((FULL VERSION AVAILABLE ON KINDLE, 9/9/14!)) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack's a preacher's handsome son and Jill's a drunkard's daughter... Jill is a melancholy girl, strange to most; cursed to others. Her home is an isolated village where old superstitions are the key to normality. She is shunned by the townspeople because she is different–because she was born with an unusual birthmark. No one will associate with Jill outside her family, and even they treat her as something that ought to be condemned. And then there is Jack. Jack is the blessed sort–the son of Minister Hilton. He accompanies Jill to the well every day to draw water for the sanctuary. They are not friends, yet he is the only one who has ever been kind to her. There is something about Jack that Jill cannot seem to wrap her mind around. He is different from the rest of them but she can’t say how. She tries to keep herself from wondering about him, telling herself that his secrets can’t matter to her. They can never be close. But as time passes and the town grows more hostile toward her, any kind of friend– even an unacknowledged one–could prove valuable.

Mortals often dream of being Gods and Goddesses. They are beautiful, have all they desire, worshipped and can play tricks with mortals for fun. But what if a God desires something he cannot have? What would happen if a Goddess wished for death? Most of her life Persephone was raised as a mortal girl, living on Earth in meadows and forests with woodland nymphs. Kept away from Mount Olympus by her mother, to save her from the problems that often arise between the Gods and Goddesses there, jealousy, betrayal, lust... Love. But her little experience with Gods leaves her vulnerable to one of the most feared Gods, Hades. Just how many troubles and heartache can one Goddess endure in an eternity?

I froze; the guard yelled, telling me to get a move on. The unearthly screeching sent all of us into shock, soon turning into fear. Some cried the moment they reached the door. I didn't know what was coming, but it'd be painful. “Next!” I was two kids away from the cold metal plated door. I closed my eyes, hearing a scream from behind the door. The girl in front of me started to cry. “Shut up!” A guard yelled, slapping her cheek. My eyes widened and I forced myself to swallow tears that threatened to fall. “Next!” My sore bare feet scraped across the dark tiled floor as I made my way forward while the next child went in. I wouldn't survive a slap to the cheek, no matter how strong I looked. “Next!” The girl in front of me quivered and shook, her fear obvious. I cringed away from the door as a laugh echoed in the next room. “Stand up straight!” The guard yelled at me. I didn't dare look him in the eyes, knowing I'd be hit like the last child that stared at him. “Next!” My skin crawled as the door opened...

Marcus and Diana had known they loved each other at a very young age. But when her family takes her away from him for her safety, they stay in touch wanting to never be separated for an instant. For three long years they managed just fine with the occassional visit. But their struggle has just begone when the world believes she and her family died. His heart froze with the news and only knew a world bitter and cold around him. She was his light and sun. She made his heart burn with happiness. Now the world has turned to ice for him. But is she really dead or just lost, alone, and scared? Years pass and Marcus has turned into a man, but one with a heart of ice. One of only two friends of his felt he needed a companion. How could a woman help the hard and unpleasing god like man as Marcus? Only one that is haloed like Mare. Can she tame the brute even if she doesn't know her own past? Only time and their time together can know the outcome. ~~Inspired by World So Cold by Three Days Grace~~~ *WARNING* Contains sexual content as well as a rape scene. To those who wish not to read, than I suggest you turn away when Marcus leaves and return the following chapter.