She held her breath, willing herself to stay hidden, to not be seen. The door to the water heater room creaked open and the lightbulb blinked on. She could see their shadows on the opposite wall. A grumble; then the light flickered back off, the door closed, and footsteps faded. She let her breath out Read More …
She couldn’t help herself. Her curiosity always took her to places or situations where she didn’t belong, even in her twenties. This time she was lying at the top of a ridge, in the dark. An occasional star twinkled through the forest branches above. It was the flickering light below and the sound of voices Read More …
Her toes curled as the particles of glass embedded deeper with each step. She was barefoot and bloody, trying to move quietly through the trees. Sucking in a quick breath, she bit her lip. The pain. A slight twig snapped underfoot and her hair stood on end. Any noise could be lethal. She dropped into Read More …
Despite the warmth of the summer sun, her blood ran cold when she spotted the long, crisp envelop in her mailbox. She pulled it out with her fingertips and turned it over. Only her name on the back, typed. She glanced around frantically, walking briskly back into her house. Bolting the lock, she slid to Read More …
She dangled precariously out over the ravine. Her arms ached from clutching the dead tree branch that had broken her fall. She could still hear the scattering of small rocks bouncing down the side of the cliff. But had she really fallen or was she pushed? She took a deep, shaky breath, her heart pounding Read More …
She moved silently down the hall, making sure to avoid the creaking floorboards. At the age of nine, she had almost perfected “being seen and not heard.” Though, her heart still pounded loudly in her chest, screaming to let the rage out. She paused just outside the living room, listening. There was the sound of Read More …
She dug her elbows deep into the muck, pulling herself forward and further under the old, abandoned farmhouse. To keep from groaning, she bit into the dirty, oil rag tied over her mouth. Her wrists and ankles were raw from the ropes that still held them together. Only minutes before, she had noticed the door Read More …
She woke with a jerk. Pain shot through her body. Where was she? It was dark. She saw lights and heard beeping. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was in a hospital room, alone. The door opened and a nurse walked in with a smile. “You’re awake.” She watched as the nurse checked her Read More …
Nayeli sat at the small kitchen table, eating crackers with peanut butter on them and watching her foster mom out of the corner of her eye. Her foster mom rummaged through her backpack, sighing or knitting her brows together each time she picked up a new piece of paper. She flipped open a shiny red Read More …
Nayeli stepped off the bus and pulled up abruptly, causing the man on the stairs behind her to cuss. She quickly stepped to the side, her eyes remaining fixed on the frail figure hunched over on the bench in front of her. The woman peered up at her, with hands tightly clenching a shawl around Read More …