In a heart-shaped box, a mother keeps her children's teeth.

The old box sits on the antique furniture, away from all the other decorations in the house. This item sits by itself with only it and the rustic dresser being the only decor occupying the nearly empty room.

The house was always quiet, hauntingly so. The air was always accompanied by a chill. Now and then you could hear the older woma...

Wake up, allow the maids to prepare me for the day, walk around the castle aimlessly, attend a couple of lessons. I might read a few books, then attend dinner.

That’s how every day of my life has gone since I could remember.

I am constantly being followed by a guard that my father, King Henry, has assigned to me. He acts like a shadow everywhere I go, but I suppose that’s natural when your fam...

The day started fine. I was cleaning the dishes and left the house near 11:00, but now I stand on the frozen lake, miles from my home.

I came over to ice skate. The kids in the neighborhood love coming here. It's one of the few times we get to have fun, especially during the winter. The ice was thick and slippery and I was the only one who didn't have skates.

One of the neighborhood kids, a li...

“You need to stop.”

I roll my eyes at her request. I can’t stop. Is she aware of how many people I’ve been able to help. How many families I’ve been able to save from mourning a brother, sister, parent.

“You know I can’t do that.”

My aunt walks towards the clinics table where I’m standing and takes a deep breath. “You’re harming these people.”

“I’m saving them,” I scoff.

Aunt Victoria sha...

"You're fine, Ms.Kennith," the doctor repeated, repeating the same mantra as the ones before him. "Have you tried the new anxiety meds your last physician prescribed you?"

"No," I replied dully. They always had an answer for my symptoms. Anxiety, depression, hormones, stress, "being a woman". How many times do I have to be rushed to the ER for them to take me seriously? "They won't work."

"Well,...

Their leaves rustle in the wind and scrape against each other. My eyes follow the tops of them as they sway towards one another and groan under the pressure. I wish I could understand them. Understand all they have heard and seen. The golden rings in them are a testimony that they've been here for centuries. They've witnessed the rise and fall of the humans under them, and I wish they would speak ...

They tore our homes apart, causing us to flee to the sanctuary across the sea.

When my country turned on its people, I never expected it to be because they elevated the wrong leader—a leader who promised peace but instead brought hardships. As we live each day in fear, we now must be conscious of where we go and who we speak to. One wrong person could turn us in. Sending up straight into the han...

The kingdom of Thays sat in ruins.

Twenty years ago it was beautiful. I still remember the stories my parents told me as a child. A kingdom that welcomed all of the magical creatures. There would be various kinds of flowers blooming along the stone paths that the townspeople once walked. The sun was bright and cast a glow on the Golden castle that sat on top of the hill overlooking the town. In ...

As I stand here in the cold, dark, empty room, a small golden antique sits on the wall. The mirror is the only object left in the rotted house.

I walk closer until I'm at eye level with it. Gazing into my own green eyes. The same one my mother carried, and her mother carried as I stare into the endless depth of them, the sins of the generations before haunt me. The twisted lies and frauds. The k...

My shoes make a quiet sound every time they hit the old, cracked concrete path I walk on. I twist my lips in annoyance as the overgrown grass hits my ankles now and then causing them to itch. The ghost-gray mist blankets the ground creating a haziness over the dead grass and weeds.

The sky above me is dim and gloomy as clouds consume the sun's rays. I tighten the red zip-up jacket around me as I...