Originally for ONC 2021 ------------------------------ To save their family, Eileen will have to put themselves on the line. The task is simple, but complex at the same time- they just have to infiltrate the Academy, where up and coming villains are trained. It would be pretty easy if it weren't for the fact that their hero descent was a huge problem. Eileen thinks it's no big deal, until they attend the Academy. Things were never as simple as they seemed. ------------------------------ Prompts used: Main prompt: #84: This academy isn't a typical boarding school. No, it's where kids train to become villains- if they pass the entrance test, that is. Nobody at the academy knows you're descended from heroes, and that's the way you'd like it to stay. Other prompts: #1: "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villian" -From The Dark Knight. #4: You're a weapon and weapons don't weep.

[Longlist of the ONC 2021] After a whirlwind romance with Jaxson Bowers at a music festival in Germany, Tess returns home with a precious gift but no Jaxson. When she goes looking for him, she finds out that he vanished soon after his return from Germany. Rumor has it that the crime syndicate that his family is involved in had something to do with his disappearance. Tess resigns herself to the fact that she will never have the boy she fell for or any other lover for that matter until a chance encounter changes everything. Prompt 72: You met the love of your life at a music festival, but after that weekend you never saw them again. Twenty years later, that changes. Copyright © 2021 by mellimack All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. I do not own the rights to the song quoted in this work of fiction. Musical credits are: "Mandy" (1971) Written by Scott English and Richard Kerr

(HONORABLE MENTION) Rik Sandro is a dimension traveller. Jumping from one version of the world to another was intriguing at first, until he discovered he can never go home. Now all these new beginnings are just a pain. Maybe it's time to stay in one place. Maybe it's time to settle down. Maybe it's time to fall in love. However, when his latest lover is murdered, Rik fears that he's being stalked and now, he might not have any control over how, where, or when, his life will end. (HONORABLE MENTION and ROUND TWO WINNER ONC2021 ) A clockpunk adventure, my entry for the ONC 2021. (Clockpunk / LGBTQ / Romance / Horror)

ONC 2021 Ambassador's Pick ~ Lav Sciarra's accomplishments are many: He is one of the Tower's best soldiers. He founded the Gemma Special Forces. He killed the terrorist who nearly destroyed the Tower. Lav Sciarra, they say, is a hero. Lav knows otherwise. ~ An ONC2021 entry. Based on Prompt #1: "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."