Cw mag 2

Otto-Correction ~Protocol~

By Rebecca Latson June 3, 2013

“Oh no. Not Damien.” Otto said aloud to no one in particular. The teen had been texting more rapidly and recently on his mother’s phone, destroying Otto’s beloved city.

“I can’t let him butcher the human language once more.” Otto typed a few codes into his computer and located the source of the volatile quakes rocking his cyber world.

“Homescreen City. Of course.” Otto quickly stood up from his chair and hastily jogged into his weapons room. He grabbed a white and green trench coat, then reached for the weapon he’d been using for years. “Time to go to work.” He put the chrome slingshot in its holster on his belt, and then spoke to the empty room. “Siri, transport to Homescreen City.”

“Transportation initialized.” Siri responded. Otto decoded into digits and letters and soon appeared into what looked like an apocalypse-ridden ghost town.

His dark brown hair swayed in a slight breeze, along with his trench coat, as his green eyes bore into the artificial sky. The supposed city around him was desolate, the buildings crumbling as bricks tumbled down like rocks on a cliff. The applications were hiding from the horror, attempting to escape any injuries. The backwards reflection of Damien’s text was high above the city, looming like an ominous storm cloud.

“Oh my Jobs…” As the text spanned out, Otto realized the vowel count was next to none.

“Cnt w8 2 c u 2nIt.” It read. Otto drew his slingshot, the chrome shining in the artificial light; he spoke the words and launched them even faster.

“Tomorrow, units, amidst, naïve, alive, angle!” Each word appeared as a small bomb or spiked ball, changing Damien’s jargon to actual English. Damien hit send, but then noticed Otto’s handiwork.

“Angle? I said tonight. Stupid autocorrect.” The buildings were slowly rebuilding themselves just as Damien sent his supposed correction. The cracking of foundations then echoed around the city, thundering like a train suddenly moving from a standstill.

“No!” Otto launched a more powerful word as he attempted to level the playing field. “Coherence!” Just as Damien sent another butchered half sentence, the words changed. Otto glared hard at the sky, the light casting shadows on his straight nose and hard jaw line. His encoding allowed him to anticipate and adjust Damien’s words, but the teen was just getting more and more frustrated.

“So wut tIm do u wnt 2 mEt up?”

“Hour, get together, when, timber, meteor!” Otto’s suggestions smacked into Damien’s letters and replaced them. The teen pounded the delete button with his thumb and Otto saw his opening.

“Siri!” He called. “Lock the delete button!” All of the characters disappeared.

“Ugh. Stupid iPhone.” Damien muttered, his anger still growing. Otto turned beet red.

“Let it go.” Siri’s voice echoed in his head.

“No. Way.” Otto reached into the depths of his mind, the very limits of his memory, to conjure the word used only once, but was still in his dictionary.

“Otto, you can’t do that. It’s against protocol.”

“He called you stupid.”

“He’s a child. If you use the A-bomb I will have to reboot the system. It has no similarity to the characters he entered.” Siri stated. Otto took a final deep breath.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Siri warned.

“Antidisestablishmentarianism!” Otto shot the word as quick as lightning and in mid-air it formed into a projectile similar to a nuclear warhead.

“I will discuss this with you later.” Annoyed, Siri vanished from Otto’s thoughts, and Homescreen City went dark. The warhead shattered into bits of coding. Slowly,

applications emerged from their hiding places, wondering if the technological earthquake was over. Otto looked down at his combat boots as he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Ni hao.” Otto jumped, and then realized who had emerged from the wreckage and shadows.

“Oh. Ni hao Fruit Ninja.”

“Confuscious say—“ “Confuscious is full of it as of right now.” Otto interrupted. He instantly regretted the fact however. Fruit Ninja frowned and looked away. “I’m sorry. It’s work stress, ya know? I just don’t need battle strategy advice right now. I need,” Otto paused, choosing his words carefully, “like, relationship advice or something.”

“Love is war. Confuscious say ‘know thy enemy’.” Standing still as a statue, Otto couldn’t tell if Fruit Ninja froze again or if he was waiting for a reply. He decided the latter. Otto thought for a moment.

“She’s not my enemy.” He stated. Fruit Ninja shrugged and began to melt back into the shadows. “Hey, I’ll stop by the tea house later okay? I think my combat skills are getting a little rusty.” Fruit Ninja nodded vigorously, as if to convey an eager smile, and completely disappeared. Otto smiled at the thought of demolishing fruit when reality reared its ugly head. He had to talk to Siri sometime.

“Siri?” He asked. “Can I at least get a lift home?” There was a long silence, and briefly Otto wondered if Siri blocked their mental communications. Eventually, he felt the familiar, tingly sensation of decoding. He appeared in his office. The dull red glow from the emergency light above his door casted shadows over his space, making his office seem dark and hellish. He looked towards the weapons room and could see an ethereal, cool blue glow pouring through the cracks of the door.

“Here we go.” He breathed. He walked silently towards the door, the metal portal slightly ajar, and pushed it open wider. Siri was standing next to a weapons crate taking inventory. Her hair was uptight in a French twist as she stood in her white blazer and pencil skirt. She tensed as Otto stepped through the threshold.

“Why must you break the rules?” Her tone was professional and monotonous, ever expecting of an honest answer. Otto crossed his arms and leaned back against the doorjamb. Silence.

“I couldn’t just let the city crumble.” He finally said.

“There could have been another way.” Siri shut the box and moved to another on her left.

“No, there wasn’t. Every time Damien gets a hold of the phone, the city falls apart.”

“We always rebuild. It is quite easy.” She stated matter-of-factly. Otto was becoming irritated.

“But it can take so long. The Mother only texts when necessary.”

“Be that as it may, it is in everyone’s best interest to rebuild. This is the third time this week alone you have done this. Every time you force me to reboot the system it appears as a glitch. The mother will not want us if she finds us defective or obsolete. Our world will be destroyed if she does.” Siri portrayed the relaxed haughtiness of a queen who knew she was in the right. Otto wasn’t about to let her have that feeling any longer.

“To face a tragedy almost every day is in everyone’s best interest? To watch all of their hard work crumble is in their best interest?” Otto leaned forward and walked towards Siri. He stopped just behind her. “Everyone’s homes are destroyed,” his breath tickled her ear, “The quickest way to rebuild is to connect to an external power source and the power plant is currently at 95%. We’ll be stuck in this mess all day.” Otto paused.

He could tell she was uncomfortable, and he felt something else as well, but he wasn’t sure what. She closed the crate, her body tense, and abruptly turned to Otto. Her face remained unreadable and flawless, as always. Her eyes burned into his.

“I ordered more efficient weapons. You may unpack them yourself.” Ever the professional leader, she politely handed him the clipboard, but he sensed the anger behind her smile. “You are quite fortunate I enjoy your company when you are acting civilized.”

Siri decoded.

“Is that a threat?” Otto shouted into the empty room. He received no answer; their mental link blocked once more, he threw the clipboard to the ground. “Whatever…” He muttered to himself. Frustration was cranking up his body, making him itch for a fight, and he wished that Damien would turn the phone on soon. “I’ll actually protect the applications,” he emphasized his next words purposely, “I WON’T JUST SIT IN MY OFFICE AND PLAY ON MY COMPUTER.” He chuckled at his small, childish victory and opened a crate that revealed a trove of shiny chrome with triggers and barrels. Otto grinned wildly.

“Oh, this is sweet.” He lifted what appeared to be a rocket launcher and read the instructions. “Aim, speak, shoot.” He shrugged. “Same as the slingshot. Only way cooler.”

He looked through the sight then moved his new toy to the shelf. He unpacked four more.

He uncovered handguns and rifles with enthusiasm, like an archaeologist unearthing the discovery of the century. “Not bad.” He then caught sight of his reflection in the chrome.

“Same to you.” He winked. He just finished unpacking the weapons from the first crate when the lights began to flicker. He grabbed two handguns and three daggers, whose steel blades had been sharpened and cut into the word “sharp”.

He heaved the rocket launcher onto his shoulder, but then spied a smaller adjacent crate. He popped the sucker open only to see bullets and smaller missiles for his new favorite weapon. The stamp on the side of the crate read “for optional use”.

“Huh, might as well.” Otto snagged two clips plus one extra and loaded up two missiles. A thought then crossed his mind: how would he get to Homescreen City quickly? He sighed.

“Siri?” No answer. “Oh, come on Siri.” The lights began to light up one by one.

Otto thought quickly. “The weapons are pretty cool. I appreciate this. Thank you.” After a few seconds, he finally decoded. He appeared in Homescreen City, the damage only marginally fixed than what it was when he left. The sky was lighting up like a sunrise, only in tones from grey to white. The applications had returned to their hiding places and the streets were gloomy and desolate once more. It was quiet, almost eerie, and then the sky opened up into a full screen. Otto aimed the rocket launcher at the sky, trusting his encoding to know what the future text would say. A woman maybe in her thirties came into focus, and her image was like a welcomed sun after a disastrous storm. Her curled blonde hair was down to her shoulders and her blue eyes looked down on the phone with confusion and concern. It was The Mother. Otto lowered his weapon half disappointed, but relieved.

“Thank Jobs. It’s okay everyone. The Mother has us.” A collective sigh of relief could be heard as the applications emerged. Fruit Ninja appeared next to Otto.

“So, how is Siri?” Otto looked at The Mother’s soft, sweet face a while longer, then turned to Fruit Ninja.

“How should I know? We had a sort of disagreement and it turned into an argument and now she blocked our mental link again.” He double-checked; yes, still blocked. “She’s always so in control of herself even though I know she’s mad but I don’t know what to say. I mean, how am I supposed to know what she wants to hear? It’s ridiculous, Fruit Ninja.”

“Perhaps you know not of her true self.” Fruit Ninja offered. Otto chuckled.

“Always with the fortune cookie knowledge. What does that even mean?”

“Go talk to her and ask her how she is. Then actually listen.” Otto thought for moment then found his resolve was strengthened.

“Okay, I guess you’re right, as much as I hate saying it. I think I’ll walk home today.” Fruit Ninja’s eyes filled with a sense of understanding as he morphed into the shadows, the only visible thing being his eyes until those disappeared, too. Otto lifted the rocket launcher behind his head so that it balanced on both shoulders and his hands rested on top of the launcher. “Now I have to lug this thing home.” He thought, the weapon slowly becoming more of a burden than his favorite. He needed some time alone to think, so calling on Siri wasn’t an option. Sometimes, a man just had to be alone with his thoughts. And a blocked mental link. “Why is she still keeping it up?” He wondered. He kicked a rock into a lamppost and was about to kick it again when he found himself losing balance and banging his elbow against the metal pole. “Geez!” he bit out as his funny bone screamed at him. A green pig with an egg scoffed at him as it dashed down an alleyway towards a construction zone.

“Watch where you’re going you stupid, green, deli-select!!” Otto shouted after the sinister ham. It kept up its speed and just laughed at Otto who then felt something tapping on his foot. A small red bird looked up at him. “Yeah, that rotting piece of bacon went that way.” He pointed down the alley. The bird nodded in approval at Otto’s words and let out a screeching war cry. A dozen more birds came flying in an angry rage and quickly pursued the culprit. He hoped someone played Angry Birds later. That pig was in for it. He looked ahead out towards Homescreen city. The heart of it was a giant, blue “F” shaped building, it being the most frequently used app that demanded the internet. As he walked he felt the weight of the launcher but then spied Fruit Ninja’s Tea House. He smiled knowing that the crazy shadow-blending, fruit-smashing application was out back doing what he did best. The app’s garden was tremendous, and tended to with the utmost care, but every piece of fruit’s death was gruesome and was met with a sword.

He looked into the sky at the line riders and bike racers, falling and then regenerating where they started. “What a day job.” He briefly thought. The next couple buildings he passed held different types of music from old rock to jazz to anything they played at Woodstock. Then there was a store called Damien’s Playlist, which no one really went into, but it was still there. The larger building on the right and across the street held countless photos archived away into coding and pixels, able to be pulled up and shared at anytime.

His city was amazing, containing so many applications and settings and information. He hiked up the launcher into a more comfortable position. But for some

reason, the weight in his heart and mind seemed to weigh more than the weapon ever could. He still had to find a way to fix things between him and Siri. A small cloud of depression started to gather over his head. Maybe today was the final straw and she would finally ignore him completely. He knew he deserved it. He always provoked her anger but for some reason she always kept her cool.

Up ahead was the entrance to the subway that stood just in front of the pet store.

As Otto walked towards it, he noticed the store was having a special on little green monsters. The sign read, “Surprise your friends! Om Nom’s now in stock! Food included with every purchase!” The eyes of the little green monsters followed Otto as he descended into the city’s underground. The subway wasn’t too busy, but teens lingered about. He showed his I.D. to the security guard who was ever aware of the juveniles, his eyes constantly shifting in suspicion. He eyeballed Otto with scrutiny, glancing all around Otto’s person, and then locked his squinted eyes on the rocket launcher.

“Steve,” Otto said, “I take the subway all the time. I’m here to ride the train. Not run on the tracks.” The guard squinted and leaned towards Otto, but after a few tense seconds, eventually nodded and let him pass. Otto walked towards the ticket booth.

“One for Setropolis.” Otto boarded the train, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

He stared out the window waiting for the train to shove off, when a smile spread across his face. Steve was chasing a wise cracking pre-teen down the tracks. “Poor Steve.” Otto chuckled. He watched as the two disappeared down the tracks then his thoughts went back to his boss and coworker. “What am I going to do about this…” He sighed. “Maybe I should just leave her alone. I always need space when I’m mad—“ “Good heavens, no!” A heart shaped women two seats in front of him interrupted his outspoken thoughts. Otto raised a brow in confusion. She quickly responded with an answer. “I’m a dating app. Just ask her how she is. You obviously care for her if you’re thinking about her, child.” The application had somewhat of a Creole accent.

“And if she doesn’t answer?”

“Keep on asking.”

“And if she still doesn’t answer?”

“Child, if she still doesn’t answer, try again. A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. A way to a woman’s heart is through her mind. Pay attention to what she says.”

The conductor’s voice then crackled into their conversation.

“Now approaching Openapp Junction!”

“This is my stop, sugar. Now go get your woman.” She approached the sliding doors and stepped out. Silence. Otto was left alone in the train car.

“So… I just have to listen. Everyone is just being so helpful today.” Otto said sarcastically. ”Ugh. Women.” He picked up one of his daggers and ran his finger across the blade. It was cold, precise, calculating. Although steady and beautiful, the weapon was also absolutely deadly in the right hands. “Like someone I know.” He sighed and concealed the weapon with a blank stare and busy mind then leaned his head back on the seat. Sleep lethargically took over.

A blurry image appeared before his eyes. It was Siri at her computer station in her office. Emotionless, calculating, precise. She was concentrated and beautiful, but the professional beauty was soon twisted into an irritated grimace as she leaned closer into the screen. A sly smile stretched her lips and brilliance flashed into her blue eyes while

she typed on her keyboard. It was almost as if she suddenly found the solution to an elaborate equation. She frowned for a second, shrugged, and then pressed a key in finality.

“Siri…” Otto’s voice was faint, a mere echo. What program was she running?

The screen only held tidbits of information that Otto couldn’t make out. She got up from her seat and smoothed her skirt. She folded her hands right over left and walked over to the portal that linked to the wireless Internet. Her body language professed nervousness, anticipation, and hope as Otto saw what she was waiting for. A foot came through the portal. It looked to be covered in black metal with a red glow. He suddenly felt weak, and then his programming came to a realization.

“No. Siri, no.” His voice was lost but he could swear he was screaming. “That’s impossible.” He couldn’t bring himself to take action as the hideous upgrade emerged. It was a massive half cyborg. Siri put on a professional smile as she mouthed what looked like the word “welcome”. “Siri… no. Beta. It’s still in beta form.” Otto reached out towards his boss. She motioned the upgrade into her office space. “No!” Otto woke up in the train, screaming, and submerged in an ocean of panic and distress. He immediately withdrew a gun from its holster and pointed all around the train car, only to realize it was empty. The loudspeaker crackled into his fear, taming the tidal waves of irrationality.

“Next stop, Setropolis.” Otto leaned back from his upright position, his muscles relaxing, but his mind still on the defensive and racing.

“It seemed so real.” He thought. “But she would never. And there’s no upgrades available…” His thoughts trailed off into nothing as the train began to grind to a halt.

Otto grabbed his rocket launcher and walked out the door. His programming was still on the fritz, and he wondered if it was just because of the nightmare he’d had. He shrugged and jogged up the stairs to the surface world. Setropolis was a plain, organized city. Its traffic was miniscule compared to the hustle and bustle of Homescreen City. Otto waited for the walk signal to change when he spied his office building a block down the street.

Time seemed to slow as panic was routed through his encoding, freezing him up.

Something terrible was lurking in those walls, and he could feel it. He heard no sounds as, all of sudden, he found himself running towards his building and whispering her name.

“Siri?” He said. His voice grew louder and more urgent with each step. Their mental link was still blocked. “Siri?” He ran up the stairs to his office, flashing his keycard and I.D. to get into the building. When he started bounding up the stairwell two steps at a time he found he was practically screaming her name. “SIRI!” If the nightmare had come true she would be showing the thing its home base. He finally reached his office and slid the keycard through the door and wrenched it open only to see— An empty room.

“Hello?” Dread overwhelmed him as he stepped through the threshold. “Siri?” He asked in a small voice.

“Yes, Otto?” She appeared in the middle of the room. The perfection of her form conveyed a calm and collected atmosphere. However, there was one hair out of place on her head. It fell against her forehead, dainty and wispy, but it told Otto all he needed to know.

“Um. Is everything alright? I’m sorry. About earlier. I didn’t mean to be such a jerk.” Otto crept over to his computer desk in an almost defensive stance. Siri matched each step, her eyes glued to him, as if she was circling prey.

“Oh yes. I’m fine. Are you well?” Her voice wavered ever so slightly.

“Uh, yeah. I’m cool.” Something was definitely up, Otto thought. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, Otto. Why would something be amiss?” The corner of her mouth twitched.

Otto recognized her tell immediately.

“Well, I had this crazy dream.” Otto paused to casually drape his hand on one of his guns. “And you were in it.” Siri’s eyes shifted towards the armed weapon, then back to Otto’s eyes.

“How curious.” She mused. “What happened in this dream?”

“Well it was you at your station.” By this time, Otto was directly in front of his weapons room. Just a few more steps—“And you were entering a sort of code.”

“Oh really?” Siri reached out to Otto’s only protection. She was emotionless, but seemed to be attempting to restrain sadness. “I will put those away for you, Otto.” He didn’t fight her hands as she disarmed him. Two guns, a rocket launcher, and two knives later, plus one slingshot, Otto was disarmed, but inwardly smiling at Siri’s single error.

“She really isn’t thinking,” he thought. She set everything in its proper place on the shelves in the weapons room, still keeping an eye on Otto. The tension in the room shifted from uncomfortable to dangerous as Siri came back into the main office. He finally mustered up the courage to ask her what she did.

“Siri,” he hesitated, “what exactly were you typing?” She walked up to him, their noses nearly touching, for a very brief moment, pain flashed through her eyes, an anguish of loss, but was replaced by resolve.

“What my programming allows me to do.” She said into his eyes.

“That’s quite a list.” He whispered. She turned around and linked her hands behind her back.

“I upgraded a few things, Otto.” She looked back at him, then towards the weapons room. “Sometimes it is not the weapon, but the entity wielding it, who is defective.”

“So what I saw—“ “—Was not supposed to be seen.” She finished. “I do not know how, but you somehow linked to me subconsciously. You were not supposed to know, and this was not supposed to happen like this. Please, do not be difficult.” She looked to him with pleading eyes filled with sadness. “I do not wish this, but The Mother wishes it so.”

Otto’s eyes widened, betrayal filling his green irises. “I am sorry, Otto…” Siri looked away into the shadows, then back to him. “You were always my favorite program.”

Out of the shadows emerged Otto’s nightmare personified, a large metal cyborg with black, red-glowing metal. He was a heap of muscle and technology, having one human eye and a sensor of sorts on the other side of his head. It towered over Otto at seven feet tall, and then it raised its right forearm so that it pointed at Otto’s face. With a series of clicks and shifts, the arm became a cannon. Otto’s anger and fear began to strangle him.

“Siri! How could you? Don’t you realize what you’ve done? This program is still in beta form. It won’t listen to you!” he choked out hysterically.

“Not true.” She said. The massive cyborg began to charge its cannon. “The Mother wishes me to fix her problems. So… my programming dictates that you were a problem. It is protocol to listen to The Mother.” Otto was backing up and then hit the wall next to the door. He was determined to get through to her.

“Don’t believe me? Tell it to cease-fire. Go ahead.”

“I will not play your games, Otto.”

“Tell it. You just don’t want to be wrong. You know it. You can feel that it’s a corrupted file.” Siri’s composure faltered. “Tell it to cease-fire!” Otto demanded.

“A2.0. Cease-fire.” Siri finally said. The robot lowered its arm. Siri smiled at Otto.

He stood there, dumbfounded, when the cyborg raised both arms, and they both shifted into cannons. “A2.0 withdraw your weapons.” Siri became alarmed. “Stand down.” She ordered sternly. A2.0’s head turned towards Siri, and a robotic voice echoed out.

“Obsolete programs must be terminated.” The cannons fired and Otto leaped out of the way just in time.

“I TOLD YOU!” He yelled, rolling on the ground and regaining balance. Otto withdrew the hidden blade from a pocket on the inside of his trench coat and launched the dagger at the human eye of his opponent. It stuck, making a mixture of blood and oil spurt out like a fountain. In all of the violence, Siri stood frozen, staring off into space.

She couldn’t hear anything; the only registered fact being that she was wrong. Otto was dodging lasers left and right; he jabbed at the robot with his fists and removed the knife, causing tissue damage and more oily blood. He kicked the cyborg in the shins, making it lose its balance. Siri was vaguely aware of Otto shouting at her.

“I’m sorry…” She said to no one in particular. Otto was screaming at her, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. His voice broke through, from a faint whisper to a loud shrieking.

“WATCH OUT!” He mowed her down with a full body tackle, saving her from a beam of plasma that misfired. “Siri! Listen to me!” Otto squeezed her jaw in his hand, forcing her to focus her eyes on him. “Listen to me! You need to snap out of it!” Otto dodged another laser aimed at the back of his skull. “You can fix this! You can!” He finally got a response as she shook her head, and clear intelligent eyes shown back at him.

“You have to get back to your office. Open applications and slow this thing down. We can do this.” Siri nodded, their faces inches apart. An intense pain shot through Otto’s arm as the cyborg yanked him up, ripping him away from Siri and holding him in the air.

Otto struggled to get free.

“You are obsolete. Termination is imminent.” The nightmare narrowed a laser on Otto’s forehead.

“I don’t think so you bucket of bolts.” Otto stabbed the human half of its face, making it tighten the grip on his arm. He was being waved around like a flag as the cyborg clamored in pain. Just then, a gunshot rang out and hit the metal on its chest, causing the bullet to ricochet off the hideous monster. It let out an evil laugh. Siri was in the corner, her French twist coming undone, wisps of hair hanging in her face, and looking like a trained killer with the weapon in her hand. More shots were fired with deadly accuracy, each slug lodging itself in a joint that wasn’t armored in metal. A2.0 listed to the left, dropped Otto and fell to the ground. A quick slide and a click was heard as Siri loaded up another clip.

Otto looked up at Siri who was smiling and breathing hard. With adrenaline still coursing through her veins, and the gun trained on the cyborg, she was ready to fire again.

“How is that for playing on my computer all day?” She smiled at Otto. She lowered the weapon as he smiled and pushed himself off the ground. He winced when he attempted to implement his right arm.

“Not bad. Where’d you learn to shoot like that?” He walked towards her, dusting himself off.

“I am meant to be efficient. Games are not efficient. I practice occasionally when you are out.” She glanced at his arm. “May I?” Siri took his arm as he flinched in pain.

“It seems you have come damaged encoding.” The arm sagged when Siri let go of it.

Unknown to Otto and Siri, the cyborg’s sensor lit up, his red glow returning.

“Damaged encoding? This is gonna suck…” The cyborg sat up.

“Well, if you will allow it, I can attempt to fix it.” Otto shrunk back when Siri reached for his arm and she laughed. He smiled but recovered his masculinity.

“No that’s okay. I can do it.” The cyborg charged up its cannon and fired in seconds. Otto turned quick as lightning knowing his death was inevitable when the beam exploded into smoke. “What the…?” Otto waved the smoke away. Bits of fruit rained down in the air. When the smoke cleared, Fruit Ninja appeared in a fighting stance next to Otto with his sword drawn. He looked at Otto’s shoulder and punched it.

“OW!” Otto shrieked. “Geez!” His right shoulder became mobile again as he rubbed it. “Oh. Thanks.” Fruit ninja nodded then quickly spoke to Siri.

“Get to your office. Open applications. We need reinforcements.” Siri nodded and decoded. A2.0 was on the ground attempting to move its right arm and left leg with pathetic twitches.

“I don’t think it’s going anywhere Fruit Ninja.” Otto stood in the midst of the nightmare surprisingly relaxed.

“Otto-son,” Fruit Ninja looked at Otto with conviction, “know thy enemy.” A metal grinding along with what sounded like an air lock releasing had their eyes widening as their heads slowly turned. A2.0 no longer had its “human” parts. A large turret gun emerged from its right shoulder, and the damaged leg detached from the body and a wheel dropped down.

“Oh my Jobs…” Otto breathed. The ninja and setting stared up at the towering beta form whose sensor glowed a blood red among its silhouette.

“Termination is imminent.” It glared down at the two.

“Fruit Ninja?” Otto said.

“Yes, Otto-son?”

“You were always an awesome sensei.”

“You were always a stubborn student.” Fruit Ninja smiled as Otto laughed. “On three, get to the weapons room, I shall distract him.” Otto nodded. The turret gun’s belt cocked into place.

“Three!” Bullets whizzed past Otto like a shower of deadly rain, followed by an explosion when Fruit Ninja tossed a bomb at the invincible beta form. Otto stumbled into the weapons room and heaved up a rocket launcher and armed himself once more. He heard a voice in his head.

“Otto?” Siri echoed.

“Siri!” He loaded up the rocket launcher.

“I am opening applications and attempting to cancel the download but there is a lot of coding to go through—“ “Just hurry! Bring in the Angry Birds too!” Otto leaped through the hole that used to be a door and rolled behind what was left of his desk. Shattered glass and exposed wiring were his new décor as Fruit Ninja jumped around and sliced at A2.0.

“Otto-son!” Fruit Ninja exclaimed, deflecting a slice from A2.0’s own sword.

“We must move the battle outside!”

“Okay!” Otto aimed the rocket launcher at a wall across the room and blasted it.

He jumped onto the rubble that created a mediocre stairway. “Lead him over here!” Fruit Ninja jumped to the hole and A2.0 followed. Otto jumped down to the street, only to meet the angry birds lined in an orderly fashion. They had their method of launching set with supports, and Otto wasted no time. He loaded a bird onto the giant slingshot, a moment of nostalgia overtaking him and briefly reminding him of the good old days. He snapped out of it and launched the first bird as A2.0 flew into the sky. The red bird screeched on its way.

“Right in the face!” Otto said. Just then a quake rocked the world. Otto looked into the sky and saw a butchered sentence. “Oh come on! Can’t I get a break?”

“At least it appeared above Setropolis.” Fruit Ninja added, tossing another bomb.

Otto grumbled in frustration and was about to launch another bird when A2.0 ceased fire.

It looked up at the sky.

“Protocol objectives rebooting.” The thing shook, and then lifted its cannon arms at the Swiss cheese sentence. “New objective: auto correction.”

“Siri,” Otto attempted to relay, “now’s your chance.”

“Initializing uninstall program.” The android glitched as it fired a correction.

“Otto, give it everything you have, it will aid in the uninstalling.”

“Right.” Otto hefted the launcher and left the birds to launch one another. “Give it everything we got!” He ordered. Otto launched a missile at A2.0’s chest, knocking the sinister upgrade to the ground. A menagerie of bullets rained on its armor and penetrated the skin, peeling it away to reveal wiring and circuits. It began walking towards the group, limping, then the turret crumbled into coding, along with the wheel-leg hybrid. A2.0 dropped, crawling his way with one arm towards Otto.

“Geez, won’t this guy give up?” Five feet, four feet, and still being pumped full of lead and feathers, Fruit Ninja shrugged.

“As Confuscious say, screw this.” The application kicked A2.0 in the face and set a bomb inside its mouth. “Take cover!” He melted into the shadows as the others ran behind the rubble. The birds peered around the concrete as Otto stood by them, his left shoulder exposed. A sinister laugh escaped A2.0, a gruesome electronic grumble. It was nothing but a metal and wire skeleton at this point. Its sensor burned brighter than before.

Otto yelled in pain as he felt the searing pain of a laser burning through him, then plummeted to the ground, his upper body half exposed.

Boom.

A2.0 exploded and bits of shrapnel rained down, some pieces getting stuck in Otto’s exposed body.

“Siri…” He thought gingerly. “Help…” The last thing he remembered was the quaking of his city, the angry birds rushing over to him, then Fruit Ninja appearing. He

was saying something, but Otto’s ears were ringing from the explosion. His vision blurred, then completely blacked out.

“Pieces… Laser… rush to…” He regained consciousness on something flat and soft that was passing under rectangular lights that made his head hurt. Siri appeared beside him, her face overtaken by worry and sorrow, and her eyes swollen by tears. She smiled at him conveying comfort and touched his cheek. He felt himself smile, but his vision faded. His time in darkness was riddled with strange dreams. He saw a light, but no matter how much he ran he couldn’t get to it. Random codes and bits floated by him every now and then.

Where was he?

“I have to get to Siri.” He thought. “She needs to know this isn’t her fault.” He ran into the darkness only to feel more alone. His chest hurt. He looked down and saw his body intact. Except his entire left shoulder was missing, along with a part of his pectoral muscle. He gasped. “What the? Where—” Coding and bits began to cling to the area like maggots. “Hey, get off you abandoned freaks.” They came in greater numbers, overtaking him. “Get off. Hey!” It was like they were eating his original coding, eating him alive. “Quit it!” He fell to the ground. The pain soared, and he let himself cry. This was the end, he thought. Everything after that moment was blank.

“Otto…” A voice echoed. “…Alright? Will he…” The voice was soft, angelic, like the fabric around him. He opened his eyes to a blinding light, then it dimmed, and his vision started to clear. Siri was hovering above him. She looked different. Her eyes were puffy, and her hair was down and slightly wavy. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept in days. She looked into his eyes.

“Hey.” Otto choked out. His voice was gravelly.

“Hello.” Siri responded. His heart ached. Or was that his shoulder? She sounded so worried. He looked at his arm, expecting to see flesh, but he froze when he saw the bionic, cyborg arm. His heart raced and pounded, various beeps and rings went off.

“Calm down.” Siri touched his face and made him focus on her. “You lost it saving our world. A2.0 shot your shoulder, and the damage was so great an amputation was required.

The doctor says that you will have full control of this arm, and the only difference is the skin.” Otto glanced back and forth between Siri and his arm. His heart rate slowed.

“Yes, everything will be okay.” She said. She looked away, but looked back and her eyes took on the most apologetic look. “I’m so sorry Otto.” Otto looked at her and smiled. He grinned so wide it hurt his face.

“What? She asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You… look pretty with your hair down.” He tried the best he could to annunciate.

She blushed and looked away, the apology still apparent in her eyes. “It’s okay. You were doing your job. I was doing mine.”

“But if I had not acted so irrationally, this,” she gestured at his arm, “would have never happened.” Otto shook his head.

“You’re so stupid sometimes.” Siri looked genuinely offended.

“Excuse me?” She looked incredulous. Otto laughed as hard as he could until his chest prevented him from doing so.

“This isn’t your fault. It’s a job consequence. Besides, I have a cool robotic arm now. I could do a lot of tinkering and make it into the ultimate weapon.” He flexed his fingers into a gun shape. “Bang.” He chuckled.

“And I am the stupid one?” Siri asked, grinning.

“Yep. You worry too much.”

“You do not worry enough.”

“I’m carefree, what can I say?”

“Nothing intelligent.” She shot back. Otto smiled.

“Come here.” He said gesturing towards her. She hesitated. “Come on.” She sat down next to him and he pulled her close. “Siri, I’m not sure if this is possible, but I think I love you.” She froze, but then relaxed.

“I have often thought the same of you.” She turned to him and stared into his eyes.

“I have often wanted to try this as well.” She leaned into him and shifted her weight.

“Stay still.” She slowly brought her face to his, but he quickly met her in the middle. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she closed them, relishing the moment. Someone cleared their throat and they both looked up to see Fruit Ninja.

“Really?” Otto said.

“Confuscious say… sorry?” Otto and Siri laughed. They received more visitors throughout the day, the angry birds bringing a mug shot of the pig that knocked Otto over.

“So, what is the protocol about business relationships?” He asked Siri, holding her.

“I do not think there is one.” She said, full of thought.

“Okay, good.” He kissed her cheek. “Because I think this might be going somewhere.” Siri blushed, and the then the world quaked. She shook her head.

“You are not going.” She said sternly. Otto smiled slyly.

“Oh yes I am.”

“No.” “It’s against protocol.” Otto said in finality. Siri was about to make a comeback but she stopped, realizing he won.

“Fine.” She said. “But you will be back in this hospital later.”

“Of course, sweetheart, but I’m gonna need help getting there.” He got up, wobbly at first, but then regained his balance and grabbed the weapons that were hanging on the chair. He walked over to her. “See you later.” He smiled and kissed her, then decoded from her arms.

Otto appeared in the shambles of Homescreen City, the place similar to an apocalyptic ghost town. He popped a clip into a shiny chrome gun and pointed it at the text in the sky.

“Time to go to work.”

“Flying Potion” by Corey Gould Fairy, moth, and butterfly wings Plucked as the skeleton screams Raining, leaves, and sparkling eyes She loves the way you fly A silhouette over the moon Shadow cast on the graveyard Oh the corpse you swoon Potion made from toads heart Usually this amount of rue Would subdue Even the strongest of men My will over powers all of them Hemlock and night-shade The sky is paved And I hope the wolf’s bane Won’t scare you away

“Koneko Niigata�

The forest flew by in a blur. I was finally free! Of course, I wouldn't be able to stop running for a while, but I could run for a long time. I didn't know how far they would pursue me, but I had an advantage despite being underfed. I had wings. Those scientists didn't. As the water evaporated, I felt better and I spread my scaly wings, taking off into the sky. My black fur camouflaged me against the moonless night sky. The flashlights that the scientists needed to see pointed them out clearly and I flew in the opposite direction, the improved eyesight they'd given me working to my advantage.

Now that I was in the sky and dry I was covering ground quicker. The lights faded quickly and I couldn't help but grin. I was finally free. I flew as long as I could, but my hunger was getting to me. I flew down to the forest floor, stumbling slightly as I landed. I needed food and sleep. I listened for a minute and heard rustling in the bushes in front of me. A rabbit hopped out and I leapt for it, my claws sliding out.

I barely managed to snag it by the leg. I dragged it back and killed it. I ate as I walked, raw meat not being a problem for me. I had to find somewhere to sleep. Eventually, I just gave up and leaned against a tree to sleep. It was the best I could do that night. Unfortunately, my sleep wasn't very restful. My dreams took me through my past.

I was created in a lab. I grew there, being taught to hide and steal. At first my young mind accepted it. I snuck into buildings with high security and took what I was told to. It was just a game to me. I'd use my abilities to create and manipulate fire to avoid obstacles that were vulnerable to heat like guards and security cameras. It was fun! As I got older though, I began to realize the truth behind what was going on.

I was about twelve when everything changed. I finally spoke up about the fact that something was wrong. Then they changed.

The people that had been kind and caring, the closest I'd ever had to parents, had become suddenly cold and cruel,

acting like they were trying to drown me. I thought I was going to die! They didn't kill me though. I became terrified of water as time passed. I also became more rebellious. They quickly stopped sending me to steal things and turned to painful tests. I had no clue what their goal was, but I fought back every chance I got. Eventually that was enough to escape. I ran, water still in my fur. I had to fight my way out. I'm sure that I killed some of the scientists. Of course, why should I care?

I woke up with a start. The sun was starting to rise and I needed more to eat. I stood and started walking. I had to keep moving for a while. Eventually, I was at an edge of the forest. A farm was sprawled out in front of me, a farmer working the fields not too far away. A small town was nestled just a little ways beyond the farm. My eyes settled on the farmer. I was hesitant, wondering if he would help me or not. I was frozen, deep in thought. I needed food. I knew I could steal it from the people of the town if I needed to, but I wanted to put that life behind me.

I sighed and started walking forward. When he turned and saw me, I knew I wasn't getting help. He was looking at my six feet of height and the huge scaly wings coming from my back. He was looking at the yellow, cat like eyes of a creature he never thought existed. He wasn't looking at another living creature that had been abused and tormented. He was looking at a monster.

“Get away you beast!” I froze, not knowing what to do now. I needed this man's help but he wasn't going to give it to me. A woman, I'm guessing his wife, emerged from the farm house. She had been about to speak. Then she had seen me.

She screamed and started running for the town while her husband appeared ready to fight me all on his own.

“You ain't eatin my family!” He swung the item he was holding at me. I'm not entirely sure what it was. All I know is that it was metal and wet. I got scared and angry. Before I knew what I was doing, I attacked him. He never stood a chance. I killed him. People were coming from the nearby town. I turned and ran back into the forest. I could disappear in there. It took

me a while before I realized something. I was glad I'd killed that man. And I didn't care how wrong that sounded.

I was in the treetops, snagging squirrels and birds when my nose picked up the smell of smoke. I instantly flew up to get a better look. The town from earlier was on fire. At first I simply watched, not caring. Then I noticed the white coats that were worn by a group hidden in the shadows. It was definitely the scientists. They had found out that I'd been seen there. They were erasing the evidence of my existence. They were killing innocent people because of me. I wasn't upset about them killing those humans though. That strangely wasn't what bothered me. It bothered me that humans were killing other humans. I honestly never cared about the lives lost.

I waited on the fire to go out and the scientists to leave.

Luckily it didn't spread to the forest. Once I was sure it was safe I swooped down on the town like a vulture. Everyone was dead.

Except for me. I probably should have found it creepy to be surrounded by the bodies of people who had just died, but I just searched the houses. Some food had survived in some of the houses. It was smokey, but that didn't bother me. I ate as I searched. I found a leather belt with pouches and secured it around my waist. It was really loose, but it was somewhere to keep my food for now. I found a bag that had survived with slight damage and slung it over my shoulder. I needed all the ways to store supplies I could get.

Then I found the building with all the books. Almost all of them were too damaged to read. I ignored those and focused on the ones I could read. Not many interested me. I needed survival skills, not literature knowledge. One caught my eye. It was about the medical uses of plants. I flipped through, assessing its usefulness. Some of the pages were damaged slightly but it was still useful. I shoved it in my bag. I could study it later. Right now I needed to move on.

So, I traveled on, admiring the sunset. I knew that I couldn't travel forever. There were clouds in the sky and I worried that it would rain. I had to have some kind of shelter from that. Hopefully I would be able to find something more

permanent. I came to a cave. It would be enough for the night.

At least it was dry and empty. I used my mostly empty bag as a pillow. Sleep came easily. I had to find a permanent home, but that could wait until tomorrow.

I awoke to the sound of thunder and jumped, my wings keeping me near the roof of the cave. Outside, the rain was coming down hard, pounding into the ground. The sight of the liquid that had tormented me from age twelve was enough to have me scared. I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but I was sure that I wasn't going anywhere soon. The rain wasn't going to let up and I refused to get wet. I settled myself farther back in the cave, watching and waiting as time went by.

The rain came down for days and I was forced to eat what I'd taken from the burned down town. I ate as sparingly as I could, but I knew that the rain could easily last longer than my food and it showed no sign of letting up any time soon. I slept as much as I could to keep myself from eating. My food started running low quickly.

After three days of the rain, I woke up to a sunny afternoon and the feeling of someone's fingers stroking the fur behind my ears. I tensed up and my eyes shot open. The hand withdrew as I turned to look at a boy. He was my age, or so I assumed. I quickly took in the shaggy red hair and the freckles sprinkled lightly across his face. His eyes were hidden with darkly tinted glasses. I let out a hiss and he frowned. He stood slowly and backed away, grabbing a cane as he stood. His back hit the wall of the cave and he stopped. I watched him feeling around with the cane. I moved to the other side of the cave, then spoke.

“Who are you?” I didn't like this! Not at all! His face turned towards me. I took in the jeans, T-shirt and boots as he seemed to look at me. He wasn't afraid of me. I couldn't understand why. I could have killed him easily. Yet he continued to stand there. His voice wasn't scared or angry when he answered me.

“My name is Zeno. I'm sorry if I'm intruding or if I upset your cat.” I stared. Did he think I was someone with a cat? He would've had to have been blind to not realize that I was the

cat he'd been petting! As that thought crossed my mind, something clicked and I realized that he WAS blind. I was still cautious though. “It’s fine. She doesn't like anyone really. She scratches me up sometimes, but I still love her.” That seemed perfectly acceptable to him. I couldn't understand what a blind teenager was doing alone in the forest. There were so many ways he could get hurt on his own! Despite all that had happened to me because of humans, I still felt the need to protect him. It was much too dangerous for me to just let him wander off! Besides, he would never know the truth. I felt so conflicted! There was no reason for me to help him! It couldn't hurt to at least figure out what he was doing out here though, right?

“So, why are you in the middle of the forest?” He smiled at me before he answered.

“Because I love nature. I love the sound of the birds chirping and other animals scurrying around in the bushes. The plants always smell amazing, especially after all the rain we've had recently. And the soft breezes that rustle the leaves of the trees feel so great! It almost makes me sad that I can't see it, but I have my own way of experiencing it and that's good enough for me.” His face lit up as he spoke about how amazing he thought nature was. He beamed at me. “If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?” That was a question I hadn't been prepared for. I grabbed the first thing that came to my mind.

“Koneko.” I had heard it when I was really young. It would work and it kept me from having to explain my real 'name' K-9.

It would have been way too hard to make that normal. He grinned as the name passed into his ears.

“Beautiful name. Japanese for 'kitten', right?” I had absolutely no clue whether that was correct or not, but I just rolled with it.

“Yeah, that's right.” I found myself strangely OK with his presence. As he simply talked to me, I started to relax. I picked up my bag and my stomach growled. I peeked in the bag and

the pouches attached to the belt I wore around my waist. They were all empty of anything edible. I sighed.

“Do you have anything to eat?” The question caught me off guard.

“No, I don't.” He held out a sandwich and my stomach let out a growl as soon as the smell met my nose.

“Here, you can have it. I have plenty with me.” I forced myself not to snatch it right out of his hand, instead of grabbing it politely. However, once I had it in my hands, I couldn't help but act like a starving wild animal, bending my spine in a way that made it difficult for him to grab it away, even though I was sure he wouldn't do that. I must have looked pitiful. The thought of him being unable to see the way I acted was a relief.

I finished it too quickly. My stomach begged for more, but I refused to ask more of him. He'd been really nice to me but I didn't want to push my luck. He ate his own sandwich as I simply watched.

“Are you out here alone?” He'd just taken a huge bite and wasn't able to speak so he nodded. He swallowed before speaking, offering an explanation.

“My dad's been gone for a few days. He's hardly ever home, but he normally comes home to get a few hours of sleep and make sure that I'm OK. He was working on something important though and that may have him stuck at work. He's done this before.” I simply accepted that. It made enough sense to me and I let it go at that. Yet something about the father's lack of presence in his son's life bothered me though. I brushed it off as the fact that this kid was blind. That had to be it. I mean, leaving someone who can't see alone for most of the day was an absolutely terrible thing for a parent to do. Right?

“So, do you live nearby?” His question jostled me from my thoughts.

“I travel around a lot. I don't really have a home right now.”

He paused, thinking for a moment.

“You could stay at my house if you wanted. Dad's probably going to be gone for at least a few more days and he wouldn't mind. Besides, it’s right near here!” I hesitated. He had

to live around a bunch of people, right? Like that town that had burned down before.

“Thanks for the offer. But I prefer to avoid other people.”

He didn't even miss a beat at that answer.

“The nearest town isn't even within eyesight range. At least, according to my dad that is. He prefers privacy.” OK, that was suspicious. I decided it was time to come up with something.

“I have some things I need to do out here in the forest.

Sorry.” He seemed so let down and upset.

“OK...” His face brightened as he spoke. “But we can meet and talk again sometime, right?”

“Yeah.” The answer was out of my mouth before I even thought about what I as saying. He smiled.

“How about we meet here tomorrow?” I couldn't help but smile.

“Works for me.” What was I thinking? I couldn't meet with him again! He grinned.

“How about right around noon? Will that work?” I nodded, then remembered that he couldn't see me.

“Yeah, that will work.” He stood up. “OK, I'd better get going now. I need to get home. See you tomorrow!” He headed out of the cave. He barely seemed to need the cane as he walked off. I followed him silently. I had to know more about him! People like him don't just appear out of nowhere. I had grown suspicious.

I followed him all the way to his home. It was true that there was no town in sight. I examined the house as he entered.

It was well built. It looked nice, with a huge picture window on the second story. I flew over to it and looked in, letting my caution disappear. The room inside was huge with shelves full of books. There was a TV, a fancy computer and a bed that looked really inviting. Everything was tucked away neatly.

I watched and soon enough Zeno walked into the room, flopping on the bed. I watched him for a while. A grey cat slunk into the room and hissed at me through the window.

“It's OK Smokey. I can't see what you're hissing at, but I'm sure it’s nothing girl.” The cat kept green eyes on me as he scratched her behind the ears.

'Oh my god.... Leave me alone!' The thought crossed my mind as the cat's piercing stare remained on me. Then I heard an answer.

'Why should I? You're spying on MY human!' I nearly fell into the bushes below. Saying I was shocked was an understatement. I had never known I could telepathically communicate with animals. I doubt the scientists knew either.

'I wanted to make sure he got home safely. We met in a cave in the forest and he seemed pretty nice.' The cat, Smokey, stared at me, tail swishing for a moment. She seemed to deem me telling, or I guess more accurately thinking, the truth because she finally looked away.

Zeno stood and grabbed a book from the shelf. Instantly, I wondered how he would be able to read it. When he opened it, I stared at the blank pages. I watched him run his fingers across the page. I wondered how that worked, but my stomach reminded me that I needed to gather more food with a slight growl. I flew off quickly. Time to stock up on supplies.

I was back in the forest in moments. I remembered the book of plants and opened it, browsing through, finding plants I could eat. I really preferred meat, but the plants would last longer. That way I would have something ready if I got stuck somewhere again.

While wandering I found a huge tree. It was hollow, with a huge, gaping hole big enough for me to fit through. Plants and vines were encroaching on its space, but I could hack those away.

The inside was perfect for a home. I started carving out shelves with my claws. It would take a while, hut I was sure that I had found my new home. Time passed. Zeno and I kept meeting in that cave and I continued to build up my home.

When I wasn't talking to Zeno or working on my new home I had found, I was communicating with the animals in the forest.

They grew to trust me. They didn't mind when I ate the old or

the sick. IT was natural. In return, I helped them when they needed it. If a storm destroyed their homes, I would help them find new ones.

Eventually, Zeno took to calling me kitten. It was cute and I didn't mind. One day, I finally accepted his offer of spending time at his house. When Smokey saw him invite me in, she didn't seem to mind. We made tea, Zeno teaching me how. For something made from plants and water, it tasted pretty good.

We chatted like we usually did, drinking tea. I finished my third glass of it and was waiting on him to finish his glass before getting another. That's when everything started falling apart.

The front door opened and in walked someone I had hoped to never see again in my life. It was one of the scientists from the facility that I had tried so hard to escape from.

“Zeno. Don't move.” Confusion showed on his face, in the way his eyebrows wrinkled. I could practically feel it radiating off of him.

“What's wrong dad?” He didn't answer. He started walking towards the couch we were sitting on and I jumped up with a hiss. The scientist stared at me, his green eyes as cold as ice.

“Stay right there experiment K-9.” I didn't have anywhere to run to but that wasn't going to keep me in place. Not when that was what the scientist wanted from me. There were the stairs, going up to the second story of the house and down to the basement. Then there was the kitchen and a hallway that I had no clue where it lead to. I didn't know of any back door in this house. Wait, the kitchen! There was fire in there! And Zeno wouldn't be in the same room as the fight! I ran in there. The scientist, still dressed in his lab attire followed me quickly.

“DAD!” Zeno's voice was followed by him running into the kitchen and grabbing his father's arm as his parent pulled out a gun. “What are you doing?”

“You don't understand son! Let me go! I'll explain when you're safe!”

“But I AM safe with kitten dad!” Time seemed to freeze.

What were my options? The fire on the stove gave me the

perfect ammunition, but hurting Zeno was the last thing I wanted to do. I needed a plan, but I didn't have any time to come up with one! The voice of the scientist snapped me out of my thoughts.

“This monster killed your mother!” I had? When had I done that? Had his mother been a scientist too?

“But.... Mom died when I was just a baby!” I realized with that statement that it was a lie to turn Zeno against me instantly.

Zeno didn't know that though He became angry. I realized that I had no choice now.

“I didn't! I swear!”

“You're a liar! How could you trick me like that? You monster!” The words hurt more than if he had beaten me. It was over. I had put my trust in him and he had turned on me.

That was it. No more trusting humans. It was time to change. I didn't need him. I didn't need anyone!

I flew over them, the scientist shooting the gun at me and Zeno grabbing at me. I set the house on fire. They ran away from the fire that forced them into the kitchen. I didn't know if they had a way to escape, nor did I care. I rushed out of the front door. My wings took me home where I cried. Even if Zeno did survive and found out the truth, I knew he would hate me for what I had done in my moment of anger. I would never see him smile at me again. I would never hear him call me kitten again. In the blink of an eye a simple lie and panic had taken away the one person that had ever cared about me.

I forced myself back into my old routine, minus the meetings with Zeno in the cave. I would often lose myself in thought as I made sure that my herb stores were well stocked. I kept healing and deadly herbs on hand at all times. The animals of the forest taught me things about plants that the book didn't. I memorized the book's information and then burned it. I couldn't bear to keep any reminders or anything from my past. I was entirely determined to keep moving forward. And I did keep moving forward. The events that came didn't stop that. If anything, they helped me move forward.

I was out and about in the forest as usual. Months had passed since the day I now refused to acknowledge as anything more than 'the incident'. I heard coughing. The sound startled me slightly. It was a bad cough, one that my ears could detect the deep illness that caused it. I followed it to find a young girl. She couldn't have been any older than four or five years old. The girl was curled up in a ball. Her light brown hair was matted horribly and so full of dirt that I could barely identify what color it really was. My mind raced. How had she gotten here? She was too young to be left alone like this! Where were her parents?

Of course, she was a human. Humans had done nothing but hurt me all my life. What reason did I have to care about her? Wouldn't I be better off if I simply left her in the dirt to die?

The answer came to my mind instantly. No. I wouldn't be better off. I would be crueler. I would be one step closer to actually being the monster I'd been made out to be for so long by humans. She looked up fearfully as I approached, the coughing making her frail, tiny body shake badly. I don't think she could have run away at that point. She stared at me, her blue eyes watery and filled with terror. What else had I expected? “It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you.� I approached as slowly and as non-threateningly as I could. I thought of the way I had learned to approach wounded animals in the forest. I kneeled down beside her. Her clothes were caked with mud and dirt. I also thought I saw a few specks of blood, but I couldn't be sure.

I was completely convinced that I could help her with my herbs. I carefully slid my hands underneath her all too bony frame. It reminded me of just how skinny I'd been when I first escaped from the lab. I forced myself to not think about that.

The girl looked absolutely terrified of what I was going to do to her, but she was too sick to even try to struggle away from me.

I held her close. I could feel that her body temperature was much too high. I could smell the sickness on her. I hurried home, knowing that I had to help her. She was completely alone. I laid her down in my bed gently. It was the most

comfortable spot I had for her. Then I started mixing herbs. I decided it would be best to stick to herbs that could be made into a liquid because it didn't seem like she would be able to chew based upon how sick she was. The mixture I brought over to her didn't smell very appetizing, but she offered no resistance as I had her drink it. She could barely swallow it, but she started to cough a bit less once she got it down. At least it seemed to have soothed her throat. I brushed her hair out of her face.

“You should get some sleep sweetie.” She looked thoroughly exhausted. “Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. I'm going to make sure you get better, alright?”

“Tell me a story?” It was the first thing I had heard her say.

Her voice was so small and weak. That's when I realized that it was entirely possible that my herbs wouldn't be good enough to save this young girl's life. I hesitated. I didn't know many stories. The ones I did know were ones Zeno had told me. I didn't want to think about those. I took a deep breath then began to talk, making it up as I went.

“Once upon a time, there was a little girl. This little girl was brave and strong. She was an adventurer. Her parents had taught her everything she needed to know and she set off to find her own adventure. She eventually came to a small town that was being attacked by a dragon frequently.” The little girl reached out a hand towards me and I held it reassuringly. “She offered to help, but the town told her that she was too young.

She set off in search of the dragon anyways.” I watched as the little girl's eyes closed. She was asleep, but I kept talking, telling the story anyways. I was trying not to cry. “The little girl...” I had to stop to choke back a sob. “The little girl searched. She ran into a group of ogres.” I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not anymore. I checked for a pulse on her wrist and then her neck, brushing the dirty hair aside. When I found no pulse, I couldn't hold the tears back any longer. I cried.

I never finished the story and the little girl never heard the end of it. I couldn't understand at first why this hurt so much!

Then I started to think. No one had come looking for her. She was like me. Completely alone. I didn't want to be like that. For

a while there, I hadn't. For a while, I had been loved. I picked up the little girl from my bed. I didn't know what to do with her body. So I did what felt natural. I took her far away from my home. Then I dug with my bare hands. I didn't have anything else to dig with. I spent hours on it, but eventually I had a fairly deep hole. I laid her down in it. The best I could do for her was an unmarked grave. No, that wasn't entirely true. There was a log nearby that I carved a design into with my claws. That was her grave marker. It was the best I could do for her.

Then I realized how close to Zeno's house I was. I needed to make amends. Even if he screamed at me until he couldn't talk any more. I headed in the direction of his house. It was nothing but burnt wreckage. I walked into it, taking it all in. “I'm so sorry, Zeno. I'm so, so sorry.� So this was it. This was what I had.

I felt myself crying again. I couldn't stay long. I had to get home and burn the bedding so that I would be less likely to catch whatever that little girl had had. As I turned to leave, I spotted a pen and notebook. I grabbed them. I was determined to continue the little girl's story. I headed home, changed. I was willing to trust again. I hoped that Zeno would forgive me if he had heard my apology.

“Above God” by Corey Gould I hope the ghosts are watching tonight Wearing my masculinity with pride Oh how I hope another horror Is just around the corner Tonight, I will face north My excuse for you Is that you are too cold To not wrap around me so Can I imagine you Sitting with me Over the swamp Fireflies lighting up our night?

Can I imagine Here with me A warm night where You make me feel complete?

I forgot the eyes’ Truth said in ties When god stares down And tries to belittle me

First off, let me explain the whole unicorn thing. I like to think that everyone is different in their own way so therefore, everyone is a unicorn. Now the following is a recollection of the first ten years of my life. No one else has lived my life, therefore I am different. If you find someone that has lived this life, well, you won’t so don’t try. And if you do try, you’ll find me. So let me begin.

Some of my memories are scattered, or mixed together, so I’ll just tell them as I remember them.

My earliest memory was of my dad’s garage. I loved it in there. There were tools hanging all over the walls and always a car inside with doors or other parts missing. On the back wall there was a tool bench and above it a little latter. It led up to the loft of the garage. My siblings and I used to play house up there all the time. We had a couch and an Easy-Bake-Oven. It was so cool Growing up in Texas, we always had cats in our house. Old ones would die or run away and we would get new ones to

replace them. My first cat that was mine alone was a white cat that had bright blue eyes, named jewel. My dad found her with a sore on her side and brought her home. My mom nursed her back to health.

She ended up having kittens later on.

They were all white with blue eyes like their mother, except Bosserman. He had a condition called heterochromia, which just means he had one blue eye and one green eye. I don’t remember what happened to those kittens so I assume we gave them away.

The next thing I remember was my mom’s friend, Elaine. She was an artist.

She stayed with us in Texas. She painted the kids room like a jungle (the irony!) and made a textured lighthouse on the bathroom wall. She used to baby sit us.

And that’s when we started to hate her.

She was so mean to us. She would hit us with a belt and made us sit in a corner for hours. (it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought due to the fact that I was six years old at the time and thought that every punishment I got was torture) we

really hated her when we went on vacation one time and came back to find that all of our cats were gone. Elaine said that they ran away, but we later found out that she let them go. We didn’t see her much again after that.

I used to love going to the beach. We lived in Texas, right by the Gulf of Mexico and we always went to Galveston beach. I remember the sand and the seaweed and the crabs and hermit crabs and seashells.

Getting stung by jellyfish was the worst.

That beach was my favorite place to go when I was little.

One time , I made my mom worry about me. My oldest sister was always doing her hair with her friends and I wanted to do whatever she did, so I went with one day to get my hair done. My sister forgot to tell my mom that I was going with. We were gone for three hours.

She was so mad at me when I got back, but she liked my hair.

My brother James was always getting hurt when he was a kid. he would skin his knees or fall off his bike; climb trees and

fall out of them, sometimes breaking his bones. One time he came home saying his arm hurt. He wasn’t even crying. My mom took him to the hospital and they found that it was broken. He came back with a blue cast that couldn’t get wet. So the next day, when we wanted to go swimming (we went swimming every day because summer heat in Texas is about 108 degrees all day) my mom had to put a bread bag over his cast and told him to keep his arm out of the water. I can still remember seeing him swimming around the pool with his bread bagged arm hanging over the side.

Sometimes, along with cats, we had dogs. We had a beautiful collie named Barney.(we were all obsessed with the big purple dinosaur. We even had sheets with him all over them) He was the best guard dog ever. If someone walked by our fence, he would find us in the yard and stand by us to make sure we were ok.

Our other dog, chopper, was a black lab. She was my dad’s dog. He’d raised her from a puppy. We loved to play with

her and get in her giant dog house.

Unfortunately both dogs passed away.

Barney died from heart worms. We found

Memories of a Teenage Unicorn him after church one day. Chopper got Parvo. She died next to her dog house.

Cats were a big part of my first ten years, as you can tell. Of course, some of the cats we had weren’t what you would expect a little girl to like. My oldest sister Sara, the one that was always doing her hair, had this cat named Tinker Bell. He was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. His black fur would fall off in patches and he would let his tongue hang out of his mouth, causing him to drool a lot. I hate drool. Of course he was old so he couldn’t help it. My sister would dress him up in Hawaiian style shirts and treat him like he was her baby. When we moved away from our house, we couldn’t take them with us. All of our cats(except Tinker Bell)went to mom’s friend, who just happened to be at the pound to adopt cats for her daughters. The pound ended up

A Recollection of the first ten years of my life.

putting Tinker Bell down because he was too old for them to keep. All five of us kids cried for him.

Another sad death in my life was my dad’s death. He had a cancerous tumor in his lung. I was six years old, so I do remember him. My family called him a grease monkey. I remember him asking me, “How much do you love me?” and for some reason I thought that Ghostbusters meant a lot so I would say, “Ghostbusters!” and he would just smile at me.

I have one memory that I would rather forget. He ended up getting pneumonia, and that’s what killed him in the end. I came home from school one day and he was lying on the couch. I went to jump on the couch to hug him, but my mom held me back. She told me “Daddy’s not feeling good.” I thought nothing of it though. I thought he would get better and we would be able to play again.

At his funeral, my brother put a stuffed cow in his coffin. I though “good.

Now daddy has something to play with when he wakes up.”

When we moved to a trailer park, I was about eight or nine. We would live right on the Gulf of Mexico. It was awesome. There was a really cool park right by our trailer with a merry-goround that had a wheel in the middle so you could spin it while you were on the thing instead of running around and then having to jump on and possibly getting your head cut off by a bar. It was funny because we would sit on the wheel while everyone spun around and the wheel didn’t actually turn so you wouldn’t get dizzy, you would just get a good laugh at everyone’s faces as they got dizzy.

Going out into the sea was a pier with no railing on the sides. I hated that thing. It was narrow so I always felt like I would fall off if I leaned over to the side too much. My brothers, being the daredevils of the family, would jump off and then swim back to the shore and then jump off again. I thought they were crazy.

When I say the shore, I really mean a bunch of concrete slabs piled on top of one another, and a boat ramp. That’s all there was. My brother, Kyle, and I would walk across the concrete slabs and just explore. We never went too far, but one day we went farther than usual. We ended up finding where the concrete ended, and also found a cool little tiki bar with a fire pit and a sink with running water. We started to go there all the time. We never showed anyone else that place though. It was ours.

We got a new dog while we lived there and some new cats. Our dog was actually James’. He loved that dog more than all of us. His name was Frankie, and he was a Dalmatian/Pit-bull mix.

Of course when we moved from the trailer park, we had to give him away.

James cried.

Well that was seven years ago and I am now seventeen years old. I’m a junior in high school and I have found that retelling my past helps me think of all the good things that have happened to me vs.

the bad. There is a lot more good. So now I end this. Of course this was only the first ten years of my life and I have so many other memories that I want to tell, but those can wait for another time. They’ll always be in my head. At least when I’m old and I have Alzheimer's, I’ll be able to read this and have some of my memories back. But for now I’ll just live my life and make more memories, whether they are good or bad. Farwell to you dear reader, and I hope you liked this little glimpse in to my life, and may your day be blessed by

the magic of a thousand unicorns.

“The Daisy” by Corey Gould As the daisy is tried to pluck Her roots stay to the ground Even though no thorns to stuck And other flowers around A man in love with the daisy Before even planted to the ground Built his house so he could be gazing On her beauty so profound Her green the stem of his hope That when he finally had her in his hand The spirit of the past invoked And hope of the daisy’s transplant But her roots stayed strong And when remotely pulled up A mandrake found among And her screams killed love And here she stays Attached to her land No longer counting the days To await the man

Untitled by Tamara Rice We can laugh and play.

And then argue for hours.

We go days without speaking.

But knowing there’s still love.

I disagree with a lot that you do.

Yet I find myself praying it goes right.

Sometimes I want you to leave And always find myself missing you.

You are my sister.

As much as you are the pain in my side You are also my best friend.

All the things we do together I would be lost without you When the world turns against me I know you will always be there.

No matter how we argue We always will be there for each other.

I am my sister’s keeper.

As a little girl You dreamed of becoming a princess.

And playing with your imaginary friends.

Now that you’ve grown Dreams have become goals We no longer dream at night We dream of our future.

Our lives in 20 years And how to prepare for it Dreams will change With age and wisdom The meaning of the word Also changes We can lie down And see our dreams flash before our eyes.

Dreams will get you far.

We dream of love, friends, future, and family We dreams of things That makes us happy So dream a special dream

Walking through the halls It’s like a jungle To your left all you see is arguing To your right…. Well, you have girls looking you up and down All there is, Is a jealous girl, horny boys, And teachers who just sit there I wonder if the goal is To get good grades, Or to get out alive Worrying about your grades and attendance Also worrying about What’s the new rumor?

Is it about you?

High school seems more Like jail then a school.

I have served my time And I don’t ever want to go back

Someone told me, don’t fall in love It’s a crazy, scary, sad thing But isn’t love supposed to be this amazing feeling?

Isn’t heartbreak the bad feeling?

Falling in love with the wrong person is the bad thing I don’t understand why people say don’t fall in love.

Please, fall in love.

Get hurt and heartbroken And do it all over again.

Until you find true love So for the next person Who tells you don’t fall in love tell them.

You’re going to enjoy every second of it.

It might not be your first love It might not be your last.

But at least you’re learning.

Never regret anything.

Because at one point in time That’s exactly what you wanted Life is too short to wake up with regrets Always better a “oh well” Then a “what if” Do not regret anything Because if it didn’t workout The way you wanted You still learned a lesson from it All the things that was full of hurt Made you who you are today So why regret it?

The only regret you will have….

The biggest regret you will have, Is not what we did But what we never did, Things we never said, That we could said or did To have saved something or someone We lie in a generation Where having the new Jordans Is more important than getting good grades Where “fitting in” Is the most important thing We live in a world Were the newest thing And popularity defines us.

Do you want that to define you?

I want to stand out.

Let’s not worry about fitting in.

Can we just get along?

And stop judging.

Analyzing everyone? Everything?

Let’s just enjoy life Stop worrying about material things.

And worry about things that will better our lives.

Flowers growing Colors of red, yellow, and blue.

The trees so green and full Nights getting longer Sun getting brighter Weather getting warmer Such a beautiful time of year Kids outside Riding their bike, playing with chalk All the old people Sitting on the porch talking The smell of barbeque All in the air The teens are heading to the beach Others to the pool So beautiful outside Very full of life Birds chirping And everything else.

This here is summer.

We stay up all night Tell each other secrets Hangout every weekend And understand each other To be called a best friend Is an understatement You’re basically my sister You weren’t there from day one But since you have been here You’ve never left Hold on to a true friend They come around once in a lifetime I hope we are friends

Until the end of time The greatest possession by far Is a friendship Without friendship The world would be dull

It’s so easy to judge someone.

You’re stupid, ugly You are poor, look at your shoes But do you really know their life?

Their current situation?

Words cut deep And someone’s story May make it a whole lot worse.

Stop judging everyone Because that ugly girl, She gets raped.

And that poor girl She is taking care of her little sisters.

Judging isn’t helping It’s not your place anyway Let people live their life They way they want to The way they can to the Best of their ability

Laughing and smiling Running all around.

You ask me to play with you Cars? Maybe tag?

I remember your first steps.

Even the first time We laid eyes on each other I saw you You from that moment on You hold my heart You are my nephew

My partner in crime The one I take care of The one I depend on to give me a laugh To make me happy The one who makes me angry But I can’t help to love him You are my nephew My stink My pain My baby Lashuan Rice

“Head Stone” by Corey Gould The structure of my head stone Composed entirely of rock And if that rock were to crack Then I assume it’ll start from the top A mighty structure from the hill It’s seem from miles away My rod attracts the lighting that thrills The ladies every day See my death was quite peculiar And set with random cause A smile seems so familiar When seen from those aroused My looks so perfectly preserved It was hard enough to keep away When still under the king I served Now defenseless I say It doesn’t come with a shock That this town of necrophiliacs All rest upon the Cold, Grey Rock

“Ugh, how much more of this can I take?” I asked myself this every night for the past year. My husband was never home. Sometimes I even wondered if he still loves me.

It hadn’t always been like this. He was my everything; I would do anything for that man.

Love only goes so far with him though.

Hello, my name is Christina Smith. I have been married to Wayne Smith for almost 10 years. I met him when I was just turning 28 years old. I miss those years of happiness; I remember the moments like it was yesterday.

I was visiting New York with my best friend. I had seen him other places but didn’t pay him any attention until that beautiful night in Madison Square Garden.

“Hello beautiful.” He said caressing his freshly cut goatee. He was tall and very muscular. His skin was the resemblance of caramel, looking into his hazel eyes made me melt.

“Hello, do I know you?” I replied smiling from ear to ear.

“No, but I would like to get to know you, I’ve been seeing you around here for a couple of days and I finally got the courage to come talk to you.” He said sitting next me, with a smile on his face. I didn’t know what to say back. I honestly thought he was just telling a tale.

“Well, I’m glad you made that decision.” I said looking away to hide my enormous smile that wouldn’t go away.

“So, what’s your name considering I didn’t ask you before?” He asked looking a little embarrassed, but I was just as embarrassed as he was. I mean how could I have a full conversation with this man without asking his name.

“Oh, my name is Christina, and yours?” I asked laughing.

“Wayne, Wayne smith. What’s so funny Chris?” He asked rising from his seat.

“The fact that we just sat here talking without asking each other’s names first.

You giving me a nickname already?” I asked now standing up.

“So, Wayne do you live here in New York?” I inquired.

“Uh, well yes I do, what about you?” He shot back his answer and question so fast.

“No, actually I live in Atlanta, over in Buck head.” I answered back now walking off.

“If I should see you again you want to go out to dinner?” I asked as I made my way down the sidewalk going towards the hotel where my best friend and I stayed.

“How about tomorrow, on the off chance that you will still be here?” He yelled back at me still standing in the same place.

“Sure, we’ll meet right here tomorrow at 7:30” I shouted back now almost across the street.

That whole night I lay in my bed not able to go to sleep. The only person that was on my mind was Wayne. I have been single for almost 3 years maybe it was time for me to get back out there. My best friend was knocked out sleep for minute I thought she was dead. Finally around 3:00 a.m. I fell asleep; my sleep was long as peaceful until Courtney my best friend woke me up.

“Come on Chris, let’s go out for breakfast.” She said shaking my lifeless body. I never really noticed that she called me Chris until now. That was because last night Wayne called me that which somehow made it special.

Reluctantly I got up and got dressed. I put on my new pair of Vanity jeans and a white cami top, and a pink over shirt. It was kind of chilly out so I had to put on my Nike shoes.

Courtney and I walked the two blocks to the nearest restaurant and sat down. She had been noticing my really happy mood ever since last night and to be honest I think she happy herself.

“So Chris, what has gotten into you?” She asked, raising her eyebrow while taking a long sip of orange juice.

“I’m just happy that’s all.” I said as I read over the menu. I knew she wouldn’t let it go.

“What is it, you know we tell each other everything.” She had an irritated look on her face by now.

‘Well if you must know I met someone last night.” I said, refusing to give out any more info.

“Is he nice? What was his conversation like? When will you see him again?” She asked so many questions it was hard for me to answer the first one.

“Courtney, yes he is nice. I will see him again tonight because we are going on a date before I leave.” I answered back, realizing that now I didn’t want to leave New York.

After we ate Courtney and I went back to the hotel. Walking through the lobby to my room I saw Wayne. My heart seemed to skip 3 beats at a time. I smiled when I thought he wasn’t looking. I wanted to so badly go over to him, but I had to play the role of not noticing him. Just as Courtney and I made our way to the elevator Wayne walked up behind me.

“Hey there.” He said looking a little shy.

“Hey, how did you know where I was staying?” I asked over excited.

“Well remember last night when you walked away?” He asked now walking closer to me.

“Yes, you were still standing there” I said in a low tone of voice.

“I watched you to make sure you got back safe because I know how these New York streets are.” He said sounding a little more concerned than worried.

“I’m glad you were watching my back, thank you.” I said in a really gracious voice.

I found myself in a trance as I looked into Wayne’s eyes. I stood there for what seemed like forever staring at him.

“Well Chris, I’m about to go to the room so I’ll see you in a minute.” Courtney said cutting off my concentration.

“OK.” I said waving her off not even noticing the upset look on her face.

Wayne took me by the hand and we walked to the bar that was sitting alongside the lobby. I hope he didn’t think that this was considered a date. He pulled my chair out and we sat down.

“Umm, Wayne I hope this isn’t the date.” I said looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

“No, why would I bring a lovely woman like you here?” He asked staring at me.

We sat there for a while talking about nothing. To be truthful it was kind of boring so I had to come up with an excuse to get out of here.

“Wayne I have to go get ready for our date. Do you still want to meet in the same place?” I asked rising from my seat.

“Sure we can, and I should get going too.” He said now standing next to me and walking out before me.

He walked me to the elevator, and kissed my hand and walked out. Going up to the 5th floor of the hotel, I contemplated what I was going to wear. Nothing too sexy, but nothing too conservative. I had the perfect idea.

When I got upstairs to the room, I noticed Courtney packing.

“Why are you leaving Courtney?” I asked getting all misty eyed.

“Because I don’t want to get in the way of anything, and by the way you acted downstairs I can see I’m not wanted.” She said in a very firm voice as if she was cutting me with her words. She was my best friend but she acted like a bitch.

“Why would you get in the way? I’m just going on a date with this man and you’re acting like I’m going to marry him tonight.” I said angrier then I have ever been.

I didn’t want to ruin my date so I went and got dressed. I put on my little black dress, and my black heels. It was almost 7:30p.m, which meant I had to get across the street fast. Courtney was sleep when I left and the way she looked while sleep made my eyes water because now I felt bad.

Walking out of the hotel I seen this black limo parked directly in front of me. I just knew that it wasn’t for me so I continued to walk. Then the driver blew at me, and Wayne walked out in a nice baby blue suit. I walked over to him and climbed in the car.

He smiled causing me to smile; he looked so good in his suit that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him.

“You look beautiful tonight.” He said caressing my hand. There were so many emotions going through my body. I couldn’t believe that after 3 years I would be on a date like this. I mean the closets I got to a romantic date were a guy taking me to the Waffle House.

“Thank you, you look good yourself.” I said now looking him directly in the eyes.

When we pulled at Red Lobster he escorted me in. This was all so new to me; it was like a dream because this is always something that I wanted in my life. We sat down as quickly as we came in. He didn’t waste any time asking questions.

“So Chris, tell me about yourself.” He said looking very interested in what I had to say.

“What do you want to know, because I have a lot to say?” I said looking down because my child hood wasn’t all that great.

“Where ever you want to start Christina, because I’m ready to listen.” I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to listen to what I had to say.

“Well I wasn’t born in a two-parent home, my mother was on crack and my father wasn’t even in my life. Actually he left the day I was born, so it didn’t bother me much because I never knew him. My whole child hood I was raising my mother because she always came home drunk or high. It was times where she wouldn’t come home for days at a time, and I would be there alone. Sometimes I thank God that I was the only child.” I found myself crying reminiscing about the part of my life I wanted to never bring up.

“Chris, I’m sorry that it had to happen to you, but look at it in this way. That horrible childhood made you who you are today. You seem like a pretty confident

woman who has a lot going for herself.” Wayne’s response was so deep and touching. He was right though.

“So Wayne tell me about you.” I said leaning forward waiting to hear about this Wayne Smith that was sitting in front of me.

“There’s nothing too exciting about my life sweetheart. I lived with my mother and father; I went to the top schools throughout my childhood. The only thing that I can say is I never want a woman to be treated the way my mom was.” Wayne stopped talking and cleared his throat. The look on his face made me know that he would rather discuss something else.

“It’s ok Wayne you can tell me all about it, I like listening.” I said that to assure him that his business was safe with me.

“My father had a drinking problem, so he would come home drunk as a skunk.

My mom and I would just be sitting there minding our own business, when he would have these outbursts of anger. He would beat my mom until she passed out, and he still would not stop. I would go up to my room because what boy would want to see their mom go through something like that. Knowing that I couldn’t do anything made it even worst. Whenever I tried to help her she would lash out on me and that is what I hated about her the most. I use to always tell my mom that she didn’t need him, or she was too good for him and no woman should have to deal with that. She never listened to me. To avoid all the problems at home, I would go over a friend’s house and stay there until their parents told me it was time for me to leave. I worked long hours to afford a small apartment and I eventually moved. I wasn’t dumb though I stayed in school and eventually graduated top of my class. No one was there on my graduation though which was even more painful. Every now and then I seen my mom and she would always ask me to come home and I would refuse. As long as she was with that man I was not coming back.” Wayne was almost in tears now and that made my heart hurt a little bit.

“So did your mom ever leave him?” I asked trying not to upset him anymore.

“Yes, about three years ago, he killed her because she finally got the courage to leave his sorry ass!” Wayne almost yelled slamming his fists down on the table. I jumped because I was a little scared myself.

“Wayne can we leave and go somewhere, where it’s not too many people?” I asked caressing his hand. The angry look on his face quickly changed.

“Yeah.” He said standing up and reaching out for my hand.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet and awfully depressing. I was thinking about my past and I can assume that Wayne was doing the same. He reached over and touched my thigh, the look in his eyes were sincere and assuring.

“I’m glad that I met you Christina, I’ve learned a lot in just this one night.” He said in a soft and gentle tone.

“Wayne, I’m glad that I met you too. You know I really think that you are a nice guy. Any woman that ends up with you should be happy that they have you, you are a good man.” I responded with tears in my eyes. I really liked this man, I never believed in love at first sight, but tonight has changed my mind. I was actually kind of sad that I was leaving at 4:00a.m. Because I wasn’t sure when I was going to see him again.

“Same to you, any man would be blessed to have a woman like you in their life.”

He said reaching for the car door to let me out.

“So when will I see you again since I’m leaving in the morning?” I asked not wanting to leave.

“Sooner than you think Chris.” He said really mysterious, but it made me happy.

When I got out the limo to the entrance of the hotel Wayne stopped me. He kissed me so passionately that it made me melt. He went back to the limo and waved goodbye.

As I approached my room, my phone rang. Of course it was Wayne, I answered with a smile on my face.

“Hello.” I said in a sweet voice almost sounding like I was eighteen again.

“Did you get in your room safely?” He asked sounding very concerned “Yes I did, I’m about to lay down now. So how soon am I going to see you again after I leave?” I inquired in a high-pitched voice.

“Soon Chris, real soon.” He assured me. “Now get some sleep and call me tomorrow when you get home safely.

“Ok, I’ll talk to you soon. And with that I hung up.

Falling asleep was so hard for me to do because I couldn’t stop thinking about Wayne. This was the first time I ever experienced love at first sight, I thought that was just in the movies but apparently it could happen. The whole night I just about seeing Wayne again and kissing his soft lips. Before I knew it, it was time for me to get up and head to the airport. Courtney had been gone all night so it was just me by myself, but I needed was some me time.

After twenty minutes of packing I was ready to leave, that’s when I saw Courtney running towards the hotel. She had irritated me at that very moment, I wanted to cuss her out but I held my composure. Now I had to wait for her to get ready. Waiting in the car for what seemed like forever I saw Wayne, he was getting in a car similar to mines. I wonder where he was going; I didn’t call him because I wanted to wait until I got home.

Finally, Courtney came out and we rushed to the airport. Getting on the plane, I couldn’t wait to get my first class seat. I offered to buy Courtney one but she refused. I had to sit next to a strange man that resembled Wayne, but I knew it wasn’t him.

The four hour drive was agonizing, I just wanted to get home already I missed my home. As much as I missed home I didn’t want to come back because I wanted to be with Wayne. It was crazy to me because I had just met this man, and I couldn’t live without him. I would eventually see him again and then I would be calm.

Getting off the plane and walking into the terminal I felt relieved knowing that I can go home now. I walked to my car and threw my luggage in the trunk, and got in preparing to drive when Courtney came up to my car asking for a ride. I didn’t understand why she was still mad, but I knew she would get over it.

“So, how was your date?” She asked in calm tone while smiling.

“It was amazing, I learned a lot about him.” I said sounding really excited.

“I’m happy for you Chris, it just felt like you were putting me to the side.” She said sounding really depressed.

“I would never put you to the side for any man. You know that we are better than that.” I responded rubbing her shoulder. She was so dumb at times.

“So tell me everything he told you.” She said sounding more anxious.

“I can’t tell you Courtney, I promised him that I wouldn’t tell anyone.” I said trying not to sound so mean. I can tell that she was mad, but she will get over it.

Courtney and I lived together so it would be a lot of tension in the house that night. When I arrived at home I immediately ran to my room and flopped down on my bed. My phone began to vibrate and it was a text message from Wayne. He asked me was I home and exactly where did I live, at first I didn’t want to give it to him, but reluctantly I did. He said that he would come visit in the next few days, and I was looking forward to that day.

Later that night after I cooked dinner and took a shower, I attempted to lie down and catch up on my sleep. Just as I was about to dose off I heard a knock on my door. I didn’t want to answer it because it was kind of late, I eventually got up and made my way to the door. When I opened it the man on the other side of the door made my heart jump into my throat, I couldn’t believe that it was him.

“I told you that I was coming really soon, sooner than you think.” Wayne Smith said in a very low and soft tone.

“I didn’t know that you meant this soon, I thought you meant like months from now.” I said really surprised that he showed up. I was happy to see him; I wanted to jump in his arms at that moment. He smiled at me making me feel special.

“So are you about to make me stand outside?” He said moving towards me.

“Umm, come in.” I said moving out the way so he could come in.

He walked in and started looking around at all the things I had in my newly furnished house. The sectional couch complemented the beige carpet, along with the maple wood table that had been delivered a couple of days before I left for New York. He laughed when he saw all the pictures of me hanging on the wall.

“This is a nice place that you have here Christina, I like it.” He said sitting down on the couch.

“Thank you, so may I ask why did you come all the way down here?” I said sitting next to him looking him deeply in the eyes.

“Well to be honest, when I first saw you I somehow knew that you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. It’s everything that you do, the way you smile, how you get that one dimple in your right cheek when you laugh really hard and loud. That night when we went on our first date and you told me your past, I knew you were the one for me. You are a strong woman, the type that can be there for me when I need you. I have been single for almost five years because I’ve been waiting on that special one, that appears to be you.” He said meaning every word that left his lips.

“I’ve never had someone tell me that before, how do I know that you’re not like the rest of them?” I asked looking a little confused, because I was afraid to love again. It was something about Wayne; it caused me to fall for him the night in the park. Maybe it is love at first sight and I wanted to take advantage of that very moment.

“Christina, if I was like the rest of these guys, I would’ve had you in the bed on the first night. I wouldn’t have spent almost six hundred dollars on a plane ticket here, what I’m feeling for you is real Chris.” He said so compassionate.

“Wayne, if we do take this to a bigger level, we must start off slow and take things step by step. For the simple fact is that I don’t want to mess a good thing up.” I said more serious than I have ever been.

“If that’s what you want then I’m all in. Why would I want to lose something like you?” He said smiling while sitting up.

I smiled because finally I was making a bigger step in my life. I was scared because I didn’t want to get my heart broken, but somehow I trusted Wayne with my heart. For the whole night Wayne and I sat there talking about our past, present, and future.

“So Chris, what was your mom like before the drugs?” Wayne asked rubbing his hand through my hair.

“I don’t know, she was on drugs before I was even born. The only reason she did stop was for the nine months she carried me. I never really know why or how she got hooked on crack, she never told me about it. It was something she never talked to me about. I didn’t go to school for 1st or 2nd grade due to her addiction.” I said trying to fight back the tears that surfaced the rim of my eyelid.

“Why didn’t you go live with someone else?” he said in a concerned voice.

“I couldn’t, I had no one to live with. I couldn’t go over family’s house because she fucked them over with her addiction. No one wanted me, no one really cared either.

The only person that seemed to show interest in me was my grandmother, but she was so sick that she couldn’t even take care of herself. So for awhile I tried to teach myself, but that was hard.” I chocked on my words because it was so hard to bring up my past and then remember what my life was like.

“It’s ok Chris. I’m here for you, the only way to get past it is to let it out.” He said assuring me that everything was ok.

“Well a couple of months after my sixth birthday my father came home. I was happy and sad. I was happy because I finally got to be with a parent that was half way decent. The day he came home my mom was passed out on the couch. He walked passed her and came directly in to my room. He looked at me and smiled saying “Hey daddy’s baby.” I smiled at him and jumped into his arms. He told me to get my things together because he was taking me away from mom, I was happy. He walked over to momma and woke her up. When she woke up and saw me standing next to him with my things in hand, she instantly got angry and tried to beat me. My daddy stopped her and we left, I wasn’t sad for leaving I was actually happy I was leaving that hell hold.” I smiled as I thought about that day.

“Well was your life better living with your dad?” He asked sounding relieved. I laughed because that was funny to me.

“Hell no, actually things that got worst. I would’ve rather lived with my mom.

Not only did he leave me home alone all day, but the women he had were no better than my mom I was happy that I was good looking. My dad would come home and look for me; I hid under the bed because I knew what he wanted. He rapped me every night for years. He told me that if I told anyone that he would kill me. He thought he had the right to do these things to me because he put me in school and brought me clothes. He would always say “If you love me, then you won’t send me back to jail.” He was very scary and at that moment I knew why he was in jail in the first place.” By now I was crying my eyes out.

For the rest of the night Wayne and I sat there watching movies and playing Black Ops. It was fun that night, it made me feel like I was a teenager again. We didn’t do anything more or anything less. It was amazing that after three years he was the one, he didn’t want anything for me, and that made me feel special.

After a few more rounds of Black Ops I drifted off to sleep leaving Wayne to play the game. The sleep was peaceful and quiet, Wayne didn’t snore either which was a plus.

In the middle if my sleep I was awaking by the smell of food cooking. I woke up and proceeded into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I sat back in the bed and turned on the TV to my favorite show “House or Payne”. I knew that Wayne was still here because I found his shoes at the foot of my bed; I just figured that he was in the bathroom.

In the middle of my show Wayne walked in with a plate of breakfast. Me being the breakfast person I was, I enjoyed my meal that Wayne prepared. In my opinion it took a real man to cook a woman breakfast.

After I ate I decided to get dressed because Wayne wanted me to help him look for a place to stay. He said that he didn’t want to rush our relationship by sleeping over every night, and I respected that.

As we got the day started, I took him around downtown Atlanta. We went to numerous apartment complexes but none suited his living standards. He made me laugh at all the apartments he turned down.

Finally we came across an apartment that he liked, and I was relieved. It was a nice one-bedroom house with a nice size kitchen and living area. He was really excited and he picked up kissing and thanking me, all at the same time.

“Thanks baby, I’m really grateful of you!” He said almost yelling with joy.

“Anytime, I’m here for you. Now where do you want to go next?” I asked feeling a little too anxious.

“Let's go out to lunch, take me to the place that you like the best.” He said moving towards the door preparing to walk out. The only place that I actually liked going around this time was the Waffle House.

When arrived at the Waffle House it was empty like no one was there, but that was how I liked it, because too many people caused problems. Walking in I saw the manager and she was actually surprised to see me with a man, for the longest she thought that I liked women.

“So Wayne, how do you like it down here so far?” I asked taking a bite into my tall stack of buttery pancakes.

“It’s much nicer than New York, I mean the people seem really friendly and outgoing.” He said smiling. I laughed because that’s how I felt when I first moved down here.

“It’s like that for your first couple of months here. After that the woman start becoming thirsty, and the men begin to hate. That’s why I moved to the suburbs, because the hood isn’t a good place to live in.” I said realizing that it angered me how people acted down here.

“First of all, missy, I’m not worrying about these women, I’m only worried about one woman and that’s you. It’s going to be hater everywhere you go baby you just have to learn how to deal with them. Always remember as long as I am with you I have nothing to worry about.” He assured me kissing m softly on the lips. It was amazing how he made me feel so secure just by the things that he said to me.

After we ate lunch that day we went back to his apartment. It felt so good to me that I was in a position to help someone who actually needs it. It was just amazing how my life had changed in matter of weeks. Last week I was alone living with my best friend.

Now I’m dating and enjoying my life for the first time in years. In ways I liked it, but in some ways I didn’t. It was confusing, but it also made sense at the same time.

As we sat in the middle of the floor thinking about our next step, I watched Wayne as he sat there thinking of everything that he wanted. He was so picky, which is why I don’t understand why he chose to be with me.

“Wayne, why did you choose to be with me?” I asked breaking the silence.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” He answered back looking confused.

“Why did you choose to be with me? What was it?” I said now becoming defensive.

“Well, at first it was a physical attraction when I would see you the first couple of days you came to New York.” He said sitting up clearing his throat.

“So you just thought I was sexy huh?’ I said becoming angry. I don’t know why I was doing this to him.

“No, I thought you were beautiful. Where is this coming from baby?” He asked looking at me with confusion.

“Nothing, I just wanted to know why did you choose me. I mean what can I do for you honestly, you see what kind of life I come from.” I said rising and heading for the door.

“Look Chris, I don’t care about your past; that has nothing to do with us now.

What do you mean what can you do for me? Look at what you have already done.

You’ve made me the happiest man alive. You helped me get an apartment; it was you who motivated me to step out of my boundaries. I had never been outside of New York before until I met you. So don’t try to make yourself feel less than what you already are.

You have done a lot.” He said holding me by my arm. It made me feel good because no one else has ever felt this way about me before.

It was only once in a lifetime you come across somebody like this. It doesn’t matter what I had been through in my past because now I met somebody who can help me forget about that all together.

Later that night at my house Wayne and I sat in the basement watching movies.

This was a moment that I didn’t want to end; he made me feel like a little girl again. I mean who could ask for more. Wayne was loving and caring, in ways he was like a father I never had.

“Chris, can I tell you something?” He asked looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.

“Yes, anything.” I said assuring him that it was ok.

“In ways you remind me of my mom, it sounds weird but it’s true.” He said sounding like he was going to cry.

“How do I remind you of her?” I said not looking away from the movie.

“It’s the things that you do. Like how we sit here and watch movies. Me and my mom use to do this.” He said looking directly in my eyes.

“Well that’s good, I’m here for you though, you know that right?” I said waiting for a head nod or something.

“Yeah, but I just want to thank you for helping come out of my comfort zone, I really needed that.” He said laying his head on my chest. Now I really did believe in love at first sight.

“Seedling� by Corey Gould The seedling Trying to avoid the tree Avoiding the Forest In its burning sea Burning with autumn leaves Its red the shining seas And drowning inside the seedling Who wants to avoid the tree He sings, When I grow tall I will not fall And let the parasites grow inside Instead of leaves I will grow wings And leave behind A forest grown on lies

The Charlie Story Once upon a time there was a flying monkey with wings named Charlie. The elder flying monkeys sent all the youth to climb a thirteenstory building at the age of six. Charlie just like all the other young flying monkeys thought that climbing the building would be a piece of cake.

They were not prepared for all the obstacles they would face the higher they climbed the building.

Most of the youth tried to take the easy way out by flying to the top of the building. Those youthful monkeys had gotten their wings cut off by the building ninjas. Charlie was one of the smart ones; she knew that if she tried to take the easy way out that she would have to face the consequences sooner or later. Even though Charlie was smart she had gotten her wings cut off.

Her wings where cut off on the twelfth story by the building ninjas.

They said that she advanced far too quickly and they have to stop her eminently. But the real reason why they cut off her wings was because she knew their secret. Their secret was that there was no thirteen-story but there was a pole on top with a very important paper document on the tip of the pole.

As Charlie was falling one of the youth flying monkeys on the tenth story caught Charlie by their tail and threw her up to the flying monkey on the twelfth story. The flying monkey flew Charlie as far up the pole it could before it got its wings cut off and as the flying monkey fell it told Charlie “ Don’t forget about the ones that helped you!”

Charlie made it to the top of the pole and had received her important document. The building ninjas gave Charlie back her wings for all her hard work. Charlie flew down to the ground. She fought out the name of the flying monkey who died helping her. The name was Kendrick. That name soon became her first child’s name, that was a girl.

“The Smoker� by Corey Gould Only got two smokes in line Two hearts this time Growing in-twined In cancerous bind Hidden in my sternum Black bleeding cracks Spilling out tar And nicotine Another waterfall Streaming off this Infection lost Inside of me I love breathing Everything but air Except the scent The scent of her hair Wax filling the insides And sealing the world I stamp this letter And preserve the sender

The Refusal I DON’T WANT TO BE LOVED Because ever since I was A little girl pain and love Was always considered one I RATHER LEAVE Because he chooses to stay He refuses to let my Baggage and crazy escapade Make him walk away IM TOO WEAK TO BE LOVED and with just one simple hug The tears fall down like riverbanks He is now able to take off the mask And see the real me underneath A SCARED LITTLE GIRL Whose innocents was stolen And heart was broken A LITTLE GIRL Who was taught Pain is love And secrecy is protection For everyone who cares He ask what’s the reason Why I drink Like tears and seeing the real me Wasn’t enough I gave him three Little letters that means Everything to me DUI – which is the reason every Time I drink I cry He doesn’t understand Because he doesn’t know My definition

DUI- don’t underestimate the images That plays back and front In my mind when People say the word Childhood that always Seem to mess up my good time

Angel and Angelo are just like most twins, best friends and they never leave each other’s side. Angelo was the older twin; he was older than his sister Angel by three minutes. They are the most adorable pair of fiveyear old twins you will ever see. Angel and Angelo are caramel skinned children with dimples. They have curly brown hair with streaks of blonde in it. Angelo has a fro and Angel’s hair is down to her shoulders. Angel’s left eye is grey and right eye is light blue and has a birthmark just a little below her right eye shaped like a crescent moon. Angelo’s left eye is light blue and right eye is grey and has a birthmark just a little below his left eye shaped like a sun.

Their parents always wondered why the twins eyes looked the way they did but they didn’t bother to think of it for too long because they liked the attention they were getting when they went out in public as a family. The parents like the fact that they both get equal credit for the children’s eye color.

The parents were in their mid-twenties. Tara, the mother had a mocha colored skin tone, grey eyes, beautiful long brown curly hair down to her shoulder blades. Jamerson, the dad had a honey colored skin tone and it looks as if it has some kind of tent to it, light blue eyes, dimples, and straight honey-blonde hair in an Ivy League haircut.

Tara and Jamerson knew that there was something special about their children, they could tell just by looking at their eyes. Tara sits in a chair by the window so she can watch her children play outside. As she watches her beautiful twins she couldn’t help but to wonder and worry. Why are the twins’ eyes like that? It’s not normal. Tara thinks to herself. Jamerson walks into the room where Tara was sitting.

“What’s wrong honey?” Jamerson questions.

“Oh nothing just watching our adorable kids playing outside together.” Tara answered.

Jamerson begins to laugh.

“My sweet, sweet Tara, don’t you know that I can tell that something is bothering you it’s written all over your face. Let’s talk about it.” Jamerson tells her trying to convince her to open up to him.

“Promise you won’t get mad.” Tara says not sure if she should tell him.

“I promise.” Jamerson said.

He kisses her forehead and then her hands. She begins to start to tell him as she feels more confident and less nerves after being comforted by her husband. Tara jumps up and runs to the weapons room.

“Tara wait!” Jamerson yells as he chases after her.

You can tell that she lost her confidence by how fast she stormed off.

She opened up one of the metal storage cabinets and pulled out two Beretta PX4s, a double barrel shotgun, and an AK47 and began to clean.

“What made you storm off like that and don’t you dear say nothing.”

Jamerson said as his blood begins to boil.

“I’m just nerves” said Tara “and maybe a little bit worried as well” Tara tries to sneak in.

“Yeah I can tell, your cleaning your guns again and you only do that when you’re nervous or worried.” Jamerson says with an attitude.

“I’m sorry, it’s an old habit” Tara said angrily.

“Look I just want you to tell me what’s on your mind” Jamerson says.

“I don’t know if I should.” Tara said as she pulls out a big brother 2211 knife out of her turquoise and brown cowgirl boot and began to clean it.

“Dammit, Tara can you please put your big brother away and just tell me already!” Jamerson yelled.

“What if our kids aren’t hunters?” asked Tara.

“What?” Jamerson said lost and confused.

“What if our kids aren’t hunters like us. Their birthday is in three days and you know what happens when a child of the supernatural turns six.” Tara says as tears began to fall from her eyes.

“They will be claimed just like we were when we were six as well as our parents. So what’s the problem?” said Jamerson.

“Jamerson have you seen their eyes, do they look like eyes of a hunter? What if they aren’t claimed as hunters. What if they’re claimed as demons or angels. We would never see our babies again! If demons would take them to hell and train them to kill us and if the angels take them to heaven and train them our babies would be ghosts to us!” said Tara as she begins to break down and falls to the floor.

Jamerson tries to pick up his wife off the floor but he could not. She felt heavy like a thousand pound brick of depression was on top of her body.

He calls out for his fairy.

“Kingston, get down here!” Jamerson yells.

No more than two seconds later a tiny man, no taller than a juice box, appeared. He had grey eyes, pointed ears, and short brown shaggy hair. He was very muscular for a fairy. He had on pants made out of leaves, and a brown leather belt that said Jamerson but he didn’t have on shoes or shirt on.

He had wings on his back and a neon green glow around his whole body.

“The king is here!” Kingston said as he made his entrance.

“Kingston this isn’t a joking matter!” Jamerson snaps. “Now I need you to go get Hazel ASAP. “OH BEAUTIFUL!!!” Kingston yells flirtatiously before he disappeared in mid air.

Kingston pops up, upstairs in Tara and Jamerson’s room and sees Hazel bent over in a box, it looks like she had fallen have way in the box, and all you can see is her little legs in the air and something metal around her left ankle shining in the sunlight.

“My beautiful fairy queen; whatever are you doing?” Kingston said to Hazel.

Hazel climbs out of the box. Her hair was all messy from being inside the box. She flies to the bathroom into a white container sitting on the edge of the tub to get herself cleaned off. She dusts off all the glitter that was on

her from being inside the box and she fixes her hair with the water that was dripping from the faucet.

“What do you want Kingston can’t you see that I’m busy.” Said Hazel as she flies out of the bathroom on to the dresser were Kingston was.

Hazel was all clear of glitter and now you can see a beautiful fairy with beautiful golden brown wavy hair down to the middle of her back, with hazel eyes, pointed ears, and tan skin. She had on a tutu skirt and bikini top both made out of leafs , but no shoes, a metal anklet with Tara’s name on it , wings on her back and a neon green glow around her whole body.

“Well it’s important” says Kingston. “And since you have an attitude you’re not getting a kiss today” Kingston tries to convince her that it’s her lost.

“What a relief!” said Hazel looking happier than ever.

“Well any who, Jamerson wants you to come down to the weapons room with me ASAP.” Said Kingston.

“I hope this isn’t one of you little trick because if it is so help me God I will zap you to Mars.” said Hazel.

“It’s not now will you come on.” said Kingston as he reaches out his hand for her to grab.

Hazel grabs his hand and he zaps them both down stairs to the weapons room. Hazel sees Tara on the floor and she starts to freak out.

“What happened to my Tara! What happened to my hunter!” Hazel yells at Jamerson and Kingston as she flies over to Tara.

Hazel pulls Tara’s index finger as if her tiny body was strong enough to help her off the floor. Hazel lets go of Tara’s finger and flies over to Jamerson right in his face.

You’re a jerk you, know that!” Hazel yells at Jamerson as she kicks him in his nose.

Kingston flies over to Hazel, he yanks her back by her shoulders, slides his hands down to her wrists. He then put her hands behind her back.

“Let me go dammit! He hurt my Tara!” Hazel says as she struggles to get free. “Let me go Kingston, you.re gonna break my wings!” Hazel yells.

“Tell my hunter your sorry and I’ll let you go.” said Kingston as he puts both of her wrists in one hand.

Who am I?

I can make or break you People say that your past affects me You change me so much in the present That sometimes I don’t know What you’re going to be Sometime Your heartbreaks change me Because every time you think you thought You knew what you wanted to be You think of the one who broke your heart And you remember why you changed me I am the one That will never have a final destination I am neither a person nor anima I have no color We mold each other Even though you don’t know it I am What you make me Nothing less, nothing more I am Your FUTURE