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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020
A knock on the door surprises me and I look up from the chessboard at the dining table blearily, meeting Jax's gaze across the table. His face wears the same worried expression I'm sure is fixed on my face. I frown as I stand. We aren’t expecting anyone, much less so early in the morning when curfew had just ended. Jax pushes his chair back from the table but I motion for him to stay seated. "I'll get it." "Be careful," he says quietly, shoulders and back tensed. I nod, flashing him a reassuring smile before striding to the door. I look out ...
I was 14 the day I met him. I will never forget that first day for as long as I live. He introduced himself as James, James Rhyder. He was roguishly handsome, even back then. Something about him caught my attention, and held it for years to come. His lean face and walnut brown eyes were framed by a crown of dark brown hair streaked gold in places. His skin told its own story, permanently tanned to a honey bronze that spoke of a lifetime under the skies. He reminded me of the sun especially when he was using his well honed body...
The cool night air settles over you like a blanket, a brisk breeze ruffling your hair and making you shiver. But you barely notice any of that, too focused on the whirlwind of sound within your head. It’s like a never-ending torrent of emotions and thoughts crushing in on you from all sides, and you feel like you’re drowning. But this feeling is not anything new to you, in fact, you don’t remember a time when it wasn’t a part of your life. It’s extremely difficult to give a name to everything that’s happening in your mind. You compare e...
My balcony has always been my sanctuary, the one place I could escape to whenever I felt lost or alone. I would lose myself in the stroke of my brush, or the notes of a song. All the instruments or supplies I needed were all tucked neatly away in a small, watertight shed. With Simon here, I can’t imagine any other place or time I would rather be. I can’t even remember the last time I was this happy, this content. Art is our pastime today, or mine at least. Simon is leaning against the smooth marble railing of the balcony at my direction...
Dear Diary,This week has been an exercise in patience and tempers are running high. We’ve been camped out in a secluded forest cottage about fifty miles out from the Dunaire capitol. It’s a small space compared to the manor, with only three bedrooms and an equal number of bathrooms. With eight people about, it always felt like everyone was stepping on everyone else's tails. No one seemed to know whose house we'd commandeered except Lillian, who was being extremely tight-lipped about it, saying only, “An ally contributed it to the cause.”Othe...
Ivy bustled around her room, tidying up the already spotless room. She and Charlie had an important job tonight, maybe not as important as the decoys but important nonetheless. The fact that there had never been a mission like this where their failure or success could have such a large impact had not escaped her notice. At the moment, she was leaning against a small decorative table that held an elegant little flower vase. Her busy hands rearranged the flowers absently as she mused to herself. Someone coughed and she turned, expecting t...
Brooke hummed to herself lightly, the morning was going well so far. No one had taken over the foyer to practice battling indoors, that never ended well; no super-powered arguments were taking place between Elementals; they weren’t under attack. All were events that had taken place during the Soaring Dragon’s history at the Sutherland Manor. She knew with so many occupants in the Sutherland Manor, something was bound to happen soon. Especially with the idleness of all the residents. They had nothing to do until further notice and she was tak...
“That’s the thing about this city,” Megan mused, poring over the enlarged map of Avalir as she spoke. The Shapeshifter looked like a water goddess today; her skin was perfectly tanned and glittered with shiny cyan sparkles. Her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, starting white and darkening to a deep teal. Even her clothes matched the theme; billowing blue fabric was draped over her frame in a long, elegant tunic. Only her pants were different, coal-black in color, and made to allow free movement. “It was built on such a big trade...
Warm breath fogged the air as four figures raced through the lightly forested grounds outside the Shadow Sworn’s Main Compound. If they were to look back, they would see a larger pack of men and women sprinting after them and gaining quickly. But none of them did; they were all too smart for that. No words were exchanged, they all knew their goal and they all knew the consequences of not completing it. Even using their powers, Luke knew that they might not make it. Where were Charlie and Katniss? His question was answered soon...
The sterile white walls of the cell were getting irritating. The only access point to the cell was the door directly across from where Celeste now sat, and she knew that there were two guards posted out there 24/7. She didn’t know how long she had been stuck in this tiny room; with no windows in the room, time passed differently without the normal rotations of the sun. Her guards made it no easier to even discern the time of day with the staggered mealtimes; she had counted the minutes herself and there was no apparent connection between tim...
Submitted to Contest #83
Translucent ribbons of golden energy swirled around Luke’s hands as he followed one of his father’s personal guards through the identical hallways of the Shadow Sworn’s Main Compound. Emotions swirled within him as he walked but he willed himself to be calm. It was not easy for him, he had inherited his mother’s fiery enthusiasm while Lillian had been the one to inherit the cold mask of their father. When he and his guide paused outside a door on the primary cell block of the Shadow complex, all intentions of remaining calm flew out the...
Submitted to Contest #79
Just before dawn, a figure emerged from a shop in the southern part of Kiwali’a, bags in hand. She jogged briskly through the streets of her small town as she made her way eastward, doing her best to stay quiet. When she reached the southeastern edge of town, she paused uncertainly, looking around for someone or something. She didn’t have to wait long before another figure, also a woman, melted out of the shadows beside her. Lillian examined the young woman standing before her. Where there had been an overeager girl with a bright-eyed y...
“I know who you are, what you do...and I want to join you.” Ava opened her mouth to reply, her lips already forming the shape of a 'no' but Faith spoke first, eyeing Maya shrewdly. “Who do you think we are exactly?” Maya’s mind flashed back to the large, distinctive dragon in flight tattooed on the forest floor, claiming its prize of the men and women tied at its center. She knew there was only one group that used such an imposing symbol. “You’re part of the Soaring Dragons.” “I see,” Faith said, scrutinizing her shrewdly. Maya resiste...
Submitted to Contest #77
The warm winds of summer whistled around her ears, tugging at her mane of golden brown curls as Maya looked out over the ocean. Gentle waves crashed on the beach, sending up a sparkling spray of cool ocean water which made her wonder what it would be like to be a Water Elemental. The seas wouldn’t merely be a beautiful world of the unknown, but a resource that she could bend to her will. The town of Kiwali’a was so isolated from the rest of the empire, that barely anything had changed when they had been conquered. Walking around, the on...
As soon as she rose, Celeste knew the Shadows had seen her. Surprised yelps rose from the forest and she could only assume they hadn’t expected the Commons to attempt to make a run for it. Of course, that was because it was the stupidest idea ever, she reminded herself humorlessly. Soon the shouts died and were replaced by the sounds of many pursuers. Celeste ran as fast as she could, leading the fake Commons northward as she pelted through the forest. A destination was fixed in her mind. She had seen it on the map the night b...
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