A prince who falls in love with someone unexpected... This is the full story that I wrote.

"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" Azula starting her form, lightning beginning to form at her fingertips, Zuko was plenty calm. Zuko said he'd be fine, Azula was slipping, so why did Katara suddenly feel like things were about to take a turn for the worst? The lightning came out, but Azula was cunning and directed it away from Zuko, toward the waterbender in the background. He saw Azula's change and for the first time in his life when he looked at the waterbender he saw fear in her eyes, he knew how important she was to him and suddenly felt so protective as he jumped in front of that lightning strike. "ZUKO!"

Terror. Callousness. Denial. Rebellion. How the four teenage children of leaders in the duchy and the neighboring empire of Hanaobi choose to adapt to their nefarious parents' whims is a matter of survival. Rohesia, daughter of the duke, spends her days hunting "outsiders," fugitives who've snuck onto her father's island duchy. That she lives when even children who resemble her are subject to death hardens her heart to tackle the task. Fastello is the son of the "king" of the raiders who steal from the rich and share with the poor. When aristocrats die in the raids, Fastello questions what his peoples' increasingly wicked methods of survival have cost them. An orphan raised by a convent of mothers, Cateline can think of no higher aim in life than to serve her religion, even if it means turning a blind eye to the suffering of other orphans under the mothers' care. Kojiro, new heir to the Hanaobi empire, must avenge his people against the "barbarians" who live in the duchy, terrified the empress, his own mother, might rather see him die than succeed. When the paths of these four young adults cross, they must rely on one another for survival--but the love of even a malevolent guardian is hard to leave behind. FALL FAR FROM THE TREE is now available in paperback and e-book from Patchwork Press: https://books2read.com/fallfarfromthetree

*WARNING: Written in 2008, some content may be offensive* Stasee is your typical shy, quiet teenage girl until the night her brother's best friend Damen Hurtz decides to finally acknowledge her existence. In a desperate attempt to gain his acceptance she allows him to take the one thing every girl values most...her virginity. After that night, Damen constantly begins accepting her while they're alone and then rejecting her in front of his peers. Stasee's frustration and confusion continues to grow, as do her feeling toward the man who continues to break her heart. He claims that he cares for her, but will his need for his peer's acceptance prevent him from ever treating Stasee the way he should? And if he finally realizes the stupidity of popularity over love, will Stasee still be waiting for him?

CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REWRITTEN!

unspoken stories in only six words. /// 11.11.15 #2 in Short Story ///