Joy stood on a bluff overlooking the sea. She came here because it was where she went when chaos entered her life. Seagulls screamed above her, and the waves lapped at the sand. Joy wondered how it could be so peaceful here when she was so unhappy. The wind dried her tear-stained cheeks and whipped her dark hair around. It snatched the letter from her hand and chased it down the sand dune. Joy calmly watched it go; making no move to recover it. She didn't care, since getting back the letter wouldn't bring back Thomas. He was gone forever.

"When I knock on the door, Mum'll see me standing there all wet and muddy and I'll say, "Hey, Mum!" and if you don't see me tomorrow, I'm dead."

He laughed with glee and waved goodbye, water dripping from his bike helmet and mud spattered all over his white shirt. You have to let a kid play in the rain and dirt before he grows up too much, because it makes him happier than putting a phone or video game controller in his hands, you know.

I haven't seen him today. He's probably dead, but it was a good adventure.

“I can tell you your future!” she insisted. How stupid did she think I was? All she wanted was my money. “You’re going to want to hear what I have to say! What a future! Come! Hear of the marvelous life ahead of you!”

She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I rushed past the fortune teller’s little shop and jogged across the street, but I guess in my hurry to get away from the woman, I wasn’t paying attention.

I didn’t feel it, really. There was a sudden impact, and one single thought – I knew she was wrong.

The killer had only wanted everything played out like the thrillers he had watched since he was a child...in which he would finally become known through the perspective of his last victim--the one which got away. But this was real life. Dead or alive, no matter what became of them or who they once were, each victim deserved their story to be told. I was his first. Though he tried convincing me I was better off dead, I allowed myself to remain buried where he could trod on me, biding my time until I could seize him by his ankles.

Timyth watched his owner sit in his chair and watch TV. John had not been happy since Beth moved out, roughly 3 weeks ago, and he had been mostly eating his feelings. The poor fool probably gained five pounds in the last week, it was sad, but at least he still made sure to clean the litter box and fill Timyth's food container.

Timyth was sitting by the open frontyard door when a young lady with a cat walked by. Eureka! Timyth hissed loudly and dashed outside, making sure John would follow him. Time for John to meet someone new.

She saw her across the room and just knew... it's time to act.

Sitting at this party with the blaring multi-colored lights bouncing on the walls, the endless noise of music and incredibly drunk schoolmates, and the empty red cup in my hand as I wished for it to magically fill so I didn't have to go socialize.

But there, across the room, I saw her in the same predicament as me. Staring at her cup and clearly dreading this party. It's time to act.

I took a breath, stood up, smiled, and changed what I saw in the mirror.