Luke was standing in the domestic flights arrival area of LAX with his aunt and uncle waiting for his parents and twin sister to come down the steps. It was a little over two months since he saw them so today was a big event in Luke’s life. As the moment of reuniting with his family was coming near, the teenage boy started to feel the entire gamut of basic emotions. These feelings came one by one.

Influenced
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Pernicious” is the word. The internet is pernicious. Pernicious and addictive.

What is an “influencer”? How can they trap people the way they do? It is pernicious.

I was just an ordinary guy. A shy person. I suppose one of the generation brought up with a screen before my eyes. Introverted you might say. Absorbed by the screen. Absorbed by the world wide web.

I took a deep, deep breath as I climbed up the soaking wet ladder. Holding in that breath, I started to slowly climb from the ladder over to the dunking board that was already soaking wet. My heart started to flutter as I inched my way toward the very end of the board. Looking down, I noticed there was a good two feet from where my feet were tangling down and the freezing water below. Releasing my breath I eased my hands down to my side and focused my eyes toward the crowd that was starting to huddle around the throwing line.

After super that night I was laying in my room looking at the news reports on my phone.

The numbers were still rising, some doctor gave an interview saying how they were doing the best they could to figure out what was happening.

The day of the dunking booth arrived sooner than I thought. Like I normally do, I rode the bus home that day and mom greeted me with a hug and a afternoon snack. After my afternoon snack, I dove right into homework till mom knocked upon my bedroom door and reminded me I needed to change into my costume. Mom and I had settled on cheerleader, and since money was tight, we decided to alter her old cheerleader uniform to fit me. Anyway once I had been changed, we drove into town.

Helped by the prudery of that time, Georgia had very little difficulty in hiding his condition. After all, there was only one small part of him that could give him away, and that was enveloped in a quantity of skirts that were meant to hide even the faintest suggestion of what lay beneath.

Veronicas future comes more clear as she talks with the other witches about her dream

Chapter 9

What You Want

I used the library to hide out, partially due to the fear of coming into class late, and also because I could lay my head down and sleep a few more minutes. My stowaway was in the back near the magazine rack, as there was an alcove that was just big enough—assuming one was limber—to squeeze in and not be seen unless someone was looking right at the area.

II. Lonely Heart

I stayed up half the night trying to figure out what I would say. Melissa was the outgoing one. She would simply walk up to him and just “take him”—envision that how you will. I couldn’t do that. I hadn’t tried since fifth grade and ended up stuttering my way through it all, but recovered as he had gone into a sneezing fit, nearly blacked out and went to the school nurse.

Nineteen and the day after.

©Copyright to Beverly Guinevere Taff.

List of Characters.

Terry Harrington. Fugitive boy marked for compulsory transitioning.

Samantha, (Sam) First transitioned kid Terry meets on the streets.

Theodora (Dora) leader of the transitioned kid gang.

Jessica. (Jessie) The only neo-natal girl in Dora’s gang.

Charlie Member of the transitioned gang.

Jan Another member of the transitioned gang.

Right Here Waiting

I. Take This Heart

Stephen Reyes wrote a poem for me, saying I was all that really mattered in the world and that I was to believe in all I was ever to hear. I bought into this advice, which was good for me to do. Seeing all of this with 20/20 hindsight, it all makes sense now that I’m older.
Not much wiser, but older.

Uncle
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“I don't want you to get you haircut,” my mother said. She was suddenly very serious, and I could see that something was wrong. It seemed like fear in her eyes.

“It's just a haircut, Mom,” I said. I was struggling to see what the big issue was. But there was something very wrong. I looked at her in a way that I thought demanded an answer.

Jessica delivers her twin girls but the birth only complicates things for Terry.

Veronica confronts Tabi and helps Riley recover.
Chapter 8

The parents of a troublesome teenage son finally had enough and sends him for special training. He gets more than she bargains for.

Help! This story is running away with me. It was only supposed to be 2 chapters.

I almost shot him.

My right arm moved, and the Punisher scythed through the air as my body reacted – as I reacted – to Arnval’s announcement in the blink of an eye.

But at the last moment before my index finger depressed the trigger, I held myself back.

The urge to fire the linear rifle was tremendous.

The rifle trembled in my grasp as I was caught between opposing tidal forces raging within me.

The need to vent crashed with the need for prudence.

Imagine you are shopping and suddenly you’re accused of shoplifting. What would you do? And what would you do if you told the truth, to everyone, and because of the lies told by those caught shoplifting, you are deemed guilty? Charles Thorton found himself in this exact situation, while he was at a department store shopping for a necklace for his mother’s 35th birthday. Little did Charles know who he would end up facing after it was decided by the judge he shouldn’t go to juvenile hall.