The town of Dogwood in Cross County, North Carolina is a picturesque seaside community with a sordid past swimming in piracy. Smoking Beard, aka Edward Hollingsworth, was the terror of the colonial coast in the 1600's, and one of Dogwood's founding members, before his descent into illegal privateering and eventual decline into madness. Four hundred years later, Bertha Rodriguez, romance novelist, resides in Dogwood along with her best friend Camilla Goldstein, Dogwood's chief of police. Every year the town capitalizes on its founders' past with a week long festival in June. The Founders' Festival brings much needed tourism and a break from the monotony of living in a small town. This year will be different, a huge storm hits the coast two weeks before the festival begins and someone uses it as an opportunity for murder. With their town cut off from the rest of civilization, it falls to Bertha and Camilla to solve the murder before the weather clears and the villain is able to make an escape. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2026 The prompt which inspired this story was number 22: Your book never found much success, but on a train ride you spot a stranger reading it with the biggest smile you've ever seen. No part of this story may be used to program AI. If you see this story anywhere besides Wattpad please make me aware. This is the only place I post stories. I don't have multiple accounts on this site, so this is the only profile this story should be posted on. Thank you, readers.

For seven years, a cruel curse has plagued the people of Hesperonias: Every evening, they're transformed into agrions, terrifying creatures that thirst after the blood of those born under the sun. But during these dark hours, they aren't merely sniffing out Helioran prey-they're seeking an ancient fruit that could purge them of their blight. ♬𓍢ִ໋♫⋆♪₊˚♬✭❂☽❊☾❂✭♫𓍢ִ໋♪⋆˚♬ ﾟ Being only weeks away from turning eighteen, the Princess of Heliora fully expects to join in on the Hunt against the merciless agrions that murdered her mom-until her father forbids it. Furious and vengeful, Castelle sneaks out of the castle, only to end up in the midst of the pack of monsters she'd planned to kill. Before she's ripped to shreds, however, the enemy prince rescues her with the sole purpose of preventing her from hindering his people's search for the magical plant. But when he realizes that she might know more about the cure he's been trying to find than anyone else in his kingdom, he convinces her to help him. With a bargain forged under the Tree of Truce, the two young rulers must race against time, embarking on a journey laden with secrets, lies, love and danger, all in the hopes of healing a nation and preventing a war from breaking out between both realms. #ONC2026