The Hospital Under the Island The hallway outside the elevator smelled like death. Not old death. Fresh death mixed with seawater and rust, thick enough that Nora Vale physically struggled not to gag the second she stepped into the corridor. Water dripped steadily from exposed ceiling pipes above them while dim red emergency lights flickered … Read more
Level B3 Nobody moved after the little girl spoke. The elevator doors remained open while weak yellow light flickered across the inside walls, illuminating the small figure standing silently in the center. Rain hammered against the resort windows outside. Thunder rolled above the cliffs. And somewhere deep inside the hotel, something metal screamed loudly through … Read more
March March is the month that knows it’s turning into something. You can feel it happening even when the weather hasn’t caught up. March || Spring || Progress || Alex March arrived like a promise being kept. Not dramatically — Portland’s version of spring was always tentative, always prepared to reverse into grey — but … Read more
Dinner at Reyes My father’s way of saying I love you and I accept you and you are welcome here is to cook for three hours and then act like it was nothing. Carmen || Jamie || Dinner || Family Dad invited Jamie for dinner on the Friday after state, and the invitation was delivered … Read more
After the Win The moments after you win are almost always quieter than you expected. The loudest part was getting there. After || Victory || Family || Joy The noise of the room settled eventually, the way noise always settled, and what remained was the specific warmth of people in a room where something good … Read more
State Championship Final — Saturday You spend the whole year preparing for the one thing. Then the one thing is here and nothing you prepared is quite right and you have to use what you actually are instead. Final || State || Climax || Courage The final was in the main hall. Two hundred seats, … Read more
The Woman on the Balcony Nobody breathed after seeing the woman smile. The entire lobby fell into a horrible frozen silence while thunder rolled above the resort and weak orange lights flickered softly across the rotting walls. Nora Vale stared upward at the balcony trying desperately to convince herself she imagined what she saw. But … Read more
State Championship — Round One The first round tells you everything about what the day is going to require of you. State || Competition || Debate || Courage The convention center smelled like industrial carpet and the particular ambient electricity of a large competitive event, the kind that made the air feel slightly pressurized with … Read more
The Lights Inside the Resort The sound followed them through the forest. Not loudly. Not fast. Just enough. A slow scraping noise from somewhere behind the trees, like something dragging itself uphill through the mud while the storm raged above the island. Nobody looked back anymore. Nobody wanted to. Nora Vale could barely feel her … Read more
State Championship Week The week before the biggest thing is always its own kind of beautiful. Everything feels sharp and worth keeping. State || Debate || Preparation || Together State was in Portland this year, at the convention center downtown, which meant the three hundred miles of travel that characterized most state championships were replaced … Read more
