The New One
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I had come home from the party early. Walt had been talking to some of his business buddies and I was bored.

“That’s okay, sweetie,” he said. “You go home and slip into something nice and I will be along shortly.”

The Cartel's Debt

Julio's long black hair flowed down his back like a waterfall, reaching past his waist. It was one of his most prized possessions, a symbol of his masculinity and strength. But all of that was about to change.

Jesus Calls O'er The Tumult
By
Recca Anna Coleman
A Daisy Isabella Potter Special
Chapter Two of Thee

The traditional attire for young women, often ages twelve to eighteen who are to be confirmed into the Episcopal Church is a pearl white, floor length gown with long sleeves and white gloves. Their hair is often worn down, and a matching white bridal veil is placed on their forehead. Make-up if allowed is the bare minimum.

“Moira, do you think that Neil is a fake?” asked Melissa as she helped with the food for the party.

“I do. Thanks to TV shows like ‘Outback Truckers’, I’ve seen people who work on huge Northern Territory Stations. That’s what they call farms out there. They all have seen the sun. His skin is almost as white as mine.”

Ellie's Voice

© 2025 by Grace Ann Hansen

Chapter 5: “The Network's Reach”

Defiance in Silence

Indira’s engines hummed, a steady, almost living presence beneath me in the silence of my quarters. My hands, still trembling from the intensity of the data analysis, rested on the cold metal of my toolbox. Its accustomed weight grounded me—an anchor in the rising current of unease that surged through my chest. The low drone of the cooling fan in the corner felt suddenly too loud, beating like a second, more frantic heart against the silence, a frantic drumbeat of impending decision.

Bianca returns to Chicago for Thanksgiving and finds a few surprises awaiting her.

http://whateleyacademy.net/index.php

“Worth it,” he said.

“I used to wonder, you know? What I would say, if I ever saw her again. And I’d dream that she’d come back, and there’d be some explanation that would make sense of it all. Make it all right.”

Threads of Truth

A Transgender Coming of Age Romance

From the Harmony Aspirant Universe

Chapter 4: Barriers and Boundaries

By Ariel Montine Strickland

How will Kiki and Julian hold up under the attack of Margaret Thornfield from the Historical Preservation Society? Can Kiki and Julian's budding relationship survive her displeasure?

Copyright 2025 by Ariel Montine Strickland.
All Rights Reserved.