Dear Facebook App. Games,

This sure has been a long journey for us, but before I begin let me say this first, I've had fun playing all your games. Truly, it's been a blast planting crops on FarmVille, making meals on CafeWrold, building buildings on FrontierVille, and doing missions on Mafia Wars and Vampire Wars. However, all good things come to an end. I'm sorry to say this but I need to leave you now. For the second time I have come to this conclusion. At the beginning things were great, I tended crops here and there, made myself a little house, and got some animals, but now I am required to invite people who I know won't play, I can't buy anything unless it's with real money. You know I can't afford that stuff! I don't have a job so how am I supposed to come up with 20 or more FV (FarmVille) cash? Things have become more difficult for me to accomplish and more time consuming. Because of these games, I cannot accomplish goals of mine like getting a job, going back to school, and progressing in my writing career. Don't get me wrong, it's not just you, it's Facebook as well. Both are very time consuming for me. Unfortunately, I can't leave Facebook because of an agreement and something about my soul. Please understand that we can't be together anymore. I hope you continue in all your great games and you improve. I'm sure you'll do great without me. All I ask is that you don't cry. Because if you cry, I'll cry, and I'll never get through this. We'll see each other around. Yeah, like if I ever go to a friends house and they are playing one of your games, yeah we'll see each other. This is the end.

Good-bye. I love you.

Sincerely,

       A Very Sad Facebook Gamer.

Alone

            There was a girl running. She ran to exercise, to stay in shape. She was on her daily route when she decided to run a different route. She was tired of the same old route, and wanted some change. Turning left on a street where she usually turns right, she came upon a row of houses. It wasn’t too much of a difference, so she concluded it would be easy to find her way home.

            As she was running she began to thinking about her life and her family. She thought about how much she loved her mom and dad. She thought about the apartment she lived in with her cat. She thought about her best friend, and how she had just recently moved out and moved into her own place. The girl thought about the friends in her life, and how she wronged some of them. She remembered the fight she had with her boyfriend the other night, and how they called the whole thing off. She remembered the look on his face just before he walked out the door…

            Her eyes began to tear. The road ahead of her became blurry, and she had to stop for a moment to clear it up. She tried to think of something else as she began her run again, but her first best friend at school came to mind. They were inseparable up until their junior year of high school. She remembered when her best friend moved away to a different state. She never saw her again. They tried to keep in contact through email, but it didn’t work out.

            Once again, she tried to think of something on a lighter note, but she immediately thought of her sister. Before she realized it, she was running faster. She remembered the car accident she was in. She remembered seeing her sister’s dead body lay in the open coffin during her funeral, and the pale look that was on her face. The emotions she had tried so hard to suppress were overwhelming. She could not control them anymore. She was crying as she ran not paying attention where she was going. She did not care anymore. She wanted to run away. She did not want to go home and face another day of pain in her life. She kept running, far away. Not caring where she was going.

Hours passed by and she hadn’t realized it. When she finally ran out of energy, she came to a stop. She was exhausted and out of breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and saw the faces of all the people she had hurt and the ones who had left her. She had difficulty breathing from the running and the emotion. She felt so alone and very frustrated with herself. For years she had pushed people away, and now there was no one but herself. After, she finally caught her breath, and the tears stopped. She stood up, and looked around for the first time.

            She did not know where she was. Looking around there were no buildings or landmarks to be found. There was not even a mountain range on the horizon to spot out. Behind her the road continued out of sight, and in front of her the road stopped at the edge of a cliff. Beyond the cliff was a never ending ocean. The waves crashed against the rocks. She stood there frozen. She looked up at the sky, and could only see the clouds. There was no sun or sky to be found. The temperature dropped as well. She was not sure when it did, but it was cold now. It was nicer earlier, so she didn’t have a coat with her. No birds flew in the air, and there were no boats on the ocean. Confused, she turns around and headed back towards town.

            She ran for hours on the lonely road looking for the town. There was nothing. She did not even see a different road to take. It was just the same road that went on and on. Another hour passed by, and she saw something on the horizon. She ran faster towards in hopes of civilization. It was her own mistake for not paying attention to where she was going. If her emotions hadn’t distracted so much, she would have been at home having breakfast with her friend. She decided she wasn’t going to take a route she wasn’t familiar with if it was going to get her lost like this.

As she came upon it her hopes began to fade. Instead, emptiness entered in. She stopped and stared at the ocean she just ran away from. Suddenly, she felt alone and vulnerable. No one was in sight for miles, and it was such a vast area. If she screamed no one would hear her. If she was in trouble no one would come to her rescue. It was very frightening.

No one was around, but she could have sworn that there was somebody behind her. She immediately turned around, but it was just the empty road she came from. She started to cry again, and wished she was back at home with her family. She wished she could see her friends again, and not where she was now. She faced back to the ocean, and slowly sat down. There was nothing she could do. She was stuck in this place. She was lost.

As she watched waves crash onto the rocks she curled up into a little ball. Tears flew freely from her face as she thought about everything she had taken for granted. She thought of her friends, family, co-workers, and everyone who was always there for her through rough times.

            She lost all track of time. She sat there for who knows how long. Her watch stopped working the moment she realized she was completely lost. The sun behind the clouds began to set. As it got darker, it began to lightly rain. The cold drops hit her back. She shivered a bit, but she did not care. Only the loneliness filled her mind. A noise came from behind her, but she did not bother to check to see if someone was there. She had been hearing those noises all day. She had lost all hope of ever returning home. She closed her eyes and lied down on the cold wet road, and fell asleep.

            A cool breeze woke her up as it brushed past her, and sent a chill down her spine. Besides the rain stopping, the weather had hardly changed. She stood up and looked around in hope of something different. That maybe it was all just a bad dream, but unfortunately nothing had. She still stood by a cliff, along with the lonely road. The emptiness was there, the coldness lingered, and she still felt very alone. The ocean’s waves grew larger with each crash against the rocks, and she hugged herself watching the water.

            She heard footsteps behind her as usual. Being alone for hours with no noise but the ocean’s waves, she thought nothing of it. She began to think she would be stuck in this place forever, never being able to go back to her life. Her normal life. She saw herself in the future standing where she stood now in front of the ocean loving and hating it. She saw herself expressionless, just living out another empty day. What if I forget who I am? The thought made her shiver and tears began to well in her eyes.

            She heard the footsteps again, and this time decided to turn around. There stood a man thirty feet away from her. He wore dark blue jeans with a green t-shirt. He had messy blonde hair, and his face was dirty as well as his clothes. His smile was friendly, but his blue eyes stared at her intensely.

            “Hello.” He said.

            Her face was expressionless, as she stared back at the stranger. “Hi,” She said softly.

            “How are you doing?” He asked innocently.

            She just stood there the same, unchanging, saying nothing.

            “I understand that you don’t want to answer my question. Most people don’t when they are alone like you are right now.” He walked closer to her, “but eventually you are going to have to talk to me.”

            “Who are you?”

            “Let’s see. I could be anybody. However, it’s not who I am that matters, but what I can do.”

            Her face changed for the first time, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            He smiled. It was one of the most terrifying looks she had ever seen. All of the sudden she felt fear, and wished she was no where near this man.

            “What if,” he began, “Your whole world fell apart? What if everyone you knew and loved died before your eyes?”

            Something strange was happening. They were not alone anymore. Her friends and family slowly started to appear before her. Her apartment also appeared in the background along with the buildings around it. In fact, everything began to change. She was no longer standing by the ocean. She was at home in front of her apartment staring at her friends and family who were smiling at her.

            “You love them, correct?” He asked her.

            She hesitated then said barely above a whisper, “Yes, I do. With all of my heart.”

            He nodded.

            An earthquake came out of no where shaking and cracking the ground. The buildings began to fall on top of them, and the ground completely opened up. The girl wanted to save them, but found that she could not move from where she was. There was a separation between her and her family, and she could no longer reach them. She started yelling at them to get out of the way of the falling building, but all they did was stand and smile at her. Rubble from the buildings fell on top of them, crushing them. Tears began to stream down her face, as she watched helplessly. There was nothing she could do for them. More debris fell from the sky. One small piece hit her on the head knocking her to the ground. Blood trickled down her face.

            “There it goes. Your whole world, your whole life just died right before your eyes.” He knelt down to the ground, “and there was nothing you could do about it.”

            She began to sob. Just then, she wished she could have spent more time with them. She spent more time in depression and self-pity that she forgot the people who truly loved her. Her body began to tremble. It might have been the earthquake. She wasn’t sure.

            She closed her eyes, and opened her mouth, “Just kill me.”

            “I’m sorry what did you say? I can’t hear you! Speak up!” He taunted her.

            “Kill me! Just kill me already! That’s what you came here to do isn’t it? I don’t want to live anymore!”

            He waved his finger at her, “Tsk tsk. You shouldn’t say stuff like that. It’s not good for you to think that way. Besides, I’m not allowed to kill you.”

            “Just shut up. You haven’t helped me in anyway. Go away!”

            The moment those words left her lips the earthquake stopped and everything disappeared. She was back on the edge near by the ocean. The man was gone as well.

            “What just happened?” She asked herself.

Once again, she was cold and alone with no way to get back home. Even though she felt sadness, she couldn’t help but feel relief knowing her family is fine and alive. She sat down on the ground looking out at the ocean lost in her own thoughts remembering all the good memories she had with her family and friends.

            Who knew how long it had been, seconds, minutes, hours, days? Time did not seem to exist. She had lost all track of time just staring at the waves crashing against the cliff edge. Ever since that man showed up, she had been thinking a lot about her family, and how much she missed them. For so long, she took them for granted and only thought about herself. She was a fool. Is that why I am here? She pondered the thought. Could this all be happening because there are things in her life that she needed to fix or figure out? If that were true, how does she get back?

            The wind picked up a bit, and water from the waves sprayed in her face. She could taste the saltiness of the water in her mouth. It surprised her that the water managed to get up that high, for it had not done that before. She spat out the water the moment it reached her mouth. The taste of salt water was disgusting. Even when she would go to the beach with her family when she was younger, she hated going into the water because of the smell and the taste. She spat three more times just to get the saltiness out of her mouth.

            “You know spitting is a bad habit.” A voice said from behind her. This voice was different from the other. It was older and kinder sounding.

            She turned around to see a man standing with a half smile on his face. He looked to be well over 55 years old, and he wore a business suit. This man had the same stature as her dad. She wondered if he would be nicer than the man before.

            There was a long pause of silence. She was not sure what to say to him. Too many things came to mind. She hoped that if she stayed quiet long enough, he would start talking.

            “You know we could do this all day, but no matter what you have to talk first.” The man said.

            Confusion swept over her face. Did he just read her mind? Does this happen often with people, these two characters are just used to people not talking, like what the other guy said before? If that were the case, then she had to come up with something to say.

            “So, does this happen to people often?” It was the first thought that came to mind, and the first to leave her mouth.

            He smiled at her, “Yes, people go through this like you are now. However, it’s different for everyone. You see the ocean and a long road leading no where, others will see blackness or on top of a building, it all depends on the person.”

            “But why? How do we end up in these realities that we cannot escape?”

            “Technically, it’s your own fault.” He said giving a look of sympathy.

            “What do you mean?”

            “Come,” he brought out his arm, “walk with me.”

            She still was not sure if she should trust him or not. He had not done anything harmful yet, and his demeanor seemed different from the previous man. Maybe she could trust him. She walked forward and linked her arm with his. Together they walked on the road away from the ocean. Even though she knew this road lead to no where, she continued to walk with this stranger with the slight hope that maybe he will guide her home.

            Time had started again. A small breeze brushed passed her face and she could feel the warmth of the sun piercing through the clouds. The weather was changing. The silence between them was rather peaceful. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. The man next to her gave a little chuckled.

            “What is it?” She asked.

            “You seem to be finally enjoying it.” He took a deep breath in as well.

            “What am I enjoying?”

            “Life.” He said, “You were too worried about being lost and stranded on a cliff edge, that you didn’t take the time to enjoy the quietness and sunshine.”

            “There wasn’t any sunshine until now.”

            “What about when you were running trying to find your way back or when you feel asleep? You didn’t notice the weather then.”

            “I don’t understand. How does this relate to me not enjoying life?”

            “Name a time you have enjoyed doing something since your sister’s death.” He stopped and looked at her.

            She thought about the past few years. After her sister’s death, she had sunken into depression and barely left her house. Her parents would visit her often, so would her best friend. For months they visited her, comforted her, and tried to bring her out. They started taking her shopping and helped her look for a new job. It was then that the best thing for her to do was to keep busy. She got a job. She never stopped working since then. Her friend tried coaxing her into enjoying life a little more, and that’s when she got a boyfriend. Of course, that did not last at all. He felt like things were not working out, and that she was a workaholic. When she thought about it, she had not had any happiness in her life for the past few years.

            “I guess it’s been a while,” she said sadly. She was beginning to understand why her parents and her friend visited her so often. She did not realize how much they cared for her.

            “How about you go home and start living.” He extended his hand towards his left, and there was another road.

            It was a different direction, a way home. She stood in awe looking down this newly found road. How had she not seen it before?

            “Thank you,” Tears were welling up, “Thank you so much!” She turned to the man, and hugged him. She was overjoyed for him to have shown her the way home.

            “No need to thank me, this road has been here the whole time. Go home and thank your friend and parents.”

            “Okay,” She let go of him. She looked at the road before her, then back at him and smiled.

            She began walking away from him. He continued to stand in the same place. He got smaller and smaller as she walked further away. With a final glance back she saw him waving good-bye to her, and she returned the wave. She was so happy to be going home. The first thing she was going to do when she got home was to embrace her friend and thank her for all she has done for her. From now on, she was going to enjoy life a little more. She was not going to take her parents or her friend for granted anymore. She decided she was not going to be alone.

Fear

Everyday is like any other day. Nothing is out of the ordinary from the friends at school to the family at home. Everyday is a usual day. People often dream of adventures or journeys to other places, something different from their lives. Oh, how we call imagine that. Often we stare at the picture of the one place we wish to be. Paradise. But when our minds wonder to dreamland the reality before us changes, and sometimes we don't even notice it.

One day, coming home from school or from work you walk into your house. Everything is as it should be. The one place where you feel the safest, and you're all alone. No sound comes from the other rooms as you stand in the living room deciding what to have to eat. No lights are on yet, and the only lighting in the room comes from outside. Down the hallway there is darkness. For a moment, you just stand there taking in your surroundings and savoring the silence. Breathe in, breathe out. You can hear your own breathing and your heart beat slowly. Bump bump...bump bump... 


Click. You hear a high pitch ring coming from the TV. The news flashes on the screen talking about their Most Wanted list. A serial killer had recently escaped from prison and is now loose on the streets. The public was in danger. His face is shown and where he was last seen. Surprisingly it's not too far from where you live. You walk over to lock the door, when the thought just occurred to you. How did the TV turn on by itself? The possibility stopped you in your tracks. The very thought of the killer being in your house was impossible. There would be broken glass from breaking in or some sign of forced entry. Unless the front door was unlocked, but you were good enough to remember to lock it earlier. How come the dog wasn't at the front door waiting to greet you? In fact, where is your roommate who is usually home before you? You saw her car didn't you? They must be here. Either your mind is running wild or the truth of a dangerous killer is in your house. You're silent as the TV plays. Nothing at all. The house is completely quiet. You pick up the remote and turn off the TV. If there was some killer here, there would be evidence of it. Slowly and silently, you walk towards the hallway.

Click. Ring. The TV is on again. Your heart is racing faster than ever. Someone is in the house! How could this have happened? Earlier in the morning you were having coffee with your friend, and now there is a killer in your house. Your life is in danger. You need to call the police. Where is your phone? It isn't in your pocket or in your bag. Fear has frozen you in place. What do you do? You can't find your phone, and there is an intruder in the house. The only thing you can do is defend yourself as you look for your roommate. You slowly walk to the kitchen to grab a knife. Something slippery is on the ground soaking your socks. The smell of blood fills your nostrils. In fear of what it might be, you don't look down. You feel the cold steel of the knife from the sink and you gently pull it out. Your heart is pounding in your chest. Bump! Bump! Bump! You can barely hear yourself think, and your hands begin to shake. What will you do? What will you do...?

There's a slight creek from the floor where your foot landed. You are right in front of your roommate's room. The door is slightly shut, and you can hear the TV is on inside. You hope against all odds, that your roommate just didn't hear you come in the front door, and the blood in the kitchen was an illusion. Your hand presses against the cold door, and it slowly swings open. There, you see your friend sitting on the bed watching TV with their eyes open. They're alive after all! There is no killer in the house. However, just as your about to relax, you notice something. Your friend isn't moving, and there is blood dripping from their mouths. All the color is washed away from their face, and their eyes have glossed over. Fishing wire is wrapped tightly around their neck, wrists and ankles. Your friend was dead.

Fear. Sadness. Horror. Hopelessness. All these emotions are overflowing. What do you do now? Your friend is dead, and the killer is no where in sight. Again you are frozen in place and your eyes begin to water. Everything suddenly feels very cold, and the air behind your shifts just slightly. Soft breathing can be heard, and you can smell something retched. The killer is behind you. This is it. Your death has finally come. There is nothing that can be done. Two hands come around you, one of them gripping the fishing wire, and the other grabbing it. I just hope this ends quickly.


A voice whispers in your ear, "You guys are only the beginning."

Lack Thereof (Part 1)

It's Monday morning. The time is 9:15. Emily has a ten o'clock final, and she will be leaving her characters at home for a couple of hours. Will they be able to behave themselves while she is gone...?

"Alright, I'm almost ready to go. Let's go over what I want you to do today, James." Emily said as she was putting on her coat.

"You want me to start lunch, so it'll be ready when you get back, feed the cat, transfer the towels to the dryer, and make sure no one does anything that could cause the end of the world." He recited perfectly and gave a slight smile when he finished.

"Good. You know what to do. That should put my mind at ease till I get back." She walked over to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. It had already been a stressful morning with Vincent trying to escape again; having coffee would her be in a better mood. She didn't need it to wake her up; she needed it to relax. Most of her characters make sure she's awake enough in the morning. "Oh! One more thing James, would you mind,-"

"Walk the dog. I got it." He stood by the front door holding her backpack.

"You know, I shouldn't be surprised by all of this, but you still do things that I don't expect." She smiled as she grabs her backpack from him.

"You'll never get used to it."

"Ha ha! No kidding." She opened the front door, "Considering you are the only one here capable of causing the end of the world, I wouldn't worry too much about the others. Just make sure no one finds out." She grinned and shut the door.

"That's not funny." He said as he continued to stand in front of the door.

Silence swept over the apartment. The others hadn't made their appearance yet. They were sleeping or something. Emily hadn't considered their need to sleep. James was the only one who had been recorded of sleeping, and having nightmares. James, being the one who has premonitions every day of the following day, and knowing exactly what someone is about to do before they do it. Having that ability to know has gotten him use to living with the other characters, but he couldn't say anything about it to any of them.

A head rested on his right shoulder, "You know it's rude to lie to our writer." Jeremy Caplet said. He stood behind James looking at the front door. He had the ability to read and control one's mind. However, by demand of Emily, he wasn't allowed to control anybody against their will. He and Michael Calamere were the only characters who knew of James's ability.

"It's better if she didn't know what's going to happen today." He looked to his right, Jeremy was standing right next to him, "You know it's rude to do things again Emily's will?"

"Aww, come on! I'm just going to have a bit of fun. Don't worry. I won't control your mind." He smirked and gave James a little nudge.

James began to laugh. He shook his head and spoke, "That's just the problem." He made his hand into a fist, and brought it up to Jeremy's face. Jeremy looked at James right as he swung his arm. The moment of impact, Jeremy was out and collapsed to the floor. There was a noise made by his body hitting the floor, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear. James quickly picked up his unconscious body and placed it on the couch. He covered Jeremy with a blanket and rested his head on a pillow making him look like he was asleep. James walked over to the hallway to feed the cat when he saw Edward walking down the hallway.

"Good morning, James." Ed said as he walked into the dining room, "Did Emily already leave?"

"Yeah, she had to do a couple of things to do before her final." He said casually.

"Bummer, I was hoping to ask her if I could use her computer. Oh well, I'll just hack into it myself." He turned around and started walking towards her room.

"That won't do you any good, since I removed the battery and hid the power cord. You won't be able to access the internet and do any of your 'evil' plans you are plotting." James smiled.

"How did you-?"

"It doesn't matter how I knew. What matters now is your life. Do you have your pacemaker today? I think that was the next thing that Emily had planned for you on her list of ideas. Why don't you sit peacefully on the couch next to Jeremy or else I will end your life right now."

Edward stood in astonishment, "How did you wind up being the bad guy in this situation?" He slowly walked across the room to the couch, "Why is Jeremy sleeping? He usually doesn't sleep."

"Just sit down!" James shouted.

Edward sat. He was completely speechless by James's actions. Who would have thought he had a dark side?

James picked up the remotes and turned on the TV. The Food Network displayed on the screen. Ed made a slight grumble of complaint. James walked away from the living room and headed into Emily bedroom. There he hid the remotes in a box, and went over to her dresser to feed the cat who sat patiently waiting for food. The cat meowed a couple times, and then started purring when there was food in her dish. James petted her for a bit until he heard Dave protesting in the kitchen.

"Where the heck are all the knives?" He shouted.

"Ask James, he might know." Edward distastefully, "He took Emily's laptop battery, he might have taken the knives as well."

"James!" Dave shouted.

"Yes?" James replied as he walked out the room.

"Where are the knives? Tell me!"

He inhaled and shook his head, "Sorry, I can't tell you."

Dave grabbed the collar of James shirt and slammed him against the wall, "You will tell me or else I'll injure you in a way where no one will be able to recognize you."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" James coughed, "Haven't you been trying to get on Emily good side by behaving? You are the only one who has a short temper and physically capable of beating me up, you wouldn't be able to blame anyone else."

Dave growled and let go of James, "I'll get you for this. Someday, you'll pay." He began to walk away.

"Actually, I have a better idea! How about you help me deal with the immortals?"

"What are you talking about?" He said without turning around.

"You've wanted to get revenge on Vincent for taking your toast, right?. I can give you the opportunity to do so."

"I'm listening." He slowly turned around and looked at James.

"There is a bat under Emily's bed, use it to hit him on the head. He may be immortal but you can still knock him unconscious."

"I like this idea." Dave smiled.

"You get the bat and hide behind Emily's door, while I'll distract him."

Dave turned and walked into Emily's room. James stood by the dining table waiting for Vincent to come walking in. There was a long moment of silence. Any minute now, he will come walking in. James thought to himself.

"What's all the commotion going on out here?" Vincent said from the other room. His voice was sounding innocent as usual.

"Vincent!" James exclaimed, "What are you doing alone? Isn't Joshua supposed to be with you at all times?"

"Yeah." He laughed.

"Well where is he?"

"I locked him in the bathroom in the master bedroom." He smiled mischievously, "I decided to cause some trouble and he was the only person to get in my way."

James didn't even want to ask how he locked him up. He ignored the last comment, "Anyway, I wanted to show you something. Mind coming this way?" In his peripheral, he saw Dave slowly walking out of Emily's room with the bat at the ready.

"Sure, what is it?" Vincent said.

With the swift swing of the bat, Dave hit Vincent directly on the head, and Vincent collapsed in a second. Dave smiled with accomplishment and satisfaction. He had finally got his revenge. It was the second unconscious body that day, and James was just getting started executing his plans.

Encouragment Dismissed

It's the morning of the day Emily is supposed to give her senior presentation in order to graduate. Her nerves are going insane and she consults her characters for advice or some comfort. Of course, them being the characters she created, they may not be of much help as she hopes... "James would you mind grabbing my backpack from my room, my note cards are in there." Emily walked out of the bathroom in the middle of straightening her hair. Earlier there was a loud noise coming from the kitchen. She feared something bad was happening.

Sure enough, as she walked into the kitchen she saw Dave Erickson standing with a knife in his hands looking at the ground at Edward Tyson's shaking body.
"Dave what did you do?" Emily shouted.
"I didn't do anything! He just collapsed and started having a seizure."
"Yeah right. You probably threatened him." She knelt down to tend to him, but once he started to foam at the mouth she panicked, "James, come here quickly!"
"What is it?" James was immediately to her side.
"Help him, please." She got up and walked over to Dave, "You come with me." She grabbed his arm and escorted him out of the kitchen. It wasn't the time to be dealing with him, but she had to keep him in check. They walked over to the dining table and shoved him to sit down. It was bad enough that she had to prepare for a presentation, but now she had to deal with a serial killer. She ripped the knife from his hands and walked back to the kitchen to put it back.
James was still on the floor helping Ed who had apparently stopped shaking.
"How's he doing?" Emily asked.
"Better. How are you? Still feeling nervous?" He looked up at her.
"Yeah." She rubbed her hands through her hair, "When you get the chance, mind coming to the dining room?"
He nodded his head.
She walked back to the table and saw that Dave was still obediently sitting. His arms were crossed and he majorly slouched in his seat. Acting like a child, he was pouting. She had grabbed her backpack earlier and pulled out her note cards. She flopped down on her chair and began going over them. There was a long silence exchanged. Neither of them spoke for the longest time, until Dave was about to speak and James came walking in.
"Alright, did you need me for something?" He asked as he sat down next to her.
"I need some advice. I'm giving this presentation at lunch today, and I don't feel like I'm prepared at all."
"Well, do you have an introduction?"
"Yes."
"A conclusion?"
"Yes."
"How about a-"
"Yes!" She interrupted.
"I have enough of this!" Dave stood, "Why do I have to listen to you! You don't like me, and you assume I am the cause of everything that goes wrong!"
"That's not true! I like you. You're one of my favorite bad guys I've created."
"No! You favor Ed and Jeremiah than me. You didn't even bother to hear my side of the story in the kitchen!"
"Fine! What happened in the kitchen?" Emily shouted.
"I walked into the kitchen to make myself some toast. I put the bread in the toaster and grabbed the butter and a knife. Ed walks in. Sees me with the knife the knife and freaks out. I didn't even say anything to him."
"Liar!" A voice came from the kitchen. Edward walks into the room, "You wanted to kill me when I walked in the kitchen. I saw that look in your eyes."
"Oh no, now who do I believe?" Emily closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"And speaking of my life being in danger again, Emily how come I had a seizure this time? I thought I had a weak heart. How come you're always changing my health problem? Why don't you do some actual character development, like personality..." Ed kept going with his rant.
Emily looked away from Ed and saw Vincent walk into the room. He had a smile on his face as usual.
"...I'm serious Emily! What's next? Am I going to be in a wheelchair tomorrow?" Edward finished.
"That's actually not a bad a idea." Dave commented, "That way I don't have to kill you just by looking at you."
Edward glared at him.
"Hey do we got anything to eat?" Vincent asked. He stood in the hallway leading towards the kitchen.
"I-i don't know. Go look for yourself." Emily shooed him away. Her stress level was increasing by the minute with Dave and Edward complaining and James unable to help her in any way.
"Hey look! There's toast in here!" He shouted.
"Don't you dare touch that toast!" Dave was gone in an instant, "that's my toast!"
There was a sound of a struggle between the two, something hitting the ground, and then Vincent walking out of the kitchen with toast in his hands. He sat down where Dave originally sat and eating feeling victorious.
"What did you do?" Emily asked.
He shrugged as he continued to eat.
She rose to her feet and walked to the kitchen. Dave lie on the floor curled up in a ball groaning in pain.
"I hate him. I really do." He barely whispered, "Tell me Emily. Why in the world did you create a character such as him?"
"Actually, I didn't create him. He was my brother's idea."
He grunted, "I hate it."
It felt like an awkward moment. Emily wasn't sure how to respond. She almost thought that she apologized to him for having to go through something painful, and for not treating him fairly like the others. She walked over to him and whispered, "Would you like me to make you some more toast?"
He nodded his head.
"How about a knife you can spin around?"
Nodded again.
She smiled and grabbed the bread from the pantry. Dave didn't move much as she made his toast, but he did talk. He started talking about the good old days and how much he enjoyed killing people. It was a rather disturbing topic for Emily to be engaged in, but he was her character and she had to treat him fairly. Once she finished buttering the toast she handed it to Dave and went looking for a knife for him to play with. By the time she found one Dave was in the dining room with everyone else. Things to have looked like they calmed down, and for the first time today Emily felt like she could relax. She sat down with the others and started to look over her notes again.
Not a minute later did Joshua come running in looking frantic. He looked at the table and when he saw Vincent, he said, "Oh thank goodness! I found you!"
Before anyone spoke James piped up, "Have you practiced your presentation out loud yet?" He sat up in his chair feeling proud of himself.
"No, I haven't." Emily looked away.
"Come on then! Stand up and give it to us." He pulled her up from her seat and stepped back, "Go ahead."
She felt rather stupid. Giving a speech in front of her characters was making her nervous. She really hated speaking in front of anyone.
"I did my internship at...at..." She looked at each one of them. All listening intently to what she was about to say. She continued to speak, going through her notes she said everything she needed to say in her speech. Once she finished she asked the question, "So does anyone have any advice?"
Silence.
"Anyone? Come on. None of you have given a speech before?"
Joshua raised his hand, "Honestly, I'm terrified of giving speeches."
Everyone shook their head in agreement.
"That can't be right! James, you gave a speech at your graduation ceremony. Vincent, you are not even sane enough to be afraid of crowds. Dave...seriously? And Edward, how can you be afraid of crowds if your CEO of your own company? You didn't inherit your position. You work hard to where you are at now, so you must have some skills in giving speeches!"
Edward's face lit up, "Are you saying you are giving me a characteristic?" He said with excitement.
"Yes, it's official. You are good at talking in front of people. It also helps that you are ridiculously smart. Now come help me."
"Yes!" He said with delight.
Finally, things were looking up.

And Chaos Interrupted

James Bookings, Dave Erickson, Vincent Geraldine, Edward Tyson, Jeremy Caplet, Hunter Callis, Joshua Malachi, Michael Calamere, Alrick and their writer Emily Thorne sit at home. Emily struggles with her writer's block and can't figure out what to write next. Meanwhile, it is slowly creeping closer and closer to dinner time, but there isn't food to eat. To top it all off the neighbors outside are building a new deck and making a lot of noise. Everyone is restless. Occasionally, they try to help Emily come up with something to write, but at the same time bored out of their minds...

"Maybe you should try writing a short story." James suggests to Emily as they stare at the computer screen. James was a high school student who graduated with the highest grades in the class, and a person who constantly had premonitions of the next day. He had short sandy hair and light green eyes. With a height of 5' 9" and average looks, he claims he would have gone unnoticed in school if it weren't for his intelligence. He was actually quite popular in school, along his best friend Andrew. Emily hoped that with his brains he could come up with something, but being only a character she wrote herself, he wasn't much help.

"If I were to write a short story, what would the story be about?" Emily looked at him with her eyebrow raised and an expression that said, "You see the problem now?"

"I don't even see the point of writing right now," Edward Tyson sat on the couch across the room watching the TV, "Instead, we should do something a little more productive than sitting in front of a laptop." Edward being the CEO of his company has a physical condition that limits his activity. Too much emotional stress or movement such as running put his life at risk.

"Oh yeah, you're one to talk Ed! Being the one sitting in front of the TV, why don't you do something productive?" Emily shouted at him.

"Great idea! Since I can’t do much, how about you develop my character a little more? I'm tired of being the bad guy with a health problem. Also, I hardly even have a past, much less a life! How about that? Yeah, write about me!"

"Keep your voice down, there are other people living in this complex." Emily tried to lower her voice.

"Ha! Not like that matters!” Dave Erickson stood in the kitchen twirling a knife in his hand, “the people in the building next to us are so noisy making their new deck.” Dave was an infamous serial killer. He killed not only for the enjoyment he received from it, but also watching families suffer through the loss of a loved one. He was not someone to easily trust just because he gave you a reassuring smile. His over confidence has yet to get him into trouble. He has buzzed cut black hair and dark brown eyes.

Bang, bang bang! The nail gun sounds. It wouldn't have been so bad to deal with as long as the noise was consistent, but it wasn't. The gun would go off, stop, and then go again. Emily rubbed her temples as she tried to endure the sound. It was starting to give her a headache. What to write? What to write? Her thoughts were in a big jumbled mess, and she couldn’t think straight. With what's going on, she wouldn't be able to write anything.

Joshua Malachi came running into the room from the hallway panicked with his eyes searching across the room looking for something.

"Josh, what's wrong?" Emily’s concerning voice was sincere. Anytime he was bothered, there was something wrong. Being an immortal, it took a lot to upset him. Most of the time, he was very composed and calm, their voice of reason amongst the group.

"I-I can't find Vincent."

The words caught all of their attention. Vincent Geraldine, an immortal like Josh, was irrational and dangerous. At one point in his life he was placed in an asylum for being criminally insane, but escaped by killing the majority of the people there. In one sentence you could say he was more terrifying than Dave. Joshua was the only one could face him without being in any real danger.

James and Edward both stood from where they sat, "What do you mean you can't find him?" James spoke.

"It's exactly as he said it, James! He is no where to be seen." Edward shouted, "Now, our lives are in dang-" he stopped breathing. He grabbed his chest and had a pained expression on his face.

"Oh come on!" Emily exclaimed, "Why do you have to have an attack now?"

He gasped for breath as he fell to his knees. James ran over to help Edward back onto the couch, and began searching for his medication.

Emily walked over to Joshua to try and calm him down. "Okay, let's think about this clearly. He couldn't have gone far. He must be somewhere in the house, otherwise I would have seen him leave."

"But what if he didn't leave through the front door. It's possible he went out the window." Joshua's breathing quickened. He ran his hands through his blonde hair, "This is entirely my fault."

"It's okay. It's okay. We can fix this. We'll have Jeremy find him. Everything is going to be alright. Just calm down. Breath." Emily soothed.

Joshua took a deep breath in and then let it out. This was not what Emily was expecting. She was already stressed out about not having anything to write; now she had to start searching for Vincent. Where ever he could be.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" A voice came from behind Joshua.

The horror that came from Joshua's eyes confirmed who it was. He quickly spun around and shouted, "Vincent! Where have you been?" By looking at his hand, Emily noticed that he was getting ready to pull out his sword.

Vincent gave a pitiful look, "Is it a crime to go to the bathroom?"

"WHAT?!" Dave screamed at the top of his lungs. He was furious, "You said you looked everywhere, but you didn't bother to check the bathroom! Are you an idiot?"

By the look in his eyes, Emily wasn't so sure which one he would throw the knife at, the killer who mysteriously disappeared or the idiot who didn't even think of checking the bathroom.

"Are you kidding me?" James stood up and walked over to Josh, "You put Edward's life at risk. How could you be so careless?"

The three began to argue back and forth shouting. The stress of it all was tiring Emily out. She thought about going to lay down for a bit, but the three of them were in the way. She let out a sigh as she sat back down in her chair.

Tomorrow

The end of the world, Judgment day, Armageddon, Rapture, they are all predicaments of the end of the world. However, the date in which this major disaster occurs is unclear. We as people have no idea when existence will diminish. People will talk about the end of the world and the survivors of it, but if there are people still alive then it’s not really the end. The end of the world means everyone and everything is dead. Can such an occurrence really happen?

What if, you did know the year, month, day, down to the hour? Say, you knew the exact events that lead up to the end. Would you try to prevent it? Of course! Anybody would, if it meant saving them, their family, friends and everyone else on this planet, but the real question is: What happens after you stop it all? Does life continue as it were or does everything end in a big flash because that was the day it was supposed to happen?

We often had this discussion in one of my extra curricular classes in high school. My teacher was convinced that he had it all figured out. Everything was already predestined, and there was nothing we could do about it. Events of terrorist attacks to natural disasters were already set to happen and all we had to do was play our parts. He even went to the lengths of saying that no one can prevent the end of the world. Everyone had their roles they had to play, and despite their efforts of changing it, it was meant for them to change it. For example, if it was predicted that there would be a huge fire at the fair tomorrow, people would try their best to keep it from happening. So, the people who were extra cautious would keeping an eye on anybody who would try to cause this fire, and the people who move flammable objects to safer places. However, while being cautious someone accidently causes sparks from the fireworks, thus a flame is lightened. That flame eventually turns into a fire, and the predicament comes true. No matter how hard they tried, the fire happened anyway.

My teacher would argue his point with this example, and then some student brings up the question. "But what if someone actually thought if they tried too hard to prevent they would cause the fire, so instead they just let the day go as it was originally planned?" At this point my teacher would smile and say, "Then the carelessness they possess will cause the fire. Regardless which way they choose, the fire will always be started."

We always had discussions like this in class. Sometimes I would agree with my teacher, and other times I thought his ideas were a little far stretched. Nevertheless, I admired the man. He took the time to think these kinds of things through, and provoked us to think about them as well. He was a very intellectual man.

However, knowing what I know now, there is something I would like to ask him. What if you could relive each and every day twice? I'm curious what he would say. Because knowing what I know, throws destiny out the window. Preventing death left and right, riots, plane crashes, explosions, you think these wouldn't lead to the end of the world, right? Wrong. Who knew saving the world could bring it to its end. Now, it haunts me day and night, if this were destiny would I still be the cause of the end of the world if I didn't have these premonitions?

Nightmare

My whole world was spinning. Round and round it went, passing by. I felt like I was standing outside of time, and I watched it as things progressed. What was happening? Where am I?

Everything stopped. I stood in the middle of the road. Buildings on both sides of me. People walking on the sidewalks, cars driving by. On the horizon I could see the ocean. I was nearby the beach. The sun may have been in the sky, but it hid behind the clouds. No one seemed notice me. I walked to the sidewalk, and began heading towards the beach. Again no one looked at me or even bothered to get out of my way. It was as if I wasn't even there. To test it out I stopped directly in front of a man, and he walked through me. I was a ghost! I died? When? I don't remember dying.

I turned around and everything changed. I no longer stood in a town nearby the beach. I stood on a busy street in the heart of a city. Taxis, cars, buses, bicycles, people were going all over the place. Again, no one seemed to notice me. I walked down the sidewalk with no where to go looking down at my feet. It was at that point I came to the conclusion that this was a dream. Whenever something weird or impossible happens, it is most likely a dream. Well, no one can see me, I'm not dead, and I went from the beach to the city. I must be dreaming!

"Jessica!"

Someone called my name. I looked up to see where it came from, and there stood a man fifteen yards away staring at me. He wore a black suite, and his brown hair was combed back. He smiled at me, and turned around. He walked through the crowds like I did, no one saw him either. I ran after him. Who was he? Why was he in my dream? He kept walking away.

"Hey! Who are you?" I shouted at him, but he ignored me. I ran faster, but I couldn't catch up to him. He took a left turn down an alley. It was so far away, yet so close. What was going on? I finally came upon the alley, and went down it.

My surroundings changed again. I stood in the middle of a road, again. Only this time, I stood out in the middle of no where. There was nothing to look at. From east to west, there was nothing but flat terrain. The road continued on forever in both directions too. The clouds in the sky were dark, threatening to rain. The temperature decreased excessively as well. Goose bumps ran up my arms. I held on to myself. I look around a bit, and found the man that I saw in the city. He stood there smiling at me.

"Jessica," he said in a very caring way, "Why do you keep punishing yourself like this?"

My heart was pounding. Now that I was closer to this man, I recognized him almost immediately. Panic rushed through my body, and a lump formed in my throat. "What are you talking about?"

Even thought those words left my mouth I knew what he was talking about. Everything changed. My surroundings, my clothes, the weather, everything! I sat on the driver's side of my car waiting patiently for my sister. She had to make a phone call, and both of our phones were dead. We were on our road trip that we talked about for so long, and we finally saved up enough money to go. At the time, we were out shopping, and were about to head back to the hotel. I sat listening to music while the sun beamed down on me. It felt like one of the happiest moments of my life.

Ten minutes passed, and my sister hadn't come back. I got out of my car, walked down the street looking for her. Where was the phone booth she was using? I continued to walk down the street looking for her, but she was no where in site. Another ten minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of her. I began to run around frantically looking for her. I came upon a parking lot, and saw a phone booth that someone was using. Without even thinking, I ran towards the phone booth. Maybe, just maybe my sister would be around somewhere. The man talking on the phone saw me. He hung up the phone and walked to his car. I was still so far away from him.

"Wait!" I shouted, "I need to talk to you!"

He looked over to me, and smiled. Why would he do that? He opened the door to his car, and I heard someone screaming. My heart sank into my stomach as I recognized that scream. It was my sister. He shut the door, and started the engine.

"No!"

He pulled out of his parking spot, and just as he sped away I saw my sister in the back, tied up, screaming my name.

Tears flowed from my eyes as I watched helplessly my sister being kidnapped. My hands began to tremble.

The man that kidnapped my sister five years ago, still haunts my dreams to this day.

Road Trip

The long hours on the road. We have been driving all day, and the sun was slowly creeping behind the horizon. The shadows covered the mountain range. Our headlights turned on, as well as the cars next to us. Pretty soon everything was dark and only the road ahead of us could be seen.

My eyes grew heavy and everything started to blur. The tireless hours of being on the road were starting to take affect. I couldn't wait until we arrived at our destination. Sleep called for me and I would have greatly answered if it weren't for my stubborn self unable to fall asleep in a car. My parents were talking in the front seat about where we were at or how much further it was. My sister sat next to me with her eyes closed. I wouldn't have been surprised if she were actually asleep. I stared out the window looking at nothing but blackness. For a moment I thought that I may have fallen asleep, but I was uncertain. The music was still playing and tires rolling on the road could still be heard.

Then something happened, I saw something beautiful. A town crossed my vision. The colors it illuminated were so vibrant and bright. It looked like a circus covered, no showered with Christmas lights of all colors. The buildings were of extravagant design, no two buildings looked the same. The streets were lit up and cars slowly drove by. I swore it looked like a dream. Maybe it was. I tried to focus on it a little more, trying to see things in better detail, but my vision was fading. We were speeding by too fast to see what the town was really like. The moment I saw the town, it was beautiful, but just as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared. I never saw that town ever again. It truly felt like a dream.

I sat straight in my seat. Resting my head on back of it, I thought what it might be like to live in that town. With the colorful lights, and the music playing. I wondered what would the people be like. Friendly, welcoming, fun. I thought of it as one of those places where everything is perfect, and there is nothing to worry about. Those places that are only found in your dreams. You are at peace, and you can't help but smile. All your friends and family are there, and nobody is unhappy. A dreamland, Heaven. That's what I imagined it was. If a place like that ever existed I would go searching for it. Like everyone else that searched for the Garden of Eden, or the Fountain of Youth, buried treasure under historical places, or the perfect house to live in. I would search for the perfect town.

Of course, the sad part is there's no such thing as a perfect town.

Tribute

My heart is sealed in a cage,
Though it won't last long,
Bitterness may surround it,
I can feel the cracks being made,
Soon, very soon, something will happen.

I'm lost in the pit of lonliness,
I feel unloved and abandoned,
Despair has become my friend,
Soon, very soon, something will happen.

Anger swells within me,
The rage I feel becomes my actions,
Energy guides me,
Soon, very soon, something will happen.

Unwanted love enters my life,
A long lost friend returns,
Tears flow freely from my face,
Soon, very soon, something will happen.

I do no deserve this love,
Redemption has given me the option,
Happiness stole me away from despair,
Soon, very soon, something will happen.

My friend is dead,
The hope I once had is lost,
Just to save me from hell,
Something has just happened, but what?

Three days later my friend reappears,
With scars on his hands and hip,
With tears in his eyes,
He says he did this for me.

He saved me from eternal damnation selflessly,
In return I must continue to love and serve him,
The simplicity is unbelievable,
Soon, very soon, I will go to heaven to be with Him.

A Mother's Regret

In school, students will ask the teacher why we have to learn about our history. I remember asking my teacher that exact same question. The teacher told me, “So that we may learn from our mistakes, and not repeat the past.” Ever since then, I have had an interest in history. I found myself fascinated with history. I would spend hours just reading about the revolutionary war, and the beginnings of our county. By the time I was twelve years old I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I was older. I wanted to become a history teacher, and I did. At the age of twenty-five with the degree in hand, I took a job as a teacher at my old school. I have been a teacher ever since.

That was fifteen years ago. I still love history, and still love teaching it to younger kids. Except now, my perspectives have changed. Ever since the year 2009, the economy has been slowly receding, and eight years ago, the President officially announced that our country was slipping deeper into depression. The news wasn’t all that bad for me, until Alex, my husband, came home and told me that he was laid-off at work and officially unemployed. It was a sad day for my family. My income wouldn’t be enough for us to live in our home anymore. We were going to move in with my sister, but her family was going through the exact same thing. It was a very scary time for all of us.

For a whole week Alex looked for a job, while Mark, my ten-year-old son, and I stayed in a shelter. By the end of the week, my sister found me, and she had an idea. She offered that we rent an apartment together and share the rent until we could afford our own house again. It was a great idea, and by the next week, we had moved into an apartment. Alex found a job, so we started looking for a new house. Things were looking up for us until the day the United States and Russia went to war.

It wasn’t even a month after we moved into the apartment when we learned that Russia declared war on America. We knew for several years that the two countries had not been getting along, but we didn’t expect them to go to war. Both the United States and Russia agreed not to use nuclear weapons, but we feared that could change in a moment. The good thing to come out of the war was that Alex was able to enlist and housing was provided for us to live. We now had another income, and we were able to send Mark back to school. Though Alex was off to war, at least we were able to provide for our family. We just hoped he would return home alive.

My sister, Valerie, was able to get a house as well. Her husband enlisted, and went to war with Alex. Though she lived on the other side of town, we talked often over the phone, and she would come visit me after work. Valerie didn’t have any children of her own, so she loved spending time with her nephew. Life wasn’t great, but Valerie and I were making it through the hard time together.

Two years later Valerie called me crying. She told me that two soldiers visited her today at her house, and told her that her husband died in battle. Although she was awarded the money for his life insurance, she was devastated. At least she was given thirty days to find a new house to live in. My sister doesn’t mind challenges in her life, but with her income being so low, and the government taxing the life insurance money, she would be lucky if she could afford an apartment. She asked if she could stay at my house until she was able to find a better paying job. I love my sister, and to see her suffering like that was too much to handle. I agreed to let her stay, and she moved in the next day.

It wasn’t long after, that I received another call, this one from my sister-in-law, Anna, telling me her situation. She told me that my brother got into a car accident, and died instantly. She was a stay at home mom with two children, and needed a place to stay until she could find a job as well. The day she moved in, I received a call from my mom asking if she could stay with me. I was about to tell her that she couldn’t, I already had too many people in my house, until she told me that father just died in his sleep. The government was about to kick her out of her house because she couldn’t pay her bills. In one month, my whole world fell apart. I missed my husband, and now I had to take care of the girls in my family.

I hoped that the war would get better over time, but it didn’t. The military needed more soldiers, so they started drafting men into the army. There was a couple, not much older than me, who lived right next door. I didn’t see much of them. Until one day when the husband walked out of the house. He had a bag over his shoulder walking to his car. His wife was crying on the porch as she watched him drive away. He had received a letter from the military, and had to leave for war. It was heartbreaking to see her cry like that. As I watched her cry, the realization came to me that history was repeating itself. We never seem to learn from our mistakes.

Things continued to get worse after that. Drafting had become a regular thing. When a boy turned eighteen, he was drafted. I feared for my son’s life. I didn’t want him to go to war unless it was his choice. I tried to think of ways to avoid him receiving a letter. I thought about sending him to a different country, or faking his death. I almost considered putting him in a special educational class, in order to convince the government that he was mental. I wasn’t thinking rationally at the time, and eventually discarded the idea. I didn’t know what to do. I was already afraid for Alex’s life; to fear for Mark’s life would be more than I could bear.

There was only one way to save my son from the war, and I could not financially afford it. Ever since the declaration of the depression, the government had become corrupt. Government officials believed they were above the law, and began treating people poorly. However, that wasn’t the worst. If people had enough money, they could bribe the government to keep their sons from the draft and from going to war. It was morally wrong, and they knew it. Except, they didn’t care, as long as they got their money they were happy. They didn’t care about the military or the people who were sacrificing themselves for their country.

It had been almost eight years since Alex left to join the military. Mark was in his last year of school, Anna and Valerie were working together in a children’s day care. With my mother having pneumonia, she was in bed most of the time. We had to keep the children far enough away from her so they wouldn't catch it either. She could barely get out of bed without having a coughing fit. My cousin would visit us to check on my mom, and gave her antibiotics to take, but it just wasn’t enough. She didn’t charge us like other doctors usually did because she knew our financial situation. Because of my mom’s age and situation, I didn’t think she would live much longer.

Alex sent me letters once every month since his departure, and didn’t miss a single one. He often talked about how much he missed Mark and me, and about the people he has met. I always looked forward to reading about what was going on. Three months before Mark’s eighteenth birthday, I stopped receiving Alex’s letters. I didn’t know what had happen to him and I began to panic and fear that he may have died. Everyone living in my house was still there because my husband was still alive. If he died, we would have had to find an apartment we could live in together.

Not long after I stopped receiving his letters, two soldiers knocked on my front door. Before I could even answer the door I burst into tears, I had lost my husband, and my whole world fell apart right in front of me again. They told me he died in battle, and that he was a good soldier. I, too, was awarded money for Alex’s life insurance, and I, too, was given thirty days to move out.

In that moment, I had a decision to make. I had enough money to pay the government and keep my son from the draft, but at the same time, I needed the money to support my family. I was frustrated with myself because this was supposed to be an easy decision, but I couldn’t give up on the option of preventing my son from leaving for war. It went against everything I believed in, and I couldn’t make the decision. I stood there in the doorway of my house unable to decide. Maybe taking my own life was the answer I needed. I fell to my knees and began to weep for my husband’s death. If only I could run away to another country, a place far from war. Even though tragedy has plagued my country, I cannot leave it; my love for Mother Russia was too strong.

Nothing Good Happens after Midnight (cont.)

Morning had come with the sun rising above the horizon in the sky hiding behind the dark and gloomy clouds. There would be no rain for the day. There was already the presence of depression from the weather. With the New Year passing, it was going to be a frigid day, but the chance of snow was slim. Even if it was thirty three degrees outside it would rain instead of snow. That’s how it was in Oregon.

However, the weather did not matter to Madison. Her alarm buzzed 8:30. Refusing to get out of bed, she hit the snooze button, and rolled over. She had a restless night and got very little sleep. The whole night she tightly gripped the covers by her scrounging face. There was continuous scratching at her door and occasional creaking. At one point she thought she heard a moan, but the scratching remained. It was until light began to peek through the room did the scratching stop and Maddie was able to doze off.

Five minutes pass and the alarm goes off again. Hitting the snooze button again without even turning over, she continued to lie in bed. However, the alarm continued to buzz. Maddie sat up and saw her cell phone next to the clock buzzing. She picked it up and flipped it open. The name read Erin.

Groggily she answered, “Hello?”

“Maddie! Good, you’re awake.” Erin spoke with energy.

“Yeah, just barely. Anyway, what’s up?”

“You don’t remember? We had made plans to get coffee this morning.” Her voice almost sounded disappointed.

“Oh,” Maddie said as she looked at the clock, “that explains why my alarm was going off.”
“You forgot,” she said as a matter of fact.

“Sorry, I didn’t have a good night sleep last night. That reminds me, I read you’re story.” Maddie rubbed her face and positioned her feet to the floor.

“Really,” She immediately perked up, “That was fast. How did you like it? Is there anything I should change?”

“I thought it was really good. Gave me the creeps.” Maddie shuddered by her own words.
“Thanks.”

“I’m curious, Erin,” she said as she slowly walked to the door almost hesitant to open it, “where did you get the idea for the story?”

“Oh, I based it off an old ghost story here in town. Mr. Gregor, the old man across town, was nice enough to tell me about it. I changed a couple of details to my story from the original to make it sound a little more real.”

There was no response from Maddie. Only silence over the phone.

“Maddie, are you there?”

She did not move. Terror had completely frozen her in place. Erin continuously said her name over and over again, but she did not respond. Because what lay before her was a corpse.

The Mirror (Part 3)

The man's heart was beating ever faster and he had to grip the edge of the counter to refrain his hands from shaking. His reflection was talking to him, and he didn't know how to respond. "What?"

The reflection once again smiled back at the man, "You are wondering what's going on, and I'm telling you that your reflection is speaking to you."

The man went wide eyed. Even if this was just a dream, it was one of the freakiest one he has had. "You," he began to speak as he lifted his right hand and placed it on the mirror, the reflection did the same thing as well, "are speaking to me?"

The devil's smile came across the reflection's face, "Yes."

The moment he replied the reflection's hand moved from its place and reached out from the mirror and grabbed the man's wrist. The man gasped and removed his hand from the mirror. His reflection followed. Along with the hand his arm and head came out of the mirror. The man ripped the reflection's hand from his wrist and backed away. The reflection's shoulder and other arm came through the mirror, and seconds later the rest of his body was out of the mirror and onto the bathroom counter. The man stood speechless.

The reflection jumped down from the counter and stood in front of the man with an upset look on his face. He crossed his arms, "Kinda weird isn't it?" He walked closer to the man, "I mean your own reflection just stepped out of your mirror." He walked until he was only inches away from his face. "Are you scared yet?"

"I-I have to go." The man stuttered. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared out of his mind. He pressed himself as far away as he could from his reflection, but he found himself cornered between the closet and the doorway out to the hallway.

"You're not going anywhere," The reflection chuckled, "So how about you sit down and relax?" He walked away from the man and stood by the shower.

The man didn't move from where he stood.

"Well, since you're not going to move let's talk."

"About what." The man managed to say.

"We are going to talk about you, and your problems" He said with conviction and a little bit of sarcasm. The topic of the man's problems seemed amusing to him.

"My problems?" The man asked.

"Yes, your problems!" He over accentuated the word 'your' as he leaned a little forward and cocked his head to the right, "Those problems that you refuse to acknowledge. You think your life is so perfect, and that you have no problems at all!" The reflection was shouting at the man, "Yet, you continuously stare into the mirror as if you're looking for an answer. What answer?"

As the man's reflection shouted at him, he found that he was becoming frustrated, almost as if he was feeling what the reflection was feeling.

The reflection continued, "If you have to no problems then you shouldn't have to worry about looking for an answer."

"So are you saying that I do have problems?" The man posed the question.

"Yes! You, and the rest of the world, have problems! Let's talk about that job you have. Think it's stable? I doubt it. You're boss is not happy with your performance, and doesn't appreciate that you argue with him."

"My performance? I do an excellent job at what I do, and sometimes my boss doesn't know what he's talking about. I have to disagree with him." His fear slowly started to fade as his anger began to rise. He wasn't sure why this was happening, but he was actually arguing with his own reflection.

"Then about that family of yours? Yeah, you guys still see each other, but you completely denounced from their faith and the church."

"Denounced? That's too extreme. I said that I don't believe in the bible as much as they do." The volume of his voice began to match that of the reflection's voice.

"That sounds a lot like denouncing to me!"

"Oh fine then! I denounced my family! Why don't I just say that I denounced God as well!" He stepped away from the corner and walked towards the reflection which matched his movements, "What next? You want to talk about my friends as well? How I use them like they're disposable and I throw them away?"

"Exactly." The reflection said with a serious look on his face, "You're finally admitting your flaws."

"Are you kidding me? I don't use my friends!"

"Yes, you do! You manipulate them into doing things for you. You make them feel bad like it's their fault and you're the victim. It's disgusting!"

"I don't manipulate my friends! You are crazy!" The man turned around, and was about to walk out the door when he found that there was no door only a wall.

His reflection behind him began to chuckle that turned into laughing and then hysteria. The man turned around to see his reflection holding his stomach with his arms, bending forward and about to fall over. The man didn't understand why he was laughing, but he didn't like it. It was very uncomfortable to see his own reflection laughing in hysteria.

Slowly the bathroom began to fade away until there were only the white walls, and when that was the only thing left, the walls fell away into nothing. The man was left standing in blackness with only his reflection in front of him laughing.

When he finally caught his breath the reflection stood back up and spoke, "I'm the crazy one?" He laughed a bit more, "On the surface, you are a decent fellow. You are nice, friendly, and have it together, but if someone were to look deeper and deeper into your real self they would only see that you are crazy!" He shouted at the man, with the last word ehcoing through the blackness.

"I'm not crazy." The man shook his head.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not."

"Crazy head! Crazy head!"

"Shut up! I'm not crazy!" The man covered his ears.

His reflection walked towards him, and removed the man's hands from his ears. He brought his face closer to his and whispered in his ear, "Whether you like it or not. Whether you deny it or not, it's true, you are crazy."

The man back away and screamed, "I AM NOT CRAZY!" He raised his hand, and struck his reflection. Hitting the reflection caused it to shatter into a million pieces and fell to the ground. The man looked at his right hand and saw blood running down his arm. The pain came after the realization, and it looked like there were some shards where he hit his reflection. The mirror now lay on the floor of his bathroom. The man looked up and saw that he was back in his own bathroom. The mirror above the counter was completely shattered and everywhere in the bathroom. The parts where he could see himself he saw blood on his face as well. He backed up against the door and slid down.

His heart was beating as fast as ever, and he was shaking uncontrollably. Chills ran up his spine and the pain in his hand grew increasingly worse. Tears came from his eyes, not of sadness but of complete and utter shock. He closed his eyes and asked himself, "What is happening to me?"

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

The clock struck midnight. Madison had just finished reading the ghost story her sister wrote. Earlier in the week, her younger sister Erin came running into her house all jittery about her finished work. She eagerly asked Madison to read it and give feedback for she planned on sending it to her editor the next day.
Madison gently smile and said, "I'll read it."
Erin shrieked as grabbed her sister and gave her a big bear hug, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Without a chance to reply to Erin, she was already out the door.

Madison laughed to herself. She looked down at the story that rested in her hands and read the title out loud, "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. Well, it's a working title, right?"

It was now midnight and only a small lamp lit the chair that Maddy was sitting in reading her sister's story. She let out a sigh as she tightly gripped the stack of papers in her hands. Her heart was racing and she quickly looked around the living room feeling on edge.

"That was one scary story. I should be careful not to let my mind get carried away." She laughed nervously.

She stood from her chair, placed Erin's story on the coffee table, and went to go get ready for bed. As she climbed up the stairs to the bathroom there was a light creaking coming from behind her, and she hurriedly went up the stairs. She flipped on the lights and turned to face the staircase. There was no one there. Her breathing quickened.

"It's just the story. The stairs always creak like that. It's just an old house." She said repeatedly to calm her nerves.

She walked into the bathroom. After brushing her teeth she lathered up the soap in her hands and began messaging her face. She tried not to think too much on scary things. She wanted to sleep tonight, but if that story her sister wrote spooked her so much that she couldn't even sleep, she was going to have to talk with her. She thoroughly rinse and dried her face with a wash cloth. For just a moment she looked at herself in the mirror thinking about how sometimes there will be a mysterious figure in the mirror, but when you turn around nobody is there. It must be one of the freakiest things to experience.

Someone was standing in her bedroom staring at her. She quickly turned to see who was the invader, and saw no one was there. Stepping outside of her bathroom and into the bedroom she looked around. No one was to be seen or heard. She slowly walked over to her bed and knelt down to pick up the bat that lay underneath the bed. She walked cautiously around the house looking for the intruder, but there was no one.

"Geez, there I go again. Getting freaked out for no reason." She said as she lowered her bat and walked back to her bedroom.

She shut the door and switched off the main light. The lamp next to her double size bed was still on for her to turn off after she was comfortably in bed. The wind outside blew vigorously. There was a light whistling coming from the wind giving it an eerie feeling. Maddie tensed up a bit as she pulled the covers over. She was about to fall asleep when she saw that the closet door was still open.

"Oh! I better close that." She exclaimed as she got up from bed and walked over to the closet door. She shut the door quietly. She sighed tiredly. Being on her toes since she began reading Erin's story had really worn her out. Once she was finally in bed once again, she relaxed and turned off the light. It was pitch black and completely silent.

Sleep was about to overtake her when she hears a scratching at the door. She was wide awake now. Turning on her side away from the door, she gripped her covers in hoping she just imagined the scratching. It came again. This time louder and longer. Maddie's heart was pounding. There was something at the door, she just knew it! She feared to turn around. There might be claws coming from under the door trying to get in. Whatever it was it wanted to come in her room to kill her. She decided that she would not let it in!

"Meow!"

Maddie turned around immediately and turned on the lamp.

"Mee-ow!"

She sat up when she realized that it was her cat that wanted in her room.

"Meow! Meow!"

"I'm coming. I'm coming." Maddie said as she got up from bed and headed over to the door. She opened it up for her cat to come in. The calico came inside purring and rubbing against Madison's leg.

"Man, out of all the times I have gone to bed, how come every scary thing is happening tonight?" She asked looking down at her cat, "It couldn't be because I read Erin's story?"

"Meow!"

"Yeah, you're right. It's just my imagination running away with me." She laughed to herself as she climbed back into bed.

Her cat jump up and curled next to her falling asleep immediately. Maddie gently pet her cat and rested back down on her bed. She turned off the light and took one more deep breath before she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

However, not two minutes later, there was a small creaking coming from outside her door and then some more scratching.

Madison's eyes went wide.

The Mirror (Part 2)

The devil's smile looked back at the man. He continued to stare back at his own twisted reflection, and concluded that he was dreaming. There was no other explanation to it. He lived a very normal life and out of those twenty years he had never experienced something this supernatural. Reflections don't smile at you for any reason unless it was a dream.

He placed his toothbrush on the counter and headed back to his bedroom. He lay down on his bed which sat up against the wall in the middle of the room, and waited for himself to wake up. After five minutes nothing happened. He tried closing his eyes to see if that would help, but still nothing happened. He sat back up and sighed. He rubbed his temples trying to figure out how to wake up from this dream. He hadn't realized earlier but his heart racing. He heard it beating through his chest. His hands were shaking as well and he had no idea what was going on.

"Am I going crazy?" He asked himself. What he did next he wasn't sure what his reasons were for doing it, but he got out of bed and walked across the hallway into the bathroom to once again to look at his reflection.

He slammed his hands on the counter and stared at his himself. Everything was normal. He looked at his reflection and saw the look of frustration across his face. There was no smile to seen. He covered his face with his hands and slowly dragged them down his face. "What in the world is going on?" He said out loud.

"What do you think is going on?" A strange yet familiar voice said.

The man immediately stood up and looked around. There was no one to be seen. He was alone in the bathroom and in the apartment. A mysterious voice just spoke to him and he didn't know where it came from. A scary thought passed through his mind. He considered that his reflection responded to his question, but like everything else it seemed ridiculous. He looked at his reflection and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"If you're thinking that I was the one who responded then you are correct." The reflection said with confidence, but with the same confusing look the man had on his face.

The Mirror (Part 1)

A common myth among people is when you break a mirror you will have seven years of bad luck. You know why? Because it is believed that a mirror is not only a reflection of your physical self but your soul. To break a mirror would be denying or destroying yourself. Hence the bad luck.

It happened on a Sunday. Not so sure why, but it did. He had been troubled for weeks and would continuously stare into his bathroom mirror looking for what he hoped would have the answers. The thing is he wasn't in dept, his job wasn't on the line, and he lived happily alone in his apartment. He had his friends and family nearby to visit him, so he was never lonely. It was something much deeper, and he couldn't figure out what was troubling him. Was he stuck in a rut? Someone from his past has come back? Unresolved problems somewhere in his life? He wasn't sure. Nevertheless, he continued to stare into the mirror for five to ten minutes searching for an answer.

Finally, on a rainy Sunday, he went into the bathroom and something had changed. His appearance looked much thinner than the day before. In fact, the whole room looked thinner. He lightly touched the mirror with his hand and found that it had completely warped. "What happened?" He asked himself. He was tempted to press on it, but he feared it would shatter. Unsure what to do he decided to pull out his toothbrush and brush his teeth. He wasn't going anywhere in particular today, but he still wanted to clean up a bit.

When he looked back at the warped in mirror it had gone back to normal. There was nothing warped about it. He stepped back for a moment to double check, and nothing was out of place. "Did I just think it was warped?" This time he took his right hand and lightly touched the mirror. It was sturdy as ever. He slightly pressed on it, and left a hand print. Weird. He reached for the toothpaste muttering to himself about going crazy. He looked back up at himself with his toothbrush in hand and stopped.

His reflection had changed again. The mirror was not warped, but his reflection was smiling at him. It stood the same way as he did with the toothbrush in his right hand only with a smile across its face. He moved to the left and his reflection followed. He moved to the right and his reflection followed. He did a quick movement from left to right and his reflection still followed and still kept smiling. He pondered whether he was still dreaming or not. Events like these don't happen in real life. He moved closer to his own reflection to examine his face a little better. The smile in the reflection was off. It was not a smile of happiness or glad to see someone. The reflection's smile was a smile of secrets. It knew something the man didn't. Its eyes did not smile with the rest of the face. The eyes showed a different emotion. Anger.

Part 2 will come later. :)