The mansion watches. The shadows whisper. Willow Heather thought she was a guest-but in the Atticus Estate, survival comes at a deadly price

In the world of 15-year old Isobel, sadness has been cured-happiness is a constant for those who choose it-and those who don't are treated with caution. Until they tried to make it mandatory. And suddenly, what once looked like a remedy becomes a disease. As a startling virus sweeps through a remote camp in the woods, people aren't just left without sadness. They're left empty. Hollow. And they will do anything to feel again. Isobel's world shatters when her lifelong joy is stolen away. But when her best friend shows a strange immunity, it's up to them and their band of survivors to embrace the emotions they were taught to fear. Survive the night. Learn to be human again. Easy, right?

He hates her. She never stopped loving him. Twelve years ago, Liza Wilson's mother destroyed Christopher McKinley's family. Since then, he's blamed Liza for every shattered piece. Now his father is dead. And the will demands one thing: Marriage. To the girl he swore he'd never forgive. Living together was never part of the plan. Falling in love again? Even less.

[[ONC 2026 LongList]] 25-year old Lee still hasn't figured out why they could not form any long-lasting relationships, even friendships for that matter. Aside from family members, which they are obligated to talk to, there is no one else Lee had even come close to calling a friend. Well, maybe except for one. -------- Submitted for ONC 2026 @OpenNovellaContest Using the following prompts : 29. You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints in your heart. 104. While wandering in the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than wind through the trees until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all. 106. After waking at 3AM to a freezing room and a door you're certain you closed, you find wet footprints and melting snow leading from your bedroom into the hall. Realizing someone or something is inside your home, you follow the trail to uncover the truth. ------------- © 2026 J. Lee Kennedy. All rights reserved. Cover design © 2026 J. Lee Kennedy. Images used in this work belong to their respective copyright holders and are used under license or in accordance with applicable Creative Commons terms. Edited or altered images are copyrighted by the author in their final form.

He was sent to rescue her. Not to care. Not to stay. Definitely not to fall. Leonardo Nico Russo, the youngest heir of one of Europe's most feared crime families, has built his life on discipline, precision, and impossible missions. Loose ends don't exist in his world. Until April Holloway. Three years after he pulls her from the horrors of human trafficking, fate brings them together again. But the girl he rescued is no longer the same-and neither is the man who walked away believing some people were never meant to become more than a mission. As April finds herself pulled closer to the enigmatic man who once saved her, she must decide whether loving him is worth embracing the dangerous world that comes with his name. And when the past returns, determined to destroy everything he holds dear, Leo discovers that there are some wars you don't fight for an empire... You fight them for one person. Set against a world of hidden wars, family loyalty, and impossible choices, In His Arms is a story of rescue, resilience, and a love that refuses to surrender. Because sometimes, the person who saves you... doesn't just change your life. They become your home.

ONC 2026 In a world woven with secrets, silence can be deafening. Eighteen-year-old Luca Kant has never known the sound of her own voice; born deaf and raised under the suffocating grip of her controlling father, she is haunted by the shadow of her mother's mysterious disappearance. Did she flee from the clutches of a man who could be a monster, or did something more sinister happen? Nineteen-year-old Boy Harrison lives at the wrecking yard. He can speak, but hasn't spoken since he was four. He is haunted by nightmares that echo a woman's voice warning him that to remain safe, he must remain silent. Fate draws Luca and Boy together. Long-buried memories and cryptic connections between their lives begin to unravel. As they delve deeper into their entwined pasts, eerie parallels unfold-did Luca's father play a role in the dark mystery surrounding her mother's fate? Does he hold the key to both their truths? How is Boy connected, and who is the woman he dreams of? In a gripping tale of identity, resilience, and the haunting weight of silence, Luca and Boy must confront their monsters and uncover the chilling revelations that bind them on a riveting journey where silence speaks volumes and whispers could change the course of their lives. 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.) My interpretation - Monsters didn't live under your bed. They sat at your table.