When I was younger, my father called me his little nest—his little heir. My earliest memories were of him holding me close, like he couldn't bear me being too far away, like I was the lightning rod that kept him grounded in the middle of a thunderstorm. His skin always smelled of freshly tilled soil and mint leaves; his hair of the honey-and-fruit scented pomade that my An'na specialized in making. Other warriors reek of...

I don’t understand how you sleep How your heart doesn’t pound out of your chestHow your palms don’t sweat While your fingertips clutch at nothing.  I don’t understand how your throatIsn’t a barren desertHow your barbed tongue forms wordsWhen it should crumble to dust.  I don’t understand how your eyes can be so vacant and far When the mirror shows you theTruth of your character  I don’t understand what you consider valuel...

12th of February – Season 2 By the time the sun started to rise and throw light through the curtains, Lorrain January had been up for hours already. She hadn’t been able to sleep a wink and she knew why. It was the guilt. It didn’t help at all that she was already suffering a very low sense of self-worth by getting back with him despite him digging around her personal belongings. Unfortunately, she valued the lifestyle he...

While having breakfast, no one dared to speak. It was always practiced in the Sakuraba household. At a young age, the Sakuraba children were taught to have proper etiquette. Apparently, their ancestors practiced discipline at all times. After their quiet breakfast, Genjiro decided to broke the silence.   “You seem to have something in your mind, Aikasa. What is it?” Contemplating, Aikasa answered, “Father, I was accepted...

Aikasa lied awake staring at the ceiling of her room. Sighing, she got up and fixed the bed. She put on rather presentable clothes and fixed herself before going out of the room. While making her way into the kitchen, she saw her mother preparing for breakfast. “Good morning mother!” enthusiastically greeting her. “Good morning,” her mother greeted back with a soft smile grazing her thin lips. “Where’s father?” Throwing a...

    Lifting the receiver she dials, waiting as each ring seems to take an eternity, then he answers. "He doesn't suspect a thing. I promise." "But he seems to look at me like he knows. I keep waiting for him to say something." "Don't lose control, he has no idea; I would bet my life on it." "If you're wrong, you already have. You know what he'll do. You've seen him in action." "Just stick with the plan. Do you remember?"...

She hides in plain sightA hint of melancholy on her faceOnce happy and free She is now lost in the prison she's made in her mindWalls she has built with steel and stoneShe makes jokes and laughsInside she is dyingHer pain betrayed by a painted on smileShame, pride, and humiliation in disguise"She dresses like a whore," she wanted it more"She went there alone," she deserved what was done"Why did she stay quiet?" You must k...

We followed railroad tracks by the forest, and the tracks followed the river. A white moon hung full and bright to our right, fluorescent on the water. To our left, dense black trees grew close to the tracks. Chalk-white stones glowed with the moon, piled loosely around heavy wooden ties. I grabbed one of the stones and gauged its weight, its feel. Then, with all I had, I flung it into the river. We were silent for a mome...

Smithe fell to the floor, suddenly going limp. Darla's breathing started to slow. Blinking in puzzelment, she stared at his still form. "After all that time wanting me, is that all there is?" She thought to herself as she bent over the unconscious man. She frowned feeling cheated. “Hey we aren't finished,” she cried out as she shook him.Sive stuck her head out of the open panel, with a stun gun in hand and shot Darla befo...

Lost and alone, abandoned to my fate,I wander in the barren wildernessDespised and forsaken, longing for death.The cold and bitter ashes of remorseFill my mouth with gall, and blister my tongue,And utter self-loathing darkens my mind.Broken on the wheel of my arrogance,I bend my head to this desolation.No act of abject mortificationCan cleanse my soul of my iniquities,And condemned to eternal suffering,I must live the res...

1904I can't see with this blindfold.It wasn't me.It must have been the girl!She did this.I met her on the train from Paris to Berlin.We talked.She smiled.She kissed me.She must have put it in my camera bag!“I'll see you in Berlin.”She left the compartment.They stopped me at the border.So many questions.The trial was quick.Canister of film?What plans?French 75 gun!Guilty!Espionage!Me! A Spy!NO!“Ready...”NO! it wasn't me!“A...

Like a foolI was taken in by your tendernessbelieving your sweet wordsof unforgiving liesThis jester's outfitI now wear in shamebelittled by your charmsbeaten by your evil mindTears spread like oceanswaves of emotionscrashing inside my bodymaking me think bad thingsYour words of hatredspread invisible marksupon this demonic skinI wearShaming meof the man I see in the mirrorspreading my black wingscreating a Dark Angel of...

Friendship is like a piece of stringThere's a beginning, middle, and end to itIt starts with a smile, then loving hugs of sweet wordsSlowly drifting towards a deep sadness of goodbyesTears that fall from betrayal, or something simple like silenceForcing you to sever all ties with the otherIf only for your own sanity and well-beingTo cut the string in two, clutching one piece as a bitter memoryPushing you into that world o...

I wake on my left side, shivering from the cold. I fumble for the comforter but come up empty-handed. Annoyed, I roll onto my back thinking I'll have to wrestle it from Ben, my blanket-stealing husband who likes to wrap himself in a cocoon. Instead of feeling his warm body, I find only space, as my hand drops to a cool, hard surface covered in what feels like small wood shavings.Confusion blurs my memory. Gradually, the v...

In the Captain's quarters, Sive continued to poke around the Captain's things thinking, “Yes, very nice quarters Captain. Too bad I can't hide here until we docked at some planet where I could slip away.” Sive ordered herself a cup of java with lots of cream from the food dispenser and sipped it slowly while she considered her next move. Hiding as a crew member was one option, but she was pushing her luck. As much as she...