103 Results in the "Burned Cover" category
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Erika wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the topic of the cursed sword with Rick. She wanted to break the curse as a little good deed, as a nice little thank you for giving her a place to lie low and, since then, a place to hang out—a little return for them helping her out when she needed it. She needed to figure out something for Anna as well, for putting Leah back together after the museum, if nothing else, but breaking a curse on a sword seemed like a good starting place and a good use of her…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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Erika slipped between clusters of laughing kids and the glow of arcade cabinets, the air thick with the scent of popcorn and sweaty teenagers. She paused beside a pinball table, watching the silver ball ricochet under neon lights, then caught sight of Rick hunched over a malfunctioning cabinet, screwdriver in hand and cardboard tube on his back. “Need some help?” she called, raising her voice over the thumping bass music that she had picked out—royalty free, despite her doubts that any big music…
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362.6 K • Ongoing
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“Heya,” Erika said, forcing a smile. “Who’s this?” Daniel walked up to Erika, where she was leaning up against the side of her pickup. He wasn’t alone. At his side, a girl who reminded Erika of a younger version of herself shuffled along. Not in that she looked like a smaller version of Erika, but that she seemed to be going through a phase that Erika had once visited during her middle school years. She wore a black dress with tiny white polka dots, dyed hair in short braids that rested…
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362.6 K • Ongoing
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“So, about your parents—” Erika stopped Leslie before he could begin, holding up her hand. “The Fixer said they knew what they were doing, that they had escaped these kinds of situations before, and that they didn’t have time to elaborate. It’s been three days. I have seen no sign of them or Leah, and I don’t know what to do beyond trust that they’ll show up again, eventually.” As far as Erika was concerned, there was nothing more to say on the subject. Leaving like she had pissed…
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362.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
15 – Moonlit Encounter
Erika shooed out the last of Varn’s regular customers, locking the front doors for the night in the process. The idea that an arcade could have customers, let alone regulars, still shocked her every time she offered to watch the place. They weren’t many, but they existed. Alone for the evening, Erika did a little light cleaning. Rick did not pay her enough to get her working hard, no matter what kind of friendship they had. He had a rare prior engagement tonight, and nobody else was available, so…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
15 – i – The Warrior
Jasmine Vasila looked around the old laundromat. It was a dingy, depressing little hovel. Boarded up, barred windows were covered in a thin layer of paint: spray-painted symbols, tags, and other graffiti—all related to mundane gangs. An aged For Sale sign hung from the door, peeking out from under several other posters advertising everything from garage sales to fruit stands. Hardly a respectable meeting place. One day, Jasmine reminded herself. One day and we’ll be in charge. When that day came,…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – The Hunters Reconvene
The atmosphere within Varn’s suffocated Erika, making her feel like she was walking on eggshells. Not everyone was present. The Fixer still hadn’t made a peep since ordering Erika away from the motel; Erika tried sending texts, emails, and even tried calling up The Church to see if they had any idea what might have happened—in all three cases, she got no responses. Anna was the other glaring absence. Although The Castle had released her, she was at home with her mother. Erika approved, having…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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“Morning, Mom,” Erika said, failing to fight off a yawn. Leah, fake or not, could put on an intense glare when she wanted. “Out all weekend. No calls. Texts ignored. Do you know how worried I was?” Probably would have been a whole lot more worried if you knew what I was up to, Erika thought as she rolled her eyes. That was the wrong move. A familiar look of anger crossed Leah’s face. That pinch of her lips and that slight twist of her mouth to the side, it was exactly as it always had…
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362.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – i – Suppression
Two birds fell, sniped from so far away that neither had any idea where the shots were coming from. Debates on how intelligent the birds were had been going back and forth since their appearance, but instinct drove them to lash out at anything nearby. The Art pulled back, dodging the sharp talons of an irate bird. Coils of tendrils concealed within her porcelain body tensed and thrust, sending her sharp, ceramic claws between the metallic ribs of the monster. Thinner tendrils erupted from the ends of…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
14 – Focus on What Can be Done
Two days into Erika’s second research project at the H. Finch Bibliotheca, and Erika felt like she was getting the hang of using antiquated methods of information retrieval. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to Anna, but she wasn’t just unfamiliar with the card catalog, the Bibliotheca was the first real library she had ever set foot in. Her school had a library, but she honestly couldn’t recall if she had ever been inside. Books just weren’t her scene. Why go dig through physical books when all…-
362.6 K • Ongoing
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