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One fall afternoon, Zari was hanging streamers, balloons, and a banner on a stage that says, "Shelcy and Zari's Flashy and Fascinating Fall Fashion Show", because tonight, Shelcy and Zari are going to be the judges of a fashion show, and both of them will be judging all the contestants' outfits. As Shelcy got off her scooter and ran to the stage, she said to Zari, "Hey Zari, those fall decorations sure look sweet and spectacular to me!". "Thank you, Shelcy. I appreciate your feedback," said Zari as she was getting down from the stepladder. "I believe that tonight will be the flashiest and most fantastic fashion of the fall season because I can't wait to see what fabulous and zany clothing combinations the contestants have come up with." "I'm super sure it will be the most flashiest night of all of autumn," said Shelcy. Couple hours later, the time was now 7:54 P.M., so the fashion show was about to start in six minutes. After everybody had arrived and seated down, Zari picked up

One casual and pleasant half-day at Swagton Middle and High School in the cafeteria, it was the day before spring break, which means Evelynn Esliot could barely sit still in her seat because she was feeling eager to go to the Swagton Library's 33rd Annual Springtime Book Fair during the first day of spring break this year. Why is Evelynn willing to go to the book fair the next day? She enjoys reading all kinds of books, such as books with useful information, comics, adventure, poetry, and so many other book possibilities! Just then, the bell has rung, which means it is time for school to let out for spring break! So, all of the students at Swagton Middle and High School ran out immediately to get to their parents and guardians. As Evelynn exited the school, she saw her friend, Nadia Paulers, on her scooter. "Excuse me, Nadia, do you think you can give me a ride home?" Evelynn asked. "Sure, Evelynn. Hold on tight." said Nadia. Then, Evelynn put on her helmet and held onto Nadia's

“All the times A gemstone chimes A kobold gets its wings!” Marzanna the Devastator woke alone in her great, gold-filled lair beneath her towering mountain in the center of her barren lands, with a hunger she did not recognize. Raising her head from the arum mass of coins, she inventoried her tremendous collection as it spilled from her massive, horned skull. The accumulation of almost a thousand years, her hoard covered the cavern’s floor, filling the smaller chambers and spilling into her personal apartment where it was deepest. It had been long since the red dragon had felt any kind of hunger at all. A grand wyrm of her power and size consumed mana from the earth itself and when she did eat, almost nothing went to waste. She needed no one and nothing - save the earth itself. Thanks to her great flames and powerful magic, nothing grew or lived for hundreds of miles around her barren mountains. No living thing had any reason to traverse those lands; all its mana fed only her, and

Pay the Piper Fenris lay chest down, nose to the floor, chained and spread-eagle in the cold, dark cell. It was in the lowest hold of the ship, below the waterline. Here the heavy wooden planks just above the bilge were damp but had been holystoned smooth. This was not a typical sailing ship in anyone’s navy, nor any normal pirate ship. This was the private ship of Cordonza and the wolf knew it only sailed when the man himself was onboard. The werewolf’s head was covered by a shiny two-piece helmet. Small holes in it were for him to speak and see through, but the eye holes were presently covered by a visor. There was no light where he was anyway. His bulky chains were held tight to four stout beams connected in a square, an iron muzzle over his snout. The beams were presently fastened to the floor and held him face down with their weight, chains preventing any movement, neck bent in a way that ached from the night there. His fur was all that kept him warm in the cold ship, locked

The last thing I remembered was running. Rachel had fallen, and the monster circus tent was chasing us. Then suddenly, darkness. It was all around me, choking and suffocating me. In the darkness, a voice I recognized whispered to me. “Not much left of him, is there?” The words of the ringleader echoed back to me. I still remembered how it had felt when the beast tamer ran from me. The thrill as I gave chase and closed in. Even before then, when he was helpless on the stable floor. I hadn’t even tried to fight it. Worse, I had tried to convince myself he deserved it. I knew she was right. Had known the truth for a while. Soon, there would be nothing left. Soon, Gabriel would just be the name of a dumb animal. For hours, I struggled with the darkness. It clung to my skin like writhing tentacles made of tar. I pulled and thrashed and bit until all thought and reason abandoned me. An eternity of blind torment passed when, finally, without warning, it peeled away. I emerged from

“You may go,” Candy said, dismissing Tiffany from the room. With a nod, the ticket lady left. As the door closed behind her, I could still see the snow leopards standing guard on either side of the door. “Well, this certainly complicates things,” the ringleader complained, turning her attention to me. She took a seat behind her desk and reclined comfortably, like a judge or queen preparing to pass her verdict on the accused. “But in a way, I suppose it was inevitable. Considering what you are.” I was prevented from responding by the length of red towel wrapped around the back of my head and across my mouth. I sat on the floor in the corner of her trailer, arms fastened tightly behind my back. After a brief moment of silent contemplation, the ringleader stood, walked over to where I sat, and removed the gag. “Please, let me and my brother go. I’ll give you whatever you want. You know I can pay. Whatever trouble I have caused, I am clearly not worth any more.” Candy circled

Back and forth, back and forth. A minute passed, then an hour, while I paced the length of my cage. What was Rachel thinking? How could she agree to go out with that monster? She clearly had no interest in the guy. She had to know he couldn't be trusted. What had he meant about her and the doc not being a thing anymore? Had they broken up? Was that why she was upset? What about Texas? Did this mean we weren't leaving the circus? So many thoughts and questions streamed through my head. Was she not coming tonight? With a frustrated growl, I stalked over to my water bucket for a drink, trying to ignore the animal staring back at me from my reflection. Thirst-sated, I turned and hopped up into my hammock. Whatever her plan, I just hoped she didn't get into trouble. Stop it, Gabriel. You're not doing Rachel any good working yourself into knots like this. You need to get some sleep. Easier said than done. I tried forcing my worries down and thinking about something else, but no

There was a knock at the door. Eyes raw from crying, I could only guess at how long I had been sitting there, alone in the darkened trailer, praying. How could this have happened? I obviously hadn't slept. More than anything I wanted and wished for the events of last night to have been a nightmare. A bad dream. Again and again, I had dared to hope it wasn't true. Again and again, my hope was shattered by the presence of the torn, soaked remains of my brother's clothing still resting in my lap. Gabriel, my big dumb jock brother, had been turned into an animal. Magic, real magic. It's one thing to tell yourself you believe in miracles and magic but another to actually see it. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I had been just a normal girl with my normal brother out hunting for a slightly less than normal job; yes, we were a pair of orphans, but it had been so long now that we had both finally managed to fill the space left vacant by our parents. We were both each other’s whole world,