ONC 2021 LONGLIST Serenity Lewinski, who happened to go through something traumatic, faced her fears by learning kickboxing. Not wanting to be seen as a naive girl anymore, she leans her personality into being a bold, strong and unbreakable being in others' eyes. However, night lulls her into her real vulnerable self. Su Chang Lee, one of the best football players, always keeps to himself. He's considered as the debonaire of Richmond High but he prefers normalcy over popularity. Everything changes when they start sharing their own lights with each other.

Book #3 Lauren is back, and the small town of Oakwood reels into a near-psychosis. In the dead of a harsh winter, mutants struggle to come to terms with reality; NIO is always watching, closing in slowly but surely. A sentence is pending over Riley and Luc's heads. It's up to them to figure out how to save their friends and keep the dangers at bay, but the walls are shrinking with a force neither can stop. The force of time. This pursuit of freedom has already cost them innocent lives, but more sacrifices will have to be made. //temporary summary until I come up with better// sorry// My challenge will be pacing. It is a longer book and a slow-burn in terms of events. I wouldn't say it's dragging, but as a first draft, some things may not be 100% well-adjusted. Do expect new developments, a darker tone, and obviously grief throughout the whole narrative. This book's ending might ruin your emotions a tad. It's probably the darkest ending I've ever plotted yet. TRIGGER WARNING: yet another character will be showing some disturbing behavior. It revolves around violence, self-harm and suicide. It's not said outright but rather one action they will do will reflect heavily on it. Be aware, and again, my goal is not to write about such things but rather to use them as tools for my characters. This issue portrayed in Book 3 will not last the whole plot like with Emma in the second. It'll be a quicker, sneakier one.