Curiosity Killed The Cat (An edit of a story by a Friend)

     “Renee, you better not be breaking anything up there!” called out a voice from downstairs. The one called Renee was in her friend's home, going through his homemade bar out of sheer boredom.
     She stifled a small laugh, “I’ll think about it!” yelled back Renee. Tucking a strand of her long red hair behind her ear, she snooped through the large assortment of alcoholic drinks. Couldn’t he get the good stuff instead of this crap?, she thought to herself. Stilleto was a known alcoholic and boyfriend of her best friend, Atalanta.
     Unfortunately, Atalanta was out of town for a while and left Renee in charge of making sure Stilleto didn’t get stranded out in the street, drunk off his ass. Her attention was then grabbed by an odd colored bottle on the top shelf. Standing on her tip toes, Renee stretched in an attempt and grab it but fell short since she is well, short. Her height barely reached a grand total of five feet and often gets mistaken for a child despite being nineteen years old.
     Giving up on the bottle, she finally heard the low mumbles of Stilleto talking to someone downstairs. She found this odd since they’re the only people in his home. Was Atalanta home?, wondered Renee as she crept down the stairs. After a few steps, Renee sees her friend talking with a woman. The stranger appeared to be in her early thirties with coal black hair and bright emerald green eyes.
     Strange. She didn’t recognize her which was concerning since Renee has usually seen everyone’s face at least once. This is due to the fact that she enjoys going around town, eavesdropping, and finding out what everyone’s business is. Snoopy? Yes. Helpful? Definitely.
     Renee observed the woman's actions. She seemed bright eyed and bushy tailed and in awe of everything. She must be new here, commented Renee in her thoughts.
     “So, what exactly brought you to my house.." he paused for a moment, "Kalypso, was it?” asked Stilleto in his tired, Australian accent.
     Kalypso, huh.? She’s definitely new, I would’ve remembered a name like that.
     “Oh! I was looking for a job and accidentally stumbled upon this-..” her voice trailed off, looking around the room at the bland decor and one lonely couch. "..lovely home.”
     Stilleto looked at her, completely aware that his home isn’t the best looking but it was his home and didn’t care about the looks of it as long as it had walls and a roof.
     “Have you tried the tavern or any of the little shops around the park?” Stilleto asked, running his hair through his light brown hair.
     “No, I’m not too sure where it is or any of the shops in that matter.” responded Kalypso, glancing upwards finally noticing the redhead that was spying on the top of the stairs. “Maybe you’d like to show me?” offered the woman with a sly grin.
     Renee's freckled cheeks turned a light shade of pink, “The tavern is right across the street and the park is just down the road if you go straight from here!” she quickly said.
     “Aww, c’mon Renee, surely you’d be kind enough to show her where everything is?” chimed in Stilleto with a smug grin on his face, enjoying Renee’s awkwardness a bit too much.
     “Yeah. What if I get lost along the way?” Kalypso purred as she made her way towards the stairs causing Renee to back up the steps as she got closer.
     “I trust that you won’t since they’re literally, right outside and you’d have to have the world’s most horrible sense of direction to get lost!"” replied Renee quickly, watching the raven-haired girl stop in her tracks.
     Kalypso laughed a bit to herself,  “I suppose that’s true.." she said as she turned back towards Stilleto. "Well, I should get going if I am going to find someone that will have a job for me to do.”
     “You can go ahead and let yourselves out, I’m going to head to bed.” said Stilleto as he let out a yawn, stretching. He started to trudge his way towards the stairs.
     “Well, it was nice meeting you both. Hopefully I’ll see you two around again..” bid Kalypso as she walked towards the door.
     "Yourselves? Meanin' me too?” asked Renee, suddenly having her attention on Stilleto as he passed her up the stairs. “You’re not gonna get wasted, are you?”
     “Yes, you too. And no, I’m actually going to bed... I’ve had a long week and I’m getting some well earned rest..” he muttered grumpily, continuing his way up the stairs. Renee sighed softly and turned to leave when she noticed that Kalypso was already gone. Assuming she’s already across the street in the tavern, Renee decided to take her leave and start her walk home.
     Passing by the many shops, she watched the various carriages carrying nobility back to their estates. It was getting late after all and not many people are out after dark since it was that infamous time when muggers and sanguine come out.
     Nearing her home, Renee glanced down an alleyway and saw Kalypso. She seemed to be walking with two guys. Renee almost didn’t think anything of until she then noticed that one of them wore a dark cloak with a knife-like etched onto back of it. The last time she saw something like that was from the Underground city. On one of her adventures there, she discovered a cult that took part in rituals and what not.
     Curiosity getting the best of her, Renee decided to follow the group from afar. The redhead watched the three of them disappear behind the tavern. Finally reaching the corner, she saw that they were gone. Baffled, Renee looked around for any possible clues to where they might have dissapeared to, that is, before tripping over something.
     “Ah, what the bloody hell?!” she cursed to herself as she sat up, looking to see what she tripped over. A black handle, sticking out of the ground. It was a hatch though it was not entirely closed but just visible enough to where she could see. Opening it, she felt a warm heat emanating out of the opening. Deciding she has nothing better to do, Renee climbed down into the hatch.

  Where most of time for my graphic novel went to...

Need Senpai To Make Kokoro Go Doki Doki~ (Craigslist Post)

I guess this is what you call 'clickbait'? This is something I wouldn't resort to unless I was desperate..

I'm desperate.

I'm a mercenary for hire and willing to do almost anything for cash. I know the title was very misleading but I didn't want to put out "POOR MERCENARY FOR HIRE!!! NEED MONEY FAST!!!" because that would've been too obvious and most likely no one would want to read it...
I have trained almost my entire life to complete even the most arduous of tasks. You want someone dead within a week? I can do it within 24 hours.. Someone did you wrong and you want them to apologize, grovel at your feet, and beg for mercy? I can find hundreds of ways to torture a human being in the most gruesome, painful way possible..

Not satisfied yet? Why don't you shoot me an e-mail?

-First name only
-Do not state your location
-Feel free to give any information you please in the e-mail
-Give me 2 hours

When I find you.. I hope you're willing to make a deal with a reasonable sum of payment. I wouldn't go through all that trouble to receive nothing.

James Montanari

   James was walking through the rain, umbrella in hand. He smiled brightly as he swung his legs, casually kicking the small puddles. Looking around, he sees that the city was still busy as ever despite the shower. The cars drove down the road past him and other pedestrians would talk in low mumbles as he walked by.
   Hope you like it right now Samantha, he thinks to himself. I know this is your favorite type of day.
   James clenched his hand in his pocket and his eyes traveled down to his feet. The sounds started to fill his ears as he dwelled in his thoughts. Sounds of the boombox nearby, a dog barking, laughter and chatter coming from inside a cafe. He remembered how much he hated the rain as a kid. James disliked the feeling of wet clothes sticking to his body. His Mom always made him stay inside the house during those times.

Waterfall Of The Sea (Story of Dots)

   The sound of the waves swam in the Captain's ears, causing her to wake. Her eyes slowly opened and the pain in her body hit her as she regained consciousness. The Captain groaned as she shifted herself in the sand. The small loose grains trickled off her clothes.

   Turning her body, she fell back on the ground with a thud. The captain blinked and her vision soon cleared. The night sky as beautiful... How the orange and blues would collide into one another as the white stars speckled against its colors. What happened, questioned the Captain as she stared out into what seems to be a nearby planet.

   It was unsettling... Never did it stop to amaze her how different things were back on Earth. What used to be so complex seemed far too simple compared to the entire galaxies she's traveled to. The Captain closed her eyes, breathing in the unnatural air. Something echoed in the back of her mind like a bell or a voi-

   "..-tain.. Lynn!"

   Her eyes snapped open and she saw her first mate standing next to her, his hands were on the wheel of the ship.

   "Are you alright, Lynn?" he asked. The hint of concern in his voice made the captain smile.

   "Yeah.." she replied softly, "I'm alright, Davis... I just... spaced out for a second."

   Davis then made a noise as if he was holding in a laugh. The Captain looked at him with a confused expression for only moment when the realization hit her. "Oh my g-.. That wasn't a pun!" she blurted out in irritation, which made Davis finally lose control.

   "I'm sorry!" he managed to say in between breaths, "Your choice of words was just too perfect..!"

   Lynn already had her fists clenched, ready to knock some sense into first mate. Eventually, Davis calmed down and he straightened up, looking out onto the sea of glittering stars.

   "How far until our next destination?" asked the Captain in a huff. 

   Davis then punched some keys into a holographic screen next to him. "About..." he paused, taking a glance at Lynn, "5,657 miles left until we reach Xynon."

   "Hm... That doesn't seem too bad." replied the Captain. After all, they've traveled farther before. Lynn glanced at her first mate and stared at him. It's been 14 years now since they first left Earth behind. Two scared kids, unsure of what laid ahead of them, now stood on their own vessel at the prime age of 25. Their ship was a decent sized one, accommodated with enough cabins for their small crew. The only thing would've killed their parents was that Lynn and Davis were.. well.. Pirates.

   Good thing they died back on Earth, though Lynn. The Captain shook her head, hoping to clear her mind of those thoughts. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard below deck and the ship's alarms blared through the speakers just moments after. The Captain snapped her head towards her crew, who were already scrambling towards their stations. One of them shouted at Lynn, grabbing her attention as he pointed at the large vessel that stood in their path.

   "The G.N.C..." mumbled Davis. The Captain nodded, already thinking the same thing. The Galactic Naval Corps. The military of the Stardust. Not the people you'd want to run into when you're renegades of the law. Another crash, the ship was taking damage. The enemy vessel wasn't one for mercy.

   "Load the cannons!" commanded the Captain. Looks like we're not getting out of here without a fight.

   "Cannons are loaded, Captain!" yelled the Master Gunner.

   "Fire!"

   A blast exploded from the cannons and the balls of metal flew across the air towards the G.N.C ship. The Captain clenched her fists as the gunners were already loading next shot. Contact. Large bursts of flames emerged from the enemy vessel showing that the target was met. The Captain raised her hand to signal the next shot.

   Immediately after, a return fire was made by the G.N.C. ship, hitting the ship's engine. The ship was thrown forwards, making Lynn and the rest of her crew stumble out of place. Another explosion, the ship's thrusters blew up and a crack in the wooden frame formed. Soon, they were falling or in this case being pulled downwards.

   A gravitational pull from the planet they were passing over. The ship was crashing, fast as it entered the exosphere. Another crack and the ship split open from the sudden increase of pressure. The Captain held onto the frame but her body was forced to be still. She squinted and saw her crew in the same position. Davis was hanging onto the mast of the ship. Lynn tried to reach out her hand to him but the power of the fast falling ship kept her arm in place.

   Davis! She tried to call out but her mouth forced shut. Another crack and part of the ship collapsed, taking a few of her crew with it. Tristan.. Michael.. Renae... All three of them, gone. The Captain felt the need to cry but nothing. She couldn't. One by one, she saw her crew get taken away until it was only her and Davis.

   His arms were shaking and not from the pressure. Davis was nearing his limit. He can't hang on any longer. Lynn saw this in his eyes. She shook her head and cried out to him in her mind. Don't leave me too, she begged with her eyes. Lynn forced her arm to raise and a sudden snap wanted to make wail out. The immense pressure broke her arm.

   Crash.

   "Davis!"

   Her eyes snapped open and the sound of the waves swam in her ears. Her vision staring right up at the orange and blue sky.

Ode To The Future

By now I'm already dead.

Yet I know that life is barely beginning for some.

Take to heart what you're grandparents told you and not your history books.

But learn about the world through your own mind, your own eyes, your own ears, and speak your own words.

By now I'm already dead.

Be cautious but take a risk in the crucial moments.

The ice is thin but your bodies and mind has to stay forever strong.

Stop and feel the world around you.

Smell the flowers and touch the grass. 

Hold onto nature if there is any left.

By now I'm already dead.

Time is flying past you and hopefully music hasn't died.

Music that doesn't become white noise in your ears but the kind that speaks in colors.

Music that makes you feel, makes you reminisce, makes you cry, makes you smile.

Music that you can dance to, you can sing along to, pass it on to your children, grandchildren, friends, and even complete strangers.

By now, I'm already dead..

Knock Three Times (On the ceiling, if you want me~)

Knock, knock...

   There it goes again.. And here I thought it was gonna be a relaxing day for me. My entire body is burning up and the congestion wasn't helping either.

Knock, knock...

I glance over at the pile of tissues that overflowed the trash can in the corner. I'm glad I'm not that bad of a shot.

Knock, knock...

I can't even move. I don't think I want to. I hear the rain trickling outside yet the bright ray of sunshine lit up my room. Someone must be marrying a tikbalang...

Knock, knock...

 Seriously, go away. There is obviously no one at home. I curl up in a ball and tried to muffle the sound using the pillow to cover my ears.

Knock, knock...

 This is getting ridiculous.. I'm gonna try to sleep.

Ring, ring...