He is a king, in cities. A king, or a duke, or an executive. A powerful man, in places other men inhabit. Power is reciprocal like that: he needs their recognition. Together they build an urban hierarchy, a pyramid that extends far above the closed system of their minds. Each charts their course, their competitors. […]

Calvin tried to enjoy the morning breeze coming in from the Indian Ocean. He tried to enjoy the view: the unblemished sky; the water that went from brochure-blue to turquoise to entirely clear as it neared the pier. It lapped at the stilts beneath and passed under his feet to move slowly through the shallows […]

Moonshine City still had that new building stink. Aya stared at the white lines in the parking lot as rain dotted the asphalt. These lines were the only traces left of MAPITA Mall, that charmingly run-down shopping center that had stood here for two decades before. Aya could practically hear the crackling carnival tune of […]

Anna stood at the edge of the dock, watching the lake’s calm mirror, the water serene, untouched. Something in her refused to settle. The last time she and Milo were here, they’d fought. A slow-burn kind of fight, the kind where every word had its own hidden blade. She’d accused him of trying to control […]