By Avery, TIWP Student The first thing Eli said when I opened the door was, “You still hate mornings?” I stared at him. He grinned. It was the same crooked grin I remembered from when we were ten, when he used to steal the last blue popsicle from my freezer and blame it on the […]

By Aggie, TIWP Student “So I assume you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today.” I reach to turn up my music volume, avoiding the strange man’s gaze and clinging to the opposite corner of the elevator, trying to spread indifference across my face—a difficult task considering his odd comment. I fold my lips […]

By Katelyn, TIWP Student I pretend to like running, but I use it as an excuse to listen to music. That’s why I usually take the stairs at any building I go to. Performative much? Maybe. That’s okay because no one needs to know how fake I am. If I didn’t force myself to run […]

By Katelyn H., TIWP Student “You are my breath, the air that keeps me alive…” — ENHYPHEN The crowd’s voices swallowed mine instantly. Thousands of light sticks glowed around me, an ocean of white and orange stretching farther than I could see. The bass rattled through the floor and up my legs. The air felt charged, […]

By Rose U., TIWP Student Today’s the third date of the week, and it’s only Wednesday. I think this guy’s named Eric or Evan or Ethan or something like that. Hopefully he doesn’t greet me with my name so I don’t have to try to recall his, or maybe I can just mumble something quiet […]

By Rose Upson, TIWP Student Phillip Richardson was an every man. He worked a mundane job at a small accounting firm in Seattle. Everything about him was average; his kids, his wife, his personality, his tastes, his income, everything down to his height – an average 5’8. In a post-apocalyptic world, he kept things plain. […]

By Avery Corey, TIWP Student The Ninth Ring No one went into the clock tower anymore. The door stuck when it rained, and the steps smelled like rust and old birds. From the square, it looked exactly as it always had: a narrow spine of stone, a face with numbers rubbed pale by years of […]

By Dasha Young, TIWP Student Chapter One One day Charlotte woke up to find that her whole world had changed. It was a windy morning in early September, peaceful at a first glance. Charlotte woke up with a smile on her face. She laid in the soft pillows of her bed, thinking about the wonderful […]

By Avery Corey, TIWP Student The massive chandelier of the Monte-Carlo Casino dangled in the center of the ballroom, the almond-shaped diamonds dripped with light, spreading throughout every tile of the marble floor like broken glass. Soft music drifted throughout the ballroom, slow enough to make every waltz look rehearsed. Beneath their masks, the richest […]

By Dasha Young, TIWP Student 1. The Diamond She took a sip of tea, but as she put it down, she noticed something strange. “May I be excused?” she asked before sneaking the diamond she found in her cup down her silk sleeve and retreating to an empty sitting room. She lit a candle and […]