A son is born, wheezing air out of his lungs as he struggles to breathe through the empty air. The woman, now mother who lays weakened by his conception on the plastic ground that surrounds her but not only her. The plastic surrounds all.

“I’ve had it, I can’t take it anymore!” I heard my mom yelling through my bedroom door. I don’t know how she wasn’t able to see it, it was right there. 

So, to sum it all the entire town including my family thinks I’m insane.

Norway Blu’s laughter rang through the campus library, a bright, carefree sound that turned heads. Her short ginger curls bounced as she closed her psychology textbook, and her warm, golden-brown eyes gleamed with unspoken secrets. At just five feet two, her presence was magnetic, as if she carried sunlight in her pocket.

Growing up in the projects was all 14-year-old Anna had ever known. The struggles, poverty, and violence were a daily reality in her neighborhood. But Anna was determined to break free from this cycle of hardship and create a better life for herself and her family.

She was a radiant celestial being, gliding gracefully across the vast expanse of the sky, her golden rays reaching out like warm, comforting arms to embrace the world below. They spoke of her as a benevolent queen, bestowing her light upon all living creatures with a gentle touch that brought life and vibrancy to everything in her domain.

Welcome to Night City. In this city, towering skyscrapers pierce the night sky, and bustling streets are littered with corporate drones, hustlers, and druggies alike. Everyone here is a puppet for someone else.  Everywhere you go somebody wants to write your ending.

The sun was settling over Eleuthera, shining light through the research center’s windows. I leaned over my desk, studying the strange carvings on a rock from a dig site. My curls had escaped their bun and covered my face as I traced the markings with my fingers. These symbols had haunted me since childhood.

Hale, now an adult with a glow up that enhances the essence of her beauty, is uniquely fitted and stunning from any perspective, both in beauty and complexity. She embraces her light skin ethnicity, beneath her radiant exterior, she carries an unresolved weight.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Jacob asked his brother. “This is a really big step.”

Sitting across from him, Jordan had his hands clasped together with a dimpled smile on his face and sparkles in his blue eyes.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything!”

“Your Grace!” General Polios shouts for his king, cutting through the bodies surrounding them, breath haggard from hours of battle. “To me men! Protect your King!” The monarch's honor guard who had been overwhelmed for a detrimental amount of time, are fighting the assailants, barely keeping the demons at bay. 

I awoke with a piercing headache, in what seemed to be an abandoned home, with my arms hurting, and my feet numb. I instantly panicked and started to scream for help not knowing that my screaming would soon become a foreshadowing of disaster.

Is this home? I wondered as I stood in the doorway of our new apartment, sighing at the plain sight of the small space; so discolored and cramped.

The Spanish teacher's monotonous voice was the only thing that could be heard in the frigid classroom. It was the third week of school and the classroom activities had changed from orientation-friendly that welcomed students back from the winter break to content-heavy. Arthur gave up listening half an hour ago, choosing to focus on his drawing of a butterfly instead of listening to the various conjugations.

Humid air, music and laughter filled the night as Clara Jene stood frozen, heart pounding. She was supposed to be enjoying her graduation trip with her best friends, Anna and Shae, in the irie city of Kingston, Jamaica. In the crowded beach party, she spotted someone she never expected—her father, Clarke.

Janae stood at the classroom door, nerves fluttering. It was her first day teaching at a new school. “Good morning, everyone,” she began, her voice steady but hands slightly trembling. “I have a special announcement. Today, we’re starting a project that I hope will be both fun and meaningful.”

Ryan looks at me and my chest augments, my ribs splitting up and open, heart bared in gory invitation even after all of these years. I left her caterpillar body on the concrete steps of a school I wasn’t fully ready to leave.