It was his eyes—those beautiful, mesmerizing, mercury eyes. They’d done something to me that I didn’t want to recover from. Then his lips grazed mine, and it was about them, too. The music was gone. The ratty couches and stale beer smell was gone. There was cherry and sugar and something Damian, and that was […]
Katherine and I hosted a party that night. By the time we were ready I had already forgotten our conversation in the morning where she tried to match make me. But the past has a way of catching up and making you remember things you don’t want to. Like the envelope with my story and […]
Tobias Vanderhoff was in a foul mood. He had already called his wife and told her he would not be coming home that night, probably not for the next several nights. She was pissed, as he guessed she would be, and this only added to his already soured disposition. Entering the lab after that phone […]
Great. Just great. This angel-faced, devil-lipped guy, this guy that I’d been talking to willingly, was one of the monsters. He had to be if he knew I was meeting Vincent. And I didn’t care. I mean I did, but I didn’t. It was his eyes. His t-shirt. Damn it, it was his everything. I […]
I get more texts from my roommate Katherine than anyone else. Even Sam. She was my dorm roommate in freshman year and we’ve been friends since. That year she invited me to her home for Thanksgiving. Katherine was a trust fund child who grew up in Atherton. The driveway to the house was so long […]
As the night progressed, Gary and Holly got what they needed. After some soup and sandwiches, they were left alone to rest. Sleep eventually came for Holly following a restless hour where she tossed on the adequately comfortable couch, too worn to speak of the thoughts surging through her consciousness yet too emotionally dynamic to […]
“Great. Just great.” The one time I was trying to hang with supernaturals and they weren’t even there. What was I supposed to do? Play spit on the drunk kids down below? I picked a group of couches that looked safe and hovered behind them. Maybe I should sit. Maybe I should get a clue […]
The last winery was Savannah Chanelle Vineyard at the top of a hill. Tucked away from the road, it was secluded and sweet. The group was well into the late stage inebriation. They tempted me with a glass of wine since this was the last stop. “C’mon Garnet, have a drink! One glass.” Sam would […]
Restrepo pulled the car into Franklin Automotive, a grungy looking auto repair garage on the outskirts of Pratt. He drove around to the back and parked, sitting in the car with Gary and Holly for a moment before saying, “We’re here,” and opening the car door, “Take your bags and let’s get inside.” Holly gabbed […]
“Jesus. I can’t believe someone from New York could have such a total lack of fashion sense. Did you never go to H&M?” Julia was smoking a joint in the back seat of Scott’s car, and the musky smell made my eyes water. I flipped her off and then rolled down the window. I couldn’t […]
Waiting is tough for me but when you get paid to wait around it isn’t so bad. I was parked on the Embarcadero waiting for the group dining at The Slanted Door. My mind started to drift back to the events of the past days. Between writing short pieces on local news and working on […]
They passed the taco truck and continued north, leaving behind the small town that served primarily as the quick lunch or dinner destination for ARLIS employees. Beyond the town they hit open countryside, moving towards the highway and a straight shot west to Pratt. The Kansas roads were gloriously dark and empty, filling Sebastian Restrepo […]
“What are you talking about?” My grandmother got off her perch and started back with the floating around. “The flowers. The mistletoe in the trees. There’s iron in the walls, too.” “He’s got an iron in his walls?” She’d lost me. “Not an iron. Iron plates and nails. Even the beams under the floor.” “Isn’t […]
Going to a florist turns me into a spendthrift. It’s the same reason why they tell you not to go grocery shopping when you are hungry. You end up buying more than you want, but I had a good reason. I was at Flora’s shopping for a bouquet to send my mother for her birthday. […]
The sunset brought the chill, placing a frosty edge on the moist air. Holly pressed her body into Gary, his arm wrapped around her tight trying to keep her warm. Still lying in the tall grass as they had been for the past four hours, they watched the red then orange and then purple brilliance […]
My grandmother floated back over as my father went inside. “What’s up with you and the flowers? You almost blinked out,” I whispered. She shook her head and gestured for me to be quiet. “You look like a Smurf.” She glanced down at herself, her hair floating in a fizzy blue puff. “What on earth?” […]
“Toxic Cinema, #157 – That’s One Way to Clean up the Clutter…” “Fahrenheit 451,” the book, rocks. “Fahrenheit 451,” the movie? Eh. The concept that firemen don’t actually put out fires, but start them, still tickles me. A fireman existing to burn books, because books rot the mind, is still the stuff of nightmares. The […]
I had several messages from Sam. The last one he left was, “Garnet, call me. I know you don’t want to do this for the rest of your life. Hey, neither do I. Can you give me a few more days? There’s a job this Saturday that I don’t have anyone else to do. I’m […]
Gary and Holly followed Sebastian Restrepo without question. In a daze they walked, their confusion matched only by their weary fatigue as they were taken this way and that, down the hall then left, waiting, needing to ask questions, to probe for some indication of where they were being taken, where was their research, what […]
I dropped some cash on the bar and spun toward the door. That was enough rubbing elbows with the supernaturals for one day. My neighbor gripped my arm. “Hey—you okay?” I glared at his hand, not sure I was up to responding. A pale blue tattoo twisted around his wrist near the cuff of his […]
I shifted from foot to foot, my sneakers making a soft squelch in the puddle I was leaving. Was this some kind of private club? A mob place? Something else? I edged my way to the bar, my eyes darting left to right. There was nothing remarkable, nothing that should’ve set my City Girl instincts […]
I drove a dune buggy once in the Pajaro Dunes. Does that count as driving? How about watching retro Mad Max movies with those crazy cars? I grew up in Hong Kong where no one drives. The subway system is Blade Runner, while BART is like the stage coach. My father was the only one […]
Sebastian Restrepo left Columbia at the age of nineteen, running away one night under the guise of the chaos of the riots. He went North, arriving in San Diego five months later with only fifty-eight credits, a handful of paper money, his military-issued pistol, and a folded and worn photo of his mother and sister […]
The Olympic Club “I thought I’d never see you again.” Dereck felt a sudden rush go through his body. He felt suddenly more complete as he looked into Waffles’ face. “Well aren’t you the little drama queen. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’ll always be your friend, Dereck.” Waffles realized that several […]