E K Stokes

@peter rietbergen, @Lutheros, @chris191070, @drsawzall Firstly, my apologies, the first publication was a draft version published by mistake, I've corrected the error. It was a repeated small section that got mixed up in the editing. I'm finding this site difficult to read on as the stories are plastered with ads everywhere, breaking into the text and making a real mess, with weird highlighted Google links on story phrases. As to your comments and the story itself, one by one, in order: You should, it's based on a real event. Indeed, it's really chapter one, but the progression is meeting Thomas, "Usually, our friend Thomas is here," Sam continued... Yes he did, the story is an exploration of burgeoning adolescent sexuality. I can't know other people's experiences, but speaking for myself, growing up there were many sexual things which happened and I can't believe I am different from everybody else. Maybe you had a quieter neighbourhood, maybe you had less freedom, or you simply didn't encounter the same kinds of adventures? And yes, to reiterate it could be expand, I have a draft of chapter two, but it's an adventure with Thomas and Thomas is the oldest. As I said the event here is based on a real event. I hesitate with the continuation due to the ages of the characters, Kenny is 11, Sam 12, Leo 13, and the girls are 14. Similar age group for this site rules, but Thomas is 16 and that might pose a problem to continue here, I don't know, I prefer to be cautious, I've already skirted controversy and have no wish to go there again, even if it's not entirely fiction. Thank you for your comments and encouragement.

Kismet is a transgressive coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a stifling North London summer. It explores the fragile boundary between childhood innocence and the electric, often terrifying, awakening of adolescent desire.

The tires of Leo’s Raleigh gripped the dark asphalt as he pedaled furiously towards the last street of semi-detached suburban houses before the deep green wood, the countryside at the edge of the city. At thirteen, the woods were his sanctuary—a place where he could leave behind the routine and escape on an adventure. He skidded to a halt, the path into the wood was two hundred metres away, the oasis of English oak and a mixed variety of other trees whose names he didn't know. He could already s

Hunter is right, any sane, intelligent review of the war on drugs would arrive at the same conclusion, it's a lost battle. It has been for years. That Hunter' s father believes he is doing God's work, that sounds as American as prayers before meals. There appears to be a growing divide between father and son as Hunter lives through some dramatic events and is growing up fast. I think Ferney's death must have effected deeply everyone in that group of friends, and have touched Hunter perhaps more profoundly than he realises. It's a tragedy that will stay with him until the day he dies. A very good, very real, chapter.

@andy cannon summed it up... Thank you for your comments.

On a rain-slicked stretch of highway between the city and the outskirts, a pair of headlights cut through the gloom. Caleb, driving Sarah’s old station wagon with a manic intensity, saw a figure standing in the middle of the road, waving a tire iron. He slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt and flung the door open. It was Leo. "Caleb!" Leo screamed, his face a mask of mud and sweat. Caleb tumbled out of the car, his heart nearly stopping. "Leo! I saw... the raven... the chapel

The morning was deceptively ordinary. The rain had ceased, leaving behind a sky the colour of a bruised plum, and the rhythmic thump-hiss of the laundromat below provided a steady, domestic heartbeat. In the small bedroom, Caleb was still asleep, his face relaxed for the first time in months, his breathing synchronised with the quiet hum of the city. Leo slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him. He felt a lingering warmth in his chest, a fragile hope that their intimacy from the night be

They cannot return to the other side by themselves, they have no power. But, a demon who was sufficiently strong and could channel energy from a rebuilt Citadel, might be able to take them with him. It's not impossible, but it would be much easier to destroy them in the human world.

And Europe (In France, the wealthiest 10% of households own approximately 54% of the total assets. Additionally, half of the households hold about 95% of the total wealth), plus whilst we're talking stats, in France unemployment is 7.7% and amongst under 25's 18.1%. Kind of similar to Columbia, but with the big difference that here there is social security, meaning you get benefit pay outs and help from the state, but that doesn't mean there isn't poverty.

Now the princes have returned to the human world they have lost all their demonic powers and cannot return to that other plane, the portal closed behind them forever. But, entities can as they always have, still pass into the realm of humans. They might destroy and harvest human souls although that is much easier to achieve in the Citadel. They could still bring a human back with them if the entities were powerful enough, because they would need the force to traverse a portal themselves and more to bring someone. It perhaps depends if the person is willing? Also, do not forget, the Citadel has been destroyed, only it is not obliterated, one might say, damaged.

The days in the Citadel dissolved into a seamless blur of sensory overload and cold, hard discipline. Under Leo’s tutelage, Caleb learned that the Aethel did not tolerate weakness. Every meal was a lesson in refinement; every night was a masterclass in service. His body changed rapidly. The soft edges of his youth sharpened. His skin took on that same translucent, marble-like glow that Leo possessed, and his eyes began to hold a permanent flicker of gold. He was being hollowed out and fille

It is not reasonable to ask too much of a sixteen year old, too stay safe, be honest, try to be a good person; that should be all the stuff his parents taught him, but they probably didn't, so he's having to learn for himself. You can't easily expect a long lasting relationship, although it could happen. That people get hurt, emotionally, that happens as we grow up, who could honestly say they've never hurt anyone? If you can you are a better person than me.

Readers are quite rightly a little shocked at developments. I cannot make any comment because I risk spoiling the drama which is unfolding.

Years had passed in the human realm, though in the Aethel, time was merely a suggestion, a tide that ebbed and flowed at the High Lord’s whim. Leo, the Prince of the Abyss, stood on a lonely stretch of highway outside a dying industrial town. The air here was thin, tasting of rust and stagnant rain—a far cry from the rich, spiced atmosphere of his palace. He was no longer the boy who had been hunted. He was the hunter. A few yards away, slumped against a rusted guardrail, was a young m

@akascrubber perfect summary and @drsawzall very true.

The steeple of Oakhaven Community Church pierced the twilight like a jagged needle. Inside, the muffled sound of a pipe organ groaned through a hymn—a sound that used to make Leo’s stomach twist into knots of dread. Now, it just sounded like a funeral dirge for a world that didn't know it was already dead. Silas walked beside him, his presence a silent, terrifying gravity. He didn't need to speak; the bond between them pulsed with a shared, hungry anticipation. "The stage is set," Sila

That is what's happening, we will have to see what Leo does?

Although he didn't know that when he first met Silas?

The "Morning of the Reforging" did not come with a sunrise. Instead, the amber glow of the Citadel turned a bruised, metallic silver. Silas, still in his towering demonic form, stood over a shivering Leo. The air between them tasted of copper and ozone. The ritual was not a gift; it was a grafting. Silas reached into the center of his own chest, his obsidian claws sinking into his skin as if it were water. He pulled out a pulsing thread of pure, liquid shadow—a vein of his own primordi

There is and it will be... I hope youre ready for retribution!

Leo’s acceptance was a quiet landslide. The suburban life he had known—the dusty bookshelves, the stifling silence of church pews, the constant fear of being "found out"—seemed to belong to a man who had died in his sleep. But as the days in the Citadel passed, Leo realised that while his shame was gone, his autonomy had been traded for something far more beautiful and far more terrifying. He was no longer a ghost, but he was very much a Vessel. Life in the Citadel was a choreographed

@drsawzall (Be careful of what you wish for) very true, Leo was seeking, looking for something, someone, but it looks like he got more than he bargained for. @akascrubber (Will Leo keep staying with Silas? Will Silas send him on a mission back to his old world?) We will have to see how things progress, but you are not wrong! @VBlew (Looking forward to the story and the world building.) We will certainly get to learn more about this other world. Thank you for your comments.

The glow of the laptop screen was the only thing keeping the shadows at bay in Leo’s bedroom. At 2:00 AM, the blue light felt like a lifeline, a cold sun illuminating the one place where he didn’t have to pretend. He stared at the blinking cursor in the search bar of The Queer Mirror, a forum for gay men who weren't quite ready to be seen in the daylight. His fingers hovered over the keys, trembling slightly. Every time he logged on, a knot of guilt tightened in his chest—a remnant of a tho

Leo is an abused lost young man desperately seeking someone, anyone, an escape, a salvation. He finds Silas, a demon who lives in another realm, who has crossed to the real world in search of someone he needs, and has found Leo, who can serve him as his Prince. Revenge and retribution, Leo will get everything in return for submission and devotion, but at what price. A chain of events is set in motion as Leo changes from hunted to hunter, and all that happens is by design to maintain the Citadel and an existence that isn't human, it's demonic.

Well, no takers for story participation. Nevertheless, this latest story will start publishing soon! The Team by Edward Kyle Stokes A national football (soccer) team prepares for an under-21 international competition. The intense pressure of professional sport, combined with personal secrets and toxic power dynamics among staff and players, pushes three rising stars to their breaking points. Sponsorship deals, family struggles, relationships, all combine in an explosive high-stakes environment that promises a lot, but threatens destruction. How far are they prepared to go and what are they willing to sacrifice? I'll drop a link in here when it goes live...