Dimmed Lights Flicker

Bradley Oliver Jones was eight years old when he first heard "Phantom of the Opera" in New York.The lights gleaming across the stage, the voices of the performers ringing through the theater in a way that brought tears to the eyes of those listening. A wonderful canvas of brilliance painted bright by the dull colors of the world.The performance brought something wonderful to Bradley Oliver Jones.The theatre brought magic, brought light, brought hope into the mind of a little eight year old kid.A kid now dead set on being on that stage.And suddenly, the world was on fire, and everything was possible.

Lights, Camera, Action. Rebecca Jones is currently at the pinnacle of TV dramas. But how much longer? Everyone knows they don’t see behind the scenes. Rebecca’s private life isn’t for public consumption. What secrets are hidden there? Everett Stone, Rebecca's onetime co-star. He knows several of Rebecca’s secrets as they were once secretly married. Everett’s Gena’s current costar. Everett and Gena have had a tumultuous relationship. This man really gets around. Gena D’Or wants what Rebecca has. She’ll use any means necessary to take Rebecca’s place as the Rose of Black Dawn Productions. Gena’s close to her goal after years of trying. Crooked agents, a billionaire princess, many rumors, and dropping ratings. Rebecca is desperate to survive this cutthroat business. Everett’s interested in cutting his losses after his agent played him like a newbie for years. Everett can’t prove it yet. However, he receives an offer to reprise his original role as Dane Matthews, the male love interest of his ex-wife’s character Bella Cardinal, on the night-time drama Empire Nights. Will he leave Gena’s show, Grandview Place? To return to where he started. What about his ex-wife? Nothing’s the same on the Empire Night’s set. Rebecca isn’t the same. Everett finds he’s not as immune to his ex as he believed. Can he get his backstage pass to Rebecca’s private life back? Will he save her from whatever is destroying her? Or will he be the one to destroy her? How will they respond when the studio forces Rebecca and Everett to marry for the show's ratings? Money, misdirection, celebrity, secrets, and rumors make or break everyone in this business. What happens when the curtain falls and the lights go out?

Richard, a 49 year old widower with two daughters. Richard had spent his life devoting his time to his girls and to his work. Ava, a 23 year old girl from a countryside with little or no knowledge on how to survive in Bellamy- city of bright lights and dreams and fortunes. These two crossing paths could only be coincidental as they lead different lives with a huge age gap between. But, maybe they were waiting for each other all their lives to fill the gaps. It would take a lot to be together. But how much can one take? An angry girlfriend. A selfish daughter. They'll find out that love is never enough!

Alpha Terrence and I had been pup-less mates for five years. But one day, Terrence had accidentally ingested wolfsbane, leading to a diagnosis of severe poisoned decay. His agonized whimpers shredding the silence of every night, plunged our pack into despair. It was then that a mysterious witch whispered a prophecy to his parents: only a she-wolf bearing the "scent of silverfern and cold moonlight" could save him. So, in order to pull him back from the brink of death, he slept with the she-wolf his parents arranged for him. After every time they mated, he would frantically slap himself, then kneel before me in tears, confessing everything. Later, the she-wolf, Rebecca, succeeded in getting pregnant. Terrence hugged me and cried bitterly, "Lila, my Luna," he choked, his golden Alpha eyes dimmed with grief, "I've fulfilled my parents' dreams, so from now on, I'll live for myself. My heart, my wolf... they belong only to you." But two years later, I saw Rebecca was being fawned over by everyone in Twilight Pack. A pup stood beside her, as her belly was swollen high with another one. Terrence instinctively shifted to shield her, explaining, "Luna, my parents... they just wish for a son and daughter to complete my family. Once Rebecca safely delivers this pup, I'll send her away. Right away." "You didn't want pups with me, so Rebecca carries this burden for you. It will be yours. I did this... because I love you too much to leave you alone in this world, these pups are the gifts I leave behind. They will carry on my love for you, even after I'm gone." I nodded without crying. Terrence didn't know. I came today to share joyful news because I was pregnant. But this pup... would never draw breath under the moon. When the truth crashed upon him, that very night, under the full moon's indifferent gaze, his desolate howl became a tangible cry for my pardon.

"Ms. Rowe, are you certain you want to delete all identity records? Once they're erased, you'll be completely removed from the system. No one will be able to find you again." Eva Rowe pauses for a moment before nodding with quiet resolve. "Yes. I want to disappear from this world. I want to make sure no one can ever find me." Two seconds of silence follow on the other end, as if they're giving her one last chance to reconsider. "Understood, Ms. Rowe. The wipeout protocol will be completed within 14 days. By then, you'll be officially 'dead' in all databases. Please make the necessary arrangements." With that, the call ends. Eva books a one-way ticket to Felnor, scheduled for 14 days later. Then, she turns off her phone, watching as the screen goes dark. She stands by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the endless city lights, and lets out a soft, cold laugh. She is no longer anyone's Eva.

Alessia had been given an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy as a reward for her outstanding contribution in her workplace. It was like a life-changing experience for her. However, Alessia encountered a devastating turn of events upon her arrival in the country when she was abducted by unknown men and found herself being auctioned in a bidding event. Not only that, she was bid on by the ruthless mafia lord, Angelo Santoro. ~~ "Ten million," I heard someone say from the crowd. The lights from the ceiling were blinding my eyes, and the handcuffs secured around me weren't making the panic inside me any better. I had no idea why I was at an auction event. "Fifteen million," another voice came through, making me more confused than ever. "Twenty million," another followed, and then someone raised the bid to "Thirty million." "Two hundred million," this time, the voice was sharp and carried danger as he spoke. The whole room fell into dead silence. In that moment, my eyes met his. Dark and penetrating, they instantly sent shivers down my spine.

The bedroom was dark, and I was holding my wife's hand, feeling like I wanted to do something a little daring. But as I moved her hand, she suddenly stopped me, her hand trembling slightly. When the movie ended and the lights came on, I was shocked to realize that the person beside me wasn't my wife, but our neighbor, Lesley Mendoza...

Born on the wrong side of the divide,18-year-old Raelynn Forester, a hybrid scorned by the council, faces a life carved by hardship. Orphaned by tragedy, hunted for her heritage, and used as a lab rat by the one who swore to protect her, she navigates a world where trust is a luxury she can't afford. Betrayal stings deeper than any claw. Her adoptive sister, blinded by jealousy, makes her life a misery. Seeking solace, She would turn to her Alpha Lorenzo. Her mate, a flicker of hope in the darkness, stumbles when the storm rages, leaving Raelynn to face the fury alone. But Raelynn is no fragile flower. With thorns sharper than any blade and a spirit forged in fire, she rises from the ashes. Her journey is a tapestry woven with blood and resilience, love and loss, as she fights for her survival, her identity, and the right to live in a world that fears what it doesn't understand. When it seems all is lost, will she find solace in the embrace of her mate, or succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume her? Dive into Raelynn's story, where every choice bleeds consequence and every love bite leaves a scar.

{ Choi Dea and Sung-ho } "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines...." - by William Shakespeare Choi Dea was in the possession of a position where she never truly wanted to be, just because of her father insisted. Her whole life was existing without love, she never got a chance to meet her mother. One day and within a day, her sister Joo-eun trapped her in a business downfall, she planned it all along. Why would a bastard be the CEO of the top cosmetic company, when the true heir was still alive? Joo-eun did that to her because of hatred and envy. Dea actually never thought about her birth, those feelings never occurred to her. But when she saw her company fall, her cold heart began to quiver, unable to decide between the right and wrong. Due to her close friend's suggestion, she went to meet the Mafia Boss of the underworld, to convince him to help her company regain their shares. Mafia Boss Sung-ho was literally shameless, he had a crush on Dea from the moment he saw her. He decided to help her company and cleared the people who were after her, but the exchange was......... Two people, from two different worlds, both of them didn't want to be from the beginning who they were. The exchange, could Dea be able to give her heart to the Mafia Boss? Or would she backstab Sung-ho and destroy the underworld if she listened to her conscience?

Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.