The world as we know it ended 209 years ago. From a desert wasteland springs a single kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical King and trapped in an endless war against the shadowy desert warriors. As a desperate bid to save what remains of humanity, society has been split into two distinct classes, nicknamed the Court and the Commons. For an oppressed population on the brink of revolution, a common thief could be the last hope. Up until now, Kay has survived by her wits alone. Reckless and impulsive, wanted by the King's guard, Kay has become known as the Runner. Using the city's rooftops as her personal domain, she manages to keep one step ahead of the King with one hand buried in the purses of the courtiers. Driven by the plight of the commoners and the unjust death of her family, Kay seizes the chance to graduate from small-time thievery to full-scale rebellion. Her opportunity comes in the form of Will, a wealthy ex-soldier with a dark past. Plucked from the streets and thrown into the shimmering palace court, Kay must use her every strength to blend into a world where she doesn't belong, closer to the enemy than she ever thought she would be.

It’s cold and it’s dark by now. The day has gone so fast, going to all those places, meeting all those people and now I’m here. He’s led me here. It’s time now, after all I’ve done, it’s time to see him. And everything started with a post-it.

He looked down, but his vision was obscured and hazy. It was a dark and gloomy night, so he didn't expect to see anything. She'd asked him to be there after sunset, albeit reluctantly, but she wasn't here herself. Of course, he thought. She wasn't the type to show herself, the mystery girl. She was the type to hide her face beneath huge hats and glasses. She was the type to hide her body beneath oversized sweaters and baggy jeans. He didn't even know the color of her eyes. He'd never actually seen her. It bothered him. So here he was, on the edge of the precipice of their hilly neighborhood's tallest cliff, waiting for her to finally show herself. ******************************************* Duke was a senior in high school, still mourning over the loss of his beloved Violet. It wasn't easy to move on after all. Once, he was the wildest, loudest, funniest guy in Hillside High, but after the accident, he was a shell of himself. Until her. His mystery girl. Her name literally meant an illusion, but that was never how Duke felt. She was the first person who registered in Duke's lost brain. She was the one who led him to his exclamation mark again.

the road trip of a lifetime. [ cover by blissom / trailer by blissom ] [ started march 30th, 2013 - ended february 18, 2015 © paulina r. all rights reserved ]

A/N: This is an unedited, significantly different version of the soon to be published novel by losangelesque aka L. Akhter. This draft was written when I was 15-18 years old and I highly encourage new readers to read the published version instead. Former high school football star Frank Novak meets profound and depressed loner Lolita Abri - and falls headfirst into love. Throughout the course of one school year, they unravel each other and their sadness, setting apart their differences and realizing that sometimes love isn't enough - and sometimes it just might be. [FIRST DRAFT] Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXTbhopy9ts © All Rights Reserved. Teen Fic #7 A Wattpad Featured story