(COMPLETED) [a series of short stories about 8 kids who live in california] ❝California is like a beautiful wild kid on heroin, high as a kite and thinking she's on top of the world, not knowing she's dying, not believing it even if you show her the marks.❞ ― S.E. Hinton, Rumble Fish. cal·i·for·nia /ˌkaləˈfôrnyə/ (v.) to bask in the sun; just let loose and forget everything { the story is un capitalized intentionally / / sometimes it's not } (completed; sequel is coming soon x) Copyright © 2014 by Taylor C. Arthur, Lovely O'Day [pen name] All Rights Reserved

"Y-you," she stuttered, staring at the handsome man sitting on the sleek black throne, "you're..." He rolled his eyes, waving his hand impatiently and said, "Hades. Come on, say it with me. Ha-des." "Hades," Ariel breathed out, still not believing the sight before her. Every picture she had seen of the gods had not depicted Hades' beauty. The god sitting before her was not a crusty old man with a white beard; no, he was a Calvin Klein model. "Yes," Hades clasped his hands together and grimaced, "the God of Death and riches; that's me." Ariel nodded, still refusing to believe but knowing she had to and Hades' grimace turned even bitter, "And you, darling, will be staying with me for quite some time." ~*~ Cover: _nymphomaniac Published: 8/6/14

Meet Alice Hayden, who was once best friends with a boy named James Cooper. They were like two peas in a pod, at least until high school. Whether as a joke or for real, James changed, completely! Now, just by being near each other, a war breaks out at every encounter. Alice doesn't know why, but there is one thing she knows for sure: James is a jerk and she absolutely despises him! But Fate throws in a little twist, just a tiny one to spice things up. Something that might change their lives and bring them closer together or turn them into mortal enemies... So what is there to do but a little mischievous fooling around. Changing Him won't hurt, right?

After an incident three months ago and her parent's divorce, Reina Caverly finds a way to cope: cutting herself. Her mother's a workaholic, her sister is an out of control teenage girl, and her dad disappeared from the face of the planet. She can't even tell her two best friends, Joshua and Megan, about her problems. Then she meets young and mysterious Calvin Young about to commit suicide by jumping from her school's rooftop which surprised Reina. He's rich; he's handsome for his age, and does well at school, so why? Why would someone who has everything want to kill himself? Everyone has a dark secret, even Calvin who seems to have the world. Can Reina and Calvin learn to speak up about their issues? Can they find their reasons to live? ______ "One day you'll leave me. You don't want a girl with a rape story," I said as I desperately tried to stop my sobs and hiccups. "You deserve someone who is prettier and more stable then me." "Mon ange ," he whispered to me lightly as he held my tear-stained face. I looked at him and my breath shortened as I met his intense look. "I don't want anyone else," he said, "because I just want you." ______ WARNING: Story contains rape, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.

Parker Elway is having dreams. Strange dreams; waking dreams; dreams in which she opens her eyes in the darkness to find herself paralyzed and surrounded by shadows from her deepest nightmares. The doctors call it sleep paralysis. But is it really so simple? As the waking terrors worsen and strange people begin to appear in town, Parker sets out to uncover the truth. And when she digs up a trove of hidden secrets and a dark past that everyone seems all too eager to forget, she begins to wonder: is her terrifying dream world merely the result of a sleep disorder? Or is it reality? [National Silver Medal Winner in the 2014 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards]

Hadley Jamison doesn't know what to think when she hears that her classmate, Archer Morales, committed suicide. She didn't exactly know him, but that doesn't stop her from feeling like there was something she could have done to help him. So to Hadley's surprise, on the very night of Archer's funeral, she has a run in with Death himself and is offered the chance to go back in time to stop Archer from ending his life. The catch? She only has twenty-seven days to do it. And if Hadley doesn't succeed? Well, she doesn't want to think about that.

On the outside, Riley Jennings has got it under control. She's the top of the class, ivy-league bound, and plans to go far in life. But nobody knows the dark secret that she lives with; her perfect, football star boyfriend, Blake, is a monster. She's forced to conformity, only to meet the one person who will help her break out of her shell, and break out of her detrimental relationship. Dean Marks, the new rebellious transfer student, has taken it upon himself to help Riley. Little does she know, he's got a dark secret too; one only his protective, controlling, older brother Alex knows about. Together, they will run from their pasts, only to stumble into them once more.

*The other version is still up* 3 years ago, my Step Dad adopted a son. His name was Hunter. For 13 years of his life, Hunter was neglected and abused by his parents. Beaten and raped, Hunter knew nothing good of the world. His Father eventually became a socio-path and shot the Mother. But as he was about to kill Hunter, Police arrived. The Dad shot himself instead. Hunter is now 16 and has been living in my family for 3 years. It's an understatement to say that we don't get along. Hunter is just angry at the world. He drinks and smokes and swears and fights. He kicks me and punches me simply because he's scared. He pushes everyone away. He has flashbacks and nightmares and can't seem to take anymore. Though I know he has reasons for being such an inconsiderate asshole, I still hate him. Our family has now moved to Cyprus. We're only staying for a while, so we just got a small appartment. Bad part about that? It's got 2 rooms. Me and Hunter have to share. At first I hate it. But then over the weeks, I begin to see how broken Hunter Storm really is. He's not just a dick, he's scared. And I'm slowly starting to comfort him through his troubles. We're getting somewhere, but then the worst possible thing happens. But strangley, it's bringing us closer. He's sleeping in my bed, he's crying to me, he's holding my hand. I'm holding him at night, I'm wearing his hoodies, I'm smiling at his touch. Before I even realize it, I'm in love. { Strong Language Throughout! Includes Physical/Sexual Abuse Scenes & Sex Please Don't Read If Bad Language Makes You Cry. But If You Like Hot Emo Boys With Lip Rings, Read Ahead ^.^ }