hear me out, stay alive

a letter, i didn't know any better

instruments make music. people love music. they say that no music is no life. well, our story's heroine's first instrument was the rainbow coloured xylophone, age three. ever since then she has mastered every instrument she has come upon. she does it for the euphoria it brings, knowing that your fingers, your set of lungs, you are making it. Then, why not bring in another hero. his first instrument was the piano at age ten. he hasn't stopped playing since. It is what he does, his music really is his life. for six years he has been non-stop entered in competitions, winning competitions, ruling competitions. both have a way with music. now, these two musical people, let’s put them in school, different schools, yet sister/brother schools. bryn east girls. bryn east boys. when these two schools decide they want to hold a joint musicalé these fellow protagonists’ friends, teachers, peers root for them. the prize is the title, the competition is fierce, there is only one winner. these judges aren’t going to pull a seneca crane, there is one winner, and one winner only. so, without further ado, let the best musician win.

I am Sybil. I am 16 years of age, and already I have killed one person. I live in a Mental Institute called Cherry Hills, and the doctors have no idea what's wrong with me. I hear things you will never hear, see things you will never see. I see dead people.

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."

"The most frightening story I have ever read", "Terrifying", "I never want to sleep alone again", "The first time I have read a story which has made my heart race", "Brilliantly written", "Honestly the most gripping story I've read in a long time, from the very first line to the very last. I think everyone that read this can say this is in their list of worst fears.", "This was utterly brilliant. Terrifying and compelling all the way through.", "You made me want to burn my bed and run". - Reddit Users An account of the most horrifying experience I have ever had. I was a child at the time, but only now do I feel safe enough to even speak of what occurred, during the night, at bedtime. In the darkness something lurked. God help me if it was all real.

Harrison Kringe loses more than his wife when she suddenly dies after giving birth; he loses his mind. He blames his newborn baby girl for his devastating loss. She will pay the price for his insanity. Taught from birth to know only unimaginable horror, Harrison creates a monster. Can he control his creation, or will he become a victim of 'Daddy's Little Girl'?