Tansy Harlow was dead. But not really. She never wanted to be stuck at sixteen forever, but when has anything ever gone right in her life? Now she has to navigate a world with no one but herself and her unquenchable hunger for blood, leaving a trail of bodies everywhere she goes. What she doesn't know is that every hunter and vampire in the country is after her, for two very different reasons. One group wants to kill her; the other group thinks she has a connection to a long list of crimes she isn't even aware of. Who will find her first? Monsters, or the humans who hunt them?

In a world where individuals with otherworldly abilities walk among their less gifted counterparts, an organisation called the Watchers exists to ensure that the two worlds keep their peace. Hiding behind their mask of providing security services is a widespread web of assassins and spies. They have always made sure to eliminate anyone who was too dangerous for the ordinary police to handle. Faolan Devoe has become one of their best with his sheer hard work and skill, just an ordinary man among a sea of extraordinary powers. When he's called in for a top-secret mission, he expects to assassinate a public figure or something along those lines. What he doesn't expect is to be sent undercover to babysit a killer's child. The catch? The kid is no normal human, and if his father gets his hands on him, it might lead to the end of the world. TW: violence, death, gore, strong language

Prompt 109 Grace Elena Diego is a good daughter and student St Will high school, Grace Elena Diego was born 1212.

Catastrophe || An event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering; a disaster. A chance encounter leads to misadventure when a curious cat and a rebellious young reaper's world collide. The daughter of the Grim Reaper, Eulalie, is nothing like the legendary phenomenon. She's not built for reaping, unlike her older brother, Nemorin. It's hard enough being a teenager without collecting souls. Let alone when an entire council of reapers wants to get rid of you. It's not her fault she doesn't fit in. And reaping doesn't get you out of algebra. After one too many mistakes and a lost heirloom, her father can't protect her any longer. Thirteen Souls. She has until midnight to prove herself. Or else risk losing her powers and returning to Earth to live with her human mother, whom she's never met. CW: Themes of Death. #ONC2026 || Prompt #65 On the way to collect a soul, the Grim Reaper is distracted by a stray puppy. Instead of completing the task, he decides to find the puppy's owner, much to the frustration of his assistant.

[ 2026 Open Novella Contest Entry ] Jane Newton isn't grieving; she's furious. Two years after burying her husband, Mark, a security protocol triggers in her empty home, revealing a digital ghost that shatters her reality. She didn't bury the truth-she buried a stranger. Mark wasn't the quiet graphic designer she loved. He was a cyber-intelligence specialist who staged his own death in the midst of a plot at the highest levels of power. Now, Jane is the accidental courier of evidence of a looming assassination-and the only person who knows that Mark is still alive. With SQUID tracking her every digital heartbeat, Jane must vanish into the analogue world. But when the hunters take her sister, Jane stops running. In a world built on encrypted lies, the truth is the most lethal weapon of all.

When you think of vampires, you probably think of Dracula or--shudder--Edward Cullens. You know what I mean: the romanticized, sexy version of a vampire. The one with sparkly skin and a charismatic compulsion. Hot. Sexy. Let's be real here, Gary Oldman really set the bar, right? But what fiction doesn't tell you is that being a vampire is messy and, quite frankly, HARD. It's ugly and lonely, and don't even get me started about tracking down blood. I'm wanted in every province (ever hear of the Bloody Killer? Yeah, that's me. Totally lame serial killer moniker, by the way, RCMP). I didn't have the choice to turn into a vampire, but, boy, did my creator pick the wrong person. Out of control, clumsy, drunk, messy, blah, blah, blah. You get the idea. I know, I should probably see a therapist, huh? Well, my trail of bloodless bodies soon catches up to me when a chance encounter with a hottie in a cafe leaves me with his phone by mistake, and I realize just how f***ed I am. And as I do my best to keep him away (while trying to survive as a vampire), I can't help but fall for the cafe hottie, putting a stake on my life. *** ONC '26 prompts: #56 and #81

A counterfeit claim against a legendary wine ignites a high-stakes investigation in which a neurodivergent restaurateur and a forensic wine analyst must navigate forgery, deception, and their own unexpected connection to save a century-old legacy. Luc, owner of London's prestigious Le Rêve restaurant, faces a devastating crisis when a valued patron declares a prized vintage a fake. To protect his family's century-old reputation, he enlists Izzy, a brilliant but socially unconventional forensic wine analyst, eager to prove her mettle. Their shared autism initially creates an unexpected but undeniable spark of attraction, challenging their focus. But as they delve deeper into the complex world of wine fraud, they suspect a widespread conspiracy that threatens to destroy Le Rêve. Together, they must harness their unique abilities to expose the truth, safeguard the restaurant's legacy, and navigate their intensifying relationship, even as they battle their own internal worlds.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉? In the tough underworld of Toronto, 2126, Aja Huang lives a dual existence. As an observer, she has been analyzing human emotions, but everything shifts when an enigmatic signal uncovers her true mission: to prevent a formidable device capable of transforming the future of humanity. Enter Xander Kohler, a lethal assassin with trust issues. When their paths cross, the risks increase. Aja becomes more than just another target; she transforms into a mystery that Xander finds irresistible. While they flee together, their shared attraction intensifies, along with the dangers. The second their surroundings fall apart, Aja and Xander have to face reality. Things are never as they seem. When the stars above the city begin to pulse with forgotten light, will they choose the safety of illusion ─ or the peril of awakening? And when the truth comes to light, who will society become? ~ 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 meets 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒔𝒕 in this sci-fi thriller, blending high-stakes corporate and government control with the moral dilemmas of an alien hiding in human society. ~ ONC 2026 prompts: 32, 25, 78, 24, 29, 46, 27, and 44. ✧ 𝐃𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 ✧ 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✧ 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ✧ Copyright © 2026 Lily Mitchell Exclusive to W A T T P A D, under the profile of OnceUponALily. Cover edited by author via postermywall.com

Lyra needs an escape. After breaking things off with her ex, she flees to the Ozarks. The sleepy mountain town seems far enough off the grid, and the historic apartments owned by her father are charming enough. The ghosts think so, too. Or, at least, that's what the locals say. Even the nice, quiet man she always bumps into on her coffee runs is more than willing to share his experiences with the beyond. Ever a skeptic, Lyra wants nothing to do with the area's haunted appeal, or the paranormal investigator next door who seems a little too in her space. The living are awful enough. Why would she want to speak with the dead? But restless spirits are much harder to ignore, especially in a building that feels so... alive. __________ Main ONC Prompt: 80. »Monsters don't live under our beds. They live in the recesses of our minds.« (Variation of Edgar Allen Poe's famous quote) __________ ©️2026 Wrenna Stone "Reflect" is posted exclusively on W a t t p a d . c o m. If you are reading this novel on another platform or website, please inform the author via W a t t p a d, as you may be reading it from a mirror site or any other platform where it has been plagiarized.