Young Adult
FRIENDLY STAKES. Content Warning.
CHAPTER ONE: THE STRADDLE a voluntary blind bet made before the cards are dealt The shift key is broken. Jamie noticed this three days ago, an hour or two before dawn, while designing a logo for a startup selling meal kits to people who pretend they don’t have time to cook. It took him forty-five minutes to realize it wasn’t the software. Just the shift key. Dead. Unresponsive. He ordered a replacement from a site that sells Chinese knockoffs at American prices. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. Or next Tuesday. Could be a month from now—those delivery dates are meaningless. They say it’s guaranteed, but then the package sits in a warehouse on the other side of the world for six days.
By karlolegend4 months ago in Chapters
Sparrow on a Plank Chapter 7: One Sparrow Down
The temple was dark. Not just dark in the sense that they couldn't see, but dark in the sense that even with Hajime's summoned ball of light they had problems seeing what was in the inner sanctum. Hajime thought that it may have been because of some sorcerous darkness, but then he just realized it was because of the walls painted black and the dust in the air. Sal debated leaving behind the address of some decorators for the cultists, but then realized that they probably would get free decorating by virtue of killing the decorators after the job.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
The Snowman Who Found A Name
On a quiet snowy evening, when the world seemed wrapped in sparkling white, a tiny snowman stood alone in the middle of a frost-covered yard. He was small, half-melted from the day’s sun, and shivering with the cold. Though he tried to smile, there was a sadness in his round coal eyes. He had no name.
By Logan M. Snyder4 months ago in Chapters
Tattoos & Rail Guns Chapter 7: Kev Undergoes Some Changes
The receptionist watched Kev go down the hall. Well, Sharness in the form of the receptionist. She had met with the receptionist the night before, drugged her, and assumed her form. She could have fed, but she figured now was not the time to tip off the tattooed warrior that anyone who cared knew about his entry unto the scene and nothing tips off a tattooed warrior off like a dead body. She would be fine and she would overlay the memories later so that she didn't even know she had lost any time.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
Who's the real Monster?
~ Smith's POV Holy fucking shit! It's Inmate Zero. How did she get in here? Last I saw on the monitors she was still in her room meditating. I've read her file at least twice. Nothing in it said anything about whatever the fuck is going on right now. It feels like there's a rope taking hold of my entire body like a snake constricting. I can't move an inch.
By Lucy Torralba4 months ago in Chapters
Brass Ring Chapter 6: Welcome to the Party
Oliver and Cass walked into Osa Electronics. The store was what you would expect from a successful retail electronics store, with televisions, laptops, and consoles as far as the eye could see. The pair walked up to the customer service station.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
The Stranger Who Waited in the Rain
The Stranger Who Waited in the Rain Rain hammered the streets like a thousand tiny drums. People rushed into shops and under roofs, trying to escape the sudden storm. But amid the chaos stood a girl named Hiba, drenched from head to toe, clutching a broken umbrella.
By Wings of Time 4 months ago in Chapters
Sparrow on a Plank Chapter 6: Into The Sanctum
The next few days went fast. Hajime kept up his meditation-exercise-crow's-nest-sleep routine, and Sal and Rick began fencing in earnest. She kept to her wooden sword and improvised one for Rick. After a night or two, Hajime was sleeping alone in his berth and the pair started going to bed earlier each night. Although they kept the romance chaste above decks and limited their contact to their fencing, verbal, and swords, it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were enjoying a shipboard romance below decks.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
Who's the real Monster?
~ Mat's POV That was odd. Haven't ever seen Ed act or look that way since I've known him. He and I had gotten here around the same time. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one in the Yellow Area. Everyone in the Green area treats you like lepers once they know you don't belong in their group.
By Lucy Torralba4 months ago in Chapters
