Gentlemen

Mr. Haberman is one weird dude, but the demonstration he does in class is weird even for him. What is in the big blue barrel in front of the class? Everyone gets to hit it with a small club and try to guess. According to Haberman, the student who quessed meat is the closest guesser, but not quite right. When Tommy disappears, Michael, Mixer, and Bones realize they haven't seen him since before Haberman's class. Could Haberman have finally flipped? Could it really have been Tommy in the barrel?

The Declaration

Anna is a "surplus," a person who should never have been born. "Surpluses" are considered illegitimate and a drain upon the resources of the world. A surplus has no right to be alive. Once the Longevity drug had been discovered years ago people had a choice. They could accept the Lonevity drug and live forever at the age they were, or they could '"opt out" and die after a normal lifespan. There was a catch of course. Those people who accepted Longevity had to "opt out" and sign a declaration stating they would never have children. The world simply couldn't handle any more people. If they did have children, those children would become "surpluses" like Anna. Surpluses were taken from their parents, given just enough food to stay alive, given no medical care or education, and were trained to be slaves...Anna accepted her role as a surplus until a new surplus, Peter, arrived at her training school. Peter believed that everyone, surplus or not , deserved a life of their own. Furthermore, he said that Anna had a family who loved her. Peter thoght they could escape and find them. Could Peter be right?

Dooley Takes the Fall

The guy was dead. There was no question about that. Dooley saw him fall from the bridge and hit the pavement, but had the kid jumped or was he pushed? Dooley thought he had caught a glimpse of a someone at the end of the bridge just as the kid went over, but was that just a shadow? Dooley had already been in too much trouble to be getting involved in something like this. Dooley had a "past" and the truth was...Dooley wasn't exactly where he was supposed to be. Would anyone believe he had no part in this?

Crosses

By Shelley Stoehr

Meeting Katie is one of the best things that’s ever happened to Nancy. Katie really understands her, something her parents can’t do even when they’re sober. Plus, with Katie Nancy can finally begin to shed her “goody -goody” image. Katie and Nancy cut designs onto their bodies. The physical pain gives them comfort, and a release from their inner pain. But soon, even though their bodies are covered with scars, neither the cutting nor the drugs they take can give them what they are looking for…

Dancing with an Alien

By Mary Logue

Tonia has been looking for the right boy for a while. She doesn’t know that when she finds him he will truly be one of a kind. Branko is on planet Earth with mission. His job is to find a female to help re-populate his planet. He isn’t quite sure what will happen to her on his planet, but he knows that without her his planet will die. His reputation and the honor of his family are on the line. He doesn’t count on caring about the female he finds. Tonia touches him in a way no one else does. Is extra-terrestrial love possible? Does it matter what species you are? Can love transcend all…??

Pawns

By Willo Davis Roberts

Teddi and her older neighbor Mamie have both shared the grief of losing a family member. Teddi is an orphan, her mother a victim of cancer, her father a victim of his own hand. Mamie’s son Ricky has recently been killed in a plane accident. In their grief they have worked out a way to live comfortably together. Then a very young, and very pregnant woman knocks on the door and says, “Hi, I’m Dora, Ricky’s widow” Teddi worries how this will change her relationship with Mamie .She also wonders why Dora doesn’t have any identification and why she doesn’t seem to know much about Ricky. Just who is this woman and what does she want?…

On the Devil’s Court

By Carl Deucker

When Joe moves across the country, away from all the people and things he loves, he counts on his basketball skills to gain him new friends and prestige. Something is wrong though, his skills seem to be failing him. No matter how much he practices nothing seems to go through the hoop-until the day the devil shows up and makes him an offer that is hard to refuse. After all, later on all he has to do is repent and all will be forgiven, right??