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."

"No amount of coffee could keep me awake like you do." Jake is the hockey player with the hot girlfriend. Katie is the girl with a name no one remembers. Jake is used to getting what he wants. Katie is used to getting coffee for her hungover mother. Until one night, one chance meeting between two strangers changes everything. No words, no stories to share, and above all, no names. Just two people who don't know each other, a hot string of kisses in bathroom, and a mutual goodbye. Except there's one problem: Katie felt something.

As soon as you turn sixteen, the Timekeeper is inserted on the inside of your wrist. It's a countdown, showing days, hours, minutes, seconds. Until what, you might ask? Until you meet your soul mate. Candice Smith has only just turned sixteen, and is looking forward to finding her soul mate. But things don't turn out exactly how she thought they would. Find your soul mate, and you should fall in love at first sight right? Wrong. Jase Williams isn't who she pictured as her soul mate, not even close. They are complete opposites, surely there has been a mistake? Between lies, betrayal, and tears, will Candice and Jase end up falling for each other? Or will Candice fall for someone else? (disclaimer: this story is unedited and contains some course language) [ cover by @goodgirlfaiths ]

It's great to be trusted by your friends, but it's another thing when you're trusted by practically your entire year-even the popular kids. Seven Warrilow has always been keeping everybody's secrets. She knows who likes who, who hates who and what's what. But she's tired of it. One day, she decides to encode every secret she's been told and will be told into a small black notebook that she carries around. Things start to take a turn to Disasterville when she loses it. It gets worse when it ends up in the hands of Colin Stillman, a boy notorious for never being serious about anything. Seven's going to have to use everything's she got to keep everyone's secrets safe-but Colin's not going to make it that easy. If he did, where would the fun in that be? © 2013 by Isabelle Snow A.K.A parallellines. All rights reserved.

Ariella Skuller is supposedly dead according to her father's lies to the town's people. After being in a tragic accident, Ariella lost three important things in her life; her mother, her childhood memories and her left eye in result she wears a plain black eye patch over her eye. With her father leaving her home alone for a month, she spends her time in the forest. But when her father's comes home, the two are closer than ever. That is until Ariella's peaceful life ends when a strange boy claims her home as his property.

Samantha wishes she were someone else. Anastasia, to be exact. Anastasia doesn't sit in the corner and read because she's too shy to talk to anyone. She doesn't keep trying and failing. Anastasia slays dragons. Of course, Anastasia is only a character in Samantha's story. That's what Sam does, she writes. She writes to keep the monsters at bay. She creates new worlds to escape into. And she writes to block out the cranky ramblings of her jilted father, who refuses to acknowledge the woman that ran out on them years ago. But Samantha finds herself thrown into a not so magical adventure when she discovers her long lost mother has been in town all along. She has questions that need answering, and a few arrow- accusations... she'd like to sling. But there are obstacles to storming the castle, her father for one. Either Samantha makes this her happily ever after, or it all ends in tears... Either way, the story is about to change.

{Watty Awards 2013 Winner} This is simply a story about a lonely girl who finds love. I was inspired to write this because I wanted to know that there are good things that happen to invisible girls like me. I wanted to write Hope for those who seem hopeless. • • • In March of 2013, Letters was #1 in the short story category. June 2013: Short Story #3 and Romance #40 February 2014: Winner of The Watty Awards 2013 for On The Rise Short Story