I know a lot of people have been looking forward to the release of the Fall Anthology. Luckily, the wait is over! Sixteen stories have now been released for your enjoyment. I hope you find something you enjoy and don't forget to leave the author's a review to let them know what you think of their work! Thank you to all the Authors and their teams, the Anthology Proof Team for giving the stories a final polish, AJ for his Tech help, and Mann Ramblings for the Anthology banner!

 

 

 

Julian watched the high rises on the other side of the street. A few bright rectangles here and there showed some people still at work.

 

Or they'd forgotten to turn off the lights.

 

It was Friday night. Everyone should be at home with family or at some bar with friends or at an expensive Italian restaurant celebrating their one-year anniversary…

 

No, no, not going there. Lights…right. The cleaning crew going through the offices? No. Julian’s analytical mind discarded the idea immediately. Then the whole floor would be lit.

 

 

The alarm breaks the silence of the room, although I am already awake. I reach out and turn it off. All it really means is I have to get up and go to work, nothing I really enjoy, but it is a necessary evil like most things in my life. It is hard to pretend and go through life acting like everyone else, when your own life is totally screwed up. However, that is the normal state of being for someone like me. My parents long ago blurred the line between good and evil, normal and superior, angelic and humanity. After all, I am the proof those two didn’t follow the rules. When an angel and a mortal have a child, their child is called a Nephilim. See, there is good and bad to being a Nephilim. The good being, we can detect lies and have a burning desire to help those in need; the bad, we are always being looked for by the Fallen to switch sides and help drag humanity down. Like all who live, we are neither black nor white, but all of us are really just shades of gray.

 

 

As soon as the Supreme Court announced its decision that the right to marry was protected under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, social conservative heads began to explode. Not literally of course, but they couldn't believe they had lost this battle and hadn't gotten their way, so now all people had the right to marry whomever they chose. How were they going to live with this decision and were they now going to be forced to accept gays totally?

 

The day after this historic decision, social conservative think tanks began to ponder this very issue. Was the war concerning this topic now over and they had to abide by this decision, or did they still have other options to pursue? I'm not saying this was what transpired at each of those meetings, but I believe it gives a fair account and representation of what might have taken place at the various discussions.

 

 

“This old mansion looks like a palace in a fantasy movie,” Sally said to her husband as they ascended the stairs to the wide entrance of the hotel.

 

“Uh,” Sally cried out when she stumbled.

 

Her husband, Tom, jumped forward to stop her from falling down the stairs. Sally took a deep breath and smoothed down her jacket.

 

“A broken step,” Tom said, pointing at the step, then took another bite of the turkey sandwich that he had bought in a diner on their way to the hotel.

 

 

Fuck. The damn kid was there again. It figured.

 

I sighed as I dropped my head back against the headrest, wondering again just what the hell I was thinking. It had been several days since he'd been brought in. And, while I'd made my decision then, there was the hope that maybe the kid had gotten scared and gone home.

 

No such luck. Or maybe it was actually really lucky, depending on how you looked at it. My captain was going to have my head for what I was going to do though. But hell, the kid just looked so much like...

 

 

"Jason, what's wrong? You got some lovely gifts for your birthday, but you don't look happy," his mother observed, while looking down at the frown on her son's face.

 

"I didn't want this stupid truck, that dumb fishin' game or any of that other stuff," he snapped back, not at all happy. "I said I wanted a Barbie and a Disney Princess Songs Palace."

 

"I know, but Daddy thought you'd like these too," she offered with as much sympathy as she could muster. "Your sister will let you play with her Barbie, so you don't need more."

 

 

"Let's face it, the educational system and unions are the two biggest factors affecting our bottom line," Jim bemoaned as he sat down with a bunch of similar minded individuals for dinner.

 

"I can see why you listed the unions, because whenever a large number of individuals join together they gain greater influence and power, so they become more difficult to deal with. The thing is, I'm confused about why you added education too," George stated and his puzzled expression emphasized the point. "Don't we need a fairly intelligent workforce in order to keep our businesses functioning smoothly?"

 

 

I had a problem and didn't know what to do about it. To be more accurate, most of my family had the same problem, but no matter what we did in an attempt to resolve the issue, nothing worked. To put it simply, each of my siblings and I were dealing with the same conundrum, and it was how to escape our father's obsessive and domineering nature.

 

You see, my father was a super control freak who wanted to manipulate his family like a bunch of marionettes. At home this meant my mother, my other siblings and myself, because none of us dared to do anything without his knowledge or approval. He had each of us under his thumb so tightly that it was difficult for any of us to even breathe without his permission. The only time we were out from under his authoritarian grip was when we were at school, but the principal and teachers knew what he expected and acted in proxy for him. If we were to vary even slightly from his prescribed course of behavior, one of them would immediately report our transgressions to him, and we'd be severely punished.

 

 

The ring was still too small. However, that fact could hardly come as a surprise to him after all these years of wearing it. The daydreaming man squinted at his manual task, and suddenly saw all too clearly this kind of thing had been happening to him his whole life. He had the perfect metaphor within his grasp as he stood at the kitchen counter.

 

Every morning since he started to drink this kind of coffee, his cup would be a little too full and he'd have to pour some off. Somehow experience never rose to the level of being able to alter expectations, so he eventually gave up estimating the perfect amount of water to heat for the freeze-dried crystals of his instant caffeine. He told himself he was content to pour the excess of his mistake down the drain.

 

 

“I’m dating the quarterback of the football team,” the teen said, smirking at Ben. “His name is Dez, and he’s such a stud.”

 

The paralegal smiled back and nodded. “That’s terrific, Clay. When did that start?”

 

“A few weeks ago. He finally asked me to the fall homecoming dance,” Clay said, clasping his hands in front of him excitedly. “We’ve been flirting and stuff and it happened. He’s the man of my dreams.”

 

“That’s awesome,” Ben said. “I hope he’s good for you.” He looked around his boyfriend’s living room nervously. He was supposed to stay with Rush for the weekend. It had shocked him when Clay Taukkala, the kid from Boy River, answered the man’s door. “When did Rush say he’d be back?”

 

 

Every morning I'm confused when I look into the mirror
Because the face staring back isn't what I expect to see
No! I can't be that person, it just doesn't seem possible
He looks more like my grandfather, but that's not how I feel

 

Marcus had gotten up while it was still dark, grabbed his surfboard and wet suit, and then headed out to his car to head to the beach. He hoped to get his wave of the day shortly after sunrise.

 

“Good morning, Long Island. This is Danny K, bringing you the news this morning. First on the list is a violent storm that’s due in shortly after day break today. High winds and violent thunderstorms are expected. All beaches are due to be closed down as riptides and strong currents are expected. A fire in—”

 

Marcus turned off the radio and hurried down the highway to the beach. He knew if he got there before the dawn, chances were damn good that he could get a few rides in before the patrols caught him and forced him off the beach.

 

 

“It’s time for me to go. Kevin told me so.” The old man’s voice was low, and his breathing labored.

 

“Don’t say that, Great-Grandpa. Stay… I don’t want you to go.” The boy’s face twisted with the effort of holding back his tears.

 

“Ninety-three years is enough, buddy. It’s time to go be with Grampy. He needs me.”

 

The boy hugged his great-grandfather tightly, sobbing into his chest. “But I love you, and I’ll miss you. We need you, too.”

 

 

“I’ll see your fifty and raise you a hundred.” I slid the money to the center of the table and sat back in my chair. I had a great poker face, and did my best to maintain it. I knew Josie well enough to know she was bluffing. I intended to call that bluff, no matter how much it cost me.

 

The other four players folded in rapid succession, leaving only my best friend and me left in the round. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing my face for any ‘tells’. I raised an eyebrow. “Well? In or out?”

 

“In. You’re bluffing.” She added another hundred to the pile of money in the center of the table. “Ok, show ‘em, big shot.”

 

I grinned as I spread my cards out face up. “Full house. Read ‘em and weep.” I reached for the money, sure of my victory.

 

 

We sat down on a bench in the park, enjoying the cool breeze as the sun set. The leaves were dancing all around us as they swayed and glided to the ground. The entire place was painted with the leaves—hues of crimson, orange, and gold making a vivid display on the trees and the earth. I appreciated his company. He was always there for me, since I was a little kid until even now as I just celebrated my twentieth birthday.

 

His brown hair, usually let down to just graze the nape of his neck, was tied up into a short ponytail he seldom wore. His deep brown eyes gazed over the path as passersby came and went. He hadn't aged a day since I last saw him; his frame was still as firm and solid as when we first met. Even in twenty years, the only difference I really noticed was a beard. He watched the small families playing at the playground with unbridled laughter and mirth. He smiled to himself. I remembered how he'd tag along with me as I explored the forests by our old home, always keeping watch on me when I was still a child. I remember how he would hold my hand as we made our way back to the house even in the dead of night.

 

 

I had just returned home after graduating from college and was planning on taking a short break so I could have some fun before I started looking for a job. I felt I had earned the right to relax and enjoy life for a while since I'd just spent four years studying and meeting all of the course requirements to earn my bachelor's degree.

 

When I first got home, most of my old friends from high school were there too. They were either home for the summer before returning to college or just taking a few weeks off before starting a job. Seeing there were so many people around that I knew and was friendly with, the first part of the summer was a blast. It was a series of cookouts, parties, clubbing and even a few road trips as we headed to the beach, amusement parks and other places where those our age tended to hang out. As the summer progressed, however, all of the good times began to wind down. Slowly, those beginning their careers left the area, and then those returning to college took off to go back to their campuses. It didn't take long after they left before I became hopelessly bored.