Series
Clerical Choices
It is the year 3885, two years after the end of the fifty year war between the Mind Empire of Hame and the Alios Protectorate. Without an outside threat to focus on, the Human and Alien peoples bound only by faith and commerce in the Mind Empire are beginning to fracture and squabble for power among themselves. To stop the growing discontent, the Navy remained active in its role as space security for the Empire and commissioned new officers to replace the dead and retired of the old command. Skrilxya Yonamey and Benjamin Rikaron are two of these officers. A former combat-master Sergeant of the Malluman Auxiliaries whose kind rarely receive a position in fleet command and an witty, adaptable, bridge adjutant from the human gentry slated for promotion. Skrilxya and Ben find themselves in need of the other's perspective or else their latest escort mission will end in political disaster.
By Bryce Greene-Forgue4 years ago in Fiction
Samara's Story
It had all been so terribly easy. In the end, it wasn't as far of a leap as she thought it would be. She had imagined it for years now, her breaking point. The place where her thoughts and reality become so intertwined that it was impossible to tell them apart. She knew where she was, she knew what she had done, but she did not care. Her actions were those of someone else, a person whom she had since tucked away years ago. "Like staring in the mirror and looking into your soul." That's what the doctor had told her. She would never forget that day, the way he said it as if he knew then that this day would come. The day when Samara Owens would cease to exist, engulfed by the years of pain, neglect, and self-loathing, she was swallowed whole, and from the abyss of her mind, a new woman formed. It started as a tiny drop of water in the pool of her thoughts, rippling its way to the outer edges of her psyche. At first, she ignored the thoughts; actually, they were more like urges, only she didn't know it then. One by one, they came at random times while she was cleaning the house or prepping the boys for school. Never for more than a few seconds, and she would quickly dismiss them; her life was perfect, happy, and loved. It became her mantra and her only weapon against the thoughts that rose in her mind over time. My life is perfect; I am happy, I am loved. But she wasn't so sure anymore. Darin was rarely at home, and when he was, he was distant, cold, and not the man she fell in love with, but marriage is hard. It takes work, commitment, and sacrifice. They had been through so much together, and indeed they would get through this….this…….phase? It would all be ok, summer would be here soon, and the boys would be backpacking through Europe with their friends, and she and Darin would finally take that trip to Italy they had been planning for so long. Just the two of them, they would dine at the most peaceful places and spend the night in each other's arms watching the sunset and hopefully make love until the sunrise. It would all be ok… .wouldn't it? But why was he always working so late? Why would he go days without so much as a kind word? Does he even still love me? What did I do? Am I too nagging? Maybe I put too much pressure on him; he has so much on his plate; after all, the company won't run itself. I should be lucky to have such a good man; he's provided a life I could have never imagined. Three beautiful children, a magnificent home, and not a care in the world, she was the luckiest woman alive. Alive. That word seemed to hold new meaning now. She had felt the woman's life end in her hands, saw the fear in her eyes slowly turn to nothingness as each breath she took brought her closer to her last. It had been quicker than she thought and a lot easier, almost natural. She stared at the lifeless body beneath her feet, the blood pooling into a crimson pond around her. She bent down to close the woman's eyes; they were breathtaking. "I can see why he picked you," she said aloud. She placed the knife gently on the floor next to the body, careful to remove all traces of her fingerprints. She retraced her steps through the apartment, leaving the scene exactly how she had imagined it. She glanced at her watch, the kids would be home soon, and she couldn't miss being there to hear about Sabina's first day of high school. She double-checked her work and slid the door shut behind her. She took two steps as her phone rang, it was Sabina. "Hi, sweetheart! You aren't home yet, are you?" she asked. Surprised at the calmness, she managed in her voice. "Hi, mom. No, I'm not home yet; I'm getting on the bus. Lance wouldn't bring me home." "And why not?" Samara asked. "He said freshman aren't allowed in his car," she answered. Samara sighed. "Well, dear, you know your brothers love you.." "I know, I know, mom… it's ok. I like the bus". "Oh really, what's his name?". She could see the redness filling her daughter's face. "We'll talk about it when you get home sweetie, I'll see you soon." "Ok, mom." And with that, Samara Owens placed her phone in her purse, straightened her hair, and headed home to her kids, house, and loving husband. "My life is perfect, I am happy, I am loved."
By H. David Lee4 years ago in Fiction
Worlds Collide
It was odd, this soft yet firm structure I was told to sleep on. I kept looking underneath it, for what I wasn't sure but it just seemed so bizarre. How did it keep itself upright while holding my weight at the same time? It wasn't made of stone like most things under the ocean which made me worry it would collapse. It didn't, though. That fact only perplexed me further.
By Heather Miller4 years ago in Fiction
Wildflower
Hannah’s brand-new SUV drove past the muddy road by the lake as she honked her horn a few times, watching the ducks, geese, and songbirds take flight. A deer looked up and saw the silver, metal mass before bolting. Dust and mud kicked up behind the vehicle’s massive wheels as Hannah slowed down to take in the familiar yet almost foreign environment.
By Demetria Head4 years ago in Fiction
The Lake
Ellie was cold. Colder than she had ever been. She hurried through the snow, but it was hard work. When her cousin, Mary-Anne, had asked if she wanted to go for a walk, this hadn’t been what she was expecting. Without warning, Ellie’s foot tripped on something unseen in the snow, and she landed, face first, in the soft powder. The shock of the cold and wet snow on her bare face caused her to suck in a sharp breath.
By Sonia Merkel4 years ago in Fiction
Adventures of Logan van Zant: CH II
The props of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser kick on. A soft hum fills the cabin. Logan and Aurora sit in their seats awaiting take-off. Aurora flips through a magazine while Logan looks out the window. The hum of the engines reminds him of the countless hours of flight time and parachute jumps preparing for D-Day. His life in the Army Airborne Infantry was a time of fervor and terror. He looks across the wing; he remembers how his Gooney Bird was riddled with holes over Normandy, and how lucky he was to be alive. “How did any of us survive,” he mutters to himself.
By Jericho Osborne4 years ago in Fiction
Kayaking
Theres a calmness to kayaking, the way the sun feels on your skin, its hot but it’s a good heat, the kind that warms your soul and makes you feel like you are burning off all the negative energy from the days before. You can taste the salt on your lips, smell it in the slight breeze of the air. The paddle going through the water is an antidote for what your soul needs to heal. It is taking back all the stress you deal with every day and letting you surrender to nature. You can be yourself, alone, no one to answer to, no one to impress. No constant worrying about if you are doing everything right you can just breath, stroke, glide over the water and know it is not judging you. It did not notice if your stroke was off, if it could have been harder, better, stronger, it does not care, it still propelled you forward. The sound of the waves, the breeze brushing through the mangroves, the blue herons and pelicans that is the music to your soul and it calms you. There is an inner peace that washes over your whole body, just as the waves wash over the shore. The waves crashing into the shore are changing the erosion of the land with every smash into the sand and bringing new shells to the surface while taking others back out to sea. The same happens to your soul every time you go out on your kayak, whatever body of water you are on takes a part of your old self with it and emerges with new pieces for you to put forward.
By Tina Messler4 years ago in Fiction
Exordium
Faerie left her house before the sun came up in the morning. She was going to visit Ason today and she was so excited she had hardly slept the night before. She and Ason had met in the woods a couple of months ago while Faerie had been out checking animal traps with her guardian, Rey. Ason’s family had been refugees at the time and he had initially been suspicious of Faerie’s presence in the forest. By the end of their first meeting, though, Ason had given Faerie a beautiful heart-shaped locket to wear that had changed her life.
By Dawn Salois4 years ago in Fiction
