Heather Play's Dotty
A Heather Delilah Soenksen Story

The fundraiser was the brainchild of Lisa Croft, our town's only veterinarian, who was also the owner and proprietor of Benton's only animal clinic and was also a charter member of Benton's only no- kill animal shelter 'Benton Animal Rescue' and was also a chairwoman on the board of directors. It was Lisa who dreamed up the idea that each month, a brave girl, and sometimes a brave boy, would volunteer to dress up in a dalmatian costume and assume the role of Princess Dotty the dalmatian princess. 

Cheong Sam
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

My grandfather fought in Vietnam. He was the same age as I am, when he was drafted. He said that he had long hair just like mine when he was called up. They ran the clippers over his head and left him with a quarter inch all over.

The boys were staring at me again.

“There are days I feel more robotic and days I feel more human. People tip more when my body is shaped like a female human, but they also expect me to act in a feminine way. Some days I can do that and some days I cannot.”

Looking out the window at the howling blizzard, Von sipped his tea, contemplating his rather open schedule for the day. Since Mage Aleksandar had taken over all Council business, he had found himself largely at loose ends. Scratching his stump, he realized he should have expected that to happen. While he hadn't been declared a traitor, he couldn't expect much more than that.

Hanging by my skirt, looking down at the mock hydra who was almost close enough to touch, with only a small tree keeping me from falling on top of the monster, I silently sent prayer to every single god and demon I knew of, including my history teacher. It didn't seem to help as the tree cracked again and I got another inch closer to the reptile.

My name is Logan and i have always been the kid everyone ignored, i was a geek and would rather play video games and read comic books than do sports and play outside. Not to mention i was a scrawny 100 pounds and a short 5’4. Nobody cared about me except for Annabelle.

Annabelle was a very pretty redhead and one of the most popular girls in school, from the beginning of the 9th grade, Annabelle took me under her wing, she vowed to take care of me. She introduced me to her friends Candice and Brittney and told me i was the fourth member they have always wanted.

Authors Note: I did not realize I had not published this chapter before publishing chapter 5. I am sorry for any confusion and hope that you will enjoy this chapter.

Slave to Beauty
A vignette from some images found
By Maryanne Peters

I was brought up in a beautiful home. My mother called herself “A Slave to Beauty” as if that could explain everything that she did to me – or perhaps excuse it. It was like saying that she had no choice, but surely that was mine.

Belle of Vicksburg
-2-
459 Willard Lane, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Stepping into combat class, I saw that everyone was lined up by the protection medals. Ameth was crouched on the table watching everyone like a hawk. Getting in line behind Naomi, I asked, “What's going on?”

“No idea,” she said. “I just got in line with everyone else.”

We moved quickly and soon enough it was our turn. “Sign your names for a medal,” the cat girl said.

Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Hammerstein is at the cusp of finishing high school in his hometown of Los Alamos, NM. He has a seemingly ideal life and is blessed with loving parents, a cute baby sister, and great friends. Nicholas is a gifted student and martial artist who has dreams of leaving for college at the end of his senior year. But, living in a world of Emergent humans, he will soon find his life turned upside down as his life and the fate of a kingdom hang in the balance. His future and theirs will be determined by how he navigates the drastic changes in his body and the magical and superpowered Mergent population he joins.