A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-six.

A day late but here it is!

Z is for Zombie Apocalypse.

Prepare your children
            show them where to hide, how to hold a gun.
Prepare your friends
            there is always strength in numbers.
Prepare your house
            buy plywood, nails, screws, sheets of metal, tools.
Prepare your vehicles
            install weapons, tricks, safe locks.
Prepare your body
            run, lift weights; it’s your life on the line.
Prepare your supplies
            buy guns, bullets, golf clubs, bats, chainsaws.
Prepare your food
            have water, canned meat, fruits, vegetables.
Prepare your mind
            shoot a gun, destroy a target.
Prepare
            they are coming.
Prepare
            it’s only a matter of time.
Prepare
            they will take over.
Prepare
            don’t be squeamish; this is for survival.
Pre-
            you’re out of time.
Be ready
            you’re next.

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-five.

Meant to get this out last night but time got away from me so here it is! I'll post Z later today :)

Y is for You're Welcome to Join.

“Go fish.”

“You have got to be cheating.”

“You can’t cheat in Go Fish.”

“I beg to differ. You clearly have the tricks needed to cheat in this fine game.”

“Fine game? Good Lord you sound like you’re from the fourteenth century.”

“Oh my dear Jade, how little faith ye have in me.”

I burst out laughing, pressing my cards to my chest so two of my roommates can’t peak; I wouldn’t put it passed them.

“Your turn, Evan.”

“Ah, yes. Brody, have any sixes?”

“Go fish.”

“Now he must be cheating.”

“You can’t cheat in this game.” Brody says with a grin that looks anything but innocent.

“Your face says differently.”

Brody sighs dramatically and picks up his beer, taking a sip.

“No dates tonight? We’re all lonely on this Friday night?” Evan says taking a handful of cheetos and stuffing them all into his mouth. Sometimes I wonder why we agreed to let him stay; then he walks around in a towel and I remember.

“Karri still won’t answer my texts; Craig’s a dick-wad that can burn in hell along with his new girlfriend, Tabitha.”

“Ouch,” Evan winces. “Don’t worry, Jay, I’m here for you.”

I smile brightly at him. “I know. Just keep walking around in a towel and I’ll feel better in no time.”

The two guys start laughing and I just wag my eyebrows at them.

“You too, Brody. You are both improving my mood every day.”

Evan leans over and rests his hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. I smile back and pat his hand before he takes it away. “Your turn, Jay.”

“Right,” I look down at my hand and tilt my head. I look over the cards and eye the two guys with narrowed eyes. “Evan, got any kings?”

He groans and pulls one out, slapping it onto the table in front of me. I cheer and pull out my king, making the pair and adding it to my pile.

“Alright, Brody this time. Got any tens?”

He too groans and I grin, making another pair.

“My last card. Evan, got an eights?”

“Go fish.”

“Damn it!” I pout and grab a card from the draw pile in the middle of the table.

The front door slams shut and we all jump, turning to look at the hallway. Ruby comes into view with Derek and they stop at the entrance, staring at us with eyebrows raised.

“Are you all staying home tonight?” Ruby asks in a voice filled with disbelief.

“Craig dumped me,” I say as if that explains it all.

“Kristine hates my guts,” Evan says.

“Shane is visiting his parents in Edmonton,” Brody says.

“Oh. So, you’re going to stay here all night?”

“If you’ll be here, then I’m heading down to Dixon’s.” I say shuddering slightly in my seat.

“We were going to.”

“What’s wrong with Derek’s place?” Evan asks.

“His roommates kicked him out.”

“Like completely so he’s looking for a new place?” Brody asks dread filling his voice.

“Yeah, so he’s moving in with us.”

Ruby’s smiling at all of us while we’re staring at her with total shock. Wow; she just assumed that’d be okay with us.

“No.”

“Jadey, why not?”

“I’ve had to listen to you guys go at it every weekend since we got this place! I refuse to listen to you guys every day!”

“We won’t be doing it every day.”

I snort and soon the other two with me start to laugh as well.

Ruby scowls and places her hands on her hips. “We won’t!”

I rub my eyes and look into her face. “No, you will.”

“Won’t!”

“I refuse to get into this argument; I’m too drunk as it is.”

“We’ll give you a week,” Brody starts. “If you guys can’t keep it down, since finals are coming up, we’re kicking you both out.”

Ruby gasps eyes wide and unbelieving. Evan and I nod along with Brody.

“That seems fair,” Derek says.

“Then welcome! You guys want to join?” I ask, gesturing vaguely to the table.

“Nah, all my stuff is in my car and I need to get it in here.”

“You can do that tomorrow. It won’t be going anywhere, just pull up a seat and grab a beer!” Evan says as he grabs another from the cooler at his feet. The fridge gets too far away once you’ve had a few.

Derek looks to Ruby and she just shrugs, turning and heading up the stairs. “Sure, I’ll join you.” Derek walks into the kitchen and takes the seat across from me.

“Derek!”

“What? I haven’t really met your other two roommates, just your sister. It’ll be a good bonding night.”

Evan laughs and slides the beer he had just grabbed to Derek before grabbing a new one. “Welcome to the game, bro.”

I hear Ruby huff in the background and stomp up the stairs, but at the moment, I don’t really care. I haven’t felt this good in a while.

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-four.

This poem is told from the point of view of one of my main characters in my novel I'm currently working on. Also, X is a tricky letter. Hope you enjoy :)

X is for Xavier.

First time I met her,
I knew in my soul,
she was my sister
in all but blood.

Our eyes connected
and we introduced
ourselves, before I
was dragged away.

Mother kept saying
"My apologies,
My King," while bowing,
clawing my neck.

Princess Adalyn
quickly got me to
play with her, saying
"this is my friend."

Mother was appalled.
King told us to go,
kids should be kids, as
long as they can.

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-three.

W is for Wedding.

She stared at her reflection in the bronze mirror. She brought her hand up to trace her jaw, running pink painted nails across the bone, pressing a little harder on a bruise covered by makeup. She winced and smiled, looking into her grassy green eyes.

"It's finally time," she whispered and smoothed her hands down the white lace wedding dress her mother made for her. The only nice piece of clothing she ever received.

"Kyra?" Her mothers voice came through the door. "Are you ready?"

Kyra looked herself over once more, making sure the bruises were covered. A daughter of the Kings Royal Knights must always look immaculate. She walked to the door and pulled it open, smiling at her mother.

"You look beautiful, dear."

"Thank you, mother."

Kyra's mother took her arm and led her away from the room, heading outside towards her family's courtyard where the carriage awaited to take her to her new home. A tradition here in Toron for centuries, and one that helped girls like Kyra flee their fathers.

Her mother helped her into the carriage and Kyra smiled as she sat down and let her mother close the door. It was just her in the carriage and she relaxed back into the seat as it pulled away. She couldn't seem to stop smiling. The carriage took her away from her family where she'll be able start over, be who she wants to be.

It didn't seem like much longer before the carriage was slowing. She looked outside and gasped when she saw the carriage pulling around the courtyard of the castle. It stopped in front of the door and the driver opened the door with a bow.

Kyra stepped out slowly, unsure what was happening.

The doors opened to reveal the King. "Welcome, Kyra of Toreld," the King said and gestured her forward. She slowly ascended the stairs. "You are a sight for sore eyes," he laughs.

She smiles at him and curtsies when she reaches the top of the stairs. "Why am I here?"

The King grinned. "Your husband-to-be is visiting us today, and I wanted to make sure you got everything you wished for."

Kyra blinked. He wasn't from Toron?

"Come my dear," the King gently took her arm and led her inside the castle, directing her past rooms that she tried to glimpse into. They entered a study where the prince sat with another man, both holding a glass of scotch.

"Prince Coltrane," the King said and Kyra's eyes widened. "This is Krya of Toreld."

Coltrane stood up with a smile, placing his glass of scotch on the table beside the couch. "It's nice to meet you," he said and stepped forward.

Kyra studied his face, unbelieving that he was to be her husband.

"I suppose you think this is a joke," Coltrane said even as he held out his hand for her to shake. She placed her hand in his and he twisted it, bringing the back of it to his lips. She felt her face grow hot, even as a smile stretched her lips.

"It's nice to meet you," Kyra responded.

"You look lovely," he said, keeping a hold of her hand and using it to tug her towards the couch where he was sitting.

"I'm not sure I understand, though," Kyra said.

Coltrane laughed. "I'm not surprised. It's unusual for a Prince to choose a wife this way."

Kyra nodded.

"We have met before," Coltrane said as the King and Prince excused themselves to let them get to know each other.

"We have?"

"Years ago," he said. "It was when my first trip to Toron and you were there with your mother and father, at the ball held on behalf of our treaty being reassigned."

Kyra nodded slowly, trying to remember all those years ago.

"I knew how he treated you," Coltrane's voice was hard. "I wanted to take you with us then, but father forbade it, said you weren't worthy." His fist clenched around her hand and she brought her other hand to their combined ones and held his bigger hand in both of hers. He took a deep breath. "About a year ago I was told I needed to find a wife. I wanted you, told father I wanted you. He was furious." Coltrane laughed. "I said I wasn't the heir, I should be able to choose who I wished."

Kyra smiled and brought his hand closer to her chest, shifting on the couch to be closer to him.

"He didn't have an argument for that. It was a couple of months later when King Gerrit told me of this tradition and that you were on the list."

"Why did you wait so long?" Kyra asked.

"I wanted to make sure we had a place to go to, a home for us." He pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her. "I wanted everything to be perfect for us."

Kyra leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just being with you is enough."

He clutched at her. "We'll have a proper wedding back home," he said. "Where you can choose the dress you want to wear, with flowers and whatever else you wish."

She laughed. "I don't want much."

He pressed a kiss to her head. "I'll still give you the world."

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-two

This turned into something I wasn't expecting. That's always fun :)

V is for Vase.

It's been in our family for generations. A gaudy ceramic vase, painted with navy flowers and chipped at its mouth. Mother cherishes it though. Says it's the only thing connecting her to her lost mother. Lost, she says, as if we can come back from the dead. Mother's arranging violets in them now, standing before the island and humming that new Maroon 5 song that's been playing on the radio. I'm curled on the couch, my astronomy textbook open on my lap.

"What do you think, Jade?" She asks, smiling down at the flowers.

"They're lovely, mother," I say and roll my eyes. What else am I supposed to say?

"Yes, I thought so too," she says. "One of Delaney's friends is coming over later. She can tell us what happened to your grandmother."

I clench my teeth together so I don't say anything. Seriously? Another one? The house we live in currently is where grandmother died five months ago. I know exactly what happened to her; she overdosed on her pain meds. I saw it coming; she loved those things. Mother is in denial still, says there was foul play.

"You'll be here, yes?" Mother asks.

"Of course," I say. Again, what do I say? Mother hasn't done much in these last five months. The house may be paid off but we still need to eat; the garden doesn't produce much this time of year. I don't think mother has noticed that I got a second job on top of university and my first one. But we're barely living; she took a leave from work a month ago, I need to pay for tuition and books and food. Some days I'm surprised if I can sleep.

I turn back to my textbook in hopes she'll stop the conversation and do something else while we wait for the lady to arrive.

A half an hour later she starts banging around in the kitchen and I see her trying to put out a spread of food. It's just us, Delaney, and the other woman; what does food matter? We're probably not even going to touch it.

I sigh and soon the main floor is filled with the scent of baking as I read. It feels like five minutes when the doorbell rings and I look up to see it's gotten dark outside.

Mother leads Delaney and a woman with long blonde hair, a gypsy type outfit on, and beads decorating her hair towards the kitchen table. Mother gestures me over and I close my book, standing up and making my way over.

"This is Willow," Delaney introduces and I smile and shake her hand before sitting down. The other three follow suit and Willow gets right into it, asking questions, talking to mother, and I feel like Delaney came just because mother hadn't met Willow before now.

"Let's join hands," Willow says and reaches out towards me. I grab her hand and take Delaney's when she extends it towards me. "This will make the connection stronger," she says.

Willow, mother, and Delaney bow their heads and I roll my eyes. Why must I be here? I could be studying on my rare day off. Willow starts chanting and I let my eyes wander the room. The windows are all closed, the curtains pulled to cover them. The tea mother made right before they came is going cold on the counter and the brownies lie forgotten on a plate.

I look over at Willow as she starts talking as if she was communicating with grandmother. Mother is staring at her with wide eyes and soaking in every bit of information.

"You are wasting your life, Scarlet," Willow says to my mother. "Live your life, if not for yourself than for your daughter, for my granddaughter."

Mother's eyes tear up as they've done in every other session we've had. If only she'd listen to the people that come.

Willow blinks and looks over at mother with a smile. "That's all she has to say."

Mother's brow furrows. "No foul play or who killed her?"

Willow tilts her head. "She overdosed. She knows, she expected it. That was her plan. Jade knows this too."

I nod when mother looks over at me. She studies my face before shaking her head. "That's not possible. Mother would never purposely leave us behind."

I want to groan. Seriously?

Willow smiles sadly. "I'm sorry, but that's what she says; what she has been saying for months now."

I nod. Please, mother, let's just move past this and live on.

Mother scowls and takes her hand away. "I see," she says before standing up and storming upstairs.

I sigh before turning to Willow with a smile. "I apologize."

Willow waves that away. "Not your fault," she says. "Thank you for letting me come into your home."

I smile. "Are you two going to head out?"

Delaney nods. "I was hoping Willow could show your mother what we know but she's in a very strong stage of denial."

I sigh and nod.

"Sorry, Jade," Delaney says and pats my hand that she still has hold of.

I smile at her. "Would either of you care for a brownie?"

They shake their heads as they stand.

"No thanks," Delaney says. "We'll leave you to your studies."

I walk them to the door, thanking them again as they leave. I sigh and lock the door behind them. I suppose it was too much to hope for. I turn around to see the vase my mother cherishes go crashing to the floor, water spilling onto the tile, ceramic chips scattering, and violets crushing. Footsteps drum from above before my mother appears at the stairs, flying down them. She gasps and falls to her knees beside it, tears streaming down her face. I watch her pick up pieces, trying to recreate it in her hands, cutting herself in the process and ignoring the blood that pours from her fingers.

"Maybe she'll cut herself too deep," the voice of my grandmother comes from beside me.

I tilt my head, watching mother cuddle the pieces to her chest. "It could happen, though two deaths in this house could be messy."

Grandmother laughs. "I'll protect you, dear."

I turn to her foggy form and smile. "I know."

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty-one.

I had one line for this story in my head forever; it's nice to finally add more to it. Hope you enjoy day twenty-one!

U is for Underground.

The surface-dwellers call it The Underground. I call it home.

The Unicorn's Mane is as dark as it usually is, smog and sewage from above stinking the place we call home. Mud covers the streets, old brick buildings barely stand, lights barely work. The sun doesn't reach our ground, our skin. We're pale, the under-goers, but we're strong. We've survived every ball the surface-dwellers have thrown our way. The bar isn't as crowded as usual, many from our faction are out on a job, getting money from the leaches above. But Lyra still brings rounds, still smiles, still flirts with me, rolls her eyes at Zane.

"You don't see people in suits often," my brother, Zane, says.

I look up from loading my gun, raising an eyebrow at the man entering the bar wearing a suit and tie. "You know him?"

Zane shakes his head beside me as the man turns and heads in our direction. "What did you do, Constance?"

I smile at the man, ignoring my brother, once he stops in front of our table.

"You're Constance Lamki?"

"And who are you?" I ask.

"Roi Stadelman," he says. "I'm here on behalf of Gyrotronics."

My eyebrows shoot up beneath my bangs.

"We've seen your work," he continues and I can feel my brother staring at me, asking how do these surface-dwellers know of me. "We want you to come work with us."

"You do realize what I do, yes?"

He grins, quick and sharp. "Of course."

"Can I get you a drink, sir?" Lyra asks as she sidles up beside me.

Roi looks around then, notices the attention focused on him. He smiles and takes a seat in an empty chair at our table and nods at Lyra. "Whatever you recommend."

She smiles brightly then and walks away. She's a sucker for those that ask what she likes best.

"I'm not quite sure I understand how I could be of assistance," I say once Lyra's at the bar making her favourite drink.

"You seem to understand the network much better than any of our tech guys; it takes them days just to figure out you've been there, let alone what you've done," he stops as Lyra places a tall, dark drink in front of him. He thanks her and takes a sip, smiling at the dark rum floating across his tongue. I was the one that had introduced Lyra to this rum; she fell in love instantly. "We'd like you to work with us, create things the others never even thought of. I and my superiors know you're more than capable. We'd like you to give us your support."

I bite the inside of my lip, watching as he takes another sip. "I want to get power working down here again."

He nods. "Doable."

I raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're listening? Our home is huge. This area you stepped into, this is just our faction. There are ten other factions down here."

He grins. "And if you get power to them under Gyrotronics name, do you think they'd support us?"

I blink before a laugh bursts forth and I turn to my brother who is grinning at the man.

"I like how you think," Zane says. "Constance has been waiting for one of the companies to get the balls to talk to her; we're glad it's you."

Roi nods. "I came as soon as I found what faction you were in. It took our guys a little longer than I thought."

I grin. "When shall we start?"

A-Z Challenge. Day twenty.

A quick little poem for day twenty. Enjoy :)

T is for Time.

It's strange,
isn't it? How
humans are so
obsessed
with the concept
of time.
We need more
hours in a day,
days in a week.
We rush, rush,
stressing
to get everything done.
Rarely, do we stop
to breathe deep,
put down our phones,
daydream,
stare at the stars,
take time for ourselves.

A moment
to stop
and put away
the devices attached,
almost permanently,
to our hands.
Take a step back,
smell roses,
listen to the singing birds,
and just be.

A-Z Challenge. Day nineteen.

This one took me a little longer to figure out what S would be for, but I did it! Enjoy day nineteen :)

S is for Safe and Sound.

Her feet slap against the ground as she runs through the trees, pushing branches out of her face as more scrape her bare arms. Her breath comes out in pants, grey eyes wide in fear. The light from the dying sun guides her way through the forest. Hooves pound on the ground behind her, sounding like multiple horses spread out to try and surround her.

She stumbles over a root, hopping on one foot to gain her balance and shake out the pain in her toes before she continues, running through the pain. Her arms pump at her sides, fists clenched and nails biting into her palms. Her satchel slaps against her hip as she runs and she prays nothing falls out.

"We know you're there, theif!" A male's voice shouts from behind her. "Stop and turn yourself in."

She shakes her head as she reaches the part of the forest where the trees start to thin, revealing the turquoise lake that sits in the middle. She takes a deep breath, doesn't turn around, and runs right onto the water, her feet slapping against it as if it were ground. She spreads her hands out to the side beside her, unclenches her fists to point her palms towards the water.

"What the," she hears from behind her as she continues across the water. "Halt witch!"

She laughs then and pushes her hands towards the water, causing her to speed up. A roar comes from behind her as the creature that lives in the lake surfaces, glaring at the men on horses.

The men scream and unsheathe their swords while their horses rear back.

The creature raises its long neck to the sky, sucking in air, before tilting its head to the men and blowing the air at them. They go flying into the trees, off their horses, landing with a crunch into bark.

She jumps off the water at the other side of the lake and turns back. She smiles and waves at the creature that nods before diving back into the water. She doesn't stay to watch if the men survived the attack, she just continues into the forest, aiming for her hut up in the trees where she feels safe. She sees the tree she marked with her power and jumps up to the lowest branch, grabbing it and pulling herself up. She climbs a little higher, entering the hut she built and taking off the satchel. She dumps the contents onto the small table she has, grinning when she sees nothing has fallen out. A clump of carrots, a couple apples, and a loaf of bread sit on the table. She grabs an apple and bites in, the juice flowing over her lips. She takes a step back and falls onto the mound of fabric she's collected over the years, sighing in happiness. She made it another day, safe and sound.

A-Z Challenge. Day eighteen.

Here it is, day 18.

R is for Rainbow

Glenn Karasik stood in front of the stained glass window of the church that stood atop a hill and overlooked the small town of Falconbourne. Behind the church stretched the cemetery, surrounded by the only trees in and around the town. Below where Glenn stood was the path that led up to the church from the town. It was empty, as usual; everyone believing the Gods had abandoned them.

Glenn cast his deep emerald eyes over the dry and dead grass of the town, the empty farms where farmers still tried to grow crops to feed the town; another dry spell. This one going on eight months now. Glenn couldn’t understand what it was they did to anger the Gods.

“Father?”

He turned, not hearing the door open, and watched as eight-year-old Raine walked into the church, her hands twisting together as if she were nervous. Glenn put on a smile. “Yes dear?”

“Forgive me,” she said before dropping to her knees just before the stained glass, head down and hands in prayer above them.

“What is it that you think you’ve done, child?”

“I caused the dry spell.” Tears choked her voice. “I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.”

Glenn stepped forward and crouched down in front of her. “You didn’t cause the dry spell.”

“Yes I did,” she argued.

“What makes you think this?”

“I did a spell,” she started, curling her hands into her hair and keeping her head down. “It wasn’t supposed to do this.”

He shook his head, a smile on his lips. “What was it supposed to do?”

“Make rainbows,” she whispered.

He laughed and patted her head. “Rainbows are supposed to be a gift from Alear.”

Raine sniffled.

“I’m sure if you told her just how sorry you are she’ll bring them back.”

Raine took her hands off her head and looked up at him, eyes wide and rimmed with tears. “Really?”

Glenn nodded and gestured over him to the altar.

Raine stood up, a serious look on her young face, and walked to the altar, getting back down on her knees before it, hands in prayer in front of her face.

Glenn stood up, knees creaking as he did, and watched her for a moment with a smile before he looked back out the window. His eyes widened as he watched dark clouds roll across the sky, rain coming down in sheets and heading to their town. He turned back to see Raine still before the altar on her knees, hands in prayer and eyes closed.

He turned back to the window as he heard cheers come from the town and he watched as farmers pulled their wives into a dance, laughter filling the town once again.

“Thank you, father,” Raine said and he looked down to see her standing beside him.

He smiled. “No, dear, thank you and Alear. You are truly blessed.”

Raine looked up with a smile. “I’ll be good from now on, and I’ll remember rainbows are Alear’s gifts to us.”

Glenn nodded and patted her shoulder before turning back to the town. Rain continued to pour and as it did he watched the grass turn green before his eyes and he knew Alear had not given up on them and never would, so long as Raine was here.

“Let’s go play,” Raine said and tugged on his hand.

Glenn laughed and shook his head. “I need to stay here, protect the church.”

“Alear will watch it for us,” Raine said and her eyes glowed a light pink as she said this.

Glenn let her pull him outside and he tilted his head to the sky, letting the rain kiss his face.

“Look, father, look!” Raine tugged on his hand and he looked down at her, following the finger she was pointing across the town to see a rainbow painted against the dark clouds shining brighter than normal. “I told mother I’d behave,” Raine whispered. “But she said I need to keep practicing; I’m still learning.”

Glenn studied her face, watching her eyes glow pink again, before she smiled up at him. “Don’t forget to be a kid every now and then,” he said and she laughed, letting go of his hand.

“I’ll never forget that,” she said before running into the trees around the church, kicking off her shoes behind her and jumping into the mucky soil underneath a tree blooming with pink flowers. Her head tilted back and he swore in that moment he would protect her with his life.

A-Z Challenge. Day seventeen.

This is just a cute piece I came up with. Q is a difficult letter. Hope you enjoy day seventeen :)

Q is for Quidditch.

Her blue eyes were wide as she watched the chasers fly above her. She grasped the railing between her tiny hands, gasping when the quaffle swished past her nose that was pressed against the chainlink fence.

The players flew through the stadium, chasers throwing the quaffle and ducking from the bludgers that the beaters were aiming at them.

She gasped excited as the seeker on the blue team dove for the snitch. A smile started to spread across her lips. She clapped as he grabbed the snitch.

"Kaylee, come on," her mother said, pulling on her shoulder.

She blinked and stepped back, watching the teams walk off the field, brooms clutched in their hands. The stadium faded from her imagination to reveal a soccer field, quidditch goals set up on either end by the soccer nets. The blue seeker waved at her with a wink. She smiled before turning to her mother.

"Did you enjoy the end of the game?" Her mother asked as she grabbed Kaylee's hand.

"Yeah," Kaylee said as she skipped along beside her mother. "They were really good fliers."

Her mother laughed as they walked away, down the sidewalk towards home.

A-Z Challenge. Day sixteen.

Since I ran out of time yesterday, here is day sixteen.

P is for Palace.

Music from the piano echoed through the ballroom, girls in ballgowns twirled in the arms of men in tuxedos. King Rowan gazed out at the dancers, a smile twitching on his lips.

"Talia shouldn't be dancing with that one," his wife, Queen Calista, said.

He looked over to see a frown marring her beautiful face. "Now, darling, you know Talia is doing it to get a rise out of you."

Calista sighed. "Of course she is," she muttered, watching as Talia twirled, shooting her a smirk. Calista rolled her eyes. "Today is supposed to be the day she chooses a husband."

Rowan laughed and scooped up Calista's hand. "I do believe she's chosen already and is merely dancing with those she considers friends."

Calista linked their fingers together. "And who has she chosen?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Calista spared him a look.

"Mother, father," Katharina, their second daughter, curtsied before them.

Rowan grinned at his daughter. "Katharina," he said and held out his arm, still holding his wife's hand. "Enjoying the party?"

Katharina shrugged. "Sure," she said, not bothering to walk into her father's embrace. "Has Talia chosen yet?"

"Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Calista asked. "Your father believes so but both him and Talia are strange at the best of times."

Rowan turned with a pout.

Calista smiled gently at him, patting his cheek. "We love you just the way you are."

A bright smile before Calista kissed him. Katharina rolled her eyes and turned away, stepping down off the dais.

"Katharina," Talia said as she came up and threw an arm around her sisters shoulder. Katharina wrinkled her nose at the heavy sent of wine wafting from her sister. "Dance with me."

Katharina shrugged her arm off. "No thanks."

Talia pouted. "What's wrong?"

Katharina smiled. "You should be dancing with your soon to be husband."

"I've got all night for that," Talia said and headed back to the bar.

Katharina sighed before heading out to the balcony. The night was a little chilly, a wind blowing in from the ocean their palace overlooked. The balcony was lit by the two moons and Katharina tilted her head back, breathing in the fresh air.

"What is a pretty thing like you doing out here?"

Katharina turned to see Prince Alec leaning against the doorframe. She shrugged and turned back to the ocean. She heard his footsteps as he walked toward her.

"Tired of being in your sisters shadow?"

She looked at him from the corner of her eye before sighing. "No," she said. "I have no desire to run a kingdom. Talia is more than capable."

"Why the long face, then?"

She turned to face him and only saw curiosity, no judgment. She smiled. "I want to join the army."

His eyes widened.

She laughed. "Father had the same reaction. He hasn't said yes or no yet."

"You want to join the army?"

Katharina nodded. "The most enjoyable lessons for me are archery, sparing, and horseback."

"I," Alec started before laughing. "I'm impressed."

She smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Have you held a sword before?"

Katharina rolled her eyes. "The captain is generous and has been giving me lessons on and off since I was sixteen."

"And your father doesn't want you in the army because?"

"I'm sure it's something about not wanting me to be hurt."

The music stopped inside and Katharina turned around. "I guess Talia has finally chosen."

Alec held out his arm and Katharina took it, using it to guide him back into the ballroom. Talia stood beside her mother and father up on the dais, smiling at those gathered. Katharina stopped just inside the doors and smiled up at her sister.

"Ladies and gentlemen," King Rowan said, his voice booming across the ballroom. Those gathered buzzed with anticipation.

Talia crooked her finger at someone in the crowd and Katharina watched as Prince Carver made his way through the crowd. Katharina shook her head, wondering why she didn't figure it out before. Carver and Talia have always been close since they met when they were five.

Rowan beamed at Carver as he stepped onto the dais beside Talia. "Welcome to the family," he said and the room cheered, calling out catcalls as Carver dipped Talia, pressing a deep kiss to her lips.

A-Z Challenge. Day fifteen.

Used a picture prompt for this one. Hope you enjoy day fifteen. :)

O is for Ocean.

Waves kiss
sand, squished
between my toes.
Suns rays caress
my cheeks
as the earth
turns away
from its heat.

Salt lingers
wafting from blue
clinging to my hair,
my skin.
An arm drapes
my shoulders. I
lean into his strength. Smiling.
He presses his lips
to my hair, guides
me back towards
our hotel.
Our friends await
margaritas in hand.

A-Z Challenge. Day fourteen.

The form of this poem is the Sestina. One of my favourites and I thought I'd try my hand at it again. Hope you enjoy day 14 :)

N is for Night

Shadows cling to the sidewalk,
houses around me are dark.
I stumble along, grasping at the light
provided by the street lamps, glowing
golden. Guiding, the full moon
creates a path for me home.

It feels like ages since I left for home,
my heels click along the sidewalk,
I turn my face to the moon,
trying to ignore the dark
demons around me, eyes glowing
giving off an unnatural light.

Turning down a street, a light
breeze blows my hair and I can see home.
A beacon at the end of the street, glowing;
flowers growing over the edge of the sidewalk.
Dog barks, silhouette a dark
smudge against the fence lit by the moon.

A deep breath of air, the moon
guides me with its light
passed the houses clawing from the dark
to keep me from home.
I quicken my steps, jumping over sidewalk
cracks, aiming for my glowing

goal at the end of the street with glowing
fairies sitting beneath the moon,
legs dangling over the sidewalk.
I pause in the light
certain I heard a sound from the home
of my neighbours, the windows dark,

the Mazda absent. Stretching from the dark,
shadows start to tear into the glowing
gold, and I just want to be home.
A quick peek at the moon,
I take strength from its light,
to guide me over the last bit of sidewalk.

I pass the last dark house, using the moon
and the glowing gold of the light
posts to reach home. One last step and I'm off the sidewalk.

A-Z Challenge. Day thirteen.

Here it is, day 13!

M is for Music.

I sit with my back against the trunk, up on a branch a few feet from the ground and hidden from view of the house across the street. Her voice gently caresses my ears from the open window on the second floor. Every Thursday is the same; I come here to sit and listen to her sing. On Tuesday it's the violin. She knows I'm here, says she sings for me.

I lean my head against the bark, smiling, as I hear her instructor praising her. At least, that's what I think he's saying. I can't make out his words but she deserves all the praise in the world.

It feels a lot sooner than usual when I hear the front door open and the telltale sign of a mustang starting up before it drives away. I look down at my watch; the lesson ended ten minutes early.

I shift slightly and look towards the house between the leaves. Her window is still open and it looks like her mother is in there yelling at her judging by the gestures of her arms. I furrow my brow. What happened?

I hear a truck pull into the street and look over to see her step-father's truck driving up the road to their place. What is he doing home so early?

He parks on the driveway, not bothering to go into the garage, and gets out with a slam of the door behind him. He looks pissed. I bite my lip as I watch him storm into the house and soon I see him in her room. Only he's yelling at her mom. I tilt my head. He looks to be standing in front of her as if protecting her from her mother. Her mom is yelling back at him and I want to go in and make sure she's okay. But I know if I do that it'll just make things worse.

The mother leaves with a huff and it's then I notice she's crying. Her step-father grabs her in a hug, cradling her against his chest.

The front door slams and I look down to see her mother storming out of the house, hands clutching a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She pulls one out and lights up. She starts pacing then and I look back up to her room. Her step-father is wiping away her tears and she smiles at him, saying something that gets him to laugh. He leaves after and she turns to the window, giving me a smile and a thumbs up. I'm not quite sure I understand yet.

The front door closes again and I look down to see her step-father ask her mom a question. Her mom interrupts, throwing the still lit cigarette at him before pulling off her wedding ring and doing the same. Her step-father remains calm through this and it's then I clue in. She had said something earlier today at school about telling her mother about us and that we were more than just friends. Her step-father has known for a few months now, and he accepts us, loves her as his own more than her own mother.

I watch as her mother gestures to the house and her step-father laughs. He looks happier today than I've seen him in a while. I watch his lips clearly state that the only thing that's hers is the Mazda in the garage. She is legally his by adoption, not that her mother wants anything to do with her anyway it seems like, and the house has always been in his name. Her mother huffs, enters the house only to go to the garage and speed out in her little yellow Mazda, tearing down the street.

I jump down from my perch and cross the street.

"Hi Mr. Sobeck," I say.

"Hello Raven," he says sounding tired. "Melody's up in her room."

I nod and head passed him, opening the door and toeing off my shoes. I climb the steps, lightly brushing my hand against the rail. I open her door to see her sitting at her desk hunched over a book, eyes devouring the page.

She looks up and grins. "Raven," she says standing. She walks up to me and brushes a hand down my cheek. "How was I today?"

I laugh. "Perfect, as always."

She grins. "It's a lovely day today isn't it?"

I step closer, bringing my hand up to curl around her hip bone. "It is. Though your step-father doesn't seem too happy."

"He'll be fine," she says and cups the back of my neck. "He'll find someone actually worth his time and the woman that gave birth to me will be gone from our lives." She wraps her hand in my long, black hair. "But enough about that." She pulls on my head so our lips are a hair's breath away. "Let's focus on us and the night that lies ahead of us."

I grin before my lips are taken by hers.

A-Z Challenge. Day twelve.

Yes this idea came because of Thor, but I kind of hinted at something else from one of my previous entries. Hope you enjoyed! :)

Day 12. L is for Lightning.

Rain poured from the grey clouds, soaking her turquoise dress to her ivory skin. Her face was tilted up, green eyes closed and strawberry blonde hair matted over her shoulders and down her back. A smile was on her lips.

She stood in an open soccer field, the only sound from the odd car that passed by on the street a few yards away. She stood alone in the grass. Thunder rolled through the clouds and she laughed.

Lightning flashed and she started to twirl, skirt flaring out slightly from her legs despite the rain.

"Rosalyn!" A voice called.

She stopped and opened her eyes, watching Zayden run through the field squinting.

"What are you doing?" Zayden asked as he stopped beside her.

She laughed and twirled. "Don't you feel energized when the lightning strikes and the thunder roars?"

"No." He looked at her like she was crazy. "Come on, let's go home."

She shook her head and took a step away from him. "I'm fine."

Zayden rolled his eyes. "You're going to get sick."

Rosalyn smirked. "I don't get sick when it thunders." She turned and started running across the field, heading towards the path just down the hill.

"Rosalyn!" Zayden sighed.

"I'll meet you at the house!" Rosalyn waved as she started down the hill. Trees grew randomly among the path that curled behind a school. She stopped when she was hidden from view and she was sure Zayden hadn't followed her. She tilted her head to the sky and smiled. Lightning flashed above her and she seemed to glow with it, her green eyes turning gold as power seemed to fill her body. She spread her arms out, palms up, and breathed deep.

"My beautiful daughter," a voice cooed from in front of her.

She looked over to see a man standing in a golden light, armour covering his muscled body, blonde hair blowing in the wind. "Hello father," she said and took a step forward.

He opened his arms and she ran into them. He lifted her off the ground, a happy laugh bursting from his lips. "How I have missed you!"

She laughed and clutched him tighter. "When can I come home?"

He sighed as he placed her feet back on the ground. "Soon," he said. "It is still far too dangerous for you."

She let her head fall to his shoulder, her forehead clinking against his armour.

"I know you think you can fight, but I will not risk you."

She nodded.

"Another fortnight, I should think."

She gasped and jerked back to look at his face. "Seriously?"

He grinned. "Your mother will need you home then."

She lurched forward to crush him in a hug. "Oh father," she whispered.

"Your mother misses you terribly."

"I miss her too," she whispered. "Say hi for me, yeah?"

"Of course." He stepped back, gently pushing her away. "A fortnight."

She nodded and a flash of lightning took him away again. She sagged slightly, a pout forming on her pink lips. She started to tread through the grass, back the way she came, heading to the place she's called home for five years. She clenched her fists. A fortnight. She could do this. She could live on this primitive world for fourteen more days. It wasn't long now; she would get to be reunited with her family and finally help her mother take back her kingdom.