Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Wednesday Brief: Brought Home

 
This week brings you a series of New Year's prompts and the conclusion to Brought Home. Let me tell you, finishing this in a flash piece just 500-1000 words was not easy! I hope you guys like it though. My prompt choice was to use the words: Toast, Hangover, and Kiss.


Brought Home
 
 I spent Christmas day on the couch at Mack's parents. He gave me a warm fuzzy blanket. I liked that it was the same bright green of his eyes. When I rubbed my face against it the softness felt like warm fur.

 Buying a gift for Mack hadn't been in my budget, plus I'd expected to spend the day alone. I'd been shocked when I pulled the Celtic knot bracelet out of my coat pocket. I know I hadn't taken it; I'd never gotten off the couch at Dag’s store. The note I felt crinkly in the pocket just said Happy Holiday with a stylized D.

What a strange man. I begged a gift bag from Maggie, Mack's mom. I loved the surprised grin on Mack's face when he opened it and instantly put it on.
"Thank you Jo," he whispered. I shuddered when his soft lips touched my ear.

 I smiled weakly. "Thank you too." I rubbed my cheek on my blanket. "I love this, it's so soft and warm."

 Mack's eyes burned into me. "I wanted to keep you from getting cold."

The arrival of Mack's mother let me look away. I cleared and started coughing. Maggie patted my back before handing me a cup of tea.

"Drink up, lad. You'll be right as rain in no time."

I’d no idea how to respond to mothering, so I took a long drink. She seemed satisfied with that, smoothing the blanket over my shoulder. "Dinner will be ready soon."

I yawned, being sick sucked. I finished my tea, grimacing at the sweet honey. Mack plucked my cup from my hand, then put my head in his lap. I was surprised but when his hand started sliding through my hair, I decided I didn't care. The headache from all the sinus pressure eased as I relaxed.

"Take a nap. We're gonna watch the game." Another surprise, Mack's dad came in and sat down in the chair without saying a word. Like my head in Mack's lap was nothing.

What a strange family … but I think I liked them almost as much as I did Mack.

***

It took five days before I didn’t feel like I had a hangover. Thankfully, I always recovered quickly and only had to use two sick days.

 
It was New Year's Eve and the tension between us was driving me crazy. Mack had rubbed my head and fed me soup and medicines til I was better.
 
We planned on going out to celebrate, toast a new year together. My black jeans fit like a glove and I paired them with a clean white t-shirt.
 
"Ready to party?" His black shirt made Mack’s pale skin glow. I blinked, enjoying the way he moved as he bent over and pulled on his shoes, and not listening at all.

 "Jochym!"

I glared at him. "Don't call me that."

"Well then pay attention."

 I so was.

Mack walked over to me, his hips swinging. I swallowed hard.

"I asked if you were ready to go to the club."

He stood close enough I could feel the heat of his body. I’d planned on kissing him at midnight but … I yanked Mack close, one hand on his neck and the other against the small of his back.

"I'm tired of the teasing," I growled.

Mack raised one eyebrow. "So?"

 A week of being too sick to do anything about the bulge that kept growing in his jeans made me impatient. Our teeth clicked together as I shoved my tongue in his mouth, tasting and exploring every inch.

 His hands clutched my shoulders as Mack kissed back. It was every bit as good as I'd imagined but now my pants were too tight. My cock ached as I rubbed against him, feeling the ridge of his erection.

 "Bedroom." He hauled me to his room by my wrist. It was a race to see who could undress first. I waited for the right moment, then pushed Mack down on the bed. “Hey, my boots!"

 I yanked them off and then pushed his pants down.

 "Commando, huh?"

 Mack's green eyes gleamed. "Quick."

 "Hot." Our cocks rubbed together as I kissed him. We both moaned. I pushed up, stroking his chest and flicking his nipples. His legs closed around my hips and yanked me close.

 "We can do the foreplay thing later." His erection was angry red and weeping. "I need you."

His hoarse voice and the way his eyes darkened with need stole my ability to speak. Mack reached under the pillow and pulled out lube and a condom. How like my Mack.

"I wanted to be prepared, just in case."

 I took them from him. I put the condom on first, knowing that as soon as I touched him I'd be lost. I was right; his soft heat pulled me in as I slicked him up. His back arched as I nailed his prostate with two fingers.

"Now!" he gasped.

My mind shattered when I pushed into him. I was left with scattered impressions of tight heat, a pounding rhythm and small pricks of pain as Mack's nails dug into my ass. He demanded more and I shoved a pillow under his ass, shifting until he shuddered and cried out. I pushed in over and over, nailing his prostate.

He came first, my hand stroking him as I bit my cheek, trying to hold back. He shouted my name as cum shot across his stomach and chest.
 
I let go of my control and pounded into him until the hardest orgasm of my life sent me flying. "Mack!"

Panting, I collapsed on the bed. Mack sighed. "Why'd we wait so long to do that?" I shook my head.

"I dunno."

"Want to go again?"

Amazingly, I did. He teased me for ages. By the time the clock struck midnight we were both sweaty and sticky. I finally gave him the long, slow kiss I'd planned.
 
 "Happy New Year."

 
The End
 
After you left a review *wink wink* don't forget to check out the other great stories from the Briefers!

Lily Sawyer       m/m 
MA Church         m/m
Nephylim          m/m
MC Houle          m/m



 

Friday, December 21, 2012

New Short: A World Changing Gun

Hey readers! I know many have been patiently waiting for more Adverse Effects, and I really do appreciate it. I have recently had some extra (though temporary) responsibilities added to my docket of 'Cia do!!'. I am trying to come out with new material as fast as I can however. This is one of my extra projects, a new short story which is part of Gay Author's Special Mayan Tribute Anthology.

Check out my story, then read the others over there too! Feel free to pop back here and leave me a review if you're not a GA member, though I've said it before, why aren't you? It's free!!

Enjoy!



Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wednesday Briefs Holiday Short: Brought Home

 
Happy almost Christmas! This story will be short, just this week and next. I hope you like it!!
 
Brought Home


The glass was cold against my fingers. I traced the small chips that made up the bright red berries of the holly. I blew on my fingertips, then tucked them under my arms. My ears and nose burned. My steps squeaked in the snow as I walked away from the new store.

I coughed, the rasping bark breaking the quiet as I fought the spasm. On a dead street, in the tiny town I’d recently drifted into, everyone was at home enjoying the holiday with family. Except me.

“Hey!” A hand grasped my shoulder, stopping me. “Hold on a second.”

I stopped, too tired to argue when he turned me, never letting go. “What?” All I wanted to do was sleep.

“You don’t sound too good. Maybe you should come inside?”

Blinking, I studied the man staring at me. He was older, his hair gray with bushy eyebrows shadowing his dark blue eyes.  He looked at me funny. “I’m not homeless,” I blurted out.

He chuckled. “Okay.”

“No, really. I’ve an apartment four blocks over. I just was cold and I have to walk to work.” Okay, the second jacket I had on was ragged, but it was one Mack had left when he back home for the holidays. He’d taken his good one. I’d been traveling light before I found my way to my one college friend so I’d borrowed it. I was too tired to argue with this guy though. “I swear, you can che—”

I started coughing. Fighting to breathe, I couldn’t stop the man from pulling me back to the holly building. He pushed me down onto a couch. My whole body ached but the cushions cradled my body. I tried to sigh and started coughing again.

“Stay right there.” He picked up an earthernware mug and filled it with yellow liquid from a teapot.  I wrinkled up my nose. Tea was not exactly, well … my cup of tea.

The man chuckled. “Just try it.”

The first sip wasn’t too bad; the heat soothed my throat. I groaned as warmth began to soak into my body. I took in the shop around me. Mack would love it. It was full of antiques-many of them Celtic. Blinking began to take more effort.  I didn’t want to move but I needed to get home to my cold, quiet apartment.

Where I would be alone, at Christmas, while sick. Happy Holidays to me.

My voice was raspy when I said, “Thanks for the tea, but I need—” A yawn took over before I could tell the guy I needed to go home. I couldn’t seem to stop drinking the tea.

“I know what you need. First you must rest.”

I couldn’t stay with a stranger. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Call me Dag. This is my shop.”

“Thanks, Dag, but I’m—” The cup slipped in my hand and Dag caught it before it broke.

He chuckled and set it aside, guiding me down. The pillow felt like a cloud under my head and my exhausted body was too heavy to move. I should’ve been worried but I wasn’t.

“You can sleep safe here, friend. The holly will have you better before you know it.” Dag tucked a blanket around my shoulders. I yawned.

He mumbled, “Now for the other.”

****

“You’re a wee fool, aren’t you?” The accented voice woke me. Cracking open my eyes, I looked up. Mack was scowling down at me.

“How did you get here?” I croaked. Mack held out a glass of water. “How did I get here?”

I was in the bed at Mack’s apartment. I tried to figure out how I’d gotten home. Had I imagined the store?

“A weird guy named Dag called, said he’d rescued you walking down the street with a fever. He helped me bring you home. I told you to use my car while I was gone. Instead the only thing you borrow is my ratty old jacket.”

I’d never admit I’d borrowed it more for the fact that it was his than warmth. Way too juvenile.

“You’re already giving me a place to live til I get my feet under me.” Having a place to call home this year meant I was better off than last year. I’d been nursing a bit of a flame for Mack for a few years but I was trying not to screw things up so I’d kept it to myself.

“Well you can’t stay here now.”

My heart sank. I’d screwed up again. No real family and I was bad at making friends. Mack was really the only person that I’d cared to keep tabs on. I threw back the blanket, meaning to leave before the tears burning in my eyes could fall.

 “I’m naked.”

Mack snorted.

“Why’m I naked?”

 “You were soaked when your fever broke.”

That was not how I’d wanted Mack to strip me. He’d already seen me so I threw modesty to the wind and stood up.

Tried to, at least. I would’ve crashed into the table if Mack hadn’t caught me.

“Where are you going?” he snapped, pushing me down.

 I needed some clothes and my shoes then I’d be out of Mack’s hair. “You said I couldn’t stay.”

“I said stay here. Mom said I was to bring you home. Now that you’re too weak to argue, you’re going.”

So Mack could take care of me?

“You know, you talked a lot in your fever.”

Nausea twisted my stomach. What had I said?

“I thought you weren’t interested in being more than friends,” Mack said. “Have you really been carrying a torch for me for five years?”

I shrugged and looked away.

Mack’s hands felt good on my face as he pushed my hair back. “I want you to come home with me for Christmas, as my boyfriend.” I was lost when I met his bright green eyes.

“Okay.”

Maybe it would be a good Christmas after all.
 
TBC Next week!
Don't forget to check out the other great Holiday stories by the other Wednesday Briefers!
Victoria Adams   m/f
Lily Sawyer      m/m 
MA Church        m/m
MC Houle         m/m
Tali Spencer     m/m

Friday, December 14, 2012

Feature & Follow 9





Q: What is the last book that made you cry? Tell us about the scene…

A: Well, this happens more than most think. I don't cry when I write, though many of my authors friends do. I focus too much on the mechanics of showing the character's emotions to be that emotionally involved myself. But reading... I'm not longer myself when I read a good book, I'm in the character's life.

    The last book to really make me cry was Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane. I re-read it the other day and when Deacon almost loses Crick, after all the shit they went through... epic emotion grabbing moment. The entire story is full of the shit life can hand you, without quite going overboard-imo. The 2nd and 3rd stories are great as well in the series, invoking tears at one point or another, but nothing on par with Deacon and Crick's moments.

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
    • (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
    • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
    • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
    • Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
    • If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
    • Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
    • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
    • If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Orphic Revelations Part 6


This week there were several prompts that would fit my flash story for the Wednesday Briefer's group. Each week those participating pick one of the prompts, or more, and write a 500-1k word flash story or chapter. I had to pick from a variety of 4 photos, as well as several line/word prompts. I choose the photo prompt below. The image itself sort of embodied Tek's spirit through the whole story to me. I hope you enjoy this latest installment of Orphic Revelations.




"Did you dream?"

I nodded. All the knowledge of my past cycles had combined into one startling moment of realization at what I had to do.

We were facing Cronus, Titan of Time. I'd expected him in this last cycle. Defeating time ... a trick wouldn't save us, not like when I'd forced Oceanus to follow me as I flew on the back of Tek's eagle into a desert, depriving him of his salt water until his powers weakened enough to kill him.

Iapetus controlled the lifespan of humans. He must have been the one who snipped the lives of my family short. It hadn't been their time, not truly, or my dreams would not have tried to warn me even before my powers came into being. Tek could handle him as a wemic because he wasn't a human then.

But Cronus was coming into his power in a matter of days. We had to be in the lowlands before then.

Tek's lion came through the wall; 'd grown used to his shadow travels. "Can you take me with you through the shadows?"

Tek nodded. "It is the quickest way to get down the mountain." His lion had been rubbing against me but when Tek began to glow, his powers called to the proud beast. My eyes burned and I covered them as the white hot light flared.

"Come, Nysion." Tek held out his hand. I took it, swinging onto the low back of his lion half. My hands settled onto his waist and I leaned my head against his back. "Ready?"

I hoped I was. We walked into the shadows and my stomach clenched. The world faded and blurred. I closed my eyes. I could feel the warm fuzzy body moving between my legs as the lion's lithe body paced onward steadily.

Each night we snuggled under the stars, Tek's lion curled up on the other side of the fire. For the first time since my coming of age my dreams were of the future I wished for, not my pasts.

Before they reached the city Tek stopped. He left the lion in the shadows, instructing him to stay close but out of human sight.

"No one will recognize us now." I had filled out over the winter and my hair had grown. I no longer scurried or meekly lowered my eyes like a slave. The high collar of my fine linen shirt covered my scars. Tek was a large man, but without his lion, no one would recognize him as the wemic.

Midnight would see Cronus coming into his power. We walked into the city amid of the dawn influx of travelers. Listening to gossip, we heard the news that Iapetus was hosting a party that the empire's elite had traveled weeks to attend.

My powers were focused in dreams and my words. If I were to have a chance to counter him, I had to figure out how to beat time to stop Cronus.

The day passed too quickly. Dusk fell over the city as we crept closer to the blazing lanterns marking the family compound. The wealthiest attendees arrived on palanquin, others walked. We snuck in with a large party, Tek's power of using the shadows covering us until we could hide.

My dreams had shown humanity's dire fate if Cronus gained power. I watched him whisper his way through the hall. The firelight gleamed on his oiled skin as he spoke unctuously in every ear. He would work his way into the graces of the Emperor through these nobles. His poisoned tongue would drip venomous words. The plague of war would march across the earth, stealing the time that men should spend on virtuous lives.

Cronus had worried men would follow me, even as a slave. `I eschewed power; wanting only a simple life with Tek and then find peace free of our mortal bodies. If this was our last incarnation I didn't want to leave it yet. But could I travel the path of power and live?

The moment came before I even realized it was upon us. The moon crested at the apex of its journey, visible in sky above.

"Together in the end, no matter what." I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak.

I could not fail.

Voices in the hall began to distort.

Pulsing green light filled the room and time began to still. Light flashed as Tek joined with his lion and then leapt at Iapetus, taking him back into the shadow to complete his purpose.

Mine was Cronus. More people began to fall under Cronus' spell.

"You're too late, Nysion." Cronus spread his arms wide. "You are powerless against me."

I gathered my courage. "It is never too late. I won't let you destroy this world!"

"Your hubris led you to believe I was broken but I am stronger than you could ever dream." I wouldn't fail. "Your time ends now, in this cycle."

He laughed derisively. "You do not rule time. I do!"

"But not this moment." In the infinitesimal sliver between conscious and unconscious thought dreams ruled.

I ruled.

My power imbued my words with bell-like clarity.

"Wake and see truth. Focus not on the dreams that hold false promise." Cronus screamed impotently as my magic swept his influence from their minds.

The sigils on my neck burned. "Dream of a world where gods walk not among men; of a world where the powers that once held reign over mankind crumbles into obscurity." I burned with each word. My voice faded as men began to dream us free from the Titan's tyranny.
Tek leapt to me, his lion once again a separate entity. It licked its bloody muzzle, rushing Cronus and taking him screaming into the shadow. I collapsed into Tek's arms, my voice gone.

My power was gone and his lion had left him. We were men once again, facing life as mortals without power.

We were together, just as I had dreamed.


THE END

I hope you enjoyed this last chapter of Orphic Revelations. It was hard to end, but I hope I satisfied all the elements of the story for everyone. I hope you take the time to let me know what you think, but then head over to more of the other briefer's and check out their great flash stories.

Victoria Adams    m/f
Lily Sawyer       m/m 
MC Houle          m/m
Tali Spencer      m/m

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Boys of Nowhere

GA's Winter Anthology, Desperate Ends, has gone live today! I managed to work up a short story to include in this anthology. I'm going to include it here, for those that want to comment and don't have memberships to GA (Though why don't you? It's free!!). Please enjoy this, and when you're done, head on over to GA and check out all the other stories in the anthology. There are some really good authors participating!



The Boys of Nowhere

I had to go.

I flung back the covers and slid out of bed, my feet going automatically into the slippers I'd gotten as a birthday gift the evening before. My book, a new fantasy found at the bookstore I'd skipped last period to visit, fell off the bed to land spine up. The stars on the cover flickered.

I yawned as I shuffled toward the front door, scrubbing at my face with the palm of one hand. Stumbling over a wrinkle in the rug, I banged into the wall. I grunted and pushed away, moving toward the front door.

I had to go.

"Where are you going?" A hand clamped down on one of my shoulders. I shuddered and then turned. My dad stood in the door to his room, his hand holding me in place.

I blinked.

"I ... don't know." The compulsion faded so quickly I couldn't remember why I was out of bed.

He stared at me, a frown wrinkling his forehead. "Well go back to bed; it's the middle of the night."

I went back to bed, rubbing my shoulder. The dark was nearly complete and bothered me for the first time in years. I left my door open, light coming in from the streetlight on the sidewalk that shone through the hall window. Collapsing face down, I tugged my pillow under my head and pulled the blanket over me and bunching it under my shoulder.  

Warmth surrounded me as the chill in my flesh faded. Yawning, I let my eyes drift closed.

Morning came too soon.

My alarm woke me up well before I was ready to get up. School was the last thing I wanted to sit through when I was this freaking tired, but graduation was just a week away. Finals had finished, grades tabulated, caps and gowns delivered, college admissions letters accepted … but I still had to go sit in class. It was stupid.

I'm supposed to go to off to begin my life as an adult. Be responsible, make life decisions, take those first steps down the path I had no choice but to follow … and all that crap society said I had to do. I didn't want to though. I didn't fit in at high school, I always felt like I was out of step with everyone around me; nothing felt quite real. Going off to college felt wrong, as if that wasn’t where I was supposed to go.

Maybe I just wasn't ready for all the expectations my dad was heaping on me, like the marketing books he always pushed me to read. He wanted me to be a great businessman like him. I was going to be Mr. Lucas Orckiv Junior, prominent member of society with his feet planted firmly on the ground, come hell or high water.

All I really wanted to do was to lose myself in a strange, new world where my reality was a soldier fighting alien incursions or cats were walking on two legs could use telepathy. In other words, a place where my future didn't mean dorm assignments and term papers about business ethics or marketing.

I pushed open the front door and called out, "Dad? I'm home!" The house was silent. The note on the table said he would be working late and not to wait on him for dinner.

Of course he would be. I snorted. Yet my dad wondered why I didn’t want to be carbon copy of him?

There was food in the fridge but I didn't feel like making anything. I grabbed a soda and a bag of chips out of the cupboard and plopped down in front of the TV.

The only thing on was an old movie, something from the 90s about some old guys in the space program. Cracking open my can, I took a long drink of soda, letting the bubbles tickle my throat as I guzzled it down.  The chip bag crinkled when I grabbed a handful. I pop one chip after another in my mouth. I liked the thin crispy ones better than the thick.

Bored with the lame movie, I set the bag down on the coffee table, and wiped my hands on my jeans. I yawned. Grabbing a pillow, I stretched out on the couch. I should have been doing something, packing up my room or off acting like an idiot kid one last time, but I didn't feel like it. My friends were all excited; why couldn't I be? Hell, my dad was more excited than I was but I was pretty sure it was just so that he could be free from parenting once I was gone.

I started to doze as NASA geeks got more and more frantic on the TV, my blinks getting longer and longer. Turning, I snuggled my face into the back of the couch and sighed as my whole body relaxed.

I had to go.

I rolled over and sat up, swinging my feet to the floor.

I walked out the door, no jacket, no shoes. Behind the house was the lake. The silver surface was smooth, glass-like, until the first ripples from my toes broke the unnatural stillness.

They need me.

I had to go.

****

Light envelopes me where water once surrounded and supported my body. It blinds me. My eyes sting and tear up as I bring one hand up to shade them, suddenly awake and aware. What the hell?

"Hello?" My words echo like I'm in a huge, empty room.

My name slithers like a whisper across my senses.

"Who's there? Who's calling me?"

"We need you, Lucas." The sound of my name startles me.

"Who are you? Where am I? Why can't I see anything?"

"You are … here."

Fuck these cryptic voices. "Why can’t I see you? Where are you? Where is here? As far as I can tell, here is nowhere!"

“Nowhere.” The word echoes through the room. None of this made sense. I pinch my arm, wincing at the sharp pain. I’m not dreaming.

“Help us.”

“Help who? What are you talking about?” My head aches. I wipe at my streaming eyes, the light makes them flutter painfully as tears stream down my face.

"You cannot help us if you cannot see."

"Of course I can't see! The light blinds me."

"You can will it not to; you can bring us home. Fill the void that's consumed us before it's too late."

Fill the ... What in the hell did that mean? My hands clench into fists and I snarl. "Stop talking in riddles. Come where I can see you! Turn off this fucking light!"

Inky darkness replaced the light so quickly I stumble, hoping not to fall on anything hard. When I hit my knees the surface was strangely soft. My face rubs against something velvety. It is too dark to see what it is though, and not even my hand in front of my eyes is visible.

"I didn't mean turn it off, just turn it down. I need some light to see."
Faint light breaks the darkness and I can finally see. I'm on a silky patch of green grass. "Where am I? This isn’t my house. I was sleeping on the couch." I am getting tired of talking to faceless voices that offer no answers.

"Nowhere."

I slap a hand on the ground. "This is somewhere. Don't lie to me."

"You named this place. You called it Nowhere. It is up to you to decide what else it can become." The many voices echo, repeating, building on each other.

"Bring us back."

"Where are you?" I look around, but all I can see is my small patch of grass and soft shadows. Are there people hiding in the darkness? I shiver; the thought of unknown eyes staring me while when I can’t see them creeps me out. "Let me see you."

Faces appear in a ring around me. They’re all male, and young. All the guys are grinning. "Thank you, Lucas!" they chorus, their voices suddenly loud.

"Who are you?" I stand up. The faces stay low, looking up at me. Only one stands up.

It’s a guy. He comes forward, standing fully into the light. He was slim, pale, and completely naked. He has a huge smile on his face. "We are the people of Nowhere. Thank you for bringing us back."

I shake my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Am I dreaming?"

"We called you from your dreams. We sensed that you were the one that could finally save us, but you are not dreaming now. Everything here is as real as you make it."

"I make it?"

He nods. "You made the light and the darkness. The grass too. You even gave us form again." His hand waves down at his body.

"Uh, yeah, about that, man … you might want to put some clothes on."

"What clothes would you have me put on?"

"Like I'm wearing." I look down and suddenly realize that I’m naked too. I yelp. "What the fuck? What did you do with my clothes?"

I cup my hands over my dick and balls. My face heats and I cringe at all the eyes on me that have to be staring at my ass. I spin in a circle, glaring at all the guys around me. “If this is a joke, it’s not fucking funny. Give me back my clothes!” It was like that hazing dream every freshman has before they go to high school gym for the first time.

"We told you. You must will it. Like you willed everything else. You can have your clothes."

A glimmer of understanding finally strikes me. He keeps saying the word will. Is it that simple? I picture the outfit I'd worn to school, dark jeans and a black t-shirt with a green hooded sweatshirt, desperately wanting them to be on my body.

I open my eyes and look down, moving my hands. I sigh in relief. Then it hits me; it worked. Just thinking about having clothes was enough to make them materialize. It only takes a second to imagine a matching outfit on the guy talking to me.

He lifts his arms up from his sides, his mouth wide open. He runs his hand down the front of the sweatshirt, feeling the metal zipper as he pulls the tab up and down. He bends one leg up and feels the jean material stretched over his knee. "These are your clothes?"

"Well, not mine. I'm wearing mine," I pause, "I think. But it's better than you being naked. Umm, everyone else can have some too." It’s easier if I close my eyes so I do, imaging everyone around me with clothes on.

I sit down in the grass. "Sit down. I know—I mean, I think I know—what I just did. You guys keep saying I have to will things. So, whatever I want actually manifests here, right?"

The guy folds his legs up and put his arms around them. He rests his chin on top. "Yeah."

"And I'm not dreaming?"

He shakes his head solemnly.

"Why me?"

"The magic found you. Once we had an entire world full of wondrous things. Magic was everywhere and everyone was able to do whatever they wanted.
Magic provided everything for us and then one man did something—” He shudders.

“Something bad.” A voice says softly from behind me.

The boy in front of me nodded. “Soon our world began to disappear. We were desperate. We gave up everything to find the one person who could rescue us from our encroaching fate."

I thump one hand on my thigh. "What fate? What power? I don't understand! Why can't you just say what the hell you mean?"

"I don't know it all either. I only know that something was sucking the essence of our land away. Everything was dying, and then the people started to follow. First the old, then the young. Soon there were only a few of us left.

“An old prophecy spoke of the slow death of the magic of our world; a consequence that came from the hubris of one man and the complacency of the rest. Nothing can last forever, but we didn’t want to die. Our leader said that said to gain our redemption we had to risk it first. The powers required the sacrifice of everything we possessed, even our bodies. Then we’d have a chance to come back. We’ve been waiting for so long. But," he looks around the circle, "not everyone is here now. Some are missing."

"Who?"

"Too many,” he says sadly.

“What took the magic? Will it come back?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know much about it. I never did. We were all at school, learning to use our magic. There’s a lot that I feel like I should know, but I’ve forgotten. We all have. When we were waiting, we lost a lot of what we knew."

“Why?”

“It took a long time for the magic to find you. Only one person, in all the worlds, in all creation, had the power to save us.”

I run my fingers through my hair and then flop backwards. "I'm totally confused. Why me? Why am I so important?"

My stomach had to pick that moment to rumble.

One of the guy's eyebrows goes up.

"I'm hungry. It's dinner time," I glance at my watch but it is frozen, the arms stuck at four fifty-three, "I think."

"Food?" The look on the guy's face is strange. He hunches over, his hands on his stomach.

Licking my lips, I consider my options. "I just have to think it up, right? And it appears?"

He nods.

I close my eyes. My nostrils flare. Beef, salt, ketchup and pickles. My eyes pop open. A giant pile of double cheeseburgers sits in wrappers on the ground and there’s a pile of French fries sitting on the grass. I snort; clearly I need to practice this willing thing. "Well, I wouldn't eat the fries on the bottom, but the rest should be good." I reach out and snag a few fries, popping them into my mouth.

Hot and crispy with just a hint of salt, not coated with it, unlike the last large order I'd gotten. These were perfect. Maybe I’m not that bad at it.

"Mm, good," I say with my mouth full. "Go on, try some."

The other guy reaches out, grabbing one fry. He takes a small bite, smiles widely, and then shoves the rest of the fry in his mouth. "This is good!"

He looks back and forth over his shoulder, a delighted grin on his face. "It's good. They can come eat, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Everyone's welcome. There's more than enough grub."

When the other guys start coming out of the shadows I was a little surprised at how different they all looked. They were all sizes and different colored hair. Really different, like red, blue, yellow, black, green ... all the spectrum of the rainbow. They were all dressed in the same outfit though, just like my jeans, t-shirt, and sweatshirt.

It gets crowded when everyone tries to find a place to sit.

"Do you think you could make more room?" asks the guy who’d been answering my questions.

"Make more room? Just like that?"

He shrugs one shoulder.

"Okay, I'll try." How hard can it be? I need to try, right? I close my eyes. It’s harder than the hamburgers and fries; I don’t want to make any mistakes this time. Then the fantasy story I'd been reading came to my mind. I grin. Perfect.
I open my eyes to find that we are now sitting in a beautiful field, with tall plants in shades of yellow all around us. They remind me of mushrooms with soft frills falling to the ground. The grass has changed; it’s still green, but now there are feathery blue clumps scattered here and there. It’s super soft too, like strands of silk.

A small stream with warm water sending steam into the air flows off to our right, filling the air with warmth. I hadn't been cold earlier, not really, but now I unzip my sweatshirt and peel it off.

"Wow. Amazing, Lucas."  He cocks his head sideways. “Is all the food you know this good?”

"My favorite stuff is.” I wonder if warm chocolate chip cookies I imagined would be as good as the ones my mom made when I was a little kid. The guys were eating so enthusiastically for the burgers and fries I can just imagine their reaction to chocolate. “You know, you guys all seem to know my name, but I don't know yours." There has to be at least thirty guys there. "Or is that something else you lost?"

"No. I know my name. It's Bracas."

I look around at guys eating burgers and munching on fries. “And you guys?”

"Sulm."

"Jargur."

"Eshl."

"Mcarem."

"Willt."

One by one, they say their names in between taking huge bites of burgers. They all look young, about my age. That is where the similarities to me ended though. I was boring, brown hair, brown eyes, thin and short. The guy no one looks at twice.

Somehow, these guys all look the same, but different from everyone I’d ever known. Their eyes are huge and shiny and they have all that wild hair. Their t-shirts and jeans are filled out much better than mine would ever be. I wonder if I imagined their bodies this way, or if they looked like they did ... before.

"I'll never remember all those, sorry. My brain is still fried from finals," I say when they finish with the introductions.

"That's okay," Bracas says. "You have time."

"I do?" I wipe my mouth. I look at my watch; its arms are still frozen. "What do you mean?"

"You have a whole word to create. Even with all the power you hold; you can’t do it at once. We need you; you're the only one that can do it."

I unwrap another burger. Do I want to do that? Should I? What about my graduation and going to college?

I take a bite of burger and chew slowly. Thirsty, I imagine sodas in front of everyone, like the grape one I'd been drinking when I first fell asleep on the couch. Ice clicks against my teeth as I take a drink. It’s my favorite and tastes just like it always has. I lower my cup, looking at the purple fluid, tipping my cup back and forth to watch it slosh around in the cup. Everyone else seems to like it too.

I close my eyes and then look down in my cup. My soda’s now red and bubbling. Warm spices waft up and I take a deep breath. I wonder if it tastes like the dragon’s blood wine from my favorite story; I’d always wanted to try it.

Rich warmth fills my mouth as I take a sip, letting the smooth liquor trickle down my throat slowly. Oh, it was good! I take another drink as I think about Bracas and all the other guys of Nowhere. Anything I want could be mine.

Here, the sky is the limit and all those fantasies I’d had about my favorite stories could come true. I can have whatever I want from back home, like these burgers, without any of the responsibilities I have been dreading too. I wouldn't have to worry about calculus, sociology, or roommate assignments.

Things could be different. This could be my adventure.

Everything I'd ever read about but never thought could happen suddenly can happen. The pressure I’d felt sending me into a downward spiral as graduation loomed suddenly lightens. I could do anything, be anyone. Besides, I can't leave these guys alone in Nowhere. Like they said, they need me.

"Okay. I'll stay!"

Bracas grins at me and I smile back. "That's wonderful," he says.

"Yeah. I think it could be awesome." I sink back to lay on the grass, my stomach full, my arms behind my head. The light begins to darken but twinkling stars fill the sky. A double moon begins to rise over the horizon. I yawn. "I'll make some more stuff tomorrow."

****

The hum of the ventilator and the beeping of the machine tracking Lucas' heart was the only sound in the room. Lucas Orckiv, Sr. sat in a chair beside the bed, dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks rough with stubble.

A doctor walked into the room. "Mr. Orckiv, I’m glad you’re still here. We have the results back from the latest EEC test."

"And?" He didn't even look up as he continued to brush his son’s hair back from his face

"He's not brain dead. He should be, considering how long he had to have been in the water, but he's not. We're seeing a lot of activity on his scans. He's functioning, and we believe we could even take him off the ventilator safely. It would be much better for him long-term if he was breathing on his own."

Lucas Sr. looked up. "But he's not waking up."

The doctor shook his head slowly, turning the chart in his hands. "No. He's not waking up."

"And you don't know why?"

"We don't." The doctor sighed. “I wish we could help him, but we can’t find any medical reason for his coma. The best we can do is keep his body working until he decides to come out of it on his own.”

"I don't understand why he was in the lake. I don't know why this happened.

What am I supposed to do?" Lucas’ voice cracked. “He had some many things left to do.”

The doctor put the chart down and laid one hand on Mr. Orckiv's shoulder.

 "For now, all you can do is wait. He's in there, trapped inside his own head, but he’s there somewhere. Sometimes coma victims come back. I don't want to give you false hope, since we don’t why he won’t wake up, but there's always the possibility he might wake up someday. You should talk to him; some believe that coma victims can hear what’s going on around them. It might help him come back to you.”

The doctor left the grieving father alone with his son. Lucas, Sr. pushed the soft brown hair behind his son’s ear again and whispered, “I’ll be here, Lucas. Wherever you’re hiding, when you’re done, I’ll be here waiting for you.”

The End!

 
I hope you liked that story. This idea came from a dream that was so strong that I was half out of bed, with one foot on the floor, before I realized that no one was really calling me. It was so strong, though all I remember is the feeling of being called and having to go. Lucas' story was born from that one moment. Thanks for reading! Now go check out the other stories at GA!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Orphic Revelations Part 5

It's Wednesday again! Just in time for another flash story with the Wednesday Briefers. The challenge is to write a 500-1000 word flash story (or chapter) each week. It can be hard! This time, out of the photo, word and phrase prompts to choose from I picked a photo. I hope you enjoy this latest installment.

Orphic Revelations

Like a blazing white star, the sun began rising above the pine trees that ringed the cabin Tek had built high in the mountains. The snow still carpeted the ground around them but spring would have already started in the lowlands.

My powers had grown, my abilities maturing each night as I experienced the memories of my past cycles. I imagined the Titan's fury when my naming day passed and the chains held firm. They'd been sure that the bloodthirsty wemic would have devoured my body. They'd sold me for that reason.

Thankfully the myths were exaggerated regarding the wemic's dining habits.
"What has your face so soured?" Tek's abrupt question from behind me made me jump. Cycles of memories couldn't overcome my body's conditioning in this cycle.

"Just thinking about how far spring had progressed in the lowlands."

"The jasmine will probably be falling now." Tek shrugged. "It's still winter here."

Tek's lion prowled through the dark shadows under the pines, drawn to him. I watched the furry body sink into the snow and then disappear as he flitted from shadow to shadow. Shaking my head, I turned to Tek.

"He the most magnificent thing I've ever seen."

"Nine lifetimes and that's the most magnificent thing you've seen?" Tek snorted, rolling his eyes.

"He is animal and spirit at once. You've never been so powerful as to change the nature of your animal familiar. The fact that you can combine your essences?" I shook my head, smiling up at him. "You're magnificent. Nothing you can say will make me think otherwise."

Tek growled but his lion appeared from the trees and growled at him. He liked me, often butting me with his head and knocking me over so he could wrap his forelegs around me and wash my face with his rough tongue.

"It's fine. He's always been a bit of an ass."

"I beg your pardon!" Tek crossed his arms over his chest. My protector went about in as little as possible; the bond to his lion kept him warm. I shivered in the cool air. The biting chill that took my breath away had passed but it wouldn't warm this high until later.

There hadn't been much to do but relish our short time free from the cares of the world. My body had filled out, proper food filling my belly for the first time since I was but a boy. I was growing stronger. The orphic dreams would tell me when the moment to strike was nigh, until then we waited.

I hadn't learned to focus my will with my powers but I'd been a slave for many years. Surviving that hell had taken a type of strength I'd never needed in past lives. The thought that it might not be enough flitted through my mind frequently but I pushed it away assiduously. Tek's faith in me was unflagging.

He'd joined his soul to mine in our first cycle. The gods had battled across the land. Men, women and children died, our lives weighed inconsequential to the Titans that wished to cast darkness over all. Finally, Morpheus, a son of the Titan Nyx, devised a prison for them in the other realm but the key to their prison was our lives. I'd been an acolyte, the only survivor of Morpheus' main temple. Tek, my lover, had saved me only to give up his life as well when Morpheus entreatied our sacrifice.

Each cycle a moment came when our powers were tested against the might of the Titan's champion. Never before had they gotten two out of the other realm and never had they separated us. If Tek had been one iota less powerful this incarnation ...

The fire danced with images that night as I drowsed next to Tek, our sweaty bodies glistening in the orange glow.

I rested my chin on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. I latched onto his ear, nibbling on the soft lobe. His voice rumbled in his chest.

"Your needs are not yet sated?" He rolled, pinning me to the soft fur cushioning the stone floor. I arched against him, reveling in the mastery he held over me. I knew I could use my powers of voice to order him off, but it would never come to that. Tek would never hurt me. I loved being confined under his solid weight. My legs wrapped around his hips.

Sparks shot up my spine. I groaned when he reached for a small pot kept near the fire. His fingers glistened when he drew them back and slid them between my legs. I felt the most complete when he was inside me, the closest we could get when we were born again.

Every spare moment of this stolen time, a winter apart from the concerns of the world, I craved him.

I soared in his arms, floating on the infinite space of time when all that mattered was his body in mine. All I could see were his warm eyes looking down at me, the spicy taste of his tongue invaded my mouth. I relished the salt of his skin as I nibbled at his neck.

His hands curled under my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.

"Soon," he rumbled.

I wouldn't make it to soon. The vibration against my body, the change in angle ... I exploded, my cry muffled against his shoulder. He followed me shortly, his shout loud as he strained and shot inside me.

He collapsed on his side. I shivered as we pulled apart, mourning our separateness.

One last cycle.

***

Gasping, I jerked awake. My heart raced, my breath coming in gasps. Tek flew off the bed, landing in a crouch on the floor. His eyes glowed in the moonlight streaming in through the open window to let in the warming air now that the sun had melted the snow from all but the deepest shade under the trees. He snarled.

"What is it?"

"We have to go."

TBC

Don't forget to check out the other Briefers!

Nephylim         m/m

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Itching To Open An Early Present? Pricolici 25% Off!



Hi Readers! A little gift coming your way today in honor of Romance First Publishing's anniversary! If you've been holding off on purchasing Pricolici for any reason, maybe a 25% off sale for the entire month of December will encourage you to click that buy button! Maybe it's an early gift for your own ebook library. On ARe you can purchase and then gift it to someone else to share the reading pleasure.


Pricolici on ARe

Pricolici on Smashwords  Coupon code: BM69Z

RFP's Anniversary Contest Almost Over!

Don't forget Romance First Publishing, the e-book publisher that helped me put out Pricolici, is celebrating its first anniversary with a contest that ends tonight! You could win a free copy or even an Amazon gift card! Check it out!

Romance First Publishing Contest Post

Come back tomorrow to read the next installment of Adverse Effects.