nothing-creative

     It was cold when Tobias awoke. The frigid air chilled his body even through the cocoon of blankets, and he felt even colder when he kicked them off to look at the time. 5:17 AM. A fragment of thought drifted through his mind as he glanced wearily out the window – it’s always darkest before the dawn – but he didn’t pay it much mind. He’d heard that before, somewhere, but it didn’t matter at the moment. It was early, he wasn’t due up for school for another hour and a half or so, and his throat hurt like the dickens. One odd thought was meaningless.     A shiver wracked his body as he rolled out o

     There was nothing quite like a cozy Tuesday night spent watching low-budget horror movies. Reagan was always antsy in the evenings as she waited for Nadia to return home, and this frosty January evening was no different. Well, she’d never been very good at being patient to begin with. Never had been, probably never would be. At least Nadia didn’t mind.     She was perched on the edge of the couch, swinging her feet when the front door unlocked with a quiet click. Nadia was thrown backwards by the force of Reagan’s hug – hadn’t she just been on the couch? It had only been a moment, after all – but acc

Her stubbornness would be her downfall – that was what they said. And, well, it was true. In a sense, at least. Reagan had really thought it was a bluff. She’d truly believed that everything would turn out fine, that she would rise in the face of adversity just as she had in every adventure before, that it would all be exactly the same and be okay. It wasn’t.     “Wilson!” she cried, darting forward from behind her cover. It was dangerous, yes, projectiles hurtling through the air around her, but it was a risk that had to be taken. They’d cursed him. The witches had the audacity to curse Wilson, of all th

     Death was – well, it was disorienting. I think I said that last time, but it still bears repeating – I mean, really? How do you adjust to being dead? There’s a lot to it. I questioned everything in those first few days, or hours, or minutes; I lost all concept of time, initially. It was like I blinked, and an entire hour had gone by.     It would be easy to misinterpret all of this as regret, but it wasn’t. I didn’t regret what I’d done; no, I was just trying to understand what I was now. Where I was. That kind of a thing. I mean, here I am, Tuesday the seventeenth – or whenever, again, I’

     The weather was cold and rainy, the skies obscured by thick gray clouds, and Olivia was enjoying it. Warm weather had never suited her well, and the sounds of rainfall – not to mention the damp scents that accompanied it – were pleasant. She favored thick coats and heavy boots over strappy summer outfits, anyway. But the cold was okay, she liked it, and she was safe and sound inside with the heat turned up. And blankets, too. She liked blankets, particularly patterned quilts.     “Looks like we won’t be going hiking today,” Ryan commented, glancing outside their shared apartment. Rain was coming down in sh

I had, once again, left the cabin once Alice’s co-counselor arrived. The goal was to lay low, and that was just what I intended to do. We regrouped in the morning, once again over mugs of coffee at the dining hall. Alice had accidentally poured two cups – one for herself, one for me – and awkwardly stared at the second mug as we spoke.     “I mean, I couldn’t just pour it out, right? That would have looked so… weird.”     “Not as weird as if I drank it, though,” I added. Alice buried her face in her arms, groaning. It was a solid start to the day. “I suppose you could pass it off

     The coffee shop was warm and small, a personable space filled with the chatter of customers and the clink of cups, the hiss of steaming milk and the squeaking of chairs against the scuffed floor. It wasn’t even close to Reagan’s typical scene – well, yes, she worked as a barista, but she would never spend her free time here – and yet there she was. The things that Nadia could convince her to do. Though it admittedly wasn’t her usual scene, or anywhere that she wanted to be, Reagan had to admit that she was having a good time. Something about Nadia brought good times along with her.     “You know,R

    “Ryan,” Olivia whispered, shattering the tense quiet, “you’ve got one shot. If you miss, we’re all dead.” Of course, Ryan knew this to be untrue. Even if the warning had made any sense in the context of his task, which it most certainly didn’t, the underlying glee to her tone was a dead giveaway.     He rolled his eyes, breaking his concentration for but a moment to face her. She was so close that their noses were almost touching, only millimeters apart. It was thrilling. Her freckles stood out in the hazy lighting. “You know that isn’t true,” he replied, exasperation edging hi

     Routine border patrols were never something December had enjoyed. He’d never really understood his dislike; the patrols ensured his safety and continued rank at the top of the underworld, something he valued above all else. Perhaps it was the dullness of it, the idea that there were better things to spend his time with, or perhaps it was the heat. Mars was sweltering ninety percent of the time, with the exception of the short winter periods.     Regardless, December was irritable when it came time to perform the patrols. Most of the recruits weren’t familiar enough with the broad extent of his territory to patrol on their o

     “December never gives us anything to do,” Noel whined, his exaggerated pout prompting Artemis to laugh. It was so… out of place, he had thought many times over, to see everyone acting so careless, so young. “I mean, just ‘cause it’s Sweep day doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish… Well, I don’t know, but there’s gotta be some shit that needs to get done, y’know?”     Artemis shrugged, meeting his gaze. He would never understand how Noel could still retain that innocence of his. Even with everything life had stripped from him, he’d managed it all and with a s

     It was crowded. He had known the narrow streets would be crammed with bodies, had anticipated the turnout and the frenzy. Nevertheless, it bothered him. The contact with each passing individual – not out of choice, but simply because there was no other option – sent his mind reeling. Thievery had too many risks, but December had admitted that long ago. It was necessary.     All he could think of as he walked was his reputation. Up-and-coming. Any screw-up, any mistake, anything could send him sprawling to the bottom of the ladder he’d worked so hard to climb. It wasn’t easy. It hadn’t b