Young Adult

Magical teen adventures and other stories

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The Echo Bloom

## The Echo Bloom Rain lashed against the diner window, blurring the neon glow of “Lou’s Eats.” Inside, the smell of burnt coffee and frying bacon clung to everything. Amelia traced a damp circle on the Formica tabletop with her…

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Ghost Bloom

## Ghost Bloom The rain smelled like something forgotten, dredged from deep inside. Not the clean, metallic tang of a storm, but old paper and damp earth, layered with something sweeter, almost floral. Elara wrinkled her nose, pulling the worn…

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Ghost Echo

## Ghost Echo The rain tasted like rust. Finn wiped a smear of it from his cheek, the neon glare of the Neon Drift market blurring through the downpour. He tugged the hood of his worn jacket tighter, ignoring the…

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The Static Bloom

## The Static Bloom The chipped porcelain felt cold against Leo Maxwell’s thumb. Not the teacup itself, though that was cool enough in the dim antique shop light, but the tiny mechanism nestled within its base. A lockpick – not…

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The Bloom Echo

## The Bloom Echo The chipped Formica of the diner booth felt cold under Leo Maxwell’s elbows. Rain lashed against the plate glass window, blurring the neon sign of ‘Rosie’s’ into a smeared crimson halo. Ten years. A decade spent…

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The Static Bloom

## The Static Bloom Dust motes danced in the single shaft of weak sunlight slicing through the grimy window. Wren traced patterns on the chipped Formica countertop, not really *seeing* them, more feeling the grit under her fingertip. Sixteen years…

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The Static Bloom

## The Static Bloom The salt spray stung Wren’s face, tasting like regret and old pennies. She tightened the hood of her oilskin jacket, scanning the gray churn of the Pacific. Not for ships. Never for ships. She watched for…

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The Static Between Flights

## The Static Between Flights The chipped Formica of the diner booth felt cold under Kaiya’s elbows. October light slanted through greasy windows, painting stripes across the vinyl. Another SAT score sheet lay crumpled in her bag – another perfect…

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The Static Bloom

## The Static Bloom The chipped Formica of the diner booth felt cool beneath Lux’s elbows. Rain lashed against the plate glass window, mirroring the static fizz in her head. Not a headache, exactly. More like fragmented radio signals –…

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The Glow Echo

## The Glow Echo The November air smelled like wet iron and dying leaves. Rain slicked the cobblestones of Old Town, reflecting the violet bloom from the willow trees lining the canal. Not natural light. The Glow. Everyone called it…

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The Chroma Archive

## The Chroma Archive Dust motes danced in the single shaft of sunlight slicing through the arched window. Elias Thorne, a man built like weathered oak and smelling faintly of old paper, ran a calloused thumb across the spine of…

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The Stone Speaker

## The Stone Speaker The chipped Formica of the kitchen counter felt cold under Leo Maxwell’s elbow. Another Tuesday, another grocery list scrawled in shaky handwriting: milk, eggs, bread, almond flour. His aunt Millie, bless her practical soul, left meticulous…

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The Static Bloom

## The Static Bloom Dust motes danced in the single shaft of light slicing through the gloom. Elouise traced a finger across the unfinished cheekbone of her latest sculpture, clay cool and yielding. It was supposed to be a boy,…

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The Collector’s Burden

The rain in Dustbowl wasn’t normal rain. It was thick, almost viscous, smelling of iron and something else… decayed roses. Not a pleasant scent, not at all. It clung to everything – the corrugated iron of Sal’s diner, the weathered…

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