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."

Dexter Young has a responsibility. At the age of 17, he is joined by an elite squad of trained teenage soldiers to defeat the monsters that roam the Earth, threatening to destroy human kind. During this mission, Dexter discovers bravery, friendship and even love. Will our planet be saved or will humanity cease to exist?

#1 Teen Fiction | #1 Young Adult | #1 Romance "We all need someone to drive us mad." - The Wombats. He stared arrogantly down at me, a smirk plastered across his face. I sneered up at him with distaste, wanting to wrap my fingers around his neck and strangle that smirk off of him. He brushed my golden hair from my face, his long, slender fingers sparking electricity in my skin, making my knees wobble together. "Will you ever, forgive me?" he whispered huskily, his eyes intently staring into mine. His face was only mere inches from me. I just needed to reach out a little further to kiss him... "Yeah. Over my dead body." I snapped, before throwing my arms out forcefully, shoving my hands into his chest, pushing him from me. -*-*-*- He, is Carter Williams. I, am Lacey Adams. We were once, inseparable. The 'Golden Couple'. The unbreakable best friends, that everybody envied. Nothing could get between us. A part from being tighter than white on rice, we updated our status from friends to being in a relationship, frequently. We were neighbours, which meant our families were all close and even co-owned houses around our town. This, all is, until the day of my sixteenth birthday. Everything changed. The loving relationship we shared, was severed and torn apart. I couldn't hardly stand to look at him any more, without spitting fire that is. Every day is torture being around him. He was in all my classes at school and the window in my room was even directly aligned with his. So, what happens? My mother's mum gets sick, so dad and her fly out. Just them. Leaving me to stay with Carter and his parents, who are never home. We would be alone. In one house. Under the same roof. If I was insane before, I have no idea what I am now. © 2016 by LaurenJ22. All rights reserved.