Reluctantly, Astrid sat back down. “Fine,” Marcus murmured, sitting down as well. When the door closed behind her, Astrid released a long, audible breath. “Does this mean we can be bought?” she asked. “No. It means we deserve to be compensated for this insanity.” “Insanity is correct. This is, by far, the most absurd thing I’ve …
Adagio, Part 2.
In walked an eclectically dressed woman—she wore an orange and black polka dot pantsuit with a pair of white Adidas and glasses with frames that matched her suit—bearing a binder and a bright smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting for so long, friends,” she said. “I’m Grace Carlisle.” She shook their hands enthusiastically before taking …
Adagio, Part 1.
Hey, y'all. Happy April. I come to you with short fiction. Yes, quite happy to report that I've been writing a lot lately (if you follow me on Le Gram, you'll see quite a bit of poetry. Here, we deal expressly in fiction). This story was actually inspired by a writing prompt one of my …
Cassiopeia, The End.
Despite Jupiter's promise, none of us had any intention of staying in the area. A few days after the confrontation, Laura vacated her La Jolla condominium. She settled on a ranch in Billings, Montana, which provided plenty of space for my dog, Jack Russell, who would stay with his new friend until it was time …
Cassiopeia, Part 11.
Cassiopeia quickly approached our group, her eyes clouded in confusion and alarm as she observed her mother pointing at her father. "What is this?" she asked when she reached me. “Elliott, why didn’t you tell me you were coming here? The house was empty. I thought he had taken all of you. I—" Her voice …
Cassiopeia, Part 10.
I had envisioned more muted tones, perhaps an endless stream of mahogany, to characterize the lair of one of the most powerful and now officially menacing men in the business world. In effect, whatever Lex Luthor's office looked like. (Certainly, a dark and intimidating wood finish.) As I studied the colossal office, however, the abundance …
Cassiopeia, Part 9.
There were eyes fixed on me the moment I exited the elevator. I wasn't sure if they were agents or legitimate Jupiter office staff, but they were visibly communicating, mainly through frowns and threatening expressions, that my presence on the floor wasn't welcomed or warranted. I wanted to laugh. One would think that an employee …
Cassiopeia, Part 8.
Returning to my house was out of the question for the time being. We decided that I would stay in Laura's guest room in the meantime. Cassiopeia was in and out of her mother's home as the days passed by. I didn't know where she stayed when she wasn't with us (returning to her home …
Cassiopeia, Part 7.
I stood abruptly, certain that one of Crew Cut's biceps alone could kill all of us and not caring in the least. "It's ok, El. He's on our side," Cassiopeia said. "How? He warned me about you. He told me not to trust you." I quickly relayed what happened at the dog park. "I told …
Cassiopeia, Part 6.
I canceled my reservation with the resort, and we returned to the road. Driving back to my house was out of the question; the agents monitoring her microphone would have traced the area as her last location and would likely have the place swarmed. Instead, she asked me to drive to La Jolla. During the …
This Square Peg. 