brushed her hair, pulled it back into a braid, and wiped away her mascara. Just as she finished this a knock came at the door.
She walked back out into the room and to the door. She opened it, expecting her brother and was surprised to see that it wasn’t. A young man, seventeen or eighteen, with short black hair stood before her.
“Hi,” he said, rather awkwardly. “I’m Hayden. A guy named John told me to meet him here. . . . Do I have the right room number?”
Cassie nodded, confused. “But he isn’t here.”
“Oh,” Hayden said looking disappointed. “Do you know where he is?”
She shook her head. “You can come in if you want, and wait for him. He’ll probably be back soon.”
He nodded, his face relaxing a bit. “That’d be great thanks. Are you his girlfriend?”
She shook her head again. “I’m his sister. Please, have a seat.” She gestured to the bed.
He obliged, sitting down.
She leaned against the wall opposite him and looked out the window. After about a minute of awkward silence she asked. “So. . . . Why are you meeting my brother?”
“He said he has a vehicle.” Hayden replied with a small shrug. “I have money.”
“I doubt he’ll sell it to you. It’s all we’ve got right now.” Cassie said automatically.
Hayden shook his head. “No, you misunderstood me. I don’t want to buy it, I want to come with you.”
Cassie was still confused. “Why? We have no idea where we’re going.”
Hayden shrugged again. “I don’t care. I just want to get away from here.”
Cassie paused. “How much money do you have?”
“Enough to get us far away from here and live happily ever after.” He replied.
“Oh. . . . Where’d you get it all?” She asked, hoping to god he wasn’t a bank robber.
“My father owns this motel.” He said simply.
“Oh.” That explained a lot. She would have pressed him further had John not knocked on the door at that very moment.
She jumped and opened the door.
John entered, shaking his shaggy head and closing the door behind him. “I see you two have met. Sorry I’m late. I had some business to take care of.”
“What sort of business could you have here?” Cassie asked.
“That’s not important.” John said, dismissing her question with a wave of his hand. “What’s important is that we get out of here. Now.”
Cassie stared at him, startled. “What? Why?”
“I just think it’s a good idea.” John replied, moving further into the room and grabbing his keys off the bedside table. “Get your stuff together Cass.”
Cassie sighed. She had learned not to argue with her brother when he was in this sort of mood. She picked up her jacket off the bed and shoved it in her backpack. “Alright, I’m ready.” She said, slinging the backpack up on her shoulder.
“Anything you need Hayden?” John asked while doing a sweep around the room with his eyes.
Hayden shook his head. “I’ve got what I need.”
“Alright then, lets go.” John said, gesturing to the door.
Hayden went first, then Cassie, followed by John who closed and locked the door behind them and led the way to the truck.
“Take middle, Cass.” he said, climbing into the drivers seat.
Cassie did as he said and climbed into the middle, followed by Hayden who slammed the door and buckled his seatbelt.
John started the truck, turned out of the parking lot, and they were off. Heading no where in particular in a truck with money. This got old very quickly. The temperatures were over a hundred and the truck didn’t have air conditioning. Cassie would have been bored out of her mind if Hayden hadn’t been there. He seemed to be very good at conversation.
“I suppose you want to know why I’m coming with you.” He said, sounding confident that he was going to be asked that very question any minute.
Cassie looked at him, expecting him to go on.
He glanced at her and smiled. “I might tell you one day.”
She laughed unexpectedly, the first time she’d laughed in a year.
His smile turned into a grin. “Ha, I made her laugh. Go me.”
The trip was a bit more fun after that. Hayden would point out random things and Cassie would laugh, nod, or gasp. John, however, stayed silent almost the entire time. Hayden wasn’t discouraged, and because of this, neither was Cassie. They’d been on the road for nearly forty eight hours, John insisting on driving the entire time, Cassie and Hayden sleeping consecutively throughout, when John suggested that they finally stop at a hotel. They agreed full-heartedly, noting the bags under his eyes and the cramps in their legs.
It was small, not as small as the last motel, but still small. They got out, blinking in the sudden sunlight, and made their way to into the lobby. The lady behind the counter was asleep, her head leaning against the wall, with sweat streaming down her face. John simply glanced at her and glanced away. Hayden cleared his throat rather loudly, which had no effect.
“Umm Excuse me, ma’am?” Cassie asked politely.
The woman jumped, snorted, and opened her eyes.
“Hello, how may I help you?” She asked, blinking a few times in the sunlight.
“We need a room.” John said abruptly.
“Double or single?” She asked.
“Double.” John replied.
She pulled a key from a hanging on the wall behind her and handed it to John. “Room thirteen B.” She said. “Down the hall and take a left, very nice view of the graveyard.”
They nodded, took the key and went to their room. It had air conditioning, and for this they were thankful.
Cassie collapsed on the bed at the far side of the room, dropping her backpack on the floor.
“Sleep is good, sleep as much as you can tonight.” John said, sitting down next to her.
“Mmm.” Cassie agreed, although she wasn’t really that tired. She’d slept in the car pretty much all day.
Hayden sat on his own bed, pulled a magazine off the bedside table and flipped through it.
John laid back and was almost instantly asleep.
“Poor thing was just tuckered out!” Hayden said in a mock mother voice.
Cassie snorted.
“You tired?” Hayden asked.
“Not really.” She replied.
“Wanna go stretch our legs?” He suggested.
She nodded. “Sounds good to me.” She rose and stretched.