Falling in love wasn’t meant to happen—not here, against the backdrop of sharp edges brought on by necessity. For what good could love bring when the world was near extinction? A civilisation so ravaged by war, by greed, by humanity—it now existed only on the Islands. One island to grow the carefully monitored crops. Another island, shrouded in a constant state of cloud, seeded with chemicals designed to generate rain on...

Before I lay bare my dreadful deeds for all to see and face complete condemnation for what I did, you must first listen. Let me tell you the truth so that you might understand, so that you might see why I did what I did. I'll confess everything. If you give me a chance to explain, you'll see I only did what I had to. I didn't have any choice. You would have done the same if you were in my place. You would have! Don't deny...

A long and eventful Christmas Eve party with her new colleagues at the day spa left Katie with a fitful night’s sleep, her mind buzzing with a mixture of excitement and unsettling temptation. Raised in a strict, religious household, Katie had always steered clear of behavior deemed promiscuous, feeling a strong sense of guilt and discomfort at the mere thought. In the past, having only gone as far as making out with her f...

Chapter 7: The Poker Game Madison blew up flotation devices on the bottom of the round circular table she was holding and threw it into the middle of the hot tub. It was conveniently sized so that it nicely fit between everyone. She then set the deck of waterproof playing cards in the middle of the table. “I think everyone knows what we’re playing,” Madison grinned. “Yes!” Jason exclaimed, giving a fist pump. Morgan and K...

Chloe climbed into bed, feeling the day's burdens lift from her shoulders. Her room was dimly lit by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Gentle shadows danced across the walls. The moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, painting silvery patterns on the floor. It created an ambiance that was both serene and mysterious. Chloe had always been the obedient daughter, adhering to the strict rules of her religious family. I...

My heart pounds as I take the steps three at a time. I don’t know where I’m going except up. Out. I don’t stop running until I reach the heavy metal door at the top of the staircase and push past it. My chest is heaving, my pulse racing a mile a minute. The door shuts behind me with a loud clunk, and a sinking feeling melts through me. I try the door handle. Fuck. Fuck. Panic surges through me, and then disappears as an o...

It was the summer after my sophomore year in college. I was visiting my college roommate Lisa at her mom's house in Northern Virginia. I had gone to her house many times over the summer, but this weekend Lisa's mom was out of town so we would have her house to ourselves. Like many weekends before, we decided to go dancing in Georgetown. We went to one of our favorite bars first, but it was very crowded and full of Marines...

As Kelly and I stepped into her house at a little after one in the morning, we made no effort to muffle our laughter. Her parents were out of town for the weekend, so we didn't have to worry about keeping it down. My best friend and I were home for the summer following our first year of college. Though we'd attended schools in different states, we stayed in touch through constant letter writing, and now that we were back...