Devout Rosamund Lannin __________ Lucy wasn’t the type that went to mom meetups, but they seemed like an okay group. And, she chided herself, there was no type that went to mom meetups. She was still unpacking a lot of the garbage from Dallas, where they’d never really found their…

A Capital Idea Abbie Doll __________ We hopped on the bus with a tremendous buzz in the air—this collective hum hovering there—accompanied by that marvelous jailbreak feeling only a field trip can bring. The chaperones stood at the front clutching their clipboards as they stumbled through rollcall, attempting to chisel…

Field Notes Itto & Mekiya Outini __________ “I don’t think you is who you says you is,” is the first thing Everett says to me, his eyes like shards from broken bottles scattered under streetlamps, only there are no streetlamps here, just a sickly half-moon rising from a knot of…

Skin Contact Zachary Bos __________ The deep ravine slashes through the Pennsylvania woods like a wet, stony wound. Halting her hike along the narrow streambed, Valeria Calderón tugs her bandana back into position. She squints to see where to step among the tumbled rocks and clumps of sedge and catbrier.…

Rosemount Manor Sacha Bissonnette __________ It was the first weekend of July when Sam, Josie, and Buddy met under the maple tree next to the battered shed in Sam’s backyard. They went over the juice-stained checklist Josie pulled out of her bag. Flashlights? Check. Snacks? Check. Three Walkie-Talkies? Check. They…

The Box on West 129th Street Stephen Kramer Avitabile __________ No one ever moved that dusty old box on West 129th Street. Everyone ignored it, hopingsomeone else would make it their problem. But there it sat, collecting dust, blocking everyone’sway as they traveled up and down the sidewalk, unable to…