Each month, the community chooses a prompt, and those interested are tasked to write a tale of no more than 2,500 words. This time around, we tasked our writers to examine the façades they and their characters present to the world. Especially those that run contrary to our real selves, the ones that we are afraid of becoming.

It's a truth universally accepted that few of us show the world our truest selves. Instead, we hide behind façades, showing only that which we're willing to share. And at our worst, the image we portray is nothing like the person underneath. Is it any wonder we occasionally fear becoming what the world perceives?

Given that ominous sentiment, the question is —what do others see when they interact with you?

The Last Refuge - Sealed beneath the earth, the mystery of what's above results in a change of leadership
Retch - Faced with trapping another in the life she lives, a cult member takes action
Urban Renewal - How close is the line between pretending and accepting your biases?
Wild is the Heart - Trapped between worlds, Shortclaw must choose between duty and love
Forbidden Knowledge - Once the line from focus to obsession is crossed, all of reality is at risk
I'm Not Afraid - As the waters rise, fear cannot be allowed to win