What are we without flesh and blood? Are we nothing but a beating heart in a ribcage, a marching soul inevitably leading to our demise? Or are we here as a test of loyalty to our God, a God we do not know but must trust? And without this trust, we will be punished indefinitely for questioning his divinity. And what is a sheep without his shepherd? Without God, are we nothing but sheep led astray? How will we be guided to the light without a shepherd on earth? Should we trust our shepherd to tell us the truth? Or will we be covered in the blood of the lamb? A shepherd with blood on his hands could infect his flock with poison. And with this poison, he has control. And to Luke, this poison is all he knows. His seventeen years of life have been devoted to nothing else but God. He wakes up, goes to school or church, and sleeps; rinse and repeat. There is no place or time for anything else in his life, such as television, going out with friends, or discovering new hobbies. His father, Pastor Ivy, ensures this. His life purpose will be to serve the Lord and nothing else. A purpose that Luke believes is the right way. What else would there be to life? He hadn't questioned this until he met Gabriel, a man who was the complete opposite of him. A man who was strong in his sense of self. A man who didn't bow to anyone or anything and stood firm in his beliefs in The Church of Satan. A man who Luke feared. But also a man who felt like home to him.

I couldn't see him that well from this angle, but I could tell he dressed expensively. He wore nice dress pants with a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves. The watch on his hand shinned, like it was made from little diamonds. I squinted my eyes, looking closer to see his face. He had groomed facial hair, and thick eyebrows. He had light brown hair. He looked older, maybe around his late thirties. Who he was, I didn't know? My mom and dad barely brought over any of their friends. The man crossed his arms. He rose his chin and looked up, right at me like he sensed me there. He raised his eyebrow at me. For a moment we just stared at each other. I wanted to figure out who he was, and he was probably doing the same. Finally, he gave me a smile....

Caleb Johnson was a photographer renowned for his realistic portrayal of the world. His photos were hard-hitting and gritty with powerful messages behind them. As a photographer Caleb was barely home and he loved his nomadic way of life. Until a call from his mother forces him to make his way home to Nashville, a place that he did not want to go back to at all. But all may not be bad in the home of country music and Caleb soon finds himself making excuses to extend his stay.

They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the kingdom, obsessed with gaining power and wearing beautiful clothes. The two young men are right out of a fairytale, practically made to be archenemies...but what if they ended up falling in love instead?

"I love you." "I know baby."

HR-19SS | Sammy Walcott is the loner boy. The boy with scars and bruises. The quiet lacrosse boy. Sammy doesn't have a problem being alone and everybody has come to know and respect this. That's until Elijah Gracia comes back to town. Being alone isn't possible anymore. Copyright © CriticallyIntense