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Articles by Natalie Gray
Firebug: Ch. 30 - Consequences
From the second the tornado hit, everything was a blur for Theo. The wind howled louder than a freight train, stinging his eyes and skin like dozens of microscopic knives as it whipped mercilessly around them in a dizzying frenzy. His seventeen short years flashed before his eyes. Eventually he just squeezed them shut, burying his face in Roman's chest. Never before had he been so absolutely terrified. Cautiously, Theo raised his head, shocked to see the funnel fizzling out around them.
Hotel Roulette
It usually started on a quiet morning. The sun wouldn't be ready to rise for hours, yet we were paraded out of the house, bleary-eyed and half-dressed with pillows in hand. Cricket song serenaded Dad as he packed the luggage in the back of that well-loved gold Windstar. Bags that we'd all proudly packed ourselves, and - unbeknownst to us - Mom had repacked for us the night before.
Firebug: Ch. 29 - Boiling Point
Roman kept his head down as he moseyed through the halls. He could hardly focus on his classes at all, thanks to the nuclear bomb Nurse Flanagan dropped on him last night. Having the ability to control one element was enough of a challenge, but two? Two felt impossible. Like, hiking up Mount Everest in nothing but his boxer shorts impossible. A roll of distant thunder over the school made him flinch, his hands tightening like a pair of pin vices on his backpack straps. Did he do that?
The Never-Ending Staircase
She didn't know how she got here. Goddess, she wasn't even sure where "here" was. Sunlight poured in - bright and cheerful - from the tall window to her left, illuminating a handsome, mahogany stairwell. She bent over the railing and craned her neck until it was sore, her stomach pressing against the spindles with every panicked breath at the dizzying sight below. Millions of steps stared back at her, but the bottom was nowhere in sight.
Firebug: Ch. 28 - Waiting Game
It was no use. Despite the long, thin ventilation slats cut into the door, there was no air at all in that cramped metal box. At the very least, the slats offered a few precious slivers of light. Without his glasses, though, looking through them wasn't much help. All he could see were vague, fuzzy shapes. And the harder he strained to see, the worse his growing headache became. With one sense down, Theo was forced to rely on the other four.
Firebug: Ch. 27 - Sabotage
He dreamed of her. For the first time since he was little, Theo saw her in his mind's eye. Her soft, blue-green eyes were more beautiful than he remembered; her pale, freckled face remarkably similar to his... only sadder. He could feel her arms around him - her long, auburn plait tickling his shoulder - as she helped him on with his coat and wellies. Two suitcases sat by the door; one large and brown, the other small, red, and covered with Postman Pat stickers.
H.O.A.
Moving wasn't Gary's idea, but there were worse neighborhoods to live in. That's what he thought when Sal steered the U-Haul down Ambrosia Lane: the cul-de-sac that was now their home. Every squeaky-clean, butter yellow house was newly built, surrounded by emerald green lawns and handsome white picket fences. Flowers waved hello to him from boxes on every front-facing window, their petals dancing in the warm summer breeze. It took Gary a minute to realize they were all red begonias.
Resilience Foundation to Launch The RE Governance Token
George Town, Cayman Islands, May 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Re.xyz announces the upcoming Token Generation Event for the RE token, the governance instrument for an internet native insurance capital market that carries a multi-billion-dollar commercial pipeline. Resilience Foundation today confirmed that the Token Generation Event (TGE) for the RE token will be coming soon.
Firebug: Ch. 26 - Taking a Turn
"Get out," Nurse Flanagan spat, "Now." Theo's head whipped back and forth, glancing frantically from his exhausted boyfriend to the older woman and back. He was so stunned - so confused - by her sudden shift in demeanor, he couldn't think. Eventually, he managed to choke out a single, befuddled word. The prickly old nurse gave no answer. At least, not verbally. Her hard-as-flint green eyes kept darting to the stone on her coffee table, the muscles in her saggy jowls jumping in agitation.
No Man's Island
It was supposed to be the best week of Cheryl's young life: seven days cruising around the Caribbean with her best friends, their partners, and the love of her life. Brad had been dropping hints like crazy in the months leading up to it, too. Still, she wasn't a hundred percent sure until she found that receipt from Tiffany's crumpled up in the floorboards of his Pinto. This week was meant to be perfect. How did everything go so horrifically wrong?
Firebug: Ch. 25 - A Helping Hand
" Bello, are you sure about this?" "Absolutely not... but what other choice do we have?" Roman looked over his shoulder for the umpteenth time, searching for an opportunity to run. As badly as he wanted to rabbit, though, he let Theo drag him further up that grimy, rat-infested stairwell. As usual, Theo was right: this was their best shot to finally get things back on track. Back to the way they were supposed to be. It had been two weeks since they confirmed he was an Elemental.
Hard Day's Work
Once upon a time, not too long ago, I had a restaurant job. Although I try not to think about it in my current day-to-day, every memory I have of that place is either awful, mind-numbingly boring, or a combination of both. Before I took that job, I was under the illusion that I lived in a nice town, full of nice, well-mannered people. Within the first week, I learned that I was woefully wrong.
Firebug: Ch. 24 - Reeling
By nothing short of pure, dumb luck, Theo made it to the apartment unscathed. He'd had a few near misses, one of which involved an elderly lady driving a Buick older than Thaddeus. It was surreal, getting honked at by her before she eventually swerved around him, mostly because of the obscene gestures she flung at him. Even so, Theo never exceeded a snail's pace the entire way.
Firebug: Ch. 23 - ...There's Fire
Roman's head had been in the clouds all morning, daydreaming about the night before. From the moment he'd dropped Theo off at his dad's place, the Brit was the only thing on Roman's mind. The ghost of Theo's body was still warm in his arms. Roman wanted to hold him again so badly, they actually ached. Every time he shut his eyes, all he saw was Theo's face: pale, freckled cheeks, glowing pink from exhilaration; wide blue-green eyes, shining with desire; and those soft, ruddy lips...
Firebug: Ch. 22 - Where There's Smoke...
It was like Theo had wandered into a horribly surreal dream, watching the smoke curl off his textbook. His hands weren't even tingling that much, or so he thought. When the first tiny flame leapt off the pages, reality hit him harder than Jasper's knuckles. Instinct took over before logic had the chance to dictate his actions. In two sharp swats, he extinguished the flames completely, slamming the book shut to ensure they were smothered. His panicked faffing did not go unnoticed, though.
Firebug: Ch. 21 - The Queen Bee's Sting
Roman dropped Theo off back home a few minutes before dawn. There was just enough time for him to slip through the window and tiptoe to his room before he heard Thaddeus wake up and get ready for work. Theo laid in bed and stared at the ceiling until he heard his father leave the apartment, unable to stop smiling. That entire morning, Theo floated along on cloud nine. Nothing could dampen his spirits, not even when he received his new class schedule.
Firebug: Ch. 20 - Making Plans
"Tell me about it." "And you had no idea?" "None whatsoever," Theo sighed, snuggling closer to Roman. A chill wind ruffled his curls, forcing him to pull their shared, oversized blanket tighter around his shoulders. Halloween was hours away, but Winter's chill already had a firm grip on the city. Then again, it was always cold out on the fire escape. In the days following Theo's release from hospital, the fire escape had quickly become his and Roman's favorite hiding place.
The Box
"I'm telling you, Man: it's real, and it's worth a fortune!" Duke had that look in his eyes again. Somewhere between a kid on Christmas morning, and a crackhead looking for his next fix. The last time Ronny had seen it, he spent two months in the hospital recovering from a weird, tropical fever nobody still could tell him the name of. The time before that, he'd spent three weeks rotting in a Mexican prison. Which he vowed never to speak of again.
Firebug: Ch. 19 - The Durants
The last time Roman had seen Theo so angry, Jasper's face got dented with a dodgeball. His bandaged hands shook from gripping his sheets so tight, his freckled face darkening from off-white to blood red within seconds. When he saw the tears gathering in the corners of the shorter teen's eyes, Roman felt a spark of anger ignite behind his own sternum. Frankly, he couldn't blame Theo for being royally pissed at his dad. It was justifiable, after the outrageous order Mr. Quill had just given.
Time of the Month
"Elsie, did you hear me?" The young woman's blonde head snapped up with a jolt, blinking at her Life Partner. Frankly, she hadn't been paying attention to a word he'd said. Not since they'd woken up that morning. That awful, long-dreaded morning, which had come far too soon. "Yeah," she lied, shaking out her long, uncombed tresses, her fingernails drumming nervously on her coffee mug. "Sorry, Alan...
Firebug: Chapter 18 - Others
When Theo opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a speckled white drop-ceiling. The air smelled strange: a mixture of strong chemical cleaners, layered on top of the faint yet distinct odors of blood and human excrement. A soft, incessant beeping to his left broke the shaky hold that sleep still had on him, drawing his attention to the source: a sturdy, chrome pole, with a clear plastic bag of fluid hanging off it. The latter of which was connected to his arm via the thinnest tube.
Wit's End
"You always do this! Why the hell do you always do this?!" "I don't want you to be sorry! I want an answer!" "Why are you yelling at me, Han? All I said was I didn't wanna go." "I'm not yelling, Erik! I'm frustrated beyond reason because you backed out of another social obligation! Again! Our friends--" "Our friends were counting on us to be there! Do you have any idea how expensive those tickets were?!" "For the record, Babe, I never asked to go. You invited us without consulting me.
Your letters - Jan. 9, 2026
By Andra Belknap, Robin Gerber, Natalie Gray and Robert Feiss I’m writing to congratulate and thank Kimberly Rivers for her work with the Ojai Valley News. I’ve admired Kim for years, as a reader, a fellow reporter, and a friend. Kim’s reporting and omnipresence at local meetings are consistently impressive, particularly given that she’s been in law school for the past three years. Without Kim’s reporting, I’m not sure we’d understand how the county’s misuse of pesticides poisoned local trees.
Youth Substance Use With Cannabis Education And Mental Wellness
NewsBudz is your go-to app for daily cannabis news, covering everything from medical marijuana breakthroughs to recreational cannabis trends and legalization updates. Our platform aggregates content from over 30 top-tier cannabis news outlets to deliver a curated stream of the latest headlines, insights, and developments across the marijuana and hemp industries.
Doing software modernisation well now will pay dividends down the road
Is it possible to modernise critical legacy systems whilst maintaining business as usual? This was the theme of a recent techUK panel event where Codurance’s COO took to the stage to share his wealth of experience alongside other panellists from the public and private sectors.
UNLEASHING CREATIVITY WITH CBD
One of the natural substances that are thought to encourage creativity is CBD. This hemp plant has been known to relax the user and heighten sensory perception. However, its effect on creativity is yet to be proven. Artists, musicians, writers and alike within the creative professions are trying to find ways to spice up their creativity for hundreds of years. In times, some have begun to explore unique enhancers like hookah pen and essential oils to bring fresh inspiration.
Differential Upregulation and Functional Activity of S1PR1 in Human Peripheral Blood Basophils of Atopic Patients
Abstract : Basophils are key effector cells in atopic diseases, and the signaling sphingolipid Sphigosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is emerging as an important mediator in these conditions. The possible interaction of S1P and basophils and the resulting biological effects have not yet been studied. We hypothesize that S1P influences the function of basophils in atopy and aim to elucidate the modes of interaction.
USING CBD TECHNOLOGY TO UNRAVEL POTENTIAL OVERALL RELIEF
Have you heard about CBD, but not sure of what are the uses and benefits? Do you want to undertake it, but you aren’t sure where to begin? Don’t worry if you are feeling a touch of loss. CBD has only recently hit the mainstream. Therefore, the majority of individuals are still unacquainted. Thankfully there’s tons of data out there to assist you in starting. Thanks to the advancement in technology, it looks like CBD is making its way into everything nowadays.
The Pot-Punk Connection: Punk, Cannabis, and Its Connection
When it comes to cannabis-themed music, certain genres bound instantly to our to mind: rock and rolling weed, stoner metal, couch grunge, stone jammed bands, psychedelic, etc. The list of sonic stoner smoking dude points to grow comely long before most of us would get around to punk rock. From a frostproof on, punk’s brutal sound, sense, and participatory antiquity have been more rapidly connected with exotic dopes than anything in the cultured milieu of cannabis.
Why We Should Not Mix Alcohol and Cannabis
Today I explore why we should not mix alcohol and cannabis. I trust that you’ll find this information useful. Before we drink alcohol and smoke a joint, make sure we are conversant in one of the two substances that can boost the results of the other. If we smoke our favorite highest THC strain marijuana when drinking, there is a good reason to believe that alcohol can increase the quantity of THC gets it into our bloodstream.
Tackle Growth with Customer Advocacy
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By continuing your visit on the website, you consent to the use of the cookies. If you want to find out more about the cookies we use, you can access our Privacy Policy. About this event Our final London event of 2019! Engaged, happy customers is one thing, but how do we turn that into new customer growth?
Gambling: Evolution of Lightning Roulette for Big Win
INSCMagazine: Get Social! Post Views: 13 Lightning Roulette is the latest game that submerges more variety and lightning fast action into a traditional roulette game. The world famous live casino game developer released this Evolution Gaming. They are well known for their strategies in making a high-quality game so that players can experience it lively. It is one of the fun-loving and perfect to go gaming.
Lifestyle: Why CBD Gummies Are Excellent For Sleep
INSCMagazine: Get Social! Cannabidiol (CBD) CBD is a substance chemically formed from elements in fixed proportions derived from the cannabis plant. Cannabis with Chemdawg 4 strain contains a mixture of chemical compounds that, when consumed or ingested, can affect the body’s systems in various ways. CBD is a naturally occurring cannabinoid component of cannabis.
Cannabis: The Past and Future of Bill C-45
The government of Canada announced that recreational use of cannabis would no longer be against the Criminal Code as of October 17, 2018, to advance legalization of recreational cannabis in probably massive market for and other cannabis products.
A Day In the Life at Cisco Singapore!
For the last two years, this office has finished as the second best place to work in the region. It’s a hugely diverse location with Cisco employees from around the world of all nationalities (even me! I’m British!) Which Cisco site am I talking about? It’s Cisco Singapore, and it’s where I hang my hat each day! Whether you are paying us a visit, stopping by for an interview or getting ready to come in as a new employee, here’s everything you need to know about the Cisco office I love.
Top Trends for Your 2017 Digital Marketing Strategy
It’s no surprise that developments in the digital world get our team excited. We love learning and expanding our knowledge so that we can perform better for both ourselves and our clients. As the new year approaches we’ve outlined the following key digital trends that are worthwhile employing in your 2017 digital marketing strategy. This has been a hot term for a few years now, but statistics show that businesses are learning to be more strategic with how they use content marketing.
We Are Cisco, and We Are There for Each Other
Penang, Malaysia. A beautiful city and an exciting opportunity for the whole Human Resources team in the Asia Pacific, Japan and China regions to come together to learn from each other, grow together and volunteer together. And I had to miss it. While the rest of my team was going to be bonding and participating, I was going to be sitting at home nursing wounds, literal and figurative.
Iowans are lucky to hold first-in-nation status
Dear Iowa: I have been phone banking for a presidential candidate, and it is unbelievable to me how many of you are not caucusing, say it's a wrong number (and then ask if I want to leave a message) or hang up. I know you're inundated with calls from everyone. Take that as a lucky right. I'm in California, where one in 10 Americans live, but we don't get calls because we vote in June. Our very large voice is stifled by the fact that two tiny states are so important in the primaries.
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