On Christmas Eve, around 1812, Pip, an orphan who is about six years old, encounters an escaped convict in the village churchyard while visiting the graves of his mother, father, and siblings. The convict scares Pip into stealing food and a file to grind away his shackles, from the home he shares with his abusive older sister and her kind, passive husband Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. The next day, soldiers recapture the convict while he is engaged in a fight with another convict; the two are returned to the prison ships from which they escaped...

More than eight years before the novel opens, Anne Elliot, then a lovely, thoughtful, warm-hearted 19 year old, accepted a proposal of marriage from the handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. He was clever, confident, and ambitious, but poor and with no particular family connections to recommend him. Sir Walter, Anne's fatuous, snobbish father and her equally self-involved older sister Elizabeth were dissatisfied with her choice, maintaining that he was no match for an Elliot of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Her older friend and mentor, Lady Russell, acting in place of Anne's late mother, persuaded her to break the engagement. Now 27 and still unmarried, Anne re-encounters her former love when his sister and brother-in-law, the Crofts, take out a lease on Kellynch. Wentworth is now a captain and wealthy from maritime victories in the Napoleonic wars. However, he has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him. While publicly declaring that he is ready to marry any suitable young woman who catches his fancy, he privately resolves that he is ready to become attached to any appealing young woman except for Anne Elliot.

Emma Woodhouse, aged 20 at the start of the novel, is a young, beautiful, witty, and privileged woman in Regency England. She lives on the fictional estate of Hartfield in Surrey in the village of Highbury with her elderly widowed father, a hypochondriac who is excessively concerned for the health and safety of his loved ones. Emma's friend and only critic is the gentlemanly George Knightley, her neighbour from the adjacent estate of Donwell, and the brother of her elder sister Isabella's husband, John. As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the wedding of Miss Taylor, her best friend and former governess. Having introduced Miss Taylor to her future husband, Mr. Weston, Emma takes credit for their marriage, and decides that she rather likes matchmaking.

If the future is not worth fighting for, then don't give up for the past. In a world where humanity is lost, and twisted minds take mind-control, there shall only be war. *Single-chapter story *I know the deadline for the writersshortsory has passed, but this story is about rebelion because of that

Living amongst a bunker full of mutant outcasts. Grock leaves in search of a friend admist the wastelands. Only to find out, not is all it seems.

A steampunk short set in an alternative London. The Tower: a rock around which swirls a broken Empire, where Cloud Pirates rules the skies in their cloudships and power is all. Lead by Tower Commander Denalta, can Trooper Seth and his fellow Guards survive, and will the weapons supplied by the enigmatic Raven give them the edge over Captain Pincer and his pirates? Will the last bastion of law and order survive the chaos? Will the Tower survive or crumble?

Melanie is stuck in the darkness, where the sun literally does not shine. What happens when she and the brown man cross paths? To the Edges is a clockpunk story of hope with a twist written for Round One of the SF Smackdown Four.

When Clara Allenson stumbles on an antique necklace, she does not expect it to save her life-until it does. It plunges her into the depths of an enchanting world where past and future are intertwined. There she meets Tamer, a vagabond with a hidden past. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey in search of ancient artefacts that are the keys to protecting Tamer's world as well as sending Clara back home.

The Elbionic race, also known as "elves," is all but extinct, forced to call a world dominated by humans home. Their culture dissipated, their ancestry only found in history books, and what's left of their magic is scattered across the globe inside material objects. Nico, an elf and a magic thief, has made her way to a small village town between two mountains called Pierce Valley in search of one of these mythical magic items. But after six months of searching, even a headstrong member of the once great People such as herself is finding the trial wearing. Luckily for her, there are rumors going around town about a witch that lives in the forest next to the Valley, and she comes out at night to feast on the flesh of the townsfolk as a sacrificial tribute to the dark gods she serves. It's just the lead Nico needs. In order to find this "witch," Nico enlists the aid of the only human friend she's ever made-the eye-patched enigma, Trust. But there's more to him than meets the "eye," and he's quite enthusiastic about helping Nico... As she digs deeper into the mystery of the witch, her discoveries will lead her into cataclysmic events that cross paths with monsters, machines, and gods alike. And when it all ends, her fate, as well as the world, may be changed forever.

Harmony Johnson continues her battle through everyday life. A victim to her mother and a target to her dad, she must fight to stay alive. With senior year underway, she is to create alliances with her old gang that she was separated from at a young age. With the addition of four other members, will Harmony and the gang be able to take down The Kings? Or will she fall victim to their plan?