My hips and feet move to the rhythm, my body whirling effortlessly across the floor. My legs move back and forth like they have a mind of their own. I had practiced this dance countless times. My hands hold the broad shoulders of my partner, a man with dashing hair and beautiful blue eyes.

I look around the candle-lit ballroom, watching the other women twirl in unison. I smile. They dance as on...

I was only five years old

The first time i leapt from the boat

I was shivering from the cold

Staring down at the water below

They said many have done the jump

And that it wasn’t very high

In my throat forms a lump

‘Then why, why can’t I?’

‘Because I hate the feeling of falling

And flailing helplessly in the air...’

In the water I hear them calling,

“Jump in! Don’t be scared!”

So I take a deep b...

Mila stood tentatively in the crowd, staring toward the water along with everyone else. The moon’s light reflected across the deep blue, glinting silver laced in the churning waves. A low hum filled the air, anxious voices chatting among each other. We knew not to express our impatience, for that would anger the spirits.

The day before every solstice, our island’s folks would hold a ceremon...

1944, Somewhere in Poland

The train car’s methodical swaying has become a second heart beat to me. The air is thick with panic and the stench of our pail for a bathroom. My hair and clothing are writhing with lice, but I don’t bother to try and pick at them any more. You could hear the muffled sound of war outside of our car, like a TV turned on in another room. Every child in this room has he...

“I’m going with you,” states my younger sister, Ellie, grasping onto my arm. I twist around, keeping a neutral look on my face. I try my best to stifle my fear, not wanting Ellie to worry any more than she already is.

“I’m the only one who can stop them,” I answer, trying hard to steady my voice.

“But I can help! I can’t just sit here not knowing if you’re okay!”

“No, you can’t help. I’...

“Hurry up!” Lukas calls down the flight of stairs, stopping for a quick second to watch the two of us try and keep up with him. I readjust my backpack on my shoulder and stumble up the rest of the stairs, Mia on my heels. The thrumming noise of our shoes echo in the empty stairwell.

When we make it to the top, Lukas opens the door onto the building roof. A burst of warm July air flies into my ...

If you listen close enough, you can hear music. Music in the trees and the water and the cloud-covered sky and even in my boat. And, together, they make a grand symphony.

The branches that sway and rustle against each other, susurrating in the breeze. The trickle of dew off of overhanging leaves that make a suicidal fall into the water. The faint sound of rushing wind and rain in the distance. ...

“Markus... that idiot,” John muttered, turning away from the body in grief. A wave of emotions pounded at his chest. Confusion, horror, and, most of all, anger. He let out a scream, piercing the forest air. His voice hitched, and he started to sob.

Eva peered up at her brother, grief stricken and shaking like a small animal. She shuddered at the sight of Markus, alive and joyful only an hour b...

A blur of voices. Flashes of people shoving past me, a wave of bodies that prevents me from moving. All I can do is scream.

“Michael?! Michael!”

There are crying young women in parkas wrapping their arms around their husbands, each having the same buzz cut, the same uniform, and the same face of relief. I want this. Where is my soldier?

“Michael!”

I force my way through the crowd, stand...