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Chapter One Turning left and right, I stared at my reflection in the three-way mirror. For the first time in a long time, I liked the woman I saw. This woman didn’t scowl at her image. Framed by dark hair, her face wore a coy, yet confident smile. Her body, which had been recently transformed […]

Chapter One Thuy Nguyen had never seen so many casseroles in her life. She’d seen plenty of food before, of course. She’d gone to too many large gatherings and block parties and Lunar New Year’s to avoid seeing stacks of food presented for the delectation of the masses, but she’d never seen quite so many […]

Chapter One ** Sabrina ** “You are not a sexy librarian,” I said to myself in the mirror.  There would be no hair-shaking, glasses-removing hot babe reveal in this girl’s life. I did not have an inner goddess. I had an inner band of nerds and they were all wearing headgear and geeking out to […]

Chapter One [Naomi] I’m going to be forty. Someday. Soon-ish. And I’m thinking these things as I stand in the baking aisle of the Piggly Wiggly late at night, while the world is out partying, and I’m grocery shopping. Alone. At ten-fifteen.  Sigh. Okay, maybe not the world. Just Green Valley, Tennessee. It’s Friday night […]

Chapter One ** Steven ** “I promise we can leave as soon as Botstein cuts the cake,” Elizabeth whispered into my ear.  I patted her hand reassuringly. “No worries, my little Belieber. We’ll stay as long as you need to be here.” When we arrived, Elizabeth had been dismayed to see that of the dozens […]

Chapter One ** Rian ** There it is. The death machine. Otherwise known as a treadmill by people who think walking but never getting anywhere is fun. But for someone like me, who hasn’t stepped on a piece of exercise equipment since… well, ever, it’s known as Killer. The Grim Reaper. The Angel of Death. […]

Chapter One ** Shane ** “If you think they’re cheating, they probably are. Or you are, and you’re just trying to wipe your conscience.” – Shane, P.I. I intimidate people. It’s one of my superpowers.  I learned the benefits of intimidation early. When I was thirteen, I was five feet-nine inches tall and could wield […]

Chapter One ** Jay ** Mid-October Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cades Cove, Tennessee “Yo, bro.” Jenni’s chirpy voice greets me when I answer my phone and I  am immediately wary. “Hey.” I drawl the word out to stall the inevitability of finding out why she’s calling me in the middle of a Tuesday morning. […]

Chapter 1 ** Suzie ** In the drop-down mirror of my car, I puckered my lips to add another coat of lipstick. My complexion was flawless and my eyeliner smooth despite my shaking hands. My whole face was perfectly primed, painted, and plumped. Not that nobody ever looked at my face for very long. I […]

Chapter 1 “I really hope I am not lost. Please don’t let me be lost.” I was talking to myself. I was doing that a lot lately. Talking to myself had become a habit over the last couple of weeks and that was because I was more often than not alone. I’d recently quit, or […]