- His gaze swept over the sea of faces below him, and grazed past me and then went back. I gasped. His eyes. So blue, so bright. The color of an iceberg. And then I was terrified. My brain couldn't understand the sudden feeling, couldn't even stop what my body did at the sudden onslaught of emotion that wasn't mine. I screamed. The ground swirled up into my vision and then everything went black. - I was your average scientist working at the facility. My name's Cecily by the way. But an encounter with the Facility's newest and so far biggest discovery changes everything, and then I'm suddenly tossed into the tangle which is the top of the pecking order in the Facility. Fun? Nuh uh. Trust me there's plenty more than 'pecking' going on up here...And then there's the new discovery, named Subject R.... Well hell. Gonna be a long ride...

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."

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.