It was the end of the summer, which was one of the best times on the mountain. The air was still warm enough that no one needed to wear a coat and there were still a few weeks of life left in the world before the chill set in and all the trees that weren’t evergreens started to lose their leaves. To Christina, it felt as though she were walking through an insubstantial world of dust. While everyone else in town was holding on to the last vibrant breath of summer, Christina felt the onset of fall on every inch of her skin.

"I can't believe you," Christina said as she shook her head. "You're so disgusted that you went through all this just to make sure no one in Oak Grove found out about me."

"Is that what you really think?" Richard said with a mix of hurt and anger.

"Why else, then?"

"If I was so ashamed, do you really think I would have told all of my business partners?" he shot back. "Why do you think I cashed in every last favor I had with them to convince them to keep up this charade against their best instincts?"

Christina shook her head. She didn't want to listen to a word he was saying. She eventually asked, "Why?"
 

Amiss.*
by
Angharad

*‘Something not functioning properly.’ (Guardian Quick Crossword 12.3.13).

"Uncle Alek?" Christina pleaded. "Where are we? What happened to me?" Her thoughts, which had been sluggish and unfocused, were now racing in her mind as they processed the darkness and the intense pain.

Alek placed his hand on his niece's head and stroked her hair. "Tina," he said softly. "Tina," he repeated, this time commanding the girl's attention. "You are in the hospital. You have had an accident." Alek was fairly certain that "accident" was not the correct term, but that wasn't important right now. "You had an accident but you will be alright."

Christina nodded slowly. She felt completely disoriented and untethered to the world except for the feeling of her uncle's hand on her head. "It hurts," she winced.

"I know Sweetheart," Alek said as he reached for a plastic bulb hanging from a wire on the wall. He felt the button on its tip and pressed it, summoning the nurse.

On the way back to Nina's room, Christina felt a mechanical rumble from the back pocket of her jeans. She took out her cell phone and saw that Richard was calling. She immediately froze, feeling a slight tightness in her chest. She was transfixed by the name on the tiny screen and was unable to move her fingers on the device before the call went to voice mail. Christina waited for the notification that indicated there was a new voice message, but it never came. Instead, there was a second rumble indicating that she'd just received a text message. She felt her stomach sink and it was though she'd temporarily lost her ability to differentiate up from down. She forced herself to read the message.

It read simply, "We should talk."
 

"Forget your contract. You're fired. I'm firing you for cause. You have betrayed me - and him, in my opinion."

		Trans. Plant. Heart. Chapter 6 (conclusion) by **Sigh** Copyright © 2013 plaintivesigh All Rights Reserved.

Oh, my God - I'm in love with him! I - I can't be in love with him!

		Trans. Plant. Heart. Chapter 5 by **Sigh** Copyright © 2013 plaintivesigh All Rights Reserved.

"Fish! God, no! Not that, not again! Please don't! What will your wife think?"
"Hell, Honey. I'm filming this. This gets my own rocks off," laughed Mamie.

		Trans. Plant. Heart. Chapter 3 by **Sigh** Copyright © 2013 plaintivesigh All Rights Reserved.

Alek walked alongside his wife as they passed various vendors offering hot dogs, cotton candy, and all the other delights of summer found at the county fair. While everyone around him was having fun, he was in a particularly foul mood. Not only had Christina left Boris with him, soon after, the girl and her boyfriend had disappeared. Keeping a sharp eye on his daughter and her ginger haired boyfriend who were walking several paces ahead of them, he vowed not to lose another one of his girls.

Looking over her shoulder, Christina saw the man she loved, though she'd never seen him in such a state. It was clear that he hadn't shaved, and judging by the way his hair stuck up at the part on the left side of his head, it was evident that he'd either not showered or hadn't spent any time on his hair that morning. Christina had never seen the man with so much of as a thread out of place. Seeing him, she picked up her pace, which was promptly matched by her cousin and Steph.

"Wait," he begged.

Turning around, Andrei stopped and threatened, "Stay away from her."

Good Friend, Girlfriend
By Paul Calhoun

Wednesday July 26

Dearest Diary,

Had another great day, even if I didn’t got to see Mike. But I think I am getting to find my new style! I know, I used to dress really boring and not taking much time to make myself presentable. But now, I discover all these really cute clothes I have that I never bothered with before. Can you imagine?

Mountain Drive by Nikki Thong Copyright © 2012 Nikki Thong All Rights Reserved.

A .pdf file is attached for those who want to download and read it later. If you do, Just please remember to vote if you enjoyed my story, thanks! ~ Nikki

At School

I Never Pay Attention In Maths,
But If I Did,
I Still Could Not Calculate
How Much I Love You : )

I Pay Much Attention In English,

Coffee Aroma

I'm back now, without knowing why
I feel so happy, because I'll meet my love today
Happy I am and more I will be
My soul yearns, my heart beats

Knock, Knock

A second, a minute, an hour, a day goes by
I'm hoping, just to be, by your side
I'm turning, the handle, it wont open
Don't make me wait

The Key to Love

The key to love is understanding
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken words
But those unspoken gestures, the little things that say

A Love Letter

I love you, since when? I don’t know
I just know this love, that has awakened me
that came into my life unexpectedly
and called to my heart without my look

Just a little thought about long distance love...

Poema de una estrella (Poem of a star)

Like every star
You are quite far
Yes, it is quite sad,
At times it even drives me mad.