I’m Not a Superhero Yet
Today I breathe air, not water.
By: Kenzie R. Hanna
The Survival instinct
As her assailants dragged her into the white van, three thoughts flashed through her mind.
The first was in the voice of her self-defense coach. “You have to want life in that moment. Your will to survive must be stronger than your fear of death.”
The next was her father. “You gave up too early. That’s why the other girl won — you need to push all the way to the finish line.”
The final one was her own. “You are valuable, and you deserve to live.”
Hot blood lit her limbs on fire.
And she fought with everything she had.
By: Kenzie R. Hanna
Letting Go
She draws in a slow, gasping breath, letting herself feel all of it — the pain, the grief, the fear, and above all, the rage — and breathes out.
She opens her eyes and lets her control go, and the world catches fire.
By: E. Cady Strech
A Lady’s Weapons
The Lord leers at her, running his hand suggestively up her arm.
She grins back at him, a fierce, bloody thing, and when he flinches backward, clearly not expecting that look from such a dutiful lady, she stabs him in the hand.
By: E. Cady Strech
Not a Knight in Shining Armor
When she had protested the princess’s betrothal, the king had exiled her, thinking she would die and cease to be a problem.
She had learned to fight instead.
Now, she had come back to ensure that the princess was being treated properly by the horrid little boy she had been betrothed to.
If not, well, she is no knight in shining armor.
She has killed before and will do so again if necessary.
By: E. Cady Strech
The Beginning
Valna heard footsteps in the distance, crashing through the trees with such drive that Valna knew exactly where they were going. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and sprinted through the forest.
The air was thick with tension and Valna’s heart began to sink as she realized she wasn’t going to make it in time. She ran and ran until she came upon the clearing.
She halted, stopping just before she reached the edge of the trees around the sacred spring.
Tears sprang forward as she looked at the scene before her.
She was too late; they had found it.
By: C.L.
Revenge
They had swarmed around the spring, already setting up barricades and chopping down trees. There were hundreds of soldiers milling before Valna, destroying the one thing she vowed to protect.
Her heart shattered in a million pieces and slowly rage began to fill her entire body. It started in her chest and slowly spread throughout her until she was filled with so much anger she was shaking.
Just then she made a vow to kill the king who ordered this. Standing silently she memorized the crest on the men’s armor. Then, with a dark look, she disappeared into the forest.
By: C.L.
The Princess’s Sacrifice
Long ago, a group of people lived in the valley of Mount Shavano. The land suited them perfectly for farming, hunting, and fishing.
One year, it hardly rained or snowed at all, and the people were forced to move away or starve.
The princess hated the idea of moving, so she went up to the mountain to pray for water from the spirits. The god of plenty said that he would bring water, but only if she sacrificed herself.
The princess transformed into an ice angel on the side of the mountain that would melt each spring for her people.
By: Catherine Frerker
War Born
She should be out there fighting. The orcs, under a new banner, had turned their attention towards her people and invaded their sacred hunting grounds.
She should be fighting alongside her husband and her people, but for now she had a more important fight. Rage filled her as she thought of the orcs and goblins waging war against her tribe.
Her rage was fed by the pain of childbirth.
She howled a battle cry to Krahkten, the god of war.
Her people returned victorious to greet Valgt, the newest Isulv.
By: Connor McNeely
Frozen Sunrise
Orange light danced upon the fresh snow, scattered by the frozen waterfall, as the sun’s brilliant rays peeked over the horizon.
Valgt hardly noticed the frigid wind nipping at his face.
He knew being out in the wilds alone was dangerous, but he couldn’t resist the view.
Every morning, he would sneak away from his tribe to catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing, frozen sunrise.
By: Connor McNeely
Coming of Age
Valgt stood watching the distant horizon as the moon set for the seventh time since he set off on his own, and now his trial was complete. The night lasted for months this time of year, and so he counted the days by cycles of the moon.
It was mid-winter. The winds howled and could freeze you to your bones.
He turned towards the body of the white wolf he had hunted. He quickly said a prayer and began skinning the creature.
Its fur would become his cloak, keep him warm, and mark him as an adult.
By: Connor McNeely
A Last Look at Father
He looked like a monster, a man with a horse’s head. The crest of his helm was sharp, and the bronze over his brow shined light into my eyes.
He didn’t look like my father, so I cried.
He shushed me with the name I’d earned because he was my sire: Astyanax, lord of the city.
There would be no city to be lord of soon, no father poised to be king.
My father removed his helmet to show me his face, the last time I’d see his loving eyes and smile before the end of it all.
By: Erin Bullock
Three Hundred Spartans: Death of Peace
Three hundred Spartans gathered in the Hot Gates facing an army thousands larger, their backs facing toward their homes, wives, daughters, and sons. Knowing their demise was imminent, they rushed forward, slaughtering wave after wave of enemies until you could no longer step on solid ground.
Yet, the Spartans had lost no one.
Xerxes stood up from his golden throne carried by exotic slaves. He cried out, “Leonidas! When you are defeated, I shall spit upon you and take your wife as my slave!”
Leonidas, in a moment of rage, stepped out and thrust his spear at Xerxes, killing him.
By: Nicholas K.
Wish it, Want It, Receive It?
Xerxes wished dishonor upon Spartan men.
He himself was among those dishonored.
By: Nicholas K.
The Incompetent Crew
The captain closed the door to his private quarters and lay down on his cot. His head throbbed in rhythm with the swaying of the boat. All he asked for was a crew to help him out for two weeks as he sailed across the sea.
The group that responded to his request looked like they’d be perfect. Strong, smart, witty.
Not even a full day in and one dropped a barrel and broke his foot, one spent one hundred gold pieces on cannonballs when the ship didn’t even have any cannons, and another couldn’t even hold onto a rope!
By: Connor McNeely
The Concerningly Competent Crew
The monsters hadn’t even finished scaling the sides of the ship before the crew jumped into action.
The giant man who couldn’t hold a rope to save his life was branding the holy symbol of a war god into the forehead of the serpent-men using holy energy; the dwarf with a broken foot was pinning the creatures to the side of the ship with spears just as quickly as they could climb up — and the boy who had bought the cannonballs was firing off bolts of arcane energy, and even fried one creature with electricity from his hands!
By: Connor McNeely
Jekyll and Hyde
Between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there was only a single monster. Everyone knows that, right?
Except the monster wasn’t the devious Mr. Hyde. Nor was it the chaste Dr. Jekyll, hoping to finally be rid of his darker impulses.
Seeking to split yourself apart, to dissect away your evil? This only mixes your soul, contaminating evil with drops of goodness, infusing evil inside good.
The elements share space but never fully dissolve within each other, as with oil in water.
The monster was shared between them.
I wonder if it made the weight of their sins easier to bear?
By: Chris Trulock
Masks
Bruce Wayne approached the oracle.
“That mask is useless to you here, you know.”
“You know my name?”
“Of course: your name is Batman. The mask you wear is made of flesh.”
By: Chris Trulock
Enter the Arena
Two comrades — a dwarf, fists raised and eager to swing, and a half-elf, longsword poised to strike — step into the arena. Before them stand three foes, each itching for the fight.
The dwarf charges without hesitation and pummels the nearest enemy as the half-elf parries a mace, engaging in a one-on-one fight.
Shrugging off hit after hit, the dwarf knocks out one opponent and jumps on a second.
After a vicious fight, the half-elf forces their opponent into submission.
Suddenly, a rock clocks the half-elf in the head.
A rock thrown by the dwarf, the last one standing.
By: Connor McNeely
For Honor
The rain poured hard, pattering against the building as V approached the hostage. They lay kneeling, hands cuffed behind their back, neon lights from the billboards painting the room in red and purple lighting. Time was running short, and V had to move soon.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning and thunder rocked the room, stunning V and forcing him to freeze. Eyes blinded by the light, he stood there until his vision recovered, showing him the assassin before him, blade drawn and against the neck of the hostage.
“Too late,” the assassin said.
V screamed as the sword swung.
By: Aaron Le
The Sword in the Stone
It was Arthur’s turn to try at the sword in the stone. He hadn’t much hope of succeeding; he was only a farmer’s boy after all. But the regent demanded it, and so he wrapped his hand around the hilt and pulled with all his might.
To his surprise, the sword sailed effortlessly into the air!
The stone remained attached.
All in attendance held their breath as they stared at the sword and at the stone held aloft above Arthur’s head.
Finally, one brave knight spoke up. “Well, I mean, technically…”
By: Lewis Dolmas
The Drawing of the Blade
There was once a legend amongst the members of the Tyger Claws gang: anyone who had the strength to retrieve the legendary blade Tsumetogi would become the new leader of the Tyger Claws and lord over Japantown.
The blade, placed in a shrine in the heart of Japantown, electrocuted anyone deemed unworthy to wield it.
Many a gangster tried, but none were successful.
Then one day, an outsider by the name of Yorinobu Arasaka approached the blade.
The crowd around him drew in their breath.
As his hand wrapped around the blade, it came free.
By: Aaron Le
The Aftermath
The sun shone down on the cheering crowd praising their new savior.
But the light did not reveal the malicious grin on his face hidden in the shadows.
By: Aaron Le
No Ruler Has Clean Hands
She reaches up and adjusts her crown, smearing blood over its surface as she does.
She sweeps her skirts to the side and gracefully sits on her throne, surveying the people of her kingdom who are on their knees before her.
By: E. Cady Strech
The Last of the Humans
The year is 2579. Half the planet is destroyed and overrun with archademires, evolved ants the size of trees.
With 11,364 humans remaining on the planet, the only hope for humanity is to create a weapon that will cause the mass extinction of the archademires.
As the last biological weapons expert, it’s up to Jeremiah to create this weapon. Jeremiah has almost completed the weapon which will spread powder across the planet when an archademire finds his lab.
Will Jeremiah be able to kill the archademire?
Complete his weapon and launch it?
Or is this the end of humanity?
By: Krishna Gandhi
Revolution
It was a dark and stormy night. They had already made so much progress for freedom.
If only they knew it was only the beginning.
By: Kenzie R. Hanna