Mallory has a mission, a purpose, an end in sight. She doesn't need fun or distractions. She's driven and focused to the point of inattention to any and all things going on around her. And that's how it happens. One moment she's checking her mail before heading to her last class of the day, and the next she's staring at the remains of her emotional support coffee all over her shirt, the floor, and the handsome neighbor she's never even noticed until today. His presence in her life is a nuisance and the absolute last thing she would have wanted, but maybe, just maybe, he might be something she needed. __________ Open Novella Contest (ONC2026), prompt 19: when you accidentally spill coffee on someone, the moment that should've ruined your day becomes the beginning of a surprising and life changing friendship. I told myself I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't going to attempt two novellas at once when I have so many other things started. But clearly the muse is strong and the will is weak.

Nakeeta has spent her entire life training to enter the healer division of the army, but when initiation day comes around, she is assigned to the hunters; an elite group of fighters that are gifted the ability to shapeshift in order to fight the spreading corruption. Left with no other choice, Nakeeta must either adapt, or die. This is an entry for #ONC2026.

He was sent to rescue her. Not to care. Not to stay. Definitely not to fall. Leonardo Nico Russo doesn't do mercy. As the youngest heir of one of Europe's most feared crime families, he solves problems with precision-and leaves no loose ends behind. Until April Holloway. April Holloway. Missing. Caught in the shadows of human trafficking. What begins as a mission turns into something neither of them expected. Pulled from violence and fear, April finds herself in the arms of a man built from danger and silence. And Leonardo-who has spent his life commanding chaos-discovers that some souls don't arrive loudly. They arrive quietly. They leave footprints on your heart. Set against a world of power, bloodlines, and hidden wars, 'In His Arms' is a mafia romance about rescue, resilience, and the fragile connection between two souls-where protection becomes devotion, and survival slowly turns into love. Because sometimes, the person who saves you... is the one who changes you forever. Author's Note Hello, lovely readers! This is my first time participating in the Open Novella Contest, and I couldn't be more excited (and terrified 😅). ONC Prompt #29 (Excerpt) - Some people leave footprints on your heart. 'In His Arms' is unfolding in between lesson plans, late nights, and stolen moments of quiet-because by day, I'm a teacher, and by heart, I'm a storyteller. This story grew during coffee breaks, after-school exhaustion, and those magical midnight hours when the world sleeps and characters start talking. The story begins inside Leonardo's world-his missions, his shadows, his dangerous precision. The first few chapters unfold entirely from his perspective, focusing on the rescue and the life he inhabits. April's voice enters later-three years after their paths first cross-when she is older, stronger, and finally ready to tell her side of the story. Thank you for giving this story a chance. And welcome to my ONC journey. 🤍 With love, Thiya J

'He had spent his life chasing a reflection, never noticing the life waiting for him behind his own back.' A mirror. A lighthouse. A curse whispered across generations. Silas Hale dreams of a lighthouse that calls him, and a mirror that whispers his name. Every time he follows it, misfortune follows too. The wind never quiets. The mist never lifts. And the sea ... waits for him to return. Prompt-34. "You have to sail the seven seas to find the lost treasure, but treasure means different things to different people, what treasures will you find at worlds' edge ."

Roman Kerr thought he knew everything about the woman he married. He was wrong. - An entry for Open Novella Contest | Prompt: 28 & 29.

White. The colour that haunted her entire life. Born into a lineage of warriors and witches, she is the Matriarch's only daughter and her greatest disappointment. In a world forged by blood and conquest, her power does not burn or strike. Instead, she sees what others cannot: colours bleeding through the cracks of reality, a spectrum hidden beneath the violence they worship. They call her weak. They call her useless. But power does not always arrive as a weapon. Sometimes it arrives as perception. Sometimes it arrives as the space between. As ancient traditions close in and the weight of expectation sharpens into a blade, she must choose whether to disappear into the white that defines her-or claim the colours that terrify everyone else. A dark fantasy about inherited violence, quiet rebellion, and the power that exists where no one thinks to look. ---------- Open Novella Contest 2026 Based on prompts: 2. The first flower to bloom in spring isn't just a sign of the season changing. It's a portal. When you touch it, you're transported into a magical world you never knew existed. 11. The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother. 16. "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul" by John Muir 28. Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will blossom. 63. A forgotten temple appears overnight in the middle of town, but its doors will only open for those who tell lies.

In the silk-producing valleys of the Kingdom of Naples, Renza, the daughter of a respected silk merchant, has been raised within the careful order of family and tradition. Lucien arrives as a restless outsider, marked by a past he cannot escape. Around them move others bound by secrecy and survival, including a spy for the Inquisition trained to live between two worlds. As tensions deepen and suspicion spreads through Silk County, their lives draw toward a tragic event history has nearly erased. Echoing the ancient myth of Galatea and Acis in a 16th century setting, Silk County explores how love endures in fragile and often dangerous spaces, where even the most delicate threads can bind souls across time. #ONC2026 contest. Story is complete. Prompts: #16 - Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. And a slightly modified version of #104 - while wandering through the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than the wind through the trees until you turn around realize it isn't wind at all. Content Note: This story contains references to non-graphic sexual situations. It also draws on historical accounts of the Inquisition, including themes of religious persecution and some chapters contain acts of violence. While these elements, as well as 16th century attitudes toward women, are handled with care, they reflect the realities of the period and may be difficult for some readers. They do not reflect this author's viewpoint.

"A prophecy speaks of a rare moment when all nine realms align and a single flower blooms with the power of eternal beauty. But if the flower is plucked, it will wither at once and with its death, everything will fall, leaving only you behind."

If you dial the number 4444, no one will pick up. But fall asleep afterwards, and a man will visit you in your dreams. He will introduce himself as an assassin of sorts, and you will tell him your darkest desire. After all, the Dreamwalker can become your enemy's worst nightmare...for a price. Nathan Lee is many things: a slacker, a skeptic, and above all, hopelessly infatuated with the illustrious Aurora Kim. But when he accidentally swaps phones with a stranger, he ends up face-to-face with Cyr, a contract killer who travels through dreams. And his next target is Aurora. Desperate to save Aurora, Nathan takes it upon himself to hunt down Cyr's client. But when the bodies begin piling up, Nathan is forced to question who Aurora Kim really is...and what it will cost to keep her alive. (Prompt #56: After grabbing the wrong phone at a busy deli, you discover the stranger's life is far more tangled with yours than you ever expected.)

**SELECTED FOR ONC 2026 ROUND 3** Imagine being a wizard who could cast spells without ever making a mistake? Dref signed a Stakeholder Agreement with the Fourth Pentagon of the Underworld to grant him this power and vanished from the magical town of Aranot shortly afterwards. Maybe he should have read that smallprint a bit more carefully? His twin sister Annod has been researching a way to find him for two years and has found a portal to take her to him in the basement of The Trotting Donkey tavern. Can she swallow her social awkwardness and convince the beguilding automaton, Gorgeous to lead her there? Stakeholder Agreement introduces readers to the world of Aranot, a town cut into a mountain with seven universities where wizards and scroll readers are trained. This comic fantasy universe pokes fun at our world through the strange contents of the mind of @edmundkeanlightning CONTENT WARNINGS Mild alcohol consumption Occult themes Misfiring magic