Not everyone's trust issues come from failed relationships. Sometimes, it comes from the family and friends closest to us. Griffin Miller and Parker Graham are living, breathing testaments to this truth. Somewhere on Griffins life path, between living with his perfect twin sister, fighting tooth and nail for his dads approval, and competing against his NFL-bound cousin, Griffin lost sight of what matters most in life: Peace. Health. Time. Purpose. If Griffin thought the first 18 years of his life were tough, it's nothing like what the past 5 months have been. Football, family, classes, and trying to keep his cousin alive is wearing him thin. Too thin. Parker is still reeling from a sudden life change that happened to him nearly six months ago. There's a chance that he could've healed by now, however without the support of his closest cousin & with the way his uncle is forcing him back onto the football field, those wounds are reopened every day. Even as Parkers life slowly becomes normal again, he still struggles to become the person that he used to be. When one little mistake during senior year changes the trajectory of both of their lives, it's too late to change. Parker can't do anything but stand back and watch his cousins life burn to the ground, hoping that his won't be next. Griffin is forced to chose between three choices: forgive his past, wreck his own future, or break all of the rules that he's been obeying for years. - - - It's like my lungs refuse to suck down air. They don't want to live after what just happened. Someone forces life back into them by slamming an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. A million different people get the stretcher underneath me. Torment digs its' claws into my skin and rips it away. Grief squeezes real tears out of my eyes for the first time in eight years. Karma leans down next to me and whispers in my ear: 'You can't outrun me anymore.'

On the run, Willow stumbles into a bandit ambush and is rescued by a lone traveler. He reluctantly agrees to help protect her on the forest paths if she can guide him to his destination. His distant demeanor suddenly changes after she returns his cloak, not realizing he is a selkie, nor aware that if someone returns a selkie's cloak, the selkie falls in love with them. As they travel, she discovers that he's everything she ever wanted in a husband, but learns that it comes at a cost - and that cost is his freedom. Note: If you're looking for a typical lore-based selkie story, I'm afraid you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a hopeful selkie and an uninformed human, then you have come to the right place. ONC 2025 awards: Ambassador's pick award, Round 2 winner, and Short List award. Based on the Open Novella Contest prompt #110: "20 days of freedom." Cover was made with incredible patience by: SayWatt74 (Cardin Watts)