Deadpan

On April Fools' Day, Ethan Reid builds me a crystal coffin, Liam Reid custom-designs a burial dress, and Julian Reid fills the bottom of the coffin with imported flowers. To satisfy their adopted sister, Alexandra Martin, who wants to pull an April Fools' prank, they tell me to spend the night in the coffin. "If you can handle spending the night in there and actually take a joke, we'll officially acknowledge you as part of the family," they say. I'm so desperate to belong that I put on the dress and climb in without hesitation. However, the second the lid locks, I realize there's no air coming in. As the oxygen runs out, I panic and start frantically pounding against the glass, screaming for help. On the other side of the lid, Alexandra goes live, laughing as she points her phone at me. "Look, everyone. She's such a great actress. She's holding her breath until her face is literally turning purple. Talk about staying in character!" Ethan looks down at me with disdain. "Cassie, knock it off! You just got in there, and you're already throwing a fit. Stop embarrassing us." The suffocation intensifies. My lungs feel like they're about to burst, and I can't even form the words to beg for help anymore. However, Liam merely sneers at me. "You're certainly going above and beyond for some attention." Julian leans in close to the glass, clapping and laughing. "This is hilarious. You're a total drama queen!" Then, I hear Ethan talking to the camera. "She does this every single time. She's a total buzzkill who loves playing the victim just because she can't stand seeing Alexandra happy. She always has to ruin everything." I stare at them through the glass in despair. I'm not faking it. I'm actually dying!

As usual... Same answer to the same question asked. Cold, hard, dull and dry and cracked just like arid lands... How are you, however, is a normal question. The answer given in return is usually "I'm fine" and it is a clear answer that will follow. After that, the conversation would go away, but the young man's voice froze both the time and the atmosphere with his answer. The conversation was limited to a few short words, and that was what he wanted anyway...

My brother, Adrian Lupton, always says I'm the most boring person in the family. That's because every time he plays a prank on me, I always end up in tears. When he sticks chewing gum in my hair, I cry. When he pulls my chair away just as I'm about to sit down, I fall and cry, too. It leaves me with a fractured tailbone, and I spend two months lying face down in bed. But my parents always brush it off. They say he is just being playful and that I can't take a joke. And as his older sister, I'm supposed to be more understanding. Eventually, I stop crying. Even when Adrian smiles and offers me some food, I smile back. I have no idea that he has mixed peanut butter into it—the one thing I'm severely allergic to. After eating it, I return to my room. The moment I close the door, it feels as though someone is squeezing my throat shut. I can't breathe. Red hives spread across my body as I collapse onto the floor. My phone is lit up beside me. The last thing on the screen is my search: "How to stop throat swelling from peanut allergy". My consciousness slowly fades. In the next room, Adrian laughs while playing video games. Meanwhile, my parents are watching TV in the living room. No one in the house notices what is happening behind my closed door. No one realizes that I'm dying. If there is another life, I don't want to be the target of anyone's cruel pranks ever again. I just want to be loved for who I am, even if it's only once.

Bru•tal ˈbro͞odl/ adjective savagely violent. "a brutal murder" synonyms: savage, cruel, vicious, ferocious, brutish, barbaric, barbarous, wicked, murderous, bloodthirsty, cold-blooded, callous, heartless, ruthless, merciless, sadistic; More Punishingly hard or uncomfortable. direct and lacking any attempt to disguise unpleasantness. ~ "I will fucking end your life, right here right now." He said as he placed the pistol to my head "Don't test me." He said as he smiled sinisterly while loading the gun.

In the middle of a lively night, can you guess what's about to come? In the middle of the busy street, do you realize there is something in the dump? Shane Hoseinzade was peacefully sleeping on the floor when three conservative, loud knocks echoed inside. Would he open the door? On the other side, someone wearing a black cloak and holding a giant scythe is standing on the doorstep. With head bowed down, a pair of mismatched eyes glowed while staring at the door. Patiently waiting for the target to open the door. If you hear three violent knocks on your door at exactly midnight, would you dare to open the door? But what if those violent knocks are the knocks of the person you promised to marry in the future? Death? A grim reaper? A demon? Whoever it is, are you ready to face your fears?

The day after my wife, Evie Sandoval, jumps into the river and commits suicide, her family, the Sandovals, hold a funeral for her. Upon hearing the news, I put on a bespoke suit and a red glittery tie, attending the funeral in full regalia. However, the moment I step inside, her parents begin hurling insults at me. "How dare you show your face, Michael Chandler! You murderer!" "If it hadn't been for you abusing her all these years, Evie would never have jumped into that river!" I simply smile at them and calmly pull out a Bluetooth speaker from my bag before blasting some disco music. "Come on, everyone! Shake your booty to the music with me!"