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)]

Under the big top of Jensen Three Ring Circus, magical performances abound and tantalize the senses, but when the glitz and glory closes for the night, even the circus world cannot escape madness. Acrobat Kate the Great lives and breathes for the tightropes, the trapeze, the aerial hoops. In the air she is a free spirit with boundless joy, but on the ground, she’s a prisoner of unspeakable brutality. As her life spins out of control, a one night dance with the devil lands Kate in Rosenton Home for the Criminally Insane. It is here she is determined to make amends with her sins and to find a cure for her insanity. Her ward mates – a charming farm boy from Texas with a bewitching power to calm Kate, an older Mexican woman obsessed with beauty, a fourteen-year old girl who refuses to eat, a bizarrely upbeat young woman with her eyes on the farm boy, a giant with striking green eyes who lets no one in, and a sixteen-year old young man who shows no emotions beyond pure coldness – are the thin threads between her and becoming engulfed by unseen demons.

“Love’s like a bullet. It’s fast. It’s furious. Sometimes you can’t see it coming. You can run from it. But you can’t dodge it. Unless someone stands in your way…” Growing up, Callie Tollson had always admired her older brother, Clay, for being exactly who he wanted to be…despite the consequences he faced doing so. With their roles reversed, Callie had always been the one to stand up for Clay when he was in harm’s way. She always thought this was enough. She thought she was able to protect him. That is until he turned the tables and unleashed harm back on those who had done it to him. She couldn’t understand why, being the one who stood up for him the most, she was the one he picked as the receiver for the final bullet in his gun. Now she’s the most feared girl in school with a haunting family tie to keep her stuck in the halls of Riverton High. As she tries to survive the rest of her junior year as the sister of the boy who brought a gun to school, she soon realizes she owes nothing to the boy who turned on her and everything to the boy who saved her life.

She just needed to pause, find a button to stop the voices in her head. Sadie Monroe realized long ago that she was far from perfect. If the voices in her head weren't enough, the taunting from school reminded her of that fact. Day by day, she searches for something to keep her here, something to keep her from floating away forever. She's tired of wishing her days away and she can't seem to handle the pain anymore. But with the help of the strength from a boy with many secrets, will Sadie be able to realize that someday she would learn how to be okay?

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."

❝When I met you . . . you're the first person in my life, besides my family, that treated me like a regular human being. You're my first friend and my best friend. I would be lying if I said meeting you wasn't most the most important day of my life. And the one that would end up eventually ruining it.❞-Annalise Martin. Annalise Martin's skies are painted darkly, filled with darkness from a life many would not wish to lead. Through a series of letters, Annalise hopes to find closure over losing her best friend and lover, Finland Erickson. But sometimes, we need a little bit of perspective to paint our own skies. Cover art by: norhuu on tumblr