{2024 ONC Round One Ambassadors Pick }In the heart of the bustling Bronx, amidst the vibrant chaos of Highbridge, where the rhythm of life pulses through the streets, a resilient 18-year-old Camila finds herself thrust into a nightmarish struggle for survival. Balancing the weight of two jobs to support her family, Camila dreams of a better life beyond the confines of their cramped apartment. Little does she know that fate has a different plan. When a mysterious outbreak turns the town she called home into a living nightmare, Highbridge transforms into a battleground of undead. Camila's world unravels as she races against time, desperately trying to navigate the levels of her apartment to reach her younger brother. The only problem that's between them is mad hordes of zombies lurking in every corner. As the streets echo with the haunting groans of the undead, Camila's journey becomes a gritty, pulse-pounding odyssey through the darkened corridors of survival. Each level of her apartment complex presents new challenges, pushing her to the limits of courage and determination. Will she conquer the shadows that threaten to consume her, or will the Bronx be her final resting point. #ONC2024 | Prompt 22 ✨Round One Ambassadors Pick in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round One Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Two Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Three Longlist in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Four Shortlist in Open Novella Contest✨ ‼️ Content/Trigger Warning: Contains gore, violence, some strong language. All rights belong to the author and no reproductions are allowed without the permission of @Renaissance111. Please respect the author's copyright. 😊❤️ 2024 C.S. Marie

It was supposed to be a quick business trip but Detective Molly Rayne finds herself in the midst of a high-stake murder case with two strangers and collectively, they must uncover the truth before it reveals her hidden past and the murderer strikes again. -x-x-x- ❝Three Strangers. Two Secrets. One Key.❞ It was supposed to be a quick business trip, a bullet train ride from New York to Chicago. But the minute the train pulled out of the station, things started to go wrong. A person was murdered in the sleeper cabin, and everyone on the train was a suspect. Detective Molly Rayne, a tough-as-nails veteran with a dark past, was on board and found herself drawn into the investigation. With every mile that passed, the mystery deepened. As she uncovered secrets and motives among the passengers, Molly realized that the killer was more cunning and ruthless than anyone could have imagined. It was like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, only with a lot more blood and sarcasm. When the train arrived in Chicago, Molly was left with a body count, a trail of clues, and a nagging suspicion that one of her fellow passengers was more than they seemed. -x-x-x- wattpad ambassador select x1 | ONC shortlist qualified featured on @mystery profile's Murder reading list as of 04-07-2024 cover by @GraveyardSiren -x-x-x- highest ranking: #7 in onc2024 out of 567 stories #14 in mystery out of 27.5K stories #28 in detective out of 30.3K stories -x-x-x- Feel free to leave your suggestions/honest feedback/constructive criticism :D

Attend opera concerts. Run a few errands. Enjoy a luxury apartment, wardrobe, and car, all expenses paid. Sounds like a dream job, right? There's only one catch. After nights of haunting musical messages and retrieving strange, pulsing items for her eccentric employer, Cleo unravels a conspiracy she definitely isn't getting paid enough to be involved in. As time goes on, she glimpses a fantastical realm of individuals that prefer to keep their powers a secret, and will do anything to remain unseen. Once unveiled, there is no going back to blissful ignorance. It all started with a paycheck. But in the end, Cleo may be the one paying - with her life. ~ cover by Laine from @avadel sticker by @SuVida777 *ONC 2024 Honorable Mention and Shortlister *Open Door Awards 2024 New Adult Winner *8CC participant January-February 2024 Completed Word Count: 31,180 Featured: @mystery 100. In a concert hall filled with hundreds of people, only you are hearing different lyrics to what everyone is singing. 27. Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge.

** When their beloved mistress is murdered, a white raven and a black fox embark on a journey for revenge. Will the brave familiars manage to recover the stolen heart in time - or would they lose themselves? ** "Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge." - ONC24EN Prompt #27 - When the guardian of a fairy grove is cruelly murdered for the source of her power, her two familiars and faithful protectors are left broken and lost. But soon, their despair changes, and from this moment on, they are driven by one desire alone: Revenge. They embark on a death-defying journey with the little strength they have left to reclaim the stolen heart. Will the black fox Cian and the white Raven Lir manage together to steal back the soul of their beloved mistress before their magic is used up and their lives are forfeit? Or will they turn back into what they once were and lose themselves forever? Time is running out, because the two nature spirits don't have much fairy magic left, as the cruel thief has his own sinister plans... *** English Version of our ONC 2024 Entry. Story by BellOfSilence & DearNovalee Cover by Thinkerling

|CROSSROADS x LEAP YEAR | Eighteen-year-old April Lewis flees her troubled home, desperate to escape her emotionally distant, controlling mom, and seek out her dad. Little does she know a chance encounter with her classmate will take her on a cross-country ride: a journey that will change April's life forever. A venture that will lead her down a path of self-discovery and unexpected love. *** When eighteen-year-old April Lewis' mom walks around like a zombie, evades all attempts to talk and controls her every move, April decides she's had enough. She leaves home one warm summer evening with nothing but a yellow backpack filled with her coveted dad's letters he's been sending her for the past months, and some bare necessities. She's determined to seek him out and go live with him down on the West Coast, where he has a temporary job. The last thing April expects is almost being hit by a car. The owner of the vehicle? Her classmate, Dave Rivera, a troubled boy whom she almost never talked to before, and who can't be more different than her. After making sure April is just a little banged-up, Dave strikes a deal with her: he'll help her get to the West Coast free of charge, as long as she doesn't report him to the cops. The two embark upon a road trip from NY to LA, navigating through stunning landscapes and meeting a colorful cast of characters. While sharing life stories and exchanging experiences, armed with the wisdom from her Dad's letters, April and Dave discover that they are a lot more alike than they originally thought. The journey slowly becomes more important than the destination, and their path takes an unexpected turn when a shocking secret comes to light. © 2024 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 4! Which is (I shan't leave ye hanging :P): "When life gives you balloons, you fly up into the sky."

After getting in a car accident a young reserved plant enthusiast must embrace reality in order to make amends with family and be there when his loved ones need him before it's too late. - - - When reserved and plant obsessed 14-year-old Oren Spalding flies down to Georgia to see his other dad for the holiday season, he could have never predicted the trouble that ensues. Still not certain he wants to see the other half of his old parental body, he goes anyway, scarcely embracing the experience. Everything changes when the renuinted family gets into a car accident. He finds his brother hanging to life by a thread and his head spinning like never before, literally. As Oren navigates this alien situation, tensions between he and his dad come to a crescendo. Forgotten words are remembered. Untold knowledge is revealed. He wants to pretend this is all a dream, but he can't deny the truth, of what was said, what was done, and what he can't change. He needs to accept the reality as it is, but life might not wait for him to catch up. ONC 2024 entry Main prompt: #1 - Sometimes words speak louder than actions. Completed: April 26, 2024 Word Count: 20,000 - 25,000 Cover credits to the lovely @BlueStarrySky1 💜

ONC 2024 ENTRY |ONC 2024 LONGLISTER| |Nanowatt 2025 SHORTLISTER| |2× featured| - |mystery|, |teen fiction| The holidays are over but the murders aren't. *** Deep in the city of Ikoyi, blood has become a daily alarm. With the amount of people being killed rising and the numerous calls to fight against this insurgency, the residents are doused with fear as the city tips between peace and utter chaos. Zara, an ever anxious and over thinking teenager, has come back with her family from their vacation to the United States, finding their hometown ablaze with all these news of murders that have suddenly become an epidemic. But with her goal to pass her external exams in flying colors and still keep herself together despite her family's many abuses, the murders are little more than stories that cause a stroke of anxiety before she is once again swamped with her own problems. But when Zara's mother is murdered in cold blood, she is suddenly thrust headfirst into this epidemic that has ransacked her home. Nothing ever happens without a reason and whatever killed her mother may be coming for her too. Beautiful cover by @ReynaBennett

[FIRST DRAFT] Wren Deisy, a young girl plagued with hallucinations and strange dreams, has just discovered that maybe they weren't all in her head. Wren has the ability to portal to another world. And she couldn't have been less prepared for her adventure in the Land of Dreams. __________________ "𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦," 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥. "𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨." "𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘨𝘰𝘥." 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. "𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳." __________________ This is my story for ONC 2024! Please enjoy! (NOT EVEN CLOSE TO DONE, STILL WRITING/EDITING!!!)

Time heals all wounds. When you have the power to rewind it, you begin to wonder whether it's too much responsibility for one person to hold. ***** Sometimes, walking away is the scariest, yet the bravest thing one can do. Iris Fox would know; after returning to the coastal town of Emelle Bay, Oregon, and finding her life in shambles, it's hard to ignore the voice in the back of her head that beckons her to stay. Days turn into weeks, which turn into months, and Iris finds herself drawn to the heartbreaking reminders of how it all went wrong. Echoes of unfinished business and painful memories wash up, awakening the dormant power to rewind time, and Iris realizes she has a choice to make--she can either use her power to try and fix what has been stolen from her, rewriting her past, present, and future, or she can tuck the past where it belongs. Either way, there's only one conclusion. All actions have consequences. ***** Open Novella Contest -- prompts 24, 33, & 54 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2024 ROUND 1 AMBASSADORS' PICK, LONGLISTER & SHORTLISTER]] © 2024 caterina george // all rights reserved