Victims of Circumstance
by Thecheese01
 
They'd called it the Better Standards for Education Act, "to address the flagging performance of our public schools and better prepare our children to compete on an international stage." And, in some ways, it had done just that. A re-evaluated and modernized national curriculum, updated testing standards, even some additional—if laughably inadequate—funding.
But none of those had been the act's chief selling point, of course, and oh had i

The Confection Contract
by Thecheese01
 
Nathan was having the worst Halloween of his life.
Well, admittedly, he’d only been through eighteen of them, and he could really only remember a good thirteen or so. And there’d been that time when he was seven and he’d scraped his knee before reaching the third house and his mom had insisted they had back home. Or that one year where he’d still had his braces and couldn’t have any chewy or hard candies. Or, perhaps...

Browsing the Halloween Menu
by Thecheese01
 
"A nurse? Really?" Vicky said, less an expression of derision and more gentle bemusement, as she took another sip of something fruity and alcoholic from a disposable plastic cup.
"You know she's only doing it for Jake's benefit, right?" Jess said, reclined in her foldout chair, eyes fixed on whoever had apparently just taken the stage.
Well, stage was one word for it: more a cleared portion at the far end of the courtyard-turned-venue for this ye

The Merchant and the Mage
 by Thecheese01
 
A late-morning throng of eager patrons crowded the floor of The Ninth Life, jostling and shouting as they appraised an eclectic variety of wares suited for any and all adventuring needs. Some huddled together, engaged in hushed conversation with fellow party members as they discussed finances and priority. Others bartered with one of the few clerks, seeking to sell acquired wares or make new purchases of their own.
Adelynn had finished one su

Favor of the West Wind
by Thecheese01
I: Ascension
One foot, then the other. One foot, then the other.
Moriko maintained a steady rhythm as she gradually ascended the narrow mountain path, eyes locked firmly on the ground before her. It was not a particularly treacherous path by reasonable standards, largely flat save its steady incline, and surprisingly stable. Two men could comfortably walk abreast. Perhaps brave men, if they wore armor. However, two factors slightly complicated what would oth

Old Flames
by Thecheese01

"Sara?"
The voice was muffled, groggy, yet immediately familiar. Her response caught in her throat, if only for the briefest moment. How long had it been?
"Hey."
A faint shifting and a slight groan came over the line. "It's one in the morning. Everything alright?"
Another brief pause.
"Uh, no. I have a problem with a... a thing."
A long sigh trailed out of the speaker. "What thing, Sara?"
"You know, the thing."
A pregnant pause followed, entirely silent.
"I thought yo

Chapter 6
Blind panic and adrenaline took over as Anna tore Lilly from her mouth and stuffed the tiny under her pillow. She practically threw herself beneath her bedding, comforter and all, slamming into her mattress with an audible thud that would hopefully go unnoticed by whoever was about to walk through the door.
Well, she thought whoever, but unless the RA was paying her an incredibly poorly timed-and more than slightly illegal-surprise visit, there was only one person who could possibly ha

Chapter 5
"I'm sorry, what?"
Anna stared down at Lilly in utter disbelief. The tiny simply looked back at her, as if she hadn't just said the ten most utterly baffling words Anna had ever heard.
"You're going to eat me," the tiny woman reiterated, although her previous bravado was beginning to ebb into an adorably nervous excitement.
"Okay," Anna said slowly. "When you say eat, are we talking the more, ah, figurative sense of the word, or are you looking for a more... holistic experience?"
"Ah,