Beginning There was a girl, no older than the age of twelve and four, who found the world was different on the inside then on the out. She was the odd one on the playground. With her bright red rain boots on a sun filled day or a fur coat and scarf on days that could fry an egg on the sidewalk or your father's car. It was a phase though, and only lasted her child years. She wasn't extraordinarily pretty or mundane. She was just different and nobody saw her as anything but. She did though, have green eyes that danced like the forest from a fairy tale book, a face laced with the innocence of a doe and a curly mane that reminded her of a lion's.

One Night Man I jumped up onto the checkout counter, in front of a lone worker reading a magazine. She looked up in a huff, didn't say anything, and continued reading her Cosmopolitan. It was 3 am and we three were the only ones who seemed to be awake at this ungodly hour. The rest of the world seemed dead outside our little bubble of stale smoke and the smell of old people. I turned back around with a triumphant smile on my face. The girl of my dreams weaved in and out of the isles, while I let my feet dangle. She picked up a few things every now and then; Cheerios, Chapstick, and a box of condoms. She looked me up at me knowingly when she grabbed the condoms. I laughed under my breath. This was the night I had been waiting for. I wasn't going to screw this up. She wandered the aisles a little longer. Occasionally mouthing along to a song that played on the whispery speaker. A smile would quirk the corners of her mouth up at a song she knew. She eventually made her way towards me, hands full of various items. She placed them on the counter next to me. The lady- I squinted at her name badge- Brenda, slid them across the scanner, the number on the screen easily moving up. "Oh and a pack of American Spirits." She said. I blinked. That was my favorite kind. "What type?" I raspy voice said from behind me, it must have been Brenda. She looked expectantly up at me. "Um, yellow?" I cleared my throat. I listened for the bing that showed that she scanned it. "Would that be all, Doll?" Brenda asked, her toned seemed pleased. Maybe to have a costumer there during the night shift. "A blue Misty, please." She replied, pulling a wad of money out of her back pocket. Brenda rambled off some number and she paid. Handing me two of the bags and slipping her free hand into mine, she pulled me off the counter and out the door into the cold night air. *Sorry if it gets confusing. I didn't want to give the main characters names.

Morning Love I woke to the sound of a phone ringing, shrilly piercing the early morning atmosphere and more importantly my slumber. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed myself closer to the other human in my bed, letting her warmth sooth me back to sleep. “Dammit Mort, its 3 o’clock. What do you want?” The ringing stopped and words were whispered quietly as if not to wake me. I tried to bury myself more into the person lying next to me, as they struggled to get up and answer the ringing phone. “Chris, honey, you got to let me up.” She cajoled, laughing a little when I wrapped my arm around her waist in protest and mumbled incoherently. She eventually pried herself away, pacing on the hardwood floors around the room. I listened to the footsteps that surrounded the bed, a nice tempo that further pulled me into a daze. She sat back down on the bed, placing a hand on my forehead. She laughed again when I nuzzled against her. “Trixxi.” I mumbled, sleep lacing my voice, she laughed again, a sweet sound I never got tired of hearing. “No, no, that’s Chris, he’s still half asleep.” Fingers pushed through my hair, repeating and petting. “Mort says she loves you.” Trixxi said to me. I couldn’t form real sentences so babbling would have to do. I must have drifted out again because when I almost woke up the second time, no voiced and on the phone conversations filled the silence, only soft music in from the speaker. So cautiously I opened one eye and then the other, blinking to clear the eye buggers and haze. I watched her pull a Disney sweater over her tights and shorts before pulling her mess of curls into an even messier bun. She was absolutely gorgeous,. “Trixx?” I said in a tired voice. She turned and smiled, walking over to the mattress and kissing my imprinted check. “Mort and Andy are somewhat tipsy, so Mort called, gotta go pick them up.” She summarized, not waiting for a reply. When she was almost out the door she called “You’re cute when you sleep.” The door closed behind her. I woke for good after a crash came from somewhere in the kitchen and a very cute “Dammit!” I stumbled out of bed, cold hitting my bare legs and chest, my feet pounding the freezing hardwood floors. The only light came from the window, where the newly rising sun was hidden by clouds, casting blue and gray shadows along the walls and floors. I slipped into the crowded hallway, with pictures, memorabilia and posters covered the walls from the bottom to the ceiling. Each step I took creaked the aging the aging wood, so I was surprised when I arrived at the kitchen and she jumped. She looked up and smiled guiltily, hands busily picking up broken pieces of glass. “I broke the teapot,” She muttered sadly, “It was my favorite.” I knelt down next to her and placed fragments into her cupped hands. “I’ll get you a new one.” I nudged her shoulder with mine, in what I hoped was a reassuring way. “I love you.” She gasped as soon as she said it, fixing her gaze on the colorful shards of glass in her hands. A blush was already reaching up her neck onto her cheeks. Warmth pooled in my stomach and bubbled into my chest, making me giddy. “I love you too.” I said immediately. Hesitantly, she glanced my way once again, she looked shy, coy, nothing I had ever seen her display. “I love you too” I said again, assuring. Once the glass had been picked up and she explained why she’s up at six in the morning, saying she couldn’t go back to sleep after dropping the newlyweds off at their place. We settled on the couch with tea made from the spare, cereal, and Saturday morning cartoons playing on the TV.

Star Child With the complexity of your well being in mind, I took your feeble hand in mine and laughed as we shook off the dust of the Earth, and bid farewell to our lonely world. Welcome home Star child, welcome home. Born with the power of the galaxies Pondering existence with our little gallimaufry. Particles mixed with the souls of loved ones We stand together facing our burning mom

Samuel Grace Not all heroes are like the ones they tell us about in school, not all of them defeat monsters or fight with superpowers or a sword. Some just survive and hope that one day everything will be okay. ​Samuel Grace is one of those heroes. ​Samuel Grace will never know that he is. ​They tell me that love and death come hand in hand. To not fall in love there’s too much to risk. ​Samuel Grace proved them right. ​His parents will never miss him; they abhorred him, never cared. But he doesn’t hate them in return. He could never hate anyone. ​Every morning I waited by locker, watched him walk down the hall, though defaced and bruised he still smiled that brave smile. I was zenith of his day. The feeling was mutual. ​“Hey.” He would say. ​“Hey.” I repeated. And without another word, we would abandon the hall, avoiding the peppy and garrulous teens. ​We used to wander around the school campus, getting lost in what each other had to say. I would tell him about my family, the boyfriends my mother would bring home. He never said anything about his, and I never pried. ​We were connected in every way, yoked together. Nothing could tear us apart. ​Three wasted men proved me wrong. ​The day before yesterday nobody cared about a lonely girl walking home. Yesterday three wasted men and Samuel grace cared. ​My house is in juxtaposition to bars and other places where children are banned. ​“Hey.” A man shouted, “Hey girl!” I pretended not to notice. ​“Sweeeetie! We won’t hurt you!” He tried to beguile me. I kept my head forward. My house is only two blocks away. ​That’s when another set of footsteps echoed behind mine, matching my speed. ​When I hit the one block mark, a hand grabbed my shoulder. Not the thin of Samuel, not the yellowing nails of my mother. It was a new set of hands. ​“Darling.” His face was right next to mine. The stench of his breath nauseated me. ​“Come here. I promise I’ll be the perfect gentlemen.” He slurred, and his two companions laughed. He smiled at the attention and slid his hand around my waist. ​I hope he didn’t realize how scared I was. ​“Leave her alone!” The familiar voice of Samuel Grace eased me a bit, but the arm around me tensed and a heard a gun click. “Don’t be dumb boy.” ​“Sam! Don’t!” I shrieked and the man relaxed. ​“Oh, you know each other?” He turned me around so I could see Sam. “Look boys, he’s playing the fearless hero, acclaim him!” The men cheered. ​Then the man released my waist and moved to hold my head in place as he kissed my cheek. Sam bawled his fist. That’s exactly what the man wanted. ​“Does that make you mad?” Mockery slipped from his tongue. He seemed less than drunk than he did a few seconds ago. ​Sam and I locked eyes. The next part was so blurry, yet so clear. ​“Let. Her. Go.” Sam looked terrifying. His eyes were narrowed and dark, plus you could just see anger radiating from him. ​Sam pulled out something silver and charged. At that same moment my capturer pulled out his weapon. Bullet beats knife. ​I watched Sam fall. I screamed. The two other men ran off and the gun hit the ground beside me. He had vanished as well. ​I held Samuel Grace, tears spilling from my eyes. My world laid dying. I Samuel grace may not have had superpowers like the ones in comics, but he was my hero.