After Lana comes home, she goes into the bathroom and shuts the door, leans her forehead against the cool wood, and notices how the shapes of the grain curve in and out of themselves— tiny lines that undulate in small tan and caramel waves. She pushes the small button in the middle of the knob […]

i. I wore black pants, a white button-down, and shiny black dress shoes that pinched my toes. My feet had grown like weeds over the summer, and I hadn’t broken in these new ones yet. They were still a bit squeaky as I paced around the other boys in the dressing room, watching Jamie, the […]

Fifteen hundred people was a lot more than Marv had realized. They milled about in the narrow aisles between the rows of tables, the heat from their bodies mixing with the muggy August air to turn the hotel lobby into a sweltering stew. Marv, sweat plastering his shirt to his back, was beginning to envy […]

Apparently, when you turn sixteen and get your driver’s license, you’re everybody’s errand boy. Never mind that you have twenty geometry problems to finish and it’s nine-thirty at night. Nope. You have to drive to the new Walmart and get some treat bags for your mom. And when you ask why she can’t get the […]

Content warning: Domestic abuse . Sometimes I forget what it feels like to exist. To breathe. To actually be alive. Him. There’s a start to all of this, a middle, an ending, and then a new beginning, and every bit of it has his face, his eyes, his voice, his hands surrounding it, surrounding me. […]

Content warning: Death . The Saddest Clown. It pinches me, that he’s remembered that way. His character’s name was Wag. Audiences came alive whenever Wag appeared. Dad blamed himself. But inside, I can’t help feeling, it was me. * The night of the fall was particularly steamy. Program sales were high, the audience fanned themselves […]

Trigger warnings: climate change, death, and hunting . The worst thing was the empty sky. It was the first detail I noticed when we got off of the transport, Basi yelling orders as if he knew what was going on, his flawless jaw concealed by a breathing mask. Sofia and Eve were the first to […]

i. queer people don’t get happy endings i blame his forearms. thick. sun-kissed. covered with hair. i used to imagine them straining as he caught hold of my wrist. the intent behind his grip was of no consequence. he could have meant to hurt me or draw me in close. either way, i was his. […]

The Dragon is coming to tea. Grandmother sends me to The Village at dawn with a list and a handcart. Multiversal Mart (Unlimited Indulgence – Family Friendly) has just opened. C-devi, the owner-manager, sits behind the glass counter. One head inspects the packed shelves, making occasional clucking noises like an irritated hen. Another bends over […]

This story originally appeared in the collection Sisters of the Wild Sage: A Wierd Western Collection . 1902 New Mexico Territory Francine “Frankie” Mules was born in a gospel tent. That April evening, the raging New Mexican wind ripped about the pinned back flaps, whipping them about the poles plunged deep into the dirt. The […]

Third Place Winner of Voyage’s Spring 2021 First Chapters Contest judged by NYT Bestselling Author Melissa de la Cruz . *A brief note from our guest judge: “The poetry of this one and the sadness was very intriguing, I wanted to know what happened.” . Content Warning: Self-harm . The summer I turned thirteen and […]

Second Place Winner of Voyage’s Spring 2021 First Chapters Contest judged by NYT Bestselling Author Melissa de la Cruz . *A brief note from our guest judge: “I loved the worldbuilding and was intrigued by the concept and I wanted to read more.” . Luperón, Dominican Republic 2120 As far as I’m concerned, if you […]