V. J. Chambers Val St. Crowe

~joan~ Jason had called a meeting of the community. He’d told me that he wanted me by his side for this one. He said my presence gave him…

~joan~ The sun hung heavy in the sky, staining the clouds crimson. I stood on top of the hill outside the A-frame with the other concubines. Under the…

~joan~ I nestled against Jason’s shoulder. It was late at night. A sheet covered us. He held me so carefully in his arms, like I was something precious….

~joan~ “You can’t just walk out on a house gathering,” Lori said, her arms folded over her chest. I’d just walked into the A-frame. It was mid-morning, and…

~joan~ “So,” Tessa was saying, “you remember how when we first got here, Jason was talking about reporting suspicious people?” We were sitting in our stifling room in…

~kieran~ I dreamed I was in a music video for “Welcome to the Jungle,” by Guns n’ Roses. The music video starred Jason. The music kicked in right…

~kieran~ Lily was at the door to the apartment. She had Ursula with her, a younger girl who worked for the OF. Ursula babysat for me sometimes. Lily’s…

~joan~ It was instinctive. I struggled. My hands went to his hand on my throat, and I tried to pull it away. His face loomed over mine, twisted…

~joan~ “Can you see him?” asked Tessa, straining on tiptoe to peer over the shoulders of the crowd at the stage in front of us. It wasn’t a…