The year is 1879. When thirteen-year-old Ruth Merritt Holbrook emerges from her family's burning estate, bloody and charred, but entirely numb--She makes headlines. Reporters believe she is deranged. They accuse her of having set the fire. All the headlines read: "UNSUSPECTING FAMILY SLAIN BY DERANGED DAUGHTER." Everyone believes it. How else could a highbred girl exit a burning building, injured yet senseless? Why did she not scream or cry? The police tell her she is a killer. The doctors tell her she is mad. The nuns at St. Agatha's tell her she is possessed. Perhaps, Ruth Merritt Holbrook is all of those things-or perhaps she is much more. Mysterious and Paranormal. Romance. More than meets the eye. ******* Sgt. Barton Rucklesbee September 13, 1882 The following is an account sent to our office on the first of this month. The whereabouts of those listed in this document are currently unknown. Case Notes: Personally, I don't believe a word of this. It seems like a child's story to me. Best not to be taken too seriously. Read at your own folly as it is quite the elaborate tale and you may find yourself wasting the entirety of a day on it. Sgt. Barton Rucklesbee ******* Senseless: The Unnatural Case Of Miss Merritt Holbrook ******* Author's note: This is a novel I wrote for my undergraduate thesis. I studied the Victorian era/ genre and wrote a novel in the styles of "Dracula" and Leanna Renee Hieber's "Darker Still." There are a lot of sections but they are all fairly short. Also, it may not be perfectly edited. To the wonderful grammar wizards out there, don't worry about it. Just sit back and enjoy the story and characters, I'll deal with the grammar later. Thanks for reading! Enjoy. :) First Posted: August 31, 2018 {On the Wattpad featured list 9/20/18}

Amari just wanted to settle down and live a peaceful quiet life with her best friend Mirielle, however life has plans for her, plans she most definitely doesn't want to be part of, When the threatening elements wage war against her, Amari realises she has two choices, fight or die and Amari is not about to die. ~ I stare in awe at the beautiful woman, marvelling at her ethereal beauty, her almond coloured eyes set their gaze on me and her perfectly shaped lips tell me, "Amari, Possessor of the Elements, your help is greatly needed".

Wattys shortlist 2021 "I'm already loving this story" - _singforjoy_ "You are going to get me what I want," Isla said, calmly. "Or I will kill you." The words hung in the air between them. Raif looked unconcerned. "Is that so?" he said. Born to the captain of a pirate ship, Isla has spent her whole life at sea. Raised among sailors, her father has trained her to fight, command a crew, and, most importantly, the secrets of the ocean currents. When her father is killed in a storm, she is forced to step into his role as captain. Not only does she have to provide for the men on her ship, but she also inherits her father's outstanding debt to Lord Sutherland: the task of stealing the rare Serpent's Eye emerald. After months of failure to locate the emerald, Isla is forced to take extreme measures: she kidnaps Duke Raif Sayers, who knows of the emerald's location. But Raif proves to be more strong willed and stubborn than Isla expected. Matters become even more complicated when Raif's father offers a large reward for his son's rescue and suddenly every cutthroat is looking for Raif and the pirate who kidnapped him. As Isla and her crew are pushed to their limits and race against their deadline, Isla has to face that the one decision she thought would save her crew could be the very thing that destroys them. "Isla is such a kick-ass character that I can't help but to love her." - strawberrytrifles "This amazing book. I found it and fell in love" - sparklingdophlin333 "Isla is amazing, she is so strong willed and brave. I love her so much! She is already becoming one of my favourites 😍❤️" - theaxbank "Amazing. Your writing makes the setting, your characters and their actions leap off the page." - ADesignerofBeautiful "I am definitely seeing the Carter side of her now!😄" - notevenfunny_ A Loria Tale # 2 #1 Teen Fiction

" he broke up with his supposedly true love, her. she can't seem to do anything but write. " 「 watty award winner 2015 / #1 in short story 」 copyright © 2015 by 13-year-old layla all rights reserved.

Eighth in Teen Dialogue Series ~ "Hello?" "Do you have a name or can I call you mine?" "Erm, wrong number." ••••••• What happens when you receive an unknown call from an unknown person who talks extra cheesy? Well, one thing is for sure, new emotions will be found and maybe some feelings? Who knows?

{FIRST BOOK IN 'THE GIRL IN THE HOODIE' SERIES} {2014-2018} A girl moved to California two years ago. No one knows what she looks like. All they know is that she wears a hoodie. *~*~*~* "HOLY SHIT, NOAH! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU LET THE TROLLEY GO?! COME BACK! OH MY FUCKING LIFE, FIZZY DRINKS UP AHEAD--" BANG FIZZ POP "...am I dead?" I'm suddenly grabbed by the back of my hoodie and pulled up from the ground and out of the mess of the opened bottles of fizzy which had exploded when the trolley and I crashed into them. My hands instantly go to my hood and I sigh in relief to find that it hadn't fallen off through all of that. I turn my head and look the the employee who's holding me, his face completely red and the vein in his neck throbbing. "Wassup, dude?" I smile sheepishly. *~* {HIGHEST RANKINGS: #1 in Funny #1 in Sad And #1 in Cancer apparently }

"I'll never leave you." "Never?" "Never." For nine years, Carter McMilan grew up within the foster care system. Despite the lessons of abandonment and rejection, there was one constant in her life; and that was Daniel. Abandoned together, they made the promise to never leave the other. Until an unfortunate day came, pulling Carter away from the only person she ever loved. Daniel Roberts has little hope for a future; that was, until a sudden event pushed him into Carter's crosshairs ten year later. Now both in university, they try to juggle their relationship, and what's left of it. That is, until foes from their past start to threaten what they've built.

"You're so cute," he leaves a soft kiss on my shoulder, "and beautiful," he buries his nose in my hair, planting another kiss against my neck, "and incredibly smart," he smiles against my skin, moving slightly to tilt my head, "and finally mine." And then his lips are on mine. ••• Three years ago, Aria Brooks became an orphan after her parents were murdered in the comfort of their own home. The traumatizing sight left Aria with nothing but gory nightmares and sweet memories. Now, at the age of seventeen, she stays with her aunt and uncle and spends her days either drawing or painting, wanting nothing but to continue with a normal life. But people don't always get what they wish for. With Miles Prescott as her new neighbour and enemy, having a peaceful day is near to impossible. He's a total jerk, and a complete idiot. But he's also insanely good looking, and of course, that is the reason he's easily dragged into the popular crowd and is immediately labelled as Maple Grove High's bad boy. When the two have their second encounter and Miles ends up soaked in paint, the hate they have for each other only burns more. So what happens when they get caught up in a prank war? Or when a killer gets thrown into the mix? Cover by: @messylilac ❤ ___ Highest Rankings: #1 in badboy #1 in clumsy #1 in dares #1 in gxb #1 in gory #1 in homicide #1 in mystery-thriller #1 in pranks #4 in boyxgirl #6 in cute

Highest Ranking- #3 in Short Story (First in teen dialogue series) "He-" "I am so sorry aunt Claire, I forgot to send a cab to pick you up from airport!" "Don't worry dear, I reached home safely." •~• A dialogue story where a teenage boy misplace a digit of the phone number and instead of his aunt Claire, he calls some random girl and that too at 2:19 AM. It was just a call, but what he didn't knew was, the receiver was not his aunt, but a girl. The girl was not normal, but a sarcastic one who always had witty comebacks for each and every sentence and pulls pranks. She was not thirty like his aunt, but only seventeen. Enjoy the journey of two teenagers who met with fate and that fate was a random call at 2:19 AM. ~

|| Highest Rank - #3 in Teen Fiction || Amanda thought she had found the love of her life. She had everything perfectly planned out; the university she would attend, the car she would drive, the house she would own, the place she would get married and even the money she would earn. Much to her dismay, all her plans went straight down the drain when she caught her golden boy in bed with someone else. She thinks she is the only person who feels absolutely devastated, but she is proven wrong when, one night, a certain bad boy knocks on her door. Now what could a six foot tall, arrogant jerk want from her? Isn't it obvious? He wants revenge. - Cover by @-belllawrites Copyright © by Laylaa Khan