Hearing the LATCH to the door click, Em instinctively looked for a place to COWER. She really wasn’t supposed to be here. Everyone else was at the party, and she was supposed to be too. She definitely was not supposed to be snooping in this part of the house. But Em had always been one to flaunt the rules. Her Dad used to tease her, saying with a hint of pride, “That’s my girl, she slices and DICES her way, full steam ahead, that one.” He wasn’t around anymore. But she wasn’t sure that her adoring father would understand what she was doing, snooping in Aunt Bea’s bedroom. Ears straining, Em tried to listen to see if someone had, in fact, come in, or maybe her ears were playing tricks. Still uncertain, she knew she had to find that necklace and find it quickly. It was promised to her, and things were just desperate enough that she was willing to take this risk. Praying that she wouldn’t get into a DICEY situation, Em sat in front of the vanity. It’s not theft she thought, no matter what others said, her anger rising, that necklace is mine.

Georg’ann

Onslaught of texts rubbed
against the GRAIN. Judgements
hurled, then denied, blame put
elsewhere, deceitful deflection.
It was QUITE an assault.
Nothing here to be FIXED.
No amount of diplomacy working.
DICEY navigations with illness.
That one fractured relative
spilling bile from the cracks.

Heather