Short Story

it is life, Mama!” Mama: “Oh—so now its life. Money is life. Once upon a

Today, Grandma turns eighty four. My parents and I walk through her front door and instantly the familiar smell of orchids fills the air. Through the crowd of aunts, uncles, and cousins, I spot my Grandma, five feet tall and exceptionally well dressed. I walk over and give her a big hug and kiss. After a series of hellos and how are yous, we all make our way toward the big blue couch and plop ourselves down. We orient ourselves around her, like elephants gathering around the wise matriarch of the herd. We listen as she reads, In My Own Words- Helen’s Memoir, out loud. She scans the room and sees her six children and thirteen grandchildren gathered around her tiny living room. With a youthful voice that doesn’t match her eighty

In the center stood a pale, grief-stricken boy. No taller than my waist, he couldn’t have been any older than my little boy at home. Clothed in a tattered shirt, small whimpers came from his parched lips as I took a few steps closer to him. Small pools of blood had collected in the palm of his hands as he held a needle and ragged thread. To the left of his scarred feet lay a small, frail doll. It was falling apart at the

and saw her mom and sister, in their own bikinis. Smiling, she placed a handful of sun screen on her legs and rubbed it in, she continued up to her chest, neck, and face. Offering her sister, the bottle. Taking off her bikini top, she laid face forward, so her sister could place some lotion on her back, and places where she could not reach.

Flich will not stop talking with his mouthful. Walker seems use to it as his ear is literally chattered off.

It was Gwaine, leaning against a lamppost, his washed-out pallor obvious beneath the weak lamp light. Gone was the usual mirth from his eyes, his cheeks had hollowed, and it appeared as if he hadn’t bothered combing his hair in a week.

Al is shaking as he stands in front of the target. I had to throw knives at him. I was really tired and didn’t want to do this. I don’t see why this was necessary, so once Eric asked for a hand I said “is this really necessary?” I tense up, because I know Eric gets mad when you challenge him. We stared at each other for a long time in silence. All of a sudden Eric starts to speak up “I have authority here, remember?, here and everywhere else.” He didn’t say it loud. I don’t even know if anyone in this room heard him, but I know i did. I don’t know what to say, because he does have authority here. I tighten the grip on my knives. I’m holding them so tight that my knuckles are turning white. I turn around to Al. Al was shaking so much,

It’s weird to separate himself from his job. He doesn’t really like it. Which is probably why he’s stayed single for so long. Well, he has Rebecca, but that’s beside the point.

“Twenty-one! The Chief’s vote makes it twenty-one! And by God if that ain’t a majority I’ll eat my hat!” “Yippee,” Cheswick yells. The other Acutes are coming across toward me. “The meeting was closed,” she says. Her smile is still there, but the back of her neck as she walks out of the day room and into the Nurses’ Station, is red and swelling like she’ll blow apart any second.

Mother kisses the top of Clem's head and calls for Dad to bring her school. He sets his newspaper down and gets up. He walks over to me and kisses me on the forehead and grabs my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. This is an odd gesture to me seeing as affection is not necessarily allowed in our city. Apparently it is a form of self-indulgence, which is frowned upon in Rauhallinen.

A shove, a mean look in the hallway. I knew we weren't friends. I never expected it to go this far.

Phelps and Umonakalisi reached the bottom of the stairwell, stopping just long enough to catch their breath, but with the location of their foe unknown, Phelps opened a crack in the door just wide enough to hear the silence of the empty corridor. They were alone. Their prey still alluded them, and both men burst through the doors, setting off at a sprint along the passageway. Within thirty seconds, the signs on the walls announced the beginning of Hangar G. Phelps slowed. He searched for an entrance. Then, he stopped beside one of the huge maintenance doorways and pressed the access panel. The door remained unmoved.

“What the hell is he doing here?” John asked when he opened the motel door to see his son with Sam Campbell.

Guilt, despair, and heartache laced the congested ICU room and I trembled, struggling to keep myself upright. My dry, cold hands gripped the countertop, sending pain up my arms from the sharp edges. Thoughts ran through my head, but I couldn’t understand any of them. I stood lost and confused with the rest of my family. My lip quivered as I glanced around at everyone’s sullen faces. All of us were here for one reason. She lay on the small hospital bed in the center of the room, silent and still.

Alayna sat silently as she listened to the Stark girl’s story. Not saying a word until Lyanna had finished not wanting to interrupt just in case she missed out on any details. Alayna was surprised the once hostile She-Wolf had opened up to her so quickly; it was like a dam had busted causing a flood of words to tumble out of the girl’s mouth.