Merl walks hurriedly to Anne, who was watching the Girls Soccer Training session of the school. The day was bright as she gazes at the sky smiling. Where have you been? Asked Anne.

I have being here watching the training session. Oh, so you don't know the rumor circulating the school? What rumor? If you don't know then I cannot tell you. Merl turns and walk towards the parking lot. Anne followed insisting Merl tells her. Merl stands besides her car said Eric is dating someone. What, this can't be true. Haven't you heard? asked Merl.

Anne stood still crying. So Eric is cheating on me, after all that I did for him? This can't be.

I know you are waiting for him. Ask him if he comes, said Merl. She sat in her car and drove off.

Anne goes back and sit on one of the bench waiting for Eric.

She takes a drag of her cigarette, puckering her red lips as she inhales. Her dress - resembling more of a nightgown - hangs off of her left breast as she stares off in to the cotton candy sunset. I sit next to her with my hands resting on my knees, crossed between them.

“The sun's almost down,” she utters, removing the white, slender stick from her mouth. Smoke rises up in to the dry air of the desert. She nudges me to attract my attention towards her scantly clad body. She raises her eyebrows waiting for a response.

I look away, off towards the road that leads back to town. I contemplate what move to make next.

“Won’t be long now.” I say, turning back to her with the eyes of a young boy, wondering what would take place in the bedroom of the motel we found on our way from town. She takes another puff and blows out smoke from the o-shape formation of her mouth.

She closes her eyes, shuffles closer to me, and seductively whispers in my ear, “Why do we have to wait until it’s dark?” She rubs her smooth leg against my calve, placing her free hand on the inside of my thigh. I remain unchanged, although I’m sure she senses my heart rate slowly climbing. It only takes me a couple of seconds to get her to stop.

“Ask him when he gets here.” I can feel her body tense up, if only for a second, as I quickly fire back. She lets out a sigh, takes one last breath of her cigarette, and flicks it away from her. She tries to pull the bottom of her dress over her legs, failing to cover even her knees. The sun almost covers the mountains toward the horizon.

I stand up, dusting off the sand that clings to my shorts. I ask, without looking directly at her half-nude body, “Are you ready?”

She looks up at me as I turn my head towards her, meeting her sparkling blue eyes, and replies, “Are you?” I shake my head knowing these little fights won’t last and lend my hand out to help her up, the only act of kindness I’ve shown all day.

“The sun’s almost down.” Gerald looked towards the dazzling pink clouds that were rapidly fading to black. He looked up to see the first star shine as brightly as it could against the darkening sky.
He glanced back over at Sandra who was huddled down against the tree. She gave a small smile back.
“Won’t be long now” he added as he glanced at his watch. Gerald began to pace around trees. He nervously looked towards the path leading to the quiet town below.
“Please sit down, will you? You are making me more nervous.” Sandra pleaded with him. She, too, couldn’t help watching the path. It really didn’t make the time go by any faster or make Lysid arrive any earlier.
“Why do we have to wait until its dark?” Sandra asked thoughtfully.
Gerald thought about it a moment then just shrugged. “I don’t know, ask him when he gets here.”
They fell into a silence as the shadows grew around them. The night sounds of the woods came to life slowly. If it were any other time, they would have found them soothing but considering the nature of this meeting they seemed to jump at every little sound.
Gerald heard the footsteps first. He directed Sandra to move behind the tree as he quietly drew his sword. He crouched down and waited as the footsteps grew louder then stopped just short of the clearing.
“Lysid, is that you?” Gerald whispered.
“Of course, who else would it be? Put your sword away.”
Sandra lite her torch as the three of them gathered in the clearing. They were surprised by what they saw, a kid. He looked to be fourteen.
They had never met Lysid but had heard he was a powerful wizard, feared by many. He was the one that could send them home.
Sandra shook her head in disbelief. “Is this why you wanted to meet at night?”
Lysid smiled, “Of Course, who would be afraid of me if they saw I was a kid? I have heard the stories going around about me.” He gave a laugh.
Gerald gave a sigh. He had to trust this kid. “Are you ready? Can you send us back?”
Lysid looked at the two of them for a moment. He pulled out a small wooden stick along with a small book. He carefully traced a circle around them. Turning to the pages he needed he asked them “Are you?”

Conducting American census figures in parts of the country where no one wants to go garners a certain type of courage that oozed out of Charlene's pores. She had somehow convinced her boyfriend of three weeks to accompany her in the famed Eastside Housing Projects against his better judgment. He began to second guess his attraction to his current choice of companion with questions that were statements and statements that expressed his uneasiness.
“The sun's almost down.” he reminded her.
“Won’t be long now.” she quipped while eyeing the three last dilapidated homes strewn together in dusk's grasp.
“Why do we have to wait until it’s dark?” he half wondered half murmured."
“Mark baby, you sure sound scared," she casually replied. He noticed her hastened gait had slowed as if nightfall made Charlene more relaxed. If it weren’t for the groups of strange people meandering about Mark would have had a better response, but fear had taken root on his every thought. He didn’t know any of the people around him and his common sense began to list every possible horrible scenario.
"Why do we have to wait till its dark?" He asked again. Without a missed beat she coolly said, "Ask him when he gets here.”
Two gunshots cut the tension between them; Mark instinctively took Charlene's hand and ran with her toward an abandoned panel truck that was as good a place to hide as any he thought.
“Are you ready?” he shook his friend to elicit a response.
“Are you?” he asked again because all cool had left her face…

Cathy wobbled in the three-inch heels. She was a country girl, unfamiliar with anything other than bare feet and the occasional pair of sneakers.

"The sun's almost down; won't be long now."

"Why do we have to wait until it's dark?" The warehouse was humid, and she could feel her make-up melting. Of course she'd picked it up at a dollar store, long after they'd passed Nilridge. She wanted to look pretty, although the idea of eloping suddenly seemed...stupid. Wasn't marriage, at 17, too young?

"Ask him when he gets here," Tyler said, his blue eyes admiring the fresh daisy in her hair.

"Are you ready?" What if the Pastor objected to such a hasty decision?Had Tyler mentioned she was three months pregnant; would he stay; would he love her, even after the baby came?

Tyler grabbed her sweaty palm, linked his fingers with hers. "Are you?"