When Ari touches a cursed artifact and becomes possessed by a powerful spell, he must find a way to control it or risk losing himself and the half-vampire he loves. ***** Aristotle Lorenfield knows he's unusual. He lives in a museum of haunted objects, studies ancient magics, and is unapologetically asexual. He's used to being alone and doesn't want anything more. Then, one day, his archeologist uncle sends him a mysterious artifact in the mail, thrusting Ari into a world of real magic, necromantic cults, supernatural beings, and dangerous secrets. Torn from the comfort of his solitude, Ari must face the pain in his past, and the truth in himself, if he hopes to survive and save the man he's come to love - but the greatest dangers lie closer to home than he thinks. Cover designed by Adam Budny

* ONC 2020 AMBASSADOR'S PICK * * ONC 2020 HONORABLE MENTION * * ONC 2020 SHORT LIST * * HIDDEN GEMS * Sean has a problem: his dreams come to life. It causes him enough trouble that he moves across the country to start fresh at Everwood Institute. But as his repetitive dreams become more vivid, he wonders if anything he sees is real, and if the black leaves Finn trails behind him are truly there... Finn tries to keep his dreams under control, but this year, he keeps dreaming the same dream. It haunts him in the day, and doesn't help when he's trying to keep his past problems separate from his present life. Then there's the matter of Sean, who leaves flowers blooming wherever he steps... As Sean and Finn grow closer, they realize there's more to their dreams - and each other - than they know. ~*~ COMPLETED | #lgbtq+ #mlm #contemporaryfantasy "How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or whether we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state?" - Plato Prompt #15, OpenNovellaContest2020 Word Count: 21,198 words