head over feet

June 2088. Vicky Garth is 23. Vale Akiyama is 27. Melissa Fortney is 21.

previously: Vale and Vicky prepare for a hot summer of music // with a monumental oops on her hands, Melissa makes a difficult decision to free up her future.

soundtrack: "Head Over Feet," by Alanis Morissette.

With dreams of freedom and sunshine and festival summer in her head, Melissa never imagined she’d be tempted by a summer job offer.

That is, until it turned out that her boss at Halston House Studios is actually best friends with Vale Akiyama, and Vale needed a roadie and media manager for his tour this summer.

Do you mean to say that Melissa isn’t just going to some festivals this summer…? She’s going to ALL the festivals this summer? And she’ll be paid to do it?

“Can you film in varying lighting conditions and weather elements? Can you edit videos and navigate social media platforms? Can you carry thirty—okay, fifty pounds of musical equipment?”

Hell fucking yes I can! Melissa thinks. Well, she’s never tried to lift fifty pounds before, but how hard can it be?

“Totally! When do we start?”

the rush

April 2087. Tyler Jackson is 23. Maya Bunch is 25.


There was an abandoned mine shaft at the back of the Jackson property that leaked cool air and a dank smell from its barricaded opening. Tyler hadn't known about it when they bought the property, and in fact, wasn't even sure whether this fell on their side of the property line at all. But who wouldn't wonder what was inside? It was only a wonder that nobody ever attempted to open before it in all this time.

Until today, a casual hike and just the right pair of lovers—him full of spontaneity and her full of curiosity, his brawn and her brains—where would life take them together if not into a mysterious cavern?

Drown #12: hand in my pocket, part 1

May 2086. Stephanie Nova and Justin Kim are 26. Willow and Lily are 4. Keri Riley is 25. 

Soundtrack, "Hand in my Pocket," by Alanis Morissette


Spring rushed into the countryside, bringing with it a lush green breath of fresh air. By May, in rural and forested areas, some occasional air pockets had been measured at fifteen percent oxygen. For the first time since Reclamation Day, the EPA lifted the air quality alert from Hazardous to Extreme Caution for certain zones and climates, and in Stephanie's particular corner of northern Michigan, they were rated simply Caution.

Drown #7.7: drown

August 2085—Stephanie Nova and Justin Kim are 25, Lily is 2, Willow is 3. Lucy Harris is 19. Welcome, baby Cassiopeia!



"Don’t be alarmed at her coloring," Violet warned them. "I can assure you that she’s perfectly healthy."

Cassiopeia Hope Deppiesse was born at 9:34 pm on August 9th, 2085.

Her skin was a pearly shade of blueish gray, but she had her mother’s warm caramel brown eyes.

"Thank you for keeping us safe," Lucy said. "You have no idea how much this means to us all."