Audrey Knox

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (19)

19 Stories

593 karma pts

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“Secret Santa” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #281

The gift looked innocent enough, wrapped in shiny red paper with a gold bow. But Kyle had been working at the Bureau long enough to be alarmed by the sight of it when he stepped out of the elevator on Monday morning. “This office doesn’t happen to have a Secret Santa program, does it?” he joked hopefully to his desk mate Rose, who had happened to be walking into the building at the same time as him that day.  “No,” she said. “And this place is on lockdown over the weekend. There’s no way someone could have gotten in to leave something l...

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“Potential Representation” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #243

“Amira?” the assistant in the office-appropriate pencil skirt beckoned with a smile. “Zoe’s ready for you. Come on in.” The nervous yet hopeful young woman sitting in the lobby stilled the impatient bouncing of her leg and hurriedly stood up—water bottle in one hand, Book of Shadows tucked in the other arm. “Great, thanks,” Amira said. The assistant led her up the sweeping marble stairs, out of the intentionally intimidating high-ceilinged lobby. Once in the main work area of the building, they wound past desks of busy assistants and coord...

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“And Remember: Drive Defensively” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #236

I knew this day would come. As a parent, you prepare for the inevitability. I just thought I had more time. One evening at the dinner table, she just drops it on you without any warning, and you have to respond in that moment, whether you’re ready or not. “No. Absolutely not,” I tell her. “Why does a ten-year-old need her own computer anyway?” I hold my breath, dreading the answer. And sure enough, “Because you won’t let me download new programs on yours, and I want to play Fortnite with my friends.” Boom goes the dynamite. I sneak...

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“Guest List” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #229

Hailey was determined to throw an “adult” Christmas party. A dinner party. With a menu and place settings and themed décor and everything. She and Steven had moved in together earlier that year, leaving apartments they had each shared with roommates behind.Though Hailey would never admit it to her mother—or anyone else for that matter—she had her own doubts about Steven and their future together. But she really did honestly love him and want to be with him. Even if he did always leave his shoes in the living room and never pick up after hims...

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“Girlfriend Material” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #228

Your eyes blink open, confused by the sunlight beaming in at an unfamiliar angle. Your brain does that startled moment where you don’t recognize the bedroom you’re in before it all comes rushing back: bar, bourbon on the rocks, truffle mac and cheese, laughing, a hand on your leg, getting the check, kissing on the sidewalk. A deep kiss—one with tongue and hands and arms. Your whole body. The release of tension. Years of tension. Friends to lovers kind of tension. The car. Pressed up against it. Pressed up against him. Hands. Begg...

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“Trivia” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #227

Winter separates the real addicts from the social smokers, Annabelle thought to herself bitterly as she attempted to flick the biting metal switch of the cheap Bic lighter in her hand. Her hot breath curled in winding, smoking waves in front of her face, mocking the activity she desired to perform that was so close yet so far away at the same time. She could see the icy crystals on the railing in front of her, but beyond that, nothing. The only streetlight for miles had gone out, leaving the block cloaked in the dangerous darkness of a winte...

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“Sidelined” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #226

I never realized that becoming a parent would mean learning to hate Saturdays. If course I knew, intellectually, that I was signing up for at least a decade and a half of lugging lawn chairs and coolers out into the middle of a chilly, dew-covered grass field. I knew I was signing up for early morning extracurriculars that would make the weekday morning breakfast chaos feel like a welcome vacation by the time Monday rolled around again. I knew I was signing up to rotate in as the parent who would bring orange slices for half times and Capri ...

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“Dad Errands” by Audrey Knox

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #224

These days as an adult, I cannot even convince myself to get out of bed unless I know there is coffee waiting for me. When I go on vacations, I set my alarm by the time the nearest coffee shop to me opens, and I still end up sleeping much later than that because it’s still so far away and how am I supposed to shower, get dressed, dry my hair, and do my makeup without caffeine? I can’t get out of bed without it. Despite all this, I still consider myself a Morning Person. The 5-9am hours are when I am the most productive—as long as that pro...

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“Co-Ed Uniform” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #223

My heavy eyelids drooped as I tried unsuccessfully to beat back the pounding of my head that rang incongruously against the caffeine buzz from pounding at least three Red Bulls during last night’s all nighter. No one said college was going to be easy, but exam week was kicking my ass. I had tried to find the center of the venn diagram that was “easy” versus “lucrative” and settled on a Marketing BA. But I had neglected to mentally prepare for the horrors that were the general education classes. I just wanted to get through this final exam an...

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“How to Become a Sociopath in 11 Easy Steps” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #222

The advertisement shining on the telephone pole sang to me. The bright, crisp pink paper had sharp, fresh edges, as if it had been placed there just for me. Other tattered, sad advertisements flittered around it, their slips with phone numbers waving impotently in the breeze. They didn’t seem fated, meant for her. The words Josephine didn’t realize she was seeking until they called out to her near her bus stop. Josephine called the number because she was tired. She had moved to Los Angeles with hopes of being a filmmaker. Everyone said you...

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“Guests” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #221

I am woken up from a deep sleep by the sound of the front door downstairs unlocking and creaking open. Unfamiliar sounds waft into my home. I am groggier than I ever have been. “It’s huge!” I hear a woman’s voice say. I beam with pride. Her companion coughs. “And so dusty. And full of cobwebs. We’ll have to get the cleaning crew in here first thing.” I frown. I have always been proud of my family’s home, and to hear someone disparage it like this makes me defensive. “Well, that’s what happens when you let a place go to ruin for this...

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“The Talk” by Audrey Knox

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #220

My parents’ anniversary was in the fall—the 13th of October. Every year, they left me at my grandmother’s house so that they could spend the weekend solely in one another’s company. I hated my grandmother’s house. It was creepy and it smelled of stale incense and mildew. Nothing made sense there. It was cluttered with bundles of wilted herbs in every corner. And she always made me help her with the baking. There were no videogames. This last time was no different. My parents hadn’t been gone for more than an hour when she had me help her m...

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“The Executioner's Daughter” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #219

By nightfall, everyone in the town was asleep. Even the visitors who had come from far away were tucked in their rented beds in the upper floors of the sold out taverns. A cold, crisp fog covered the village like an extra blanket, as if to convince everyone to stay in bed safely at home. But it didn’t need to. Everyone knew that tomorrow was the big day. They needed their rest. The vendors would be up before down to stake out the best places to sell sausages. The sizzling meat would entice the earliest arrivals to a juicy breakfast. The b...

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“Cockroach Girl” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #218

The floor underneath Barry shuddered and swayed as they took a tight corner. The clattering whoosh of the dark tunnel drowned out the tired silence of the other commuters. Barry’s sweaty hand threatened to slide loose from its cold metal pole, so he adjusted his grip and tried not to think about what had made it so sticky. Multiple people had relieved themselves in this car over the course of the day. The sickly sweet mixture of vomit and tangy excrement churned his stomach, threatening to dislodge the chopped salad he’d had for lunch tha...

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“Libra Jones and the Entry Level Job” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #217

Libra Jones copied the list of times from email and pasted them into another. She flicked back and forth between the Outlook calendar, her inbox, and the Excel spreadsheet of product updates. Her eyes burned from staring at the small screen of the MacBook Air that her company provided to all assistants. She craned her neck to check the boss’s office to make sure Flannery was occupied with a call, then leaned back in her chair, pinched the air in front of her, and pulled a freshly, unlit Marlboro Light out of the ether and into her fingers. ...

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Author bio

Los Angeles based writer working in film/tv literary management by day. More short fiction on Royal Road @audreyknox https://www.royalroad.com/profile/568780/fictions

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #224
Dad Errands – read story
Contest #220
The Talk – read story