Julia's known only to herself, as Steven to the rest of the world. Through circumstances out of her control, she becomes neither. Can she make things right? Can she get back home?

Like It's Your Last
By Marissa Lynn

2023 had not been a year full of highlights for Steven Kelly.

Not when the biggest moment was the breakup of his five-year relationship. They'd been drifting for a while. Ultimately, Kara had reached a point where she couldn't handle his dressing, not the fact that he did it, but the increasing frequency.

I have tried to give the flavor of J'Marra's speech without overdoing the profanity. I just can't picture her in a stressful situation not being course. It's part of her street cred and automatic now. You may recognize her name from one line in The Worst Day. Dorothy's comment made me realize that her story needed to be told.

Charles is now at Jane's Winsome Girls' School for Wayward Boys. He has volunteered to become one of Jane's girls to help Jane not only clear his name but to help Francis. He has a lot to learn about being a girl in a short amount of time, as Toby Camber is arriving at the school in a weeks time. Something else occurs that Charles wasn't expecting, he learns something else about himself while being Charlotte.

Charles is now at Jane's Winsome Girls' School for Wayward Boys. He has volunteered to become one of Jane's girls to help Jane not only clear his name but to help Francis. He has a lot to learn about being a girl in a short amount of time, as Toby Camber is arriving at the school in a weeks time. Something else occurs that Charles wasn't expecting, he learns something else about himself while being Charlotte.

Author's Note: My muse took me to a heavier place here, but it's a story of survival and, ultimately, hope.

One Last Hail Mary
By Marissa Lynn

Even with nobody sitting next to him, it was impossible for Mark Tyler to twist his body into a position to sleep.

An assassin's New Year's resolution to himself is to spend more time with his wife. He gets that wish, in a rather peculiar fashion.

All the warnings! I always wanted to write a horror story. This is the one and I don't want it to be tame. It certainly isn't for everyone. There will be fucked up scenes. Check the warning tags, if there are any you'd rather avoid, please go read one of my other stories instead.

Right, this story carries all kinds of warning flags. I’m not joking. If you have even the faintest trace of triggers don’t read this story. Otherwise it's rather sweet.
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The town where I grew up was not exactly a multicultural metropolis like New York. On the other hand, it was not a redneck backwater either. While most of us were white we had our share of other ethnicities as well. Mostly native Americans and blacks. Still, none of those blacks were as black as the new student in my high school class. She was really ebony black, not the various hues of brownish black of the “native” blacks. Native in the sense that they, and their forefathers had been in this country for at least fourscore and seven years. Rasa on the other hand was pure African. Pitch black, tall, muscular and moved like a large feline. No wonder she soon was tagged with the name “The Black Panther”.

I waited next to the airlock. My armor was sealed around my body. I was protected against small gunfire and the vacuum of space. My pistol was strapped to my right leg. I carried my rifle in the low ready. The holo-sight connected directly to the HUD in my helmet. Kitty monitored communications from the bridge and created a fast link between my HUD and weapons. She would make sure nothing came up from around me without alerting me.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

I felt incredibly self conscious as he held my hand and guided me through the crowd. I didn't need to look back at the group to know that they must have been watching us closely.

I glanced over at all the different faces that now filled the beach. This spot used to be so empty. Now there were so many people having the time of their lives, some were even already passed out.

Chapter 38

By the time we got near Christmas, again, there had been another shift in focus. Ali had been invited to apply for the Juilliard School in New York, a singular honor for one so young. She, however, wanted none of it. In the middle of the year, she would have finished high school and was certain that if Wayne County was good enough for her Aunty Pet, it was good enough for her.

"I don't want to talk about it" I sped up trying to get away from Murphy but he wasn't letting up.

He stepped in front of me, "Laura, what was that? What video was he talking about."

I don't know. That's what I wanted to scream but how could I explain to him why I didn't know what I clearly should know. I had never told anyone about me before, not like they would believe me anyway.

"I'm feeling overwhelmed right now" I said to him trying desperately to find a way out of the situation. "I'll tell you later okay? I promise"

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Wherein all your questions are answered. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Alternate endings to the Scheherazade/Arabian Nights story. All vignettes, 3-20 lines.

The most dangerous point?

 

Tales of Faralmark
The Margrave Descends


by Julia Phillips

02 – War Zone

Daisy's Red Badge of Courage
A Prequel to “Daisy and the Phantom Nurse”

Act Two: A Fearsome Melee

I felt like a Roman gladiator entering into the Colosseum. My blood ran cold, it seemed the whole school was. The parking lot was jammed full of people. And at the center was the beast of the man. He had stripped himself of his collared shirt and tossed it to the side. His eyes burned like fire. The minute I entered into the circle was the minute all eyes turned toward me.