Alexa Mae Pecora

“The Red Left” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Pulling into the driveway in my red sedan, I know this is not just any old house. This is the oldest house in our town, the house that was talked about, a popular gossip topic that produced ancient stories. All this intensified the moment the little white sign with peeling white paint was hammered into the frozen ground. For sale.  Two red words that had people anxious and too curious. The house had never been put up for sale from the moment it was built. It was passed down through the Frye family, cranky humans who preferred quiet an...

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“The White Room” by Alexa Mae Pecora

“Of all the labs you have been to, this one is peculiar. Dangerous even.”  Maggie, my boss and my best friend rummages through her desk drawers in search of something. As stressful as the situation is about to become, she’s composed. Kind of. “I’m sure it will be fine-”  “And that’s where it gets dangerous,” she interjects. “You have to be aware of everything the entire time: your surrounds, what you consume-”  “Don’t drink or eat anything that they might give me,” I roll my eyes. For as long as I’ve been in the ‘business’...

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“The Concept of Now” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #100

Before.  I cherish the concept and stop in front of the old, oak table where one of the pieces my mother had painted is hung above the center of the wood. I lift my hand, allowing my fingertips to bump over the places where my mother let the oil paint dry thick. The painting is of the ocean with deep blues and hints of greens. It’s an unfamiliar place to me, but it was the world to my mother.  The clink of china. I drop my hand at my side and gather myself into the presence of now. It’s just dinner, I swallow, with people I don’t...

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“The Warning” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #98

“The three of them,” something inside me breaks. “They just stood there-” “Lee, calm down-” “24 days,” I remember the way the man had spoken with fear. “24 days! They’re coming-” “Hey, calm down-” “The three of them. 24 days,” I wrench my arms from Mira’s grasp and fiercely run my fingers through my hair. “Oh my gosh!” I moan, “24 days, 24 days-” “Harley!” Mira called me by my full name. I look up into his dark, hazel eyes to find confusion, fear, and hurt. He takes my wrists and envelopes my hands with his....

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“The Things We Cannot Say” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #95

“You’ll go to Fleur’s Dress Shop and purchase a lavish rogue pink gown. When they ask for a name, tell them it’s for Miss Holmes.”  I’m not allowed to choose. This is one of the things the government has taken from me; my right to decide and take on responsibilities that I see fit. The president sent Miss Holmes to me on my sixteenth birthday. As if I don’t have a brain, or my own thoughts for that matter, Miss Holmes has taken away my right to speak in public, decide for myself, and take on challenges or responsibilities.  “Yes,...

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“Ada's Night” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #93

They were perfect. My parents were happy. The night they had their party for their 10th anniversary was a night of celebration. My aunt was there, and so was my grandmother. They were the only family we had left at the time. Now I have no one. My parents left my sister and I at the house after the family left. They said they wanted to get a last minute addition to the night. "The car set ablaze quickly," is what the officials had told my sister and I. "A quick death. They hit the barrier hard, the three of them."  "The three of them?"...

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“I am free” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #92

"They want you dead.""Not all of them," Vian counters.It's true, though. By staying alive I am putting everyone in grave danger. Even the government threatened to drop nuclear weapons on the city."Just think about it," James nods to me and then walks away.I watch his figure limp towards the sliding glass door, his black hair ruffling in the wind. He pulls it open and steps inside the apartment."Getting worse," his whole body shifts and he grunts when he walks now. "Maybe he's right.""No, Rae, stop-""All those people, safe, finally?" It's a q...

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“The Girl” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #92

"There were twelve of them," the girl swallows, her lower lip trembling. "And their faces?" Silence falls upon the room, seeming to be choking the girl. "No," her eyes flit from the floor to the man's awaiting eyes, to the limp rope in her hands, "the faces?" The investigator nods his head. He looks at me, obviously very annoyed. I gave him my opinion and told him what would be best, but he didn't take the advice that is of vital importance to this matter. "You look at me like it's my fault," I accuse harshly. "Well-"...

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“Walking Towards The End ” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #90

"I know what you're thinking." "You don't. Stop trying to understand." "Olivia," Lewis kneels down looking up into my eyes, "Please." I push him away. "Three days, Lou!" "It's okay." "How?" I demand. Silence tears through the space between us, the scalding burn of the sun reminding us that our time is limited. There are only three days left. "Livy-" "Don't call me that." "Then you have no reason to call me Lou." Again, the quiet, but I know our minds are anything but silent. We have always known that the leaders of our small city, ...

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“The Huntress” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #89

They told me to make my last kill in the dead of night, when Nano is bringing the food from the silos back to his team. “It’s the best time,” Timothy had told me, kissing the top of my forehead, “But, it’s dangerous.” “I know,” I had told him. His eyes seemed frightened at the very thought of losing another teammate. We had already lost one, and finding her body, retrieving her watch, and completing her kills was a brutal task. We almost lost Ace in the process. The scar on his arm, a reminder to us all that we can’t take a risk li...

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