Gossip buzzes like a hive throughout the meal hall. Piecemeal theories among the tables invoke a danger she hasn’t felt since the Wardens implemented their tattle tale policy. Those who had the revered information held treasure fit for royalty. No one trusted anyone, no corner of the building was safe from prying eyes. Most wanted …
The palace springs to life with visitors from all over the kingdom. But her anxiety grows as her role switches from ignored daughter to celebrity. People she doesn’t know retell stories of her childhood. Or recount adventures of them and her father as a rambunctious youth. The more sombre guests whisper condolences for her mother. …
Continue reading After Treason (36)- A Night to Remember (I)
The cloudless evening sky stretches for miles and brings a chill over the campus. A soothing heat radiates from the soft foam cup through Natalie’s gloves. Her brain chews on the idea of painting like it's her last meal. Savoring the colors and textures as the ingredients salivate in her mouth. She wants to paint …
Thousands of vacant eye sockets peer at him from their final resting place. The bleach skulls gleam in his torchlight, their menacing contorting faces grimacing as he squeezes through the narrow burial chamber. Underfoot, bones as old as kingdoms, crunch under his boots. A steady trickle of water echoes in the land of the dead. …
Content Warning: mild swearing. The chirp of coach’s whistle orders the end of the practice. His lungs hurt, his muscles ache, but after their successful play, he feels unstoppable. The team hustles to the showers leaving Conor behind as the sun dips behind the mountains. Whatever exuberance pumping through his body is short lived as …
Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of abuse, medical procedures, death and grief. If this is uncomfortable or something you wish to avoid scroll to the bottom for a trigger free summary. Natalie strolls through the hall clutching her bag to her chest. From the corner of her eye, she spies Siobhan whispering with a …
Continue reading The Raven’s Plight (9) – A Surgeon’s Fatal Cut
Her face can melt off for all I care! Ginny’s tantrum stalks the shadowy edges of the lampposts. He should be inside doing his homework, but one thing Conor knows, is his job isn’t done. As a teaching assistant, Gwen lives in a smaller dorm behind the library with the rest of her cohort. Even …
Continue reading The Raven’s Plight (8) – A Moonlight Crusade
The girl with braids stands with her arms across her chest, motioning for her companion to fetch Conor’s sister. One thing Natalie’s learned over the years is to stay out of squabbles. Keep your head down and eyes to the floor, she tells herself. No use getting caught up in something and having rations taken …
His locker opens with a screech, unleashing an avalanche of notebooks and grammar study guides onto the floor. He plucks the wayward pencil case from behind the dirty shoes and shove it into his backpack. Better toss the notebooks in too, for good measure. An abandoned sweater attempts to escape. But he slams the door …
Continue reading The Raven’s Plight (6) – The Wraith At His Side
Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of abuse and medical procedures. If this is uncomfortable or something you wish to avoid scroll to the bottom for a trigger free summary. She follows in measured steps behind a group of students towards the English room. The girls, in skirts and warm fashionable sweaters, giggle with a …
Continue reading The Raven’s Plight (5) – The Patient in the Front Row
The mist retreats into the shadows as the morning sun peers through the branches. The only sound on the trail is his feet hitting the worn path. Glimmers of ghostly fingers taunt him from the mist’s edge, but he shakes the nightmare from his mind. Since childhood it was his bed mate. It’s grasping claws …
Continue reading The Raven’s Plight (4) – Raven at the Crossroads
Natalie’s heart thumped as she waits for them to pick up the telephone. Each ring caused her heart to skip in anticipation. Then fear kicked in as the dial tone continues. What if they don’t answer. What if the nurses are right and they did abandon her. The rain splattered against the glass as the …
The Scribbling Scribe 