The plane smelled faintly of recycled air, coffee, and the sharp tang of disinfectant. Lena hated flying. Not just the confined space or the turbulence or the way her ears always popped on descent—what she hated most was the lack of control. Once she stepped into a plane, she was trapped, thousands of feet above … Read more
My coffee had always been lukewarm, or so I thought. Maybe it was hot once, when it was first poured with gentle hands around the kettle’s neck and perhaps it was me all along, my lukewarm thoughts churning the milk and soiling the sugar. I neglected the vision of steam migrating over the brim … Read more
The world is a blur of black, like someone smeared ink over my eyes. All I hear is the screeching of the train, metal grinding against metal, a sound that claws at the inside of my skull. It’s the kind of noise that makes you feel like you’re stuck in a machine, just another cog … Read more
In Torrent’s opinion, the funeral for Queen Blake was nothing like she deserved it to be. She could acknowledge that in the circumstances the funeral was as grand as they could hope for. Perhaps grander than they could afford it to be. Their kingdom was locked in a war with an opposing kingdom. Queen Blake … Read more
This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse. A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead and rides down my eyebrow until I can feel the warm sensation run down my cheek. I have to keep my hands on his face if I’m going to be able to maintain my connection, … Read more