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."

I fell in love with a physicist, and then we lost ourselves. Maybe there are places we can all be happy. We just need to find those places. Or maybe they don't exist.

"Anna dislikes being stuck three-quarters of the way down a chimney. She really does. Not to mention, she's still going round North America, and there's, like, three continents still to get through in about as many hours."

In which Macy gives advice to people who she has never met before and sometimes her advice saves some lives. [#8 in Short Stories] Cover Credit: @xdemonsflowerx

Uriah Walter never expected to see his ex-girlfriend, Louise Santiago, again after their nasty break-up three years ago. But he also never expected her to work for him in his business firm as an intern. The best part? She doesn't remember him. At all.

Based on the books 'Like Hell' and 'Hell to Pay' by Madelinestanford. 2nd place in one shot competition :)

Humanity’s desire to be immortal is finally fulfilled when Stuart and Nick, two mischievous yet brilliant young men, figure out a way to reverse age. Over the next few years, they sell life to the aging population and build Phoenix Corporation: one of the biggest companies in the world. With Life Centers across the globe, people can prolong life but death still remains unconquered. When an accident at a Life Center throws the city of Hamilton into chaos, nothing stops the spreading death and madness. Stuart and Nick struggle to find the real reason behind the mysterious phenomenon. Will humanity pay the ultimate price for evading death?

It was Rory’s Grandma that made the two predictions; the day of her own death, and the day Rory would die. Nobody really takes Grandma seriously – that is, until she suddenly passes away on the exact date she’s predicted. In a fit of panic, Rory decides to embark on a bizarre, crazed mission to live life to the full. Together with her friends, she throws the rulebook out of the window and tastes what the world has to offer; excessively wild nights, malicious revenge plans, and arrogant, beautiful boys. Rory thinks she has nothing to lose. But her family is slowly starting to crumble, and her friends are getting sick of her reckless attitude. There’s only so long she can party before the terror of her deathday rolls around. Rory has to choose between bowing out disgracefully, with her name seared into the town’s memory – or fighting the out-of-control girl she’s become before it’s too late.

Seventeen-year-old Reed had never believed in the concept of destiny and love, so when her best friend dragged her in a search for their "soulmates" one Saturday night, Reed knew it wasn't going to end well. She couldn't have been more right, seeing as: a.) Her best friend, convinced she had found her soulmate, disappeared with some random guy. b.) Said best friend had Reed's purse and the car keys, leaving her no choice but to accept said random guy's friend's offer to look for their missing companions together. c.) Said random guy's friend was annoying, arrogant, and recklessly impulsive. d.) Oh, and he was hot, too.

In which the conditions themselves decide to speak. And those they inflict attempt a response. #freeyourbody #ThePeopleOfSociety A featured story for @themaddieproject #58 in short story (amazing cover by @soundthealarm)