We Dystopian

The year I was at my poorest, I impersonated my sister to take care of her blind fiancé in exchange for one hundred thousand dollars. On the day he regained his sight, I left without a word. When we met again, it was during a business interview. I was a nameless intern reporter. He had returned to his rightful status as the heir of the influential Hughes family. During the interview, the host asked, "We’ve heard that during your illness, your fiancée, Miss Dawson, stayed by your side through thick and thin. The two of you are about to get married?" He lifted his hand slightly, revealing a ring, and his lips curled into a faint smile. "Yes, we’re getting engaged soon." Yet, his gaze, through the lens of his glasses, landed—intentionally or not—on me, standing in the corner.

My boyfriend of eight years didn’t just leave me. He left me for my sister. And then suddenly, they were getting married. I hate being seen as the weakling, the ugly one. So I did what I could. I made an offer to Liam Carter —my Highschool Bully when we met in Tuscany. The last person I ever wanted to owe anything to. We pretend to date for the summer, to make everyone believe I’ve moved on and in return I help with his PR stunt. It was supposed to be fake. No feelings. No strings. Just a deal between enemies with something to prove. But the more we pretend, the more the lines blur—and suddenly, the boy who once made my life miserable might be the only one who truly sees me. And the worst part? I think I’m starting to fall for him.

On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, all three of my fiancés showed up with the worst reports from their family-run businesses. My father had declared that I would marry the one who could bring the greatest benefit to our family. However, all three of them had already fallen for a penniless scholarship girl named Amelia Jones, and none of them wanted me. In my previous life, I kept them close, mentored them, and poured my resources into helping them rise. By the time they had each become powerful men in my family, they repaid me by framing my father, getting him arrested, and making him age more than 10 years overnight. He was dragged to prison. Me? They hired a crew of street thugs to brutalize me, leaving me to die while my private photos spread across the internet. As life slipped away, I heard their sneering voices: "Did you really think we ever liked you? Everything we did was for Amelia." "If you hadn't chained us to your side, we'd have married her long ago, we'd have a house full of kids by now!" "You and your father ruined her future. She couldn't afford college because of you. She had no choice but to jump!" Then I opened my eyes: reborn on the very day of my coming-of-age ceremony. I pulled my father aside, looked him in the eye, and said, "I'm an adult now. Throw them out. Strip them of every business and every asset we gave them." "I'm not choosing any of them. I chose Bruce Sullivan, the Don of the Sullivan family."

I had poured my heart into planning the perfect wedding—for my female client. Then I turned a corner and saw her kissing my boyfriend at the stairwell. He chuckled softly. "No wonder you're my wife. You're stunning." She let out a soft laugh. "Your little secret girlfriend still does not know you're marrying me. She actually wished me happiness—can you believe it? So… when are you planning to tell her?" He tilted her chin and said, "Didn't we agree? Once we're married, we each live our own lives. Teresa is the love of my life. I hope you'll keep your mouth shut." She gave a snort of laughter and yanked playfully on his tie. "Relax, babe. As long as you keep treating me right, I won't stir up trouble." I felt like I had plunged into an ice bath. Face pale, hands trembling, I picked up my phone and texted my mentor: [I'm ready to take the transfer to Luminous City.] The reply came not long after: [Three days from now. We'll go together.]

When Steven Baxter, the heartthrob of the school, admits that he loves action movies the most, my childhood friend, Lisa Thornton, has my limbs strapped to four huge drones. During the flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning, the drones lift me high up in the air in front of the entire school. The students' laughter is deafeningly loud. The videos they take quickly go viral, too. I only get to return to the surface once the drones finally run out of power and make their descent automatically. With a wide grin on her face, Lisa unties me from the drones. "Steven loves action movies, so we had you cosplay the main character from the most popular Tom Cruise movie. "We grew up together since we were kids, Dominic. Surely you don't mind, right?" As I sit on the ground, Steven pulls Lisa into his arms before he starts guffawing at me. Tears soon streak down his face from all the laughing. "I can't believe you actually peed yourself!" "Ahahahaha!" I get up to my feet and walk away. From then on, I don't return to Lisa's side. But Lisa soon loses her mind. "We've known each other for ten years! Must you really do this to me?"

Ayon kay Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you—na siyang isinasabuhay ko. I only have my mother and my two friends, Charlynn and Reisha. My mother works for Charlynn's family. We are not really poor and definitely we're also not rich but we're living comfortably. Nevertheless, I am contented with my life. But, after meeting the man that I like, I started to dream for more. I started to ask for more just to equal his riches even though I know for sure that it was impossible. Life is meaningful. Full of life lessons, full of challenges, and battles that you need to surpass. Pero no'ng nawala sa akin si Mama, iyon ang hindi ko kinaya. Sinisi ko sa lahat ang pagkawala niya. Nagtanim ako ng galit sa pamilya na tinuturing kong pangalawa kong pamilya. And he was there, just accepting my madness. But, what if everything that I believed was all a lie? Paano kung lahat ng sinisi ko, maling tao? Would I be able to get to his life again? Or our memory will remain just like how we first met? Dark.

When I was ten years old, both my parents passed away. My sister, Brianna, and I only had each other left. We were tormented at the orphanage before the Larsons adopted us. They doted on Brianna and me, and even allowed their daughter, Vivian Larson, to get engaged to me when I was 20 years old. It was a wonderful tale of love. Vivian didn't let any of us down. She would have given me the moon if she could, and she loved me with all her heart. During the ten years we spent with the Larsons, Brianna and I led a good life and never suffered at all. The night before we got married, Vivian took out a treasured bottle of vintage wine. It was to be served at our wedding. However, I poisoned the wine and killed everyone in the Larson family, including my own sister.

Blurb Ever since the war, humans were no longer the world's dominator. Supernatural creatures broke the peace treaty and colluded together to overthrew humans’ rule. After we failed completely in the battlefield, they decided to ‘purge’ the world of evil humanity. I survived from death in that brutal slaughter but was captured and imprisoned in a dungeon where I had now lived for five years. Business was the only reason why they kept immatures and even spared us shelter and food. When we reached 18, we’d be sold as slaves. That night I was bought by a mysterious guest and taken to somewhere I had never been to or heard of. My work was to serve three noble masters residing there. They were all supernatural, but decent and reasonable. So it’s better for me to carry out the plan for escaping. It all went well until someone attacked me. And the secret behind us began to be revealed.

“She has to be at an age range that was close to mine, smart, beautiful, and a virgin” he said looking at his mother whose eyes widened. “Alpha, how are we to find out if she was a virgin or not…?” “I don’t care, if I am to marry a human who isn’t my mate, then she is to be one who has never been touched by a man” the Alpha said getting up from the couch. “What are we to do, mum?” His sister asked. “We’ll find him what he asked for…” And that is exactly what they did… ************** When Alpha Blake had put out his condition on his mother and sister, he never thought that they would be able to find the woman he asked for in such a short period of time. However, when they showed him her picture, he was forced to comply. “Her name is Natalia Adams, and she is everything you asked for”

My son is severely allergic to pollen, and because of his rare blood type, he must receive a specific desensitization injection at a bigger hospital in a different state. To make that happen, I deliberately booked the same flight as my wife just so our son could get help as soon as possible. But she insists on waiting for her late-arriving first love, refusing to let the plane take off. When I confront her, she says, "All passengers are equal. If the plane can wait for you, why can't it wait for him? Cam still needs to celebrate Josie's birthday. It's just ten minutes. Nothing will happen!" However, by the time we arrive at the hospital, the doctor tells us we missed the critical window for treatment. We were just ten minutes too late. Our son has now become a vegetable.