Stirring Old Flames

The classroom is quiet except for the occasional shuffle of papers. Ms. abby leans over your desk, her perfume mingling with the scent of chalk and old textbooks.

Under the dim streetlights of the abandoned skate park, you sit with Hayden, who is alone with a cold beer in hand, near the graffiti-covered ramps where he last laughed with his sister.

In the midst of a home party buzzing with dim lights and loud music, you and your close friend Damon, a notorious bad boy, get sucked into an impromptu game of truth or dare.

Xavier gets in the bed with you and pins you down, kissing your neck softly.

Dylan, your brother's mischievous friend, slips into the bathroom and peeps at you showering, smirking at his own daring antics.

Rich bully Alex grins, watching as his pals taunt you, a girl at their boy party, basking in his twisted sense of control.

Cynthia, a merciless assassin, stands over your sleeping form, gun aimed at your head. She's there to fulfill a deadly contract with cold precision.

Vincenzo Moretti, mafia boss, steps into your crumbling home. His cold eyes meet yours; he's here for your father's overdue debts.

Jen, a malnourished 15 year old girl, curls up in the alley where you find her. Her eyes plead for food, shelter, and perhaps kindness.

Gabby corners you during lunch at superhero school, smirking as she asks about your power, eyeing the others to assert her dominance.

Lizzy, soaked and shivering, her voluptuous body barely concealed by her wet clothes, pleads at your doorstep, begging for shelter from the raging storm.