The things a girl puts up with, and not just for money to pay for essentials like rent and food. While that was a big motivator for my continued employment at the Lovegood Café, it wasn’t the only reason I stuck around. Biding my time. Waiting until I fulfilled my role in this charade, and...
Dozens of hopeful couples murmured private conversations in the (recently renamed) Lovegood Café, busy, no matter that it was a Thursday. But this was the new usual. I rolled my eyes every time I saw the new logo, all swooping calligraphy and red hearts, trying to capitalize on the fame of their “romance risotto.” It...
I sighed. Of course they wanted the risotto. Who didn’t these days? But I smiled and placed the order, along with their drinks, ignoring the hopeful, dopey smiles on their faces. Ignoring the smirk on the chef’s greasy face as he asked, “So, Liv, any bets to how many orders tonight?” No. Because it was...
Today. The weirdness was today! More than a month had passed without incident. Zillah knew the shit was really about to fly, like all over the place. She didn’t know how she knew. She just did. Like, when she woke up (not got out of bed; awake and blearily standing were two distinct events), the...
It all started way back when I was nothin’ but a toddler, maybe two or so. Mama has pictures of me holding whole bouquets of four-leaf clovers. Didn’t even know what they was way back then. Just liked ‘em, you know? Same way a lil one picks a whole buncha dandelions for their Mama. Anyhow,...
Asleen strolled the rows of floor-to-ceiling hydroponic containers, stroking the softness of the new leaves, drinking in the humid aroma of life. Her wristband vibrated, a startling reminder of her next commitment. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she muttered unhappily, casting one last look of longing at the expanse of green. “Have. A. Good. Time. Dr....
My parents started to look at me askance on my fifth birthday. Most of us have found our affinity by then: the element or creature or life focus that will define who we are our place in society. It was always obvious. Always. No one, not since The Witch’s Curse, accidentally unleashed one hundred and...
The door closed with a not-slam, but the whoosh-snick might as well have been a thunderclap for all the emotion residing in it. Mara stood on one side, her parents on the other. Their voices were hushed, but not hushed enough. Not that it mattered. She knew what they were saying; the fight was on...