She is a piece of history, yet untouched by time. She is a whirlwind, even though she hardly leaves her home. She turned my life around. She held its fragments in her hands, even though we don't even know each other's last names. We are made to fit into each other, but will she fill my life with wonder, or leave it with more holes than ever?

A dialogue short story about the things we wake up to that remind us there are still things in this life worth waking up for. ante meridiem - [adv. & adj.] "before noon;" Abbr: A.M. Or a.m. [credit to owner of image (not me)]

Jas gives me a sympathetic look. She sighs heavily, long nails tapping against the wooden table, dodging the 'Missing' posters scattered all over the surface. "Maybe," she finally says, "Just maybe, he doesn't want to be found, Ava." I clench my jaw. "No. I refuse to believe that. He's not like that." "What do you know?" Jas snorts, finally withdrawing her hand from the table and turning back to look at me. "You don't even know him." xx Ford Wilson was in three out of four of Ava Jackson's classes. They had one mutual friend, did a project together once in sophomore year, and had the same lunch. When Ava's car had broke down, she had even ended up parked outside of Ford's house, asking for gas. In Ava's life, he was everywhere. And yet, she didn't notice him until he was nowhere to be found.

A contemporary southern gothic mystery series about a teenager who discovers a cache of centuries-old letters containing clues to crimes happening in the present day. READERS CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! Parish Mail is written like a TV series–there are over-arching mystery and romantic story arcs that extend between the episodes, while each episode has a smaller case that is presented and solved. Along the way, I will asks you, the reader, to make several small decisions as you read. These choices do not impact the overarching storyline, but certain combinations “unlock” clues to the series’ mystery, which are embedded in the text.

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.

Marie wanted to be as good as her mother wanted. Since her older brother was diagnosed with autism, she is considered the family's "normal" child. She thus feels she must be perfect in every way, which soon turns out to be a haunting task. Desperate for love and to make sense of her mother's contradictory behaviors and spiritual changes (from her mother's infidelities and alcoholism to a strict religious cult, and back again), Marie starts a friendship with a make belief friend, Ana. Ana is beautiful, loving, all-knowing and lives in an older version of Marie's house. Ana is the best friend one could hope for...that is until she encourages you to pursue a life threatening path. A book loosely based on my life: my relationship with my mother, my father, my autistic brother and my sister; my life in a cult; and my battle with anorexia. Nevertheless, this book is a work of fiction (imaginary friend, haunted house, mystical creatures, paranormal, etc).

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."

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Seven letters, seven confessions, seven clues. Elliot Parker has what he needs to find out who killed his best friend... But is he hunting down the killer? Or is the killer hunting him? ***** When Colton Crest returns, unharmed, to his small town after mysteriously disappearing for two months, his best friend Elliot Parker breathes a sigh of relief. But days later, on the night before graduation, Elliot finds Colton in the lake. Dead. And on the day of his funeral, Elliot finds a letter in his jacket pocket with four words that send him spiralling: I killed Colton Crest. There are six more letters to find, six more confessions about Colton, six more clues to uncover why he was murdered. Elliot has no choice but to play this sick scavenger hunt, and with each new revelation, he begins to question whether he really knew Colton - or anyone else in that little town of dark secrets. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]