Book - 7 Flavors of Sapphic

Release Date: TBA ( September 2026 )
Softcover Price: $19.95
Hardcover Price: $29.95
Signed Hardcover Price: $40.00
Audio Book [full-cast]: TBA

Cover Artist: Rebacca Ann (website) 

 

7 Flavors of Sapphic

There are 4 samples to taste this book, 

Choose your flavor:

She's a Bad Girl
The Day I Died
Monarch of the Sands
The War 

She's a Bad Girl

"She's beautiful and amazing. The most amazing woman I've ever seen! Me? I'm a bad girl... the type of bad girl that at age five stole a rubber band off a dolls head. Her? She's the type of girl that stole the whole doll. The only problem is that now that we're both grown, I'm the doll; and I don't know how to get away. Her grasp is so tight on me, and I'm fine with this. In fact; I love it, and I'm ready to do all sorts of naughty things with her."

A woman in glasses and a Target uniform was speaking to herself while looking at her reflection in a changing room mirror.

“Um, hey,”

She jumped up in embarrassment and quickly turned around to see Ivy standing right there at the curtain of the changing room. Black hair with a stripe of bleached blonde, green lipstick, and neon glow in the dark nail polish mismatched against a target uniform.

“When you're done with; what ever it is your doing here. Can you put the cloths that are at the men's changing room pile away? Okay thanks, bye.”

Ivy walked off, Sara just stood there in shock. She wasn't sure how much of what she said was overheard. Ivy after all was the woman she was just talking to herself about. The woman that she had a huge crush on. The woman that probably didn't even know she existed. Sara wasn't even sure if Ivy was into women or not!

Women like Ivy probably have that bad-ass rocker guy that works some construction job on the side while they work on their music career. Or maybe a professional athlete making the big bucks and working out five times a day that fucks like a machine.

Sara however, was not bad ass. She was what some might call a book worm, or maybe a nerd, a nerdy book worm. The type that thinks bow-ties are cool, and nerds are sexy. Sara was the type of woman that blushed when women like Ivy even talked to them. The type that would long to connect with someone like Ivy, but never be brave enough to even say hello; even though they worked together and saw each other almost every day.

Sara peered out of the curtains of the changing room she was in, and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ivy walking away. She blushed a little bit and then looked away shyly. She stood there a moment, to be sure that Ivy had left the area before coming out and quickly making her way over to the men's changing room. She did not want to bump into Ivy or see her again so soon after what had happened.

“That was so embarrassing!”

She whispered to herself as she walked,

“I can't believe Ivy caught me saying those things! What does she think of me now?! Do I even still have a chance? Did I ever have a chance?!”

“A chance with what?”

For the second time that day Sara jumped up startled from someone over hearing her.

“Oh! It's you Steph!”

Stephanie, her friend had been standing by the pile of cloths near the men's changing rooms the whole time. Sara was too preoccupied to notice her.

“You know, if you keep talking to yourself like you do, someone is gonna think you're crazy!”

Stephanie giggled a little bit.

“Someone already does!!! She heard me!”

“Who heard you?!”

Sara sighed, “Ivy heard me.”

“Ivy the girl you like? Ivy the crazy goth chick? Oh gosh! What did you say?”

Sara grabbed a pair of pants to fold and sat down on a bench,

“I don't wanna talk about it. But I think she heard a lot, and it was embarrassing stuff!”

“Aw, poor Sara. You gonna tell her you like her now?”

“That does me no help! And, I can't. I don't even know if she likes women!”

Stephanie put down the shirt she was holding and took a few steps out into the clothing department.

“Steph? What are you doing?”

She looked around a moment then waved as she shouted out into the store,

“Hey! Ivy! Come here I need your help.”

“Oh my god Stephanie what is wrong with you!”

Sara threw down the pants she had just folded and jumped up in a panic. Looking around trying to find some place to hide.

“Sara relax just, sit there and fold pants!”

Stephanie grabbed another pair of pants and threw them at Sara. Ivy approached them, with a blasé look across her face, and a you're bothering me twitch in her eye.

“Yeah, what is it? I don't think you have to shout for me from across the whole store.”

“Sorry about that,” Stephanie giggled, “but I was wondering something. So like, I have a friend of mine that's throwing a huge party! It's kinda a gay party, you know for lesbians, transgender, queers, all those amazing types. So I wanted to invite all the people I know that might want to come. I know we don't talk much but, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the gay party?”

Ivy stood there a moment, a kinda blank look on her face. She then peered over to Sara, exaggeratedly folding a pair of pants up in the air, hiding behind them like a shield as best as she could. She then looked back over at Stephanie,

“Well, I'm not much of a party kinda girl. But thanks for the invite I guess.”

Ivy gave one more glance over to Sara, then turned and walked away.

“My god Steph if you do that to me again, I will kill you!” Sara said then collapsed over the bench, and onto the floor like she died.

“What on earth does Ivy think of me now! Gay party that's super gay with tons of gay people! She probably thought that I was using you as my wing woman or something to hookup with her or something.”

She paused a moment,
“That's what people do at parties right?”

Sara sat up from pretending to be dead on the ground,
“Did you see how she looked at me?!”

Stephanie silently pondering until now; replied,
“She didn't say no.”

Sara looked towards Stephanie,
“What?”

“Sara, she didn't say no. She said no to the party, but didn't say anything about not being gay. I think that if someone wasn't gay they might be like 'yea I'm not into that kinda thing' or maybe that classic 'I respect your life choices but they aren't for me'” she giggled as she used a mocking voice to quote others.

“She, didn't say no,” Sara jumped up to her feet with mild excitement.

“Then does that mean she could be into women?!”

Stephanie looked at her and smiled, “could be!”

Sara again fell back onto the floor,
“and she over heard all the crazy things I was saying earlier!!! She'll never be into me now!”

Stephanie dropped the shirt she was holding and burst out into laughter,
“Sara, you're hopeless you know!”

“I know,” she said as she grabbed the same pair of pants, still laying on the floor, and folded them yet again, then, still laying on the floor, placed them onto the bench and held up her hands for Stephanie to toss her another pair to fold.

“You just gonna stay on the floor?”
Stephanie tossed her another pair.

“Yea, I live here now.”

Will Lily go to the super gay party?
Will Sara learn not to talk to herself?
Will Stephanie ever finish folding clothing?!
Find out when you read 7 Flavors of Sapphic!!!
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The Day I Died

This is the story of the day I died. I remember it exactly as if it was yesterday. I remember everything I saw, I remember everything I smelled, I remembered the sounds around me, I remember Victor texting me just before it happened. I remember what he said to me. I remember every last fucking word that he said to me.

I was working later then normal, 12th floor, just past nine; I was staring at what was left of my cold coffee I made for myself a couple hours ago. It was next to my keyboard, at my desk, on the left monitor was the code that I was typing, on the right monitor was references, resources, a preview, nothing that exciting. I do the back end technical stuff that makes the programs work. Not the flashy pretty graphical things that everyone appreciates.

My phone beeped.
It was Victor again.

He was angry that I was staying too late, but I had to! This was my life after he quit his job to pursue his music career. He wasn't any good at guitar, sorry Victor, but your vocal skills suck too. Practice wasn't making him any better. They say that those that can't do, teach. Maybe the world is in a better place that he continues to try. I'd hate to see the damage he could do if he tried to teach others.

His text, "when will u b home? I hungry!!!"

With not one, but three explanation points. Could he not toss a pizza puff into the air fryer or something? I don't remember marrying a man to be his mother.

I replied to him: "I am almost done! I am trying to do as much overtime so that we can get you that new guitar you wanted. Just order something if you can't wait."

He thought that getting another guitar would fix his skills. It will be the fourth one this year and the other three haven't helped one bit.

I clicked save, waited for the little progress bar on the screen to fill, then I closed out of the program, logged out, and shutdown the computer. I tossed my coffee out as I walked past the trash bin to the elevator. I pressed the button and waited a moment before the doors opened and I got inside. Ground floor.

I felt the elevator move, and the lights flicker for a moment. I thought how awful it would be to die in an elevator. If the cable just snapped and it free fell twelve floors to the ground. That is, what about, 120 feet or something? It seemed like it would be enough time to realize you were about to die.

I sighed, as the door finally closed. Maybe I wanted to die? Maybe I was just so sick of how my life was going. Maybe I wanted everything about my life and about myself to change! To completely change into everything it isn't! Oh, fuck me! I forgot to tell Victor to get me food too.

I pulled out my phone, no signal. Damn it! I looked up at the slowest moving elevator on this planet. Floor nine. Floor eight. Floor seven. Come on, come on! I'm so hungry! Why do I need to tell someone that I live with, that knows me for how long have we been together? Since high school! It's been almost 15 years now. Still doesn't know to order me food. Floor four. Will it ever end?

I checked my phone again, still no signal. He probably is still figuring out where to order from. He's so indecisive. It sometimes drives me crazy. Honestly a lot about him drives me crazy. Did I mention that he snores? That's not that big of a deal; I haven't even talked about our sex life. Floor two! Finally just one more.

After what felt like forever, the doors of the elevator opened, ground floor. I quickly walked to the large glass front doors of the building and used my ID to unlock them, then walked out, grabbing my phone as I slid my ID back into my purse. Finally signal again.
I texted him: "Hey! Babe. Don't forget to get me something to eat too please. I'm so hungry and I missed lunch."

I walked down the sidewalk, passing people that were still out and about. Holding my phone waiting for a reply. I stopped at a street light, it was red so of course I stopped at it. Still no reply! How long does it take you to reply Victor? Come on!

Light turned green, cross walk said walk, so like an idiot I started to walk. A few feet out I felt my phone vibrate in my hand so I checked it, only for a car's blinding head lights to show up and the driver honk at me.

"HEY!"
Fucking asshole!

"Watch where you're driving! You almost hit me!"

The driver was turning and obviously wasn't paying attention before making the turn. I almost got hit, and they just waved at me like it was normal. I sighed, as I continued to walk I thought about if I got hit by a car and died. What would that be like? I felt my phone vibrate again, I looked at it.

Victor replied, "Sorry babe! I totally forgot! I already ordered. Pick yourself something up to eat before you get home?"

I stopped walking for a moment. He forgot? We've been together for fifteen years, we've lived together for eleven of those years, married for ten years. He forgot! He always...
I turned my head to see one of those self driving cars, the ones that don't even have a front window or steering wheel in them. It was funny that I thought about the inside, I wondered how many people was inside of it. I had time to think about so many things, everything was in slow motion, and I just thought about who was inside of it.

The air smelled earthy, it was humid, it had just rained maybe an hour ago. I heard car horns go off, then a couple screams. Someone yelled to call an ambulance, that was nice of them. The car was this off brown almost like a dark cream color. Not golden, more brown then golden, but light brown. I guess the color didn't matter much.

My blood contrasted this dark red splash against the hood, and it was a full moon that night. I saw it for a moment as I was on the ground. It didn't hurt, I couldn't feel anything. Then I felt cold, and I couldn't hear anything or anyone. I saw people around me, some of them talking to me, some of them on their phone, a couple of them taking photos? That's a little rude.

Then I couldn't see so well, then I felt more cold. Then I couldn't see at all. Damn it Victor, couldn't you of just gotten me something for dinner? Just remembered that I existed in your life for once? Just this one time? I was so hungry, I was so tired. It was such a long day of work. I remembered, I wish I would have had that last sip of coffee before tossing it out. Even if it had gone cold.

"You can wake her now. She should be able to hear you."

"Is she in any pain?"

"No, none after all we did."

"So then she can continue her life exactly as it was before?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful. Perfect!"

I could hear voices? Where was I?

"Irene? Can you hear me? Wake up."

Aw fuck me. Is that Victor's voice? I slowly opened my eyes, there was a blinding light above me, it moved out of the way as two shadows stood above me, talking. I slowly moved my head trying to look around, some kinda room I was in. My vision was slowly coming back.

"Don't get up yet! Go slow."

That voice wasn't Victors, someone else, I wasn't sure who it was, never heard that voice before.

"Oh, alright," I didn't know what else to say! Just like okay dude. I won't jump up and do some fucking gymnastics after being ran the fuck over by a car. Do they expect people that were just hit by a car to jump up and give them twenty push-ups or something?
My sight started to improve all at once, and then I saw Victor, there, near the end of the bed that I was on, looking at me slightly worried. Maybe worried if I would be able to cook dinner for him tonight. Then to the side of my bed, a doctor looking down at me.

"How do you feel? Do you remember your name?"

I looked up at him,
"Irene,"

Oh! Duh, first and last name!
"Irene Ashford."

"And how old are you Irene?"

Lord, gonna ask the age question without even buying me a drink!

"I am-"
It was funny but for a moment, a split moment I almost said something so silly like five or something. Not even like twenty or something just way off like five!

"thirty one."

"And do you know where you are Irene?"

That's a silly question! I just got hit by a car and woke up at Memorial Hospital how would I know...
How do I know that?

"I am at,"
It's not possible for me to know which hospital I was at.

"I'm not sure. Some kind of hospital?"

The doctor looked back at Victor for a moment, then back down at me.

"You are at Memorial Hospital, you were hit by a car."
Lucky guess.

"You've been here for a few days now, but you're all healed up and ready to go back home. Can you slowly sit up for me?"

The doctor held out his hand, and helped me to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. I looked down at myself, I seemed fine. I was even in the same outfit that I was in when I was hit by the car. No blood stains, no rips, it somehow looked like it was new. I looked down at my hand, my left hand, and noticed that my finger, my middle finger, was slightly tilted. I moved it straight, then when I stopped focusing on it, it moved back tilted.

"You may notice some, differences."

I looked up at the doctor who continued to talk to me,

"we had to replace a part of your leg, and most of your arm. There was also some internal things that are also synthetic."

Synthetic body parts, the future is now! You get hit by a car and wake up half machine. I closed my hand into a fist and squeezed as tight as I could. Damn, it felt normal. I have a whole ass robo-hand and they couldn't even give me super human strength in it. That's what I get for being on the company insurance plan. 

"Stand up for me."

I looked down at the floor for a moment, wiggled my legs back and fourth off the edge of the hospital bed. Yep, seemed to be attached there. I wiggled my butt a little forward and then hopped down from the bed. I have short legs, don't make fun!

"Yes sir!"

I sarcastically replied.

Will Irene be able to stand up? Will Victor EVER get his dinner?! There is absolutely no possible way to ever find out... ...UNLESS YOU READ: 7 Flavors Of Sapphic

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 Monarch of the Sands

It was dark when she woke up. Opening her eyes to almost pitch black darkness as she did every morning. She felt around for the edge of her dimnest, her small tent like home that was easy to move but protected her against the hot outside weather. It wasn't enough room to stand up in, but it was perfect for sleeping in or seeking a cool place to relax. She finally touched what she was searching for, a rope that was tied into a knot that held it closed.

She untied the rope, and loosened it just a little, to let in the light. Like a leak in a submarine the extreme blinding light gushed into the dimnest brightening up everything around her. She slept on a handmade cot, and kept most of her belongings under it as she slept. There wasn't that much room inside her dimnest outside of the space needed for her cot, and a small pillow that she slept on.

She reached under, and pulled out a metal canister that contained water, as well as her burnous which like most of the ones in her village, was cream colored, with darker square maze patterns all over it. The other color they were made in was a beautiful blue, but it was more rare and reserved for the leaders and very special people of the community. It was less that they demanded it, and more that the community allowed only them to wear it, as a way of honoring them.

She put it on, and then also grabbed out her cream colored litham, wrapped it around her head, over her mouth, then tied it firmly in the back. Now she was completely covered except for her eyes. This was more for protection then just a style, without proper covering from the sun, one could literally cook in the heat.

She continued to tug on the rope that was at the bottom edge of her dimnest, pulling it and sliding a knot along the bottom, till the front opened up letting in more blinding light. Something from under her cot made some ruffle sounds as the light shined in, but she ignored it as she walked outside, then pulled the rope again to tighten the cloth doorway just enough that only a crack remained open near the bottom. Most close theirs completely, but she had a reason to leave hers open slightly.

She whistled, then spoke,
“Come, this way, Taji.”

Her words were soft, calm, and slow. She stood there, standing in the sunlight, huge tents and more dimnests were all around her. The hot wind constantly blew as the sun shined down a heat that could kill with in minutes if you didn't have the knowledge of how to survive in this world. After a couple minutes, slowly a small orange cat walked out from the tent, and walked up behind her feet, tucking its head under the bottom of her burnous.

She very slowly started to walk, with her cat Taji keeping close behind her trying to stay within the cover of her shadow, safe out of the sun. Occasionally if she stopped or made a turn, Taji would let out the smallest high pitch meow. Just to let her know that he was still right there behind her. Letting her know that he was still following his pack.

Her movements were very slow and calm, flowing with the wind almost as if she wasn't moving at all, and instead the wind itself was slowly pushing her towards her destination. Some might even mistake her movements for resting, but this was the way of her people. From the protection of being calm and relaxed was how they survived the endless desert they lived in.

Finally after a short distance but a long journey, she made it to her destination. She walked into a huge tent structure that served as a communal work place. It was not dark like her dimnest was, but still it offered a lot of shade from the dangerous sun, and was much cooler then outside. It was easy to see, and easy to move around as there was a floor of flat stones.

Inside there was many many people! About a dozen. For her people this was the morning work rush. Her entire community was just under a couple hundred people, so seeing more then ten in one place felt very busy. She made her way over to a platform, and slowly sat down next to someone, then removed her litham from her head.
Her hair was short, well kept, and her skin was smooth, and warmly dark like the earth itself. Her beautiful brown eyes looked over to the person she sat next to, and smiled at her.

“Hello Nia, did you sleep well?”
Her friend greeted her as she handed Nia a spool of string.

“I slept very well. It is my birthday today Kesi!”
Nia took the spool from her friend and started to pull out a length of string.

“I am aware! Do you have any plans?”

Nia hummed a little before replying, as if to think for a moment.

“Not really. My Nana has a special gift for me. She has been very excited to give me. So I believe when I am done working here,”

She took her two fingers and made two loops around them with the string.

“I will go to her and see this gift that she is so excited about.”

She made a knot, then took out the same amount of string, making another double loop, and again made a knot.

“Do you have any idea of what it could be?”

Nia continued to make loops with knots as she talked,

“I do not know. But I believe it is likely something very old. She said it was something she got from her Nana.”

Kesi was also doing the same loops and knots, but was much further along then Nia was.

“That sounds exciting! I will look forward to seeing what it is.”

Nia paused a moment, “would you like to come over afterwards?”

Kesi turned to Nia but didn't say anything. She was waiting for a reason.

“For dinner.”

Kesi smiled and replied with a great joy in her voice,

“I would absolutely love to Nia! Thank you!”

It was not a common that people would have others over to their dimnests. It was very small and cramped, so it was viewed as something done only with family, or very close friends, or intimate partners.

“I will bring over lungfish for your birthday!”

Nia broke out of character for a moment and dropped the string and turned to Kesi and shouted out in excitement,

“You will bring lungfish?!”

Kesi placed her hand carefully on Nia's arm,

“Calm Nia. Yes. For your birthday my gift is lungfish.”

Nia took a breath, closed her eyes, and returned to her normal slow speaking and calm manner.

“Yes. I was over taken with excitement. I have been eating nothing but dried tilapia. It has been,”

she picked up the string and continued to work,

“trying on me to eat the same thing.”

Kesi stopped working and held up what she had been working on, revealing it to be a fishing net. She had done two rows and was making sure that the second row was long enough and lined up correctly.

“Why do you not get some beetles?”

Nia sighed a bit,
“My teeth. The legs get caught. I always miss at least a couple. It is very bothersome to me.”

At this point out of no where, Taji jumped onto the platform they were working on, and aggressively attacked the string.

They both laughed a moment, and let Taji enjoy his little outburst of play.

“Okay, down Taji.”
The cat looked up at Nia tangled in the mess of string, and meowed. As if to ask permission to play a little longer.

“Down now.”
The cat laid there just a few seconds more, then rolled back onto his feet, and jumped down from the platform, rolling up into a little ball of fur next to Nia.

“Silly cat.”

“So why have you been stuck eating tilapia and longing for lungfish?”

Nia began untangling the strings that Taji had messed up.

“Well, the price. They are asking some eight pieces of maze for a small one.”

“It is nine now.”

Nia turned giving Kesi a look that screamed “no way!”

“Are you sure you can afford it?”

Kesi paused her loops, and leaned her head onto Nia's arm,
“You are my friend. For my friend I can, yes.”

Nia paused and leaned back onto Kesi.

The two sat there for what seemed like a whole minute, both just pausing, leaning their heads against each other, before at almost the same time, they sat back up and continued to work.

“I suppose you could buy mealworms. Instead of beetles. Else. Have you ever thought about another job?”

Nia was struggling with a unintentional knot caused by the recent cat attack.

“Mealworms is not a bad idea. I have. I thought about water fetching. But I worry I do not have the feet for it. Too much walking for me.”

Kesi paused before replying,
“You would be good at it Nia. You have always been very well walked in the outdoors.”

Nia almost broke character again struggling with the knot in frustration,
“But I would be depriving myself of this enjoyment.”

They both laughed quietly a moment.

“I may pickup some mealworms next time I go to market. They are only four mazes per portion. I can afford that.”

“Or, Nia, you could pickup another job.”

Nia thought about it as she finally got the knot undone, and then made the next double loop, and tied a knot in the correct place. She then held up what she had made, a net that was not as well done as her friend's was, and she was only on her second row, as her friend was just finishing up her sixth row.

“I would rather work next to my friend. Then away.”

Kesi bumped Nia a little with her shoulder, and smiled as they both continued to work. Hours passed, they continued to small talk as they worked on nets. At the end of their shift Kesi had finished five segments of nets, and Nia had only finished two.

Kofi, their work manager, came over and sat down across from them. He looked over to Kesi and placed down a metal square coin that was an orange metal tarnished with green, and a square maze imprinted into it.

“Five,”
he then placed down four other square coins that were dark silver and counted out loud as he did,
“six, seven, eight, nine. Nine maze for your five nets.”

He bowed his head slightly,
“thank you for your labor.”

Kesi slid the coins off the platform into her other hand, and also bowed her head slightly,
“thank you for your payment.”

Kofi then turned to face Nia, he again did similar. But only placing three coins onto the table.

“One, two, three. Three maze for you two nets.”
He bowed his head slightly,
“thank you for your labor.”

Nia picked up the coins, and then bowed her head slightly back,
“thank you for your payment.”

They both raised their heads back up, but then Kofi said something additional that was not expected.

“Nia, may I pay you another maze or two?”

Nia looked down at her nets, seeing that she had only finished two of them, and they were very obviously not as good as Kesi's nets were.

“I appreciate you. But I accept my payment.”

Kofi again insisted,
“Then a birthday gift?”

Nia smiled a little,
“Then a birthday gift.”

He handed two more coins to her, personally in her hands.

“Thank you,” she said as she took them.

The two friends walked to the door, and started to wrap up their lithams together.

“That was nice of Kofi.”

Nia rolled her eyes slightly,
“Maybe. But, maybe pity.”

Kesi paused holding her half wrapped litham on her head with one hand, and poked Nia with her other.
“Hey! Pity can be nice too.”

Nia thought about it as she tied up her litham.

Confess, you want to pet Taji!!! But the only way Taji can get pets is by reading; 7 Flavors of Sapphic
So toss on your burnous, head to your dimnest, and get reading!

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The War

On this planet where we were born, where we call home, our planet Earth. There grew two intelligent living species. This is an event that didn't happen right away. There was a long period where one of these beings horded the planet to themselves, then another species evolved to coexist peacefully with them. The peace was very short lived, and both sides learned amazing skills to kill the other.

Such was my youth, where I was trained by only the best teachers to fight and kill my enemy. I learned every weak spot on their grotesque foreign bodies. I learned about their feelings and how to exploit their weak minds. This was the enemy that has made their intentions clear; my kind must die. But we were not going to just lay down and surrender to them.

We call these beings the Ephemerals, while our own kind have taken on a new name that best suits who we are and what we are about; the Continuants.

The Ephemerals were horrific monsters. They were selfish, as they were heartless. Mercy, surrender, and peace were words these things didn't understand. They came at us with powerful weapons that were specially crafted to inflict the most painful death as they could. They didn't just want to kill us, they wanted us to pay! They wanted us to pay for living.

Our own kind was not without fault. We the Continuants went to battle with the intention to kill them. We could argue it was a retaliation, but we also all knew that each time we went into battle, if we did not completely kill each and every one of them, then even the last one standing would fight to kill us.

We choose to make our weapons to kill them as fast as we could. We don't believe in making them suffer. Continuants only want to end the battles fast with as little suffering as possible, so that we can win the war.

But when it came down to it, two hundred years of battles, an earth that can be hardly recognized anymore, and deaths on both sides that accounted for well past the majority of our population. Two hundred years later we are still fighting.

I am no longer sure why we fight. But I still hold my rifle close to my chest, my finger right above the trigger, ready to shoot the moment I see one of those things. Because I know if I don't pull that trigger fast enough, that Ephemeral will kill me before I even know what's going on.

So, I had thought that as the only truth.

It was at an unfortunate  happenstance of which I found myself, on the ground, pinned under rubble. I was running from a group of Ephemerals, they were firing their weapons at me. These awful things that sizzled when they touched your skin, melting your flesh off, and then slowly ate away at your nerves and every vital part until you were no more. A slow painful death. Even if someone stopped it, the damage these weapons did could never be healed from.

One of them almost hit me, but missed. However it hit a support of a very old worn building I was running into, and the floor above me fell down. While they left afterwards, likely assuming I died, I was alone. I was alone and I could not move.

I just remember the rubble falling, I must of passed out, and then I woke to silence. I was in pain, but the first thing that came to mind is what if they came back?! I quickly reached around to grab my rifle but it was too far away. Very too far away. I tried to pull myself out but pain shot up from my leg. I cried out as tears ran down my face.

So I just laid down and collected myself. My face had a small cut on it, but it wasn't bad. I pulled my long hair away from something it was caught on, and dusted it off a bit, I looked down at my legs. Big logs of wood and dry wall pinned me down. I saw some blood but couldn't tell how bad it was.

I pressed my hands down my sides to check for broken bones or wounds. Seemed fine, over my stomach, also seemed fine. Up over my chest, also seemed fine. But it was then that I laughed a little. Maybe it was the stress of it all, or maybe it was that I had just gotten a new one. But of all the things, my bra had ripped and broke off of me.

I didn't laugh very long, I had to focus! This wasn't a time to loose it, and I needed to remember my training. They trained me for this. If we ever needed help, we were trained to call out and make our voices sound like children. It sounds awful, but Ephemerals don't care about anything but themselves. If we sounded like children needing help, it was the only chance we could have for one of them to come dig us out.

I continued for days, no one came. I heard footsteps, I heard gun fire, I heard them outside! I knew they heard me, and I knew they ignored me. But I just needed one of them to have a slight tiny piece of a heart for them to come for me. Just one!

It was late noon when my prayers were finally answered. I had almost given up for the day when I tried one more time. I called out and made my voice sound as young and child-like as I could.

“Help, anyone. Help! I'm trapped. Please! I need my mommy!”

I heard foot steps, so I continued,
“Is someone there? Please help me! It hurts. I can't get out.”

There was silence for a moment, then a couple more foot steps. Unsure footsteps moving very slowly, very cautiously.

“Please help me.”

Finally they replied to me,
“Hello? Are you a little girl?”

I continued the charade,
“Yes! I'm twelve. I don't know where mommy went. Please can you help me? I'm hurt.”

I had never done this before, I wasn't sure if it was working or not, I wasn't sure what the next step as gonna be. I'm suppose to hide my face as much as possible and just point to how I was stuck. So, I quickly pulled some of my hair in front of my face, and tried to hunch over to make myself look smaller.

They walked closer to me, I looked away and pointed to my legs,
“I'm trapped! It's too heavy, please help.”

I was so scared! I knew it was one of the Ephemerals there, and I knew it was armed, and I knew that if it knew I was a Continuant it would kill me there on the spot.

“Okay, don't move and I will get you out.”
It's voice sounded, oddly calm. Almost sweet if I was ignorant of what it really was.

Killing monsters are never sweet. They are incapable of kindness.
It brushed against me as it walked past, to get a grip and leverage.

“When I say now, I want you to pull your leg out as fast as you can. Okay ready?”

I looked around a moment for a place that I could run to,
“Yes. Please hurry.”

I felt it grip it's strong muscles around what was pinning me down. I could feel the object flex a little as it shot more pain up through my crushed leg.

“One,”
I braced myself,

“Two,”
I felt afraid! Afraid but ready!

“Three,”
I knew the next moment would determine if I live or die.

“Now!”
It shouted out and lifted with all of it's might, I quickly pulled my legs free then crawled as fast as I could , stumbling through the pain as I grabbed my rifle, cocked it, and quickly rolled around on my back to point it at the Ephemeral behind me.

I hesitated.

My hands shook, my finger pressed against the trigger, only a hair thread more would of made it go off. I don't know why I didn't do it! I was scared, I was unsure, and I was confused as I knew it just saved my life. It also just stood there looking so confused and shocked.

“Well go on! You going to attack me or what?”

I yelled at it! If it would just attack I would know I should press the trigger. Just jump at me! Come on, make a move! Do it!

“Are you going to shoot me?”

I felt my mouth open, but I couldn't reply to it.

“Please don't shoot me.”

This was a trick! It was going to trick me to lower my gun and then it would kill me. This is how these sick fucking demons work. They spew nothing but lies from their mouths. They are a creature of lies and pain.

“Stay back!”
I shouted. I wasn't sure what else to say, I tried to get up, using one arm to pull myself up, and my other arm firmly still pointing the rifle at it. I tried, and I fell down. I tried again, and again I fell.

“Would you like some help?”

I stopped trying and grabbed the rifle with both hands, pointing it firmly at it.

“NO! Stay back! I don't want your help at all!”

I felt like my very soul could fly out from my chest I was so scared.

“It's ok, you don't have to be scared.”

It slowly put it's arms up, and then slowly turned around in a complete circle.
“See? No weapons.”

Speechless I just stayed where I was, laying against some rocks and holding my rifle at them shaking in pain and fear.

“Please lower it. I came to help you.”

Maybe it didn't know I was a Continuant? Maybe it didn't understand? Maybe, I lost too much blood and was loosing my mind. Maybe I had already died and this is what the brain does before you completely die. I was crazy for sure, because the next thing I did went against all my training, and everything I've been taught my whole life.

I dropped my rifle to the ground, and spoke in my normal voice,
“Please help me. I can't get up.”

I felt tears come down my face, I felt my body shaking as it slowly walked closer to me. It's disgusting hand reached down under and around my back. While it's other hand pulled against my arm. It was able to lift me up, I watched my rifle on the ground as if I was leaving a comrade behind, as we slowly made our way out of that place, into safety.

If you had no other choice, could you trust the enemy? The enemy that has killed so many of your kind? The enemy you were raised to kill... The war has gone on for so, so long... will this be the spark that reignites the fuel to the fire; or is it maybe the start of something new? Everything you weren't expecting will be told to you when you read; 7 Flavors of Sapphic.

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"TriMeridian Industries is proud to announce the publication of 7 Flavors of Sapphic
As always we strive to bring the latest and best technological advancements.
Expect more..."
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