She was the anchor that kept him steady above the water. He was the anchor that made her sink. A story filled with ups and downs. An unsteady sea, really.

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

their conversations are everything --- © 2014 neuroticc. all rights reserved.

HORROR / SHORT STORIES - (Currently Undergoing Heavy Revisions) The following stories will feature 101 psychopathic individuals as they leave their gory mark on the world around them. In these stories, the villain always wins. There are no happy endings here. Everyone dies. These stories are purely HORROR, and reflect what I feel a horror story should be. WARNING! The following stories may be to intense for some readers. The crimes and murders depicted here are extremely graphic. There is massive amounts of VIOLENCE and GORE. These writings are not intended for the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach. I will probably cross the line more than once. Mature audiences only please. These stories are RATED PG-13 but the scenes within should not be taken lightly. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! Mixture of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd drafts. WORK IN PROGRESS.

❝ And despite everything I'm still human, but I think I'm dying here. ❞ In fight to determine what is real and what is not, Halo embarks on an impossible mission with a dangerous ghost who leads her where no human could possibly enter alive. Story Copyright © daywave 2016 1D A.U.

"thank you for choosing target, we'll see you tomorrow."

in which two troubled young adults talk about how much their lives suck whilst smoking cigarettes and waiting for the public bus to arrive.

Picture this: cameras, flashing lights, loud music seemingly everywhere you go. Paparazzi, headlines, lies, lies, lies. This is Lexie McAllister’s brother Brady’s world, and she does not want to be a part of it. And for some years, she wasn’t. Then a summer rolled around and Lexie’s parents missed their son, so Lexie was dragged to Los Angeles for a three-month visit. When Brady decides that Lexie’d love the spotlight if she’d give it a chance, he takes her everywhere with him, and to Lexie’s horror, she humiliates herself whenever there’s a camera around. But aside from tripping over curbs, knocking over small children, and really bad hair days, perhaps Lexie’s worst mishap yet is the spilling of a strawberry-banana smoothie down the front of a pretty shirt that belongs to one handsome Harry Styles. And the series of events her mishap ignites might just be enough to change the misguided, unpredictable girl’s mind about everything.

in which a boy and a girl meet in the hospital, where they feel farthest from home. but they soon find home in each other.