When Ethan Eaton comes home for the Christmas holiday to find his parents have been killed by vampires, his life takes a drastic turn. Leaving behind his old life, he opens a café in a village located in the Scottish Highlands, which rumours say is frequently visited by supernatural beings. His plan is simple: learn more about magical beings and find out why his parents died. There is no room for distractions, and there is especially no room for his growing feelings towards the fiery and whimsical village girl Airlia, who happens to also be chasing magic. ----- ONC 2025 Round 2 Winner & Shortlister! ----- The Novellas of the Highlands: - Oak's Tea Room - The Oblivious Fool - The Second Draft - A Wish Come True - To be named

Wesley Davis has no interest in becoming a beta tester for his friend's new language app, PollyGot. But when he's introduced to the alluring Livia Spencer, she challenges him to a bet: she'll learn more French than him in two months. His competitive side can't resist. What begins as a playful challenge soon turns sinister after the app's adaptive AI, Polly, integrates with his smart home. As the inexplicable injuries and accidents pile up, Wes begins to question his sanity. Is he just imagining things, or is Polly manipulating him in a twisted attempt to master a new language at any cost? - - - ꒰ঌ( •ө• )໒꒱ - - - Author's Note and Trigger Warning Thanks for checking out my entry for the Open Novella Contest for 2025! This story was inspired by the prompt below. 88. Lately, your phone feels ... off. It seems like it's watching you. At first, you dismiss it as paranoia. But one day, each message on your phone reads, »I'm watching you.« This story is rated mature due to language, violence, gore, sexual content, mature themes, and general chaos. Thank you so much for reading! Don't break your reading streak... or else.

epiphanot; An idea that at first seems like an amazing insight but later turns out to be pointless, mundane, stupid, or incorrect, and often is the root cause of bad decisions. It's not a real word, but that about sums up the relationship between lifelong best friends, Kennedy and Elodie. That's how it feels when Elodie suddenly texts Kennedy the night before college graduation after months of not speaking, "meet me behind the mall at midnight. Don't bring anyone!" Sure, it sounds like a good idea. Given that Kennedy just broke up with her toxic as hell situationship (not even her boyfriend), is about to lose her job, has no idea what she's about to do with her life, and can feel herself spiraling into what feels like a quarter life crisis. But, play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. In just a span of 12 hours, Kennedy will endure the most chaotic night of her life right before college graduation. These are going to be the consequences of Elodie and Kennedy's epiphinot. *warnings* Rated for mature audiences Contains use of drugs, alcohol, strong language, and sexual content (conversations of/innuendos) ---------- An entry for the ONC2025 Using the prompt, "meet me behind the mall at midnight. Don't bring anyone!" Copyright ©️ 2025 Emerald H (Lady-Emerald) All rights reserved Cover design (2025) by @AngeBlancRose

Nobody has been chosen for over a hundred years, but the Guardian of the cursed forest picks Runa in the ceremony, forcing her to face untamed magic, forgotten legends, and choices she never thought she had to make. Legends and Myths Magic Guardians and Villains Where do tales end and history begin? ☾ ↟↟♖⛰︎↟↟ The Guardians of the Forest is a fantasy novella for the Open Novella Contest. 129) The ink of our souls bind us beyond the pages of time © Copyright All Rights Reserved

Dr. Elara Voss and Dr. Niall Renton are close colleagues, working together to get humanity to live on the moon. But all goes wrong If Niall makes a big mistake. Now Earth and its population are doomed. Can they fix it? Or is this truly the end of the world?

**When a gruesome prison death reunites an officer with her ex-best friend, feelings resurface as they investigate the deep-rooted secrets of an ancient penitentiary.** After eight years abroad, Lana Lippian has returned to the frozen asteroid of her birth as a Lieutenant in the Intergalactic Disciplinary Organization. It's now her job to police both Fenestra Prison and the surrounding penal colony of Subtus City. But when an ill-fated arrest leads to the death of an innocent teenager, Lana's estranged best friend (and childhood crush), Korona Tallow, begs the officer to imprison her in order to investigate what she believes to be murder. However, dangerous secrets lie behind the metal walls of Fenestra and Lana has her work cut out keeping Kor safe. Especially since the fiery nuisance has never been one to fly below the radar. Soon, sparks catch in the flammable atmosphere as the wary allies discover that both the mystery and their feelings go far deeper than either could have imagined. ||Trigger Warning for Spicy Adult Situations, Language, Violence and Death|| Featured on: @FreeTheLGBT @OpenNovellaContest @Wattpad

Esme and Matt can't stand each other, even if they have to play nice for the cameras. As public speculation about their chemistry heats up, they're forced to confront what's real versus what's just for show. ***** Esme Mendoza is everything Matt Crain isn't--polished, optimistic, and proud of her golden girl image. He's brooding, arrogant, and impossible to work with. As co-stars in an indie romance film, they're forced to act like soulmates on screen while barely tolerating each other behind the scenes. When their banter and lingering stares spark fan speculation during the press tour, their PR teams jump on the opportunity, but Esme and Matt aren't too thrilled. Suddenly, they're everywhere--public appearances, exchanging snarky remarks in interviews, and fueling endless rumors. As their forced chemistry starts to feel a little too real, Esme and Matt are left questioning: are they just playing a role, or could this be end game? ***** Open Novella Contest -- prompts 45 & 127 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 ROUND 2 AMBASSADORS' PICK]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved