In a small village, twenty miles north of Lagos, seven teenagers struggle with their changing identities. Through self-discovery, they shed traditional beliefs to step into their new skin.

The darkest parts of you will leave stars behind.

All boys will grow into men.

Erica had a messed up life. Her parents fought endlessly and her brother was a drug addict. So when her father finally leaves taking her brother with him, her mom takes up drinking which turns her into a raging drunk. Erica is left to take all the beatings and abuse from her mother but what happens when she befriends her social studies teacher and he finds out about her mother? What happens when they fall in love and what happens when she gets pregnant by Daniel Tate, her 12th grade Macroeconomics teacher?

WATTYS WINNER When her fiancé ends up in a coma and his secret mistress, Halley, shows up, Mary feels like her world is falling apart. What she doesn't realize is she's actually falling in love...with Halley. ***** Eight years after a traumatizing accident that killed one of her loved ones, Mary Kincaid is about to marry her childhood sweetheart when the universe yanks the rug out from under her yet again, leaving her fiancé badly injured and in a coma. Of course this is when his secret mistress shows up, a beautiful person whom Mary should by all rights hate - so why does she find herself inviting her to stay in the spare bedroom? She soon learns that sometimes the person you're looking for comes when you're not looking at all. Content and/or trigger warning: This story mentions violence, addiction, and childhood trauma, which may be triggering for some readers. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]]

After having her heart broken by the boy she'd been in love with her whole life, Brimmy Somell decides to take a little...vacation. Little does she know, it turns out to be much more permanent than she had originally thought. After meeting tall, sexy, and mysterious Marcello Pietro, Brimmy finds herself having to make a life-changing decision and putting herself in a dangerous position she'd never imagined to be in. °•°●°•°●°•°●°•° "I love you." He says with no hesitation. It takes a moment for my hazy mind to catch up. I'm still in a daze, mesmerized by his perfections, and the deep dimple set in his cheek. I blink, "What?" "Don't make me say it again." He says, sounding frustrated, but I catch the hint of embarassment in his voice as he runs his hand through his hair and takes a step back. I grab a hold of the neckline to his shirt and yank him back within close proximity of me. "What if I want you to say it again?" I ask, studying his eyes. "Isn't it enough that I said it once?" He scowls, trying to pull back, but I restrain him from doing so. "Nope. Just say it one more time and I'll be satisfied." I state bravely, feeling a boost of confidence I didn't have earlier. He glances down, then looks back up into my eyes, allowing me to spot the vulnerability and uncertainty he feels. "I love you." He says, putting more strength in his voice than he looks to have. I grin, pulling him in for a kiss, but right before I do, I say the one phrase that will seal my fate, "I love you too, big, bad mafia boss." ••••• The story may be rough but the comment section makes up for it. ••••• Word count: 51,173 ••••• Written and published 2018-2019

[ To HIM, 040218 ] ❝I was a rainbow but he was colorblind.❝ In this story told from the perspective of a strong individual, Hayden Williams. Let us witness his story and on how his friendship to a straight guy decay because of a intruder that came to their life.

Ace Salander doesn't think that one can fall in love. Well, he's right. He crashes right into it. Buying his first suit and renting a blue Subaru for a job interview didn't sound bad at all to Ace. Except he'd forgotten that driving wasn't as easy as he thought it would be; and that putting a dent in a Mercedes wasn't going to make him any more broke than he was already. [A spin-off from the Baked series, Ace and Blake get a story of their own <3 hehe]

[ONC 2020 Shortlister] Something evil dwells in the black lake by the misty woods, something that will claim the souls of those who dare to dive into its realm. Lynn Morris is ready to enjoy some well-deserved holidays in the company of her closest friends. And that house on the lakeshore looks like a dream come true and is exactly what she needs. Or that's what she thinks. It takes her diving into the lake, it takes a blood-curdling vision for her to know they shouldn't have touched the waters. Something is watching her; ready to turn her holidays into the worst nightmare ever had. When reality and illusions start clashing in a never-ending war, will she be able to remain sane and save her friends? Or will she fall prey to the darkness growing in her own mind? *ONC 2020. Prompt #40.

I shouldn't have been walking around alone at night. I shouldn't have stopped and watch the obviously crazy man set the building on fire. And I sure of hell shouldn't have accidentally caught his attention. Then maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have been kidnapped by the world's most evil super villain. And then hopefully right now I wouldn't be wishing that he wasn't completely crazy, and wanted to kill every super hero in the world, and that he would, I don't know, take me to the movies, hold my hand as we walked together, or maybe take me to dinner one night. You know normal, cute couple stuff. Instead he likes to kick puppies when no ones watching, dropping me from high buildings, and throwing people into traffic, annoyingly. Maybe if I had just minded my own business and kept walking, maybe I wouldn't have been taken by someone who's whole mission in life is to watch every super die, and cackle evilly while he thinks of it. Maybe if I had just minded my own business and kept walking, maybe I wouldn't start feeling bad for this super villain. Maybe I wouldn't be questioning everything I've ever learned about him. And God forbid, I wouldn't be loving a villain.