Where the truth ends, the mind games begin. Waheeb, a brilliant computer prodigy, possesses an uncanny ability to forecast impending disasters. But when enigmatic dual voices begin echoing in his mind, making it impossible to concentrate on anything other than a sense of impending doom, he realizes the stakes have escalated dramatically, and nothing is what it seems. Teaming up with a trusted friend and a potential love interest, he races against time to decipher the intentions of these voices, known only as the Havocs, before an irreversible catastrophe unfolds.

Anna lives a deliberately colourless life-one spent in the background, where asking for anything comes with a price she learned to stop paying long ago. At school, on the bus, at home, her world has been built on silence, routine, and the certain safety of going unnoticed. It's a balance she maintains meticulously, because being seen has never ended well for her. Then, one day, that balance fractures after a brief moment of accidental acknowledgement-small, meaningless, fleeting, and completely impossible to undo. Now, Anna is forced to confront the quiet life she's built. She begins to question whether survival is the same as living... and what it might cost to want more. She finds herself wondering whether the price is too low-or far too high. Because once you're noticed by someone, the world doesn't always let you disappear again.

When Lorelai's plans to lure her target turn south, she's forced to go on an adventure with the very species she's learned to Hunt. A werewolf. 𓍊𓋼𓍊₊⋆ ⊹₊↟𓃦↟₊⊹ ⋆₊𓍊𓋼𓍊 Lorelai Madden is one of the best Beast Tamers in all of Kilsultra. Her specialty? Training other Tamers how to kill the illusive werewolf in its natural habitat--The Wilds. How? By using herself as bait. One night, a solo mission goes horribly wrong when the unthinkable happens. Her target survives. Normally, the venom in her blood is lethal. Instantaneous. Painless. But under a rare Blood Moon, this werewolf doesn't die. At least, not immediately. Guilty for his suffering and conflicted about the way she was raised, Lorelai embarks on a journey to heal him and discover what she is, why he's immune, and how to save him before it's too late.

After her office burns down a successful editor is forced to share a workspace with the most irritating man alive and a different kind of fire ignites between them. **** Chielozonam 'Elo' Williams is thriving. Not only does she have the job of her dreams she's about to make Acquiring Editor of PerfectRomance, the publishing imprint she's been working at for the past five years which would definitely prove to her judgmental father once and for all that he was wrong about her wasting her life away at a dead end job but she's also determined to enjoy the prime years of her youth. Endless fun and casual romps in the sheets are the name of the game. That is until the unthinkable happens. After Elo's building catches fire and burns down she has no choice but to share an office with the one person that makes her blood boil: Connor Price. Archenemies since their days at college Connor makes getting under her skin an art form with his well-timed scathing remarks and contemptible behavior. It's not long before they're locked in a battle of wits, neither willing to back down or give up. When they have to work together to acquire a potentially lucrative manuscript, they are forced to put aside their long-standing animosity for an adventure that will change everything they thought they knew about each other. PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION meets ANYONE BUT YOU meets THE HATING GAME in this contemporary rom-com about resilience, self-discovery and two sworn enemies who can't decide whether to kiss or kill each other. An ONC 2026 story inspired by prompt 40. You and your greatest enemy are struck by a curse that binds your lives together. The only way to survive is to share a kiss, but you would both rather face death than each other.

Blake Sullivan was supposed to die at 10.45 pm that fateful night. He had it all and lost everything. But when a beautiful woman offers him an opportunity to regain everything including his life, he makes a deal with her. He didn't realize that he was chosen because he was the perfect candidate - embodiment of seven sins. The bargain came with strings attached. Strings which will later transform into serpents strangling the lives of his beloveds and himself. He thought had won; but he was merely borrowing time. How much is a "Golden Boy" worth when he made his deal with the Mother of all Sins? ************************************************************************* © Ana_Miga, 2025. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. No part of this story may be reproduced, distributed, or mirrored without the author's written permission. Unauthorized copying, reposting, or scraping-including automated mirroring on third-party websites-is a violation of copyright law. ************************************************************************* Open Novella Contest 2026 Prompt used: 100. A human summons a demon, and their first conversation quickly reveals the human may not be the one in control. *************************************************************************

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.

Fall, 2022: On the Bayou of Southern Louisiana. Ozzy, a 14-year-old artistic honors student, is looking forward to starting high school and the talented theater program. But a whirlwind trip to the ER and an MRI reveals Ozzy has a brain tumor - and later, a pediatric cancer diagnosis - changes everything. During a year-long fight for a cure in the hospital, hope comes to Ozzy and their Mama through art, music and letters from friends, family and even strangers. There are so many that some remain unopened, collected in a box that goes home with Ozzy after they are discharged from the hospital a year later. The box sits in Mama's closet for over two years. Neither Ozzy nor Mama have opened the box as they struggle to return to "normal" life when "normal" is no longer possible. Until today, 2026: when what begins as spring cleaning turns into opening the box, reading its letters, and finding a mysterious adventure in one that neither Ozzy or Mama ever saw coming. And it just may be the adventure 17-year-old Ozzy and their Mama need to reveal the unexpected, ordinary magic that can help them heal, move forward- and live. ONC 2026 Prompts Used: #79 (Main) - Additional: #16, #28, #69, #104. Stacie Eirich @spacetodream

Welcome to The House of Chico, where your wildest dreams come true. Where your fantasies are guaranteed. Where the drinks are cheap and the patrons are hot. Hidden deep within its walls lie many secrets. Many lives. Many truths and many lies. The lore is rich. Enter at your own risk. Here are the stories of the people who make this house a home. ONC Prompt 29: You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart.

No one ever dreams, until one day someone does. Filippa's world is turned upside down when she dreams for the first time ever. She doesn't know what her cryptic dream means but something tells her it's important. Then her cat leaves like usual, and she realises that her dream might not be a dream at all but a vision. When she meets Emory, a vampire with a lot of keys, and Merrick a necromancer who can hear the stars whispering, she realises that this vision was aligned perfectly for her, and she has one job only, to find the key that opens all the doors. But when the stars start disappearing, and Fillippa meets Alodia, just how far will she go to find the key, and who will be left behind when the world ends?