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   At dusk we wake. We rise from our slumber, smoothing out the velvet fabric that lines the wooden frames of our coffins. We gather by the fireplace, telling each other our dreams. Sometimes we decide to turn one of those dreams into something real - if they are good enough.      Tonight I can make my dream reality.      My maker is the first to leap out the window, and me and my siblings follow. The night is cold, but we like it that way. Distant city lights flicker from afar as we fly high, obscuring ourselves in the clouds.      We disperse, each of us pursuing our own path for the night.      I spot what I'm looking for and dive down, gracefully landing on the ground and shaking off my flying form. Lace and velvet drape over my body, accentuating all the right places. I flip my long hair over my shoulder and glide over to the theatre.      A girl with purple spikes in her hair guards the ticket stand. Her hand supports the weight of her head and her empty eyes look out into th

       I wait as I lie, deep in the shadows.      The bed frame above me basking in the soft red glow of my eyes.      Dust particles dance around me, like embers of a fire, waiting for me to creep out of this dark abyss.      The wood creaks as the human stirs in slumber and I graze my clawed fingers across the frame, a screeching sound escaping from underneath my nails.      Perhaps I emerge from the depths tonight, releasing myself from this prison of my own making.      I close my eyes, letting the sound engulfe me and calm my emotions. Smoothing out the wrinkles of nerves as the tunes sink down into my spine, like a soundtrack for my mind.      As I open my eyes, I tear my gaze towards the side of the bed, following the sliver of light dancing towards me. There I'm met with a bright sea of green, striking sky blue speckling through the meadow of flowing emerald hills.      Two large pools, staring at me. Eyes displaying an emotion I recognize deep in my bones; terror .

  A cannon whizzed past, missing Char by a hair and crashing into the wooden railing behind him, splinters flying into the air and fluttering down onto the chaos of the deck. Bodies crashed into each other, swords impaling flesh and pistols being fired and frantically reloaded. Char had lost his knife long ago, probably still stuck in someone's chest. He gripped his sword tight. The familiar shape of the hilt laying comfortably in his hand, like a murderous extension of his arm. His sword dripped blood on the dark creaking wood of the deck, glinting crimson. Something moved in Char's peripheral vision and he spun around, just as someone charged at him. He ducked and swung his sword in a familiar movement, going in for the kill. The guy gurgled loudly and went limp against Char, falling down as he pulled his sword back out. He spluttered blood all over Char's blouse. Great. He groaned in frustration. Nathan, the Second Mate, laughed loudly nearby. "As if you weren't

     As I walked through the hallway towards the ballroom, I could feel someone watching me. I ignored it while I passed people dressed in the most exquisite attire. One of them was bathing in orange and black, detailed with hundreds of monarch butterflies, who almost looked as if they were fluttering around each other. The person wore an equally intricate detailed butterfly mask and I did my best not to stare.      I wish I could check myself in the mirror to see my black lace dress and mask, but I hadn't had a reflection for centuries. Red sparkles glinted in the corner of my eyes and I looked down at the little beads, imitating splatters of glittery blood. I smiled a little at my own inside joke. A vampire wearing a fake bloody dress, how fitting.            I entered the ballroom and heard the music of some darkwave band growing louder and louder with every step, until the bass was fully beating through my chest. People, gorgeous people, moved together to the melody. Some were

It's been a couple days since weird things have started to happen. I didn't really notice it at first. I saw shadows in my peripheral vision, which I blamed on me being tired, and the small banging noises may have well been coming from my housemate. Although, sometimes she had been sitting in the same room as me and we heard the banging together. Still, we thought nothing of it. And I hadn't given it another thought since, until last night. That was the first night something actually moved .  I was doing the dishes when I heard a chair scrape across the floor behind me. I shrieked and whipped around, thinking maybe my housemate had entered the kitchen, but there was no one. The space was completely empty and the chair was unoccupied. I heard faint laughter and I let out a shaky breath. My housemate must have her girlfriend over, and I was tired. I was sure the laughter had come from this room, but that would be silly. I was alone. I shaked my head, grabbed my book and made

  Ezra felt a want, a need to go to the cemetery today. Which was weird, because there was no actual reason to go anymore. He used to go every night for years on end, but ever since Sam, his lover, had passed on to the afterlife there really wasn't any reason to visit anymore. Sure, Kenny was still there, but it wasn't the same. He grabbed his bike and was off to the cemetery, the road so familiar that it felt oddly comforting. The cold night air whizzed past him, carrying the scent of ozone after a day of heavy rain. This time it felt odd though. There was something different in the air, something he couldn't quite put a finger on. Maybe it was just because he had a long day. People at work were annoying and his coffee had run out, so he probably had to visit the supermarket soon. One can't live without coffee for too long. Ezra's hand reached for his necklace, an old silver key, which felt heavy around his neck tonight. Sam had given it to him as a token of their