Single strands of hair escape behind my ear and sway in the crisp morning breeze, carrying the soft chirps of the early birds waking up. A soft amber glow fills my vision, but my eyes are closed. Light beckons them to open as a tickling sensation spreads over my skin. My cheeks curl upward as they are showered in a sprinkle of butterfly kisses. A grin spreads across my face. I bathe in the rays of...

Curling inwards, I hold tight, while a deafening shriek of howling winds attempts to break through my barrier. Using myself as a shield, I tremble, my frail outer layer struggling with fatigue. I bunker down, unfurling my roots, spreading and intertwining my veins of life, deeper into an intricate web. An anchor but also a funnel to the life force below, without which I wouldn't have survived as l...

“I’m a mother; it's my role to demonstrate how it should be done. I want to lead by example and solidify the values of a good person and how one succeeds in life. I work long hours to provide for my kids, but my time with them is short and rushed. I want to approach things holistically, but it's so hard sometimes. Being a working mum incapacitates me from doing either job at full capacity. All I c...

Ingrid groggily drifts back into consciousness. Shooting pain signals throughout her body; she is sore from being tied up and gagged. Listening to muffled voices, Ingrid struggles to concentrate.

_It's okay, remember your training._

Pausing, she inhales through her nose, letting the air settle in her core and clearing the fogginess from her mind. With her eyes closed, Ingrid focuses her attenti...

Alana Daggers stands in a sunless void surrounded by a warning silence. She sets out with her co-adventurer, Jack Strider. Usually, Alana thrives on the unpredictable path, but this one sends a shiver down her spine. Jack falters as he steps into the thick shadows with a nervous tick, and his jaw clenches. Despite the stomach turmoil, urging them to pull back, pride and ego push them forward into ...

The sparkle in her eyes and that cheeky grin when she smiles, the energy she radiates warms my heart so much it could ignite....

**Red Zone:** “It’s just not my favourite thing to do!”

**Blue Zone:** “I know it’s not, but she seemed serious about these threats.”

**Red Zone:** “I want to do it tomorrow morning; that will be better. That's what I want.”

**Blue Zone:** “What about what she said will happen if we don't do it every night?”

**Blue Zone: **“She said those little creatures will cover them, that more of their ...

Feeling a strain along my arm as I bring the last box into the house.

“Man, I need to start lifting weights,” I muttered silently.

I stretch my arms over my head, attempting to release the tension as I gaze around, admiring my new living room.

Ahh, my own place. Yes, it’s a fixer-upper, but I can’t help the butterflies in my stomach, the possibilities I imagine as they run through my mind.

...

Insanity is the erratic and murky realm my mind is becoming familiar with. I complete the same mundane soul-sucking routines each day and expect a different result. I never leave; I wait, and still, he does not come.

I finish washing my tea-stained cup in my small, mouldy kitchen, slowly turning to view my stale surroundings—the withered furniture in a forever shrinking space. Everything has dra...